One hour later, he was resurrected.
Death in the Unlimited Neutral Field was very strange indeed. The surrounding scenery changed to a black and white monochrome, his body became transparent like smoke, and could gently move around, but could not go beyond a ten meter radius from the death position.
A small digital number was carved in the center of his view, starting at 60:00:00, and when it became zero, finally the field colors and the avatar body itself was recovered.
While looking down at the pretty big crater he made, Haruyuki said the first thing he thought of.
“...It seems like 100% without doubt that she is Kuroyukihime senpai’s friend...”
And then he held both hands at his waist, and looked up at the towering vertical rock wall —— old Tokyo tower in front of him.
“...The next meeting, that means... means...”
...Climb to the top. Would be what it meant.
After shaking his head, he sighed deeply. Something like this was said, ‘The lion throwing its cub down a bottomless ravine’, but that probably should be story about it being a Good Job staying alive after being dropped.
However, unlike the lion, Haruyuki’s avatar has two skillfully moveable hands. More than that, his body is as light as possible, and power is as the words said can go through rocks.
“...I will climb.”
He whispered as if saying to himself, and Haruyuki held both hands into fists.
Even if it was a 300 meter continuous vertical rock wall, it was not a smooth flat surface like glass. There were numerous gaps where hands and feet could cling to, and it should be possible to dig small holes.
Planning to carve his determination at the beginning, he lowered his waist, and held his right hand at waist level.
“Uryaa!!”
The punch that was thrust out with that psyche, bore a hole deep into the reddish brown rock, and sank in about 20cm deep.
He put his right foot there solidly, lifted his body up, then Haruyuki’s left hand held onto a crack a bit higher.
Moving his sight left and right, and after drawing the starting route in his head, he lifted his avatar up with just his left hand. Towards the step he aimed for, this time the tip of his left foot was firmly set.
Actually, climbing like this in the virtual space, was not his first time. Carrying a rifle in jungle and mountainous terrain shooting games, climbing cliffs like this was a worthy strategy for blindsiding the enemy team. In order to gain that tactical advantage, he even borrowed rock climbing VR training software from the library.
The trick for free climbing is, to precisely imagine the optimal route at the start, and do not stick too close to the surface of the rock.
Looking ahead to the limit of his vision, with where and how to place his four limbs drawn in detail in his thoughts, Haruyuki continued to climb the rock wall in a steady pace.
As if it was a race, the sun that dyed the eastern sky red also inched its position upwards. The color of the morning glow eventually disappeared, and the sky was changed to a eerie yellow.
How many holds he had grabbed onto, he had already forgotten. The top was melted into the sky so it could not be seen, and if he looked down, the ground should be far away. However he did not look towards his feet even once, and while facing the sky, he innocently and honestly challenged the cliff. He was mostly not conscious of it himself, but the concentration that he put to various «Games» like this, was without doubt mostly the only and greatest ability of the person called Arita Haruyuki.
That well-honed nerve, captured the slight shaking of the air from far away. It was a sign of the gusts that was a feature of the Wilderness stage. Immediately, Haruyuki’s both hands thrust into the cracks in the rocks and firmly held on, with his body tightly close to the surface.
A few seconds later, the atmosphere shook with a rumble, and a strong gust that was like a giant blowing came attacking Haruyuki as if to shake him off. However, while not even feeling any fear, Haruyuki calmly waited for the wind to stop. Since, the slender and slippery body of Silver Crow without any protrusion should offer no resistance to the wind. That meant Haruyuki believed that he would not be blown away by just wind, and it was actually like that.
The nasty giant finally gave up, and after Haruyuki took a small breath, he again continued the ascent.
At the time that the sun reached straight above, and started leaning slightly west.
Finally, the tip of the rock wall that seemed to continue infinitely, drew a sharp arc in the sky. The tip of that cylinder, was the top where Sky Raker waited.
The distance should still be over 100 meters. However at this pace, he should reach it before night time. Now that he thought about it, Sky Raker’s “So that you can remember well the stew’s taste” words, and the smile she showed after Haruyuki said that he would wake up properly tomorrow, were probably predictions that Haruyuki could not climb this old Tokyo tower in one day.
‘—— I will show you that I can reach the top today!’
With that determination, however with no carelessness, Haruyuki attacked the rock surface using steady movements. The wind gusts that changed direction in the afternoon, came attacking with increased frequency, but all of them passed by with Haruyuki sticking to the wall.
The sky’s color slowly became more saturated, and the climb that started at dawn soon reached nine hours. He was indeed starting to feel tired, and as he ground his teeth in frustration, Haruyuki’s nose captured a slight floral scent. Furthermore, the spring’s noise, and the faint blue light of the portal also reached his ears and eyes.
Soon. Just 20, no, 15 more meters.
If he finished climbing on his first try, then even Sky Raker should be shocked, so Haruyuki enthusiastically increased his hands and feet speed ——
—— At that time.
Something he had not felt till now, a ‘Ring Ring’ kind of high resonance sound shook the atmosphere. The echo from unlimited number of bells being sounded from far away at the same time, made Haruyuki lift his face up, and look at the eastern horizon.
And then he groaned.
“Ah... not good...”
Coming into his view, was what came falling down from the sky, the shine of the aura that gently caressed the earth.
It was a «Transition». An ultra large phenomenon that changed the attribute of all of Unlimited Neutral Field.
Haruyuki quickly looked back, and started climbing the wall surface at double the speed he had been going till now. Occasionally his limbs slipped, and he felt a cold sweat, but his fingers grabbed hold of a gap while in danger and held on. Without waiting for his heart to calm down, he again jumped towards his next hold.
As if to hurry Haruyuki on like that, the aura closed in at tremendous speed from the east, and the bell sounds grew louder. The surfaces that were caressed by the seven color light curtain had the reddish brown wilderness colors dispersed in a poof, and was reborn in a new form. That was right, it was refreshing this world. After the «Transition», the Enemy that were killed were replaced, and the stage that was destroyed was repaired. There was no Enemy around this tower, but the latter was a problem. If he was caught in the aura, then the holes that Silver Crow’s sharp hands thrust into the rock wall, would probably ——.
“U... O...!”
Haruyuki shouted, and the final distance were mostly climbed while running on all fours.
However, he was five meters short.
Numerous bell sounds pressed against his ears, and the seven color shine painted all of his view, and in the next instant, Haruyuki’s hands and legs were thrown away from the wall with a repulsive force that could not be denied.
“Shitt... Nooo...”
He clawed the air with his hands, trying to get close to the wall once more, but that effort was also in vain.
“Wa... a... a... ——”
Haruyuki died again.
After he was resurrected one hour later, the world was already covered by sunset, and it was no longer the red wilderness.
The ground was made up of properly arranged stone pavement. And then the old Tokyo Tower in front of him was, changed to a bluish black shining metal plate jointed steel tower. It was the «Demonic City» stage.
“...”
Haruyuki slump down to sit on the hard stone pavement, and gave a deep sigh. If this was a normal game, then at this point he would hit his pillow in his room for distraction, but right now he could not logout, and he did not have the energy for it.
However, for his first try, he almost climbed to the top. Sky Raker seemed to have sounded like this training would take weeks, or at worse even longer. If it was like that, then he could say that he had done pretty well. He strongly held his two fists with, ‘I will absolutely climb it next time’.
He really wanted to tackle the wall again right now, but thought that it would not be possible at night. Planning to challenge it again the first thing tomorrow morning, Haruyuki sneaked into a suitable building in the surrounding, and lay down at one side of a safe looking room.
