Part 4:
Through Many Tears, The Reality of Your Fate is Shown.
Chapter 5:
The answer you've been searching for...
The Wielders' POVs:
Matsushiro
With the sudden arrival and even swifter disappearance of the Bavarian Illuminati's controlling director, Adam Weishaupt, what was once a secure military base was now nothing more than a burning crater in the ground. Anything and everything caught in the range of Adam's attack was reduced to nothing but ashes, however, there were some who were able to survive the attack.
Thanks to the quick wits of Kana Kamui, and some much needed assistance of the F.I.S. Wielders, the Wielders were able to get away from the attack unscathed. As for where they'd end up? That'd soon become apparent to them all as they emerged in the middle ground between S.O.N.G. current mobile HQ and the massive crater that used to be the Kazanari Agency's HQ.
Utterly exhausted from either running for their lives or using an exponential amount of power to get away from the explosion, Kana, Serena, Maria, Kirika, and Shirabe collapsed on to the ground, reverting out of their Gears. "Hah... Hah... It worked..." Kana says as she lays on the ground, catching her breath.
"That... Was way too close..." Serena replies. "But... At least we managed... to get everyone out safely..."
"Well... Not everyone..." Kana says in a more somber tone. "Those people back in the facility... I should've tried to save them..."
"Hey. Look me in the eyes, Kana. You can't blame yourself for those people's deaths." Serena says, grabbing her sister by the arms, making sure she had her full focus. "No one could have planned for what that 'Adam' person had in store for us. You, or Lilith for that matter, can't be expected to be able to get everyone out of harm's way on a dime like that. All we can do for them now, is make sure their killers are brought to justice. Okay?"
While Kana still felt guilty for letting people die, Serena had a point. She was only human, after all. "Okay. Thank you, Serena." Kana answered. "And thanks for helping me save the others, too."
"No worries." Serena says with a smile. "I should go check up on the others. Can you go try and wake up Hibiki-chan, Tsubasa, and Chris-chan?"
"On it." Kana replies as she gets up from the ground.
Thankfully for the sisters, their respective parties were already back on their feet before they finished talking. Maria's group were around the area where they collapsed, while Hibiki's group walked towards the crater. "What... Happened here?" Chris asks.
"The Kazanari Agency's HQ has been... utterly annihilated." Tsubasa answers, still in disbelief of what she was looking at.
"Chris!" Kana shouts as she dashes over to the trio. "Are you three alright?"
"I've been through worse." Chris answers. "But still, what the hell was that? When did those three get so strong?"
"I... I don't know." Kana says. "But it appears they aren't alone. After you three were knocked out, a fourth Alchemist showed up. Seems like he's the one leading them."
"Fantastic..." Chris sighs. "And here I thought getting our asses kicked was the worst thing that could happen today."
Shortly after catching up and making sure everyone was okay, the Wielders returned to the Mobile HQ to reconvene with Genjuro and the other agents. "We've lost." Genjuro stated. "We've lost completely and utterly."
"The controlling director of the Bavarian Illuminati finally appeared." Ogawa added as a picture of a nude man with a giant alchemic circle behind him appeared on the monitor. "Adam Weishaupt. And with him..." The monitor switched to show pictures of the three Alchemists in their new outfits.
"The Alchemists' Faust Robes." Chris says, finishing Ogawa's sentence.
"When our blades clashed, it felt as though the power of the Ignite Module had been stripped from us by force." Tsubasa states. "How is a feat like that possible?"
"The Lapis Philosophorum." Elfnein answered. "In other words, the power of the Philosopher's Stone."
"The Philosopher's Stone?" Hibiki asks.
"They mentioned that before..." Kana adds.
"It's the ultimate goal of all Alchemists who search for perfection. It purges all impurities, including illness, burning them away in purifying flames." Elfnein continued. "The Dáinsleif that forms the core of the Ignite Module had no hope against it."
"So, in essence, it's the natural enemy of the Ignite Module." Tsubasa states. "That shock that felt like my body was being torn apart was the Ignite effect being forcibly undone."
"That thing's supposed to be our ultimate weapon. Now it's nothing more than our Achilles heel?!" Chris asks in anger.
