Accel World Vol 6 Chapter 6 (2/2)

A huge hole was punched through the centre of his left wing, scattering silver fins much like the feathers of a bird when shot. Consequently, Haruyuki’s thrust was unbalanced and he dropped like a stone with no time to react; he crashed into the ground.

If the ground hadn’t been thick gra.s.s, his Health Gauge would surely have turned red by now. Instead, after a glance at his Gauge that had come dangerously close to fifty percent, even if he trembled before the fearsome power of Utan’s Incarnate skills, Haruyuki still dragged himself back up.

Trampling the gra.s.s with swis.h.i.+ng noises, Bust Utan walked up to Haruyuki and broke into a huge sneer:

“…How does my new skill’s power feel like, eh? Ain’t it cool? n.o.body could hope to match it, yeah~”

Light continously throbbed and emanated from the ‘eyeball’ in the center of his chest. In a soft, stuttering voice, Hauryuki fought against Utan’s bloodthirsty gaze.

“Wh-Why…Just, how did you…get this power…”

The answer came just as soon as he thought of it – it could only be that someone taught him how to use the Incarnation System. Just like how Sky Raker had taught him, and Scarlet Rain to Tak.u.mu. But there was still something he couldn’t understand:

Niko had said that there were four basic types of Incarnate techniques: «Range», «Movement», «Offense», and «Defense». And, any person can only learn Incarnate techniques that are compatible with their duel avatar’s colour type. But right before his eyes, Bush Utan had shot him out from the sky with a «Range Expansion» technique: the affinity belonging to the Red spectrum in the Colour Circle, and completely opposite of a green avatar’s defensive properties. And prior to that, Utan too had used an «Offensive Expansion» technique to strike Haruyuki. It’s impossible for these Incarnation techniques to exist together; even Niko, herself a high-level Incarnate System user, admitted her inability to use either Offensive or Defensive Expansion techniques given her avatar type.

Faced with a problem far surpa.s.sing his comprehension, all Haruyuki could do was to sit down, sh.e.l.l-shocked and gazing blankly.

Across from him, Bush Utan lowered his long, burly arms loosely by his sides while the «Eye» in his chest gazed around. Moving his mouth as little as possible like a child revealing his secrets, Utan spoke with a crazed fervor:

“…Didn’t I say? I…got this from someone who gave it to me. This «IS Mode Study Kit»…or simply ISS Kit.”

“Gave… You? Someone…gave you the ISS Kit?”

He murmured in a daze at this revelation.

Haruyuki was familiar with the words ‘study kit’; there are numerous companies marketing a wide variety of educational kits for young children: Piano, Gymnastics, Bicycle riding, just to name a few study kits. After downloading the kit into the Neuro Linker, either FullDive or Augmented Reality learning could take place under the guidance of a virtual instructor. He himself had used such a kit, ‘Speaking Practice Kit,’ but he didn’t wish to let others know of this fact.

But such companies in the real world couldn’t possible create and sell an ‘Incarnate System Study Kit.’ And logically speaking, the power of the Incarnate System couldn’t possibly be learnt from these quick fixes. Lastly, Utan had said that he did not purchase this, but obtained it from an acquaintance, most probably another Burst Linker who told Utan, ‘With this study kit, you can learn the Incarnate System,’ and thus pa.s.sed to him that black eyeball.

So who on earth gave it to him? It couldn’t be… It couldn’t be…

“This…someone who gave you the ‘ISS Kit,’ is he… Ash Roller?”

For a moment, a bemused look crossed Utan’s face while Haruyuki trembled in fear. Utan then shook his head and replied:

“…Nah, it wasn’t. This thing… I would never tell Big Bro Ash about it. ‘Cos Big Bro, he… probably wouldn’t like this too much, yeah…”

Upon hearing this, Haruyuki secretly exhaled in relief. Ash Roller had already been taught the basics of the Incarnate System by their master, Sky Raker, and therefore shouldn’t have to experiment with such suspicious tools like the ISS Kit.

But he couldn’t let his guard down just yet. Bush Utan leaned in closer towards Haruyuki, and whispered feverishly:

“…But, as long as I use this kit to become stronger, Crow-san, don’t you agree that Big Bro will definitely be happy for me? If he knew that even though Crow-San beat me up just a week ago, and that now I’ve scored a flawless victory with the ISS kit, Big Bro’s gonna be happy, ain’t it? He’d say I’m ‘GIGA COOL~,’ ain’t that right?”

