Sympho-Saber: Song of Swords
S1:EP09 – The Breaking Point
To say Chris was expecting this level of power from Hibiki would be a lie. While she knew that Hibiki could fight she thought the Gungnir Wielder was only super effective against Noise. She wasn't expecting something at this level of power, especially without Durandal.
'How… how does she have that much power to blow both me and that Megid Leader away?' Chris thought with a wince as she had recovered enough to see what Hibiki had done to Legeiel, 'The fact that it's almost as strong as that other girl's swan song is concerning…' She gritted her teeth further when she felt the Nehustan Armor encroaching on her, 'I need to finish this before she tears me apart.'
Legeiel was currently lying on the ground stunned, he wasn't expecting a girl, especially one who had only just become a fighter not that long ago to toss him with debris and the force of a punch. 'What the hell even is she…?' He trailed in thought. The idea was so inconceivable that he just stayed there in a stunned silence.
"That should take him out for a bit," Saber breathed a sigh of relief before looking at Hibiki, "Rintaro should be coming soon too. What should we do?"
"Well…" Hibiki turned to look over at Chris though she didn't seem to have any intention of fighting the Nehustan user.
"Are you mocking me?" Chris gave a glare as she fully stood, "Me, Chris Yukine?"
"I see," Hibiki gave a smile, "So your name's Chris."
"Chris?" Saber muttered, noticing the mix of foreign and domestic names.
"Hey, Chris… let's just stop this fighting," Hibiki spoke up as she put a hand to her chest, "We're not Noise or Megid, we can talk to each other. The three of us right now, we're human!"
"You're pissing me off!" Chris lowered her head as she gripped her fists before rushing forward, "Your lies are pissing me off! Your naiveté is pissing me off!"
Saber instinctively got in front of Hibiki once he saw Chris was aiming for several punches. He gave a light gasp as his brick shield was shattered by the punches. He could only yelp as he was grabbed by his chest armor and shoved to the side, "W-Whoa!"
"Out of my way you stupid Swordsman! You aren't the one pissing me off!" Chris yelled out as she spun and kicked at Hibiki.
Hibiki had enough time to brace but the force from Chris' kick had managed to send her flying through a tree. Managing to get up she raised her arms again just barely but was thrown backwards by Chris who had rushed in with a flying spin kick.
Saber gave a groan as he rubbed his arm a bit, surprised that only punches and kicks could shatter his shield. Granted the Nehustan was a Complete Relic so that just gave him an idea of where he was able to stack up in terms of current power. Regardless he knew he had to back Hibiki up no matter what and began rushing towards where the girls had moved.
"Great…" Chris hissed as she saw the Rider arriving, "I'm backed into a corner…"
"Hey now," Saber said as he noticed Chris' reaction to his arrival, he stopped rushing and went to slowly approach, "Let's just calm down…"
"Chris…" Hibiki raised a hand towards the Nehustan User.
"Take this!" Chris yelled out, "Armor Purge!"
Touma's eyes widened as he saw the Nehustan Armor crack while lights shined from the cracks. Quickly thinking he used Storm Eagle's boost to launch himself into a slide towards Hibiki while tapping his Story Book.
[KOBUTA-3KYOUDAI!]
Walls of straw and wood formed in front of himself and Hibiki, the makeshift walls being completely shattered as the two braced against the remainder of the silver metallic shards that flew everywhere.
"Armor Purge…?" Saber questioned, "Why would she-"
~Killter Ichaival tron~
As if answering Saber's question, everyone in the surrounding area would be able to hear the holy chant of a Symphogear.
"What is this song?" Hibiki asked.
"There's another one…?" Saber asked before suddenly hearing heavier sounding music starting to permeate the air, "Eh?"
"I'll show you the power of Ichaival!" Chris called out as her form was shrouded in the similar transformation bubble the Symphogear users would enter before fully assuming their Gear. It shined brightly before releasing energy, blowing the smoke away.
Genjuro couldn't believe it, "ICHAIVAL?!"
{ICHAIVAL}
"It's an Aufwachen waveform!" Sakuya called out.
"Collation with records confirms it as Ichaival!" Aoi confirmed.
"So they even got their hands on the lost second relic?" Genjuro muttered.
"They have quite the armory," Sophia mentioned as she walked over, "And there's also the fact that Ikazuchi is still lost. Meaning they might have another ace up their sleeve."
"Do you really think so?" Genjuro asked.
"It's only speculation," Sophia admitted, "I can at least have some hope that this won't be the case since Calibur and Saber showed up separately."
"Chris… are you the same…" Hibiki trailed.
