Hello guys! Time for chapter 8!
About CC2 and Marvy… well, I think I'm going to include them both xD So there's that.
Answering your questions… well, it's regarding IF… you'll see here. :)
Anyways, the story has 2-4 more chapters! Awww it's going to end as well.
By the way, I hope you guys aren't getting confused with my scene transitions. When a scene switches from one to another, sometimes it is set a few minutes earlier or so, sometimes ahead of time (But I mostly do this with italicized texts, so no worries about that, I guess? Italicized text are sometimes set as flashback as well.) but I didn't bother putting that because, well, you'll see a lot of "few minutes/moments/etc later" a lot in the fic, which is, yeah, kind of annoying. I did that because I kinda had a hard time timing the events simultaneously.
Another thing, I can't remember if IF can pronounce Nep's name properly, but since she mostly calls Nep Nepko, we'll go with she can't pronounce it properly.
Alright then, no more chatters from me. Enjoy!
Lowee – City.
There were two girls walking on the streets side by side together. They were getting a few attentions from the people around them, probably due to their charisma.
"…"
That was one reason. The other reason was, well, Lowee was known for its continuous snowy climate, and their outfits were something that a person would never wear on this weather. But yeah, the cold didn't affect them in any way, of course.
"No luck here in Lowee, huh?"
One of the girls who had a long, pale brown hair, wearing a thigh-length blue detachable sleeve coat, said as they stopped at a pedestrian crossing.
"We've searched everywhere already. What's the plan, IF?"
Yes, IF. An agent of The Guild. She was looking for a certain girl named Compa, who had been missing for weeks now. So far, she had not had a single clue about Compa's whereabouts and Uni hadn't contacted her yet either.
"I don't know; we're back to square one." IF replied as she sighed in disappointment. It was really a huge disappointment, when you travelled the whole world to find a single person and fail to do so. "I guess I'm going back to Lastation. How about you, Falcom?"
Falcom, a girl who was around the same age as IF. She had short red hair just above her shoulders, with a silver headband on top of her head, and orange eyes. She was wearing a white tank top with a belt buckle attached around it that covers only her upper body. Above it was a white and blue jacket, and under the sleeves, she was wearing arm warmers. She was also wearing a short white and blue skirt, paired with thigh-length brown stockings, and high boots of the same color. She was also carrying a black case in which the contents were only known to her.
"Well, since we're back to square one, I guess I'll go back to Planeptune."
That answer wasn't liked by IF. "Please tell me you're kidding."
"As much as I don't want to, I have to check up on the village first." Falcom said. She was aware of what was happening in Planeptune, and of course, she really didn't want to take a single step in there, but she had no choice. "Don't worry, I won't take long."
"Don't just say it. Do it." IF said as her expression turned into a serious one. "With your shitty luck, and Planeptune's former CPU coming back from out of nowhere, I'm not sure if I can trust your answer."
"Hey, that hurts. My luck can't be that bad." Falcom narrowed her eyes as she directed her attention to IF. "You're jinxing me too much."
"You can't be too careful, Falcom."
Falcom sighed in defeat. She knew that IF was just worried about her well-being. Well, given the current state of Planeptune, she was still surprised to see IF worrying about her when she's got better things to worry about, like her search for Compa.
"Whatever, just don't get into trouble."
Falcom then grinned at her. "Don't worry, I'll be back soon, I promise."
~o~O~o~
Planeptune – Outskirts.
Falcom arrived at a certain village in the outskirts. It wasn't alien to her, as she had been in this place many times already. She was helping the people here by protecting them from the monsters, and other jobs that needed more hands.
With all of the things she did for the people here, she already considered this place her home.
As soon as she was seen by the villagers, they greeted her. Falcom greeted them back as a sign of respect. She was offered different kinds of gifts from the people as a gratitude for her continuous help, but she politely refused them as she didn't really deserve those. She found joy in helping people without asking anything in return, and the people knew that.
As Falcom learned that the status of the village was still the same, and finally got off the hook from the people, she entered the forest near the village. It was her routine to check this area for monsters whenever she had the time to visit. She scanned the area for potential threats, but so far, she didn't see anything that could be considered harmful.
She sighed in relief. This was the first time that there were no monsters in this place as she got back. Because whenever she returned, monsters were scattered in this place. Though they can't enter the village because of the traps laid by the villagers, it was still a good choice to sweep them out before they could breach. Prevention is better than cure, after all.
"Alright, time to-"
As she was about to turn around, she instantly froze on the spot. As if a great power was intimidating her whole being. When she finally calmed herself down and regained her ability to move, she turned around, and saw two figures a few meters away from her. She was more than surprised to see 'them', let alone approach her personally. Falcom could see that much as 'they' were staring at her.
"Long time no see, Falcom."
Falcom shivered as she heard 'her' voice. She didn't expect to see her in this place. "Neptune…"
Yes, it was Neptune. The former… CPU of Planeptune, now governing the nation as well. Falcom knew Neptune way back when she was still a young adventurer. They journeyed together multiple times when Neptune wasn't fighting her fight in Celestia. It was those good old days.
But of course, today's a different day.
She couldn't believe that IF jinxed her today. Well, she couldn't do anything about it anymore since it was her decision to go here in the first place.
"What are you doing here? There must be something wrong in this place that you and Nepgear decided to drop by here." Falcom said.
Yes, the other person with Neptune was none other than Nepgear, her sister. Falcom could've wished that she could just ignore these two and get out of Planeptune, but alas, she couldn't just do that.
"We haven't seen each other for a long time, and that's how you greet an old friend?" Neptune said as she grinned slightly.
But Falcom wasn't happy to hear that. She had a feeling that this Neptune wasn't the one she used to know. Well, she should be happy that Neptune came back after ten years, but no, it wasn't the case. It wouldn't be when ten years ago, Neptune didn't return when the CPUs of other nations came back from Celestia and formed a treaty to stop the war. It wouldn't take an intelligent person to know that something had happened to her that time.
And suddenly coming back after all these years, would just lessen the sense. Falcom knew Neptune's purpose. Her purpose and why did she come back after all those years.
"…" Falcom remained silent and just glared at Neptune.
Neptune's grin disappeared. "But yes, I'm not here to say hi." She said. "I want you to command my army, Falcom."
Falcom's eyes widened as she heard that. While she wasn't surprised that Neptune was building an army, she surely didn't expect Neptune to recruit her.
"…Why would you think that I'm fit for the job?" Falcom asked.
Neptune cracked a smile. "With your skills, your ability to think calmly when everything goes down, and your great survivability from catastrophes, nobody is going to be better than you."
Even with those praises, Falcom didn't feel happy. Of course, with Neptune talking about an army, there was only one way where this conversation would go. "…What good does it do for me, or for the world?"
Neptune's smile disappeared right after she heard the word 'world'. She glared sharply at Falcom, but the red-haired woman didn't flinch.
"I'm going to unite Gamindustri, if that's what you want to know."
"Under Planeptune's flag?" Falcom interjected.
Neptune was silent. She knew that Falcom was aware of her plans, but that didn't stop her from doing it. In fact, she had seen it as an opportunity because she wouldn't need to explain the details to her anymore.
"Yes, of course."
Falcom gritted her teeth. "You're insane." She said.
"How so?" Neptune asked.
