~NRK~
Sardia shivered as she stepped out into the hub the following morning.
Where before she had her Magic Knight attire, now she sported something akin to a black long-sleeved sweater dress with a brown belt around her waist, a short white jacket that came down to her navel, her panties were still beneath this, thankfully, and she still had her boots from before along with her long socks.
Her hair had even gotten long, allowing it to rest in a small ponytail at the back of her head, the former Magic Knight playing with it.
"It fits," Circe said with a smile as Sardia blushed a bit, the Prinny laying out some breakfast on the tables. "I knew you'd make the look work."
"T-Thanks, this is new," she said as she pulled at the bottom of the 'dress'. "It's not as bad as the other one, though."
"So, you do have some modesty."
"It comes and goes."
Naruto was currently meditating on the lower second level of the new hub area.
As it turned out, the Androids worked quickly and in a matter of 24 hours, they'd renovated everything in the hub. This left them with the rest of the castle to do which most of them were already working on.
Now, there were two levels for the hub, they'd moved most of the massage chairs, with four extras, down below along with a bunch of the tables for others to meet, talk, eat, and plan around with only one left upstairs for their party. There was a library and a set of weapons in a large rack they'd accumulated over the months, ones where they were holding onto for their Innocents or special effects.
Naruto was currently atop a metal pillar spike, one of three he'd asked for ahead of time to train on. With Corrin's Make Barrel ability maxed, she'd made him a thin rectangular box for him to use along with a stack of them by his spire. Next to him, wobbling on hers, was Flonne while the other one was taken up by Avarice, the Harpy perched atop it with ease, still asleep.
"I-I-I think I have it-Eeep!" Flonne said as she held her arms out before tilting too far to one side.
Naruto chuckled as he transitioned into his Werefox form, an extending energy arm shooting out to grab the angel trainee just in time.
"Thank youuuu," she cried in joy as he lowered her to the floor. "How can you do that stuff?"
"I've had months of training thanks to doing this with Shadow Clones," Naruto said. "When we have time, maybe I can teach ya some of my meditation."
"S-Sounds good!" Flonne said as she walked up to the second level. "Hungry~"
"Hehe, same," Naruto said as he hopped off his platform, landing gently on the floor before moving on. "Now, what to-"
There was the flap of feathers and he slowly began to blush as Avarice locked her wing's wrists around his neck while locking her legs around his waist.
"M-Morning," Naruto said in embarrassment as she nuzzled his neck, causing his fur to stand up on end. 'She got way too friendly too fast!' And the worst part?
He was enjoying it. God help him, he was enjoying it like some kind of pervert.
The Werefox grumbled as he made it to the first level, shooting Sardia a thumbs-up.
"Looking good," he complimented as she giggled a bit, slipping her hands into her pockets. "How ya feelin'?"
"It's kind of weird," Sardia said. "I mean, I feel like I'm supposed to have glasses but I don't. It's weird."
"Yeah, it's weird like that," Nakano said as he drank some coffee. "Oh, that's good," he said in euphoria as Kana giggled from the 'MC' table, drinking some tea. "So, we're just gonna be powering up for the rest of the week, yeah?"
"That's about the game plan," Circe said as she brought out the rest of the food. "I'm curious where Laharl is-"
"Sup," the prince in question said as he entered the main hall with a chuckle. "Loving these new things," he said as he came over. "So, uh, weird question, do I look different to you guys?"
The group looked at him and blinked.
"A-Actually, you do," Flonne said in surprise as he nodded.
"Yeah, I figured. You're different, too."
"Huh?!"
He was right. Right now, Laharl's face seemed a bit more mature, his eyes a bit smaller and more narrow. His hair had grown a bit and his antennae were longer.
He showed them his back and they saw small wings?
Flonne was currently looking at her own set in shock, the size of them bigger than her usually only-for-aesthetic versions. Even her hair had gotten longer while her legs had followed the trend.
Yeah, they both got taller as well.
"Wait, uh, when did this happen?" Naruto asked in surprise as Laharl cupped his chin.
"... I think it was when we went into the Carnage Dimension," he said as a familiar redhead came into the room. "... She's different, too!"
Etna blinked at the group in confusion, raising a brow as Naruto and the others looked more surprised. "What?"
Where before she'd been about the same height as Flonne, Etna was now about some odd five feet and a good amount of inches, right next to Sardia in height.
Her clothes, like all of theirs, seemed to have gotten smaller but it was more prevalent on the redhead, while her tail and wings got bigger as well, the former being more apparent.
Her features had matured a bit as well with her hair having grown a bit longer to round her out.
All in all, the 'teens' now looked more like 'older teens' save for Laharl but that might have only been his height changing their perception.
"You all have likely been forced to undergo your second puberties earlier than expected," Circe said as Etna blinked before looking at her tail.
"Whoa! When did this thing get there?!" She jumped as it curled around her right leg a bit. "M-My tail's longer now! What was that about puberty?" Etna asked in disbelief.
"I believe the Carnage Dimension forced your bodies to undergo it," Circe repeated and the redhead gaped as she rushed over, tripping a bit.
"G-Goddamn, shoes!" She cursed as Naruto's energy arm shot out and helped her over. "T-Thanks," Etna scratched her cheek.
Huh, she could actually look him in the eyes, almost. Kind of cool.
"No problem. So, I guess they'll need new clothes, huh?" Naruto said and Sardia nodded before she twirled her finger.
The three's outfits grew in size and they immediately looked more comfortable. "Yeah, I liked that but… I do think it's time for a new look," Laharl said as he looked at his boots. "Honestly, I've kind of wanted to change my sprite for a while but I was still too short for that."
"Hehe~" Etna snickered mischievously. "You're still on the short side though I guess you're almost as tall as Flonne now," she said as his eyebrow twitched before he groaned.
"Not letting you get to me. We need clothes. Though, Kana did say our new duds would get here by the end of the week."
"More like Wednesday," Kana corrected. "My brother's coming, actually, to bring them. It's been a couple of years since I last saw him."
Nakano drank his coffee before letting out a sigh. "Great, that guy is gonna nitpick everything about me, again," he huffed as Kana smiled knowingly. "Dammit."
"He's just making sure his 'little sister' is in good hands," she said without a bit of hesitation as the Warrior sighed once more. "Now, you have three days to shape up!"
"Don't remind me."
"Is your brother… unique?" Naruto asked after he found the right word, Kana grinning as he did.
"Oh, hell yes. He's basically a male Sardia but with clothes," the woman in question perked up.
"Well, he's probably good company," the now-Professor said with a proud smile.
Avarice snickered from atop Naruto's back. "Good Pride!" She complimented as Sardia chuckled.
"Pashaw, I try!"
"This conversation got interesting," Draconis said as he entered the hub. "Ooh, those changes are nice," he said as the others agreed. "Ah, have you all finally noticed your changes?"
"You knew?" Laharl asked.
"Yes, but we were kind of preoccupied with other things."
"Oh, right. It's just one thing after the other," the prince said. "Hmm, I guess we'll just wait for everyone to wake up. Where's that angel woman, by the way?"
"Oh, she's in my room!" Flonne said with a smile. "She didn't seem comfortable sleeping on her own, honestly."
"She's a crybaby," Aramis said as he entered the area, looking nervous. "... Sup."
"We don't blame ya, you know," Naruto said as the boy sighed.
"S-Still, my mom's causing a crap ton of trouble for everyone it seems like," the boy said as he came over and Naruto helped him onto the seat next to him, opposite the side Etna sat on. "... Wait, did everyone get weirdly big?" Aramis balked.
"Forced puberty," Draconis explained as Clarissa, Enigma, Plenair, and Tramaris entered the room. "Ah, we're almost all here."
"Corrin said she'd be hanging with her guild today," Naruto said. "So, she's not coming for now. Gordon, Jennifer, and Thursday are also gonna be working on the Battle Suit, so they won't be coming."
"All things considered, we've had her for too long and they've held off for as much," Circe said with a nod. "So, now that we're all here, the plan of the day is to powerlevel. Speaking of, Tramaris, what level are you?"
The angel jumped a bit, looking neatly put-together despite her early morning jitters, before sending her screen to everyone.
