Chapter 26: Finally in Gigadimension
"So, what's going on now, Histoire?" Veeta asked the floating Insurgent a few feet away with her hands situated in a carefree position behind her head. "You said that you needed our squad for something?"
"Well, you see, I just got a notice." Histoire II replied, turning to Veeta. Her expression seemed to mix relief and eagerness. "Your final squad member is going to join us in a few minutes."
"You have not given us any sufficient information regarding this final squad member, if I may." Genesis stepped in, folding her arms and looking cross.
"Her circumstances are a little special." Histoire II replied, turning to Genesis before continuing to float forward. "Information is scarce here."
"Do these circumstances have something to do with the fact that we're standing in the middle of enemy territory?" Veeta asked, gesturing to the entire space that they were in.
The group had relocated farther away from Gekko, and were smack dab in the midst of the ruins of a city that they knew had been annihilated entirely by CFW Linda and Pirachu during their battle. Ruined buildings and the remains of every architectural feat of the nation prior to the CFWs' coming surrounded them hauntingly.
"Yes, that's correct." Kei II replied matter-of-factly, her attention constantly rotating between a device she was using in her hands and the surroundings. "She will be accompanied by several others who will also be crucial to the battle against the CFWs."
"I see." Dihez muttered, staring down at a small device in her hands. She swiped up with her finger multiple times, reading through the words that appeared on the screen at a frightening pace. "Information states that Linda and Pirachu have ceased their battle several minutes ago several thousand clicks to the west."
"Then we're going to finish this up now." Histoire II stated as she stopped moving and gestured with her arms for everyone present to give her room. As they took steps backwards at the Insurgent's request, she turned around and raised her hands to the sky. "This is going to attract some attention, so please keep an eye on the area while I'm doing this."
As if it were at her beck and call, a pillar of light suddenly shot down from the sky and struck the ground. Upon hitting the ground, it made no noise as if it were nothing but a mirage. The light was surprisingly gentle and soft; easy on the eyes as it glowed and pulsed with energy.
"Yeah, this is definitely going to get some attention." Veeta muttered, glancing around uneasily like a rat waiting for the cat to appear.
And suddenly, they heard a massive impact hitting the ground as if a giant had fallen from the sky and struck the ground feet-first. The earth rumbled and shook, almost throwing everyone present of their feet and onto their bellies. Some got down on one knee, pressing their hands to the ground to regain their balance, while others crouched. Dihez stabbed the back end of her hammer into the ground to serve as a support.
When the girls turned in the direction of the source, they were faced with a massive hulking robotic giant standing over them. He floated like a magnetized piece of metal, and glowed with an ominous blue light that they were all familiar with. With a massive double ended axe that glowed with the same light as his metallic body and clawed fingers that could punch holes through buildings with ease, a Criminal of the Free World floated before them imposingly and emanating an aura of bloodlust that made the entire squad shiver and take a single step back in dread.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" CFW Judge's laugh bellowed loudly and rang across the blank expanse of ruined land, making the air vibrate and shake terrifyingly. He grabbed his axe and smashed it into the ground, creating massive cracks and fissures in the ground as easily as knives cut through tenderized pork. "TO THINK THAT ALL OF YOU BITCHES ARE HERE IN ONE PLACE! YOU'RE DEAD MEAT!"
"Keep him distracted." Histoire II pleaded, keeping her eyes locked onto the pillar of light. Sweat dribbled past her cheek and dripped to the ground from both exhaustion and nervousness as she focused on the pillar of light in front of her. "I'm not done here, yet."
"Gotcha." Veeta replied strangely cheerily, and she pulled out a bunch of throwing knives with ticking timers on their pommels. "Though I can't do much, I'll gladly fight anyone evil if it means wiping them off the face of Gamindustri."
"Driving enemy away." Dihez muttered, and she dashed forward much to everyone's shock. As she leaped up into the air, she spun once and swung her hammer at Judge's head.
