Another dead end.

Chris groaned, slumping back in her chair for the tenth time since they started. For all of their motivation to keep looking for answers, they were just irrevocably stuck. There was absolutely no information about what they were looking for.

No, it wasn't that there was no information. It was that every single lead she got only drew her back to the Shenshoujing. Absolutely everything she had found, whether it was about relics, curses, grudges, ghosts, spirits, ogres, yetis, and whatever else that she looked up just all pointed in the direction of the lost Symphogear.

It was like the database was reminding her that it was the 'optimal solution' to their dilemma.

But what use was the solution if it was gone, vaporized into dust in the wind?

She looked back at her underclassmen, who were still going over the pile of documents they had sprawled out on the floor. She could see Kirika was as energetic as ever, her eyes darting between the pages rapidly.

Well, not like it would help anyone. After all, if she couldn't find it in the database then Kirika will never-

"HA AH!"

Chris spun in the chair in surprise at the sudden noise. Kirika was standing, holding a piece of paper in her hand high in the air. "I think I found something!" She exclaimed.

Chris got up from the chair and went over to her, and Shirabe stood up as well. Kirika brought her hand down, letting the two read the paper from the sides.

"What is it?" Chris asked, still taken aback that the slightly dim underclassmen actually found a lead.

"Well, I was thinking," Kirika said. "You probably noticed it too, Chris-senpai, that no matter what we do it always leads back to the Shenshoujing right?"

Chris nodded. "Yeah, I noticed. I tried to find something else but I always met dead ends. But what about it? We all know it's gone. There is no point trying to look up more about that."

"That's what I thought too! But then I thought 'wait, if it always leads us back to this, then why not research it a bit more?' and that's how it led me to this!" She added, tapping the paper with her hand several times.

Chris grit her teeth in frustration. 'Did I just get outsmarted by HER?' She thought with disbelief. "Alright, let's see what you found." She said, and took the paper from her hand with a single motion.

"HEY!"

She ignored her. Chris went back to her chair and sat down, looking over the document. Kirika pouted, but Shirabe rubbed her back and they both sat on the floor before Chris, who began to read the paper out loud.

"The Shinju-kyo: A detailed history of relations between ancient China and the kingdom of Wa." She recited, raising an eyebrow.

Kirika simply looked confused. "Eh? Wa? What's that?" She asked.

"It's the oldest recorded name of Japan. I think it was first found in old Chinese texts, right?" Shirabe answered, looking to Chris for confirmation.

The upperclassmen nodded, and looked back to the paper, skimming over the parts she found irrelevant such as the first meeting between the two nations and other unimportant topics. She eventually came upon the first mention of the mirror, and continued reading aloud. "The Shinju-kyo, also known as the Shenshoujing, is an ancient type of bronze mirror decorated with images of gods and animals from mythology. They are all hand crafted, and the original mirror was said to originate in China and frequently produced during the 1st century until the 6th century CE. The first historical reference to the bronze mirror is in the collection known as 'The Records of the Three Kingdoms'. It mentions the relations between the Emperor Cao Rui of Wei and Queen Himiko of Wa. It was said that the Emperor, along with the Wei court, frequently sent presents to the Queen, along with…"

Her eyes widened in shock as she read the next line. "One...hundred...bronze mirrors…"

Kirika's face lit up, and she turned to Shirabe in happiness, who also smiled at the discovery. Chris continued reading, now engrossed in the text. "Eventually, with the spread of Chinese bronze casting technology, the Shinju-kyo also began to be produced in Japan and the Korean peninsula…"

There was no point in reading any further. This, this was the critical piece. Chris leaned back in her chair and put the paper down, her mouth still hanging slightly open from shock.

"See! I told you! This is what we needed!" Kirika exclaimed again, shooting up to her feet. "There is more than one Shenshoujing! No, there are even hundreds of it! Even if the one we used is gone, we can still use another! They were all from the same place so we will definitely find another one!"

It was an amazing discovery for the trio, who did not know anything about the relic. Perhaps it was common knowledge for archeologists, but for them, stuck in a mind-numbing complication, it served as a ray of hope.

But of course, Chris was quick to question it. "But how are we gonna find another one? The last time one was found was when Fine was still around. We can't just start digging up the ground and hope to strike gold. And even if we do...convincing Miku to use it again will be hard, if not impossible."

Instantly Kirika deflated, and Shirabe rubbed her shoulder in sympathy. "We'll do what we can," She said. "For now we should inform the commander of what we discovered."

Chris closed her eyes for a moment, tension leaving her body. "Yeah, let's do that…"

She got up from the chair.

And the alarm started blaring loudly.

Kirika jumped at the sudden noise, looking around quickly. The blinking red lights and the roaring sound drilling into their heads, but they knew exactly what they had to do. Dropping everything, the trio ran from the archives, making a beeline for the medical room.

'Don't bother coming to the briefing!' Genjuro yelled over the comm. 'Head straight to Lydian! Hibiki-kun has reappeared!"

They stopped in their tracks at the news, their eyes wide. The trio looked between each other, momentarily wondering what they should do.

No, it was obvious.

They turned around and headed to the exit. Once they were outside, they jumped down and chanted.

'Kiliter Ichaival tron'

'Fallian Shul Shagana tron'

'Zeios Igalima raizen tron'

The three were surrounded by light, and just as they landed on the pier the light vanished, and the three were clad in their Symphogears. Without a delay, they shot forward, making their way to the academy, where the battle awaited.

-!-

Saint-Germain never believed she could find herself so transfixed.

