Shirabe sat in one of Sector Two's holding cells. Her wrists were in handcuffs, as she looked down at the floor.
"I'm sorry, but I'll have to hold onto this." Ogawa said, holding her pendant in his hands.
"Please… stop them." Shirabe said in a pleading voice. "Save them…"
"They will."
Shirabe looked up, hearing a familiar voice.
"I've only been here for a while, but I know they will." Jeanne said, walking into the room.
"Jeanne… you're here…?" Shirabe said quietly.
She smiled at Shirabe. Ogawa nodded at her, before leaving the room. Jeanne sat down next to Shirabe, before pulling the girl into a gentle hug. Suddenly, they were back at the FIS facility, Jeanne reassuring her that everything would be alright.
Shirabe didn't know when she had started crying.
Tsubasa and Rui walked down the hall, finishing up a conversation. Tsubasa stopped walking, causing the Tachibana to look behind towards her.
"So that's your plan, Rui?" Tsubasa asked her.
"Yeah, if it ever happens." Rui said. "I just hope it never comes to pass…"
"Rui-san? Tsubasa-san?"
The two of them saw Shuri walk up to them.
"Where's… where's oneesama?" She asked, realizing that her sister never came back into the ship.
Rui tightened her fist, while Tsubasa looked crestfallen. "Shuri, I…"
"What happened?" The younger Yukine asked. "What happened to my sister?"
"We've got a visual!" Sakuya said.
The screen pulled up an image of the massive island. Genjuro frowned, but marvelled at the structure.
"Is this the "Frontier'' that FIS sought?" He asked.
"The part above the ocean is really just the tip of the iceberg." Sakuya noted, going through the scans. "It's no surprise they call it the Frontier."
An alarm went off, and Aoi checked the source. "There's another American squadron approaching."
"The Vice-Minister." Genjuro realized.
The transmission of him turned up on the screen, as he slurped up more noodles.
"I didn't expect they'd evacuate to the Frontier to seek shelter from the falling Moon." He said, taking another slurp.
"We will make haste as well." Genjuro declared.
Miku sat on the bed in Sector Two's infirmary room. She sat in silence, but that didn't last for too long as the door opened for visitors.
"Miku!" Hibiki shouted, running forward and throwing her arms around her friend.
Aoi walked in, along with Maia.
"Yo, Miku." The elder Kazanari said, before turning to Aoi. "How is she?"
"Her body is free of LiNKER, and there don't seem to be any adverse aftereffects from the forced Gear activation." Aoi reported.
"Thank goodness! I'm so glad!" Hibiki said, letting out a breath of relief.
"Where's everyone else?" Miku asked.
"Right here."
Rui walked in, closely followed by Tsubasa and Shuri.
"Rui…" Miku said.
"Hey Miku." Rui said, holding up her wrist.
Miku smiled and tapped it with own. Tsubasa and Shuri were confirming the same situation with Aoi.
"Oh and, sorry for the things I yelled at you a while back." Rui said, rubbing the back of her head. "Shouldn't have assumed things…"
"It's fine, Rui." Miku said. "I should apologize too…"
"So you're okay now?" Shuri asked. "That's a relief."
Miku noticed a few tear tracks on Shuri's face, but something else caught her attention first.
"Hibiki… your face…" Miku noted, looking at the bandages and scratches on her body. She remembered what had transpired in their fight, with how brutally she fought.
Hibiki simply smiled at Miku, as did Rui, surprisingly.
"It's… It's my fault, isn't it?" She asked, tears running down her face.
"Yeah, it's thanks to you I'm all better." Hibiki said, her smile widening.
"Huh?" Miku said, confused.
"I owe you one, Miku." Hibiki said. "I didn't save you. You saved me!"
"I.. I did?" Miku asked.
Aoi pulled up Hibiki's X-rays onto a screen. No longer were they corrupt with the relic. They were completely healthy and pure once more.
