Accel World Vol 3 Chapter 10 (1/2)

Chapter 10

The eternal world constructed above the Normal Duel Field, the Unlimited Neutral Field This was only the second time that Haruyuki visited there, and the first time that he dived in by himself

Under the pale yellow sky, the display of huge reddish rocks lined up told him that this was the «Wilderness» attribute However this world has a systeed the attribute in a certain a point while the footing is still good, Haruyuki desperately ran across the dry ground

No raphy itself is based on the real world Tokyo The Seven Ring Road exist as a dry valley sandwiched between huge rock formations He avoided the center of that, and selected to run under the shade of rocks, while being careful to check left and right

In the Unlimited Neutral Field, there arearound and living there Haruyuki had only seen the large type once, and had no experience fighting one Individually they are stronger than high level Burst Linkers, so if he got attacked by theer fly now

He saw a nu slowly in nearby wastelands, but Haruyuki fortunately did not get targeted as he reached the border between Suginami and shi+buya, around Daitabashi+

Just in case, he searched the surrounding rock shades, but there did not see

—— Instead of saying that

At thebetween tide valleys, Haruyuki relaxed in a snap On top of the A back with arms crossed, the very flashy skeletal helmet rider jumped into his eyes

“Too —— late! You made me wait!!”

Seeing Haruyuki who approached, Ash Roller swung his right hand and shouted

“S, sorry I ran here”

“You probablyscared by Enemy You don’t have to worry, this kind of trunk road, only ultra large ones appear”

“Th, then, please tell e ones appear?”

“Cry and run away of course”

Haruyuki sighed under his e the topic

“So, why did you call me out to this place? To continue that from before?”

“Fool, even if I win 10 points fro used 10 points so I ain't no earnin' it back”

‘That was double negative’, he gave up correcting that, and Haruyuki opened both hands wide to stop him

“Then, why?”

“Well, get on”

Being told quietly, made his jaw drop

“Huh?”

“Ride on the back Helmet you won’t need one”

With ‘Hihihi’ laughter, he pointed to his back with his index finger, and while Haruyuki felt like an idiot for being wary of traps and whatnot, he got on the seat with unfamiliar movement

“Okay, hold on tight My machine’s acceleration is violent, you see!!”

Around the ‘ent’ place, the throttle was opened fully, and the front wheel was raised up high, dangerously ht after he hurriedly steadied hi a deep ruht east —— on Inokashi+ra Road towards central Tokyo, and started riding fast

“U waa”

With the wind pressure hitting his face, and the acceleration power that made his whole body whimper, Haruyuki let out an aard sound

The engine’s groan went high, and while he ondering if this was the highest speed, the boot kicked the pedal into a higher gear, and the speed went higher The reddish road surfacefrom in front were blown behind one after another

“A bit too fast”

He inquired half in a scream, but the returned reply was relaxed

“Oh? Are you an idiot, this can’t even go half as fast as your flight”

“B but, a bike, like this”

Haruyuki had not even got on a electric scooter before in the real world Of course he rode four wheel cars like the family car his parents owned before the divorce, or the taxi that he rode ine sound, and of course you cannot feel the wind from inside

But this old style bike, even though a virtual world polygon object, seemed coy efficiency and safety

This kind of substitute, was roaring noisily along the real world’s roads just twenty years ago, which he co just a hel there without a seatbelt or airbag

“Th this, how fast can it go!”

Since Haruyuki could not see the ain heard the slow response

“This is not a racer type, so it can only put out around 200[1]”

“Two two hundred”

After screa ‘If there is an accident I will dieee’ in his brain, Haruyuki suddenly realized

It was this kind of vehicle

Thisout speed, did not think of anything else The engine that turns while exploding the valuable fossil fuel without thinking of waste, the complicated transned to just run fast The ie of this then assembled

So to speak, it exists as a pure e for speed

As if to resist the destiny of living while stuck on the ground,else With that longing, a hus created this machine

Haruyuki forgot about his fear, and turned his wide open eyes towards the light yellow sky

