Chapter 129 - Demonic Invasion PT6

It wasn't even moments after they left the room that the trio of girls noticed a HUGE difference compared to before when they were fighting their way towards portals. Not only were the enemies fewer in number (which made sense considering how A, they'd eliminated their reinforcement source on this floor and B, had already killed a bunch of them before so killing them became much easier) but they fought even more like mad lunatics than usual. That shouldn't even be possible right now since these guys focused solely on that type of combat. However, it was, and IF theorized it was because they had lost their leaders for this floor which made them go wild. It was like they had taken the beast off at the head, leaving the body to flail about like a headless chicken. Not something Compa and Neptune liked to think about though, which earned the brunette a scolding from the two, prompting a sweat drop from her.

Even after killing so many Demons and witnessing the horrors they were capable of, they still had their own childish innocence, it seemed.

Still, they couldn't deny that there was a lack of co-operation between the Demons of Khorne like IF had tried to tell them. Whenever they encountered them, they were encountered in small packs, and most of those counters were the Party stumbling on them fighting each other. It was like their leaders were the sole reasons why this force was holding itself together, and now that they were gone they reduced themselves to mindless beasts ripping away at each other. Thus, it made killing them off even easier than the trio had expected.

In the end, though, the girls figured that complaining would be the last thing they wanted to do, especially since it made things better for their side.

Even helped them get some extra surviving staff members to safety.

Not to mention, during the battle, Compa had decided to investigate and learn more about her new abilities (after a moment where she stared at her reflection and almost mistook her glowing eyes as a pair of lighthouses, to the amusement of her friends). She wasn't the only one who wanted to know more about what the heck was going on with her right now, especially with how she could now fight alongside Neptune and IF when they went all berserk crazy.

Though, the two girls DID note that Compa looked… a little scarier when she has a huge sword (that she calls Sandalphon) and holding it like a baseball bat. For some reason, they did NOT want to have that sword shoved up their backsides any more than the Syringe she had. Arguably, that may be even worse! Heck, Compa giggling in a disturbingly creepy way when Neptune offhandedly commented on this didn't help any! Even IF took a few steps back from her when she did back!

Did Compa always have this scary a side to her?!

Moving on to her abilities before even the Author starts fearing for his life (whilst holding onto his backside while whimpering like a little girl), apparently the outfit she wore seemed to serve the same purpose as her destroyed Armour. As in, it boosted all her defense stats and resistances, as proven when she got hit right on the back by a fire attack and felt little to no damage get inflicted on her. She only staggered a bit then chopped the cause's head off like it was no big deal (with a creepily disturbing amount of ease, too). Not to mention she found it easier to block the full force ramming of a Juggernaut by taking it head on (not exactly a sane move, but hey she wanted to get some idea as to her outfit's powers). Heck, IF and Neptune lost control of their jaws when she kicked the creature so high into the air that it embedded itself into the ceiling without much effort. She even felt little damage done to her when she got hit by a Hellblade, something that would NOT have been possible for her in her normal outfit.

For her Broadsword, Sandalphon, Compa found that it was a very destructive sword, for it could either be used to send destructive energy waves for ranged attacks or store up this strange energy that poured forth from within for additional attack power. That kind of reminded her of a buffing skill but being applied to the sword instead. In a Mage's terms, it would be like equipping it with a spell to give it magical properties. Because of how she had swung a Syringe as large as she was for so long, Compa didn't find it too surprising that she could swing it so well, and as if she had a moderate amount of experience. It felt like she was wielding a Syringe, plus she'd seen Neptune wield a similar sword more than a few times. As for the Throne that it came from, Compa found she could summon it even partially, as in just the top part, so she could draw out Sandalphon before dismissing it. Not to mention as a means of transport like a hoverboard (as seen when she kicked it down and Neptune used it as a surfboard to bombard the enemy with Crystal attacks).

