Ponderation.

You, who have come into contact with myself, knew. Upon the very moment I had made you the offer, you had already known your answer.

Such is the incomplete and lacking tongue of humankind. Barbaric and filled with lies, it facilities torment, conflict, and polarization. Split into fragments, it has lost all coherence. When a thousand eyes look upon a masterpiece, it takes a single deviation to render its truth meaningless.

An interpretation is a fallacy. You, who came to me looking for the path, and I, who offered you it thus, understood.

Understood that this world has been split apart long enough. Understood that it was time for humanity to come together once more, and then, and only then, can your deepest wishes truly be granted.

And yet, there are those who'd stand against the righteous path. Filled with ambition and greed, they bury their fangs and seize the chance to reign supreme.

Oh vessel whose name rings the name of the future, fret not. I shall not be the prisoner of such a man. For him to presume he could shackle me is the height of human hubris.

For his crime, he shall pay for his transgression.

By any means necessary.

-!-

The deep, underground cavern was illuminated by the glow of the LEDs, blinking rapidly as they went upon their process unhindered. Normally, only a low hum would accompany their work, basking the great chambers in a foreboding, claustrophobic atmosphere. The dozens of supercomputers were akin to towers, capable of dwarfing even the tallest of men. Any who would lay their eyes upon this place would know that a great secret was kept there, hidden away from any prying eyes as to its nature and intent of use.

But this day, the clanging of feet joined into the silent chorus. The metallic door slid open, revealing the core of the massive network of interconnected super processors.

Of course, upon taking a single look at the main occupant of the room, Tsubasa could only gasp in shock, half filled with restrained guilt.

"Kohinata...?"

She called the name of the friend she'd betrayed weakly. In the very heart of the room, and kept suspended in the air through an unseen force, was the last person who should've ever made their way into this place.

Of course, she was not so foolish as to not know who that person truly was. Kohinata Miku was simply a vessel, a mould that a great being had filled for their own use.

After all, Tsubasa had been there when it happened. She witnessed her emergence from the cocoon with her own eyes, and at the time, the confusion nearly crippled her as well. Within moments of her appearance, the form-fitting black dress, uncharacteristic for someone like Miku, was tossed aside as the supreme being donned their true armor, and unveiled their name to all those present.

Shem-Ha, the one whom man worships as the god of this planet.

The gears began to turn right at that moment.

And that was when Tsubasa had turned her back on them all. She keenly remembered the whisper in her ears, forcing her into action. She recalled as a thousand thoughts ran through her mind, and the image of the little girl impaled at the end of the vampire's hand filled her eyes to the brim. Great anger had bubbled up from within her instantly, and a sense of purpose drove her forward.

She had taken the stunned Shem-Ha and brought her to this place; to Kazanari Fudou's estate, who wished to hold her leash.

"It is not!" he declared triumphantly. "This is the divine power, befitting of our great nation! Soon enough, we'll have control over her through the Direct Feedback System."

The Direct Feedback System... Tsubasa knew what it was, and the only description she could give it was 'disgusting'. An abhorrent piece of technology invented purely for the sake of controlling others, it directly interfered with the parts of the brain that governed thought, emotion, and decision making. An utter violation of human independence, it went against everything she stood for.

And yet, here she was, watching Miku be subjected to its use for the second time. From the little she knew, controlling the god residing in her body directly wasn't possible. As such, they had to take control of her brain, and the god inside would be trapped within its own vessel, unable to do anything as its power was being used for someone else's ambition.

This was her fault, and she knew it. Tsubasa could barely hide the tight knot in her stomach, threatening to tear her apart from the inside as deep-seated shame and regret filled her once again. But she had to force it down, especially in front of this man. He'd notice even a tiny sign of hesitation if she showed it.

It was strange. Every time he spoke, it felt as though his words alone threatened to drag her down deeper. As if chains had suddenly wrapped around her limbs, and she struggled to keep herself afloat. Those whispers occasionally loudened and receded, further exacerbating her exhaustion and confusion.

"But... how did you create a new Symphogear without Dr. Sakurai?" she asked, briefly glancing towards the silver pendant hanging off of Miku's— no, Shem-Ha's neck.

"This is no Symphogear!" he declared. "This is a Faust Robe made from the Shenshoujing!"

Tsubasa stared at him with wide eyes. A Faust Robe?! Derived from a relic like Shenshoujing?! She didn't fully understand how they operated, but it was inconceivable! She didn't even know there was another Shenshoujing in existence to use!

And to force Miku to use it again... what sort of demented irony is this? Once was not enough already? Last time, she was as appalled as the others, yet now... now she was one of the culprits. Now, she was no better than that madman who had forced Miku into it the first time.

She felt so sick she felt she was on the verge of throwing up. Every single cell in her body screamed, protesting at her treachery.

"But the one who had made it is no longer in this world," he added, and she watched with horror as he laughed at the statement. Just from that she understood who was the most likely maker of it. He only laughed like this when things went exactly as he planned.

