Part 1:
An inevitable disaster approaches, but suddenly...
Chapter 12:
The Priestess, The Princess, and The Power within
Kana and Serena's POV:
Destroyed Lydian
(Alight begins to play)
Kana and Finé clash, the former of which is giving her all to ensure the victory that her friends sacrificed themselves to achieve. "Despite the fact your little secret came out, you still try and defend a world that isn't yours." Finé says, "You really are something else, you know that?"
"I must admit, I'm surprised you could tell that I was different from everyone else." Kana remarked, "But I have to ask, what gave me away?"
Finé chuckles, "You mean other than the fact your Gear was created by someone other than myself?" She retorts, Kana nodding in response, "The Durandal mission. When Hibiki went to use Durandal's full power on Chris, I noticed something, you. You didn't just sprint to save her, from my perspective, it was as if you flew."
"So you noticed me use my Dragon wings to save Chris-san at the last moment?" Kana asked, "And here I was thinking no one would notice through Durandal's bright light."
"At first I didn't, but then, I did some research while you were away from the Astral Plane and found a shining stone similar to that of your Gear." Kana is shocked by this. She knew her extra dragonstone that her father gave her went missing, but she never thought it'd be in Ryoko's possession. "However, while this stone didn't possess the same power as your Yato, it had a power to it unlike anything I've seen before."
This causes Kana to remember an interaction she had with Ryoko a week ago.
"Kana-chan! Just the girl I'm looking for!" Ryoko exclaimed.
"What's up Ryoko-san?" Kana asks.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but I was hoping if I could study your Yato a bit more?" Ryoko asks. "That is, if it's okay with you."
"I mean, the more you know about them, the better it'll be for Section Two, so I don't see why not." Kana says, handing her Gear to the scientist. "Just please give it back when you're done."
"I only need one day if that's alright with you." Ryoko says, getting a nod from Kana.
"So that's why you wanted to see my Gear." Kana realizes.
"Exactly." Finé answers, "Upon further study of your Gear, I was able to realize something. While it wasn't by my hand, the handiwork greatly reflected my own. Whoever gave you this, somehow got their hands on my research." Finé starts to show frustration towards Kana and her many secrets, "Tell me, who gave you this Gear and how in the hell did they find my research!"
"If my hunch is right, I'm sure it's that same man you kept going on about in your story about the Curse of Balal." Kana answers vaguely, mouthing his name as to keep him secret to anyone else, causing Finé to lash out at Kana once more. "Your frustration tells me I might be on the right track. But I must ask, who was he to you?"
Finé recomposes herself as best as her rage to Kana and the others would allow her before answering. "Since ancient times, I have served Him as His priestess." she says, "Then one day, I fell in love with Him... with the Creator God. But my heart could never reach His. The words that I wished to say to Him were stolen from me... no, from all of mankind. The Curse of Balal robbed us of our common tongue that allowed us to communicate with the Creator God. For millenia, I have tirelessly worked to break that curse, so one day I could use that common tongue once more to tell Him my true feelings."
"All this... just to say how you feel?" Kana asks. "Gonna be honest, I was expecting something more... vengeful."
"You're questioning my motivations?!" Finé barks, "You don't even know how it truly feels to be in love!"
"As if someone as self-centered as yourself would?!" Kana barks back, "I may not have lived thousands of years, but at least I lived long enough to know the feeling truly!"
Finé snaps, lashing out at Kana, who has no choice but to block the strikes from Finé as they overwhelm her. However, the onslaught suddenly stops, in its place stood a bright light and a voice along with it.
"Seilien coffin Airgetlám tron"
(Dareka no Tame no Hikari begins to play)
Serena had jumped in just in time to save her younger sister, using her daggers to force Finé back. "Serena? You're still injured. What are you doing?" Kana asked.
"Just because you landed a few strong hits on me doesn't mean I can't fight anymore." Serena answers, "Let me take over for a bit, in the meantime, go help Hibiki-chan!" While against leaving her sister alone with Finé as she was, she did want to make sure Hibiki was fine. Hesitantly, Kana nodded and left to help Hibiki.
"Great, first the imposter, now the thief." Finé says, visibly annoyed, but confusing Serena, "I'm not sure how you managed to activate it, but I know the original wielder of that Gear died years ago."
"What are you talking about?" Serena asks.
