AN: Well, this is a crossover none of you could have expected!
Yes, I am indeed writing a crossover between Symphogear and the critically acclaimed visual novel Muv-Luv Alternative! It may be strange, but I assure you, great things await on the horizon.
For those of you who do not know anything about the world of Muv-Luv Alternative, fret not! This fic takes that into consideration. You will learn everything at the same time our protagonist does, making sure you can follow every piece of information that is alien to both you and her.
Do note: This fic contains spoilers for XV. If you had not watched that season, turn away until you do. Knowledge of Muv-Luv is not required, but watching all of Symphogear's seasons is.
That's all from me. I'll let the story do the rest of the talking.
Enjoy, and do make sure to leave a review!
-!-
Tik tok.
Tik tok.
The changing scenery. The battles won. The endless pursuit for justice finally put to a satisfying end.
Life continues. The world moves on. The time of parting has long passed.
Tik tok.
Tik tok.
Yet, the fight is not done. Where one ended, another began.
Reality bends. Space warps. Time constricts. The flash of light at the end of the long tunnel draws nearer.
The changing scenery. The battles lost. The endless pursuit for survival still rages wildly.
Life is at jeopardy. The world stands still. The fires of war burn the landscape.
And she, not of this place, sees the result of her unwavering courage.
-!-
"Hnnngg..."
The alarm clock rang loudly in her ears. Her eyes still shut, she reached over her head, seeking the bothersome contraption with her touch. Finally finding her target, she shut it off, and silence descended upon the room once more.
Despite that, she awakens. Her eyes flutter open, and she looked to her side to her companion.
"Miku...?"
Yet, no answer meets her inquiry. She stared through the half-shut slits, and touched the side of the bed where her partner slept regularly. To her mild surprise, she found that no one was there.
'Maybe she's making breakfast already,' she thought to herself. A logical conclusion for sure; Miku was the more diligent of the two of them. Today was a Saturday, and as such, she felt no particular reason to hurry to get out of bed. But alas, she knew it would be a bad idea. Miku would yell at her again if she didn't wake up on time for once.
Pushing off the covers, Hibiki moved to sit on the foot of the bed. She stretched, appreciating the liberating feeling of her popping joints. Lowering her arms, she put on her slippers and stood. She scratched her belly mindlessly and made her way to the living room.
"Morning, Miku," she mumbled drowsily. Her eyes scanned the room, dimly illuminated by the sun shining through the blinds. Complete silence was her answer, confusing her sleep-addled mind further.
'Maybe she went shopping?'
How odd. Normally she'd have received a message from her partner telling her she'd gone out, but no such message had arrived. The solitude in the home was an alien feeling, one that she didn't really like.
Deciding to put it in the back of her mind, she wandered into the kitchen and opened the fridge to get herself something to drink. Her eyes narrowed when she looked inside and saw that the internal light was not functioning; the air wasn't as cold as she remembered it either. She closed the fridge and went to turn on the lights in the living room, yet the switch gave no feedback to her press.
"A blackout?" she wondered aloud. That's strange. While it wasn't the first time they had one, blackouts were fairly rare in the apartment. When they happened, they usually affected more than one. Seeing as the artificial lights were non-responsive, she decided to open the blinds to let in some natural light.
Around the time the Adam Weishaupt Incident took place, Hibiki and Miku had decided to move out of the dorm and get their own apartment, both for privacy's sake as well as planning for the future. It was smaller than their dorm room back in Lydian, but it was a cozy place nonetheless. It was close enough to the school to walk to, and was also located next to a convenient train station. Initially, they weren't sure they could afford it, but Hibiki's salary from her work at SONG made it possible.
Following Adam's defeat, they had officially moved in. The acclimation period had been paused while Noble Red and Shem-Ha were dealt with, and now, a few months later, it became their new home. Hibiki loved it for many reasons, including the mature feeling it gave off as well as the privacy it granted her and Miku. While they had always slept together in the dorm, the fact that they now shared an apartment felt like another great step in their road to adulthood.
Their shared confession following Shem-Ha's defeat was the cherry on top of a very sweet cake. Finally at peace, Hibiki felt great optimism for her future.
And it all came crashing down the moment she opened the blinds to the outside.
She froze, her mouth gaping and her hands falling to her sides in an instant. Her breath stopped, and her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.
Hell. That was the only way she could describe it.
