EnderSoul1401: Haha, well I do admit it has been a while since I last updated that chapter... and same goes for this one, lol. Hurrah for Philippine bonds, aha.
G.N. Over-Kite: Yeah, have to say that pretty much sums up all of Momus's interests in a nutshell. xD I suppose that's why I am not too sure about the whole harem thing, since I'm not sure if that would fit Momus...
Cobaltroid: Ah, really? I wasn't so sure if I pulled the humor off, but I'm glad I did somehow. I was planning to separate each nation visit in a chapter, but felt like that would drag things a bit or end up being too short. So I just went ahead and placed everything in a single chapter, ahah. Hmm, what could be Plutia's concerns indeed, ohoho. And well, you know things are legit when Blanc tells you you're flatter than her-*coughcough*
the lone soul: Yep, Uzume is a very interesting character, she immediately went up to my favorites as soon as I saw how adorable she was.
Raygha Raikouga: I'm glad you're interested! And for Momus's transformation... we'll see. xD
lightkirinhuruname: Haha, glad to see you were waiting for it!
pardus9: Oh, thank you so much for enjoying it! I honestly wasn't sure if I was justifying the "Humor" category, so it's assuring to see it's working... somehow? xD And yes, expect much obliviousness from Momus. It will be abused when he's around. I do admit that I'm leaning towards a single pairing... but hmm, if I ever do, I wonder who will it be... haha, decisions.
ARSLOTHES: Thank you for your support! And as for him regaining his powers again... one must wait and see! xD
DISCLAIMER: The author? Owning anything? Unfortunately, no.
HYPERDIMENSION NEPTUNIA: OVERLOAD
CHAPTER SEVEN
》START
And so, days have passed since our certain duo had visited the other nations on a supposed tour for our so-called Overlord's sake.
Now, I know that most of the readers will cry foul and say that it has been in fact weeks - nay, months since that event in the last chapter, but unfortunately this world of fiction simply operates in a different timeline. And so, when the author says it's been only days, it shall remain that way, and the characters will acknowledge it as such.
...Even if the characters themselves do possess some awareness to real-time events. This is Neptunia, after all, where the fourth-wall seems to be practically absent ever since a certain girl by the name of Neptune came into existence.
That aside, we now go back to the focus of the narration's original topic. Our Overlord protagonist spent his days working in the Basilicom, looking after a certain somnolent goddess, end up doing said lazy goddess's work when she would end up falling asleep; which were composed of doing quests in the Guild or the never-ending pile of paperwork. The latter job nearly drove our Overlord protagonist insane to the point that he had actually started deeming the routinely work of sorting out documents to be "a fearsome foe" next to the "dreaded gelatinous creatures".
But, no matter how much those deeds gave our so-called protagonist frustration, it had to be done. For the sake of progress... and stability of the nation, as Histoire had repeatedly begged.
However, thankfully for our self-proclaimed Overlord, not all of his time was consumed with doing work he did not want to do. He did spend some rather peaceful days lingering about in the Basilicom, getting fed by Compa, getting mauled by Peashy in supposed playtime, being glared at by IF; such things such as that. Those days have been deemed as irrelevant to be even shown in detail, as people come here for exciting Neptunia shenanigans and not the life of a character who doesn't even exist in canon.
This grueling intro aside, we now have our so-called protagonist awaken to yet another day in the Planeptune Basilicom.
He rudely slams the door to his pink-colored room open, with newly repaired scarf flowing behind, a permanent scowl on his face as always, and proceeds to walk into the hallway. His expression turns into slight bewilderment when he sees a figure in front of him.
"A-aah! It's the Overlord!" the shadowed figure who was wearing what it appeared to be a robe exclaims, frantically putting up the stack of papers they were holding in front of their face like a shield.
Momus raises a brow at the cowering figure, before his eyes narrow with suspicion. "Just who are you?"
Histoire, who happened to be floating beside the NPC, is the one who responds. "Ah, Momus, there's no need to be on guard. This is one of the Planeptune Basilicom staff. He had dropped by here to talk to me with nation-related matters. (^ｰ^)"
The Cowardly Planeptune Basilicom Staff gives a nod in affirmation to Histoire's words. "U-um, yes, b-but my work is already done here! I-if you'll excuse me!"
With a small bow of his head, he nervously walks past the two and leaves.
"Please don't mind him. Word has already spread in the Basilicom that Plutia is keeping an Overlord here, so some of the staff are still quite wary of your presence...(╯_╰)" Histoire tells Momus in an apologetic manner.
Though Momus, being his usual self, doesn't seem at all bothered by it and merely crosses his arms. "Hmph, such fear is only logical when standing before an Overlord such as I. However, what does draw my perplexity is the 'staff', you have just mentioned. I was not aware that the Slumbering One's vassals were actively doing their services in this place."
"Oh, the Basilicom staff usually conduct their work in other areas of the Basilicom that you don't usually visit to," Histoire explains.
They just happen to do their work off-screen which is why the Basilicom only seems to house a number of people. How else will the nation survive without people helping their goddess manage it?
"...If all of the work was solely given to Plutia alone, I don't think this nation would last even a day, (´ー｀)" Histoire remarks with a sigh. "Either way, the Basilicom staff are only allowed to request an audience with Plutia when it is involving important matters, which is also the reason why you do not meet with them often."
Because background characters aren't given much significance.
"Please don't refer to them in such a manner. They are the ones who are helping me keep this nation alive (￣□￣)," Histoire says.
"...Wait... so you mean to say that the amount of this 'paperwork' that I do... is merely an undersized amount of the actual number?!" Momus exclaims, eyes wide.
"Well... I am aware that you are not a professional for this kind of work, so I only give you a minimum amount of paperwork so you won't be overwhelmed...(´∀｀)" Histoire replies.
"How can such a gargantuan amount of records come to be in the first place?!" Momus shouts in disbelief.
Histoire merely sighs at this. "Paperwork is the kind of work Plutia hates the most, so she usually avoids doing it, leading it to pile up even further...(-'_'-)"
A vein pops out from Momus's head as he raises a trembling fist. "That neglectful goddess..."
