Hello Fanfiction readers! I, Ashbel Longhart, have finally returned to bring you another chapter of Symphogear x Faiz! After being gone for over a year, I am finally back! Summer Vacation may almost be over for me, but I'm gonna try and bust out as many chapters as I can to make up for the time I've been away. I already did RWBY so here we go! So sorry for those who have been waiting for another chapter, but here I am. Before I go any further, cue disclaimer!

(Disclaimer: I do not own Senki Zesshou Symphogear G or Kamen Rider Faiz. I also don't own any songs that appear in this story either. They all belong to their respective owners. All I own is this story and my OC's. Please Enjoy.)

Now then, let's recap since I've been away for so long. Last time, Haru and the gang were fighting against Maria's group when they found out that she was the new Finé. *wink* Soon after everyone pretty much got beaten up by both Orga and Psyga, the latter which took down three girls by himself. Though to be fair, the girls were weakened at the time. After that, the gang decided to relax a little by attending Verone's school festival. Just as things were looking happy, both Kirika and Shirabe show up to steal the show. Not only that, but Kanade is on the trail of someone who looks like Haru.

Anyway, now that we're all caught up, it's time Open Your Eyes For The Next Faiz and see just what we have in-store today. Let's Ride!


Kamen Rider Faiz: Song of Paradise

Second Verse

Song 6: A Blood-Filled Howl


(Last Time)

"Finé is able to awaken her consciousness within any who carry her genetic sequence, existing within an eternal moment while continually being reborn throughout history."

"But then, what happened to the singer known as Maria?"

"Orga!"

"Kamen Rider Psyga...sanjou."

"I've already said it before; Maria and her group are my problem. You and your group are to stay away."

"Whenever you use your power, Finé's soul grows stronger while yours fades out more and more! I-no, we won't let that happen."

"Chris! Let your song ring throughout this entire auditorium!"

"Any challengers from the audience, feel free to jump in as well!"

"We'll do it!"

"Those girls!?"

"We'd like to challenge..."

"...the champion!"

'...oh son of a bitch.'


(Now)

"Wow! This place is so big!"

"So this is Lydian, huh? I wonder if Miku-chan is around?"

"Aren't there too many food stalls around?"

Making sure she was well hidden, Kanade stalked the trio that was having a conversation, consisting of Yugo, Kyoko, and the man who looked exactly like Haru.

Said man was dressed simply in a white dress shirt with a beige jacket over it, and khaki pants. Looking closely, there are a pair of rings hanging on a necklace around the man's neck.

"Geez, it's like I'm looking at Haru-san's long lost twin or something..." Kanade mutters to herself until she blinks, remembering something Tsubasa had once told her.

"Wait a minute, didn't Tsubasa mention something about Haru-san having a twin brother?" Kanade looked back at the Haru look-alike. It was quite eerie how the man looked like her friend. From the shape of his face and eyes to the way his hair resembled Shinn Asuka's hair from Gundam Seed Destiny. The only real difference she could make out from the man is that his eyes were colored a pretty violet.

"It can't be, Tsubasa said that his family passed away a long time ago...but then again..." Kanade's mind flashed back to the past where Haru told his story about being from another world. Kanade would admit that she didn't believe the Rider at first until learning of the existence of Orphnoch and other Kamen Riders, she herself being one.

But thinking about it now, just because Haru came from another world...doesn't mean he's the only one.

"But could it be?" Kanade didn't want to jump to any assumptions. Tsubasa had told her that the topic of Haru's family was a sensitive one. It would be cruel to her friend and fellow Rider if she told him that his twin brother might be alive only to find out it was just someone else. She didn't want to get his hopes up for nothing.

*Beep-beep-beep!*

Suddenly, from inside Kanade's pocket, her Kaixa Phone beeped making the girl jump up in surprise. Quickly checking to see if the trio she had been trailing had heard her or not, she took out her phone and saw she had received an email from...

"What the heck?" Kanade stared down at her phone in disbelief, looking at who had sent the message.

It was from Smart Brain.


(Insert masterpiece by Mami Kawada)

(Instrumental) The song starts as blurry images play at high speed appear. While some images were hard to make out, the image of a fire and ruins, the Relics, the Rider Gears, the Wolf Orphnoch's hands covered in blood, and then the caged Nephilim could be made out before the title appears.

(To aru nichijou wa parallel world ikusen mono jikan ni) The scene shows Hibiki in class, staying after school, but to her surprise, she wasn't the only on there. The camera expands outward to show that with her in the class is Tsubasa sitting next to her right Chris sitting next to her left, and sitting in the back in the far corner is Haru looking out the window.

(Onaji mono nado nai masutaapiisu de orinasu jikuu e) We then see the hooded man leaning against a display window of a random store. He lifts his head up to reveal violet-colored eyes before the scene changes to the Crane Orphonch up on the roof a building, looking ready to jump and take flight before the scene changes again to Psyga in the air, flying around.

(Kakinagutte hakushi no shinario ni pensaki ga kooru) The scene then changes to the 2nd Division's new submarine base as everyone else worked on monitoring the data and info in front of them while Ogawa stands next to Genjuro who had the Delta Gear in a briefcase in hand.

(Originality mezase! douse kono michi o yukun dakara) The scene then changes to the hidden base of the organization, Finé. Professor Nastassja, in her wheelchair, is seen monitoring the Nephilim, Shirabe and Kirika are seen together as their Relic necklaces shine under the light. Maria is seen holding a damaged Relic piece in her hands as she thinks about her late sister and a certain boy that held a special place in a heart. Finally, Dr. Ver is seen grinning madly wielding Soloman's Cane as a shadow of the Nephilim is seen behind him.

[Shinjite] (Kakenukete) [Tooku made] Haru as Faiz and the girls in their armor are seen with their weapons drawn. Across from them is Maria and the others, donned in their armor with their weapons out and ready as behind them were the Kamen Riders Neo-Alpha, Pyron, and Seeda.

[Kanjiru] (Daichi o kette) [Daichi kette] Both groups stare off at one another before both groups move and attack.

(Nanika no tame ni kogare, ikiteru kanshoku wa kitto) Chris is seen facing off against Kirika who throws scythe blades at her while she counters with bullets from her gattling guns. Meanwhile, Hibiki is seen facing off against Shirabe who throws saw blade at her while she punches and kicks them away.

(Darenimo makenai chikara ni Naru) Tsubasa and Maria are seen clashing weapons until they are broken apart by the sudden appearance of Orga who pushes Tsubasa back before he turns to look at Maria before clashing weapons with her as the Crane Orphnoch and Psyga are seen facing off against Dr. Ver and the Nephilim.

(Shiawase tte tabun kono shunkan onore ga shiru) [When I believed it] Haru is seen facing the three enemy Riders by himself until Kanade and Genjuro as Kaixa and Delta appear to help him, each Rider taking on another Rider.

(Kono kandou o atarashii peeji ni kizamu) [I can go to the next stage] Explosions litter the entire area as Haru was pushed back only to bump into Orga and Pysga. The three Riders look at one another before they all jump up and kick forward towards their intended targets; Haru at the enemy Riders, Orga at the Nephilim, and Pysga at Maria and her girls.

[It's only my thing, 'highest masterpiece!' hoo] Everyone looked up at the three kicking Riders as their kicking feet glow brightly, blinding everyone until the camera moves to show off the moon surrounded by a ring of the rubble of its broken piece before the song ends.


(Smart Brain Company Building, President's Office)

In the office reserved for the president of Smart Brain only, the president himself, Murakami Kyoji, looked at the three mercenaries that acted as his Riders with disappointment on his face. On his computer was footage of the fight last night. Murakami had already looked at it and was the reason why he was looking at the three in front of him disappointingly.