The sprawling metropolis of Tokyo, that she remembered as one of the most advanced in the world, lay in complete ruins. No, it couldn't even be called a ruin; there was simply nothing there. All of the skyscrapers and office buildings she remembered, as well as the various apartment complexes she could see from her window were simply gone as if they were never there. The morning sun did not illuminate a bustling city, but rather what could only be described as a desert void of all life, not out of place from a post-apocalypse film.
For a moment, Hibiki thought she was hallucinating or still dreaming. This was the only way this landscape could ever be truly explained. This was a dream, a nightmare she was seeing after watching too many movies with Chris and Kirika. Maybe this was because of that one anime she had seen with Genjuro during training. It couldn't be anything else. This could not be reality.
Instinctively, she closed the blinds again. The light in the room dimmed again as they blocked the sun's rays. She took a deep breath, calming herself down. She looked back towards the apartment at large, burning the sight of its crisp and clean interior into her mind. The dissonance between the inside and the outside was far too large. Nothing but a dream could explain this oddity.
She made her way to the kitchen sink. Maybe she was still half-asleep, so a nice dash of cold water ought to wake her up. She threw open the faucet, and a small smile crept up her face.
Only for it to immediately turn into a frown when the water failed to flow. No power and no water, a rare combination that only took place during massive renovations or maintenance checkups. If those were going on, she should've known. The landlord always informs them if such a thing were to take place.
But there was no such notice. No sounds of bulldozers blaring outside to give all the tenants a rude awakening. Flipping the faucet closed, she next ran to the front door, throwing it open.
Just like the outside, the difference between the hallway and the apartment was far too large. The walls sported giant, gaping holes, giving a view to the outside and letting air inside. She stepped into the hallway, looking left and right to gauge the damage the building had apparently sustained while she was sleeping.
Panicking all over again, Hibiki dashed to the neighbouring flat, peeking inside through the open doorway. The apartment, as well as all of its interior, was completely missing. Only bare chunks of concrete and wood kept whatever was left together, while the rest had seemingly been blown to bits. The wall that separated her own apartment and this one was damaged, but still whole.
"W-wha—"
'What is happening!?'
She ran again, this time to a different apartment, hoping to lay her eyes upon a better sight. Yet, no matter which one she checked, each and every flat on the floor was in tatters, either ruined as if a tornado had passed through it or obliterated beyond recognition.
She couldn't believe it. She didn't dare believe it. There was absolutely no way this was happening. There was no way the city had been destroyed in just a single night while she was sleeping. There was no way she could've missed such a catastrophic event even if she tried. Even if it happened while she was sleeping, there was no way those at SONG wouldn't alert her right away.
Unless...
Her fear growing all the greater with each passing moment, she ran back to her own apartment. Its pristine condition was now both greatly comforting as well as concerning. How was it possible that her own apartment was still standing?
But more importantly, if Miku wasn't here, and the city was completely gone, then—
Her heart beat a mile a minute as she leaped for her phone on her nightstand, determined to give her partner a call to check on her wellbeing.
"No signal!?" she yelled, confirming the 'No service' alert popping up in her notifications. Hurriedly, she reached for her SONG communicator instead, flipping the switch open to establish a link.
"HQ, this is Hibiki! Please come in!"
However, what met her ears was only heart-wrenching static. "HQ, come in! What's going on!?"
Yet, no matter how many times she repeated her plea and begged for answers, there was no one on the line to give them to her. The static only continued, confirming that she could not in any way contact SONG HQ. With her phone lacking signal, and her communicator picking up nothing, she had no way to check on the status of her comrades and friends.
And she had no way to check if Miku was alright either. That thought, more than anything else, filled her with so much dread she could barely hold back her tears. Deciding to take action and check out what was going on herself, Hibiki threw off her pajamas and dressed herself anew in record time. She took her bag and threw in both her phone and communicator together with other essentials. Not wasting another second, she dashed outside, leaving the clean apartment behind in her search for answers.
She passed by the ruined flats on her way down, and practically leaped down the stairwell as soon as she noticed that the elevator was quite obviously out of commision. Their apartment was only on the third floor, so she made it to the lobby quickly. It, just like the rest of the building, was in ruins. Nothing was left of the kind concierge's desk, an old man in his sixties who they'd often give some leftovers to. With the glass sliding door gone, nothing stopped Hibiki from heading outside.
She once again gaped as she took in the sights. She could see ruins for miles, shocked at how catastrophically leveled the city was. Hardly any buildings remained standing, and even the asphalt roads had been completely turned into pure dirt. It was as if the entire city was just uprooted from its foundations, leaving behind what could only be called a barren wasteland.
