Disclaimer: I do not own Accel World or any other works by the author Reki Kawahara. Any relation to actual people, locations or concepts and ideas belonging to similar fiction is purely coincidental. The only thing I do own is this story and its characters.
To Misaka 20,001: I do admit that it can get confusing because of the large scale battles with multiple fronts. Will try to avoid this in the later chapters by having a bit more focus
Author's Note: Always love reviews, especially those pointing out any problems. Will do my best to address those. Also been spending some time on a side-story project for this fanfic. No idea when it'll be done though since I'm doing that whenever I'm stuck writing for Iron Princess.
Login 08: Combat
Alabaster Master stepped onto a ruined plaza with various pillars surrounding it. Calmly, he surveyed his surroundings noting no significant movement as he approached an avatar with a large build clutching a large chainsaw sword. He was the first to speak, "So what brings you here Master-kun?"
"You know full well the reason why I am forcing myself to come here Prussian Tyrant."
"Do tell me. What might the reason be?"
"Its about what your generals are trying to do and what they have done."
Prussian Tyrant merely chuckled in response, "Now this is unusual. The calm and stoic Alabaster Master, the Tiger of the East, being passionate."
"This is not a laughing matter."
"Of course. You want to speak about what happened your Legion member...what was his name...?"
"Emerald Bulwark. He was challenged by your general."
"So this about your Legion members being sore losers?"
"Stop wasting my time, Emerald Bulwark is still suffering from pain linked to extreme damage. That was last night and even now he's still in pain."
"...and you believe I have something to do with this?"
Alabaster Master was getting annoyed, an emotion he had not felt for a long time. How he coped with this feeling of annoyance surprised even Alabaster Master himself as he charged forward with a surge of speed. Light blue glowing flames erupted from his fists as he dashed towards Prussian Tyrant, pulling his right arm back as he did to throw a punch. However, Prussian Tyrant stopped his attack with a dark-red glowing right palm, resulting in a shockwave that stirred up the dust in the immediate area.
"My, my...bringing in Incarnation into this."
Grabbing his fist, Prussian Tyrant threw Alabaster Master into a nearby pillar, causing it to collapse on to him.
"Whats wrong? Has not fighting for two years made you weak Master-kun!"
The pile of rubble began to shift as Alabaster Master emerged, his fists still alight with glowing blue flames. Prussian Tyrant laughed, "There you go and not a scratch on you!"
Alabaster Master did not share in the laughter, "Tell me what the hell you're playing! Everything your Predatory Carnival is doing...are you trying to incite a Second Battle Royale?"
"Whatever do you mean?"
Alabaster Master dashed towards Prussian Tyrant,prompting him to swing his sword in a broad arc once Alabaster Master entered his reach. The swing was dodged with a simple duck as Alabaster Master also dealt a powerful upper-cut to the flat face of the sword, disarming Prussian Tyrant.
"Stop playing dumb, I even have intel about your item factory."
"Ah, thats probably Orbit-kun's technical stuff."
"So you do know of this!"
"Never said I didn't."
Alabaster Master unleashed a rapid flurry of punches, all of which were blocked as their speed increased-gradually turning the exchange into a high-speed blur. The deadlock was broken by Alabaster Master as he uses the momentum of his Incarnation-empowered flurry to launch himself back a short-distance. As he attempted a sweeping low kick, a black panel emerged from the ground to block it before blasting him back.
"What the...?"
Two panels flanked Alabaster Master before rapidly expanding into cubes and rushing towards each other in an attempt to crush him. However he was able to leap out of the way before the cubes crashed together. Leaping off the fused cubes and landing on the ground, he faced Prussian Tyrant and possibly one of the most unusual avatars he had ever seen.
He was composed of multiple black panels which gave him an extremely unusual front profile that was almost unsettling. His right arm was a single purple light as several panels appeared to form his arm. He soon spoke in an extremely laidback manner, "Most impressive, being able to avoid my Static Pressure but it should be expected of Alabaster Master, the White Tiger."
Alabaster Master positioned himself into a fighting stance, "Who are you?"
"I suppose its rude not to introduce myself. Black Vise, Vice-President of the Acceleration Research Group. I would appreciate it if you left Tyrant-kun and Predatory Carnival alone."
