Chapter 24- The Darkness Duo
April 18th, 2057
Morgan was wandering through the base's halls, tome in hand. From what she heard, this was the same base that Zarc had used during the Demon War, which was a few miles outside of Tokyo. The human forces were never able to find this place since they were more focused with defending Tokyo than locating the Demon King, so the base should still be usable, at least for now.
"There you are, Morgan."
The half-demon sorceress turned and saw none other than Arcanos behind her.
"Arcanos," she said coldly. "What do you want?"
The red-haired demon simply sneered. "You're as cold as ever. I just wanted to show you something interesting."
Morgan raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "What is it? I'm busy with other things."
"Oh, this won't take too long. This way."
Arcanos led the half-demon into a nearby room that had several dark mages and Serra inside. The mages had Serra surrounded and she was standing on a red magic circle.
"What are you plotting?" Morgan asked in suspicion.
"Serra's performance back in Okinawa was less than desirable, so we decided to give her an 'upgrade' of sorts," Arcanos explained. "We're going to empower her with demon essence."
The sorceress held her breath in disbelief. "Are you insane?! No human has ever survived such a procedure," she argued. "You'll kill her."
"I don't need your pity, Morgan," Serra objected. "I volunteered for this. I'll do whatever it takes to get my revenge on Marth."
Morgan tightened her grip on her book to the point that the tips of her fingers turned white. While she didn't care about Serra, she could somewhat sympathize with her goals, but Morgan felt that this might be too much. While transferring demon essence into humans does make them more powerful, none of them have ever lasted very long as their bodies just couldn't handle the strain of their new powers. Plus, there's a high chance that the process can't be reversed.
Arcanos simply sneered. "I'm glad to hear it, Serra. Once the procedure is done, we'll see how you stack against the Dark Swordsman again. Now, begin!"
The dark mages began chanting in an unknown language, causing the magic circle to light up.
"Gaaaah!" Serra exclaimed in pain as her body was infused with the power of hell itself. Her body was also surrounded by a black aura.
"I hope you can find a way to increase your pain tolerance, Serra," Arcanos said cynically. "This is going to be a long night for you."
Morgan felt some pity for the human girl. She didn't have the heart to watch this self-inflicted torture, so she turned and left the room. Arcanos saw her leaving but chose to do nothing and just kept watching the procedure.
The sorceress returned to her quarters and locked the door behind her. "This Marth seems to be quite interesting," Morgan said to herself. She waved her left hand, causing the crystal ball on her desk to project a hologram of the Dark Swordsman.
She couldn't help but crack a light smile as she stared at the hologram. "Not only did he defeat Chrome Disaster largely by himself, he even defeated Zarc. I might have to take a more active role in observing him."
Graphite balled his fists tightly as he glared at Dark Cerberus.
"This is the same guy that's been hunting down Kuroba for the last few months," the metal avatar thought to himself. "What's Sky Raker thinking inviting him?!"
"What's the meaning of this, Sky Raker?!" Black Wolf exclaimed in anger. "Don't you realize who that guy is?!"
"I am quite aware of who Cerberus is, but he has been a good friend to me for the last year," Sky Raker replied. "I'm sure he'll be able to help you two learn how to use the Incarnate System."
"Don't bother defending me, Sky," Dark Cerberus spoke up, his arms crossed across his chest. "I don't need them to like me. Especially you, Wolf. Word in the Accelerated World is that you're Black Lotus's protégé."
Black Wolf narrowed his eyes. "Yeah. What about it?"
Dark Cerberus simply sneered. "Then I'm gonna enjoy crushing you. What better way for me to draw out the Black King than to beat up her protégé?"
Black Wolf immediately got into a defensive stance as he grabbed the hilts of his swords. "Sorry, but I don't go down so easily," he said in a serious tone.
"We'll see."
Suddenly Cerberus charged at Wolf at high-speed, swinging his right fist towards the latter's stomach. Somehow Wolf was able to draw Lunara and blocked Cerberus's fist with the flat of the blade. However, Graphite noticed that his partner was actually struggling to hold back the attack.
"Impressive reaction time," Cerberus commented. "This fight might actually be interesting."
Wolf gritted his teeth as he put his left hand on the back of Lunara's blade in an attempt to repel his opponent's fist. Suddenly Cerberus delivered a swift kick to Wolf's stomach, sending the latter flying back a few feet.
"Wolf!" Graphite Edge exclaimed in worry before drawing his swords and charged at the dark avatar.