She was leaning forward into the console, drinking in the details of Hibiki's history. It was absolutely ridiculous, she found herself thinking, but it was just so engrossing. She never realised how similar they were from the few interactions she had.

The first few details of where was born and what she did in her childhood were not so relevant in her eyes, however once she reached the section that detailed the Zwei Wing massacre, that was when she was starting to be interested. She read about how Hibiki nearly died after being pierced near the heart by fragments of Amou Kanade's Gungnir, and how the idol had sacrificed her own life to save her by singing her Superb Song. She read about the operation that the girl had undergone, and the following rehab and therapy she went through as a result.

She read about a girl ostracized by society as soon as she left the hospital. She read about how her father was laid off from his job due to the fact that the President of his company lost his daughter in the massacre and as a result took it out on him. She read how despite Hibiki's best efforts, her father had descended into alcoholism and began to verbally abuse her and her mother, and how he eventually left, abandoning them when they needed him.

She read how the girl was left essentially alone in the world and was only held up by the efforts of Kohinata Miku, her childhood friend from the same neighbourhood. She read how she tried her hardest to get accepted to Lydian Academy of Music, barely passing the entrance exam. And she read how upon her first day in the Academy, she was involved in an incident with the Noise, during which she wielded her Symphogear for the first time.

Saint-Germain never liked the Noise. These ancient, human-slaying automatons from an era long gone, and their home inside of the Treasury of Babylon. They were just remnants of a bygone age, and quite frankly she was glad that the Symphogears had sealed the exit. Even though she regularly used her own alchemical Noise, they were always simply tools to be destroyed. She never allowed the Noise to take lives for her. All those sins she had committed over the centuries were done by her own hand.

But that was not an important thought to be having at the moment. She continued reading, going over Hibiki's first encounter with S.O.N.G, the initial rift with Tsubasa, and her attempts at winning Chris over to their side.

She could not believe how optimistic the girl could be despite everything she had been through. She was looked down upon and viewed as a killer for two years. Two full years that she spent almost completely alone and the guilt of having been the only survivor on her shoulders. She just could not understand how the girl became the quintessential leader of the Symphogears, and how because of her they had managed to defeat Fine and achieve the miracle of the X-Drive.

And it just went on and on. Nothing but praises were sung in these records, and even when it was discovered she was due to die because of the spread of Gungnir through her body, that she still did everything she could, and managed to grasp life from the jaws of death.

It was insane, Saint-Germain thought. This girl was supposed to be an impossible existence, yet here she was, existing, and having influence on the world and the people around her.

For a moment, the alchemist wondered what would have happened if she had the same approach to life as Hibiki did. For over four hundred years, Saint-Germain had felt no joy. She was forced from a young age to sell her body, pretend to be a man to fool others, and regularly kill in order to achieve her objectives.

And in the end, what did it lead to? Nothing. She spent centuries in her pursuit of a perfect world, and she had nothing to show for it. Yet, Tachibana Hibiki, in just a bit over a year, managed to turn the world over time and time again, cementing her place in the minds of her comrades. Of course they would try to get her back no matter what. Killing her was completely out of the question for them. She is the glue that holds them together, and the alchemist could see how the moment she was gone, the solidarity and the balance they held was beginning to wear away.

'I'm not their friend.' She told herself. There was no reason for her to care about whether they were united or not. She was their enemy, and now a temporary ally, in the fight to bring back Tachibana Hibiki. But until that moment, they had fought against each other and their ideals clashed head on. Tachibana Hibiki's comrades had killed her own, and she had every reason to pay her back for that.

Yet, she could not. The girl had held her hand out to her, accepting her as she had all of her now comrades. She had this strange magic, as if she could instantly get along with anyone she desired. It was such a contradiction to what she found in her records, and yet it was reality.

She could not pay back kindness with cruelty. She may not be a good person, but she was not despicable.

And that was the moment Saint-Germain decided. She will do what she can in order to bring the girl back. In order to know more...about that strange magic she held in her hands.

And maybe...just maybe…

Her train of thought was suddenly interrupted when she came upon a certain peculiar passage in the records.

It said that the original fragment of Gungnir was destroyed when the enhanced beam of the Shenshoujing struck the two of them. It later said that her compatibility with the Gungnir she stole from Maria Cadenzavna Eve became absolutely ridiculous upon inspection during the final battle on Frontier.

That made no sense to her. It was not possible that the original fragment had somehow altered or enhanced her body in order to be more compatible with relics. Every trace of it down to the smallest of atoms were completely erased by the gear wielded by Kohinata Miku. Even if it had fused with her body for a long time, that advantage in compatibility would not suddenly sprout up from the ground. Such a thing applies to Faust Robes as well after all.

So how was such a thing possible?

The Shenshoujing seemed to be the key, she realised. She quickly compared the two compatibility values, seeing that they were fairly similar, although the latter one was much higher. If only she had data on the other users, or on Kohinata Miku herself, then she'll have a much better idea of what to look for.

'No, that's not what is important.' She thought. 'The Shenshoujing did not have the ability to increase compatibility rates. That's not how relics work. No, there was something else that happened. Something that removed some sort of burden that hindered the rates. I came upon this relic in the past, but its most obvious power was the ability to remove curses-'

Her mind seized upon realization.

But just before she could develop the thought further, the entire bridge was suddenly illuminated by the blaring red lights as the alarm thundered throughout the headquarters. Aoi stopped all of her research, opening up the command console and looking through the rapidly entering data. Once she had studied it as thoroughly as she could, she immediately opened a channel to Genjuro, who had received a laptop to work with in the medical room from a member she sent his way.

