Chapter 6
The Enemies that inhabits the UNF,alias Being,is so numerous that it is impossible to remember all of them but even so,there were about 100 kinds of Beast-Class Enemies only in the 23 wards of Tokyo.Crow tried his best to memorize the names,appearances,and strategies,but he had never seen or heard of Crococitus.Not only are there giant beasts,but also medium and small beasts,and since there seems to be Enemies that only appears in certain places,Crococitus is also of that type.Since the Minato City Folk History Museum is located in the middle of OU's territory,outsiders cannot approach it,so it was never recorded in the database that has been shared so far.Crow did not immediately approach the pool when it fell to the ground,but began to observe,although Cavalier had set a 30-minute time limit,failing the test when the time was up is preferable compared to breaking through and dying instantly because he can just get another attempt later.Crococitus was swimming slowly in silvery water,the width of the pool is only twice the length of the body,it's movements are restrictive,and the huge body is softer than it looks,and it doesn't seem like it's hard for it to turn around.2 minutes later,Crococitus stood up while staying in the pool.Supporting the body with the back feet and tail,the front feet are slouched down,and the head is rocked left and right like a whale and a dinosaur divided by two.The bluish-gray skin looked solid,and the front feet had claws as sharp as knives,the slightly open mouth is lined with countless teeth and its eyes are cloudy yellow.Notable features such as horns and coat of arms were not seen.Although only the upper body can be seen,the lower body in the water is the same so it seems to be an animal type.Many Enemies have set weaknesses where destruction can win.In the case of the insect type,it is the nerve nucleus,in the case of the machine type,it is the control nucleus,and in the case of ghost types,it is the soul nucleus,in the case of Crococitus which is an animal type,the brain and the heart are weak points,but because it is not a set weakness It is very inefficient to aim for this so Crow has to reduce its health normally,Crow then stretched out his hand to his left waist,the <Lucid Blade> lent to Pile was returned after the meeting three days ago.At that time,Pile looked very normal even though his heart should have been shaken a lot.When the promise fighting seriously after they reach level 7 was about to be fulfilled,he had dropped two levels and Crow thinks he has to apologize to him.
Crow then equips Lucid Blade and Crococitus who heard the voice command turned around and saw Crow,Its yellow eyes glow faintly and a three bar HP gauge is displayed on his head.Although he thought of sneaking in from behind and begin with a sneak attack,even if it succeeded,the possibility of falling into the pool was high and no matter how you look at it,provoking an underwater battle against an aquatic-type Enemy is beyond overconfidence and simply being a big idiot.Crow flew out of the shadow of the metal tree and ran towards the front of the palace.If there is enough space here he can retreat to the building if something goes wrong.Fortunately,Crococitus didn't seem to have the intelligence of a whale in the real world and fell for Crow's provocation,it climbed up from the pool and stood on the ground with his front feet like an excavator shovel,and dashed with the sound of the ground.No matter how simple the action pattern is,the opponent is a Beast level,and if his body is hit he will undoubtedly die on the spot.
While holding back his fear,Crow dodged the attack and jumped to stab Lucid Blade into Crococitus's bulging spine.The touch of the skin coming from the soles of Crow's feet was like thick hard rubber so if you cut it normally,the blade would only bounce off so Crow aimed at the apex of the protruding thorns at equal intervals and uses the Omega style's basic technique to increase the attack power from a small point,Lucid Blade then pierced Crococitus's skin once Crow identified the point which caused Crococitus to attempt throwing him of its body.Crow grasped the hilt of the sword with his hand and desperately held on so that he would not be thrown off.This was the Crococitus strategy that Crow thought of temporarily,taking into account the range of motion of the neck and limbs,it is impossible for it to bite,swipe,or step on its back.Although the first bar is still nearly 90%,the sword continues to inflict damage when it is inserted into the spine and Crow would win if he was still on his back until the third stage was exhausted while Crococitus would win if he was thrown off.Although Siiver Crow is a lightweight metal color,Lucid Blade would break if keeps stabbing Crococitus with it,although the heat damage nullification meant that it wouldn't be damaged from the pool's burn effect if Crococitus goes back to the pool,it couldn't bear the pressure from the lateral direction for a long time so Crow let go of his sword and goes back to the ground,the 1st HP bar finally dropped to 50% and according to this rhythm,there are still seven or eight times until the third bar is exhausted and although it looks like he can make up to the 30 minutes of the requested time,there's the question of whether his sword will break before then,Enhanced Armaments can only be restored in the UNF once you log out and go back in so Crow decides to read the movements of Crococitus while waiting for an opening to pierce his sword again to reduce the damage load,Crococitus only has only four forms movements of leaning to the right and left,jumping up, and turning the upper body upside down so if he can read the omen and act as quickly as possible,it is also possible to regain his balance before your body is thrown.