"Is that… Hibiki?" Miku asked.
"The light from your Gear had the power to negate and disassemble anything originating from relics." Maia explained. "Because of that, not only were your Gears erased, but Hibiki's body was purged of the fragments of Gungnir that encroached upon it. She's the happy go lucky dummy that we all know and love again."
"Your strong sentiment saved Tachibana from the death she was ready to run headlong into." Tsubasa complimented.
"When I was neck deep in trouble, you saved me!" Hibiki said, holding Miku's hand. "Thanks!"
"Me? I did?" Miku asked, almost unsure of what she was hearing.
Hibiki nodded, as Rui held Miku's other hand.
"You saved my sister's life, Miku." Rui said, using her other arm to wipe her eyes. "I can't thank you enough."
"Well, you can thank me too, for my brilliant on the fly thinking." Maia said, ruining the moment as usual, before she blew a kiss.
"Actually, how did you realize that, neesama?" Tsubasa asked.
Maia turned to Rui. "Quick, Rui. What's the catchphrase for the really smart Rider again?"
"...How thrilling?" Rui said.
"No, not that one. The other one!"
"I've found the winning formula?"
"Yeah, that one. Basically, I found the winning formula." Maia said, tapping the side of her head a few times. "But it was all on a theory."
"What theory?" Shuri asked.
"See, knowing how close Hibiki and Miku are, I know for a damn fact that their bond is unbreakable." Maia explained. "So I knew that even if Miku would hurt Hibiki, she wouldn't go all the way and finish the job. That's the complete opposite of what she was brainwashed to do, after all."
"Okay… we're following so far." Rui said.
"And then I remembered how that purging beam would destroy Relics, and Relics alone." Maia said. "When Hibiki told us her plan, that's what brought all the pieces together. Miku wouldn't kill anyone, and the purifying blast would only destroy the Relics and not harm the users. All we had to do was help Hibiki with her plan."
"Is that why you threw me instead of flying up yourself?" Shuri asked.
"Not exactly. See, your weapon is something you have to carry, compared to mine being my ride and Rui's being leg armor." Maia reasoned. "I didn't want to risk complete deactivation or destruction of Rui's weapon or mine if either of us got hit by that since our weapons are connected to the relics. So putting down your weapon and letting me throw you at Miku was the best option. Plus, you volunteered without thinking too. I like that. And the end result? Hibiki's Hibiki again, Miku's Miku again and you… well, you were always you so that much didn't change, but yeah."
"Whoa… you really think of everything…" Hibiki said awed.
"Thank you, thank you." Maia said bowing. "I just saved the day. You can send me presents or cash gifts whenever you want."
Rui and Shuri each kicked both of Maia's shins, causing the girl to topple over and whine in pain as she clutched her legs. Tsubasa sighed at her sister's antics, while Hibiki and Miku both laughed.
"However, the FIS was able to bring up the Frontier." Aoi said, managing to keep a straight face. "The true battle lies ahead of us."
"I will thwart FIS's schemes by myself." Tsubasa said. "There's no need to worry."
"Oh no you don't." Maia said, standing back up almost immediately, despite the kicks. "Rui, Shuri and I are coming with you."
"You'd probably screw it up, anyways." Rui snarked, though it was her own way of showing her support.
"We have your back, Tsubasa-san." Shuri promised.
Tsubasa smiled at the three. SOUL really were the ones the users could always count on.
"Wait…" Miku recalled Tsubasa's words and looked around the room, realizing just who was missing. "Where's Chris?"
While a few of the others looked away, with Shuri in particular looking downtrodden, Rui looked at her hand, before making a fist.
"That's another reason I'm going up there… to drag that idiot back."
Chris walked down the hall of the ruins, briefly sneezing. FIS was behind her, keeping an eye on the girl that just suddenly switched sides as a precaution.
"It is a bit dusty in here." Ver spoke up.