"When I hired you three and gave you the belts my company has been developing for months, I expected results," Murakami said, speaking in English. "Instead, all you three have managed to do is nothing, but fail each and every time."

"Now, it's not as bad as it looks," Jack said, trying to smooth talk his way out of trouble.

"Oh really? In your second fight with Faiz, you three had a perfect chance to kill him and retrieve the Faiz Gear. Instead, you three fooled around with him, giving him enough time to counterattack," Murakami said, speaking about the time they had fought Haru in the city.

"We would have succeeded if those two mysterious Riders hadn't helped him!" Armel exclaims, pointing out the one key factor in all of their failures: Orga and Psyga.

"Those two Riders are exceptionally strong. Whatever technology they're using outclasses ours," Xiao Li said.

"True, those two have been factors in your failures. But never once have I mentioned the need to engage them," Murakami said while typing something on his computer. "Your priority has always been the retrieval of the Rider Gears and the death, or capture, of Yamamoto Haru. Do not forget that." Once he finished speaking did he press one last button on his keyboard before he laid back in his chair as a confirmation noise was heard from his computer.

"What did you do?" Xiao Li was the one to ask.

"I sent a message to our enemies," Murakami said, getting a surprised look from the three which Murakami scoffed at. Just because they didn't have the original Rider Gears with them doesn't mean they didn't have a way to track them down. While the tracking devices in the Gears may have been disabled, they still had the special phone numbers of the Rider Gears which he used to send a message to their current holders.

"This is your last chance," Murakami said. "If you three fail to bring me satisfactory results, I'm ending our contract and having the Lucky Clover take over. By now it's already clear who I should have given my Gears to. If you three still want the money and reward I promised you, you'll bring me back at least one of the Gears or die trying. Understood?"

"...crystal," Jack said, looking determined. The time for playing around is over.


(Auditorium)

We now return to the auditorium where still under the spotlight, both Kirika and Shirabe stood out as the people around them began talking.

"Tsubasa-san, it's those girls!" Hibiki exclaimed.

"Yeah...but what could they be planning?" Tsubasa said.

"More importantly, just what the hell are they doing here?" Haru said, gripping his Faiz Phone which lay hidden in his coat pocket.

'It's those two!' Miku thought, recognizing the two girls back during her shopping trip. After the fight with Haru and the three Smart Brain Riders that day, she had been told everything about how those two were a part of Maria's group. It still boggled her how two girls barely her age were declaring war against the world.

'And they looked completely harmless too...' Miku thought, thinking back to how both Kirika and Shirabe were enjoying Yugo's food.

"Haru, try and contact Kanade," Tsubasa asked the Rider who nodded.

"Got it," Taking out his Faiz Phone, Haru dialed his fellow Rider's number, hoping they would pick up soon only to suddenly get an email.

"The heck?" Raising an eyebrow in confusion, Haru checked who it was from and his eyes widen in surprise.

It was from Smart Brain.


(Meanwhile)

Inside a warehouse located near the city port, the ship that acted as both a base and transportation for Maria's group was hidden inside. And inside the ship was both Maria and Nastassja, both sitting in silence as the former was thinking about what her two comrades and friends had said to her earlier.

Whenever you use your power, Finé's soul grows stronger while yours fades out more and more! I-no, we won't let that happen!

Protecting Maria is the reason we fight!

'Shirabe...Kirika...' Maria thought, touched that those two girls would go so far for her. It was only natural, she supposes, considering their shared past.

As she thought about the past, her mind wanders back to that horrific day. The day she lost her little sister...and the day she lost him.

Mari-chan...you're alright...thank goodness...

"Are you having regrets?" The voice of Nastassja brought Maria out of her thoughts, raising her head to the woman that was her mother-figure.

"I'm fine, mom. I will accomplish the mission that has been given to me," Maria said. She had come this far, getting cold feet now wasn't an option.

"I see," Nastassja said before asking, "Were you thinking about...him?"

At this did Maria's expression sadden as she lowered her head a little. Seeing this, Nastassja took on a kinder look as she spoke.

"He died saving your life, Maria. If you wish to honor him, then you must see this through."

"I know..." Maria said, hugging herself. "But...I just can't help, but wonder if he'd be upset with how we're going about all of this."

"True, knowing that cheeky brat, he'd no doubt express his complaints on our plans," Nastassja said, sighing as if recalling an old, fond memory before turning to Maria again. "But remember, Maria, that you are not the only one who misses him. Both Kirika and Shirabe miss him dearly, especially Shirabe."

"Yes..." Maria said, thinking back to all the times she would find Shirabe alone, lost in thought. No doubt she was thinking about him.

"Even still, they are determined to see this through to the end," Nastassja said. "You must set an example and do the same as their leader."

"...right," Maria nodded, taking in her mother figure's words.

*Alarm-Alarm-Alarm!*

Suddenly, the alarms went off, making Maria go on high alert as she stood up in surprise while Nastassja, keeping calm, pressed a button and brought up a monitor which showed a group of masked, armed men was just right outside the warehouse they were hidden in.

"Looks like our countrymen have caught up with us," Nastassja said.

"They've found us already?" Maria said, surprised. They had made sure no one saw them come here to hide. Just how were they found?

"Though we make use of heretical technology, in the end, we are still just amateurs," Nastassja said. "It'd be overly optimistic to think we could go toe-to-toe with trained professionals."

"What should we do?" Maria asked.

"We need to take the initiative by confronting them before they enter the building. Maria, I'll leave it to you to eliminate them."

"Eliminated them?" Maria developed a hesitant expression. "That's..."

"Are you still afraid to stain your hands with blood?" Nastassja asked. "You were like this at the concert as well."

"Mom, I..."


(Auditorium)

Back in the auditorium, everyone watched as Kirika and Shirabe made their way down to the stage where Chris was keeping a cautious eye on them. She then developed a look of anger when Kirika pulled down on her eye and stuck her tongue out, dissing the girl.

"Kiri-chan," Shirabe spoke up, getting the blond to stop her act. "What is our objective?"

"To steal the pendants made from relic fragments," Kirika said.

"So why are we doing this?" Shirabe asked. Their objective was to steal the enemy relic fragments, and yet they had shown themselves willingly to their enemies. Just what was her friend thinking?

"I heard that whoever's standing on that stage at the end gets one wish granted," Kirika said, indirectly telling her friend just how they were going to obtain the relic fragments. "How could we miss this opportunity?"

"Real cute," Chris said. "If you wanna pick a fight with us, we're ready for you!"

Shirabe sighs to herself before she tells Kirika, "I'll go along with you just this once. But don't forget that this is—"

"I know. This time we're gonna succeed for sure," Kirika said, her voice filled with confidence as the two walked onto the stage while Chris got off and watched from the side.

"Well then, let's give it up for our challenger's...um..." The announcer girl spoke only to realize that she had yet to get the names of the two.

"Tsukuyomi Shirabe..." Shirabe introduced herself to the crowd.

"Akatsuki Kirika," Kirika introduced herself as well as the lights began to dim with a single spotlight hanging over the two.

The announcer girl nodded before continuing where she left off.

"Okay! They'll be performing Orbital Beat, a song from Zwei Wing!"

"What!?" Haru exclaimed in surprise as the song began playing in the back.

(Insert Orbital Beat Ver. ZABABA)

"This song..." Hibiki began, recognizing the song instantly.

"Isn't this Tsubasa-san's and Kanade's?" Miku asked, also recognizing the song instantly before she and Hibiki turn to Tsubasa who had a conflicted look on her face.

"What are they trying to do here? Provoke us?"

"Calm down, Tsubasa," A hand was placed on Tsubasa's shoulder, making the girl look up to see—

"Kanade!"

