Author's note: Apparently notifications are malfunctioning for whatever reason. My recommendation would be to install the app on your phone. That way, you can always see when the stories you're following are being updated. That's what I've been doing. Hopefully, they fix this bug soon.
Reviews:
Guest: Me alegra que te haya gustado. La verdad, tenia que darle honor a KashiGOD. Pero si te soy sincero, cuando creo personajes, me inspiro de personajes en obras. Por ejemplo, creando a Yomi me inspire de Kashimo pero tambien te otros personajes que aman luchar como a Luck de Black Clover, Childe de Genshin Impact, y otros mas. Cuando creo personajes, trato de usar varios rasgos characteristicos de varios personajes y los combino en uno. Aun que lo de la electricidad si me base bastante en Kashimo.
Gust: La ultima temporada va a ser todo o nada. Ya veras cuando empecemos.
Akira: Yeah, Shadow Ryuki is in the works. That's bad. Yomi is not much of a spy. He's just enjoying the show and messing with people when he can. That's why he straight-up started fighting with Hibiki. I can't do this when he meets them in his dreams. For a reason that I don't remember if I mentioned before, but just in case I won't spoil it. But it's related to their souls.
moniura2005: Right. Bragi feels guilty for what his father did. Like Hajime did with his dad. They are similar in many ways. Two sides of the same coin. Which is a big reason why they fight. It's like they're looking at each other's reflections. But Hajime also sees Bragard in Bragi, and Bragi was created to hate Hajime, so that also contributed to their disputes. But Bragi by all means is just a kid. Just 3 months old but with the knowledge inserted into him which makes him a genius like you said, but also lacks any real-world knowledge. He's also too used to his regeneration abilities, which is why he often just jumps in, knowing he'll be fine. This can be good because he can take attacks aimed toward his friends but also makes him a pretty reckless fighter in comparison to Carol and Bragard. He fights harder, not smarter, like they do. His mentality is what prevents him from reaching his full potential. Honestly, I can't see Elfnein ever holding a grudge against anyone. She's too sweet. Even though Hajime snapped at her, she was able to forgive him and understand his pain. If I were to pick one of your options, I would pick number 2, but not quite. You're close, though. But yes, they don't know what would happen if the sword is turned black entirely, so they're trying to make Raphael use its full power only if necessary. Huh. I didn't know that tale about King Arthur and the dragons. Pretty interesting and coincidental that it involves 2 dragons fighting each other, like in this story. Right, Prelati has an obsession with Raiden like that. It's like a possessive kind of love in a way, similar to Chiaki and Hazuki. And like they said, when Prelati wants something, she will stop at nothing to get it. It's smart on their part to fall back to their original plan rather than go back to fight them again. Even with the Shadow Riders, Ryuga can just teleport them elsewhere and sever the connection with them. So it's a risky move. At the same time, the Disasters haven't completed their goal yet, so they're hoping to do it before they can. I always feel like Shirabe had some sort of inferior complex to Hibiki, ever since G. It got better, but it always always there until AXZ. Raiden was kind of the same with Hajime since they fought over 5 times in G, but he learned that he doesn't need to be the best. But you're right, the situation is stressing everyone out. They lost a lot of people, one of them being Andreas, her little brother figure. Bragi being lost is natural. The only parental figure he has is Elfnein and the poor girl has plenty on her plate as it is and is inexperienced in that regard. It's weird, I know. But the First is not really the grandfather. He's more like the original. That's why Bragard Second never called him father or whatever. Just "First.". Bragi calls Bragard father because he was created with his genes and Carol's, otherwise, he would just call him Second. But they both come from an original, the original Bragard. But sometimes we're lost in life and we don't have a proper guide to help us get through our troubles. I'm glad you liked that part. Raiden is a sheltered kid who lived in FIS most of his life and doesn't know much about social interactions, which is why he can be so awkward at times and Elfnein isn't any better. So they have to come to understand their feelings toward each other and discover how they truly feel. It's not like Chris and Takeru where they knew they were in love and understood their feelings. Yomi is meant to be what Hajime would have been like if he hadn't met Hibiki and hadn't chosen the right path. If you go back to the beginning of the series, he was exactly like him. But Hibiki changed him for the better. Their powers are different. Yomi controls electricity and Despia crystals. We haven't seen much of Despia's powers yet, but Yomi can produce electricity and discharge it at will. We will see more of his powers in the future as well. To be honest, Hajime just got unlucky. He didn't have time to transform entirely when Chiaki destroyed the restaurant. So yes, he saved all of those people, but the building came down on top of him and he hit his head, nearly breaking his skull. It's a miracle he is even alive. To be honest, I have to keep him on the bench for now since he's too strong. I want the other characters to shine as well so I have to keep him away for now. He'll come back though. Wei is weird because he doesn't want revenge on Hajime and blames Bragard for it, but he still thinks he's a failure for not being strong enough to save his family. Which is why he joined Hazuki in his pursuit of a perfect world where he will see his family again. He's not like Yomi. He doesn't enjoy fighting unless he has to. As for what Yomi meant, there are a few hints of what he means spread out throughout the story. I don't want to spoil it, but it has to do with Ragnarok. And only a role they can play. But yes, Liangs are the only ones who can make pacts with Gods. Tobias is an exception since he's not a human. He's an Autoscorer. But even then, he can't use Thor's powers too much because it will literally kill him. But I'll go more into detail about this later on in the season. You're right on that. Hazuki NEEDS Setsuna for his plan. But there's also another reason why. A lot of mysteries that need answers.
primenidus: Indeed it does.