"Don't act dumb!" Finé retorts, "When you showed up with the Airgetlám Gear in your possession, I had to do what research I could to find out how that was possible. Upon said research, I found that the original wielder gave her life to stop an out of control relic. So tell me, who gave that Gear to you and how were you able to wield it?"
"Out of control relic?" Serena says to herself, before receiving a flash of her memories: Herself standing in front of a giant beast singing her Superb Song. "All I remember was being saved by Kana in a burning building before waking up in the Astral Plane."
"A likely story." Finé interjects, "I've just about had it with your whole amnesiac act. So either you tell me the truth or it'll die with you!"
"It's the truth!" Serena retorts, "When Kana and Lilith saved me, I had no clue who I was. But, if you're saying you knew about this girl's death, then surely you know something about who I was!"
Finé scoffed at Serena's claim, "'Who I was'? What the hell are you going on abo-" Just then, Finé realizes something, causing her to laugh like crazy, "I see now. So the Airgetlám wasn't stolen, its wielder was." Finé exclaims. "How did something so obvious go straight over my head?"
"What are you talking about?" Serena asks.
"It doesn't matter." Finé answers, "You'll be dead regardless, so telling you anything would be worthless." Finé resumes her assault on Serena, leaving the latter with no choice but to retaliate.
Meanwhile on Kana's end, She reaches where Finé tossed Hibiki and heals her. "Hibiki! Are you okay?" Kana asks.
"I'm fine, but... Tsubasa-san, Kanade-san, and Chris-chan..." Hibiki answered, too disheartened to continue fighting, "They're all gone... Not to mention the school's in ruins... Who knows if anyone else other than us are still alive?"
"Hey! You know that's not true!" Kana retorts, "Yes we lost some of our friends, but everyone else is still alive."
"How can you be so sure?" Hibiki asks.
Kana wants to reassure her that they're fine, but with no sign of Lilith after she sent her to look, made her second guess herself. "I can't. But I have to believe they are still alive." Kana answers, "I'm going to help Serena. For now, stay here." Kana leaves Hibiki, returning to the fight alongside her sister.
Miku's POV:
Lydian Bunker
In the bunker, everyone watched as Kana and Serena struggled to fight Finé as Hibiki lost all hope with all that has happened. Just then, Lilith appears in the bunker out of nowhere. "Oh thank the gods you all are still alive!" She says.
"Lilith-san!" Miku says.
"I have... several questions." Yumi says, "But more importantly, what was that thing Kana became a moment ago?"
"Well... I guess there is no point in hiding the truth anymore." Lilith says with a sigh. "You see, Lady Kana and I aren't exactly from here, that is to say, this world." Everyone is surprised by this.
"Wait, 'Lady Kana'? As in royalty?" Shiori asks.
"Yep." Lilith answers, "Kana's parents are the King and Queen of a kingdom in our realm we call Valla. As much as I'd like to explain all of that, we don't really have the time for me to explain everything."
"This is still a lot to take in as is." Kuriyo says, "To think, this whole time, Mui's actually a princess?"
"But, why wouldn't she tell anyone?" Miku asked, "Surely she would trust her friends with this information."
"Well, she wanted to, but she was initially unsure if she should've." Lilith answered, "Only recently did she decide that she was ready to come clean with you all about it until, well, this happened." Lilith pointed to the monitor that showed Kana and Serena locked in combat with Finé.
Suddenly, Ogawa appears in the room with several people behind them, "Commander! I found these survivors while checking nearby shelters in the area." Ogawa reports.
"That's a relief to hear. Thank you Ogawa." Genjuro replies.
Suddenly, the younger girl among the group notices the monitor and perks up, "Mommy! It's those cool girls!"
"You know Bikki and Mui?" Kuriyo asks the child's mother.
The mother hesitates to answer, but finally speaks up, "While I can't say everything about it, they saved my daughter's life." She said, "They put their own lives at risk just to keep my daughter safe. I know they're responsible for saving several people that way." The trio were amazed to hear that Hibiki and Kana saved the little girl's life.
"Hey, is there any way that we can help them?" The child asks.
"That's easier said than done, I'm afraid..." Shiori answers, "From here, we can't do much."
"Then let's cheer them on!" The child says, turning to Sakuya, "Hey mister, can we talk to them from here?"
