Chapter 7: In Which the Dark Man Returns
Location: Lastation's Basilicom

The soldiers and high-ranked officials looked on in horror at the bizarre sight before them. Noire couldn't even breathe correctly as the being, clad in a dark shawl barely visible in the already dark atmosphere, slowly entered the Basilicom. The rain poured right into the lobby, soaking the priceless tiles of Lastation's finest architecture, the being's reflection looking quite horrid in its clarity.

A hat, one made of straw, covered his head as the lid was pointed down. His gait, looking like a man that was injured brutally from the waist down, made his movements wobbly like a top starting to end its spin. With every press of his foot onto the ground, lightning struck high in the heavens, the thunder following soon after.

Not a single other soul within that room was calm; every muscle in every body was shaking, both out of fear and of confusion. Even Neptune, the girl that could stare directly at 20 mid-level bosses and merely let out a snarky comment, was finding herself locked in her place, her eyes bugged out. What the hell was this thing, and what the hell did it want? Considering what just occurred outside, it clearly wasn't here for anything remotely pleasant.

"M-Ma'am! Your orders!"

The lead general grabbed his flag and held it high in the air; he knew it was wrong to simple open fire on a person with no positive identification, but he wasn't caring about that when half of his men were plastered against the windows of the Basilicom. He tried to get the CPU's attention, but Noire was too busy focusing on the strange being. However, her fearful gaze was slowly transmogrifying into pure anger, her body being filled with rage unlike any other.

With a large flash that could blind an unfortunate onlooker, Noire's human countenance vanished without a trace. Even the being, though looking off from the scene, had to stop as the CPU of Lastation slowly returned to the land of the living, her body now clad in a battle-like outfit, with metallic structures floating all about her person.

"You are trespassing in Lastation's Basilicom and have harmed too many of my men! Turn back now, or I will drop you where you stand!"

Her godly voice echoed through the dark halls of the building as everyone slowly backed off; the soldiers attempted to as well, but the general kept them put, never ceasing to break formation for any reason. Neptune placed a hand on the back of her head, somehow getting a sheepish grin during this rather daunting scene.

"Well, if Noirey's transformed, might as well join her! Watch me, Nep Jr., this is gonna be explosive!"

And with that, Lady Purple Heart became her true form; that of a powerful woman with a demeanor that truly exemplified seriousness. It still begs the question how she could be so radically different as a Maker, but there are some mysteries best left unanswered. Thus, the room was graced with the presence of two high-leveled woman, their blades powerful enough to make mincemeat out of anything. It freaked even their little sisters out, even though they too shared the same power.

Though they were indeed a threat, for whatever reason, the being simply stood, unwavered at this sudden development. He merely kept the hat on, standing limp as the rain continued to pour directly in. Noire and Neptune looked at one another, both disturbed by his rather stoic demeanor. Still, anger was only building in both of them more and more, wind picking up underneath their floating bodies. Uni and Nepgear were fully prepared to transform as well, but Kei held them back, hoping to keep all damage at a minimum here.

"This is your last warning, you freak! Leave my Basilicom at once, or I will destroy your very being!"

Once again, the being before them still stood tall, only this time another change occurred within him. He began to jitter, his body rocking back-and-forth like another landmass quake had just struck. The soldiers, still remaining in their formation, had no other choice but to back up, the general trying his best to hide his sweat from his comrades, though even his fear couldn't be hid. "What's going on with him? Hey, what's wrong?" Neptune called out.

The being's head lowered even more, and he bent down all the way to the halfway point before he simply stopped moving, looking as still as a statue. Everyone tensed up, and Kei gave the General the preparations to kill whatever the hell the thing was. Noire and Neptune began to breathe heavily, rising their blades in the air as they prepared for whatever fight they were about to endure. The whole room grew quiet, as even the rain finally began to slow down. The tension could only be cut by the sharpest knife in the whole world.

Suddenly, the whole Basilicom began to filled with the sounds of a lone snicker. Everyone looked around blindly, as it sounded as if the laughter was coming from the intercom, though Noire clearly figured what the actual source was.

It started quietly at first, barely coming off as a whisper, but as it grew louder and louder, the lights finally began to flicker with life, though unfortunately it never progressed past that stage. "Lady Black Heart, we must do something now! I don't like the looks of this!" Purple Heart mused, glaring at the being as she prepared for whatever the hell was going to be unleashed. Noire had to agree with her, but what was she to do? Whatever she decided, she could already figure that it was already too late to make a decision.

