AN: A cookie for anyone who knows what St. Germain's attack references.
"That is quite an interesting development," Adam Weishaupt said upon seeing Saint-Germain's new form. "I did not expect you to be able to incorporate the Ignite Module into a Faust Robe, homunculus."
Elfnein continued tapping away on her console, only partially listening to him. "It took a bit of tinkering, but I'm glad it worked as well as it did, even if its output is lower than the usual." She replied, going over the data on the Faust Robe. There was a clear difference between it and the Symphogears, despite all of her effort to maximize its potential as much as possible. The Philosopher's Stone proved to be a stubborn opponent, and only by adding the Fool's Stone into the equation did it actually succeed.
It was like a strange game of rock-paper-scissors. The Philosopher's Stone had an advantage over the Ignite Module, but the Fool's Stone had an advantage over it. It was their solution when they'd originally fought the alchemists, as the Philosopher's Stone's light had completely negated the Module's curse. Without it, they were just not strong enough to compete with them on even ground, as the Philosopher's Stone siphoned away the Module's strength.
But when the Fool's Stone came into the equation, it made things much more balanced. Working like destructive interference, the Fool's Stone's power was expressed as a barrier that protected them from its light, cancelling its effects and evening their odds.
It worked quite the same way when she had installed the Module onto the Faust Robe. The Fool's Stone she had added worked to seal away the cancelling light of the Philosopher's Stone, allowing the Module to work as intended even if it was not a Symphogear. Due to the fact that the Philosopher's Stone still counted as a relic despite its dubious origins, it therefore had a Berserk state that the Module could use.
Of course, when Elfnein first made these adjustments, everything was just a theory. A huge, risky, and dangerous theory that could have possibly backfired had she not quadruple checked it for any errors.
The results were as they saw: A fully functional Ignite Module on a Faust Robe, something that was indeed supposed to be impossible. However, it did not come without a price. Due to the fact that much of the Faust Robe's power was derived from its relic, and due to the fact that that relic was now partially sealed away within it, the base output of the Faust Robe was reduced as a result. While the Ignite Module increased it beyond its previous limits, it was still bound by the Module's weaknesses such as the time limit. It would have been nice if the two components could work in harmony and increase the output even more, but Elfnein would not look a gift horse in the mouth. They had to work with that they got.
"I will give you credit for this as you have worked out quite an ingenious solution in such a limited amount of time. However, do you truly believe it will be enough?" Adam asked her after acknowledging her efforts. Credit had to be given where credit was due, even if they were supposed to be enemies.
"It isn't," She answered honestly. "There is no way it can be enough, especially after the adjustments I had to make to it. But even if it isn't...just a bit...even just a little bit...could make all the difference…"
Adam knew that her words were spoken out of desperation. There just wasn't anything their command center could do to assist the Symphogear users, especially now that Hibiki spawned a dozen of those copies.
They, like the rest of the world, were helpless in her wake, so Elfnein tried to do as much as she could in order to slightly improve their chances. Giving Saint-Germain an Ignite Module won't magically turn the tables for them, but it can improve their chances even a bit.
However, that depended on how clever Saint-Germain could be. The biggest advantage the alchemist had over the users, and even over Hibiki herself, was her sheer experience. She had lived for hundreds of years after all, and one does not survive that long by being stupid. In that regard, she could possibly come up with some sort of plan.
But that was a big maybe. This was a situation not even Fine would know how to handle safely and without several setbacks, and she was thousands of years old by the time she was defeated. Hibiki was after all known for her illogicality; experience, will, and fate itself were bent out of shape due to her efforts, and she managed to time and time again surpass their wildest expectations.
It was incredibly distressing to think the qualities that they appreciated about her and what made her special were all being wielded against them. They were on the receiving end of that illogicality, and just like their enemies they were completely stupefied as to what to do. And to add on to that, Hibiki also knew everything about their capabilities including what the command center itself could do, but most importantly what the Symphogears could do. It was the reason she could allow herself to be so arrogant; what reason does she have to worry if she knows everything about her opponents and has realized they don't pose enough of a threat?
That's why Saint-Germain was a key player in this scenario. Not only were their meetings fairly short, the alchemist had never revealed her full abilities. Now, reinforced by the Ignite Module, it only made her a bigger unknown in the rogue wielder's mind. She would have to play it much safer than before despite all of her power. Even the reckless Hibiki knows that pure force alone cannot solve all problems, a fact that she painstakingly learned after more than a year of fighting. So even if it did not grant them victory, it could give them time to discover a solution.
'No...it's not that we don't have a solution...it's that attempting to apply it might backfire on us...I hope Genjuro-san won't regret it. I know it was a difficult decision to make...but if we want to survive...we have to make sure it works.'
