AN: So I found out one of my music recommendations in chapter 17 was removed from Youtube, which is a damn shame. I changed it as a result, but this is also a good chance to ask you peeps: if a suggested song was removed, please do tell me so I can change it accordingly.
As always, please do leave a review/comment and tell me what you think. Your feedback sustains me!
Here, enjoy!
-!-
(Play: Dynasty Warriors 8 OST - Vanish)
"This is fun, Miku! This is so fun! Are you having fun?!"
Miku's response to the demon's banter was to swing her fan horizontally, once again launching a wave of light in its direction. Hibiki dove down to dodge it and charged, her spear thrust forward to impale her opponent. The Shenshoujing wielder deflected the hit to the side, throwing it off course.
"So much craziness! So much chaos! This is how things should be!"
The corrupted Adaptor spun in midair to deliver a overhead kick, one Miku blocked with her fan. Her face deadset and resolute, she pushed off the leg and quickly aimed her fan forward, firing a barrage of light towards Hibiki. She promptly weaved in between them, causing not a single one of Miku's attacks to hit its target.
"Once the world burns, we can make a new one! Just for you and me!"
"Shut up!"
She was getting mighty tired of its rambling. Throughout their battle it talked non-stop, trying to sound as similarly energetic as Hibiki was.
But Miku knew better. She knew what it was trying to do, and right now she couldn't see that talk as nothing more than a mask it was wearing in order to throw her off and confuse her, trying to make her somehow believe its incoherent mumbling and mad words.
"Awwww Miku, always so serious! You really need to lighten up sometimes! Stop worrying so much and just let things happen!"
And of course, trying to somehow appeal to her conscience.
But it seems that the demon does not know more than Hibiki does, who was somewhat oblivious to the reasons why Miku worried so much in the first place.
Truly, Hibiki was never one to reflect on her own circumstances, much less other people's. That was her one huge glaring flaw, made horribly clear as the years passed as she continued to deny and run away from her problems without facing them head on. Just getting her to talk to her father was a challenge all on its own, as the girl had initially planned to wash her hands of the man forever and probably would have never tried to get in touch with him first.
It took a chance encounter for that to happen.
A coincidence.
A miracle.
And Miku hated depending on miracles. The maybes, the 'it could be possibles'. No, she was tired of such things. Tired of letting things just 'happen'.
That's what caused everything to go wrong from the get go. That's what the Symphogears were in a nutshell.
Miracles that conveniently fell into the hands of the right people at the right time without any real input from them. Hibiki got Gungnir precisely because of that reason.
She had no reason to believe in them. Such a thing did not save Hibiki from the depths of despair during that dark two year period, nor would it be something that will save her now. No, the only way that she'll be able to get her back is through sheer unshaken and iron will, and to surpass even the might of humanity with her own two hands.
The only response she had to give Hibiki was to charge ahead, closing the distance in record speed as she struck out with fan. The force behind her blow pushed Hibiki back, who managed to block with her spear. The two streaked through the air, caring about nothing except each other as the world raged and burned around them.
The spear began to boil once again at the point of impact, and this time Hibiki realized that her trick from before wasn't working as well as she had hoped. The rate of purification was higher than the rate in which the curses lined up the spear again, causing her eyes to narrow in contemplation about what to do next.
She had to be very careful as to how she engaged Miku in battle, that was for sure. The last time they had fought, she constantly caught her by surprise as essentially every inch of her body was laced with the curse-slaying power, making direct attacks on her much more difficult. She could not keep prolonged contact with her, because that would give her power the time it needs to burn away her own.
Quick, powerful blows, that's what she needed to counterattack her with. And with Miku not having even a bit of the divine power in her, she had no way to regenerate the damage she would be dealt. While Hibiki had no intention of killing her, she still needed to knock her out so she would stop getting in the way.
And destroy the Shenshoujing in the process.
Funny how it turned out that their real enemy was not each other, but rather the Symphogears they used.
Disengaging from the lock, Hibiki dove to the ground. Losing more and more altitude, she lowered herself to the same height as the many ruins around them. She glanced back, catching the sight of Miku racing after her at full speed, her body surrounded by the same white flame from before. She smirked, and immediately took off ahead.
And so began the chase. Hibiki's own body was engulfed in the black fire as she weaved between the wreckage and the forces fighting below, careful not to crash into any of her own units by accident. She glanced back once again as she covered a large distance, and saw how Miku was forcefully barreling her way through everything, wreckage and Noise alike. The few that tried to target her were summarily blown to pieces by the sheer magnitude of her aura, leaving not even a tiny bit of a dent on her form.
Hibiki's eyes narrowed once again, and looking ahead she increased her speed, trying to shake the Shenshoujing user off her tail for even a second to enact some sort of trap.
Without even her noticing, Hibiki found herself on Lydian grounds, the school somehow still in one piece despite the madness taking place around it; not a single unit, be it Noise or beast on either side was sighted in the area. Diving lower she passed through the area of the dorms, and began to sharply cut corners in an attempt to disorient her opponent.
She looked behind her once again, and grinned at the fact that her plan succeeded. Miku seems to have lost her trail, and now she could-
Her sixth sense screamed. Her eyes darted around, trying to find the source and Miku, yet her eyes caught nothing in her field of vision.
And then something brutally smashed into her midsection, sending her flying backwards and higher into the air. Shocked beyond belief that she was caught by surprise, she regained her balance and looked angrily towards the direction from which she was hit.
Only to find nothing.
"What?"
And something crashed into her back this time, throwing her forward with unparalleled strength. Her back burned, and she felt the armor covering it start to peel away slowly from the unexpected contact.
'This is…'
Only Miku could possibly cause such damage...but where was she?
All throughout the time she looked around, the sixth sense that the two shared towards each other rang loudly in her ears, alerting her to the danger approaching.
Yet...at times it felt like it was coming from all directions, while at others it was so faint she could barely feel it.
Another hit to her back threw her off, causing her to stumble forward through the air. She looked behind her, and once again missed whatever it was that struck her. 'Tch, this is getting annoying!' She said to herself, still trying to find out whatever it was.
And that's when the light beams came. Appearing from thin air in random locations, rays of light that most definitely originated from Miku's Armed Gear shot forth towards her rapidly, and Hibiki was forced to dodge and avoid them haphazardly as she failed to understand where they originated from.
Despite herself, she found herself smiling. "Amazing, Miku! To think you could go invisible like that! I'm really impressed!"
If her conjecture was right or wrong she wouldn't know, as the Shenshoujing wielder was silent the entire time. The beams continued to appear from random directions.
It wasn't a wrong conclusion to reach. The Shenshoujing, before it was used as a Symphogear, granted FIS' plane almost complete invisibility with its ability to bend light, thus causing it to disappear into nothingness and sneak up on them right under their nose.
If it could do that to a target the size of a plane, then there was no reason it couldn't do it to a single person.
