Welcome back to HDN A New World. It's been a while, sorry for the long wait. I took some time off to rest around Christmas and New Years, then games also took quite a bit of my time as well. But I'm back with another chapter.
Blue555Nexus: The reveal of Blue Heart won't happen till next chapter, sorry if you were hoping for that in this one. As for the lightning colors it goes from yellow, blue (these two are mainly in base form and normal attacks within HDD), then red for high power attacks, eventually black, thoughts of maybe a white lightning being the most powerful, but not sure at the moment. And thanks for the support.
RedBurningDragon: To be fair, I have no knowledge of the .hack series. After a little research, the divine awakening maybe, but not at the moment. And the data drain from what little I have seen, it's not what I think of the void/ fog. I think it would be closer to how Cinder from creates her weapons, almost from thin air, coming from the fog. I'm glad you liked the Christmas special.
Kamencolin: Thanks for the encouragement.
The Oracles entered the basilicom, and after Histoire heard what had transpired during the battle, she spoke. "Yet again, I failed to expect that they would have such a well-prepared plan in place…"
"Is the Deity of Sin going to revive?" Nepgear asked in worry.
"Most likely. I gained intel stating that a powerful aura is emanating from the Gamindustri Graveyard." Kei answered.
"That really bites my bullet! Here I thought we beat up the bad guys and stuff!" Neptune shouted.
"What's gonna happen now?" Compa questioned.
"Our information seems to indicate that Arfoire will not stop until all Gamindustri has been devoured. If our research holds true, that will mean the end of this world as we know it." Mina responded.
"How reassuring." Uni muttered.
"I still don't understand why ASIC would want to revive such a dangerous being in the first place." 5pb. pondered.
"Some people just want to watch the world burn. Cults like that have existed in the past, after all." Chika stated.
"I feel bad for the ones who were being used as unwitting tools to that end." Blanc added.
"Stop it. You're making me feel bad for members of ASIC, nyu." Broccoli commented.
"Hmm… Instead of flapping our mouth wings, we should flap our arm wings and hunt down Arfoire!" Neptune exclaimed.
"As if it would be that easy. She's probably called a goddess for a reason, you know?" Noire interjected.
"But if we don't, this world is done for. That's why we go out, beat her, then come home for snacks." Neptune responded.
"I'm with Neptune on this. We need to take out Arfoire before her power begins to grow. The faster the better." Desmond added.
"Goddess or not, as long as I have my wifey brigade, losing is not an option!" Red yelled.
"I think you're forgetting someone." Desmond muttered.
"I think we should beat her up, too. It'll be a cinch for someone as super sweet as me!" Ram exclaimed.
"Listening to you kids really makes the situation sound less severe than it actually is…" IF stated.
"But they may be right. Our approaches may be different, but our end goals are all the same." Vert commented.
"Our time is short, that much is certain. We must decide our plan while Arfoire is still reviving." Mina pointed out.
"Once she exits the Gamindustri Graveyard, that's if for us all. The situation is critical." Kei tagged on.
"This will be our last battle. I am sorry to constantly ask for you to put your lives on the line…" Histoire said apologetically.
"Histy, you talk so much, I hear your voice when I close my ears. Don't worry about it, okay?" Neptune stated trying to reassure the tome.
"Don't try to blame yourself Histoire. Putting our lives on the line is part of the job. Anyway, no one ever said that it'd be easy." Desmond added.
"They're right. Isn't it our sworn duty as CPU's to protect Gamindustri with our lives?" Noire agreed.
"As Lowee's CPU, I have a personal interest in seeing the goddess said to have been born in my nation." Blanc stated.
"The final boss battle is the most exciting moment in any game. I cannot wait to face her." Vert commented.
"Rest assured, Histoire, we'll definitely win." Nepgear said in a confident tone.
"Thank you. I pray for your victory, and for the safety of Gamindustri's future." Histoire responded.
A short time later the party left to Graveyard.
After arriving in the Graveyard the group fought through the monsters that got in their way as they moved to the inner part of the Graveyard. They could see a large creature moving, it even spoke. "Destruction… Everything…"
"That must be the Deity of Sin, Arfoire." Nepgear stated.
"Heavens, what a brute." Vert commented.
"If the people knew she looked like this, I doubt anyone would have put their faith in her." IF added. The Deity of Sin yelled out.
"I don't sense any intelligence coming from her, nyu." Broccoli said.
"It's hard to put into words, but the sound of her voice… It strikes a very sour note…" 5pb. commented.
"Arfoire… A gigantic mass of pure, concentrated evil…" Blanc muttered.
"Save the commentary. I think she's spotted us and knows that we're her enemies." Noire pointed out.
The Deity yelled out again as it moved forward. "Yikes! Wh-What should we do?" Compa asked.
"Aw, Compie-poo, isn't it obvious? We're gonna give her the ol' what-for and end this madness!" Neptune answered.
"But man, she looks strong. Definitely not my type of wifey." Red commented.
"You two don't seem to be affected by this in the least." IF stated. She looked over at Desmond, she could see the mess of emotions coming from him. She could see the pain and worry in his eyes, as the rest of his body tensed in anger. 'That dream really affected him, didn't it? Don't worry Desmond, we'll make sure that'll never happen.' She thought.
"Okay, okay, whatever! We finish her off and then we're all done, right?" Ram questioned.
"Right. It was a pretty crazy ride, but now…" Uni started.
"It's time to end it…" Rom ended Uni's sentence.
"Yes. Let's banish her from our world for good!" Nepgear yelled.
"M-Must kill, must kill, must kill. Kill, kill, kill, kill. Must save everyone, must kill Arfoire. Save, kill, Save, kill. Save, kill." Desmond muttered quietly as the energy around him started to increase in activity. IF, who was close enough to hear him, looked on in worry. His HDD activated, a scythe held in both hands, the battle began.
