The cherry blossoms that had been blooming in full splendor had fallen, and before anyone knew it, early summer was drawing near.
That also meant it had already been two months since Kojiro entered the Accelerated World. In that time, Kojiro’s broken arm had fully healed, and he was finally able to take off the cast.
Two months in real time. Roughly 165 years in Accelerated World time. A great many things had happened in that span.
First, the children who played Brain Burst had begun calling themselves Burst Linkers. No one knew who started it, but by now it had become an unspoken rule among all the residents of the Accelerated World.
And the total number of Burst Linkers had also increased dramatically. The hundred Burst Linkers who had first entered the Accelerated World after receiving Brain Burst from an unknown sender. The so-called Originators had begun increasing their own “children.”
Calling them children sounded grand, but in reality it was nothing more than copying the Brain Burst game and sending it to someone else. Kojiro thought it was a rather amusing idea to attach the title of parent and child to such an act.
In any case, the number of Burst Linkers was now steadily rising. There were various side effects that came with that, but those could be explained later. The most important thing was that Kojiro had finally reached Level 4. In the entire Accelerated World, that was an absurdly fast pace.
In Brain Burst, the way to level up was to spend Burst Points. To reach Level 2, you had to pay 300 points, and the cost rose exponentially the higher your level went. In exchange, you could use level-up bonuses to strengthen your avatar’s stats or obtain a new finishing move or new reinforced exterior.
It wasn’t that Kojiro had no interest in the level-up bonuses, but the reason he had focused so hard on leveling up was entirely to reach Level 4. Because once you reached Level 4, you gained the right to enter the Unlimited Neutral Field.
Kojiro knew very well that, compared to the other Burst Linkers, he was far too strong. And he also knew that this was only harmful to the Accelerated World. Like any game, Brain Burst would be better the more people played it.
But if he kept winning duels and mindlessly stockpiling Burst Points, the total points in the Accelerated World would only keep shrinking, and the Burst Linkers would disappear as well, until in the end he would be the only Brain Burst player left.
He had had enough of that kind of loneliness in his previous life. Kojiro thought so.
So from today onward, Kojiro planned to stop doing ordinary duels and spend most of his playtime in the Unlimited Neutral Field. That was the original reason he had installed Brain Burst in the first place, and more than that, it was to give the Burst Linkers he had been keeping an eye on time to grow.
Of course, Kojiro had won every duel he fought until reaching Level 4.
So with a 100 percent win rate, Kojiro had become an impossible figure not to talk about among the fewer than 300 Burst Linkers.
At first, as with any game, there were rumors that he was a cheat user or bug exploiter. But based on the firsthand accounts of Burst Linkers who had fought him directly, as well as spectators who had watched his duels, the conclusion was that Kojiro was simply a terrifyingly strong Burst Linker.
Thus Kojiro had gained fame as the half-recognized number one ranked Burst Linker and the strongest Burst Linker.
By now, the people who challenged Kojiro to duels were split into two groups: newcomers who were just trying their luck out of curiosity, and seasoned warriors seriously aiming for the title of strongest in the Accelerated World.
And on the days when the latter openly challenged Kojiro, a strange phenomenon would occur: Burst Linkers living in other districts would deliberately come all the way to Nerima Ward just to watch.
That was the kind of fulfilling life Kojiro was living, balancing school life and the Accelerated World.
*
Today, just like always, Kojiro had finished class and was on his way home when an unexpected disturbance struck.
A roaring, rumbling sound filled Kojiro’s head, and at the same time his vision sank into darkness.
Even though it was a sudden intrusion, Kojiro wasn’t surprised. He had received a challenge from a Burst Linker yesterday, one who intended to challenge him at this very time today.
Just when he had reached Level 4 and was thinking he should avoid duels for a while, a challenge had come flying in. Kojiro had considered refusing it, but the challenger’s name was a fairly big one, so in the end he decided to accept.
In front of Kojiro, the now-familiar blazing alphabet appeared.
"HERE COMES A NEW CHALLENGER!"
The name of the opponent who had requested the duel was "Blue Knight." It was a very familiar name to Kojiro.
While he was checking the opponent’s name, the students on the path he had been walking vanished, and the road cracked and caved in here and there. Guardrails and road signs bent out of shape, and the windows of nearby buildings were riddled with cracks. In the huge drums scattered around the area, flickers of something burning could be seen peeking out.
Apparently, this duel’s field attribute was End of the Century. It was a fairly common field attribute, and its defining feature was that it had plenty of objects to fill the finishing move gauge, like those burning drums.
As Kojiro thought that over and waited for Blue Knight to appear, numerous gallery spectators suddenly showed up on the rooftops of the surrounding buildings and began chattering noisily.