Falcom gripped tighter on the case she was holding. "You're not going to unite Gamindustri. You're just going to disrupt the peace and conquer the world."
Neptune blinked twice before she started to chuckle. "…Peace…?" She then laughed at Falcom, which irked her.
"You call what you're seeing peace? You've got to be kidding me."
Now, Falcom was sure that this Neptune in front of her was really insane.
"Peace is the greatest lie of all, Falcom." Neptune said as her laughs died down. "There will never be peace for as long as there are differences."
Falcom clenched her fists. "Even so, it is not you who is going to decide what's peaceful or not!"
"Then who will?"
That question made the atmosphere around them quiet. Falcom didn't know what to answer, as that question was so heavy; it wasn't meant for her to answer.
"What's the matter? Why the sudden silence?"
Falcom just gritted her teeth. She turned her eyes to Nepgear, but she wasn't doing anything. She was just staring at her with pity. Though Falcom couldn't understand why Nepgear was doing that.
As Neptune learned that Falcom wouldn't be able to give an answer, she decided to ask her once more, "I'll give you one more chance, Falcom." Neptune said. "Join me."
Falcom took a step back. "After all that we've discussed, you still think that I would join you?"
Neptune closed her eyes for a moment. After a few seconds, her katana emerged from her right hand. "…Is that your answer, Falcom?"
"You're not going to make me change my mind, Neptune." Falcom then took her sword from the case she was holding.
"Well, then. Let's see how long you'll be able to keep your word."
In an instant, Neptune disappeared and reappeared in front of Falcom, and delivered a downward slash. Falcom blocked the attack as she lifted her sword with both of her hands, but the blow was so heavy that it managed to push her back.
'So strong…!' Falcom though as her feet slid through the ground.
She's just a human, and Neptune's a goddess, after all.
"…!"
But that didn't end there. Falcom saw Neptune approaching her at near lightning speed. She instinctively sidestepped and avoided Neptune's attack just in the nick of time, but her right arm, her abdomen, and right leg were scraped by Neptune's blade as she passed through.
"…Nngh…" Falcom groaned as she covered her abdomen with her left hand, trying to keep it from bleeding. She didn't even see those attacks. As if, the damage she received was done in just a millisecond.
It was not a good idea to fight Neptune, but whatever happened, this was inevitable.
"You know, you won't defeat me if you keep on dodging." Neptune said as she stopped. "Come at me, I'll give you a chance."
Now, that infuriated Falcom. She knew that Neptune was underestimating her. Well, if Neptune offered her a chance, she wouldn't let this pass up!
"I'll take you up on your offer, then!" Falcom then stomped her foot and dashed towards Neptune. As she got close to her, she delivered three quick series of slashes, in which Neptune parried all of it with her katana with only a single hand. The ground below them was crushed each time their weapons clashed.
"…!" Falcom was surprised, but that didn't stop her. She took her weapon back and did a spinning slash, but her attack was stopped by Neptune's bare hand, which surprised her even more.
"Are you even trying, Falcom?"
With that said, Falcom jumped back a few meters away from Neptune. She couldn't believe it that her attacks were useless against her. Her breathing got heavier, while Neptune didn't even break a sweat.
"Don't tell me you've grown weaker during these past years?"
Falcom was silent. It wasn't that she had grown weaker, as she always trained herself because she's an adventurer. It was just, Neptune suddenly got too strong.
Or, was she just hesitating?
"Come on, give me your best shot." Neptune taunted.
After a short while, Falcom lowered her sword. There was no other way to get out of this place. She had to do this.
"…"
She took three steps forward and lifted her sword in front of her torso as she took a stance. Neptune took this as a cue and readied herself.
"I'll take you down with this!"
In an instant, the ground under her feet was crushed as she dashed towards Neptune and then delivered a series of slashes. Neptune parried all of them, but that didn't stop Falcom from attacking.
"…!" Neptune's eyes widened as she realized what Falcom was trying to do.
Falcom then delivered a heavy upward slash, which launched Neptune up to the skies as she parried the attack. Neptune expected her to chase but no, Falcom just stood her ground as she was releasing a massive aura from her body. The rocks around her started to float and the ground shook as well.
"HAAHH!"
At the same instant, a powerful wave of energy escaped from Falcom's sword and was directed towards Neptune. An explosion erupted at the skies as it made contact.
"Sis…!" The spectator, Nepgear, said as she saw Neptune falling from the sky, but that didn't make her perform any action as she knew that her sister wanted to do this alone. And so, she just stood her ground and didn't move.
As Neptune was descending, Falcom's sword glowed and extended in length. She then chased Neptune, and as she got close, she delivered an upward slash.
"REACH!"
As she successfully executed her attack, an explosion erupted once again. Falcom landed safely as Neptune crashed onto the ground. She was short on breathing, as it had been a long time since she used that attack. Add that her wounds weren't helping as well. She then fell on her knees and stabbed her sword on the ground as a support.
"…" Falcom stared at Neptune's body from a distance. She wished that this would be finally over, but of course, nothing went her way, as she started to hear muffled laughs.
"…Hahahahahaha…!" The laughs grew louder, which made Falcom nervous. It made her nervous as she knew whose laughing voice was that.
To her not-so-surprise, Neptune slowly stood up from the ground. What really surprised Falcom was Neptune didn't have a single scratch in her body, despite receiving those attacks earlier.
"You're a monster…" Falcom said as she glared sharply at Neptune, who was already standing.
Neptune then walked towards her. "Is that it, Falcom?"
Falcom just stayed still in her position as she watched Neptune approach her. If she were going to be honest, that attack took a lot of her strength.
As Neptune stopped in front of Falcom, "You've grown rusty, Falcom." Neptune said as she kneeled in front of her. She then offered her hand to her. "Take my hand and join me. I will make you stronger."
"I will never change my mind, Neptune." Falcom said as she gripped tighter on her sword. "Not when your cause isn't just."
With that said, Neptune closed her palm as she sighed. "Is that so? Well, then. I hope you will never regret your decision."
"I will never-"
Before Falcom could say what she wanted to, an explosion was heard from a distance. Nepgear and Falcom turned to where it occurred, and to their surprise, there were smokes coming from the direction where the village was.
"The village…!" Falcom said as she mustered all of her remaining strength and ran back to the village. Neptune didn't even turn to the direction where Falcom headed to and just stayed where she was.
Nepgear turned to her sister, whose back was facing her. "Sis…?"
"Leave her be, Nepgear." Neptune said while not looking at her. "It's only a matter of time until she breaks."
~o~O~o~
Falcom hurriedly ran back to the village. She could already see large smokes coming from the direction she was heading to. As she arrived at the village, she saw the houses and stores burned down to the ground, with mortally wounded people scattered everywhere.
"…Ah…! …Ah…!" Falcom couldn't believe what she was seeing. There, the people living in peace earlier were now corpses on the ground. The place she considered home, was now destroyed by an unknown cause.
She slowly traversed in the burnt village, trying to look for someone to talk to. Even though she knew that no one could've survived that explosion, she still hoped that someone did. She had to know what happened here.
"…?!"
Falcom suddenly stopped walking. She could've sworn that she heard a voice. She looked for the source, but she couldn't find anyone.
