Accel World Vol 8 Chapter 10 (1/2)

Chapter 10

Crimson.

The first thing that Haruyuki saw once they had pa.s.sed through the tiny gap of the Imperial Palace’s south gate and had finally escaped to the outside world was that.

Swirling, raging deep crimson flames. However, it was not mere heat energy. The hieroglyphic shape of a huge bird possessing two enormous wings, a long neck, and two eyes that glinted like rubies.

The super-cla.s.s enemy, the «Divine Beast Suzaku».

“Wh…why, has he materialized already…!”

Utai, who was clinging tightly to his neck, had shouted that in a hoa.r.s.e voice.

Likewise, Haruyuki had also been surprised. Suzaku, who safeguarded the south gate, would begin to pop out above the altar established by the gate of the bridge at the point in time when someone intruded on his territory, which consisted of the large bridge of a total of five hundred meters in length and thirty meters in width. The time till he materialized and began to take action was about five seconds the last time they had witnessed it. As for Haruyuki, he had calculated to be able to escape from the gate and fly a considerable distance during the interval till Suzaku’s appearance.

Despite that, due to whatever reason, at the point in time where the two had left the gate Suzaku had already finished materializing. The distance between them was only about thirty meters. Haruyuki desperately spread the wings on his back and exerted his brakes, avoiding a collision with the bird of fire.

However, at his back the south gate was already tightly shut. Even if they returned, it would not open again. Last time, why the gate had allowed Haruyuki and Utai in was because Trilead—true name «Azure Heir» had destroyed the seal plate for them in advance, but with every cycle of opening and closing the seal seemed to regenerate.

It seemed likely that Lead would be attacked by the ten-plus guard enemies and would perish, so obviously they could not hope for him to cut the plate again. What was what, if here they returned inside once more, they would have no face to meet with Lead, who had sent them out prepared to die himself.

—They had no choice but to slip through Suzaku’s flames and fly to the other side of the bridge.

Brus.h.i.+ng aside his momentary hesitation, Haruyuki resolved himself to do so. Their enemy who possessed the name of a G.o.d and was staying practically right before their eyes looked fixedly at the two with his ruby eyes.

Abruptly, he had the feeling he heard a voice.

—Very puny one.

—Atone for the sin of laying waste to my sacred lands and slipping through them impertinently.

—Burn to ashes.

Predicting that a breath attack would come, Haruyuki concentrated with all his might, trying to make out its path.

However, the bird of fire did not open his beak but spread his enormous wings wide and flapped them strongly once.

“…No!”

The one who had shouted was Utai. At the same time, Haruyuki saw the bright-red, super-intense heat wave Suzaku’s wings had produced surge forth in a hemispherical shape. Not a line, but a face attack. No matter where he flew, there was nowhere to escape.

No way…were they going to die here? This easily? Going through all that pain, pa.s.sing through the Imperial Palace’s inner sanctuary, and having the gate opened in exchange for Lead’s life—despite that, were they going to be arrested here in the cage of «Infinite EK»…

“—I will not…let you do so!!”

In the arms of Haruyuki, whose thoughts had begun to fall into a stop, the young miko had shouted fearlessly.

She extended her small left hand out far. From that exceedingly slender palm, a scarlet wave greatly resembling Suzaku’s wave attack was released.

The instant the two energy waves made contact, a dazzling white light thoroughly colored the world.

The center of Suzaku’s heat wave was offset in a circular shape; the heat wave became a ring and pa.s.sed through their surroundings with a deafening roar.

And then simultaneously, perhaps having received some sort of damage feedback, Ardor Maiden’s left arm instantly evaporated from the tip of her shoulder down.

“W…ah…”

With a thin scream, the body of the miko convulsed. Perhaps unable to stand the real, intense pain that the Unlimited Neutral Field caused to occur, in that state she made her head deeply droop.

Tightly embracing the body of Utai, who had lost consciousness, Haruyuki squeezed out all his remaining energy and reactivated his fighting spirit.

Fly. —Fly! If I don’t fly here, there was no meaning in having been born as an aviation-cla.s.s avatar!

“Wh…oooaaaaa—!!”

Bellowing, he made his wings vibrate with all the power he had; Haruyuki charged straight forth.

On the other side ahead, Suzaku was again unfurling his wings. The same attack would come again. Earlier than damage could occur, he would run through it.

—Let us make it in time…!!

—However. Before Haruyuki’s eyes, like a heat haze the air s.h.i.+mmered and began to glisten red. The surface of his avatar began to be scorched in bits. A feeling of heat that seemed to blind his eyes a.s.saulted him, and his HP gauge, which had close to ninety percent remaining, began to decrease…

Right after.

Again, an unexpected phenomenon impeded Suzaku’s attack.

Lances of light of two colors, red and blue, that had rushed toward the back of the enormous bird pierced his left and right wings.

He recollected having seen those colors of attacks. The blue was «Lightning Cyan Spike». The special technique of Cyan Pile—his good friend Tak.u.mu.

And then the red was «Vorpal Strike». The special technique of Black Lotus—Haruyuki’s parent, master, and the person whom he respected and loved more than anyone else, Kuroyukihime.

