Project Symphosaber: Song of Swords
S1:EP03 – Gungnir and the Grasshopper
A week and a few days had passed since Touma and Hibiki had started up their new jobs as heroes. Touma himself gave an exasperated sigh as he laid down on one of the couches of his store. Even though the store couldn't be as open as usual, Touma still had the pay for working with Section 2 and that meant he wouldn't be out money. Especially given the size of his first check, he was shocked at how much a government funded job could give.
"You okay?" Hibiki asked as she sat nearby, having come over after Lydian had ended classes for the day.
"Just tired…" Touma admitted. "Honestly I'm glad that it's the two of us who ended up joining at the same time. It makes things easier."
"Yeah, well except for…" Hibiki looked to the side, remembering how she and Touma had to lie to their closest friend.
"Right… Miku," Touma sighed, he knew government contracted work could be delicate, and that they couldn't just go shouting secrets. But he hated to lie alongside Hibiki, especially to their best friend.
"I really wish I could say something…" Hibiki admitted.
"At the very least if something's bothering you, you can let me know, because we are alone after all." Touma offered before waving his hand out, showing that despite the shop being open, no one was in at the moment.
"Thank you Touma," Hibiki gave a soft smile before giving a groan and slumping in her seat. "It's only been about a week or so into the school year and yet it's so exhausting…"
"I can only imagine, trying to balance school work and being a superhero?" Touma gave a nod. "You should really try to see if you can cut a deal with the Commander. I can only imagine Tsubasa has some sort of system that helps. But if you ever need writing help, you know I'm your man."
"It's fine, really," Hibiki shook her head. "I want to try and prove myself so taking it all at once will be good for my endurance!" She called out in a near passionate voice before slumping further and giving a nervous chuckle, "B-But having writing help would honestly be great given all the reports…"
"Like I said, you've got the perfect friend for that," Touma smiled as he gave a groan and sat up, sitting up fully he noticed Hibiki was still looking troubled. "What's wrong?"
"I… I need to get stronger…" Hibiki admitted.
"If this is about Tsubasa…" Touma started, "I think it has a lot more to do with than just strength. But getting stronger is a good start."
He admittedly had to think back to a few days ago when they were on a mission, Noise had appeared in separate spots which necessitated that everyone split up. He was nearby Hibiki's sector and had caught glimpses of her barely holding her own.
"So do you have any tips?" Hibiki asked, "Maybe an instruction manual?"
"As much as I'd love that, I don't think that reading a book will help you get better," Touma gave a light laugh before he hung his head, "Also pretty sure there are no combat manuals in this store."
"So they do exist," Hibiki spoke with slight hope.
Touma could only chuckle nervously, "I think you're missing the point…"
"Okay then how come you're so much better," Hibiki questioned near immediately. "I mean, no offense but you don't seem like the Rider type."
"Huh…" Touma gained a more inquisitive look, "It sort of just comes to me… I mean, given the Wonder Ride Books at their base are books it makes sense. The book is passing down the knowledge to me. But I don't think I'm that amazing as a fighter."
"Indeed," The two nearly jumped as the bell rang while the door opened, Rintaro entering with a smile. "While the Wonder Ride Book's can pass down knowledge to help you utilize them, training is also an important factor."
"You'd think the Symphogear's would work the same given the sudden songs," Touma muttered.
"You know that's true," Hibiki realized. "The song just sort of comes to me whenever I bring out the armor. But that's about it honestly."
"Do not worry yourselves as I will do my best to assist you two," Rintaro reassured as he walked over, "With the increasing number of Megid appearing alongside the Noise, our once separate battles have now become intertwined. Both Commanders have seen it fit for either Swordsmen or Wielders to battle both Megid and Noise."
"Oh that's good," Touma said, realizing that even if Tsubasa was prone to not assisting Hibiki, Rintaro could be there for her.
"So Rintaro, why are you here?" Hibiki asked.
"The Commander's have are having trouble wrapping their heads around the latest attacks," Rintaro said, "So they decided to see if I could pick your brains."
Hibiki tilted her head, "They are?"
"What's it about?" Touma asked.
"It was mostly due to our recent opponents," Rintaro admitted as he paced around. "Do you remember the Megid that was frequently spotted with the Noise hordes?"
"Oh yeah… it was a creepy spitting ant," HIbiki recollected with a slight shiver, remembering how many close calls she had when dealing with one of the Ari Megid that showed up. In the end Touma had to cut it down when it became too much for her.
"And even though we kill one, another identical one would just show up to replace it," Touma added. "It feels like there's just an army of them."
"Exactly, it appears as though a swarm of Ari Megid has been appearing," Rintaro replied. "We can only imagine their purpose is like what you described of Golem."
"He was collecting the ashes of those who passed on," Touma said with a nod. "It has to be something about completing that strange black book."
"It is likely that the Ari Megid have been trying to do just that," Rintaro confirmed. "Though we've been diligent enough to make sure that those books are destroyed alongside the Megid."
"There has to be a source," Hibiki said. "I mean… you know, ants usually have a queen don't they?"
"That… and the weird part is how subtle it is," Touma admitted.
Rintaro stared a bit, "What do you mean?"
"I mean well, their first pick of a monster to send out was a Golem, and now just a swarm of ants?" Touma questioned as he put a hand to his chin, "I mean regardless of how many there are it seems odd that it's just an Ari Megid this time."
"I wouldn't say every Megid is as fantastical as Golem is though," Rintaro argued.
"It still does seem odd," Hibiki admitted and thought about it for a bit before beeping was heard, everyone pulling out their communicators.
"We've got trouble, a large grouping of Noise has appeared and you all are the closest," Genjuro relayed. "Tsubasa will be on standby if you need her to assist but I need you all to get out there immediately."
"Very well, we're on our way," Rintaro confirmed before looking at the two. "Are you two ready?"
