Chapter 8[HERE COMES A NEW CHALLENGER!!]
After the familiar sounds of acceleration, those words were displayed in his view, which Haruyuki gazed at while stunned.
«Duel»!? Why now!?
Up till now, Noumi had used some unknown method to block being registered on the matching list, and had kept on avoiding duels. So then, why at this time, and furthermore initiated a challenge himself?
Haruyuki whose thoughts were confused by all the happenings, could not immediately fathom Noumi’s intentions. With his eyes opened wide, he could only look on as the world morphed into the «Duel stage» with dry seismic sounds.
The dense grove of trees lost all their fresh leaves at once, and morphed into deep black withered woods. The sky became darker and darker, sinking into the indigo of dusk.
The school building that stood on three sides, slowly decayed into skeletal ruins. From the grey colored ground, with ‘Zubo zubo’ sounds, numerous poles and boards grew out. No, not poles —— grave markers. Mossy crosses and tombstones continued all the way to the edge of his view.
At the same time as the stage creation was completed, on his view’s upper left and right side, two HP gauges extended. Under the left side bar, Haruyuki’s duel avatar, «Silver Crow»’s name floated up. And then the right side ——.
«Dusk Taker». Level 5.
He had never seen or heard of that name before. However, the level was unexpectedly high.
Probably, the person called Noumi, had always repeated the same thing. Set a trap for other Burst Linkers, obtain their weakness, then threaten them to «pay up» Burst Points. With that, he could level up without having to fight.
In front of Haruyuki who was grinding his teeth, finally the large [FIGHT!!] words burned up, and blew apart.
After seeing that, Haruyuki finally realized that he had been kneeling on the ground as he had before the acceleration. And then, someone was also stepping on his back.
“...!!”
He hurriedly bounced up, and took a large jump to distance himself. As he held his hands up and stared, in front was ——.
A strange looking avatar stood there.
The silhouette was normal human shape. The size was small, not much different from Silver Crow. The face was also similar. The whole face was a blank visor shape, with only reddish purple eyes sharply floating inside. The body and legs were slender like poles.
But, just the two arms, could only be called weird.
The right one was clearly machine type, with gears and shafts made up the thick arm with side armor, equipped with a brutal edge tool like a bolt clipper.
However, the left side, no matter how you look at it, was a living thing type. With fine rings on the outside, from a creature like arm, at the wrist, were three split up long tentacles.
It was a shape with no sense of unity, but the whole body color was as the «Dusk» name implied, a blackish purple. For its color circle affinity, it could be close or long range, but the color saturation was very low.
After his momentary observation was over, as Haruyuki carefully stood on guard, he quietly spit out the deduction that he had finally arrived at.
“...This means, you are going to drain my points right? To be taken down without resistance, for today’s «payment», is that what you want to say?”
Noumi —— Dust Taker, staying silent for a while, continued to face Haruyuki with the dusk colored visor.
Eventually, his tentacle shaped arm jerked, and a sound with laughter was released.
“At the moment you became your duel avatar, you got more spirited, senpai. Even though in the real world you are still stepped on by me.”
Ignoring the sneer laughter, Haruyuki immediately retorted.
“You also, can you still show me all that composure? Already, I know of your real face and name, now also your avatar name and appearance. That, don’t you think it’s about the same deadly information as that previous video from in front of the shower room?”
“Is this what you mean to say? If that video is made public, in return that will cost my «Reality Intrusion», to make other Burst Linkers attack me.”
“...Do I have any reason to hesitate?”
“Fufufu, scary. Well, I will admit that senpai also holds a card. But, to accept points, eventually this kind of «duel» is necessary. In this case... something else, I think I will accept from you.”
The meaning of Noumi’s words spoken with metallic effect, Haruyuki could not immediately understand.
“A... accept?”
“That’s right. Senpai’s, important thing. Well then... since we are in a stage, how about a fight? Since this is a direct connection duel, it is a bit lonely without the gallery.”
After saying so, the blackish purple avatar held up his right hand cutter, and closed it once with a clank.
He could no longer understand Noumi’s intentions.
However if it was a fight, he was not going to be beaten up silently. Without doubt, Haruyuki also held Noumi’s «Reality» as a card, so if he made that public in the accelerated world, then Noumi won’t be able to go about at ease with point hungry Burst Linkers going after him. Noumi would also want to avoid that.
