Book 3: XDR Rising

by Fir100

With their missions completed, the two teams will meet up in the world of the Symphogears to reunite with Kanade and Serena's allies and to investigate the original source of the Dimension Fragments, Gjallarhorn. And from there, a new multiversal team will be born.

12. Rebellion Rising

Book 3: XDR Rising

Final Chapter: Rebellion Rising

Last time, the lone Bavarian alchemist that stole the Another Ridewatch from Zwei to become Another Shinobi, was planning to attack the London Stadium during the Queens of Music concert using his clones to attack on all sides. Fortunately, Team XDR managed to see through his plan thanks to their combined teamwork by defeating his clones and detecting the real one hidden inside the underground sewers, with Woz delivering a decisive defeat to said corrupted Rider. But in an unexpected turn of events, the incomplete Red Evolve drug the alchemist injected to himself before beginning his plan, suddenly began to take effect in a horrifying manner, transforming him into a large and dangerous kaiju called the Homunculus Beta, a kaiju from the Astral Chain world according to Zi-O, Geiz and Starlight's info. Will our heroes be able to overcome this dangerous threat before the city of London is destroyed from its wrath?

---

London Stadium, Backstage

Nighttime

"Thanks for awaiting our arrival, everyone." Tsubasa said to the group with Maria right beside her, now changed back into their casual wear. "We didn't make you wait for too long, right?"

"Depends on how messy your dressing room is, Tsubasa." Kanade teased.

"K-Kanade!" Tsubasa retorted and blushed while Kanade chuckled.

"Fufu." Maria giggled. "Not to worry, I was there to make sure not a single mess was left behind after I finished cleaning up."

"Thank goodness for that." Serena sighed with relief.

"Joule, I was curious to know how many outfits you wore during your time as an idol." Tsubasa asked.

"Actually, it's only my Muse Form acting as my idol outfit. I never wore anything else during any of my concerts." Joule answered before putting her hand on her chin. "But now that I think about it, maybe I should start having more idol outfits if I ever feel like returning to my idol career someday."

"I can think of a few ideas for your idol outfits, if you're interested." Maria offered.

"You have my attention, Maria." Joule accepted with a smile.

"Hm?" Regina blinked for a moment when she heard someone approaching and turned around, noticing Hibiki and the others arriving. "Hey! Hibiki-chan and the others are back!" She informed as everyone regrouped.

"Regina-chan?! Why are you here?" Hibiki asked.

"Oh, I got some spare time to witness the last moments of the concert while everyone else dealt with the Another Rider and Alca-Noise problem." Regina replied.

"An Another Rider?!" Hibiki and Miku exclaimed.

"Alca-Noise?!" Kirika and Shirabe also exclaimed.

"One other thing, the reason why the Alca-Noise appeared is because the identity of the Another Rider was a Bavarian alchemist." Shinji informed.

"Are you kidding me?!" Chris exclaimed.

"Yeah, I still can't believe it either." Regina admitted. "I had to set up several magical walls on the access points of the underground sewers to prevent that sneaky jerk from infiltrating the stadium."

"If he's not here right now, does that mean his plan failed?" Miku asked.

"Pretty much, considering the team he's up against." Regina confirmed confidently.

"You have a point there, Regina-chan." Shirabe agreed. "The Bavarian alchemists are used to fighting us Symphogears and S.O.N.G. Not Team XDR."

"Anyway..." Gunvolt spoke up. "Hibiki, how's the evacuation process coming along?"

"Everything's fine and well, GV!" Hibiki smiled. "Everyone managed to leave the stadium safely. We're the only ones left."

"Glad to hear the good news." Gunvolt smiled back.

"GGRRRAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

A terrifyingly loud roar echoed throughout the area along with a small tremor, surprising the group with Serena, Kirika and Shirabe hiding behind Maria, and Hibiki and Miku hugging Chris out of fear.

"D-D-Dess?! W-What in the name of dess was that?!" Kirika questioned while shivering in fear.

"Regina!" Chris demanded.

"I-I don't remember encountering something like that before coming here!" Regina quickly stated. "It was only the Another Rider and the Alca-Noise! That's it!"

Gunvolt immediately took out his Zikan Phone and began contacting Commander Prairie via video call. "Prairie! What's going on out there?!"

"I take it that all of you heard that terrifying roar earlier?"

"Gee, ya think?!" Chris retorted while rolling her eyes.

"Commander Prairie, what was that roar just now?" Tsubasa asked. "It sounded like a kaiju roar."

"A... kaiju?"

"The japanese term for giant monster." Maria clarified.

"O-Oh, right. That... well..."

"Prairie-san, is something wrong?" Hibiki asked.

"... I think all of you should see what we saw on the holo-screen. Have a look." Prairie said as she pushed a button, revealing another holo-screen next to her, which shocked the group with disbelief and horror at what they saw. A giant quadruped monster with a tail fighting Zi-O and his team at a large empty sewer canal.

"What... the gacking hell... is that...?" Gunvolt asked.

"According to a message report from Geiz earlier, the kaiju you're looking at right now fighting Zi-O and the others at the empty sewer canal is called a Homunculus Beta."

"A HOMUNCULUS?!" The Symphogears (minus Kanade and Serena) and Shinji exclaimed in shock.

"Wait, you all know what it is?!" Gunvolt questioned.

"Well... about that..." Hibiki scratched her cheek with her finger.

"We forgot to tell you something about Elfnein. She's also a homunculus." Miku revealed.

"Say what?!" Gunvolt, Joule, Regina, Kanade and Serena exclaimed.

"Elfnein's also a homunculus?!" Prairie also exclaimed.

"When we first met Elfnein, she revealed to us that she was created as a homunculus thanks to Carol's alchemy." Maria explained.

"Carol? As in Carol Malus Dienheim from the Magical Girl incident?" Gunvolt recalled, earning a confirmed nod from Maria.

"Wait, how did you know Carol's full name?" Chris asked.

"I read about that incident on the net with Genjuro's permission a few days ago." Gunvolt answered.

"Oh."

"That homunculus... looked terrifying compared to Elfnein..." Shinji remarked as he took another look at the kaiju.

"I feel like we're getting off track." Tsubasa stated before turning to Prairie. "When did that large homunculus appear out of nowhere?"

"Actually, it's not from out of nowhere. When I saw Geiz and the others interrogating with the captured Bavarian alchemist for information, something happened that caused him to scream in agony before transforming into that horrific monster."

"Is it because of alchemy?" Shirabe guessed.

"No. It was because of some kind of unknown yet dangerous drug that he used on himself before beginning his stadium attack plan. He thought it was an immediate enhancing drug, but it's not. Bronya stored the syringe that used to contain said drug in her Zikan Phone at the moment."

"Is Bronya planning to give it to Elfnein and the other scientist to investigate?" Kirika guessed.

"Most likely. Anyway, how's the stadium and its civilians?"

"We've just finished evacuating the civilians, Prairie-san. We're the only ones left." Miku informed.

"Good work. Now we can focus on diverting the civilians in the city safely away from that kaiju. Shinji, are you and your agents up to the task?"

"Leave it to us, Prairie-san." Shinji nodded.

"Mind if I come with you, Shinji-san?" Regina requested.

"Regina?" Shinji responded.

"I figured you could use a little extra hand."

"...Alright, I'll be counting on your assistance." Shinji accepted her request after a moment of pondering. He'll need all the help he can get.

"Thanks a lot. I won't slow you guys down." Regina smiled.

"I'll also send in a few Guardian troops to assist you." Prairie told Shinji and Regina before turning to the others. "GV, Joule, Symphogears, head outside the stadium and prepare to be transferred into the Grand Nuage so we can depart towards the kaiju's location. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!" The group complied with a nod before the screens vanished, prompting Gunvolt to put away his phone.

"Right then, time to get to work!" Gunvolt declared.

"Ogawa-san, Regina, good luck out there." Tsubasa told them.

"The same goes for the rest of you." Shinji replied back to the group.

"Oh, and Hibiki-chan?" Regina spoke up.

"Yes, Regina-chan?"

"Give that kaiju a punch to the face for me." Regina smirked.

"Leave it to me!" Hibiki smirked back, punching her open palm with her fist. Afterwards, the two groups head for their separate ways with Shinji and Regina heading for the city, and Gunvolt, Joule and the Symphogears heading out of the stadium to await transfer from the Guardians operators aboard the airship.

---

Guardian Base, Command Center

"Gunvolt, Joule and the Symphogears are now waiting outside the stadium." Tulip reported after noticing the group on the holo-screen.

"Understood." Prairie nodded. "Gardénia, are the Guardians troops finished with their deployment?"

"I've just finished transferring them and are now meeting up with Shinji, Regina and the S.O.N.G agents to begin protecting the civilians in the city." Gardénia reported.

"Good." Prairie nodded again. "Marguerite, transfer Gunvolt, Joule and the Symphogears into the airship before we set out."

"Beginning transfer now." Marguerite complied as she pushed a few buttons, transferring the group into the Trans Server Room. Afterwards, she activated the airship's boosters and flew off towards their destination.

"Prairie-kun! What's going on?!" Genjuro asked as he alongside Elfnein and Sucrose appeared on a holo-screen, along with another holo-screen with Einstein and Tesla on it.

"Ah, Genjuro! Einstein!" Prairie responded. "There's been an unexpected turn of events after the defeat of Another Shinobi."

"Yeah, we saw the whole thing on our monitors." Einstein replied.

"Since when did the Neo Time Jackers possess the ability to turn humans into kaijus?!" Tesla questioned.

"You're guess is as good as mine, Tesla. But according to a message report from Geiz, it was because of an unknown drug that the alchemist injected on himself before beginning his mission. He thought it was an enhancement drug, but from the looks of that transformation earlier, it's definitely not."

"I see." Einstein noted. "Did anyone took that empty syringe from that alchemist?"

"It's inside Bronya's Zikan Phone now." Prairie replied. "She might be planning to deliver it to you or any of the other scientists to investigate."

"We'll do our best to find out what that drug contained." Elfnein replied back.

"T-This is different from the monsters I've saw in Teyvat. What kind of monster is it?" Sucrose asked.

"The message from Geiz also revealed the name of the kaiju." Prairie informed. "...It's a Homunculus Beta from the Astral Chain world."

