Part 4:
Through Many Tears, The Reality of Your Fate is Shown.
Chapter 8:
Change the Future
Wielders' POVs:
Undersea Dragon's Palace Ruins Excavation site.
With the success of their battle yesterday, the Wielders and agents of S.O.N.G. start their day where it was left off prior to the Alchemist's attack: searching through the dirt for the stone that was created when Hibiki was fused with Gungnir.
It was mostly quiet for the most part, but that would soon change as Kirika's scanner started beeping. "Oyo?" she gasps in surprise, which made Shirabe nervous.
"Okay, Kiri-chan, don't do anything-"
"OYO!" Kirika shouts as she throws down her scanner and reaches for the stone in the mud, accidentally launching some of said mud at Shirabe in the process.
"...Rash." Shirabe sighs.
"DEEESSSS!" Kirika cheers as she held the stone in her mud-covered hand victoriously.
Hearing Kirika's cheer, Elfnein quickly turned around and saw the stone in her hand. "Please, let me see the stone, Kirika-san." Elfnein said, before she slipped on some mud on her way over to Kirika.
"Elfnein-chan!" Kana gasps as she quickly flies over to catch Elfnein before a muddy disaster could take place. "I gotcha."
Elfnein let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Kana-san." She said.
"No worries, Elfnein-chan." Kana replies as she flew the Alchemist over to Kirika and put Elfnein back on her feet.
"Here you go, Elfnein-chan!" Kirika says, presenting the stone to the Alchemist as if it were an expensive piece of jewelry.
Elfnein gently picked up the stone and smiled. "This is it! This is our trump card against the Philosopher's Stone! The Fool's Stone!"
Everyone gathered around Elfnein to see the stone. While everyone was relieved to find the stone, Hibiki was disappointed. "I guess the name really stuck, huh..." She sighs.
Seeing her friend's disappointment, Kana walked over and put a hand on Hibiki's shoulder. "I mean, at least Chris didn't suggest a more crass name when she said 'Fool's Stone'." Kana says. "And hey, look on the bright side, the stone's name aside, it's thanks to you that we have a chance at winning against the Alchemists!"
Hibiki thought about this for a moment, before giving Kana an understanding nod and a smile. "I guess you're right. Thanks, Kana."
S.O.N.G. HQ
With the Fool's stone in their possession, the Wielders returned to headquarters to take showers after hours of standing in dirt. "Ahhh... Nothing beats a nice hot shower after taking a bath in the dirt!" Kirika exclaims.
"Heh... Someone sure sounds happy after digging a stone out of the dirt." Kanade chuckles.
Meanwhile, Hibiki was quick to take notice that someone was missing from the group within the showers. "Hey, where did Elfnein-chan go?" Hibiki asks.
"She was pretty much in and out of here in less than a second." Chris answers.
"All to make our miraculous diamond in the rough shine." Maria adds.
"The annihilation barrier's our only chance at winning against the Illuminati." Serena says.
"If we can use it to negate the Philosopher's stone's effect on our Ignite Modules, victory is all but assured." Tsubasa states.
While everyone was pretty much in agreement that victory against the Alchemists was their top priority, the same could not be said completely for Hibiki. "Even if that's what needs to be done, there's something else that needs to happen first..."
Once they were out of the showers, the Wielders all went to the locker room to dry themselves off before leaving for the day. However, as they were drying off, Aoi came into the room with a message. "Chris-chan, a message came via the Foreign Affairs Ministry for you." She said.
"A message? For me?" Chris asks.
"Stephan and Sonya were hoping to see you before they leave for Val Verde." Aoi continued.
Chris was surprised to hear that they wanted to meet with her again, but at the same time, she was hesitant to meet them. "Sorry." Chris says. "Tell them that I'm too busy."
"But..."
Kana looked at her girlfriend and knew exactly why she declined the request. "It's because of what happened in Val Verde, isn't it?" Kana said to herself.
"DAMN IT ALL!"
"It's your fault Stephan lost his leg!"
"Yeah. I shot it off..."
After that, everyone got dressed and went to leave for the day. But as they were leaving, Hibiki and Tsubasa tried to reason with Chris to make her reconsider not going to see Sonya and Stephan one last time. "Chris-chan..."
"The past is in the past." Chris replies. "There's nothing I can do about the choices I've already made."
"But losing sight of the past makes it harder to achieve what you need to in the present." Tsubasa states.
