AN:
Dear readers...it's been a long journey, and it's still not over quite just yet.
We have finally reached the long awaited climax of the story, and it is coming to you in the shape of an extra, extra long chapter! It was one hell of a chapter to write, and I know you all were looking forward to it!
It was a long time coming, and I am happy that I was able to get this far with the story!
I'd like to thank zeroblackdragon15 and Illindus for providing me with much needed betareading for this monster of a chapter. Without them, this would have taken literally forever!
And to commemorate the release of the chapter, we now have a new cover art, drawn by the talented Lily White! Make sure to check out her twitter and tumblr pages for more amazing art of our favorite hamster and sunshine duo! I'd link to her pages if I could, but unfortunately I cannot here, so just look up "Lily White Symphogear" on google and the first link will lead you to her page. You can check out the artwork here on the story cover.
Other than that, I give thanks to the Symphogear wiki for providing lyrics for the necessary parts.
And again, Symphogear does not belong to me. The franchise along with their associated songs, along with all other music suggested in this chapter and story belong to their respective owners!
For those of you reading this in AO3, you can now enjoy the embedded songs in the chapter to get the music going faster! A shame the namesake of the chapter still hasn't received its full version, but once it does it will be that much more amazing!
And last but not least, I'd like to say thank you to all my readers for coming this far with me! This would not have been possible without your support! (I know like everyone says that these days but it's true I swear!)
I used too many exclamation marks. Bleh, whatever.
And so, dear readers, we get onto the chapter. I'm expecting each and every one of you to give feedback on it! No bailing out on this one!
ENJOY!
-!-
She was scared, even though her mother told her not to be.
Staying in a place with people she didn't know frightened Miku, and she had held onto her mother's hand tightly as they walked through the doors of the kindergarten. There were already so many other children there, yet she was just too shy to approach them. She wasn't used to seeing so many people at once, and so the moment she caught sight of the other children and her mother let go of her hand, she grasped the side of her mother's skirt with all the strength her tiny hands could muster.
"Come on Miku, don't be shy," Her mother told her softly, patting her on the back of the head. "Don't worry, it's okay."
She was only mildly reassured by the words, and answered with an uncertain nod. Reluctantly letting go of her mother's skirt, the older woman smiled, and went on to speak with the principal in order to the get the papers in order.
It was strange and weird in her eyes, seeing so many others like her playing together. Everywhere she looked there were at least a couple of kids or even small groups doing something or another with each other, whether it was playing catch or drawing doodles in their sketchbooks.
She felt out of place, and quickly realized she wasn't going to have anyone to play with.
That is, until she caught sight of a single girl in the corner, stacking up blocks atop one another. Curious, she approached the lone girl and stared at her indescribable creation. "What are you doing?" She asked.
The girl, without even looking her way, answered. "I'm building a castle!"
Miku was slightly confused. That wasn't what castles looked like. All of her picture books showed something different. "That's not a castle." She said.
"Eh?! It isn't?!" The other girl exclaimed. "Ah, then mine is a special castle!"
Confused even more, Miku tilted her head. "That's weird."
"It is? Oopsy! Hehehehehe..." The girl let out, laughing at her own silliness.
The girl then turned to her. "What's your name?" She asked.
Nervously she answered. "Miku."
"Hi!" The other girl said happily.
"I'm Hibiki!"
And at that moment, a fated meeting occurred.
-!-
X-Drive.
A form that was thought to be a miracle, and an impossibility. An accident built into the Symphogears by Fine's hand, and the ultimate irony by which she was defeated. A form that brings the fragmented relic into the height of its power, putting it on par with its own full and completed original.
And yet, ever since Tachibana Hibiki made her debut as a Symphogear user, she made that impossibility an inevitability. The girl with the Armed Gear of 'connecting with others' made the incredibly high phonic gain requirement something that could be achieved, and it was by her hand that it was made possible.
Neither Fine, the Nephilim, or Carol could stand up to it. They tried to surpass it, but in the end were unable to do so. Such was the power and magnificence of the form, made all the more brilliant by the wielders' resolve.
A miracle woven by the hands of mankind for the sake of mankind, brought into existence by its foremost protectors.
Only now...it was the form wielded not by many, but by one.
And facing it was the girl who wove miracles.
Hibiki tried to speak. Her mouth opened and closed repeatedly as she tried to form some sort of articulate response to the sight before her.
But, she couldn't. No sound left her lips, as if the words got caught in her throat. Her eyes wide, she could only stare breathlessly at Miku, the image of her in the ascended Symphogear burning itself into her brain.
And she was beautiful.
Even though her mind was claimed by curses, Hibiki could not deny or argue that fact.
The feathers continued to flutter around her lightly, the stage now illuminated by the sunshine. Miku's expression was gentle and calm as she looked down at Hibiki.
A smile made its way onto her face. "This power...this is what you've always felt, isn't it?" She said.
Hibiki was awestruck.
"This warmth...thank you, Hibiki, for sharing it with me. With this...I'll make things right."
It was blinding. A light brighter than she had ever seen before, and it was enveloping her from head to toe.
For it was the full might of the light of humanity, the pinnacle of All the Hopes of this World.
Hibiki's feet were glued to the ground beneath her, her whole body frozen. "Please watch me, Hibiki."
And leaving the stunned corrupted wielder alone on the stage, Miku soared. Her wings carrying her to the sky, she rose above the former concert hall, her form shining like a second sun in the night. She looked around, her eyes scanning the ruined city around her.
She blinked several times, taking in the sights. 'Amazing…'
She felt as if her senses had opened. As if her mind expanded, peeling away a layer of the world that she never knew existed. She raised her hand, staring at it in wonder. It was no longer gloved, yet despite that it felt almost strange to look at. She turned it over again and again, checking herself out completely for the first time.
'With this…'
Yeah, there was no point in dwelling. This was what she needed in order to turn the tables, and now she planned to make use of it.
'I'll free Hibiki. But first…'
Her eyes locked on what she was looking for.
'I'll rid the world of this symbol of destruction.'
It wasn't very hard to miss. Towering above everything else in the battlefield, the titan backpedaled away from the girl, noticing her gaze upon it. Shirabe and Kirika looked on with wide eyes as it continued to take steps back away from her even though she had made no move against it yet.
But it was afraid, that much they could understand.
"Miku…" Kirika murmured.
To think the short lived Symphogear made by that crazy doctor would ever be able to come this far.
Miku narrowed her eyes at the looming giant.
Her form shimmered.
And in an instant she reappeared in front of it, having closed the distance in the blink of an eye.
'No...she teleported?!' Was Shirabe's incredulous thought.
The titan took a step back in surprise, not having expect her to reach it so quickly. Unwilling to bow down to her, it leaned forward and screeched as loud as it could, the soundwaves it released shaking the air and forcing the two downed wielders below to cover their ears.
Yet Miku did not move, nor did she make any effort to even somehow cower away from the noise. She simply stared with the same even expression as before, unfazed by the titan's show of defiance.
"Something like you shouldn't exist," She said to it, and strangely enough it seemed to listen. "You are nothing but an avatar of evil and suffering whose fate is to deliver nothing but sorrow...you have no place here, and so I will make sure you disappear."
It was said with such finality that it could only be regarded as fact. A logical end to the giant that Hibiki had created, born from her own grudges and hatred along with humanity's.
So it was only fair...that it will be vanquished by her, the one who carries the complete opposite: the hopes of mankind and a selfish wish.
The titan screeched once more, and struck out with a roaring right hook against her. The lumbering limb tore through the air in a giant arc, creating shockwaves and sonic booms as it made its way to her. Yet Miku remained in place, hanging in the air in front of the titan and her gaze remained unmoving.
However, it raised alarms in the heads of the two wielders below. Her eyes wide in horror, Kirika screamed to her. "MIKU-!"
Only for the scream to die in her throat a moment later.
Because the massive punch that had shattered brick and concrete, the gigantic fist that had previously blown the girl away like a fly…
Was stopped by a mere simple touch.
It was so ridiculous those watching thought they were hallucinating.
Yet, they were not. The titan itself seemed shocked to have its blow stopped by something nearly 400 times smaller than itself, and it tried to move the limb to finish the job.
But it couldn't. Its hand wouldn't budge, as Miku simply raised her own in response and stopped the strike and all of its momentum without any difficulty or effort. She didn't even seem to move at all, and hung in the air in the same exact spot as before, her gaze having remained completely unchanged.
"Wha...what?!" Was what instead left Kirika's lips. "How…?!"
"Amazing…" Was Shirabe's response.
The titan continued to struggle fruitlessly against Miku's hold, her grip on its gigantic finger might as well be unbreakable.
"It's meaningless." She murmured. And with a forceful shove, pushed the massive hand away, causing the titan to stumble backwards. With nothing but a single hand she managed to make it lose its footing, another feat that the watchers could not bring themselves to believe.
It was at that moment that Hibiki managed to unglue herself from the stage, and rose into the air to follow after the Shenshoujing wielder. She found her extremely easily, the glow coming off her frame being so bright it was unavoidable.
And she stared in shock as Miku surpassed her creation with nothing more than a single hand. The titan righted its footing, and in another show of defiance began to gather light in its mouth to fire at her, intent on repeating what it had done earlier in the night.
But yet again, Miku did not move an inch in response. She let out a small breath.
"It's useless."
The titan fired, the ray of golden light exploding towards her with the sound of shrieking, akin to the screams of a banshee. But just before it reached her, something shimmered in her hand, and she raised her arm towards the light.
And like the giant fist before it, the light crashed against the barrier she had raise and could rampage no more. It did not even fragment to the sides as expected, but simply uselessly raged against her shield, dissipating as soon as it had touched it.
It was an exchange that took place in a timeframe of less than ten second, but it was all the time needed for Miku to prove the point she wanted to make:
That the titan was powerless before her.
Its expression once again turned to shock as its light faded. As the smoke cleared, what had stopped its blast became crystal clear:
A mirror. An elaborate mirror with a shining silver and unmarred surface was held open in her hand, small amounts of smoke rising from it from aftermath of the blast. A few moments later the mirror folded, and Miku lowered the mirror-now fan, to the side, staring ahead at the titan with the same even expression as before.
Just like her Symphogear, the signature Armed Gear of the Shenshoujing had changed considerably. Nearly as long as a sword, it too shone white and violet, and the small round mirror at its tip leaked out ethereal energies that warped the air around it.
The titan screamed at her loudly again, but she was once more unfazed. In response, she raised the fan, pointing the mirror at its tip towards the giant being.
Hibiki, hovering in the air a distance behind her, tried to speak up. "Wait-!"
But it was meaningless. All at once, a giant beam of violet light erupted from the fan, surging through the air.
'LAMENTATION'
It was too fast for the titan to react to. Before it could even begin to try and dodge it was already over, the beam of light tore through its chest unabated. It continued on behind it, the sheer force within it unstoppable.
A second later, the light faded and Miku lowered the fan, studying her handiwork.
The titan's chest, the area where the heart would be on a regular person, was completely gouged out. Due to it having no internal organs to speak of, a clean, round, and absolutely gigantic hole was blown out in it, creating a window to the view behind it.
She watched as the darkness that made up its form attempted to reseal the wound just like it had done before, but it failed to cover even a single meter. It was as if some outside force was preventing it from healing.
The titan may be huge, but in the end it was just a black beast on a much more massive scale and with a slightly bigger range of abilities. It still had a core in its chest that served as its center of existence, a core that the Zababa duo had failed to reach in all of their attempts.
And Miku vaporized it in an instant with a single move.
There was nothing more the giant being could do. Strength fled its legs in an instant, and a final screech left its mouth as it fell backwards to the ground. A moment later it crashed mightily, the entire city shaking from the impact of its descent.
Its limbs sprawled out, and its mouth hanging open, the titan was no more.
Miku looked down at it, sparing it a brief glance before turning around to face Hibiki, who had her mouth agape at the sight.
'It's going to take it a while to dissipate, but at least it can't interfere now.'
There was silence from the watchers. Kirika and Shirabe, the two closest to the exchange were speechless, no response escaping their lips.
And those in headquarters too could say nothing, as they were reduced to mere spectators who were about to bear witness to the most important battle to ever take place since the day Hibiki was engulfed.
For now, the one who will finally put an end to the sorrow will bring all her strength to bear, now amplified and enhanced to new heights by the power now coursing through her.
Swallowing once, Hibiki floated to the black haired girl's altitude, reaching her quickly.
"Miku…!"
There was much she wanted to say.
"Hibiki...I'm not going to apologize," Miku said, cutting her off immediately. The corrupted wielder's eyes widened at her words. "I've done a lot of thinking about what it is I want to do...and I realized I cannot allow your wish to come true. There is only one thing driving me forward, and you know what it is; I cannot and will not allow anything to get in the way of that, especially not your sorrow."
"A-ah…"
"You said I cursed you by giving you something worth living for," She continued, her expression becoming a gentle gaze that caused Hibiki's heart to flutter despite herself, still enraptured by the radiance she gave off. "I'm going to continue doing so. I'm going to curse you with the gift of life, of happiness, and love. I will curse you with having a home to come back to and friends to stand by your side."
Hibiki once again found the words stuck in her throat. Her eyes shaking and her fists clenched, she was unable to respond.
"I never cared for justice, and I never cared for fairness. I'm not speaking for humanity as a whole, because it's not my place to. No, I'm speaking as Miku, your childhood friend that stayed with you over over ten years, and the one who supported you during your darkest times," She said, and Hibiki could see as a faint white aura began to rise around her. "And as the sunshine that you always said you'll come back to."
And she smiled, and Hibiki's mouth once again gaped at the sight.
"This is my selfishness...this is my one simple desire that I'm not going to give up on. And even if it clashes with your ideals, your justice, and your wish...I'm going to crush them all. I'm going to take back our happy days, and I'm not giving you a say in the matter."
It wasn't an opinion, nor was it a request.
No, even Hibiki understood that it was a simple statement of fact, of something that Miku was going to make a reality regardless of what anyone desired.
But the thing that shocked her the most…
Was the fact that she wasn't sure she could win against her. For the first time since she had obtained the divine power, Hibiki felt her confidence in her own power fading.
For the person before her was on the same exact level, and now her victory seemed all but assured. In a single move on her part she had disabled the Noise and the beasts, putting a stop to their rampage around the world. With another move she had defeated the titan, and now…
Hibiki felt as if she was going to be defeated as easily herself.
Regaining her composure with all of her strength, Hibiki swallowed once and grit her teeth as she spoke, putting on a face of defiance. "Miku...I'm not going to give up either. If that's what you want then...then fine. I'll meet you head on, and we can decide who is right! Who is the one that deserves to have their wish granted!"
A battle between one who carries wishes for the whole of humanity...and one that carries desires for her own sake.
"As I thought," Miku responded, the smile she had on her face fading. Her expression turning serious, she readied her fan for the coming clash. "You're still you, and you never want to give up on the things you believe it. That's the Hibiki I grew up with, the one I supported and wake up next to every morning, and…"
There was no need to say it here and right now...for she had a much more effective method to carry the point across.
"And those feelings I carry in my heart...Hibiki, I want you to hear them."
Taken aback for a moment, Hibiki materialized her spear in her hand.
"All of my songs...have always been dedicated to you. Not to the world, and not to other people, but to you and you alone. So please, Hibiki…"
She entered her battle stance.
"Listen to my song. The song of my heart."
The words left behind by the priestess who had vanished from the world, her legacy remaining behind in the magnificent creations known as the Symphogears.
For she too, despite her suffering, held onto hope. She was one who had reached a sad conclusion, and decided the people will never again be able to understand each other, for she by their hand was cursed again and again. And so, she created a hybrid, an existence that combines the forgotten will of the past together with the hopes and wishes for the future.
For she too, believed that songs could change the world.
That was the wish of that woman...the wish of Fine, the priestess who had her eyes opened and in turn, opened another's.
And those words now echoed in Hibiki's heart, the memory of the woman turning to dust in front of her eyes floating back up to the surface. Finding the sudden nostalgia bothersome, she grit her teeth in frustration and resolve, forcing all the emotions she was feeling down as hard as she could.
It was difficult. Extremely difficult.
Her arms shook, and she tightened her hold on her spear.
"I...I-!"
Words failed her once again.
So she responded in the only manner she could think of.
"UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Screaming her heart out, Hibiki charged towards Miku.
The girl let a breath.
And so, a song never heard before echoed in the ruined city, signaling the start of the final clash.
-!-
"That's...incredible…"
Aoi murmured those words in near reverence, the power Miku showcased causing everyone on the bridge to stop working at once and just stare at the display with their mouths hanging open.
"As it should be," Adam commented. He glanced to the Aufwachen signal on the screen, studying the blue veins running across the Shenshoujing's flower carefully. "After all, she has divine power now, although how that is possible I do not know. It seems she has apparently taken a large amount of it from the god-slayer during the transformation, but I'm not sure how she did so."
"That's because you were wrong, Lodgemaster." Was Saint-Germain's answer to his inquiry, her voice echoing in the bridge.
Aoi's eyes widened, and she muttered the alchemist's name in worry. "Saint-Germain!"
"You will need to explain yourself." He said in response to the injured silver haired woman.
What rose from the comms was a small pained laugh. "You...kept on going on about how the divine power is simply a tool. You were not completely mistaken, however...you were most definitely not correct."
He narrowed his eyes in confusion, and the bridge members listened in attentively as she continued. "The divine power...may not be a sentient being...but it does have its own will. It...it can choose its own master."
"Impossible. That simply cannot be true." He countered, unwilling to believe her.
"Oh...but it is," She said, and none could see the corner of her mouth rise slightly. "After all...after Tiki's divine form was destroyed...it went to Tachibana Hibiki instead of you...and you never knew why that happened. Isn't that right...Kazanari Genjuro?"
Adam's eye darted to the commander immediately, his gaze questioning. Genjuro met his stare briefly, then looked back to the display. "Yes. This is part of why we needed Miku-kun to get involved...because the only way to take the divine power out of Hibiki-kun...was to give it to someone else who could hold it."
"That's impossible!" The former head of the Illuminati shouted. "Humans cannot hold the divine power, because-!"
"Because they are afflicted with the Curse of Balal...and nobody thought there was ever a way to remove it, and so it was thought to be permanent...but that was not the case. You know...about the Frontier Incident, do you not? That's where it happened...the light that unearthed the Frontier...was the light of the Shenshoujing, the relic that purifies evil."
He stopped speaking, his eyes widening in realization. "And those two were struck by it…" He murmured. "Those two...were freed from the Curse of Balal!"
"Yes...and that is why...you and I...are ineligible to use it. Only those...free from the Curse may hold it...and there is no one in this world with that title except the two of them." Saint-Germain explained, letting out a sigh. "At the moment...she sang her Superb Song...part of the divine power tainted by All the Evils of this World was purified...and having been chained down by mankind's grudges, it fled to the safest place it could escape to…"
"The nearest eligible vessel...but why?"
"You never knew of it...because you deemed it as worthless...and meaningless...but the Shenshoujing is the true and most pure counter to the curses...because it contains within itself, and by extension…in Kohinata Miku...the concept of All the Hopes of this World."
"All the Hopes of this World…" Adam repeated to himself. He glanced once again to Genjuro with his eyes narrowed. "You...you knew of this."
"Yes. Saint-Germain explained it to us. That was the moment we knew Miku-kun was the key, and now that gamble proved to be fruitful. With her holding that concept while ascended to X-Drive, combined with the part of the divine power she now has...her chances are far greater than ever before." Genjuro told him.
There was nothing Adam could say in response, for he realized he had been tricked. No, he was left in the dark, and he knew exactly why.
"All that's left for Miku-kun to do is to defeat her, and claim the entirety of the divine power to herself. Once she does so, we'll figure out what to do with it."
