Sympho-Saber: Song of Swords
GX:EP08 – Darkness Extermination
The situation following the incidents at Tsukuba had become interesting for Touma personally. Of all the people he never expected to run into, it was his own dad, Hansuke Kamiyama. Needless to say, that became an issue when it came to his dad asking legitimate questions. Of course with SONG's NDAs in place and without proper permission he couldn't exactly give the real reason. So this meant Touma had to spin a story, in that one of his more recent friends managed to rent out a nearby private beach for the day and invited him, Hibiki and Miku.
Normally that would have been the end of it but of course Hansuke being the kind of man that he was, wanted to catch up with Touma since he'd be in Japan for a while. It had been a few days since he had been on business in Tsukuba, but eventually he got into contact after acquiring a hotel to stay at for a while.
Touma had decided to meet his dad at a restaurant, Hibiki wanting to tag along though they were also accompanied by Rintaro. Hansuke had wanted to meet some of Touma's friends, though given the size of SONG's Riders and Wielders, Touma knew that was a near impossibility for a first meeting. Rintaro had offered to join instead since he wanted to meet Hansuke for himself and also wanted to make sure Touma or Hibiki didn't slip up about mentioning their activities as Riders and Wielders.
The four were situated at a booth, Touma and Hansuke on one side while Hibiki and Rintaro were on the other side. It was a rather lively meeting all things considered, Hansuke treating everyone to lunch while catching up with Hibiki and Touma. On occasion however he was admittedly eyeing Rintaro's outfit with curiosity though, since Rintaro had of course worn his swordsman uniform to lunch.
Of course while everyone had slowed down in their conversations while eating, it had picked up again once the four started finishing their food.
"So how's school been Hibiki?" Hansuke asked.
"Pretty good if I'm being honest," Hibiki said as she proudly puffed up her chest, "I think I'm getting the hang of things finally!"
"Only because I've been helping her via tutoring," Touma remarked as he leaned towards his dad with a hand covering his mouth.
"Okay that has been helping," Hibiki let out an exasperated sigh.
"Still I'm sure your parents are proud," Hansuke said with a clear certainty in his voice.
"Oh right, speaking of!" Hibiki perked up at that, "How's dad? I know he's been busy so he hasn't been able to call me or mom as frequently…"
"He's been doing fine, in fact he's been doing such great work for me as of late," Hansuke admitted as he went to take a sip of the coffee he had, "I talked to him the other day though, he told me that he'll give you and your mom a call soon, it's just he really wants to hit the deadline that's creeping up."
"That's good to hear," Hibiki sighed in relief.
"I've also been managing to make some progress with him," Hansuke added, "I know he's only visited for some holidays in the past but I've been working on seeing if he'd be willing to go for longer and potentially more permanent stays now that things have calmed down."
"Wait, really?" Hibiki's eyes lit up in surprise.
"Now it's not a for sure situation but he is finally getting some stability and confidence back," Hansuke replied, "I thought I'd let you know there's at least some progress. So just keep it to yourself until he lets you all know for sure, alright?"
"Thank you," Hibiki said with a quick bow of her head with a smile, "I will."
"I'm admittedly curious," Rintaro spoke up, "Touma mentioned you work as a translator, correct?"
"In a sense, it's mostly to get more books and reading material available over here," Hansuke explained before chuckling, "It's a surprisingly a successful venture despite me starting it to satiate my own desire for knowledge at first."
"And Hibiki's dad works for you," Rintaro said as he received a few nods though now he was curious, "How exactly did that end up coming about?"
"Well I wouldn't say works for, he's more so a partner since we're not a big company," Hansuke explained, "But well… about 2 years back I saw he was having trouble and as a friend of Hibiki's family I wanted to help out. So I suggested that he join me in my publishing ventures and after a bit of coaxing he agreed."
"Oh I see," Rintaro nodded.
"Yeah… I'm really grateful for Hansuke's help," Hibiki admitted with a soft smile, "I was worried about dad back then after the concert incident… but now…"
"Anything to help my son's best friend," Hansuke smiled, "Akira's a good friend too and I knew I had to do something to help you all out."
"Most impressive," Rintaro said, figuring that Hansuke was where Touma's caring side came from.
"Well now that we're just about finished, did you still want to visit the shop?" Touma asked, "It's been a while since you've last visited."
"That sounds lovely," Hansuke said, "I'm curious to see how our old humble abode is doing after so long."
"Would you guys like to come?" Touma asked his friends.
"I would but I'm going to probably head back to my place to finish up some homework," Hibiki admitted.
"I have my own duties to attend to as well," Rintaro admitted.
"It was nice catching up again Hibiki," Hansuke said before looking over at Rintaro, "It was also nice meeting you, Rintaro."
Hibiki smiled, "It sure was."
"Indeed, it was a pleasure meeting you as well," Rintaro said with a smile, though that faded as oddly enough Carol's words from their first confrontation began to play in his mind.
'It is a task left to me by my father… do you not have one of your own?'
'A father…' Rintaro mulled it over, 'Despite calling everyone my precious family… I truly don't have a parent I can call my own…'
"So why exactly are we here again?" Chris asked.
Both Chris and Tsubasa were currently at the shared workshop that Elfnein and Daishinji used, the swordsmith having called the two specifically when he confirmed they were onboard HQ.
"You recall the Project Ride Gear explanation, correct?" Daishinji asked as the two nodded, he then walked over to the main console in the room. Upon opening up the bookcase he pulled out two Wonder Ride Books.
"Wait, those are…" Tsubasa's eyes widened.
"Avalon Class Wonder Ride Books," Daishinji confirmed and held up two in particular, 'Daishougun Momoichirou' and 'Issun Bushi'.
"Hold up, Elfnein said that certain resonations were stronger than others," Chris spoke up, "Does that mean…?"
"Yes," Daishinij handed Chris the Daishougun Momoichirou Ride Book while he handed Tsubasa the Issun Bushi Ride Book, "Utilizing a Wonder Ride Sync with these should allow you to access new forms. While they don't have the raw power of Ignite, they're still a boost regardless."
"Hey I'll take it," Chris said, "Having some kind of edge without going overboard helps."
"Indeed," Tsubasa said as she pocketed the Ride Book, "Were these the only ones?"
"In terms of books that no one has on hand," Daishinji admitted, "I've yet to test it with the personal Ride Books of each Rider though given most of us need those, if there was compatibility it would be in emergencies only."
"Understood," Tsubasa nodded.
"Also given my current situation and how I'll likely play the role of support for just a bit longer…" Daishinji then held out Bremen no Rock Band, "If one of you could hold onto this, it'll likely help if something happens, especially with the other half of the Wielders and their sync levels."
"Sounds good by me," Chris said as she took hold of the Ride Book, "Anything else?"
"No that's all for now," Daishinji replied.
The Kamiyama father and son duo were currently walking through the city streets, Hansuke taking in as much of the sights as he could.
"You know, you could never tell there were attacks here recently," Hansuke spoke up, "What with how repairs have been progressing."
"Yeah, whoever is in charge of the repairs are surprisingly competent," Touma replied, "Things have been getting back in working order and thankfully there haven't been many wide scale attacks as of late."
"The Noise… I'm glad they seem to be dealt with for the most part," Hansuke admitted, "They're existence can cause so many tragedies, even with the people lucky to survive…"
"Yeah," Touma nodded, "It's still crazy to think of what happened after the concert…"
"I can only imagine it had to have been hard on your end," Hansuke replied, "You had that one friend you used to get along with so well too, what was his name?"
"Oh you mean Mamiya?" Touma asked, growing a bit nostalgic at a name he hadn't heard in quite a long while. His thoughtful expression turned into a frown however, recalling how messy their friendship broke off due to several disagreements regarding Hibiki, "Miku and I ended up losing a lot of friends over our decision to stand by Hibiki… but even so, I don't regret my choices."
"I see, just like I don't regret mine to help Akira," Hansuke nodded, recalling back to not long after the Zwei Wing Concert tragedy.