It was annoying then, and it was even more annoying now. A person was far more mobile in the air than a plane could ever hope to be, and that threw Hibiki off completely. Her eyes continued to dart around as she evaded the light, but she couldn't not avoid it entirely. Several of the beams glanced against her armor, shredding it instantly from the brief yet sudden contact. While it regrew a second later, it was still a bothersome ability to face.
There was no knowing what Miku could spring up on her next after all.
'Come on Miku, where are you?'
Trying to find an invisible opponent in the middle of the night was more difficult than she ever thought it'd be. Miku would definitely not let herself be found so easily, if she was satisfied with simply shooting her from afar. Now that Hibiki had a bit more of a grasp on her bearings, Miku truly opted to keep her distance so she couldn't accidentally find her.
So how can she make her reveal herself?
Deciding to leave the Lydian airspace for now, Hibiki suddenly took off in a different direction, heading into the city proper. She flew over the two clashing armies below, a smirk briefly lighting up her face as she noticed that the Alca-Noise were being pushed back easily, her own army of Noise and beasts absolutely crushing the opposition. It was barely a fight, as she saw, and the Alca-Noise were only able to destroy themselves on the enemy.
It was almost like the regular Noise in that regard. They would always die along with the human they caught, and now it was the same deal, albeit very twisted.
Well, that's not what was important right now, as the invisible Miku was still hot on her heels as she could tell by the beams of light being fired in her direction. She weaved in between them as much as she could, but it was difficult to avoid them all, and once again several of them managed to strike her in unforgiving angles. It wasn't painful, but it was bothersome, and she knew for a fact that Miku was trying to wear her down.
While she'd like to say it was a useless effort, in this case it was probably not. If she wasn't careful, Miku would be able to land a critical strike on her somewhere, and she had to be careful to not allow her to-
Ah.
So that's the way.
That's the way she'll flush her out.
Hibiki abruptly stopped her flight, and quickly turned around to swing her spear behind her. The swipe failed to strike anything, but that was okay with her. It wasn't meant to hit anything anyway.
No, what she'll do is very simple.
Rather than go for close combat again, Miku continued to fire from far away. The beams became more numerous by the minute, and Hibiki quickly visualized her path through the air: probably circling around her in a large ring, and occasionally changing her altitude to throw her off. It was a simple yet effective tactic, but one that had a big hole in it.
Mainly, the person at the end of it.
Out of nowhere, Hibiki stopped dodging. The final beam of light Miku fired her way struck her hand, causing the spear to fly from her grip. The corrupted Adaptor threw her hands back wildly in response, exposing her stomach and chest completely to the enemy.
And more importantly, the pendant that once served as the vessel of Gungnir.
She waited exactly one second before launching her surprise. There was no whooshing of the air nor any sound was even made as Miku rapidly approached, her invisible fan raised to strike the vulnerable pendant., having decided to capitalize on the golden opportunity.
Unfortunately, she realized too late that was she was deceived.
Hibiki's hand shot forward, and somehow grabbed hold of her weapon.
"Got you."
And then her other fist smashed into her stomach.
Miku was blown backwards through the air, disoriented by the strike that blew the air out of her lungs. With her concentration broken, the air around her shimmered as her invisibility dropped, allowing Hibiki once more to see her and watch her as she flew through the air. Immediately the rogue wielder teleported in a rush of black smoke, and reappeared right behind Miku in the middle of her path.
And she delivered a back-breaking spinning kick, striking Miku head on. The black haired girl screamed in pain, and was promptly launched towards the ground, impacting it in an explosion of dust and rubble. Smiling at her handiwork, Hibiki slowly descended, waiting for her opponent to come out of the cloud that rose up into the air.
Hibiki extended her hand to the side, calling forth the spear back to her. It dislodged itself from the rock it was buried in and streaked through the skies towards her. And just in time too, because as soon as the spear was clutched in her palm Miku rushed out of the cloud of dust with her fan upraised, and she yelled loudly, striking against the demon.
It was a heavy blow, far stronger than Hibiki had expected.
But that was fine with her. After all…
"I knew that wouldn't take you down," She suddenly said. Giving her no response, Miku clutched the handle of her fan with both hands and grit her teeth, pushing more power into the deadlock. Her back seared in pain, but she swallowed it down and ignored it, focusing only on what was in front of her. "That's right Miku, it's only like this that we can really connect and get along. Yes...only through the fighting can we really understand each other."
And she violently pushed her away. Miku's feet skidded across the ground, groaning as she was forced back. Hibiki flourished her spear, spinning it in her hand several times with a smile on her face. "Only you are special, Miku. There is no one in the world as special as you...and that's why, I need to you sleep a bit. Don't worry, when you wake up, everything will be perfect."
The demon's words were said with total sincerity, Miku noticed. However…
"I won't tell you again; don't you dare speak using her voice, monster." Was her response.
Hibiki's smile grew into a maniac grin. "Ah~ Miku, so stubborn, so harsh with your words. It really hurts me to hear you speak like that, but I know at the end of it all we can get along again, because you're always shining so brightly. And I love it. So come…"
The spear came to a stop.
And she once again moaned, the sultry voice escaping her lips causing the Shenshoujing wielder to freeze. Putting a hand on her cheek, Hibiki said the following words in a lustful, twisted tone. "Drown me in your warmth, Miku. My precious sunshine..."
A rush of unbridled rage ran through Miku's heart and mind.
And without waiting even a single beat charged towards the demon, renewing the clash.
-!-
"We've lost all signals of Saint-Germain!" A crew member yelled as all those on the bridge worked tirelessly due to the new developments. Every single one of them was delegated and responsible for giving immediate and accurate status reports about the fighters, as well as give updates on any changes on the battlefield that they must be aware of.
And unfortunately, it seems they finally have their first major casualty. The team responsible for the alchemist had lost all contact with her, and all life signs on their monitors showed them absolutely nothing; they simply had no data to give on her current status.
Genjuro grit his teeth in frustration. "Damn it Saint-Germain, I told you not to die out there; we still need you." He said. "What about the Alca-Noise?!"
"They're still fighting sir, no change in their behavior so far!"
So their Alca-Noise army was still engaged in battle with the enemy. That was good, since that relieved some pressure off the wielders, but it was still a losing battle. They were being destroyed far faster than any of them would have liked, and it just turned everything into a matter of time before the tidal wave that was the enemy force would win and turn on the wielders. While Kanade's presence alone kept them away from her and Tsubasa, it was not the same for the rest.
It could only mean one thing: either Saint-Germain programmed them to continue fighting even if she died, or she somehow survived. But with the lack of data, he was more inclined to believe the former.
And that was very bad. She was far too valuable to lose at this stage of the battle, especially because of how fragile it was. Nothing was certain at the moment, as Miku's fight with Hibiki continued to escalate as the corrupted Adaptor just kept on taunting her constantly, twisting the normal Hibiki's words in such a way that the new wielder would no doubt get triggered by and attack recklessly.
