Neo Gospel's Rise
By Zoram Selrof
Chapter 1: A rough start19:29 PM (New York Time), Friday July the 27th, 2012…
"… More persistent than a debts collector!"
"Stop right there!"
"Catch me firstly, Milverton!"
"I ain't Milverton!"
"My beard says otherwise!"
"You don't have a beard!"
"It's invisible, Milverton!"
Someone wearing a black raincoat ran across a sewers tunnel.
A voice rang out some meters behind.
They glanced over their right shoulder and replied with sarcasm.
"Partner! Have you managed to ID them?"
"No dice. Given how they wear a raincoat…"
A Navi's voice echoed next.
"I'm No – One In Particular!" The fugitive laughed.
"Sure, sure!" The chaser muttered with some skepticism.
"Catch me, by Jove!"
"I come to see a former classmate at the Army Office…"
"And the place was gassed, security was fried to a crisp!"
"And that raincoat man stealing data from the computers!"
"I'm your worst nightmare! The man in the raincoat!"
"Why is that?"
"Ask your beloved Prosecutor Mitsurugi!"
"Sure, sure…"
"Beware! Koroshiya Sazaemon is coming for your blood!"
"What is he, a leech?"
"A vampire! Count Dracula the 66th!"
"I can tell that you're a Greek!"
"You know NOTHING!" The culprit taunted.
"Shaddup!"
"Hit a vibe~? Milverton?"
"How many times do I need to say this? I ain't Milverton!"
"You'll soon find out the why! I don't say things at random!"
"Maybe it's related to that drug gang that we busted last week?"
"But that was in Nevada!"
"I happened to be here for zapping business!"
"What kind of business is that?"
"Ask Count Electel and Gauss Magnets!"
"No need to. I'll catch you and force you to spit it out…"
"Try it, Milverton!"
"Wait. Then the timing was no coincidence?"
"I knew that you were coming. I readied a surprise party!"
"Heck. You've been monitoring me since days ago!?"
"I'm your biggest fan!"
"You don't say!"
"You're more famous than Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark, even!"
"Sure, sure…"
"Did you find the rumbling and mumbling basilisk of Slytherin?"
"What does Harry Potter have to do with anything?"
"Has a lot to do with you! Starting with your sage's beard!"
"What sage's beard? I don't have a beard!"
"You'll soon have one! It's my newest spell!"
"Sure, sure…"
"… The jerk is using a signal jammer. Can't call for help!"
The Navi grumbled.
"Hauptmann! The ostriches needn't passport to cross the border!"
"What? Ostriches? Passport? The border?" The Navi sighed.
"This guy is either very stupid or very smart…" The human sighed.
"I will overcome Harrison Ford as GOAT actor!"
"Goat?"
"GOAT… Greatest of All Times…" The Navi explained.
"Sure, sure. Then don't raid an Army Office in downtown NY!"
"That's my alter ego, Zap Raid Man!"
"Patent it…"
"By the way. Did you call for a tank to crush a stag beetle?"
"What!? A tank to crush a stag beetle!? Who'd do that!"
"Your pal, the Hauptmann!"
"Again… I'm not part of the German Army! It's a fancy title!"
"Sure. Same as I and my pals…"
"You're not the Galactic Senate of laziness and inefficiency?"
"No…"
"Guess that I need to come shake its foundations!"
"A bunch of rascals said that before. Nothing ever happened…"
The man clicked his tongue.
"Stupid amateurs and half-baked fools!"
"Blame them…"
"Whatever. I'll have them broom the Saharah, forever!"
"Really. How scary…"
"Skeptical Milverton is only afraid of the revenge of his angels!"
"Heard that joke a billion times by now. Doesn't impress me…"
"Beware! The grand madame is coming to invite you to her feast!"
"I don't know any nobility…"
"Which will win? You or your flying cousin?"
"Which flying cousin…?"
"Chopper Transforming Man and Star-Air Man!"
"What's that, a parody of the Transformers?"
"Maybe yea maybe nay! Ask the local fortune-teller in the Bronx…"
"How much longer will this farce continue!?"
"Until we meet a watery end and are washed up before Her Grace!"
"Your mom?"
"No! The Statue of Liberty!"
"Sure, sure…"
The man stopped after crossing past an arch.
"Beware! It's Jesse James and his buddies!"
"What next?"
He drew a detonator and pressed a button.
A bomb detonated higher in the ceiling.
The pursuer gasped and jumped away.
Several concrete blocks fell before the pursuer.
The fugitive pressed the button again.
An energy barrier formed before the archway, splitting them.
"Touch it and you'll become Milverton a la BBQ!" He laughed.
"Devil. You had the escape route ready days in advance!?"
"This is no commoner, then…"
"I'm the King of Despair and Madness!"
"How fancy! Patent it!"
"Want a piece of me? Come to the most geek island in the world!"
"Where the heck is that!?"
"Use your imagination, Milverton!"
"What do you want out of us, anyway?" The Navi demanded.
