oing!?

Haruyuki’s eyes widened. That stake was the scar within Takumu’s heart—born out of his memories of the cruel bullying he had received in kendo class when he was an elementary school student. It was the bamboo sword that had repeatedly poked his throat, and also a lethal weapon for the sake of piercing the throats of the guys who had bullied him.

So why was he grasping its pointed tip himself?

Takumu answered Haruyuki’s question with his actions.

“—?Cyan Blade?!!”

Following that shouted technique name call.

*GASHUN!*?The steel stake shot out. Haruyuki compulsorily expected the spectacle of the pointed end to blowing off Takumu’s left hand. But.

The thing that was blown away and scattered was the right arm’s ?pile driver? itself. Only the stake remained as a pale light while being grasped in his left hand. Takumu drew a big semi-circle with it and put it up above his head, and then brought up his now free right hand to hold it as well and swung it down in front of him.

The light scattered, and what appeared out of it was.

Namely, a sword.

The blade extended up to one meter and a half. It was single-edged, but was completely straight, with a single deep indigo line running through it up to its point. The color of the blade was pale blue, and a faint glow of the same color was wrapped around the entire sword.

Holding that beautiful weapon in stance, Cyan Pile was now, coupled with the color of his armor, nothing else except a complete close range-type duel avatar. No, it was a completed figure that could already be a ?swordsman?.

....Taku.

Haruyuki whispered that in a voice that didn’t form into a real voice.

As if heading his thoughts, Takumu looked at Haruyuki for an instant and nodded. Then, he once again turned to the front and directly put his right leg forward. He positioned his sword halfway up with the expert motion of a kendo fighter.

A much more intense fighting spirit was blown out violently from that step, and the aura in Noumi’s hands flickered.

“..I see.”

Even after receiving that fighting spirit, Noumi muttered in a voice from which not much agitation could be externally seen. He then immediately let out a contemptuous laugh.

“Fufu, I see. It’s because losing to me in a match was very mortifying, is that it? So you embodied those feelings into that kind of shoddy sword. But well, if it’s a sword match that you wish..it can’t be helped, I’ll go along with you for a little while.”

And then Noumi also made the gesture of grasping something with his hands, and took the exact same halfway up stance.

Haruyuki watched feeling half-surprised and half-comprehending as the purple wave surge stretched out and took the form of a long sword. Noumi had once changed that wave surge into the form of long claws before. If it was a close-range weapon, it probably could change into various forms according to the image in his mind.

Although having the outward appearances of their duel avatars, the two of them faced each other in the exact same stances as during the final match in the kendo club inner tournament last week. However, there was no referee here. Nor any protective armor. What hung in the balance was their very life as Burst Linkers.

*JIRI*?Both tiptoed forward and began to close the distance between them.

In the space between their two sword points, actual minute white sparks burst out and burned the air.

The battle had already started. Takumu and Noumi were fighting an ?Override[2]? battle between them to see which had the stronger imagination.

—Taku, believe in yourself!!

Haruyuki shouted that out in his mind, and at that instant.

“—SEEAAAAAH!!”

“—CHEEEEEE!!”

Two spirited cries resounded loudly on the moonlit night battlefield, and the two of them kicked forward off the ground simultaneously.

Blue and purples trails were brightly drawn through the air, and their two swords crossed each other from the front.

*GAKIIIIN!*?An intense impact sound. Takumu’s mind power which embodied the true nature of a sword, ?cutting power?, hit away Noumi’s mind power that tried to shave off everything. These swords that greatly repelled each other swung down at the same time. Again, a thunderous sound and sparks occurred. And again once more.

Then, the two of them took distance from each other and confronted each other while taking up their halfway up stances again.

From Dusk Taker’s mask, a mocking voice leaked out.

“My, my, this is surprising. You’re really doing your best to use that hastily improvised sword, haven’t you?”

“Of course. When it’s a kendo match without cheating, I’m stronger than you after all.”

Noumi laughed in a ‘Kukuku’ throaty voice in response to Takumu’s retort.

“I wonder about that, senpai. Do you think I wouldn’t notice? It’s obvious no matter how you try to hide it! You..have a fatal habit!!”