Red Heart dashed forward, and the others followed suit. They barraged Arfoire with attacks on all sides. The Deity moved too slow to effectively hit anyone Red Heart formed two large axes, and channeled electricity into them. He slammed his weapons into the front of the Deity, attacking over and over without moving from his position. His rage caused him to lose any form of strategy, which allowed Arfoire to grab him as he continued to hammer away at the Deity. Not noticing any pain that was brought upon his body. "DIE! DIE! DIE!" He yelled at the creature, as he finally cut the arm that held him. Red Heart then let one axe vanish as he charged electricity around him, and releasing it in a concentrated explosion that launched the axe at speeds faster than sound. The axe made contact with two more arms, as the Deity cried out. Red Heart then floated down to where the mouth of the beast was at. He proceeded to create his hand blades and cut the teeth of the monster. After doing so, he fired a continuous stream of fire into the Deity, burning it from the inside out.
The fight was over with little resistance, everyone was too fast for Arfoire to fight on the level needed. The Deity spoke as it lost "Body… Collapsing…" it fell into the ground destroyed as parts burned away.
"Did we… defeat her?" Nepgear questioned.
"Yeah… Yeah, we did! We won!" Uni shouted.
"Thank goodness… Now the world can know peace…" 5pb. commented.
"Don't relax just yet!" Noire interjected.
The ground shook as an orb of light rose from the body that housed Arfoire, they could hear it speak "Will not perish… Seek a new body…!"
"What's that light, nyu?" Broccoli questioned.
"That's… probably the true form of the Deity of Sin." Blanc answered.
"We merely destroyed her physical body. We cannot say we have succeeded unless we fell that light!" Vert added.
"Okay, how's this!?" Red shouted as she tried to attack the light.
"My super-duper fist-o-doom! Hiiiiyah!" Neptune joined in, but alas their efforts were futile.
"Oomph! Did I miss? No way! It went right through!" Red said in slight shock.
"Whoa, that's some crummy hit detection, you guys! No fair!" Neptune yelled.
"Calm down, Nep. There's no point in complaining." IF commented.
Red Heart looked at the light and growled, he fired off torrents of electricity trying to hit it. Even though he knew it wouldn't work, he couldn't help it. In his mind the only way to keep everyone alive was to kill Arfoire, and he was a bit pissed that she lived the first time. He stopped a few moments later as he continued to glare at it. IF grabbed a hold of one of his hands in an attempt to calm him down, which did help him.
"Wh-What should we do? We can't win if we don't beat her!" Compa shouted.
"My body… All around me…" The Deity spoke as it shot downward into the graveyard.
"The light… went into the ground…" Rom pointed out.
"What? Huh? Can someone explain what's happening right now?" Ram asked.
The ground shook violently "A sudden quake!? It's hard to stay standing…!" IF yelled. Red Heart lifted IF up and floated just above the ground.
The others had a hard time to keep standing, and a few let out of few cries as they fell.
After the quake subsided Blanc spoke "Is she… fusing with the Gamindustri Graveyard itself?"
"That does not bode well. We ought to retreat and draw up a new plan." Vert suggested.
"Man, it's so derpy to run away from the last boss like this!" Neptune commented.
"Feel free to stay behind, then. We'll avenge your noble sacrifice." Noire said in a half joke, half sarcasm tone.
"Ewww. Okay, okay, let's roll." Neptune responded.
"You okay?" IF asked in worry.
"Not completely… We'll all be better once she's dead." Red Heart stated bluntly, looking toward the light.
"You can't let this nightmare cloud your judgment Desmond. If you do, it can hurt you. I know you took some shots in that fight, thankfully you can tank some damage. We'll stop her, we're just going to need a little more time. Okay?" IF said as she pulled his face downward and looked into his eyes, still seeing the pain and anger in them. "I'm just glad that she wasn't strong enough to hurt you."
"I know… As much as I try, it's still hard. Just a partial thought about what I saw, just…" He closed his eyes and took a breath before opening them again "Sorry, I'll try to be more careful. I suppose I should change back." The dark light encased him again as he reverted back into his human form. "I guess we should hurry back."
"Yeah, we need to figure out what our next plan of attack is." IF agreed, as the two moved closer to the others.
The party then went back to the basilicom to report to the Oracles.
After the party arrived and gave their report Histoire spoke. "I see. I incorrectly assumed we could destroy the Deity of Sin while she was housed in her shell."
"Sounds to me like every call you make is the wrong one." Chika pointed out, rudely.
"I have nothing to counter that accusation with." Histoire responded.
"This isn't the time to point fingers. Let's focus on giving constructive criticisms, shall we?" Kei stated.
"Fusing with the graveyard will take some time. We should use this respite wisely…" Histoire said.
"I… believe I recall reading something similar to this situation." Mina pondered.
A phone started to ring, Kei picked up hers "Oh, pardon me. How rude, keeping my phone on during a business meeting."
Another phone rang, this time IF's "Oh, I'm getting a call, too. Meito, from the Guild…"
Even more phones rang the last two from Chika and Mina. "Why, even my phone is ringing. Who would call me at such a time?" Chika questioned.
"And there goes mine. How unusual. Nobody ever calls me." Mina stated.
"What was that?" Kei asked.
"Don't joke with me about something like that. I will fry your hide with butter if you do!" Chika shouted into her phone.
"Yes, understood. Thank you for calling." Mina said as she hung up her phone.
"Uh-huh. Okay. I'll take it from here." IF stated, closing her flip phone.
"What's up, ladies? Your dates all bail on you or something?" Neptune asked jokingly "Well I guess except Iffy, you've got Dez… Unless, you've got someone else on the side! How could you Iffy, betraying us like that!" she said in dramatic fashion.
"She's not dating you, and I'm pretty sure that's not what's happing." Desmond deadpanned as he flicked Neptune in the forehead, causing her to yelp.
Neptune rubbed her head, as she stuck her tongue at the man. "That's what you think~" she teased, with a wink.
IF's face had a hint of red on it "Y-You know our relationship is not like that Nep!"
"Ooo, what's with the blushing Iffy?~ Am I too tempting for you?~" Neptune joked, before getting hit in the head by Desmond.
"That's enough for now, we have serious matters to deal with Neptune. If you want to tease her later than, I guess that's fine. It's cute to see her get all riled up." He stated.