He simply raised his arm to block it, and the hammer's head made a high-pitched ping as it smashed into the surface of Judge's armor. However, the impact left no visible damage. A fact that shocked even its wielder.
"DO YOU SERIOUSLY THINK THAT-?!"
Before Judge could continue, Dihez clicked the button on the handle and sent a dozen missiles straight into his face and cut him off. As the smoke and dust rose into the air and hid her from sight, Dihez quickly retreated and regrouped with the rest of the girls.
"Jeanne. Dihez. Distract him while I set this up." Genesis said, patting her comrades on their shoulders before pulling out her minigun and aiming in the direction she'd last seen Judge before the smokescreen had appeared and blocked him from sight.
At the press of a button, a tripod materialized from the steel underneath the barrel of the weapon and secured itself into the ground, the steel poles stabbed into the surface of the ground like a lethal camera. The barrels opened up and bent at an angle, making it look like two tuning forks over one another. The inside of the barrels began to glow with a dark yellow light, and electric sparks began to fizz and charge the air.
"Got it!" Jeanne affirmed, nodding and equipping her gauntlets. As she smashed the fists into one another, the gauntlets suddenly extended and began to cover her arms up until the shoulders with dark purple and indigo alloy. "I'll be sure to protect you!"
Suddenly, the smokescreen was blown away with a very violent gust of wind. As the girls look on, they saw Judge swinging his axe crazily and rending the smoke into halves somehow, and then slicing those halves of smoky air into smaller and smaller pieces until they
Jeanne ran forward, sliding under a powerful axe swing and landing a single punch into Judge's armor.
But not a dent nor a scratch.
"Uh, Genesis? If you're going to do anything, do it now!" Jeanne called out nervously, somersaulting over another axe swing and making distance. "The best I can do is distract him!"
"Almost got it!" Genevieve called back, and she quickly loaded a single fist sized bullet into the chamber and locked in. "Get clear!"
Jeanne leaped away as far as she could the instant she heard her say that, and a moment later, everyone's ears were assaulted with a high-pitched whine.
A powerful boom and a cloud of gunpowder sparking with electricity followed a single bullet that flew into Judge like a red-hot miniature meteor. Connecting with Judge, the impact generated a powerful explosion that made the ground tremble.
But as the smoke cleared once again, all they could see was a minor injury on Judge's arm that was slowly healing in front of their eyes.
"So my railgun can't do much right now…" Genesis muttered to herself, turning it back into a minigun. "Chika, Kei! Requesting assistance!"
The two Insurgents nodded, and they dashed forward. Kei II ducked under a violent axe swing, slightly buffeted by the wind it kicked up, and then let loose with her dual full-auto pistols at close range. Chika II, further back, tossed five grenades into the air and watched them explode in a horseshoe formation around Judge.
"Hahaha!" But the massive CFW just cackled and swung his axe, and the smoke dissipated into the air and cleared, leaving the girls visible once again. "Give me a challenge, you fools! Give me a fight!"
"He's too strong." Chika II cursed, continuing to shoot him futilely as she shot a worried glance at Kei II. "He has too much strength."
"I know." Kei II said, her eyebrows scrunching as she also kept firing at him. Her bullets bounced off in an endless tidal wave of attacks, doing nothing but amusing the CFW that took his time in approaching them. She focused her energy into the guns and fired a single, powerful bullet from each of them that left a glowing trail of blue energy as it sailed and flew right into Judge's body, creating a massive explosion of blue energy.
Judge still remained unscathed, patting his abdomen with his hand as he continued to float forward while hefting his axe. "Boring! Too boring! Is this all you have left?!"
"Histoire!" Chika II yelled out, her focus still on the approaching CFW. "Any time now! We could use some help!"
"I'm almost done! Just three more minutes!"
"I'm tired of hearing that one!"
Chika II gnashed her teeth together as she drew her spear and charged at Judge, attempting to drive her spear into his body.
"Weak!" He screamed in savage enjoyment, smashing the spear aside and sending it spiraling out of Chika II's hands before he drilled his fist into her stomach and sent her flying back into the one of the leftover walls of the ruined buildings.
