Intermission Ten: Duel! Staff vs. Hammer!

Blanc opened her eyes to find herself lying down in the darkness. She sat up to look around, finding no one around her. The CPU moved to her feet and began to wander around, looking someone, anyone, that she knew.

With every step that she took, Blanc could not find a way out of the darkness that surrounded her. Although she looked calm and collected on the outside, inside she began to feel uneasy and lost.

Taking one more step, Blanc tensed up and looked around. All she could see was the darkness.

Hmph. So you can sense me. The CPU turned around to see a young man that looked exactly like her with a few minor details to his hairstyle and outfit. Almost immediately, Blanc recognized who he was. She had been watching parts of his life this whole time.

"You're…" The young man crossed his arms and stared at the girl.

"I'm Blanc Lowee. Son of GC and Advance Lowee. Adoptive son of Dream and Cast Planeptune. Adoptive brother of Neptune Planeptune. And…" His eyes looked at the ground and then stared at Blanc once more. "Something else you don't need to know." The CPU noticed that the person in front of her had a blush. It was faint, but his cheeks were stained a light pink. He switched back to his colder stare and frowned at Blanc. "Now tell me, who are you?"

Feeling the hostility, coupled with the fact that he had approached closer to the girl, leaning close to her face, Blanc hesitated before answering.

"...I'm Blanc, the CPU of Lowee." The young man's eyebrow furrowed and he moved out of Blanc's personal bubble.

"CPU?" The other Blanc narrowed his eyes. "I have no idea what the hell that means, but…" He turned away from Blanc and took three steps forward. Blanc turned his head to look at the CPU behind him.

Their surroundings lighted up with a bright white light. Blanc had to cover her eyes due to the light. When she could see again, the area had turned into courtyard. Before she could look around, a bo staff pointing straight at her face. She met the eyes of her oppressor, seeing fire burning in his blue eyes.

"I don't like that you have both my first and last name in your title." Blanc stepped back, sweat rolling down her neck.

"What's wrong with having the same name?" The young man lowered his weapon.

"It's not just the name." Blanc raised his hand in a gesture of explanation and complaint. "You have my face, my clothes, and…" Blanc glared at the girl in front of her. "My life." Blanc swiftly approached the CPU, thrusting his weapon at her. The other Blanc tried to step out of the way, but her opponent swung his weapon immediately after she dodged it, knocking her to the side.

Blanc rolled along the ground, eventually stopping. She looked up to see the other Blanc jumping up above her, his weapon in both hands, ready to pierce her from above. Pushing herself up, Blanc used her backwards momentum to dodge the attack and summoned her hammer.

Upon seeing the weapon, Origin-Blanc pulled his bo staff out of the ground and scoffed.

"A hammer? Really?" An anger vein popped out on Blanc's forehead and now she glared at her counterpart.

"What's wrong with a hammer, punk?" Origin-Blanc sneered at the girl.

"Nothing." Blanc narrowed her eyes. "It's just that, a tiny girl with a giant hammer isn't really cute."

"Coming from the person who's compensating, I don't think you have room to talk!" She swung her hammer, aiming for his head. As her hammer was about to land, Blanc pulled up his weapon and blocked the attack despite only hold the weapon with one hand. "Wha-!" Before she could even make a statement, Blanc was pushed back. Her feet creating skid marks as she slid across the ground.

"Heh, you're strong." Origin-Blanc spun his weapon in his hand before resting it on his shoulder. "But not strong enough." Blanc could feel her blood boiling from the insults.

"Not strong? NOT STRONG!?" Blanc stomped her foot on the ground and moved her hammer behind her, gaining leverage. "I'm a goddess, damn you! Tranzerin Trombe!" Blanc spun towards her opponent, using her weapon as form of keeping momentum. She moved closer and closer to Origin-Blanc, becoming a human tornado. She moved around her opponent in a circle, attempting to hit her opponent while rotating around him.

"Goddess!?" Origin-Blanc spun his weapon in a similar fashion to Blanc but in the opposite direction, clashing and blocking blow strike for strike. After every attack was blocked, Blanc stopped spinning and hopped, throwing her arms over her head, momentarily flashing her panties and swinging her hammer down once more. Origin-Blanc sidestepped once Blanc threw up her weapon and dodged her attack. He then sweeped his weapon under her feet, tripping her. As she fell, he thrusted his palm at her and his hand shined with magic. "Absolute Zero!"

A pillar of ice erupted from under Blanc, throwing the girl into the air. Origin-Blanc placed his hand on the pillar of ice.

"Galeforce!" Sharp winds cut the ice into tiny pieces and are flung at the girl by the continuous stream of wind. Seeing the pieces of ice flying towards her, Blanc extends her arm out.

"Gefahrilctern!" Summoning an array of magic balls in front of her, Blanc swings her hammer at them, sending them hurtling towards the ice. Magic and ice collide, negating each other in light blue bursts. However, leftover ice emerges from the burst clouds and strike Blanc, leaving bits of ice on her skin and clothes.

Origin-Blanc jumped through the clouds, his bo staff in both hands, ready to swing. Blanc puts a hand to her heart.

"An almighty guard! Andis Support!" A light surrounded Blanc as Origin-Blanc closed in. He swung downwards smacked the girl towards the ground. Blanc smashed into the ground, kicking up dirt. Her counterpart landed in front of the cloud and huffed.

"Not even worth it."

"Zerstorung!"

