Chapter 16- The Unlimited Neutral Field
November 3, 2056
Marth was turning the pages of his book about the gods from the Age of Chaos. While not something he so readily shared, he was always fascinated with studying the past. Perhaps it was a way for him to learn of new tactics for his missions, or more likely, it was just a passion project.
Stories about the gods were especially interesting, likely because he knew some of them back during the War of Light and Shadow, two of which being Solus and Medusa. However, like with other mythological figures, their stories were prone to exaggeration, their feats made more incredible or menacing than they really were. For example, one of Medusa's tall tales involved her turning an entire country to stone in an instant simply because they insulted her. Looking back on it now, that just made his elder sister seem crueler and pettier than she really was. When asked about its authenticity, the snake goddess confirmed that the event did not happen.
As a being created by Sinestra, the Goddess of Darkness, Medusa does indeed possess a vengeful side, a trait seen in all demons, but her thirst for vengeance isn't that extreme. Even if it was, her Mystic Eyes of Petrification weren't strong enough to turn an entire country to stone. Only a primordial god could pull off that feat. Medusa is in fact one of the minor gods, as was Solus. Sure, they were strong enough to take on entire armies, but they certainly weren't capable of reducing an entire country to ruin at the snap of the fingers.
Marth halted from his page turning when he spotted a picture of a white nine-tailed fox with bright red tattoos decorating its body and bright golden eyes. Its many and magnificent tails were all outstretched, multicolored lights dazzling their tips. How curious. He didn't think he'd stumble upon her biography in this book. Despite what one might think, this strange fox was not a god, but a familiar. However, this being's power was practically on point with that of the divine, so much so that she was called a goddess.
Shinobu Umbris, otherwise known as the Spirit Maiden. She was the familiar of Altena Umbris and is believed to be the strongest familiar of all. No one really knows how the Pride Lord met the kitsune, but there are folktales of her taming a god as her familiar. To put this into perspective, making a living creature your familiar has a varying level of difficulty. The more powerful the creature is, the harder it is to convert it to a familiar. The age of the creature in question is also a factor. For example, Cynthia was one of the many children of the Spider Queen Shadira, an exceptionally powerful Lemure, but Zane didn't have much difficulty making her his familiar because of her young age (she was only three years old at the time). Well, that and she willingly submitted to him, yet another factor to consider.
Then there's Elaine, Rias's familiar. She is a phoenix, a legendary fire bird said to be eternally reborn in flames. She is ranked as the third most powerful familiar, with Cynthia taking fifth (in her prime as she is unfortunately still trying to regain her lost power upon her rebirth, an unfortunate side effect of reviving familiars, especially ones that have been dead for seven millennia). Supposedly she was just a hatchling when Rias got her. In fact, prior to meeting Altena, Elaine was Rias's only companion when she lived in the slums of Obsidia as an orphan. Yeah, turns out the Crimson Sorceress, the Lust Lord, was once an orphan. Rias admittedly didn't talk much about her past prior to her meeting Altena (although even someone as dense as Marth could see the great fondness in the Lust Lord's tone when she talked about his birth mother), so he didn't know why she grew up alone as a child. He didn't press her for answers, of course. Rias will reveal more about herself when she believes she is ready to do so.
Anyway, back to Shinobu. No one knows what she was before meeting Altena. Not even Rias seems to know, but there was the possibility that she was lying, though the purpose as to why is unknown. Given how beloved Altena is by the demon race, and that she is considered to be the strongest demon to ever exist, they have claimed that Shinobu is an actual goddess that Altena managed to tame as a familiar. Realistically, not even Marth believed that such a thing was possible, even for his own birthmother. Even dragons, the strongest of monsters, can only be tamed as familiars when they are mere hatchlings. To bind an actual god, even a minor one, should be impossible, even for the Pride Lord of Sinestra.
Unfortunately, Marth doubted that he'll get answers to this mystery anytime soon. Altena is dead and Shinobu has not been seen in the last seven thousand years. Not even Rias knew where the kitsune could be. All they knew was that she did in fact survive the War of Light and Shadow. If a familiar's master is slain, there is the possibility of them binding to a new master if they choose so, but if the stories Marth heard about Shinobu are true, she isn't the type to look for a new master. But still, just where could she be?
"Do you want me to look for her, Master?"
The voice of his loyal familiar snapped Marth from his thoughts. She always seemed to read him like an open book. It really shows the strong bond they had. No matter what happens, the Spider of Despair will always stand by her master, even with her fragmented memory (an unfortunate side effect from her death back in the Age of Chaos). Her dedication has no bounds.