"Ichaival… wait… I don't recognize that name…" Saber scratched his helmets cheek a bit as he thought a bit, "Is it supposed to be Yewfelle?"
"You made me sing, you made me sing my song!" Chris gave a low growl, she was clad in a predominantly maroon colored bodysuit with white armor alongside some black armor accents, "If there's one thing I hate, its singing!"
"You hate singing?" Hibiki asked.
As if responding Chris' forearm gauntlets shifted itself to form a crossbow, she took aim and began launching out red arrows of energy at both Hibiki and Saber. Her tactic was to force both of them away from each other, keeping the pressure on Saber as she closed in on Hibiki before kicking her away.
Saber gave a light gasp as he began dodging arrows, "Crossbows?"
{BILLION MAIDEN}
Chris' crossbows suddenly shifted into double tri-barrel gatling guns which she used to focus solely on Hibiki now that she had separated the Gungnir User from the Swordsman of Flames.
"G-Guns…?" Saber had to keep from screaming as he saw her added artillery, "Why does she have guns?!"
"If she's going all out then so will I!" Legeiel yelled out as he finally recomposed himself, lifting himself up before charging forward. He raised his blade up only for a hook to latch around it as it was soon forced backwards, Legeiel having to turn and keep a grip.
[KAGAYAKU LION FANTASISTA~!]
"Like I'll let you do that!" Blades called out as he was now in his Two Book form of Lion Fantasista, "Touma, are you alright?!"
"Keep him still for a bit Rintaro!" Saber said before turning towards where the Symphogear Wielders fight was taking place.
{MEGA DETH PARTY}
Chris' skirt piece had opened up to reveal missile launchers that held up to two dozen rockets, launching them all out at once.
"Why is something that's supposed to be a bow have missile launchers?!" Saber gave a stammer as he tried to rush towards the two. He gave a gasp as the explosive force of the gatling guns and missiles had completely turned the area where Hibiki was into an explosive zone of smoke and fire, "Hibiki!"
As the smoke began to clear however, a large silver object with blue lining began to be seen in the smoke.
Chris and Saber were both confused, "…A shield?"
"A sword," A familiar voice corrected as the smoke fully cleared to reveal that the 'shield' was actually an enlarged sword. Standing on the hilt of the sword was none other than Tsubasa who had chosen to take action after figuring that Chris alongside whatever help she had might be too much.
"I heard you were wallowing in pity and wanted to die," Chris scoffed as she put on a more confident face, "Now you're here to get in the way?"
"I decided I'd never lose anything again," Tsubasa kept a composed face though it softened slightly at her next words, "But I also made a promise."
"A promise…?" Chris raised an eyebrow.
"Tsubasa…" Saber was ready to approach when Blades was suddenly sent sliding beside him, "Rintaro!"
"He's tough…" Blades winced as he picked himself up.
"It looks like we've got a full house!" Legeiel gave a laugh before gripping his face with his hand and dragging it down in slight annoyance, "Good, I'll crush you all and teach you a lesson for mocking me!"
"Tsubasa, don't do anything rash," Genjuro's voice called through communications.
"Understood," Tsubasa answered.
"Tsubasa…?" Hibiki asked as she picked herself up.
"You're back up, Tachibana?" Tsubasa asked, "I'd like to ask you to help Saber with the Megid, I know I haven't fully recovered yet, so I will take the remaining opponent on with Shindo."
"Eh?" Blades gave a light gasp as he looked up, surprised to see her forgo his title, "Really?!"
"Let us show this girl what we veterans of the battlefield are made of," Tsubasa replied, "While our allies show that just because they're still learning they can force their opponents to yield."
Hibiki gave a nod, "Tsubasa, she's…"
"I know," Tsubasa gave a nod, already knowing what Hibiki was going to say, "I won't go too far."
"You won't even lift a finger once I'm through with you!" Chris yelled as she began firing her guns at full force.
[LION SENKI! PETER FANTASISTA!]
Blades slid into range and spun his chain in front of him, forming a water portal that split into multiple ones, the portals launching out water based versions of the Lion Senki to rush forward and soak up the bullets to provide cover.
Tsubasa used this to launch downwards, her enlarged sword dissipating as she slashed twice, forcing Chris to take a few steps back. She was quick on her feet however, leaping over Chris as soon as she was fired at. As she fell she spun and slashed to force Chris to duck, landing and crouching before hitting the Ichaival User's right set of guns to force it up.
Chris was completely caught off guard by the sudden movements, so much so that she suddenly winced as she felt her arm move back further, her eyes widening when she saw that her right set of guns had been wrapped in a chain. She then glanced to see Blades as the one who had caught her arm.
