Song of the Heart Redux (G Arc)

by zeroblackdragon15

(Story adopted from Ada1229) "Believe in the song of your heart." Finé's words on that day continue to drive Hibiki forwards. This is my view on how Symphogear G would have changed if Hibiki had been warned of the FIS' attack on the Queens of Music concert, as well as their plans for world domination. Pairings in Chapter 3; Interlude 2 uploaded 3/9/2018.

8. G Chapter 7: Rising Darkness

Song of the Heart: Redux

Author's Notes: Welcome back to "Song of the Heart: Redux". I'd like to apologize for the delay; I had two days of traveling first, then a week to get used to being back at work. Still, I'm back and ready to go! I would also like to apologize for the length of this chapter; there's just a lot to cover, and all of it is so important. This one ran a bit longer than normal chapters will be.

The Lydian Karaoke contest has come and gone, but Shirabe and Kirika have seemingly come out of nowhere to challenge Chris for her trophy. Not only that, but they're aiming for Chris and Tsubasa's relics as well. But that's not the only real development, as Chris and Hibiki seem to have come to nearly identical conclusions about themselves and their relationship with each other. Will they be able to admit what they feel for one another? But there's always a dark cloud hiding in the shadows; with the younger duo of Kirika and Shirabe's appearance, is their organization preparing to make their next move? Some of these questions and more will be answered in this chapter. Once again, I'd like to thank the author of the original "Song of the Heart", Aya1229, for allowing me to adopt the story and continue it forwards. We have still more ground to cover, so let's get started!

Disclaimer: I do not own Senki Zesshou Symphogear or Senki Zesshou Symphogear G. It is owned by those who own it. I also do not own any music used as insert songs here; they are owned by the respective songwriters and artists.

Please note; the record label used in this, Galactic Music Japan, is NOT a real music label as far as I know, but is a parody made solely for the purposes of this story. The same goes for JAM TV; as far as I know, it's not a real music channel on TV, again a parody made up for the purposes of this story.

Also, no music quoted within the story belongs to me. The rights to any and all pieces used belong to their artists and record labels. I did buy a copy of the single CDs that the songs are from though.

Acknowledgements: Once more, I would like to thank the author of the original "Song of the Heart", Aya1229, for her support in adopting this idea and making it my own. I would also like to thank a couple of friends of mine outside of (they know who they are) for acting as sounding boards when I have ideas for this that may seem a bit on the wild side.

'Insert thought here'=character thoughts

Flashback Is in Italics

-Song lyrics are shown in italics between dashes-

Chapter 7: Rising Darkness

(Last Time…)

"We do have a special announcement for all of you here the rest of today. If any of you want to come up on stage and try your hand at Karaoke, you can do so. And if you're impressive enough, maybe you can challenge our newly-crowned winner," Hibiki announced, looking at the audience. Before long, a pair of voices spoke up at the same time, seemingly perfectly in sync.

"Alright, we'll accept your challenge!" Kirika said, walking down the aisle towards the stage with Shirabe in tow. The younger girl shot the blonde a look of resentment before nodding, and beginning to speak.

"And not only will we challenge the champion, but we'll defeat her right here!"

Lydian Music Academy, Tachibana Memorial Auditorium

The air in the building was tense, as Akatsuki Kirika and Tsukuyomi Shirabe marched down towards the stage. While the Karaoke contest had its official winner, the floor had been opened by the judges to allow for an open mic, with people being able to challenge the newly crowned champion for their throne. Needless to say, this did not sit very well with Yukine Chris. After all, she had just finished singing her heart out, pouring all of her emotions into her song, trying to share her feelings with the crowd and with one specific redhead who was helping to judge the contest.

'Damn…why are they here? And now they're challenging me? I just poured it all out…everything I had went into that song…and while I don't know how Hibiki is going to respond to it, now they come here to try to upstage me? Damn them...' the snow-haired girl thought, frustration written all over her face, which was easily noticed by the younger duo.

"Someone looks like they're not the most secure in their position," the blonde-haired Igalima wielder spoke before sticking her tongue out at the Ichaival wielder's expense. While Kirika had enjoyed Chris' performance, the opportunity for her to obtain her target had finally risen. "If you're so sure of yourself, then why don't you put something on the line and see if we can take that crown from you?"

At this, a frown crossed Chris' face. 'I guess they're still after the relics…damn…what do they want them for so badly?' she thought, a frown crossing her face. She was shaken from her thoughts by a calming hand squeezing her own, causing her to blush as Tachibana Hibiki stepped forwards.

"You two...are you sure that you really want to challenge our champion as a team?" she spoke, a cool air entering her voice as she spoke. However, on the inside she was anything but calm. 'Kirika…Shirabe…what are you two after? To make a wager on this…are you still after Ichaival and Ame no Habakiri? I can't allow you to win if that's what you want…but, at the same time, I can't change the rules of the contest to enter myself, and neither can Tsubasa-san. What do I do?' she thought, her face hidden by her Sora mask.

"We're sure," the twin ponytailed girl spoke, as her blonde partner looked through the book of songs. It didn't take long for her to find what she was looking for, as she started to bounce on her toes in excitement.

"Shirabe-chan…how about this one?" she asked, her fingers pointing to a song that was familiar to the Gungnir wielder. Getting a nod from the Shul Shagana wielder to confirm the selection, the jovial blonde walked over to the girl in charge of the background music, showing her the song selected. She then hopped back on stage to join Shirabe, as Hibiki quickly grabbed Chris by the shoulders and guided her off stage.

"Hibiki…what did you do that for?" Chris whispered impatiently, a small blush on her face as the redhead walked her over to near where she had been sitting. "Why did you let them enter as a pair?"

"I didn't have much other choice, Chris. The rules stated that if they wanted to enter as a team, they have the right to do so. I don't like it either, and I don't know what they're after. I guess we'll just have to play it by ear," Gungnir's wielder trailed off in reply, a small blush on her face as well from the proximity.

"We'll see just what they can do and what they're after, won't we," a third, more serious voice entered the conversation from nearby, as Kazanari Tsubasa spoke up, a clear edge in her voice. "Those two…the other symphogear wielders who declared war alongside Maria...what could they be planning?"

Their conversation however was short-lived, as the emcee for the competition stood up on stage with her mic twirling in her hand as she prepared to speak.

"Alright everyone! It's time for the first challenger of the day to step forwards! Let's hear the two of you sing! Um…What are your names again?" the junior girl spoke, a questioning look in her eyes as she looked over at the younger girls.

"Tsukuyomi Shirabe," the Shul Shagana wielder spoke, a dull tone to her voice. 'Kiri-chan…I'll go along with this just this once…we'd better win this, or Nastassja is going to be mad that we wasted time…' she thought, sending a quick look at her partner, who nodded.

"Akatsuki Kirika!" the blonde-haired girl proclaimed, a sense of excitement in her voice for multiple reasons. 'I've always wanted to do this…we won't lose here! I WILL complete my mission!' she thought, as the emcee prepared to speak.

"Alright then, please welcome Tsukuyomi Shirabe-chan and Akatsuki Kirika-chan, performing the ZweiWing song 'Orbital Beat'! Audience, let me hear your excitement!" the announcer called out, the audience seeming to react to her request. Down below the stage with Hibiki and Chris however, Tsubasa had other ideas.

"Those two…This song…it's Kanade and I's last number one hit together...' the bluenette thought, eyes narrowing as the background music was cued up and began playing. The energy in the room began to rise, as the tension between both parties jumped through the roof.

"What are they trying to do here? Are they taunting me?" she whispered, getting the attention of both Hibiki and Chris. "If this is a provocation, then we can't just fall for it…" she continued, hands clenched into fists. While she had come to terms with what happened to Amou Kanade and her sacrifice, by no means did it make it easier for Tsubasa to hear the last single the original Zwei Wing duo had ever recorded. The fact that the enemy symphogear users were performing it right in front of her made it worse, as the music to the song began to play.

(Insert Song: "Orbital Beat", Originally by Mizuki Nana and Takayama Minami as Tsubasa and Kanade)

-Even a billion prayers, even the greatest light…

Everything is swallowed up by a dark, jail-like evil.

Like karma, rolling ever onward…

I just can't give it up.

So now I'll run forward, staying true to myself!-

Kohinata Miku watched the performance begin from the audience, eyes narrowed slightly as she listened to the energy of the tune. 'Those two up there now…they remind me of how Hibiki and I were back then…' she thought, as her eyes turned towards where her roommate was seated. 'In a way, I could even say that Chris and I are getting somewhat closer. But at the same time, why do I feel like I don't like seeing Chris with her?' she continued to think, as her eyes seemed to bore a hole in the space between where "Sora" and her roommate were sitting close together. Miku wasn't blind or dumb; she knew what it was like to fall for someone. And yet, the rolling feeling in her stomach sickened her. 'I know I shouldn't be feeling upset about it…Chris deserves happiness too. But at the same time…' she trailed off, the duet on stage launching into the chorus.

-Reach higher, reach higher, my burning heart,

Connected to a rising pulse.

Stronger, stronger, simply staring at the Sirius within my heart.

Crossing over the darkness…

Even the entangling noise, even the freezing silence…

Your heartbeat erases it all, like a carol.

More than betraying, more than being hurt, I wanted to live pure.

But now I let that dream sleep!-

Hibiki looked over at the snow-haired girl next to her with a look of concern on her face, the audience clearly starting to jam with the performance on stage. 'I have to find a way to do something…I can't let them just take Tsubasa-san and Chris' relics, if that's what they're after. But what can I do with the crowd reacting like it is?' she thought, noticing the upset look on Chris' face at what was occurring on stage. The Ichaival wielder was subconsciously reaching towards where the relic's pendant hung from her necklace with her right hand, a worried look etched onto her face.

"Chris, I won't let them win…" the redhead whispered, slipping her right hand into the snow-haired girl's left hand and squeezing it gently. At this, the girl blushed softly, before looking over at the masked girl and nodding.