Naruto huffed as Avarice simply looked over his shoulder. "God…" He looked at the angel's stats. "Level 700?" He said curiously as the woman blushed, sitting next to Aramis with a nod.
"I-I gained EXP by taking care of the children," the woman explained softly.
"Man, angels seem like they can get EXP from anything," Etna said as Flonne nodded. "Though, that does explain Flonne's levels."
"We go through training at the Academy," the trainee said. "Healing, Buffing, a small bit of fighting, and looking over humans can all help us Level Up."
"Hmph, so we're gonna be doing a lot of levelin', especially since one of Class Changed," the Android said.
"Actually, why didn't you Change Classes, Enigma?" Flonne asked. "I mean, you said you weren't an Android."
"Yeah but the issue comes that my soul was what got tinkered with," the Android said. "I was basically changed, bit by bit, into an Android by Gallen. My soul. I can't just change back."
"Huh, what were you before all of this?" Etna asked.
"A Valkyrie," she said and the group looked surprised. "Hey now, sometimes the classics just work. Besides, there weren't many Classes I liked staying in."
"I get ya," Sardia nodded. "This is my second-ever Class Change. Why before all of this, I was a Valkyrie."
"No foolin'?"
"None."
"Hmph, familiar beginnings, yes?" Draconis said as he sipped some tea. "So, we'll eat and then get down to business."
They did as suggested, food being devoured quickly but politely, save for Avarice who swallowed all of hers in one go from a 'helpful' Naruto.
Helpful as in, she wouldn't get off him so he was left feeding her.
It had been kind of cute, though.
Now, the group was standing before another of the machines in the hub, the swirling energy within pulsating red.
"Alright, let's do this," Naruto said with determination.
The group cast all their buffs beforehand, more prepared for the eventual craziness.
~NRK~
Entering, Naruto hummed as he stayed close to Tramaris and Sardia, The former due to her own movements to stay behind him and the latter for the sake of possible protection.
The Professor grinned shakily as she held onto his arm. "Y-Yikes! It kind of hurts to be in here!" Sardia said in shock.
"Let us make haste," Draconis said.
They traversed those rough conditions once more before coming to crest a hill like the last time.
And below were three creatures, two Treants and an Orc.
"Hmm, second verse, same as the first?" Draconis offered as Naruto nodded.
Defeating this trio hadn't been as hard as expected, the group's increased levels and Naruto's increasing effectiveness made the deed easier.
Sardia blushed bright red as she held both her biceps, shivering at the jump she'd just made in levels.
"O-Ohhhhh, that's inappropriate," she said in complete embarrassment. "7-700 levels isn't something ya just feel, it seems," Sardia said with a squeak as Naruto nodded, staying close, much to her enjoyment. 'Geez, I'm super sensitive right now,' how riveting.
Now if only her embarrassment wasn't just as high.
They left and blinked as the Transporter Prinny waved at them.
"You guys were gone for a couple of hours, what happened?" He asked and the group balked.
"I don't remember time being increased while in there," Draconis frowned as he cupped his chin. "Or is this another difference in our Netherworlds?"
"We sadly don't know," Clarissa said as she shrugged. "For now, we can only make the most of this. How long have we been gone?"
"Give or 5 hours."
"F-Five hours?!" Naruto choked while Enigma grimaced. "That's a lot of time, dood!"
"It's also a worrying amount that we lost," Enigma said with crossed arms. "... I wonder if it isn't the Netherworld auto-correcting, so to speak. I mean, we're jumping hundreds of levels at a time, you guys are, at least. And Sardia just jumped to Level 704."
"Perhaps leveling has more mechanics to it than we thought," Circe said. "Alright, this time, it's going to be four creatures, yes?" She asked Draconis who nodded.
"Each time up until the tenth, their numbers increase along with small level-ups. If I had to guess, with our firepower," Draconis cupped his chin. "... We can handle three more levels before it's just too much."
"Understood," Naruto said. "Still, I hit level 421. That's less than last time."
"Your Levels aren't the same, yeah?" Sardia said and he nodded. "For you, you're hitting those high EXP caps sooner than we would. Likely, around Draconis's first level, we'll be hitting diminishing returns as well."
"Hmph, I'm already getting fewer levels," Laharl said. "I'm almost level 1700, though. So, that's cool."
"We'll keep at it," Etna said as she stretched her tail. 'Being in there isn't as bad,' huh, well she wasn't complaining. "Hmph, a lot stronger," she said with a grin.
"Alright, no time for stopping," Laharl announced.
Over the next two days, they went in there and came out at worryingly random times.
Come Wednesday, the group at large were checking their levels, especially since the Defender Trio and Corrin made it back.
Now, they were awaiting their clothing delivery, the group just resting in random areas of the main hub.
In the time they'd 'vanished', the Androids had seemingly finished up the rest of the renovations and it was a nice change.
They now had Workout Rooms with varying effects in each room from HIT Targets to SPD Treadmills.
Speaking of things that'd been added.
The large group blinked from the first level's balcony, looking down at the empty stations on the lower levels.
"Is that where the Innocent Farm is supposed to go?" Laharl asked as Enigma nodded.
"That, the Evilities Shop over there, Quests Shop, Skills Shop, and over there's the Chara World," she said as the group looked at Plenair's new area.
Where before she'd had but a seat by the machines to work when they needed her, now she had a desk with a swivel chair, several machines behind her.
One of them was the Item Sea, the other for the Carnage Dimension, and now a third one. The last one had yellow energy within it, the title 'Chara World' above it.
"Welcome…" She said simply as she sat at the desk. "Open… for business."
"Heh," Naruto chuckled a bit in Prinny form. "Man, they really do good work," he praised the Androids. "We should do something for them sometime, after all the craziness chills. Because, man, they deserve it."
"They do," Flonne said with a smile and nod as Tramaris held her hands together by her stomach. "Kana, when is your brother-"
The Portal Prinny huffed as the Portal got bigger, the sinner moving away with a drained expression on his face.
"Why does it keep expanding, dood?"
And through the Portal came a flipping shadow who landed with flare, an array of rose floating down around him.
"Ah! My sister! I've returned!" The man posed with an impeccable grin and a handsome face. "... Ah, this is the group I've heard of!" The brother of Kana declared as the woman in question chuckled while Nakano hid behind Draconis. "... Ahah!"
"Fuck," the Warrior cursed before coming out with a nervous grin. "H-Hey, Kagami."
The Samurai grinned a sparkling grin as he stood up to his full height and bowed to the group.
He was a decently tall demon with fair skin and black eyes, his handsome face sporting an angular chin as a raven-haired ponytail came down from the base of the back of his head, his bangs slipping down to the middle of his face.
He had on white hakama that was tied at his ankles by black lace, mixing well with his tabi and zori, while up above he had on a red shitagi with a long purple haori over his shoulders with fur trim around the collar.
On his hands were a pair of black gloves and across his back were a pair of swords.
All in all, he looked tough and Naruto could feel the energy coming off of him.
Decently strong.
"A pleasure, I am Kagami," Kagami introduced himself. "So, who is this 'Naruto' I've heard about?" He looked around before the Prinny came forward. "You seem unique enough but you're not the one with the specifications."
Naruto transformed into his Werefox state and Kagami's eyes widened.
"A-Are you trying to model by any chance?!" He asked with mounting excitement as Naruto began to sweat. "Think about it!"
"He's eager," Etna snickered as Kana smiled.
"Brother's always on the prowl for good ways to show off his wares," the Lady Samurai said. "It's simply his personality. Brother, the clothes," she reminded him.
"Ah," the man nodded, snapping his fingers and an assortment of large boxes were brought into the hub by a bunch of Imps. "I've brought them."
Imps were red creatures with square, angry, features as their default faces. Their eyes were pure white and they all bore wings and crouched flying postures.
"Now, please, come along. I want to see my wares fit!" The Samurai said as he ushered Naruto over to one of the long cabinets. "All of you! Come!"
Laharl, Flonne, Etna, Clarissa, and Circe did so rather urgently by Kagami's words, each of those cabinets stretching in size before forming changing rooms?
"I carry all my tools in one of these," Kagami said with pride.
Naruto nodded before going inside of his to see his new duds. "... Huh, I really like it," he chuckled, hearing similar praises from the others in their booths.
He put it on slowly, humming as he looked at some of the designs before he smiled.
