"Commander! Adam Weishaupt has reappeared on the battlefield!"
Genjuro narrowed his eyes at the display in front of him. The last thing they needed right now was for the mastermind behind this whole mess to show himself and create an even bigger mess that they would have to clean up.
However, he had to question his timing. For what reason did he decide to appear right now, after the battle was for the most part over and they could possibly start planning how to retrieve Hibiki. They knew Adam coveted the divine power she now wielded, and is now challenging her for its ownership.
The biggest question Genjuro had however was this: Would Adam be able to defeat her in her current state? They did not have enough information about his capabilities other than his destructive chrysopoeia.
However, would it be a good thing if he could? Genjuro was not sure. Regardless of who was left standing at the end of the fight, they will have a very difficult battle ahead of them.
There was not much left to do.
Genjuro got up from his seat and walked away from his console. His subordinates looked to him in wonder. "Tomosato, I leave bridge operations to you. Shirabe-kun," He commanded, looking towards the Symphogear wielder. "Let's go."
Fujitaka shot up from his seat. "Commander! Are you going out there as well?!"
"Yes, I am," Genjuro simply answered. "It is obvious that the wielders are not prepared to deal with this type of threat. We can't have them fight any longer in their state, nor can I can simply stand aside and watch them lose their lives against their own comrade. In that case, I will head out myself. I will bring back Hibiki-kun even if it kills me."
No more was needed to be said in his eyes. They could only watch his large back as he exited the bridge, Shirabe following right behind him.
-!-
Maria couldn't really call what she was witnessing a fight.
She knew that clashes were happening between the two obviously overpowered combatants, but what surprised her the most was the fact that she could barely follow their movements at all. She was seeing the shockwaves that were expelled from the force of their impacts, but the movements themselves were so fast that she was sure several laws of physics were being broken right in front of her.
This was a fight they could not even think about joining in. They couldn't match up to Hibiki alone, so both her and Adam Weishaupt were completely out of their league.
'Maria-kun,' Genjuro said over the comm, catching her attention. She raised her hand to the headset.
"Yes commander?"
'Listen, I need the two of you to take whoever you can and retreat as soon as possible. The battle has reached a level far beyond any of us can match. I am on my way there to try and reduce the damage, but anything more will only create more casualties. I have already instructed the drivers of the Anti-LiNKER trucks to run away, so it should lighten your load considerably. Grab Kirika-kun and Miku-kun and escape.' He instructed.
The two remaining Symphogear users looked to each other, pondering over the commands they were given. Chris nodded to her.
"Very well, we'll do so as soon as possible." She answered him.
Maria lowered her hand as the sound was cut, and briefly turned to look towards the two combatants. "Far beyond a level any of us can match, huh?" She said to herself.
She had to focus. Kirika came first. She was knocked into the building and has not come out since. It was possible she was unconscious, which could explain why it was taking her so long.
"Alright, let's go Chris." She said, and began running towards the wreckage.
"Yeah." Chris answered back, and went to follow her, throwing a brief glance towards the battlefield.
-!-
"Damn you, God-slayer!" Adam spit out as Hibiki blocked another vicious blow from his sword-arm. "You get in my way time and time again, and now you take what is rightfully mine as well! When will you just drop dead?!"
Hibiki chose to answer his curses with a mighty blow from her spear, but he once again parried it aside with the reinforced arm. She had to give it to him, he was able to keep up with her even with her increased power. Perhaps it was his status as a puppet made by unknown makers, but every single blow of his managed to force her to block or dodge his strikes, a very different situation from the Symphogears who were simply small fry.
She lunged forward, and he ducked under her thrust. He stabbed the hand forward, intent on piercing her heart, but Hibiki smashed her free arm against it, causing it to miss its target. Adam snarled and jumped back, having failed in his gambit.
But the rogue wielder was hot on his heels, and with a single bound closed the distance between them, catching him in midair. She slashed horizontally, intending on slicing him in half, and he was forced to raise the arm to block the swing. The sharp sound of metal grinding against metal filled the air, and Adam groaned from the force. Seeing that her killing blow was blocked, Hibiki pushed more power into her swing, and Adam was sent flying through the air even further back, landing on the far edge of the battlefield. He skid across the ground, his shoes picking up dirt and dust behind him, creating a gash in the pavement.
Adam raised his sight to glare at her. Hibiki landed further away from him, a hundred meters separating them. "That divine power is truly something else," He said. "All the more why I have to make it mine. It is the only piece missing to be able to match the power of the Custodians, and yet you are using it for your petty backyard squabbles. You really are a brat, Tachibana Hibiki."
She brandished her spear and walked towards him. "You are one to talk, throwing a temper tantrum just because things are not going as you planned." She said. "You are getting in my way. I won't have someone as weak as you stop me from doing what I have to!"
His face scrunched up in anger from her insult. "You dare call me weak, God-slayer?! You, who became twisted because of those curses and grudges you carry knows absolutely nothing!"