"Tempting, but I doubt even you could find her. Shinobu has a history of being very elusive. It's part of why she was so feared by the Darkfallen during the War of Light and Shadow."
"True, but we need all the allies we can get for your plan to succeed. Locating Shinobu and recruiting her will go a long way to achieving your goals."
"Yes, I can't deny that. But unfortunately, we don't have the means to track down the Fox Goddess. We're struggling with just tracking down the remaining Harbingers and the divine weapons. If we divert resources to locating Shinobu right now, it'll prolong our search to locating the others. I'm afraid Shinobu will have to wait."
Marth could practically picture the gray spider sighing while hiding within his hair. "Very well. As always, I will trust your judgement, Master."
Of course, there was one divine weapon that they knew the location of. Lunaris, the Blade of Darkness. However, its resting place isn't exactly a well-kept secret. Pretty much everyone in Eternus and Arun knew where the black blade slept. The Darkwood Forest, a mysterious place located in Erina, the western territory of Eternus. Naturally, there is a reason why the sword has remained unclaimed for seven millennia, despite it not being so secretive, and that was because of the dark legend surrounding this sword.
The Lunaris is the dark counterpart of Excalibur, a blade seen as the ultimate holy sword. Excalibur symbolizes order, unity, light, and hope. Lunaris, however, embodies chaos, destruction, shadow, and vengeance. According to legend, the two swords possess spirits, their own consciousnesses. The spirits choose the wielders of the swords they inhabit, not the other way around. The spirit of Excalibur was named Vivian. From what Marth could remember from his fragmented memory as Zane, the light spirit carried herself with grace and regality. She had even served as the advisor of several kings prior to the War of Light and Shadow. She valued life, especially those of the commonfolk. It is no wonder why Excalibur is considered a king's sword. However, her sister was the polar opposite.
Sophia, the spirit of the Lunaris, practically embodied chaos. She loved sowing fear and despair into her enemies. Her viciousness knew no bounds and claimed many souls of all kinds. Apparently she was so out of control that the gods themselves had to intervene and imprisoned her within the Darkwood Forest, forcing her into an eternal slumber, praying that she and the dreaded blade she inhabited would be forgotten by history. Sadly for them, that fate wouldn't come to pass.
In the early years of the Age of Chaos, rumors of the Lunaris, the only weapon capable of matching the Holy Sword Excalibur spread among the populace of the united world. Many power-hungry people would then go searching for the blade only to never return. After ten years since the rumors started, the world finally learned what had befallen those people. A lone human covered in grave injuries, their strength nearly depleted, managed to find themselves in Obsidia, the capital of Eternus, but without the coveted sword in hand. Apparently, the king at the time saw fit to record the sheer terror and fear the human exuded when he talked about what happened in great detail.
The human explained how a magnificent black sword in a forest surrounded in a permanent fog would test those who place their hands upon its handle. The blade would release a powerful darkness, peering into the person's soul to see if they would make a worthy master. However, if they failed the compatibility test, then Sophia would devour them, both body and soul, effectively consuming their entire existence. Even someone as cold as Marth felt a little disturbed reading the graphic detail of Sophia's victims, and he had seen Cynthia devour people in her spider form, which wasn't a pretty sight in itself. After that terrible account, no one wanted to go looking for the Lunaris. Even the most corrupt and dangerous people among the three races did not want to risk their very existence over claiming such a powerful weapon.
So then, you must be asking why Marth, or rather Zane, would ever consider using such a dangerous sword. To put it simply, there just weren't any other options for him. Four of the demon lords had sided with Zeta, the God of Destruction, and the entire world was burning in the flames of war. Zane needed power if he wanted to end it, so he decided to risk it all by seeking out the dark blade. By some miracle, Sophia deemed him as worthy of the Lunaris and he was allowed to wield it. As the opposite of Vivian, Sophia only wanted one master, one worthy person to wield her. That was why she was so vicious in her testing (though it's also speculated she did it for her own amusement too). She managed to find something in Zane that she didn't find in any of the previous candidates. Nowadays, the legends say that she'll consume any who aren't her true master as she waits for his return.
"Come to think of it, during the battle with Cyan Pile, I heard that strange voice coming from Lunara," Marth thought. "That must have been Sophia, or at least a memory of her. Even after seven thousand years, she's still watching over me."
He has every intention of reclaiming his beloved sword, and his most trusted partner. The reason he seems to not be in such a rush is because he knows that Sophia can easily defend herself from any unwanted ilk. It all just depends on when he believes it is time to wield the Lunaris again. He was sure that Sophia didn't mind this. Like Cynthia, she had absolute faith in her master and his plans.