If that was the case, then the winner could only be determined by an ordinary duel. Probably, Noumi will show overwhelming power like in the previous fist fight to steal Haruyuki’s «important thing», which is his pride, in order to make him submit.
—— However.
“If you can also win easily in this world... try it, Noumi Seiji!!”
With that shout, Haruyuki held his fist, and kicked the ground all at once.
The battle field was the «Cemetery» stage. The main features are darkness, and sometimes arms of dead people grow from the ground to grab hold of dueler’s feet.
The other side was one level higher, but for the duel fighting game «Brain Burst», it was not the same as online RPG where level difference was a deciding factor in a lost.
Indeed, level 1 and level 9’s basic performance is too different to be overturned, but for 4 and 5, then the stage’s attribute and compatibility could be said to be more important. And then for this Cemetery stage, Haruyuki has confidence that he had the absolute advantage.
“U... OO!”
While madly dashing in a straight line, he used his metallic fists and feet to pulverize the tombstones in his path like polystyrene foam. With the object destruction bonus, his blue special skill gauge started to slowly charge up.
Noumi —— Dusk Taker, while he looked at Silver Crow who was charging in, did not seem to move at all. He lowered his waist with leisurely movement, held his right hand bolt clipper in front, and left hand tentacles behind.
“ChieEEEE!”
Similar to his kendo match, with a sharp psyche, Dusk Taker swung his left arm, when the distance between them was still more than five meters.
The three tentacles that became whip like, let out a ‘Snap!’ sound and extended straight forward.
However, Haruyuki had predicted that action. About any kind of game, had tentacles that could extend out.
He had to face the fairly fast speed of the sharp tips that shone as they came attacking, but they were still slower than bullets. He evade the one aiming for his head by t.i.tling his head, and the remaining two he chop away, then Haruyuki came close to Dusk Taker.
“Shiee!”
The bolt clipper that was thrusted out with that short sound, he lowered his body to let it pa.s.s by.
“...Raaa!”
He stepped down hard with his left leg, and the elbow that was thrust out, scored a direct hit on the enemy’s jaw that he was aiming for. With the fierce impact sound and light effect explosion, the ground was lit up by bluish white light. The right side HP gauge decreased with a glop. That was the first hit.
To the greatly bent backwards, trying to hold his ground Noumi’s undefended chest, Haruyuki pursued with a right middle kick hit.
“Guu...”
While Noumi groaned and staggered, Haruyuki continued the pursuit, from a left hook making him float up to a right high kick. With the slender body that could not be compared to his real world body, the light Silver Crow body flashed with lightning like speed, faithfully tracing the commands from Haruyuki’s consciousness that was sent before the last one was over.
‘How about that, did you see... did you see!!’
While releasing three showy kicks in the air like wire action in a Kung-fu movie, Haruyuki shouted inside his mind.
‘—— You who kept running away from «duels» probably didn’t know, for short range melee combat, there isn’t anyone in my level range that could win against me. To obtain this kind of speed, do you know how much hardship I went through... getting hit with virtual bullet many times and throwing up in the toilet, you probably don’t know about that. For someone who use dirty information battle in the real world, with only that trying to reach the peak of «Brain Burst», guys like you...’
“Don’t deserve to be called a Burst Linker!!”
The right straight that went out tracing laser like path, smashed into the blackish purple helmet, craving radial cracks into it.
After being blown away, crashed into a tombstone and laying still, Dusk Taker’s health gauge was already decreased to about 30% remaining.
“...One more hit will finish this!”
After releasing those intense words, at this time Haruyuki finally put strength into his shoulder blades. At the same time as both arms were pulled to the other side, with a cutting like sharp metallic sound, large wings opened up.
The battle up till now, had completely filled his special skills gauge. If a dive kick from very high alt.i.tude scored, then Noumi’s remaining HP would easily be blown away. Since the surroundings were tombstones as far as the eye could see, there was not a single structure to hide in.
He lowered his body, before leaving the ground in one breath —— right before that.
Dusk Taker who was collapsed by a grave marker, his left arm moved without any previous motion, and three tentacles came flying like some different kind of living thing.
He managed to dodge the two that was going for his body, but one of them wrapped around his right wrist. However Haruyuki did not panic, he grabbed that and pulled, then kicked the ground as planned.