Hansuke was admittedly unsure of what to make of what was going on at the moment. It was pretty late in the evening and Akira had asked for him to lend an ear. The two were currently leaning against a wall that had a vending machine, Akira going for a canned coffee while Hansuke went for some orange soda.
"So," Hansuke said as he stared at his drink, it had been silence for several minutes and he felt the need to break the ice, "What did you want to talk about?"
"I uh…" Akira trailed, a slight nervous smile crossing his face, "Just wanted to thank you for the other day."
"Oh, you mean keeping those punks in line?" Hansuke asked as he looked over, "You're a close friend, I'm not about to let them try and harass you for something your daughter had no control over."
"Right, right…" Akira muttered.
Hansuke glanced over, noticing how nervous his friend was, "Akira…"
"Huh?" Akira looked over, "Yeah?"
"What is this really about?" Hansuke asked, noticing the nervousness increase, "You didn't call me this late to have a couple of drinks just to thank me."
"We're… friends, right?" Akira asked.
"I did just say we were not even a minute earlier," Hansuke had an earnest smile when he said this, "What did you need to get off your chest?"
"I think you'll understand then," Akira took a deep breath as he gripped the back of his neck tightly, "I can't take it anymore, I just can't… it's too much, at work, coming home, parents from Hibiki's school… just everything! I need to get away, I need to leave. I know my family will hate me but you can see where I'm coming from ri-"
Hansuke had grabbed the canned coffee out of Akira's hand and set it down nearby with his orange soda which were now away from the two. The translator then glanced around, noticing that there wasn't anyone in the area.
"Uh Hansuke," Akira spoke up in confusion, "Why did you-?"
SMACK!
Akira could only gasp as he received a fist to his cheek, slamming against the vending machine, just barely managing to grab onto it to brace as he looked over in fear, "Y-You hit…?"
"YOU DAMN IDIOT!" Hansuke yelled out in near anger as he lowered his fist, slowly but surely unclenching it. He took a deep breath before closing his eyes, "My family is doing everything they can to help yours, but even then your situation is fragile. You leaving and never coming back will make things worse on your wife and daughter. Why would you ever consider doing that?"
"I… I…" Akira stammered out.
"No, I get it, it's too much," Hansuke nodded as he opened his eyes before walking over and placing his hands on Akira's shoulders, "But, there's a better way to go about this than cutting them out of your life entirely!"
"There is?" Akira asked.
"You want to get out of this overwhelming city, and you know a translator who wants to travel abroad once things calm down a bit more with Hibiki and your family," Hansuke explained, this was a completely on the fly decision, but he had to do it for Hibiki's sake, "So please, stick it out just a bit longer."
Akira stared at his friend in surprise, "Hansuke…"
"Please," Hansuke said as he kept his grip firm.
"So why Tsukuba anyway, in terms of a business trip, I mean," Touma spoke up, interrupting his dad's daydream.
"Oh one of our distributors is based on Tsukuba," Hansuke explained, "I figured I'd come down, especially since that meant I could maybe surprise you with a visit. But it looks like we surprised each other."
"Yeah, I suppose so," Touma chuckled a bit.
"Still though, to think the famous Tsubasa Kazanari was a patron at our store," Hansuke remarked, recalling that his son's explanation to them being there was because of Tsubasa's connections as an idol, "Then you alongside Hibiki and Miku ended up becoming friends with her. There are always a lot of strange coincidences and meetings in life and I suppose this is one of them."
"I suppose so too," Touma nodded.
Back at Carol's throne room, only Phara and Leiur were taking up residence as they stood on their podiums. The two were currently alone at the moment, none of the Megid or Calibur in the area.
Phara had swallowed the data chip that she had stolen, soon opening her mouth and letting out a small sound as she projected the golden orb that SONG had been studying.
"I heard you got that from Tsukuba in a rather subdued way," Leiur noted.
"I could've taken the place apart by force, but I'd rather not risk them destroying the data for security reasons," Phara admitted as she looked at the orb itself, "Each of these lines is like a vein, encircling the Earth. Professor Nastassja previously used them to focus Phonic Gain upon the Frontier."
"So this is the ley line map," Leiur said.
"The scalpels we require to dissect the world are gathering one by one here in the Château de Tiffauges." Phara said, "Is what I'd say if we were on schedule…"
"That's right, Garie…" Leiur said as she narrowed her eyes, "We'll be forced to use the backup at this rate, huh?"
"Unfortunately and while our Master wouldn't mind…" Phara trailed off, "Calibur and his Megid allies are becoming a nuisance."
"Then perhaps we should work on taking Calibur out of the picture," Leiur suggested, "My little sister hasn't had nearly enough fun yet…"
"As amusing as that would be, we'll likely have to do it ourselves," Phara replied.
Unbeknownst to the two Autoscorers, Kamijo was currently standing within the shadows of the throne room, using Kurayami to let him eavesdrop with ease. He simply walked off, both of the Autoscorers none the wiser to his presence.
Kirika and Shirabe were currently at some vending machines in the city, Shirabe getting an apple soda as they discussed current events.
"Based on our tests this morning, we might be able to use the Ignite Module too, dess," Kirika said.
"That is, if we have the strength to withstand the Dáinsleif's madness," Shirabe said as she opened up her can and took a quick sip, "Kiri…"
"I choose you!"
Kirika was unsure of what to truly get and went for the method of pressing numerous buttons at once to go for a random can. The result ended up being… canned coffee.
"Oh no, my choice led to bitter coffee, dess!" Kirika freaked out in a dramatic fashion.
"What does one need to live life without burdening others?" Shirabe asked herself as she withdrew her pendant to stare at it briefly.
"I think you need a strong will and determination not to regret the choices you've made, dess," Kirika said as she opened up her canned coffee, though it was clear she wasn't looking forward to tasting it.
"Here," Shirabe took the canned coffee and swapped it with her soda, "I don't mind black coffee."
"Th-Thanks, dess," Kirika gave a sheepish grin before going to take a sip of her new drink.
That was until their communicators went off, Genjuro and Sophia putting through a call to the two.
"Alca-Noise Detected!" Genjuro shouted as usual, "Sixty-eight meters underground, most likely in utility conduits!"
"Utility conduits…?" Shirabe questioned.
"What are those?" Kirika asked.
"Underground tunnels that carry power lines and other utilities," Sophia explained, "Judging by your location, you should be able to see one of the entrances nearby."
The duo of Wielders quickly ran across a nearby bridge, both seeing a small building near the river.
"Is that it?" Shirabe asked.
"Yes. We're heading there with HQ right now," Maria spoke up who was also there alongside Tsubasa and Chris.
"Tachibana and Shindo are also on their way and will likely make it there sooner than we can," Tsubasa added.
"This might be an emergency, but don't dive in there headfirst without those two dummies," Chris added, "I know the bookworm has family stuff so we don't have all of our heavy hitters but those two should be good enough for now."
The Two Wielders quickly made their way to the entrance, Kirika soon spotting Hibiki and Rintaro, waving the two down.
"Did we make it just in time?" Hibiki asked.
"It would appear so," Rintaro said as he brought out his Swordriver and locked it onto his waist.
"That was quick," Shirabe admitted.
"So why were you two together, dess?" Kirika asked.
"Oh we were actually meeting with Touma's dad," Hibiki replied, "Rintaro and I were walking back from that together and were about to go our own ways when we got the call."
"It was very lucky," Rintaro admitted.
"So, what are we waiting for?" Hibiki asked before walking past everyone, though Shirabe and Kirika could notice that Hibiki's mood was rather relaxed.
"Huh, she's in a good mood," Shirabe muttered.
"The meeting must've gone well, dess," Kirika noted.
The four made their way into the entrance of the facility, a long winding tunnel stretching downwards being their only pathway forward.
"Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron~"
"~Zeios Igalima rizen tron~"
"~Various Shul Shagana tron~"
[NAGARE BATTOU! LION SENKI!]