The way he saw it, the moment he removes the demonic sword from its plinth, his path would be set in stone. There was no avoiding his fate, no matter how hard he tried to change it. His path was never something he could choose, not since the day his father forced this curse onto him. However, that didn't mean that Marth was willing to let himself become a pawn in someone else's game. He'll play this board how he wants to play and take full advantage of what he had available, including his curse.
Speaking of which, he needed to set up a time and place for his meeting with Elie tomorrow. He still didn't know what she wanted to discuss with him or if she could be trusted. However, after thinking about it all day and his talks with Medusa, he was beginning to have an idea on who the new transfer student is. Could she potentially be…
"Brother, it's time."
Marth paused his thoughts as he perked his head up. Right in front of him was Kisara, her eyes as sure as ever. Knowing what she was talking about, he closed his book.
"I see. So Yuniko knows where Chrome Disaster is then?"
"Yes. We're getting ready to dive into the Unlimited Neutral Field now. We'll dive in from the living room."
"Okay. I'll see you there, Sister."
Kisara nodded before making her way to the living room. Marth turned around to see that Kuroba was fast asleep, her head resting on the table. He had noticed it a few minutes earlier and even felt tempted to move her to his bed so she would be more comfortable, but he decided against it. He didn't want to give his sisters any ammunition to further tease him with.
He can't deny that he found the Black King attractive, but he found it hard to believe that any girl (outside his family) could love him in a romantic way. Besides, there was no telling how the others would react once they learn of his curse. He wouldn't really blame them if they left upon it. It would still hurt emotionally, but who would willingly side with the Lord of Calamity?
"Hey, Kuroba," Marth said as he gently shook his guardian's shoulder. "It's time to wake up."
"Do we have to wake her?" Fuko questioned, a slight smirk plastered on her face, still sitting right across from the Legion Master. "I think she needs to catch up on her rest. Plus it gives the two of us some alone time."
He rolled his eyes at the brunette's comment. He still had no idea why she was acting so bold, her words having rather lewd interpretations. Kisara always laughs at seeing his reactions, but he didn't find them amusing. That last one was one of the more tolerable ones. However, Fuko seemed dead set on continuing this shift, as she seemed to get bolder every time he complained, so Marth just decided to just bear with it. Hopefully, by doing so, Fuko will go back to acting normal again.
"You know we can't do that, Fuko," he replied. "If this Chrome Disaster is as strong as they say, we need Black Lotus's help to destroy it. Besides, you're not diving in anyway because of your avatar's handicap."
The brunette looked a little saddened at that, which sent a small ache to Marth's heart. He didn't know the details around Fuko's avatar, but ever since an incident two years ago, Sky Raker has been confined to a wheelchair. Now, even a game as brutal as Brain Burst wasn't that realistic with its combat as severed limbs being gone permanently would have destroyed the longevity of the game. Any damage a Linker suffers in a duel is repaired the moment they fight again. However, something was keeping Sky Raker's legs from regenerating.
Fuko claims she knows the reason for it, but she never elaborates when asked. However, given Kuroba's pained expression whenever the topic is brought up, it was clear she had some connection to her friend's situation, although the Black King has never confirmed it outright. Because of her missing limbs, Fuko rarely participated in duels, but she did fight in the territory battles that happened every week or so. She held her own decently in those fights, but she's severely limited in which areas she can fight in, for obvious reasons of course. Marth had to wonder if there was a way to restore his friend's avatar to its original form so she can fight at her best, but so far, he hasn't had such luck.
"Mmm."
Marth's thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of Kuroba stirring from her rest. After a brief interaction between the trio, they headed into the living room where the rest of Nega Nebulus was waiting. Curiously, the demon prince found his gaze drawn towards Niko. He still didn't trust the Red King, but he didn't quite see her as a tool to be used for this threat anymore. Prior to Kuroba and the others arriving at his apartment today, he had bit of a heart-to-heart with Niko. He was curious what her thoughts were with working with the Black King, the Greatest Traitor in the Accelerated World, and the executioner of Red Rider was like. What Yuniko told him was rather surprising.
She first clarified that she held no ill feelings towards Kuroba over the banishment of Red Rider. In fact, she never actually spoke with the previous Red King, despite being in his Legion. To no surprise, the defeat of Red Rider caused Prominence to collapse, with separate groups forming to try to seize power. It was actually because of that infighting that Scarlet Rain was able to become the next Red King as it gave her excellent opportunities to rake up burst points.