"That's the reality of the situation, Momus. Now you understand why I am so willing to keep you here（ ；´Д｀）," Histoire tells him.
HISTOIRE'S AFFECTION HAS INCREASED TO LEVEL {3}
Ah, nothing like bonding over mutual stress.
Once Momus stepped into the lounge room, he was greeted with the familiar sight of three certain CPUs (plus Peashy) sitting on the floor, talking amongst themselves. Even though there was a couch actually present in the room, the carpeted floor was most likely far too fluffy for them to have resisted sitting upon. It was fitting for the perpetually-sleepy CPU who would sleep pretty much anywhere, even on floors.
The two girls look up at Momus's direction when they see him enter.
"Oh, good morning," Vert greets politely, currently having Peashy wrapped in her arms.
"Good morning," is all Blanc says.
"Hello, Histoire... and you," The difference in tone she used was evident with Noire.
While Momus twitches at the manner she addressed him with, Histoire floats by him with a look of mild surprise. "Ah, I see you three have paid us a visit again. (*≗*)"
To explain, during the omitted days that had passed by, the three CPUs have taken a liking to visiting the Basilicom frequently. Blanc and Noire all the more so, with reasons most likely regarding about their personal agendas.
"I was hoping to talk with Momus and Plutia again," Blanc tells him. From behind her, she discreetly pulls out a notebook and pen.
Noire simply glares at Momus. "And obviously, I won't allow a guy like him to freely hang around Plutia." She then shifts her gaze at Blanc. "Or let you one-up me too."
"..." Blanc remains silent but is calmly sitting with her eyes closed and looking slightly smug.
Still with the friendship rivalry by the looks of it.
"I wanted to play with little Peashy today," Vert says, cuddling up to said little girl.
"Ow, Bert, you're hugging me too tight..." Peashy complains with a look of discomfort.
"Oh, but this is one of the rare days where you're available at the Basilicom! I can't simply waste this opportunity for some much needed sister bonding!" Vert tells her happily.
Momus stares at them with half-lidded eyes. "Do you three not have a nation to be attending to?"
"It's fine. That's what our Basilicom staff is for," Vert replies dismissively, far too busy trying to cuddle with Peashy.
"It is exactly for this kind of reason why this 'paperwork' needlessly accumulates!" Momus yells.
The other three were to be expected, but it seems inappropriate for a workaholic like Noire of all people.
"What... I'm actually being singled out?! Ugh, I'll have you know I've been really busy this entire week! There's been rising cases of viral monsters appearing lately and getting too close to my nation, so just this once I wanted to take a break from all of the work that's been piling up!" Noire explains in her defense.
Histoire's eyes widen at her words, and one can actually see an exclamation mark appear from her head. "Viral monsters, you say..."
At that moment, another shadowed-figure comes into the room. It was another NPC Basilicom staff again, though he seemed to be a different person than the one a while ago judging by the way he wasn't being a nervous wreck.
"I apologize for the intrusion, CPUs, but I wish to report a message to Lady Black Heart," the Professional Planeptune Basilicom Staff says.
Noire turns to look at him curiously. "A message? For me?"
The Professional Planeptune Basilicom Staff nods. "One of your soldiers from Lastation wanted me to pass this information to you since they were aware of your visit here in Planeptune. He wanted to inform you that one of your factories has been overrun with viral monsters."
This set of news makes Noire stand up in alarm. "What?! Overrun by monsters?!"
"The soldiers assigned to that area were unfortunately overwhelmed by the number of monsters, so they wish to ask for your assistance," the Professional Planeptune Basilicom Staff adds.
"Another monster incident, huh..." Noire mutters with apprehension. Then she stands up straighter in a more confident pose, with a hand on her hip. "Alright then, I'll be heading over there to neutralize the threat immediately!"
"Understood, Lady Black Heart. I will call back your soldiers and notify them of your arrival," the Professional Planeptune Basilicom Staff answers, giving a brief nod and leaving the room.
Noire lets out a huff. "Well, I'll be heading off."
"Take care, Noire," Vert says in a light-hearted tone, still not taking her eyes off Peashy.
"You get going then," Blanc adds in an equally nonchalant manner, staring at the notebook on her lap.
Those two don't seem to be even concerned when one of their companions seems to be encountering a problem of their own. Such a beautiful display of friendship.
"Well, this is Noire, after all," Vert says.
"Noire: the independent CPU and prefers to do things all by herself. She doesn't like it when others interfere with her business, especially if it's not Plutia," Blanc adds.
"H-Hmph, yeah! I can handle everything just fine! It's my nation, so as its CPU, I have sole responsibility over it! I don't need to ask help from you two! I-it's not like I'm a bit hurt that you two don't even try to ask if you want to help me out or anything...!" Noire says, trying (and failing) to look unbothered by it.
Her behavior is so obvious. It's kind of a sad sight, really.
"Oh, shut up, you stupid narrator! I'm leaving now!"
Noire turns her back and prepares to exit the room when Histoire calls out, "Wait, Noire."
Noire halts in her step and turns around to face Histoire with a confused look. "What is it, Histoire?"
"Noire, if you don't mind, I would like to let Momus accompany you with your predicament," Histoire tells her.
Not one, but two heads whip over to the tiny fairy with looks of disbelief.
""WHAT!?""
"Why does he have to come along?!"
"Just why am I required to go with this disrespectful goddess?!"
"Hey, who're you calling disrespectful you rude–"
"A-ah, please you two, settle down. (*´д｀*) I merely want to look into this matter as well. It has been recently reported to me that there have been an increase in viral monsters in Planeptune, so I want to see if this incident is related somehow," Histoire explains in hopes of stopping the two in another argument.
"Huh, so Planeptune's been experiencing this too?" Noire asks in surprise.
"What bothers me is why exactly I have be the one to undertake this task," Momus cuts in, looking irritated by the thought of it.
"I would normally have Plutia do this on Planeptune's behalf, but unfortunately she is still asleep (╯_╰)... of course, you could head into her room and try to wake her up–"
"I will be departing post-haste."
He certainly changed his mind quickly.
NOIRE HAS BEEN ADDED.
