Part 2:
From a broken past, a brighter future will emerge.
Chapter 7:
Truths Revealed
Genjuro's POV:
Section Two HQ
"We've lost contact with the pursuit squad!" Sakuya reported.
"We've also detected Noise in the immediate area." Aoi added. "I fear the worst may have happened to them."
Genjuro knew exactly what that meant, but now was not the time to mourn the fallen. "Send any available wielders to that location ASAP. We must secure the man with Solomon's Cane, no matter what." Genjuro orders.
"We're detecting one of the wielders and another high-energy waveform amidst the Noise!" Sakuya reported.
"We've detected one as the Yato." Aoi reported. "Analyzing the other waveform now." The monitor flashes seconds later, revealing the mystery waveform as Gungnir. "I really hope that's not who I think it is..." Aoi thought aloud.
Unfortunately, their worst fears were proven right, Hibiki was in the area with Kana fighting the Noise. "Hibiki-kun..." Genjuro says, worried about what may happen out there, considering Hibiki's recent checkup results.
Kana and Maria's POVs:
Outside Lydian
(Seigi wo Shinjite, Nigirishimete begins to play)
"My fists... And my life... Both are my Symphogear!" Hibiki said, clenching her fist at Dr. Ver. However, everyone could tell something was off about Hibiki's transformation this time, the heat that was strong enough to burn anything that came in contact with her. Whatever was causing it, it worried Kana and the others.
"Why must you always show up at the most inconvenient times and ruin my plans?!" Dr. Ver said. Without another word, Hibiki charged at the Noise and destroyed them as fast as the doctor could summon them.
"You four need to get to safety." Kana says, turning to Miku and the others, "Hibiki and I will handle this." Nodding, the four leave as Kana charges towards the Noise to help Hibiki. Together, they made quick work of the Noise, charging after Ver once they were taken care of.
As they were about to apprehend the doctor, something blocked Hibiki's fist. "What the? A shield?"
(Edge works of goddess ZABABA begins to play)
"A saw, to be more precise." Shirabe retorted. Kirika and Shirabe managed to make it to Ver just in time. "My Shul Shagana is a lot more versatile than its violent looks may suggest. It's as capable with defense as it is with offense."
"Even with that, both of us at our full strength is barely enough to hold her back." Kirika added.
"Heretical technology, based on Sakurai Theory, isn't exclusive to Special Disaster Response Team." Dr. Nastassja said. "Once Ver summoned Noise, it was simple to locate him."
"But Mom... That means."
"I'm aware." Nastassja said, knowing exactly what Maria was going to say. "If we found him, then they're sure to send reinforcements. We must hurry."
"Did you two hear that?" Maria asks Shirabe and Kirika.
"Retrieve the doctor and retreat immediately." Shirabe answered.
"That's the plan, but..." Kirika added. "Right now, that seems easier said than done."
"Hope you didn't forget I was here too!" Kana says, showing up on the other side of Shirabe's shield, firing a Dragon shot which forced them to dodge it.
"Now that two of them are here, things just got even more complicated." Kirika said.
As the standstill progressed, Hibiki felt an immense pain in her chest and collapsed to the ground. "Hibiki! What's wrong!"
Everyone was distracted by this, giving Dr. Ver enough time to pull out two injectors full of LiNKER and approached Kirika and Shirabe. "You both deserve a present for your hard work!" He said, grinning as he injected the LiNKER into the F.I.S. wielders.
"What in the world are you doing?!" Kirika asked, "We have more than enough time before we need another dose of LiNKER!"
"Which is why this was necessary." Dr. Ver replied, much to the girls' confusion. "If you want to have any chance against those monsters, you need far more power than you currently have. In order to do that, you need to increase your compatibility values."
"But then, the recoil from the overdose will..." Shirabe stopped herself before she could finish that sentence.
"Damn you!" Kirika shouted. "Why should we go so far as to risk our live for you?!"