"WHAT?!" Everyone exclaimed, especially Elfnein and Sucrose.

"A... homunculus...?! That thing...?!" Elfnein responded.

"Yes, that's what Geiz stated clearly." Prairie confirmed. "Also Elfnein, I didn't know that you're also a homunculus. Maria told me about it."

"Wait, you're a homunculus, Elfnein?!" Sucrose gasped.

"I-It's a long story. Sorry for not revealing who I am earlier." Elfnein apologized. "You also knew about the homunculus, Sucrose-san?"

"Well... Master Albedo did mention it during some alchemy lessons." Sucrose replied before looking at the kaiju on the holo-screen. "But... this is my first time witnessing a homunculus gone wrong. Usually they look like human beings."

"I see." Elfnein noted with her hand on her chin. "I wonder if that syringe contained some kind of alchemic substance?"

"Maybe we'll figure it out once Bronya gave that syringe to us later." Sucrose replied while adjusting her glasses.

"IF she survives, that is." Genjuro pointed out before turning to Prairie. "Where are the Symphogears at?"

"They, along with GV and Joule, should be on board the Grand Nuage by now." Prairie replied. "Shinji and Regina are with some Guardian troops and S.O.N.G agents to divert the civilians in the city safely away from the homunculus."

"Good." Genjuro nodded.

"How long will it take for your airship to reach the sewer canal?" Einstein asked.

"Approximately 5 minutes from now." Tulip answered.

"Guess Zi-O and the others will have to stand their ground till reinforcements arrive." Tesla said with her arms crossed. "I do NOT want to see a kaiju destroy London. Can you imagine the repair bill?"

"Not to worry, Tesla-kun. The UN will take care of the repairs." Genjuro assured.

"They'd better."

"Prairie, we're here." Said the arriving Gunvolt with Joule and the Symphogears right behind him.

"Eh? Master? Einstein?" Hibiki gasped after noticing Genjuro, Einstein and the others on the holo-screens.

"Ah, girls, GV, good to see you here." Genjuro greeted. "How's the concert?"

"Everything's fine and dandy, old man. Well... until that kaiju-sized homunculus showed up." Kanade replied with her hands in her pockets.

"Oh hey, Sucrose. It's been a while." Gunvolt greeted.

"Oh, indeed it has, GV." Sucrose smiled back.

"Prairie-san, how long will it take for the airship to arrive to our destination?" Shirabe asked.

"5 minutes." Prairie replied. "Zi-O and the others will have to hold the line for the time being. In the meantime, be prepared to be deployed once we're in range of our destination."

"Yes, ma'am!" The group complied with a nod.

"Serena-kun. You're not scared, are you?" Genjuro asked.

"A little." Serena admitted while glancing at the kaiju homunculus. "But... that won't stop me from fighting despite my age. I'm an Attuned, just like onee-san and the others." She then glanced at her own relic pendant. "And I'll use that power to protect the ones I care for."

"Serena..." Maria whispered.

"Serena..." Kirika and Shirabe also whispered.

Gunvolt noticed Maria's worried face and began to speak up. "You're worried about your younger sister's safety, aren't you?" She gasped in response. "You're afraid of losing her again, right?" She admitted with a nod. "Listen, she did what she have to do to save you. And honestly, I would've done the same thing."

"GV..." Joule whispered.

"She's willing to fight even though she's a young Attuned. She's a brave young girl who's not afraid to face any dangerous foe, big or small. And if were not for her and Kanade's help during the final battle with Eden... Joule, Lola, Copen and I wouldn't have been here."

"GV..." Maria whispered.

"Vent and Aile were also around Serena's age when they first became Mega Men to fight and protect." Prairie spoke up. "Thanks to them, we're able to defeat Serpent and his corrupted army. It's like Zeo said, great power comes with greater responsibility, regardless of age."

"Prairie..." Maria whispered as she glanced at her, Genjuro and Einstein, with the latter two agreeing with Prairie with a nod.

"You know, back in Teyvat, there's also a few people who possess a Vision even at a young age." Sucrose spoke up.

"Wait, really?" Miku responded.

"Mhm." Sucrose nodded. "I can think of one of them at the moment. Her name is Spark Knight Klee of the Knights of Favonius. She wields the Pyro Vision and is quite skilled with throwing bombs."

"A young bombardier?!" Chris exclaimed. "How young was she?!"

"The size of an 8 year old."

"WHAT?!" Everyone exclaimed.

"S-So young..." Elfnein stuttered.

"Um... are you sure it's safe for her to be a knight that young, not to mention use bombs, Sucrose?" Maria questioned.

"Well... it was because of her mom, Alice." Sucrose replied.

"Wait, Alice?! The one who wrote the Teyvat Travel Guide?! THAT Alice?! And she's Klee's mom?!" Einstein questioned, earning a confirmed nod from Sucrose.

"Your world can be a bit crazy at times, you know that?" Tesla remarked.

"M-Maybe..." Sucrose admitted.

"Ahem! Anyway, back on topic..." Einstein cleared her throat before resuming. "Power and intelligence are gifts, not privileges. And you use those gifts for the good of mankind, no matter how old you are. To which, Zeo and the other heroes are currently using those gifts for; to protect."

"Einstein-kun and Prairie-kun are correct. So please, Maria-kun, have faith in your younger sister, just like how she have faith in you." Genjuro requested.

"Genjuro..." Maria whispered before glancing at her friends and her younger sister. She recalled the time Serena supported her as a spirit during the final moments of the Frontier incident 2 years ago to keep moving forward and to set things right before giving her a slightly cracked Airgetlám relic pendant.

"Have faith in me, Maria-neesan, just like how I have faith in you. I don't want to let Mom down." Serena requested.

"Serena..." Maria whispered before smiling with her hands on Serena's shoulders. "Just don't do anything reckless, okay?"

"I promise." Serena nodded and smiled before the two sisters embraced each other.

"We'll be here to support you too, Serena." Shirabe said with Kirika nodding.

"Thanks, Shirabe, Kirika." Serena smiled as the two sisters broke off their embrace.

"The same lesson goes for the both of you, reckless idols." Gunvolt said to Zwei Wing with his arms crossed. "Considering the trouble you both caused that nearly got you killed."

"Hey, I'm trying to learn my lesson here, GV." Kanade rubbed the back of her head. "It's Tsubasa who caused the most trouble while I'm not around."

"K-Kanade, please..." Tsubasa blushed and slightly looked away.

"She's not wrong though considering Tsubasa nearly killed the idiot." Chris pointed out.

"Um... which idiot?" Prairie asked, making Chris glare at Hibiki for her answer.

"C-Chris-chan, she was just angry! R-Right, Tsubasa-san?" Hibiki defended with her hands raised while Miku simply chuckled nervously.

"U-Uh, right! Angry... right..." Tsubasa agreed while stuttering.

"Heh, glad I had to step in and punch away your giant sword before it reached Hibiki-kun." Genjuro smirked with his arms crossed. "...You still owe me some new shoes, though."

"S-Sorry, uncle." Tsubasa apologized. "And again, sorry Hibiki."

"I-It's okay, Tsubasa-san. It's all forgiven." Hibiki waved off with a sweatdrop.

"Wait, you stopped Tsubasa's giant sword with your fist?" Joule questioned Genjuro. "How?"

"That's something a man would do, Joule-kun. And I've trained quite a lot thanks to eating and sleeping well, watching action movies and playing video games." Genjuro proclaimed with a smirk.

"I see..." Joule noted... before curiously glancing at the Azure Striker.

"...Don't even try asking me to throw a Luxcalibur or a Grand Strizer at Genjuro." Gunvolt deadpanned at Joule. "I'm a little worried that I might break him... or him breaking me."

"I think it's more on the latter, GV, considering he moped the floor with us during a training session." Shirabe said.

"It was a painful experience, dess..." Kirika added with a slight shiver at the memory.

"Yeah... Hibiki already told me about that part yesterday." Gunvolt sweatdropped.

"I'm just glad I was not there to fight him in the training session, he'll defeat me in an instant." Miku admitted with a sweatdrop.

"I'm welcome to the challenge if you're interested, GV." Genjuro offered.

"Maybe next time, Genjuro. I've got a lot of learning to do." Gunvolt replied.

"Fair enough, Azure Striker."

"One guy not wearing any special suits and defeated the Symphogears... are you even human, sir?" Tesla questioned Genjuro.

"One hundred percent positive, Tesla-kun."

"Hmm... can I borrow your blood for a moment?"

"Tesla, no." Einstein warned with a glare.

"Okay okay, fine..." Tesla sighed, making everyone else laugh in amusement.

"Everyone, we'll be arriving at our destination in two minutes. And I can also see our target from this distance." Tulip reported.

"Right then, it's almost go time. Get ready to show that kaiju that Team XDR is not to be underestimated!" Genjuro declared.

"Yes, sir!" The group complied with a salute before the holo-screens vanished except the one showing the homunculus.

"Alright everyone, head for the Loading Bay and prepare to be deployed on my command." Prairie ordered.

"Yes, ma'am!" The group complied before heading out while Joule disappeared back into Gunvolt's relic pendant.

"...Hang in there for just a little while longer, guys. Help is on the way." Prairie prayed while watching the holo-screen.

---

Empty Sewer Canal

(Play BGM: Homunculus β from Astral Chain OST)

Meanwhile back at the canal, Kiana and Mei quickly dodged the Homunculus Beta's stomping with backflips and backdashes. Kiana countered with a few pistol fire along with summoning her large neko paws from the portals to attack its face, but it didn't do too much damage. H-Beta is about to smash Kiana with its front limbs, only for Kiana to push them back with her large neko paws, but she's slowly being pushed back herself. However, Bronya and Geiz commanded Bunny and the Arms Legion to attack the kaiju's face with a combined straight punch, pushing it back before Bunny followed up with its laser cannon to the face with the Legion providing support fire with its homing lasers, giving Kiana enough time to regroup back with Bronya and Geiz.

"Tch... I thought fighting Cerberus is tough, but this one is even tougher!" Kiana remarked while catching her breath.

"The Bronya needs to find a way to attack its weak spot." Bronya said as Bunny and the Legion regrouped beside her and Geiz.