"Yo, I got here as fast as I could," Kanade said before looking down at the two singing girls on stage. She could understand why Tsubasa might be less than happy with their enemy singing their song. After all, they both had put their minds and hearts together in order to produce the said song.

"Kanade," The redhead turned to Haru who held up his Faiz Phone. "Did you also...?"

"Yeah," Kanade took out her Kaixa Phone."I got one too."

"Is something the matter?" Miku asked, catching the two's conversation as did Hibiki and Tsubasa.

"We'll tell you guys after we deal with this," Haru said, turning back to Kirika and Shirabe, still singing. Despite being enemies, Haru couldn't help, but notice that they were quite...passionate from the way they sang. And judging by the looks of the girls, they were thinking the same thing.


(Back with Maria)

*BOOM!*

Explosions rocked the building as the armed men all rushed into the now burning building. Their eyes were set on the ship in front of them, but they came to a stop when standing in their way was Maria, donned in her Symphogear.

"Mom, I...I will do this my way!" Maria declared, stepping forward as she confronted the armed men who aimed their guns at her. "Do not worry, I won't kill you. But I can't promise you won't come out of this with broken bones."

"Fire!" One of the men shouted as they all fired their guns at her.

Reacting quickly, Maria wrapped herself in her cape, becoming a spinning top as the bullets were blocked and deflected easily. Maria then began to move, rushing towards the armed men until she was right in the middle of the group. Dispelling her cape, she snapped her leg out, kicking one man and sending him flying right into the arms of another where the two were sent flying out of the warehouse. Turning around, Maria spun around once again, using her cape as it knocked the guns out of the men closest to her. Once that was done, Maria ran up towards one of the men and sent out an elbow strike. To others, it seemed like Maria gently tapped him, but the masked man was still sent flying back where he crashed into one of the support beams and fell back down, unconscious. Once that was done, Maria continued to repeat this process with the rest of the armed men.

'Careful, don't use so much power that you kill them. It doesn't matter if their bones are broken, I just need to knock them out,' Maria thought to herself, trying her best to hold back as much as possible.

Back on the ship, Nastassja watched Maria fighting and sighed.

"That child, when will she learn?" Nastassja knew full well just how kind Maria is as evident to the fact that she still hesitated to kill people. It wasn't a bad thing perse, but with their mission being what it is, such kindness would be a burden.

'Perhaps I should place the blame on him,' Nastassja thought to herself, thinking of the boy the girls had taken a liking to.

"GYAH!"

"Hm?" Hearing a scream, Nastassja was brought out of her thoughts as she looked back on the screen to see the armed men were being killed by a small group of Noise. And leading the Noise was, "Dr. Ver?"

Indeed, it was the white-haired doctor wielding Solomon's Cane in his hands, using it to control the Noise he just summoned.

"Dr. Ver!" Maria exclaimed in surprise. What was he doing out here?

"Forgive me if I'm interrupting you, but I think it would be a waste of your power to deal with weaklings like these," Dr. Ver said, holding up Solomon's Cane. "Allow me to take care of this."

"No! I have everything under control," Maria insisted before having to bring her cape up in order to block bullets from a man who had tried to take a shot at her. He was quickly dealt with by a tackling Noise.

"I have full confidence that you can handle this, but you're merely knocking these men out. It'll be a problem for us if these men make it back to their boss, so eliminating them now is in our best interest," Dr. Ver said, waving Solomon's Cane around and summoning more Noise to take care of the armed men who tried to fight back. But their weapons were useless against the Noise and the only thing they could do was scream as the Noise turned them all into piles of carbon dust.

Every fiber of Maria's being told her to stop Ver, but the Symphogear user held herself back lest she raises suspicion with the doctor.

'How pathetic of me. I came out here to try and chase these men out. Now I'm just standing here watching them get killed,' Maria thought to herself, cursing her weak will.

One of the armed men was wise enough to see that they stood no chance at winning and decided to turn tail and run. Seeing this, those that were still alive quickly followed after the man.

"Oh no, I can't have you people leaving now," Ver said, directing the Noise after the men, chasing them as some turned into bullets which sped through the air and struck any unlucky man who was in the way.

In the beginning, the masked men started out at around thirty when they began their mission. Now by the end, there was only one man who managed to make it out of the building...only to be soon killed by a tackling Noise.

"And that takes care of that," Ver said, satisfied with his work as he stepped outside for some fresh air...only to see that he wasn't alone.

"Oh? Well, well..." Just right outside the warehouse is a group of three boys, all riding bicycles and dressed for baseball practice. No doubt they had been attracted to the explosions earlier.

'How unlucky of them,' Ver thought to himself as he pointed Solomon's Cane at the trio. There could be no witnesses, even if they were kids.

In a flash of light, a pair of Noise was summoned right before Ver who then sent them to deal with the boys who were unlucky enough to wander over here. But just before the Noises could even touch either of the kids, they were destroyed by none other than Maria, now armed with her spear.

(Song End)

"You kids, get out of here!" Maria shouted at the three boys loudly, snapping them out of their stupor, the situation finally dawning on them as they all screamed and ran, pedaling their bikes as their lives depended on it.

[Maria!] Nastassja's voice cried out from her coms.

'Forgive me, Mom,' Maria thought, but she would not regret what she just did. She could deal with letting the armed men earlier being killed, they were trying to kill them after all, but she would not stand by and allow the doctor to kill innocent kids!

"Oh? And just what do you think you're doing, Maria?" Ver asked.

"That's enough, Ver. I can tolerate you killing those men, but I draw the line with innocent civilians, especially kids!" Maria said. "Our mission is to save the world, to save lives! Did you not say so yourself that you wanted to become this world's hero?"

Dr. Ver stared at Maria for quite a while, accessing the girl through his eyes. After a few moments, the doctor lowered the relic in his hands, showing that he was backing down.

"Forgive me, it seems I just got caught in the moment," Ver said, adjusting his glasses before waving his arm out. "You're right, our mission is to save this world from the threat no one knows. And in doing so I shall become this world's hero!"

"If you understand then get back on the ship," Maria said, ordering the doctor while trying to appear cold.

"Yes, of course. With the ruckus that we caused and the fact that those kids got away, it's only a matter of time before policemen come here," Ver said, turning around to return to the ship, but not before saying a few final words. "I must say, when you saved those kids you looked like a true hero. It's a shame I won't get to see such a thing again once Finé consumes your soul and replaces you."

Maria's eyes twitched at that, but she said nothing back as the doctor went back inside the warehouse. Soon after Nastassja contacted her.

[Maria, return to the ship. We have to relocate. I'll contact Kirika and Shirabe to notify them about our situation.]

"Please do," Maria said, bring her right hand up to her headgear, ending the transmission. Now alone with a moment to herself, Maria turns her head and gazes out into the sea, gripping her spear tightly as she thought...

'I wonder what he would have done if he were in my place?' In times like these, she really missed the boy she and her sister had fallen in love with.


(Auditorium)

Excitement filled the entire auditorium. Despite Kirika and Shirabe having stopped singing a while ago, the crowd before them was still clapping and cheering for them.

"Everyone! Give it up for Tsukiyomi-san and Akatsuki-san!" The announcer spoke loudly through the mic in her hands as the crowd clapped and cheered, showing just how good Kirika and Shirabe's singing was.

"Tsubasa-san..." Hibiki glances at Tsubasa whose conflicted face had turned into one of unsureness during the performance.

"Why must we, the singer of songs, fight each other?" Tsubasa asked to no one particular. She wasn't blind. Despite the girls on stage being their enemies, she could clearly see that the two girls greatly enjoyed singing.

"Gotta admit though, those two are good," Kanade said, complimenting the two girls on stage.

Haru made no comment, merely keeping his eyes on the two enemy Symphogear users down below.