Lord Ri The Husbu King: So far, we don't have the best impressions of Liangs. Maybe Setsuna is truly the only exception. And Despia and Wei, since they are more level-headed than Yomi and Hazuki. Something like that lol. Liangs just had too much fun sometimes and went around with people outside of their clan. It's kind of like this. We all have a cousin that we have no idea existed. In this case, Despia and Yomi are distant cousins to Hajime and Setsuna. I got this idea because I remembered I met a whole side of my Dad's family I had no idea they even existed lol. Family can be quite complicated sometimes. Wait, Elfnein is not your waifu type? I thought she would be, since I think you said Carol was and they look the same. Unless you meant adult Carol, then yes. I completely agree. Bragi and Shirabe are two of the group with an inferior complex. I guess they have something more to bond over. I'll tell you this now so you don't get your hopes too high. There will only be around 5 Gods in total in the main story. 3 of them are Odin, Loki, and Thor. Others will appear in an OVA I am planning. I don't want to introduce too many Gods since then things will get messier. But we'll see. I wouldn't be surprised if places like FIS exist. Well, not like FIS. But I heard orphanages and places like that often treat orphans badly. Especially in Japan. Hazuki kind of hints at this, since he is an orphan and was abused by his peers. Wow, I'm surprised you want Yosuke or Jades to die. They have to. Eventually, all of them will die since only one can win. I never seen this anime. But I've seen clips.
Caballero lector rojo: Asi es. A diferencia de la batalla con los antagonistas anteriors, los Desastres mostraron superioridad ante los alquimistas. Creo que una batalla mas justa seria entrea Ryuga y Adam y Gai y Ouja contra los alquimistas.
SoutaAmetsuchi: Right. Yosuke is one of the strongest in the group and he was manhandled by an injured Hajime before. So the odds aren't looking good for them. A lot of people want to punch Yomi. He'll have to start making a business out of it at this rate lol. Yeah, we know Ouja or Riders who made a second contract can summon a puppet wearing the armor of the deceased Rider. So them seeing a a reanimated Zolda is going to happen in the future.
Tenzalucard123: Hajime is going to go to Yomi and punch him. Then Jades, Yosuke, and the others. He gained a lot of enemies for wanting to have his way with the Symphogear.
Chapter 96
The Secret is Love
"Where...am I?" Elfnein blinked, glancing around her surroundings. She was currently in a field filled with flowers. And in the middle of it, were two small girls, gushing over a flower in particular."That looks like Maria-san..."
Suddenly, the area shifted. And they were now inside a grey room filled with kids. An imposing woman holding a whip was approaching Maria and her sister, who was shaking in fear.
"Wait...that's Professor Nastassja...Oh, no!" Elfnein gasped. She wanted to act, but she remembered she was just there as an observer. She couldn't interact with the memory.
"Hey! Leave them alone!" A silver-haired boy rushed at Nastassja, knocking her to the ground by tackling her."TeruTeru!"
"I told you not to calm me that, damn it!" A younger boy with disheveled black hair pushed the girls to safety, muttering under his breath."God damn it...Why did I let him convince me to do this..."
"That's Jades-san!" Elfnein cried out."And...wait, is that Terunosuke-san?"
Nastassja growled, slapping Jades off of her. The boy rubbed his cheek, only to receive a whip to the face by Nastassja."Out of line again, Jades? Do you wish to take the punishment of every child here if it means you taking all their pain?!"
"Yes!" Jades screamed, a deep cut in his cheek."Because...these kids are my family..."
"These are failed receptor children, much like you." Nastassja narrowed her eyes at him."I commend your bravery, but you have yet to manifest a Deck of your own. Until then, you are also dispensable."
"Maybe so...but I can't let you hurt those kids..." Jades stood up once again, staring defiantly.
"Professor...he doesn't know what he's saying..." Terunosuke chimed in, visibly more fearful of the woman."He's just playing hero, that's all. Please forgive us and-"
Terunosuke also received a slap to the face, and since he was thinner than Jades, he almost passed out from the blow.
The girls screamed in horror upon seeing their two saviors being treated so badly. Serena attempted to rush in, but Maria held her back.
"B-but they helped us..."
Maria shook her head, comforting her with a hug.
"TeruTeru!" Jades knelt beside his friend."You alright?! How dare you hurt my brother?!"
"This is all your fault..." Terunosuke winced, staring daggers at him."Why the hell did you have to play hero and drag me into this mess?!"
"You're the one who followed me, dummy." Jades grinned, despite their bleak situation. Terunosuke gritted his teeth at his carefree attitude.
"Who the hell do you think you are, dumbass?!"
'Huh. Terunosuke-san, while he is complaining, he's actually rather nice to the point of jumping into their help.' Elfnein noted in amasement.'I wonder when he went wrong?'
"Professor Nastassja. I did it!"
The woman shifted her gaze over to a single young man standing by the door next to two scientists. He was considerably older than the other kids and in his hands, was a grey Deck with the symbol of a rhinoceros."You completed your evaluation, Atticus?"
"Yes, Ma'am." He saluted, his expression serious."I made my first transformation and made a contract with my Advent Beast, Metalgelas. And I have succeeded in my tests."
Nastassja regarded him with an expressionless face before replying."Very good. As expected of our most talented candidate. I wish to go over your results with you and see how well you performed."
"Of course." He nodded. Nastassja spared no more attention to the kids on the ground and made her way toward the door. Atticus gave his brother an apologetic look before following her out.
"Phew...saved by Atticus-nii-chan." Jades chuckled sheepishly."I'd say we did pretty good."
"Pretty good? Pretty good?!" Terunosuke tackled him to the ground, arms around his neck. Unfortunately, Jades was much stronger, so he wasn't feeling the strangling as the boy on top of him meant it."You screwed us over! And for what?! To play hero?! I have a reputation to upkeep, Jades! I can't be getting into trouble! I'm not as dispensable as you-"
"Thank you so much!" Serena hugged Terunosuke from behind, crying."It was so scary! I thought we were going to be hurt!"
"Huh?!" Terunosuke blinked, confused at the sudden contact of the smaller girl.
"Thank you...both of you." Maria bowed at the boys."You didn't have to protect us like that..."
"Of course we did." Jades grinned at her."It's our job as the two of the older children here to look after the little ones."
"Really? You don't look that much older than me though...But...thank you." Maria smiled warmly."My name is Maria. And that's my sister, Serena."
