The attempt has been made before, let me assure you. Monsters are unable to spawn anywhere near human beings, so a previous CPU strategically scattered his followers over large swathes of land. His goal was to deny Her any space to materialise Her creatures, but this did not end well.

For we learned that the strength of spawned monsters is inversely proportional to the area they can spawn in; the more concentrated their essence is on Gamindustri, the stronger they spawn. I still shiver thinking back to those days, when Grey Heart fell to the Ruler of Monsters and his defenseless nation was overrun.

-Histoire

The last day of the Summer Solstice had been tense as everyone awaited the reveal of Planeptune's next Maker.

Curiously, as Purple Heart held a short speech about the peace and tranquility among Gamindustri's people, some noticed that the first row was filled with children. A handful of adults stood with them, but most were not even teenagers.

Seeing that this day would see another Maker's appointment, both RED and Steamax were present. They stood to the side together with Purple Sister, though they were not clad in any formal wear. Not that it would have mattered, for the Candidate by their side easily would have overshadowed them both.

When Purple Heart finished to excited applause, the younger CPU stepped forward to speak as well, a wide smile on her face. She waited until the applause subsided by itself, obviously part of the general excitement herself.

"I do not see the need to echo my sister's words to you all," she began. "It pleases me that despite all the hardships we face every day, all of you stand here with us right now. Today is a day of celebration, of joy that I hope the entire nation will share with us." Music began to play as she spoke, heralding the actual ceremony.

Some murmuring and excited chatter started up, but quickly ceased when the CPU continued. "For today, we will be welcoming a third Maker into our ranks once again. It has been a while since Tokai left us... though I can see her in the second row." Her flat tone led to some barks of laughter while the previous Maker showed her Lady a peace-sign from where she sat.

Purple Sister merely shook her head with a fond smile. "Well, if you were waiting to see your successor, you will have to wait no more."

As the music became somewhat louder, the wide doors at the hall's back were thrown open and, much like during the CPU's own ceremony, a single figure stood there. The force of her Awakening could be felt by all, though it was quickly drowned out by the presence of two goddesses even before her power receded.

There stood IF, expression serious yet bright, who began to take measured steps toward the stage in front. Her blue coat fluttered in the breeze from outside.

There was some murmuring as she passed; some people who recognised her from around town became more excited, as did the children in front. Those she showed an actual smile as she neared.

"I am truly happy to see a new star rise for Planeptune," Purple Sister continued happily. Not much later, IF had reached the front; her eyes went to the staircase nearby for a moment, then she rolled her eyes and jumped up, clearing the three metres of height with ease, a flash of Awakening sensible.

When she turned around to overlook the room, Purple Sister stepped next to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "As such, Maker IF will serve Planeptune from today on."

Thundering applause and cheer filled the room, easily several times as intense as what the CPUs had received so far. By herself, IF only barely managed not to blush; her smile brightened a little more in the process, though.

She was here now. She made it to where she always wanted to be.

Bowing her head to the people she was now sworn to protect, IF took note of how loud the children in the front were cheering. Mari and Compa clapped happily, and her old team was only barely less enthusiastic.

She remained in this position for a few moments while Neptune stepped next to her, the CPU's own face graced by a fond smile. They turned toward each other and shook hands. Nepgear followed right after and handed her a microphone; neither deity required one, but they did insist she tell the people a few words at least.

IF cast a glance to her benefactor, then to the crowd that quickly grew quiet. She tapped the device once to see if it worked properly, then nodded to herself and began to smirk. It was time for the revenge she had planned. It may teach Neptune not to make her hold speeches.

Quietly apologising to all the parents and caretakers out there, she began. "Ahem, I, uh, have no fancy words for you all, but my Lady insisted. So instead of going over the usual phrases, let me share some interesting knowledge with you: Lady Purple Heart is a picky eater."