Then he saw fro in a small flock, were Pterosaur like Enemy silhouettes

‘—— I’

‘I did not understand anything about the power of the wings I was given’

‘A tool for fighting, an advantage for winning, I had only thought of it like that But those silver wings were not a level up obtained special skill, or enhanced arht with points It was created bythat should be the foundation of the avatar na, and hope’

‘I had forgotten about that, and just saw it as a tool, so that’s why, for sure, it was that easily robbed from me At this point when did it become like this ——’

Realizing so so important as that

So that Ash Roller right in front of him would not notice it, Haruyuki desperately sed his sobbing

Already, he was no longer afraid of the 200kine that continue to desperately roar right under hiht it was a very admirable and reliable existence

On the Inokashi+ra Road, the bike curved south to avoid the city center, then again headed east

When they entered the Minato district, Haruyuki finally asked the question that he should have asked at the start

“Ah where, are we going?”

“You can already see it There”

Looking towards where the tilted hele rocks, there was a faint, long and slender silhouette ahead

That was probably a steep rocky round, it drew a line straight up, and extended far above into the sky

Toat that place in the real world, Haruyuki thought and drew the south part of Tokyo in his brain, then after a few seconds finally arrived at the answer

“Wha th, that, is that the «Old Tokyo Tower»?”

“Very yes”

Putting aside the weird English instant reply, he dug out his die

The Tokyo Tower in Minato, shi+ba park that sent television signal to the area around the capital, its job was given to the «Tokyo Skytree» built in Suo

It continued to operate as an observation deck for a long tis were constructed one after another in the Tokyo area, so near the beginning of 2030, its use as a sightseeing spot was also over Right now even the elevator is stopped, and it is kept as a historic building that was forbidden entry

Looking at the slowly nearing sharp tower, it seem like the old Tokyo tower exist in this Unlimited Neutral Field as a solid rock, with no internal reconstruction That h rock pillar

“Th, that place, is so there?”

After he inquired in a daze, Ash Roller strangely mouthed ‘Ah, Umm’

“Nn, well, that, so There is a person I want you to meet”

“Person?”

—— Not «Guy», «bastard», or «SOB»?

“Err, ah, I will say it right out, my «Parent»”

“Y, yes!?”

That shocked him to the bottom of his heart, and Haruyuki shouted

“A, Ash-san’s «Parent»!? That lasses, leather vest, with tattoos and beer belly”

“What do you bastard think I am”

Haruyuki wasn't sure why, but after that yell, his back trembled

“Letthat person, regret will be the least of what you will have That person already retired fro tio, the name «Astro» or «ICBM» would make you shake in fear”

The word fro sentences that Ash Roller said because of fear, Haruyuki repeated it in a whisper

“I, ICBM?”

“That’s right Ah, also, another one «Icarus» was also a nickname”

“Th, that does not seeh”

“Well yea That seem to be used after the retirement That person was before you appeared, the Burst Linker closest to the sky in the accelerated world”

Al in a breath, the bike stopped with a cloud of dust

In front of his eyes, froht rock pillar stood in there

The diameter was about 20 meters Almost co like stairs or entrance anywhere The old Tokyo Tower that was entry forbidden in the real world, was probably recreated in this form

He looked around trying to find that person called ICBM or Icarus, but could only see a turtle like silhouetteslowly far away ‘It can’t be’, he inquired while thinking that

“Err, that person?”

“Are you an idiot, that is an Ene for the wind to stop”

“Wi, wind?”

After being told, even though he did not notice it while riding fast on the bike, but to be sure, due to the «Wilderness» stage’s geographical effect, so But that was not for a duel, so as it for ——

The instant that he thought that The wind that continued to hoithout a break, suddenly stopped

“All right, going! Hold Me Tight!!”

To Ash Roller’s sudden shout, after Haruyuki was taken aback and wondered what he was saying, then he realized the reason for the instruction

After opening the throttle to full, the bike’s front wheel was brought up, and Haruyuki on reaction put his arh pitch, and the rear wheel kicked up dust The front wheel buiving him time to think ‘What, no way’

The A the cliff that rose perpendicularly

“Uwa Ua!?”

