Author's Note: A reader suggested making a separate story with all of the OC cards the Riders have. And I think he makes a good point since sometimes I even forget what they are and have to reread some of the chapters. Tell me what you guys think about the idea.
Reviews:
Spitfire377: We'll just have to wait and see. But probably not as bad as you may think.
Tigracho: Okay, Tigracho. I have to apologize to you because when you did your review for chapter 91, I had just released chapter 92 and I didn't realize you had posted a review until later. So I'll be responding to both of your reviews here and now.
1- To be fair, I used the term Mistress as a woman of authority and control. That's what the wiki says anyway. They are...friends with benefits, I guess. Except for no benefits of that kind. She just lounges around his home and does what she wants. Yeah, I referred to the Bible, since Adam was always naked back then since clothes weren't a thing lol. All I can say for now is that she does have her independent agenda. As for what it is, I can't say just yet. True, Bragi is too confident in his regenerative abilities. He's basically the berserker of the group, jumping in without caring about the damage. He's different from Bragard in that aspect since Bragard would sit back and send other people to fight his opponents, much like how he did with his Alternative Army. But yeah, Carol would be disappointed in him. I can't wait to get to XV. We'll get to see funny moments between mother and son. And yes, Carol is going to put him in his place every time he gets out of hand. Nothing like a mother to set a son straight.
2- Honestly, I'm surprised how this fight came out. Back in GX, I did not write this fight to be as epic as I did it. Unironically, Chiaki is probably sitting comfortably in the top 5 strongest characters of this season. I'd say this went even crazier than the Bragard fights. Honestly, I was afraid I had made Chiaki too bland. In comparison to the other 3, she has the least motivation I guess you could say. But I'm glad many people liked her. Right, that was a combination of her Symphogear and Deck. Which could or could not mean something cooking in the future. In the end, she had to give up her free will to completely master her Divine Powers. That's why she started calling herself Void and had a hole in her face. Because no one needs to have an identity in the new world as all of them will be the same. I like this take, that her X-Drive was done due to a "cursed miracle" let's say. She's doing the same thing as the girls, except she's using it for a different purpose with a different end goal. Potentially they can all become abominations like she did, but the other 3 will have to wait a long time before that happens. Also, they won't be as big as she was. I think of Chiaki as someone who likes to make others feel fear, and what other way than to become huge? The Swan Song could have potentially wiped out the whole island, if not, destroy a huge part of it. Only the power of Ryuki, Abyss, and the people could fight against that. I think Hajime, if he was healthy and not wounded, could have fought against Chiaki in her X-Drive and probably won, but not against the Divine Form. Yeah, Chiaki had the most potential. Which is why she partially had to go now lol. If she was smarter and more dedicated, she would have been a big threat later on. The others are going to have their own thing. Allister, for instance, has 3 monsters contracted to him already. Odin having ulterior motives was not surprising I guess. But what else could he be planning? As for the Deck, Loki goes into detail in this chapter as to why this happens. But yeah, Hajime would have been busted as if he isn't already lol. But honestly, I think the Disasters being the ones to have Unite vent while our Riders get their own power-ups is fitting. Our boy is moving on. He has a long way to go before he goes back to his normal self, but for now, he's taken a step in the right direction. We'll see his reactions to all the things he missed in a later chapter. Also...I didn't do that intentionally lol. I haven't watched Gaim but I'll start doing it because what you said got me hooked. But the tree and Helheim will play major roles in later seasons. Especially since Ragnarok is involved.
AshAvalon01: After a long wait, Hajime is back in action. Sort of. Hamaguchi went the extra mile to help his friend and guaranteed his date with Kirika. As long as he doesn't touch her up like before, he won't get on Jades' bad side. They have literally similar powers. One has ice the other water, so they might get along. Yeah, I can't blame you for that. Arguably the fights in Hajime's plot line are more insane, fighting a literal God-like being in the form of Chiaki. I mean, I can't deny I wasn't thinking of following that idea from OG Ryuki xD. But we'll see. He'll at least make it to the end and fight Odin. Raiden is your pick for who might die next. Interesting? A lot of people are investing in the Jades or Yosuke stocks. But a LOT of people were investing in the Hamaguchi stocks and he turned out alright for the most part. Honestly, I watch anime in English dub, but I think I might have to think of the Japanese voice actors they would have. I like your suggestions. Maybe something else for Yosuke though.
Cyclone Fox: Rest in peace, swan. You will not be missed.
Akira: I'm glad you liked it. Yeah, this was a hype chapter, especially toward the end. And this is only midseason. Hajime will continue to recover, but now he's back in action and we'll see him join the frontlines later on.
moniura2005: Right. They are people who take EVERYTHING to the extreme. All of them are extremists. Terunosuke wants people to be the only person people worship and appreciate. Allister kills someone's boyfriend just to get her angry. Chiaki goes around killing people to go down as a serial killer in history. Hazuki, as you said, is the worst. Since he believes he's doing the best for other people. His logic is that since free will gives the ability for other people to be evil, it must be removed. In his defense, he has a God inside of him. So I think he genuinely believes he's a real prophet.
Lord Ri The Husbu King: Hajime devlopved a cool side back in GX. Before that, he wasn't that cool and would lose fights often. This might be weird for me to say, but I think guys are closer to each other than girls are. So Hamaguchi here is more supportive of Hajime and he has known him since they were little kids. You can say her. It should be they, since by having no individuality, she has no gender when she's Void. But it doesn't matter. To be honest, the last thing Hajime wants is for Setsuna to get involved. So even if the Deck or Relic was still around, he wouldn't let her anywhere near them. I didn't know that. To be honest, I named him Hamaguchi because I was watching Karakai Jouzu no moto takagi-san and there's a character I like there named Hamaguchi.
SoutaAmetsuchi: Yes, his mom was the only person in his family whom we hadn't seen yet. Aside from flashbacks. Unfortunately, Hazama's soul has been taken over by Odin's will.
