Tune 7: Senior

Neptune pushed the doors of the Basilicom open with a big smile and Ryuka standing behind her.

"Hiya! We're baaaack!" Neptune called out.

B-Sha, IF, Iffy, Histoire, and another woman looked at Neptune from the round table. The woman was tall with very long white hair. She wore a white vest over her long black pants and shirt and had a long blue cape that was split and went down her shoulders which reached the ground behind her.

"Chrome!" Neptune exclaimed with sparkly eyes. "How's it been?! It's been so long since I've seen ya!"

"I suppose it has Neptune." Chrome replied. "At least from what Histoire had told me."

"Whaaat? Don't tell me you forgot all about me too."

"Even if she had once been one with Momus, she is still human Neptune. And as a human, she was affected." Histoire explained.

"Well that sucks. But I'm glad you're here! What have you been up to lately anyway?"

"Favors for Histoire, and community work. Histoire tells me that I've done something awful in the past?"

"This Momus person apparently almost destroyed all of Gamindustri?" IF asked.

"Yeah basically. But I stopped them. You and Compa were there too, Iffy!"

Histoire nodded and summoned a clipboard in her hands.

"I have called Nepgear and Charlie to return as well. Nepgear had another task, however she should be here soon." Histoire said.

IF turned to Ryuka and squinted her eyes at her.

"I think I know you from somewhere…" IF said.

"Hmm?" Ryuka asked.

"Nevermind."

The doors opened and Charlie walked inside happily with her red cape covering most of her body. She wore her black mask over her eyes and smiled while holding Plutia's right hand who was also smiling and wearing her usual pajamas.

"Hey everyone!" Charlie greeted.

"Hello." Histoire replied. "Hello- hello Iris Heart."

"Hiiiii Histy!" Plutia greeted. "Ehehehe, it's been a looong time."

"Yes- yes it has."

"You will not believe how long it took me to convince her to get back into this form." Charlie said. "I even had to use the secret share crystal Presto Mask smuggled for me that… I… regret mentioning."

Ryuka, Chrome, and IF looked at Histoire, then Plutia, then looked at each other.

"Soo, I'm still not allowed to see her transform am I?" Neptune asked.

"Not… quite… yet." Histoire said.

Neptune sighed, then shrugged.

"Welp, that's fine. I'm sure I'll see her eventually."

The doors swung open and everyone turned around to see Million and Cheekama holding the doors. Nepgear entered the building with a hooded figure in front of her who made the sound of metal impacting the ground every time they moved forward.

"I found her Histoire!" Nepgear said with Gehaburn drawn.

"Ah, yes. Everyone, the main reason why I brought you all here."

"Where's Lindy and Rei?" Charlie asked.

B-Sha blinked, then looked at Histoire who looked around the area.

"Have they… not arrived yet?" Histoire asked.

"I'll go look for them, be right back!" Charlie said.

Charlie left the Basilicom taking Plutia along with her as Histoire sighed.

"Histoire." A female, monotone and robotic voice said from the figure. "It's been a long time."

"Take off the hood will ya Junior?" Neptune said.

Nepgear pulled the hood back revealing a pale lilac serious face with black lipstick. The top half of the head was made of faintly gold plated metal until it reached the hair which was long and bright pink and tied in twintails. There were buttons on the side of her head and the eyes were metallic as well, with a yellow glow inside of them. Small spider robots were in her hair and crawled on the plated metal occasionally picking at small corners.

"Magic?!" Neptune asked. "Waaait, didn't she die like for realsies?"

"I'm curious as well, an explanation would be appreciated." Million said.

"Magic, would you care to explain before I have my input?" Histoire asked.

"Ha… how am I alive? I was brought back by a goddess. She spoke to me in my sleep. Not directly, but… the nightmares are a dead give away."

"Goddess… Are you talking about Kurome?" IF asked.

Magic looked at IF, then cracked a smile. Nepgear glared at Magic and gripped Gehaburn even more tightly.

"Junior calm down." Neptune said.

"I- I can't. Everyone's shouting at me to kill her." Nepgear replied.

"Everyone as in who?" Ryuka asked.

"Huh? Oh uh… forget- forget it."

"Junior, they'd probably be telling you to kill Chrome too so chill for a moment will ya?"

Nepgear looked at Chrome, then her expression began to loosen and she sighed.

"They don't Neptune." Nepgear replied.

"Well uh… bah who cares, Magic! Yo! Whatcha know bout this goddess girl?"

"Altering memories, bringing back the dead, changing reality." Magic started. "I know nothing, nothing but the fact that the only way to get to her is through dimensions. And to do that, you need me."

"We could steal your blueprints and leave you in a cell." Nepgear threatened.

"Perhaps. But then Frontier would notice that I went missing."

"That guy, you're working with him?" IF asked.

"He paid, so I built. That is my job."

'What's he gonna do anyway hmm? He's got nothing on this squad." Neptune said proudly.

"Uh, have you seen our last encounter with Darince Nep?" IF asked.

"I've had little practice since my last fight years ago. Histoire made sure my level remained low." Chrome mentioned.

"Does this have to end in a fight?" Ryuka asked.