“…!”

Seeing Utan’s insatiable thirst in his eyes up close, Haruyuki gasped sharply and involuntarily shook his head as he replied:

“…N-No, it wouldn’t be. The power of IS Mode… I mean, the Incarnate System shouldn’t be learnt from a kit like this. You have to first face your own «trauma», and understand the source from which that power originates… You have to begin from there, or you’d be swallowed up by your heart’s darkness…”

“Dafuq you sayin’?”

Utan shut Haruyuki up on the spot with his angry retort. Their masks were almost touching each other, the formerly cheerful and lively Burst Linker now spoke in a gravelly tone:

“…Crow. From that tone of yours, it’s as though you know a little about this «power»….but in that race last week, you should have personally experienced it: the immense power of the shuttle No. 10’s «IS Mode» that ran amok and in an instant, rusted away the shuttles of several hundred Gallery members to smithereens. «IS Mode» is such an extraordinary power, an ultimate power that can break every last rule of Brain Burst. There are all those filthy fellows who have been hiding it from everyone else all this time, so is there any purpose in caring about what that power signifies now? No, or rather… maybe even you’ve been using that power in your fights every now and then, winning them in your own little sneaky way?”

Like a huge snake, Utan’s right hand snaked forwards and grabbed Haruyuki by his throat, and with his extreme strength lifted him to his feet. From this close proximity, Haruyuki could see into the depths of Utan’s eyes, which should have been leafy green in colour, flickering with a black-red light. And – the frequency of this light’s pulsing and the eyeball of the ISS Kit stuck in his chest was completely in synchrony.

“If I ain’t stronger, there ain’t no point to it. If I ain’t stronger, my winrate won’t be good and all I’ll ever be in the legion is merely an underling. It wouldn’t be long before I lost all my points, and n.o.body in Accel World will even know they just lost another small player. But of course, people like you who had rare abilities like «Aviation» from the start wouldn’t understand, or maybe there’s just no way for guys like you to understand us.”

—I understand. I can understand it better than anyone. I’ve never thought of myself as a winner, not in the real world, not even in Accel World.

That was what he wished to say, but Bush Utan beat him to it. In a hoa.r.s.e voice, he continued on:

“…But, with this «ISS Kit», even losers can become strong. No…losers will never have to feel like a loser ever again with its strength. You saw it too, right? In the three days I’ve had this Kit, I’ve been able to master «IS Mode» to this extent. As long as I’ve got this power, I won’t ever lose to melee nor ranged attackers ever. Those idiot legionnaires too, who look down on me, and… Even Big Bro – I mean, I can even beat Ash Roller! I’m strong, that’s right, I’m stronger!”

His voice wasn’t hoa.r.s.e anymore; at some unknown point, his tone and even his volume had drastically changed.

Bush Utan lifted Haruyuki off the ground with just his right hand gripping Silver Crow’s throat, yelling out loud:

“I’m the strongest… I’m stronger than anyone! I don’t even need a Tag Partner anymore! ‘Olive Glove!’ Let’s have a duel after this! Let’s see who’s got the better skill at IS Mode! Where are you, Olive! Watch me finish this guy off!”

With Bush Utan’s complete turnaround in character, and Haruyuki’s comprehensive ability long overloaded, all he could was think in a daze, unable to keep up with the situation anymore.

-‘Olive Glove’ was the name of Utan’s tag partner in this battle. He should be his buddy from the Green Legion, but from the way Utan had referred to him, he seemed to have also obtained the ISS Kit. In other words, Olive too should be capable of wielding the terrifying power of «all types of Incarnation».5 If that was the case, then how had s.h.i.+nomiya Utai fared as his opponent? She shouldn’t have gone down in one hit just like he had…

Just when Haruyuki looked up to check the Health Gauges in the upper corner of his vision, he heard footsteps from his right, and immediately turned to face it.

A chilling wind parted the swaying gra.s.s and an unknown duel avatar stepped out, slowly walking towards them.

His armour colour was just like his namesake, a dark brown – Olive. His body was slim like a branch, but his arms were disproportionately large. And, another black hemisphere was stuck in his chest just like Utan.

But the eyelids of this eyeball were nearly shut, save for a tiny exposed sliver of the «Eye». Red light flickered irregularly from it, as though it would go out at any moment.

Upon a closer look, just to keep moving forwards, Olive Glove’s avatar itself had to readjust every step he took with great haste, as though…as though he was fleeing.

