My creative juice wasn't flowing when writing this chapter... unfortunately.

Interdimensional RED-Coded Contract

Let's Be Lively!

Medic hummed thoughtfully... which sounded more like a thoughtful chirp. In front of him there were 5 people lying on the tables, each of them dead. Medic examined their injuries, looked at his notes, and then looked back at the bodies.

His head was still of a bird, by the way.

Mina watched the merc with suspense, anticipating his verdict with a heavy heart. All of these people here were killed during the Killachine invasion. Blanc hoped that Medic might be able to bring them back.

Medic pushed his glasses, making the lenses reflect light caught on them.

"Zhis is doable." He said and Mina sighed out of relief. "But I need time und a refrigerated room to store zhem until it's their time." He added to the Oracle. "I like zhis challange." Not only did they gave him more test subjects, this was the perfect opportunity to test a few ideas he had.

Mina didn't care if he enjoyed it or not, but his wicked grin told her she should expect something else from it. Nonetheless she was glad that they could be revived. "Oh thank goodness." She breathed out. "Take as much time as you need, and I'll look into preserving them until you're ready." She was almost afraid to ask, but Blanc ordered her to assist him as much as she could. "Do you need anything else?"

Medic chirped in thought. "Vell, if you're volunteering. Could you get me these things?" He said as he handed Mina a note.

It was a list.

Of organs.

Monster organs.

She frowned as she looked down at it. It wasn't a long list and there weren't any rare nor very dangerous monsters on it. In fact there was a side note that if they can't get just the organs then the whole corpses would suffice.

But why would he need Horsebird hearts or Fenrir's… womb?

Alarm bells rang within Mina's mind but Blanc did specifically say to give him anything he needed, even if the stuff he asks for was concerning.

"I'll speak with the Guild, but I'm afraid getting these will take time." Mina sighed, pocketing the list. The Guild would give her funny looks when she comes in with this request, but they were an understanding organization. If she said they needed it to revive the dead men, they would do it.

"Time is of the essence, Frau Mina. Every second ve lose vill make my job harder." Despite his words, there was no urgency in Medic's voice. He took off his gloves, washed his hands and grabbed one of the bodies. Some teenager with red hair. "I vill start vith zhis one."

"I understand, and thank you." Mina nodded, stepping away to let the merc haul off the body… by carrying it over his shoulder. No respect for the dead from him. "Good luck!"

Medic's laughter was loud which worried the Oracle, but she reminded herself that this man was a miracle worker. She looked back at the other dead bodies and sighed, before lifting one with telekinesis.

Unlike Medic, she didn't have the heart to touch a dead body.

Medic's laugher died down to a chuckle, as if Mina just told him a funny joke. With his genius he didn't need any luck… However he did need those organs. Not to revive those people, but for a secondary purpose.

After he returned to his lab, Medic placed the patient on the operating table. Then fixed the Medi-Gun onto the stand. Compa wasn't there to assist him, unfortunately. He'll have to perform the surgery by himself.

Just like during the good old days.

First he needed to fix the damaged and destroyed organs. The man won't live if there was even a kidney with a small hole in it. Bones must be fixed as well, but skin and muscles could be left as they are - barring some extreme cases like whole areas of tissue missing.

Medic cut each and every organ out of the man's body, and then simply dumped them all into a single bucket. Said bucket was then healed by the Medi-Gun on the lowest possible power, any higher and the organs would explode. Medic didn't want that.

Now the only thing inside the carcass was blood, enough to fill a quarter of the hole left inside the man. Medic took another bucket, a sponge, and began a long process of draining the blood out.

That… was pretty neat. At the end of the task Medic's fingers were wrinkled from being submerged for too long.

Now that the dead person was literally empty, Medic could assess the internal damage while the organs were getting fixed. As expected from a man who was crushed underneath rubble, the ribs were crushed and broken. Just like the other bones in his skeleton.

...He has 4 other patients waiting for him. Compa picked the worst time to go and help Spy teach Neptune the script. At least he had a big supply of duct tape.

At first Medic had a feeling of deja vu as he taped the broken bones together. Then that feeling turned into annoyance at how tedious and long the task was. With Compa it went much easier and faster, because he dumped most of the work on her.

But alas, the universe had its revenge on him. Now he was forced to play the puzzle by himself.

Fixing the skeleton took an annoyingly long time, which drained the merc of his patience. But that was the longest and hardest part, now came the fun. He could finally get answers on the questions humanity has asked itself for a long time.

