Author's Note: First of all, no reviews for this chapter. Since there are so many and they're all mixed in. But I read them all so don't worry! I'll answer them directly next chapter. Secondly, sorry for the delay. School has been tough and had a lot of assignments due at once.

Before I get to the matter at hand, I want to ask...if I delete the announcement chapter, will it delete the comments? It's been a week and everyone had time to give their opinions so I think it's time to delete it, but I don't want the comments to be deleted. So if that's the case, let me know, since I don't want to leave it there and confuse new readers in the future. Also, I want to welcome all the new people that have been reviewing! Hopefully, you stick around in our crazy journey.

So...if you want to skip this little announcement of mine as to why I decided to continue with my previous decision, skip ahead. It won't change how the story goes. But yes, I decided to keep Takeru dead. Upon further reflection, and reading some reviews. I realized that this was the best possible death for Takeru. His story started and ended in Val Verde. And if you look back in the first season, he kind of hints at it. But regardless, either he died here or later on. And later on, the impact wouldn't be the same. But I have to say, I'm happy that you guys got mad over his death. I feel proud that so many people liked Takeru and it makes me think I've come a long road since I started writing stories. I'll be honest, my first few stories are kinda trash lol. But now, with more experience and different ideas, I can say this is good. At least, from the reviews I'm getting. And you're right, even if I rewrite this part and he dies later, the impact wouldn't be the same.

Honestly speaking, Takeru was kind of doomed to fall here anyway. Allister just had too much in his favor. You guys have to keep in mind he's being powered up by Loki and has a second monster with him. And this speaks volumes for Takeru, since he pretty much won the fight, since he was standing while Allister couldn't even move anymore. He only lost because Allister got desperate and decided to sneak attack him. Takeru was in control of that whole fight, he only started losing ground when Allister began playing dirty summoning Scissors and combining his monsters into Genocider for distractions. So even while playing dirty and having so much in his favor, he nearly lost. But this doesn't mean the good guys are done for. Remember, a good story is when both sides go back and forth. Last scene, the good guys had the advantage, now it's the other way around. It's a tug-o-war between good and evil. And I'm setting up the foundation for the final arc. Furthermore, this fight serves as a victory for the heroes in a way. Allister goes on and on about salvation and trying to get Takeru to listen to him, but he never gave in and chooses to remain loyal to his friends and his beliefs. This is why he died standing, symbolizing that he didn't give in, and Allister on the floor, symbolizing that he failed to convert him. This helps in the theme of free will vs. the lack of free will. Whether humans are better with or without it. Overall, I am happy with how the fight turned out. I took references from so many animes and games and I had a blast writing it. And like I said before, no one else is dying in this season, so don't worry about that. At least, from the good guys' side.

Chapter 85
True Soldiery

"So...you think they'll show up?" Raphael asked, sitting on the edge of a broken plane next to Cagliostro, who surveyed the area as she watched the Noise wreak havoc.

"Like moths to a flame." She winked."Aren't you excited?"

"Sure. If I get to fight Riders." Raphael shrugged."I don't mind fooling around with the ladies, but I want to go toe to toe with the one who defeated Bragard."

"He's probably not going to come here either." Prelati said, approaching the duo."Basically, we suspect that he's somewhere else. Perhaps hidden?"

"Is that so? Why hide him?" Raphael pondered until they heard the sound of a helicopter above them.

"Took them long enough." Cagliostro smiled.

Several dark matter spheres were shot from the skies as they heard three chants.

"Seilen Coffin Airgetlam Tron..."

"Zeios Igalima Raizen Tron..."

"Various Shul Shagana Tron..."

(Play Senritsu Sorority)

"Should I unleash the Shadow Riders?" Prelati asked, holding four gems in her hands.

"Nah, let me fight them for now." Raphael smirked, unsheathing his blade and swinging it, cutting the dark matter spheres to nothing."There is nothing my blade can't cut."

"We'll see about that!" Alternative screamed, swinging his Slashdagger down as they both clashed.

"An eager one, aren't you? A bit impulsive, even." Raphael remarked, and like before, the Slashdagger started to crack.

"What?!"

"Bragi-kun!"

Strike Vent: Destclaws

Raphael regarded his new opponent, casting a barrier in front of him to block the claws.

Copy Vent

Raia appeared from his side, wielding a replica of Tiger's claws, and thrust them forward. Raphael pulled back, blocking the attack with his blade and snapping his fingers, conjuring a set of golden blades around him, shooting them at his foes. All Riders blocked them with their weapons, and Bragi went the extra mile to manifest dark blades around him and copy his opponent.

"Not bad! But!" Raphael ignited his blade in a golden light, absorbing the attacks and nullifying them.

"What the-" Bragi gasped, looking bemused."What the hell is that sword?! He just negated my Alchemy!"

"That's for me to know and for you to find out. But be advised. You may possess a Broken Alchemy much like Bragard, but it is still a form of Alchemy. My sword can negate any of its effects." Raphael twirled his blade around, eyeing the two Riders on his sides."So, boys. Care to attack? I won't be as gentle on you as I was to those ladies."

