Accel World Vol 7 Chapter 2 (1/2)
Chapter 2
Feeling the touch of delicate fingers brushi+ng across his cheek, Arita Haruyuki slowly opened his eyes
His blurred vision gradually improved as his eyes slowly refocused He saw hands enclosed in pure white armour Wrists draped in ki face mask with beautiful ardor eye-lenses
Through his white-silver helure of Ardor Maiden — the Level 7 Burst Linker and for the purification ability, reach out while kneeling over him
A shi+ning droplet of water hung froertip She looked doith a look of worry Haruyuki tilted his head, puzzled, and only then realised that the droplet had actually co down his cheeks
‘Eh……ah……’
He cried out hoarsely as he atte the half open face mask at the same time The Duel Avatar «Silver Croed his head under the silvery one-way mirror (TL Note: A mirror that is partially reflective and partially transparent When one side of the htly lit and the other is dark, it allows viewing from the darkened side but not vice versa) mask and anxiously attempted to explain
‘Ah, sorry I’m fine…… It’s just that when I was asleep, I felt like…… I had a really long dream……’
Here he paused and frowned
He had a — dream
In that long dreah very sihtly different But that was all he could remember Where he went, what he did, what happened in the end, all these details had been seely covered by a layer of white and soft floss silk, co
The sense of having a hole opened up deep in his heart, however, was still fresh This piercing pain in the void was…… a sense of loss?
………… I… love you…………
A seeh his mind, and would have caused another outbreak of tears if not for hihtHe shook his head as he gulped down the freezing air to clear this intriguing sorrow, then he began to survey the surroundings
The sky has already darkened without hi Above them was a sea of stars, unattainable in real world Tokyo The reason they were able to see the sky was because they were not inside a building but rather a place akin to a courtyard
He sat with his legs stretched out, his back against a pillar roughly ato touch the heavens
The terrain is unchanged from before he went to sleep, but a final inspection between his legs ed from a layer of thick ice to white pebbles, which was quite puzzling He turned around hastily The pillar behind hier one of pale-blue ice, noas a wooden one painted vermillion
‘Huh…… Had a «Transition» occurred while I was asleep?’
He asked Ardor Maiden in front of him softly The red-white dual coloured Avatar nodded her head She replied softly as well, in a tender yet firm voice
‘That seems to be the case But I was also asleep next to Kuu-san (TL Note: Kuu-san is Ardor Maiden’s nickname for Silver Crow), so I didn’t notice’
The so-called «Transition» was the periodic field attribute shi+ft phenomenon of this world — the «Unliram When Silver Crow and Ardor Maiden had fallen asleep here, it had been the fully-frozen «Ice and Snow» Stage, but every trace of ice and snow had now vanished
It was as if the seasons had suddenly run backwards The red leaves hung from the tree branches, the pillars were also wooden and the walls were painted white Purely japanese in style, the field attribute that best fit that description was……
‘It appears to be the «Heian» Stage’
As she said so, Ardor Maiden spread out her criht (TL Note: Ardor Maiden is sitting in the traditional seiza 正座 style Any hout the chapter refers to seiza) She s so perfectly, it was as if the scene was a piece of art He couldn’t help but gawk in wonder The delicatethis aze
The one who controlled this lovable yet fiery Duel Avatar, was a girl four years the junior of Haruyuki — Haruyuki being a second year high school student — shi+noh’s sister school — Matsunogi Ele lady (TL Note: Ojou-Sa ladies of refined up-bring) who probably never had the experience of being stared at intently by a boy as aze onto the surroundings
Endless vermillion pillars ran parallel from south to north A road paved with stones travelled further in Countless orange bonfires flickered and swayed To the north was the grand silhouette of a gigantic citadel
This location couldn’t fit the «Heian» Stage better
Because here in the real world was Chiyoda Ward, Chiyoda Ichibancho (TL Note: Wards in japan are further split into plots of land, bancho 番, referred to by a number In this case, the first plot), the Imperial Residence, which is in the center of the Accelerated World — within the impenetrable «Imperial City»
Today — 2047, June 18th, Tuesday, at 7:20at night — the est mission they had ever attempted since the current team was assembled
This ultra-difficult operation was to rescue Ardor Maiden, sealed at the altar of the Super Eneate of the Imperial City, «Sacred Beast Suzaku» However, the means to do so was extremely simple
The vanguard, Kuroyukihi distance attacks, would et of Suzaku, supported by Chiyuri/Li Ability As Suzaku advanced across the bridge that extended froate, Haruyuki/Silver Croould fly over it at top speed with Fuuko/Sky Raker as a booster, and Takunal to synch Utai/Ardor Maiden’s dive so that she could be retrieved the e to escape —
The operation was on the verge of success
But so beyond their initial expectations occurred at the very end Although Haruyuki had done absolutely nothing, Suzaku changed its attack target from Black Lotus to Silver Crow and subsequently unleashed a torrent of super powerful flame breath behind him
The intense flames were almost upon him when Haruyuki picked up Ardor Maiden Unable to turn, he could only charge straight ahead Desperately, he decided to kill hiate of the Iate that couldn’t be opened unless Suzaku was defeated — yet for soap opened up at that exact moment in time Left with no other option, Haruyuki and Utai could only charge straight through
Falling as he heard the sound of the gate shutting behind hi Utai closely in his ar
‘Um…… Are we, still alive……?’
The shock fro Utai’s response echoed in his head even now
‘……We are still alive Although……, ahhh, but…………’
‘………… This…… this place is inside of the «Imperial City»’
‘…… Even now, I still can’t believe it That we are within that «Imperial City»……’
Haruyuki ainst the round pillar Utai, as sitting in front of him, nodded as well
‘Co for more than six hours is even more so’
‘Eh…… I, I slept for that long? It’s this dark here not because of a field characteristic but because it’s already night……?’