"How ironic," Adam added while watching the ongoings. "What an interesting case of role reversal we have here."
Elfnein looked to him and tilted her head, and he continued. "It's almost laughable. Saint-Germain, who up until now has been zealously pursuing the divine power, is now using a power that belonged to her enemies. On the other hand, the god-slayer is now wielding the very same divine power that Saint-Germain had always wanted. Tachibana Hibiki with divine power, and Saint-Germain with an Ignite Module. How amusing."
Oh, so that's what he meant. That was indeed an ironic situation, Elfnein had to admit. The two opponents using the powers that were signature to each other, but on opposite sides. In some ways, it was indeed amusing.
But that did nothing to make her feel any better, nor would it make any difference in the outcome.
-!-
Being confined to a hospital bed was one of the few things Genjuro hated with a passion.
He had a lot of experience in the field, and he had seen enough disturbing actions on the battlefield to scar a man forever. It was only due to his resilience and experience that he managed to find himself in this position, leading a government secret group of soldiers equipped with armor created from ancient relics.
Yes, soldiers. It was one of the many regrets Genjuro had in his life. He had led countless soldiers on the battlefield to their deaths and had to watch good people die for the sake of peace. Far too many familiar smiling faces passed by his vision time and time again, and he could never consider any of them expendable, especially the Symphogear wielders.
Yes, the Symphogear wielders. One of Genjuro's secret wishes was that they would eventually shed that title away, that armor and burden away, and have the time and freedom to live their lives as just simple girls. He wanted them to grow, get married, have a family, and most of all be happy. To be a Symphogear wielder, an Adaptor, was not a right or a privilege. It was a burden and a responsibility that cut into your life regardless of your wishes; Tachibana Hibiki was proof of that more than anyone. She had come into this world completely by accident, and in the end she was the one who had given them the most hope. She was not 'trained' or made to be one like the others, she was simply someone who got caught up in circumstances that warranted her involvement. And she had happily smiled and agreed, eager to help anybody she could.
To see her in this current state, to see her use her ideals and wishes against the world and her own comrades tore at his heart. He never wanted this for her. He never wanted this for any one of them. Many times he had just thought that he should just...let them go. To just tell the girls that they were free to leave, to give up this tumultuous life and to finally find their own path without fighting. But of course, as he knew them, these girls would take one step forward and immediately turn back and tell him they'll never leave him alone.
He smiled at the thought. He didn't know them for very long, yet they were family. They saw each other all the time, and went through so much together they had become inseparable. And that just made it all the more painful.
"Damn it." Genjuro let out involuntarily as he watched the battle through his small laptop screen. He wanted to go out there again, to provide them with some sort of support; But nothing he could do would help their odds. In the end, he also knew that Elfnein's insane tactic was nothing but an attempt to buy some time for...anything, really.
Genjuro thought back to his battle with her. Despite his best efforts, he had been defeated, and was sure he would die that night...yet, he didn't. Hibiki did not kill him. She could have had she wanted to, and she had every intention to. Yet, she didn't. He knew it was crazy and delusional, but just that single action proved to him that she was not lost completely, that they could still get her back. However, the method to getting her back was very far away, and it was a method that depended on one single person. A person who should not have been involved in these affairs in the first place...And if Hibiki knew he intended to involve them, she would absolutely never forgive him. Yet, he had hardened his heart and gave the go ahead to make that method available, and now he was using this incident as a way to make them want to be involved.
'This makes me no better than them…' He thought to himself. What a goddamned irony. But he was used to making these kind of cruel decisions. A commander cannot command if he does not do all in his power to make the mission a success...even if the cost is his own heart.
Genjuro tore his eyes away from the screen to once again look at the pod Tsubasa lay in. She was doing much, much better according to the doctors even though barely a day had passed since she was injured. He had to give it to her, Tsubasa was one hell of a fighter, in more than one regard. She was far, far stronger than him in various way. All of the girls were, and that made him extremely proud. He just hoped that she would get well soon and that she could be reunited with her comrades, her sisters. Although...maybe that wasn't quite the correct title to call them. After all, as commander, he also usually knew more about their inter-personal relationships than they'd believe, and indeed he was quite surprised yet pleased by what he had discovered.
'They are different from me.' He reminded himself. He had long since locked his heart away for his duty so they would not have to, and he was happy that they were indeed getting along. He was happy that despite all that she had done, Ryoko's efforts had managed to bring them together. That Nasstassja's girls managed to find a place to belong without her. So much happened to bring this whole group together. So much was sacrificed and lost so they could obtain their happiness.