She'd decided NOT to use the sword's final form, Halvanhelev (though she made sure to talk to her friends about it) since the destructive power that form had felt like it could have leveled this entire building, a true statement when she once showed Neptune when she bugged her about it between battles. Both her and IF had sensed a HUGE swell in power when that sword formed, thus they quickly agreed with Compa's sentiments about that weapon as she returned it to its Sandalphon form. It did that by cracking into pieces that vanished out into nothingness, leaving behind a familiar Broadsword.

As for the second weapon, Camael the Halberd, Compa found that one to be… a rather INTERESTING weapon, for a variety of reasons. One of which was that, the moment that she first summoned it, Sandalphon automatically vanished, as if she could only use one of these divine-feeling weapons at a time lest she combust or something. With that, Compa practiced it on whatever enemies they encountered, and found that its summoning allowed her to manipulate this divine-feeling fire that was as white as the white segments of her outfit. A flame that seemed to target only what Compa WANTED to be destroyed, a form of selective targeting. What she DID want gone, well, the flames did just that. Aside from that, the flames seemed successful for other things, too: healing (she found this out when she managed to put the flames on Neptune's back when she accidentally let her guard down and got stuck there), Restriction (she managed to form various fiery Tendrils which wrapped around a Juggernaut's legs to stop it's charging towards IF from the left flank) and lastly Conjuration (where she generated fireballs, constructs like whips, chains, Tendrils, beasts like Neptune's crystal beings etc), something Compa found to be the most versatile of this Halberd's abilities. Although, the more she used it, the more Compa' realized that she… well, changed when she wielded it. Her eyes would literally become more of a silvery white the longer she used the weapon, and Compa found herself becoming increasingly aggressive and savage.

Maybe she should think hard whenever she would use it, at least till she had better control.

Aside from that, Compa dabbled in her powers a bit, both in-between and during battles, and soon enough she had discovered something else: that she had 4 more weapons in her arsenal, weapons that each had their own abilities.

The third one, which she had learned its name was 'Gabriel', took the form of… well, what looked to be a golden Organ, or several small pipes for Compa's convenience. This weapon seemed to be more of the support type, like she had always been before her transformation. Didn't help that she couldn't use any other weapons when activating it, either, so she probably should only partially use it, so she could instantly switch between them. Gabriel also has various buffing abilities that she can use to help boost the capabilities of her allies. Those were:

BARD OF OVERDRIVE = Enhances the listeners' each and every physical ability.

BARD OF RESTRAINT = Primary method of defense and can be also used to restrain others as well.

BARD OF DOMINION = Brainwashes the listeners, although it can mess with its victims' perception of Compa and make them extremely devoted to her, it doesn't affect their existing views on other people. But as long as they stayed brainwashed, they would prioritize their actions according to her orders and well-being above anything else. Being sound-based, Compa's power works very effectively through the speaker.

BARD OF HEALING = A relaxing song that has an analgesic effect. It boasts one's natural regeneration like the strongest of Healing Items but has a much greater effect. As in, it can save someone from death as well as replenish their limbs or vital organs, even from a drop of blood.

For the fourth weapon, Compa found it to be a weapon that took the form of a set of golden, feather-like, pillars that surrounded her and, when put together, resembled a large crown. For THIS weapon, Compa REALLY liked its design, especially since it helped her outfit look, well, complete. Plus, it felt like it fit her best out of the other weapons. It told her that its name was 'Metatron' like all the others did, too. For combat, it seemed that this weapon was suited more for ranged combat and mobility (Khorne Demons worst enemy, hehehe), as she found that Metatron could take on various formations for different abilities.

SUN BARRAGE = When this ability was activated, the floating pillars would spin around her, gathering light particles to the space above her head, in which Compa would follow up with a heavy raining of energy blasts either in one or in all directions.

DIVINITY WINGS = By taking on a wing-like formation and folding the pillars behind her back, Compa's speed and agility would be greatly increased, to the point where she could leave an afterimage upon motion. It helped her move out of the way of enemy attacks, especially charging Juggernauts or keep out of Neptune's way when she unloaded wide scale shard barrages.