"Thanks for the tip." Chris sarcastically replies. "I'll be sure to keep it in mind."
"Chris..." Kana sighed to herself, before she noticed a certain red-haired, red-shirted man out of the corner of her eye. "Genjuro-san?"
"Good. You're all together." Genjuro said.
Hearing this, everyone turned to see Genjuro sitting on the couch in the lobby. "Master? What's all this about?" Hibiki asks.
Genjuro stood up from the couch. "You're all going to gather in the training room at once!" He said, confusing the Wielders.
"Training?!" Chris asks. "You do realize we've got the Fool's Stone now, right? For what reason do we need to train, you Geezer?"
"If this were a movie, do you honestly think a little pebble would be all that was needed to bring about a happy ending?" Genjuro asked in return.
"The hell does that even mean?" Chris asks.
"It's time to prepare for the final act!" Genjuro proclaimed as he punched into his other palm and held it tight.
Cagliostro's POV:
Alchemists' Hideout
Meanwhile, after retreating from the battle against the Wielders, Cagliostro tends to Prelati's wounds that she received from the Zababa duo. However, while was focused on making sure her ally's injuries were recovering, Cagliostro's thoughts were on what she overheard between Saint-Germain and Adam last night...
"Well, then I guess you'll need to use a sacrifice. Probably someone like one of your two subordinates. Sacrificing one of them should be sufficient. After all, the life energy from one of their perfect bodies can easily make up the remaining energy you need, with probably a little bit more to spare afterwards."
"Director... Is there any part of you left that is still human?"
"I think the better question you should be asking is which do you care for more:"
"Your ideals, or your allies?"
The thought of Adam so leisurely suggesting their leader to sacrifice either her or Prelati made Cagliostro sick to her stomach, and she knew that Saint-Germain more than likely felt the same way, but unlike herself, Saint-Germain was a lot better at burying that kind of disgust so as to focus on what needs to be done.
"How fares Prelati's recovery?" Saint-Germain asked as she entered the hotel room.
"It's going pretty well." Cagliostro responds. "She just needs a little more time to fully recover."
Saint-Germain approached Prelati's bedside and pulled her covers up to her chest. "We all share the same dream, her included."
Cagliostro nods. "Yeah. Hurting one of us is the same as hurting all of us." She says. "I won't rest until they've paid for what they've done to her."
Wielders' POVs:
S.O.N.G. Training Room
(Justice RIP (Storm) Begins to play)
Just as Genjuro had ordered, the Symphogear Wielders all gathered in the training room and began to clear out Alca-Noise in the simulator. "Yep. Just as I expected, this was a cake walk as always..." Kanade sighs.
"Seriously, this is ridiculous!" Maria adds.
"I'm sure Genjuro-san wanted to teach us something by having us train together." Kana says, trying to be optimistic to her teacher's orders. But soon, that optimism would swiftly be replaced with a mix of confusion and shock once she saw the Commander approaching the Wielders in his tracksuit while doing some warm-up stretches. "...Gods... Don't tell me..."
"This time, I'll be training with you!" Genjuro said. "And don't even think about holding back! I know I won't be!"
"He can't be serious, right?" Chris sighs.
"What reason would he have to joke about something like this?" Kana asks.
Suddenly, Genjuro bolts off towards Maria, catching the elder Airgetlám off guard with his speed as a flurry of punches knocked her back. "Oneesan!" Serena shouts as Genjuro ran up to her and threw her towards Maria.
"Wh-What should we do?" Maria asks the others as she regains her footing, but still hesitant to fight the Commander. But thanks to her hesitance, she left herself wide open to the projectile that was her sister, throwing her off balance once again, before Genjuro came charging in with a kick that sent the Airgetlám sisters into the simulated tree line.
"I don't like the idea of fighting a human..." Shirabe says.
"The fact you can even consider him human at all is impressive!" Kirika adds.
"Master, fight me next!" Hibiki says as she rushes over to Genjuro.
"Don't just rush in, you training-addicted idiot!" Chris shouts at Hibiki.
Hibiki, despite Chris' plea, continues her charge towards Genjuro, who effortlessly blocks all of Hibiki's punches with his bare hand. "It's going to take more than that to catch me off guard!" He said.
"I understand now. He's trying to show us something by fighting us: He wants us to cooperate." Tsubasa states as she watches Genjuro grab Hibiki's fist and throw her into the trees just as she had done to Maria and Serena. "While I'm intrigued, my warrior's spirit blazes for battle!"
