Reviews:

Tigracho: Yeah, the Psykos resembled Bragard a little in this chapter. Playing with Tsubasa's mind and going all out to kill as many people to traumatize her and Yosuke. I guess every artist leaves a bit of themselves in their work. I like your take on the Chris situation. Chris was similar to Elsa in earlier seasons, willing to put an end to Allister since he was out to get them and she knew he was going to target him first. But now the roles are changed. Elsa wants to kill Chris to prevent her from even having an opportunity to harm Allister. Allister and Elsa have a similar background to Chris and Takeru. Elsa was subjected to sexual abuse by her relatives and then sold off to the Illuminati according to the wiki. Similar to Chris, where she was a sex slave and then taken by Fine. Allister and Takeru are their respective pillars of hope. But in Allister's case, he took the chance to become an assassin to be able to get Elsa out of her house and into a better life but that couldn't come to be since his mind was tampered with. But Takeru and Chris prospered, albeit over time. It's almost like those two couples can't exist at the same time. Maybe Allister does have a point and he and Takeru are more similar than he thinks. That's why he sort of used Takeru's phrase. But instead of heaven, he said hell. Chris doesn't know it yet, but Allister is probably at his happiest right now. You could even say this is what he joined the DDV for. A perfect opportunity to have him feel what Chris felt. The circle of pain going around. He started it now he will be the end of it.

But maybe that's why Allister sticks around. He knows he has to die for Hazuki's plan to come to fruition. He and Terunosuke are just pieces of the puzzle and now he can die in another way by Chris' hands. So he's willing to put his full trust in Hazuki. The thing with the DDV's goal is that Hazuki has good intentions but is probably going the worst possible way about it. He wants to take people's egos away from them, liberating them from free will. And have them as husks, living their dream fantasies in a world where he dictates what is good or bad. A utopia if you will. But the world proves him right so many times. Back in AXZ, he used America using a nuke as a way to show them that the world will continue to wage war and countries won't hesitate to wipe out another for any reason. And this is true, even in real life. But our heroes fight against this, because they still cling to hope. Hope to stop the Rider War and not lose any more friends. And sometimes hope is all we have. Hazuki wouldn't hesitate to take his friends' lives to make himself stronger if he didn't need them, but Hajime and the others are not the same. Some of them faced their inner demons and accepted themselves. That they are not strong along. But weak. But together they can be strong. They have to move on to honor those who died before them and give their sacrifice meaning. Quite the opposite of the DDV. Chiaki died and she served her purpose. She is not honored or remembered but a cog in the machine. And you're right, they could have fallen from grace. Hazuki, Chiaki, Terunosuke, and Allister have lost their way. All of them in the loss of their loved one. Hazuki his mom, Chiaki her grandfather, Terunosuke Serena, and Allister Elsa. All of these characters have chosen to abandon hope and instead create a new world to Hazuki's liking, to the point that they are willing to die for him. A clear contrast between the two groups is that SONG grows stronger together in unison while the DDV gets stronger to make Hazuki stronger. Typical One for All and All for One type of thing between those groups.

To be honest I like Noble Red in general. Elsa is my favorite, then Vanessa and Millaarc. But the way I see them is that they project their pain onto other people. It's like 101 toxic behavior. The world did me wrong so I'll do wrong to those around me. I mean, I get where they're coming from but they're also extremists. I mean, you could say they did most of the stuff they did because of Fudo. I think of Fudo as a man of "sacrificed a few to save the many". And most of the killing they did (Millarc) was in the stadium, which was to break Tsubasa and get her under her control. All under the false promise of making them human. Also, they went through several years of being experimented on and were only free because Adam got taken down. I agree their "redemption" could have been done better. But then again, you can say this about most of the villains in the story. Like St. Germain, who killed over 70k people, suddenly gets convinced by Hibiki's words on some Naruto shit. But I digress. I'll do what I can to at least make their redemption a little better. If anything, maybe else, because I do agree she's the more sympathetic, and maybe Mona can talk to her.

I always did kind of understand why they did the stuff they did on a technical level. It's stated their weaker than St. Germain, Cagliostor, and Prelati before Shem-Ha's powers, so they were already on the losing end, making them have to resort to dirty tactics. Classi guerilla warfare.

As for the Liang and Hyperion thing, this is mostly because of Narfi, Loki and Shem-Ha's kid (at least in his story) got acquainted with one of the earlier members of the Liangs. Then Lucine Hyperion, Bragard's sister, married into the clan. But Narfi died, so his essence was passed down from generation to generation. Like Fine. And Yomi happens to be that reincarnation this time since he has the most potential out of everyone in the clan(even those who were killed by Bragard) and can use Alchemy in unison. If Maria is Enki's descendant, Yomi is Shem-Ha's. The whole evil thing is basically just how they see the clan. Bragard exterminated his whole kingdom then centuries later eradicated the clan, which were his ancestors in cold blood. And said clan has done countless shady deals and discrimination toward half-Liangs, vanishing them without mercy. Also, if you think about it, most of the final villains are Liangs. Hazuki, Despia, Yomi, Wei, and Setsuna if they manage to convince her to join them. So in a way, they are evil. Also because Shem-ha and fucking Loki and their ancestors. And they're evil as fuck. Yeah, it's somewhat confirmed by Yomi that Fudo was the one who authorized Bragrd to eradicate the clan and swept the whole thing under the rug.

Terunosuke is kind of complex. One minute he says he doesn't care bout the kids, but then makes a fuss when he finds out Kirika is dating Hamaguchi. Maybe he does care about them and his only beef is with Jades, like Vanessa said. But Kirika has had enough of him and argues back, which surprises him. Because throughout the whole story, he's mocked her for being a crybaby.

Damn, you're evil. Tsubasa having to kill Yosuke...Maybe he manages some control over his body and asks her to put an end to it. To be honest, I agree with you. I feel like someone would stop Chris or she would stop herself, realizing that Elsa really had nothing to do with Takeru's death. She just happens to love the man who killed her loved one. A lot of awkward moments are coming up with Shem-Ha, Carol, and Bragi. But I'm really looking forward to the mother and son meeting. As for whether Terunosuke would have a change of heart in the end...who knows? I mean, the guy's killed a lot of people. And let's not even think about how he will react when Jades tells him the truth.

moniura2005: I'm a big Shin Megami Tensei fan. All of them in general. I get some character designs from that. Yomi is a sociopath. I would say he's worse than Chiaki. Because Chiaki at least had a "reason" for the things she did. Yomi does it because it's fun for him. The way I see Hajime is the part that doesn't belong. He's not part of Loki's plan, nor was he a reincarnation like Yomi. He's just different from them, which is where I think your theory makes sense. Of Hazuki being Order, Yomi Chaos, and Hajime Neutrality. And it fits since they are all pretty similar in some regards and have goals of their own that align with that. I think Yomi and Hazuki being Chaos and Order routes would be pretty funny. Since Hazuki wants to be the absolute ruler of everything and give people what they dream of, of course at the cost of their free will. Yomi just wants the world to burn and be part of it. He doesn't have any desires other than to enjoy life to the fullest and create as much destruction as possible. Truly an anarchist. Hajime is the most human of these two like you said. And the more open-minded one. But as you said, it's a difficult path. But he has his friends to help him along the way for a good ending.

