Hello, guys! Time for chapter 10!

First, I want to apologize for the very long update. Can't do anything about it, of course. I will prioritize my reviews over my fics, but I will never stop it, lmao. Just half a year of struggle, and pass my licensure exams.

Anyways, to answer your questions!

To Etihwww: TL;DR! Just kidding, I read everything of it. Well, first of all, I didn't really plan for Neptune to have 'that' much character development. If you know where I'm getting at. Plus, I find it a little hard to do so, since being a damsel in distress or something. Well, the fic bares it all :) Second, she already knew it when her friends bring her back to her senses. She might not know what exactly had happened, but she knows that something had happened. End of Blanc's arc revealed it. She's still Nep, so she won't dote too much on it. About Noire, uhm, the fic would need to be longer for her to have a decent character development, which is I don't do because of time. About Plutia, well, she's a side character, to be honest(PLS DON'T KILL ME). There were a lot of changes in the storyline as I wrote it, and one of it was Plutia's role. The same goes with Blanc. They will have exclusive roles later. And also, thanks for your constructive thoughts! My goodness, that was great xD

To Draen: Well, I did say Vert won't die, so you can assume that she indeed won't. I canceled Arfoire's arc. I didn't have the time to work on it anymore since if I included it, the fic would reach for about 15-20 chapters, which is not really my thing.

To dragonmax225: Well, I won't say that Vert's 'Okay' given what happened to her. xD

To Guest: Holy shit, that xD But no, it's not. It's just an overwater vehicle, nothing special. I didn't even know that reference you said xD It's purely coincidental, really.

To StarKnight07: Well, I did say before that Vert won't die, so you can expect her to live. But of course, she won't get off the hook that easily. AND JESUS, do you perhaps know my real identity?! *panicking with embarrassment*

To Arantir: SURPRISE!

Once again, the fic will end in the next chapter!

I give all my thanks to those people supporting this story! And those people who were chatting with me on Facebook! Love you guys! :3

Onto the chapter now, enjoy!

Planeptune.

In the middle of the city, a girl with long, lilac hair, wearing a black parka dress, was walking down the streets. She didn't seem to have a pleasant look on her face as she was walking. In any case, today wasn't really a good day for her.

"Crostie, wake up."

She then pulled a notebook from one of her pockets and opened it. She flipped through the pages of her notebook until she found a page with a wing mark on it.

"I'm awake. I've heard everything, Neptune." A voice spoke. It seemed to be coming from the page with the wing mark, which floated out of the notebook.

Neptune stopped in her tracks. "Do you think it's that dimension?"

"Most likely. Want to check it out?"

Neptune gave it a thought for a second but ultimately swung her head as she disagreed with Crostie. "No need. It's beyond my concern."

"Good, because I don't have the energy to do that either."

She then resumed her walk. She didn't have any particular destination, so she just wandered around the city aimlessly.

"Oi, Neptune. You're not being honest with yourself, aren't ya?"

That question seemed to take Neptune aback as she stopped in her tracks again. She was rendered speechless for a moment before she answered Crostie's question. "What are you talking about? I said that whatever is in that dimension is not my concern."

"That's not what I'm talking about, and you know it."

Neptune didn't say a word after that. Crostie read her mind, and Neptune indeed knew what she was talking about. It was the thing earlier when she said that she didn't want to come with Noire. She didn't want to come with Noire not because she didn't want to get caught in some crazy stuff that was currently happening in Leanbox, but because she didn't want to see that Noire might actually do what she expected her to do.

"Remember Noire. You're the only one who can end her suffering."

Why did she say that? Neptune questioned herself about that. But she already knew the answer. And when she said that to Noire, she implied something. And that something was the reason why she regretted in telling Noire about that.

Either way, she was silent.

"Hmph, I don't particularly care about it, so keep it to yourself if you don't want to talk, for all I care." Crostie said. "More importantly, when are you going to release me?! It freaking sucks to get sucked dry by this goddess damned book, you know!"

Neptune sighed in relief. Good thing Crostie dropped the subject because she didn't really want to talk about it.

"I'd only do that if you will stop pestering her and leave her alone for good." Neptune said.

Crostie didn't seem to be pleased with that answer. "Who's this her? Why are you suddenly playing the pronoun game now?"

