Urgent Author's note: I made a mistake with Angelo's hair! His hair is red, not black! Sorry for the confusion!
Author's note: First of all, happy holidays everyone! I know I said I was going to resume the story next year, but I'm just too excited to show you guys what XV is bringing along. It's going to be a rollercoaster of emotions. A lot more than AXZ. So be prepared, as we're nearing the end of the story. And yes, I'm sad to see we're in the penultimate season. But I'm glad I'm sharing this journey with you guys. Thank you for all of your support as it motivates me to keep writing more and more. Let's see this together to the very end!
On another note, I was wondering what you guys thought of an original ending for XV. Naturally, the last arc will get its own endings and openings, but what do you think of XV? I have a few good songs in mind, but of course, it's up to you guys. Let me know what you think.
Reviews:
FlameFireZero X: Oh, yeah. A lot is going to happen. I think it'll be as equally as chaotic as GX was, maybe even more. A lot of mixed emotions regarding Allister and Elsa. Since you know...he killed Takeru and separated a couple with a promising future. Yes, Verde will be absorbed. As for who will have it...let's leave that as a surprise.
Lord Ri The Husbu King: Yes, Hazuki has become a monster and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Now that we're getting closer to their season, they are becoming more active.
Tigracho: You're right. An ominous warning. I wanted to have Hajime go like "Not like it hasn't been full of despair as it has." But I think that would have been a little goofy lol. A good question. But a vague answer would be that they just stand on different scales in terms of the divine. What does this mean? We'll know later on in the story. And yes, the Hazuki and Miku's inner demons finally meet again. Kind of bittersweet, since their vessels are no longer together. Yes, Bragi is going to be struggling a lot. Up until now, everyone's been telling him that what Bragard did is not his fault, but how would he react when he has multiple victims of his father blaming him? They'll be tricky. In particular two of them. The other two will be strong as hell, but we'll see when we get there. But I'm also looking forward to when he meets Carol and the Autoscorers again. He's been dreaming of meeting his Mom and it will be one of the few sweet moments in this arc. We'll have a few light moments...when we can...But as you know, this arc is heavy. Already regular Symphogear XV is heavy as it is.
To be fair to poor Chris, Takeru's been dead for like a month and a half. She knows Takeru wouldn't want her to mop around every day because of him, but a person like him, who was there from day one when she was kidnapped by his people and gave up everything to save her, followed her with Fine and protected her until the day he died is hard to forget, like you said. She can still smile, and joke around, but when she thinks of him, she can't help but imagine the future they wanted to build. And for all of that to be taken away so suddenly, it stuck to her. And if you remember, all these deaths have been going on back to back. Goro, Chao, Andreas, Takeru. All last 3 all within the same year. But I like how you phrase it. She is trying to live her life to the fullest with her friends. Kind of like how Hajime is doing. Smile for those who are still there. The wound may never heal, but you have to keep moving forward for the ones that still need you. I got the whole Hajime proposal from the Takeru one. I like to think it's his way of paying respects to his friend since he considers him like a big brother. Yosuke too. He knows that their peace could be temporary, and now he knows that he has to respect the people who died and make sure their sacrifices are not in vain. To make sure the people they died protecting can still live. I always thought of the Symphogear as one big family. The only thing that was missing was all of them living in one apartment. But here, I think the sense of loss brings them even closer since they know they have to appreciate those around them since they can just die in the blink of an eye.
A little teaser, but a lot of people are going to reach their breaking point this season. Some out of guilt, some out of despair, some out of love. Surprisingly, this season probably has the most deathflags out of any other. Mainly because everyone is being hunted down. Maybe except for Hajime, although there is Yomi who wants to scrap with him. I think I did a good job of keeping the deaths a secret for now since it could literally be anyone. Though I guess at one point in the arc, the list narrows down. Yeah, Hamaguchi being the usual con artist that he is, and talking people into doing things. It's ambiguous whether he actually went down on Kirika or not since he has a bit of a liar streak to look cool. Maybe he did it just to give Hajime the push he did it. I enjoyed making this scene. Just two bros teasing each other. Hajime had a lot of big brother figures in the team and all of them kept pushing him to eventually land together with Hibiki. Now Hamaguchi did his part. Oof, I don't know if I want to hurt Hajime and Hibiki like that any time soon. But who knows? Maybe I'll wake up on the wrong side of my bed one morning lol.
I like this theory. Ventara was basically its own entity by itself and people worshipped it. It's been established that Ventara was at least a "threat" to Odin. A threat enough to want him to have his entire Patheon help him separate it into different pieces. What could have driven the Allfather to have to rely on his children for this? And what is he planning to do if he manages to kill either Hajime or Hazuki? Hazuki is in the same boat as Hajime. According to St. Germain and Raphael, there have never been 2 Messiahs in the same time period. So we still need to figure that out. If Hajime wins the war, what would this imply? Would he become something more than human? Maybe that's why Hazuki is so hellbent on doing so himself and creating his own world of "peace" where only he dictates what's good or bad. A singular, ultimate good. I think Odin can see glimpses of the future if I'm not mistaken. With the eye, at least. I'll have to do some research. I'm planning to do research on Odin lore for the final arc since we'll get his background and his motives. Hibiki may or may not play a big part in this, since she has the Deicide and could present a threat. But then again, the Gungnir once belonged to Odin himself.
Yeah, poor Tsubasa. It all starts and ends with a bloody concert with her. Up to now, she's been handling it because Yosuke is there, and as she said before, they carry the weight of their fallen comrades together. Goro was the last of their former friends. And now she's made new ones, but some of them have died. Like you said, they're all family, and when one of them dies, they feel it. Especially the older ones. Especially now that the DDV are upping their game and playing dirty. Using the same card Bragard once gave them and use copies of their consciousness to temporarily give life to the puppets of their friends' bodies. Who would have thought Takeru's romantic words would eventually bite him in the ass. It's kind of vile if you really think about it. Espeically for Takeru. Since he nearly killed Allister and died believing in his friends. Only to then be brought to life and be used as a weapon. Goro in particular, since he died way back. Right. I like this take. Things will only get scarier when we get the Helheim mixed in.
Lol. Yeah, the new Noble Red members are strong in their own rights. Only like 2 of them are super strong, while the other ones revolve around tricks. One of them is going to give SONG a lot of trouble soon. But right, Angelo is the strongest one. He's pretty much like what Hibiki was in the first season. A fusion of a Relic and a human, except in his case, is worse since the Relic he has was grabbed from Helheim, and eventually developed a life of his own in the form of a demon named Satan. One important thing is that Noble Red will most likely work with the DDV since they "work" for Fudo and whatnot. It's crazy how the DDV went from being subjected to Bragard to fighting on equal terms with the Bavarian Illuminati to working together with Noble Red. All that's left is them taking over. And how ironic, Allister found love and felt emotion in his heart after he destroyed a couple. It would be poetic if Chris killed Elsa, but you're right, I see her killing Allister instead since Elsa had no involvement in Allister killing Takeru. XV is going to end in a very weird way. Not as tragic as GX but not as happy as AXZ. It'll be interesting, that's all I can say. But it'll be the beginning of the final battle that will decide the fate of the world since the DDV's plans are nearing their end.
nickseverino8: Why are you so obsessed with the idea of the bleach ending and barro? I mean, the ending I'll consider, but no more OCs are going to appear.