"You girls got no confidence, puff out your chests! They're bigger than mine!" Neptune shouted.

"The goddess is right, let your voices be heard!" Million added.

"This has nothing to do with confidence, it's about being realistic." IF said. "Obviously they're gonna be pretty tough, even for you Nep. What's our game plan?"

"Easy. Farm levels then give him a good smack over the head."

"Farming is illegal now." Histoire reminded.

"Okaaayyyy uuhm… Oh, experience bottles! And candies!"

Charlie threw the doors opened and Rei peaked inside.

"Uhm… hello, was I needed?" Rei asked.

"Who's this?" Magic asked.

"Keep your mouth shut." Nepgear commanded.

"Ok Nepgear calm down." Cheekama whispered.

"You've come at a good time, we're having a discussion." IF said.

"I'll go find Lindy, alright?" Charlie asked while leaving.

The doors closed and Nepgear sighed.

"I will… put her in our cell and return." Nepgear announced.

"It won't matter." Magic said.

Nepgear directed Magic towards the elevator behind her and they entered inside. The group all stared at the elevator disappearing, then B-Sha sighed.

"Maybe I'll go with Char-"

"Nope, you're staying here B." IF said. "It's hero time."

B-Sha looked at IF, then took a deep breath. Rei shifted her glasses and took a seat with a nervous smile.

"Uhm… hell-hello everyone! I- I see we have some uh, some new faces I'm Rei, Rei Ryghts." Rei introduced. "Ah uhm… I work here at the Basilicom, did- did I hear something about experience bottles and candies?"

"Yup, I was wondering how we're gonna farm some more levels." Neptune said.

"Oh uh… we haven't been able to get a lot of those from Leanbox or Lowee. I'm sorry." Rei said.

"Why is that hmm?! We aren't at war or anything, why aren't trades happening?!" Neptune said.

"The current ruler of Leanbox is… quite hard to uhm, negotiate with…" Rei said quietly. "Actually perhaps we could make a deal with Lowee but- but it may take some time."

"Fine, whatever, new plan! We round up some shares and Junior and I will storm his main base!"

"Nep, we had a hard time getting through 4 monsters. How many do you think he'll have in his main base?" IF asked.

"Uh, that's… true… maybe… but Junior is really strong!"

"We have no doubt in your abilities Neptune." Histoire said. "However you must admit, the past results have shown that you may need a better plan."

"Dah. Alright, I'll think of something while out on patrol. Thankfully we got a huge amount of people with us so missions should be easy!"

The elevator opened up again and Nepgear stood there with a tired expression. She forced a smile and bowed at the group.

"Ah, I'm sorry for my rude introduction, I made a bad first impression didn't I?" Nepgear asked. "For everyone here, hi! I'm Nepgear, Neptune's little sister."

"I'm Chrome, although Histoire and Neptune seem to suggest that you know me already." Chrome greeted.

"Ah- a little bit. Only from stories. But it's nice to meet you!"

"Ryuka Kiryu. It's nice to meet you." Ryuka introduced.

"Hello!"

"I happen to have a job ready for you, Nepgear, and perhaps Lady Iris Heart." Histoire said.

"And me?" B-Sha asked.

"I have a different task for you and the other human members of the party."

"Alright, let's hear it Histy!" Neptune said.

Histoire tapped a button on the table and presented a holographic map in the center of the table for everyone to see. A small section of the map was highlighted orange and Histoire pointed there.

"A strong presence of steal energy was recorded in that spot." Histoire said. "Whether it's a monster or simply a crystal is unknown, however it has been affecting the people that were living around it in a negative way. Currently said people have been evacuated, perhaps the two of you could investigate."

"No cops went in yet?" Neptune asked.

"The presence of the steal energy was strong enough that even going near this point affected them negatively. I was hesitant to send them inside."

"Was it… that strong?" Nepgear asked. "That is quite dangerous."

"How could a crystal that big slip under the radar?" IF asked. "If not a crystal, a monster."

"That is precisely why I ask for the goddesses to investigate." Histoire said. "Whatever threat that may be there, they could handle it. Nepgear, I am sending a share crystal to your inventory. Use it well."

"Aye, thank you Histoire." Nepgear replied.

Million looked at Nepgear, then at Histoire, then loudly cleared her throat.

"Hold on, it might be better if she doesn't go…" Million suggested.

"Why would that be?" Histoire asked.

"This isn't an insult, but she's been unstable lately. She might need a rest." Cheekama said.

"No! No I'm okay! And I definitely won't leave Neptune alone, especially not alone with… with Iris Heart." Nepgear demanded.

"Hmm, that's fair." Million said. "However a sick soldier would be nothing but a burden to their party."

"Unfortunately we have very little options at the moment Arthur." Histoire said. "And I… also do not trust Iris Heart with Neptune alone."

"Then it's settled!" Nepgear said. "We'll be back Histoire, send the coordinates!"

"Good luck Nepgear. Good luck Neptune."

The two of them waved goodbye to the large group and stepped out of the Basilicom. They walked down the streets as Nepgear turned on and looked down at a holographic map.

"Ya know you can trust me to do this on my own right? It's not like these things haven't happened before or anything." Neptune said.