"Don't play dumb. You know who I am talking about."

Crostie didn't say a word after that. Neptune waited for a bit in hopes for Crostie to talk again, but it seemed like her lips were sealed for good.

"Looks like you'll be staying there for a bit longer then."

~o~O~o~

Leanbox.

Also known as The Land of Green Pastures. Serenity and elegance weren't too uncommon in this nation, as wherever you turn your eyes to, you'd see cleanliness and beauty.

But as of now, neither of those were present.

A city in ruins would be the closest description of Leanbox right now. In every corner of the nation, only ruined things could be seen, like a great catastrophe just passed by.

But, that catastrophe didn't pass by. It was still in Leanbox. And that catastrophe wasn't a natural phenomenon. It was catastrophe personified. Personified by a goddess. The goddess was standing in the middle of the ruined city. She was clothed in a dark purple bodysuit with a katana on her hand. One would question how did she lead such a beautiful nation into destruction, but the answer would be simple. She was set to eliminate her enemy. The destruction of the city was just collateral damage.

Right in front of her, another goddess was pointing her weapon at her. This goddess is the goddess of another nation, Lastation. She goes by the name of Black Heart, and she was the next target of the goddess in purple.

"Neptune..." Black Heart mumbled. She still couldn't believe any of this, though it didn't come as a surprise to her. The goddess of purple, Neptune, was stained with blood, specifically the blood of her enemy, Green Heart, the CPU of Leanbox.

Neptune did not say a word and just dashed towards Black Heart, in which she did the same as a response.

"Noire...!"

As they got close to each other, both of them swung their weapons, with a very strong murderous intent. Their weapons clashed, releasing an intense shockwave that spread out almost half a kilometer radius. The spectator, Iris Heart, the first CPU of Planeptune, who was a little far away from them, could just brace herself to avoid getting blown away. The display of strength of the two CPUs fighting was getting out of control, as their surroundings were affected with every clash of their weapons.

Iris Heart wanted to stop both of them, but it seemed to be impossible. Getting between them would be just asking them to kill her.

"Noire..." Iris Heart said as she stared at the silver-haired CPU. She never understood what was going on in Noire's mind recently, and now with her fighting Neptune as if she wanted to kill her made it more senseless in more ways than one. Was it too late for Neptune now?

All she could do was watch.

After some time, Noire and Neptune backed away from each other. It seemed like they were going on a stale as none of them landed a hit on each other. Though Noire was at a disadvantage because she could feel her wound opening a little. She was overexerting herself, while Neptune was the same but not in the same danger as Noire. The injury she suffered from Green Heart's attack was still taking a toll on her, though.

"Hey Noire..."

Noire didn't reply a word and just glared at Neptune. She knew that Neptune was trying to catch her off-guard, but she wouldn't fall for it.

"Why aren't you saying anything...?" Neptune said.

Still, Noire kept her mouth shut. Her eyes were glued on the purple goddess, not letting her out of her sight. She knew the extent of Neptune's strength, and so one mistake could be her demise.

"You're not getting under my skin, Neptune." Noire said as she gripped on her greatsword tighter.

Without a warning, Neptune disappeared from Noire's sight and appeared instantly in front of Noire, ready to deliver a downward slash. Noire evaded her attack by sidestepping right after Neptune appeared, and then delivered a spinning slash, but Neptune managed to avoid it by ducking.

"Not bad, Noire."

Neptune twisted her body around and faced Noire. She then pushed her katana towards Noire, aiming her heart. The silver-haired CPU didn't try to avoid it and just parried the attack by sliding the blunt edge of her weapon onto Neptune's katana, creating a massive spark due to the friction.

"I don't need your compliments."

As Noire got close to Neptune, she delivered a headbutt attack, temporarily stunning her. She then wasted zero time and kicked Neptune on her stomach, blowing her several meters away, and crashing onto a nearby building.

"...Ngh..."

Noire stabbed her sword on the ground and gripped on her stomach as she felt a very strong pain from her insides. She just did a flashy move, and it backfired on her body. She looked down to her abdomen and saw faint tints of red on her stomach. Her body won't hold out if this continued, and she knew it very well that she was already at her limits.

But she still couldn't subdue Neptune.