"With those amazing voices, even the champion has to sit up and take notice!" The announcer girl said as Chris had stepped forward to confront the two. "I can't wait to see how they scored!"

"Ganging up on me like that..." Chris gritted her teeth, not liking her chances against the two.

Kirika in response smirked, confident in their victory. Shirabe, in contrast, remained impassive, waiting to see what the results would be.

[Girls.] Suddenly, both girls got a transmission from Nastassja. [Our hideout has been discovered.]

"What!?"

[We were able to fend off the intruders, but since they've identified our location, we can't stay here any longer. We will be relocating shortly. Regroup at the designated location.]

"Hold on! We're this close to getting out hands on the pendants!" Kirika said.

[This is an emergency. Regroup. That's an order.] Before either girls had a chance to talk back, Nastassja ended the transmission, leaving the girls frustrated.

"All right! Looks like the results are in!" The announcer girl declares as she turns to announce who the winner is, only to see Kirika and Shirabe leaving the stage, with the latter dragging the former.

"Hey, are you running away!?" Chris exclaims, confused as was everyone else.

"Shirabe!" Kirika exclaims in anger at her friend who had suddenly grabbed her and dragged her off stage.

"I'm sure it'll be fine with Maria there," Shirabe said. "But I'm worried about her."

Kirika had nothing to say to that, understanding Shirabe's worries as she allowed the girl to drag her away.

"Everyone, after them," Tsubasa said, getting up from her seat as did Hibiki and Haru.

"We can cut them off from the west," Kanade suggested before she ran on ahead with Tsubasa closely following.

"Miku, you should stay here," Hibiki said to her best friend. "We may have to fight them."

"O-Okay," Miku nodded as Hibiki ran off.

"Here," Haru pushed Chaco into Miku's arms. "Watch over the little guy for me, okay?"

"Sure, but please be safe," Miku said. Haru nodded in response and was about to run off when Miku grabbed his hand, getting the Rider to turn back to her. "And Haru-kun?"

"What is it?"

"Please...keep Hibiki safe."

"...I will. I promise," Haru promised the girl as he ran off to join the others, leaving Miku alone with only Chaco to keep her company.


(Outside)

Both Kirika and Shirabe, the latter no longer dragging the former, both ran as fast as they could, trying to hurry and get off campus grounds. They were not as knowledgable about this place than their enemies were, so if they did not hurry they would be caught. Unfortunately for them, they had to slow to a stop when a small group of girls parading around two different colored, cartoonish whales that were obviously put together.

"Dammit! What should we do now!?" Kirika exclaims in frustration. She was more frustrated with the fact that they had to return empty-handed rather than the chances of them being caught increases.

Once the parade of girls had finally passed by, Kirika and Shirabe attempted to sprint forward, only to stop short when both Kanade and Tsubasa appeared in front of them.

"Hold it right there, you two. You're not going anywhere," Kanade said, holding up her Kaixa Phone in gun mode and pointing it at the two.

Seeing that their path was blocked, both Kirika and Shirabe turned around to run back where they came from, only to see both Hibiki and Chris arriving to block their path. They had been pincered.

"Kirika-chan and Shirabe-chan, right?" Hibiki asked. They both didn't answer back to confirm the girl's question as they looked for any way they could escape.

"Four on two..." Shirabe noted. "You have the advantage in numbers. But think about what you stand to lose by fighting us here." The girl turns her head to the nearby students and civilians walking around the festival, implying what her intentions are.

"Tch!" Kanade clicked her teeth, turning her Kaixa Phone back into phone mode.

"How can you use such foul tactics?" Chris exclaims. "You were singing so cheerfully just a moment ago!" She, as well as everyone else, were not blind to the joy the girls expressed when singing earlier. As fellow singers, they knew that the emotions the two girls had expressed on stage were not fake, but very much real.

"We..." Chris' words cause Kirika to falter as she admits to everyone here "We just don't want to fight you here."

Everyone's eyes widen at that. Those were not the words belonging to someone with bad intentions.

"I know! A duel!" Kirika suddenly suggested. "We challenge you to a fair duel!"

"Why?" Hibiki asks, looking between Kirika and Chris. "It's not like we have to fight every time we meet, right?"

"What do you want to do?" Both Chris and Kirika shouts at the brunette, only to blush soon after when they realize that they had been in complete synch.

"If it's a duel you want, then we accept," A voice spoke up, getting everyone to turn and causing both Kirika and Shirabe to gasp in shock. Walking up to Tsubasa and Kanade's side, Haru had finally caught up, hands in his coat pocket as inside, the man was gripping his Faiz Phone.

"About time you showed up," Kanade said, wondering what had held up the Rider.

"Sorry, had to get Miku to watch over Chaco," Haru said. He found it quite strange how he cared for the little dog despite its previous owner being the late Mr. J.

"Natsu?" Suddenly, Shirabe spoke up, getting everyone to turn to her to see the girl looking at Haru with disbelief in her eyes. Kirika was very much the same as her, looking at the man as if she were seeing a ghost.

"Natsu?" Haru repeated the name, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Is it...really you...Natsu?" Shirabe took a few steps forward towards the Rider, raising a shaking hand as tears could be seen forming in the corner of her eyes.

"Natsu?" Haru repeated the name again as he backed away from the girl. Thinking about it now, this was the first time he was face to face with these girls untransformed and unmasked. And the name Natsu...

"Natsu...that's my brother's name." At that did both Shirabe and Kirika both freeze up.

"Your...brother?"

Both Haru and the two girls continued to stare at one another, both their minds in a swirl of confusion. Haru was the first to gather his thought as he listed two things.

One: He was face to face with both Shirabe and Kirika unmasked. Two: They had called him by his brother's name...

In an instant, Haru's look of confusion turned into one of fierce anger as he rushed up to Shirabe, grabbed her by her shirt, and roughly lifted her up to his face.

"Natsu is my brother's name! How do you know my brother's name!?"

"Hey! Let Shirabe go!" Kirika exclaims as she goes and grabs the arms of the Rider, trying to make him release Shirabe who was having trouble escaping herself. Haru promptly ignored the blond as he continued to shake the girl in his arms for answers.

"ANSWER ME!"

"Haru-san, calm down!" Kanade exclaims, she and the other girls grabbing onto Haru and making him let go of the girl in his hands, albeit with a bit of difficulty. "Calm down! You're making a scene!"

Haru continued to struggle against the others holding him back until Kanade's words hit him. Looking around, some people were now watching them, forcing Haru to calm down and release Shirabe, allowing Kirika to grab her and pull her away from the man as the others waited for a few moments before releasing him. Even then, they stayed close to him in case he went ballistic again. With Kirika and Shirabe, the former checked to see if the latter was okay, all the while keeping a wary eye on Haru.

"We'll send you the location of our duel later. Bye!" Kirika grabbed Shirabe's hand and dragged her away, promptly leaving and to get away from the Rider as fast as possible.

"Matte(Wait)!" Haru shouted but that only prompted the girls to run faster, giving Haru no chance to go after them. Even if he tried to, he was stopped when his Faiz Phone rang and transmission came through the earpieces the girls had in their left ears. From the other end came Genjuro's voice.

[Are all five of you together? We've detected the emergence of the Noise. They seem to have disappeared since then, but please investigate the general vicinity just in case.]

"Haru-san and I can handle that," Kanade said before turning to the three Symphogear users. "We'll meet up with you three back at base. I'll take Mr. Hothead here to cool off." She grabbed Haru's shoulder when saying that. The Rider himself didn't respond back, having not taken his eyes off the path Kirika and Shirabe had run off to.

[Got it. Be careful.]

"Since when am I not?" Kanade jokingly said before the transmission ended. She then turned back to the others. "Well, you heard the man."

"Be careful," Tsubasa said, repeating what her uncle just said a second ago.

