Hey, I'm back! Sorry for being gone for so long. I was on bit of a break, plus I wanted to sort a few things out about this story before I wrote it. Okay, minor retcons, Marth no longer has chains hidden under his coat sleeves. Upon further thinking about it, chain projectiles don't really fit his fighting style. Also Delsgade will be renamed Balduq because I think the latter is a cooler name.


Chapter 6- Kuroyukihime's Feelings

September 29, 2056

Before Marth knew it, the rest of the school day breezed past him and he was already walking with Kisara out to the front gates. Not much was said between the siblings but they didn't need to verbally communicate. With the weekend coming up, they both knew that the time for another pilgrimage to the Darkwood Forest was fast approaching.

The Darkwood Forest is located deep western Eternus. It is infamous for its dense fog and ability to swallow any who were foolish enough to enter. Even the exiled royalty were aware of all the missing reports of adventurers entering those cursed woods in search of treasure. And as it so happens, there was a treasure located deep within that forest. It is a treasure of great importance to Marth. It is the resting place of the legendary blade, Lunaris, the very sword he wielded as Zane during the War of Light and Shadow.

The Lunaris is one of the most powerful divine weapons to ever exist within the three realms (Earth, Arun and Eternus), forged by the Goddess of Darkness herself. There is only one sword that can match the dark blade's might, and that is the Holy Sword Excalibur, the weapon that was made by Sinestra's twin, the Goddess of Light Mitra. Supposedly Kaito used Excalibur for the majority of the War of Light and Shadow, but he was never quite able to fully control its immense power. After certain events near the end of the war, he ended up giving the blade to Zane, who wielded both it and Lunaris during the final confrontation with Zeta on Eclipse Tower. According to Rias, the very act nearly killed the demon prince because the conflicting energies from the two swords were tearing him up from the inside. It was no surprise that after that brutal battle, Excalibur was returned to its resting place, Lake Aranor, which is located somewhere in Arun, the realm of the fairies.

While their designs are drastically different, they are, in truth, sister blades. Both swords choose their wielders, not the other way around, and their powers are very hard to control. Of course, what would swords be without scabbards? The twin goddesses also created matching scabbards for the sister swords, Avalon for Excalibur and Ascalon for Lunaris. Both sheaths essentially provided an absolute defense for their masters through constant regeneration, fueled by the master's own magical energy. They were one of the main reasons Zane and Kaito managed to last so long in the War of Light and Shadow. Their scabbards made it nearly impossible for them to die. It still raised the question of what exactly happened to them after the war ended. Unfortunately that answer may be lost to the flow of time.

To make matters worse, Ascalon has also gone missing. Not even Rias could find its whereabouts. Her best guess was that it somehow managed to return to Balduq, Zane's castle, which was shielded by a powerful mage. At least, that's what she hoped it was, because it would be really bad if the Darkfallen got their hands on it. While Ascalon only extended its protection to its chosen wielder, that didn't mean it was totally useless in the possession of others. The Darkfallen could probably develop more effective ways to counter its regenerative magic if they could intensively study it. Or even worse, find a way to replicate its magic for their forces.

Onto a more cheery note, even though he wasn't quite ready to wield the Lunaris again, Marth made a habit of visiting its resting place at least twice a month. It helped to clear his head, plus it was almost like a goal, a stepping point of him reaching Altena's level.

"I'm not sure if even I can reach my mother's level," Marth thought to himself. "Altena was the strongest demon to ever exist. Even as her son, I don't think I can surpass her. How can I?"

As if reading his mind, Kisara patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Brother," she said reassuringly. "We'll just take it one step at a time. I'm sure there will come a time when you'll surpass Mother."

Marth couldn't help but give his little sister a small smile. "Thanks, Kisara." He found his attention turned to the school gate, where he saw a familiar black silhouette standing by. "Go on ahead. I'll see you at home later this evening."

Kisara moved her gaze to where her brother was looking towards. She then looked over at her sibling, hesitation filling her eyes. Eventually she said softly, "Be careful." And with that, the younger Umbris headed off towards home.

Once she was a good distance away, Marth made his way to the silhouette, who seemed to be typing on a holo keyboard.