"You will..." Dr. Ver said menacingly. "Or rather, you have no other choice. I'm not stupid, I know exactly why you would come for me! You seeking me out means that old hag's condition has worsened! Nastassja is sick and, without the skills of a biochemist such as myself, won't live long. Now then, how about you use the power that transcends your mortal limits to save my life?"
"Hibiki? Please, say someth- OW!" Kana exclaims, trying to help her friend but getting slightly burned by the heat irradiating off of Hibiki's body. "Gods... So Kanade wasn't being metaphorical. Hibiki's truly in danger from her Gear. We need to finish this fight as soon as possible before Hibiki gets any worse."
"I can... Still fight..." Hibiki said, getting up from the ground, pain still audible in her voice.
"Hibiki... Please don't be reckless. You are practically a walking fireball, and that isn't normal!" Kana says. "If you can just hold on long enough for the others to show up, I can get you back to HQ so they can help you." Hibiki wanted to argue that she was fine, but it became clear to the both of them that she wasn't. Kana figured if they were having so much trouble fighting just Hibiki, then it should be a piece of cake to wrap this fight up and save Hibiki, or at least, that was her plan.
"I guess we have no choice! DESS!" Kirika screamed, instantly alerting Kana.
"Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal"
"Are they singing their Superb Songs?!" Hibiki asked.
"Emustolronzen Finé el balal zizzl"
Before S2CA, Superb Songs always ended with the near death of their wielders, a fact that traumatized Kana, having witnessed it twice. "Without something like Hibiki's S2CA, those two could be in serious danger, or worse..." Kana grit her teeth, furious that Ver was willing to have F.I.S.'s own wielders kill themselves just so he can escape.
"Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal"
"Stop! Using your Superb Songs with LiNKER could kill you!" Hibiki pleaded. Suddenly, Kana rushed closer to the two wielders without warning. "Kana! What are you doing?!"
"If Hibiki wasn't in the same amount of danger, I'd find a safer way to end it, but we have no other options now!" Kana says to herself. "I just have to hope this works, even if it costs me my life!"
"Emustolronzen Finé el zizzl"
Upon finishing their Superb Songs, unlike the other times the Section Two wielders used it, the two F.I.S. wielders' weapons began to change. "Shul Shagana's Superb Song is an endless series of strikes from a spinning wheel. Perfect for targets that can hardly move." Shirabe stated.
"Then there's Igalima's Superb Song which will cut straight through its target's soul in one massive slice." Kirika stated. "No means of defense can save you from it!"
"That's where you're wrong!" Kana shouts, before doing something no one expected.
"Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal"
Kana's armor starts to change, matching the colors of both Kirika and Shirabe's Gears simultaneously. "Kana, No!"
"Emustolronzen Finé el balal zizzl"
As she continued, Dr. Ver watched as Shirabe and Kirika's Gears began to lose their auras before reverting to how they were before their Superb Songs. "Our energy level are dropping below what is required for our Superb Songs."
"How is this possible?!" Kirika asked, before looking at Kana once more.
"Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal"
Seconds later, the auras that surrounded both Shirabe and Kirika emerged over Kana's augmented Gear, mixing with a silver aura that hers emit. "This power, it's just like the S2CA..." Hibiki thought to herself.
"What in the hell is that girl?!" Dr. Ver said in a panic. "She's not just any monster, she's a full-blown freak of nature!"
"Emustolronzen Finé el zizzl"
Just as she finished her Super Song, Kana transformed into her draconic state, surrounded by a Pink, Green, and Silver aura. "I'm not... Going to let... ANYONE DIE!" Kana shouts, which freaked out Shirabe and Kirika hearing something else using their voices. Suddenly, the dragon began to charge an attack in its mouth, causing Ver to hide behind the F.I.S. wielders in fear for his what seemed inevitable demise. But the dragon fired her blast towards the sky, creating a massive beam that stretched far into space.
