Hello Fanfiction readers! I, Ashbel Longhart, have finally returned after three months to the dark world that is Faiz! Sorry I haven't updated this story after so long, but when you got others stories you want to do, you tend to find your hands are. But I thank you all for your patience and present you with today's chapter. Before I leave, cue the disclaimer!
(Disclaimer: I do not own Senki Zesshou Symphogear or Kamen Rider Faiz. I also don't own any songs that appear here.They all belong to their respective owners. I just own this story and my OC's. Please enjoy.)
Now readers, Open Your Eyes For The Next Faiz and let's ride! Man, I haven't said that in a long time.
Song 8: Power
(Last Time)
"There's been a change of plans. We're going to take this girl back to headquarters. Those men didn't have the belts with them."
"Let Kanade go!"
"Tsubasa, you said that the armored man was black with white lines all over him. Then you must have run into Delta."
"Don't worry Tsubasa. We will save Kanade, I promise!"
"Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Murakami."
"And you as well, Mr. Saito Wakui. But your job isn't finished yet."
"A mercenary?"
JET SLIGER, COME CLOSER
"Aaaaah…Crapbaskets."
"If this is how you thank all people who save your friend then remind me to never help you guys again."
"Those were the Horse and Crane Orphnochs."
(Insert PSI-missing by Kawada Mami)
(Instrumental)We first see a blurry screen before it clears up a bit to reveal the face of Faiz. The screen becomes blurry again before Faiz's face is replaced with the face of Haru. After that, the title appears as the song begins.
(Koko ni ikiru sono wake mo)Getting off a train, we see Haru getting off and walking away to who knows where.
(Kono basho de deau subete mo)We then see Hibiki hanging out with Miku before she receives a phone call. Going to pick it up, she notices Haru passing by and just watches where Haru was going.
(Tatoe chigau sekai demo)We see Haru again walking past Tsubasa. Tsubasa seems to notice Haru as she stopped walking and stared back at him.
(Doko ni ite mo kono omoi ha yuruganai)Haru once again walks to who knows where. We then see Chris at a vending machine, getting a drink before noticing Haru walking by. Haru then walks by a hooded teen who looked towards Haru's direction.
(Mune wo CHIKURI to sasu itami)We then find ourselves within the Second Division Base. We then see Genjuro looking up at the surveillance camera before looking towards us.
(Sore wo warau shiawase na mono tachi he)Sakurai, who was looking at something on a clipboard, turned to us and then go see Kanade who smiles in our direction.
(Sei wo mukeyuku)Then suddenly, alarms go off, signaling that Noises are attacking.
(Touzen no kurushimi wo unmei ga sasou) We see both Hibiki and Tsubasa arriving at the scene, activating their Relic before going in to fight. Not far behind, can see Haru coming in, riding on the AutoVajin.
(Furuedasu ashi ga oboeteru.. kakushin ni)Haru then jumps off the AutoVajin and transforms into Faiz, running to go join the girls when suddenly, Orphnochs appear, stopping him from helping. Refusing to back down, Faiz charges at the Orphnochs, throwing a punch at them.
(Yume dake ja mamorenai)We then suddenly see Chris falling into a black void as Haru tries to reach and save her.
(Tayoranai chikara)We then see Haru on a hill top, overlooking the city as Haru seemed to enjoy the view. Hibiki, Kanade, and Tsubasa then appear out of no where and join Haru in looking at the city and Haru didn't seem to mind the new company.
(Ima kono te ga shiru kara mayowanai)We then go back to the fight in the city where we see Hibiki and Tsubasa about to send out their most powerful attack while Haru jumps and Rider Kicks towards the screen, his kicking feet glowing red, before the scene changes to the Faiz Gear lying next to a grave, rain pouring down as the song comes to an end.
(Now)
In the dorm room of both Hibiki and Miku, Miku was sound asleep. As the sun broke the horizon, Miku slowly woke up to the sounds of the birds chirping. The minute she opened her eyes, she found that her best friend was not with her in bed.
"Hibiki?" Miku got up and looked around until she found a note that was probably from her friend if the hand writing was anything to go by.
Note: I'm ditching school. Training.
"What is she doing this time?" Miku thought out loud after she finished reading the note. For the past few weeks, Hibiki's been going off and ditching school from time to time and the only thing she's told her was that she was off training. What she was training for was beyond her.
(With Hibiki)
I simply watched as Hibiki was punching a punching bag dressed in nothing but a plain sweat shirt, pants, and equipped with boxing gloves. Like I had suggested, Hibiki had went to Genjuro for some training and that's what Hibiki was doing right now.
"She seems to be working hard." I turned to my right to see Tsubasa dressed in a Kendo Gi, probably having just finished her training.
"Yeah." I said as Tsubasa stood next to me, drinking from a bottle of water.
"Stop." Genjuro said, stopping Hibiki from punching. You're doing it wrong. Your fists ought to fly like hammers smashing the thunder of the bolt that struck you."
…Excuse me?
"What did he say?" I asked the bluenette next to me.
"He just means that she's punching too weakly and needs to put more force into them." Tsubasa said.
"I didn't understand a word of that." Don't worry, Hibiki, I didn't understand either. "But I'll give it a try!"
Hibiki breathed in and out before concentrating. Then, something seemed to click as Hibiki went and punched the punching bag so hard it flew from its branch and crashed into the fish pond.
I couldn't help, but smirk at her achievement in power. Hibiki herself seemed ecstatic herself.
"That's more like it." Genjuro said as he put on some punching pads. "Now, let's put these to work."
"She's improving." Tsubasa said.
I nodded in agreement. "Maybe now, she'll stop doubting herself." I then glanced at the tree that held the punching bag before I walked up to it. "Maybe I'll catch up on some training myself."
"Huh?" Hearing me, everyone stopped what they were doing to see what I would do. Well, might as well show them.
I breathed in and out before I spun and kicked the tree so hard that I shatter the base, making the tree fall down as any birds on it quickly flew away.
"Still got it." I said before turning to see Hibiki and the others starting in surprise. "What?"
"Haru, that was amazing!" Hibiki said. "You kicked down the tree like it was nothing! And without using your armor!"
I simply shrugged. "It was nothing special, really."
"I thought you said you only knew street fighting?" Tsubasa asked.
"Well, I've street fighted for most of my life, but I did have some formal training before." I explained. "You see, a relative of mine who lives in America is a martial arts master and when me and my family went to visit him, he would always make me and my brother train with him. The first time we trained with him, he wouldn't let us leave until we were able to kick down a tree."
"Really?" I nodded. "What kind of family do you have?"
"The crazy kind." I said.
(Unknown Location)
"How did the activation of the Holy Relic we handed over go?" asked the voice of a man who spoke in the English Language.
"As reported, the tests results show that completed Relics need a considerable amount of Phonic Energy Gain. It can't be done so easily." Said a blond woman who was completely naked for some reason. All around her were things that could only be described as torture tools.
"Black Art, we need to show the world technology of a lost civilization and make it ours by all means."
"I know, I know. It's all give and take, really. I appreciate the aid your country has lent us." Said the woman as she sat down. "I leave today's duck hunt and later developments up to you."
"So, you 'appreciate' my services, do you? Then I expect you to uphold your end of the bargain."