"Uhm yes but… Iris Heart is quite… dangerous. At- at least she might be."

"Ah whatever, you still hearing voices by the way?"

"Yes, everytime I look at anyone I hear them."

"Oh yeah? Look at me, what do they say?"

Nepgear turned and looked at Neptune. Neptune smiled at her and stared at Nepgear's expression which turned into a sad smile.

"They say… nothing special Neptune." Nepgear said.

"Wha- I'm not special?! Excuuuse me, I'm the most special person in all of Gamindustri! I, Ms. Protagonis-"

"No one disagrees with you Neptune." Nepgear whispered to herself while facing away from her.

"I've got ears you know."

"Ehehe, and I've got legs!"

Nepgear ran off and Neptune quickly chased after her down the street. They eventually reached their destination where Nepgear stopped in front of a pair of police officers blocking off the road with their cars. Neptune bumped into Nepgear and looked past her.

"Hello!" Nepgear greeted. "We're here from the Basilicom to investigate."

"You two?" The officer asked. "Well that's good, can I see some ID?"

"Oh, of course, one moment."

Nepgear summoned a small card with her face on it and presented it to the officer. They looked down at it, then nodded and handed it back.

"Well as long as you two know what you're doing you can enter." The officer said. "The entire neighborhood here was affected, it took a long time to clean everyone out and even then it was incredibly difficult. I couldn't go 5 feet inside without getting really sad and my partner here wanted to uh, beat someone up."

"Purple Heart will take care of it." The other officer said. "She'll be here any minute now."

"You can't believe everything you see online. Ah, you two can go."

Nepgear nodded and smiled and vaulted over the hood of the police car while the officers talked to each other. Neptune did the same and after walking a few steps into the abandoned neighborhood, she felt a wave of dread.

The neighborhood itself was nothing unusual aside from a few broken windows and doors. The houses and apartment buildings were like every other one in Planeptune, however Neptune felt her body getting a little heavy.

She imagined riots in the street, houses burning and people throwing all sorts of objects at each other. She thought of bodies on the floor and experience flowing through the air. The sudden image of all the goddesses turning their backs on her was outlined in front of her. She sighed, shook her head and saw the image disappear.

"Yep, it's steal energy." Neptune confirmed.

"Should we transform?" Nepgear asked.

"Oh yeah, definitely."

Neptune and Nepgear quickly ducked into an alleyway. A pillar of white light covered Neptune and revealed Purple Heart while Nepgear summoned a small pink crystal and crushed it in her hand, causing a pillar of white light to cover her and Purple Sister stood in her place.

"I will scan the area for clues first!" Purple Sister said.

"Do that, I have a few questions for the officers." Purple Heart replied.

Purple Sister nodded, then flew up. Purple Heart watched her leave, then walked out the alleyway and approached the officers.

"*Ahem* may I ask a few questions?" Purple Heart asked.

The officers turned around, then blinked and looked at each other.

"See I told you she'd be here." The one on her left whispered.

"Ugh yeah whatever. Lady Purple Heart, we're glad that you're here."

"You two believe that I exist, why is that?" Purple Heart asked.

"First of all what you've been doing has been all over the news lately, second a lot of information about you has been leaked by a strange social media account. If you haven't heard, they say you're a new rising hero with incredible talent and gifts."

"Is that right? And who does this account belong to?"

"Well everything's locked and under fake names but the best we got to is AffimaX. And we don't even know who's involved with that name. But what they say does seem to correlate with what you do."

Purple Heart placed her fingers on her chin and looked down at the floor. She then nodded and faced the two officers.

"To prevent misleading information, I will create my own account and confirm whatever is being said in the comments." Purple Heart said. "Look for my name and picture."

"How are we gonna know that it's-"

Purple Heart raised her wrist and her cuff opened up. A small camera snapped a picture of her face and made a loud noise signifying that the picture was taken. The officer to her right shrugged and looked at the other one.

"Well that works I guess."

"One more question." Purple Heart started.

"Purple Heart!" Purple Sister called out.

"In a moment!" Purple Heart replied loudly. "Do either of you know a man named Mr. Frontier?"

"Only that he works for Mobius Corps." An officer replied.

"If you could find him and identify where he might be, I'd appreciate it greatly."

"We could try, but uh, we got a lot of other problems to deal with daily. There just aren't enough cops in the city."

"I see. Thank you anyway, and goodbye. I will see you again soon."

Purple Heart flew into the air and the officers watched her leave.

"She looks a lot like those girls we just let into here." The officer remarked.

"They say Purple Heart can transform and disguise herself as a citizen. And they both work for the Basilicom? I wouldn't be surprised." The other officer said.

"You think she's pro-monster or anti-monster?"

"Lemme check their earlier posts."

Purple Heart landed by Purple Sister and looked at a large house. It was large, blue, and had white outlines and the front door was open.

"This is where the share energy is strongest." Purple Sister said.

"Whatever we're looking for may be in here." Purple Heart replied. "Watch my back, I'll enter first."

The two of them unsummoned their wings and Purple Heart slowly walked up the stairs and into the house with her katana in her right hand. The house lights were turned on and Purple Sister was looking around with her back almost touching Purple Heart's.