"Of course," Touma gave a nod as he went to get his gear.
"I-I'll do my best!" Hibiki called out.
"Good, but do not worry," Rintaro held up his hands in reassurance, "If it is one large grouping then I shall be by your side the entire time."
Hibiki gave a smile before bowing, "T-Thank you so much!"
"Thanks," Touma gave a grin, glad to see Rintaro was so willing to help.
The Megid Leader's were currently lounging about, Legeiel having an annoyed look on his face while Zooous was eating it up.
"Yeah that's right," Zooous grinned. "Hurts to see Storious take the lead huh?"
"Gathering only their remains causes the process to take a while… but it certainly has been worth it," Storious stroked his hair extension as he stared at the nightstand.
The book that had been started by Golem had been completed alongside three other books, all of them twisted with a blackened coloration. There was no title however none of them seemed to mind that part.
"We'd have more if you were more careful," Legeiel finally wanted to get a word in edge wise, "Most of them have been getting destroyed alongside the Megid you send out."
"Merely decoys to allow the others to complete their work," Storious remarked much to his critic's displeasure.
"Even gaining four is good for our purposes," Calibur spoke as he entered.
"How's our landlord?" Zooous asked.
"Very pleased by our progress and wants us to keep up our work," Calibur said as he went to pick up one of the completed books. "We'll need these for our future plans, and she's very much interested in what we plan on attempting to obtain."
"My Megid plans have yet to go up in smoke for about a week," Storious spoke up. "By the end of this all we'll be given the start we need."
"Indeed," Calibur gave a nod, "That's not to mention the lack of cohesion by Section 2."
"Those idiots are running around like chickens without heads," Zooous barked out. "Any of us could easily take them out."
"You're sounding eager, do you want your ass kicked that badly?" Legeiel questioned.
Zooous gave a snarl, "Shut it!"
"Books… books… books!"
The Kirigirisu Megid soon came in holding out two more blackened books, Calibur moving in and taking both of them. The Kirigirisu Megid gave a bow before taking a few steps back.
"I believe this is good enough for now," Calibur admitted.
"You wish to end my deception already?" Storious asked.
"We can't have them getting too suspicious," Calibur added as he placed the two books down to make a total of six blackened books. "To do that we must bring in your full hand."
Storious could only glance towards the side, seeing a grinning Legeiel. The master of story Megid could only give a click of his tongue, "Very well."
"There they are!" Hibiki called as she ran into an abandoned plaza alongside Touma and Rintaro. Thankfully the sound of a Noise Siren had cleared the area but there were still a few sets of ashes around. Noise were currently swarming the area, but there was also the presence of several Ari Megid.
"More of those Megid…" Touma narrowed his eyes.
"Allow me to take the lead," Rintaro readied his Driver and Ride Book, "I shall show you how a seasoned warrior fights."
"We'll be right behind you," Touma readied himself.
"Right," Hibiki gave a nod.
[LION SENKI!]
[BRAVE DRAGON!]
Both Rintaro and Touma prepared their Wonder Ride Books, both slotting them into their Driver's respective slots before drawing out their swords as Hibiki sung.
"Henshin!"
"Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron~"
[NAGARE BATTOU! LION SENKI!]
[REKKA BATTOU! BRAVE DRAGON~!]
In a burst of orange light, splashes of water and red flames, the trio had fully transformed and quickly struck a battle ready stance. Or at least Blades did, Saber merely keeping his sword up while Hibiki meekly raised her fists.
"In the name of Suiseiken Nagare, I shall protect this world!" Blades called out as he rushed forward to draw the enemy's attention. Several Noise had leapt towards him only to get struck by sharp streams of water that had erupted from his blade. A few of them tried to charge forward only to get torn through by a stream of water directly from a lunge that Blades had performed.
One of the Ari Megid leapt forward, but instead went past Blades while more Noises rushed in to distract the swordsman. The Megid leapt towards Saber who barely managed to dodge out of the way. He was ready to get up only to get tackled by the Ari Megid, it growling out as it tried to pin him down.
The Ari Megid however yelped as it was shoved away, Hibiki having managed to shove it away by slamming her shoulder into it. But as a result the Gungnir wielder had ended up toppling on top of Saber.
"S-Sorry…" Hibiki managed to get out with a groan.
"Its fine," Saber insisted as he managed to help them both up. "Ah, look out!" He quickly pulled Hibiki away as the Ari Megid began spitting at them. The two had ended up grabbing hands and were currently awkwardly dancing around as they managed to dodge the acid spit.
"O-Oh dear…" As Blades glanced at the commotion he realized that the road to assisting them was going to be quite arduous. He cleared his throat before tapping the book on his Driver.
[LION SENK!]
"Lion Wonder!" Blades jumped up into the air while twirling his sword, swinging out as a projection of the Lion Senki launched out as he slashed. A stream of water came from the sword slash, engulfing the bottom of the Noise and Ari Megid among them in a shallow sea of water. The Lion Senki launched in, skating along the water while clawing, biting, and ramming its way through its opponents. Explosions littered the attack area before the lion familiar leapt out and pounced on the Ari Megid that was assaulting Hibiki and Saber to open it up.
The Ari Megid gave howls as it was mauled by the Lion before it gave a confused noise when the Lion Senki leapt off. The Lion Senki spat out a burst of water towards the Noise and Ari Megid battling Blades before leaping back into battle.
"Ah there we go," Saber said as he gathered fire along his blade. "I light him up you punch?"
Hibiki gave a quick nod, "Uh, sure!"
"Let's go then," Saber slashed forward, sending a fire wave that struck the Ari Megid and set it on fire.
Hibiki took a deep breath before awkwardly running towards the Ari Megid, no thanks to the heels of her boots in her Symphogear. Despite this she managed to make it in time and ended up slamming her forearm into the Megid. The Ari Megid tumbled back as it exploded from the combined amounts of damage done.