"Of course I will. I would do nothing less. Obedience is the key to longevity." Said the woman before she hanged up and got up. "So despicably vulgar. I'm tired of how remarkably unremarkable his homeland is. I wouldn't tell someone like him under torture that Solomon's Ring has already been activated." Suddenly, she walked up machine that held none other than Chris, the girl Haru had encountered at the store so many times and right now, she had seen better days. "Don't you agree, Chris?"
Chris didn't reply as she was covered in sweat and seemed to be in pain.
"Are you in pain, Chris?" The woman asked as if just realizing it. "Your failure is what got you into this. You had support from Smart Brain, help from the Lucky Clover for god sakes, yet you still failed. All you had to do was take the girl once she took the bait, but instead, you return empty handed."
"This is necessary, right?" Chris asked.
"What is?"
"I have to obey you if I want to see my wish granted, don't I?"
"That's right. You have to accept me without a shred of doubt. Otherwise, I'd have to hate you." The woman said before she moved away from Chris and walked up to the switch of the machine Chris was currently bound to. Switching it on, electricity surged through the machine and into Chris, causing her intense pain.
*BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!*
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"You're so cute, Chris." The woman said as Chris' screamed delighted her. "Remember, only I can give you the love you deserve." She then switched the machine off, giving Chris some time to recover. After all, it would do her no good if the girl died. "Don't ever forget, pain can be the bonds that connects the hearts of me. That's how it's always been. Now, why don't we eat together?"
At that, Chris smiled, but the smile from the woman said that she had other plans.
*BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!*
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
*RING-RING-RING!*
"Hm?" The woman turned off the torture machine, much to Chris' relief as the phone rang again. "Now who could be calling at a time like this?" Going to her phone, she picked it up and said, Hello?"
"Finé." The voice of Murakami spoke through the phone.
"Ah! President Murakami, what can I do for you today?" The woman asked.
"Miss Finé, if you have the time, I would like to discuss some…business."
(Lydian Academy)
"Due to circumstances, Hibiki is unable to come to class today." I spoke through the phone.
"Again? That's the fourth time this week." Said the voice of Hibiki's and Miku's new teacher.
"Sorry, but she has a lot going on right now." I said before hanging up as Hibiki collapsed on the table.
"This morning was too hard." Hibiki groaned, tired.
"Now, now. You wanted to get stronger so no complaining." I said.
"You're improving very well, Hibiki." Genjuro said as he sat down with a bottle of water in hand. "Keep this up and you'll be a champion in no time."
"Here. Drink this." I said, handing her a bottle of water.
"Thank you!" Hibiki said before she snatched out of my hands and took huge gulps. "Sigh! Now I feel better. By the way, where's Tsubasa?"
"She's off visiting Kanade again." I said. "If I remember correctly, she should be getting out of the hospital today."
"That's good to hear." Hibiki said. "I was worried something may have happened to her since she was in Smart Brain."
"Sakurai ran test on her and said that there was nothing wrong so there's nothing to be worried about." Genjuro said.
"You know, there's something I've been wondering for a while." Hibiki said. "Aren't there other ways to fight against the Noise? Why do you have to rely on high school girls like me and Tsubasa? Don't other countries have solutions?"
"Officially, there's no other way to combat the Noise without the use of a Relic." Genjuro said. "Even in Japan, information relating to the Symphogear is classified."
"But I kind of go out there in broad daylight." Hibiki said, talking about how she and Tsubasa go out whenever there's a Noise attack, garbed in their Symphogear for everyone to see.
"Keeping word from spreading is probably another part of their job." I said.
Genjuro nodded. "That's right. However, sometimes we go too far which has caused some hate from cabinet members and ministers alike. In fact, it's to a point that they just call us a 'sore thumb.' We swore secrecy to the government's upper echelons, but it's been getting difficult to keep up."
"But what they're really after are the Symphogears themselves." I said. "With how much power they show, the government probably wants to use them as an ace in the hole."
Genjuro nodded. "That's right. We have to constantly watch our backs and try not to slip up. After the stunt we pulled with Smart Brain, we're more on edge then ever."
"Symphogears were produced from unknown means as countries have no way of reproducing them so it stands to reason that a lot of people want to get their dirty hands on them." I said, remembering what Sakurai had told me and Hibiki.
"All this talk is making my head hurt." Hibiki said. "By the way, where's Ms. Ryoko?"
"I've been wondering that too." I said.
"She's away on official business." Genjuro said. "She was summoned by a government big shot so she won't be back for a while."
"At least she's not here to ask if she could dismantle my Jet Sliger." I said. That woman would not back down when concerning my things.
"By the way, I wanted to speak with you, Haru." Genjuro said.
"What you want to talk about?"
"It's about the Kaixa Gear Tatsuya and the others left with us." Genjuro said.
Oh yeah, that's right. After we rescued Kanade from Smart Brain, Tatsuya and his students left the Kaixa Gear and the Side Basshur with us, thinking it would be safer with us than with them. However, they did take that other suit case with them so as of right now; we only have the Kaixa equipment with us.
"Let me guess, you want to know more about the Kaixa Gear."
Genjuro nodded. "That's right. All you've told us so far that a human can use it, but only once as they die once they undo the transformation. I would like to not only know more about the Kaixa Gear, but the others as well. Smart Brain still has the Delta Gear with them so any info would be really helpful."
I thought to myself before deciding that I would tell him all I knew. "Alright, I'll tell you as much as I know, but listen closely cause, I'm only gonna say this once. You listen too, Hibiki. "The both of them nodded and I began. "First, I'll tell you the Delta Gear. The Delta Gear was the first set of Kamen Rider Gear developed by the Smart Brain Corporation to protect the Orphnoch King. However, it never made it past the prototype stage."
"You mean the Delta Gear is just a prototype?" Genjuro asked.
I nodded. "That's right, however don't underestimate it for it has more power and speed than the Kaixa Gear and my Faiz Gear. But, the Gear is significantly less functional as it is severely lacking in weaponry. Unlike the Kaixa Gear, the Delta Gear is able to be used by humans without killing them, but there are some potential side-effects."
"You mentioned something about side-effects before." Hibiki said, remembering the time where I explained about the Gear back when that Mysterious girl attack.
"In case you've forgotten, I'll tell you again." I said. "The side-effects include the person being mentally unstable and developing an addiction to using the Gear, as well as developing minor Orphnoch-like powers."
"And you said that only those with a strong enough will or those that just dislike fighting can use the Gear without suffering the side-effects." Genjuro said.
"That's right." I nodded. "Now, I'll tell you about the suit in general. Like all Rider Gears, the Delta Gear manifests armor, generating a glowing substance called Photon Blood that generates the soft Sol Foam suit, Sol Metal armor, and Fullmetal Lung chest armor via through Delta's bluish-white Photon Streams at the gauntlets and Power Anklet. The helmet is equipped with a Global find antenna that allows it to link up to the Smart Brain's networks and the Ultimate Feeler visor lenses which allows the user incredible vision to see in the dark and an unlimited amount of x-ray vision."
Both Genjuro and Hibiki looked flabbergasted at this point.
"And this is just the suit itself?" I nodded. "Incredible."
