A story created by Proximatic / Dan. A crossover between Hyperdimension Neptunia and Nanatsu no Taizai (The Seven Deadly Sins).
. . .
Receiving a piece of paper that fell from the sky above, Neptune and Diane were invited to the Great Fighting Festival held in Vaizel.
But they would get more than what they anticipated, as they were quickly obstructed by an enormous maze, crafted from the depths of the earth.
Seeing no other option, and with circumvention being out of the picture due to the maze's autonomous behavior, the Goddess and the Sin ventured through the maze.
Overcoming obstacles and repetition, they eventually reunite with Meliodas and the rest of the group, who destroyed the maze walls, allowing for access to the center.
However, triumph would soon turn to trepidation, as the maze's center revealed to house two of the Ten Commandments. What are their ambitions? Were they gathering the strongest warriors to round up and eliminate them?
We now continue from where we left off. . .
Britannia ━ Wreckage of Vaizel
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Super Mario Galaxy OST — "Bowser Appears"
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A gloomy shade cast upon the Fighting Festival participants below with their attention directed to the Commandments standing atop the spherical rock that laid waste to the old town of Vaizel. A faint sense crept upon Neptune's body, her arms becoming ridden with goosebumps as she continuously alternated her gaze between the two Commandments.
"Those guys are with the Ten Commandments? But. . .but one of them's a Giant. . .!" the Goddess says, pointing at the cyan-skinned titan. Meliodas nods his head in reply, keeping his eyes focused on the pair above.
"Ladies and gentlemen of various races," the shrouded Commandment began, with everyone focusing on them.
"Welcome to this ultimate time killer. . .ahem, I mean, the Great Fighting Festival of Vaizel!"
Their tone appeared rather lax and laidback compared to others like Galand of Truth or Derieri of Purity. . .just who was this individual?
"I'd like to congratulate you for making it this far and progressing through the first part of the festival! You all did well to survive the deadly maze! But the fun has just started. . .because now it's time for the main event; the fighting!"
Letting out a laugh, the tetrabrachian Giant turned their head to their partner and let out an exasperated sigh, folding their arms over their chest in contempt.
"I know you are all dying to get started with a good smack-fest, so let's not waste any time and prepare the arena you are going to use to fight on!"
The rose-haired Commandment then directed their attention to the Giant, their expression laced with a smile and a tone full of innocuous yet sinister fun.
"Drole, take it away, will you?"
Diane's face was immediately filled with shock as she heard the name "Drole" be uttered from the enveloped Commandment. Subconsciously taking a step back and holding her weapon close to her, she knew in her head that something was wrong here.
"D-Drole?!"
Neptune, and the other Sins - excluding Meliodas - were looking at Diane with confused eyes. She seemed to know who this person was, but whether or not that is a benefit or a detriment is yet to be seen. . .
As Drole performs a series of hand gestures, the earth beneath all of them begins to tremor. With a clasp of his four hands, the huge rock takes on the shape of two hands reaching for the skies, fingertips spread apart as if holding up a relic.
"Aaah, your craftsmanship is as incredible as always, Drole! This is the arena you all will be fighting on!"
The group stared at the creation in a bit of shock; there's no doubt that Drole created this maze if he had been able to create such a precise, uniform battle arena with such little effort being put in.
"Well, since I'd like to get started right away, I'm unfortunately going to have to cut off any additional entrants now. I'm going to wipe out all of those losers still lurking in the maze, okay? After all, the more time we waste is less time you have to fight, and the less entertainment that us two get."
As the mossy-textured tendrils unravel from the Commandment's body and begin to swirl around them, their hair flutters with the breeze generated from the intense rotation, and a dark aura surrounds their position. At that moment, King's eyes widened as he recognized this magical power being used. . .
"No way. . .the magical power that's radiating from that Commandment is undoubtedly from the Fairy race! Not only that. . .but it's so overwhelming strong"
Just like with Diane, everyone except Meliodas had turned their attention to the shocked Grizzly Sin; not only was there a Commandment from the Giant race, but a Commandment from the Fairy race as well?
Meliodas knew this, and he knew it well, thus turning his attention to the group around him and choosing to speak up about it.
"I know you are most likely confused. . .so I'll explain it in detail at some point when this is over. But to keep it short, those two once belonged to other races long ago. . .but when they were faced with the adversity of the Demon race, they chose to side with the power of Darkness, and were given a Commandment."
The tendrils above lit up with a white glow as they morphed into thorny vines, wiggling rigidly in a more zig-zag-esque pattern.
"Spirit Spear Basquias. . .ninth configuration. Desu Sōn (Death Thorn)!"
The myriad of thorns shot out in all directions, traveling far across and into the crevices of the maze around them, with the haunting sounds of wandering victims screaming pervading the air as the cruelty of nature pierced them.
"The lifeforms inside that maze have all been extinguished," Gowther said, with the rest of the group looking on in horror, all except Meliodas. Eventually, King began to float upwards in the direction of the Commandments, arms trembling and at his side as he couldn't believe what he was seeing and sensing.
"Death Thorn is the toxic thorns that grow into the highest reaches of the Fairy Realm's Sacred Tree and are capable of destroying any threat that Sunflower can't. . .
. . .not only that, but Basquias is the name of the Spirit Spear that was bestowed to the very first Fairy King chosen by the Sacred Tree to rule over the Fairy race. . .!"