Could you make a man out of Dogoo?

To do that, first he needed a bathtub and a lot of dogoo gel.

The bathtub was easy, the Ginger House had one he could use. The gel… he put that on the list, Mina will get it for him.

But that would take time.

And while Medic had time he didn't have patience.

So Dogoo Man had to be shelved until later, because Medic couldn't have nice things.

Blanc stood amid the rubble of a destroyed building, feeling many emotions coursing through her. The most prominent being ire and bewilderment. The whole dungeon was destroyed, and yet he was still standing.

"How in the hell are you still alive?" Blanc asked.

She saw the Harmless Orange charging up its eye beams. She saw it strike the dungeon and completely obliterate it. She saw the orange retreat back into the waters, appeased because it destroyed its target.

But when Blanc came and checked the damage, she found Merasmus standing among the rubble… completely and utterly fine. Not even dust dirtied his dress. No one besides a CPU should be able to survive a complete annihilation, so Blanc was genuinely confused how the hell he pulled it off.

"I took my pills." Merasmus answered.

"What pills?!"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bottle, showing it to Blanc. The CPU squinted as she read the label. 'Kill Me Come Back Stronger Pills' was written on the bottle. Blanc had only 1 way to react to that. "That's friggin' BS…"

"I feared that Soldier ate all of them, but fortunately the pharmacy had the last bottle available."

You could buy pills that allowed you to Re;Spawn? Then what was the point of the whole Re;Spawn System?!

Before Blanc could go into that thought-provoking dilemma she realized that she lost another one of her buildings. And people. But this time there was literally nothing for Medic to revive. They were gone, reduced to atoms.

She needed to vent.

"God DAMNIT!" Blanc let her fist fly towards the nearest object, which happened to be a wall. Something cracked from the blow and both of them froze. The wall, which was already falling apart, fell down and knocked down a pillar, which crashed into an another wall and caused more and more damages.

Blanc and Merasmus followed the path of destruction with their eyes, as everything around them fell like dominos. A wall crashed into an another wall, which destroyed the floor and the steel rods catapulted a bed. The bed flew across the whole area.

"Oh."

And was about to land on Merasmus.

Blanc was centimeters away as the bed fell on Merasmus, reducing the wizard into a bloody paste. The CPU jumped as the blood splattered her, and his sounds of pain reached her ears. She turned around and saw the bed rolling away, before stopping in pieces. And Merasmus was just… gone, only a bloody splatter was left of him.

Suddenly Blanc felt like leaving. She didn't need to vent anymore.

MERASMUS! (Level 3) has appeared!

...What?

A certain dress-wearing wizard was standing before her, stretching and dusting himself off. Blanc's mind noted how unsurprised she actually was to see a dead man suddenly come back to life. She took one of the SP-draining talismans and put it on him.

"Oooh… Merasmus does not like- What are you doing?" He asked as Blanc slapped the side of his stomach, gluing the charm to him. He pulled on it but the talisman stuck, he won't be able to get it off no matter how hard he tried.

"This will stop you from casting any more magic. I have no idea where I should keep you now that my dungeon's gone, so this is an alternative." She raised her head and looked straight into his eyes. "You're free. But if you try to pull any shit again I'll rip off your head and shit down your neck! Capiche?!"

The sheer ferocity of her words, and the single glowing red eye scared Merasmus beyond his wits. He froze as Blanc glared daggers at him, daring him to disregard her and give her a reason to beat him like a pinata.

And Merasmus wouldn't want that. He, like a normal person, didn't like pain.

"Oh, okay… Merasmus shall just… make himself small."

Blanc huffed and walked away, leaving Merasmus alone with just rubble around. Rubble that was already being taken care of by the local population.

Maybe it was uncharacteristic of her, maybe it was not. She didn't care as long as she never saw that bastard again.

[A Week Later]

IF stood in an empty room, attempting to use Flame Awakening again. She reached into her SP and increased her own temperature.

After several prolonged sessions and hours of training, she was getting the hang of it. Heat bothered her less and she could raise her temperature quicker. Something that was once dangerous to her life and took long to accomplish, now only took a few seconds.

And she also had a special outfit made solely for this skill. It was fire retardant which granted her immunity to afterburn.

Pyro 2.0. but less insane and 100% more anime.