"I-I did it?" Hibiki asked.
"Nice one," Saber called out as he hurried over.
"Are you two alright?" Blades asked as he hurried over, the Lion Senki vanishing.
"Yeah, but what about-" Saber cut himself off and gave a yell of surprise, "You dealt with most of them already?!"
Hibiki turned and gave a yelp, "W-Whoa!"
While there were still several Noises remaining, it appeared as though Blades had managed to clear most of the area alongside the rest of the Ari Megid that were among the crowds.
"I knew you were experienced, but wow!" Saber called out in surprise.
"Y-You handled it like it was nothing!" Hibiki called out. "Just like Tsubasa when she saved me that night."
"It really was nothing. By utilizing a Wonder Ride Book you can call upon its powers to aid you," Blades reminded as he looked towards Saber, "Your Dragon can help with crowd control. It is but one way to assist you in battle."
Saber thought back to the first time he used it, "Oh right. So I can manifest Brave Dragon's power then?"
"Indeed, we have a good set of targets now," Blades said as he gestured towards the approaching Noise.
"Sounds good to me," Saber gave a nod and tapped his Ride book.
[BRAVE DRAGON!]
"Dragon Wonder!" Saber performed a flourish with his sword and gathered the flames in his right arm. He then punched forward, forming a projection of the Brave Dragon, the familiar launching out and snaking its way through the remaining Noise. It breathed out fire and began smacking its head and tail against the Noise, destroying them.
"Not a bad start, you may just make a great Swordsman yet," Blades complimented.
"Thank you," Saber gave a nod.
Hibiki however was starting to mull over her current progress, while Touma seemed to be doing well as Saber, she still seemed to be lacking. Her thoughts were suddenly broken when a screeching wave began to enter the area. She winced and held her hands up to her ears as her friends did the same.
"W-What is…?" Saber trailed before noticing a Megid up on the walkway, "Wait!"
The Megid quickly leapt down and landed near the group, it being the Kirigirisu Megid that had been summoned. Another Ari Megid was present and walked over to join the Kirigirisu Megid. An interesting note about the two Megid in general was the visible books on their chests gave a soft pulsating glow unlike the others they had faced.
Saber seemed to take notice of the soft glows, but didn't say anything as he awaited their next move. Hibiki noticed her friend staring intently before glancing at where he was and giving a light gasp when she saw the glows as well.
"Humans think they're so clever…" The Kirigirisu Megid hissed out.
"These can talk?!" Hibiki asked.
"We won't stop until we continue creating more books," The Kirigirisu Megid called out before chuckling, "Now that I'm on the field, even two Riders won't be enough."
The Riders and Wielder couldn't do much as when they attempted to move forward, both Megid leapt away in opposite directions.
"Wait a minute!" Blades called as he rushed forward only to hear an incoming transmission, "Yes?"
"Don't try and chase after them, we're unable to track them so if you've just lost visual then there is no point in pursuing," Sophia called from the other line.
"Report back to base, we'll regroup and figure out our next course of action," Genjuro spoke up.
Touma and Hibiki followed after Rintaro, the trio having given their report and been told to be on standby. The Megid's existence made them harder to track compared to the Noise, thus there was no way to truly hunt them down. With the Megid also not actively causing attacks and simply running and hiding, that also made it difficult to track them down via surveillance. Regardless, Tsubasa was already on standby outside of base due to having other business at the time. So even if there was an attack they'd have a first responder.
The two separate Megid suddenly appearing together was definitely eating at Touma. Especially since the Kirgirisu Megid showed up out of seemingly nowhere. So he had asked for a simple request, to visit with Daishinji and learn more. Of course the walk to Daishinji's workshop was quite a ways due to the man's insistence to put it at the furthest end of the base.
"So Rintaro," Hibiki spoke up. "What exactly are the Megid? Like they can't be like Noise's… they can speak, have themes, and they can't be easily tracked."
"Ah, do you remember us mentioning the story of the Great Book and the Sacred Swords?" Rintaro asked.
"Yeah," Hibiki gave a nod. "The Great Book split into a bunch of smaller ones that you all use to transform."
"Well from what we've gathered… over the ages from what has been gathered, there were people attempting to use many methods, even alchemy to try and restore the Great Book," Rintaro explained as he kept leading the group down the halls, "They certainly succeeded somewhat… while not true Relics, they were able to create Relic-like items known as Alter Ride Books. Going further they experimented on others and themselves, creating hybrid beings we know as Megid. Their Relic-like nature does keep them from being truly hidden but we've yet to figure out how to truly track their movements."
"Do they follow the same structure as the Wonder Ride Books?" Touma asked suddenly.
"Yes," Rintaro said before stopping. "Oh, here we are."
The trio entered the room only to be met by dim lights and the hum of running computers, various screens and machinery on and running at the center of the room. The machinery seemed to be taking a look at two books in particular. Towards the back looked to be a work bench and various cases with locks and tarps over them. Along the side walls were several bookshelves that contained dozens of old and likely rare books. A squeal was heard as Touma quickly rushed over to the bookshelves, trying to make out the various titles.
Rintaro could only stammer at this action, "T-Touma what is the matter?!"
"You've done it now," Hibiki gave a soft chuckle. "He gets really enamored by old and rare books, and I'm pretty sure Daishinji has a lot right?"
"Y-Yes, he has quite the collection of old books on the subjects that pertain to our field," Rintaro admitted before scratching the back of his head.
"Huh, so you said Daishinji would be here right?" Hibiki asked.
"Yes," Rintaro said before realizing what Hibiki was getting at, it was just the three of them in the room. "It appears as though Daishinji has left on an errand."
"Oh, well we have time to wait till he gets back right?" Hibiki asked, "So we can just wait."
Rintaro quickly turned to Touma, "Please do not be too rough with the books, Daishinji can be very particular about how people handle his stuff."