"Commander, this is-"

"Yes, I see it too," He said. "This twisted Aufwachen signal...there is no mistaking it. Hibiki-kun has reappeared. I sent the wielders her way already. Try to contact Maria-kun as soon as you can. Ask her for a status report.'

"Copy that," Aoi answered. "But...why Lydian?" She asked, looking at the coordinates the screen was indicating.

"There is no way to know. All we can do is respond and try to stop her." Genjuro added.

"In that case, I will head out as well." Saint-Germain declared. Adam, who had stayed quiet during her research, looked at her curiously. "There is something I need to confirm."

Aoi met her determined gaze. "Are you sure, Saint-Germain-san?"

"Yes. The homunculus...no, Elfnein had already returned to me the repaired Lapis. I must give this endeavor another attempt. Last night was an embarrassment. I will not allow this to occur again." She answered, getting up from her seat and readjusting the hospital robe she was wearing. It mattered little what clothes covered her at the moment, since it would be stored away either case. "Keep an eye on Adam Weishaupt. Do not let him out of your sight."

Aoi looked at her curiously, but relented. "Sure," She said, watching the alchemist leave. Just before she went out the door, Aoi spoke up again. "Oh, and one more thing,"

The alchemist stopped in the doorway and looked back to her. Aoi smiled. "Good luck."

Saint-Germain's eyes widened momentarily, and then turned back to the door. "Thank you."

Aoi watched as the door closed, then turned back to her terminal. First, status report from those on the field.

"Maria-san, can you hear me?"

-!-

She was not dead. That was a good start.

Dust and smoke filled the air around her, and she coughed as she regained her bearings on her surroundings. When Hibiki had suddenly exploded with rage, the entire courtyard had seemingly exploded violently as everything within it was instantly destroyed by the mere force of Hibiki's yell.

'This is just too ridiculous.' Maria thought to herself. She looked down to the person she was holding in her arms, seeing that Miku was also alive, if a bit shaken up and dusty. She had grabbed onto her as fast as she could and protected her with her own body when the force had launched them into one of the academy's walls.

Maria groaned as she dislodged herself from the wall, rising to her feet unsteadily. "Are you alright, Miku-san?" She asked the shorter girl.

Miku let out a few uneasy coughs, the dust having gotten into her lungs as well. "Y-yes, I'm fine. What...what was that?"

Maria looked ahead from within the slowly settling cloud of dust. "I think...we're about to find out."

Visibility was returning to them, and the first thing Maria noticed that the once beautiful courtyard had been absolutely ravaged. Trees, benches, and even parts of the decorative fountain were lodged within the walls of the academy, and glass rained from the shattered windows. The walls themselves were smoking and deep cracks ran over them unevenly, looking like they might crumble at any moment. How did they hold up she did not know, but the only thing that remained alive in the courtyard was the two of them.

Along with the instigator of this damage.

It was hard to describe what she was looking at. Hibiki had remained in the very middle of the explosion, the ground around her having blown away from her in the blast. She was on her feet, slumped forward.

And an absolutely terrifying crimson aura rose from her. Maria could swear she could see it with the naked eye, and froze in place at the sight. But that was not the only thing she noticed that was different.

The small, orange wings that had appeared on Hibiki the night before had grown, spanning quite an impressive length behind her. They were much darker than she remembered, and it looked as if ash was raining from them nonstop, vanishing before it hit the ground. Was it because of the debris? She doubted it. She could also see that the glowing purple lines that ran over the armor had extended, growing thicker in length and far more of them covering parts of Hibiki's body. The armor itself also grew far more spikes than there were before, a stark contrast to the streamlined look of the original Gungnir.

Years of hanging around Kirika and watching those silly superhero movies with her had alerted her to the fact that these changes were the exact opposite of what she wanted.

The two girls simply stared at the rogue wielder, who remained unmoving following her violent outburst. The aura continued to rise, and even grew as time passed.

Maria realized that staying here would be counter-productive. "Miku-san, you should run."

Miku looked at the older girl is shock. "Run? But I can't! I have to help Hibiki!"

"In her current state," Maria stated, swallowing nervously. "I don't think that is much of an option. This...is going to be very difficult."

Miku gasped. "You...are going to fight her again?"

Maria kept her gaze locked on the rogue wielder in the middle of the courtyard. "It seems...I'm not going to have a choice."

It was not a decision she made lightly. But she had to, because she was most definitely not going to be able to run away.

Hibiki slowly straightened herself, her whole upper body rising. When she reached her full height, she stood completely still, the aura still leaking off of her uncontrollably. Now that she could see her chest and her face, Maria realised that there were more changes that she did not notice before. The glowing purple lines that ran over the armor seemed to start to converge above her breasts, surrounding but not quite touching the scar she received over three years ago. What's more, parts of the armor began to cover her jaw, rising all the way to her lower cheek, and from there smaller, thinner glowing lines streaked onto her face.

There was only one description Maria could give to the new look Hibiki had.

A fallen angel. As if she was a divine being, cast away from Heaven to the Earth, and how that heavenly aura began to morph into something much, much darker.

Just like Lucifer.

And then she opened her eyes, and the emerald glow that came from them was much deeper than Maria could remember.

There was a strange, eerie silence in the courtyard that could not be explained. Maria took a step forward, and with her right hand lightly pushed Miku further behind her.

An act that Hibiki noticed.