"Ow. Fine, I'll stop for now. But you hear that Iffy? Dez gave me the green light for later." Neptune said as she rubbed the top of her head.
"Agh. Dammit Desmond, why'd you have to say that?" IF asked as the redness in her face subsided.
"Now back on important topics. Someone claiming to be one of the Four Felons has appeared in Lastation." Kei stated.
"That's happening in Lowee, too. Although no battle has broken out yet…" Mina added.
"Same situation on my end. Makes sense, since we all received a call at roughly the same time." Chika commented.
"Planeptune's no different. So, each nation has one of the Four Felons skulking around?" IF joined in.
"How are they even back?" Nepgear asked in worry.
"This doesn't sound good."
"No kidding. We have to fight those idiots again, nyu." Broccoli added.
"Did they make any demands?" Noire questioned.
"Well…" Mina started. Those who answered the calls relayed the demands.
"Foolish mortals, hear the edict of our revived goddess, Arfoire!" Was said by Brave.
"With Arfoire back, decimating this nation would be simple, but there wouldn't be any fun in that." Trick stated.
"So we will give you ten days. Put your faith in Arfoire. If even one of you does not…" Magic relayed.
"Hyahahahahha! We'll kill every last one of you!" Judge finished.
"Those demands are sheer insanity." Vert said after hearing the information.
"Ewww… Do we have to fight that fat pervy robot again?" Ram asked.
"Blech…" Rom sounded off, feeling the same as Ram.
"Brave… How could you…?" Uni questioned as she looked toward the ground.
"We gotta do something! Let's go punch a few new holes in 'em, my loyal wifey brigade! And partner!" Red shouted.
"At least she remembered me this time." Desmond muttered.
"Sounds good to me! I'm not gonna let them take my home away from me again." Neptune stated.
"Calm down. If they plan to keep their word, we have ten days." Blanc interjected.
"Will that be enough time to come up with a plan?" 5pb. asked.
"Ah! Yes, now I remember!" Mina blurted out.
"Whoa, Mina, don't shout all of a sudden. It's really weird." Ram stated.
"You're not one to talk about random shouting's Ram." Desmond said as he gave the back of her head a lite chop.
"S-Sorry. I just remembered what I had read, and I couldn't believe that I would forget about it…" Mina continued.
"Out with it, already." Blanc commented.
"There was a document that mentioned a battle between an ancient CPU and the Deity of Sin. I believe she was known a Uranus." Mina spoke.
"I recall that name, as well. She was a CPU from the past that resided over Planeptune, correct?" Histoire asked.
"Yes, that's what the document said." Mina answered.
"If we ask her for help, do you think she'd give us a hint on how to stop the Deity of Sin?" Nepgear questioned.
"If she's still alive, you mean. I doubt that even a CPU can live forever." IF responded.
"I was under the understanding that they did, unless an outside source were to kill them." Desmond commented.
"But if the Deity of Sin isn't an exception, the CPU may still exist in spirit, without a physical body." Noire stated.
"Let's figure it out, my sleuthing buddies! Not like twiddling our thumbs is helping anything!" Neptune added.
"If she was a Planeptune CPU, we might be able to find her quick. Let's move, everyone!" Nepgear commanded as she moved toward the door.
"Looks like Gear is getting fired up about this, good." IF stated.
"Yeah, we don't need her losing her composure this late into things. Well, let's get moving." Desmond responded, as the they moved with the others out of the basilicom.
Over the next couple of days, the party looked for info on the ancient CPU. Histoire took time to look in her tome, many looked to old manuscripts. And even questions to citizens were asked. When enough info was gathered the group set out. The party made their way to the depths of Lan Castle. "If the information we received is correct, the spirit of the ancient CPU should be here…" Vert stated.
"Uh, I don't see anyone." Ram said as she looked around.
"Of course you don't. She has no physical form, nyu." Broccoli retorted.
"But then, how will we find Miss Ancient CPU Lady?" Compa asked.
"Maybe she'll spook us if we ask her to show herself and move a chair or something. Yo, Uranus!" Neptune yelled.
"M-Maybe a song will lure her out… Ohhhh Lady Uranus~ Pleeeease appear to us~" 5pb. sang.
"I don't really think that'll work you two." Desmond stated as he sweat dropped.
"You're just making a racket… Why would a CPU appear just because you—" IF started but was interrupted, by the ancient CPU.
"What is all this commotion?" Uranus asked.
"It actually worked." Uni said in surprise.
"You have got to be kidding me…" Desmond deadpanned.
"I guess my comment triggered some kind of appearance flag." IF stated.
"Excuse me, are you Uranus?" Nepgear questioned.
"Indeed. I wish you hadn't interrupted my beauty sleep, but this is no time to rest… It's unprecedented to see nine CPUs approach me at once." Uranus responded.
"So you know that I'm one as well." Desmond said, not too shocked by the deduction of the ancient CPU.
"Yes. I can tell from the energy that you all give off. So, it was easy." Uranus answered.
"The Deity of Sin, Arfoire, has been revived. Do you need any more explanation than that?" Blanc said, before Desmond could speak.
"I see." Uranus spoke, as if she was thinking.
"We were like SO close to beating her up, then we couldn't do anything to hurt her for some reason." Red explained.
"We heard that you defeated the Deity of Sin in the past." Noire stated.
"Could you… show us how…?" Rom asked.
"I'm noticing some misunderstandings. First of all, I fought the Deity of Sin alongside three other CPUs. However, they lost their lives, meaning they do not even have a spiritual form as I now have." Uranus started.
"Three CPUs, gone forever…" Nepgear said, with worry in her voice.
"Even then, we could not stop her… Had we truly defeated her, this situation would not be occurring. All we were able to do was weaken her powers enough to seal her away. That was the most we could muster…" Uranus continued.
"But if you weakened her, that means you could damage her, right? So… how'd you do that?" Neptune asked.
"That is the piece of information we seek above all else." Cave added.
"Learning this would mean that you may become like me… Or you may even lose your lives…" Uranus warned.