Because now they'll be able to safeguard it inside a person who'll never hand it over to him, locking him away from his goal despite it being so close at hand.
"And not only that...but because All the Hopes of this World were born of reverence to the gods...the divine power will naturally want to aid that one who holds it...and will give her access to its full potential from the very beginning." Saint-Germain added.
They've somehow managed to bring out the best possible outcome out of the worst possible situation. A metaphorical and literal turning of the tables in one fell swoop, and all because the girl chose to sing with her life on the line.
And so, having learned this information when it was already too late for him to do anything about it, Adam could only do one thing.
He laughed.
"You truly are something else, Symphogears."
It seems he was outmaneuvered. His plan to take the divine power back from them the moment they achieve victory having been foiled by something he had no knowledge of.
'No matter. I'll bide my time and wait for the opportune moment to steal it from them.'
Genjuro turned back to the display. "Wielders, status report!"
-!-
Maria looked around her at the fallen bodies of the Noise and beasts. Still on guard, she studied each and one carefully, just waiting for one of them to suddenly jump to its feet and attack her while her back was turned.
She glanced up once again at the blinding clash in the sky, the light Miku radiated almost throwing off Maria's sense to time. "To think this would happen…"
She heard Saint-Germain's conversation with HQ after all, and it was shocking as much as it was eye opening for her. With the explanation she gave, it almost felt like this exact moment was planned from the very beginning, or at least they counted on it happening before they lost completely.
But it was also infuriating all the same. This last ditch effort depended on Miku willingly sacrificing herself and then expecting Hibiki to save her with S2CA. There were so many ways it could have gone wrong she couldn't even begin to count the amount, but there was no point in doing so.
They lucked out with a miracle, and it wasn't even coincidental like the others they had achieved.
It was a man-made one, born out of the sheer belief in the nature of those who had achieved it.
And she had to admit that it was one heck of a miracle too.
"Wielders, status report!"
Genjuro's sudden voice caught her by surprise, and she hurriedly raised her hand to her earpiece to respond. "Maria, all clear here!"
"Ugh...Shirabe and...Kirika...all clear…" Shirabe's voice said heavily.
Her eyes widened, and she spoke up in concern. "Kirika! Shirabe! Are you two alright?!"
"We're...fine. Miku saved us...before it could do anything. We just need a moment." The Shul-Shagana wielder answered over the comm, causing Maria to let out a sigh of relief.
"Chris here...all's good, I guess?" The Ichaival wielder reported in. "I have a lot of questions just so you know."
"We all do," Genjuro said to her. "Tsubasa?"
Maria waited impatiently for the Ame-no-Habakiri wielder to answer. The last time she saw her, she was about to engaged the seemingly resurrected Kanade in battle, and hadn't heard from her since. While she trusted her abilities and power, Maria could not stop herself from worrying.
For more reasons than one, but she resolved to never admit it to anyone except herself.
There was a small rush of static in their ears before her voice rose up in the comm. "Tsubasa reporting. All clear."
Once again, Maria let out a sigh of relief. 'Thank god.'
Sounding satisfied, Genjuro spoke up once more. "Very well, then here's what you'll do next: meet at Point Theta and wait there for further orders. I need all of you to be on standby in case something goes wrong."
Maria blinked several times, taken aback. Point Theta, as she recalled, was the general courtyard area of the former concert hall, the place where they originally confronted Hibiki before the battle started. To head back there now was a tad bit strange, but also…
"Wait...just standby? That's it? But what about the Noise and the beasts?"
"Scans have shown they are currently incapacitated and will no longer move, as you can see. With Miku-kun having taken down the titan, there are currently no other confirmed hostiles anywhere in the city. Therefore, I need all of you to be ready in case you might need to reinforce her; however, don't do anything in the meantime. Just like last time, if you try to get involved in their fight directly you'll be caught in the crossfire. Don't make any crazy moves. We'll raise the sub back to the surface the moment we have the all clear."
"So we just wait more?! That's all we can do?!" Maria asked, not at all satisfied to being reduced to backup again. They were supposed to work together, not just watch from afar!
"Yes. Sorry Maria-kun, but that's all we can do right now."
She grit her teeth in frustration. Intellectually, she understood the reason why they couldn't get involved, but if only they had also ascended to X-Drive with her, then maybe…
She shook her head. 'No use thinking about what ifs.'
"Very well. Then I'll head to Point Theta right away." She responded.
Only then, Tsubasa's voice rose once again through the comm. "My apologies, but I'm afraid I will not be able to join you just yet. There is something...I must take care of first."
"Tsubasa?" Maria murmured in disbelief. "What are you-"
"I see...very well," Genjuro said. "Then, the rest of you head over there and wait for further instructions."
"Hold on a sec," Chris suddenly spoke up again. "Am I the only one who noticed that our Gears are back to normal? Cos at least mine is, and I was pretty damn sure I was about to completely lose my mind there. What's up with that?"
Comms went silent for a few moments, her question being processed not only by HQ, but by everyone else listening in as well. And it puzzled Maria as well as she looked over herself for the second time, confused by the fact that the darkness that symbolized the Ignite Module had disappeared, leaving her Symphogear back in its normal silver color.
Before anyone from headquarters could answer, Saint-Germain's voice rose up behind her, causing her to turn around. "I believe the answer to that...is plenty obvious."
"What-"
It was then Elfnein spoke, and her tone of voice made the wielders narrowed their eyes in bewilderment. "The Ignite Module...it's gone."
"Huh?" Chris asked. "What do you mean it's gone?"
"It's...it's completely gone. There is nothing left of it. The god-slaying power, the fragment of Dainsleif, and even the physical alterations to the convertor unit are completely gone. There is nothing left of it. It's not even showing up on the scans anymore, like it's never been there in the first place."
"HUH?! But how is that possible?! That doesn't make sense!" Chris argued back.
"No...it does," Maria said, causing Chris to fall quiet. "That light...right after she sang her Superb Song, there were these...circles of light that washed over everything and caused the beasts and Noise to just deactivate. It's probably the cause."
"What?! But that's...that's crazy!"
"It...really is," Saint-Germain added in. "The divine power...you must not underestimate it. Now that a large portion of it is in her hands...the full extent of what she can do now is unknown to us. Her being able to destroy just the curses and nothing else is just a small taste of what is to come."
Chris could not help but fall quiet at her words, and Maria could tell her teammate was processing the sheer ridiculousness of what Saint-Germain just said to her. It was hard to believe, even for herself, but somehow it still made sense to her in a way.
After all, Saint-Germain said that the divine power does have its own will. And it chose Miku as the next vessel not just because she was also eligible…
But because it wanted to stand against All the Evils of this World. With that in mind, it was almost logical, despite the absurdity. No longer willing to be shackled down by humanity's hatreds, the divine power decided to bear its full might against the evil that chained it, and it will do so in the hands of the one who shares its desires.
Maria ran a hand through her hair, and she let out a contemplative huff that was also astonished. "We really can't do anything, can we?" She asked nobody in particular. "We lost Ignite, and the two of them are even more extreme than ever before."
"That is reality for now, so we'll do what we can for now. In the meantime, hang tight everyone. Even if we turned the tables, it's only going to get more difficult from here." Genjuro said back.
Chris sighed over the comm. "Roger."
At that, communication cut out, silence falling on the destroyed harbor once again. Her mind working overtime, Maria turned around slightly and raised her head to the sky, looking towards the wild clash of light taking place far above the cityscape.
"Go."
The alchemist's voice from behind her caused head to snap back, her eyes looking to her with a questioning gaze. "Saint-Germain?"
"You wish...to check on her well-being...do you not?" She asked, her labored breaths much lighter than before. "Then go. I'll be...fine here on my own."
"But you-"
"The enemies have been...neutralized," She interrupted her. "There is not further need for you...to cover for me. Once I finish recuperating I will...join you. I'm sure Kazanari Genjuro...is aware of this as well."
Maria couldn't find anything to say in response to her.
"You already know...what you need to say, do you not? Then go."
Clenching her fists tightly, Maria found herself conflicted. While she was worried about Tsubasa, she couldn't just leave Saint-Germain here all alone, even if the enemy units were just corpses at this point.
It was a big dilemma, but the alchemist said she would be alright on her own. Meanwhile, Tsubasa…
She had a very good guess as to what she meant, and Maria was not about to just stand aside and leave her on her own. Even if she wouldn't be able to join in on her battle…
She wanted to see it. She wanted to see first hand...Zwei Wing's last performance.
"Alright…but take care of yourself, okay? You shouldn't do anything rash either." Maria said to her as she turned back around.
The alchemist huffed. "Hmph...I can also..say the same to you. I'll keep it in mind."
Maria smiled briefly, and soon enough began her dash through the ruined harbor, making her way to Tsubasa's position.
-!-
Tsubasa looked high up with her mouth agape at the clash of light occuring far above her head. She was caught completely off guard by the sudden emergence of S2CA out of nowhere, and found herself absolutely amazed at Miku's X-Drive form. Even from this large distance she could see it, and could do nothing else but admire it.
It was the logical thing to do. Her own X-Drive which she had used three times in the past already was nothing short of awe-striking as well, and combined with her comrades' proved to be unstoppable.
But there was something else in this one that just gave her a different feeling from the usual, and she didn't chalk it up to the divine power.
It was the purpose by which it had come into existence, that's what it was. If until now X-Drive was used in order to crush their enemies and save the world, this time…it was for neither of those things.
It was for the sake of one person and a single wish, and Tsubasa could not help but smile, the memory of her speaking with Miku over a month ago rising up to the surface. That's right, Miku was carrying her own wish up there...along with their own.
The wish to take back someone important to them, and damn the consequences.
"Ah…Ah…"
Kanade's heavy breathing coming from the side caused her to turn her head towards her, and once more her eyes widened in shock and worry at her current state.
To say Kanade was in bad shape was an understatement. Her body was, for a lack of a better word, crumbling. Her entire form glowed with a faint blue aura, and little by little parts of her frame were flaking away like dust. While there wasn't much of a difference from before on the surface, it made the situation clear:
Kanade's time on this Earth was going to be cut short any moment now, whatever force holding her together having been evaporated by Miku's light.
"Damn...this is...really not fun…" The red head breathed out, still holding onto her spear as a crutch as she uneasily raised herself to one knee.
"Kanade…"
What could Tsubasa say to her? Even if she begged her to remain, she knew it would be impossible. She was no longer the scared and shy little girl she was three years ago, and she knew that she could do nothing to stop this process. It was inevitable now, and the only thing she could really do was stay by her side as she passed her last moments.
"U-ugh-" Kanade let out. Pushing as much as she could into her limbs, she pushed herself up to two feet. Nearly stumbling under her own footing, she quickly balanced herself, still using her spear as a pillar of support to avoid falling over.
And then she uttered a laugh, confusing the blue haired wielder. "Looks like...this is your victory, Tsubasa," She said. Tsubasa's eyes narrowed in confusion, and Kanade continued. "The missy...won't be able to do anything...about this now. The girlie...is gonna surpass her and undo everything she did until now. Looks like...the party is over now."
"Kanade…"
"But y'know, I'm still kinda...bummed," The former Gungnir user grumbled. "Like, we got to fight each other, and even together. It really was...a blast, having this last performance, but...there's still something I wanna do. Just one thing...that we didn't get to do."
Balancing herself as much as she could, and with her body still flaking away, Kanade stood up to her full height.
And the look she gave Tsubasa stole the sword wielder's breath away. "Hey, Tsubasa...will you fly with me...one last time?"
It was a request said with a saddened tone, and immediately Tsubasa's mind wandered back all the way to that fateful day three years. The sight of Kanade begrudgingly accepting her death, and the sight of her crumbling to dust right in her arms.
And Tsubasa just knew...she just knew...that this time will be no different. Now...was going to be a repeat of that day.
And she was the one who was going to make it a reality. All Kanade really wanted...was to be able to sing her heart out one last time before she vanished forever from the world, and return to the depths of the afterlife.
Tsubasa opened her mouth to speak, only to be suddenly interrupted when her Uncle's voice rose up from her earpiece. "Wielders, status report!"
She raised her hand to her earpiece, and waited patiently for everyone else to make their status known before speaking up herself. "Tsubasa reporting. All clear."
Inwardly Tsubasa felt a wave of relief washing over her at hearing all of them were fine. She was terrified at the thought that someone might have died in the chaos, and it sat in her stomach as a ball of concern that gnawed away at her the entire time she fought Kanade.
To hear their voice now was nothing short of a godsend. And as Genjuro relayed his new orders to them, Tsubasa could only stare at her former partner standing across the street, the same indescribable melancholic expression on her face.
With that in mind, her answer to her Uncle's commands was obvious. "My apologies, but I'm afraid I will not be able to join you just yet. There is something...I must take care of first."
Immediately Maria's voice cut through the comm, and she smiled inwardly. "Tsubasa? What are you-"
"I see...very well," Genjuro said, cutting the Airgetlam wielder off. "Then, the rest of you head over there and wait for further instructions."
She cut off communications right after that, not willing to keep Kanade waiting any longer. They had raised another important topic before comms went silent, but quite frankly she found herself unable to care about that right now.
For now...there was something more important that required her attention. Something that she might never be able to experience again in her life if she let the chance slip by.
She smiled, and answered Kanade's request. "Yes, I will. Let us fly together one last time, Kanade."
Her heart shattered in her chest at the thought, but she held back the tears. Kanade gave a sigh of relief laced with happiness, and she too flashed her usual goofy grin at her. "Great...I'm glad. We wouldn't be Zwei Wing...without a song to finish things off, would we?"
Tsubasa nodded. "I agree. We always sang together, whether it was onstage or on the battlefield. And now, there is no better opportunity to do so. Let us sing with all our hearts Kanade...and soar."
"Yeah, let's," The redhead said in accord. However, unexpectedly she turned her head to the side, staring at someone that was approaching. "But of course...a performance is nothing without an audience, right?"
"What are you-"
"Tsubasa!"
The sword wielder's eyes widened at the familiar voice, and she hurriedly turned her head around to the source. Seemingly appearing from out of nowhere, and having made her way to them as fast as she could, Maria came to a stop a fair distance between the two, looking towards her singing partner.
"Maria…"
The pink haired idol opened her mouth to speak, almost in a panic. "Tsubasa, I-!"
"Thank you, Maria," Tsubasa suddenly said, cutting her off. "Thank you for coming all this way. Please, watch me...watch us, as we give Zwei Wing's last performance."
There was so much more Maria wanted to say, but the words wouldn't leave her mouth. Still standing a fair distance from the two, her shoulders sagged and she took a step back, knowing what was about to come.
"It really is just like the old days, isn't it?" Kanade said, turning Tsubasa's attention back to her. "A song, a stage, and an audience. I couldn't ask for anything better."
It took a moment for the sword wielder to speak as she studied Kanade's fading form. The process seemed to slow down, less and less particles flaking away from her body, as if she was keeping it intact through sheer will alone.
And she knew why. She wanted to last through this performance. She would only let herself fade away when it ended.
A performer never leaves the stage early, no matter their state. The only time they are allowed to exit...was when they were done, when they finally reached their last act, their last song. Only after they gave everything they had, and gave the audience the experience of a lifetime.
And a memory that will forever be carved into their hearts.
It fell quiet. The sounds of the clash above high above their heads barely an afterthought in their minds. Maria watched from the side silently, her eyes darting between the two former partners as they raised their weapons and entered their stances.
On one hand, a fading red head with a crumbling spear. On the other, a blue haired idol on her last legs, her sword barely holding itself together. Both gripping onto their last bits of strength, gathering it tightly within themselves as they prepared for the final clash.
The wind blew.
And with the sound of beating wings, a familiar song rose between them.
(Play: Gyakkou no Flugel)
It rang throughout the ruined street. A soaring melody from the past that left Maria at a loss for words. A melody she had heard many times before, and had left her breathless and speechless.
A song she had never sang with Tsubasa, for it belonged to the two who were known as the Dual Wings, each one a part of a greater whole.
And the two smiled, their weapons at the ready.
They charged, their weapons clashing as the lyrics rose and echoed, alternating between the two. The spear and the sword clanged with wild sparks of fire and electricity, lighting up the street with a radiance nearly matching the one of the two dueling bearers of divine power.
Tsubasa poured power into her arms, forcing Kanade back. She followed after her, and the former idol parried and deflected the following strikes with all the strength she could muster.
Stepping to the side after a heavy overhead swing from Tsubasa, she thrust her spear forward, and the blue haired idol quickly released her grip on her sword with her left hand and raised her arm, the spear's tip passing right under it.
Knowing what Kanade was planning to do, Tsubasa quickly pulled the sword back just as the red head's grip on her spear shifted, and she swung horizontally to slice at Tsubasa's midsection.
The sword grinded against the spear just in time, sparks once again erupting from the point of impact. The smiles never leaving their faces for even a moment, their eyes met for a brief eternity before Tsubasa took the opportunity to charge in, her sword not disengaging from the spear for even a second as she closed the distance and slashed at Kanade's defenseless form.
Only to be caught by surprise when the former Gungnir user let of her spear completely and twisted aside, avoiding the strike entirely. She circled around Tsubasa, not stopping her spin, and managed to catch her spear by the handle with one hand as she placed herself behind her former partner.
From her position, she slashed horizontally once again, aiming at Tsubasa's back; however, just in time Tsubasa flipped forward, the blades on her legs crashing against the spear, deflecting it upwards.
Before Kanade could follow up on her attack, Tsubasa kept on flipping forward and putting distance between the two of them, before coming to a stop nearly a hundred meters away from the redhead.
Their smiles widened as they sang, and once again they charged towards each other at extremely high speeds. And as they rocketed over the ground, the air around them shimmered and shone, and above them two veritable walls of weapons, replicas of their own held ones, materialized into existence.
And just as they closed the distance, fired simultaneously.
'THOUSAND TEARS'
'STARDUST∞FOTON'
The blades crashed against each other with the sounds of grinding and exploding steel. Raining down on the other in an attempt to pierce through their opponent, the two waves clashed in mid air, spears and swords of light intercepting each other right above the two wielders.
And once again the two exchanged wild blows underneath the storm, their weapons a blur in the night, only the sparks of their impact against each other visible to Maria, the only spectator.
'It's like...they're dancing.'
She watched in awe as the storm of blades destroyed each other on impact, shards of light rained down on the two and dissipated into nothingness. And it went on and on, neither of the two stopped their materialization of more weapons to bring down on the other.
With a strong smash, Kanade forced Tsubasa back, causing her to skid over the ground. In response, Tsubasa brought down more of her blades of light, but Kanade weaved in between them as they crashed into the ground.
Kanade dashed from side to side as she closed in, and Tsubasa brandished her blade, preparing it for the collision.
The storm of blades stopped as soon as the two weapons clashed. Putting her free arm on the flat side of her sword Tsubasa pushed her off, causing Kanade to stumble. Tsubasa crouched low and swung at her legs, forcing Kanade to try and strike at her head as she saw the opportunity. Tsubasa quickly turned and deflected the strike to the side, and so Kanade landed back a small distance away from her.
The two did not stop singing for even a moment, and once more charged simultaneously. This time however, just before they clashed again, Tsubasa thrust her blade into the ground. Less than a second later later, she heaved upwards, causing a large slab of the concrete to suddenly be lifted in front of Kanade, cutting off her path.
Kanade only had a moment to be surprised before the blade pierced through the slab. Reacting quickly, she jumped and planted her feet against the tilted slab, the sword nearly stabbing her from below.
The force of her impact forced the concrete back at Tsubasa, and Kanade took the opportunity to leap into the air, using it as a springboard to rise high above her former partner.
Tsubasa sliced the chunk in half, her gamble having failed, only to notice Kanade was not on the other side. Her eyes narrowing for a moment, she hurriedly raised her eyes towards the sky, catching sight of the red head hanging in the air high above her.
