A/N: For August 2021, I decided to revisit a story I previously worked on and make a one shot that took place in the future of it (In two terms of the word :)) Either way, I hope you enjoy!

Symphogear S: Hope! Stop the threat to the future!

Running through the desolate wasteland that used to be a bright and peaceful city, Kirika Akatsuki hurries to the resistance base on the other side of town while avoiding an evil with the face that used to be a symbol of hope for the world.

For months, she has been one of the few warriors facing off against this menace that threatens all human life as they know it, and every time their blades cross, she barely scrapes by to fight for another day. Recently, Kirika's been questioning if the enemy's been keeping her and the others alive on purpose, like some sort of sick game. But she had to put these anger-filled thoughts aside for now as she finally arrived at the base.

"Kirika-san! Thank goodness you're still alive!" Elfnein said, greeting the wielder as she entered her lab. "Any luck finding anymore survivors?"

"A few dess. They're only alive because Shirabe was able to take them back to the hideout while I distracted Black." Kirika replied. "But enough about her, how goes progress on your end?"

"Luckily, I've just about finished making enough fuel to allow you a trip to and from the past." Elfnein said proudly. As she said this, the machine she stood in front of dispenced a large container carrying a mysterious liquid. "Perfect! Now all we need to do is get this fuel into the machine and you can get help from the others in the past."

"Dess?!" Kirika shouted in shock. "Why me? Wouldn't someone like Miku-san be better for the trip? I can't leave Shirabe to fight that monster alone!"

"If this was like the tragedy we had to face years ago, I would agree." Elfnein said. "But given the circumstances, we can't really afford to wait for Miku to get here, so you'll have to go as soon as the engine's fueled."

"But..."

"Shirabe-san and Miku-san can handle the efforts in repelling Black while you're away. Have some faith in them, would you?" Elfnein sternly interjected.

"Okay..."

"Good." Elfnein walked to an open part of the lab and pulled out a capsule. After pressing the top of the capsule and tossing it, a giant ship-like machine emerged. "Now then, let's get you ready to time trav-" Before anyone could react, a massive blast shot through the ceiling and destroyed the time machine, causing a massive chain reaction of falling debris and strapnel.

"Ugh... What was that...?" Kirika got up from the ground, ears still ringing from the explosion. "Elfnein-chan? Where are you?" She asked, hoping the alchemist was okay, but would soon come to find Elfnein was not as lucky as herself, finding her lower body buried in debris and covered in various cuts and bruises. "Elfnein!"

Elfnein coughed as she made eye contact with Kirika. "Kirika...san... Thank goodness you're okay..."

Kirika held back tears as she looked at her very heavily injured friend. "Please hold on! I'm going to get you to the others to get healed up!"

Kirika started to quickly toss the debris aside to get Elfnein to safety, but the alchemist weakly put her hand on Kirika's arm. "It's no use... Black will just find us and kill us both if you try to get me to the others..." Elfnein reached into her unburied pocket and felt around for something, letting out a pained sigh of relief when she pulled out a capsule before handing it to Kirika. "Thankfully, I accounted for Black trying to stop us and made a spare Time Machine... Is the fuel unharmed...?"

Kirika looked over her shoulder and saw the liquid Elfnein made still safely in its container, bringing it over to the alchemist to show her. "Yes."

"Good..." Elfnein layed her head back down, too exhausted to hold her head up anymore. "Take it and the Time Machine somewhere safe and make the jump to the past... Quickly!"

"What about you dess?" Kirika asked.

"If I'm right, Black will be here to check for our lifeless bodies... It won't be long until she comes to finish the job..." Elfnein said. "If you stay here... Our chances of stopping her will be forfeit..."

"I'm not leaving you here!" Kirika said.

"You have no other choice!" Elfnein retorted loudly, going into a coughing fit from raising her voice. "Please... I'm asking you not as the wielder of Igalima... But as my friend... To save the world... Please!"

Kirika's tears became harder and harder to hold back as she looked at her dying friend, but she wasn't about to let Elfnein's efforts be in vein. "Okay... I will!"

"Thank you..." Elfnein said, stopping as she heard the sounds of someone approaching the now destroyed lab. "Now get going!"

"Goodbye, Elfnein..." Kirika muttered, choking on tears as she left the room. Kirika rushed out of the collapsing building, tears streaming down her face as she heard one final explosion that engulfed the base. Despite the tears, she was not going to let her friend's dying wish go unfulfilled.

Eventually, Kirika ran into Shirabe and Miku, who were out on patrol for more survivors and noticed her. "Kiri-chan!" Shirabe shouted, catching the wielder's attention. "How goes Elfnein-chan's prog... ress...?" She stopped herself once she noticed both Kirika's injuries and the items she was carrying.

"Kirika-chan? What happened to-"

"SHE HAPPENED DESS!" Kirika yelled, "BLACK KILLED HER!"