"I will, I will. Honestly, you worry too much sometimes, Tsubasa," Kanade said before turning to Haru and grabbed his arm. "Come on now big guy, let's go."

Haru remained silent as he allowed the redhead to drag him away. Hibiki and the girls watched with worried looks as the two Riders left.

"You think he's gonna be alright?" Chris couldn't help but ask. She had seen Haru mad before, but never like that.

"I honestly don't know," Tsubasa said, unsure and worried. The topic of Haru's family has always been a sensitive subject to talk about with the Rider. Besides the talk she had with Haru all those months ago, the bluenette didn't know much about his family. Really, the only thing she knew was that his brother's name was Natsu and his sister's name was Kyoko. Beyond that, she knew next to nothing.

'Thinking about it now, we barely know anything about Haru-san,' Tsubasa thought, realizing just how little they knew about the Rider.

Meanwhile, Hibiki continued to watch the Rider leave, worry evident on her face. The anger Haru had displayed reminded her of the day they had fought Finé, specifically the moment where she witnessed Haru transforming into an Orphnoch. All that anger...just thinking about it filled Hibiki with even more worry.

"Haru-kun..."


(With Kirika and Shirabe)

Now the one who's leading the way, Kirika dragged Shirabe as far away from the Rider as fast as possible, not daring to look back as her first concern was to get her friend to safety. Another reason was that she was still shaken by Haru's appearance.

"Geez, what's with that guy?" Kirika mutters, not knowing that she was speaking out loud. "Why does he look so much like Natsu? And he said Natsu is his brother's name? What does that mean? He's Natsu's brother? When did he have a brother?"

"Kiri-chan, my arm..." Shirabe called out to her friend, snapping Kirika out of her ranting as she stopped and released Shirabe's arm.

"Gomen(Sorry), I was just..."

"It's okay," Shirabe insisted, rubbing her arm.

"Are you okay?" Kirika asks, going up to her friend and fixing her clothes.

"I'm fine," The girl insisted before turning to look back and see Haru being dragged away by Kanade. "That man..."

"I know. He looks so much like Natsu that it's creepy," Kirika said, looking back as well. Despite the age difference, the appearance was uncanny. She noted that the man's eyes were a different color compared to Natsu.

"He said Natsu is his brother's name," Shirabe said, bringing up what Haru had literally shouted at her face. "Do you think...?"

"That he's Natsu's brother? I don't know!" Kirika threw her arms up in exasperation. "All I remember Natsu telling me was that he had a little sister. He never mentioned having a brother. What do you think, Shirabe? I mean, besides Maria and Serena, you were around him a lot compared to me. Did he ever mention having a brother?"

Shirabe doesn't answer right away, trying to think back to any time where Natsu may have mentioned having a twin brother, but nothing came to mind. On a side note, she couldn't help but note that...

'So that's what Natsu would look like if he were still alive today.'

"Huh? Kirika-chan?" Suddenly, a voice spoke up, snapping Shirabe out of her thoughts as she and Kirika both turned around saw...

"Eh? Yugo-san?" Standing by a booth that was selling taiyaki, Kirika was the one who identified the man as Yugo, the man in charge of the food stall back in the shopping district.

"Well, this is a surprise. I didn't expect to see you here," Yugo said, turning to the girl while holding a pair of taiyaki in each hand. He then turned to Shirabe and asked, "You're that girl that was with Kirika-chan that one time, right?"

"I'm Tsukiyomi Shirabe," Shirabe said, bowing a little before saying, "Your Hújiāo bǐng was very delicious."

"Why thank you," Yugo said, blushing a little at the thrown compliment. He then asked the two, "So, what brings you two here? Are you visiting as civilians? Because you two don't look like students here."

"Y-Yeah, we were around the area and decided to check out the festival," Kirika said, trying her best to lie to the cook. "And why are you here?"

"I came here with some friends of mine, broke away from them to buy some snacks," He raised the taiyaki in his hands to show proof before offering one to Kirika. "Want one?"

"No thanks, I'm good," Kirika declined, waving her hands in front of her. "Besides, my friend and I were just about to leave."

"Already? But this festival doesn't end until late noon."

"Something came up so we really gotta go. Sorry, I can't stay and chat," Kirika apologized. If this were any other time, she would happy to stick around. The man's good company, plus he made good food. What's not to like about him? Sadly, she would have to save the small talks for another time.

"Anyway, we gotta go. See ya!" Kirika said as she and Shirabe took their leave, hurrying up to regroup with Maria.

"Yeah," Yugo nodded at Kirika's words and watched the two girls runoff. He then remembered something and called out to the girl, "If you're around the area, come stop by my food stand! I'm making my Yugo special ramen!"

"Really!?" Kirika turns around, running backward as she waves excitedly at the cook. "Then I'll definitely be there!"

"You seem excited," Shirabe pointed out as they continued to run with Kirika turning back around to run properly, smiling.

"Listen to this, Shirabe. It was during my last shopping trip when I saw Yugo-san..." From there on, the girl explained to her friend what had happened, how she had this 'Yugo Special Ramen,' and how delicious it was. In her excitement, Shirabe noted that her friend seemed to have forgotten about their situation and the possible existence of Natsu's brother. And it was all thanks to the man named Yugo. To get her friend all excited to the point where she forgot about all the bad stuff around her, Shirabe admitted that she was a bit jealous of the cook.

"So, is he a better cook than me?"

"Uh, well..."


(Later, 2nd Division Base)

As planned, the group met up back at the underwater base as Haru and Kanade had just returned from their investigation. Up on screen was the warehouse Maria and her group had used to hide their ship, now ruined with visible smoke coming out of the windows and openings, along with images that showed piles of carbon next to dropped weapons.

'An abandoned hideout and traces of many people killed in a Noise attack...' Genjuro thought, placing a hand on his chin as he thought about this strange situation. 'This is different from the previous attacks. What could it mean?'

"Commander!" Sakuya spoke up, getting the man's attention. "The government's data processing center just finished the analysis. Displaying it on the main monitor."

With a click of a button, the images on the screen were replaced by two new ones, displaying a sort of energy waveforms. These were the waveforms of both Hibiki's and Maria's Gungnir.

"Comparing Aufwachen waveforms. Scanning for differences," Aoi said, typing away at her station as the two waveforms were joined together. "None found, even at one-trillionth precision."

"That means, the black Gungnir used by Maria Cadenzavna Eve is exactly the same as Hibiki's," Genjuro said, falling back in his chair as even he had a hard time believing what he was seeing as did everyone else.

"The same as mine..." Hibiki places a hand over her chest as if feeling for the pieces of Gungnir that were inside her body.

"But how is that possible? Aren't these Relics supposed to be super rare?" Haru asked. Relics were ancient weapons of the past that, having withstood the test of time, still retained a portion of its power.

"That's what I want to know," Kanade said, having been under the impression that when she had been given Gungnir all those years ago, it was one of a kind.

"It's possible that Ryoko-san stole part of the Gungnir and provided it to the American government. They must have used that to create their Gungnir," Sakuya theorized.

"Another Gungnir Symphogear, created in accordance with the Sakurai Theory..." Aoi said, typing away at her station to double-check the results. They were still the same.

"But that doesn't make sense," Chris said. "The American government was after Finé's research. "If they had an institute like the FIS and the ability to manufacture their own Symphogear, why would they need to go after Finé?"

"Considering that they decided to renounce their own government's authority and go rogue, the FIS must have intended to monopolize all technology and information regarding the relics while establishing their own command authority," Tsubasa said, throwing in her own theory.

"Why would the FIS go as far as to make enemies of their own home country?" Genjuro said.

"They must know something we don't. It's the only logical reason as to why they would go so far," Haru said, crossing his arms before sighing. "I don't like this."

