Hey everyone.
I'm going to skip the Review Responses this time so I can immediately focus on the story and get this chapter out there ASAP. It's a long one, so hopefully that kinda explains it lol.
I'll respond to the ones for the last chapter, and the ones that will be made for this one, next time! Sorry!
In any case, let's go!
Chapter 8 - "The End of Intended Destiny"
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↳ BGM START;;
"Wheatley Science" | watch?v=7eNeiXeVoLc
[ From Portal 2 (2011) ]
00:01 •— 30:09
↺ ll ⋮≡
ᴠᴏʟᴜᴍᴇ: —•
Overseer's Office
A few days after Neptune & Friends underwent the Valkyrie Exams, the Schicksal Overseer, Otto Apocalypse, had his hands together near his face - thinking throroughly of what to do next.
On his massive computer, he clicks through a few folders and wades through a few files, eventually getting to the two in particular that he wanted to see. He snapped the two open Windows on opposing sides of the screen.
On the left...
[[[File Name: K-423]]]
NAME: KIANA KASLANA
GENDER: F
AGE: 18
HEIGHT: 163 cm
WEIGHT: 49 kg
DATE OF BIRTH: December 7th, 1998
OCCUPATION: B-Rank Valkyrie, St. Freya Far East Branch
RESIDANCE: St. Freya Far East Dorms | Formerly Nagazora
RECENT COMMENTS ON FILE:
H - "Kiana seems to be making remarkable progress recently. I would think that Neptune has been the main catalyst that allowed for this to happen. Must continue observing them further."
R - "K-423's recent progress exceeds expectations and projections, and impressed me on my arrival. It would be prudent for her to remain near the second target to allow for even higher potential growth in power."
The Overseer ominously smiled before looking at the file on the right-side of the screen.
[[[File Name: DIMENSION_BREAKTHROUGH]]]
NAME: NEPTUNE
GENDER: F
AGE: UNKNOWN (*100+ estimate)
HEIGHT: 146 cm
WEIGHT: 37 kg
DATE OF BIRTH: August 18th, Unknown Year [1]
OCCUPATION: B-Rank Valkyrie, St. Freya Far East Branch | "Goddess of Planeptune"
RESIDANCE: St. Freya Far East Dorms | Formerly "Planeptune"
RECENT COMMENTS ON FILE:
H - "A truly tremendous fighter, and a colourful individual. If the match had went on longer, I probably might have been pushed into using a lot more of my power. Highly dangerous, and subduing her will be an incredibly big challenge should the need ever arise."
R - "Highly fascinating to see someone from a different dimension. I would have liked to evaluate her myself, but I unfortunately could not get the chance due to the exam's structure. She will be tremendously useful for progressing your plans with K-423... And with your future plans for her, as well."
Otto's smile widened even more, as he looked back and forth between the pictures of Kiana and Neptune.
"Well, well... It seems like things are still going to plan... If not even more so." Otto muttered to himself, as he looked back and focused at Neptune's picture.
"I have to thank you, Neptune. With your help, I'll not only be able to accelerate my plans for Subject K-423... But you'll also come in great use in the future, in multiple respects..."
Soft footsteps then started making their way towards the blond haired individual. When said individual turned around, he saw his assistant, Amber, walk towards him with a soft smile. She had silver hair tied into a single braid, and had this strange orange visor that covered her eyes. Nobody would blame Mei, Bronya, or any of their classmates if they confused her for Kiana having a different hairstyle.
"Lord Otto, Theresa's request towards Schicksal's R&D for a new 4th-Generation Battlesuit has been received. Is it truly wise to allow our second target to have it in her possession?"
Otto's eyebrows frown as he thinks this over. As he's still thinking, Amber continues to present her thoughts.
"It is almost certain that she will use this against us once the Herrscher befalls. Once again, should we really allow this 'Neptune' to recieve something that can amplify her power?"
...
"Amber, have you ever heard of the human phrase - 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'?" Otto finally spoke up.
"L-Lord Otto?" Amber looked back up with a surprised look on her face.
"I am very well aware that we are making our second target stronger... But if it allows for K-423 to get stronger at a faster rate as well, then I see no reason to hold her back, especially if it's not presenting any problems currently. Let her have it, and green light the request."
Before Amber could reply, Otto continued speaking.
"Besides... We MUST learn more about this 'Share Energy' of her's, as well as her 'CPU' biology."
"... But, what about adding a few safety measures within the suit? Shouldn't we at least incorporate something as a contingency?"
"You're very thoughtful, Amber... And ordinarily, I would go through with something like that... But no, it's not necessary."
Amber doesn't even say anything this time, as she's still processing what Otto could possibly have in mind.
"Little does Neptune know that she's already playing in the palm of my hand. I don't need to directly manipulate her, erase her memories, or give her a new identity or something like that."
Otto pauses slightly as he turns back towards the screen and eyes Neptune's picture once more, with Amber following suit with a more serious expression as she takes his words in.
"... No, she'll be assisting me and furthering my goals of her own free will."
Amber looks as if she's thinking hard, her curiosity growing by the second.
"And how will we ensure this?"
Otto smiled once more, turning back towards her.
"Why, I'm glad you inquired. It's admittingly still a work in progress, but I have... a few ideas."
[BGM END]
Suddenly, the computer started producing a fast-paced beep - a "mail" icon blinking on the top-right corner.
"Lord Otto! An important notification!" Amber exclaimed, becoming as tense as the Overseer was.
Otto's eyes widened as he immediately swung his chair back towards the screen, immediately clicking on it to reveal the details.
...
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↳ BGM START;;
"La Dele Dele" | watch?v=fusTNlGPVZ4
[ From Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory (2012) ]
00:01 •— 10:30
↺ ll ⋮≡
ᴠᴏʟᴜᴍᴇ: —•
"SHE DID WHAT?!" Otto uncharacteristically screeched in a fit of frustration.
"L-Lord Otto!" Amber exclaimed in surprise. Her visor covering her widened eyes.
"HOW... HOW DARE SHE?! I WORKED SO DAMN HARD GETTING THAT SCORE!" Otto shouted, slamming his desk with a trembling fist.
"S-Score...?" Amber questioned with a hint of fear in her voice, being absolutely baffled.
Otto sulked in his chair, the anger and frustration smoothly transistioning into despair, alongside some inconsolable mutters. Amber looked back up at the screen as she stared in absolute shock.
KALLEN FANTASY VII | NEW HIGH SCORE!
TOP_NEP - 20,000,001
KALLEN - 20,000,000
OTTO - 19,973,374
ALLOY_BRON - 19,973,374
"She... She even beat my alt score... BY ONE... SINGLE... ACCURSED... POINT!" Otto continued to scream out, looking towards a particular feather with a fierce look in his eyes.