And he charged, closing the distance in an instant and slamming the arm against her spear with all his might. The blow was so powerful it caused the ground under Hibiki's feet to crack and crater. She placed her free hand against the spear's flat side, and with a mighty yell pushed against his blow, throwing him away. She charged towards him, but he responded by taking flight, causing her blow to miss. She landed on the ground under him and looked up.
"You have been blinded by the god-slayer's cursed power, seeing nothing but your own desires! Don't you dare speak to me as if you are above me!" He screamed, placing the severed arm under his still attached stump. Now with his still functional arm free, he raised it to the sky, and Hibiki watched as power gathered in his palm, and Adam's chrysopoeia returned with a mighty vengeance, the sunlike ball of energy lighting up the sky. Now that materializing the divine power was no longer draining his energy, he could allow himself to once again use that destructive power.
And there was no better target for it than the girl who had stolen what was his.
"Cower before me like the rat you are, TACHIBANA HIBIKI!"
And he threw the ball down. The gigantic sphere of nuclear energy, surpassing the missile from earlier, descended upon Hibiki like a meteor. Its very approach created shockwaves that flung rubble away from its target point, and Hibiki braced herself as much as she could.
The rogue wielder grit her teeth, and gripped her spear even tighter in her hand. She crouched as much as she could, and power gathered in her legs, cratering the ground beneath her once again. Electricity crackled around her wildly.
"NO!" She screamed. "You cower before ME!"
And she launched towards the sky. The ground exploded from the force as she streaked through the air at supersonic speeds, sending shockwaves all over the battlefield. She raised her spear upward, and roared loudly as its point met the sphere of destruction.
The two unstoppable forces clashed wildly, the gigantic ball bearing down on the rogue wielder with all its nuclear might. She struggled against the weight, and her spear slightly pierced the sphere's outer layer.
Adam, who had been sure of his victory at that moment, froze. He looked down as the sphere stopped its descent, and his eyes widened as he saw that it was slowly, but surely…
Rising instead.
And right under the sphere of nuclear power, once again the god's power triumphed against humanity's might, and the spear of Gungnir pierced through the sphere, carrying its wielder through its center unarmed. The sphere coiled around Hibiki and dispersed, catching the founder of the Illuminati completely off guard. He hurriedly grabbed the severed arm again and blocked the god-slayer's lunge, but now with her increased power the spear's tip pierced through the arm, stabbing him lightly in the chest.
"Tch!" He let out, and let go of the now useless arm and dove back down to the ground. "To think the divine power would defeat my chrysopoeia so easily-!'
And just as he landed, Hibiki appeared right in front of him, delivering a roundhouse kick to his midsection. Caught off guard, the leg slammed into his chest, and Adam was thrown backwards, and he groaned as he bounced off the ground painfully.
He stopped after a while, and quickly pulled himself to his feet, however Hibiki was already upon him, relentless in her pursuit. She brought down her spear, and now deprived of a weapon, Adam was forced to dodge her extremely mighty blows.
But even that felt like a fruitless effort. He hurriedly dodged one of her thrusts, and felt as the mere force of her lunge cut deeply into his skin.
It was a total disaster. She had grown so powerful since absorbing the divine power that even glancing blows injured him so badly. He couldn't afford to fight her head on like this any longer, not in his current form.
To think a mere human would force him to abandon his perfect form and return to his original one. Just the thought was infuriating. It was not part of the plan at all, yet despite his arrogance, Adam knew that desperate times called for desperate measures.
He had to take a risk in order to create some distance between them. As she sent another lightning speed attack at him, rather than dodge to the side, he stayed in place and channeled power into his outfit, the cloth shining for less than a moment before exploding with a flash of light in all directions.
Hibiki was momentarily blinded by the sudden glow, causing her attack to miss its target, or rather the target itself disappeared while she could not see him.
Adam reappeared a large distance behind her, now completely naked. He had to do this quickly, otherwise she'll regain her bearings before he could finish shedding his human form.
Hibiki regained her sight a second later, and quickly surveyed her surroundings, looking for her opponent. She found him behind her, a long distance from her, but she was not fazed at the slightest.
"Don't you think you can get away!" She yelled, and charged at lightning speeds in his direction, bringing up her spear to slice him apart in one blow.
She closed the distance in less than a second, and brought her spear down upon him.
Only for the strike to be deflected violently by a monstrous left arm and for the spear to be launched from her grip.
"What?"
She looked at him in shock, realizing that something grew out of the once mechanical arm of his that had been destroyed much earlier in the night. His entire body shook as his form was being shed, and Adam smiled gleefully.
"This is your end, god-slayer! I commend you for forcing me to discard this perfect form of mine, but in order to take you down, I will do what is necessary to-!"
"Adam you are so mean!"
Only for his speech to be cut off as something closed around his leg and he tripped.