Graphite unleashed a flurry of slashes on Cerberus, but barely any of them managed to land on his opponent, which made a few scratches in Cerberus's armor. All other attacks were either dodged or blocked by Cerberus's arms.
"Not good enough!" Dark Cerberus declared before slashing his claw-like hands into Graphite's chest, damaging the metal armor and knocking the latter flat on the ground.
"Gaah!" Graphite exclaimed in pain. He struggled to get up onto one knee and saw Cerberus preparing to slash at him again.
Suddenly a metallic black wolf pounced onto Cerberus and bit into his neck, causing Cerberus to grunt in pain and confusion. Graphite simply smirked as he recognized who the wolf was.
"Get…off…you stupid mutt!" Cerberus shouted in anger as he grabbed the wolf's mid-section and attempted to pry the beast off of him.
"I'm not a mutt," the wolf spoke up. "Bolt Strike!"
Suddenly Black Wolf became surrounded by an aura of purple lightning, inflicting damage onto Cerberus before he managed to pull Wolf off of him. However, Black Wolf wasn't done as he ran at Cerberus again and tackled him in the stomach, sending Cerberus flying back a few feet, but he managed to land on his feet. After that, Wolf returned to his human form, his swords already drawn.
Dark Cerberus's eyes flashed a sinister green. "You'll pay for that. Time for me to go all out."
Graphite Edge got back on his feet and stood by his partner. "Bring it!" he said in challenge.
The opposing sides charged at each other once more, with Sky Raker watching intently. The former Nega Nebulus member was impressed at seeing Wolf and Graphite's teamwork and coordination. Whenever Cerberus attacked, either Wolf or Graphite would counter with a sword skill, before the other moved in to attack Cerberus.
This "Switch" technique did give Cerberus trouble at first, but soon he was able to react in time to block both attacks to minimize damage to himself. Graphite and Wolf must have known that this wouldn't be enough to win as they began attacking Cerberus from the sides, though they couldn't avoid taking damage from Cerberus's counterattacks.
In-between attacks, Graphite checked his top-left peripheral and saw that special-attack gauge was almost at eighty percent. "Just a little more, then I can finish this with Starburst Stream," he thought to himself.
"Enough!" Dark Cerberus suddenly shouted, creating a powerful shockwave that knocked Graphite and Wolf back.
"What the…?" Wolf said in disbelief.
"Raaaa!" Cerberus roared as his right hand was surrounded by a dark green aura.
"Here it comes," Sky Raker whispered to herself.
The green aura extended into a long blade, which was nearly as tall as Cerberus himself. The blade itself was black, but the edges of it were a deep green.
Both Graphite and Wolf were shocked from the sight. At first they assumed it was a special attack, but Cerberus never called out a name, which was mandatory in order to use special attacks.
"What kind of attack is that?!" Black Wolf exclaimed.
Graphite Edge gasped in realization as he recalled what the purpose of this fight was. "No way. Is that the power of Cerberus's imagination?" he questioned quickly. "Is he using the Incarnate System?"
"Try blocking this, weaklings!" Dark Cerberus shouted in anger. "My Oblivion Blade!"
Cerberus became like a black blur before reappearing right in front of Wolf and Graphite. The duo was still recovering from their shock, making them unable to react in time to defend. Dark Cerberus swung his blade horizontally, striking both Wolf and Graphite in the waist and sending them flying off of the tower.
Graphite Edge barely had any HP left, but he managed to recover his senses so he could activate his wings to slow his descent. Wolf did the same soon after and together they flapped their Spriggan wings furiously to stop falling.
"And don't even think about flying back up here!" Dark Cerberus shouted, his voice booming in the air. "Not unless you want to get blown off again!"
After what felt like hours, which was really about a minute, Wolf and Graphite were able to stop their descent and began to hover. They both looked physically and mentally exhausted, no doubt from them trying desperately to withstand Cerberus's Incarnate Attack and not black out from the pain.
"Tch." Graphite Edge clenched his teeth in frustration. "Damn, he's strong. Looks like the rumors of him being as strong as the Six Kings were true after all."
"Yeah," Wolf reluctantly agreed. "That Incarnate Attack was something else. I've never seen an attack that powerful before. What are we…" Suddenly Wolf tensed up as he felt the air around them change. "Crap. The wind's picking up!"