Alabaster Master was not entirely sure why he was being so uncharacteristically annoyed and aggressive. What he did know was that the feeling was getting intense, "...and explain to me why I should."
Black Vise replied in a manner and tone that was both non-chalant and reluctant, "My organization has invested a significant amount of resources into this project. Thus I would appreciate from Divine Sanctuary."
"If I refuse?"
"Then I'll have to unfortunately need to have you dealt with...Static Pressure."
Alabaster Master leapt upwards as the panels emerged. However, while in mid-air, he had no chance of avoiding a flying sword thrown by Prussian Tyrant. Taking the unorthodox projectile to the face shattered the clear blue covering on most of his head, exposing a more electronic upper face as he tumbled towards ground. Alabaster Master notes that his health had dropped to half. As he braced himself for impact, a mirrored panel appeared under him. However, instead of shattering or breaking the panel, Alabaster Master fell into the panel, as though it were a pool of water. Nothing emerged from the other side as the mirror shrunk until it disappear.
Black Vise scratched a panel composing his head, "Now that is unexpected."
"No matter Vise-dono..." Prussian Tyrant strided towards where his sword landed blade first. Gripping the hilt, he freed the blade with a single strong pull, "...Divine Sanctuary will be dealt with before they interfere again."
"I trust that you shall see to it..."
As he said this, Black Vise dismantled himself before his panels disappeared into the shadows of the nearby pillar.
Ebon Knight armed his lance as the surrounding avatars closed in on the group. He began a cursory assessment, noting only that Amethyst Queen and the avatar next to her named Violet Wizard were the only significant opponents. The rest were simply, to put it crudely, cannon fodder.
"Iron Rapier, take on Violet Wizard. Queen is mine. Chameleon, find Ruby and get her to take on the rest and destroy the Obelisk."
They nodded as they acknowledged their tasks, "Now all we need is a distraction of some kind."
Amethyst Queen took another imposing step forward as she laughed almost maniacally, "Why don't you all just surrender now and I can get to my concert..."
"Concert?"
"Yes Ebon Knight-san, I have a concert. I'm a famous idol and I'm way better than all of you!"
Iron Rapier knew that she did not like the person behind the avatar and that Amethyst Queen's haughtiness and outright arrogance truly fit her name though her statement did start to bother her. Ebon Knight seemed to echo her thoughts, "...and what would an idol, like her highness, have to do with creating cheat items?"
"Creating cheat items is only a convenient byproduct of Project Obelisk...our ultimate goal is to generate a key."
"A key? A key to what if I may be so bold to ask?"
"Why should I tell someone like you? Everyone, I leave you to deal with them."
Sinister chuckling could be heard as the circle of avatars started to close in ever tighter. Before Amethyst Queen could turn to leave the area, she froze before she spoke in her usual haughty tone, "My, my...to think that you were here little sister."
Behind Amethyst Queen, with a barrel pointed to her back, Ruby Princess simply cocked her head, "I'm surprised you remembered I even existed Onee-sama. Your attitude is still as terrible as ever."
Iron Rapier was stunned by the implications of the exchange; that Amethyst Queen was really Kizaki Hikari. This was despite how rotten her personality was in contrast to how she appeared on TV, in live appearances and on her Twitter. She resolved to ask Ruby Princess after this was over
The orbs on the ring mounted on Amethyst Queen's back rotated to face Ruby Princess. Amethyst Queen chuckled, "You know full well that you can't surpass me...I'm a queen and you're just a princess."
"Who the hell wants to surpass the Queen of Nobody?"
Ruby Princess jumped back just as the lasers fired and hit empty air. The exchange had also distracted the encircling avatars. Ebon Knight noted this, "Change of plans, I'll deal with the fodder, Violet Wizard is yours Rapier-san."
She nodded as Ebon Knight aimed his lance at a hapless avatar, "Ebon Charge!"
He surged forward in a cone of energy, comepletely destroying the avatar and leaving only a single rotating panel with a timer. The rest were blown away by the wake of the attack. The entire field soon devolved into chaos allowing Iron Rapier to charge forward, shoulder ramming Violet grunted as she drew a sword for an iai strike, knocking him back with a shallow slash on his chest armor. He was still in shock as Iron Rapier drew out a second sword. His inaction though puzzle Iron Rapier as she gingerly stepped forward, "Did it really do that much damage to you?"