The first thing he'd received was a knee-length orange haori with black sun-like marks along the bottom, two on the shoulders, his spiral in between his shoulders, and black fur trim on the hood and collar.
It seemed that the man had done good and didn't focus on his lower half but just his upper one.
Underneath the haori was a chain mesh shirt and on his forearms down to the middle of his palms, were his bandages from his previous outfit. Over his mesh shirt, he'd kept his red vest as well while also donning the Uncommon Orb around his neck under his loosely-tied scarf.
A true mix of both his outfits.
He then transformed into his Frog-Oni form and grinned wider as he felt the clothes adjust before he was still looking at a cool dude in his mirror.
"Nice," he chuckled before going into Divine Spirit form, the clothes becoming more wind-like, transparent, and changing color to fit his color scheme. "Yeah, these are WAY too good."
He transformed back into his Werefox form before stepping out, the others nodding at his new look.
"Kagami, you do awesome work," the blonde praised as the man chuckled with crossed arms.
"Of course, I can't let my brand fail me. I wouldn't be famous if I didn't have good looks for my magazines. Speaking of," the Samurai came over with a camera.
Naruto smirked as he took his photos from different angles and sides, Kagami nodding as he did.
"Yes! I've captured the essence once more!" He fistpumped. "I can't be stopped!"
"I can tell," Laharl said as he exited his own dressing room with a grin. "I'm liking my duds."
Where before he'd worn shorts, now he had on red pants. His previous boots had been exchanged for new ones, these having a darker tone to them.
The most surprising thing was both Laharl's scarf and his new upper clothes. His scarf now fit more around his neck while coming out to form two crooked tails, while his upper body was covered by a skin-tight, black, long-sleeved top that led down to brown fingerless gloves on his hands.
All in all, he looked far more mature than he did before.
"You're growing, my Liege, you need more mature clothing," Kagami said as Laharl nodded.
"Good job."
"Hmph!" Flonne came out with a grin as she twirled around. "I love them!"
Wearing a new long white dress, under which was a pair of black tights, with long sleeves that ended in frills. She wore her previous blue ribbon and tie over the collar while her wings popped out the back comfortably. The last thing was a thick-looking blue mantle over her shoulders that bore several angelic symbols on its shoulders.
"It works!"
"Hmph, it better," Etna said as she came out with a hum, tail curling around to prod her boots.
Her own outfit seemed to have gotten an overhaul as well, more so than the others.
Where before a bikini-like top had rested over her chest, now it was a black sleeveless skin-tight navel-length turtleneck. Over her arms were black detachable sleeves that started at her upper bicep and down to the middle of her palms.
Black short shorts rested on her lower half along with black thigh-high boots.
Etna grinned at her new look. "Okay, I do think this works," she admitted as Kagami grinned, taking pictures, much to her ego.
Naruto and Laharl snorted as she posed without a hint of hesitation, Flonne giggling a bit before the last two members of their 'Prince's New Groove' outfit.
Circe chuckled in a light brown cloak that had long sleeves for her flippers, a small witch's hat on her head.
Clarissa, meanwhile, had taken the biggest change.
Where before she had her 'corrupt' nun outfit, now she had a sort of 'Leather is better' look to her.
Her long legs were now covered by a pair of tight-looking black pants with knee-high dark-colored boots on.
Her top, meanwhile, was a gray robe-like thing with a long hanging bit of cloth around her rear and crotch. Over that was a set of armor pieces over her chest, biceps, and thighs, the last thing in her outfit being a pair of black leather forearms guards, tightening the robe's flowy sleeves.
The Dark Apostle blushed at her thighs. 'G-Goodness, I've never felt barer!' She said, forever ignorant to how showy her previous outfit was. "I-I hope it looks well."
"It's good," Naruto said with a smile as she smiled back with a blush. "I guess this is more of a Dark Apostle if that's what your Class ends up being," he added with a bit of red on his own cheeks. 'Good Lord, those are some legs,' oh, so he was a leg man.
That honestly made sense, in a weird way.
"So, with this, the order has been delivered," Kagami said with a chuckle. "So, does anyone want to explain to me how the hell everything is just going crazy?" He asked before his sister nodded, leading him away. "Oh, you should come, too, Nakano."
The Warrior slumped before walking after them. "Dammit, this sucks."
"So, now that we've got new duds, we'll have to continue on with our powerleveling," Laharl said before there was a familiar scramble of steps, Aramis rushing up to them with a letter in hand. "?"
"I found this by the front door!" The boy said as he handed it to Laharl who hummed before opening it up. "I'm pretty sure this is a letter of challenge!"
"... Hm, hm, it is," the prince said with a raised brow. "It's weird. It says it's from the Defender of Earth," the Earth Trio blinked.
"Huh? How?" Gordon balked. "That shouldn't be possible! It has to be a lie!"
"Well, it's addressed to me, so this might be something interesting," Laharl smirked. "I'll go and handle it. It'll take, what, a few hours? I can deal with this."
"Hmm, we'll come with you, Harlie," Jennifer said. "It's not only safer in numbers but if someone's saying that… t-there's not many people we could say who'd do it."
"Jennifer's right!" Gordon said with determination. "We'll come with you and find out if this 'Defender of Earth' is a TRUE one!"
"Um, isn't it obviously fake?" Etna said with a sweatdrop before Enigma approached Naruto.
"Then, you and I can go and find that Salamander 'me'," the Android said as Naruto nodded. "The faster I can get another part of me here, the better."
"Do you know what the other pieces of your soul look like?" Naruto asked.
"Yes. There's the Aqua Demon, the Salamander. There's another who'd been tucked into a Treasure Chest. That's the one who's been informing us over the years. The last one, though, is in the possession of Makoranta's pet, Korita. That one is a bit… different," Enigma said.
"How so?" Circe asked.
"She's been messing with that bit of my soul and made it rough," she frowned. "I'm pretty sure that piece is going to make my life difficult. It's the one that has my original form to it."
"So, a Valk, huh?" Etna said and the Android nodded. "Well, if what Naruto said is true, it's by Maderas's place. So, going back over there to make sure he's doing his job sounds nice," she grinned ferociously.
"... You are clearly satisfied," Naruto said flatly as Etna snickered.
"We're fucking with Maderass. Damn right I'm taking as many shots as I can."
"Right, so, who's going to go and do what?"
"I'll go with Laharl!" Flonne grinned. "We might have a real showdown!"
"We're going with Harlie," Jennifer said.
"I'll be going where Laharl is," Circe said.
"I go Prinny!" Avarice declared as Naruto scratched his cheek. "Get MORE shinies!"
"Hmph," Clarissa sighed. "I'll be following Naruto and the others as well."
"I'll return to my Netherworld for now," Draconis said with a nod. "We could all use some rest."
"Take care," Flonne said with a smile as he nodded, peacing out into a distortion.
"H-Huh?!" Tramaris jumped. "D-Demons can do that?!"
"Um, well, no," Corrin said with a snicker. "Just him. He's an Overlord from an Alternate Netherworld."
"The hell?" Enigma's mouth dropped. "W-What?! How is that a thing?!"
"It just happened," Laharl shrugged. "Sardia?"
"Hmmm…" The Professor looked between the two groups. "... So, uh, which one will have more demons?"
"... hehehehe," Etna chuckled ominously. "You're coming with us."
She'd made Maderas suffer EVERY WAY possible!
"U-Um," the angel looked back and forth between the groups before slinking over and hiding behind Naruto. "..."
"I'm coming!" Aramis said as he lunged up Naruto's body before sitting on the now-Frog-Oni's shoulder. "Nice view!"
Naruto chuckled. "What about you, Corrin?"
"Hmm, I'll go and see what I can learn from my scouts," the Senator said. "Rest up, we're clearly gonna be dealing with more madness soon anyway."
She vanished in an act of speed that didn't surprise anyone.
"Alright, then we'll head out," Laharl said before looking at the trio of sword-users who were chatting on the second level. "Yo! You guys hold down the fort!"
"Gotcha!" Kana grinned. "Brother, we have an entire ring and everything!"
"Hm, hmm, I'll have to check that out."