"Well, thank you for not hurting our sisters." Tiger said, taking the silver-haired man by surprise."But we won't go down without a fight."

"Sisters, eh? Interesting. Now I'd feel bad for hurting their brothers."

Accel Vent

Bragi rushed ahead of the brothers, Slashdagger grazing the ground and cutting through it. He lifted his arm, the tip of his sword throwing some dirt in Raphael's direction. The man blocked with his blade, but the dust got in his eyes, forcing him to brush them.

"You're mine!"

Suddenly, a mirage of Bragi himself appeared in front of him. But upon closer inspection, he noticed it looked older than himself."Wait...the Second?!"

"So this is the source of your doubts." Raphael mused, taking a look at the fake Bragard."I see. Yes, the sword does not lie. You feel...like Bragard here has made your life hell due to his actions. And since you look alike..."

"Wait...What?" Tiger blinked, turning to the successor to the Alternative Deck."Bragi-kun? Is that true?"

"That's a fat lie!" Bragi roared."You don't know nothing about me!"

"And yet, my sword can show you the darkness in your heart. The reason for your doubts." He raised his blade, which was now displaying a black mark across it."It manifests a person's deepest regrets and pain. And morphs into a being, giving me its power. I could do the same to all of you. However..."

Bragard disappeared, returning to the golden blade."I don't plan on going overboard with you at the moment. Let us enjoy our battle on even terms. But hopefully, the son can do better. After all, Bragard was a lot stronger than you are."

"You smug bastard! Do you realize who you're talking to?! I'm the great Prince Bragi Third DienHeim!" Bragi screamed, launching himself toward Raphael as they both engaged in battle.

"That idiot!" Raia followed after, with Tiger behind.

"Alright! We finally get to fight!" Shadow Imperer cheered, his feet morphing and turning into springs, hopping around the area.

"Kiri-chan, don't get distracted. That's not-"

"Not Andreas, I know." Kirika scowled."This monster is the opposite of him-desu!"

"Opposite? Well, that's not exactly right." Prelati chuckled, watching as Shirabe hurled hundreds of buzzsaws at her and the Noise around them. She took out a gem and broke it, summoning another Shadow Rider.

"Oops!" Shadow Gai used his version of the Metal Horn to block them.."That was close. A little more and I would have lost my head."

"You won't that so easily." Prelati remarked."You got the strongest armor after all."

"Oh, yeah. I do. You're so right, Master."

"This works just fine for me-desu!"

Suddenly, Prelati was tied up by several wires from Kirika.

"Hey! You're fighting me, blondie-OUCH!" Shirabe slammed one of her armored twin tails against the S. Imperer, sending him flying. She then skated over to Prelati, swinging her yo-yos in anticipation.

Shadow Gai morphed into Metalgelas, huffing before ramming into Shirabe, knocking the girl to the ground.

"Shirabe!" Kirika gasped, a distraction that Shadow Imperer took to kick her away from Prelati and used his Gazellestab to cut the wires.

"Thank you." She said.

"Of course." S. Imperer nodded. Prelati folded her arms, watching with mild interest with both of her Shadow Riders as the Symphogear gathered together, ready to face them again.

"They're not half bad." Cagliostro mused, firing several energy bullets at Maria, who dodged them like a pro and was closing the distance."So, I heard those are your brothers. Including that stud of a man? Lucky me. He's totally my type. I wonder what he looks like under his mask-"

Suddenly, Maria slammed her fist against her cheek, sending her staggering backward.

"That's MY man you're talking about!"

Caught off guard by her sudden reaction, the Alchemist attempted to summon Yohualtepoztli, only to receive another right hook to her face."Your little snake might be impervious to attacks! But that doesn't apply to you, does it?!"

"Well, that wasn't very cute..." Cagliostro rubbed her cheeks, hissing in pain. She gasped, noticing Maria dashing at her, forcing her to conjure a shield on her arm to block the incoming dagger. However, Kirika and Shirabe were both sent crashing in her direction, halting her in her tracks.

"Girls!"

"Those Shadow Riders..." Shirabe started, wincing as she sat up.

"Are pretty strong-desu..."

"Ara, ara...Done already?" Cagliostro smiled, watching as her two S. Riders dropped in front of her."Good job, boys."

"Thank you, ma'am!" S. Gai saluted.

"Of course they're good. Nothing that we couldn't create, using Bragard's research." Prelati shifted her gaze over to a golden light in the distance.

All of a sudden, all three Riders crashed nearby, with Raia falling on his head, causing his helmet to detach from his armor.

"Damn it, my glasses..." He cursed, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"Oh..." Prelati's eyes shot wide open upon seeing the young man's face, her cheeks burning."He's...perfect..."

"Huh? Did you say something?" Cagliostro asked.

"You! What is your name?" Prelati pointed at the stingray-themed Rider.

Raiden narrowed his eyes, in an attempt to seem intimidating."I'm Raiden Amaterasu. Kamen Rider Raia."

However, it had the exact opposite effect. An imaginary arrow pierced through Prelati's heart, her ears bursting with steam."He must be mine."

"Oh, lord. When Lady Prelati gets obsessed with something, she won't rest until she has it." Raphael mused, leisurely making his way to them.