Cyclonerider: Rest in peace Chiaki. Yeah, I'll probably start writing a different story for character cards only since sometimes I forget some of them too, and having them in one place would be nice.
primenidus: Having the Deck taken away from him is pretty unfair. But nothing is beneath the Disasters of Valhalla.
moniura2005 P2. : I forgot to address this review, sorry. Right, Chiaki lost the moment she released her free will. No free will means she can't be remembered. It's a poetic death. Odin's agenda is still unknown and we don't know if what the Disasters of Valhalla is valid or not. Only time will tell. Yeah, them combining their powers suits them. Hazuki takes powers from others while Hajime borrows them. Honestly, yeah he got pretty powerful in this fight since he was pushed to the edge a lot. So did Hamaguchi. But I might have to keep him out of the story for the time being since for sure he'll demolish St. Germain, Cagliostro, Prelati, and Raphael, since Chiaki is well above their power at least in her Divine Form. Honestly, I forgot where I got All Hopes of the World from. I'm not much of a Fate fan, since I watched the anime only. But I like the concept.
Blitzdigital: Adios, Chiaki. Un Desastre menos del que preocuparse. Cierto, creo que Hamaguchi matando a Chiaki no le quedaria bien a Hajime. Chiaki mato a mucha gente, si, pero el no es un asesino. Ninguno de ellos lo es. Sobre el contrato, entraremos en ese asunto en este capitulo. Uff, Genjuro entrenando a Hamaguchi...lo pondre a ver peliculas xD.
Chapter 93
The Weights of Guilt
"So...you're saying...Chiaki is dead?" Allister pursed his lips upon hearing the news from Hazuki. It was late at night, around 4 in the morning. All of them had messed up sleep schedules, but they were even more awake when Hazuki came knocking into their respective rooms, making sure not to disturb Mona from her sleep. They were sitting around in Allister's room since he was still wounded and could still not walk properly.
"Yes." Hazuki nodded, holding Loki's plushy form in his arms."Loki felt it. Her energy came back to him. I teleported to Okinawa using my Calamity Gate, and true enough, the city was a disaster, but no sign of her. Just a bunch of helicopters belonging to the UN."
Terunosuke ruffled his hair, pacing around the room with his fists on his hips.
"Still thinking about that 13-year-old girl from the past, Ojii-san? You're such a weirdo."
"Shut up, brat. Why don't you go and cut someone's heart out or something? Stop bothering me."
"Aw, but I like bothering you. You're like my favorite person here, besides Hazuki of course."
"Oh, great. The serial killer likes me. Cool."
"Yup. And you should be proud of that. Because I'll always remember you when your time comes."
The dark-haired man clicked his tongue."Stupid fucking kid. I had a feeling she was going to get herself killed. Who did it and why aren't we killing them?"
"It was the Boy Wonder himself, the second Messiah, Hajime Adachi," Loki responded instead of his host.
"The fucking schoolboy?!" Terunsouke exploded."But he was supposed to be tamed! Depressed or some shit!"
"Apparently, he was forced to fight after his little friend, Hamaguchi Kuroiwa, the new Abyss, was defeated." Loki explained."But the kid didn't kill her, per se. She killed herself."
"She took her own life?" Allister repeated, his jaw-dropping slightly at the news.
"She was going to die regardless due to the effects of her Swan Song. Furthermore, she forced the Divine Power to mature to its absolutely maximum. Potentially, all of you could do that, but your bodies aren't used to it yet. Allister here has reached the highest state your body can sustain without breaking down entirely. But Chiaki forced that and went beyond. Even if she had somehow won the fight and destroyed Okinawa, she would have died regardless."
"Still, her power returned to Loki, which essentially became part of me. As well as this." Hazuki pulled out Blancwing's card from his Deck.
"Blancwing...?" Terunosuke blinked, perplexed."But why do you...?"
"I see..." Allister nodded."So, since we made a contract with Loki-sama to obtain our powers beyond humanity, we are essentially connected to him and you. Meaning that we have an indirect contract with you, Hazuki-kun. So if one of us dies, as Chiaki did, then our monsters and our powers go to you immediately. Is that right?"
"You got it." Loki confirmed, giving him a thumbs up."It's a failsafe in case one of you bites the dust like Chiaki did. Since you have a contract with me, you have a contract with the Superstar so he becomes the owner of your monsters after death. However, this may only work on your original monsters. Not the ones you have made a contract with. It's not confirmed but it's just a theory since I made a contract with Ouja, Gai, and Femme. As such, only Metalgelas, Venosnaker, and Blancwing should be the ones added to Hazuki's powers. But until one of you dies, there is no way to prove this."
"How reassuring," Terunosuke muttered dryly, folding his arms.
"Wait, how did you even make a contract?" Allister inquired."You gave your Contract Card to Terunosuke-san, didn't you?"
"I did. But..." Hazuki pocketed the card back.
"A Messiah needs no contract." Loki stated before humming in thought."Though this only applies to him, of course. As Hajime has no God inside of him. I'm still learning about the whole Messiah thing and how it works, but for now, this is what we know."
"Ultimately, we're just here to make you stronger." Allister muttered, allowing himself a smirk."But I already made peace with that. I want to give that little girl a good life and find Elsa so we can spend the rest of our days together before the world ends. So that we may save humanity and live a good life."
"The old me would have hated the idea of being just a pawn in the grand scheme of things...but I'm not like that anymore." Terunosuke unfolded his arms."I told you before, I don't particularly believe in you. But I believe in your ideal. And I trust that you'll bring about the new promised world. You don't just owe it to us. You owe it to Nakahara-chan, whom I have no doubt believed in you until the bitter end."
"I know." Hazuki responded after a pause."I understand. And I will answer to your wishes. We already have a few Gates of Hell opened. We have the Gjallahorn. All we need to do is wait until the Fated Day for the right conditions to be met. Until then...stay alive, you two."