"Now the Delta Gear's arsenal includes the SB-333B Delta Driver, Delta's transformation device, the SB-333P Delta Phone, a walkie-talkie-shaped control unit of the Delta Gear and the Grip of the Delta Blaster, and the SB-333DV Delta Mover, a digital camcorder-shaped view-screen and the main portion of the Delta Blaster. Combing the Phone and the Mover makes Delta's main weapon, the Delta Blaster. Now the Delta Blaster has to be given commands to initiate some functions. Fire is to initiate Burst Mode, Charge recharges the weapon after its run out of ammo, and Check will charge and initiate a finishing move."
"Now for the Kaixa Gear. The Kaixa Gear is the third set of Kamen Rider Gear developed by Smart Brain. The Kaixa Gear is much more powerful than my Faiz Gear, but is slower. It doesn't have enough strength like the Delta Gear, but it possesses more functionality. Like the Delta Gear, humans can use it to transform, however, the user dies as soon as they cancel the transformation. Like all Gear, the Kaixa armor manifest when the Driver generates Photon Blood, the Soft Foam suit, Sol Metal armor, Fullmetal Lung chest armor, yellow Photon Streams which end at the Photon Terminals, the Power Anklet greaves, the right anklet having the Energy Holster. Like Delta, it has a Global Feeler antenna, but has limited amount of x-ray vision. The Kaixa Gear comes with the SB-913B Kaixa Driver, the SB-913P Kaixa Phone which is a sideslip swing phone which comes with the Kaixa Mission Memory, the SB-913C Kaixa Shot, the SB-913B Kaixa Pointer, the SB-913X Kaixa Balygun, and Kaixa's main means of transportation, the SB-913V Side Basshur and like my Auto Vajin, has a robot-like battle mode. Now the Blaygun is unique to Kaixa only as it is a multipurpose weapon, serving as a pistol, dagger, and lightsaber. To activate Gun Mode, one has to pull the hammer before firing. To initiate Blade Mode, one has to insert the Mission Memory into the slot below the hammer."
"Now for the Faiz Gear. The Faiz Gear is the second set of Kamen Rider Gear developed by Smart Brain. It has less strength than the other two Gears, however it has more speed than Kaixa and greater functionality than Delta. Unlike the other two Gears, the Faiz Gear can only be used by Orphnochs. Like all Rider Gears, it generates Photon Blood from the Faiz Driver, the Soft Foam suit, Sol Metal armor, Fullmetal Lung chest armor, via Photon Streams that ends at the Photon Terminals, Power anklet, and Energy Holster. The Helmet is equipped with the Global Feeler like the others and has the Ultimate Finder. And like the Kaixa Gear, it also has a limited amount of x-ray vision."
"Uh…Not to sound rude, Haru, but it sounds like that your Gear has very little advantages over the other armors." Hibiki said.
"Well, that is correct if it wasn't for Faiz's vast arsenal." I said. "Like the other Gears, it has the SB-555B Faiz Driver, the SB-555P Faiz Phone along with the Mission Memory, the SB-555C Faiz Shot, the SB-555L Faiz Pointer, and the SB-555H Faiz Edge which is stored in my SB-555V Auto Vajin. Now, unlike the other Gears, Faiz comes with different forms."
"Different forms?" Genjuro repeated.
"Yeah." I then turned to Hibiki. "Hibiki. Remember how I suddenly appeared last time when that mysterious girl attacked you and Tsubasa?"
Hibiki thought to herself before speaking. "Uh…Yeah. You suddenly appeared and stopped Tsubasa from singing her Swan Song. Why do you ask?"
"I looked different when I stopped Tsubasa, didn't I?"
"Uh…Now that you mention it, yeah. You did look different. You were all silvery and your eyes were red."
"That Hibiki was my Axel Form."
"Axel Form?"
I nodded. "My Axel Form is much stronger than my Basic Form. Using the SB-555W Axel Watch, I insert the Axel Mission Memory in place of the regular one, allowing me to enter that form. The Fullmetal Lung chest plates rise out of their recesses and rotate from the scapula to form shoulder pads which reveal the Faiz Core at the center of my chest. The Photon Streams turn silver and the Ultimate Finder turn red. In this form, not only am I stronger, I can move at the speed of sound for a limit of 10 seconds."
"The speed of sound!?" Both Genjuro and Hibiki cried out in surprise.
"No wonder you seemed so fast in that form." Hibiki said.
"It's great and all, but I'm usually left fatigued once the ten seconds are up." I said. "I do have a much more powerful form that can easily trump both Kaixa and Delta called Blaster Form. In this form, the amount of Photon Blood increases to the extreme where it overflows from the Photon Streams and spreads itself over the Sol Foam and Sol Metal, changing their color to red and changing the Photon Streams to black. I also receive a new, more powerful version of the Fullmetal Lung, with a backpack-like device attached to it called the Photon Field Floater which releases constant waves of Photon energy, giving me flying capacities. It can also be used as a weapon where they can transform into the Bloody Cannons, two shoulder cannons that fire more focused Photon shots."
"That sounds amazing!" Hibiki said with stars in her eyes.
I then sigh. "I just have one little problem."
"A problem?" Genjuro said.
"I'm missing a very important piece of equipment called the SB-555T Faiz Blaster." I said. "It looks like a large modern Trunk Trunkbox. It's what allows me to enter Blaster Form, but it's gone missing when I first arrived in this world. I don't even want to imagine what would happen if it fell into the wrong hands. Even after two years here, I've still yet to find it."
"If it's that important to you, then we'll help you find it." Genjuro said. "After what I've seen so far concerning the firepower Smart Brain has and what you've shown us, I can see why you're worried."
"Thank you." I said with a small bow.
(Some Place Else)
Out on the streets, three cars drove in secret.
"A single phone call from them messes up my entire schedule." Minister of Defense, Hiroki laughed, talking about the 2nd Division."They are hopelessly out of control."
"They might be a Relic of a pre-war era, but hasn't this gone too far?" said Hiroki's companion.
"Perhaps, but they are our only weapons against the Noise." Hiroki said.
"But what about the mysterious masked vigilante? Can't we just get his help somehow?"
"Other have tried, but all they got back were some very…serious threats." Hiroki said. "Nevertheless, it's my duty to give them the freedom of action they need."
Hiroki's companion could only just sigh and smile as he gazed at the brief case in hand. "A sore thumb indeed."
The cars then drove into a narrow passage way and when the first car was about to exit, a cargo truck suddenly appeared at the exit, making the driver panic and crashed as the other cars crashed into it. From the cargo truck was armed men. Getting out quickly, the guards barely got enough time to pull out their guns as most soon found themselves shot to death. In no longer than 15 seconds were all the guards shot down.
Hiroki shook his head to get the dizziness out before looking to see how his friend was doing, only to find his dead, blood coming from his head as he had been head shot. Thinking quickly, he went for the brief case, but was stopped when the window suddenly broke and the barrel of a gun slammed into his hand, making him pull back.
"You must be Defense Minister, Mr. Hiroki." One of the armed men said in English.
"Who…Who are you?" Hiroki asked, nursing his hand.
The man said nothing as he stepped back to allow none other than Saito Wakui to walk up.
"Mr. Hiroki, it's nice to meet you." Saito said before he took out his Delta Blaster and pointed at Hiroki. "Sorry, but I'm gonna need you to hand over than briefcase.