With the Commandment's body now completely unsheathed and released from the tendrils, one could spot the large, iridescent wings attached to the back of the rose-haired Fairy as he hovered in the air, letting the thorns of demise retract and return to their standard form.
"Is that you. . .First Fairy King, Gloxinia?!"
The illuminant Fairy couldn't help but give off a smirk as his void-colored eyes looked on at King, with the latter feeling this sense of terror building in his chest, knowing that the first Fairy King to have existed is affiliated with the Ten Commandments.
"Now that's a title that I haven't heard in quite a long time. As it stands, I'm the Ten Commandments' Gloxinia of Repose."
"But weren't you defeated by the hands of the Demon King in the Great War over 3,000 years ago?!" King shouted, leaning forward with a sweatdrop running down his cheek. That feeling of dread was churning in his body; was the history he was told all lies? Or were they true. . .and he's just living a nightmare?
"Perhaps I'll answer your question if you win the Festival. I am a man of my word, after all," Gloxinia smugly replies, recalling his mossy tendrils to float at his side similarly to King's pillow-form Spirit Spear.
King lets out a defeated grunt and clenches a fist, but eventually returns to floating near the ground around the group, looking away in a shamefully angered manner.
"All right, then. . .now that we have our contestants ready, it's time to begin the Great Fighting Festival!"
"Heh. . .this looks interesting. I only came here to meet up with you guys, but maybe I'll take part in this, too," Ban says, with his hands in his pockets and a confident smile forming on his face. Seems like he's in it for the fun rather than trying to escape what is a rather blatant trap laid by Drole and Gloxinia.
"Now then, Drole! Please divide them into pairs!"
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Super Mario Galaxy OST — "Bowser Appears"
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∘ next in playlist ↲
Metroid Prime OST — "Chozo Artifact Temple"
Raising his hands up and letting them droop a bit, Drole's face-cover wavers with the wind blowing by, the sun shining on his limbs and the golden bracelets attached to them.
"Two people to a group, right?"
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Metroid Prime OST — "Chozo Artifact Temple"
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Clapping his hands together yet again, the earth beneath the group tremors with circular or elliptical shapes being traced around two people each.
"Senpan-jutsu (Divining Board Spell)!
With the ground rising up and bringing the divided group into the air, everyone looked around to see that they were randomly split apart and arbitrarily placed into unorthodox pairs!
"Those who stand on the same floating stone right now are rivals chosen by fate's judgment. Enshrine yourself with your pride and strength, and fight your hearts out!"
Neptune puts her hands behind her head as she takes a look around in her general field of view, seeing all of the different unordinary pairs standing on the rocks adjacent to her. Even though she was in the presence of the Ten Commandments, there was some flame of hope - a glint of faith - within her that instructed her to appear relaxed and not show any cowardice or weakness.
"Rivals, huh. . .? I coulda sworn this was some sort of Colosseum promotion battle."
As Neptune's "rival" walked up behind her, she turned her body around to see who exactly she would be facing in this festival. . .and wouldn't you know it, it was none other than the Dragon Sin of Wrath himself: Meliodas!
"Yo, Nep! How about we run back that fight from last time, huh?"
With a smile on her face, Neptune gave Meliodas a high five, her eyes lighting up with an inkling of excitement.
"Sure! Why not, you know?"
The other pairs were: Diane and King, surprisingly; Ban and Hawk; Gowther and Escanor; and lastly, Arthur and Elizabeth.
"Five pairs in total. . .I suppose we can work with that. We'll just have one of the quarter-finalists sit out."
"Five. . .?" Meliodas asked confusedly, to which his attention was immediately caught by Elizabeth's surprised shriek as she stood atop one of the floating rocks.
"Elizabeth!"
The Princess of Liones stood in shock as she gazed at her surroundings, frightened by the altitude that they were currently situated at. She isn't one to fight, and her place in this festival is dubious.
"Rule number one of the Fighting Festival: all weapons, magical powers, and otherwise underhanded tactics are allowed."
Elizabeth took a step back as to try and see if there was a way down. Once her heel touched the edge of the rock, part of it broke off, and she began to wobble, though she eventually regained her balance.
"Rule number two: to win, you must kill or neutralize your opponent. . .or force them off of the arena."
"Gloxinia! Elizabeth has nothing to do with this! If she gets hurt, I'll make sure you regret it!" Meliodas shouted from a distance.
"Unfortunately for you, once she entered the maze, she was considered a participant. She had a chance to back out, but she stayed."
Meliodas, blinded by rage, jumped ahead, attempting to leap off of the arena that they had landed on. But at that moment, Neptune had reached forward and grabbed Meliodas by the collar of his shirt, stopping him in time as sharp, plant-like tendrils appeared from beneath the ground and jabbed into the earth in front of Meliodas, just inches away from him.
"Rule number three: forfeiting a match is strictly prohibited."
"Tch. . .Nep, let me go. . .!"
"Nuh-uh! You'd be turned into a pincushion!"
"Sir Meliodas. . .don't worry about me! Please, focus on yourself!" Elizabeth shouted out to Meliodas, trying to reassure him that she would be perfectly fine, even if they were temporarily separated and she was in no way a fighter.
"Whew. . .look at her, showing her independence!" Neptune said in jest, patting Meliodas on the back.
"Well, I guess I can't argue with that. . ." Meliodas accepts the circumstances, backing down and walking over to the other end of the battlegrounds.
"The first round of the Great Fighting Festival will now begin," Gloxinia exclaims with a sadistic yet entertained smile.