~NRK~
Appearing in the snowy land of Jotunheim, right inside of the main hub of Maderas's castle, Naruto looked around at moving about Nekomata, Succubi, and, surprisingly, Faeries. Or was it not surprising? They were probably under Maderas from the first time.
"H-Hmph?" One of the Succubi, wearing an editorial uniform with small glasses, balked at the sight of them. "Y-Yooo!" She said nervously as Etna snickered.
"We're not here to cause trouble," Naruto said with a huff and the woman got a real good look at him. "... Yo?"
"An audience?!" Sardia's eyes shined as the nearby vassals of Maderas looked at nervously. "Yes! Under the rule of Lord Laharl! You all are my AUDIENCE for the next THREE HOURS!"
They looked horrified while Etna cackled.
"That's just the beginning," she hissed and Enigma snorted while Tramaris's eyes shrunk.
"T-They're all so indecent!" She squeaked into Naruto's back, hiding herself. "W-What sort of lust-filled voyeur would do all of this?!"
"Oi! What's all that… NOOOO!" Came the familiar voice of Maderas as he entered, looked at then, paled, and ran out the hub. "NOOOOO!"
Etna cracked her knuckles. "I'm gonna go and handle that."
She charged after him, Avarice tilting her head before giggling as she heard Maderas's pained screams.
"Music!"
Naruto chuckled nervously while Enigma hummed.
"Man, you're surrounded by characters," Enigma said as Naruto sighed.
"Sis is being a real go-getter today," Aramis said.
~NRK~
They quickly found themselves, minus Etna and Sardia, by Naruto's original meeting place with that piece of Enigma's soul.
"Oh, crap, I'd forgotten," Enigma groaned. "She did send us the thought that she'd be going to you in three months and went off to get stronger. Still, she should have known we were coming-"
"THERE YOU ARE!" Came a familiar voice from a bit down below.
A familiar Salamander's form jumped over them before crashing down on the ice pillar they were on.
"And you brought my other me!" The joyous monster said as the Android Enigma chuckled. "So, uh, we just sort of synchronize, right?"
"Yes, that should put us together again," the Android said before raising her hand.
The Salamander's horns throbbed while her Android counterpart's hand did.
The energy between them grew before their forms began to vibrate towards one another and they glowed white.
The event went on for a few more seconds before it ended with a bright flash, leaving the Android version standing there with a grin on her face.
"Much better," she said with a chuckle before facing Naruto and co. "Thanks."
"We're glad for you," Clarissa said with a smile. "Now, a question I wanted to ask. Is this 'pet' of Makoranta's always by her?"
"Not always, right now, since the witch can't figure out the Galactic Demon Class yet, she sends her away on little trinket missions to nab her things from the Item World."
"I see," if they could isolate the 'pet', that'd be nice.
"Nope, I can tell what you're thinking," Enigma said with a frown. "Don't think isolating her is such a win condition. She's a monster who's got all Monster Classes mixed into her. Not all Classes mastered, all MONSTER CLASSES MIXED IN. She's a stat-buff lunatic. It's fair to say, she'd be able to topple all of you together."
"Geez, seriously?" Naruto winced and Enigma nodded.
"You need to get stronger. With my new power level, I want to get you guys all the way up to the third floor of the Carnage Dimension if we can. The issue is, we won't be able to by the time the invasion will take place," Enigma said and they all looked confused.
"Wait, why?" Clarissa asked. "Sure, the hours of recent have been rather random but we can still power through that, no?"
"I-It's not like that," Tramaris spoke, surprising them. "T-That place is horrible and does everything it can against you! I could feel it trying to change the date!"
"Wait, what?!" Aramis choked. "W-What do you mean trying to change the date?!"
"A-Aieee!" The woman stuffed her face into Naruto's back again. "I-It's not a good place!" She said.
"She's right. The Carnage Dimension is just that, a different dimension. Time there runs differently. It can make a ten-minute battle turn into a few days if you're not careful. And that's on the third floor. Imagine what'd happen if you went in on the fourth? The fifth?" Enigma said with a frown. "There's a good reason most people aren't leveled out the ass, trust me. That's why."
"Geez," Naruto grunted. "We'd never make it if we went higher than the second floor?"
"Most likely. Still, we can work with that. We don't need the floors beyond the second level right now but going after Korita is gonna require you all to be at least level 4000. That's gonna take more time than you know and the levels in Cave of Ordeals 2 range from 3000 to 5000. You can't know what level the creature you'll be facing is."
"S-So, we'll need to get your other part to even attempt it?" Aramis asked. "That sounds like it'd be a big mix-around!"
"You can still BEAT higher-level demons, ya know? It just requires actual strategy. You treat them like actual bosses you need to beat which, in this case, they kinda are. So, right now, we should be good if what I learned about you all is true. You've got the buffs and Clarissa recently got some debuffs even if they're only SP Drain."
Clarissa nodded while Naruto nodded before grinning.
"What are you… oh, right!" She chuckled. "You have bullshit sealing powers!"
"Yep. With some maneuvering, we could beat anyone," he said.
"Do you know how that affects leveling?"
"Sadly, nope. We've only really used them when we were in super trouble. Never did it for farming."
"Then hold onto it as just that, an emergency. We can't lose out on possible EXP just because we're losing," Enigma said. "For now, we just need to level up more."
They all agreed.
Avarice hummed. "Korita big monster?" She asked and Enigma nodded. "Then, Naruto sense her! We find her before she us!"
Naruto blinked before chuckling. "Well, if she's as strong as you say she is, Enigma, I might be able to sense her."
The Android looked impressed. "You have THAT good of a sensory ability? Damn, man, I'd have killed for that."
"It comes in handy," Naruto said before assuming Werefox form, Tramaris jumping as he did. "Oh, sorry," he said with an apologetic smile that she huffed softly at, stuffing her face into his fur. "Alright," he held his hands together into the Snake handsign.
He focused, pulsing cool energy filtering in from his surroundings and enhancing his abilities.
Then Naruto spread out his senses. Across the realms, the land, and every being he could feel.
The fox sensed it all.
'... Wait, I think that's her?' He didn't know.
All he knew was that he could feel an enormous amount of power moving far away. It felt like a mish-mash of energies, wild, untamed, and chaotic in concept. It didn't feel like it felt anything, though. So, maybe, this being was more emotionless than he knew-
Her eyes turned to him.
Blue eyes snapped open and he shivered, fur bristling. "O-Okay, I think I found her! Freaking hell, it feels like she found me, too!" He shook.
It felt like a Bijuu compared to a jounin, that's what the difference between her and him felt like.
"She's crazy powerful. Her energy almost feels endless and it seemed like it came from every part of her body."
"Yeah, Korita is basically a true Chimera and she has multiple 'cores' in her body that handle specialized spells that protect her from so much as the flow of time, it's ridiculous," Enigma said with a frown. "I don't know her level but as you said, she's strong. I'd even go so far as to say she could rule an entire realm if she had any kind of thought for herself. I don't even think Makoranta could outpower her but she's her master and that makes her a tool for that bitch."
Tramaris shivered at the curses as Naruto nodded.
"Super-Super strong?" Avarice asked him and he nodded with a frown. "Mmmm," her feathers bristled.
"Enigma's right, Avarice-chan," Naruto said and the bird woman perked up. "D-Don't run with that too much."
She grinned widely. "Very close friends."
He blushed. "Kaugh!" Naruto cleared his throat while Clarissa's eyebrows rose.
"I take it someone got her 'prize' already," the Dark Apostle said without hesitation as Naruto froze, blushed, and didn't look at her. "I figured," she was starting to get the hang of this, it seemed.
It's not like Sardia had been wrong, Naruto did owe Avarice a lot, Clarissa did as well, so she couldn't really be mad.
Still didn't mean she wasn't plotting though. "Hmm… Naruto," she said his name and he looked at her in embarrassment.
"Y-Yeah?"
"I'm pretty sure I also deserve some prize for all of this," he choked as Enigma and Avarice snickered. "Y-You know? I'm doing my very best, I should at least get something out of all this, r-right?" This confidence felt invigorating.
Despite the embarrassment, Clarissa smiled patiently as Naruto processed.
"... F-Fine. W-What do you want?"
"A kiss."
He froze as Aramis tilted his head, blushing a bit while Tramaris looked appalled.