"We'll... We'll have to erase everything. Her memories, the scoreboards, everything..."
Amber had a massive sweat drop rolling down her face as she slowly moved towards the desk and closed the notification, truly concerned with Otto's current mental state.
"KYAAAAA! NO WAY!" An awed exclaim came out from a familiar silver haired girl.
"C-Congratulations, Neptune!"
"Subject Neptune has the Bronya's upmost respect."
The "Game Over" screen of Kallen Fantasy VII illuminated the eyeballs of our main four heroines, with Nep having a proud grin on her face as she snacked on the pudding Kiana had to get for her in Chapter 2.
"Haha! My gaming skills are universal, baby! No matter the dimension!" Neptune announced, now back into the same Jersey Dress she was wearing when she arrived in this dimension.
...
"Though... I'm fairly sure I can bump up my score with a Planeptune controller... Oh, and a 240Hz display... Oh! And I gotta test for all the input lag to make sure that's not tanking my performance next time!" Neptune muttered with a serious expression.
Kiana and Mei sweat dropped at this. Bronya less so.
"... Subject Neptune seems to have developed 'Melee Player Syndrome'." Bronya stated, her voice sounding a bit more enthusatic than usual upon hearing the upgrades that Neptune proposed.
"Melee Player Syndrome? ...Oh! As in the Smash game! Wow... Uh... Being meta is a little hard..." Kiana muttered with a puzzled expression, as Mei's face shows off a sympathetic smile.
"... Because Kiana Idiotka is an idiot." Bronya nonchalantly states as she glances at Kiana with a calm expression, without even moving her head.
"Hey, hey! Let's turn down the heat! Here, I'll take out some pudding cups, and we'll all eat some together to celebrate this epic new high score. Okay?" Nep announced, beaming a smile as the trio beamed theirs back in agreement.
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↳ BGM CHANGE;;
"Home" | watch?v=Hvzn4ZCYvWU
[ From Honkai Impact 3rd (2016) ]
00:01 •— 15:00
↺ ll ⋮≡
ᴠᴏʟᴜᴍᴇ: —•
As Neptune goes to the fridge, gets the pudding cups, and gives them to the three girls, a knock on the door is heard before the individual enters. It was Theresa once again, with just as much of a smile on her face as the others.
"Good morning, girls! I have great news for Neptune!"
Neptune's eyes beamed at this, as the others looked at Theresa with interest also being visible in their facial expressions.
"Ooooooooooh! Is it what I think it is?!" Neptune questioned with sparkles being visible in her eyes, jumping out from her spot on the sofa as she excitedly approached Theresa.
"Haha, well... Yes and no. I got through to Schicksal's R&D, and they approved my request for your new battlesuit!" Theresa proudly smiled as she folded her arms, awaiting the girls' reactions.
"Aw, yeah! This is happening!" Neptune stated with a lot of excitement and energy behind it, her eyes sparkling even more.
"However, you will be constantly requested to show up for testing in order to create a suit that's perfect for you. So, I'm just letting you know that in advance so there's no surprises." Theresa stated with a bit of hesistance, at which Neptune started sulking at the annoying trade-off.
"If I may ask something, why would Neptune need to go for constant testing? When we got our battlesuits, all that the campus required was our height, weight and preferred fighting style and weaponry, right?" Mei inquired with a thinking expression on her face.
"That's pretty easy to answer. You, Kiana, and Bronya's 3rd generation battlesuits are made for general-use amongst a range of Valkyries. Neptune's will be custom-tailored specifically for her - which includes attempting to amplify the Share Energy within her to further optimise her unique abilities, biology, and combat ability. Obviously, we have no familiarity with the first two, so constant testing will be required in order to actually tap into it."
Neptune's eyes were sparkling at it's upmost now.
"Oooooooh! I feel like a kid listening to a Mega Drive commercial! Tell me, tell me! Does it have Blast Processing?!"
Kiana and Mei chuckled at this, getting the reference. Bronya just simply smiled.
"Haha, if only. Then it would be the greatest performing battlesuit of all time." Theresa joked, getting the entire quartet to chuckle along.
"Regardless, I'll let you know when they call you for testing. Until then, I just wanted to give you the heads-up. Enjoy your weekend, girls!"
"Oh, you're leaving already, Teri?" Neptune asked with a much calmer look on her face this time.
"Yeah, I was gonna go and enjoy my weekend as well with some good ol' doujinshi- I mean, totally educational books. Is something the matter?"
"Well, we've got one more pudding cup in the fridge, and me and the gang were celebrating my new high score in Kallen Fantasy VII. Want one?" Neptune offered with a bright smile.
"Wa-Wait, what did you just say? New High Score?!" Theresa exclaimed, eyes widened as the former trio enjoyed her reactions.
"Yup! Here, we're still on the Game Over screen! Take a look and I'll get you some of that good ol' mouth-watering pudding!" Neptune advertised as she stepped aside to let Theresa through, as she headed towards the fridge once more.
Theresa then walked at a fast pace, eyes still widened, towards the TV. Kiana, Mei, and Bronya all looked up at her from the sofa, still taking in her amusing reaction.
"I-I don't believe it! Nobody has ever beaten Grampa's score before! Even Bronya could just about tie him at best!"
"Heh, Nep is just too good. No wonder she surpassed Bratnya in like, record time." Kiana muttered with a smug smile towards Bronya. For once, Bronya was dealt a heavy blow in their... mostly one-sided battle of wits.
"... Touché, Kiana Idiotka. The Bronya will appear to be busy the entire day today."
"Heh, you're not gonna be able to do it. I 200% guarantee it!"
"Not to worry, there is always the simple human skill of adaptation. Something you undeniably lack, given the Idiotka's past showings."
... And now the tables were flipped back to it's usual side...
"Hmph! Just wait until the upcoming results get out! I'm gonna do much better this time! And if I don't, I'll blame and sue Nep's little Goddess Bangle for misadvertising!" Kiana exclaimed as she raised her arm to look at it.
"Heeeeeeeeeeey! We don't do that kinda shady stuff! What do you take me for?! Slim Cognito?!" Neptune responded back with an annoyed pout.
"... But didn't Slim at least make-do on his deals in the Ratchet & Clank games?" Theresa questioned with a puzzled expression.
Everyone just stared at Theresa with a surprised look on their faces, before they transistioned into smiles.
"... What?" Theresa questioned once more with an even more puzzled expression once she noticed this.
"Hah! So it's really true!" Kiana announced as she pointed her finger towards Theresa with a big grin.
"Wh-What is...?" Theresa asked once more with a hint of nervousness in her voice.