Taking the stamina meter of Crococitas out of sight,Crow focused his consciousness to the limit but it was too late for him to notice:The dome of light that encases the history museum bends and squashes as if it were under pressure from above and countless cracks appeared in the blink of an eye,shattering silently.Suddenly,a powerful rumbling sound hit Crow's entire body with a shock wave and he looked up to the sky in shock to see Tezcatlipoca above him,Platinum Cavalier's <Ignorable Zone> covered the atrium with no dead ends a few seconds ago and as long as he is isolated by that light,Tezcatlipoca should not have perceived an Enemy being attacked but the giant with a height of more than 100 meters landed straight while spraying crimson flames from the soles of his feet.This wasn't an accidental encounter,it was clearly aimed at Crow and the others,according to Tezcatlipoca's actions,there is a possibility of him falling into infinite EK again.Crow shouted to everyone in the roof of the right wing of the palace to run away and Behemoth tells Crow that they'll draw Tezcatlipoca away from the museum while escaping while Crow kills Crococitus and escapes using the portal on the 3rd floor.
After shouting and answering like this,Tezcatlipoca landed on the roof of the left wing of the palace and the building could not bear the weight of the giant and collapsed with a metallic sound,the solid outer wall cracked open like a blast from the inside,spewing out copious sparks.The large-scale buildings of <Purgatory> Stage obviously have a durability that cannot be destroyed even though they are not comparable to <Magic City>,but Tezcatlipoca is out of specification.The giant that turned the left wing of the palace into a mountain of rubble within seconds finally stopped after touching the ground with both feet and a moment later,there was an earthquake-like tremor.From a close distance,the upright feet to the abdomen can be clearly seen and even Crococitus who is six meters in the field is like a small fish in front of Tezcatlipoca.It continued to make a fuss as if he hadn't seen the red-black giant but it was true that Lucid Blade was still stuck on his back,so if he pulled the sword out like that,he would be thrown off halfway.If he was thrown into the front entrance of the palace,it is fine,but if it is in the pool or at the feet of Tezcatlipoca,it will be bad but Glacier Behemoth and the others who must lead Tezcatlipoca away from Eterna's area are in greater danger because they will instantly die from a combination of Toxcatl and Miccailhutontli so Crow wonders how they'll lure Tezca away.
To answer this question,the voices of Behemoth and Reaper using their Special Attacks,Congeal Ray and Soul Squeeze rang out at the same time and two-colored lights bursting from the roof of the right wing and hit the giant's belly directly,causing a hard explosion that shattered hundreds of pieces of glass in one fell swoop it was a double attack to divert the target of the super class enemy away from Crow.While holding Crococitus' back tightly,he looked up to see Behemoth and the others were running towards the high wheel on the east side of the palace and Tezcatlipoca started chasing the six Burst Linkers.Although the action seems slow,not only is the stride close to fifty meters,but the tree-like feet can easily smash all obstacles.
Facing the six people who were far out of his sight,Crow begs them to escape safely,while it's true that if 5/7 of the Seven Dwarves were in an infinite EK state,the White Legion will be weakened significantly and one might wish for it considering what happened so far but Rose Milady and Orchid Oracle were among the six and they won't let the other four lose their Brain Burst.
At the moment when Crococitus weakens during its fuss,Crow decides pull out his sword from its spine and used his wings to fly into the palace if necessary.When Crow decided on this plan,the right front foot of Crococitus was severed in a horizontal line causing it to fall and writhe,Crow didn't know why that happened but he took advantage of the opening and pulled out Lucid Blade which caused its HP gauge was reduced to the second bar because of the sword being pulled out and the defect of the right front foot.Although it is a pity that he can't kill it now,leaving is more important and Crow charged towards the entrance of the palace visible to the left but he came to an emergency stop after only five steps forward because in the dust raised in front,he saw the outline of a human figure who suddenly raised the sword in his right hand and when the breeze blew away the dirt and dust which revealed Cavalier's figure,although he thought that he was with the other 5 to draw Tezca away,it seems that only he stayed here to cut off Crococitus' front foot and gave him a chance to escape.Crow ran to Cavalier and thanks him for helping him but the right hand of the knight glowed and although he was consciously unprepared,the moment he saw the light he decided to tilt his upper body to the left and the reason for Crow's evasive action was probably the distrust of Cavalier that had been entangled in his heart but this is not enough as the silver line flying diagonally hit his left shoulder,leaving only a cold feeling as it passed from behind and Sliver Crow's left shoulder armor slid down diagonally and rolled to the ground.
Centaurea Sentry,who was instructing sword skills to him also cut off the same spot but at that time,only the armor fell and this time the avatar body was completely taken away.The cold feeling turned into a burning sensation,and a crimson damage effect was sprayed from the cut part.Crow held Lucid Blade in his right arm that was still connected,if the left arm of his real body was cut off then the bones of his arm have been cut off by more than two centimeters,which will greatly hinder his movement.Although his HP gauge had dropped by nearly 10%,Crow felt more astonished and stunned than the sense of crisis of losing his left arm,he's not surprised by being attacked by Cavalier but his the slashing speed.Crow's eyes,who had been fighting to the end with speed,could not see the movement of Cavalier raising his sword and swinging it at all.Because the distance is more than five meters,he can make a slash-type attack like the Dualis's <Rangeless Siege> and there is no sound of the skill name,so it is not a special move but a normal attack that's too fast.