By the way Neptune's smile froze on her face, she knew it had the intended effects. The crowd hung on IF's lips when she continued gleefully: "As she will not, has never, and will never eat eggplants. As I was told, she can even smell them out of a stew that had them added as paste. So to all the children out there that do not want to eat their greens: you should, but you can always point to your Lady not eating hers, either. Thank you."

The children cheered. Most adults laughed. Some parents were horrified. It was a good day.

Casting a smug look to Neptune, she found the goddess giving her an appreciative look and a wry smile. Even Nepgear chuckled.

One point to IF.

She returned the microphone to a mirthful Nepgear and barely managed to catch RED's high five when her fellow Maker stormed over, giggling helplessly. "That was the absolute best speech I heard in my life. You go, girl!" Then she hugged IF, to more cheering from the crowd. Even those who did not hear her could guess what was said well enough.

A moment later, she was swung through the air when the more petite woman put some strength into their embrace. "Anyway, tehe, welcome to the Makers." She was put back down and received a blinding smile. "I'm sure we'll get along great!"

"Yeah, let's work hard together." IF returned the smile and turned to Steamax, who had walked up as well to shake her hand.

"Quite," the android noted with a hint of humour in his modulated voice as they shook. "I will be looking forward to working with you."

"It seems," Purple Heart's measured yet amused voice made the room quiet in an instant, "that I found myself a feisty one." The CPU stood with her arms crossed, though her posture only exuded pride. "I do have high hopes for you, my dear IF. Despite your youth. Now however," she ended with a glance at the people in front of them, "I think it is time for the parade."

. .

. .

A warm breeze stroked IF's cheek, the open windows letting it in. They had relocated to the Makers' lounge after the procession, together with quite a lot of people. For this day alone, Neptune had allowed to open the area for her guests, as was customary when a new Maker was appointed.

She had managed to calm down from having the entire nation's attention on herself at this point, partly thanks to everyone else providing enough of a distraction.

Mari was currently chatting with RED while a gaggle of younger children curiously petted her dragon; a few others excitedly talked to Steamax and some others were running around to see as much as possible.

No Neptune or Nepgear, though, they were both busy.

Sighing happily, IF opened her eyes again and smiled at her friends. "This is a little different than I expected it to be on my technically first day, but it's a nice change of pace." The others nodded in agreement.

"I totally didn't expect you to jump up to the stage," Compa told her cheerfully. "It was really impressive, you know?"

"She's right." Hubert agreed with his girlfriend readily, smiling as benignly as she did. "That was a really nice way to show off your Awakening." Compa nodded in agreement.

IF quietly took the praise and smiled; she had improvised in that moment, but it felt like a good decision. Gabriel, who stood nearby, snickered again and gave her a slap on the shoulder. "Well, your speech was definitely the best part. Haven't had such a good laugh in a while." He just received a wry smile from her.

"I figured you would like it. My Lady insisted I hold a speech about something, so she got what she deserved." He snorted and Hubert laughed as well.

"Quite," another voice joined their conversation. Turning her head, IF found Steamax standing with them; the children he had spoken to earlier had come along, at least most of them. Some had gone to pet RED's dragon or explore. "It was a refreshing experience to be sure. Few dare to be like this with the Lady, even though she does not mind."

He nodded at the group as a whole, then turned to Compa with a certain warmth in his voice. "It is a little surprising to have you here, dear." The young woman beamed happily and hugged him close, which only drew a chuckle. The children looked on in confusion.

"Of course I am, IF is my friend after all." It sounded so simple as a statement, but hearing it said out loud made her feel a little happier still.

Steamax chuckled and stroked his niece's back. "I see. It is good to see you both made such great friends then." Compa chuckled in turn and let go, still smiling. Then however, the android's head turned slightly toward her boyfriend. "And you must be Hubert; I already heard a lot about you, it's a pleasure."

The two shook hands and Hubert was ushered aside so Steamax could speak to him in private. IF cast a glance to her friend, who shrugged. "I guess he is just curious?"