"Shut your mouth, trash." Chris said, not even turning to look at him.
"Even with Jeanne gone, I'm still called that…" Ver sighed.
Kirika almost smiled at Ver getting insulted.
"You can't save the weak the doctor's way!"
Almost.
You're wrong… Without the power of the Frontier, we can't save anyone! Not even you, Shirabe!
"She wants us to save them?" Genjuro asked.
"Yes. She asked us to stop her former comrades as they run rampant, having lost sight of their original goal." Ogawa said, handing Genjuro Shirabe's pendant. "Jeanne has requested the same earlier."
Genjuro stared at the relic, before looking at the security screen that showed Jeanne comforting Shirabe.
"Wait, you're on a first-name basis with her?" Genjuro asked Ogawa.
Before he could respond, the door opened and the others walked in.
"You should be in bed!" Genjuro said, seeing Miku with them.
"I'm sorry." Miku said. "But I couldn't stay put."
"Not worth arguing with her, Shisho." Rui said, arms behind her head. "When Miku gets an idea in her head, she doesn't stop until it happens."
"And when we told her Chris-chan had left, she insisted on coming." Hibiki said.
"It's true that the loss of Hibiki-kun and Chris-kun has greatly hindered our operations." Genjuro said.
"But it's a great relief that you were able to avoid serious injury, Tsubasa-san." Aoi said. "I'm impressed that you were able to dodge any fatal wounds."
Tsubasa didn't respond, but shared a look with Rui.
"We're approaching the frontier!" Fujitaka announced.
The screen brought up the foreboding ruins that laid ahead of them. Just what was waiting for them ahead?
"You know, I kinda expected fireworks or a lightshow or something." Maia said. "This is kinda disappointing."
The building-like devices atop the Frontier lit up, and shot a huge burst of energy skywards towards the Moon.
"You just HAD to fucking say it, huh?" Rui asked, as all the other girls stared at Maia as well.
"Oops." Maia said quietly, as the ocean began to churn.
The entire submarine started to shake, and everyone held onto something to avoid falling.
"What's going on?!" Hibiki yelled.
"A wide area of the seafloor is rising!" Fujitaka reported. "It's coming toward us from below!"
Everything around them quaked as they felt themselves rising. Maia actually lost her footing, tripping and face planting into a wall. The others were too distracted to notice or laugh, as the tremors slowed down.
"Looks like we got a present from below." Genjuro said grimly.
"The results of the scan are in!" Aoi said.
"The tidal disturbance was caused by increased strain on the moon." Fujitaka said, pulling up an image of the Frontier.
"They pulled the Frontier up?" Ogawa asked.
"That's right, but that's not all." Aoi said, frowning.
"In order to lift us up, I had to pull the Moon down." Ver said. His arm had been mutated into a hunk of Nephilim-like muscle by a special brand of LiNKER, and he had it on the Frontier's control system.
"What?! You hastened its fall?!" Maria yelled, fruitlessly trying to change the controls. "We aren't prepared to evacuate yet! At this rate of fall, mankind will really go extinct!" She kept tapping the controls, but they were unresponsive. "Why? Why won't it accept my commands?!"
"As long as the LiNKER remains in effect, I have sole command." Ver maniacally chuckled. "And I wouldn't say "extinct." After all, yours truly would still be alive. What surer way is there to ensure the survival of mankind?"
"I did not set foot on the path of evil for this!" Maria yelled.
She lunged at Ver, only for him to slap her to the ground.
"Do you think standing in my way will change the fact that the Earth's days are numbered?" He asked, pointing at her. "You worthless bitch. Remember your pathetic attempt to play the role of Finé? Think back, and be ashamed."
Serena… The tears started to fall. Serena… I…!
"Please, cry as long as you wish." Ver said, walking off to take care of some other business. "When I return, let us discuss how we can contribute to the repopulation of the Earth."
Maria could only sob and hit the floor with her fist at how useless and foolish she was.