"Wha-"
He had only a moment to look down to see Tiki, or at least what remained of her, locked around his shin with her everlasting annoying smile plastered on her face.
"You said you would give me a hug, so I came to have my hug Adam!" She chirped happily.
"You damn lovesick freak-"
His eyes hurriedly went back to his opponent. Caught completely off guard by Tiki's abrupt distraction, Adam was completely helpless in the face of the god-slayer's mighty blow. Hibiki, having taken the opportunity to strike while he was preoccupied, pulled back the pile bunker on her gauntlet as far as it could go, and in one swift motion punched the still transforming Adam right in the chest. And a second later, the pile bunker was released, and slammed into him full force.
The effect was immediate.
Struck as if he had been hit by a cannonball, everything below his neck violently exploded in all directions, sending electrical circuits and mechanical parts blasting away hundred of meters behind him. His body was instantly destroyed by the punch enhanced by divine power, leaving only his head to fly through the air, an expression of total shock etched onto it.
"Im...possible…"
-!-
Saint-Germain could only look on in awe as the battle was decided in an instant. It was almost ironic, she had to admit, that his downfall came from the very doll that hung around him incessantly. Saint-Germain never liked the Autoscorer, as her fascination with Adam and her annoyingly squeaky voice got on her nerves extremely quickly, but she forced it all down, knowing that that Tiki was important for their goals.
She was only mildly half-surprised that Adam held no actual love for the girlish doll, and discarded her as soon as she proved to be useless.
Not like he had anything resembling human emotions in the first place.
Adam was defeated by the power that he sought to control, but that did not make Saint-Germain happy at all.
She groaned as she tried to stand up again, the shattered glass from the Anti-LiNKER container cutting into her skin.
And then soft hands wrapped around her, slowly dragging her out of the truck's wreckage. The alchemist looked up, seeing Tachibana Hibiki's black haired friend struggling to carry her away.
"Why are you helping me?" She asked.
"Because," Miku began to say as she dragged her. "Because I know you can help Hibiki. And besides, I can't leave someone so injured to fend for themselves."
The alchemist's eyes widened slightly. "I see."
Now far enough from the wreckage, Miku placed Saint-Germain back on the ground. A moment later, the two remaining Symphogear users landed next to them, with the Airgetlam wielder carrying the unconscious Kirika on her back.
"Maria-san!" Miku exclaimed. "And Chris-chan and Kirika-chan! Are you three alright?"
"Somehow," the older Symphogear user answered. "The commander said we should get out of here as fast as we can, and I am inclined to agree with him. There is nothing more that we can do here."
Miku looked at her in shock. "But what about Hibiki?! We can't just run now! We have to get her back!"
Maria grit her teeth in response. "As much as I would like to do that, we don't know how. You heard them as well as we did. Neither the commander nor Elfnein know what caused this sudden change in her, and staying here trying to talk her out of it did not work at all. We should regroup and sit on what we know."
Miku wanted to argue. She really did, but she knew that Maria's point was sound. The logical part of her agreed with the wielder completely, but she just couldn't leave Hibiki. Not now and not like this.
She opened her mouth to speak, to say something, when Saint-Germain beat her to the punch.
"Wait," The alchemist groaned out from her position on the floor. "There might...be someone...who knows what...happened."
The girls around her quickly turned to look at her, listening. Saint-Germain swallowed, feeling bile rising up her throat just from thinking about it. "Adam...Weishaupt. He...he knows. He knows something about what happened to her...If...if we can stop her from killing him we might...we might be able to get some...answers."
She noticed it as the two were fighting. Despite the fact that she was injured, the alchemist's senses were keen enough to be able to listen in to what they were saying. And there was something he said, something very specific, that caused her to raise an eyebrow. If they could capitalize on that, then perhaps...perhaps they will be able to find a solution.
"Oi, what are you even suggesting? That we save the guy who tried to kill us all?" Chris asked incredulously.
"It's better than having Hibiki-kun do that instead." A gruff voice answered in Saint-Germain's stead.
They all turned at the sound of the voice, and were shocked to see Genjuro himself walk up to them with Shirabe clad in Shul-Shagana right behind him. She took one look at Kirika, and immediately slid over to her to check on her wellbeing, Maria giving her some soothing words to calm her down. Genjuro continued walking past them, only stopping once he had full view of the battlefield.
"Old man! What are you doing here?!" Chris asked him.
"I came here to help reduce as much of the damage as I could, however Saint-Germain made a very valid point that we should most definitely take into consideration. We cannot allow this chance at answers to slip by us. We have to make the most of what we got." He simply answered.
"But you are not really suggesting we actually help that guy?! He tried to kill us all!" Chris reminded him loudly.
"I know, Chris-kun, but that is our only option," He answered. "I will go and extract what remains of Adam Weishaupt. Once he is in our possession, you all go back to base and regroup, understood?"
Chris wanted to stop him, but swallowed down her complaints. "Alright. Do what you want old man, but promise us one thing."