Allister and Terunosuke nodded. All of them raised their hands in the air as if they were holding a cup."Cheers."
"Do you think...Chiaki died without any regrets?" Allister asked, leaning back on his pillow."She never struck me as one that often pondered on her existence and all, but..."
"In this world, it's impossible to die without any regrets." Loki answered."You should have an idea by now."
It was true. Both Riders were witnesses of people who died with regrets. Goro, Takeru, and Andreas. And themselves as well.
"But still, regrets are just that." Loki continued, rubbing his belly."In the end, there will be no regrets in the future. You'll live with nothing but happiness. Things like evil, regret, hatred, envy, and such will become non-existent. So for now, I suppose you can enjoy those feelings while they last."
"So what's the plan now?" Terunosuke asked.
"Allister-san will continue to recuperate." Hazuki stood up from his chair."Even with the power I absorbed, he's our strongest asset with his 3 monsters. I don't know how strong Genocider will become, but it's our best shot. Since it can also negate any attack by absorbing it. What about your Bondbreaker, Kuwana-san? Have you tested it out?"
"No, not yet." Terunosuke shook his head."I've been delaying for...personal reasons."
"I understand. As for me, I think I'll hold off on using mine. At least for now." Hazuki pulled out his phone, tapping on the screen."Anyway, we have a meeting with the newcomers soon, Kuwana-san. We have to introduce them to our religion, after all."
"If I'm not mistaken, a few of those new members are half-Liang, right? The ones that Wei-kun recruited?" Allister rubbed his chin."I suppose we can expect good things from them, considering you and Hajime-kun are also like that."
"We're also Messiahs." Hazuki reminded him."Also, not all half-Liangs are up to standard. Honestly, if I didn't have Loki with me, I wouldn't be as strong. Not all of us are natural fighters like my brother. Setsuna and I are more on the opposite spectrum. Regardless, we're low on manpower. Recruiting people into our cause is a huge help as well as any funds we can gather, since we need money. I was able to confirm thanks to the videos going around of that fight that indeed, a Messiah gets stronger the more people believe in them. That's why Chiaki lost in the end. Because the whole town of Okinawa had deposited their hopes in Hajime and gave him the boost in power he needed."
"I see. So that's the purpose of our cult." Allister smirked."It's for them to believe in Loki, and by extension, you. So if you can recruit more and more people..."
"Eventually, Kaburagi-kun will become unstoppable." Terunosuke finished the thought."Forget about a town like Okinawa. Think about a city. A country. A continent or even the world."
"That being said, while we've blessed them, we can't use them to fight Symphogear or Riders." Hazuki resumed his explanation."And as you know, we're at a disadvantage in numbers as it is. Especially now that we're only 3. Even if you can use Dupe Vents and summon 3 extra Riders in the forms of Zolda, Imperer, and Scissors, we're still against 6 Symphogears, and 4 to 6 Riders. One of them being Hajime. I want to see these people Wei-kun got us. See if they have the potential to become vessels. My sister will come around eventually. But for the time being, it's only us 3. Or 2, since Allister-san is still recovering."
"Fine with me." Terunosuke scoffed."Just 2 of us is all we need. You'll be our spear and I'll be our shield. I'll take all the damage you need me to take, so you make sure to get us that victory."
"Of course." Hazuki reassured him."We'll do what we must. Rest assured. Chiaki's death is not in vain. We have no choice but to keep going forward."
With that, the meeting was adjourned, leaving Allister on his own, pondering how he would tell Mona that Chiaki was not coming back.
12 hours after the battle for Okinawa, the United Nations successfully brought help to the citizens affected by the attack. They provided food, water, and medical attention to the wounded. Still, a good chunk of the population had been rendered homeless after Chiaki's attacks. And inadvertently, Hamaguchi had flooded many buildings in the process. Things were looking bleak, but they could now begin to reconstruct their homes.
Fortunately, there were enough medics and nurses to provide everyone with the help they needed, and they used apartment complexes as rooms to tend to the wounded since the hospital was packed with people who were in critical condition.
"Are you feeling alright, dear?" Chisa asked her youngest adopted daughter."Want me to get you some water?"
"I'm fine, Auntie...I'm just...worried..." Seiko muttered, her arms now in casts after having them impaled by shards."Hamaguchi was fighting so hard and he nearly died...and Kagura...why the hell did she do that? Why did she rush after him? She doesn't care about us, so why? I don't understand. She could have died too!"
"Seiko...how do you think we moved here?" Chisa asked, focusing her attention on her.
"What do you-"
"Kagura gave us the money we need to move and open our restaurant here." Chisa quickly continued, her tone calm yet firm."She called me and told me to get away from Japan when your brother's school was attacked. If it weren't for her, we wouldn't be here right now."
"But...why...? Why would she...?" Seiko muttered, completely flabbergasted at the reveal."Why didn't you tell me...?"
"She never told me why." Chisa sighed."I asked but I never got an answer. If you want to know why she did it and why she rushed to help Hamaguchi, you'll have to ask her when she wakes up. I'm going to visit her now, okay? I'll be back."
Seiko was left alone in her room, a million thoughts going through her head regarding her older sister.'Why? Why would she do that for us...?'
"So I told her, Bro that's my slice of cake. I know that because you can't eat cake. Especially the one with chocolate. And guess what she did?"
"Did she eat it?"
"Yup. And spent the whole night in the bathroom. It was a nightmare."
Amber giggled, much to Hamaguchi's pleasure. She had taken the time of her day to visit him and Hajime since they were both placed in the same room together. Hamaguchi was okay for the most part. He had taken a rather bad blow to the head and his thigh had been cut pretty badly from the inside, but he was alive. Aside from that, he had a cut around his neck, but thankfully not too deep, and one of his eyes had been blinded due to staring at Chiaki's intense light directly. Thankfully, the doctors assured him he would be able to see again given the proper time to rest. Hajime, on the other hand, was another matter. He was alive too and mostly unharmed, except for the blow to the head he had received after the building collapsed on him after saving the people inside. After the fight, he collapsed and entered a comatose state. They didn't know when he would wake up.