It might be recoil of concentrating for nine hours continuously, he was suddenly attacked by a strong drowsiness, and without the chance to feel hungry, Haruyuki fell straight into sleep.
However, in the third morning of his dive in the Unlimited Neutral Field.
Haruyuki’s eyes popped out from sudden shock.
Last night he was careless and did not notice it, but the Demonic City stage’s old Tokyo Tower was similar to Sunshine City where he fought Chrome Disaster, both made up of smooth and hard steel plates. Since there were no windows, there were also no ladders. Instead of that, not a single crack where his fingertips could hold onto could be seen. That meant, there was no way for him to climb it.
“...Then, I can just make my own holes.”
He muttered, then after knocking on the steel with his fingertip.
Like yesterday, Haruyuki punched using his held fist with all his strength.
And then jumped up as he screamed.
“Ouch... ch ——-!”
The sharp pain that was increased two times of the lower field, made him hold his right hand while jumping around, and he stared at the place he hit, but the bluish black wall did not have a single dent. Indestructible object —— that could not be, but probably it was not possible to open a hole without a heat ray or drill, and of course Silver Crow was not equipped with something like those.
“...Does that mean I have to wait for the next «Transition»...”
He cursed while grinding his teeth, but how many days later would the next aura visit be, and whether the next time will be a destroyable attribute, he had absolutely no idea. The sudden sense of frustration, made Haruyuki slump down to his knees.
That head, was suddenly hit by something with a thump.
“Huh!?”
When he jumped up in consternation, he saw that a white cloth bag was dropped there. He quickly looked up, but the steel color spire extended infinitely into the gray sky, and no one could be seen.
However that bag was dropped by Sky Raker’s hand, which Haruyuki had no doubt. He picked it up in amazement, untied the knot, and found out that inside contained a large round bread, and a small piece of paper.
At that moment, he was immediately attacked by a virtual empty stomach feeling, so Haruyuki bit into the large bread as the lower half of his helmet slid up with a hum. It was plain bread with nothing inside, but even so he thought it was somewhat warm, fragrant and incredibly delicious, so he was absorbed in eating.
Soon half of it was gone, then Haruyuki finally turned the paper around, and read the words written there in elegant handwriting.
—— [The mind power training had already started. Yesterday, why were you not blown away by the wind, please think about that.]
“...Huh?”
After reading it once, he could not grasp her intent at all.
This wall climbing, was actually before the «Incarnate System» training, or put another way something like basic training, which Haruyuki understood. Even in Kung Fu movies, before the master taught martial arts, wasn’t there a lot of stair climbing?
And then, ‘Why were you not blown away by the wind?’, that sentence also made no sense. That was because he was holding on tightly, of course. Also, Silver Crow’s body has low air resistance. That was why when he stuck to the wall, the wind passed by his back...
“Ah...”
Suddenly, Haruyuki made a small shout. He felt that he was close to something important. While involuntarily chewing the rest of the bread, he again continued to think.
Mind power was, a method of using image power to control avatar or object.
Yesterday, when Haruyuki was sticking to the rock wall while enduring the wind, he did not even think about being blown away. If it was Silver Crow’s slender and smooth body, he believed that any kind of wind gust would pass by, and that became the actual case.
Maybe, that was —— at that time, the «Incarnate System» power was already being used? Did strongly drawing the image that the wind would pass through him actually lessen the wind pressure?
In that case, in the same manner, would he be able to deal with this steel wall?
After putting the last piece of bread into his mouth, the helmet closed shut, and Haruyuki stared hard at his right hand.
The five fingers could not be any smaller, nor sharper. And the silver armor gave off a really hard looking shine.
‘—— Not punch, it should be a jab.’
Thinking so naturally, he lined up the five fingers together and extended them straight out. When the wrist was steady, the parts in front of the elbow looked exactly like a sword.
He lowered his waist to half of his height, and this time stared at the wall in front.
The bluish black shining steel plates looked truly tough, however, it was just a stage background. Without any consciousness, it just exists. That meant its physical shape, was only a series of code recorded in the Brain Burst server somewhere.
If he could not even open a hole in such thing, then how could he call himself a dueler. If it was that person, Black King, Black Lotus, then without doubt she would cut this degree of walls apart like butter without even getting worked up.
He held his fingers extended right hand at waist level. ‘Suu, Haa’, deep breaths, then one more breath in ——.
“...Haa!!”
With that psyche, he thrust straight out.
With a ‘Giin!’ sharp sound, bluish white sparks flew apart. All of his finger joints, wrist, and elbow had a sharp pain running through them that made his eyes dazzle. The HP gauge in his view’s upper left was slightly shaved.
He involuntarily moaned, and Haruyuki slumped down to his knees there, but when he looked up, it certainly existed there. Carved in the smooth wall, was about 1cm long, 1mm deep sharp scar.
‘—— It will work!’ Right after that thought, he also yelled ‘Not enough!’.
His image power was still not enough. He thought of his fingers as fingers and arm as arm, and that was why he was hurt. Think of them as a sword. Similar to that person, a sword that can pierce through various things, and cut them apart.
He stood up, and again sharply extended his fingers. Thinking for a bit, he bent his thumb to the side of the palm, then from elbow to the tip of his middle finger, was made up of a sharp line as if it was designed like that from the beginning.
And then from now on, instead of holding at waist level, held a bit higher to near shoulder level, drawn back to the limit. The left hand held out mostly in front, turned horizontally. Just like the motion he saw from Black Lotus’s special skill, «Death By Piercing».
“...Shaa!!”
The sound this time, was somewhat higher and clearer echo compared to the previous one. A lightning like pain again made him ground his teeth, but the scar that the wall sustained was a little bit deeper.
That day eventually ended with him single mindedly continuing to thrust against the wall.
He gradually stopped feeling pain, and by sunset, his fingertip ate in about 3mm, but that was still not at a level that could support him for climbing the wall. However Haruyuki did not feel terribly impatient, and returned to his sleeping place from yesterday while feeling satisfied from the heavy fatigue.
‘What I am doing now, might be just some kind of escape.’
He could not help but think like that while laying there. Using «Acceleration» to extend the time, and fast forward his problem with Chiyuri, Takumu, and Noumi was an actual fact. But right now, he was happy while single mindedly concentrate on what he was doing, and it was saving him. Closing his eyes, Haruyuki again slept like the dead.
Morning on the fourth day.
He stood at the same place as yesterday, and stared at the numerous scars carved on the steel wall shining bluish light, as Haruyuki once again thought.
The direction of his image should be correct. His fingertips being hard and sharp, and his arm’s thrusting power was being drawn in thought. But, he felt that he was missing something.
While mumbling, he was again directly hit on his head by a cloth bag. Quickly picking it up, he face the sky and shout ‘Itadakimasu’, then bit into the bread inside.
Today also, came with a piece of message. After opening it excitedly, that was ——.
[Do your best, Karasu-kun ♡].
It was only that, and while embarrassed by the symbol at the end, Haruyuki sighed with a snort. He was expecting a similar hint as yesterday, but nothing else was written.
This would mean, ‘I already know all I need to know’, it would be like that.
While thinking that, Haruyuki finished eating the bread, and again desperately worked his head.
Mind power. Will from the mind. Image power. Inside his ears, Sky Raker’s words replayed.
‘——- Listen... Image power! That is truly, us Burst Linker’s secret true power.’