"Huh?" Raiden blinked, picking up his helmet. But before he could start asking questions, they saw a plan heading in their direction, followed by a battalion of Alca Noise.

"Shit! Kirika! Shirabe! Cover my sides!" Tiger commanded, rushing toward the plane."Raiden! Let me borrow Evildiver for a bit!"

"Got it, Onii-chan/-desu!"

Raiden nodded, opening up his visor and inserting his card inside.

Advent: Evildiver

"So in the meantime, you'll be taking us all on?" Prelati asked with a bored tone, her eyes fixated on Raia, who took a step back when she shot him a grin."How about you and I get acquainted, handsome? I'd love to inspect you thoroughly."

"How about you get acquainted with my blade!" Alternative rushed by himself, clashing blades with Raphael when he intercepted the attack. He kicked the man, rushing toward Prelati and Cagliostro.

"Not so fast!" S. Imperer attempted to kick him, but a whip struck him on the back, launching him away. Maria hurled a dozen daggers toward S. Gai, who blocked them with his Metal Horn. She proceeded to engage in combat with him, delivering powerful slashes on his body, focusing her inner rage toward her brother on the monster.

Horizon Canon

Inserting her dagger into her gauntlet, she summoned a massive canon on her gauntlet and fired it at the monster.

Copying Gai's Guard Vent, the monster's armor began bulkier, tanking the attack and coming out of it unscathed.

"You're kidding me!" Maria gasped in shock.

"So that leaves the little prince against us, huh?" Cagliostro tilted her head cutely."How about it, Little Prince? Are you up for the challenge? Or do you need mommy and daddy to come help you?"

"How dare you...how dare you say that?!" Bragi rushed to danger, finding himself surrounded by the Alchemists, but engaged them in unison. Prelati would just block, leaving Raphael and Cagliostro to have their fun, since she wasn't invested in the boy. Cagliostro fired her energy bullets, forcing the Prince to respond in kind by conjuring dark matter barriers. His immediate attention was on the swordsman, who was matching him blow for blow. Albeit he was holding back, the fact that someone was resisting this much bothered him greatly.

"You're kind of boring." Cagliostro giggled."Why don't you sing for us instead, like those girls?"

"You'll find it that my songs don't come cheap, bitch." Bragi clicked his tongue, rushing at the Alchemists once more."Now get down on your knees and bow to the Prince!"

"Alright, girls! Cover me while me and Destwilder get to work!" Tiger yelled, summoning his Advent Beast upon inserting his card in his Deck.

Advent: Destwilder

The girls winced, feeling the effects of their LINKER beginning to wear off, but nodded at their older brother, rushing in to kill the Noise around the plane.

"Evildiver! Get under the plane and start lifting it! Destwilder! You continue running ahead and forge a path of ice until I say so!" He commanded, opening up his visor and sling a card in.

Frost Vent

Destwilder jumped on all fours, running ahead at full speed, creating a path of ice for the plane to follow.

"I'm going to borrow a page from Hajime's book!" Tiger clapped his hands, creating two arms of ice, and grabbed onto the sides of the plane. Constantly creating a powerful blizzard to strengthen his arms, and with Evildiver using its psychic abilities to lift the plane, they eventually reached an open clearing."NOW!"

Destwilder roared, slamming its claws on the ground and creating a huge ramp of ice, which the plane used to take off into the air and avoid crashing into a building.

"They did it!" Kirika sighed in relief."That's our elder brother!"

However, out of nowhere, Kirika and Shirabe returned to normal, leaving them exposed to the Alca Noise. Tiger grunted, running toward them without a second thought and mowing down through the Noise while Destwilder and Evildiver protected them.

"I've had enough of this!" Alternative jumped into the air, conjuring several dark matter spheres, launching black beams of energy that merged into one toward the Alchemists."You will learn respect! SECOND IMPACT!"

Second Impact

The beam created a huge explosion that lit up the whole area momentarily. Alternative landed on the ground, satisfied with his work."See? Told you. Nothing compared to the Third Hyperion."

"Ara, Ara...he has spunk, doesn't he?"

"Basically, he knows how to be loud."

"But he's not half bad. Acceptable, I guess."

Once the smoke cleared, the three Alchemists stood there unharmed by the attack.

"What?! How?!" Bragi was flabergasted."Impossible! You should be dead!"

"Foolish enough to not consider that we can cast barriers too even though he saw us doing it." Raphael clicked his tongue."Quite prideful. And that blinds you."

"And so pretentious. I guess he got that from Carol too." Prelati noted.

"It's too bad. I really wanted to pumple him for a bit. He looks like he has a punchable face, after all."

Maria suddenly ran out of power, preventing her from attacking S. Gai."Oh. no!"

"Oh, yes!" S. Gai cackled, thrusting his Metal Horn to skewer through her, but Raia tackled Maria away, both of them landing on the ground.

"You okay, Maria-nee?" Raia asked, helping the pinkette up.

"Thank you for the assistance." She nodded, shifting her gaze to see the others.