"As one who loves books your request is understood," Touma turned and gave a salute. "I couldn't imagine doing anything careless with all of these."
"T-That's good to hear at least," Rintaro sighed in relief before yelping when he heard the door open. He turned and quickly bowed as he spoke as quickly as he could, "Daishinji it isn't what it looks like, Touma simply had an inquiry!"
"Relax Blades," Sophia's voice came as he looked up to see her enter, "Slash is on an errand."
"Slash?" Hibiki asked only to receive a nod.
"I do wish that he was here though," Rintaro admitted. "I'd rather Touma not go too long on waiting to get Kaenken Rekka maintained. Admittedly it might be for the best due to uh… Touma…" He trailed, noticing that Touma wasn't paying attention despite Sophia's entrance.
"I am glad to see you wish to expand your knowledge, Saber," Sophia smiled.
Touma looked up and gave a nod, "Yes, I was wondering though. There are three slots on the Swordriver, so there are three types of stories? I noticed Brave Dragon is more mythical while Lion Senki is a more standard animal and they're slotted on separate areas."
"That would be correct," Sophia gave a nod. "There are three book types, God Beast, Animal, and Story."
Touma gave a thoughtful look, "Then… the Megid Alter Ride Books follow the same format yes?"
"Their first type is referred to as Phantom Beast, but yes," Rintaro gave a nod.
"Then that's it, I knew something was off. But the Megid and what you just aid clicked for me," Touma snapped his fingers as he started to piece the situation together. "Golem was a Phantom Beast. It feels odd that they would send out an Ari and a Kirigirisu Megid at once right?"
"It is probably because they complement each other," Rintaro asked.
"No wait," Hibki realized what her friend was getting at, "They would only complement each other because that's the story they belong to!"
"Exactly… our two Megid are not part of the Animal Type, they're a Story Type," Touma called out, "The Ant and the Grasshopper!"
"Ooh, ooh I remember that one," Hibiki called out excitedly.
Rintaro tilted his head, "Just what does this story consist of?"
"It's one of Aesop's Fables," Touma explained as walked over to explain. "The basic story is this: a grasshopper lazes about in the summer singing, while the ants work to store up food for the winter. When winter arrives the grasshopper is unprepared, so it begs the ant for food, the ant however chooses to ignore and turn it away."
"I do not see how this works with our pair," Rintaro admitted, "Both Megid are working together."
"It's a twist on the story. The Kirigirisu Megid only now just showed up," Touma explained. "It's using the lead Ari Megid to send its lesser Ari Megid workers out to gather energy for the books. We might have missed a few just due to how the Megid can be very subtle sometimes."
"Ah I get it, the grasshoppers reaping all the benefits while being lazy and the Ants are doing all the work." Hibiki said.
"Then your next course of action is defeating both the Queen Ari Megid and the Kirigirisu Megid," Sophia realized before heading over to the main console of the room, taking out the two books once she saw they were finished being analyzed. She then held them out towards Touma, "Please take these."
Touma took both books, one being a yellow covered book with a hedgehog, the title being 'Needle Hedgehog'. The second was a black cased book though it seemed to have an almost miniature motorcycle inside of it, its title being 'Diago Speedy'.
"The first one is an animal book, but what's this second one?" Touma asked.
"Diago Speedy is a motorcycle used by the prior Saber, please use it well," Sophia answered. "Use it in your third slot and activate it by unsheathing the blade."
"A motorcycle…" Hibiki started. "Is it safe for him to use it?"
"Uh… yeah she has a point," Touma realized. "I don't have a license."
"The Sacred Sword and books themselves should give you the knowledge you need," Sophia answered. "Though I will make note of that on something you could use training on."
"Thank you," Touma gave a bow.
"Also the best way to use Needle Hedgehog is to scan it at the tip of your sword," Rintaro suggested, knowing there was another way to use it but he wanted Touma to take things easy for now. "Your blade can learn for a special attack."
"Oh that's handy," Touma admitted.
"And luckily…" Sophia trailed and found Rintaro's phone, handing it to him. "The Gatrikephone is finished updating, you'll be able to use the Ride Gatriker now."
"Excellent," Rintaro said as he took his phone before he thought of something, "But how do we figure out which Ari is the Queen? If it was the one that was there when the Kirigirisu showed up, it looked exactly the same as the others."
"The books on their body glow," Hibiki remembered, "Make sure you target the Ari Megid with the glowing book."
"So you noticed it too," Touma looked over, "I thought that it was odd but I'm glad I wasn't the only one."
"Look for the glowing book…" Rintaro trailed before giving a nod. "Thank you Hibiki that is an excellent tip!"
"Oh, it's nothing really," Hibiki gave a sheepish smile as she rubbed the back of her head.
The four soon looked up when the alarm began to ring, everyone realizing that it was time to take action against both Story Megid. It wasn't long before they had found their way back to the main control room, Genjuro heading up the operation alone.
"We've got two separate Noise attacks," Sakuya called out as he typed away, "Both fairly far away from each other."
"We aren't picking up anything that might resemble the Megid," Aoi spoke up as she tried to pinpoint the location where the Riders would most likely be needed, "Looks like they're staying hidden."
"From your reports they seemed to have split up, so we'll do the same with our Riders," Genjuro said once he heard the news. "Tsubasa has already been deployed and is likely to make it to the first area soon, Touma I need you to accompany her. It'll be pretty far though."
"Don't worry," Sophia reassured. "He has his ways of catching up."
"I'll do my best," Touma gave a nod.
"Rintaro, Hibiki, the two of you will pair up and deal with the second location, understood?" Genjuro added.
"Yes sir," Rintaro answered as Hibiki simply gave a nod.
"You all have your assignments, so let's get to work," Genjuro called out.
