Chapter 7 Nothing Better than Coming Home
INTERLUDE: Man, it feels so good to be back! And with a 11000 words chapter to compensate my absence! This time, as you'll notice when you see the horizonal lines, it's divided in 11 parts since I wanted to cover many topics.
As always, I made it so you can stop when you find such lines if you don't want to read it all in one go.
I hope you enjoy it!
P.S. Reasons about my absence on Author's Notes at the end.
P.P.S. If there is another delay, check my profile on Sundays, I'll give small updates if I'm still alive—I'm saying this literally, because I'd even tell you if I'll ever drop this fic).
"Hmm… Yes, I think I can do it…" The next morning, after she ate her breakfast and sat down on an old sofa inside a hideout's room, Nepgear began to analyze a blueprint that VEGA was showing her on the N-Gear's screen. "I need some tools though… but it resembles a bit Lastation's weapons… so with what Uni taught me…"
The Doom Slayer was standing in front of her, waiting for a proper answer after the girl finished to talk to herself.
"Ah, sorry! I got carried away!" Nepgear looked directly at him before continuing. "Back in my world, I have a friend in a neighbor country, Lastation. Her name is Uni, a CPU Candidate like me, and we have… compatible hobbies. She often lends me a hand when I'm making robots or any type of machinery, and I help her with anything related to her guns, mostly the ones who use bullets as projectiles."
Then she turned to the N-Gear again. "After seeing the blueprints and some additional information VEGA showed me, I can say Gamindustri and the world you came from have similar technology, or at least similar enough so I can replicate these weapons. The problem is… I don't have the specific tools or materials to do it." She got up. "But I learned from Uni how to deal with these minor issues! I'm sure I can overcome this world's limitations even if we just find a rock and a stick! Let's go!"
Her optimism and passion were really reassuring. The Slayer let her lead the way.
After some minutes of searching, amidst a corridor on the upper floors, they bumped into Umio. Nepgear was still excited so, before he could even say something, she spoke at an amazing speed about every tiniest detail of what they were doing.
"I-I see… I understand…" The seaman was overwhelmed by that amount of information. "You two are very lucky. Last night, I came upon an interesting facility while taking a stroll. Probably there may be data that might interest you, and besides, I think you could find the materials and tools you are searching for."
"Really?!" Her eyes were sparkling after hearing that.
"Of course. Let's see if Uzume and Nepsy want to join us."
The Khan Maykr was meditating in the same place where she met the goddess for the first time, waiting for her. Now, the temple was completely empty, since she didn't want any incident like what happened that day.
Apparently, her plans were going smoothly so far. The Earth was quickly succumbing to the invasion, and the Hell Priests, along their human subordinates, were doing an excellent job cleaning the path for the demons. Urdak was overflowing with Argent Energy and the collapse of her civilization was nowhere to be seen.
But in truth, many problems were arising, even before the Cultists opened the first Hellgate.
There were UAC's facilities producing automatically Revenants and Arachnotrons, among other types of monstrosities and/or their respective enhancements, after the personal died. However, there also were installations that were inoperative or under sane people's control. One of the Hell Priests' priorities was to secure and retrieve them, respectively.
The reason to focus on them was a preemptive response to the potential problems related to the Earth's capacities to resist the invasion. Until know everything seemed to be going well with the absolute failure of every human-made defensive strategy, but she knew it was just a matter of time before they began to effectively fight against the demons. There was no species that would easily surrender its own homeworld and lives, so a counterattack was something she was expecting.
After that, there were the most serious matters, that might be somewhat related. The Well was closed and the Demonic Crucible's location was unknown since then. It could be due to the Hell Priests' incompetence to find it, or whoever that hid it was/were smart, or… maybe it wasn't in the Solar System anymore. The Slayer could have it, maybe he lost it during his dimensional travel, or it could be on the goddess' hands.
The fact that the Hell Walker was the last person with the Crucible made the latter options the most likely ones. But even so, that man was still a threat without that artifact. After being freed from the Kadingir Sanctum's sarcophagus, the first thing he did was to halt the invasion of Mars, hence delaying her plans and adding another page on his long feats' history. If he managed to return to that planet or the Earth, everything could end in disaster.
"She is here."
The purple fog appeared once again, and when it surrounded her, she heard Uzume's voice inside her head.
And I just thought I'd need to wait. Good timing.
The being called Uzume, through her words and actions, demonstrated that she also could be a menace. The main difference between she and the Slayer was that everything about her was a mystery, and the Khan Maykr wasn't able to change that fact despite all the research she was doing lately.
"Certain being opened a portal at a Titan's feet. It is impossible for that to go unnoticed."
Yeah, it was me. And you were wrong, I can use the Essence.
"But not at its full extent as I was informed, otherwise, that Hellgate would not have been so unstable. Its refined form is not just less volatile, but better in many different ways. I am sure you will obtain good results from using it."
Hmm… maybe you're right… though with some practice it should be enough.
"But even so, you came here."
And if you know all that, you were expecting me to come, right?
"Exactly."
That explains the timing… Well, speak, I'd like to avoid said practice.
"I want to discuss about something before negotiate." And then, she mentioned the most recent problem. "Aside your portal, I was also informed that the Doom Slayer came back to the Dark Realm alongside a girl with unknown powers, and he forced you to close that gate. It was just for a brief moment, but it happened."
Yeah, I didn't expect him to do that, or that girl to help him. The green guy is getting along with other goddesses. She noticed the Khan Maykr frowning for an instant after hearing the last sentence. I suppose he's a problem after all.
"It is good to know you finally realized that. And what about her powers?"
You mean the Shares? Nothing I cannot beat, though I watched how it could easily purge any trace of Argent. I'd dare to say it works like some sort of weakness.
"I see…" And those were two more problematic things that could ruin her plans. She avoided to think too much of the potential damage they could do so she could focus on the negotiation. If she was showing such confidence with her calm voice, hopefully it shouldn't be anything she couldn't deal with. "I intended to provide you refined Argent Energy from my Soul Spires, like the one you saw near the Titan, so you could have got the necessary advantage against the Doom Slayer. However, after our first meeting, I was looking for a better approaching to the current situation. Now, I am sure I made the correct judgement. The fact you will have to confront those dangerous foes is proof of that."
The best outcome would be for the two of them killing each other, and for Uzume's dimension staying isolated to avoid any short-term problem, but that and other good results were unlikely… unless she pulled out the strings correctly. That's the reason why she was waiting for her.
So you can offer me something better… Then, what are we talking about exactly?
"A chance to get the demons to willingly follow you."
Oh… Even Uzume wasn't expecting that, so it took her some seconds to continue. Alright… aside from the Slayer, what more do you want in return?
"Keep the so-called Shares away from this place. Keep them locked in their own dimension if necessary."