It was devious, he had to give her credit for that. Throw your opponent off with nothing but your words, and they'll eventually drop their guard.
But that was very, very bad. Part of her training was exactly that; not getting worked up due to an enemy's taunting. Yet she was still falling for it, and honestly he couldn't blame her. Hibiki was essentially being waved right in her face, just a little bit out of reach; and like a horse chasing a carrot no matter how much she ran or tried to get to it, it would still keep remaining too far.
But...was that really the case here? Was it simply a demon pretending to be Hibiki? Something gave him the impression they were very wrong about her current state of mind, but he just couldn't put his finger on it.
Although, Miku was handling herself fairly well at the moment, so they would focus on the others for now. "Tomosato! Give me a status report on Shirabe-kun and Kirika-kun!" He commanded.
No answer.
He stared at the officer, his eyes narrowing as he saw her staring at her console in shock and horror. "Tomosato!"
She was jolted awake by his second shout, and she blinked rapidly as she recomposed herself. "Y-yes!" She yelled, quickly typing away to bring up the relevant data. "Both of them seem to be physically fine, sir! Ig-Alima and Shul-Shagana are still operational!"
Her strange lack of attention worried him, but he decided to not comment on it. He glanced towards the Ignite Timers, studying the very slowly decreasing counter. The numbers had previously jumped up again, and that cause him some concern. "Keep a close eye on those two. Now that their backup is gone, I want to see how they act. Their reckless tricks caused this to happen, and I want to make sure we can pull them out in case they start going berserk."
"But what about Chris-san, sir?" A different crew member asked.
"It pains me to say this, but leave her be for now," He answered, glancing to Adam for a moment. "We can't pull her out even if we want to; she just won't listen to us. Let her focus on killing the enemy units on her own, and have Maria-kun retreat. Have her investigate where Saint-Germain landed so we can have some confirmation."
"Yes sir!"
The crew member went back to work. Meanwhile, Genjuro crossed his arms as he looked on, his eyes darting between the different screen on the display.
It was only going to get more difficult from here.
-!-
"Ah...Ah…"
The two looked on. The winds had died down, and all that remained was an eerie quiet that filled the air completely. The light had vanished, and all that was left on the impromptu battlefield was the two of them, and the enemy they were trying to defeat.
The titan stared ahead to where its target had disappeared to. Having fired its light at the two pests, it understood that they were saved in the last moment by some other annoying rat that had gotten in its way. They had tried to strike it down, but they had failed to do any significant damage. It was simply too strong for the two of them, for they were mere bugs to be squashed beneath its feet.
And that's what they were now. Shirabe and Kirika could barely keep themselves composed as they realized what they had wrought. They tried to stop the titan by any means necessary, yet their efforts gave them absolutely nothing; in fact, it only made things worse, as now they lost Saint-Germain, who was desperately trying to get them to act rationally.
Yet they refused to listen, stuck in their own little world and kept on their assault, not realizing how futile it was.
"Ah...Ah…"
That was the only sound Kirika could let out as she fell to her hands and knees. Her head facing the ground, her mouth was agape in shock, her lips quivering. Next to her, Shirabe lost strength in her legs, and she crumpled to the ground, her eyes simply locked ahead to where Saint-Germain disappeared to.
"What...have we done?" She murmured.
No one had an answer to give her.
Unfortunately however, they seemed to have forgotten they were in the middle of a fight. Realizing the two were still very much alive, the titan turned to them slowly, its eyeless head staring down at them. With the two now immobile, it brought up its leg slowly above them, the giant shadow further darkening their vision.
It was then that Kirika finally realized the danger. Hurriedly shaking off her stupor, she looked to Shirabe who was still catatonic. Having no time to even call her partner's name, she rose to her feet in an instant and ran to her, picking the Shul-Shagana wielder up and putting her on her shoulder.
And just in time as well. As the giant foot came down on the two of them, Kirika dashed as fast as she could to get away from its range. She barely cleared its length as it finally crashed down on their previous location, and immediately the ground shattered from the weight, sending shockwaves that threw rubble, debris, and wind around that swept Kirika's feet under her.
She was tossed like a ragdoll through the air, groaning all the while. She took a moment to look ahead of her path, catching sight of a concrete wall she was about to collide with. She swiftly adjusted Shirabe in her hold, protecting the twin tailed wielder with her own body. Closing her eyes and bracing herself, she slammed back first into the remaining wall of an office building. She yelled in pain from the crash, and together the two fell to the ground, only for Kirika to spin in midair to once again put herself between the hard floor and Shirabe.
And once more she hit concrete back first, screaming in pain for the second time. She inadvertently let go of her partner, and the Shul-Shagana wielder rolled on the floor briefly only to come to a stop not too far from her.
Kirika found it difficult to breathe due to all the dust and smoke in the air. She coughed and hacked as she turned over, keeping her eyes on Shirabe as her vision swam. The titan's steps grew louder as it approached, each of its massive feet destroying the earth it walked on without reservation.
At this point Shirabe stirred, struggling to lift herself off the ground. She called out, desperate to hear the sound of her partner's voice. "K-Kiri-chan…"
"Shirabe…" Kirika murmured with a broken tone. "I'm sorry Shirabe. I'm sorry…"
"Me too, Kiri-chan...I'm sorry…"
For some reason they could not explain, they were unable to stop the tears from spilling out against their will, an unbearable sadness filling their hearts as the titan took another step towards them.
They felt the end coming. Left helpless in the titan's wake, their spirits fled them as the two cried and cried, unable to bring themselves to act in response even a little bit.
No, the only thing they could do was to extend their hands to each other, feeling the air for the other's touch. The ground shook and roiled, yet their hands still sought the other, dragging through the dirt.
And finally they connected. Kirika and Shirabe tightened their hold, their small tiny bond as their vision blurred from the wetness in their eyes.
"Shirabe…"
"Kiri-chan…"
Silence.
A beat.
"This is...kind of annoying, isn't it?" Kirika suddenly said.
A sudden change.
"Yeah…it really is." Shirabe said in agreement.
Their hold tightened further.
The tears stopped running.
"This is really...really...really...making me mad." The Ig-Alima wielder said through clenched teeth.
"Yeah...it makes me very angry too." The Shul-Shagana wielder said as well, clenching her own teeth.
"I don't want to just sit here and die."
"Yes...me neither. So I guess that means only one thing…"
"Yeah…"
A switch was flipped.
"Let's make it pay for everything."
The words were said in perfect union. The grief suddenly fleeing their bodies in an instant, it was all replaced by a feeling the two were only vaguely familiar with, and only experienced it a handful of times throughout their short lives.
Anger.
Fury.
Rage.
They rose to their feet in a single synchronized movement, their hands still connected.
"So we do that, Shirabe?"
"Yes…let's do that."
The titan stopped in its tracks as it stared down at them, the change in their demeanor puzzling even it.
They looked up to meet its gaze.
And their eyes shone.
"UNISON!"