Meanwhile
Although they had left as Kana asked them to, Miku and the others saw the blast from the clearing, which scared Miku the most, causing her to run towards it. "Kohinata-san!" Shiori shouted.
"What are you doing, Hina?! It's too dangerous!" Kuriyo added, but Miku didn't answer either of them.
"I can't... I won't lost Hibiki again..." She said to herself, assuming this was caused by Hibiki's S2CA.
Maria, Shirabe, and Miku's POVs:
Outside Lydian
When the blast dissipated, Kana reverted back to her human form, her augmented Gear still active and looked almost physically unfazed by what had happened. "How did she manage to hold all of that destructive power together by herself?" Maria asks aloud, surprised by Kana's abilities.
"Her ally could control a Superb Song by connecting with others." Dr. Nastassja said. "Perhaps she possesses the same power through her Gear's shapeshifting abiliti-" She is interrupted by a coughing fit that leads to more blood, concerning Maria. "Don't worry about me, Maria."
Seconds later, the radar alerts Maria as four signals are shown heading for Hibiki and Kana's location. "These signals... That means..."
"They've caught up with us." Dr. Nastassja stated, contacting Shirabe and Kirika. "Can you hear me? Grab the doctor and retreat immediately."
"What about our opponent?" Shirabe asks, noticing that, despite her appearance, Kana was slowly losing power as she stood there.
"We've detected four signals quickly heading towards your location, and there's a good chance it's the other four wielders." Maria says, which began to worry Kirika and Shirabe.
"Not to mention the strain you're currently under from the LiNKER overdose." Dr. Nastassja stated, revealing their helicopter over the F.I.S. wielder's location. "Retreat. That's an order."
Without anymore arguments, Kirika and Shirabe retreat to the helicopter. "You're not... getting away... that easil..." Before she could finish her sentence, Kana transformed out of her Gear and fell unconscious on the ground.
"Kana!" Hibiki shouted, before doubling over in pain once again.
The F.I.S. wielders and Dr. Ver watched this as the helicopter's loading ramp closed. "Just what is that monster capable of?" Dr. Ver thought to himself, curious to Kana and her Gear's abilities.
After they escaped the battlefield, Kirika noticed something with her Gear. "That's odd... Even though we used our Superb Songs, I feel perfectly fine." Kirika said.
"Did that dragon girl protect us?" Shirabe wonders. "But why would she put her life at risk for her enemies?"
Kirika shrugged "Beats me dess. On another note, I'm not sure if it was just me, but I felt stronger than usual despite having my energy drained."
"I felt the same way, Kiri-chan." Shirabe adds. "Maybe it has something to do with that strange change in the color of her armor and that even stranger change in her voice?"
Even Dr. Ver was able to take note of Kana's strange changes in her voice and armor as Kirika and Shirabe did, but hearing the additional part of their boost in strength intrigued the doctor. While nothing could be done about it now, he would keep this observation in mind for later.
As F.I.S. fled the scene, Miku arrived and was horrified by what she saw: Kana was unconscious on the ground and Hibiki was reeling in pain. "Kana! Hibiki!" She shouts, trying to get close to her friends.
"Don't get any closer!" Chris shouted, holding Miku back. "If you get any closer, you will be burned to a crisp!"
As Chris held Miku back, Serena pulled Kana away from Hibiki, before Hibiki's heat could burn more than parts of her clothes. Seconds later, Tsubasa and Kanade arrived, slashing open a water tower that was right above Hibiki, extinguishing her heat and reverting Hibiki back to her normal clothes. Despite this rescue, Hibiki was unconscious with a few small yellow stones extruding from her chest.
Once she landed, Kanade and Tsubasa saw what happened to Hibiki, "Did I fail to protect Tachibana?" Tsubasa said solemnly.
"'Fail to protect her'?!" Chris asked, "What in the hell are you talking about? Did you both know this would happen to her?!" The Zwei Wing wielders remained quiet. "Say something dammit!"