Although he couldn't respond to Centaurea Sentry's slash at all,it was because of the damage caused to his cognitive ability because of the Omega Style's Synthesis,so this time Cavalier's figure didn't disappear from sight for a moment and although it was simply considered to be a "surprisingly fast slash",if that was the case,then evasion would be very difficult,no,impossible.Cavalier stared grimly at the motionless Crow and tells him that he's good at evading because he attempted to slash his neck just now,Crow was about to ask why he's doing this but swallowed it because it's obvious that he's going deprive Crow of all of his BP and instead asked him if he lied since his barrier of light that is said to block all the perception abilities of Enemies failed to prevent Tezcatlipoca from attacking to force a reaction from Cavalier and he gets reminded that Fairy and the others asked the same question and he tells Crow that he wasn't lying to them,<Ignorable Zone> blocks out the sight,hearing,smell,and all other senses of Burst Linkers and Enemies and points out that Crow didn't notice Tezcatlipoca smashing the area.Crow then asks him why it was able to sense them and Cavalier then tells him that Tezcatlipoca uses its direct connection to the system of this world to sense an Enemy being attacked instead of relying on its senses and that as expected,it's not something that can't be blocked or deceived.
Crow realizes that Cavalier already knew from the beginning that if Crococitus was attacked in <Ignorable Zone> then Tezcatlipoca would still attack them and that he,Oracle,Fairy,Milady,Behemoth and Reaper were tricked by him into walking into his trap,Crow points out that even if he doesn't log out then Milady or Oracle would have removed his Neurolinker to log him out by force and no matter how strong he is,it's impossible to kill him here until he runs out of points.Cavalier responded with a voice incapable of prying emotions that in the accelerated world,skills and shortcuts pile up like a mountain and that Crow learned several of those shortcuts as well,Crow tells Cavalier that he won't die suddenly and the latter shrugs and tells him that he doesn't want to do this kind of thing either personally and Ivory Tower shows up after cancelling <Undercover>,he bows to and greets Crow with a voice that's less able to convey emotion than Cavalier that it's the first time they met since the summit.
It can't be an accident that Ivory Tower is in this place and Crow realizes that Platinum Cavalier had him on standby in the museum in advance and that both of them had planned to trap Crow from the very beginning using the topic of his handling.Ivory Tower is the same person as the Vice President of the Acceleration Research Society <Restrainer> Black Vise so if he was captured,then it wouldn't be surprising that anything could happen until Tsubomi or Megumi removes his Neurolinker so he had to get out of here no matter what but in front of him is Platinum Cavalier and behind him is Crococitus who was recovering from the ground.The only way to escape is the sky but Cavalier would predict that and slash his wings with an unavoidable ultra-high-speed slash to put Crow in a dilemma.The only positive is that Ivory Tower will not join in battle,while Black Vise is a powerful enemy that uses a variety of restraint skills it appears that he has no direct fighting power in the form of Ivory Tower as he turned into Vise to defend against Blood Leopard and that moment created the mistake of being recorded by Chocolate Puppeteer.
Of course,it is possible for him to transform this time,but Tower looks like he's only spectating and in any case,even if it was only for a moment,he could only stop Cavalier's actions and flee to the sky but Crow's entire body was restrained several times with a premonition that he would be slashed at the slightest gap but he wonders why Cavalier wasn't being aggressive and wonders if is it because he didn't cut off Crow's confidence but even so,his attack back then was a normal slash and not a meter-consuming Special Attack so it was fine as long as Crow's defense collapsed,he then wonders if it is because of his aesthetics as a knight,or was there another reason.In any case,it is impossible to maintain a defensive posture like this because in less than three seconds,the Crococitus behind him would start moving and attack Crow and the moment the defense was released in response,this time he was finally going to be beheaded.
Depending on the situation, there are two actions to choose from,One is to evade Cavalier's aim and attack with <Extreme> and another is to escape after evading the target as well.With his mind spinning at full speed for two seconds,Crow decided what he should do and Crococitus who was behind him let out a roar full of anger and started dashing forward,the moment Crococitus's flesh was a meter behind him,Crow activated his <Synthesis> and erased his body,at the same time,Cavalier's right hand vibrated but the slash of his sword was not released,even an Burst Linker with good eyes cannot defend it and it is better to say that the more sensitive the expert,the greater the impact when he loses the enemy.Platinum Cavalier was supposed to use extremely precise aiming to catch Crow and that was why he couldn't move.Of course,this won't work twice as Synthesis is a skill that only lasts for a few seconds and cannot be fired continuously because it requires mental manipulation so if it is a one-on-one battle,it will be cut off on the way to being used again.
However, it wasn't just Cavalier who looked down on Crow,Crococitus sprinted past him who was lying on the ground and since the Enemy is also a part of the system,you can get rid of the lock through Synthesis and if Crow was lost,the target would of course be the next person nearby.The moment the chest,abdomen,and tail of Crococitus who was suddenly advancing passed overhead,Crow spread the wings on his back while kicking the ground and flied away,vibrating the metal fins of his wings with all its strength.Even Cavalier would have to deal with a Beast-Level Enemy with all of his might if he was locked as a target.In the process of turning the huge body of Crococitus into a shield,he ran out Cavalier's range and reached the maximum speed in one breath while consuming the Special Attack Gauge.