"You sure are in good spirits..." Amber managed a small smile."I wish I could be as optimistic as you."
"Nah...You're giving me too much credit, honestly." Hamaguchi shook his head, glancing at the Deck in his hands."I can't do much other than this...but...I can't deny that it's been rough."
"You don't want to cry in front of me? I wouldn't think less of you."
"The way I see it, if you cry in front of someone you care about, you're pretty much bound to worry them." Hamaguchi stated, a grin gracing his features."You're my friend, Endou-chan. If I cry, you'd be sad too, right?"
"Kuroiwa-kun..." Amber frowned at that. Suddenly, the door sprung open, followed by a gasp of horror.
"Hajime!"
Amber blinked, taken aback at the cream-haired girl who suddenly rushed to Hajime's bedside.'Is she...?'
"It's okay." Chris placed a hand on the cream-haired girl's shoulder."He'll be fine. I know perfectly well how you feel."
"But look at him, Chris-chan...he's hurt..." Hibiki's voice broke, grabbing the amber-eyed teen's eye.
"Yeah...It's not easy. I never got used to seeing Takeru wounded. And it happened a lot, trust me. It's...hard." She knelt next to her, grabbing her free hand reassuringly."But he'll be fine. And when he's awake, you two better make sure you fix your relationship, alright? Because you never know when's the last time you'll get to enjoy each other's company."
Hibiki slowly nodded, tears streaming down her face.
"Well, well, well. I must be dreaming still because I just saw 3 beautiful angels coming in." Hamaguchi grinned at Chris and Tsubasa, who seemed unimpressed or used to his behavior.
"Sorry, we couldn't have come sooner. We were needed in rescuing people trapped in the rubble." Tsubasa explained, standing next to his bed."What's the situation?"
"Well, I'm alright for the most part. Nearly got my leg torn apart though. Sheez, that hurt. As for Hajime-"
"We read the medical report on him since they said he was the only one not awake." Tsubasa cut him off, pursing her lips."Apparently, a whole building fell on him and hit his head, splitting it open."
"That's true!" Amber rose to her chair."Erm...My name is Amber Endou. A friend of Adachi-san and Kuroiwa-san...Adachi-san saved me and a bunch of people with Chika...No...Chiaki attacked." The brunette shifted her gaze to Hibiki, who was holding onto Hajime's hand as she listened."You must be Tachibana-san. I know because I saw those pictures Adachi-san showed us. You're his girlfriend, right?"
"Y-yes...At least, I think so..." Hibiki trailed off."We had a bit of a fight and..."
"He loves you. I could feel it in his words when he spoke about you." Amber said in a matter-of-fact tone."He's helped me a lot too. He helped me understand things about myself. That despite all the pain a person can suffer, they can bounce back for the sake of the people they love. I'm sure that's why he woke up and went to save Kuroiwa-kun."
"We saw the videos." Chris chimed in."Once that barrier disappeared, everyone started sharing the videos they recorded of the event all over the internet. How the hell did that crazy bitch become that big?"
"Must be her Divine Power...Not good. If the others could do something similar..."
"She also used something called X-Drive or whatever. Oh! And she had no face!"
"What?!"
Kuroiwa proceeded to tell them the information he knew from the whole thing to the girls. As he did, Hibiki and Amber bowed to each other.
"Thank you for taking care of Hajime," Hibiki said with a grateful smile.
"Not at all. It was a pleasure. I'm sorry. I must be on my way. I volunteered to help down in the kitchen to help with the food."
With that, Amber excused herself, bowing to the older girls in front of her before leaving the room.
"Free Will...And she used the X-Drive of her Laevateinn...And she started spewing nonsense about salvation..."
"Must be what that motherfucker did against Takeru." Chris gritted her teeth.
"Still, I saw your battle via the CTV recordings." Tsubasa said, her face full of pride toward the boy in front of her."I'm impressed you managed to fight off Nakahara like that. Honestly, we only gave you the Deck in hopes of you buying time until we got here in case a disaster happened. But you went further beyond and fought her on equal grounds."
"I lost, though. I never stood a chance." Hamaguchi chuckled dryly."I did all I could but in the end, my efforts weren't enough. A lot of people died because I was incompetent enough to save them...I watched them die..."
"You did what you could. There was no other way around it." Tsubasa approached him, putting a hand on her shoulder."You saved these people. You and Adachi. I know it must hurt, but you did a good thing. All these people are still alive because you took action."
"Thanks. I just...it's not easy." Hamaguchi sighed."I didn't think it'd be this rough. I thought just because I had the power, everything would be alright. I should have known better. But...I can't let this bring me down. I'm not like you guys. Not like Hajime or Kirika-chan. I'm just...a stray bullet that found its way in this situation. But I decided I wanted to join you. I want to fight."
"Normally, I'd object, but...seeing as you're a Kamen Rider now, you're practically a target." Tsubasa sighed."Very well. But first..."
Suddenly, Tsubasa chopped him on the head, causing him to sob."Ow! What was that for?!"
"I know you made a contract a few days ago, well before the attack. Tsubasa chided him."How irresponsible can you be?! What if the attack didn't happen?! You'd be stuck as a Kamen Rider!"
"But if I didn't, I wouldn't have been prepared." He pointed out."I barely made it out alive by reading the cards and planning out some basic strategies in my head. But most of what I did I improvised."
"He's got a point there, Senpai." Chris chimed in.
"Fine..." Tsubasa sighed, caving."Very well. You are welcome aboard."
"Cool! Does that mean I can go on a date with Kirika-chan? Is she here?"