"Tsubasa! Wait!" Kanade tried to call out to her, but the swordswoman refused to listen. "And there she goes..."
"Kanade-san, I have an idea." Kana says running over to Kanade.
"Any idea sounds good right about now." Kanade replies. "What do you need me to do?"
While Kana told Kanade her plan, Tsubasa steps up to challenge Genjuro with her blade, but much like Hibiki before her, Genjuro effortlessly dodges her strikes before ultimately catching her katana between his fingers, giving him the perfect opening to pull Tsubasa in close and knock her out with a shoulder check.
"Eat this, you Geezer!" Chris shouts, taking what she saw as an opportunity to take down Genjuro and end this charade with a barrage of missiles.
MEGA DETH PARTY
Unfortunately for the Ichaival Wielder, she had greatly underestimated what Genjuro was capable of. Within seconds, Genjuro caught every single missile Chris shot at him, gathered them up in his arms, and threw them right back at her. "Oh now that's just bullshi-" Chris was cut off by the explosions of her redirected rockets sending her right into a building and knocking her out.
"You may have a limitless number of attacks at your fingertips, but they're ultimately meaningless if they cannot be brought together!" Genjuro proclaims. "You have to match each others' hearts and minds! It is the only way you'll win!"
"RRAAAAAAAGHHHH!"
"YYAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
Next up was Kana and Kanade, who planned to charge together at Genjuro at full speed thanks to Kana's draconic wings, utilizing the smoke left behind by Chris' missiles. "Impressive." Genjuro said to the duo. "But I'm not going to let you win that easily!"
As a response, Genjuro caught Kana and Kanade, getting pushed back slightly by the force of their attack, but ultimately redirecting them away from himself and straight towards Kirika and Shirabe, causing the four Wielders to collide and end up in a pile on the ground.
With all of the Wielders defeated, the simulator was turned off as Genjuro dusted off his hands before folding his arms together. "Don't forget. The Fool's Stone is only a means to counteract the Philosopher's Stone." He said. "Now that the warm-ups are over, it's time for the real training to begin!"
Everyone was shocked by Genjuro's words. "That was just the warm-up?!"
Cagliostro's POV:
Ritual Site
As the Wielders were busy training, the Bavarian Illuminati began the ritual to bring about divine power.
"Seven planets, Seven notes in the scale... It's as if the heavens are sheet music!" Tiki exclaimed as she brought up her map of the stars.
"Then let us begin the ritual of creation." Adam said, walking over to Saint-Germain who was sitting down with her back exposed enough for Adam to cut a red circle into the back of her right shoulder, the Alchemist in question wincing briefly from the pain.
"Saint-Germain..." Cagliostro says to herself, worried for her leader.
"It's almost time for you to choose. Whose life shall you offer up?" Adam whispered menacingly to Saint-Germain, enjoying the panicked look on the Alchemist's face before he stood back up. "Now then, the only concern for this plan's success lies in those un-destroyed Symphogears…"
"I'll take care of them." Cagliostro says. "After all, with one being injured and the other being preoccupied at the moment, it's not like anyone else can do it."
"I take it that means you have a plan for dealing with them?" Adam asked.
Cagliostro shrugs. "Fighting them head-on would pretty much be a death sentence." She says. "However, while I promised myself I would never lie again, I'm not above fighting dirty to get the job done."
Kana and Chris' POVs:
S.O.N.G. HQ
Once they finished their training with Genjuro, the Wielders left their Symphogears with Elfnein so she could install the annihilation barrier while they got patched up. As they waited for their Gears to be upgraded, Kana decided to intervene in Chris' earlier decision to not meet with Sonya and Stephan. "Chris. Can I speak with you for a moment?" She asks.
"Sure." Chris replies. "What's up?"
Kana took a deep breath before speaking her mind. "I know I have no right in saying this, but I think you should go see Stephan and Sonya before they leave for Val Verde." She says, which makes Chris roll her eyes.
"Great, so you're gonna get on my case about it, too?" Chris sighs. "Like I said earlier, there's nothing that I can say or do that'll change what happened back there, so why bother?"
"While I'd normally agree with that way of thinking, they're trying to meet with you again." Kana retorts. "I'm not saying you have to act like nothing happened, but I think this could be beneficial for you in the long run."
"How could this be beneficial for me?" Chris asks.