"Don't take your eyes off me," Tsubasa called calmly as she now held her blade towards Chris' neck.
"I'd rather not hurt you if at all possible," Blades spoke up as he kept a grip on his chain.
'Her styles completely changed… and they aren't bickering anymore… the hell's going on?!' Chris was in near shock at these turn of events but knew she couldn't let herself stay pinned. She shifted her weapons back into their crossbow states, loosening and allowing her weapon to slip free before she took aim and fired at Tsubasa now that she had more distance.
Blades gave a yelp as he was forced to stumble forward a bit, retracting his chain. Tsubasa meanwhile ducked and deflected against the shots.
Chris meanwhile spun away and reformed her set of gatling guns, looking between both Tsubasa and Blades as she weighed her options.
Blades began to move towards Tsubasa's position, "So… how should we handle this?"
"We incapacitate her at most," Tsubasa answered, "After all if we're to get answers…"
"Right," Blades gave a nod as the three combatants readied themselves for the next phase of the battle.
Meanwhile Legeiel gave a yell as he charged his sword with electricity before stabbing the ground. This brought down lightning to force both Saber and Hibiki on the defensive.
"Hibiki," Saber gave a yelp as he dodged out of the way of the lightning strikes, "How's your kicks compared to your punches!"
"They might not be as strong but it'll do, why?!" Hibiki called out as she dodged out of a strike.
"Grab my hand and ask questions later!" Saber sheathed his sword and held his right hand out as he tapped the Storm Eagle book.
[STORM EAGLE!]
"On it," Hibiki called out as she leapt towards Saber, grabbing his hand before she gave a light yelp as Saber grasped her hand with both of his and began to spin around in place, a red whirlwind appearing around him. Hibiki kept her grip as she was spun and spun, getting the idea, "Now!"
"Off you go!" Saber gave a yell as he went for a big throw, the Rider and Wielder letting go of each other as Hibiki was flung towards Legeiel at rapid speeds.
"Take this!" Hibiki yelled as she planted both of her feet against Legeiel who barely blocked with his sword. Despite her attack being blocked she gave a yell as she pushed further, flipping off of Legeiel as the Megid Leader was sent tumbling backwards.
[REKKA IAI! DOKUGO ISSEN!]
Saber had sheathed his sword into his left holster before leaping upwards, drawing out his sword as it began to shine brightly with red energy.
Legeiel had managed to stop tumbling in time only to gasp out as Saber dropped down and slashed against his shoulder. Flames began to escape the sword in a burst as Legeiel howled out, backing away from the slash while holding his shoulder.
"Got you," Saber said as he kept a readied stance.
Legeiel gasped out as he slowly stopped backing away, giving a low growl, "Why you…"
"Legeiel…" The familiar voice of Storious spoke from behind a tree.
Legeiel perked up before looking to the sky, suddenly realizing their fight was about to get cut short.
Chris was unaware of this and took aim at both Blades and Tsubasa, only for her machine guns to get smashed into by two flying type Noise that dive bombed directly against them, destroying themselves but also leaving Chris open for an attack by a third flying type.
"What?"
Hibiki perked up at the sound of the crashing before realizing what was going on, leaping forward and smashing herself into the remaining flying Noise that was about to hit Chris. She gave a wince as she fell.
Blades, Tsubasa and Saber all immediately went into defensive positions as they tried to figure out where the Noise were coming from and if there were more.
"What are you doing?" Chris questioned as she instinctively caught Hibiki to set her down.
"Sorry… it would've hit you… I just…" Hibiki mumbled as despite having the protection of a Symphogear, ramming a Noise like that still hurt.
"Don't treat me like a human failure!" Chris said in frustration, "I don't need your help!"
"It looks like this mission was also too much for you, even with help you failed," A voice familiar to Chris called out, "When do you plan on living up to my expectations?"
Everyone's attention was drawn to the voice, at a nearby overlook was the woman who had employed the Megid and taken Chris under her wing, Finé. She held Solomon's Cane as she leaned on the railing.
Chris' eyes widened, "Finé!"
"Finé…?" Saber questioned as he vocalized Tsubasa's thoughts, "A woman called 'end'?"
Chris gritted her teeth, staring at Hibiki before tossing her to the side with Saber managing to catch her.
"We don't need her!" Chris called out to Finé, "I can extinguish the flames of war on my own! Then the curse on humanity will be broken, and the world will be reunited as one, right?"
"What…?" Blades muttered as he heard this.
Finé gave a sigh, "I have no business with you anymore."
Chris was taken aback by this, "What do you mean?"
