The surreal sea of colours flashed.

Blinded, Nepgear instinctively reached around in the dark. Her hands immediately touched on a surface. It was a gritty, loose surface, the dirt was fine and got into her nails. An intense relief filled her body as she savoured the bizarre serenity of having dimensions again in her life.

Wait…

Her eyes still unusable, Nepgear's senses began to take in the surroundings.

The darkness her eyes saw from behind her eyelids, the lack of warmth from the rough surface that her hands touched, the scent of silicon that filled her nose…

Is this…?

"You know…"

A young, chirpy voice whispered to Nepgear.

"I won't forgive anyone who bullies Rom, much less backstabbing scum like you. So please…can you very kindly…"

Nepgear opened her eyes. The air around her body seemed to be sucked away in an instant. Instinctively, she pushed her body away from this sensation.

"…DIE!"

The ground before her erupted.

With a crude explosion, a white flash buried itself into the ground, leaving a gaping crater where her body had been barely seconds earlier.

Stunned silent, Nepgear shakily watched as a gleaming white staff removed itself from the rubble. The dust and debris kicked up by the vicious impact had blurred her view, but she knew who the attacker was.

R-Ram?

"Not going down so easily, huh."

As the dust settled, a small figure strutted forward. The young, childish girl had short, pink hair. Her battle gear was a fittingly cute white on pink, but there was nothing remotely cute about her smile. It was a bloodthirsty, feral grin. Her light blue eyes fixed themselves on Nepgear's shaking body, her weapon raised and ready to strike.

"I really don't see why Rom likes you so much. You're weak, self-defeating and stubborn to the end. You drag down the morale of everyone around you and even tried to use that sword on us. I really should kill you right now. That's what Blanc says to do. But, being as generous and awesome as I am, I'll give you one chance. Entertain me with your life, before I put you down!"

With a heave, Ram launched herself at Nepgear, bringing her staff down onto her prey with a roar. Nepgear quickly scrambled away, barely avoiding the staff's ever more accurate blows by diving through the narrow city streets.

H-How is she alive?! Where is this? What's happening?!

Nepgear ran with all her might, ignoring the usual questions buzzing through her head. Left, right, into a building, up the stairs. First floor, second, into the corridor. Her legs were exhausted, she was completely out of breath, but the booming sounds of destruction forged its way towards her without pause.

Standing at the end of the narrow corridor, Nepgear looked back. Somehow, she had opened up the distance. Somehow, she managed to outrun a CPU. Her breathing was sharp and shallow, each breath was harsh and stabbed at her chest. Her gaze felt distant, her mind felt numb. She could barely hear anything besides her pulse and breathing. With her body feeling the strain, the battered girl bent over, desperately trying to recover her composure.

W-Wait.

Nepgear rested her back onto the corridor's wall, trying to let her mind process the events.

I…outran…a CPU. I must have, the attacks have stopped.

No.

No matter how she thought about it, it didn't make sense.

Ram, of all CPUs, attacked me. If it was the Lastation girls, going it alone wouldn't be unexpected…but those kids…?

A heavy silence fell.

Hovering outside a certain abandoned building, a small shadow fixed her gaze onto the second floor. Her bright red eyes glinted in the dark skies. Out of nowhere, an oversized hammer, as white as the girl's skin and almost twice as tall, materialised into her petite hands.

Holding it directly in front of her, the girl let out a soft, almost sympathetic sigh. She then turned the hammer's edge parallel to the wall and moved out to one end of the building.

"HAAAAAAAAAHH!"

She roared at the top of her voice, her uncharacteristically masculine battle cry echoed through the narrow streets. The hammer smashed into the building's second floor with ease, cutting clean through all its supporting pillars in one sweep.

In a flash, the entirety of the second floor had been vapourized, and the majority of the building was reduced to a collapsed ruin.

Huh?

Nepgear stumbled onto her feet, her vision completely disorientated.

"W…W-What the goodness was that…?"

Merely seconds ago, she was recovering from her escape inside the silent halls of an abandoned shopping mall. Now, she was on her knees staring at its remains, having been blasted out of the collapsing building as a burst of white tore it down in a single strike.

Before the dust settled, she needed to escape. With a hurried step, she placed a foot forward.

"Ah…"

A crippling pain, so strong that her voice was unable to let out a cry, coursed through her body and stabbed at her mind. She looked down at her body very slowly.

The debris from the blast had undoubtedly taken its toll on her. Even with the strength of a CPU, the pain and injuries she sustained from being battered by the falling concrete structure were beyond belief.

Her clothes were torn by the shards of flying glass, internal bleeding was almost certainly a case in various parts of her body, but she couldn't afford to mope over her wounds. Limping away, she desperately crawled into the cover of the debris.

Nepgear's mind raced frantically, trying to piece together the identity of her attacker. The white edge resembled a hammer or an axe rather than the White Sisters' staffs. That, as well as the deep bellow which accompanied it, could only point to one logical answer.

Blanc, CPU White Heart.

The most violent of CPUs had joined the hunt.

Very timidly, Nepgear tugged her beaten body through the gaps, trying to avoid the white moonlight. Even in the pitch black, she could feel claustrophobic narrowness of the path she was on.