"Wait, if basically coming into contact with these Faust Robes does that to the Ignite Module, then what does that mean for my Radiance Module?" Kana asks.
"Seeing as both your Yato Gear and the Fólkvangr that was used for the Radiance Module originate from a different dimension, it's hard to say." Elfnein answered. "Regardless, if you find yourself in a fight against them, you should still be cautious in case the same effect does happen to you, Kana-san."
Kana nods her head at Elfnein's suggestion. Meanwhile, a different topic was stuck in someone else's mind. "Did Maria's team make it safely to Tokyo?" Hibiki asks Aoi.
"We'll have to wait to hear the full exam results." Aoi said. "But, miraculously, they do not seem to have suffered any major injuries."
"I'm sure they'll be just fine, Hibiki-chan." Kanade says. "Besides, those three have come back from worse than this."
"Yeah... I guess you're right, Kanade-san." Hibiki replies. "I'm sure they'll be fine."
"They used their Gears without LiNKER. Plus, with the added strain of the Ignite Module on their bodies, I wouldn't be surprised if they suffered backlash equivalent to that of a Superb Song's recoil." Elfnein thought to herself, before her thoughts turned to that strange aura she saw surrounding Maria. "But even with all of that..."
"The decision has been made to abandon the Kazanari Agency HQ." Genjuro said. "Everyone, prepare to leave immediately."
"If only we had been able to decrypt those Val Verde documents, then maybe we could've been able to do something..." Sakuya lamented.
Suddenly, Ogawa gets an alert on his communicator, one that catches the attention of Tsubasa and Genjuro the most. "Commander. Kamakura wants to see you." Ogawa said with a serious, yet nervous tone.
Genjuro, however, sighed upon hearing those words. "I already know I'm in for one hell of a lecture because of this."
With their orders given, the Wielders got ready to leave Matsushiro. As they began to leave, however, a certain Ichaival Wielder had noticed something was off with a certain draconic princess. "Hey, Kana. You doin' okay?" Chris asks. "You've been quiet since we left the geezer and the others."
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine." Kana replies. "Just... Still recovering from that massive warp I had to do back there..."
Chris gave her a doubtful stare. "I don't doubt you're tired, but even then, you've had moments when using that power to the point of literally passing out. And, all of those times, you still managed to wake up and be the idiot's level of cheerful." She says, catching Kana in her lie. "So, what's really on your mind, Kana?"
Kana sighs. "I'd lie and say it's guilt from feeling like I could've done more, but I'm sure you'd just catch me on that too, right?"
"Your step-sister told us about that chat you two had, so yeah." Chris answers.
"Figured as much..." Kana chuckles, before going completely serious. "...It's Adam."
"What about him?"
"He's that voice I heard in my dream the other night." Kana answers, thinking back on both her dream and the moments before Adam nuked the base.
"Quit wasting everyone's time and just spill it! Show me your true power!"
"...He may be the reason that the Alchemists see me as a huge threat." Kana continues. "But it still doesn't make any sense. Why am I so special to them? I mean, sure, I can mimic everyone else's Gears with relative ease and my 'Ignite' is vastly different in how it works, but that doesn't exactly explain how I could be more or less of a threat than anyone else."
"I mean... They might not see it that way." Chris thought.
"Yukine's right, Kamui." Tsubasa adds, suddenly appearing in front of the duo, causing them to jump.
"Tsubasa-san!/Senpai!" Kana and Chris gasp.
"Don't sneak up on us like that!" Chris shouts.
"I figured you two had seen us coming." Tsubasa says.
"'Us'?" Kana asks.
"Yo." Kanade says, actually having sneaked up behind them. "Tsubasa and I were worried about ya, Kana-chan. You seemed off after the meeting."
"See?" Chris says.
"Yeah, yeah." Kana replies, rolling her eyes at Chris. "But, what did you mean when you said Chris was right, Tsubasa-san?"
"About why the Illuminati views you as a threat." Tsubasa answers. "Nine Wielders, two of which are wielding similar weapons to others, may be a threat in their own right, but one having a mastery over all of the other's weapons is equally as dangerous, especially when they have a vastly different set of skills on top of that."
"So it's because I'm a jack of all trades that I'm a threat to them?" Kana asks.
"Bingo!" Kanade answers.