Once they all transformed, the four leapt down the tunnel before landing in another section filled with various wires going all along the walls. They began to move forward when Alca-Noise began forming from alchemic circles in the ground.
"Ah, here they are!" Micha called out as she was on a ledge before she caught sight of Blades and glared, "Normally I wouldn't have time to deal with you all but…"
"Let's go, everyone!" Blades called out as the three Wielders all shouted out confirmations, the four breaking away from each other to start clearing the Alca-Noise forces.
It was going surprisingly smoothly for the four, while Hibiki focused on heavy hits that tore through the Alca-Noise, the other three were using their bladed weapons to slice through with ease. Hibiki punched through another Alca-Noise, turning before her eyes widened.
"Perfect," Blades said as his area began to clear up, "Now we can-"
"Rintaro watch out!" Hibiki shouted.
"Huh?" Blades turned to see a superheated crystal that was flying directly at his face.
SMASH!
Hibiki had to think quickly and launched herself at Rintaro, kicking the Swordsman of Water in the back to force him to duck forward just in time. The result was getting struck in the abdomen by the crystal which had been launched out by Micha. She could only scream out as she was sent slamming into a stairwell.
Blades turned in shock, "Hibiki?!"
"Oh no, dess," Kirika called out as she hurried over to check on Hibiki, "Are you okay?!"
"I don't think she can respond," Blades quickly hurried over as fast as he could, noticing how Hibiki was barely conscious, "Why?"
"Boo!" Micha shouted with an angry look, "I was trying to eliminate the pest! He isn't needed because all I want are your songs!"
"Huh?" Blades turned as he gripped his sword tightly.
"Come on, come on, sing for me!" Micha shouted before she raised her palm, the center of it shining with bright orange energy, "If you don't… you're gonna die!"
A large stream of fire began hurtling towards the three, though Blades stood up and was ready to counter with Lion Senki when his eyes widened, "Wait!"
Kirika had gone to shield Hibiki with her body when she heard Blades' words, soon looking up in shock.
Shirabe had moved in front of the three, extending out her buzzsaws and creating two massive shields to block the flames. But the strength behind said flames was still pushing her back, forcing her to her knees as she tried to keep holding on.
"Are you okay…?" Shirabe gasped out as she was straining herself keeping them back.
Blades gave a nod, "Thank-"
"No," Kirika interrupted as she managed to speak up, reminded of when Chris had done the same when they protected her, "Of course I'm not okay! If I can use the Ignite Module, I can end this!"
"Don't!" Shirabe called out, "Am I burdening you? Is that why you're throwing yourself in danger?"
"I feel as though I'm missing something here…" Blades admitted as he looked back and forth before bringing out King Lion Daisenki and readying his form change, "But first we need to get out of this situation!"
[NAGARE BATTOU! KING LION DAISENKI!]
Blades shouted out as he a water tornado surrounded him, the King Lion Daisenki being summoned and circling around before it became his armor. He soon stood in his upgraded form, readying the King Lion Booster.
[ONE! READING! TENKUU NO PEGASUS!]
[TWO! READING! LION SENKI!]
[THREE! READING! PETER FANTASISTA!]
Blades yelled out and leapt upwards as thankful that the tunnel was large enough to do so. He saw Micha follow him up with her eyes as he punched forward with his left fist.
[LIONIC BURST!]
Soon enough a concentrated stream of water was launched out from the King Lion Booster towards Micha, striking her in the chest and launching her backwards as a result while dispersing her attack.
Shirabe gasped out and dismissed her buzzsaws, hunching over and using her arms to brace herself.
"You stupid Rider, you ruin everything!" Micha shouted as she recovered and began stomping her foot against the floor before gathering heat in the palms of her hands.
[NAGARE HOKOU! KING LION DAI CHANGE!]
Blades quickly leapt over Shirabe with a shout, flipping and transforming into his Lion Form. He then roared out before launching blasts of energy out of his cannons.
Micha yelled out as she launched superheated crystals out of her palms, the crystals shattering against the blasts and causing a small explosion. Blades rushed through the smoke, pouncing on top of Micha and pinning her to the ground.
"Bad kitty," Micha glared as she managed to angle her palms, unleashing two superheated crystals, striking Blades and sending him flying backwards.
Blades gasped as he flipped in mid-air, reverting to his Rider Form as he drew out Nagare and stood defensively, "She's definitely on a different level than Garie…"
'You shouldn't waste time, especially with a Rider active,' Phara's voice suddenly rang through Micha's mind.
"You may be right," Micha sighed before giving a glare, "But they still piss me off!"
"What?" Blades wondered what Micha was talking about before giving a gasp and quickly raising his blade, bracing against a crystal that was thrown at him before deflecting it away. He then raised the flat of his blade up, blocking sudden pounce from Micha, the Autoscorer having tried to grab at him.
"I just need to break your sword and you'll be useless!" Micha called out as her hands began to heat up.
"You won't burn away my sword as easily as you think!" Blades called out as he gripped the tip of his blade with his left hand where the Booster was, an announcement being heard.
[SPECIAL! MM-HM-HMMM!]
Soon enough water began spiraling out of Nagare, dousing the fire that Micha was starting to build up and unleashing itself in a spiraling tornado around the Rider, forcing the Autoscorer to back away.
"By Suiseiken Nagare…" Blades was ready to swing forward when he paused as he watched Micha back away further.
"I'm not going out like Garie! Just let those girls sing for me next time kay'!" Micha called out, wanting to keep going but realizing the big risks in doing so, dropping a teleportation crystal down and disappearing in a pink flash.
Blades let his arm drop as well as the water dismiss itself, a bit surprised by Micha choosing to retreat all of a sudden. He knew that defeating an Autoscorer was a great feat, but it felt like she was too scared of fully finishing a confrontation with him for some reason. He could only look back towards the Wielders, gripping his fist tightly as he hated how Hibiki had gotten hurt to save him.
It didn't take long for SONG to arrive after the fight, those who fought being escorted back to their submersible HQ for health checks. Meanwhile various agents were checking all the damages within the utility conduit with Maria, Chris, and Tsubasa surveying the area.
"We got here as fast as we could," Tsubasa said, "But…"
"It just wasn't fast enough," Chris crossed her arms with a sigh.
"What are those dolls trying to do?" Maria questioned before letting out a breath of relief, "At the very least Rintaro was there. King Lion Daisenki can handle an Autoscorer, so that at least means the girls got out alright."
"There is some relief in that," Tsubasa agreed.
Deeper into the tunnel were Ogawa and Kanade, the two looking further into the damage that had happened.
"There's a fair bit of damage, but it's not as bad as it could be," Ogawa said as he surveyed the area.
"Yeah, seems like standard fight stuff," Kanade replied.
Ogawa nodded as he continued to look around, "I'm surprised you didn't join the others."
"Eh I know you said it was fine since you were in the area but I figured I'd help out a bit," Kanade admitted as she looked off to the side.
"I see…" Ogawa narrowed his eyes slightly at this but didn't say anything, especially when he saw a still active monitor on the side. He could only gasp, "No way! Don't tell me that's what the Autoscorers were after?"
"What did you find?" Kanade asked as she walked over.
"We need to get in touch with the Commanders right away," Ogawa answered.
Hibiki let out a light groan as she began to wake up, her eyes readjusting themselves as the bright lights of the room obscured her vision partially.
"We did a full medical check."
Hibiki turned to see Elfnein, who had just spoken up. Miku and Touma were with her as well. Touma had cut his meeting with his dad short after he had heard what had happened and rushed over as soon as he could.
"Fortunately, your injuries aren't serious," Elfnein said, "But you do need rest."
"Thank goodness," Miku breathed a sigh of relief.
"Yeah, thankfully rest is the least worrisome issue to pop up," Touma chuckled, glad that the injuries weren't as bad as last time.
"This is your fault, Shirabe!"
"You were too reckless, Kiri!"