The previous fury that her voice had contained seemed to have mysteriously vanished as she spoke. "Maria-san...Are you prepared?"

Maria's heart beat rapidly in her chest, anticipating the grueling battle ahead. It was a rhetorical question, she knew that for sure, but she wanted to ask all the same. "For what?"

Hibiki's fists clenched with an audible metallic sound. "Judgement."

Miku has never been more terrified in her life. Yet, she fought through that dread, and walked forward, passing by Maria and standing closer to her best friend. "Hibiki...please, don't fight. Please." She pleaded.

Hibiki stared at her, and for the first time Miku took that reflexive step back in fear, something that Hibiki noticed. "Don't worry Miku, I will get rid of anyone who stands in my way. No one is allowed to touch you."

And Hibiki began to walk, her very steps leaving behind a trail of ash that stained what remained of the courtyard's paths. Miku could only stay in place, frozen in terror at Hibiki's changed form. The rogue wielder approached, and just as she passed by her, whispered darkly. "Because you...and this entire world...now belong to me."

It was a declaration that sent cold shivers down Miku's spine. She could not even turn around to try and stop her. So deep was her terror that she did not even dare look at her again, lest she sees something that will scar her forever. The fury Hibiki held before was not even close to be as scary as this.

Maria however stood strong as Hibiki approached her. It was pointless to be scared now. A fight was inevitable, Hibiki made sure of that. There was no choice but to face her and do what she can in order to take her down. Maria began to speak. "Hibiki-san, you-"

"Shut your whore mouth."

And was summarily interrupted by the poison Hibiki spewed. Her eyes widened at the blatant cursing, and the sheer lack of regard for using it. "You tried to take from me what was mine, Maria-san. Just like you did in the past."

The silver Symphogear user said nothing more, and Hibiki continued. "I will never allow you to do that again. You tried to take my life. You tried to take Gungnir. And now again, you dare to try and take Miku from me." Her stare drilled into the older girl's eyes, burning deep into her brain. "You will pay for everything you've done...dearly."

Hibiki stopped only a meter from Maria, and glared up at the taller woman. Maria's eyes narrowed in response. "I see words are useless here," She said evenly. "Trying to convince you otherwise would be an exercise in futility. You are obviously stuck in your own little world."

'Is she far too gone now? There is no way to know until we check. Talking to her is no good anymore. Whatever change came upon her has only deranged her further.' Maria noted inwardly.

"Maria-san, do you copy?" Aoi asked over the comm.

"I do, however it seems I will be preoccupied for the time being. Is everyone else on their way?"

"Yes," Aoi confirmed. "Maria-san, we have detected this...change she has undergone...and the only thing I have to tell you is...god-speed."

Maria chuckled. So even those at headquarters knew things were going to get ugly, and very out of their control. "Heh, as if that would help." She answered, and focused back on the rogue wielder before her, the crimson aura growing even more every second. "Let's not waste anymore time here, Hibiki-san."

She grasped Airgetlam's pendant and clicked twice on its sides. "I will drag you back kicking and screaming."

Miku regained her bearings and turned around, and opened her mouth to speak.

Only to be interrupted by Maria's furious yell.

"IGNITE MODULE! DOUBLE UNSHEATHE!"

The explosion of power that followed signaled the start of the battle.

-!-

The Symphogear trio arrived just in time to see the entire student body of Lydian evacuate out into the streets. They could hear the school alarm slightly over the noise the students were making, understanding that Maria probably used it in order to get them to safety.

But how far away from the school was going to be safe? Chris wasn't sure. "Oi, do you think we should get them farther away from here?" She asked, looking for a suggestion from the two girls with her.

Shirabe was the one to speak up first. "Yes. We don't know what the extent of the fight is going to be, so it's better that they escape as far as possible while we try to contain it as much as we can. We were lucky the battle didn't spill into the city proper last night, but we might not be so lucky today."

"And there's more to it than that, Shirabe-chan." Aoi said over the comm, having heard their conversation. "Hibiki-chan has undergone some kind of change that we have detected. It's...not pretty. I don't think I can even begin to describe to you what it looks like, but whatever happened has been twisting the Aufwachen signal in ways I have never thought possible. We can barely call it a Symphogear anymore. We are trying to do what we can to gather the details, but it will take time. We weren't given much of a leeway in terms of time to work with the information from last night. You will have to make blind judgement there while we investigate."

"Blind judgments…" Chris murmured. Have things gone to hell already? Only four hours have passed since the gathering in the medical room, and they were still reeling from the night before.

Things were happening too fast. "Looks like we don't have a choice. Let's go."

The two younger girls nodded, and followed after Chris. They jumped down from the roof they were standing on, landing in an alley next to the gathered crowd. They quickly dispelled their gears and ran in, catching strange looks from the various students as they approached the elderly principal, who was collecting the roll call cards from the various teachers. He noticed their approach and looked at them seriously. "Girls, you should go and join the others."

Chris walked up to him, staring up at the taller man. "Listen, old man, you gotta get everyone farther away from here."

He tilted his head in question. "Miss, I'm not sure what you mean. We are doing a routine evacuation just as we have practiced many times before. Why do you suddenly believe that we must scatter and go further?"

Chris was just about to answer him when something suddenly landed right next to her, sending up dust and debris into the air. The principal, along with the gathered crowd looked at the new arrival in shock.

Saint-Germain stared into the man's eyes while clad in her Faust Robe. "Because if you don't, you will die."