"Heh. . .I can't wait to see how this is gonna go down. I missed their first fight, and yet I was told it was a close one," Ban says, standing next to the Boar Hat's star, Hawk.
"Last time, Meliodas' Power Level was at 3,370. . .now his power level's at 42,500! He's sure to put Neptune on the ropes this time," Hawk says, using the Magical Eye attached to his ear.
"What about Neptune's Power Level, eh?"
"I can't read it still. . .I dunno what's up with that; I thought I said a long time ago that this thing was broken, but I guess Merlin never bothered to give me a new one!"
"You can't read it, huh? I suppose that fits in line with me not being able to feel it. Just what kind of power does this kid have?"
"The first pairing. . .Neptune versus Meliodas!"
. . .
? — Nepstation Studio
| Nepstation Broadcast Jingle! |
↳ currently playing ;;
Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory OST — "Nepstation"
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". . .yep, just━ just stay down there until I say the things. . .good.
Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone else in between or outside the family photo, it's time for another chunk of your day to be used up in this week's installment of Nepstation! Woohoooo!
Sooo, as it turns out, Danny decided to peace out on me. . .apparently he wasn't feeling too well to line read for this Nepstation, so it's just me this time! Ooor, I would say that. . .if I didn't bring back a special guest of mine!"
Cue a familiar blonde popping his head and upper body out from underneath the booth.
"Yo! It's me, Meliodas again! Long time, no see, everybody!"
"You know, I wonder how long it's been since we had a guest here in the studio? Couple days? Half a year? Maybe even more?"
"Well, apparently, it says here in this script you gave me that the copyright now says '2024'. . .so I dunno."
"We can worry about the semiotics━ I mean, the semantics later! So, Meli, how does it feel to be brought back to Nepstation for the first time in quite a while?"
"Sate sate sate. . .it certainly feels weird to be in this place again. Did it get a visual upgrade or something? I could really use that kind of money for the tavern, you know?"
"I'm not givin' you a penny."
"Drat."
"Aaanyways, since you're here. . .you think it's about time we move onto "Review Time"? Eh?"
"I guess so. . .we've only got three minutes to do this thing, apparently."
"Well, let's not stall any longer! Give one a read!"
"Alrighty. . .so, from user 'KaiokenBlueGT'. . ."
« *taps the metaphorical mic*
Is this thing on? »
"Yep, hearing ya loud and clear, friend!"
Eh. . .? Is that Kaio? He did one for Chapter 12, right? Okay, lemme see here. . .
« Alrighty' then, another chapter – another review! (And another appearance from yours truly lol)
Overall, I really liked your utilisation of descriptive language. Hell, some of the ways you describe the environments Nep finds herself in I'd even say is way better than what I've got in my own story – something I should start focusing on more, tbh. »
'Preciate that. I think it gives readers a better sense of what exactly the surroundings really look like, honestly. Like, if I just described it as blandly as possible, people would probably think it looks like the plastic grass or whatever in the earlier parts of the Mario Kart 8 DLC, you feel?
« The music choices you selected really did fit all your scenes. Not a single one felt out of place, and they all made the writing more engaging, so great job on that front. »
Branching out to other franchises, especially some like Metroid or Final Fantasy, it has really helped set the mood sometimes. And listening to them while writing really does help me visualize the scene more.
« I like how Nep is traversing around the world, and the segments where she reflects on her growing homesickness. Her meeting Diane again was heart-warming to see, and we get to see more of the world from Nep's perspective in regards to Diane's home, the other members of her race, as well as a further elaboration on the Giants and their capabilities in general. »
To be frank, I was trying to keep it from being as much of an exposition dump as possible. I know it isn't exactly the easiest thing to do for people who aren't familiar with Nanatsu no Taizai's world and such, but you know, I don't like wasting peoples' time.
« However, I do have some other things to say:
, whilst it's nice that we have Neptune exploring the world, her reflecting on her homesickness, and meeting Diane again – the chapter felt a bit disjointed and unfocused. We didn't really get a whole lot of development towards much, nor much foreshadowing aside from Neptune's homesickness, and I feel like trying to juggle everything at once without giving one aspect or the other more of a focus probably made the chapter a bit weaker than it could've been.
TL;DR – The chapter was a bit unfocused and didn't feel like it lead to much other than expanding on Neptune's homesickness, which didn't feel as consistently focused as it probably should've been. »
Yep, that was. . .definitely an eight-months-ago me doing this. I was feeling pretty rushed to put the thing out since I felt it was getting to a point where I just could not keep waiting any longer; kinda like when you want to get a school project done as fast as possible because you don't want to risk slacking on it and therefore failing it because you stopped working on it. Or. . .something to that effect, I guess. I'd say I've gotten better, for sure, but. . .eh.
« I'm happy to see Neptune having some emotional baggage to sort out as she continues her journey through the world, and with it building upon what you set up in the last chapter, I feel like quite a bit of it should be shown more than it's told. Rather than explicitly describing how Neptune is feeling ("On one hand, she is being given an opportunity for consolation by a friend of hers, and also giving her a chance to open up just a little bit more[...]"), you could alternatively have her facial expression visibly tense up, you could have her sigh and look away in thought, or you could add more dialogue – just to keep the flow going and make it more of an emotional moment.