Wait... a minute. Something very similar to that was said, long ago... very long ago, by that person also.
At the moment he thought of that, that sound freshly replayed from deep in his memory.
‘—— Listen, Haruyuki-kun. You are fast. You will become faster than anyone else. Faster than me, and the other Kings as well. Speed is truly Burst Linker’s greatest power.’
There was no way he could forget it. That, was right before Kuroyukihime used her final command «Physical Full Burst» to save Haruyuki, the words she left after being prepared for her own death.
Kuroyukihime at that time, should definitely have known about Burst Linker’s hidden «Incarnate System». However, she expressed the greatest power as «Speed» instead of «Image Power». That meant ——
These two, are the same thing.
The word «Speed» that Kuroyukihime used, did not just mean the duel avatar’s movement speed in the field. It was the brain connected to the Neuro Linker, the signal speed sent out by the consciousness. The speed of response between this world and himself. That meant, how close to the essence of the world, it would be like that.
“With image... control...”
Muttering, Haruyuki held his right hand up.
Not power. It was speed. What he should image was that. Move to the limit of speed. Get as close to the world as possible. And assimilate with it.
“...Fuu.”
With a slight exhale, Haruyuki’s right hand thrust out with an image of light.
In fact, a dim but definite white light path floated through the space. A ‘Shukiin!’ sound, like something from some kind of musical instrument beautifully sounded.
After seeing his fingers buried over 5mm deep in the steel wall, Haruyuki strongly clenched his left hand.
For three more days, Haruyuki continued the same training at that place.
He got up at sunrise, and munched on the round bread thrown down from above his head. The message that accompanied it sometimes had a heart mark, and sometimes did not, but with those words of encouragement as support, he intently continued to repeat left and right jabs.
For Haruyuki’s about 14 years of life, he had never experienced concentrating on one thing for this long time.
No, it could be said that this time could not possibly exist in the real world. The real body often get hungry, soon tired, and also had to go to school. In the 1000 times accelerated time flow of the Unlimited Neutral Field, and then with the duel avatar that doesn’t know fatigue that this was a possible action.
The light released by his fingertips, and the depth they ate into the wall, were in a range that he could not feel any increase. However Haruyuki did not doubt that he was doing important training, and while just conscious of the signal speed that his brain sent to the avatar, he repeated the same action 1000s, 10000s, and 100000s time.
Haruyuki felt that this training was not something like «Suddenly true power awaken one day». He realized he was aiming for something that was built up with results that his eyes could not distinguish. Similar to the virtual squash game in Umesato middle school’s local net where he continued to gradually challenge the high score. Concentration and accumulation. There was no shortcut other than those.
That’s right..., probably Sky Raker who waited at the top of the steel tower also, and standing on the very peak of accelerated world itself, «Red King» Niko and «Black King» Kuroyukihime also, for sure passed through this road.
Right now, he could not even see the shadow of that person walking far ahead in the long, long road, but.
‘I too someday..., someday will definitely reach that place, I will show you.’
When the sun set on sixth day, while looking at his right hand with fingers that were fully pierced through the thick steel, Haruyuki strongly decided that inside his chest.
To be able to do the same thing while sticking to the wall, took another half day.
On the day that marked his one week visit to this world, close to noon time.
He glared at the weak sunlight through the thick black clouds, and after thinking for a bit, Haruyuki finally decided to start his second climb. There were only five or six hours till sunset, but he would not need to search for routes or backtrack due to running out of hand holds on the rock in the «Wilderness» stage. If he just climb in a straight line, then it might be possible for him to reach the top before nightfall.
“...All right!”
With a ‘Bang’ hit against both sides of his helmet for psyche, Haruyuki threw out his first thrust.
With a ‘Shukiiiin!’ clear sound and path of white light that was created, his hand sword deeply pierced the wall.
Using his firmly pierced in right hand to hold his body up, this time his left hand attacked a place that was a bit higher.
Speed. Speed of light. He only thought about that.
Eventually, Haruyuki stopped even thinking about the word «Speed». Inside his brain, only the image of sword tip thrusting out like white light existed.
Thrust. Pull his body up. Concentrate. Thrust again.
Since the fingers need to be as horizontal as possible for the piercing, one action only gained him about 30cm of distance. Using that to climb 333m, a simple calculation would give at least 1110 thrusts on the wall.
However Haruyuki just absorbedly, and single mindedly repeated the same actions. Without looking at the top or bottom, forgetting about past and future, so only the wall in front of him and his fingertips became his whole world.
Thrust. Thrust. Pierce. Pierce.
His hands were already releasing a laser like bright light. The depth that his hand sword went in was going deeper and deeper, making it almost difficult to pull them out, but he ignored that and just thrust, and climbed.
Haruyuki went into abnormally deep concentration, even beyond when he was challenging his self made bullet avoidance game. Sight and hearing information lost their meaning, the steel wall also eventually disappeared, and in the darkness that was everywhere, only the flash released by his hands blinked alternately ——.
...No.
He could see something.
Far in the darkness, very, very far away, there was a water surface like blue sway.
Portal? There was someone over there. Full of a golden shine, he could only see the silhouette, but for certainly —— someone...
Haruyuki wanted to break the dense darkness with his two hand thrusts, to go to that place. He was being called, he felt.
“You are... who...?”
A deep echo accompanied the sound that range in the darkness, and reacting to that, some kind of reply, no, signal like thing was ——.
At that time, a faint vibration was transmitted to his body, and Haruyuki opened his eyes with a snap.
In front of his eyes, was the same bluish black steel wall. The sky was already painted a deep red. Sunset was nearing.
However, a light other than the sun reached him from the east, so Haruyuki looked there. Just then, a seven color aura came falling down from the sky. ‘Ring ring’ like bell sounds. It was a «Transition».
But this time, Haruyuki did not panic.
Similar to before, he continued to move his hands at a set pace. Even without looking up, he could feel that the top edge was right above. The aura, as if it intended to throw Haruyuki off, closed in at a breakneck speed. Snapping and rumbling sounds of the world being recombined filled the world.
Thrust. Lift up. Thrust. Lift up.
At the same time as the next thrust, his view was covered by the seven color shine.
Flicked away by the fingertip of an invisible giant, Silver Crow’s elegant body was instantly blown away into the sky.
The top of the tower that he could soon see went far away. The virtual gravity, licked its lips and extended its hands towards Haruyuki ——.
However.
“...Shaa.”
With a small exhale, Haruyuki released his final thrust from the air at the wall two meters ahead.
A ‘Shuraaaaan!’ light sound echoed, the pure white light sword extended, deeply piercing the wall that he should not have been able to reach.
At the same time that he was feeling positive, Haruyuki used that as support, and jumped up with all his strength. After spin turn flying inside the aura, what he landed on with a crunch was ——
On top of the sky garden grass that he stepped on about one week ago.
“Welcome back, Karasu-san.”
Right above Haruyuki who hung his head while standing on one knee, he heard a soft sound.
While resisting the sudden attack of fierce lethargy, Haruyuki lifted up his head with difficulty.
The sky color avatar sitting on the silver wheelchair, looked down at Haruyuki with a smile.
“You returned much faster than I predicted. As expected of a «Child» selected by her.”
In reaction to those words, Haruyuki whispered back an unrelated reply.
“...It should not have reached.”
Somehow inside his head, only the feeling of the last thrust he released, was very strongly burned there.
