Part 4:
Through Many Tears, The Reality of Your Fate is Shown.
Chapter 12:
To Free A God-powered God-killer
S.O.N.G./Wielders POV:
S.O.N.G. HQ
Two days following the fight with Saint-Germain and the fight with Adam soon after, S.O.N.G., as well as the United Nations, surveyed the cocoon that was Hibiki after she mysteriously absorbed the divine power that Tiki had released upon her defeat. As half of the Wielders surveyed the cocoon up close, the other half were on standby within S.O.N.G.'s HQ, ready to move out to the scene the moment the cocoon made any abnormal activity.
However, after 48 hours of waiting for any changes, they received some less than ideal news from Yatsuhiro on the UN's plan of action. "The UN is expected to reach a decision soon. It's more than likely that they will vote in favor of military intervention on Japanese soil." Yatsuhiro stated. "When that happens, S.O.N.G. will have to lead the attack under the UN's command."
"I was afraid that it would come to this..." Genjuro sighs.
"Furthermore, due to the severity of this situation, the deployment of nuclear weapons is also being considered." Yatsuhiro continued, which shocked everyone in the command center.
"Nukes?! But Hibiki-kun's inside that thing!" Genjuro shouts.
"Of course, we have no intention of allowing this deployment to happen." Yatsuhiro said. "However, the US government is getting antsy about what could end up being a global disaster, as they have been in the past..."
Genjuro grimaces. "It was probably the destruction of that spy satellite that gave them an excuse!"
"I'm sure I don't have to ask this of you brother, but do everything in your power to resolve this before it goes too far." Yatsuhiro requested. "If you're able to get any results, that could help us immensely in terms of negotiations."
"Hear you loud and clear." Genjuro replies. "Thank you, Brother."
With that, Yatsuhiro hung up the call, leaving everyone to process what he shared with them.
"A full-scale UN intervention... To think we would be put in the same situation that Val Verde faced just weeks ago..." Sakuya says melancholily.
"First we end up finding a way to deal with this divine power BS, and now there's a chance that the UN will end up wiping that trump card off the face of the Earth, and us along with it if we can't deal with this!" Kanade groans.
"I've managed to detect Hibiki-san's life signs within the cocoon." Elfnein reports. "It seems that the God-killer is probably preventing the divine power from fusing with her, but I can't tell how much more time we have until that fails to protect her."
"Then we need to use what little time we could have left to find a solution that doesn't involve killing Tachibana!" Tsubasa says.
"I agree, Tsubasa." Genjuro replies. "Which is why they're here."
"Who's 'they'?" Chris asks, before the door leading into the command center opens up behind her, revealing Kana and Miku.
"I brought Miku, just like you asked, Genjuro-san." Kana says.
"Thank you for that, Kana-kun." Genjuro replies, before turning to Miku, who had her eyes glued to the monitor the moment they walked in.
"Hibiki's inside that thing, right?" Miku asks. "Is she okay?"
"As far as we know, she's alright, which is why I asked for Kana to bring you here." Genjuro answers before turning back towards the agents in front of him. "Connect me to Maria-kun and her team."
"Right away, sir." Aoi replies, as she gets in touch with Maria's team.
"We're all set up over here." Maria reports.
"How can we save Hibiki?" Miku asks.
"With this." Elfnein answers, turning to face Miku as she holds an injector full of Anti-LiNKER in her hand. "LiNKER and Anti-LiNKER are two sides of the same coin. Now that I've successfully managed to create working LiNKER, I can also synthesize Anti-LiNKER as well."
"But, how is a drug that lowers compatibility values going to help her?" Maria asks.
"Both Yohualtepoztli and the Divine Weapon could only properly manifest with the help of a vessel that could contain their immense power. Doesn't that sound similar to how the Symphogear System works?" Elfnein asked, which surprised all of the Wielders.
"If the energy surrounding Hibiki-kun is similar to that of the relics that power the Symphogears..."
"Then we can rip her outta there with the Anti-LiNKER!" Chris says, finishing Genjuro's train of thought.
"Exactly." Elfnein replies. "So you're all going to need these."
"Our converter units?" Tsubasa asks. "Does that mean what I think it means?"
Elfnein nods. "I've finished removing the recoil corruption from your Gears, as well as ensuring the same doesn't happen to Kana-san, Kanade-san, and Serena-san's Gears either." She says. "They're ready to go at any time."
"That's what I like to hear!" Kanade chuckles. "Now we can really stick it to that bucket of bolts with all of us in the fight!"
"That is, if he shows himself." Serena states as she walks into the room. "Personally, I hope he doesn't show himself since the two of us are still technically recovering from all that damage we took protecting Hibiki-chan."