"Hmm... now that you mention it..." Geiz pondered, before using the Legatus to scan Homunculus Beta for any important info to defeat it. A holo-screen appeared in front of him, revealing the results and gaining Kiana and Bronya's attention. "Okay, let's see... Homunculus Beta. Rank C7... damn it, I can't find any weak spots on that thing, only its lifebar."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Kiana asked.

"Incoming!" Bronya yelled, prompting everyone to jump away from the kaiju's stomp while Geiz dispersed the holo-screen.

"Geiz!" Zi-O yelled as he and the rest of the team approached them. "I think I remember how to beat this thing!"

"Really?!" Kiana asked, earning a nod from Zi-O. "Then let's hear it!"

"First, we'll have to hinder its movements by chain binding its limbs, starting with the back." Zi-O advised while pointing at the kaiju's back limbs. "Afterwards, we'll bind the front limbs." He then pointed at its front limbs. "Once all of the limbs are bound, that's when we attack with everything we've got. It may have very tough armor, but it's not invincible."

"Chain bind its limbs, huh?" Theresa repeated. "Does that mean I'll have to use my chains for this to work?"

"Actually, Geiz and I will use the astral chains to bind them instead. That kaiju will just simply break away your normal chains." Zi-O answered.

"I see. Very well, I'll leave the chain binds to the both of you."

"Just try to distract the homunculus while Zi-O and I handle the rest." Geiz advised. "Once bound, hit that thing with everything you've got!"

"Roger!" The group complied with a nod.

"Be prepared to dodge every single attack the kaiju throws at you!" Zi-O cautioned while summoning the Beast Legion and hopped on board, while Geiz swapped the Arms Legion with the Arrow Legion. "Starlight, take the lead and divert its attention away from me and Geiz!"

"You got it, Zi-O!" Starlight complied before flying towards the Homunculus to confront it, while Zi-O riding the Legion and Geiz quickly head for separate paths without being detected. Once Starlight got close to the kaiju, she summoned an energy bow and fired multiple arrow shots to the face, gaining its attention. But then she saw the kaiju charging up energy from its mouth, making her face pale. "Oh no. I cannot let that laser fire, or it'll attack the buildings with civilians inside!" She thought before flying close to the kaiju and delivering a strong double axe handle on top of the kaiju's head, forcing the kaiju's head down just in time for it to fire the ground instead. Starlight kept forcing the kaiju's head down till it stopped firing, prompting her to fly back and making it more angry than before.

"A laser? That thing can fire a gacking laser?!" Ashe exclaimed while she and the others were shocked by the kaiju's laser.

"Now I know why Starlight forced its head down, to prevent it from destroying those buildings!" Copen realized.

"Not to mention civilians living inside those buildings..." Lola added.

"Looks like our job just got a lot harder." Grey remarked.

"I just hope those innocent people stayed away from this location." Seele said.

"I'm pretty sure Prairie has that covered since she saw the whole thing." Aile replied. "The Guardians and the S.O.N.G agents should be diverting the civilians away from here."

"I hope so." Mei replied back.

"I'd better go and help Starlight!" Kiana declared before rushing ahead and flew off.

"Wait, Kiana!" Kallen shouted.

Starlight kept evading the swipes from the Homunculus Beta, until it began to launch the spikes on its back as they flew towards her. "Oh boy." Starlight muttered as she swapped her energy bow to her energy swords and slashed the spikes in half before they could even touch her. However, she never noticed the kaiju was about to chomp onto her with its large mouth.

"Haaaa!" Kiana yelled as she summoned a pair of large neko paws above the kaiju's head and slammed it to the ground, saving Starlight's life. "Are you okay?!"

"Phew, yeah. Thanks for the save, Kiana. Did not expect it to try and chomp me." Starlight replied as they glanced at the homunculus, shrugging off the damage before glaring at the girls. "...And now we just made it angrier."

"Damn it." Kiana muttered as they prepared to evade another attack from the kaiju. But then the kaiju felt something attached to the ground, making it unable to move forward. "Wait, it's not moving?" She pondered, until she gasped in realization as they saw the kaiju's back limbs being entangled and grounded by several blue astral chains.

"Alright! The Riders and the Legions managed to chain bind the back limbs!" Starlight cheered as the Riders and their Legions approached the group.

"Nice job distracting it, girls." Zi-O praised as they stared at the kaiju.

"Now we need to focus on binding the front limbs." Geiz stated.

"Uh, guys?" Kiana spoke up and felt tense. "It's about to do something."

They stared at the kaiju as it began to smash the ground with its front limbs, causing several drill spikes to erupt from the ground and approaching. "Oh crap, move!" Zi-O yelled as he and the others jumped away from the erupting spikes.

Theresa and the others also noticed the erupting spikes approaching before jumping away to avoid being pierced through the body. "That thing can do that, too?!" Ashe exclaimed.

"Why am I getting flashbacks with the fight against Desna and her drills?" Lola recalled.

"Only this time, it's a homunculus that's doing it!" Copen added. "I'd say something positive, but I don't wanna jinx it..."

"Good call, Ix."

"And I thought the Honkai were more troublesome..." Kallen muttered.

"Still, at least the back limbs were bounded." Theresa said, noticing the entangled back limbs of the kaiju. "Only the front limbs are left to bind."

"Yeah, if we can evade the drill spikes first!" Aile said as they noticed more erupting spikes approaching, prompting the group to jump away.

"This isn't good... it won't stop attacking!" Grey muttered. "There has to be a way to cease its stomping so the Riders and the Legions can move forward!"

"Hmm..." Mei pondered as she glanced at the drill spikes... until she had an idea. "I wonder if..." She thought before taking out her Thermal Cutter, sliced off the bottom part of the drill, and launched it with an aerial roundhouse kick, sending the spike crashing into the kaiju's face, stunning it for a brief moment. "Good, it worked!"

"Mei? What did you just do?" Vent asked.

"Improvising by using its own weapons against them." Mei replied. "Vent, Aile, Seele, care to give me a hand?"

"Right!" The three nodded as they and Mei sliced off the bottom parts of the drill spikes and then launched them with a strong kick/punch, sending the spikes crashing into the kaiju's face, stunning it even more.

"Mei, your idea is working!" Seele smiled.

"Glad I could offer a suggestion." Mei nodded back.

"Uhh... guys?" Ashe spoke up. "I think the homunculus is not feeling too happy at the moment!" They noticed the kaiju growling in anger as it began to charge up another laser beam, aiming right at the group.

"Oh crap, not another one!" Kiana exclaimed.

Zi-O quickly stared at the kaiju charging its laser, then looked at its front limbs planted to the ground for support. He immediately have an idea after putting two and two together. "I've got an idea for another distraction." He spoke.

"Better make it quick before it fires!" Geiz replied.

"Kiana, Starlight, Kallen and Bronya will have to perform a power struggle, laser to laser. While that's going on, me, Geiz, and the Legions will take our chances to bind the kaiju's front limbs." Zi-O stated.

"You think that your plan will work?" Starlight asked.

"You're gonna have to trust me. We only have one shot at this." Zi-O replied.

Kiana and Starlight glanced at the kaiju charging its laser before they turned back to Zi-O. "...Alright. Hope this works!" Starlight accepted. "Kiana, go get Bronya and Kallen to support me!"

"Roger!" Kiana nodded before heading for Bronya and Kallen to ask for assistance.

Starlight quickly flew in front of Mei and the others and rotated her PreBrace several times, charging her energy to full power. She clenched her fists and reeled them back as her fists began to brightly glow yellow and red. "Pretty Cure! Final Starlight Beeaamm!" She yelled as she lunged her fists forward, firing a powerful yellow and red beam, while at the same time, the kaiju also fired its laser from its mouth as the two beams collided in a power struggle. However, Starlight's beam is slowly being pushed back. "A little help would be nice right about now!" She yelled.

And indeed, help arrived as Bronya's Project Bunny fired a powerful beam cannon, with Kiana and Kallen combining their own revolvers and firing a combined beam. All three beams combined with Starlight's beam, giving her just enough advantage to push back the kaiju's beam. During the power struggle though, the Riders and Legions took their chance to chain bind the kaiju's front limbs and succeeded, causing multiple astral chains to appear below its front limbs and bind into the ground. This caused the homunculus to be distracted for a brief moment, allowing Starlight, Bunny, and the Kaslana's beams to fully push forward till it slammed into its face.

"Everyone, attack now!" Theresa ordered the group after noticing all of the kaiju's limbs bound into the groud by astral chains. She threw her spear into the air, causing a storm of spears to rain down upon the entangled homunculus. Grey and Ashe combined their own hand cannons and fired a powerful charged blast, with Vent and Aile providing support with their own charged blast after combining their own ZX-Busters. Mei and Seele also assisted by unleashing a combined 'X' slash-wave as all of the attacks struck the kaiju's head.

=ZIKAN GILADE! KEN!=

=FINISH TIME! GAIM!=

=ZIKAN ZAX! YUMI!=

=FINISH TIME! WIZARD!=

The Riders also prepared to unleash their final attacks with the Sword Legion assisting Zi-O by charging its sword arms after switching out the Beast Legion, and the Arrow Legion assisting Geiz by charging its arrow.

=GIRI GIRI SLASH!=

=GIWA GIWA SHOOT!=

Zi-O and the Sword Legion unleashed a combined blue and orange cross and 'X' slash-wave, while Geiz and the Arrow fired a combined blue and fiery red energy arrow, becoming a silhouette of a dragon. All of their combined attacks struck a direct hit onto the kaiju's face, causing a massive explosion while the team regrouped.

(BGM End)

"Good job, everyone." Kallen praised the group. "I just hope that our attacks are enough to defeat it."

"One moment please." Geiz quickly used his Legatus to scan the homunculus' data to see how much life it has left. And he frowned once the results on the holo-screen were shown. "We did a lot of damage, but it's not enough. It's lifebar is 50%."

"Damn it... would be nice if Hibiki-chan and the others were here right now." Kiana also frowned while Geiz dispersed the holo-screen.

"Should we try that binding tactic again?" Copen asked the Riders.

"Guess we don't have a choice at this point, unless it tries something else." Zi-O replied, until it heard a roar coming from the homunculus as the dust clouds dispersed, revealing a very angry kaiju growling at the group.

"Here we go again!" Mei said as they prepared to fight.