"Y-You…"
*BANG!*
(With Tsubasa and Kanade)
"For the last time, Tsubasa, I'm fine. You didn't have to skip classes just to come see me." Kanade said as she and Tsubasa were at a café enjoying lunch.
"I'm just worried." Tsubasa said. "We don't know what they could have done to you while you were in Smart Brain."
"Like I said, I'm fine." Kanade said as she took a bite out of her lunch. "Sakurai did a full check up on me and said I was fine. You worry too much."
"Better to be worried than to not be." Tsubasa said. "Despite not being able to wield Gungnir anymore, you're still training as if you're about to go out and fight the Noise."
"Can you blame me?" Kanade said as she looked downcast. "Back when I was still an Attuned, I had the power to not only fight the Noise, but to also protect and give people hope. But now, all I can do is watch as you and the others go out and fight. I just feel so useless." Her hands clenched the glass of water she held and this did not escape Tsubasa. "I just…I just wish I had power again. Power to fight and power to protect."
"Kanade…"
*RING-RING-RING!*
Tsubasa took out her phone and answered it. "Hello?"
"Tsubasa! Come back to Headquarters!" The voice of Genjuro said.
"Has something happened?"
"Defense Minister Hiroki has just been assassinated!"
"What!?"
(2nd Division Headquarters)
"And that's what happened." Genjuro said, finishing telling Tsubasa and Kanade what had happened.
"I can't believe this." Hibiki said as she stared up at the images that were on screen.
"Believe or don't, but this is the cold, common nature of humans." I said. "Have we managed to contact Ryoko yet?"
Genjuro shook his head. But, as if on cue…
"I'm back!" Coming from the elevator was Ryoko herself with a briefcase. "Sorry I took so long."
"Ryoko!" Genjuro said as we all turned to her.
"What's wrong? Did you guys miss me that badly?" Ryoko asked.
"Not really." I said bluntly.
"Defense Minister Hiroki has just been assassinated." Genjuro said.
"What!?" Ryoko quickly went up to us and looked at the images on screen.
"Multiple 'revolutionary' groups have claimed responsibility, but we don't anything for certain yet." Genjuro said. "We should have every man on the investigation."
"We were worried about you since we couldn't contact you." Hibiki said.
"Sorry, but my phone's broken." Ryoko said, making me face palm. "I appreciate the concern, but I have classified orders from the government." She then set down the briefcase she had and opened it, showing us some kind of chip. "Defense Minister Hiroki helped make this delivery successful. We can't let his death be in vain."
"And mind telling me what that is?" I asked.
"This is a chip pertaining to the Durandal sword hidden beneath the base." Ryoko said.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Did you say Durandal? As in the sword of Roland? And did you say under the base?" I asked. "What is something like that doing under the base?"
"I'll explain everything." Ryoko said. "But first, we need to gather everyone for a meeting first."
"I'll handle that." Genjuro said.
(Meeting Room)
After almost two hours later, every single person that was a part of the 2nd Division was now gathered in the meeting room. I was in the front row with the girls as Genjuro and Ryoko stood in front of everyone else.
"From the Noise appearing around the academy, which is to say, the 2nd branch of the Disaster Relief Squad, the government has concluded that their target is to seize Durandal, which lies inside Sacristy D, located on the lowest level of the facility: the Abyss." Ryoko explained as an image of Durandal appeared on screen. So, this is this word's version of Durandal?
"Let me guess, Durandal is one of the few complete Relics left on Earth?" I asked.
Ryoko nodded. "That's correct. The EU handed it over to Japan for safekeeping and management on the condition that Japan write off some of Europe's defaulted loans should the EU economy collapse."
"And where would they have us transfer it?" One worker asked. "There's no place safer than here."
"There's a special vault for Relics deep under Parliament." Genjuro said. "It's often called the Ruins of Memory." Memory, huh. Now I'm suddenly reminded of Double. "They feel it would be safer there. And since were government employees, we have no choice, but to follow orders from those on top of the food chain." And that is one reason why I am not going to be seeking a job that works directly for the government.
"Durandal is scheduled for transport tomorrow at 0500." Ryoko said. "The particulars are on the chip here. Now that everyone knows what we're doing, are there any questions?" No one raised their hands to speak. "In that case, let's get ready."
(2nd Division Headquarters, Command Room)
We all watched on the screen as Ryoko controlled a robot to handle the Durandal.
"Is that the Abyss?" Hibiki asked.
"That's right." Ryoko said. "It's three times as long as Tokyo Sky Tower so it's pretty deep."
"You're kidding!?" I said in surprise. "That's almost 1,800 meters down!"
"We were surprised too when we found out." Kanade said, speaking from experience.
"The government always give Relics top priority so it's no surprise that they would go this far to keep it safe." Ryoko said. "Now, how about you all get some rest before tomorrow's mission? You'll need it."
"Right." Hibiki said.
We all then made way to the elevators, but I stopped when I saw Kanade looking frustrated.
"Something wrong?" I asked.
"It's nothing." Kanade said. "Just frustrated that I won't be able to help out."
"Hey, you might not be able to help us out on the battlefield, but you can still support us from here." I said. "Now come on. We need to go pack for tomorrow's mission."
(Lydian Academy Dorms)
"Oi! Where have you been all day, Hibiki?" Miku asked once Hibiki had returned. "You can't just claim to have 'training' and vanish!"
"Uh, well…" Hibiki scratched her head to think up an excuse. It's these moments where she has to lie to her best friend that she hates the most. "I was with Haru."
"Haru?" Miku raised an eyebrow at that. "What were you doing with him?"
"Um, well, I had asked him to help me with some work that wasn't school related." Hibiki said before she picked up her bag and ran for the door. "Anyway, gotta run!"
"Wait a minute!" Miku cried out, but Hibiki had already left the room. "At least let me worry about you."
(2nd Division Headquarters)
I sipped on some canned coffee as I walked through the hallways. As I was walking, I saw Hibiki who was looking down in the dumps…again.
"Okay, what is it this time?" I asked as I walked up to her.
"Haru?"
"You have that sad look on your face again." I said as I sat next to her. "So, mind telling me what's wrong?"
"Well, I'm sure Miku's mad at me right now." Hibiki said as she brought her knees to her chest. "I ran out without giving her a proper explanation."
"Well, it's no use brooding over." I said. "That's just one of the many problems people face when they try to protect the people."
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Hibiki said. "Heroes in managas always made living as a hero in secret easy."
"Well, this isn't a manga. This is real life." I said as I threw away my finished coffee. "No matter how many times something goes wrong in your life, you have to deal with it and keep moving forward."
"You sound as if you speak from experience."
"It's how I'm still here today." I said. "I'm sure you remember. All those grave spots of the people who've been killed by Orphnochs."
"How could I." Hibiki said.
"Well, after failing to save that many people, I could've stopped anytime if I wanted." I said. "But I didn't. I kept pushing forward, kept striving to save as many people as I can. I'm not trying to sound like some Gary Sue character. What I'm trying to say is that life has its up's and down's and it's these up's and down's that thousands of people have to deal with everyday. So cheer up. You can make it up to Miku later once this mission is over. I'll even cook for you two, if you want."
"Really!?"
I nodded and placed a hand on her head. "For now, get some rest. We have a big day tomorrow."
"Right." Hibiki said, removing my hand as she got up and left.
"Hibiki." She stopped and turned to me. "Remember, you're not alone. You have me and Tsubasa to back you up."