Tsubasa had donned her motorcycle gear, and was holding her helmet. The rest of SOUL was standing alongside her, ready for the mission that would determine the fate of mankind.
"Do you all remember the plan?" Shuri asked, zipping up her jacket.
"Yeah." Rui said, fixing her collar. "Tsubasa and I will take the front charge and find your idiot sister. You'll be going in from the side to try and take them by surprise. And the last idiot's gonna stay behind as our last line of defense."
"I hate you sometimes, you know that, partner?" Maia asked with a smile as Tsubasa laughed.
"I'll ask you four again; can you do this?" Genjuro asked, as Tsubasa tossed Rui a spare motorcycle helmet.
Rui and Shuri both gave curt nods.
"Of course." Tsubasa said, before tossing.
"We got this, Uncle." Maia said, fixing her gloves.
They all turned towards the door.
"Oneesan… Tsubasa-san…"
"Don't worry." Tsubasa said, turning with a smile despite being the sole Symphogear user. "I'm used to taking the stage alone. And I have good support members."
"Just rest up, alright Hibiki?" Rui said softly.
She watched as her sister and friends left, wishing that she could do more to help.
The side of the ship opened up, as Tsubasa rode out with speed. Rui was sitting in the backseat, hands tightly clenched to Tsubasa's shoulders. Mid-air, Tsubasa started to sing.
"Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri tron~"
There was a flash of light as blue light, as Rui got a front row seat to Tsubasa's transformation. Surprisingly, it was quite quick, and Rui herself wasn't affected despite being at close range. They landed on the ground and continued riding forward.
"Huh, so that's what it looks like." Rui said.
"Hang on tight, Rui." Tsubasa said, looking ahead to see multiple swarms of Noise awaiting them. "This'll be one bumpy ride."
Tsubasa created blades on the front of her motorcycle. Revving up, she sped forward, tearing through any Noise unfortunate enough to get in her way, all while using her sword to cut away any at her sides. Several Noise tried comin in from above, but Rui was waiting for them. She flipped upwards, doing a handstand on Tsubasa's shoulders she kicked away any Noise from above with flaming strikes that incinerated them.
"Ikuze, ikuze, ikuze!" Rui yelled with a grin as the two rushed forward.
Flash of the Rider's Blade (feat. Rui)
"That's Tsubasa-san for you." Aoi said, as they observed the situation.
"We only have one Gear-user on our side." Ogawa said. "Even with SOUL's support, I wonder if we'll be able to pull it off."
"No, we have more than just one." Hibiki said.
"I have no intention of letting you fight without your Gear." Genjuro said.
"I won't be the one fighting." Hibiki said.
"Hibiki?" Miku asked, confused.
"Ah." Ogawa smiled. "Now I see what you're getting at."
Okami in her hands, Shuri carefully trudged forward, constantly observing her surroundings like a careful soldier. Taking the long way around was quite tedious, she had faced no resistance in her trek. She could hear Tsubasa and Rui tearing through the Noise in the distance, making her mission easier.
She hoped that she'd encounter her sister first, maybe ask her why she was doing this. Probably use her, according to Chris and Maia, her "puppy dog eyes" to get her to see reason.
Though she didn't get her wish. She stopped walking, before quickly turning around and deflecting a scythe strike with her Okami. The blade was at her neck, but she had aimed the barrel of her weapon at her assailant's face.
"Don't move, dess." Kirika said quietly. "I can end this quickly."
"I'd pull my trigger faster than you can swing your weapon." Shuri said, not backing down. "...are you alright?"
Kirika raised an eyebrow. First Shuri said a threat that was bordering on boasting. Now she was asking if she was alright?
"Your eyes are red and your cheeks are wet." Shuri observed. "You've been crying."
"Shut up!" Kirika shouted, before flipping back. "I won't let you go any further, dess!"
"...then we're at an impasse." Shuri said, narrowing her eyes as her finger moved to the trigger. "I'm sorry for this."