Finé said nothing as she held her hand out, it shining a blue coloration as the Nehustan Armor that was left lying around shined and turned into particles that returned to her. She then aimed Solomon's Cane, three flying Noise still in the area that soon spun around, becoming buzzsaws that launched towards the group.
Tsubasa was quick on the draw, rushing forward and slashing at the three Noise to destroy them while Saber held Hibiki close.
Chris could only watch as Finé leapt backwards to take her leave, "Wait! Finé!"
Tsubasa could only grit her teeth as she watched not only Finé but Chris leap into the distance. Blades and Saber turned to look and try and see if Legeiel was going to strike to only to see that he was gone as well.
"Signal lost. We can't track her anymore."
Everyone heard Aoi's voice on their radios and simply relaxed as they realized that not much else could be done. The two Riders and Wielder however were unaware they were being watched by Falchion who was hidden among thicker portion of the trees. With the fight over the orange armored warrior turned to walk off.
"Just what was all of that?" Sophia muttered as she crossed her arms, sitting in Section 2's main control room with Genjuro as she mulled on the current situation.
"I found something," Sakuya spoke up as he pulled up a newspaper article before pulling out a profile shot of a much younger Chris.
"That was her…" Genjuro trailed.
"Chris Yukine, 16 years old as of now," Sakuya spoke up, "She was one of our potential Attuned who disappeared two years ago."
"This isn't a good sign," Genjuro sighed.
"A lost Relic… and a girl who is clearly Attuned given she was able to utilize Ichaival," Sophia mused, though it was the situation surrounding the two and their disappearances that concerned her, "We've underestimated our enemy greatly."
After the battle began to wind down, Hibiki was taken by Touma to get a checkup from Ryoko. Rintaro meanwhile went with Tsubasa to work on her release forms once it was seen that despite donning a Symphogear she was still able to stand. Once Tsubasa was released from hospital care, the two were silently waiting as the elevator that took them to Section 2 descended.
"I'm admittedly surprised," Rintaro spoke up after he cleared his throat, "I wasn't expecting you to be so willing to work with me after well…"
"I figure it's time for a change of pace," Tsubasa answered as she stared out of the window into the massive and colorful shaft that they were heading down, "Not to mention it was best to pair up for the situation at hand. As it is I can only work so hard."
"I see," Rintaro gave a nod.
'I think that I can understand Kanade's reasons for fighting a bit better now,' Tsubasa thought to herself as she waited for the elevator to make its way fully down, 'But to be honest, I'm afraid to make them my own. I don't even consider myself a truly living being… How could I adopt them?'
"Is the battle still on your mind?" Rintaro asked.
"Not exactly," Tsubasa replied, "I just… I suppose we're somewhat similar, dedicating our lives to a cause. How are beings such as us supposed to live normally?"
"Well… I mean, we're both normal homo-sapiens," Rintaro mentioned, "There's that."
"I'm not sure I understand?" Tsubasa asked, a bit confused by Rintaro's usage of the term.
"Well homo-sapiens is the scientific term for being human," Rintaro explained with a light chuckle, "No usage of a Symphogear, Seiken or Wonder Ride Book can change that about our bodies."
"I see…" Tsubasa said as she crossed her arms.
"While we do dedicate our lives to a cause, we're still just as human as the others here. I suppose what's truly important is to make sure you enjoy life," Rintaro explained further before he gave a nervous chuckle, "Though even then I'm still working on that."
"I suppose," Tsubasa gave a nod, "A friend once told me that 'A reed before the wind lives on, whereas oaks fall', I wonder if I should start taking her advice to heart."
"I see," Rintaro gave a nod.
"I suppose however… I'm not sure of what my purpose is now that I'm back," Tsubasa mused aloud to herself as the elevator stopped. She began to head for the medical bay with Rintaro to meet with Touma and Hibiki.
"Just do what you want. Simple, right?"
Tsubasa could have sworn she had heard her former partner's voice and turned towards the elevator only to see nothing, 'What I want? I don't think I've thought about that for ages. I'm sure there was something I used to love… a long time ago.'
"Hmm…?" Rintaro asked as he turned, noticing that his ally had stopped and was looking at the elevator, "Tsubasa is everything alright?"
"Yes," Tsubasa said before continuing on, "We should make haste."
"Thankfully all there is are bruises and cuts, luckily it was nothing serious," Ryoko mentioned to Touma as she was discussing the details of the medical check with him outside the medical room, "She's just exhausted from using her power like that."
"That's good to hear," Touma gave a sigh of relief.
"You two honestly got lucky, though I'm surprised given all the fighting she did that she insisted you get checked up first," Ryoko replied.