"Honestly, I'm surprised you're both back on your feet as it is." Chris adds. "If the idiot didn't wake up when she did, I fully would've expected one of you to come back with at least one or two broken limbs."
"Yeah, well, I've come back from worse fights within the past year alone." Kanade says, before she lets out another chuckle. "Come to think of it, the last time I was beaten this badly was to that one Autoscorer the dynamic duo took down. Funny how my worst beatings were both to robots."
"Hold on a moment." Kana says. "If I can bring it back to the earlier conversation about Anti-LiNKER for a second, if the Anti-LiNKER could work on Hibiki, would that mean my Yato's Augmentation could help lower her compatibility faster?"
"Your Augmentations can lower compatibility values?" Elfnein asks.
"I've only ever done it a couple times back before Maria and the others were with us here at S.O.N.G., but it should work in a very similar way that Anti-LiNKER does." Kana states. "While I haven't tried it to the extremes of reverting someone out of their Gear before, it was able to cancel out multiple Superb Songs at once."
"If I recall that day correctly, Kana-Sama, you were also completely exhausted after you did it." Kirika says.
"True, but that was before we had any of the upgrades we have now." Kana replies. "Besides, that was a long time ago and I'm much stronger than I was back then."
"It was November of last year when that happened." Shirabe states in a deadpan tone, which made Kana blush from embarrassment.
"Either way, the statement about me being stronger than before stands." Kana retorts.
"Well, if it's as you say and it can work like Anti-LiNKER, it's worth at least trying." Elfnein says. "Just don't hurt yourself, okay?"
"Sure thing, Elfnein-chan!" Kana answers with a smile and a thumbs up.
"Um, Genjuro-san? Is there anything I can do to help?" Miku asks.
"You're going to be our ace in the hole, Miku-kun. Our final trump card." Genjuro answers, which surprises Miku.
"It'll be dangerous, so I know that we're asking a lot from you, but if it comes down to it, we're going to need your help." Elfnein adds.
"I'll do whatever I can!" Miku says, agreeing to help S.O.N.G. save Hibiki.
"That just leaves one more person..." Genjuro says. "Everyone, follow me."
Following Genjuro, the Wielders, Miku, and Elfnein walked to a room in S.O.N.G.'s headquarters where several agents were in a circle with their guns aimed at a familiar Alchemist: Saint-Germain. "Lower your weapons. This is no way to treat an ally, especially one that is unarmed." Genjuro says to the agents.
"Understood... But, sir..."
"Even if she tries anything, your weapons would only be in the way of myself and the Wielders." Genjuro interjects, which finally gets them to lower their guns. "Terribly sorry about the security measures. I'm sure you understand why they're on edge."
"It's quite alright." Saint-Germain replied. "That aside, was my data useful?"
"It's all thanks to your notes of the technology behind the Philosopher's Stone that I was able to decontaminate the converter units as efficiently as I had." Elfnein answers. "Thank you very much!"
"I'm glad my notes could be of use." Saint-Germain said proudly.
"As for your alliance with us..."
"I will help you, but once our common goal is complete, that will be the end of our cooperation." Saint-Germain answered before Genjuro could finish.
While Genjuro was disappointed that this alliance would only be temporary, that disappointment was quickly interrupted by an alarm going off on the base. "What's going on?" Genjuro asks.
"Commander! Incoming call from Kamakura!" Sakuya reports, before Fudo is displayed on the monitor within Saint-Germain's room.
"I have put into effect the National Defense Disaster Dispatch clause." Fudo announced, which shocked both Genjuro and Tsubasa.
"I'm sorry, the what now?" Chris asks.
"You had them recognize Tachibana as a type 2 supernatural disaster?" Tsubasa asks angrily.
"In the event of disasters related to relics, the use of any form of armed forces are authorized, including lethal force." Fudo explained. "The target must be annihilated immediately!"
"But we're currently working on a way to rescue her-"
"What utter nonsense!" Fudo shouted, interrupting Genjuro's plea. "You would allow the UN to carry out their armed intervention? They plan to deploy nuclear weapons, bathing our country in fire!"
"Wait! Hibiki isn't a supernatural disaster!" Miku shouts. "She's... My best friend!"
"If it's the duty of the Kazanaris to protect our country, then, as the prodigal daughter, I will protect my friend and the people!" Tsubasa adds, which made Fudo furious.
"Tsubasa! Do you forget what blood flows in your veins?!" Fudo shouted.
"I care not for blood!" Tsubasa retorts. "All that flows through my veins is the will of the sword that shall protect my friends until death takes me from this world!"
The room was dead silent as the eldest and youngest members of the Kazanari clan stared each other down while everyone looked between the two, waiting for one of them to break their gaze, with the exception of Kanade, whose face was lit up with excitement.
However, that silence would soon end as another alarm blared within the headquarters. "Commander! An attack force has been deployed around Hibiki-chan!" Aoi reports.