Whatever response the brunette wanted to give, another voice cheerfully chimed into their conversation: "So you're his cute niece? I was looking forward to meeting you sometime." RED joined them just like that, another gaggle of children in tow that converged on the small group of adults. Mari was with her as well, quiet for the time being as she stood next to IF.

Compa just fiddled with her blouse in a slightly embarassed manner, which made RED giggle. "No need to be shy, I don't bite. Uh, unless my partner, yeah no, let's leave it at that." She quickly stopped herself from finishing the statement with a glance at the children surrounding them.

This time, Mari and Alexis were the only ones who chuckled; Compa remained embarassed, IF and Gabriel shook their heads. André simply huffed in fond exasperation.

"Well, anyway," RED caught the conversation and wrapped Compa in a tight hug. "I'm happy to meet you, Steamax already told me a lot... what, did you think your man would be the only one to get our interest?" Some giggling could be heard while Compa slowly relaxed into the embrace.

"I guess so... um, it's nice to meet you as well, Lady RED." The younger woman was let go with a pat on the shoulder.

The older one nodded cheerfully before pushing her occupied shoulder toward her. "Come on, you pet Ryuki, too. He tsuns about it, but he likes his headpats." There was a term IF did not really understand, though most others apparently did, so she did not ask.

Compa hesitated for a moment before reaching out, running first one finger and then more over the creature's scaly head. It barely even blinked at her, sitting still as always. "Um, am I doing it wrong?"

"Nah," RED told her quickly, "he's just a lazy butt. Doesn't move for anything except fighting and food. Here, I'll show you. Come on, Ryuki, let go."

She pulled lightly on the parts wound around her waist like cords of steel, and the dragon released its grip just like that. Its body loosened and unwound, quickly reaching a surprising length as the tail end pooled on the ground. RED picked her pet off her shoulder and held it up, showing how there were no more limbs aside from the first pair of arms.

Then she took a step forward and placed the dragon on Compa's head. IF noted how her front immediately bowed forward a little, the other girl visibly surprised. She was also a little scared and awed.

As several moments passed and nothing happened, she slowly righted herself and lost the fear. Ryuki simply remained as a statue, tail still touching the ground even from being at eye level with IF.

"...he's heavy. I had no idea."

"Oh come on, he's just sixty pounds or so," RED returned with a snort. "That's not... wait." She blinked at Compa again and rubbed her eyes. "Whoops! Sorry, I forget that at times." She quickly took the dragon back and placed it on her shoulder, the previously unoccupied one, IF noticed.

Now Gabriel laughed at her, to which the redhead only stuck out her tongue.

. .

. .

All in all, it was a pleasant afternoon. Everyone got along well and the atmosphere was elated.

When she went to bed that night, IF was still hyped and had trouble falling asleep. She forewent half of her daily exercises to make time for the ceremony and everything that followed, which left her with excess energy she normally did not have.

By the time she fell asleep, the clock had long since struck one.

When she woke up at six, IF decided she rather not be tired during her first day as a Maker, and promptly did the unthinkable: she stayed in bed for another two hours, dozing to at least rest a little bit more.

A few hours later, she was riding the elevator in Planeptower after a surreal walk; people kept making room for her, smiling her way, bowing. IF had not considered what becoming a Maker would do to her everyday life, and even now she was only alienated by the tip of the iceberg.

When she stepped out on the highest storey and wandered through the hallways, she still felt a little weird. She had come to accept where she now stood, yet the new routine would still need a few weeks to feel normal to her.

Opening the door to the lounge, she found it already occupied by Steamax, who was reading some kind of magazine; the android raised his head and offered her a nod. "Ah, IF. Good morning."

"Good morning," she greeted back while entering and quickly took a seat opposite to him. "How are you?"

"Oh, same old, same old." Steamax chuckled and put his reading material away before IF could see what it was. "You will have to wait for RED a little longer; she is not much of a morning person."

IF cast a telling look at the display on the wall telling them the time. Steamax chuckled. "Well, yes. It is good to see you are punctual."