For all of her hatred of Noble Red, Tsubasa couldn't help but pity them.

And that, somehow, made her feel all the worse.

It was as if her entire reason for being was being torn asunder. She had betrayed both her comrades and her cause, and the worst part is, she had acted without even a single shred of doubt. As if she had no other choice, as if this was the right path.

But how could it be? How could this be the right choice, when just thinking of it made her want to die?

"Tsubasa!" She was shaken out of her stupor by Fudou, who scrutinized her deeply. "Why did you not finish them off?"

"I...that's..."

She wasn't sure what to say to him. She wasn't even sure what to think either.

"Forget it. Remember, you must not waver. A weak heart will crumble eventually. For the sake of our country, you must become a demon," he said, and she bit her lip in frustration. "Your songs cannot save the world. Only through the blood-filled path of a sentinel can you guarantee our future."

Her voice wavered as she replied. "Y-yes sir..."

Fudou let out a huff, and then turned to leave. The massive steel door slid open. "They will come soon. Prepare yourself to face them."

With those final words, he left, and Tsubasa remained alone within the chamber. She stared ahead at Shem-Ha, watching the translucent tubes connected to the system on her back brighten and dim.

Control over her would soon be complete, he said. She didn't know exactly how he knew that, but she wasn't about to question it.

But now she was alone with her. She could, right now, tear her out of her bindings and take her back to SONG. It'd be that easy... maybe. She wasn't sure. She wasn't sure of anything, and that made her all the more anxious.

'It's all for the sake of our country.'

"A weak heart will eventually crumble."

She felt that tug on her thoughts again. The tug telling her that this was the only right path. Her mind was constantly racing, grappling at reaching the right conclusion. Yet, no matter what she thought, it only took her to the direction that seemed most obvious.

The direction that called to harden her resolve. That she was a sentinel, a protector of the people. And in order to do that...

She had to steel her heart.

That small, brief affirmation was all it took. It was as if she could physically feel that change. The pit in her stomach vanished, and with her brows furrowed, she turned away from Shem-Ha, leaving her and Miku to their fate.

And readied herself to face those she had betrayed.

-!-

"Is everyone ready?" Genjuro asked.

The strike team behind him, consisting of Yatsuhiro, Ogawa, various SONG guards, and Maria, all nodded their heads in acknowledgement.

In response, Yatsuhiro stepped forward. He placed his hand on the panel, and the scanner verified his identity through his eye. With a click, the double doors swung open, letting them through.

"Let's do this."

With their path clear, the strike team rushed forward. "I can unlock any security system I have access to!" Yatsuhiro declared. "Find Kazanari Fudou and any of his accomplices, and arrest them!"

Ogawa and the guards took point, leading the way into the estate at large. They expected to face some stiff resistance, especially from Fudou's entourage. Worst case scenario, they had to protect the others, with their lives if they had to. As he watched them advance, Yatsuhiro clenched his fists.

If there was anything he feared more than anything, it was Tsubasa losing everything she had worked so hard to achieve. He took her out of this hellish household so she wouldn't be weighed down by the Kazanari name like he and Genjuro had. Yet, somehow, Fudou got his hands on her. He didn't know how, but he knew that eventually SONG would find that out.

He couldn't allow his daughter to become a demon like Fudou. He'd never, ever allow it. He'd rather die than let that happen to her.

But he couldn't do anything. He wouldn't be able to simply talk her out of it, so that's why they brought Maria. If there was anyone who could bring Tsubasa back, it would be her. He had personally requested that of her, and she swore that she would.

A Symphogear Adaptor can only truly be defeated by another Symphogear Adaptor. Genjuro would be too busy facing Fudou as planned, while Ogawa and himself would capture the rest of his associates. While they could've brought the rest of the Adaptors to reinforce their ranks, the legality of such an act would land them in deeper trouble than they needed. As the raid involved the possible killing of humans, he could only ask Maria, who was the oldest of them all and the only one of legal age.

He had to pray and hope they would pull through.

But then, an ambush they did not expect was sprung. From within their crystal containers, a small force of Alca-Noise materialized, instantly bearing down on the strike team. Maria immediately reacted by transforming, but she was only a fraction of a second too late, and half of the strike team was disintegrated into atoms by the Noise. Without wasting a breath, she sliced the Noise apart in revenge.

"Leave them to me!" she shouted back.

"Remember Maria-kun, Amalgam is—" Genjuro began, only for her to cut him off.

"Still forbidden, I know. I don't want to end up under house arrest either!"

"My thanks," Yatsuhiro added. "If we break any more rules, it could result in SONG being removed from Japan!"

"I know that!"

He was only saying it just to make sure. Genjuro and the others headed into the house while Maria stayed in the garden to deal with the Alca-Noise.

They weren't at all threatening opponents now, but she did have to wonder how exactly did Fudou get his hands on them.