Hahahaha… It's a deal, though you didn't even need to ask me that. Once it's over, the goddesses, their powers and their world will vanish forever. That was always my plan.
"Good, then I will proceed to call their ruler." Having common goals was reassuring.
Wait, what are you talking about? Uzume was puzzled by her words.
"I think you misunderstood me." The Khan Maykr raised her hands and began to cast energy. "The demons do not obey me, because the only bond between us is a pact struck ages ago that assures our mutual benefit. They consume worlds and bring the souls of their inhabitants, while my species process them into the refined Argent."
Now I get why you said 'a chance'… the negotiation isn't over yet.
"Indeed. To get the help of the demons, you shall talk to him, to the Dark Lord."
The last battle left Uzume and Neptune exhausted both physically and mentally so, when the others found them, the two girls were laying on the floor, bored and demotivated. Umio managed to convince them to follow him though.
Although it seemed they'd explored all the surroundings before, nobody expected to find the factory mentioned by the seaman so close. Once in there, after searching inside a bit, they found a strange machine that filled the middle of the room they entered. It was a platform with some stairs on their sides to access to it and, right on the celling, there was a cylinder that ended with some kind of conical antenna pointing perpendicularly to said platform. Aside those two parts, the room's walls were filled with different computers, other instruments and tools scattered all over the place.
With her curiosity at its peak, the Candidate immediately began to examinate everything after connecting her N-Gear on the nearest computer.
"Can you bypass its security?"
"Of course." And VEGA was helping her, while the Slayer was by her side watching their progress.
"Thank you!"
At this point, he was truly curious about her age or if she was just a genius, as it was very unusual how she, and her friend Uni, had that knowledge about engineering. Anyways, it didn't matter at all if she knew what she was doing.
"Ugh…"
"I'm bored…" Meanwhile, Neptune and Uzume were several minutes waiting for the little sister to finish. Both girls thought that follow her would be more FUNNY, but they ended up like in the hideout, lying on the ground, doing nothing, and completely bored.
And the time kept passing…
For several minutes…
With no apparent end in sight…
"Eh…? Could this be…?" After what it seemed like an eternity, it finally seemed Nepgear and VEGA made some progress.
"Hm? What is it? Did you find something?" Though she was quite far away from her sister, Neptune was the first to ask after suddenly popping out behind the Candidate. It was obvious she was waiting for something interesting to happen.
"Yes. I thought this was surely a communication facility, but it seems to be a transfer facility."
"Transfer facility?" Neptune and the Slayer got his hopes high after hearing that.
"Ah, but, with the equipment here, is only enough for transfers between here and neighboring cities." She continued looking both her big sister and the Hell Walker. "So, although is just a speculation, guided by what we've examined of this device so far, with this world's scientific level the existence of an interdimensional travel machine seems unlikely."
"Ah… I should've expected that…" And their hopes vanished as fast as they appeared.
"I'm sorry, for getting your hopes up."
"It's fine, don't worry. If that's the case, we should just keep looking for another way. Don't you think the same, pal?" The Slayer nodded.
And then, they heard a noise nearby.
"Hm? What's that sound?" Uzume was the first to ask.
"This… is my N-Gear's ringtone." Nepgear found that surprising. "But… there is no reception here. Why…?"
"A call? From who?" said Neptune.
"Uhm…" And then, her expression brightened as she shouted, "Ah…! It's Histy! Sis, I'm getting a call from Histoire!"
"Really?! I never expected her to have an interdimensional calling feature! Lucky us!" The sisters were really excited, and nobody could blame them for that. None of them thought it would be possible to communicate in such a convenient way. As the purple goddess said, it was luck. "Ah! Histy can be pretty impatient, so better pick up the call quickly."
"Yes, it's me."
"Ah, is that you, Nepgear?" The worried voice of the woman called Histoire could be heard from the N-Gear. "Thank goodness, I finally could contact you. Is Neptune with you?"
"Yes. Sis is also here."
"Howdy, Histy! It's been a while, you been ok?"
"I am relieved to know both of you are fine. You suddenly disappeared, so I was incredibly worried."
"I'm sorry. We tried so many times to contact you, Histy." Then Nepgear realized something. "It's true, we should do something about that. Mr. VEGA, could you help me to secure this line? We're in another dimension, so it could be difficult to establish a connection the next time."
"Eh…? VEGA? Who are you talking to?" Histoire was confused. "W-Wait a minute, do you already know you are in another dimension?" She was clearly dumbfounded.
"Heh heh. Naïve, very naïve, Histy. We've already figure out we're in another dimension over here. How 'bout that!"
"Gearsy, you can use my Visual Radio if you want." Uzume joined the conversation.
"I think this place's equipment can help you with that." And Umio too.
"'Gearsy'? What…? Wait, who are you?" Histoire didn't know from where to start anymore. "How many people are with you, Nepgear?"
"From where should we begin?..." Even the little sister needed time to collect his thoughts.
It took her some minutes, but she managed to explain what happened so far. Despite the cheerful tone of the conversation at the beginning, things eventually turned out serious, as it was bound to be.
I still remember vividly what happened that day, and although knowing that anyone who watched that event from afar would describe it as an unsettling experience, I prefer to think I learned—or rather, remembered—a very important thing, I'm not all-powerful.
Probably, the time I spent in my prison made me grow overconfident. The perpetual sight of my dreams becoming reality and my ability to control everything in my surroundings intoxicated me, blinded me, and hid the truth below layers and layers of my own delusions.
The day I met him was the day I could open my eyes after a long time. Now, the memory of me believing my powers were absolute and limitless just makes me laugh.
Yes, all changed that day, when the Khan Maykr called the Dark Lord, so I could receive his aid to raze Gamindustri.
Well, that makes sense, the idea of an angel commanding a demon army is pretty weird, I told her, looking at the yellow and glowing energy on her raised hands, without paying any attention to the weight of her previous words.
"He should have noticed my signal by now." She stopped casting and slowly lowered her arms. "He is here."
Is that so? I was still unaware of what was about to happen to me and so, at that very moment, I began to feel a sudden uneasiness. Maybe it was just my lack of practice with the Essence, or maybe my instincts were giving me a warning. Maybe both of them.
What…? That was the last thing I could think of, before feeling what I soon would come to remember as a horrifying power. Everything around me quickly became fuzzy, rendering me unable to focus my sight—along all my other senses—where I wanted.
I'm sure the Khan Maykr was aware of it, or at least had an idea of the situation. She began to look her surroundings, since the haze where I manifested and communicated with her was revolving chaotically.
I sensed your presence before. You do not belong here… Then, as it everything happening so far wasn't enough, an unknown and unsettling voice echoed through what was left of my vanishing consciousness. I could swear I felt a chill running down my back when I heard him, as if even my real body was being influenced by him.