"Uh...About that..." Tsubasa trailed off, explaining what had happened to them against the Illuminati.
"What?! She's hurt?!" Hamaguchi screamed, wincing upon moving his leg too much."Fuck! Fuck! Is she okay?! Who the fuck hurt her like that?! Tell me who-"
"She did it to herself." Chris interjected."Shirabe and Maria did the same thing. They came to save us without LINKER and using the Ignite Module. The results weren't pretty. Hey, should you really be so concerned about Kirika? Look at you."
"Hell yeah, I'm concerned." Hamaguchi clenched his fists."I was thinking about her the whole time. How I wanted to see her smile again and have her in my arms. And it helped me pull through. I want to heal up so I can be by her side. I know what kind of battles she goes through, so I want to be there to alleviate some of her burden."
"Carry some of her burden, huh...?" Chris muttered."You sound just like him."
"Yukine..." Tsubasa frowned.
"Did you tell him?"
"No...Of course not." Hamaguchi sighed, knowing full well this was bound to come up eventually."How the hell could I?"
"Eventually, he'll find out." Chris snapped."You should have told him yourself."
"I couldn't do that to him, alright?!" Hamaguchi barked back."How the hell am I supposed to tell him that TakeTake is dead?! That he died when he was here and no one ever told him?! Look at that bruise on his neck! He tried to kill himself!"
"What?!" All of the girls gasped in horror.
"No...No..." Hibiki covered her face, dropping to her knees.
"What the fuck?!" Chris sneered."Why didn't you say anything?!"
"It happened...just half an hour before the attack. To be honest, I couldn't even process it at the time. It was too surreal..." Hamaguchi closed his eyes."But...I finally understood him today. Because I too, couldn't save so many people...who were right in front of me. I watched so many people die and I was powerless to stop it. I understand why he feels the way he does. Still...I gave him a whole speech to move on for the people that he still has. So...I can't be breaking down for his sake. I'll tell him when he wakes up. I promise you that. And don't worry, he promised me he'd see a psychiatrist after this. And I think he's going in a good direction. After all, he got up to fight. If it weren't for him, we'd be history by now."
The bluenette's attention turned to Hibiki."Tachibana-chan...he loves you. He still does. He wants to make things better with you. He missed you so much. I'm sure if he were awake, he'd shower you with kisses and hold you in his arms. So I ask of you...please, wait for him."
Before Hibiki could utter a word, the door opened, and a bundle of joy rushed to her, nearly tackling to the ground.
"Onee-chan! Hibiki-onee-chan! You're here!" Setsuna wailed, nuzzling against the older girl's chest."You're really here!"
"S-Setsuna-chan?!" Hibiki gasped in surprise, blushing at the sudden contact with her chest."Also...Onee-chan...?"
"You're basically my Onee-chan. Being my sister-in-law after all." Setsuna looked up at her with puppy eyes."You and my brother...are going back together, right? You still love each other, right...?"
"Setsuna-chan..." Hibiki smiled, wrapping her arms around the girl's frame."Of course, we do. We love each other very much. Are you okay?"
"Yes...it was very scary..." Setsuna confessed as Hibiki soothing rubbed her back."Hamaguchi-san did his best but that girl was too strong...But Haji responded to my call...He saved us...I hope he recovers soon..."
"He will. He's tough. You'll see." Hibiki smiled, pecking her on her cheek."It'll be fine. Don't worry."
"Will you be staying for long?"
"Unfortunately, we can't." Tsubasa said."We have a lot of things going on. A new enemy has made their presence known. We came here just after engaging them, so we're a little tired. We'll be here for a few days to help around, but after that, we'll have to go back."
"I understand..."
Hibiki shifted her gaze to Hajime, giving him a loving smile. For the first time in all of those months, she thought he looked...at peace."I'll wait for you as long as I have to, Hajime..."
"You doing alright, Yosuke?" Jades asked his friend, who was currently sitting up on his hospital bed.
"No..." Yosuke shook his head slowly."I failed them, Jades. I...understand how you feel now."
"No, man. That's different. You had no control over what happened to them."
"I led them to their deaths." Yosuke gritted his teeth."I'm supposed to be a leader...and yet so many people died under my command."
"But Yosuke, you did what you could. You weren't there when Takeru or Chao-Xing died-"
"I should have!" Yosuke yelled, tears glistening in his eyes."I was the one who became a coward and let Takeru handle being a leader...I should have died in his place! And Chao-Xing... what was I even doing back then? I couldn't even destroy one of Bragard's machinations without help. Goro protected me and saved my life. All these people died because I was unable to save them. So then, am I just leading you all to your deaths too?"
Jades pursed his lips, worried about his friend's mental state. He was blaming himself for everything, just like he was too. In a way, they were both similar. They both carried the responsibilities of lives on their hands. Jades blamed himself for Atticus, Serena...and Andreas. And Terunosuke. So he understood what he was going through.
"Sorry, Jades. You mind...leaving me alone for a bit?"
"Sure." Jades nodded, heading for the door."If you need anything, call me. I'll be around."
"Roger that." Yosuke nodded, watching as his friend left the room.
'Your incompetence and your cowardice is what is to be blamed for their deaths!' Yosuke remembered Raphael's words as well as his friends' judgemental expressions toward him.
'What am I doing wrong...?'
Raiden and Shirabe were inside a room, chatting away while Kirika snored on the bed next to Shirabe.
In the boy's arms was a small Akita Inu dog, licking his hands.
"Is Andreas behaving?" Shirabe asked, holding her arms out. Raiden gently put the dog on the bed, immediately rushing to Shirabe, and started licking her face, making her giggle.
"Yeah. It's a pain to keep him hidden from Jades-nii though." Raiden sighed."So, how are you feeling?"
"I'm better, thank you." Shirabe nodded, her eyes darting over to her sister."Kiri-chan is doing better too. She's just being lazy and is sleeping all day long."