"The operation will commence in two hours. The justice I have chosen shall not be undone." Fudo stated before hanging up the call.
"Yet another who enforces his will onto others..." Saint-Germain scoffed.
"We better get over there before that attack force ends up making things worse than they already are." Genjuro states. "Everyone, be ready to head out ASAP!"
"Yes, sir!" The Wielders reply as they start to leave the room.
"Hold on a moment." Saint-Germain said, stopping everyone. "Before we depart, I wish to speak to Kana Kamui. Alone."
Everyone was confused at this request, well, all except the requested person. "Go on ahead. I'll meet up with the others once we're done." Kana says, receiving a nod from Genjuro as he motions for everyone to leave the Wielder and Alchemist alone. "I've been wanting to ask you a thing or two myself, and I'm sure you don't need me to elaborate on what I mean."
Saint-Germain nodded. "Then I'll get straight to the point: What are you?"
Kana was confused by this question. "What do you mean?"
"Disregarding the recent developments with Hibiki Tachibana and the Divine Power, you have been a major interest of the Bavarian Illuminati for quite some time, that is to say, a major interest of the Controlling Director." Saint-Germain explained.
"Is that why you've been so interested in me during our battles?" Kana asks. "I mean, sure, I'm a girl that can transform into a dragon at will and I'm a jack of all trades thanks to learning enough about my teammates weapons by giving them a power boost, but you and your friends didn't seem to care about either aspect of who I am. So tell me, what else could it possibly be that you all saw me as such a threat?"
Saint-Germain was quiet for a moment, before simply answering Kana's question with. "The Director believes that you have access to Divine Power, and that you've been hiding it from everyone for years."
Kana was taken aback by Saint-Germain's answer. "Wh... W-What?"
"For the past couple years, we've had members of the Illuminati keeping an eye on you, waiting to report back to Adam if anything out of the ordinary happened with you." Saint-Germain explained. "When you finally showed off your draconic form against Finé, Adam kept an even closer eye on you than before. He even went to the lengths of trying to recreate your power through various experiments, trying to see if he could speed up the process of the manifestation of Divine Power."
"So that's why you've been so interested in me..." Kana mumbles to herself. "Wait, you said he tried to recreate my power. I know this will probably be obvious, but was he successful?"
Saint-Germain was notably hesitant to answer that question. "...No. No he was not." She said. "Any results he had with those experiments were deemed failures and were cast aside without a care in the world."
"I see..." Kana says. "Still... One thing doesn't make any sense. Why would Adam think I had any Divine Power in me?"
"If I can be honest, I doubt that's a question we'll ever get an answer for." Saint-Germain replied. "But answering that question doesn't matter right now. All that matters is putting an end to what the Controlling Director started... And ending him along with it."
"Then how about we go do just that, eh?" Kana asks as she tosses Saint-Germain back her spellcaster, which the Alchemist effortlessly catches as she gave Kana a confused look. "What? You weren't expecting me to force you to fight without your Faust Robe now, were you?"
Saint-Germain just continued to look at Kana while she chuckled to herself, her vision flashing back to a silhouette of a teenager in a similarly designed room. "I see where he got it from..." Saint-Germain said to herself, before a smirk appeared on her face. "Thank you, Kana Kamui. Now, let's end this!"
The Wielders and Saint-Germain's POVs:
Ruined City
As the Wielders and S.O.N.G. made their way to the site where Hibiki's cocoon was, Fudo's attack force had begun to fire barrage after barrage of missiles at the younger Gungnir Wielder's encasing, causing bright yellow cracks to emerge with each barrage. After three barrages, the cocoon finally fell from the air along with all the web-like supports. The attack force watched the explosion happen on the ground, assuming that they were successful in destroying the Divine Power, however, they would soon learn just how badly they screwed up by attacking that cocoon.
As the light from the explosion dissipated, the attack force saw a giant female humanoid with silver and red skin and a golden aura surrounding her emerge and stare down at them, or at least, they assumed it was looking at them, due to the fact that the humanoid's eyes were nowhere to be seen.
After a moment of quietly looking around, the giant roared, unleashing several beams from its mouth, destroying the nearby buildings without a second thought. "Did our attacks hasten its awakening?" The attack force leader thought aloud.
The giant continued their rampage, aiming their next beam straight at the attack force's tanks. Luckily for them, Maria and Shirabe arrived in the nick of time, creating a temporary barricade to nullify the beam, even if they still felt the recoil from their barriers shattering.
"Are you two alright?" Serena asks, running over to help Maria up as Kirika helps Shirabe.
"Y-Yeah, we're fine." Maria replies with a cough. "Even with both of our barriers stopping the attack, I feel like I had the wind knocked out of me."