"Not as punctual as you, apparently." It was still five minutes before their shift started officially, from ten in the morning to six in the evening. The android waved it off benignly.

"It is good you both are," another voice chimed in from the door; turning, they found Nepgear standing there with a bright smile. "Good morning, you two." Once they greeted her back, the CPU entered and looked them over. "I was planning to go hunting and wanted you to accompany me. RED will be on standby in the meantime. We have a pack of Fenrirs and some Giant Dogoos near Pachin."

They both got up immediately; IF understood that this was her job now, though the prospect of fighting Fenrirs was not a nice one. They were like wolves, but five times bigger on average. Also many times stronger, and almost as nimble as their smaller cousins.

Nonetheless, she wanted this and so she would not hesitate.

Nepgear smiled over their prompt response and motioned for them to follow. "Come along, I will be your pilot today." The purplette quickly led the way down a few storeys, tapping out a message to RED on her N-Gear on the way.

Mid-walk, Nepgear began to shine and her clothes shifted, turning from the usual shirt and skirt into a flowing purple robe, with a veil hiding her face. Even her hair was hidden from sight within moments.

IF observed the process with interest; she had seen it once in a while over the years, but never stopped being amazed by how fluidly the cloth shifted its properties. Colours and patterns, size, length, even texture. Sharicite could take basically any property there was.

They reached a medium-sized hangar with a handful of gliders soon after. At least that was how they were called; IF found them rather more plump than the name implied: about twenty metres in length, with two stubby wings that had small plasma mortars and heavy machine guns mounted. What held such a machine in the air were its anti-gravity engines.

Nepgear quickly unlocked the backdoor and opened it, letting IF and Steamax follow her inside; the purplette had wandered over to the pilot's seat in front by the time they closed the doors, running checks with deft fingers.

"It will be about ninety minutes to Pachin, so you should make yourself comfortable," the android told her sagely. IF nodded and sat down opposite to him, noting the arrayed seats left and right. Not close enough to be cramped, but it would be more or less uncomfortable if the entire transport was filled.

Meanwhile, Nepgear had slid into the seat and pulled back her veil; some screens still displayed notifications about running checks, but nothing appeared out of the ordinary so far. The CPU turned back to them with an encouraging smile. "Histoire prepared a more detailed report; I will add it to the glider's system once we are in the air, so you can read it in peace."

The last diagnosis returned no problems, making Nepgear smile as she started up the engines and had the hangar doors on the wall slide back. They were in the air a moment later, going northwest.

Pachin, IF recalled, was closest to the loweean border and their main trading hub with the Land of White Serenity.

Once she actually looked at the numbers however, her eyebrows rose considerably. Steamax did not hold one of the tablets connected to the glider, but he had a cable linked to his waist; he definitely saw the same things she did, though she could not read his expression.

"Uh, Nepgear?" When the purplette made an affirmative noise, IF asked her question: "What's up with those numbers? Is it normal for Makers to fight that many at once?"

For the report mentioned no less than eleven Fenrirs and four Giant Dogoos, as well as an Ancient Dragon, a creature of which IF had vivid memories. Either way, she thought that so many of them would normally be left to the military, or at least a full team of Makers instead of one Maker and a newbie.

"Well, yes. Though even if they weren't, the problem here is that the monsters aren't marching on Pachin yet; we would need a large-scale military operation to wipe them out in one swipe, else we risk startling them and all the smaller monsters around them into an attack." And they both knew this was ill-advised. As well as the cities were defended, Gamindustrian strategy rarely liked having to test these defenses needlessly.

IF nodded in understanding and looked over the map. The Fenrirs were rather close together, the Giant Dogoos forming their own clique a bit to the side, and the Dragon some distance away from either group. "I see. And with so many of them, the Guild can't send anyone to at least run pest control, either."

"Exactly."

"And this is a test for me."