"Black Heart?"

The being suddenly lurched its head up, and its contents were revealed. The group all but witnessed its horrific features revealed for the first time, the flickering lights not helping its already creepy visage. A deathly gloom filled the air as the soldiers quickly readied their rifles, not feeling so hesitant anymore. Unfortunately, the being's laugh suddenly grew way too loud for a normal human being to bear.

It sounded so much like the ramblings of a mad man mixed with the ill-temperament of a greedy child. The strange being was twitching uncontrollably as his body fidgeting far too many times to be considered simply wrong. The lights flickered on and off quicker than ever before, and the group of normal folk had no other choice but to keep their ears protected, covering them as they begged for the sound to stop.

The glass of the Basilicom broke away from its frame, smashing into tiny pieces as it struck the wet floor below. Seeing the destruction, Kei managed to resist the sound for as long as possible, raising one of her fists up into the air as she looked at the soldiers, most importantly the general, who could barely stand at this point. "General, command your men to shoot at once!"

He barely heard her, but regardless if he could, he was going to give the order anyways. "Gentlemen, fire at will! Stop this inferno thing! Protect our Ladies!"

The soldiers grimaced as they relinquished their ears, grabbing hold of their rifles as they quickly got back into their battle formation. "Ready, men?" the General shouted as loud as he could, eyeing the screaming banshee as he gleefully smiled, knowing that the resulting blast would most certainly kill it off. Looking at the Oracle for confirmation, he got as angry as possible and shouted "Fire!"

The guns went off all at once, most hitting their target with ease as each soldier shouted at the top of their lungs. The lights were nearly seizure-inducing as the sounds of bullets ricocheting all about played amongst the mighty hall, causing even the CPU's and Candidates to flinch with every shot fired. They emptied their clips as each spent round fell carelessly to the ground. The laughter continued, though it was noticeably getting more and more abrupt, as if someone was cutting out frames within its sound. It was a sign that everything must have been connecting, right? Sure as hell better have been.

After about a full minute of rifle fire, the last bullet left its chamber, the clickings of an empty trigger being heard as each soldier stood down. The screaming sound had finally ceased, and the CPUs and Candidates looked up, breathing a sigh of relief. For once, hearing the great sound of a quiet rain was nothing short of being relaxing. All the tension in the air remained, but the cooling sense of accomplishment was starting to make its rounds.

However, that wave didn't make it far, as Kei began to notice that something was completely wrong. The being still stood tall, with nary a bullet hole being evident on its body. Its cloth-like drape remained undisturbed, while his demeanor remained as stoic as before. In fact, it looked as if he managed to dodge each and every bullet flung at him, which was essentially impossible for obvious reasons. The only things that took a hit was the wall, door, and windows behind him, which were adorned now with small crevices, some revealing the outside.

"How...how the hell did...?" Her words made everyone gasp in fear, a sound that apparently made the being laugh, this time without the need of hurting any ear. He twitched somewhat, then took a few more steps forward. The soldiers, undoubtedly fearful for their own hides, began to cower in fear; even their prized general was taken aback by this sudden development. "What the hell are you?"

Noire and Neptune nodded to one another. "Okay, one last chance! If you dare take one more step, my sword will certainly strike you down! Purple Heart, get ready!"

The Being, in its own twisted sort of way, appeared charmed by this, though that only meant that his laugh came out even more harsher. Noire was ready to scream, but Uni held her down. "Uni, unhand me this instant! This monster dies right now!"

"Sis, if he didn't get hurt by gunfire, how the hell is going to be hurt by you?"

"Because I am a CPU, something you seriously need to remember!"

"Look, what if he's leading you on? Think before you act!"

"Shouldn't I be saying that to you? You have a lot of nerve!"

Purple Heart sighed. "This is a dire situation. Please, can we save this for later?" her words were calming, but that didn't stop the angry glare the sisters were giving to one another. She looked at her younger sibling, but Nepgear shrugged, still preparing to fight if needed.

The being finally finished laughing as soon as the soldiers finished reloading. "Men, ready? Fire!"