Genjuro sighed. "What is it?"
Chris took a large breath, and stared at his broad back. "Don't die."
She could not see the expression on his face, but she was sure he was smiling. "Never planned to."
And he headed off into the battlefield.
-!-
Adam's head rolled on the ground after having been blown back by the mighty force of Hibiki's punch.
One second. That was all it took for him to lose his advantage and find himself on the losing side of the battle. His entire body was obliterated by the blow, and with it his chance at regaining his true form and turning the tables on the god-slayer. If that cursed sex-doll hadn't interfered, he would have been victorious!
"This can't be," He said. "I can't possibly lose like this. Not to someone like you. I will never admit defeat to a thief like you!"
Hibiki ignored his maddened prattling. She looked down on the ground, spotting Tiki still holding on to whatever was left of Adam's leg. "So in the end he was defeated by the very thing he threw away. How sadly ironic." She said, and approached the broken Autoscorer.
"aDaM i LOve YoU HuG me please AdAmm I love You HuG me pleaseeeee-"
Hibiki could only gaze at the broken lovesick doll pitifully. Such a tiny thing was meant to be the vessel of divine power, and upon her failure was tossed away like common trash. In the back of her mind, Hibiki thought about sparing her. She really did, however the doll had sinned, having been Adam's accomplice willingly and causing so much untold destruction.
And such a thing does not deserve her pity.
Tiki did not even notice the leg coming down on her in her trance. Continuously repeating Adam's name like a broken record, she was oblivious to her end as Hibiki crushed her underfoot, destroying the relic that powered her mechanisms. One moment the doll was active and moving about, and the next she fell silent, as dead as she could be.
Broken circuits and clockwork mechanisms flew about, signifying the end of the Autoscorer's artificial life. With her out of the equation, Hibiki continued her march towards the defeated leader of the Pavarian Illuminati. She did not even bother to retrieve her spear, and simply glared at the decapitated automaton.
She looked down on him from above, and a smirk lit up her face. "What do you have to say to yourself now, Adam Weishaupt? Not so great now that someone is standing above you is it?"
His face was turned to the sky, and the puppet moved his eyes to glare hatefully back at the rogue wielder. "You...You think you've won haven't you?! But you haven't! Nothing will stop those curses now! You, who lost her sanity to the grudges contained within her spear, will only know suffering from now on! That is what will happen! And when the Custodians come down to claim the world, they will undo all of your work, leaving you with absolutely nothing! That is what will happen to you, TACHIBANA HIBIKI!"
She silently listened to his rant, barely phased by his words. "I have no reason to listen to someone as sinful as you. And regardless, no matter what comes down to stand in my way, I will destroy them with my fists. The fists that enact justice."
He gnashed his teeth together, and Hibiki raised her leg above his head, intending to finish him off with one final blow. "Disappear into dust, Adam Weishaupt."
And brought her leg down in one swift motion.
That is, until something slammed into her side, something she did not see coming, and sent her flying through the air. She twisted mid flight, landing with her feet on the ground and skidding across it. Regaining her bearings, she looked up to see the one who had gotten in her way.
And froze.
"That is far enough, Hibiki-kun." Genjuro said with his fist extended, still smoking from the strike.
Adam could only look at the human with his eyes wide, his mind having difficulty processing the fact that he was not dead. "What are you-" He began to say, only to be cut off.
"Save your breath, Adam Weishaupt," Genjuro said. He went over to the fallen leader of the Pavarian Illuminati and picked the severed head off the ground, holding him by his hair and looking him straight in the eyes. "You are the one who got us into this mess. Now you will get us out of it."
He turned slightly, and threw the head towards the girls' direction. Adam crashed into the ground by their feet, and they looked at him with disgust on their faces. However, they knew the purpose of this plan, and as a result had to hold down their hatred.
Maria shifted Kirika's position on her back, holding her on one shoulder, and grabbed Adam's head and placed him under her free arm. With everything and everyone secure, the three still active Symphogear wielders looked towards each other and nodded, heading off with Saint-Germain and Miku in tow.
The black haired girl looked back once to her best friend on the battlefield. She gasped when she could have sworn their eyes met for an instant.
And all that remained for her now was to hope for a miracle.
Genjuro watched as the girls disappeared from his vision into the horizon. With everything they needed now in their possession, there was one last thing he had to take care off.
He turned back to Hibiki, who thundered towards him, an expression of fury etched on her face. "So you will also turn on me, Master? You would rather save the enemy than allow me to destroy him?"
He turned to face her fully, his face calm. "I am afraid that is indeed the case, Hibiki-kun. You have indeed gone too far, and this is the result of your actions. I do not know what caused this change in you, but I can assure you that nobody here approves of it, especially not Miku-kun."
Her scrunched up in anger. "Don't talk like you understand anything. You haven't been through hell like I did."