And he would be damned if he let anything happen to them. He could not just sit and allow such a blasphemy to occur right before his eyes. He would do whatever it takes to get that happiness back, even if he had to sell his soul to the devil. And if to do required him to involve the one person he didn't wish to involve...then he would do so, and accept the consequences once he fell down to Hell, where he believed he belonged.
His eyes went back to the screen, continuing to watch the battle.
-!-
Saint-Germain had no song to sing. She had no melody, no words that could pour from her heart to stir her soul in the face of an enemy. No, the only thing she had was an iron will, and the experience behind it to put it to good use.
She had brazenly challenged Hibiki to a fight despite all of the odds. Yet, there was no regret to be had, no taking backs in the middle of the battlefield. She had told the girls that she was different from them, that she had no such hesitation in her heart like they did.
And that made all the difference.
The moment Hibiki had said the words, the alchemist was already in action. There was no time to help the others defeat the beast clones that had spawned, as it would just give their maddened mistress the time to either make more or hit them where they least expect it. So she had to believe in their prowess and leave those beasts to them while she was occupied with the main culprit.
Her charge was swift and brutal. The blade at the end of her gun crashed against Hibiki's spear, and blazing sparks erupted from the impact point. To her surprise, Hibiki found herself slightly pushed back from the force as Saint-Germain glared down at her with her teeth bared.
Hibiki's free hand wheezed through the air to smash against the alchemist's side, but to her surprise Saint-Germain maneuvered around it, ending the blade lock abruptly and sending the rogue Adaptor off balance. Twisting in midair, Saint-Germain took aim and fired, the bullet whistling loudly on its path. Hibiki glared at it momentarily and then immediately teleported behind the airborne alchemist, and instantly brought her spear down on her defenseless back.
Only for her senses to scream loudly in her mind, and she raised her spear to instead block an impact she had narrowly missed. Somehow, Saint-Germain had managed to launch an attack from behind her back, a fact that Hibiki had a very hard time believing.
And she would be right. It was not that the alchemist had suddenly grown a gun on her back and fired again. No, it was a much crazier fact than that. The round she had fired earlier, the one that Hibiki had dodged upon teleporting, had almost instantly curved its path, turning around in ways a bullet should never be able to and make its way to her.
It was a technique she had developed almost spontaneously upon the activation of the Ignite Module. It was a simple thing really: so long as she knows where her target is, she can direct the bullet fired to change its trajectory and seek her again. It was insane and it broke several ironclad laws of physics, but at this moment it was an incredible tool. The only true defense against it was to be impervious to bullets, as once it impacted it would no longer continue.
However, it gave her an almost immediate counter to a most irritating problem: Hibiki's teleportation ability. Even if she didn't exactly know where the rogue Adaptor would teleport to next, she could very well figure it out on her own. Despite her overwhelming power, Hibiki was still incredibly predictable in her fighting. She always fought on the frontline, going front and center in their formation, and going right into the enemy's face.
Against the Noise, or even against an amateur opponent, such a tactic would quickly overwhelm them.
But not Saint-Germain. No, she had faced these kind of tactics before, and by now she was more than prepared for them.
However, that still did not solve the problem of their humongous difference in power, nor would it magically increase the timer on her Ignite Module. She had gone into the second phase like the others, which helped increase her output but limited the activation time to almost half of its original duration.
So she would make the most of it.
Twisting in midair once again, Saint-Germain's barrel was once again aimed at Hibiki's face. She fired a volley of shots that crashed against the spear's flat side, putting pressure on the rogue Adaptor. Another interesting observation that the alchemist made was also a great source of mystery: why was Hibiki adamantly using her spear?
Her skill with it was, in simple words, extremely lacking. She had never in her life received training in the use of polearms in any shape or form, so that made her attacks very simple to predict and overcome. Well, overcome was a strong word, as merely a grazing blow from a swing was liable to blow her head apart. But that still made it far easier to deal with, and she was not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Had she been using her fists like always, the fight would have become much more difficult. She figured it was the main reason the seemingly invincible commander was defeated in the first place. He fought her with the very same style he taught her, and in the end it backfired on him when he realized that she was way stronger than him.
But Saint-Germain had to give herself some credit, her bullets were not something one could simply ignore. They were special, crafted by her own power, and provided her with a bottomless magazine she could use at any given moment. Even an insanely powerful being like Hibiki would be fazed if they hit their mark.
Hibiki pushed forward through the hail of bullets, using the spear as a shield as she charged towards the alchemist. Predicting her approach, Saint-Germain dove back to the ground, allowing the rogue wielder to pass over her harmlessly. Keeping up the pressure, she continued firing, and Hibiki once again teleported behind her in an attempt to cut her down.