Mina watched with a small smile as IF transformed, changing her hair color to blonde and her clothes to fiery red. The Oracle felt satisfied that the new outfit survived, without even showing signs of being about to burst into flames. While IF didn't want to part with her coat, it was too damaged to wear, so Mina took it to the tailor and asked to make her a new coat similar to the destroyed one.

...That was an impossible request, because the coat was too ruined to be even reconstructed.

So in the end, they had to go with a completely new outfit, much to IF's dismay.

Her jacket was similar as the previous one, however it only reached to her thighs, unlike the previous one which was long enough to reach below her knees. The sleeves on the new jacket might as well be non-existent, they only covered the area around her shoulders and not much further, like a t-shirt.

The color didn't change though, it was still blue... or red when IF underwent the Flame Awakening.

And underneath the coat she was wearing a black vest and short pants, showing off her stomach. Because… because. Mina didn't question IF's tastes.

She also had detachable sleeves, just like Compa. Hers were black though.

IF waited a moment, awaiting something to break… but nothing did. The new floor held just fine, IF couldn't torch it even if she wanted. She didn't feel weird or bad, which was good. And her clothes held off, there weren't any sign of smoldering or fire damage.

The Guild agent turned towards Mina, who nodded in approval. "You did it, you've transformed!" She said. "And without any problems this time around. Tell me, how do you feel?"

IF considered for a moment. A very brief one that ended with a wide grin. "...Powerful." She reached out towards the wall behind Mina, and without even knowing how, there were pure flames bubbling from within the wall, just waiting to be unleashed. IF waved her hand and a pillar of fire sprouted forth, hitting the opposite wall and dividing the room into two.

IF waved her hand again and the pillar changed directions, moving like a snake chasing after IF's hand. The way the pillar moved was mesmerizing, it was beautiful. IF moved her hand and the flame obeyed. She spun around and the flame spun with her, creating a spiral of fire that surrounded her.

Then she wished for it gone, and all of the inferno disappeared.

Mina stood silent as she watched IF play with her newly found powers.

The Guild agent targeted a different wall, yet untouched by the raging inferno. She reached out towards it and squeezed her fist.

At first nothing happened but then the wall, which was reinforced to withstand high temperatures, began to smoulder. Then it shone orange and began to melt. Mina became impressed as the solid wall turned into lava, gathering on the floor and creating a hole within the structure.

"Imagine if I did this on someone." IF said, grinning.

"Perhaps… you should not. Blanc forbade killing." Mina frowned and threw a water spell at the wall, killing the heat and filling the room with steam.

"Yeah, I know." IF sighed. "But look at this!" She exclaimed and motioned at the destroyed wall. "I just burned a hole in a fireproof wall!" How high was the temperature? How high was the heat to turn a solid wall into lava? IF had no answer, besides the fact it felt awesome.

Mina decided to cut the session short before IF burned down the whole Basilicom. IF however, was already making plans to get some additional practice, and real combat experience.

Pyro was sitting in front of the doors again, praying.

Not only that, but this time it had some items spread in front of it. These items ranged from weird to weirder: A (dead) goldfish, some pocket lint, a cheese wheel, a banana peel, and a plank from the doors of the barn.

IF and Mina looked at one another while Pyro continued its prayer. They decided to leave and not disturb the disturbing mercenary, however it unnerved IF how it was constantly readjusting itself so it would face her as she kept walking.

After the girls left, Pyro lit its offerings on fire, as tribute to its new goddess.

…

...

To the curious mind, those items are actually references to a certain Pyro-related thing. Let me know if any of you can guess what they are.

Hidden behind the stage, Neptune couldn't stand still. She pranced about with the biggest grin she had in a while. It got to the point where the others were worried about her.

"Nep-Nep, are you okay?"

"Yep! I'm just really excited right now!"

Today's the day, today's the hour. In just a few minutes she'll walk up to the center of the stage, and introduce herself to her people. There were already rumors she was back, but soon they'll become much more than rumors.

Has she mentioned that she can't wait? She probably failed to mention that she can't wait. The suspense and anticipation made her giddy and unable to stand still. She wanted to rush onto the scene and show herself to her people, let them know she was okay and back home.

But Histoire was already on the stage, making a preamble to the populace. She addressed their concerns, recent events that happened within the nation. It was a chance for the public to ask questions, and it was also a chance for Neptune to finally show her face.