And so the two arrived to their place of destination. This is where the "quick-jump" option comes in, as the duo didn't want to spend time in each other's presence more than they wanted to and ended up skipping to their location immediately.
- ANONYDEATH'S LAB -
When they stepped inside the large black building, the entire area was eerily quiet and nearly empty save for one lone figure standing in the distance.
As they approached, Noire's eyes widen upon recognizing the figure. "IF?"
At the sound of Noire's voice, IF turns around in surprise to face her. "Ah, Lady Noire... and the Overlord is here too."
Momus scowls at being addressed so dismissively once again. "Yet another ill-mannered female..."
Noire just ignores the muttering Overlord beside her and continues to talk to IF. "IF, what are you doing here? It's rare for me to see you in Lastation territory."
"I obtained some information that a viral monster infestation was happening here, so I came here to investigate. There's been a rise of viral monsters appearing lately, and the Guild's been sending out agents to find out the source of it all," IF explains.
"I see... well, while I wasn't expecting the extra company, I don't mind letting you come along for your investigation," Noire tells her with a smile.
"Thank you, Lady Noire," IF replies with a grateful smile of her own.
IF HAS BEEN ADDED.
"Ergh, to think that I would have encountered two churlish females today..." Momus mutters in dissatisfaction.
IF hears his comment and faces him with an irritated glance of her own. "Hey, why are you here anyway?"
"The miniature fay requested me to escort the Lastation deity on behalf of the Slumbering One," Momus answers, looking just as displeased as IF is.
"Oh, Lady Plutia was asleep again, I bet," IF comments in a knowing manner.
"Yeah, like that's anything new. I would've really preferred if it was Plutia who came along with me, but since Histoire asked me to, I've really got no choice but to put up with him for now," Noire says with a huff.
"You and me both, Lady Noire," IF agrees.
"On the contrary! It is I who will be subjected to the torturous burden of having to tolerate you two's presence!" is what Momus bursts in with in his loud self, making said females shoot him looks of irritation.
What is this conversation coming to? A "whose presence is the most aggravating" competition?
"Ugh, I don't have time to deal with this guy right now! While we're standing here and bickering like kids, my factory's getting wrecked by monsters!" Noire shouts in annoyance.
"Speaking about that, Lady Noire, I was wondering why there doesn't seem to be any single person remaining in this factory. The information I had gotten was that it was the guards stationed at this area who reported the monster infestation," IF says.
"Oh, that. There's no need to worry. I always tell my soldiers to fall back if they can't handle the current threat so I can take care of things myself," Noire explains in a seemingly prideful tone.
So basically, you allow your forces to willingly desert you so you can deal with it by yourself? Such a strategy is only befitting of a loner such as you! Truly awe-inspiring.
"...Gah, shut up! Aaargh, seriously, let's just get going already!" Noire yells, starting to stomp ahead.
Well, putting the ruthless teasing of the tsundere aside, our trio proceeded to head further into the factory.
"...! There's one up ahead!" IF alerts the other two of a dark-colored device... thing hovering about up ahead.
"Alright! Let's go!" Noire brings out a disk from her pocket, starting to sprint forward just as the disk transformed into a rapier, and slashes at the enemy.
SYMBOL ATTACK!
Noire, with rapier in hand, delivers a couple of skillful slashes at the floating device - a type of "monster" that we all know as the [Bit].
After her, IF rushes in with her qatars out, slashing and kicking at the other larger mechanical monster that was accompanying the Bits, called [EDGE].
Next, Momus attacks a nearby Bit with large slashes coming from his sword. Once he had finished it off and disappears into data, a look of intrigue settles upon his face.
"What an interesting creature it was. When Diabolus had come upon it, its body structure felt very solid. It does not seem to be made out of flesh and bones," he remarks thoughtfully.
Oh, right, being the primitive Overlord that you are, you are completely unaware of things pertaining to modern technology. The enemy that you had just fought was not actually a creature, but a machine. Fittingly, it is one of the enemy types that is listed under the [Machine] category in the Nepedia.
"A machine? You mean to say it has no free will?"
Yes, it only acts on whatever it is programmed to do. And being one of the many monsters in the world of Neptunia, it acts like what a monster is supposed to, and that's by being a general nuisance and something to reap experience points out of.
"Hmm, no wonder. It is nothing more than a mindless puppet. Now I see why I was not able to devour its health. It is not edible."
You cannot eat machines, but it would be a greatly amusing sight to see you attempt it.
"Hey, as if you haven't noticed during your exposition dump, we're still in the middle of battle here!" Noire yells in irritation.
Oh, why yes we are. It should be the enemy's turn about now.
"Wh–"
The EDGE points the sharp tips hovering at its back and releases a strong zap in Noire's direction.
"Aaagh!"
"Lady Noire!" IF rushes to Noire's rescue by proceeding to relentlessly pound the EDGE with her [Command Skills].
+ VICTORY! +
ITEM DROP: ILLEGAL RAM
"Lady Noire, are you okay?" IF asks in concern while supporting Noire's body, who was currently slouched over.
Of course she's not okay, she looks to be in pain. So what is the point of asking that question when you can clearly see her condition?
"You're not helping the situation here!" IF yells in exasperation.
"Urgh, I'm fine... but I can't seem to move my body..." Noire grunts out.
"Hm, your body has been rendered paralyzed, it seems," Momus says casually, as if merely talking about the weather and not have a possibly injured comrade.
And yes, what you see before you is a [status ailment]. [Paralysis] is among the status conditions a foe can inflict upon a character, along with [Poison], [Skillseal], and [Virus]. Though, there's no need for you to bother with the last one, as that only applies to the CPUs and their access to [Hard Drive Divinity] as you've been reduced to being a mere human.
Momus's eye twitches to give a slight indication that he might have been offended on that last statement, but ultimately opts for a "Is that so..." in response.
"Wait, let me check our inventory... What?! We don't have a single usable item in here?!" IF exclaims upon checking the convenient [Item] window.
Noire is similarly gaping in disbelief at the news. "What?! Are you serious?! Who goes around an RPG setting without carrying any healing items?!"
