The giant red and white robot was visible from the air, before Blanc descended into the snowy valley, surrounded by mountains from all sides. The altitude here was much higher, and only a few trees could be seen on these barren peaks, covered only by the thick snow blanket that stayed all year round.

Soon, the reason for its curious lack of motion became obvious, as Dameko pushed open the hatch, leaped out, and knelt down next to the smoking boosters. Blanc could see tiny crystal shards all over the robot's wings, now bent in an unnatural direction, as she walked closer.

"Where is she?"

"Down there!" Dameko pointed to what she thought was a natural formation—a giant, angular rock, stuck deeply in the earth. "Darn, she aimed those crystal shots well. Sure bought her enough time to block off the cave entrance."

"Does this cave have other exits?"

"No idea. Only she'd know," Dameko huffed, "And I hope she's trapped herself in a dead end! Do you have your ear muffs on you, Blanny?"

"Of course." Blanc took out the ear muffs from inside her sleeves, and put them on. Not gonna lie, the dolphin decoration on it was pretty adorable.

"Good!" Dameko nodded, and the next second, she was climbing back into the hatch. "HANDY-Booster Plus might not be flying any time soon, but it can still take a few steps."

"You are walking all the way back to find help?" Blanc frowned. "I appreciate it, but I don't think—"

"Nah. Just watch!" The hatch slammed shut, as the robot began walking towards the rock, shaking the earth with each heavy step.

"My drill is the drill that will pierce the heavens! Mode 7, Activate!"

Immediately after Dameko's voice came out of the robot's external speaker, its left palm split open, revealing a drill that quickly...extended into a bigger drill. The exact mechanism was a mystery to Blanc, but it did look impressive, as the drill slammed into the rock, reducing it to a pile of fragments and powder in a matter of seconds.

"...How long have you been waiting to make that reference?" Blanc couldn't help but let amusement bleed into her voice, after the drill retracted into the robot's arm, and Dameko poked her head out of the open hatch, hands raised in a victory pose. "I could've just lifted it myself, you know."

"Since like, forever ago! How could you build a giant drill into your robot, without showing it off to people?" Dameko answered, pouting slightly as she glanced into the cave entrance, now fully exposed. "Buuuuut, I don't think my robot can fit in there. I mean, I could go with you in person, but I hit like a wet towel. Maybe you'd like to use me as a throwing weapon—?"

"No."

"Oh. Okay. Guess the toughest pebble in the world is still a pebble." As Blanc leaped into the cave, the disappointment in Dameko's voice was soon replaced by her usual cheerfulness, "But help is coming, Blanny! If they aren't, they will be, after I used up all of my flare gun ammo!"

Compared to the darkness, the complete silence was more unbearable. She couldn't even hear the sound of dripping water, despite nearly slipping on the wet ground during her long downward trudge.

To keep her sight, she had to give up her hearing. Either way, she was at a disadvantage, and her opponent knew it.

Bastard.

The passage became narrower, as she ventured deeper into the cavern. Occasionally, a stray rock column would bump into her Processor Units, and provoke a few muffled curses from her. Then she saw a blue glow in the distance. Chains were tied all over the stalagmites and stalactites, cutting the passage into fragmented space.

White Heart's anger flared up at the sight. Of course she'd have time to prepare. Slow the pursuers down. But they were so close to each other now, and she knew her target was just trying to delay the inevitable. She had no way out.

"Gefahrlichtern!"

She summoned the ice bullets, and launched them forward with a hit from her axe. They tore through the chains with ease, leaving a trail of broken stalactites in its path.

"This is your last friggin' chance to surrender! I won't repeat myself!"

Her target definitely knew she was coming now. She didn't wait for a response. If there was one, she wouldn't have heard it. Dragging her axe behind her, she charged through the passage, towards the light at its end.

Within seconds, she found herself in an open space. A glittering, blinding one. Small clusters of crystal growths were all over the cave walls, and above her was an even larger web of chains, tangled around the stalactites and rock columns, rattling furiously. The chains were sending out bursts of rainbow light, which reflected off the crystals, and shone straight into her eyes—

Crap. It's like fighting inside a giant disco ball.

White Heart put her chin down, a second before the shadow fell behind her. The chains cut into her jaw and pulled her backwards, but the garroting move had failed. The other CPU soon released her hold on the chains, as White Heart spun around and charged towards her.

Before White Heart could squash her between the axe and the cave wall, she leaped up, metallic wings disappearing into the flares of light. White Heart chased after the CPU and saw the chains again, now covered in spiky crystal growths. A rain of crystal shards soon came flying in her directions. She tanked them head-on, feeling only a slight sting.

