Previously on Empire of Purple Heart: Lastation's CPU Candidate, Uni, had traveled to Planeptune in an attempt to save Nepgear from The Führer's evil clutches. However, once she tried, she found out that Nepgear did not want to leave with Uni and that despite that mind control, she willingly allowed herself to be her big sister's puppet. Uni was determined to bring Nepgear to safety, but even that was futile. Nepgear had shown to have a new power that was granted to her by the Führer herself. Nepgear was branded with the mark of the Führer, allowing her to access abilities that were much like the Führer's intense strength and speed. The two fought, with Nepgear being the undisputed victor. This fight later turned into a quick roast session that left Uni running home and crying back to Lastation. Later that night, Uni had committed suicide out of guilt and sadness from what both Nepgear and the Führer had said to her. She was struck with grief and though that she was a burden to Noire, so she thought leaving her was the best option. The news, and even the Chirper, was blowing up with the news of Uni's death. All of the Nations were in an sudden uproar after this had gotten public. Lastation's citizens were in mourning, especially its CPU, Noire. She was struck the most by this, barely even able to return to work after this. Meanwhile in Lowee, Rom and Ram heard of the news and were crying at the loss of their friend. There was both this, and Histoire's funeral that needed to be taken care of. It definitely wasn't a good day for any of the CPUs right now. Well, except for Planeptune's CPUs, who were just laughing it up at what was going on.

12:00

Planeptune's Basilicom (The Day of Histoire's Funeral)

The Führer and Nepgear were getting ready for Histoire's funeral. The Führer knew what was coming the moment she shows her face in the church where Histoire is going to be buried. Still, she didn't care. This kind of thing was inevitable. She got two people killed, first Histoire and now Uni. She looked at her hands, she could see blood on them. However, this was only in her own eyes, no one else could see the blood of many that her hands have spilled. The Führer stood in front of a mirror to look at the outfit she was wearing. She was going to wear her military uniform, as she does with anything at this point. She then began to think back at the first time she put the outfit on.

"It was when I put this outfit on, everything changed…" The Führer said to herself, gazing at her reflection and wondering just how far will she go with her actions. Will she truly fall so low as to cause mass panic and execute senseless murder with her own hands just to achieve a single goal? That was uncertain, but the Führer could not help but wonder when the day will come when she creates chaos beyond human understanding. The Führer closed her eyes, picturing everything she thought was going to happen should she continue down this path. She could see destruction, death, and the blood of millions on her hands and body. It was a sight that didn't phase her, but it was something she knew would be a colossal damper on her once pure soul. The Führer's thoughts were cut off the moment she heard her office door being knocked on.

"Enter." The Führer commanded, clearing her throat after hearing that it sounded much deeper than before. Once the door had opened, Nepgear had entered the room with her ceremonial dress on. This was for the funeral and she was even in HDD so the outfit would complete her appearance. Nepgear was holding a black box with a crimson N on the top of it. She approached the Führer and held the box out to her.

"Mein Führer, Compa has finished the gloves that you requested. I took the liberty of making them into something that would fit your needs. They are gloves that will enhance your powers, allowing you to access greater capabilities with a mere thought in your mind. These gloves are biometrical, able to tap into your body's nerves and your brainwaves so they connect and only recognize you. That way, when you take them off and someone else puts them on, they will just be ordinary gloves for them." Nepgear had explained mostly everything about the Führer's new gloves. She then opened the box to show what appeared to be ordinary white gloves made from the finest fabric and the love put into it by Compa. The Führer gently grasped the gloves and put them on, slipping her fingers into the finger slots on each hand. The Führer could feel the warmth of the gloves as if they were freshly dried after being washed.

"These feel wonderful, I could feel my power reasonating with these gloves…" The Führer looked at the mirror once again and pulled down on the ends of the gloves. Once she did that, a crimson N had shown up on them to fully recognize the Führer and the permanent owner of the gloves. She then snapped her fingers, causing the mirror to suddenly shatter and fall to the ground. Nepgear jumped a bit from the sudden shattering of glass. Then she smiled after seeing that the modifications she put into the gloves were working wonderfully. The Führer began to chuckle after seeing that she do much more with a mere snap of a finger. She then looked at her clock on the wall, seeing that it was almost time for Histoire's funeral.

"It is almost time. Are you ready Nepgear?" The Führer looked at her little sister, checking out her outfit. Nepgear stood at attention and saluted to her big sister.

"Yes, Mein Führer. Preparations are complete." Nepgear responded.

"Good, then let us leave. We have plenty ahead of us." The Führer began to walk from her bedroom and towards the elevator door. She grabbed her commander's hat and placed it onto her head just before entering the elevator. Nepgear stood beside her, lightly glancing at the Führer and her cool beauty. With the white gloves on, she felt as though the Führer's appearance was complete with nothing else to add. She wanted to get a picture of her, but there wasn't any time for that. Nepgear kept herself quiet as the two began to walk out of the elevator and into the front desk of Planeptune's Tower. Everyone in the room had stopped to salute to the Führer, extending their left arm outwards at attention. The Führer was only walking passed the people until she suddenly stopped to turn around look at the pose they were in.

"...What are you people doing?" The Führer questioned, her eyes narrowing in confusion. Nepgear turned to see the people doing the salute and began to explain to the Führer exactly what they were doing.

"Mein Führer, they are doing our nation's salute. It is what you requested everyone do every time they see you." Nepgear explained. The Führer was even more confused, for she did not remember giving such an order.

"First off...it's with the right arm, not the left one. Second, I don't think we can do that pose. We might get copyrighted." The Führer did not mind the salute at all, but she thought that making it the nation's salute might have some bad repercussions. Then again, the Führer didn't care either way. She just shook her head and walked down the steps towards the limousine that was waiting for both her and Nepgear. The Führer stepped inside and sat down with Nepgear following behind her and sitting beside her. The door closes and the two were driven by a chauffeur to the church where Histoire's funeral was being held.

12:30

Planeptune's Church of The Führer

Meanwhile, at the Church, Noire, Vert, and Blanc were already there waiting for the Führer to show up. Noire was feeling a bit tired from having to deal with Uni's own funeral yet she made time to come here for Histoire. Vert and Blanc couldn't find words to say to Noire, she was just sitting at a bench with her hands together and her forehead placed against them. Noire was thinking about what she was going to do from now one. Despite Uni's death, she had to continue her work as Lastation's CPU. She may even had to work twice, no three times as hard now that there was no Candidate to take her place if something were to happen to Noire. She also wondered what she was going to do about Neptune and Nepgear. Given what they are, they appeared to be far too powerful to stop. Even her plans on using the anti-crystal against them seemed slimmer by the second. She was truly lost and had nothing else to do at this point. Has Neptune truly won without even a moment to for everyone to fight back? She wanted to punch Neptune with every fiber of her being, but she knew that doing that won't solve anything. Not like she'll be able to get a hit on her. Blanc wanted to say something to Noire, but Vert placed her hand upon Blanc's shoulder and slowly shook her head. It was not the best time to start consoling anyone. Then, Noire finally began to speak after a while of being silent.

"I want you two to know, I let this happen." Noire said, her head slowly lifting with her hands still together. Now Blanc wanted to say a few words, thinking Noire was beating herself up over this.

"Noire, don't-" Blanc was suddenly cut off by Noire once she spoke once more.