The soldiers were about to do as ordered, but that never came to fruition. The being rose a hand high in the air, raised in such a way that he evenly divided the formation of the army perfectly in half. He made a loud roar, and as if he was flicking a bug out of the air, he merely swiped his hand in the air.

The soldiers were confused, but soon the room was filled with the screams of despair. Everyone watched in horror as one half of the soldiers were thrown into the air, smashing directly onto the walls of the Basilicom, nearly breaking the foundation apart. The other half screamed, aiming their weapons at the horrific monster before them. "W-What? Uh, everyone, fire now! Show no mercy!"

There was certainly no mercy from the being himself, as he now flicked his arm the other way, causing the other half, including the general and almost Kei herself, to suffer the same fate as the other half. The CPU's and Candidates looked on terror as the people that sworn to protect them were tossed away like useless trash.

Now that even more of her men were harmed and injured, Noire just couldn't be held back. "Purple, now!"

And thus, with little to no hesitation, Noire broke from her sisters grasp and charged at the being, flying in perfect formation with the Goddess of Planeptune. With a loud battle cry, the two of them began to slash away at the horrific soul, feeling the grand sensation of their blades cutting through him...

...only that sensation was negated when they realized that whenever they hit something solid, they were actually hitting one another's sword. "What?" Both of them exclaimed when the discovery was made. It actually looked like their blades made a successful cut, as indicated by the entrance mark, but that mark quickly vanished, leaving both of them confused.

Nodding to one another, they slashed away again, but once more discovered that, no matter what, they were essentially wasting their damn time. Any mark they possibly made, it simply vanished without a trace.

Observing it, Kei gave everyone the death eye. "Stop your attacks! Retreat back here, milady!"

Lady Purple Heart, feeling might objected, did as she was tasked, but Noire was just too stubborn to be brought down like that. With another battle cry, she continued her endless assault, slashing away with a fervor that could drive any sane person to the brink of a fatal fatigue. She had to have attacked him nearly 1000 times before Uni finally grabbed hold of her. "Sis, just stop it!"

She didn't want to believe it, but none of her attacks had any effect. Even with the power of a Goddess, her sword was as useful as a 100 guns: absolutely pointless. "Ergh...dammit!" She slammed her sword in the ground and glared directly into the eyes of the monster. "What the hell are you?" Her voice was becoming that scary calm, which made Uni flinch.

As no further attack was made, everyone was able to get a great look at the monster. Adorned by a straw-like hat, his head was nothing more than a silver-like ball, with rust already claiming the sides; he did not seem to have any hair that remained obscured. His eyes, much like those seen on the face of a fly, showed no emotion; only the bulbs behind them gave any sort of impression of life, and even that was nothing. If you want, you can say that he had a mouth, though it was more of a slightly thick line with lines vertically drawn all about; a speaker system, perhaps? There was no nose to be found, with ears also notably absent.

His body, still covered in a shawl, appeared muscular, though that brawn was tarnished as much as his head was; possibly made out of the same substance, his abdomen was covered in dirt and grime, with the small shirt-like fabric over his breast looking unkempt and dilapidated. His arms were lanky, and appeared to have some sort of support structure, just trying to keep it upright and correct. His legs were hidden behind jeans, though they were torn and dirty as well.

All-in-all, he was a complete mess, and that made it all worse.

Noire stepped back from him as she waited for it to answer. He merely looked at her and the rest of the patrons in the room, making a shrugging motion as he let out a sigh, the first normal sounding voice from him.

"I see that after so many decades, I still receive quite the reception."

His voice was professional and powerful, though with a hint of fatigue many of the older age would have. It had a bored tone, as if all the destruction did not please him in the slightest. It only served to make Noire even more angry.

"Answer my question! Who the hell are you, and why do you hurt my people?"

He looked directly at the Lastation CPU, his eternal smile never fading away. A tiny "guffaw" escaped his nonexistent lips as he folded his arms behind his back. "A powerful woman with the physique of a CPU. Tell me, for I am certain Lady Grey Heart has perished after all this time, are you her daughter?"

Noire was taken back by this, and she looked at the others, namely Kei, who shared the same motion as everyone else; a confused shrug with a disturbed stare. The man laughed at their reactions. "Forgive me for merely asking. Your outfit does not match hers, so I can only assume her family line no longer exists?"