'I know, Hibiki. I know you won't. I just wish I knew why they're here now, and why it's so hard for me to just tell you what I feel…' the shorter girl thought, her mind distracted as their rivals on stage began the next chorus, preparing to bring the song to a close.

-Paranoia shattered when these hands, these hands overlapped.

These memories playing a passionate, a passionate refrain.

On the other side of life!-

(End Insert Song: "Orbital Beat")

As the music faded away and the lights rose, Kirika and Shirabe stood on stage with the blonde hamming it up for the audience as the shorter girl stared towards the judges. 'I dare them to say that we didn't win…not after I had to sing because Kiri-chan wanted to do it…' Shirabe thought, her eyes narrowing at the looks they were getting from the judges. 'Two positive reactions for sure…but, with how Tachibana-san is looking at us right now, who knows…'

"What a performance by our two challengers! I think we might very well have an upset," the emcee stated, looking over at where the judges sat. "We'll have to see what the judges have to say on this one!"

Back with Hibiki, Tsubasa looked upset, a frown on her face as she listened to the roar of the crowd around her. 'Those cheers…the way they looked on stage, they were having so much fun up there…so why…' she thought, before whispering softly.

"Why do we, as fellow singers, have to fight one another? It's just not right…" she said, causing Hibiki and Chris to look her direction with concern on their faces. The Gungnir wielder sighed and shook her head, before speaking her next line.

"Tsubasa-san, I don't know either. But this whole thing doesn't feel right. Something's off…I just don't know what," she said, before stepping forwards onto the stage and grabbing a nearby microphone. "Kirika, Shirabe, great job on a song well sung. Would either of you mind if I ask what caused you to decide to challenge our champion here?"

"Wouldn't you like to know, Sora-san? It's between the three of us who performed here and your new manager," Kirika responded, a slight cockiness entering her tone as she stared the older redhead in the eye while Shirabe came to join her. "After all, this seemed like a great way to show a certain level of superiority…"

Chris came rushing up from behind the Gungnir wielder, anger written all over her face. Not far behind her, Tsubasa stood, eyes narrowed with her hand reaching slowly towards her own necklace. 'I won't just hand over Ame no Habakiri…I won't let Hibiki have to fight on her own…'

"Alright, so if you two really wanna go two-on-one, fine!" Chris said, her voice shaking with frustration. Before she could continue however, the younger girls' eyes widened as they both reached up to their ears.

"Our hideout has been located. Get back to base. We were able to drive off the attackers, but our location has been compromised. Meet up at the rendezvous point," the voice of Nastassja spoke, though only the younger girls could hear. At this news, Kirika's eyes narrowed in frustration.

'Damnit…we were this close to winning and the chance to take their relics…' she thought, as her partner began to speak.

"Nastassja…we were about to win and take their pendants…" Shirabe whispered, with only Kirika, Hibiki, Chris, and Tsubasa able to hear her. Her announcement caused the three older girls' eyes to narrow, with Hibiki taking a step forwards so that she could be in position to interfere if needed.

"This is an emergency. Both of you MUST obey the orders that you're given, or there will be consequences. Get to the point I'm sending you, and do it NOW," the doctor spoke, before ending communication. At this, Shirabe sighed as Kirika stood there conflicted.

"Damnit…No other choice…" the blonde said, grabbing the twin-ponytailed girl's arm and racing towards the side of the stage. As she did so, Hibiki sighed, relaxing slightly before looking over to where the emcee was waiting to reveal the scores.

"Okay, so most of our judges have given their scores. Sora-san, do you want to give your score on this?" the junior girl asked, causing the redhead to shake her head in reply. "Alright then, looks as though the judges have-Huh? Wait, where are they going?" she asked, looking on as Kirika and Shirabe ran up the last few stairs towards the door.

"H-Hey! Where do you think you're going? You talked so much and now you're running away?" Chris asked, as she proceeded to take off in pursuit. Tsubasa followed right behind her, the duo beginning to give chase. 'We can't let them get away…not when we have the chance to possibly end this!' she thought, before running out of the auditorium doors, snow-colored hair flying behind her as she followed the younger duo, her bluenette friend close behind.

"Well I guess that answers the question of who won then. And with our champion having left as well, I don't think that we'll be able to really have any more challengers. Sora-san, would it be okay if we just ended the contest here and made it into an open mic?" the emcee asked, looking at where the older girl had been expectantly, only to find her halfway on her way out the door as well. "I guess that answers that…"

The redhead didn't pay any attention to her words, however. Her mind was on what she had felt during the performance earlier, as she saw Chris' reaction. 'Seeing her upset…it made me upset. Damn, Hibiki, you really are falling hard, aren't you…' she thought to herself, s small smile crossing her face before she stepped out of the auditorium, her focused demeanor returning to her face. 'I've gotta find them. Something's not right about how Kirika and Shirabe left, and I have a bad feeling about what it could be…'

Hibiki was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice the green-haired girl following her from a distance. 'What's going on? Why did Tsubasa-san and Chris both run off after those two other girls, Shirabe and Kirika? Is it something to do with what happened back at the stadium that night? And why is Sora-san in such a hurry to go after them?' Miku thought, her distance running training coming into play. Maybe she'd be able to get some of the answers she was seeking after all.

Lydian Music Academy, Near Main Gate

Tsukuyomi Shirabe and Akatsuki Kirika were not having an easy time escaping the Lydian Festival. It seemed as though every time they thought they'd be making some headway, they'd be getting cut off by something or someone. And this time was no exception.

"Come on, move already," Kirika said, as the duo stood near the gates, a parade of students with giant fish costumes walking by in front of them. "If we don't hurry, they're going to catch up!" Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to the blonde, the parade seemed to end, allowing the duo to proceed further. Their luck would quickly run out however, as they found their way blocked by an angry bluenette, with Chris coming up from behind them.

"We finally caught up to you two," Tsubasa said, arms dropping back to her sides as she spoke, causing her school uniform's jacket to rustle in the breeze. "Kirika-chan and Shirabe-chan, right? What were you two in such a hurry to leave for earlier?"

"Two against two, but even with that being the case, we still have an advantage here…" Shirabe said, eyes darting from side to side as she spoke, taking in the area. It didn't take long for Tsubasa and Chris to catch on to what she meant though, their eyes widening at the implications. "I see that you figured it out already. Yes…if we had to fight here, think about what the two of you would possibly lose. You would not only lose any element of secrecy you may have, but there's also the risk of civilian casualties involved. Do either of you really want that?"

"Damnit…that's a low blow, even for you guys…" Chris said with her fists clenched tightly. She wasn't the only one who was shocked by this; Tsubasa's face betrayed her emotions as well, images of the night at the stadium during the Queens of Music concert popping into her mind's eye. 'Would they really try something similar if we tried to fight them here? I can't let that happen…not again…'

"You two really looked like you were enjoying yourselves up there today, so why do we have to fight?" the snow-haired girl asked, reeling her anger in and trying to diffuse the situation. Her question was met with silence from the younger duo, Kirika's eyes racing from side to side as she looked for a way out. Finally, an idea seemed to form, bringing a smirk onto her face.

"It doesn't matter what we did today. In the end, we'll be taking your relics anyways. It's just a question of how we do so. But since you seem so eager to settle this, how about we have a duel? Not here, though..." she started, a smirk coming onto her face at the semi-confused look on the older symphogear wielder's face. "What's wrong, Tsubasa-san? Didn't expect that you would have to face us in a duel? I don't want to fight right here, but we'll fight you alright…" she continued, a challenging tone entering her voice and causing Shirabe's eyes to widen as well.

"A duel, huh? Fine. We'll face you, and we'll settle this once and for all in that duel," Tsubasa said, a determined look entering her face. 'The sooner we finish this situation the better…and the less that Hibiki will feel she needs to carry on her shoulders,' she thought, resolve entering her eyes.

"We'll tell you when the duel will take place, and where. So, if you don't mind…" Shirabe said, grabbing Kirika by the hand and walking hastily towards the exit, not noticing the blonde-haired girl blush faintly as she did so. At this, Chris walked over to Tsubasa, both girls having a grimly determined look on their faces.

"What do we tell Hibiki about this? Tsubasa-san, shouldn't we tell her about what's going on?" Chris asked, a look of concern appearing on her face. "I know that they're after us, but at the same time I don't really feel comfortable not including her in this."

"No…Chris-san, we shouldn't tell her. They're coming after us, not Hibiki. We can handle those two on our own. I won't let Hibiki try to handle everything on her own. And since we're their targets, this is something that we should handle. Besides, she just got out of the hospital this morning. I don't want her reopening those cuts."

Tsubasa's words caused Chris to have a sense of dread fill her stomach. 'Tsubasa-san…I don't like this. I feel sick about trying to keep this secret from her…I don't know if I can do so…if you got hurt…or if I got hurt…Hibiki…why does it hurt to even be thinking about hiding this?' the Ichaival wielder thought, her eyes turning downwards as she wrapped herself in her own thoughts. She wouldn't be able to do so for long, however, as her own earpiece buzzed.

"Tsubasa, Chris," the voice of Kazanari Genjurou spoke into their ears, causing the duo to listen attentively. "We picked up the signal of noise appearing at a warehouse in the shipping district, but just as fast as it appeared it vanished. Can you two meet us down there and look into this?"

"Hai, Kazanari-taichou. We'll be there as soon as we can," the bluenette spoke, her voice settling into a serious tone quickly. "Is that all?"

"Ah…yeah, that's all for now."

At that, both girls let go of their earpieces. And one thought could sum up the mindset of both girls as they started to leave the academy grounds.

'I have a bad feeling about this...'