"No, you don't understand. I let this happen. I watched Uni get bullied by both Neptune and Nepgear, and I thought it was better than her being killed on the battlefield. I was going to console her with tonight's dinner, but she left me before I could even attempt at being a big sister for her just once. Now she's laying on a metal table with a bullet hole in her head." Noire was well aware as to why this happened. The two even got into a fight before Uni went to find Nepgear. She told her the same things Neptune said to Uni. Noire was beating herself up, she thought it was her fault that everything had happened. Had she been more supportive of Uni's decisions, she would have been more confident. Better yet, had she stepped in the moment Neptune began to run her mouth, she would be able to truly express her feelings to Uni. However, it was far too late to do any of that. Blanc and Vert paused for a moment after hearing that Neptune and Nepgear had bullied Uni.

"Wait...those two bullied Uni?" Blanc questioned, thinking that it didn't sound like them since neither Neptune nor Nepgear seemed like the bully type. However, given how they are now, anything was possible.

"Yes, they called her many names and even went so far as to destroy any self-confidence she thought she had. Uni tried to get Nepgear to come with her and escape Planeptune, but Nepgear was fully devoted to Neptune. She's not going anywhere. So she tried to fight Nepgear, but it was futile. Nepgear has become powerful as well, not only with the increase of shares in Planeptune, but also with some power that Neptune had given her. Nepgear said that she was blessed with great power by God, but it sounds more like she was cursed by the devil. Nepgear defeated Uni effortlessly but she didn't kill her. She was told not to by Neptune. Those two are no different from one another, and it's clear that they are going through with everything. We absolutely have to stop them, but doing so is going to cost our lives. I know it will." Noire thought there was no other way to stop Neptune. With everything she has done, she has proven to be much stronger than they realized. Taking her out was going to be as difficult as trying to defeat the Deity of Sin, or even Rei Ryghts. Then, she got a sudden idea. It was crazy, but it just might work.

"Wait...Rei Ryghts, that's it!" Noire exclaimed, standing up suddenly. Blanc and Vert heard the name and turned to Noire, wondering exactly what she was talking about.

"Do you have another idea Noire? What does Rei Ryghts have to do about this?" Vert asked. She figured that Noire was thinking on involving her, but that sounded far too crazy to do.

"It's insane, but we could ask Rei Ryghts for help and she can defeat Neptune. Her HDD form has proven to stand against all of us, she could take Neptune and possibly defeat her." Noire explained.

"You do know that such an idea can backfire, correct? What if she turns on us, or even doesn't agree to siding with us at all? Letting her run loose is just as bad as Neptune." Vert thought this plan was going to fail, and with good reason. While Rei's normal form has reformed and hasn't been against the CPU, there is no telling if her HDD form feels the same.

"I know, but that's fine. If those two find each other, they'll more than likely kill each other. Whoever stands, we just hit her with the anti-crystal and take her out." Noire responded, raising her hands and shrugging her shoulders.

"That's fine!? Do you know what you're saying!? If those two fight, the damage to everyone around them would be immense! You'll be putting everyone in danger!" Blanc was suddenly triggered after listening to Noire, her fists were tightening out of anger.

"We can rebuild, all for the greater good right? If Rei dies then it'll give us an edge over Neptune since she'll be too tired to fight against us. If Neptune dies, then we can just shoot Rei with the anti-crystal and she won't be a problem." Noire was losing her sense of justice, willing to use Rei as some pawn in their war. Blanc was about to punch Noire, but Vert slapped her the moment she heard "if Neptune dies".

"If Neptune dies? Now you sound as though you do not care for Neptune's life. Have you forgotten who Neptune is?" Vert felt pity for Noire. She understood that Noire would be feeling this way, but it still wasn't right overall.

"Obviously Neptune has forgotten about us and she couldn't give less of a shit about us! She hates us now and she wants us dead, what's so bad about treating her the same!? She deserves the punishment she gets for this!" Noire yelled at Vert. She didn't want to get Neptune killed, but she felt as though there was no other way to stop someone like her. She's grown too powerful to even keep alive.

"What's so bad is that you sound no different from her. If she doesn't care about us and you do not care for her, who is wrong? Simply letting her die would leave weight on our shoulders despite any victory we gain from it. We win, yes, but at what cost? We lose our friend permanently without even trying to help her." Vert was against killing any of Planeptune's CPUs, for that would make them no different from the wrongdoers.

"How can we help her Vert!? HOW!? She doesn't want help, she wants a war! She's not our "good friend" anymore! She's evil, pure evil! We should just take her out now and make sure she doesn't come back!" Noire was beginning to cry, falling to her knees in with her arms wiping away tears that fell from her eyes. Noire knew what she was saying was wrong, but what choice did she have? Neptune has become a menace beyond compare in her eyes, her anger was clouding her and she too was willing to do just about anything to stop the evil that Neptune has become. Vert knelt down to Noire, placing her hand upon Noire's shoulder. She could painfully see why Noire was on the verge of breaking down.

"Noire… I understand. You say this because you don't want anyone else to go through losing someone they love as well. We both do, but what about Neptune? Do we not love her? There are other ways of going about this, and putting everyone in danger is definitely not one of them. As Goddesses, we must ensure the safety of everyone, even Neptune's own safety." Vert wanted to handle the problem about Neptune without having to stoop to levels of killing her. It is what Neptune, the Neptune she knows, would do if she were against someone as evil as her.

"I get that losing Uni is painful, but it won't ease the pain if you add more weight on your shoulders. Do you understand that, Noire?" Vert embraced Noire, resting her arms upon her shoulders so Noire could rest her weary head upon Vert's bust. Noire raised her hand and grabbed onto Vert's shoulder, tightly gripping it.

"I'm just...scared… Scared of what Neptune can do… This is bigger than us, significantly bigger than us… No amount of confidence can defeat a solid fact… We will die trying to fight her, but giving up isn't an option either…" Noire began to shiver as she thought about everything Neptune might do to both them and the people of their nation. It wasn't like Noire to lose her cool like this, or even show self-doubt. Yet here she was, laying in Vert's arms on the verge of tears after realizing that no matter what they do, they would end up sacrificing something to attempt at defeating Neptune.

"Then...just what are we supposed to do? I won't roll over and lay down without a fight!" Blanc didn't want Neptune to just win without at least trying to stop her. There had to be some way to defeat her and bring her down so she doesn't hurt anyone else again.

"Of course you won't, that would just be boring." Just then, the Führer had entered the church through the front door with Nepgear standing beside her. Noire, Vert, and Blanc quickly stood up and backed away from the Führer. The Führer's very presence had brought the tension in the room to a breaking point maximum.

"You three truly are an amusing bunch. Noire showing fear, Vert trying to be the voice of reason, and Blanc trying to fight back despite the clear facts being thrown into her pitiful face. You three don't even know that I could easily kill you with just a thought in my mind, but I choose not to so I could prolong your fear and suffering. It is what you fools deserve after all." The Führer snapped her finger, calling Nepgear over to her. Nepgear's head had snapped up and turned to the Führer.

"Let them know we are here and get everything set up. We have some adult business to discuss right now." The Führer ordered.

"Yes, Mein Führer." Nepgear nodded her head and bowed to her, leaving her with the other CPUs.

