Chapter 33 - Well, that escalated quickly
With the retrieval (And slight scolding by Neptune) of Noire, the party was free to advance through the streets towards Passé, aided by the three members of Team RAIL. They had to fight through more enemies than they did before, almost like the enemy had known that the Party had some powerful, albeit temporary additions to their ranks. Sometimes though, Lucy would flirt with Nico in a subtle manner, much to his chagrin and embarrassment.
Obviously, this did not sit well with Compa or Neptune, who was still confused on why she was feeling this way around the older woman. These strange emotions she held within her towards the male of their group had been plaguing her for a while now. she couldn't tell what they were, describing them to herself as only 'the weird thing'. And really, who could blame her? Seriously, she was an amnesiac and while she could remember some general things, things like what she was feeling right now was not one of the things she remembered. In fact, she doubted she had any experience in this matter even before she had lost her memories, which didn't help her situation. Her means of teasing Nico both in human and in HDD form were the result of her indulging on these unknown feelings.
Compa meanwhile, knew what was going on, EXACTLY. She knew now, that Nico had attracted the attention of multiple girls, not just Neptune, which made her feel annoyed, but also amazed. She may be an airhead who didn't; understand complicated matters, but she could tell matters of the heart well. Though sometimes it would take some time for her to get any traction. She felt annoyance that Nico had apparently attracted more than one girl to him, though with the way that most guys were nowadays she couldn't help but think this was to be expected. Someone who goes out of their way to treat women with the respect he feels they deserve, treats them more like people than sex toys?
Who wouldn't want someone like that?
She could also feel amazement, amazement at Nico's ability that he wasn't even aware that he had, the ability to charm girls into befriending him. That didn't mean that she was willing to give up on them though, as Compa was a stubborn girl, and when it came to her childhood friend she was more than stubborn about him. She was his personal Nurse after all, and a Nurse never gives up on her beloved patients!
Finally, the party plus Team RAIL reached Passé, only to do a unified cringe at what they had seen.
"Tch, looks like we were too late."
"Looks that way."
"Passé… it's in ruins…"
"Holy Nep, this looks bad, like, really bad. It looks bad, doesn't it guys?"
"Now is so not the time for your drama Neptune, we need to find Chian!"
Those were IF, Nico, Compa, Neptune and Noire's reactions in that order, while scowls were present on the three Team RAIL members' faces at the sight of the destroyed Café. The Café attachment was reduced to rubble, and the main Factory building looked to have taken a beating. There were holes in certain areas, fires burned in some of them making large smoke trails that rose to the skies above. The sounds of burning chemicals filled the air, giving off a scent that made the girls cringe. Though Neptune and Compa didn't as much since they still had pegs on their noses.
Scanning the area, Nico searched for any sign of the blunette mechanic with his eyes. His other senses were also active, the power of IT rushing through his veins. If he used 'IT' in miniscule amounts in a constant enough manner, Nico theorized that he wouldn't have to hear that mind grating voice that lurked in the shadows of his psyche. His eyes scanned the area intently, until they spotted a tuff of blue hair amidst some rubble which looked like a pile that had fallen on top of something. Horror crossed onto his features once he identified faint sounds of breathing even with his sense of hearing. "Oh shit, Chian!"
The male quickly began jogging over to where he had found the pile, with the girls looking at each other before following suit. At first, they were confused, but when they saw the faint tuff of Chian's hair they quickly changed their tune and began helping Nico pull the rubble off the downed mechanic.
When they had pulled enough rubble off to pull the woman out into the open, horrified gasps escaped them when they saw how much damage Chian's body had taken. Her clothes were shredded above the right knee, left thigh, the stomach and the arms, each of those areas having multiple wounds like cuts and lacerations. Her right arm and left leg were bent at unnatural angles while her forehead had a trail of blood going down it.