"I suppose this is where we part ways," Rintaro said as he, Hibiki and Touma were ready to deploy and head out. "Just remember all I've told you."
"I'll keep it in mind," Touma said as he placed his Swordriver on before loading in Diago Speedy, unsheathing his sword. Suddenly the book shot out of the Driver and grew in size, unfolding.
[HASSHA BAKUSOU!]
[~Open the tires and the crimson body awakens!~!]
[The sword is a symbol! Running characters! Special acceleration for each issue!]
[~Diago Speedy!~]
Soon enough it unfolded into a crimson red sports bike with various ridermoji text symbols imprinted on it, a blade similar to Sabers sticking out of the front.
"Whoa!" Hibiki called out in surprise.
"Very nice," Touma quickly hurried over, finding a helmet had been provided too as he put it on and revved the engine up. "See you guys on the other side." He said before taking off, Sakuya acting as his navigator over communications.
"Now then," Rintaro pressed an app on his Gatrike Phone before closing it and tossing it forward.
[RIDE GATRIKER~!]
Soon enough the Gatrike Phone grew in size, unfolding various parts to become a three-wheeled roadster motorcycle with a multitude of guns mounted at the front.
"Whoa it even has guns on the front?" Hibiki called out as she began looking it over, "Will those even work on Noise?"
"Daishinji took special care to design the Gatrike Phones based on the Wonder Ride Books," Rintaro explained as he readied his Swordriver and Lion Senki, "Though I suppose this will be a good test run. But first let us prepare ourselves."
Hibiki gave a nod before taking a deep breath, "Right."
"Henshin!"
"Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron~"
[NAGARE BATTOU! LION SENKI!]
A screeching sound rang through the air as the Kirigirisu Megid scraped its blades together, giving a chuckle as it oversaw the Noise running rampant. Though despite being one of the two Noise alerts the grouping of deadly enemies was fairly low and only the smaller humanoid and tadpole ones had shown up this time.
There was a singular voice however that cut through the Kirigirisu Megid's display of music, causing it to pause when it heard it. "They're here…"
"~Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri tron~"
Tsubasa wasted no time in dropping into view in her armor, rushing for the first set of Noise she saw before working on swiftly dispatching them with her sword. At her speed it wasn't long before she was on the last batch, slicing through with ease, and slowly realizing that the battle felt too easy. From the corner of her eye she saw the Kirigirisu Megid diving towards her with its blades out. She spun to dodge the Megid's set of slashes, spinning further and slashing against its back to force it away.
"Not bad!" The Kirigirisu Megid called out, it having stopped itself from slamming into the ground by floating in mid-air, repositioning itself and landing on its feet, "But one Symphogear won't be enough to stop me."
"I am a sword, and your kind fall by swords," Tsubasa called out as she took a ready stance. "Thus it is easy to see who the victor is. I do not know why you only now came to assist your comrade but it will not work."
"You really believe that you can beat us?!" The Kirigirisu Megid called out.
"Us…?" Tsubasa questioned before hearing a familiar sound behind her. Her eyes widened as she quickly leapt into the air to avoid several bursts of acid spit. She flipped onto a lamp post and saw that the Queen Ari Megid was in the area as well.
"Now then my servants arise!" The Queen Ari called as it slammed its hands into the ground, its book and hands glowing green as green buds began to sprout from the ground, a multitude of Ari Megid forming from them.
"Numbers matter not," Tsubasa's took a more defensive stance before jumping into the air, blue swords of energy gathering all around her before they began raining down upon the Megid.
{One Thousand Tears}
The Kirigirisu had managed to quickly fly away while Queen Ari had hid among her followers, the working class Ari Megid sparking violently as they were struck by the multitude of blades.
"Try as you might you can't win!" The Queen Ari called out.
Tsubasa landed and quickly began dodging, the legion of Ari Megid unleashing acid spit towards her. "Such an annoyance…" She then slightly perked up when she heard a motorcycle but didn't do much more, simply raising her sword, "Let us continue."
The motorcycle would grow louder and louder as Touma began to arrive on the Diago Speedy.
"You're arriving at the area now, stay on guard," Sakuya called out.
"Right," Touma gave a nod though it was getting hard to hear Sakuya, despite having an earpiece and a helmet, the roar of the Diago Speedy was loud alongside the sirens that told people to stay inside. It wouldn't be long before he saw that there was an Ari Megid legion that was starting to converge on Tsubasa. "It's like these ants are growing like plants."
[BRAVE DRAGON!]
The next part was admittedly a bit difficult, one-handed steering a motorcycle while readying his Brave Dragon Book and loading it into his Swordriver. He managed it before gripping the blade and slashing forward.
"Henshin!"
[REKKA BATTOU! BRAVE DRAGON~!]
The Brave Dragon shout out, unleashing flames as it sped between the Megid and Symphogear Wielder, creating a wall of fire between the two. The beast flew up and back towards Touma, spiraling around him and completing his transformation into Saber.
"Take this!" Saber kept his sword drawn as he managed to just barely keep control of his motorcycle with one hand. He sped through the Ari Megid as his sword lit on fire, using the blade of his bike as a ramming option while slashing forward. He had managed to break their ranks up heavily, a few exploding as he skidded to a stop.
To the surprise of both the Rider and Megid, Tsubasa had shot through the fire wall that had cut her off at first. Her sword now had the added effect of being coated in flames as a result. It wasn't long before she began to swiftly deal with the Megid that she saw were more staggered and damaged than the others, slicing through and killing several Ari Megid.
"Whoa…" Saber stared before shaking his head and dismounting his bike.
"These monsters continually spawn thanks to a Queen," Tsubasa gritted her teeth. "Yet they all look the same!"
"No they aren't!" Saber corrected, "The last time I saw the Queen it had a glowing book, strike at that one!" He yelped as the Kirigirisu Megid shot past him to force him down.