Blanc stepped up towards the Führer, growing furious with her words and constant arrogance. "What we deserve!? What did we do to you!? It's not like we took something from you or did anything drastic! So what the hell!?"

"You think I am not aware? I know you fools are planning to take me down. It is only natural, I am the new leading nation in Gamindustri. All it took was using Nepgear as a tool for my nation's pleasure. It is a shame how humans fall prey to the concept known as lust." The Führer began to chuckle as she began to walk around the room. This room was located just outside of the sanctuary where Compa, IF, and Nepgear were getting things ready for Histoire's funeral. The Führer looked around at the black and red color scheme that she did to the church, it was appealing to her eyes. She turned back around to the CPUs, growing a menacing, arrogant smirk on her face.

"So you used your own little sister as some erotic symbol to help you gain shares!? That is low, even for you Neptune. You did this last time, but now you take it even further?" Vert did not like how Nepgear was being treated. She saw first hand that Nepgear follows the Führer's orders without question. Nepgear didn't even take a moment to acknowledge them before leaving.

"You've made her your puppet… There is no way Nepgear would agree with anything that you are doing. All you have done so far was bring pain to the people around you. You've gone and caused someone's own kin to commit suicide. Now you act as though you do not even have an ounce of compassion or mercy left in your heart." Vert was very displeased, but she kept her cool so she did not act out of anger and start a meaningless fight.

"Uni said that as well, before she was proven wrong that is. She was so determined to do what was pointless in the end. Did she really think I was going to let -my- little sister go? Coming here was a mistake, and her feeble life was the price that she paid." The Führer's words were hitting Noire close to home, causing her to look down as she tried to hold in her anger.

"That is enough Neptune! It isn't right to speak such things of the recently departed. You've gone too far as of late, do not make things worse for you." Even Vert was beginning to lose her cool a bit. Despite how much she has been defending the Führer, she couldn't help but think that her words and actions are far too much.

"Tch, I am simply speaking the facts. That weak candidate thought she could face Nepgear by herself. Such ignorance is what led her to her death. The fact that she had the nerve to commit suicide proves my point. For someone as high and mighty as Noire, always talking about being the best, it is no doubt that she truly was holding her back. Someone who can do everything themselves doesn't need assistance right, so the placement of a little sister was wasted on an ungrateful imbecile like Noire. She couldn't even defend her own little sister in that scuffle between her and Nepgear. She allowed Uni to reach that point and let her kill herself. Admit it Noire, you've wanted her gone the moment you realized that she wasn't going to amount to shit! Now you sit there and act like you're hurt because of her loss? Don't give me that foolishness! You don't give a damn about anything or anyone but your own damn self and your worthless success!" The Führer's outburst caused her to send out a pulse of her ever expanding power once she clutched her fist tightly. Vert grew sick of hearing the words that were coming from the Führer's mouth, and even Blanc was getting angry at what she was hearing. The two were about to saw something to the Führer, but Noire did not say any words and simply went with action. Without hesitation, she activated HDD and attempted to attack the Führer directly. She didn't draw her weapon however, she went with her bare hands so she could feel the Führer's body collide with it once she got her hands on her. The Führer kept her guard up and catch Noire by her hands. The two were pushing against one another, causing a strong force of power to erupt around them. Noire had pure rage and fury within her eyes as she stared directly at the Führer.

"Fuck you Neptune! You don't know anything about me or what I do for her! I've been taking care of her the moment she was brought into my life! I did my best to make sure she was happy! I only wanted her to be strong by teaching her tough love! I had to be hard on her so she could be strong, so she could be ready! Is that so wrong!? Is it wrong to prepare your younger siblings for the world she lives in everyday!? At least I didn't go so far as to use my own little sister for a sex symbol for my nation! I wouldn't degrade her to some puppet!" Noire pulled her hand back and clutched it into a tight fist. She threw a punch at the Führer, but it was caught by the Führer's palm. The Führer began to laugh at such words, her hand clutching down on Noire's fist. She then yanked Noire closer to her, slamming her head down against Noire's face. The impact created a powerful shockwave and it sent Noire down to her knees. The Führer grabbed Noire by her neck, tightly squeezing it as she hoisted her into the air.

"It doesn't matter what I use my little sister for. I gave Nepgear a purpose! One that made her more worth something for the progress of Planeptune's success! What have you done for Uni other than put her down no matter how good she's done for you? I am always by Nepgear as she is by me! I give Nepgear love and gratitude for what I order her to do, you do nothing but make your sister feel as though she'll never amount to anything! She was weak because you, someone she looks up to like a cheerleader, do absolutely nothing to give her the strength she desires to gain your worthless approval! If anyone here doesn't deserve to have a little sister, it might as well be you! It's better than she dies than having to continue to live in greater suffering because of you!" The Führer's grip had gotten tighter, slowly closing off the air passageways in Noire's esophagus. Noire was kicking her legs as she tried to grab the Führer's arm. She was coughing and even crying as she thought back on everything she had said to Uni. She thought that she had never given her any real gratitude and that brought her down to a point where trying to argue against the Führer was pointless. She was right, right about everything. The Führer had gotten sick of looking at Noire's face, so she threw her through the church doors and her body bounced off of the stairs. The Führer was about to walk after her, but she was stopped by Vert. Blanc ran to Noire to try and help her up.

"Neptune, stop this right now! You are going too far and this has gone on long enough! I cannot sit back and allow you to kick Noire while she is down. You know full and well that she loved Uni just as much as you love Nepgear! You have no right to tell her any of that!" Vert placed her hand upon the Führer's shoulder, only for her to react with the Führer suddenly backhanding Vert's face and knocking her to the ground.

"You shut your ignorant mouth, CPU of Leanbox! You know nothing about any of this! You have no sister, so you'll never know what we go through to make sure our next of kin are strong! Noire has clearly done nothing of the sort, that is why she was always the weakest candidate! Noire was always too caught up in her own arrogance to ever think about anyone other than herself! She doesn't need anyone in her life because she acts like she can do everything herself! That's your stupid phrase right, Noire!? You only do everything, right?! Yeah sure, everything but take care of your own little sister! She's dead because of you, so if you are upset with anyone then you should look at yourself for once! Look at the mistakes YOU made and YOUR failure to be a real little sister to Uni!" The Führer's outbursts rang in Noire's ears. Noire tightly placed her hands onto her head, her body trembling from despair. She was quickly brought to the point where she began to scream from the pain that her heart was suffering from.

"AAAAAHHHH! Shut up! Shutup, shutup, shutup, shutup, shutup, SHUT UP! I did everything for Uni, I was only doing what was best for her! I loved Uni with all of my heart! I cared for her! I...I...I did what I could to make her happy!" Noire bursted into tears, falling to her knees with her fists clutched tightly. She cried loudly, her body falling to the floor as her tears fall from her eyes. Blanc couldn't believe what she was seeing, the once prideful CPU of Lastation being reduced to tears like a baby. Normally, she wouldn't care about what happens to Noire, but this was far too much to look away from.

"Noire… Listen Neptune, Noire may not be the best, but that's no reason to kick her while she's down. She's going through alot right now and you're not helping her by making her feel worse about herself. Just what happened to you? You would be the last person to talk like this to Noire. Just who are you!?" Blanc stood before Noire and activated HDD. She summoned her battle axe and aimed it at the Führer. It wasn't wise to try and pick a fight, but sitting by and letting this happen didn't sit well with Blanc. The Führer placed her hand upon her face, laughing at Noire's pitiful state and at Blanc trying to stand for her.