"That's it!" Miku exclaims, coming up with an idea, "Is there any way we can tell them that we're alright?"
"I could transport everyone outside to cheer them on, but that'd put us all at risk." Lilith states.
"If we can get the school's computer systems online again, we could send your voice over the network..." Sakuya interjects.
"Leave that to me." Lilith says. "I can teleport right to the power supply and restore power to what remains of the school's network."
"Let me come with you!" Yumi insists, "In an anime, this is where the protagonist's friends would get the spotlight. So if there's any way I can help them, then..."
"But that only happens in anime!" Miku interjects.
"And? What's wrong with using anime as an example?" Yumi asks, "If I didn't do this, then I'd be less than an anime character! If I'm not even as good as a fictional character, then how can I call myself real, much less Hibiki and Kana's friend?"
"Well said." Shiori says, "I want to help too."
"I guess so." Kuriyo adds, "If Bikki and Mui are giving it their all, her friends better do so as well, right?"
"Girls..." Miku says, happy to see them motivated to help, "Count me in too Lilith-san."
"Very well. Let's be off and back then." Lilith says, "You might want to hold on tight though."
"Hina. What is she talking about?" Kuriyo asks.
"It's complicated." Miku answers, "Just hold on and it'll make sense."
And just like that, Lilith and the girls vanished with Miku and the others. In a matter of seconds, they arrive in a small room surrounded in wires and switches. "So the switchboard is in here?" Miku asks as her friends try to process what just happened.
"If I'm right, all we need to do is reset the power from here and the school's network should get rebooted." Lilith answered. "Though, to be fair, I'm only really going off what I was told. I'm honestly not sure how Sakuya-san and Aoi-san can keep up with all of this kind of stuff."
Miku looks around, noticing the switch in the far end of the room, "That must be the switch we need to flip." She says.
Lilith also notices the switch. "Very well, I'll just go up there an-"
"Wait!" Yumi interjects. "I didn't come all this way just to watch someone else do all the heavy lifting. Let us handle this, Lilith-san."
Lilith is hesitant to oblige, knowing Kana and Serena are in danger, but Yumi had a point. "I'll leave this to you four then. Just be quick so we can hurry back to help Kana and the others."
"Alright girls, let's do this! For Hibiki and Kana!" Yumi says, trying to rally the others, who really didn't mind letting Lilith just flip the switch.
Through quick thinking, and mostly moral support for Yumi, the others opt to boost her up, forming into a pyramid often performed by cheerleaders for her to climb up on and reach the switch. Even with this boost however, Yumi is still shy of reaching the switch. "Almost... There..." Yumi strains to reach the button before jumping off of her friends' backs and barely pushing the switch. "Got it!" She cheers, before her excitement turns to panic as she braces herself to fall on her friends, but the impact never came.
"Nice work you four!" Lilith says, having caught Yumi before she could collide with her friends. As Lilith put Yumi back on the ground, the power returned to the room. The other three, who were grateful that Lilith didn't just let Yumi collide with them, got up and they all cheered. "Now then, let's hurry back to the others." The four friends nod, grabbing onto Lilith once more and vanishing from their current location.
"Power has been restored to the school network!" Aoi reported.
"External speakers are operational!" Sakuya added.
Lilith and the girls return to the room with the other survivors. "Alright! Let's cheer Hibiki on!" Miku says.
Kana and Serena's POV:
Destroyed Lydian
Kana and Serena fought together in the hope of defeating Finé. However, even with their greater numbers, they were still beaten badly by Finé's strength, causing them to transform out of their Gears. "How are we unable to win?" Kana asked in frustration.
"The greatest flaw to the Symphogear system, is the damage that the Superb Songs cause to their own users." Finé says, "If you didn't have that issue, then maybe you'd stand a chance against me. Though, as a researcher, I'd be interested in seeing how much a creature such as Hibiki might be able to withstand that recoil..." Finé chuckles at the thought, "Regardless, I have no need for the Symphogear system any longer. This is the end for you all."
Kana and Serena try their hardest to fight back, but they're too weak to pose any threat to Finé now. "Gods!" Kana shouts, "This can't be how this all ends! I refuse to accept this..."
"Unfortunately... we're out of options..." Serena replies, "We'd need a crazy miracle to win this now..."