Lydian Music Academy, Near Campus Center

"Damnit, I lost track of them. There's gotta be some way that I can find them…" Hibiki said as she stood at the top of the steps next to the academy's Campus Center. She had been trying to catch up with Chris and Tsubasa as they chased after Shirabe and Kirika; however, because she had been a bit slow to go after them she had been steadily falling behind. Thus she found herself standing on the bridge between the campus center and one of the classroom buildings, trying to find her friends. 'And maybe more than that in Chris' case…' she thought, a blush heating her face at the thought. 'Chris…please be careful. Those two can be dangerous if they need to be. They've gotten a lot stronger since I last saw them…' she thought, her face falling into a focused frown. Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft spoken voice speaking up from behind her.

"Um…excuse me, Sora-san. Why did you all leave from the contest earlier?" Kohinata Miku asked, causing the redhead to almost jump in surprise. This caused a small laugh from the green-haired girl. She had followed the idol out of the auditorium, hoping to find out what was going on with her friends Tsubasa and Chris, and since the girl in front of her seemed to have some idea of what's going on, it seemed like a good place to start. However, Miku hadn't expected that the Gungnir wielder would be as fast as she was; it had taken all of her distance running training to just keep her in sight. 'It doesn't help that she does feel so familiar, too…the feeling I get from her, it's so similar to what I felt like when Hibiki was here…it feels almost the same…' she thought, as the idol tried to formulate a response.

"Well…Miku-san, I was trying to let Chris know that since the challengers had left before receiving their scores, they weren't able to win the challenge. Chris is still the current champion as a result," Hibiki said, her inner thoughts presenting a completely different perspective on the matter. 'We're lucky that they did run off; it seemed like the other judges were ready to just hand Kirika and Shirabe the win. And if they did win, then I get the feeling they would have pretty much demanded Ichaival and Ame no Habakiri right there on the spot. But why wouldn't they have asked for my Gungnir?' she thought, frustration inside of her thoughts leaking through as she clenched her fist on top of the bridge railing. Miku, however, didn't buy that.

"Sora-san, while I don't doubt that that's the case, I get the feeling that there's more to it than that. Those two, Shirabe-san and Kirika-san, they seemed like they were being awfully aggressive towards Chris and Tsubasa-san. Almost like they were after them for some reason…" she trailed off, concern writing itself on her face. This caused the masked idol to frown as well.

'Miku…that look on your face…it hurts me seeing that,' Hibiki thought, her heart yearning for her to wrap the green-haired schoolgirl in a hug but refusing to do so. 'I guess I understand your feelings from two years ago better now…I feel the same way. Both you and Chris are important to me; you're both the brightest lights in my world, and I feel the same way about Chris now that I do about you…' she continued, feeling her heart pound at the sight of her best friend in front of her. Hibiki was no dummy, at least not anymore; she had been able to piece together that Miku had been falling for her. Miku's next words caught her off guard, however.

"Sora-san…I'm sorry, but I have to ask. Have we met somewhere before yesterday? I just…I have this weird feeling that I know you from somewhere," she said, a quiet tone in her voice as other festival attendees passed below the bridge they stood on. Her words sent Hibiki reeling.

'Miku…as much as I want to tell you that it's me, I just can't do so. Not yet…not with that group still out there. I don't know how I'd react if anything were to happen to you as a result…I really hate doing this…I don't like lying to you…' she thought as she bit her lower lip slightly before responding.

"No, Miku-san, I don't think we've met. I'm sorry if it's caused you any confusion or anything of the sort," she said while shaking her head, the mask she wore hiding her eyes from Miku's view. 'Sorry, Miku…maybe sometime soon I can tell you I'm okay…'

"No, it's fine. You just remind me of someone very important to me that I knew…" the green-haired girl said, her eyes looking downcast. This look almost broke the Gungnir wielder's resolve, as she worked hard to find words to say In reply.

"Miku-san, if it helps, there's something I forgot to tell Chris before she left," the redhead spoke, the small smile on her face hiding the turmoil she felt inside. Noticing that the schoolgirl had perked up at this, she continued. "Chris won a special prize for winning the contest. She and a friend can come by the studio sometime this week and spend the day with me there, maybe even getting to record their own song while they're there. Can I ask you to tell Chris about that? Maybe have her bring you with her," she said, the idea seemingly popping into her head out of nowhere. 'Tsubasa-san, Ogawa-san, please don't kill me for this, but I needed to change the conversation…'

"Ah…yeah, I can do that. It sounds like it'd be fun…" Miku said, her eyes widening at the idea of getting to perform in studio with a rising artist. This caused the redhead to smile before nodding briefly.

"Thanks, Miku-san. As much as I want to continue to talk, I have to get going. I kind of promised Ogawa-san that I'd be back to the studio late today to listen through what's been recorded so far and make a decision as to what to use on the upcoming single," Hibiki said, her eyes looking away from the schoolgirl in front of her. 'I really hate having to lie to Miku, Chris, Tsubasa-san, or any of those close to me…But if I don't hurry, then Chris could be in even bigger danger…' she thought, a vision of a monster attacking the Ichaival wielder she had fallen for filling her mind, causing her stomach to seemingly twist in worry. 'I won't let that happen...Chris…'

"It's fine. Sora-san, will they be alright? Tsubasa-san and Chris, I mean," Miku asked, causing the masked idol to smile and nod reassuringly.

"Yeah…they'll be fine. Trust them," the redhead said before running off towards where her motorcycle was parked. As she ran, her heart raced, thoughts of her newly-admitted love for Chris as well as that which she had for Miku filling her head, driving her forwards.

Miku, however, had other thoughts on her mind. 'I just can't shake this feeling that I know you from somewhere, Sora-san…I don't know why, but I have this feeling that I'm missing something big going on here...and I don't like the thought of it at all. Chris, please, be safe out there. Hibiki…what would you think I should do?' she thought, as she turned to head to her dorm room, a concerned frown written on her face.

Abandoned Warehouse, Aboard FIS Stealth Vehicle, Earlier

Maria Cadenzavna Eve was quiet as she sat in the room, her face downcast. While her teammates and partners Shirabe and Kirika were out at the festival for the day, she had declined to go. And while she tried not to dwell too much on why that was the case, her thoughts kept coming back to a particular conversation she had earlier that morning.

"Every time you use your power, Finé's soul awakens more and more within you. Maria…we don't want you to disappear. Don't you realize that she's slowly erasing your soul?" the younger girl asked, her eyes closing as she shook her head. "Neither of us want that to happen, Maria; you're that important to us."

Maria's eyes softened at this statement. She knew the risks of using her powers so much, but to hear just how concerned the others were about her wellbeing made her feel a sense of happiness that they felt that way.

"Shirabe...Kirika…" she said quietly, her voice trailing off as the blonde stood up to speak.

"We'll do it. We'll find a way. Protecting you is our fight too, Maria," Kirika said, before walking over and giving the older girl a brief hug. "You're not just our leader; you're the older sister we didn't really have much of when we were younger. We won't let you lose yourself!"

'Shirabe…Kirika…for you two to view me as your older sister is something that I don't think I'll ever stop being grateful for…' the pink-haired idol thought as she sat there, eyes boring a hold into the floor in front of her. However, she was quickly shaken from her thoughts by the sound of the nearby door opening, a mechanical whirring entering the room as Maria looked up in alarm.

"Mom…What are you doing up and about? You need to rest!" the idol said, looking over at Nastassja with concern. The doctor smiled, before a small frown came across her face at the sight of the idol's position.

"I'm fine, Maria. You don't need to worry about that," she said, her wheelchair moving her over to the computer controls as she started up the display. Silence once more engulfed the room for a few moments as the idol returned to her thoughts, before Nastassja spoke once more.

"Do you regret it? Do you regret being Finé's container? What about the actions that you've taken?" she asked, looking over at the idol with a stony gaze. Maria's eyes widened at this, her eyes showing regret briefly before she steeled herself.

"No…I don't regret any of it," she started, albeit hesitantly. "I'll fulfill the task that you've given me to the end…" she trailed off, her voice failing her. Internally, her thoughts raced rapidly back to the previous night's battle. 'Hibiki-san…you seemed so determined to protect both Yukine-san and Tsubasa. You've really grown since that day. And Tsubasa…I can't really bring myself to hurt you…' the pinkette thought, images of the bluenette staring defiantly at her the night before as well as from their rehearsals leading up to the Queens of Music concert rushing through her mind. 'Serena…what would you think of me and the road that I'm taking? Am I really following the right path?'

Just then, a loud noise shook the Black Gungnir wielder out of her thoughts, causing her to leap to her feet with her eyes darting around the room. 'The alarm? Why is it going off?' she thought, as Nastassja typed a command into the keyboard, pulling up a video on the display screen.

"Looks like we've been caught. This time, it's pursuers from our home country," the older woman said with a weary tone, the video screen showing multiple squads of armed soldiers moving up to the entrances to the warehouse.

"But how? How did they find this place already?" Maria asked, panic starting to show in her voice. At this the doctor sighed, her eyes closed as she faced the screen.

"Even with the heretical technology that we have, for us to hope that we could have escaped for very long from trained professionals is just too much to ask," she said, voice weary. "Even I get tired of running away from them."

"What do we do, mom?" Maria asked, her body tense with anxiety as she looked on.

"We have to strike before they get too far inside. Maria…eliminate them," Nastassja said, eyes like steel and voice cold as ice. At those words Maria froze, her resolve inside starting to crack. 'What? Eliminate them?'

"Eliminate them? Mom, are you seriously asking me to kill them? They're normal people! One hit from Black Gungnir and they'll be…" her voice trailed off as the older woman started to speak again.

"And they'll be killed. Yes, Maria, I'm telling you to kill them," the doctor began, her response sending chills down Maria's spine and causing the pinkette to look away out of hesitation. "Maria, you did the same thing during the concert. You refused to have those who are innocent get in the way, which went completely against my orders. Are you afraid to stain your hands in the blood of the innocent?"

Maria could feel her heart straining at the older woman's words. 'I can't really do it, can I? Can I really go out there and murder those who have nothing whatsoever to do with this? Can I really kill in cold blood?' she thought, her resolve further wavering as she looked away before speaking.