While shouting that out, Noumi sharply stepped forward. The length of the purple sword grasped in his hand increased and extended with a ‘SUUUU’.

Taking into account the force of the momentum from the lengthening of the blade—Dusk Taker savagely shot out a thrust, aiming at Cyan Pile’s throat.

“CHEIIIIIIN!”

Takumu’s arms sprang up as if convulsing and tried to protect his throat with his blue sword’s blade. But at that instant, Noumi’s sword moved like a fencing fleuret and changed the trajectory of its thrust.

*BYUUH!*?An ear-hurting vibrating sound resounded, and the tip of the purple sword mowed down through the empty space on Cyan Pile’s right side.

Noumi cut his way forward like that. As if chasing that trajectory, a single pale spark flowed from Takumu’s wound.

“Guh..”

Immediately returning to his body immediately despite the groan, Takumu chased after Noumi. He let out a series of unstopping attacks at Noumi’s forearm, other forearm, face and eyes. But the purple sword twisted like a living thing and precisely repelled the attacks.

“Come on, come on, is it really all right, not protecting your neck like that?”

Once again, a ‘BYUO’ roar was emitted and Noumi’s sword thrusted out. It didn’t miss the moment when Takumu’s movements hardened for an instant, and this time the left side of his abdomen was cut up.

——Taku, hang in there!!

Haruyuki shouted that out within himself while fighting desperately against the black vise he was in.

The scars of Takumu’s heart. That was the memory of bullying he received in his kendo class as an elementary school student. Having been used as a practice stand for thrusting while having his arms bound behind his back had been humiliating to him, and more than that produced an overwhelming fear in him.

However, Takumu did not give up kendo. Takumu himself had said that it was because he didn’t have the willpower to give it up, but that wasn’t it. He continued it because he liked kendo. His love for it exceeded his fear. Those feelings..

Believe in those feelings, Taku!!

He couldn’t have heard Haruyuki’s voice. However, Takumu readjusted his staggering body and—

He lifted up the sword in his hands. Higher than his neck, and far above his head.

A blue aura even bluer than the moonlight wrapped around not only the sword that was positioned above his head, but also all the way from his arms to his shoulders.

Noumi glared from below at Takumu as his mind power’s ?Over-Ray? wavered and he took a firm stance.

“....What a transparent bluff. Very well, if you want to leave your windpipe wide open, then..”

A dark purple Over-Ray gushed out with a ‘ZUAA’ from Noumi’s sword and arms.

“....Just as you wish, I’ll pierce it!!”

Dusk Taker’s charge was faster than Haruyuki’s eyes could follow. After stepping forward like a blur, he suddenly fired a thrust at Takumu’s throat that wasn’t a feint this time.

Takumu—neither avoided it nor protected himself.

Instead, he moved forward. He received the point of the sword which hid a certain-kill power in it with his thick left shoulder. A deep hole was dug unto his armor and thin pale sparks flew.

“Guh..”

A low pain-enduring voice leaked out from under his mask. However, immediately after.

“ZEAAAAAH!!”

With a force that shook the air, the ?Cyan Blade? was swung straight down.

Noumi dodged to the right in an expected reaction, but he couldn’t completely avoid it and received the sword tip through the left side of his chest. Although it was slightly shallow, red-purple sparks still shot out dazzlingly.

“Tch..!”

As Noumi tried to get some distance away while clicking his tongue, Takumu showered him with even more attacks. Just before the blue blade touched his mask, his purple blade unfortunately blocked it.

Like that, the two of them shifted to a battle of locking swords. Sparks flew spewed out like a waterfall from the point their swords crossed, and brightly illuminated their masks.

This state of equilibrium lasted only for an instant. Possessing a better physique and physical strength, Cyan Pile pushed his sword forward with a jerk. The Incarnate System had nothing to do with this result. It was purely the power difference between a close range-type and an overall distance balance-type coming out here.

Eventually, Dusk Taker faltered as his right knee hit the ground.

His blade slipped, and Takumu’s ?Cyan Blade? approached Noumi’s left shoulder. Due to the huge pressure, a fine crack ran through the white-tiled schoolyard. Their two masks approached each other just short of touching.