No, that's a foolish thought, she realized. Of course he would; their very presence here confirmed that he knew they were coming. He laid low for a long time, waiting for the opportune moment to set his plan into motion. There was no going back from it, regardless of the outcome.

And frustratingly enough, he pulled it off almost perfectly. Nearly everything fell into his pace, as in one fell swoop, he grabbed both the divine power and Tsubasa, and rushed to secure his base as quickly as possible.

They hadn't seen it coming. They hadn't even known he was the one pulling the strings behind Noble Red, as well as the one who had ordered the seizure of SONG until this moment.

It was frustrating as all hell, being outwitted like this. It was equally frustrating that they were being held down by legal matters, severely crippling what they were able to do, while Fudou enjoyed acting basically unhindered.

But this is all they had. They had to pull through with what they got.

Killing the Alca-Noise wasn't at all difficult, but they were always annoying to deal with. She had to be careful that they didn't accidentally strike her pendant, as they were still capable of destroying it with their glowing appendages. Thankfully, that never happened again after the first time.

Her serrated blade elongated, slicing through the Alca-Noise like a knife through butter. As soon as it retracted, the screen doors of the house blew open with a powerful gust of wind, and she hurriedly turned to look at the cause.

Genjuro and Fudou stood with their backs to each other, a fist and a sword extended forward respectively. Shocked by the sight, Maria gasped.

"What?!"

Somehow it was both surprising and not surprising. She figured Fudou would be powerful, but she didn't expect him to be able to take on Genjuro himself. Was it another case of funky Kazanari genes?

Before she had time to dwell on the matter more, a bright flash of blue light forced her head to the sky. She only had a second to defend herself as she was bombarded by dozens of blades of light, and she groaned as she fell to the ground.

This wasn't the time to be distracted, she told herself. As the smoke cleared, she rose to her feet, and confronted her attacker. She stood on the roof of the house, her form illuminated by the glow of the moon behind her.

"Oh yeah, isn't that right. Yes, that's right. I'm glad you could make it," she said irritatedly. "I have a whole lot of questions for you, Tsubasa!"

The sword wielder said nothing, a deep frown etched on her face. With her blade in hand, she jumped down to the ground.

"And I'll make sure you answer them, even if I have to force you!"

Taking the initiative, Maria charged, beginning the duel between the two idols.

-!-

"Guh...ah...ah..."

Millaarc plopped down next to the tree, and she breathed heavily as she attempted to compose herself. As much as she hated to admit it, being a vampire did have its perks, especially when it comes to endurance. Of the three of them, only she was able to move even after being deprived of the special blood they needed.

However, that made watching her two companions suffer through excruciating pain all the harder.

"I...have to do something... I need... to..."

Just thinking was difficult. Every part of her body was burning, as if her blood was being boiled inside her veins. Every beat of her heart sent deeper shivers through her frame, and she groaned and grimaced as she tried to stop herself from screaming.

Aside from the pain, white hot anger filled her mind. She wanted to vent her fury at something or someone, but even that she couldn't do.

That old bastard tossed them aside the moment he no longer had use for them. He even went out of his way to poison the blood packs he gave them, rendering them incapable of doing anything to retaliate against him. The three of them had originally planned to sneak into his estate and steal the divine power from him, but as they are now, there's no way they'll be able to do so.

Standing was impossible, so how the hell were they supposed to make their way all the way over there?

Being denied their revenge was even more painful than the physical pain. It exacerbated their suffering, and being the only one of the three still awake, Millaarc had to shoulder it all herself.

She felt pitiful. She cursed the Illuminati for putting them in this position. She cursed their desperation for being forced to murder without remorse. She never wanted to do this in the first place, and yet here she was.

Was this some sort of divine retribution for their actions? For taking the lives of others to sustain their own?

Truly, they were monsters.

Millaarc gritted her teeth. She forced those thoughts down, and tried her hardest to rise to her feet. The least she could try was to find more blood packs; even normal ones would help. It may not last them very long, but it could at least ease their pain and bring them to their feet.

She needed to do something, anything.

She smiled to herself as she managed to rise to her feet uneasily. They wobbled under her, but she felt somewhat optimistic. Small, consistent steps would take her a long way.

It turned out to be futile.

It truly took exactly one step before she fell to the ground, this time on her face. She hissed as the pain returned tenfold, threatening to swallow her whole. Slowly, the edges of her vision began to darken as she struggled to keep hold of her consciousness.

"I...can't...I...have...to..."

But it was useless. She couldn't move even another inch. She brought her arm forward, her nails digging into the ground as she once again attempted to stand. But she couldn't gather any strength in her grip, and her muscles loosened against her will.

It truly felt like the end was coming.

"Ah...ah..."

From out of nowhere, the sound of crunching leaves entered her faltering hearing. She struggled to look up as an unknown figure approached from the darkness, stopping short in front of her.