After a few moments, the building where Neptune crashed into suddenly exploded, which surprised Noire big time. She then saw Neptune walking out of the burning building, with purple aura emanating from her body as she held on her katana. Noire suddenly felt a chill down her spine as she stared at the figure walking towards her. She still could not figure out where Neptune was drawing her power, and she surely knew that it wasn't just share energy that she was using since Planeptune didn't have that many shares. Add that there were two CPUs governing the nation, so the shares were somehow swinging from Plutia to Neptune and vice versa.

"Ah-hah, this is getting boring now." Neptune said as she held her katana in front of her torso. "Let's end this farce now."

Noire gripped on her weapon tighter, but she could feel her strength dropping down as her hands were somehow numb already. She was already at her limits, and her body won't hold out any longer.

"...!"

In a heartbeat, Neptune disappeared and reappeared in front of Noire, ready to slice her in half. Noire instinctively raised her weapon and blocked the attack by holding on both ends of her weapon, but she was pushed back a few meters away.

"...So strong...!" Noire gritted her teeth. She could not fight back at all.

But that didn't end there. Neptune chased Noire, and delivered another heavy blow, pushing the silver-haired CPU once again as she blocked the attack. Followed by another chase, another attack, and another block. It repeated for a while, but the sequence of attacks was taking a heavy toll on Noire's body.

"...Nrgh..." Noire could feel her wound from her abdomen slightly opening up, but she didn't have time to worry nor check it, as Neptune didn't give her a chance to. Neptune's every attack was growing stronger, and Noire couldn't keep up anymore.

Or Noire was just getting weaker?

~o~O~o~

Iris Heart was frozen on the spot.

She just stood her ground, with her weapon stuck on the ground as her support because the tremor created by her friends battling each other was too strong. If the ground's foundation was weak, it would only be a matter of time before it would collapse, but good thing that didn't happen. She couldn't stop them, not because she didn't have the strength to do so; partly maybe. But the reason why she couldn't because it would mean that she would trample Noire's resolve.

"Noire..."

That resolve of hers would definitely kill her, yet Iris Heart couldn't stop her. She felt powerless. She called herself their friend, yet she could not do a thing for them.

Even that time from fifteen years ago.

It repeated. The very same thing that happened that time was playing again in front of her, but it was different this time. Neptune had full control of herself, unlike before, and those words that she said to Iris Heart earlier.

"You won't be able to defeat me if your attacks do not have the resolve to kill me."

A sentence that held so much weight, to Iris Heart, at least. Just a single swing of her weapon gave Neptune an idea about what she was feeling. Iris Heart lacked resolve, and she herself knew it.

Because she was afraid.

They were friends, but she didn't have the resolve to do what must be done for her. That she must be stopped at all costs. But stopping her could only mean one thing.

"..."

She knew it. It was the only method that could stop Neptune. That's why she was afraid. She could not do it.

But Noire said she could.

Up to this moment, she still had no idea what was going on inside Noire's mind. Even with her condition, she would do it. Stop Neptune, that is.

Was there anything she could do? There wasn't. All she could do was watch. If she were to interfere, she might endanger Noire's life. Plus, the shares of Planeptune was unbalanced; Neptune was using a lot of it. If she were to add herself to the flow, Planeptune's shares might crash, and the whole nation would be in danger.

And so, all she could do was grit her teeth.

"Blanc...!"

She remembered the Lowee CPU, who just crashed into something earlier as she blocked Neptune's attack. She hurried to where Blanc collided with, and saw her unconscious, with the Lowee CPU back in her human form. Iris Heart checked her vitals and sighed in relief after knowing that they were stable. Blanc was just unconscious due to the shock and crash that she received.

Iris Heart then lifted Blanc up and carried her to somewhere safe. Well, basically, there was no safe place in Leanbox, as the whole nation was a battlefield. So she just took her far away from the center of the nation. She was surprised that there wasn't a single person in the vicinity anymore.

"Looks like they have an evacuation passage anywhere." She sighed in relief. She wouldn't have to think about civilian casualties anymore.

After a few moments of flight, she found an inn. She went inside, and of course, there wasn't a single soul in the lobby. She then laid Blanc on the nearby sofa. It looked like Blanc wouldn't wake up any sooner, or so she . So, there was one more person to worry about.