"I'm Jades. The guy who was here was Atticus, our big brother. And this guy here is Terunosuke. But you can call him TeruTeru. He's my little brother."
"I'm not your brother..." He grumbled, his cheeks red as the girl kept crying on his back."Uh...it's okay. You don't have to cry now. The witch is gone."
Serena slowly unwrapped her arms around his torso as he slowly turned around, meeting face to face."Thank you...I'm Serena."
"I'm Terunosuke." Terunosuke muttered, his eyes wide upon seeing her face."It's okay. I...If you're ever in trouble, just let me know. I'll come running."
Elfnein was...surprised. She never met the man before. All she heard was how horrible of a person he was and how he'd killed countless people, students included. And yet, here he was, being the reluctant hero.
'Though I guess his sole motivation is Serena. Maybe it was love at first sight?' She shook her head. Now was not the time to ponder about that. She came here to get information, and that's what she would do. She continued cycling through the memories, trying to find out what she was looking for. Until she was suddenly in the middle of a destroyed town, surrounded by Noise.
"Wait, memories of the Noise? But if I get killed here, I'll never wake up again!" Elfnein panicked, immediately breaking into a run to escape. Unfortunately, she wasn't as physically gifted as Carol, and since all she did was sit around at her computer all day, she was beginning to get tired. Until she twisted her ankle and fell to the ground face-first.
She gasped, realizing the Noise were inches from her. Suddenly, energy swords rained from the sky, destroying the Noise in one blow. A Maria landed in front of her, confusing her beyond belief."Wait, what? Which Maria is this? What memory is this?"
"We promised we'd fight together, remember?" Maria glanced over her shoulder with a reassuring smile."We're sharing our consciousness, so I'm present just as you are. So there's no problem with me going wild in my own mind!"
"What the hell kind of Noise is that?" Raia couldn't help but marbled at the hydra from afar, surrounded by smaller Noise.
"We've seen all sorts of weird-shaped Noise, but..." Tsubasa muttered, shaking her head."Doesn't matter. We just have to take it down."
"If you can!"
Suddenly, they were shot by Gatlinguns from above, forcing them to maneuver their missiles around the attacks.
"Hahaha! Hey! You made it!" Shadow Zolda, in his Magnugiga form, laughed as he rode on top of Evildiver.
"You're too heavy!"
"The Shadow Riders!" Hibiki exclaimed.
"What's wrong? Just three Symphogear and three Riders?" Shadow Femme mocked, flapping her swan wings to stay in the air."Is this what your team's been reduced to?"
"You're one to talk!" Chris leveled her crossbows at her, immediately opening fire."You're dead!"
"And so is my real self." Magnugiga sighed."It's too bad. I'll never get a chance to become a real person. But it's fine. Right, Shadow Raia?"
"Not my problem." S. Raia morphed back into his humanoid form but kept Evildiver's flips to glide around. Magnugiga opened up its compartments, ready to unleash his full arsenal at them.
Tiger quickly acted, activating an ability upon inserting a card into his Deck. Suddenly, Magnugiga's guns were frozen in solid ice, preventing them from firing.
Freeze Vent
"W-what the fuck?!" S. Zolda screamed as his body fell to the ground, creating a crater from the impact.
S. Femme swung her arms, firing countless feathers at the group as they glided down to ground level.
Tempest Vent
Using his wind ability, Knight changed the trajectory of the feathers, making them impact against S. Raia before he could react. The monster Rider fell into the water.
Sword Vent: Winglancer
Knight created a tornado under his feet to propel himself in the air, aiming to fight S. Femme in midair.
"Hah! Big mistake!" S. Femme clapped her hands, creating a blinding light that prevented everyone around from looking at her. She created two spears of light, manifesting a pair of white boots from her White Vent: Sky Walk, to kick the air and approached Knight from behind. To her surprise, Knight reacted quickly, thrusting his lance toward her and shooting a gust of wing that impacted against her chest, sending her flying."How?! You shouldn't be able to see me!"
"I can't." Knight opened his eyes once the light disappeared, pointing at his ears."But I'm a bat, remember? I have sensitive ears. And you make quite a lot of noise when kicking the air like that."
"I can do the same, friend."
Knight suddenly lost sight of S. Femme and received a slash to his back.
"I can teleport using my feathers!" S. Femme declared, surrounding the area with feathers.
The bat-themed Rider grimaced, his Tempest Vent running out, and was forced to use another card.
Advent: Darkwing
Darkwing attached himself to his back, functioning as wings to keep him airborne.
Suddenly, a pack of gazelles began jumping toward him, all wielding spears in their hands.
"W-what the hell?!" Knight proceeded to fly around, avoiding the gazelles. However, S. Imperer was bouncing around building to building using his springs, building his speed and momentum before shooting toward Knight, tackling him through several buildings. Knight struck him in the head with his lance, forcing the doppelganger off of him. However, he was heading toward S. Femme, who was twirling her Wingslasher like a turbine.
Nasty Vent: Sonicbreaker
Darkwing detached himself from Knight's back, releasing a powerful screech that paralyzed S. Femme. Deciding to get rid of an enemy, Knight drew a card and decided to put it all on the line and take advantage of his momentum.
Final Vent: Flyinglancer
Knight and Darkwing performed their Final Vent, creating a black tornado that headed straight toward S. Femme, piercing through her and causing her to explode. To his horror, the Shadow Riders kept attacking. S. Imperer had recuperated and using his Drill Vent to create an energy drill around him, crashing against the tornado. The Gazelles began jumping in, pushing the tornado back and overpowering Knight due to the sheer number of monsters. Knight and Darkwing were forced to retreat, taking off into the air.
'Damn...These things just don't stop coming, do they?'
Tiger ran toward the edge of the bridge, looking down at the ocean below.'Where did Raiden's copy go?'