"…-alcom…"
Falcom turned around, and saw a girl who seemed to be in her teens, had her lower half body buried under a pile of burning debris. The girl was bleeding from her head and her body; the debris and ashes weren't helping at all. Falcom didn't waste a second and hurried to the girl's aid. She tried to lift the debris on her, but a couple of large ones were piled together that it didn't even budge.
"Ms.-Fal…com…"
"Don't talk right now! I'm going to get you out of there!" Falcom said as she tried to push harder, but still the obstacle didn't budge an inch.
"Don't… Ms.—Fal…com…"
What the girl was trying to say caught Falcom's attention that it made her stop. "What…?"
"Don't… trust… Lady… Nep—tu-" The girl wasn't able to finish what she wanted to say as her life faded. Falcom's heartbeat stopped for a moment as she witnessed a life disappear in front of her.
"…"
She knew what the girl was trying to say. It would make sense, really. She finally understood why Neptune said 'those words' to her earlier.
"…"
Not long after that, Neptune and Nepgear arrived at where Falcom was. Nepgear was looking around, not sure of what happened here, but it didn't bother her that much. The same goes with Neptune, as her attention was only fixated to Falcom.
"What a gruesome fate this place had…" Neptune said as she sighed in disappointment. "What would you do now, Falcom?"
But Falcom didn't answer nor move an inch. She was just on her position, staring at the dead girl in front of her. Neptune waited for a few moments for Falcom to answer, but it looked like she wouldn't be able to spew some answers from her.
Neptune sighed once more. "I'll give you time. Just drop by the Basilicom if you ever change your mind." She said as she turned around. "Nepgear, let's go."
Nepgear followed her sister as she started to walk away. What they didn't see was the face Falcom had. Her fury was visible in her eyes as she gritted her teeth and cried.
'Damn you, Neptune…!' She clenched her fists as she cursed Neptune mentally. She then stood up and turned to the direction where Neptune and Nepgear was headed. She could still see them as they were walking slowly.
'I'm going to kill you, Neptune…!'
Falcom then stomped her foot and dashed forward as the ground cracked due to her release of momentum. In no more than a moment, she was already behind Neptune and Nepgear.
"…?!"
Neptune noticed Falcom's sudden arrival and managed to barely avoid her attack, but she didn't know that Falcom's target wasn't only her.
"AAAHHH!"
Nepgear cried as the right side of her waist was slashed by Falcom's sword even as she attempted to avoid her attack. Falcom did a spin slash as she got between them, which Neptune avoided, but not Nepgear as she totally didn't expect her surprise attack.
As Neptune saw her sister got injured, her expression completely changed into something else.
"Tch…!" Falcom clicked her tongue as she learned that she failed to take out both of them. She slid her foot on the ground to stop herself and prepare for a counterattack, but she didn't notice that Neptune was already behind her as she turned around.
"…!" Falcom's eyes widened as she saw Neptune's expression. She had nothing but murderous intent enveloping every nook and cranny of her being. Her katana was ready to kill, while Falcom didn't even manage to compose herself.
"Die, Falcom."
At the very same moment, Neptune stabbed her katana directly to Falcom's chest.
"GUAH-!" Falcom coughed a few amounts of blood as Neptune's katana pierced through her chest. She instantly lost her grip on her sword and inevitably let go of it. Her blood was dripping out of her chest, down to Neptune's katana and to her body.
"I would let that pass if it's only me, but if you involve Nepgear, you're of no use to me anymore." Neptune said and pulled her katana out of Falcom's body. Falcom then fell down to the ground. Her blood continued to flow out of her body, creating a pool of it for her to bathe.
Neptune then walked back to Nepgear. "Are you alright, Nepgear?" Neptune said as she inspected Nepgear's wound. It wasn't deep, but not too shallow as the blade made a fine cut on Nepgear's waist that it managed to make it bleed continuously. "Let's go back and get you treated."
Nepgear nodded as she followed her sister's lead. Not long after that, Nepgear noticed that her sister's suit was tainted with red on the right waist part.
"Sis… your waist…"
Neptune stopped. She then inspected her right waist, and it was indeed tainted with red. She sliced that part of the suit and checked underneath. Neptune saw her right waist sliced, and it was bleeding as well.
"Falcom must've got me earlier." Neptune said as she covered her wound. "Don't worry, I'm fine."
Nepgear nodded, but she found it very weird.
~o~O~o~
'So cold…'
I couldn't move… But I could see Neptune walking away from me…
~o~O~o~
This place. I remember this place.
"Ah…"
This forest. Yeah, this forest. I was walking in this forest. Alone? Nope, I had a companion. She was walking beside me. We're about the same height, though I think she was a little taller than me. Age? I wouldn't say that we had the same, but that's just about it.
"Hey, are we there yet…? I'm kind of pooped already…"
The girl beside me complained as she walked. Well, she was a little behind me, just to be exact.
"Come on, Neptune. Just a little bit farther." I said to her.
Yes, the person with me was Neptune, the CPU of Planeptune. What about me?
"You said the same thing earlier, Falcom!"
Yes, that's my name. Wondering why someone like me was with the CPU of Planeptune? Simple, we're friends. We do hang out from time to time. How did we meet? I kinda forgot, but surely during my adventures. I hoped that Neptune would never ask me about that because surely I'd just disappoint her.
"I'll keep my word this time. Look, you can see it from here now." I said as I pointed forward. A few meters away, we could see light.
Neptune's eyes widened and then ran to our destination. Really now, she left me after I said that we were nearing our destination?
"Come on, Falcom, hurry up!"
And she was telling me to hurry up.
"Alright, alright." I said as I tried to catch up with her. Seriously, I couldn't understand Neptune sometimes, but I ain't complaining.
As we reached our destination, we ended up in a cliff. Right in front of us, we could see another nation from a distance. Between us and that nation was something we, or maybe just I, didn't know. Our nation was a floating island, and so were the other nations. I never learned the origins of the world, as history really wasn't my forte.
"You know what, I really think that we should've gone back to the Basilicom and eat there." Neptune said.
After coming all the way here, really? And yeah, we were about to eat lunch as we just cleared a dungeon earlier.
"Well, yeah. But you know, it's really nice to eat somewhere with a good view and fresh air." I said. That made Neptune pout.
Woops.
"Don't get me wrong, I do like your Basilicom as well." I immediately said. "It's just… there's a right place for each thing."
"When did you get so philosophical?"
Wait, what?
"Did I now?" I asked.
Neptune just sighed. Seriously, where did she get that idea?
"Nevermind, let's just eat! I'm hungry!"
I took out our rations and placed them on the ground after spreading out a mat for us to sit. "Yes, yes, your highness."
"Hey, we already talked about you calling me that." Neptune said and pouted again. Well, we did, but seeing her pout like that, it was kinda cute, and I couldn't help it but tease her for a bit.
"Oops, sorry." I said and just stuck my tongue out.
~o~O~o~
'So cold…'
I couldn't feel anything… But I tried to reach for Neptune…
~o~O~o~
"Neptune, watch out!"
We were surrounded by a ton of monsters.
I immediately dashed towards Neptune, who was occupied by a large Opportune in mid-air. That wasn't the reason why I warned her; it was because a Dragon Knight was heading towards her and was aiming her back.
But I wouldn't make it!
"NEPTUNE!" I said and pointed my sword forward, in hopes that I would make it.
My vision became white and after a few seconds, it went back to normal, but what I've seen wasn't normal.