"Green Heart."

She wasn't really worrying about her, just thinking a little. But not to the extent of being worried. Not to sound like a Tsundere, of course.

"...Forget it. Stopping both of them should-"

Before she could finish her sentence, the ground shook. It was a little weak, but as seconds passed by, it was growing stronger.

"..."

Now, Plutia was having second thoughts about getting in between Noire and Neptune's way. Their fight was escalating to extreme levels.

"...What the... hell's going... on...?" A voice suddenly spoke.

Plutia turned to the source of the voice and saw Blanc regain her consciousness. She had her hand on her forehead which seemed to be in pain. "...My head hurts..."

"Blanc, just lie down. You hit your head pretty hard earlier." Plutia said as she pushed Blanc down. "Just rest."

"...What's with the quakes? Are Neptune and Noire still going on at it...?"

Plutia bit her lip before nodding. "...Unfortunately, yes. And the damage they are causing is spreading." She clenched her fists.

The ground shook again, but it was far stronger that the ones from before. The chandeliers hanging from the ceiling was swinging violently, seemingly almost detaching itself. "...You think it's safe here?"

"No, but at the very least safer than any other." Plutia said.

Blanc didn't look so surprised. "Anyways, any ideas on how to stop those two?"

"Not in the slightest. Getting in between them seems like a very hard task." Plutia said as she swung her head. That was partly a lie though.

"So, all we can do is wait for an opening, huh?"

Plutia didn't like that idea though, but if that was the only option for them, then so be it.

Blanc then remembered something... or someone. "By the way, where is Green Heart?"

"I left her there."

Blanc was surprised with that answer. "You LEFT HER THERE?! What in the world are you thinking?!"

"I don't care a single bit if she dies or not." Plutia said nonchalantly. "Judging by that injury she suffered from Neptune, I bet she's pretty much dead right now."

Blanc face palmed. She just remembered that Plutia didn't give a damn about Green Heart. But still, letting that CPU die would be a complete waste, and Blanc knew that as well.

"We can't be sure about that unless we verify it ourselves." Blanc said. "We can't let her die. We have to capture her."

"Oh, what are you suggesting?" Plutia asked.

"We're going to make her pay for what she has done." Blanc said.

Suddenly, Plutia had this urge to rescue Vert. She liked that idea, even with that blatant explanation, she knew what Blanc was talking about. "About that... will you let me handle it?"

For some reason, Blanc had this chill on her spine. Well, it was her intention to let Plutia handle it anyway because it was her nation that was attacked initially, so it would be right if she would be the one to bestow punishment to Green Heart. "...Just don't let her break immediately. I want my fair share as well."

"We have a deal then." Plutia said and stormed out of the inn and went back to the battlefield.

~o~O~o~

*CLANG!*

The sounds of weapons clashing were still going on for a while in Leanbox. Never once it stopped, as nobody could stop it except the ones who were causing it.

Noire and Neptune. The CPU of Lastation and Planeptune, respectively.

"AGH-!" Noire grunted in pain as she received a kick from Neptune on her abdomen and got blown few meters away. She crashed and slid on the ground, earning a good few distance from Neptune. "...Ugh..."

She coughed blood afterward. Her body was already past its limits. Every nook and cranny of her body were full of wounds, yet she still was going to fight. She would never give up, even if her body breaks. She was going to save Neptune, no matter what.

She slowly stood up, with her sword as a support. She then checked her stomach; it was fully painted with red by her blood. She then averted her eyes away and ignored it. She's got better things to worry about.

Like her fight with Neptune.

She turned back to Neptune and saw her slowly descending from midair. The purple goddess slowly walked towards Noire. "Why don't you give up, Noire? Your body is beyond all repairs now."

"Heh, that's the least of my worries... now." She felt weak from her knees as she attempted to stand up which made her fall down on her knees. "...Damn it."

Neptune sighed. She couldn't bear to continue this anymore. "Yeah, sure you do." She said.

Noire didn't say a word and just glared at Neptune. Shortly after, Neptune lifted her katana with using both of her hands.

"You look pitiful right now, so let me end your misery for you." Neptune said. At the same moment, Neptune's katana glowed, along with her whole being releasing a considerable amount of share energy. "You won't feel a pain, if you don't retaliate."