He floated at about 50cm up, and changed his two wings thrust from straight up to horizontal, going to pull Dusk Taker along. The opponent’s legs dug in to resist, but he started craving groves into the ground.
There were many enemies who tried to capture Silver Crow with whips or wires like this. However most of them were pulled into the air while they were linked, or broke up after being dragged on the ground. The thrust force that can be produced by Silver Crow’s wings, could be said to be unlimited as long as his special skill gauge is not empty. Even the demonic Burst Linker, «Chrome Disaster» that had strength beyond «Kings», he won the tug of war against it.
“U... OO!”
At the same time as Haruyuki’s psyche, white silver aura was sent out from the two wings. He would pull through the tombstones like that, breaking up Noumi’s remaining HP with his avatar, he thought so without mercy ——
At that moment.
Dusk Taker’s right hand huge cutter, closed on his own left elbow.
Without giving Haruyuki the time to be surprised, a ‘Bachin!’ unpleasant sound went out, and without any hesitation, that arm was cut apart.
With the tentacles’ pull instantly disappeared, Haruyuki was forcefully thrown back behind as he spun around. After two, three bounds on the ground, and breaking numerous tombstones, he finally stopped.
After staring at the reddish black dusk sky in a daze for a bit, he hurriedly tried to jump up. However suddenly, from the surrounding ground bluish white skeletal arms thrust out, and grabbed hold of Haruyuki’s limbs. «Ensnare», the cemetery stage’s topographic effect.
“s.h.i.t.”
While cursing, he tried to shake them off, but the arms came up relentlessly and wrapped around him. Without any choice, he opened his wings after rolling on his back, trying to lift off straight up —— however.
Right before his body floated up, a shadow that came flying with some kind of insect like movement, stepped on Haruyuki’s right shoulder with a kick. He was again pushed back to the ground.
The one who stood there, was of course Dusk Taker. His HP gauge, after cutting his own left arm, was decreased to 20%. On the other hand, Haruyuki still had about 90% remaining, he did not think that this could be turned around, but the dusk avatar’s whole body was strangely relaxed. His upper body slowly bend, with the blank helmet closing in on Haruyuki.
‘After the Ensnare is gone, I will lift off and settle it.’
While thinking like that, Haruyuki quietly said.
“...You like stepping on someone so much.”
“Fufu... speaking of that, senpai seem to like being stepped on.”
After muttering that thinly, Noumi held up his half lacking left arm, and stared at the cut surface. Haruyuki who looked there as well, noticed that from the cut, three new tentacle tips seem to slowly poke out, and felt a bit psychologically disgusted.
“...Regrowth? Just like a lizard’s tail.”
“If it is like that, then it should be octopus or sea anemone. No, the previous owner said it was starfish.”
“Wh... what?”
Turning to face Haruyuki who was not able to grasp the meaning and inquired ——.
Noumi whispered with a sound that had more coldness in it.
“I said it right? That I will take senpai’s important thing. That is...”
With a ‘Clank’, the bolt clipper’s sharp tip held onto Haruyuki’s left arm.
“Like this,”
Approaching to almost touching distance, from the center of Dusk Taker’s helmet, lights overflowed from the two reddish purple eyes, and swirled.
“Meaning. —— «Demonic Commandeer».”
...Special Skill!
Furthermore that skill name p.r.o.nunciation, did not have any fighting spirit or exaltation, it was like it was spat out.
It was like, the need to call out the skill name to activate a special skill was being shunned.
The black light pillar that was released from Dusk Taker’s whole face, scored a direct hit on Haruyuki’s mirror helmet, and small rays reflected in all directions.
“Ku...!”
Haruyuki bite down on his teeth, preparing to endure the shock. Even though he took that at extremely close range, it was not possible for one attack to turn the difference in HP. After that skill finished, he planned to immediately counter attack, and calculated that timing —— however.
His gauge was not decreasing.
Silver Crow’s health gauge, continued to shine bright green, not even moving a little. There was no pain either. And he could feel no heat.
Even so, Dusk Taker’s special skill gauge, from full charge condition, was decreasing at a fearsome rate. The released blackish purple vortex increased in force, and put a cold pressure on Haruyuki’s face, but there was no change other than that.
—— No.