Suddenly, a certain premonition ran through Haruyuki’s mind with a shiver.

‘—Taku, dodge!’ An instant before he could shout that out.

Noumi let out a sharp voice.

“?Demonic Commandeer!!?”

*SUBA!*?Along with that sound, a darkness with density was emitted from Dusk Taker’s lens-type visor in a whirl.

It hit Cyan Pile’s mask from the front and, as if it were also some kind of living thing, it invaded inside him while shuddering. The blue avatar’s upper body bent back and stopped for an instant.

?Demonic Commandeer?.

That was the only inherent special technique that Dusk Taker had. Its effect, which consumed his entire full gauge in order to activate, stole a single ability belonging to the targeted duel avatar, like their special techniques or an Enhanced Armament. The fact that Noumi hadn’t used his wings and had instead done a close-quarters battle from the front until now was a trap aiming for this.

Cyan Pile did not have a system-like ability[3]. And even two of his three special techniques were derived from his Enhanced Armament. In other words, in the case that he received the ?Demonic Commandeer?, he would likely have both his ?Pile Driver? and special techniques stolen all together with a probability of 75%.

If that happened—that ?Cyan Blade?, which was reconstructed from his steel stake due to mind power, would also disappear.

The momentary still state that covered the field felt like it was forever to Haruyuki.

The darkness which should have flowed backwards from Cyan Pile’s mask and returned to Dusk Taker—

Didn’t occur.

Instead.

“..OOOOH!”

With a war cry, Takumu swung the sword grasped by his hands down in a straight line.

Noumi’s left arm was cut off from under the shoulder and scattered into purple light before disappearing. At the same time, his avatar itself was also struck to the ground, bounded violently and rolled backwards by almost 10 meters.

As one would expect, he immediately got up and repositioned his blade of nothingness with only his right hand. However, as if displaying the agitation within his heart, the point of his sword trembled minutely.

Pointing his brilliantly shining blue blade at Noumi, Cyan Pile spoke.

“You really are too greedy, whatever the circumstances are.”

Haruyuki did not grasp the meaning of those words immediately. Although he probably didn’t plan on explaining, Takumu continued speaking calmly.

“—I’ve always thought it was strange. Why you didn’t take Lime Bell’s healing ability. Even though if you did, you would have all three abilities of ?flight?, ?firepower? and ?healing?, and become an absolute person that could surpass even the kings. The reason for that is—”

As the eyes within his slits brightened with a ‘PIKA’, Takumu declared it.

“Because your capacity is insufficient. It shouldn’t be possible for an overly powerful special technique like ?stealing the abilities of others? to have no restrictions. Your ?Demonic Commandeer? has a maximum limit to the number and general potential of the abilities you steal and retain. Because of that, you lack the capacity to take two rare abilities like ?flight? and ?healing? at once, even if you were to delete all the other powers you have. Isn’t that right?”

Pressing down on the cut-off section of his left arm with his right hand, Dusk Taker remained silent. Right now, Noumi should be tormented by an intense pain that was double what was experienced in the usual duel field. Was it that he couldn’t move—or was he feeling so much anger that he forgot about the pain?

While carefully pointing his sword at him, Takumu slowly closed the distance between them little by little. His calm voice flowed through the field once again.

“—The person who coached me in mind power said this. That most of Cyan Pile’s potential is comprised of this ?pile driver?. You surely estimated that you could always get rid of your current free space as well if you stole my Enhanced Armament, but..unfortunately, you judged the value of my ?pile driver? incorrectly.”

“....Fufufu, I see.”

Although Dusk Taker finally let out his usual contemptuous laughter, his voice was tinged with a gloomy and distorted effect, as if reflecting his true feelings.

“I see. Although I said it before, that stick was made using very painful memories of yours as a resource, right? That..is a metaphor for a bamboo sword, right? Was it from something painful in the kendo club? Could it be that such a cool senpai like you was bullied in an unsightly manner? Haha, no way! You’re not like that pig over there!!”

..Taku, those words are another of Noumi’s traps! Don’t listen!

Even though he was desperately resisting against the jet black vise that was mercilessly pressing hard on him, Haruyuki shouted that out within his mind.