Nor any other world I know about. Luckily, he sounded intrigued rather than angry. Yet you are similar to me. But the more he talked to me, the more I felt like every part of my mind and body was being watched. He was analyzing me, and I opened the door when decided to appear in that form in the temple, since that monster, the Dark Lord, was perfectly capable of controlling the Essence… and probably my Negative Energy too. I could do the same after all, but not at that level.
Immortal, and sensitive to the energies that act as the very foundations of your world. His gaze was penetrating into the deepest parts of my soul while I was unable to do anything to resist. My stupid overconfidence put me in such a dire situation so I ended up there, paying the consequences. A deity, unknown to me, probably created at some point by him…
It was… terrifying… Many years had passed since that day, when I lost a 'something' very precious to me, yet it happened once more. This time, it was the 'something' I acquired after I went through a seemingly endless suffering in the world that saw me born, after I was casted away into my accursed prison: the control I had over my own powers, over myself.
The fact you are in that form implies you are locked up as many others, but the nature of the place where you came from appears to be different from the rest's… At that point, I was wondering if at least my memories weren't scrutinized by him. Why did you call me?
"That goddess requires your aid."
Speak. Then, I was immediately released from his grip to being able to answer, showing me how everything he had done to me so far was so insignificant that he could undo it at any moment.
The Khan Maykr told me you could lend me the might of the Dark Realm. My tone changed completely, as my life could be at risk if I incurred his rage with some show of disrespect. And so, I rushed to offer him a good deal. I was also told that you seek for worlds to consume, so I think we could reach to an agreement, since—
What you seek is revenge. I knew he wasn't inside my mind anymore, yet somewhat he quickly understood what I wanted to do. I don't want to imply he was capable of feeling any kind of empathy or sympathy towrads me—as I still think that's impossible for such monster—, but to say I got the feeling he was somewhat familiarized to the type of goal I had, so he could anticipate my words.
In any case, I had one thing for sure at that moment.
Yes, I do, I answered with determination, since the Dark Realm's help felt closer than before…
And the talk continued.
It's true the two planeptunian sisters met good people and made new friends, but topics like the state of the Zero Dimension, the Dark CPU, and Arfoire were inevitable. However, that was far from being the most important problem.
"I understand… So Gamindustri might not be at peace for too long after all…" She sighed before continuing, since when they talked about that matter, it didn't take her too long to understand the serious threat they represented. "We are relatively busy right now, but we cannot ignore this. I will alert the other nations of the continent, and try to do the same with overseas countries."
"I just sent you all the information we have. It isn't just stuff recorded here, but in Mars and Hell as well."
"Thank you very much, Nepgear." Her tone of voice showed how worried she was. "I do not doubt our military or what you mentioned about Shares' effect on Argent, but if they can strike at any moment without warning, then every advantage against those demons will surely prove to be useful. It is more, I cannot express my gratitude to all of you for taking care of these sisters."
"No, it's nothing. I also owe a lot to Gearsy and Nepsy."
"Indeed. And thanks to them, this place is livelier than usual."
"I'm sorry we're giving you more work, Histy…"
"No, do not worry, Nepgear. If anything, I should thank you everyone for telling me about those creatures and their dimension. Now we can do more in case of any eventuality."
"Y-You're welcome…"
"Now, onto the next topic. I got a solution to the fact we have three persons and an AI in the wrong dimension. By mediating through the N-Gear, and linking a transfer device from your side and another from my side, it is possible to transfer the four of you. Yes, I included you too, Slayer and VEGA, because I cannot send you to a third location unless you are here."
"Wait," interrupted the little sister, "wouldn't it be dangerous to open a gate to Hell?" The Hell Walker thought the same.
"I pretend to transfer them quickly to Mars, a safe location as they informed me, so you can rest assured. Besides, this is the least I can do to thank them for all they did for you two and our world." Then, she got an idea. "And talking about giving my thanks, I will also leave your weapons' blueprints in good hands right now, so you could get back your arsenal while you stay with us."
And those were the best news the Slayer could hear since he came to the Zero Dimension.
"Oooh! Just as expected of Histy!" shouted Neptune. She was the only person that could act so calm after that serious talk. "It makes me proud to see how you suddenly became so high-spec!"
Histoire didn't mind it, since she was used to it already, and lighten the mood wasn't something necessarily bad. "However, the transfer will require energy in exchange, for a large quantity of Shares from our world will be consumed, so please understand that."
"If we get back home, that's easy stuff. Nepgear will do her best, right?"
"Only me?!"
"Do not joke with me. This is also your job, Neptune. When you go back, I will make you work as if there is no tomorrow, got it?"
"Eh… Then, I wonder if I should stay in this world forever."
"D-Don't say that, let's go back." Thinking she could be separated from her sister again made her sound like she was begging her. "I'll also help you, so let's do our best together. Okay, sis?"
"Will you really help me out?! Yay!"
"Good grief, she is so spoiled because you always treat her like that, Nepgear…"
"By the way, Histy," said Neptune, "we're already in a place with a transfer device."
"Really?"
"But," pointed Nepgear, "this device appears to be only capable of performing spatial transfers within the same dimension. Even so, will it be ok?"
"Yes, as long as there is one, there will not be any problem. Then, I will use the transfer device you are connected right now."
"Guess you're about to go back home," Uzume said.
"It seems so," replied Neptune. "I wanted to return quickly but… now I'm kinda reluctant about it."
"Yeah… I thought this would happen one day, yet I never expected I'd be by myself again so soon." The redhead sounded somewhat down. "But you know, even if I just met you all some days ago, it was incredibly funny."
"Take care of yourself too, Gearsy," added Umio.
"Y-Yes. But I'm sorry. Although you helped us a lot, I couldn't discover anything about the state of this world yet."
"Don't let that worry you, Gearsy. After this, I'll take my time to investigate."
This was bugging the Slayer too. He wanted to return to Mars to retrieve the Crucible, and passing through Gamindustri was the perfect opportunity to get his arsenal back and studying thoroughly the Share Energy, that proved capable of purging demons and Argent alike.
However, even if all the possible culprits of the Zero Dimension's disaster were already dead, he still felt that there was something off, that one piece of the puzzle was missing.
"Eh?... This is strange, I cannot access to the device over there." For better or worse, Fate wanted them to stay for a little longer.
It's surprising, to say the least, the negotiation went smoothly after that near-death experience. I ended accepting his terms though, which were basically to offer Gamindustri to the Dark Realm, condemning an entire world as a result.
Despite knowing his powers by first hand, I'm not a pushover that would agree out of fear to everything he said to me. If I were to give a reason, it'd be he showed me what happen to the souls there.
He showed me what happens in the Soul Spires…
Words aren't enough to describe the destiny of every sentient being consumed by the demons. Such towers contain millions and millions of creatures trapped in jails, packed without caring that their bones are pulverized and their flesh squashed, awaiting even worse horrors.