"Huh…?"
My sword was glowing. That wasn't all; the monsters around me were pushed back and they crashed onto the walls. What's more, my sword extended, all the way to the monster that was trying to attack Neptune. And what's more again, it pierced the monster's body.
"Falcom…! You're…"
I didn't quite hear what Neptune just said as I was preoccupied by the object in front of me. I had no idea what was going on, but one thing was for sure.
A new power. My new power.
With that thought in mind, I lifted my sword along the monster on it, slammed it on the floor and swept the room as I spun around. The monsters surrounding us were instantly exterminated by my blade. At the same moment, Neptune pushed the Opportune back and did three swift slashes on its body, instantaneously destroying it.
Neptune then landed in front of me while her HDD was still on. "That was splendid, Falcom. When did you acquire such power?"
"I…" I of course didn't know what to answer. It was just a spur of the moment. "I don't know… It felt like a switch just flipped inside me."
'I think… I read something about that phenomena somewhere…' Neptune raised an eyebrow for a bit, but then her expression softened. "Well, whatever it is, you should hold onto it proudly." She said. "You did save me back there, thank you."
I could just rub the back of my head and make an awkward smile. Getting a gratitude from a CPU really was a great honor, even though we were friends.
"It's no problem." I said. "Just… let's just not do this again, alright? We're clearly hundred levels below this dungeon, and even though you're a CPU, you also have your limits. What's more, I'm a human, and I'll die if I get killed."
Neptune deactivated her HDD and just averted her eyes away from me while scratching her cheek. "Yeah, I learned my lesson, but that reference isn't going to make you cool in any way."
She got me.
~o~O~o~
'So cold…'
I couldn't breathe… Yet I still tried to reach for Neptune, but failed…
'So cold…'
Will this be my end…? My memories were slowly disappearing… I… I couldn't stop it… They kept on… shattering…
No… stop… I… to forget everything… no… anything but that…
'Ah…'
It's no use. It's so cold…
"..."
It's no use…
"I'm… sorry… IF…"
~o~O~o~
Two days had passed.
Lastation – Outskirts.
IF was walking around the forest. She took a quest from the guild just to kill time. If she were going to be honest with herself, she was actually waiting for Uni to call her since she hadn't heard anything from her for a while. Plus, she was a little short on money due to her constant travelling and being off-duty so she kinda needed it.
As she finished the quest, which was just a simple monster hunting, she sat down on a branch of a nearby tree as she jumped onto it and took out her rations. She felt a little hungry after all those hunting, so yeah, it was probably a good time to reenergize.
"…"
IF took out her phone and checked the news. It had been a few days since the last time she checked those. So far, nothing related to her search for Compa.
But then, one news caught her attention that she almost dropped whatever she was eating.
"…This is…?!"
It was a news about a burnt village in Planeptune. That village also wasn't alien to IF, as she recognized that place. It was the place where Falcom headed to when they split up.
"…Falcom!" IF got nervous suddenly. This was what IF was talking about a few days ago. She immediately opened her contacts and looked for Falcom's number. She tried calling her number, but the operator said that the number couldn't be reached.
"Dammit, Falcom!" IF jumped down from the tree and started to run back to the city as she attempted to dial Falcom's number again, but before she could call her, her phone rang, indicating an incoming call.
"…Uni?" IF stopped as she was surprised to see who the caller was. Did she finally have a lead? Only one way to find out. "Hello Uni, what's up?" IF said as she answered the call.
"Ms. IF, Ms. Vert found the person you're looking for."
Color IF surprised.
"Where are you right now?"
"I'm in the outskirts of Lastation, near the Planeptune Border." IF said as she looked around. "I'm on my way back to the city."
But Uni's reply caught IF off-guard.
"Just stay there! She's near your location! I'm sending you the data right away."
IF's heart raced as she heard that. She couldn't believe that she finally had lead! And it leads directly to Compa, too!
"Really?! Alright, I'll go to her as soon as I receive her location." IF said as she gripped on her chest. She really, really wanted to see Compa now.
"I'm at the other side of Lastation right now, but I'll go there as fast as I can."
Uni ended the call after that. IF lowered her phone for a bit. She was glad that Compa was finally found, but she was still worried about Falcom's current status. While Compa was her top priority, she couldn't just ignore Falcom. She's her partner, after all.
But, Compa was near, and Falcom was at the other side, so her course of action was obvious.
"Falcom, don't you dare break your promise." IF said as she clenched her fists as she walked around the forest. "Don't you dare…"
All she could just do was have faith in Falcom. Not long after that, she received an e-mail from Uni. As she opened it…
~o~O~o~
"What is going on…"
Uni stopped her flight as she saw the forest suddenly got eaten by fire. It happened so quick that she didn't even have the time to prevent it. Either way, this was inevitable.
"What should I do…?" Uni was conflicted. Her next course of action was nowhere to be found as she completely froze on the spot.
For now, she inspected the burning forest, but not long after that, she noticed something a little far away from her position. She lifted her weapon and looked into her scope to check what that was, and surprise, what she saw was something she never, ever expected to see in her entire life.
Uni immediately opened her comms and contacted her sister. Not long after that, her sister picked up the call. "Uni, what's going on?"
"Sis, we have a big problem!" Uni immediately said. "Neptune is here!"
Yes. The one she just saw from her scope was Neptune, and she was heading her way.
"What?! Uni, get back here in the Basilicom immediately!" Noire ordered. "She's not someone you can fight!"
"I know but…" Uni said and gulped before answering. "There's… there's so many of her!"
~o~O~o~
Lastation – Basilicom.
Noire almost dropped her phone from her hand. She was having a conversation with her sister, Uni, when she heard a very ridiculous statement from her.
"What… what are you saying?" Noire said as she tried to compose herself, but she failed. Her hands were shaking as she held on her phone. "I… I don't understand, Uni."
"Stop being so shocked, sis! I should be the one surprised here!" Uni said through the phone. "It's just as I said. There's an army of Neptune heading our way, and I'm going to intercept them, whether you like it or not!"
After saying that, Noire finally realized what Uni was trying to do. She wanted to protect Lastation. Of course, both of them do. Even with the great danger ahead, Uni didn't let that get ahead of her.
As soon as Noire composed herself back, "Alright, Uni. Can you hold for at least thirty… no, twenty minutes?"
"Try fifty."
Noire smiled with that response. "Alright. I'll be back in a flash. Be careful out there." Noire said and ended the call. She was really against Uni going against Neptune, but she couldn't ask for a better person to keep Lastation guarded for the time being. At the very most, she could trust Uni's abilities.
She then dialed another number as she stood up from her seat and headed to her terminal room. As soon as the call was picked up,
"What's up, Noire?"
"Let's get started, Blanc. Neptune is going to attack Lastation and Uni will try to keep her army at bay." Noire said as she walked through the corridors. "I'll fill you in with the details later, we're running out of time."
"Okay, then. Histoire and I just got back and we're heading to our terminal now." Blanc replied. "I'll give Vert a holler so we can start."
~o~O~o~
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
In an instant, the cliff was suddenly engulfed in flames. The woman clad in dark purple suit wielding a katana backed away instinctively to avoid getting burned.
