Accel World - Volume 11 - Chapter Aft

AFTERWORD

Reki Kawahara here. I’m bringing you Accel World 11: The Carbide Wolf.

To be honest, when combined with my other series, this book is my twentieth. And the number twenty was my original target.

Ever since I made my debut in February 2009, I’ve been privileged to have a book come out every other month, so to get to this place, it’s taken three years and two months. When I look back on it, it feels like a long time, but also like the blink of an eye. And fortunately, I was able to reach the number of books I was aiming for without any real trouble or serious writer’s block…But as to why I set twenty as my target, it was because I thought that if I wrote that many, the end for Accel World (and my other series) would come into view. (LOL)

However, the result is as you can see: far from ending, I don’t even really know at present how far the story’s actually gotten. I think Haruyuki’s grown a fair bit as a protagonist, but Kuroyukihime and their friends have basically not developed at all; the Legion still has a mere six members; and their territory hasn’t expanded from Suginami area—none of which I expected at all by this point. And of course, in this book, I actually intended to move the story forward toward the conclusion, but I wrote and wrote, and it never seemed to be getting there, so eventually, I was faced with the predicament of ending it with “to be continued!” I’m sure all of you readers are rolling your eyes, but if I might be allowed to make the slightest excuse, when a story goes on to this extent, control is impossible, or rather, it’s like the story just yanks the author along in the direction it itself wishes to go. Though, of course, that is simply my own personal case.

However, the flip side of this is that being allowed to add onto the number of volumes is, for the writer and the story, an extremely fortuitous thing, so rather than relaxing simply because I reached the target number of volumes, I would like to continue to bring you the story for as long as I’m able to write it.

To conclude: The fact that I was able to reach this number twenty is naturally and obviously because all of you have given me your support. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you once more. And I would ask that you all join me in setting your sights on the next twenty volumes.

This is a bit of a change of subject, but thank you all so much for the many, many entries we received for the first Accel World Duel Avatar Contest, which was held in November 2011. I let out a cry of delight at the many marvelous avatars, more than 450 of them, but after careful consideration, I am announcing the three that will be used as avatars in the novels.

First is Uraomote Yamaneko’s Peach Parasol. The unified feel of the design as a duel avatar, along with the idea of the parasol Enhanced Armament (named Hopping Shoot) really hit me. I had the wild idea she was maybe a member of the Red Legion!

Next is Nagomi Kiya’s Chocolat Puppeteer. At any rate, I was knocked out by the delicious-looking armor texture. (LOL) I’ll have to think a little about her Legion, but on the occasion when she does appear, I want her to be licked—I mean, play a really active role!

And then, finally, Alt’s Tungsten Wolfram. If, hypothetically, I were going to give a prize, it would perhaps be the Miracle Prize. And as to what exactly is the miracle, it’s the fact that the avatar Wolfram Cerberus that appears in Volume 11—which I had already written a fair bit of at the time the contest was opened—and this idea have a lot of points in common! I was honestly surprised by this myself. (LOL) The design and the abilities are actually a little bit different, but from Volume 12 on, I’d like to adopt some of Alt’s ideas and make Haruyuki’s new rival Cerberus even cooler.

As for the avatar contest, as of the writing of this afterword—February 2012—the second application period has begun, and we’re getting a great number of entries once again. I plan to adopt several additional avatars in the novels, so please look forward to seeing them!

Around the time Volume 11 comes out, the first episode of the TV anime Accel World will have already finished airing, I think. The staff and the cast all worked hard to really become the Burst Linkers and create this show, so I’d love to ask for your support for the anime and game versions of Accel, too.

Thank you again to my illustrator HIMA, who once again passionately drew our new character Wolfram Cerberus and Utai, who has an important role in this volume; and my editor, Miki, and deputy editor, Tsuchiya, for whom I’m worried about when exactly they sleep in this storm of related missions. I’ll keep working hard, too!

Reki Kawahara

On a certain day in February 2012