"I'm not sure how this works... But just hanging around Neptune for long enough has allowed for us to... well, become a bit more aware than usual. It was hard to understand her sometimes at first, but she's been becoming easier and easier to understand lately..." Mei simply stated, looking at Neptune with a satisfied smile as she does this.
"Haha, yup! I think it's my series' influence coming through, since all of my friends have fourth-wall awareness too!" Neptune stated with a proud smile, as she put her hands on her hips.
"I see... Wow, Neptune... You're full of surprises, aren't you?" Theresa questioned, still somewhat shocked - but is in the process of calming down.
"You betcha'! I'd be a pretty boring protag if I didn't shake the tropes up every now and then!"
Before Neptune's arrival in this dimension... St. Freya High captured the Selene, a battleship otherwise known as the "Moonlight Throne".
Inside, the trio were able to access it, with the security being easy enough for Bronya to crack. They explored the ship, where they made an... unnerving discovery. A digital mail encoded inside the main system, addressed towards Kiana in particular.
It read:
"Dear Kiana! Greetings. We hereby return you the battleship Selene after 16 years. You shall ascend the throne and rule this world. But before that, you'll need to find 4 keys. Lightning of Conquest, Fire of Affliction, Storm of Desire, and Death of Tranquility. PS. The password to the bridge is your birthday."
And so, after a bit of prior faff, the hunt for the aforementioned Gems began... With a new party to support them this time...
[BGM END]
Two weeks later - New Zealand
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↳ BGM START;;
"Pas" | watch?v=rOaqRykGe54
[ From Honkai Impact 3rd (2016) ]
00:01 •— 15:00
↺ ll ⋮≡
ᴠᴏʟᴜᴍᴇ: —•
Soon enough, after an excruciatingly boring wait (according to a certain silver-haired adrenaline junkie) - Kiana, Mei, and Bronya touch down on what appears to be an overrun campus-like ground in New Zealand. Almost immediately, the comms for the three girls start to activate, as they all put two fingers near their ears to listen in:
[HIMEKO MURATA]: "I see that you girls have landed at New Zealand... Perfect. Prepare for mission briefing."
[KIANA•KASLANA]: "Wait a sec... Himeko, did any results come back from that unmanned battleship we captured a while back? And has Nep been deployed yet?"
All three girls could hear Himeko sighing at Kiana's response.
[HIMEKO MURATA]: "Mission briefing takes priority, Kiana. Besides, Neptune..."
Right before Himeko could even finish, a loud thruster engine-like sound blasted it's way violently towards the trio as they look behind themselves in full alert, the grass swaying violently as it reacted to the turbulence.
Soon enough, they could see someone in the air fast approaching to the ground close to them, with glowing metallic neon wings being the most visible feature until the individual landed on one knee, shaking the ground in the process, possessing a heavily recognisable grin on her face as the wings retracted back into her suit.
[NEPTUNE]: "Did someone call for an interdimensional protag?"
Himeko sighs once more, whilst the eyes of the three girls show excitement.
[HIMEKO MURATA]: "As flashy as always..."
[KIANA•KASLANA]: "Woah! You're here! Are you... wearing what I think you're wearing, Nep?!"
[NEPTUNE]: "Haha, yup! But... let's let Himeko finish with her business first, and then I'll give you all a little tour. The plot demands it!"
[HIMEKO MURATA]: "... Right. Thanks Neptune. Glad you were able to join us on-time despite the known complications regarding your new battlesuit. We will now commence with the mission briefing."
Neptune, wanting to get into role, walked next to the trio and paid attention to Himeko's upcoming words.
The basic gist was that a powerful Honkai Energy spike was detected in the area they were currently at the day before, resulting in the Gem of Desire going missing in the Oceania Branch of Schicksal. The main objective for the quartet? To retrieve it.
With the mission briefing over, and with Himeko signing off over the comms, the four started walking to where they were told the Gem was located - though that didn't stop the eyes of the three girls from being glued on Neptune's new battlesuit, whom was grinning the whole time as she could feel their stares.
The handiwork of the battlesuit was nothing short of expert-level craft and meticulous design. Compared to the third-generation White Comet, Crimson Impulse, and Valkyrie Chariot battlesuits that Kiana, Mei, and Bronya wore respectively... Neptune's sleek fourth-generation battlesuit just literally looked, and in her own words as well, "Next-Gen".
It had a shiny, metallic look with very visible armour platings in places like Neptune's shoulders, chest, knees, and arms, having a colour scheme that reminded the trio of her Jersey Dress, being primarily white with deep purple and black accents complementing it. It possessed a somewhat large Planeptune logo (which Neptune requested) on the center of her chest, and odd circular expandable pockets that were more akin to Neptune's other choice of clothing - her signature Parka Dress.
To better complement Neptune's access over the interdimensional Pocket system where she summons her stored weapons and items, as well as to act like a miniature, constantly accessible dashboard of sorts for a multitude of purposes... The suit's right arm sported an ejectable N-Gear module. Since Neptune's N-Gear was already inserted inside, the N-Gear's colour scheme blended in with the suit as it looked like it merged with it, a small bit of bulk being visible to protect the actual unit itself, with the neon D-Pad, Buttons, and Screen Outline glowing a faint blue on top of the right arm's armour. The glowing D-Pad and Button outlines on the armour were more for aesthetic purposes, as the N-Gear is primarily intended to have it's touchscreen function be used in this mode.
The retracted wings were folded nicely into the suit's back, with only, once again, a small amount of bulk being visible on Neptune's back. Overall...
"Thank HeatWave that Nep Jr. isn't here... Or else she'd already be stripping me down to nothing but convenient blurs and sunshine rays right about now..."
"W-Wow... You... You look great, Neptune!" Mei couldn't help but state in awe.
"Da... We will have a much higher success rate of accomplishing the mission with you on our side." Bronya said right after with a small smile on her face.
As the four continued to walk and observe the campus grounds, Kiana's eyes couldn't help but be drawn to the N-Gear Module.
"Er... Nep? Why do you have a portable console on your arm?"
Neptune became more attentive upon hearing this.
"Oh, you mean my N-Gear? I had it on me this whole time! This is what allows me to manage my Pocket Service thingy I told you about two chapters ago, when we were doing the Millionep Quiz! It can also do a lot of other techno mumbo-jumbo that only Nep Jr. would ever understand!"
Kiana's facial expressions lit up, as the realisation came crashing in.
"Ooooooooh! So THAT'S how you got me the goodies!" Kiana stated as she raised her arm once more to admire the Goddess Bangle she won from the quiz.
"Oh wow, you've really become commited to wearing that, haven't cha'?"
"I don't know if it's actually helping... But I find that ever since you gave me it, I've been able to sleep a bit better because of it!"
Neptune's eyebrows raised with a bit of a concerned expression adorning her face. Mei and Bronya also didn't really understand what she meant.