"…"
In the middle of the flames, where the ground was slightly unharmed, a girl in her late twenties was holding another girl in her arms. The girl she was holding was completely devoid of life, as her chest was pierced.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The girl who screamed again was named IF. She was screaming as when she finally found the person she had been looking for weeks, a tragedy happened. That is, if murder can be considered tragedy.
Compa, the name of the murdered person right in front of her eyes.
As she screamed, the flames around her intensified and expanded, burning the whole forest behind her in no more than ten seconds. Not only that, her appearance completely changed. Her long brown hair became beige white with light red hues, along with her green leafy bow attached to her hair turning black and red. Her boots and blue coat became flaming red, with flame patterns on the coat's sleeves and on her stockings. Her eyes became red as well, with her anger painted all over it.
The woman clad in purple landed on the ground as she killed the flames around the cliff by swinging her katana. She didn't have any expression on her face other than a vague one.
"…"
IF laid Compa down on the ground and slowly stood up. The woman in purple readied her weapon.
"…"
In a heartbeat, IF disappeared from her sights. And at the same instant, the woman in purple was pinned down to the ground.
"…!"
She wasn't just pinned down to the ground. IF pinned her down using both of her katars as she reappeared in front of her. The said weapons were stabbed on the woman's chest, piercing it all the way to her back. Even with that happened to her, the woman in purple didn't release a scream.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!"
IF roared as she pulled her katars out of the woman's chest and then sliced her neck, splitting the head off from the body. It whirled in mid-air and ultimately fell off the cliff.
"…"
IF raised her head as she stared at the skies. Her tears were falling from her eyes. She could feel nothing but despair and pain in her chest. Losing the person dear to her was the worst thing that had happened to her.
"…Compa…!"
She couldn't stop it. Her cries continued, but she didn't bother wiping it away. She let both of her eyes and heart cry out. It was painful to bottle it up, after all.
"…!"
But her cries didn't last as it was immediately replaced with anger as she saw the person she just killed up in the skies. She looked down below her; the body of the woman she just beheaded was still under her. She then looked up to the skies again; there were multiple copies of her now; an army of her, to be exact, seemingly heading towards Lastation.
IF gritted her teeth as she stood up. Her anger increased as she stared at the skies. It seemed like, her revenge wouldn't end just yet.
She didn't bother questioning what the hell was going on. All she had in mind was to destroy that person who killed Compa. As long as she could see that face, IF wouldn't stop at nothing.
"…No matter how many of you are out there, I WILL DESTROY YOU, NEPTU-!" IF said as she bit her tongue and then jumped to the skies.
Yes, the person IF hated was Neptune, the CPU of Planeptune. She was the one who killed Compa, and the one IF killed earlier as well. Though she knew that the Neptune she just killed was definitely a fake, since CPUs wouldn't go down that easily, it still was Neptune.
The ground cracked as she made her jump and she reached an altitude of several hundred feet.
"DIE!"
IF caught one of the flying Neptunes in the sky by stabbing her katars onto her target's chest. She then rolled forward and threw the body down to the ground with great force, creating a big dust screen as the body crashed. Her surprise attack was noticed by the other Neptunes and they started to target her as well.
"Come at me, you scums!"
~o~O~o~
Lastation – Basilicom.
Noire was in her terminal room, waiting for a call from Histoire. It had been more than ten minutes since her conversation with Blanc that she was going to call Vert, but so far, no answers yet. She's got a bad feeling about the situation they were in. If she were to assume the worst case scenario, that would only be the thing she could expect to happen. She already issued an evacuation order to the citizens with the help of her soldiers, and she could just hope that there would be no casualties after.
"Come on, Vert, dammit!" Noire was stomping her foot on the floor. "We don't have the whole goddess damn day here!"
After a few moments, an incoming call from her terminal arrived. She immediately patched it through the screen and saw Blanc and Histoire.
"Noire, what the hell is going on?! Vert is under attack by Neptune as well! And there's too many of her!"
Bingo. Noire's hunch was right.
"I knew it!" Noire said as she stomped her foot once more. "I should've expected this!"
"What is?!"
Noire just clenched her fists. "If you're going to make a clone of yourself, would you stop at one only?"
Blanc's eyes widened after that realization. "Shit, we're screwed, if you're going to ask me."
Noire messed up. She really, really messed up. Why didn't she think of that? It was her nature to imagine the worst-case scenarios, yet this simple one never occurred to her. They should've done this sooner.
"Then all we have to do is unscrew ourselves. Simple as that." Noire said as her patience ran out. "But that's not going to happen unless we know where the hell Vert is now."
Blanc and Histoire just stared at each other. Not long after that, another incoming call arrived. It was from Vert. Noire immediately accepted the call, and Vert popped out on the screen as well.
"Vert! Are you alright there?" Noire asked.
"I apologize, I rushed into the front lines as soon as I received a report that an invader is heading this way, which surprised me, a lot of Neptunes." Vert said. Though looking at her, she didn't seem to be harmed in any way. "Let's get started. I've got help from two people to defend the front lines along with my state defense system, but I don't know how long they would hold out, so I need to get back there fast."
Histoire then flew close the Blanc's camera. "Don't worry, Vert. Once we activate the system, I will take care of the rest to complete the encapsulation, so you can go all out after this."
"Thank you, Histoire. I appreciate it." Vert said as she sighed in relief.
"How about you, Blanc? Aren't you the same?" Noire asked.
Blanc swung her head. "Neptune hasn't reached Lowee yet, but I'm not going to say that she won't attack here, so we better get started."
Everyone nodded in response.
~o~O~o~
Lowee – Basilicom.
Blanc and Histoire was inside the terminal room. A very large screen was lit on in front of them, and it showed Noire's and Vert's images. It wasn't just a normal image, as it was moving. In a nutshell, they were having a video conference.
Histoire flew away from Blanc and landed her tome on a circular platform not too far away from the terminal. It wasn't just a normal platform, as a crystal that resembled a power button was floating above it, which was also above Histoire.
"I'm ready, Blanc." Histoire said.
Blanc nodded and then turned to Noire and Blanc on the screen. "You two ready?" Blanc asked.
Noire and Vert nodded and they pulled out a key from their pockets and showed it on the screen, as well as Blanc. After that, they turned to their respective terminals and inserted the key into a keyhole.
"On my go." Blanc said. "Three, two, one…"
At the same moment, all three of them together,
"Goddess' Solaris, activate!"
They then turned the key. At the same instant, a button appeared beside the said keyhole, in which they pushed immediately simultaneously.
"Alright, I'll take it from here." Histoire said as her body glowed and several virtual windows appeared around her. "Go out and defend your respective nations."
"Thank you very much, Histoire. I'm going to sign off now." Vert said and she disappeared from the screen.
"Best of luck to you, Histoire." Noire said and she signed off as well.
Now, Blanc and Histoire was left in the room. Blanc didn't know what to say to Histoire; neither did Histoire to Blanc.
But even so,
"Histoire." Blanc called without looking at her. "I'm sorry that we dragged you into this mess."
"Don't be. It is my decision to go against Planeptune for now, so you have nothing to feel sorry for." Histoire said as she swung her head. "Now go. Lowee needs you."
Blanc didn't reply a word and immediately headed out of the room.
~o~O~o~
"Hit!"
Uni was sniping the approaching Neptunes from afar, but she couldn't hit them at all. Well, Uni of course expected it. They didn't look like the real Neptune for nothing.