"Compa, quick let's get some medical attention to her!" Nico ordered, the Nurse-In-Training quickly nodding with a shout of confirmation as she kneeled opposite the male and began to work. They first reset the bones in the arm and leg, making it so that they were at least back in their proper places. They then began applying bandages to Chian's damaged limbs, Nico making sure only the proper amount was applied. One of his skills as a Spec Ops Agent was first aid, a necessary skill to have on the battlefield when there wasn't a medic around.
Once many of her injuries were tended to, which took about 30 minutes in total, the woman began to stir, her eyes tightening as a pained groan broke free from her lips. Slowly, her eyes opened as she gripped the ground as a reflex, as if she needed the comfort that she was still alive. "I'm… alive…?" she muttered in confusion, though she looked slightly delirious. She then weakly raised her head and noticed that she wasn't alone, her eyes brightening considerably even with her injured state. "Y-You guys…! Y-Y-Y-You're safe…!" she tried to say, but her voice broke several times and she had to cough to expel some saliva clogging her dry throat.
"Hold on, Chian, don't talk." Nico urged gently, quickly taking out a bottle of water from his Void storage, uncapping the lid and putting the end in Chian's mouth. "Here, drink. It'll make your headache go away." The girls watched in concern as Chian wordlessly complied with his request, though she treated it as a command and drank from the water bottle. It looked like a baby being fed by its parents on a warm afternoon within the comfort of a home.
Once Chian had finished half the bottle, Nico pulled it from her lips, cleaned the top before screwing the life back on and sending it back to his Void Storage. Slowly, Chian rolled over, groaning in discomfort thanks to her wounds as she fell onto her back. "Chian? Are you okay?!" Chian looked towards the frantic Noire who had asked her that question. She didn't have her Mask on, so she could see Noire's face, but she did have her Eyeglasses on.
After another cough, Chian managed to clear her throat before responding with a pained smile. "W-Well, th-thanks to you guys, I am. It all happened without warning, but I'm glad that you all are alright. A-Anyways, you have to get out of here, it's too dangerous!" she urged them, starting to sit up, but she began to cough afterwards much to the concern of the others.
"Shhh, save your strength, Chian." Compa urged her quietly as she lowered the mechanic onto her back again. "You need some time to heal your injuries, you're in no condition to walk right now." she said, her face stern and serious, with the eyes of a professional Nurse evaluating her patient's body.
Nevertheless, Chian still; tried to get up. She held a gleam in her eye that Noire recognised, making her eyes widen in recognition and a warm feeling spread through her chest. "Lady Bl-Black Heart always said that… Lastation is… only the best at everything… how can I call myself a citizen of such a Nation… if I didn't push myself to become better?" she remarked, chuckling briefly before wincing at the pain within her body, for it had spiked the moment she tried to chuckle. "I-I need to go… I gotta report to the Basilicom, hopefully they'll listen to me this time and let me see the CPU."
Those words shook the blackette to the core as memories flowed through her mind. Memories old and forgotten by the Ancient CPU. She remembered saying that at the founding of her Nation, when it was just her and a handful of followers, followers who were long since dead. She remembered saying that Lastation's pride was being able to excel at anything they could put their mind to, it was their motto, their way of life. For a while, Lastation had been just that, a beacon for those who truly wished to become successful. Those who didn't work hard for their future wouldn't have the success they craved. Even Noire took that motto into her being, though she did make a few wrong choices with the Console War.
Ironic that her land was called the Land of Black Regality when Planeptune was referred to as the Land of Purple Progress. Progress being the Keyword there.
However, ever since she had returned, much of that life, that want to be better, that desire to excel, had been snuffed out by Avenir. What once was a nation full of people dedicated in their work, enjoyed it to the fullest, was now full of people who were almost lifeless, dull even. They no longer took joy in their jobs, only solitude and loneliness. It filled her with such sorrow, resentment and rage at seeing what her Nation had been reduced to, and she had been unable to see the corruption in time to stop it. Noire knew she was at fault for being away for so long, but that didn't help matters for her, not one bit.