And screamed ‘That’s unreasonableee’ inside his chest, while Haruyuki freshly predicted that the bike will do a backflip and fall off in the opposite direction

However, as if the tires were stuck to the wall surface with soht ithout any wobble After five more seconds, he relaxed, and finally realized it

This, was Ash Roller’s ability, «Wall Surface Travel» If he thought about it, then he would re many ti walls in duels However, he did not know that even without a running start, it could cliht now Ash Roller was idly exposing the upper liion

But, Haruyuki still could not grasp his true intent, and held his breath while staring at the top of the tower

Indeed, it could not put out the saly clilance doards, he saw that the ground was far enough already to be so hazy that its color changed

When he was flying with his oings, this height was nothing to hiht now the area around his stomach suddenly shrunk, and Haruyuki hurriedly returned his view The top of the tower that he could finally see, see a beautiful arc in the yellow sky

They would reach there in about ten seconds, then at that ti from the left side in a howl

“shi+t! Wind shi+ —— it!!”

With the profane outburst, Ash Roller tilted the handle, and shi+fted the bike’s path froht after, relentlessly hit the side of the bike

“Fly Hi —— igh!!”

“Gyaaaaaa!!”

As if riding on the wind, on top of the bike that flew straight up, Haruyuki and Ash Roller used all their strength to grasp the air like crai Maybe that had some kind of effect, while the front shi+fted by inches, they reached the parabolic top, the bike’s rear tire that fell down next, landed around 5ce

“I, I a with less than four tires ever again!!”

Rolling off the seat, Haruyuki held the hard rock with both hands and legs fir across froer with a chit

“Don’t seem to understand, You The bike is fun because it can fall”

“Earlier was not about just falling or whatever problem!”

After screa breath, Haruyuki shook his head, then he finally looked at the surroundings

The top of the rock pillar that substitute for the old Tokyo Tower in the real world, became a 20 meter diameter round space almost exactly the same as the bottom

However, the appearance was completely different from the lower part

‘Sky garden’, those kind of words suddenly appeared in his brain All over the area, soft looking grass shone fresh green color There was a s water could not be any clearer

In the center of the spring, a s island drifted —— and then above it, Haruyuki saw so unexpected

Wavering like a ht It was a «Portal» From this Unlimited Neutral Field, the onlyto the real world

‘Why in this place’, he was surprised, but e train stations or tourist spots like landht not be strange, but to use this portal, it would be soht walls, or soh that was not possible anymore

After returning his viehile tilting his head, he saw another unexpected thing on the garden’s opposite side

A home

S surrounded by numerous flowers The walls were painted pure white, with the pointed roof being deep green Along with the green ivy hugging the wall, that was a beautiful scene that could be e from a picture book

While watching without words, suddenly that house’s door opened with a slight ‘creak’ sound

At that moment, beside him, Ash Roller quickly ju position

That wouldout from there, would be Ash Roller’s «Parent» Probably el It was so, but he would not be surprised if a huge Harley ca out of that door, Haruyuki decided resolutely

However, in the end he was astonished from the bottom of his heart

What rode out with ‘squeak squeak’ sounds, were for sure theels But not in a line, they were side by side The spoke was of ultra fine silver wires, and the tires were not rubber, but about 1cm wide silver wheels What rode above those wheels, also ant chair

It was a wheelchair Without engine or ed American bike

And then the person sitting there, had the appearance that was 10,000 light years away from Haruyuki’s expectation

That ithout doubt a duel avatar Both arloss, and the lowered face chin area also, was a sharp mask shape

The reason he could not see any a wide brim hat It was not like Chiyuri’s avatar, «Lime Bell»’s witch like pointed hat, instead was a pure white bonnet type The body was also covered with a similar white one piece dress

‘What, a female person?’