Looking back at her apartment building, she once again let out a gasp at its sorry state. Parts of it were missing completely, exposed metal bars sticking out from within its frame.
"How... How..."
She couldn't fathom how this was possible. Overnight, her entire world had been turned upside down.
This... this...
This wasn't a dream. This was far too real to be a dream anymore. Looking off into the distance, she couldn't even see the former concert hall where the Zwei Wing Incident had taken place. It had remained both as a marker and a memorial to the tragedy, and was never torn down after all these years. Yet, just like that, it was gone along with everything else. She could see so far as to have a view of Mt. Fuji in the far distance, blurred over the horizon.
She couldn't stay here. Once again she broke into a run, dashing towards the port where SONG HQ was anchored. Following the Kadingir Incident, HQ was transferred over to a submarine, its newfound mobility allowing them to deploy in far more locations than previously possible.
That was the only place on her mind at the moment. She dearly wanted to go look for Miku, but she had to get some answers. Only those in HQ would know anything about what was happening.
As she passed by the former heart of the city, more and more her shock deepened. The ruin and desolation were beyond frightening. Not a single soul remained in the wreckage of what was once Japan's capital city. Many locations she knew and had frequented were either collapsed into dust or simply didn't exist anymore.
The destruction expanded as far as the eye could see. The weirdest part of it all, she realized, was that the ruins didn't look all that new. No fires still burned and no dust rose into the air from the soft breeze. It was as if the destruction had occurred a long time ago, and she had awoken right in the middle of it.
But how?
She came to a stop in the middle of her run when she came across Flower, the okonomiyaki shop she frequented with Miku and her schoolmates. The building, just as she feared, was destroyed beyond recognition. However, that wasn't the strange part.
For right on top of the ruins of the shop lay the remains of a giant machine.
"Is that...a mecha?"
She had seen and heard of such things in some of the anime Yumi spouted about, as well as a few of Shirabe's and Kirika's combined attacks. Yet, this thing looked nothing like them. Light blue in color, only the torso and a left arm remained of what she assumed was its original humanoid form. Its center was blown apart, as if something from within had exploded violently. The metal creaked as it leaned on its mangled stump and the remaining wall of the restaurant. As she studied the strange mecha, she caught sight of a faded out emblem on the back of its shoulder. She couldn't make out what it said, however, she could tell one thing with certainty.
This thing had been here for a while. Its scratched and dusty paintjob proved it. Further bewildered by the appearance of the machine, she turned away from it and once again broke into a run, all the more desperate for answers.
And just as before, every landmark and sight she was used to was completely gone. Parks were gouged out, rivers dried, and bridges collapsed. It was more akin to the aftermath of a war or a natural disaster, yet she highly doubted she'd have missed either of those in a single night.
It had to be the work of an enemy. It could not possibly be anything else. Was it Shem-Ha? An alchemist? An enemy organization? Whoever it was, she couldn't believe that they could destroy an entire city right under her nose. Did the others even know about this?
What the hell was going on?
She finally reached the harbor, sweating profusely from her non-stop sprint. She came to a stop, taking the time to catch her breath as she studied the port, hoping to find the submarine. However, no matter how many times her eyes darted, she couldn't see it anywhere. She took the communicator out of her bag and tried to hail them again, but was met with only static once more.
"Maybe...they went underwater?" she wondered. Perhaps the enemy was so overwhelming that SONG had been forced to retreat, diving beneath the sea in order to regroup. It would explain why she couldn't contact them with her communicator...although that has never been a problem before.
She stood on the edge of the port, staring out into Tokyo Bay with a hardened expression. Her grip tightened on the communicator, and she put it back in her bag.
"So I'm on my own," she said with a sigh. "I have to find out what's going on."
The only destination she had in mind at the moment was Lydian. She wanted to look for Miku, but she knew that running around screaming her name without being able to contact her would yield her no results. The only other place she could go to was the school, in the hopes that maybe there was somebody there she could speak to. With her next destination set, Hibiki turned on her heel and resumed running, this time heading for the hill that led up to the school campus.
Her run once again took her through the city's ruins, this time through another area she recognized. It was just so bizarre, even though she was used to seeing destruction. Every single major battle she had been involved in caused huge amounts of damage to the city, and most of it remained even after they had settled down. That was just how much she was used to it.