The principal took a step back from her declaration. Saint-Germain merely took one forward. "If you don't want everyone here to die, you will evacuate to the furthest shelter you find, and do not allow anyone to leave. There is a very dangerous being on the school grounds, and no one knows when it will start going on a rampage. If you do not want to become merely stains on the ground, then do as we say and run."

The principal, along with the teachers around him were terrified by the alchemist's warnings. It was difficult to reach a decision with such a threat hanging above their heads, and he knew for a fact that she was not joking. He had experienced stares like these far too many times than he would have liked.

He adjusted his glasses, sweat gathering on his brows. "Teachers...please lead the students to the shelter on the outskirts. We should listen to this young lady's warnings."

"But principal-"

"I understand your concerns...but it's better to not question it. I'd rather this whole situation prove to be an elaborate prank, but even with the Noise gone we cannot take any chances. Large areas of the city were evacuated just last night, and you saw those strange lights rising above the city center. It would be best for us all. I will not endanger the students' well being." He proclaimed.

His responsible attitude impressed Saint-Germain. The elderly man turned to her. "Thank you for the warnings, Miss. I'll make sure everyone will be safe."

She nodded to him, and he at once began to give instructions to the last teachers that gathered around him. The teachers then went over to the students, who began the trek towards the shelter.

The three Symphogear wielders looked at the vanishing crowd, and noticed three familiar figures run up to them. "Chris-senpai!" Kuriyo yelled.

"You…"

Kuriyo's expression was conflicted and nervous as she approached. "What is going on, Chris-senpai? Why are we evacuating even further?!"

Chris bit her lips, unsure how to answer her. Kuriyo caught her hesitation. "Come on! Why will no one tell us anything! Even Hina and Maria-san didn't want to tell us what's happening! It has something to do with Bikki, doesn't it? I saw her in the courtyard! And she looked way different than I remember! Please, someone just tell us what's going on!"

Kuriyo panted as she finished her demands, desperate for some answers. Yumi and Shiori looked at her in concern, although they too wished to know what was happening.

However, Chris was silent. She merely looked to the side, not willing to meet Kuriyo's gaze.

The highschooler slumped in despair, having been denied an explanation for the second time in a row. She was on the verge of tears, her whole body shaking. Shiori walked up to them and put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Please, Chris-senpai. If there is anything we can do to help, then just tell us. Just like last time." Shiori said far more calmly.

But Chris would not answer. Seeing the silver haired girl's reluctance, Saint-Germain walked up to them. "The one thing you can do right now is to evacuate with the rest. It is better for you not to be aware of what is occurring at the moment. It will only tarnish your opinion of her in the long run. Do yourself a favor and save yourself that torment."

Her cryptic answer did not alleviate their curiosity nor their worry, and Kuriyo desperately wanted to respond in some way. However, Shiori only squeezed her shoulder tighter, causing the girl to turn to her. "Kuriyo, it would be better to do as she says. Let's go with everyone else, okay?"

"Shiori…" Kuriyo muttered sadly, and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. She nodded. "Yeah...we should." She turned towards Chris, who looked at her with an expression filled with guilt. "Chris-senpai...good luck...To all of you."

"Thanks…" She replied, and watched as Kuriyo and Shiori together went over to Yumi, and the trio ran to join the rest of the evacuating crowd.

"Chris-senpai…" Kirika muttered, reaching over to her…

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

A gigantic pillar of light suddenly erupted from within the school itself, catching the attention of every single person in the city. It rose all the way up to the sky, and the three wielders, along with the alchemist stared at it with wide eyes.

This was the signal. This was the start of the fight.

"Everyone, let's go!" Chris declared, and the three users quickly wielded their Symphogear again. They leapt over to the school with Saint-Germain hot on their heels.

-!-

(Play: Stand up! Ready!)

The two rose towards the sky as their blades locked against each other. Fiery sparks erupted from the impact point.

Maria grit her teeth. There was no point in holding back this time. There was no longer the element of shock nor was there a need to try and talk her out of fighting. Hibiki had made it very clear she was not willing to listen, and would only stop once she was defeated.

So she went all out from the start, and it was proving to be fairly useless.

Hibiki's divine strength was in more ways than one out of this world, a far cry from their own that was provided by their relics. Yet, not matter the difference in power, Maria vowed to keep on fighting until the bitter end.

The blades disconnected as she jumped back, landing on the school's roof. Hibiki followed after her, and Maria dodged the strike that cleaved the brick under her cleanly in two. 'Her speed and strength have definitely increased. No matter what I do, I'll be at a disadvantage. The Ignite Module's built in time limit only adds another layer of pressure here. However…'

She struck, her swing aiming for Hibiki's neck. The rogue wielder dodged as she entered her range and thrust her spear forward at lightning speeds, but Maria managed just in time to draw Airgetlam's ignited blade back to deflect the lunge to the side.

'It might be presumptuous to think so, but I have the advantage in intelligence and tactics. If I can outsmart her, I might be able to make some progress.'

However, Hibiki shifted her grip and grasped Gungnir's handle with both hands and swung horizontally. Maria gasped and jumped back, the very tip of the spear grazing against the armor on breasts. It luckily did not pierce through the metal, and Maria was able to dodge the strike with much effort.

Only for a crescent shockwave to be released following the swing, slicing through the air towards her. Maria landed with one foot on the roof and hurriedly jumped above the projectile, missing her by an inch. As she jumped in the air Hibiki went up to meet her, and the two weapons clanged again loudly. They hung in the air, and as they descended they exchanged a flurry of blows, the two blades slamming against each other with a mighty force.