Again, more confused stares, though Kei's appeared more shaken. Trying to save face, Noire eventually detransformed, returning to her classic Maker self. "Uh, I have no idea what the heck you're on about, but it doesn't matter. You are not welcomed here! I don't know why I can't hurt you, but when I find out, ergh..." anger took over her tall words, making her face red with fury. Uni tried her best to calm her, but the mere sight of her presence made Lastation's CPU even madder.

A hearty laugh came from the being as Lady Purple Heart returned to being a Maker. "Certainly, my fine lady," he began, this time sounding somewhat snarky, "you have already discovered that I am not truly here right now. It is but a device I made that allowed me to project my body into your Basilicom. I have powers, I have presence, but nothing can reciprocate against me."

Seeing as how Neptune had no idea what the hell that meant, Nepgear whispered in her ear, "he's a hologram."

Taking that assumption, Neptune wagged a finger at him. "Yo, fancy trickery aside, you are definitely not a friend;y neighbor! So, like, can you leave or turn yourself in? Makes things so much easier!" She tried acting coolly, though even her comedic edge had to feel some sort of vengeance after the previous scene. Even her face showed an angry emotion she rarely displayed.

The being placed a hand on his makeshift chin, looking like he was in deep thought. "Eh, I guess this entrance was a tad bit harsh, but I pull the card that I was only acting in self-defence. They aimed their guns first, after all." The way he spoke, acting like an intelligent snob, made everyone forget their fear, as their weapons were once again raised, even if doing so was completely pointless in the end.

"Stop talking! You are not welcome here, and our nation has too many problems as is! Get out now!" Kei's defensive stance was rather good, even with such hesitance.

The Being, still with no emotion, apparently was offended. "Milady, you tell me to leave in such a way, and yet you choose not to even ask for my identification?" He looked behind Noire towards the Purple Hearts, who both flinched at suddenly be brought to the spotlight (the one time Neptune would rather not have it as such). "Hm, even those of Planeptune reside here, and they too do not have the common courtesy to ask for my name? Such a mistake on the part of the leaders, no? Even presumed criminals deserve some respect!"

Noire sighed, still eying the man like a sniper towards his prey. "Uh, I do recall demanding what the hell you are, so don't start insulting me like that!"

The being laughed once more. "Ah, but what a rude way to partake in it! Oh well, I guess I should deign an answer to you."

He surprisingly backed away, which only made the CPU's prepared even more. Uni looked over at Nepgear, hoping she could find some soothing thing from it, but all she gave was a worried look.

The being crossed his arms in front of him, making an X as he lowered his head. With a quiet laugh, he suddenly shot his arms out like a bat ready to take flight. This caused the lights within the room to flicker on and off one again.

"I, milady, am none other than The Phantom. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

It was as if he timed that grand entrance, for as he said his name, the sky brightened with the sudden streak of lightning blazing across the sky. A loud crash of thunder was accompanied by the welcoming of a strong wind, which blew right into the Basilicom, making his shawl spread out. If one were to look at him in this state, you would probably see the devil looking back.

The CPU's and Candidates blocked the breeze, waiting for the sudden hellish tide to finally subside. Once it vanished, Noire shot him one of the deadliest looks a woman could give. "The Phantom? Seriously? That sounds like a rejected superhero!"

Suddenly, even the rage within them all left with the wind. Nepgear, often the most cautious and possibly closer to the planet than the rest, couldn't help but laugh. Uni, simply put, didn't even try to hide her laughter. "Wow, that's a really stupid name! At least sound threatening when you do this!"

The Phantom merely watched as all of them laughed. "The Phantom! He actually called himself The Phantom! Ow, my sides!" Neptune fell to the floor roaring with laughter. "Look, daddy-o, no one can take you seriously with a pretentious name like that! The Phantom! Call the Police! We got a Phantom on the loose!"

Noire joined her fellow Goddess in laughing. A few of the fallen soldiers didn't understand the exact appeal of this, but even they felt stupid for falling to a guy named The Phantom. It was as if all of this was some sick joke.

However, Kei Jinguji did not join in on the festivities. Unlike the others, she found no pleasure in this pretentious name; she found no solace with the others on her side. Instead, with her eyes bugged out and her mouth opened in fright, she felt all the strength within her body seep away; a rare sight occurred as an actual emotion was displayed. Noire continued to laugh, but once she saw her Oracle in such a state, she couldn't help but grow concerned. "Kei? Something wrong?"