"That's Hibiki for you, worrying about others instead of herself," Touma said before he gave another sigh, "But…"
"I take it you're worried about Hibiki's friend?" Ryoko asked, "Let me guess, she's a mutual one?"
"Pretty much," Touma replied, "Given what we had to do with our secret identities we couldn't exactly tell her and I can only imagine how Hibiki's scheduling didn't help things either."
"Ah, those kinds of troubles…" Ryoko gave a nod before giving her signature smile, "Well you won't have to worry about keeping a secret anymore at least."
"Uh, yeah," Touma gave a nervous nod, not because of the fact that the secret could be shared, but he was primarily worried about Miku's reaction.
"I see you managed to make it out alright," Tsubasa mentioned as she walked over with Rintaro.
"How are you feeling?" Rintaro asked.
"A bit better," Touma admitted before stretching, "But I'm definitely feeling something tomorrow, Legeiel was no joke."
"How is Tachibana?" Tsubasa asked.
"Just getting changed up," Ryoko said, "Thankfully she just exhausted herself, any injuries are relatively minor and should heal in time."
"That's good," Rintaro said.
"Alright I'm done," Hibiki soon hurried out of the room in her uniform, "Oh everyone, sorry to make you all wait so long."
"We just got here so it's fine," Rintaro smiled.
"Now since we're all here, might as well stop by the central command room to check up on everyone," Ryoko clasped her hands together.
In the central command room, Daishinji had chosen to join both commanders after figuring he could maintain both Rekka and Nagare over night since the situation was concerning now.
"I never thought I'd see Ichaival in enemy hands," Sakuya admitted, "Let alone Chris Yukine, one of the Attuned…"
"It was starting to seem that way before, but… we've lost the advantage in Relics now that they have both a Rider and Symphogear user," Aoi mentioned.
"There's also the fact that Ikazuchi is still out in the open alongside two of its Books," Daishinji mentioned.
"You think the enemy might also have it?" Aoi asked as she glanced at the swordsmith.
Daishinji looked away, "It's possible, but the possibility also exists that it is simply lost to both us and the enemy."
"Not to mention another of their leaders revealed themselves to us," Sophia added, "That puts them at five fighters and if I recall there's a third leader."
"So we're completely outmatched huh?" Sakuya asked, "Who was that Finé woman? What's she after?"
"And why is Calibur working with her?" Aoi added.
It wasn't long before the door opened up, Ryoko entering with both Riders and Wielders, "I know the situation is looking grim, but at least our Symphogear users and Kamen Riders are in great health! It's too early to hang your head."
"Tsubasa," Genjuro stood up, "What were you thinking?"
"I apologize for acting without orders," Tsubasa answered, "However, I couldn't sit by idly while my comrades were in danger. Tachibana and Kamiyama are not true warrior's yet, there is no doubt they have what it takes to grow, but they're still a far ways away."
"Tsubasa…" Both Hibiki and Touma muttered as they looked towards their ally.
"I am far from my best, but I think alongside Shindo I can be of some use supporting them," Tsubasa answered, she then looked over at the Swordsman of Water, "After all I suppose that's what we're here for."
"Y-Yes that's right," Rintaro gave a quick bow, "We'll be of as much help as can be!"
Daishinji couldn't help but give a genuine smile at this, noticing that Rintaro wasn't used to Tsubasa acting friendly and somewhat more open.
"I'll do my best!" Hibiki exclaimed.
"Feels like we're becoming a proper team now," Touma admitted with a smile.
"Were there any problems with Hibiki's medical check?" Genjuro asked.
"I just need a full meal and a proper night's sleep and I'll be as good as new!" Hibiki called out, though she couldn't help but think back to Miku, spacing out slightly. That was until she was poked in her chest a few times by Ryoko, giving a shriek and moving back, "What are you doing?!"
"I swear…" Touma put a hand over his face as he couldn't get a read on why Ryoko enjoyed teasing Hibiki so much.
"It seems that the fragments of Gungnir near your heart are fusing with your tissue at an accelerating rate," Ryoko mentioned, "I suspect your energy and rate of healing are a byproduct."
"Fusing…?" Hibiki asked.
"Whoa… incredible…" Rintaro managed to get out.
"Don't get too excited, it's just a possibility," Ryoko waved it off, though Tsubasa, Touma, Daishinji and Sophia took notice of the mention fairly closely. Daishinji and Sophia glancing at each other when they were sure Ryoko wasn't looking their way.
As the day grew later, Chris was alone as she walked through the city, making her way into a park as she tried to clear her head, "Why, Finé?" She thought back to Hibiki's words, gritting her teeth as she raised a fist.
