===CH 8===

Alpha Planeptune's Candidate

'Thoughts'

"Speech"

"Skill"

Highlighted/other

"She used to be my candidate."

"..." Kurome remained silent and narrowed her eyes at Alex

"She was my Candidate for almost a decade when she got captured by the dark CPU. Her Delusional powers allowed her to escape, but she lost control. They got her again when she was at her weakest and I couldn't protect her." Alex clenched his fist and red energy formed around him, destabilizing Kurome's projection. "They used her own powers against her and turned her into dark Orange."

"What does it have to do with me?" Kurome asked Bluntly

"I was the one who had to put her down. I killed my own CPU Candidate and to make it worse... she even thanked me. She thanked me for killing her, for freeing her from her own powers." Alex focused an intense stare at Kurome. "The two of you may not be one and the same, but I promise that I will give my all to purge that darkness."

Alex then vanished into a cloud of black smoke, leaving Kurome alone behind. Dumfounded.

'Why would he do that for me..?' Kurome thought and faded away.

Planeptune Basilicom

"Gee, he sure is taking his sweet time." Noire complained

"You called?" Alex asked as he phased out of her shadow, startling Noire

"It is good that you are back, Alex." Alpha Histoire greeted and walked over to him. "I can confirm that all four of our dark CPUs were completely freed from the influence of the artificial share energy. That's as far as the good news go."

"Let me guess, there are bad news as well?"

"There are. RGB Project" She confirmed and started a projection, displaying Kurome absorbing a dark blue energy flame and a CPU memory.

"What is that flame?" asks Neptune

"That flame is my CPU Candidate. Or rather what is left of her." Alex's reply makes a cold shiver run down everyone's spine.

"I wasn't aware that we had something like that during the war."

"It happened after you died, just a year in fact. The fear of our people caused our Anti-Share energy to rise exponentially, that in return gave birth to our CPU Candidate." Alex looked out the window while explaining that.

"Uh! What's her name? maybe we have her around here too!" asked Neptune like her human self would

"Kurome Ankokuboshi | Shadow Sister later Dark Orange." That silenced the room instantly.

"...we're done for" muttered Vert

A white portal opened next to Alex. "I'll face her."

"You can't It's too dangerous!" said both Histoire's

"That's not an option. I'm going there, and I won't come back without my Candidate. I promised it to myself the day I killed her, that I would find a way to bring her back." Neptune and the other suddenly ran into a transparent barrier. "Splitting Void. I'm going, and I'm going alone."

Alex then steps into the portal and speaks to them with his back turned. "If I don't return within a week, evacuate. Escape to a different Dimension if possible." With that he vanishes into the portal and it closes behind him.

Heart Dimension

"You've come earlier than I expected." greeted Kurome's voice

"I've been made aware that you stole something precious from me, I came to collect it... with Interest." declared Alex and suddenly started to laugh as countless Alphadimension monsters appeared.

"Why are you laughing!?" asks Kurome angry

"I just thought about something I said when we met earlier, when I said that you and her aren't the same. I take it back, you are exactly the same." he quickly calms down again and forms a square with his hands aimed at the core of Heart Dimension. "Time to let loose. Project, Shadow Realm."

His entire body suddenly became pitch black and countless red eyes opened up on his form before shooting outwards in all directions.

The once colorful dimension quickly got tainted by the darkness leaking from Alex, freezing all moving parts and killing off all the background noise.

"What did you do to my Dimension!?" Kurome yelled enraged and transformed into a blue version of Orange heart.

"I sealed it off, so that nothing released in here may leave." he then casually blocks a full powered punch with his scale covered hand.

"This isn't what I taught you back then." he yelled, entered HDD and Dragon Force Stage 2 and kicked her through 25 floating Islands the size of an average city.

Hyperdimension 3 Days Later

"We need to get him out of there!" Stated Neptune

"How many times to I have to tell you this. I can't get in! They sealed off the entire Dimension!" replied Croire annoyed.

"I'm attempting to create a gateway there based on the original console Seal." stated Histoire

"Don't bother trying." muttered Alpha Neptune in a low voice. "He didn't seal off the dimension to keep us out, he did it to keep whatever they are doing inside."