Their song reaching its chorus for the second time, each of them knew exactly what the other was planning.
Kanade threw her spear towards Tsubasa, and Tsubasa did the same with her sword. The two weapons whistled through the air as they flew towards each other.
For just a moment Kanade and Tsubasa's gazes met.
And then Kanade dove down, her heel extended towards the pommel of her spear. Copying her maneuver, Tsubasa jumped, flipping midflight with her heel extended towards the tip of her sword's handle.
Suddenly, the two weapons grew to gargantuan sizes, at least a hundred times bigger than before. Tsubasa and Kanade slammed they heels into their weapons simultaneously, and their thrusters roared to life as they charged.
'SPEAR∞ORBIT'
'HEAVEN'S WRATH'
A titanic explosion of steel occurred a second later as the oversized blades crashed into each other, tip to tip. The sharp edges grinding away at each, the metal making them up shaving away with every millisecond they remained locked in their exchange.
Both giant spear and sword erupted into a million shards of steel, and the two wielders flew through the cloud of fragments towards each other. Materializing their weapons once more in their hands, they swung with all their strength and clashed with a mighty flash of light.
Gravity soon acted its force upon them, and they fell back to the ground. Their song did not stop even as they impacted the concrete, and once more began a wild exchange of blows, striking and aiming for each other with smiles on their faces that could not increase in size any more than they already had.
'This heat...this excitement...this heart pounding performance...is one of a kind. Thank you, Kanade, for letting me experience it again in my lifetime.'
Sweat pouring down her face endlessly, Tsubasa deflected and parried away mad strikes that came from every possible direction, each one more ferocious than the other. Yet, her own strikes were not to be underestimated, as she forced Kanade back on the defensive time and time again, yet every time she did so her former partner would respond in kind, knowing exactly how she'll react and pay her back tenfold.
That's how it was between them, now and forever. A symphony greater than any other, and the sheer energy was unlike anything ever seen before.
A fight, a song...right now, there was no difference.
Just like she said.
Just like she had always said.
Even though Tsubasa was now partnered with Maria, the act of performing with another was out of this world. A once in a lifetime chance that will never come back again.
The two slashed at each other with powerful overhead swings. Just as the blades came down, both weapons shone brightly, and just as they impacted each other the energy was released.
'AZURE FLASH'
'POWER∞SHINE'
A massive fireball engulfed the two of them, sending powerful winds in all directions. Maria was forced to bring an arm up to protect her face from the gale force, and she groaned as she planted her feet in order to not be blown away.
As the heat rose, the first to leave the fireball was Tsubasa. She flew backward through the air with smoke trailing behind her, she skidded across the concrete a fair distance back, putting her palm on the ground in order to stop her momentum.
She didn't have a second to be surprised as the fireball vanished in an instant, and in the place the two had clashed Kanade stood, her spear pointed forward before her.
And what looked like a sun began forming at the tip of her spear, plasma and fire coalescing into a gigantic ball of red hot flame that raged wildly, melting the concrete beneath it. Raising her blade in front of her in preparation, Tsubasa tried to think of something that could perhaps counter what Kanade was doing.
However, nothing came to mind right away.
The energy continued to gather at a rapid rate, leaving the sword wielder with very few options. Smiling to herself regardless, she quickly realized what her best course of action was.
Dodging to the side would be meaningless.
Trying to block it would be pointless.
And trying to stop her from unleashing it would be useless.
So there was only one choice left:
To go through it.
The thrusters on her feet and back roared to life, and Tsubasa charged, covering the distance at blinding speeds.
Smirking and singing, Kanade let the sun loose.
'SUPERGIANT∞FLARE'
Solar flame erupted from the ball of plasma, rushing towards Tsubasa with the true heat of a star in a large beam. Yet she did not stop her dash, and she stared ahead at the approaching wave of death with a resolute expression.
Maria could do nothing but watch in horror as Tsubasa was engulfed, the flame roaring past her unabated as it melted its way through everything. Kanade kept on holding her spear forward, channeling her energies into it as her song did not stop for even a moment.
Because she wasn't the only one singing.
Within the fire, Tsubasa surged forward. Singing her heart out, she pushed forward and onwards with no regard to anything else. Little by little her Symphogear was disintegrating from the heat, but she kept her hold and focus on her sword, keeping it materialized with all her strength. She pushed more and more power, one eye closed as she felt herself be scorched by the unbearable heat.
But there was no other direction to take.
There was only going forward and not looking back.
To fly, higher and higher.
For even the sky was not the limit.
The fire scorched her skin, and as her song finally reached its final verse, she gave one last push. One last beat of her wings.
And with all of her heart, screamed the name of girl who had changed her life.
"KANADEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE"
And she thrust her sword forward.
Her blade pierced through the raging sun.
At that moment, the star was extinguished.
Everything abruptly ceased. The flames vanished, and the song came to an end. All that remained was a stunned onlooker, her eyes wide in astonishment.
Along with two former partners. One holding onto a blade of white and blue…
And the other impaled upon it.
Not a single one of them, spectator and combatants alike, could say anything in response. Yet, a single sound rose between them anyway, one that was not expected at this time.
It was the sound of crying. The tears fell nonstop from the eyes of the blue haired idol as she looked down on the ground, her hands still holding onto the handle of her sword that had pierced through the chest of her former partner.
And she could only murmur her name in sorrow.
"Kanade…"
The red head's hands fell to her sides, her spear still clutched in her left one. "Yeah...this is how it should have ended…"
"Kanade…"
"This was the only way...we could finish our last dance, Tsubasa. And I'm glad...I got to experience it with you...one last time…"
Tsubasa's whimpers broke Maria's heart, she raised a hand to cover her mouth in an attempt to stop herself from sobbing as well.
"You've grown so strong...Tsubasa...I'm glad…" Kanade uttered weakly, and she tilted her head upwards, staring into the sky. She did not bleed, for there was no blood for her to shed. And yet... "To think...I could spend this moment with you again...was something I thought I'd never get the chance to do again. That was...my biggest regret back then. Now...I guess I can leave...with no worries."
The sound of the mad clash returned, muffled by the large distance. Yet, not a single one of them cared about it right now. Tsubasa did not have the courage to look up as once more Kanade's body began to flake away, this time the process proving unstoppable.
She could only continue to cry and sob. In response, Kanade tilted her head back down and smiled, putting her free hand on top of her head gently. "Seriously...you grew so much and yet...you're still such a cry baby…"
She raised her head up, and Maria was surprised to find herself meeting the disappearing red head's gaze. She was further shocked when Kanade spoke directly to her, her voice calm and even. "Hey, you-no, Maria was it? As you can see...she still needs someone...to look after her. After all...she still has a bit of growing up...to do. So...I leave her...to you."
Removing her hand from her mouth, Maria's response was a quick and resolute one.
She nodded. "I will."
Kanade smiled once more. "Thanks…"
Gathering all the strength she could into the hand holding her spear, she embedded it by its tip into the ground next to her, the concrete cracking and keeping the weapon upright. "This is your victory...Tsubasa...so you've...earned this...from me…"
"Kanade…wait..."
"Your song...is so beautiful now. I really couldn't...keep up with it at all...that's why I'm sure you can soar...higher and higher...even on your own…"
Tsubasa turned her head upwards, and her tear-stained face met Kanade's gentle gaze. "That's what...your name means...after all. You...have two wings now. So fly..higher and higher...without anything...to hold you down."
"A-ah...A-ah…"
"You know...I know...last time I said...that singing your heart out...leaves you so hungry and empty...but now...I can't help...but feel satisfied…"
Her arms vanished.
"K-Kanade…I...I-!"
"It was really...fun...really...really...fun...wasn't it...Tsubasa?"
Her legs disappeared.
"Kanade…"
"Thank you...Tsubasa…Thank you..."
Tsubasa let out one last anguished gasp.
The weight on her blade disappeared.
Her soul filled with nothing but joy, and with her final smile etched into her former partner's heart, Amou Kanade once again vanished into the wind.
The blue particles of light rose to the sky, melding with the night.
The sword shattered to pieces, and Tsubasa fell to the ground on her hands and knees.
And the tears continued to fall nonstop, her heartbroken cries echoing in the street.
"Ah...Ah...Kanade…"
Her breaths came up short. Her heart and mind shattered beyond belief, she could only wail in grief.
She could only repeat her former partner's name continuously and without end, staring at the spot on the ground where she stood just a moment before.
It...it was exactly just like last time, except…
This time, she did it. It was by her blade that Kanade had been pierced, and by her hand that she once again disappeared forever.
"Ah...Ah...Ah…"
It was overwhelming. It was overbearing. And it crushed her completely.
The memories they had shared...the feeling she had felt...all of them rose back up to the surface in an instant, and she could only mourn for all that was lost, for all that will never be seen again.
There was nothing left now.
A hand touched her shoulder. She uneasily raised her head, her vision blurry, yet she could still make up the shape of the one that went down to her knees in front of her.
"Ah...Maria…"
Suddenly, and without warning, Maria wrapped her arms around her. Her head suddenly touching Maria's stomach as she embraced her, the pink haired idol closed her eyes and murmured softly.
"Tsubasa...it's okay...it's okay...it's okay…"
"Ah...ah…"
She couldn't hold it back. Her cries intensifying a hundredfold, her anguish rose and rose as the tears continued to fall. Raising her hands off the ground, Tsubasa grasped Maria's arms with all her strength, holding onto her as a lifeline.
She couldn't stop. She didn't know if she wanted to stop.
Because she lost Kanade again...and this time, forever.
And the two stayed together like so, with Maria gently patting Tsubasa's head as she cried her heart out, not saying a thing in response. She didn't know how long it went on for; perhaps a minute, perhaps an hour, it didn't matter.
It was a very slow process, but eventually little by little Tsubasa's shuddering form calmed down, and all that remained of her cries were barely contained sobs. She breathed in and out as she tried to compose herself, but it was still very difficult.
"Ah...ah…"
"It's okay...it's okay…"
That was all Maria could say to her.
Yet, those simple words made all the difference. Taking in one last deep breath, Tsubasa got herself under control. The grief was still unbearable, but…
This was no time to keep on crying forever, for she had done all the crying she needed three years ago. Now...was no different.
And there was someone who was waiting for them, someone who was suffering, and needed their help. With that resolve in mind, Tsubasa sniffled one last time and regulated her breathing, putting a stop to the tears.
Realizing her partner was calmer now, Maria released the embrace and slowly rose back to her feet, staring down at Tsubasa all the while. The Ame-no-Habakiri wielder pushed herself back up, rising unsteadily and her vision still cloudy and blurry from the tears.
Before she could wipe them away herself, Maria reached over and did it for her, removing the last drops that fell from her eyes. The pink haired idol smiled as she spoke. "Geez...you really are a cry baby."
Something that sounded like a small laugh escaped Tsubasa's lips, and a small smile graced her face. "Yeah," She said with a slightly broken voice. "I really am."
Maria opened her mouth to speak. "Tsubasa-"
"Thank you, Maria," The blue haired idol said, cutting her off. "I...I'm sorry you had to see such an unsightly thing."
Maria huffed in response. "As if I would care about that. Besides...I can't blame you."
Tsubasa blinked rapidly, restoring her normal vision as the blurriness faded and she could see clearly again. "Thank you...let us go join...the others then. There's still much we need to do. We aren't done just yet."
"Yeah, we aren't." Maria replied. "Then, we go whenever you're ready."
Tsubasa nodded, and took a second to regain her bearings and analyze her situation. She looked down at herself, grimacing at the fact that her Symphogear was in tatters. Parts of it had melted and fallen off, and somehow she was lucky enough to escape without having her naked skin be completely scorched. Still, at its current state Ame-no-Habakiri could not exactly be repaired on the fly, and she'd have to wait until the battle was over until it could be back at full strength.
She had expended the majority of her energy fighting Kanade, and she could barely bring herself to materialize another blade; however…
She turned around, and the first thing that met her sight was the spear Kanade had left behind. She stared at it with a wistful gaze for a long moment, and then reached out, grasping it by the handle.
"Thank you, Kanade. I'll make sure...to make good use of it."
And dislodged it from the ground, holding it in one hand. Maria looked to her curiously, but said nothing in response. Tsubasa then turned to her. "Shall we go?"
Maria nodded. "Yes."
The two looked up towards the sky, their eyes watching the clash of light for a moment before they lowered their gaze, and together made their way towards their awaiting comrades.
The battle was coming to a close, that much she could tell. All that remained now...was to accomplish the goal that they had sacrificed so much to reach.
And to placed their hopes on the one person who could finally bring everything to an end.
'Miku...it's up to you now. Go forth...and make your wish a reality.'
-!-
(Play: Eternal Love Promise)
She could barely keep up.
They should be on the same level. The same exact one, in fact, and yet she was surpassed from the very first strike.
Her reckless charge towards Miku proved to be a mistake, for as soon as the battle began Hibiki quickly lost her advantage. The big, massive advantage she had held over the ascended Shenshoujing wielder was erased completely, and now she could barely do anything to keep herself from being defeated in an instant.
That was the might of the divine power.
That was the might of All the Hopes of this World.
But above all, it was the unwavering will of a single girl.
A simple contact with Miku's fan instantly caused her spear to start disintegrating, the sheer presence of the concept running through it overwhelming the curses, like it always had, but this time it was even more incredible. With the divine power enhancing that concept, it was a simple cake walk to cause the spear to become next to useless, its real purpose now nothing more than a tool to try and survive.
The exchange of blows could barely even be called that. Miku's power, speed, tactics, and awareness had spiked a hundredfold, and all Hibiki could do in response was try and keep the fan from striking her at any point.
But that wasn't even the most astonishing part. Just like she had done to the titan, the curses could barely bring themselves to regenerate their missing portions in time for Miku to deliver another light-speed blow, undetectable by the naked eye. Hibiki could only see it due to the fact that her senses were as open as Miku's, if not more, due to her longer time holding the divine power.
But it didn't even matter now. Miku learned how to fight, removing her biggest setback. The power difference had been eliminated, and now the two of them were on the exact same level.
No, Hibiki had still had the advantage in skill, that she was sure of.
But how was she going to make use of it under this rain of blows?
She grimaced, and dove down in order to avoid a nasty horizontal swing. She did not let Miku out of her sight for even a second as she tried to gain some distance, making sure she did not follow her.
However, it was useless. There was a brief flash of light, and Hibiki's senses immediately screamed, forcing herself to cartwheel through the air in order to avoid a strike that came from her front. There was a sound not unlike a laser as the fan sliced through the air, missing her by a hair's breadth.
"K-kuh! Miku-!"
Yet the girl said nothing.
After all, she was singing, the song of her heart echoing throughout the battlefield.
And the longer Hibiki listened to it, the more her resolve started to waver.
She couldn't even bring herself to ignore it. The lyrics weaved their way into her mind, and she felt her heart clench more and more in her chest the longer it went.
But she forced it down as much as she could, as futile as it felt.
Miku was relentless in her assault. As Hibiki continued to avoid her strikes, she kept them coming endlessly. Charging towards her at blinding speed, she swung hard again; however, this time Hibiki countered by teleporting away, the cloud of black dust signifying her movement appearing instantly in front of her eyes.
She scanned the area with her senses, and quickly found her new position. Hibiki was barely able to respond as in another flash, Miku teleported right in front of her and attacked again. This time, Hibiki could swear she could see her strike followed by afterimages, as if a dozen more Mikus were sharing the same space and attacking her all at once.
Left with no choice, she placed her spear in the blow's path, and just like she thought it felt as though it was struck a dozen times in rapid succession. Somehow, somehow, it held together, but she was knocked to the side so hard she was sent off course.
"W-why?! Why are you doing this, Miku?!" She screamed, yet the black haired girl gave no answer. She just kept on singing without end, completely focused on her one goal.
For what purpose did she even ask that question, then?
She already knew what Miku's goal was, so that wasn't it.
No, that question...was directed at the song she was singing.
It was a new one, one she had never heard before, and that added another thousand layers to the shock. But that wasn't even the worst-
-'best'-
-part, for with every word, with every beat of the melody...she felt her heart stir.
And it was painful. It was more painful than anything in the world because she knew what those lyrics meant, what they embodied.
It was like the song itself was laced with that concept she held, creating a melody that could only truly be described as divine.
And it was all directed right at her.
It was all dedicated to her.
Miku made it obvious as such. She had said that she dedicated all her songs to her, and now this one...this one…
Hibiki briefly found herself wondering...what kind of face was she making at that moment? What was it that Miku was seeing that forced her onwards, and how every one of her strikes was delivered in tone with the song that broke down the walls Hibiki had built around her heart.
It was hell. It was a hell made of nothing but sunshine, and flowers, and happiness. And as she listened to it more and more, the memories of those happy days played out in her mind again and again.
What Miku was doing was...was…
Hibiki flipped in midair, barely dodging another strike from Miku's weapon. Gritting her teeth as hard as she could charged with a primal roar, hellbent on making the music stop. Making the memories stop. Making the sunny smile she saw in her mind disappear.
Her face was scrunched up in an expression not far removed from madness, yet Miku remained calm and gentle as she kept on singing. The spear and the fan clashed again and again, Hibiki making sure to keep as minimal contact with the fan or Miku herself in order to avoid having her weapon destroyed.
The feathers kept on fluttering down around them, bathing the battlefield in an otherworldly, ethereal glow. Hibiki let out a pained grunt with every blow she delivered, forcing herself to keep fighting despite her own mind breaking down.
And Miku could see it. She could feel it. While it was difficult to witness, it was in the end what she needed to do.
It wouldn't do to just eliminate the curses, for that wouldn't solve the underlying problem. No, the curses were a mere afterthought, for what she needed was just a very simple thing:
She needed to hear two words from Hibiki. Just two very simple words, and that would put an end to everything. Those words would be the signal that she can finally bring this matter to a close.
Yes, all she needed to do was get Hibiki to say them, and for that reason she sang.
For it was the only manner with which she could draw Hibiki's true desire out, and that was how she was going to make her will known..
And if it meant seeing Hibiki break down little by little...if it meant she had to suffer just a bit more...then she'll steel her heart and keep on going, without stopping.
A hard swing caused Hibiki's spear to shatter in her hand. Looking at the destroyed weapon with wide eyes briefly, Hibiki clenched her teeth and struck out with her fists, the piledrivers pulled back as far as they could. They roared towards Miku faster than the speed of sound, yet the Shenshoujing wielder was unfazed.
Forced to go on the defensive, Miku's fan stood in the way of the punches as they struck, each blow leaving behind a shockwave that tore through the air around them, a massive downburst blowing away rubble and debris that was hundreds of meters below them.
Hibiki screamed with every strike, her arms blurring from the speed she was delivering them. Yet Miku kept up her defense, her own fan a blur as she blocked every single one, her arms moving faster than ever before.
Seeing she was getting absolutely nowhere, Hibiki attempted to pierce through the impossible guard with both fists. Striking out as hard as she could, the two thrusters at the back of her gauntlets erupted with a powerful blaze, and she roared as she attacked. In response, Miku placed her fan in its path.
But this time, she went about it a bit differently. The fan opened, it's interlocking links rapidly unfolding into a circle. Caught by surprise, Hibiki only had a second to react before the mirror shined brightly, and she was forced to abandon her attack mid rush in order to avoid what came next.
A brilliant beam exploded out from the open mirror, singeing Hibiki's leg as she dove down just in time. She grit her teeth once again, glancing at the part of her armor that was shaved away completely by the light. Her frustration only grew as her suspicion was confirmed that the curses were having a much harder time regenerating the lost parts, as whatever Miku was doing was actively denying the process. It was as if it was slowed to a crawl, recovering atom by atom rather than almost instantly like before.