“It was a distance that my short arm absolutely could not reach. ...But, I believed that it would reach... no, I knew that it would reach. If that... that could be said to be «Mind Power», then...”
Here he finally looked into Sky Raker’s eyes, and continued.
“That was not something like «Control Power». More... more deeper level... connected to this world... that is to say... to say...”
After searching his vast vocabulary with difficulty, Haruyuki somehow put what he wanted to say into words.
“That is to say, something like «Rewriting the facts»...”
“Yes, exactly.”
Sky Raker’s smile disappeared, and she crossed the fingers of both hands, then said in a more serious tone.
“«Overwrite». That truly is the one word that is the essence of mind power. However you will not understand it if you heard it as a word. You can only experience it.”
“Over... write.”
To Haruyuki who repeated that with raspy sound, Sky Raker quietly nodded.
“The Incarnate System, that is the image type control built into the Brain Burst program, was just something for support originally. To support the action command type control, it was just a system to supplement the avatar movement. However, with very fast consciousness, the strongly sent out image exceeded the program constraint, and materialized. The wheels that should not turn, turned, and the arm that should not reach, reached. Firm will, mind power, can overwrite events.”
Those words, to Haruyuki who should have already learned the beginning stage of the «Incarnate System», once again filled him with a huge sense of awe.
Half year already passed since he began playing this game, Brain Burst. That’s right, this should just be a game. But, in the numerous game titles he had played thus far, did image power... that is the strength of «mind» matter in any of them at all.
‘Squeak’, the wheelchair moved forward, and stopped right in front of Haruyuki who squat there while being struck by deep emotion.
To the right hand that was held out, Haruyuki hesitantly caught it. He was pulled up with unexpected amount of force, and stood up unsteadily.
Sky Raker removed her hand, smiled once more, then said something he did not expect.
“...With this, I have nothing more to teach you.”
“Whatt...”
Swallowing a breath, Haruyuki shook his head sideways many times in reaction.
“Bu, but, I am not yet... finally able to climb the wall only, right! That is far from flying... still, there are many things I need to be taught...”
“Didn’t I say it, Karasu-san. That I, could not reach the sky.”
After calmly saying so, the sky color avatar also gently shook her head.
“Just maybe, someday you can fly in the sky with just mind power. However, that will probably take a tremendously long time. Even with continued intensive training in this world, for... perhaps ten years.”
“Ten...”
Haruyuki was speechless, he ground his inner teeth with a creak —— and said.
“Does... doesn’t matter. If I can fly again with that, then... I will...”
“You must not.”
Suddenly, a harsh sound interrupted what he was going to say.
“Half year, one year, with that amount you can still return. However a person who lives in this world for ten years, can no longer return to reality.”
“Whatt...”
“The real world will no longer matter. Quit school, forget friends, and just shut himself in the room, thinking that just this world is good enough. In the Unlimited Neutral Field, there are no small number of such Burst Linkers roaming around. They no longer duel or train, just shut in here to escape from the real world... Silver Crow. Why did you play this game, Brain Burst anyway?”
The sudden question, made Haruyuki slightly hesitate, then he soon took a breath and answered.
“To... to become strong. Gain strength, to reach level 10 together with that person... to clear this game. To know what is ahead, I am...”
“Then, you should not continue to stay here. If you don’t return, eventually you will become afraid of this world ending. You will only wish for the continuation of the accelerated world. If you don’t want to lose what you are feeling now... please return, to reality.”
“Bu, but... I... I.”
Moving his head sharply, Haruyuki shouted.
“I want to fly! No... once again, I... have to, fly.”
To Haruyuki who slumped down to his knees on the the grass, he was supported by two extended arms.
He was then held tightly to Sky Raker’s chest like that, and while all his body froze due to the immense shock, a soft voice whispered near his right ear.
“It’s okay. I will give you my wings.”
“What...”
“My enhanced armament, «Gale Thruster». The current you should be able to use it... towards the height that I could not reach, you surely should be able to fly there.”
For Haruyuki who almost fainted from the plump feeling under the white dress that did not seem to be something from an avatar, he somehow managed to arrange his thoughts and asked in a shaking sound.
“...Wh, why... Why, do you, have to do so much? It, it’s a bit late, but... you are Ash Roller’s «Parent», he and I are...”
“Friends. Isn’t that right?”
The instantly released words, again made him breathless.
“That kid, when he was dueling with you, how he won, or lost, always happily talked to me about it. Having that kind of opponent is a joyful thing. Even when under different masters. That’s why, for that kid, I want you to fly once more.”
“...”
After a long, long silence, Haruyuki managed with difficulty to wring out one thing to say.
“...Thank you, very much.”
At the same time, even though way too late, how much his attitude in the previous duel with Ash Roller disappointed him —— no hurt him, he now found out. There was no way he could put the different feelings swirling around inside his chest to words, so he just repeated the short word again and again.
“Definitely..., definitely, definitely.”
“Yes. Definitely, you should be able to overcome that wall. Well... it’s time to leave this garden, Karasu-san. The next time, we will meet in the real world.”
“Wha... whatt!?”
Lifting his head after hearing some unthinkable words, he saw a smile from the madder red eyes at extreme close range.
“It’s a matter of course. In order to give an enhanced armament, either use «Shop» to mediate, or direct connection in reality. If that was sold, it would have a tremendous price, a range that the Burst Points you have would never be able to afford.”
“...So, something that valuable...”
“It’s fine, that kid would also want to fly again... Place and time, let’s see... morning 7am in real time, in front of the Shinjuku station west entrance, the...”
Haruyuki knew about the burger shop that Sky Raker specified, and even though he was dumbfounded by the quick development, he nodded. With that time, there would be plenty of time to make it to school.
“Good. So then..., huh...?”
Releasing the arms that held him, Sky Raker who was going to pull Haruyuki’s body up, slightly tilted her head. Her fingertip poked a few times at the center the Silver Crow’s back that had lost the wings.
While resisting the ticklish feeling, Haruyuki also tilted his head.
“Ah, is there... something...?”
“No... —— Nothing. There, please go.”
This time she helped Haruyuki stand up, and Sky Raker on the wheelchair nodded with a smile.
No knowing how to express his gratitude, Haruyuki bowed as deeply as possible, and said with a trembling sound.
“...Thank you very much, Sky Raker-san. The... stew and bread, were delicious.”
And then, before she realized that he was crying under the helmet, he turned around behind, carved the sunset of Unlimited Neutral Field’s new shape into his deep memory, then jumped straight into the blue swaying portal in that center.
After waking up on his bed in the real world, Haruyuki continued to lay under the sheets for a while.
Eventually he glanced at the clock, the time was still only 9:10pm. Even so, he felt like he had left home for a terribly long time. The memory of the taste of the pizza that he should have eaten before the dive, also completely disappeared.
Just ten minutes —— over there only one week passed, he felt this much separation. If that became half year, or one year, what would happen? His mouth tighten strongly, and suddenly a sharp pain came from his right cheek.
He should not have forgotten the reason for that pain.
He said something nasty to Takumu, and that was the wound from being hit.
“...I should apologize...”
While touching his cheek with his fingertip, he muttered. He should properly apologize, so they could once more return to being one and only partners, and take back what was robbed no matter what. His pride, and —— also, his wings.
Haruyuki removed his Neuro Linker, set his wake up time on the clock at his bed’s top board, then closed his eyes.
At that moment, the fatigue from the tower climb in the other world all came rushing back, and he fell into the abyss of deep sleep like that.