"None of us do," Genjuro said before asking, "And, what about that message you and Kanade received from Smart Brain?"

"They're requesting a duel with us," Kanade said. "It's a winner takes all fight to the death. Seems the times they've lost has made them impatient. They've already sent us the location."

"This is obviously a trap," Haru said, knowing just how the Riders from Smart Brain fought from previous battles against them. They would use any means necessary in order to win.

On the other hand, this was a perfect chance to take care of the Smart Brain Riders before they get even more upgrades. They've been fine so far, but if the last battle told him anything, they were getting stronger and that needed to stop.

"So what's the plan old man?" Kanade asked, leaving the final decision up to him.

"Hmm..."


(Meanwhile)

Having arrived at the rendezvous point, Kirika and Shirabe hid and lied in wait for Maria and the others to arrive. After about half an hour of waiting, a gust of wind picked up, making the girls sit up as if appearing out of thin air, was their ship. Once the ship landed, Kirika and Shirabe ran out of their hiding place as Maria, Nastassja, and Dr. Ver all walked out to meet the two.

"Maria!"

"Are you alright?" The girls asked the woman immediately.

"Yes, I'm fine," Maria said. "Sorry if I made you two worry."

"Thank goodness," Shirabe said as she and Kirika went and hugged Maria. "If Finé ever awakens inside of you, we'll never be able to see you again."

"Even if I become Finé's vessel, I'll still be me," Maria insisted, smiling down at the girls in her arms. "Don't worry."

"I'm glad you two are safe," Nastassja said, moving her wheelchair up to the girls. "Now, let's be off before our enemies catch up to us."

"Please wait, mom!" Kirika said, moving away from Maria and running up to her mother figure. "We were unable to secure any of their pendants! We can't retreat now!"

"We promised to duel with them, " Shirabe said, joining Kirika's side. "So—"

*Slap!*

Shirabe never got to finish speaking as Nastassja suddenly slapped her across the face.

"Mom!"

*Slap!*

Kirika exclaims at the woman only to receive a slap of her own as she and Shirabe now sported red cheeks.

"That's enough!" Nastassja said in a commanding tone. "The two of you, as well as Maria, need to realize that battle is not a game!"

"Let's stop right there," Dr. Ver suddenly stepped in before Nastassja could say any more. "We can still turn things around at this point, can't we?"

"Oh? And how do you suppose we do that?" Nastassja asked.

"A few minutes ago I received a call from our allies in Smart Brain," Ver began. "It seems they've set up a 'duel' with our enemy's Riders. A winner-takes-all deathmatch. I'm sure we can somehow fit in the duel these two have promised, right?" The doctor looks at Kirika and Shirabe when he spoke that last part before looking at the area which they were at. More specifically, the tower behind them that's getting dismantled.

Already, the girls didn't like what the doctor had planned.


(Back with the others)

An alarm went off, alerting everyone in the room.

"We've detected the emergence of more Noise!" Aoi informs, bringing the results on the screen for all to see.

"It's just like before," Tsubasa said. "A warning shot to announce their duel."

"Location identified!" Sakuya informs before gasping. "It can't be!"

"What's the matter?" Genjuro asks.

"An unlisted address in Tokyo, Specially Designed Blockade Area!"

"That's—!" Haru exclaims in surprise while the other's gasp, knowing the location Sakuya was describing.

"The former site of the Kadingir!?" Genjuro exclaims, standing up from his seat. The Kadingir was the tool Ryoko, or rather Finé had used in order to destroy the Curse of Balal aka the moon. During their final battle with the ancient priest, the Kadingir had been destroyed, but it's remnants were still standing and is thus the main reason why Lydian had to move into a new building as the dismantlement of the Kadingir still went on today.

"Of all places, it had to be there?" Kanade said, looking as if she had been told a bad joke.

"The Kadingir..." Hibiki mutters in worry. She grips her shirt as a feeling in her gut told her that something bad was going to happen.

"Guess we don't have much of a choice, let's go!" Haru said, the others nodding in agreement as they all rushed out of the base. The others run ahead as Haru stops, noticing that Hibiki was lagging behind.

"Something the matter?" The Rider asks the Symphogear user.

"N-No, I mean, maybe?" Hibiki said unsurely.

"Does it have to do with the fact that we're going to the Kadingir?" Haru asks, already guessing as to what was worrying the brunette.

"...yes," Hibiki admitted, looking down. "I'd be lying if I said that place doesn't bother me. It's not just the fact that we last fought Finé there, but also because we...we almost lost everybody."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Haru said, thinking back to that fight. It was the toughest battle he and the group had ever experienced. One by one, it seemed like everyone was going down. Chris, Tsubasa, Kanade, even he and Hibiki were on their last leg. There was also the incident of Hibiki going berserk.

"A lot of bad things happened back then," Hibiki said, looking up at Haru. "I'm just worried, that's all."

Haru looks at the young teen, wondering what to do before he made up his mind. Walking up to the girl, he grabbed one of Hibiki's hands and gripped it reassuringly.

"Eh?" Hibiki, blushing a little, looked at her hand before up at Haru in confusion.

"It'll be fine. Like you said, a lot of bad things happened that day, but we're all still here. Chris is still here. Tsubasa is still here. Kanade is still here. And I'm still here. We all managed to make it through that day, and we came out stronger than ever. As long as we're together, as long as we hold hands and stay connected, we'll overcome any challenge thrown at us."

"Haru-kun..."

"Don't worry, Hibiki. I've got your back. No matter what happens, I'll always be there to protect you, just like I promised. Which is why..." With a smile, Haru goes and pokes Hibiki's forehead, getting a cute cry from the girl. "I need you to watch my back in return. Think you can do that?"

Hibiki looks at Haru in surprise for a few moments, taking in everything he just said, before she smiles and nods her head. "Yeah! You can count on me!"

"Good to hear," Haru smiles, releasing Hibiki's hands before he places it on her head and ruffles her hair, getting another cute cry from the girl as she pushes his hand off, making the Rider laugh. "Hehe, sorry. Anyway, let's go. We've got some bad guys to beat."

"Right!" Nodding her head, Hibiki soon follows Haru in order to catch up to the others ahead of them. And because Hibiki was behind Haru, the Rider doesn't see her frown as she looks at him worriedly.

It's true that a lot of things happened at the Kadingir. Chris singing her Swan Song, Tsubasa sacrificing herself to destroy the tower-sized cannon, her going berserk. But the one thing that worried her the most was Haru transforming into an Orphnoch. The brutality he unleashed against Finé still sent chills down her spine.

'Please, let nothing bad happen,' Hibiki thought to herself, praying for safety.


(Later)

By the time everyone got the site where the Kadinger was, night had already fallen. By now, all workers overseeing the dismantlement of the tower-sized cannon had gone home, meaning it was just them and the enemy. Parking their bikes with Chris and Hibiki having to ride with Tsubasa and Kanade, the group walked the rest of the way.

"The perfect place to settle a score, huh?" Tsubasa commented.

"That's one way of looking at it," Kanade said, she and Haru already having their respective Gears strapped around their waist.

As the group walked, they made sure to keep an eye on their surroundings, looking for any signs of an ambush. Eventually, they arrived at the top of the site, fully expecting to see Maria and the girls. Instead, the one who was waiting for them was none other than...

"Dr. Ver!" Haru exclaims, glaring at the scientist. "Kisama(You bastard)..."

The man simply smiles as he raises Solomon's Cane and summons forth a group of Noise.

"Getting right into it, huh? Okay then..." Kanade said as she and Haru dialed their respective transformation codes into their Phones while the others began singing with Hibiki taking the lead.

STANDING BY

"Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron..."

"Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri tron..."

"Killter Ichaival tron..."

"Henshin!"