Shirabe had been brought to the main observing room, as Ogawa unlocked her cuffs. Jeanne stood behind her, smiling.
"You want me to fight them? Are you serious?" Shirabe asked.
"Absolutely." Hibiki said.
"That's what I dislike about you." Shirabe said, looking away. "Your claims that what you do is just and right are the words of a hypocrite."
Several members of Sector Two were glad that Rui wasn't here at the moment. If she was, she probably would've grabbed Shirabe by the throat and pinned her to the wall. Hibiki wasn't gonna take this moment for granted though, as she continued to speak.
"I don't think what I'm doing is necessarily the right thing." Hibiki said. "Once, I got really badly hurt. I worked really hard to get through rehab because I thought I'd make my family happy. But once I ran back home, my mom and grandma only ever looked worried, my sister was like that too. Even now, I don't want to lie about how I feel."
Hibiki lifted up her hands, looking at them.
"If I did, I wouldn't be able to hold hands with everyone anymore."
"You're that serious about holding hands?" Shirabe asked.
"It's what I've learned during my time here, Shirabe." Jeanne said.
"That's why I want you to do what you want." Hibiki said, before taking one of Shirabe's hands into both of her own. "If that happens to be in line with our cause, I'd be glad for you to help."
"What I want…" Shirabe repeated.
"You and Jeanne wanted to stop your comrades' senseless rampage, did you not?" Ogawa asked.
"H-Hey, why are you dragging me into this?" Jeanne asked.
Shirabe turned away, before speaking. "If I can help them, I don't mind helping you."
Hibiki and Miku both smiled, before Shirabe looked back at them and continued to speak.
"But how can you trust me?" She asked. "We were enemies!"
"I asked the same thing, Shirabe." Jeanne said, rubbing the back of her head. "It's actually a bit concerning how easily they trust someone so quickly."
"There are things more important than being allies or enemies." Genjuro said, standing up from his seat and walking over. "Adults who don't support kids in what they want to do are just so uncool it hurts."
"Shisho!" Hibiki said, in awe at his words.
"Besides, I think you've made up your mind." Jeanne said, patting Shirabe's head. "You said "were" enemies."
Shirabe pouted, but looked up as Genjuro handed her pendant back to her. "That's potential." He told her.
Shirabe clutched her pendant, before wiping away at an eye, getting rid of some leftover tears from earlier. "You never change, do you?"
"I'm far too nice, I know." Genjuro said. "It's in my nature."
He paused for a moment, picking up what Shirabe said. Before he could question it, Hibiki grabbed Shirabe's hand and pulled her along. "I'll lead you to the hatch! Let's hurry!"
"Un moment." Jeanne said.
"Uh… I don't understand French." Hibiki said.
"She said "a moment."" Ogawa explained.
"Thanks for translating." Jeanne said, holstering her weapons. "I'm coming along with you two."
"If that's the case, take this with you." Ogawa said.
He held up a simple black combat knife in its sheath, complete with a strap.
"Rubber bullets can only last you so long, so…"
"Merci beaucoup, Ogawa." Jeanne said, tying it onto her leg. "Though I'd still need a ride..."
"Well, it's a good thing Maia-san is still at the entrance." Ogawa said, pressing the comm link on his ear and setting it to speakerphone. "Did you get all that?"
"Yeah, heard ya loud and clear. So Buzzkill's joining us, huh?" Maia asked.
"Buzzkill…?" Shirabe muttered, clearly annoyed as some of the others laughed.
"I mean, you use buzzsaws, and you kind of have a stick up your a-"
Miku sneezed.
"But anyways, guess one of you two need a lift, huh? Yeah, I got it. Meet me down by the hatch."
The comm link turned off, and Shirabe was already preparing to start staring at Maia when they met up. Hibiki led her and Jeanne down to the exit hatch, where Maia was waiting for her.