"Cor..." Nepgear cut off her own response and sighed. "Please do not put words in my mouth." IF just smirked, knowing that she was most likely right. From the thumbs up Steamax showed her, she figured that he thought similarly.

The android studied the material a little longer before turning his attention to IF. "Now, I did hear that you are quite capable." He chuckled over how her eyebrow rose, then continued pleasantly: "As such, I would like for you to set the targets today. We usually switch planning around so everyone gets to do some of it, and sometimes we all work together. This situation is rather straightforward, as far as I can see. Some large monsters interspersed with medium-sized groups of smaller ones."

He pointed at Nepgear in the pilot's seat. "You have Lady Nepgear, yourself, and me at your disposal. It very much is a test, but I doubt you will be angry with us for wanting to set your baseline in as controlled an environment as possible."

IF sighed and shook her head while she pulled up the map. She was not mad at them. "I'm not; it's obvious that I have to prove myself first." With how young she was, she expected many hardships yet to come. However, IF was not deterred by that; she stood where she always wanted to be, so she would give it her all and more to live this dream.

Steamax nodded in understanding and left her to her own devices; IF brooded over the map for a while, looking over guessed numbers for the smaller monsters and frowning. Then she cast a glance at the android. "Care to tell me your specs? I can guess Nepgear will be good at anything I assign her to, but I know too little about you."

He remained quiet for a few moments, then IF saw her screen change; the tabs she had open minimised themselves and another took their place, a model of Steamax with the capabilities and specifics of his weaponry noted, as well as his output capacities and other information.

"This should be faster," he explained when she cast a glance at him. His voice was as benign as usual, but also approving for a reason she could not figure out.

Nodding at the android, IF took a look over his specs; several beamsabers, plasma casters, an inbuilt-generator, anti-grav module, cloaking field, radar and smokescreen...

"So... you're more suited to fight stealthily?" He nodded. "What about Awakening? This doesn't say anything about it." He shook his head instead of answering, which told her enough. "Alright, thank you."

She had figured he might not be able to, being a machine and all. Then again, he was the first and only one of his kind, so everything was possible. IF took another look over the map, then at Nepgear. Whatever she set her friend on would be dead posthaste, and Nepgear was obviously the strongest member of this team.

After thinking about how their capabilities could work together and playing around with the numbers a little, IF soon noted that only about ten minutes were left until they reached their destination. She blinked and leaned back in her seat.

"Okay, so let's see. I think it's best if we split up for this; Nepgear, you deal with the Fenrirs while I try the Giant Dogoos." The purplette confirmed her position with an "Okay" while IF turned to their remaining member. "And I want you on pest control, Steamax. Make sure they can't gather, break larger groups up, and kill as many as you can on the way."

"Understood."

"What about the Dragon?" Nepgear reminded her of that matter, to which IF quickly added the last part of her idea.

"We engage it once everything else was taken care of. I really don't want anything to jump at us while we fight that." She had one brush with death fighting one of those before, she rather not have another.

They both mulled that over for a minute as they closed on the trade city; looking outside, IF found that the planeptunian summer had made her nation's vast pastures blossom with flowers. They were separated only by lush forests and sparkling lakes.

The inside of their glider was air-conditioned; it was hot outside, she knew that and did not look forward to fighting under the sun.

"That sounds workable," Nepgear finally allowed; knowing how her friend usually spoke, IF knew she did not come up with a particularly good plan. The CPU turned back to her with a soft smile. "The idea is good, you just need to try putting more detail into it next time, and maybe let us know more of your thoughts."

IF accepted the criticism; she had no idea what Steamax was really capable of, so telling him how to do his things was a dumb idea in her opinion.

"I concur," the android chimed in benignly. "It is a solid foundation without doubt, everything else you might need will follow in time. I believe we will arrive soon and should get ready." He was right, the two women both knew that.

As Nepgear returned full attention to her controls, IF checked her equipment again to make sure everything was where it should be. She slipped out of her coat and fixed her pistol's holster, then paused in consideration.