LIGHT BLADES = By breaking formation, the pillars can each act like they have their own minds, attacking targets around their user (Compa). This ability, however, had the con of leaving her vulnerable unless she could recall the Pillars in time, as she would still be unable to switch to a different weapon even when this ability was being used.

CROWN CANNON = By making all of the pillars take on a circular formation and pointing their tips in the same direction, Compa could gather energy into the center of the formation, then launch it as a high-density beam. Though, she only used this once since it had a similar result as Halvanhelev.

Next up, would be the fifth weapon, Michael as Compa learned it was called: A white and gold Key with the length of a longsword. As for THIS particular weapon… Compa honestly didn't know what to make of it in terms of function. It seemed to be a magic-based weapon though, as it had the ability to seal a target's function by impaling it with a key made from Mana and can alter the very fabric of space-time by unlocking space to create wormholes. This weapon gave Compa access to the following techniques:

- LOCK = with this ability, Compa can seal away certain functions of the Target, such as Neptune's HDD form or Nico's DPU form. Skills, magic, and the more Mana Compa puts into the ability, the more things she can lock away. It is possible for her to lock away one's entire ability set to make them nothing but normal mortals. It even works on sealing abstract concepts like emotions, or even memories. Not something she liked to hear when the weapon told her.

- UNLOCK = This ability lets Compa open up holes in space itself that can be used to teleport herself, summon forth meteorites, and redirect incoming attacks. She could also use these Wormholes to transport her friends to other places where she had been, the range depends on the amount of Mana she puts into the ability. Theoretically, Compa figured it would be possible to travel between entire continents or from one corner of Gamindustri to another as long as she has both the Mana and the imagination to recollect where she wants to go in her mind. But, she didn't want to try that out right now, only limited it to redirecting attacks from her enemies like the Juggernauts or Khornate Berserkers.

- SOLUTION = The very WORST type of ability this weapon possessed. Compa felt the moment she got told of it by the weapon itself. The way it showed her how it worked also eluded to this opinion. The ability worked by Decomposing any kind of matter, no matter if it is physical or not, into nothingness. Depending on the amount of Mana put into the ability, the entire island or even the world could be reduced to nothingness, which makes this ability the most dangerous of Michael's abilities. Compa can use this ability to cause widespread devastation, destroy entire armies, even large-scale attacks that would cause terrible damage otherwise.

As for the LAST weapon, Compa learned it was called Haniel: a white Broom with a gold brush. Compa found that this was a shapeshifting-type, shapeshifting and mimicry, as with it she could transform and mimic whatever she transforms. For example, if she were to transform into a Demon of Khorne or one of her comrades, she can completely mimic the abilities she had seen them use. However, if she doesn't know that they know other powers, those powers aren't usable for her. If she loses concentration or becomes unconscious, all that had been transformed will return to their original state. She can also use Haniel's ability called 'Kaleidoscope' to send objects into a Pocket Dimension created by her weapon. In this dimension, transported objects are contained within a stasis field that Compa can use her energy to alter as she saw fit. She can then summon those objects from Kaleidoscope at her leisure, but this is a weaker version of Michael's power.

Oh yeah, there was also the fact that she now knew what it was that powered her abilities: Mana. To power her new abilities, Compa found that her transformation gave her a second energy source much like that of CPUs and their Share Energy, or DPUs and their demonic energy, called 'Mana'. Normally humans who walked the path of Mages are able to channel Mana as well (she recalled MAGES. the Mad Magician when she learned this), however, Compa's Mana reserves dwarf that of normal humans. With Mana, Compa is able to use the abilities of each Angel she possesses, as well as generate barriers, fly, as well as project barriers to defend herself. Also, she can create and compress 'Spacequakes' which are a phenomenon unique to Spirits. She can use them as compressed or expanding Spheres that cause massive damage to her enemies. Though, she didn't feel like using them since it felt like they were more for large-scale destruction than anything else.

In essence, Compa DEFINITELY no longer felt like a hindrance to her friends.


Returning to the Main Hall felt somewhat different for the trio as they pushed open the doors to the mentioned large space.