Graphite's eyes became as big as saucers as his partner pointed to the oncoming windstorm that was drawing closer. "Not good. We fell to the halfway point of the tower. There's no way we can make it back up in time. We need to do something fast!"
Black Wolf rapidly thought about possible solutions. He could attempt to shield himself and his partner with Stormveil, but that would deplete his special-attack gauge by forty percent, which was decreasing already because of his wings. If he attempted that, he'd run the risk of his special-attack gauge depleting too soon, causing him to fall and be at the mercy of the wind.
"Can't risk that," Wolf thought to himself. "We need to anchor ourselves to something and just wait it out. And luckily for us, we've got the perfect object to do that with."
"Thrust your swords into the tower!" Black Wolf exclaimed. "That should keep us from getting blown away!"
"Got it!" Graphite replied.
Graphite followed his partner to the side of the Old Tokyo Tower, and in perfect sync, they embedded their swords into the reddish-brown stone as deep as they could before dismissing their wings. They then used the martial arts skill, Crescent Moon, (which was a vertical kick) to embed their feet into the tower for more support.
"Please work," Graphite Edge thought desperately. "I know neither Marth or my avatars have high air resistance, but I don't want to get blown off!"
"Brace yourself, Kirito!" Wolf shouted at the top of his lungs as the roar of the wind grew louder. "Here it comes!"
The dual wielders steadied their breathing, somehow managing to calm themselves right before the strong, roaring wind struck them. The wind threatened to shake them both loose, but Graphite and Wolf stayed firm and tightened their grip on their swords even further. Eventually the wind finally stopped, allowing the boys to release the breaths they've been holding.
"That was a close one," Graphite said before giving his partner a light smile. "Nice thinking, Marth."
Wolf returned the gesture and said, "Thanks. Hard to believe that actually worked. Do you think that could have been the Incarnate System at work?"
Graphite Edge shrugged. "I don't know. All I thought of was staying anchored to the tower and not get blown off."
"Same. Did our willpower keep us still?"
"Willpower?" Graphite Edge whispered to himself. He found himself thinking about a fateful duel he and Marth participated in. A duel that brought the death game that was Sword Art Online to an end.
Suddenly the duo felt a strange high-frequency buzz shake the air. Another sound soon echoed in the air, which was like an infinite number of individual bells ringing at once, its source coming from the east. Graphite and Wolf turned their heads to the east, where they saw a shining aurora pouring from the sky to the ground below.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Wolf said in frustration. "A Change?! Now?!"
Black Wolf was justified in his anger. The Change, or Transition, is a massive phenomenon that transformed the entire Unlimited Neutral Field. The Change acts as a way for Brain Burst to replenish the defeated Enemies and alter the field's theme. It also repairs any stage destruction that was caused during the interval, like say, two Burst Linkers anchoring their swords and feet into a stone tower to withstand the strong wind.
"We need to move now!" Graphite Edge shouted.
"You think?!"
Graphite and Wolf started trying to pull their swords and feet out of the stone tower as the aurora drew closer. Unfortunately, the swords were being incredibly stubborn and refused to budge even an inch.
"Come on! Move!" Black Wolf said in anger.
The swordsmen grew more desperate as the aurora getting very close. Sadly, they were too late as the multicolored light filled their vision and the sounds of bells overwhelmed their ears. Immediately afterward, Graphite and Wolf's swords were forced out of the stone wall, causing the duo to fall again. They quickly activated their wings again and attempted to stop their descent, unfortunately they ended up crashing into the ground, taking out the last of their HP.
"Well, that was pathetic," Dark Cerberus said in a somewhat mocking tone as he looked down from the edge of the tower, seeing two black pillars of light appear from where the sword users crashed. Sky Raker was right behind him. "They should've let themselves die from the first fall."
"Be nice," Sky Raker lightly scolded. "I'm quite impressed they managed to withstand the wind. But…" She suddenly paused, causing Cerberus to face her.
"What is it?" Cerberus questioned.
"Black Wolf… His swords look familiar. I'm pretty sure I've seen them somewhere before."
Dark Cerberus held his chin with his right hand as he thought about it. "Yeah. Now that you mention it, I think I've seen those swords before too. Plus, there's his wolf form. But where did I see them before?" Cerberus felt that he was close to realizing something important.
Dying in the Unlimited Neutral Field sucks. When you die, the area around you becomes a monotonic black and white, your body becomes see-through like smoke, and while you can move (at least in a haphazard way), you couldn't go no further than about ten meters from the spot where you died. But the thing that really sucked about dying is that you had to wait for one hour before you'll respawn. The countdown appears in the center of your vision in digital numbers. The environment's colors would only return to normal once the countdown reached zero.