"It must be better than the alternative. I have seen one path to destruction, I would like to not live it. Tell us." Desmond said, without a hint of doubt that this needed to be done.
"Please tell us." Nepgear added.
"An answer without hesitation. You are certainly young and bright-eyed…" Uranus said directed toward Nepgear. "And you, young man… I sense a great deal of pain and confliction within you. But also, much power. So much so… With all of you, it might really be done. Very well…"
"Thank you very much!" Nepgear said happily.
"As you know, the Deity of Sin is without form. She is an amalgamation of all negative emotions and desires." Uranus explained. "Thus, no physical assault will work. One must utilize a form of emotion and desire opposite her own." Desmond internally facepalmed, if it is what he interrupted it to be.
"What kinds of emotions and desires?" Uni asked.
"Maybe like, my desire to eat tons of snacks and fall into a food coma? Is that all we need to win?" Neptune questioned.
"I'd almost feel bad for our enemy if she lost to those desires." Noire commented.
"Any desire should work, theoretically. It need only be stronger than hers, else her evil will overtake you." Uranus responded. "As was the case with myself."
"Is that how you lost your body?" Blanc asked.
"Yes. You will need to unite your strongest emotions and desires to ensure victory over her own." Uranus spoke.
'This is starting to sound like some kind of cheap anime tact to allow the heroes to win. Power of friendship to the rescue again.' Desmond thought as he placed a hand on his face.
"Our strongest… So for me, that's finding the world's best collection of wifeys!" Red shouted.
"Eating slabs of steak, nyu." Broccoli added.
"Singing for a global audience…" 5pb. said.
"If that's all, then it's simple." Nepgear started to speak.
"Oh?" Uranus interested waited for her to continue.
"Protect Gamindustri. Our feelings of wanting to protect the world we love is the strongest desire of all!" Nepgear finished.
'Yep, friendship cannon activate… But I can't say my motives are much different. As long as these girls are safe, then everything will be fine. Even if we have to rebuild the nations from the ground up, harm must not befall anyone here.' Desmond thought, as his determination was shown on his face.
"Only you could say something so cheesy with a straight face." IF commented.
"But Ge-Ge is right. Nothing else can beat that feeling!" Compa added.
"As true as rain! No way could I eat and pass out without a safe Gamindustri to live in." Neptune stated.
"I cannot fathom the terror of losing my ability to play games due to a chaotic world." Vert said.
"You're all shockingly honest about your true motivations." Noire stated.
"Books…" Blanc added.
"Hehe. These are the modern CPUs? Perhaps I would have met a different end had we met back in my age. Wishful thinking, I suppose. I cannot leave this place, but I will be wishing you the best of luck." Uranus stated.
"Thank you for all your help." Nepgear said in gratitude.
"I would have expected the method to be a bit more… difficult." Desmond stated.
"Well, we needed some way to do it. Thank the creators for making it so easy." Neptune responded.
"We need to go back to the basilicom and report this to Histoire." Noire commented, the others agreed. The party then made their way back to Planeptune's basilicom.
After arriving at the basilicom they relayed the information to the tome. "You were able to gain an audience with the ancient CPU?"
"Yes we did" Nepgear answered.
"Now we know where the Deity of Sin keeps her family jewels or whatever!" Neptune added.
"Yeah. I think we can do this now." Falcom stated.
"The power of emotion and desire… Ironic that our most solid chance to win comes from such abstract concepts." Kei said in amusement.
"Now, now. Faith is also abstract, but it powers the CPUs, no? All of these are vital to our lives." Mina responded.
"Then we shall go and destroy the Deity of Sin straight away! Or… so I'd like to say, but…" Chika started.
"The Four Felons' deadline is only a few days away. I can scarcely say that our timing is fortuitous." Kei finished for Chika.
"Without you all, it will not be possible to protect our nations. Please handle that threat first." Mina added.
"You want us to defeat all four of them in a single day?" Noire asked.
"What a pain." IF said, channeling her inner Shikamaru.
"No problem, buddy girls and buddy boy. It's basic game design that any returning villains can be destroyed easily." Neptune stated.
"But this isn't a game Neptune." Desmond retorted.
"You're right… It's a fanfic." Neptune responded with a wide smile.
"We just have to try our hardest, nyu." Broccoli added.
"We really have to fight them again…" Nepgear said with slight worry on her face.
"I'm so totally gonna make that dumb perv eat his won tongue!" Ram shouted.
"Uh-huh, uh-huh…" Rom noised her agreement.
"Brave… I thought we had come to a mutual understanding…" Uni said dejectedly.
"It might not really be him that we will see." Desmond stated as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"If Arfoire is back then it wouldn't be surprising if she revived the Felons. Which also means she could've have corrupted the mind of Brave even more than before." He answered.
"I hope that's what happened…" Uni stated, as Desmond moved his hand.
"We will act tomorrow. Rest well tonight." Histoire said.
"We were just about to, but…" Vert started.
"I won't be able to sleep in someone else's basilicom." Blanc stated.
"I thought as much and prepared a special room of ours for you all. I am certain you will enjoy it." Histoire responded.
"Ooooooo, is it… that room Histy?" Neptune asked.
"Yes." She responded.
Neptune grabbed Desmond's arm "Let's go Dez!"
He flicked her in the forehead "I don't think so. I not going into that room with all of you there, that would be indecent. I know that you might not know that Neptune, but I do. So, don't try."
"Awww, but why it'd be fun." She whined.
"I just said why!" He barked.
"What room is it?" Noire asked.
"It's a room with a large hot spring-esque bath. That's why I won't be joining you all." Desmond answered.
Noire's face flashed red "N-N-Neptune! You tried to make him join us in a bath! W-Why would you do that!?"
"Because it'd be fun, we can splash around, and throw toys and buckets of water." She answered.
"Ugh, you don't have a shameless bone in your body, do you?" Blanc questioned.
"Of course, I have some. But we'd have towels on so what's the big deal?" Neptune countered.
"The answer is still no." Desmond reiterated, he then grabbed her cheeks and stretched them. "Now stop trying to rope me into this and you all go have fun, okay."