"That definitely feels like something Hibiki-san could pull off." Kirika says. "This power has her name written all over it dess!"
Just then, Tsubasa, Chris, and Kanade arrived at the scene, the latter two silently glaring at the tanks before looking over at the giant. "We'll handle this from here. Retreat at once!" Tsubasa orders to the attack force.
"Are you the UN's advance force?" The attack force's leader asks. "We're under the Japanese government's orders and have received no order to withdraw!"
"Then how about I give you a reason to!" A familiar voice retorts before the cannons on all of the attack force's tanks are suddenly sliced off. Seconds later, Saint-Germain appears alongside Kana, standing right in front of the now disarmed tanks.
"Considering that all you've done is speed up the chances of Japan getting nuked, I suggest you leave while your tanks are still able to move!" Kana shouts.
With this, the tanks fled as S.O.N.G.'s mobile task force arrived a short distance away from the battlefield. "The special equipment convoy is in position. We're ready to go, Commander." Ogawa reported.
"Alright! Let's get Hibiki-kun's birthday party started!" Genjuro replied.
"You're going to help us, then?" Tsubasa asks Saint-Germain.
"I'm not here to help you." Saint-Germain replies. "We just share a common goal."
"That's what all the white-haired gunslingers say before they end up joinin' our side for good." Kanade teases.
"It's literally only happened once." Chris says to Kanade. "You can't just say that about any person with white hair that has a gun."
"But am I wrong?" Kanade asks, which made Chris roll her eyes as she grumbled to herself. "That's what I thought."
"Enough fooling around, Kanade!" Maria shouts, before letting out a sigh.
"It's time for us to save Tachibana." Tsubasa adds. "We need to pin her down!"
"Time to tame this wild horse!" Chris shouts as the Wielders and Saint-Germain charge at the giant.
To start off their attack, Tsubasa leapt into the air and called down 1000 falling tears, aiming the majority of the blade barrage at the giant's shadow, holding them in place.
Shadow Weaving
The giant struggled in place as the Wielders got closer, but the Shadow Weaving was only temporary as the giant was able to free themselves by swinging her arm around, moving her shadow out of where the blades were planted behind her. "It seems our normal methods won't be enough to hold her." Tsubasa states.
"But it still gave us an opening, and I'm not going to let it go to waste!" Maria replies as she throws out some daggers to create a barrier, grabbing it by two of the daggers and running with them to extend the barrier's length.
Meanwhile, Kana and Saint-Germain distracted the giant by shooting at it from above and below, confusing them as they kept trying to decide who to go after. "Without the God-killer, this is our only option!" Saint-Germain says.
"Just hang in there, Hibiki! We'll have you out of there in no time!" Kana shouts to the giant as she narrowly avoids being swatted out of the air, which was quickly followed up by another shot from Saint-Germain.
"Stop right there!" As the giant reeled from this shot, Maria came flying in and started to wrap the divine monster in her barrier, restricting their movements as the giant roared and blindly shot more lasers from their mouth.
When she finished wrapping the giant in her barrier, Maria firmly planted herself on the ground, holding the two daggers with all her strength as she stabbed the third into the ground. Maria struggled to hold the monster in place, but she would soon find help in that of the other Wielders as they ran to her side. "Maria! Take our energy!" Shirabe shouts.
"Add it to yours dess!" Kirika adds.
"You're not alone in this fight, Onee-san!" Serena says.
"We're all gonna save the idiot! Together!" Chris shouts as herself, Tsubasa, and Kanade lend their strength to Maria as well, watching the giant continue to struggle and roar with rage.
"Ogawa-san! Kamui! Now!" Tsubasa shouts.
"Way ahead of you!" Kana replies as she flew above the giant. "I'm in position! Are you ready, Ogawa-san?"
"We're good to go!" Ogawa answered.
Suddenly, several rocket-sized injectors flew through the air, all landing on the giant's body as they injected Anti-LiNKER inside of the monster, who screamed in agony with each dose. "All doses of Anti-LiNKER have been successfully injected!" Sakuya reported.
"Compatibility values are decreasing rapidly in the target!" Aoi added.
"Then it's time for me to help lower those numbers to 0!" Kana shouts, activating her Gungnir Augmentation for Hibiki as she began to drain the giant of even more power. "Just gotta hope this works!"
Everything seemed to be going in the Wielders' favor, however, that would soon change. Suddenly, the giant's headpiece started to glow with a bright blue flame, and along with that flame, the monster became even stronger, allowing it to break free of Maria's wrapping, sending the Wielders on the ground flying as Kana could only watch.
Finally free, the giant looked straight at the fallen Wielders and prepared another beam, this time, aiming right at them. "Gods... Everyone, get out of the way!" Kana shouts, unable to move from her spot, fearing that it would only allow the monster to regain even more strength.