"W-What sins have you indulged in?! I-I thought you didn't ravish women!" The woman looked ready to lose all faith in him and Naruto didn't know what to do.
"I-I owe them, ya know?! It's not… I didn't," he struggled to find the right words. "... D-Demon women are more forward than normal people and angels, okay?" The ninja facepalmed as his face heated up. "... F-Fine, alright, I owe you… that," he said.
The Dark Apostle looked pleased and Naruto grunted.
His life had taken some rather crazy turns.
~NRK~
When they returned to Maderas's castle, Naruto grunted flatly at Sardia's bad acting in front of a few crazed-looking Succubi… but the Nekomata thought she was good?!
His mouth fell as the cat women looked pleased with the Professor's performance! What could hold had he arrived in?!
"Alas! Dear, Perty! I can't see you much more!" Sardia performed rather badly, leaving Nekomata in tears.
"Not PERTY!"
"I don't like where this is going," Naruto said immediately.
"Yes, it's… concerning," Clarissa realized with a sweatdrop. "I think things can change a lot in a few minutes."
"... Do you I could get their brains?" Aramis asked.
"What? No?!" Tramaris squealed. "Why is that where you went?!"
"Eh, they don't seem to need 'em."
"Hmm! Thank you! Thank you!" Sardia bowed to her 'adoring fans' before turning to the group. "Welcome back! What happened?"
"Nothing, this is hilarious," Enigma said with a big grin. "Now, where's Etna?"
"Man, that felt good!" Etna said as she entered the area with a grin before looking at them. "Sup?"
~NRK~
Once they returned home, the group immediately got seated at the picnic table on the first level.
Well, they tried to but Naruto was quickly monopolized by Clarissa pulling him away by hand.
As they traversed the halls of their new corridors, they found her room and entered with growing energy about them.
"O-Oni form, please," Clarissa said with a shaky smile as she adjusted her hair while Naruto transformed. "It really is a nice outfit," she complimented him as Naruto blushed a bit.
"So, uh… y-you decide, ya know?" He said nervously. 'This is really happening,' it was way too fast!
What was with the women around him?! Why were they all asking for kisses out of nowhere?!
"... Yes," Clarissa said as she found her resolve before gesturing to her bed. "Sit… please."
He did rigidly, the bed creaking a bit under his mass. "S-So, uh-"
For the second time in under a week, Naruto was ambushed by a woman with a kiss.
Clarissa's lips were far more plump than Avarice's had been and far more full of inexperience but they were equal in vigor while being slightly cooler to the… 'touch'.
Or 'to the kiss' because the former-Cleric was currently leaning on him and Naruto found his arms around her waist, holding her to his body as they kept pressing their lips together.
Now that he was more aware of the situation, he wasn't as stunned as last time and could process more of the act.
It was very nice to have a woman's body pressed into his own, VERY NICE now that this was happening to him. What with his horrid track record with love and potential dating.
Her, now that he was really feeling them, chest was so bouncy and pressed against his chest pleasantly while her legs soon rested on either side of him as her arms wrapped around his neck, their lips pressing harder against one another.
In a minute, they separated, the two of them gasping for breath as they did, faces neon red as they considered the act.
"Whoa…"
"Y-Yes, well," Clarissa felt her body sing at his touch, presence, lips, damn near everything about him right now. "I… I-I've never really dated before so I might not be good at this."
"N-Nah, no way, that felt great," Naruto said before blushing more as Clarissa smiled at his praise. "U-Um! That is, uh, I'm not much better. I never really got the girl, ya know? I haven't k-kissed anyone, either… w-well, save for-"
"Avarice, yes?"
"... Yeah. She sprung it on me."
"Yes, that explains the three of your reactions from the fight with Gallen," Clarissa noted with a dazed smile. "She's the impatient type."
Yeah, Naruto had learned that very well. "S-So, I've learned… So, uh, can you give me a heads-up on why everyone's asking for kisses all of a sudden?" He asked and she giggled a bit.
His hope rose-
"No."
And was dashed oh-so expertly.
"Huh," he grinned nervously as she giggled some more.
Their lips met again and Clarissa's vigor increased tenfold, running her hands through his hair as Naruto felt out the rear-end of a Cleric.
Word to the wise? Very grabbable.
~NRK~
Once everyone was back in the hub, and Naruto and Clarissa were able to return without much teasing thrown their way, they didn't hesitate and went through several more sessions in the Carnage Dimension.
They went at it for what could only be the rest of the week before finding themselves defeating the last 'match' of the first Cave.
Leaving the place on Sunday morning, nine hours after they'd entered, apparently, the group was simply tired.
The most of them were now in the mid-2000s with the only ones higher than that being Enigma, Draconis, Avarice, and Corrin.
And Naruto was right on the 700 line and had gained another tail, more 'armaments' on his Divine form, but hadn't gained anything for his Frog-Oni yet while gaining another tag.
They'd taken the rest of that day to rest before, on Monday, had prepared to get some more work in when things got unfortunately quick.
An earthquake took place, leaving the breakfast-eating group confused.
"H-Huh?" Kagami hummed as he looked around. "Oh, something interesting is gonna happen! Inspiration!"
"H-Huh?!" Flonne was confused as the rumble ended. "W-What was that?!"
"An earthquake," Naruto said.
"Yeah, and it means something big's coming," Laharl added with a grin as Etna hummed.
"What'd ya think it'll be this time?" She asked before the Portal Prinny squawked before rushing over.
"Dood! There are, like, a BILLION spaceships in the Stellar Graveyard!" He said and Gordon grinned.
"That's obviously the EDF! Here to rescue us and we could have them call off this crazy invasion!" The Hero of Earth said as Jennifer frowned.
"Gordon… if that's the case, why bring so many ships. Even for an urgent rescue mission, we know that these numbers aren't for anything other than colonization," Jennifer explained as he flinched.
"T-That's just overexcitement! That's it!" Gordon twisted. "You're so pessimistic, Jennifer! That's unlike you!"
"Well… maybe," Jennifer didn't like this hunch she was feeling. 'Father, what's going on?'
"Then let's go find out," Naruto said. "Anyone staying?"
"Me, Nakano, and my brother will," Kana said as she held onto her elder sibling's haori, his horror on display. "We can't just leave this place undefended, ya know?"
"Hmph, hmph, the sis's got some authority, ey?" Corrin snickered. "I'll stay, too, then. If it's just a bunch of humans, it's not really anything to fuss about."
"What i-if there are angels, though?" Tramaris asked with a swallow as Naruto held up a handsign.
"... well, there's one holy signature out there," he explained and she looked surprised. "I don't think they were a part of this sudden entry. That signature seems pretty upset, too."
"I-Is that so?" Tramaris looked hopeful. "T-That might be Lord Vulcanus! Maybe we can solve all of this!"
"Hopefully," Naruto said as he adjusted his scarf. "Then let's head deep into Stellar Graveyard, yeah?"
~NRK~
When they got there, they followed Thursday's sensors to the proper part of the Map.
The more they traveled, the more Gordon took the lead, his grin etched onto his face but Naruto could feel how nervous the man was.
It was almost scary to feel, the man's facade would be enough to hide from the others but the blonde could feel it as clear as day.
He allowed himself to slink back a good back by the group before walking next to Jennifer.
"Hey, Jennifer-nee-chan," he spoke up and she looked at him curiously. "Tell me, is Gordon-ossan over there someone who's really afraid of people not wanting him?"
Her eyes widened and they snapped back to the back of the man in question before softening in sadness.
"... Gordon has been trained from a young age to become a candidate for Defender of Earth but you don't understand just how rigorous that training is," she sighed softly. "Imagine, if you will, what a life of being bred to be the strongest and there being a title you consider as validation of all your efforts. Gordon, he's likely fought his whole life to become that which he is today, a Defender of Earth. I can't imagine how much the title means to him."
Naruto's eyes softened. "I can kind of get it," he said and she looked at him. "Back where I'm from… I was a thing called a Jinchuuriki, a living sacrifice thought this was more metaphorical. I held a beast who'd become my friend way later in my life but, back when I was just a kid, he was basically my worst enemy and someone I blamed for the hate I got for almost all of my previous life."
Her eyes widened as Etna listened in sneakily from behind.