Everyone turned over to see Kirika and Shirabe on a bench, the two facing away from each other and also sitting far apart. When it came to their injuries it thankfully wasn't anything severe, and a quick patch up was all they needed.
"You dashed out without thinking about the consequences, dess!" Kirika called out.
"You think I'm just a burden, don't you?" Shirabe asked.
"I never thought I'd see those two of all people fight," Miku admitted.
"I know Rintaro said something was up when we briefly ran into him but…" Touma rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Please stop," Elfnein said as she hurried over, "Your injuries weren't as bad but calming down is key to your recovery. You won't be able to control the Ignite Module in this state of mind either."
The two of them looked over at Elfnein before they ended up briefly locking eyes, huffing and turning away from each other. Rintaro had just entered, seeing the scene before him he felt a bit of guilt well up in him soon moving deeper into the room.
"I'm terribly sorry, you all!" Rintaro called out, catching everyone by surprise, "If I had been paying attention then I wouldn't have gotten caught off guard! If I did pay attention then Hibiki… she wouldn't be…"
"It's alright Rintaro."
Rintaro looked up in surprise to see that Hibiki had fully stood and walked over to him while taking his hand to comfort him.
"You talk about how everyone's your precious family but the same goes for you," Hibiki explained, "I wasn't about to let you get seriously injured."
"But…" Rintaro muttered.
"There are people who care about you and would hate to see something terrible happen to you," Hibiki insisted with a smile, "Don't worry, I'll be fine."
"You're certain…?" Rintaro asked a bit skeptically.
"Of course," Hibiki replied, "They're magic words I was taught about. Despite what happened, saying them is reassurance that I'll be alright in the end."
Touma and Miku couldn't help but smile at that, glad to see that Hibiki was still as bright as ever.
Rintaro softly smiled, "Thank you Hibiki."
"Plus this is my way of paying you back for protecting me back when we first faced Carol," Hibiki added.
"Actually now that I think about it…" Shirabe trailed off in realization, "There was something off about this mission."
"Yeah, dess," Kirika agreed, snapping out of her mood temporarily, "It's like Micha was really out to get Rintaro for some reason."
"That's odd…" Elfnein admitted, "The Autoscorers have usually gone after the Wielders primarily. What changed now?"
"Maybe she's mad that Rintaro defeated Garie?" Touma mused.
"Given how they act, especially that one, I'm surprised there's a strong camaraderie like that between them," Miku admitted.
As the day continued, the various Rider and Wielders either convened at SONG HQ or went their own ways for the time being. Kirika and Shirabe had also been given some Model-K LiNKER after leaving the infirmary due to concerns about the battles against the Autoscorers reaching a turning point.
Genjuro and Sophia meanwhile were currently on the bridge, the two talking to Ogawa and Kanade who had called them up after their investigation.
"The enemy was mapping out our power routes?" Genjuro asked.
"Yes," Ogawa nodded, "After the drop in supply caused by the destruction of our power plants, we're sending additional electricity to government facilities to compensate. And if they map that out…"
"They'll be able to determine routes that aren't obvious from above ground," Sophia concluded.
"Just what are they planning?" Kanade mused.
"Whatever it is, it's likely on two fronts," Genjuro said.
"What do you mean?" Kanade asked.
"While Calibur and the Megid are working with the Autoscorers, they both seem to have different goals," Ogawa explained, "I noticed this with the only Megid type that's shown up."
"The Goblin Megid," Sophia said, "So far we only have four incidents to go on but that was enough for us to get a pattern going."
"While we didn't assume anything with Touma's initial report, we did once Ogawa reported further," Genjuro added, "He faced a Goblin that corresponded to Ikazuchi's element of thunder in London but couldn't use his finisher to destroy it. Meanwhile Touma could destroy his, and that was fire element based."
"Later Kento defeated the thunder elemental one while I defeated the wind elemental one," Ogawa added, "Our Commander also defeated an earth elemental one, is that pattern obvious now?"
Kanade's eyes widened, "…why are they forcing us to use specific elements to destroy specific Megid?"
"There's also what Slash and Maria reported," Sophia said, "Garie didn't sound pleased that Blades defeated her. Add in that after the fact, Maria realized Calibur was trying to bait her into fighting him…"
"Our enemies each have a specific goal and the Megid are getting closer to theirs," Genjuro finished.
At the Château de Tiffauges' throne room, the three remaining Autoscorers were gathered alongside the last two Goblin Megid, Megid Generals, and Kamijo.
"Check this out!" Micha said as she threw her hand forward.
A projection of the power routes soon manifested on the floor of the lair.
"Now, you know how to put on a show," Leiur remarked.
Micha soon stepped down from her podium and began to walk off.
"Where are you going, Micha?" Phara asked, "The memory installation will finish soon."
"I know what my mission is! And I'll make sure it gets done!" Micha barked, "Let me use my free time as I please!"
"Then do take Calibur with you," Phara spoke up as Micha turned to look at her, "He could be useful should any pests get in the way."
"Fine but he better actually do something this time," Micha groaned out, "Come on!"
"Very well," Kamijo said as he walked forward to meet up with Micha.
Leiur soon looked over to Storious, "Given our current situation, it would be best to start finishing up your side."
"Very well," Storious held a hand to his chest and gave a bow, "And if it's a distraction you want, I'll make sure we go further for it."
"Try and make it very showy," Leiur smirked.
Touma, Rintaro, Chris and Tsubasa were all walking through the city together. Miku had decided to stay behind to support Hibiki since Touma was planning on heading back to the bookstore. The other three decided to accompany him just in case something happened.
"If there's one thing that dummy knows how to do, its cheer you up," Chris remarked when she heard what had gone down with Rintaro.
"Agreed," Tsubasa nodded before looking over at her fellow blue sword wielder, "Shindo do not be ashamed, from what I heard it was clearly a deadly ambush. Had Tachibana not intervened you could've received a worse injury than her."
"Do not worry, I'm feeling fine now," Rintaro reassured, "Hibiki has quite a way with words."
"I believe they're words her father taught her," Touma mentioned offhandedly, "And hey, they've worked out so far."
"Her father huh," Rintaro said as he looked down a bit, lowering his voice, "You two have such nice families…"
"Huh?" Touma looked over, "Rintaro, did you say some-"
KA-BOOM!
Everyone paused at the sudden explosions happening rapidly in the distance, the four's eyes widening in shock.
"Wait a minute," Touma said with a look of realization, "Didn't Kirika and Shirabe…"
"Also leave around the same time we did but went another way?" Chris finished for him before gritting her teeth, "Alright, we need to-"
"Hold it you stupid brats!"
Everyone quickly turned back to face where they were walking to see Zooous suddenly flip several times into view in his human form, a burst of water occurring near him as the Water Goblin Megid leapt out of the burst.
Rintaro glared, "Zooous!"
"Perfect, four of you are here," Zooous grinned as he brought out an Alter Ride Book and opened it up, "Because I'm not letting you deal with anyone else other than me!"
[DRILL MANDRILL!]
Various tomes began to pile together before summoning the new Megid. This one had the same base body but had visible muscles on its chest and abs with the book embedded in its chest, fur lining the main body. The shoulder pads were furred armor as well as the forearms, it having a tail running down the back of its armor. Its face resembled a mandrill's, having the signature red and blue markings on its nose area. True to the first part of its name however was that it had sharp four pronged oddly shaped claws instead of hands, opening and closing them several times to show they could form into a drill-like shape.
"Heh, this'll be fun," The Mandrill Megid chuckled as it hunched forward while the Goblin Megid giggled.
"We don't have time for you!" Chris called out as she and Tsubasa pulled out their pendants, Touma and Rintaro bringing out their Swordrivers and Wonder Combo Books.
"Well too bad because you need to make time for me!" Zooous shouted before clawing at his body and spinning around, a burst of energy forming as he assumed his Megid Form.
"~Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri tron~"
"~Killter Ichaival tron~"
"Henshin!"
[REKKA BATTOU! CRIMSON DRAGON!]
[NAGARE BATTOU! FANTASTIC LION~!]
