Gathered together on the streets of Planeptune's main city: Planeptune, the Four Goddesses Offline stood before each other. Each Share-based deity already poised for battle as they spoke casually.
White Heart, holding her mighty hammer, was ready to swing on whoever would dare transgress against Gamindustri. Green Heart primed her spear to penetrate any threats to her people that tried rearing their heads. Black Heart prepped her long sword in an offensive stance, head on a swivel for the woman who'd sent her closest friend flying through the air.
"And what would you know about the homeless, White Heart of Lowee?" And even then, with all those eyes out for her, the heavily injured VPU managed to somehow sneak her way up to the four. "Seeing as your nation's homeless population's numbers are as fictitious as your chest?"
Instantly, everyone's attention switched to behind them. There, at the doorframe of Planeptune's Basilicom, the home of the Nation's Goddess, basically the church of the place, stood Vinaya. Leaning on it like she owned the place.
"Tch! Bitch!" Blanc, suddenly annoyed at the lioness's jab, grit her teeth, gripping her hammer tighter in response to the soft spot seemingly hit upon their first meeting.
Vert, who was less than a few seconds away from getting told off for her habitual ramblings, narrowed her eyes. Subtly, the blonde began preparing an SP skill as she kept her mouth shut.
"Huh," Noire couldn't help but let out a huff, her mind racing to figure out the nature of the woman with lion ears as she mumbled aloud. "It's like she's pulling in negativity itself by virtue of existence... Or is she exuding it?"
"Not sure, could be both. Either way, she's bad news, Noire. And thus, she's gotta go." Blanc added, ready to rush down the group's opponent, but waiting patiently for the rest of her team to be as ready as she was. Or at least until at least one other goddess prepped an attack or two.
Over with neptune, she was gripping a wooden katana, the only weapon she had available at the time since all the others were within the Basilicom's walls. Had she expected to end up in the situation she'd found herself in, she'd have brought a spare Yggdrasil Staff or two.
"So, this is the self-proclaimed VPU who was putting belt to ass on my dear Neptune? Vinaya, was it?" Vert questioned, the quiet ritual on her attack complete and waiting to be fired.
Neptune tried raising a finger in protest, but was shut down by a simple glance from Green Heart. A glare that wordlessly asked "are you currently in HDD?" to which the answer was an obvious 'no'.
The named evil entity pushed herself off of the closed door, folding her arms as she cockily strode forward. Hips swaying with each step, the lioness made her approach look like she was going down the catwalk.
And that new fit she was rocking? Pure white with sharp red linings—blemishless, practically bleeding elegance. A crisp dress shirt tucked into an office skirt, deep V-neckline ending just at her bust to hide the now-sealed gash across her chest. Thigh-highs and matching heels completed the look, the skirt's high vent granting deadly mobility despite the knee-length hem. She moved like she owned the runway... and the battlefield.
The new outfit also did quite a good job of hiding those ofuda that were still attached to her nipples at that moment.
"Indeed, Green Heart, I am the VPU who was whooping your ally over there. Luckily for that bum her plot armor saved her from me giving her a touch of death combo so vicious her main character role would've been revoked."
At hearing the bum allegations, in real time the female MC flinched as if struck over the head. At the same time, a massive white dragon flew over the group. Something that would usually make the goddesses feel concern at the very least. But at that moment, they didn't even realize it happened.
Vinaya did however. Subtly, she'd raise her gaze to track the mythical creature's trajectory, which was the exact direction of Gynesis's apartment.
Her lips pressed together in a thin line. But they remained shut on the matter at hand.
"Tough talk, redhead. Let's see if you can back those words up!" Black Heart, not one to just let something like her friend getting roasted pass her by, pointed her glowing blue and black sword at Vinaya's head.
This only made the Sin of Pride grin.
"Certainly, tsundere," she droned with a hair flick, voice screaming unamusement.
That was all it took to set off the fight. Before the rest of their teammates, in rushed Blanc and Noire.
Having been the latest targets of our local lioness's ragebait, it was hard to blame them for going off.