Some of them are the chosen ones, and are tortured until the slightest traces of consciousness and hope are no more, for that is necessary to process their souls into Argent. Those who aren't selected are casted away and left to suffer in a horrid place called the Blood Swamps for countless years, where the same fate is waiting for them after eons of suffering.
To think there is so much more after death and beyond my prison and Gamindustri. To think the souls—the substance that makes life itself—is palpable and the base of a form of energy, and aren't just the Shares and Negative Energy's source. If not for that old priest, I'd still be keeping my limited conception of the existence.
How could I not accept a bargain that would send their souls there?
I honestly feel really excited right now. So many doors opening, so many possibilities, so many new ways to carry out the righteous judgement against that people.
I'm in my prison right now, surrounded by the ruins of what I wished to be Gamindustri. Yes, wished, since with all I've seen so far, now this cannot be enough for them.
The scene before me is slowly changing, as my old 'dream' for that dimension is no more.
But I need some references to give it an accurate aspect. Maybe I'll take a stroll in an already consumed world later.
In the hideout's first floor there was one of those unusual moments, a rare sight that even deserved a photo: Neptune had a serious expression.
Uzume decided to do something about it, since it worried her to see her friend like that. Thus, the redhead approached to girl, who was looking outside through the window in front of her.
"'Sup, Nepsy?"
"Hmm…" She didn't answer.
"Hey, Nepsy!"
"Hmm…" No answer yet.
"Alright. Plan B." She placed her megaphone between her and Neptune. "HEY!"
"WAH!" She immediately startled and nearly fell onto one of the window's frames.
"So… wanna tell me what happen?"
"Woah!" Neptune stumbled a bit before regain her balance. "That was close… Don't do that again, I almost was a goner!"
"You'll be fine, you're a CPU." She gave her a thumbs up.
"But still could hurt…"
"Anyways, mind to tell me what's up? You face seemed… disturbingly serious."
"That was rude! I can take things seriously if I want!" Despite the joke, Uzume's expression really showed she was worried. "Take a look…" Neptune said while pointing the window. There was no reason to hide it after all.
"Gearsy and the Slayer?" She didn't get it. "Something wrong with them?" They were searching through the rubble outside for a component to the transfer device, since the machine couldn't work without it when Histoire tried to use it. The other problem was it needed a good energy supply.
"It's been 4 hours already... I feel they're overexerting…"
But she still didn't find anything weird with it. "Aren't they always like that? I mean, VEGA, told us why they need to return to Mars, and Gearsy… well, she likes those technological things."
"Maybe you're right, but…" Neptune scratched her hair a bit, trying find a good way to say it. "It just… lately, Nepgear seems bothered by something…"
"Really?"
"Yup, her face says it all."
"I see…" It's not like Uzume could doubt her friend, since those sisters seemed very close, and it wouldn't be a surprise if one of them could notice even the slightest change of the other. "Any guess of what's troubling her?"
"No idea!"
"Don't be so confident when saying that…" After some seconds, she got two options. "Gearsy is the one that's been investigating about this world the most and didn't find anything yet."
"Yes… it could be that…."
"The other option is about the demons." Uzume saw how Neptune raised her brows in surprise when heard the word. "Maybe she's worried about another invasion."
"Didn't VEGA say it'd took them a while to return? But yeah, it could that too."
"And what about the Slayer?"
"Well… he's still like that."
"Good point."
Although it had only been a few days, the girls and him had already passed through many different things, but the Hell Walker didn't pay too much attention to anything unrelated to the demons yet. Despite Neptune's best efforts to change that, there barely was any progress. She somehow managed to convince him to eat with everyone last time, but she couldn't get rid of the feeling that he thought of her as a nuisance.
That didn't mean she'd surrender though.
"I wanted to ask them, but we could only get an answer from Nepgear."
"I believed you could give Gearsy a present to cheer her up, since you'd surely know what to get… but that won't be his case…"
They were running out of options, but Neptune finally came up with a solution. "Then, at the end games are the best option! Don't matter what is troubling you, playing games together will make all your worries will fly away." The Slayer was often present during the girls' chit-chatting, but they never saw him paying any attention to whatever they said… and games were a common topic.
Despite that, it wasn't a reason for Neptune to give up either, or at least she wouldn't let it to be so.
"Why not? We could give it a shot. Let's stop looking for parts for now and go to the arcade to have some fun!"
And so, they decided what they'd do with those two. After talking to Umio about it, the three of them managed to convince the Slayer and Nepgear to take a rest.
"Hahahahaha!" Far away, hidden somewhere in the forest west of Jingu Sakura Park, Croire was laughing.
"Shut up…"
"HAHAHAHAHA!" Croire was laughing a lot.
"Shut up!" Arfoire furiously grabbed the fairy-like being with her hands and began to squeeze her.
"Gah—!" And she immediately lost her breath. "R-Release me, hag!"
"Then do not mock me again!"
"Alright…" She barely could say that word. "I'm sorry… and… release… me…"
"Good."
"Ah… dammit… that was close…"
"I hope you learned your lesson."
"But it's funny—"
"IT IS NOT!"
"At least we can agree the green dude is a badass, right?"
"Why do you say that?" The purple hag was angry.
"He broke your neck in an instant, threw your corpse like if it were trash, all while you had the most epic dead expression I've ever seen. You know, with your tongue coming out of your mouth and your eyes looking at different sides— Pft! HAHAHA! What a legend!"
"DAMMIT!" She grabbed Croire once more.
"Ok ok, I'm sorry!"
"You little…!" Arfoire took a long breath, trying to calm herself. "I cannot kill you yet, sadly… you're still useful."
"Don't get me wrong, but aren't you exaggerating a bit? If you could come back after such instakill, doesn't that mean you're pretty capable, powerful, immortal or something the like?"
For just an instant, Arfoire looked terrifed, as is she just remembered a horrible experience. "Coming back has… consequences… Anyways, we have work to do: they'll try to escape and from this dimension and we must stop them." The witch didn't mention that she gave her that information.
In fact, attacking the goddesses and the Doom Slayer was just her desire, since the only order she received was to carry out the new experiment and that she could do whatever she wanted with said intel.
"Ok…" Croire didn't ask more, since it was clearly a complicated topic and wasn't in the mood to hear about some boring trauma. "Say, what's your plan now? If it involves those creatures tell me in advance. Those 'reinforcements' almost killed us yesterday."
The Hellgate was opened near Arfoire's position. She was expecting them to obey her, but to her surprise, they monsters had no trace of reason in them, only bloodlust. With the unexpected turn of events, they split up during the attack, and while the purple witch decided to continue with the plan, Croire hid atop of a tree and took advantage of her small size to stay between its leaves, avoiding either ground and flying fiends.