Only for the volley to once again change directions in midair, flying right towards her and forcing her to stop her swing in order to defend herself. Taking the chance, Saint-Germain jumped away to create as much distance as she could
"Tch! That's so annoying!" Hibiki exclaimed in frustration as the bullets impacted against her spear. With a powerful swing, she slashed apart the bullets coming her way and charged once again towards the alchemist. Saint-Germain kept on firing, forcing Hibiki to smash them away and delaying her long enough for the alchemist to create more distance.
By this point they weren't even on the ruined track field anymore, having slowly made their way back to the main school building. Tired of the relentless assault, Hibiki planted her feet and threw the spear towards the alchemist. The spear tore through the air, and the mere force of its passing smashed away any bullets that were making their way towards its mistress.
Saint-Germain's eyes widened and she dodged to the side, the spear barely missing her and lodging itself deeply into the school's brick wall. Now no longer holding her weapon, Hibiki teleported right in front of the alchemist, rearing her fist back to cave her skull in. Responding quickly, Saint-Germain raised her gun and smashed away the fist with its blade. Hibiki was taken aback that her blow was deflected, but narrowed her eyes and launched another strike, only for it to be deflected once again. Their eyes met, and Hibiki grit her teeth. "If that's how you want it-!"
A rapid barrage of punches made their way to Saint-Germain, but with her increased output she barely managed to deflect them all away; each strike that her blade met only caused the alchemical steel to chip away more and more. The speed at which Hibiki was launching her punches was absolutely insane, and if it wasn't for her intuition the alchemist was sure that at least over a dozen of them should have already met their mark. Her fists were less like actual fists at this point and more akin to rays of light, moving so fast that every time she blinked another five dozen were already on their way to her.
She couldn't keep on a direct confrontation with the powerful Symphogear user. While she would have liked to keep her on her toes at range, her teleportation threw that option out of the window. It was only the curving bullets that managed to stop any of her advances, but she could not fire while she was busy deflecting the death-dealing blows. If only she had some sort of opening…
Hibiki reared her fist back and fired it at the alchemist, who once again moved her gun to block it. However, at the very last possible second, Hibiki's stance shifted and her blow stopped in its tracks. Saint-Germain's eyes widened in panic as the rogue wielder reared back her other arm and fired it instead, a huge grin etched on her face.
'A feint!' Saint-Germain exclaimed in her mind. There was no time to deflect, the previous attempt to block leaving her wide open. Who would have thought the Hibiki would be able to come up with such a tactic on the fly.
There was no choice. Moving as fast as she could, Saint-Germain brought her arms back, and raised the gun itself in the last second to block the furious strike. The punch smashed against the weapon and it shattered into pieces, the very force of the strike sending Saint-Germain flying through the air.
"G-Guh."
A pained voice escaped her mouth as she landed, rolling on the ground. She eventually rolled herself to one knee, looking up at the god-slayer who immediately charged in her direction. The alchemist clicked her tongue and formed a magic circle on the ground, the huge gold seal growing rapidly beneath her feet.
Just as Hibiki was about to strike, a cloud of smoke rose from the seal in huge amounts, obscuring her field of vision.
"Tch. You have far too many tricks." Hibiki commented as she looked to and fro inside the cloud, having lost Saint-Germain's location. She figured that she was no longer in front of her, and was probably trying to regroup somewhere or even trying to launch an attack from an exposed flank. "That is not going to work!"
And she began to punch the air itself. Using the shockwaves from her fists, the smoke was gradually being dispersed. More and more of it was lifted away as she struck, yet it did not seem to be disappearing completely. The magic circle must still be active, she thought, but from her limited knowledge of how alchemists used magic, didn't it require for them to constantly be feeding the seal in order for its effects to continue working? She never really listened to the explanations or the lectures about these topics while they were being briefed about them.
So trying to think cleverly with it won't work.
Fine, then she would go with her original idea.
Hibiki jumped, rising above the magically created cloud of smoke.
Only for her eyes to meet the barrel of Saint-Germain's gun, who stared at her with an even expression.
"Got you."
And fired.
'BLACK BARREL REPLICA'
A gigantic beam of pure blinding light erupted from the gun's barrel, engulfing the rogue Adaptor in her entirety. The cloud of smoke was instantly blown away by the shockwaves left in the blast's wake, and the light carried the rogue Adaptor, who groaned in pain and unable to escape, through the air and then promptly smash into the higher floors of the school building. The light pierced through the soft brick and glass unabated, burying Hibiki in the rubble that ensued.