Noire was alerted. Neptune's current display of power could only mean one thing. She was going to use her ultimate move. An instant kill ability that can never be evaded nor blocked by anything nor anyone. Noire didn't think twice and forcibly lifted her greatsword horizontally with her right hand and used the power of share energy to increase her power. The bleeding of her wounds instantly stopped, but she felt the pain a hundred times run through her entire body in a short moment before she discarded the concept of pain from her mind. She threw away everything that she didn't need, physically and mentally, and focused her everything into her next attack. An attack similar to Neptune's. Her ultimate move.

Both their bodies released a massive aura, which caused another quake in the area. Both of them were going to end this battle in their next move.

"Goodbye, Noire." Neptune then lowered her katana down to the front of her torso after taking one step back as a charge for momentum.

But of course, Noire wouldn't let Neptune get her way. "Not on my watch, Neptune." She said as she slammed her left hand on the ground, releasing a shockwave.

They further increased their strengths by consuming more and more share energy and completely obliterated everything around them a quarter mile radius. Nothing could stop them anymore, aside from themselves.

"Neptune Break!"

"Infinite Slash!"

In an instant, the whole area glowed in white.

~o~O~o~

Plutia was flying back to the battlefield at a low altitude. She took Blanc to somewhere very far from the combat zone, so she also needed some time to come back. For some reason, the tremors died down, which made her think that it was already over. But no, she couldn't be too careful about that. Neither Noire nor Neptune had intentions of losing, so it wouldn't make sense if it abruptly ended like this.

As she was nearing her destination, she noticed that even the clashing of swords died down.

"It's too qui-"

Before she could finish her sentence, an explosion of light erupted from afar. She raised her altitude to check what just happened and saw a huge ball of light not too far from her position. It was like a nuclear bomb that just exploded. And speaking of a nuclear bomb...

"Wha-?!"

A strong pressure of wind just blew up to her whole body. It was so strong that she would be blown away if she didn't prepare for it seconds ago as she raised a barrier in front of her to suppress it. She circled around the ball of light, which was growing in size.

"Neppy, Noire..."

She couldn't see them. Well, physically, as she could only see the giant ball of light, and purple and white flashes that were coming in and out of it, which seemed to be clashing against each other. The wind was getting stronger, but it was tolerable for her at the very least. She continued to circle around as she tried to look for Green Heart's body, and saw it lying down not too far from her position. Green Heart's body would be blown in no time as the wind was continuously getting stronger by the second. Before the wind could fling Green Heart's body, Plutia quickly flew towards it, in hopes that she wouldn't lose flight control because of the wind.

With the current situation, Plutia was still having doubts that the CPU of Leanbox would still be alive, but when she saw Green Heart's body, that doubt was immediately washed away. Her body was still in HDD form, and that gave her an idea that that CPU was still alive.

As Plutia was about to get close to Green Heart, the ball of light got bigger and the wind got stronger again, almost throwing Plutia's flight into disarray.

"...Ngh-!"

She fought the pressure and kept herself from losing control. Before she could make it to her target, Green Heart's body was already flailing.

"Goddess damnit!" Plutia cursed.

But she didn't give up yet. She increased her speed, ignoring the dangers that might pose to her. She chased Green Heart's flailing body at full speed. Her hands were extended forward as she gave chase, attempting to reach Green Heart's body. After a few attempts, she managed to get a hold of her body, but she lost control of her flight as the wind grew stronger once more.

"...Ngh...!"

She held Green Heart's body tighter. She realized where the wind was taking her, and so she shifted her body backward. She was going to crash into a building!

Plutia braced herself and deployed a shield behind her before she crashed, but the force was too strong that the shield was destroyed upon impact.

"-AGH-!" She grunted in pain as her back crashed into the building. She coughed blood afterward, as she felt the damage dealt by the crash inside and out. "...Damn it." She could feel her strength dropping down from the injuries she just sustained. She then unintentionally brought her eyes to Green Heart and saw something unusual in her wounds.

"..."

Yes, there was something in her wounds.

"...What a clever bitch this woman is." Plutia said as she detached herself from the building and retreated from the area while bearing with the pain in her back.