"This is bad..." Tiger landed behind the group, carrying Kirika and Shirabe in his arms."The girls are out of power. Raiden."

"I'll transport them out of here."

"Oh, my. Do you think it will be that easy?" Cagliostro extended her arm out, summoning a bright light from her palm."Let's see what my little Yohualtepoztli has to say about it."

"Go ahead, bring that thing out!" Bragi grinned."As the great Prince Hyperion, I relish the challenge!"

'Is this guy serious?!' Kirika deadpanned.

"Then I won't disappoint, Little Prince!" Cagliostro threw the sphere in the air, and in a bright flash, the great serpent was once more, towering over the area.

"Jades-nii, we must go Survive Mode. Maybe we can freeze it with your Frost Vent or maybe if you use your Zone Vent-"

"It's useless." Alternative sighed."It's just gonna do the same thing over again. So start running!" Alternative cried, rushing toward the serpent, scanning a hand through his visor.

Gravity Vent

Clapping his hands together, he began lifting the rocks and debris from the ground."I'm going to blow this place apart with my Catastrophic World Breaker! So get as far away from here as you can!"

"The meteor?! Are you insane?! That's going to destroy all of Val Verde!" Maria protested.

"Then stop complaining and get running, goddamn it-"

"ORAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Out of nowhere, Hibiki slammed her fist against the serpent's side.

"Another one?" Prelati chuckled."But that's not going to work."

However, the impossible happened. Not only did she punch through the monster, but it was unable to repeat the feat it did earlier, exploding into particles.

"Yes! Just punch through the impossible!" Shirabe cheered.

"We've been struggling to fight that thing and she just killed it in one blow..." Bragi muttered, starstruck.

"Hey! What happened to that whole invincibility thing?!" Cagliostro punched Raphael's chest as she whined."You saw it couldn't be killed!"

"Impossible..." Raphael muttered, a cold sweat dripping down his forehead."Is she...is she a Messiah too...?"

"A Messiah?! Another one?! But that can't be!" Prelati refuted."Basically, you know there can only be one per a certain time period. There being two is already hard to believe but three?!"

"But only a Messiah can fight against that kind of power, right?" Cagliostro scratched her head."That's what St. Germain said."

Raphael frowned, grabbing a hold of the hilt of his sword."No...she's not a Messiah. She doesn't have that trait in her. However, she just feels like a regular Symphogear. Or perhaps...something that my blade doesn't understand."

"You said Messiah." Hibiki addressed the Alchemists."That's what Bragard was calling Hajime. What do you know?"

"And you better not lie." Tsubasa and Yosuke appeared as well, eyeing them with a critical eye."It's time to stand down, Bavarian Illuminati."

"You know of Hajime Adachi...then perhaps you may point us to where he is."

A purple portal opened up, revealing the imposing figure of St. Germain."Tell us where the Messiah is. Symphogear and Kamen Riders."

"We aren't telling you shit." Alternative snarled, ready to attack her but Tsubasa grabbed his shoulder, shaking her head.

"I am surprised that S.O.N.G have allied themselves with the son of an oppressor like Bragard." St. Germain eyed the hybrid homunculus."He tried to enslave a fraction of humanity for his sick purposes. We've been dealing with him for centuries, so allow me to extend our gratitude you took care of him."

"Is that so? And since he's gone, what do you intend to do?" Knight asked, receiving a chuckle from Raphael.

"Why, retake humanity's position in the world, of course." Raphael folded his arms."You've indeed all accomplished great things, the most notable being stopping Bragard and his Overall project. But that power won't suffice to pave the road for humanity's future."

"So what then? Do you want to remove the Curse of Balal? The origin of all evils or whatever?" Raia clicked his tongue."Sounds like the kind of stuff Ryuga and his people would say."

"The Anti-Messiah wants to shape humanity to his will. What we want is to free them. But I'm afraid that's all you get from me today. It is a shame I wanted to meet Hajime Adachi in person. But since he's not here, I have no further business here. We are withdrawing."

"Yeah, that's cool." Raphael shrugged."I gotta watch the basketball game coming up anyway."

"They also took down Yohualtepoztli." Cagliostro informed her."I think that's something we have to talk about."

"Freeing humanity, my ass!" Bragi seethed."Don't act so high and mighty!"

"Hmph! As presumptuous as your father, I see." St. Germain brought out a vial."It's time we start fixing the mess he left behind. No one will stop us. Not any of you. Or the Disasters of Valhalla."

"See you around, handsome." Prelati wagged her eyebrows at Raiden, who quivered in his boots.

With that, the white-haired woman threw the vial on the ground, teleporting them all away.

"Wait!" Hibiki tried calling after her, but she was gone.

"Everyone alright?" Knight asked, trying to ascertain the situation.

"Yeah." Maria nodded, realizing something was off."Wait, where are Chris and Takeru?"

Before he could reply, they all received a call from Genjuro. Knight picked up his communicator, putting it on speaker."Yosuke here."

"Is everyone with you?"

"Yes, sir. I have my communicator on speaker.

"Good. Now...I need you all to listen to me very carefully and calmly. It's...It's about Takeru-kun...he's..."