"F-Fine, just let go. That hurts." Neptune said the best she could, rubbing her cheeks after he let go.
The party, excluding Desmond, then moved to where the special room was. "I'm sorry we do not have two of those rooms, so you could relax Desmond." Histoire said as she bowed in an apology.
"It's okay. I don't need a special bath to get me relaxed. A good hot shower and a comfy seat or bed is good enough for me. They need the break, they've earned it." Desmond responded as he waved his hand.
"Don't try to demean what you have done Desmond. You have done so much for Gamindustri. I cannot express my gratitude for all the good you have done." Histoire stated.
"It's all in a day's work. It is my world too now, so why wouldn't I do all that I can. It really isn't that big of a deal." He retorted. "I'm gonna go back to my room, see you all later." He waved as he walked to his room.
"It is refreshing to see such humility in one so young." Kei stated.
"Indeed." Mina responded. 'Well when he's not angry at least.' she thought
The party arose the next morning and prepared themselves for the day. After leaving the basilicom they decided to head to the dungeon named Junk Box, where CFW Judge was said to be. The party didn't have to go to far until they found Judge yelling to himself.
"This one's as insane as ever. I'd even say he's gotten worse." IF stated.
"You aren't allowed to send anyone in Planeptune to the hospital!" Compa yelled getting the CFW's attention.
"Huh!? Ohhhh, it's you all… My most desired prey… My preeeeeeey!" he shouted, mostly directed at IF, Compa, and Desmond. "I'll never forget you! Never! Two times… I almost took your lives twice before, but failed!"
"Yeah. You could even say the outcomes have been one to one so far." IF responded.
"Gaaaaaah! My eternal rivals…! I'll break that tie and kill you, once and for all!" The CFW yelled.
"I don't wanna have a rival!" Compa shot back.
"And I don't want to die, so we'll put an end to this… and to you!" IF stated.
"You're not worth my time. Let's get this over with." Desmond stated as he transformed, preparing for the battle.
"Ohhhh, you're a CPU now! It won't change what I'll do to you!" Judge yelled as he swung his weapon at Red Heart.
Red Heart sidestepped the axe, as Judge's weapon hit the ground Red Heart grabbed it sending an electric current through it to the CFW. Judge tried to move but his body wouldn't respond. "What the hell did you do!?"
Red Heart started to walk around the CFW in circles "I have the ability to control electricity so, I'm able to hold your body still. Don't bother trying to move, the only way how is if I relinquish my hold. It might have been a bit strenuous to do this in my human form, but it is quite simple now." He stood in front of the CFW "Rom, Ram." After getting their attention, he nodded his head. The twins then cast a large circle where Judge was, allowing ice to grow onto his body. Judge's body from the arm down was encased in ice, Red Heart floated up to the head of the CFW. "I guess I should let out some steam…" Red Heart formed a large mace and proceeded to hit the upper portion of the CFW's body, producing large dents in Judge. Red Heart let the mace disappear, and placed a hand on the CFW's head. He poured flames onto Judge, quickly turning the metal bright red. Judge could feel the heat coming from his hand, but could only see the coldness and hatred in his eyes. "You were never a challenge to begin with, the weakest of the Felons. With only strength to rely on, it was easy to lure you into a trap. Now… I will erase you from your petty existence. Burn away." The fire from Red Heart's hand turned blue as it cascaded down, fully enveloping Judge's body. It quickly started to melt the CFW.
"Nooooooooooo! Not again…! I… don't want… to disappear…! I still have things I want to kiiiiiiiiillllllll…!" Judge screamed as he finally faded away in the fire.
"And that, is that." Red Heart stated as he floated back to the ground.
"Good job, Dez!" Compa praised.
"Well, I guess we really didn't need to be here. You handled him by yourself." IF said arms crossed, clearly wanting to be in the fight.
"Well, not completely. I needed the ice there to keep him still after releasing my electrokinesis. But it wouldn't have been a fun fight anyway. The other three should be more… entertaining. And on that note, we should head off to the next one. Where to next?" Red Heart responded.
"I suppose Lowee." Nepgear answered.
"I believe that's where Trick is." Vert stated.
"Let's hurry up so I can bash his head in!" Blanc yelled.
The party then arrived at the Icicle Pathway dungeon. About midway through the place they saw Trick sitting around, looking in multiple directions, talking to himself. Ram shouted at him "Hey! Stop being gross!"
Trick was elated to see the twins "Oooh! There you are, my cute CPUs! Now I can defeat you and keep you as my eye candy forever!"
"You're the dummiest dummy ever! We're not gonna lose to you!" Ram yelled.
"Pervy dummy…" Rom added.
"Yes, you are correct. I am the gentlest perverted gentleman in the world, Sir Tricky Perv!" Trick responded.
Desmond growled as he stepped forward, just behind the twins "Shut your mouth you, pathetic waste! Gentleman my ass! A gentleman doesn't go around trying to touch underage girls, that would be a freaking pedophile you, dickhead! And creatures like you need to die! A thousand years of torture wouldn't be enough for what you've done!" His eyes glowed with anger and the surrounding area, started to get hotter. Simultaneously a stronger concentration of electricity started to flow around him.
"Hahaha. That is your foolish thoughts. Smaller boobs are better, the big ones end up saggin' to the ground." Trick rebutted.
"He gives me headaches…" Rom stated.
"Stay strong, Rom. We gotta do what we gotta do to this dumb jerk!" Ram commanded.
"Now then, allow me to wash your hair with my tongue, and then braid it ever so lovingly…" Trick stated.
"Gaaaah! Gross me out! Shut up! I'm gonna cut that stupid tongue off and make sure you never talk again!" Ram shouted.
"Snip, snip…!" Rom added.
Desmond placed a hand on both of the girls' head "I couldn't have said it better myself. But I think we should add some more pain to his death! I am one man you shouldn't have pissed off!" He entered HDD, but something was different. A few of Red Heart's processor pieces we that of White Heart's. He started the battle as he summoned a handful of ice balls in the air and proceeded to hit them with a broadsword that he materialized.