Out of nowhere, a stream of pressurized water narrowly missed its target, grazing Tiger's helmet. He instinctively ducked, avoiding having his head cut off as the stream made a horizontal swing, cutting the steel holding the bridge. More water streams emerged from the water, destroying a part of the bridge and splitting it into two.
"Water!" Tiger gasped."Then this must be-"
"The ocean itself!"
A colossus made of water emerged from the depths of the abyss, wielding a trident of water.
'That's what Damian did before! If that thing attacks, then the whole city will be done for!' Tiger jumped off the bridge, opening his visor up and sliding a card in.
Frost Vent
Tiger touched the water, immediately freezing it using his ice powers, and by extension, freezing the colossus of water before it could move. S. Abyss cursed his luck, having to fight his literal counter in the form of ice.
Jades stood on the ice, cringing upon realizing he had frosted a good chunk of the ocean.
"Not bad, big brother!" S. Raia cried out, holding his Shoot Vent, Evillauncher, which was a grenade launcher, and began bombarding Tiger with grenades that exploded near him."What's this?!"
Tiger slashed at the tendrils, quickly rolling on the ice to gain some distance.
S. Raia morphed into Evildiver.
Strike Vent: Destclaws
Using his still-active Frost Vent, Tiger retaliated by slashing the air and creating slashes of ice, forcing S. Raia to slide on the ice to avoid the attacks. To his shock, S. Raia could also copy abilities and copied Tiger's Destclaws and lunged at him.
"Tch!" Tiger met him in the middle, claws clashing with claws.
"That ice of yours is a problem, big brother." Raia kicked the burly man in the chest, jumping away as he switched back to his Evilauncher, shooting several grenades around Tiger and cracking the ice beneath them.
"Don't call me that!" Tiger blocked the explosions with his claws, running at him. However, water tendrils attached themselves around his ankles, causing him to fall to the ground."Huh?!"
From the holes made from the destroyed ice, the water was now being manipulated by S. Abyss, despite still being frozen in ice.'He sure is persistent. Then...
Using his Frost Vent one more time before it ran out, he cast a wave of ice, completely covering the frozen Abyss and adding an extra layer of ice and covering the holes from earlier. He turned on his heels, blocking Evildiver from ramming into him. However, due to the ice, his footing was unstable, and was pushed until they reached the bridge, breaking through the bottom of it.
Raia clicked his tongue, riding on top of Evildiver and avoiding the countless bullets from S. Zolda's Gigamini, his minigun.
"Is running around all you can do?" S. Zolda manifested his Gigacannons on his shoulders, wasting no time to shoot them toward Rai's position. Evildiver started to spin around in the air, hoping to dodge the relentless bullets and missiles shot at them. Raia opened up his visor, hoping to turn the situation around.
Swing Vent: Evilwhip
Raia lashed out his whip, grappling onto S. Zolda's Gigacannons and flying above him, tearing the cannons off his body.
"Little bastard." S. Zolda created his Gigalauncher, taking aim and shooting two missiles, striking Evildiver and making it spiral out of control and for Raia to fall to the ground."Not so tough when you're not flying around, are you?"
Strike Vent: Evilsickles
Two twin sickles connected by chains mimicking Evildiver's fins appeared in Raia's hands. He lashed out the chains toward S. Zolda, who simply jumped back to avoid them. However, the chains were being controlled by Raia's psychic abilities and continued their pursuit. The shadow Rider raised his hand, manifesting his Magnuvisor to block the first sickle. Much to his annoyance, the weapon just wrapped itself around his arm as Raia pulled on it hard and made S. Zolda lose his footing. The second sickle slashed at the side of his helmet due to him ducking at the last second.
'He's fast. And strong...' Raia noted from afar.'If he's as strong as Takeru-san was...then it's a good thing Chris-san killed Shadow Ouja before it revealed its full strength."
Suddenly, S. Zolda grabbed the chains and pulled hard, using his superior physical strength to pull Raia toward him, recreating his Gigacannons and shooting a volley of missiles at him. Raia screamed in pain, his body landing on the ground, smoke coming off his body.
"Hahaha! Man, you're so predictable." S. Zolda taunted."You gonna have to try harder than that."
"Yeah...I figured." Raia chuckled."But I'm not done."
"Say what?!" S. Zolda looked underneath him, the chains wrapped around his legs and the sickles dangerously close to his thighs. In one swift motion, Raia slashed S. Zolda's legs, green blood gushing out of his wounds as he fell on his rear."Y-you little bastard!"
"I'm always one step ahead of my enemies." Raia wrapped the chains around his arms, grabbing onto the sickles."It's time to finish this and-"
A loud huff alerted the young man who instinctively jumped in the air, avoiding Metalgelas from ramming into him.
"The kid actually dodged! I guess Master Prelati was right about him!" S. Gai shifted back to his humanoid form, wielding Metalhorn.
"Well, shit..." Raia managed a smile despite his predicament."You know, I was holding back a little since you look like Takeru-san. But you...now you I don't mind beating up to a pulp."
"Heh. Go ahead and try." S. Gai challenged."Though, we can't kill you either. Master Prelati wants you alive specifically. She wants to keep you as her trophy."
Raia shuddered, imagining Prelati's sadistic smile."God, why do I always attract the crazy ones? Sorry, but tell her my heart belongs to someone already."
"I suppose it's too bad your compliance isn't a factor." S. Zolda scoffed, turning his arm into Magnugiga's cannon and shooting a rocket at the Rider. Raia leaped away, gaining some distance, watching on as metal spikes emerged from the ground. Raia started running to the left, avoiding the spikes and running into S. Gai, who struck him in the chest with his Metalhorn.
Raia skidded on the ground, drawing a card from his Deck and activating it immediately.
Copy Vent
A copy of Metalhorn was equipped to his arm. He kicked the ground, jumping back to his feet before rushing at the Shadow Riders.
"Is he seriously rushing us?" S. Zolda scoffed, creating his Gigacannons once more.