"We don't have time for that!" Kanade interjected. "We need to get Hibiki-chan back to base first!"
"Fine. But once she's taken care of, you two are talking!" Chris said, annoyed at her allies secrets. "Kana clearly knew something and risked her life for it, so you have no damn excuses to hide this from any of us anymore."
With this said, Lilith arrives to take Hibiki to the base. "Hibiki! Please wake up! Hibiki!" Miku says. Seconds later, Lilith, the wielders, and Miku are teleported back to the base.
Dr. Nastassja's POV:
F.I.S. Helicopter
After Kirika and Shirabe successfully returned him to their base, Dr. Ver immediately provides medical attention to Dr. Nastassja. "Your vitals are stable. For someone of your age, you have incredible endurance. Or are you just too stubborn to die?" Dr. Ver said in jest.
Hearing that she was going to be fine, the F.I.S. wielders were relieved. However, this only caused regret in Natassja. "What have I been forcing these gentle souls to do?" She ponders. "I should've realized sooner than I have that being terrorists wouldn't be able to save us from the coming tragedy."
After Nastassja is given some time to recover, Dr. Ver is quick to reveal what he has found in his time away from the group. "So, let's just get straight to the point." He said, revealing what he was carrying when he was found.
"Is this the Nephilim?" Maria asked.
"To be more precise, it's its awakened heart, which was quite a challenge to recover." Dr. Ver answered. "By receiving the required amount of relics, its full power was finally able to be unleashed. Now that we have this heart, and what you acquired five years ago..." Dr. Ver stopped, noticing Maria's shock at the mention of the second object. "Have you forgotten? The Shénshòujìng that you, Finé, stole from the excavation team at Mt. Minakami.
"Y-Yes, of course..." Maria replied.
"Maria's memories haven't fully recovered yet, I'm afraid." Dr. Nastassja interjects. "Regardless, I shall be taking charge of relics for the foreseeable future. We can discuss this in private later."
"Very well. My apologies then." Dr. Ver said, bowing respectfully. "Moving on... We now possess both the Shénshòujìng, which will break Frontier's seal, and the heart of the Nephilim, which will activate the Frontier."
"We have also found where the Frontier is currently sealed." Dr. Nastassja adds.
Dr. Ver starts clapping "Indeed. Then all of our party preparations have been completed! All that remains is to have humanity dance to our melody!" He said while dancing and laughing like a madman.
"The plan shall be moved to its final phase shortly." Dr. Nastassja says. "But for now, It'd be best to get some rest." With that, Dr. Nastassja leaves to get some sleep, F.I.S. was about to get very busy once again.
Kana and Miku's POVs:
Section Two HQ
After the other wielders arrived, Hibiki and Kana were both taken to the medical wing of Section Two's ship. Hours later, Kana started to wake up, her vision and hearing slowly but surely recovering. She saw Lilith and Serena tending to her as Chris was talking with Tsubasa and Kanade, her face clearly showing anger, but then Genjuro lead her to another room calmly. As they left, Kanade and Tsubasa noticed Kana's eyes were open. "..ana-ch... ...ou hear me?" Kanade said, Kana not fully hearing the sentence at first. "Kana-chan, can you hear me?"
"Kanade-san...? Where... Where are we?" Kana asks, trying to prop herself up but wincing from the pain of it.
"Easy there." Kanade said, motioning for Tsubasa to help her prop up Kana's bed. "You were unconscious when we arrived, but we assume Hibiki-chan saved you both with the S2CA."
Hearing that word made Kana remember what happened a bit more clearly. "Hibiki... Didn't use the S2CA... I did." She says, surprising everyone in the room. "I... Heard what you two said about Hibiki's condition and... The F.I.S. wielders were going to use their Superb Songs... So I used mine and performed the S2CA Tri burst myself to save them... I'm sorry for worrying you all..."