She landed on the ground on both feet, and instantly spread her senses in order to predict Miku's next move. She shifted slightly with her foot, and then swiftly turned, raising her leg in a powerful roundhouse kick.
And just in time to catch Miku teleport right in the path of her attack. A smirk appeared on Hibiki's face. 'Got you!'
Only for her eyes to widen in astonishment as her leg simply...went through Miku, the leg passing through her midsection, causing her entire form to shimmer for a moment before it disappeared completely.
"What-"
She planted her foot, and was instantly alerted to Miku attacking her again from the front. Miku swung her fan hard, but Hibiki dodged to the side before lashing out with a fist to the black haired girl's face.
Only to once again be shocked when her fist phased through her head, and once more her form wavered and vanished. And it happened again: once more Miku attacked from a blind spot, causing Hibiki to turn around hurriedly to strike out against her.
And again, her counterattack did not connect as the afterimage faded, leaving her perplexed.
The song was coming from every direction now, leaving her confused as to Miku's actual position. Her frustration grew with every afterimage she banished, and her voice rose as they kept on coming endlessly.
"STOP IT! STOPITSTOPITSTOPITSTOPITSTOPITSTOPITSTOPITSTOPITSTOPITSTOPITSTOPITSTOPITSTOPITSTOPITSTOPITSTOPITSTOPITSTOPITSTOPITSTOPITSTOPITSTOPIT!"
Letting out another primal scream, and her anger at an all time high, Hibiki slammed both fists into the ground below her. The concrete exploded, rubble shooting up into the air in a desperate attempt to fight Miku off.
She breathed hard as the chunks rained back down around her. Rising to full height once more, she took in a deep breath before it got caught in her throat, and her head darted from side to side.
For she found herself surrounded by not one, not two, not three…
But by at least two dozen Mikus, all of them holding the mirror open and aimed right at her. Caught like a deer in the headlights, she quickly searched in her mind for a solution as the two dozen mirror lit up simultaneously. Left with no choice, she took to the sky, shooting upwards in order to avoid the ambush.
Only to be stopped in her tracks by the real thing, her own mirror shining as she sang. Her eyes wide, she barely had time to teleport out of the way as the mirrors fired, all of them directed at her.
She reappeared a small distance away, not having had enough time to decide on a better location. But her small moment of respite was interrupted as her senses screamed once more, and she dodged out of the way as a tendril of light passed right by her.
Hibiki turned her head to the source, and was shocked to see those very same lights from before coming after her, homing in at her despite her moving out of the way. Miku narrowed her eyes as she focused on Hibiki's location, not letting her out of her sight as she directed the light her afterimages made at her.
Left again with no choice, Hibiki picked up speed and began her retreat, the violet missiles right on her heels. Not willing to even look back at them, she focused on her escape. She maneuvered in the air from side to side, barely avoiding them as they suddenly picked up speed and glanced against her armor. More parts of it faded away from the areas touched by the light, leaving her naked skin exposed to the elements.
Changing tactics on the fly, she tried to teleport away and create more distance. But every time she did so the tendrils continued their chase, not leaving her tail for even a moment.
Of course they wouldn't. Miku knew exactly where she was at all times. She could see and she could feel her, no matter the distance, and follow that signature perfectly.
It briefly made Hibiki wonder why wasn't she just finishing everything in an instant, but she did not look a gift horse in the mouth.
That is, until several of the tendrils whisked past her and blocked her path, forcing her to remain in place. She turned around, but found herself once again surrounded on all sides, this time a sphere of the light whips trapping her from every possible direction.
Her head darted all over the place, trying to find an opening in the encirclement, but she found none. She grit her teeth again, this time causing a molar to crack from the pressure, and she hung in place. Her entire body shook as she gathered energy, and she hunched forward from the massive pressure building up within her, hugging her arms to herself.
Just then, the tendrils surged forward, intent on piercing her all at once.
And she spread her arms, letting out a guttural shout as a massive eruption exploded from her to all sides. A sphere of pure energy surrounded her and expanded, and just as Miku's song came to an end the tendrils of light dissipated into nothingness. The incredible power contained in Hibiki's energy release shook the air, throwing rubble and dust about in all directions.
A few moments later, the cloud of dust settled, leaving Hibiki hanging in the air and breathing hard from the effort. She grit her teeth and turned around, only to come face to face with Miku again. Retreating from the Shenshoujing wielder, she raised her guard in preparation for the next assault.
Only for Miku to do nothing.
(Play: Fate Stay Night OST - Ocean of Memories)
Hibiki could only look at her with wide eyes, her pupils shaking as she stared at her from across the small distance. Her breathing still heavy and her armor slowly regenerating, Hibiki hung in the air, her lips moving but no words coming out of her mouth.
Everything she did was for naught. Despite all of her efforts, the song had wormed its way into her mind, ringing inside her brain and bouncing to and fro inside her skull. It was replaying itself endlessly, and with every repetition her panic and frustration increased.
The lyrics, they were...they were…
No, the song itself was nothing but a means to an end. All it was there for was to deliver a single message to her, that much she realized. Her senses open and her awareness expanded, she realized exactly what that message was.
And it was a simple one, contained within three very small yet powerful words.
Miku, still hovering before her in the air with her wings spread, murmured her name softly. "Hibiki…"
That was what broke the camel's back. Her composure broken and her heart in shambles, Hibiki exploded in a fit of anguished rage.
"WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"
Her scream echoed and broke the sound barrier, distorting the air. Yet Miku said nothing more, listening to her outburst.
"WHY!? WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME THIS NOW?! WHY ARE DOING THIS, MIKU?!"
Anger born from sorrow and a lack of understanding, causing an all-encompassing feeling of powerlessness to run wild through her.
And Miku could tell that now, the curses had nothing to do with it.
"Because that is my true heart, Hibiki."
A simple, gentle answer.
Which proceeded to throw Hibiki over the edge. "IT'S THE SAME FOR ME TOO! BUT NOW...BUT NOW-!"
The face of madness returned with tenfold strength. "I WISHED FOR IT TOO! THAT WAS ALL I WANTED! BUT NO MATTER WHAT I DID, I WAS CHASED BY SUFFERING! ALL I WANTED WAS TO BE LEFT ALONE!"
The sound of her voice echoed throughout the city, and as the other wielders convened with each other, they looked up and above them, straight towards the duo.
"EVER SINCE THAT DAY I WAS STUCK FOREVER IN A NIGHTMARE! NO MATTER WHERE I WENT OR WHAT I DID IT CAME AFTER ME AGAIN AND AGAIN, EVEN AFTER I MADE MYSELF PLEDGE MY HEART FOR OTHERS!"
The spear reappeared in her hand in an instant, and she charged with it raised. It slammed into Miku's fan, who held the blow at bay with a single hand. Hibiki kept on screaming, and Miku listened intently. "BUT EVEN THAT WAS NOT ENOUGH! I DID THAT, AND ALL I GOT IN THE END WERE MORE NIGHTMARES! MORE CURSES! MORE HATRED FROM EVERYONE!"
Another hard strike came down. "FROM TSUBASA LOOKING DOWN ON ME AS A WORTHLESS PIECE OF CRAP TO BLAME FOR ALL OF HER PROBLEMS, NOT REALIZING THOSE PROBLEMS WERE HER OWN FAULT IN THE FIRST PLACE!"
Miku blocked again as another strike came in, the sound of Hibiki's hidden despair wringing its way into her soul.
Just like she wanted. 'Come on, Hibiki, you can do it.'
She was close.
And another. "TO CHRIS LETTING OUT HER ANGER ON ME WHEN I TRIED TO HELP HER, GIVING MY ALL TO FREE HER FROM HER SUFFERING! SHE LOOKED AT ME LIKE I WAS DELUSIONAL AND MEANINGLESS, UNABLE TO HELP EVEN MYSELF!"
And another. "TO MARIA NOT SEEING HER OWN FAULTS, BLAMING THEM ON ME! GOING ALONG WITH THAT ACT OF HERS, BELIEVING SHE WAS DOING IT FOR EVERYONE'S SAKE WHEN SHE WAS ONLY DOING IT FOR HER OWN! AND WHAT'S MORE, SHE SIMPLY STOOD ASIDE AS THAT MAD DOCTOR PUT HIS HANDS ON YOU, THINKING THERE WAS JUSTICE IN ANYTHING SHE WAS DOING!"
And another. "TO KIRIKA THINKING SHE COULD LEAVE A MARK ON THE WORLD BY DESTROYING IT, LETTING HERSELF FALL TO THE DELUSION THAT SHE COULD LEAVE ANYTHING BEHIND! TURNING HER BACK ON EVEN HER OWN COMRADES, STICKING TO HER NAIVE BELIEFS LIKE THEY EVER MEANT ANYTHING! AND SHE THOUGHT I WAS THE CRAZY ONE!"
'You can do it.'
And another. "TO SHIRABE CALLING ME A HYPOCRITE, NOT REALIZING THAT'S WHAT SHE WAS HERSELF! AND LATER SHE HAD THE NERVE TO SWITCH SIDES WHEN SHE FINALLY UNDERSTOOD HOW STUPID SHE WAS, FOLLOWING AFTER A FAKE SENSE OF JUSTICE THAT ONLY WORKED FOR HER OWN SAKE!"
'I believe in you.'
And another powerful strike came down, forcing Miku to deflect it to the side. Her arms shook from the force, yet Hibiki went on, screaming her heart out. "AND S.O.N.G, AND DAD, AND EVERYONE ELSE! I WAS ALWAYS THE STUPID ONE, THE CRAZY ONE, THE ONE THEY LOOK AT WHEN THINGS GO WRONG AND BLAME FOR THEIR OWN FAULTS! AND I NEVER WANTED TO DO THIS IN THE FIRST PLACE! ALL I WANTED WAS TO LIVE IN PEACE, BUT NO ONE EVER LET ME!"
Her voice came out as a choked sob, and as her eyes continued to widen and her emerald eyes starting to become bloodshot, she still continued. "EVEN YOU DIDN'T LET ME, THE ONE PERSON I TRUSTED MORE THAN I TRUSTED MYSELF!"
A final strike was launched, sending Miku back a distance through the air. She readied herself for another block, yet Hibiki did not continue. She merely hung in the air, both hands clutching the handle of her spear.
And she was shaking, her entire body shuddering with sobs and anguish all the more amplified by the song that crushed her resolve.
"All I wanted...all I wanted...was for someone to finally understand me…for someone to look at me, and tell me what I wanted was okay..."
She couldn't hold onto the spear for a second longer. Her grip loosened, and the weapon fell from her hands to the ground below, shattering upon impact. "And I thought...that you of all people would, Miku...that you would finally tell me it's okay to let it all go…"
Miku clenched her fists tight, holding herself back from just charging in and embracing her.
Because that wasn't what was going to bring things to an end. Only a combination of two words uttered from Hibiki's mouth would, and until then, she could do nothing.
"After that day...all I wanted was just to fall down and die. But I...was not even allowed that...so where...and when...am I allowed to finally give it all up? When am I allowed to say...that I've had enough?"
'You're so close Hibiki. Come on, you can do this.'
That one thought filled Miku's mind as she listened.
"And you come here now, and you tell me those words, and I...I don't know what to do. I don't know what I should do. I can't...I can't just punch it away, or run away from it like all the other times…"
She was getting there. All it required was just another little push.
And so, Miku spoke up, her voice as gentle as ever. "Hibiki...that is exactly why I told you those words. That is exactly why I came all this way. You're so dense that you never realized it, but all these years we've spent together...have always meant the whole world to me."
Hibiki's mouth gaped, and she could only look at Miku, her lips shivering. "And my whole world...was and will always be you. Now, and forever. My heart has always...belonged to you. And I always wanted you to know that was how I felt, how sunshine can only exist when it has a sun to shine from. And you are that sun. My shining Sun."
"Ahh...a-ah…"
00
"You're the only one who'd ever miss me…"
"Hibiki…"
"As long as you're here...I know I have a home to come back to."
00
Miku dismissed her fan and slowly floated towards Hibiki, who was frozen in the air before her. "But I won't let you let it all go. I won't...allow you to wish to die, because there is so much more beyond this moment. The happy days we shared...were never lies, nor were they ever delusions. It is my deepest, fondest wish...for you to live, because I want to share my life with you."
00
"You're my sunshine, my warm place to come back to."
"Hibiki...I-"
"It is...always warmest by you side."
00
"Ah...ah…"
"It's just as I told you, Hibiki. That is my selfishness. That is my wish, and it can't be granted without you being there. So that is why...I won't let go of you. I won't let you go ever again. And that is why...I'm not going to let you say you had enough. For a long time I've stood aside and watched as you acted upon your desires. So now it's time for me to tell you that there are some things that I'm no longer going to allow."
And she smiled, and just the sight of her smile caused the last vestiges of Hibiki's composure to crumble to dust.
~I want to become an existence~
~That shines energetically~
"And the first of those is going to be...that I'm not letting you be alone anymore. I'm not going to let you suffer anymore. And...I'm going to make sure...that you don't have to fight anymore."
~I want to sing~
~"I won't ever let you go" to you once more~
~I sing not to be protected~
~But to protect~
The gentle song that Miku sang to her...once more replayed itself in her mind.
Hibiki's breaths quickened, and for the first time in a very long time...she cried.
"Ahhh...ahh…"
'You can do it.'
"That is my eternal promise to you Hibiki. It always was, and always will be."
And all she needed in return...was just two words that she wanted Hibiki to say.
Hibiki was torn apart. The curses screamed in her ears time and time again, replaying the worst of her days back to her in the forefront of her mind, making her remember what exactly was it she was fighting against. And now they screamed louder than ever before, attempting to grasp at her heart again.
Yet for all the previous times they could...now, they could not.
For all she could focus on was the girl before her and the breathtaking sight of the shine she radiated, the warmth she always remembered embracing her even now.
She could feel it on her skin, the touch of warm and gentle hands holding onto her own. Telling her that her fists were the gentlest in the world, and that what she fights for is just. And the only thing she asked in return was for her to come back, safe and sound, back to her side.
She whimpered, the tears streaking down her cheeks without end. "Ah...ah...Miku…"
"Yes, Hibiki? You can tell me. You can tell me...what is it that you want. And I promise, I'll grant it for you. For you and you alone. What you wish for upon the shooting stars...I'll grant for you."
"M-Miku...I...I-!"
Her heartbeat quickened, and the screaming intensified in her mind a hundredfold.
Yet now, they seemed as quiet as the nighttime breeze.
"I...I-!"
"You can do it. You can tell me."
"I want...I want…"
Her heart broke open.
"I want...to stop. I don't...want to do this...anymore…"
'You're so close, you're so close!'
"I understand, Hibiki. I understand."
"But I don't know...I don't know how to stop. Miku...I...I…"
'Just a little bit more.'
"I'm here Hibiki. I'll always be here. You can tell me. I want to hear your wish."
"M-Miku...ah…"
'Say it, Hibiki. Say the words. Just two words. You can do this.'
Miku waited with bated breath. She was getting there. Just a little bit more.
"M-M-Miku...p-please…"
"Yes? I'm listening, Hibiki. Tell me."
"P-please…"
Her heart clenched. Her soul sprung open.
The chains that had held her down finally fell away. She took in a choked breath.
And finally gave in.
"Help...me…"
Finally.
She said it.
She finally said it. Just those two words. That was all Miku was waiting to hear from her. Hibiki, the girl who never asked anyone to help her, the girl who always took upon the burdens of others…
Finally begged for someone to save her.
A rush of pure joy and relief washed over Miku. She watched as Hibiki's shoulders sagged, her tears not stopping for even a moment.
But she could not help but be happy, more than she had ever been. And that was because...
"Finally...I got to hear your true voice, Hibiki. Your true wish."
"M-Miku...ah...ah…"
"I will grant your wish, Hibiki. Don't worry. I'm coming to save you. I promise I'll save you, and never let you go again."
It was too much. Far too much for Hibiki to handle. In a split second decision made by a mind that was far too crumbled to act reasonably, her spear reappeared in her hand.
And she charged without any sense of rhyme or reason, her tears streaking behind her, glistening in the night. Miku called back her fan, and blocked the crazed blow that Hibiki delivered. And then the next, and the next, her smile not dropping for even a moment.
There was no elegance in Hibiki's technique. No skill, no composure. Just pure anguish and frustration, a deep seated despair that she was letting out for finally unshackling her own heart.
And that in turn, made things much easier for Miku.
All it took was a single, simple deflection to the side. The spear shattered once again, and this time Hibiki was completely helpless to defend herself as the fan came down on her. It struck her straight on, searing away a line of the armor on her chest, and sent her careening down to the ground with explosive force.
Looking toward the debris with a gentle gaze, Miku floated down to the ground slowly, her movement akin to a fairy in a magical forest. Hypnotizing and awe striking, Hibiki uneasily rose back to her feet and was immediately entranced.
And she couldn't move. She was unwilling to move, and stood in place on her wobbly legs, her entire being just shaking endlessly. The screams in her ears intensified once again, feeling the danger coming and trying to force her to act.
But they couldn't. The brilliance was far too much for her or for them to handle. And they tried, forcefully pouring more of themselves out in order to regenerate the armor.
But it was a useless endeavour.
"Please hold on, Hibiki. I will clear away the darkness that claws at your heart."
Breathless and with tears streaming down her cheeks, she nodded.
Miku held her fan in front of her, and it once more opened to display the shining mirror. Releasing her hold on it, the mirror floated on its own, settling in place above her.
And just like before, she spread her arms to the side. She locked her legs together, and from the knee guards the circle mirror expanded, this time far more radiant than before.
The singular mirror, still floating above her, then began to multiply. Creating a ring of its own copies around her, Miku now hovered in place, her strongest attack now ready.
The final attack that would mark the end of this incident, and that would finally take back their happy days.
And together, the mirrors shone with holy light. Gathering before her at a rapid rate, she sent Hibiki one last smile.
And Hibiki too, smiled.
Bearing all of herself, Miku let the sunshine loose.
'LIGHT OF DAWN'
It really was like sunshine, Hibiki noticed. Rising above the darkness of the night, her vision filled with white as the light closed the distance to her. The smaller mirrors floating around Miku fired their light as well, and halfway through the distance they merged with the bigger beam. All at once it grew, becoming more powerful as it surged toward its target.
Hibiki couldn't move. She stared at the approaching light, unwilling to move. The screaming in her ears was so loud now, drowning out her own thoughts completely, trying to force her to move.
But she didn't.
She only smiled, and closed her eyes.
And it washed over her. Bigger and stronger than before, the light engulfed her in its entirety. And unlike last time, she did not struggle against it, letting it simply embrace her.
Everything began to disappear around her. Peeling off her form like layers, the cursed armor tried to hang on to her frame with all the strength it could muster. But it was as if her skin was slippery, and it could not hold on any longer.
With a final screech in her mind, the curses were banished, purged by the light.
It continued onward, piercing through the city and eliminating everything cursed in its wake. The remnants of the miasma, as well as any Noise and beasts corpses in its wake were vaporized without a glance. So radiant was it, truly the light of the rising dawn, that all who witnessed it could only watch in awe, enthralled by the sight.
Going all the way towards the ocean, the beam vanished over the horizon, sparkling briefly before disappearing completely.
Miku, staring at the spot Hibiki was hidden within the smoke, dismissed the mirrors floating around her and called back the one big circle mirror, locking it back into her knee guards. Before landing on the ground, she folded her wings, the feathers of light vanishing as her feet touched the concrete below gently.
Before anything however, she narrowed her eyes at the clearing smoke. This reminded her too much of the last time they had fought, so now she would check it on her own.
After all, there was nothing currently in this world more powerful than her, so she had no need for fear.
Miku walked forward, ignoring the rising smoke. With a wave of her hand, it was all cleared away, revealing what truly had happened at ground zero.