Today was the day~

"...And without further ado, allow me to show you your CPU. Neptune, could you come up on the stage?"

Following Histoire's words, the CPU of Planeptune skipped to the pedestal. From here she could already hear the whispers and murmurs from the gallery, her heart skipped a bit as the topic of these whispers was herself.

Histoire gave Neptune a smile and a 'don't make me regret it' look, before flying off the stage. Once out of sight the Oracle crossed her fingers, hoping that the CPU won't make her job harder, nor make an embarrassment of herself.

It was Neptune though. Of course she would.

...Suddenly Histoire had second thoughts about this idea.

At least they prepared Neptune a script and some pointers. Spy made sure she read it, learned it, and could preach it like the bible.

"Well, hello everyone! It's been a while!"

…

Silence.

Histoire and Spy gulped simultaneously, anticipating whatever reaction the people of Planeptune will have. If Neptune was bothered by this, she didn't show it.

"So I saw the rumors about me circling around the internet… and they're true!" She said happily. "I'm back and healthy as you can see!"

The CPU twirled on the stage, showing herself to her people. And then people cheered. Loudly. Out of joy that their CPU was back. Spy, who was standing in front of Neptune, winced as their shouts of joy reached him. He put his hands to his ears and allowed himself to smirk. He put a lot of effort and time to make Neptune follow the script, and to make sure the script suited her personality. And while she still got a few pieces wrong, so far everything seemed to work.

"So let me say it again!" Neptune took a deep breath, before loudly proclaiming. "I'm back, Planeptune!"

"WELCOME BACK LADY PURPLE HEART!"

…

That was loud.

Neptune and Compa almost jumped out of their skin. Spy winced at the loudness. Histoire's eyes widened at the support Neptune was getting. The CPU couldn't say anything else, it was just too loud with all of her people cheering loudly. Neptune waited at the podium with a big, proud grin plastered on her face as her own people chanted her name.

"Purple Heart! Purple Heart! Purple Heart!"

"Aw you're making me blush!" Neptune said." It's good to hear that I have such dedicated fans, you're making me proud to be your CPU!"

"Purple Heart! Purple Heart! Purple Heart!"

Neptune's heart skipped a beat.

Then, another.

For a brief moment the smile on Neptune's face fell, but she forced it back up. Hopefully no one would notice it as she waved to the crowd.

"I would love to stay here and hear you chant my name for a bit longer, but unfortunately I must return home. Histy's already preparing tons of work for yours truly, and… the sooner the better I guess?"

Spy blinked, she wasn't supposed to go so quickly. The merc turned around to look at Histoire… the Oracle was frowning. Meanwhile the CPU was still giving the public a smile, but now it was strained and forced.

"So goodbye! And happy halloween!"

Neptune outright ran off of the stage, much to the surprise of everyone. The CPU ran back to where Compa was waiting for, but before the Nurse could ask if something was wrong Neptune collapsed and almost fell flat on her face, Compa caught her at the last moment.

There wasn't a more obvious sign that something was wrong.

Medic was proud of himself and his genius.

Sitting in a bathtub full of Dogoo Gel was the body of someone, his chest open and the innards submerged as well. It took him days to finish his experiment, with no breaks in-between. Medic was officially awake for 166 hours, 2 more and he will be officially awake for an entire 7 days in a row. The lack of sleep didn't bother him, the result was well worth it. But the insomnia had… significant influence on his mind.

Because how else would you explain God and the Devil themselves being in the same room with him?

"...Und after ve set her bones together vith duct tape, ve did zhe rest vith my Medi-Gun. Last I heard she's still fine and alive."

"Very impressive, Mr. Ludwig." The Devil congratulated him, sitting by his desk and wearing a fancy suit to match the bureaucratic look. "I see you're using our gift to the greatest effect."

"Isn't this exciting?" God said, grinning as he observed the body swimming inside the gel. He had majestic white hair and pristine white robes. "We're witnessing the birth of a new life, created not by my hand, but by my own child." He shed a tear and embraced the mercenary. "Oh I'm so proud!"

"...If it wasn't for me, he wouldn't have achieved such heights." The Devil deadpanned.

"Nonsense!" The God objected, releasing the merc from the embrace and letting him continue his work. "He would still be able to do as much even without making a deal with you. I made him a prodigy in science after all."

"Oh, you flatter me~!" Medic smiled.

"-edic?"