"Is that so? ... Huh. Well hey, what do ya' know? That just makes it even more awesome if it can surpass it's advertised features, amirite?" Neptune stated with a cocky, prideful smile.
Kiana just simply nodded with her own cocky grin as the four continued to make their way towards the target.
Eventually...
"Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?! There's nothing here! The sensor's a total dud!" Neptune muttered in annoyance with a somewhat upset expression on her face as her cheeks puffed out.
"T-This is the place that the sensor told us to get to... But... Neptune's right... There's really nothing here..." Mei replied with a concerned look on her face.
Bronya's invisible Project Bunny emitted a few quick beeps as Bronya's facial expressions automatically became a bit more fierce.
"Nyet. The Bio-Sensors detect vital readings within 50 meters. To the east."
"Vital readings? Then... doesn't that mean...!" Kiana's eyes widened as she realised what this meant.
"It means there's an NPC we need to save! C'mon, let's get to her!" Neptune pointed to the east with a confident grin, the quartet immediately running over towards the detected readings.
Soon enough, they saw a scared girl on a wheelchair backing away from three Honkai Zombies in total. Two Praetorians (Scythe Wielding Zombie Girls), and one Jun-Ninja (a dual-wielding katana Zombie Girl).
Before the trio could rush in, Neptune spread her arms out to block them.
"Well, you girls were pretty curious about my battlesuit, so why don't you let the true main character handle this?" Neptune announced with a confident smirk, with Kiana having a slightly deadpan, but frustrated expression in the background.
"Actually... That's me, Nep."
"Yeah, in the actual canon story. But not anymore~!" Neptune responded as the retracted metallic neon wings came out, glowing a bright purple as the engines within Neptune's suit started charging, as she summoned her trusty Wooden Katana.
"And here... is... WHY!" Neptune announced as she boosted off with the battlesuit emitting an extremely loud engine roar, as she flew over at a ludicrious speed towards the Honkai Zombies, slicing a Praetorian in half as she boosted through it.
Without even a wasted synapse rushing through her head, Neptune immediately ran over and kicked the Jun-Ninja in the air with the upmost flexibility, despite it's best efforts to block her onslaught with it's dual katanas. Neptune then propelled herself up in the air using the new battlesuit, got near the launched Jun-Ninja, and spun around in a fierce and incredibly fast flip like a certain blue Hedgehog as she sliced and diced the Jun-Ninja to the ground.
"Alright, one more zombie... Where are ya'-"
Before Neptune could finish her sentence, a small and puny metallic "cling!" sound could be heard from Neptune's back. When she casually got herself up and looked behind her, the final Praetorian was just simply staring at her with a blank look on it's face as it almost innocently looked down to it's scythe and back towards her.
"Nuh-uh, kiddo! Sorry to break it to ya', but this armour has boosted my DEF stat to too high of a degree!"
As the Zombie tried attacking her again, Neptune's smirk reached all-time highs as she banished her Katana into data-like particles and simply prepared a punch, the engines of the suit roaring as she did so.
"Hiiiiiiyah!" Neptune shouted as she decked the Zombie in the face, with it flying into the ruined building ahead of her, causing the entire structure to become so unstable upon impact that it collapsed right on top of the Zombie, killing it.
Neptune chuckled as she turned back towards the trio with her hands on her hips.
"And that, ladies, is how you redefine the meta!"
Everyone was just wide-eyed at this point, including the girl on the wheelchair. Kiana's jaw just dropped after seeing that.
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↳ BGM CHANGE;;
"Prehistoric Cave" | watch?v=Mx3Fvdcpxqw
[ From Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 1 (2013) ]
00:01 •— 04:57
↺ ll ⋮≡
ᴠᴏʟᴜᴍᴇ: —•
"WHAT... THE HELL... WAS THAT?!" Kiana exclaimed, pointing at her as if she was the Final 14th Herrscher in the flesh.
"The power of handy extra features, my dear Tuna! Under my supervision, me and the R&D team were able to amplify the Share Energy inside me to allow me to kick more butt! And all I have to do is keep wearing this smexy suit!"
"Tuna?! W-Whatever! This... This is SO UNFAIR! How come you're the one that gets all the cool stuff?!" Kiana continued to protest in utter annoyance.
"I dunno, ask the writer. He's the one truly making the decisions around here. Besides, you've got a one-up on literally everyone else in here with the Goddess Bangle I gave you." Neptune shrugged as she chuckled.
"Hmph! Well, he could always just... give me some more stuff..." Kiana muttered to the side as she pouted slightly.
"Speaking of which... Neptune, you said your new battlesuit allowed your body to amplify the Share Energy within you? But... How is that possible?" Mei inquired, with Bronya's head perking up slightly as she stared at Neptune with her usual neutral expression.
"Believe it or not, it is possible! I have a few weapons back home that were developed to draw out all of my power, and amplify the Share Energy within me! I guess a way of looking at it is like... Having a bucket of water, which in this example would be the Shares I currently have, and heating it up to allow for it to become hotter and do more damage. Does that make any sense?" Neptune replied with a slightly puzzled expression, as she never thought that hard about this before back in Gamindustri.
"So, instead of gaining more Share Energy out of nowhere... Subject Neptune is... intensifying it?" Bronya responded, scratching her head slightly with the same neutral expression.
"Yeah, that's the best way to look at it! Anyway, I'll tell you all more about this kinda stuff when we get back to the dorms. We've got a damsel to destress!"
The quartet then focused their attention towards the girl in the wheelchair, whom was trying to process everything that just happened. On a closer look, she wore a simple hoodie, and she had black hair with a faint green gradient going down it. She also had green eyes, as she looked up towards the quartet that were approaching her.
Before she could talk, the comms for the four girls activated again. The girl in the wheelchair noticed this as she tried fiddling around with something near her ear as well.
[HIMEKO MURATA]: "And there's the target."
[MEI RAIDEN]: "Wait, her? But... I thought we were looking for the Gem of Desire?"
[HIMEKO MURATA]: "That's because, in a sense, she is. You're looking at it's wielder."
[BRONYA•ZAYCHIK]: "The Gem of Desire is embedded into this girl? What is the target's identity?"
[HIMEKO MURATA]: "Wendy. One of our best Valkyries in the Oceania Branch. She could've potentially became the 4th S-Rank Valkyrie of this generation..."
[KIANA•KASLANA]: "So she's an A-Rank Valkyrie..."
Kiana then sighed as she said that, remembering the promise she made to Theresa two years ago. She would become a B-Rank Valkyrie under her supervision in the Far East Branch... And if she promoted to an A-Rank Valkyrie, she would get the location of her missing father whom abandoned her all those years ago - Siegfried Kaslana.