He's too strong now! Kei II thought to herself, still firing her pistols with no effect. We need to do something!
Suddenly, she caught a glance of a blur, only to be left in shock when she saw Veeta rushing in.
Veeta dashed in and fired two crossbow bolts that struck Judge's eyes, blinding him momentarily. As he floated backwards unsteadily, Veeta leaped up and held her hand out to catch a piece of plastic explosive thrown from Dihez. She quickly secured it onto the fingers encircling his axe and jumped off, running back to a safe distance.
She then detonated the explosives, making Judge drop his weapon momentarily. Veeta glanced at the rest of her comrades, nodding. "Guys, keep doing this! We can delay him for longer!"
"ENOUGH GAMES!" Judge roared, having finally lost his patience. His gaze instantly turned to the pillar of light and the person next to it: Histoire II. He suddenly soared at an incredible speed towards the Insurgent, grabbing his weapon from the ground so hard that he left a small crater in the ground as he sped at Histoire II.
Histoire II just brought her hands away from the pillar of light and turned to face Judge, and she extended her arm at Judge. A massive wall of light suddenly appeared, and Judge's axe bounced off of it and sent sparks flying. She turned to the pillar of light that was slowly fading away, a feeling of relief spreading through when she saw him standing there.
"Did I miss anything?" Akai asked, cracking his knuckles. He grinned a carefree grin, and Histoire II felt an exasperated grin spread on her own face.
"Well, we're in a bit of trouble, so help us out." She said in reply, her expression growing serious as she turned to face Judge again, her fingers crackling with energy.
Akai turned around to see Mina II and Aoi standing behind him, Mina II's eyes locked onto the enemy in front and Aoi just looking around the landscape. "Mind backing us up?"
Mina II nodded, drawing her pistols and dashing ahead, her bullets clanging against Judge's body like marbles against a brick wall. She quickly slid under a swing of his axe and regrouped with the rest of the squad.
"How was the other dimension?" Chika II asked her, grinning.
"…it was great." Mina II said, sighing, her expression turning solemn. "We need to protect it."
"I was worried when they reported you'd just left." Jeanne commented, her eyes still trained on Judge who was fast approaching them. "My commanding officer just up and went."
"Sorry." Mina II said apologetically, and she pointed to the side. "I had to go and get him."
The whole squad ducked when Akai suddenly rammed into Judge directly, sending the CFW flying far and into the ruins of a damaged building. He struck the ground, and the rubble caved in on him and concealed him from sight.
"Not bad, boy." Kei II turned around and was about to congratulate him further, but she stopped when she saw him.
Akai had dropped down to one knee and was breathing heavily, his hand cradling his other shoulder as if he'd been injured. The CPU armor surrounding him was sparking and discharging random bursts of energy randomly. Half of his body was covered in it, and the other half was altered and warped into a twisted version of the armor. The color had even changed from red to indigo, and the warped side of his body looked like it was emitting a strange, sickly aura of energy.
"Akai!" Aoi called out worriedly, rushing to his side. She crouched down and looked more closely at him. "Are you-?!"
Seeing his eyes shocked her all the more.
One eye was as always, constantly shifting through the spectrum of colors.
But his other eye was the same indigo color his twisted, distorted armor was giving off.
"What's going on?!" Mina II rushed to his side and crouched as well, looking down at the amalgamated side of his body. "Is this a result of Pirachu's power?!"
"No time for that!" Akai groaned impatiently and dragged himself back to his feet, and he reached out with his hand. The CPU side of his body turned purple, and he drew a katana out of the air. But when he gripped it with both hands, he let out a growl of pain as he watched the blade suddenly twist and turn to form a corrupted version of the weapon.
He quickly ran forward, ignoring the waves of pain being sent through his leg, and smashed his blade into Judge. His attack left a cut, which made Judge's eyes widen in rage.