SoutaAmetsuchi: Hazuki is definitely going from a victim of circumstance to a full monster. Yomi certainly does not make things easier.
stardrago: I'll tell you this right now, I'm not following the MCU at all. It's flawed as hell when it comes to mythology. I'm concentrating more on the actual mythology so I wouldn't follow the MCU's version to try and predict things lol.
Tenzalucard123: A lot of stuff is going to happen in XV. Three sides, and two of them fighting together. We'll see how our heroes deal with this problem.
Chapter 113
A Family Filled with Evil
Alternative ran for dear life, missing an arm and having a hole through his stomach. It was cold. Extremely so, and everything around him was dark with a grey mist. He turned around, regenerating his arm and aiming the tip of his Slashdagger behind him, firing azure flames at whatever was chasing him. The sound of demonic shrieks and screeches could be heard, but the sound of footsteps grew louder.
"Damn!" He flew into the sky, now exposed to the demonic entities in the air. Grotesque creatures that looked like something straight out of a Lovecraft story. Birds without eyes and gigantic mouths, butterflies with tentacles, headless dogs with bird wings, and much more. He thought he had seen enough trauma as it was. But this place was...something else. He quickly formed a sphere in his left arm with a positive sign."Positive Harmony Karma Orb!"
The sphere exploded in the air, pushing all the entities away and giving him a chance to breathe. He looked down and his face was drained of all color. It was a swarm of demons...creatures out of the comprehension of anyone, even an Alchemist such as himself.
"CAPTURE THE INTRUDER!" Bellowed the distorted female voice of someone from god-knew where."BRING HIM TO ME! ALIVE!"
Alternative decreased his gravity and boosted his speed, heading straight for the tallest structure in the hellish landscape. A giant tree with several branches, containing weird-shaped things attached to them."Those must be the fruits!"
Bragi quickly grabbed a fruit, tearing it open, and found nothing inside."What?! No Relic? So not all the fruits have a Relic inside?!"
He didn't want to think about it, but for the past minute, there's been a colossal being watching from the distance. It looked like a gigantic snake, and all it did was watch.'Why the fuck is it just watching?!'
A giant slug began climbing up the tree, its body covered in countless eyes that began shooting lasers at Alternative. He created a forcefield around himself, but soon enough, a horde of demons lunged at him. He couldn't deactivate the forcefield. If he did, he was probably going to be killed. So he continued flying up, shaking them off until they fell off the forcefield, deactivating it.
As soon as he did that, an oni-like creature leaped from one of the branches, wielding a sword made of flesh, and sliced off Bragi's right side. He cried out in pain, kicking the monster away but a flying board with the head of a lion rammed into him, crashing against the tree.
"REPEL!"
He pushed the creature off and flew around the tree for five seconds, which seemed eternal for him, and grabbed a total of 3 fruits. He then blasted away, hearing the endless army of demons beneath him, behind him, and above him. In the distance, he saw a humongous flying octopus, much like a Cthulhu, shooting laser beams at him. He maneuvered around the air, coming into an area surrounded by colossal monsters that attempted to grab him.
"FOUND YOU! YOU ARE MINE!"
He gasped, seeing a flying being covered in darkness with several horns protruding from its head flying straight to him. He could feel this thing was different than the rest. Its mere presence made him tremble. He quickly took out a vial and broke it, creating a small gate, but not before an eyeball with shark-like teeth bit into his leg, taking it with him back as the portal closed.
"Wow!" Tobias yelped when Alternative crashed against the wall, the gate turning off and returning to a door made of stone. He stabbed the creature with his blade, causing it to die and turn into ashes, and crushed the stone door with his gravity manipulation. Once he made sure nothing could follow him back, he heaved a long sigh, his transformation becoming undone as he panted for air."What happened?! What...was that thing...?!"
"Hell..." Bragi said, wincing as he regenerated his limbs."I...I can't even begin to describe it...It was absolutely mortifying...something out of a cosmic horror story..."
"I'm amazed you came out mostly unscathed." Came the booming voice of Thor that did not fit Tobias' small body.
"I lost count of how many times I died...If I couldn't regenerate, I'd be dead. How the hell did the Second go there and straight up not die?! I'm stronger than him and I barely managed!"
"What did you see?" Thor knelt in front of him.
"Horrible, unspeakable things. Things that should not be real under ANY circumstances...I felt something...something horrific chasing me just now...Something vile...Evil..."
"Must have been Hel. She's one of Loki's children as well as the ruler of Helheim."
"Children?"
"Loki had several children, but his most powerful ones were Hel, Sleipnir, Fenrir, and the most powerful of all, the World Serpent, Jormungandr. Sleipnir was captured by the Gods and turned into a relic, the one Raphael's horse donned. As for the other children, they were locked away and sealed in Helheim. Loki waged war against the wars with his children as well as the demons living in Helheim. Helheim is a place where not even I can go to and live for very long. It's a place of eternal suffering where all the condemned souls go and spend their eternity in agony. Though, I suspect that may have changed."
"Right. I saw all kinds of beasts there. Giants, onis, demons, and more. I suspect Helheim is one massive conceptual weapon, where all demons of every religion in the world live. All the terrors and fears people can imagine and turned into reality there, which would explain why there's a seemingly infinite amount of them there. We have a massive problem...I managed to use the Boy Wonder's concept of Link Vent and mine as well as the Co-Links to apply it to create our Divine Armaments. Much like Takeru-dono's. By using his Divine Power and connecting it with my energy as a connector, we can connect to all of the Riders, kind of like a circuit board. Which is how I was able to divine Takeru-dono's GigantoRailgun and split it into several pieces. Weapons capable of hurting Gods. But...even then, with this recent development, we have a big problem."
"Agreed...If the Disasters of Valhalla open up Helheim..."
"It would mean the end of all life on the planet. And there will be nothing the Boy Wonder, Hibiki-dono, me, or even you can do to stop it. The planet itself will be submerged into hell."
"Poke!"
Bragi jolted awake as he felt someone poke his cheek. It was Yumi, who was smiling at him with a friendly smile."Oh. Sorry. Did I snooze off?"
"Yup, you did it again. You've been spacing out a lot lately, huh? Hibiki's performance is about to begin! She has to pass this test or she will fail the grade! But since she gives me the most anime protagonist energy, then I'm sure she can do it!"