'That so?' But it certainly didn't show. 'Or is that why he's so mature?' She didn't know.
Time to see if it was.
"I-I don't understand," the human woman said.
"Well, the beast, the Bijuu as we call 'em, were destructive and the one I held was the most powerful of all his siblings," Naruto explained. "Kurama was his name, though I didn't know it back then, and he'd been a part of a horrible attack on my village. He'd destroyed homes, families, lovers, friends, coworkers, you name it, he'd destroyed it… it wasn't his fault but they didn't care nor knew. And all that hatred got passed onto me due to a small bad idea my main caretaker had. He'd revealed it to them in hopes of having me be seen as a hero but, uh, that didn't go the way he wanted."
"They hated you?" Jennifer balked. "W-Why? You were but a boy, no? How could they hate you for that?" She didn't understand where the logic was in all of this.
"Yeah, it's likely a part of what happens when a ton of hurt, and mourning, people do when they're given a target for their frustrations," Naruto said with a shrug. "Though to be fair, I wasn't really mistreated, no injuries and stuff like that, people certainly didn't like me and they'd hike the prices up a bit sometimes when I'd buy stuff as a kid. Thank God I only really ate ramen."
"That doesn't make it right."
"Oh, it's not supposed to. The point is, like Gordon, that title followed me for years and it made me want to prove myself to show I'm more than what they thought of me. I worked, sweated, bled, fought, and cried blood and tears for a long time, and… well, I eventually got it. I was a hero of my village. I'd changed by then, though. I didn't care about proving to them who I was, I just wanted to protect my precious people. I think Gordon's probably gonna have to go through the same thing. Not the hate-"
"But learning that he doesn't need other people to call him the 'Hero of Earth', I get it," Jennifer nodded with determination. "... Me and Gordie are kind of childhood friends if you'd believe it, hehe, though he didn't know it neither does he now."
"What happened?"
"Well, I told you, I got picked on a lot when I was a child for my stats. 'Gorilla Gal', 'The Untoppable Top-Heavy', 'The Super-Mongo Weapon of the hidden lab', a lot of things," he sweatdropped along with Etna.
'The hell are those names?!' No, seriously?! 'Humans are so weird!'
"Those are… interesting names."
"Right? But Gordie, as one of the cadets, came around to the soldier daycare I was in and fended them all off," Jennifer grinned. "It was probably the coolest thing I'd ever seen in my life when I was just a little girl. He never stayed, saying that heroes aren't around everywhere or forever, but I was extremely affected by that. I trained to be the best, to find him again, to talk with him," she blushed a bit as he snickered. "N-Not that that means anything! T-The point is, I worked harder because of him… before realizing we lived on the opposites of a block," she sweatdropped. "I figured that out when I was 17. It wasn't a good day to be me."
"Sounds like you still made it here, though."
"I did," she chuckled. "Ever since, we've gone on adventures, facing criminals, creatures, hidden temples, and more. It was a life I knew I'd never be here had he not helped me back when I was just a little girl. That's why I'm worried about what'll happen if things go how I'm expecting it."
"We're all here, you're one of us, now. Can't let the crew become worried. We're a unit," Naruto said with a nod as she smiled. "Besides, I'm also sure that it's in there but he doesn't want to believe it."
"Yes, Gordie's simply not willing to face that possibility. It's a good thing to have faith in your fellow man but he's done that for so long, he believes they can do no wrong. That's why, we've gotta back him up, no matter what."
"Gotcha."
Etna huffed as she crossed her arms, ignoring the smiling Flonne at her side.
"She's right," the trainee said as Tramaris blinked.
"I-I keep forgetting he used to be human," she said as Etna shrugged.
"He looks like a demon but is probably purer than a lot of angels," the demon teen said as Tramaris flinched. "Calm your panties, woman, I didn't direct that at you," but it was fun watching her squirm.
Call it the little sadist in her.
~NRK~
When the group left a cave system, they arrived at the destination to find… lots and lots of humans in spacesuits.
Now, theirs weren't like Gordon's, theirs being far more stereotypical, orange, and all bearing jetpacks. They all seemed to hold some sort of rifle, sniper rifles or machine-guns, the lot of them moving around in organized fashion.
"T-There they are!" Gordon said but his exclamation was more of a worried hiss than a shout of joy. "H-Hmph! Let's head on over."
"Gordon…" Jennifer whispered.
"No! This is fine! Let's meet them!" Gordon declared as he stepped out with the others right behind him.
Jennifer slipped behind Thursday.
"Thursday, I reconfigure something quick, alright?"
He beeped softly with no words said.
As the group approached, the large crowd of people's heads turned in their direction, Naruto's eyes narrowing at some of the intent thrown their way.
Tramaris, latched onto his arm, tightened her grasp on it as she trembled slowly.
"Y-You all!" She spoke up to them as the men and women's muffled breathing caused her to swallow before speaking once more. "Y-You! Where is the angel who's supposed to be helping y-you? I need to speak with him."
"..." Their breathing continued before weapons began to release from their Holds and rose.
"W-Wait! What are you all doing!?" Gordon said nervously with a grin. "It's ME! Captain Gordon! I'm glad you all are here to rescue me and my team!" He projected over the area.
"Man, there are more humans here than I've ever seen in my LIFE," Laharl said in some awe with a grin.
"I wonder what's up with 'em," Etna said with a sly smile. "Think these are those terminators we've heard about?"
"Aren't they here for the Defender Team?" Flonne asked before Naruto took a step ahead of them, arms out.
"Guys, be careful," he said slowly as he looked out at all the raised weapons. "... Gordon, seriously, what's going on here?"
The man looked more nervous before his brave facade shot back onto his face. "Nothing! They're just… u-uneasy! That's right! Think about it! All the demons in the Netherworld, they're probably just worried! Hahahahaha," his confidence returned.
Jennifer made to say something, anything, but Naruto's words from before shot into her mind.
If this needed to happen… she'd be there for when he 'fell'.
He'd done the same for her.
"..."
"Come on, now! Your hero's right here! Things will be fine, these demons are special-"
"..."
Gordon grinned nervously. "Come on!"
"..."
"I guess you're not as popular as you thought," Laharl said with a smirk. "Gordie."
"U-Ugh!"
"Poor, Mr. Gordon," Flonne said as she pat his arm in reassurance. "It's alright."
"D-Don't do that!"
"Well, they're not looking too happy to see you," Etna said.
"T-The point is!" Gordon began to say as Avarice, Corrin, and Enigma snickered. "Is that it means nothing. They've seen battle before, they're probably not impressed, right now! I'll have so many tales to speak of on the ship! Now, come on-"
"Captain Gordon," the first Earth Defense Force soldier said as he flinched. "You're to come in and speak with the General, ASAP."
"O-Oh? Well, that's fine!" Gordon said as Naruto's eyes narrowed.
"Gordon, 2 o'clock, Down Under," he said as the EDF Soldier flinched and Gordon's eyes involuntarily shot to said location, form freezing at a peculiar shine in the distance.
"..."
"Captain Gordon, ignore the demon and return to base," the soldier repeated with a growl.
"Why don't you bring your boss out here?" Naruto asked with narrowed eyes as he looked down at the man whose fingers clenched on his rifle. "Or is he too much of a coward to come down here?"
Guns raised and the Frog-Oni's eyes narrowed.
"All you had to do is listen, so-called 'Defender of Earth'," the man said as Gordon choked, Jennifer coming up to him and holding his arm to pull him back. "All you needed to do was your job and be the hero you were and die."
"W-What?! H-How could you say that?!" Naruto growled as the man scoffed.
"Gallivanting with demons, being protected by the underworld's scum, not slaying the Overlord? There's a ton of reasons we have to not trust him and a piece of demon scum like yourselves."
"Hey, Gordon, I guess these guys weren't the EDF," Laharl said with narrowed eyes. "I didn't think a bunch of bitches with chips on their shoulders could be soldiers."
The man's form tightened as he raised his gun before it hit the ground a few feet away, shattered as Naruto lowered his arm.
"Bring your boss here, you worm."
The man's hands clenched a gun that was not in them before he shot back with his jetpack, a growl on his lips. "ATTACK! Don't leave any of them alive! For planet Earth!"
Naruto jumped back with Tramaris in his arms before placing her down, the horrified angel looking shakier than before.