"What is this madness? You, standing up for Noire of all people!? Normally you would jump at this chance to do exactly what I'm doing right now. Showing this arrogant child that she is NOT as perfect as she makes herself out to be!" The Führer walked down the stairs as her blood crimson aura began to flow from her body. Blanc tightly held her axe tightly as she stood in front of Noire, trying to defend her.

"I wouldn't go this far Neptune! This is too much, you're becoming the villain at this point! No, not even that, you -are- the villain!" Blanc was prepared to fight despite of the outcome of her being killed by her. The Führer clutched her fists, creating gauntlets on her fists out of thin air. These metal fists were blood red colored claws that covered her hands and forearms. It was definitely a new weapon for Neptune since she was known to use a sword weapon. Blanc's eyes had widened after seeing that weapon, its appearance striking intimidation in her.

"What...? When did you start using gauntlets?" Blanc questioned.

"Just now. However, these work well with the new fighting style I have been developing. My swords will verse a greater purpose later. So Blanc, are you sure you are ready to fight me even after the last beating I gave you? This time, I'll make sure that you cannot recover. Because now, I will show you my full power!" The Führer began to laugh once more as thin streaks of red and black energy began to spark from her body. Noire slowly stood up and armed herself with her weapon. Despite being driven to tears, she had a duty to preserve the peace in Gamindustri. That took priority over anything else.

"Oh, so you plan to fight as well, Noire? Good, I've always wanted to slaughter you first. You are the biggest thorn in my side. I'll erase you and your arrogant attitude once and for all!" The Führer yelled.

"I may not have been a good sister to Uni, but that doesn't mean I'll let you continue this rampage. You've already won in shares, but this is going too far! You've lost your sense of justice! You've become worse than Rei Ryghts!" Noire summed her weapon and armed herself beside Blanc. She took a nervous gulp, knowing that it was foolish to fight Neptune like this directly.

Just then, Vert had activated HDD as well. However, she stood in between the Führer, Blanc, and Noire. She didn't draw her weapon, but she held her hands up before them to stop their acts before they began to fight.

"Ladies, need I remind you that we are at someone's funeral? We should save our strength and lower the unnecessarily high tension until after this is over. We should at least show respect to the dearly departed. Noire, Blanc? Neptune has shown to be our enemy now, yes, but let us set aside that for this single day. You girls truly need to calm yourselves, you jump at the chance to fight one another more than anything!" Vert has been the voice of reason for quite some time. She was the type the go at things with more strategy before drawing her weapon. It was clear that simply trying to fight the Führer head on would be foolish. It was better to use this day to formulate one final strategy before coming to fight the Führer head on, for it seemed that war was clearly inevitable and no amount of reason will ever appease Neptune's hatred against the against the other CPUs. The Führer thought about it and slowly calmed herself down, breathing outwards before turning her back to them.

"Fine, I'd hate for this story to send so soon anyway. We're only on the 6th chapter." The Führer was always Neptune deep inside, always breaking the fourth wall as a means to lower the tension. She walked inside of the church, leaving the three behind with her gauntlets disappearing from her arms. Noire and Blanc placed their hands upon their chests and breathed outwards, trying to calm themselves. They were practically saved by Vert this time, but it won't happen again the next.

"So Neptune really can listen to reason…" Blanc said as she deactivated HDD. Noire did the same and fell to her left knee after being tired from staying in it for so long.

"Yeah...but what's with her always being in HDD for so long? Shouldn't that be tiring her out by now? It's almost been a whole month since she's been in that form. She should be tired or something?" Noire questioned. It didn't make sense for Neptune to be in HDD at a consistent rate and not feel any side effects from it. Vert let out a quiet sigh of relief after seeing Neptune agree to letting things go for now. She deactivated HDD and went to help Noire up from the ground.

"Maybe all of those shares have given her the power to stay in HDD for a longer period of time. Still, this is much more than a mere period… It is definitely strange, but it is not like we can get any answers. We are still in the dark on what is truly going on, and the only lead we have is lying in a box right now." Blanc and Noire looked at each other and began to sigh. At this point, they all felt as though there was no way to stop Neptune and her plans after seeing just how strong she has become. The three of them walked up the stairs and inside the church to finally begin Histoire's funeral.

2 Hours Later

Histoire's funeral was just about over. Everyone was outside on a small hill behind the church. As expected, many were quiet and some were crying. However, the Führer only had an angered expression on her face. However, she was not actually angry. This was just her neutral expression. Nepgear stood quietly by the Führer, looking up at her. She could see the anger in her face, thinking she did not want to be here. She wanted to hold the Führer's hand, but the Führer had her arms crossed. So Nepgear simply laid her head against the Führer's arm. Soon, the Führer was asked to step up and say a few words since she was the closest to Histoire for many years. The Führer nodded her head and gently pushed her arm against Nepgear's head so she could lift it. Nepgear rose her head and stood quietly as the Führer stepped before the small casket that Histoire was laying in. She took a moment to breathe quietly before saying something. Noire, Blanc, and Vert were wondering what the Führer was going to say. Histoire was closest to the Führer, practically being a mother figure to her.

"Histoire. You were there for many things. My laughs, my sorrows, and many more. I never worked, and you would always push me to do it. Now that I have, are you happy? Is this what you wanted from me? Is this what everyone wanted? I, no- all of us, were born into this life without choice. We were given a duty without a say in the matter and we have lived by that duty for countless years. We, as Goddesses, were forced to be the protectors of this world and we act as though we are heroes and the humans are the people we are sworn to protect. However, I do not remember taking such an oath. I do not remember swearing my life to being a puppet, a mere tool that brings humans convenience. That, is not whom I want to be. During my days of laziness, always playing and simply being me, I was happy. I wanted to rule Planeptune in a way that brings the people happiness and carefree. If I was carefree, then so were my citizens. It is what I wanted out of this cursed life of ours. Unfortunately, such a way of ruling is not allowed and it has only brought my nation to a plummeting mess. Histoire pushed, pushed, and pushed me to work despite my wishes. Not even my own citizens were aware of what I desired. Yet, what you all knew about me was that I absolutely hate working. I hate labor, I hate unnecessary work, and I hate having to stop doing what I wanted just to be told to do things properly..." The Führer looked up to the sky. Clouds were beginning to form around the area as if it were about to rain. However, it only brought darkness over the funeral site. The Führer closed her eyes and began to reminisce. She thought back at everything that had happened in her life from the very beginning up to now. As she was lost in thought, her hands were gripping the podium she stood behind by the edges. Everyone began to grow worried. They were wondering if the Führer was okay. Noire, Blanc, and Vert looked at one another and felt sorry for the Führer. They now realized what Histoire meant when she gave them her final words. Neptune wanted to do things her way, but she was constantly forced to do it another way. They were all silent, unable to say anything about the Führer's words.

"Now...I have finally begun to work… I worked in a way that truly gains me what I desire. What I desire is to show that despite what my intentions for this nation were, I am no weak Goddess. I will show that I am powerful, without the need of humans to believe in me. Is that what you wanted Histoire? Is that why you forced me to work so much? Are you happy? Are you happy that your desires got you where you are now? Rotting in hell where I sent you myself?" The Führer lowered her head to face the crowd of people that came to Histoire's funeral.