"Of course, she can. She's my girlfriend." Hajime said, leaning against the wall, pride evident in his voice. His eyes then landed on the monochrome-haired boy in front of him."That uniform does not suit you at all."
"Tch. I hate agreeing with you, but..." Bragi glanced down at his outfit. Currently, he was wearing the Lydian male uniform. After the whole mess with the Bavarian Illuminati and his trip to Helheim, Elfnein brought it upon herself to make sure he could attend school to at least get his mind off of things. Nightmares and night terrors became common for the boy, still imagining what he saw in that hellish landscape. It terrified him what could happen to the world if something like that became a reality. Of course, all of them were worried about this, but it's not like they could do anything about it. The Disasters were still in hiding, and they had no idea where they were.
Fortunately, he had managed to find a few things from the fruits he collected. Two Relics and half a Relic. Unfortunately, they had no information about them, and the investigation was going rather slowly.
"You have to attend school and that's an order! I want you to experience life and make friends, that will get your mind off of things!" Elfnein said, setting her foot down with authority as she brought out her inner Carol.
"School? Why school? I don't need school." He reasoned with her."I'm a genius. That's just going to be a waste of time."
"Don't underestimate what you can learn out in the world." She wagged her finger."Remember that you said you wanted to explore more of the world. This could be a perfect opportunity! I'm sure Carol would have agreed!"
"Why do you always use my Mama as a way to convince me..." He sighed, caving to her orders.
"Still, I can't say it matches your appearance either." He shot back with snark."Actually, nothing ever looks good on you."
"Oh, yeah, because a lot of things can match with someone with black and white hair and dichromatic eyes. I bet it must be a real pain in the ass for Elfnein-chan to dress you."
"My Auntie does not dress me! Stop treating me like a kid, Boy Wonder!"
"Then stop acting like one, hellspawn!"
"Can you both be quiet!" Kuriyo hissed, a finger against her lips."It's about to start!"
The boys seized their bickering to pay attention to Hibiki's singer. Hajime in particular found her song rather soothing. He'd heard her sing countless times on the battlefield, but it was a nice change of pace to hear her sing something calmer instead of her usual aggressive singing. It was like a lullaby.
"You gotta be the luckiest guy in the world to have her as a girlfriend, Hajime-kun," Shiori said.
"Yeah...I'm very lucky."
"But Bragi-kun doesn't fall behind." Yumi wagged her eyebrows."Miku seems to also have an admirer."
"W-what?! How do you know-" He covered his mouth, realizing that it was too late. He said it.
"Aw, look at him all flustered!" Yumi giggled, pinching his cheek."What a cute kohai you are. So honest with your feelings!"
"I'm not a kid." He muttered but didn't have it in him to upset her by pushing her hand away, so he swallowed his pride and let her continue.
"How old are you exactly?" Kuriyo asked."I mean, I know you're technically like 6 months old or something, right?"
"Turning 7 months old soon, yes. But biologically, I'm about 16."
"So you are younger than me, even in terms of physical appearance, huh?" Hajime said with a smug smile.
"On, don't you start, asshole." Bragi clicked his tongue.
Hibiki stopped singing, and the group waited patiently outside, fingers crossed.
The teacher took a deep breath before clasping her hands."Good job. You pass."
"Really?! Yay!" Hibiki began bouncing up and down, thrusting her arms forward with peace signs.
"Yes!" Hajime barged into the room, swooping Hibiki off her feet as he spun her around in his arms."You did it! I knew you could do it, Hibiki!"
"H-Hajime! You're embarrassing me!" Hibiki giggled, not at all wanting him to stop."Stop that, you're being silly!"
"Aw..." Miku cooed, but the teacher didn't share the sentiment.
"Hajime Adachi! Not on school grounds! Put her down!"
"Not on my bed either," Miku muttered to herself, glaring daggers at Hajime.
"R-right...Sorry, ma'am. I was just happy to see her pass. I'll control myself next time." Hajime rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"It's fine to be supportive of your girlfriend, but don't spoil her either." She said sternly."She still has plenty of skills to learn. And as her boyfriend, it's your job to make sure she doesn't fall behind."
"Right." He nodded solemnly."I'll continue helping her in any way I can."
"But still...I must admit, her song carries a lot of weight. I believe it's because she sings from the heart."
"The song in her heart, huh?" Hajime rolled his eyes.'It always comes back to you, huh, Fine...no, Ryoko-san.'
"With that said, I know you two have a lot going on behind the scenes, but do make sure to keep up with your studies and attend your exams on time." The teacher said, giving the couple a last smile before exiting the classroom.
"Alright. With that done, we can finally go out to buy Chris-san her gift." Miku said, standing up from her seat.
"Right. I-"
"HIBIKI-ONEE-CHAN!" Setsuna pushed the people by the door and ran to Hibiki, burying her face in her chest."I'm so sorry I missed it! I wanted to listen to your song too! I'm sorry!"
"It's okay! I can sing it to you later." Hibiki giggled, hugging her sister-in-law."Want to come with us to the mall?"
"Yes! Haji, buy me a lot of clothes, okay? And buy a lot of stuff for Hibiki-onee-chan too!"
"W-what...? I'm not made of money, you know..." Hajime deadpanned, already predicting his wallet would be much thinner by the end of the night.
"We need an extra boy to come along so he can carry out bags." Miku glanced at Bragi.
Yumi pushed him inside the room.
"Of course. I'd be...glad to be of assistance..." Bragi scratched his cheek.
"What a way to spoil the trip," Hajime grumbled.
"Fuck you."
"Nope! No arguing!" Setsuna planted her fists on her hips.
"Fine..." They both groaned.
"But first, maybe we should go get changed and take a quick bath," Miku said to Hibiki.
"Yeah, you're right. We can meet up in a few hours. It's only 4, after all."
"Sounds like a plan. Setsuna, go with Hibiki and Miku-san. You got a spare change of clothes in their room, right?"
"What? No, I don't." She averted her gaze, looking very suspicious
"Setsuna." He folded his arms.
"Okay, maybe I do...But where are you going, Haji?"
"I gotta be a quickstop. Pay my respects." He said cryptically. The girls didn't want to press on the matter, since they had a fair idea of what he meant.
"What about the three of you?" Hibiki asked her friends outside.
"We got something to do today. So have fun without us!" Yumi grinned.
"Alright. Then we should get going."
Hajime was about to grab Hibiki's hand, but Setsuna snatched it away from him.
"I'm taking her from you, Haji!" Setsuna stuck her tongue out and dragged Hibiki out of the room."She's mine for the taking! Setsuna wins!"
"S-slow down, Setsuna-chan!" Hibiki yelped, surprised at the strength behind such a small girl's grip.
"Heheheh. Your sister got the upper hand on you, Boy Wonder. She's a smart cookie."