“…Olive?”

Upon hearing Utan’s voice of surprise, this lean avatar raised its head stiffly. Beneath rows of vertical slits, his eyes opened as wide as saucers.

“…Utan…hel… Help me…”

His hoa.r.s.e voice suddenly cut off mid-sentence as he abruptly turned his head back and raised his right hand out of fright. A thin layer of shadow gathered, wrapping around his hand that resembled the branch of a tree.

“Da…«Dark Sho-»…”

*THMP*

A soft sound interrupted Olive mid-word.

It had come from a long, thin object wrapped in flames that had appeared from nowhere, piercing straight through Olive Glove’s left chest – a ‘fire arrow.’

The entire duel avatar instantly disintegrated and dispersed; his Health Gauge had been reduced to zero. Haruyuki reflexively checked the four – no, only three bars were left in the corners of his vision.

Bush Utan’s Gauge still had 80% left, while Silver Crow’s was just less than half full. But Haruyuki’s tag partner s.h.i.+nomiya Utai – Ardor Maiden – her Gauge hadn’t decreased even a single dot since the beginning of the battle.

The «Eye» – the «ISS Kit» that Utan had referred to, had already appeared on Olive Glove’s chest, so Maiden should also have encountered an Incarnation attack as her opponent’s first strike. In Olive’s last moments, he had tried to use the same long-ranged skill Utan had utilised, «Dark Shot». That couldn’t have been his first Incarnate attack against her, and yet Maiden hadn’t even suffered a scratch. How on earth was that so?

Haruyuki momentarily forgot to breathe as his gaze slowly rose from the spot Olive had vanished.

About twenty metres away, the silhouette of a diminutive duel avatar appeared, clad in a white robe and red hakama6. All of her armour shone brightly without a single imperfection, save for an object she held in her slender left hand that hadn’t been there before. It was a long, thin object nearly as tall as she was, gently curving backwards above and below her grip, with a thin line strung between the ends. It was – a bow.

Ardor Maiden nonchalantly glanced at Silver Crow, less a whole arm and one of his wings, and Bush Utan who had him by the throat and off the ground.

There had been nothing else in the s.p.a.ce between her hands. But suddenly, a fiery-red line appeared – an arrow of fire. Utai straightened her back, raised her right hand high, and in a beautifully smooth motion, gently pulled on the string.

Time seemed to stop in that moment of silence. Her right hand s.h.i.+mmered, and her left simultaneously released.

With a gale-force wind the arrow flew, deeply piercing through Bush Utan’s right lower arm.

“Uuh…”

Groaning in pain, Utan dumped Haruyuki onto the ground and pulled out the flaming arrow with his left. The arrow dissipated into thin air afterwards. But just from this one shot, Utan’s Health Gauge had already been reduced by ten percent.

Though her arrow’s damage was high and her accuracy amazing, it was the dignified manner in which Ardor Maiden carried herself which truly frightened Haruyuki – and probably Bush Utan too – rooting him to the spot. The j.a.panese-style avatar seemed to glide through the sea of gra.s.s, murmuring in the wind, as she came closer. If only avatar size is considered, then she’s smaller than any other player, yet a scorching aura about her chased away all such feeling. In Niko’s words, she exerted an «Unbelievable Information Pressure».

Ardor Maiden came to a stop before Haruyuki and Bush Utan, holding her bow horizontally with both hands before her. In the same dignified manner that belied her innocent tone, she spoke:

“This has been an unforeseen matter. I merely wished to restrain Olive-san before a victor could be decided on your side of the duel, but unfortunately that couldn’t be the case.”

She shook her head lightly, as though her flawless victory had in fact been a grave mistake. She then proceeded to speak her train of thought aloud in a short monologue:

“The «ISS Kit»… If this was to be spread uncontrollably, it will be quite difficult to resolve the situation. And if the distributor’s ident.i.ty cannot be found quickly…”

Utai raised her head and fixed Utan with a severe gaze. She got to the point straightforwardly:

“Bush Utan, who gave to you this?”

As though intimidated, the gra.s.sy-green avatar retreated two steps. The «Eye» in his chest began to flicker irregularly, as though in pace with his own state of mind. The form of the dark aura surrounding him, too, had begun to sway violently.

Utan shook his head repeatedly, and in a hoa.r.s.e voice, he croaked in reply:

“I, I can’t tell you… Nope… I promised, not to tell…”

“Is that the case? Well then, there’s no other choice since you’ve made a promise.”