"It hurts..."
Iron Rapier was taken aback, both by how young he sounded and also by how young he behaved. That was when a circle appeared under her feet that violently exploded before she could react, launching her into the air where Violet Wizard shot energy bolts at her, juggling her and reducing her life bit by bit. She regretted ever giving him that opening as she deflected the next incoming energy bolt, allowing her to land. She kept moving, dodging the energy bolts and snaking around the various avatars that attempted to stop her, dodging their attacks as they came and attacking them. However she was unable to get any closer as he begun a barrage of energy bolts, intent at simply keeping her at a distance.
As she skewered a avatar and used him as a shield against a barrage of energy bolts, Violet Wizard spoke, "Onee-sama told me to defeat anyone who wanted to stop her project but you're really hard to beat if you keep moving around like that..."
"Well being defeated is not something anyone actually wants..."
"Lose already!"
His barrage intensified, causing her shield to explode in a column of green light. As the barrage flew towards her, she deflected them with her swords, her movements akin to a graceful dance through the chaotic battlefield. She was gradually able to get closer, though the level of urgency demanded that she moved faster. Suddenly, the barrage stopped. She was puzzled as to why the attacks stopped until she saw the reason, Violet Wizard had his staff raised towards the sky.
"Onee-sama always says I shouldn't waste time in my fights. Onee-sama also that I should end my fights decisively."
"How old are you Wizard-kun?"
"Ten years old! Oops...Onee-sama also told me not to give my name and age to strangers."
"Your Onee-sama has really taught you to be a good boy. Who is your Onee-sama?"
"Hika...oops, I mean Amethyst Queen."
Iron Rapier was surprised that such a rotten person could raise such a sweet boy. However she pushed the thought aside as Violet Wizard his next attack, "Great Energy Bomb!"
Above the tip of the staff, a violet orb of tempestuous energy raged and grew. At this point, the orb was growing rapidly as it increased in size from a football to a car and kept growing. She panicked at the apparent level of power for several moments before he swung his staff downwards, sending the now colossal energy ball hurtling towards her.
Iron Rapier calmed down when she noticed how slowly the projectile, in all its intimidating massive glory, was flying. She took advantage of this to press her attack, side stepping the slow moving projectile as it plowed into her pursuers. Violet Wizard staggered backwards as she assaulted him with a barrage of stabs before driving a blade into his chest.
"That hurts...now I know why Onee-sama said that your other name was Skewer."
"Sorry but thats how my duel avatar is. Also I have to defeat you. Sorry."
"Thats fine, its part of the game! That means I have to beat you too!"
In her heart, Iron Rapier smiled. Despite his level he was still innocent unlike most of the veteran Burst Linkers, battle-hardened and experienced well past their lifetimes. She decided that it would only do him justice if she went all out as well. Before she could follow through, a round house kick sent her flying. As she staggered back to her feet, she saw a familiar red figure, a red figure that looked and spoke to Iron Rapier with much disdain.
"You again?"
"Cardinal Derringer...is this our rematch already?"
"Personally I'd avoid dealing with you but I have my orders."
Cardinal Derringer straightened her arms outwards, equipping pistols in both hands as her eyes glowed with a yellow light. Iron Rapier notes that something seemed different about the guns and the glowing eyes probably signalled the activation of an ability. However she did not have time to contemplate this thought as Derringer swooped in with a sweeping high kick. The kick was blocked with Iron Rapier's crossed blades, repelling the kick with a simple split of her blades. As she spun away, several were fired, two bullets grazing Iron Rapier's face causing nominal damage but the sensation was enough to make her wince. Iron Rapier ignored the lingering pain as she unleashed a torrent of piercing thrusts, Cardinal Derringer barely dodging the relentless storm. The thrusts she was unable to dodge caused indentations and gouges in Cardinal's red armor.
"Your abilities seem different...I don't remember your guns looking like that, or your evasion being that great."
"The guns are a level-up bonus that I didn't take in the past...the evasion is something else."
"Wait...I thought you were only offered level-up bonuses only once a level and its never the same thing twice."
"Exactly and lets say that there are ways to do it."
"What ways?"