A certain ignorant Overlord, that's who.
"Agh! Hey, you, have you not visited the [item shop] yet?!" Noire tells Momus.
All Momus does is stand there and blink in confusion at the new term. "'Shop'? You refer to a store? The establishment that humans go to?"
Well, there's your answer.
"Are you freaking kidding me?! You don't even know what an item shop is?! Ugh...!" Noire continues to react incredulously, looking even more tired by the minute.
"Huh, I guess no one in the Basilicom bothered to show him around Planeptune..." IF mutters.
Which is especially ironic, since he already went on a supposed tour of all the nations in the previous chapter, only that the very nation he's staying in is the one he hasn't received a tour of yet.
"Ugh, knowing Plutia, she was too lazy to even do anything about it..." Noire sighs with exasperation. "Aaagh, I guess we have no choice but to go back to Lastation and buy items there!"
"But Lady Noire, you can't move..." IF says with worry.
She can just be carried there. We have someone here who is used to carrying people around, so that should solve things.
Momus blinks in confusion for a few seconds before he processes what had just been said. "What?! I have to carry this female too?!"
Oh, you managed to catch on to that one quickly.
"Who is it other than I who keeps being subjected to such troublesome actions?! Regardless, I refuse to do it! I find it extremely tiresome that I keep being reduced to a deity's carrier! This one looks to be heavier than the Slumbering One, so I find it an immense hassle!" Momus complains in his usual loud manner, pointing an exaggerated finger towards Noire.
Oh, not only does he refuse to help a girl in need, he just deemed a girl to be overweight right in her face! That takes extreme boldness and another whole level of shamelessness.
A vein pops out of Noire's head and she grits her teeth with closed eyes. "If I could move right now, I would seriously punch you in the face."
"Ugh, fine, if the Overlord doesn't want to help I'll do it," IF says with a frustrated sigh.
Ah, might as well. Our so-called powerful Overlord's fragile human body is most likely too tired to carry someone at the moment.
"Who do you dare refer to as frangible, All-Knowing One?! I am more than capable of sustaining that female's weight!" He yells with loud vigor, going over and quickly snatching Noire from IF's hold and throwing her in his back.
"WHY THE HECK ARE YOU STILL CALLING ME FAT YOU ARROGANT–" Noire's yelling could be heard in the distance as Momus was sprinting off towards the exit.
"To be so easily provoked... he's so much like a kid..." IF mutters as she stares at Momus's running silhouette and Noire's screaming form in the distance with an unimpressed look.
- BACK AT LASTATION -
Eventually, the trio arrived back at Lastation, the journey thankfully less agonizing (and humiliating) with the convenient scene jump.
Once they entered, IF had immediately bought the [Paralaxin] needed to cure Noire of her paralyzed status ailment.
"Finally... I can move again..." Noire says in relief after chugging down the bottle of Paralaxin.
"So this is a shop..." Momus remarks with a look of slight awe, gazing upon the shelves filled with various items, weapons and even clothes.
He was acting similarly to a child who had just entered a candy store for the first time. The looks on Noire and IF were certainly saying so.
"Anyway, while we're here, we better stock up on some items. It's suicidal for someone to be walking around with no healing items in a dungeon! It's basic knowledge! Ugh, seriously," Noire mutters in complaint.
And so Noire and IF proceeded to buy the necessary items that every player should know and have.
Over at the counter, when they were preparing to pay for the items, Noire takes out a sleek black card (probably customized) with a digital symbol of a yellow coin with a "C" flickering on its screen.
"What is that?" Momus asks in curiosity upon seeing it.
"Don't you know? This is where we store [credits]. And before you ask, credits are the currency of this world. There, now you know," Noire explains dismissively, handing over the card to the NPC cashier.
The NPC cashier swipes the card over at the cash registrar, making a tiny *BEEP* noise, as numbers of what the items amounted to flashed on the cash registrar's screen.
"Thank you very much for your purchase, Lady Black Heart," the NPC cashier says with a smile, handing over the card back to her.
Momus blinks at the process. "Hm? Did you not give the due payment?"
Noire faces him with a tired look in her eyes as it looks like she has to explain things to him again. "Of course I did. I paid the items with this card. This is where my money is stored." She gives said card a little wave in her hand for emphasis.
Ah, so I see. Credits are stored in the card. "Credit Card"! Oh, the wordplay is so unoriginal.
"So you mean to say that this small object has the ability to contain all of your wealth? Do you not carry it in bags filled with coins like the humans do?" Momus asks, leaning closer to inspect the item held in Noire's hand.
Noire pulls away the card irritably, uncomfortable at the boy's close proximity. "We can carry credits on-hand, but we mostly use these cards for our convenience. I mean, how else will people be able to carry a large amount of credits on them?"
Momus merely places a hand to his chin in thought. "Hm... so it is capable of storing a large quantity of items in a similar manner like your summoning orbs do?"
Noire raises a brow in confusion. "Summoning orb?"
He's most likely referring to your disks.
Noire's expression changes into that of understanding. "Oh, that. Yeah, they do function in the same way. The disks we use are for storing our weapons so we can carry them without any inconvenience."
"But I have never seen the human use such a thing for her weapons," Momus comments, glancing at IF, who was standing by over to the side looking at some shelves.
Hearing his comment, IF turns to face him with a tired expression, as if she finds it a hassle to have to explain things to him as well. "I carry my weapons on-hand. I just hide them in my sleeves."
*Shing!*
As she said this, she pulls out her glinting qatar from her sleeve to prove her point.
"Hm... I see..." Momus says in satisfaction.
"Happy now?" IF asks in a slightly weary tone, retracting back her blade.
"But then... where do the items we purchase are stored to?"
Noire and IF seem to go silent at Momus's words.
"Huh..."
"Come to think of it..."
The answer is simple. With convenient hammerspace!
Which begs the question on why cards are needed to store money in the first place, but such matters will be rendered trivial and not worth trying to make sense out of.