They crashed back onto roof, and the bricks themselves shattered from the overwhelming power the two wielded. Maria was inwardly very surprised, not having expected to do so well against the vastly superior opponent. She was still losing very badly, she could see that from the start, but at least she was not getting absolutely destroyed just like last night.

It was a sign of the strength she had come to wield, and the unwavering strength of her own heart. She at least believed that her own reasons to fight far surpassed the current Hibiki's, and as a result it pushed her to greater heights than she believed.

But such strength was fleeting after all, as it would be gone along with her Symphogear once the time limit on the Ignite Module ran out. She entered the second phase straight away, severely cutting down her operating time. However, she needed the output, the intensity of the cursed sword Dainsleif. Fighting fire with fire, as they say. She did wonder what brought upon this dark change in the girl before her, but she had no time to dwell on the thought.

A powerful strike sent Maria skidding back across the roof, pushing her all the way to the edge, nearly causing her to fall off the building. "You can't win, Maria-san!" Hibiki yelled as she charged. Maria did not have the time to dodge out of the way, and brought her blade up to block the blow. The force of the charge caused the two of them to be launched from the rooftop, creating an arc in the air as they fell back to the ground.

Maria groaned as she struggled against the blow. Hibiki's face was once again contorted in rage, and the older girl could only inwardly shiver from the hateful glare being sent her way.

She met the gaze with a determined one of her own just as they landed onto the school's running track, giving a much bigger space for their battle. With a yell, she parried the following strike, her blade grinding against Gungnir's flat side. She used the momentum to try and slice her opponent's arm apart, but Hibiki simply smashed her spiked gauntlet against it, causing it to go off course.

This happened every time, Maria noticed. No matter what attack she was trying to throw at her, Hibiki very easily took care of it with inhuman reflexes. Not even the Autoscorers would have been able to keep up with this pressure. It just went to show how much strength that divine power was granting her. Completely ridiculous and ridiculously unfair at the same time.

Catching Maria off guard, Hibiki acted boldly and smashed her head against Maria's own. The older girl reeled from the sudden blow, staggering back and seeing stars in her vision, interrupting her song momentarily. 'This dirty little-!'

Taking advantage of the opening, Hibiki slashed in a wide vertical arc. However, Maria predicted she would try to do so, and leaped to the side, rolling away as the blow destroyed the ground where it struck. Maria rose to one knee and let out the breath she was holding. "Looks like you have no problem fighting dirty, do you?" She said.

Hibiki withdrew the spear from the ground, and turned towards Maria. "Do you ever shut up?"

Maria glared at her. So that's how she wanted to play this game, was it? Fine then!

She rose to her feet and charged. Hibiki looked at her curiously, thinking that the elder girl might have finally lost her mind. To stand against her is nothing but a waste of time, but to take the offensive?

It would be very simple. Once Maria was close enough, Hibiki swung her spear horizontally. It moved so fast Maria could barely see it.

But barely was more than enough.

It was a risky gamble she was taking, but it was worth a try. Her plan was simple: Cause Hibiki to underestimate her. At her current state, it was easy enough.

Everything that came afterwards was...well, not.

But it proved its worth at that very moment.

Maria stopped her charge as soon as she entered the spear's range. It approached at breakneck speeds, but Maria raised her arm just in time to block it.

However, her arm would not be enough to block the swing. Even enhanced by the Ignite Module, the blow was strong enough to swiftly slice through her arm like butter and proceed to decapitate her in an instant.

Which was where the second phase began.

There was a loud clang that Hibiki did not expect to occur as the spear was repulsed, bouncing against the triangular shield of energy Maria spontaneously created over her gauntlet. Looking like a knight of yore, she pushed the Armed Gear away from her, catching her opponent completely by surprise. Not stopping for a moment, Maria used her momentum to shove her blade into the slit at the back of her gauntlet. It immediately transformed, the armor on her knuckles elongating into a cannon, and pure white wings of energy erupted from the blade's hilt.

The entire exchange had occurred in less than a second, and indeed Maria's plan bore fruit. She caused Hibiki to launch a half-assed attack at her, and caught her completely off guard by her own arrogance.

Energy gathered at the ion cannon's tip. She didn't have more than one second to charge it up, but she would take what she can get from it. Any advantage against the beast that Hibiki has become would only serve to help them in the long run.

And with a mighty yell, Maria extended her arm forward, the cannon ending up merely an inch from Hibiki's shocked face.

And she fired.

'HORIZON CANNON'

Pure light exploded forward, engulfing the rogue wielder completely. Maria, having no traction with the ground in that moment, was blown back by the powerful recoil of her own technique. The beam of light continued beyond her intended target, travelling straight through the air and eliminating everything in its path, only to smash against one of the academy's walls and explode violently.

Maria skidded to a stop, her heels digging into the ground. She withdrew her sword from the slit, reverting the cannon back into its gauntlet form. She breathed, and looked at the aftermath of her insane gamble. Of course, she cannot drop her guard just yet. Hibiki could reappear at any moment-

"DID YOU THINK THAT WOULD WORK?!"

She didn't even have time to turn around as Hibiki teleported behind her and smashed her leg against her side. Pain shot up Maria's spine as she was launched to the side, bouncing off of the ground repeatedly. 'Damn! I didn't think she'd respond fast enough to get away!'.

Maria only had a single second to assess if she had managed to do any damage. She could see Hibiki's armor smoking from the heat her attack unleashed, but there was no visible dent in any part of it. Hibiki was indeed struck by it, but it just did not have enough power. Hibiki was just far too resilient to defeat with their regular techniques.