"Wait... what's it doing?" Seele noticed the homunculus trying something else. It then spat out multiple silver colored sludge bombs from its mouth, prompting the group to jump away to evade the sludge.

"Eww... now that's just gross..." Lola said. "Was that supposed to be the kaiju's saliva or something?"

"Yep." Starlight nodded. "Not to mention corrosive, so don't even think about touching it."

"Noted." Kallen nodded with everyone else nodding. "Hm?" But then she noticed some bubbles coming from the sludge. And without warning, a silver worm-like tentacle with teeth entangled her body and pulled her right above the sludge. "Kyaaah!" She screamed as the tentacles squeezed her body.

"KALLEN!" Kiana exclaimed as they noticed the trapped Kallen held by a tentacle.

"What the heck is that?!" Ashe exclaimed with her hand cannons pointing at the tentacle.

"Okay, did not expect the sludge puddles to spawn that!" Geiz admitted.

But then without warning, more tentacles spawned out of the other sludge puddles and entangled Starlight, Kiana, Mei, Theresa, Bronya, Seele, Aile and Ashe, pulling them right above the sludge. "Oh, for the love of... Gh?!" Starlight grunted while she and the other girls tried to break free, but are having trouble doing so.

"Gh! I should've known there's... more than one tentacle...!" Theresa grunted while being entangled and her Judas left on the ground, unabling her to reach her spear.

"Aile!/Ashe!" Vent and Grey exclaimed.

"Get us... out of here...!" Aile and Ashe yelled while being squeezed by the tentacles.

"Oh, HELL no! I do NOT want to see that!" Zi-O exclaimed as they prepared to attack the tentacles to free the girls. But then more worms with sharp teeth spawned from the sludge puddles and spat sludge bombs toward the boys. "Oh crap!" He exclaimed as he and the boys jumped away from the sludge. Another worm was about to chomp Zi-O from behind, only for its mouth to be shoved right into Bunny's arm cannon and being obliterated by its laser. "Phew... good to know you're still safe, Bunny." He sighed with relief upon seeing Bronya's mech saving his life. But then his face went pale when he heard a laser charging. "...I take it back, we're no longer safe." He corrected as he and the others noticed the homunculus charging its laser again and aimed towards the group.

Geiz swapped the Arms Legion with the Axe Legion and turned to the others. "Everyone get behind me, Bunny and Copen! Brace yourselves!" He shouted as the Axe Legion and Bunny materialized their energy barriers while Copen summoned his Flashfield with his Armed Gear shield raised, ready to protect the group behind them.

"Oversurge, Azure Striker! Grand Glorious Strizer!"

...That is until a very large azure blue lightning sword from above plunged through the homunculus' back, making it roar in pain and ceased its attack. The sword also unleashed multiple lightning arcs onto the worms and the tentacles, disintegrating them into dust while also freeing the girls since the tentacles were destroyed. The girls were about to fall into the sludge, only for a blue lightning blur to swoop in and saved the girls before placing them safely to the ground. The blur then appeared in front of Copen while staring at the homunculus as Copen lowered his shield to see who it was, and then began to smirk when he recognized the figure. "I was wondering when you'd show up... Azure Striker Gunvolt." Copen spoke to the arrival.

"Glad to see you're still standing, Luminous Avenger Copen." Gunvolt smirked back, already donning his Faust Robe.

"Actually I have a nickname now, GV. You can call me Ix, if you want."

"Luminous Avenger Ix, huh?" Gunvolt repeated. "Did Lola came up with that nickname?"

"Actually it was Ashe who came up with that." Lola answered. "Pretty cool nickname, huh?"

"Why Ix, though?" Joule questioned. "Oh well. Good to see you hanging in there, Lola."

"Thanks, Joule."

"Phew... thanks for the save, GV." Starlight sighed with relief while she and the girls dusted off their bodies. "Tentacles are just the worse for us girls."

"At this rate, I'm staying away from those puddles. Let the guys handle them." Kallen said.

"Wait GV, if you're here, then where's Hibiki-chan and the others?" Kiana asked.

"I think you know the answer by now." Gunvolt smiled as he looked up to the night sky.

"The singing valkyries... are about to arrive." Copen also smiled in realization as he and the others also looked at the sky.

"Croitzal ronzell Gungnir zizzl..."

"Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron..."

"Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri tron..."

"Killter Ichaival tron..."

"Seilien coffin Airgetlám tron..."

"Seilien coffin Airgetlám tron..."

"Zeios Igalima raizen tron..."

"Various Shul Shagana tron..."

"Rei Shénshòujìng rei zizzl..."

"Axia no Kaze...?!" Starlight exclaimed, recognizing the song.

"Huh, so that's what happens when all nine Attuned sang their relic chants together." Zi-O mused.

"And what a beautiful melody it is." Geiz grinned.

"I see them!" Kiana noticed the nine colored lights quickly descending. Orange, yellow, blue, red, two silvers, green, pink and purple. The nine lights landed in front of the group, revealing themselves to be the Attuned, all donning their Symphogears and wielding their Armed Gears. Kanade, Hibiki, Tsubasa, Chris, Maria, Serena, Kirika, Shirabe and Miku, have arrived. "I was hoping you and your friends would show up, Hibiki-chan!" Kiana smiled at the arrivals.

"Glad we could make it, Kiana-chan! Sorry we're late!" Hibiki smiled back.

"Yo, Chris! Good to see you!" Ashe greeted with a wave.

"I'm surprised you're still alive after all of that fighting you and the others did tonight." Chris smirked with her arms crossed.

"Heh, you know me! Never a dull moment." Ashe grinned.

"Either way, thanks for coming." Grey added with Ashe nodding.

"Are you okay, Seele?" Kirika asked.

"Hope we didn't take too long to arrive, Bronya." Shirabe added.

Bronya shook her head and smiled at the two arrivals. "Actually, you're just in time."

"Though, a bit barely." Seele admitted while rubbing the back of her head. "We were this close to being defeated."

"Oh... Maybe we should've come a bit sooner, dess." Kirika noted.

"Either way, we're here now. And we're going to finish this fight." Shirabe stated.

"Good." Bronya replied as she and Seele nodded.

"Good to see you here, Maria, Serena." Kallen greeted the two sisters.

"You girls really kept us waiting, huh?" Theresa added with her arms crossed. "That thing nearly killed us..."

"Sorry for the wait, you two." Serena apologized. "But we're here now to make up for lost time."

"That kaiju may be strong, but we've fought stronger foes than this." Maria proclaimed. Her Airgetlám Gear consists of a black, light blue and pink bodysuit along with a pair of pink wing-shaped headphones and a silver and violet tiara; silver light armor that revealed her upper chest; her right arm having a bulky arm gauntlet and shoulder pad, both with a silver, violet and black color scheme; a silver and pink waist cloth on her right side of her hip; blue kneepads along with a pair of bulky silver, black and violet knee-high boots with light blue socks; and lastly on her upper chest near her neck is a red and violet crown-shaped crystal. Her Armed Gear she wields is a silver sword that also acts like a whip-sword.

"Good to know." Theresa noted with a nod.

"Tsubasa-san! You're here!" Mei smiled.

"Sorry for making you wait, Mei." Tsubasa smiled back. Her Ame no Habakiri Gear consists of a blue, sky blue, black and white bodysuit along with a pair of white and sky blue head phones and a white and sky blue wing-shaped hair accessory on her side ponytail; a pair of blue, black and white long gloves; blue and sky blue armor parts on her upper arms; sky blue and black armor parts on the back of her waist; blue, sky blue and white armor parts on her thighs; a pair of white, sky blue, blue and black knee-high shoes with white and sky blue blades on her ankles; a pair of sky blue kneepads along with sky blue socks; and lastly a red and sky blue crown-shaped crystal on her upper chest. Her Armed Gear she wields is a white katana.

"It's fine. I'm still standing." Mei assured. "Let's finish this fight, shall we?"

"Yes, let's." Tsubasa nodded.

"Is everyone alright?" Miku asked the others.

"We're doing just fine, Miku." Vent replied. "We're glad you and your friends are here to help."

"Cutting it real close though." Aile added.

"Sorry." Miku apologized. "But we can still make up for our late arrival."

"That's fine with us!" Aile replied with Vent nodding.

"Yo! Zi-O! Geiz! Starlight! Woz!" Kanade greeted with a cheerful grin. "Hope we're not late for a party!"

"Little bit. Little bit." Zi-O replied while emphasizing the phrase with a hand gesture.

"Glad you and the others are here though!" Starlight added.

"Now we can finally turn the tide." Geiz also added. "Homunculus Beta only has 50% health left. I'd go with my same strategy, but then the thing spat out sludge that spawns tentacles and worms with teeth with the larger ones also spitting out sludge."

"Eww..." Kanade shivered. "Please don't tell me that you guys were caught by the tentacles..."

"It was only me and the girls... That was not fun." Starlight answered.

=TIME MAZINE!=

"Ah, my vehicle has arrived." Woz spoke as his Time Mazine arrived and landed in front of him. "Zi-O, Geiz, I believe it's time to use the Battle Modes now."

"Right!" The Riders nodded before they ran towards their vehicles while dispersing their Legions.

"Wait, Battle Mode? What's that?" Hibiki asked.

"Hold on, I think I remember what Woz said about Battle Mode earlier." Theresa recalled. "It means that the Time Mazines are about to become bipedal mechs."

"Mechs..." Kanade repeated, until she gasped in realization upon remembering something before departing to Gunvolt's world a few days ago. "Wait! I think I remember Zi-O and Geiz mentioning their Time Mazines becoming mechs!"

"Oh, that!" Serena gasped in realization. "Are we about to see it now?"

"Looks like were about to find out!" Kanade grinned with anticipation.

Once the Riders boarded their Time Mazines, they initiated Battle Mode for their vehicles, changing from hoverbikes to bipedal mechs with the front parts becoming the arms and shoulders along with arm guards, the back parts becoming the legs with jet boosters, and has a katakana for 'Robo' on the chest area. Also, the head for the mechs now has the Zi-O, Geiz and Woz Ridewatches on it respectively.

"...EEEEHHH?!" Everyone (except Cure Starlight who simply smirked) exclaimed in shock at the sudden appearances of the Riders' mechs.