The crystal shards hit the web of chains and created brighter light explosions. Just as her eyes squeezed shut at the bright light, she felt something wrapping around her weapon. Then, a forceful tug. The other CPU wasn't strong enough to yank it out of her hands, but it did throw her off balance, and she almost tumbled into the cave wall.

"Coward! Is that all you can do?"

As if answering her, a chain swept towards her ankles, as soon as she landed back on the ground. She jumped over it and dashed towards the chain's origin point, axe raised in an overhead slam.

The second chain swung towards her face from above—when did that bitch jump up again—and the crystal spikes on the chain snapped upon hitting her forehead. This time, it drew blood, forcing her back onto the ground. When she wiped the blood out of her eyes, the other CPU had disappeared into the bright light again.

Alright. That web of chains had to go.

"Hard Break!"

White Heart skipped the first few moves. The shockwave would be of no use against an airborne target. Her axe flew out of her hands, up towards the ceiling, arching around the air like a deadly boomerang. Soon, broken chains and needle-sharp stalactites rained down from above, obscuring everything in a cloud of dirt.

Dodging past the falling debris, she made a running leap, arm outstretched, knowing her axe would soon be back in her grip—

A blue chain whipped through the dust cloud. She lunged forward, as far as her wings could take her. Her fingertips brushed past the handle, before the chain wrapped around it, pulling the axe away from her—

Shit shit SHIT!

Her own axe, now tied to the end of the chain, soon came swinging straight back at her. White Heart raised her arm in front of her face, but the weight and momentum of the attack smashed through her defense, slamming her into the ground below. She screamed, even though she couldn't hear it, because it hurts like a bitch, damnit—

Another swing. She rolled out of the way, the axe's edge missing her head by a narrow margin. The faith was already repairing the wound on her upper arm, enough for her to bolt forward and grab the butt of the axe, the next time it flailed towards her.

The other CPU pulled on the chain with all her strength. White Heart didn't move an inch. Letting out a yell, she yanked the axe towards her. At the exact moment, the pressure on the chain vanished. She stumbled backwards, thrown off-balance by the weight of the weapon.

The CPU closed in, chain whipping towards her face. Just as she got a grip on her axe's handle and shifted into a blocking stance, the chain grazed past her cheeks.

A feign. In a split second, another chain shot out of the CPU's other hand, wrapping itself around her ankles.

White Heart fell again, as the CPU dashed past her and took off into the air, dragging her across the cavern floor. She swung her axe down, trying to lodge it in the ground. But, without a steady base to power the strike, it soon flew out of her hands when the CPU made a sharp turn, and started going faster and faster in a circle.

Dirt was in her eyes, getting into her nose. When she was finally slammed into solid rock, the first thing she saw was more chains looping around her. Before she could scramble out of the way, the crushing binds tightened, tying her onto one of the few rock columns that still remained standing.

Her eyes were tearing up, as she writhed and struggled against the chains with all of her strength. But there wasn't enough goddamn space, heck, even breathing was getting harder, and now that poker-faced bitch was in front of her, reaching towards the side of her head—

She's pulling my ear muffs off!

Desperation surged through her, as the ear muffs came loose, and background noise flooded into her ears again. That was it, with one clank, she was going blind, just like what had happened to her sisters, and no one would be there to pick her up and shut her into the safety of a medical quarter.

Except for this bitch here, who'd strangle her the moment she was no longer a threat.

Now she had tossed the ear muffs aside, readying her chains once more—

"SCREW! YOU!"

The rock column snapped in half, together with the chains. She didn't even hear the crash over her own shriek, as she rammed her head into the CPU's throat, followed by a headbutt to the face.

"I'm NOT—" Another headbutt, as she fell on top of the CPU, sending both of them sprawling, "Going down today!"

In a stroke of sheer luck, she caught a glimpse of her axe. Lying within her reach.

White Heart lunged towards it, but not before sinking her elbow into her opponent's stomach, and slamming her head against the ground with her free hand, just for good measure. It didn't stun the other CPU for long. More chains shot out of her hands before she even stood back up, readying another sound attack—

White Heart zoomed into the air, axe raised above her head.

"GETTER RAVINE!"

The overhead slam smashed the CPU into the ground. Then, earth spikes shot up, followed by a beam of lava that launched her upwards. White Heart pounced after her, magic flowing into her axe, spinning so fast in her grip that it became a fiery blur.

"Metzelei Schlag!"