[HIMEKO MURATA]: "Indeed. 3 years ago, the Oceania Branch implanted the Gem of Desire into Wendy's calf, the aim being to allow her to harness Herrscher-grade powers."
[HIMEKO MURATA]: "As you can quite plainly see, however... This didn't end up happening. She couldn't handle the gem's power, and as such..."
[WENDY]: "... I lost control of my legs. Thank you all for saving me back there... It's nice to meet you all."
Wendy had joined in through her own comms.
[HIMEKO MURATA]: "Ah, Wendy? You overheard everything?"
[WENDY]: "Well, I wouldn't be an A-Rank Valkyrie if I didn't pay attention..."
As soon as she finished saying that, Bronya glanced over towards Kiana - with the latter giving her a look that said "don't you even DARE mention it."
[MEI RAIDEN]: "But... If the Gem is what caused that, then... Shouldn't it have been removed?"
[HIMEKO MURATA]: "The Gem is extremely unstable in every other medium. Wendy's body is, unfortunately, the only place where it has stabilised."
[MEI RAIDEN]: "So... Schicksal decided to use Wendy's body as a vessel for holding the Gem?! That's... That's evil! Why?!"
Neptune's facial expressions showed a bit more concern after hearing this.
[NEPTUNE]: "I mean... If the Gem is unstable everywhere else, then... and I don't mean to be a downer, but... Maybe this is for the best at the moment..."
[MEI RAIDEN]: "What?! Neptune... How could you say that?!"
[HIMEKO MURATA]: "I have to agree with Neptune. Believe me, Mei, I want that Gem out of her as much as you do... But there are severe consequences to doing so. We will find another way when we get her back to the Hyperion. Don't worry."
This calmed Mei down slightly, as her facial expressions still showed guilt for the girl. Wendy noticed this.
[WENDY]: "It's okay... This... This is what we signed up for when we became Valkyries... So, I'll take the burden..."
Neptune didn't know how to respond to this with anything that hasn't been said already, her mind lost in thought as she remained silent. She wasn't used to the concepts of consequences and sacrifices back in Gamindustri. Everything always just... ended up okay with barely any losses to speak of. But this? This was a foreign concept to her. It gave her a few chills as her body felt a little bit colder. Even the warm new battlesuit providing top-notch insulation could do nothing to counteract that cold feeling.
As the group continued to move towards the Pickup Point, Bronya was undergoing some brainstorming in regards to Wendy's situation. She couldn't help but feel for the girl, as Bronya herself was also wounded and confined to a wheelchair after the X-10 Experiment before she got her new exoskeleton system. After a few minutes, she decided to initiate a call towards Himeko.
[HIMEKO MURATA]: "Bronya, you submitted a personal request? ... That's pretty rare. What is it?"
[BRONYA•ZAYCHIK]: "Major Himeko, the Bronya would like to request for St. Freya High's Far East Branch to consider removing the Gem of Desire from Wendy's body. This will restore her ability to walk."
Neptune, Kiana, and Mei's eyes widened slightly as they all looked towards Bronya with a glimmer of hope, but Wendy was a little bit... indifferent towards this.
[HIMEKO MURATA]: "Unfortunately, like I said earlier, Wendy's body is the only medium we're aware of that can stablise the Gem. If it is removed, and it becomes unstable enough... We're talking about it emitting enough Honkai Energy to vaporise several cities. I understand your wishes, but... Like I also just said, it's not possible to do so safely at this present time. I'm sorry."
After the communications were cut, Wendy just simply sighed and closed her eyes, as Bronya looked towards her with a sympathetic look on her face.
"The Bronya is sincerely sorry, Wendy..."
"You haven't done anything wrong, Bronya." Wendy softly replied back.
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↳ BGM CHANGE;;
"EMERGENCY" | watch?v=OYz9T6Ap72M
[ From Megadimension Neptunia VII (2015) ]
00:00:01 •— 01:00:00
↺ ll ⋮≡
ᴠᴏʟᴜᴍᴇ: —•
"... Directly wrong, anyway." Wendy spoke once more with a more... unsettling and unrestricted tone as she... smirked?
"Erm, girls...?! Red flag!" Neptune announced as she backed away slightly from Wendy, prompting Kiana, Mei, and Bronya to do the same. Wendy's body then started to glow green as white dot-like particles starting emitting from her.
Himeko immediately called everyone on the comms as the girls backed away.
"Honkai Energy reactions detected! ... And they're off the charts! 1500 HW... 2000 HW! What the hell...?!"
Wendy's unsettling smirk grew even wider upon hearing that.
"2000 HW, huh? Well, well... I won't even need two shots to destroy your precious little Hyperion."
"W-Wendy? Wh-What are you talking about?!" Mei stated as she started to panic.
"Oh please, don't act all innocent! It only pisses me off even more! ALL of you... You're ALL hypocrites!" Wendy started yelling in a louder tone, the area around them having transitioned into a wide, grassy field without any explanation. Wendy's subtle green gradient in her hair started glowing and became far more visible as her hair starting flowing more freely in the building-up wind - her eyes and some new opaque wings also gaining the same green glow.
"W-Wendy! I don't know what's gotten into you, but you gotta snap out of it! There's always a Good Ending if you grind towards it enough!" Neptune tried to de-escalate the situation, with Wendy just laughing at that.
"Haha, seriously?! That's the best words you've got?! Wake up in the real world for a change, and you'll soon realise that this precious 'Good Ending' you're spouting is only but fiction! ... 'Neptune', was it? You'll be the FIRST I'll kill!" Wendy was borderline screeching the words this time, having gone fully insane as she ascended into the air with the most crazed smirk imaginable.
"Girls... I don't think we'll be able to choose to run from this battle! We're gonna have to literally knock some sense into her!" Neptune stated with an alert expression, immediately summoning her Wooden Katana as Kiana, Mei, and Bronya did the same with their signature weapons. The wind started picking up even more as the four girls stared at the newly reborn Herrscher of the Wind.
"Well, you said you wanted to kill me first?! Then let's go! Just you and me!" Neptune announced with a fierce look on her face as she got in front of the trio, getting into her fighting stance with her Wooden Katana.
"N-Neptune! We can't let you fight her alone! What if she defeats you?! ... Or worse?!" Mei called out, pleading for Neptune to reconsider what she was planning.
"Tch, oh please, Mei! Have you not been paying attention to me whatsoever throughout these last few chapters? I'm the protagonist! And as the protag, I'll always come out on top!"
"You idiot! Even if what you are may be true, it's not a guaranteed win! Just let us help!" Kiana yelled out in frustration, hoping to get her new friend to see some reason. Which was an incredibly surreal sight.
"For once... The Bronya agrees with Kiana's comments. With your low level of Shares... This is too much, even for you." Bronya stated, piling on with Kiana's words.