"...I guess that makes sense..." Kana says. "...But still, it seems like there's more to this than just my skill set..."
Bavarian Illuminati Alchemists' POVs:
Alchemist Hideout
Following the incident at Matsushiro, the Alchemists retreated to their hideout alongside Adam, whom Tiki was very happy to see again. As for the others... Well, they weren't as happy. "The radiance of Lapis overpowered the darkness of Ignite." Saint-Germain states. "Our victory was assured. However..."
"We could've ended up burnt to a crisp ourselves!" Cagliostro adds.
"On top of that, they survived the explosion, basically making the entire point of that battle worthless." Prelati says, showing the Wielders leaving Matsushiro from a camera she planted close to their mobile base.
"Come on, look on the bright side! Adam's finally here, so there's no need to worry!" Tiki said, upset that the Alchemists were disappointed, only for none of them to change their sour moods. "Come on!"
"It's alright, Tiki. They're right to be upset, you know." Adam spoke up, looking away from the book he was reading to pat Tiki on her head. "I figured I'd join in the battle to make the moment more memorable, especially since I was already nearby. But, upon reflection, I think it's best to let you handle the Symphogears." Saying this, Adam, with Tiki clinging to his side, went to leave the room.
"Controlling Director, where are you going?" Saint-Germain asks.
"Tiki told me something very interesting when she read the stars." Adam responds. "Isn't that right?"
"Yep!" Tiki answers.
"The experiment was a success, right?" Adam says, looking over his shoulder at Saint-Germain. "So let's put what we learned into practice and manifest the divine power that we failed to give form to months ago."
Saint-Germain remains quiet, doing her best to hide a personal guilt from an experiment that she was put in charge of months ago...
Flashback:
Bavarian Illuminati HQ
Saint-Germain walks into Adam's private quarters with a disappointed expression on her face. "Controlling Director, I've come with a report on project AK." Saint-Germain says.
"And?" Adam asks.
"AK managed to activate the Faust Robe with ease. As for controlling their more draconic traits... It's not to the desired result." Saint-Germain states.
Adam doesn't seem to care about those results, judging by his bored expression. "And as for that power?" He asks, only to receive nothing from Saint-Germain. "Saint-Germain, were you or were you not able to draw out Kana Kamui's power within the experiment?"
"...No. There are no signs of divine power within AK, Controlling Director..." Saint-Germain solemnly states.
Adam's bored expression remains as he lets out a sigh. "What a shame... Oh well, you know what to do with him." He says. shocking Saint-Germain.
"Controlling Director, are you sure that's a good idea?" Saint-Germain asks. "After all, while he may not of met the desired result, it is still clear that the subject is-"
"The subject is a failure and nothing more than that." Adam interjects. "I told you what was going to happen to him should he fail the main goal of this experiment and that result shall not change no matter what."
"...Yes, sir..." Saint-Germain says.
"If that is all there is to report on the project, then you are to escort him to the other failures and be done with it. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Controlling Director..."
The Wielders' POVs:
S.O.N.G. HQ
Back at S.O.N.G. HQ, Maria ran from her bed in the medical wing towards the training simulator, knowing Shirabe and Kirika had headed that way moments ago. "Those girls keep pushing themselves too hard..."
"Maria-san!" Elfnein called out behind her, to which the elder Airgetlám Wielder looked to see the Alchemist, Hibiki, Chris, Kana, and Serena chasing after her.
"You sure you should even be up?" Chris asks. "You're not in the best of shape either."
"Tell that to Kirika and Shirabe!" Maria retorts.
"Where are they?" Kana asks, before realizing just where Maria was heading. "Gods... Do they have a death wish?!"
Immediately, the group rushes over to the training room where, much to their dismay, Kirika and Shirabe were sitting in the middle of the room, the former clearly in pain from her Gear's LiNKERless drawback. "Kirika-chan! Shirabe-chan!" Hibiki gasps.
"We don't have any LiNKER to support the use of your Gears. So why are you pushing yourselves so hard?" Serena asks.
"Because, if we didn't need to rely on LiNKER to fight, then we could've helped..." Shirabe answers, referring to the fight in Matsushiro.
"That doesn't mean you should be-"
"We're fine!" Shirabe interjects, cutting Chris off before she could voice her concerns for her kouhai. "We need to keep training."