"Mom, I…"

"Maria, what happened to your resolve? What happened to the resolve that you had when you started down this path, the resolve to do whatever is needed to save those who can't save themselves? You need to find that resolve again, because if you don't then we could lose everything we've worked for right here," Nastassja said, the rosette looking away, unable to respond. Before she could respond however, the sound of multiple explosions echoed throughout the plane, as flames erupted in the warehouse surrounding them, rattling the plane slightly.

"There's no more time, Maria. You're my daughter, and I'm not asking you to do this. I'm TELLING you to eliminate them. You'll have time to regret things later on, but if you don't get rid of them now, there won't be any chances to do so. Now go!" Nastassja said, voice rising along with her frustration.

'Is it really right for us to kill those who have nothing to do with this? Serena…Hibiki-san…Tsubasa-san…all of you…am I really doing the right thing?' Maria thought, indecision clear in her eyes. 'I never wanted it to go like this. All I wanted to do was protect those who couldn't protect themselves…where did I go so wrong?'

Before Maria could continue her thoughts, she was shaken out of them by the screams of some of the onrushing soldiers. Eyes widened in horror, she was able to witness some of the approaching forces seemingly dissolve into nothing, the flames in the warehouse seemingly consuming them.

"Carbonization? No, that can't be right," she whispered, as another soldier fell at the hands of a Noise that had decided to spear him through the chest, causing both to dissolve. Nearby, another pair of noise rushed another pair of soldiers, the guns of the soldiers having no effect on the nigh-invincible creatures. Quickly they converged on the helpless soldiers, turning them to ash as their dying screams shook Maria to the core. Just then, another voice spoke from outside the plane, causing both the pinkette and the older woman's eyes to widen.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Doctor Ver laughed, a certain level of deranged glee seeming to echo in his voice as the flames danced around him. "I realize that I'm perhaps overstepping my bounds here. However, there's no real need for us to use the revived Finé's Gungnir on trash like these fools. I'll handle them myself," he stated, before using the Staff of Solomon to summon additional Noise to the warehouse in a flash of neon green light. "Now go, my pets. Destroy these imbeciles. Leave none of them standing. Show them what it means for them to take on a true hero!"

As the dying screams of more soldiers filled the air, Maria couldn't help but be shaken further, her eyes widening at the sheer brutality. 'Doctor Ver, why are you doing this? There's no need to kill all of them…Is this really what I want? Serena…would you be proud of me for the path I'm on?' she thought, her body shaking in regret at the carnage taking place outside of the plane. It wouldn't be long before the last soldier tried to beat a hasty retreat, barely forcing the door to the outside open. He wouldn't make it far, however; a trio of noise collapsed on him, dissolving him to ash. Ver shortly followed the open doorway outside before looking towards the dock, where a trio of children sat on bicycles.

"No…" Maria cried as she saw the doctor approach the children, Staff of Solomon raised up and ready to summon additional noise. "Ver, stop it now! They didn't have anything to do with this! Don't do it Ver! I'm begging you, stop it now!" she screamed into the microphone, tears quickly coming to her eyes as she looked on in horror.

"They saw us, so I'm afraid that they can't be allowed to live anymore," the doctor said, a deranged smile on his face as he staggered towards the children. With a flick of his wrist he aimed the artifact at the children, a green flash of light filling the cameras as more noise appeared. Quickly they charged at the innocent children, causing their screams to fill the air…and shattering what was left of Maria's resolve.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Maria screamed, agony wracking her heart before collapsing to her hands and knees. Tears streaming down her face, all she could think of was what she had partaken in. 'Serena…Is this really the cause you would want me to fight for? Would you really want me to kill those who we said we would protect? Mom…how could you just let this happen?' the pinkette thought, tears falling from her face to the floor as she mourned the death of the innocent children. 'Their blood is on my hands now…all because I didn't stop him…I can't do this…I can't do this anymore…I can't fight for this…can I?'

While the idol continued to sob on the floor, Nastassja looked on, face stoic as she turned to the microphone and called up the frequency on Kirika and Shirabe's earpieces. Taking one last look at the sobbing Black Gungnir wielder on the floor, she began to speak.

"Our hideout has been located. Get back to base. We were able to drive off the attackers, but our location has been compromised. Meet up at the rendezvous point," she said, her eyes narrowing at the broken form of the idol on the floor.

"Nastassja…we were about to win and take their pendants…" the voice of Shirabe stated, causing the older woman to growl in frustration. Eyes narrowing, the doctor continued, a freshly serious tone entering her voice.

"This is an emergency. Both of you MUST obey the orders that you're given, or there will be consequences. Get to the point I'm sending you, and do it NOW," the doctor spoke, before ending communication without any further response. 'Ver…if you're that sure that this is the right path, then I'll see it through to the end. With or without my foolish daughter,' she thought, as she turned her wheelchair and left the room, leaving the sobbing girl to her own thoughts.

2nd Division Temporary Headquarters, Bridge, Later that afternoon

Kazanari Genjurou looked over the data on his screen with a concerned frown on his face. While the investigation had seemed to have gone well, the similarities between what happened in this case as well as what happened at the US Military Base the day of the Queens of Music concert were scary.

"There's just too many similarities here: an abandoned location sure, but bodies of multiple noise victims, as well as signs of a serious fire. While it may seem different than last time, there's just enough similarities that I have to wonder what it all means," he said under his breath, one hand tucking under his chin as he pondered the potential meaning. While he pondered that over, his other thoughts were all over the place, with one central figure: one Tachibana Hibiki, who had returned after two years away. 'There are just too many questions right now…where did you go? Why did you feel that you needed to hide from us? And how did you manage to obtain a completed idol necklace?' he thought, eyes narrowed in thought. He would be shaken out of his thoughts quickly though, as one of the staff members on deck spoke up.

"Kazanari-taichou! The analysis that you requested on both Hibiki-san and Maria-san's Gungnir wavelengths is back from the Nagata Deep Computing Lab. Should I put it on the monitor?" the staff member asked, causing Genjurou to nod. Seconds later, the big monitor at the front of the room showed a comparison of three wavelengths; Hibiki's wavelength from two years earlier, Maria's Black Gungnir wavelength, and Hibiki's updated Gungnir wavelength. The results caused everyone in the room's eyes to widen.

"Matching the Aufwachen waveforms," Tomosato Aoi stated, pressing a button and causing the three readings to overlap. "No way…that's crazy. The error margin…it's less than a trillionth of a percent for each! That can't be right, can it?" the bluenette asked, surprise clear and evident in her voice.

"Maria Cadenzavna Eve's Black Gungnir and Hibiki-san's Gungnir…they're both one hundred percent identical to the reading we had from Hibiki's Gungnir from two years ago? That's not possible. It shouldn't be possible…" Genjurou said, mind racing at the news. 'What could this mean? And if our x-rays are right, then Hibiki-san no longer has any fragments of Gungnir inside of her body…all this does is raise more questions…'

"The only remote possibility that I can think of," the male staffer from earlier began, drawing Genjurou's attention to him. "is that when Ryouko-san was working with the US, she took the entirety of the original relic with her at that time. Or at least what was left of it after we made the original Gungnir relic, and used that to make the two new relics here."

"Another pair of Gungnir Symphogear, made using the Sakurai theory. While I'm glad that Hibiki-san was able to obtain one, it still doesn't answer the question of how she obtained it, or what happened to the fragments inside of her…" Aoi said, frustration entering her voice as she spoke. That frustration reflected on all of the crew currently working on the bridge, as Genjurou's thoughts turned.

'It's strange though…the US government was after Finé's research; unless she made these two relics beforehand and had been working with the US for longer than we thought, it brings up yet another major question. If the US government had this FIS group and had made not just one, but at least two symphogear, then why is that group running wild? We can assume that FIS kept tight control of the technology and relic-related information, but why would they just turn on their own country? Looks like we have even more questions than answers…Hibiki-san, it looks like I now have even more questions to ask you than I thought I would…' he thought, his eyes narrowing. While Tsubasa and Chris had been a part of the investigation, he had sent them back to Lydian to get some rest after hearing about the duel that could take place at any time. Genjurou would remain troubled, his thoughts giving him questions but not many paths leading to the answers he was looking for.

Tokyo, Shibuya, Shibuya Crossing, Later that afternoon

It was a busy day in Shibuya Crossing, just as it always was. As usual, crowds of people moved forwards in sync along with cliques taking pictures with each other. Shibuya was the trendy place to be if you wanted to see or be seen. However, one individual walked seemingly alone, a black and silver hoodie hiding her face from view.

'Mom, how could you let those people die…how could you even think of asking me to kill them?' Maria thought as she walked, the hood of her hoodie covering her hair from view to hide her presence. While Maria knew that she was still wanted by authorities, she still needed to be out here, away from him and what he had done. And so here she was, in Tokyo's busiest district, trying to sort her thoughts out.

'I don't know if I can keep doing this…I know I said that I don't regret anything, but I still just can't bring myself to do what mom says is necessary…' she thought with her eyes downcast, her primarily black hoodie covering her body and hiding it from the cool fall air. The setting sun cast a bright orange glow on the sidewalk where the rosette walked, lost in thought as her gray sneakers took her somewhere that only they knew.

'Am I only useful as a murderer? Mom…I just don't understand why you would want me to kill those who you said we would protect…the cause you said we're working towards…is this really what we wanted?' she thought, her feet leading her deeper through the crowded sidewalks and past the bright lights of the storefronts. 'Serena…what would you do? I don't know what to do anymore...the blood of those innocent people feels like it's on my hands, just like yours does…' she thought, her mind slipping back to that fateful day eighteen months prior as she continued walking towards the train station.

FIS laboratory, unknown location, United States, Eighteen months prior

Alarms blared everywhere as the emergency lights flashing throughout the facility. Scientists were busily typing away at computers, their screens flashing dangerously as warning signs flashed. In the middle of it all, Maria and Serena Cadenzavna Eve stood together, eyes widened in fear at the sight in the testing area below the control room; an out of control white and red beast known as the Nephilim roaring in rage as it swung a motorcycle-sized fist into the wall of the test chamber, causing the whole area to shudder as a small explosion echoed throughout the room.