"<Laser Lance>"
Just as Crow was stunned from Cavalier using his IS Skill,pure white light penetrated his back and his right flank was torn apart from the roots which caused Crow to immediately fell into a spiral fall.While drawing the spiral while falling,he kept repeating "why" for 5 times and he violently hit the ground on the south side of the pool,he was so surprised that he couldn't even get up and the HP bar was further reduced,deducting half of it by a large margin.Crow fell to the ground sideways and stared blankly at his right chest.A hole about 2 cm in diameter pierced through the metal armor and red light continued to flow out.
There was a rough moan from the left and Crococitus turned completely over as it turned its neck and with each runaway,a large amount of damage will burst out from the mouth and near the right eye.What happened is obvious:Platinum Cavalier used a long-range IS Skill to simultaneously destroy Crococitus who opened its mouth and kept charging forward and Crow who was about to fly away.A high-ranking Enemy has a high resistance to IS skills but the strength of the very terrifying IS Skill that penetrated the Enemy with one blow was not the problem and Crow asked Cavalier what was that skill just now as he raised his body,about twenty meters away when he heard a voice,Cavalier turned his gaze to Crow and raised the sword in his right hand gently.The platinum and silver blade aimed at the tired Crow and Cavalier activates <Laser Lance> and with that sound,a silver light radiated from the tip of the sword tip,penetrating Crow's left shoulder and left wing at the same time,Crow's left arm was split from the shoulder and rolled to the ground and fragments of shattered metal wings were scattered.
With the sound of the boot-shaped armor,the knight approached.The sword in the right hand glittered on the way and a silver thread slid around the neck of the flipped Crococitus and the public enemy stopped in an instant,the huge head slid off the body and rolled to the ground and the stamina gauge in the third stage turned to zero causing Crococitus's torso and severed head to explode into bluish-white flames.
Crow also inflicted damage on Crococitus and although his BP increased a lot,he did not realize it at all and continued to look up at the approaching Cavalier who stopped 2 meters before Crow,he tells Crow that as unbelievable as it is,he can almost completely imitate an IS skill that he likes and even though it's impossible for him to imitate advanced IS skills,simple ones like Crow's Laser series can be imitated in 3 days.A baffled Crow then remembers that IS skills are the light or darkness hidden in the hearts of Burst Linkers and this is a power no one can imitate because the Trauma that is the source of an IS Skill's power is different for each player.A possibility suddenly popped into his mind and Crow asks Cavalier if he has an IS Skill similar to Dusk Taker's <Demonic Comandeer> and he tells him with a rare smile that he actually had the same question as Crow and asked their king if this abillity is an IS Skill that imitates other IS Skills,but Cosmos told him that it isn't and that she only told him that it's because of who Cavalier is that he was able to do such a thing but she didn't explain the full details.
Cavalier stopped talking and the knight pointed the tip of his sword to Crow,telling him that they will not meet again as Burst Linkers,in a moment later,a sure-kill ultra-high-speed slash will be unleashed to sever Crow's head and the means to change that future are gone.Even using Synthesis doesn't make sense in this case but Crow refuses to give up because if the survival time can be extended even by one second,the probability of something happening will increase and Crow grasped a possibility.It is impossible to have the leeway to issue a special attack name,and using the sword with his right hand to attack and defend are impossible while his wings are destroyed so he can't evade by gliding.
There is only one option left and the IS skill is activated in the moment of silence,Unlike special moves that cannot be activated without saying the name of the skill,the voice of the IS skill name is only a trigger to concentrate the imagination.After receiving the guidance of Niko,he could definitely call the skill name with his voice or not,and now he can do it.To believe in the power of imagination and put the light in your heart,even if you are separated from your loved ones,the woven bond will not disappear and the light he received from Takumu,Chiyuri,Fuuko,Utai,Akira,Niko,and KYH shone intensely in his heart and would never disappear,so he'll amplify that light and release it.
As Crow was sitting,he silently activated <Light Shell> and pure white light burst out from the center of the wounded and cracked chest armor,and a spherical shield unfolded.At the exact same time,Platinum Cavalier's right hand flickered,and instantly swung his longsword and in front of Crow,silver sparks flew everywhere.The second-stage IS skill [Light Shell] is a skill invented to counter Tezcatlipoca's gravity attack.It has a high defense against energy attacks,but its effect on physical attacks is still unknown.Even if Sliver Crow's metal armor can't completely defend against ultra-high-speed long-range slashes that can slice Crow's armor like butter,it's fine to make the slash deviate from its course and the slash that came into contact with the barrier of light bounced back without being able to penetrate,Crow then saw "it":in the air,it undulates like a sterling silver ribbon,an extremely thin three-meter-long blade and the ribbon instantly shrunk into Cavalier's hand,returning to its original long-handed sword.
In the Light Shell that melted and cracked,Crow firmly believed that he had seen through the principle of long-range slashing.Platinum Cavalier has a long-handled sword with a crossed edge and the blade is unrolled like a film according to the speed of the slash.Because Cavalier's slashing speed was too fast,the blade was thin to the point of a single molecule and it stretched so long that it easily cut off Crococitus' front foot and Crow's left shoulder and this is the true face of the silver line.However, if the object it aimed at bounced the blade back without being able to cut it,the thin membranous blade was bent in the air,revealing its original shape and because he avoided that,Cavalier was unable to slash Crow's Lucid Blade.