The silence had lasted for too long.

As if in response to her thought, the stalemate was shattered in an instant by the sound of the ruins being blasted aside by Blanc's weapons.

Soundlessly, White Heart's silhouette moved towards her. She hovered towards her at a glacial pace, in no rush to end this hunt. Nepgear scuttled away as best she could, backing away from the approaching sound of crumbling concrete.

"A-Ah.."

Her hands hit against a firm surface behind her. She was well and truly cornered.

"Enough's enough."

White Heart's deep voice echoed out to her. All remaining debris before the goddess were battered aside. With each swing, the chunks of concrete that formed any sort of cover for Nepgear were knocked away. With each swing, Nepgear felt her close in. With each swing, she edged her body closer and closer to the end of the tunnel.

The helpless girl looked into White Heart's eyes, vainly searching for any hint of sympathy.

"Don't look at me like that. You might even make me feel sorry. This much, you brought onto yourself."

White heart's hands slowly arced upwards, a pale blue light formed from the center of her palm. As she slowly traced her outstretched hand down, the small orbs of light floated off her palm at short, regular intervals. By the time her hand had reached her side, the narrow alleyway was illuminated with the brilliant blue radiance. The light had spread itself out, completely encompassing Nepgear's surroundings.

"Pretty, isn't it? This light."

Nepgear swallowed hard. She didn't know what to expect, only that whatever it would be, she won't get out of it unscathed.

"Well…admire it all you want. It'll be the last thing you'll see, after all."

Barely visible from behind the glow, White Heart's hammer swung back.

Flash.

Nepgear's eyes were once more blinded by a searing white light.

The orbs seemingly compressed into shards, with all energy concentrated on its tips. Eyes clenched shut, she could only rely on her ears and her screaming nerves to learn of her surroundings.

The pain she felt took time to register. It reached beyond the blunt pain of the impact. The sharp pain of her skin being cut, her flesh being torn, it all distorted and entwined with each other. Yet the overriding pain was doubtless from within. The confusion had yet to settle. She still didn't know why they were attacking, but that didn't matter.

It's just that they are… I…did only what was best…yet…

The hateful self-pity that had haunted her mind for so long began to rear its head once more.

Ah…

Nepgear's senses were slowly returning. She still couldn't figure out her physical state, her current position, her environment…or if she was even alive or not.

It hurts.

The various pains running amok in her body seemed to have settled.

Or they were just forgotten in comparison with the shock.

So that's how it feels…to have friends turn on you. To feel betrayed...

She felt a strange dampness run down her cheeks. It was a bitter feeling, taint with an excruciating sting from the tears running over her wounded face.

"Tsk…"

Amidst the ringing in her ears, Nepgear managed to make out White Heart's voice.

"You know…I really didn't want this. I thought I finally found someone who was on my level. Someone who understood me and my work. Shame you had to be so stubbornly fucked up to the end."

The thundering chaos in her ears had been silenced. At some point, the destruction had finally settled. Her eyes still shut tight, Nepgear lay in a heap amongst the rubble, waiting for the killing blow.

It never came.

"…H-Huh…?"

She timidly opened her eyes. The pale moonlight tickled her tired eyes, revealing the entirety of the battlefield to her. The building she had sought refuge in had all but crumbled, even the residual debris had been ground to heaps of fine dust. Yet, there was something undoubtedly missing from this scene.

"S-She's…gone…?"

In the navy blue sky of a certain abandoned city, a petite goddess hovered above a battlefield. The debris had settled and the fight was over.

It was hardly a fight to begin with. A one-sided slaughter seemed closer to the mark.

"Urgh…this really cramps my style…"

She looked down on the ruins. From directly above, her view of the ground was uninterrupted.

Slumped against the ruins, a teenage girl lay motionlessly. Her white and pink outfit had been completely ruined, her purple striped stockings torn through, with the red of her blood seeping out in large patches. Yet, what stood out most was the still visible glitter from the tears rolling off her cheeks.

Watching from above, the young girl in white grimaced.

"Hey. I don't want to put this shitty rat out of its misery. I'll have problems sleeping at night if I kill a crying child. Don't get it? You're still young, I guess. You finish the job. Don't want to…? Argh whatever, brat. Do what you want with her. I've done the lion's share of the work already anyway, just go explain it to your sister afterwards."

With a bitter sigh, White Heart relocated to the clearer skies above the desolate hunting ground.

On the ground, a small white figure quietly made her approach.

"…N-Nepgear…"

An equally small voice called out to the girl lying atop the ruins.

That call…such a sweet, gentle voice…I must be dreaming…

"Nepgear…A-Are you alive…?"

Frankly…death is preferable…

An indistinct rustling sound came from far beneath her. The ruins shifted slightly as the weight of the young girl was added to it. The girl's slight panting entered Nepgear's ears. Her view of the cloudless night sky was broken up by the silhouette of a young girl staring down at her.