"We need to increase our compatibility values, so we don't need to rely on the LiNKER dess." Kirika adds, despite the fact she clearly was at her limits.
"But this is crazy!" Hibiki says. "One mistake, and you could die!"
"You were blessed with a stable compatibility value before you even knew what those words meant." Shirabe says in a tone that progressively grew in anger the more she talked. "So don't act like this is something you understand!"
"I can't stand being useless." Kirika adds. "Just knowing that I can do something, but being forced to sit idly by while everyone else is giving their all, that pain hurts far more than anything our enemies throw at us dess!"
There was a long awkward silence in the room, but Maria was the one to finally break it. "Let them train."
"Maria-san!" Kana says worriedly.
"I'll train with them and make sure they don't overwork themselves." Maria continues.
"You're not going to increase their compatibility values! Just the number of suicidal idiots in the room!" Chris lectures. "Even if it were possible to increase values that way, don't you think Kanade would've done so already?"
"One day, we will have access to LiNKER again." Maria answers, which makes Elfnein's guilt of not being able to solve Ver's recipe flare up. "But we don't have the luxury to wait for that day."
"There is a way." Elfnein said, which got everyone's attention in seconds. "A way that may just be what we need to find the last missing piece of the puzzle and finish the LiNKER."
"The last piece?" Shirabe asks.
"Are you serious?" Kirika adds.
"There is one part in the LiNKER recipe Dr. Ver gave me that I was never able to decipher: The part of the brain that the LiNKER connects to in order to reduce the stress from the Symphogear." Elfnein said. "He may have had help from both Finé and F.I.S., but I have to hand it to him: Despite his many flaws, he truly was a wonderful biologist."
"'Wonderful'? What a terrifying thought." Maria says.
"Took the words right out of my mouth..." Kana adds.
"U-Um... Could we skip over all the super sciencey stuff and get to the part about that last piece?" Hibiki asks.
"The key is Maria-san's Airgetlám." Elfnein answered, getting straight to the point.
"The silver- My Gear?!" Maria asks, fully processing Elfnein's statement.
"One of Airgetlám's special abilities is controlling energy vectors." Elfnein continued.
"Yeah, but I fail to see what makes Maria-neesan's Airgetlám unique to solving the LiNKER issue." Serena says.
"The last few times when Maria-san was in a dire situation in battle, her Airgetlám would occasionally light up. That light was the aforementioned ability visualizing electrical signals going between your brain and your Gear" Elfnein said. "I believe that it may have reduced the stress on the body from the Symphogear, as well. The training you've done between your missions has, while in small increments, raised your compatibility values. I suspect that this might be why."
"I mean, Maria's compatibility values have been the highest out of the three of us." Shirabe says. "Does that mean..."
"All of our hard work hasn't been in vain, dess!" Kirika cheered.
Hearing this, Kana smirks and turns to face Chris. "Well, well, we-"
"Don't." Chris interjects in an embarrassed, yet angered, tone.
"If I can analyze the traces of electric signals in Maria's brain..."
"Then we can find out which part the LiNKER is having an effect on." Maria says, finishing Elfnein's train of thought. "But how?"
"It's not like we can exactly ask the bastard to help us now." Chris says. "Is it even possible to do it without his help?"
"...Follow me, please." Elfnein said, leading the Wielders out of the training room.
The Wielders followed Elfnein back to her lab, where they all stood around what looked like a helmet of sorts. "What is that?" Maria asks.
"A present from Dr. Ver: The Direct Feedback System. I recreated it using applied alchemy. " Elfnein answered. "It turns the psyche of another person into electrical signals and sends them into the user's brain to allow observation."
"So you can use that thing to peek into people's brains?" Chris asks.
"In theory, yes." Elfnein answered.
"That's both impressive and terrifying..." Kana says.
"However, the brain is a complex labyrinth." Elfnein continues. "Worst case scenario, the minds of the observer and the subject may meld together, reducing both of them to a vegetative state."
"...And now it's even more terrifying..." Kana adds, taking a noticeable couple of steps back away from the machine.
"I'll do it." Maria volunteers, making everyone look at her in shock. "We've finally found a way to finish the LiNKER. I won't let this opportunity pass us by."