TL;DR – Show, don't tell. »
You can. . .kinda apply the same things I said above to here as well. To be fair, I wasn't exactly of the whole "show don't tell" philosophy when writing it, but having played some more story-driven games (and, really, too much Super Metroid), I figured to adopt it a bit and give it a shot. And, to its credit, it does really help improve a reader's experience on giving an idea as to how the characters feel without saying it. But it also begins to feel repetitive when all you are doing is describing the characters' physical motions and such, so I don't want to overdo it.
« Other than that, the characterisation is still going strong – and your writing is still really good overall. Keep up the good work, and I'm pretty interested to see where you take Neptune and co. from here! »
You already saw some. . .but there's still some more in store for ya. Wink wink.
Anyways. . .see ya later. I'll be here the whole time for the next Nepstation, promise.
". . .oookay, then, I guess Danny decided to make a surprise appearance! Sheesh, that boy really can't make up his mind sometimes. . ."
"Oh, Nep, looks like there's one last review here."
"The floor's yours, friendo!"
"From anonymous user 'That guy'. . ."
« Hmmm
This is a chapter that i like Nep and Diane talking to each other. »
". . .wait, that's it?"
"That was it."
". . .the entire review was two lines?"
"The entire review was two lines."
". . .w-well, thanks anyways, I guess? I don't really know what to say about that."
"So, I suppose that's it for the reviews."
"Sheesh. . .I don't get given enough puddings for this! I'm gonna have to speak to the devs about this one!"
"Yare yare. . .this girl is quite the handful of spunk, I can't lie."
"Well, I suppose that's it for this one, people watching at home. Make sure you tune in next time to see some more. . .Neptastic news!"
"Goodbye, everyone!"
"Seriously, though, is it that hard to ask for some more━. . .?"
{ Audience Applause SFX }
| Broadcast End |
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Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory OST — "Nepstation"
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Britannia ━ Wreckage of Vaizel
Neptune and Meliodas stood opposite of each other, eyes focused on the opponent in front of them with their weapons drawn; Lostvayne for Meliodas, and Purple Force for Neptune. Meliodas had been anticipating this run-back for a long time now, and there was no way he was going to let this chance go to waste.
"Let the first round of the Great Fighting Festival. . .begin!"
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Final Fantasy VIII OST — "The Man with the Machine Gun"
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Without wasting any time, Meliodas plants his foot firmly into the ground beneath him and lunges forward with his shortsword in hand, reeling back his arm and swinging forward with great power and speed. Neptune quickly spots this, and intercepts Meliodas' swipe, clashing blade-to-blade with sparks flying everywhere from the point of impact.
Both fighters push against their swords, trying to overpower the other, but with this opportunity laid in front of her, Neptune sidesteps and lets Meliodas' pushing force throw him off-balance, causing him to fall forward and put himself in a more vulnerable state.
"Hiiiyah!"
A quick upward slice from Neptune had popped Meliodas ever-so-slightly above the ground with her Crash Arts attack, setting herself up for a follow-up with Upper Arts, performing an aerial horizontal swing that sent him hurdling back across the arena, sliding to the edge of the circle on his back and kicking up walls of dust on both sides of his body.
The Dragon Sin stands back up and brushes off the sediment that was attached to his clothes, letting out a casual descending pitch whistle.
"Jeez. . .and just like the last fight, you got the first hit in on me, Nep. I guess I can't catch a break, huh? Nishishi!"
Neptune in response gives off a playful smile, placing her hands on her hips in a confident manner - and by extension, lowers her guard - after hearing that statement. But, of course, having gotten confident in the heat of battle made her more open, and gave Meliodas the perfect chance to reapproach Neptune and perform a sweeping kick to knock her off of her feet.
"But don't start getting too lax just yet! We've barely begun this little rematch of ours!"
Pivoting his body 180-degrees, Meliodas performs a bicycle kick to first bounce Neptune against the ground, causing her to minorly grunt - the force of the kick was primarily to her back, nervously putting her arms out to the sides - and then changing his momentum with an outward crescent kick, sending the Goddess flying high into the sky above, and subsequently landing perfectly on his feet.
Following this up, Meliodas leaped into the sky to keep up with Neptune, flipping his sword in his hand for a reverse grip. Spinning around to generate force, he eventually pushes the blade against Neptune's back, forcing her back down to the arena, creating a massive crater and a massive upheaval of dust as a result.
The Dragon Sin slowly descends back to the arena, standing at the perimeter of the crater and staring closely, attempting to anticipate any movements Neptune might make. However, once the dust settled, Neptune was no longer there, having seemingly escaped the clutches of the earth. Meliodas looks around confusedly, tightly clenching his sword as he searches for Neptune.
Mere moments later, though, a faint teleportation noise could be heard coming from the left of Meliodas; Neptune instantly reappeared next to one of Meliodas' flanks, and with her sword infused with the Light Element, zipped right through Meliodas with a flurry of attacks striking him continuously, even after she dashed through him. That was Phantom Rush, one of Neptune's attacks where she builds up power and slices right through her enemies at blinding speeds!
"Hehee. . .critical hit, too! Looks like my LUK hasn't run out just yet!" the Goddess pompously says, turning her head and side-eyeing the Captain.
"Yare yare. . .just what kind of pudding have you been eating lately, Nep? It must have given you some sort of rebound power. . .can't even seem to get a real solid strike on you," Meliodas says, standing back up again and shaking himself off.
"That's just the power of the protagonist, Meli! You live it, you learn it, and you love it!"