From the front, White Heart swung her hammer right for that forehead, planning to give a lobotomy through blunt force to Vinaya. One eye glowing red, Blanc had clearly had it with the Sin of Pride's antics and was going to put it to a stop if it killed her.
Okay maybe not THAT far but still.
From behind, Black Heart went for the backdoor technique, driving broadsword forward as if trying to give her opponent that long sword style. Trying to dig out the redhead's guts from behind, Noire had had it up to here with Vinaya.
All in all, it was a solid plan, going for the double team. A clear attempt to force the VPU to pick a target, leaving her wide open for the other to deliver a devastating blow.
Too bad it was against what many would call a 'reverse jumper'. A being who excels- no, THRIVES when facing multiple attackers at once. To others, they'd be sweating bullets, having so many avenues of taking damage sent their way.
But for Vinaya?
Her grin didn't shift, but her feet surely did. Like water, her body slipped out of Noire's path. Who would've been the first to hit her had she not effortlessly sidestepped that shit.
In the same breath, the lioness pivoted in a 360, swinging out her hand and grabbing Black Heart by the face without so much as breaking her stride. Resulting in the Lastationite getting put between her foe and friend. Her back facing the icy deity.
Just in time for that hammer of dawn to land squarely on her spine, blowing her back out in a friendly fire incident so heinous it would've been a viral clip had that been streamed on any platform in Gamindustri for years to come.
The impact of metal on flesh rang out like a metal pipe hitting someone's skull.
**CRACK!!**
"Gah!"
The sound of the pavement giving way under the weight of Blanc's hammer filled the air, eclipsed only by the pained grunt of Lastation's protector as her upper spine was rearranged. Noire's only physical reaction to the blow was her entire body flinching before going limp—most likely her nervous system being rendered temporarily useless given the situation.
The impact was so great it even caught Vinaya herself off guard, if only by a little. Suddenly she'd found her feet buried half a foot into the ground, her eyes widening a bit before returning to a sultry glare of narrowed slits. She didn't expect such an explosive display of force from the less endowed fighter, which allowed the weight of the blow to buckle her knees a bit. A mistake she mentally promised herself never to make again, as it also caused her to end up spraining her wrists—an injury the Sin pretended not to have sustained in that instance.
As for Blanc herself, her eyes went wide faster than her brain could even register the events that had just taken place. To her, she was about to smack a bitch for talking crazy to her in one instant, and in another she was slamming her hammer into one of her best friends. Right when her weapon had made contact, she reeled back, regret engraved onto her features clearer than any sculptor could ever dream of achieving on any statue.
Saying she was shocked would be a criminal understatement worthy of jail time. She was appalled, frightened even, and most of all -even more pissed. Except her rage was more of a cold fury than a blazing inferno. No longer did her eye glow, for such a mindset is what put her in that situation. Her volatility was dissipating by the second, but her hostility remained firmly, brewing far above the surface—even as she tactically retreated several steps to regroup with her fellow goddesses.
In the same instant as Noire's scream, her closest ally present shouted as well.
"DAYUM!" Purple Heart, who was still stuck in her human form, yelled in consternation, jumping back as if she too was struck. The image made her skin crawl with shock and horror.
Vert grimaced, but held her ground, not due to a lack of caring, but because blindly rushing in to avenge Noire might make her the next Vinaya victim. Which was the last thing the remaining fighting forces needed right now.
As for Noire herself, she wasn't given much time to fathom her situation before or after getting struck. To her, she was grabbed then suddenly couldn't feel her legs and had so much pain shooting through her entire body that her mind decided to turn that noise off as a safety mechanism—accidentally shutting off her limbs' access to movement in the process.
All that happening right before getting tossed to the side like litter in Gotham. Sent skidding on her back across the tarmac until she hit a lamppost head first, denting the construct and getting forced to sit upright as a result.
Then, the devil in Prada spoke. Opening her mouth with a mocking sincerity that was more sickeningly sweet than artificial sugars, and faker than a BBL.
"Wow, flatty, with enemies like you who needs friends?" asked the VPU with a mocking raised eyebrow and faux concern, immediately pinning the blame of Noire's current state solely on Blanc.