Utai acknowledged with a blunt nod of her head, continuing to fix Utan with an iron stare as she delivered her next question:

“I will daresay that this power will do more harm than good for you. Bush Utan, the «Flames» of my avatar type has the ability to purify your body of that parasitic object if you wish so for it. There is still time for it now. It is regrettable that Olive-san turned me down… But what about you?”

The full implications of her words’ meaning couldn’t be immediately grasped by Haruyuki.

But after a second or so had pa.s.sed, his eyes grew wide with realisation.

Utai had definitely said ‘The «Flames» of my avatar type has the ability to purify your body of that parasitic object.‘ But, wasn’t such an ability extremely rare? Hadn’t Kuroyukihime and Fuuko talked about it in the past; parasites and other object of similar types could only be removed by users with the rare «Purifying Ability»?

Then – s.h.i.+nomiya Utai, Ardor Maiden, has to be one such user with a Purifying Ability. She is the keystone to the ‘Disaster Armour Purification Plan’ as outlined by Kuroyukihime, which will cleanse Chrome Disaster’s seed from Haruyuki.

As the realisation glued him to the spot, Haruyuki momentarily forgot about the pain from his missing left hand and wing; Utai nodded at Utan, as though urging him to answer.

Standing few metres away, the black aura surrounding his body seemed to become increasingly pale and weak. His voice seemed to have lost all strength as he croaked:

“I… I… I only…wished to become strong…as strong as…-Big Bro…”

He took a single step forwards. His hands dropped by his sides, and his head s.h.i.+vered continuously, as though he was about to nod. But then-

The Eye in his chest suddenly blinked and opened wide and the dull red light it emitted strongly pulsed. At the same time, Bush Utan’s own eyes too, lit up together and the same red light shone from them. Haruyuki got the feeling that it was actually the Eyeball that was interfering with Bush Utan’s state of mind.

“…No… This power is mine… My power… My strength…”

A tinge of distortion overcame his voice, deepening it greatly. The aura surrounding him began to regenerate, and his outstretched hands slowly clenched to form fists.

“I won’t just hand this over… Or let it be stolen… Don’t even think about taking this from me… No.. Not at all…”

In a low voice, Utan seemed to ramble to himself, when he abruptly stood straight up forcefully. From his eyes and the Eyeball in his chest, each emitted a thin ray of dark red light like a spear.

“This is my power, this is my «IS Mode»! If you want to take it away… then I’ll show you!”

He thrust his right fist high into the air, a thick black aura covering it completely.

“Oooh… «Dark Blow»!”

Bush Utan wanted to beat the smaller Ardor Maiden to a pulp from above.

“Ah!”

Haruyuki’s instinct was block with his own fist,but Utai raised her left hand, gesturing for him to stop.

In the same action, she brought forth her right to face Utan. Compared to his fist, humongous like a boulder, Utai’s five slim fingers resembled newly-bloomed rose buds. ‘There’s no way she could stop it,’ Haruyuki thought.

But then-

Utai’s palm lit up with a gentle orange light – flames. A clear layer of translucent flame covered her hand in a fraction of a second.

Just as Utan’s fist was about to crush Utai’s comparatively tiny palm – a resounding *GAAN!* erupted. The impact propagated, fiercely shaking Haruyuki and the surrounding gra.s.s all around. But all he did was to stare blankly at the scene before him, as though oblivious to everything else.

Utan’s and Maiden’s hands were not touching: a s.p.a.ce of five centimetres separated them, and within that s.p.a.ce Utan’s black aura could be seen tussling viciously with the semitransparent flame from Utai, emitting dazzling sparks everywhere. This was their respective imaginations clas.h.i.+ng to create the «Overwrite» phenomenon – in other words, Maiden was defending against Utan’s Incarnate attack with her own Incarnation.

But the difference between their expressions couldn’t be greater: Utan’s face was twisted with undisguised hate and killing intent, but Utai just kept her hand raised quietly. Her expression looked a little sad, even.

Utai abruptly spoke up, her words reinforcing Haruyuki’s impression.

“Bush Utan, this is where you’re wrong. The power of Incarnation… Or ‘IS Mode’ as you call it, isn’t a power to be bestowed upon you nor a power to be taken from someone. It is born from your heart, from your inner self.”

“…Shut up, shut up shut up!”