Perhaps because of anger produced within Takumu, the light covering his sword wavered slightly. However, he quickly regained control and responded in a calm voice.

“—My own memories don’t amount to much. Not when compared to the scars that made Dusk Taker, your avatar appear. The reason you’re a ?plunderer? is because you have nothing left inside you. You steal everything because you’re an empty hole. You also have probably already realized it. Even if you take away the powers of others..no, their hopes, their friendships and love, the real reason you do that is because you can never have them yourself.”

Once again, silence.

The dark-colored avatar turned down his face deeply beneath the blue moonlight pouring down.

Eventually, he rose up while feebly staggering. While pressing down on his left shoulder, he slowly turned his face upward. His entire body minutely trembled, which then quickly changed to intense shaking.

“..Kukuku.”

What leaked out from behind his spherical visor was thin and creepy laughter.

“Kuku, fufufu..Hahaha, aha..AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!”

His whole body bending far backwards, Dusk Taker let out a burst high-pitched loud laughter.

“AHAHAHAHAHA!! Nothing inside me!? Empty!? Hahaha, that..that describes that guy instead!!”

After laughing for a while, he began to talk like a dam had burst within him.

“Since you people are clever, you must have already guessed after looking over the graduation album, right? Yes, my ?Parent? is my real three-year-older brother. That guy was the real plunderer. Using his slightly large body and violence, he stole sweats and toys from me during our childhood, and when he got a little bigger he stole my pocket money and New Years’ money..and finally he even stole the only girl I got along with. A completely splendid style of plundering, fufufu.”

He shook his head left and right two, three times, and laughed as if amazed. His sad and gloomy monologue continued.

“..The first thing that that guy gave to me..it was of course ?Brain Burst?. I was foolishly glad and even excited. That’s why, just as his first lecture finished, I felt disappointed when he said ‘Earn ten points every week’. But I would go through terrible experiences of real life violence if I refused. I would desperately ?duel? by going to depopulated areas and supply the points I gathered honestly to my brother. I was completely like a dog. Yes, that guy even took my one final thing from me in the process. My ?pride? as a human.”

..No. I don’t want to listen.

Haruyuki held his breath, and tried to shut out from his consciousness Noumi’s words, which brought with them a pain just by listening to them, as if there were some kind of attacking power in the words themselves.

..I don’t want to hear such a story. No, I don’t need to hear it.

—Taku, deliver the finishing blow already. Make it end. We don’t need to go along with a story whose veracity is not certain. No, it’s surely a lie. A strategy to unsettle us.

However, Haruyuki couldn’t help but understand.

That Noumi’s story was the truth. And that Takumu could not cut him down in this situation.

Dusk Taker continued speaking to Cyan Pile who had stopped moving.

“..But, even in that kind of situation, I collected points little by little for myself and raised my level. And one day, I finally obtained my first special technique in this avatar that didn’t possess any significant power. That was ?Demonic Commandeer?..During the same time period, I soon after got two other great powers. Namely, the BIC and knowledge of the Incarnate System. My mind power training was harsh..my coach told me countless times that it was a waste of time. But, I stuck to my hatred towards my brother as sustenance. Yes, that time finally came at last. The time when I took back everything that that guy..that my brother had stolen from me.”

Kukukuku.

That chuckle tinged with the sound of resentment dripped through the field.

“—I called my brother to the Unlimited Neutral Field, and first took his ability. After doing that, I tortured my shocked brother to death with mind power. Since his HP disappeared a little too quickly for my taste, I thought more on how to do it the?second time. After one hour passed and he revived, I was more skillful in how I killed him. The excitement and pleasure I felt then can’t be described in words! The way he cried when his points finally ran out and he lost Brain Burst last of all..just remembering it makes me laugh even now..kuku, fufufu, AHAHAHAHAHA!”

After grasping his stomach for a while, Noumi raised his head up and shouted.

“Nothing inside me!? An empty hole!? The one that’s like that isn’t me, but that guy now!! An ex-Acceleration Ability User that has lost Brain Burst. There is no other existence sadder and more pitiable than that! I’m different..I will obtain everything. Both in Accel World, and the real world. Even the illusions like friendship and bonds that you people believe in..”