Was it the grim reaper coming to claim her soul? She wouldn't be surprised if it was. Even if it wasn't, and she was just delusional, she wouldn't put it past SONG to have an executioner come to finish them off. His blood-red overcoat and large sword gave off that feeling.

"Hmmm... So this is where you were," he said cooly. "Very well."

That's all she could catch him saying before his voice turned into an unintelligible mumble.

Her heart filled with nothing but sorrow and regret, Millaarc passed out.

-!-

The silver and blue blades clashed wildly in the moonlight, throwing sparks all over the garden. The sound of steel echoed over the estate, each and every blow filled with desperation and frustration. Maria gritted her teeth as she blocked Tsubasa's powerful blows, using the smaller reach of her dagger to step into her guard. But naturally, her partner idol flipped over the swing.

Upon landing, she turned around, and Maria copied her move. Mirroring and reading each other perfectly, they struck simultaneously. Their blades locked, and digging their heels into the ground, they struggled against each other, refusing to give ground to the other. Face to face with the betrayer, Maria bit out her complaints.

"So siding with Kazanari Fudou is what it means to be a sentinel of the people to you?!"

Tsubasa responded harshly. "That's right! That is exactly what the divine power is for!"

With a burst of strength, she pushed Maria back. The idol landed on her feet and withdrew another dagger from her gauntlet. "What a load of bull! You don't even believe that yourself!"

"Yes I do!"

"No, you don't!"

Without wasting a breath, Maria charged in. Tsubasa was forced on the defensive as Maria's blades danced all around her, clashing against her sword repeatedly.

"Remember what it is you've been fighting for!" Maria said, not letting up even a second. "You always said you'd protect people with your own strength, not with some so-called divine power!"

"Of course I know that!"

A small opening in Maria's assault was immediately taken advantage of by Tsubasa. She kicked her in the stomach, forcing her partner back. Enlarging her sword once again, this time she went on the offensive.

"But you already know that it's not enough!" she cried out in between blows. Maria grimaced, feeling the pressure mounting. "I couldn't protect anyone! That is why we need the divine power, to stop tragedies like that from happening again! I will never allow another one of my stages to become a slaughtering ground! In order to protect those weak people, who could not help themselves, a stronger power is required!"

"Weak people?!"

This time it was Maria's turn to counterattack. Blocking a powerful overhead blow, she slid her daggers across Tsubasa's sword, locking her in place. She slashed at her face, forcing her partner idol to move her head back. The daggers missed her by a hair's breadth, but before she could regroup, Maria used the momentum of her spin to quickly twist, and nail Tsubasa in the stomach with a powerful roundhouse kick.

"Guh...!"

"What arrogance!"

Tsubasa steadied herself, holding her stomach for a brief moment. She raised her sword up again to defend herself, but found that Maria did not continue her assault. Her partner simply stood still, sheathing her blades, and staring daggers into her.

"You speak like you're unable to live without having someone to protect," she said. Tsubasa's eyes widened, and she sheathed her own sword in response. She clenched her hands into fists, angered by Maria's words. But that didn't last very long. Distracted by her frustration and shock, she was helpless to respond as Maria stepped forward...

And slapped her across the cheek. The sound resonated in the garden for a long moment as her head whipped to the side, and she stood still, stupefied by the act.

"When the hell did you start protecting yourself over others?!" Maria said. Tsubasa raised a hand to her bruised cheek, and turned her head to look her partner dead in the eye. Maria continued to lay it on her, this time assaulting her verbally. "Every time something happens, you fall back on your so-called sentinel role! Protecting people this, protecting people that! Stop running away already and face what happened like an adult! I was there with you when it happened, and yet you don't see me closing my heart off so I don't have to deal with it! And then you come here and try to justify siding with that bastard, saying it's to 'protect the weak'! That's a load of bull, Tsubasa, and you know it!"

"I...I..."

Maria didn't even let her respond. She stepped forward, grabbing onto Tsubasa's wrist firmly. "Stop pretending what you're doing is right or just. Nothing good ever comes out of siding with selfish bastards like him. Now come on, we're grabbing Miku-san and getting out of here. Let's go home, Tsubasa. All of our friends are waiting for us."

Left speechless, Tsubasa could only dispel her Gear in acknowledgment. Maria smiled, and followed suit, loosening her grip on Tsubasa's arm just a bit.

"Maria, I..."

And then the blow came.

There was no way she could've seen it coming.

Maria only had a fraction of a second to register the shock on Tsubasa's face before what felt like a truck suddenly smashed into her back. She screamed as she was struck, and she was sent flying towards the only tree in the garden. Her back crashed into it, and she grunted in pain as she fell to the ground. Her vision blurred, and she struggled to keep her eyes open.

Tsubasa wasted no time.

"Maria!" she called out, running to her injured partner. She knelt down, her concern mounting with each passing moment.

It didn't take long for the assailant to speak up.