"It sounds like you're frustrated, well, not like I can blame you."
Chris quickly turned only to see nothing, "Who?"
"Down here."
Chris looked down to see Desast poking his head out of her shadow, as Desast exited his hiding place she quickly backed away, "Why are you following me?"
"You didn't head back to base and given what Calibur said… sounds like you're in a peculiar place," Desast remarked.
"Shut it," Chris hissed out, "I'll come back when I feel like it."
"Or you could just never go back," Desast mentioned.
"Excuse you?" Chris asked.
"Unlike me, you aren't bound by a physical object," Desast pointed out, "You have your chance at freedom."
"And you think I want freedom?" Chris asked, "My goal is to crush every human with the will and power to fight. I want to extinguish the flames that could spark a war."
"Yeah you said something like that earlier," Desast replied as he put his hands behind his head, zoning out slightly at Chris' speech, "And you believe with the power you have now you can do just that?"
"I…" Chris trailed, a bit unsure of her goals now after everything that had occurred.
The two wouldn't be able to continue as they heard a girl crying and a boy yelling at her, the two looking over.
Desast began to walk off and was ready to address Chris when he noticed her going towards the children. He then began to vanish, "You really need to be honest with yourself…"
Of course at the same park and walking at around the same time was Touma who was currently texting heavily with Hibiki due to the current topic of discussion.
H: She's mad… she's totally mad…
T: Uh oh… maybe give her some space since she might still be processing stuff.
H: I will, but still…
T: Hang in there, I'm sure it'll get better.
H: I hope so…
T: By the way… what about…
H: Oh, she seems super peeved at you. Because you know… promises…
T: Oh… drat…
Touma gave a sigh as he ruffled his hair a bit, that was until he heard the same crying and yelling that Chris had heard. Though being late to the draw he noticed Chris confronting the two kids, her arm raised ready to strike at the boy with the girl holding her arms out protectively in front of the boy.
"Whoa, whoa, stop!" Touma called out as he quickly made his presence known as he tried to get between the three only to tumble a bit. He managed to regain his footing as he got near everyone, "Let's just calm down for a… eh?"
"Just what's the big idea?" Chris asked before seeing Touma and narrowing her eyes at his voice, "You…"
"Wait aren't you the-whoa!" Touma barely caught a punch from Chris, "Whoa, whoa!"
"What are you doing here?" Chris gave a glare as she pulled her fist back.
"I could say the same thing," Touma pointed out, "Why were you going to attack these kids?"
"Because that kid was bullying his sister," Chris called out.
"No!" The girl called out.
"Dad vanished," The boy mentioned, "We were looking for him, but my sister said she couldn't walk anymore."
"You're lost? Why didn't you just say so?" Chris asked.
"But… But…" The girl began to cry a bit more.
"Stop crying already!" Chris called out.
"I uh…" Touma couldn't help but put a hand over his mouth, "I don't think that's how this works."
The girl started to cry more but now the brother got in the way with his arms spread out, "Don't make my sister cry!"
"I swear you all are going to be the death of me!" Chris called out in frustration as she ruffled her hair slightly.
"Really now…?" Touma asked with a small smile when he saw Chris' reaction. This was definitely a far cry from what he had read in the reports of her first appearance. Even fighting her earlier on she didn't give off the same aura that he had read about.
"Yes!" Chris gave a glare.
"Well I think I know a way to help everyone out here," Touma said before turning towards the kids and squatting down with a friendly smile, "What if we help you find your dad? How does that sound?"
The two kids both gave nods as they decided to take Touma's offer.
"Well?" Touma looked over his shoulder.
"Fine… if it helps me get some peace and quiet," Chris grumbled as she looked away and crossed her arms.
It didn't take long for Touma to figure out where the boy and the girl had come from, taking the lead in leading them further into the city since they had a better chance at find their dad that way. Touma however made sure to go at a leisurely pace for the sake of the little girl.
"What a nice night," Touma admitted as he had his hands behind his back, normally he would have held the children's hands to keep them from getting lost but Chris insisted she do it by herself. Though he also seemed to notice that despite his presence, Chris was fairly relaxed, to the point where she was even humming a bit.
Chris though noticed she was being watched out of the corner of her eye and looked towards the little girl, "Something wrong?"
"Do you like singing?" The girl asked.
Chris could only stare forward, "I hate singing."
"They say songs tell a story, but I can see why someone might not prefer them," Touma mentioned, "Personally I'm a fan of books."
"I didn't ask what you liked," Chris turned with a light glare.
"Okay then," Touma puckered his lips and looked the other way, he had hoped to make conversation but Chris made that harder than usual.