Hibiki teleported behind her once again, smashing her foot against her back. Maria cried out in pain as she fell to the ground.

"Did you really think that something like that will take me down so easily?" Hibiki asked her mockingly. "I didn't think you were that stupid, Maria-san."

Maria coughed painfully, and twisted her head to look behind her, smirking. "Look who's talking. Who was the fool who fell for it in the first place?"

Hibiki bared her teeth, and in response smashed her foot again on Maria's back. She pushed downward, and the elder Symphogear used cried out as she was assaulted with more pain. Hibiki grinded her heel against the small of her back, further adding to the torment. "I told you time and time again that you just can't beat me. How many times are you going to try? When will you finally understand that you are completely outmatched?"

Maria struggled to speak through the excruciating pain. "It's...because…"

She was interrupted when Hibiki smashed her foot against her back again. Bored of simply kicking her when she was down, Hibiki walked around her, and lifted her off the ground by her hair to eye level. She glared at her when their eyes met.

Now no longer being tormented, Maria kept on talking. "We...will not stop...until we get you back. Even if it results in our deaths...it is the only thing...we can offer you...for all you've done for us."

Hibiki's scowl did not leave her face, and she clicked her tongue. She threw Maria down to the ground and brandished her spear. "You really are an idiot, Maria-san."

She thrust the spear towards the downed wielder, intent on ending her life right at that moment.

Only for something to once again strike against the side of her weapon, sending it off course and causing it to smash into the ground.

Hibiki turned her head, and saw Chris standing ten meters away from her, her crossbow raised. To her sides were Kirika, Shirabe, and Saint-Germain, all leveling their weapons at her. The three Symphogear wielders were also in their Ignite configurations, having entered it as soon as Aoi informed them of Maria's situation.

"She's right you know," Chris added. "So don't think you can get rid of us so easily."

The newcomers took in the girl's new form, studying the changes to it. They were sure headquarters also managed to get footage of it, but to see it up close was unsettling. It just hammered it in hard just how low Hibiki fell since taking in the divine power. They have to remove it from her before it becomes impossible.

Hibiki withdrew her spear from the ground and turned her attention to them. "Then I'll just have to erase you all."

She swung her spear, and a crescent shockwave immediately made its way to them. The four as one jumped away, avoiding the simple projectile as it exploded against the ground. While enroute, Genjuro quickly debriefed them on the new teleportation ability Hibiki had developed during their fight during the night.

It only served to make them more cautious. Who knew what could happen between this moment and the next.

Chris immediately fired, a volley of bolts soaring through the air towards the rogue wielder. She simply stood in place as the vast majority of them missed her completely, while the rest she easily deflected with a swat from her arm. The Symphogears of Zababa landed and circled around her, launching their own projectiles at her at breakneck speeds. With a quick flash of her spear, Hibiki crushed them.

Kirika and Shirabe closed on in her as they circled, launching more and more projectiles she deflected while standing still. The top priority was to get Maria away and regroup while she was held down by their volleys. With three ranged attackers anyone would find themselves locked down. Of course, she could simply teleport away, and that would be the perfect window to get Maria away from her.

The two synchronized perfectly, and with Chris adding on to the barrage with her own arrows, Saint-Germain realized there was no point in holding back at all. Loading a larger cartridge into her gun, the alchemist fired, and a shining blue dragon of light erupted from the barrel, roaring as it made its way to Hibiki.

It was that which finally forced her to move. Her form warped as she disappeared, and all of the incoming projectiles crashed against the ground where she stood a moment before. Dust flew in all directions, and Maria struggled to cover her eyes due to her proximity to ground zero.

Shirabe took the opportunity and sped towards Maria, making a beeline for her location. However, just as she held her hand out to her, Hibiki suddenly reappeared in the space between them and swung her spear down on the surprised Shirabe.

Kirika leapt forward just in time to block the strike with her scythe. Shirabe's mechanical twintails then opened, launching a barrage of buzzsaws at Hibiki. Unfortunately, her aim was way off, and only a single one even got close to striking her, only to grind against her reinforced armor and fly off in another direction.

Shirabe clicked her tongue and sped away, understanding she won't be able to get to Maria at the moment.

"BEHIND YOU!"

And Shirabe instinctively ducked due to the warning, and Hibiki's spear barely missed her head by an inch as she teleported behind her. From her vantage point, Saint-Germain fired, and each bullet was simply deflected away, striking the ground instead. And from where they struck, crystalline formations of gold rose, creating obstacles on the track field.

Shirabe jumped away, using the formations as stepping stones to create further distance. Hibiki thankfully did not follow her this time, but instead turned her attention to Kirika instead. She charged towards the Igalima user, and Kirika struck the ground with her scythe. Veins of light were carved into it, making their way to the rogue user. Once they reached her, many more scythes erupted from the ground to impale her from below. Hibiki twisted around them, and lost just a bit of momentum, giving Kirika enough time to dodge the blow.

Immediately afterwards, a barrage of rockets crashed into Hibiki's new position, creating a fireball as they exploded violently.

"That should do it-"

And Chris was brutally pulled to the side by Saint-Germain just as Hibiki's thrust passed through the spot she stood in a second before. She let go of the Symphogear user, aimed her gun and fired. The bullet struck Hibiki's jaw, but the armor that had grown on her face protected her from its impact. Hibiki slashed to the side, and the alchemist narrowly avoided the blow.