- ANONYDEATH'S LAB -
With the necessary items finally bought, the three return back to the factory that they had temporarily abandoned even though there's supposed to be a monster threat in it. Thankfully, by the looks of things, none of the monsters had set foot outside of the factory at all. Must be the usual plot convenience at work. Nothing drastic happens unless it's part of the main storyline, anyways.
When they came back in, they did what it was they were supposed to have done a lot earlier, and that was eliminating the viral monsters that have swarmed the factory.
They had ended up heading further into the factory's depths, cleaning up more viral monsters along the way.
"Hyah!"
With a slash from Noire's blade, the Bit bursts into data.
+ VICTORY! +
Noire surveys the surroundings, confirming that they've managed to finish off the monsters in this area. A frown comes to her face. "This viral outbreak seems to be serious... it's even affected the monsters that don't usually turn viral."
"That's right... living monsters such as the [Beast] or [Plant] category are normally the ones who turn viral, but [Data] monsters rarely, or never even do so..." IF says in agreement, an equally serious look on her face.
"...Hey, IF, you said there's supposed to be a source for all of this, right?" Noire asks.
"A similar incident happened in Planeptune, where all of the monsters in the dungeon had been going viral because they were being affected with a strong wavelength in the entire location. Based on my assumptions, this could be another occurrence..." IF explains, briefly shooting a suspicious glance at Momus. Momus had missed it since he was busy looking at another area of the factory, while Noire wasn't able to notice it due to being caught up in her own thoughts.
"...Let's head further in. We might be able to find the source somewhere deeper inside," Noire says, snapping out of her musings and starting to walk forward.
IF and Momus follow Noire's lead, as Momus continues to look around the factory as they walk.
"...It has come to my attention that this building of yours looks far too decrepit, even with this infestation going about," Momus remarks.
He does have a point, since the entire dungeon looks like an abandoned warehouse. But then again, that's what it's been designed to be.
"Ugh, that's because this building got taken over by a pervert once. Once I finally chased that guy out of here, he made so many modifications to the place that even until now we're still in the middle of reverting it back to the way it was. Though with all these damages the monsters made, looks like I'll have to pour even more credits for the repairs... ugh, what a pain..." Noire mutters in complaint.
Well, in the first place, the dungeon's name was a dead give-away. Quite a surprise to see that it's still intact.
"Ugh, I know! Because of his damn revisions even the dungeon's still named after him! It's so annoying!" Noire replies in irritation. Her eyes narrow even further as they approach another door up ahead. "In fact, the only place left to check should be..."
Noire loudly opens the door to the room, sporting an equally irritated face not unlike our Overlord this morning as her eyes roam around the remains of a certain fanboy robot's laboratory equipment.
"Hmph, I knew it... this place hasn't been cleared yet," Noire says with narrowed eyes, as she spots the guard Bits that automatically came to life as soon as it detected their presence.
"Alright, once we finish these things off, we're done here." Noire quickly materializes her rapier in her hand, as the other two whip out their own weapons in the same manner.
Just as they took a step forward, the area started to glitch.
"Huh...?" Noire widens her eyes at what was happening.
The Bits that were hovering up ahead were also glitching in the same manner as the room was, as their bodies were eventually overtaken by a flash of dark-colored data and turned viral.
"That's..." IF's attention is then drawn to the small dark orb floating behind the now-viral Bits. She hadn't noticed it was there before, with the Bits hovering around it, it must have been covered out of sight.
"This presence..." Momus also comes to notice the ball of darkness and his eyes narrow in response.
And well... you know what happened next.
The rapid sputtering of unstable data around the room, the glitching, the whole static-y phenomenon, and the ball of darkness that was starting to grow and expand into a large size.
The ball of darkness took shape, stretching and extending up tall, so much that its head ended up reaching the ceiling. What emerged was a large brown humanoid figure that was seemingly made out of sturdy stone, with three gaps placed on its rocky head resembling two eyes and a mouth.
"W-W-WHAT THE HECK IS THAT!?" Noire reacts accordingly, gaping at the massive figure before them.
IF could be seen staring at it with a cautious but knowing glare on her face, while Momus was... actually looking impressed with it.
"Hoh, so it is a golem! It has been such a long time since I have fought one! A golem of a colossal size such as this is more appropriate than those creatures you deem as one in this world!"
"Stop looking so happy! This isn't the time for that!" Noire yells at him. She then gestures in an exaggerated manner towards the golem up ahead. "...THAT! What is that huge thing?!"
"Did you not hear my earlier remark? It is what I have just said. It is a golem. Fix your hearing organ, goddess!" Momus replies in an unimpressed tone.
"That's not the point! What I want to know is -WHY IS THAT THING HERE- and -WHERE THE HECK DID IT COME FROM-?!"
"Then you should have made your intentions clear–"
"Ugh, just hurry up and answer the question you know what it is don't you–"
"Lady Noire, the explanations can wait later! It's coming!" IF interrupts with an urgent voice, as the golem acts first and brings down one of its giant fists at their directions.
At IF's warning, the other two snap out of their arguing and manage to heed her voice just in time and dodge at the very moment the golem's fist crashed down on the spot they happened to be standing on, the entire ground shaking due to its sheer strength.
Knowing that this was no time to be fooling around, Noire grits her teeth. "Can't be helped. Access!"
Engulfed in a burst of light and data codes, Noire's previously black hair is turned into white, wearing a rather revealing suit colored in shades of grey and black, with a pair of red "wings" hovering behind her. In place of her rapier, she was holding a large black sword.
"I don't know why something like that appeared here, but the fact doesn't change that it's a monster! Nuisances like that are meant to get rid of!" Noire, or should we say Black Heart says in an arrogant manner, her voice dropping to a serious low tone.
"Such a conceited goddess," Momus comments.
That is incredibly hypocritical coming from the likes of you.
IF does not say anything, but the stare she was giving him was showing that she was thinking the exact same thing.
Black Heart flies forward, some of the viral Bits intercepting her path by shooting large tiny beams at her direction. She dodges their attacks effortlessly, still continuing to surge on forward.
"You're in the way!" She slashes at the Bits in her path dismissively, leaving a trail of data in her wake. All this time, she never took her eyes off the golem ahead. Truly, those Bits were considered nothing more than mere bugs in her sight.