Lord Ri The Husbu King: Quick question. Are you Lord RI-25? But yeah, this chapter was full of assholes. And they are pretty relevant in this season so they'll be around for a while. Wow, you're evil. But at the rate this is going, they might be able to convince Setsuna and take advantage of the darkness in her heart and traumas.

primenidus: Indeed

Tenzalucard123: Yes, Fudo never liked Yosuke. And this gave him more of a reason to hate him. He knows of Hajime's background. He is a member of SONG, after all. And Hazuki's brother. Hazuki works for Fudo, at least for now. All we have to do is get Yosuke back to being himself.

Guest-33 (Guest): This is Yomi we're talking about. He'll go about his plans in the most unorthodox way to make it a challenge for him and entertaining. It will be a very weird situation if Loki and Shem-Ha start kissing. But then again, the Liangs/Hyperions are pretty weird. Bragard and Carol had a kid in which they used their DNA to create him. Bragi is the Liang's ancestor too, since he's directly Bragard's son, meaning he's like Hajime's great-great grand cousin or something. If that word even exists. And Elfnein and Carol are technically also his aunts. The whole bloodline is weird and it's all thanks to Bragard messing it up.

Akira (Guest): Terunosuke cares. Or maybe he doesn't. It's hard to say with him. Yomi is about to make his move soon.

Alex (Guest): La verdad me divierte escribir a Yomi. Es como el villano verdaderamente malvado que le hacia falta al grupo de Hazuki. Ya que todos ellos tienen una meta de arreglar el mundo y otras cosas. Pero Yomi solo quiere ver el mundo arder para divertirse. Ahora mismo diria que esta eligiendo a su primera victima. Su meta es Hajime, pero sabe que no le ganaria por ahora. Si quieres saber que voz le pondria, puedes darle click a mi nombre e ir a la historia de informacion que cree con las cartas de cada personaje. Por el moment tengo a dos. Pero a Junichi Suwaba le daria a Bragard y Bragi, claro, a Bragi con un tono mas agudo ya que es mas jovencito.

Chapter 118
Humans to Monster

"London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down, London Bridge is falling down, my fair lady..."

Angelo woke up from his sleep due to hearing someone singing. He was sleeping on the floor with a pillow under his head and a blanket that Vanessa had thrown on him while he was asleep. He had stayed behind watching over the others who were currently sleeping, still recuperating. Psyko had overestimated his parasitic composition. While he did not require sleep, Yosuke's body did, so they ordered him to sleep and eat. Teaching him to go to the bathroom was also a nightmare. The red-haired former mafioso yawned, scratching his head as he stood up.

'Note to self. Not to fall asleep on the ground again." Angelo groaned, popping the joints of his back.

"I told you not to do it," Satan spoke in his mind in a smug tone.

"I also told you to wake me up in an hour." The young man grumbled aloud."It was a 1-hour nap, not a 5-hour sleep."

"Huh?"

Angelo blinked, turning to see the source of the Noise. It was Amy, who was just sitting on top of the computers, checking everyone's vitals."Oh, Amy. You're awake?"

"Well, I can't sleep, remember? Not a human body, so it doesn't work that way." She said, causing him to feel an immense amount of guilt.

"I-I'm sorry...I didn't mean to be so insensitive." He apologized, but she chuckled.

"It's okay...I do have a "sleep" function, but it just turns off my system for a few hours before I get booted back up. I can't dream or feel anything during my supposed sleep. It doesn't feel the same. But...I've grown used to it. So it's okay."

"We'll get you into your body soon." He promised her."I heard your Mom is at the hospital."

"She never left Japan." Amy sighed, focusing her gaze on the demon boy's features."She's been here...even after the accident."

"Right." Angelo took a seat on a stool, listening to her."You were there during the Zwei Wing concert, right?"

"I was a pretty big Kanade fan, you know? There was something about her singing that filled me with passion and so much motivation to do better. Like it pushed me to be brave and do things I normally wouldn't." Amy said, reminiscing about her past, her expression unreadable but Angelo could tell she was smiling."So for my birthday, my Mother got us tickets to their concert. Unfortunately, she fell sick the day before, so she couldn't go. But she encouraged me to go and have fun anyway. I was so excited. But then..."

"The Noise attacked." It was because of this, that Angelo had asked Amy to go with Vanessa to America. He knew the massacre they did at the concert was similar to what happened all of those years ago and didn't want her to relive that."And you got kidnapped."

"Right...I remember...I was watching the whole thing happen. That girl...I believe her name is Hibiki Tachibana. She was there...and she was the only other survivor...I was so far up in the stadium, that I don't think they noticed me. Nor do I think they heard me cry out for help. A lot was going on at the time...the next thing I knew, everything turned black."

"Your Mother wasn't there with you when that happened. I read she made a lot of noise in the media, saying that you were still alive. A lot of people dismissed her, pegging her as insane and unable to accept her child's death. Since they found no body, they assumed it was turned to ash by the Noise. But then they saw a video of you from a gas station CCTV camera. Masked men had you in the back of their truck and you were tied up. It was a miracle you stirred in your sleep and removed the cloth covering your face. Ever since then, they kept looking and looking."

"But eventually, the police got tired of looking and gave up on the case." Amy continued."But my Mother never gave up on me. She kept searching all over Japan. She never returned to London. But now...I can see her again. I just have to get my body back and I can go back to my Mother."

"We can go right now if you want." He offered, a smile gracing his features."We shouldn't let you keep prolonging your meeting."

"No...I can't show her what happened to me..." Amy refused the offer."It'll break her heart to see what happened to me...I can't do that to her. Not after everything she went through for my sake. I want to be able to get back into my body before I see her again. I want to see her as the real me."