Hibiki just nodded and walked away to get some rest. I better do the same.
(The Next Day)
"Do we seriously have to do this so early?" I asked, yawning.
"Don't complain." Tsubasa said.
"Hai, hai…"
"You're being deployed under the pretext of investigating the assignation of the Defense Minister." Genjuro said. "Make haste for the Ruins of Memory."
I glanced to my left and saw Hibiki sweating from nervousness. I nudged her to get her attention and she turned to me, I gave her a reassuring smile which seemed to calm her down a bit.
"How about we give this mission a code name?" Ryoko said. "How about the 'Personal Highway Plan'?"
"Lame." I said bluntly before I got on my Auto Vajin as Hibiki and Tsubasa took a ride with Ryoko. Once everyone was ready, we took off. Up above, Genjuro followed us to be our eye in the sky.
'It's calm…too clam.' I thought and just as I finished the thought, part of the road ahead broke and collapsed. I steered right, just barely avoiding the pitfall as a car fell and crashed. Looks like things are about to get rough.
-We're under attack!- Really? I could tell.
"Is it Noise?" I asked through the communicator Genjuro gave me.
-Possibly. I see no signs of them, but stay sharp.- You don't have to tell us twice.
-They got to us sooner than expected!- Ryoko said through the com-link.
Suddenly, water erupted from the sewers, sending a car flying.
-They're in the sewers!- Tsubasa said.
"How smart of them." I said before I heard the sound of motorcycle engines. Looking behind me, I saw those motorcycle type Noises. "Well, haven't seen these guys in a long while."
Suddenly, another car got sent flying and was heading our way. I cursed as I dodged the car.
-Genjuro, shouldn't we pull out?- Ryoko spoke through the com-link. –There's a chemical factory up ahead and that's just asking for a huge pile of dynamite. If we continue, then Durandal-
-I know! But the Noise have only attacked your escorts and not you which means they're under sentient control! If they want to get their hands on Durandal, then out best bet is to settle this at someplace dangerous.-
-What are our chances?-
-No clue! I'm playing this all by ear!-
"Got it, but first, we need to do something about these guys." I said one riding Noise drove up to me. It tried to back fist me, but I ducked and kicked it away. Two more drove up next to either of my sides and tried to crush me, but I quickly sped up to escape. I then took out my Faiz Phone and typed: 106.
BURST MODE
Turning around, I fired and struck the riders behind me. Seeing more in the distance, I saw that they morphed one of their hands into that of a gun and fired.
"Shit!" I cursed as I tried my best to avoid fire. Once steady again, I took aim and fired, taking out four before I ran out of ammo, making me quickly dial: 279.
CHARGE
After waiting and dodging Noise bullets for 5 seconds, I shot back again, only managing to kill three as the rest dodged my shots and continued firing. I quickly dodged, but that caused the bullets to hit the last escort car, blowing it up. Oops.
"Not my fault." I quickly said we made it to the chemical factory and pulled to a stop. Taking off my helmet, I soon saw that Noises were surrounding us as more appeared…wait a minute. Appeared?
Looking around, my guess was correct as not to far from us was that mysterious Symphogear user from before.
"It's that girl from before." I said as the girls got out.
"She must be after Durandal." Tsubasa said as she and Hibiki got the case containing Durandal out. From behind, the remaining Noise riders fired at us, hitting the car and making it explode, sending the girls flying.
"Shit!" I cursed again as I made my way towards them. "Everyone alright?"
"We're fine." Tsubasa said as she got up and helped up Hibiki. "Tachibana, you know what we have to do."
Hibiki nodded. "We have to sing!"
"Then let's do this!" I said as I dialed: 555.
STANDING BY
"Henshin!"
"Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron..."
"Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri Tron..."
COMPLETE
In flashes of red, orange, and blue, I donned my Faiz armor as the girls donned their Symphogears. I then removed the Faiz Edge from Vajin and inserted the Mission Memory.
READY
"Alright, let's do this!" I said before we charged.
(BGM: Dead or Alive by Shinichi Ishihara)
The first to attack me was one of the Noise riders. It attempted to ram me, but I jumped and kicked it off its ride before landing on it and stabbing it. I removed the Faiz Edge quickly to take out the Noise's ride as it was still another Noise. More Noise came at me in the form of makeshift bullets, but I was able to destroy each one before charging at the rest. One pounced at me, but was soon killed with a quick stab. Another one tried to strike me, swinging their arms like hammers, but I cut off their hands before taking their heads. Then, from the group came a Noise about the size of two cars. It swung it's arm, but I simply stopped it with one arm, grabbed it, and swung it around like a rag doll before slamming it to the ground, stabbing it to kill it.
With Tsubasa, she was twirling and kicking with her ankle blades, taking out any Noise that so much as got near her. Six tried to pile on her at the same time, but Tsubasa dealt with them before standing on her hands and twirling her ankle blades again so fast that she caused a small tornado, blowing them away and killing them.
Wight Slayer
Quickly getting back on her feet, she pulled out her sword and engaged the other Noise. She sliced one in half, decapitated another, and stabbed one that was attacking her from behind without even looking.
With Hibiki, it seems the fruits of her labor were being shown. She tripped at first and got rid of the heels on her leg armor. Once that was out of the way, she proceeded to demolish all of the Noise that came at her. She punched one so hard that she sent a shockwave through them before it blew up. Another came at her, but she was prepared. She punched it, kicked another, hammer fist one that was speeding towards her, struck with both her fists to take down another, and grabbed one before slamming it down to the ground hard.
I couldn't help but smile at Hibiki's increase of fighting ability. Now, for the mysterious Symphogear user.
It didn't take long to find her as she had not left the spot she was standing at. I ran towards her, taking down any Noise that got in my way. She saw me coming for her and quickly summoned more Noise, but they soon met the end of my blade and became nothing, but piles of ashes. I then jumped towards her, sword raised.
"You're mine!" I yelled, swinging my Faiz Edge…
*BANG!*
"Gah!" I cried out in pain as something struck my side, giving the girl a chance to kick me away as I crashed to the ground.
(BGM End)
"Haru!" I heard both of the girls cry out in worry before they came to my side. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. This is nothing." I said as I got up. "But who…"
"That would be me." Coming out of the shadows was none other than Saito, already garbed in the Delta armor.
"You!"
"Nice to see you again, kid." Saito said. "I'm here to make you pay for last time."
"What? Back for another ass kicking?" I asked.
"Nope. This time, it's going to be me who kicks your ass." Saito said before he snapped his fingers. Then, from the shadows were men in black and I instantly knew who they were.
"Riotroopers." I gritted my teeth.
"Henshin!"
COMPLETE
And in six bursts of Photon Blood later, six Riotroopers were in front of us.
"Well, this is gonna be annoying." I said as I raised my Faiz Edge. "Stay sharp girls! Don't underestimate these guys, especially when they're in numbers."
They both nodded and prepared to fight.
"Take care of the girls. Faiz is mine." Saito said before he charged towards me as the Riotroopers drew their Axel Rayguns and soon followed their leader.