Graphite Edge was twitching in annoyance as he waited for the countdown to end. Soon an hour had passed, but for Graphite it felt five times as long, and the Darkness Duo was resurrected.
Black Wolf rubbed his wrists while also looking down at the decent-sized craters that he and his partner made. "Well that happened," he said. Wolf then placed his right hand on his waist and looked up at the old Tokyo Tower, which had transformed into a steel spire, covered with overlapping metal plates shining blue-black.
"The Demon City stage," Graphite Edge spoke up. "This stage is very similar to the Sunshine City stage where we fought Chrome Disaster in."
"Yeah," Black Wolf replied. "Since we died, our special-attack gauges have reset to zero. Do you think we could use our swords to climb the wall?"
"And risk getting our swords stuck again, no thanks," Graphite Edge said in slight annoyance. "I think only Lotus can slice this wall like butter. We'll need to find another way up."
Suddenly a bloodcurdling screech echoed in the air. Graphite and Wolf turned around and saw that it was an Enemy. The Enemy was a very large skeletal centipede with an elongated skull for a head and had red shining eyes. The majority of its bones, mainly its arms, legs and rib cage, also resembled scythes.
The SAO Survivors gasped in shock, their eyes as big as dinner plates.
"It can't be," Black Wolf said in fear. "The Skull Reaper?! Here?! Why is it here in the Accelerated World?!"
Wolf was justified to be shocked. The Skull Reaper was the 75th Floor Boss in Sword Art Online and was one of the deadliest bosses in that game. It took forever for the Assault Team to kill it because of its impossibly high stats, but it could kill multiple high-level players with just one hit. By the time the Floor Boss was finally killed, fourteen players had lost their lives.
Graphite Edge gritted his teeth in frustration. "I don't know, but luck really isn't on our side today." He then gasped as an idea popped in his head. But before he could share it with his partner, the Skull Reaper screeched before charging at them at high-speed, prompting the duo to take cover in a nearby building.
The Skull Reaper roared in outrage and began hacking at the walls, which groaned as it struggled to withstand the Enemy's attacks. They had about thirty seconds before the metal walls would give in, and that was being hopeful.
"Marth, I've got an idea," Graphite said quickly. "Let's fight the Reaper."
Black Wolf stared wide-eyed at his partner. "Are you crazy, Kirito?! We can't beat that thing on our own! We'd be lucky to even take out its first HP gauge, and that's if its stats haven't changed at all."
"We don't have to beat it," Graphite Edge replied. "We just need to survive long enough for us to charge up our special-attack gauges so we can fly away."
Wolf pressed his lips together in hesitation. The groaning from the walls were getting louder and were starting to bend. Time was running out.
After a few seconds, Wolf let out a sigh in defeat. "Alright. Just be careful. Your defense is way worse than it was back in Aincrad."
Graphite gave his best friend a forced smile. "I'll be fine. We'll just protect each other like always." The Skull Reaper screeched again as it readied one last attack to break through the small building its prey was hiding in. "Ready?"
"Ready."
Right as the Skull Reaper slashed at the building with its arm scythes, cutting through the blue-black metal, Graphite Edge and Black Wolf morphed into their beast forms and sprinted out of the collapsing building. The skeletal Enemy let out a screech before giving chase to the wolves.
Black Wolf eyed his partner and nodded his head, causing the white wolf to return the gesture. Graphite Edge circled around and charged at the Skull Reaper, prompting the Enemy to defend with a diagonal slash with its right scythe. The white wolf met the scythe head on, the bone weapon barely biting into the wolf's head.
"Ngh," Graphite groaned in pain as he struggled to keep his footing as the reaper swung its other scythe towards his side. He was grateful that his wolf form had incredibly high physical defense (as well as a medium attack and speed boost) at the cost of low magical defense.
Suddenly a black blur smashed into the Skull Reaper's chest, sending the Enemy flying back a few feet.
"Thanks, Marth."
"Anytime, partner." Normally Black Wolf's beast form had terrible physical defense, but he had incredibly high magical defense, and a medium boost in attack and speed to compensate. However, when he and Graphite were near each other while both being in their wolf forms, not only are their strengths augmented, but their weaknesses were nearly nullified. One would think that this ability was broken, but there were some handicaps to their wolf forms. The most obvious of all is that they can't use any sword skills, but most of their magic attacks are also unavailable. The few spells that they did have access were only decent at best, but it did give them some versatility. The only problem is, they need those spells were special moves in Brain Burst, and right now Graphite and Wolf barely had any charge in their special-attack gauge.