"The hell!? How'd he do that?" Blanc questioned.
"I thought he had no affinity with ice magic." Noire stated, partially dumbfounded.
"It is most likely due to his connection to the Sharicites." Vert mused.
"If you look some of his processor pieces look like yours Blanc." Neptune stated.
Blanc's eyes narrowed a little "Yeah, they do. But that's enough chit chat, time to bash this pervert's face in." she materialized her hammer as she moved in.
"Let's go girls!" Neptune shouted as everyone else started to move into attack positions.
Trick blocked the incoming ice balls, only to have ice spikes coming toward him from his sides sent by the twins. He moved back just in time to avoid the attack. But he didn't notice Blanc attacking from the rear. She hammered him forward where Red Heart waited with a large mace, connecting it to the side of Trick throwing him across the room. From the small dust cloud around the beast, Trick shot his tongue out only for it to be crushed with Blanc's hammer. Red Heart formed a large multitude of blades, each with a red-hot glow and suspended them in the air. Then he launched them into Trick's tongue cutting into and burning it. Trick could only cry out in anguish, as his greatest weapon was yet again made useless. Blanc grabbed her hammer and started to attack the body of the CFW, not showing any mercy. Red Heart walked forward as he looked at Blanc's onslaught with his cold eyes, but stopped just short of Trick. He reached out his hand and began to freeze his tongue. "You worthless waste of mater. You deserve all of the pain that the universe could give. Sadly, you won't be alive for that to happen, so I might as well make your death as painful as possible." Red Heart spoke in a chillingly calm tone. He cut off the arms of the CFW, Trick cried out in pain. Red Heart then held a hand out toward Trick's tongue "Would you." Looking at Blanc.
"With pleasure." Blanc stated before smashing the frozen tongue in two. Trick reeled back in pain, screaming. Until the CFW felt something hit him, he opened his eyes to see Red Heart holding a scythe. As Trick looked down he could see fire pouring from his body, he also felt it burning within him, slowly consuming him. Red Heart snapped his fingers, and the fire covered the CFW completely, until there was nothing left. Red Heart reverted his transformation, Blanc asked a question "What was with the changes?"
"Hmm, I guess I just drew on more power from Lowee. Maybe because were here, but I was able to use more of Lowee's power." He answered.
"Fine, just don't be reckless with it." Blanc stated, as they moved toward the group.
"Where to next?" Compa questioned.
"I suppose Lastation, it's the closest to here. Noire, do you know where Brave was said to be at?" Desmond said.
"I was told he was in the Infinite Corridor dungeon." Noire responded.
"Okay, let's move everyone." Desmond stated as he walked toward the entrance.
"Yeah!" a few shouted as they followed.
After arriving in the Infinite Corridor, the party moved through the place fighting the low tier monsters that got in their way. After a short trip, they found where the CFW stood. "Brave…" Uni spoke, looking dejectedly at one she thought she had made some common ground with.
"You've come. Such insolence, defying our infallible goddess!" Brave shouted.
"You… are Brave, aren't you? Did you forget about our promise?" Uni asked.
"What is this nonsense? I would never mingle with the ignorant!" The CFW yelled back.
"No way…" said sadly.
"There's no use. He isn't the same being as the one before. All we can do is fight him and free him." Noire stated.
"Wait, Noire! Please let me speak with him for a little longer…" Uni spoke up.
"I refuse to engage in meaningless prattle! All CPUs are my enemy, and they will feel my blade's edge!" Brave shouted.
Desmond placed a hand on Uni's shoulder "I agree that Brave was the only Felon that was redeemable, Uni. But this is not him, this is just a husk taken over by someone else. The only things we can do to avenge the old him is to bring death to this current Brave."
"Is this… all I can do for you now!?" Uni questioned.
"I don't care what you try, you'll all die by my blade!" Brave called out, before moving forward.
Desmond transformed and created a large broadsword and blocked the incoming attack. "Move." Red Heart stated, as the others scattered around. Red Heart jumped back as an incoming barrage of projectiles came close. Forcing the CFW to hold his arms up in an attempt to block the attacks, the smoke that came from the impacts and explosions created an opening for the melee fighters to attack. The CFW took a bit of damage after several quick attacks from the party, after the smoke cleared, Brave was finally able to go back on the offensive. Deciding to take out the ranged fighters first he charged Uni. Catching her slightly off guard, Brave swung his sword at her. But before it could connect, Red Heart quickly moved to Uni and tossed her back several yards. Brave finished his swing, but something was off, he felt no connection. He looked down to see Red Heart standing, with a smirk on his face and some electricity flowing around his midsection.
"Hmm, intriguing." Vert muttered.
"Changing into electricity, just before the sword could hit him, taking no damage." Noire pondered.
"That's good and all girls but we still need to kick this piece of trash in the dirt!" Blanc shouted.
In anger Brave swung his weapon toward Red Heart, but the CPU caught the weapon with his hand. Fire erupted from it, melting the weapon in half. Red Heart then formed his hand blade and sliced a leg off Brave. After a short cry, the CFW knelt, placing the broken sword on the ground to hold him up. "Gaaah! Lowly CPU, how dare you force me to bend my knee to you…" Brave yelled.
"Uni, end this!" Noire commanded.
"But…" Uni hesitated.
"Don't hesitate! Shoot!" Noire stated.
"B-But… this isn't the Brave that I know…" Uni said.
"All the more reason to kill him, this Brave is just a shell! If you don't I will!" Red Heart shouted.
A disembodied voice spoke "Does your resolve waver this easily?"
"Th-that… Is that you, Brave?" Uni questioned.
"The promise to bring joy to this world's children… I remember…" Brave answered.
"R-Right. I promised you that!" Uni spoke up.
"Then finish this fight. Use force to rmove all who would stand in the way of fulfilling that promise!" Brave stated.
"Force…" Uni repeated quietly.
"The being before you is no longer me, rather, a tool of destruction that is using my physical form…" Brave said.
"I'm sorry. I was acting weak. But you're right… I won't let this stop me from protecting the children's future!" Uni responded.
"Well said. Now, come!" Brave commanded.