"It is because I was forced to work for so long. I've held in my thoughts about this for so long, never expressing my full feelings about everything I've gone through. However, the moment I had awaken in this form was the day I could do just that. Now, my hatred can be heard and maybe all of you will see exactly why I am doing this. May you burn in hell, Histoire. I hope the demons have fun with your body." The Führer stepped down from the podium. Everyone could see that the Führer was now angry after she took that moment to express her inner feelings.

"Let's go Nepgear." The Führer commanded.

"Yes, Mein Führer." Nepgear followed behind the Führer with her hands held before her waist. The other three CPUs wanted to say something to the Führer. They wanted to express their apologies for forcing her to work just as much as Histoire did. All they did was merely shove her away most of the time. Noire reached her hand out a bit as if she wanted to grab the Führer as she passes by her.

"N-Neptune…?" She hesitantly called out.

"If you have anything to say, it better be about a time and place where I can kill you." The Führer stopped, her back still turned to Noire. Noire quickly pulled her hand back and began to tell her about what Histoire said to them.

"Histoire wanted us to tell you… She is sorry for taking away what made you happy… It was her final words before dying in the hospital." Noire turned her head away, tightening her fists to hold back tears from remembering hearing her dying voice over the phone. The Führer lifted her head back, softly chuckling after hearing such words.

"She should have thought that long ago. Now, she has paid for it. And so will all of you." The Führer walked away from the funeral site with Nepgear following behind her. Everyone was in distraught at what the Führer had said, but the funeral had to go on. Histoire was soon laid to rest and buried under the earth. Everyone left the church and went their separate ways, while the three CPUs went to Noire's basilicom yet again to talk about the upcoming battle with Neptune.

15:20

Planeptune's Basilicom

The Führer and Nepgear had returned home from the funeral. They exited the limo they arrived in and the Führer had headed towards her Development Laboratory. Nepgear followed her out of curiosity, wondering what she was going to do in the laboratory. Once the Führer was inside, she stopped suddenly. The room was dark, pitch black to be exact. Nepgear stopped behind the Führer, looking around but she could not see anything.

"M-Mein Führer…? Are you alright? You haven't said a single thing since we left the funeral…" Nepgear stepped closer to the Führer, staring at her back. She didn't know what to say to the Führer. She was her own little sister, and not even she knew of why she was so lazy. She never thought about why they were Goddesses in the first place. All she was told when she was born, was that Neptune was her big sister and that she was the CPU Candidate of Planeptune. She was told of her role as a fellow Goddess of the nation, yet she never questioned any of it. Now, she only lives her life as the Führer's devoted servant.

"Nepgear." The Führer called out. She was lost in her thoughts once again, but now she had her goals set and her plans were could to be set in motion.

"Y-Yes, Mein Führer?" Nepgear's body instinctively stood at attention, shivering from how intimidating the Führer sounded to her.

"We are going to be executing phase 2 of my plans. This will involve building a fleet. A fleet of ships that will rule the sky as well as robots that will act as soldiers. I do not think I can trust humans to follow my orders without questioning me. Robotic soldiers will be the future of military prowess!" The Führer clutched her fist, creating a blood red aura from her hand. Nepgear began to smile from her big sister's sudden lift in her mood.

"So, you truly are going through with your plans? No turning back, right?" Nepgear asked, walked towards her big sister and around her to see her face. The Führer looked down at Nepgear, placing her hand onto her cheek and caressing it with her thumb.

"Of course. We have gone this far and I want to show that I am not just some lazy little girl who can't run her own. It's out of character, entirely, but ever since I've woken up in this form I thought that it was time for a new character to rise. That character being The Führer, ruler of Planeptune, and soon to be the ruler of Gamindustri! They will witness my empire!" The Führer smiled as she looked into Nepgear's eyes with a crimson glow within her own. She was truly determined to finish things regardless of what happens. Nepgear nodded her head, blushing from the softness of the Führer's touch.

"I will follow you any and everywhere, Mein Führer. I will make sure your goals are achieved and that your needs are met to the fullest." Nepgear placed her hand upon her big sister's, brushing her cheek against her hand.

"I'll fulfill all of your wishes…~" Nepgear whispered to the Führer, her face forming a bright blush.

"Then, let us begin forming my empire, Nepgear. The Empire of Purple Heart!" The Führer began to laugh as she snapped her finger to turn the lights on in the laboratory.

"What are your orders, Mein Führer?" Nepgear let go of the Führer's hand and stood at attention.

"We are going to build an assembly line and it's going to be underground so no one knows about it other than us. We are also going to be using that machine again to bring more things from a certain realm to ours. Go to my game collection and bring all of the games that say S.O.N.I.C on them here. While you do that, I will be creating our underground lab. Though we already have one here, the lower level will be much bigger and kept a secret so no one but us will know about it. This may take a while, probably for the rest of this story. However, all the time and work we put into this will be very much worth it. We are going to build, build, and build until we have everything we need to execute our plans at their fullest!" The Führer began to walk towards an empty space that seemed perfect for placing a secret door to their underground lab.

"Mein Führer, what will become of our nation and its shares? We would still need to keep them together even though we are number 1 in popularity. There is still the matter of quests that need to be done in our nation. Usually...we are the only people that can complete them." Nepgear was right to ask this question, for the Führer did not think about that until now. She was now the top nation, so her work was going to pile up if she did not take care of it and soon she might even lose those shares.

"Dammit… I forgot about that. Work will pile up if we don't get to it. What to do about that…?" The Führer placed her curled finger in front of her lips to think about how she was going to solve this problem.

"Alright, Nepgear. You will have to do most of the building. That's your specialty anyway. We may have to time skip or something so we can have quicker development. Right now, we can start on actually making the underground lab. You go grab my games and we will move the machine to the new lab afterwards." The Führer ordered. Nepgear nodded her head and saluted to the Führer by extending her right hand outwards.

"Yes, Mein Führer!" Nepgear turned away from the Führer to gather the items she requested. The Führer slowly shook her head after seeing that salute, chuckling from trying to hold in her amusement.

"I'm gonna get in trouble for that." The Führer said to herself. She turned around to look at the empty space. She placed her hand onto the wall, slowly gliding it across the wall and then down towards the floor. Once she reached the floor, she felt a slight sensation from touching it.

"Hm… Can I actually do this…?" She questioned. Her hand pressed down against the metal flooring and she closed her eyes. Her hand began to glow with her blood colored aura and she was able to see within the ground through the metal.

"I can see… There is more than enough space to make our second lab and much more." The Führer took her hand off of the ground, her eyes opening as she stood up. She backed up a few steps to find a focal point. Since she knew it would take far too long to naturally build extra space for her lab, she had to make it herself through her power. After all, it is what she has it for.

The Führer's hands began to create the crimson aura once more. She took a deep breath inwards, then exhales calmly. She moved her arms around her upper body and then made a pushing gesture downwards. This caused a white light to begin tracing a large rectangle shape in the metal floor. The Führer's mind had thought of a secret lab and with a single gesture, she had turned those thoughts into power and her power made her thoughts into reality. However, she was unsure of what she had done after seeing the white glow.