However, two reminders that she was used to seeing were nowhere to be found.
The crumbling tower of Kadingir and the fallen Chateau de Tiffauges were completely gone.
The latter she could maybe understand if it was gone, but the former she couldn't explain. Of all the missing pieces of the puzzle, that was the strangest one. The tower had served as a memento of a bygone priestess, as well as the symbol of her battle against the Curse of Balal. Following Shem-Ha's defeat, Hibiki had wondered what Fine would've thought if she had known what the Curse's true purpose was.
What would she have done if she knew that it was put in place by her lover to protect her and humanity? How would her own meeting with her, and subsequently her own destiny, change her? Questions that Hibiki knew she'd never get answers to raced through her mind, together with the confusion around that memento's sudden absence.
To further her shock, the small forest of trees on the hill was apparently untouched by the destruction. She remembered her first battle with Chris there all that time ago, and the place where Tsubasa had used her Climax Song to defeat her. To see it of all places still standing was as odd as it was comforting. Maybe the school was still in one piece!
But then, against all odds, she ran into a roadblock. Her run came to a stop as she came across a battalion of soldiers, all wearing uniforms she did not recognize, gathered around a half a dozen military vehicles in the middle of the road. They seemed to be frantic, hurrying one by one inside the forest without even looking her way. The man she assumed to be the commander of the troops screamed various orders she couldn't quite make out over all the noise.
"Huh?" she muttered, puzzled by the sight. As the last of the footsoldiers made it inside the forest, the battalion commander paused and immediately looked her way. Both of their eyes widened as they made contact, and the man, clearly panicked, ran to her as fast as he could.
"You! Girl! What are you doing here!?" he barked at her. Hibiki had to take a step back in surprise at the tone of his voice. "This is a restricted area! How did you even get in here!?"
"H-huh!?" she let out. "I-I don't understand! What's going on!? What happened to the city!?"
"What do you mean 'what happened to the city!?' It's been off-limits to civilians for over two years! How did you pass by the security checkpoint!? Who are you!?" he yelled again, thundering towards her with clear anger on his face.
His words shook her to the core. She stared at him with a stupefied expression, unable to truly comprehend what he just said. "W-what? Off-limits? For two years!? But I live here! I'm a student of Lydian! Please, tell me what's going on!"
It was now that she noticed that his helmet had the initials of the United Nations etched onto its front. U.N troops? In the middle of Tokyo? How?
(Play: Close Attack - Muv-Luv Alternative OST)
"You—!" he began. Then, all of a sudden, the ground shook mightily, nearly throwing the two of them off their feet. The man gritted his teeth in fury, hurriedly looked towards the forest, and then back to her again. "Listen very carefully girl! I don't know who you are or what you're doing here, but you must leave at once! It is very dangerous here!"
Hibiki balanced herself a moment later, gazing up at him in a panic as well. "What's going on!? Is it the Noise!?"
She didn't recall them being able to do something like this! Hell, they shouldn't even be around anymore! What the heck was happening!?
"Huh!? Why the hell would the Noise attack us!?" he yelled. "I don't have time for this! You must leave at once! Run as far as you can!"
Leaving those alien words behind, he swiftly turned around and ran into the forest.
"W-wait!" Hibiki called out to him, yet he didn't heed her words. All the while the ground continued to shake, and both her confusion and concern grew by the second. What did he mean by what he said? She couldn't understand it at all!
The pit in her stomach grew deeper when she heard the sound of gunshots ring out over the forest. The birds perched in the treetops scrambled to the skies and fled from the scene of a battle that Hibiki could not see.
She clenched her teeth. This was no time to stand around and be confused! She didn't know who these soldiers were or what they were fighting, but by their panic, it seemed extremely serious!
And the worst part of it all, by the look in the commander's eyes, she felt as though they expected not to come back. Whatever enemy it was they were battling, they were expecting not to win the fight. She couldn't allow that. Tachibana Hibiki would never stand aside and watch helplessly as people died!
She tossed her bag aside and dashed into the forest. She took out her relic pendant as she ran, grasping it tightly in her hand. She looked ahead, her stare resolute, and began the holy chant that would grant her the power to save others.
"Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron!"
-!-
A certain reading that they thought they'd never see again suddenly came to life on the console. The operator, sitting at her station, stared with wide eyes at what was being displayed.
"What's going on!?" her superior shouted behind her.
"Sir! We're... We're detecting an Aufwachen signal!"
"What!?"