Saint-Germain hung in the air, the barrel of her gun smoking. It opened on its own, the special canister ejecting on its on with a trail of steam. The alchemist lowered her gun and studied her handiwork, not at all fazed by the destruction she caused to the school. She momentarily glanced back to the others still fighting on the track field, and then turned her head back to her missing opponent.
It was extremely unlikely that Hibiki was defeated by this one strike. This attack, while powerful in its own right, was most definitely not enough to take her down. Her spear was still embedded in the relatively undamaged part of the wall on the lower floors, and she mentally noted that she would have to be prepared for it at any time.
Recovering her focus, Saint-Germain charged into the building.
-!-
It was pure chaos.
A dozen beasts, each with a twisted will of its own, bore down on the four Symphogear wielders. They decided to stick together while Saint-Germain went on to fight Hibiki on her own. Maria did not want to leave an ally to deal with her alone, but right now they had much, much bigger problems to deal with.
Mainly, these twisted caricatures of the rogue Adaptor. Had the four of them decided to split up, they would definitely would have gotten massacred. But this formation also limited their options as they were forced to watch each other's back while the beasts slowly whittled them down.
"Elfnein! How much longer do we have on the timer?!" Maria screamed into the comm while using her knives to hold off a charging beast. Its advance stopped, but another passed over its downed comrade and slashed at the silver Adaptor. Hurriedly, Maria deflected the blow away with her sword, and she could feel her bones rattle from the force. Had she been in better shape, dealing with these beasts would be a much more manageable effort.
But they were all far, far from better shape. Maria was still reeling from her earlier fight with Hibiki, while Chris' arms were still useless and she was reduced to just firing her rockets in an attempt to hold them off. Both Kirika and Shirabe had sustained various degrees of injuries, and all four of them were being dealt more and more as the beasts struck at them with reckless abandon.
Luckily enough, they were not smart enough to not get in each other's way, so it sometimes turned out that one beast would trip over or crash into its own comrade. Of course, that would definitely not bring them down, but it did make the endeavor a little bit easier.
But only a tiny bit.
"Maria-san, you personally have around four minutes while the others have around six! St. Germain-san has the most time left, but I don't know how long she can last!"
"Only four minutes, huh?" Maria said to herself. That is no time at all and the same instant a lot of time as well.
They would have to come up with something fast before they are overwhelmed.
A barrage of rockets from Chris exploded against the ground, sending three of the beasts flying in different directions. They landed on the ground, snarled, and charged towards the one that attacked them. Intent on stopping their advance, Chris fired a second volley. The rockets tore through the air, and just as it was about to hit, the beast in the lead sweeped its arm, slicing the projectile in half before it could explode. Chris' eyes widened at the clever tactic, but simply responded with an even larger volley that the beasts would have a much harder time getting by.
With explosions going off in every direction, Kirika worked earnestly to block off the beasts that managed to bypass Chris' barrage. One of them slipped through their guard, coming awfully close to the red Symphogear user, who had to stop her assault in order to avoid the blow by taking a step back. Before the beast could slash at her, Kirika brought her scythe down on it in midair. The blade grabbed the surprised beast and with all the might she could gather into her one good arm Kirika slammed the black monster into the ground.
But that distraction proved to be their undoing, as having switched their focus to just one, the other five on their side charged towards them, taking advantage of the momentary slip in their guard. Putting herself between them and her comrades, Shirabe summoned her giant buzzsaws again, using them as impromptu shields in order to defend from their strikes. The beasts smashed their fists and claws into the saws, and Shirabe groaned as she felt herself give ground under their relentless assault. "This...is too much!"
And on the other side, Maria poured all of her energy into holding off the other six. Knives of all shapes and sizes hailed down on the beasts, arresting their movements as much as possible. However, they were more resilient than she would have liked, and like before they eventually began to disregard their own wounds in order to slash and claw at her, interrupting her barrages time and time again. Of course they would do so, why wouldn't they? They saw just before how the beasts can easily regenerate lost limbs like nothing, and they would have to completely obliterate them to defeat them. Anything less than that was just a waste of time.
But what could they do?
Chris also realized their predicament, and grit her teeth as hard as she could. She had one technique that would maybe give them some time to formulate a plan, but using it would require use of her crossbows.
'This is going to hurt like a bitch.' She told herself. Materializing her crossbows in her hands, she painstakingly raised them to the sky, all the while silently counting on the others to defend her. Her arms shook as she could barely continue holding them up.
At the very least, it's not a technique that required aim. "Everyone! Stay close to me!" She yelled above all the noise.
The others surprisingly heard her loud and clear, and as one they jumped back, using their Armed Gears to push away the beasts' assault. "Maria! Put up a shield after I fire!"