While none of the Wielders were able to react in time, they were thankfully saved by Saint-Germain, who deflected the attack before it could reach them. "Is this how you choose to act now, Hibiki Tachibana? Brushing aside the hands you once held?"
Meanwhile at HQ
"Compatibility values are decreasing at a much slower pace than before!" Sakuya reported.
"It's the divine power's defense mechanism. It's rewriting the Anti-LiNKER's principles in real time!" Elfnein stated.
"That means Kana Kamui's power is the only thing keeping the compatibility values from rising." Nastassja said, seeing the Yato Wielder continue to absorb energy from the giant, but it was clear to see that she was starting to shake. "But I don't think she can hold it off for much longer..."
"Come on... Come on...!" Kana says to herself as she struggles to hold her focus on the monster. Despite her best efforts, even her armor was starting to show its limits as bright cracks started to form. "Can't... Hold on... Much... Longer..."
As Kana said this to herself, her Gear practically exploded from the overabundance of energy she held within her, causing her to feel the effects of her reversion as she limply fell to the earth, a sight that everyone watched in horror. "KANA!"
"Everything... Hurts..." Kana said to herself, feeling the wind on her face as she heard nothing more than ringing in her ears. She tried opening her eyes, and the first thing she saw was the ground rapidly approaching her. She tried to access her pendant and transform before it was too late, but she couldn't move her arms, or any part of her body, for that matter. Panicking, Kana closed her eyes once again and hoped that someone would save her before it was too late.
Thankfully, the dragon girl would stop feeling the wind on her face as she felt herself impact with a surface that was a lot softer than dirt and stone. "Thanks for the save, guys." Kana says, receiving no reply from anyone.
Concerned, Kana opened her eyes once again, and when she did, she felt another wave of panic fall over her. Kana wasn't in the safety of her allies' arms, but rather, in the red and silver palm of the giant, and they were furious. "No... NononononononoNO!" Kana tried to budge herself to move, doing whatever she could to fall out of the giant's hand before it was too late, but her broken body failed her, and the divine monster proceeded to do the one thing Kana feared the most: Crush her in their palm.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
Kana's scream could be felt by everyone on the battlefield and in S.O.N.G.'s HQ. If they didn't act now, they could potentially be losing two Wielders. "Quick! Activate our ace in the hole!" Genjuro shouted to Ogawa.
"I'm on it!" Ogawa replied before turning to Miku. "Miku-san! It's now or never!"
Hearing this, Miku nodded as she took a deep breath and screamed into the microphone in front of her.
"HIBIKIIIIIIIIII!"
Hearing this shout, the giant stopped crushing Kana, dropping her as they let their arms go slack. Seeing this, Tsubasa full-on sprinted for the falling, broken Wielder, grabbing her out of the air and returning her to the others. "Kamui! Please be alive!" Tsubasa shouts, shaking Kana and hoping for a response. "Kamui!"
After another shake, Kana let out a cough as she regained consciousness, weakly looking around and seeing the other Wielders and Saint-Germain. "Did... Did we fail?" Kana asks. "Did... We all... Die?"
"Well, we're not dead yet." Kanade answers, before looking over at the S.O.N.G. Convoy hopingly. "As for failing, we're about to find out."
"Hibiki-chan's stopped moving!" Aoi reported.
"Now that the increased compatibility value has caused the fusion to progress further, we can turn Miku-san's voice into an electrical signal and insert it into the divine weapon's vessel, Hibiki-san!" Elfnein stated.
"It's your birthday today, you know." Miku said as tears ran down her face, but as they did, the spike on the giant's chest started to pulse. "But... But you're supposed to be part of it too!"
"Someone's calling for me... I know this voice..."
"Hibiki. Happy Birthday. Although, what I should be saying to you right now is 'Thank you.'." Miku continued. "It's thanks to you being born into the same world as me that I was able to learn to run alongside someone else."
"Miku..."
"You made me realize that, if I was with someone else, I could reach the goals that I could never reach by myself."
"Miku... My Sunshine!"
"Hibiki! My Shining Sun!"
After a moment of pure silence, the giant began to glow, which made the Wielders and Saint-Germain ready their weapons in case it started to fight once again. However, once they saw cracks forming on the giant, they lowered their Armed Gears in confusion. "No way..." Shirabe says.
"Did it actually work dess?" Kirika asks.
As if to answer her question, the giant began to fade away into a cloud of divine smoke once more, and with that smoke, the spike on the giant's chest shattered, freeing Hibiki from its grasp as she gracefully fell to the earth.
"Hibiki! I always knew you'd come back!" Miku cheered as she ran from the convoy to the foot of the evaporating giant, catching Hibiki and gently pulling her in for a hug as she landed on the ground.