~o~O~o~

In the center of the city, there emerged a huge ball of light. The source was the power of the two foreign CPUs fighting, namely the CPU of Lastation and CPU of Planeptune. As for what was going on inside it, they were exchanging blows against each other, but those were not just simple blows that could be seen from a mere swordfight. Each attack they delivered was packed with great share energy, the source of their divine powers.

"..."

Each time they pass by each other, they attempted to cut one another, but the result was only both of them parrying each other's attacks. Multiple attempts, same results. Yet, they didn't stop.

"..."

Another attempt, the results were indifferent.

"..."

Noire, the CPU of Lastation, couldn't see properly anymore. She had pushed her body past its limits, and her vision was getting blurry. But still, her devotion never wavered. She was still set to do what she ought to believe was right.

Neptune, the CPU of Planeptune, on the other hand, was also past her limits. Despite Noire having the greater disadvantage in the fight, Neptune still had a hard time killing her. She didn't know why, but she couldn't eliminate her the way she wanted to.

"Neptune-!"

"Noire-!"

Noire summoned a barrier under her foot, stepped on it, did a quick air kick turn and dashed back to Neptune. The CPU of Planeptune did the same as flipped her body forward and then dashed towards Noire. As they got close to each other, they swung their weapons, in which both of it clashed against each other as they both parried the attack of the other. The ball of light then suddenly exploded and disappeared into thin air. Both CPUs landed on the leveled ground as the explosion separated them both.

Neptune and Noire didn't waste time and immediately turned around and dashed back to each other. They swung their weapons again against each other as they got close, not giving themselves a breathing room.

"...Kuh-!"

"...Ngh-!"

Their weapons sparked each time they clashed and a tremor about a hundred meter radius was erupting from the ground.

"Noire...! Noire...!"

"Neptune...!"

Slash.

Another slash.

Another slash.

Parry.

Block.

Nothing has changed. Their battle was in a stale. But the fatigue in their bodies was getting stronger by each swing of their weapons. Whoever breaks first will definitely lose.

~o~O~o~

Plutia arrived back at the inn where she just left Blanc, with the unconscious body of Green Heart in her arms. She wasted zero time and headed inside.

Blanc was sitting on the same sofa which she used as a bed earlier. Plutia immediately walked towards her. "I'm back, Blanc."

Blanc's eyes widened as she saw Green Heart unconscious. "How's that woman?"

"Your hunch was right. She's still alive." Plutia said as she laid Green Heart's body on the sofa after Blanc stood up. "She disconnected her psyche from her body right before she was 'killed' by Neptune."

Blanc was more than surprised after hearing that explanation. "So, in other words...?"

"Yes, her body is currently connected to her share reserves." Plutia said as she pointed on Green Heart's wounds. There were some small crystal-like objects running through it, which seemed like restoring the flesh of the body. "The power of shares are currently repairing her body."

"..." Blanc was speechless. At the very same moment, the tremors died down. "...What happened?"

Plutia could only make a bitter expression. She also didn't say a word and just clenched her fist. "...Plutia. You have to stop them. They might still go at it again."

"..." Plutia bit her lip.

"Plutia!"

Blanc said as she shook the woman's shoulders, which startled the Planeptune CPU. "Get a grip of yourself!"

Plutia glared at Blanc. "Didn't you just say earlier that we have to wait for an opening?"

Blanc's eyebrow twitched. While yes she said that, she didn't mean it to the extent that they would wait for too long. "I did say that, but this is getting too long. Their bodies would break before they know it."

Surprisingly, Plutia wasn't surprised to hear that. Truth to be told, she already had that thought at the back of her mind.

"And if there's a perfect time to do that, now's the time." Blanc said. She tried to stand up, but she instantly lost her balance as pain immediately rushed to her head and fell on her knees. She wasn't in any condition to move normally. "Please, Plutia. You're the only one who can stop them."

Plutia bit her lip again. "If only it would be that simple..."

"Something bothers you?" Blanc asked. She never saw Plutia like this before. In her eyes, she looked hesitant. Something was preventing her from taking action. Though she pretty much knew what was bothering Plutia's mind. "Let me guess, it's Noire again, right?"

Plutia didn't say anything and just looked away from her. It was a bingo for Blanc.

"Seriously, I had an impression that you were not the type to hesitate." Blanc said as she sighed. "Seems like I was wrong."