Maria nodded to her.
The beasts charged, claws brandished. Chris stared at them with hatred in her eyes; the crossbows in her hands enlarged and shifted, twin crystalline spikes loaded in each of them. Barely a second later, she fired, and the two projectiles rose above the battlefield. As they soared, each crystal broke into smaller fragments, and each of those fragments broke also into smaller shards. And at the apex of their climb, the original two crystals had fragmented into thousands of smaller shards, covering the sky. Maria at that moment raised the shield and braced for impact.
The shards glowed, and then descended upon the beasts like a destructive rain. Striking both flesh and dirt, the shards exploded, engulfing the beasts in a massive inferno.
'GIGA ZEPPELIN'
The four Adaptors were huddled together under the shield Maria made, protected from the total destruction created from Chris' attack. The Ichaival user briefly felt regret at causing incredible damage to the school ground, but knew it was a necessary sacrifice. The shards exploded against the shield, and Maria focused all of her energy into maintaining it, allowing them a moment to catch their breath.
"Do you think this will be enough!?" Kirika yelled, trying to be heard above the noise.
"Hell if I know!" Chris yelled back, her arms giving way from the weight and the pain. The crossbows clattered to the ground, having served their purpose. "Maybe we'll get lucky and it will blow them away, but we can't count on that!"
"Not only that, but we have less than five minutes until our Gears give out! We have to finish this now!" Maria yelled as well.
As they talked, the last of the crystal shards struck, causing the final explosion that signaled the end of Chris' attack. It was a devastating technique, but its potency relied on its ability to essentially cause an instant carpet bomb of the area. All of the shards fell pretty much simultaneously, so it ended barely ten seconds after the first impact.
Copious amounts of smoke rose from the explosions, blanketing the entire track field and hiding everything from their sight. It would be a while until it dispersed and they could see the aftermath, but for now they had to come up with a plan.
A plan that Shirabe made up on the spot. "Unison!"
The other three users looked to her incredulously, not being sure they heard her correctly. "We could do it. Each of us did it with at least one other person here! If we combine them into one and use all the remaining energy we have, we will definitely be able to destroy them all in one big attack!"
It was the most reckless plan Shirabe had ever come up with. She was usually on the more cautious side, preferring to act only when she had enough information in order to formulate the most the most efficient course of action.
But this time, they just didn't have enough. All they knew about the beasts was that they were strong, crazy, and could regenerate unless they were utterly destroyed. Seeing as the first beast they destroyed was an incredible challenge all on its own, they couldn't just try and do the same thing when twelve of them were itching to tear them apart.
Maria narrowed her eyes in determination as the smoke began to clear. While it was not gone completely, she could already begin to see dark silhouettes within it. She looked around, seeing exactly twelve shadows from within the cloud of smoke, confirming the fact that Chris' attack failed to kill any of them.
However, it gave them some time, which was all they needed.
"Let's do it," She said resolutely. "It's the only option we have left. Either we kill them or they kill us. I will go with the plan that keeps us all alive."
She looked to Kirika and Chris, who were the only one who did not say anything yet. Kirika met her gaze. "Alright, let's do it!" She exclaimed.
Maria and Shirabe smiled, and the Airgetlam user looked to Chris, who was usually the more critical of the wielders. The former rogue also met her gaze with narrowed eyes, clearly having some sort of argument to make.
But, as she learned from last night, sometimes it was better to just sit still and not complain. "Alright."
With that final confirmation, they now were ready to act. The veil of smoke lifted, the shining sun piercing through the last remains of it. Maria dropped her shield, and now she could see the glowing red eyes of the beasts as they locked onto the Symphogear wielders.
"LET'S GO!"
And a song rose above the battlefield.
-!-
Saint-Germain landed inside of the school building, far from the location Hibiki had crashed into on the other wing. It seems that her attack was far more effective than she had expected if it managed to tear through several brick walls while carrying Hibiki the entire time. However, she already knew it was not enough to defeat her.
But now that they were inside a closed location, it would mean their battle will do a lot more damage than before. The alchemist could still feel her arms shake from the desperate deflections she made against the rogue wielder's strikes. Some of them she did not manage to avoid completely, and indeed several shallow cuts had marred her skin despite the protection the Faust Robe provided.
The sounds of explosions filled her ears, realizing that the Symphogear users still on the track field had acted. She could not be bothered to look back and check as she had her own target to focus on, however there was a strange silence inside of the school building. Hibiki should have picked herself up by now, but she was not charging at her like a mad berserker.