Those who were spectating these two were a mix of shocked and awed reactions, and nervous sweatdrops at just how powerful they were; Hawk, especially, was starting to fidget around, seeing Neptune continuously throw attacks left and right at Meliodas, and shrug off whatever attacks she was receiving. Even if Meliodas wasn't going all-out, such a feat isn't something to scoff at!
"He's still as strong as steel, that Meliodas. . ."
"But still, there are elements of uncertainty. We cannot gauge it, but this holy power radiating from the one called Neptune. . .that is the same power that was used to defeat Monspeet and Derieri, is it not?"
"That's true. . .if this becomes too much of a problem. . ."
"Sorry Nep, but I'm only gonna stick with that 'learning' part. . .I have to win this one, after all!"
The sharp edge of Lostvayne slowly became coated with a black and purple wreath of flames, with Meliodas oscillating the weapon back and forth a few times before raising it above his head, performing a leap high into the air, and bringing the sword down below him with a powerful swing that unleashed the huge wall of Hellblaze at Neptune.
"Kami Chigiri (Divine Thousand Slashes)!"
The vicinity had become lit up with the flames of the violet void, and an inferno of Hellblaze rose like a reversing waterfall, its heat traveling even to other arenas spread across the area. Taking the brunt of the attack, Neptune stood with her sword held up to shield her face from most of the flames, whilst digging her feet into the ground to try and protect her feet. Everything else was starting to feel torched and burned by the intensity of the black fire.
Once the earth had reclaimed the fire and dissipated it, Neptune could be seen firmly maintaining her position with various parts of her clothes becoming burned up from the power of Hellblaze. Her left parka sleeve, her right sock being burned to up to half of her shin, and her pockets appeared to be almost melted.
And yet, through it all. . .she still held onto that cheeky, yet recognizable smile of confidence and excitability that we are familiar with and love so dearly. She took an intense attack of Hellblaze from none other than Meliodas, and she was still standing there, smiling like a proud sibling.
"Hoh. . .guess even that doesn't seem to do the trick just like last time. Honestly, Nep, you're just amazing. . ."
Holding a hand over her chest, Neptune lets out a relieved sigh, dropping her guarding pose and instead returning to a stance ready to go back on the offensive; gripping her sword's handle with both hands, legs close together in a take-off position and eyes focused on Meliodas exclusively.
"Tell me somethin', Nep. . .if you were to win this whole thing. . .just what exactly would you wish for?"
Caught off-guard by the question being asked on the spot, Neptune's eyes opened wider and her posture was now more upright, though still holding her sword with both hands.
"Huh? What do I want to wish for?"
The question sounded quite genuine, too. Standing there and pondering for a few seconds, there was a certain quivering emanating from her arms, alongside her fingers tapping against the handle of the sword. Her expression morphed into a strained frown as she stepped forward, gritting her teeth a tad.
"Wh-why do you want to know? What good would knowing what I want do for you?" Neptune's tone became defensive as she stammered the beginning, nervously tightening the grasp she had on her weapon.
"Oi, oi, relax. . .I just wanted to know, okay? After all, you're a bit of a wild card; I think it'd be pretty neat to know what sort of random wish you have in mind as the victor of the whole thing," the Dragon Sin replied, trying to ease her.
". . .maybe I'll tell you after this fight. How about that?"
"Sate sate sate. . .guess it really means something to you if you don't feel like sharing it right now."
There was a sudden loss of enthusiasm within the Goddess after being asked a question such as that; was it a personal matter? Is what she desires something embarrassing? Something greedy that she doesn't want to taint their perspectives with? Whatever the case is, Neptune is intent on making sure that her wish remains a secret until further notice.
Having stalled for long enough, Neptune snapped her fingers and spawned several Type 32 EX Blades, swords composed of concentrated Share Energy that can explode on impact. Meliodas anticipated something like this, having learned from the last fight, and used Lostvayne to parry the projectile blades, all except for one stray blade that was too low and out of his way to be able to deflect fast enough.
With the excess blade impacting Meliodas' leg, it did not explode, but rather, it bounced off of him. An opportunity was laid in front of Neptune, and she jumped forward to grab the Share Energy-infused weapon for herself and switch to a dual-wielding "mode" of sorts, pelting Meliodas with a myriad of sword slashes, with the Dragon Sin just barely being able to block them, putting him on the ropes.
Meliodas, though, was watching Neptune's pattern of attacks closely, and with a careful yet effective parry, he was able to recoil Neptune's incoming attack and push her back, finding the chance to strike back. What he did not account for, however, was the Type 32 EX Blade still in Neptune's hand, and because of that oversight, it would cost him. Neptune detonated the sword in her grasp, inflicting some damage to herself, but ultimately being able to save herself from a counterattack that could have inflicted even more damage to her.
The explosion caused Meliodas to slide against the ground, skidding his shoes against the earth and causing a light squeaking noise as a result. Neptune, too, was pushed back by her own explosion, but she was able to recover much more gracefully with a well-timed backflip from her hand.
The two now stood there, eyeing each other down and circling the arena as they waited for the other to make a move and act accordingly. But because of this anticipation, seconds passed with neither of them attempting anything of the sort, and a suffocating tension filled the air.
"Maybe it wouldn't mean something to you, Meli. . .but, what I want means more to me than games, consoles, or even pudding could ever mean. . .! I want this more than anyone thinks I do!"
There was a desperate, yet audibly justifiable distress in Neptune's tone as her breathing started speeding up. Thoughts flooded back with possibilities that might have been had things played out differently; it was more than her arms starting to quiver, but her legs too, with the Seven Deadly Sins' captain noticing this and frowning.