"You were able to perform the S2CA Tri burst Kamui?" Tsubasa asked, receiving a faint nod from Kana.
"Considering how your condition was able to be easily treated by Lilith-san, we assumed Hibiki-chan used it with just the two of you," Kanade said. "But hearing that it was you that did it, let alone a tri burst, it's impressive that you didn't end up worse for wear."
"So you're not mad that I heard what you said about Hibiki's condition...?" Kana asks.
"Considering how poorly things were handled," Kanade said, glaring at Tsubasa, "No. If anything, it was wrong to try and hide that information from you and Chris-chan, but we wanted to avoid that information reaching Miku-chan and Hibiki-chan and we weren't sure if you'd say something to them or not."
"Miku and Hibiki!" Kana shouts, remembering being able to faintly hear Miku before she fully lost consciousness. "Are they okay?"
"Miku-chan is waiting to hear about Hibiki-chan in one of the ship's lounges." Lilith said.
"And Hibiki...?" Kana asks, calming down after hearing that her friend was safe, knowing how devastated Hibiki would've been if something happened to her.
"She was having surgery done to remove the stones that appeared in her chest around her scar. Ogawa-san said he'd contact me as soon as there was more news." Serena answered.
"Okay..." Kana replies, before getting out of bed without warning and nearly collapsing to the ground, but Serena was quick to catch her.
"You're still recovering from your Superb Song, you need to rest before you can get back on your feet." Kanade said, her tone getting more concerned than normal.
"Sorry..." Kana says, faintly chuckling. "I just need to go see Miku to let her know I'm fine."
"Well, if that's truly what you're dead-set on doing, Serena and I will take you to her. But as soon as we're done, you are going to get some sleep. Understood?" Lilith said, receiving a nod from Kana. Satisfied with Kana's answer, Lilith put one of Kana's arms over her shoulder as Serena puts the other arm over hers. "We'll take care if it from here. You and Tsubasa-chan can head on home now, Kanade-chan. Just be sure to tell Genjuro-san before you leave."
"Sure thing Lilith-san!" Kanade said, giving a thumbs up before herself and Tsubasa said goodnight to the three.
Meanwhile, Miku was waiting for news on Hibiki and Kana's conditions in a waiting room aboard Section Two's ship. Some time later, as she prayed for them to be safe, Miku heard footsteps heading her way, surprised by who she saw. "Hey Miku..." Kana says groggily, being supported up by Serena and Lilith. "Serena and Lilith told me you were worried sick about Hibiki and I, so I asked them to let me see you." After saying this, The two walked Kana over to the bench next to Miku so Kana could comfortably talk before Serena left to answer a call on her phone.
"I'm just glad you're okay!" Miku says, giving Kana a tight hug, but stopping after she hears Kana reel in pain. "Sorry! I'm so sorry about that!"
"It's okay..." Kana replies. "I just haven't fully recovered from using my Superb Song yet..."
"I've been meaning to ask, why did you use it, your Superb Song I mean?" Lilith asked. "You mentioned it briefly when you woke up, but you didn't go into too much detail."
"Well... I saw that Kirika-chan and Shirabe-chan were going to use their Superb Songs and I feared the worst, considering what happened when Serena and Tsubasa-san used theirs..." Kana explains. "And since they relied on LiNKER to activate their Gears, I was afraid that they wouldn't be as lucky as Serena and Tsubasa-san... Had Hibiki not been burning up and reeling in pain, I would've let her try and use the S2CA with just the two of us to stop them... But then I figured, since I can absorb energy from other wielders with my Augmentation ability, I would try an impromptu S2CA Tri burst... I'm still kinda hazy on what happened after I let out the attack into the sky, but I'm certain that they're still alive..."
"By the way, has there been any word about Hibiki?" Miku asks.
"From what Ogawa-san has told me, it seems that they were able to successfully remove the stones from her chest and Hibiki-chan will make a full recovery." Serena answered, having just gotten off the phone with Ogawa.