Well, whatever the reason was, Saint-Germain took the time to breath. She studied her surroundings, taking in the sight of the elegant architecture of the school. It was completely empty from what she could see, confirming the fact that the entire student body as well as the faculty had evacuated earlier. It made things a lot easier on them after all, although now that it was so quiet it was a bit on the eerie side.
She walked through the quiet halls. Only the sounds of her steps reached her ears, the lack of response from Hibiki putting her on edge. Perhaps she couldn't find her now? If that was the case, she was lucky Hibiki did not develop the ability to sense the location of her enemies. She would have to look for her on foot, putting them in a demented game of hide and seek.
However, such a thing was detrimental to the alchemist. The Ignite Module was still on a running timer, and every second she was not using it was another second she would not have it in battle. But that did not mean she could not take a moment to catch her breath and come up with another plan in the meantime. Despite not being the smartest of the Symphogear users, Hibiki was far from stupid. She did learn, she did understand, and she did know how to react accordingly to new developments. It would take her very little time to come up with something that will one hundred percent counter her curving bullets, or even her ability to recreate her gun.
As she walked through the halls, going nowhere in particular, Saint-Germain realized she in fact landed in a curious section of the school grounds: the dorms. She was aware of the fact that Hibiki, along with her best friend Kohinata Miku lived together in this dorm. She never bothered to figure out exactly which room was it, but reading through the records on the rogue Adaptor gave her a bit of insight about the place, as well as a bit of history.
To think such that every single student was a viable candidate for a Symphogear was almost absurd in her eyes.
She walked slowly, reading the name plaques next to each door. Nobody of importance came up in her mind, although it wasn't as if she was looking for an exact room or anything like that. She was just...taking advantage of the calm that had mysteriously fallen upon her.
That was all.
And just as she thought that, she somehow reached it. As if fate itself led her to it, Saint-Germain found herself stopping in front of a single, sleek mahogany door. It was an exact copy of the rest, yet the plaque on its left revealed something else entirely.
'Kohinata Miku'
'Tachibana Hibiki'
The alchemist huffed to herself. Who would have thought that her absent-minded wandering would lead her here of all places. She wasn't even actively looking for it, yet here she was, in front of the room her savior and now enemy called her home. She was definitely curious, but figured it would be rude to enter it without their consent. She began to turn around and continue walking, but her leg, for some mysterious reason, would not move.
'Maybe I should investigate further.' She told herself, as if trying to convince herself to enter anyway. If she did, not only would it make it easier for Hibiki to find her, but also would give her an even bigger reason to hate her. 'Hmph, as if it would be any different from now.'
Realizing her curiosity was getting the better of her, Saint-Germain turned back to the door anyway, deciding to follow that feeling. She placed her hand against the handle gently, applying just a tiny bit of magic. With a soft click, the door unlocked, and she headed inside, closing the door behind her quietly.
Immediately she understood why this place could be considered home. Minimal yet full of life, she could see exactly the effort the two girls put in order to make it the warmest place in the world, and it showed. Saint-Germain could feel it, despite not having set foot in this place even once in her life. How the very atmosphere itself shifted upon entry, only to be enhanced with the help of the colorful furniture and the small touches that truly made it stand out from the rest.
The alchemist, for once, found herself feeling slightly envious. To think such a place could exist in a world like this was almost criminal. 'How can she give up something like this?' She asked herself.
A minute passed in silence as the alchemist stood in the very middle of the room, looking out of the large window into the city at large. From this height, and from this angle, and with the sun shining brightly above it almost seemed like nothing was wrong with the world. That everything was fine, and that inside this place she could find herself thinking optimistically about the future.
Until that serenity was violently broken when the door slammed open behind her.
Saint-Germain did not need to turn around to know who was the one who had entered, so she merely stood in place, staring at the sky. The heavy, metallic sound of the steps contrasted the warm atmosphere drastically, yet did nothing to truly dispel it. Like a spell that had fallen on them, there was no blood lust to be had in this place.
"What...do you think you are doing here?" Hibiki asked from behind the taller woman.
Saint-Germain took a moment to speak, not allowing the peace to completely break just yet.
"I won't ask you again, St. Germain-san. Tell me what do you think you are doing, stepping into my home!"
"You know...I'm kind of jealous of you." The alchemist suddenly said, stopping any further attempts from Hibiki to question her. The cursed Symphogear user narrowed her eyes at her back.
Saint-Germain looked over her shoulder to her. "Look at what you have here," She said. "This enviable home, filled with a warmth and comfort that I would have died to have in the past. This place represents everything I never had, and is a symbol of the good that exists in the hearts of Man, despite their flaws."