"I indeed don't understand how it feels to be through the hell you have suffered," He admitted. "But I do understand more than you believe about other things. And I know for a fact that what you are planning to do will not bring happiness to anyone, not even to yourself."
"You have no clue what brings me happiness. You only ever used me as a replacement for Kanade-san." She bit back to him.
He raised an eyebrow at her thoughtless response. "You know that is not true, Hibiki-kun. If I considered you a replacement, I would never have bothered to train you like you asked. I may not know everything that brings you happiness, but I know you shine the brightest when you are helping others, taking their hand in your own and telling them everything will be alright. That is the true you that I have learned about since the day you were brought into our headquarters over a year ago."
He cracked his knuckles and took his stance, his fighting spirit rising. "And that is the Hibiki-kun I will be taking back with me. The one that changed our lives."
She stopped in her tracks, finding herself shocked at his desire to fight her. "You really think you can match me, Master?"
He smiled. "Of course. No matter how ridiculous your Symphogear became, not once have you ever managed to take me down. Or have you fallen so deep you have forgotten even that?"
Her only response was to bare her teeth at him hatefully, and he kept his smile on his face. "In that case, I shall remind you the bitter taste of defeat, Hibiki-kun."
There was a ten meter distance between them. Hibiki entered her own stance, the very same one she learned from him. There was no need to use her spear here. No, she will take him down with the very style he taught her, and make sure he will never get in her way again. This insufferable, unbeatable man will once and for all feel what it's like to bite the dirt.
There was a tingling in the back of her mind, something that made this whole situation feel disturbingly wrong, but she bit it down and cast it away. She cannot allow herself to be distracted by old attachments. Her mission surpassed everything else, and she had to make sure it came to fruition.
No matter the cost.
A calm breeze wafted through the area, a stark difference from the destructive chaos that took place earlier. It was a warm breeze, one that you would feel when you sat under a large oak tree on a glistening meadow, enjoying the clean air and the sunny weather.
It was a breeze signifying peace.
And it passed over them, disappearing into nothingness.
The two combatants charged towards each other, their fists slamming.
-!-
The way back was excruciating, Shirabe had to admit. Not because of her passenger, but because of what it meant. They had been forced to retreat upon realizing their powers would not be enough to combat Hibiki's, and now they found themselves being the burden in this whole scenario.
They travelled back quietly. The wind brushed against their faces, drowning out all other sounds around them. However, Shirabe could hear another sound hidden just beneath it. It was a sound she knew all too well, having experienced it many times in her life.
And from where she was, it was easy to know where that sound came from.
Her spirits fell just by thinking about how painful this whole situation was for Miku. How she spent days worrying about her best friend's safety, only to hear that she was in peril. And when she came to help her, the worst case scenario took place as that very friend turned against them all for reasons they did not understand.
Nobody had answers to give, and that made it all the more painful.
So she could not blame her for crying. Had a similar thing happened to Kirika, Shirabe would have also been equally devastated.
"Maria," Shirabe yelled over the sound of the wind, catching her elder's attention. "Are you sure we should just leave him all by himself?"
The Airgetlam user bit her lip. "As much as I don't want to, we don't have a choice. There is nothing we can do there to help him."
"You are indeed correct, Symphogear," Adam interjected. "She is far too powerful for any of you to face, and I doubt your commander is strong enough for that as well."
"You should just shut your mouth, you asshole." Chris said to him. "You are the one who caused this problem in the first place! So now, you will tell us how to fix it! We are getting answers out of you whether you like it or not."
But Adam merely huffed in response. "Be my guest. In my condition it is not like I am very useful for anything other than that. As a result, my last resort would be to cooperate with you."
Chris was taken aback by his sudden agreement. "Wait, you'll actually help us? Are you serious?"
"Don't get the wrong idea, Symphogear. Everything I do is for my own sake. However, as long as Tachibana Hibiki holds the divine power, my own ambitions cannot be realized. At the moment, your goal is the same as mine: to remove the divine power from her. As a result, it would be counterproductive for us to oppose each other in this situation." He answered.
"And once again let you stab someone in the back?" Saint-Germain reminded him. "I don't think so. I'll be keeping a close eye on you, Lodgemaster. As soon as you make any move that will jeopardize our efforts, I'll erase you until there is nothing left."
"Feel free to do so, Saint-Germain, and let your comrades' deaths be in vain."
The alchemist bit her lip, and fell quiet. She glanced to the side, catching sight of the blacked haired girl who helped her.
Tears were falling freely from Miku's eyes, unbearable sadness filling her heart. "Hibiki...why?"
The rest fell silent as well. However, Chris held her head up. There was still a flicker of hope, as small as it was, that they could grab onto.
And she truly hoped it would be enough.
-!-
It was like explosions were constantly going off. Every time the two clashed, they released a powerful shockwave that further scarred the land. By now, what was once an evacuated residential area was turned into a war zone.
Genjuro had expected the fight to be tough, but not this intense.