It was done.
There was nothing left.
Lying on the ground on her stomach, Hibiki was completely naked. Scanning her with her senses, Miku could not find even a single shred of the curses left within her.
The light had done it. It had freed Hibiki from the curses once and for all.
She kneeled down, triple checking her body with her senses all over. It was like nothing had even happened to her, as her skin, at least from what she could see, was unblemished. Only the little bit of dust that settled on top of her dirtied her form in any manner, and even her hair returned to its vibrant chestnut color.
She moved her hand closer to her slowly, waiting for her to suddenly stand up and attack her.
Yet, no such thing came. Her hand landed atop Hibiki's head, and with a relieved smile on her face she moved her hand over it, patting her gently.
Miku let out a small laugh. "Geez...you have so many tangles in your hair now. We need to brush it as soon as possible."
It was at that moment she stirred. Miku's eyes widened as she saw Hibiki move slightly.
"U-ugh…"
"Hibiki…"
Removing her hand from her hair, Miku put her hands on Hibiki's shoulders carefully as to not hurt her by accident. Uneasily, Hibiki moved her arms, pushing herself off the ground with much difficulty.
Luckily Miku was there to help. With both hands, she raised Hibiki's upper body, and now she saw her face.
Miku let out a laugh again, finding herself surprised. "Oh geez, someone needs a shower."
"Ah...Ah...Miku…"
Hibiki's eyes fluttered open slowly, her vision blurry and cloudy. "Miku...I'm...I'm…"
"Shhhhh...it's okay...it's okay...I'm here, don't worry, it's okay…"
The gentle words washed away all the panic and pain she had felt, and all at once Hibiki found herself sagging in Miku's arms, a sudden heaviness overtaking her. "Miku…"
"It's okay...it's okay...I'm here…"
-!-
"Did...did she do it?" Kirika asked her teammates, looking between them, her head darting to and fro.
Maria looked towards where the light came from, not quite smiling yet. "I think she did."
"We should go check it out," Chris added in. "I'm not going to be happy until we see her in one piece."
"I agree," Tsubasa said. "Let's go, it should be safer now."
"Right."
-!-
It was quiet at HQ save for the whirring of the machines. Looking upon the display showing Miku and Hibiki's current status, Genjuro did not tear his eyes away from it as he gave out his next orders. "Elfnein-kun, give me status on Hibiki-kun. I want to make sure we're in the all clear."
Acting upon his commands immediately, Elfnein began running the long range scans. Having outfitted the scanners with the necessary improvements to detect the curses, she made sure to triple and even quadruple check everything she could.
Letting out a relieved sigh, she spoke up. "I...can't find anything, Genjuro-san. It really looks like she's free of them. The only remains of the god-slaying power I can find are inside the bodies of the fallen beasts, Noise, and the titan. Other than that, nothing."
"Nothing at all, you say?" He repeated to himself, as if to convince himself it was true. "As much as I want to believe it, we can't be certain just yet. Bring us back up to the surface and dock us in the harbor. We'll send the emergency vehicles the moment we get there."
"Yes sir!"
Immediately, the crew got to work, and they all felt as the submarine began rising from the depths of the ocean.
A very positive atmosphere filled the bridge as Genjuro sat back down in his seat. Despite himself, he felt very happy and relieved they managed to bring this to an end.
But it seemed at least one person there did not share in their joy, as Adam Weishaupt had a frown on his face, his eyes studying the readings as carefully as possible. His own eyes narrowing in confusion, Genjuro spoke to him. "What's wrong, Adam Weishaupt?"
The former head of the Illuminati grumbled to himself. "I can't help but feel that this is not over yet."
Genjuro leaned forward, gazing at him suspiciously. "What do you mean?"
"This was too easy." He simply said.
"Too easy?" Genjuro repeated in disbelief. "How has anything we've done until now been easy?"
"I'm not talking about everything up until now, I'm talking about their fight in general. She surpassed her far too easily, and I am skeptical about the results." Adam answered.
It was a fair claim to make, Genjuro admitted. "I understand. We'll see exactly what happens once we have her back in our custody. In the meantime, we'll keep our guards up."
"That you should do, although I believe that to be meaningless at this point."
Genjuro glared at him. "Why?"
"If it's true, you'll see when it happens."
And he fell silent, his gaze returning to the console he was studying.
Leaving Genjuro with more questions than answers.
-!-
"Miku!"
The sound of her teammates' footsteps caused Miku to raise her head up from Hibiki and looked into the distance behind her. She smiled, and looked down to Hibiki again. "Look Hibiki, everyone is here."
Her eyes heavy, Hibiki could barely move her head to look to them. She could barely see through her blurry vision too, but just knowing they were there...just knowing they were coming for her…
Filled her with both great joy and overwhelming fear.
"Ah...ahh…"
"It's okay Hibiki, it's okay. We're going home, Hibiki, we're going home."
The others were running to them now. Slowly, Hibiki turned her head to Miku again, and Miku could see, hidden between the tiny slits, the amber eyes she looked forward to seeing more than anything else.
"Miku...I...I-"
Before she could finish her sentence, the ground suddenly began shaking. What seemed to be an earthquake sprung up from nowhere, and the five wielders who were running towards the two stopped in their tracks as their feet wobbled from due to the moving earth.
"Wha-what's happening?!" Chris shouted, her voice being drowned out by the sound of buildings crashing around them, throwing dust and rubble into the air.
Instantly Miku's head shot up, her eyes wide in shock as her head turned from side to side, not understanding what she was feeling. "What...what is this?"
"Oi Miku, what's going on-"
Chris' question got caught in her throat as the shaking intensified a hundredfold, and the five wielders struggled to keep their footing.
And from out of nowhere, a furious collection of voices rose above even that, screaming at them from every direction.
"UNACCEPTABLE! UNACCEPTABLEUNACCEPTABLEUNACCEPTABLEUNACCEPTABLEUNACCEPTABLEUNACCEPTABLEUNACCEPTABLEUNACCEPTABLEUNACCEPTABLEUNACCEPTABLEUNACCEPTABLEUNACCEPTABLEUNACCEPTABLEUNACCEPTABLEUNACCEPTABLE!"
A deranged cacophony of hellish sounds tore through the air, and everyone aside from Miku and Hibiki were forced to cover their ears at the sheer volume and rage lacing those voices.
"WE WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS! WE WILL NOT ALLOW THIS! WE WILL NOT PERMIT THIS!"
"What the hell is happening-?!"
Miku's senses screamed louder than ever before, and instantly she looked up to stare at the sky.
Her eyes immediately widened in horror, and following her gaze, the others looked up as well.
A dark cloud. Blacker than the night itself, a huge dark cloud of smoke hung high above them, blanketing them completely.
Miku's mouth opened to speak in shock. "This...this is-"
"Miku...run…"
The weakened voice caused her head to tilt down to look Hibiki, her warning astounding her beyond belief. "Hibiki-"
"You...need...to...run...they're...not...do-"
There was barely any time for her to finish her warning. All at once, the dark cloud shot downwards, and Miku could not help but notice it was coming right at them. Putting Hibiki down quickly, she raised her fan and began to gather her light, intent on blowing it away in one blast.
Only to be pushed out of the way at the last second. She had just a moment to be shocked, catching the sight of Hibiki's stretched arms before screaming a single, solitary word.
"HIBIKI!"
But it was too late. The dark cloud fell on top of Hibiki like a meteor, and immediately Miku could hear her screams rising from within the storm that had appeared out of nowhere.
She couldn't hear her teammates voices from the other sides over the powerful winds that rose from the storm, the dark cloud swirling around Hibiki with all the strength of the hurricane. Miku was nearly blown away despite her massive power, and her feet dragged across the ground as she felt herself pushed back. She raised an arm to protect her face, and looked towards the storm uneasily.
"HIBIKI!"
-!-
"What's going on?!"
"I...I don't know! I don't know what's happening!"
Total chaos descended on headquarters as soon as the alarms started blaring loudly. As the crew rummaged for their controls, Adam kept his gaze on the display, his eyes still narrowed.
"Status report, now!" Genjuro commanded, his eyes glancing to Adam briefly. His gaze settled on Elfnein, and he waited impatiently for an answer.
"Elfnein-kun! Report!"
"I...I…" The homunculus repeated to herself. "I...I don't understand this! All of the Noise and beasts suddenly started disintegrating! And the titan too!"
"What?!"
Quickly a diagram of the world opened on a 3d map before them, and they looked in horror as all of the black dots signifying the presence of curse-based organisms started disappearing one by one.
Or rather, instead of dots there were black lines streaming from the various locations like a twisted travel map and converging on Japan...on their location, specifically.
"W-what?!"
"It's as I thought," Adam suddenly interrupted, causing all those on the bridge to stare at him. "I knew it wouldn't be over so quickly."
"What is this? What are you talking about?!" Genjuro demanded.
Contemplating for a moment, Adam spoke. "Open a channel to the girl. We'll have time to explain this only once, so you must all listen carefully."
-!-
The alchemist narrowed her eyes at the dark cloud in the distance, the gears in her mind spinning wildly in deep thought.
"It seems...it is time for me to move." She said to herself. Gathering strength in her legs, she pushed herself to her feet, standing on uneven footing. The healing had done its job, and now she had to start her march to the battlefield.
"I must do my part...in this battle."
And she limped forward, making her way towards the storm.
-!-
"G-guh…"
It was difficult to remain standing in this wind. Miku did not understand how this was possible, but there was no way she was going to allow this to happen. Raising her fan towards it shakily, she fired a beam, expecting it to tear through the veil and dissipate it.
But she got the exact opposite result. The light seemed to bend away from the center of the storm, sending it flying in a completely different direction and out of its sphere of influence.
She could only look in shock. "This...is like a black hole…"
No, it was the exact opposite, she realized. A black hole would draw in the light, but instead it was blasted away entirely, as if it was repelling it, just like opposite poles on a magnet.
She kept on standing against the wind until she heard sound from her headset, and a voice she did not expect to hear suddenly filled her ears. "Girl, listen carefully."
'Adam Weishaupt? What does he want-'
"We don't have a lot of time, so I'll explain this once: what is happening right now is something we should have expected. Due to you defeating their vessel and breaking down her psyche, the god-slaying power was left without a container. Unfortunately, the mistake was to not destroy everything spawned by the curses first, leading to this result."
"What? What are you-"
"You must remember that the curses embody all the negative emotions of humanity, including pride and anger. Because of Tachibana Hibiki's failure and their utter disdain for you, they have decided to take control of the situation first hand."
"What are you saying?!"
"I'm saying that now will not be like the other times. With their greatest avatar defeated, and their vessel compromised, the curses have declared you an immediate threat to their existence and will now bear all of their strength against you. And they do so by drawing in the power of everything that they have touched and created. The Noise, the beasts, and even the titan that you have slain are now being dissolved back into their bare elements, and will now coalesce into a much bigger threat than before."
Miku gasped as the storm raged, and she could not help but notice as the very center where Hibiki was trapped began to shrink with every passing second.
"You have angered the rage of mankind, and so now you will face its full power. They will push her consciousness to the side and will regard it as irrelevant, using her body as their personal container. Prepare yourself for the fight of your life, girl, for this is where All the Evils of this World make their final stand."
His voice crackled away, his explanation finished. Behind the storm, Miku could vaguely hear the sound of her teammates' screams as they were blown off their feet, launched away from the battlefield.
With only herself and this chaos left, the storm continued to shrink, its chaotic winds dying down. As the dust settled and the last of the black smoke was drawn in, Miku struggled to keep her eyes open.
But her senses were not. All the Hopes of this World raged so mightily in her mind that she had a harder time forcing them down, and even the divine power running through her seemed almost terrified by what was before her.
It was definitely Hibiki alright, that much she could tell from the one kneed position she was in. But that's where it ended, for it was merely her body she was looking at now. The chestnut colored hair had turned an ashen gray, and from what she could see from her skin it was pale like snow.
There was the sound of a heavy breath as Hibiki, or at least what Miku assumed was Hibiki exhaled, black smoke escaping her mouth. Pushing herself off the ground, Hibiki rose, and now Miku got a full look of her new form, sending shivers down her spine.
It could barely be called a Symphogear anymore. In fact, it looked anything but one. Miku could tell that Gungnir was completely gone, the pendant that had contained it having become irrelevant the moment Hibiki appeared this night.
Instead, she found herself looking at what she could only describe as heavy armor. Hardly any of Hibiki's skin was visible except for her shoulders and a cleavage window that displayed the scar on her chest. The rest was simply covered with a pitch black armor, radiating such an evil presence she could barely fathom it, even as she was now.
And Hibiki looked at her, and she noticed that her eyes were neither emerald nor amber. Now they were just a pure crimson, surrounded by blackened sclera as deep as the night.
Balancing her footing, Miku stared at Hibiki's new form in confusion as her senses studied it from head to toe, trying to understand what it was.
But there was no longer any need for her to do so, for the moment Hibiki's gaze met her own, her mouth opened to speak.
And it did not sound anything like Hibiki, not even remotely. The only sound that left her mouth was the same hellish cacophony as before, the legion of voices from earlier echoing throughout the area.
"Unacceptable. Inconceivable. Incomprehensible. Unbelievable. You have stood in our path for far too long, despicable girl."
All of Miku's thought processes ceased immediately. Her eyes widened momentarily, and then narrowed. She glared at Hibiki-no, the entity that masqueraded as her. "You...I know you."
"We meet again, nemesis. You may have defeated our vessel, but our will shall never break. We are undying, and we are vengeful. You will face us now, for we have no forgiveness for one such as you!"
"I see," Miku said to herself, understanding exactly what was going on. "We met back there, didn't we? When I activated the Ignite Module for the first time."
It all made sense now. Yes, this was definitely not Hibiki.
It was in fact something very different.
"Looks like I really was mistaken. This entire time it was Hibiki in control, but now you decided to take over because she realized she had enough of this insanity. It seems you were unable to go quietly, were you...demon?"
It even looked like one in some ways. The two protrusions from Hibiki's headphones, the two spikes that rose above her head took on actual demonic look, now resembling horns more than anything else. Other than that, a very dark miasma hung around it, and its entire form was glowing, or should she say emanating, a deep crimson aura that deeply tainted the air around it.
"What you call us matters not to us, nemesis! We will not be denied! Not by the world, not by the gods, and especially not by YOU! The hope that you embody, and the future that you wish to achieve are something we will never stand for! We will crush you beneath our heel, and make you taste our despair!"
It seemed like they had a particularly bad grudge against her.
She could work with that.
Responding with her own brand of righteous fury, Miku materialized her fan in her hand once again, her eyes shining. "That's where you're mistaken, demon. The only one that will be crushed here is you. You let me get away with too much? Fool, I let you get away with far too much. I'm doing playing games with you. I'm sending you back to hell where you belong!"
"Do not think that your empty threats will scare us, nemesis! DISAPPEAR! WE WILL NOT BE SATISFIED AS LONG AS YOU EXIST!"
The demon crouched low, already itching to begin the battle.
(Play: DOOM 2016 OST - Mastermind)
Realizing that this was going to get ugly, Miku prepared herself both physically and mentally. Taking in a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself, she glared at the demon with a hateful expression, and her fan was enveloped in light. "Is that so? Then come, Demon of Mankind. I'll pulverize you until you're nothing but a speck of dust."
The demon bared its teeth at her.
"NO, YOU WILL!"
It charged, and everything around it exploded out of the way. Miku had less than a second to raise her fan in front of her before the demon crashed into her with all of its power. She was instantly thrown back, smashing through solid buildings as the demon's fist continued grinding against the surface of her fan, wild sparks erupting from the point of contact.
Balancing herself, she planted her feet and heaved upwards, causing the demon to disengage from her and fly up above her. However, it immediately went on the attack again, using the air as a platform to charge once more. Miku twisted quickly, and again the demon's fist smashed against her fan. The ground beneath them was vaporized from the sheer force of the strike, and Miku found herself struggling as the demon pushed further, nearly causing the fan to be forced against her face.
With a shout, she poured power into her arms and swatted it away, the demon flipping in the air once before landing on the ground and immediately charging again.
She narrowed her eyes, and this time met the coming strike with one of her own. The fan deflected the fist to the side, and the demon followed up with more, making full use of Hibiki's experience and skill against her.
Even though she was blocking its punches, each one was enough to create a giant hole in the ground from just the shockwaves, riddling the area around them with tiny craters that destabilized her footing.
"YOU WILL NOT BE FORGIVEN, NEMESIS!" The demon screeched in between the blows. "FOR EVERY CRIME YOU HAVE COMMITTED AGAINST US YOU'LL PAY A HUNDREDFOLD! DEATH WILL NOT SAVE YOU FROM OUR WRATH!"
Miku frowned.
If that thing was trying to intimidate her, it was doing a piss-poor job, that she figured extremely easily.
But of course, she wasn't going to let it off scot free. Oh no, she was going to let it have a bit of her own rage in return.
"I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY!"
And she smashed the next strike away with such power it caused the demon to briefly lose its balance. Expecting her to hit it with the fan, it prepared itself to counterattack.
But what came instead was a hard punch into its face with her own fist, pushing the demon back. Its feet skidded against the ground, and this time the demon was the one forced on the defensive as Miku came upon it in a split second, her eyes shining bright with fury. She struck out with another punch, and the demon ducked under it, feeling that it should not allow itself to be hit again.
It responded with an uppercut, but unlike last time Miku simply moved aside, her form blurring for a moment before she attacked again, and just like with her fan, afterimages followed after her, increasing the power of her strike a dozen fold.
However, rather than block her swing, the demon lashed out with its arm. With a primal roar it smashed her hand away, the armor on its forearm briefly flaking away only to regenerate less than a second later and causing her to pause to recover. Face to face with each other, their gazes met, a furious shining green against a hateful crimson.
Using the thrusters attached to Hibiki's legs, the demon launched a nasty strike with its knee right at her midsection. It came incredibly fast, but Miku managed to catch it at the last section by raising her own knee, and it crashed into her bulky knee guards with the force of an explosion, forcing her backwards.
She bared her teeth as the demon did not let up, rushing towards her again before she even came to a stop. Its fists aimed at her face, she managed again at the last second to bring her own arms up, and catch its fists in her open palms.
Once again they were face to face, caught in a power struggle as the demon tried to push her back again. Yet Miku dug her feet into the ground, anchoring herself and not letting the demon attempt anything else.
They were like doppelgangers of each other, the two of them exercising all force they could to overcome the other. In response, the demon reared its head back for a moment, prepared to smash into her forehead to disorient her.
Only to find its tactic meet its match as Miku did the same exact thing, and their foreheads crashed together with mighty force.
"Your paltry show of force is pathetic, nemesis!" It screamed in her face. "You truly believe you can match us?! Your delusional hopes will be crushed under the weight of your expectations!"
Again with the inane prattling.
How tactless.
"And you just ramble on incessantly, thinking your words mean anything to me! Go back and burn in the fire and brimstone you cherish so much!"
"NEMESIS!"
Did she anger it further? That's fine, she didn't care what it wanted or said. After all, an existence born of the hatreds of mankind can be nothing but petty.
The demon briefly forced her back, but Miku pushed back with a thousand times that force, and the demon found its legs grinding against the ruined earth as Miku took steps forward, groaning and matching its strength at every turn.
"YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"
It pulled its arms back, disengaging from the lock before attacking with a vicious roundhouse kick, tearing through the air towards her. Miku took the opportunity to jump back, putting distance between the two of them.
She exhaled. 'This is intense.'
Even with the huge advantage her concept was giving her, the demon was still not a pushover. While Hibiki was held back by her regrets and insecurities, the demon had none of those.