"But, oneesan, is it worth the risk?" Serena asks. "The last thing we need is for this to fail and we lost both you and whoever undergoes this process with you."
"I understand your concern, Serena, but I'm not going to let some possible negative outcomes scare me out of this." Maria replies.
"Still, it's too dangerous!" Shirabe says.
"You're being way too reckless, dess!" Kirika adds.
"As if you have any right to call me reckless!" Maria retorts, reminding them of what just happened moments prior to this conversation. Seeing that they understood the irony of their own pleas, Maria turned back to Elfnein. "So it poses a threat to the observer, that is to say, you, as well, correct?"
"It's the least I can do." Elfnein answered, resolved to undergo this process, fully aware of the dangers she will be putting herself in. "So, please, fight with me, Maria-san!"
Maria & Elfnein's/The Wielders and Miku's POVs:
S.O.N.G. HQ/Fairgrounds
With Maria agreeing to Elfnein's plan to finish the LiNKER recipe, the elder Airgetlám Wielder and the Alchemist went to a room where both parties sat in chairs where identical Direct Feedback System headsets were set up for them to put on. Once both parties put on their headsets, Aoi stepped up to the control panel in front of them and prepared to activate the machine. "Shall we begin?" Elfnein asks.
"Yes." Maria answers. "And just to make sure, you're coming inside my mind, right?"
"To be precise, I'm going to connect to a model of your brain, displayed in virtual reality." Elfnein answers. "Your consciousness and mine will be shared, Maria-san."
"Understood." Maria says, before turning to her sister in the corner of the room. "Serena, I know you're worried, but you don't need to stick around if you don't want to."
"That's exactly why I'm staying here unless there's an attack from the Illuminati." Serena replied. "I know that Aoi is more than capable of shutting down this thing should the need arise, but my worry would get the better of me if I didn't see it firsthand."
Maria chuckled. "Then I won't ask again, but my statement still stands."
"Of course."
As this was going on, the other Wielders decided to leave Maria and Elfnein alone so their work would go uninterrupted. Instead, they all decided to go to the nearby fairgrounds to get some snacks to take their minds off matters out of their control. Unfortunately, this tactic ended up making a certain Igalima Wielder regret their choice of snack. "Kiri-chan, I know you're worried, but..."
"I know dess!" Kirika interjects, interrupting Shirabe. "It was a decision I made fully knowing the risks involved!" Saying this, Kirika bit into her crepe, struggling to try and swallow the bite she took.
"That's what you get for ordering chocolate with pollock fish..." Shirabe sighs.
"You better eat all of it after you made me pay for the dang thing, Miss big-time gambler." Chris adds as she took a bite of her own crepe, but instead of reeling from the taste like Kirika, she was surprised. "Huh, this ain't half bad."
"I'm doing this for the sake of good luck!" Kirika says after finishing her first bite. "If I can finish this, it'll guarantee that Maria and Elfnein-chan's experiment will work!"
Watching the whole ordeal take place from a nearby table, Kana and Miku chuckled. "Never change, Kirika-chan... Never change." Kana says, before noticing something going on next to them. "Umm... Miku?"
Miku was confused as she turned back towards Kana, who pointed towards Hibiki who was staring off into space. "Oh... Hibiki? Hey, Hibiki?" She asks the younger Gungnir Wielder, who promptly snaps back to reality in confusion. "Your ice cream's melting."
"Oh shoot!" Hibiki shouts as she panickedly shoves the dessert into her mouth to stop the melting.
Kana and Miku share a thumbs up while chuckling to one another over their panicked friend. Once Hibiki slowed down on her cone, Miku pulled out a handkerchief to wipe Hibiki's face. "If you ever need someone to listen to your worries, or even just someone to wipe the ice cream off of your face, I'm here." Miku says as she wiped Hibiki's face. "So please don't hesitate to come and talk."
"Thank you, Miku. You really are my sunshine." Hibiki says.
As Kana smirks while taking in the sight of two of her best friends being cute, she notices something out of the corner of her eye, or rather, someone and their long red hair. "Kanade-san?"
"Sup!" Kanade says as she walked up to the group. "Just got back from listening to Tsubasa's old man being, well, I'm sure you can guess how a grumpy old man with a stick up his ass acts... So, did I miss anything interesting while I was away?"