"Don't ruin the fun!" The Kirigirisu called out as it flew high into the air, "Queen you must run!"
"Looks like we figured it out," Saber realized as he got up. "Tsubasa finish it!"
Tsubasa's eyes hardened as she gave a nod, "There is no need to tell me twice," She scanned the area before seeing one of the Ari Megid having a shining book. Jumping up into the air she spread her arms out and brought out more summoned swords.
{One Thousand Tears}
The swords this time began shooting down upon the horde of Megid but were more aimed towards the sides. This had done the job in managing to round up the remaining Ari Megid as a result.
"Now then…" Tsubasa landed and enlarged her blade into its larger buster-like form, slashing horizontally and sending a slash of blue lightning among the grouping.
{Blue Flash!}
The attack crashed against the Megid, all of them yelling out as the exploded simultaneously. The remaining energy of the slash was sent out and hurtled towards Saber.
"Jeez!" Saber could only yelp as he dropped onto his back, the energy passing over him.
Suddenly a flash of green occurred as something flew out of the explosion, Saber stumbling to his feet and catching it with both his hands. To his surprise it was a teal-green book with a kid climbing giant beanstalk for the cover, 'Jackun-To-Domamenoki'.
Tsubasa walked through the smoke and flames of the explosion, noticing what Touma had caught, "What is that?"
"A Wonder Ride Book, I think it was in the Queen," Saber said absentmindedly before realizing something. "Ah that was why the Queen could summon so many Ari Megid, it was using this book!"
"So our enemies are using the power of Relics as well," Tsubasa noted before glancing to the side, quickly dodging out of the way of a swipe from the Kirigirisu Megid.
"So what if the Queen was defeated! We have done our part!" The Kirgirisu Megid called out as it floated above them. "You cannot stop our plans!"
Hibiki could only yell out a bit at Blades somewhat rough driving style, the two riding through the empty streets as they approached the Noise horde. Of course it was Blades that noticed that it seemed to be only consisting of Noise.
"This isn't good," Blades realized.
"What isn't?" Hibiki asked.
"There are only Noise here, meaning their trick of separating as they left worked," Blades realized. "We assumed there would be one per group but there wasn't."
"Oh no that means Touma and Tsubasa will have to deal with the two on their own!" Hibiki called out. "We need to help them!"
"We must deal with our own opponents first," Blades reminded before he pressed down on the handles of the Gatriker. The guns on the front of the tri-motorcycle began shooting out at the Noise, managing to strike and hit the Noise surprisingly.
"It's working!" Hibiki cheered.
"Indeed, just hold on tight!" Blades called as he continued to fire at the noise, quickly drawing his blade and slashing at any Noise's that tried to launch straight at the Gatriker, "Hibiki, watch my rear!"
"U-Uh right, you can count on me!" Hibiki called out as she saw some Noise had gone past them to attack from behind. She saw a tadpole noise jumping towards them and kicked out, managing to slam it away and destroy it. She gave a yelp as she swung her arm and managed to smack another Noise away just barely.
"You're doing good, keep it up!" Rintaro encouraged, figuring that at least some positive encouragement would help Hibiki in her performance.
"R-Right," Hibiki gave a nod as continued to keep any Noise that was behind them away just barely. Despite this she seemed to be getting more of a hang of swinging and kicking at least, though they were mostly just wild swings.
"Alright, we'll finish them off now," Rintaro quickly broke past the rest of the Noise and skidded to a stop. He sheathed his sword and dismounted before staring down the remaining humanoid Noise that were rushing towards them.
"What's the plan?" Hibiki asked as she got off the Gattriker as well.
[HISSATSU DOKUHA! NAGARE BATTOU!]
"This," Blades unsheathed his sword before performing a few flourishes with it, "Hydro Stream!"
[LION! ISSATSU GIRI! WATER!]
Slashing forward several times, Blades continually sent streams of water outwards towards the Noise. To Hibiki's surprise and the Swordsman's intention, the water had suddenly warped and morphed. It trapped the remaining Noise in a bubble that compacted itself to huddle them together.
"Hibiki, please finish it off!" Blades called out.
Hibiki could only stammer in surprise as she looked between Blades and the bubble, "W-Wait me?!"
"While you do not have your armed gear your punches and kicks should suffice," Blades replied. "Try performing a powerful physical attack!"
"Powerful physical attack… that's it," Hibiki managed to remember something from her reading with Touma. She began to back up before getting in a ready position before rushing forward with a grunt. While she was awkward at first she was able to get semi-used to her footwear. Right before reaching the bubble she planted both feet on the ground and leapt forward. Spinning once in the air she clasped her hands together and brought her arms down, managing to build enough momentum to slam them into the bubble.
The attack managed to strike and cause the bubble to react to it, the water exploding inwards and destroying the Noise inside as Hibiki struck against it.
"Incredible!" Blades called out, while his earlier compliments were to build confidence, he was blown away by Hibiki's improvised attack.
Hibiki could only give a chuckle as water splashed all around, giving a thumbs-up towards Blades. The swordsmen could only look at his hand and then hers before doing the same.
The Kirigirisu Megid was chuckled as it scraped its blades against each other, "Can't catch me, can't hit me, and you can't beat me either!"
Tsubasa and Saber were both having trouble in regards to reaching the flying Megid, any attempts at using their standard ranged attacks were coming up short.
Tsubasa gave a glare, "Coward!"
"Come on…" Saber whined before thinking back to the books he received, quickly taking out Needle Hedgehog and scanning it on the tip of his blade.
[HEDGEHOG! MM-HM! SHUUTOKU ISSEN!]
The blade of Kaenken Rekka began to glow a bright yellow before sudden yellow spikes emerged all over. Saber yelped and reeled back to keep from getting poked by the spikes. He then spun and swung outwards, the spikes launching out towards the Kirigirisu Megid.