"That she is..." Hajime deflated, slightly disappointed that Setsuna took Hibiki away before he could kiss her goodbye."Well, I'll see you guys later."
"Take care." Miku waved him goodbye. Bragi said nothing.
The group eventually went their separate ways, leaving the three girls talking among themselves in the classroom.
"Hey, there! I'm sorry for intruding, but are you the girls who performed that Electro Inspector Ban theme song half a year ago?"
The girls turned to see a young man with blonde hair and wild, blue eyes wearing a male uniform. They immediately blushed.
'He looks like a supermodel!'
"Ah, I apologize for intruding like this. I just saw a video of your performance half a year ago and I've been in love with it ever since. When I transferred to Lydian, I knew I had to find you."
"I think he means when I dressed up as a mantis..." Kuriyo muttered to her blonde friend, who hadn't stopped staring at the young man.
"Oh! That! Huh, I didn't know we were famous!" Yumi smirked confidently.
"You girls are. At least, I find you fascinating. You in particular." He pointed at Shiori.
"M-me...?" She gasped.
"Yeah. Your voice is captivating, and you were performing admirably, making sure the audience stayed entertained. Those are great qualities for a performer to have. Ah, of course. Where are my manners." He bowed elegantly, holding out his hat."My name is Yomi Kugisaki. Pleased to make your acquaintance after the fact."
"W-wait! Yomi Kugisaki! As in one of the Kugisaki Siblings?!" Yumi shrieked."No way! I'm a big fan!"
"Oh. I didn't know we were that well known to be known in a city like Tokyo." Yomi commented.
"No way! A hotshot is attending our school...?" Kuriyo covered her mouth, baffled.
"I'm not that great. My sister is the one who usually picks up the slack." Yomi reached for his hat, pulling out a rainbow rose and handing it to Shiori."For you."
Shiori was about to grab it, but the flower exploded into confetti, startling her. He winked, throwing his hat in the air and twirling around, grabbing it before pulling out another one, this time, placing it in her hands.
"Magic! I can't believe I'm seeing it up close!" Yumi couldn't hide the fangirl in her."I'm Yumi Itaba by the way!"
"I-I'm Shiori Terashima..."
"Kuriyo Ando!"
"Nice to meet you, like I said. It's nice to meet such lovely ladies who are incredible performers in their own right. I find your talent fascinating. Perhaps, you could even join us in one of our performances? I'm sure the public would be delighted to hear you sing. What do you think, Terashima-chan?"
"I-I-I..." Shiori blushed profusely, her heart going 100 kilometers per hour.
"We should hang out sometime. I apologize, but I have some business to attend to." He glanced down at his phone at a message Despia had sent him.
"I'm following him. I'll send you the location once I'm there."
Yomi smiled, turning on his heels before heading off.
"W-wait!" Shiori suddenly yelled, catching his attention.
"Yes?" Yomi said in a suave tone.
"W-w-w-would it be okay...if we switched contact information...I mean! So we can hang out, like you said!"
'Ah...seems like she's charmed already, huh? It never fails. She seems rather scrumptious. I can have some fun with her. And just in case, the other two seem equally invested. They can be my side pieces. But this one seems more fun to break.' He grinned internally, not at all how his fake charming smile on the outside appeared."Sure! I'd be my honor!"
"I've been expecting you, Noble Red."
Hazuki Kaburagi stood in the middle of the living room of their penthouse, allowing the group of people to enter the spacious apartment.
"Wow...I've never been to a penthouse before..." Amy marbled on top of Vanessa's shoulders.
"I guess it's not a surprise. Elsa's boyfriend is an assassin, after all. I hear they earn the big bucks." Psykos voiced his opinion. Currently, he possesses the body of a random student, turning his hair green, his sclera red and his pupils yellow.
"B-b-boyfriend...?" Elsa fidgeted, her cheeks flaring.
"So, you're the leader here?" Angelo marched up to Hazuki, standing taller than him.
"That's right. Though I guess Fudo Kazanari makes it look like Allister-san is in charge." The half-Liang mused."What about you? Are you the leader?"
"It's a fifty-fifty. Me and Vanessa are the ones in charge of our group." He jabbed his thumb at the tanned girl behind them.
Strike entered the room, wagging his tail in excitement at the new faces.
"Hey, why the hell did you let him out?" Terunosuked hissed at Allister, who was walking beside him. Mona trailed behind them, nervous to see people she had never seen before.
"Can't keep him locked up forever." Allister shrugged. His eyes immediately landed on Elsa, and she rushed to meet him in a hug. Due to the height difference, she reached up to his collarbone, which made it easier for him to rub her head."Hey, Ellie. How are you today?"
"I missed you..."
"We've only been apart for a few days."
"A few days plus most of our lives-de-arimasu." She countered, refusing to let go."I intend to make up for lost time."
"Allister-san, feel free to sit down with her. I'll talk things over with our new friends here." Hazuki nodded at his comrade.
"Sure. I appreciate that." Allister guided Elsa to his room, Strike following behind and barking at her.
Her instincts kicked in and she hissed at him, making the French assassin chuckle in amusement. Mona carefully followed behind them, curious to know who the girl was and why her foster father was so close to her.
"So, I take it you know the plan?" Hazuki asked.
"Yeah, we're supposed to retrieve whatever is in the sarcophagus they found, right?" Psykoed asked.
"That's right. But we can't get it directly. We'll let SONG handle it." Terunosuke nodded.
"I like that idea, handsome." Vanessa winked at the man."It's better to let others handle these types of things."
The dark-haired man did not bother to acknowledge her response and clicked his tongue."I appreciate the flattery, but it won't get you anywhere with me. My heart belongs to someone else.
"I'm surprised to know Fudo Kazanari has a Rider Unit in his back pocket. You'd think it'd be enough for him to have the ones in SONG. But I suppose, being the man that he is, he prefers to keep you around since you can operate in the shadows." Angelo remarked, choosing to ignore the previous conversation.
"That's right. And...hold on, what's up with her?" Hazuki pointed at the pastel-colored hair girl in the bag, who was breathing heavily and blushing profusely.
"Oh my god, they're so hot! Elsa-chan has a femboy for a boyfriend and the blonde kid looks like an idol! Please, join my harem! I'll treat you very well!"
"Ignore this horny brat. She's going through puberty." The vampire-girl cringed.
Reina snarled."I don't want to hear that from you! Look at how short the skirt you're wearing is! Are you trying to seduce every man you come across, including my brother? Well, not on my watch, you bastardo (bastard)!"
"Bastardo?! Stop speaking Italian, dumbass!" Millaarc screamed, towering over her petite figure.
"Learn a little Italian, puttana (bitch/whore)! You gonna have to learn if you want to progress with my brother, which I do not approve of!"
"Putanna?! Okay, that I understood, you little shit!"