"That's good to hear." Miku replies, relieved that Hibiki will be fine.
"However, Genjuro wanted to speak with you and Kana. He wouldn't say much else after that." Lilith added.
Agreeing, Miku helped Kana to her feet and walked with Serena and Lilith to the command center. Once there, they were met with a visibly upset Chris and a solemn Genjuro. "There's something that I want you both to know." He said, showing Hibiki's X-ray on the monitor, scaring Miku and answering Kana's fears.
"Damn it all!" Chris said, angrily kicking a part of one of the nearby desks.
"The Gungnir fragments in Hibiki-kun's chest are spreading throughout her body. If this continues, she will no longer be herself." Genjuro stated.
"It's just as I feared..." Kana says, which surprised Genjuro slightly. "I overheard Kanade-san and Tsubasa-san mention something about Hibiki's life being at risk when I was curious about Tsubasa-san's suspicious distant behavior towards Hibiki... At first I figured what they meant was just that she needed to rest before using it again and Tsubasa-san thought a cold approach was the best option... However, it was only once Shirabe-chan and Kirika-chan arrived to fight us that I realized it was much more than that..."
"Kanade-kun and Tsubasa told me about what you did out there. I am grateful that you did what you could to prevent any acceleration of the fragments spreading through Hibiki-kun's body, Kana-kun." Genjuro replied.
"Hold on." Miku says. "So if Hibiki were to never fight again, would the spreading stop entirely?"
"For Hibiki-kun, as her best friend and roommate, you are the strongest link she has to her normal life." Genjuro stated, "I believe that spending as much time with you as possible is the only thing that can truly keep the Gungnir from consuming her."
"So what you're saying is, I can save Hibiki's life?" Miku asks.
Genjuro nods, "I'm counting on you to keep her safe."
Resolved, Miku replies, "I won't let you down Commander!"
"And I'll do what I can to fight for Hibiki's sake." Kana adds. "It's like I said Miku, she always had our backs, so now it's our turn to have hers." With this said, Kana, Miku, and Chris, the former being supported by the latter two, all head back to their respective homes for the night. While Chris was visibly still upset from the news of Hibiki's condition, she knew she couldn't do anything to change it. "Everything will work out, Chris."
"How can you say that so confidently?!" Chris asked. "You literally risked your life and there was no guarantee that that idiot would've gotten herself in a worse condition than she already is!"
"I realize that," Kana replies. "But it was better for me to do something to try and save her than to do nothing at all." Chris scoffed at Kana's optimistic look on the situation. "Besides, all we can do now is double our efforts on the battlefield so Miku can keep Hibiki away from it without any worries."
"I just hate feeling like this is all we can do..." Chris said.
"As much as I agree with you Chris, I'm afraid this is the best we can do for Hibiki." Miku adds. With this said, Miku and Chris help Kana to her room in the Astral Plane, then Lilith teleports Miku back to her dorm at Lydian and Chris heads back to her apartment. "I just need to do what I can to protect Hibiki..."
Kirika and Shirabe/ Maria and Dr. Nastassja's POVs:
The Suburbs/F.I.S. Hideout
The next day, Kirika and Shirabe are sent to get groceries for the rest of their team, seeing they were only able to be recognized by Section Two so they were less likely to have their covers blown. "As fun as shopping can be, I always hate having to carry it bags back. It just gets so tiresome to do!"
"It can't really be helped." Shirabe adds. "Until the effects of the LiNKER overdose wear off, all we can do is errands and chores..."
Kirika looks to her partner and notices something seemed off about her. "Hey! How about I carry your bags too dess? You seem a little off today." Kirika says.
"I appreciate your concern Kiri-chan, but I'm fine." Shirabe replies.
"Alright. Then how about we take a little break before we head back to base?" Kirika insists, taking Shirabe somewhere in the city to relax while staying hidden from the public.