"About time you buck up." Red Heart stated, happy to see her resolve back.
With a yell Uni fired a large blast at the body of Brave that started to take chunks off the CFW. And with a cry the body of Brave exploded. "Fantastic. Learn to follow your resolve, wherever it may lead you. I know you will let me rest in peace." The disembodied Brave spoke.
"I'm sorry. This is the last time I will give you pause. I'll be fine from now on…" Uni stated.
Red Heart reverted back to his human form "It was nice to hear from you again, Brave. Wherever you are."
"And again, I trust you implicitly. Farewell, Uni… Desmond…" Brave spoke before disappearing.
"Thank you, Brave…" Uni said quietly.
"Let's get a move on. The last one, in Leanbox. Vert, where is she at?" Desmond asked.
"Chika told me that she is in the Gapain Field." Vert answered.
"Ok, then let's get going everyone. We're almost done." Nepgear stated as she started walking.
The party arrived in the Leanbox dungeon and pushed through the place taking out the monsters that stood in their way. After some progress they found Magic, underling and Warechu were with her. It appeared that they were in conversation, the party caught what seemed to be the tail end of it. "I see. If you cannot abide by my will, or the will of our goddess, then I will end your pain now." They heard Magic speak as she raised an arm to fire off and attack. Before the two could move, someone grabbed them. After being dropped on the ground, they looked up to see Desmond covered in a light-blue aura as his body sparked with electricity.
Desmond looked at the girl as memories of the nightmare he saw came racing back to him, what Underling did in it. Anger quickly rose through him as he formed his hand blade while holding Underling by the throat. He growled as he raised his hand up, preparing to strike. "Die" he stated coldly and brought his arm downward.
"Desmond, don't!" IF yelled just in time for the young man to stop his hand just inches from Underling's eye.
Underling could see the man take a deep breath as he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he appeared to be a lot calmer. "She has saved your life twice now, be thankful. Now get out of here." He deadpanned as he stood back up "That goes for you too, rat." The two ran off after that. "How stupid could you be Magic? Trying to kill off an ally of yours like that, it would just make it harder on you."
"CPUs… What brings you here?" Magic questioned.
"Our desire to stop you, of course. I cannot stand idly by while you threaten my beautiful Leanbox." Vert answered.
"And we still haven't paid you back properly for last time…" Blanc stated.
"I see. So you have come to die. Allow me to grant that wish." Magic said.
"Pretty bold of you to boast after being defeated by us before." Noire commented.
"This form was blessed by our goddess. You will prove to be no challenge whatsoever." Magic stated.
"Oooh! In my industry, they call that the "boastful villain's final words" flag. Our victory is assured!" Neptune pointed out.
"I fought and got stronger all because I lost to you… Let me show you how far I've come by defeating you!" Nepgear added.
"I do wonder how many times I have to kill you for you to remain dead Magic. So, let me end you again." Desmond stated before powering up into his HDD. This time a few of his processors looked more like Vert's "Prepare to attack everyone." He moved his hand out in front of him, as a vortex of wind, tornado like in nature, surrounded Magic. "Now!" He shouted as the ranged fighters shot off attacks, most hitting their target. The CQC fighters closed in and right before they reached the CFW Red Heart brought down the vortex. They landed their attacks as Magic still held her arms up that were previously blocking the wind. After taking several shots Magic finally got her bearings back, and then went on the offensive. She kicked IF aside and slashed Nepgear back. Magic then a combo attack from Neptune and Noire, fending the both off. After pushing them back, a burst of wind knocked her back. Red Heart moved forward a large blade in his right hand as he held his left outstretched. He moved the wind to intense speeds around the CFW, lifting her into the air. He then raised his blade upward and shot it toward the CFW, slicing off Magic's right arm from the elbow. She groaned in pain. "You really thought you could defeat us? Really? That showing of yours was truly pathetic." He used electrokinesis to lift Magic's scythe into the air, moving it to remove the lower half of her body. Magic cried out in pain. Red Heart dropped her scythe and created a javelin like spear and threw it into Magic's heart. Flames erupted from it burning her to ash. Red Heart transformed back.
"Looks like you changed again." Vert commented.
"Yes, well this time I drew more power from Leanbox. It appears the proximity of the Sharicites help how much extra power I can pull from it." Desmond responded.
"Game, set, crash. We rule!" Neptune stated.
"Yes, now we need to stop the Deity of Sin." Nepgear added.
"Let's go back to Planeptune's basilicom and report back to the Oracles." Noire stated.
"Okay, let's go." Desmond added as the party began to leave the place.
The party made it back to the Planeptune basilicom, once they entered Histoire spoke to them. "The Four Felons have been defeated."
"Yes. All that remains is…" Nepgear responded.
"Beating the stuffing out of the final boss!" Neptune interjected.
"Try to be at least twenty percent more serious Neptune." Desmond stated as he flicked her forehead lightly.
"So? Any updates on the Deity of Sin's movements?" Noire asked.
"Has she finished fusing to the graveyard already?" Marvy questioned.
"Slowly but surely, she is inching closer to completing her fusion. Estimates indicate that over half of the graveyard is now under her direct control." Histoire answered.
"Stepping into the Gamindustri Graveyard will be like stepping into her body. Expect a lot of resistance." Chika commented.
"Not like we have any other choice." Nepgear added.
"Yeppers. We gotta do this, no matter what." Neptune said cheerfully.
"She must die…" Desmond muttered with clinched fists and closed eyes.
"Such brave CPUs…" Histoire stated.
"No need to hype ourselves up now. It's late, so we better wait until tomorrow morning to head off." IF commented.
"Aww, tomorrow? No way am I gonna be able to sleep with this level of tension…" Red whined.
"Yeah, totally! Jeez, you just had to go and rain on our parade, huh?" Ram added.
"But if you don't go to sleep, your body will be really tired and slow tomorrow." Compa rebutted.
"Oh, I got just the ticket!" Neptune cut in, as she lured everyone into her room. "Pow! Games! They're fun AND they relieve stress for a good night's log-sawing. Three birds, one rock."