Saito fired three shots at me, which I blocked, but I soon found the Faiz Edge was kicked out of my hands. Saito then threw a punch to my face, making me stumble back. He threw another punch, but I caught it and threw a punch of my own, but he caught it so I did the next best thing and headbutted him, stunning him long enough to kick him away. I then went for a haymaker, but Saito pulled out his Delta Blaster and shot me five times, making me flip and fall to the ground as he stomped on my stomach. He aimed for my head so I quickly moved it as a shot made a hole next to me. Acting fast, I kicked him off of me and quickly got up and jumped for my Faiz Edge, grabbing it and turning to face him.
"You've gotten better since the last time we fought." Saito said as he kept the Delta Blaster on me.
"I didn't just sit on my ass and do nothing for the past week." I said, the Faiz Edge in a defensive position.
With the girls, they were currently working together to take down the Riotroopers. Three engaged them in close combat as the last three provided cover fire. Tsubasa blocked and deflected shots fired at them as Hibiki took care of the other three. She blocked a strike for her head and punched the Riotrooper in the gut, before spinning around and roundhouse kicking the second one. The last one tried to attack her back, soon found that it could move.
Shadow Weaving
"Now, Tachibana!"
Hibiki thanked her before giving the stunned Riotrooper a devastating elbow strike, sending him flying to the supportive Riotroopers as they stopped firing and caught him. But that was what Tsubasa wanted as she transformed her sword and sent an energy slash.
Azure Flash
And with that single slash came an explosion. That's four, two left. Seeing that they were the only ones left, they got desperate and went for Hibiki, deducing that she was the weakest. Raising her hands in preparation, she slipped past their attacks, she grabbed their necks and slammed them both to the ground before raising both her fists and punched their throats so hard that the ground beneath them cracked. It didn't take a genius to know that she just destroyed their necks.
"Looks like all your Riotroopers are gone." I said as I blocked another shot from Saito.
"So it seems." Saito said as he finally ran out of ammo. "Charge."
CHARGE
"Give it up!" Hibiki said as she and Tsubasa came over. "We've got you outnumbered."
"Heh. I think you've all forgotten someone really important." I raised an eyebrow in confusion until I realized what he meant.
"The girl!" By the time I realized it, it was already too late as a ball of energy impacted the ground and blew us all away.
"Today I pay you back for last time!" The girl yelled as she kicked Hibiki in the face.
"Hibiki/Tachibana!" Both me and Tsubasa cried out in worry and we were about to go help her when a light stopped us. Turning, we all saw Durandal out of its case and in the air. "Durandal?"
"So, that's Durandal?" The girl said before she jumped for it.
"Matte!" I said but before I could do anything, I was shot.
"Don't go forgetting me!" Saito said as he fired at Tsubasa, making her jump away.
Getting back up, I looked and saw that the girl was just inches away from getting the Relic when she was tackled by Hibiki.
"It's mine!" Hibiki said before she grabbed it.
Suddenly, the feeling in the air changed the minute Hibiki grabbed the Relic and soon, a pillar of light shot out from the Relic and Hibiki.
"What in the world!?" Tsubasa shouted over the shockwave as were trying our best to not get blown away.
"What power!" I said as the light was practically blinding me.
Soon, the stone sword that was Durandal changed. Gone was the stone appearance and in its place was a golden sword that was taller than Hibiki. But my amazement for the Relic was overshadowed with worry for Hibiki had the face of a berserk beast, something that should be impossible for the sweet girl.
"What the hell is she doing!?" The girl said. Your guess is as good as mine. "Don't flaunt your power!" Raising her staff, she summoned more Noise but they didn't faze Hibiki one bit as she was about to unleash some sort of Trans-Am Raiser-like move.
Wait a minute. The direction of that attack…She'll hit the chemical factory!
"Hibiki! Yamero! " I yelled as I raced to stop her.
EXCEED CHARGE
With the Faiz Edge charged I got in front of the attack and swung my Sparkle Cut attack. The result was a big shockwave as the ground beneath me gave away as cracks appeared. Damn, how strong is this Relic!?
"Haru! What are you doing!?" I somehow heard Tsubasa over the intense energy caused by Durandal.
I gritted my teeth as I tried to push back the attack, but was failing. "Hibiki! Snap out of it! You'll blow this place to kingdom come if you continue this!"
The only response I got from Hibiki was a growl as she actually pushed harder on the attack. I feel like my arms beginning to tremble as I struggled to keep the attack from hitting the factory.
"Hibiki!" I cried out again to get through to her, but…
*BREAK!*
My eyes widen when the charged blade of my Faiz Edge broke, leaving me wide open for the attack.
"Haru!" Tsubasa yelling my name was the last thing I heard as my vision was overtaken by an intense light.
*BOOM!*
Dust and smoke was scattered everywhere, making it impossible to see what had happened. Finally, we see Hibiki, on the ground, unconscious and out of her Symphogear. She seemed unharmed and seconds later, she began to stir.
"Hmm…Wha?" Opening her eyes, Hibiki was confused at what was going on. With the smoke covering everything, it was hard to see the area around her. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the smoke cleared and what she saw shocked her.
Everything was in ruin. The towers and buildings were nothing, but piles of rubble. Nothing, but total destruction.
"Wha-What happened?"
"Don't you remember?" Hibiki turned and saw Ryoko who no longer had her glasses as her hair was let down. "You grabbed Durandal and chased away the girl. You did all this."
"I-I did?" Hibiki blinked in surprise.
"Haru!" Hearing Tsubasa's voice, Hibiki turned and gasped at what she saw.
On the ground was a beat up and bloody Haru as Tsubasa was trying to wake up the man.
"Haru! Haru! Speak to me!"
"Wha…Wha…"
"Haru tried to stop you when he saw that your attack would have hit the chemical factory." Ryoko explained as she put her glasses back on and tied her hair back into its regular style. "Sadly, he only managed to minimize the damage. We should be thankful for we wouldn't be standing here right now. I'm actually he survived considering he was standing in front of the attack."
"You mean…Haru's hurt…because of me?" Hibiki asked, horrified.
"You got that right." Appearing from the smoke was Saito, still as Delta though a bit dusty. He let out a whistle as he looked around. "Talk about power. So that was the power of Durandal. I bet I could make some pretty good cash if I sold that. Which reminds me…" Saito then pointed his Delta Blaster at Hibiki who stilled had the Relic in her hand. "I'll be taking that off your hands."
Acting quickly, Hibiki pushed Ryoko out of the way and dodged to the left as shots struck the spot she was at.
"Ryoko! Keep this safe!" Hibiki said as she threw the Relic to her and started to sing once again.
"Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron..."
In one burst of light, Hibiki was donned in Gungnir again and charged at Saito, throwing a punch as she was about to start singing, but stopped when Saito easily caught her punch.
"You've got a nice punch, but don't underestimate me just because I don't use a Relic." Saito said before he kneed Hibiki in the gut, making her cough up saliva as Saito threw her like a rag doll towards Tsubasa.
"Tachibana!"
"That hurt…" Hibiki groaned as she got back up. "How's Haru?"
"He's unconscious and his left arm is bleeding, but he'll live."
Hibiki looked down at Haru with regret as she was the one who had made Haru this way. She didn't have time to think more as she heard shots fired. Acting quickly, Tsubasa got in front of Hibiki and blocked all of the shots fired from Saito.
"Hey. You're pretty good with that sword." Saito asked. He then sighed. "I want to get this over with quickly. Better call in the Calvary." He then removed his Delta Phone and brought it up to where his mouth was. "Call in the air strike."