The Riders entered their Wonder Combo's while the Wielders donning their Symphogears, the four standing together.
"Commanders," Tsubasa said as she held up a hand to her headset to contact HQ, "We have numerous attacks occurring simultaneously. While we should be fine, Akatsuki and Tsukuyomi are likely being confronted alone."
"Yes, they're confronting Micha," Sophia acknowledged.
"We'll send reinforcements to assist them," Genjuro said, "Just try and-"
Tsubasa's eyes widened as the line suddenly went dead, "Commanders?"
"Crap, what happened?!" Chris looked back.
"Looks like they're pulling their weight after all," Zooous chuckled, already figuring that Leiur was planning on assisting them with her 'little sister', "How about you worry about yourselves!"
"Alright Bookworm," Chris said as she took the lead and shoved a Wonder Ride Book against Saber's chest, "Take this and go to those two, you can fly the fastest."
"Huh?" Saber quickly took hold of the Ride Book and gasped, seeing that it was Bremen no Rock Band, "This is…"
"Get going!" Chris shouted.
Saber could only nod and immediately swapped Saiyuu Journey for Bremen no Rock Band, initiating his form change.
[REKKA BATTOU! TATSUMAKI DRAGON EAGLE!]
[ZOSATSU! BREMEN NO ONGAKUTAI!]
Saber had begun dashing towards the side, a fiery tornado enveloping him before he launched out of it and high into the sky, now in Dragon Eagle Bremen form.
"You're not going to escape," Zooous swung one of his swords upwards, unleashing a slash of energy that went outwards. Before the slash could continue it was shot numerous times by homing arrows, it exploding in mid-air as a result. He growled and turned to see that Chris had been the one who had destroyed it.
"How about you worry about yourself," Chris grinned as she spoke in a mocking voice before taking aim with her crossbows and firing a multitude of arrows forward.
Blades and Tsubasa both rushed forward in tandem, using the arrows as cover as they closed in on the three Megid. It wasn't long before the Mandrill Megid launched itself over the arrows, planning on fighting Chris to keep her from helping out. Chris was forced to dodge out of the way and fire at the Mandrill Megid, gritting her teeth as she watched her allies charge towards the other Megid without her covering fire.
"You want to dance, let's dance!" Chris shouted as she launched arrows at the Mandrill Megid.
"Gotta do better than that," The Mandrill Megid howled out as it launched from tree to tree to easily dodge the arrows. It then leapt for Chris, its claws becoming rapidly spinning drills as it slammed its hands down against her.
Chris gasped out as she quickly leapt up out of the way, taking aim and firing more arrows at the Megid only for it to use its drill hands to deflect them away, "Shit, how tough is he?!"
"Come on now, let's keep playing," The Mandrill Megid could only laugh out as it leapt backwards, clanging its hands together before getting in a fighting stance.
"Fine," Chris growled out as she slammed her crossbows together into one rifle, holding it with both hands as it began to charge energy. Her headgear began to shift, the targeting camera's coming out as a visor came down to allow her to target the Megid.
{SPREAD ZEPPELIN}
An arrow tipped beam shot forward before splitting and spiraling all different ways. The beams all homed in on the Mandrill Megid who howled out, it leaping out of the way of blasts and forming its drill hands, the rapidly spinning drills helping it deflect other blasts as it managed to evade Chris' attack.
[PETER FANTASISTA!]
Blades coated his chain hook with water, lashing out with it to smack the Goblin Megid out of the way. He then spun, water gathering in his sword and slashing down at Zooous.
Zooous laughed as he blocked the slash with his blades before unleashing a burst of energy from them to send the Rider flying back.
Tsubasa launched herself upwards as Blades was thrown past her, using the blades on her legs as boosters to lift herself up. She then swung her sword forward, a sudden gust of wind being unleashed towards Zooous.
{Absolute Sky Stance}
Zooous roared out and slashed forward only for the wind to rip through his attempted counter, slicing through his body as sparks began to fly.
"Not bad Tsubasa," Blade said as he managed to pick himself up.
"We need to finish this fast, Shindo," Tsubasa said as she landed near the Rider, raising her sword and seeing the Goblin Megid approaching.
"Will you just hold still?!"
Both Rider and Wielder glanced back to see Chris still having trouble hitting the Mandril Megid, and being forced to play defensively once it started on the attack.
"How about you just leave the Rider alone," Zooous chuckled as he tossed his weapons away, "I heard he got himself a new power. He should transform into that one."
"What is your game?" Tsubasa narrowed her eyes.
"I just wanna go all in for this," Zooous admitted, "So let him give me all he's got!"
"If that's what you want, then it'll be my pleasure," Blades said as he stepped forward and slotted Nagare back into his Swordriver while preparing King Lion Daisenki, "Tsubasa, please go help Chris."
"Very well," Tsubasa nodded before leaping back, turning and rushing for Chris' fight.
"You will regret this," Blades said as he drew out his sword with a yell, water and the King Lion Daisenki spiraling around him as he entered his upgraded form.
[NAGARE BATTOU! KING LION DAISENKI!]
"There we go!" Zooous shouted as the Water Goblin Megid soon leapt in front of him, "Face the two of us with all your might!"
"It would be wise to not provoke me!" Blades shouted as he scanned the King Lion Booster on Nagare, water spiraling around his sword as he began to run forward.
[SPECIAL! MM-HM-HMMM!]
Zooous laughed as he suddenly grabbed the Goblin Megid by the back of its neck and lifted it up, running forward with a yell once Blades got close enough.
Blades gave a gasp as he had stabbed forward too late, surprised at Zooous brutal tactic. He had stabbed the blade directly into the Goblin Megid's stomach, water energy continually building…
[KANZEN DOKUHA ISSEN!]
A big explosive splash of water lashed outwards from the Goblin Megid, the Rider and Megid General staggering back from it. The explosive splash was so strong that Blades had yet to notice his Seiken flashing as well as a blue light launching out into the sky from the explosion.
"What?" Blades questioned, "What was the purpose of that?"
"I could care less about Legeiel's stupid Megid, I just brought it so he wouldn't complain," Zooous boasted as he lied, having to keep his excitement about the plan continuing down to a minimum, "But here's the thing, I just want you all to myself!"
"Then do not regret your decision," Blades hissed out before charging forward.
Just as Sophia had said, Kirika and Shirabe had both been pinned down and confronted by Micha. Despite not summoning Alca-Noise, Micha was still dangerous as she was easily keeping pace with the two Wielders and fighting off their attacks with ease.
{Delta Style: Charming Axel Killer}
Shirabe had spun forward, her skirt forming into a deadly buzzsaw that spun rapidly. She managed to clash with Micha who blocked with a crystal, before being forced back by the Autoscorer.
Kirika leapt in, slashing with her scythe to follow up only for the Autoscorer to dodge and kick her away.
Micha rested the crystal on her shoulder, "That all you got? If anything, you were stronger before you enhanced your gears."
"Yeah… right, dess!" Kirika called out as she charged forward.
"Don't!" Shirabe called out.
Kirika slashed at Micha who leapt up, soon launching up to follow after the Autoscorer. She flew past the Autoscorer and swung down, her scythe blade splitting into three and launching the scythe blades downwards.
{Kill Julliet}
"Take that!" Kirika called out as she landed, watching as her scythe blades impacted and caused a huge explosion in mid-air.
"No, take this!" Micha called out as the smoke cleared, she was fine and using her twin-tails as boosters to keep her floating in mid-air. All above her were crystals that were all launched towards Kirika. She watched as Kirika side-stepped and hopped to avoid them, "You won't stand a chance unless you work together!"
"If I can't dodge them…" Kirika took a defensive stance as more crystals were launched towards her, "I'll just take them head on!"
At the last second, Shirabe had sped in front of Kirika, creating a shield via four sawblades to block the projectiles from hitting.
"Why?!" Kirika yelled out as she watched her friend retract the saws, shoving Shirabe out of frustration, "Why do you always jump in without thinking?"