"I-I-I," Gordon stood there, stunned, as Jennifer held him close. "I-I don't understand! What's going on?!"
"I… Gordon," her voice caused him to flinch. "... We've been-"
"D-Don't," he pleaded and Jennifer nodded kindly, holding him closer. "... D-Dammit!"
"I think it's time we got some answers," Laharl said as he walked next to Naruto who nodded, shifting into Divine Spirit form.
"So, let's get some answers."
The boy smirked as gunshots rained around on them.
~NRK~
General Carter huffed as he held his hands behind his head, the visual on the Netherworld showing in a nearby screen. "Make sure they're not able to come back. I want ALL weapons used to cut that lot down!"
"Yes, sir!" His computer techs said as they accessed their ship's guns. "Activating Gargantua Battle Laser!"
He frowned. 'All I do is for Earth, Gordon, you'll understand.'
~NRK~
The tide of battle had not shifted in the favor of the humans.
Not one bit.
Enigma grinned as she sliced through a large group of EDF Soldiers, being careful to not kill them but also making sure they got hurt A LOT.
Etna grinned before her Prinny Squad threw bomb after bomb into the packs of humans.
Laharl and Naruto slammed their bare fists, legs, and heads into the human soldiers, no need for a weapon when they wanted to feel noses crunch under their skin.
Clarissa and Avarice rained down nonlethal magic from above while Draconis simply stood in front of a large amount of the EDF and raised his body temperature to the point of causing their suits to melt a bit.
Circe raised her skull and ice coiled around the legs of many soldiers while Corrin slipped in and out of sight, taking their weapons while slapping boxes over their heads.
Finally, Sardia was… doing whatever it took to try and absorb some of them into a machine?
The woman cackled as she tore through their numbers with a box in her hand that sucked them in before spitting them out in just their undergarments.
Flonne, Tramaris, Aramis, and the Earth Trio hung back as the rest of the group tore into the humans' numbers.
"T-Things seem to be going… w-well?" Tramaris looked nervous about saying that. "I need to speak with Lord Vulcanus."
"Well… I think that we'll just have to go through the gate," Flonne considered before nodding in determination. "This has gotten all three worlds involved now, I don't think we can just let things be anymore."
"G-Go against Celestia?!"
"What?! No!" Flonne shook her head in horror. "I-I mean going to talk with Seraph Lamington!"
"O-Oh," Tramaris blushed before scuffing the floor. "B-But what if we get captured?"
"Well, Bro will help, he's too nice not to," Aramis said as Tramaris considered the idea.
She bit her lip as she held her growing-rosy cheeks. "R-Really…?"
"..." Aramis's eyebrow shot so far into his hairline, he didn't have one for a few seconds. 'Geez, Bro, how do you do it?' The boy really questioned if Naruto wasn't some human-Succubus mix! "R-Right."
Flonne blushed. 'It's like it keeps growing,' at some point, she wondered if Naruto was going to end up with a crowd at some point. 'I'll cheer you all on!'
No matter what happened!
Then there was a numerous amount of beeps from the soldiers' uniforms before a transmission came through.
-All units are thanked for their service. We will now be firing the Gargantua Battle Laser-
"What?!" Jennifer, Gordon, and Thursday shouted in horror.
Then there was a bright light in the sky where one of the many ships was. It grew brighter and brighter as seconds passed.
"W-We won't survive!" Gordon declared to those on the battlefield.
Naruto kicked away the last EDF Soldier before his eyes narrowed at the sight of the laser in question.
It was as big, easily as big as, say, Gamabunta was.
The oni walked towards it before going into a run that landed him in the middle of the field where the beam would hit.
He shifted into his Werefox form. "Send it all!" Naruto called out to the surroundings before three towers of familiar golden energy shot into the sky before slamming down on him before the laser could.
Then the laser hit.
~NRK~
Carter grinned as Vulcanus grunted behind him.
"Well, this seems to have worked out," he grumbled as they looked at all the screens showing the collective image of the beam hitting the Stellar…?! "What in the holy gates?!"
The beam…. I-It was being HELD BACK!?
Gold fought against the bright blue beam, the floor erupting beneath it before it pushed up again.
The spaceship began to shake. "D-Dammit! How is he able to do that?!" Carter got out as he and Vulcanus scrambled to keep their footing. "W-What?!"
The beam was being pushed up more and more before they all could see what was stopping it.
The golden fox's shining eyes narrowed before it opened its mouth to allow 'light' to pool in front of it?
It formed an orb composed of green, gold, red, blue, black, and white energies from within its body. The orb then glowed purple before going dark black.
"What is he-?" Vulcanus began to say.
But it was too late.
The black orb shot up against the beam, the two forces fighting against one another, before it cut through the beam, much to their horror.
"SHIELDS!" Carter called as the technicians scrambled to activate them all. "BRACE FOR IMPACT!"
The entire ship went on a tilt and they all screamed as it did.
~NRK~
"Thanks," Naruto said as the others left his tails, the Werefox releasing his aura construct. "But we've still gotta deal with all of their ships."
"We'll just take 'em down," Laharl said with a grin as Naruto snorted, his nine tails wagging lazily behind him before he shifted into his oni form. "... Oh, it carries," the prince said.
Now with Sage Energy, Naruto's oni form sported several new additions.
For one, his black marks had grown more complex, forming a sun on his abs and pectorals, the two 'suns' connected by a thick black bar.
Secondly, his arms crackled with a sort of physical energy that burned black, the effects constantly flaking off of his fists.
And, finally, the biggest change… were the four new arms on his back and the two 'masks' that rested on the back of his head, forming a sort of 'three-faced' individual.
The arms were gold with black marks, each one clawed and shimmering with pulsing energy that seemed to follow the black marks on the arms.
"Alright," Naruto crouched low. "Take off!"
And he jumped. He did not soar, he did not fly, he did not float.
He jumped out of the Netherworld's atmosphere before one of the ships in the distance tilted.
"Holy shit! That's AWESOME!" Aramis grinned in victory as the others either laughed, choked, or paled, in Tramaris and Enigma's cases.
"The hell is this?! When was a human soul THIS powerful?! What?!" The Android said in disbelief as her skin paled and her mouth fell. "S-So, I wasn't gonna do it but, uhh, double-crossing is so far off the table it's in the garbage."
"I-Is that truly a human?" Tramaris asked in horror before her cheeks reddened. 'He could have had his way with me no matter what,' she held her face. 'How noble! How valiant!' Where did such a magnificent person come from?
"Well… I'm keeping score!" Laharl said as he shot up with his scarf spread out to give him slight flight, the boy disappearing into the atmosphere.
"Hmph, well, I should be able to fly better with these," Etna said as she flapped her wings thrice before shooting up into the sky. "W-Wait! Too fast!" She flew out of sight without a hint of control.
~NRK~
"W-What's going on?!" Carter asked the technicians who barely got back into their seats. "We need visual-"
Red lights flashed in the cockpit of the Gargantua.
"W-What?!"
"You will deal with this yourself," Vulcanus huffed before vanishing.
"W-Wait! No, come back!" Carter gawked at the empty air. 'This isn't good!'
"Sir, we're getting several… Oh my God!" One of the male technicians began to say before paling. "T-The 100th to 253rd h-have been obliterated?!"
"S-Sir! Another distress signal! Platoon 305th has requested back-up!"
"The Olympus is going down! All crew members have retreated!"
"T-The ATHENA is under attack?!"
"More signals!"
"Sir!"
Carter's form froze as more of their 2 million-strong fleet began to fall in a matter of minutes.
W-What were these monsters?!
~NRK~
Naruto grunted as he glared at the members of the ship into their transporter before lifting his right arm.
He brought it down and the entire ship broke at that single point, splitting in half.
Tearing through the last few walls in front of him, he shot off towards another ship before transforming mid-flight.
"Dynamic… WIND ENTRY!"
He broke through several ships all at once, encasing them in a wind that slowly ground away any inorganic material, by his command.
'That should give them enough time to leave,' Naruto could feel the small pings on his senses going away without losing their lives. 'Ya know, I didn't think I could breathe in space but maybe that's the alien part of my soul.'
He went towards the biggest ship in the wake of these invaders and hummed as he activated his newest Skill.