Hibiki charged, and he dodged out of the way just in time to avoid having his chest eviscerated just like Adam Weishaupt. Before she could pull back her fist for another attack, he grabbed onto her wrist with all his might.
"As if I would let you throw me again!" She yelled, and pushed all her weight into her legs, the ground beneath her shattering once more, and Genjuro found that she indeed wouldn't budge. With her free hand, she delivered an uppercut to his chin, and caught in his position, he had no choice but to let go of her so it wouldn't hit. He took a step back and she was upon him again, delivering a flurry of blows that created sonic booms in their wake.
Luckily for him however, he had no problem deflecting them away. Blocking them was out of the question right now considering her power, so he had to make due with the next best course of action. And with each strike she delivered, he could feel the very force of her punches grind into him bit by bit.
Genjuro grit his teeth. She really was as powerful as she claimed to be, there was no mistake about that. With insane speed to enhance that power, he was truly in a bind. His only advantage was in his technique, something he had honed for decades on countless battlefields, and that experience was that one thing that let him keep up with her.
'This divine power...such a thing should not be allowed to exist.' He thought to himself. But there was no use dwelling on such a what if. Their predictions were wrong, things went to hell, and now they had to deal with it as best they could.
Taking the opportunity, he let one of her strikes graze him and stepped into her guard, catching her by surprise. She tried to jump back in order to gain some distance, but he was faster this time. His fist slammed into her stomach, and she spit blood as it sent tremors through her whole body.
However, it did not have the intended effect of batting her away. Hibiki clenched her teeth, and grasped the arm planted in her stomach with both hands. His eyes widened, and before he could react in time she delivered a kick to the side of his head just as she released his hand, and the S.O.N.G commander was sent flying away instead.
He groaned as he skid across the ground on his side, his head miraculously still attached. He had no time to assess the damage before he had to jump away as Hibiki's strike barely missed him, hitting the ground and shattering it even further. Rubble exploded upward from the impact, and Hibiki's eyes swiftly found their target again. Genjuro landed back on the ground just as she charged. In response, the man released a flurry of kicks in her direction, stopping her charge and forcing her to dodge in between them.
Everything Genjuro was doing was simply to buy time in order to formulate a better battle plan. He had a pretty good estimate of her new strength, which was why he could not allow himself to be dealt a direct, full powered hit from her. Just the quick kick to the side of his head made the inside of his skull ring like crazy. It was an incredibly uncomfortable sensation, not unlike being on the receiving end of a flashbang grenade.
Luckily for him, he had already experienced that pain before.
Genjuro yelled, and slammed his foot down on the ground with full force. A huge chunk of the rubble lifted off the ground, hiding him from Hibiki's vision. She was taken aback by the surprise move, but continued on regardless. She slammed her fist into the impromptu barrier and smashed it to pieces, expecting to find Genjuro on the other side.
Only, he wasn't. Moving faster than the eye could see, Genjuro had seemingly teleported behind her, and his fist fired with a roaring boom that left no room for escape.
However, Hibiki was less than normal in her current state, and with inhuman reflexes dodged the blow meant for her head by taking a step back. Twisting on her rear leg, she delivered a roundhouse kick that Genjuro was forced to block with his knee. He could feel the bones in his legs shake from the blow, and he was once again forced back from her.
The commander let out a breath, taking a moment to reassess the situation. He shook his hands, releasing some of the tension built up within them. Surprisingly enough, Hibiki did not chase him this time, taking a moment to gather herself for another exchange. "I don't understand," She suddenly said. "How is it that you can stand up to me?" She asked with an incredulous look.
Genjuro rubbed the dust of his shoulder. "It's simple, Hibiki-kun. You may have overwhelming power, but don't forget I am the one who taught you how to fight. I know the way you move and the way you think, and that is something that will not change no matter what form you take."
She glared at him with teeth bared. "You dare look down on me!"
"It's quite the opposite, Hibiki-kun. I have never once looked down on you. Your resolve and relentless fighting spirit are something to be admired. It has been a long time since I was forced into an intense fight. Had we been in any other situation, I would have regarded you as a worthy opponent."
Suddenly, an aura of power built up around him, and he retook his fighting stance. "Unfortunately, I am a man on a mission. And you, of all people, should know what happens when a man is on a mission. Endless hours of action movies should give you the answer to that."
Hibiki blinked, the memories resurfacing in her mind from his words. "I see," She answered. Taking a deep breath, she reentered her own stance, facing him head on. "In that case, I will also go all out then. Once I take you down, there will be no one left to stop me."
Just as she finished saying those words, Genjuro charged at her, and she expertly blocked his powerful strike. "That is where you are wrong, Hibiki-kun!"
He released his own flurry of sonic boom releasing blows. "Even if I fall here, those girls will not stop for a second! They will give their own lives in order to bring you back, I can promise you that! That is the extent of their feelings for you! So no matter what you believe or do, there will always be someone to stand in your way!"