Soon, everyone stopped as they all caught sight of her. The Oracle shook her head as The Phantom turned his attention to her as well, giving that eternal smile that could never be broken. This made the monotone-sounding girl grow even more fearful, and soon it seemed that instinct began to fill up within her. "Yo, you okay over there? Noirey, I think your Oracle-thing is busted up real good!"

Neptune's words went unheeded, however, as Kei suddenly brought a hand to her pocket, procuring a pistol from within that small crevice. Everyone, including even The Phantom himself, jumped at the sudden twist. "Woah, Kei's packin'! Nep Jr, look away!"

The Oracle aimed the gun right at the being and shot the chamber dry, screaming with each one blazing through the air. Of course none of the bullets could actually harm the man, but her rage was just too much to contain. Once her trigger finger finally cooled down, the room went silent once again.

Dusting off his shawl for whatever reason, The Phantom sighed. "Well, now that that is out of the way, I completely understand your feelings. Now, let's get this show on the road."

Neptune tried to stifle her laughs as he pointed out towards the door. "I'm assuming, if you are an able leader, that you are completely aware of the new landmass outside of Gamindustri? Forgive me for any damage I have caused; displacement can be a finicky physic." He walked over the Oracle, essentially staring her dead in the eyes, looking deep into her soul. All she could do was quiver in fright. "I actually came here to deliver to you an invitation to come visit. It would be nice to become truly acquainted in person."

Even while speaking, Noire was ready to freak out. "That was you? Urgh!" She slashed at him multiple times, causing him to laugh.

"Come now, this charade is getting old! You are merely wasting your time and energy!"

She threw her blade all the way to door, impaling it with an extreme strength. "Just shut up! Shut up shut up shut up! Why should we even go there, huh? It's obviously a trap!"

Another hearty laugh escaped him, once more causing the lights to lose it. "Oh, I can completely understand that, but my sudden appearance has already harmed you. Wouldn't like to earn some sort of comeuppance?" He walked towards the door, overseeing the destructive scene outside. "It's been a long time since I have ever seen Gamindustri. I take it your Oracle knows me in some regard. If you want to try and trust or hate me, perhaps you should ask her all the fine details."

Neptune placed a hand on her head. "Woah, woah, just slow down for a moment! All these big words...you only came here to invite us? Couldn't you just Chirp us or something? Maybe a nice letter or, oh, a smoke signal! That would get my attention!"

A shake of the head from The Phantom made her pout, crossing her arms as she looked away. "I simply wanted to see this land once again. Anyways, when you do arrive, I would prefer if you could somehow contact the other CPU's too. Would be nice to see all of the leaders, right? Since Lady Purple Heart is here, the job should be even easier!"

With that, he began to fizzle. "Goodness, what's happening?"

He looked around himself, that smile of his masking away any emotion he could've conjured. "Hm, it seems the weather is harming the device. I doubt I can remain in contact much longer in a storm as strong as this! To make it simple, visit my Landmass, preferably with everyone, and then we can coerce in peace and sanctimony! Is that easy to follow?"

His body was nearly completely gone as the connection was beginning to fade away. "Hey, don't you dare leave!" Noire yelled, desperately swiping at the air as she hoped to somehow clutch him back into her Basilicom. "You hurt my nation and Leanbox! You're going to pay for this!"

"Then come to the new Landmass, all right? Would make quite the conversation, if I do say so myself!"

As this scene was going on, a loud scream came from outside. With a bemused expression, Noire looked through The Phantom to see the great beyond. As everyone else looked on in horror, all that Lastation's CPU could see was a gigantic boot careening right towards her. She felt pain like no other as it collided against her face, smashing her cheek and sending her flying to the back, nearly crushing Neptune in the process. The being didn't even flinch as this new character suddenly whizzed right through him.

With her scarf fluttering in the wind, the Heroine of Justice herself looked quite accomplished as she finished her move. "Take that, being of all things evil! Your tyrannical fist shall slam no more! Feel the sting of justice as my mighty kick finally pulverized you to no-"

She got a good look at Noire, who was barely concious, as well as all the others, who couldn't help but look completely bewildered. Her once confident face quickly turned to being embarrassed, a bead of sweat protruding from her forehead. "Uh oh...uh, milady? You're still alive, right?"