The eyes within his visor glowed strongly.

“—I won’t be left behind, but steal and rise up!!”

Along with that shout, Noumi shook off his right hand with a big swing.

On his left shoulder, there was something that shot out from the cut-off section of his arm at a violent speed like black snakes. It was the three tentacles Enhanced Armament that he had equipped when he first dueled with Haruyuki. He must have secretly recited the equip command and had been waiting for it to regenerate.

The tentacles that could extend anywhere let out a roar and pounced, but it wasn’t towards Cyan Pile who was standing in front of him. Furthermore, it wasn’t towards Silver Crow who was squeezed within a vise either.

It was towards Chiyuri—Lime Bell, who had been sinking her body underneath the shadow of the distant school building and had not tried to speak a word until now.

“Wha..”

Although he leaked out a short voice of astonishment, Takumu still reacted and raised his sword up to cut away the tentacles.

However, one moment before he could do that.

The tentacles, which quickly contracted like rubber, coiled around the leaf-colored avatar and hoisted her beneath his blade.

*GISHI*?Cyan Pile’s whole body jarred, and he stopped his slash. The sword edge slightly touched the brim of Lime Bell’s pointy hat, and let out a single spark.

The three tentacles instantly coiled around Chiyuri’s entire body and mercilessly constricted her.

“....!”

The delicate avatar bent backwards and leaked out a pained gasp. Added on to that gasp was Noumi’s snickering.

“Fu, fufufu. Did you think I merely called her here just for the role of healing me? No way! I’m already aware that Lime Bell is a weak point of yours. You have to effectively use any thing that can be used..That is the secret of ?duels?, right!”

“..You, bastard..”

As Takumu’s sword edge trembled and he let out that low growl, Chiyuri tried to say something to him. However, the tentacles instantly coiled around her mouth several times over and halted Lime Bell’s words.

“Now then, please throw away that sword and cancel your Enhanced Armament as well.”

After Noumi gave those cold directions, Takumu responded in a grating voice.

“..Lime Bell isn’t participating in our ?Sudden Death Duel?. You can’t make her a hostage.”

“Heh? Is that really so?”

Dusk Taker tilted his head.

And casually grasped around Lime Bell’s right elbow with his right hand that was trickling with purple wave surge.

*GOGIN*.

And then a very, very unpleasant sounded resounded. It was the sound of her thin yellow-green arm being cut off from her elbow joint.

“....————!!”

Lime Bell’s whole body convulsed and she let out a silent scream. Her back bent backwards as far as it could two, three times. Each time, huge amounts of green sparks gushed out from the cut-off section of her arm.

Haruyuki’s vision was suddenly dyed a blazing red. An overwhelming fury blew violently through him, and he frantically struggled to escape. However, the black vise didn’t so much as shake slightly, as if mocking his anger. On the contrary, the moment the output of his Laser Swords that had been resisting the pressure until now were disturbed due to his anger, they pressed against his shoulders even more strongly.

“You..bastaaaaaaard!!”

Instead, the one that shouted was Takumu. There was something which struck against his large avatar’s chest with a whack as he took a step forward. It was Lime Bell’s arm. After rebounding off him and flying through the air, it became countless polygons and disappeared.

“..You understand now, don’t you, senpai? She is Diving into the Unlimited Neutral Field for the first time. In this world where we receive twice as much pain than in the lower order field.”

He didn’t need to say that. Right now, Chiyuri should be feeling pain that was equivalent to having her body’s arm cut off in the real world. Perhaps because of how big the shock was, the slender avatar continued convulsing bit by bit.

Before the eyes of the frozen Cyan Pile, Noumi raised his right hand again.

“..Also, if I keep doing this, her special technique gauge for healing me will also fill up.”

Just as he said that, he pierced the tip of his sharp index finger into Chiyuri’s flank.

Once again, her avatar sprang up greatly. Even from beneath the tentacles coiled several times around her mouth, a thin scream could be clearly heard coming from her.

Stab. Again. And then—again.

Just before the fourth hole was stabbed into her.

“....Stop it!!”

Takumu shouted in a low and broken voice.

His whole body trembled. The Over-Ray covering his sword and arms flickered irregularly like a bad contact lighting.