COMPLETE

(Insert Seigi wo Shinjite, Nigirishimete)

In five flashes of light, everyone was donned in their respective suits and armors, and they all charged at the Noise.

Punching forward, Hibiki was like a spear, piercing straight through a group of Noise in front of her. Following close behind, Tsubasa and Kanade used their respective blades to slice and dice the Noise surrounding them while Chris, having transformed her gauntlets into gatling guns, unleashed a hail of bullets at the Noise in front of her, briefly turning them into swiss cheese before they disintegrated. As for Haru, he was like a wild beast, punching and kicking up and away from him as if they were mere ragdolls to him. A pair of Noises grabbed him by his arms, but the Rider simply grabbed their heads and smashed them both together, killing both before snapping his hand out. More Noise went to tackle the Rider, attempting to dogpile him, but Hibiki literally jumped in and kicked them all away. Landing back on her feet, the girl flashed the Rider a smile which Haru, under his helmet, returned before the two looked over towards Dr. Ver who had summoned even more Noise.

"Where are Shirabe-chan and Kirika-chan!?" Hibiki demanded. They had promised a fair duel with them, and she got the impression that those two wouldn't go back on their words so easily.

"They're currently under detention," Ver said. "That's why I'm here to greet you instead. I'd hate to let their youthful naivete get in the way of our plan."

With a spin of her Wright Slayer, Tsubasa slices apart a group of Noise around her before flipping back to her feet and shouted, "Just what are you plotting, FIS?"

"Plotting? That doesn't sound very respectable. What we seek is the salvation of humankind!" Ver said as he raises his hand and points up to the moon above. "We wish to save the countless lives that will be lost when the Moon falls down to Earth."

"What did you say!?" Haru exclaims in surprise as did everyone else.

"Research organizations all across the world have been measuring the Moon's trajectory for three months!" Tsubasa said. "Why wouldn't they announce a possible collision—"

"Why would they announce it?" Ver interrupts her. "News of a cataclysmic disaster that we are powerless to prevent would only throw the world into disarray. There are many reasons they would wish to conceal such an inconvenient truth."

"I hate to say it, but he's right," Kanade speaks, blasting at a Noise before slicing three at the same time with her Blaygun. "News like that would only cause worldwide panic."

Chris shoots at an incoming Noise before turning over to the scientist. "Could it be that the ones who know about it are secretly devising a way to save themselves and no one else?"

"What would you do if that was so?" Ver asks the heroes below.

READY

Equipping the Faiz Shot, Haru punches the ground and sends a shockwave that destroys a large group of Noise around him before commenting, "You see, shit like this is the reason why I don't trust the government."

"You work for the government with us!" Kanade shouts over at her fellow Rider.

"I know, so don't be surprised one day when I put in my two weeks notice," Haru said before turning back to Ver. "Moving back to the main topic here, you talk as if your group already have a plan to stop the moon from falling."

"That's right. Our answer to the problem in the sky is...the Nephilim!" Ver announces, and at that moment the ground underneath Chris erupts, sending the girl flying and somehow knocking her out as the creature Ver had just mentioned appeared from the ground.

"Chris-chan!" Hibiki cries out in worry for her friend who lands roughly on the ground.

"Yukine!" Tsubasa was the one to reach the girl, helping her up only to be caught in a trap as a nearby Noise had spewed a sticky substance which restricted their movement.

"A Noise that restricts mobility!?" Tsubasa said, cursing herself for getting caught in such a trap.

"Okay, can someone please tell me why the fuck does that look like sperm!?" Haru exclaims loudly.

"Haru!" Kanade gasps at the Rider, blushing under her helmet as did the other girls.

"Oh, I can't be the only one thinking that!" Haru exclaims until suddenly, an energy shot struck him across the chest, sending the Rider to the ground.

"Haru-kun!" Hibiki cries as she goes to help the Rider only to get shot herself, getting hit in the arm.

"Sniper!" Kanade identified the danger as she quickly hid behind a rock just in time to avoid getting shot herself. Haru and Hibiki soon do the same, avoiding getting shot a second time.

"It must be Seeda," Haru concluded, remembering that out of all the Smart Brain Riders, the green Rider was the only one focused towards long-range combat. Now the question is, where was the Rider shooting from?

'If I were a sniper, I would shoot from a high enough place which would be hard to reach...' Haru thought until he sees the Nephilim go after the immobilized Tsubasa and Chris. "Shit!"

Running out from his hiding place, Haru runs as fast as he could, barely avoiding sniper fire as he opens up his Faiz Phone and presses 'ENTER.'

EXCEED CHARGE

Light travels through Haru's Photon Veins as he runs up to the Nephilim. Putting power into his feet, the Rider jumps and leaps over the Nephilim, landing right in front of Tsubasa and Chris as he quickly turns around and nails his charge fist right into the monster's gut. Faiz's symbol appears briefly before the Nephilim was sent flying back. To Haru's and surprise and annoyance, the Nephilim recovers quickly, skidding across the ground and drags its hands across the ground to stop itself. Standing back up, the Nephilim roars at Haru.

"This is supposed to be your means of stopping the moon?" Haru said, speaking towards Ver.

"That's right, True Hero of the Lunar Attack!" Ver said, informing everyone that he knew that Haru was the true hero who stopped the piece of the moon from falling three months ago, not the girls. "That is how we will unite the people of the world and form one country and government to protect them! The Nephilim is our means to that end!"

"Yeah, I really doubt this rejected kaiju is gonna unite the world," Haru said, expressing his doubts before he was suddenly struck again by a sniper shot. "Fuck!"

"Haru-kun!" Acting fast, Hibiki jumps out of her cover, grabs the Rider, and jumps away in time to avoid another sniper shot as she brings Haru over to where Kanade was hiding at.

"Haru-kun, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Haru insisted, moving his arm a little. "That last shot hit my arm, but I can still move it. More importantly, I now know where our sniper is at."

"You do!?" Haru nods before he points over at the Kadingir.

"When I was shot, I saw a flash at the top of the Kadingir. The perfect place to be if I were a sniper."

"So what do we do?" Kanade asks.

"I need you, Hibiki, to get his attention while also keeping Tsubasa and Chris safe from the Nephilim. That should give Kanade enough time to free the others," Haru said before holding up his SB-555W Faiz Axel Watch. "Meanwhile, I'll use my Axel form to get to Seeda before he knows what hit him. Once I'm done with him, we'll regroup and takedown that rejected kaiju."

"Sounds like a plan," Kanade said before turning to Hibiki. "You got this, kid?"

"Leave it to me!" Hibiki said before she jumps up from their cover and resumes singing as she charges at the Nephilim. Immediately, sniper shots came from the top of the Kadingir.

'Now's my chance!' Haru thought to himself as he removes the Axel Mission Memory from the Axel Watch and inserts it into his Faiz Phone, replacing the regular Mission Memory.

COMPLETE

At the confirmation, the Full Metal Lung chest plates rise out of their recesses and rotate from the scapula to form shoulder pads and reveal the Faiz Core in the center of Haru's chest. Soon after, Haru's Photon Veins glow up until they turn silver and the Ultimate Finder lenses turn red. Now in Axel Form, Haru goes and presses the Starter Switch.

STARTUP

"Go!" Haru shouts at Kanade before he runs out, moving at the speed of sound as the Rider becomes a blur to everyone's eyes.

Moving with pure speed, Haru reaches the Kadingir and runs up the side of the tower, reaching the top in a matter of seconds and surprising Seeda.

"What!?"

Not wasting any time, Haru goes and kicks the green Rider, kicking him off the tower as the Rider screams. With five seconds left on the clock, Haru goes and attaches the Faiz Pointer to the metal brace on his right leg, opens up the Phone to press 'ENTER,' and then jumps off the building.