One hour later, he was resurrected.
Death in the Unlimited Neutral Field was very strange indeed. The surrounding scenery changed to a black and white monochrome, his body became transparent like smoke, and could gently move around, but could not go beyond a ten meter radius from the death position.
A small digital number was carved in the center of his view, starting at 60:00:00, and when it became zero, finally the field colors and the avatar body itself was recovered.
While looking down at the pretty big crater he made, Haruyuki said the first thing he thought of.
“...It seems like 100% without doubt that she is Kuroyukihime senpai’s friend...”
And then he held both hands at his waist, and looked up at the towering vertical rock wall —— old Tokyo tower in front of him.
“...The next meeting, that means... means...”
...Climb to the top. Would be what it meant.
After shaking his head, he sighed deeply. Something like this was said, ‘The lion throwing its cub down a bottomless ravine’, but that probably should be story about it being a Good Job staying alive after being dropped.
However, unlike the lion, Haruyuki’s avatar has two skillfully moveable hands. More than that, his body is as light as possible, and power is as the words said can go through rocks.
“...I will climb.”
He whispered as if saying to himself, and Haruyuki held both hands into fists.
Even if it was a 300 meter continuous vertical rock wall, it was not a smooth flat surface like glass. There were numerous gaps where hands and feet could cling to, and it should be possible to dig small holes.
Planning to carve his determination at the beginning, he lowered his waist, and held his right hand at waist level.
“Uryaa!!”
The punch that was thrust out with that psyche, bore a hole deep into the reddish brown rock, and sank in about 20cm deep.
He put his right foot there solidly, lifted his body up, then Haruyuki’s left hand held onto a crack a bit higher.
Moving his sight left and right, and after drawing the starting route in his head, he lifted his avatar up with just his left hand. Towards the step he aimed for, this time the tip of his left foot was firmly set.
Actually, climbing like this in the virtual space, was not his first time. Carrying a rifle in jungle and mountainous terrain shooting games, climbing cliffs like this was a worthy strategy for blindsiding the enemy team. In order to gain that tactical advantage, he even borrowed rock climbing VR training software from the library.
The trick for free climbing is, to precisely imagine the optimal route at the start, and do not stick too close to the surface of the rock.
Looking ahead to the limit of his vision, with where and how to place his four limbs drawn in detail in his thoughts, Haruyuki continued to climb the rock wall in a steady pace.
As if it was a race, the sun that dyed the eastern sky red also inched its position upwards. The color of the morning glow eventually disappeared, and the sky was changed to a eerie yellow.
How many holds he had grabbed onto, he had already forgotten. The top was melted into the sky so it could not be seen, and if he looked down, the ground should be far away. However he did not look towards his feet even once, and while facing the sky, he innocently and honestly challenged the cliff. He was mostly not conscious of it himself, but the concentration that he put to various «Games» like this, was without doubt mostly the only and greatest ability of the person called Arita Haruyuki.
That well-honed nerve, captured the slight shaking of the air from far away. It was a sign of the gusts that was a feature of the Wilderness stage. Immediately, Haruyuki’s both hands thrust into the cracks in the rocks and firmly held on, with his body tightly close to the surface.
A few seconds later, the atmosphere shook with a rumble, and a strong gust that was like a giant blowing came attacking Haruyuki as if to shake him off. However, while not even feeling any fear, Haruyuki calmly waited for the wind to stop. Since, the slender and slippery body of Silver Crow without any protrusion should offer no resistance to the wind. That meant Haruyuki believed that he would not be blown away by just wind, and it was actually like that.
The nasty giant finally gave up, and after Haruyuki took a small breath, he again continued the ascent.
At the time that the sun reached straight above, and started leaning slightly west.
Finally, the tip of the rock wall that seemed to continue infinitely, drew a sharp arc in the sky. The tip of that cylinder, was the top where Sky Raker waited.
The distance should still be over 100 meters. However at this pace, he should reach it before night time. Now that he thought about it, Sky Raker’s “So that you can remember well the stew’s taste” words, and the smile she showed after Haruyuki said that he would wake up properly tomorrow, were probably predictions that Haruyuki could not climb this old Tokyo tower in one day.
‘—— I will show you that I can reach the top today!’
With that determination, however with no carelessness, Haruyuki attacked the rock surface using steady movements. The wind gusts that changed direction in the afternoon, came attacking with increased frequency, but all of them passed by with Haruyuki sticking to the wall.
The sky’s color slowly became more saturated, and the climb that started at dawn soon reached nine hours. He was indeed starting to feel tired, and as he ground his teeth in frustration, Haruyuki’s nose captured a slight floral scent. Furthermore, the spring’s noise, and the faint blue light of the portal also reached his ears and eyes.
Soon. Just 20, no, 15 more meters.
If he finished climbing on his first try, then even Sky Raker should be shocked, so Haruyuki enthusiastically increased his hands and feet speed ——
—— At that time.
Something he had not felt till now, a ‘Ring Ring’ kind of high resonance sound shook the atmosphere. The echo from unlimited number of bells being sounded from far away at the same time, made Haruyuki lift his face up, and look at the eastern horizon.
And then he groaned.
“Ah... not good...”
Coming into his view, was what came falling down from the sky, the shine of the aura that gently caressed the earth.
It was a «Transition». An ultra large phenomenon that changed the attribute of all of Unlimited Neutral Field.
Haruyuki quickly looked back, and started climbing the wall surface at double the speed he had been going till now. Occasionally his limbs slipped, and he felt a cold sweat, but his fingers grabbed hold of a gap while in danger and held on. Without waiting for his heart to calm down, he again jumped towards his next hold.
As if to hurry Haruyuki on like that, the aura closed in at tremendous speed from the east, and the bell sounds grew louder. The surfaces that were caressed by the seven color light curtain had the reddish brown wilderness colors dispersed in a poof, and was reborn in a new form. That was right, it was refreshing this world. After the «Transition», the Enemy that were killed were replaced, and the stage that was destroyed was repaired. There was no Enemy around this tower, but the latter was a problem. If he was caught in the aura, then the holes that Silver Crow’s sharp hands thrust into the rock wall, would probably ——.
“U... O...!”
Haruyuki shouted, and the final distance were mostly climbed while running on all fours.
However, he was five meters short.
Numerous bell sounds pressed against his ears, and the seven color shine painted all of his view, and in the next instant, Haruyuki’s hands and legs were thrown away from the wall with a repulsive force that could not be denied.
“Shitt... Nooo...”
He clawed the air with his hands, trying to get close to the wall once more, but that effort was also in vain.
“Wa... a... a... ——”
Haruyuki died again.
After he was resurrected one hour later, the world was already covered by sunset, and it was no longer the red wilderness.
The ground was made up of properly arranged stone pavement. And then the old Tokyo Tower in front of him was, changed to a bluish black shining metal plate jointed steel tower. It was the «Demonic City» stage.
“...”
Haruyuki slump down to sit on the hard stone pavement, and gave a deep sigh. If this was a normal game, then at this point he would hit his pillow in his room for distraction, but right now he could not logout, and he did not have the energy for it.
However, for his first try, he almost climbed to the top. Sky Raker seemed to have sounded like this training would take weeks, or at worse even longer. If it was like that, then he could say that he had done pretty well. He strongly held his two fists with, ‘I will absolutely climb it next time’.
He really wanted to tackle the wall again right now, but thought that it would not be possible at night. Planning to challenge it again the first thing tomorrow morning, Haruyuki sneaked into a suitable building in the surrounding, and lay down at one side of a safe looking room.