"Hey," Kuroyukihime said normally without even looking.

"Hey. Can we talk while we walk?"

She gave a brief nod and the two began to walk together.

"I'm sorry about this morning," Kuroyukihime started. "And for not showing up at lunch."

"It's fine. It'll take more than that to upset me. Anyway, I need to tell you the real connection between Kisara and Cyan Pile."

"Okay. Let's talk about it over direct. We don't want to be overheard after all." She reached into her school bag and pulled out a brand-new XSB cable that was still taped up. She quickly removed the tape and unrolled it. "I accidentally burnt out the cable we were using before. They…didn't have much stock so I had to make do with this one."

That was a total lie. The shortest cables the school store sold only reached about one meter. Was she really that bothered by learning about his direct with Kisara that she got a shorter cable? It made him think about that interview with those girls from the news club, about how they said that Kuroyukihime might actually have feelings for him.

He internally shook his head to dismiss the thought. As if the school idol would develop feelings for a boy that built a fortress within himself to keep his secrets, about what he is and what he keeps locked up deep inside.

Without looking her in the eye, he took one of the plug ends and inserted it into his Neurolinker, while Kuroyukihime did the same with the other end. As usual, the wired-connection warning appeared before quickly fading away without much notice. The moment it disappeared, Marth sent his thoughts over to the girl.

"Kisara isn't Cyan Pile. It would seem that he had set up a virus in her Neurolinker to make a back door. That's how he's able to infiltrate the school network and use Kisara's positional data to challenge you."

"I see," Kuroyukihime replied solemnly. "That explains a lot. But how do you feel? I know how much your sister means to you."

"Oh, I'm pissed. The moment I find Cyan Pile, he's dead meat." Marth balled his hands into fists, clenching them so tight that they turned white. "He's going to learn that he messed with the wrong guy's little sister."

"I see. Um, did you just hear the sound of thunder? There shouldn't be any chances for it to rain today, but there are dark clouds in the sky."

Marth let out a slight groan as he looked up to see that there were indeed storm clouds gathering in the skies above. If he looked closely, he could even see sparks of silver lightning in the air. Yep, he did it again. In his burst of anger, he had accidently unleashed his magic, although he thankfully didn't bring out that power, the power that his mother forbade him to use.

While he is a master of both wind and lightning magic (as well as decent in projection magic), there was one power that he possessed that was too dangerous to use. It is a power that he has had for as long as he can remember and constantly yearns to break free. Only his family and Scathach knew he possessed it, or rather, cursed with. Not to mention, knowledge of the terrible fate that power will inevitably lead him.

With barely even a thought, Marth cancelled out his magic and the sky returned to normal, but there were a few bystanders who seemed confused by the sudden change.

"That was weird," Kuroyukihime spoke up while rubbing her hands together to generate warmth. "What could have caused those storm clouds?"

"Who knows with the weather?" Marth dismissively suggested while not looking his guardian in the eye.

The Black King looked at the demon prince with a bewildered look on her face. Yeah, that wasn't exactly a convincing remark, but it was all he could come up with without revealing the truth about him and his dark secret.

"Anyway," she continued, seemingly deciding to move on, "Not to be a downer, but do you have proof that Kisara is not Cyan Pile?"

It was a fair question, but it was still annoying to answer, especially since she confirmed herself that it was unlikely for Kisara to be the Burst Linker in question several hours ago. However, Marth couldn't really fault her for being suspicious. This was regarding the identity of the mysterious Burst Linker who has been harassing her for the past few months without end. It made sense that she would skeptical on any information that she could not confirm for herself.

"If I messed with the virus, it probably would have tipped Cyan Pile off, so I just observed it," Marth answered rather calmly, but there was a slight chill in his voice as he spoke (or rather thought in this case). "You'll just have to trust me, or is it too hard to trust the words of a freak?"

Maybe that last sentence was a little harsh, but the male demon wasn't one to sugarcoat his words towards strangers. This was ultimately a test to see if the idol of Umesato High School was willing to trust in a person shunned by many.

Somewhat surprisingly, Kuroyukihime looked a little hurt by the question, her footsteps slowing ever so slightly. "Are you…mad at me? Is it because I was acting weird this morning, or is because I accused your sister of being Cyan Pile?"