She transferred the readings over to the larger screen, allowing command to see it themselves.
"Impossible..." her superior muttered. "Is that..."
His shock could not be described.
"Gungnir!?"
-!-
The light around her died down, revealing the armored-clad form of her Symphogear, Gungnir. Imbued with the power it provided, she dashed forward with unparalleled speed, rushing through the trees to the heart of the forest. Normally, when she transformed, she'd sing to increase the strength and efficiency of her Gear to the max. It wasn't all that necessary against enemies like the Noise, who were defeated with a single punch even without it. Still, it gave her courage and resolve, and she had grown to love singing as a result.
Yes, that's what usually would've taken place, even if she was in the midst of witnessing a massacre.
However, this time, the song died in her throat the moment she reached the open clearing in the heart of the forest.
(Play: Breach - Fate Stay Night OST)
"Guuaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh—!"
"You bastards—!"
"Don't let them get through! Hold the line even if it costs you your lives!"
"Uuyyyaaaaaaaaaa—! Help me—!"
It was hell.
Fire raged. The blaring sound of relentless and panicked gunfire gave way to pure anguish, and she stared in horror at what met her sight. The soldiers that she had seen rushing into the forest were standing their ground, their guns aimed forward at the advancing enemies.
Enemies that she could only describe as absolutely disgusting.
She had never seen such grotesque monstrosities before in her life. Not even the Noise, the most alien-looking opponents she had ever faced, ever looked as horrifying as these. Their skin looked pale, cold, and slimey, and it was as if she could see the veins underneath widen and contract. Their upper body was human-like, with long arms displaying warped muscles that looked as if they could shatter rocks. The tall, mushroom-shaped head was dominated by a large, almost humanlike maw. Their lips were pulled back, exposing broad, flesh-rending teeth, some with bits of viscera still stuck between them. Above them, almost as an afterthought, sat two black holes; eyes, perhaps.
Yet that wasn't the worst part. Their lower body was a nasty, bulging sack of fat, at the bottom of which eight small legs, just like an insect's, carried them forward. And at the front of it all was a crimson slit, reminding her of a—
She held back the urge to hurl. Whatever these monsters were, however, they were shockingly fast. The soldiers fired repeatedly, downing dozens and dozens of the monsters with every barrage. Yet, no matter how many they killed, dozens more swarmed from a huge hole in the ground right in the middle of the forest.
Hibiki clenched her fists hard. Steeling herself, she rushed forward, aiming for the monsters that managed to break through the barrage. One of them was upon one of the soldiers, who in a moment of bad luck, ran out of bullets.
"Hiiiiiii—-!"
But before it could grab him, Hibiki came to the rescue. Her fist smashed into the side of the monster's face, and she once again held back the urge to hurl as the impact didn't cause it to explode in a shower of dust. No, instead, the monster's head was blown right off, and a spurt of blood erupted from the stump of its neck. It lurched forward, falling on top of the sandbag emplacement.
'Eh? Blood?'
The soldier stared at the monster's body with wide eyes, before turning to look at Hibiki.
Punching flesh always made her feel horrible afterwards, but something about striking this monster felt even more disgusting than usual.
"Get out of here!" she screamed to the soldier. Another one of the monsters advanced, this time aiming for her. It swiped at her with its arm, but she ducked under the blow. She struck it in the neck in return, and the sound of a nasty crack echoed in her ears. With its neck broken, the monster stopped moving and fell on its side.
"You are—!" she heard someone yell. She glanced back, noticing the commander she had spoken with earlier.
"You have to go!" she yelled in return. "Run as far as you can!"
Without missing a beat, she charged into the fray. Her limbs blurred as she struck the monsters, and each and every one she felled causing unexplained dread to build up within her.
What the hell are these things?
The way they moved and acted reminded her of the mindlessness of the Noise, yet they were so much more numerous, and their retaliation far more vicious. The monsters attempted to strike at her with their flailing arms, and even tried to bite her with their disgusting, rotten teeth. They scuttled along like oversized bugs, and each movement caused their flesh to wriggle and contort. Their teeth clattered together as they attacked her, but she responded in kind to their assault. They weren't particularly bright, but they made up for it with sheer numbers.
Any questions she had would have to wait. Humans were fighting against them, and it was her duty to protect people from threats like this.
Countless amounts of the monsters converged on her position, which is what she had been aiming to do. By making herself the focus, she could lure the monsters away from the troops, giving them ample time to escape.