She landed in a kneeling position, panting, just as the light erupted behind her, followed by a wave of radiating heat. Only when she saw her weapon, now reverted back to its hammer form, did she realize she was no longer in HDD. Dammit. She almost forgot how much Shares it took to make that strike.

Her opponent was back in human form, too, shakily propping herself up from the ground with one arm. Upon a closer look, her other arm was bent in an unnatural direction, and there was a long gash on her abdomen. Judging from her grimace, she definitely didn't have enough faith left in her to heal these injuries.

She flinched when Blanc started moving towards her, and hastily grabbed a length of broken chain from the ground, which still hadn't dissolved into pixels yet.

"It's over. You aren't gonna win with that thing—"

Before Blanc could finish her sentence, the chain flew through the air, and hit her in the face. With so little force behind it, it didn't even sting, but she was still caught off-guard for a second. Enough for the girl to grab a broken piece of stalactite, and made a second throw. This time, her aim was off by a huge margin, and the rock hit the ground with a low thud.

"Hey!" Blanc yelled, before she swiftly closed in and grabbed the girl's wrist. "Would you quit this shit? You lost! Time to face the music!"

In return, she made a clumsy headbutt in Blanc's direction, which was easily dodged. When Blanc pressed her onto the ground, she was still struggling with all of her meagre strength.

"Seriously! Are you trying to get me to beat you into a bloody pulp or something?"

The girl nodded. Actually nodded. Before two words escaped her lips. "Kill me."

"...The hell?" Blanc shook her head, "Look, I just wanna know where your friend is. Get Lowee's Sharecites back. I'm not out for your blood, though I am royally pissed right now."

"Kill me. I tried to kill you."

"And I'm still alive and standing, thank you very much! If you really wanna make up for it, take me to your friend!"

"Kill me. Kill me, kill me," The girl's monotone chanting suddenly burst into shrill shrieks, "KILL ME! Kill me again! Kill me, just like I killed them—!"

Blanc clenched her fists together, as she took a deep breath. When she started speaking again, she was surprised by just how calm her voice sounded, because right now, she was anything but calm inside.

"I see. That's what you are after. You are going around, stirring up trouble, hurting my sisters, hoping I'll eventually end your life for you?" Blanc gritted her teeth when the girl nodded, "Well, that's a load! Of! Bullshit!"

"I, I..."

"I don't care what you've done, or why you think you are such an awful person! Even if you are, dying doesn't solve your problems," Blanc paused, "It only dumps these problems onto someone else who's unlucky enough to be in the way, and you can't make up for anything if you are dead!"

"I'm never going to...make up for anything."

"Right, because all you've been trying to do is get me to kill you. You haven't even tried to LIVE, which is the most necessary part of 'being a better person', don't you think?" Blanc exhaled deeply, "So live! Make good use of your second life! Stop trying to destroy yourself, thinking it will somehow make everything better!"

The girl didn't make a reply. She just closed her eyes and bit into her lips. But she wasn't struggling anymore.

"Alright," Blanc sighed, and lifted her up from the ground, taking great caution not to touch her broken arm, "Think about it, while I'm carrying you out of here. I hope Dameko has some healing items on her robot—"

Without warning, the girl's whole body twitched, like she was on the receiving end of a lightning strike.

"Bach Synthesis!"

White light flared up at the corner of her eyes. Immediately, Blanc threw the girl down and covered her ears.

She wasn't fast enough. The shrill, dissonant sound rippled through the air, shaking the entire cavern. When she fell on her side, holding a hand to her forehead, her vision was already a vortex of spinning rainbow colors.

"Ugh!" She groaned, as she grasped wildly for the girl, "You—you bastard!"

Before long, she felt smooth fabric and skin under her fingers. The girl's body was cold to the touch, almost incorporeal.

"Why the fuck did you do that?!" Blanc screamed, as she grabbed the girl by the shoulders and started shaking her. At least she thought she was grabbing onto her shoulders. "Why?!"

"...I just want to do the right thing."

There was a genuine confusion in her weak, shaking voice, like a little kid who had lost their way and was asking an adult for directions, after they'd already cried their throat raw.

It stunned Blanc for a moment. Long enough for her body to start dissolving into ashes under Blanc's grip.

"Right? That's the most wrong thing you could possibly—!" Blanc's yell was drowned out by a low rumbling noise in the distance, echoing through the underground space.

And, just like that, she was gone.

A/N: This is a particularly difficult chapter for me. Mostly because I've been in that kind of headspace before. And, as much as I hope a single speech will be enough to chase away the suicidal thoughts, long enough for help to arrive, I know it would only make me feel worse and more determined to die, back when I was at the bottom of the pit.

Suicide intervention is hard, y'all.