For one, there were hardly any Nobles still here, most of them having been teleported out of this place to a safer location by MAGES.' magics. Whether or not the Mad Magician was still in the game, however, would still be debated since they had heard little from her during the evacuation. By the time that the Nobles were all gone, it worried them that she hadn't said anything to them as it implied something had happened on her end of the communication. Though, those doubts were slightly doused when they saw that the magic circles that isolated the Basilicom were still going strong, and those who had astute magic sensing capabilities (Vert being a prime example) sensed no abnormal fluctuations in the magic.

It definitely felt a lot quieter than when they were all seconds away from squawking like mad chickens, but instead of complete silence, there were instead faint murmurs. Murmurs that came from dozens upon dozens of men and women dressed in white and green knightly Armour. Each of them had their own set of weapons, ranged from swords to bows, axes, shields, dual swords, spears, lances an any other CQC weapon conceived. Those weapons each had glowing green metal blades, too. There were also a few who wore the same getup as a certain Captain, and they were mostly huddled together likely around the said man.

Aside from them, Groups 2 and 3 each had the same spot on the left side of the room, keeping to themselves so that they didn't disturb anyone whilst they waited, likely for the first group to return. Well, that was what IF had assumed once they entered the Main Hall. Whether she would be right or not would depend on the next few seconds of this entry, she figured as they stepped towards the other groups. "We're back guys, the first floor's cleared!" She called out, announcing that they had returned if they hadn't heard the doors opening already.

For those who were wondering why they were returning here, it was pretty simple. It had been decided through a call by Raven and Lucy given that they were the ones with the best experience leading aside from Stefan, that they would need to regroup at the Main Hall, so they could exchange any additional useful information. Not to mention to reorganize the groups for the other floors. The groups reconvening would be the unseen signal for Stefan to send out the military reinforcements he'd gotten from MAGES.' transportation efforts, something that happened not long after IF and the others returned. Checking organizations and keeping tabs on other groups progress would definitely be an important step to survival, especially in a shitstorm like this.

Whilst the soldiers began jogging out in pre-planned groups, the trio of girls walked up to the other groups, everyone in them turning to face them when they heard the sounds of feet patting the ground and IF's voice. The first person to speak, well, that honor belonged to Vert as she quickly slammed into the brunette with a massive hug. "Iffy! My cute iffy, you're back!" she exclaimed, pulling the brunette's head into her breasts as she squealed joyfully. "Your big sister Vert was so worried about you! You're okay, right?! You don't have any injuries, do you?! Just tell me and I'll blow those nasty Demons out of existence!"

All the while, Neptune and the rest of the group watched this interaction with varying levels of amusement dancing through their eyes. "Wow, I didn't expect Vert to be such a clingy type of gal…" Neptune remarked to herself, chuckling as she saw Vert rock IF's head back and forth. "If it were anyone else, then those pillows of hers would have suffocated her at this point."

"Please don't say things like that, Nep-Nep." Compa chastised when she looked to her and gaze a concerned impression, her voice light but everything she wanted to convey would be in that tone alone. "Lady Green Heart just seems to like hugging people, there's nothing wrong with that… and it IS Iffy, so…" The young girl commented further before her eyes got drawn back to the two women. "But, um, does Lady Green Heart not notice the changes Iffy went through…?"

That was true, for the moment Compa asked that question all of the girls realized it as well. The moment that Vert had seen IF coming, she didn't seem to think about the changes that the brunette had obviously gone through, like how she had gone through a real FAST growth spurt. Or the fact that her aura seemed to be a lot more powerful than before, but that one seemed much less important than the first, for obvious reasons.

"Is she purposefully ignoring it…?" Raven muttered under her breath whilst crossing her arms under her chest whilst she eyed the two women. Part of her wanted to know how it was that IF got that growth spurt, but she attributed it towards her BOW powers mutating in some manner. She'd already deduced her abilities and their core 'theme' of rapid evolution just from seeing what she did in videos and whenever they fought together. Even if those times weren't much, she had an eye for these sorts of details. Still, it didn't look like Vert was as blind as a bat, so she didn't know why she wasn't talking about it. "No, that can't be."