The unrecognizable slashing speed and the technique of manipulating the thin,membranous blade are amazing,but the sword technique is more heretical than the Omega style.Cavalier realized that Crow figured out the mechanism of his slashes and comments on the Light Shell that was shown to him just now,he thought that it had no resistance to physical attacks which was his mistake and he tells Crow that he won't let him escape and the latter tells him he won't run,fight with the No.1 of <Seven Dwarves> and defeat him,this is the only way for Crow to survive.Cavalier's stamina meter was full and Crow only had twenty percent left,his left arm and wings were broken,a large hole had been opened in his chest and he was covered in bruises but he was still able to move and had a sword.Once again,he'll use the <Light Shell> to bounce back the long-range slash and take advantage of this gap to use the <Extreme> of the Omega style to cut the key point.
Having decided on his plan,Crow prepared his posture again and instead of Cavalier's right hand,he brought his entire body into view and used his five senses to capture the activation of the skill but for some reason,his eyes were not only seeing the battle avatar of Platinum Cavalier's knight-like figure,but also recognized him as a shimmering block of pure silver and this seemed to be seen from the Highest Level's point of view,but Crow didn't realize what had happened to him and just waited blindly for that moment.
Now that Cavalier himself had defeated Crococitus,time was Crow's partner.To say why,it is because the five people who led Tezcatlipoca away might return here instead of leaving using the portal.For Cavalier's strategy,the possibillity of all of them being accomplices were zero - at least not Tsubomi and Megumi.
There was no flinch between each other,time just passed silently and then finally,he perceived from the Highest Level that a silver light swayed lightly to his right hand and he activates <Light Shell>,the IS barrier and the invisible slash clashed with each other and the blade of the deflected film fluttered in the air again.Crow then lifts Light Shell and swung Lucid Blade to Cavalier's head but he twisted his body so that his left shoulder was touched by the blade and Crow used <Extreme> to sever Cavalier's left arm which slid silently and fell to the ground.Crow almost rejoiced but his joy dissipated in an instant from his eyes seeing the impossible.
Rightly speaking,there should be something but that doesn't exist.
On the left shoulder of Platinum Cavalier whose left wrist was cut off like a mirror image of Crow and in the thinly decorated armor with a thickness of only about five mm,only the darkness of the void spreads.A baffled Crow blurts out that Cavalier has no Duel Avatar body and in the next moment,in the depths of the mask covering the knight's face,two eyes that Crow had never seen before shone with a black red light.Those were not ordinary eyes either and the outlines were swaying like flames.
Cavalier angrily realized that Crow saw his insides and blocked the severed section of his left arm so that the latter wouldn't see it,a confused Crow asked Cavalier what's going on with his body and asked if it's an NPC or an Enemy,Cavalier didn't answer and raised his sword above his head,from the silver sword pointed to the sky,several blue-black Overray were sprayed out and entwined like a group of snakes.It was an IS skill that Crow didn't know about and he intuitively sensed that even <Light Shell> could not defend against it.Before that,he had run out of concentration because he had activated the IS Skill he had just learned twice silently but even so,in order to fight to the end and at that time-
Suddenly,Cavalier jumped backwards sharply and a bluish-white light penetrated the place where the knight stood a moment ago.Even if the Overray surrounding the sword of the knight dissipates in the fog,the light will pour down one by one.Cavalier continued to dodge with his back-jump and was finally forced to the entrance of the palace.Ivory Tower,who watched the battle scene,also stepped back in the building.Crow looked up to see Metatron in the sky who raised her right hand as if to say "Wait a moment",and turned it towards the palace.At the front end of the slender five fingers,a pale sparkle was born and after they turned into crossing rays,they were fired with a sharp resonance.
Five lasers traced a complex spline in the air and penetrated near the entrance to the palace.The energy condenses at a point and then contracts,becoming a exploding ball of light that expands.While defending against the incoming heat wave with his right hand,Crow stared at the walls and ceiling of the main building which were spared from the ravages of Tezcatlipoca,were unable to absorb energy and melted red hot.He looked for Platinum Cavalier and Ivory Tower in the roaring flames but he couldn't find them and wonders if they got caught in the explosion and died,or did they escaped.If it was the former,there should be a Death Marker,but it cannot be confirmed until the flame is extinguished and even if they're still alive,they won't strike in this situation.
Metatron landed and hugged Crow who thanked her for saving him,he asked her if her injuries has healed to which she tells him that she's nearly recovered and there's no damage to her core this time unlike with the battle against Disaster MK2 to his relief,He then thinks back to the Tezcatlipoca raid three days ago that was a tragedy on the battlefield and whether Metatron accepted their resignation from NN and moved to OU was completely incomprehensible from her expression.He thought that the opportunity to talk with all kinds of people in the White Legion was a silver lining but unfortunately,the current situation is not so leisurely and he doesn't know what's going to happen when Cavalier goes back to RL and he's also worried about the safety of Rose Milady and the others who led Tezcatlipoca to Takanawa.