Yet now, yet now she was seeing that spark, that life, blooming within Chian like a late blooming flower in the Springtime, having weathered conditions in the winter that were far harsher than it was used to. She saw the desire to be the better, to be the best, in Chian's eyes, after so long of not seeing it at all. Noire never realised just how much she had missed that from her people.
Such desire... such resolve… How could she continue this charade with this show in front of her?
"There's no need for that, Chian…" she whispered, her hair shadowing her eyes but her voice was strong enough for the woman to hear her. Slowly, Noire kneeled beside her, and glanced to Nico. She gave her request through her eyes, to which the male caught on to what she planned to do, as well as realised that she was taking the risks that would be involved with this. The male nodded and looked up, his eyes telling the girls that they needed to give them some privacy.
No more words were needed as the girls and Nico stepped back, giving Noire and Chian the privacy that she wanted. Moreover, it gave her the chance to reveal to the woman who she really was. This may be a risky move, however since Avenir knew who she was anyways, and that Chian had shown the same ideals the first few citizens of Lastation had all those centuries ago, she would reward this woman with the hope she so desperately wanted.
Raising her hand to her face… Noire moved it down her face, revealing her eyes that radiated what looked like a faint power button symbol in them.
Upon seeing them, Chian's weak eyes opened fully for the first time since she woke up. Shock raced through them, as well as confusion, but there were hints of a rising joy in them that made Noire feel warm inside. "L-Lady… Black… Heart…?" she whispered, the joy lighting up in her eyes as time passed.
Noire nodded, her smile filled with both happiness and sadness as she slowly got to her feet. "I'm sorry for hiding my identity from you Chian, but I couldn't stand not knowing what was going on anymore. I had to do something about this, even as extreme as going under cover." She apologised to the woman, lowering her head and closing her eyes with her face twisting in guilt.
Chian shook her head in dismissal of Noire's apology, not caring about it in the least. If she could, she would make a dismissive wave as well. "No worries, here… my Lady… the fact that… you were trying… is enough for me…" she said with a soft smile on her lips, which made Noire open her eyes and smile in gratefulness back at her. She truly was relieved that the woman didn't hold what she had done against her, but what happened next really brought it home for the black-haired CPU.
"Take my faith, my Lady… and fight on."
The mechanic rose a hand and clenched a fist, offering it to the CPU standing before her. Noire was at first confused on what she was doing, but then remembered seeing Chian do this to one of her workers one time. A form of respect, kinship between two people. Her smile widened even more at the implications behind this gesture, and Noire made a fist to bump it against hers.
In that moment, her eyes widened when she felt a spark ignite deep within her very being, a small flame manifesting there and filling her with energy, energy she knew all too well. 'Is this… is this Share Energy?' She wondered in shock, before looking down at the woman below her, who had fallen unconscious from her injuries once more. 'Chian… you put your faith in me… knowing that I lack the power I once did…' Noire thought, clenching her fists and shaking slightly. She then released a calming breath, feeling her body become relaxed once more, as a determination that came with the old energy returning to her flowed through her system.
With renewed resolve, Noire levelled a glare towards the one that was causing all this carnage to her Nation: Ganache.
Said man was in the distance, standing before a large robot that he seemed to be in control of. The robot looked like it was locked in battle with someone, and this person she was more interested in. She had learned from Lucy of Team RAIL that their leader had arrived at Passé already and was busy holding Ganache off. That was likely the only reason Noire, in her current state, even bothered to notice her presence at all.
The leader, she assumed, stood on top of a single-story building, before jumping down with what looked like a long Katana primed and ready to strike. The robot made a swing at her but she deflected it with a single swing, landing on the ground before rushing towards the enemy and jumping past it, several slash marks appearing across the robots' sides.