"Die!" Judge, seemingly having lost his cool, swung his axe far more viciously than earlier. Akai swung his sword and intercepted the blow with his own sword, but he felt the feedback pain him even more. Judge cursed and tried to hit him again, but Akai sidestepped the attack and placed his palm on Judge's body.
Instantly. Judge felt his body weakening and his strength draining from the contact, and he broke contact and flew backwards to a safer distance. He eyes Akai warily, and began to slowly float to the side.
…goddamn it… Akai thought to himself as he strafed as well to keep Judge in front of him. He felt the drain on his strength dulling his reflexes and giving him a slight headache that was only getting stronger and stronger. His weapons were getting minutely heavier by the second, and he didn't like the feeling.
He could feel himself getting weaker thanks to the two conflicting powers fighting each other inside him.
Judge roared as he rushed forward, but another form suddenly burst in before Akai could move and sent Judge off balance and made him fly right past Akai. As Akai followed the blur with his eyes, he saw Jeanne descending from the air and land on the ground. She quickly ran over to him.
"Hi, I'm Jeanne." She greeted him politely, despite the situation. "Thanks for taking care of my commanding officer, Insurgent Mina."
"Oh, no problem." Akai replied, transferring his attention to Judge, who had turned around and begun to charge again. He winced at another drain of his strength, and he braced his legs to try and remain upright. "We can chat later. First, let's take care of him."
Right before Judge's next attack could land, Jeanne ran forward and deflected the attack with a solid kick that sent the axe spiraling out of his hands. Afterwards, Akai whistled when he saw a powerful blast that left a ringing in his ears smash into Judge and propelled Judge a far distance away.
"That's Genesis' railgun." Jeanne landed back onto the ground and pointed at her fellow squad member. "She'll cover the back for us."
Akai raised his eyebrows once in appreciation as he watched Dihez and Veeta rush past him and aim for Judge, beginning to assault him with a number of mid-ranged and close-ranged attacks that did nothing but distract him.
"…you're all really competent." Akai muttered, noting Veeta's very fast and acrobatic movements and Dihez's impressive strength as they ducked and weaved around Judge's attacks while landing an ineffective strike in between attacks. "Well, I guess you're not in this squad for nothi-"
His words stopped in his throat when another powerful impact rocked the ground and made him almost lose his balance.
As he looked at the source, he let out a loud sigh.
"…you went and killed the rat, huh?" Linda sneered, drawing her baton and her morning star as she slowly walked towards Akai. She smashed the morning star into the ground threateningly, the earth easily giving way underneath her blow. "I can tell by the look of you now."
"Well, it's easier with less people to fight." Akai replied with a wolfish grin, drawing his version of Noire's sword out and wielding it with one hand. His katana, held in his one hand, turned back to its original form. However, he held the other broadsword in his corrupted side's hand. The broadsword had twisted and become quite evil-looking, like a cursed blade.
"…looks like you've got a bigger problem on your hands." Linda laughed, and she dashed forward. Akai crossed his blades and blocked Linda's overhead strike, and then pushed her backwards.
Akai ran forward and tried to hit Linda with a sideswipe, which she easily parried with her baton. They began trading blows one after another, and Linda's eyebrows rose when her attack was blocked.
"…you're weaker."
Akai gritted his teeth when she said that, but didn't say anything else.
"You won't be a good opponent to me like this." Linda replied, her tone flat as she somersaulted away and struck the ground with both of her weapons. The result was a shockwave that blew everyone off of their feet and sent them flying backwards, landing on their backs. She turned to Judge and lifted a finger at him, gesturing for him to follow her. "Come on, Judge. We have what Magic asked for. We're done here."
"…fine." Judge said quietly, lowering his axe and turning around. The two CFWs jetted into the air and flew off without another word, leaving the group in disarray.
Akai just sighed and disengaged his transformation, relief spreading through his body as the brunt of the drain on his strength was gone. Standing up, he turned to the rest of the group and walked towards Histoire II, where everyone else seemed to be reforming.