Purple Heart walked by an old case of wooden stairs and looked to her left to see a dusty small table with pictures of a family. A father, mother, sister, and a brother was in the picture, and in the next one was another girl about the age of the brother. Purple Heart walked a bit forward, then saw a picture of a wedding. She looked back at the other picture and concluded that the two in the wedding picture were the brother and the new girl.

"Should we check the basement?" Purple Sister suggested.

"Perhaps. But not until a proper search."

Purple Heart then proceeded to see more pictures of the brother and the new girl across the table. She saw them in a lab with white coats, on a large ferry boat, then the final picture was the both of them wearing armor in front of the west Planeptune gates.

Purple Heart looked around the rest of the room to see more dusty tables and chairs, then looked back at the pictures to see them fairly clean.

"Someone may have been here." Purple Heart commented.

"Upstairs or downstairs?"

"Upstairs first."

Purple Sister nodded and began to walk towards the stairs while Purple Heart followed closely behind. They climbed up the loudly creaking wooden stairs until they reached the second floor where they both looked around, then stared at a closed door. Purple Heart closed her eyes and an outline of corpses appeared in her mind. She shook her head and looked at the door again.

"That room seems to be stronger in steal energy." Purple Heart said.

"How can you tell?" Purple Sister asked.

"I can feel it, even in this form."

Purple Sister looked at Purple Heart.

"Do you lack shares?" Purple Sister asked.

Purple Heart shook her head.

"I have enough to proceed. Let us move."

The two of them entered the room in the same formation and Purple Heart slowly entered the room. She looked around the large bedroom and saw a massive red crystal on top of a queen size white bed, taking up half the entire space. Purple Heart slowly walked around it and looked at the windows and around the room before approaching it.

"That's… how was this even placed here without anyone noticing?" Purple Sister asked.

"Perhaps this house belongs to the person who placed this here." Purple Heart suggested.

"Purple Heart!" A voice yelled outside.

Purple Heart quickly turned to the windows and walked forward. She pulled the dusty curtains away and stared down the house to see Mr. Frontier and Darince standing at the sidewalk. Mr. Frontier wore a metal suit of armor with a kettle helmet and mask covering his entire face, while Darince was wearing her red robes Purple Heart saw her wearing last time.

The armor he wore was simple, metallic, and the design was a combination of police body armor and knight-like plates.

"Come down, or I will burn down that house and force you here!" Mr. Frontier yelled.

Purple Heart stared at Darince talking to him, then glanced at Purple Sister who's hairpin was scanning the crystal.

"Once you are finished, join me outside." Purple Heart said. "I will go."

"Be careful Neptune." Purple Sister said.

Purple Heart nodded and opened the window. She unsummoned her wings, dove out the window, then resummoned her wings and quickly glided down to the sidewalk where she stood in front of Mr. Frontier and Darince.

"I am here." Purple Heart said. "I assume you are responsible for all of this?"

"Yes." Mr. Frontier said while summoning a long, heavy metal spear into his hands. "It's time we fight. Don't think you'll be able to run, we have ways to cancel flight."

Purple Heart looked to her right to see Purple Sister come out the house in the same way she did, while also summoning her white and pink gunblade in her left hand. She stood by Purple Heart's side and aimed it at Mr. Frontier.

Purple Heart opened her mouth, but heard a low hum that quickly began to get louder. She quickly pushed Purple Sister's arm causing the gunblade to point in a different direction and a laser blast scorched the grass in front of the house. Darince's eyes grew wide and she quickly thrusted her arms out creating a massive colorful blocky wall in between the two teams.

"Neptune!-"

"This doesn't have to end with death or violence." Purple Heart said firmly.

"I… you're right, you're right. Sorry Neptune."

Purple Sister turned to face Mr. Frontier and Purple Heart looked at him as he walked around the wall. Purple Heart couldn't see, but from the position of his helmet she assumed he was glaring at her.

"Frontier!" Purple Heart shouted. "A moment!"

Darince peeked from behind Mr. Frontier with a smile, but he gestured his hand in front of her and she stopped moving.

"You tell me humanity must evolve, that I slow them down? And that my existence is detrimental to the progression of humanity, is that it? And that you don't trust me to protect humanity anymore, which is why I must die."

Mr. Frontier's head tilted downwards a little bit.

"Where are you going with this?" Mr. Frontier asked.

Purple Heart took a deep breath.

"I've come to say, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for failing you, I'm sorry for not being here. I'm asking for a second chance, a chance to prove myself to you. With some time, I could prove that I am capable of helping humanity move forward, and perhaps I can prove that I'm just as human as anyone else is."

Purple Heart saw Mr. Frontier beginning to relax a little. She saw him begin to lower his head slightly, then saw him loosen his grip on his spear. He held the rim of his kettle helmet and Purple Heart saw his hand shake slightly. She saw his helmet turn, suggesting that he was glancing at the house she came out from.

"I can make things right Frontier." Purple Heart said. "Would you give me a second chance? I know you want to believe, you can do it, nobody will-"

"Enough!" Mr. Frontier shouted while pushing his helmet more onto his head. "That's enough from you… no more, I don't need to hear anything else."