Her movement had allowed them to identify her appearance. She was a young woman who looked to be 18, 2 years Nico's Senior. She had fair skin and black hair, blacker than night itself as it went down to her backside, worn loosely with a cowlick sticking out at the top. Her eyes were a crimson red, like a demon's which gave her an intimidating vibe. She wore a shallow cut black dress, five necklaces with an assortment of beads, a red girdle-belt, and a pair of matching gauntlets. She wore black gloves over her hands that tightly fit, offering better grip for weapon handling. An object that looked to be made from feathers hung from the right side of her skirt. She also wore thigh high black stockings attached to a pair of garters, and a pair of black stiletto heeled boots with metal replacing the toes and heels that reach just beneath the rims of her stockings. Her face was covered right now, covered by a Mask that had appeared over her face, being primarily white with red detailing as a secondary colour. It has four slits, which enhances its inhuman, demonic appearance.
'That's the leader, SAMURAI I think they call her…?'
Noire watched the woman as she battled the robot, which thanks to her shock she now was able to note its appearance. It had a body built from refined black metal, with the upper body of a bulky man, and the lower body of a serpent, its lower body being a serpentine segmented Tail. In its left hand was a massive Mace while in its right was an equally large Axe. It had a single ocular red lense that glowed in the shadows of the darkened sky, adding to its sinister appearance.
And yet, the woman had faced off against it with what looked like a single Japanese themed Odachi which she carried by its sheath on her waist. The sheath had a rotatory chamber filled with various elemental cores, Noire noticed, likely to enhance her blade with elemental affinities. Judging by the length of the blade, Noire assumed the blade was telescopic which, according to her knowledge, allowed it to be twice the length of its sheath.
'… She must be either really brave or really arrogant… but still, I have to admit she does good work.'
Shaking those thoughts off, Noire began making her way over to Ganache with a fury that could only come from a scorned leader in her eyes. Behind her, Nico had wordlessly glanced to Ivan, whom nodded his head in acknowledgement. It may not be his leader's orders, but Ivan respected Nico for his skills on the battlefield, and his code of honor. Wordlessly, he went to Chian's motionless form and scooped her into his arms, deploying his wings and taking to the skies, heading off took the nearest hospital to deposit the young mechanic.
"Looks like Chian's no longer in harm's way…" IF noted as she watched the man fly away, a relieved smile breaking ono her face. Now that Chian would be getting medical help instead of just first aid, IF felt much better about what would happen next. She knew there would be a lot of damages to pay for after this, and didn't want Chian too close to the destruction that would follow.
Compa nodded in agreement, sharing the concerns of her friend as she let a relieved sigh escape her lips. "Phew, goodie. Mrs Chian's gonna be okay…"
"Wonder what Noire talked to Chian about?" Neptune hummed in thought. She had wanted to snoop in on their little chat but both IF and Nico had stopped her, silently telling her with their glares to give them some space. Under pressure from both sides, she had relented. Still didn't stop her from being curious however.
IF rolled her eyes at the nosiness that the preteen was displaying, finding it to be just like her. "Alright nosy parker, focus on the real issue here. Ganache is just there, so let's go say hello… before we knock his lights out for what he's done here."
"GANACHE!"
While watching the battle between RAIL's leader and his robot, Ganache blinked several times when he heard his name from someone he didn't expect to hear it from so soon. Slowly, he turned around to see Noire and the others storming over to him, giving him death glares that, if looks could kill, he would have died several times over. "Oh, it's you girls." He remarked, though with the tone he used it was clear that he didn't really care that they had survived his little death-trap. "And your boy toy, too."
Nico bristled in anger at that, but refrained as he focused his mind on something else about him. "Huh… looks like someone got a different wardrobe." The male mused, and the girls finally noticed something different about the businessman. He no longer wore a purple suit, opting for a different getup: a black turtleneck sweatshirt, black trousers and leather Trench Coat over his turtleneck, as well as black leather gloves. His eyes were concealed by a pair of black Shades, giving him more of a villainous appearance and less like a Businessman.
More like an assassin or a mid to high level boss in Neptune's language.