"Can't blame her, honestly. I wish I could sleep as soundly as she does." Raiden chuckled, grabbing a nearby chair and taking a seat."But I can't. I got too much on my mind."
"Do you think Bragi-"
"Why do you even care about that guy?" Raiden abruptly cut her off."He nearly killed us. Nearly destroy those installations. He's a damn menace. And I'm not about to let one of my sisters be close to a menace like him."
"I'm sure he didn't mean to-"
"Shirabe, he tried to drop a meteor." Raiden hissed."A fucking meteor! That wasn't just going to kill the Alchemists but also everything within a 10-mile radius! Why do you defend him so much?! I get you have a crush on him or whatever, but this is completely wrong."
"I understand..." Shirabe muttered, her gaze dropping."But he's not a bad person, Raiden. He's just...confused. Conflicted. He's the son of two of our previous enemies and he never even met them. He's like us in that way."
"I guess...None of us had a happy childhood with loving parents, after all, except for Jades-nii...But he has Elfnein. What difference would it make whether he had Carol and Bragard with him?"
"I came to understand that having your real parents is more impactful than being raised by any other relative." Shirabe said."At least, that's what I think...None of us had a normal life."
"I guess we didn't. But still, Elfnein loves him like he's her actual kid. I agree that he's conflicted about his feelings, but that doesn't mean he can let them overtake him. I should have known a fucking experiment from Bragard would turn out to be this dangerous."
"Don't say that." Shirabe scowled."Elfnein-chan would be upset."
"And she is. But he locked himself in his room and won't come out." Raiden rubbed the bridge of his nose."But...I can't say she wouldn't be upset at me for saying these things. It's just...I was worried. The enemy is strong. Even in Survive, we didn't even the attacks coming at us. It's like they just appeared next to us. And containing that huge explosion was...I just want to protect you and Kirika. I'm older than you two, so when Maria-nee and Jades-nii aren't here, I have to look after you. I...I don't want to lose you too..."
Shirabe looked at the puppy she had named Andreas, sleeping peacefully in her lap."You won't lose us. But we also worry about you and Jades-nii-chan. You two are the ones in direct danger since you're Riders. We'll be fine. As long as we're together."
"I was there, Shirabe. Right in front of Andreas...So close...And I couldn't save him." Raiden took off his glasses, covering his eyes with his hands."I never treated him right...I even tried to kill him once because of Teru-nii...I'm a fucking failure of a brother..."
"Raiden..." Shirabe scooted closer to the edge of her bed, grabbing his hand."You're not a failure. You do all you can to protect us. And I appreciate it. What happened was tragic...but we don't blame you for it. You did what you could. You're forgetting we were also there but we couldn't do anything. It happened in an instant."
"I...yeah, that's true. That bastard Hazuki and his damn portals...But...I miss him so much..."
"I miss him too." Shirabe began to tear up upon remembering Andreas."But he wouldn't want to see us crying like this. Or blaming ourselves for it. Chris-san said the same thing about Takeru. We have to move forward for their sake. Because that's what they would want us to do."
"You're right...It's just..." Raiden closed his eyes, shaking his head."Sorry. I love you, you know that?"
"I love you too, big brother. Even though I tend to give you a hard time sometimes."
"Oh, yeah. You love being a smartass." Raiden snorted in amusement."Can't you be more like Kirika and just praise me?"
"When you do something that deserves praise, sure."
Just then, the door slid open, and Andreas woke up from his slumber, jumping off the bed to meet the newcomers.
"Are you sure you should be walking around, Maria?" Jades asked, holding her hand as they stepped into the room.
"I just want to see how the girls are doing. I can't be in bed all day."
"That's true, but-" Jades noticed the small puppy running toward them and released the most girly scream they had ever heard from him. He jumped toward the ceiling, digging his fingers into it to stay away from the creature as he hung from there.
"What?!" Kirika suddenly jolted awake, realizing what was going on."Not fair! I missed it-desu!"
"Aw, who is this little guy?" Maria picked up the puppy in her arms, who immediately started to sniff before licking her face.
"M-Maria! Put that thing down! It's dangerous!" Jades stammered, hanging from the cieling.
"It's just a dog, dear." Maria sighed, shaking her head in dismay.
"It's an abomination!"
"I...didn't expect he'd be that scared..." Shirabe mumbled, flabbergasted at her elder brother's behavior. It was kind of like an elephant being afraid of a mouse.
"He's an overgrown cat, what did you expect?"
After calming down and convincing Jades it was safe to come down, they sat together to discuss the situation about the puppy.
"So you're saying you found him when we were evacuating people?" Maria asked, making sure she got the story right.
"Yes. It was running around the installations after we got that tomato lady to safety." Shirabe reiterated."He was alone and had no collar. So I asked Kiri-chan and Raiden to help me ask her to see if anyone was the owner."
"And nothing came up." Raiden c0ntinued."Shirabe, having the heart of gold that she does, couldn't leave the puppy alone. But we know how Jades-nii feels about the dogs."
"I still can't believe I missed the reaction. But that was a loud scream-desu!" Kirika giggled, receiving a disapproving glare from Shirabe.
"And you're sure it belongs to no one?"
"Yes. Aoi-san said he looked to be about a few months old, so probably just a puppy that had no home. He also had no collard on." Shirabe explained."So we've been keeping him ever since..."
"We can't throw him or abandon him!" Kirika chimed in, equally as emotional."We named him Andreas because he's jumping all over the place-desu!"
"I'll help take care of him." Raiden placed a hand over his chest."Can we keep him...?"
"Please?"
"Pretty please-desu?"
Maria sighed, glancing over to her boyfriend."Well, I have no problem letting them keep a pet. But it's ultimately up to you. You're the one that's scared of dogs."
"Why are you even scared of dogs, Onii-chan?" Kirika tilted her head.