As if to confir hair under the hat The hair that extended all the way to the waist, was a seem to draw you in clear blue —— no, it was the color of a very clear autumn sky

Again, heels squeaking, the wheelchair slowly startedforward Even so, the avatar’s hands were still lowered on top of the knees Somehow the wheelchair seem to be setup with some kind of self-propelled mechanism

On the brick path that was laid surrounding the spring in the lawn, the wheelchair approached with slide like movement, and stopped at a place about two htly lifted up, and the avatar’s true face was exposed It was an appearance that you would never thought was «Parent Child» with the End of Century rider, Ash Roller, so Haruyuki stood still and stared at it

Common to female type duel avatars, it was a mask shaped face with only lense type eyes fit on it However, the face without nose or ht it was more beautiful than any si well on her pale blue skin, the avatar’s faintjujube eyes first looked at Haruyuki, then Ash Roller next

“It’s been a long tiotten about me, so I am happy”

“Lo, long tiot, no way, nottt possible”

To Ash Roller who made the most respectful salutation, Haruyuki unfortunately did not have the rootiaze onto Haruyuki

“You are Silver Crow, right?”

After being called with the swaying wind like graceful voice, Haruyuki also immediately bowed his head For some reason, he acutely felt that he had to do that

“Ye, yes, nice to meet you I am Silver Crow”

“Nice to meet you My name is «Sky Raker» I am happy we met, Karasu[2]-san”

Feeling that she glanced towards his shoulder area, Haruyuki suddenly shrunk From her speech, this person already knew about Silver Croever that naht ability had already disappeared

Avoiding Sky Raker’s gentle gaze that seeh to inside of his head, Haruyuki deeply cowered

However, after a bit of silence, hearing words issued by Ash Roller, et his shame and looked back up

“Then see you mistress, I I, will excuse myself here”

“Wha Whatt!?”

Haruyuki quickly drew near the skeletal hel to his bike

“Go, going back you said I, what a to do!”

“As if I would know”

“Would know, you said, but you brought me here!!”

“That, was because you were hesitant, depressed, and crying Like that, the trouble of setting up my machine with missiles would have no chance to be shown”

As if to re mud from of his boots, Ash Roller scrapped their bottorued his tone and said

“Hey, Crow I don’t knohat kind of situationlike this right now Without flight you can’t win, and fighting would be useless However in the accelerated world, how many Burst Linkers are there that could not fly even if they wanted to, have you thought about that?”

Taking a small breath, Haruyuki looked down at his feet on reaction However, the sharp cutting words from Ash Roller still continued

“And then, after a long ti could happen The loss of power also But, your wings, are not soiven up If you fight lethargically like that, and finally just disappeared, then to the guys who kept looking up at your flying shape —— ould”

As if he could not say the words ahead, Ash Roller fiercely kicked the ground with a thump

While cowering, Haruyuki quietly whispered inside his chest

‘—— I too, don’t want to give up But,in system term, what else can I do’

Slowly lifting up his lead like heavy head, he soed to reply with blocked throat

“For sure, in the earlier «duel», ood But that, and this situation, what kind of relation is there?”

“Err, ah, that that is like this”

At that time, from behind, the silent till now Ash Roller’s «Parent», Sky Raker’s quiet sound echoed

“Karasu-san Ash is, thinking like this That s”

“What”

Haruyuki’s eyes opened wide, and his mouth also became round

“My, ion’s”

“Ah that’s right! Is that bad!!”

After putting his ass on the bike’s seat with a thump, Ash Roller yelled

“Listen, don’t misunderstand! This is a loan! No, it’s a tactic! To boost your favorability paraion kind of secret operation, you bastard! Uhii, I aa Co —— ol!!”

To the skeletal rider, Ash Roller whose right , Sky Raker’s quiet sound flew his way

“That is vulgar, Ash”

“Yes, sorry, mistress Th, then, here I will excuse myself and be excused!”