Utan bellowed and brandished his left fist.

But even before he had struck, the flame surrounding her right hand strengthened by a tiny amount.

And then the balance of opposing forces between them was instantly dispersed. A tremendous force blew away Utan’s fist, flipping him into the gra.s.s behind.

The disparity in their strength was absolute. Utai had probably employed a ‘Defensive Expansion’ Incarnation technique, and despite the fact that her red-type duel avatar should not be able to use such a skill, and even when it should be inefficient, she only had but to use Over-Ray to deflect the opposing fist. All the more, she was no ordinary player.

Bush Utan, too, seemed to have sensed Ardor Maiden’s incredible power, and rather than continue head-on, dived back into the gra.s.s. *SHASHASHA*… The sound of rustling gra.s.s surrounded them, accompanied with the rustle of the wind. He had not fled, in fact, but most probably was preparing to launch the same long-range dark beam attack that had felled Haruyuki earlier.

“…Ut- Sorry, Mei-san, he’s planning to use a ranged attack!” 7 Haruyuki cried out hurriedly.

Utai nodded slightly. Walking a few steps closer to Haruyuki, she turned around to scan the surroundings, and with a dignified voice stepped towards the fields of gra.s.s.

“Bush Utan, there’s one more thing which you do not know of. If you attack with Incarnation techniques, you mustn’t forget this. The opponent may also counterattack with Incarnation as well.”

With that, Utai glanced at Haruyuki for a moment before nonchalantly speaking:

“Kuu-san, just once will suffice; please block Utan-san’s attacks. My Incarnation attack takes a little time to activate.”

“O-Ok…wait, what?”

Answering without thought, Haruyuki realised too late that he had just tripped himself up. It was going to be no easy task to deflect a ranged attack from possibly anywhere – it may well be impossible.

But Utai had already moved out of Haruyuki’s line of sight and began to concentrate. Spreading her feet apart slightly, she shut her eyes, and a layer of Overflow resembling genteel flames enveloped her whole frame.

And then her duel avatar abruptly underwent an unexpected change.

With a loud *CLACK!*, armour from her fringes slid out and covered her entire face. These pure white surfaces with gentle curves only bore 2 curved lines for eyes, like a false appearance – no, it’s actually a mask.

The eyes drawn on this mask appear soft, but to put it another way, they gave off a cold appearance, or there was not the slightest trace of innocence, to say the least.

Following which, another transformation began with the j.a.panese bow she held in her left.

The entire length of the flaming bow was instantly shrunk into a small rod, merely a fraction of its original size. Utai then transferred this object, still wrapped in flames, into her right hand, holding it outwards like a brush. Haruyuki speculated that that should be some sort of weapon, but in the next moment-

*PAH!*

With a crisp sound, the rod unfolded from her hand into a thin, sector-shaped object: a «Fan». Let alone a firearm, it’s not even a weapon; why go to the trouble to change the bow into a fan! No matter how much Haruyuki wanted to yell that at Utai, he couldn’t break her concentration just yet.

Unable to do anything else, Haruyuki could only prepare himself to defend against Utan’s attack at all costs, and scanned their surroundings.

If Utan’s Over-Ray was his original avatar’s colour, it might have been possible to spot him through the gra.s.s which wouldn’t completely conceal him; but the black aura he gave off blended into the shadows created by the evening sun, making it impossible to see where Utan was. And it was just as impossible to hear even the slightest sound of footsteps; given these circ.u.mstances, predicting the source of his next shot was more difficult than detecting a punch by several orders of magnitude.

—Wrong. Even if he has a way to conceal his footsteps, Utan still has to make a sound before he attacks: «Calling out the Skill Name»8. Incarnate techniques aren’t like normal Special Moves: it was not impossible to activate it without calling out the skill’s name. Yet, instant activation without any voice imagination trigger was quite a high-level technique, and for Utan who had only possessed the «ISS Kit» for a few days, he shouldn’t have had attained that level of proficiency.

Haruyuki stretched out and brought his fingers together, gathering his entire concentration unto his sense of hearing.

The blowing of wind, the rustling of leaves, all other noises were eliminated from his consciousness, single-mindedly waiting for the one and only sound inscribed into his memory by Utan a few minutes earlier.

When an eternity pa.s.sed in a few seconds’ time, Haruyuki’s senses were finally triggered.

“«Dar–»”

His eyes opened in an instant and he shouted:

“«Laser Sword»!!” “«–rk Shot»!!”