Naturally there were some members of the Red Legion who wanted to take revenge on Black Lotus for defeating their previous king, but the more bloodthirsty ones have long since left Prominence and joined other Legions. Although there was one member who left, but still hasn't joined another Legion. Dark Cerberus, a level 8 Burst Linker. Supposedly, he's as powerful as the Seven Kings of Pure Color and was the right-hand man of Red Rider. He…didn't take the news of Rider's defeat well and has since swore vengeance against Black Lotus. Not even Yuniko knew what he was up to, but she did warn Marth that if he ever did come across Dark Cerberus then he should just run. Fighting the former Red Legion member would have been difficult under normal circumstances, but with his drive for vengeance, he would be the most dangerous Linker in all of Brain Burst, possibly even more dangerous than Chrome Disaster.
Now, Marth didn't tell Yuniko this, but he found himself interested in this Burst Linker. Contrary to his Wrath Lord position, he wasn't someone constantly looking for an excuse to fight. However, he was never one to run from a fight, especially ones with strong opponents. He saw them as opportunities to improve and grow even stronger. He wasn't ashamed to admit it, but Marth wasn't quite as powerful as a one would think for a demon lord. In fact, he was probably the weakest of the seven. This had nothing to do with the Wrath Lord position itself, but because of his own inexperience. It takes years for a demon lord to master their powers. Marth, by all accounts, was still in training, hence why he can't hold his own against Rias. He's actually been having to take cram sessions in regard to his demon lord training, largely because of his curse. Not even the Lust Lord could predict when it will fully consume him. Then there was the consideration of the Darkfallen. They had no idea what those traitors were plotting from the shadows, nor when they will execute said plans. That was why Rias and Scathach implemented such a harsh training regiment for Marth, because they simply don't know how much time they had left.
Anyway, tangent aside, if this Dark Cerberus is as strong as Yuniko said he is, then he might make for a good opponent. Marth was still not on the level of fighting other demon lords, but he might be able to handle regular opponents like other Linkers. Heck, Kisara held her own phenomenally against Scarlet Rain, a king-class player. If she could stand her ground against such a high ranked player, then so can he.
After that warning, Yuniko talked about her personal feelings regarding Black Lotus. After making Marth swear not to tell Kuroba, she admitted that she actually admired her. Kuroba is the only King who was serious about reaching level 10. The other Kings are just messing around in duels under that nonaggression pact. Apparently, there were some Kings that were secretly vying for level 10, using the nonaggression pact as a way to watch for any openings to strike. Yuniko never clarified which camp she fell into regarding that, but she didn't seem like the conniving type.
The nonaggression pact was causing the Accelerated World to stagnate. There just isn't anyone to fight as most of the high-level players are tied to the main Legions and rarely leave their territories, making them near impossible to challenge. The Unlimited Neutral Field was the only alternative, and apparently that itself was pretty risky. Yuniko believes that this is the reason Cherry Rook succumbed to using the Armor of Catastrophe, blaming herself as the one for his downfall. Heck, the only reason why Ashen Wolf was already level 4 after just a month of constant dueling was because his level up requirements were significantly lower than the other players. The same goes for Kazuto, Asuna and Kisara. For some reason, they were the only known players to have this privilege. Naturally, this was not public knowledge as that would no doubt cause all of the Accelerated World to constantly harass the quartet out of spite and jealousy.
That talk with the Red King certainly intrigued the demon prince. Before now, he didn't care much for Brain Burst. He always just saw it as a tool to recover his lost memories, but now he was finding himself getting drawn in by its mysteries. Just what were the developers' intent for this game? Why does he regain parts of his memories upon every level up?
All his previous level ups brought back memories of his life as Shun Koujiro. The ones that came back were mostly about his days in Aincrad, plus some of his time in both Alfheim and GGO. As for his memories as Zane, most of those were still too hazy and distorted. He only had a handful of ones that were clear. Whenever he tried to think about his memories from that time, it always gave him a terrible headache, forcing him to stop. According to his elder sister, it is common for reincarnations to be missing their memories from their previous lives, but they're supposed to return over time as they grow up. Meanwhile none of the Harbingers have had their memories restored via that method, especially Marth. There was a powerful mental block on their memories from the Age of Chaos, one that was too dangerous to remove outright. The most Rias could safely find out over the last eight years was that the root of the block was Marth with the other Harbingers somehow getting tangled in, which was why their memories returned whenever he leveled up too. However, she couldn't identify who was responsible for the mental block, which unnerved the Wrath Lord.
He had to snap out of his thoughts as he realized that they were still in the middle of their briefing. Thankfully, no one seemed to have noticed that he had zoned out.
"Cherry's on a train on the Seibu Ikebukuro line," Yuniko said crisply. "Given his pattern, his hunting ground for today must be the Bukes."
"Ikebukuro? How annoying." Kuroba clicked her tongue lightly. "So how will we move? Are we going to use a train or cab in the real world, or shall we cut through inside?"