"Metalhorn can protect him. But we'll have to overpower him and attack him constantly." S. Gai replied, manifesting his Metalgun, which was a one-barreled shotgun in his left arm. They proceeded to unleash their bullets at Raia, who was rushing toward them and using Metalhorn as a shield. He eventually stopped moving, and the Shadow Riders ceased their fire.
"Shit, we didn't kill him, did we?"
"I don't think so. I mean...we did shoot him a bunch of times and-"
Shoot Vent: Evilauncher
Granades in the shape of eggs start popping out of the smoke, exploding in front of the S. Riders and causing them to stumble backward.
"Tricky little shit!"
Final Vent: Hide Venom
From the smoke, Evildiver and Raia appeared, heading straight for S. Zolda.
"Oh, shit!" S. Zolda cried out, grabbing onto S. Gai and putting him in front of him. The impact sent them both flying, crashing harshly onto the ground.
"Crap! He used him as a shield!" Raia cursed, flying around Evildiver.'And if he's as durable as Teru-nii, then it's going to take more than just one Final Vent to finish him off..."
"What the fuck?!" S. Gaia exploded."Why did you do that?! I'm not your damn shield! You can use a Guard Vent, right?!"
"Yeah, but you're the most durable." S. Zolda shrugged."Besides, that wasn't going to kill you."
"Whatever." S. Gai snorted, clapping his hands and activating his Confine Vent. Exildiver disappeared from under Raia's feet, prompting him to freefall to the ground in front of the two Shadow Riders."Well, well, well. What do we have here?"
"Ah...that's not good." Raia chuckled nervously. However, suddenly, all the Shadow Riders disappeared out of thin air. Including S. Abyss, who was frozen in solid ice, vanished."Huh?"
"What's going on...?" Jades blinked. He was currently lying on the ground on top of the frozen water.
"They were called back...?" Knight muttered before addressing his friends."You guys! Let's hurry and meet up with the others! I have a bad feeling about this!"
Meanwhile, the Symphogear were heading off to face off against the hydra controlling the rest of the Alca-Noise.
"I'll have to say, I will never not be impressed by how different Noise can be," Chris muttered, staring down at the behemoth as they rode on their missiles.
"We'll have to act in unison." Tsubasa stated, addressing her friends."On my mark, Tachibana, Yukine!"
Tsubasa and Hibiki were the first ones to hop off their missiles on top of the hydra, ready to strike. Tsubasa made the first move, enlarging her sword and sending a blush slash of energy in the middle.
Blue Flash
Hibiki, on the other hand, focused her Phonic Gain on her right arm, making her gauntlet bigger before igniting her boosters and slamming her fist against the hydra.
Finally, Chris focused her firepower on the remains of the beast, unleashing her arsenal before it could retaliate.
Mega Deth Infinity
Upon taking the missiles head-on, the Alca-Noise was split into 3, but to their shock, it began to reform, now creating 3 different Noise in total.
"No way!" Tsubasa gasped."Did we just-"
"Made things worse!" Chris hissed, watching as the Noise began to act independently, splitting into different directions."They're splitting us up. One for each."
"The guys are handling the Shadow Riders." Tsubasa said."We have to take care of this mess before it gets even worse."
"The others aren't doing so good..." Kirika muttered, watching on the screen inside the room Maria and Elfnein were in.
"I should go..." Tobias frowned.
"No, you can't." Shirabe shook her head."We need you here in case something happens with them. You're the only one here right now who can monitor the equipment."
"But I have to fight-"
"Remember you can't use Thor's power without breaking down-desu! It's reckless!"
"Damn it..." Tobias focused his attention on checking their vitals."If only my body wasn't so frail, I could use Thor's power...I would be able to help everyone like Loki can. I could power you all up..."
"Still, it's not your fault." Shirabe shook her head."You do what you can."
"Hey, where is Bragi-kun?" Kirika wondered upon realizing he was nowhere to be seen on the screens."Is he planning a surprise attack?"
"Oh, him?" Tobias hummed in thought."He was asked to do something special."
"At last, a hero makes his entrance...Inside of Maria's mind!"
Maria deadpanned upon seeing Dr. Ver once more."This has to be some sort of nightmare..."
"Close. This is probably an image generated from your perception of him and other memories." Elfnein deduced."So you probably think of him as being this annoying."
"Makes sense. But then..."
"He's probably a guide of sorts to help us find what we're looking for."
"A guide? Him?" Maria's expression soured."But I'm sure any of my siblings or Jades could have made a better guide."
"I believe it's because of his intimate involvement in the research," Elfnein replied.
"That's right. A research of Relics and a true hero. A man larger than life!" Dr. Ver yapped on."Larger than the extra-huge food challenge at a restaurant! I've told you this countless times for me to tell you again!"
"Then stop wasting time and tell us!" Maria exclaimed in exasperation.
"If you truly want to know, you must search that answer yourself." Dr. Ver twirled around."In the deepest and darkest parts of your memory! I can guarantee you it's here!"
"Fine. Then let's go, Elfnein-chan." Maria said with determination, more than eager to prove herself to the mad scientist.
Suddenly, they were transported to a brighter area. A void filled with stars and colors.
"This is strange." Elfnein rubbed her chin in thought."This doesn't look like an ordinary mental image."
Maria was about to reply when they noticed a bright light ahead of them and a voice coming from it."I want to be strong."
As soon as the voice spoke, the void changed into a darker color.
"Was that...my voice?"
"I want to hide away my weakness. Even if I have to lie to myself."
"But I don't want to lie!"
"Maria-san...these must be your darkest feelings." Elfnein shifted her gaze to the pinkette."What you try to hide..."
Maria closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around herself."I feared to bond with people because I was scared they wouldn't accept me...Back then...If I wanted someone to hold my hand, I had to reach out, but I was so afraid of them pushing me back..."
"But that never happened, did it, Maria-nee-chan?"
"That voice...!" Maria and Elfnein said in unison.
In front of them was now Andreas, smiling at them."You were never alone."