As she approaches the golem, a grin makes its way into her face. Looked to be far too vicious for a goddess. Ah, now I understand why she and Plutia became friends.
Black Heart draws her large blade backwards, then gives one - or was it two? slashes. The golem slowly lifts up a giant fist and makes a move to punch the goddess in the air, but Black Heart merely kicks its fist as both a means of counter-attacking and dodging. She used the force to slam into the golem's fist, and using the momentum to leap backwards, then with a snap of her fingers, the follow-up cuts from her previous slash came and hit the golem all over its body*.
"We should help out too!" IF says, rushing in towards the golem while slicing the Bits that would get in her way. She yells out a "Hey, over here!" as she detaches one of her blades and throws it as the golem's face.
The blade merely bounces off the golem's face, but it was enough to direct its attention from the goddess flying around in front of it. The golem slowly cranes its head downwards to the girl standing below.
Black Heart widens her eyes at IF's move. "Hey, wait! Are you crazy?! You can't take a hit from that thing head-on–"
The golem raises its other fist and swings it downwards at IF's spot. It almost looked like she was going to get crushed with its mighty fist, but at the last second IF swiftly dodges the attack to the side, slightly stumbling at the ground shaking due to its impact. She shakes it off and quickly recovers on her feet, and leaps on the golem's fist that was still remaining on the ground. IF runs along the golem's arm, materializing another new blade beneath her sleeve, and gives the golem a couple of kicks in the face and slashes with her blade.
The golem makes a low growl of irritation, and smacks IF away with its hand. She's sent briefly flying in the air, but IF quickly recovers and does a mini-flip in the air as she lands on the ground on her two feet. Dem skills.
Black Heart lets a low sigh of relief at seeing her land safely with no major damages. "Geez, don't just charge in so recklessly like that! You're a human, so you can't take attacks as well as I do!"
Was she actually concerned or insulting her? I can't tell.
IF gives a weary smile back at Black Heart in response. It seems she went for the former reasoning. "Sorry about that. I'll be more careful."
Momus shakes his head in disapproval at IF's actions, just finishing off another Bit. "How maladroit, human. A golem's weak point is not its front. If you desire to overcome a hefty foe, you must aim to topple it down from its feet."
"Well, gee, that piece of information would have actually helped if you had actually bothered to -say it earlier-!" IF retorts.
He's quite slow like that, you see.
"Hmph, no matter. I will show you the proper execution!" Momus declares, as he sprints forward while dodging the beams from the Bits nearby. Once he came within the golem's range, he uses his [Dark Edge] skill scraping his sword lowly at the ground and attempts to sweep off the golem's feet.
Keyword being attempt.
The attack directly connected with the golem's feet, but it didn't even stumble or move an inch.
Momus blinks at this, [Diabolus] still gripped in his hands and in his battle stance. "Hm? How strange. That has always done the deed."
Ah, our dear Overlord protagonist. That may have worked when you were still the all-powerful Overlord you once were, but in here have you forgotten that you are now human and are unable to exhibit any of your past strength?
"...Most infuriating."
The golem swings another fist down at his direction, and he leaps backwards in order to dodge it, right back to his position where IF stood.
"Yeah, I saw it, alright," IF remarks sarcastically, unimpressed.
"You be quiet, human!"
Black Heart had witnessed his embarrassing attempt and rolls her eyes. "I'll handle it. [Lace Ribbons]!"
She rushes forward, leaps in the air and delivers a kick that sends the opponent in the air (well in this case, lifting the golem off slightly from the ground), and giving it a couple of kicks and slashes. Her attack actually sends the golem to tip over and ready to fall, but Black Heart doesn't stop there, and follows it off with a kick and forcefully slams the golem down to the ground with a harsh blow from her sword*.
Pulling off two [SP Skills] straight in a row? Is this legit?
Is this the power of popularity? Is it? Is it?!
Well, going back to the outcome of the battle, the impact of the golem landing on the ground sends a massive tremor to occur throughout the entire building that it's a miracle how the building wasn't falling apart yet. Lastation construction work perhaps?
"Alright! It's down! Pile on!*"
Just as Momus and IF ready themselves to give the downed opponent a beating, the golem starts to sputter and blink in a glitchy manner.
"Huh? This...?!"
As the golem continues to spark in a multitude of different glitchy colors, the various metals and equipment around the area were coming apart and were starting to gather around the golem's body.
"What's happening?! Hey, you know what's going on?!" IF exclaims, facing Momus with a distressed expression.
"...Ah, when a golem starts to grow weak, in an act of desperation it will absorb nearby substances to strengthen its defenses," Momus explains.
"Seriously, would it kill you to say this kind of information earlier?!" IF yells at him.
Our so-called hero's lack of initiative aside, the three eventually focus on the golem where the entire equipment around the laboratory was being merged with the golem's body, starting to form like pieces of armor.
It slowly stands up, the armor forming and attaching to its body one by one.
It formed to the feet and legs!
It formed to the arms and body!
And... it formed to the head!*
...This certainly would have been epic to look at if there was an animation present, but sadly, this is a fanfiction. So settle with your imaginations instead.
"What the hell is with that Trans*BEEP*-like sequence?!" Black Heart exclaims upon witnessing it.
"Nepgear would have a field day if she saw this..." IF mutters, looking as incredulous as Black Heart is.
Meanwhile, on a dimension far, far away* but-is-actually-kind-of-near-due-to-a-convenient-portal, inside a certain nation's Basilicom's depths, in a certain purple-haired girl's private laboratory...
"My technophile senses are tingling...!"
Back in the Ultradimension, the three were currently staring upon the newly mecha-transformed golem with varying degrees of shock and surprise. It should be fairly obvious who is reacting respectively.
The mecha-golem's body glitches for a brief moment, then more viral Bits started to spawn inside the room, multiplying at an alarmingly fast rate.
"So that's where the source of viral monsters are coming from..." Black Heart mutters, roaming her eyes around the swarm of Bits before locking her gaze at the mecha-golem. She turns to face Momus and IF who were standing a ways behind her. "IF! And you! I'll handle the golem, while you two take care of the Bits!"