"They're demons, REAL demons, and more of them are coming."
"Ugh… shit."
"Shut up, insect. What you saw yesterday were mostly cannon fodder. Greater demons will set foot in this world today."
"You're not making me feel safe!"
"Those allies are not mindless beasts."
"I hope so. I wanna record this world's end, NOT my end." Then, Croire made the important question, "Whatever… By the way, do you think they'll be enough to kill the green fella? Cuz I don't think you can summon the Dark Goddess again."
"Yes, I don't have the energy to create another. But fear not, those demons' help will suffice, and this time I'll make full use of my abilities. Also, you still have the power of the otherworldly CPU, right?"
"Yup, wanna take it now?"
"Not yet. It'll be our secret weapon, our last resource.
Fuck, not again!
Outside the hideout, problems seemed to follow them, and no one could doubt that. No matter where they went, they were always attacked by something or someone.
Their bad luck didn't end there, as the arcade's cabinets were all broken. Most of them were already in a bad shape, but Uzume thought at least a couple of them were still working. They got their hopes up when they met Fried Shrimp taking a stroll inside that building though, because it told them about another arcade north of Jingu Sakura Park, in a neighboring city. After they ate their lunch, thy asked the Baby Bug to be their guide, and it accepted.
After convincing the Slayer to follow them, telling him they could also search for the piece in that place, and alternating between long walks across the Zero Dimension's wastelands and boarding the few functional trains—or any automatized transports—they found, the group reached their destination at the afternoon.
Sadly, the problems didn't end yet. Soon after getting into the city, the Slayer left them behind as he sprinted at high speed towards the arcade. VEGA explained what happened to the dumbfounded group…
"Ha… Ha… We did it… the arcade… I'm dying…" Everyone was tired after running that distance, but Neptune could barely breath.
"Gotta find the Hell Crests… Gearsy, can't you use your N-Gear to locate them?" Uzume asked worried.
The first room they entered was a mess. Most of the lights still worked, and their many vivid colors gave the area a curious illumination. However, a lot of cabinets were destroyed and there were demons and monsters' corpses and their entrails scattered across the floor.
"It has a small radar, but I'm picking lots of signals…"
"I will mark in red the unknown energy sources," said VEGA, "as they should be Argent."
"Thank you…! Oh! They're close!"
And just when she said that, Umio and Fried Shrimp brought a lot of Hell Crests. They were identical to the Baby Bugs, with exception of their green color.
"Yes, we found them all, Gearsy."
Now they could calm down a bit.
"What happened here exactly?" said Uzume, while keeping an eye on the room's entrances.
"Dangerous monsters started living in here just a little while ago, so we left and went to nearby buildings," one of the Crests explained the situation. "But some hours ago, monsters we've never seen before came to the city and we ended up cornered here. After that, they began to fight each other."
"Is everybody alright?" spoke Neptune. Surely the demons were part of the invasion's remnants.
"Yes, a huge person with a green armor appeared some minutes ago and defeated all of them. It's more, as soon as they saw him, half of them tried to attack him together but couldn't even make him a scratch!"
"Yeah… that's the Slayer for ya." The planeptunian goddess wasn't surprised by that anymore. The 'half of them' were surely the demons, that afraid of him decided to collaborate.
"You know him? Because it was… to be honest… a bit scary to see that massacre."
"Trust me, he might be a bit brutal once in a while, but deep down he's a good guy. Right, Nepsy? Gearsy? Umio?"
"Yup."
"Yeah."
"Yes."
"You see?"
"I understand. Thank you very much!"
"Nah, there's no need to be so formal—!" And the redhead remembered something important. "Oh, almost forgot, where is he? We should lend him a hand. I mean, I suppose he already trust us more."
"About that…" The Candidate showed her the N-Gear. Uzume saw how the red dots had disappeared, and a second later, the Slayer came into the room. "Oh, there you are. If not for you coming here so quickly the Hell Crest would've been attacked. But you could've told us about the demons, you know? We can move fast if we transform."
He pointed to the N-Gear and VEGA spoke, "He most likely holds your abilities in high regard, and that is why I think he does not want you to exhaust or to deplete your crystals, as they are the best way to defeat the demons."
"Oh… that's true, we spent a lot in that battle…"
"All right everybody, the place is safe, let's play!" Neptune only cared about that.
Luckily, it didn't take too much to find some cabinets in good shape, and above all, in a room without gibs.
"This one looks good, come, you two!" There were four cabinets in a row to play as a team in a rail shooter. One of them didn't work, but neither Umio nor the bugs have hands, and Uzume wanted the Slayer and Nepgear to play first; that was the idea since the beginning.
After that, just a couple of minutes were enough to impress the girls.
"No way!" When the final score showed up in the screens, Neptune was the last one for a great difference.
"Amazing…" And even Nepgear couldn't get close to the Slayer.
"Now I really wish to know what could happen if you had your arsenal back. Uzume, wanna take my place?"
"Really? Thanks, Nepsy!"
She gave her the gun, and stayed back with Umio. Fried Shrimp and the Hell Crests were on other machines playing, so the seaman took the opportunity to talk to the goddess.
"Uzume has only been concerned with the giant, and it has been a long time for me as well… As I expected, the expression she has right now really suits her."
"She's really enjoying herself. I think it's the first time I'm seeing her like this."
"And not just her, Gearsy is in a better mood too, and even the Slayer is with them."
"We can say the plan was a success, right?"
"Indeed. Despite his lack of interest on other persons and his brutality, the fact he stopped at least two demonic invasions, and battled against them in Hell for years, is undeniable. He deserves a little break."
"Yup, that's why I brought him here." Neptune smiled. "Today, there is no reason for anyone here to worry."
"Sis, don't you want to play?" And when Nepgear turned to her sister, she saw something behind her, in the next room. "Ah…! That is…!" And sprinted towards it.
The others followed her, and…
"This silhouette and equipment… they're maybe military-grade weapons." The Candidate was inspecting a broken robot in the corner, and judging by the damage, it probably was a victim of the recent attack. "And it's just a guess by looking at the frame it's using, but its AI is probably two generations old, though I'm just guiding me by what I've seen in our world." She was really pumped.
Its remains were laying on the floor, but even so, it was easy to notice the robot was quite tall. Despite its humanoid silhouette, it had canons instead of forearms and hands, and had another one mounted on its left shoulder. Moreover, it had a coat of green paint that was often seen on military gear.
"Looks like the normal Nepgear came back… although I have absolutely no idea what she what just said."
"It might have some especial program or armament included in it." She began to dig into the wreckage. "Sis, can I dismantle this robot?" Her eyes were sparkling.
"Sure, but don't make a mess… well, don't make an even worse mess."