Suddenly, Haruyuki felt that there was something being sucked out from his whole body. When he realized that, was at the moment the enemy’s special skill gauge was decreased to half, then the light’s flow direction reversed. From Haruyuki’s helmet, light gushed out like loose liquid spray, and was swallowed by Noumi’s face.
A few seconds later, abruptly all the phenomena stopped.
The opponent’s special skills gauge had been consumed to zero and exhausted. On the other hand, Haruyuki’s was once again completely full. His HP gauge was not damaged at all, and Noumi’s was also unchanged at less than 20%.
“...OOo!”
Haruyuki roared, and was going to fly up all at once. That skill was probably a delay type, then there was no point waiting for it to activate. He would fly Dusk Taker to very high alt.i.tude like this, and throw him falling down to ground to settle this ——
—— ...
Silence.
The cold silent air, covered the bottom of the field.
The dead people’s arms that grasped his whole body had disappeared. Dusk Taker’s left foot and right hand, were only lightly holding his shoulders. But still.
He could not fly.
No matter how much he put strength to his back, and concentrated his mind, the silver wings that made Silver Crow’s body float and release him into the sky did not respond.
Haruyuki turned his head while dumbfounded, and peeked at his own shoulders.
They weren’t there.
The normally reliable, beautifully shining ten white silver fins on the left and right side, had disappeared without a single trace.
Unable to understand the situation, Haruyuki who slowly turned his face back forward, saw the blackish purple avatar stood up without a sound.
He carelessly released Haruyuki from his bounds, and stepped back a few steps.
“...Fu, Fufu.”
With childlike innocence, tenacity of someone who had years of experience and other things mixed in laughter, was thinly leaked out.
“Fufufu. Under that mask, should be deep shock right, senpai? Even so, maybe your proud gamer brain is thinking of this and that. What was that earlier skill... what happened to me. Being pompous is not my taste, so I will clearly tell you. It means...”
Similar to what Haruyuki did a few minutes ago, Noumi crossed both arms in front of his chest, and strained on both sides.
“This kind of thing.”
‘Slither.’
With that wet sound, two curved protrusions grew out of Dusk Taker’s back, which Haruyuki could only stare at silently.
It stopped after sticking out about one meter, shook, and groaned ——
While spraying out black mucus, it expanded widely to the left and right.
Wings.
The bone and flying membrane shape, was like a bat’s, or a demon’s kind of sinister silhouette, that darkly carved into the blood color dusk sky.
With wings flapping sound, in front of Haruyuki whose thought processes were all stopped, the small avatar slightly bounced. However he soon returned to the ground, and the purple helmet lightly tilted.
“Hey, this is pretty difficult... Not just physical action type command, it needs some other kind of input for control maybe.”
‘Flap flap’. With many repeated fierce wing flaps, the avatar increased in rise height.
“Oh, like this huh. This, will need practice before full control is possible.”
While slowly swaying to the left and right, the avatar clearly left the ground, and started floating up. It was not a jump. It was also not being pulled up by a wire. This was ——, this was.
“...No way.”
From Haruyuki’s mouth, a crack like sound leaked out.
“Lie. Lie.”
‘—— Up till now, pure «Flight Ability» being achieved, only one avatar that obtained it existed.’
‘—— That person also said so right. Only me. Only I fly in this world. One and only, my power. My hope. My... everything.’
“No, it is the truth, this.”
While hovering at about three meters high, Dusk Taker slowly opened both hands.
“My only special skill, «Demonic Commandeer», robs one of the opponent duel avatar’s special skill, enhanced armament, or ability. That tentacle earlier, was taken from someone long ago. I don’t use it often though. That meaning, do you understand? That means... the effective time, is unlimited. Of course, there is an upper limit to the number of stock.”
—— Ability robbing. Forever effect.
That means, it’s like this? The proof of existence of Silver Crow, those silver wings, was robbed by that blackish purple avatar, and will never return...?
“L... lieee! Return it... return ittt!!”
Haruyuki screamed as if to resist the bottomless sense of emptiness that suddenly a.s.saulted him.
He bounced up, ran a few steps, then jumped up with all his strength. He extended his right hand, trying to grasp Noumi’s foot.
“Hey.”
With a slight lift up of that foot, Haruyuki’s hand cut through the air. Fallen to the ground with metallic sounds, he was down to his hands and knees miserably. His limbs became cold, and his sensations went far away. He wanted to stand up again, but the avatar would not listen to his command.