"Andreas...Andreas..." Maria slowly began to approach the boy, carefully trying to reach him but stopping."No...you're not him..."
"Maria-nee-chan, it's thanks to you and Jades-nii-chan that I found somewhere to belong. And Mom is the one who protected us from the shadows."
"Mom did?"
The area shifted, this time, they were back in one of the white rooms in FIS. Jades and Terunosuke were still on the ground after being beaten up by Nastassja. It was a regular occurrence for the two boys to take the punishment meant for Maria and Serena when possible. However, this was not always possible, since she would often extend the punishment to all of them anyway. But on rare occurrences, she would accept their request for them only to receive punishment.
"Are you going to be okay?" A young Maria asked Jades.
"Just a scratch," Jades smirked, fighting the pain.
"Fuck no it's not a scratch," Terunosuke growled under his breath as Serena rubbed his back soothingly.
"Guys!"
A small Andreas waved them from the door, holding a few towels and bandages."Look what Mom gave me!"
"What? The Old Hag gave you these?" Terunosuke watched as his "younger brother" approached them."Why?"
"I don't know!" He giggled."She just told me to help you patch yourselves up! She said she's expecting great things from her best candidates!
"It's true Mom was scary." In the dream, Andreas smiled at the group."But she also showed her kindness. In her own way. I think...she was sad whenever she had to hit us. Or at least, that's what her eyes told me. And even when she did hit us, she would always find a way to compensate us somehow.
They switched back to the day Terunosuke and Atticus had escaped and Jades was taken to the infirmary after Dr. Ryoko wounded him with her whip. Nastassja had approached the group at night, a crestfallen expression on her face.
"We just got word...It seems Atticus and Terunosuke were killed by American soldiers." She informed the children, who immediately began to cry.
Kirika and Shirabe hugged each other, while Andreas grabbed onto Maria and wailed. Raiden was speechless, but tears streamed endlessly down his cheeks. Maria tried to stay strong and comfort the little ones, but losing more people after Serena's death made it impossible to hold back, and began to cry too.
"I'm sorry this had to happen." Nastassja closed her eyes."I'm truly sorry..."
"Despite that, she made us push on." Andreas continued, switching back to another memory where the siblings were running on a track field."We were distraught, but we had to continue. She didn't allow us to drop out, despite our grief. And Raiden and I became Kamen Riders thanks to her efforts. I think she took on the pain, killing herself little by little so that we could live. And so we could be ready for the time when we finally got out of there."
"The harsher a tomato's environment, the sweater it grows."
"Is that what that lady meant...?" Maria finally realized the meaning of those words. She looked down, noticing sparks of light surrounding her."That's right. We couldn't have made it this far with kindness alone. Her harshness is what tempered our strength."
With those words, Maria was now clad in her Airgetlam.
Their surroundings change to a brighter landscape. Now the 9 FIS siblings were holding hands together with Nastassja in the middle. Terunosuke, Jades, Atticus, Raiden, Andreas, Maria, Kirika, Shirabe, and Serena. All of them smiled together. Even though they suffered together, they also shared happy memories.
Andreas approached Maria, staring up at her."Dr. Ver said this before, didn't he? What connects people and Symphogear is...love. The warm and deep caring for others is what connects people and Symphogear. Go, Maria. Now you know."
"He's right. We have the information." Elfnein nodded.
"Give me a moment, Elfnein-chan." Maria said, bending her knees slightly to be at Andreas' level, grabbing his shoulders."I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you enough. That I couldn't protect you like I wanted to. I'm so sorry...you were taken away from us...We miss you every day...So much..."
Maria had begun to sob silently, but a hug from her brother made her come back to reality."Andreas...?"
"I don't blame you at all." Andreas stated, kissing her cheek."I never will. You and the others did what you could for me. And that's all I could ever ask for. So please, Maria-nee-chan. Don't blame yourself. I will always love you and be in your heart. No matter how much time passes. But you must go now. The others need your help."
With that, Andreas gently pushed her away. Elfnein grabbed her hand, guiding her toward the light. Maria glanced back once last time and saw Andreas, Serena, Nastassja, and Atticus waving her goodbye.
"I love you...And we will always carry on your memory."
Back to reality, Elfnein's eyes snapped open.
"Oh! She's awake!" Shirabe yelled, alerting Tobias.
"Elfnein!" The Autoscorer gasped upon seeing his creator jump from her seat and grab his hand."Where are we going?!"
"We must get to work immediately!" Elfnein responded, dragging her creation to their lab.
"So...did they succeed?" Kirika pondered.
"We did..." Maria said, removing the headpiece from her head upon waking up. She sniffed, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"Maria! Why are you crying-desu?!"
"Sorry, girls. It's just..." Maria smiled warmly at them."I got to see someone else...one last time."
After defeating the hydras, the three Symphogear made their way to the ruins of the Chateau de Tiffauges. They noticed a huge battleship in the skies, similar to the one in Val Verde.
"They have more of those?!" Chris hissed."Then it's time we take it down!"
Suddenly more Alca-Noise spawned in, this time smaller than the others but greater in number.
"We're tired from our recent battles..." Tsubasa took a deep breath, exhausted."They are trying to wear us down. We can't attack carelessly. If the Bavarian Illuminati are up there, they will be our next opponents."
Meanwhile, the Alchemists observed from above as the Symphogear began fighting the Alca Noise once more.
"I called back the Shadow Riders." Prelati said, pocketing their gems in her stuffed toad."Thankfully, we weren't far enough for the connection to break."
"So, if you called them back, then it means we're getting ready to use that, huh?" Cagliostro smiled knowingly."I can't wait to see."
"But that also means that...they are coming." Raphael stood up, watching as the three Kamen Riders approached them on top of Evildiver. They jumped off the creature, immediately rushing to fight.
"You're finally here!" Prelati threw fireballs at Raia, who used his Evilwhip to disperse the flames."You will finally become mine, my beloved Raiden!"