"Of course you do, you worthless whore! That's what you are!"
"Enough! Mio Dio (My God!)!" Angelo threw his arms up in exasperation."Why are you always arguing?! Enough already!"
"Why?! I'll tell you why, my dear Fratellino. It's because..." She walked up to Millaarc and grabbed her breasts, making her shriek in shock."She's got such an indecent body! Look at her boos! And looks at her thick thighs! She's practically got a killer body! But me...I'M A STICK! I'M ALL SKIN AND BONES, DAMN IT! NO WONDER I'M NOT GETTING ANY SEXY, MUSCULAR MEN! I'M A BOARD! IT'S NOT FAIR! I WANT BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! BOYS!"
Hazuki and Terunosuke deadpanned at the whole scene, completely taken out of the situation by...whatever this was.
"The hell are we watching?" Terunosuke whispered.
"Who knows?" Hazuki whispered back, equally perplexed.
"Now, now. Calm down, Reina." Vanessa walked up behind her, rubbing her shoulders."No reason to get so worked up about that."
"Easy for you to say! Your breasts are huge too!"
"But they're fake. And you don't see me complaining." Vanessa said with a gentle smile."Listen, Reina-chan. You're still young. You're what, 15 years old? You'll hit your growth spurt eventually. And I bet you'll be the most beautiful and well-endowed girl in the world."
"You really think so...? Okay, if you're positive, I'll believe you!"
"I can't believe you'd embarrass us like that..." Psykos rubbed his temples."Have some self-restraint for heaven's sake."
"We apologize for that." Vanessa bowed slightly."As you can see, we can be a little rowdy. But that's how families are, right?"
"Families?" Hazuki arched a brow.
"We're one dysfunctional family. But we're happy like that." Amy said."Angelo and Reina are siblings, but they are not blood-related. They've been together since they were little kids back in Italy."
"That's right." Vanessa nodded."But I firmly believe that family is more complicated than a mere connection through blood."
"Huh," Terunosuke mumbled, but the green-eyed woman heard him.
"Did I say something wrong?" She tilted her head.
"No, nothing." He trailed off."You just...What you said reminded me of someone I know."
"Why are you doing this?" The red-haired asked the blonde."I mean, we're doing this so we can be normal humans again. But you..."
"We want to get rid of all evil in the world. And...well, I am on board with helping Fudo retrieve that sarcophagus as a personal favor for a...close friend of mine. Let's leave it at that."
Meanwhile, Elsa and Allister were holding each other, sitting on the young assassin's bed. She held onto his frame tightly, afraid of letting go, while he rested his head on her head."Are the ears real?"
"O-oh..." She immediately covered the top of her head."You noticed...I went through several experiments, thanks to that monster Bragard and the Illuminati. I'm sure you think I'm a monster now-de-arimasu..."
"Monster, huh? Look at me, Elsa."
She did so, and she noticed black marks appearing on his skin before it turned grey, his sclera turned black and grew two horns from his head and his teeth turned blood-red. She gasped, taken aback by the drastic change in appearance after activating the Divine Power in him."W-what...what happened to you...?"
"It's okay. I'm still human. But I became a monster for the sake of peace. To save the world from all evil." He gently grabbed her hands, brushing them with care."Maybe to others, we're monsters, but who the hell cares what they think? To me, you're Elsa. My beloved Elsa. Nothing else matters to me. So don't be afraid to show me what you look like. Because I look way worse than you could ever do."
His appearance returned to normal.
She sighed, unfolding her wolf ears, embarrassed."You...you like me this way...?"
"Do you like me? Despite becoming an assassin and becoming a monster?"
"I can't believe you actually went through with it..." She mumbled, nuzzling against his neck."Why...?"
"It was either that or dying. You know what my situation was. Plus, I was hoping I could help you too. But...I went through several experiments of my own. My emotions...I stopped knowing what they felt like. I went to look for you, but you weren't there."
"What about my relatives...?"
"I killed them. Do you resent me for it?"
"No...I would have done it myself. I suffered so much because of them..." She began to shake, and he tightened his embrace on her.
"It's okay. We both went through a lot. You suffered a lot. I took...a lot of lives. I never gave it any thought. But recently, I've started to. And when I saw you again, I felt like I found what I was missing. I realized I always had emotions. I just didn't know. I couldn't recognize them. Because I was meant to be the perfect assassin. That's how Fudo-san sees me as. But...I'll always be Allister Albedo. Not Code Cypher. But...I guess...After all the lives I took, maybe I don't deserve to be happy."
"I don't care...I want you to be happy too. I want us to be happy again-de-arimasu. Like how we were when we were kids."
"I love you, Ellie."
"I...I love you too, Alli."
Allistered, gently brought Elsa closer to him, and leaned forward. She blushed profusely, closing her eyes and pursing her lips. Their lips connected, and both childhood friends kissed, melting in each other's arms. Allister rubbed her wolf ears, causing her to purr, her ears wagging.
'It's weird...Why am I like this? Back then, I would have never even...thought of this...' Allister pondered in his mind, feeling all these emotions rushing into his heart.'Could it be...Takeru influenced me more than I thought...? Did absorbing his power...change my mind? Or was I always like this...?'
Suddenly, they heard a burst of giggles from outside. The door swung open, and Mona was being tickled by Strike, who kept licking her hands."Oh...I...I'm sorry, I-"
"Ah. Mona-chan. Perfect time." Allister smiled, beckoning the girl over."Ellie, I want you to meet my daughter. Mona-chan, this is Elsa Bete. My girlfriend. So that makes you mother and daughter!"
"MOTHER/DAUGHTER?!"
Hajime entered the training grounds he had visited months ago when he was training with Chao-Xing. The Liang compound was as deserted as it had been. But he kept the tradition of keeping it clean and making sure the vegetation didn't make it into the inside. Despite Bragard being alive somewhere, he didn't see the souls of the people who died as he once did. Were they at peace? Or were they haunting Bragard? He couldn't answer those questions. He sat down in front of the tree by the makeshift small waterfall.
"Hey, Chao. Or Haruka. I guess you never liked that name either, huh? Sorry for not visiting you in a while. I've been busy with school and all." He smiled, brushing his hand on the grass."We're taking care of Wei for you. He's a good kid. I think he has a crush on Shirabe. You know, they look oddly similar. If her hair was darker, Shirabe could be your twin sister. Or something like that. Liang's genetics is still a mystery to me. I mean, Setsuna doesn't have pink eyes or raven hair, after all."
"Everyone else misses you too. I used to blame myself for your death. But now I know I did what I could. And there was nothing I could do at the moment. But I have to keep moving forward, right? I still have people that need my help. People I care about. So, like a Liang, I'll stand proud and protect them. Because that's what you did for me."
Then he felt something. Someone had entered the building. He narrowed his gaze at this since he didn't recognize the Chi of the person. Whoever they were, they were sprinting inside and heading to where he was.