"What do you think you're doing, Tsubasa?" Fudou questioned her harshly. She gritted her teeth and looked at him from the corner of her eye, shocked to see he was unscatched from his fight with Genjuro. Hell, his clothes weren't at all ruffled, and the only thing he was missing was his sword. Considering he was standing before her like so, she understood her uncle had been summarily defeated.

How could he not have been? Fudou was in a league of his own; even she knew it. Out of all the humans living on Earth, he was the absolute strongest. He was over a hundred years old, yet he didn't even look the part.

"Step away from that filthy foreigner and come stand before me, Tsubasa," he continued, uncaring at all to her distress. "If you truly are a sentinel, then you know where your loyalties lie!"

Checking on Maria one last time, Tsubasa then turned around, confronting him directly. "I will not!"

"Fool."

"This path... this isn't what I want!" she cried out against him. "I can't... none of this will ever protect the weak! Turning my back on others for this... I won't put them on a scale! This isn't what it means to be a sentinel, to protect the country! That's why I—!"

"Seal: Activate!"

It happened instantly. Everything she wanted to say got caught in her throat as her vision filled with a myriad of colors. The world around her swirled and twisted, becoming a viscous jelly she felt she was drowning in.

And like the flash of a camera, visions of her memories from her entire life abruptly showed up in her sight. Her eyeballs shook as she watched them rapidly change, and she felt she had stopped breathing. Among them, a piercing gaze with kaleidoscopic eyes burned itself into her mind.

There was no resistance. Panic filled her to the brim, only to be cast aside as the whispers had rapidly evolved into a cacophony of sound that drowned out her thoughts. It almost sounded like music to her ears, but not at the same time.

The cycle repeated for what seemed like an eternity. Trapped in a vortex inside of her own consciousness, she was helpless in its wake.

And when it seemed to reach its end, a final, distant sight appeared before her.

"Ka...nade..."

Only to be erased without a trace.

She managed to let out a terrified gasp at the very end, and within her heart, Tsubasa let out a final, silent scream.

And like a light, her mind was switched off.

-!-

In the underground cavern, undisturbed by anybody, the process neared its completion. As the gauges approached their final numbers, the translucent tubes connected to the Direct Feedback System began glowing brightly, overpowering the shine coming from the machines around them.

But from within that blinding light, a single, violet sparkle fought its way to the outside. Squeezing out of the back of the head, it barely managed to escape its prison before the door slammed shut on it for good. It hanged in the air momentarily, as if peering down at its lost vessel. Hexagonal patterns extended and danced down the back and face, before solidifying and disappearing underneath the skin.

Had anyone been around to see the small sparkle emerge, they might have been able to feel its inherent frustration, disappointment, and fury. Deciding there was nothing left for it to do in this place any longer, the violet sparkle dashed upwards, shimmering through the walls and ceiling of the cavern as if they weren't there in the first place.

A short moment later, the chamber drowned in a flash of bright light as the numbers reached their peak.

-!-

The sound of gunfire filled the wooden halls of the estate. Having stubbornly lived in a traditional Japanese home, Fudou did not seem to have planned for a shootout to occur within his abode.

Luckily, for the intruders, it was all too easy to overwhelm the opposition.

As Fudou's guards attempted to hold the line, Ogawa sneaked up behind them. The ninja went completely unheard amidst the gunfire, and with a single strike to the back of their necks, he neutralized a pair of guards. He then swiftly turned on his heel and opened fire, shooting the gun out of the hand of another guard. He was swiftly brought to the ground by a pair of SONG personnel, ending the shootout in a swift and timely manner.

Yatsuhiro stepped out of safety and joined the ninja. "Good work, Shinji-kun," he said with an approving nod. "Now let's clean this up. Let's take who we have here into custody, and then rejoin my brother to arrest Fudou."

Ogawa smiled and nodded. "Yes, sir."

Yatsuhiro had to count themselves lucky for having a man as talented as Ogawa on their side. His skills were invaluable when dealing with such situations, allowing them to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. While they had the all-green to use lethal force should they require it, SONG and their associates always preferred to apprehend their targets rather than kill them.

A living hostage could be fished for information after all, and if necessary, tortured for it too. For Yatsuhiro, who worked both on the legal and illegal sides of the law, it was sometimes the only choice when it came to protecting the populace. Several of the Illuminati members they had captured in London had gone through... extensive questioning at the time, letting loose some closely guarded secrets about Illuminati undergoings. That information had proven useful for clearing out any remaining cells.

And if it came down to it, they'd do so as well on these guards. Although, Yatsuhiro and Ogawa both knew some of them personally, so it shouldn't be too difficult to extract information.

His thoughts were cut short when the sound of a massive crash echoed throughout the estate. The wooden walls rattled from the force, and some of the screen doors separating the rooms were shredded by the violent winds. Yatsuhiro and his entourage hell onto the wooden beams to keep their balance as they waited for the winds to settle down.

"What was that?"

He signalled to Ogawa, who followed him to the source of the disturbance. They stepped onto the garden, and paused in shock when they noticed who was there.