As if to answer Serena, a miracle came not in a person, but in a group of people singing.
(Shiritsu Lydian Ongakuin Kōka begins to play)
"Ugh, that sound..." Finé jeers, "Who or what is making that awful noise?"
"Is that what I think it is?" Kana wonders.
The students of Lydian hiding in the bunker were using what was left of the school's speakers to sing. "This is starting to get irritating." Finé says, "Where is that stupid song coming from?" That's when Finé realizes something, this song was creating huge amounts of phonic gain.
"Hibiki. You can hear them too right?" Kana asks her friend, "Everyone's still alive, and they're cheering us on!"
"I'm so happy..." Hibiki replies, "They're all singing, singing for us. So... I shall sing with them." Knowing that everyone is alive and cheering her on, Hibiki is motivated to win once more. "I can keep going. I will keep fighting!"
"There's the Hibiki I know!" Kana says, reaching a hand out to her friend, "Let's show Finé just what we're capable of!"
Suddenly, the three wielders start to transform, determined to win. "You can still fight?" Finé asks in shock, "Just how do you still have the strength to stand? What exactly is giving you this power to fight? Was it that horrendous song? That can't be right. What are you wielding? Your hearts were all broken... Then... Then what are you using? Is it my creation? Just what could you be using?!"
As if to answer Finé's several questions, Three pillars of light erupted from around Lydian's ruins: One where Kana, Hibiki, and Serena stood, One on the broken Kadingir that Zwei Wing gave their all to destroy, and the last one in the forest where Chris fell to the earth. From these pillars of light, the wielders ascended into the sky, clad in the armor they all knew by one name:
"SYMPHOGEAR!"
The wielders were in their Gears, but something was different about them. Instead of their usual colors, this new form was white with a lighter hue of each wielders' own color scheme and they all possessed a pair of angelic wings.
Miku's POV:
Lydian Bunker
"Wow! They all look so cool!" The child cheered.
"Looks like we saved the day!" Yumi says, "Seems like Hibiki's hopeless without us!"
"We saved each other." Shiori adds, "Gotta say, it feels nice."
"It's as if we're out there, fighting right by their side!" Kuriyo states.
"I couldn't agree more." Miku adds.
The Wielders'/Section Two's POVs:
The Final battle with Finé
"The Gears that were given to us from our friends' song..." Hibiki says, answering Finé's questions, "This gives us the power to fight, and win."
"That song you had the guts to call horrible," Kana adds, "Is what gave Chris-san, Kanade-san, and Tsubasa-san the strength the fight once more. This proves songs are more than just power, they're also life!"
"This high level of phonic gain..." Finé thinks aloud, "It's very similar to what happened two years ago."
"Who gives a shit about that?!" Chris says, telepathically.
"Telepathy, too?" Finé says in annoyance, "Even with the full power of your Gears, you're still nothing compared to me!" Saying this, Finé summons several Noise using Solomon's Cane.
"You really need some new tricks!" Chris retorts.
"Were you the one to let those damn Noise loose on the world?!" Kanade asks.
"The Noise are independent weapons that were created so that mankind, who lost their mutual understanding, would kill each other." Finé answers, continuing this conversation fully through telepathy. "The gates to the treasury of Babylonia are still open. I took the once-in-a-decade chance of something arriving from there, and made it a regularity. For me, the Noise are nothing more than a source of power."
"Again with this incomprehensible bullshit?!" Chris says in annoyance.
However, using an opening created by the Noise she summoned, Finé summons a massive army of Noise that covered the entire city on the land and the air. "They're everywhere!" Hibiki says in surprise.
"This is nothing! I'll destroy them until nothing remains!" Chris replies, getting ready to fly off into the sea of Noise before she is suddenly hugged by Kana. "What are you doing?"
"I thought I lost you back there!" Kana says, tears in her eyes. "I'm just so happy you're back!"
"Like I'd just let myself keel over and die to something like that?" Chris chuckles, "It'll take a lot more than that to kill me. Now let's go annihilate some Noise!" Kana wipes the tears from her eyes as she follows Chris into the sea of Noise.
"You ask me, I'm dying to test out this awesome new power. Let's do this!" Kanade says in excitement as she too flies into the sea of Noise.