Suzaku’s super-intense heat wave, which was on the verge of causing Haruyuki’s and Utai’s bodies to evaporate, was torn to pieces and disappeared.

Grazing the large feathers enveloped in flames, Haruyuki at last pa.s.sed to the rear of the Divine Beast Suzaku.

However, obviously the enemy changed direction, and while he apprehended Haruyuki with eyes smoldering with indignation, this time he opened his bill wide. A breath attack—.

That moment.

Haruyuki, who was plunging forward with all his strength and aiming for the south side of the large bridge, and a silhouette that had come flying at a fearsomely high velocity from that side crossed.

The perceptions of Haruyuki, who was accelerating to his limit, grasped the ident.i.ty of that shadow precisely.

Burst Linkers. Not one, but two. The one below was a sky-blue duel avatar carrying a streamline-type booster on her back. The vice executive of Nega Nebulas who possessed the alias «ICBM», Sky Raker.

And then on her back there was one more person kneeling low. A jet black duel avatar possessing obsidian armor and long swords for her four limbs—the «Black King» Black Lotus. The blue-white flarebacks extending long from Raker’s Enhanced Armament, «Gale Thruster», dyed her semitransparent armor a beautiful sapphire color.

The instant they crossed paths, Raker—Fuuko, and Lotus—Kuroyukihime gazed at Haruyuki with madder red and blue-violet eyes and smiled gently. The two’s voices directly reverberated in his mind.

…Welcome back, Karasu-san. Leave Suzaku to us.

…We’re entrusting the legion’s future to you, Haruyuki-kun. Now then, fly. Without looking back, straight ahead.

The stretched-out flow of time returned to its original state; Haruyuki, who was holding Utai in his arms, and Fuuko, who was giving Kuroyukihime a lift, rapidly drifted apart.

“Ah…”

Unable to apply the brakes on himself while flying at full speed, while only letting out a mere scream-like voice Haruyuki craned his neck with all his might and caught sight of the view at his rear on the edge of his field of vision.

Fuuko and Kuroyukihime, who had become a single warhead, skimmed past the vicinity of the right eye of Suzaku, who seemed just about to spit out a fatal flame breath now. Black Lotus’ right arm flashed and cut up the enemy’s eye in a straight line. Flames resembling blood spouted out in great quant.i.ties, and the strange bird roared with a howl of anger.

Suzaku stopped his breath attack and began to revolve his ma.s.sive frame north again. His target had switched from Haruyuki to Kuroyukihime and company. Basically—

The two of them had a mind to die.

Their self-sacrifice was in a sense both equivalent to and different from that of the young warrior Trilead, who had attracted ten-odd bodyguard enemies in order to allow Haruuki to escape from the gate. The reason was that unlike Lead, who could avoid the state of infinite EK by immediately moving into a safe area the next time he resp.a.w.ned, Kuroyukihime and Fuuko had nowhere to escape at all. There was just the rectangular altar behind Suzaku—the very spot where Ardor Maiden had been «sealed»—and if they died there, even the next time they resp.a.w.ned they would only be a.s.saulted quickly by Suzaku and would instantly die again.

Kuroyukihime and the others had probably witnessed Suzaku´s sudden materialization while standing by and had seen through the fact that that was an action meant to hinder Haruyuki and Utai from escaping. And then they had resolved to do it in a moment. Letting them escape by using themselves as bait. Even if both Kuroyukihime and Fuuko became sealed.

—That was out of the question.

That was out of the question. It was absolutely out. The only existing goal for which Haruyuki was fighting as a Burst Linker was that of reviving Nega Nebulas and arriving together with Kuroyukihime beyond the «level 10» horizon for which she longed. What meaning was there in sacrificing his legion master and sub-master and having only himself survive?

Haruyuki was a.s.sailed by a momentary conflict; at that time.

From below his path, a sharp hail reached him.

“Haru!!”

Taken aback, he turned his eyes there. The one greatly raising his left hand at a spot about two hundred meters from the foot of the bridge was a large-cla.s.s avatar who had heavy light-blue armor, Cyan Pile. And then next to him was a yellow-green lightweight avatar, Lime Bell.

“Haru—!!”

Bell also shouted in a voice with all her might and greatly revolved the large bell equipped in her left hand. At the same time that an airy chime sound rang out, the bell was enveloped in a light effect of a fresh green color.

“—«Citron Ca—ll»!!”

Together with the enunciation of her technique name, she swung her hand bell straight down. The lime green light that effused out warmly wrapped up Haruyuki, who was in the middle of flight.

The damage received from the duels versus enemies inside the Imperial Palace and Suzaku’s heat wave from just a little bit earlier was healed in a twinkle. However, the wounds of Utai, who was still unconscious in his arms, remained as they were. Citron Call’s effect target was a single body, so it could not have two people recover simultaneously, but then in that case should she not have healed Ardor Maiden first, whose damage was great?

For an instant, Haruyuki had difficulty grasping the intention of Chiyuri, who was restoring Silver Crow’s health gauge here and now. However, the shouting voice that Tak.u.mu subsequently emitted dispelled Haruyuki’s bewilderment.