"Wait, why must the lowly opponents be given to me?" Momus complains.
"Seeing your display earlier, I highly doubt you can finish off that golem on your own. As a CPU, I have the strength to battle it. But the rest of these enemies are going to be a pain to deal with, so I want the both of you to back me up," Black Heart explains in a straightforward tone.
Momus looked he was about to open his mouth to respond, most likely to complain some more, when IF cuts him off.
"Understood. We'll deal with the enemies here."
"Hm." Black Heart briefly nods in acknowledgement at her answer, and turns to face the mecha-golem in front of her, starting to engage it with her blade.
Momus shifts an irritated glare towards IF. "Human, you dare interrupt me?!"
IF glares back at him. "Listen, you. Now's not the time to be worrying about whether you get to defeat the main boss all protagonist-like. What we need to do is get rid of all these monsters so they won't cause anymore problems for anyone. All of us want to get this thing done and over with, and we're not going to get anywhere if you keep whining about it."
Momus narrows his eyes at her, but must have realized her point as he eventually turns to face the Bits that were hovering nearby, conveniently waiting for their turn, as he readies his sword. "...If I must."
IF lets out a low "hmph" at his behavior, and proceeds to dash forward and slash and kick at the Bits surrounding her.
The battle went along with Black Heart fighting against the large mecha-golem who would throw its powerful punches at her, and she would skillfully dodge those attacks with her convenient flying abilities, and counter-attack. Because of the mecha-golem's large size, it was expectedly, as slow as heavy enemies came, so it wasn't able to move from its spot at all as it was far too busy dealing with the CPU that was buzzing around it like a fly.
On the other hand, we have our human duo. Their battle went as expected. With all the slashing, the dodging...
*CRASH*
"Ow! What the hell?!"
"Human! In case you are not aware, I have a nuisance that I must eliminate!"
"Hey, -I- was the one after that Bit! Get another one!"
*ZOOM*
"Human! Do you not see that other foe behind you?!"
"I'm busy here! Handle it yourself!"
"Hmph, how weak."
"Who are you calling weak you son of a–"
*ZAP*
"Agh, dammit! That Bit got me! Hey, can you give me a [Nep Bull]?"
"Hm, how does one access the item storage...?"
"Ugh, you just–"
"Oh, this particular wall appeared and magically made it appear in my hand. How advantageous. Here."
"Wha–! AGH, DON'T THROW IT PASS IT TO ME LIKE A NORMAL PERSON–"
...the usual battle conversations...
Momus swings his sword at a nearby Bit, smacking it away into another Bit, causing it to explode. Said Bit happened to have been hovering near a certain CPU, who narrowly missed ended up being caught in the explosion.
"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE AIMING!"
"You were in the way."
Black Heart's eye twitched in response.
...and the occasional friendly fire.
But they seem to be actually getting the job done, so this is a good thing. Teamwork and friendship is truly wonderful.
As of the moment, Momus and IF were just about to clear away all the Bits in the room. There was only one left, so...
*Slash!*
Momus, with his sword about to swing, glares at IF. "Human, I was supposed to end it."
"Too bad, I got it first," IF replies dismissively.
Well, that's simply how it is when one has the faster [AGI] stat.
Momus was just about to retort back, when suddenly a large red beam shot past him, barely hitting him but burning a hole through the tip of his scarf instead, with Black Heart being shown to have crashed into one of the walls behind as the beam subsided.
"Augh..."
"Lady Noire?!" While Momus was staring blankly at his repaired scarf that managed to get damaged (yet again), IF rushes over to Black Heart's side in worry.
Black Heart detaches herself from the wall she had just crashed into, showing that a large hole had ended up being imprinted onto it.
"Agh... there's no need to worry... I'm fine. I was just caught off-guard, that's all... I didn't expect it to have an attack like that..."
At her words, Momus and IF turn to gaze at the mecha-golem, slouched over and looking worn out; however, it had its mouth open and something seemed to be glowing within it.
"What the...?! Is it charging for a beam attack?! That's the first time we've seen it use an attack like that!" IF exclaims in disbelief.
Don't tell me this is one of those "powerful final techniques" that people pass off as being an awesome secret move when it was actually just thought up on the fly and came out of nowhere?
Momus raises a brow. "While I am not familiar on what you are speaking of, All-Knowing One, it takes a certain amount of time for golems to adjust on the newly assimilated energy they have acquired."
"Ugh, so it must have gotten that beam attack from all the leftover technology that was installed in this laboratory..." Black Heart mutters in displeasure.
"...! Dammit, it looks like it's about to shoot again...!" IF exclaims in alarm.
They could only stand frozen in place as they brace themselves for the incoming beam. Momus merely stares at the approaching red energy, his face taking in a contemplative expression. Just as it neared them, he used those few seconds to dash forward with his sword, unleashing his [Shadow Slash] skill at it. The dual slashes intercept the beam, before he follows it up with [Consuming Shadow], the large mass of dark energy resembling a maw absorbing the scattered, thinner beams that flew out afterwards.
Not wasting a second, he continues to run ahead towards the mecha-golem, its mouth still wide open from unleashing its attack. Taking advantage of its slow reactions, he draws back his sword and plunges it into the its open mouth, preventing it from charging up another beam. The mecha-golem blinks at the sword stuck in its throat, and lifts its head in an attempt to shake off the boy, who was firmly gripping [Diabolus] so he wouldn't fall off as he was left dangling in the air.
"...! This chance...!" Black Heart's eyes widen, and uses this opportunity to quickly rush forward at the mecha-golem who was far too distracted with the boy.
With her blade, she slashes at the golem's torso multiple times, in all directions. She then briefly imbues it with a rainbow-colored energy, said to be channeled from the faith of her people; and gives a few more powerful slashes, before she drops the sword on the mecha-golem, the rainbow-colored energy dispersing and dealing damage with a snap of her finger*.
The mecha-golem's body blinks and sputters in a mess of distorted data before it starts to disappear; Momus letting his sword vanish and jumping back on the ground.