"Well, Elfnein-chan may have found a way to make LiNKER, should nothing go wrong with the experiment..." Kana answers, taking a sip of her cold drink to cover up the last bit of info. "But other than that, we're just taking a moment to enjoy ourselves while we wait to hear back from HQ."
"Cool." Kanade says. Suddenly Kanade looks at the big television screen in the park, noticing something odd about what was being broadcasted. "Isn't that...?"
"Our next story: Stephan-kun, who lost his leg in a civil war in his home country, has come from the Valverde Republic to get an advanced prosthetic, so that he can once again play soccer."
The screen went to live footage where Stephan, accompanied by Sonia, were at the hospital where he would receive his new leg. "Isn't that great, Chris-chan?" Hibiki asks. "He'll be able to play soccer again!"
"That'd be nice." Chris replies, not taking her eyes off of the screen, off of Stephan, for even a moment. "The fact you suffered over a choice doesn't mean it's the right one. In fact, sometimes, there's no such thing as a 'right choice'."
Everyone stared at Chris with both confusion and sorrow. However, Kanade decided to try and change the topic to lighten the mood. "Say, where's Maria and Serena?"
"Serena-san stayed back at the base, she didn't want to be too far away from her sister during the experiment Elfnein and Maria are doing." Kana answers.
Kanade was confused. "When you say 'experiment', what exactly do you mean?"
Meanwhile, back at HQ, Maria and Elfnein finished getting into place to begin the experiment. "Are you ready? Here we go." Aoi said as she activated the machine. Within mere moments, the machine fired up, causing both of the subjects in the experiment to feel a sense of discomfort.
While she did her best to remain calm externally, Serena's stress for her sister and Elfnein's sakes skyrocketed at this discomforted wince. "Please work..."
Maria's mind
As for Elfnein, shortly after the machine activated, she was transported to a field of dandelions. She was alone, but that was fine as there was no one else there with her, only a familiar tune she had heard Serena sing from time to time.
(Apple beings to faintly play)
"Is this Maria-san's mind? This mental scenery is from her memories?" Elfnein asks herself aloud.
Before she could question the scenery further, she heard children giggling nearby. Soon after, Elfnein saw two girls, the older of the two with pink hair and the younger with brown hair. "Is that Maria-san and Serena-san as children?" She thought, before a woman, who seemed rather familiar despite how much younger she looked in comparison to a certain doctor she knew, walked past her. "Dr. Nastassja?"
The younger Nastassja walked up to Maria, suddenly grabbing her arm, pulling out a riding crop, and striking the girl across her arm. Despite not being directly attacked, Elfnein felt the crop hit her where it hit the young pink-haired girl. When she opened her eyes again after feeling the effect of the strike, Elfnein saw that she was in a different place entirely: A facility where she, Maria, Serena, Nastassja, and several other younger girls were gathered.
While the scenery change was confusing, Elfnein's main attention was on where the riding crop struck Maria, more specifically, where she felt the pain. Much to her surprise, Elfnein had a wound from the lashing despite not being touched directly. "But... Why?"
"From today onward, you are all going to start combat training." The younger Nastassja said. "You receptor children who failed to become Finé's vessel shall contribute to this organization not by shedding tears, but through shedding blood."
Elfnein watched the children react in horror to Nastassja's words, especially the young Serena who held tightly to Maria. Of course, she saw the scar on Maria's arm that was just like the one on her own. "Since we're sharing her mind, I'm sharing her memories and experiences as well." Elfnein said to herself.
Following that, as Elfnein searched for the part of Maria's brain that connected to the Symphogear, she watched as she went through all of Maria's memories in the F.I.S. facility, undergoing training both physically and mentally, being forced to drink what could only be LiNKER, and even reliving the memory of when Sere-
Before the last scene could continue further, Elfnein suddenly found herself in an abandoned city, surrounded by Noise. "These are her memories of the Noise?" Suddenly, the Noise started to approach Elfnein, which left her with no choice but to run away. "If I die here, the real me probably won't wake up!"