"That thing, it's out of control," Maria whispered, shivers running down her spine as the Nephilim continued to run wild. Her mind raced, worry spreading throughout her body. 'Shirabe and Kirika…they're both in the medical area sick…and Hibiki-san…she just recovered from her accident…' she thought, images flashing through her mind of the aforementioned trio. 'There's gotta be something we can do...we have to protect them…'

Beside her, her sister Serena nodded quietly, her eyes also reflecting her sister's worry for their friends. 'Hibi…Shirabe…Kirika…please be safe…this is so dangerous…'

"The Nephilim's output is still unstable," Nastassja said, as she typed rapidly into the computer in front of her. "Damnit, I told you that it's impossible to control a relic like that if you force boot it without a song!" she said, glancing over in frustration at the scientist next to her. The experiment taking place that day had been in the process of assembly for what seemed like months at this point, and today was supposed to be the day that their results were shown. However, it didn't appear as though the results would be what they had expected.

As another explosion rocked the facility, the investors in the room continued to look almost stress free. They had come that day for the sake of witnessing what could possibly be another weapon against the calamity known as the Noise, but what they were seeing was possibly something worse than that. Just then, however, additional alarms started to ring throughout the room.

"What is it now?" the director of the experiment asked, eyes looking quickly away from the rampaging beast below towards where Nastassja sat. Almost as if on cue, an explosion rang out, this time much louder than before as the Nephilim continued to thrash its considerable strength about, almost collapsing the wall opposite the control room. What Nastassja saw on screen next caused her eyes to widen.

"Hibiki-san…what is she doing up and about right now?" the doctor asked quietly, her voice being picked up solely by her adopted daughters. "I thought I told her to get some rest! I know that she doesn't have to worry about that anymore as a result of her accident, but she still needs time to recover! Wait, what is that around her neck?" she said quietly, eyes looking away from the monitor briefly over at Maria and Serena. Satisfied with what she saw, she turned back, the cream-haired girl moving out of the camera's view as panic slowly started to spread within the control room. But amongst the chaos, a calm voice echoed through the chamber. It would be words that would prove to leave a scar on Maria's heart.

"I'll do it…I'll sing," Serena said, a resolve entering her eyes as she spoke. Her words drew Maria's attention to her, her eyes showing concern for the younger of the two siblings.

"Serena, if you sing that song, you could…" she said, her eyes displaying her fear to the younger girl. However, Serena only smiled, looking at her older sister reassuringly before she walked over and gave her a hug.

"Neesan, my Zesshou may be the only thing that can reset the Nephilim to into its pre-activation state. You know it as well as I do; my Airgetlam is the only way that we can stop it from escaping and putting Hibi, Shirabe, and Kirika in even greater danger," the orange-haired girl said, looking her sister dead in the eyes as she spoke.

"Serena, you're taking a huge gamble though. If you fail, then who's going to stop that thing from breaking free and doing even more damage?" Maria asked, panic entering her voice as she realized just what her sister was considering doing.

"If I fail, I know you'll be able to deal with it, Neesan. The other people from FIS are here too; it's not just you, me, Shirabe, or Kirika. Even Hibi will help. Just trust me, it'll work out," Serena said, before hugging her sister one more time before raising her hand over her heart. "I know I didn't want the power to wear a Symphogear at first, but I'm the first one who wanted to use them to protect everyone, even before you did. Please, Maria-neesan…please, let me do that," she said, looking at her sister one last time before heading towards the door which would lead to the test area, which had started to burn.

"Serena, don't go! Don't sacrifice yourself needlessly!" Maria said as the door slid shut behind her sister. Nastassja rushed over to support the older girl, who seemed to break down at what she knew was likely to happen to her sister. After what seemed like forever, the older girl finally saw her sister enter the testing area, her Airgetlam symphogear easily distinguishable through the blaze consuming the area. Taking one look back up towards the control room and flashing a sad smile, Serena turned back around to face the beast responsible for the destruction within the base. There was no going back now, as she closed her hands in front of her chest and began to sing.

-Gatrandis Babel ziggurat edenal.

Emustolronzen Finé el Balal zizzl.-

As Serena finished her song, a brilliant glow erupted from her symphogear armor while her blood started to stream from her eyes and mouth. The light blinded all those in the vicinity as the sound of more explosions filled the air. Quickly, another explosion knocked everyone in the control room off their feet, the safety glass protecting the room from the testing area shattering as the sheer power unleashed by Serena's Zesshou caused instruments to shatter from sheer overload.

After what seemed like hours, Maria finally got down to the testing area, the sweltering heat seemingly overwhelming her as she had run. 'I won't let Serena die...please, Serena, be okay…' she thought, finally breaking down the door to the testing area.

"Serena? Serena! Where are you?" the pinkette cried, making her way carefully through the rubble and broken glass scattered all over the floor. Stumbling up a pile of rubble, she finally saw hersister encircled in what seemed to be a clean spot on the floor of the area, almost as if it was a holy place.

"Serena! Serena! We have to get out of here! This place is going to explode at this rate," she cried. As if to emphasize this, yet another explosion occurred behind her, causing her to wince at the heat from the fresh blast. The heat rushed past her back like a tide at the beach, pushing her forwards towards the singing symphogear wielder as another jet of fire erupted in front of her, pushing her backwards.

"Someone…anyone…please, help her! Hibiki-san…Kirika…Shirabe…anyone, please, help my sister!" Maria cried, desperation filling her voice as she looked around for anyone to help Serena. However, no help came. 'Why? Hibiki-san, she's your best friend, isn't she? Why aren't you here to help her? I know you're still recovering, but you said you'd protect her! Why aren't any of these people helping her?' she thought, panic filling her voice as she turned back towards her sister, who remained standing in the seemingly holy circle that was untouched by the flames. Seconds later she turned to face the older girl, figurative rivers of blood pouring from her eyes and mouth as she gave her sister a final smile.

"I'm glad I was able to protect you, Maria-neesan…I'm glad I was able to protect you, Hibi, Kirika, Shirabe, mama, and everyone here…" she said, the roar of the flames nearly overwhelming her voice as she spoke. At this, the older girl shook her head, tears flowing from her eyes.

"Serena…SERENA!" Maria screamed out before being pushed to the floor by Nastassja, barely getting out of the way of the roof as it caved in where she had been standing. Seemingly before her eyes however, her sister's body seemed to vanish, the flames obscuring the older girl's view as she let out a heart wrenching scream.

"SERENAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Tokyo, Shinjuku, train station, present day

Maria's thoughts were interrupted as she exited the train car at the station, finally returning her mind to the present day instead of the hellish memories of her past. Looking around, she gathered herself briefly, wiping the tears she hadn't even noticed herself beginning to shed from her eyes before she resumed her walk.

'That day…I had thought that Hibiki-san had run away that day, that she had left Serena to die. Looking back on it now, I don't know what she could have done to help Serena. Her disappearance that day…it still rings a harsh contrast to how hurt she was when she was told she would not be allowed to come with us,' Maria thought, as she rounded a corner and continued to walk. 'Serena…will my songs ever be able to protect anyone the way that you did? Your legacy that you left that day was that you were willing to sacrifice your life to protect innocent people, so why do Mom and Doctor Ver try to twist that and make it something different? Serena…I don't know what I should do. My heart is screaming at me that what we're doing is wrong, but my head tells me that I need to follow through…What should I do?' she thought, her feet finally bringing her to a stop in front of a nearby apartment building as she sat down. Pulling her sister's relic pendant out of her hoodie's pocket and holding it close to her chest, Maria looked up to the slowly darkening sky as tears fell down her face.

Tachibana Hibiki's Apartment, Shinjuku, Tokyo

Tachibana Hibiki's eyes opened wide as she shot upwards in bed, her comforter sliding off of her upper body to reveal the black tank top she was wearing. 'It was just a dream…it was only a nightmare…it's fine, it's all fine…' she thought, breathing unevenly as she looked over at her alarm clock next to her bed. After she had left the festival earlier, the redhead had tried to find Chris and Tsubasa with no success. Having spent a while looking around the area with no results, she had decided to return home and get some rest; after all, the doctor with the 2nd division had ordered her to take things a bit easier. Her rest was anything but restful, though.

"It felt so real…" the Gungnir wielder spoke, hand grasping at her relic's pendant as it rested on her nightstand while she tried desperately to reflect on what she had seen. "Chris…I get this feeling that something really bad is about to happen. I can't lose you," she whispered before getting out of bed, the board shorts she was wearing causing her sheets to rustle as she did so. The images she had seen were haunting, almost as much so as that day eighteen months prior.

'Chris injured badly. one of her arms gone…and while I was there, she bled out in my arms…I wasn't able to save her…' the girl thought as she went over to her balcony's door, opening it and stepping out into the cool night air. The images terrified her, and the cause of it was even more shocking. 'That thing from the other night at the hospital…it was way bigger than it was the last time I saw it. Kanade-san, is this another warning that you sent me? Damnit...Chris, I won't let you get hurt…' she thought, images flashing through her mind of the Ichaival wielder that she knew she was falling for.

"But how can I stop it, when I don't even know where or when it would happen?" she whispered, eyes looking out towards the city lights as the sun slowly settled towards the horizon. "Chris…I don't know why or when I started to, but I definitely have fallen for you the same way Miku did for me. I just don't know how to say it to you. Kanade-san, how would you have suggested that I go about this?" she asked, seemingly to no one. Shaking her head and closing her eyes, the Gungnir wielder took a few deep breaths to try to calm herself.

"I can't be thinking of the negative. Next time I see her and we're alone, I'll definitely tell her," Hibiki said, reopening her eyes and staring at the slowly-awakening city lights. The visions, however, continued to haunt her, dancing in her mind's eye as if to taunt the redhead. Noticing that staring out at the city lights wasn't helping her at all, she returned indoors, the balcony door sliding shut behind her. "Those images…maybe a walk will help me clear my head," she said, grabbing a pair of blue track pants from her dresser and heading towards her bathroom. A few moments later she emerged, before grabbing her jean jacket from its hanger on the wall and leaving with her apartment's keys comfortably stashed in her jacket's pocket alongside her Smartphone.