"Keep dreaming!" Raia growled, lashing out his whip but Prelati cast a barrier, blocking the attack. She snapped her fingers, shooting several ice spikes at him. He yelped, leaping around to avoid them.
Psychic Vent
Using his psychic powers, he lifted the ice spikes and shot them back at Prelati, forcing her to cast a bigger barrier. In the confusion, he snuck up on her, winding his fist back. However, she leaned forward, and with one swift motion removed his helmet."What the-"
Before he could finish his sentence, she pressed her lips against his, her tongue forcing its way into his mouth. The young man was perplexed, baffled, bewildered, and any other word he could come up with. His brain short-circuited and his strength left him, allowing Prelati to grab his arms to prevent him from moving as she explored the insides of his mouth, unable to fight against her iron grip on his arms. She pulled back, a string of saliva connecting her lips.
"You are finally mine..." She whispered with a satisfied smile."I just marked you."
"I-I-I-I-I-I-I-" Raia shook his head, blushing furiously. He instinctively pushed her away, covering his mouth."Oh, God...Oh, my God..."
"Then that leaves you and me alone, stud." Cagliostro purred, shooting energy bullets at the tiger-themed Rider. He twirled his axe, blocking the attack as he reached for his Deck, drawing a card.
Strike Vent: Destclaws
"Sorry. I'm sure you're a lovely lady, but I already have someone special in my heart."
"That's too bad!" She lunged at him, going for a punch in his face, but he blocked with his claws."You seem like such a caring man. Looking after those little cuties of siblings you have. You guys really are team ice cream. You're practically the ice part of it!"
"Why, thank you!" He swatted his hand, attempting to cut her, but she jumped back.
Advent: Destwilder
Cagliostro yelped, narrowly avoiding the Advent Beast from tackling her. But this was a distraction. Tiger was running toward Raia, who was pinned down on the ground by Prelati.
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING TO MY BROTHER?!" He screamed in pure anger.
"Nothing he doesn't want me to." She clicked her tongue, whispering something in his ear."Seems your brother doesn't want us to have fun together. How sad!"
With that, she formed two barriers in her hands, blocking the claws. But Jades was not going to let her go with that. He kicked her in the stomach, breaking through her barrier and launching her across the battleship.
"Raiden! You okay?!" He knelt next to his brother, who was mumbling with his eyes wide open."Stay with me!"
"S-s-she...she stole my first kiss...She stole my first kiss, Jades-nii-chan...I wanted Elfnein-chan to be my first kiss..."
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Jades yelled to the heavens, lamenting his brother losing his innocence at the hands of such a perverse woman.
"We're family now, Jades." Prelati wiped the blood off her lips."He's mine now."
"I'm going to rip you apart for what you did to him!"
Knight was trying to fight St. Germain, but Raphael kept on getting in his way."Get out of my way!"
"I won't let you harm her." He narrowed his eyes, using his Excalibur to block the Winglancer. Every time he struck, his attack would be parried. He knew he wasn't facing a normal foe. His swordsmanship was exceptional, even superior to his own. He didn't doubt that Raphael had mastered his craft over the years, making him an exceptional swordsman. Still, he wasn't going to lose a second time to him.
He kicked his leg, making the silver-haired man bend his knees slightly. Knight twirled around, aiming to strike his waist, but he jumped over his sword and kicked him in the face, sending him staggering back.
"I commend you for coming back to face me this soon." He remarked."But I know your weakness. The darkness that is hidden in your heart. The result of your incompetency as a leader."
"Shut up!" Knight barked, jumping in the air and going for a dive kick. Raphael grabbed his leg, spinning around before throwing him away.'Calm down! You're letting your emotions get the better of you!'
Raphael twirled his golden blade around before pointing at Knight."You have improved slightly. But I'm afraid it's not enough to beat me."
"Is that so? Then maybe I have to do something else!" Knight leaped into the air, switching back to his Darkvisor and getting ready to perform a second Final Vent.
Final Vent: Flyinglancer
"Watch out, Raphael." St. Germain warned him, watching as Darkwing engulfed Knight and formed a black tornado coming at them at full speed."That's no regular attack."
"I am aware." Raphael nodded, raising his sword to form a barrier of light around them. However, the tornado suddenly changed trajectory, aiming down at the deck itself."What?!"
"JADES! TAKE YOUR BROTHER AND JUMP OFF NOW!"
Tiger, heeding his words, grabbed a still-dazed Raiden and jumped off the ship.
"What's happening?!" Cagliostro shrieked when the tornado impacted against the deck, immediately piercing through it and entering the insides.
"He's destroying it from the inside!" Prelati hissed."We must run before this place goes up in a big explosion!"
Knight continued skewering through the ship, drilling around to do as much damage as possible. Once he finally reached the other side, he made Darkwing attach himself to his back, gliding down to the ground as the ship exploded in the sky.
"What happened?!" Hibiki yelled, watching the explosion go off from afar.
Tiger landed, carrying Raia, and put his helmet back on."Oh, hey! You girls are okay!"
"Jades-san!" Hibiki beamed.
"What happened just now?" Tsubasa asked as they jogged over to them."Were you fighting the Alchemists? Did you defeat all Shadow Riders?"
"We didn't." Knight answered, landing next to them as Darkwing vanished."They called them back. It's strange...they had the upper hand and yet they called them back. It's as though they were trying to get us to come closer to them..."
"Hah! Then it was a dumb move on their part." Chris scoffed."You ended up blowing their little ship."
"There you are!"
The group shifted their attention to Maria, Shirabe, and Kirika, who were clad in their Symphogears.
"We're reporting in!" Kirika gave a peace sign with a toothy grin.
"So Elfnein-chan finished the LINKER?" Hibiki asked with a big smile.
"She did." Maria nodded."So now we can fight alongside you all. What's the situation?"
"The situation is that you haven't won yet."
The Alchemists descended from the sky, all of them clad in their respective Faust Robes.
"Oh, so you three are back on your drugs?" Cagliostro observed, taunting the three girls who had just arrived.