Mr. Frontier gripped his spear, but Purple Heart saw his grip loosen quickly as his arms shook a little.

"This is the right thing, what I'm doing is right." Mr. Frontier hesitantly said. "I'm… you're my enemy. You're death won't be in vain."

Mr. Frontier took a sideways stance with his spear pointed at Purple Heart. Darince thrusted her arms to her sides, creating colorful blocks surrounded by what looked like a small aura-like image of stars. Purple Heart held her katana in front of her while Purple Sister stood sideways with her gunblade pointed at Darince and Gehaburn towards the ground.

"Why won't you believe in an alternative?" Purple Heart asked. "Is something the matter?"

"No! No, enough talking!" Mr. Frontier shouted. "I need your corpse, and I'll kill any monster I have to for-"

"Shshsh, it's no time to tell our plans yet!" Darince said quickly with her left hand over his mask. "Sorry, the steal energy was getting to him. He's ready to fight though."

"Right, right, it's that." Mr. Frontier said.

He took a deep breath. Purple Heart cautiously stepped forward with her katana still in front of her while Mr. Frontier walked forward to meet her. They stared at each other for a while, with the edges of their weapons pointed at where they were facing. Meanwhile Darince threw her arms up and Purple Sister glanced at them before looking at Darince again.

"Ready?" Darince asked.

"Always." Purple Sister confirmed.

Darince smiled as she gripped her left hand and thrusted it out at Purple Sister. She pointed at Darince with her gunblade, however a yellow block dropped from the sky towards the gunblade.

Purple Sister quickly swung around taking her gunblade out of range from the block, then aimed it at Darince again as the low hum came out from the weapon. Darince quickly pulled her right hand down in front of her as if she was pulling an object downwards and large green blocks appeared in front of her, protecting her from Purple Sister's laser shot.

"Strong material…" Purple Sister quietly commented.

She flew forward while tightly gripping Gehaburn and saw the green blocks flying towards her. She dodged to her right, while moving forward, then saw Darince thrust her hands horizontally towards each other, causing her right hand to slide over her left.

Purple Sister heard a clicking sound and she quickly jumped up, hovering in the air as both dark blue and orange blocks slammed into each other below her. She flew towards Darince and slashed at her with Gehaburn, however directly in front of her, Darince summoned large red blocks which didn't scratch from the swing.

Purple Sister quickly flew to her left and thrusted her gunblade towards Darince, but Darince swung her arm causing the red blocks to slam into Purple Sister's left arm.

"Ack…" Purple Sister said quietly.

She looked at Darince who summoned large purple blocks in the formation of a T above her head, then saw her make a throwing gesture with her arm causing the blocks to fly towards Purple Sister while spinning in a circular motion.

"Ha!" Purple Sister yelled.

She dashed to the right while charging her gunblade, then fired it while aiming at Darince; however the large purple blocks turned and continued to spin towards Purple Sister who quickly placed her gunblade above her head, stopping the blocks from slamming down on her. She felt the pressure of the blocks causing her arm to slip, so she quickly dashed backwards only for the purple blocks to continue following her.

Purple Sister blocked the large T again with both of her blades, then glanced at Darince who raised both her hands up, then thrusted them down.

"Rinse and repeat!" Darince shouted.

Purple Sister heard the sound of an object flying through the air, then looked up to see a tall light blue I shaped stack of blocks falling down towards her. She quickly dodged to her left and the blue blocks smashed into the purple blocks reducing both of them into a colorful cloud of pixels.

Purple Sister jumped into the air and looked in the direction where she saw Darince earlier, however she saw another set of tall light blue blocks being thrusted at her from where Darince was.

"Wha-"

Purple Sister attempted to dash to the right, however the size of the blocks forced her to block with Gehaburn, causing her to stumble in the air. She looked while charging her gunblade to see another formation of purple blocks flying at her. She blocked it with Gehaburn, then fired her shot right by the blocks.

Purple Sister couldn't see well through the cloud of pixels, but she saw Darince looking down at her left shoulder, then holding it with her right hand.

"Hmm, that's my cue to speed things up." Darince said with a smile.

She thrusted her arms together horizontally again and Purple Sister dashed backwards, causing orange and blue blocks to slam into the purple ones. She saw Darince thrust her right arm down, then her left arm towards her. Purple Sister quickly dodged backwards avoiding red blocks from falling down on her, then held Gehaburn behind her, blocking a large yellow block from slamming into her.

Purple Sister aimed her gunblade at Darince who saw her aim, then stepped to her left a little before making a kicking motion with her left, summoning another set of purple blocks which spun at Purple Sister while making the same loud clicking sound.

Purple Sister dashed to her left, releasing her pressure on the yellow block, then thrusted Gehaburn at the approaching purple blocks.

"Hiya!" Purple Sister exclaimed.

The purple blocks stopped moving as Purple Sister pushed Gehaburn into the blocks, then jumped up into the air. She quickly dove at Darince who thrusted her arm out at her, summoning the long blue blocks. Purple Sister dodged the blue blocks, causing the purple and the blue to crash into each other, then Darince raised her arms but her eyes were wide open as Purple Sister was nearly right in front of her.