"Whoa! It’s Swallow vs. Knight again after so long!"
"The Swallow swordsman finally reached Level 4."
"Swallow! I’m rooting for you!"
"Hey, what’s your problem, talking so casually to the Swallow swordsman?!"
"He’s the guy who got his head taken off by Swallow! So what?!"
"Ah, sorry."
"Anyway, those Pure Colors guys have been walking around all high and mighty. Is today finally the day they get put in their place?"
"What, you were Colorless?"
"I mean, among the Pure Colors, the fight between Blue Knight and the Swallow swordsman is the most fun to watch."
"Knight versus samurai? That’s every man’s dream!"
Apparently the gallery was excited because this was a duel involving Kojiro, a famous figure in the Accelerated World, and his opponent was also the popular "Blue Knight," known for his spirited fighting style and distinctive heavy knight avatar.
On top of that, Blue Knight had a fairly high win rate, though still not as high as Kojiro’s, so the spectators’ expectations kept rising. And in proportion to that, the noise from the surrounding gallery only grew louder.
Clank, clank
Then an avatar appeared on the other side of the road from where Kojiro stood.
A deep blue so clear it seemed almost transparent, with armor shaped in the full knight type. On either side of the visor-equipped helmet rose dragon-like horns, and a long two-handed sword hung at the left hip. A blue knight avatar with a build roughly similar to Kojiro’s own avatar. It was Blue Knight.
As soon as Knight appeared, the surrounding gallery fell silent all at once, as if the earlier uproar had never happened. At least during a duel, there was an unspoken rule not to interfere with the fighters.
"Have you been well, Swallow?"
"Yeah, Knight. Long time no see."
Just looking at the avatar made one imagine a deep, mature voice, but the voice coming from inside the visor belonged to a young boy.
After all, the Burst Linkers currently playing Brain Burst were at most ten years old. To become a Burst Linker, you had to have a Neuro Linker attached from the moment you were born, which meant that ten, Kojiro’s current age, was the upper limit for Burst Linkers.
"Yes. It’s been almost three weeks since we fought directly."
"So this time you figured you had a real chance against me and came to challenge me?"
"Not at all. I only heard that you had reached Level 4, Swallow, and wanted to see you before it was too late."
Knight was being far too polite for a boy his own age. Kojiro had told him several times that there was no need for that, but Knight and a few other Burst Linkers insisted on treating Kojiro with this excessive level of respect.
What was it again? They said they were paying respect to his terrifying sword aura. Of course, Kojiro’s own atmosphere probably played a part too.
"Oh, did I mention that in our last duel?"
"Yes. You said that once you reached Level 4, you would refrain from duels for a while. So I came all the way to Nerima Ward before it was too late."
What a considerate kid. Ordinary duels could only be requested within the same area of the same region, so most Burst Linkers were effectively confined to the area where they usually operated.
In Kojiro’s case, that was the area around Nerima Ward and Suginami Ward, where his boarding school was located, while Knight was known to operate around Shinjuku.
Well, it was only about a thirty-minute ride on the subway, but still, if he had come all this way just to duel him, it was only natural that Kojiro would find him admirable.
"Still, if you came all this way on purpose, that means you must have prepared some hidden trump card, right?"
As he said that, Kojiro drew the treasured sword at his back. Even as he silently pulled out the blade nearly as long as his own height and took it into his hand, Kojiro’s atmosphere remained quiet and calm, unchanged.
Rather, the gallery watching them and Knight himself both visibly tensed, clenching their fists before they realized it.
Knight also drew the greatsword at his waist and took his stance. Even then, his grip tightened again and again around the hilt from nervousness. It was a natural reaction brought on by the excitement of the duel.
But Knight had never once seen the blue samurai in front of him become flustered or show emotion during a duel.
If his opponent fought hard, Kojiro praised him and cut him down in one stroke. If he showed a disappointing opening, Kojiro clicked his tongue and cut him down in one stroke. If he used a brilliant strategy, Kojiro admired it and cut him down in one stroke.
And yet, watching him maintain such a tranquil demeanor, one did not think of one of the greatest seasoned warriors in the Accelerated World, but of an old man leisurely drinking tea in a pavilion on a clear day.
With that impression in mind, Knight pointed the greatsword in his hand at Kojiro and answered.
"Of course. This time, I’m going to land one on you for real."
"I’m looking forward to it."
This was a match he had challenged first. He couldn’t show an ugly side to the man he respected. Thinking that, Knight raised his fighting spirit.
For a moment, both avatars glared at each other in silence, their auras steady, while the gallery held its breath and watched. Then the one who moved first was Knight.
"Haaah!"
With a clear battle cry, Knight kicked off the ground and rushed Kojiro in a surprise attack.
Blue Knight
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