The skin of the specimen has turned blue somewhere along the line. Medic wasn't sure when exactly but it was a good sign, Also the gel stopped turning red which was even better. He was starting to run out and Mina started to give him weird looks for asking for more.

The God leaned in as well, observing the bathtub. "Could you… please tell me about what you're creating? I'm very curious."

Medic pushed his glasses. "Vell, if God himself asks then hov can I refuse?"

"...By saying 'no'." The Devil shrugged. The others ignored him.

"Vell, I'm trying to create some sort of crossbreed of a human male and a Dogoo, a Dogoo Man if you vill. My first attempt is to fuse zhe Dogoo gel with human skin.

"-Medic?"

"Ah, combining their DNA." The God nodded. "Unfortunately I don't think this technique will succeed. Not without putting in more work."

Medic stared at him, like a child whose parent just told him that he can't have any sweets. "Vhat?"

"A living organism needs a careful and thought-out design." The God explained. "You can't just throw a body and some organs into the gel and call it done! It won't work!"

Medic thought for a moment, before pointing at the Medi-Gun hanging from the ceiling. "Vell… vat if I use zhis?"

The God started at the device. And then he slowly grinned.

"...You're a genius."

"That I am." Medic matched his grin.

"Mr. Medic?"

Medic had no idea what happened nor where he was, but there was Compa in front of him. She had one hand on his shoulder and the other was hanging in the air, palm outstretched. It took the merc a moment to register a stinging pain on his cheek.

"...Fräulein." Medic began. "Did you just slap me?"

Compa ignored his words to ask. "...Are you okay?"

Was he okay she asked, Medic chuckled at the question. Compa, as well as Histoire and Nepgear who were in the same room, startled as Medic started laughing maniacally. Afterwards he did the most sensible thing he could do in this situation. He passed out.

…

Histoire and Nepgear watched Compa catch the merc before he fell. She gently laid him on the ground, supporting the head, and then checked his vitals.

"H-How long was he awake?" Nepgear asked.

"Probably for too long." Histoire sighed. Medic was unshaven, unkempt and the smell made the Oracle gag. The silver lining was the fact the room was tidy and the merc kept his physiological needs met.

The fairy pointed at an unused desk. "Put Neptune on that table." She ordered Nepgear. The Candidate nodded and carried her sister to the designated place. It wouldn't be comfortable but that was a temporary measure. First they needed to move Medic somewhere else, he can't do anything in that state.

"Compa, could you carry Medic-"

"I let the Re;Spawn do the work."

Histoire stared at Compa, her eyes wide in alarm. The Oracle was even more disturbed after seeing blood covering her body.

"Compa!" Histoire cried out. "What the-!?"

The door slammed open, its knob punching a hole in the far wall. "Back from zhe dead!" Medic shouted and stepped into the room. He felt re-energized after the literal death nap and was genuinely surprised at what he saw. "Und vhere is God and zhe Devil?" He asked as Histoire and Compa stared at him.

"Who?" Histoire deadpanned.

"Mr. Medic, we have a problem!" Compa shouted.

"Vhat problem?" Medic asked.

"Nep-Nep collapsed."

The merc winced and sucked in some air. "Ja… zhat is a problem. Put her over here." He said as he pointed at the operating table. There was a dead body that was awaiting revival, but the merc swept it away like trash. Compa took Neptune from the desk and carried her onto the table, then Medic started his check-up.

As the two of them worked, Histoire looked around the room. There was a bathtub with a lots of blue gel and what-she-hoped-was-not someone inside it. Histoire wasn't brave enough to investigate. In the corner there was the desk that Nepgear put Neptune on. It was very fancy-looking with some demonic-looking signs etched into it. Histoire wasn't brave enough to ask for its origins but she was curious who put it here, or how they even managed to get it here.

It was bigger than the doorway, both vertically and horizontally.

Medic hummed in thought. He stroked his chin while his brow was furrowed. "She seems veakened, but I'm not sure vhy. Are our shares fine?"

"Well…" Nepgear drawled out. "I'm feeling fine."

"After Neptune collapsed we rushed right to you, I had no time to check our shares." Histoire said, her eyes closed. "Although it would be weird if they were the cause. Neptune was among a huge crowd of people that loved her."

"Vell, better check just to be sure." Because Medic really wouldn't want to scratch his head for hours, trying to figure out what was wrong with the CPU, only for the issue to be 'shares too low'. It would be infuriating and a waste of time.