It took Marth a moment to realize the latter meant the Accelerated World. The Normal Duel Field seemed endless, but there were actually set borders located at the ends of all the different areas. It was impossible to reach Ikebukuro through that field.
"We'll go from inside," Niko answered. "That way we shouldn't get tripped up by any Enemies."
"If we're lucky." Kuroba turned her head towards her Legion members. "Now then, does everyone remember the command to dive into the Unlimited Neutral Field? Remember, this will use up ten burst points."
Not even a moment later, Kazuto gave a quick nod. "We remember. It's not that easy to forget. Plus we should all be good on points."
"Good," Fuko replied. "You all are about to dive into the true battlefield of the Accelerated World. Good luck in there."
"Yeah," Shino added. "Get in a few hits for us and be careful."
The participating Harbingers nodded in acknowledgement. Kuroba then declared that the fifth Chrome Disaster Subjugation has begun. With a single command, the Linkers dived into the true battlefield of Brain Burst:
"Unlimited Burst!"
The sensation of acceleration hit Marth twice as hard as it normally was. He soon found himself surrounded by darkness. He had changed straight into his duel avatar, Ashen Wolf. In a normal acceleration, he would first be in his regular swordsman avatar.
The clacking of footsteps suddenly filled the air. Marth turned around to see that he was no longer alone. Emerging from the shadows was a young girl with short black hair with two dull gold decorations on her forelocks and bright blue eyes. She was dressed in a light blue-green shirt and a white skirt with light purple edging that exposed much of her legs above and below the knees, as well as brown leather sandals covering her toes with heels that left the sides of her feet exposed.
Her gaze was fierce, as if she was trying to decipher all of Marth's secrets. She had a strange presence about her. It felt familiar, yet he couldn't quite identify it. Whatever it was though, it was making his head hurt.
"So the time has come for you to dive into the Unlimited Neutral Field," she spoke in a neutral tone. "Fair warning, that place is very dangerous, even to high-level Burst Linkers. However, given your history, I am sure you will do just fine in there. After all, you are quite capable."
The way the girl said that last sentence made Marth feel uneasy. He had a feeling she knew more than she was letting on. Just was is she? A demon, no, and not a fairy either. Damn it, it's impossible to tell while in the virtual world.
"You speak as if we've met," Marth said cautiously. "Have we?"
"No, this is our first meeting, but I have been watching you for a while now, Ashen Wolf. You're certainly one of the more interesting Linkers that have shown up in Brain Burst."
"Well since you seem to be so familiar with me, why don't you tell me your name. You certainly aren't like any Burst Linker I've met before."
Her impassive mask finally broke a little with a slight smile. "I could tell you now, but where's the fun in that? Instead, let's make a deal. If you manage to succeed in this endeavor, I'll tell you my name." She then promptly turned around. "Good luck."
The girl walked off and disappeared into the darkness before Marth could another word in. Immediately afterward, a blinding rainbow light engulfed him. By the time the light died down, he found himself back in his apartment, only it had been transformed into a metallic corridor. Several light blue flames flickered on the walls and pillars. It looked like something you'd see in a demonic castle.
He wasn't alone as he could easily spot his teammates, minus Shino and Fuko, gathered in the same room. It seemed that no one had a hard time getting in.
"So this is the Unlimited Neutral Field," Asuna spoke up.
"Correct," Kuroba replied, her voice distorted by a metallic effect. With her arms and legs essentially being swords, she didn't really walk, instead hovering slightly above the ground.
The group made their way out of the corridor and into a steel passageway. A thick fog covered the area, adding to the unsettling atmosphere. It certainly gave the impression to quicken one's pace lest something strikes you while hidden from sight. As they searched for an exit, Marth thought about that strange girl who appeared before him. He was half-tempted to tell the others, but he had no idea if that interaction actually happened or not. At the very least, she didn't seem hostile, but that certainly didn't solve the mystery that was her identity. Perhaps he'll tell the others after they were finished with Chrome Disaster. Eventually they reached a terrace that opened to the outside, giving a clear view of the world beyond.
If Marth had to pick a word to describe what he saw, it would be enormous. Up above were thick gray clouds, obscuring any sunlight. Bluish-purple lightning danced in the air. Meanwhile down below, all the buildings were layered in sharp steel plates. They looked more like strongholds than apartment buildings and skyscrapers. This definitely fit the theme of "city of evil".
"A Chaos-attributed stage," Kuroba mused as they all took in the scenery. "You'll find out what that means sooner or later. Anyway, have you noticed anything different, Marth?"