"I'm not letting you girls get hurt, okay? You're my new friends. And everything has been smooth-sailing throughout my life, so what's this mid-level boss gonna do? Everything is gonna be just fine... So now... Sit back, and watch. It's time to show you all how it's done with this new suit of mine... Once more!" Neptune announces, as the engines in her battlesuit began to roar and contest with the sharp and loud whistles of the heavy wind that Wendy was producing.
"Then enough bragging! Your time has come, Neptune! Face my wrath!" Wendy yelled out, as Neptune smirked. The battle was about to begin.
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↳ BGM CHANGE;;
"Break! Break! Break!" | watch?v=gYMEONE-B8U
[ From Neptunia: Sisters vs Sisters (2021) ]
00:01 •— 04:34
↺ ll ⋮≡
ᴠᴏʟᴜᴍᴇ: —•
Wendy fired a miniature blast that resembled a tornado at Neptune, causing her to deflect it with a small bit of effort as the trio jumped out of the way and distanced themselves from the center of the battlefield. They knew Neptune wasn't going to listen.
"That idiot! She's really doing this by herself!" Kiana exclaimed as she, Mei, and Bronya watched from the sidelines, all of them feeling conflicted. Sure, Neptune was always stronger than them since she arrived in their world, and she probably could win this if she's careful... But this just all felt wrong to them.
"We'll put our faith in her words... And if she gets knocked down, we'll jump in to support her. Is that a good plan?" Mei stated to the other two girls, with them nodding their heads and showing determined facial expressions as they watched the battle from afar, tightly gripping onto their weapons - which were still out.
Wendy continued to fire blast after blast as Neptune continued to run towards her, weaving in and out of the craters Wendy's miniature tornado blasts kept creating as she got ready to jump towards her.
"So easy!" Wendy yelled out, seeing this coming as she prepared an even bigger blast towards her as Neptune jumped in mid-air. Somewhat expecting this, Neptune blocked the attack with her katana as gravity started pulling her back down towards the ground.
"I guess so... So let's change it up a bit, eh?" Neptune announced as she touched the N-Gear's touch screen on her right arm and tapped on a few virtual buttons in rapid and quick succession. After she was done, the suit's boots started boosting her up into the air and allowed her to hover on the same level as Wendy, Neptune's Neon Wings resurfacing from the suit's back as they glowed purple.
"Hah, your aerial advantage is gone now! Now we're fighting fair and square!" Neptune stated with a cocky smile, causing Wendy to just laugh.
"It changes nothing! Now just keel over, and DIE ALREADY!" Wendy shouted, creating two fiercely spinning green discs as she launched them towards Neptune.
With the same cocky smile adorning her face, Neptune attempted to slice the first disc in half, choosing to ignore the second one as she expected it to be easy. Unfortunately, it took way more effort than what she percieved to slice the first disc in half, as the second disc scratched the battlesuit's armour on the arms as it sliced it's way by.
"Hey! Watch the paint job! I literally only just got this today!" Neptune bellowed with frustration in her voice, as Wendy's eyes narrowed in utter rage and lunacy. Neptune wasn't taking this fight seriously. At all.
Feeling like dishing damage up-close and personal, Wendy charged towards Neptune with her fists and began wildly swinging away at her, her fists coated in a bright green aura as translucent sharp winds swirled around them, hacking away at Neptune's Wooden Katana as she parried every single blow.
Wendy then decided to charge up most of her strength and went for one more strike, not only making Neptune spin out of control for a few seconds mid-air when she parried it, but also finally creating the first big dent in Neptune's Wooden Katana since she arrived in this dimension.
"Aw, man! Don't you know how synonymous this katana is with me?! It's like you just hurt my own baby! So I'm gonna pay you back, tenfold!" Neptune quipped as she readied her Katana once more in her fighting position mid-air.
"STOP TALKING SO MUCH AND JUST PERISH ALREADY!" Wendy screeched as she once again flew towards Neptune with a crazed look on her face.
Expecting this, Neptune smirked as her Katana started glowing Purple, much to the trio's amazement, with Wendy's eyes widened as she flew towards Neptune.
"Okay, time for another good ol' fav of mine!" Neptune charged towards Wendy as well as time seemed to slow down for the both of them as they were within striking distance of each other.
Before Wendy could even move a muscle, Neptune had already blitzed and struck her twice in mid-air, two slice-shaped light structres in a "V" shape being visible afterimages from her slashes.
Neptune then turned away and had her back faced towards Wendy as she was stunned from being struck - as she winked towards the trio in the distance as she announced:
"And that, my friends... Is a Victory Slash!"
As Neptune finishes her statement, the V shape light structures explode, creating an explosion that covered Wendy in smoke as yells of pain from her could be heard.
The trio's eyes were focused on Neptune and the large amount of smoke covering the air from the explosion. As Neptune was celebrating, Wendy quickly emerged from the smoke with a look of rage, glowing even more intensely, as she utilised her sharp wind-coated fists to hit an off-guard Neptune across the face, as she started flying to the ground with a cry of pain, alerting the trio as their eyes shrunk in fear and surprise.
As Neptune crashed to the ground and created a large crater... Kiana's teeth clenched as her grip on her dual pistols tightened.
"That's it! That idiot was way in over her head! I'm not gonna stay and watch this anymore!" Kiana announced as she started running at a fast speed towards the battlefield.
"K-Kiana!" Mei called out as her face also became fierce, rushing after her along with Bronya - whose expression was highly alert.
Back on the battlefield, Neptune painfully got back up, a large cut being visible across her cheek as she reached out and touched it. When she winced in pain, she saw red liquid running down her hand. Blood. A lot of it.
"Man... I guess I was a little bit underlevelled this time... That's fine... Who needs Level Recommendations, anyway?" Neptune muttered to herself with half-lidded eyes as she got up.
Wendy floated down towards her, laughing maniacally.
"So much for you wanting to take me on alone! Now you'll pay the price, fool!" Wendy chuckled as she readied another miniature tornado blast in her palm.
Before Wendy could fire it, a voice yelled out from the left of Wendy's vision.
"NEKO CHARM!" Kiana shouted, a giant metallic cat-like paw appearing in front of her as she whacked Wendy with it, staggering her and sending her flying as she yelled in surprise and pain.
"W-What the?!" Wendy muttered. Before she could even recover, a barrage of rockets slammed into her, sending her flying towards the grassy ground. Bronya's Project Bunny's cannons smoking from firing them.
"Mei! Now!" Bronya called out, as Wendy became wide-eyed once again.
Before she could even blink, she was struck and blitzed multiple times in quick succession as Mei faced away from Wendy and knelt to sheath her katana. Once she did, all of the attacks connected at once, further paining Wendy as her back hit the ground.