It might be recoil of concentrating for nine hours continuously, he was suddenly attacked by a strong drowsiness, and without the chance to feel hungry, Haruyuki fell straight into sleep.
However, in the third morning of his dive in the Unlimited Neutral Field.
Haruyuki’s eyes popped out from sudden shock.
Last night he was careless and did not notice it, but the Demonic City stage’s old Tokyo Tower was similar to Sunshine City where he fought Chrome Disaster, both made up of smooth and hard steel plates. Since there were no windows, there were also no ladders. Instead of that, not a single crack where his fingertips could hold onto could be seen. That meant, there was no way for him to climb it.
“...Then, I can just make my own holes.”
He muttered, then after knocking on the steel with his fingertip.
Like yesterday, Haruyuki punched using his held fist with all his strength.
And then jumped up as he screamed.
“Ouch... ch ——-!”
The sharp pain that was increased two times of the lower field, made him hold his right hand while jumping around, and he stared at the place he hit, but the bluish black wall did not have a single dent. Indestructible object —— that could not be, but probably it was not possible to open a hole without a heat ray or drill, and of course Silver Crow was not equipped with something like those.
“...Does that mean I have to wait for the next «Transition»...”
He cursed while grinding his teeth, but how many days later would the next aura visit be, and whether the next time will be a destroyable attribute, he had absolutely no idea. The sudden sense of frustration, made Haruyuki slump down to his knees.
That head, was suddenly hit by something with a thump.
“Huh!?”
When he jumped up in consternation, he saw that a white cloth bag was dropped there. He quickly looked up, but the steel color spire extended infinitely into the gray sky, and no one could be seen.
However that bag was dropped by Sky Raker’s hand, which Haruyuki had no doubt. He picked it up in amazement, untied the knot, and found out that inside contained a large round bread, and a small piece of paper.
At that moment, he was immediately attacked by a virtual empty stomach feeling, so Haruyuki bit into the large bread as the lower half of his helmet slid up with a hum. It was plain bread with nothing inside, but even so he thought it was somewhat warm, fragrant and incredibly delicious, so he was absorbed in eating.
Soon half of it was gone, then Haruyuki finally turned the paper around, and read the words written there in elegant handwriting.
—— [The mind power training had already started. Yesterday, why were you not blown away by the wind, please think about that.]
“...Huh?”
After reading it once, he could not grasp her intent at all.
This wall climbing, was actually before the «Incarnate System» training, or put another way something like basic training, which Haruyuki understood. Even in Kung Fu movies, before the master taught martial arts, wasn’t there a lot of stair climbing?
And then, ‘Why were you not blown away by the wind?’, that sentence also made no sense. That was because he was holding on tightly, of course. Also, Silver Crow’s body has low air resistance. That was why when he stuck to the wall, the wind passed by his back...
“Ah...”
Suddenly, Haruyuki made a small shout. He felt that he was close to something important. While involuntarily chewing the rest of the bread, he again continued to think.
Mind power was, a method of using image power to control avatar or object.
Yesterday, when Haruyuki was sticking to the rock wall while enduring the wind, he did not even think about being blown away. If it was Silver Crow’s slender and smooth body, he believed that any kind of wind gust would pass by, and that became the actual case.
Maybe, that was —— at that time, the «Incarnate System» power was already being used? Did strongly drawing the image that the wind would pass through him actually lessen the wind pressure?
In that case, in the same manner, would he be able to deal with this steel wall?
After putting the last piece of bread into his mouth, the helmet closed shut, and Haruyuki stared hard at his right hand.
The five fingers could not be any smaller, nor sharper. And the silver armor gave off a really hard looking shine.
‘—— Not punch, it should be a jab.’
Thinking so naturally, he lined up the five fingers together and extended them straight out. When the wrist was steady, the parts in front of the elbow looked exactly like a sword.
He lowered his waist to half of his height, and this time stared at the wall in front.
The bluish black shining steel plates looked truly tough, however, it was just a stage background. Without any consciousness, it just exists. That meant its physical shape, was only a series of code recorded in the Brain Burst server somewhere.
If he could not even open a hole in such thing, then how could he call himself a dueler. If it was that person, Black King, Black Lotus, then without doubt she would cut this degree of walls apart like butter without even getting worked up.
He held his fingers extended right hand at waist level. ‘Suu, Haa’, deep breaths, then one more breath in ——.
“...Haa!!”
With that psyche, he thrust straight out.
With a ‘Giin!’ sharp sound, bluish white sparks flew apart. All of his finger joints, wrist, and elbow had a sharp pain running through them that made his eyes dazzle. The HP gauge in his view’s upper left was slightly shaved.
He involuntarily moaned, and Haruyuki slumped down to his knees there, but when he looked up, it certainly existed there. Carved in the smooth wall, was about 1cm long, 1mm deep sharp scar.
‘—— It will work!’ Right after that thought, he also yelled ‘Not enough!’.
His image power was still not enough. He thought of his fingers as fingers and arm as arm, and that was why he was hurt. Think of them as a sword. Similar to that person, a sword that can pierce through various things, and cut them apart.
He stood up, and again sharply extended his fingers. Thinking for a bit, he bent his thumb to the side of the palm, then from elbow to the tip of his middle finger, was made up of a sharp line as if it was designed like that from the beginning.
And then from now on, instead of holding at waist level, held a bit higher to near shoulder level, drawn back to the limit. The left hand held out mostly in front, turned horizontally. Just like the motion he saw from Black Lotus’s special skill, «Death By Piercing».
“...Shaa!!”
The sound this time, was somewhat higher and clearer echo compared to the previous one. A lightning like pain again made him ground his teeth, but the scar that the wall sustained was a little bit deeper.
That day eventually ended with him single mindedly continuing to thrust against the wall.
He gradually stopped feeling pain, and by sunset, his fingertip ate in about 3mm, but that was still not at a level that could support him for climbing the wall. However Haruyuki did not feel terribly impatient, and returned to his sleeping place from yesterday while feeling satisfied from the heavy fatigue.
‘What I am doing now, might be just some kind of escape.’
He could not help but think like that while laying there. Using «Acceleration» to extend the time, and fast forward his problem with Chiyuri, Takumu, and Noumi was an actual fact. But right now, he was happy while single mindedly concentrate on what he was doing, and it was saving him. Closing his eyes, Haruyuki again slept like the dead.
Morning on the fourth day.
He stood at the same place as yesterday, and stared at the numerous scars carved on the steel wall shining bluish light, as Haruyuki once again thought.
The direction of his image should be correct. His fingertips being hard and sharp, and his arm’s thrusting power was being drawn in thought. But, he felt that he was missing something.
While mumbling, he was again directly hit on his head by a cloth bag. Quickly picking it up, he face the sky and shout ‘Itadakimasu’, then bit into the bread inside.
Today also, came with a piece of message. After opening it excitedly, that was ——.
[Do your best, Karasu-kun ♡].
It was only that, and while embarrassed by the symbol at the end, Haruyuki sighed with a snort. He was expecting a similar hint as yesterday, but nothing else was written.
This would mean, ‘I already know all I need to know’, it would be like that.
While thinking that, Haruyuki finished eating the bread, and again desperately worked his head.
Mind power. Will from the mind. Image power. Inside his ears, Sky Raker’s words replayed.
‘——- Listen... Image power! That is truly, us Burst Linker’s secret true power.’