Elfnein ran for as long as she could, but she couldn't run forever. Eventually, she tripped over some debris in her path, leaving her flat on her face as the Noise closed the gap between themselves and her. Knowing she wouldn't be able to get away this time, Elfnein closed her eyes and braced for the inevitable feeling that was her body being reduced to carbon. However, another familiar tune filled the air...
"Seilien coffin Airgetlám tron"
(Stand up! Ready! begins to play)
Suddenly, a flash of light glistened in the sky before a barrage of daggers fell upon the Noise, eradicating them instantly in a flashy explosion. Once the dust kicked up from the barrage settled, Elfnein looked to see that Maria, clad in her Airgetlám armor, was standing where the Noise one stood. "Maria-san?"
"I have to admit, it's a little embarrassing to have someone else see my memories." Maria says. "Even if it's you."
"Um... When and what memory are you from, Maria-san?" Elfnein asks, still surprised to see Maria in her own mind.
"We promised to fight together, remember?" Maria answers. "If our minds are currently being shared, then you're not the only one who's here. Besides, what's wrong with my kicking butt inside my own mind?"
Reunited with one another inside Maria's mind, the Wielder cut through the horde of Noise as she led herself and Elfnein to safety.
After finally escaping the Noise, Maria and Elfnein suddenly found the world around them changed once again. This time, they were in an icy tundra next to a frozen lake. "What is this place?" Maria asks aloud.
"This could be a half-forgotten image that's been buried deep into your subconscious." Elfnein thought.
"My subconscious?" Maria pondered what this tundra could be a memory of. However, before she could try and remember anything specific, a rift appeared above and below the duo, encasing them before they suddenly began to fall down what felt like an endless hole...
Meanwhile in reality
Aoi was watching the monitor in front of the machine closely. Everything seemed fine for the most part, until warning messages emerged out of nowhere on Maria's end of the monitor. "That can't be good..." Aoi said.
"What's going on?" Serena asked.
"I... I don't know." Aoi answered.
"What do you mean you don't know?!" Serena replied, even more worried now than she was before.
However, at that moment, Tsubasa called Aoi from the command center. "How are the two of them doing?" She asked.
"Their vitals are well below the safety zone. If this keeps up, I'm afraid they won't last long." Aoi reported, which immediately made Serena's internal worries become external.
"We don't have many options..." Genjuro said over the communicator. "If this continues, you are to abort the experiment immedia-" Suddenly, an alarm goes off in the base.
"Alca-Noise have been spotted in Tokyo Bay!" Sakuya reported.
Meanwhile in the command center, the agents, Genjuro, Ogawa, and Tsubasa all looked to see a giant hydra-like Alca-Noise approaching the shore. "Could this be another Alca-Noise that can cut a hole in reality? Or does it have a different ability entirely?" Ogawa thought aloud. "Either way, it's gargantuan!"
"We can't let that reach the shore." Tsubasa said as she ran for the exit. "I'm heading out!"
"Serena-kun! Go with Tsubasa to deal with the Alca-Noise before it can reach land!" Genjuro ordered.
"Yes, sir!" Serena said, albeit her tone seemed shaky.
"Lilith-kun, head down to where Maria and Elfnein-kun are." Genjuro said, this time turning his attention to the draconic medic. "If the worst is to happen, they'll need to be tended to as soon as possible."
"Understood, Commander!" Lilith replied, heading straight for the room Serena had just left.
Bavarian Illuminati Alchemists'/Kana, Chris, and Hibiki's POVs:
Tokyo Bay/Fairgrounds
With the gigantic hydra-like Alca-Noise summoned, the Alchemists watched as the beast walked through the shoreline like the kaiju it was. "We were very lucky that the basement of that opera house was loaded with all kinds of toys other than Tiki." Cagliostro says, holding a scepter that had a hydra on the top of it.
"That being said, we can't afford to toy with our enemies any longer." Prelati adds.
"With the divine power of a god in our hands, we of the Bavarian Illuminati shall return the world to its proper state." Saint-Germain says, however, as she did, her thoughts turn to the last time they fought the Wielders in Matsushiro, specifically what Hibiki had said to her.
"If you're trying to help mankind, then surely we can work together..."
For a moment, Saint-Germain reflects on how she felt about Hibiki's request back then, before perishing the thought from her mind. "We fight for a just cause- no, for justice itself." She says. "I will not stray from this path, even if it is one that I must walk alone."