Plutia didn't like that comment, but what she said was true. She was indeed hesitating. But she couldn't help it. Noire was serious about her decision, and bringing Neptune back seemed like an impossible task now.

"Why don't do yourself a favor and decide for yourself?" Blanc said as she crossed her arms. "Waiting here will not solve anything."

With that comment, Plutia finally lost it. She, of course, didn't like to hear that from anyone.

"Of course, I want to save Neppy too, goddess damn it!" Plutia snapped and crushed the small table in front of her with her bare hands as her emotions finally broke out.

"And I can't bring her back if I don't hurt her!"

"But Noire said she would, even if it's against her will as long as it means bringing her back!"

"I tried once, but I really can't, yet, I still want to save Neppy!"

"But... with who or what I am right now... I would only be a burden to Noire... Like how I always did in the past..."

Blanc's eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat for a moment. She never realized that Plutia was bottling so much right now, and she was already tearing up as her transformation reverted. She really cared for Neptune so much, and she fully respected Noire's decision. Plutia's endearment for both Neptune and Noire was unrivaled. "...You should've said so sooner." Blanc said and pulled Plutia for a hug. "I'm sorry. I didn't know that you were feeling that way."

Plutia just kept on swinging her head between her sobs.

"So, I guess it's really up to Noire now, huh...?"

~o~O~o~

'Neptune...' Noire kept her eyes on Neptune as she was delivering her attacks to her. 'Is there nothing I could do for you anymore...?'

Noire slashes, Neptune parries. Neptune attacks, Noire parries. A never ending cycle of battle. Their bodies were growing weaker each slash, but neither of them gave two cares about it.

Noire was getting a little distracted by her thoughts, but she still kept her focus on Neptune, though her swings were getting a little sloppy. Neptune was indifferent as well. In a nutshell, both of them were not in a good condition.

But of course, Noire was in a worse one.

As Noire kept on attacking Neptune, her vision was gradually getting blurry. She tried to blink twice in hopes that it would be fixed, but no, it didn't. And that was also the time that she realized that it wasn't her vision that was getting blurry. Her consciousness was slowly slipping away from her.

"...Ngh." She bit her tongue in order to fight her drowsiness. Fortunately, it did help, just a little. The wound in her abdomen wasn't helping, and she already lost a lot of blood from it.

Neptune, on the other hand, had her body full of wounds, with her processor unit torn and broken. She suffered a lot of injuries as well, and she was bleeding in different parts of her body.

Their clash still continued, even though each blow they deliver was getting weaker. Neither of them had the intentions to stop. But of course, it didn't last that long.

"...Ah-!"

At a certain moment Noire delivered an attack, Neptune dodged it, which made her lose her balance for a moment, creating an opening for the purple goddess.

"You're getting tired there... Noire...?" Neptune said as she did a slow spin. "...Because I do too..." She then delivered an upward slash, which Noire managed to block with her sword as she did a quick spin by twisting her body to face Neptune, but of course, her wound was something she didn't wish to feel. And so, she was pushed back by a few feet away from Neptune.

"...Ngh-! Kha-!" Noire coughed some blood as she was pushed back. Her blood splattered on the ground in front of her, with her whole body weakened. Her feet was about to give up, but luckily, she managed to keep her balance, just barely.

But of course, Neptune didn't give her time to rest.

"JUST DIE ALREADY, NOIRE!"

Neptune then angrily stomped her foot, and dashed towards Noire, with her katana pointed forward as she ignored all the pain in her body.

"..."

Noire didn't move, but Neptune didn't care about that. She didn't stop herself.

Neptune was closer, but still, Noire didn't move. As she got in point blank range...

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOIRE!" She then closed her eyes and thrust her katana forward. She then felt that her weapon hit something. Neptune didn't open her eyes and thrust her katana further to make sure that she didn't get tricked by her senses, but her weapon was indeed stuck on something.

She then slowly opened her eyes.

"Nep...tune..."

Neptune's eyes widened as she saw Noire in front of her, and they were just a few centimeters apart. Her katana pierced Noire's body, from her abdomen up to her back. Noire was intensively bleeding, with her blood dripping down on Neptune's blade. But what's more, it wasn't the main reason why Neptune looked so surprised.