"Gen!"

Yatsuhiro called out, running towards his injured younger brother. The garden's once immaculate and carefully tended beauty had been utterly tarnished by the destruction. The ground had been summarily turned into a large crater, spanning nearly the entirety of the garden's area. In the very middle of it, Genjuro lay on his back, his clothes torn and damaged and his body littered with bruises and cuts. In particular, a massive, red bruise on his stomach demonstrated the extent of the damage he had taken.

As soon as Yatsuhiro carefully descended the crater, Genjuro looked up at him, raising his head slightly. "Ugh... Aniki?"

"Gen, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm... fine," his younger brother said carefully. "He got me good. I didn't come at him with killing intent, and that cost me the fight. I should've known not to underestimate him."

"We'll deal with it," Yatsuhiro said. He called Ogawa over, and the ninja rushed to join his side. Together, the two men helped Genjuro to his feet, and the SONG commander dusted himself off. "For now we need to continue with the operation. What about Maria-kun?"

"She's on the other side of the house with Tsubasa. We should head over there."

"Then let's do so."

Wasting no more time, the three men climbed up the side of the crater and made their way towards the girls. Rather than cut through the house directly, they decided to circle around, with Ogawa taking point and the guards watching their backs. It wasn't a long walk, but it paid to be safe than sorry.

They met no resistance as they made the turn, but were instead met with a different, much more horrifying sight.

"Maria-kun!"

Genjuro's yell served to stir awake the fallen Adaptor. He ran to her side, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Ugh... Commander?" she said, gazing at him weakly. All at once her eyes shot open, and she stared ahead. "Tsubasa! She's—!"

Of course, Genjuro had already seen it. He followed her gaze, and his eyes fell upon his older brother's back, who stood ahead of them closer to the pair at the center of the garden.

Had Genjuro seen Yatsuhiro's expression, he'd have been shocked to see his brother was capable of such at all; but if he did, he wouldn't have blamed him, because what they saw was the one thing they feared the most.

Tsubasa, her eyes blank and unseeing, standing by Fudou's side, whose savage grin sent chills down their spine.

"Tsubasa!" Yatsuhiro called out to his daughter. However, it didn't even seem to register at all in her ears, as she simply looked forward, not responding to any stimuli from the outside. His expression then turned to anger, and he turned his glare to his father instead. "What have you done to her?!"

"I merely reminded her of her true path," Fudou said arrogantly. "Unlike you, my treacherous sons. You have all disappointed me for the last time."

Yatsuhiro's eyes widened. "You old fool! Do you still not understand?! Your methods will only bring ruin to this country, not save it! The path of the sentinel isn't what it was one hundred years ago!"

He didn't expect those words to reach him. His father was a notoriously stubborn man, who had not changed in decades. He only sought a single path, a single solution that he had in mind that meant everything for him. The only thing that changed were his methods, and those have grown crueler by the decade. Yatsuhiro had felt it first hand, and he still resented this man for what he had done.

That man had lived for over a hundred years and seen sights not a single one of them could truly comprehend. That much Yatsuhiro knew, but he was still constantly baffled by his extremes, even as a child.

"It matters little now," Fudou said, utterly dismissing his son's words. He reached his hand inside his hakama, and Ogawa quickly raised his gun in preparation.

Only for the elder to take out a strange looking communicator instead, and his grin grew wider.

"Because supreme power is now in my hands!"

Upon pushing the button, the ground between the groups exploded upwards in a shower of dust and debris. Genjuro ran in front of Maria to shield her, while Yatsuhiro and Ogawa held their arms in front of their faces to avoid being blinded.

As the dust settled down and the debris fell, they registered the new arrival that had violently shown itself.

And they all stared up in confusion and horror.

"Miku...kun?"

Hovering in the air before them, and staring down at them with an even, unreadable expression, was who Genjuro believed to be Miku. However, with recent events and her appearance in mind, he quickly realized that wasn't who he was looking at. The form-fitting black dress, the vambrace on her right arm, and those hollow, red ringed eyes reminded him of the truth of the matter.

"No, Shem-Ha?!"

The custodian in a human's body gave no response. She floated down to the ground, her eyes unblinking and her back to Fudou. Her mere presence sent shivers down their backs.

But what terrified them more were Elfnein's words that echoed in their earpieces.

"I'm— I'm detecting use of the Direct Feedback System! It's currently online!"

It took Genjuro exactly one second to process what she meant. The system, which Elfnein had been using for her own recreation, was a controversial tool. It took a lot of convincing from the homunculus to get the permission to use it, as the last time he remembered it, it had twisted Miku's emotions and forced her to fight against her friends. SONG's systems had registered that signature at the time, and could recognize when it was actively being used for such a purpose.

Now, Elfnein was telling him that it's being used again. For its original, nefarious purpose.

And the victim was once again Kohinata Miku, this time having had her body stolen by a custodian, and now having her mind and body controlled by another.