"Sorry. I guess our conversation will be cut short." Hajime apologized, standing back on his feet. The door to the training area opened, and a blonde girl with icy blue eyes wearing the Lydian Academy female uniform entered. She was sporting what looked to be a cape behind her."Who are you? I guess you're not the typical case of getting the address confused since this whole area is restricted."
Despia said nothing, slowly circling Hajime.
"I don't want to fight you." Hajime frowned."Come on, aren't you going to say something?"
Despia, of course, said nothing and lunged at him.
"I guess not!" Hajime put his arms up, taking a battle stance. Despia leaped in the air, going for a spin kick which he easily blocked. She attempted to go for another one, but he ducked out of the way with relative ease. She covered her face with her cape, revealing countless feathers that obscured his vision.
"What the fuck?! What is this cheap trick?!" Hajime grumbled, weaving his head to avoid Despia's swift punches.
"It's not a trick. It's magic."
He grabbed Despia's fist, twisting her arm and glancing at where the voice came from. Yomi was standing there, with a wide grin as he watched the battle."Feel free to have some fun, Despia."
"You...guys are twins." Hajime assumed this due to their uncanny similarities.
"Hahahaha! Very perceptive! You catch on quickly. But it's not like she's just me with long hair and boobs or anything like that." He said with a derisive tone.
"You seem to be the talkative one." Hajime kicked Despia away as she gathered her bearings, rubbing her arm."Mind if you start explaining things? Who are you guys and why are you here? This seems a little too organized to be a mistake."
"Man, that's such a boring question." Yomi sighed, resting his arm on Despia's shoulder."Despia, go have some fun. I want to watch this treat before I jump in."
"Do you always attack people without saying absolutely why?"
"Hey, in her defense, my sister is a mute." He grinned, patting Despia on the back. The young woman dashed at him, covering her body with her cape and taking out a baton. She swung her weapon at him, but the prodigy of the Liang clan blocked her arm, kicking her legs and dropping her to the ground. She growled, trying to sweep him off his feet, but he jumped back. She jumped back to her feet, hot on Hajime's trail as she continued swinging her baton, only to have every attack blocked.
"Impressive. He's blocking her arm and avoiding hurting himself by blocking the baton itself." Yomi observed with great interest."Not bad, cousin. Not bad."
Despia let out a silent scream of frustration, lunging at Hajime. But this was her mistake. He spun around and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick against her sides, launching her across the room toward Yomi. He sidestepped, Despia's body crashing her first against the wall, knocking her out.
"What the hell! Why didn't you catch her!" Hajime cried out in bewilderment.
"Oh, you're so great. I knew it. I felt it when I laid eyes on you." Yomi adopted a battle stance."I've always wanted to fight you."
"If that's the case, why didn't you go first?" Hajime asked, his eyes glued to the unconscious girl on the ground, worried for her safety.
"You might think this is weird, but I'm the kind of person who prefers to leave his most delicious dessert for last. I like to edge myself for these kinds of things. It gets me..." He shivered in anticipation."...excited."
"Yeah, you're weird as fuck for that."
Yomi just chuckled."Ah, don't be like that. Now..." He licked his lips slowly."Let's have a little taste."
Hajime scowled, readying himself for the second fight. Yomi wasted no time and ran up to him, catching him off guard with his speed.'He's faster than his sister!'
'I'll have to keep my runes turned off. I don't want to reveal my lighting magic just yet.'
He went for a low kick, forcing Hajime to block with his knee. He spun around, mimicking Hajime's roundhouse kick, but the raven-haired teen blocked it with his arm, shoving Yomi back before going for a kick. Yomi arched his back, watching as the leg went past him in slow motion. An elbow struck Hajime in the back, earning a groan of pain from the teen, but he made this up by backhanding Yomi across the face. The youth was sent staggering back, chuckling madly with a sadistic grin.
Then something... weird happened. It was brief, but Hajime could see some kind of wheel behind Yomi, spinning once before it disappeared. He shook his head, thinking this was just his mind playing tricks on him. Yomi smirked, zigzagging over to Hajime and throwing him off.'He's faster?! Guess I can up the ante a little bit too then!'
He jumped over to Hajime, going for a right hook which hit Hajime's jaw, causing him to stumble back, He went for a kick, but the amber-eyed boy twirled around it, going for a horizontal chop, but the blonde bucked his knees, avoiding the attack. He rested his arms on the ground, raising his leg to go for a kick, narrowly missing Hajime's chin had he not taken a firm step back at the last second. He grabbed his leg, pulling on it and forcing him to eat dirt. He raised his leg, attempting to stomp his back, but the magician was fast and rolled out of the way. He jumped back to his feet, throwing both of his fists at Hajime and forcing him to grab them. He smirked, jumping and going for a double kick, causing Hajime to gasp in pain. He landed on the ground, but Hajime was already on top of him, kicking him across the face and sending him skidding across the ground.
"Yes...Yes! Very good!" He smiled in a demented manner, wiping his bloody lip as he picked himself off the ground. Hajime heaved a sigh, rubbing his aching stomach. Yomi closed his eyes, his mind processing the recent clash with Hajime, he slowly began to take a battle stance, absorbing the information he just received, feeling every blow he felt, until he perfectly copied Hajime's stance."I haven't had this much fun in a long time. You really are perfect."
'This is bad...He's getting stronger as he fights. At an alarming rate too. Damn, I really need to get going. Guess I can't afford to hold back against him.'
'He's good. He's just like me. He gets stronger the more he fights. I guess Wei was right about him. He is a prodigy. But then again, I am even more special than he is.' Yomi smirked, ready to scrap again.
To his shock, Hajime moved insanely fast and before he could react, slammed his fist against his chest, sending him skidding across the ground.'He was holding back! He was holding back this whole time!'
'I'm ending this right here and now!" Hajime yelled, charging up his punch, inches away from Yomi.
'Ah...I can't dodge that. And I don't feel like getting knocked out just yet. I'd hate to be forced to answer unnecessary questions. I can't afford to blow his cover, after all.'
Yomi grinned from ear to ear."You're not bad at all...cousin!"
Hajime's fist stopped an inch away from Yomi's face, creating a gust of wind from the shockwave of the attack."Cousin...? What do you mean...?"
"Exactly what it sounds like." Yomi took a few steps back, enjoying Hajime's confused expression.
"Can you start explaining already?" He said after going through the initial shock.
"Fine. I suppose you've earned it. That was a good spar, so I can entertain you for a bit. My name is Yomi Kugisaki. The sleeping beauty over there is my twin sister, Despia. Wei told us a lot about you and we just had to meet you. As you can probably guess, we're half Liangs, just like you. Little unwanted halfbreds."
"I guess that explains why you're so tough. You're like me, then."