The sun was beginning to rise in Val Verde, and the group was looking through the devastated forest for any signs of Chris.

"Holy shit..." Raia muttered, flying above on top of Evildiver."It looks like a whole forest fire took place here."

"Yeah..." Yosuke said, flying using Darkwing as a cape to glide around. The whole forest was devastated. Trees were gone, huge holes in the ground, and even the mountains around had been affected by whatever fight had happened here.

"I hope we find Chris-chan soon..." Hibiki prayed, hands clasped in her chest.

The group then saw a huge clearing, that looked more like a desert than a forest. They noticed huge piles of purple liquid, bullet holes, and craters on the ground. And the most obvious thing, Chris, frantically screaming for Takeru's name.

The group landed on the ground, noticing the huge stains of blood on the ground alongside broken parts of armor.

"Fuck..." Bragi muttered, the tension getting to him."What kind of fight went on here?"

"Takeru! Takeru! Where are you?!" Chris yelled, her voice desperate and seemingly on the verge of tears.

"Yukine." Knight was the first one to approach her, grabbing her shoulder.

She vehemently slapped his hand."Shut up! We don't have much time! We have to find Takeru!"

"Yukine..." Knight tried again, taking a deep breath."Sakamoto...Sakamoto is..."

"Is lost, that's what he is!" Chris snapped, grabbing him by the shoulders."So help me find him!"

"Chris-chan..." Hibiki began crying, covering her mouth to stifle her cries.

Kirika and Shirabe were unable to contain their tears and hugged each other.

"Takeru-san..." Shirabe sniffed, fresh tears streaming down her face.

"S-stop that..." Tsubasa muttered, her eyes glistening with tears."If you keep doing that, I'll..."

"W-what's up with you guys...?' Chris asked, forcing a chuckle."Why are you all crying all of a sudden? Sheez, you're starting to worry me here."

"Yukine." Knight spoke up, this time firmer, grabbing her shoulders."Sakamoto is dead."

Chris felt her heart sank, her eyes widening."What..."

"The Commander...detected his Deck's signal disappearing. He never reported back. He never said anything." Knight lowered his gaze, cursing the fact that he had to deliver the bad news again.

"The Old Man is full of shit!" She yelled, seething as she pushed Yosuke away."He's n-not dead! I just saw him not too long ago! He gave me time to take those hostages away from the hospital while he distracted Allister!"

"Yukine..." Knight undid his transformation, showing her his pained expression."He loved you."

"Shut up..."

"He loved you very much."

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" Chris shook her head rapidly, wailing."He's not dead! You're all wrong! You're wrong!"

"Look at me! We searched everywhere! We didn't believe it either! But he's...he's gone!" Yosuke reiterated, his voice cracking.

"There's a recording of his fight. His drones recorded the fight. And we saw...He died before he could have killed Albedo." Tsubasa walked up to the pair, tears flowing endlessly from her eyes. She engulfed Chris in a hug, the lavender-haired girl stupified."He fought until the very end. He did it for you. He gave you the time you needed to save those people."

"He loved you with all of his heart. And there is nothing else in this world he wanted more than to protect you." Yosuke continued.

"Guys..." Jades approached them, holding a ring in his hands."Bragi-kun found this lying around. His ring. If he was killed, his body probably turned into particles...Leaving this ring behind."

"My Takeru...But he promised me...he promised me he wouldn't leave me alone...that he would always be here..." Chris muttered, completely dead inside as she grabbed the ring."That we would always...always...always...always..."

"Chris-kun."

They all turned to see Genjuro walking toward them, a serious expression on his face.

Chris was about to start yelling again, but the man simply wrapped his arms around her."You're not alone. I know the pain you're feeling must be agonizing. And I know you loved him very much. But that ring in your hand...He will always be with you. As long as you carry that ring and your memories of him...He will always be by your side. He loved you. More than anything in this world. I'm sorry we couldn't tell you guys sooner. Allister must have jammed the signals somehow. We only got the recording of the fight recently. But..."

Genjuro could feel his shirt dampening with her tears as she sobbed. He gently rubbed the back of her head. He essentially had adopted her. But he saw all of them as his kids. All of them are so young. He had seen countless men die on the battlefield, but seeing kids like them die was...something else entirely. Akira, Kanade, Goro, Chao-Xing, Andreas, and now Takeru. It was the fifth time, but it wasn't easy. It could never be easy.

"Takeru-kun. I know what's going on between you and Chris-kun."

"Huh?! Y-you do...?" Takeru had nearly dropped his coffee when the red-haired man had called him to his office.

"Listen, I know I don't have to tell you this, but you both need to be careful with that. You're still young and still in school. It's too soon for you to accidentally have a kid."

"W-we use protection, sir..." Takeru blushed, a rare treat since he was always confident and carefree.

"I believe you. I know you love Chris-kun. And that's good. I'll tell you this as a man with more life experience, rather than your Commander."

"Sir?"

"When a man falls in love with a woman, he must protect her, no matter what. That...and that alone, is why made are made to be men."

"Of course. I will always protect her. She's the love of my life. We're married, basically. Well, not technically, but we will someday. I hope to see you walking her down the aisle."