Marth just simply let out a grunt. "Think what you will. We're not exactly friends, so I don't really care what you think of me. It's your choice on what to believe."

"That's not what I'm saying. Even I have never heard of a virus that connects you to Brain Burst matching server through a back door. How am I supposed to believe that you're telling the truth?"

Her thoughts were etched with a sharpness, almost like that of a blade. For some, it might cause them to flinch, but Marth was not one of those people. He had seen scarier things before, with two of them being his mother and mentor. There's nothing a regular girl like Kuroyukihime can do that can scare him.

"Are you implying that I made this story all up, just to protect my sister. Are you thinking that I've switched to Cyan Pile's side?"

"No, you're wrong. You're leaping to conclusions." She suddenly came to a stop, forcing Marth to do the same to not have the cable pulled out of his Neurolinker. "The moment I would have concluded that you had joined Cyan Pile, I would have hunted you. I would have taken your meager burst points and push you into a forceful uninstallation of Brain Burst so you would lose acceleration forever."

"Spoken like the treacherous king you are," Marth said coldly. "Let me make one thing clear. I am not your pawn. I only chose to continue playing Brain Burst because I think it can help me with a personal problem. However, unlike other Burst Linkers, I can live without this cursed program. If I find that this program will not help me with my goal, then I'll uninstall it myself. I've got better things I could be doing with my time than playing this fighting game."

"You." She lightly grabbed hold of Marth's left shoulder. The demon turned his head towards Kuroyukihime's face, which was strained like that of carved ice. However, her amber eyes were burning with emotion, though which ones Marth could not tell. "I knew you were angry, and it's all my fault. I'm sorry. But…" Her lips were trembling. The voice that soon came out felt forced out, like she was struggling to keep it under control. "I don't exactly have full control of my emotions. I get annoyed, uneasy. And when it comes to you and…Kisara…" Her gaze then dropped and her cheeks stiffened up. "But, if you want to know why, I'll tell you. I—"

Before she could even finish that though, Marth cut in with, "Don't bother. I don't need to know."

"Wh-what?"

"Like I said, we're not friends, so I don't need to know your reasoning behind things. However, let me ask you this. Do you hate yourself?"

Kuroyukihime's eyes widened as she inhaled sharply.

"The girl who seems perfect at everything hates herself. Don't think I didn't notice your hesitation back at the café. You know what you did to Red Rider was a mistake, and you hate yourself for banishing a fellow king from Brain Burst using such a cowardly method."

The Black King's fingers that were resting on his left shoulder stiffened like they were made out of steel. He was probably going too far again, but he was past the point of even caring. The truth had to be said, no matter how badly it would hurt those involved.

"You're trying to dirty yourself by associating with me, one deemed as a freak and discriminated by those around me. I don't want any part in your pity party. I'll help you deal with Cyan Pile, but after that, we're going our separate ways. I refuse to be your tool."

He was about to mutter a goodbye and walk away when suddenly a sharp pain flared in his left cheek. The action was so unexpected that he was left in total shock as the pain continued to sing at his face.

"You idiot," the girl said in a pained tone, like every word hurt to say.

Marth watched with wide eyes as he witnessed the river of tears erupting from idol's face. Her right hand was still raised high, but her entire demeanor had deteriorated to that of a weeping child. She constantly repeated the word "idiot" in that same painful tone, as well as a few other curse words.

It was at that moment that Marth realized that he had pushed Kuroyukihime too far again. He hurt her with his words yet again. He was a terrible person and he knew that. But he never wanted to become like this. This was the result of the distrustful environment that plagued his life. Fuko, Kazuto and the others made life on Earth more tolerable for him, but sometimes he felt that he was better off somewhere else, perhaps in a different realm.

Kuroyukihime was one of the most unusual girls that Marth had ever met. She seemed perfect, too perfect. She was willing to associate with someone deemed lesser than her and even went out of her way to help that person. Sure she wanted his help with something, but she offered him the choice to do so, instead of trying to force the demon's hand. She normally had a graceful yet intense presence to her, suggesting that there was more to her than the eye can see. And for some reason, seeing her cry sent sharp pain directly into his heart. He felt that he had seen those very same tears before, a long time ago, but the memory of it refused to surface, instead insisting on remaining obscure and blurry.