The Megid gasped as it was struck a few times but managed to avoid a good chunk of the needles, "Got to get higher!" It called as it began to rise higher into the sky.
"Seriously…" Saber knocked his swords blade against his knee to shatter the needles that spawned again, realizing that he wasn't going to get anywhere like this. That was when he realized something and quickly looked at the new book he had gotten, Jackun-To-Domamenoki. Putting together all the information he had received to this point he sheathed his sword and closed his Brave Dragon book. He then held up the book and opened the cover.
[JACKUN-TO-DOMAMENOKI!]
[A mysterious story about a bean suddenly obtained by a boy becoming a huge tree…]
Slotting the story book into the third slot, both God Beast and Story Books formed behind him. Saber gripped his sword before drawing it out, holding his right arm forward.
[REKKA BATTOU!]
[When the two books stack, the sacred sword gains power!]
Suddenly both books were opened upon the sword being drawn, vines suddenly wrapping around Saber's arm and crawling around the side of his body, helmet and horn.
[WONDER RIDER!]
[DRAGON! JACKUN-TO-DOMAMENOKI!]
[With two elements, the blade is sharpened!]
Saber suddenly gained grey armoring over the black portions of his stomach and chest alongside a sharper shoulder, thicker grey armor on his arm and a grey coat-tail on his left side now. The grey potions were covered in various teal beanstalk-like patterns, vines wrapping around the left side of his helmet and crest. On the forearm was green vine-like wrappings that extended out from the wrist to form a dangling vine. He had now assumed the form of Saber Dragon Jackun.
"What even is this?" Tsubasa questioned.
"A new trick," Saber answered as he looked himself over, tapping the dangling vine on his arm a bit playfully. "Yeah this will work." He held his forearm towards the ground and began unleashing rapid-fire green bullet attacks against the concrete.
"What are you doing?" Tsubasa questioned before pointing towards the sky, "The enemy is in the air not underground."
"Tsubasa you need to read more classic stories," Saber admitted as he tapped his foot a bit. "Because Jack and the Beanstalk related powers is just what I need to catch up."
Suddenly a projection of a Wonder Ride Book formed and out of it emerged a large beanstalk that stretched into the air.
Tsubasa's eyes widened, "What?"
"I'll be back in a flash!" Saber quickly mounted the Diago Speedy before riding towards the vine, managing to get a grip on it as he rode the motorcycle upwards, the beanstalk growing further and further to catch up to the Kirigirisu Megid. "Get back here!"
"No, no, no!" The Kirigirisu Megid yelped as it tried to fly away.
"Yes, yes, yes!" Saber yelled as he lit his sword on fire, catching up and slamming it into the Megid's back. He then skidded to a stop as he turned to see the damage.
The Kirigirisu Megid yelped as it was struck from the back, falling before a blue glow allowed it to keep flying, "It doesn't matter what you do! We've already won!"
"Enough with the screeching," Saber rubbed the side of his helmet as he sheathed his sword. "I'll determine how this story ends!"
[HISSATSU DOKUHA!]
[DRAGON! JACKUN-TO-DOMAMENOKI! NISATSU GEKI! F-F-FIRE!]
"Flaming Dragon Crushing Kick," Saber leapt off of the beanstalk and kicked out, vines extending from his coat to slap away several energy slashes that the Kirigirisu Megid sent out. He gave a yell as he slammed his foot into the Megid before pushing his kick further. Suddenly a book was projected behind the Megid alongside Kaenken Rekka being projected over Saber. The sword stabbed through the Megid and the book as the Rider kicked through, an explosion of flame occurring as Saber flew out of it, landing in a kneeling position near Tsubasa.
Tsubasa however saw an object emerge from the smoke and caught it. That was until she saw that soon it was a Wonder Ride Book, holding it out towards Saber without a word.
"So there was another one," Saber lifted himself up before walking over and taking the book, it was a light blue rimmed book, it having the title of 'Peter Fantasista', "Well this is a classic, Peter Pan huh?"
Blades and Hibiki soon skidded to a stop nearby on the Ride Gattriker. Hibiki shakily got off since the Rider had booked it even faster and more recklessly than the prior trip. Blades meanwhile hurried over with a yelp.
"Touma what are you doing? It is much too early to be using Two Volumes. And how did you get that book?" He questioned in panic before he realized his ally also had a book in his hand, "And that one as well?!"
"Jackun here was being used by our Queen Ant. That's how they were making so many," Saber gestured to the book on his Swordriver. He then shook Peter Fantasista to show it next, "This one was being used to allow the Kirigirisu Megid to fly."
"So they were using existing Wonder Ride Books to power themselves up… they are certainly getting clever." Blades then shook his head. "But still, you must be careful to not over-exert yourself when using the Swordriver."
"He had it under control," Tsubasa spoke up before turning to take off.
"Huh," Saber trailed.
Hibiki tilted her head, "A compliment?"
"Is it really though?" Blades asked.
"I'll take it regardless," Saber gave a sigh of relief, while there didn't seem to be much in the way of conversations or breakthrough's happening he was still glad Tsubasa was mostly neutral around him.
"So you continually avoid repairs for a week and then use two books while still learning the basics!"
Touma shrunk back as Daishinji had grabbed a hold of his Swordriver. After returning to Section 2, Touma had been confronted by the swordsmith near immediately.
Daishinji soon looked away and put a hand over the side of his face to block Touma's gaze, "Do not be so reckless," He soon pulled away with the Swordriver in hand as he held it close. "The Kaenken Rekka is weeping…"
"W-Weeping…?" Touma stared in surprise as he saw the mechanic get to work by slotting the Sacred Sword he normally used into the main machine of the workshop.
"You're barely using half the sword's power, you have a ways to go to be a proper Swordsman," Daishinji remarked as he looked through the data he was being given. He then began placing the Wonder Ride Books in front of him in various slots to analyze and maintain them.