Jades took a deep breath, rubbing his temples."Back in Greece, I was walking down the road, kicking a rock and I accidentally hit my neighbor's door so their dog came out and...I got bit. It was traumatizing as hell."
"Did you forget to tell them that the dog was literally the size of this one?"
"Really?" Raiden deadpanned, the seriousness of his tone contrasting what Maria had just said.
"Andreas told me the whole thing since he was living next door to Jades. The wasn't even biting him. He was just pulling on his shorts.
"It was still scary, alright?!" Jades threw his arms in the air."And besides, I'm more of a cat person..."
"Stop being a big baby and hold him." Maria shoved Andreas into his hands, making him yelp. Andreas sniffed his hands before licking him. The silver-haired man watched as the dog got comfortable and fell asleep, making his lips curved to a smile.
"Okay...You can keep him." He caved in, unable to deny the cuteness of their new pet.
"Yay!" They all cheered in unison.
Maria smiled at Jades, reaching for his hand.
Jades smiled back, petting their new dog's head gently."Maria..."
"Yes?" Maria asked, frowning slightly upon seeing his troubled expression."Is something wrong, Jades? You can tell me."
Jades contemplated telling her the truth about how he obtained the Tiger Deck. But all he could say was: "No...never mind. It's nothing."
Meanwhile, Bragi had just finished performing maintenance on his body, going through the results of his check-up. He was relieved that having his head blown up didn't cause permanent brain damage. He had never even thought of what would happen if he was decapitated or something. But now he knew. He could regenerate from it, but since the brain was no longer functioning, his body would take longer to regenerate and consume a lot of his life force. Unlike the Autoscorers, he couldn't go around getting more life force from others. And it was immoral. So he was stuck with the amount of lives the Second had put in him.
Still, while no brain damage had been suffered, his pride couldn't say otherwise. He was now going through the recording of the fight, desperately replaying his battle against Cagliostro and trying to decipher what went wrong.
'Was I not fast enough? Was she stronger than me physically? No...she was enhancing her fists with Alchemy...' Bragi scratched his head furiously.'I get their Philosopher's Stone can bypass my regeneration, but even if that was the case, I should have performed a lot better. So what is it that made me be on the backfoot?'
He hated to admit it, but Cagliostro's attacks were rumbling his whole body. Everything he threw at her wasn't working, and every attack she connected was slowing him down. It was no surprise that he lost to Adam then if he was their leader. Still, his Catastrophic World Breaker should have-
"Shit..." He groaned, leaning back on his chair. He had put his friends in danger. He had acted no better than the Second, solving his problems by trying to blow everything up. He didn't even want to see his Aunt's face of disappointment. He didn't have the courage. So he had locked himself in his room. He was a fool. He thought he was nothing like his Father...but he had been wrong.
'Maybe I am just like him. Maybe...I am doomed to be like him.' He heaved a long sigh.'I know my bastard of a Father would be laughing at me for even failing to do anything but...how would you feel about me, Mama? Would you be as disappointed as Auntie Elfnein? I probably will never know. I never met you. So I can't know for certain. But still...I know you wouldn't want me to sit back and sulk. So I'll find a way to get stronger and prove to those bastards who the real perfect being-'
He stopped. He did it again. He was acting like Bragard again. He smacked himself in the head for being so stupid. He wanted to be different. But his stupid pride was getting the better of him. And how could it not? He had been designed to be this way, after all. Bragard's computer had programmed in most of his personality. One thing was for sure, he didn't know whether his future battles with the Bavarian Illuminati would be harder than him trying to change as a person.
'I won't let Auntie Elfnein down ever again...Just you watch, Mama. I'm taking down that bastard Adam one way or another.'
"Woah! This place is great!"
"Glad you like it." Hazuki said."Don't get used to it, though."
Currently, they were inside a cathedral outside of Tokyo. One that was abandoned, but with the help of their new followers, they were able to set it up as a temporary base where they had been meeting with the new members they had recruited.
"Huh? Why is that? The place is pretty cool if you ask me. I like the lightning. Not bad at all, cousin."
The youth in question was a young man about 18 years old. He had a choppy undercut style, with the top dyed blonde and the sides kept his natural black and blue eyes. He was wearing black pants, shoes, and a long-sleeved shirt underneath a vest. On top of his head was a magician's hat.
Yomi Kugisaki (Half Liang)
"We're not any ordinary religion." Terunosuke said, watching as a group of hooded figures crowded around a penguin plushie sitting on a throne."We can't have just one base. We have to be moving around constantly to not raise suspicion. Heh. That Loki-sama...sure loves attention."
"I have to say, watching a group of people praise a penguin plushie was something I never thought I'd see." Yomi rolled up his sleeves, showing them his snack brand."But the results speak for themselves, don't they? Honestly, things keep getting better and better. First I heard the Liang Clan has been exterminated and now I'm invited to take part in something this awesome?! Cool! Oh! Sorry, Wei-kun. No offense."
"It's fine." Wei waved his hand dismisivally, also sporting a snake brand on his arm."I know my family wasn't exactly nice. They did many bad things to those who weren't full-blooded. Like you and your twin sister. That's why I invited you."
"Speaking of my sister...Hey, Despia! How are you liking this place?!"
The sister in question was a young woman with blonde hair tied up at the left side of her head and blue eyes. She was wearing a short dark and black cape over her right shoulder attached to her clothes with a teal bow in front, white cuff sleeves over a black lace leotard attached to a short black ruffled skirt with dark teal at the ends, and black gloves in which she hid her brand, black translucent tights, and black boots with a singular black-garter at the left side of her left ankle.
Despia Kugisaki (Half Liang)
The young woman marched over to Terunosuke, taking him by surprise by how close she was. She began to move her hands around before planting her fists on her hips.
"Uh...what?" Terunosuke scrunched up his face in confusion.