"This is gonna be a long battle," Black Wolf said as he watched the Skull Reaper pick itself back up.
"Yeah, but at least we don't have to deal with true death here," Graphite replied.
"True."
The two metallic wolves ran at the Enemy, which charged at them in turn. Unbeknownst to them, however, a lone red-haired woman was watching them from a nearby rooftop. She had a black long-sleeved tunic with red trimming, a white undershirt, red gloves, red and black pants, and black heeled leather boots. She also had a red mask that covered her eyes and nose. The woman simply watched as the Burst Linkers did battle with the Skull Reaper, keeping a very close eye on the black wolf.
Graphite and Wolf took advantage of their smaller size to nimbly evade the Skull Reaper's scythes while countering with their bites and tackles before retreating. However, they didn't always escape unscathed, every now and then, the Reaper's bone blades would strike either of the wolves' sides or backs. The battle seemed to be at a stalemate, but both Graphite Edge and Black Wolf knew that it wouldn't last.
The Skull Reaper had way more HP than either Burst Linker, and way higher stats. The only reason they've lasted this long without dying was the buffs Graphite and Wolf received from being in their wolf forms at the same time.
After fifteen minutes had passed, both Graphite and Wolf's special-attack gauges were fully charged.
"Finally!" Graphite Edge exclaimed in anticipation. "Howling Shadows!"
The white wolf unleashed a blast of shadow from his mouth at the Skull Reaper, who blocked with its arm scythes in an x-manner. The Enemy screeched in annoyance but held its ground.
"Howling Thunder!" Suddenly Black Wolf unleashed a blast of purple lightning in the same manner at the Enemy. The lightning merged with the darkness and the united breath attack began overpowering the Skull Reaper, sending it crashing into a few buildings.
"Now's our chance!" Graphite Edge shouted as he and Wolf changed back to their human forms.
The Darkness Duo quickly summoned their wings and kicked off of the ground before ascending to the top of the old Tokyo Tower. However, they soon heard the Skull Reaper shriek in rage. They both looked down and gasped as they saw that the skeletal Enemy was scaling the steel wall with its legs.
"Oh, come on!" Black Wolf cried out in outrage. "Can't we catch a freaking break already?!"
Graphite Edge found himself stumped on what to do. If they kept ascending, the Skull Reaper would follow them to Sky Raker's home, putting her at risk. He had no doubt Dark Cerberus could handle himself just fine, but Sky Raker can't move without her wheelchair.
"We've got to do something," Graphite said. "Maybe we should use the Incarnate System."
"We don't know how to use the Incarnate System yet!" Wolf argued. "Any other ideas?"
Graphite Edge balled his hands tightly into fists as his mind raced to come up with a solution. Suddenly, multiple bolts of black lightning struck the Skull Reaper from behind, causing the Enemy to screech in pain as parts of its body became charred.
"What the?" Graphite said in confusion.
After a few seconds, the lightning ceased, leaving behind a badly burned Enemy. The Skull Reaper let out a weak shriek before its eyes went dark before limply sliding out of the tower's wall and fell to the ground. The reaper shattered instantly after its crash landing.
The swordsmen were simply shocked.
"What…was that?" Graphite Edge asked again.
"I don't know," Black Wolf replied slowly. "I think someone just saved us. But who could be strong enough to kill a Floor Boss with one attack?"
Graphite Edge shrugged. "Beats me. Anyway, let's get back to Sky Raker. We need to finish our training."
"Y-yeah," Wolf replied.
Graphite began flying back up to Sky Raker's house, while Wolf stayed where he was as he stared intently at the surface.
"That lightning," Wolf thought to himself. "It was way stronger than my lightning. I didn't think that was possible. Just who saved us and why?"
Wolf heard his partner calling for him, prompting him to dismiss his thoughts and begin ascending back to Sky Raker's house.
On the surface, however, the woman from before had a light smile on her face, lowering her outstretched right hand. "That was a close one," she said in relief. "Don't worry, Frank. I'll keep you safe, even in this world."
A red magic circle appeared right below her feet, causing the woman to disappear in a burst of light.