But, if this kept up, in just a few moments, they would reach the city.
"Now that it has come to this…!"
Uni released her scope and started to charge her weapon. As soon as it finished charging,
"Try to dodge this!" Uni said and pulled the trigger. "EX Multi-Blaster!"
A very large wave of energy escaped Uni's weapon and headed straight to the flock of Neptunes approaching. They managed to split up, but not all of them evaded the blast and were vaporized instantly.
"I'm not done yet!"
Uni just held on the trigger and swung her weapon left and right. The Neptunes who split up with the group then got hit and disappeared.
"Haah…"
Uni took a deep breath. She needed a very stable stance for that attack, and moving her weapon while it was firing, of course, the recoil wouldn't be avoided.
"…Heh, I guess I need to train a bit more." She said. "Now, then, is it-"
Not too far from her position, she could see another batch of Neptunes arriving. She was surprised as she saw that, but it wasn't the reason why she looked so agitated.
Uni lifted her weapon up to get a closer look. Her eye on the scope widened as she saw what was going on.
"…Is that… Ms. IF…?!"
From afar, she could see IF. That wasn't all; Uni could see her killing the Neptunes headed towards the city one by one while in mid-air. She knew that IF couldn't fly, but in her eyes, it looked like she could. Another thing, IF looked so different from where Uni could see her.
She took away her scope and attempted to go to IF's position, but she stopped as she heard a voice call her out.
"Uni!"
Uni turned to the source of the voice. "Sis...?!"
There, Uni's sister, Noire, in her HDD form, she was known as Black Heart. The CPU of the nation she was defending, Lastation.
"I'm glad to see you are safe." Noire said as she sighed in relief and smiled. "I know I've been pushing you too much lately, but I have a favor to ask of you."
Uni raised an eyebrow.
"Please go to Lowee and assist Blanc. She won't be able to defend against this many Neptunes alone." Uni could see a lot of Neptunes heading their way, so it gave her a thought that they made past through IF already. Well, she expected it, since IF was just a human. She wouldn't be able to handle them all.
Uni was about to protest, but this wasn't the right time for it. If she managed to hold out for this long, of course, her sister would be able to hold out longer than she did.
"Alright sis, but how can I go back once the defense system is up and working?" Uni asked.
"You don't have to worry about that." Noire said and just gave her a reassuring smile. "Now go, before Neptune's army makes it to Lowee."
Uni could just nod and flew to Lowee. Even though Noire said that, she had a feeling that Neptune's army already made it to Lowee by this time.
"Now then, let's get this over with." Noire turned around and lifted her arms. At the same instant, multiple giant tornado swords appeared above the Basilicom. One by one, they fell down to the ground, surrounding the said structure and covering it completely. The purpose was to protect the terminal if ever one or two Neptunes would pass through her.
But of course, Noire had no intentions of letting any of them pass through.
"This should do." Noire said as she sighed. She then back flipped, evading an incoming attack. That attack came from a Neptune clone, who attempted to stab her from the back. "Not so unpredictable now, aren't we?" She then summoned a tornado sword and threw it to the Neptune who just passed through her. The sword hit the clone's back and crashed onto the ground, with the body stuck on the ground by the weapon.
Noire then intercepted the approaching Neptunes and slashed them one by one. Some of them managed to block her attacks, some got decapitated instantly. The bodies were falling down to the ground one by one.
"…"
Noire was noticing that the numbers weren't decreasing at all. Every time she killed one, another two pops out from nowhere.
"Neptune is probably nearby." Noire mumbled to herself as she tried to look around while intercepting multiple opponents, but she couldn't find the real one.
Either way, she had to deal with what she had on her hands first.
~o~O~o~
Leanbox – City.
Vert, currently in her HDD form, just flew out of her Basilicom and was welcomed by multiple Neptunes approaching miles away from her position.
"I guess she's aware of our plans, huh?"
Vert wondered how Neptune managed to get a hold of this information, since they worked in secret, and there wasn't a single news about their operations. But somehow, Vert was still uncertain, since if Neptune knew their plans, she should've attacked them when they were still developing it.
She swung her head and cleared her thoughts. She had better things to worry about. "Let's get this over with quickly." She then turned around and faced her Basilicom. Afterward, she lifted her right arm, and multiple giant spears emerged from the green circles that looked like a seal behind her. Those spears were fired upwards, and they landed one by one to the ground, near the Basilicom. The spears enclosed the said structure, with no entrance nor exit visible.
"I guess that will do for now." Vert then turned back to the approaching Neptunes, who already made their way to the city. "Now then, it's time for counterattack." Vert then turned into a flash of green light as she sliced her way through the battalion of Neptunes. She made sure that she hit a vital point of each of their bodies, which was, the easiest target, the neck part.
"…Am I going through this again?" Vert said as she wiped a bloodstain on her cheek. Well, she still remembered the first time she massacred a fake Neptune. She gotta admit, it was unbelievable that she was able to do something like that herself.
She scanned her surroundings. Vert could see another batch of fake Neptunes approaching. She wondered what happened to the two people who were helping her as she couldn't see them anymore, but a few moments later, she could see the next batch of invaders getting reduced. One by one, they were falling down to the ground.
"…I should've known better." Vert said and smiled.
Vert then charged towards the intruders to finish the job.
~o~O~o~
"Gefahrlichtern!"
Multiple thin beams were scattered around the Lowee airspace. Those beams were targeting the intruders, who were the striking image of the Planeptune CPU. The beams were moving in near speed of sound, and so the intruders had less time to avoid it. Even though the enemies were getting reduced, more of them were replacing the killed ones.
"There's no Goddess damn end to this…!"
Suddenly, from out of nowhere, "Ms. Blanc…!"
The person named Blanc turned to the source of the voice, which was coming from above her. "Uni?! What are you doing here?"
"Sis told me to come here and assist you, as she knew that you would have a hard time defending alone." Uni said as she charged her weapon and aimed it to the approaching enemies. "So here I am!" She then pulled the trigger and wiped out multiple enemies from afar.
Blanc clicked her tongue. She hated it when Noire really was spot on about things, but she couldn't complain right now. She really needed help.
"Thanks a lot. I gotta admit, it's hard for me to do this alone." Blanc said as she summoned more Gefahrlichtern to fend off the intruders. "I'm not like Noire nor Vert, who can just summon something like gate-of-what-you-want-to-call-that."
Uni didn't say anything and just smiled as she assisted Blanc.
~o~O~o~
While the CPUs were defending their respective nations, of course, casualties in the cities couldn't be avoided. The citizens were indeed evacuated, but the structural casualties were visible everywhere.
Especially in Lastation, as the invasion came as a surprise. Even though Noire was able to push back the battlefield outside the city, she was getting pushed back as well as the fake Neptunes kept on coming back, as if she killed one, it gets replaced by two more.
While doing so, Noire noticed some flashes far away from her position. She couldn't outright conclude what was going there, but she knew of one thing. That flash was eliminating the Neptunes coming from that way. Noire was about to go there but then she noticed another flock of fake Neptunes from the other direction.
"I guess this isn't the time to be worrying about others…!" She said and intercepted the incoming enemies.
~o~O~o~
"HAAAAHH!"
IF could be seen jumping from one Neptune to another as she killed them. It looked like she was able to float in mid-air, but no, she wasn't. She was using some kind of ability that allowed her to step in mid-air, as if a platform was created under her feet.