Going a bit further it wouldn't be long before the boy noticed someone off to the side.
"Dad!" He called out.
Touma and Chris looked over to see a man at the police station who hurried over to them.
"Where were you two?" The man asked.
"These two got us lost!" The little girl called out as she hurried over to her father and too his arm.
"No, they didn't," The boy shook his head as he walked over, "They helped us look for dad."
"I'm sorry you had to do this," The father apologized as he looked over at Chris and Touma.
"Don't worry about it," Chris held her hands up.
"We were more than happy to help," Touma smiled.
"Did you thank them yet?" The father asked.
"Thank you!" Both brother and sister gave a bow.
"You're getting along real well," Chris remarked as she looked at the brother and sister, "Can you tell me how you do that?"
The boy wasn't sure how to answer, but let his sister cling to him, "Dunno… we fight a lot."
"We fight a lot, but then we make up again, so we get along!" The girl replied.
Touma couldn't help but wonder if Chris was trying to find answers through the kids, recalling what she briefly had said during their fight earlier in the day. It wasn't long before the father and his kids went on their way, Touma waving them off.
"That's good to see they found their father," Touma put his hands on his hips.
"Must be nice…" Chris muttered.
"Touma Kamiyama," Touma suddenly spoke up, "I also run Fantastic Bookstore Kamiyama."
"Why are you telling me this?" Chris asked, looking towards the bookstore owner in surprise.
"Because well, I know your name so it felt rude if you only knew me by my title," Touma admitted, "Plus well… if you ever want to stop by you're more than welcome to."
"You realize who you're talking to right?" Chris asked.
"I do," Touma replied, he knew he was talking to an enemy but he also wanted to give Chris a fair shake like Hibiki did. He then began to walk off, "See you around?"
Chris stayed silent before sighing, turning away and walking off, "Maybe…"
It was a rather early morning at Finé's hidden estate as the sun was just barely peaking out over the horizon. Storious gave a grin as he sat in the meeting room that he and the other lead Megid would normally go to. The only other one in the room was Zooous at the moment, as Legeiel was busy sulking due to the fight getting cut short and not easily dealing with the Riders or Wielders.
"The Symphogear System and Seiken," Storious mused as he looked over the various Alter Ride Books they held, "Being able to access the power of Relics and weaponize them so easily…"
"Yeah but normal humans can only take them so far," Zooous remarked.
"Of course," Calibur said as he walked in, "After all the Swan Song is something that utilizes the full power of the Symphogear, and yet we've seen what it does to even an Attuned."
"It does make a fitting end however… utilizing your full power to go out in a blaze of glory… surviving is such a shame honestly…" Storious said with a smile before frowning, "How could one possibly live after that?"
"How could one indeed," Calibur gave a nod as he went to sit down, "Regardless there are ways to bypass the strains and that can be seen in you all and your unique states. Of course, there is someone else with the ability to grow to your level."
"Ah yes… she beat Legeiel down quite well alongside Saber," Storious chuckled.
"Serves that idiot right," Zoous gave a laugh, "What was he expecting after we heard that girl just brought out Durandal like it was nothing?"
"Needless to say, Nehushtan is not in Yukine's hands anymore," Calibur replied, "Finé is ready to start making her next move, I'm sure of it."
"Then I suppose we should start getting everything ready," Storious smiled.
"So does that mean I get to let my remaining hunters stretch their legs?" Zooous grinned.
"Soon," Calibur gave a nod, he then heard the doors open in the distance, "Seems as though she's finally made her decision…"
"It's already been a full day since that attack," Zooous remarked, "If she was licking her wounds she could have done them here, I don't like this."
"You'll be on standby," Calibur said more tensely as he stood up before walking out of the room, noticing Chris intently making her way towards the main room of the mansion, "I see you're finally back."
"I don't have time for you," Chris said as she stopped but didn't turn back to greet Calibur, "Finé's here now, right?"
"Yes," Calibur answered simply.
"Good," Chris said as she went to take a step forward but paused, "No questions?"
"Do whatever you wish," Calibur answered, "But be aware there are consequences for certain actions."
"Whatever," Chris took off, staring at the huge double doors before her while taking a deep breath. She kicked open the doors to cause a loud enough bang as she entered the dining/computer room that was the main room of the mansion. She soon saw who she was looking for, Finé, at the other end of the room almost completely naked. Finé seemed to also be on the phone with someone, the voice continuing on and on.
"What do you mean you have no business with me anymore?" Chris questioned almost immediately, "You don't need me, so that's it? You were just using me like an object?!" She grabbed her head in frustration, "My head is a mess! I have no idea what's right or wrong anymore!"