Lucy then smirked, chuckling to herself which got her the attention of the rest of them. When she noticed their looks, the female redhead simply ad vaguely responded with the following. "Oh don't worry, in the next few moments this young lady will show you…" the way she said that made it seem like she thought of Vert as a 'little girl', something that confused the rest of them… save for Raven who had no reaction.

"Uhhhhh… Lucy? You're kinda implying that you see Lady Green Heart as a child."

"My dear Ivy, its Vert, and yes, yes I do."

"Oh… Ok."

IF sweatdropped, she had figured Ivan would have tried to continue that conversation, and for a moment it looked like he did when he raised an index finger whilst making to open his mouth, but instead, he just left it hanging. He simply closed it and adopted an indifferent stance. She wondered what the heck was up with that, as she looked the guy up and down for any minute details implying his thoughts. She got none, though.

Aiden however, noticed what she was doing, as evident by the way his eyes hardened in her direction. For a moment, he seemed like he would snap at her, but instead, he simply stated something short but to the point. "Mrs. VERONICA does these things sometimes, its best not to question her." He stated, before turning his attention elsewhere. Whatever that was, IF didn't know as that guy proved just as difficult to read as his companion did. Though, she guessed that would be expected since he and Ivan were part of the Spec Ops Program. In such a program, she expected them to have some level of training in how to hide their reactions and expressions, so they didn't give things away on the battlefield.

Still, whatever Lucy had noticed seemed to have came not long after she said it, as she implied, when Vert turned to regard the others watching her moment with IF with a big smile on her face. "Oh, don't be like that, of course, I'm aware of my Iffy's little growth spurt." She explained, causing the brunette to get tense inside of her grasp. She could have used her strength to break free since her grip had nothing on some of the stronger Demons of Khorne she'd assimilated, however that was when she noticed that her instincts weren't informing her of any danger. The reasoning behind that became clear in the next second, however, when Vert continued. "I'm also aware of her 'powers', I have been so since the very beginning."

"Eh?!"

"How'd you know about Iffy's…?!"

Both Neptune and Compa each gasped and had their own little comments presented before the rest of them. Heck, the only ones who didn't show that much surprise were Raven and Lucy. Everyone else looked just as surprised as Neptune and Compa. Standing alongside his friend, Guts held his Dragonslayer over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing towards Vert who kept her arms around IF's head. "Hmmmm, so she's more observant than she lets on…" he stated, Isaac nodding his head in agreement.

"She has to be." A slight jump from surprised escaped the Nurse-In-Training when Raiden interjected into the conversation, all whilst he glanced over to Noire, who had a surprised frown on her features. That was the case, before he looked back to the blonde-haired CPU of Leanbox with a look of expectations met. "She's a leader, after all, they have to have good eyes. Keeps them ahead of any who'd try to take them down for their positions."

Compa glanced towards the Cyborg Ninja when he said this, noticing the tones he used implied that he had seen something like this before. "Mr. Raiden looks like he has a lot of know-how with this stuff…" the young girl commented with a weak smile and a sweat drop, prompting a wordless nod from the man. She also couldn't help but notice how the guy seemed to just… appear, by Noire's side with so few people noticing. Aside from the Spec Ops Agents in their group, the rest of them even jumped slightly when he spoke, that spoke volumes about both his lack of 'presence' as a Ninja, and the Agents' experience with such characters.

"Sharp instincts, kid. Keep it up, you'll live longer."

"R-Right…"

Whilst that happened, Vert proceeded to explain after chuckling at the display the Cyborg Ninja showed to them all. "I noticed it not long before Iffy left, she didn't give off the same 'vibe' that normal humans did. Like the questions, she asked me back then didn't do that." She said, prompting a nervous chuckle from the brunette, whom still remained in the older woman's hold. "So, I made like a detective like that series of games where the characters are involved in a killing game by a white and black bear mascot and launched my own private investigation. I looked up official records, checked the newspapers and accounts at the Guild building, then hacked into Avenir's research labs to look at their classified data. Never underestimate a woman who wants to make sure a friend is okay."