An elevator ride later, Hibiki stepped out into the common area of the apartment complex. Before heading out of the complex for a quick walk around the block however, she spotted a hooded figure sitting on the bench in the common area. 'Who's that?' she thought, as curiosity overcame her. Walking over, she gathered herself before beginning to speak.

"Is everything okay?"

"Leave me alone. No, it's not okay…" the figure in front of her muttered lowly, stuffing what her hand held back into her pocket before she got up and turned towards the redhead. Recognition quickly dawned on her face in the cool evening air as she noticed who she was talking to. "Wait…Hibiki-san? What are you doing here?"

"Maria?" the younger girl replied, confusion in her tone of voice. "I…uh…I live here. I'm just wondering what you're doing here," she said, before she got a good look at the older girl's face. "Maria, are you okay? Seriously…I'm asking as a friend of yours, or at least as someone who wants to be one..."

"Hibiki-san…" Maria whispered, her voice clearly downcast as she looked towards the younger girl. Internally, her mind was racing. 'Serena…what should I do? I don't know if I'm taking the right path…I don't want to fight Hibiki-san anymore…my heart says that what Mom, Shirabe, Kirika, Doctor Ver, and I are doing is wrong and that I need to get away from it, but my brain says that I can't just abandon the burden that I thought I accepted…What should I do? Your legacy, protecting others…I want to do that…but, is what I'm currently doing really the way to do so?' she thought, her eyes and face showing the internal conflict she was feeling, which was picked up on by the younger girl in front of her.

"Maria, let's go inside. I don't know what you're doing here, but I won't just leave you out here," Hibiki said before grabbing the unresponsive older girl's hand and heading back towards the complex's elevators. As she did so, however, she missed the buzzing of her Smartphone, a text message from Ogawa Shinji showing on its screen.

Kadingir Ruins, Special Sealed Zone, Tokyo, Earlier

A whirring noise filled the air near the sight of the final showdown with Finé, heralding the FIS stealth plane slowly lowering itself to the ground as the sun began to set. The destroyed ruins of the weapon Kadingir seemed to tower into the sky, cranes reaching up towards it in an effort to slowly deconstruct what remained. And while progress had been made over the previous two years, it was apparent that much more progress still remained to be made.

"Kiri-chan, they're here," Shirabe said, rising up from behind the rock the duo waited by, her blonde friend following closely. They had arrived earlier, scoping out the area to see if it would be fitting for the duel that they had proposed. And while both girls knew that they could be in for a fight later on, they had something else on their minds as well.

"But where's Maria?" Kirika asked, stopping under the wing of the plane. Nearby, a ramp unfolded from the plane, allowing Nastassja to emerge from within, Doctor Ver not far behind her. Nodding briefly at the duo in front of her, the older woman began to speak.

"I'm glad that the two of you are safe. However, we need to get going before our pursuers catch up," Nastassja spoke, her words leaving no room for discussion.

"But mom, we promised Kazanari-san and Yukine-san that we'd face them in a duel. And if we win, then we'll be able to obtain their pendants," Kirika said, rushing over in protest as her words brought a frown to the older woman's face. With Shirabe walking up behind her, the blonde continued. "We can't just leave without those, can we? You said those were part of our mission!"

"We made a promise, and we need to-" the twin ponytailed girl began, only to be cut off as Nastassja slapped her across the face, before doing the same to Kirika as well. A scowl written across her face, the older woman began to speak.

"Stop messing around! Do you think this is just a game? Both of you, and Maria as well…you need to grow up and accept the fact that we are at war! And when we're at war, there is no time for childish antics! This battle is not a game," the wheelchair-bound doctor said, anger entering her tone of voice and causing the duo's eyes to widen.

"But Mom, where's Maria? Isn't she supposed to be here?" Shirabe said, her eyes searching around for the older girl and causing Nastassja to frown slightly.

"Maria will meet up with us later. She said that she needed to take care of something," the doctor lied quickly, the words coming easily from her mouth as she spoke. 'Maria…I'm sorry that I had to talk to you as harshly as I did. However, you need to learn that to accomplish the type of task that we're looking to accomplish, you have to be willing to sacrifice. Sometimes I wonder if I'm too hard on these three…they are the only family that I have left,' she thought, a sadness entering her demeanor. However, another voice cut in, disrupting the mood.

"As much as I hate to interrupt the moment here, let's remember that not everything is lost by what these two did. Nastassja-san," Doctor Ver said, hands in his pockets as he stepped towards the trio. "The situation isn't beyond recovery yet. This duel, I want to be a part of it. Leave everything to me…" he said, the setting sun giving his glasses a sinister shine as he spoke.

2nd Division Temporary Headquarters, Bridge

"Sir, we're getting a Noise appearance reading just outside the city," the voice of Tomosato Aoi cried, the alarms in the bridge and throughout the ship proceeding to go off. Within moments, Tsubasa and Chris arrived on the bridge, having spent a large chunk of the day onboard the ship after having completed the investigation of the abandoned warehouse despite Genjurou's orders to do otherwise. "Pulling it up on screen now," she continued as the location of the alert materialized on screen.

"Huh…that's a classic," Genjurou said, looking at the results. His words drew looks of confusion from many of the crew, as Tsubasa and Chris frowned in determination.

"A smoke signal to call us to their chosen location," the bluenette said, her voice displaying a sense of seriousness. She knew that she had made the decision to accept the duel, but for them to lure Chris and her out like this set off alarm bells inside of her head. 'This doesn't look right. They've got to be planning something...'

"Not just that, but look at where it's coming from. It's the Special Sealed Zone…the ruins of Kadingir," Genjurou said, his eyes narrowing at the prospects of what the location could mean. "Such an ironic location. It looks like they want to end it there. You two be careful out there; have either of you told Hibiki-san about this duel you accepted?"

Both girls froze at his question, before shooting quick looks at each other. 'Hibiki…I have a bad feeling about this fight. I get the feeling that something bad is going to happen tonight,' Chris thought, her thoughts drifting away to the Gungnir wielder and bringing a blush to her face alongside a small smile. 'I swear…if, no, WHEN we win this I'll tell you how I feel. I won't lose here!' Beside the snow-haired girl, Tsubasa paused before speaking.

"I'll have Ogawa-san send her a text with the location. If we're going to end this tonight, then we're going to need all the support we can get," the bluenette said, before turning to the door. "Chris, it'd be rude of us to keep them waiting, wouldn't it? Let's get going. This battle against FIS ends tonight," she continued as she walked towards the now open door and off of the ship's bridge, the younger symphogear wielder following closely. Her response had sent a bad feeling into Genjurou, one that he didn't like at all.

"Tomosato, do me a favor and have Ogawa-san get a hold of Hibiki-san. I get the feeling that Tsubasa may not have any intention of doing so…and that could be a major mistake," he said, a frown crossing his face at the words he spoke. "Tsubasa, don't let your desire to protect Hibiki from fighting this fight all on her own prevent you from allowing her to help. I don't want either you or Chris-san to get hurt out there, and if there's anyone who can help to do so right now other than both of you, it's Hibiki…"

Tachibana Hibiki's Apartment, Shinjuku, Tokyo

Silence filled the room as Hibiki returned to where Maria was seated; the white couch a steep contrast to the black and silver hoodie the older girl was wearing. As she handed the older girl a glass of water, Hibiki's thoughts raced, hundreds of questions running through her mind. Sitting down in the chair across from the pinkette, Hibiki smiled, finally breaking the awkward silence between the two.

"Maria, is everything okay? I know that we haven't seen eye-to-eye on things since that day so long ago, and that we have fought since then..." she started, the downcast look on Maria's face unnerving her slightly. After what seemed like an eternity, the older girl spoke up, her words softly echoing throughout the rest of the room.

"Hibiki-san, I'm not okay. I just don't know about anything anymore," she said, setting her glass of water onto the glass table in front of her. "I don't know if what I'm fighting for is the right thing. After Serena died, mom said that we were going to fight to prevent anything like that from happening again, where we would protect those who couldn't protect themselves, but it just doesn't seem like that's what we're doing. I just don't know if what I've been doing is what Serena would want me to be doing…" she trailed off, a tremor in her voice as she spoke, flashbacks to how the redhead in front of her wasn't there that day running through her mind.

"Maria, I'm not the one who can tell you the answer to that. I think that's something that you have to decide in the end. Serena would probably not be very happy with what you, Shirabe, and Kirika have been doing though," the Gungnir wielder said quietly, her own mind slipping back slowly to the events of that day over eighteen months prior.

"How would you know? You weren't there when she died, you just left us! You weren't there to help Serena and save her when she needed it! Why, Hibiki-san?"

"Maria, you know as well as I do that I wanted to be there that day." Hibiki said quietly, eyes downcast to the carpet below her. "When Nastassja-san told me that I wouldn't be allowed to come with you to the test that day, I was crushed. You and Serena were really the best friends I had there, and where you two were going I wanted to be as well. I just…I wasn't back to being myself yet, not after that incident. Nastassja knew it, and more importantly, I think Serena did as well. Believe me, if I had the ability to, I would have done anything I had to do to get there and protect Serena, just like you had asked me to do."

Hibiki's words brought any thoughts Maria may have had about the younger girl in front of her crashing to the ground. While she had known about Hibiki's accident as well as how she had been slow to get back to normal afterwards, the sheer emotion coming from the younger girl in front of her as she spoke told her that she was being fully sincere. 'Hibiki-san...you were hurt too, weren't you...'

"I was lucky, you know that? Meeting you and Serena back then, and having you all be there when the Gungnir inside of me started to almost take over my body like it did...I had been pushing myself so hard to get stronger that I didn't even realize the danger I had been putting myself into. After my accident, Serena came up to me and gave me a small box as a get well present. Do you know what was inside?"