"What do you think of my new appearance, Raiden?" Prelati asked, smiling deviously at him."Shows off my figure quite nicely, does it not?"
Raia shivered, hiding behind Maria and Tiger like a child hiding behind his parents.
"You stay the fuck away from him." Maria and Jades bellowed in unison.
"Tch. You can't protect him from my love."
"You are at a disadvantage." Knight remarked."It's 9 against 4. Even if you call upon the Shadow Riders, we can still win."
"Such bold words." Raphael chuckled."You seem confident all of a sudden. Does the presence of your team give you courage? I wonder which one of them will die because of you?"
"Please, we don't have to do this." Hibiki shook her head."But what does that entail? Who is your enemy? Please, just tell us. If it's for the good of others, why can't we fight together? Maybe then we can defeat the Disasters of-"
"Work together? How arrogant." St. Germain snorted."Our main enemy is indeed the Disasters of Valhalla, but you are also our enemy as well. We will get the power of God and do what must be done for the good of humanity. Tear down the Curse of Balal! We'll seize the Lunar Ruins!"
"But...why?" Maria asked, confused by her declaration.
"This imperfect world order where people oppress each other by force is a result of the mental imbalance caused by the Curse of Balal in their souls, just as I told Hazuki Kaburagi before."
"Wait, you fought them?" Tsubasa's jaw dropped."You fought the Disasters?"
"We did. And it just proved my point even further." St. Germain narrowed her eyes upon recalling Hazuki's words." He wishes to wipe out humanity to cleanse it so that their souls will be reborn in his world where he will rule over them with the cheap excuse of giving them their wildest dreams."
"We seek something a little different." Raphael chimed in."We want to seize the Lunar Ruins and put their control in human hands, not our own. But this can only be done using the same power as the ancient oppressor known as God."
"That sounds like part of the Disasters' plan." Knight pursed his lips."They want to get rid of all other Gods or entities that they say are controlling humanity. So Kaburagi and Loki are the ones left in power."
"Our goals are similar, but with very different results." Prelati continued."We merely want to free humanity from those chains entirely. They want to get the chains themselves."
"I understand that, but that doesn't justify sacrificing people's lives!" Hibiki refuted the idea.
"You don't understand anything, Hibiki Tachibana. I used to think the Messiah would be the one to truly free us from this oppression, back when I was a child." St. Germain clenched her fists."So where is he now?! Why hasn't he shown himself?! He defeated Bragard, did he not?! So why can't he show his face to us!"
"Maybe we have to force him out." Prelati pulled out a red gem, smiling maniacally."Basically, we will force him to show himself by using his power against his dear friends. Now witness the power of the strongest Shadow Rider! Come forth, Shadow Ryuki!"
Prelati threw the gem in the air, and immediately, a ball of fire popped into existence. The flames began spreading around everywhere, revealing a monstrous version of Kamen Rider Ryuki.
"Oh, fuck." Knight cursed aloud."We're so fucked."
"That's...Hajime's Shadow Rider?" Hibiki swallowed the lump in her throat.
"What's with this pressure...?" Maria wondered, baffled at the power emanating from the Shadow Rider."Compared to the others, this doesn't even begin to compare..."
"It shouldn't be a surprise." Cagliostro wagged her finger with a wink."We took a while to create him. He's obviously stronger than the others you fought."
"Shadow Riders have the same power as their original counterparts the moment they are created." Prelati eyed at their creation."While it's not the Messiah himself, he's still as strong as he is. And judging by your expression, you're basically screwed."
"Let us test your determination." St. Germain shifted her attention to S. Ryuki."Shadow Ryuki. Do as you wish with them."
"Don't kill Raiden," Prelati added quickly.
"As you command, my Masters." S. Ryuki spoke for the first time, chuckling sinisterly."I was beginning to worry I was here just to threaten them. But..."
S. Ryuki took a step forward, and was suddenly in the middle of the group after he moved at insane speeds toward them."I'm glad I can stretch my legs after being born."
"What-"
None of them even noticed when S. Ryuki hit all of them in a split second, launching them away in separate directions.
'What just happened?!' Chris grimaced in pain, forcing herself not to vomit her breakfast after receiving such a devastating blow to her belly.
'Did he teleport?! Can he use Adachi's Red Vent at will?!' Knight's head was immediately processing a million thoughts just as his body hit the ground.
"Ow..." Kirika rubbed her cheek, which was slightly burnt. She then noticed S. Ryuki towering over her. Before she could fight back, he smacked her in the chest, knocking her to the ground.
"Fortunately for you, you get to die quickly." S. Ryuki raised his hand, creating his Dragsaber."I can't say the same for the others, though."
"No, you don't!" Tiger lunged at him from behind,m but S. Ryuki easily reacted and kicked him several meters away.
"He just kicked Jades-san like he was nothing..." Hibiki muttered in horror.
"Everyone will get their turn." S. Ryuki addressed them, pinning Kirika down with his boot to her head."Now, let's start with the first death!"
"KIRI-CHAN!"
"NO! DON'T!"
"STOP IT!"
Out of nowhere, S. Ryuki was struck by a beam of water, knocking him back a few yards. He grabbed onto the attack, his flames extinguishing as the water engulfed him completely, forming a bubble that launched him across the forest.
"What?!" Raphael cried out in shock.
"Who did that?!" Prelati looked around.
"It's...it can't be..." St. Germain whispered, staring at the newcomer.
"I heard there was a party going on and no one invited me. You guys have no heart. But hey, I didn't come empty-handed."
Kirika felt someone lift her in bridal style and opened her eyes."No way...It's really you-desu!"
"I'm underage, so I can't buy alcoholic drinks."
Raising his fist in the air, holding Kirika close to him, Kamen Rider Abyss proclaimed."So I hope you guys don't mind I brought regular old water instead. Please excuse my intrusion. The prince has come to rescue the princess from evil."
Done with my midterms. I should be able to relax for a bit and upload more consistently. We'll see how it goes.