"Man...I have to say, for a kid, you sure have guts." Angelo praised her, petting her ball form."I've met many different guys back in my famiglia, but you? I'd say you're the bravest person I ever met. Don't worry. We'll get our revenge and justice will be served. We are the real humans, after all."

"Oh...Thank you kindly." She giggled, making him smile. If she could blush, she would.'He's so cool.'

"Anyway...I should go get a shower. Millaarc was telling me I'm starting to smell." He took a quick sniff at his armpit, cringing."Ugh. Yeah...yeah, she was right."

"Don't forget we have a meeting with Fudo Kazanari. He's coming over to pick up the bracer." She reminded him.

"Yeah. Trust me. I know. By the way, any ideas of how we can kill Bragi? I mean, if he can regenerate even from a wound to the head, that doesn't leave us with a lot of options."

"Who says we need to kill him?" Amy asked in a sinister tone."We could make him feel what it feels like to be nothing but a pig. We can cut off his limbs and tie him up in some basement and keep him there."

"Ohoho. I like the way you think. I didn't know you had it in you to be this twisted."

"Trust me...have enough shit happen to you, you'll wind up like this."

"Amen to that. But I think if we disintegrate his head he won't be getting up from that. No brain, no regeneration. Leave it to me."

"I really want to slack off and just have fun..." Hibiki groaned, leaning back on her chair. Currently, she was having lunch with Miku, Hajime, and Bragi at school."But I guess I can't. Not while our friends are suffering..."

"I still can't believe they took over Yosuke-san's body like that...it must be horrible for Tsubasa-san." Miku clutched her heart."I just hope Yosule-san isn't conscious while his body is being used for horrible things..."

"I hope so too." Bragi scratched his head."I have some ideas to get the parasite out. But I'm trying to figure out a way to not harm his body if possible."

"It's Yosuke-san we're talking about." Hajime smiled confidently."I'm positive he'll berate us if we don't give him a hard time."

"I suppose that's something we can agree on, Boy Wonder." Bragi pointed at him with his chopsticks."But still...morale is pretty low nowadays, isn't it?"

"Yeah..." Hajime trailed off, his eyes focusing on Setsuna, who was sitting on a table nearby looking at some magazines with Despia. He smiled.

"We could go to karaoke when we get some time off!" Hibiki beamed at her proposal.

"I don't see why not." Miku agreed, eyeing Bragi."Maybe we should invite Tsubsa-san too. It could cheer her up."

"I guess..." Bragi muttered.

"Bragi-kun?" Miku reached for his hand, causing him to snap out of his train of thought."Are you okay?"

"Oh. Yeah. I'm fine." Bragi forced a smile, but he knew that eventually, she would see through him.

But Hajime could tell what he was thinking of. Something he was very familiar with. Guilt.

"Bragi-kun. Please, talk to me." Miku almost pleaded with him."Something's bothering you. I want to help you."

"I'm fine." Again, he lied. He didn't like lying to her like that. But he didn't want her involved in this whole mess.

A few tables away, Despia finished putting Setsuna's hair in a small ponytail, tapping her head to earn her attention. The younger girl looked at herself in the mirror and beamed."It's so pretty! Thank you so much, Despia-san!"

Despia nodded with a smile, writing something in her notebook."No problem. Did you pay attention as well?"

"I did. I want to grow out my hair like yours and I'll use the skills I learned today for good use!" Setsuna vowed."How did you get so good at doing this stuff? Hair, makeup, nails, and any cosmetic-related stuff."

Despia scribbled on her notebook before showing it to her."Tons of practice. I spent most of my life being part of a circus, after all. Elegance and style are required, especially for a magician like myself."

"That's so cool! I bet being a magician is really cool!"

She nodded, rubbing her neck before uttering something."It is...was...wonderful..."

"Despia-san!" Setsuna gawked in both amazement and confusion."You can talk?!"

"Not much...throat...hurts..." She reached for her head, wincing."Migraine...horrible..."

"Oh no! Then don't talk!"

'I can't believe I have to convince this girl into joining our group...But then again, it's for the sake of humankind...' She rubbed her neck before scribbling words into her notebook."I'm sorry. I get really emotional when talking about my career as a magician. But it's fine. I can only talk for a short period of time when I focus my magic on my throat and head. Anyway, I've lived almost all of my life in the circus. Yomi and I were under the Ringmaster's care."

"Oh...right. Your parents..." The brunette's shoulders slumped.

She nodded, finishing writing a few sentences."Our mother was a Liang. However, unlike the common Liang, she did not mind as much that we were halfbreeds. Of course, we lived with our father until he passed away. And then we caught word that the Liang clan had been exterminated, including our mother. Making us a couple of orphans at a young age."

Setsuna lowered her gaze but Despia reached for her hand."Despia-san?"

"I'm... jealous...You are..." She coughed a little."Brave..."

"Me? Brave?"

Despia went back to writing in her notebook."You've been through so much, haven't you? And yet you stand strong. Despite being so young, you show courage that even adults cannot hope to have. I wish I could be like you."

"But I'm not brave." Setsuna shook her head, her lip quivering."At least, I don't consider myself brave. I have to be brave. For Haji's sake. Because if I'm not brave...he won't be brave either. He smiles because I smile. So I have to be brave."

Despia felt her heart skip a beat at that, immediately portraying her feelings in the notebook."Your passion is most impressive. Your love for your brother is pure. I feel the same way about my brother. He's my everything. And I want him to love me. So I understand your feelings. It is a shame that we have to suffer so much. I'm sorry. I did not mean to make you sad."

"No, no! It's okay." Setsuna quickly said."I...I barely get to talk about this. I don't want to worry the others. I do love having fun and spending time with Haji and Hibiki-onee-chan. And my other friends. But I never get to talk about this."

"Maybe we can talk about it more often." Despia wrote."I also have my fair share of trauma with me. Maybe we can talk about our problems. As fellow little sisters? Of course, only if you're up for it. I am always willing to keep helping you improve your appearance. I have more tricks up my sleeve."

"I...I don't mind." Setsuna trailed off."I want to help you feel better too. Talking about this made me feel a little better too. So..."

Despia smiled, ruffling her hair and making the girl giggle. However, she was sick. Sick that she would be the catalyst for bringing the girl to Hazuki. But she couldn't think of that. Not when there was a chance to make things better.

"Hey, Despia." Yomi walked up to the table, his hand intertwined with Shiori's. Several girls were glaring at her, jealous that she had gotten a date with the magician."Me and Shiori-chan are going out after school. So don't wait for me at the entrance."

She nodded with a smile.

Yomi glanced at Setsuna."I hope my sister isn't boring you too much, Setsuna-chan."