"Is...is that it?" She questioned as she stepped into the rectangular space. The light soon faded away, but there was now a handprint on the wall. The Führer placed her hand onto the print, causing a sensor to scan her gloves. The gloves were recognized to be the Führer's and thus activated the elevator the Führer had created. The Führer was slowly lowered into a shaft that led to a pitch black room that not even the Führer could look into. The elevator stopped at the end where she could see more metal beneath her feet due to the light from the lab above ground shining down on her. She stepped off of the elevator and walked around it for a bit. She walked towards a railing and looked over it.

"Okay… So it seems I am in the air. I cannot see any ground from here. Is this a catwalk? Just what did I make?" The Führer questioned her own actions, walking into the darkness slowly so she doesn't trip on something.

"Sure wish I had some light… Oh, wait. I do!" The Führer just realized that she could make light on her own. She took her left hand and closed it to form a tight fist. Her hand began to heat up with a white glow until it suddenly burst into white flames. Now she could see much more around her.

"Huh...thought I could only create black flames. Oh well, no sense in worrying. Not like I can really see with black fire anyway." The Führer began to walk along the catwalk, treading carefully along the metal. The room she was in seemed incredibly large. Each step she took caused an echo from her feet tapping along the metal of the catwalk. She soon stopped at a door that had her symbol on it. Confused and impressed by the appearance, she placed her other hand onto the door. The door opened in response to her touch. She was now in a room where she could see a control panel with another handprint in the very center. The Führer placed her hand onto the print, causing it to suddenly light up along with the rest of the control panel. Just then, the entire room began to turn on and lights had shut on in the much larger room outside. The Führer walked out through the door to see all that she had created. The Führer had done it, she had created the second lab. The space looked severely empty, but it was perfect to her.

"Hehe… Hehe… Yes, I did it. I did it! I created my lab! Now with this, THIS, all of my plans will be realized!" The Führer began to laugh maniacally, feeling accomplished at what she created. During her celebration, Nepgear had returned from the basilicom with a stack of games in her arms. She saw the open space with a large hole in the ground and she looked down into it.

"Mein Führer? You down here? I have the items you requested!" Nepgear called for the Führer, her voice echoing in the room and so did the Führer's laughter. Nepgear could hear her insane laughter just after calling for her. She held the stack of games in her arms lightly and she jumped down into the hole, slowly floating downwards since she had gained the ability of flight without the use of her HDD. This was because of the power that was given to her by the Führer. Nepgear landed on the catwalk to see the Führer looking over the gigantic space in the distance. The Führer turned to Nepgear, seeing the games in her hands.

"Ah, Nepgear! Look at this! I managed to create this! We will be able to create millions of things in this space. Our assembly line will be virtually infinite!" The Führer waved her hand over the horizon, picturing everything she wanted to do in her mind. Nepgear grew a bright smile as she too imagined the robots she could make in this space.

"That is wonderful, Mein Führer! I can build plenty of robots to my leisure~!" She responded.

"Now place those games in that room over there. We will be using their data to make our battleships and our robots." The Führer commanded. Nepgear nodded and went to place the games down near the control console. The Führer followed behind Nepgear and checked out the control console.

"Hm, lots of buttons." The Führer said, her finger slowly gliding over the buttons. Nepgear stood beside the Führer, examing the console as well. She found a slot in the center that seemed large enough to fit a disk. She tapped the Führer's shoulder to grab her attention.

"Mein Führer, I found a disk slot!" Nepgear pointed to the slot and went to grab a disk. The Führer looked at the slot closely.

"Yep, that looks like a disk slot. Put a game in and see what happens." Nepgear grabbed a random game disk and the two waited for something to happen. When Nepgear put the game disk in, the system began to turn on and a holographic screen had popped up. The screen said it was downloading data with an outline of an airship. The appearance seemed familiar to the Führer. She took a moment to think about where she had seen that ship before.

"Nepgear, what game did you put in that console?" The Führer asked. Nepgear went over to the case to read the title of the game.

"Uh.. It says A Hedgehog's Adventure." Nepgear responded.

"Ah, Sonic Adventure. So it's downloading the data for the Egg Carrier." The Führer slowly nodded her head as she watched the screen.

"Mein Führer, are you sure it is alright for us to be such direct references? Won't we get copyrighted for that?" Nepgear questioned.

"If this was a story in an official game, yes. However, it's not, nor will this be something that will make it in the series. So we can make as many references as we want without a problem. Plus, that's -kinda- how this series works. It's like...Family Guy for games. Wait, I probably shouldn't go that far… Rewind, we'll say it's the Lucky Star of games." The Führer nodded her head, thinking that was a much better comparison. Nepgear nodded as well, understanding the Führer's logic on the 4th wall.

"While we're waiting, can you explain something to me, Mein Führer? What exactly -is- the 4th wall?" Nepgear questioned. The Führer raised her eyebrows at such a question. She did not think Nepgear would be interested in such logic.

"Oh, now you're really becoming my little sister. Sit down Nepgear, I about to educate you. The 4th wall is a concept that was created by ours and many other developers where media characters, that's us, are self aware of the world and the reality around them. You know how I keep making slight comments about how this game works?" Nepgear nodded her head at the Führer's question.

"I do. Noire, Blanc, and Vert have told you many times to not do that because it was bad for the game's development." She responded.

"Exactly. See, being aware of the reality around you can net you knowledge that is not meant for the series as a whole. Like when I mentioned Family Guy. Now, how do I know about that show when this is a series about games and anime? You see what I mean?" Nepgear understood everything now.

"So...it's like saying that despite us being characters in a game, we appear more human than most?" Nepgear asked, tilting her head to the left.

"You could say that. I'll show you more about it later. If I continue, I might tear a hole in reality itself on accident." The Führer chuckled.

Just then, there was a dinging sound effect coming from the screen. The data had been fully downloaded. There was a glowing green button with "START" on the center. The Führer had something on her mind the moment she saw the button, causing her to laugh a little.

"Hey, Nepgear. I'm gonna teach you a NepJoke." Nepgear turned her head to the Führer, wondering what she was talking about.

"A...NepJoke, Mein Führer?" She did not know what that meant, but knowing her sister, it was something she must have learned from the internet.

"Mhm, watch this." The Führer cleared her throat and rubbed her hands together.

"Ahem. When you hit it from the back and she moans 'ALL SYSTEMS! FULL POWER!'" The Führer slammed her hand onto the button. The system began to project the downloaded data and turn it into plans to make the Egg Carrier with direct details.

"I see, so you gotta put it together. That's more of a you thing Nepgear." The Führer placed her hand onto Nepgear's back. Nepgear took a deep breath and stretched her arms. Seems she was ready to be the cute gearhead that she always was.

"Yes, Mein Führer! I'll work tirelessly!" She was happy to begin building. So much so that she began to study the plans thoroughly.

"Good, do this for all of the other games too. Notify me when you are finished. I am going to work on politics and stuff. I am a member of my own parliament after all." The Führer left Nepgear to do her task, heading back to the top floor through the elevator. The Führer thought it was fine to leave Nepgear in her happy place, making machines and whatnot.

12:55

Lastation's Basilicom

At around the same time the Führer and Nepgear had returned to Planeptune, Noire and the others had went to Lastation's Basilicom. Noire asked them to come over and sit for a bit. The two wanted to ask why, but the moment they reached Lastation's Basilicom, the reason was all too clear. Uni was gone and the place felt as though it was too quiet. Blanc and Vert were looking around and saw that Uni's room had been cleaned up for the most part. They didn't walk inside due to the yellow tape around the doorway.