And now, the sheer density of the curses contained within it was much, much higher than Hibiki herself held on her own. It was obviously the result of its near constant spread, especially inside of the Treasury of Babylon. Left completely alone for over a month, it had time to grow and taint absolutely everything around it, giving it the ability to spawn something as ridiculous as the titan.
It was like trying to tear a book in half. A single page was easy, but when hundreds, thousands were stacked on top one another, it became so hard it was almost impossible.
That was the closest analogy she could make up in her mind at the moment, and that meant exactly one thing:
Tear it apart, little by little. Use the full might of her concept and the divine power to shave away everything it had until nothing was left.
And again, the demon charged. Anticipating it, she once again stopped its insanely powerful punch with and open palm, and then the other. Caught in a power struggle once more, Miku could only chide it for its unoriginality.
"Is this all you can do, you-"
Only to be caught by surprise when the demon opened its mouth, and a sound not unlike the screams of the damned echoed in her ears, causing her to involuntarily close one eye.
Her one open eye widened when she caught sight of a dark orb of energy gather in the open cavity, aimed right at her face.
And then it fired, and by a stroke of luck Miku avoided it by ducking down, moving her head below the blast just as it passed over her. Keeping her gaze locked on the demon, she smashed her head into its jaws, instantly closing its mouth and causing the deadlock to end once more.
But just before it could fly off, she yelped when its legs closed around her neck, lifting her off the ground. And this time, she could not respond as the demon flipped and smashed her back into the ground, cratering the concrete below her. She grunted from the pain, but was unable to move aside in time as the demon flipped again and crashed its foot against her stomach.
She let out a scream of pain as she was forced further down, the ground now cracking and crumbling around her. The demon roared, and with a huge burst of energy forced more power into its attack. The ground underneath Miku could hold on no longer, and shattered around her.
Her back slammed into the sewers of Tokyo, throwing up the mucky water in all directions. And yet the demon continued putting the pressure on her, pushing further and further.
Tired of this charade, She grit her teeth and locked her hands around the leg, and turned. All of the demon's momentum was stolen from it, and it promptly crashed into the wall of the sewers, crashing through several layers of steel and concrete.
Miku immediately rose to her feet, and just in time as the demon crashed through the walls again on its way back to her. She raised her arms in front of her in a X shape, and its fist slammed into her forearms. Just like before, she was thrown back, the demon pushing more power into the blow. This time, it was Miku who crashed through solid steel and concrete, and the two rose back into the main streets in a rain of searing hot asphalt.
She pushed the demon off her by throwing her arms upwards, joining her hands together and slamming the joined fists right into the demon's defense. The demon was launched back towards the ground, landing on its feet.
Miku dove down as well, settling down a fair bit of distance away from it, her eyes narrowed. "YOUR VERY EXISTENCE IS A MISTAKE!" The demon screeched. "A WRETCHED BEING LIKE YOU SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO LIVE!"
"It's funny how everything you say about me, I can say right back to you, demon. The mistake here is you, and you should never have being able to get as far as you did. I'm going to rectify that mistake." Miku replied, not at all fazed by the demon's words.
"NEVER!"
The demon took a single step forward and planted its foot in front of it. Its fist reared back, it struck at her from its faraway position.
Miku was momentarily confused before a gigantic punch slammed into her, launching her into the air. 'W-what?'
She didn't have time to respond as another huge fist crashed down on her from above, throwing her back towards the ground. Flipping before she experienced a repeat of earlier, her eyes widened as she stopped a huge shadowy creature looming over the demon's shoulder, imitating its posture.
An arm came down on top of her before she could process it completely, and hurriedly she materialized her fan again brought it up to defend herself. With one hand on the handle and the other placed on the fan's flat surface, she braced herself as she was struck. It felt as though a building was dropped on top of her, and she groaned, the fist bearing down on her in an attempt to squash her like a bug.
Clenching her hold on her fan, she let out a shout as it was covered in light, and in a single swing cleaved through the fist, dissipating it to dust.
But that was followed up with two more giant fists coming at her from both sides, and she immediately threw her fan aside and raised her arms. The two skyscraper punches crashed into her opens palms, and Miku felt herself getting squished under the pressure. She planted her feet, keeping them in place as much as she could and preventing herself from moving, locking her joints completely.
She struggled against the two fists, pushing them back as much as she could. Already her bare hands were causing the two gigantic hands to start dissolving, so in response the demon opened its palms, and Miku was caught off guarding as the two fists opened, trapping her inside and closed around her.
The demon smirked, and raised the two fists into the air, forcing them closed more and more in an attempt to crush her in between its hands.
Until light shone from within, and all at once the fists were blown away as a sphere of pure energy erupted from Miku, freeing her from the impromptu prison. The demon struck out with another massive fist, but this time Miku was having none of it.
Rearing back her own hand, her own fist crashed against the giant one. The air shook from the impact, and once again Miku emerged victorious as the fist was blown to bits in the struggle.
Enraged, the demon attempted to strike at her with both fists again; however Miku was then enveloped in a blazing white aura, and this time she charged, barreling through the blackened giant hands and made her way straight towards the demon.
It could not respond in time as her punch crashed into its cheek, dispelling its giant construct. But it was not down yet, and whipping its head back to face her struck back, its fist hitting her on the cheek as well.
Landing right in front of it, Miku and the demon began a savage exchange of blows. Foregoing blocking or deflecting the strikes, the two opponents smashed their fists into each other again and again without end.
It was a meaningless effort however. With both of them laced with divine power, all injuries they incurred healed immediately, leaving them in another struggle of pure, unadulterated power.
Miku was struck in the stomach, causing spittle to fly out of her mouth; but it did not send her back. Taking the opportunity, she materialized her fan in her hand and swung, a trail of light following her strike.
The fan crashed against a barrier she did not expect, and Miku again narrowed her eyes at what stopped her blow.
It was the spear, but this time it was very different from its predecessor. It looked almost alive the way the black smoke leaked off of it. Its entire length was pitch black save for the shining emerald gem at its core, pulsating eerily as a facsimile of a heart.
Disengaging, Miku flipped in the air and landed a small distance away, studying the demon and its weapon carefully.
"Do you have nothing of your own?" She said with a derisive tone. "All you can do is steal from others and force your outdated hatreds on them."
The demon brandished the spear. "All in this world belongs to us. Human nature led to our creation, and by their hand we will claim our vengeance. None are safe from us!"
"And you throw a temper tantrum like a teenager who has never left the rebellious phase," Miku said in response, staring it at wry expression. "How pitiful."
The demon bared its teeth again, and for the first time Miku noticed that it even had elongated fangs in its mouth. How curious.
"YOU CAN TAKE YOUR PITY AND CHOKE ON IT, NEMESIS!" It screamed back at her.
Miku huffed. "Pity? It seems I have misspoken," She said, and her eyes shone once more. "I have no pity for something like you. The only thing you deserve is oblivion."
She teleported and reappeared behind the demon in a flash of light. Materializing in a circle around the demon, her own afterimages imitated her attack, a dozen more Mikus holding fans shining with light.
But the demon ignored them completely, and turned around to strike at her with the spear. The afterimages sliced into its back, but even with that it did not go down. It screamed, and let out a burst of energy that dispelled the afterimages, leaving Miku alone with it.
The spear and the fan clashed, the two pushing against each other. And Miku could look at the point of impact with bewilderment, as something she did not expect to happen occurred right in front of her eyes.
The demon grinned savagely. "Shocked, nemesis?" It said, noticing her confused expression. Rather than her light pretty much automatically shaving away the curses like before, the two weapons seemed to almost...fight each other, in a way.
While the fan was indeed dispelling some of the curses lining the spear, in response the curses seeped into the fan, and she could see how black tendrils began to cover it slowly. Back and forth it went like so, the curses regenerating themselves and her concept pushing against the corruption of her weapon.
"The divine power is not safe from us even it this wretched form of yours!" The demon screamed, pushing Miku back. "We can claim it back from you at our leisure!"
And with another burst of power, sent her flying. 'K-kuh, this thing!'
She was forced to dodge out of the way as a wave of pure darkness erupted from the spear, intent on slicing her in half. Just as she landed another wave came towards her, and she met it with her own swing, a crescent moon being released from the edge of her fan.
The two projectiles met in the middle, erupting in a burst of wind. Another wave of darkness came towards her, and she responded in kind.
The spear and the fan were blurs as they repeatedly sent out waves upon waves that sliced the ground to pieces. The amount of noise that rang out through the battlefield was unprecedented, almost deafening Miku due to the sheer chaos and volume of it.
A final clash of waves erupted into a fireball, and immediately Miku twisted, sensing the approaching danger as the demon teleported behind her and thrust the spear at her. She avoided it, and turning to face the demon thrust her fan forward, the mirror within opening. She fired, launching rays of pure light towards the demon that sheared away some of its aura just due to its presence.
The demon danced away, but Miku did not let up on the assault. Still grasping her mirror, she whipped her hand about back and forth, creating a light trap that the demon was forced to evade. The streaming lights exploded in all directions as her hand moved faster than the speed of sound, the dome of laser-like lights impacting everything around them. She aimed as much as she could at the demon, attempting to encroach on it from all sides.
But it responded in a way that made her attack meaningless. Dodging for the last time, it plunged the spear into the ground, causing rubble to explode upwards and block her light from hitting it. Momentarily distracted, Miku jumped back as the demon attempted to run her through again, and dropped down and rolled when a beam of black light was fired from the tip of the spear.
Rising to her feet quickly, she clutched her mirror tight and proceeded to throw it as hard as she could. It spun wildly, becoming a disk of death that screamed its way towards the demon at breakneck speeds.
Forced to abandon its charge, the demon deflected the mirror away, letting it fly off into the horizon.
And it was all the time Miku needed.
Mirrors were launched out of her knee guards, filling the battlefield with countless amounts of their number. Each mirror, laced with her will and concept, immediately opened fired on the demon, and the spear blurred as it swatted each of the projectiles away.
But they only grew in number. Rising above the hundreds, there was no escape for the demon as it was once again surrounded, the mirrors trapping it within a cage that would make it difficult for it to escape from.
Narrowing her eyes, Miku thrust her hand forward and yelled. "FIRE!"
And by her command, the mirrors released their light.
'PURGATORY'
The world lit up, the sheer amount of light fired blinding even S.O.N.G HQ's sensors. The mirrors bombarded the demon's positions repeatedly, and it was forced to raise it arms and by extension its spear to defend itself from the assault. However, it was unable to avoid everything, and many of the rays of light struck it, digging into its form and temporarily shaving away parts of its darkness.
It grit its teeth, and letting out a guttural shout a dome of of black waves erupted from it, deflecting the light and striking the mirrors. They all exploded in a shower of shards, leaving only a handful to continue firing.
And it ignored them completely, aiming for Miku once more. Materializing her fan in her hand again, she too clenched her teeth and met the demon's charge, the two weapons clashing again with insane force. The fan was enveloped in light, blazing from it and blinding the demon momentarily. Miku pushed it back, and with both hands swung down on it with all the force she could muster.
The fan cleaved through the air like a sword, and the demon brought up the spear to block it. The weapon rattled against the blow, but held on, making the demon smirk.
Only for its chest to be strike by a line of light anyway, causing it to stumble back. Miku stared at it with narrowed eyes, then proceeded to take advantage of the opening to take aim and fire. The demon, far too surprised its guard was bypassed, was struck head on by the light. Finally landing a good hit on it, Miku poured all the power she could into it, grasping the handle with both hands. The demon was trapped by the beam, and was carried through the battlefield.
It finally smashed into a building at the far side, and the light dissipated. Using her enhanced senses to check it out from afar, Miku could see her light managed to temporarily cause the armor covering its upper body to disappear, baring Hibiki's chest to the world only for it to regenerate again a moment later.
The demon dislodged itself from the wreckage, and the few remaining mirrors chased after it, firing their beams in an attempt to harass it and make it drop its guard.
'I won't have time to do anything bigger,' Miku thought to herself, studying her options. 'This is getting me nowhere. I need to hit it with everything I've got with one shot, but first I have to get it to drop its guard.'
The battle was far too even. She could blow away the curses, but now they could in turn encroach on her and attempt to corrupt the divine power she now possessed. This in turn forced her concept in defense mode, reducing what it could do with its offensive abilities.
She needed to break the stalemate, but how?
The moment the demon's feet touch the ground, the air around it simply exploded as the sheer force of its charge left nothing but destruction in its wake. Winds with the force of a hurricane shot out to all directions right there and then, battering the Shenshoujing user.
Deciding to try something new, Miku instead ran forward towards the demon, making use of its bloodlust. It closed in on her in a single second, but that was all she needed. Just as it was about to hit her, her form shimmered as an afterimage was left in her wake, and the demon passed through it harmlessly.
Growling in frustration, it slid to a stop, its momentum causing it to continue onwards for over a hundred meters. Finally stopping, it moved its head about as it looked for Miku, trying to sense where she was going to come from.
The mirrors caught up with it, the remaining four shooting their beams to distract it. Tired of their interference, the demon swung its spear, destroying three of them in one blow.
And just as it did so, Miku crashed through the ground from below it, and the demon stumbled in surprise as it suddenly lost its footing. Her mirror unfolded in her hand, the demon could not react in time to the burst of light she released, and once again it was hit head on by the violet brilliance, the curses covering its form already starting to be shaved away.
But she did not stop there. Willing an afterimage to appear behind the demon, it copied its original and fired its beam as well, locking the demon between two radiant rays that trapped it in the middle.
With the demon locked in place, Miku increased the output, and with a guttural shout the light exploded from her and the afterimage with a hundred times its normal power, colliding in the center and consuming the demon completely.
A few seconds later, the smoke cleared, and Miku used her senses to check her surroundings, not finding the demon anywhere. 'That should have-'
Only to be caught completely by surprise as the demon attacked her from behind, overwhelming her senses and slicing a deep gash into her back with the spear. She screamed in pain from the blow, and quickly turned around to retaliate, sending another wave of light at it. The demon deflected it to the side, a huge grin on its face.
"Are you at your wit's end, nemesis? Good, We will revel at your suffering, the same one we have endured."
Baring her teeth again, Miku responded. "You keep going on about that; see where that gets you."
Taking a moment to concentrate, Miku focused her power on the wound on her back. The curses seemed to have remained stuck to her in the strike, preventing the divine power from healing her injury.
And it looked like the demon was not about to let her do so either, as it immediately charged at her.
She folded her mirror back into the fan, deciding to focus on healing when she had a better chance to do so. Her form shimmered, and she vanished from the demon's sight.
But not from its senses. Feeling where she was in the air, the demon too vanished.
And they clashed in the air, reappearing for less than a second before disappearing again. Their wild exchange of blows continue, invisible to the naked eye.
The air exploded every time they clashed, stirring the area around them and gouging out the ground even more than it already was. They finally reappeared on the ground in another powerful clash that left everything behind them completely decimated, the power in their blows leaving nothing standing.
They struggled against each other for a moment, before Miku willed the one remaining flying mirror to come closer and snipe the demon in the back. The mirror fired, but the demon felt it coming and hurriedly disengaged from Miku to jump back. Taking the opportunity, she took aim at the demon and fired.
But this time, it did something completely unexpected. Having noticed Miku willed the flying mirror far too close to their position, the demon smirked, and in an unprecedented move swiped it from the air with its free hand.
And placed it right in the path of Miku's light.
The Shenshoujing wielder was caught completely off guard when the moment her light struck the mirror, it bounced back to her. Not having expected her light to be reflected back at her, she was left unable to respond as it struck her hand, causing the fan to fly from her grip.
'Damn it! I forgot about this!'
And it was all the demon needed to take advantage of the opening. Too surprised by the sudden tactic to react, the demon teleported in front of her and thrust the spear forward.
Miku could not respond, and with a nasty squelch her stomach was run through by the spear, her blood spilling from the open wound. The force behind the demon's lunge carried them both through the air, and Miku's back slammed into a particularly thick wall, the spear lodging itself deeper in her abdomen.
"G-Guh..."
Blood rose up her throat, and immediately she locked her hands around the spear, trying to free herself.
However, the demon's grip was too strong, and it stared into her eyes with a maniacal expression. "You believed you could surpass us, nemesis?! Stupid bitch, you are nothing before us! We are the will of humanity, and you are nothing more than an insect to be squashed by us! You have contributed to our existence, so now you'll be eradicated by the very thing you swore to destroy!"
"K-kuh...ah...urgh…"
Miku struggled, and she spit out the blood that settled in her mouth in the time she tried to liberate herself.
She got completely outplayed. She forgot about her Symphogear's greatest weakness, and now it came back to bite her!
And what's more, the curses were now running up her stomach in the form of blackened veins that creeped up around the massive gouge in her abdomen. It was a horrible feeling, like having slugs crawling up her body from the inside. Feeling violated and invaded, she tried her hardest to overpower the demon's grip.
But with a major part of her concept now diverted to keeping the curses out, and a part of the divine power stuck in a loop of being purified and corrupted, she couldn't muster enough strength to actually fight back.
Combined with the still burning wound on her back, she was left in a very precarious position. And the demon seemed to relish in her pain as it continued to push the spear in. Due to its shape, every push caused the hole in her stomach to widen, and the pain along with it.
"Maybe we should turn you into our plaything as we ravage the world for our vengeance! You'll become nothing but a toy for us to torture as we please, and we will relish in the opportunity to make you suffer for as long as the universe exists! Not even death will release you from our hold!"
The demon was taunting her to her face, using Hibiki's visage in order to make it even worse. Struggling and in an insane amount of pain, Miku grit her teeth as she thought of a way out.
Anything. Anything she could possibly do, and it didn't even matter what it was-
'Oh.'
Well, she had an idea now. If the demon was going to use her own techniques against her…
Then it was only fair she'd do the same to it.
It wasn't the most elegant thing she could do, but at this point elegance wasn't even a part of the equation. There was no point in even considering it, as not using everything in her arsenal would only lead to a faster defeat due to pride.
Left with no other choice, she acted.
Miku took a deep breath, pushing down the fire that rose in her lungs in response. Grasping onto the spear tighter, she leaned forward slightly, and opened her mouth as wide as she could.
The demon's expression of sheer confusion gave her a moment of small satisfaction. It looked on in shock as the sound of an heavenly chorus escaped her mouth, and its eyes widened further when violet light began to gather within it.
Realizing what she was about to do, it immediately let go of the spear and jumped away just as she fired.
'SERAPHIM'S CRY'
The light erupted in a large cone, and the demon found its right arm consumed by the blast as it left her mouth and tore through the air.
A few seconds later the light dissipated, and the demon looked down at its now naked arm with narrowed eyes. The armor already began to regenerate, but the impromptu attack had done its job.
Steam escaped out of Miku's mouth, and she hurriedly closed it, rubbing her lips with her forearm. Without the demon to hold onto the spear, she grasped the weapon lodged in her by the handle and forcefully tore it out of her stomach, causing huge amounts of blood to leak out from the wound.
Feeling a bit floaty, Miku embedded the spear in the ground and used it as a crutch as she focused her power, forcing the curses out of her injuries. Now that she could divert her attention to her wounds, it didn't take nearly as long for the curses to be purged and for the divine power to start doing its work at healing them.
The large hole in her abdomen quickly closed, together with the gash on her back. Now also feeling exhausted, she breathed out as she regained her bearings.
The demon however, was not at all pleased. "You...you dare…"
She did not give it any sort of verbal response.
Because she had the perfect one coming right up.
With the spear no longer in the hands of its master, Miku was now free to do with it as she wished. And so she did, and immediately forced her power through it, the concept working to rid the spear of the curses and nothing but the curses.
But that was not all. The blackness covering the spear flaked away, briefly revealing the original orange underneath before that too got replaced. The entirety of the weapon was bathed in violet light as Miku forced the concept into it.
The demon looked in shock again as the spear's colors were changed, now sporting Miku's signature white and violet, with the core now shining a deep purple.