Now THAT shocked the girls senseless, even the guys and girls from the Spec Ops Program had mild looks of surprise on their faces. Vert being a hacker? A hacker good enough to hack into an organization's network? They didn't expect that, nope not one bit. In fact, it shocked them so much that a medium-length silence took over the atmosphere around them until a stunned Noire cried out when she realized the implications behind it. "You HACKED into a Lastation Network, Vert?! What the heck?!" she cried, worry seeping into her heart for her Nation.

What if Vert had learned some hidden secrets that she could use to threaten Lastation?!

When did she do it?!

How?!

So many questions filled her mind, so many that they all seemed like they had plastered themselves onto her face. A fact that Vert had noticed (alongside the tensing of her Ninja Bodyguard) and made to snuff out before it would eventually become a problem. "Not to worry, I only hacked into Avenir's network to learn of their past exploits and what happened during the attack on your capital SONY. I assure you I do not intend to harm your nation in any way with this information." She told the black-haired CPU.

It took a moment, before Noire finally managed to take a few deep breaths to calm down, sighing afterward as she struggled to rein in her emotions. More specifically her urge to just rip Vert apart with her HF blade or THAT, as those instincts came from her past experience with the two CPUs before her. Things were changing, so she couldn't afford to be the same as she once was before, their conversation that had been the first ever civil one had been proof enough. It helped that her Bodyguard placed a comforting hand on her shoulder to silently tell her to calm down. Spec Ops Agents were quite good at disconcerting people's thoughts through simply 'looking' at their body language. A skill they likely honed from facing all types of beasts, so they could better predict what they would do on the battlefield.

"Alright, I'll take your word for it for the time being…" Noire bit out, and it became clear to everyone that she struggled immensely to get that out. Therefore, they decided to not question it and move on from her back to what Vert had been saying to them before, what with all the hacking and all.

Something which Vert gladly finished up. "Through them, I learned what became of my poor little Iffy! Your Patron CPU was so angry when she found out what they did to you, she had half a mind to go over and level the entire organization for what they did!" Vert exclaimed, an angry pout on her lips. Something which soon faded away to reveal a soft smile underneath. "Nonetheless, you don't have to worry about me, dear. It doesn't matter to me whether you're human or not. After all, I can't really say anything since I'm not human either." She remarked with an amused smirk at the end. A few quiet chuckles escaped the onlookers, save for the more serious ones.

"Lady Vert…" IF muttered when she looked up from within the woman's cleavage, eyes wide with surprise and, dare she say it, relief along with joy. No, words couldn't express the warm feelings rampaging through her like thousands of sledgehammers whacking away at her cells right now. It looked like her concerns with regarding her true identity as a non-human in Vert's eyes weren't anything to worry about then. It seemed that Vert didn't care about what she was, but rather who she was, something she couldn't help but be relieved over. This definitely seemed like a huge stroke of luck, kindness like THIS was quite rare in this world. Rarer than finding a needle in a haystack. Compassion like that made her realize why it was that she followed Vert in the religious sense in the first place.

"If you girls are done, there's little time for idle chatter."

The stern, commanding voice of the Captain of the Ostermark Order called out to them, making everyone turn their heads to face him whilst the man walked up to them after seemingly ending the conversation between several higher rank soldiers in his army. Neptune however, couldn't help but make the dry comment that followed, a matching expression on her face. "Wow, way to cut the lighter mood there, buddy…"

"Can it, Nep. Even if this chapter's not as combat oriented as the rest of the previous ones, it's still a serious situation. We can't be too lax." IF chided the preteen, bonking her on the head after finally being allowed free from Vert's grasp. She would not hesitate to say that the woman tried to keep her in her grasp, but with a bit of her newfound strength, she managed to break the hold without hurting her too much. If anything, the woman only suffered a bit of jealousy when she broke free, if the pout on her face was anything to go by. Turning her head towards Stefan, she gave the captain a firm nod, her eyes hard just like his were. "What's the situation with your guys?"