The Phantom clapped his hands, which appeared laggy with his broken signal. "Hah, what a treat! With such vigor, I take it you must be that 'Heroine of Justice' girl the Beastmaster has been talking about!"

Nisa quickly turned to face her actual target, though getting a good look at him, she quickly grew confused. Though he was definitely evil, he was most certainly not the same man she encountered at ground zero. That just made things so much worse in the end. "Who...what is going on? Evil-doer, explain your reasoning! Why did you and your partner attack Gamindustri in such a heinous way?" Her finger was held right in front of him, her eyes filled with burning passion, her soul fearful of Noire ending her right then and there.

The Phantom tilted his head and shrugged. "Well, since The Beastmaster talks highly of you, how about you join your CPU's on their eventual trek? I would love to have you!"

As he said "love," his hologram-like device began to fully fail, and he slowly faded from existence. "I wish no more destruction, CPU's! I only want to speak with you! If you don't believe me, well, then that's on you!"

And with a laugh, he left with a static discharge. Once the last part of him disappeared, the lights within the Basilicom finally snapped back on, and every electrical application restarted successfully. Besides the broken glass and injured men, everything resumed as normal as possible.

Coughing a little bit, Neptune rose her arms in the air. "So, uh, am I the only one still asking what the pudding cup just happened? Did we, like, get dissed or something? I feel like we got dissed!"

Recovering herself, therefore shoving the Heroine of Justice away, Noire overlooked the Basilicom, her jaw still on the floor at her home being wrecked and tarnished. "I don't care what he did, he is going down! Look at this place! Look what he did!" She fell to her knees, slamming the ground in a dramatic, if somewhat epic fashion. "I'm seriously going to kill him! Kei, get whoever isn't helping the recovery and get them to that Landmass! I'll burn the whole place down if I have to!"

You could practically see the flames bellowing from her mouth; perhaps she could do all the burning herself. Her anger made the two Candidates fearful, and once again Uni grabbed hold of her sister. "Sis, calm down! This sucks, I know, and I want to freaking shoot that grin off his face, but didn't you already say that this is a trap? Think!" she knew that yelling at her would only send her further down the hole, but she really needed to keep this issue from getting any worse.

The CPU of Lastation shook her off, standing once more as she picked a soldier up; no one was killed, thankfully, but they were definitely not fit to do any battle from here on out. "Ma'am, I'm so sorry I failed-"

"Don't say anything more! Just heal up as quick as possible, okay?"

The man nodded, though once Noire let him go, he immediately fell back to the ground out of breath. "Jeez, how did this happen? What the hell is his problem? I swear, if this is ASIC..."

Nisa shook her head. "No, it can't be, milady! These people...they're too different to be them! Way too different! We need to stop them soon and now if want a chase to prevent any more evil deeds from being committed!" She patted her chest hard as she could, joining Nepgear in salvaging any soldier that was still able to move. "I saw the destruction firsthand. They really mean business!"

"Dang, you cereal? Man, I thought we would take more of an intermission before our next adventure! Dang fanfic writers continuing the plot so quickly!" Neptune slumped down on the floor, making her sister sigh.

"Goodness Neptune, please try to look more serious! This is really bad!" She patted a soldier on the back as she requested a maid that ran in to get some water. As she helped out, she looked at Nisa and Kei. In reality, she wanted to ask the Heroine of Justice what she meant by "partner," but the flabbergasted Oracle was really worrying her. "Miss Kei, is everything all right?"

Even Neptune had to chirp in. "Yeah, you never display character like that in the games! Do you know him? Is he your old beau or something? Gotta say, you got a weird taste!"

Once she finished talking, the Oracle turned to both of them, her eyes still filled with fear. "Lady Purple Heart, call Histoire right now! This is an emergency!"

Noire was stunned by that. "Why are you so anxious about this? Yeah, it's awful, but you never lose your cool!"

"Don't waste any more time. Just call her! Now!"

From Neptunian Theory: The Ultimate Plot of Celestia:

"...One day I shall return, as I have stated numerous times, but I question what everyone is going to say when I arrive. It is a dark task that I must fulfill, but they must understand it, right? It's either I complete it, or we'll just be doomed from the get-go..."