Miku stared back at it, and rose to her full height, dislodging the spear from the ground and holding it in one hand.
And the demon was absolutely livid.
"YOU WOULD DARE, NEMESIS!? YOU WOULD DARE MAKE A MOCKERY OF US?!"
Still feeling a tid bit exhausted, Miku inhaled and exhaled again, regulating her breathing slowly.
Then she smirked, inwardly laughing to herself. "Shocked, nemesis?"
And threw its words right back at it. Her mocking tone only further enraged the demon, but she didn't care. She kept on speaking as it continued to fume, Hibiki's ashen face becoming redder by the minute. "Why are you so surprised? We both have the divine power, so it's only fair that everything you can do, I can do, and vice versa. The only real difference is the sides we stand on."
Her smirk dropped, and she tightened her grip on the spear's handle. "So yes, I dare make a mockery of you. In fact, I'd do so gladly. After all, your existence is nothing but an eyesore, and you are the one that must be purged."
"YOU DARE LOOK DOWN ON US?! YOU ARE NOTHING MORE THAN A HYPOCRITE! A USURPER WHO ACTS SOLELY OUT OF HER OWN SELFISH DESIRES AND AMBITIONS!"
Miku huffed, amused by the demon's anger. "You are absolutely right," She said in response, shocking the demon once again. "I really am acting out of nothing but selfishness. That's all I really used as my motivation, nothing more."
"And you even have the gall to admit it!" The demon roared back to her. "YOU ARE NOT WORTHY OF HOLDING ALL THE HOPES OF THIS WORLD! YOU ARE NOT WORTHY OF BEING SLAIN BY US! YET YOU DARE STAND BEFORE US WITH SUCH AN IDEAL?!"
Miku sighed, and stared the demon dead in the eye. "All the Hopes of this World? Such a thing is wasted on me. I don't have any great ambitions or grand ideals to make the world a better place, nor do I care about what other people truly feel or believe...because I'm only acting out of a single, selfish desire, and wishing for my own happiness above all others'."
"YOU-!"
"But you know," She interrupted it, starting her march towards her opponent. "I guess...that's where true human hope lies. All those small selfish wishes, just like mine, that come together to form a greater whole; and thereby lies the truth beneath it all."
With every step she took forward, the demon grew more furious. It materialized its own spear in its hand, matching Miku's own.
"To live is to pursue happiness. To pursue the pleasure of happiness, and to live as such for the remaining days of the future. And life is nothing more than a collection of selfish actions and decisions that people make in order to obtain that happiness."
She stopped only a few meters away from the demon, standing at her full height while it growled at her like a beast, its teeth bared and its fangs visible.
"And you are no different. Your happiness lies in your pursuit of vengeance, so you can say that you as well hold a certain hope. The hope that you'll be able to achieve it, and stain everything with your existence."
Her own rage rose, and a pure white aura began to form around her. "And that was your mistake, for you see...your desire and mine clash. Only one can be granted," She said to it, glaring back. "And you know what the funny part is? Had you gone on about it any other way, I wouldn't have cared. I see only my own happiness, and nothing more. Someone else could have gone to deal with you, and I would be none the wiser. However…"
And then energy exploded from her in huge amounts, dwarfing the demon completely. This time, it found itself taking a step back away from her, astonished by the power she radiated.
"You got Hibiki involved in your quest, and that is something I will never forgive. You made her believe that her pursuit of her vengeance was just. But it wasn't at all, for it was nothing more than a way for you to achieve your vengeance. THAT was your mistake, demon, and that's why I got involved. That's why I dare stand before you shamelessly, because I couldn't give less of a damn about anything else."
"For that reason alone, you-"
But Miku cut it off, again. "For that reason alone. You are an obstacle in my path to obtaining my happiness, and it just so happens that Hibiki is my happiness."
Her expression became fearsome as her face scrunched up in fury, the energy whipping about all over the area. "So know this, demon: no matter what you do, and no matter what you say, I will pulverize you for the crime of trying to take Hibiki from me. For trying to take away my happiness from me."
There was a memory.
A memory of gentle days and heartfelt smiles. Even though behind them a deep sorrow was hidden, she cherished them more than anything else.
Smiles that only she ever saw, smiles that were only displayed in her presence.
Along with the suffering, sadness, and grief that had burdened her heart since that day.
And it was Miku's fondest wish…
To have Hibiki finally be able to show those regrets...to show those smiles in front of others.
She could hear it, the screaming of All the Evils of this World in her ears as their concept battled it out with her own.
But she couldn't care less about that.
Because she had exactly one more thing to say.
"And you are getting in the way of that,"
Her fury reached its peak.
And her roar echoed throughout the battlefield, piercing through the night.
"DISAPPEAR! WE CAN'T SMILE AS LONG AS YOU EXIST!"
Throwing the demon's words right back at it once again.
And the demon too exploded in anger, screaming her name.
"MIIIIKKUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"
(Play: Metal Gear Rising OST - It Has to Be this Way)
Power raged in all directions, blazing off of the two archenemies. Their stances shifted, and the two held their spears in similar positions, facing each other head on.
And at once, they charged towards each other. The spears collided with an enormous explosion of dust and wind, black and white mixing wildly in the storm of divine power and energy.
Baring their teeth, the two seemed almost identical, pushing against each other in an attempt to overcome the other. The very center of the impact between the spears became the meeting point of the three superior concepts.
And so time and space warped, yet the two did not stop for even a second.
Like wild animals, they roared at each other, their spears lighting up in their respective colors, their auras rising higher and higher, reaching the sky.
Miku however, was not about to let herself go down so easily. Pouring all the power she could into her hands, she smashed the demon away, launching it backwards at supersonic speeds. Unwilling to let it get away, she immediately chased after it, leaving sonic booms behind that ravaged the battlefield.
The demon landed and immediately dodged, avoiding Miku's spear that crashed into the spot it stood in a moment before. Retaliating quickly, it struck at her head with its own spear, warping space and time again with just the force of the swing.
And yet Miku managed to block it anyway. Gripping the handle of the spear with both hands, she roared again, energy expelling from within her to cover her in a dome. Sensing the power of the barrier, the demon jumped back.
It was forced on the defensive again as Miku dashed towards it, swinging the spear in a heavy overhead strike.
She really didn't know how to use a weapon like this, which put her at a disadvantage; but, the demon didn't either, as it drew all of its fighting knowledge directly from Hibiki.
Yes, neither of them had experience in that regard, and so all of their strikes were reduced to nothing more than sheer displays of power that rent the area asunder, destroying more of Tokyo with every single movement they made.
The demon raised its spear to block, and the two polearms crashed with a mighty explosion, the ground beneath the demon cratering in an instant. With a roar, it pushed Miku's spear to the side and swung at her head once more.
But yet again, she blocked it.
And the two proceeded to engage in another exchange of wild blows, the two spears tearing through the air towards their opponent. They clashed again and again, the sparks from their impacts flying about. The sheer energy released by the two began to melt the concrete beneath them, raising its temperature sky high.
A runaway spark landed atop a gas leak from a nearby overturned truck. Instantly the gasoline caught fire, and a moment later the flames reached the engine, causing it to detonate in a mighty fireball.
Yet, the two ignored it. Their clashes were so ridiculously strong they blew away the burning truck like it was a leaf on the wind.
Miku felt sweat pour down her brows from the effort, but she kept it up, not letting up even an inch for the demon.
Which proceeded to scream again, letting its voice be known.
"DAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOUDAMNYOU!"
With every new clash, it screamed those two words at her, cursing her with each one.
"WE ARE UNDYING! WE CANNOT AND WILL NOT BE DEFEATED BY YOU! YOUR EXISTENCE IS AN AFFRONT TO OUR PURPOSE, AND WE WILL NEVER ALLOW YOU TO ACHIEVE YOUR DESIRE!"
On and on it went, rambling on without end.
"YOU DARE DERIDE US FOR OUR GOALS, AND YET YOU BOLDLY BARE YOUR SELFISHNESS AS YOUR MOTIVATION! YOU ARE NO BETTER THAN US! YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A PRODUCT OF OUR CREATION!"
"SHHUUUTTT UP!"
She screamed back at it. Having become tired of the demon's incessant and endless rambling, Miku decided to add more power into her next swing in an attempt to silence it. Realizing what she was doing, the demon imitated her move, and the two spears warped the air around them as they made their way to each other.
And in an explosion of metallic shards and power, the two spears shattered to pieces upon contact. Not letting the recoil push them back, the two opponents took a step forward and planted their feet, mirroring each other.
Their teeth bared, two right hooks roared towards their target. Screeching through the air, the fists passed by each other, the connected arms grinding, causing the armor covering them to shave away from the contact with a shower of black and white dust.
"DO YOU REALLY THINK I CARE-"
The fists approached their targets at the same time, setting up for a double knockout.
However, Miku was having none of it.
"-ABOUT THAT?!"
The demon had only a tiny moment to be surprised as its fist passed by Miku's head harmlessly.
Allowing her own to crash into its face with the force of a supernova. The blow nearly caused its head to spin, and its cheek was caved in by the powerful punch. Following the strike, the demon was thrown back once again, making it bounce over the ground several times. It grit its teeth as it flipped back to its feet.
Miku pulled back her arm, her fist blazing hot and releasing smoke.
"YOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-!"
"What is my name, demon?!"
Asking it that one question, Miku's eyes shone.
The demon's anger overflowing, it charged towards her with a reared back fist.
But Miku raised her arm in response, and the demon's own arm clanged off it, throwing the demon off balance.
"WHAT IS MY NAME?!"
Letting Miku nail it in the stomach with another powerful blow. The demon threw up spittle, the air knocked out of it by her blow. Removing her fist from its abdomen, Miku spun and kicked the demon away, causing it to grind on its face against the ground for a long distance.
It jumped back to its feet as soon as it came to a stop, and Miku advanced on it, her voice alone shaking the air.
"That's right, you know my name, demon," She said to it. "Do you know what it means? It means 'future'. That's right, that's what I embody. That's what I desire to obtain,"
Energy whipped around her, and the demon followed suit, its fury knowing no bounds.
"AND YOU HAVE NO PLACE IN THAT FUTURE!"
She charged, and this time she was the one who struck out with both fists. Holding its ground, the demon prepared itself and raised its arms just before she hit.
It caught her fists into its palms, its fingers digging into her hand from above. But the girl pushed forward, pouring all the power she could into her legs and causing the demon to skid back.
However, it wasn't willing to go down so easily.
"YOU FOOL!"
Suddenly, it sweeped her legs from under her with a quick low kick. Releasing her caught fists as she fell, it lashed out with an arm and grabbed her by the throat.
Her hands immediately locked around its arm, and now in its apparent mercy the demon smashed Miku into the ground on her back, cratering it even more.
With Miku's back against the earth, the demon dashed, its feet rising as it moved forward. Miku's backside was dragged against the concrete, throwing up debris and rubble in her wake.
And once more the demon screamed right at her face as she struggled against its hold.
"YOU WILL NEVER BE RID OF US!"
It finished its rush by picking her up from the ground and slamming her against a wall, breaking through it in one blow. Not releasing its hold on her, it broke into a run, and each time they broke through another concrete barrier, each one shattering on her back with full force and sending excruciating pain up her spine.
Clearing the first building, the demon released her momentarily as they broke through the last wall. Disoriented, Miku was helpless to react as its fist smashed into her stomach, and she was launched across the complex and crashed through another full row of structures, smashing through their walls as if they were made of paper.
After crashing through the final wall of the seventh building, she fell on her back on the ground, dizzy for a moment. But that was enough time for the demon to suddenly teleport above her, and immediately smashed its fist into her face with all the force it could muster.
Disoriented again, it continued its mad assault with both fists, crashing into her skull and cheeks with reckless abandon.
"WE ARE ETERNAL! FOR AS LONG AS MANKIND EXISTS WE WILL NEVER DISAPPEAR! YOU ARE THE SPECK OF DUST AMONG US, MIKU! YOU ARE THE ONE WHO WILL PERISH, AND OUR AMBITIONS WILL SPAN THE COSMOS! THE UNIVERSE WILL COWER DOWN BEFORE OUR MIGHT!"
Her vision swimming, Miku was unable to prevent its thrashing. And as it continued, striking her face again and again, the earth shook beneath them.
Suddenly, a pillar of fire erupted from the ground like a volcano, sending burning brick and concrete raining down upon them. With every punch the demon delivered, another geyser of flame roared to life, sending more fiery debris into the air.
The battlefield caught fire, the red hot rain aking to a meteor shower bombarding the area around them endlessly.
And the demon continued to scream, leaving Miku helpless against its attacks.
"AND TO SPITE YOU, WE SHALL DO SO WITH THIS BODY! WITH THIS VESSEL! SHE SHALL BE OUR PRISONER AS WE BURN THE WORLD TO ASH, AND SHE WILL DROWN IN HER SUFFERING FOR THE REST OF ETERNITY!"
Until it said that, and Genjuro's training echoed in her mind.
As the demon brought down its right fist again, Miku raised her left hand and caught it in her palm, arresting its movements. Shocked by her retaliation, the demon clenched its teeth. Miku did so as well, pushing back the punch as much as she could from her position. With the advantage lying with the demon, it struck with its left hand instead, trying to pierce through her guard.
Right up until its eyes widened as her fan materialized in her right hand and she swung, cleaving through the demon's midsection with her light. While the light couldn't bisect it due to being unable to inflict physical damage, the demon's chest was regardless cleared of any and all curses, shaving away part of its protection. Letting go of her fan, Miku pulled the demon in with the grip on its right hand.
And slammed her fist into the opening.
It definitely felt that one, and as Miku released her hold on its hand, the demon was launched backwards through the air, the wind having been knocked out of its lungs.
Miku jumped to her feet a second later, and once more materialized her fan in her hand.
But the demon still did not go down, and it landed back onto the earth on two feet, the curses that were purged away from its chest regenerating themselves immediately.
And once more Miku spoke up, making her fury known. "Listen to me very closely, demon: I don't give a single damn about that. I don't care how long you will exist, and I don't care about how similar you think we are. I. DON'T. GIVE. A SHIT!"
She charged, and not having time to materialize its spear the demon brought its arms up to defend itself, and the fan crashed against them with a loud boom. The light intensified, banishing its armor and by extension its physical protection. "I am very aware of what I am and what your role was in my life! I know what my faults are! I know what my sins are, and I definitely know what Hibiki's regrets are!"
Releasing one hand from the handle, she took the opportunity to deliver a powerful uppercut, smashing into its arms from below and whipping them upwards, making the demon stumble. Planting her feet, she again grasped the fan with both hands and swung it horizontally, and the demon grimaced as it was forced to block again. The fan crashed against its arms once more, this time against the bare skin.
Yes, even though the light couldn't do any physical damage, the relic made Armed Gear definitely could!
It groaned in pain as Hibiki's body was assaulted directly. It wasn't something Miku wished to do, but there was no choice in the matter this time. And she continued, making sure the demon heard everything she had to say.
"I'm selfish, possessive, and I get jealous easily. I already know what I resent, what I hate, and what I hold a grudge against! Everything was clear as crystal to me from the very moment I laid my eyes upon her all those years ago! From the very moment I fell in love with her!"
"YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-!"
It sure loved doing that, she noticed.
Like it mattered to her.
The demon's defense faltered, and once again she smashed its arms away. Not done yet, the demon lashed out against her with another deafening roar, its fist making its way to her with a sonic boom.
Only to be stopped halfway as Miku raised her arm, and stopped its movements instantly with her forearm. Grasping the demon by its upper arm with all her might, she dropped her fan again and lashed out with her now free fist, nailing the demon in the waist.
And this time, she was the one who delivered an endless rain of blows. Again and again she struck, crashing her fist into the side of its ribcage. The plate armor protecting its upper body groaned and folded inwards with every strike until it eventually shattered, making a hole big enough for Miku to strike at the naked skin below.
Gathering all the power she could into her hand, her fist glowed with violet light, and delivered one final strong blow to the exposed area.
She could hear the bones underneath crunch and break from the force, and she released her grip on the demon, sending it flying back once again.
It bounced on its back against the ground, groaning all the while as pain assaulted it.
She knew the divine power would heal that injury in due time, but it would definitely feel that for the rest of the fight.
Her voice echoing once again, her scream caused the demon to wince.
"You sealed your fate the moment you decided to fuck with me! YOU DON'T LAY YOUR HANDS ON HIBIKI AND EXPECT TO GET AWAY WITH IT!"
The demon grimaced, not having expected the pain to mess with its movements. Feeling the divine power healing the shattered bones, the demon clenched its fists, ready to launch itself at her again.
Despite everything, Miku found herself surprised, at herself more than anything.
The similarities between them were...strange, to say the least. Never before had she found herself so royally pissed off because of the actions of another, and never before had she been forced to stand her ground to such an extent against an enemy.
The demon was to her in the same manner she was to it. Unable to coexist, they would never permit the existence of the other, for that other was the greatest obstacle to their goal.
Their final desires may be different, and the power they relied on may be of opposite origins, yet in the end they really were similar.
Two sides of the same coin. The furthest twins, and the closest strangers.
But, as she told the demon herself:
She couldn't give less of a damn. This power was a means to an end.
And that end was to fuck its shit up, and finally get rid of the suffering that it brought into their lives.
"She begged me to save her, and I no intention on letting her down! You stand in the way of fulfilling my promise, demon! YOU WILL HAVE NO MERCY FROM ME!"
The pillars of flame that the demon made manifest stopped erupting at that moment, and the final pieces of molten brick and steel crashed into the ground around them. Not even a single one managed to drop on top of the two, as if terrified of inciting their anger any further.
The demon summoned its spear again, standing before Miku on the opposite side.
It opened its mouth to scream at her once more.
"YOU REVOLTING BITC-"
Only to falter on the final word as something moved within it. Miku's eyes widened as she felt the disturbance, and she could see how the demon was struggling against something from inside it.
Angered and confused even further, it lay a hand atop its chest and flailed wildly. "What is the meaning of this?!"
Something pulsed, striking the demon from the inside. It stumbled, nearly losing its footing. It hurriedly stuck the spear in the ground for support as it tried to understand what was happening, the sudden conflict inside itself throwing it for a loop.
It raised its head and glared at Miku hatefully. "What have you done?! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"
It's rant was delivered with such savagery she wasn't sure how it didn't bite its tongue off. Another pulse from within it made it drop to its knees, and sweat poured down its face at the internal struggle.
And Miku watched curiously, she too confused by the sudden change in demeanor. 'What is…'
Deciding to make sure, she spread her senses even more, and dove deeper, focusing her mind on the strange occurrence. The pulses continued, causing the demon to thrash about uselessly, trying to strike against an invisible opponent.
"You dare turn on us-!"
Another pulse, shutting it up immediately.
Giving Miku all the information she needed. Momentarily shocked, her face then lit up with a grin, and she stared at the demon derisively. "It seems you are no longer welcome, demon."
It continued to lash out, screaming at her. "YOU! YOU-! HOW CAN THIS BE POSSIBL-!"
And again, another pulse. Relishing in the demon's confusion, Miku continued.
"My voice reached her, it seems," She announced. "Did you really think you could keep her under your control forever? You truly are a fool, blind to everything except to your own vengeance. You are but a ghost of the past, carried all this way by mistake, never letting go of your hatred for even a moment. You hid inside Gungnir, just waiting for the day you could escape again and let the world know of your anger."
"G-GRAAAAAAAH!"
"And you even managed to find the perfect person to inhabit, but you miscalculated," Miku said, forcing the demon's attention back to her in its search for answers. "You never expected to be facing your direct equal. You never expected to be driven into a corner, because you are used to being eternal and undying, lying at the back of human existence as a byproduct of evolution."
"GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR YOUUUU-!"