"For one, it could give you a sense of closure to the regrets you have on how you saved Stephan's life." Kana says. "And don't try to play it off as if this whole ordeal hasn't been eating away at you since we got back to Japan. Everyone knows it has been, despite your efforts to act like everything is fine."
Chris was silent for a moment, before eventually letting out a frustrated sigh. "You're not gonna stop bugging me about it unless I go see them, aren't you?"
"Not for a second." Kana answers. "But, if it'll make you feel better, I can come with you. It may not be my burden to bear, but the least I can do is support you the same way you support me through all of my troubles."
Chris closed her eyes and smirked in contempt. "Fine. If it'll make everyone get off my case, I'll go see them."
"You mean it?" Kana asks, receiving a nod from Chris as a response, which made Kana hug her girlfriend out of excitement. "I'm happy to hear it!"
"Yeah, yeah. Save your excitement for after we get this over with." Chris says.
"Alright." Kana replies. "Well, we should probably see if our Gears are ready before we go. Knowing Elfnein, she probably had them done a literal minute after we handed them to her."
Sector 7
Much to Kana's expectation, Elfnein had finished the upgrade on the Symphogear pendants, so she and Chris were able to take theirs, after thanking the Alchemist for her hard work, and then they were driven to a restaurant in Sector 7, where Stephan and Sonya were waiting for them. "Thanks for the ride!" Kana says to the driver before they drove back to S.O.N.G. HQ. Once they were in front of the restaurant, Kana could see that Chris was nervous. "Are you feeling alright?"
"I'm fine." Chris says in a serious tone. "Let's just get this over with."
Entering the restaurant, the couple see Sonya and Stephan at one of the tables and head over to them. At first, Sonya and Chris mostly sat in awkward silence while Stephan and Kana engaged in small talk for a few minutes. But after that, Stephan turned to Chris to talk with her. "We're flying back this evening." He said. "But first, I wanted to tell you something."
Hearing this, Chris turned to face Stephan and put down her cup. "Right."
"The doctors told me things are looking well after the operation, so I can start physical therapy soon." Stephan said.
"That's good to hear." Chris replies.
"I would've loved to spend a little more time in a country that doesn't have a civil war, but there's a lot of kids waiting for my sister to get home." Stephan continued, which surprised Chris.
"After we saw Stephan on the news the other day, I looked up what Sonya's been doing over in Val Verde." Kana adds. "She's following in your parents' footsteps and supporting the children who've lost their homes and families."
"Following in Mom and Dad's footsteps?" Chris was amazed by this news, but at the same time, she probably knew why Sonya was doing this...
Flashback:
Val Verde
Several years ago, when Chris and Sonya were still good friends, they would always hang out together, especially when it came to things like watching Chris' parents perform for the people they were helping out.
However, this would all change on one fateful afternoon that neither Chris nor Sonya would ever forget. Following one of Masanori and Sonnet's performances, Chris played outside while her parents were busy helping stock up supplies for the town. But unbeknownst to any of the Yukines, something went past everyone's eyes, and they would soon learn about this when Sonya came running over to the supply storage.
"It's in the supplies I just carried in!" Sonya shouted as she ran over to Chris, who was very confused by what she meant. However, before the young Yukine could ask what Sonya was talking about, she soon found herself tackled to the ground as an explosion rang out behind her.
Once the light from the explosion died down, Sonya let go of Chris and stood up, utterly horrified by what she saw. "Papa? Mama?" Chris asks aloud, hoping to hear a response from her parents, but none came. Worried, she looked over to the storage building and saw the fire raging through the broken roof.
Almost as if her instincts drove her forward, Chris got up and tried to look inside the building, Sonya quickly followed after Chris to try and stop her from getting hurt herself, but physical wounds meant nothing to the traumatizing sight that was both of Chris' parents crushed underneath rubble and covered in fatal wounds from shrapnel caused by the hidden bomb.
"PAPA! MAMA!" Chris screams as she tries to run over to her parents, but Sonya stops her from running straight into the fire. "Let go of me, Sonya!"
"No! You can't go in there!" Sonya replied. "It's too dangerous!"
Enraged, Chris turns back to her friend and shouts the first thing that came to mind:
"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, SONYA!"
"Even then, I knew it wasn't her fault... But, still..." Despite how things went down, she knew there was a part of her that couldn't forgive Sonya for her screw up just as how the reverse had happened through her shooting off Stephan's leg to save his life. However, before Chris could voice her thoughts to the siblings, one of the walls in the restaurant exploded. "We're in the middle of something!"