He asked in panic While it was possible to bring up the menuin the Unlimited Neutral Field and find out your accumulated play time, there were relatively feays to find the correct inner time — that was to say «exactly what hour and what reat clock so with the birth of this world, but that thing would be rather creepy to behold That thing would have recorded a thousand ti that more than seven thousand years of history should be shown on it
Utai nodded her head slightly and pointed towards the night sky above with her small hand
‘The stars can be seen in the «Heian» Stage From the positions of the constellations, it should be close to ht’
‘Ha,hahaha…… I see……’
Haruyuki aze upon the sky
About six hours ago — in accelerated times of course — the two of theate They held tight to each other as they clenched their teeth to stifle their shock and feelings, yet were unable to re that the northward road fro further in and the Ene the road were now all within their sight
These Eneht at most, relatively soku period warrior-esque heavy ar tachi Their form exerted a force that roups of at least three
Along the outdoor corridor inside the south gate citadel wall, ures of these Warrior Ene of their arradual approach and called for immediate action That said, to clash with them was much too reckless a move Suzaku’s flames had already roasted Haruyuki down to half his HP, Utai too did not lack injury
That’s why the two of them had left the road and corridor for now and hid in the middle of the maze-like courtyard area, where they found a place of rest under the shades of a see concerned about hoorried Kuroyukihiate, the ainst the pillar and just doze off — which led to the currentsituation
When they had found this safe haven, the twilight had dyed the cloudy sky of the «Snow and Ice» Stage purple Now even the purple had disappeared, leaving only the radiance of the cluster of stars upon the pitch black dome
As Utai had said, these stars perfectly re-enacted the constellation arrangeainst the pillar, he looked to the east where an especially bright and purely white star caught his eyes That one, should be……
‘Lyra’s…… Vega? (TL Note: Vega is the brightest star in the constellation Lyra, the fifth brightest star in the night sky and the second brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere, after Arcturus It’s also one of the vertices of the Sule)’
Utai heard hiaze upon the sky while sitting
‘That’s correct In japan it’s also called Orihime’
Knowledge learnt from school that was once considered utterly useless became unexpectedly useful here, Haruyuki couldn’t help but feel pleased as he pointed at the starry sky and continued on
‘That ht that should be Aquila’s A…… Altair (TL Note: Altair is the brightest star in the constellation Aquila and the twelfth brightest star in the night sky and is one of the vertices of the Sule In japan it’s also called Hikoboshi+) ……and to the lower left should be Cygnus’ Deneb (TL Note: Deneb is the brightest star in the constellation Cygnus and one of the vertices of the Sule) Uh…… where is Hikoboshi+……’
Utai laughed slightly and pointed up with her shrine maiden formed arm
‘That would be Altair These three forle is an astronole drawn on the northern he vertices at Altair, Deneb, and Vega, the brightest stars in the three constellations of Aquila, Cygnus, and Lyra, respectively)Because it’s only June, their positions are somewhat lower’
‘I see That means the constellations are modelled off the seasons in the real world’
Haruyuki kept looking up at the sky co the fact that he was still in the midst of a perilous situation
To have used the social caful for tactical and strategic ele other than just background decoration No player would coenerated points of light on top
Nevertheless, the stellar arrangements had replicated the really world so perfectly, even the seasonal adjustoal behind all this Perhaps to eame, nor just a virtual world……
‘The earliest group of Burst Linkers…… those ere once called «BB Players», they too……’
Utai suddenly placed her hands on her knees and began to recount softly
‘The night sky in the Accelerated World is a perfectin real world Tokyo outshi+nes the starry sky They must have felt that when they saw these beautiful stars so clearly That is why the ions all have names associated with the universe’
‘Eh… are there really so many names associated with the universe……?’
The young maiden revealed a wry smile on her affectionate face mask as she watched Haruyuki tilt his head in puzzlement
‘All of the Seven Kings’ Legions are naa Nebulas», Ankoku Seiun (TL Note: 暗黒星雲 in Kanji)…… strictly it should be Dark Nebulas in English, was naion’s «Proion’s «Leonids» are the meteor showers from Leo’
‘Oh……oh……indeed……’
— Chiyu and Taku ood that I learnt this before I got asked by a ‘You didn’t know that!?’
Haruyuki secretly sighed in relief and asked again
‘In other words, the White Legion…… Uh, so «Oscillatory Universe» doesn’t have anything to do with the Legion Master named shi+ratori (TL Note: Oscillatory, pronounced in japanese as Oshi+ratori 御白鳥, contains shi+ratori 白鳥, a common japanese surname), it’s also a name associated with the universe?’
His question h she quickly regained her composure She then lowered her head and answered in a strained voice
‘Yes, «Oscillatory Universe»universe But I haven’t learnt this ’
‘Tre, universe……’
— The universe shouldn’t sway and treht?
Haruyuki tilted his head froh school student and yet he also had no recollection of hearing this word in science class, so it was very likely that this as beyond the compulsory education level He made a mental note to search it up later if he could still remember it and raised his head towards the sky once more
Above the Suroup of stars radiating weakly Those should be the ones that made up Hercules To the left was Draco, the likeness of the hundred headed dragon Ladon, which had been slain by the hero Hercules, soaring into the sky (TL Note: Kawahara Reki got the dragon and the hydra h both were slain by Hercules, it was the hydra that was supposed to have a hundred heads)
Lined up even further to the left was a group of stars cole in radiance
It was Ursa Major, with the tail portion especially bright He was taught during lessons that that hy in ancient China those especially bright stars were treated as a separate constellation
The shape of a ladle with a long handle