"It truly is a shame… The poor child just wanted attention…" Vert mumbled, placing her right hand on her left arm. She shook her head at the sight while Blanc placed her back against the wall.

"How could both Neptune and Nepgear bully someone? Especially to this extent? Nepgear and Uni were as close as my sisters, so I don't understand… Neptune, well...after what she said at the funeral, I don't know what to think of her anymore." Blanc was lost. Neptune had changed so much and so suddenly. There was honestly no telling what she could do next and who she would do it to. All they could focus on now was trying to stop her and hope that they can help her. The two couldn't even imagine the pain of Noire's loss. They knew that despite her strict attitude, she did care for Uni and Neptune only made her seem like a terrible person than just a bad sister.

"Though, it is a shame to say, Neptune was not entirely incorrect. Noire should have shown more love to Uni. At least then she wouldn't have been driven to such drastic means." Vert said. She did not want things to go down this dark road, but it seems that it already has once it started. Blanc just shook her head at everything that had happened.

"I just wish we had some way to know just what is going on. We don't even know what Neptune's new found power is regardless of the extent of it. Yeah, it's apparent that she could kill us without breaking a sweat, but what we don't know is why or how." Blanc placed her hand onto her forehead as she leaned the back of her head against the wall. There were nothing but questions for the two of them with no means of finding answers at the moment.

During their talk, Noire was speaking with one of her nation's soldiers at her basilicom elevator. The soldier had brought a package that was delivered to her from Planeptune. The recipient was from Histoire. This caused Noire to raise an eyebrow at such a thing. Histoire is dead, they just returned from her funeral. So how could a package be sent to her from someone who is dead? The soldier was informed that the package was meant to be sent to you a while ago, but it was lost in the mail and couldn't make its way to Lastation in a timely fashion. Noire thanked the soldier and took the package to Blanc and Vert.

"Guys, I just got a late package from Histoire." Noire showed them the package and placed it onto the table in the living room. Blanc and Vert sat down on the couch, looking down at the package.

"It says 'Urgent Message! Please Open ASAP!'. And you are sure that the sender is Histoire?" Vert questioned. It did seem fishy that a package would be sent to Noire from the person they had said their final farewells to.

"That's what I was told and I don't know what to think." Noire stared down at the package with her arms crossed.

"How do we know it's not some trap sent by Neptune? A trick to get us to open it and it turns out to be a bomb." Blanc spoke up.

"We can assume that this package is not from Neptune. Neptune is looking to take us out head on after all. If she wanted to do something like that, it would be a waste when she claims she could take us in a three versus one battle." Noire responded, reaching to touch the package. She pressed her fingers against it to test its firmness. It felt like something metal was under the paper wrapping. She then decided to open it herself. Once she unwrapped the package, it revealed to be a metal cube with a bright circle in the center.

"What...is that…?" Vert asked, confused at what she was looking at.

"It seems advanced, even for Planeptune." Blanc was looking around the cubicle object, wondering what it was made of. Noire placed her finger over the space in the center and tapped it. The cube suddenly began to glow and open itself with a glass pyramid inside. Light was projected into the cube and it created a hologram of Histoire that looked real despite it being a mere projection.

"H-Histoire!?" Noire shouted, standing up from her seat in surprise at what she is seeing.

"That can't be, she's supposed to be dead!" Blanc was lost in distraught and amazed at how real she appeared.

"She is, this is a hologram." Vert could see that it was only a hologram, but she could not help but feel happy to see Histoire's well and alive face once more.

"Hello Noire, I hope this message has gotten to you safely. I have urgent news that could very well bring danger to Planeptune and Gamindustri itself. I do hope Blanc and Vert are will you as well, they need to hear this just as much as you do. It is about Neptune. I do not know how to say this directly, but Neptune has changed. By changed, I mean she has been acting out in ways that are not herself at all. I shall start from the beginning. It all started about yesterday when Nepgear had informed me about Neptune. What she told me was...off. Neptune had woken up in her HDD form. At first I thought she had a dream and she activated it on accident, but that was not the case at all. When I saw Neptune, she appeared to be at her peak level of operation. She showed no signs of fatigue or sluggish movement whatsoever. Finding this to be strange, I decided to look into this further. I scanned Neptune's body to check whether it was using share energy to keep her HDD active. Turns out, it was not share energy keeping it active at all. In fact, it was another source of power keeping it active and she cannot revert to her normal form. At first I thought it was something beneficial to Planeptune. Neptune being a more serious person while in that form would make her more inclined to work. Well, she did actually. There was a protest group rising up in Planeptune, but not like the one we had to deal with long ago. This was one formed out of the desire to find a better goddess for Planeptune since Neptune was not fitting their needs as for being a "capable" goddess."

"Well, it was only a matter of time before something like that happened. Neptune isn't a worker and I would be surprised if her citizens weren't fed up with her lack of work ethic. Her nation was bound to crumble and that seemed like the start of it." Noire said as she crossed her arms once more and leaned back into her separate seat that was apart from the couch.

"Protest group…" Blanc mumbled. She had just remembered about there being a protest group roaming around Lowee a while back saying that they didn't like it there. However, Neptune had came to take them over to Planeptune and they were suddenly happy with staying there.

"Hm? Do you know something, Blanc? You seem lost in thought." Vert placed her hand onto Blanc's back, questioning what she was thinking.

"Oh, it's nothing." Blanc responded, retaining her focus to Histoire's hologram.

"When Neptune faced these protesters herself, she listened to their complaints and simply laughed at them. They were planning to dethrone her and take over Planeptune until a better Goddess had arrived. However, Neptune made it painfully clear that she was not going to be dethroned by anyone. Then, a small boy threw a rock at Neptune's head as an act of revolt against her. Neptune...grew out of control and...threw the rock back at the boy. She threw it hard enough to pierce his head, killing him in front of her own citizens. Both I and Nepgear tried to hold her back, thinking she would do more " The Histoire hologram looked down, placing her hands over her face. She did not think Neptune would do such a thing, but it was a painful sight to see how it was handled. Noire, Blanc, and Vert were utterly shocked at what they had heard. They knew she had killed Arfoire with her bare hands and even ripped her head off from her shoulders in front of everyone, but they didn't think she would do it to an innocent person.

"Wait, WHAT!? How is she even a CPU after that!? She shouldn't even be getting shares after doing something like that!" Noire shouted out of anger. Hearing that she had killed a human was unforgivable to her.

"That's...I can't believe it…" Blanc said as she placed her hands onto her face.

"I can understand being angry after having a rock being thrown at you by your own citizens, but that is no reason to kill a human. We know she is capable of spilling blood without remorse, but she has gone farther than we thought. Poor Nepgear...to have to watch her elder sister commit such an act." Vert slowly shook her head.

"Neptune had told the citizens about exactly why they were in Planeptune to begin with. She was direct and her words definitely cut deep into the citizen's hearts. Soon, the citizens were quiet with very little to argue back with other than the fact that she had just killed someone. She simply sent them on their merry way, which confused me greatly, but it solved one problem. However, little was I aware that another problem was rising just after that. During the night, I began to run some research on the separate power source within Neptune. I couldn't find anything on the subject, even after checking through my logs of recorded history to see if this phenomenon had occurred once before. I did not know what to do, I was honestly stumped at what to do next. It was then that I realized that there was someone I could contact for help. I had to contact my dimensional counterpart for help and we managed to find a clue into finding out exactly what power Neptune is possessing. After many hours, we have found out that Neptune's power is actually equivalent to that of Rei Ryghts and her power." Upon hearing this, the three stood up with shock and awe. Neptune having the power of Rei? It didn't make any sense to them at all.