"Speaking of Swordsman," Touma said as he scratched his chin, though he figured now was his chance. "I've only seen Rintaro, and apparently there's a Slash? Are there anymore like say a swordsman of lightning? Or is Slash the swordsman of lightning?"
Daishinji paused as he gained a more somber look, "I'm afraid Rintaro is the only active Swordsman at the moment alongside you."
"O-Oh…" Touma trailed as he slowly realized that it was likely one particular event that was the result. "Was it…"
"Two years ago, yes," Daishinji gave a nod, "You must be more careful, those that we lost… most were more seasoned than you were."
"I see," Touma trailed as he looked down, "I'll try to be more careful."
Rintaro and Hibiki meanwhile were sitting on one of the seats that were outside of the workshop.
"I'm still amazed," Rintaro admitted. "Despite just recently obtaining Gungnir you were able to pull off that powerful attack."
"Really, it was nothing," Hibiki admitted as she rubbed the back of her head. "I just remembered something from stuff Touma, Miku and I would read."
"What kind of thing?" Rintaro asked.
"It was some stuff about a Kamen Rider, one of the earlier ones, about how he was facing a tough battle and needed a new way to kick," Hibiki explained. "So he decided to spin in mid-air to help with it. I figured if I spun it might help."
"Incredible," Rintaro replied. "You and Touma certainly show ingenuity in your techniques."
Hibiki however gave a soft sigh however as her mood began to go down, "But I'm still not as good as you or Tsubasa…"
"Well you are just a beginner," Rintaro reassured. "I am only a proficient swordsman, but I will try my best to figure out how to help you."
Hibiki gave a soft smile and a nod, while the reassurance was good she still felt lacking, "Thanks Rintaro."
"Well too bad on your little plan Storious," Zooous grinned out as he stood up from his seat and walked over to the case where they stored their Alter Ride Books. "You two had your fun so let me have mine."
"Let's just hope that Calibur doesn't cut you short," Legeiel remarked with a light grin, "Unlike our friend here."
"And yet in my limited time we received more books to go towards our plans," Storious reminded.
"But we lost some of the important ones," Zooous reminded as he looked through the Alter Ride Book collection, trying to find the right pick. "After all, those ones loaned out by Calibur were ones we stole from those Swordsmen's corpses."
"We still have a few left, no need to worry," Legeiel replied. "Besides, we can always steal them back if necessary."
"By brute force, or cunning tactics, both seem to work well for us," Storious gave a nod as he lounged in his chair. "All we need to do is bide our time."
"True enough," Legeiel gave a nod, "Each Megid we've sent out thus far has continued our plans even with their defeats. And now that they've been awakened we can utilize them as many times as needed."
"Hey…" Zooous was currently staring over the case of Alter Ride Books with a fierce intensity, "We only used two books as of now right?"
Storious raised an eyebrow, "Yes… did you forget that the Ari and Kirigirisu Megid's come in a single book?"
"Then why are we currently missing three?" Zooous managed to get out through gritted teeth.
Both Storious and Legeiel went wide eyed as they stared at each other before hurrying over to the case, and indeed noticed that three Alter Ride Books were gone instead of two.
Legeiel quickly turned and saw that the table they had the blackened books on only had four and not the six they collected in total, "We were supposed to have six!"
"Who did this?!" Zooous howled as he turned, "Was it her?!"
"No…" Storious stared straight ahead at a wall as he twirled his hair extension in his fingers, "There is one person who had those books last."
"Who was even taken anyway?" Legeiel asked.
Storious had a more pondering look on his face, "I have a feeling… and I doubt you two will enjoy what's going to come next."
Calibur was outside the estate, standing on a dock with the Alter Ride Book he had taken alongside the two blackened books.
"While songs can indeed reawaken you all, you in particular need something more," Calibur spoke as he opened one blackened book at a time, it turning into red ashes that poured into the Alter Ride Book he held. The fuel sources soon caused a flash as he stared at the title of the book, 'Desast'.
"Megid that hath been sealed…"
With one flip the cover was flipped to reveal a red masked monster with pure white eyes, a second cover of black chains over its masked face.
"I now free you from your chains."
The second cover of chains was flipped to fully reveal the face. Suddenly dozens of books flew out of the Alter Ride Book, all of them slamming together as a crouching Megid landed in a squat behind Calibur. Red chains were forced around its body before they shattered, the Megid being able to move around freely. Its body was blackened and bone-like with beetle-like features alongside a blood red scarf and two dog heads for shoulders.
[DESAST!]
"How pungent…" Desast's head rose up as he let his arms hang. He slowly began to rise, "It's the disgustingly magnificent smell of swords, songs, books and the world, clashing."
"It's been two years since you've last stepped foot outside," Calibur noted as he looked back. "How are you feeling?"
Desast merely scoffed as he turned to walk off, "And why do you need to know?"
"And look at you wanting to get started," Calibur chuckled before he drew out a set of three Wonder Ride Books, one dark red, the other a standard red coloration and the last a bright lime green, "If you're to have your fun you'll need a few bargaining chips."
Desast lazily looked back to see what Calibur was offering, "Well now... this might make things more fun."
To Be Continued…
Author's Note: When I remembered the month time skip I felt like this was a good way to bring in a couple of the minor Megid. Instead of well, shoving them into the more plot heavy events for the most part. Given the limited supply of Megid though, I've been making sure to be careful on how I space them out. Thankfully some are multi-pack deals so that helps a tad.
Also I'll wholeheartedly admit that the main reason I wanted to merge both SoL and Section 2 in the first place is because of Rintaro and Tsubasa. I mean they're two blue sword wielders who are very much opposites in personality. I wanted to highlight that contrast via Rintaro's interactions with the others. I also wanted to show that while Hibiki still isn't quite getting the hang of it, it's a bit easier on her early days due to Touma and Rintaro's presence.