"Miku-chan's words got through to Hibiki-chan!" Serena cheers.
"I guess all those movies were right about the power of love bein' the strongest thing out there, after all!" Kanade chuckles.
"If that's the case... Chris?" Kana asks.
"What?" Chris asks in return.
"Could you... use the power of love... to fix my bones?" Kana asks, letting out a chuckle that turns into a coughing fit.
Chris scoffs at Kana. "You really wanna make jokes like that after nearly being crushed by the Mega idiot?" Chris says, before a soft blush forms on her face. "Consider yourself lucky that you're too hurt to slap right now..."
"Speaking of, we need to get her back to HQ so Lilith can heal her." Maria states.
"I'm way ahead of you, Maria!" Lilith replied, appearing on the battlefield and taking Kana off the ground.
"Hey Lilith..." Kana says. "Sorry if I scared you there... I didn't mean to overdo it like that..."
"You did the best you could in a less than ideal situation, Kana." Lilith replied, forgiving Kana for the scare. "Now, let's get you patched up, alright?"
"Okey Dokey..." Kana replies. "I'm just... Gonna take a nap... Wake me up when I'm better..."
Saying that, Kana fell asleep, concerning the Wielders, but Lilith was quick to reassure them. "She still has a pulse. She just needs to rest." She said. "Don't worry, you can come visit her in the medical wing when you're done here." With that said, Lilith and Kana disappeared from the battlefield, so that the former could get to work on healing the latter.
S.O.N.G.'s POV:
S.O.N.G. HQ
Seeing Hibiki get successfully freed from the divine power and Kana safely retrieved from the battlefield to be healed, the agents of S.O.N.G. either cheered or let out a sigh of relief that they were able to prevent the worst case scenario, on their end at least. As for the other end, a call from Yatsuhiro would soon answer that question.
"We've seen the situation on our end as well. The military intervention from the UN has been rejected." Yatsuhiro reported. "Thanks to all the trust S.O.N.G. has managed to build up, and the firmness Secretary-General Shibata learned from his soba noodles, that we were able to secure this victory."
"People can connect." Genjuro says with a proud smile. "They can work as one."
"Exactly." Yatsuhiro agreed. "And without the need of nuclear weapons."
Unfortunately, as Yatsuhiro said this, S.O.N.G.'s alarms went off and another screen showed up on the monitor. "A high-speed flying object has been sighted launching from the Pacific Ocean!" Sakuya reports.
"They fired it?!" Yatsuhiro gasped.
Meanwhile
Meanwhile in America, the President of the United States had been informed of the situation, prior to S.O.N.G.'s success in saving Hibiki, while relaxing by his private pool. Coming to his own conclusion, the president went ahead and launched one of his country's nukes, aiming it right where the divine power once stood.
"Our country got its start when people declared independence from a world built on divine mysteries." He said. "Let this strike burst open the creation of a new world order of mankind, one built by mankind for mankind!"
"Prepare to intercept!" Genjuro orders.
"It's too close for us to safely intercept!" Sakuya replies. "Estimating approximately 330 seconds until impact!"
The Wielders and Saint-Germain's POVs:
Ruined City
Overhearing the alert on their communicators, the Wielders looked up in the sky and saw the nuke coming into view, and they were all equally terrified. "Son of a bitch!" Kanade shouts. "Could those impatient bastards in the US not wait a single damn minute for us to deal with the divine weapon?!"
"I won't let this happen!" Kirika shouts. "I'll slice into pieces dess!"
"Kiri-chan, no!" Shirabe interjects. "If that thing explodes, the whole area is done for, and all of us along with it!"
Knowing what her action would do, Kirika lowered her weapon and grit her teeth as herself and the other Wielders watched the weapon of their demise loom ever closer. "I just wish there was anything we could do to stop it..." Serena says.
"Looks like you're going to have that wish granted." Saint-Germain replies, which made everyone turn to face her.
"What are you saying?" Maria asks, getting the immediate answer of Saint-Germain lifting herself into the air with alchemy as she faces down the nuke.
"I'm not sure if I can even pull this off on my own." Saint-Germain says to herself, before casting aside her doubt almost instantly. "No... 'Even if that's true.' That's what she always says, right?" Resolved, Saint-Germain prepares to face down the nuke to save everyone, even at the cost of her life.
"The song of liberation burns away life"
"To pierce the pitch-black darkness with its flames"
"Cagliostro?" Saint-Germain gasps, looking over her shoulder and seeing her previously pronounced dead ally standing next to her, giving her a playful wink, as she usually would. But the surprise was far from over...
"The bell of liberation tolls for our demise"
"Prelati?" Seeing both of her allies alive and well, Saint-Germain was equally confused and relieved to see them again. But she knew better than anyone what had to be done, and with her allies behind her, she knew they could pull it off.