Sparks of green and fuchsia light sprung to life around the two. The electricity danced wildly around them, striking down debris and clearing the area around the two in a humongous circle. And right under their feet, something akin to a magic circle grew and elongated, characters of a language unknown to modern man etching themselves into position inside of it. So big did it become that it now covered the entire area that was cleared away.
The sparks grew stronger, bigger, and wilder, yet within the very middle of the circle Kirika and Shirabe stood unmoving, their eyes locked onto their colossal enemy.
-!-
"Massive amounts of phonic gain have been detected from Ig-Alima and Shul-Shagana!"
"What?!"
The display lit up, showing the duo wielders standing within the storm they had formed. Genjuro looked with wide eyes, his confusion obvious on his face. "What is going on?! What is the meaning of this?!"
"Oh, so this is what they're doing," Adam said with a hint of interest. Immediately Genjuro turned to him, looking for answers. The former head of the Illuminati continued. "I told you after all that the miasma can break reality. It can bring about outcomes that we cannot even possibly imagine; it also seems like it opens up the path to the primal origin a tiny bit more, which also contributes to making this possible. And now will be another prime example of that claim."
He smiled. "Now, let's see what the chosen of the Goddess of Kish bring forth."
-!-
The storm grew stronger, and gravity itself lost all influence around the duo, the giant remains of the former skyscrapers of Tokyo floating in the air with the weight of simple feathers. With every pass of the lightning, the debris broke and shattered, and raging winds began to gather around them, swirling in a twister of power and phonic gain that rose towards the sky. The ceiling of the night was suddenly illuminated by a combined green and pink glow that grew more brilliant as the seconds passed.
And rising from nowhere, as if from the belly of the Earth itself, was a lion's roar. It drowned out all other noise, its sheer majesty causing all fighters in the area around them to freeze and look on in awe. The magic circle began to glow with a radiance not seen in millennia, and wisps of light began to rise from its edges, making their ways towards the two.
Yet Kirika and Shirabe stood, their expressions unreadable. They remained unmoving as the tendrils of light reached their position; yet what those tendrils sought were not their bodies, nor their spirits.
No, the tendrils reached for the shining pendants they held, touching them gently.
At that moment, a pillar of light exploded upwards from the circle, outshining everything in the city. All fighters now looked on at it, some with their eyes narrowed and others with a curious and confused gaze.
With an intensity of a super hot flame, the tremendous stream of constant blinding light gave the titan pause, and so was Hibiki distracted for a moment as she glanced towards the glow, nearly being hit by a swift strike from Miku.
And then the light began to take form. Shrinking in some parts and elongating in others, it took on the consistency of clay as it shaped itself, transforming into something material and physical, a solid state with true mass and weight that treaded upon the world.
As it gained cohesion, two voices rang out from within it in perfect synchronization, magnificent and divine.
"Our sword fells the mountains." "Our sword scorches the winds."
"As rigid as the irons of the Earth." "As unyielding as the bright blue sky."
The light vanished, and where it once had been now was a form that nearly rivaled the titan before it, being a mere head shorter. Yet without a doubt, the newly born being was far more majestic.
And it was huge.
A feminine form covered in a mix of gold and brass armor, a light golden glow radiating from it freely. Gently touching down in the ruined cityscape it stood, a quintet of wings shaped like an eagle's protruding from its back folded inwards as its lion's mane of golden locks fell freely to its thighs. Upon its head rested a crown shaped like the pinions of a bird of prey, and its eyes shone a mysterious and deep vermillion. Hidden behind those luminous orbs, inside of its artificial skull, were two hollow spaces resembling cockpits that housed the duo that had called it forth.
"Emerald blade, sever." "Ruby blade, bind."
Bare feet crushed the ground beneath, adorned with nothing but simple golden anklets. Its skin was tanned a golden brown, yet still shone with a metallic sheen that revealed its true mechanical nature.
"All the Evils shall be sealed." "Destruction shall be stymied."
"The rage of the Heavens beckons." "The screams of the Underworld unbound."
It-no, she descended, the call of her blades bringing her forth in this day and age. A deity of protection, made and manifested by the steel of relics, to face a god of destruction called down to bring the end.
"Offer your hearts, subjects of Babylon, for the divine defender of Kish descends. And her name is:"
And so, given form by her successors, the guardian goddess made her appearance.
"ZABABA!"
-!-
"A mecha Zababa?! Are you kidding me?!"
That was the only thing Fujitaka could say upon seeing what Kirika and Shirabe managed to summon. "How did they even do this?! Nobody said there'd be a Kaiju battle right in the middle of Tokyo! This is almost too much!"
His panic wasn't unjustified, they realized. "This...sure is new. Have they always been capable of something like this?" Aoi asked with wide eyes.
"Their unison was always the strongest of all the wielders, but this just takes the cake over everything else," Genjuro added in, the corner of his mouth curling into a vestige of a smile. "To think we'd have something so big on our side...but we can't celebrate yet; it is definitely not enough, all things considered."
"That is true indeed," Adam commented, glancing towards Elfnein's console. "Let's see...composition...as I expected, relic steel and pure phonic gain held together by strings of god-slaying power. Hmmm, truly a fascinating result they've come up with; a very original use of the rage the miasma causes. Now, let's see how this titanic battle goes, shall we? The greatest unison against the manifestation of evil...a truly once in a lifetime show."
Genjuro grumbled to himself, curious about Adam's sudden change in attitude. 'I'm surprised he can stay so calm now, considering how he acted beforehand,' He thought. 'But I can't focus on him now; we need to provide support to the wielders.'
"Switch to combat mode," He commanded the crew. "Prepare the missiles to fire when ready. We're not staying out of the picture anymore. It's time we do our part in this battle too."
He looked back to the display. "Don't go overboard, you two. Remember what it is we're here for."
-!-
(Play: Gurren Lagann OST - All of You, Get Fired Up!)
The two gigantic beings towered over the city around them. Despite being only a head shorter than her opponent, Zababa stood resolute and fearless, her shining eyes radiating power and divine strength. The titan, perplexed by the appearance of an enemy nearly its own size bent forward and screeched, the sound waves once again shaking the air. It was an attempt at showing superiority and supremacy over its enemy, of proving who was the stronger of the two. For it had no ability to formulate words, and such was the only manner with which it could issue its challenge to the guardian goddess.
Yet she was not intimidated. Responding to the titan's provocation, the goddess spoke, yet her mouth did not move as the words rang out in the same melded voice as before. "Foolish god of destruction. Your endless path of ruin shall be allowed no longer; for by the might of the Heavens and by the edge of my blade, you will be purged from the face of the world."
Even if the titan could not speak, it could understand. Realizing its opponent was not going to cower in fear and die on its own, it responded in the only manner fitting one of its title.
A gigantic punch surged towards Zababa, tearing through the air in speeds much faster than it had ever shown to be possible. Physics were once again defied as it closed in on the goddess, intending to blow her head off with that one decisive strike.