"Tch!"
His blows were annoyingly powerful, she had to give him that. But she was hardly surprised. There was no one stronger in the world than him, that much she knew.
But right now she was stronger, and there is no way she'll let a regular human surpass her!
She dodged to the side, escaping the flurry of blows he was delivering, and entered his range. The rogue wielder shot a fist forward, and he responded by kneeing her in the wrist, throwing her off balance.
Perhaps it was time to use that one style he saw in that one series.
In less than an instant, his stance changed completely. It was as if he spontaneously transformed, and he launched a blow that grazed the side of her head.
"You know that won't work-!"
Only for the fist to suddenly strike the back of her neck.
Excruciating pain travelled through her spine as she dropped her guard, caught completely by surprise. "Wha-!"
But he did not stop. The heavy strikes suddenly became whiplike, striking with such pinpoint accuracy that left her completely helpless in the face of his assault. She dodged desperately, yet it looked as if his arms were curving unnaturally, using the elbow as a fulcrum, and were somehow able to reach vital points on her body that she was sure were protected.
"What is this?!" She yelled, but was only answered by another flurry of curving blows. Even though Hibiki had the advantage of wearing armor, it was not enough to stop the force of the impacts from affecting her.
His fist struck her chest cleanly, and she let out a gasp at the intense pain that accompanied it. She grit her teeth and counterattacked, but Genjuro moved like the wind, flowing in between her desperate blows with frightening precision. He twisted as he entered her range, and struck the small of her back with a powerful chop. She tumbled forward, but quickly regained her footing and spun with a back-kick, yet found herself in shock as once again her blow missed completely, and once again Genjuro was behind her.
She tried to turn in time to face him, but instead was forced to move her head to the side to avoid a strike to the back of her head. She had no idea what he was doing, but given enough time she'll eventually-
And then his hand locked around her throat. She was lifted off the ground, gasping for air, her hands clamping down on his rocklike muscles. He could feel her armoured fingers dig into his skin, drawing blood, yet he did not release his hold on her neck. He squeezed his fingers even more.
"G-gah-" She let out weakly. How was he able to lock her down?! That was supposed to be impossible. The divine power was supposed to make her invincible! Then how was this human able to-
No, she would not allow it. There was no way she could allow herself to be defeated here. Not like this. Not before she could start changing the world!
She clamped down even harder on his arm, and with her swinging legs kicked his bicep with all the force she could muster.
It was only because of her shorter stature that she was able to secure her escape. The pain travelled up his arm, and he involuntarily released his hold on her, giving the rogue user plenty of time to get some distance from him.
Genjuro remained still and shook his arms again. "How was that, Hibiki-kun?"
Hibiki put a hand around her throat, making sure nothing important inside was bent out of shape. She gasped out her shock. "What...was that?"
He grinned. "That was a little thing I learned from this anime I saw. I thought it was cool, despite its intended purpose. Although it doesn't work once the opponent gets a grasp on it. But it did catch you by surprise, didn't it? How did that feel, Hibiki-kun?"
She stared at him in amazement. Even now, he was still talking about his shows? "You dare-?!"
"Yes, I dare," He said, cutting her off. "I told you, Hibiki-kun, I will take you back by any means necessary. I don't mind using dirty tactics to accomplish that."
Silence fell on the battlefield, and the warm breeze returned to once again waft between them. Hibiki cast her head downwards, a sudden calmness coming over her features, her hands limp by her sides. Genjuro furrowed his brows at the change, entering his signature stance once again. Now that she had experienced his new and unusual style, its effectiveness dropped considerably. But it did its job to rile her up, which was what he was aiming for. Anger clouds the mind, which would leave her defenseless to his more regular strikes.
At least, that's what he planned for. And he, more than anyone else, knew that plans never survived contact with the enemy.
Hibiki clenched her fists by her sides, and a violent and bloodthirsty aura leaked from her in droves. It was so pronounced Genjuro could physically see it as a crimson miasma that rose around her, tainting the very air around it. It made him sick just looking at it, especially because it was Hibiki it was rising from.
Genjuro braced himself.
And then her head snapped up in one disturbing jerk, and for a moment he caught sight of her shining emerald eyes.
Right before she teleported in front of him faster than he could blink, and smash her fist right into his chest.
Only his superhuman endurance managed to save him from having his body destroyed like Adam Weishaupt. He felt his ribs shatter from the blow, and he spit blood, the liquid splashing onto her face. He was thrown backwards, and worked through the pain to right himself on the ground. 'Teleportation? When did she learn how to do that? Everything up until now has been nothing more than high speed movement!' His eyes widened at the thought. 'Don't tell me...she is spontaneously developing new abilities as she gets more used to the divine power?!'
She was upon him before he could even finish dwelling on the thought. He jumped backwards, but the pain of his shattered ribs dulled his reactions, and he was grazed by the blow that he could have cleanly dodged. 'This is bad.'