But they did not heed her words. Being soldiers, they'd never turn away from the fight. The barrage of gunfire renewed itself, tearing into the monster ranks. They were falling, but just more and more kept on coming out of the hole.
Was it like the tear in reality that allowed the Noise to appear in the real world? Whatever was the case, she was resolved to take down these Not-Noise before they could hurt anyone. Punching these fleshy beings, however, turned out to be a much bigger effort than she had expected. They were far more resilient, and overall stronger than the Noise she knew.
She fought hard, way harder than she thought she'd have to. Thankfully, it seemed it was working; the monster wave was getting thinner, and their front line was being pushed back further and further towards the hole.
'Okay, just a bit more—!'
That thought was cut off by its roots when the ground began to shake once again. Then, out of nowhere, the hole from which the monsters exited exploded outwards in a shower of dust and rubble.
Hibiki watched it with wide eyes, and from within the dust cloud, something gigantic emerged. She didn't even know how it was possible for such a huge thing to hide underground, but somehow, it was able to. Exiting out of the hole, the new huge arrival towered over herself, the troops, the other monsters, and even the trees in the clearing.
From her vantage point, it somewhat looked like a crab, with four dark-green stumpy legs and two claw-like appendages at its front. However, just like the smaller monsters, it was fleshy and grotesque, its skin-colored surface slimey and warping with every small movement it made.
Yet the weirdest part of it was the bald human head attached at the top of it towards the back of its body. It had a neck and a mouth showing those same rotten human teeth, yet it had no other features like eyes, ears, and nose.
"W-what...!?"
How?! How?! How?! How?! How?! How?! How?! How?! How?! How?!
What the hell is this thing?!
With it, a new, stronger wave of the smaller monsters arrived. Somehow over the noise she heard one of the soldiers scream in terror.
"A Grappler-class!? Here!?"
A grappler what? Was that this thing's designation? Do the smaller ones have one too?
She remembered the Noise had some, but she never bothered to remember them. It never mattered to her what they were called, as the only thing she cared for was saving the people being attacked by them. The size, name, or abilities were irrelevant; all she did was make sure her fist made contact with them.
However, to the soldiers, that very name gave rise to fear. They obviously knew something she didn't. In a heartbeat, their commander yelled to them above the noise.
"All units, stand your ground! Buy time for the pilots to arrive! Take down the Soldier-class!"
They're not running away!?
'I have to do something!'
(Play: Chi wo Hossoru Senjou - Muv-Luv Alternative OST)
If it was this giant thing that was scaring them...then this is what she was going to do first.
The monster, which she decided to call Grappler, loomed over her. Its head twitched left and right and its teeth clattered together rapidly. It took the first step forward as it made its way to the soldiers' position; however, Hibiki would not allow it. Aiming for its legs, she struck out with her fist, hitting it head on. To her surprise, it wasn't blown off like she had expected.
"So you're a tough one...that's fine with me!"
It decided to retaliate, and stomped towards her with the leg she failed to destroy. She quickly jumped away, but was caught off guard when some of the smaller monsters turned on her again. She hurriedly blew them away, but the Grappler took advantage of the opening and struck at her with its claw-like appendage. Left with no choice, Hibiki brought her arms up to protect herself just as it smashed down at her. She held her ground as the monsters around her were blown away by the following shockwave, but she found herself struggling against the sheer weight behind the Grappler's blow. She heaved forward with a primal shout, throwing the claw off her. The Grappler took a step back, throwing up dust in the air.
Pouring power into her legs, Hibiki jumped. With a single leap, she made it to the top of the Grappler's body, landing upon the fleshy, slimy surface. It felt nasty to stand on, just as she had expected. However, her target was now in range. She eyed the human head carefully as it twitched and its teeth cackled.
Without wasting another moment, she charged forward with a shout, the thrusters on her back roaring to life. She struck it straight in the neck with her full power, and the pile bunker on her arm was released on impact.
The effect was immediate. The head was severed from the rest of the body, and was blown across the clearing to the far side of the forest. Her assault successful, Hibiki jumped down from the Grappler's body, expecting it to drop dead.
Only for its hulking form to turn to her faster than she could've seen coming. The giant claw smashed into her, and she screamed in pain as she was tossed aside like a ragdoll. She crashed into one of the trees lining the clearing, breaking its trunk and causing it to fall from the force. She fell to the ground in a heap as the headless Grappler turned to her fully, having designated her as an enemy to be destroyed.