"Oh shi-"

Purple Sister quickly slammed Gehaburn's pommel onto Darince's head causing her to fall backwards. Purple Sister pointed her gunblade down at Darince who stared up at her with her crown on the floor behind her head.

"Don't get up, I mean it!" Purple Sister shouted while a hum came from her gun.

Darince smiled, then pushed her arms down. Purple Sister grinded her teeth as she closed her eyes and fired down at Darince's right leg while dashing to the right avoiding another long blue piece.

"AUGH!" Darince screamed.

Purple Sister dashed forward and kicked Darince before she made any more gestures with her arms, then threw her gunblade aside which caused it to be unsummoned. She grabbed Darince by the robes and threw her against the wall of blocks that were already made.

"Don't move, or I'll cut off the leg I already shot!" Purple Sister demanded.

Darince held her breath, then sighed as she stared at her wounded leg, then looked up at Purple Sister with a raised eyebrow.

"You're more aggressive than they said you'd be." Darince commented.

"I haven't been having a good day." Purple Sister said.

"Aw, that's too bad. I think we could have had a lot more fun if you were up for it."

"You're bleeding with a possible concussion, please stop talking!" Purple Sister yelled.

Darince stared at Purple Sister, then relaxed her body onto the block wall and raised her hands slightly in the gesture of surrender. Purple Sister glanced at Purple Heart who pushed the edge of the spear away with her sword, causing it to slide over her head as she dashed forward.

Mr. Frontier quickly dashed back, but Purple Heart dashed forward, punching Mr. Frontier in the chest, then kicking at him but failed to do so as Mr. Frontier blocked the kick and regripped his spear. He threw his right arm back and wildly swung his spear at Purple Heart who easily parried the blow, but watched as he took out a pistol from his belt.

Purple Heart's wings flashed orange as she quickly dashed forward and chopped the hand he carried his pistol in. He staggered backwards as he held his spear tightly and pushed his wrist into his body.

"Augh… gah." Mr. Frontier grunted.

Purple Heart began to relax her arms, but then refocused when she saw veins and bone grow out of Mr. Frontier's wrist and slowly take the form of a human hand. She stared at it regenerating, then glared at him as he took a deep breath.

"You have it." Purple Heart commented.

"I would have got it faster if you didn't get involved." Mr. Frontier said."

Mr. Frontier rushed at Purple Heart, however her wings continued to glow orange as she swung her katana quickly, forcing Mr. Frontier backwards and his head quickly moved side to side, watching the slashing come from seemingly all angles.

He moved his spear quickly, attempting to block all the blows, however cuts went through his stance as occasionally sharp pains were felt on his arms, legs, and torso. He grunted as he stumbled, backwards, then Purple Heart placed her katana underneath his spear and pushed it up with all her might. It flew into the air and she kicked Mr. Frontier causing him to fall onto the empty street.

She stared at him on the ground from the sidewalk, then saw the spear coming down and jumped, kicking it to Mr. Frontier and stabbing some clothing sticking out of his armor into the ground.

"Stay down, I mean it this time." Purple Heart said. "No more pointless violence, I won this match."

Mr. Frontier took loud heavy breaths that could be heard, even through his mask. He groaned loudly as he threw off his helmet, then pulled off his armor aggressively, revealing his head and undershirt.

"Regen… right." Purple Heart noted to herself. "Frontier what are you doing?"

Mr. Frontier huffed as he knocked the spear away. Purple Heart walked around cautiously with her katana steady in front of her, then watched as he raised his head to the air while on his knees and a pair of sharp bones bursted out of his back, tearing through his shirt. They extended outwards taking the shape of large wings, spanning nearly twice his height, and slowly growing flesh to create real wings.

He vomited as his ribs also thrusted out of his chest and folded in place, covering the entire front of his torso.

"AAARRRGGHH!" Mr. Frontier screamed.

'Enough, Frontier, I wasn't planning on hurting you anymore." Purple Heart said. "Lower your wings and I will lower my-"

Mr. Frontier snapped to Purple Heart and lunged at her with his right arm forward. Purple Heart quickly pointed her katana directly at him, however her blade scratched his ribs and slid off. He grabbed it with his left hand while punching at Purple Heart with his right, but she ducked under the punch and pulled her katana back.

Purple Sister stared at the fight as Darince smiled, then kicked Gehaburn away and rose to her feet with a limp.

"Phase 2 you fool!" Darince yelled with her hand on her wounded leg.

Darince thrusted her arms to her sides and Purple Sister looked up to see a shower of large blocks falling from the sky in all colors. She dashed around dodging them quickly and attempted to aim a shot at Darince, however blocks would repeatedly knock her gunblade out of her hand forcing her to resummon it.

Mr. Frontier pushed Purple Heart's katana out of the way and began to repeatedly punch at her face. Purple Heart dropped her katana and raised her arms in front of her in a defensive stance, then jabbed at Frontier, but the under tip of his wing came and stabbed Purple Heart's hand, shattering the invisible barrier. Purple Heart grunted as she kicked Mr. Frontier in the chest causing him to stagger backwards, then looked at Purple Sister who stood over Darince with Gehaburn over her head.