He landed back on his feet and took a risky gamble. He punched forward, and just as he suspected Hibiki teleported in front of him, right into the path of his strike. It smashed straight into her face, and her head reeled back from the blow, stunning her momentarily. He followed it up with another fierce hook, intending to knock her out cold.
Only for her to suddenly vanish into thin air, catching him by surprise. His instincts screaming, he barely had to turn around to find her right behind him, and receive another blow from her divine power enhanced punches to his back.
The man groaned in pain as he was thrown forward through the air. Now helpless airborne, Hibiki followed up by teleporting in his path, kicking him in the chin towards the sky. He soared through the air high up, his vision disappearing in whiteness from the excruciating pain.
And at the apex of his climb, she teleported above him, and screamed. "THIS IS WHERE IT ENDS, MASTER!"
The following strike was one of the strongest she had ever delivered. Her punch smashed into his stomach, and he streaked through the air towards the ground, sonic booms being left in his wake.
A moment later, Genjuro crashed onto the ground, a gigantic crater forming from the impact point, and he lay unmoving at it center.
The match was decided.
Genjuro had lost.
The screams of despair coming from S.O.N.G's headquarters could not be heard on the battlefield, and Hibiki descended towards him, staring at her commander's battered body. To her surprise, he was still alive and conscious despite the blows he received. However, he will not be getting back up any time soon.
Which gave her the perfect opportunity to finish him off.
Genjuro regained his bearings and stared towards the sky. "I see...so I lost."
"Yes, you have." She answered him.
His only response was to laugh weakly, pain wracking every corner of his body. "I knew...that day would come eventually but...never expected it...to be so soon."
He lay there on his back, unable to move. Defeated by his own student, using the very techniques and abilities he taught her.
Truly ironic.
"Do you have any last words, Master?" She asked him quietly. She held out her hand to the side, and the spear that had been staked into the ground a distance away from them returned to her a moment later. She stood near his head and held the spear by the shaft with both hands, its tip aimed at his face.
There wasn't much left for him to say. "Just...remember, Hibiki-kun...Those girls...will not stop...until they get you back...Think about...this world you want to create and...think...if it will be worth...losing everything for it…"
"I have thought about it every day since I received Gungnir, Master." She answered. "And I'm done thinking."
"Is that...you speaking...or the divine power?" He asked. "Because I will not...be able to pass on quietly...if it's the latter…"
"It's my own will, Genjuro. A will that I held back for years ever since I survived that hell. Since the day I received Gungnir. Since the day I destroyed the moon fragment. Since the day Fine spoke to me and told me to believe in the song in my heart." She answered him. "I did not listen. I merely went on with my foolish justice, believing that I could help people understand each other. But you of all people know that can't happen. You know how in all of the battlefields you have been through that there are far too many people who simply refuse to listen. Who refuse to grab your hand when you offer it to them. I cannot allow such a thing to continue any longer." Her brows furrowed deeply. "And that is why, with this spear, I will disperse humanity's darkness. Whether they like it or not."
She raised the spear high above. "Goodbye, Master."
And just as she began to lower the spear onto his head...
"Is that...really what you believe?"
Her thrust stopped an inch from his nose. She did not want to listen to him any longer. She had absolutely no reason to. She was the victor, and as the victor she would now claim her prize.
But the tingling in the back of her head returned tenfold, hammering into her skull, telling her to wait.
"All the friends that you have made...thanks to you holding your hand out to them...all the lives you have saved...because you truly believed in that simple...yet unfettered justice. It...was what gave you strength...it was what helped you save the world...and it was what...shaped you to become who you are today..." He said weakly, staring up into her eyes.
The spear shook in her grip. Why was this happening now? Why was he saying such things now? And why was she listening?!
"I saw that...in your eyes that day...when you came into headquarters...all confused and lost yet...a fire burned in you that could not be extinguished. That was the moment I knew...you would be able to do great things...and you strove to make it work as much as you could...that boundless optimism that held great depth to it...was the reason I brought you in...not because I thought of you as a replacement to Kanade-kun but...a true, real and great person that could do...what she could not...what I could not…" He continued, still staring into her emerald eyes.
Her teeth grinded against each other. "Shut...up…"
"Your heart has...infinite place in it...for strangers...and for those you hold dear...everyone...is an irreplaceable friend for you...and as a result...you are irreplaceable for them...that is why...don't allow those regrets...to blind you from what you truly are…"
"Shut...up…!"
"And that is why...they will never stop trying...even if they fail...again...and again...those girls will do whatever it takes...to help you remember...that fire…"
"Shut...UP!"
"I want you to think on that...Hibiki-kun...Ryouko-kun was right...listen to the song in your heart...and think of those whom you hold dear…"
"Shut up!"
"Think about that...Hibiki-kun…"
The face of a certain black haired girl flashed before her eyes.
"SHUTTTTTTTTTTTTT UPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!"
And she brought the spear down.