‘—Don’t do it, Taku’, is what Haruyuki wanted to shout out. But he couldn’t speak.

“....Please, just stop..”

He spoke as if moaning. The ?Cyan Blade? fell from his hands and rolled onto the ground with a clear metallic sound.

It then immediately dispersed into light. The light flowed through the air and was sucked into his avatar’s right arm, before returning to the original pile driver.

Takumu murmured the unequip command, and then the Enhanced Armament also disappeared. Immediately after confirming that, Dusk Taker swung his left arm widely and threw away Chiyuri towards a location far away.

He no longer paid any more attention the body-bent and pain-enduring Lime Bell.

The dark-colored avatar charged straight at Cyan Pile and embedded his right claws into his robust abdomen.

*DOBAH*?There was a wet set, and his black arm stuck out from Cyan Pile’s back.

A rapid stream of pale blue sparks came out as he drew his arm back out. Takumu staggered, pressed against his knees to hold himself up from collapsing, and stopped moving while hanging his head.

“It’s because you believe in a lie like ?bonds?.”

Quietly—as if seriously having pity for Takumu, Noumi’s voice resounded.

“No, it’s because you act as if you believe in it, that you lost. If you really had faith in each other, you would have cut me along with her. Am I wrong?”

—You’re wrong..you’re wrong, you’re wrong!!

Haruyuki fiercely struggled. As he tried to escape from the vise and go save Takumu, sparks flew out from the joints of his arms in resistance. As he fought against it, he cried out in an unspoken voice.

—What do you understand!! There’s no way you could understand just how much Taku feels for Chiyu!! If he had cut down Chiyu as well there, that wouldn’t be faith, but just cold calculation!!

But, the black lumps on either side of him coldly applied pressure on him as if trying to crush even his anger.

—Why can’t I move? Why can’t I even let out my voice? Right now, if I don’t move right now, then what was the point of everything I did until now..

“Sorry, boy.”

From behind him, Haruyuki heard a quiet whisper. It was the voice of the laminated avatar who had been completely quiet until now.

“This technique stops your speaking as well as your movement. Therefore, you can’t speak nor use any voice commands. I would have liked to at least let you say words of farewell to your friend, but..Sorry.”

Hearing those words that sounded like a serious apology, Haruyuki’s anger became even more inflamed and raged through the inside of his avatar.

*ZUKIN*?His back hurt.

*ZUKIN, ZUKIN*?A lightning-like pain periodically spread out from the middle of his shoulder blades.

He felt like he could hear some kind of voice. However, as if it too were being obstructed by the vise, it didn’t reach Haruyuki’s consciousness.

If he couldn’t talk, he could only resist with mind power—with his ?Laser Swords?. He knew that, but his pounding anger disturbed his concentration.

In the schoolyard, Dusk Taker raised his right hand while facing Cyan Pile who was on his knees.

The wave surge of nothingness once again changed into a thin sword. Making a ‘BYUBYUN’ sound, he cut down twice.

With a heavy sound, both of Cyan Pile’s arms were severed from the joints and fell to the ground. A mass of lightning gushed out from his shoulders like a waterfall.

Haruyuki heard a voice,

..Haru, I’m sorry.

..I can’t fight anymore. I’m truly sorry..

The tears that overflowed beneath Haruyuki’s mask blurred his vision. Within his distorted screen, he could see Dusk Taker raising his sword high in order to deliver the finishing blow.

—Here.

Is it going to end here? This is the ending of my..and also Takumu’s ?Brain Burst??

Those thoughts fell down with a plop within his mind.

As if that was also a drop at the freezing point of absolute zero, the flames of his anger became frost and dissolved. His limbs suddenly grew cold. The lights on his hands flickered, and vanished. All sensation in his body went far away. The feeling he had experienced several times before, the premonition of the phenomenon where an avatar stops in a standstill.

..Ah, I see. ?Zero File[4]?. So this is also an act caused by the Incarnate System. The Minus imagination negates the heat of the heart, and changes an avatar into a cold lump.

..Even if I noticed such a thing, there’s no longer any meaning to it.

..No, that’s not right.

If ?Zero-fication? was the ?Minus mind power? that -->>

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