Histoire nodded. "I understand, then I will just go take the most recent reports and come back. We can review them here."

"Zhis is fine."

Histoire nodded again and hovered out of the room. Once she was gone Medic turned his attention to the bathtub. He fished out the body and examined it; it was still fully human, with no Dogoo DNA merging into it, however some stuck into it.

"...Vat vas I thinking?" Medic frowned. God was right, this plan wouldn't work. He placed the body on a different table, fished out the organs and put them into the bucket. "Compa, could you revive him?"

"Okie-dokie!"

The Nurse examined the body herself, and then checked the organs in the bucket. She grabbed the Medi-Gun and pointed it at the bucket full of organs. Nepgear watched her work, and then looked back at her sister. "What about her?" The CPU Candidate asked.

Medic glanced back at Neptune and sighed. He took out his glasses and rubbed his eyes, as he took few steps towards the Candidate. "Zhe thing is that right now I'm clueless to her condition. I can conduct a more thorough investigation but ve still have a corpse to resurrect."

He looked around. "Or few…"

What was he actually doing during this week? Did the lack of sleep turn him mad and incompetent? He needed more coffee in his life if that was the case. The merc was already mentally noting to ask one of his teammates to buy more.

Suddenly the lights blinked in and out, as Compa took a perfect moment to flip the switch and redirect the electricity. Medic was surprised, not at the darkness but at how quickly Compa prepared the body. Perhaps he was already ready to revive, however Medic in his tiredness-induced incompetence decided to throw it into a bathtub.

Nepgear watched with a mix of amazement and horror at how much the patient was twitching from the current. How with his mouth open he looked to be screaming, but no sound came out. The two mighty nails hammered into the sides of his head, connected to the power grid with thich cables.

It was a very… unique experience. Seeing a person revived the manual way instead of using Re;Spawn. The patient suddenly bolted upwards, surprising Nepgear. That surprise turned into terror as Compa casually plunged her needle into the back of his head, killing him on the spot.

Medic saw the face Nepgear was making and chuckled. "Ve have it covered." Medic said with a smile.

Nepgear just saw her friend kill a someone. Twice.

...Maybe she should talk with her later, with IF and Histoire watching.

Compa flicked the switch again, redirecting the electricity, and revived the person. This time she didn't do anything to him but give him some spare clothes.

Then Histoire just came back, giving Nepgear something else to focus her mind on.

"I've received the reports, and it seems that I have found the problem." Histoire said, her face a tone paler than before. She gave Medic two sets of reports - one from a week ago, and one taken yesterday. The merc's eyes were drawn to a mark helpfully drawn by the Oracle. He compared it with the earlier report and frowned. "Hmm..."

He checked again and then for the third time, but the cold hard numbers didn't change. Nepgear tried to sneak a peek on the papers but Medic was too tall, she was clueless as to what was going on. Fortunately the merc made the problem quite clear. "How did ve lose 50% of shares?!" In just a week nonetheless. A week where nothing much of importance happened.

How?

"What?!" Nepgear exclaimed.

"Not our shares, but with the shares given to us by our Mysterious Benefactor." Histoire explained, sighing. Planeptune's shares didn't actually budge at all, infuriatingly so, but the shares given to them by Miss Neikan dropped rapidly.

"They seem to have decayed drastically, quicker than normal Shares have any right to be." And if Histoire actually bothered to check the reports earlier she would have noticed the rapid decay of Miss Neikan's shares. But for her this was a busy week.

"Umm...?" Nepgear meekly squealed, turning the attention to herself. "Is sis in danger?"

"If we manage to gather shares of our own, she should be fine even once Miss Neikan's shares disappear completely." Histoire explained. Then a thought occurred to her. "...Are you feeling fine, Nepgear? This should affect you too."

"Huh? N-No, I'm feeling fine." Nepgear said.

"Nepgear was undergoing physical exercise every morning since we ordered her to. Neptune did not." Medic said.

"Plus the enhancements." Histoire said.

"Plus the enhancements." Medic agreed with a nod.

Which meant that Nepgear was much healthier than her sister, and could live with less shares than necessary. However if the problem continued then even she would be affected.

Nepgear frowned, realizing something. "During the Killachine's invasion Neptune's HDD suddenly turned itself off for some reason, could it be that?"

Histoire shut her eyes, thinking. "It could be." She said. "...She never said anything about this, did she?"