"Not at all, Yomi-san! She's very fun and interesting! I'm learning tons from here!" She beamed.

"I see..." Yomi grinned at his twin.'Good. Just a little more and we can proceed. I already got 2 different ways to piss off Hajime and get him to fight me for real. This is going to be very fun.'

"Chris-san...come on, can we talk?" Hajime walked behind Chris as they made their way to the command room.

"What do you want, Hajime?" Chris huffed, folding her arms under her chest."If I humor you, will you stop chasing me around?"

"We are going to the same place. It's not really chasing..."

"Just get to the point."

"Listen..." He heaved a long sigh."Were you really about to kill that girl?"

"Well, I wasn't going to hug her if that's what you mean." She scoffed, her eyes narrowing."Yeah, I was going to kill her."

"But in cold blood? That's not like you at all. And she has nothing to do with what Allister did."

"It's what Allister deserves after what he did to my Takeru!" She shouted, causing him to flinch."It wasn't enough for him to fucking kill him! Now he's going around using him as a puppet! I want him to feel the same pain I felt. He's always talking shit about how he wants to see the biggest emotion, right? Well, he will feel that when I take the thing he loves the most. Just like how he did to me!"

"I understand that, but...would the Captain want you to go out of your way to kill someone like that?"

"I guess it's too bad he's not here to say what he thinks," Chris said in an emotionless tone, walking past Hajime.

"Captain...I won't give up." He muttered solemnly."I'll get through her and protect her for you. I won't let her ruin herself with revenge like I almost did."

A few minutes later, the group had gathered together in the command center, ready for their briefing.

"As you're all aware, we're now confronted with a new group of enemies who call themselves Noble Red, the remnants of the Bavarian Illuminati." Genjuro started, his eyes inspecting the youths before him."Also, it's important to note that for some reason, the Divine Disasters of Valhalla have decided to team up with them."

Kirika clenched her fists, but Hamaguchi wrapped an arm around her frame, calming her down.

"While we do not know why the DDV is helping, we do know that Noble Red's goal so far has been to get the Rh-xxoyle blood for possible blood transfusions." Ogawa continued."So we've had it relocated somewhere else to guard it. But they took a bunch of blood with them. We don't know how long it will take before they need to go out for another haul."

"I can't believe they're giving us this much trouble." Chris clicked her tongue."Compared to everything we've faced, they're complete jokes."

"I agree." Shirabe nodded."Their leaders were much more powerful."

"It's because they're playing dirty!" Kirika cried out with a sneer."They're willing to get innocent people involved and take them hostage-desu!"

"Actually...You're wrong. At least in what you said, Shirabe." Bragi chimed in, causing the attention to be shifted over to him."St. Germain, Cagliostro, Prelati, and Raphael were indeed stronger, at least in terms of power, but these guys are no slouches either. Especially Angelo, the guy with the horns. I'd say he's even stronger than the 4 I just mentioned."

"Really?" Jades asked, and Hajime stepped up.

"Yeah. I fought him for a little bit. And he was giving me some trouble." Hajime supplied, much to some of their disbelief."And I got stronger from back then. I don't want to brag but I'm pretty sure I could have taken the 4 Alchemists by myself."

"I mean, you did give Adam and Lilith a hard time before Lilith transformed. So I understand." Maria nodded in acknowledgment."But what about the other members? You said they weren't slouches, Bragi-kun."

"We have to keep their abilities in mind."

"That's true." Jades spoke up, standing further away from the group."We shouldn't underestimate them. They have tricks up their sleeves after all. What do we know about them so far?"

"Let's start with that vampire girl, Millaarc," Bragi said, and he noticed Tsubasa visibly shaking at the mention of her name.

"She can use those wings of her to increase the strength of her attacks." Tsubasa informed them, rubbing her arm."From creating monstrous feet to arms and overall fly."

"Oh yeah, she did that against me too!" Hibiki nodded."She can also enlarge her fingernails."

"Can she suck blood? Like, bite onto someone like a vampire?" Raiden inquired.

"Hopefully not. But even then, none of us have the type of blood they're after." Maria said, refuting the idea.

"Next up is the girl with the pink hair. I think they said her name was Elsa." Hajime picked up from where they left off."She can use that weird claw tail to attack."

"Yeah. It's like it has a mind of its own." Shirabe concurred."She stores it in her briefcase and connects it to her tailbone."

Hamaguchi stifled a chuckle, causing Hibiki to raise a brow."What's up?"

"So...so..." He chortled, his cheeks blushing."So you're saying that girl can shove things up her-"

"Don't finish that sentence, man." Hajime groaned, running a hand through his hair.

"Why not?" Shirabe innocently tilted her head."What does he mean?"

"I don't think you want to know." Chris shot him a disapproving glare, but the bluenette kept laughing. Everyone except the younger ones knew where this was going.

"Fuck it. It's too funny not to say it." He decided to say it anyway, risking his life in the process."Basically, her ability lets her shove things up her ass. Like a buttplug. So that claw tail is one big buttplug."

"Wow. Very mature. I hope you're proud of yourself." Maria shook her head, not at all amused. Every girl there gave him the most scornful glare they could muster.

"You pervert!" Kirika slapped him across the face. Shirabe kicked him in the ribs and Raiden on the head.

"Worth it..." He mumbled, slowly raising a thumb up before collapsing.

"Anyway..." Genjuro cleared his throat, deciding to change topics."I guess the next one is self-explanatory. The parasite inside of Yosuke's body, Psykos."

"Yeah..." Bragi's lips thinned."He can enter into a person through their mouth, nose, or ears and then go into the brain, completely taking over their bodies. He can also use some kind of liquid metal, which is what his body is composed of, allowing him to create constructs at will."

"Do we know how to get him out?" Maria asked, hoping to hear some good news for a change.

"Not yet. I have some ideas that Auntie Elfnein and I are working on. But nothing that can guarantee Yosuke-dono's survival."

Tsubasa clenched her fists in impotence, closing her eyes."Yosuke..."

"That leaves us with 4 more. One of them is Angelo, possibly their strongest member." Hajime moved on to the conversation in hopes of getting Tsubasa's mind somewhere else."He can transform into a demon and use fire attacks."

"Yeah. He's what Hibiki-dono was at one point. The perfect fusion between human and Relic." Bragi said, catching the cream-haired girl's interest.

"Like me? Back when I had the Gungnir stuck in my chest?"

"Yeah. Except, his Relic is different. You see, the Second got it from Helheim. The Satan Relic. It's a Conceptual Weapon. Satan represents the sin of Wrath, meaning that the more enraged he becomes, the more powerful he will be."