Without even so much as a greeting, the girl slid her arms beneath Nepgear's sprawled out body and casually lifted her up. Another distant yet familiar sensation hit the beaten girl. The feeling of air rushing past her limbs, the delicate skin that touched her roughened body. Experiences that had seemed all too mundane to her, moments that she had long since forsaken for a world that no longer existed, she was made to recall these small, beautiful memories at the moment she took flight.

Staring up in a daze at Lowee's youngest CPU candidate, seeing her serious face as she flew with all her strength, Nepgear could only give out a relieved smile. Within this twisted, backwards world, she had finally found a source of comfort.

Whatever misunderstandings there have been…as long as someone, anyone is willing to listen…It's…not that bad…

As her speed gradually dropped, so too did Nepgear's thinking. Very gently, she was deposited onto new ground. Yet again, without a word, the small child turned her face away from Nepgear.

"Rom…"

"I-It's not true, right?"

Rom finally spoke out. Her voice was small, her words unusually serious. Stood with her face hidden in the shadows, the young girl hesitantly began speaking.

"Huh…?"

"You wanting to use the sword on us…it's a lie, right? Why…would you even think of that? We were friends…weren't we? Why would you do that to a friend…?"

"I…Ah…"

Nepgear's voice cracked, unable to even form a reply. Rom's questions were simple, her language painfully childish. Yet it was because of that, she had been truly cornered. Faced with these overly simplistic questions made it all the harder for her to twist her way out of the problem. Staring up at Rom, Nepgear could see the disappointment quickly fill her eyes with each passing second of silence.

"W-Why? How could you do that to your friends…?"

Rom's voice had now faded into a stunned stutter, her small form had shrank down even smaller.

"S-so what about all the fun we had? All the times we spent together…? Is this what they call being used?"

"N-N…"

No…You're…wrong…

There was little Nepgear could do but sit and watch as Rom's face twisted into an unreadable, complex expression. Her denial was caught in her throat. She couldn't bring herself to fight the truth, nor to hide behind another lie yet again.

"Why aren't you denying it?"

A slight irritation crept into Rom's voice.

"Say it's not true, just say no! Why aren't you even talking?!"

Faced with Nepgear's silence, her whisper suddenly raised into a scream.

"The Nepgear I know is a good person! Why did this have to happen?!"

"I-It had to be done…"

In a completely defeated voice, Nepgear finally muttered her reply.

"F-For our future…for the sake of everyone…it…was the only option…"

"I don't care! I don't care about any of that! Is it so important, that you had to kill us for it?!"

As Rom's shout echoed through the concrete maze that surrounded the both of them, Nepgear finally gave in. No more excuses. No more running. No more lies, no more hiding.

"I…I'm sorry…"

"This time, 'sorry' isn't enough."

With a silver glitter trailing from the corner of her eyes, Rom's small, white back took to the skies.

"Farewell."

Nepgear watched the young girl slowly rise into the navy blue night. Her heart seemed to sink to an even deeper depth. Without achieving anything, without having said anything, she had managed to lose yet another ally, yet another friend.

Rejected, yet again.

Betrayed, yet again.

How many times has it been?

Why…do I even try?

"A-Ah…"

Nepgear finally could take no more. Her vision clouded at its edges, the world's colours merged into a navy blue and grey smudge, her breathing was sharp and shallow. Absentmindedly casting her eyes down over her body, the only colour she could recognise was the pool of deep crimson.

Her vision had long since become unfocused, with colours rapidly fading into tones, before darkness engulfed her world yet again. A strange feeling, one of weightlessness assailed her mind. Lightheaded from her heavy wounds, it was only a matter of time before the last slivers of white faded from her monochrome world.

Once more, Nepgear was thrown into the darkness.

Within the darkness, Nepgear could finally, slowly come to grips with her surroundings.

What's going on in this world?

Among the flurry of questions she had, the overriding question in her mind was undoubtedly this.

Why are they alive?

Click.

Why are they trying to kill me?

Click.

A vague sound echoed through her mind. With each click, her senses were restored. Bit by bit, she could feel her conscience return. Her hands suddenly felt the grit, her mouth tasted the bitter iron from her blood, the fleeting scent of Rom's hair mixed with her own pricked her nose.

What…is this all?

Nepgear opened her eyes.

Light gradually seeped in through Nepgear's eyelids. Still lying on the floor, Nepgear blinked her eyes and heaved her beaten body up. Stumbling to her feet, she stretched her arms out, feeling her surroundings, searching for something to balance herself on. Her eyes eventually adapted to her dim environment, and it was only now that she could see how hemmed in she was. The darkness and the silence of narrow alleyway filled her mind with a familiar nausea.

"I've got to hand it to those girls."

Before Nepgear could even begin to understand her situation, another attacker arrived.

"Young as they are, they've got enough in them to see through your sickening act."

From behind her, a fluorescent green streak shot past. Had its trajectory been aimed slightly further left, it would have doubtless impaled her, ripping clean through her heart, killing her without leaving a trace of the weapon.

Nepgear staggered aside as the afterimage of the projectile flew by, crashing into the building in front of her.

With a violent explosion, the narrow entry into the building collapsed. At the same time, the sound of high heels clattering against the street reached Nepgear's ears. Unsteadily, she turned around.

The sight that greeted her tired eyes could only be described as being pure hostility.