“Haru, leave Maiden-san to us!”

“…!!”

Haruyuki opened his eyes wide—right after, without hesitating he pa.s.sed the body of Ardor Maiden, who was in his arms, to the outstretched arms of Cyan Pile below. Elevating his body, which had become light, in one go, he entered a loop turn with a tight radius. Piercing through the air howling in his ears, Chiyuri’s voice reached him.

“Haru, Senpai and Nee-san…!”

“—Got it, leave it to me!!”

Haruyuki’s two childhood friends had hesitated, suffered, and decided it in his stead. That they would not let Kuroyukihime and Fuuko die here. That by all costs, they would go home with everyone together.

Backed by Tak.u.mu and Chiyuri’s emotions, Haruyuki soared again northward.

On his path, the Divine Beast Suzaku, who had likewise turned northward, was craning his long neck in the shape of an S and opening his beak wide. There were maybe five…no, three seconds till a super-intense heat breath would be released.

In front of his line of fire, Sky Raker, who was carrying Black Lotus on her back, descended, drawing out a parabola. Gale Thruster’s jet exhaust flickered irregularly and was on the verge of disappearing. That Enhanced Armament displayed overwhelming thrust, but once it used up its energy, there was a long recharge time that was imposed till the next time one could fly. There were no longer any means for the two to escape from Suzaku’s flames. From his vast bill, a glimmering orange light spilled out. The surrounding atmosphere became a heat haze and s.h.i.+mmered—.

—I won’t…let you do that!!

“Wh…oooooooooa—!!”

With a force that burnt up all his remaining special technique gauge, Haruyuki caused the metallic fins on his back to vibrate. A faint light surrounded Silver Crow’s whole body. Penetrating the wall of wind pressure with the fingertips of his sharply extended hands, his avatar became a lance and soared.

Suzaku, whose right eye had been smashed by Kuroyukihime’s crus.h.i.+ng blow, did not notice Haruyuki approaching from that side. Haruyuki plunged forth on a course that nearly grazed the large bird’s visage. He pa.s.sed a couple dozen centimeters by the right side of his beak, which was trying to spit out a conflagration at that very moment. In one stretch, he sprung out to the enemy’s front.

At his back, overwhelming waves of indignation toward him, the obstacle, were produced.

In front, the two Burst Linkers opened their eyes wide in shock.

“Why…!?”

“Haruyuki-kun…!!”

With a momentum that made him nearly crash into them, under both arms Haruyuki carried the bodies of the two, who were trying to shout as if gasping. He held the slender waists of Sky Raker and Black Lotus, who were nearly equal size-wise, with all his strength, and in one gulp he changed his flight direction upward.

Their situation fairly resembled that of the «Ardor Maiden rescue strategy» the day before yesterday, where he had picked up Utai, who had appeared in the center of the altar, from the south. However, one thing that was different was that unlike Utai, who was on the ground, Kuroyukihime and Fuuko were still maintaining an approximate elevation of twenty meters. From here, they still had the leeway to change their direction toward their sole escape route—namely, straight up.

Abruptly, their surroundings were stained a deep crimson. Suzaku had fired his flame breath at last. An overwhelming torrent of heat-attribute damage was imminent; if they took that hit directly, no matter what kind of Burst Linkers they were they would not elude evaporation.

“G…rrr…”

Clenching his teeth and bearing it, Haruyuki soared vertically with all the power he had.

Tch; the tips of his toes had grazed something. In one gulp, over a tenth of his health gauge was sc.r.a.ped away. He had probably touched not the main body of the breath but its surrounding damage zone, but he did not look down. He only glared at the cloudy blue-black sky of the «Demonic City» stage and flew.

Even the slightest deviation from his path would not be tolerated. The reason was that super-gravity had been set on the left and right of the large bridge, which was a flight-prohibited zone, and invisible barriers extended infinitely along the gate of the Imperial Palace as well as the sky above the castle walls. The instant he touched those, his flight would be impeded, and they would fall.

What was permitted was only perfectly vertical ascension. He would fly straight up as far as he could fly, cutting off Suzaku’s target. After that, he would draw a large arc due south, fall down, and escape to the south side of the large bridge—.

Pa.s.sing through the wind that howled like a dog, Kuroyukihime’s whisper resounded at his right ear’s side.

“…Good grief, you really…”

Following that, at his left ear was Fuuko’s suppressed laugh.

“Fufu.., somehow, I had the feeling it would turn out like this.”

“I’m sorry…after we return, I will fully apologize!”

Answering like that in the same manner as that of the day before yesterday, Haruyuki made the silver wings on his back quiver even more—

“Ah…!”

The one who had shouted was Fuuko. Feeling that something was abnormal, this time Haruyuki reflexively looked down.

The figure of the huge bird clad in flames could be seen to be surprisingly near. However, why. Though they had already reached an alt.i.tude near three hundred meters.

Basically—he had chased after them. The Divine Beast Suzaku, the protector beast who supposedly would not leave the south large bridge, its territory, was also ascending himself and was tailing Haruyuki and company.