"What about those slashes he was doing?" Shirabe asked.

"My hypothesis is the following. His power works like me." He held up his two arms."We both have different abilities in each of our arms. In his case, his right arm's ability is called Sever. It creates multiple slashes that can be rapid-fire at his opponent. The second slash he has to charge up and is way stronger than his regular slashes. It's called Dissect. A fitting name, since it can dissect what it touches. Much like what happened to me."

"And the stadium." Jades pointed out."He cut the whole stadium in half with one attack. And my ice too. It's a powerful ability."

"As it stands, I'm the only one who can fight him safely, since I can regenerate." Bragi placed a hand on his chest."So I can be a little more reckless. But also...I think the Dissect can negate abilities. I was pushing it away with my gravity when I swung my sword and it still cut through me. And Jades-dono had his ice destroyed. As of now, he's the strongest of them. So be careful. That being said, there is another one with a scary ability."

"Right." Hibiki nodded, shivering upon remembering the blue-haired girl."Reina-chan...She put all three of the guys into some kind of hypnosis."

"She was singing." Shirabe coroboted."I think it was some sort of mating call. It only affected the guys. Not us."

"Maybe we could give you guys earplugs." Genjuro suggested."Or something to block off the sound."

"We could just prevent her from singing altogether." Hajime shrugged."She didn't seem that particularly strong. She went down pretty easy. Who else is left?"

"Well, that woman that showed up at the hospital." Raiden said."The one with the black hair."

"Oh, yeah!" Hamaguchi nodded with a big grin."She has huge breasts-"

He paused, noticing the glares he was receiving."Her eyes! Yeah, huge eyes! So deep and they're green!"

"Anyway..." Raiden fought the urge to facepalm."We don't know anything about her. There's also that robot on her shoulder."

"Robot?" Kirika asked.

"Ever seen Star Wars? Kind of looks like BB-8. We have no info on her either."

"We know their goals, somewhat. But we also know some of their abilities and who to look out for." Hajime rubbed his chin."I guess that leaves the worse for last...?"

"First we gotta address the snake in the room." Bragi took a deep breath."Ouja pulled off a Unite Vent with 3 monsters. I didn't even know anyone who wasn't a Messiah could do that. I mean, making a contract sure. But a fusion?"

"Must be that Divine Power he and Terunosuke have." Genjuro guessed."So right now, he's the closest thing to the Divine Beast."

"Yeah...I don't know how strong he is."

"Well, we fought him back then and he was pretty fucking strong." Hajime remarked."The difference between his regular form and his fusion was huge. We needed all 6 of us to even stop him."

"That doesn't sound good..." Maria paled at the thought.

"Yeah...It was tough..." Jades placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We'll take him out. It doesn't matter how." Chris said, her voice leaving no room for question."I'll put a bullet between his eyes."

"Chris-kun..."

"I don't blame her." Hajime sighed."I mean, they are using the dead to hurt us...Our friends..."

"Even though it's not really them." Shirabe clutched her heart."Their feelings are genuine."

"We have to at least make sure they can rest in peace!" Kirika gritted her teeth."It's unfair-desu!"

"And we will." Genjuro nodded."But don't let your emotions cloud your judgment. They are the greatest enemy we have ever faced, plotting in the shadows over time. We can't afford to keep neglecting them. Bragi-kun went to Helheim and saw hell itself. If they bring that out to the world, it's over for humanity. So I want all of you in top shape, train with one another, and have an open mind. They aren't an enemy we can underestimate. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." Everyone said in unison.

"Good. Now, Bragi-kun? You wanted to show us something?"

"Right." Bragi smiled, jogging over to where Aoi was and she reached for something near her feet. He jogged back over to the group, presenting two stuffed teddy bears."Ta-dah!"

"They're so cute!" Kirika gushed as she and Shirabe rushed to see the bears.

"Very nice. Probably your best invention so far." Hajime said with a derisive tone.

"Fuck off. Listen. Remember how I went to Helheim I got some Relics. These two little fellas came from one. I made them into Teddy Bears. I call them Akumas. You know. Kuma means bear. Akuma means devil."

"Yes, we get it." Chris groaned."Get to the point."

"Ok, look. Catch." He threw one to Maria, which she caught in her hands. He leaned forward, speaking into the bear he had in his hands."Can you hear me, Maria-san?"

"Oh! I can hear your voice coming from here!" Maria placed the bear's mouth next to her ear."Is this some kind of communicator?"

"Yeah. It has no limit to its distance. And even works on a different dimension." He paused."Or at least, it should."

"Okay but why make this?" Raiden scratched his head."Our communicators work just fine."

"Yeah. Even when we were trapped in that pocket dimension back when we were fighting the Bavarian Illuminati we could still communicate with the others." Hibiki said.

"Yesh, but remember when you girls except for Maria-dono and Chris-dono were warped somewhere else and we didn't hear from you until you were warped back?" Bragi touched his bear's ear, making it the size of his thumb."Attach it to your keyring. Or pendant. But keep it in case something like that happens again so we're aware of what's going on."

"Mmmm. He makes a good point." Maria copied him and made the bear smaller."I'll keep it if that's alright with you guys."

"And what about the other Relics? You said one of those fruits had two Relics inside, right?" Jades asked, and the hybrid looked embarrassed.

"No progress. At least, in one of them. The other one I managed to decipher it. It's called Golem. Now all I gotta do is give it form, but I suspect it's literally a golem, due to its name" His shoulders deflated, his head hanging low."The other one is tricky. This one is different than the ones I just showed you due to the nature of it. It's powerful, I can tell you that. Every time I touch it it feels like it's trying to devour me. Like it's a...voracious beast trying to devour me. But maybe it's just my nerves. I can make it work."

"We know. We trust you." Hibiki beamed, hoping to put his mind at ease. She knew how he was handling the whole Noble Red situation and was keeping it a secret from Miku. A mistake she had made a year ago. But she trusted he learned his lesson of reaching out to those around him if he ever needed help.

Noble Red waited patiently as Fudo made his way over to them, two men guarding him at all times. They were currently in front of the giant machine they had set up with several giant spheres with Shem-Ha's bracer sitting in front of them.

"Earlier than expected, sir." Angelo greeted the man. He was used to meetings like this from his days in the mafia, so he was taking control of the conversation.

"I would imagine you know how important it is to be punctual," Fudo said, hinting at his knowledge of the young man's past.

"Of course. As for the report, the activation is going smoothly." Angelo gestured to the machine behind them."Phonic Gain is not the only option to activate a Relic. It requires too much energy."