The spirit flourished a single seal tag before slapping it down on the floor and making a handsign.
Moments later, the others blinked as they reappeared atop the Gargantua.
"H-HUH?!" Gordon's mouth fell as Naruto chuckled, forming a sphere of wind for the group. "W-When could you-?!"
"Ever since I passed Level 700," Naruto explained as Laharl snickered.
"And we now have a super sneaky skill for slipping into places. We can abuse this a lot," the prince said as Naruto nodded."
"For now, we need to get you guys inside where there's air."
"Oh, we don't need that. We can breathe in space," Etna said and Naruto's eyes blinked thrice.
"Wait, what?"
"Y-Yes, angels can, too," Tramaris admitted and Naruto rubbed the back of his head.
"Wait, since when? H-How does that make sense?!"
"We're more durable than a squishy human," Draconis explained as Gordon huffed while Jennifer giggled a bit.
"Well, technically, we don't need it either," she said and everyone besides Gordon and Thursday looked at her. "W-We have special functions in our Hold spaces that allow us to even breathe underwater for a time."
"Hold spaces can do that?" Corrin asked, impressed and intrigued. "Dude, imagine if you spread that tech around, you'd be rich!"
Gordon's eyes gained a gleam. "Perhaps…"
"Hmph, I guess I shouldn't be disappointed," came a voice from ahead of the group, Naruto's eyes widening as he turned around to see a man.
He had fair skin, green hair set in a literally sharp hairstyle, a prominent sharp nose, and sharp yellow eyes. Wearing a black turtleneck, a long white lab coat with the sleeves rolled-up, brown cargo pants, and black dress shoes, the man's eyes narrowed on Naruto as Laharl hummed.
Naruto transformed into his Werefox form and frowned. "Who are you?" He asked with crossed arms and narrowed eyes.
"Hmph, so we finally meet," the man said. "Honestly, I'm rather ashamed to see my rival under your employ but I guess he was no match for the Overlord-"
"No! We are not doing this again!" Laharl roared as he pointed at the surprised man. "I'M THE OVERLORD!"
"Um, yes?" The man said and the others laughed while Laharl's mouth fell. "I… we knew that."
"Trust me, that's been a trend for a while," Naruto said with a nervous grin. "So, uh, who are ya?"
"Kurtis?!" Gordon revealed with an accompanying gasp from Jennifer. "I knew I recognized that voice from somewhere!"
"Hmph, Gordon, so glad to see being an Overlord's lackey worked out for you," Kurtis said as Gordon winced. "I expected better things of you, bigger things, I'd have thought you could defeat the Overlord with ease but look at the pathetic state you're in."
"He's got a point," Laharl said smugly as Gordon flinched. "Hm, hm, hmm, you've good eyes to recognize me, my strength, and my vassal."
"Hmph, your praise is interesting. So, were you the one who destroyed all of our ships?" Kurtis asked before his eyes went to Naruto. "Or was it the Avatar of Destruction over there?"
"Hmm?" Avarice looked intrigued. "Oooh, good title!"
"Hmph, I'll say, I didn't expect devas to be found in the Netherworld," the moss head said. "An actual Asura, that's intriguing."
"Wait, a what?" Naruto asked.
"Oh, right, you don't know, Naruto, but there were myths of beings called 'Asura' back in the day," Circe said before Enigma chimed in.
"Originally, those were actually the Majin who went up to see Earth," the Android spoke and Kurtis looked intrigued. "Yep, devas, Asuras, they're real but only in the sense of a demon made them so."
"It's honestly more intriguing," Kurtis smirked before frowning at Gordon. "Still, I'm truly disappointed… I guess you weren't the man you said you were."
Gordon flinched… before Jennifer strode forward towards Kurtis.
"Ah, Jennifer-" Kurtis began to say only for a slap to ring out as his face contorted in pain. "Ow!" He winced as he held his cheek yet flinched at the rage on the blonde woman's face.
"Don't say that about Gordon, Kurtis, I'll make sure to hit you far harder than that," Jennifer said as Gordon choked. "... Gordon is a hero of earth, likely one of the greatest we've ever had."
"Hmph, curious."
"Don't 'curious' me, Kurtis. Things now seem odd, they're honestly really weird," Jennifer said before her eyes narrowed again. "But Gordon is more worthy of that title than anyone on Earth."
Naruto smirked as Circe smiled. "Yep."
"Hmph," Laharl chuckled. "Despite his current status, I won't lie, the man back then… you were right in thought, Kurtis. Gordon could have truly defeated me back when we first fought," the moss head looked intrigued. "It's a little embarrassing but I'd expect no less challenge from a hero."
"Y-You all…" Gordon's eyes wobbled before they closed and open with more clarity than ever before. "... Kurtis," he spoke up, walking forward before he and his old friend were eye to eye. "You were right, I was pathetic… but not because of my defeat," he declared as the other man smirked.
"Oh? How so? I'm truly intrigued."
"I was pathetic because I'd become lost," Gordon said with a sigh and Kurtis blinked. "Finding out I was but a pawn in the eyes of our commander wasn't pleasant."
Kurtis's eyes, even for a mere moment, softened before hardening again. "So, what? You cried like a baby? That's not hero-like."
"You're right, it's not. I relied on the EDF to prove my title wasn't a mistake," Gordon's eyes shined and Kurtis smirked. "But I don't need the EDF to validate my title. I've saved the world time and time again with Jennifer and Thursday by my sides! I'm more than just a hero for a job. I AM THE HERO OF EARTH! THE 37th DEFENDER OF EARTH! CAPTAIN GORDON!"
The light around him brightened up before erupting, Kurtis humming a small tune.
"Remember that tune, Gordon. It'll be the last bit of music not in the background you'll ever hear," Kurtis declared as he raised his hand. "Now, fight and prove to me just how much of that title you believe in."
His fingers snapped and the group balked as the floor rumbled before the sound of metal machines turning caught their attention.
"Oh, no!" Jennifer's eyes widened as she looked around before a hand on her shoulder caused her to freeze. "Kurtis, now's not-!"
"Sleep."
Jennifer stumbled before hitting her knees, much to the horror of the others.
"Jennifer!" Gordon reached out to her only for his hand to press against a tube. "What?! No!"
Her body fell into the tube and vanished from sight along with the tube, shocking the party.
"Dammit!" Gordon cursed before turning to face Kurtis. "Kurtis!"
"Hmph, make it past here and find us ahead," the moss head said as he walked away, form shimmering. "I'll be waiting, Gordon."
He vanished in a burst of light, leaving the captain's eyes to narrow before he clenched his fist.
"We will find you, Kurtis! AND WE'LL GET JENNIFER BACK!"
~NRK~
That's a wrap on this chapter, I hope you all liked it.
So, here, we don't have the falling out between Gordon and Jennifer due to Naruto-esque intervention but, in place of that, I gave Gordon something. A feeling of inadequacy and loneliness brought about by his very title itself.
Besides that, the group gets their new duds and we finally focus on the changes the Carnage Dimension had on them. We ignored it for a bit but with their new clothes, a mix between their DD2 outfits (Flonne's own inspiration more from Disgaea 4), the changes became apparent. Now, I know a lot of people are wondering if Sicily will enter the fic's 'Disgaea 1' Era and I'll give you a soft maybe on that.
I'll need to consider how I'd want that to work. Maybe, since she's without her caretaker in this fic, that's enough motivation for her to want to find out where she went… or, BRAINBLAST, I realized that with not just that but also the fact that Celestia would be up in a tizzy, she'd be curious about what happened.
One thing I need to remember is this, Sicily knows she and Laharl are related. That's the simple truth. This means that either Laharl's mom in heaven told her or she was informed while she grew up but then I question why the angels would tell her. Sure, it's probably just something not considered when they made the sequel but I'm just trying to make it fit in my head.
Either that or I'll do as the writers did, NOT CARE and do it anyway!
And, next up, Clarissa gets her 'prize' after much confidence gained and her own wants becoming more apparent, she's gotten that third-fourth step into Naruto's love life. Said love life is currently in disarray and will become MORE in disarray, but he'll find a way to handle it.
For now, tune in next time for the fights on the Gargantua!
Ciao.
Words: 13.3k+
~NRK Out~