He was initially confused but quickly searched for any actual changes. It wasn't the scenery that was different, but rather his field of vision. In the past duels, both his and the opponent's HP bars always appeared in the upper portion of his vision, along with a timer that counted down from 1,800 seconds. But now there was just his HP bar and no timer. Not to mention that on a technical aspect, Brain Burst was the most impressive game he played so far. The fields were so detailed and tangible to the senses that they were practically identical to the real world. Not even Aincrad was capable of such a feat.
"Interesting. No time limit. No wonder it's called the Unlimited Neutral Field."
The max limit of acceleration was thirty minutes, which was a mere 1.8 seconds in the real world. However, with that limiter removed in this field… If one spent ten real world minutes here, that would be equivalent to seven days or so in here. But if one spent an entire day, that would be…
After doing the math in his head, Marth audibly said, "Three years."
Basically, you could stay here for an eternity and most people in the real world wouldn't even notice. This was truly like an alternate world. Just imagine the possibilities this could provide.
"I'd be careful if I were you, Master," Takumu said from behind him.
He turned to face his servant, who shrugged the solid shoulders of his avatar. "I came here once before, getting that same sense of excitement that you're getting. I thought going home right away would be a waste. After all, I used up ten points to get here. I spent three in-game days in here. When I finally returned to the real world, I had forgotten everything I was planning to do before I accelerated. It totally sucked."
"He's right. In just three days, you'll simply forget what you were going to do, but if you spent a month or even six months here…" Kuroba's voice grew serious. "People are changed when they return. Your real body may not age, but your soul does. Burst Linkers have to be careful when they come to this field if they don't want to draw suspicion from their friends and families."
That made sense. It would certainly explain why someone like Niko had an older presence despite only being a little girl. The ages between her physical body and her soul grew too great.
So what would happen if he were to spend a prolonged time here? Unlike the other players, his mother knew about Brain Burst and even encouraged him to use it to regain his lost memories. Would she be fine with him spending months in this plane, years even? As a demon, Marth was immortal. Dying from old age was impossible for him. Would he too forget his plans in the real world? He'll have to consult his elder sister about this before he comes to any conclusions.
"Anyway," Scarlet Rain spoke up. "We need to get moving. When we accelerated, we had two real world minutes before Cherry's train reaches Ikebukuro."
Two real world minutes? That would be around thirty-three hours in the Accelerated World. That was a lot of time to cover six kilometers of distance.
"So how do we get there?" Kirito questioned. "We're not seriously planning on walking all the way to Ikebukuro, are we?"
"Why would we when we have these two with us?" The small red avatar tossed glances at both Ashen Wolf and Purple Flare. "You'll give us a lift, right big brother, big sister?"
Both Marth and Kisara sighed. They had a feeling this would happen. It made sense though, since they were the only players with the aviation ability. Still a mystery as to why only they had it though when all the Harbingers, aside from Takumu, had some association with flight. Kazuto and Asuna were veterans of Alfheim Online, Fuko was a reincarnated fairy (which could fly by creating wings, but it is an advanced technique, one that the brunette still hadn't mastered quite yet), while Kuroba was both a fairy and Yuuki's reincarnation (though she has yet to master flight as well).
Regardless of the reason, it doesn't change the fact that currently, only Ashen Wolf and Purple Flare were capable of flight. Anyway, the demon siblings spent the next few minutes filling their special-attack gauges by destroying the terrain around them with their swords. As they were doing so, the others were having an argument over which sibling will carry who. Well, more like two people were having an argument and the others were just watching from the sidelines.
"I have to be held!" Kuroba cried out in frustration. "Just look what at I have for arms! You either hang onto Wolf's legs, or have Flare carry you."
"Oh please," Yuniko scoffed, arms on her waist, heading leaning forward slightly. "You could easily have Flare carry you. But we all know why you want to be held by Wolf. You trying to make a move on him while your competition's not present?"
"Wh-what?! I don't know what you're talking about."
"Puh-lease. Anyone with working eyeballs can see it. The only reason Marth hasn't noticed is because he's too stupid to—" A blast of purple fire suddenly swept past the Red King, easily breaking through the wall behind her. The crimson avatar looked pale for a brief second. "Uh, I mean too dense to realize."
Sparks were quite literally flying between the two girls as they continued arguing.
"Should we jump in?" Asuna muttered to her boyfriend.
Kirito just chuckled in amusement, arms folded over his chest. "Nah. I'm enjoying this too much."
It ended up being Takumu who got the Kings to stop fighting. He was the one to suggest that Marth carry Kuroba, Kirito and himself while Kisara carried the others. His reason for his master to carry three people was that Marth was more of a natural at flying, meaning he could carry more people easily. Kuroba wasn't too big on it (for obvious reasons) but tolerated it as it meant not sharing a ride with the Red King. Yuniko probably would have protested more, but Kirito stepped in and said that he was cool with that arrangement, effectively shutting her down.