"I assume Bragard used something similar to power the Relics on some of you."

"Nah, he used his Philosopher's Stone." P. Yosuke shrugged, receiving a glare from Fudo.

"I thought I told you to get rid of that body." Fudo sternly said."That boy has brought shame to our family more than anyone has ever dared to. I want him gone."

"Oh, don't worry. He didn't have sex with Tsubasa if that's what you're worried about."

"Really? You can tell that much?" Reina asked, making a face of disgust.

"Yeah. I know everything about him. The most they've done is kiss."

"That's already merit for execution." Fudo didn't deter."I want him dead."

"Sir, with all due respect, he's pretty much a prisoner of his body." Angelo chimed in."Is there no better punishment than that? Besides, we need Psykos to be in control of Yosuke Yanagi if we want a fighting chance. Besides, you want your Grandaugher to listen to you and side with you, right? What better way to break her spirit than to face the person she loves?"

Fudo narrowed his eyes, and Angelo felt a cold sweat dripping down his forehead. Millaarc and Elsa shared nervous glances, whole Reina tapped her foot impatiently.

"Very well. I shall consider your proposal." Fudo examined P. Yosuke's hair."I suppose the green hair is a good point of difference. That way I don't have to look at you without wanting to kill you."

"Uh...I appreciate that." P. Yosuke rubbed his nape, not sure if this was a compliment.

"Anyway, back on topic." Vanessa cleared her throat, starting the device as the orbs began to light up. They could hear a weird melody as all the orbs glowed simultaneously, energy flowing into the bracer."The seven planets correspond to the seven notes on the scale. Music and Alchemy come about in different ways, but they are both technological systems that strive to find the truth within the harmony of the universe."By the motions of the stars on this day, in this hour, the beat of awakening is here!"

In an instant, the lights went out as the Relic released a shockwave.

"So...it worked?" Vanessa shifted her gaze to Angelo.

"Did it?" He asked Satan inside of him.

"Why are you asking me?" Satan scoffed."I do not have the answers to everything, Angelo."

"I guess we gotta check." Millaarc began to approach the bracer, her hand inches away from it when she felt a current of wind next to her. She gasped, noticing Fudo had tried to snatch her arm, but Angelo had moved in front of her, grabbing his arm instead, his claws already out.

"Woah, what just happened?" Amy wondered."I didn't even see it happen."

"Not sure..." Vanessa swallowed the lump in her throat.

Angelo and Fudo stared at each other, both men saying nothing as they stood their ground.

"Remarkable speed and quick to act." Fudo said, and Angelo released him."I expect great things from you."

"Understood." Angelo calmed himself, his claws returning to his normal arms.

"Angel..." Millaarc grabbed his hand, concern evident in her tone.

"I have another job for you, Noble Red." His gaze fell on two familiar men who were being pulled in by Fudo's guards.

"Those are the men from before," Elsa remarked.

"Useless wastes of space, that's what they are." Fudo scoffed."Can't even run a simple errand. Deal with them."

"Sure." Angelo got ahead of them and swung his right arm. Suddenly, the body of one of the men was diced up into countless bits and pieces before being burnt away by hellfire."Next."

However, before he was about to kill the second one, he noticed the man was making a run for it. He didn't try to go after him immediately, since he couldn't escape. Until he snatched Shem-Ha's bracer and put it on.

"I won't stand around and die! If you're going to kill me. I'll use this, you damn monsters!"

They all gawked as the man began to glow before exploding, blowing apart a good chunk of the hideout in the process.

"Interesting." Fudo seemed unperturbed as if he was expecting this."It seems the Divine Power will not let itself be so easily used."

Angelo stood next to him, using his claws to absorb the flames and avoid the fire from spreading."That being said, the barrier is fucked. SONG is going to come here any second."

"I believe I have an idea." Elsa caught their attention, holding a gem for Alca-Noise between her fingers.

A while later, Vanessa and Angelo watched on as the Alca-Noise did their thing, wreaking havoc around the base.

"You know, you didn't have to stay with me." Vanessa folded her arms under her chest.

"And what? Leave you alone?" He scoffed, hand to his hip."I thought you knew me better by now, Vanessa. I don't leave my family alone. Is that why you stayed behind too, Amy?"

"Correct." Amy confirmed, currently sitting atop Vanessa's shoulders."We're family. We look after one another. I can't fight but I still want to support you. And..."

"Yeah. I know." Angelo nodded, shifting his gaze to the choppers in the distance."They're here."

In effect, Hibiki, Hajime, Maria, and Jades jumped off from the helicopters transforming in mid-air.

"I'll let you handle the Symphogear. I was hoping to see Bragi here, but I guess we'll have to wait before we have the pleasure of killing him. Let me know if you need help." Angelo kicked the ground, shooting himself toward the group."Satan, let's go with a full transformation!"

With a roar, Angelo transformed into his demon form, prompting Ryuki and Tiger to respond by going into Survive Mode.

Survive: Fubuki

Survive: Rekka

In a dome of fire and ice, the Riders created an explosion of ice particles, but Angelo kicked Tiger away and focused his attention on Ryuki, who used the blade mode of his visor to parry his claws.

"You gonna tell us what you want or are you going to keep being an asshole and gatekeep that shit?! I really don't want to fight you! We can talk!"

"Didn't your friend tell you? The world turned us into monsters!" Angelo received an elbow to the face, stunning him, and allowing Tiger to come in and swing his axe, striking him on the side. He skidded away shooting a volley of fireballs at them."Bragard is the one who ruined our lives and we want revenge on his son! For taking our happiness away!"

"And how is killing people like how you did in the stadium supposed to fix any of that?!" Ryuki roared back, inserting a card into his visor and charging up a punch.

Strike Vent: Dragknuckle

Angelo clicked his tongue, lunging to meet him in the middle as their fists connected. However, Ryuki's gauntlet activated its ability. The percussion hammer at the elbow hammered down, creating a tremendous shockwave that sent Angelo rolling on the ground.

Shoot Vent: Frost Blaster

Tiger pulled the trigger of his blaster, shooting out waves of ice in hopes of freezing Angelo. But the demon roared, his power increasing as his wrath, much how like Bragi had predicted and melted the ice away.

"You want to know?! Why do you go around acting all high and mighty?" Angelo ran up to Jades, melting the ice he kept shooting at him and slamming his fist against his chest, breaking some of his armor and launching him into one of the buildings around."Do you think you're heroes? Please. You're just posing as heroes, pretending to be these so-called saviors. And yet you can't save anyone."