"Something like that. Wei sought us out and we couldn't help but feel moved by his words to fix the mistakes his family did to those like us." Yomi splayed his hands."So we brought it upon ourselves to help a bit. But I was curious to meet you and fight you. I heard you were pretty strong. And I'm not disappointed."
"Right back at you...But still, you went the worst way possible to ask me for a spar. For instance, you couldn't have followed me to sacred grounds, put your sister in danger by throwing her at me when I thought you guys were strangers, and just fucking ask."
"Sacred grounds? Cousin, cousin. We're family here. This place...is our place too. We're similar, you and I. I can tell. We're both men who pursue what they want. Our desires."
"And what is it that you want?"
"I just want to have fun, that's all. I want to have fun and fight strong people. I've been itching so badly for this kind of release...Life is so fragile, we gotta be able to enjoy ourselves a bit in the pleasures of life, right? You're so lucky, though..."
"Lucky?"
"You're a Kamen Rider. I bet you go through all sorts of incredible missions and fight all sorts of opponents. Ah~! Just thinking about it sends chills down my spine. You're so lucky to have been a chosen Rider. I envy you."
"Envy...me...?" Hajime's mind flashed through all of his friends, the countless battles and hardships they endured, as well as the people who died in their line of duty. He clenched his fists."What can you possibly envy me about?! You have no idea what any of us have been through! It's not as easy as to play superhero and save the day! We lost a lot of people to make it this far! If you were a Rider, you could have lost your sister!"
"Yeah. That'd be sad, I guess." Yomi shrugged nonchalantly, making Hajime's stomach drop."But hey, it's all part of the experience. Think of everything you've been through that made you this strong. You guys are all standing on the corpses of your friends. If you ask me, that's beautiful. Like I said, I envy you. Losing those close to you is a small price to pay to have that kind of awesome life. Hell, I'd let my family die if I could get what you have. I guess one man's trash is another one's treasure, after all."
"I'm done talking to you," Hajime said with a cold tone, surprising the adrenaline junkie.
"Huh? Done?"
"I'm not going to fight you. What you just said...it's disgusting. You have no respect for anyone. Not even your own flesh and blood. I'm not going to fight someone like you."
"Huh?! The fuck do you mean you're not going to fight me?!" Yomi walked up to his face, snarling."You can't just pussy out!"
"I just did. I'm done fighting."
"Like hell you are!" Yomi swung his fist, striking Hajime's face. However, he remained steadfast with a calm expression on his face. He threw a few more punches until eventually Hajime spat blood in his face. He wasn't going to swing back.
"So, you're really not going to fight back, huh?" Yomi asked again.
"I said no. I can't believe you would say something so heartless like that."
"Is it really that serious? Isn't it normal for humans to want to experience the best life they can? You're depriving yourself. Who cares about what's right or wrong, Hajime? Life doesn't give a shit about that. You think people care if you live a selfless life? Of course not. People live according to their own desires. They could give less of a shit about what you think or do. That's why I aim to do what I want and live how I want. Take the opportunity to enjoy this fragile life of mine and do the most that I can to enjoy it. It's just human instinct, you know?"
"Do you even realize how insane you sound? What the hell is the point of wishing for senseless bloodshed?"
Yomi sighed, placing a hand on Hajime's shoulder.."I guess you just don't get it. Maybe you just need a little more convincing. At first, I didn't get it either. But now I understand. What it truly means to be alive. Do you think the world cares if people have a good point or not for what they do? Keep that bravado up and you will break eventually."
"You can say whatever you want." Hajime swatted his hand away."But nothing you say will make me doubt how I feel."
"No matter what happens?" Yomi asked, leaning closer until their faces were inches from each other.
"No matter what."
Yomi adopted a thoughtful expression, taking a step back as he paced around Hajime arms folded. He eventually stood in front of him again before a wide grin graced his features."You got it then!"
"Huh?"
"Then let's see if this fragile sense of justice of yours is as big as your reputation!" Yomi said with a jolly tone."If there's a point, any reason at all...would you fight me then?"
"I won't know until the time comes..." Hajime said carefully.
"HELL YEAH!" Yomi practically leaped into the air, fist bumping the air with glee."Yes! I got myself a date with the 'Strongest!'."
"What are you-"
"All I have to do is give you a reason to want to fight me." Yomi said with a devious smile."Sounds easy enough. Very well! Let's part ways for today! I'll see you around school, cousin!"
Yomi started to walk for a bit, but then turned around and marched, standing right in front of Hajime's face."Make no mistake though. You will regret what you just said. I can promise you that."
Hajime said nothing, furrowing his brow as they stared into each other's eyes.
"Well! See you!" Yomi turned on his heels, heading to pick up his sister. He holstered her over his shoulder, sparing Hajime one last glance."You should really stop being so ignorant, Hajime. People like you and me... don't deserve a happy ending. So let's make the most of our lives while we can."
"What do you mean...?"
"The Liangs and by extension, the Hyperions, are all families of evil. Tainted by evil and born from evil. How do you think the Liangs made it over to Japan and stood on equal footing with the Kazanaris? Do you think they asked nicely? Of course not. And the Hyperions are even worse. You should know. After all, you know some of them."
Hajime's lips thinned at the implication."Evil?"
"Yeah. You'll find out soon enough. That we're...the origin of all evil. If you need proof, look at this vacant compound, once filled with life. And now is a ghost town."
With those ominous words, Yomi took Despia and exited the area. Hajime glanced down at his hand, not knowing how to feel about anything he said. He shook his head. It didn't matter. He would stand by his words no matter what. He dusted his clothes off and headed for a quick shower at home.
Unbeknownst to him, a masked man observed him from afar, holding a case of documents.
"I can't believe you got into a fight!" Hibiki fussed over Hajime's bruises, rubbing his face gently."You poor thing...Your face is all bruised..."
"It's fine. Just...saw someone in trouble and I had to jump in." He felt bad lying to Hibiki, but he didn't want to alarm her with Yomi's sudden appearance. He was a little crazy, but it didn't feel good to say anything about him. Wei was the one who brought him along, after all. And it was true, they were all similar. Just like him, he was a half Liang, and he suffered the same prejudice as his own family had.'Maybe we started on the wrong foot...'
"You haven't gotten in a street fight ever since I met you. Please tell me you're not going back to doing that." She said with a stern tone.
"I'm not! I promise!" Hajime assured her, raising his arms in defense.
"If you want us to believe you, then you better buy us more nice things!" Setsuna declared, handing him her bags. He was currently carrying Setsuna and Hibiki's bags, serving as essentially a mule for the girls he loved the most in his life.
"I'm almost out of money!"
"At least we were able to find Chris-san a nice birthday present," Miku said, holding a small packet in her hands. Like Hajime, Bragi was serving as Miku's mule, carrying her bags.