"Maybe you're right. . .and right now, I don't even know what it is that you want. But we all want something. . .it could be something as selfish as money, or as selfless as the power to bring peace to Britannia. Regardless of what it is, we all want something. . .and I'm not going to give up an opportunity to fulfill a promise I made to someone special to me!"
↳ paused ;;
Final Fantasy VIII OST — "The Man with the Machine Gun"
...
1:49 ━━━━━━━•━━━ 2:33
There was a certain passion in Meliodas' voice that paused Neptune in her tracks. Letting the words of the captain sink in for a bit, there was a visible flinch to Neptune's stance, the grip on her sword becoming overwrought and disorganized. Her eyes faintly dulled and her posture marginally slouching amid the internal echoing of his words.
Ba-thump. . .
The sound of her heart beating overwhelmed her sense of hearing, having lost herself in her thoughts. But why did she stop? Why is she suddenly frozen in place after hearing Meliodas' words? His tone alone couldn't be the reason; it must be something much more than the way he said it.
Meliodas took notice of this sudden freeze and lowered his weapon, trying to make eye contact with Neptune to understand what exactly was going on. But because she had her head tilted downward, it wasn't possible. Even those around them watching the fight were either confused or worried.
"Nep? Is everything okay?" he asks, slowly approaching the Goddess, who sluggishly lifts a hand and stares at it for several seconds, eyes remaining as dull as ever.
"I. . .I didn't. . .huh. . .?"
Something seems to have been triggered within Neptune's mindscape, and it seems as though she has lost the will to keep fighting - if only temporarily - for a reason unknown to all but herself. With her mouth left agape, her sword arm dangling at her side, and her hand weakly clutching the handle of her weapon, Neptune's thoughts were racing back and forth with her external movements becoming akin to a statue.
"Hey, if you're going to stand there and get mazed in your head, could you do it after the fight is over," Gloxinia tauntingly asked, putting his hands on his hips as he became a bit frustrated with this out-of-the-blue pause from both parties, especially Neptune.
"Zip it, Gloxinia," Meliodas shouted, turning his body to the Commandment of Repose with angrily grit teeth; the Fairy raised an eyebrow in response, letting out a vexing grunt.
"Nep, what's the matter? It's not like you to just freeze up, there's gotta be something wrong," the Captain said, his tone and expression becoming more concerned as he placed a hand on Neptune's shoulder, lowering himself to try and look at the Goddess' eyes, which continued to remain focused on her palm.
"Wha. . .?"
In as quiet a voice as one could imagine, Neptune's eyes were now able to be seen as she minutely lifted her head, her right eye glistening with what appeared to be water welling up within the lid. Never before had Meliodas, let alone any of the others, seen Neptune in such a distraught state.
"Hey, relax a bit. Just sit down and try to tell me what the problem is, okay? I'm not going to leave a precious comrade of mine hanging, alright?"
Seeing this attempt to console her, Neptune lets out an exasperated groan, moving her hand to try and brush Meliodas' hand off of her shoulder. He continued to latch onto it, though, wanting to help someone that he considers to be a good friend of his.
"I-I'm fine. . .I don't. . .the protagonist doesn't need any help in places like this," Neptune says cholerically, scoffing and looking away, giving Meliodas the shrewd shoulder as she stubbornly clings to her bravado as the main character. Not saying a word further, she folds her arms - almost appearing as though she is trying to conserve heat - defensively jerks her shoulder away, and turns around, facing her back to Meliodas.
"Oi, oi, don't give me any of that. I don't want you to think you can't let it out a bit; that's not good for you. It doesn't matter if you think you can or not, you just should," he says, trying to reassure her that it's more than okay to unload some emotional baggage.
"Besides. . .you said that you'd tell me what it is that you want to wish for after this fight was over. I want to understand what's making you feel this way, Nep. You can't just bluff to me forever, and you know that."
That last statement - "You can't just bluff to me forever" - certainly got a small rise out of Neptune, as she swiftly pivoted around on her feet and leaned forward to emphasize herself.
"It's more than just the wish. . .! I. . .urgh. . .do you really think you would understand my script or something? You don't think like me. . .act like me. . .none of that."
"I don't need to be like you to know what you're feeling, Nep. If you would just open up to us, then maybe I can understand why you're acting like this. This. . .isn't you. This isn't "your script", as you said."
A choking silence soon flooded the air around them, before Meliodas slowly approached Neptune once again, attempting to place his hand on her shoulder for consolation.
". . .I have things that I don't want to reveal to the others either, Nep. But. . .it's not going to help you feel any better if you don't at least tell me what the issue is. You know me well. . .and I know you well enough to the point where I feel like I can help you figure something out. Okay?"
Seconds passed before Neptune had given some sort of reactionary movement, tightly clenching a fist and shaking her lowered arm a bit before letting out a sigh, tilting her head upwards, and finally making eye contact with Meliodas.
". . .alright. If you say so."
Fully grasping Purple Force's handle again, Neptune turned around and walked back over to the perimeter of the arena, ready to see this fight to its end. She may not be pleased with the idea of having to share her thoughts, but Meliodas was right, at least partially; what good is it going to do for her to keep silent about it? To that end, she begrudgingly conceded that it would be more beneficial if she simply spoke up about it to him rather than withholding such things.