"Whoa...!" Kanade and Serena responded with awe.

"Aaahh!/Oyoyooo!" Shirabe and Kirika exclaimed with starry eyes of amazement.

"Mechs? Their Time Mazines can become gacking mechs, too?! How come they never told us about that feature?!" Lola gawked.

"...I think we never asked." Copen admitted with a sweatdrop.

"...It's official. I want my own Time Mazine now." Ashe remarked.

"So? What do you guys think of the Battle Modes?" Zi-O asked the group.

"All I can say is... Wow. Just wow." Kanade commented.

"They look so cool!" Hibiki cheerfully remarked with Kiana nodding.

"But... does the head really has to be a Ridewatch?" Chris questioned.

"There's a reason for that, Chris. But right now..." Geiz began before they turned to the homunculus growling impatiently. "...we've got a kaiju to exterminate."

"Ah, crap. Forgot about that thing." Kiana muttered as they saw the homunculus spitting out more sludge below it, which also spawned more worms from said sludge.

"Not these things again..." Aile groaned as everyone prepared to fight. "At least I get to have some payback."

"We'll have to deal with them while the Riders fight the homunculus." Starlight stated. "I'll lead the squad and move ahead first."

"Understood." Woz replied.

"Hey Joule!" Lola spoke. "How's about we sing a duet to boost our morale?"

"Actually, we're going to try something different." Joule replied. "But I'm gonna need your help."

"Huh? What are you planning?"

"Remember when Finé told us that the 'Muse' Septima is similar to Phonic Gain? Maybe we could try to syncronize the voices of the Attuned with our powers."

"So we're basically giving some of our Septima powers to Hibiki and the others?"

"Yes. That way, their songs will boost everyone's morale without either one of us singing. But we're only going to share our powers to them temporarily."

Lola gave Joule's idea some thought before asking Copen and Gunvolt. "...Hey Ix, GV, could you let me and Joule try this out?"

"Hmm..." Copen pondered before turning to Gunvolt. "What do you think, GV? Should we allow them to try this tactic out?"

"Well... won't know till we find out for ourselves." Gunvolt replied. "Joule, Lola, hope you girls know what you're doing."

"Just leave it to us, GV, Ix." Joule replied as she and Lola in their Idol Forms appeared beside Gunvolt and Copen, and flew above the Symphogears. They closed their eyes, extended their wings and let out azure blue and crimson red sparkles onto the girls, sharing them their power. The Symphogears were in awe as they felt the power of the 'Muse' Septima surging through their bodies along with the auras of their respective colors.

"This is..." Kanade spoke as she looked at her hand. "This is the same power I've felt during the battle against Laius in GV's world...!"

"Yeah... I also remembered this feeling!" Serena agreed while looking at her own hand.

"Is this true?" Maria asked the two, who nodded in confirmation.

"So this... is the power of the 'Muse' Septima?" Tsubasa spoke while looking at her hand.

"Joule, Lola, I can feel it... the power of the 'Muse' surging through my body. Everyone's bodies." Hibiki said with her eyes closed and her hand on her chest. "Kanade-san, Tsubasa-san, Chris-chan, Maria-san, Serena-chan, Kirika-chan, Shirabe-chan, Miku..." She spoke to them while opening her eyes and her aura flaring up. "Let our voices grant Team XDR the strength and courage to push forward towards victory!"

"Roger!" The other Attuned nodded with determination and flaring auras while Joule and Lola returned back to their respective relic crystals.

"All for one...!" Hibiki began.

"...And one for all!" The other Attuned finished before they began singing.

(Play BGM: Rikka Ryōran from Symphogear XV)

Once the music was played, all of Team XDR became surged with multiple colored auras, revitalizing their strength and morale thanks to the combined power of Joule and Lola's Septima, and the singing Symphogears.

"Bunny's energy output is rising past its limits! How is that possible?!" Bronya questioned while looking at the stats of her mecha on her Zikan Phone.

"What is this energy? Its power is on par with the Herrscher and the Honkai!" Veloria spoke from inside Seele's head.

"Is this... the power of the 'Muse' Septima and the Attuned?" Seele added.

"I can feel it." Kiana said with her eyes closed and her hand on her chest. "Joule and Lola's power, and the song of courageous hope of the Symphogears!" She opened her eyes with her aura flaring up even more. "Mei! Bronya! Seele! Kallen! Auntie Theresa! Let's make use of this miracle to the fullest and push forward!"

"Right!" The valkyries responded with determination.

"Model Z, A! Are you feeling this immense rise of energy, too?" Model X asked.

"I felt it, too. I've never felt a power boost like this before!" Model Z replied.

"Not gonna complain about it, though! This is awesome!" Model A cheerfully replied. "Vent, Aile, Grey, Ashe! Ready to go nuts with this power?"

"Hehe! I think the answer's obvious, Model A!" Ashe chuckled.

"Agreed." Grey nodded. "Let's not put this power boost to waste!"

"Time to show this homunculus what happens when picking a fight with the Mega Men!" Aile declared.

"And to prove that Team XDR is not for show!" Vent added with their weapons ready and their auras flaring up.

"Hehe. Boy, are they fired up." Starlight chuckled while observing the team's morale becoming stronger than before. "Would be nice if I had my own Time Mazine, though."

"I'm sure that Einstein and the others are working on it in a future project." Woz assured. "When it's ready, you'll be the first to know."

"Then it's a promise." Starlight smiled.

"Listen up, team!" Zi-O spoke to the group. "Geiz, Woz and I needed a clear path towards the homunculus, meaning those worms must be eliminated! This is our stage, now! So let's make it count!"

"Got it!" The group responded.

"Give the signal, buddy!" Geiz requested as their mechs prepared to fight.

"Xross Drive Rebellion! Let's Ragna-Rock and Roll!" Zi-O ordered with his mech's hand forward.

On Zi-O's signal, Starlight, Hibiki, Miku and Kiana rushed toward the worms attacking the group with sludge bombs along with the homunculus launching its spikes on its back. As Hibiki sang her solo, she slammed the ground with her fist, unleashing a ground shockwave onto the tentacles and worms, then followed up by performing several aerial spin-kicks that unleashed projectiles. Kiana also supported Hibiki with a bullet storm, followed by summoning her large neko paws and slamming the worms and tentacles to dust. Starlight's slash-waves with her twin swords and Miku's laser beams with her Armed Gear and her mirror bits, destroyed the kaiju's flying spikes along with being struck on the face by the attacks. Starlight and Miku (along with her mirror bits) then followed up with a combined laser beam onto the kaiju's face again, dealing even more damage.

When Tsubasa sang her solo next, she, along with Kanade, Gunvolt and Mei, unleashed a storm of slash-waves with their weapons onto the worms and the flying spikes, slicing them all in half. Then Kanade unleashed a forward tornado with her spear, with Tsubasa, Mei and Gunvolt launching their combined slash-waves into the storm, fusing their attacks into a lightning razor cyclone that obliterated the worms and even struck the kaiju's face, pushing it back with force.

As Chris sang her solo, she began firing a bullet storm at the worms with her gattling guns, with Grey and Ashe providing support fire with their hand cannons. Chris then followed up by firing a storm of missiles from her armor with Bronya's Bunny providing support fire with more missiles from its cannon, while Grey and Ashe also provided support fire with charged homing lasers and homing lightning blasts. All of the attacks targeted the worms and the homunculus with the former being obliterated to nothingness and the latter taking heavy damage to the face.

When Maria began her solo, she and Copen sliced the worms to pieces with their whip-swords swinging all over them, with Theresa providing support by throwing her spears like boomerangs. Once their whip-swords retracted back, they jumped into the air where Serena is floating and preparing her dagger. Maria and Serena summoned multiple copies of their Armed Gear and launched them towards the worms and the homunculus, with Theresa providing support again by throwing her spear to the sky, causing a storm of spears to rain down upon the worms and the kaiju's body. Copen provided support to Maria, Serena and Theresa by summoning a second shield to his other arm along with a second Burning Divider pistol on his other hand and aimed towards the worms and kaiju with the front of his shields having energy daggers armed. And then he fired his weapons rapidly onto his targets with support fire from his bits firing the Broad Circuit EX-Weapon as all of the attacks obliterated the worms and struck the kaiju's face.

As Shirabe sang her solo, she launched a storm of buzz-saws towards the worms from her metallic twin-tails, with Vent and Aile providing support with their ZX-Busters firing rapid and charged shots. The Mega Men then switched to their ZX-Sabers and flung them towards the worms like boomerangs with Shirabe providing support by launching her twin buzz-saws and razor yoyos. Once the weapons circled back to their owners hands, Shirabe combined her razor yo-yos and twin buzz-saws into a massive pink energy buzz-saw, while the Mega Man combined all of their ZX-Sabers into a energy cross-shuriken and charged it to full power. Afterwards, the trio launched their weapons, slicing the worms to pieces before colliding with the kaiju's face, pushing it back and slowly tearing off its face armor before the weapons explode (minus the combined cross-shuriken that flew back to Vent and Aile and split them back into ZX-Sabers).

When Kirika sang her solo, she and Seele leaped into the air over a moonlight with an upside down spin-jump while spinning rapidly, and then quickly descended towards the worms, slashing them away with their scythes in blinding speeds. Kallen provided support from above, firing a bullet storm with her revolvers. Kirika then summoned a copy of her Armed Gear to her hand and spun the scythes rapidly towards the worms and homunculus, unleashing a green forward cyclone in the process. Seele also rapidly spun her scythe forward, unleashing a purple ripple storm and combined it with Kirika's cyclone, becoming a destructive green and purple hurricane that shredded the worms to pieces and struck the kaiju's face as the hurricane started to slightly lift the large homunculus off the ground. Kallen then followed up by combining her revolvers and fired a large purple raven-shaped projectile into the combined hurricane, making the projectile generate a purple and green aura. The projectile then quickly flew forward till it collided into the kaiju's face and freezing its entire body while the hurricane kept it suspended into the air.

"Now, Kamen Riders! Move forward!" Kallen ordered as the Attuned began to sing the chorus next.