They were four on one, essentially five, and they were still having a lot of trouble with her. Her teleportation allowed her to escape certain defeat, and she could come upon anyone she wanted in an instant. They were lucky they had the instincts to know how to avoid the blows in time, but they had so much time until the boost provided by the Ignite Module as well as their own stamina would give out.

They have to finish this in one strike, in one final unavoidable blow.

"Do not get cocky!" Saint-Germain yelled as she continued to fire. "Until the moment she falls to the ground unconscious you cannot presume she is defeated! Do not hold back for anything!"

She thrust her hand forward and instantly created a magic circle in the air in front of her. From within it, blasts of the four elements exploded towards the rogue user. However, Hibiki merely stood in place as they passed over her, only managing to ruffle her hair.

Maria struggled to her feet while Hibiki was preoccupied. "That's right! We must work together to take her down no matter what the cost! EVEN IF WE HAVE TO PUT OUR LIVES ON THE LINE!"

Chris grit her teeth in frustration. "That was our intention all along!"

And a multitude of launchers erupted from all over her armor. Missiles, arrows, and laser beams, all of them at once were fired towards the corrupted Gungnir user.

'MEGADETH SYMPHONY'

Following up with their senior, Kirika and Shirabe charged. Kirika's shoulder armor opened up, launching the grappling hooks stored within them. She held her breath as they travelled through the air, and smiled as she struck gold, the chains wrapping around the rogue wielder in an instant, binding her arms and anchoring themselves to the ground while she stood within the storm Saint-Germain was throwing at her.

Chris's barrage struck, and a gigantic fireball rose from the impact point. However, following up on the alchemist's advice, they continued their assault. Shirabe leaped over the fireball, landing on its other side. Summoning her large buzzsaws, they transformed into her Sigma Style Lunar Eclipse, and riding upon her wheel she headed into the fire. Seeing her intent, Saint-Germain stopped her own attack, letting her charge in uninterrupted.

Maria, who had regained her bearings, unsheathed her sword once again and followed up on the attack, and ran headfirst into the blaze. She could hear Shirabe coming from the other side, and as one their Armed Gears crashed against the bound Hibiki.

Only to gasp in shock when the fireball was dispersed in an instant, and they watched in horror as Hibiki, now completely free, simply blocked their blows with her bare hands. Shirabe's Lunar Wheel grinded against her armored palm, and she poured of all her power into the charge, but could not gain any ground. Maria as well, pushed as much power as she could into her arms, desperate to try and inflict some sort of damage on their opponent.

"You just never learn, do you?" Hibiki simply said, and with a light push forced the two wielders away from her. Shirabe's wheel disappeared as she fell to the ground, while Maria landed nimbly on her feet.

Saint-Germain assessed their situation. What they just performed was a haphazard surekill combination, and it completely failed to put even a dent on the rogue wielder.

Hibiki alternated looking between them as they tried to come up with another solution. Shirabe rose back to her feet and entered her fighting stance, waiting for someone to make a move. There had to be something they could do, something that will change the flow of the battle-

"I think I have an idea." Hibiki suddenly said, catching them by surprise. Their kept their guard up, prepared to respond to anything she would do. She stretched her arm to its full length and opened up her palm. "Five on one isn't very fair, don't you agree?"

Chris narrowed her eyes at her, confused by her question. Hibiki turned her hand over, and raised a single finger with her free hand. "So to make it a bit more fair, I think I'm going to add another friend to the mix."

And in a single, downward motion, sliced into her open palm with her armored digit. The girls gasped in shock from the masochistic act. Red blood dripped down from the cut, falling to the ground beneath her.

It was at that moment that Miku, who had been looking for a way out into the track field, finally arrived on the battlefield. She arrived just in time to see Hibiki slice her own palm open, and raised her hands to cover her mouth in horror.

And then the most surreal and disturbing action occurred right in front of their eyes.

The miniscule amount of blood that fell to the floor suddenly began to bubble, increasing in size as it spread even more across the track. It turned over in on itself several times, and then began to bulge. It rose grotesquely from the ground up, becoming much larger than the original amount spilled could possibly allow. The growing mess gained height until it stood at the same stature as the person it spilled from, and began to morph. Slowly but surely, it started to gain a vaguely human shape, and the girls' eyes simply widened in disgust, Kirika raising her hand to cover her mouth as she felt her stomach begin to churn.

The mess of a human form became streamlined, shrinking and growing according to the wishes of its mistress, and all that was left in its wake was another person, right in front of them.

'Is she...creating life?!' Saint-Germain asked herself in absolute amazement.

But it did not stop there. The human shaped red form began to crust and crumble, and the crimson blood that had made it flaked off of it in droves.

And once every bit of the red covering had fallen to the ground and disappeared, what remained in its wake was a living black mass.

No, it was not just any black mass. It was a form Chris and Miku had seen far too many times before in their lives. Memories of an uncontrollable berserk rage welled up within them, and had Tsubasa been in good shape and with them on the battlefield, she would have recognized it too.

For the being that had been born before them was shaped like none other than Tachibana Hibiki, taking the form of the darkness that had overtaken her many times during the time she was fused with Gungnir.

"What...the fuck...is this?" Chris could only mouth as she stared into the glowing red eyes of the beast before her.

And from behind her creation, the original Hibiki flashed a disturbing smile. The black fake Hibiki breathed out savagely as its eyes locked onto its opponents.

"Now, this should be a bit more fair. Come at me, everyone...AND FEEL MY JUDGMENT!"

Responding to its mistress' call, the black beast roared.