For the enemies ahead, no firearm would be enough. Unless she brought an actual plasma caster, which would weigh her down quite a bit, IF would not be able to significantly hurt any monster of the size they were hunting that day.

However, it was a useful enough distraction to shoot one in the eye. So she did not strip off the holster and finished fixing it against her thigh. The weapon could not fall out no matter what kind of acrobatics she had to do.

Following that, she carefully strapped on her katars, making sure they sat as perfectly as they possibly could. IF knew Steamax was watching her while his internal routines ran checkups, but paid him no mind. She clipped her headset on, adjusting it a little to not get in conflict with the ear protector, and took a deep breath.

When the scenery stopped passing by and became more or less stationary, she knew it was time.

Nepgear clicked some buttons and nodded, then slid out of her seat and transformed in a shimmer of gentle light. Steamax opened the doors to reveal the ground deep below; he began to hover out of the vehicle as the CPU moved over to IF and held a hand out to her. She took it and stepped close, being taken into a soft hold that made her feel at ease. Nepgear easily picked her up and flew right after the android.

Their glider would remain a few hundred metres in the air, far away from any danger. The little bit of power lost on this safety measure was ultimately a small price if it mitigated the risk of losing the machine.

While Steamax zipped away and flicked a beamsaber to life in his hand, Nepgear and IF hovered downward in a spiral; they were almost right above the Giant Dogoos.

Her heart had been beating fast before, but now IF became tranquil. As she beheld her enemies, her body tensed in anticipation. Purple Sister smiled.

"Good luck," the CPU wished her after setting her down. One of the large monsters had noticed them and was hopping closer in open curiousity, but she quickly darted past it; moments later, she was hundreds of metres away and tore into the closest Fenrir.

IF ignored the wind and loud pop of air, turning her full attention to the Giant Dogoos. Many smaller ones and some Boxbirds were going about their nonsensical business around them.

Looking around, the young woman found that most monsters were concentrated around her main targets. So she decided to ignore them and began to pluck from her magic. Fire was an easy option, seeing that most creatures here were susceptible to it.

The monsters began to approach her when the young woman felt her magic buildup reach her limit. She drew from her Awakening and made it strengthen her legs, then quickly picked up speed before crouching and jumping fifteen metres into the air. Her momentum and angle made her turn so she was upside down above the monsters, hands stretched out.

And then flame burst forth, singing her palms on the way out. It bathed one Giant Dogoo and many of its smaller brethren, setting Boxbirds alight. Light began to flash as the monsters melted and burned.

It was only a burst of a half-second, perhaps even less, but when IF crushed two Dogoo's under her Awakening-covered feet, only the giant version was still there. Particles quickly evaporated where her flames had struck, and the grass was still alight.

Nodding to herself, she leaned back to dodge a lunging Dogoo and stepped back into the circle of death she created. Looking for the remaining big monsters revealed that they were closing in.

She still had a second or two, though; enough to finish what she started. IF darted toward the partly molten giant and activated her Awakening fully. For but a moment, she was shrouded in power and the swing of her blades carried much further than it ever would have. Her enemy was messily cleaved in two, dispersing into particles as it died.

Turning around fully, IF beheld her remaining enemies and found nothing but the same opponents. She took a deep breath to loosen the tension a little, then plucked more of her magic from within.

In the end, she simply repeated the process she used on the first Giant Dogoo without much problem. Sometimes she varied the angle of the blasts to catch more enemies in a forward-facing cone instead, but it worked and so she needed no new strategy.

As she ran some healing magic through her arms, IF sighed; she had no actual burns this time, thanks to Neptune's tutelage, but her efficiency was still abysmal. She used up about a fourth of her SP on just these four Giant Dogoos, and sweat was pouring down her frame from the enhanced attacks she used to cut them.

Naturally, a melee-focussed fighter's worst opponent were just these Giant Dogoos, seeing that they, just like their smaller versions, could latch onto any normal weapon and engulf it together with the wielder before digesting both.