"First time I'm hearing about zhis." Medic shook his head.

"She actually wanted to ask about this, but she never had an opportunity to do it." Nepgear explained. "Sis didn't want to disrupt your work."

Histoire sighed.

The merc meanwhile clapped his hands. Now that Compa was here he could pass the entire work onto her. He had something very important to do.

"Nov zhat ve have realized zhe problem, allow me to pass out. Compa, revive zhe rest und check Neptune's condition after an hour."

He barely heard her reply before slumber took him again. Histoire and Nepgear's eyes widened as Medic again collapsed onto the ground. He, after all, didn't sleep at all for the past week. And the Re;Spawn's power nap could only take him so far.

He needed more coffee, and to find a better blend too.

On a dirty, beaten path two people have met again. Angela stared at Falcom who was stumbling towards Planeptune, ignoring the Dark Magician in front of her. Her clothes and hair were wet and there was even some seaweed stuck to her, implying that Falcom has swam her way through.

Not that Falcom cared, of course. The Gehaburn possessing her didn't.

"Why, hello there." Angela called out to Falcom.

Falcom stopped and looked at her. The Dark Magician saw her sighing as she realized who was in front of her.

"Why are you so persistent in seeking me out, Dark Magician? Do you still yearn vengeance?" Falcom said.

"...You can just call me Angela, you know." Angela retorted, leaning on her other foot. "But yes, I do want that. But first, allow me to ask; what happened? Falcom was Samuel's friend, but now you seem to be running away and I don't see her around. Why?"

"They tried to kill me." Falcom answered. "I couldn't waste time fighting so I ran."

"Kill you? Hmm..." Angela muttered. She looked up and down at Falcom, examining her features and judging how merged she was with Hilda Gehaburn. "Ah, completely possessed. No, there's still some parts of her." Angela said. "So she gave up on rescuing her."

"Yes. It is my body now, the person you knew as Falcom is now gone. Hilda is my name." Falcom, now to be known as Hilda, said.

"Then Hilda… would you reconsider my proposal for an alliance?" Angela smiled. "My life was destroyed by the CPUs and Samuel, just like yours was. I want to make them pay."

…

Angela waited for her answer. Hilda was considering it.

"...And what will happen once you get that?"

The Dark Magician blinked, not expecting that. "Pardon?"

"Devoting your entire life on vengeance will leave you empty, lifeless and blind. You'll sacrifice more and more of yourself just to bring someone else down with you. Trust me, I know how it is." She was, after all, a malicious spirit possessing a body of a friend of a Devil. Wanting to use the very bond of friendship against her. "You should turn around and go back to the city and try to start a new life. I'll avenge your loved ones in your stead, so give your life some meaning and purpose."

A vein has popped on the magician's forehead. "My life has meaning and purpose. It's avenging those who I held dear, with my own hands!" Angela snapped. Her hands shook from how tightly she held her staff. "Isn't it hypocritical of you to say those words to me, when you've done the same?"

Hilda sighed, closing her eyes. "It's precisely why I say this, because I know this life feels. And I don't want anyone else to walk the same path as I. I hunt down the CPUs so people like you won't have to. As long as I exist, I'll hunt down any Devils walking on this land."

"And what if I want to help you?" Angela spoke, glaring at the Possessed Adventurer. "You're saying that I should go back to the city, but I have nowhere to return! No place to call home! I. Lost. Everything!"

Angela put so much effort into finding her. She spent whatever money she had on the books to research her story, to find where her sword has been kept. She destroyed all of the monsters to secure the LAN Castle and then researched more. She fought Falcom and Eyelander so she could grab the sword and use it.

And after the Gehaburn initially rejected her, she still wanted its power. And on that last step, when Falcom was gone and Hilda was all that remained… Hilda just said to go home. To throw away all of her effort. The very thing she sought for just rejected her.

...That hurt.

"R-Revenge is all that's left to me, so please… give me at least that..."

Hilda's expression softened a little. She stared at Angela, thinking what she should do. The ghost pitied the girl in front of her. She pitied her because everything about her felt familiar. A person who lost everything, devoted their entire life for revenge, their entire soul to hurt others. It tugged her heartstrings, because Hilda went through the same thing. It was as if she was watching a younger version of herself.

History repeats itself.

If Hilda were to accept her help, she would create another Gehaburn. Another soul who destroyed itself to destroy others. Hilda shuffled closer to Angela and wrapped her hands around her in an embrace.