Maria shook her head at this, her mind running back to when the younger girl had just woken up after her accident. There had been a pair of additional relic pendants made from the remains of the original Gungnir spear besides the one whose fragments had been inside of Hibiki's chest, and one of them hung from Maria's neck now, her Black Gungnir. 'It couldn't be…Serena, did you really…' she thought, mind racing at the consequences. As if hearing her thoughts, the redhead nodded before continuing.

"Yeah…Serena gave me the Gungnir I have now. I remember seeing it inside that box that day, the note written telling me what it was. She was one of the best friends I had, Maria, and for her to give me back the ability to fight, to protect the people I care about was the best get well present I could have asked for. That's why I felt sick about how I wasn't able to be there that day. Nastassja's orders telling me to take it easy, that I still needed to recover; those orders haunt me to this day," Hibiki said, eyes downcast, barely able to look at the older girl in front of her. "I've always wondered, 'If I was only fully recovered', 'If I had just gone anyways'...I don't know if I'd have made a difference, but I wanted to try. I was on my way to where you guys were, too, when the alarms went off," she continued, looking out the window, the images of that day flashing through her eyes.

"If you were on your way, why didn't you get there? Hibiki, you're not the type of person to just stop trying to do something. So why couldn't you save her?" Maria whispered, pulling her knees towards her chest as she tried to hide the tears that were starting to flow from her eyes.

"I was cut off on the way," Hibiki said, emotions raging like a storm in her voice. "I was almost there when from out of nowhere a group of Noise popped up in front of me. I don't know what they were doing there, but I couldn't just let them run rampant and kill innocent people, could I? It was the first time I even used my symphogear via the Gungnir relic pendant Serena gave me. I didn't expect it to work as naturally, as easily, as the fragments that were inside of me had, though. It did, and I'm grateful to Serena because of it. If not for her gift, I would have probably tried to do something stupid, you know? As it was, I ended up transforming and fighting my way through, but by the time I had defeated them all, I heard her start to sing her Zesshou before all hell broke loose," the redhead continued, tears coming to her eyes as she reflected back on that day.

"Hibiki-san…" the older girl on the couch looked over, her preconceived notions about the redhead breaking as she read the younger girl's body language. 'Hibiki-san thought of Serena and I as her best friends, as her sisters…for her to not be able to get there in time…it must have torn her apart inside…' she thought, her eyes softening at the sight of Hibiki, head bowed as she began to speak.

"I wasn't strong enough, Maria. I wasn't strong enough to get there before she had to sing her Zesshou; if I would have been stronger, I could have protected her from having to do that, and maybe things would have turned out differently that day. So I decided to do what I did just over two years ago, after the incident at Kadingir. I followed the song of my heart. I left, and worked hard to become stronger..." she continued, her voice finally giving out as a tear fell to the floor.

"You did. You became a lot stronger…" Maria said, walking over, her voice quiet as she gave the younger girl a brief hug. 'She's been hurting almost as badly as I have. Serena…while I don't know if the path I'm taking with mom and FIS is the right path, I know that I can't keep being angry at Hibiki-san. You wouldn't want me to do that…' she thought, her eyes looking out the window towards the city skyline.

"There's a reason I'm a redhead now…" Hibiki muttered, her voice soft as she rubbed her eyes, trying to clear them of any tears remaining. This got Maria's attention; when she had seen the redhead before she had left, she had natural cream-colored hair. "I did it as a sort of reminder of Serena, as well as of Kanade-san. I swore that I'd protect those close to me, and everyone else too. I won't let them get hurt," she said, her voice trailing off as she spoke, her thoughts returning to the snow-haired girl that had stolen her heart and bringing a gentle smile to her face. 'Chris…I won't let what I saw happen. I love you…' she thought, eyes looking towards the city skyline as the moon slowly rose.

Special Sealed Zone, Tokyo

The moon shone bright in the night sky as Tsubasa and Chris walked up the hill at the center of the sealed zone. As they did, the images of their fight two years prior seemed to pop into each of their minds. Chris shivered at the thoughts, remembering her apparent sacrifice to block the initial blast from Kadingir. 'Not the best decision I've ever made,' she thought, wincing as the duo finally reached the top of the hill. Above them, the towering ruins of the ruined Kadingir stood, construction cranes reaching to various points of the former super weapon. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, the snow-haired girl turned to her teammate before speaking.

"Well…looks like we're here once again, Tsubasa-san. The place it all ended last time, and the place that it seemed to have began this time," Chris said, her eyes looking at the destroyed tower. 'And the place that led to Hibiki disappearing for two years, only to come back…and for me to fall head over heels for her…' she thought, her thoughts briefly flashing to the redhead before she tried to focus herself for the upcoming battle. 'I promise, when we get back…I'll tell her how I feel…'

"It's the perfect place to finish things at from their perspective. Why not use the same place that the final fight against Finé? It's isolated enough," Tsubasa said, eyes searching the area for any sign of their opponents before walking forwards. Finally getting closer to the base of the destroyed tower, they noticed a shadowy figure standing and waiting.

"Heh…took you long enough to get here," Doctor Ver said, the Staff of Solomon held in his right hand. "Welcome to my web, said the spider to the fly. It's a fitting place, Kadingir's ruins-the best place for this final battle!" he exclaimed, pointing the staff at the duo before a green flash of light shot forth, summoning Noise to the field. The girls in front of him began to sing, energy orbs surrounding them as they transformed in reply, words no longer necessary.

-Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri Tron-

-Killiter Ichaival Tron-

"You bastard…Doctor Ver, I'll be taking the staff back tonight! There's no getting away," Chris shouted, leaping into the air and firing a barrage of energy arrows at the group of noise approaching her, destroying a number of them. Twisting in midair to dodge a barrage of enemy attacks, she landed, one crossbow converting into what looked like a submachine gun as she opened fire in a circle around her, wiping more Noise out and giving her some breathing room to work with. "That thing is too dangerous to allow it to keep running loose! Too high a price has been paid!"

Tsubasa had charged forwards, katana flashing as she slashed through Noise after Noise. As she came upon a group of noise that seemed to try to surround her, she flipped into a handstand and started to spin, her ankle armor's hidden blades releasing into her Reverse Rasetsu attack as she chopped more and more noise down as she spun. 'This doesn't seem that bad so far…nothing too difficult. Still, it almost seems too easy, like he's trying to bait us into complacency…' the bluenette thought, her eyes narrowing as another group of Noise approached her. Returning her ankle armor's blades to their spots in her symphogear armor, she called forth an additional katana and began to slash through additional noise.

"There's just so many of them. Doctor Ver, what does he hope to accomplish with the staff? It doesn't matter, I have someone I swore I'd get back to! Billion Maiden!" Chris whispered to herself, her crossbows transforming into her double barreled Gatlings as she ducked under another round of attacks from the noise. Quickly rising and opening fire, Chris continued her assault, mowing down a large number of the enemy in front of her. However, it almost seemed like for each Noise that fell, two more took their place. "Damnit…Ver, we were supposed to meet Shirabe and Kirika here. where are they?" she asked, getting back on the move to avoid more attacks from the Noise while also returning fire.

"Those two brats are in a timeout," Doctor Ver stated, summoning still more Noise with the Staff of Solomon. "So as a result, I'm here instead. It wouldn't be good for our plans if they were trying to become friends with the enemy after all."

Tsubasa ducked under another attack from the Noise she was fighting, her eyes narrowing as she noticed just how far ahead of her Chris was getting. 'Damnit…Chris, be careful…he's trying to isolate the two of us so that we're easy pickings, and with the number of Noise he's summoning, we'll wear down eventually…' she thought as she listened to the Doctor speak. Flipping to her feet after having rolled to the side to dodge another attack, she sliced through another duo of Noise with her Katana before speaking up.

"Doctor Ver! What is this plan that you're talking about? What is FIS plotting? Answer me!"

"Plotting? That's certainly a rude way of putting things," the bespectacled man stated, a mocking smile rising onto his face. "Our goal is humanity's salvation!" he continued, pointing upwards to where the moon hovered overhead and drawing both Symphogear wielders' attention to him.

"We're trying to save as many innocent lives as we can from being lost to the falling moon!"

"The Moon?!" Tsubasa and Chris cried, eyes widening in fear. 'No way…that can't be possible…not when we stopped the fragment from falling…' Tsubasa thought, her eyes narrowing. It was Chris that beat her to the punch however.

"You're lying! For the past two years, every country on the planet has been tracking the Moon's orbit! There's no way that it falling would have escaped from view!" she cried, firing her crossbows at another round of Noise that tried to close in on her.

"Are you sure about that? Think about it. What good would come from them telling anyone about the moon falling? All it would do is cause panic! This is a massive disaster, with no feasible solution to it! There are thousands, no, millions of reasons to hide such an inconvenient truth from the masses," Doctor Ver continued, his arms spreading out wide as he spoke.

"Don't tell me...Are the people who know about it trying to set it up so that only they survive?" Tsubasa asked, summoning tens of energy swords and causing them to rain down on the last of the noise surrounding herself and Chris, leaving nothing standing between them and the Doctor.

"And if they were? Then what would YOU do? Only we have an answer, and that answer is the power of the NEPHILIM!" Ver cried out, his left arm outstretched. Immediately, the ground beneath the girls shook, Chris leaping backwards as the rocky terrain started to crack beneath her. It was good that she had, as the larger form of the Nephilim erupted from below where she stood, unleashing a roar into the air.

"You're crazy, and so is your logic!" the snow-haired girl called, firing a round of energy arrows at the Nephilim which seemed to do nothing to the creature. Tsubasa quickly followed suit, changing her katana into a larger form before unleashing an Azure Flash at the beast which was shrugged off, its monstrous arm swatting the wave aside as if it were a minor annoyance. 'What the hell have we gotten ourselves into here…Hibiki...' she thought, landing and rolling under a punch from the Nephilim, clambering to her feet only to take a punch from the other arm of the beast to the stomach which sent her flying backwards before skidding to a stop a fair distance away.