"You won't be alone." Prelati interjects, snapping Saint-Germain out of her thoughts. "I basically can't allow you to have to walk this path alone."
"It's thanks to you that we're even here in the first place." Cagliostro adds. "No matter what happens, the three of us will face whatever comes our way as we always have: Together." With her fellow Alchemists' words, Saint-Germain is once again resolved to continue following the path ahead of her.
Meanwhile, the Wielders at the fairgrounds learn of the kaiju-like Alca-Noise's appearance through a breaking news broadcast before also being informed of the situation by Genjuro over the phone. "Roger! We'll head straight to the helicopter pickup point!" Hibiki says as she puts her phone away.
"No time to waste! Let's get going!" Chris shouts as she dashes off towards the rendezvous point.
"We should head back to HQ, Kiri-chan." Shirabe said as she watched the Igalima Wielder stuff the rest of her crepe into her mouth.
"I'm wobbied aboub Mawia and Elwein, bess!" Kirika replied with her mouth full as the Zababa duo hurried back to base.
"Kanade-san, please get Miku to the shelter in the school." Hibiki says as she and Kana run off to the rendezvous point as well.
"Way ahead of ya, Hibiki!" Kanade replies. "Let's hurry, Miku-chan."
"Hold on a second. Hibiki!" Miku said as she called for the younger Gungnir Wielder, who stops in her tracks.
"...Everyone has something they'll never give up on." Hibiki says in a serious tone, before she starts to smile. "But that doesn't mean I can afford to lose."
"That makes sense to me!" Kanade chuckled.
"You don't have to win, Hibiki." Miku replied, confusing both Gungnir Wielders. "Just make sure that you don't lose."
"That... Makes a little less sense, but I think Hibiki gets it, so who cares if it makes sense or not?" Kanade said, looking as Hibiki blushed a little bit as her eyes started to tear up.
"I have a song in my heart!" Hibiki says with utmost resolve in her eyes, to which Miku smiled and nodded in agreement.
"Hibiki! Hurry up already!" Kana calls out from afar.
"You should get goin'. I'll make sure Miku-chan gets to safety." Kanade said with a grin.
"Right!" With that, Hibiki ran to catch up to Chris and Kana as the three of them, alongside Tsubasa and Serena who were also en route to the Alca-Noise's location, prepared to once again fight the Alchemists.
Meanwhile in Maria's mind...
As the opposing forces of S.O.N.G.'s Wielders and the Bavarian Illuminati's Alchemists were on their ways to fighting one-another, Maria and Elfnein were unconscious, slowly sinking into the seemingly bottomless lake that laid below the frozen tundra, with the only light being that of the sun shining through the hole the fell through...
"Maria..."
A voice called out to the two, barely audible, but sounding as though it was also getting closer.
"Maria... Wake up."
The voice called out again, this time managing to reach Maria as she and Elfnein both opened their eyes to see who was calling out to them. However, once they were able to finally see the source of the voice, both the Wielder and the Alchemist were shocked. "You're..."
"Indeed. I am a hero who's just passing through..."
"Dr. Ver!" Maria shouts in surprise. "I thought you were dead!"
"I live on in your heart." Dr. Ver said, adjusting his glasses with his hand as he left his no longer mutated left hand outstretched in a special pose as the water around them began to distort slowly but surely. "That's pretty much what happens to those who end up dead!"
A/N: And with that, we end the chapter!
I'm sure some of you are curious about the fate of "Project AK" as I have dubbed it, but rest assured, I have a lot planned for them once the time is right. However, this won't be the last time that they are mentioned in this part, so I hope you all can look forward to that!
Although, it may take a little longer than expected to get to their debut, because I am making a slight change to my posting schedule:
As some of you may already be aware if you follow me on twitter or are in the r/Symphogear discord, I have decided to put Sympho-Ball, my Dragon Ball x Symphogear fanfic, into my rotation of major fics to work on. That being said, with this chapter being posted, I am now going to be alternating working on this fic and Sympho-ball between chapters of Symphogear R.
I apologize that my chapters for this fic will be coming out a lot slower than before, but I promise that it'll be worth the wait.
Anyways, thank you for reading this chapter. I shall see you all in the next one!