Both Neptune and Meliodas stood at the ends of the edge of the battlegrounds, ready to resume their fight. The spectators were ready to see this battle come to a swift conclusion after that conflict of emotions, and the fighters were ready to bring this battle to its much-needed end.
The Planeptunian lit the tip of her sword ablaze with the Fire Element. Performing a flip forward and slamming her weapon tip-first into the ground, Neptune shot some flames through the ground through Flame Beat, which eventually converged and exploded directly beneath Meliodas' feet launching him up into the air.
Spinning her sword around in her hand, Neptune's body became enveloped with a powerful violet aura, indicating that she was gathering her strength to prepare for a super-powered attack to finish off this fight. She leaps into the air, arriving at Meliodas' altitude with a determined shine in her eyes.
Swinging her sword with rapid slashes, she unleashes an aerial Tera D-Drive, with every hit having immense strength put behind it. With a penultimate hit, she spins forward and performs an axe kick, sending Meliodas back down to the earth. Neptune quickly followed behind him, using the momentum from her skydive to slice her opponent with the force of landing on the ground.
Having withstood some damage, Meliodas decided to retaliate by spinning his body around and performing a rising kick, striking Neptune in the face and throwing her off-balance. Having caught the Goddess and dismantled her follow-up opportunities, Meliodas decided to pay Neptune back with his own flurry of slashes, landing slice after slice on her until he finished with a strong punch to the chest, sending her backward. Both of them were now at the edge of the arena; one small mistake could result in a ring-out. . .
"It looks like the first round of the Fighting Festival is about to come to an exciting end!"
It's time for the climax! The surface began to shake as both Neptune and Meliodas concentrated most of their energy into their weapons, uplifting parts of the arena in the process. Their swords flared to life with respectively-colored auras as they lunged towards each other, arms reeled back, ready to deliver the final strike!
CHING!
. . .
As if following a classic anime trope, Neptune and Meliodas end up on the other side of each other, having swung their swords and impacting the other with their blades. However, they simply stood there, holding their poses. . .
At first, Neptune had dropped to her knees, weakly holding her sword in one hand whilst placing the other hand on her knee as she panted deeply, a sweatdrop rolling down her cheek and blood running down her forehead. But. . .on the other side. . .Meliodas had fully collapsed, dropping his sword to the ground and falling stomach-first, signifying that he had been defeated in this battle.
"And the winner of the first round is. . .Neptune!" Gloxinia exclaims, folding his arms over his chest, smiling faintly.
"Looks like we have more than just Meliodas to worry about, it seems," Drole quietly says, having watched the fight unfold with a violet iris.
"Right. . .they were pretty evenly matched, and yet, neither of them was truly using their full power."
Having been declared the triumphant victor, Neptune stood upright and kept her arms at her sides. But she did not celebrate. She did not gloat. She couldn't even crack a bright smile. She simply turned around, looked at Meliodas - who was starting to stand back up on his feet - and frowned. Taking a glance at her hands. . .they were red with a burning, rash-like feeling. She seemed lost, without so much as a clue as to how to feel in this moment.
Her thought-meandering was abruptly paused as Meliodas walked up to her and stuck out his arm, wanting to shake Neptune's as a symbol of not only sportsmanship, but also recognition; recognizing that she is a worthy rival for the Captain of the Seven Deadly Sins, and that there's nowhere else to go from here but up. Neptune stared at Meliodas' outstretched arm for a few seconds before turning her gaze to his emerald irises, finally giving off the gentle smile that her comrade had been waiting to see her put on for several minutes.
"Yare yare. . .even after all that I did to get some of my original power back, I still couldn't get the best of you, huh, Nep? You're certainly something else! Nishishi!"
"Aheh. . .I, uh. . .thanks for the kind words, Meli."
The Dragon Sin put his hands behind his head, letting his nonchalant nature take over yet again. Even if it was brief, his excitement was a telling sign that the battle they had was some of the most fun he had experienced in a long time!
"Sate sate sate. . .now that that's over with. . ."
Meliodas then proceeded to crouch down onto the surface of the arena, patting the space adjacent to him and gesturing Neptune to join him in sitting on the ground with him.
". . .why don't you give me a little explanation, hm? I'll make sure the others don't find out. After all, I feel like some of them wouldn't react very well to your wish."
"Aaagh, that's right. . .dang you, Meli, I was hoping that you'd forget about that so I didn't have to think even harder about how to say it!" the Goddess exclaimed; it was unavoidable, frankly, so she lets it go and takes a seat right in front of Meliodas, crossing her legs and putting her hands in the small gap around her thighs.
↳ currently playing ;;
Ori and the Will of the Wisps OST — "Separated by the Storm"
ılı.lıllılıı.ıllı
0:01 •━━━━━━━━━━ 3:47
↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺
volυмe: ▁▂▃▅▆▇▉
"Alright, Nep. . .just be honest with me, what do you want to wish for? You said yourself that it meant more to you than even pudding ever could. . .so what's so important to you?"
Neptune anxiously tugged on the hem of her Parka Dress, thinking deeply about how to explain what it is she wants to wish for so badly. Her heart started beating faster and faster, and her eyes nervously shifted away from Meliodas and a shadow fell upon her face; though difficult to see, her expression made it clear there was still a craving to remain quiet about it. But with a tight grip on the rim of her dress, she eventually spoke.
". . .I want to go home. That's what I want, Meli. I want to go back home."
"Home?" Meliodas asks, tilting his head curiously with his arms folded over his chest.