"Hey, Tsubasa-san?" Hibiki says, catching the attention of Tsubasa and Serena, "I wanted to apologize about... Well... You know..." She was referring to what she did in her berserk state to Tsubasa.
"No need to worry." Tsubasa replies, "You answered my call and came to your senses on your own. You should feel proud of the strength you possess." This cheers up Hibiki. "Let's fight them together, Tachibana. You too, Serena." The girls nod in agreement as they join their allies in the sea of Noise.
(First Love Song begins to play)
Just as the wielders thought, they're able to effortlessly tear through the Noise while Kana and Chris eviscerate the flying Noise. "Gotta say, it's amazing you're able to destroy all of those Noise without even aiming, Chris-san!" Kana says.
"What are you saying? I'm aiming at every one of them!" Chris retorts.
Kana chuckles to herself for a moment, "If that's the case, allow me to show you my aim!" Kana replies, effortlessly firing several fully charged dragon shots at flying Noise, the explosions of which are able to scatter their own smaller dragon shots. Once the final shot hits its mark, Kana dusts off her hands and looks back at Chris with a smug grin on her face.
"Hmph. Show-off!" Chris scoffs, returning to the fight. Within a matter of what seemed like seconds, the wielders eliminated almost every last Noise Finé summoned. "Regardless of how many you throw at us, they're still nothing more than Noise!" Chris says, taunting Finé.
However, this only causes Finé to do something none of them would've expected. Finé pierced herself with Solomon's Cane, fusing with it as she had the Nehushtan Armor. Immediately following this, all remaining Noise scattered around the city converge on Finé's location as well as several more that she summons with the power of Solomon's Cane. "The Noise, they're absorbing her!" Hibiki says.
"No, the one's being absorbed are the Noise!" Chris interjects.
"Either way, this doesn't bode well for us." Serena adds.
The blob that stood where Finé once did fires at the wielders, who barely manage to avoid the attack. "Durandal, to me!" Finé shouts, sending the blob down into the Kadingir's core to retrieve the sword. Having absorbed the blade, the blob that was Finé transforms into a giant beast with Finé inside the head. As a show of power, she uses her new form to strike the city, causing a massive explosion. "You have invoked my wrath. I do hope you are ready to suffer the consequences of angering one such as I."
Finé takes no time in striking again, this time aiming for the wielders, who retaliate to no avail. "Gods!" Kana shouts, "No matter what we hit her with, she just brushes it off like it's nothing!"
"Even with your full power on display, your Gears are nothing but mere toys, forged from remnants of relics." Finé boasts, "In comparison to the power of a complete relic, you are nothing."
"You heard what she said, right?" Chris asks.
"Let's discuss this off the channel." Tsubasa answers non-telepathically.
"Let's do it!" Chris continues, being vague as to not alert Finé.
"But that would mean..." Tsubasa adds, turning to Hibiki.
"Do what?" Kana asks, only receiving a serious look from Chris. From this look, Kana gets a slight idea as to what the are planning. "I see. It's risky, but it could work."
Lydian Bunker
From below the battle, the bunker began to shake from Finé's transformation, causing everyone to grab on to something stable. "Bikki, Mui, and the others will be alright, won't they?" Kuriyo asks, receiving a determined nod from Miku as an answer.
Once the rumbling starts to settle, Genjuro looks at what Finé has become, "The red dragon of Revelations..." he states, "The scarlet woman of Babylon. Legend says, that woman was the harbinger of destruction. Ryoko-kun..."
Destroyed Lydian
Not completely sure as to what the others are planning, Kanade, Serena, and Hibiki decide to go along with whatever they're planning. In agreement, Kana, Chris, and Tsubasa fly towards Finé, "The three of us will clear the path for you!" Tsubasa says.
"Give it everything you got you two!" Chris says.
"Don't have to tell me twice!" Kana says, accessing her augmentation for Tsubasa with little to no effort. This comes as a surprise to her, but she decides to ignore it for now. With Kana's boost, Tsubasa charges a stronger variation of her Azure Flash, which creates an opening large enough for Chris to infiltrate Finé's defenses. Once inside, Chris unleashes her power on Finé, forcing her to focus her defenses internally instead of externally. Once her defenses open, she is met by Kana holding a large ball of energy directly outside. Smirking, Kana fires her strongest Dragon Shot yet, causing Finé to let go of the Durandal.