"Bronya! Tend to Neptune and give us some simultaneous cover fire! Me and Kiana will hold Wendy off!" Mei yelled out as she faced towards a recovering Wendy with Kiana joining right next to her, a fierce expression adorning both of their faces.
"You... PITIFUL HYPOCRITES! THE HYPOCRISY NEVER ENDS! YOUR PITIFUL FRIEND PROMISED TO FIGHT ME ALONE! BUT FINE! YOU'LL ALL DIE, AT ONCE!" Wendy yelled out, powering up to her maximum as her intense green glow from her wings, eyes, and edge of her hair intensified as the winds started picking up even more, prompting Kiana and Mei to grunt as they tried shielding their eyes slightly.
"Neptune... I'll tend to your injuries-" Bronya muttered with concern in her voice, before Neptune held out her palm towards her as she panted.
"Nah... No need..." Neptune replied back with a tired expression as she tapped on a few virtual buttons on her N-Gear module, spawning some Healing Grass from her Pocket Service. When she crushed it in her hands, a weak green aura outlined her as a soothing but short angelic sound could be heard. Neptune became more energetic, but the cut across her cheek didn't close all the way, leaving it as a minor injury since Healing Grass wasn't exactly that potent.
"Alright, used an item! I'm ready to finish this thing! You can all leave this back in my hands now!" Neptune announced as she readied her katana once more.
"Subject Neptune will be renamed to 'Neptunia Idiotka' if you proceed with this." Bronya stated with a glare. For the first time since Neptune arrived in this dimension, Bronya looked visibly upset, as she fired towards Wendy to give Kiana and Mei some support as they continued wailing on her.
"Sorry, Bronya... But this is my gig. So I'm gonna end this, just like the writer has always intended!" Neptune yelled out as she got into a running position, her katana clasped in her hand.
"Why do you refuse to let us help you?" Bronya asked, the same upset expression on her face.
"Because there's no need, silly! She only got in a cheap shot. I'm still winning this!" Neptune stated as she immediately started running back towards the extremely windy battlefield with a cocky smile on her face. Bronya simply facepalmed at this with an annoyed expression as she quietly groaned.
Kiana continued using her Gun Kata and gigantic metal cat-like paw to combo Wendy in mid-air, occasionally slamming her down to the ground to allow Mei to use her fast movement and brutal precision with her katana to get some moves of her own in, and give Wendy no chance to recover.
"You've really improved, Kiana! Keep it up!" Mei praised Kiana as she briefly rested to regain some energy to continue attacking.
"Hehe, nothing can beat me and Mei together~!" Kiana announced with a proud smile as she blushed.
"I beg to differ, YOU WORMS!" Wendy unleashed more of her power as she focus-fired twenty spears made of wind right towards Kiana, whose eyes widened in shock as Mei screamed out her name.
Right before they approached Kiana, a powerful purple slice-shaped light construct raced it's way in-between Kiana and the spears, exploding on contact as it sent Kiana staggering backwards as she skidded to a stop.
"Alright girls, you've done good and all... But how about you let me live up to the end of my deal and finish her off, 'kay?" Neptune chuckled, being the one who saved Kiana from getting skewered.
"YOU!" Wendy screeched out, raising her hands above her to create a gigantic torando blast. The biggest she's ever created.
As she thrust her palms down and sent the Tornado blast hurtling towards the battlefield below, Neptune ran at a fast speed and jumped up towards her.
"Okay, I don't fight for fun... So I'm just gonna end this now! Here's my currently available max power! Delta Slash!" Neptune yelled as she swung several times in mid-air, consecutively producing large purple slashes that started contesting with the gigantic Tornado blast before it cut through it, rushing towards Wendy.
"N-No! IMPOSSIBLE! A HERRSCHER CAN'T LOSE TO A MERE INSECT!" Wendy yelled out as she tried defending herself, only to be struck by all of the slashes as she yelled out in pain for the final time, as all the slashes exploded - with Neptune taking extra care to actually watch the smoke instead of turning her back this time.
[BGM END]
After a few seconds, Wendy's body flew out of the smoke as she was clearly unconscious and out of her Herrscher form, her body rushing towards the ground as the trio noticed this. Mei, being the closest and the fastest of the group, rushed towards Wendy's trajectory, hoping to catch her.
"Haha, no need - Mei!" Neptune announced as she flew and caught Wendy by herself bridal-style, before slowly lowering herself as she slowly and gently lay Wendy's unconscious body on the ground. Mei uncharacteristically sighed at this, as Kiana's eyes narrowed in a bit of annoyance. Bronya started making her way over towards the group as they all circled around Wendy's body. The environment returned from the unknown grassy fields to the same overrun campus they found themselves in when they arrived in the country.
"Well, how about that? Total victory, huh?" Neptune chuckled as she proudly smiled with her hands on her hips.
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↳ BGM START;;
"Blue Twilight" | watch?v=9jENIUpxuwY
[ From Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2 (2011) ]
00:00:01 •— 01:00:00
↺ ll ⋮≡
ᴠᴏʟᴜᴍᴇ: —•
"Yeah, because we helped you out, you moron!" Kiana replied in a loud manner, retaining her annoyed expression as she folded her arms - catching Neptune off-guard as she looked at her friend with shock on her face.
"The Bronya agrees. Subject Neptune was far too reckless and overconfident." Bronya stated, her own annoyed expression having not faded since last speaking to the person in question.
"Oh c'mon, I have a right to be confident! I always win, even if it takes like... years to get the W like with the whole Deity of Sin Arbore thing back home. You girls just worry too much." Neptune replied back with a baffled smile on her face.
"Neptune... I'm not one to be contentious... But they have a point. You didn't have to fight alone. If we weren't there, you could've been badly hurt... Or worse." Mei replied with concern on her face, not one out of anger or annoyance, but out of true concern.
"But... But I had healing items on me... I can just get back up as many times as I need! ... Provided I don't run through my entire supply, that is..."
"And what if Wendy continued to be relentless and never gave you a chance to use them, huh?! Or are you forgetting that we were all covering for you as you did that?!" Kiana continued saying in a loud tone, as Neptune looked at her with a shocked face. For once, she was utterly speechless.
"But... But we won, didn't we? Isn't that all that matters?" Neptune looked at them with a slightly saddened and confused expression.
"Project Bunny. Rename Subject Neptune to 'Neptunia Idiotka'." Bronya plainly stated to her invisible robot, and with a confirmation beep - Bronya ordered it to gently pick up Wendy's unconscious body.
As she did this, she turned her back away from Neptune and started slowly making her way towards the Hyperion's Pick Up point as Kiana did the same. Mei looked at Neptune with a slightly saddened expression, but ultimately followed them as Neptune just stood there, dumbfounded. The tension in the atmosphere was too heavy at this point, so nobody really said a word to each other.