"We freely raise this cry of victory"
"To light upon future aeons with our deaths"
(Shitō -Ewigkeit- begins to play)
Starting their song, the trio flew to meet the nuke head-on. "You were basically planning on doing this alone? That's honestly depressing." Prelati said.
"You two..." Saint-Germain held back tears of joy as they flew through the sky.
Back on the ground, everyone watched as the Alchemist trio flew on towards the nuke, equally as surprised as Saint-Germain was to see the previously dead Alchemists. "Talk about seeing ghosts." Kanade chuckles.
"If they were still alive all this time, it wouldn't have killed them to reveal that back when we were down a few hands against their boss." Chris scoffs.
"Regardless of their reasons, I'm glad they came back to help Saint-Germain." Serena says.
"I just wish we knew what she was planning..." Tsubasa adds.
As the Wielders went about wondering what the trio was going to do, someone was finally coming to. "Those voices..." Hibiki mumbles, opening her eyes and seeing Miku watching over her.
"Hibiki!" Miku shouts, relieved her best friend was alright.
"Miku?" Hibiki asks, fully waking up to the sight of her best friend, before propping herself up to see the other Wielders and the Alchemist trio. However, there was one person missing, she noticed. "Where's Kana?"
Miku was hesitant to explain what had happened to their friend, knowing that Hibiki might not respond well to the truth of the matter. "Kana's... Back on the ship." Miku says, which made Hibiki worry. "She's fine, Hibiki. She just... Overdid it when she helped save you. Lilith-san's taking care of her. She's going to be okay."
"Okay..." Hibiki says, still worried about Kana, but she knew, deep down, Miku was saying what she said to make her worry less. Besides, she would do this all the time with her and Kana, so the least she could do is go along with it and turn her attention towards the Alchemist trio like everyone else.
On their way to the nuke, the two previously-declared dead allies decided to catch up for lost time, that is to say, what they were doing when the world saw them as dead. "My woman's intuition made me suspicious of the Director, so I faked my death and hid." Cagliostro stated.
"Cagliostro basically saved me, and I've been secretly working on a transmutation to get revenge." Prelati added.
With their reasons for still being alive explained, Prelati handed Saint-Germain a special bullet for her pistol, which the Alchemist in question loaded into her gun without any reservations and, with the same lack of hesitation, shot it straight at the warhead. However, once the bullet detonated the nuke, the resulting explosion was halted from engulfing the ruined city, as the trio managed to encase it in a ball, using every ounce of power they had to keep it from ravaging everything.
"This is the purest light that I have ever been able to emit." Prelati stated. "Basically, this is my magnum opus!"
"We originally researched the lapis to find a way to break the curse. And now, it's finally useful for mankind." Saint-Germain says, impressed at how the trio's hard work, thanks to Prelati, has finally paid off.
"To be honest, I'd rather shove this thing up the Director's sorry ass." Cagliostro confessed, before changing the topic to their ally. "But enough about me, when did you finally decide to take their hands?"
Saint-Germain was hesitant to respond. "...I didn't take their hands."
As they talked, the nuke's explosion started to break out of their containment, but they weren't worried in the slightest by this. "The complete incineration of a life..."
"That's basically what makes the lapis shine!" Prelati said, finishing Cagliostro's statement as they poured even more power into their leader.
"I didn't take their hands, as much as I could." Saint-Germain states as she readies her weapon once more. "All I can do now is carry the world onto tomorrow by lighting up the future... With my death!"
Saying this, Saint-Germain shot one final bullet, fueled by the trio, into the nuke. After a moment of uncertainty, the explosion was finally nullified, the bullet successfully replacing the fiery ball of death with what remained of their own energy, which lit up the cloudy sky. However, in order for their victory to be assured, their lives were the cost, and they all knew this very well.
"Looks like I dragged you both down with me." Saint-Germain says. "But still, I can't thank you both enough, for everything."
"It's fine." Prelati replied. "Besides, if I hadn't shown up, I'd basically be missing this wonder of the world?"
"What wonder?" Saint-Germain asks.
"Saint-Germain, you're smiling." Cagliostro answered.
Saint-Germain chuckles when she realizes that they were talking about her. "It's odd. I can't even remember the last time that I didn't want to die." She says, dropping her spellcaster as herself and the other two Alchemists began to fade away. "I'll see you soon, Mom..."
Watching the trio fade away, the Wielders were honestly at a loss for words. "Alchemists... Those who dedicate their lives in the pursuit of an ideal..." Tsubasa states. "Your sacrifice will not be forgotten."
"They were a pain in the ass like those Autoscorers and Carol were, but in a way, I'm gonna miss them." Kanade says. "Would've been cool to work with them, you know?"