"Come at me, you little shits!" IF said as she threw her katar on one Neptune, which was followed by a chain behind it. "I'll kill every last one of you! EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!" As her katar hit her target, IF was pulled into it, and as she got close, she reclaimed her blade and kicked the body downward.
She saw an incoming Neptune in front of her, but she just flipped her body backwards and evaded the attempted attack.
"I'll kill you. I'll kill you!"
IF threw her katars downward, which was attached on a lengthy chain. As it created a few feet length, she rolled her body backward and lifted the blades, which sliced the fake Neptune into two who just attempted to attack her earlier.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
IF spun around with the chained katars. All Neptunes who were trying to get close to her were getting sliced before they could close the gap. As IF learned that she was losing altitude, she created a flame platform under her feet and propelled herself upward, gaining several feet of height.
It was already raining blood in her position, but she couldn't care less. All she had in mind was revenge, and as long as she could see the face of Compa's killer, her bloodthirst would never burn out.
At the moment, IF was just swinging her chained katars, killing the fake Neptunes from a distance. Even though the blades were tainted by blood and were slicing through the bones, it never showed any signs of dulling. Paired with her skills in combat, she was almost invincible.
Yeah, almost.
Short while after that, IF felt an incredible murderous intent from afar, but as soon as she turned around, she was met by the same person she was killing recently. Yet, she knew that this one was different compared to the others.
Her eyes were filled with dread.
"Critical Edge."
"…!"
IF managed to pull her katars back and blocked the attack before it could slice her neck, but because it was a quick-time action, she wasn't prepared for that attack and got blown down back to the ground.
Before IF's back could crash onto the ground, she flipped her body backward and landed on her feet. She slid down a few meters after landing due to uncontrollable force exerted to her body.
"…!"
Her opponent was already in front of her as she lifted her head up, ready to decapitate her. IF instinctively raised both of her arms and prevent the sword from reaching her head, which resulted the ground under her feet crushing.
"…You're… the real one… huh?" IF said.
The real Neptune. The CPU of Planeptune, was now the one in front of IF. The fakes ignored them and just headed to the city.
Neptune just smirked. "I was wondering who were killing my subordinates, and surprise me, it's a human." She said as she pulled her sword back and then delivered another downward slash, but IF managed to block it. The ground under them was further crushed, creating a small crater.
"Well… that's an honor to surprise a CPU!" IF pushed the sword and spun around. She then delivered an upward slash, but her attack was avoided as Neptune suddenly disappeared from her sight and reappearing a few meters away from her.
'So fast…!' IF thought. But that didn't let her affect her. IF dashed towards Neptune and attempted to slice Neptune's neck, but as soon as she got close, Neptune disappeared again from her sight.
"Your tricks won't work on me!"
IF then threw her Katar behind her, which was followed by the chains attached on it. She heard a *clang* sound after a moment, indicating that her attack connected.
"Oh? That was perceptive of you." Neptune said as she blocked the attack right after reappearing. But short while after that, she saw another blade heading towards her way from the side. Neptune jumped back and avoided the attack, which sliced the burning trees around them.
"You're not getting away!"
IF dashed to Neptune at near lightning speed and delivered a downward slash as she got her katars back. Neptune managed to block the attack, locking weapons with her.
"You… are you even human…?" Neptune asked as she kept her weapon locked with IF. "I've never seen a human move like that."
But IF didn't look like she gives a care at all about that question. "What makes you think that I give a shit?" She then flipped her body upward as she locked weapons with Neptune and delivered a kick to the CPU's back, in which it connected.
"AGH-!" Neptune was blown away from the kick, but she managed to keep her balance. As she turned around, IF was already in front of her, ready to deliver another attack.
"…"
Neptune blocked the attack by lifting her sword up horizontally. The ground under her then was crushed by the shockwave of their clashing weapons.
"I see…"
IF somehow caught what Neptune just said, but nevertheless, she didn't stop at trying to slice her in half.
"You're not human… no, that's not the right word for it…" Neptune said as she raised her head and smirked at IF. "You have transcended humanity."
IF's eyes widened, and she jumped away from Neptune.
"You… you're an Awakened Being." Neptune said. "I only read it as a legend, but to think that the legends were true…"
IF sweat dropped. "What makes you say that?"
Neptune stabbed her sword on the ground. "Your flaming eyes." She said.
"Heh, you're quite fond of clichés, aren't you?"
The CPU chuckled. "Oh, spare me the jokes." She said. "Not just that. Your inhuman movements, and the flames everywhere, it gave away everything."
"Above all, no human was able to keep up with me before." Neptune said. "Except for one."
IF didn't know what to reply to that. True, that day when she acquired this power, she knew to herself that she had lost something, but she didn't know what it was that time. Now that Neptune mentioned it to her, it all made sense.
"Hmmm… thinking back that day… the same thing happened to Falcom…" Neptune mumbled to herself, but IF clearly heard what she said, and was surprised as she heard the uttered name. "But she didn't change forms… so I guess not completely…"
"…You… you knew Falcom?!" IF asked.
Now that surprised Neptune as well. "Oh, you knew her as well? What a small world Gamindustri is." Neptune said. "Well, we go way back." She then chuckled a little.
"Oh yeah, why don't you join me? You really would be a great help to me." Neptune then offered her hand to IF. "Falcom didn't join me, so it would be great if you will take her place."
"Save your bullshit to yourself." IF said as she made an offensive stance. "Where is Falcom…?" It somewhat scared her that Neptune was acquainted with Falcom. Well, because of very obvious reasons.
As IF asked that question, Neptune clenched her fist and her expression became a serious one. "Are you sure you want to know?"
After a short while, Neptune raised her sword as IF suddenly appeared in front of her and attempted to attack her. Their weapons sparked as they clashed, with the ground under them shaking due to the impact.
"Where is she?!" IF asked once more as she tried to push her katars further. Seemed like she really, really wanted to know what happened to Falcom.
Neptune narrowed her eyes.
"She's dead." Neptune said nonchalantly.
As IF heard that, her arms lost strength and she fell down onto the ground, ultimately on her knees.
"What… no… you… you're l-lying…" IF couldn't believe it. She tried not to, but knowing what happened to the village Falcom visited, and the CPU of Planeptune saying it, she had no other rebuttals. "You're lying!"
But of course, Neptune didn't lie. "She tried to kill me and Nepgear, so I killed her."
Silence.
IF lowered her head. Neptune didn't expect that reaction. She had expected IF to directly attack her when she said that she killed Falcom, but no, IF didn't move an inch.
"What are you going to do, now that you know what happened to her?"
Silence.
Neptune sighed. "Well, since you don't want to join me, you might as well join Falcom." Neptune said as she raised her sword up. "It's a waste to kill someone like you." She then brought down her sword, attempted to slice IF in two.
"…?!"
Before Neptune's sword could slice IF in two, she suddenly disappeared.
"…!"
Neptune instinctively brought her sword behind her. At the same instant, IF appeared behind Neptune and tried to slice her back, but her weapon clashed with Neptune's sword.
'…So fast…!' Neptune thought.
"I guess it's time for me to take this seriously!" Neptune declared as she turned around and did a counterattack by slashing IF while her sword was locked with IF's katars. IF managed to avoid Neptune's attack as she jumped back a few meters away from her, but then she attempted another attack by dashing back to Neptune in just a millisecond.