For the next few moments, only the wind passed between the duo as the sun continued to set on an evening horizon. Not a single word was spoken, until…

"Master Marth, look out!" a familiar voice shouted in alarm, the source of which coming from within his own mind.

Suddenly the screeching sound of metal against metal flooded his ears. At first Marth assumed that it was simply a quantum noise coming from his Neurolinker. However, not only was the sound rather strange, but his battle-trained senses were screaming that he was in danger. His heart racing, he turned his head and torso to the right and saw a terrifying sight.

There was a white passenger car barreling straight for the duo, destroying the guardrail that had separated the road from the sidewalk. Was it an accident? No it can't be that. There would be a brake noise if it was. This wasn't good. There was only seconds until collision and no ordinary human can evade it in time. Marth could probably evade with his speed, but what about Kuroyukihime? He could probably get her to safety as well but there was a store right behind them. If they moved, then the people inside will be in danger.

Damn it all. There was no easy way out without revealing his identity as a demon.

Suddenly he heard voice echo from the direct cable a familiar phrase.

"Burst link!"

With a loud crack, the world came to a sudden stop and was dyed a pale blue. Marth took a step backward and found himself separated from his real body, but he could still see white sedan inching ever so close to him in a dreadfully slow manner.

He let out a grunt in frustration. Somehow he had gotten dragged into the blue recreation of the real world made by the Brain Burst program. Despite the initial appearance, time has not stopped, instead his mind was simply accelerating at a far faster rate than the outside world. Given its distance and current speed, he estimated that he had around ten minutes before the car will hit him and Hime.

But how did this happen? If he remembered right, all cars in Japan should have an AI built into its system that would take control from the driver if an accident was about to happen, either by correcting the vehicle's course or by coming to a stop. That meant that the AI of this vehicle was either broken or turned off by the driver.

This was no accident in the making. This was a deliberate attack. The speed of the vehicle suggested that the driver was actually pushing the accelerator all the way rather than the brakes. Was this another Burst Linker from one of Legions of the Six Kings attacking them? Could it be Cyan Pile or maybe even Graphite Edge?

Most of the social cameras had issues with capturing images from inside the car, but he managed to find a position where he could make out the driver, and it was someone he didn't expect at all. It was none other than Araya, the bully who harassed him for years until a few days ago.

But why was he here? Araya should have been arrested for not only hurting him and Kuroyukihime at school, but also having a social camera evasion app installed in his Neurolinker, not to mention the illegally copied games and images. That should have at least sent him to a reform school, so why the hell was he here about to ram him and Hime with a car that he likely stole.

"He was bailed out this morning," a grave voice said abruptly, causing Marth to whirl around.

It was none other than Kuroyukihime in her black swallowtail, fairy princess avatar. She appeared to be biting down on her lower lip. "I had heard that he was sentenced in family court at the beginning of the week and that he'd be locked up for at least a year. I had thought that I wouldn't have to trouble myself with him anymore. But…I can't believe that he would…" She paused for a moment and shook her head lightly. "No, I shouldn't have been so dismissive. When it comes to assaulting a person, the power of acceleration is unneeded. A knife, or in this case, a car, is more than enough to do the job."

Her voice didn't carry the same childlike weeping from before but if Marth looked closely enough, he could clearly see the pain of regret in Kuroyukihime's eyes.

She closed those very eyes, took a deep breathe, and muttered, "This is payback. I didn't understand how people might feel and played with those very feelings however I wanted."

"What are you talking about?" Marth questioned, having finally regained his voice.

She didn't respond immediately but instead turned directly towards him, locking his eyes with her own. "Marth…"

For some reason, this voice filled him with a great sense of nostalgia and felt more soothing than any sound he has heard before.

"I'm sorry. I'm the one who caused this to happen. But I won't let you get hurt. I will do whatever it takes to protect you."

What was she talking about? There was nothing she could do in this situation. The moment they return to reality, that sedan will crash into them unless Marth did something to stop it, and he couldn't do that without revealing his true identity. Was Kuroyukihime a person he could risk his secret over?