"Dude, when did you try a different getup? You look like an assassin, or some final boss in a long game series of horror games!" Neptune exclaimed in shock at the man's new look. Despite being angry at him, the others were quick to realise what Neptune meant, and became confused on why he had changed his wardrobe.
Ganache looked himself over before straightening the collar of his Trench Coat with his gloved hands. "Why, thank you. I was going for a more intimidating appearance than that lousy suit. Such restriction, lack of mobility…" He remarked with distain, remembering the stuffy purple suit he used to wear. This getup was far more comfortable and badass in his opinion. "In any case, 1, 2, 3, 4… I'm surprised, you all made it out alive. That must be a big relief for you DEATHSTROKE."
Another glare from Nico came at him, while Noire gave a smug smirk, flipping her hand through one of her ponytails as she formed a fist from that sae hand and put it on her hip. "Did you seriously think some braindead brutes would be able to beat us?" she remarked casually, though on the inside she was bristling when she remembered that annoying Ogroman and he things she learned about the virus that was being used to harm her city. Ganache as going to get his due, but not yet. it wasn't time yet.
Ganache chuckled in amusement, his eyes and smirk filled with condescension as he admitted to them. "Well, I guess you're right. Of course, they did buy me the time I needed, yes?" Ganache responded, lifting his arms and gesturing to the destruction around them. "With that time, not only was I able to demonstrate our newest weapon, but also advance our more "discrete" research." When he said 'Discrete' Ganache formed 2 fists with his raised arms and bent the two middle and index fingers, making quotation marks before lowering them. his smirk never decreased either, showing his confidence about the situation.
"I will admit that you friend DEATHSRTROKE came prepared. He had Team RAIL, a large Eyesore to our rival Umbrella back then, stationed in this district should anything happen to him or you girls, as well as warned the Military that an attack was incoming. If it was anyone else, they wouldn't have listened, but since it was one of Racoon City's survivors, a whole new ball game. You should thank him, because if it wasn't for him none of you would be here at this point." While they didn't want to admit it, for it sort of wounded their pride, Ganache did have a point. If they had gone with their usual strategies against that horde, not prepping for them beforehand, they would have undoubtedly lost to them and joined the Zombie masses.
"You… Fiend…!"
The man's smirk widened slightly at Noire's insult, her previous smug look having replaced itself with the enraged look she had on earlier. "Fiend?" the man questioned, never losing his smirk. He then took on a more sinister sneer, speaking with a degree of mocking to her "Well, even if that is true, what are you going to do about it?"
Before Noire could respond, Ganache raised a hand and held his index finger upwards. "For one, you have lost most of your power to Avenir, making you weak now. Surprised Chian even placed her beliefs in you in the first place." He idly mused at the end, placing the same index finger on his chin while looking upwards. This lasted a moment before he resumed his previous posture, condescending smirk and raised hand and all. "You must be aware of that fact at least, or are you some lazy Goddess who can't even do her job right?"
On her side, Neptune blinked, and for some reason, felt a spark of indignation and the sensation of being insulted. "Hey, why do I get the feeling I've just been dissed…?" she muttered under her breath, before glaring heavily at Ganache. Her cheeks were inflamed while angry red adorned them. "I'm slowly losing what restraint I have left now."
Back to the conversation between Noire and Ganache, the man continued. "If anything, you should only blame yourself. Hardly anyone in Lastation reveres you anymore, their faith is now placed within us instead." Another thought sparked in his mind as Ganache quickly made to assure her of something. "Oh, but I do appreciate you. You did make it easy to take over the land."
Noire closed her eyes and remained silent, and Ganache took that as a sign that he was winning, so his smirk widened into a sinister grin. "Hm? Nothing to say against my logic?" he sneered, and everyone wanted to rip that smugness right off his face right then. He assumed that the CPU had reflected on his words and saw no way to deny them, that her spirit had been broken thanks to him. He figured that he had broken her so much that's he would now stay silent, and be easy enough for them to control as the ruled over Lastation. In essence, she literally would be a pinned, pretty little wallflower.
However, something Noire said stopped those thoughts cold.