EXCEED CHARGE

While flipping in midair, a beam of red Photon energy shoots out from the Faiz Pointer where it soon forms into a red energy cone, pointing straight down at the falling Seeda.

3

Planting his feet against the Kadingir, Haru pushes off the tower, flips over, and kicks down.

2

Entering the red energy cone, Haru shoots down and strikes Seeda across the chest. TheGreen Rider screams as the red cone drills into him as Haru reappears behind the Smart Brain Rider.

1

Haru makes it back down safely, landing on his feet as he straightens up. Above him, Faiz's symbol was briefly seen over Seeda before the Frenchman gave out his last words.

"Damn...you...Jack!"

TIME OUT

*BOOM!*

As the Full Metal Lung chest plates return to their original places, returning Haru back into his normal form, an explosion of blue fire is seen above him as the Seeda Gear crashes into the ground, broken and confirming Armel's death.

"Yes! He did it!" Kanade cheers, having already killed the Noise trapping Tsubasa and Chris as she used the Blaygun to cut off the stuff binding the girls. She would never say it out loud, but she agreed with Haru in that the stuff sticking to her friends did in fact look like semen.

"Heh," Haru laughs as he flicks his hands. "Piece of ca—"

*STAB!*

(Song End)

Immediately, everything goes quiet. Kanade and Tsubasa gasp in horror while Hibiki goes completely still. As for Haru...

In a flash of light, Haru's transformation becomes undone. Slowly, he looks down at his chest...and sees a red blade coming out of it.

"Piece of cake," From behind Haru, Jack, now Neo-Alpa, smirks under his helmet before he violently pulls his sword back, removing it from Haru as the man falls to his knees.

"Y-You...!" Haru holds his bleeding chest, gritting his teeth to fight against the pain as he turns his head to glare at the Alpha-themed Rider. Behind the Smart Brain Rider, Haru could see a hole on the side of the Kadingir, big enough for a person to walk through.

'Bastard was hiding inside the Kadingir! He used his own ally to get the jump on me!' Haru thought before he coughed up blood.

"I'll be taking this," Jack said as he kneels down and grabs the Faiz Gear from Haru. The injured man grabs the Rider in order to stop him, only to be backhanded across the face and sent rolling down a hill as the Faiz Gear comes off of him.

"Haru-kun!" Finally snapping out of her shock, Hibiki tries to run over to her injured friend only to jump back when the Nephilim slams its hand down, trying to hit her. Hibiki growls in annoyance, a first for her as she pulls back the pistons of her gauntlets.

"Shit!" Quickly telling Tsubasa to look after Chris, Kanade goes to help Haru only to stop when a group of Noise materialized in front of her, courtesy of Dr. Ver.

"Now, now, stay right where you are. We're getting to the best part here," The scientist said, smiling.

"Dammit! Get out of the way!" Kanade shouts, swinging her Blaygun.

Over with Jack, from inside his helmet came a transmission came from Xiao Li.

[We have lost Armel, but we've secured the Gear. Hurry and get out of there.]

"I know, I know..." Jack said before he looks down at Haru who was struggling to push himself back up. Switching his weapon to gun mode, he aims it right at the injured man. "But first..."

"Haru-kun!" Seeing what was about to happen, Hibiki throws a piston-powered punch at the Nephilim, sending it flying back before attempting to get past it, only for a group of Noise to stop her.

"What's the rush, young miss? Surely you can entertain the Nephilim for a bit longer, can't you?" Ver said.

"I don't have time for this!" Hibiki exclaims, kicking and destroying the Noise in her way.

"Oh don't say that surely you can humor me for a few more seconds," Ver said. "After all, I would like to know just what you intend to protect with those fists of yours."

"What?"

"Though those hands of yours may be able to protect a few, think of how many lives they can take as well!"

That's why you're a hypocrite!

Suddenly, the words Shirabe had spoken to her echoed in Hibiki's head, making her pause. That was her fatal mistake.

"Hibiki!" Haru's shout snaps Hibiki out of her daze, making her see the incoming Nephilim. She threw her left fist out, punching with her unused piston-charged punch, but she miscalculated and punched too early. The result...

*CHOMP!*

Everyone's eyes widen in shock when the Nephilim chomps down on Hibiki's extended arm.

"Eh?"

*RIP!*

Shock soon turned into horror when right before everyone's eyes, the Nephilim tore Hibiki's arm clean off, making blood spew out like a geyser!

"TACHIBANA!" Tsubasa screams out in horror as everyone else was just speechless.

"Damn! Did not see that coming!" Jack comments before laughing, completely forgetting to finish off Haru.

As for Haru himself, the world around him seemed to vanish as his sole focus was on the horrific sight of Hibiki holding her bleeding stump, watching in horror as the Nephilim loudly chewed and ate Hibiki's arm.

*Crack!*

Something within Haru seemed to crack as the sight of Hibiki bleeding so badly set something off. Pure, raw emotions bubbled inside of the Rider as he clawed the dirt beneath him, unknowingly getting up on all fours.

Then came the scream.

"Ah...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

*CRACK!*

The scream of Hibiki, the girl he swore to protect, was the final straw. From within, pure rage erupted forth from Haru as he soon roared.

"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"


And...done! Whew! Finally, that took way longer than it had to be. I won't lie to you people, I had some difficulty writing this, mostly because it's been a long time since I wrote about Haru and was having trouble getting his character down again. Not sure if I was successful or not since each Haru I use in my stories are slightly different from the others. But I digress.

It was touch and go for me, but I think the chapter turned out alright. The beginning feels a bit slow to me, but near the end is where I think the chapter finally comes together. And as you people have seen, I changed a few things from the anime episode. One being that Maria actually fought the masked men instead of letting Ver handle it. I mean, he still did, but she was able to prevent him from killing those kids. I know from a few reviews that this episode is where people start to look at Maria negatively and I can see why. She went as far as to declare against the entire world and didn't have the guts to kill people. So I decided to do something about that. I didn't really change anything much, I just made Maria more...strong-willed you can say. It's true what she said in the episode in that she could easily kill people with Gungnir, but I always thought she could just knock them out easily as well. She isn't just limited to her spear. She's got her hands to which she could use to knock the men out. Sure she could easily break bones, but as long as she's careful, she's still not killing anyone.

Speaking of killing, I went and killed off Armel. Why? Because this is what I had planned for him. He was obviously the weakest link of the Smart Brain Riders so I decided to kill him off so that Jack could get the jump on Haru and take his Faiz Gear. Now that the Gear is in enemy hands, expect it to be passed around like a game of hot potato which the Rider Gears are infamously known for.

Now onto another thing, Maria and her girls knowing about Natsu, Haru's brother. Surprise, surprise, they actually have a history with Haru's twin brother which I'm sure pretty much all of you know who he is at this point. I wanted the others to talk more about him, to Kanade telling Haru about his look-alike to Shirabe and Kirika telling Maria about Haru, but as I was writing this, I just couldn't find a place to put it without it seeming forced. But don't worry, the topic of Haru's brother will be discussed next chapter.

Speaking of the next chapter, I'm sure all of you know what's coming next: Haru's Orphnoch form. I won't lie, I'm kind of excited since the last time I wrote about Haru's Orphnoch form, he was brutally destroying Finé and I enjoyed every second writing it out. Of course, this time around, Haru is not going ignorant about this fact. He will come to learn what he's become which will pave the way to what he needs right now: character development. I won't lie, character development is not my strong point, but I'm trying to make Haru's development a major theme for this season so here's hoping I don't fuck up.

Anyway, that's all I have to say for now. Tune in next time readers as shit hits the fan. The enemy will soon learn that an angry Haru is a very dangerous Haru. But until then, this has been Ashbel Longhart here, signing out. Till the next ride!