"So you do think I'm a burden?" Shirabe asked.
"No! I just love you!" Kirika called out.
"Come on, hurry it up!" Micha shouted as she landed, getting a bit annoyed and impatient that it was taking too long to get to the good part. She was ready to rush forward when Saber suddenly landed in front of her, quickly raising her crystal to block against his strikes, "Butt out!"
"I could say the same!" Saber called out as he continually clashed with Micha, "I for one hate someone interrupting a good resolution!"
Kirika was ready to keep on fighting while she continued to talk but was surprised by Saber suddenly appearing. She didn't question it however, still wanting to get her feelings out.
"I love you so much that I can't stand to see you get hurt!" She called out as she stepped forward.
"Then… I…" Shirabe realized as she held a hand near her chest.
"I've thought that ever since you protected me back there!" Kirika looked back at her friend, "All the people who are angry with us feel that way because they care about us! Why do you think Touma suddenly showed up?!"
"They're kind people… who care about us…" Shirabe muttered in realization.
[STORM EAGLE!]
Saber yelled out as he unleashed a whirlwind from his body, forcing Micha backwards. He charged forward to slash only for a familiar jagged gold blade to block his slash.
[JAOU DRAGON!]
Calibur in Jaou Dragon was now in Saber's way, giving a yell and unleashing a burst of darkness to force the Rider backwards.
[No one can escape…]
"Calibur…" Kirika and Shirabe murmured as they saw the Dark Rider before them, the two shaking slightly because of all the strife he had caused them and their friends.
"About time," Micha glared at Calibur.
"Come now I'm sure you wanted to let out some frustrations against the Swordsmen," Calibur chuckled as he watched the Autoscorer move to stand beside him, "You can't win as you are now, I hope you realize that."
Saber simply let out a grunt, leaping back to get closer to both Kirika and Shirabe.
"Mom left this world to us," Shirabe spoke up, "I don't want to die some pathetic death here!"
"So we just have to turn things around from pathetic to cool!" Kirika agreed.
"We need the strength to face what we've done!" Shirabe called out.
"Looks like you two are up for this then," Saber said, glad to see the fight they had earlier was resolved. He then held up his hand before tapping his Story Book, "But you could use a boost."
[BREMEN NO ROCK BAND!]
Reverberations began emitting from the speaker on Saber's shoulder as musical energy began to gather. He threw his arm back and unleashed a sound pulse against Kirika and Shirabe, the duo giving light gasps as they felt their bodies adjust and grow in strength.
"And with that done," Saber withdrew his books before bringing out Dragonic Knight, preparing his upgrade before drawing out his sword with a yell.
[REKKA BATTOU! DON'T MISS IT! DRAGONIC KNIGHT~!]
Saber stood in his upgraded form before bringing out Gekisō Gungnir and slotting it into his Dragonic Booster.
[ONE! READING! GEKISŌ GUNGNIR!]
Saber then yelled and punched the ground, orange cracks traveling towards Calibur and Micha before fire erupted from them to force the two back even further.
[FLAME SPICY!]
Shirabe and Kirika both nodded at each other, grasping their pendants, "Ignite Module! Bakken! (Dess!)"
{Dáinsleif}
Their pendants sharpened themselves before piercing each of them in their chest, the two girls yelling out in pain as a result as their eyes glowed a bright red.
"This is it!" Micha shouted as she was finally seeing what she wanted, "The unimaginable power that grows without limit!"
Saber let out a light gasp as he saw fire erupting from Micha herself, the fire burning away the Autoscorer's upper garments as well as loosening up her hair.
"I'm so sorry, Kiri," Shirabe apologized.
"Don't worry about me," Kirika replied, "What about the others?"
"That's right. We need to apologize to them too," Shirabe agreed, "And to do that, we need to become stronger!"
The darkness that engulfed them was sucked into their pendants before lashing out and ripping apart their armor. It wasn't long before their armor and weapons had turned sharper and black, the two striking a pose together as they had fully entered their Ignite Modes.
"Huh, nostalgic," Saber glanced back and chuckled, noticing how their Gears' coloration in Ignite Mode made them resemble how their gear used to look during the Frontier Incident. He then stepped forward as Shirabe and Kirika prepared themselves, "How this story ends, is for us to decide!"
'Micha,' Phara's voice soon rang through Micha's head, 'This is your chance to go out the way we intended, but you also have permission to make sure Calibur gets caught in that.'
Micha couldn't help but grin at these new orders, "Okie!"
Chris gritted her teeth as she was forced to block against the Mandrill Megid's drills, bringing out her chainguns for extra defense and firepower. Unfortunately the Megid had managed to damage her weapons after enough hits, forcing her to back off and transform her weapons back to their crossbow forms.
The Megid chuckled before yelping, just barely dodging and shifting its body out of the way of several slashes from Tsubasa.
"Okay good," Chris sighed as she watched Tsubasa run over to her, "I didn't want to call for help but this guy's pissing me off."
"Then perhaps we should utilize our new abilities," Tsubasa suggested as she brought out her Ride Book.
"Fine then," Chris said as she brought out hers as well.
[ISSUN BUSHI!]
[DAISHOUGUN MOMOICHIROU!]
[Riding on a certain bowl, now wandering down the river]
[A shogun who challenges a certain demon gathers friends. Ei-ei-o!]
The two closed up their books before holding them to their pendants, a chime being heard.
{Wonder Ride Sync}
Instead of the weapons shifting like they had when Tsubasa had used Bremen no Rock Band, a flash occurred as they gained white variations of Calibur's driver-buckle on their waists. The two looked at each other before slotting their Wonder Ride Books into them, their hands shining a bright red light similar to their pendants.
The two without missing a beat slammed their hands down against the buckles, opening up the books to their transformation pages.
"Henshin!"
{Ride Change}
Water erupted from Tsubasa's blade while Chris' crossbow formed an energy bolt that began to light up in orange, blue, yellow, and pink colorations. Tsubasa slashed forward, the water erupting before splashing back onto her while Chris shot forward, the bolt splitting into single colored ones that curved and shot back towards her.
Soon enough the water and lights subsided, showcasing their new forms.
Tsubasa gained a blue open coat with a collar over her Symphogear Armor but tucked beneath her buckle. It had armoring on her chest with bowl-shaped shoulder armor, black lines and white wave-like tassels adorning parts of it. On her head she held a blue straw hat that shadowed most of her body. She also had a mechanical white face mask that covered her mouth, it having glowing blue lines on it and lighting up her face among the shadows.
{Habakiri Bushi!}
Chris meanwhile had gained a magenta colored open coat with a collar over her Symphogear armor it tucked beneath her buckle and having deep blue lines accenting it. The armoring was interesting in that her chest and shoulders were all different from each other. Her chest held a bronze dog's face while her right shoulder armor was shaped after a blue pheasant with her left shoulder armor shaped after a yellow monkey. Her headgear was also adorned with a pink metallic peach at the front. Just like Tsubasa she had a mechanical white face mask that covered her mouth with glowing red lines on it.
{Ichaival Sanjo!}
"Cute changes but you still can't keep up with me," The Mandrill Megid called out as it charged forward, chuckling as Tsubasa met its charge.
Tsubasa had disappeared in a blur, moving fast as her sword erupted with water, easily slashing against the Megid several times. It was as if she had the nimble nature of someone smaller than herself. She was now back to back with the Megid, quickly turning as the Megid turned. She brought out a hammer that blocked one of the Megid's claws, slashing and striking the Megid with her sword to send it staggering back.
"Interesting weaponry," Tsubasa remarked as she hopped away from the Mandril Megid's next attack, "Perhaps you shouldn't ignore my friend."
"Huh?" The Mandril Megid turned before getting struck by a few energy bolts. It raised its hands forming its drills as it rushed towards Chris.