"What?" Blanc's hammer moved through the smoke and stuck Origin-Blanc in the stomach, blasting him away. The hammer's swing kicked up wind that removed the dirt cloud, revealing a somewhat dirty, but otherwise okay Blanc. She dusted off the dirt on her coat and looked to see Origin-Blanc falling towards the ground. She smiled at the sight, but her face turned into one that had darkness cover her eye,s except for one that turned into a bright red dot, in a split second.

"Getter Ravine!" Blanc clenched one hand, swung her hammer behind her with the other hand and sprinted towards her falling opponent. As soon as he was about to hit the ground, she hopped into the air and swung down, smashing Origin-Blanc into the ground. This created a small crater out of the pieces of earth that shifted up from Blanc's attack. The crater began to shine and powerful light poured out of the crater, raising some of the moved earth in the process.

Blanc jumped out of the crater she created and looked at her handiwork. Suddenly the ground shook and dome shaped barrier erupted from the crater, shoving all the pieces of earth away, revealing Origin-Blanc. He looked more annoyed than before. However, he dropped his look and replaced with a cocky one. Origin-Blanc raised his free hand towards the CPU and gestured that Blanc approach him in a mocking manner.

"What's wrong? That all you got?" Blanc glowered at him.

"You…" She gripped her hammer with both arms. "There's no use in begging for your life!" She ran towards her opponent and swung her with all her might. " Hard Break!" Origin-Blanc was knocked aside and Blanc slammed the ground, cracks moving towards him. The cracks shined light brown and when under him, a giant slab of earth shot him into the air. As Origin-Blanc recovered from the attack, Blanc spun in a similar fashion to Tranzerin Trombe and released her grip on her weapon, sending it flying at him.

Origin-Blanc smirked and ducked under the flying mallet and the weapon flew around and landed in front of its master, who happened to be running towards it. Upon grabbing her weapon, Blanc jumped as high she could into the air and made multiple front flips.

"I'll end you!" She fell towards her opponent, still flipping, as she made one last flip, her eyes were covered in darkness once more, revealing the red dot.

"Idiot." As Blanc's attack connected, Origin-Blanc dodged to the right and gave her a roundhouse kick. Blanc fell onto the ground, shock on her face. She attempted to stand up but Origin-Blanc pinned her down by stepping on her back. The girl tried to swing her hammer at her counterpart but he used his bo staff to knock away the weapon. "Did you really think that you had the upperhand for a second?" He removed his foot from Blanc's back and struck the girl with his weapon.

Origin-Blanc then grabbed the CPU by the back of her coat and tossed her aside. Blanc got onto her knees, crawling towards her hammer. The young man raised his hand and summoned another pillar of ice to launch the girl into the air. He then spun and thrusted his bo staff, smacking and jabbing the girl, who tried to protect herself with her arms. After one last jab, Origin-Blanc sparta kicked the CPU, sending her towards her weapon. Blanc struggled to stand, only managing to get on her knees and hold onto her hammer to feel some form of protection.

"Not much of a threat." Origin-Blanc raised his weapon into the air, spun in his hand and grabbed it with both hands to thrust it at Blanc. Blanc used some of her remaining stamina to flop out of the attack just in time, but she had to let go of her hammer once more. Origin-Blanc smirked at the weakened CPU. "Are you really a Goddess?" Blanc glared at him. Suddenly, Origin-Blanc looked distracted and looked behind him.

Somewhat away from the two, there was a barrier. Blanc could see a group of people trying to break the barrier… they were…

"So, they've woken up. Seems like they're trying to break that barrier." Origin-Blanc shook his head. "It doesn't matter. After I finish with you, I'm gonna take care of them." Blanc froze.

The thought of her little sisters…

her friends…

...getting hurt by this guy…

angered her.

She was protected by her brother.

But, now…

Now she's an older sister.

If that bastard's going to lay a hand on her beloved sisters.

Then she's going to kill him!

Blanc stood up, energy returning to her. Grabbing her hammer, she glared at Origin-Blanc.

"Hey, jackass!" Origin-Blanc turned around to look at see Blanc standing. She swung her hammer at her counterpart. "Leave my sisters out of this!" Her opponent grinned.

"Seems like you still got some spirit." Despite gaining some confidence and energy, Origin-Blanc sidestepped out of the way, sweeping his bo staff under Blanc's feet. Once more the girl fell to the floor, and this time her opponent stood above her. "But that won't save you, will it?" Origin-Blanc's staff began to glow as he raised the weapon over his head. The edge of beginning to shine with magic. The magic then formed into a tipped spike, making the staff take the form of a spear. "Good bye, goddess."

Blanc closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

Rom…

Ram…

Big Bro…

I'm sorry…

I don't think I'll make it. I just wish…

That you'll be safe...

The sound of metal hitting wood filled her ears as well as the sound of the ground being impaled.

Blanc opened her eyes. A figure stood in front of her, katana in hand. The said weapon in hand had struck Origin-Blanc's weapon from the side, redirecting the attack to the ground. Her savior turned to look at her, a grin on his face.

"Hey there, Kept you waiting huh?" Her big bro's voice filled her ears as he shoved her attacker away from her. Blanc nodded, her face containing a mixture of disbelief and relief at the same time. "You might have to wait a little bit longer, alright?" She nodded once more and Origin-Neptune walked away, confronting Origin-Blanc and taking her place.

The party had followed Origin-Neptune and ran towards Blanc. Rom and Ram, upon seeing their sister, held onto her as if this was the last time they'd see her.

"Sister!"

"Sis…!"

Blanc looked as her twin sisters hugged her. Remembering what might have happened to them, Blanc hugged her little sisters tightly. She could barely register that Arfoire had moved them away and was talking to Noire.

All she could care about right now was that she, Rom, and Ram were safe.