Perhaps given the gravity of the situation, his mind flashed back to when he first encountered Fuko Kurasaki, one of the few people in all the realms that he truly cared for. They were total strangers but she had fallen into a dangerous circumstance that Marth had witnessed purely by chance. At the time, he had seen no benefit in helping her, but he still chose to do it even if it meant revealing his demon heritage, simply because it was the right thing to do, something that he couldn't ignore. And it paid off wonderfully, as it not only gave him a powerful ally, but also a close confidant that he truly treasured. He would never let anyone stain that girl's smile, but he still has yet to reveal all his secrets to her.

History might very well be repeating itself right now. Fate was testing him, seeing if he was willing to act to save someone once more. He wasn't a hero, far from it in fact, but even he cannot run from this no matter how hard he tried.

Steeling himself for her inevitable questions, he said while looking away in hesitation, "Listen, there's something about me that I've been keeping from you. I'm…"

"A demon," Kuroyukihime interrupted in a calm voice.

Once again, Marth was shocked as he stared at female avatar with wide eyes. "How did you…"

"I figured it out just now, something just clicked in my head," she explained. "Your unusual presence, those storm clouds, the static that built up in the café yesterday, not to mention the rumors about your enhanced strength and speed. Not to mention the way you fought against Ash Roller, it was too trained to be that of a rookie. There's no doubt about it. You're not human. That's the only explanation about you, the reason for why you distance yourself from people. You've been in real danger before, real fights. You didn't even try to accelerate when seeing that car coming, which would have been usual instinct for every other Burst Linker. The only reason why you're here is because I accelerated while we were cable linked."

She figured it all out, just like that, all from those little slip-ups and observations? He really underestimated her. She wouldn't have been called the Black King or even reached level 9 for that matter if she was dumb. Given how she managed to trap Araya in the act at the student lounge should have been a big clue that Kuroyukihime was very intelligent, truly a dangerous foe to cross.

Immediately on-guard, Marth slowly said, "So what now? Are you going to run away screaming, curse me for existing, or make foolhardy attempt to fight me?"

Surprisingly, she simply laughed at that. "None of the above. All I wanted was to know more about you, to get past that fortress you surround yourself in to keep people out. For the first time, I feel like I can truly understand you, Marth Umbris. This revelation changes nothing about my opinion about you, my feelings about you."

"What?"

"I'm sure you've already heard the gossip from the news club, but let me say it here and now. Hopefully, given the situation, you'll believe me." Suddenly she reached out her hand and caressed Marth's right cheek. "I like you, Marth Umbris, more than anyone I've ever met. I felt these feelings from the moment I first saw you when I transferred into your class at the start of our high-school life. Somewhere, deep within my very soul, I felt like I had always known you. No matter where I go, my thoughts always seem to come to you. I watched Araya harass you from the sidelines but was amazed that despite all of the abuse, you never once fought back, save for moments when your sister came under threat. It pained my heart so much that eventually I couldn't ignore it anymore and chose to help you, even knowing that you might reject me."

She paused for a moment before continuing. "I… do not even know what I truly am. I know that I am different from anyone else, yet I don't face the same kind of harassment that you and Kisara face every day. For the past two days, I had wondered if that was part of the reason you keep your distance from me."

"Th-that's not… I mean…" Words failed Marth as he found himself floored at the school idol's confession. Truly this was the last thing he ever expected to hear from someone like her.

"I don't need to hear your answer," she replied, a faint smile accompanying her face. "No matter what happens, I will protect you. I swear this not only as a girl who cares for you, but also as your guardian. I won't let you risk your own identity to save me. There is a function of Brain Burst that I haven't told you about, one that only level 9 players can use, and it costs them ninety-nine percent of their accumulated points."

"What?" Tears were already beginning to water his eyes and obscure Marth's vision, unknown feelings were surging about throughout his entire soul. "Why? Why a guy like me? I…I'm not worth it. I'm too damaged. I treated you like a means to an end, not as an actual person. I was acting like the demons you hear in religious text."