As he wonders what's going to happen to Cavalier and Tower,Metatron tells him that Cavalier who she calls Cosmos's servant and the ARS's <Shadow Lurker> Ivory Tower,nearly died from her <Debrim>,the 5 laser beams that she shot,but they escaped into the shadows in time,she tells Crow that Shadow Lurker is the abillity to <create a shadow that doesn't disappear and hide in it,or to use it as a passage>,several passages were prepared by Tower and she thinks that they have escaped to faraway place,but declares that the next time they do this again to her servant,she will personally vaporize them with <Trisagion>,she asks why the Shadow Lurker and Cosmos's servant wants to kill him and Crow speculates that Tower was trying to capture him,Metatron is interested on whether their actions are recognized or even allowed by Cosmos and Crow began to think that she only let him join so that Cavalier and Tower could eliminate him but Metatron dismisses the possibillity because she was asked by Cosmos to analyze Tezca during her recovery period,she was able to sense his crisis because of a change in the action pattern of Tezcatlipoca under her observation and she would not have annotated this coordinate without instructions from Cosmos,so in other words,Cosmos foresaw Cavalier and Tower's actions and made sure Metatron would be able to help Crow to foil their scheme,indirectly saving him.
Crow then agrees with Metatron's sound reasoning.If the White King had allowed Cavalier's actions or ordered it herself,then he didn't think that she would instruct Metatron to analyze Tezcatlipoca because she will find out and would ruin the scheme,but then he realized that this means that Ivory Tower and Platinum Cavalier who just told him in RL that the purpose of their Legion is to serve and carry out her will,had just betrayed her intentions by attempting to kill the one she personally inducted and even involved the other Seven Dwarves.Crow wonders why did Cavalier wanted to get rid of him at this point?,this time he managed to survive,but if Metatron didn't come,he would have eaten the IS skill that radiated blue and black Overray and whether it was rank or strength,Cavalier would definitely be far ahead of him.
After thinking for a moment,Crow asked Metatron what happened to Tezca and the other 5,she tells him that they were moving from Takanawa to Shibaura when she stopped observing them and she can't tell if Milady and the others are safe from here,Crow then thinks that Tsubomi and the others doesn't have their automatic cut-off insurance on so he has remove their Neurolinkers to confirm their safety but he gets worried if Kyoubu wakes up at the moment he tries to wake them up,Metatron then pulled Crow to her chest and tells them that they will be going to the Highest Level and transitions there with him.
Chapter 7
As soon as the five senses settled down,Crow asks Metatron to let him know in advance if she wants to teleport to the Highest Level with him but she tells him that this isn't his 2nd or 3rd time here so he should get used to it,right now Crow and Metatron are depicted as colorless tiny dots of light,the half-destroyed building of the Minato City Folk History Museum,the ground cracked by the fierce battle,and the yellow-green sky covered with dark clouds all disappeared,leaving only the deep darkness spreading endlessly around.But if you look down,a large group of stars breathes quietly there like a galaxy.
Crow then realized that Metatron brought him here so they can find the Tezca and the other 5,Countless white stars represent the presence of real-world public cameras and several colored stars can be seen everywhere in the central Tokyo.They are either Beings or a Burst Linker in the UNF,but there should be almost no hunting groups in the current situation.That said,if there's one place where five Burst Linkers gather,it's probably Rose Milady and the rest.Platinum Cavalier and Black Vise who escaped might be found but even if they were found here,nothing could be done.
Taking the empty isolated space in the Imperial City as a mark,he moved his gaze southward,the towering tower of light is Toranomon Hills,to the south is Shiba Park and the old Tokyo Tower, and further below is Shibaura——.
A chill and fear rushed through the body of Crow who should have lost his body.On the west side of the man-made land of Shibaura Wharf, a dark black hole circles around the intricate canals.Like the dark star that is going to devour everything,it is impossible to think of anything other than Tezcatlipoca,the God of the End.He closed his eyes forcefully,as if not only his sight but also his consciousness would be sucked in and suddenly the right hand was wrapped in a slight heat.At a glance,he saw that Metatron,who was standing beside him,was holding Haruyuki's hand with his left hand.It was obvious that there was no [Contact Judgment] at the Highest Level,but Crow's consciousness was tightly bound by the definite sense of touch and he thanks her for calming him down.Metatron tells Crow that it's too dangerous for an immature warrior like him to observe that by himself and points at the 5 stars floating on the sea 500 meters east of Shibaura Pier,judging by the stars colours,it's Rose Milady and the others.In the [Purgatory] stage,the sea is still the sea,and it is unclear how they move on the water,but they seem to have completed the difficult task of escaping while inducing Tezcatlipoca.In the direction of the five people's travel, there is one of Tokyo's most famous landmarks,Toyosu Market.After arriving there,they should be able to leave through the portal.