"Yes, understood. From where should I start?" She was in her own world. "From the chest? Or maybe the head? But begin in order from the feet sounds good too… Wait…!" From one of the holes left by the demons, she saw certain part inside of it, and that quickly brought her back to reality.
"What's up?" asked Uzume.
"I found a replacement for the core parts of the transfer device! It's more, now that I notice, part of its armament is in good condition too, and it resembles to one of the Slayer's weapons! I could even try to craft it now!"
Inside her office, on her desk, certain girl with black hair and twintails was reading some text in her right screen at great speed, and also was watching some videos on her left screen at the same time.
"More than sixty thousand… most of them turned into those… things."
All the content the Planeptune's oracle sent her was disturbing to say the least. One could even feel the tension in the air when she was learning about the new threat.
"Hm? Is this late already?"
She couldn't get away her eyes from that information for hours so, before she knew it, the sun was setting. What it was supposed to be her free time for her hobbies was gone, and that was just the beginning of her problems.
"Anyways, I think I learned enough for now…" Or rather, she couldn't endure more of it.
Noire got up and walked to her window. The sight from the Basillicom was always beautiful but, at this hour, the evening light made the commonly blackish and gray buildings shine with distinctive colors, creating a unique and captivating effect that couldn't be found in other nations.
"And to think Histoire found this while we're in a bad moment."
She took her time to contemplate the city, as she needed some minutes to process all. With the Shifting Period occurring, affecting both her Shares and reputation, she had her hands full already.
However, that didn't mean she could be slacking now and putting Lastation at risk. It wasn't just her country, but everyone's, and she loved their citizens as much as they loved her, probably even more. Stopping for a second just due to a trivial fatigue would be a crime.
She'd never leave the sight in front of her to end like in the Argent D'Nur and Mars' photos and videos.
"I must do something, and it must be now." Caring only of her people and not others could lead to a misunderstanding, but she had a good reason to think like that. Noire knew she wasn't the only one who would take quick action on this matter, as the other goddesses and Histoire were surely working right now on their respective countermeasures.
The CPU went back to her desk, and began to write a document. She was hoping to prepare at least a basic plan by today.
"We need two protocols: Before and during an invasion." Luckily, her speed writing matched her thoughts' speed. "Being always ready to act… The Argent sensors' blueprints that Histoire sent me will be the cornerstone in all this, along with a quick response from the army and the Shares' effect on Argent."
It wasn't a good idea to involve them in anything, as it could be used to affect her reputation, but it didn't matter when a demon army could invade Gamindustri at any moment. Just in case, Noire decided to conceal the problem from the population for now. She'd schedule a meeting with the other goddesses and nations' representatives later, as they need to came to an agreement about what they'd tell to the citizens.
"Detecting Hellgates isn't enough, they could be created here too." According to the information, the creatures are able to influence the mind of some individuals. "Gore Nests… they require biomass. We need keep an eye on disappearances, deaths, grave desecrations and, anomalies on the monsters' population… This won't only involve the army, but also other departments…"
As the time passed and the document kept growing, she started to realize her work could probably be more than she could handle.
"I just hope no portals have been created yet."
Then, she remembered something important.
"I need to have ready his weapons too." The existence of the Doom Slayer was part of the few things that were reassuring. He wasn't just an unstoppable demon killing machine, but also helped her best friend and her sister that were lost in the Zero Dimension, and that alone was enough reason to help Planeptune's oracle to manufacture his arsenal. The other CPUs thought the same, though Noire would never say it aloud, as it'd be too embarrassing. "Some of them are similar to ours, some could be replicated, but I have no idea how could we build that thing when we don't have any Argent here… Whatever, surely Vert will come up with something."
To ease the work, the weapons blueprints were divided among the four nations.
"But… to open a portal here… I hope it's the right decision." She didn't oppose to the idea, as she had plenty of confidence in Histoire's judgement, and because the Slayer could teach them one thing or two about the demons or how to fight them. The first-hand experience was really valuable, but she still felt a bit uneasy. "No, no time to think about it. Focus… We could have small quick response teams and… Ehm… I… Ugh…!"
And Noire finally reached her limit.
"I… need help…" The first person coming to her mind was Uni, as she demonstrated her capabilities since ASIC's attack. In fact, the little sister often helped her with the paperwork.
However, that won't be enough, but the goddess knew who would be up to the job too.
She took her phone, and made a call to an old acquaintance. She was a very special person, with many talents that allowed her to keep pace with Noire herself in work-related matters.
"Come on, don't make wait."
And as expected of her, she answered the call quickly.
"It's me, Noire. I know this might be sudden, but I got a job for you, Kei."
Before he knew it, the Doom Slayer was with the toy gun in hand, about to play with the girls, and of course, he was surprised by his own behavior once more. Accepting to follow them just to get an insignificant possibility of finding the component wasn't a good reason, and he was pretty conscious of it.
He respected the girls, but not to the point of losing his time playing. He liked videogames and couldn't deny it, but normally he would've ignored his desires to play, or rather, he didn't feel like returning to that hobby anymore, as his priorities forbid him to do so.
But now things were a bit different. They attained a perfect victory against the Dark Goddess, and they just have to worry about the few demons that were far from the Sharing Field's range. Also, they probably wouldn't go back in a long time, and once he's in Gamindustri, it would still take some time to gather the necessary quantity of Shares to send him back to Mars.
It was the perfect moment to enjoy himself, and he didn't want to waste the opportunity. Thus, he made and exception and decided to not rush things for at least that moment.
Curiously, he was rewarded by that decision, as not only they found what they needed to repair the transfer device, but also to craft him a weapon.
Right now, the group were again at the transfer device's room after they ate their dinner. Nepgear was focusing on the reparations, the other girls and Umio were chatting, and the Slayer was checking his new Heavy Assault Rifle.
Using the blueprints, she modified one of the robot's high caliber weapons, and having such a good starting point, she didn't even need the additional tools she mentioned hours ago, since the ones she always carried were enough. Naturally, its armament was quite big and heavy for a person, but that was just what the Slayer needed. With his strength and the plasma sword to heat the metal, he followed the Candidate instructions and crafted some small parts like a grip and a trigger, and so, was able to finish the rifle.
There was no need to do that, as he would get his arsenal once in Gamindustri, but she was so pumped by the idea of making an extra-dimensional weapon that they ended up staying some time until she finished. She promised it wouldn't take her too much, but they returned to the hideout at night, proving her wrong. Anyways, he didn't complain, since they still have to deal with the energy problem, so having a weapon while waiting wasn't a bad idea.
At any rate, she even did her best to approach the design not only in functionality, but also in aspect. Aside the imperfections caused by the manual manufacturing and the green color of some parts, the rifle was really similar to the original.
She also took some of the robot's lens and used it to make the Tactical Scope modification, making a perfect weapon for medium and long-range combat.