Shirabe ramped out of the exit hatch. Maia was cruising alongside her, Jeanne standing on Takemikazuchi with her. Through the cameras, Sector Two noticed that Shirabe had an extra passenger.
"Hibiki!" Miku shouted.
"What are you doing?!" Genjuro demanded. "I told you I had no intention of letting you fight! Maia, why didn't you stop her?!"
"Uncle, let's be real here; did you really think I'd stop her?" Maia asked, smirking. "Besides, hit em with your loophole, Hibiki."
"Yeah! I'm not going to fight, I'm gonna help people!" Hibiki said, grinning.
"There you go!" Maia said. "Up top, Bikki!"
Maia maneuvered closer to Shirabe and hi-fived with Hibiki. Jeanne and Shirabe shared a look that screamed "We're working with idiots."
"They're in sync…" Fujitaka sweatdropped.
"Our most reckless duo…" Aoi added.
"You think you can just grin your way out of this one on a technicality?!" Genjuro shouted.
"Let her go."
Genjuro turned to Miku, who had spoken.
"Helping people is when Hibiki shines." Miku said.
Genjuro sighed, before chuckling. "And I thought it was my job to laugh in the face of common sense."
"It was…?" Miku asked.
"I'll give those two a piece of my mind when they get back." Ogawa said.
"And if that's not enough, they can come to me for seconds." Genjuro added.
"Allow me to join in on that after this is over." Jeanne said through the comm link.
Ogawa smiled. You're already getting used to us, huh?
"But for now…" Genjuro said, holding up a fist.
"We'll back her up from here!" Fujitaka said.
"We'll do all in our power to support them!" Aoi finished.
Genjuro cracked his knuckles. "We can't let those pipsqueaks hog all the limelight."
"I hope Rui won't react too strongly." Miku said with a nervous laugh.
"SHE DID WHAT?!"
Tsubasa winced at Rui's scream. The two of them had stopped after taking out the hordes of Noise after receiving a call from mission control.
"Tachibana, neesama, and the defectors from FIS?" Tsubasa clarified in the comm link.
"Yes. They're on the battlefield now, closing in." Ogawa said.
Tsubasa smiled. This is beyond my wildest expectations. "Roger. We'll meet up with them right away."
They closed the comm link. Tsubasa tried her best to keep a straight face at Rui's hilariously irritated expression. "I'm going to have some words with that idiot sister of yours…"
"As will I, but we should regroup with them." Tsubasa looked around. "Did we chase the Noise too far…?"
The two quickly hopped off the bike to avoid an array of crossbow bolts. They avoided harm as the blasts blew up Tsubasa's bike.
"Looks like you accepted the invitation." Tsubasa said, as she looked up.
Rui cracked her knuckles, as she looked at Chris standing atop a cliff face, her weapons aimed at them.
"We've been expecting you, Yukine." Tsubasa said.
Meanwhile, Hibiki and the others continued on their path towards the tallest construct.
"Are they over there?" Hibiki asked Shirabe.
"I don't know." Shirabe admitted. "But I think so."
"You think so?" Hibiki asked.
"That's not really reassuring us, Buzzkill." Maia said as Shirabe glared at her, before they heard a gunshot. "Wait, was that-?!"
"That way, Shirabe-chan!" Hibiki shouted, pointing at one of the old constructs, as there was now a massive ice glacier on it. The four of them sped over to the scene, skidding to a stop.
They found Shuri, breathing heavily and sweating. She didn't have any cuts on her body, but it was clear she was drained. Standing atop the glacier of ice was Kirika.
"Kirika-chan!" Hibiki shouted.
"Shuri!" Maia shouted, running forward, and letting the girl lean into her arms. "What happened?"
"I think it's pretty obvious what happened." Jeanne said.
"It was a rhetorical question." Maia said, rolling her eyes.
"Sorry." Shuri said. "I ran into her and underestimated her."