Noire was smiling. That was what surprised Neptune and rendered her motionless and speechless.

Noire slowly raised her left hand and reached for Neptune's cheek. She then slowly fell on her knees, with Neptune unconsciously synchronized herself with Noire's actions.

"Why didn't you dodge, Noire...? I know you could."

But Noire didn't answer. She then slowly wrapped her left hand around Neptune and brought herself forward as she pushed her body further into the katana stuck in her body. "I... can't take... it... anymore..."

Neptune didn't know how to respond to that.

"You... really... are a... stubborn one..." Noire then pulled Neptune into a soft hug. Her body was gradually going cold. She didn't have long to keep her consciousness, and she herself knew this. "But... the same goes... for me... too...-akh-!" Noire coughed more blood.

Neptune still didn't move. She was conflicted.

"I... wanted to... say sorry... Neptune..."

That sentence seemed to have caught Neptune's attention. "Why... are you apologizing to me now...?"

"..." Noire didn't answer. With what she was about to do, she realized that Neptune didn't need to hear the truth.

Neptune was bewildered with Noire's silence. She thought that she already passed away, but she could still hear her soft breathing. She never got to know the reason why Noire was apologizing now as Noire didn't answer her and instead continued on what she wanted to say.

"I... am sorry... for everything..." Noire whispered in Neptune's ear. Her vision was gradually turning gray. "But... I... will save... you... no matter... what..."

Neptune was confused more. "What are you-?" Her eyes then widened before she could finish her sentence.

Neptune pushed Noire a little and looked down. To her surprise, she saw Noire's greatsword stabbed directly on her body, right above her abdomen and below her chest. Not long after that, blood rushed up to her throat, and ultimately coughed them out. "N-Noire...!" Neptune then fell on her knees as well, while still holding Noire's body with her.

"N-N-Noire...!"

"N-Nep...tune..."

Not long after that, they were both released from their HDD forms, reverting back to their human forms. Because they were out of strength, they both fell down sidewards, while the blades were still stuck in their bodies.

After a few moments, Neptune slowly opened her eyes. She felt her body getting cold, and the first thing she saw was Noire's face, with blood dripping out of her mouth. "N-Noire...?"

"You're... awake yet... sleepyhead...?" Noire then gave the best smile she could muster.

Neptune was alarmed, but she couldn't move her body, and she felt weak; very weak. "W-What is... going on... Noire...? Why... are you... like that...? And I feel... cold..." She said as she tried to move her head, but she couldn't.

"Don't... Neptune..." Noire said and then gathered all of the remaining strength she had and reached for Neptune's hands. "Just... keep looking... at me..."

Neptune didn't say a word and just complied with Noire's request. Both of them stared at each other's eyes, but the signs of life were gradually fading from it.

"N-Noire... I-I'm... scared..." Neptune's breathing was getting shorter between her words. Tears started to fall down from her eyes, as well as Noire.

Noire just kept her smile. "I... I am... too..." She said between her breaths. "But... we're... together... so... it's not... that bad... right...?" She then gripped Neptune's hands tighter, not wanting to let them go.

"...Mhm..." Neptune nodded weakly. She indeed felt less afraid as Noire held her hands, but she still was scared. "N-Noire... you... will keep your... promise... right...?"

Noire didn't hesitate and nodded. "Of course... I will keep... my promise... to you..." She said. She knew she didn't have long. "I... will stay... by your side... no matter... what..."

Neptune was relieved to hear that. She could feel her eyes gaining weight, and she couldn't fight it. "We'll be... together... forever... right... Noire...?"

"Yes... we will be... together... forever..." Noire weakly said. She knew that it was already her time. She wouldn't get another chance.

Neptune felt happy to hear that, as she closed her eyes and smiled afterward.

"Because..."

Noire closed her eyes. She couldn't hold it anymore.

"I love you... Neptune..."

~o~O~o~

Not too long afterward, a very loud scream could be heard throughout Leanbox. It wasn't a scream because of shock and surprise, but a scream of despair.

Alright, chapter 10 is done.

This concludes the main plot. The next chapter would be a short after-story to bring closure to the story.

So... uhm... I'm not going to keep this longer. *hides*

So... uhm... reviews? *shivers*

So... yeah... I'm stepping out now. See you guys. *runs*