Once the dust settled, the Wielders' worst fears with the explosion were brought to light as a horde of Alca-Noise poured through. "Alca-Noise?! Now of all times?!" Kana adds, equally frustrated by the interruption.
Meanwhile at S.O.N.G. HQ
"Alca-Noise signals detected in Sector 7!" Sakuya reported. "Ichaival and Yato are already on site!"
"Hibiki-chan and the others are en route to their location!" Aoi added.
"Send in a request for evacuation." Ogawa said, which the agents got onto doing posthaste.
"It's not safe here anymore." Kana says to Sonya and Stephan. "You two need to evacuate now!"
"Understood!" Sonya replied as she wheeled away Stephan.
Kana and Chris watched as the Alca-Noise destroyed the inside of the restaurant. "The Illuminati really can't let us catch a break, huh?" Kana sighs.
"Jokes on them, though." Chris replies as she takes out her pendant. "I'm in need of an outlet for my frustrations right about now!"
"Killter Ichaival tron"
(Gun Bullet XXX begins to play)
Without hesitation, the couple begins their assault on the Alca-Noise, quickly dispatching the ones inside before quickly going after the ones outdoors as well. As they dispatched the Alca-Noise outdoors, however, a barrage of lasers rained down upon them, forcing the duo to dodge. "Looks like my plan to lure you out worked like a charm!" Cagliostro said.
"Impeccable timing as always." Kana sarcastically replies, before noticing that Cagliostro was alone. "Where's your friends? Are they preoccupied? Or are you just that confident that fighting us by yourself will work out this time?"
"Bit of both, actually." Cagliostro replied with an equal amount of sass. "But I wouldn't exactly say I'm at a disadvantage when fighting me together would put civilians at risk."
Kana scoffs at the Alchemist's retort, but she is then interrupted by Chris sticking her hand out in front of her. "Leave her to me, you handle the Alca-Noise." She says.
"Gotcha." Kana replies as she gives Cagliostro a glare before flying off to handle the Alca-Noise. "Make sure to keep her away from the building!"
"Don't gotta tell me twice!" Chris replies as she pulls out her crossbows and engages in combat against Cagliostro. Chris fires barrage after barrage of bolts towards the Alchemist, but Cagliostro just effortlessly dances between the Wielder's shots and stands behind her tauntingly. "Can you not sit still for two damn seconds?!"
Chris tries to swing at Cagliostro while she was close to her, but again, Cagliostro dodges. "For what it's worth, you're not as stupid as you are foul-mouthed." She said, before suddenly blasting Chris with lasers at point-blank range, knocking her to the ground.
"Chris!" Kana shouts, seeing the blast from a distance. She tries to fly over to Chris to help her, but the Alca-Noise horde both block her path and push her back so that she couldn't interfere. "Dammit!"
"If circumstances were different, I'm sure we could've been good friends." Cagliostro confessed as she approached the wounded Wielder. "But I'm afraid I have to kill you now. Don't take it personally."
Suddenly, Cagliostro felt something off about her surroundings, and sure enough, her suspicions would be swiftly answered by the sound of a whip sword flying towards her, forcing her to dodge out of the way. "Chris-chan! Are you okay?" Hibiki asked as herself and Maria came to Chris' aid.
Chris smirks at Hibiki. "You're late, you idiot." Chris answers in a thankful way.
As this went down, the other Wielders came to the aid of Kana and helped thin the numbers of the Alca-Noise horde. "Your timing could not have been better!" Kana exclaims as she dealt with the Alca-Noise that were right on top of her. "Thanks for the assist."
"We can't let you have all the fun." Shirabe said.
"Yeah! What good would we be as your retainers if we couldn't help you when you need it, Kana-sama?" Kirika added. "It's time to turn this around!"
"You took the words right out of my mouth!" Cagliostro retorted as she threw down three special Alca-Noise crystals at the feet of the Wielders, which was quickly followed by Tsubasa, Shirabe, Kirika, Hibiki, Kanade, and Serena suddenly disappearing from sight. "That's much better!"
"Everyone!" Kana gasps.
"What the hell did you just do?!" Chris asks Cagliostro.
Cagliostro chuckled. "The unison of the crimson blade Shul Shagana and the emerald blade Igalima. Prelati learned the hard way that those two are not to be left to their own devices." She said.
"Sounds like a compliment they'd love to hear." Chris retorts.