Later
"Took you guys long enough," Dark Cerberus said in frustration. He, Wolf, Graphite, and Sky Raker were gathered in the garden as the sun was slowly descending towards the horizon. "Just how long does it take for you two to charge up your special-attack gauges?"
Black Wolf narrowed his eyes and glared daggers at the level 8 Burst Linker. "Sorry if we wasted your precious time," he said sarcastically, not bothering to hide his frustration. "It's not like Graphite and I narrowly avoided getting killed by a powerful Enemy down there."
Dark Cerberus simply scoffed. "Am I supposed to feel sorry for you or something because of that? Do you need Black Lotus to hold your hand?"
"Why you…?!"
Literal sparks were being exchanged between Wolf and Cerberus as they butted heads. They were both growling at each other too.
"Calm down, Wolf," Graphite Edge said in a panic. "This isn't like you."
Even in the Accelerated World, Marth had always maintained a cool demeanor and rarely showed anger, even when provoked. Seeing his best friend get riled up so easily was strange to say the least.
"Just leave them be," Sky Raker said calmly. "It'll leave their systems soon."
Graphite Edge faced the sky-blue avatar in confusion. "What will?"
"Dark Cerberus has an alpha ability that's built into his avatar," Sky Raker explained. "It doesn't really have any benefits, besides giving him a strong presence that can be sensed by certain individuals. Looks like Black Wolf has the same ability too."
"Okay. What does that mean?" he asked, still looking confused.
"Whenever two Burst Linkers with the alpha ability meet, they are more easily agitated, especially towards each other. They basically try to show their dominance over the other."
"Oh, like two alpha wolves fighting for leadership for the pack," Graphite Edge said, finally understanding. He let out a chuckle. "I guess that's kind of fitting for Wolf to have. So either Wolf or Cerberus have to show dominance over the other for this to stop?"
"Either that or come to a truce," Sky Raker replied. "Something tells me that neither of which will be happening today."
"Hmph!" Cerberus and Wolf grunted in sync as they turned away from each other in frustration.
"Now then," Sky Raker said soothingly. "Black Wolf, Graphite Edge, why do you two think you weren't sent flying by the wind two hours ago?"
Black Wolf faced the female avatar in surprise. "Huh? You saw that from way up here?" he questioned.
"Of course, we saw," Dark Cerberus replied. "It was pretty funny seeing you and Graphite fall when the Change happened."
"What was that?!" Black Wolf retorted before glaring daggers at Cerberus.
"Cerberus!" Sky Raker said firmly. "That's enough. This is important."
Dark Cerberus actually flinched and lowered his head. "I'm having some fun," he passed off.
Sky Raker's eyes narrowed under her hat. "Cerberus. Apologize…now."
All three male avatars found themselves reeling back in slight fear as a fierce presence came from the sky-blue avatar.
"Ngh," Dark Cerberus grunted before sighing in defeat. "Fine. I'm sorry. I'll stop provoking Wolf…for now."
"Good," Sky Raker replied in a regular tone.
Graphite Edge felt some sweat run down his neck. "That was pretty intense. Are all of the Black Legion's former members this scary?"
"Now back to my earlier question," Sky Raker continued as if nothing had happened. "Wolf, Graphite, why do you think you weren't sent flying by the wind?"
"Uh…" Graphite Edge turned towards his partner, who looked as stumped as him. "Was it because Wolf and I anchored ourselves to the tower with our swords?"
"Are you sure about that?"
"Um…"
Suddenly Black Wolf said, "When I anchored myself to the tower, I found myself thinking that I wouldn't be blown away, believing it. That no matter how strong the wind blew, I'd stay right where I was."
Sky Raker's face lit up as she smiled. "Excellent. You used your imagination to keep yourself safe from the wind. That's the Incarnate System at work!"
Black Wolf's eyes widened in disbelief. "Really? Just like that?"
"Don't get too excited," Dark Cerberus spoke up. "That was barely a fraction of the Incarnate System's capabilities. It takes a lot of willpower and imagination to take full advantage of the Incarnate System."
"Willpower?" Graphite Edge muttered before gasping in realization as a particular memory resurfaced in his mind. "Wait, could that have been…?"
Black Wolf turned to his partner in concern. "What is it, Graphite?"
"I think we might have used the Incarnate System before, a long time ago," Graphite Edge explained. "I doubt it was true Incarnation, but might have been a sort of proto version of it."
Black Wolf just looked confused. "What are you talking about? Where could we have used Incarnation before?"