-Roger-
Not long after that order went through, both girls heard something coming from the skies and when they looked to see what it was, they paled.
"You have got to be kidding me." Hibiki said as she stared at what was in the sky.
What both girls were looking at were about 20 Riotroopers flying on jetpacks. But these weren't regular jet packs. These were the SB-RTF Flying Attacker.
'What would Haru say at a time like this?' Both girls thought. 'Oh, right. Fuck.'
(2nd Division Headquarters)
"Okay, first gun phones, then robots, then war motorcycles, and now jetpacks!?" Kanade shouted as she and the other saw what was on the screen. "Is there anything Smart Brain hasn't made that I so want?"
"This isn't good." Ogawa said. "Haru's down for the count, Hibiki's exhausted, and Tsubasa is the only one who can fight. Not only that, but Ryoko's got no way of defending herself. I don't see any way they might get out of this one."
"They need help." Kanade said before tightening her fists. 'But what can I do? I'm not an Attuned anymore. Dammit! If only there was a way to fight without…a…' Kanade's thoughts came to a stop when she remembered that Haru's Faiz Gear was able to kill Noise even though it's not a Relic. And if she remembers correctly, they just happen to have a Gear that allows humans to use it.
'The Kaixa Gear!' Kanade thought before she took off running.
"Kanade! Where are you going!?"
"I'm going to help!"
(Back with the others)
Ugh…What hit me?
I slowly open my eyes, pain coursing through my entire body as my vision cleared up. The first thing I saw was a white ceiling and after blinking a few times, I looked down and saw both Tsubasa and Hibiki, both sound asleep resting on the bed I was on.
"I see you're finally awake." Turning, I saw Ryoko coming through the door along with Genjuro and Kanade.
"You sure worried all of us." Genjuro said.
"Ryoko, Genjuro…What happened?" I asked. "Why am I in the medical room?"
"So you don't remember. Well, I guess that's not surprising since you took the full force of Hibiki's attack." Ryoko said.
I was confused at what she meant, but then the memories of what happened came back to me. "I remember. Hibiki grabbed Durandal and went crazy. I tried to stop her, but failed."
"Hey, don't feel so down." Ryoko said. "We had to cancel the mission, but Durandal is still safe and sound. We wouldn't have made it back here if it weren't for Kanade here."
"Kanade?" I raised an eyebrow to her and she just rubbed her head.
"Yeah, see, here's the thing…" Kanade said as she began to tell me what happened while I was unconscious.
"So, before I kill all of you, how's about handing over Durandal and the Faiz Gear?" Saito asked as all the flying Riotroopers were in the air behind him, ready to strike at his command.
"Fat chance." Hibiki said.
He simply shrugged. "Oh well, Have it your way." He then raised his hand and brought it down. "Fire-!"
*VROOM!*
Before he could finish the order, the sound of a motorcycle stopped him as everyone looked to see what caused it. Coming from the distance was none other than the Side Bassur. But who's driving it?
Whoever was driving it attempted to ram Saito, but he simply jumped and landed a few feet away from us as the rider came to a stop. Taking off the helmet, the rider was none other than-
"Kanade!?" Tsubasa said in surprise.
"I hope I'm not too late to join the party." Kanade said with a smirk.
"Kanade, what are you doing here?" Hibiki asked.
"I'm here to help." Kanade said before she took out a briefcase from the sidecar. Opening it up, it revealed the Kaixa Gear that Tatsuya and the others had left behind.
"The Kaixa Gear?" Saito said. "What luck. Now I can return both belts to the president."
"That's what you think," Kanade said as she gathered all of the equipment before strapping the belt around her.
Everyone eyes widen when they knew what she was about to do.
"Kanade! What are you doing!?" Tsubasa asked. " Don't you remember what Haru said when non-Orphnoch use that belt!?"
"I'm fully aware, Tsubasa." Kanade said as she grabbed the Kaixa Phone and flipping it open. "But I can't just back and watch as my friends get killed. I'm sick and tired of not being able to do anything when my friends go out and risk their lives."
"Kanade! Don't do it!" Tsubasa said as she was about to run towards her friend.
"Don't try to stop me, Tsubasa!" Kanade's outburst stopped Tsubasa as Kanade calmed down. "Tsubasa, did you know that I used to think like you? I used to think that there was no meaning in fighting the Noise. I just fought because it was a way of venting out my anger on the Noise who killed my parents. But, as time passed, I grew to think that if we continue to fight, something might be waiting for us once all the fighting is done." Kanade then dialed the numbers used for the transformation: 913.
STANDING BY
"This may not be able to sing anymore…" Kanade said as she closed the phone and held it up. "But, I will fight to the bidder end!"
"Yamero!"
"Henshin!" Kanade shouted as she inserted the Phone into the slot…and brought it sideways.
COMPLETE
Yellow Photon Veins appeared around Kanade before Photon Blood flowed out and donned her in the Soft Foam suit, Sol Metal armor, Fullmetal Lung chest armor, yellow Photon Streams which end at the Photon Terminals, the Power Anklet greaves, and on the right leg was the Energy Holster. Kanade had become…Kamen Rider Kaixa.
(BGM: KR Faiz OST: Existence~Kaixa-nized dice)
"Kanade…" Tsubasa spoke in both amazement and horror. Amazement because Kanade had transformed and horror because she knew what would happen once Kanade took off the armor.
Kanade took a deep breath in and out before she looked at her armored hands and clenched them tightly.
Suddenly, we they all heard Saito clapping.
"Wow. Great speech. But even with one new Rider, you won't be able to take us all down." Saito said as he gestured to all the Riotroopers in the sky. "Just one order and you'll all be Swiss cheese."
Kanade unclenched her hands as she turned to Saito. "Sorry, but I'm not in the mood to become part of a sandwich. So why don't you come down here and fight me like a man?"
"Hmm…How about…no." As soon as Saito finished saying his answer, he pulled out the Delta Blaster and fired.
Reacting quickly, Kanade rolled out of the way and quickly drew the Blaygun, taking a quick aim before pulling the trigger…but nothing happened.
"What the heck?" Kanade pulled the trigger a couple more times, but nothing happened.
"Hahaha! You don't know anything about the Gear you're using, do you?" Saito asked as she took advantage of Kanade's confusion to get in free shots.
Kanade cried out as she quickly rolled away to avoid getting hit by more shots. "I can't believe I left myself wide open like that. I've gotten rusty." She looked at the Blaygun from all over. "How does this thing work?"
It was then Hibiki remember what Haru had told her and Genjuro earlier and shouted to former Attuned. "Kanade! Pull the hammer of the Blaygun!"
"Hammer?" She looked at the Blaygun and quickly found the hammer, pulling it before shooting at Saito who was forced to dodge. "Alright, what else can this thing do?"
"Insert the Mission Memory. It'll cause it to initiate Blade mode."
"Mission Memory?" Hibiki pointed to her belt. Looking down, she quickly figured out what the Mission Memory is and inserted it into the slot, making a blade extend from the bottom. "Okay, I will not lie. This is cool as fuck."