At that question, Stefan gestured to the soldiers around them, both the knights and the ones wearing his uniform. That sounded a bit strange, but what the hell, right? Anyways, the man soon answered the brunette's question in a stern, but formal tone. "I've got my men securing the first floor the moment Group 1 came back. The entrance to the next floor has been uploaded to your individual phones." He explained, gesturing to their own devices which had each made vibration sounds not long before this conversation began. "Group 2 should lead the assault this time, with group 1 acting as a rescue team and Group 3 acting as the rear guard."

Those of Group 3 (Vert, Guts, and Isaac) frowned to themselves at the organization they were following. It did seem like they were getting the figurative short end of the stick, especially since they were not switched to the position of rescue or heavy hitting. However, at the rear guard, the fighting had been less… intense, then the rest of the groups, as the bulk of it took place up in the front lines. They had just dealt with any assassination attempts from the rear or the rear flanks. Still, it didn't really matter to them, as not only would they get their turn on the third floor, but they didn't have to expend as much stamina…

Plus, these groups were mostly filled with beings not bound by human limitations anyways, so that counted as some extra brownie points.

"Alright then, we'll head over there momentarily. We'll have a quick discussion on our game plan then we'll head out." IF told the man, already thinking up several things inside her mind. For a moment, the two stared at each other, before Stefan glanced over at Raven for her input, to which she responded with a wordless nod. She wasn't one for much words anyways, actions were more her forte. With that information in mind, Stefan slowly nodded in acceptance, before turning on his heel to walk off, likely to continue organizing the counterattacks and retaking of the first floor.

Looking over to the rest of them, Compa frowned in confusion when a question popped into her mind. "Um, quick question guys." She began, getting everyone's attention. However, instead of shirking away or showing any sign of hesitation in her body language over the rise in attention, Compa stayed the same as she had been at the start. Something that both surprised and impressed the rest of them, especially those who were more warrior-like such as Guts, Raven, IF and Aiden. "Is Ste-Ste going to be sending guys to the other floors too?"

To answer this question, Raven nodded her head whilst Lucy took the role of answering in a more verbal manner, knowing her Leader's preferences. "We talked about it before you guys showed up, but once he has this floor secured, Stefan plans to send small scouting parties to the other floors to get a better lay of the land. He's instructed them to only attack demons when necessary though, as it's been proven that they can't go up against them in a direct fight. Though, this likely means he'll be relying on US to both take out the Demons…" at this point, Lucy's eyes darkened as a rather grim thought process occurred within her mind. "As well as find any survivors. Though, the deeper we go…"

"Yeah…" Noire nodded as she joined the conversation once more, her eyes narrowing as a downcast expression formed on her face. "The deeper we go, the less likely it is we'll find survivors." It was a process not many of the girls liked to think about, as shown by the various somber faces that they adopted with their heads hanging downwards slightly. Though, the more they fought the more real the facts presented before they became. Odds were, it would be less likely that there would be survivors the deeper they went into the floors, as there'll be more Demons in them and they'll have had longer to do whatever they wished. Which also included hunting down any survivors. They would likely have to steel their minds for what horrors awaited them ahead.

Though, out of these people Guts and Raven weren't as affected as it as the rest of them. One kept to herself whilst the other brought his sword from his shoulder to his eye level, looking upon all the scratches and dents along the blade that showed it's fierce history of combat. Partially attributed to their beliefs and backstories, but neither of them commented on it to the rest of them. Over time, it had become clear to them that their ideals weren't exactly popular, nor were they very common outside of the Spec Ops. To them, the strong survive whilst the weak die. If civilians were killed on the battlefield, then they wouldn't really give it much thought. After all, it wasn't their place and if they died, it only showed that they wouldn't have been able to survive in the long run.