"I'd be honored to."

Genjuro bit his lower lip, focusing on hugging Chris and consoling her. Hibiki joined the hug, followed by Tsubasa. The three girls started to cry together, and Maria engulfed them in a supportive hug. Kirika and Shirabe, while fighting back their own tears, wrapped their arms around them. Jades and Andreas looked at each other. The bespectacled boy was crying but Jades kept a sad expression, not wanting to upset the group even more. They silently made their way toward the group hug and became part of it.

"Damn it!" Bragi stomped his foot on the ground."Those bastards! How dare they do that to someone as kind as Takeru-dono! We must go after them! Yosuke-dono, you think the same, right?"

"We will not be doing such a thing. We don't even know where they are, Dienheim. And now we're down to 4 Riders. We can't act carelessly." Yosuke said. He was the only one who had not joined the group. Instead, he was gazing at the sunrise."It's dangerous."

"But we have to stop them! We have to make them pay! What, don't you care about Takeru-dono at all?! We have to go now and-" Bragi walked in front of Yosuke, and that's when he saw his face. He was biting his lower lip so hard, blood was trailing down his chin. His eyes were red and puffy, endless tears forming in his eyes.

"They'll pay, Dienheim. He'll pay. And we'll make him bleed."

Bragi scrunched up his face, not used to seeing the young man like that. He sighed, focusing on the ground when he noticed a card buried in the dirt. He grabbed it, and read it to himself.

"Shoot Vent: GigantoRailgun..." He gasped, realizing what this card was.'Takeru-dono...did you leave us one final gift...?"

Meanwhile, St. Germain and Raphael stood in front of Tiki inside a room, ready to activate her.

"I never understood whoever designed her." Raphael rubbed his chin in thought."Is she supposed to be wearing a bikini or something? Like her breasts are-"

"You're overthinking things." St. Germain cut him off with a huff."She was created hundreds of years ago. You of all people should know how bizarre people were when it came to...art, and such."

"I suppose so. I guess the Renaissance was a weird era." Raphael nodded."Then again, she's not your ordinary Autoscorer. She's not like one of Bragard or Carol's dolls, who could just use one type of Alchemy." He walked up to Tiki, folding his arms as he examined her."She's much more sophisticated than that. She was created to precisely record the movements of the planets on a star map, originally deactivated to protect the secrets contained within."

"But with this Antikythera Relic, we can reactivate her by putting this into her core." The woman said, holding said relic in her hand."However, seeing as how the Lodgemaster isn't here, she'll most likely throw a tantrum."

"Relax. I know my way around her and can appease her for the time being." Raphael patted her back."So trust me, will you?"

"Sure..." She glared at him, not at all appreciating him slapping her back that hard. She proceeded to reactivate Tiki, using her powers to insert the relic into her core as Raphael watched with mild interest.

His mind was somewhere else at the moment. He had been pondering why that little girl was able to destroy the serpent. She wasn't a Messiah. His sword told him as much. And yet, her radiance and elegance reminded him of one. Something about her glow and the way she carried herself. If she was that interesting, he was now totally invested in knowing who Hajime Adachi was.

"Welcome back, Tiki."

This got Raphael's attention, his gaze shifting over to see the doll removing the headpiece she had been wearing."Lady Tiki, hello. May I say you look as stunning as all those years ago?"

"Ah! St. Germain! And Raphael!" She beamed."It's been 400 years and you guys still look the same!"

"Naturally." The man offered his hand, which Tiki gladly took, and kissed it."One must always take care of oneself, Lady Tiki. The times change and we must adapt to them."

"I do not." St. Germain said.

"Oh, Raphael. I'm glad to see you're still as chivalrous as ever. But St. Germain still says boring stuff, doesn't she?" She giggled as Raphael led her around and they did a little dance.

"Oh, don't I know it?" Raphael chuckled, twirling Tiki around."But alas, I would never change her for anything. Though I can't say the same thing for her."

"Have you gotten better at dancing?"

"I have. Perhaps I can teach you." The silver-haired man offered."I watched some very good tutorials on YouTube."

"Tutorials? YouTube? Anyway, where is Adam? I want to dance with him!"

"Oh. Well..." Raphael chuckled nervously, realizing that he had lost her interest already.

"And don't tell me he's with that wench!" Tiki fumed, pouting."If she lays even a single finger on Adam, I will get very mad!"

"Calm down, Lady Tiki. I'm sure the Mistress has no interest in touching him. Right, St. Germain?"

"Don't look at me." She crossed her arms over her chest."You said you had this under control."

"Oh, come on, you know I like to flaunt!"

Just as Tiki was about to start throwing her tantrum, they heard a phone ringing, causing Raphael to sigh in relief. They headed over to the balcony, where an old-fashioned phone sat.

"I don't understand why they don't get newer phones." Raphael muttered, observing the antique in front of him."I already pitched the idea of them getting iPhones or something."

"You know how the Lodmaster loves his things simple." St. Germain said."And the Mistress doesn't particularly care either."

"Wait! Adam is on the line!" Tiki snatched the phone, putting the speaker next to her ear. Raphael helpfully turned the phone upside down, allowing her to speak."Is that you, Adam?"