Kanade was brought out of her admiration by more shots from Saito. Luckily, she was able to block the shots before charging at the Orphnoch himself. Putting away the Blaster, Saito dodged a swing from Kanade, and went to kick her, but she stopped it with her blade and pushed it back before going for another swipe which Saito dodged again and jumped back. With some distance between them, Saito pulled out the Delta Blaster again and fired. But Kanade was afraid as she charged and blocked any shots that threaten to hit her. She went for another slash, but Saito dodged it easily. However, he wasn't expecting the backwards roundhouse kicked as he stumbled and Kanade took this chance to give him two slashes across the chest.
"Hey, I'm getting pretty good at this." Kanade said before she turned to Tsubasa. "Tsubasa, if I manage to live through this, you gotta teach me how to use a sword."
"Lucky shot, bitch." Saito said, having recovered already. "But playtimes over. Men, fire!"
Hearing his command, the Riotroopers who were on standby flew down and started to shoot at us.
"Shit!" Seeing the incoming danger, Kanade ran and took cover with Tsubasa under some rubble as Hibiki and Ryoko did the same.
"What do we do?" Tsubasa asked.
"I tell you what we're gonna do." Kanade said. "We're gonna do this the old fashion way. Cover me, Tsubasa. I'll take Delta while you deal with those Riotroopers." She then turned to Hibiki. "You keep Ryoko safe." Hibiki just nodded.
Tsubasa seemed hesitate before she nodded and jumped towards the Riotroopers. They saw her coming as they quickly fired at her, but she expertly moved through the air and dogged every shot they fired at her. She sent an energy slash to one group before turning to another and summoned thousands pf sword before firing them at the Riotroopers.
One Thousand Tears
The Riotrooper never stood a chance in the sky as many of them were falling like flies as Tsubasa was just too fast for them.
"That's my girl." Kanade said before she turned to Saito. "Now for you."
Saito just gave a 'Bring it on' gesture with his hand and Kanade accepted as she charged towards him, blade in hand. She struck first with a slash to the side, but Saito jumped back before drawing the Delta Blaster again and started firing. Kanade blocked a couple of shots before dodging the rest. Saito didn't stop shootin, forcing Kanade to run around until he ran out of ammo which he did in no time.
"Charge." Saito said before putting away the weapon.
"About time you ran out of ammo." Kanade said as she jumped and went to stab the mercenary, but he jumped as the blade sunk into the ground easily. Pulling out the blade, Kanade barely dodged a kick from the other Rider before raising her arm to block a punch, but the power was stronger than she expected as she was sent flying a few feet back, skidding across the floor. Saito didn't let up as she dash and jumped forward, kneeing her in the face which stunned her which gave Saito the chance to throw a spinning roundhouse kick, sending her tumbling to the ground.
(BGM End)
"Give it up." Saito said as he pulled out his Delta Blaster again. "Despite my Gear still being a prototype, it's still stronger than the Faiz and Kaixa Gear."
Kanade gritted her teeth as she got back up. She hasn't fought in two years and the results were showing themselves right now. She wasn't a stranger to using a bladed weapon, but this is the first time she's wielded one in a reverse grip.
'I could sure some help right about now.' Kanade thought.
But then…
*VROOM!*
"Nani!?" Saito didn't have time to move as he was rammed by the Side Basshur.
"What in the…" Kanade didn't get to finish as what happened next made her jaws drop.
BATTLE MODE
Then, right before everyone's eyes, the Side Basshur transformed into bipedal Walker-type mech. The side car became the unit's legs while the wheels became arm-like appendages. The fork became the right arm; sporting the four-barreled Photon Vulcan and double pincered Heat Point. The Swing arm became the left arm with the exhaust pipes becoming the X-zap Buster. Despite the transformation of the forks, the handle bars remain connected to the mainframe and became the mecha's main control.
Everyone's jaws then dropped as Kanade recovered from her shock.
"…Well that's just not fair." Saito said.
"I'm sorry." Kanade said before jumping and landing on the controls. "But I don't give a shit. Now, what does this button do?" Pressing a random button, the Left arm moved and from each exhaust pipe came a single missile, making a total of six. But then, they all split apart into 8 micro-missiles, making a total of 48 missiles. And they were all aimed for Saito.
"…Son of a bi-"
*BOOM!*
"And that's what happened." Kanade finished telling what had happened. "Once Tsubasa had dealt with the rest of the Riotroopers, Delta blinded us with a flash bang grenade and escaped. You've been knocked out for at least a day since then."
"I see." Well, now I'm glad I told Hibiki about the Gears when Gejuro asked about them. "But wait a minute. You said you used the Kaixa Gear, right?"
"Yeah." Kanade nodded. "Tsubasa was practically crying her eyes out when I was about to end the transformation, but when I did, nothing happened. Are you sure non-Orphnochs die when they use the Kaixa Gear cause I feel perfectly fine."
"I'm positive." After seeing how many people died using the Gear in the show, I'm positive anyone who uses the Gear dies. But why didn't Kanade?
I gave a pause to my thoughts when I heard the sound of Tsubasa stirring. She raised her head and rubbed her eyes and gasped when she saw me.
"Haru! You're awake!"
"What? Did you expect me to be asleep for the next three days?" I asked.
"Well, considering your injuries, I expected you to be unconscious for the next couple of days." Ryoko said.
"Oh, who asked you?" I said.
"I'm…" I turned to Tsubasa who was twiddling her thumbs. "I'm glad you're alright."
"Tsubasa here stayed by your side ever since we got back." Kanade said with a smirk.
"Kanade! Don't tell him that!" Tsubasa blushed red as Kanade just laughed.
I simply smiled in amusement before I heard Hibiki beginning to wake up.
"Mmm…" Hibiki mumbled something before opening her eyes, gasping when she saw me. "Haru!"
"Did you have a nice sleep on my bed?" I asked. I expected some sort of retort, but got none as Hibiki looked down in shame. "Hibiki?"
"I'm…I'm so sorry, Haru." Hibiki said as tears started to develop. "You're hurt because of me. I'm sorry."
"Hey, don't go crying on me." I said as I reached out and wiped away her tears. "Wound like are nothing."
"But, you were bleeding."
"Hey, a little blood loss isn't something to be worried about." I said…Wait a minute. Blood…Kaixa Gear…Kanade still alive…it can't be! "Ryoko."
"Hm?"
"When we rescued Kanade from Smart Brain, did you run a blood test on Kanade?"
"I don't think so." Ryoko said. "Why do you ask?"
"I need you to run a blood test on her right now."
"What's this about?" Kanade asked.
"I think I know why you're fine after using the Kaixa Gear." I said.
"What is it?" Genjuro asked.
I looked at everyone before turning to Kanade. "I think Kanade may have Orphnoch blood in her."
…
…
…
"What?"
And done! Whew! After so long, I finally got the chapter finished. Sorry if this wasn't that good or if Haru was a little Gary Sueing. I haven't written this story in so long so I'm a bit Rusty. So, I'm orettu sure you've already figured it out, but Kanade has now become Kamen Rider Kaixa! If you're all wondering why I made Kanade Kaixa and not use Delta, it's because that Kanade had to be experimented on in order to use a Symphogear so with that thought in mind, I thought 'Why not have her be experimented again?' So with that thought in mind, Kanade was on her way to becoming Kaixa. I just used this episode from the anime to debut it. I hope you all at least liked it. Anyway, this has been Ashbel Longhart here, signing out. Till the next ride.