She repeated the motion, this time her frown became more prevalent.
"Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention my sister is a mute."
"A mute?" Hazuki repeated, raising a brow.
"You mind translating what she's saying?" Terunosuke clicked his tongue, annoyed that he hadn't bothered to say that detail sooner.
"No need for that." Yomi pointed at her.
Out of nowhere, she had brought out a notebook and pencil, quickly scribbling something at such speed that Terunosuke couldn't even process it.
"Where are they?! :("
"The what?"
She clicked her tongue, turning the page and writing something again."The coffee and donuts! You said there'd be coffee and donuts! That's why I bothered coming here! ヾ( ･`⌓´･)ﾉﾞ"
"How the hell can she write so fast...?" Terunosuke muttered himself, before clearing his throat."This is no picnic, brat. There are no-"
"Actually, they are. It's the table by the door leading to the back." Hazuki informed the young woman."Take as much as you want."
"Thank you! You're the best, cousin! °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°"
Despia put her notebook away, happily skipping over to enjoy some treats.
"Your sister is...very interesting," Terunosuke said slowly, still taken aback by the interaction.
"She can be quite a handful, I'll tell you that. Normally, she uses sign language with me since I understand it. But for people that don't know it, she uses her notebook. She's a quick writer, as you can see. So...let's get down to business."
"Right." Hazuki cleared his throat."We've expanded our cult around the country. But we're hoping to expand further. We recently lost one of our members and the other one is injured, so for the moment, we can't make any major moves. Aside from you two, I'm looking to get one more member to become a vessel as well."
"Is that so?" Yomi hummed."My sincerest condolences. But hey, in this line of work, I take it death is one of the things that are to be expected, right? Man, you guys are so lucky! Being involved in something as thrilling and awesome as a war like this. Not even one of our performances can come even close to the excitement I'm feeling."
"You've worked at a circus for long?"
"Most of our childhood. Our Dad died and we couldn't get help from his beloved mistress. A Liang, as you may have guessed. So we had no choice but to join the local circus. I never even heard of the Liang Clan being killed though. That was news to me. We kind of just forgot about them."
"It was swept under the rug." Hazuki told him."And you guys were in Osaka, right? Doesn't surprise me you never found out."
"Who did it?"
"Doesn't matter. He's been dealt with. But not out of revenge for the clan." Hazuki shook his head."But yeah. As of this moment, we're the majority of the Liangs that are still alive."
"Really? Are there more?"
"Just two more." Wei chimed in."It's me, you, Despia-san, Hazuki-san, Lingyun, and Xianglin. Though their Japanese names are Hajime and Setsuna."
"Huh. We never got our own Chinese names. Meh, whatever. So these two kids...are they on our side?"
"Setsuna is needed for our plan. But she doesn't see things our way for now." Hazuki explained, folding his arms."As for Hajime...he's against us. He and his friends. They are our enemy. Hajime is really powerful. He is the one who took down Chiaki, after all."
"You're getting me hyped up for this. I wouldn't mind pummeling him, even if we're related." Yomi cracked his knuckles."So when do we get a Deck?"
"Unfortunately, not at the moment." Hazuki said, much to Yomi's disappointment."At least not now. All the current Decks have owners. But once we get Ragnarok going, you and Despia will be given the power you desire."
"So we have to wait. That's a bummer. I really want to fight. Get some excitement out of this. But I don't mind waiting." He huffed."So, the end goal is to fight this...Odin guy, yeah? He's a God, like Loki-sama, except he took over your dad's body. Are you sure we can defeat a God? I mean, even if you take the powers of all the Riders, will that be enough?"
"I have a backup plan. Our secret trump card." Hazuki darted his gaze over to Wei."That's where you come in, Wei-kun. Based on Loki's analysis, you are fit to be a good host. You will be our trump card. Our very own weapon that will for sure kill Odin. A Philosophical Armament."
"I don't really get it, but that sounds awesome." Yomi grinned like a kid."Can't wait until we get our powers. Man, you better leave us some action, though. I wanna have a go at these Symphogear chicks too. Hey, can I fight the Messiah? If he's the strongest, he can offer the best challenge."
"You really want a fight, huh?" Terunosuke rose a brow."Odd for a magician to be battle-hungry, no?"
"Hell yeah. You have no idea how boring my life is, dude. I seek for the biggest thrill I can find. All these dumb performances and life-threatening acts we do are just not enough. I want something more. And if we're half Liang and we're supposed to have these good battle instincts, then for sure I want to be part of this shit. It's too awesome to let it pass."
"Well, I don't mind your reasons to help." Hazuki chuckled."But you'll get your wish in the new world. That much I can guarantee you."
"I'll wish for the Rider War to never end." He splayed his hands with a maniacal smile."That way, I can always fight the strongest fighters and feel the best thrill! It's going to be so awesome! Looking forward to working with you-"
Suddenly, the wall was blown to pieces, causing everyone to tense up.
"Ara, Ara. This is such a depressing sight." Cagliostro mused, hands under her chest to emphasize them."I guess that lead paid off after all."
"Basically, we hit the jackpot," Prelati said, holding her stuffed toad.
"Heh. Looks like things are getting even more interesting." Yomi couldn't help but smile in excitement.
St. Germain and Raphael emerged from the smoke as well."I guess Cagliostro can do her research after all."
"So, you're the second Messiah." St. Germain addressed Hazuki, who instinctively pulled Loki's essence back into his body."You're Hajime Adachi's half-brother."
"Interesting." Hazuki adopted a sly smile."So you took the bait after all. Good. Now we can kill you here and now."
And with that, we've united both stories. But Hajime and Hamaguchi will be out of the fights until they've healed up. Everyone is feeling like shit due to their personal conflicts. And the Disasters are gathering more followers counting with 3 more in the forms of Wei, Despia, and Yomi. But the Illuminati found them. What's going to happen next chapter? Stay tuned for more!