"So, what?"
"What?" the man blinked, surprised and Caught off guard, losing his smug smirk with his mouth forming a faint open 'o' expression, his eyes widening behind his Shades, they could see that from the raising of his eyebrows and his posture.
Noire, whose expression had become smug once again, with an underlying determination beneath it, responded to Ganache's question. "Who cares about power and control? If you think I'm here just to mete vengeance you're dead wrong." She explained, her smug smirk widening slightly at the bewildered expressions Ganache was making. He did not expect this kind of back talk coming from her.
'Neptune, although you probably don't realise it, you helped me in more ways than one in this little adventure of ours.' The blackette thought to herself as she glanced behind her at the preteen, but it was only for a brief millisecond before she levelled her gaze back at the black-clad man. 'This is my new pledge, my new resolve! Make sure to see it all with your own eyes, Ganache!' she roared within her mind, while her mouth solidified her thoughts into words. "I'm here for the people who believe in me!"
Yes, that was the answer that Noire had come to on that night with Neptune. It had been even more engraved into her brain when Nico unravelled her identity as Black Heart, and with Chian's help as well. The people were more important than the Console war, especially right now. How could she call herself a leader when she didn't actually lead? Like a smart teen with a special eye power once said: If the king doesn't lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow?
Also, this was no longer about fighting. She would stop fighting the CPUs of the other Nations, at least if they weren't intending to attack her, and start talking.
So, caught off guard, Ganache opened his mouth to try and speak, but nothing came out. He was caught completely by surprise by the blackette's speech and determined gaze, not what he had expected from the weakened Goddess. He had expected her to fall into despair over the loss of most of her power to them, by her own doing no less. However, instead all he had gotten was a determined Goddess who was fighting to help those that still believed in her.
Before he could respond however…
"Iffy…? Can I speak now? I don't like the seriousness right now."
"Just be patient and let them finish what they're saying."
All eyes turned to Neptune and IF, whom was groaning in dismay at being heard while the preteen looked like she was about to explode or something. She had been silent for most of this conversation, and for her that was a stretch.
As proven when she began waving her arms up and down in a cute, bashful manner as she made a pleading face with the brunette. "But Iffy, I'm at my limit already. I need to talk to breathe, ya know? And our readers don't wanna read big paragraphs no more…"
A fist flew onto and hit her head, a loud BONK ringing throughout the air as Neptune made a startled and pained cry while holding her hands over the forming lump. The cause was an irritated Nico who was glaring at her heatedly through his Mask. Looming over her like an evil villain would to the downed hero. "Neptune…! You really don't know how to keep a lid on it, do you…?" the male growled, before his eye gleamed menacingly as an idea struck his mind as he began cracking his knuckles, an ominous aura around him that made the purplette pale considerably. "Should I give you the appropriate punishment…?"
He then glanced to Compa, nodding at her as if that was a signal for her to do something, which she recognised and brought out… some pudding? "Nep-Nep, if you don't be quiet, you'll not eat your pudding snack." She said. It was…s lightly disturbing how she said that with an innocent smile on her features, like a wolf in sheep's clothing.
'Note to self: NEVER piss Compa off or else…'
While Nico thought that with a slight shiver and a sweat drop, Neptune paled when she saw the girl slightly tip the pudding cup over, prepping to drop it to the ground. "N-No! I'll do my best to keep my mouth shut!" she pleaded with the two, her eyes brimming with unshed tears as panic overflowed through her being. "Just don't make it seem like Noire can hear us!"
When Neptune said that, several tick marks formed on Noire's forehead as she clutched a shaking fist, a vein protruding out of it as she tried restraining herself from killing the preteen. "I can hear everything!" she yelled much to the horror of Neptune. "It's a BBIT pointless if you are making noise on the subject of quiet! And now look what upu've done! The entire mood is gone!"
Compa's smile widened a little at that… before she completely tipped the pudding over. "And Nep-Nep's pudding scores a double whammy! Gone!" she remarked cheerfully at the horror-stricken look on the preteen's face.