"I did it! The repairs were successful," announced Nepgear.
"That's great," said Uzume. "With this you can finally go back to your world."
"But, when I think about all the work I'll have to do when I return, I don't feel precisely happy…" Neptune was lazy as always. "Ha… I already see myself being scolded by Histy."
"Do you mean like this?" That was Historie's voice.
"Yup. It was just like… eh? Histy?!" It took her a second to realize. "Why are we in a call with her?!"
"Sorry, sis. I just finished the repairs, so I called her right away."
"I answered the call while I was really anticipating your return, but to think I would only be hearing your complaints…" She was angry. "If you desire so, only Nepgear could come back, while you may stay in that world forever."
"C'mon, Histy. There's no way that's how I'm feeling. I mean, it was one of those so-called Nep-jokes that are so popular on Planeptune nowadays."
"What are you talking about…? Whatever, it is fine. I need you to come back first to lecture you."
"…Eh?"
He got already used to the refreshing feeling of being surrounded by so many people, but he still found fascinating how a lot of their exchanges appeared to be comic routines. It almost was like they practiced beforehand…
"Well then, now that the device is repaired," interrupted Umio, "the next step is solving the energy problem."
"If that's the case, why won't we use these?" The redhead took a bunch of things from her pocket.
"Are those… Share Crystals? We can't use such valuable things." Obviously Nepgear opposed to the idea, and the Slayer nodded in agreement.
"That's right, you cannot transform without them!" Even Neptune thought it was a bad idea. "What will you do if the demons come back?"
"I know I'd spend them, but what other option we have? The last power sources remaining in the Zero Dimension are barely able to sustain some buildings. I doubt they could even turn on the device, let alone power an interdimensional travel. Umio, it's better if you say it, since you know about this."
"It is… true…" It was hard for him to admit it. "Between my own travels, and the Baby Bugs and Dogoos' information… they never found something that was in conditions to power a machine like this… I am truly sorry… that was the reason I mentioned the problem instead of offering you a solution."
"The demons shouldn't return anytime soon, right? If I need them again, I just need to gather more. Is this okay, Umio?"
"Yes. Absolutely. I agree with you." Even the most serious person among them replied without hesitating. "At this moment, they are finding more crystals for her. I promise you all that we will be prepared."
Her reasons to propose that were really good, and no one could think of a counterargument. The Slayer didn't oppose anymore, since he knew they would eventually leave that world, and it was better if it didn't take him too much. That place, as many other dimensions, will always being at risk if he didn't do something about it.
That thought strengthen his determination to put an end to the Dark Realm.
"What do you think?" Neptune turned to the Slayer, and he nodded in response. She smiled and looked again at the redhead. "So it has to be like this… Thanks, Uzume! We'll never forget you."
"Yes, neither will I. I definitely won't forget you, everyone."
"Then, Nepgear." Histoire, watching how they solved the last problem, continued. "Enter the coordinates I specify in the N-gear. Me and VEGA will take control of the interdimensional transfer afterwards."
"Wait!" The Candidate interrupted her. "Uzume, I really wanted you to come with us…" She couldn't resist the urges to say it any longer, and her sister finally understood that was the reason she was troubled. "But… I know you have to stay here, because…"
"I'm the only one that could stop them. It's fine, I get it." Her new friend smiled. "Gearsy, Nepsy, and also you, Slayer, you're very kind. And to think you care so much about me… I also regret that this is how things work, but—"
However, VEGA's voice didn't let her finish. "The Praetor Suit is detecting an immense quantity of Argent Energy nearby," And those words were enough to change all their plans. "It appears a new Hellgate has been opened."
Everyone was in shock; something they thought impossible just a moment ago now was coming true.
"But how…? How could they come back so soon?!" shouted Uzume, refusing to believe it as everyone else.
After a moment, the Slayer was the first one in react, and sprinted towards the source.
As soon as he was outside the building, he saw it: a massive demon force was quickly advancing through the street. It was just a matter of time before they reached the facility.
From little Imps accompanied by Hell Knights marching at the front, to Hell Razers and Mancubus on the rear, they didn't look like a disorganized horde.
"There probably is a greater mind controlling them this time," said VEGA.
The transfer device was their only chance to leave, and he wouldn't allow them to destroy it. He was almost sure they somehow know about its existence, but fortunately, he was in better conditions to fight now.
He ran at them, while putting the rifle's scope in front of his eyes and sniping them without reducing his speed. The high caliber bullet perforated an Imp's head and blew off a big chunk of it.
Tests were made beforehand, but it was reassuring to know there wasn't any recoil or weird feedback with each shot. The Heavy Assault Rifle made by Nepgear worked perfectly.
"Flyer monsters approaching by your sides." Cacodemons and Gargoyles appeared from about the buildings and were trying to flank him, but before he could aim at them, a laser beam came from behind and vaporized a lot of demons on the left side, while two flying figures engaged in combat with the demons on the right.
"Let's close that portal!" shouted Purple Heart from the distance. Orange Heart was with her.
The Slayer finally clashed with the horde, and the first thing he did was shooting at a Hell Knights' head and using the plasma sword on his other hand to perforate his already wounded skull, killing it.
One fiend after another quickly fell. Imps had their heads severed, blew up or crushed by his hands or feet. A Pinky charged at him, but the Slayer jumped onto its back and perforated his spine with the sword. A Hell Razer was about to fire, but he immediately took its arm and pointed it towards its face, making it vaporize its head before it reacted.
The next target was a Mancubus nearby, but Purple Heart joined him and stabbed its chest. "Nepgear will take care of the flyers." The demon's body burst and a disgusting stench of putrefaction came out of it. "Ugh…! What was that…?!" It was her first time killing one of those after all.
"Wah!" Orange Heart send a big shockwave that immediately killed a big chunk of lesser demons. "Hi!" She waved her hand for a moment before continuing the fight.
Things were apparently going well so far, since the demons were falling as nothing. Once more, the Slayer and the CPUs proved to be too much for them. Piles of corpses where quickly growing.
However, it was impossible to hold the line with just four persons, and from time to time some demons crossed and approached to the facility so, instead of keep advancing, they were slowly falling back to kill them.
"We're too close to the transfer device!" Purple Heart was the first goddess to realize that. "We need a new strat—!"
"Hahahahaha! Move forward, monsters! Kill them and destroy that machine!"
"Eh…?" The group were taken by surprise by that voice, that came from the other street.
"It's Arfoire! It's alive!" Purple Sister shouted from above. "And brought a monster army with her from the other side."
And that was the reason why the demons came back, nobody thought otherwise. But they would investigate later how the witch survived, now the problem was the numbers, hundreds of creatures were coming at them. They could still defeat them, but there was no way they could prevent them from destroying the device.