"For the love of..." A feminine voice sighed in annoyance."For you."

"Easy there." A masculine voice said."Hello?"

"Adam! It's you!"

"Ah, Tiki. You don't know how I've missed the sound of your voice all these years."

"It really is you, Adam!" Tiki beamed before her face turned sour."That voice just now...don't tell me she's there!"

"She lounges around here, not that I'm a very big fan of that." Adam sighed."I know you must be excited, but I have a business to attend to. Let us talk later."

"You're so mean! Always rejecting me!" She sighed, her face becoming full of joy again."But that's another thing I love about you!"

The Autoscorer unceremoniously handed the phone to St. Germain, since Raphael didn't know how to operate the darn thing anymore."I can't apologize enough, Lodgemaster. The Divine Power infusion experiment was successful, but we failed to sustain the result and it was lost."

"Fine certainly left us no end of trouble with these Symphogear of hers. And Bragard with the Kamen Riders. Although, from what I hear, it's Odin the one in control of all that business."

"Speaking of Bragard, it seems that before he was defeated, he created a child using his and Carol's DNA. His name is Bragi Third Dienheim. He pales in comparison to his parents, however. He seems to be a hybrid between a homunculus and a human, capable of regenerating and using Alchemy, albeit to a lesser degree."

"I suppose it's hard to kill a cockroach. But this is good news to me. I wanted to personally kill Bragard, but I suppose killing his son would suffice. And did you find the Messiah?"

"I'm afraid not. We don't know his whereabouts."

"That is fine. We'll smoke him out in due time. So, what exactly happened?"

"Our creation was by all means invincible, but they destroyed it with a single punch." She resumed her report."We will need time to experiment with the inner workings of this mechanism."

"The way they work is unimportant." Adam dismissed the thought, taking her by surprise."We just need to destroy the Symphogear and Kamen Riders."

"As you wish...I will send Cagliostro and Prelati on a preemptive strike soon. And I will join them as soon as I'm able."

The woman hung up the call, taking a deep breath.

"You didn't tell them about how we suspect that that girl might be a Messiah?"

"For what? We lack any conclusive evidence." St. Germain sighed, rubbing her temples."For now, we just do what we must. The Lodgemaster is right. We'll weed out the Messiah in due time."

Allister slowly opened his eyes, wincing upon feeling the aching feeling his body felt.

"Hey, don't get up."

He looked up to see Terunosuke carrying some pillows and a bag."I just changed the bandages. Don't do anything stupid."

"What...? Bandag-" He tried moving his arm, but he hissed.

"What did I just say?"

'Allister-san, please..." Mona, who was looking rather worried, stood on the side of his bed."Your leg and arm..."

"We called in one of those shady underground doctors you know. Apparently, you're pretty banged up." Terunosuke pulled out his phone, reading the doctor's PDF file he had sent him."Broken leg and arm, broken ribs, fractured elbow, second-degree burns on your stomach, damage to your spine, among other things. According to Loki-sama, you were still high from your ascension and you didn't feel the pain set in until much later. So you'll be in bed for a while now. Well, you have been."

"How long?"

"5 days." Mona informed him."We've been taking care of you all this time."

"She has. Don't lump me in on this." The dark-haired man rose his hands.

"I'm happy to see you care about your friend, Kuwana-san."

"We're not friends." Terunosuke scowled."We're just...allies, at best, working toward the same goal."

"I suppose that's enough for me." Allister chuckled."So...where are the others?"

"Nakahara is still on her mission. Just got her daily report. Things are quiet. As for Kaburagi-kun, he went to go talk to some of the people we managed to recruit online. Spread the word of Loki-sama and whatnot. Kind of feels like we're a cult, but whatever." He folded his arms."By the way, how do you feel? Any stronger?"

"It's hard to say since I'm wounded. But I absorbed Zolda's power after making a contract with his monster A Rider gets significantly stronger when they kill another Rider. So considering how much stronger I got after killing someone like Scissors...I'd say I'm pretty up there."

"Good to know. Also, I didn't know you cared about this...Elsa friend of yours that much."

"What do you mean?"

"You keep muttering her name in your sleep." Mona supplied."Like you were calling out for her. Is this friend really important to you, Allister-san?"

"She...is. We were fairly close back in France." He said with a wistful smile."We were poor, so we had to work to get some money to eat. Her family was...disgusting to say the least. And mine weren't much better. I lost contact with her after I became an assassin. Her relatives sold her off. So I killed them. Over time, I suppose I forgot about her. It was not until recently that I started to...think about her more and more. She was my first friend. Ever."

"I can relate to that." Terunsouke rubbed his nape."But anyway, where do you think your friend is?"

"It's hard to say. But she's not dead. Hazuki showed me that she's not in the Sea of Souls. So she has to be out there somewhere. And I want to find her. I'll ask Kazanari-san to help me track her. Once I'm better, I want to find her and talk to her again. Before I..."

"You...what? Scared of dying?" Terunosuke chuckled, but Allister said nothing."You're an assassin, dude. No way you're scared."