Zi-O's mech flew towards the homunculus while reeling his right fist back. Once he got close, he delivered a powerful right hook onto the kaiju's face, followed by a left hook, and then continued to let out right and left hooks without slowing down. Next, he grabbed the kaiju's face with his hands and spun it around several times before launching it towards Geiz and Woz's mechs. The two mechs caught the homunculus and delivered a reverse suplex, slamming the kaiju to the ground that also broke away its frozen state. Zi-O regrouped with Geiz and Woz as they saw the kaiju slowly regaining its footing and growled at them. It then delivered a tail swing to the three mechas, only for them to catch the tail with their hands instead and countered with an overhead slam to the ground. While the mechas are still gripping on the kaiju's tail, Tsubasa and Kanade threw their Armed Gears from above as their weapons became a massive sword and spear, and crashed onto the kaiju's tail, cutting it off in the process.

Heaven's Wrath

SPEAR∞ORBIT

With the kaiju's tail sliced off, the mechas threw the tail to the sky, prompting Starlight to destroy it on sight as she rotated her PreBrace several times before reeling back her energized left fist. "Pretty Cure! Final Starlight Shoot!" Starlight lunged her fist forward, unleashing a massive yellow and red energy sphere that obliterated the tail to nothingness. "Sorry, but your tail is never gonna come back." She quipped to the homunculus as it started to feel fear. It slowly took a few steps back and ran away while taking the canal route.

"Eh? It's running away?" Hibiki questioned after she and the others finished off the last of the worms.

"It's probably trying to retreat in order to recover." Theresa stated.

"Then we'd better go after it before that happens!" Vent declared.

"Guess I'll have to bust out Wizard's power again so that I can intercept it with a portal." Geiz said.

"Actually..." Zi-O interjected with a raised hand from his mech. "...I've got a better idea." He then turned to Copen. "Ix, do you still have that EX-Weapon that can create wormholes?"

"Are you talking about the Wormhole Septima from Merak of Sumeragi? Yeah, I still have that." Copen confirmed, until his eyes widen in realization. "You want me to create that wormhole instead, huh?"

"Yup." Zi-O nodded. "Hop onto Geiz's shoulder to get a precise shot."

"Mm." Copen nodded as he hopped aboard the red mecha's shoulder.

"You have an EX-Weapon that can create wormholes?! Seriously, Ix?!" Ashe questioned. "I'm starting to think you're overpowered at some point!"

"Jealous?" Lola teased.

"You're gacking right, I am!"

"Ashe, our A-Trans is just enough to do most tasks." Grey stated with a deadpanned look.

"Hey, Kanade! Can I borrow that large spear of yours?" Geiz requested after noticing Kanade's giant spear and Tsubasa's giant sword that's still planted to the ground.

"Sure thing! I can always create another Armed Gear, no problem." Kanade approved.

"Thanks for the donation!" Geiz replied as his mech pulled out Kanade's spear and wielded it. "Ix, wormhole please!"

Copen nodded before pointing his Armed Gear forward and created a large blue wormhole in front of Geiz's mech. "Okay, head inside!"

With Copen's response while atop the mech's shoulder, Geiz drove his mech inside the wormhole before it vanished. "Tsubasa, I'm borrowing your large sword. I'll be needing it to intercept the homunculus from behind." Zi-O requested.

"Feel free to use my blade, Zi-O." Tsubasa approved with a nod, prompting Zi-O's mech to pull Tsubasa's sword from the ground.

"Woz, stay close behind me! Everyone else, follow behind Woz!" Zi-O ordered before his mech quickly dashed ahead with its boosters with Woz following close behind.

"Okay, let's go!" Starlight quickly flew after Woz while everyone else rushed right behind her.

The Homunculus Beta is still running away from Team XDR in order to find a way to recover its strength. It eventually saw a large open river at a distance, but its escape was immediately cut short when a large blue wormhole appeared right in front of it. "Surprise!" Geiz yelled as his mech lunged Kanade's spear right through the kaiju's mouth and was quickly pushed back as the wormhole vanished while the mecha dashed ahead with its boosters.

The homunculus tried to counter by launching the spikes on its back towards the mech, only for Copen to create another wormhole in front as the spikes flew inside before the wormhole vanished. Afterwards, he created several small wormholes above the homunculus as the spikes it launched earlier spawned out of the holes and collided onto its back, damaging it in the process before the wormholes vanished.

Zi-O eventually caught up and saw Geiz pushing the homunculus back with Kanade's spear, prompting Zi-O to lunge Tsubasa's sword through the kaiju's back, stopping it in place before he and Geiz lifted it off the ground with the large weapons. "Woz, execute your finisher!" Zi-O ordered.

"As you wish!" Woz complied as he engaged the finisher sequence.

=BEYOND THE TIME!=

A large green energy cube with a clock on it appeared behind the homunculus while the green katakana for 'kick' swirled around Woz's mech.

=TIME EXPLOSION!=

Woz's mech then rushed forward, leaped into the air and delivered a green energized corkscrew kick onto the suspended homunculus with the katakana on it, sending the kaiju flying into the energy cube, triggering the timer while the kaiju was trapped inside.

"Huh. I was expecting the timer to go a little faster." Zi-O commented as they noticed the timer going a bit slower than before.

"I've decided to set the timer to one minute so that our allies can also have a shot at the kaiju." Woz answered.

"So we're going for the overkill route, eh? Fair enough." Geiz replied as Starlight and the others caught up with them. Copen noticed their arrival before jumping off the mech's shoulder to regroup with Gunvolt.

"Did you guys get the kaiju?" Starlight asked, until she noticed said trapped kaiju inside Woz's energy cube. "Uh... Woz? Shouldn't that cube of yours explode by now?"

"I just wanted our friends to have some last minute shots at the homunculus, just to make sure." Woz replied.

"Oh, how generous of you." Kiana grinned as she combined her guns again and aimed at the cube. "Kallen, let's do this together!"

"Right!" Kallen nodded as she combined her guns again and aimed at the same target. "Mei, Bronya, Seele, Theresa, lend us your strength!"

"You heard her, girls!" Theresa told the other three valkyries as they moved their hand forward and transferred their strength to the Kaslanas with their lights.

"Can't let them have all the fun! Let's join in, too!" Ashe declared as she and Grey combined their hand cannons and also aimed at the target.

"Right!" Vent and Aile complied as they combined their ZX-Busters and also aimed at the target.

"GV, let's try combining our Armed Gears and guns into one." Copen suggested.

"Really?" Gunvolt raised an eyebrow. "You sure it's gonna work?"

"We're wearing our Faust Robes, remember? Just believe in our Gears Finé gave us."

"...Alright then." Gunvolt nodded in agreement before he and Copen combined all of their weapons into one large blaster with Gunvolt's sword which was slightly opened up attached to the front of Copen's shield, and the guns attached to the bottom of the shield with their hand on the grips and the finger on the triggers. They aimed at the cube while Copen's support bits circled in front of them, generating crimson red and azure blue energy as the bits circled faster. Gunvolt and Copen's auras also flared up while also generating their respective energy wings.

"Looks like we've only got one shot at this, so we'd better make it count." Miku stated to the other Symphogears. "Kanade-san, take the shot while the rest of us support you."

"You got it, Miku-chan!" Kanade complied with a nod as her spear briefly opened up and aimed at the cube. Serena created more of her Armed Gear and circled in front of Kanade, along with Miku's mirror bits also performing the same thing.

"Chris-chan! I think it's time we use our trump card!" Hibiki requested with Tsubasa, Maria, Kirika and Shirabe nodding.

"My thoughts exactly!" Chris nodded back as the six Attuned began to glow.

"Gear Blast Off!" The six Attuned shouted, purging out their armor parts and transforming them into floating hexagon-shaped protective shells, leaving their bodysuits in tact. The others were shocked that the six Attuned had another ability up their sleeves.

"Wait, did you girls just purged out your armors?!" Joule questioned.

"Call it as a last resort. Our purged armors become energy, and we're gonna combine those energies into one final blast. But doing so makes our defences completely weak." Chris explained.

"So you're basically sacrificing defence for more power, right?" Lola guessed, earning a confirmed nod from Chris.

"No wonder you called this ability as a last resort." Copen noted.

"We need to destroy that homunculus in one shot, so this tactic will be more than enough to finish the job." Maria stated.

"I understand, onee-san!" Serena nodded.

"Kanade-san! We're ready to support you, so fire when ready!" Hibiki said.

"Roger that, little kouhai!" Kanade nodded as she focused her concentration while still taking aim at the cube.

"Zi-O, Geiz, let's finish this together!" Starlight said as she flew in front of the Riders.

"And how are we going to do that?" Geiz asked.

"Uhh... hold on..." Starlight pondered a bit with her hand on her chin.

"I'd hurry up if I were you. The clock is ticking." Woz pointed out.

"Oi, Woz. Don't stress her out or she'll lose focus." Zi-O said.

"Ah, my apologies."

"Hmm..." Starlight then glanced at the large sword and spear, until she finally had an idea with a finger snap. "Okay, I've got just the thing!" She rotated her PreBrace several times before moving her hand forward and conjured up a very large energy bow with the same size as the mechs. "Guys, combine that sword and spear, and then use my bow to fire it!"

"Right!" Zi-O and Geiz complied as they fused the two large weapons together into a javelin with a red, blue and white color scheme, and armed the large energy bow with it before taking aim at the cube. Afterwards, the Riders triggered the finisher sequence.

=FINISH TIME!=

The javelin became brightly energized with a pink, red and yellow glow. "Combination Strike: Xross Drive Finale!" The three chosen heroes shouted as they launched the energized javelin right onto the cube, while the rest of Team XDR followed up by unleashing their combined blasts from all of their weapons, becoming a large and destructive multi-colored blast.

=TIME BREAK/BURST!=

As the combined blast struck the cube that contained the suspended homunculus, it also pushed the cube back as it flew above the clouds while the clock on the cube kept ticking its last seconds. And when the clock struck '0', the cube detonated into a massive multi-colored explosion that obliterated the Homunculus Beta into nothingness. Its destruction also caused the sludge to vanish.

(BGM End)

"And that, my friends, is what I like to call, Checkmate." Woz concluded as he got out of his mech.

"I know that I'm gonna sound corny and stupid when I say this... but what the hell. I wanna say it just this once." Zi-O said as he and Geiz disembarked their mechs. "That kaiju's time, is up."

"Oh god..." Chris groaned and facepalmed when she heard that phrase. "I don't wanna hear that line, ever again."