'Deja vu.' Hajime adopted a sad smile, reminiscing of when they were in a similar situation in Okinawa, but instead of Hazuki, Bragi was the one carrying Miku's things.
"I hope she likes it."
"I'm sure she will. We put a lot of thought into it." The five of them walked past a billboard that contained the news on the negotiations between the Japanese government and the US, along with a collaboration in building a new Moon-bound rocket.
"They got a lot of nerve after trying to nuke us like that," Bragi muttered with disdain.
"It's best if they try to mend bridges, Bragi-kun." Miku said, trying to calm him down."We wouldn't want our countries in constant conflict."
"Again with the moon?" Hajime sighed."Somehow, it always starts and ends with the moon."
"Because the moon is romantic!" Setsuna proclaimed, raising her finger and pointing at the moon."And you want to know what else is romantic?! The ferris wheel! Let's go there!"
Setsuna hummed happily to herself, sitting between Miku and Hibiki.
"I get we're all enjoying ourselves and whatnot, but..." Bragi and Hajime were sitting as far away from each other as they could."Why the hell do I have to sit next to the Boy Wonder?"
"Did you want to sit with me?" Miku teased him with a giggle.
"I-I mean, it's just...The Boy Wonder stinks up the place." Bragi pinched his nose, glaring at Hajime.
"They better get a new seat because you contaminate everything you touch." Hajime shot back.
"Hajime." Hibiki said sternly.
"Bragi-kun," Miku said, her expression serious.
They huffed, crossing their arms and looking away."Sorry..."
"Well, at least they're not at each other's throats anymore..." Miku sighed, rationalizing that this outcome wasn't so bad."Now that everything is settled down and we can live normally, they've had time to work out their differences."
"Yeah. Life is pretty ordinary right now. So we can relax and live like regular teenagers for a change. It feels weird." Hibiki giggled.
"Weird? Think about how it feels to me!" Bragi threw his arms in the air."This is all new to me. School is a piece of cake, but so many people try to spark conversations with me and it feels weird. But...I suppose peace is not something I'm accustomed to either."
"It's nice. Considering all the shit we went through." Hajime allowed himself a small smile."But I know times of peace won't stop you from helping others, right, Hibiki?"
"Of course not!" She gave him a peace sign with her fingers.
"That is true. That's one of her best qualities." Miku smiled."If I was in trouble, would you come and save me?"
"What kind of question is that?! Of course, I would!"
"And what about you, Bragi-kun?"
"Naturally."
"Faster than the speed of light, right?!" Hibiki grinned goofily.
"It's theoretically impossible..." Bragi scratched his head."But we can work something out, no problem."
"But then...what if I was the one causing trouble?" She said, catching all of them off guard.
Setsuna tilted her head, confused at the unexpected question."Miku-san?"
The group fell into an uncomfortable silence, the boys exchanged glances, not knowing what to say. Realizing how awkward things got, Miku quickly elaborated.
"It's just a hypothetical! No need to take it so seriously!"
Hibiki pouted, playfully hitting her arm."You can't just ask something like that! It's not fair!"
"You're just taking it too seriously!" Miku giggled.
"But...if it does come to happen, hypothetically speaking..." Bragi spoke up, earning their full attention."Then I would save you. No matter what it takes."
"Bragi-kun..." Miku blushed at his words."Thank you..."
"Seems like you're the one taking it too seriously after all." Hajime laughed, much to the hybrid's chagrin.
"See?! I told you Ferris Wheels were so romantic!" Setsuna beamed.
"But you're just third wheeling."
"I am not! I am here with my two parents and my good friends!"
"Parents?!" Hibiki and Hajime gasped, their faces turning deep red.
"Yes!"
Bragi and Miku laughed at their exchange, finding it a heartwarming scene. Even the hybrid had to admit it touched his heart. However, before they could carry on, they heard an explosion go off in the distance.
"What the fuck just happened?!"
Setsuna held onto Hibiki, trembling like a leaf.
"Let's get down and get you to safety, Miku-san, Setsuna."
They quickly rushed out of the mall as a car screeched to a stop in front of them. Ogawa pulled down his window."Get on! All of you!"
Yomi sat on top of a rooftop with Despia and Nightmare, watching the explosion in the distance. The girl had her head wrapped up in bandages after suffering a concussion from the hard blow to her head and was still unable to move properly.
"Seems like things are finally heating up." He said, admiring the view."Finally, after waiting for so fucking long, this shit is getting fun!"
Nightmare walked up to him, handing him the documents he had stolen from the Liang compound.
"Glad to see you got them. I guess I did a good job at distracting Hajime, huh? It sucks that I had to hold back. With the amount of punches I got on him, I could have discharged one of my attacks and blown his brains out. Not like anyone can do anything about them. They're as fast as the speed of lightning, after all. But he was holding back too. Severely. I have a lot of room to improve before I can force him to use his full power on me." He said, taking the documents and skimming through them."Still, how stupid can he be to never check those rooms in that place? I'm surprised not even Wei knew. Guess Chao-Xing-chan must have kept this close to the chest as much as possible. But now we can connect the dots, given what we know of Fudo Kazanari. Who would have thought the Kazanaris and Liangs were on such bad terms that Fudo Kazanari would authorize Bragard's massacre of the Liang clan and sweep it under the rug."
He turned to Nightmare, smacking the papers against the masked man's face, receiving no response."But I guess you would know everything about that, wouldn't you?"
Nightmare, again, remained unresponsive.
"I'm just kidding big guy. Just stick around with us, and we'll show you a good time." Yomi patted him, on the back, jogging over to the edge of the building."I don't give a shit about the Liang clan and all those poor dead bastards. But we should teach the Kazanaris a little lesson in humility, wouldn't you guys agree? Hazuki said it himself. Fudo doesn't know about us. Wei doesn't seem to want in on this, so let's do this. The 3 Amigos. Let's meddle with some of Fudo's work. As long as we don't kill too many of them it should be fine. Of course, we can't kill Elsa-chan. I actually like Allister-san, so for his sake, we can let her live."
Despia looked up, confused as to what her brother meant. Nightmare remained as still as a statue.
He turned around to face them, a crazed look on his face as a wheel of electricity appeared behind him, rotating once with a clink."So let's have fun and take the world! The apocalypse is coming anyway so who the fuck cares?! What's right and wrong? Ah, those are just some stupid concepts. The world is meant to be free of rules, morality, and boredom. A world of anarchy...now that sounds perfect."
"Oh, Hajime...You'll be my dessert. In the meantime..." Yomi's fists crackled with electricity in pure excitement."I'll have some fun with the appetizers. I'll break you in due time. And then I can fight the 'Strongest'."
"And...maybe one more day...find out what truly is the secret of the Liang...and the Hyperion family."
And there we go. We're starting XV strong and it only goes up from here. Get ready because this is going to be a wild ride!