"How...? I thought..."
She rose to her feet as it advanced on her way faster than its size should've allowed. Hurriedly, she jumped away as it tore through the trees, continuously swiping at her with its giant claws.
She had to formulate some sort of plan. As she dodged another strike that caved the ground, she remembered how she had defeated Shem-Ha's coffin in Antarctica. Her course set, she swiftly put it into action.
Avoiding its stomping, Hibiki ran underneath the Grappler's body and pulled both of her fists back in preparation for her strike. The gauntlets transformed, and the jets at their back roared as she put more power into her fists. With another guttural shout, she leaped upwards, striking with both fists together.
Naturally, they met their mark. The Grappler's body was raised off the ground for a split second before Hibiki tore through its midsection, carving a gigantic hole in its main body. Blood spurted out in all directions, covering her from head to toe. It smelled horrible, and once again she held back the urge to vomit as she turned in midair to study her handiwork.
This time, the Grappler was defeated. Its feet caved under it, and it fell to the ground with a loud thud. Hibiki landed near it, letting out a relieved sigh as she did so.
Okay, that was the big guy dealt with. Now, all she had to do was take care of the smaller monsters and help the soldiers again. Without wasting a single breath, she charged towards the herd, tossing them aside as easily as she did before.
However, she realized something major had changed. Mainly, the sound of gunfire had ceased completely, and now all of the monsters had turned their attention on her. Breaking through their formation, she made it back to the soldiers' defensive position.
And for the fifth time in a single day, held back the urge to throw up.
The soldiers had been killed. Every single one of them, including the commander she had spoken to and the soldier she had saved, was dead.
And the monsters were eating them. They chewed on their remains like a flock of hungry vultures, tearing apart their stomachs and gorging themselves on their inner organs. Some were missing arms, some limbs, and a pair of unfortunate few had their heads chomped down to the point the brain had been turned to mush.
And through it all, the monsters kept on feasting. The ones not doing so sped towards her, attempting to inflict upon her the same fate.
The amount of disgust and anger she felt were immeasurable. On the verge of tears, Hibiki shouted, blasting each of the damned monsters apart with her bare fists.
"You...! You...! You...! Why did you kill them!?"
She didn't expect a response. The monsters proved to be as mindless as the Noise, yet much more horrible. Dying at the hands of the Noise at least was quick, but these monsters gave no such quarter to the soldiers. They killed them and disgraced them, violating their corpses in ways not even her worst enemies had done.
This was unforgivable!
Hibiki fought, holding back the tide now completely on her own. Yet, now matter how many she slew, more kept on coming from the hole in the ground, and the once beautiful clearing was filled with nothing but the corpses of the pale monsters.
And just then, not one, not two, but three Grapplers rose from the hole right after the other. Disregarding the body of their fallen members, they simply advanced forward, aiming for her.
She was surrounded on all sides. Standing alone against an endless army of enemies she had never seen before, Hibiki could only fight for dear life. She could hear her Gear creak with every move she made as more and more monster blood coated her.
She was running on nothing but adrenaline now, every bit of strength she had being drained as she was forced to put more and more power into blowing the monsters away.
"Ha... Ha... Ha..."
This was too much. This was way, way too much.
'Am I going to die here?' she found herself wondering. Was she going to die, not knowing what happened to the city? To SONG? To her friends? To Miku?
No! She couldn't fall here! She had to—
And then the sound of gunfire filled the air once more. Except, this time, it was far louder, far more impactful, and far stronger than the regular soldiers'. The smaller monsters were blown to bits with a single bullet, and Hibiki was forced to cover her face to protect her eyes from the shower of blood and guts coming from their exploding bodies.
"W-what..."
And then, coming upon the three Grapplers from behind, were giant machines. Towering above even the Grapplers, the full-sized mechas advanced upon their position. With a single swing of the mecha's huge sword, the first Grappler was sliced in half. A second mecha riddled another with bullets, and the third was downed by a combination of both.
Hibiki could only look on with wide eyes. A unit of ten of mecha suddenly surrounded the clearing and assaulted the monsters, with another pair descending down the hole they had come from. Most of them were the same, grayish coloring as the one she had seen collapsed on top of Flower, while only one of them was of a deep, red color with purple accent. It even looked different from the rest of the machines in its unit.
And so, the mecha unit obliterated the monster ranks with barely a fight. Each and every one of the smaller, pale beings was gunned down or cut apart, and the once chaotic clearing filled with fire, blood, and unbearable noise fell into an eerie silence.