Crow breathed a sigh of relief after knowing Milady,Oracle,Behemoth,Fairy and Reaper are safe while still holding Metatron's hand tightly and he looked at the pitch-black black hole again.In the center of Chiyoda Ward where there is the Imperial Palace,it is also surrounded by darkness but the texture is completely different from that.Assuming that the darkness of the Imperial City is <Nothingness that blocks information>,then the darkness of Tezcatlipoca is a <Singularity with overwhelming energy> and looking at the conceptual space known as the Highest Level,he also felt that the radiated intention of destruction was transmitted in the form of vibration.Crow then mutters what Cosmos said to him about how Tezca was created by the management AI of the 3 accelerated worlds created by <B>,Metatron asked him if AI means <Artificially generated intelligence> which stuns him because he and KYH never used the term in front of her and he didn't want to see Metatron who has the same intelligence and emotions as humans as a <Manufactured Thing>.
Metatron comforts him and tells him that he doesn't need to apologize because it's true that she's an AI,but she's uncomfortable that the definition of the word <Person> is a little vague,Crow then remembers that the generally accepted meaning of a <person> in real life means <Humans> but he thinks this isn't an objective answer and tells Metatron that he thinks that she's human like him despite being an AI,although Metatron is fascinated by his answer,she reminds him that she and Tezca are Beings and asks him if he thinks that thing is a <Human> too?,She then tells her servant that she didn't mean to confuse him by saying that and tells her what she learned from 7 years of accelerated time:She has not seen anything similar to the consciousness that she and Crow has,Tezcatlipoca walks around a fixed area centered on the Imperial Palace in an irregular route and as long as it detects the presence of a Burst Linker,it will move there and attack but there is no other action at all and it's ignoring them who are in the Highest Level,even Beings of the <Small> level are more intelligent than Tezca.
Crow gets reminded of Petit Paquet's tamed Lava Carbuncle and gets reminded that Shihoko and Rui never contacted him after the transfer,he asked Metatron that since it goes to wherever a Burst Linker is fighting a Being then does that mean it wants to protect the Beings of Brain Burst?,Metatron tells him that it also attacked the Beings that are fighting the little warriors and reminds him that it didn't hesitate to attack her so obviously it doesn't care about Beings,Crow hastily apologizes and thanks Metatron for saving him and that her <Meteor Slash> was amazing,Metatron gets confused as to what <Meteor Slash> is and Crow tells her that it's the slashing move she did against Tezca and that she was like a shooting star using that move,Metatron took a liking to the name of the move her servant just told her and decides that will be the name of the move from now on but she then tells Crow that in the end,she couldn't save him but the latter tells her that she did and reminds her that she agreed to transfer to OU with him and since Cosmos asked her to analyze Tezcatlipoca,it means that the only reason Takumu and the others were saved is because she wants her but Metatron tells him that he's wrong because Cosmos wanted both of them and the reason Cosmos wants her is different from why she wants Crow.
Before Metatron could explain further,a sharp sound came from the right side and asks her why she's holding up for her so long,Crow and Metatron turned to find Amaterasu to their right and Metatron is confused because she didn't schedule an appointment with her for today,Amaterasu then tells her that she sensed her and Crow going to the Highest Level and she's here to talk with her only to find that she's being lovey-dovey with Crow prompting Metatron to retort that there's nothing lovey-dovey going on with her and her servant.Amaterasu reminds Crow of their promise to send cake to Ama no Iwato and the latter told her that he never forgot,he wanted to deliver it after killing Inti but Tezca hatched and a lot of things happened after that so he didn't have the time,Amaterasu calms him down and tells him that she knows the current situation so she can wait,but tells him to bring a cabinet of cakes and all of them have to be different flavors from each other,Crow agrees to the promise but remembers that he never saw a cabinet container so maybe bringing a picnic basket is enough for Amaterasu.
Crow asks Amaterasu what she was going to talk with Metatron about and she points to Tezca's star,she couldn't sleep because that giant was walking around day to night so she wants to do something about Tezca but Metatron sighed that's easier said than done because that giant is superior to even the 4 Gods that guards the Imperial Palace and if she attacks it recklessly,she might die from one attack which Amaterasu understands but something has to be done because if Ama no Iwato or the other dungeons is challenged by the little warriors,then Tezca will come over and destroy their dungeons.
Crow who had not considered this possibility,took a sharp breath and realized Tezcatlipoca has no reason to ignore the Burst Linkers in the dungeons.No matter what the field attribute that's active in the UNF is,in principle,it cannot be destroyed,but this common sense does not apply to God of the End but he points out that the dungeons will be restored by a Transition even if Tezca wrecks it so it shouldn't be a problem which causes Amaterasu and Metatron to physically reprimand him because they're not the kind of cowards who would let their home get wrecked even though it gets automatically repaired.
Crow apologizes for saying that and asks Amaterasu if she has any ideas to which the latter tells him that there's another who can't stand being annoyed by that giant and that she'll let the other one talk first,when Crow was going to ask what that sentence meant,the sound of bells chimed in the endless darkness and because the echo was heard in a place without walls,the source could not be identified.He looked around alternately,then turned around quickly to see a figure appeared quietly pacing on the invisible ground.Crow couldn't help but think that it was a Burst Linker,but the figure drawn by that tiny spot of light didn't look like a Duel Avatar,but a female body like Metatron.Clothes with a wide collar and chest and long sleeves are similar to kimonos,but the place where the apron at the four corners extends from the ribbon is not the same as the Japanese kimono.The skirt at her feet was trimmed with slender pleats,and she wore a crown that was a little more modest than the sun wheel of Amaterasu.The source of the sound that rings every time you walk seems to be those little bells swaying around the crown.