"And yet you have shown remorse towards your behavior and even apologized to me," Kuroyukihime said simply. "I doubt any demon from the Christian Bible would do such a thing. You have shown that there are demons who aren't malevolent by instinct, that there's more to them than meets the eye. There are other reasons for why I want to protect you, and why I feel this way towards you. Too many for me to count. Do you remember the first time we met?"

"Yeah, at the coliseum in the school's virtual world."

"There's something I have to tell you about my high score. I cheated. I used acceleration. It was the only way I could surpass your score. I've been a Burst Linker since I was twelve years old, and for six long years, I've craved nothing but strength and speed, cutting down countless enemies to reach level 9, even staining my hands with the blood of my friends. Even someone like me couldn't beat that high score of yours."

She lowered her hand and recomposed herself, becoming more confident and firm. "Listen to me, Marth. You're fast. You have the potential to go faster than anyone else, even beyond me and the other kings. Speed is a Burst Linker's greatest strength. One day, your name will be known everywhere as the fastest Burst Linker in the accelerated world. I know that you can defeat the kings, reach level 10, and uncover the truth about Brain Burst. When I watched you play that game, something just clicked within me. Seeing a person capable of moving that fast, I felt that I had finally found the true king who could accelerate against a stagnant world."

Him, capable of reaching speeds beyond even that of the Seven Kings of Pure Color? It felt strange to hear, yet oddly fitting. His incredible speed was byproduct of his magical affinity, which was that of wind and lightning. It would seem that even someone like Kuroyukihime could see the latent potential within him.

"While you may have the potential to surpass even the kings," she continued, "I can tell that you're hiding something deep within yourself, a side that you don't want even your closest friends to see. That feeling tugs at my very heart. I want to kneel before the future king, but I want to protect you and keep you safe. These conflicting feelings welled up within me and before I knew it, I fell in love with you, but I only realized it yesterday."

"Yesterday? But that was when I snapped at you for accusing my sister of being your harasser. How could that be the day you realized you had feelings for me when I treated you like garbage?"

"It was why you acted that way that made me realize it. Your relationship with your sister, Kisara, your closeness with her, I was jealous of it, jealous of the clear bond and trust between you two. I was even jealous when I heard rumors that you were rather close to a girl that doesn't even go to our school, although I still have yet to find out who that girl might be."

Great, even Kuroyukihime has heard the rumors about him and Fuko. Then again, it was inevitable that the students of Umesato High School would find out eventually. It didn't make it any less frustrating though. Maybe deep down he wanted whatever he had with Fuko to remain in its little bubble forever. He didn't know how he felt at the moment though with everything that's been happening though as it's all moving way too fast for him to fully process.

"I was slow to realize it, but thankfully not too slow. I'm just glad I got to tell you everything. I just wish it had been in the real world when I did so." She paused once more, jewel-like tears welling up in her dazzling amber eyes. "But now it's time to say goodbye."

That last word was one Marth never wanted to hear in a scenario like this. Just it's mere mention brought back a terrible feeling of guilt and pain, the likes of which he has never felt before in his life. Long ago, during the Era of Chaos, during his first life as Zane Umbris, he had failed to protect someone he cared deeply about, right at the final battle to decide the fate of the world. That person, was his own sister, Lucia, who died in his embrace, taking a blow that was meant for him.

While he did not fully remember that tragedy as his memories have yet to fully return, he took an oath to never let that happen again. He would rather die than let his beloved sister take the same path again. He will not lose her, or anyone that he cared for again.

"Whatever you're going to do, don't," Marth pleaded, something that he would normally think was out of character for him, but the words left his lips all the same. "You don't have to put yourself at risk. I can handle this. I should handle this. I can't let you risk yourself to save me when there's an easy way out."

Despite his sincere plea, Kuroyukihime was not fazed in the slightest. Instead, she just continued with what would seem to be her final words. "And risk exposing you to your enemies, no way. You may not have said anything, but I recall an old legend where the demons fought each other in an ancient war. I believe the bad demons were referred to as 'Darkfallen'. I may not fully understand your situation, but even I can tell that it would be bad for everyone if they discover you."

"I can deal with them! Don't do this. Please!"