With a ‘Burun!’ engine loud roar, the A at the center of the yard, h ju blue portal ——

And disappeared

While standing there in ultra aed to quietly whisper

“Secret operation, you said It’s no good if you said it out”

Hearing that, Sky Raker said in shter

“Head, ood kid”

‘—— Other than those, ould that be’

After involuntarily thinking about that for a few seconds, Haruyuki for the moment pushed Ash Roller from his consciousness, and walked a few steps towards the silver wheelchair stopped at the shore of the spring

A mountain of questions swirled inside his chest that he wanted to ask, and even with doubt about where to start, he hesitantly opened his mouth

“Ah that is It was Ash-san who said it That you are, «The person closest to the sky in accelerated world», he said”

Then, Sky Raker’s smile somehow became transparent, and nodded

“What Ash said, about those wanting to but unable to fly That would be me or rather, it should be said that I could not fly Since these hands, in the end, could not reach the sky”

The answer that he sort of expected, ht on reaction

‘—— Then, this person, instead of helping ht to hinder me’

He whispered that inside his chest, however Haruyuki could not stop hile line in front of his eyes

While blinking, he looked up, and issued the next question with raspy sounds

“Then, is it true? That you, can return s to normal”

This time, the reply did not reach him immediately

The htly lifted up, and the serene avatar looked at Haruyuki for a while —— then after that clearly said

“That’s impossible”

“Wha”

“If a duel avatar lost so, then there is a reason that must be lost This place, and I, do not have the means to cancel that reason”

“”

With his faint hope instantly cut, Haruyuki’s head lowered with heavy heart However, right before his sight left, Sky Raker casually lifted the skirt of the white dress covering her body, and his eyes were startled out of his eye socket

“Take a look”

What was there ——, no, was not there, as supposed to be below the avatar’s knees

The slender thighs draith supple lines, were connected with round kneel join parts However, the shi+n part of the legs that should extend from there did not exist

Since the avatar was riding a wheelchair, he should have thought that there was sos But, for what kind of reason, would the duel avatar’s legs have disappeared?

For sure, during battles, for different kinds of reasons, parts loss due to dae was possible For Haruyuki as well, he had nuhts However, the parts loss dae were immediately canceled after the duel was over, and should have returned to brand new again in the next battlefield

Haruyuki held his breath, without being able to look away, and invertible thought

‘Just maybe, Sky Raker also? A Burst Linker with similar ability to Nou?’

However, the words that were issued next, denied that suspicion

“I selected to cut them off myself”

“Wha!?”

“I decided that I no longer needed legs, and asked soe arrogance, egotiss, no matter how many times I dived into the accelerated world, never returned In other words inside of me, even now the fire of uished, s will probably forever remain like this”

To the standing still Haruyuki, the auroral eyes stared at him, and Sky Raker quietly decided

“Your wings are the same Unless you face the reason for the loss once more, and overcome it, then they will never return”

Reason

That means, Noumi/Dusk Taker’s special skill, «Demonic Commandeer»

No, not that It was the defeat itself Unless Haruyuki can conquer Noumi Seiji in different fronts, and overcome the scar of defeat deeply carved in his heart, then he would never get back his wings That hat it meant

However, that was already absolutely impossible The reason was, Haruyuki’s only pohich was the flight ability was lost, and Nou freely now He could not see any way to win

To Haruyuki who involuntarily kneeled down onto the grass ——

Sky Raker said so unexpected to him

“No s, however, I did not say you can not fly, Karasu-san”

”Let’s sit down to talk about the next part”

With those words, the auto sounds, so Haruyuki chased after her while majorly confused

In the circular sky garden, at the East, West, South, and North edge, a white bench was setup They were a type with no backrest, so could be sat on from any direction Sky Raker stopped her wheelchair at the north bench facing outwards, so Haruyuki also hesitantly sat beside her At the moment he raised his head, he was breathless from the superb view

He could see all of the «Wilderness» attribute Tokyo city center 300 meters below

The area around the civic center in Nagatacho becae ruin made up of red sandstones In that valley, stone arches support the capital high above drawing an arc around

Further away, he was drawn in by a remarkably vivid red palace’s majestity It was the imperial palace in the real world No raceful, other tie castle was always there

‘I wonder who lives there’, as he idly thought that, suddenly Sky Raker broke the silence