"You're about to learn the hard way that they aren't the only ones who should be feared when they work together!" Maria added. Hearing this, Cagliostro fired more lasers at the trio, which Chris and Kana quickly countered with their own projectiles, creating a massive cloud of smoke that allowed Maria to close the gap between herself and the Alchemist. "Your long ranged weapons are useless when I'm this close!"
Maria dove in to slash at Cagliostro, but the latter was more than prepared for that. Ducking out of the way of Maria's blade, Cagliostro stored her blasters away and channeled energy into her knuckles. "Too bad I'm proficient in more than just long range!" She retorted as she punched Maria in the gut and sent her flying.
"Maria!" Kana and Chris gasp, before they both receive a gut punch of their own that sent them flying into the restaurant.
Shortly after being launched into the ruined restaurant, Chris propped herself up and saw both Kana trying to get back up, as well as... "What are you two still doing here?!"
"Stephan's wheelchair got stuck!" Sonya replied, trying to free his chair from the rubble.
"Terribly sorry for getting you two caught in the middle of this." Cagliostro said to Sonya and Stephan as she entered the restaurant. "But don't you worry, I'll put you all out of your misery right away."
Saying this, Cagliostro began to charge energy into her fists, planning to destroy the building and the four of them along with it. "I won't let y-" Chris tries to retort, before her legs give in on her and force her back to the ground.
"Gods... This can't be how it ends..." Kana adds, sharing Chris struggles of fighting to stand. However, when all hope seemed lost, Stephan suddenly gets up from his wheelchair and, with a determined shout, kicks a broken table leg at Cagliostro. "Stephan?!"
"You really think a desperate attack like that will save you?" Cagliostro asked as she deflected the table leg.
"No, but this might!" Kana retorts as she and Chris fire a Dragon Shot and crossbow bolts at the Alchemist, forcing her out of the restaurant, where Maria was waiting for her.
"What were you thinking?!" Chris asks Stephan.
"You saved my life back in Val Verde. That's how I was able to save you and Kana now!" Stephan said. "I may not be able to change what happened to my leg, or what happened in the past. But what I can do is change the present, and the future, for the better!"
"Stephan..."
"Both you and my sister are obsessed with a past you can't change, Chris!" Stephan shouted. "I took a step forward on my new leg. What about you two?"
Sonya and Chris were both shocked by Stephan's words, but deep down, they both knew that he was right to speak his mind, and Chris could tell Kana shared his opinion on the matter with the look she gave her. And so, as Stephan kept standing, putting a hand on his wheelchair to support him, Sonya and Chris put their hands over his, finally putting to rest their grudges.
"After a speech like that, I can't keep feeling sorry for myself, now can I?" Chris chuckled, finally being able to look Sonya in the eyes and smiling with her again.
"I'm glad you can finally stop beating yourself up about what happened in Val Verde." Kana says. "Now I believe you owe a certain Alchemist some much deserved payback. I'll keep Sonya and Stephan safe."
Chris smirks at Kana. "Well then, I better go give that bitch a piece of my mind!"
"There's the Chris I know and love!" Kana says as Chris goes over to the opening in the wall.
Chris looks over her shoulder at Kana and smirks. "I never left!"
Maria and Chris' POVs:
The Fight against Cagliostro
As Chris and Sonya were finally making amends for the past, Maria was trying her best to hold her own against Cagliostro, but she was struggling more and more as the fight continued. "Time to end this!" Cagliostro exclaimed as she dashed in to deal the final blow... That is until Chris showed up!
Once the Ichaival Wielder rejoined the fray, Cagliostro was forced to back off from the elder Airgetlám Wielder. "You're late!" Maria shouts. "But you look great, so I forgive you!"
"Care to try that thing we practiced earlier?" Chris asks Maria.
"I'm game." Maria replies. "I'm in the perfect mood to try it, anyhow."
"Seems like I don't keep you guys busy enough over there!" Cagliostro said as she drew a laser in front of her in the shape of a heart, before finishing it off with a smaller heart in the middle. "Take this!"
Cagliostro proceeded to punch the heart she created, sending a massive heart-shaped blast towards the duo of Wielders that exploded on contact. For the moment, Cagliostro stood proudly, assuming she had defeated them... But she couldn't have been further from the truth if she tried.
(Change the Future begins to play)
Emerging from the smoke, Chris and Maria stood unharmed from the blast, now in their Ignited Gears. "Ignite? Even in the light of the Lapis Philosophorum?" Cagliostro asked, becoming frustrated by the fact their advantage over the Wielders wasn't working. "But how?!"