"Be witness to a new age of chaos and terror!"
"What are you, a cult leader?"
"In a sense! Figure out the rest by hiring Columbo!"
The fugitive ran away, laughing.
"Shit! What's with this punk!?"
"I wish that I knew, too…"
"No time to waste! Let's make it out of here!"
11:11 AM (Japan Time), Sunday July the 29th…
"… Summer break has begun at last!"
"Sure. We have plenty of time to have fun, Rock!"
"I know…"
"You look concerned. Did something happen?"
"Merely hoping that Netto – kun doesn't forget about the homework!"
"I see, I see!"
Rock Man and Roll walked down across Internet City.
She was animated, but he was slightly concerned about something.
"And hoping that Sigma doesn't flood us with memes…"
"While he's pretty fun for his looks, he can be tiresome…"
"I know…"
"But I guess that he and Mr. Netto get along!"
"Did that since day one, even…"
"But you get more along with Blood Shadow…"
"Since he's more serious, I feel that he resembles me…"
"But it's not like he's stiff the whole time, right?"
"He does have emotions, of course, but… Doesn't show them often!"
"Well. Each to their own…"
"Hello. A wonderful day, is it not?"
"Hi, Glyde!"
Glyde joined them.
"By the way. What became of that clumsy maid?"
"She's become a professional…"
"Glad to hear. Least we want is a repeat of back then…"
"I know. That was a nightmare!" He sighed.
"Sure was…"
"Glyde! Don't forget to tell Enzan that I'll win this match!"
Ayanoukouji Yaito laughed over his radio.
"As Mr. President often said… "Do it yourself"…"
"I know, it's a joke!"
"I apologize. But I am not designed to process jokes 100% of the time…"
"I'll trade you over the Wi-Fi to evolve you into Glider Gladius!"
"As if we haven't heard that PKMN parody over 900 times…"
Rock Man rolled his eyes.
"What!? That many!?"
"You've said that almost each day for the last 2 years…"
"Maybe you need that game for mental training?" Roll giggled.
"Dear! The sky falls upon us!" Yaito gasped.
"See? I warned you…"
Her father's sigh echoed.
"Dad!? You were there!?"
"Been in the living room the whole morning…"
"How come I didn't notice?"
"You were busy joking. I was reading the newspapers…"
The Navis sighed and rolled their eyes, too used to that.
"Hi! What's up?"
"Hi, Ice Man. The usual deal…"
Ice Man joined them, animated.
"I'll resume running my errands. See you around!"
"Bye!"
Glyde waved goodbye.
"I'm going to see Aqua Man to play together!" Ice Man told them.
"Sure. Enjoy!"
"Thanks! Bye!"
Ice Man resumed his walk, animated.
"They sure have become best of friends!" Roll giggled.
"Sure!"
"… Say. It might be a stupid question now, but…"
"What?"
"We are… friends, right?" He nervously asked.
"Sure. Why ask now?"
He shook his head.
"Sorry. Guess that something's bugging me…"
"It's not the homework?"
"… More like anxiety. Dreading that something will happen…"
"But nothing strange has happened during these last two years…"
"You're right, but… That's not going to last forever…"
He sighed and shook his head again.
He brought a hand to the base of his neck.
"I feel like it was an old wound that aches…"
"Like Harry Potter's scar?"
"It's not a bad analogy…"
"The enemy is becoming active?"
"Or it could be my overprotectiveness…" He admitted.
"I understand that you want to help us, but you're not alone…"
"I know. We have Blood, Sigma and Omega…"
"And your "Net Savior" pals… Blues, Search, Prism Man…"
"And other friends… Thunder, Shark, Wood, Skull, Number Man…"
"See? You can count on us! My "Soul" is with you, too!"
"I know. "Soul Unison" has been very helpful!"
She patted his back.
"Ease off the tension! We'll go to the water park next week!"
"You're right. It's going to be fun!"
"Show me your surfing skills, too!"
"Well. Why not?"
"Aqua Man will outrun all of us, though!"
"Well. It's his home field, after all!"
"Good morning!"
"Hi, Number Man. How's it going?"
"The usual. Yamitarou is behaving, fortunately enough!"
"That's great!"
"She keeps working with us in a very diligent way…"
"If she likes the job, why not?"
"Sure…"
"Well then. We'll go run errands, too!"
"Naturally! See you around!"
Number Man parted aways with them, too.
"Maybe we can begin by going to the Game Center…"
"The one before the station, right?" He asked for confirmation.
"There's a game of serial battles against Viruses…"
"I see. Sounds like a great chance to train!"
"And those that win receive a free voucher…"
"For what?"
"For the ramen restaurant of the store…"
"Netto – kun will run there at top speed once he hears that!"
"But I won't fall behind, either! Meiru – chan and I have trained, too!"
"I know. Your skills improve by the day!"
"Thanks!"
"But let's not be confident. The enemy might be stronger…"
"You're right. But they don't scare me!"
"That's the spirit!"
"If they come, I'll show them the way out!"