Soon, the group was off into the sky. Marth held Kuroba and Kirito by their waists while Takumu held onto to his legs. As for Kisara, she decided to be a bit more mischievous by carrying Asuna bridal style, while making Yuniko hold onto her neck and chest.
"S-seriously, Kisara?!" Argent Flash exclaimed, tints of pink on her face mask. "Do you have to carry us so awkwardly?"
"I second that!" Scarlet Rain protested. "This doesn't feel safe at all!"
The demoness simply chuckled. "What? I can't have a little fun?" she asked innocently.
It took Marth's interference for her to switch to a more comfortable way to carry both girls, though it was clear Kisara enjoyed that brief moment of mischief. She was never one to let a moment to tease Asuna pass.
As for Marth himself, it was awkward carrying three people while airborne. The most he carried back in the real world were two, and even that wasn't ideal. The extra weight makes it harder to move about, meaning it was dangerous to do so while in a battle. As someone who relies primarily on his speed to overwhelm his opponents, this situation was not good. He could only hope that they wouldn't run into trouble on the way to Ikebukuro.
"Incredible!" Yuniko cried out. "Just look at this view. I can't believe we're really flying. There's Kannana Street over there and is that the Chuno Line? Maybe I can even see my school from up here."
To both Marth and Kisara, this sight was normal for them. Even in the confined Normal Duel Field, one could see the entire Kanto region, not just Tokyo, from this height. However, the Unlimited Duel Field seemed to go beyond that as there was no visible limit that the demon prince could spot. It might even cover the entire nation of Japan through the social camera net.
"Wow," Kirito commented as he took in the sights. "So this is the true Accelerated World. Existing alongside the real world."
"Exactly," Kuroba confirmed. "This is the true battlefield of the Burst Linkers. If either of you strive to reach level 9, you will inevitably have to fight in this place and win. But that can wait for another time."
"What? You trying to say we're not ready to fight here?"
"Oh far from it. All four of you are more than capable of fighting in this realm, more so than any other player. I'm just saying you don't have to do it now."
"I see," Marth said slowly. "If this is a permanent map, then does that mean there are other Burst Linkers here?"
"Yup." It was Yuniko who answered. "It may not look like anyone else is here, but trust me, there are other Burst Linkers that are dived in. Granted there are only about a thousand players and only around a hundred or so are even capable of diving into the Unlimited Neutral Field."
"Which explains the emptiness. Not to mention that Tokyo is a rather huge city. You could easily hide even a thousand players in it."
In order to conserve their special-attack gauges, which have dropped by 10 percent already, the demon siblings took a direct route to Ikebukuro. According to Yuniko, the closer you get to the center of town, the more likely you were to run into Burst Linkers, which was why Cherry Rook was heading there. As they flew, Marth spotted an actual functioning train below them. It only had two cars, but it was still surprising to see something like that in a fighting game. According to his guardian, you have to pay points to use it, though she didn't elaborate any further, like who was driving it.
"Marth, look over there," Kuroba suggested, pointing to the east.
He looked in that direction and let out an audible gasp. There was an enormous shadow moving down Yamate Street, which was covered in a thick fog. The form suggested that it was a four-legged beast with the torso of a stingray plus countless feelers instead of a head. Also at the ends of its limbs were sharp talons reminiscent of insects. As for its size, it was easily three stories tall and occupied three street lanes.
"I see. So there are monsters in this world."
"Indeed, though they are classified as Enemies here. They are the inhabitants of this world that are created and moved by the system."
Niko let out a whistle before taking over, "Talk about lucky. You don't normally see big ones like that so quickly. Don't get to close to it though. If we get targeted by that thing, even a group like this will get slowed down."
"So they attack players, just like in other MMOs," Asuna muttered. "Is there any benefit in fighting them?"
"Naturally," Cyan Pile answered. As soon as he spoke up, the beast below let out a sudden roar, but it had nothing to do with the observers from above. "Well speak of the devil. A hunt is starting."
"A hunt?" Kisara questioned.
The group looked more closely to see that the beast was now doing battle with several small shadows within the fog. Given their various colors of armor, it was clear that they were Burst Linkers. They were actually putting up a decent fight too. They knew better than to try to take a creature like that head-on, instead by gradually retreating while guarding its fierce attacks.