"Aw. your always so negative. It can't be that bad!"

"You have no Idea what he's capable of. We didn't always attack him in teams for no reason, he could have ended the war any day if he had given it his all." added Alpha Neptune as her mood became depressed again.

"Are you saying that he was holding himself back this whole time? I'm sorry, but I find it hard to believe." replied Alpha Histoire before she sat down on the couch to join the conversation.

"A single clash with our swords speaks more than a thousand words. We clashed millions of times in the last 250 years... His sword never conveyed determination or desperation. No, it was well hidden but his sword only conveyed fear and suppressed bloodlust... He feared what could happen if he lost himself in the battle, he feared what would happen if he truly let loose for once and gave it his all." She was gently streaking her battered HDD sword while she explained this, not even once looking up to the teenage oracle.

"I have trained with him for years during the war, and not once have I felt anything like that from him."

"Of course you wouldn't, he'd make sure of that... Draw your Sword, I will demonstrate it to you." Stated Alpha Neptune and took and offensive stance towards the oracle.

Alpha Histoire quickly backed away a few steps but eventually summoned her dagger as well. A second later Alpha Neptune had her in a blade lock and the oracle was almost overwhelmed by the message conveyed by the sword.

Depression, Uncertainty, Fear, Regret

It almost made her let go of her weapon.

"You felt it, didn't you?" Alpha Neptune let her sword vanish again. "This is what I was talking about... In essence at least"

"But if that's what he feels, shouldn't it be all the more reason for us to go after him?" asked Adult Neptune.

"Absolutely not." Alpha Neptune gave them a stern look with that harsh remark "I'm not sure if you can feel it too, but... the very dimension they're fighting in is trembling."

"...Impossible." came the muffled voice of Croire from within the Nep Note. "What in the world is he!?"

"No, the question should be: What is he fighting? because whatever he's fighting is still able to keep up." corrected Alpha Neptune.

Heart Dimension, a few minutes prior.

"Special Nightmare Combination!" yelled Kurome and released her Skill at Alex once again.

"Useless. Bright Heaven Canon" Dozens of Dark Energy bullets materialized around Alex and shot towards Kurome .

"Dark Purple!" Kurome shouted, summoning a Dark CPU as a Shield. "Delusion Barrier!"

Alex's attack easily tore through the titan but lost enough strength to not pierce the blue barrier... but his sword did and managed to land a shallow cut on Kurome's shoulder.

'How can he be this strong!? I hold the power of the negative emotions of two dimensions, his CPU Candidate and we're within Heart Dimension. AND I'M STILL LOSING!?' Kurome was panting even in her thoughts by now.

'Have you truly fallen so low?' the traitorous thoughts of her other dimensional counterpart flew though her mind again. 'This isn't Heart Dimension... No this is his dimension now, the Shadow realm... The reserves of your, no, our corruptive energy has long been drained.'

"I won't lose! Nightmare Rush!"'what's this supposed to be then!? huh!?' she thought mad on rage.

The attack simply bounced off of Alex's scales and was promptly countered. "Shadow dragon roar!"

The black fire tore through her weakened defenses like they were nonexistent, tearing at her weakened defenses as they send her flying again.

'It's your own soul you're using! You'll kill yourself at this rate!' 'If I'm to die here again... THEN I'LL TAKE HIM DOWN WITH ME!' 'Too late!'

"-and with pride ascend to the sky! Art of Destruction level 99, Five Swirling Dragons of destruction!" Alex finished his full powered Spell... and the whole dimension began to shake.

"This!" he motioned at the five dragons going crazy around him with an inhuman smile "This is the strongest of my destructive series spells cast with the entire incarnation in my Dragon HDD form!" He laughed as the dragons began to lash out at Kurome.

"I'm not done yet!" he roared out laughing " Art of Destruction: Raging Lightning Fag! Torn Reality! Blue fire Canon! and finally..." he threw his right arm up towards the breaking sky and did a 360° turn "Open, Heaven's gate of Blades!"