"I'm not. I resigned my life the moment I became an assassin. Can't kill without expecting to be killed." Allister recited the words he had come to take to heart."I was ready to die."

"I'm surprised you got this badly hurt. You had an extra monster and Loki-sama's power."

"It just goes to show that those kids don't play around. If you ever going to go after one of them..." Allister frowned, making Terunosuke flinch."You better be prepared."

"Tch. Like I need you to tell me that." He waved his hand dismisivally, heading for the door."I'm going to go get you some dinner I made. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Allister-san...are you really not afraid of dying?"

"Either I died to Takeru, I die to Chris, Yosuke, or Tsubasa, or I die by sacrificing my life so that Hazuki may win. Any choice leads to my demise. So no, I'm not scared. What about you, dear?"

"I don't think so. I don't know what death is like, so I can't say anything." Mona shrugged."I think people are scared of things they don't know or understand. Maybe that's why those people are trying to stop Ragnarok from happening, right? Because they're scared of something they don't know?"

Allister thought back to Takeru, his incessant defiance to reject his ideas of a new world and his firm belief in free will."Yes. They're scared. And that's okay. It might be scary, but it will be better. Better than any of this."

"Do you think...we'll meet in the new world? I mean, if I'm going to have a perfect life with a nice family...would I even meet you?"

"We'll find a way." Allister ruffled her hair with his good hand."I'm very resourceful. Never forget that. Run along now, Mona. It's way past 11."

"Come on...must I have a bedtime now?" Mona pouted, earning a chuckle from the assassin.

"I suppose not. Just don't stay up too late." Allister shrugged."Though maybe that's not something I should tell my adopted daughter, huh?"

"I haven't known what it feels like to be a normal kid in a long time." Mona rubbed her arm."I...thought I was going to die. If you hadn't saved me that day, I don't know where I'd be today. So thank you, Dad."

"Just call me Allister. Dad makes me sound old." Allister rolled his eyes, watching as the little girl skipped over to the door."Hey. Good night."

"Good night. I...love you."

The assassin was taken aback by this, unable to respond in time before the girl closed the door, leaving him alone in his room. He had never heard those words. Ever. It was...strange. Why was he feeling this way? It was like his head couldn't comprehend the idea, despite his intellect. He thought he understood how he felt. Wait...

'Is that it...? Did I always have emotions but I just didn't understand them...? Was the answer always in front of me and I just didn't understand?'

It made sense, that sense of euphoria, while it may have been thanks to the Divine Power, made him feel alive. As if he truly wanted to experience a life-or-death battle with his greatest foe. But now, he was told he was loved? No amount of TV shows prepared him for this. Even his time in Lydian didn't help much. All of them were just classmates, after all. So how could he for sure say how he felt? How can one differentiate emotions?

"This is going to be my greatest endeavor..."

"You sure you'll be okay, Chris-chan...?" Hibiki asked as they entered her apartment."You can come with us to get our clothes."

It had been a few days since they returned from Val Verde and just a day after the funeral. They had decided that for the time being, Tsubasa and Hibiki would stay with Chris in her apartment to keep her company.

"It's fine. You guys go get your stuff. You're doing plenty for even being here..." She muttered, her eyes fixated on the ground."Sorry for the mess. I didn't clean before we left for Val Verde."

"Okay...But we'll be right back." Tsubasa placed her hand on her shoulder."You're not alone, Yukine. We'll be with you all the way."

"Thanks, Senpai..."

"Also, don't worry about the mess. We can help you clean."

Chris managed a smile, watching as her friends disappeared through the door. The lavender-haired girl dragged her feet through her apartment.

"Takeru! When are you going to pick up those model guns of yours?! Your apartment looks like shit! Stop leaving them in mine!"

"But Chrissy! I just need to store them here for a bit while I organize them!"

"But why do you have so many?!"

"I'm collecting them, of course. It's a hobby of mine."

"Just get them out of my apartment..."

Chris stared at the model guns on the ground, reminiscing about her conversation with Takeru.'He never got around to picking them up...'

She made her way toward the altar she had set up for her parents with Takeru's help, then shifted her gaze to a picture she had recently taken with him, framed on top of a table.

"The Old Man said we're going to Val Verde for this mission..."

"Yeah..."

"I'm worried. We have a lot of bad memories from that place."

"That's true. But there's also good memories, Chrissy."

"Yeah? And what would those be?"

She picked up the photo, immediately bursting into tears upon seeing his face.

"I got to meet you, my Shortcake."

"Takeru! Takeru!" Chris wept, hugging the picture to her chest."Why?! Why did you have to die?! Why does God always take everything I love away?! Am I just destined to be all alone?! Why?! Just when I thought I could finally be happy! He took you away from me!"

"You're not alone, Chris-kun."

Chris remembered her friends being with her during the funeral, refusing to leave her alone. She wasn't alone anymore. And she knew Takeru would say as much. He would always go on about how they were never alone after they met them.

"I'm going to kill that bastard..." Chris muttered, sneering in utter rage."For taking you away from me...I will kill him...Even if it's the last thing I do...I'm going to make him eat lead when I get my hands on Allister!"