“Senpai, senpai! Please don’t be so depressed.”
From high above, banter like, or comforting like words came falling down.
“I said it right, that I will take something important. Please be at ease, I will return it. On the day that senpai graduate from Umesato middle school, that is. Of course, every week till then, you will pay me a quota of points. It could be said to be two years of payment in installments, but even one non-payment... you know what would happen right?”
As if to show him, the wings that became grotesque was flapped hard once, then the coaxing voice continued.
“—— It’s okay, with just that close range melee ability. With just normal skills, you forced me into danger and almost made me use a trick... so even without wings, that should be plenty. I guarantee it! Fufufu... Hahahahaha...!”
Haruyuki could not stop himself shivering all over his body.
This is not reality, this should not be happening. Robbing ability, this kind of unreasonable special skill should not be allowed in the system. This is... this is ——
“Unfair, cheat, you are thinking like that?”
With ‘Kusu kusu’ kind of throaty laughter, Noumi continued with relentless words.
“But, isn’t that what everyone who dueled senpai up till now felt? Flight is unreasonable, is that even real, like that. Well... then, I will take this week’s payment. Please stay still there... no, you can no longer move right?”
With sinister wing flapping sounds, he sensed that Noumi landed close by. However, Haruyuki no longer had a single shred of fighting spirit left.
With a work like feel, the large cutter closed on his left arm. The metallic cutting sound and sparks, the sharp pain conveyed by the nerves, Haruyuki faintly felt them like they were happening in some different world.
When the «duel» finished, and they returned to the real world, Noumi’s foot left Haruyuki’s back. While coiling the cable pulled from both Neuro Linkers, the small build first year student brightly said.
“Good work, Arita-senpai. With this, the rating in both the real world and accelerated world is finished. You at the lowest end, could only be used by me who is far above, right. ...Since this is the case, excuse me but for two years, please take care of me.”
He lightly turned around, and continued after looking at Chiyuri who was still fallen down after being pushed.
“I am tired after that serious duel, so I will leave the show of Kurashima-senpai’s avatar till next time. Please remember it, the promise of becoming my pet. That and... it need not be said, but this incident, please keep it secret from Mayuzumi-senpai and your boss, if you want your wings returned. I still need some preparation before settling with them. Then, excuse me.”
A bowing farewell.
Noumi Seiji, with unruffled steps like when he appeared, left the central courtyard.
Haruyuki who was on all fours, pushed his body up with difficulty using shaking arms, and sat there heavily.
In this world, it was less than one minute after being punched and kicked by Noumi, but he could not feel much of his body’s pain. His whole body was soaked with sweat, but as if it became empty inside his body, he could only feel hollow coldness. With his teeth chattering, he could not even take a deep breath.
Chiyuri’s shoulders were also shaking, but she eventually moved to the front of Haruyuki using her knees, and let out a raspy sound.
“...Haru... Why..., how come, it became, something like this... Why those... cruel things, had to be said...”
‘It’s only a game. Something for enjoyment.’ The wide open eyes said that.
Haruyuki deeply hung his head, and pushed out a sound that was not a voice from his throat.
“Sorry, Chiyu. I am sorry to get you involved in this. Sorry for your scary memory. But, already, I... can’t do anything. My wings, was taken by that guy. I, can no longer, fight. I no longer, have anything, nothing.”
While muttering, drops leaked from both of his eyes, and flowed down his cheeks.
‘I —— Arita Haruyuki / Silver Crow lost to Noumi Seiji / Dusk Taker in many ways. The information battle in the real world, the flesh body fist fight, and even the duel in the accelerated world, I was defeated to smithereens. And then —— robbed. Of everything.’
In the view where his tears fell in drops, two white kneecaps slowly approached.
‘Will I be hit?’, he momentary thought. ‘Like usual, get rough with the shiftless, pathetic me, and be yelled at?’
However.
Suddenly, Chiyuri hugged Haruyuki’s head close, and also buried her face in Haruyuki’s shoulder.
“No... no, I don’t like it, this... Broken... the hard, hard, work... returned to normal... all that effort...!”
The faint sobbing with painful sounds mixed in, towards Haruyuki’s chest, clamped way deeper than the pain of a fist.