"As Takumu was saying," Kuroba continued as they continued to watch the spectacle below. "That is a hunt. Basically, if you kill the Enemies here, you'll get burst points as a reward. It gives you another way to earn points, but it's not very efficient compared to duels. Even a large monster at that level would only give you ten points if you're lucky. It's just a way to generate burst points as Brain Burst is at best, a fighting game. However, Enemy hunting has become the lone road to reaching higher levels…"
"Because of the nonaggression pact," Marth finished. "Which also keeps high-level Burst Linkers from invading another Legion's Territory. However, I'm guessing there are much more lucrative prey in this world. Prey that offer far more points than even the most powerful Enemies."
The Black King let out a chuckle, possibly even smiling under her purple visor. "You catch on quick, Wolf. This place allows you to fight to your heart's content, battling high-level Burst Linkers you couldn't normally challenge. They're impossible to challenge to regular duels because they never leave their Legion's Territory, but here you can ambush them. Anything is possible here."
"Which is what we're going to do with Cherry Rook—I mean, Chrome Disaster," Niko whispered, her eyes directed forward.
It wasn't much longer until they reached the skies of Ikebukuro. Since they had a good amount of time left, they decided to find a place to land before tracking where Disaster will appear. However, right as the siblings were about to make their descent, a flash of orange suddenly shot at them from the ground.
"Ngh!" Marth grunted as he flapped his wings, pouring all his strength to evade to the right, while his sister broke to the left.
Now as a demon, both siblings were much stronger than humans in a physical sense. However, carrying multiple people while airborne will still slow even them down. The Wrath Lord even had an inkling that this might happen too. After all, the Unlimited Neutral Field was essentially a free-for-all where you could be attacked at any moment.
More shots were fired, grazing the demons' wings as they struggled to stay on the move.
"Who's firing at us?!" Kirito cried out. "Is it Disaster?"
"It can't be!" Yuniko replied. "We should still have another day in this world before he arrives. And he doesn't have this kind of attack! This has—"
Kisara interrupted the conversation with a hasty cry. "We're going down! Everyone hang on!"
The siblings quickly began making their descent, all while more projectiles were being fired at them. They glided towards a massive crater as the Red King shot down what seemed to be missiles with her handgun. Meanwhile Kirito, Asuna and Kuroba cut down any projectiles that got close with their swords.
Somehow they managed to land in the crater largely unscathed. Marth himself only lost about 3 percent of his HP. However, despite reaching their destination, he had a feeling that they had fallen into a trap. It was almost as though those attacks led them to this location. He let out a beastly growl as he drew his swords. He sensed the presence other players at the top of the crater. Kirito must have noticed as well because he drew his other sword and got into a defensive position.
The others quickly went on guard as well as the sounds of countless footsteps could be heard from above. Multiple shadows rose up from the edges of the crater, about thirty in total. Marth's Hypersense was going off like crazy. The ability not only made him able to sense the presence of others, but it allowed him to detect their killing intent, and right now, he was getting some bloodthirsty vibes from these individuals. They were hunters about to strike their prey.
Emerging from the center of enemy team was a rather unusual avatar. They were long and thin, but taller than Cyan Pile. Their build was human, but only the shoulders and hips were filled out. Atop its head was a hat shaped like thick horns, curving long and thin to both sides. Large spheres stuck onto the ends of those horns wobbled soundlessly. Its face was covered by a mask with the pattern of a smile.
"A clown?" Marth muttered. It certainly resembled the joker from a deck of cards, but there was no humor to be found in this individual. Only a cruel glimmer could be gleamed from its eyes.
The clouds above them suddenly parted, allowing ashen sunlight to shine down, illuminating the avatars entrapping them. The enemy had a rainbow of colors, but the majority were clearly red and yellow. In particular, that clown's armor was a garish yellow. The moment he noticed that detail, his blood ran cold. It can't be, but it must. A color of that saturation didn't just exist in Brain Burst. That meant…this clown…its…
As if to confirm his suspicions, the crimson avatar behind him gave a hoarse acknowledgment. "Yellow Radio. The Yellow King. But why is he—"
A King. A level 9 Burst Linker, a level only seven currently exist within the Accelerated World. Damn it, things just got more complicated. How the hell were they going to get out of this situation?
To be continued
And now the Yellow King has revealed himself. Apologies for the length of this chapter. I wanted to include some more exposition, especially a bit about how the whole regaining memories thing works. If it was just leveling up, then Kuroba and Fuko would have regained their memories a long time ago, so I had to put an explanation on why their memories were still missing prior to Marth becoming a Burst Linker. Also this was to help set some future stuff up. Not gonna go into details on what that stuff is for obvious reasons. Anyway, next chapter is the long awaited clash with the Yellow Legion. Look forward to that. See you guys next time!
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to go play Legends Arceus.