The two Incarnate attacks’ names were called out simultaneously.

A black beam shot out from behind Ardor Maiden’s right, and Haruyuki slashed up with his right hand. A silver aura from his fingers elongated into the length of a sword, and its point rushed towards the inky black darkness—

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*CRAa.s.sHH!* With a shrill collision, the laser deviated from its path, barely missing Utai’s shoulder and vanis.h.i.+ng into the twilight sky. A distance away, an expression of shock momentarily crossed Utan’s face as he stood, but his avatar immediately ducked back into the gra.s.s, leaving neither sound nor shadow as he fled.

Utai’s request «to protect her once» was fulfilled. But Incarnate attacks wouldn’t deplete the Special Gauge. Strictly speaking, it requires «mental strength» to attack, but Utan’s fighting spirit was probably in no way weakened. Another Dark Shot was sure to follow in the next few seconds.

Not knowing what to do next, Haruyuki turned back to look at Ardor Maiden.

The diminutive masked avatar slowly waved the hand fan in her right hand, almost as though she was dancing.

At this, a long-forgotten memory in Haruyuki’s recollection suddenly awoke:

Where had he seen this scene before? Yes, on a performing stage when he was much younger, he was brought by his parents for a New Year’s shrine visit. In the midst of mysterious music, a girl dressed in white with a red hakama danced with a fan in one hand just like Utai was now, though there were differences. The performer was not masked like Ardor Maiden is, and her movements were not as dynamic as Utai’s. Her changes in tempo were enormous, from a climax to freezing in place noiselessly. There was no other words that came to mind to describe this other than ‘superb.’

Haruyuki had long forgotten about the battle just in front of him, and continued to admire the dancing of Ardor Maiden.

Without warning, from the mouth of her mask, a bright, clear voice resounded. She wasn’t shouting, yet her voice clearly carried to every corner of the stage. It was an outstanding «singing» with strength within.

Sukos.h.i.+ suzus.h.i.+ki san’netsu no

Suddenly, the gra.s.sy fields covering the entire stage shuddered. It was not transpiration – it was flames. Flames surrounded Utai and spread far away to the edges of the stage. That was the indication of an Incarnate System Skill, «Over-Ray», or excess light, that was covering the entire stage. To the point of surpa.s.sing even the erosion-type Incarnate System skill employed by Rust Jigsaw, «Rusting Order», which he used during the Hermes Vertical Cord Race last week.

Kurus.h.i.+mi wo manugaru soreno mika

9

The world ignited in a blaze.

Lotus-like red flames rose into the sky in all directions, completely scorching the gra.s.sy plains. The whole stage had been dyed red, with countless embers dotting the sky like stars.

A two-meter circle of s.p.a.ce around Utai was untouched, with naught an ember inside this s.p.a.ce. But the illusion of being completely untouched by those flames was enough to send Haruyuki gasping for breath.

Ardor Maiden gracefully waved her fan. The violently raging flames spread, burning the gra.s.s and even the ground to ash.

Between the curtains of fire, a vague shadow could be seen.

That was Bush Utan, whose entire body had been engulfed in flames. His two arms had long ago been incinerated.

And yet unbelievably, his face had no expression of pain whatsoever, only an unreadable expression. He looked down on his own body which had just been toasted into a pillar of flame. Haruyuki reflexively checked their HP gauges; Bush Utan’s gauge was dropping at an alarming speed. It dropped below 30% in the blink of an eye, as though the flames itself was burning the gauge away. 20%–10%–zero.

With a flash of light and a sound effect, the avatar-shaped pillar of flame disappeared.

Even so, the short avatar continued with her dance. While watching her in silence, Haruyuki finally felt all the puzzle pieces fall into place, and understood:

The meaning of «Maiden» does not only refer to a young lady. It also could refer to a nun of G.o.d. Isn’t this very form just that of a shrine maiden, and therefore the first image that is invoked by the red and white armour?

And, «Ardor»’s meaning is ‘Blaze.’ Hotter than «Fire», more ferocious than «Flames», to the point of an apocalyptic conflagration.

Ardor Maiden.

In other words, «Conflagration Shrine Maiden».

Notes:

1. ^ When Haruyuki first says ‘Please take care of me,’ it’s in polite speech. This reply by Maiden is a shorter, more casual form.

2. ^ Crow in katakana is ku-ro-u, and Maiden calls him Kuu-san by revoic

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