Chris surprisingly let the Mandril Megid move in closer before easily flipping out of the way of the attack, her monkey shoulder's eye shining. Her pheasant shoulder's eye shined as blue segmented energy wings formed, allowing her to launch high into the sky. The dog armor's eyes lit up next as Chris began shooting at the Mandrill Megid, the energy bolts suddenly morphing into dog heads that opened their mouths and bit down.
The Mandrill Megid attempted to bat away the spectral dog heads only for the energy attacks to bite down and crush its drill claws, deforming and twisting before they exploded.
"No way," The Mandrill Megid gasped as it staggered back, soon lifting up its broken hands in despair.
"Hell yeah, this is pretty cool," Chris admitted as she landed and looked herself over, "Feels like I've got a whole team backing me up."
"It is an intriguing feeling," Tsubasa admitted as she walked over to Chris, dismissing her hammer, "Let us end this."
"Sounds good to me," Chris said as she closed her book alongside Tsubasa, the two pressing down on the buttons again to initiate their finishers.
{Hissatsu Dokuha}
Tsubasa flipped backwards as a giant but thin needle erupted from the ground, the sword wielder landing on the tip with no issue as it continued to rise. Chris meanwhile began to glow as her image shifted and soon enough three copies of her were summoned. Each one had a mask that covered their eyes, the masks based on one of her armor parts of dog, pheasant and monkey.
"An impeccable blade…" Tsubasa held up her sword as it shined with a bright blue energy, their finisher causing the area to dim and be nearly pitch-black, "Bayonet Charge!"
{Ichaival Sanjo! Issatsu Geki!}
Once the finisher was announced, Chris and her companion copies began launching out energy bolts in their respective colors at the Mandrill Megid. The Megid could only gasp out as it was struck numerous times. Tsubasa soon leapt forward from her spot, her body blending into the darkness as only her sword's glow could be seen.
In an instant the sword's glow cut through the Megid several times before piercing past it. The darkness began to fade as Tsubasa could be seen again, kneeling on the other side of the Megid as she rested her blade on her shoulder, "This is the end for you."
{Habakiri Bushi! Issatsu Geki!}
The Mandrill Megid could only gasp out as its body was littered with multicolored blast marks and slashes, it falling forward and exploding.
The companion clones faded as Chris gave a sigh, "Bayonet Charge, really?"
"What?" Tsubasa asked as she lifted herself up, "Is it not fitting?"
"It's not that it's not fitting," Chris sighed as she rested her crossbow on her shoulder, "It's more, why are we calling out our attacks?"
"The Riders do so, why should we not?" Tsubasa asked, "Especially if we are using similar powers now."
"Oh great you're inadvertently agreeing with the dummy…" Chris sighed.
"Yeah, that's more like it!"
The two Wielders were broken out of their thoughts when they heard Zooous' exclamation.
Blades had been rushing in to meet Zooous at his own game, utilizing Nagare and the King Lion Booster to go for punch and slash combos. Zooous was seemingly having the time of his life, grabbing onto Blades to keep their arms locked.
That was until Blades unleashed a high-pressurized stream of water from his cannons, striking Zooous in the chest and forcing the Megid General back.
"Perfect, just show me what you can-" Zooous cut himself off as he saw something off to the side, soon turning and seeing that his Megid had been defeated, "Wow, you brats actually cleaned up faster than I thought."
"Prepare yourself Zooous," Tsubasa said as she held her sword forward, "We will not go easy on you."
"Time to kick your ass, freak," Chris said as she aimed her crossbow at the Megid.
"I think I've had enough fun today," Zooous admitted as he gathered energy in his claws before crouching and slamming them into the pavement. A burst of energy occurred that covered him, and once the smoke cleared it could be seen he was gone.
"Normally I'd be angered at this…" Blades spoke up, "But…"
"We need to go to the others," Tsubasa nodded.
"Then let's get going!" Chris said before taking off, the two blue sword wielders following after her.
The fight between Micha, Calibur, Saber, Shirabe and Kirika was in full swing, everyone bouncing around and getting potshots in at each other. Though Micha was slowly but surely increasing her power output to where she was taking control of the pace the fight went at.
"I'm the strongest! This song isn't enough for me!" Micha shouted as she launched into the air to launch dozens of crystals outwards, "Sing harder, better, faster, stronger!"
"Wait, aren't those actual-" Saber barely had time to question Micha's peculiar choice in words as he blocked Calibur's blade with his Dragonic Booster.
Calibur was forced to quickly duck and back away, raising his arm and bracing against Kirika's scythe that struck and forced him to stagger backwards. He then quickly leapt away alongside Saber and Kirka to avoid a set of crystals that landed near them.
"Watch it!" Calibur called out.
"Not my fault if you're too slow!" Micha called out as she launched towards Saber, "I'm going all out today!"
Saber gasped as he swung just as Micha did, the Autoscorer disarming him of Rekka before moving in to rapidly attack him.
"Touma!" Kirika was ready to rush in when she was forced to block a slash by Calibur, she quickly twirled and spun her scythe, managing to force distance between her and the dark Rider, "Dess!"
Before Calibur could even move forward he was forced to deflect a large yo-yo-like spinning blade, Shirabe moving in to support Kirika.
"Now to make sure you're out of the way!" Micha shouted as she continued to strike against the disarmed Saber who kept dodging while slotting books into his Dragonic Booster.
[ONE! READING! GEKISŌ GUNGNIR]
[TWO! READING! STORM EAGLE!]
Molten versions of Gungnir's gauntlets formed over his forearm and hand armor as a fiery whirlwind formed over the makeshift gauntlets.
[MIX SPICY!]
Saber began punching at Micha with his enhanced fists, the fire and whirlwind allowing him to keep up with the Autoscorer. The two then struck at each other, Saber punching with his left fist while Micha punched with her right. The two were in a deadlock until Micha unleashed a crystal from her free hand.
Saber gave a gasp as he backed away and raised his arms in defense before gasping out, the crystal managing to force him to stagger backwards.
"Touma!" Kirika quickly leapt in and slashed at Micha only for the Autoscorer to dodge. She could only gasp as she was struck by Micha's palm, being slammed into a nearby fence as a result.
"We have to stand and face it, or we'll never overcome it!" Shirabe quickly disengaged from fighting Calibur and leapt up, unleashing a massive rain of sawblades at Micha from behind.
The Autoscorer simply lashed out at the sawblades with her hair, her superheated form easily allowing her to tear through them. She then launched into the air, drawing a circle with her hand. It wasn't long before giant crystals began to rain down upon the battlefield.
"Seriously…?!" Saber could only gasp out as he began to dodge out of the way alongside everyone else. He was trying to reach Rekka only to catch something in the corner of his eye. He quickly raised his Booster to block another attack from Calibur who had closed in.
Kirika however had an idea, quickly running towards the clash between the two Riders.
"You're not gonna win by running away!" Micha laughed before diving towards Kirika.
"Obviously," Kirika shouted back before jumping while holding her scythe out, "That's why…!"
Micha continued to launch forward only for Kirika to use Igalima to cling to a nearby massive crystal before swinging off it. The result was Micha completely missing Kirika as a result, "What the-"
"Touma," Kirika shouted, "Move back!"
"Huh?" Saber soon saw Micha land very close to Calibur, before giving a nod and leaping back.
Before the Rider of darkness or Autoscorer could say anything, Kirika swung her weapon forward and launched out several wires out from her shoulders past the two. The wires had been aimed towards Shirabe, attaching onto the Shul Shagana's weaponry as both Wielders shifted their weapons accordingly. While Shirabe was moving forward via a mono-wheel, Kirika launched forward with a guillotine styled blade.
Both Calibur and Micha soon realized they were caught in a pincer attack. But before the two could even try to move out of the way, Kirika launched more wires at them, the wires wrapping around and digging into the ground to pin both of them back to back in place.
"You combine your power to achieve what you can't do alone?!" Micha questioned.
{Forbidden Wheel of Evil: ZABABA Eclipse}
Calibur grunted as he tried to break free only to feel Micha's hands shift back and suddenly grip onto him tightly, "What?"