The duo covered their mouths with their hands and gasped as Kirika said this. "No..."

"Before Elfnein-chan died, she told me to take the Time Machine and get to the past." Kirika said, voice still shaking with rage. "I tried to save her, but she told me to run..."

"Then let's make sure her efforts don't go to waste." Miku said, looking for somewhere to prepare the machine, spotting a familiar logo on the side of one of the destroyed buildings. "Elfnein's old lab! We need to hurry!"

The trio hurried inside and dropped the capsule for the Time Machine. Thankfully, being the one to originally travel back the first time, Miku knew how to refuel the machine, and did so with ease. "Okay, you should be set to travel back in time. Just press that red button in the middle and you should be sent to the past."

"Me?" Kirika asked. "You're not going?"

"Shirabe-chan and I can handle Black while you're away." Miku said. "Besides, for us, you'll only be gone for a few minutes."

"And if all three of us went, we'd just be a sitting target for Black to kill us." Shirabe added. "Someone needs to stay here and keep her busy."

"So I'll stay back while you two go." Miku said.

"Exactly... Wait, what?!" Shirabe asked, realizing what Miku was saying. "But Miku-san, Black is-"

"That monster is not Hibiki!" Miku retorted, quickly regaining her composure. "She may look like the woman I loved, but that won't stop me from fighting her to save the world. I know she would do the same if the roles were reversed. Besides, you two should get the chance to see everyone again too." Miku may have had a smile on her face, but the Zababa duo could tell that she hated the thought of fighting someone that looked like her lover.

"Okay... I'll go with her." Shirabe said. "But you better not die while we're gone."

"I won't." Miku promised, pulling out her pendant to transform.

"Rei Shénshòujìng rei zizzl"

"Now get going. She will be here any moment."

With that, Miku ran outside of the ruined lab and shot a beam into the air once she was a good distance away from Kirika and Shirabe. As she expected, a tornado formed in the sky, descending next to Miku in the air. "Why hello there... My Sunshine." A voice that sounded all too familiar to the Shénshòujìng wielder said.

"You may have her face, but you are not the girl I loved!" Miku retorted.

"You're right about that, I'm not the girl you loved." The voice said as the gale surrounding her started to fade away, revealing a girl that looked like Hibiki Tachibana, but wearing an all-black version of her Symphogear. "But I am the one that will reunite you with her."

"Everything about you makes me sick, Black." Miku lectured. "What do you have to gain out of all of this death? Entertainment? Pride?"

"Absolute Justice." Black answered, which confused Miku. "Justice for the crimes you mortals have committed. Crimes that I could no longer allow to go unpunished. Crimes committed by mortals such as yourself!"

"What do you mean?" Miku asked.

"And you don't even understand what you've done..." Black laughed like mad. "That just goes to show how pathetic you mortals are. You tell yourselves you're doing the right thing, but still mess with forces far beyond your control."

"And how is what you're doing any different?" Miku retorted. "On second thought, don't answer that. I'm done listening to your insane excuses for needless bloodshed."

"Fine by me." Black said. "I'm more than happy to send the ultimate sinner to her grave if she so desi-" Black stopped herself when she noticed a strange glowing light behind Miku. "What is that?"

Miku turned around to see what Black was looking at, and smiled. "Hope. Which means my work is done."

"What do you mea-" Black realized what Miku meant by "work" and became angry. "You were just a distraction! You wretched morta-"

"Shut up!" Miku said, firing a laser at Black while she was distracted, flying away as fast as she could while Black braced herself for the attack.

"We're gonna make it, Kiri-chan!" Shirabe cheered. "We're going to be able to see Chris-senpai and Maria again!"

"Yeah..." Kirika replied, still very exhausted from the explosion at Elfnein's lab.

"You're not going anywhere!" A voice called out, approaching the duo at high speeds. The girls began to panic as they saw Black heading straight for them, fearing the worst for Miku. But thankfully for them, they managed to warp away seconds before Black could destroy their Time Machine. "Wretched Mortals... Once again, they have sinned." Black clenched her fist in anger, but soon smirked. "No matter, I'll just follow them to the past. They shall not escape the justice that rightfully awaits them!"

Heya! It's me, Kirika dess! What the? Is that a Time Machine? DESS?! Another me and Shirabe?! Why is she fighting Hibiki-san?! Wait, there's an evil Hibiki-san?! I'm so lost...

Next time on Symphogear S: An S.O.S. from the future! Hibiki Black Cometh!

There's no way I'm gonna miss this dess!

A/N: And with that, we end the story.

Quick summary for anyone still confused: This is connected to the Symphogear Z prompts from a few months ago, taking place in what would be this world's Goku Black Arc. And as mentioned in the story, Miku takes the place of Future Trunks in Z.

Why make a backstory to a one shot like this? IDK.

But anyway, thank you for reading this story. I shall see you all in the next one!