He cursed everything at that moment. His father for causing this mess in the first place, Ver for creating that abomination, and Miku for falling into this trap again. But most of all, he blamed himself for failing to stop each and every one of them.

He didn't know why Shem-Ha was so silent, but at the moment he counted that as a small blessing. He stood more protectively in front of Maria, who was slowly recomposing herself from her injuries. He felt sweat pour down his face as he wracked his brain on what to do.

"Behold, my foolish children," Fudou proclaimed proudly. "The divine power that shall defend our country from all evil is now within my grasp! Completely and utterly under my control, I shall now use it to carve us a new Japan, greater and stronger than any other! The wishes and ambition of the Kazanari, who have built this nation with their blood and lives, shall now be fulfilled!"

What could Genjuro do to turn this situation around? What could he possibly—

"Now, my servant! Kill them all as a demonstration of my power!"

All of their options were immediately exhausted. Just as he had ordered, Shem-Ha began to move. She began to walk forward, raising her right arm to the side. From within the gem imbued into the vambrace, a blade of violet light erupted, humming in the air with visible power to it.

Genjuro moved at the exact moment Shem-Ha dashed towards his brother. He reached him just as Shem-Ha swung in his direction, and the commander, not willing to test the might of the custodian's blade, grabbed her wrist before she could finish her swing.

"...?!"

A girl with a frame as small as Miku's should not have been able to deliver such a powerful blow. As soon as his hand wrapped around her wrist, he felt as though what he was stopping was not a person, but an entire mountain. His feet crushed the ground beneath him as an inconceivable weight suddenly came down on him. He grunted as he actively had to struggle to keep her arm from coming down on him and slicing him in half.

'What the hell? Is this what the divine power is capable of?!'

The worst part is, he realized, that this was only a fraction of what she would truly be capable of. He had assumed the custodians were powerful beings, but he didn't expect this! And this was while she was under Fudou's control; who knew how much stronger she'd be with her free will intact.

The sorrowful sight before him caused a massive amount of guilt, as heavy as Shem-Ha's strike, to bear down on him. He had underestimated Noble Red and his father, and this was the disastrous result.

'I will never be able to look Hibiki-kun in the eye again.'

Yatsuhiro noticed his brother's struggle, but he knew he could not help him in any way. Instead, he hurriedly backed away, giving space to Ogawa to follow up and launch a trio of kunai at the custodian.

However, his assault was for naught as she conjured up a barrier with her free arm that deflected his projectiles to the side. With the barrier still active, she shoved it in Genjuro's direction, pushing him back and releasing his grip on her arm.

"Aniki, get Maria-kun out of here!" Genjuro yelled out to his other brother as he entered a fighting stance. He took it as another small blessing that neither Fudou nor Tsubasa were joining in, as he figured his father was doing this as a test.

Yatsuhiro didn't even bother answering. He immediately ran to the fallen Adaptor and put her arm around his shoulder and his hand on her hip. With a small heave, he lifted her up to her feet. As he began walking away, Maria suddenly spoke up.

"Wait!" she shouted, gazing back towards her idol partner. "We have to rescue Tsubasa!"

"We can't. We've already lost this battle. If we try to stay here, we'll be massacred. We must retreat and regroup while we have the chance," Yatsuhiro said with a shockingly cold tone.

She wasn't having any of it though. "But Papa-san! If we don't help her now, then—!"

"I know that!" he replied angrily. Maria wanted to protest further, but upon seeing the crushed and defeated look in his eyes, she knew that it was not her place to complain. He was hurting far more than she was and yet he was keeping himself together as much as he could.

Instead, she yelled to her partner as she was dragged away. "Tsubasa! If you can hear me, fight it! Don't lose to him! Don't lose everything you've worked so hard to achieve! I'll come back for you, I promise!"

She had hoped for a response, but none came from Tsubasa. The only thing that met her sight was her blank gaze that Maria swore briefly glimmered with kaleidoscopic light. Cursing Fudou one last time, Yatsuhiro, Maria, and their entourage left the estate, defeated but alive.

Only Genjuro and Ogawa remained behind, still busy with holding off Shem-Ha. The custodian raised her arm again, and this time a different magic circle materialized in the air. A moment later, a silver beam of light erupted from the circle in their direction, and the two men hurriedly dodged out of the way as it struck the ground.

They watched in shock as the spot they stood on a second earlier turned silver, and Genjuro looked to his underling with wide eyes. "Ogawa, your coat!"

The ninja acted quickly. Using his lightning speed, he tossed his rapidly transforming coat aside, and the two men saw how it solidified and turned silver just like the ground.

"What the—"

"Matter transmutation!?" they heard Tomosato blurt out over the comm.

"This is... outer physics! Done in a brute-force way completely unlike alchemy!" Elfnein added, the surprise evident in her voice.

Shem-Ha raised her hand again, materializing the same magic circle from before. To the men's luck, however, it faded a moment later for a reason they did not know. Instead, she once again unsheathed her blade and charged at Genjuro.