However, it had greatly underestimated her. Her hand rose, and in a swift moved parried the fist to the side, throwing the titan off balance. Each movement was much too fast for beings of their stature, and the earth shook with every small movement they made. Yet the goddess cared not, and catching her opponent off guard her right fist was launched towards the titan, and unable to respond in time to her attack it was struck head on in the stomach. It screeched at the pain that it had not expected, and was promptly sent skidding back across the ground, tearing up everything below its giant feet and scarring the land.
Zababa beat her wings once, creating a torrent of wind that uprooted any structure not securely bolted to the ground. And then she charged, closing the distance to her opponent with an upraised fist. The titan, still recoiling from the previous hit could do nothing as the punch connected with its cheek with unbelievable force, nearly ripping its head off with just one strike. It staggered back once again, crashing through the buildings beneath it.
"You two! Keep it away from the city center! Take it down where you won't accidentally hit one of our own!" Was Genjuro's command to the duo, hopeful they heard him.
Whether or not they heard him they did not show, merely focusing on the god of destruction before them. The titan, now realizing that its opponent was no pushover, finally decided to take things seriously. It straightened itself and shrieked once more, and Zababa was more than ready to meet it.
In a rush of pure destruction, the titan charged towards Zababa, quaking the earth with every heavy step. With its arms upraised it closed the distance with a brutal tackle, trying to grab hold of the guardian goddess.
However Zababa raised her own arms to meet it, and the two's hands crashed into each other, sending destructive shockwaves through the city at large. Noise and beasts were tossed away like trash from the force, and the other wielders' were thrown off by the sudden blast of wind that nearly knocked them off their feet.
And so the two gigantic beings grappled with each other, trying to overcome the other; they pushed against each other with all their strength in an attempt to topple their opponent. Even though the titan was bigger than its rival, Zababa was unrelenting, and the duo within let out guttural shouts as they poured more power into her arms, pushing the titan back, its feet once more grinding against the ground. In response, the titan began to gather light in its mouth, deciding to try and blow the goddess away with its beam. Seeing what it was about to do, Zababa tried to disengage, but the titan would not let her get away. It tightened its hold on her hands, keeping her locked and in the range of the destructive blast. Not willing to be blown away, the goddess reacted quickly and slammed her foot against the titan's ankle, sweeping the leg under it.
The god of destruction buckled, its balance lost from her strike. Its grip on her right hand loosened just a tiny bit, and so Zababa took the opportunity to retract her arm. The light continued to gather as the titan kept its aim on her, so in a daring move she lashed out again, and with her open palm struck its chin, slamming its mouth shut at the last possible second.
Unable to stop the light from firing, the titan was helpless to react as it exploded inside its mouth, and smoke rose between its lips as its grip loosened, dazed from being struck by its own attack. Not letting the chance go unused Zababa delivered a powerful front kick right to its stomach, and unbelievably the titan was lifted off the ground from the force, flying through the air despite its massive weight.
The wielders braced themselves as they saw the giant being come crashing down on the farther end of the city, and immediately a powerful earthquake shook Tokyo to her core, rumbling the ancient city's foundations. The streets cracked and folded, holes forming inside the city as the concrete and asphalt struggled to hold together under the massive stress.
Realizing her creation was being surpassed, Hibiki disengaged from her fight with Miku to fly towards the titan to assist in its endeavors, her brows furrowed at the appearance of the guardian goddess.
But Miku wouldn't let her. Just as Hibiki was about to start teleporting away, the Shenshoujing wielder's hand reached inside the smoke and roughly pulled her back, then followed up with a heavy strike from her fan that the corrupted Adaptor was forced to block.
"Tch-! You're being extra annoying, Miku!" Hibiki bit out through clenched teeth.
But the black haired girl was unshaken. "If you think you can get away from me you're sadly mistaken! I'm not letting you escape! Your fight is with me!"
Hibiki clicked her tongue, and righted herself in the air. "I'm getting tired of your denials, Miku!"
Forced back into battle with her main opponent, the corrupted wielder was not able to turn the tables on Zababa. The goddess made her way towards the fallen titan, which screeched once more as it slowly rose to its feet, its hands and legs squishing Noise and beasts alike beneath them. And as she walked, Zababa spread her hands to the sides, holding them out with her palms open.
In a flash of blinding green light, an emerald colored blade appeared in her left hand. Likewise, in a similar flash of red light a ruby colored blade appeared in her right.
And so, the original Ig-Alima and Shul-Shagana manifested in her hands, and she closed her palms around the handles, dual wielding her famous swords.
By the time the titan had already gotten back to its feet, it barely managed to catch sight of the goddess swinging the green blade at it, and at the last possible second it stepped back. Instead of gouging out its torso like she had intended, Ig-Alima only carved a shallow cut across the valley of its breasts. Black smoke leaked out as the titan shrieked once more, but this managed to remain steady on its feet, facing Zababa directly. It threw its head back and roared so loudly it blasted away the few clouds that had gathered in the sky, and at once charged towards the goddess at a breakneck dash, its fist reared back to strike at her.
Seeing the blow coming, Zababa raised Shul-Shagana in the fist's path, edge facing the front in order to eviscerate the limb. She held it lightly in her hand, expecting the obvious result.
Only for the two wielders in control of her form to be caught by surprise as the fist did not get sliced down the middle like they thought, and instead clashed against the blade with a shower of sparks, the recoil causing Zababa's arm to be violently forced back and staggering the goddess momentarily. Following up on its strike, the titan attacked with its other fist, aiming for Zababa's head. Realizing her swords won't be able to cut into its limbs so easily, the two wielders forced the left arm to move, causing the punch to collide with Ig-Alima.
And so began an exchange of blows of titanic proportions. Fists as hard as diamonds crashed against the two blades repeatedly, denying Zababa of an opportunity to cut her opponent into pieces. However, neither was the titan able to land a blow on the goddess, the emerald and ruby blurs in her hands crashing against it with all her might.
Taking advantage of the fact Zababa was pinned in place by the clash, the titan once again gathered light in its mouth, understanding that she will not be able to stop it without allowing herself to be struck.
There was another moment of sudden surprise for the two wielders, but Kirika and Shirabe knew how to respond to its tactic. Slightly loosening her grip on Shul-Shagana, Zababa allowed the titan's next blow to launch the blade from her grip. The ruby blade spun through the air and lodged itself on the far end of the city; with her right hand now empty, and the titan's fist extended forward towards her, the goddess grabbed hold of its wrist just before it could pull its arm back. Tightening her grip as much as possible, she pulled the titan towards her with all the force she could muster, causing it to stumble forward awkwardly.
It kept its aim on her head as the light continued to coalesce, but having already taken into account the time it takes it to fire, Kirika and Shirabe acted quickly. Willing Zababa's leg to move, the goddess once again swept the titan's feet from under it. Despite tumbling down to the ground on its side, it had stubbornly kept its gaze locked on her head, unwilling to allow her to escape unscathed.