Crow realizes that she's a high-ranking Being and wonders if she's one of the 2 remaining 4 Saints,thinking like this,Crow wanted to move his feet and slowly back away but Metatron,who noticed,grabbed his back and reassures him that she has a mild personality,at least compared to Amaterasu causing Crow to protest that's not saying much,the girl asks him if he's Silver Crow,unlike Metatron's harsh tone and Amaterasu's elegant tone,this is a tone that exudes a sense of transparency and although her eyes were closed,her slightly childish little face was so cute that people could not help but be fascinated by it so Crow thinks that she's not a terrible person and introduces himself as Silver Crow while the girl tells him that she's Bari,Master Bari but he can either call her Princess Bari or Her Royal Highness Princess Bari,causing Crow to realize that just like Metatron and Amaterasu,she can't be dealt with ordinary methods.
As Crow sighed the appearance of another troublesome Being,Amaterasu asks Bari what her <Wisdom Eye> tells her about Tezacatlipoca and Bari tells the other 3 what her eyes confirmed:
Tezcatlipoca is not a Being.
Amaterasu and Metatron who thought that Tezcatlipoca was like them were shocked and speechless after the reveal Tezca isn't a Being and Crow was speechless,Being is synonymous with Enemy and there is no existence more suitable for the word "Enemy" than Tezcatlipoca so what does it mean to be a Being?.Looking down at the sea of light spots in front of him and the dark giant star swirling in a corner,Crow asked Bari before correcting himself to Your Highness if she meant that Tezca doesn't have a Light Cube and she tells him that's part of it,from the perspective of Being as a whole,there are very few of them who have a Light Cube and Sun God Inti who is the [egg] doesn't have one,so it is not surprising that Tezcatlipoca who was born from there doesn't.The slightly inarticulate way of speaking made it seem like he'd heard it somewhere and then Crow realized that it was probably just a coincidence,but this sweet tone reminded him of Snow Fairy and for a moment,he thought about saying her name,but decided not to and asked how can a Being confirm if they have a Light Cube to which she tells him that they can't but they can speculate:According to the algorithm provided by the developer of the world,there is a big difference between Beings who are wandering in the UNF and Beings like Metatron,Amaterasu,and her who are [Castle Owners]—that is,being able to communicate using language.A long time ago,they had such a conjecture:Why do they speak?,this is because they have been given a thought circuit/Light Cube like the little warriors and while that conjecture has not been confirmed yet,it is also not denied.
Crow's eyes widened at what Bari said and then he asked where her castle is to which she tells him that it's at the Tokyo National Stadium,Crow considers going there next time but Amaterasu's stern look reminded him that he had made an appointment to deliver a cabinet full of cakes to Ama no Iwato,so he hurriedly turned the subject back and comments since having a Lightcube isn't a condition for a Being,then why did she told them Tezca isn't one?,Bari told him that she found something no Being in the accelerated world could ever have:
"The corridor connecting the Mean Level and the Lowest Level...that's what you little warriors call a [Portal]".
This unbelievable answer made Crow,Metatron and Amaterasu speechless and Crow asked Bari what the Portal is for to which she hasn't figured out that yet,meaning that the only ones who knows are <B> and the management AI of Brain Burst,if you defeat Tezcatlipoca and try to enter the portal inside,you might be able to figure out something but because it couldn't be defeated in the first place,it caused such a big mess.Crow then states that the essence of Tezca is a Portal and Bari tells him that since the essence of Inti is the egg of Tezcatlipoca,then it is more appropriate to assume that the essence of Tezcatlipoca is also inside it,Metatron agrees and states that she doesn't think that Bari's <Wisdom Eyes> will be wrong,if there is a portal in Tezcatlipoca,it should be directly related to the meaning of that destroyer's existence and Amaterasu states that what's more important is how to combine the information they now learned with what that Tezca is doing but the portal cannot be destroyed without exception so if something like this is inside it,then the possibility of defeating it is farther away.
Bari tells them that she'll continue to observe Tezca and report what she figures out to them,she tells Crow to bring cake when he comes to her castle which he complies with,causing Metatron to sigh that he's accumulating debts again and Amaterasu to protest that she gets first dibs before Bari,Crow silently wished in his heart that Tezca could be dealt with because it would be easier for him to deliver the cakes if it was gone.
After leaving the Highest Level,Haruyuki watched Metatron return to Raker's Player Home and slowly moved to the third floor of the main building of the Minato City Folk History Museum.Barely escaping the center of the destroyed hall,as Glacier Behemoth said,is an oval-shaped blue light flickered like a mirage:the Exit Portal.Thanks to Metatron,he has confirmed the safety of Behemoth and the others and now they should still be moving on the sea in Shibaura.Toyosu Market is about 1 km away and it takes less than 3 minutes to run on the sea.Even if Crow logs out now,the real time difference would be only about 0.2 seconds so he decides to go back first.