He finished the last spell cast and all hell broke lose... for Kurome. Green Lightning Bolts were being shot at her from the front. Dark blue fire from behind. Spontaneously opening Rifts were preparing to sent her stumbling across the battlefield. And if all of that wasn't already enough, giant energy Swords were raining down on her from above. Each attack was charged to the brink with energy, just at the border of becoming unstable.

Kurome could only watch in disbelieve at the sheer might of the new onslaught, her body no longer heeding her call. 'I'm sorry.' was the only warning she received from her Alpha dimension Counterpart. 'I don't want to die here.' a dark red aura enveloped her body and she let out a soul piercing scream even before Alex's attacks hit her.

Pure Anti-Share energy was released from her body, tearing at her very soul, annihilating a part of it. The pain subsided and Hyperdimension Kurome was no more. In her place was now her two years older looking Alphadimension counterpart. "Access, Shadow Drive! Unholy Shield!"

The next events happen within a single second. A flash of black light enveloped her body as she transformed into a form reminisced of orange Heart, but in a black CPU suit with red highlights and razor sharp edges where there would have been smooth ones. Her hair was still primarily blue but the tips had taken on an almost glowing vibrant red color. A large grey shield sprang to life around her, originating from her Long sword. And lastly, Alex's attacks hitting their target full force.

The attacks wore off one after the other in the order they were cast with the exception being the dragons, who faded last.

Kurome's shield was cracked and had holes in it, her processor units were severely damaged and her body wasn't faring much better. This all remained unseen by Alex due to the insanely large dust cloud surrounding her, left behind by the god level onslaught. 'It's now or never!' she gripped her sword with both hands and began channeling energy in it. Negative Energy.

"Red inferno!" her scream pieced the silence and the attack roared towards Alex, hitting him dead centre and cancelling out his HDD.

Her own transformation came undone, her clothes were torn, her hair undone and a mess. She was barely clinging onto consciousness when her fall was abruptly stopped moments after it started.

"You back with me?" his voice was rough, yet softer than what it usually was. He was flapping his wings to stay afloat, since all the landmasses have been vaporized during their battle.

"Yeah..." Kurome muttered and black began to creep into her vision. "... that was one hell of a spar..." her voice was barely above a whisper now. "...Let's do this again someday." with that the blackness won over her consciousness.

The grayness gave way to the original coloring of Heart dimension and Alex released his Dragon force form, Summoning the wings of his HDD form to stay afloat instead. "Anytime, sis." he looked up at the breaking sky and let out a relieved sight "Anytime..."

"Dimensional Gateway, open." a large white magic circle appeared beneath them and allowed them passage back into Hyperdimension, just as his wings gave way, Depleted of their energy.

Hyperdimension; Planeptune Basilicom

The atmosphere in the room was tense. Five Days had passed since Alex ventured into Heart Dimension to Fight Kurome.

All three Neptune's were sitting on the Sofa in the living room, Nepgear and Alpha Histoire took the armchairs, Hyper Histoire sat atop her tome, Uzume was leaning against a wall with Umio being close by.

'Shouldn't we start evacuating everyone?' Uzume thought concerned and was about to vocalize her thought when someone else was heard.

"-open." an all too familiar voice broke the silence that hung in the room followed by two heavily beaten figures crashing through the living room table and creating a deep dent in the floor.

"Alex!" all Neptune's shouted in perfect sync with varying levels of surprise and shock.

"Kurome!" yelled Uzume, ready to summon her weapon.

"They are both unconscious. and critically low on energy." stated Alpha Histoire while she gave the two CPUs a quick checkup.

"I-I'll fetch Compa!" stated Nepgear and rushed out of the room while the others pulled the two out of the floor.

1 hour later

"They should be fine with some rest. Both of their energies were really low, and Kurome was in a really bad shape. I patched them up as best as I could." Compa said cheerfully to Histoire.

"I just hope we won't come to regret this." responded Histoire while they entered the Living room and were greeted by Croire's voice

"I can't believe it! I just can't. The literally pulverized Heart Dimension with their fight! and I wasn't there to record it!" the voice originated from Adult Neptune's Nep Note.

AN: This is as far as my initial Idea went. I'll update if I manage to write a suitable chapter as a follow up to this one.
By the way... This is/was my first story.