"I'm not going out alone bucko," Micha gave a devilish grin.
Calibur meanwhile allowed a dark aura to coat his body, the darkness growing thicker and thicker as he planned on at least defending himself compared to the Autoscorer.
Both Shirabe and Kirika closed in, the duo slicing past both dark Rider and Autoscorer as Saber watched. Calibur was riddled with two separate slashes while Micha was entirely torn apart, the Autoscorer exploding as the area was filled with a bright light.
Saber shielded his eyes before he watched the explosion fade. Despite Calibur being caught up in it, there was no sign of Kurayami anywhere. He could only assume that this meant that Calibur had escaped.
Unbeknownst to everyone else, the only thing left of Calibur was once again the Ankokuken Kurayami. The sword began to seep with dark energy as if Calibur was ready to revive only for it to fade, the sword seemingly dormant at the moment. Of course without Calibur or someone he knew to claim it then that would allow someone else to. Of all the ones to take hold of the sword, it was Leiur who held it up.
"What a stylish way to go," Leiur said before dropping a teleportation crystal, warping out of the area.
It didn't take long for emergency services as well as SONG to arrive in order to deal with the aftermath of the fight. Genjuro had personally dispatched himself alongside Daishinji, the two having arrived not long after Rintaro, Tsubasa and Chris had.
Daishinji was currently going over what happened with Zooous with Rintaro and Tsubasa. Meanwhile Genjuro and Chris had joined Kirika, Shirabe, and Touma.
"Do you have any idea how worried we were?" Chris shouted as Kirika and Shirabe instinctively hid behind Touma who let out a nervous chuckle.
"How about following your orders every once in a while?" Genjuro scolded the two younger wielders.
"I uh… sir…" Touma said as he tried to speak up, Chris' reaction he could get, but he was trying to make sense of Genjuro's given Kirika and Shirabe were forced into fighting Micha. Before he could get another word out however…
"We went too far on our own," Shirabe agreed as she stepped out from behind Touma with Kirika, keeping her head low.
"We'll be careful from now on," Kirika added, keeping her head lowered too.
Chris, Genjuro and even Touma were surprised by the sudden apology.
"You're unusually remorseful," Genjuro noted, even if it was a scolding he was surprised by this reaction.
"The best way we can grow is by listening and trying to understand," Shirabe realized.
"So… we're really sorry," Kirika apologized as the two bowed further.
"Well, as long as you know what you did wrong," Genjuro said as he regained his composure.
Touma could only watch as the two Wielders bowed their heads once more before walking off.
"Good grief," Genjuro sighed.
"They're walking ahead without us having to drag them by the hand," Chris said as she watched them leave, 'They're not like me at all.'
"I was not expecting that," Touma admitted before sighing, "But still I feel like you two definitely went a bit too hard on them. I mean did you or Sophia give them any orders to retreat?"
"We uh… didn't get the chance," Genjuro admitted, "Communications were cut off rather quickly due to the current situation, which is why I'm glad you made it in time."
"It was all thanks to Chris' quick thinking and giving me Bremen no Rock Band," Touma admitted, "And even then it felt like I was more of a distraction to Calibur and Micha than actually handling it like those two did."
"Hey speaking of communication issues," Chris finally spoke up now that she was out of her own thoughts, "What exactly happened?"
"Our HQ was attacked by a large creature of unknown origin," Genjuro explained, "It ended up only holding us in place, not doing any major damage and then vanished once everything was said and done."
"I see," Touma muttered as he shifted his hat, "Something tells me we're slowly but surely reaching this chapter's finale."
"We'll be able to weather the storm," Daishinji spoke up as he approached with the others, "Judging by our fights today, I think we're finally pushing back."
"It takes more than strength to be able to live without burdening others," Shirabe said as she and Kirika continued to walk, "You also have to be responsible for your own actions."
"Responsibility… means to do right by your own values," Kirika said as she stared at her phone before looking over at her friend, "But wouldn't calling that "right" be the hypocrisy you hate so much?"
Shirabe looked away, remembering what she had said to Hibiki when they had first fought against her and the others, "For the longest time, I've wanted to apologize for hurting Hibiki with my thoughtless words."
"It's not just you who needs to find the courage to say sorry," Kirika said as she placed her hands on her friend's shoulders, leaning in close before giving a smile, "And protecting you is my job!"
"Kiri…" Shirabe smiled, "Thank you, for everything. And I really mean that."
The red banner in the Château de Tiffauges throne room soon began to light up, formulas being inscribed on the material. Phara was currently the only one in the room at the moment as she stared at it. Though it didn't take long for Leiur to walk over, still holding Kurayami before staring at the banner.
The duo then turned towards the sounds of gears activating near the throne. The doors to the strange box in the throne room opened up before releasing a puff of smoke. Within the smoke it could be seen that it was Carol who was in the box, still alive.
"Have you awakened?" Phara asked as she went to bow with Leiur.
Carol saw only two of her Autoscorers and looked up to see only one of the banners glowing.
"Micha and Garie…" Carol spoke up.
"One went out in a blaze of glory while the other was coldly cut down," Leiur explained before holding up Kurayami, "Calibur however was reckless and has yet to return."
"I suppose there is some good news after all," Carol said.
"What do we do now?" Phara asked.
"Isn't it obvious? We complete the Apocalypse of All Creation," Carol answered before holding out an arm and looking at her hand, gripping it tightly, "For centuries, I've dreamed of slaughtering every last miracle with my own hands. This setback will not be an issue, especially thanks to those fools that ally with us for their own gain."
Her eyes began to dilate as her view suddenly shifted to Hibiki Tachibana of all people.
"Did you hear? Shirabe and Kirika have gotten so strong," Hibiki was heard saying, "Way more than before. Don't you think so, Elfnein?"
"Oh I certainly do," Carol agreed as she was seeing what was going on through Elfnein's eyes, "Even if the Riders interfere, the end of the world will still surely arrive!"
"Master Logos…"
Master Logos turned from his seat, looking away from the footage that he was watching of the Riders and Wielders facing down the Autoscorers, Calibur and the Megid. Kneeling before him was Reika who had just entered the room.
"Ah yes," Master Logos turned with a smile as he stood up and walked to face her, "I was not expecting you back so soon."
"I was able to acquire most of the remaining Wonder Ride Books that were used to guard Avalon," Reika said as she held out four Ride Books, "Unfortunately I have yet to track down the final one."
Master Logos stared at the books titles, but smiled when he saw the last one.
'Kirin no Ongaeshi'
'Osha Jizou San'
'Houshin Kamen Engi'
'Amazing Siren'
"Thank you," Master Logos said as he took them, "These may not be Ultimate Bahamut, but I believe I can find a use for them."
"Of course," Reika said as she kept her head bowed.
"This one in particular…" Master Logos stared at Amazing Siren, knowing that it could come in useful for the long run. He then turned away, "Now then, find your brother and return here. It is time for us to finally start moving forward with our plans now that Carol is ready to end the first half of this story."
"Very well," Reika said as she stood up, "Right away."
To Be Continued…
Author's Note: And here we go with a few major changes to the GX storyline which is the introduction of Touma's dad, and a bit more elaboration on what went down after the Zwei Wing Concert. I've already had previous mention of Touma's family helping out a bit by offering Hibiki a safe haven of sorts at Fantastic Bookstore Kamiyama. But here we delve in a bit further as to a few divergences that have happened with Hansuke's presence allowing things to not end as messily as they could have.
Of course the rest of the chapter is pretty standard as I basically went through similar motions to the episode it was based off in regards to Kirika and Shirabe. That being said, I decided to sneak in a debut here and there courtesy of Tsubasa and Chris, the duo showing off the Ride Change functions of Project Ride Gear. There was a reason I listed all those Avalon Books that SONG has back in an earlier chapter, mostly to prepare you all for this. Had a lot of fun figuring out how this would necessarily work, and I may have taken some inspirations from a certain very recent Sentai for their finisher here.
With that said thanks for reading and I'll see you all next time.