"Saint-Germain kept saying that she wouldn't want to work with us, but deep down, I think that's exactly what she wanted." Serena replies.
"Considering how the idiot was able to get her to join forces with us even for a moment, it was only a matter of time." Chris states. "But enough about them, we still have a job to do here."
"Right." Shirabe agrees. "We just have to gather the scattered divine power, and-!"
Just as the Wielders had turned to deal with the divine power, they were greeted to the sight of a severed arm absorbing said power through a hole in reality. "I should really thank you all." A familiar voice called out, before more of the crack in reality behind the arm shattered, revealing Adam Weishaupt.
"You're still after the power of the gods?!" Tsubasa asks.
"It's already in my hand!" Adam answered, both literally and metaphorically, throwing the severed limb into the air and allowing it to absorb even more of the divine power.
"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Kanade shouts as herself and the other Wielders charge at him.
"I won't allow you to interfere with my plans any longer!" Adam replied, sending a wave of water at the Wielders before following up with an ice attack to freeze the water, and hold them all in place along with it. However, with seven Wielders frozen in place, Adam failed to account for one who was not amongst them.
"Even if that's true!"
Arriving out of the rubble, Hibiki leapt into the air, readying her gauntlet to destroy the arm before it could take control of the divine power. "You're the last person I would dare to let anywhere near that power!" Adam scowled as he prepared an especially fatal attack for Hibiki.
However, before he could cast it, someone, or rather, half of someone, tackled him to the ground. "Adam, you big meanie!" Tiki shouted. "If you're not going to hug me, I'll just hug you instead!"
With Adam unable to stop Hibiki forcefully, he resorted to begging. "Don't do it! That God-killing power isn't as convenient as you think it is!" He said. "It's a philosophical weapon formed from 2,000 years of curses! If you use it, its curse will fall upon you!"
Hibiki ignored Adam's plea, speeding even faster towards the divine-powered arm. "I'll punch right through it, with the song in my fist!" She shouts, breaking the arm in two as it explodes behind her.
With the arm destroyed, the divine power started to fade away for good. As this happened, the seven Wielders frozen in place by ice were freed and everyone, save for Adam and Hibiki, looked up at the sky in victory.
Once she finally landed on the ground, Hibiki fell to her knees in sorrow. "Saint-Germain's song reached my heart... But I couldn't do anything!" Hibiki says to herself as tears form in her eyes. Distraught, Hibiki punched the ground in anger, an anger that was directed towards herself. "Once again... The only thing I could use were my fists!"
Meanwhile
As everything was going on over on the battlefield, Kana was back in the medical wing of S.O.N.G., where Lilith was checking in on her while she went to and from the command center. "I know you're not conscious right now, Kana, but I figured you'd want to be kept up to speed on what was going on with the others." Lilith said. "There was a scare with the US sending a nuclear bomb towards them, but Saint-Germain managed to take care of it with some help from Cagliostro and Prelati. We're not exactly sure how they were alive, but they sacrificed themselves along with Saint-Germain to stop the nuke."
The room was quiet, with only the noise of the machines hooked up to Kana filling the room, until Lilith let out a small cough. "I know I shouldn't worry since you're going to come out of this fine, but I guess I can't help but worry despite that." She chuckled. "I'll be back to check in on you in a moment. Love you."
With that, Lilith left the room, leaving Kana alone with only the machines keeping her alive as company. However, while Lilith was away, a tear formed in Kana's eye and fell down her face, letting out her sorrow for the loss of someone she had hoped to become friends with.
"Saint... Germain... San..."
A/N: And with that, we end the chapter!
I'm sure there are a lot of questions about certain things brought up in Kana and Saint-Germain's private conversation, but I'm afraid those questions will take a moment to be answered. Much like Sera from G, a certain something mentioned in their conversation will be explained in due time. (XV)
Back to the other big moment in this chapter, I'm sure you're wondering why Kana's Gear exploded. Simply put, while she could absorb a good amount of energy, there was no way that Kana was gonna hold out from divine weapon Hibiki's compatibility value increase for long. Thus, causing her Gear to forcefully and aggressively fail her.
Regardless, Kana ending up in S.O.N.G.'s medical wing by the end of this chapter, practically putting her in no position to help against Adam in the final fight, aside from the fact this was pretty obviously how things were gonna go down with the heavy foreshadowing, will be answered very soon, as I am going to be posting the Part 4 finale on the day of this fanfics anniversary: May 16th!
Before you ask, no this was not planned. I just decided it would be a waste to miss the opportunity to end Part 4 on the 3rd anniversary of this fanfic. (Which is also why this is coming out a week earlier than it should after the most recent chapter of Symphogear R two weeks ago.)
Anyways, thank you for reading this chapter. I shall see you all in the Part 4 finale!