Wait... a minute. Something very similar to that was said, long ago... very long ago, by that person also.
At the moment he thought of that, that sound freshly replayed from deep in his memory.
‘—— Listen, Haruyuki-kun. You are fast. You will become faster than anyone else. Faster than me, and the other Kings as well. Speed is truly Burst Linker’s greatest power.’
There was no way he could forget it. That, was right before Kuroyukihime used her final command «Physical Full Burst» to save Haruyuki, the words she left after being prepared for her own death.
Kuroyukihime at that time, should definitely have known about Burst Linker’s hidden «Incarnate System». However, she expressed the greatest power as «Speed» instead of «Image Power». That meant ——
These two, are the same thing.
The word «Speed» that Kuroyukihime used, did not just mean the duel avatar’s movement speed in the field. It was the brain connected to the Neuro Linker, the signal speed sent out by the consciousness. The speed of response between this world and himself. That meant, how close to the essence of the world, it would be like that.
“With image... control...”
Muttering, Haruyuki held his right hand up.
Not power. It was speed. What he should image was that. Move to the limit of speed. Get as close to the world as possible. And assimilate with it.
“...Fuu.”
With a slight exhale, Haruyuki’s right hand thrust out with an image of light.
In fact, a dim but definite white light path floated through the space. A ‘Shukiin!’ sound, like something from some kind of musical instrument beautifully sounded.
After seeing his fingers buried over 5mm deep in the steel wall, Haruyuki strongly clenched his left hand.
For three more days, Haruyuki continued the same training at that place.
He got up at sunrise, and munched on the round bread thrown down from above his head. The message that accompanied it sometimes had a heart mark, and sometimes did not, but with those words of encouragement as support, he intently continued to repeat left and right jabs.
For Haruyuki’s about 14 years of life, he had never experienced concentrating on one thing for this long time.
No, it could be said that this time could not possibly exist in the real world. The real body often get hungry, soon tired, and also had to go to school. In the 1000 times accelerated time flow of the Unlimited Neutral Field, and then with the duel avatar that doesn’t know fatigue that this was a possible action.
The light released by his fingertips, and the depth they ate into the wall, were in a range that he could not feel any increase. However Haruyuki did not doubt that he was doing important training, and while just conscious of the signal speed that his brain sent to the avatar, he repeated the same action 1000s, 10000s, and 100000s time.
Haruyuki felt that this training was not something like «Suddenly true power awaken one day». He realized he was aiming for something that was built up with results that his eyes could not distinguish. Similar to the virtual squash game in Umesato middle school’s local net where he continued to gradually challenge the high score. Concentration and accumulation. There was no shortcut other than those.
That’s right..., probably Sky Raker who waited at the top of the steel tower also, and standing on the very peak of accelerated world itself, «Red King» Niko and «Black King» Kuroyukihime also, for sure passed through this road.
Right now, he could not even see the shadow of that person walking far ahead in the long, long road, but.
‘I too someday..., someday will definitely reach that place, I will show you.’
When the sun set on sixth day, while looking at his right hand with fingers that were fully pierced through the thick steel, Haruyuki strongly decided that inside his chest.
To be able to do the same thing while sticking to the wall, took another half day.
On the day that marked his one week visit to this world, close to noon time.
He glared at the weak sunlight through the thick black clouds, and after thinking for a bit, Haruyuki finally decided to start his second climb. There were only five or six hours till sunset, but he would not need to search for routes or backtrack due to running out of hand holds on the rock in the «Wilderness» stage. If he just climb in a straight line, then it might be possible for him to reach the top before nightfall.
“...All right!”
With a ‘Bang’ hit against both sides of his helmet for psyche, Haruyuki threw out his first thrust.
With a ‘Shukiiiin!’ clear sound and path of white light that was created, his hand sword deeply pierced the wall.
Using his firmly pierced in right hand to hold his body up, this time his left hand attacked a place that was a bit higher.
Speed. Speed of light. He only thought about that.
Eventually, Haruyuki stopped even thinking about the word «Speed». Inside his brain, only the image of sword tip thrusting out like white light existed.
Thrust. Pull his body up. Concentrate. Thrust again.
Since the fingers need to be as horizontal as possible for the piercing, one action only gained him about 30cm of distance. Using that to climb 333m, a simple calculation would give at least 1110 thrusts on the wall.
However Haruyuki just absorbedly, and single mindedly repeated the same actions. Without looking at the top or bottom, forgetting about past and future, so only the wall in front of him and his fingertips became his whole world.
Thrust. Thrust. Pierce. Pierce.
His hands were already releasing a laser like bright light. The depth that his hand sword went in was going deeper and deeper, making it almost difficult to pull them out, but he ignored that and just thrust, and climbed.
Haruyuki went into abnormally deep concentration, even beyond when he was challenging his self made bullet avoidance game. Sight and hearing information lost their meaning, the steel wall also eventually disappeared, and in the darkness that was everywhere, only the flash released by his hands blinked alternately ——.
...No.
He could see something.
Far in the darkness, very, very far away, there was a water surface like blue sway.
Portal? There was someone over there. Full of a golden shine, he could only see the silhouette, but for certainly —— someone...
Haruyuki wanted to break the dense darkness with his two hand thrusts, to go to that place. He was being called, he felt.
“You are... who...?”
A deep echo accompanied the sound that range in the darkness, and reacting to that, some kind of reply, no, signal like thing was ——.
At that time, a faint vibration was transmitted to his body, and Haruyuki opened his eyes with a snap.
In front of his eyes, was the same bluish black steel wall. The sky was already painted a deep red. Sunset was nearing.
However, a light other than the sun reached him from the east, so Haruyuki looked there. Just then, a seven color aura came falling down from the sky. ‘Ring ring’ like bell sounds. It was a «Transition».
But this time, Haruyuki did not panic.
Similar to before, he continued to move his hands at a set pace. Even without looking up, he could feel that the top edge was right above. The aura, as if it intended to throw Haruyuki off, closed in at a breakneck speed. Snapping and rumbling sounds of the world being recombined filled the world.
Thrust. Lift up. Thrust. Lift up.
At the same time as the next thrust, his view was covered by the seven color shine.
Flicked away by the fingertip of an invisible giant, Silver Crow’s elegant body was instantly blown away into the sky.
The top of the tower that he could soon see went far away. The virtual gravity, licked its lips and extended its hands towards Haruyuki ——.
However.
“...Shaa.”
With a small exhale, Haruyuki released his final thrust from the air at the wall two meters ahead.
A ‘Shuraaaaan!’ light sound echoed, the pure white light sword extended, deeply piercing the wall that he should not have been able to reach.
At the same time that he was feeling positive, Haruyuki used that as support, and jumped up with all his strength. After spin turn flying inside the aura, what he landed on with a crunch was ——
On top of the sky garden grass that he stepped on about one week ago.
“Welcome back, Karasu-san.”
Right above Haruyuki who hung his head while standing on one knee, he heard a soft sound.
While resisting the sudden attack of fierce lethargy, Haruyuki lifted up his head with difficulty.
The sky color avatar sitting on the silver wheelchair, looked down at Haruyuki with a smile.
“You returned much faster than I predicted. As expected of a «Child» selected by her.”
In reaction to those words, Haruyuki whispered back an unrelated reply.
“...It should not have reached.”
Somehow inside his head, only the feeling of the last thrust he released, was very strongly burned there.