"These aren't the same Symphogears you saw yesterday!" Chris retorts as the Fool's stone glowed brightly on her pendant.
And so, the fight begins once again, the Ignited Wielders charging at Cagliostro, who began to rapidly fire lasers from newly-formed gauntlets as she tried to keep them at bay, but soon, she would find herself overwhelmed by Chris and Maria, who were fighting on opposite sides of her, using the opening she would leave fighting the other to their advantage. "Are they fighting in unison?!" Cagliostro asked herself. "But I thought only Zababa's blades could do that!"
Meanwhile at S.O.N.G. HQ
The agents of S.O.N.G. watched the battle unfold between the Wielders and Alchemist, and they were very relieved by how the fight was unfolding. "The Fool's Stone's annihilation barrier is proving effective against the Philosopher's Stone!" Aoi reported. "Their Ignite Modules are still intact!"
"It worked!" Elfnein exclaimed, relieved that the barrier was effective.
"They're mutually raising each other's phonic gain!" Sakuya reported. "This is most likely due to their unison!"
Hearing this, Genjuro watched the duo intently, recalling what he said during their training session earlier...
"Shirabe-kun and Kirika-kun's unison is powerful, which is why it's safe to assume they'll do everything in their power to split them up. You cannot rely solely on your Gears' unique features! Much like Kana-kun with her Augmentations, you must be able to match each other's rhythm so that you can stand united against any foe, no matter who you're paired up with!"
"Can they truly pull off the bond of unison?" Genjuro thought aloud.
Back at the fight, Cagliostro's overconfidence was fading fast, replacing itself with worry. "First they manage to stop the Lapis' light, and now they're fighting in unison? I can't let the others fight them!" Cagliostro proclaimed, before creating another heart-shaped laser that exploded when Chris tried to shoot at it. Knowing it wouldn't do much to stop the Wielders, Cagliostro used the moment that they were forced to hold their ground to charge up her real finishing move. "I won't allow you to win!"
"She's generating an immense amount of energy." Maria says, before realizing what Cagliostro was trying to do. "Is she planning to kill herself along with us?!"
"I'm gonna show you just how powerful a girl's charm can be!" Cagliostro shouted in a very serious tone as she brought her gauntlets together and rocketed into the sky.
"Let's end this!" Maria and Chris reply as they bring their Gears together to form a giant drill-tipped rocket to pursue Cagliostro for one final clash.
Change the Future
Meeting the Alchemist halfway on her Hail Mary descent, Chris and Maria trade blows with Cagliostro as they soar through the sky, getting into one final deadlock that would decide the fight once and for all, but even with their combined strength, the Wielders were struggling to match the Alchemist's power. But that struggle would soon change...
Watching from the ruined restaurant, Stephan, Sonya, and Kana looked on at the electrifying spectacle, doing the one thing they could to help, cheer them on.
"Conquer the present!" Stephan shouted.
"And change the future!" Sonya and Kana added.
Hearing the trio cheer them on, Chris and Maria gained the resolve to push past their limits and give everything they had to drive their attack past Cagliostro's, resulting in a massive explosion that all but consumed the Alchemist as the Wielder duo safely got out of the blast radius and back onto the ground, where they rightfully collapsed and caught their breath.
"We... Did it!" Maria says, almost in disbelief that they won.
"Yeah." Chris replies. "We did it."
Shortly after Cagliostro's defeat, The six Wielders that were trapped in subspace cages were freed as the Alca-Noise responsible had self-destructed, which surprised all of them. But while they were surprised by that, they quickly took notice of the Ignited duo sitting on the ground after their hard-fought battle.
"Chris-chan!/Maria!" Hibiki and Kirika exclaimed.
"Is everyone alright?" Tsubasa asked.
"Couldn't tell ya how we managed to pull it off, but we sure did manage it." Chris answers.
"Way to go, you two!" Kanade cheered. "Sucks that I didn't get to see the look on that chick's face when you kicked her ass, but hey, now we know that we stand a chance against them with our new and improved Ignite!"
"Not to mention the power of unison." Kana added as she arrived at the scene. "You two did amazing!"
"Well, we probably only won thanks to that boost you gave us at the end there." Chris chuckled.
"But I didn't give you a boost." Kana said, which surprised Maria and Chris. "I figured since Shirabe-chan and Kirika-chan could hold their own against Prelati when they were in unison, that you two wouldn't need it. So that was all you two."