Time seemed to slow to a torturous pace as the Pudding fell towards the ground. Neptune tried to move, but Nico had restrained her so she couldn't do anything, doing this by hooking his arms under her armpits and holding her in place. She struggled in vain, right until the last moment where she froze at seeing the pudding go SPLAT when it hit the ground.
"A-Aaaaah! My-My Pudding! Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"
While Neptune dove at the pudding after Nico let her go, crying into the remains of the delicious treat, Team RAIL, save for the leader who was still fighting,could only stare awkwardly at the scene unfolding in front of them. Ivan, Lucy and Aiden who had returned shortly before th scene began, sweat dropped in unison as they turned to IF, their stares speaking their unasked question.
The brunette crossed her arms and nodded at them. "Yeah guys, this is our usual. Nico tries to keep Nep in line, but sometimes he's sucked into it." she explained, releasing a depressing breath. She really was glad that Noire was here, as while Nico did have good intentions sometimes he would get sucked into Neptune's antics. It was relieving to have another sane member of the party with them.
A sound akin to the clearing of one's throat interrupted them, drawing their gazes back to Ganache, who looked like he was mildly irritated as he held his closed hand over his mouth. "Are you done speaking with your friends?" he asked impatiently. "I'm a busy person, you know."
Before Noire could respond, Nico saw his chance and took it. "Just one question before we send that pile of junk of yours to the scrap heap, Ganache. We know of the C Virus and your dirty dealings with Umbrella before their fall." He began, getting stunned looks from those who weren't present at the factory. That was basically Team RAIL in a nutshell, and Ganache. "But what I don't get is this: before Racoon City, Avenir had tons of human employees, they didn't rely too much on machines. But afterwards up till now, even, you guys are all about them at this point and there's little sign of human presence in your company. What happened to all those workers, did you fire them or something?" he asked the man, sweating slightly behind his Mask. Nico had an idea as to their fate, but was prying to every deity he could think of, which was a hard thing to do considering his opinions on religion, that he was wrong.
However, it appeared to be worse when Ganache gave a mocking, sick smirk that indicated what he was about to say next. "Why, we did what you think we did, we wouldn't want any witnesses that would blabber their gobs after being unanimously fired for no reason. I do believe they're in a better place by now, though, don't you think?" he remarked, his smirk twisting into a demented manner. "Of course, one of them just happened to know a certain person at Passé, which meant that he had to share the same fate."
...
...
...
Silence.
That was what spread through the area as Nico's eyes filled with horror and realisation, which was soon followed by the rest of the group. Team RAIL didn't know the full picture, but they could guess what was happening based off of what little they knew. And it was a HORRIFFIC picture. Then, Nico's face contorted into one of pure fury, a vicious snarl escaping his lips as his fists clenched so tight they would have bled. "You… fucking psycho…!"
Ganache waved off his insult dismissively, caring little for it. "Even though it's true, it's not like you can do anything about it. In fact, you, among the rest of Racoon City's survivors, were also big factors to making it easy for us to take over. You're all as much to blame as Noire for us taking over so quickly." He mocked, chuckling evilly as he recalled wat had happened after that devastating Outbreak.
"Now then, if you're done, shall we get down to business? I have tight schedule, after all-" The man didn't get a chance to finish as he raised a hand and blocked a sudden kick from DEATHSTROKE, a large shockwave blowing past him making his Trench Coat flutter in the breeze. The male growled, fury in his eyes as he glared fiercely at the other man, who looked nonchalant at him.
It happened nearly instantly, so fast that Nico almost didn't realise what had happened. Ganache suddenly threw his leg into the air and slammed his foot into his stomach, the amount of strength put into that blow sending him flying through the air. The girls cried out in a startled manner at seeing this, but sighed in relief when the male landed on the ground on all fours, sliding to a halt. His expression no longer had just anger, but also confusion and surprise. "Wh-what…? How did you…?"