Black Heart watches the surroundings fade back to normal as she places her feet back on the ground, and transforms back into her human form. She faces the so-called Overlord who was standing behind and wordlessly glaring at her for having attacked it even though he was hanging from it. In a way, it actually is a miracle he didn't get hurt from all the slashing that just occurred.
"You were in the way."
Momus's eye twitched in response.
+ VICTORY! +
LEVEL UP!
MOMUS 27 - 32
IF 25 - 29
NOIRE 28 - 33
ITEM DROP: EMBARRASSING PHOTO
"WHOA, WHOA–WAIT, WHAT!?"
Momus absently catches the fluttering photo that manifested from data from the mecha-golem's defeat. He had only managed to glimpse at the photo for a few seconds, before he is roughly shoved aside, the photo being ripped from his hands by a hysterical CPU.
"W-W-WHA–WHY IS THIS HERE?! HOW?! I MADE SURE I DESTROYED EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE THINGS!"
Oh, it could be because that mecha-golem had merged with the technology in this laboratory, so perhaps there was leftover data stored in those machines as well?
"A-A-AAARGH! Forget trying to repair this place! I'LL DESTROY IT AND BURN IT TO THE GROUND SO THAT NOT A SINGLE TRACE OF THIS ACCURSED PLACE REMAINS!" Noire yells with a red face which may possibly be in rage or embarrassment, or even both, as she has the photo crumpled in her hands.
...And just like that, Noire's earlier "cool aura" disappeared, making way into the raging lunatic one sees now.
Momus merely stares at the seething Noire with a disturbed expression, currently being supported by IF, whom he ended up being shoved into. "...The Lastation deity seems to be a highly mentally unstable individual... her constant inconsistencies in behavior... it was to foreshow this...?!"
IF sweatdrops as she stares at Noire angrily muttering to herself. "...Lady Noire's prone to being... moody, but I wouldn't go as far as to label her as mentally unstable..."
Suddenly, IF's eyes widen, as her brain catches up on the current moment and notices she's been holding onto Momus. Realizing this, she promptly shoves him to the ground.
Naturally, Momus reacts predictably; after recovering from being shoved (twice), he gets up and starts to yell at her.
IF stares at him with half-lidded eyes, tuning out his usual ranting. ('...This is the second time an incident like this has happened so far... the viral monsters... the monsters appearing from his dimension... I still don't know how he's connected to all of this... but once I find enough evidence, I'll expose how he's responsible for this and save Gamindustri from the clutches of evil! I won't let him have his way! For I am IF, The Beautiful Gust of Wind That Blows Through Gamindustri–!')
*RING RING*
IF snaps out of her thoughts and brings out her phone to check the message.
"...and a human like you dare has the arrogance to unceremoniously push me to the cold, hard earth–human, are you listening to me?!"
"...Hey, Histoire just messaged me. Lady Plutia apparently won't wake up, so she wants you to handle the rest of the paperwork."
Momus grows silent at her words.
Then, a louder wail overwhelming that of Noire's yelling could be heard from the entire building.
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT–"
Hm, just another day for our self-proclaimed Overlord.
Oh, and yes, before I forget! Our so-called hero has gained yet another achievement!
GAINED THE "TSUNDERE TRIO" ACHIEVEMENT!
Those three do make quite the combination. For once, a certain perpetually-sleepy goddess was not able to join our so-called protagonist in his adventures in this chapter, but it would have felt forced if she always had to be present, so this unique party combination ended up being formed in the end.
Not to mention it would have been completely unbecoming. Plutia? Spending every single chapter doing work? Highly doubtful.
That aside, we now move on to the usual questions that I may or may not end up explaining from time to time:
The second incident that's happened? This time in another nation?
Gasp, oh noes! Just what exactly does this all tie to? Especially when our self-proclaimed Overlord is apparently involved?
Oh, what's that about a system mentioned in this chapter, you ask? Credit cards? Disk summoning weapons? Does such a thing actually exist in the game? No, it doesn't! Such lies! ...Ah, those are just the author's attempts in trying to make sense of how the Neptunia world works. Even though gameplay changes for every new game, so it's kind of useless!
Why have the categories suddenly changed into "Humor" and "Adventure"?
Just what exactly does being "the beautiful wind that blows through Gamindustri" mean? And where did IF come up with such a thing when she doesn't even possess any wind-based attacks?
Does anyone actually even bother to read this story anymore?
Some I don't know, some I do. Ho-hum.
Well, with all those said, that is all for this chapter!
CHAPTER SEVEN - CLEAR!
》CHAPTER EIGHT《
LOADING...
STATS
MOMUS (LEVEL 32)
WEAPON: Diabolus (cannot be unequipped)
OUTFIT: Apparently Evil
ACCESSORY: Scarf of Apparent Evil
AFFECTION RANKS: Plutia {4}, Neptune {3}, Nepgear {3}, Compa {3}, Histoire {3}, Noire {2}, Blanc {2}, Vert {2}, MAGES. {2}, Peashy {2}, Rei Ryghts {2}, IF {1}
SP SKILLS:
- Dark Edge (Dr)
- Consuming Shadow (Dr)
- Shadow Slash (Dr)
EXE DRIVE:
- Diabolic Devastator (Dr)
- Dual Darkness (Formation Skill w/Plutia) (Dr) (MenDown)
- Sword Onslaught (Formation Skill w/Neptune) (Dr) (StrDown)
COMMAND SKILLS:
RUSH: Slash, Sword Slice, Myriad Slash
POWER: Edge Breaker, Wide Arc, Cleave
GUARD BREAK: Down Strike, Upper Slice, Side Strike
EX Finisher: X-Slash, Soul Pierce, Grave Pierce
EXTRA NOTES
*Noire/Black Heart's SP Skill: [Tornado Chain].
*Noire/Black Heart's SP Skill: [Drop Crush].
*Persona 4 reference. Actually has a bit of an "Actor Allusion" as well, because Noire's English voice actor, Erin Fitzgerald, also voices the character Chie Satonaka from Persona 4 Arena onwards.
*Voltron reference.
*Star Wars reference. Sort of.
*Noire/Black Heart's EXE Drive: [Infinite Slash].