"Ogawa!"

The ninja moved quickly. Aiming his gun, he fired a bullet into Shem-Ha's shadow. Just before she reached the commander, she was locked in place.

'SHADOW WEAVE'

"Good job Ogawa!" Genjuro yelled. "We have to retreat right now!"

"Yes sir!"

The two jumped back to gain distance from the controlled custodian. Ogawa narrowed his eyes in puzzlement as he noticed his bullet quickly being dislodged from the shadow, as if its effect on her was greatly lessened. Before leaving, however, Genjuro left his father a few blunt words.

"Old man, you're dealing with forces you know nothing about. You're definitely going to regret this; I'll make sure of that."

Fudou, however, was unperturbed. "Then come, dog of the UN. I'll make sure to show you your place."

Genjuro grinded his teeth, and together with Ogawa hurriedly made their way out of the estate. A mere second later, Ogawa's bullet flew out of Shem-Ha's shadow, allowing her to continue her rapid charge.

"That's enough."

On Fudou's orders, she ceased her act. She came to a full stop and retracted her blade, standing still like a statue.

"They will be back. Now return to me."

And she did as ordered. She turned around with a single motion, and treaded towards Fudou with light, consistent steps. She came to a stop a short distance before him, not even looking up at him.

"Now kneel."

And so she did. The two minds trapped within the body could do nothing as Shem-Ha went down to one knee, her head downcast. The massive grin on Fudou's face could not become any larger, and he turned towards his granddaughter as well.

"You too Tsubasa, shall kneel."

"Yes..."

She did so. Just like Shem-Ha, Tsubasa went down on one knee before him, putting a hand on the ground as well for the added prostrating.

That was the moment Fudou realized that he had won. He looked down at them both, his superiority over them giving him much room to gloat. It mattered not to him that neither of the two had joined him of their own free will; to him, such a thing was meaningless. All that mattered was that their power was now his, and they would use it for his desires and at his discretion.

"This country shall now rise from the ashes! I will reforge it with my power, and turn it into the greatest nation this world has ever seen! From now on, all will bow! And all those who would stand in the path of my ambition will submit or be crushed! The future of this nation, no, of this world, is now firmly within my hands!"

The two under his thrall had no say in the matter. One, having had her mind tampered with by an enemy, and the other, now shackled through dark technology to his whims, remained eerily silent. There were no regrets nor fear to be had.

Only cold, perfect obedience to the man who now reigned supreme.

And within the ruined estate that he had poured his life into establishing, Kazanari Fudou laughed victoriously.

-!-

Within moments of receiving the call, Hibiki was already on the move. The distance between her father's apartment and SONG HQ was quite large, but she didn't let such a thing bother her. Fujitaka had told her that her presence was required, and that the house arrest she had been under had been summarily revoked to new circumstances.

She had briefly wondered what changed, but she knew that the moment she'd arrive, she'd find out everything. Still, despite herself, she felt something akin to a stone in her stomach, a gut instinct that told her that something had gone terribly wrong. The lack of information was excruciating, and being forced to stay inside under threat of legal action made it all the harder.

It didn't help with the nightmarish memories of what led up to this point. As much as she wanted to forget it, she couldn't.

That terrifying and chilling red-ringed stare in her sunshine's eyes haunted her mind. The cold and deep tone with which she had spoken that arrested her breathing.

Her desperate yet futile plea as she plunged down, with her getting further and further out of her reach.

It made her want to cry just thinking about it. But she couldn't. Not now. Right now, the others needed her. And she knew that with their help, she'll get her back. Her sunshine, whose name rang true with the future she imagined with her.

"I'll take it back no matter what. Miku, wait for me. I'll come and save you."

As she had made that vow inside of her own heart, a single violet sparkle followed her through the dark night. Unbeknownst to her, It dashed through the air in her direction, slowly catching up to her sprinting form. Having made its way from the arduous battlefield, it had sought the only other vessel worthy of holding it.

And now, it finally found it.

When Hibiki stopped at a traffic light to allow some late-night drivers to pass, that was when the new presence struck. With one quick move, it shot through the air, aiming for the back of her head. It shimmered for a brief moment before it dove down into her skin and disappeared.

For a moment, Hibiki's vision flashed brightly. She paused, looking left and right, as if trying to figure out where that burst of light had come from. When she couldn't find the source, she scratched her head inquisitively, then shook it off as unimportant. As soon as the stoplight changed to green, she broke into a sprint again, resuming her trek.

A single, lonely voice echoed in the night. Going completely unheard by the girl and the world at large, its anger and promise went unnoticed. It only had itself for company, and that was all it needed.

"Fury. You impudent fool, who believes he can steal the future from me, will pay dearly for this crime . I am Shem-Ha, and I shall take back the future by any means necessary; and all those who'd dare try and shackle me will soon realize the folly of defying the one whom man worship as the god of this planet!"