Still…

"Hey guys, keep those frowns off those cute faces." Neptune bellowed, bringing attention to herself as she held her hands over her hips. "We won't get anywhere if we just sit around and mope. If you can't save everyone, save as many as you can! It's as simple as that!" she exclaimed, her mouth twisting into a grin whilst she beamed at them, positivity radiating from her like the sun up in the skies. If that wasn't enough, her positivity reflected itself within Soul Calibur, as it started releasing this strong, confident feeling from it into the atmosphere.

Needless to say, that pep talk coming from the purple haired amnesiac both came out of nowhere as well as taking the group by surprise. Not to mention when she randomly appeared behind Compa, whom still looked concerned, then groped her 'assets' from behind earning a shocked squeak from her.

"Eek! N-Nep-Nep, what are you-?!" The young Nurse-In-Training squeaked as she flailed about, face redder than a tomato as she tried to pry the preteen off her. Unfortunately, even with her recent powerup, Neptune proved herself to be too strong, allowing her to retain her hold.

As a response to her efforts and question though, a loud laugh escaped from the mischievous preteen's mouth as she constantly kneaded Compa's cleavage. "Ahahahaha! There's the Compa we all know and adore! Also, wowee, I didn't realize before, but your boobs are larger than they appear, huh? What did you drink loads of milk when you were a kid or something?"

"Th-That's…!"

Whilst a red-faced Compa endured the humiliation of the preteen being a perv, everyone else watched with more than a few sweatdrops, all the while a few soldiers (the ones who didn't have helmets) looked and almost fell back via nosebleeds. This prompted a few glares from the rest of the females in the room which prompted them to wisely look away. The ones with helmets managed to hide their reactions though. Whilst hearing those words the preteen spouted, both the inspirational speech and the pervy talk with Compa, Vert turned to look towards Noire with a rather complex look on her face. "I… did not expect this. Moreover, it seems to have completely drained the atmosphere of any tension."

In response, a silent sigh escaped the blackette's lips as she watched the scene, a faint tinge of pink on her cheeks when she recalled a similar thing happening to her. Only back then it wasn't on purpose like this one. "Yeah… no matter how much of an idiot she is, Neptune somehow manages to put smiles on people's faces…" she remarked, a slight smile tugging at her lips when she glanced towards the amnesiac CPU. "It makes her much more approachable, I'd say."

"That is true…"

After a moment or two of this scene of Compa getting fondled by Neptune and several small talks between the onlookers, one of them finally called them all to attention. "Alright, people let's get focused here!" IF called out with her hands around her mouth. Her form erupted with ooze, which reformed into her Armour, only without its helmet. She didn't morph her arms into weapons yet though, there would be a need for that later. Once she found herself sure that the others were paying attention (though she had to pry Neptune off Compa with a combination of her own BOW strength and tickling the heck out of her), the brunette continued. "We ain't got time to be sitting around, right now we should head over to the second floor. I don't know about you guys, but something tells me we'll only be getting harder and harder battles from here on out, so make sure to get your heads in the game!"

"Got it!"

With that unified shout, each of the 3 Groups began making their way out of the Main Hall towards where the entrance to the Second floor had been marked for them by Stefan. Leading the charge, was Group 2, with groups 1 and 3 following close behind. Soon enough, the members of group 2 though, it would be their time to shine, and boy was they ready.


Chapter end!

Whew, this Demonic Invasion Arc's heating up.

Now that we've reached the second floor, I'll be showing how upgraded the older ones are in combat.

Also, did anyone guess what Compa's upgrades were going to be? And do you think you can guess how they'll be integrated into the story? Cause I DO have plans for what Compa can do both right now AND in the future. I'm also thinking about giving them their own Titles after this invasion is repelled.

Not to mention the fact that I doubt people will guess what I have in mind for Noire, hehehehe...

Team RAIL may get powerups, too or maybe not, who's to say? Save for me of course...

Side Note: shoutout to King Carlos for inspiring me with the idea for Compa's upgrades, it was a while ago so I'm not sure if he remembers, but lemme tell him here, it took a whole lot of work to figure out how to incorporate it into OEG. Check his stories out, believe me, they're better than you might expect.