Neptune raised her sword once more and blocked IF's attack. The ground shook a little as their weapons clashed, with sparks flying everywhere each time the blades move.
"I'm going to fucking kill you, NEPTU-!" IF bit her tongue. She then flipped her body forward and landed behind Neptune, attempted to stab the CPU's back.
Neptune quickly turned around and did an uppercut slash to counter IF's attack. "I'd like to you see you try." She then delivered consecutive slashes, but IF parried every attack thrown at her.
"I hope you'll be able to keep up with me."
At that same instant, IF's eyes widened as Neptune stepped back a little, suddenly splitting into two and attacked from both sides. IF managed to block both attacks by parrying each sword by each of her katars, but of course, she was left open in the front.
"You may have transcended humanity, but you're still hundreds of level below me." Both Neptunes then spun around and kicked IF's gut, which blew her a few meters away and ultimately crashing on a tree.
"—AGH-!" IF coughed a few amount of blood as her back crashed onto the tree at the other side of the field. Add that kick she received earlier, it looked like her stomach was damaged pretty badly. IF tried to stand back up, but as soon as she did so, Neptune was already in front of her.
"What are you relaxing for?" Neptune then brought her sword down to IF's head, but it was blocked as IF raised both of her katars. "Not bad, little one."
IF clicked her tongue as she was struggling. If she would stay still there, the later result wouldn't be a good one, as her strength was slowly disappearing from her body. Neptune's sword was nearing her head, and she wouldn't be able to keep this up.
"Demonic Inferno!"
In an instant, a wave of flames surrounded IF, which triggered Neptune to back away, but she still got caught by the flames. At the same time, IF jumped away to the skies and created a series flame platforms under her feet to step on as she made her tactical retreat.
'She's too strong…! I need a plan…' If thought as she held on her stomach while jumping in mid-air from platform to platform. If she was going to be honest with herself, that kick earlier almost destroyed her entire stomach.
She turned back below to check if Neptune was following her, but she was nowhere to be found.
Though when she turned her attention back to the front…
"Wha-?!"
Neptune was already in front of her.
"Planning to escape? Well, here's a tip from me." Neptune said as she readied her sword. "You can't." She then delivered a downward slash, which was blocked by IF.
"Kkh-!" IF grunted as she felt pain from her abdomen when she blocked the attack. It caught her off-guard when Neptune suddenly appeared in front of her. It was as if Neptune could warp easily. And, if it wasn't for the flame platform under her feet, she would be sent back down to the ground this instant.
What was more, Neptune didn't have any signs of injury, despite getting caught by the flames.
"Why are you even trying to fight me by yourself?" Neptune asked as she kept her sword locked with IF's katars. "You do know well that the difference between us is immeasurable."
IF gritted her teeth. Yes, she did know that she had no chance against a CPU. But still, it didn't sit well with her that she'd just let Compa's and Falcom's death pass without doing anything.
"Because… Because…!" IF's eyes were burning with rage as she tried to repel Neptune. "You killed… my two friends…!"
Neptune raised an eyebrow. "…Two…?" She only knew one, and that was Falcom.
"…"
Neptune closed her eyes for a moment, before opening them again and stared back at IF. "I see. So that's why…"
"What the hell are you talking about now?!" IF said as she tried to push Neptune away, but she couldn't, as Neptune pushed her sword further near IF's neck.
"That pink-haired girl who was killed by my subordinates was one of your 'friends'." Neptune said. "Now I know why you don't want to join me." She then cracked a smirk.
IF could just grit her teeth. She really, really wanted to kill this CPU right in front of her at this instant, but yeah, she couldn't, as she didn't have the strength to do so.
"Well, then. Since you're of no use to me anymore, you can die now."
IF suddenly felt cold. She was in danger! That was what her guts were telling her. But, whatever attack that will come to her, she wouldn't be able to dodge it. Partly because that if she moved her arms even just a little, her head will be cut off from her body as Neptune's sword was just inch away from her neck.
"…!"
Instead of pushing Neptune away, she tried to gain momentum from Neptune's sword as she pushed her whole body backward and stepped off from the flame platform, but before she could get away…
"…Huh…?"
IF saw a sword drop down in front of her. Not just that, it hit something.
Her left arm, that is. Her left arm was sliced off by the sword. Blood instantly gushed out of IF's arm as it was cut.
"AAAAAAGGGGG—KKKKHHHH-!" Before she could wail any further, Neptune grabbed IF by the neck with her left hand and gripped on it tightly, almost crushing her neck. IF struggled to free herself using her right hand, but to no avail.
"I was trying to give you a painless death, but I guess you didn't want that." Neptune said as she sighed in disappointment. "Well, if this is what you want, then so be it." She spun around and threw IF's body directly down to the ground.
IF crashed down onto the ground in mere seconds and created a crater under her. She didn't even manage to let out a scream as she made her crash due to her throat being almost crushed by Neptune's hand.
"…"
She couldn't move anymore. Her body was severely damaged beyond all repairs. Add that she already lost a lot of blood from her sliced left arm, her consciousness was slowly slipping away from her.
"…"
Signs of life was gradually disappearing from her eyes. Her vision was turning gray, with a little bit of red tint as she was bleeding from her head as well and it ran down on her eyes.
'Am I…'
She knew her fate. The moment she decided to fight Planeptune's CPU, there was only two possible outcomes for her. Either she wins and live, or loses and die. Because she knew how ruthless Planeptune's CPU was, and how strong she was.
'Ah…'
IF stared at the skies. She wished for a miracle to happen, but no, a miracle isn't free. The world doesn't work that way.
"…!"
As IF unwillingly turned her head to the side, she saw Compa's dead body, which then ignited a small flame inside her.
"C…Com…pa…-"
IF gathered up everything she had; every last bit of strength and energy she had and crawled to Compa. She was leaving a trail of blood as she made her crawl, but since she was almost devoid of strength, it was taking her a bit too long just to move a few distance.
At the same time, Neptune descended to the ground near IF. She stared at IF's pitiful state and just sighed in disappointment.
"Really… what a complete waste…"
Neptune slowly walked towards IF, who was crawling on the ground. She couldn't stand seeing this play in front of her; it was sickening her. Neptune stopped as she got close to IF, who was trying to reach for Compa.
"…" Neptune bit her lip and then raised her sword up. "…May you rest in peace."
Neptune plunged her sword downward and stabbed IF's back, directly to her chest.
Before IF could reach Compa, her heart stopped beating and her hand went limp.
Alright, that's the end of this chapter.
Sorry that it took so long. Well, what I did was a risky one, writing this chappie when my board exam was nearing. But good thing I passed it, and I'm a licensed Engineer now :) Anyways, I need to find work also, so yeah, there's that.
So, if anyone noticed the "Awakened Being" stuff, it was just IF's Flame Awakening mode from Superdimension Neptune vs Sega Hard Girls. I just made an exaggeration, hehe.
Well, I also said that I'll be writing lengthy chapters, so at the very least every chappie from now on will reach more than 10k words.
So, what do you think guys? Leave your impressions/comments/violent reactions in your whopping reviews :)
As usual, if you have any questions, or spotted anything in the fic, don't hesitate to tell me!
Until next time, see you guys!