"What do you mean?!"

Sword Vent: Dragsaberzwei

Angelo grabbed onto the blade, going for a punch, but Ryuki grabbed it, holding it in place."How many people died during that concert because of your incompetence? If you guys were truly the heroes you say you are, the casualties should have been almost none. And yet, my friends were able to wipe out all life there. Because your friends couldn't do shit."

The Italian noticed Tiger running up from the side and used his superior height to grab Hajime and wrap an arm around him, dashing toward Tiger and tackling him as if he were a football player, throwing Ryuki with him in the process.

"And how many times has this happened in the past? Where innocents died by some outside force and you can't save them? Even if you're right there in front of them." Angelo continued on his ranting."Same thing with us. No one ever came to save us from the claws of evil. We were horribly abused and tortured countless times during our imprisonment. We got powers we never even asked for. And you never even showed up once. All this horrible stuff happens all around the world and I bet you never even sat down to consider this. How little power do you have? You only focus on the people you care about, but fuck the rest of the world, is that it? But what if one of your comrades is in danger and you have no way of reaching them? Then you'll truly feel what it is to be helpless."

Ryuki and Tiger stood back up, both equally in shock by his words. Jades's eyes shot wide open when he heard the last, remembering the day he heard of his brother's death when he was in England.."Andreas..."

"SONG focuses mainly on Japan, right? And even then, you only take part in supernatural disasters. So people being kidnapped for human experiments is out of your jurisdiction. And guess what? Those types of cases are never even looked up properly. We all disappeared from the face of the planet. And no one ever gave two shits. So do forgive me if I'm lacking in care for lives that are not my friends. You are no heroes. You are nothing but posers trying to blow their own horn."

"You're going about this the worst possible way." Tiger said, carefully choosing his words."I know what you mean. I was part of FIS so I more or less know what you went through. But I get it. I understand your anger-"

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND OUR ANGER!" Angelo's fire flared up, the aura pushing the Riders back. He took a deep breath."If you did...you wouldn't be saying this dumb shit. Now, shall we reconvene this horror show, then?"

Meanwhile, Maria was killing off the Noise around the area, allowing Hibiki to get into proximity to fight Vanessa. She wasn't expecting the woman's fingers to open up, shooting bullets from them as if they were machine guns.

"Wow!" Hibiki leaped around, startled by the surprise attack.'So is she like a cyborg or something? I guess it fits their whole monster gimmick going on...'

She shook her head. Now was not the time for this. She zig-zagged around, using her speed to confuse Vanessa, and eventually reached her, kicking the woman away. She skidded across the area, bewildered at the force behind the kick.

"Holy shit..." She muttered in awe.'If I'm not careful, one of those attacks can knock me out!'

"Can you...tell me what it is that you guys want?" Hibiki asked, much to Vanessa's confusion."Let's just stop fighting. We can talk about this and stop."

"Talk...talk, huh?" Vanessa smiled seductively, unzipping her jacket."Sure, we can talk. We can talk all you want~."

"W-wait a second! I didn't mean it like that!" Hibiki closed her eyes, embarrassed."Plus I have a boyfriend! I can't be doing this!"

"Oh? That's too bad. To look away from your opponent, of course." Her chest opened up, and fired two missiles at Hibiki, hitting her head-on."We can't fight you fair and square, so this is a good strategy right? Huh?"

To her shock, Hibiki looked mostly unharmed by the attack."Sorry. But I've taken more damage than that. Chris-chan doesn't go easy on me during training. I don't want to do this. Just...help me understand you."

"Tch. If you really want to know, we want to go back to being humans." Vanessa simply said. Amy shot a laser beam from her eye and narrowly missed Hibiki.

"W-wait! What do you mean?!" Hibiki gasped, noticing the laser had grazed her arm.

"It's just as it sounds like." Vanessa's hand popped open, and she fired a small rocket toward Hibiki. Fortunately, Maria landed in front of her and protected her with her barrier."Guess the Alca Noise are finished, huh? Got another trick in you, Amy-chan?"

"I don't. I'm sorry."

"Well, nothing we can do about that..." Vanessa narrowed her eyes, sidestepping to avoid Maria's dagger. The pinkette continued to swing her weapon at her, and in one of those instances, Amy shot another laser from her eye, making the Symphoger parry with her dagger, allowing Vanessa to hop away.

"Is this bad? I think this might be bad. I'm out of my league here." She kept her eyes on Maria, shooting off her left arm toward her."I might have to call Angelo for help at this rate."

Maria extended her dagger, turning it into a bladed whip, and smacked the hand away, knocking Vanessa back. Maria focused her Phonic Gain on her dagger, drawing a cross with the blade. The gauntlet grew in size as she punched the cross, shooting a giant wave of energy

Divine Caliber

"O-oh crap! Angelo!" She cried out for help. And from the heavens or hell, in this case, Angelo slammed his arms to the ground, creating a wall of flames that blocked the attack. He wasted no time and dashed toward Maria, smacking her away, and focused his attention on Hibiki. The girl couldn't even react to his sudden growth in speed, receiving a punch to the gut that caused her to cough up some blood before he slammed her on the ground. He was about to tear her to pieces with his claws, but Ryuki kicked him across the face, sending him rocketing away.

"H-Hajime!" Hibiki gasped when Hajime picked her up in his arms, setting her back on her feet.

"Angelo! Are you okay?!" Vanessa yelled to her friend, who was beginning to pick himself up from the ground.

'What was that? That attack was so heavy...'

"I feel bad about you guys. Really. I do. And I wish there could have been something we could have done to help you sooner." Ryuki clenched his fists tightly, fire surrounding his body."But the moment you use that as an excuse to harm so many innocents mercilessly...that's when you lose any hope of getting sympathy. You're right. We can't save everyone. It's impossible. But I'll tell you who we can save. Those who are within our reach. I promised I would save those I could and do what I must. You expect me to feel bad for you after the shit you've pulled? And now you have the fucking audacity to hurt my Hibiki like this?!"

His words grew louder, his flames growing in temperature with each sentence.

"I've been holding back for your sake, hoping to talk some sense into you. Not anymore. Anyone who even touches my family, my friends, and my future wife is not going to get any mercy from me."

"Hajime..." Hibiki blushed at his words, wiping the blood off her mouth."W-w-w-w-w-w-wife?!"