"I'm detecting a powerful demonic presence coming from the Hellgate to our direction," warned him VEGA. It probably was the demon commander or some powerful subordinate of its, but it was impossible to reach it at that moment.
"Ah…! I have an idea! I'll go back to the facility! Get me some minutes!"
"Nepgear?!" Purple Heart lost her concentration for an instant and a Hell Baron almost land a hit on her, but the Slayer blew up its already injured head with a headshot. Then he took its broken horn and used it to stab a nearby Mancubus' stomach.
"Trust her, Nepsy! She must have a good plan!"
In a couple of minutes, they were at the facility entrance. Once there, the group went inside in no time, closed all the doors, and even brought down some of the building's external parts to create a debris' wall, getting more time.
Inside the transfer device's room, the Candidate was in her human form with her N-Gear in hand.
"What are you doing, Gearsy?" asked the CPU. "And where is Umio?" He was nowhere to be seen.
"Alright, my preparations are complete," said Histoire. "VEGA, is everything ready from your side?"
"Yes, once we have the energy, we could begin. Also, the powerful demonic presence is outside the facility."
They could hear how the demons and monsters where slowly making their way into the room, so he couldn't go outside without putting the machine at risk.
"I told him about a safe escape route when I made it here. I found the path when I was fighting against the flyer demons." She turned to Purple Heart. "Sis, the device will be destroyed soon no matter what we do, so let's go back to Gamindustri now."
"But we cannot leave Uzume here!"
"We're the only ones who can gather the Shares to do this again so…" And now she turned to the Slayer, "Could you stay with her? With your help, you two can surely close the Hellgate." She handed her N-Gear to the Slayer and smiled with confidence. "And if you keep this, I'm sure I'll be able to locate you. If I'm in Planeptune, I can figure out how to bring you with us."
Today, the girl repaired a very complex machine and crafted him a weapon without problems, so if she said she could still bring him to her world, she couldn't be wrong. He was amazed that she came up with such idea just an instant after seeing Arfoire was still alive.
Thus, he nodded in agreement.
"Thanks. I marked Umio's escape route too so you'll find him quickly."
"I see…" Neptune returned to her human form. "Let's go, Nepgear, and… take care of yourselves, and don't overexert, ok?"
The noise was closer, the creatures were about to reach the room. Both sisters entered into the machine.
"Got it, Nepsy! Uzume is going to be okay!" She answered with a smile, took Share Crystals from her inventory, which vanished into a swirl of orange energy that went into the device. "I'm glad I met you both! It was very funny! And don't put that sad face, as there's nothing better than coming home!" The machine turned on and a pilar of yellow light surrounded the sisters.
"Well then, transfer initiated," said Histoire. After a flash, the girls weren't in the Zero Dimension anymore and the device ceased to operate.
"Step aside, beasts," Arfoire shouted from the next room, "the goddesses are mine! I'll show them my true power!"
"Another powerful demonic presence just appeared near the first one," informed him VEGA, "and the N-Gear is also detecting a great quantity of Negative Energy concentrated on one point."
It wasn't necessary to keep the tablet on his hands, so he quickly stored it into his inventory.
"Ready to close the gate, Slaye—? What is that?!"
One of the walls was brought down by an abomination. It was a four-legged beast with purple and red skin, but unlike other quadrupeds, instead of a head, it had a humanoid torso with four arms, a disgusting and big eye atop of it, a giant mouth below, and yellow wings growing out from its back. Also, from above said mouth, there was a small white feminine figure with its eyes closed.
"No! They escaped!" The voice came out from the behemoth, though it was impossible to guess the exact place.
"Eh?! Are you the granny?!" Despite it has more echo, it was undoubtedly the witch's voice.
"Who are you calling granny, you brat?!" It seemed to be a tough opponent, but Orange Heart was ready to fight.
On the Slayer side, he could finally fight freely, so he aimed at Arfoire's giant eye. However, a wave of Argent came from the next room, and he was forced to dodge it.
When he looked at where the attack came from, he got a big surprise, a surprise that made his blood boil.
"Is that a… human?" The CPU wasn't even sure, for she never expected to see a person on the demons' side, especially one that was emanating a thick haze of red Argent Energy. But with a better look, she noticed it was not a normal individual. Its pale skin had an ash gray color and it possessed horns growing out from its head. Its face resembled a skinned skull, as it had a hole instead of a nose, and its sclera were black and the pupils red glowing dots.
But what surprised her the most was its armor because, although didn't cover its whole body, it looked like the Slayer's.
"We finally found you, betrayer," said the humanoid demon, while tightening its grip on its energy axe and shotgun.
"Eh? Do you know him?" When she turned to the Slayer, she got chills. As when they appeared in Jingu Sakura Park, his eyes were emanating an unfathomable rage once more. He noticed her gaze, so he pointed his finger towards Arfoire.
"Got it." Orange Heart immediately understood. She was no opponent for that demon.
And by the Slayer's side, he never expected he'd see one of that traitors after so long, and even less in the Zero Dimension. It was also interesting how the first one in appear was being empowered by what surely was the other demon VEGA mentioned.
Even so, as in any 1 VS 1 battle, the odds were on his favor. But this time Fate decided to bring him a present, as the Marauder's weapons would be a good addition to his new arsenal.
AUTHOR'S NOTES SPECIAL EDITION (NO, I'M NOT DROPPING THIS FIC)
Welp, I did it, more than 10000 words, but I think it's a good way to compensate my long absence—or a proof of my inability to find a good cliffhanger halfway.
What happened to me?
You deserved an explanation. Everything began in February, where the Neptunia Virtual Stars physical copy I bought in Amazon Japan finally arrived (the discount was too good, and despite living in Peru, for some mysterious reason, the shipping is cheaper in Amazon Japan than Amazon US). The game consumed the time I normally spent in write this fic.
The same happened in March with the Ancient Gods Part 2, with its announcement and the release date's leaked, I put the fic on hold until I played the DLC (I want to avoid as much contradictions as I can).
Luckily, I didn't buy Virtual Stars again because there wasn't an Engilsh dub this time.
And in April, my in-person classes began and I kept getting new ideas I wanted to write, hence making this chapter longer.
And that's the story.
Now about the chapter! I'm slowly preparing the setting for future events without stopping paying attention to the characters. Now you can also see one of the other reasons I took away the Slayer's arsenal, it gives me the chance to write what I think it'd be interesting battles. Stay tuned for more surprises.
And lastly, about the last review I received, I'm glad you liked the fic! And… I'm sorry, I didn't think about it and made a mistake. I'll do my best to avoid more of them, I promise you.
In the next episode, the Doom Slayer loots… I mean, gets new weapons!
You people don't know how happy it made me to get new favs and follows during my absence (I almost tear a bit, not gonna lie), which motivates me to keep writing. See you all in the next chapter!
And sorry for keep being a chatterer, I cannot avoid it.