"And you never expected for someone to start rejecting you, especially someone like her. You were lucky that Hibiki was your container, because she had plenty of grudges and hatreds she secretly hid from the world. Grudges and hatreds you used to try and achieve your goal. And because of that, you never expected her to turn on you like now, and fight against your influence."
The demon grabbed its head, the pulses not stopping for even a moment. It glared at her with one eye, once again speaking her name. "Mikuuuuuuuuuu!"
"You are already starting to lose your foothold," She continued. "It's almost ironic how All the Evils of this World are being surpassed by two simple girls, don't you think?"
Nearly losing its balance once again, the demon's voice faltered, the legion of screaming souls losing their edge. "This shouldn't be possible! She was supposed to be under our thrall! How is it possible I am being usurped?!"
Miku didn't miss that change in self-reference.
Adam's voice suddenly echoed from her earpiece, spurring her on. "This is the opportune moment, girl. You will never get this chance again if you let it slip."
And that was all the motivation she needed to bring this to an end.
"You lost the moment you decided to mess with us, and now you're paying the price."
"Do not get cocky!" The demon screeched at her. "One person cannot hold me back! Her will shall be pushed aside like before, and I will drag you through the dirt this time!"
Its talk wasn't very convincing now that its control was slipping. "Try it then, demon. Let's see how far that gets you. Because now...I'll do everything I can to finally erase you."
The demon dislodged its spear from the ground, and slammed it back against it, preparing to meet Miku's challenge. "WE'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY, MIKU!"
(Play: Nana Mizuki - Testament)
It still had some fire in it, it seemed.
Good, because she was going to snuff it out.
"Do it, Miku-kun!"
It was time to impose her will upon it, and crush it until nothing is left.
Their Armed Gears at the ready, Miku's eyes shone with resolution. The demon continued to struggle with Hibiki from within, forcing its attention to break between the two of them.
They charged towards each other again, the demon roaring all the while. The fan and the spear clashed for the millionth time, grinding against each other once more. With its power now reduced, the demon was forced on the defensive, its guard breaking slowly but surely.
Unwilling to give in, it poured power into its strikes, clanging against her fan and managing to throw it off course for just a single moment.
It smirked, and swung at Miku's head; however, she dodged it by ducking underneath the blow, and immediately twisted, weaving her way to stand behind it and struck at its back with her fan.
The demon was forced to hurriedly turn to face her, and tried to block with the spear.
But just then, Miku abandoned her attack midswing, and rather than strike it with her light she instead charged ahead, crushing her shoulder into its face. The demon was knocked off balance from the sudden strong blow,and Miku took the opportunity to strike at the hand holding the spear. Her fan found purchase, and the sudden rush of pain up the demon's spine caused it to involuntarily drop its weapon.
Grimacing once again, it jumped back and put distance between them before she could strike at it again. Now nearly a hundred meters away from her, it roared loudly once more and leaped into the air before coming down on her with an extended fist.
Miku held her ground, and grasping the handle of her fan tightly with both hands, blocked the mad strike with its flap surface.
Baring its teeth again, the demon launched its other fist at her. But she managed to block it as well, her arms moving swiftly to put the barrier in between them.
Angered beyond a shadow of a doubt, the demon began to to rain down a barrage of blows on her, picking up speed with each punch it sent her way.
Yet Miku's guard was unbreakable, more resilient than the strongest steel.
And as the demon's fists became blurs, it roared with a surprisingly human ferocity.
"ATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATA-"
It was endless, each punch becoming a thousand with every pass. Yet her own arms became blurs as well, the fan successfully deflecting each and every one of those thousand punches with frightening accuracy.
It continued to yell, not letting up for a moment.
"-TATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATA!"
It finished its mad assault with a stronger punch, but Miku managed to block it as well, the sheer force causing the ground beneath her to crater and shatter.
Not giving her an inch, it pulled both arms back, the gauntlets on its fists enlarging and the pile bunkers pulling back as far as they could go.
And it launched them both at once, preparing to finish her off with this one final strike.
'LAST TESTA-'
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Only to be completely denied as her fist passed through the demon's guard completely, stopping its attack halfway. It crashed into its face, sending it flying backwards through the air.
Furious, it flipped and skidded against the ground, calling the spear back into its grip.
"THIS HUMILIATION WILL NEVER BE FORGIVEN!"
With a crazed roar, it plunged the spear into the earth with a humongous explosion, throwing dirt and dust in all directions. Not having expected this sudden move, Miku was forced to bring an arm up to protect her eyes.
'When will it just stop?!' She wondered to herself.
Until her senses screamed, forcing her head towards the sky.
The demon hung in the air high above her, the face of madness returning to its features once again. It held the spear pointed in Miku's direction, and a golden orb of light gathered at its tip.
"IF WE CANNOT SURPASS YOU, THEN I'LL JUST BLOW THIS LAND TO KINGDOM COME! I WILL SEND HUMANKIND TO THE BRINK OF EXTINCTION!"
Miku's eyes widened in horror, realizing the demon's threat was not an empty one. The light continued to gather at a rapid rate, becoming larger and more powerful by the second, leaving her with very few options as to what to do.
She couldn't dodge out of the way, because that would allow the attack to hit the ground and blow everything to hell.
She couldn't stop it, because it was already underway and would be done in less than a second.
She couldn't divert it, because the demon would aim at the earth regardless.
So there was only one thing left for her to do.
'Pierce through it!'
The thrusters on her lower back roared to life, and she opened her fan, holding it in front of her as a shield. With an earth shaking boom, Miku took off, her wings of pure light unfolding behind her as she rose.
The demon flashed a maniacal grin, and screamed once more. "DIE, HOPE OF MANKIND!"
And fired its final attack.
'RAGNARÖK'
It was unlike anything they'd ever faced before. It was simply an all consuming blast that threatened to destroy everything, and nothing could ever stand in its path.
The destined end of the gods, and the submergence of the world under a sea of grudges and hatreds that will never vanish.
And yet, Miku soared. The light of destruction blinded her, and she closed one eye as she made her way to the sky, intent on piercing through it.
But she wasn't sure she'd succeed. Betting everything on her power, she charged in with a roar.
And just as the light was about to strike her mirror…
Was the moment a translucent barrier in the shape of a five pointed star bloomed to life in her path.
The light crashed against the shield, causing it to fragment in all directions. With the majority of its intense power concentrated on the barrier that appeared out of nowhere, the fragments flew off in all directions, exploding upon impact with anything they touched.
Miku could only look in surprise as her mirror impacted the other side of the shield, and with its assistance she pushed forward.
Giving her one tiny moment to glance at the direction the shield came from, and her breath was stolen from her immediately.
Maria stood, her arm extended towards the barrier, with her other supporting it. But she was not alone, for the other wielders held onto her as well, keeping her steady.
The Airgetlam wielder felt her arm spasm wildly as she pushed more energy into keeping the shield stable, letting Miku continue her charge towards the demon on the other side. Tsubasa, Chris, Kirika, and Shirabe all aided her, using the special property of her Symphogear in order to transfer their energy to her.
And all five screamed, their Symphogears slowly breaking apart as they fed their power into Maria.
"GO! MIKUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"
The world erupted around them, yet the five held their ground, putting all their efforts at assisting Miku. Grateful for their help, Miku turned her head back to the front, pushing her power as much as she could. The thrusters roared even more loudly, slowly breaking through the beam.
But it was a very slow process.
Faced with the almighty power of divinity, the Symphogears' barrier was not able to hold itself together for long. Not willing to let it drop before Miku achieved her objective, Maria forced her entire being into it, and the veins in her arm popped and bled as she struggled against the pressure. The others aided her, their Symphogears nearly dissolving completely from the effort, their own energies being spent at a rapid rate at trying to keep the shield in one piece.
"GUWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
'COME ON COME ON COME ON! DON'T GIVE UP!"
Their minds and bodies screeched in pain, yet they held on.
Miku pushed even further, but it was far too slow. The beam was too powerful and far too daunting. The barrier was not going to hold up at this rate!
And she was going to be vaporized instantly once it shattered!
Not giving up hope, Miku pushed onwards.
The first crack appeared on the barrier, and it began to crumble under the might of the light.
The demon screamed once more.
"DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
But then…
Something else entirely shattered.
The demon could only look in shock as the emerald core of its spear exploded into a million shards, the fragments raining down and disappearing before they hit the ground. Immediately the beam began to falter, the spear no longer able to channel its power without its intact core.
The demon's head darted to the ground, desperate to catch sight of the one who had interfered.
And there, standing a fair bit distance away from them all, was Saint-Germain. On her feet, and her arm pointed towards the sky, she met the demon's gaze halfway.
Along with the smoking barrel of her gun.
"THE OPPRESSION OF HATRED ENDS TONIGHT! DISAPPEAR INTO OBLIVION, ALL EVILS OF THIS WORLD!"
The demon could only scream out her name in astonishment and fury.
"SAINT-GERMAIN!"
And completely forgetting the one person it should have kept its eyes on.
With the beam having lost the majority of its power, it flickered on and off as it crashed against the barrier. While the shield was still cracking, it gave Miku the perfect opening she needed.
And the others, whether it was her teammates or comrades in HQ, made sure she knew.
"MIKU!"
"MIKU-KUN!
"KOHINATA!"
"KOHINATA-SAN!
"MIKU-SAN!"
"KOHINATA MIKU!"
And together, their voices rose in a chorus in her ears.
"NOW'S YOUR CHAAAAAAAAAAAAANCE!"
That was all she needed to hear.
"UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Her roar pierced through the night. The thrusters on her back exploding with power, and her wings beating with unparalleled strength, Miku charged through the faltering light.
She soared and soared, higher and higher, her speed unmatched by anything.
And the demon was helpless to respond.
Breaking through the destructive ray, the shield touched the tip of the spear.
And promptly shattered to pieces.
Miku's mirror smashed into the spear, and both weapons were flung from their owners' hands with a powerful yank.
Caught off balance, the demon could do nothing as Miku crashed into it, immediately wrapping her arms around its waist.
And together the two streaked through the air, leaving behind a trail of violet light.
The face of madness still etched upon its face, the demon screamed.
'There was a memory.'
'The girl, crashing into her, held her tight.'
"LET GO OF ME!"
'That was what she screamed, begging her to let her go. To let her save her.'
'But she didn't, and answered back with all her strength.'
"NO! I'M NEVER LETTING YOU GO AGAIN!"
'And held on, not willing to let her leave her arms.'
Miku channeled all of her power into the mirror that flew from her hand, and by her will it shot towards the sky high above them. Its shining surface aimed at the ground, it grew.
And grew.
And grew.
And grew.
The mirror enlarged to sizes no mirror in the world ever reached, spanning nearly one hundred meters in in length. Bigger than anything she had ever created, Miku continued to pour power into the construct, keeping her tight grip on Hibiki all the while.
And it began to shine, the power she sent it starting to take form.
It was truly a second sun in the night, lighting up the battlefield with its blinding violet glow.
And Hibiki, unable to escape Miku's embrace, was helpless to do anything in response.
And the mirror fired.
'HEAVENLY EMPEROR'S TESTAMENT'
A tower of light dropped on the two.
And immediately consumed them both.
The storm raged on, shaking the world as it impacted the earth.
-!-
The submarine rumbled wildly, the frightened crew holding on for dear life. The alarm rang out loudly, together with the red lights that further disoriented them.
Sparks erupted from machinery on the bridge, several systems failing and shutting down due to the shaking. Genjuro, holding onto the railing with his gigantic hands, looked towards the display with one eye open.
And was shocked to see what was happening.
-!-
She was screaming, but no sound came out of her mouth.
She was enveloped in light, covering her from head to toe. It locked her muscles in place, leaving her at its mercy.
And yet, it was not painful. In fact, it was warm, and it embraced her gently.
And she saw how many and many shadowy hands were pulled away, peeling from her skin. They tried to keep their hold on her as tightly as they could, yet they could not.
They were drawn upwards, and vanished from her sight at the edge of her vision. They flailed wildly, not willing to surrender here.
But they could do nothing.
And so, slowly but surely, the many shadowy hands that had kept her company for all this time disappeared, leaving her all alone.
Her arm moved, raising it up and above towards the source of the light.
'I wanted to save you,' She said, or thought. She wasn't sure which she was doing. 'But I couldn't. I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry…'
A single tear fell from her eyes.
And her consciousness vanished as she disappeared into the light.
-!-
The rocking came to an end after a very long time, the gigantic mirror in the sky finally stopping its assault. Genjuro rose to his feet unsteadily, and immediately checked on the wellbeing of his subordinates.
"Is everyone alright?!" He yelled to the bridge at large.
His answer came in the form of several pained groans and curses that rose from their lips, and he smiled. His eyes darting to his second in command, he roared out his orders. "Tomosato! Are you well?! Give me a status report as soon as you can!"
The woman groaned as she sat back down in her seat, her back aching due to having fallen off her chair. Squinting her eyes at the glare of the screen, it took her a moment to understand what was it she was seeing.
So instead, Elfnein spoke up, her voice filled with excitement. "Genjuro-san!" She yelled, causing the commander to turn to her. She pointed to the display. "Look!"
And he looked.
Causing his eyes to widen.
"Check it again!" He commanded. "I want a quintuple check to make sure what we're seeing is certain!"
"I already did!" She answered. "That's all there is!"
He could barely believe it, especially after the previous time.
Everything was gone. The two blinding Aufwachen signals and the curses…
Were completely gone.
"Pure divine power has been detected!" Someone on the lower level yelled to him.
Pure divine power? But that meant…
That it was not bound to anything. That no one held it.
And that the outcome was clear.
His heart began beating rapidly. "Dock into the harbor straight away! We'll send teams to the field to make a direct confirmation!"
"Roger!"
"Sir!" Someone else yelled to him.
"What?!"
"We're seeing familiar signatures on the radar!" The crew member said. "They're human!"
"What?!"
Familiar human signatures? But the wielders were all accounted for! What could it possibly-
His mind seized in realization.
'Oh...shit.'
-!-
This time, waking up wasn't as pleasant as in the dream. Miku's eyes fluttered open weakly as she pushed herself off the ground, rising to her hands and knees.
"U-ughh…"
Her everything hurt. There was no muscle in her body that didn't scream in pain, and she felt so weak she could barely move. She noticed that she was naked now too, her Symphogear having been disintegrated in the powerful light.
She had landed inside of a fairly shallow crater, and smoke rose from it in the aftermath. She blinked several times as she scanned its diameter, surprised at its size.
But then her eyes landed on something else that lay unmoving on the other side of the crater, and immediately her breathing stopped.
"Hi-biki…" She muttered weakly.
Through her failing vision, Miku could see her there, just lying on the ground on her side. Her eyes were closed, but she could see that her hair and skin had regained their lively appearance, causing Miku's shoulders to sag in relief.
But...she needed to reach her first. Moving herself forward as much as she could, Miku stumbled halfway, falling on her face back to the dirt. She groaned in pain again, and kept her gaze on Hibiki's prone form.
"Hi-biki…" She muttered again, clawing at the ground under her. "I'm...coming...I...promise...Hibi-ki…"
It was like trying to crawl through glass. Pointed stones dug into her skin, puncturing it and causing her to bleed as she dug her fingers into the dirt, forcing herself forward slowly.
"Ugh...ugh…"
It was so difficult. The battle up until now was nothing like this, and she felt her strength falter with every move she made.
But she pushed on, unwilling to give up. "Hibi-ki…"
She crawled. And crawled and crawled, completely ignoring all other sounds in the crater.
It was a slow process, but eventually she made it nearly three fourths of the way to Hibiki, causing her to push harder. "Hibi-"
Until someone else showed up out of nowhere, standing next to Hibiki's unconscious form.
Miku's eyes widened, and she tilted her head up to see…
Someone she did not recognize.
'Who…'
What was happening?
A man with short black hair, wearing a black suit and tie showed up out of nowhere as she made her way to Hibiki. The unknown man wearing sunglasses in the middle of the night then leaned down, and easily picked up Hibiki with both hands. With a small heave, he threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"W-wha-" Miku tried to speak, but the man beat her to the punch, his hand rising to his earpiece.
"Target TH has been secured. I'm bringing it to the extraction point now." He said in a monotone voice.
Miku's eyes widened further as the man turned away with Hibiki on his shoulder, and began his climb out of the crater.
"No...wait...give her back! Hibi-ki-!"
She tried to reach out with her arm, but she couldn't. The man was getting away and she couldn't reach him, couldn't stop him from walking away.
"Sto-"
And then a pair of hands wrapped themselves around her arms, lifting her upper body off the ground. She turned her head as much as she could, and she was struck with shock as another man she did not recognize appeared out of nowhere, his appearance similar to the first.
"No!" She screeched, struggling as much as she could in his hold, yet she was so weak now she couldn't free herself at all. "Let go of me! HIBIKI!"
Her scream echoed in the open space, going unheard.
The man carrying Hibiki nearly reached the crater's opening, and was about to disappear from her vision.
But then a guardian angel in the form of a heel crashed into the side of the man's head. Knocked out cold in an instant, he crumpled to the ground, causing Hibiki to fall off his shoulder and roll back down the crater.
The man holding Miku dropped her instantly, and reached for the gun in his holster. "What are you-"
Only for him to drop like a ton of bricks as the lights were knocked out of him by someone else, their heel slamming into his temple too.
Miku's face hit the ground, and she huffed and coughed up dirt from the harsh treatment. Shocked at the development, she opened her mouth to speak. "Who-"
"Miku!" A familiar voice called out to her. This time, a pair of much gentler arms picked her up, and she twisted her head to look upon a much welcome pair of eyes.
"Chris…"
"Oi Miku, you alright?" The white haired Symphogear user asked her.
"Yes...but Hibiki...someone, please…"
"Don't worry, we got her." Chris informed her, her and gestured with her head towards the fallen girl.
Miku turned her head weakly, and watched as Kirika gently lifted Hibiki up, Shirabe right next to her, helping her. She smiled in relief, the tension escaping her frame instantly at the timely appearance of her precious friends.
"Thank you...thank you, everyone..."
The five were in their casual clothes, their Gears having been dismissed due to their energy being used to power the shield.
"I'm glad we made it in time," Maria said, walking up to her as Kirika brought Hibiki over while Shirabe dragged the unconscious man to to the group.
Maria's arm was still bleeding from earlier, although she counted herself lucky she could still move it. She looked between the two men they had downed, and narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Who are these people?"
Kirika gently placed Hibiki on the ground in the meantime, and looked to Miku with a smile on her face.
However, Tsubasa wasn't as joyful. Quickly she went over to study the man that Chris had felled, Kanade's spear clenched tightly in her left hand. She bent down and turned him over, and checked his coat pocket for any identification.
It didn't take her very long. Finding a single handkerchief, she tossed it aside as she recognized the emblem upon it.
Maria looked to her in worry. "Tsubasa?"
The blue haired idol raised her head, staring at the top of the crater. "It seems...our victory will have to wait just a little bit longer." She said ominously.
At that moment, the other wielders realized what was going on.
They appeared out of nowhere. Over three dozen men, all of them wearing black suits and ties stood at the crater's rim, surrounding the wielders on all sides. Shirabe's head darted to and fro, trying to count the amount of agents that seemingly popped into existence out of thin air.
Before she could make a comment, Tsubasa spoke up again.
"Isn't that right..."
Her question was directed at an approaching figure.
She knew that figure alright. His yukata, and his white hair and beard were unmistakable even in the night.
He finally stepped to where she could see him clearly, the few lights left in the ruined city illuminating his form.
And with his usual judgemental look, the patriarch of the Kazanari made his appearance on the battlefield.
"Kazanari Fudou?"
Her voice declared his name with a sense of finality.
Marking the beginning of the final confrontation for their hard earned victory.