"How!? How is that possible!?" Noire shouted once more.

"Was Neptune somehow exposed to it? That doesn't sound right since it was Plutia that tried to fight against that dark power when she was exposed to it directly, not Neptune. Something isn't adding up." Blanc tried hard to piece together the information that was given, but nothing was coming together and now it just raises more questions.

"If you were to pick apart the 4th wall like Neptune, you can more than likely find a way. You know how she is when she does that, which is why we tell her not to. But you are right, nothing adds up correctly." Vert slowly shook her head in disbelief. She wanted more elaborate information than what was given.

"I know what you girls are thinking. It is impossible for this to happen even if you were to pick apart this very series' chronological story piece by piece. Even the readings we were given were the same as Rei's in both our world and the Ultradimension. What is worse is the readings are increasing, meaning Neptune is getting stronger by the very second. For now, we do not have a means of stopping her and I hope that you three do. By the time you get this message, I will probably be...-" Suddenly, there was a loud crash and a thud being heard in the other room. Histoire had recorded this message in the share crystal room, so the loud banging was loud enough to be heard there even though it came from upstairs. The hologram of Histoire had disappeared and there was nothing but a blue screen left. While she was gone, the three had sat back down to clear their heads after what they were told.

"Neptune is getting stronger, of course she is! We're already aware of that when we saw that mass panic with that beam of light in Planeptune! Geez, why is she causing so much trouble for us!? What have we ever done to her!? She's being selfish right now and this isn't helping anyone, not even herself!" Noire was trying to hide her panic with anger, standing up once again and pacing around the room in a huff. Vert and Blanc were in distraught with this news as well. However, at least now they know what is causing Neptune to be so strong and malicious. Rei is like that in her HDD form, so the two can at least piece that it could be what is making her to be a ruthless dictator.

"Noire, you need to calm down. Yelling isn't going to calm down your sanity. You're panicking, I can hear it in your voice." Vert held her hand up slightly, trying to reason with Noire before she goes ballistic from panic, fear, and anger.

"At least we know something worth taking into consideration. Just like Rei, Neptune has become insane in her HDD form. I figured that something felt familiar whenever I heard her raise her voice. Even the lightning that she can create. Rei can summon lightning from the sky, but Neptune had conjure it from thin air and she has made it much more dangerous. So that goes with the 'getting stronger' aspect of this. Now, how do we stop her? Simple, we'll have to use the anti-crystal on her. We did it before, we can do it again if Neptune is just like Rei." Blanc figured the original plan was going to work. It was their only shot at an edge above Neptune. Noire sat back down with her hands over face as she breathes in and out heavily. She seemed to have calmed down a bit.

"Okay...we'll use the anti-crystal. However, we'll also have to use our Next Forms for this fight. It isn't going to be easy, but we'll have to fight our hardest."

"Of course, for both Gamindustri and Neptune." Vert nodded her head with Blanc doing the same. Just then, the hologram of Histoire had finally came back. She was panicking heavily as if she was about to have a nervous breakdown.

"Terrible! This is the absolute WORST thing to happen right now! I found Nepgear laying in Neptune's room nearly beaten to death! She is still breathing and I called Compa to quickly come here to treat her injuries. From the looks of it, Nepgear has fractures in her face and her chest. Some of the bones are even broken as well. I...I didn't know what to other than to call Compa right now. She needs to be in a hospital… Why...why would Neptune harm her own sister like this?" Histoire looked as though she was about to cry from seeing Nepgear in her beaten state. She thought she was dead, but she was fortunately breathing still and Compa was taking care of her at the time so things should be okay. However, Histoire was still worried about what was going to happen in the future and with Neptune after finding out what nearly everything about her.

Vert's attention had instantly snapped towards the hologram after hearing that Nepgear was hurt by Neptune.

"She did what!? That is impossible, unacceptable even!" Now Vert had finally lost her cool the moment she knew that Nepgear was beaten by Neptune. She quickly stood up and headed towards Noire's balcony. Blanc held onto Vert by her arms, putting her in a full nelson to stop her from moving.

"Where do you think you're going Vert!? You know damn well that you cannot fight Neptune on your own!" Blanc yelled as she was holding the struggling goddess in her grasp.

"I'm going to teach Neptune a lesson! I won't allow her to get away with something so unforgivable!" Vert was now intent on fighting Neptune much like how Blanc and Uni was, but Blanc knew better after facing Neptune with the same rage in her eyes and came out of that fight barely alive. Even with Blanc's rage, she was not stupid and she knew Vert wasn't either.

"Stop this now, you aren't going to win against her. Your efforts will be just as wasted as Uni's when she thought she could save Nepgear." Noire stood up from her couch, approaching the two of them.

"What would happen if she killed you in cold blood like she did to Arfoire? Your blood will be spilled just to satisfy her and forward her plans. Don't let the enemy win just because you have some stupid obsession with Neptune's sister. You and Uni are just alike, doing stupid shit just for her!" Noire was upset, but not about Nepgear being beat up. She was upset at the fact that Vert was about to do something dumb without thinking. She already let someone make that mistake and she wasn't going to let it happen again.

"You are needed to at least attempt at standing a chance against Neptune. So don't waste that on a sister you'll never have Vert. Now sit your dumbass down before I kick you down myself." Noire was much more serious than she ever has before. Normally, she wouldn't just up and threaten someone. However, now she wasn't playing any more games and knew what needed to be done in order to stop Neptune for a time. Vert and Blanc just stopped what they were doing and relaxed. Vert regained her composure after hearing such words from Noire. She was too obsessed with Nepgear, even willing to throw her life away for her.

"Noire is right… Still, I did not think she would compare me to Uni…" Vert fixed her hair with her hands and sat back down. Blanc let out a sigh of relief before sitting down on the couch once more. Noire went towards her desk and made a phone call on her basilicom hotline.

"Yes, is it ready? … Good, we'll be there in a moment." Noire hung up the phone and looked at Blanc and Vert.

"I just called my engineering staff. They just completed the tool we need to capture Neptune and bring her in. We're going to look at them now."

Blanc and Vert looked up at Noire, hearing that she wasn't intent on killing her like she was before.

"So we are going to capture Neptune and not kill her?" Vert asked as she stood up from the couch.

"No. Let's not put death on our hands, especially not hers…" Noire placed her hand onto her arm.

"Why the sudden change of heart Noire? You were gung-ho with slaughtering her, but now you want to help her? I don't get you." Blanc shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. Noire began to blush a bit as she turned in her chair.

"I-It's not like I care about Neptune's wellbeing. I simple don't want to dirty my hands. She's still a big idiot for causing us all this trouble." Noire didn't want to say her reasons, it was typical of her tsundere attitude. Blanc and Vert simply giggled at Noire's words.

"Alright Noire, we'll save Neptune just for you~!" The two said in unison.

"Oh shut up!" Noire shouted, her blush growing darker as she crossed her arms in a cute pout.

TO=BE=CONTINUED=