"Don't give me that shit." Angelo growled."Just like you, we'll do what we must. If I have to tear her to pieces because you get in our way, then I will do just-"

It was too fast. He couldn't even see it coming but he felt the pain. The punch that crashed against his face knocked him to the ground. He quickly stood up, shooting a fireball at his assailant, but Ryuki smacked it away and uppercut him before delivering a devastating punch to his stomach, causing him to reel in pain. "Sever-"

A roundhouse kick canceled out his attack and as he looked back up, he saw a pair of boots flying to his face, sending him staggering back. Ryuki grabbed his leg and began to twirl around at great speeds before throwing Angelo high into the sky.

"W-what's going on?! Where did all this strength come from?!" Angelo groaned, watching as Ryuki inserted a card into his visor.

Booster Vent

Ryuki shot himself into the sky, chasing after Angelo, who was now charging up his left arm."DISSECT!"

A slash appeared from his hand, aiming straight for Ryuki. It was fast, as Bragi had described, but Ryuki was faster, flying around it and circling Angelo in an instant. The devil looked up behind him, charging up a fireball but was met by a Rider Kick to the chest which shot him down like a comet back to the ground. His transformation ran out and returned to his human form.

"Angelo!" Vanessa was quickly by his side, lifting his head off the ground.

"Fuck...I knew he was holding back before. I knew he was stronger than that...But...I didn't think the difference between us was this huge...it's like an abyss." Angelo managed a weak smile."I guess I shouldn't be surprised. He is the strongest Rider, after all."

Hajime landed back on the ground, turning off his Survive as the others grouped together."Hibiki, are you okay?"

"I'm okay." She nodded, flexing her bicep."I'm a tough girl, remember?"

"Of course you are." He smiled in relief under his helmet.

Vanessa helped Angelo up, whispering in his ear."Elsa-chan just contacted me. They managed to get away."

"Then our job here is done. Let's get the hell out of here."

"Wait! Why can't we come to an understanding?" Hibiki continued trying to talk them down, hoping to at least get them to hear her out."Is there no point in talking?"

"Please. Like you could ever understand." Amy said with disdain."People reject those who are different. But you wouldn't know, would you? You're Hibiki Tachibana, right? You were there during the Zwei Wing incident."

"I-I was..." Hibiki slowly nodded."But why are you-"

"I was there too." Amy cut her off abruptly."I was sitting in the top seats, so I guess no one could see or hear me scream. But they heard you. Kanade-san and Tsubasa. That day, you were saved while I was kidnapped and ended up with Bragard. He stripped me of my dignity and took me out of my human body...And I've been stuck in this form for years. Unable to properly sleep, eat, or move other than rolling on the ground. So why...?"

Amy Regulus, in her human body, continued to scream for someone to save her as she watched Kanade fight the Noise, saving Hibiki's life. Her legs were broken due to part of the stadium breaking and a piece of rubble fell on her, nearly crushing her. She screamed, hoping for her favorite idol...her hero and inspiration, to save her as well. But no matter how much she screamed, no one ever came. Even when she was being experimented on and torn open, she screamed. And no one came.

"Why were you rescued and I wasn't? Why did they hear your pleas for help and my weren't? Why do you deserve to be alive and well while I'm stuck in this fucking robot?!"

"Amy-chan..." Vanessa breathed. This was the first time she had ever heard the girl snap like that.

"Why do you deserve to have a life and I don't? What did I ever do wrong?!" Amy continued, screaming."All I did was come over to Japan with my Mother, but she was sick so she didn't go to the concert with me! And now I'm stuck! My life is ruined! You're so lucky! You have a wonderful boyfriend, friends, a school life, a future ahead of you, and more! But me? I have my friends...and with little hope of ever being human again...All because of that bastard. The bastard who ruined us. And his son is your friend."

"Bragi-kun did nothing wrong!"

"Bullshit! He has to suffer! And you will suffer too! You don't deserve the life you have! I WANTED TO LIVE TOO!"

Her scream echoed through the area, and despite not having lungs, the girl was panting, as if her mind still had that memory."You asked why we're doing this. Why do we kill people with no remorse? It's simple. It's because the world never showed us any remorse. No one showed us an ounce of sympathy. We dug ourselves out of that hell. No one ever came to rescue us. Eventually, it became tiresome to continue to scream...So don't expect us to have any mercy when we don't even know what that is. Let's get out of here. I don't want to be here anymore."

"Roger." Vanessa's eyes glowed intensely, blinding the members of SONG, and giving herself time to fly away with Angelo and Amy.

"Damn! They got away!" Maria hissed.

Hibiki hugged herself, shaking due to the horrible words she just heard. Hajime was quicky to console her, giving her a loving hug and holding her close to him."I can't believe she was there too...I could have ended up like her...Amy Regulus..."

"But it's not your fault. And don't listen to what she said." He removed his helmet, kissing her cheek."Because she doesn't know what you had to go through...all because you survived that hell."

"Still...I can't help but feel bad for her...Because I don't know what she went through either...She had her body stolen and was tortured by Bragard."

"That doesn't give them the excuse to go around killing people." Hajime soothingly brushed her hair."You're a kind person, Hibiki. You can show such sympathy for anyone, even your enemies. I understand how you feel. But...maybe this sounds a little heartless of me. But I can't feel bad for them. Not with what they're doing."

"Hajime..." Hibiki snuggled against him."Is there no way to save everyone? Can we only save those who are close to us?"

"I don't know, Sunshine. But...all we can do is save who we can. And do what we can to keep on fighting. We'll find a way to stop this. I promise you. Honestly, maybe we can still talk them down. If anyone understands what Bragard is capable of, it's me."

"But...they're going after Bragi-kun. And he did nothing wrong. I don't want them to hurt him."

"I..." Hajime trailed off.

"Hajime." She said firmly."Don't tell me you want them to hurt him."

"It's not that. It's just...I get how they feel. I also hated him because he was related to Bragard and they looked identical. So I understand that part. But...it's wrong. To condemn someone because of what their parent did. So I won't let them hurt him either. For Miku-san's sake."

"Thank you, Hajime." She smiled, kissing him on the lips."Wait, Miku?"

"Ah...wait, you don't know?"

"Know about what?"

"The hellspawn is into Miku-san."

"HUH?! REALLY?!" She beamed, jumping in place.

Maria smiled at their interaction before her eyes shifted over to Jades, who was staring at the sky."Are you okay, Jades?'

"What if one of your comrades is in danger and you have no way of reaching them? Then you'll truly feel what it is to be helpless."

He shook his head."No. I'm not. When we get back...I have something to tell all of you..."

Somehow I finished this chapter in time. I start school tomorrow but it's the first week of school so I might be able to get 2 chapters out. After that, it's back to once a week maybe.