"Not telling you...Hidden Barrel: Left Arm!"
Cardinal Derringer used the momentary distraction caused by her statement to hinge her left arm, extending a barrel out from the elbow joint and shooting a powerful burst of machine gun fire straight into Iron Rapier's chest. The shot chewed up her chest armour as she was sent flying back. Cardinal Derringer fired more shots before Iron Rapier landed. Another shot sent her tumbling along the ground before finally stopping.
Iron Rapier struggled to get up after the tumble, looking up only to face a gun barrel.
"Give up Iron Rapier, your Legion is outnumbered."
Ruby Princess kept moving as laser beams traced blacks paths behind, her leg thrusters being pushed to its maximum while firing the Revolver Cannon on Amethyst Queen when she had the chance.
"Its pointless to run. You'll get cut eventually."
"Hah, I'll shoot you to bits before that'll happen!"
Despite the outward confidence, Ruby Princess actually did agree with Amethyst Queen, she knew she could not keep running forever.
That fact sunk in as she barely side-stepped a beam, part of her shoulder being sheared off in the process. She knew that she did not have the same reflexes as most of her melee oriented Legion members. This was because, like most avatars with similar skill sets to her, she chose to specialize heavily in long range firepower. In particular, large-scale bombardments. This put her in a very obvious disadvantage if she was forced into a mobile fight since most of her more powerful forms were either rooted to the spot or incredibly slow. The Revolver form was, in fact, her only high mobility form.
"Whats wrong? Can't run fast enough?"
"Shut up Onee-sama, you're always the one who could run. Especially with Dad!"
The lasers kept cutting into her path, forcing her to make multiple sharp turns. She did not like how she was being forced to be so mobile. Amethyst Queen did not letup as the laser beams began to aggressively harry her, gradually shaving off bits of armor in the process.
"I didn't have a choice and its not that I'm sad about losing a whiny brat and a useless mother."
"Don't you dare call Mom useless!"
"...I already did."
Ruby Princess barely evaded a laser as she realized she was getting caught up in Amethyst Queen's pace. Amethyst Queen merely laughed.
"As much as this is amusing, I will have to end this nonsense you and your Legion are causing. Royal Chandelier!"
The orbs mounted on the ring on her back stopped firing their lasers before splitting along their equators, sliding open to reveal additional barrels. The momentary ceasefire was the chance Ruby Princess needed.
"Mode Change! Revolver to Aegis!"
Her armor began to dismantle themselves and teleport out as new parts came in through portals. The process felt painfully slow as the lasers charged and fired. Her armor activated with mere micro-seconds to spare as her passive point defenses stopped the multitude of beams.
"Hiding again sister!"
The lasers gradually began to converge onto a single point, which Ruby Princess rapidly reinforced with a hexagonal energy shield, "Imperial Vanguard!"
"You know its pointless when I just concentrate everything onto a single spot! Your shield will break!"
Ruby Princess stood her ground as cracks emerged from the point the lasers were focused. The cracks continued spreading as Amethyst Queen laughed at her predicament. Her laughter was interrupted by a shoulder ram from a blue avatar. Ruby Princess felt surprise, relief and joy at Navy Brawler's rescue. She shook her head immediately when she realized how happy she was feeling, there was no way she would be happy at the thought of Navy Brawler saving her. Amethyst Queen however felt none of that. One could imagine her face twisted into an ugly mask of rage as she spoke, "You filthy peasant! How dare you touch me! What happened to Blaze Pyro?"
Navy Brawler took a step back as he held his sword in a defensive stance, "Lets just say he's taking a break. Now you're my opponent!"
"Don't get cocky peasant, your sword is nothing before my enhanced armament: Queen's Providence!"
"Doesn't matter a lick to me. Ruby! Help Ebon-san take down the fodder with a barrage."
Ruby Princess shouted back happily, "You can't tell me what to do! Mode Change! Aegis to Hurricane!"
Amethyst Queen aimed her lasers at Ruby Princess once more and fired a storm of beams. This was blocked by Navy Brawler rapidly spinning his sword, scattering the beams in a variety of directions. Some of those beams unfortunately, pierced several of the avatars swarming Ebon Knight. Navy Brawler aimed his sword at Amethyst Queen, "I already told you, You're my opponent."