The light reached its peak, and realizing they won't be able to avoid taking damage, Shirabe and Kirika stepped to the side as much as they could just as the titan fired. The beam screamed through the air, but luckily for them it only managed to glance the top of her head, melting through the crown of eagle wings and continuing on towards the sky. The blast contained so much power it reached escape velocity, piercing through the atmosphere in a straight line and out into space, consuming an entire satellite in its wake.
Kirika grimaced slightly, having felt the heat of the light coming too close for comfort to her position within Zababa's head. But with its last gambit having failed, and now down on the ground on its back, the titan was helpless to react to anything else the goddess might have in store.
All of a sudden, the scene took on a much different turn. With Zababa upright with a sword in hand, she gazed down at her downed opponent with a hateful glare. And so, she raised her one remaining sword Ig-Alima above her head with both hand, its light shining throughout the city and bathing the sky in an otherworldly dark green glow.
The battle had ended, and now was the time for the execution. With no time to respond to her strike, the titan could only screech in defiance.
There was only minimal resistance. Ig-Alima came down, slicing through the air, and viciously cleaved through the titan's neck with a single slash, and proceeded to crash into the concrete beneath and crater the ground in an explosion of rubble and black smoke.
A momentary silence fell between the two gigantic beings. With a forceful yank, Zababa tore Ig-Alima out, and the two wielders watched impassively as the titan's severed head rolled to the side, confirming its death.
Genjuro took the opportunity to once again relay orders through their still functioning earpieces. "That was fantastic, you two! A job very well done! I'd let you celebrate, but I must ask you two to see if you can close the hole it emerged from! We must stop the spread of the miasma as soon as possible!"
Kirika and Shirabe once again did not verbally answer him. They merely looked towards each other and nodded, and turned around, leaving their slain opponent behind them. Zababa beat her wings, flapping them behind her rapidly as she rose into the air, and proceeded to make her way to her new destination.
-!-
Maria leapt over the wreckage of the city, surprisingly finding herself free of pursuers as she headed to the point HQ told her to go to. She was quick to oblige their request seeing that Chris was doing fine on her own, despite her dubious state of mind. Maria herself knew that she should leave the area before she got caught in the crossfire, and now she had a mission to accomplish as well, putting her farther and farther away from the Ichaival user.
Chris' overwhelming madness drew the enemy units to her likes bees to honey, clearing parts of the city completely and alleviating some of the burden on the Alca-Noise.
Still, for all the good it's doing it's also dangerous, as she could lose her mind any second now and go completely berserk. But, HQ said to leave her be, and so Maria did as she was told; she was tired of just standing around and doing nothing after all.
And so she continued, studying the Noise and beasts that were scampering under her with a watchful eye as they charged towards Chris' location. Only one or two bothered to even glance her way, but even with her injury, a single opponent wasn't anything special and was easily defeated. Removing her dagger from the chest of a black beast, Maria only had a second to wonder about the strange sound filling the air before she caught sight of a massive winged form fly overhead, darkening the sky with its humongous shadow. Her widened eyes followed it as it soared, and she held on for dear life as it landed on two feet in front of the hole in reality.
It took her exactly two seconds to understand what was going on. "Shirabe...Kirika…"
Her two juniors were inside that thing, that she knew for a fact. She heard something from headquarters about them summoning some giant of their own, but she never imagined it would be a large mecha in the shape of a winged being.
She clenched her fist, concern filling her to the brim. Her worry was so great that she felt the instinct to just go to their side to check on them, even if they were piloting that thing right now. She just wanted to make sure they're fine, as she also knew that they had engaged the titan in combat.
But if they were here now, that meant…
A small smile graced her face. "You two...have really grown. Mom would be so proud…'
She let out a breath, and turned back to her objective, continuing to leap around debris and cutting down any enemy that tried to get in her way.
Soon enough, she landed in an area close to the mall she usually frequented. The massive building was a mere shadow of its former self, having been destroyed during the battle a month ago. And now it was a smouldering crater, the titan's light having blown the little that remained to smithereens. There were a few piled on blocks of concrete scattered all over the place, truly a representation of just how much everything was flattened.
And as a result, Maria could not help but feel a tad bit pessimistic. Her mission was to inspect Saint-Germain's crash site and try and find anything solid about her state of being, as the sensors in headquarters couldn't make heads or tails of anything at the moment. The sheer amount of energy and power being thrown around scrambled them completely, and so a hands-on investigation was required.
If anything remained of the alchemist, then it probably was a pile of dust under one of the many mountains of rubble.
"If I'm already here, I might as well take a closer look." Maria said to herself. Jumping to conclusions won't help them in any way.
She walked slowly through the ruins, looking around, trying to catch a glimpse of anything in particular that stood out to her. She looked down into the crater where the mall once was, peering over the edge to its center. In the very middle of it there was another pile of rubble, but to her it looked to be too small to ever have a full body hidden underneath it. 'Maybe something did survive…'
Deciding to investigate further, Maria slid down the side of the crater, letting the momentum carry her all the way to its center. Once there, she sheathed her dagger and carefully studied the pile, touching it cautiously. Seeing nothing was happening from her gentle touch, she used both hands to move the biggest piece out of the way, slowly but surely undoing the pile to reveal what was beneath it.
Which was nothing. "Shouldn't have expected much…" She mumbled to herself.
She was hopeful for a moment, but her spirits fell at the lack of any solid findings. A lock of hair, her gun, heck maybe even a limb would be enough for her...but there was nothing, meaning that maybe she really was vaporized into atoms.
Sighing, Maria turned around and jumped, foregoing climbing the incline. Her back stung from the act, causing her to wince momentarily. It was less painful than before, but it was still bleeding a little bit; she didn't have any time to take care of it and as a result it hampered her movements more than she would have liked.
She landed, and instantly realized she was not alone.
Where did they come from she didn't know, but all of a sudden she found herself surrounded on all sides by a contingent of Noise and beasts. There were a lot more than she could count, the beasts at the least numbering in the several dozens while the Noise themselves were probably over two hundred.
She grimaced. While she knew she'd be able to take them all down at any other time, right now she was still injured, and therefore handicapped. Not only that, they were all powered up.
Which was very, very bad for her. She had banked on them ignoring her completely, but her luck seemed to have run out.
And now she was alone, separated from her allies.
She could try and face them, but then she'd eventually get overwhelmed, that much she knew. Escape was the only option...but how viable was it? Would she be able to make it out?
She unsheathed her dagger, holding it before her in a reverse grip as her eyes darted to and from between the enemy units.
A single beast at the front of the formation roared.
And all at once the tidal wave came crashing down on her, the army rushing towards her from all directions simultaneously. She gripped her dagger tighter and held her ground, ready for the clash.
Only for a gunshot to ring out and blow away a significant portion of the Noise right in front of her, and taking the opportunity she charged through the opening, avoiding them just as they crashed into each other where she had previously stood. Now behind the formation, she took the chance to glance in the direction the shot had come from.