Tachibana Hibiki's Apartment, Shinjuku, Tokyo

Hibiki looked over at Maria with a concerned look on her face. They had been able to have a great conversation, but the older girl still seemed depressed about things. 'Maria…while I'm glad that we seem to be getting along better, you still don't look like you're doing well at all…' she thought, her eyes showing concern for the older girl.

'Serena…I'm still not sure what to do. Everything that Mom and Ver have been saying is what will save others just seems like it's the opposite of what you would want us to do…I just don't know…' the pink-haired girl thought, a sigh escaping her lips. Gathering herself, she began to speak.

"Hibiki-san, I don't know what I should do. I feel completely torn apart…my heart is screaming to me that what I've been doing is wrong, that it's not the right thing, and that Serena wouldn't approve of my actions. But, my brain keeps telling me that I have to see it through now that it's begun. That's why I was out here tonight. I…I needed to get away from it for a little bit," she said, finally opening up slightly. Her mind flashed back to how Ver had murdered those innocent children before she continued.

"Hibiki, mom ordered me to kill some soldiers who had come to pursue us. I couldn't do it; it didn't feel right at all. I just don't know what to do…" she continued, causing the younger girl to frown slightly. 'Nastassja….Doctor Ver…something is completely wrong here. Nastassja may be a bit stern from what I remember of her, but she wouldn't ask her own daughter to commit murder…' Hibiki thought, her mind racing at the possible implications of the news she had been given. 'Still…I don't know what to tell her. Kanade-san, what would you have me tell her?' Taking a deep breath, Hibiki began to speak.

"Maria, I think that you may already know what you should do, even if you're conflicted. Kanade-san told me once to keep following the song of my heart, and it hasn't led me wrong yet. I'm sure that yours won't lead you wrong either…" the Gungnir wielder stated, smiling slightly before a noise disrupted the conversation; the ringtone of a Smartphone receiving a text.

"That would be mine," Hibiki said, getting up and reaching into her jacket's pocket and reading through the text message. "It's from Ogawa-san…" she continued, voice trailing off as she reached the end of the text, her eyes widening in fright.

This reaction did not go unnoticed by the older girl. 'What's going on that has her so shaken up all of a sudden?' Maria thought, as she quietly reflected on what Hibiki had said. 'Follow my heart, huh…I have to at least try to stop them…and that would mean going back…Mom…Serena wouldn't approve of what we've done,, or what we're doing…how can you not see that?'

"Maria, I'm sorry, but I have to go. One of my precious people...they're in serious danger," Hibiki began, her voice cracking with desperation, causing the older girl to nod. 'Chris…Tsubasa-san…please be okay…just hang on until I get there…'

"One of your precious people, huh? Are you talking about Yukine-san? Hibiki, even I could see it back when we were all at the bridge. We all pretty much were able to see it through your actions," Maria began, her remarks causing the younger girl in front of her to freeze in shock. "Hibiki, it's okay. Go to her. Be there for her; if you love her as much as your actions showed, then use that power to protect her and the others closest to you. Just be careful; I wouldn't want the friend I just regained to get herself hurt."

"I will, Maria. Look, if you need somewhere to stay tonight, you can stay here. I know it's getting late, and I know you're probably going to go back to wherever FIS wants you to meet them, but you can do so in the morning, alright?" the younger girl said, earning a nod from the rosette as she walked over to the door to her apartment. "I'm glad you and I have been able to reconnect like this. If I'm not back tonight, be careful, okay?"

"Just go, Hibiki. We'll catch up again later."

Maria's response got the younger girl to nod, before Hibiki exited the apartment, the sound of her rushing footsteps fading away as she ran towards the elevator leading to where her motorcycle was parked. As she climbed aboard the orange and black racing style machine, only one thought ran through her mind.

'Chris…Tsubasa-san…please, hold on…I'm coming…'

Special Sealed Zone, Tokyo

Tsubasa gasped in agony, the force of the Nephilim's blow knocking her backwards and towards the wall of the ruins of Kadingir. 'This thing…it's so much stronger than when we last fought it. Damnit…Hibiki, I shouldn't have kept this from you,' she thought, using her Ame no Habakiri's katana to slow herself down. Tsubasa and Chris had been engaged in combat with the Nephilim for at least a good twenty five minutes now, and the toll was starting to wear on the duo. 'It's like nothing we do to it is effective…we've tried almost everything we can think of, from Chris' Billion Maiden and Megadeth Party, to my own skills. None of them are working, and this thing just keeps coming, no matter what we do…we're in major trouble…' she thought, cradling her ribs with one arm as she struggled to stand up.

Nearby, Doctor Ver laughed at the pain suffered by the blue-haired girl, before pointing at her with his left arm dramatically.

"You don't stand a chance! The Nephilim…we'll use its strength to bring people together, build a country, and protect the lives of those who join us! You just don't have the power to defeat it!" Ver laughed, mocking the duo as they continued to struggle with the monstrosity in front of them.

Chris didn't even give the man's words a second thought, however. She was too busy trying to give Tsubasa a chance to recover and figure out a new strategy. 'I've gotta buy us some time. Damnit…if Hibiki was here, we'd have a much better chance to defeat this thing…' she thought, leaping backwards to avoid another attack form the Nephilim before returning fire with her twin-barreled gatling guns, the rapid fire at least forcing the relic being to pause. The snow-haired girl had taken more of a beating than the bluenette; she wasn't as fast as Tsubasa to begin with, nor as suited for close-quarters combat. As a result, she had been effectively forced on the defensive, the few times she had been able to get enough distance to counterattack having been rendered ineffective. And while she had done her best to avoid getting too injured, she had still taken a fair number of punishing hits to her aching midsection. 'I swear one of those hits had to have cracked a rib…'

"All you've done is talk, Ver. I told you before, you bastard…We'll be taking the Staff of Solomon back tonight, and this thing won't stop me from doing so, I swear!" Chris shouted, pointing her weapon at the monster in front of her and preparing to fire. Before she could do so however, it seemingly vanished, just to reappear in front of the snow-haired girl with its jaws wide open preparing to seemingly swallow her left arm whole. 'It's too close…too fast…' Chris thought, eyes widening in surprise as she let go of the weapon, withdrawing her arm from the reach of the Nephilim's jaws…just in time, too, as the creature clamped down, the sound of it crushing the relic weapon within its mouth and consuming it echoing throughout the night air.

"No way…it just ate Chris' weapon…" Tsubasa whispered, pure, unbridled fear entering her voice. In front of both girls, the Nephilim started to grow, becoming taller and noticeably bulkier, the orange lines on its body being replaced by glowing crimson ones. Roaring loudly into the night sky, the Nephilim finished its evolution, before seemingly blurring from view again. "Where'd it go?"

Tsubasa wouldn't have to wait very long for an answer, however. The Nephilim reappeared quickly, appearing behind Chris faster than either girl could think and knocking her into the air, the power of its kick causing the snow-haired girl to bend backwards. It quickly followed up with a pair of punches, one to the stomach which sent the Ichaival wielder spiraling towards the ground…and another to the same place it had kicked her, knocking the girl out cold and sending her flying towards the structure surrounding the ruins of Kadingir.

"Chris!" Tsubasa cried out, her thoughts racing as time seemed to slow down, the younger girl flying uncontrollably towards seeming death. 'Damnit…Hibiki, I'm sorry…I couldn't keep Chris safe…' she thought, the realization of her failure hitting her hard as she tried to struggle to her feet. A loud noise cut the bluenette's thoughts off, the familiar tone of a motorcycle engine growing rapidly closer as a familiar voice filled the air.

-Balwisyall Nescell Gungnir Tron…-

From the cliff side to the east, an orange and black motorcycle flew through the sky, its rider having already activated her Symphogear armor as she guided the bike to intercept the unconscious Ichaival wielder. Leaping off of the bike and activating the engines on the back of her skirt armor, Hibiki flew through the air, catching the snow-haired girl and cradling her closely as she landed before skidding to a stop no more than five feet away from where Tsubasa kneeled.

"Chris? Chris, please…wake up, Chris! Please, tell me you're okay," Hibiki said, desperation filling her voice as she cradled the unconscious girl closer to her body. 'No…I couldn't have been too late to get here…Damnit…I didn't even get to tell her how I felt…' she thought, eyes closed as she tried to hide the tears she felt welling to the surface.

"Hibiki, I'm sorry…I couldn't protect her. That thing, the Nephilim…it was just too strong…" Tsubasa muttered, the redhead's eyes snapping open in shock, images of what had happened in the past to Serena and what she had seen in her nightmares merging with the image of the girl she had fallen for flying towards seemingly certain death. At those images, a boiling anger rose from within the Gungnir wielder, completely different from anything she felt in the past.

"The Nephilim…that thing…" she trailed off, gently setting Chris' unconscious form down next to Tsubasa as she stood, eyes narrowing as a chilling fire seemed to enter her eyes. "Tsubasa-san, please keep an eye on Chris for me. Please, try to help her wake up…" she said, a cold fury having entered her voice as she turned to face the monstrosity.

"What are you going to do though, Hibiki? Nothing Chris or I did was working on this thing. We tried every attack we had…" the bluenette said, maneuvering the snow-haired girl's head so that it could rest on her lap as she noticed the pure rage enter the younger girl's voice.

Hibiki didn't smile or anything of the sort. Her next words would send chills down the spines of everyone listening, including those at the 2nd division.

"This thing…I'm going to make it pay for what it did, and it will pay dearly…"

End Chapter 7

Author's Postscript: Uh-oh...sounds like Hibiki is angry now. We saw a lot of things go down this chapter; next time, we'll get to see how the situation at Kadingir ends up, along with the big reveal. Again I'd like to apologize for the long wait, but I hope you enjoy! Leave a review, and I'll see you next time!-ZBD15