Ganache chuckled, before breaking out into laughter. This laugh was demented, insane even, and it sent chills down their spines. When it finally stopped, Ganache released his hands from holding his stomach before raising his right hand to his Shades. "Well now, DEATHSTROKE, shouldn't you have guessed by now…?" he mocked while his hand gripped the side of his Glasses lowering them so that they saw his eyes. Nico, Team RAIL and the girls all became stunned when they saw that his eyes… were glowing a crimson red and his pupils had become slitted like a cat's. "That I would not engage you… without an insurance policy?"
Taking off his glasses, Ganache swiftly threw them at Nico, just starting to break into a run while doing so. Nico caught the glasses, and momentarily wondered why he did that, before his eye widened in realisation as he swiftly tilted his head to the side, avoiding a punch to his face.
The male went for a punch to the Solar Plexus while jumping into a spinning kick, only for Ganache to block the Punch and deliver a haymaker to Nico's kick, grabbing it and flinging him overhead and slamming him into the ground. Gripping the ground, Nico flung Ganache over him, the man righting himself in mid-air and landed in a crouch.
"Nep-Nep, transform!" Compa called out to her friend as IF pulled out her Pistols from her Inventory, quickly unloading bullets on the man. To her shock however, Ganache moved, tilted, and swerved out the way of her bullets like they were slow as ants, while in her eyes he was moving faster than a blur. He soon closed the distance and delivered several punches on her, before launching a vicious scissor kick to her jaw and then grabbing her by said area, lifting her into the air before slamming her into the ground headfirst with enough strength to cause a mini crater. He then kicked IF away into the wall of a nearby building.
"Transform!" Ganache turned only to see a pillar of light engulf Neptune, and when it faded away her HDD self was taking her place, floating there with a purple aura around her, glaring heatedly at Ganache. "Ganache, you went too far. Feel the pain Chian and the people endured!" she yelled, drawing her sword from its futuristic Sheath.
Said man would have reacted in startled fear at seeing her… if this were another situation, that is. "Oh? For you to be here is quite the surprise… not that it matters." The man remarked, before he blurred forth and palm thrusted Compa in the chest, sending her flying through the air and into a wall. He then turned to Noire, grinning mockingly at her. "How does it feel Noire, to work with a sworn enemy of yours to undo the mistakes YOU caused?"
As he said this, Nico appeared above him after flipping, bringing his heel down on the man's head. Said man vanished from under him, making Nico land on the ground after hitting nothing. Nico then stood straight and blocked a blow to the head, for Ganache to spin into a reverse elbow strike to his back, sending Nico staggering forwards before jumping in to a spinning kick that landed on the side of Nico's head, sending him spinning through the air and to the ground.
Noire glared at him for that, growling as she spoke with a sneer. "For those who believe in me I'll do anything Ganache—anything!" she responded before doing something she once had mixed feelings about doing again. That doubt had long since passed however. "Haaaah! Access!" She bellowed as she too went into HDD, becoming Black Heart once again. The Sword maiden of Lastation now floated in all her gory, with a silvery aura around her as she glared at Ganache with the same venom as Neptune did.
Said sword maiden gave a stunned response when she looked upon Black Heart's form, remembering it from when she last fought her back in West Wind Valley. "Noire?! That form?!
Black Heart turned and stared at her for a brief second. "Details later! For now, let's deal with this asshole and his contraption!" she yelled before flying towards Ganache while he dealt with both IF and Nico at the same time.
Neptune wanted to ask questions, both about Noire and her identity, and about how she knew about her, but she could tell this wasn't the time for those. She turned to look at the members of Team RAIL, about to address them when she saw they weren't there. Looking around to find them, she saw that they were with their leader, helping her fight the Killachine on top of a building. "Looks like they're easily handled…" the womanly Neptune remarked with a slight amused smile, before turning to glare at the battle before her. "Now then, time to do my part! Hah!" Neptune made a war cry as she few into the battle herself.