"Yeah, home. . .to Gamindustri; to Planeptune. I want to go back to where I belong. Ever since I got here, it's always felt like I've been too out of place. . .like a 2D sprite trying to fit into a 3D-modeled sandbox or something," she continues, with the sun reverse-cresting the horizon and filling the sky with an orange tint, retracting its blanket of light.
"Everywhere I go, there's always something that makes it more clear that I'm not supposed to be here. . .or that this world just isn't meant for me to explore. And over the past few days. . .it's only gotten worse. I start thinking of my sister. . .my friends. . .the people of Planeptune; it's hardly even been two weeks ever since I got here. . .and I already miss seeing their smiles. I'm miss listening to them being so. . .so cheerful, so excited about what they're going to do today. . .!
I miss being able to stop into item shops, and saying hi to some NPCs across the nation, and receiving support from the fans who appreciate me for who I am instead of what I am. . ."
"Hmm. . .so that's why you've been acting so strange? 'Cause you want to go home so badly?" the Sin inquires, hands now in front of him as he leans forward, wanting to know the answers to his questions.
"No, that's. . .that's not it!" she responds, once again turning away. Her thoughts immediately turn to the words that Meliodas said during their battle. . .
'. . .and I'm not going to give up an opportunity to fulfill a promise I made to someone special to me!'
Reflecting on his words, especially with such a passionate tone, Neptune once again began to tightly grasp the Parka Dress' hem, taking a few deep breaths to keep herself as composed as she possibly can.
"I. . .what you said before. . .about how you want to fulfill some sort of promise that you made to someone. . .when I heard that, I thought about the wish itself for a second.
If I win the festival. . .then I get to be able to go home and see everyone happy again now that I'm back in action. . .but then I'd be robbing other people of their wishes because I was too much for them. And if I lose the festival, then the winner would be happy knowing that they get what they want from the wish. . .but then I wouldn't be able to go home for who knows how long. . .and then they wouldn't be happy because I'm not there for them. . .!
I'm just. . .I'm stuck, Meli. . .!"
Neptune's voice started to quiver as tears welled up in her eyes, with the influence of gravity pulling them down and dripping onto her Parka Dress, which she was gripping tightly with both hands instead of a single hand. Quiet sobs slipped through her lips as she broke down, spilling her emotions and making herself vulnerable. It's something she never wanted, nor wants to happen.
"And since I beat you in this fight. . .I. . .you. . .you won't be able to fulfill the promise that you made to that person. . .! Meaning you won't be happy because I stole that chance from you. . .I-I. . .!"
Meliodas sat there, taking in all that was said, his expression turning somewhat sour having heard Neptune's plight. He leans forward, outstretching his arm and giving Neptune some gentle pats on the head, trying to calm her down to the best of his abilities.
"There, there. . .I see how you feel now. Trying to make everyone happy isn't an easy task. . .but you know what? As long as you keep trying, that's what really matters. You're a great person, Nep. Don't let little setbacks like this take that away from you.
Even if I can't fulfill my promise here and now. . .I can always find a way around that. So don't feel sad because I lost the chance here. . .be happy because you have a chance at going home. You'll make so many more people happy in your world than you will here."
A pleasant smile then forms on the Sin's visage, his viridescent eyes being as luminant and lively as ever. This may not be his first rodeo, but this is certainly one of the more heartwrenching dilemmas he has heard, mostly because it hits so close to home for him. Yet through it all, he still puts that smile on his face to move past the darkness and welcome the light.
Neptune's face transformed into a more radiant expression - even if it was still plagued with emotion - having processed Meliodas' words and accepted his kindness, nodding her head understandingly. She wipes away the tears that had formed in her eyes with her non-charred sleeve, letting out one more hysterical chuckle.
"Th. . .thanks, Meli. . .I. . .I mean, I'm still kind of upset that you have to wait even longer to fulfill that promise that you were talking about, but. . .it's better than not being able to at all, yeah?"
"Of course! Besides, you've already done a lot ever since you got to this place. . .even helping speed up us being able to beat the Ten Commandments. You already trashed two of 'em, so that just leaves us eight more!" Meliodas stated jovially, putting his hands behind his head once again and giving off a toothy smile.
"Huh. . .well, I guess that kinda helps. . .eheh. . .jeez, to think that the protag would need help like that. It's never come up before. . ."
"Hey, we all need a shoulder to lean on from time to time. Just so happens that you were the one in need this time. It's all good!"
After Meliodas stated his thoughts, both he and the Goddess started to break out into chuckles, which then evolved into playful laughter, constantly moving around in place as a result of the laughter. Looks like the sun shined in one last place today before it set.
Their joy would quickly be interrupted, however, as Gloxinia rose into the air to make his next announcement.
"With the first round of the Fighting Festival now over. . .it's time to move on to the next round! Please direct your attention to the moving rock."
Drole, with complete control over the floating rock, guided its movement with a finger swipe, moving it over to one of the arenas; quite close to Neptune and Meliodas at that. The unorthodox pair were lowered onto the circular stage, with Escanor looking increasingly flustered and panicked, whilst Gowther was stone-faced and barely reacting whatsoever. Very doll-like, both literally and figuratively.
"Hoh. . .with the sun now set, Escanor can't even use his powers. . .I wonder how this is going to turn out. I don't think Gowther would want to try and kill Escanor. . .so he'll probably just use one of his mind powers or something."
"Now. . .let the second round of the Great Fighting Festival. . ."
". . .begin!"
End of Chapter 15.
To be continued.