"Looks like Genjuro-san's training came to our benefit after all." Serena said. Everyone nodded in agreement to that statement, but among those head nods, Shirabe felt disappointed in herself.
Chris and Kana's POVs:
Tokyo Airport
With the fight against the Alchemist over, the Wielders all went to see Sonya and Stephan off at the airport, but before they left, Chris and Sonya hugged one another, finally rid of any and all resentment each other had for events out of their control at Val Verde.
"Chris... Hopefully we will meet each other again someday." Sonya said.
"We will meet again. I swear it." Chris promises.
With that, Sonya and Stephan get on their plane back to Val Verde, looking on as the Wielders watch them leave from the terminal.
Chris and Kana's Apartment
After the plane left the Wielders' sights, everyone returned to their homes. For the most part, everyone simply went to bed to prepare for what tomorrow would bring, but as for Chris and Kana, there was something worth talking about before they would fall asleep.
Entering the door to their apartment, Chris noticed Kana grinning from ear to ear out of the corner of her eye. "What's with the face, Kana?" Chris asks.
"I could ask you the same thing. You've been smiling ever since we left the airport, and I know it's not because Sonya and Stephan left." Kana retorts. "Weeeelllll? Anything you wanna say for yourself?"
Chris rolls her eyes, knowing what Kana was getting at. "Alright, fine. I'll admit it... You were right to egg me on to go meet Sonya and Stephan, even if we were rudely interrupted by the Illuminati..." Chris confesses.
"Aaaaaand?" Kana asks.
"What are you, five?" Chris retorts. "Just tell me what you want me to say."
"...You're no fun when you're tired..." Kana pouts. "But what I was trying to get you to say was 'And I feel so much better thanks to you and the others helping me get out of my funk.'"
"Yeah, no. I was never gonna say it like that." Chris said with a blush. "But, thanks for doing that, much to my annoyance at the time..."
"You're welcome." Kana replies, giving Chris a kiss on the cheek. "Besides, I'm only an annoyance because I care. That, and I know you would've done the same for me if I was the one in a funk."
"Damn right I would." Chris agrees. "Now let's go to bed. Today has been very exhausting on multiple levels..."
"You can say that again." Kana chuckles as herself and Chris go about their nightly routines and call it a night.
Saint-Germain's POV:
Ritual Site
Meanwhile at the ritual site, Saint-Germain still sat in position as Adam created another mark on her back. However, once the second mark was complete, Tiki suddenly walked over and started dancing joyfully. "She lost! They got her!" She cheered. "Cagliostro's become another star in the sky! Bye-Bye!"
"It can't be..." Saint-Germain gasps as she stood up. "They really defeated Cagliostro?"
"Well look on the bright side: At least now you don't have to choose who you sacrifice." Adam said, which made Saint-Germain freeze in shock. "Prelati will be our sacrifice. And seeing that she's injured, she won't be able to fight back, so it works out for the better."
Saint-Germain was outraged by this. Adam spoke of her ally, her friend, like she was nothing more than fodder, showing not even an ounce of sympathy for Prelati's condition to boot. "Controlling Director... You're so-!"
Saint-Germain went to strike at Adam, but the man in question effortlessly grabbed the hand Saint-Germain swung at him and held it in place. "Yes, I know. I'm inhuman." Adam said. "We've been over this more than enough times that I've honestly lost count."
With this, Adam tosses Saint-Germain onto the ground, standing dominantly above her. "You're so inhuman, Adam! Bad to the bone!" Tiki cheered. "Bad boys are always popular with the ladies!"
"We stand to obtain divine power that is on par with that of our old rulers." Adam continued, ignoring Tiki's fangirling. "The only way to do so is by being inhuman."
A/N: And with that, we end the chapter!
I don't have too much to add this time around compared to the monster that was Chaos Kana, but I hope you enjoyed Kana being a supportive girlfriend in this chapter. I figured it made more sense for her to be the driving force for Chris to go see Sonya and Stephan since, well, I'm pretty sure I don't need to explain why.
But that aside, I hope you look forward to what I have planned for Kana, Kanade, and Serena in terms of including them in the Unison attacks (Before you ask, no, it won't be a trio attack.)
Anyways, thank you all for reading this chapter. I shall see you all in the next one! (Also, Happy Halloween! I know this comes out the day before it, but still, have fun if you celebrate it!)