(Synchrogazer begins to play)
"That's our key to victory!" Tsubasa shouts to Hibiki, who now fully understands what they were planning. "Don't miss your chance to end this!"
"Grab the damn sword!" Chris says, doing her best to keep it in the air with several shots from her pistol.
Following her friends' pleas, Hibiki grabs the Durandal from the air, enveloping the area in a strange light like before. "They wanted the Durandal?!" Finé exclaims.
As the light fades, Kana notices the darkness start to envelope Hibiki. "It's just like what happened on the Durandal mission." She states. "I have a bad feeling about this..."
Lydian Bunker
The citizens and Section Two watch as Hibiki is engulfed in darkness once more, worried about what would come from it. This time, Miku refuses to sit by and let it happen again, heading straight for the door. "Where are you going, Miku-san?" Ogawa asks.
"I'm going above the ground!" Miku answers.
"That's crazy!" Aoi replies, "It's too dangerous to get that close!"
"No matter how she looks, Hibiki is still Hibiki to me." Miku retorts, "She will always watch out for me. So I want to help her, so she won't be swallowed by the darkness!" Everyone is surprised by Miku. "I made a promise, I swore I would fight for Hibiki and the others as they fight for me!" This inspires the others to join her out on the battlefield as they all head for the nearest exit.
Destroyed Lydian
Hibiki is trying will everything she can to control the darkness' hold on her. Just then, the destroyed entrance to the bunker bursts open, and out from it emerges Miku, her friends, Genjuro, and the agents of Section Two. "This is it Hibiki-kun! Don't falter now!" Genjuro shouts, catching Hibiki's attention.
"Don't give up on yourself!" Lilith shouts.
"Keep your focus!" Ogawa shouts.
"Remember who you are!" Sakuya shouts.
"And who you really want to be!" Aoi adds.
Hibiki hears their pleas, struggling to keep control. Adding to the support, the other wielders come to support Hibiki. "You got this Hibiki!" Kana says, "This is nothing compared to what we've been through. So let's show Finé what you're truly capable of!"
"Kamui's right, Tachibana." Tsubasa adds, "Show us that you have what it takes to stand on your own!"
"I agree with Tsubasa." Kanade says, "You've been through literal hell and back Hibiki-chan. It's time you show her that same hell!"
"We're leaving everything up to you because we believe in you!" Chris says, "So why can't you believe in yourself?!"
"You're not alone Hibiki-chan!" Serena adds, "No matter what happens, we've got your back as you've had ours!"
With her allies' support, Hibiki continues to try and fight the darkness, but it only inches ever closer to consuming her once more. "You help others!" Shiori shouts.
"You've saved countless lives!" Yumi adds.
"You've showed us that personally today!" Kuriyo adds, "And today, we fight alongside you!"
"Silence!" Finé shouts, recovering from her wounds, "I shall end you once and for all!" Finé sends out several vines from her draconic form to strike Hibiki down, but the other wielders protect her with a force field.
Despite everyone's best efforts to support and protect Hibiki, she is unable to control her darkness, being consumed by it once more, that is until one voice finally reaches her, "HIBIKI!" Miku screams.
"That's right." Hibiki says to herself. "The power I possess is not mine alone." Finally in control, Hibiki is able to truly hear her friends' pleas. "I won't allow myself to fall to this darkness!" With the darkness gone, Hibiki, with the other wielders by her side, holds the Durandal high.
"That's impossible! How- No. Where did you get this power?!" Finé asks.
"This is the power given to me by everyone's songs!" Hibiki answers, "The power of my Symphogear!" With the other wielders' support, Hibiki brings down Durandal upon Finé's Red Dragon of Revelations.
"So this is the power of two complete relics locked in a battle to the death..." Finé says to herself, seeing Durandal's full power once more, this time, on herself. After the attack lands on Finé's draconic form, everything around her starts to crumble. "Do not think this means you've won! Even if this form perishes, I will return once more!" And just like that, Finé is consumed by the explosion caused by the wielders and the Durandal.
A/N: One more chapter left in part 1 until I start on this story's G. I don't know if I've said it in the notes, but G and XV are the parts I'm most looking forward to work on for this story, for a multitude of reasons.
Other than that, I don't really have much else to add here. So with that said, Thanks for reading and I shall see you all in the finale of part 1.