"So…nice welcome." Akai commented to Histoire II, glancing back at the shrinking forms of Linda and Judge. "Did you have to pay them?"
"Can we keep the serious mood for the duration of your stay, Akai?" Histoire II replied bluntly, raising a hand in his direction. She then turned to the rest of the squad girls and gestured to Aoi. "Girls, this is the final member of your squad. Her name is Aoi."
"…I don't mean to sound offensive." Genesis began, eyeing Aoi doubtfully. "But what qualifications does she have that would make you assign her to the team?"
"She's adept at close combat, and her specialty is an array of magic spells under the tutelage of her…" Histoire II turned back to Akai. "What exactly is your relationship now that Aoi is human?"
Aoi and Akai shot each other a look, a silent conversation warring in between them.
"Pet isn't the right word. In fact, misunderstandings will arise if I call you that."
"No duh, Akai. Just say I'm your little sister figure or something."
"Little sister figure? I'm sure you realize how that sounds, Aoi."
After a lengthy, wordless debate, Akai spoke. "She's my little sister…figure."
Silence.
"…come again?" Veeta asked, stumped. "Little sister…figure?"
"Meaning that the girl is not your own little sister, but rather someone who poses as a little sister for…undisclosed reasons." Dihez muttered analytically, moving forward and tugging Aoi away from Akai. "…I only detect the intentions of a pervert."
"That's not what I'm going to…never mind." Akai gave up and looked around. "Look, I'm exhausted after all that. I'd rather take a nap and recover my energy before anything."
"There's a lot I'd like to know about you…such as those powers you were using." Genesis said, crossing her arms.
"I'll be glad to answer those questions later." Akai replied, sagging his shoulders. "But for now, I'd like to get back inside whatever underground city Histoire II was talking about before."
"…why are you calling her Histoire II?" Jeanne asked curiously, shooting a confused glance at the Histoire present and then back at Akai. "Is that some sort of cute nickname for her or something? I had no idea you two were that close."
"It's not that kind of thing." Histoire II replied, clearly not keen on the idea of explaining. "Let's get back in my office before the explanation. We'll teleport there to save time."
At the same time she said that, the fairy-like Insurgent raised her hand towards a spot near the ground. A magic circle appeared, and it slowly rose into the air and became a glowing portal.
"…convenient." Akai said appreciatively as he watched everyone else file into the portal, and he patted Aoi on the head and went in together with her, and the portal closed behind them.
"I'm worried for them."
Neptune looked at her sister, who was clearly unable to focus the game in front of her. It was also visible in her gameplay. No one was bad enough at Mario Kart to come in last place, anyway.
"Well, Histy said that we can't go along with them. If we did, no one would be around in case the baddies come here." Neptune said in reply, turning her attention back to the pudding in her hands. "Besides, he's got Shares on his side now. He won't go down so easily."
"I know…but I still can't help but worry." Nepgear replied uneasily, putting down the controller and turning around. "You, on the other hand, don't seem to be worried at all even though you know the fate of a dimension rests in his hands."
"Well, I know how main protagonist stuff usually goes down." Neptune replied nonchalantly, swallowing the whole cupful of pudding and then tossing it at the far side of the room. "One way or another, things work out."
"Irresponsible as always, you are."
Neptune glanced at the table to the side, where Noire was sitting with her arms crossed as she stared at the television monitor blankly. The Lastation CPU looked deep in thought before she broke her gaze and looked at Neptune. "That guy connected himself to the Sharicite and used our powers without permission, and he left us behind despite involving us in the first place."
Neptune just stared at her. "You're still here?"
"Of course we are, idiot." Blanc replied, walking out of the kitchen alongside Vert. Both ladies sat down on the other couch seats near Nepgear, cups of tea in their hands to go with the plate of biscuits in the center of the table next to them. Blanc shot a glare at the Planeptune CPU. "Like hell I can just get back to work like nothing happened after all that."