"Huh. Even though it's coming from Neptune, that's not a terrible idea, actually." Noire stated.
The CPUs grouped up together and the Candidates did as well. The Candidates played on their handhelds while the CPUs argued on which console to play. "But since we're at MY house, we're gonna use MY ultimate Planeptune game console!" Neptune shouted.
"Wait. If we're playing together, we need party games. Lowee's console is built entirely around those." Blanc pointed out.
"Such shallow reasoning. All you do is wave sticks at the screen with your controller." Vert stated.
"What?" Blanc questioned with a hint of anger.
"For the greatest of all party games, one needs only play Each Party, the greatest game Leanbox ever made. We even contracted a famous manga artist to handle the unique character designs, and…" Vert got cut off.
"You're kidding me. Good art doesn't matter if the game's on a console that crashes whenever you turn it on." Noire fired. "If we're making comparisons, then nothing beats Lastation. Our lineup covers every genre under the sun. Look at all our games! LOOK! My console has full network features so we can challenge gamers worldwide!"
"Poseur." Blanc quickly stated.
"Indeed. Leanbox brought online gaming services into the mainstream with far grater success than anyone else." Vert commented.
"And Lowee did motion controls before either of you wannabe hacks." Blanc added.
"Need I remind you that we offer our online services free of charge? Ahem… FREE! Do you understand?" Noire pointed out. "Which land was it again that charges people to log into some pretty unreliable severs, hmm? And I'm pretty sure most of a certain someon's motion control games were labeled "shovelware." Why, compared to those sad sacks, Lastation's console only does everything."
"I dare you to say that shit to my face, you pigtailed brat!" Blanc said as she started to get angry.
"Mehhhhh… Let's just use mine." Neptune spoke up.
"How dare you speak ill of my precious console! This means war! A war of the consoles!" Vert demanded.
The four started to fight each other, well mostly just yelling at one another as the pulled and slapped at each other.
The Candidates were getting along as they played their games. "What're you playing, Uni?" Nepgear asked.
"Oh, this is a hunting game. You play with friends and hunt giant monsters in a vaguely realistic manner." Uni answered. "Didn't your last console make a big splash with some kind of sci-fi online game? It's kind of similar."
"Ohh, I see. That sounds neat." Nepgear responded.
"I know, right? S-So… I mean, if you really want, maybe I'll play this with you…" Uni stuttered as she spoke.
"Goodness, really? Thanks! How about we all play? What do you say, Rom? Ram?" Nepgear said with excitement.
"Yeah, I wanna…" Rom stated.
"Meh! I guess if you're begging…" Ram added.
"Yippee! So Uni, what other games are big in Lastation right now?" Nepgear questioned.
"Hmm, well there's another game like this one where you're some kind of freedom warrior or something." Uni answered.
"Lowee's biggest game is obviously Pocketed Monstrosities. You catch and force monsters to kill each other, yay!" Ram interjected.
"Uh-huh… I got a Psycho Monstrosity recently that was rated 5V…" Rom added.
"No way! Ugh, that's so lame… I want one that awesome…" Ram whined.
"Um… I can trade you the parents I used to make it… They're both rated 4V… Then you can make one…" Rom offered.
"Whoa, awesome! Rom, I love you times infinity!" Ram shouted.
"How about Planeptune? Anything making waves?" Uni asked.
"Not waves, but we did give this one game a 60 million credit budget to make a realistic sandbox-type game. Working as a forklift operator and using my in-game pay to buy trinkets from vending machines was so fun!" Nepgear answered.
"Uh-huh. Right… Sounds like a hardcore sim…" Uni responded, before looking toward their sisters still fighting "Are they ever going to stop arguing?"
"We only have the one TV, so I think it's fair to settle it with a game of rock, paper, scissors…" Nepgear suggested.
"Yeah. No need to argue that much over games." Uni added. "But this is relaxing in its own way. All thanks to games."
"Yep. Arguing over your favorite games, which console is the best… It's all in good fun." Nepgear stated. "Let's hurry up and bring peace back to our world, so people can argue over trivial stuff like that again."
Desmond and IF sat next to each other on the other side of the room looking at the spectacle. "Do you think we should stop them?" IF questioned.
"Nah, they're not hurting anyone… at least not that much. But you would think that they'd try to be a little more civil, like the Candidates. But I guess it's not that easy for them." Desmond responded.
"Not after fighting each other for years on end. As long as they finish their little squabble before we leave in the morning." IF stated.
Desmond forced IF to look at him as he moved closer and kissed her. Pulling away he gave her a bright smile "Love you"
IF's face exploded in redness "D-D-Don't do that." She demanded in a hushed tone.
"What's wrong with kissing my girlfriend?" he asked with a smug look.
"T-That's not what I'm talking about… The whole love thing… it's embarrassing…" she muttered as she was being pulled closet to him, while she fidgeted slightly.
"I'd figured you'd take it more that way. Nothing like Neptune in that regard. But I do love you so I'm not going to keep from saying it just because you think it's a little embarrassing." He stated as he hugged her.
She took a deep breath before speaking "Fine, just maybe wait a little bit before saying so loud around the others. Let me get used to it."
"Okay, I can deal with that. At least for a little bit." He responded and lifted her face upward "Now where's mine?"
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"I think you know what I mean sweetie…" he answered vaguely.
Once she realized, her face turned a little redder for a few moments as she looked down. She then let out a breath and looked him in the eyes and gave him the sweetest smile he'd seen from her "I love you too…" she said barely loud enough for him to hear it.
"Thanks for that." He couldn't help but smile at her. Then came a flying Nep from the scuffle. Before she could hit the wall Desmond reached up and caught her. "That's not the wall you should be breaking Neptune."
"Hahaha." She laughed as she rubbed the back of her head "I know, but it's not my fault, those three tossed me. And, thanks for catching me Dez."
"No problem honey." He placed her on her feet and stood up "Let's go stop them before anything else happens."
I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. And again sorry it took so long to get out, hopefully I can get back on a better schedule for the next one. Leave a review and let me know what you thought. And as always have a great day.