“It was a distance that my short arm absolutely could not reach. ...But, I believed that it would reach... no, I knew that it would reach. If that... that could be said to be «Mind Power», then...”
Here he finally looked into Sky Raker’s eyes, and continued.
“That was not something like «Control Power». More... more deeper level... connected to this world... that is to say... to say...”
After searching his vast vocabulary with difficulty, Haruyuki somehow put what he wanted to say into words.
“That is to say, something like «Rewriting the facts»...”
“Yes, exactly.”
Sky Raker’s smile disappeared, and she crossed the fingers of both hands, then said in a more serious tone.
“«Overwrite». That truly is the one word that is the essence of mind power. However you will not understand it if you heard it as a word. You can only experience it.”
“Over... write.”
To Haruyuki who repeated that with raspy sound, Sky Raker quietly nodded.
“The Incarnate System, that is the image type control built into the Brain Burst program, was just something for support originally. To support the action command type control, it was just a system to supplement the avatar movement. However, with very fast consciousness, the strongly sent out image exceeded the program constraint, and materialized. The wheels that should not turn, turned, and the arm that should not reach, reached. Firm will, mind power, can overwrite events.”
Those words, to Haruyuki who should have already learned the beginning stage of the «Incarnate System», once again filled him with a huge sense of awe.
Half year already passed since he began playing this game, Brain Burst. That’s right, this should just be a game. But, in the numerous game titles he had played thus far, did image power... that is the strength of «mind» matter in any of them at all.
‘Squeak’, the wheelchair moved forward, and stopped right in front of Haruyuki who squat there while being struck by deep emotion.
To the right hand that was held out, Haruyuki hesitantly caught it. He was pulled up with unexpected amount of force, and stood up unsteadily.
Sky Raker removed her hand, smiled once more, then said something he did not expect.
“...With this, I have nothing more to teach you.”
“Whatt...”
Swallowing a breath, Haruyuki shook his head sideways many times in reaction.
“Bu, but, I am not yet... finally able to climb the wall only, right! That is far from flying... still, there are many things I need to be taught...”
“Didn’t I say it, Karasu-san. That I, could not reach the sky.”
After calmly saying so, the sky color avatar also gently shook her head.
“Just maybe, someday you can fly in the sky with just mind power. However, that will probably take a tremendously long time. Even with continued intensive training in this world, for... perhaps ten years.”
“Ten...”
Haruyuki was speechless, he ground his inner teeth with a creak —— and said.
“Does... doesn’t matter. If I can fly again with that, then... I will...”
“You must not.”
Suddenly, a harsh sound interrupted what he was going to say.
“Half year, one year, with that amount you can still return. However a person who lives in this world for ten years, can no longer return to reality.”
“Whatt...”
“The real world will no longer matter. Quit school, forget friends, and just shut himself in the room, thinking that just this world is good enough. In the Unlimited Neutral Field, there are no small number of such Burst Linkers roaming around. They no longer duel or train, just shut in here to escape from the real world... Silver Crow. Why did you play this game, Brain Burst anyway?”
The sudden question, made Haruyuki slightly hesitate, then he soon took a breath and answered.
“To... to become strong. Gain strength, to reach level 10 together with that person... to clear this game. To know what is ahead, I am...”
“Then, you should not continue to stay here. If you don’t return, eventually you will become afraid of this world ending. You will only wish for the continuation of the accelerated world. If you don’t want to lose what you are feeling now... please return, to reality.”
“Bu, but... I... I.”
Moving his head sharply, Haruyuki shouted.
“I want to fly! No... once again, I... have to, fly.”
To Haruyuki who slumped down to his knees on the the grass, he was supported by two extended arms.
He was then held tightly to Sky Raker’s chest like that, and while all his body froze due to the immense shock, a soft voice whispered near his right ear.
“It’s okay. I will give you my wings.”
“What...”
“My enhanced armament, «Gale Thruster». The current you should be able to use it... towards the height that I could not reach, you surely should be able to fly there.”
For Haruyuki who almost fainted from the plump feeling under the white dress that did not seem to be something from an avatar, he somehow managed to arrange his thoughts and asked in a shaking sound.
“...Wh, why... Why, do you, have to do so much? It, it’s a bit late, but... you are Ash Roller’s «Parent», he and I are...”
“Friends. Isn’t that right?”
The instantly released words, again made him breathless.
“That kid, when he was dueling with you, how he won, or lost, always happily talked to me about it. Having that kind of opponent is a joyful thing. Even when under different masters. That’s why, for that kid, I want you to fly once more.”
“...”
After a long, long silence, Haruyuki managed with difficulty to wring out one thing to say.
“...Thank you, very much.”
At the same time, even though way too late, how much his attitude in the previous duel with Ash Roller disappointed him —— no hurt him, he now found out. There was no way he could put the different feelings swirling around inside his chest to words, so he just repeated the short word again and again.
“Definitely..., definitely, definitely.”
“Yes. Definitely, you should be able to overcome that wall. Well... it’s time to leave this garden, Karasu-san. The next time, we will meet in the real world.”
“Wha... whatt!?”
Lifting his head after hearing some unthinkable words, he saw a smile from the madder red eyes at extreme close range.
“It’s a matter of course. In order to give an enhanced armament, either use «Shop» to mediate, or direct connection in reality. If that was sold, it would have a tremendous price, a range that the Burst Points you have would never be able to afford.”
“...So, something that valuable...”
“It’s fine, that kid would also want to fly again... Place and time, let’s see... morning 7am in real time, in front of the Shinjuku station west entrance, the...”
Haruyuki knew about the burger shop that Sky Raker specified, and even though he was dumbfounded by the quick development, he nodded. With that time, there would be plenty of time to make it to school.
“Good. So then..., huh...?”
Releasing the arms that held him, Sky Raker who was going to pull Haruyuki’s body up, slightly tilted her head. Her fingertip poked a few times at the center the Silver Crow’s back that had lost the wings.
While resisting the ticklish feeling, Haruyuki also tilted his head.
“Ah, is there... something...?”
“No... —— Nothing. There, please go.”
This time she helped Haruyuki stand up, and Sky Raker on the wheelchair nodded with a smile.
No knowing how to express his gratitude, Haruyuki bowed as deeply as possible, and said with a trembling sound.
“...Thank you very much, Sky Raker-san. The... stew and bread, were delicious.”
And then, before she realized that he was crying under the helmet, he turned around behind, carved the sunset of Unlimited Neutral Field’s new shape into his deep memory, then jumped straight into the blue swaying portal in that center.
After waking up on his bed in the real world, Haruyuki continued to lay under the sheets for a while.
Eventually he glanced at the clock, the time was still only 9:10pm. Even so, he felt like he had left home for a terribly long time. The memory of the taste of the pizza that he should have eaten before the dive, also completely disappeared.
Just ten minutes —— over there only one week passed, he felt this much separation. If that became half year, or one year, what would happen? His mouth tighten strongly, and suddenly a sharp pain came from his right cheek.
He should not have forgotten the reason for that pain.
He said something nasty to Takumu, and that was the wound from being hit.
“...I should apologize...”
While touching his cheek with his fingertip, he muttered. He should properly apologize, so they could once more return to being one and only partners, and take back what was robbed no matter what. His pride, and —— also, his wings.
Haruyuki removed his Neuro Linker, set his wake up time on the clock at his bed’s top board, then closed his eyes.
At that moment, the fatigue from the tower climb in the other world all came rushing back, and he fell into the abyss of deep sleep like that.