"That's very relieving to hear!"
"Allow me to help you, too! Rock!"
"Naturally. As you said, I'm not alone…"
A "portal" opened in the air above them.
A huge mechanical claw descended and gripped them.
"What's this!?" Both gasped.
It pulled them towards the "portal"…
11:23 AM (Japan Time)…
"… Finally. Thought that it'd take forever!"
"Netto. It's not like brooming the house is that time-consuming!"
"I know, Mom, but…"
"I know that summer break has come, but…"
Hikari Netto sighed as he finished brooming the house.
He wore his usual outfit.
He'd grown taller.
Haruka looked up from the novel that she was reading.
"You must remember that we all take care of the house!"
"I know, I know…"
"You and Saito rotate your turns. And today was yours…"
"I'm not saying that it's unfair, but…"
"Why are you so impatient? Do you have an appointment?"
"No…"
"The water park trip is next week. There's time…"
"Sorry. Guess that I feel impatient…"
"Because you want to do many things?"
"That's it!"
"I don't deny you the right to, but duties come first…"
"I know…"
He opened the garbage can and poured the dust and trash inside.
He then brought the broom and dustpan to the closet.
"By the way. Is Saito sleeping?"
"Well… More like he's hanging out in Internet City!"
"A date with Roll – chan? He'll beat you to it!" She giggled.
"It's not a date, Mom…!" He sighed.
"It's a joke, dear. No need to be so desperate!"
"Sorry. It's just that Dekao can be annoying with that…"
"My, my. A love rival has appeared!"
"It's not a love rival…!"
"But it's natural for both to feel different about your interactions…"
"Really?"
"I'm not forcing you to date her, of course. It's advice…"
"If you say so…"
"Don't forget to stay hydrated!"
"I know! We always buy Aquarius when we have sport!"
"How's it going over at the school's soccer club?"
"Fun. As always!"
"That's great!"
"OK!"
Netto rushed upstairs.
He opened the bedroom's door.
The blinder was partly lowered.
The balcony door was open.
The buzz of cicadas echoed.
A mattress was stretched on the ground next to the bed.
A human shape could be seen, covered under a sheet.
"Guess that he's still hanging out!"
He chuckled as he glanced at the PET atop the desk.
"This "Link PET" is great. The hologram system is fun!"
He walked over to the desk and grabbed it.
"How's the date going like?" He laughed.
There was no reply, to his surprise.
The screen displayed the message "SIGNAL LOST".
"What? Signal lost?"
He pressed a button and formed a holographic screen.
He drew a touch pen from the underside of the PET.
He touched different icons of the screen, frowning.
"Signal lost 4 minutes ago? Last location: Internet City?"
He was visibly concerned about what was happening.
"I better call Omega!"
He shifted screens to his list of contacts.
He hit the one labelled "Omega".
The words "NO CARRIER SIGNAL" appeared onscreen.
"What!?"
He tried the phone number of "IJUUIN ENZAN" next.
The words "NO CARRIER SIGNAL" appeared onscreen.
"It's not only Omega!"
He clenched his teeth.
"This isn't an accident! It's someone's plot!"
He tried "MR. MEIJIN", too.
"It doesn't work! Can't call anyone! There's no Wi-Fi, either!"
He failed to see an almost visible silhouette.
It was silently walking for him from behind the shut door.
It held a special syringe on the right hand.
Netto gasped and looked over his shoulder.
"Who's there!?" He gasped.
The figure rushed for him, but Netto flung the pen at it.
It hit the face, startling the intruder.
He rushed for the balcony door.
However, he crashed upon something invisible.
"An invisible wall!?"
He gasped when he saw the foe run for him.
He flung the PET next, and it hit the forehead.
The silent intruder's head arched backwards.
Netto ducked and extended his arms forward.
He jumped for the opponent, pushing them against the wall.
A muffled groan rang out.
The foe gripped the syringe on the right hand.
Netto saw it and jumped away.
The foe swung the right hand across the air.
But it failed to meet its target.
Netto grabbed the chair and thrust it forward.
He used it to pin the foe against the wall.
He tried to call for help.
"La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo!"
To his surprise, he uttered something else instead of help.
He instinctively brought the right hand to his neck.
His eyes opened wide.
Cold sweat formed on his forehead.
His body shivered.
He recoiled, afraid.
The figure made a muffled chuckle.
Netto tried to articulate a word of help again.
"La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo!"
He tripped with the edge of the mattress behind him.
He dropped atop the shape sleeping beneath it.
He didn't notice, since he was crossing his arms and shivering.
The figure stepped forward.
Netto managed to crawl away.
His back hit the invisible wall.
He shook his head and desperately flung more books.
The figure wasn't stopped by that.
"LA-LI-LU-LE-LO!"
He tried to scream for help, but only odd syllables came out.
"Been waiting for this day… Demi-Fiend!"
The figure rushed for him and dived for him.
Before he could fight back, the syringe hit the right neck.
"The real battle is yet to begin… Demi-Fiend!"