And smiled.
-!-
(Play: Nier Automata OST - Goliath I)
Zababa landed a small distance away from the giant hole in reality with a crash, shaking the earth beneath her. She stared into the open void, watching carefully as the black smoke continued to leak from within it. The inside was such a deep pitch black that the two wielders weren't sure there was even an inside at all, despite it apparently connecting to the Treasury of Babylon.
However, that did not matter in any shape or manner. Dismissing Ig-Alima from her hand, the goddess walked towards it, the swirling darkness making no motion to try and stop her on its own.
But then something struck her from the front, causing her to stumble backwards slightly. Regaining their bearings, Shirabe and Kirika stared ahead to see what it was that knocked them off balance.
"You really think I'd let you get away with this?" Hibiki said, floating in front of Zababa's face with her spear in hand. "Get real, you two."
They glared at her, instinctively desiring to strike out against the corrupted wielder.
But they knew it would be a waste of time, because someone else was already on her way to intercept her.
Miku crashed into Hibiki from the side, once again forcing her attention back to her. The two flew through the air and out of Zababa's path, and the two pilots glanced towards the Shenshoujing wielder's direction, silently wishing her good luck.
With that particular obstacle out of the way, the goddess once again approached the hole. She raised her arms, and grasped at the edges of it that separated it from the space around it, as if she was holding to some gigantic incorporeal door.
Phonic gain increased once again as Shirabe and Kirika poured more power into their giant construct, and Zababa began to pull the two edges together. There was no visible expression on her face, but within her the two wielders grit their teeth at the effort.
Zababa's arms shook, and sparks flew in all directions as she struggled to close the hole by force. It was at that moment they felt something strike at Zababa's feet, and looking down Shirabe saw as various Noise and beasts were starting to claw and strike against the foot, trying to topple the goddess over.
"Useless."
With a simple movement of her foot, they were sent flying through the air. Focusing back on the hole, Zababa continued her endeavor. The black void was resisting her attempts to seal it shut, but they could see how it was slowly becoming smaller as Zababa's hands came closer and closer together.
"With this-!"
"INCOMING FROM YOUR LEFT!"
Someone screamed at them through the comm. Instinctively turning Zababa's head to the left, Shirabe and Kirika caught sight of what was being referred to only when it was already too late.
They weren't sure how they didn't hear it coming, but they had no time to be surprised as the titan suddenly tackled Zababa, tearing her away from her attempts to close the hole. The goddess was lifted off her feet, and through the force of the momentum from its leap the two giant beings flew through the air, the titan growling all the while.
They finally crashed into Tokyo Harbor, throwing huge amounts of water into the air and creating waves that washed away anything that was too close to the shore. The bay was like a small puddle to the two giants due to their size, and having been caught by surprise Zababa found herself pinned down right under the titan, which screeched right in her face in a tone the two wielders could swear was mocking.
And insanely enough, their opponent had straddled the goddess, locking her in place and rendering her unable to move. Striking faster than they could react, the titan smashed its fist into her face, causing the two wielders within to groan as their cockpits shook violently from the blow.
Then came another punch from the left. The duo screamed as they were rocked about from side to side, trying to keep hold of themselves lest they'd be flung all over the small space they inhabited.
Then another from the right. The titan kept on delivering hard blows to Zababa's head, disorienting the two wielders more with every punch. The metal skin groaned and screeched as it resisted the god of destruction's fists, yet even it had a maximum limit of what it could withstand.
The area around Zababa's right temple slightly buckled inwards, causing Shirabe's cockpit to suddenly decrease in size as it nearly crushed her within it. Sparks flew about her, causing her to yell and scream in pain.
In a panic, Kirika lashed out with Zababa's left hand, stopping another punch from connecting. She grit her teeth as she held back the fist, but with another roar the titan raised its free hand to strike at where Shirabe resided once more.
Only to be shocked as a group of six missiles collided with its back, exploding upon impact and raising massive fireballs into the sky. Caught unawares, the titan was thrown off by the unexpected barrage and shrieked in pain, abandoning its attempts at striking Zababa.
"PREPARE THE SECOND VOLLEY! FIRE ON MY MARK!"
Genjuro's support fire proved to be highly effective. Taking the chance while it was dazed, Zababa shoved the titan off her with her now free right arm. It fell into the bay on its side, and she rolled away from it so it would not try it again. Regaining its composure, the titan attempted to lunge at the goddess again, but just before it could the second volley Genjuro launched impacted its head, eliciting another painful shriek from it.
"YOU TWO GO! THIS IS YOUR CHANCE!"
Not bothering to even try and argue, Zababa rose to her feet and immediately dashed towards the hole, not caring for the destruction she left in her wake. Reaching it quickly, she resumed her attempts at closing it, this time the two wielders putting out more force than before. Shirabe breathed heavily, still recoiling from the earlier pain, but pushed it aside to concentrate on her objective.
The opening had regained its earlier size while they were occupied, so they had to start all over again. It once again resisted their attempts, Zababa's arms shaking wildly at the reactive force. This time however they found much more successful, and the hole closed more and more with each push they gave it.
But the titan was not done just yet. Having shaken off the confusion caused by the missile fire, it caught sight of its opponent and immediately began to gather light in its mouth once again. It rose to its feet as it did so, and ran towards the defenseless goddess.
Due to their efforts, Shirabe and Kirika did not have enough time to move out of the way of its attack, having been too focused on closing the hole.
But they had no need to.
Something once again exploded, but this time nothing struck or crashed against it. No, just as it was about to step with its left foot, the entire area of its ankle suddenly erupted in a ball of fire, severing the foot at the base. The sudden loss of balance and friction with the ground caused the titan to trip, falling on its side. Just then the light fired, and it missed the goddess by a wide margin, streaking through the air and colliding with a faraway hill causing it to be razed completely like it had done to the other.
Before they could even try and ask who had assisted them, a voice they thought they'd never hear again rose above everything in their ears.
"DO IT NOW! FINISH THE JOB!"
The two could not contain their shocks. A small screen appeared on each of their displays, showing exactly where the voice was coming from.
"THERE IS NO TIME TO WASTE!" Saint-Germain screamed. "TAKE ADVANTAGE AND SEIZE VICTORY!"
They could tell she was forcing it, considering her current state. She had miraculously survived, that they noticed, but not without injury. Blood leaked from everywhere, covering her hair, head, face, chest, stomach, legs, arms...everything. She was in an incredibly bad shape, her Faust Robe barely holding itself together. What more, they could see she was pressed against several solid blocks of steel and concrete, and was unable to walk at all. Her arm still worked, but they could see how her hand was shaking as she held her gun upraised, using it to detonate the tiny caliber she had planted inside the titan's ankle before she was blasted away.
Her arm fell to her side, no longer having any strength to keep the gun raised. Yet she still looked up straight at them, and the two could feel her gaze bore into them.