"You must've lost so much for you to seek me out so persistently." She said, softly. Angela sniffed and accepted the embrace.

"I-I did."

"It hurt, didn't it? To lose your loved ones so quickly, so suddenly."

"Y-Yes."

"You felt powerless because you couldn't help them, and then unsure what you should do. What should you do now that you've lost everything."

"T-That's right."

"I'm sorry…"

Hilda's voice was like of a gentle mother, soothing her child that everything will be alright. But hidden behind those sweet and calming words, Hilda was quietly drawing her blade. This would not be an act of malice, however.

Hilda thrusted the Gehaburn into Angela's stomach.

"Ghk?!"

The Dark Magician's eye widened and her body froze, then she screamed from the pain. Hilda let go of the sword and embraced the Magician tighter, not letting her go within those final moments. As much as she wanted to give her a fair and honorable death, this was better for Angela. The less she suffered the better.

"I'm sorry, but this is mercy for your soul." Hilda whispered into Angela's ear. "Go. Rejoin your family in the afterlife. I'll carry out the judgement in your stead, don't let it consume you."

"...Don't become like me."

Her body weakened. Her screams ceased. Her eyes closed. Angela was dead.

Hilda got her blade out and laid Angela on the ground, letting her rest on her back. Hilda cupped her own hands, giving her soul a small prayer. She would cover her body with a cloak, but she didn't have one. She would dig her a proper grave but she didn't have time, there were innocents to be saved.

"I'm sorry that I can't even give you a proper burial, but at the very least I will fulfill your wish and desire."

Then suddenly the ground underneath her moved, and an army of undead rose from it. They surrounded Hilda, but she didn't raise her blade in defense. She knew why they appeared, they weren't a threat.

"Her soul is now being judged in Celestia." Hilda said to them. "You're free now. Your contract has been fulfilled."

They shambled towards the middle, where Hilda and Angela were. The undead slowly closed the circle around them until Hilda couldn't move her hand without touching one. Nonetheless Hilda didn't raise her blade.

They ignored her and moved for Angela. They grabbed her limbs, wrapped themselves around her waist, one even grabbed her staff. Then they returned underground, taking her body and the staff back with them. Suddenly Hilda didn't need to make a funeral.

"May you finally find peace."

Hilda stood up and left, slowly making her way towards Planeptune. There wasn't much time left, the great peril was near and more people will die. She had to break the cycle from repeating or else everyone else will pay the price.

...But at this point Hilda doubted she would make it in time. Even if the Devil was dead it might not matter anymore. But she made a vow and she intended to keep it. The Devil's death will put at least one soul to rest.

Hilda knew that Angela's blood was still on her blade, and that she should wipe it off to prevent rust… but it was neither necessary nor did it feel appropriate. Her sword couldn't rust nor dull.

She let it stay there, as a reminder of the Kindred Spirit that was about to walk down the same path as her.

Interdimensional RED-Coded Contract

Let's Be Lively!

I'm pleased to see positive reviews about the previous chapter. I expected to get critique and got praise instead.

Unfortunately this is the last chapter of the batch, and I'm still not done editing the chapters I want. So the next chapter is going to get delayed until I do so, but after that there will be nothing stopping me from finishing the story. We're close!

And I also got a surprise for you all. An another commision, of Falcom of all people.

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And a second variation of it:

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This in these pics she's wearing her new outfit and also her Dragonslayer or the Gehaburn.

The blood belongs to Angela c:

What do you think?

Responses:

YORCHspartan117

Let me give you a hint, compare Samantha's art with a certain character from Fairy Fencer F.

As for Machias, I don't really have a image of him in mind, but bloody hell your idea is hilarious.

The dolls aren't Fairy Fencer F references… but that would be good idea as well. And yes, you should definitely play FFF, just keep in mind to play Advent Dark Force and ignore the other one, because ADF has everything the original one, plus 2 additional routes and better graphics.

No comments on Leanbox assault or Miss Pauling retaking the mercs. You'll need to wait.

My initial plan was to have that security guard be a RED Spy, but then I couldn't remember if the mercs were ordered to drop the hostility towards ASIC, or not? And felt like this was a safer direction, less chance of a plot hole.

And yes, Samantha and Fay are in a healthy relationship. They had centuries to be together, suffer and comfort one another and develop a lasting bond. They're as close as they can get.