"Really? I find it kind of cool." Seele remarked with a slight giggle.

"Ughh..." Chris groaned even louder while everyone else slightly chuckled.

"Anyway, excellent job, Team XDR! Mission Complete! For real, this time!" Zi-O declared to the group with a thumbs up, causing everyone to cheer in victory with hugs and high-fives. The three chosen heroes gave each other a fist-bump while Woz simply smiled in satisfaction.

---

Guardian Base, Command Center

"Phew, they did it. Thank goodness..." Prairie sighed with relief before smiling after witnessing the battle on the large monitor while everyone in the command center cheered with victory. "Tulip, let's go and pick up Regina, Shinji, and our Guardian troops before we pick up our team."

"Yes, ma'am." Tulip complied before contacting the two. "Regina, Shinji, the homunculus has been confirmed to be eliminated. Gather the Guardian troops and await transfer back to the airship. Over."

---

"Copy that. Over and out." Regina contacted back before ending the call and putting away the phone. "Hehe, I always knew they could do it." She smiled while looking at the night sky.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Shinji agreed with a nod and a smile while also looking at the sky. "So this is the strength of Xross Drive Rebellion..."

"Yup." Regina nodded back. "And we're gonna keep getting even stronger than ever. Come on, Shinji-san. Let's gather the Guardian troops here after we finished helping them out."

"Right with you, Regina." Shinji replied as they look for the troops.

---

Zi-O Liner, Dining Area

"Heh, I've should've expected this outcome seeing how strong our team has become, both in strength, ability and teamwork." Einstein smirked while adjusting her glasses as she and the group watched the holo-screen.

"I agree." Fu Hua nodded before smiling. "I think I'm starting to regret not coming along with them earlier. Oh well, maybe next time."

"I'm sure there's plenty of chances once we start travelling to other worlds soon." Miriam stated.

"And hopefully my brother landed in one of those worlds." Lumine added.

"We can't slack off just yet. We've got a lot of preparations to do." Tesla stated.

"Indeed." Sakura nodded. "We have to keep training while also gaining more allies."

"I agree." Noelle also nodded. "If we ever get a chance to go to Teyvat, I can think of a few friends of mine who might be interested to help out."

"More help is appreciated, Noelle. Thanks." Einstein replied as she pulled out her Zikan Phone and pushed a few buttons. "Right then, I'm contacting Prairie that we're mobilizing the Zi-O Liner immediately to head for Japan and rendezvous with Genjuro."

"Wait, we're not picking the others up?" Lumine questioned.

"I'm pretty sure Prairie has that part covered thanks to her airship." Fu Hua pointed out. "She'll pick them up instead."

"Ah, right. Forgot about that."

---

Tokyo, Japan

S.O.N.G HQ, Command Center

"Heh, those are my valkyries, alright." Himeko smiled with her hand on her hip as she, Genjuro, Sakuya, Aoi, Sucrose, Elfnein and Ciel witnessed Team XDR's victory on the large monitor, with Himeko glancing at her fellow valkyries of St. Freya Academy.

"And those are my Symphogears." Genjuro smirked with his arms crossed, glancing at the nine Attuned.

"I'm so proud of them." Himeko and Genjuro said at the same time, making them blink before staring at each other and chuckled a bit.

"I'm not asking for a date, if that's what you're thinking." Genjuro smirked.

"A date?" Himeko raised her eyebrow. "What made you think of that idea?"

"Just a guess, Himeko." Genjuro replied before the two chuckled... while Sakuya and Aoi cannot believe what they've heard from the two while the operators were watching the monitors.

"(A date...? Between Genjuro and Himeko...?! I'm not hearing things, right?)" Sakuya whispered in shock.

"(It was only a guess. But...)" Aoi whispered back before shaking her head. "(No, that's not possible. There's no way Genjuro would have started a relationship with Himeko so soon.)"

"(Yeah, maybe you're right. But still...)"

"(Just keep those thoughts to yourself and leave it be, Sakuya.)"

"Who would've thought that everyone would work so well together." Sucrose remarked while watching the monitor.

"I guess this shows how they fight as a team. I'm so amazed at their performances." Elfnein added.

"Well, we are an alliance, after all. It's only natural that they coordinate their strengths and abilities together." Ciel pointed out.

"You're right." Sucrose agreed as she and Elfnein nodded. "Even the Knights of Favonius would be impressed at their performance."

Ciel glanced at the chosen Mega Men on the monitor. "X, Zero, Girouette, I hope you'll keep watching over us. With this alliance, we'll protect the multiverse from harm. That's a promise." She thought with a smile.

---

"Hm?" Zi-O heard his Zikan Phone ringing, prompting him to answer it. "Zi-O here. What's up?"

"Good job dealing with the homunculus." Prairie contacted. "The Zi-O Liner has already left the abandoned train station and is heading for Japan to meet up with Genjuro. The Grand Nuage is now transferring Regina, Shinji and the other Guardian troops inside since the military will take over the city clean up, so we'll be picking you and your team up soon."

"Thanks for the heads up, Prairie." Zi-O replied. "Glad you're here to provide assistance. We couldn't have won without your help."

"Hehe, you're welcome. And I'm glad this alliance is formed. Well then, see you later!" Prairie ended the call, prompting Zi-O to put away his phone before conversing with Geiz and Starlight.

Unknown to Team XDR however... two hooded figures had witnessed the entire battle from atop a building without being seen by the public eye. And said figures were the same ones that observed the three chosen heroes back in Prime Earth. "Heheh... quite the show, huh, my daughter?" The male figure said.

"Indeed, father." The female figure nodded. "They've gotten stronger and obtained plenty of powerful allies. I should know..." She briefly removed her hood, revealing to be Cure Darkmoon herself, who encountered Cure Starlight and her team back in Sequin Land. "...considering how I could compare to my last encounter with them."

"Indeed." The male nodded. "But... this is only the beginning. Now, the real trials will begin."

"Well it's about damn time." Said the arriving Prometheus, with Pandora and Dark Dream following behind. "Not only that..." He then gazed at Seele and Kirika having a conversation. "It seems I've got some competition when it comes to scythes. This should be fun." He grinned with excitement.

"You're not the only one who's taken an interest with some of their new allies, brother." Pandora said, observing Bronya and Shirabe conversing with each other.

"You'll get your chance to duel with them soon, you two. So wait a bit longer, okay?" The male told the two siblings.

"You got it, Boss." Prometheus replied with Pandora nodding.

"Dark Dream, what do you think of them so far?" Darkmoon asked.

"They're pretty strong compared to Cure Dream and the rest of her Pretty Cure teammates." Dark Dream answered while observing Starlight and the others. "But I know they can become even stronger than before." She looked at her own hand as she slowly clenched it. "I'll have start catching up to Cure Dream's level since she's also becoming stronger than I am."

"True, considering Pretty Cure 5 defeated Nightmare and Eternal." Darkmoon replied. "We'll help you get to that level soon, but you're gonna have to work hard for that to happen."

"I understand, Darkmoon." Dark Dream nodded.

"Pandora, status report on the Nautilus." The boss asked.

"According to Risky and her Tinkerbats, repairs and modifications are going smoothly ever since we've discovered that submarine base. Although we're gonna need more materials to finish it." Pandora informed.

"Shouldn't we just use the Tinkersub for those materials?" Prometheus questioned.

"No. We're still needing that for explorations." The boss replied, before noticing the Grand Nuage arriving at a distance. "Right then, that's our cue to leave." He turned to the group and summoned a dimensional portal behind them. "Everyone remembered your assignments?" The group nodded in response. "Good. Now get to work, but remember to take a break at least once or twice."

"Yes, my lord." The group bowed before heading inside the portal.

The boss was about to head inside, but not before taking one last look at Team XDR as he slowly removed his hood and revealed his face. He had short and slightly spiky gold and black hair with black eyes along with a small scar beside his left eye. "Enjoy your celebrations with your friends, Demon King of Time. Because soon, very soon, the real fun begins. How you'll shape your destiny and fate... is all up to you." He spoke his last words as he entered the portal before it vanished.

---

Tokyo, Japan

A few days have passed ever since Team XDR defeated the Homunculus Beta in London. One day, there was a meeting with the United Nations to which Genjuro, Prairie and Theresa invited Zi-O, Geiz and Cure Starlight to attend in order to explain about the kaiju attack and the formation of Team XDR. With the help of the commanders, the UN allowed the alliance to be formed in order to combat the threat of the Neo Time Jackers and to explore the multiverse to search for the Gjallarhorn fragments, in exchange of helping the current world from occasional disasters and other threats. The chosen heroes accepted the proposal, though one UN general from America commented casually about Team XDR being like the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. which earned some chuckles... except Prairie and Theresa who were clueless at who the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D are... which is understandable considering the worlds they're originally from.

After the UN meeting, Woz assembled all of Team XDR, including the commanders, inside S.O.N.G HQ to finally tell the story of Sougo Tokiwa, the previous Kamen Rider Zi-O, from the start of his journey with an apocalyptic future ruled by Ohma Zi-O, the Demon King of Time; Sougo's birth as a Kamen Rider to battle the Time Jackers along with encountering Geiz Myokoin and Tsukuyomi; all the way to the end with the final battle against Swartz, leader of the Time Jackers, along with the aftermath. The team also got a glimpse of the previous Heisei Riders in action, along with the four Future Riders; Shinobi, Quiz, Kikai, and Ginga. They also saw some upgrade forms of the Riders, such as Zi-O's DecadeArmor, Zi-O II, Geiz Revive, Woz GingaFinally and last but not least, Grand Zi-O, which contained the power of all of the main Heisei Riders by summoning them or their weapons at will, along with having enhanced time manipulation powers. They even saw Tsukuyomi becoming a Kamen Rider, which surprised Akira and even Shirabe at her sudden appearance. Once the story was over, everyone's opinion on Zi-O were a bit of a mix of shock, awe and concern. But in the end, they were glad that Sougo made the right choice and created a satisfying and peaceful conclusion for him and his friends. Even the two generals of the Time Jackers are having a peaceful life with their memory of that organization completely wiped clean. And now, all eyes are on Zeo Naotora as the new Kamen Rider Zi-O, alongside Gaius Cornell as the new Kamen Rider Geiz, and Akira Naotora as Cure Starlight, as they lead the fight against the Neo Time Jackers while also searching for the scattered Gjallarhorn fragments. Zeo also made a vow to the team that he'll become the strongest, kindest and compassionate Kamen Rider as long as there is trustworthy friends who will support him so that he'll never become the corrupted Demon King of Time, which impressed Woz at his declaration.