"Ha... Ha... Ha..."
Breathing was difficult. The sight before her eyes burned itself into her brain.
"What... How..."
Coated in blood, guts and sweat, Hibiki shuddered, feeling fear and awe like she hadn't for a very long time. The red mecha turned to its comrades, and the way it moved made her guess it was the leader among them. The gray machines turned away while the leader remained behind next to her position.
And then, to her shock, turned to her.
It took a few steps forward before stopping, its head tilted downwards in her direction. She stood in place, paralyzed, and watched as the mecha's torso opened upwards. The machine's left hand moved on its own in front of the open hatch, allowing the person inside to climb out of what she figured was the cockpit. The mecha then crouched, allowing the pilot to jump down to the ground. It raised itself to full height afterwards, standing vigilant.
She stared at it in wonder, before turning to look at the pilot, now approaching her, and coming face to face with—
"Ogawa-san?!"
The man, whom she recognized as SONG's resident ninja Ogawa Shinji, stopped a short distance away from her. An unprecedented amount of relief washed over her, finally being able to meet up with someone she knows. Although, she didn't recognize the strange suit he was wearing. She had never seen anything like it before. Maybe it was a new ninja thing? She didn't know.
Regardless, she was overjoyed. Still caked in the monsters' blood, she jogged lightly towards him, dispelling her Gear in the process. Luckily, some of the blood vanished along with the armor, and her clothes reformed a moment later.
"Ogawa-san! I'm so glad to see you! Listen, I don't understand what's going on—"
"Put your hands in the air and don't move."
(Play: Suspicion - Muv-Luv Alternative OST)
She froze. Coming to a stop in front of him, she could only stare in confusion at the gun he suddenly leveled at her. "O-Ogawa-san?"
"Who are you and how do you know my name?" he asked with a low, ominous tone.
Hibiki, still unable to grasp the situation at hand, laughed nervously. "C-come on, Ogawa-san! This is no time for jokes!"
"I will not ask you again." he demanded with anger she did not expect. "Tell me who you are, how you know me, and where you acquired that Symphogear."
Fearful at his sudden warning, Hibiki did as she was told. She raised her hands in the air, shuddering from the adrenaline still coursing through her. "O-Ogawa-san! It's me, Hibiki! I'm one of the Adaptors! I'm Tsubasa-san's friend! We met the first time when you brought me into Section 2 headquarters!"
Ogawa's brows furrowed, "I've never met you before in my life. Now, turn around and don't make any sudden moves. If you do, I will not hesitate to open fire, do you understand?"
Hibiki, far too bewildered to do anything else, nodded and answered hurriedly. "Y-yes sir."
And she did as he ordered, turning her back to him while keeping her hands in the air. Barely a second later, she let out a strangled yelp as her legs were suddenly pushed out from under her, and she fell to the ground face first with an undignified 'oof'. A moment later, she found her arms being brought behind her back, and a pair of handcuffs locked tightly around her wrists. She turned her head as much as she could, alarmed and further befuddled by his rough treatment.
"O-Ogawa-san!?"
"Resist, and I assure you that you won't get off easy," he said coldly as he pulled her to her feet by force. Far too shocked to respond, she stared at him with wide eyes. "You will speak only when spoken to, and you will answer all of our questions, understood? Don't test us."
"B-but, Ogawa-sa—"
"Am. I. Understood?"
She froze again, a chill going down her spine. "Y-yes sir."
He said nothing more after that. A few moments later a large number of soldiers, similar to the ones she had helped—and failed—entered the clearing. Ogawa gestured to a pair of them, and they ran to him. "Take this girl to the base and alert the commander that the anomaly has been captured. I'm sure he'll be very interested to know who it ended up being."
"Yes sir!"
He released his hold on her, and the two soldiers grabbed her by the arms, dragging her forward against her will. Still unable to comprehend what was happening, and an expression of terror etched on her face, Hibiki turned her head and screamed his name as she was dragged away.
"OGAWA-SAN!"
She was shoved forcefully into the back of a hummer, and the two soldiers escorting her entered right after her. They slammed the doors, and soon enough, the vehicle drove off to parts unknown.
And Hibiki, filled with unbridled uncertainty and fear she had not felt for a long time, could only stare at the floor with a concerned expression, wondering what exactly was going on.
The answer to that question, she would find, was not one she was prepared to hear.