"Personally, I still haven't forgiven Akai." Vert added, her tone seemingly calm. But it was the kind of calm that anyone could feel was barely contained: the kind of calm that was suppressing anger. "He has no authority and no respect for our positions as CPUs to do what he did."
"I agree." Noire agreed, nodding her head. She stood from her seat and walked towards the table, getting a biscuit and taking a bite out of it. "No regard for us as CPUs. It's like he didn't really care about that."
"…can you blame him? He's only been here for a while, from another universe where people like us don't exist." Nepgear said, making everyone turn to her. Her eyes were focused on the screen, but she only drifted through the character selection screen and didn't press any buttons. Her voice sounded a little distant. "I know how you feel, but…I think we should try to understand him."
Nepgear then pointed at the floor and shot a glance at the four CPUs, a bitter smile on her face. "After all, we're still spending time in his oversized room."
Neptune laughed heartily in reply, and she stood up and dashed into his kitchen. "That reminds me: Time to check if he's still got leftovers!"
"Hey, don't eat everything." Nepgear called out as she stood up, and she rushed into the door of the kitchen and followed her sister.
Nepgear was taken completely by surprise when she saw her big sister kneeling in front of the open refrigerator. Nepgear felt her breath leave her lungs at the amazing sight in front of her.
The fridge was stocked to the brim and absolutely full with food; so much food that it would spill over if handled carelessly. Main courses and desserts of all sorts lined the shelves, looking more and more like a warehouse fit for a wealthy man's apocalypse bunker than a man's everyday kitchen.
"What is…?" Nepgear approached Neptune, who was just staring at the food in wonder. Nearing her older sister, the CPU Candidate spotted a note that was placed on the door of the refrigerator.
It read:
To Neptune,
I know you ended up moving in here since you wanted my cooking. So, since I'll be gone for a while, I figured I'd make you a good supply while I'm gone. Don't worry, I took into account your massive appetite. The fridge in the Basilicom's kitchen and the shelves in my kitchen are also full of food, so don't hesitate to eat as much as you want. Just don't eat your sister's share too. I labeled it appropriately, so keep clear of it.
"…is that really the reason that Neptune started pestering him on a daily basis?" Nepgear realized that Noire that had read it from afar before striding forward and taking the piece of paper from the fridge. "Goodness…he's spoiling her."
"…his food's good, though." Blanc commented, having walked past Neptune and taken a small forkful of one of the plates of pasta. "I don't think any five-star chef I've ever seen could top this."
"…true." Vert admitted, taking a taste of the food as well. "I would hire him myself under normal circumstances and never let anyone else have him."
"…for a rude person who doesn't have respect for positions…he's surprisingly kind and considerate." Noire said, her voice subdued and lost in thought. "…he's been doing that since the first day we got here, too."
"…you mean when the copying power thing was mentioned, and he was trying to think of us as women more than us as CPUs?" Vert replied, glancing out the far window. "A kind sentiment, but an unnecessary one."
"…I'm still worried." Nepgear muttered, her gaze lingering on the food in the fridge. "I feel like if he'd stayed here long enough, he would have been a great friend."
"Ya kiddin me?" Neptune shot back, already digging into three platefuls pf food. "With cooking this good, questing skills and video game playing skills, we would have the first male protagonist worthy of stealing my title!"
"What on earth are you going on about, you idiot…?" Noire muttered, pressing a finger to her temple. "But none of this changes the fact that he's gone to Gigadimension connected to our Sharicite and is currently risking life and limb for an entire dimension."
"…that's usually our job."
Everyone fell silent at Vert's words.
"…guys, try this homemade pizza!" Neptune broke the atmosphere easily with a mouthful of tomato and cheese stretching her cheeks. "He went all out on this one!"
"Good grief." Noire just sighed and made a small smile, and she walked over to the open fridge. "I think tasting his food will make it harder to stay mad at him."
The raven-haired CPU pointed hesitantly at the pizza, making the CPUs of Lowee and Leanbox grin as if they were trying to hold back their laughter. "…give me a piece, Neptune."