IF knew that, but she was unhappy nonetheless.

Once she caught her breath, the young woman tapped her headset. "IF speaking, I'm done. How is it going?" She looked around, over the hundred square metres of burned ground, and wondered if all of her battlefields would look like that now.

"Steamax speaking, a lot of wolves, but nothing dangerous. My count is at four hundred and ten."

"Purple speaking, I got nine, uh, ten, uh, all of the Fenrirs." Nepgear's report was accompanied by the howls of dying monsters. "Sorry, I would have been faster, but one of them kept running and dodging."

"It has been two minutes, Lady Purple," Steamax supplied. IF blinked in surprise and checked the time, finding that he was right. It had felt longer. "But if we are all done, we should reconvene at IF's position and move toward the Dragon now."

"Good idea, I'm on my way."

IF shrugged to herself and looked around again. "Sure, just look for the place where everything is burned down, you can't miss it." Nepgear chuckled, prompting IF to do the same for a moment.

She did not have to wait long, finding a purple streak coming her way within seconds; Nepgear quickly slowed down to behold the barren field, a wry smile on her face as she lowered herself next to the brunette.

"Do you still think you don't belong?" Her question held honest curiousity, but also a certain smugness that IF knew she deserved in the face of what she had done here.

"Oh shut up, will you?" She still did not want to hear it, though the CPU only laughed.

Steamax reached them a minute later, hovering only the slightest bit above ground; he nodded at the two women, then pointed toward their last opponent for the day.

IF stepped back into Nepgear's arms and was carried, the two airborne fighters quickly taking up speed as they approached the monster. It was already watching them and roared as they neared, all sense of surprise lost.

"Throw me," she managed to shout over the rushing air. Nepgear blinked in surprise, but complied and sped up.

A moment later, IF had her aura flow out and protect her; the CPU let go and threw her toward the towering monster.

IF crossed her blades and pushed the entire shroud forward, into her head, chest, arms, and weapons. It was barely enough time even with her enhanced mind before she crashed into the living wall.

The Ancient Dragon did not die. It took a deep cut into its chest, but that was not enough.

However, the sheer force behind IF's impact, combined with the fact her unbreakable force of will was made manifest as her shield, gave the momentum only one way to go. She did not kill the monster, but she most certainly bowled it over, extending the cut as she flew a few metres further.

She landed on her enhanced hands and did a few backflips before the rest of her momentum was bled off; once she stood, she found the angry monster in the process of getting up from the ground.

Only that plasma rained down on its face from where Steamax stood, before Purple Sister impacted it from above. The CPU's sword tore right through the opening IF's own blade had created, her attack creating a second shockwave similar to that of the human warrior.

The Ancient Dragon fell limp as it was bisected, dispersing into particles like all the other monsters. Only a small crater remained where it fell and tore the ground apart.

As her Awakening came to rest, the danger having passed, IF took deep breaths and looked around for more hostiles. Nepgear and Steamax did similarly, but none of them found anything of note.

"Well," the CPU said after a momentary pause, "it seems we are done." She smiled contently and IF joined her soon after.

It had been about five minutes since they began their mission.

Nepgear picked her back up and the three of them flew back to the glider. On the way, IF regarded the burned ground where she fought. "Is it always over that quickly?" She knew fights rarely took long, but had figured it would not be that fast.

"At times," Steamax offered, then pointed at the woman carrying her. "We got this done quite a bit faster because Lady Purple Sister assisted us today. It usually takes longer, especially if we have to take care of a bigger group like this one. Though I can not remember any mission that lasted longer than thirty minutes."

She took that in thoughtfully; it was true that her own engagements as a Guild agent had never lasted long, either. Even fighting the Ancient Dragon years prior did not actually take that long, despite every moment feeling like a lifetime.

A CPU's presence was a game changer, after all.

But that did not mean much; she could get it done by herself, and they all knew that now. IF was happy knowing that and looked forward to some time to calm down on the cleanup.