"I... I don't get it..." Neptune said to herself quietly with her frown becoming even clearer, as she just slowly walked behind them, her mood decreasing further and further by the second, the conversation she just had repeating over and over in her mind like a broken disc.
As the quartet continued to walk to the Hyperion's Pick Up point, Neptune became lost in her own head. A troubled and saddened expression growing on her face.
"We save the day, and... My friends get mad at me? But for what?! Saving them from having to fight?! For protecting them?!" Neptune thought to herself, her mind flashing back and forward between the battle and the words spoken during them.
...
"They... They said that I didn't have to fight alone... But why? Why do they want to fight alongside me when I can just beat the bad guy by myself and spare them the trouble? I always win, don't I?" Neptune continued to think to herself, as her mind started flashing further back towards every single thing that she did with the others since she arrived in the dimension. Landing on top of Kiana, playing against her and Bronya in HOMU VS., joining their class and undergoing what they usually encountered in their daily lives as students in St. Freya...
Then... something started to click to her after remembering a certain warning before the mock exam. Himeko's words ringing in her head:
"Get hit too many times, fail to support your teammate, put them at risk, or give up – and your team will fail and will ergo stay after class to work on this."
... It all started to make sense.
"Maybe... Maybe I'm starting to get it now... They... They wanted to help protect me, like I wanted to with them... But as a team... What if... What if they weren't there? What if they were right, and what if Wendy decided to give me no chance to recover when I needed to heal up? I... I could've been in bigger trouble..." Neptune continued thinking to herself as her mood continued to drop as she felt a sense of guilt rising.
"But... I've always let people tag along in any of my fights back home... So why did I feel so... intent on fighting by myself this time? ... Was it because of what Himeko and Wendy were saying? About Wendy having to sacrifice her body just to stabilise that stupid gem? Did that... really unsettle me that much?"
"In any case... I think... I'll need to be more careful from now on..." Neptune concluded in her own head, as her face became more serious and determined.
"Hey, girls..." Neptune weakly called out, gaining the attention of Kiana, Mei, and Bronya as they all stopped in their tracks - as they looked at her with concerned looks on their faces. Kiana and Bronya still having their eyes slightly narrowed.
"I'm... I'm sorry." Neptune hesistantly stated, her emotions bubbling to the surface as her frowned lips started to quiver slightly.
The trio's facial expressions relaxed almost immediately as they all looked at her with a visible level of shock, but, upon closer inspection - relief.
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↳ BGM CHANGE;;
"Continuous Hits" | watch?v=5DnzO93SoJQ
[ From Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 1 (2013) ]
00:01 •— 03:28
↺ ll ⋮≡
ᴠᴏʟᴜᴍᴇ: —•
Unfortunately though, this moment was cut extremely short with a bunch of large tactical mecha robots landing nearby as they outnumbered and surrounded the quartet and the unconscious Wendy, with them creating massive craters and smoke as they shook the ground with their landings. Soon enough, the speakers inside all of the mechas connected together in a cluster, a mature adult female voice being emitted from all of them.
"Well, well, I wasn't expecting one of you to actually outperform one of our tactical mechs and take down the Herrscher. Heh, I guess she's the one I've been hearing so much about lately. In any case, I have to thank you four for making my job easier."
Bronya's eyes widened once she heard the voice, only one word escaping from her mouth as she heard it. "Matushka...*". Kiana, Mei, and Neptune's heads immediately snapped to Bronya upon hearing her say that, their facial expressions showing the upmost level of surprise.
(* Matushka means "Mother" in Russian.)
"Actually, since we're already on a roll... Why not strive for higher? After all, the Third Herrscher of Lightning is right there as well."
After the voice said that, the bodies of all of the mechs turned towards Mei, their engines whirring and heating up.
Suddenly, without even much prior indication, resistance, or even fanfare - red lines appeared on the left side of Bronya's face as her eye colour changed from grey to red, as her battlesuit also changed into a more mechanical one, being primarily black with red undertones and accents.
"Bronya, my sweet daughter, please do me a favour... And capture the Third Herrscher for me."
"... Yes, Matushka." Bronya plainly stated, somehow sounding even more monotone than usual.
"B-Bronya?! Not you too! We just had Wendy do this stich! Snap out of it!" Neptune shouted with a fierce expression this time.
Bronya's supposed "mother" then simply laughed at this.
"Oh, I'm so sorry... 'Neptune', was it? Pretty hard to say that name. Nonetheless, my daughter knows what the right course of action is. Your little pleas will get you nowhere, so I recommend just giving up now - before I'm forced to escalate things."
Neptune's teeth gritted as she summoned her Wooden Katana in a bunch of data-like particles, her peripheral vision noticing something wrong as she did so. When she looked at the blade, she noticed it was scratched all over and had a huge dent in it - her mind immediately recalling to the battle with Wendy. Her eyes widened in realisation as she quickly looked towards Kiana and Mei.
"Interesting..." Muttered Bronya's "mother", taking particular note of Neptune summoning her weapon.
"Kiana, Mei! I'm... I'm gonna need your help this time! Join my Party, let's beat the snot out of whatever is controlling Bronya, and let's go back home!" Neptune said with determination. Mei briefly smiled at this, as well as Kiana giving her own little confident smirk as everyone very shortly after gained serious expressions.
Bronya's "mother" then laughed one more time.
"Hahahaha! Wow, look at you three, threatening me with a good time! Very well, if the hard way is what you want - then that is what you shall get. Bronya, my daughter... You know what to do."
"Da, Matushka. Engaging." Bronya muttered as she raised her palm, the modified Project Bunny's cannons charging up as she prepared to fire at the determined Kiana, Mei, and Neptune.
And so begins... The end of intended destiny.
Author's Notes
Good. Mother. Of. God.
This chapter... Has nearly wiped me. I spent so much time rewriting a few sections to enhance them, proofreading, and trying to push myself to my limits to really enhance this chapter. Hell, I think I went beyond that with the amount of work I put in here lol, this is easily my longest chapter yet.
But y'know what? I actually really enjoyed writing all of this!
I genuinely think that this is probably my best chapter yet... But, do you guys agree?
I'm really intrigued to hear some of your thoughts on this, just to make sure I'm heading in the right direction. If I am, great! If I'm not, then please don't refrain from letting me know on what I could improve on!
Anyway, let me quickly explain the one note I left behind in the chapter:
[1] - Whilst Neptune's (or any other Neptunia character's) date of birth has never been mentioned in the series... I decided to give her the birthdate of August 18th, which references the release date of Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2, Hyper Dimension Neptune's first appearance!
Alrighty', I think that's it from me!
I'll see you all in the next chapter! So until then, laters!