Graphite Edge was silent for a moment as he was hesitant to say it with Sky Raker and Dark Cerberus right here. But this was something he had to say, even if it risks their true identities being revealed.
"Aincrad, the floating castle of Sword Art Online," he said firmly.
The other three gasped in shock, especially Wolf.
"Impossible," Sky Raker said in disbelief. "There's no way that SAO could have had an Incarnate System. Plus, that game came out thirty-five years ago and deleted itself once it was cleared two years after its release. How could you two have been in that game?"
Neither Graphite nor Wolf answered. Instead their minds focused on the final battle against Heathcliff and Zelgius, aka Akihiko Kayaba and Brandon Lowell, the co-creators of Sword Art Online and the reason it became a death game. Mainly, near the end of the fight.
The duel was going pretty well until Kirito and Marth had lost focus for a brief second and accidently unleashed the 27-hit Dual-Wielding skill, The Eclipse, the highest level Dual-Wielding sword skill. As the game creators, Kayaba and Brandon knew all the attacks of the sword skill, allowing them to easily block it and easily prepare to finish the Darkness Duo off with a sword skill of their own during the latter's post-motion delay.
However, Asuna and Yuuki used their own bodies as shields to protect the boys, sacrificing themselves in the process. It turned out afterward that Kayaba and Brandon made sure that neither of the girls' NerveGears would kill them if their HP reached zero after the duel, but Kirito and Marth didn't know at the time.
Both swordsmen gave into despair and allowed Kayaba and Brandon to kill them. However, that's when a miracle happened.
"I believe in you, Kirito." The Black Swordsman remembered as one of Asuna's last words to him before she shattered into polygons in his arms.
"Don't give up the fight, Marth!" Those wore the words the Dark Swordsman had heard from his first love in his memories.
The system declared the Darkness Duo dead and prepared to delete their avatars immediately, but somehow that process was delayed. Kirito and Marth, their bodies stone-cold, found it nearly impossible to move. However, there was some warmth that they felt. It was the swords they held in their left hands, for Kirito it was Asuna's Lambent Light, and Marth it was Yuuki's Macuahuitl, the swords of their loved ones.
With the strength they had left, Marth and Kirito focused all of their concentration into moving their left arms to attack the game masters, who could only watch in shock as the Darkness Duo refused to die.
"Not yet," Kirito said firmly.
"We're not done yet," Marth finished in the same tone.
The duo then lunged their left swords in sync, stabbing them right in their opponents' chests. As they did so, Kayaba and Brandon couldn't help but smile before the four of them "died" together.
Graphite and Wolf then snapped out of their memories and allowed themselves to return to the Accelerated World.
"No way," Black Wolf said in disbelief. "So we've been unknowingly using Incarnation since all the way back in Aincrad?"
"It was more like a Proto-Incarnation than a true Incarnation," Graphite Edge explained. "Not even Kayaba and Brandon could've created the Incarnate System back then. It's more like a simple exploit, our willpower overriding the system."
"Override?" Sky Raker questioned.
Graphite Edge looked down and stared at his left palm. "I think I get it now. It wasn't power that allowed us to do that, it was our feelings, the memories of Asuna and Yuuki cheering us on that allowed us to tie with Heathcliff and Zelgius back in Aincrad. So the true power of Incarnation…"
"Is our feelings and memories," Black Wolf finished. "Let's test it out."
"Yeah."
Dark Cerberus and Sky Raker watched as Graphite Edge and Black Wolf walked out of the garden and drew their right swords. The swordsmen also made sure to face away from the house.
"I am so confused right now," Cerberus admitted. "Did anything they say make any sense to you, Sky?"
Sky Raker didn't answer right away as her eyes widened. "It can't be. Are they…?"
Moving in perfect sync, Graphite and Wolf lifted their black swords to the level of their shoulders, laid it perfectly flat, and pulled back. Their left hands providing catapulting leverage.
"Aim for the edge?" Black Wolf questioned.
"The edge," Graphite confirmed as they turned their stance to the right and lowered their waists.
If their theory was right, that the strength of one's will and feelings can augment the power and abilities of a duel avatar in this world, then it's possible that it can be applied to the sword skills ingrained into their muscle memory. But on the other hand, it also meant that negative emotions, such as fear and hesitation could weaken them. Wolf experienced such a thing when he nearly went into Zero-Fill when Chrome Disaster showed itself.