She trusted them to get it done. She put her life on the line to save them, and even after she was injured and left broken and bleeding she still managed to get them out of a pinch in the last second.
Shirabe and Kirika clenched their fists tight, and smiled. Turning back to the hole before them, there was no longer anything outstanding enough to get in their way. With Hibiki far too preoccupied with Miku to stop them, and the titan now unable to stand, they were now free to close the hole.
With reinvigorated passion, the two in unison yelled out a mighty roar, and for the first time Zababa's mouth moved from its neutral expression to one of pure determination. Fighting against the unnatural forces of the void, Zababa's arms rattled continuously, yet she overcame that hardship and channeled even more power into her hands.
And so, slowly but surely, the hole in reality began to close. The black smoke continued to pour out as much as it could, but now with its path starting to shrink it was funneled and reduced as a result.
The titan, unwilling to allow such a thing to occur, crawled towards Zababa, dragging the earth beneath it along its path. It was not too far from her, and so was able to clamp its hand around her leg, trying to throw her off balance.
But just one hand wasn't enough. Realizing what it was trying to do, Zababa planted her feet and poured more power into her arms, trying to close that final distance. The titan shrieked and grabbed her other leg as well, and anchoring its remaining foot pulled and pulled on her with incredible force. Shirabe and Kirika felt Zababa's feet being dragged under them despite all their efforts, but choosing to focus on the hole they continued the massive undertaking.
In response, the titan tried to fire its beam once again, angling its head upwards to aim at Zababa's back. However, having anticipated the move, S.O.N.G HQ had already launched another volley of missiles, and before it could gather enough power to fire the titan was struck again, the explosion consuming it in their fire. With the grip on her legs now loosened, there was nothing left to try and interrupt her.
And so, with one final monumental push, Shirabe and Kirika roared loudly. Zababa herself joined in on the chorus, and together the three finally finished the job. With a sound not unlike thunder, Zababa slammed her hands together, the dark void finally disappearing from the world in an explosion of black smoke and dust. Recoiling from the follow up shockwave, the goddess staggered forward uneasily and promptly fell to her knees, exhausted from her ordeal.
-!-
Genjuro pumped his fist. "Yes! They did it!"
A victory. They finally managed to turn the tables on the enemy and deprive them of a very important strategic advantage. With the hole closed, no more miasma and potentially no more enemy units could come through it, thus making their only targets the ones already existing in the city. It was still a lot, but they now had a finite number they could keep a track of. And with the other holes throughout the world already having closed the moment they appeared, there were no more pathways to the Treasury that were currently available for Hibiki to use, unless she decided to open another.
Which Miku won't let her do, that was for sure.
And as an icing on the cake, Saint-Germain was still alive, even if she was heavily injured.
All in all things were looking...better, so to say. Tsubasa was still engaged in battle with Kanade, and it seemed to be pretty even at the moment from his perspective. The only troublesome one was Chris, who was still ripping the enemy units to shreds; she was still slowly going berserk, but he hoped that with the miasma gone, it will-
"It's not quite over yet," Adam suddenly interjected. "I know what you're thinking, but we cannot celebrate just yet."
"He's right. The miasma is still in the air all over the city; it's not gone just yet. We only managed to stop anymore of it from flowing in." Elfnein added in.
"I'm well aware," Genjuro responded. "But we'll take what we got. This should lighten our load considerably, and Shiraba-kun and Kirika-kun can focus on taking down that giant."
It was just pure fighting from here on out. All they had to do was overcome their opponents and that'll be the end of it.
But still...his intuition told him that something was going to catch them by surprise yet again.
What could it be, he had no way to know...but for now, they had to stay on guard.
-!-
The dust cleared as Hibiki rose back to her feet. She clicked her tongue as she noticed Zababa successfully seal the breach in reality, then hurriedly turned to look back at Miku, who floated in the air above her a small distance away.
"That wasn't very nice, Miku. Now I have to do that all over again." She said.
"You're not going to be doing anything," Miku responded coldly. "I'm done asking. I'm taking Hibiki back from you, demon, and you can't do anything to stop me."
"And you just keep going on about that, aren't you Miku?" Hibiki answered back with a grin. "You're really hurting me by saying that you know, calling me a demon. I thought you of all people wouldn't do that, after everything we've been through together."
Miku narrowed her eyes, not at all swayed by her words. All she could hear in her mind was how this thing wearing Hibiki's skin was attempting to confuse her and get her to drop her guard.
But she wasn't going to be deceived again. Never again.
"I've been through things with Hibiki, not you. You're just pretending to be her and trying to get in my head. I'm not falling for your tricks again, no matter what you do. You can't change my mind about that."
They stared at each other across the small distance, not saying a word in response. The only sound that filled the air was Zababa falling to her knees behind them, throwing up dust and dirt in the air and causing the two's hair to flutter in the wind.
Hibiki's demeanor, having been nothing short of arrogant and disturbing until now, suddenly took a strange turn.
Gone was the shit-eating grin that came with the overwhelming power she wielded and further twisted by the curses that muddled her mind. Gone was the high and mighty attitude that looked down on them all like bugs to be played with and then squashed underfoot.
No, Miku saw it with her own two eyes, the moment the black flame gained a furious tinge in it, and the chaotic storm of colors that covered her frame. She could feel in her mind how the curses spread more, as if trying to exert more influence on their host.
And yet, they still tried to manipulate her and her emotions. "So even you would just mark me as a killer, is that it?" Hibiki murmured, her head downcast. "Even you...even you would look at me with those eyes?"
It was a tone laced with what Miku assumed was sadness, but she refused to believe it. After everything the demon pulled so far, she wasn't willing to surrender to emotion.
"I thought...I thought you all of all people would never deny me. I thought you of all people would always support me."
Her hands clenched tightly.
"You really...you really turned against me didn't you, Miku? You really...you really want to be just like everyone else."
Despite being resolved to not be swayed, Miku found herself taken aback and confused regardless. The manner with which the demon was speaking...the way it was presenting its words…
No. She wouldn't fall for it. It was trying to trick her, that's all.
There's nothing else it could be. She had a clear enemy to defeat and she would tear through everything in her way to get to it.
She would get to what lay on the other side, no matter what she had to sacrifice in the process.
Even her own self.
"Fine then," Hibiki said, raising her head. "If that's how you want it Miku, then fine. I'm done playing around. If you're going to deny my right to exist...then I will deny yours too."
Miku's eyes widened at the bold statement. Hibiki continued, uncaring for her opponent's surprise. "I didn't want to hurt you Miku, but you're giving me no choice now."
And the black flame exploded upwards, creating typhoon winds that nearly blew Miku away. She raised her arms to cover her eyes, feeling them stinging from the sheer power of the wind. She felt her mind shake as the concept empowering it screamed and raged at the increase in strength of its nemesis, and her Symphogear felt as though it was shaking from the exposure.
"The hell I went through...I'll make you understand every single second of it."