A few more days later...

"Aahh..." Zeo took a deep breath while relaxing atop a familiar grassy hill that Hibiki showed them last time alongside Akira and Gaius with hands behind their heads. "For once, we could use some peace and quiet after our London escapades."

"Mhm." Akira nodded. "It took quite a long while for our team to be formed, but it was worth it."

"You know, I really thought it was all a dream... but it's clearly not." Gaius said.

"Yeah. We all made it happen with our own hands." Zeo replied.

"So brother, what's next?" Akira asked.

"I know we were gonna start travelling to other worlds, but let's do it one world at a time instead of going straight to the next one, just to be cautious." Zeo replied.

"That would be after testing out the dimensional warp drive." Gaius stated, earning a nod from Zeo and Akira. "How about we try using that system to go to GV's world first?"

"Huh, and I was hoping we'd go to Sequin Land instead, just to see how Shantae and friends are doing." Akira said.

"Both are good choices... but I'm leaning towards GV's world for two simple reasons." Zeo replied.

"And what were those reasons?" Akira asked.

"Reason 1." Zeo raised his finger. "I'm a little worried about Mytyl and Quinn's safety. There's bound to be some asshole organization planning to kidnap them for some horrible scheme. So I think it's better to bring them to this world so that they can be protected, and maybe get Mytyl to attend Lydian Academy."

"Hmm... that's a good reason right there, though you're gonna have to ask Copen's permission first if he's okay with her sister attending that academy." Gaius replied. "Also, what about Nori and Xiao? Should we bring them along, too?"

"Actually, I'm only going to bring along Nori." Zeo decided. "Xiao will have to stay just to keep an eye on that world in case a new threat arises. Which brings me to Reason 2." He raised his second finger. "It's time for GV to tell Xiao, Moniqa and Zeno the truth about Azimov. If it goes well, we might be able to get Moniqa and Zeno to help Xiao observe that world while GV and Copen are gone."

"Oh, that. GV never did tell those two about what truly happened to Azimov." Akira recalled as Zeo lowered his hand. "Though that's going to be a huge problem for one important reason; QUILL's still on the hunt for GV ever since he severed ties with them due to Azimov's death."

"Yeah, that's gonna be a problem." Gaius agreed. "Any ideas on how to rectify that problem without alerting the organization?"

"I'll see if I could ask GV to set up a secret meeting with Xiao, Zeno and Moniqa in a well hidden area." Zeo said.

"Fair enough." Gaius nodded.

"Zeo-san! Akira-san! Gaius-san!" Shouted the arriving Hibiki, alongside Kiana, Miriam, Lumine, Gunvolt, Joule, Copen, Lola, Vent and Aile, all of them in their casual clothes.

"Oh hey, what's up?" Zeo greeted as he, Akira and Gaius stood up.

"We were looking for you because of the good news." Hibiki replied before turning to Copen. "Go ahead and tell them, Copen!"

"It took several days, but the dimensional warp drive system has been completed." Copen informed. "It's already been implemented onto the Zi-O Liner, ready to be tested."

"If it works, we can start implementing that system onto the Grand Nuage and S.O.N.G HQ." Lola added. "Though the latter will take a little more time since the Tesla Drive System is not ready to be installed yet."

"Fair enough since it's a submarine base." Gaius noted.

"So when do we get to test that warp drive out?" Akira asked.

"We can start whenever you're ready." Vent replied with Aile nodding.

"Hehe, I can't wait to see what kind of world we'll get to visit next!" Kiana smiled in excitement.

"Fufu, I agree." Miriam giggled. "But always remember about our mission to locate the fragment while helping out the people of the world."

"You're right, Miriam." Kiana nodded. "It'd be pretty bad if those time jacking jerks stole the fragment from under our noses while we're busy helping people."

"If we ever find my brother in one of those worlds, I'll ask him to join us in our mission." Lumine said. "He might've lost all of his powers like I did when we fought that unknown god."

"Of course we'll let Aether join Team XDR." Akira assured with a smile. "And we'll get those lost powers back, one way or the other."

"But don't forget to learn new skills along the way, which would be useful in a long run." Zeo advised. "I should know considering I've played dozen of RPGs, especially Pokémon and Final Fantasy."

"RPGs?" Miriam and Lumine tilted their heads in confusion.

"He means Role Playing Games." Joule clarified. "You basically play as a character who engages in adventures, such as battling monsters, collecting treasure, that kind of stuff."

"Kinda like how Noelle and Sucrose are doing back in Teyvat." Akira mentioned.

"Oh..." Miriam and Lumine noted.

"Though... what's Pokémon?" Gunvolt asked.

"Oh that. It's short for Pocket Monsters, creatures that lived in the Pokémon world that contained several regions. Though some regions are based on Earth, such as England, USA, and even Hawaii." Gaius explained.

"Pokémon is actually a monster raising RPG where you go and explore the world to catch and train many different types of Pokémon and battle them to be the very best, like no one ever was." Zeo added.

"And how many types of Pokémon are there?" Copen asked.

"...More than 800 of them."

"EEEHHH?!" The group exclaimed.

"T-That's a lot of Pokémon..." Aile commented.

"Yeah... but humans and Pokémon can get along just fine. Even forging stronger bonds the more they work together." Akira said.

"That's good to know. I think Serena-chan, Kirika-chan and Shirabe-chan would love to explore that world!" Hibiki smiled with excitement. "Heck, even myself, Miku and the others might also want to explore that world, too!"

"Heheh, well that world is a popular one to explore." Zeo chuckled. "If we ever get a chance to go to that world, we'll definitely take that chance. And maybe find a Perfect Link Pokémon for all of us."

"A Perfect Link?" Gunvolt repeated.

"Think of it as your perfect companion or partner, just like you and Joule, and Copen and Lola." Gaius explained to him.

"Or in Kamen Rider terms, a 'Best Match'." Zeo added.

"Oh... that kind." Joule and Lola noted.

"So you guys think that every single one of us has a Pokémon Perfect Link?" Copen questioned the chosen heroes.

"That depends if the Pokémon has a very close bond with the chosen person." Akira answered.

"But for now..." Zeo clasped his hands and turned to the Azure Striker. "I've decided that we're going to your world first to test out the warp drive, GV."

"What?!" Gunvolt, Joule, Copen and Lola exclaimed.

"That, and we're going to get Quinn, Mytyl and Nori to stay in the Symphogear world, just to keep them safe." Gaius added.

"So that's why." Copen noted, before agreeing with a nod. "I think that's a good choice since my sister will be safe. Only problem is that I'll have to cancel her enrollment in school."

"Oh, that's no problem! How about you let her attend Lydian Academy with us?" Hibiki suggested. "That way, she can make new friends while we protect her from harm!"

"Hey, I think that's a great idea, Hibiki!" Lola agreed. "I'm sure Mytyl will get along with Hibiki and the others!"

"Lydian Academy, huh...?" Copen repeated with his hand on his chin, until he nodded in agreement. "Alright, I'll give your suggestion a shot."

"Alright!" Hibiki cheered.

"On one condition."

"Hai?"

"If you or any of your friends infect my sister with any troublemaking antics, you're gonna get it from me. Understood?" Copen warned with narrowed eyes.

Hibiki gulped nervously before nodding. "H-Hai..."

"At least Serena's safe since she's not the troublemaking type." Lola remarked. "Glad that Maria allowed her to attend the academy too so she could hang out with Kirika and Shirabe."

"Wait a minute." Gunvolt spoke up. "What about Xiao? Maybe bring him along, too?"

"Actually, he'll have to stay in your world to keep an eye on things while you and Copen are with us." Zeo answered.

"I see, fair enough." Gunvolt noted.

"That, and you're gonna have to tell them the truth about what happened to Azimov." Akira added. "And by 'them', I'm referring to Xiao, Zeno and Moniqa."

"Oh... that..." Gunvolt replied with his head slightly down.

"I dunno if that's a good idea for him tell them that. I'm not even sure how they'll react to the truth." Joule stated.

"Yeah, I know." Zeo replied. "I just wanted to tell GV if he's okay with revealing the truth or not. And if he doesn't want to, that's fine."

"No, you're right." Gunvolt shook his head and turned to Zeo. "I'm done running away. It's time to get that guilty feeling off my chest and tell them the truth. I'll respect their decision, either way."

"Hope it goes well, GV." Vent said with Aile nodding.

"We'll support you, no matter what." Kiana added with Miriam, Lumine and Hibiki nodding.

"Thanks, guys." Gunvolt smiled as he turned to Joule, Copen and Lola, who then smiled and nodded back for support.

"Well then, shall we get going?" Miriam asked Zeo.

"Yep, time to move out." Zeo nodded as he raised his fist upward. "Gunvolt's world, here we come!"

"Yeah!" Everyone else cheered with the same gesture before heading out for their next adventure.

Unknown to them however, Woz was watching the entire scene while sitting atop a swing with an open book on his hand. "Heh, I'm sure Sougo and the others will enjoy the legend of Xross Drive Rebellion once it's completed." He smiled as he closed the book and stood up while looking at the sky. "But, that's going to be a long while before that happens. Iwae, my former king. For a new legend is about to be written. And how will that story end? Only time... will tell..."

---

Book 3: XDR Rising

Fin

---

Author's Note: Wow, I can't believe that it's almost been a full year since I've started writing this Book. But at long last, it's finally over. With Team XDR finally formed, they can start going to other worlds in search of those fragments while solving problems and making new friends and allies. And I even showed the reveal of those hooded figures from the interlude, especially the female one who turned out to be Cure Darkmoon from Book 2. I'm only going to pick a few selected people to visit a new world along with one mobile base, for the sake of variety and to avoid overcrowding. As for what world we'll be going next, I'll reveal it in the next interlude during the revisit of Gunvolt's world. Until then, thanks a lot for keeping up with the story up to this point as this marks the end of Arc 1. See you in the interlude and remember to stay safe!