"Nepgear!" Purple Heart yelled. "That's enough!"

Purple Sister looked at her with a surprised expression, then Darince pulled her arm and a block moved across the ground from behind Purple Sister causing her trip.

"Ack!"

Darince struggled to her feet, then thrusted her arms out at Purple Sister causing a ton of smaller blocks to bury her at random in no reasonable formation.

"Nepgea-"

Mr. Frontier punched Purple Heart in the face knocking her backwards and she touched it a little before facing Mr. Frontier again with her arms up. She summoned her katana in her hands as Mr. Frontier dashed forward at her, she slashed at his arms cutting them in half. He roared as he stumbled backwards and Purple Heart took a stance with her katana pointed at Mr. Frontier.

Then light came out of her and Neptune stood with a claymore in her hands. She blinked, then fell down to one knee with a deep breath.

"Oof… uh oh."

Mr. Frontier lunged forward, kneed Neptune in the face, and watched her fly backwards and bounce on the sidewalk. She groaned as Mr. Frontier jumped at her with his fist clenched and he landed beside Neptune. She looked up at him and covered her face with her arms and he pulled back his arm. He kneeled down and thrusted his fist through Neptune's arm and punched her in the face, then pulled it back and stared at her.

"Ack, ow…" Neptune said.

Blood came from her nose and it dripped down the side of her head. She attempted to raise her arms, however whatever movement she attempted wouldn't work as her limbs would give in and quickly fall back into the least effort position possible. She looked up at Mr. Frontier who held his fist back, but continued to stare at Neptune. She saw his black hair fall from his shoulders down to around his head and his glaring brown eyes locked onto her's. He took deep breaths as his arm began to relax and he stared at his fist which had no scars, or anything that signified the fight they just had.

Mr. Frontier stood straight up and stumbled backwards a little, looking at Darince quickly drinking a Nepbull while limping towards him, then looked back down at Neptune who continuously failed to push herself up.

"You're bleeding…" Mr. Frontier said.

"Oof… ya think we don't bleed?! Ow… okay I'm not shouting anymore…"

"You're a goddess though… no, you're still a goddess. Iris Heart bled. Goddesses must die. For the good of the people."

Mr. Frontier picked up the claymore on the floor with her right hand and raised it over his head. He stared down at Neptune and he took a deep breath. A tear came from his eye and he quickly wiped it away with his other hand.

"Your death will not be in vain, I promise. Die my goddess."

"Wait, wait, wait hang on, wait wait!"

Mr. Frontier held his breath and closed his eyes as he stabbed the claymore into the lower half of Neptune's torso. As she screamed out, he looked down at the sections where Neptune's heart would be, and where her head was.

"I have to do this… I have to." Mr. Frontier told himself quietly.

From the sky Iris Heart dropped down and bashed Mr. Frontier away with her shoulder. She smiled widely as she stood in between Neptune and Mr. Frontier who groaned as he pushed himself off the ground.

Charlie ran out from an alleyway and held Neptune, sitting her up and offering her an energy drink and a Nepbull.

"Ouch! Oh hey, thanks Charlie… ack." Neptune said.

"Hey Nep, Histy told us to come here and watch but it's a good thing Iris doesn't like following the rules."

Neptune looked up at Iris Heart who turned her head slightly to look at Neptune, then smiled with her mouth closed and winked at her. Neptune gave back a worried giggle, then flinched and held the stab wound in her torso.

"Yeesh, okay hang on I'll quickly take the sword out and you'll pour Nepbull on it right after alright?" Charlie asked.

"Wait a minute shouldn't I put the Nepbull fir-"

Charlie yanked the sword out quickly and Neptune quickly poured the can onto the wound.

"AAAAGH! AH GOSH DARN SNAP FRICK AHHH!" Neptune screamed.

"Oops…"

Charlie looked at Iris Heart and Mr. Frontier while handing Neptune another can. Mr. Frontier stepped backwards slowly as Darince stood by his side.

"You did great." Darince whispered.

"Not a word until we get back…" Mr. Frontier replied.

Mr. Frontier spread out his wings and flapped them carrying him and Darince into the sky and away from the scene. Iris Heart watched them, then turned to Neptune and kneeled down with a smile.

"Charlie dear, would you go attend to Neppy. Jr? I'd like to have a talk alone." Iris Heart said.

"Alrighty, be right back."

Charlie ran over to the pile of blocks Purple Sister was trapped under and used other blocks to pull and push them away. Iris Heart smiled as she watched a little, then turned to Neptune.

"Hello Neppy." Iris Heart said.

"Ah hey- hey, what's shaking?" Neptune asked. "Soooo you're uh, Iris Heart huh?"

"Mmhm, Ambi told me a lot about you."

"Ah right right, you know Ambi. What a gossip, unless she only said good things about me which does sound more like her hehe, uh."

Neptune stared up at Iris Heart's eyes as she nervously sipped the can of Nepbull. She saw the power buttons in Iris Heart's eyes blinking occasionally and she gulped.

"So, uh, how was Planeptune while I was gone?"