"You're not hurt, are you?" Maia asked.
"No, just tired." Shuri said, standing up. "I'll be fine."
"Kiri-chan!" Shirabe called up to her friend.
"Shirabe… are you sure about this, dess?" Kirika asked, holding her scythe behind her.
"Nothing will be left if you follow the doctor's way!" Shirabe said, before gesturing to Jeanne. "Jeanne understood that, and that's why she joined them!"
"Nothing will be left unless we follow his way!" Kirika shot back. "We can't possibly survive!"
"So he already got to you…" Jeanne muttered, narrowing her eye.
"You two need to calm down and think things through!" Hibiki shouted.
"This is a battlefield! What's wrong with you?!" The two of them both shouted at her.
"Yeah, that was not the best call, Bikki." Maia chuckled, as Hibiki blanched.
"You all go on ahead. With all of you, I'm sure you'll be able to stop Maria." Shirabe turned to Hibiki. "You can hold her hand."
"Shirabe-chan…" Hibiki said.
"I'll stay with you." Jeanne said. "I'll talk some sense into Kirika, as usual."
"No, please go with them. You should talk some sense into Maria instead." Shirabe said to her friend before adding. "As usual."
Jeanne sighed. "Very well, but I fully expect to see both of you again, alright?"
Shirabe nodded, before Maia spoke up. "Yeah, but are we sure that leaving her by herself is a good idea?"
"She has the most knowledge of Kirika's fighting style, so she's the most naturally suited to fight her." Shuri reasoned. "Hibiki's weaponless, Jeanne's weapons would do nothing, and the two of us would eventually be overpowered. It's the natural option."
"Alright, fine." Maia said, as Shirabe turned to them.
"The LiNKER can only synchronize me with my Gear for so long. Go." Shirabe said, before looking at Hibiki again. "Believe in the song of your heart."
Hibiki recognized the words, before nodding. Maia and Shuri did as well, but they didn't have much time to dwell on it.
"We're close enough that we can make it on foot." Jeanne said, noting how Maia's board probably wouldn't be able to carry four. "Let's move."
They all nodded, as they broke into a run towards the main building.
"Not on my watch, dess!" Kirika shouted.
She swung her scythe and fired a few projectiles, but Maia was ready.
""Not on my watch" back at ya, Ruby Rose!" Maia shouted, deflecting the blades with her own.
Kirika was about to give chase, but had to swing her scythe in a circle to block Shirabe's buzzsaws.
"Shirabe! Why are you helping them?!" Kirika asked as the others ran out of her view. "Jeanne I understand, but don't you hate hypocrites like her?!"
"But she doesn't lie about herself!" Shirabe said, creating her two massive buzzsaws. "She lives as her heart wills, and she shines so brightly that I'm envious. I want to trust her, just a little."
"I see… but I can't back off now!" Kirika shouted, looking up at the Moon. "I want to leave something behind while I'm still myself!"
"While you're still yourself…?" Shirabe repeated.
"I want to leave some proof behind that I lived here in this world, with you, Maria, Jeanne and Mom!" Kirika shouted.
"Is that why you fight?" Shirabe asked, creating wheels on her feet.
"That's why I fight!" Kirika clarified, splitting her scythe blade into three.
The two stared each other down, as the wind blew. The both of them, waiting for the other to move first. Kirika took the first chance, and jumped up and swung, unleashing two of the blades right at Shirabe.
Kill Juliet
Unwavering, Shirabe unleashed two of her massive sawblades to meet the scythe blades.
Gamma Style: Swastika Kasha
The projectiles clashed, as their battle began.
Tsubasa rapidly slashed with her sword, but Chris managed to deflect the blades with her guns. Despite being at a close-range disadvantage, she was holding her own against the senior Symphogear-user, the bullets spraying widely around her and making it almost impossible to approach her.
Keyword being "almost."