"Why won't anyone do what I tell them to?" Finé asked as she hung up the phone, she then turned and immediately activated Solomon's Cane, summoning a fair amount of Noise in front of Chris.
Chris couldn't help but take a step back, grasping at her relic pendant as she wondered if this was what Calibur meant.
"I guess it's time to say goodbye," Finé remarked as she stepped forward from her spot, "You know… you never had any chance of stopping a war. Not with the way you do things. Each time you crush someone, you sow a few new seeds of discord."
"But you told me!" Chris called out, "You told me I could end pain and suffering with what you-!"
"You wore the Symphogear I gave you, yet you were no more useful than a flea," Finé spoke with narrowed eyes, her hand shined a bright blue, "Shall we close the curtains now?" blue light began to gather around Finé's body before she summoned a golden version of the Nehustan Armor, "I am immortal, my armor eternal. I will live until the stars die. My Kadingir is almost complete. I have no more use for what little strength you have to offer. Even the Megid are more useful than you are due to their ability to make easy distractions..."
"Kadingir? You mean…" Chris trailed.
"I'm afraid you've learned too much," Fine spoke as she rose the staff once more, commanding the Noise she summoned to commence their assault.
Chris quickly rushed as fast as she could out of the mansion, diving to the ground to avoid getting hit by the Noise. Several flying Noise were summoned and soon shot out into the sky, ready to strike.
Chris could only turn and give a glare towards Finé who was approaching with a gleeful expression, "Damn you…" She hissed, "DAMN YOU!"
Desast was currently staring at the scene from the forest, having been following Chris at a distance due to his orders.
"Looks like you're going to have to figure it out the hard way," He remarked as he brought out his sword and stabbed it into the ground while hunching over, "Though I suppose your terrible odds wouldn't make it any fun, would it?"
Waking up was rather uneventful for Touma though he gave a sigh when he stared at his phone. He had attempted to call or text Miku since it had been a bit after the attack. Asking if she wanted to talk but the most he got from her was that he saw his messages were read, and nothing more. No messages back, no calls, nothing.
He couldn't help but slump a bit as he wondered if Hibiki would be alright. After all when it came to their friend group, Miku and Hibiki had met first before they made their way into his life. They shared a special connection and he was hoping that this wouldn't be what shattered it.
"Kento… Luna…"
He muttered as he put a hand over his Wonder Story Book, he slid it in front of him before opening it up as the first page popped up. He smiled at the wondrous scenery of a giant tree and fantastic landscape in front of him. Flipping the page again, he stared at the image of a dark shadowy dragon looming over the distance with various elemental pillars pointing up alongside a few knights facing it down. That brought him to the next page, which normally would be blank, but now wasn't. It hadn't been blank since he had become Saber, but he had only recently gotten a chance to look through his cherished book once more due to the hectic nature of his life as a Kamen Rider. Turning to said new page it revealed a fiery background and a knight resembling Saber drawing out a flaming sword while surrounded by a red dragon.
He was still confused by it, before just a white blank page, which caused him to turn the next page to see that the fourth page was still blank. He couldn't help but find it suspicious that an incomplete book he cherished started getting pages added to it. Especially after he became Saber and got involved with Section 2. That was now the sticking point with this book, as it seemed to be purposely incomplete but could somehow add new pages. But he knew he couldn't just suddenly go over and say how he had a magic book, like anyone would believe him. Not to mention he'd wonder if they'd' be able to even find anything out. One thing he hoped that the new pages meant was that his story with his other childhood friends wasn't over yet… but still…
"What should I do?" Touma asked no one in particular as he went to slowly close the book. He went to go write something only to pause and ruffle his hair in frustration, "Maybe a walk will do me some good…" He went to exit his store when he noticed how cloudy the skies were starting to get, "Hmm…" He turned back to get an umbrella and he couldn't help but shake the feeling something was going to happen today.
To Be Continued…
Author's Note: As seen in the past few chapters, Daishinji and Sophia are starting to get a bit more cautious in regards to certain happenings in Section 2. Needless to say that should be bearing fruit by the end of the season. Meanwhile Falchion continues to simply stand around, while watching… waiting… I'm sure nothing major will happen with them…
So with Trio of Deep Sin out and subbed (thank you Earthly), I've watched it to see if I can use anything from it. While the main plot is very… hard to use admittedly, you can absolutely count on stuff like Amazing Siren and Arabiana Nights to show up in Song of Swords. Needless to say though, I absolutely loved it and after being soured by the duo of V-Cinexts that I shall not name, Trio of Deep Sin was a refreshing post-series story to watch unfold.