"Oh, I don't know Neppy. I was asleep the whole time." Iris Heart replied.

"Aha, relatable… uhm… sheesh, why do I get this feeling of spooks? Wouldn't be you, would it?"

"Tell me Neppy, do you plan on killing Frontier?" Iris Heart asked.

"Huh? Oh uh, not- not really I mean, I'd prefer to spare villains and make friends with them, especially if they're human ya know?"

"Hmm, but he looked like a monster there, didn't he?"

"Yeah well he's still got something in him. Otherwise he would have just killed me when he had the chance right?"

"And how long do you think that will last?"

Neptune stared at Iris Heart, then looked at the claymore on the ground beside her. She sighed as she finished her can and began to stand up, but Iris Heart placed her heel onto her chest and pushed her back down.

"I need an answer Neppy, are we killing him or are we not?" Iris Heart asked.

"No! No no no we're not killing him! Or Darince!" Neptune said. "I mean… if he happens to die while we fight there's not much that can be done but- but he has regen so that would be hard anyway and… uh, what do you want to do? We're both goddesses so our opinions matter about as much."

Iris Heart's smile lowered a little as she glanced at Charlie who held Nepgear's hand and began pulling her out. She sighed, then took her heel off Neptune and offered her right hand.

"I've made a promise, to Ambi and Charlie. I'll be a good girl as long as they are. There's no need for my opinion, you lead and I follow. It will be as simple as that."

Neptune stared up at Iris Heart, then accepted her hand and Iris Heart pulled her up. Green aura emanated from Iris Heart's hand into Neptune who looked down at her clothes and body to see them fully repaired.

"Wow, you're a healer?! Most goddesses I've met are damage mains." Neptune commented.

"Tank, but I know enough magic to get by." Iris Heart said with a smile.

"Right, got it."

The two of them rushed over to Nepgear and Neptune quickly checked her body while Charlie offered her healing items. Iris Heart looked up at the sky and smiled to herself.

"Mr. Frontier… hmhmhm, how… interesting." Iris Heart whispered.

Meanwhile, Mr. Frontier stumbled forward as he arrived in front of the ruins of a large abandoned factory. He pressed his hands against the wall as he quickly mashed her arm on a hidden panel of buttons while Darince tended to her wounds.

"No need to rush darling, nobody's around." Darince said.

"I have every reason to rush, we failed!" Mr. Frontier yelled.

"Aw, don't beat yourself over it. I know it must have been hard to face your childhood hero and actually fight her, but this plan wasn't going to be easy and you know it."

Mr. Frontier took a deep breath and glared at Darince while a small elevator room came up from the ground and the doors opened.

"You searched my room while we were placing the crystal." Mr. Frontier said.

"I had my suspicions for a long time, but this confirms it." Darince said while pulling an old poster of Purple Heart and Neptune.

Mr. Frontier stared at it, then scoffed and entered inside the elevator.

"It doesn't matter anymore." Mr. Frontier said while folding his wings to make space. "The past is the past, what matters is now."

"Is that true? Well then, why didn't you kill her?"

"Gah, I don't know! Nobody has to die from this except her and those wretched monsters but seeing her in her human form makes me rethink everything."

"This is by far the most extreme case of tsundere I've ever seen."

"You're annoying."

"I love you."

Darince embraced Mr. Frontier and held his face while the doors closed. The elevator went down as she moved her fingers around his chest and face.

"It's been so long since I've seen your cute skin face. What was your lie again? A skin disease?" Darince asked.

"Ugh, I don't want to talk about that. Let's get this over with, I need rest."

The doors opened and they walked inside the large, dark green tinted room. Darince walked to the left and placed a mask over her face, then opened a cabinet revealing syringes. She pulled one out and grabbed a bonesaw from on top of the cabinet.

"Wasn't my acting amazing today darling?" Darince asked in a happy cheerful voice while injecting the syringe into his back. "Oh, and you were just as good! I want to kiss you so badly right now, but let's focus on those wings of yours."

Mr. Frontier took a deep breath as Darince marked a spot at the root close to his back, then began to chop off his wings with the bonesaw.

"ARGH! AGH! DAMN IT!" Mr. Frontier yelled.

"You're so brave and so strong, I love you so much darling." Darince said.

She threw the wings away as well as her mask while bandaging the wounds and injecting another syringe into his back. He took another deep breath while Darince embraced her arms around him.

"May I have my usual?" Darince asked quietly.

"Not now, I need some time to myself… just a moment."

"Alright, but I'll be waiting~."

Darince hummed a song to herself while she left the room. Mr. Frontier groaned as he took out a chair and sat at the table next to the cabinet. He pressed his hands on her head, then looked to the side at the rolled up poster Darince tossed onto the table.

"It's the right thing, I'm doing the right thing. It's an illusion, she's not a person. All data shows that she's not."

Mr. Frontier grabbed the poster and stared at Neptune and Purple Heart. He opened another cabinet and took out a file, revealing documents and various notes all labeled Purple Heart. He skimmed through them, glancing at everything then threw it on the table and slammed his fists on it.

"Eugh…"

Mr. Frontier pressed his hands onto his face again and sighed.