There was a strong, fundamental desire within Graphite and Wolf to distance themselves from the Kirito and Marth avatars they had trained back in SAO: the Darkness Duo and the Dual-Wielding masters. There two reasons why they desired such a thing. The first was that neither of them wanted to be treated as heroes. The other reason was guilt over the players they had failed to save or had killed.
Wolf had come to terms with his Dark Swordsman persona during the battle with Chrome Disaster, and now it was Graphite's turn to do the same. No matter how much the metal avatar disliked it, Kirito the Black Swordsman was a part of him. It helped shape him into who he was now and gave him strength.
The same man who had fought in that world, where losing was not an option, the same him, was still here.
The sword skill the duo was preparing to use is special. It's a move that both Black Swordsman and the Dark Swordsman knew best and used the most often. It was practically their signature move, aside from one other move.
The sun was nearing the edge of the horizon, making the sky gain an orange hue. Sky Raker and Dark Cerberus simply watched with bated breath, neither of them daring to speak a single word.
Graphite and Wolf held their swords at shoulder height, their right arms pulled back as far as they could go. The preliminary motion immediately kicked in and turned the blades red as blood. The system began moving their bodies automatically. Their feet moved wide apart before launching off the floor. The acceleration funneled into their rotation, moving through their backs into their right shoulders. The rotation went back into a straight motion, bursting through the duo's right arms into their swords like they were an extension of the blades.
The two black swords began unleashing the metallic roar of a jet engine before being surrounded by a shining crimson light that quickly surrounded their wielders like a flame. The sword skill they were using, was none other than the one-hit Vorpal Strike.
This sword skill was used so often by the Darkness Duo in SAO because of its incredible power and had a range that was almost unfair for a one-handed sword attack. The crimson effect carved through a space that was about twice the length of the blade itself, and when combined with the full reach of their arms, it could sometimes outdistance even a long spear.
The edge of the tower was around fifty feet, meaning a normal Vorpal Strike would never reach it. That meant that Graphite and Wolf had to use their imagination, the Incarnate System, to extend their range by at least five times its range.
They both knew it wouldn't be easy, but for the sake of their friends and stopping Seiji, they'll do whatever it takes. They couldn't fail, they just couldn't.
"No matter what happens," Graphite Edge thought to himself, "I will always be Kirito, the Black Swordsman!"
"Rrraaaahhh!" Graphite and Wolf bellowed as they prepared to attack.
At that moment, their right gauntlet morphed into a fingerless black glove, as though it had seeped out of the very air. Their armor then changed into a smooth black leather before turning into a long coat and slim-fitting pants, the studded hem whipping wildly. Wolf's visor and Graphite's helmet also disappeared, revealing their faces while their black hair grew a little longer. Graphite's swords also changed into Elucidator and Dark Repulser. They had changed into Marth and Kirito of the Darkness Duo.
"It can't be!" Dark Cerberus exclaimed in shock. Sky Raker was also speechless.
Marth and Kirito's bangs were flapping wildly like the collars of their coats, and their eyes were filled with a deadly seriousness.
"Rraaaahh!" the Darkness Duo growled as they unleashed their power.
Lunara and Elucidator's red light rapidly increased in intensity, and then Marth and Kirito shot their sword hands forward, the long hem of their blackwyrm coats flapping behind them like monstrous wings.
The crimson light from the black swords then shot forward, passing by the garden and reached the edge of the tower in an instant, before extending for another ten feet until the blades of light finally dissolved into red light.
Kirito and Marth's right arms were extended as far as they could go. The light effect from Vorpal Strike had faded, and the tails of their coats flapped one more time before going still. Right after that, they reverted back to Graphite Edge and Black Wolf before letting their right arms drop until the tips of their swords landed on the ground.
"We…did it," Wolf said slowly.
"Yeah," Graphite replied. "But I think we just exposed our secret."
The duo turned and saw Sky Raker and Dark Cerberus approach them.
"Well, well," Sky Raker said, her voice containing some pride in it. "That was very good. But I guess I should've expected no less from you two, Graphite Edge, Black Wolf. Or should I say, Kirito and Marth, the legendary Darkness Duo."
Something told the SAO Survivors that this was going to be a long night.
To be continued
Looks like Sky Raker and Dark Cerberus know Marth and Kirito's true identities now. I wonder how that will affect things. Anyway, I'll see you guys next time!
Gates of Hell- an Enhanced Armament that is owned by Dark Cerberus. They allow him to instantly travel to preset locations with no penalty and can be used as part of a special move.