"Become strong, Marth. Become faster than everyone else. Defeat the kings on my behalf, climb to the top and see what I wanted to see." Suddenly her lips closed in, colliding with Marth's own. The kiss lasted barely a thousandth of a second in the real world, but to Marth it felt like an eternity. It made his mind go numb to everything else. Eventually Kuroyukihime pulled away and whispered, "I'm sure we'll meet again someday."

She turned away from him in a firm movement and approached the car, while Marth found that he couldn't even move, just helplessly watching whatever it was that the Black King was about to do.

She spread her arms out wide and straightened her back before calling out in a clear voice: "Physical Full Burst!"

Her avatar disappeared in a burst of blinding white light.

"No, Hime!" Marth cried out as he was forced to shield his eyes with his arm.

When the light finally died down, he saw something impossible. Kuroyukihime, who should have been standing behind Marth's real body, was now moving in the real world. It was moving at about one-tenth the speed of racing car, but she was definitely moving forward.

"It can't be. That's not possible."

The Brain Burst program had the ability to overclock the quantum signal the heart generates by a rate of a thousand times and accelerated the user's consciousness. It shouldn't have any effect on their real body. Heck, the program separates that consciousness and places it in a virtual world generated from the data of the social cameras. And yet, despite all odds, Kuroyukihime's body was indeed moving at a speed that he could see through acceleration. There was an occasional blurring on her blue body. Did that mean that she was exceeding the filming speed of the social cameras. That meant she was currently moving at a speed way beyond that of any normal human, almost at the level of Scathach and Medusa.

Was this a forbidden power that Brain Burst provided? To not only accelerate one's mind but their body as well. Judging from her stiff expression, it was clear that this process was very painful to Kuroyukihime. No kidding. Kazuto, Asuna, and Shino were able to reach great speeds in the real world as well, but that was thanks to enduring the harsh teachings of the deadliest woman in the three realms plus the aid of reinforcement runes to enhance their physical bodies. Kuroyukihime wasn't trained to do anything like this, so she was enduring it all without any assistance. There was no telling what kind of internal damage she was suffering from this by pushing her body beyond its limits.

Araya's car was dangerously close to Marth's real body. Even if he decelerated now and used even his forbidden power, there was no way he could escape unscathed. Kuroyukihime raised both her hands and gently placed them on the demon's body. It was gentle push, but given her current speed, it was equal to that of hard slam that he could feel in this world as his vision began to give away.

Suddenly he found himself back in his real body and tumbling away. He watched as Kuroyukihime still had her arms outstretched, retaining a warm smile. His vision went dark for a moment but he felt himself collide with something behind him, arms wrapping up to catch him.

When his sight finally returned, he found himself on the pavement in the arms of a white-haired girl with dazzling red eyes. Her skin was a snow white, looking both soft and firm, rather strange for a human. She wore a short-sleeved purple dress with red and black trimming, black leggings, and red shoes. She looked perfect, almost too perfect to be human. He knew this girl. She was…

"Master Marth, are you okay?!" the girl asked frantically. "You're not hurt are you? Please don't be. Lady Kisara would kill me if something happened to you after she sent me to look after you."

"Yuna?" Marth said slowly. "My sister…sent you?"

"Of course she did," Yuna confirmed with a swift nod. "My lady was worried about you so she instructed me to follow you in case anything happened. As her familiar, it's my duty to obey her. I'm sorry for taking so long to get here. Cynthia would have gotten here in an instant, but she still hasn't returned from the mission you gave her in Eternus. I'm really sorry for not being much help."

Marth didn't respond immediately. Instead he forced himself to sit up and turn around to see horror behind him. Araya's car had crashed into the nearby store, shattering the large glass window. It was hard to tell the casualties inside. Soon he found the disconnected cable that had been plugged into a certain black Neurolinker. Close to it, he found the limp body of Kuroyukihime, surrounded in a pool of her own blood, which seemed to sparkle in the evening light.

To be continued


Yeah, I know I'm evil for ending this chapter with a cliffhanger after it took so long to update. To be honest, this chapter was a slog to write. I don't know why, but it felt like it was taking an eternity to write even small bits of it, which is part of why it took so long to finish this one. Hopefully this won't be a reoccurring thing and I'll be able to update more frequently. Anyway, I'll see you guys next time!