She turned to her fully, glaring at her. "And you want to throw it all away. You would abandon something millions of people dearly desire...all for a single, worthless ideal?!"
How ironic it was, to be speaking that way. She knew it was pretentious of her, to criticize another person for such a mindset when she herself had followed it for centuries. Yet, it was because of that...that she knew exactly how little it was truly worth.
Hibiki met her glare with one of her own. "As if you are one to talk."
Saint-Germain grinned, internally chuckling at the coincidence of their shared thoughts. "Indeed, I really am one to talk...but that also means I know exactly where your path will lead. And let me tell you this now, Tachibana Hibiki: it is not worth the sacrifices you will have to make."
Yet Hibiki was unfazed. "I will take my chances."
The alchemist huffed again. "So you will so readily throw it all away…"
There was no nothing else that could be done, then.
Saint-Germain raised her gun, and pointed it right at the rogue wielder's head. "Then I will protect them...in your place!"
Her declaration stunned Hibiki, and her eyes widened.
"This enviable warmth...those gentle every days...all of those are things I oh so desperately wanted. I cannot allow you to throw them away. I cannot allow you to give up on this happiness!"
To stand before her like this and admit these hidden desires...as a guardian, and not as a killer. She bore the weight of countless lives on her shoulders. She was the perpetrator of countless evils in her pursuit of a perfect world.
But a world that contains evil cannot ever be perfect.
And that was a lesson she learned the hard way.
"You should know what it feels like, Tachibana Hibiki! To have survived through hell, to carry on with the burden and guilt of life! To walk through the world, and be reminded of everything that was lost! And that is why, all the more, you must not throw away this enveloping warmth! For the sake of those who are gone, and for the sake of those who will follow, I will protect that happiness! So long as I live I will stand against you and the ideal that you represent!"
That's right. This place made her realize it. A perfect world cannot exist. Not even divine power can bring about that sort of paradise.
But even so...you can make a beautiful world...so long as you never lose sight of yourself…
And…
"AND I WILL NEVER GIVE UP ON LIFE!"
Something moved inside of Hibiki.
A memory of three years ago, something she could never possibly forget.
The gallant figure standing before death itself, and the ultimate sacrifice she made.
The sight of her despair, begging her to live.
And the words that were imprinted in her heart for the years to come.
"Never give up on life!"
Hibiki clenched her teeth in fury.
"SAINT-GERMAIN!"
-!-
(Play: Senritsu Sorority [Ignited Arrangement])
A song of unity between three figures filled with regret echoed throughout the battlefield. It provided them with near endless power, allowing them to surpass their limits beyond what they'd ever be able to on their own.
Chris felt slightly out of place, not sure she had a true part in the singing. So she stayed quiet as the former FIS Symphogears sang and fought, their phonic gain rising steadily. The beasts continued to charge at them mindlessly, but the three girls worked in tandem, in unity that they did not have until the song began.
But even songs come to an end at some point, and no one knew if it truly would be enough with just the three of them.
Maria grit her teeth as she held off three beasts simultaneously. It was an insanely difficult endeavor, but the song filled her with confidence. Ducking under a slash, she uppercutted the beast in the jaw, sending it flying. It its place another charged at her, and she threw a volley of daggers at it. It was impaled by more than a dozen projectiles, yet it did not stop its charge at all. It tried to claw at her, only for a glowing green crescent to slice into its arm. Maria took the opportunity to jump back, landing next to Chris, who had been firing rockets nonstop at the charging beasts.
Only for one of them to pass through the inferno her explosions created, and bore down on her in an instant. She tried to jump back to avoid the blow, but her injury dulled her movement, and she was not able to avoid it completely. She reeled back and fell on her on butt just as the beast approached.
And mere moments before it was about to strike her, a blade deflected the beast's arm away. Chris grit her teeth, and launched a rocket that struck the beast and carried it through the air, then slamming into the ground with a loud boom.
Chris took a breath and looked up at her savior, and saw Maria smiling down at her. "You should join in." She simply said.
Chris looked away in embarrassment. "I don't think I…"
"Don't worry about it. You are more than welcome to join us. Besides...we need you for this unison after all." Maria responded.
The Ichaival user stared at the extended hand in awe.
Well, if she was offering then...it couldn't be that bad.
Chris tried to raise her arm to grab Maria's hand, but the pain stopped her from doing so. She gave the elder user a sheepish grin, and Maria smiled even more widely, walking around to stand behind the fallen Adaptor. Then, she placed her hands under her arms, and gently lifted Chris to her feet.
The red Symphogear user flushed slightly at the contact, but the sight of Maria's warm smile calmed her down.
She grinned, and the two stared into each other's eyes...
And then joined in the song.