Tsubasa jumped out of the way, as Chris looked upwards to see Rui diving at her with her foot outstretched, wrapped in flames.
"OREYAAAAAA!"
Chris quickly rolled to the side to avoid the fiery explosion as Rui's foot collided with the stone. Tsubasa rushed forward for a downwards slash, but Chris brought her guns up in a cross-guard, before deflecting Tsubasa's strike. In one swift motion, she backflipped and let her magazines fall loose, before her armor created new ones that almost instantly reloaded.
"Haaaaaah!" Tsubasa glided forward on two blades, before entering another hit and run duel with Chris. Tsubasa kept rushing in with sweeping slashes, while Chris jumped over all of them, all the while unloading her clips at Tsubasa, who managed to acrobatically dodge each and every one of them. It ended as Tsubasa backflipped into a shallow pool of water. She kept the grip on her blade, as Chris aimed her gun, her own grip also unchanging.
"SEIYA!"
Chris had forgotten about her other opponent, who had been charging up her power. Rui delivered a devastating electrified roundhouse kick to Chris's side, knocking the girl back and sending her rolling.
"Rui, go meet up with the others." Tsubasa said, hopping out of the pool of water.
"What?" Rui asked. "If you think I'll leave you here with that idiot-"
"I can handle Yukine myself, which is something you can't exactly say." Tsubasa said. "...yet."
"God dammit you've been hanging out too much with the other idiot." Rui facepalmed.
"She's my sister. It's only natural." Tsuabsa said. "Regroup with your sister and the others. I feel like they'll need your help."
Rui sighed. "Alright, got it. But I get first crack at Chris when you get back, alright?"
Tsubasa chuckled. "You are aware that Shuri likely has the front of the line booked, correct?"
"Oh forget it." Rui said, slightly glad that Tsubasa was able to converse normally with her, but also annoyed at the quipping she undoubtedly picked up from Maia. "Don't be late."
"I'm never late." Tsubasa said, holding up her blade as she watched Chris stand up.
Rui took large leaping strides away from the battlefield thanks to the boost that her weapon gave her, while Tsubasa and Chris stared each other down, taking a brief respite from their duel.
Maria had since stood up and watched the fights occurring on several screens. But what stunned her the most was seeing Kirika and Shirabe's duel. It wasn't a simple spar that she had seen them do countless times; this was a fight with force behind their attacks. They were truly fighting.
"How could this be…?" She muttered. "Kirika and Shirabe got along so well!"
She fell to her knees once more.
"It's all my fault!" Maria let the tears fall. "I didn't fight to witness this!"
"Maria."
Maria gasped as she looked around. "Mom?"
"You are alone now, are you not?" Nastassja asked her through the comm link. "I've analyzed the Frontier's particulars and found something that might prevent the fall of the Moon. It's our final ray of hope, and we need your song to set it free."
"My song…?"
Hibiki and the others kept on running, their destination in sight. Hibiki was breathing pretty heavily at this point with how much running they've been doing.
"You holding up fine?" Maia asked, concerned.
"Yeah! I'm okay!" Hibiki said. "As long as the song of my heart lives on!"
Rui had landed directly outside the main ruins, making a small crater. She looked up at the building in front of her, and saw the entrance was a dark tunnel that split off into multiple directions.
"Dammit. I hope it isn't too much of a maze…" Rui said, tightening her gloves.
She entered the catacomb-like halls, wishing her sense of direction wasn't as bad as she remembered it to be.
A/N: I ended up releasing the chapter a little earlier for two reasons.
1. It's Miku's Birthday today. Happy Birthday, Miku!
2. Kamen Rider OOO 10 Years After movie.
The first thing is great. The second thing is BEYOND hype.
And I see a lot of people reacting to the last chapter with terror. Ha ha, you don't have to worry. :)
Aside from that, this chapter will actually be important for a certain arc later down the road. I won't say what, but it's not gonna be what you all expect.
Feel free to leave a review. See you all next time.