Meanwhile, back at the base, Maria and Nastassja went outside to get some fresh air at the nearby lake. "After everything that's happened over the past couple of weeks, I understand now. How my resolve and determination have been weak and I've been hesitant to my foes because of that weakness." Maria says. "I am also aware of what awaits us at the end of this road. So, Mom, please allow me t-"
"There is no need." Dr. Nastassja says, surprising Maria. "I don't need you to pretend to be the resurrected Finé any longer."
"Mom? What do you mean?!" Maria asks.
"You are just Maria Cadenzavna Eve. Finé's soul does not reside within you. It does not reside within you nor the other wielders."
Unknown to both of them, Dr. Ver had overheard this. "Is that so?" The doctor thought to himself. "So, all this time, I've been lied to. Well, if their plan was to deceive me into working with them, then I think it's time for a new leader to take over. One who has what it takes to lead!" Dr. Ver smirked, his sights set on taking over the operation, but he needed to wait for the right time to do so.
Back with Kirika and Shirabe, They found a spot in abandoned construction site to rest up and have a snack. "Sure this place is all sorts of icky, but at least we're free." Kirika says, enjoying her snack. "Hell, I could hardly imagine this kind of freedom when we were back at the orphanage."
"Yeah... You're right about that..." Shirabe replies, having not even opened her snack's package.
"Back then, we were locked up there to be vessels for Finé's soul. And Maria sacrificed her soul in place of one of ours." Kirika says, reflecting on the past. "To be honest, it's terrifying to think about, never being able to be yourself again and, in the end, we ended up forcing that responsibility on her..." As she said this, she finishes her snack before noticing Shirabe seemed to have gotten even worse than she was before. Shirabe had her eyes closed and her breathing was staggered. "Shirabe! Have you been unwell this entire time?"
"I-I'm fine..." Shirabe replies, standing up shakily. "I've rested up, so I'm good to..." Without warning, Shirabe stumbles and falls right into a pile of steel poles, causing a massive chain reaction.
"Shirabe!" Kirika says, concerned for her friend's sudden collapse, before noticing the avalanche of steel poles that was about to crush them both. Unable to avoid the incoming poles, Kirika closes her eyes and holds out one hand to try what she could to protect both herself and Shirabe. Moments later, the poles crash to the ground, causing dust to fly everywhere, but when the dust settled, Kirika and Shirabe were unharmed.
"Dess?" Kirika says, opening her eyes wondering why nothing happened. When she opened her eyes fully, she was met with the sight of one of Finé's signature techniques, her Asgard barrier. Kirika was speechless. This whole time, she was told that Maria was the next incarnation of Finé, but here she stood, using one of her techniques. "W-What's going on?" She asks, before realizing that herself and Shirabe were still in danger. With this in mind, Kirika grabs Shirabe's unconscious body and tries to move the barrier with both of them still under it, successfully moving out of the way of the poles that were above them as they fell to the ground with the rest. Seconds later, the barrier dissipated. "This isn't right... Maria's supposed to be the one with Finé's soul, so why did her technique appear just now?" Her carefree attitude just moments ago was fully replaced with one full of fear, fear that Maria wasn't Finé's next vessel, but that it was her...
A/N: Surprise! While she can't use it as effectively as Hibiki yet, Kana can perform the S2CA. I always felt like it was odd how Hibiki was able to just use S2CA with Shirabe and Kirika without direct contact with them in G (But, to be fair, Hibiki in G was able to pull off some incredible feats with the Gungnir fragments.) So I figured, why not have Kana do it since power absorption is something she can do with her Augmentation ability, therefore allowing her to perform a similar version of the S2CA.
Regardless, I think this is as good a place as any to leave off for now... Until 2021. I'm honestly looking forward to sharing with you all what I have planned for the second half of part 2. With that being said, I shall see you all in the next chapter in 2021! (Let's hope it's a much better year than this one has been for people...)
