Sector Two was bustling with activity, as everyone was hard at work.
"Update! The pursuit squad have reported in!" Sakuya announced.
"We've detected the emergence of more Noise." Aoi said. "I fear the worst."
Genjuro frowned, before shouting. "Send in the other wielders and SOUL! We must capture the bearer of Solomon's Cane!"
Sakuya looked at the screen, seeing the scans. "We're detecting a high-energy waveform distinct from the Noise!"
"Analysing it now!" Aoi said.
The name of the relic appeared on the screen, sending dread through everyone.
"Don't tell me…" Aoi muttered.
A status analysis appeared for Hibiki.
"Gungnir… datto…" Genjuro said.
"Hah! Toh! Seiya!"
Rui kicked away any Noise that came close to them, as Hibiki had finished transforming. Looking down at her fists, Hibiki could feel the power inside her.
Power is bursting forth within me…
A single leaf, loosened by the shockwave, fluttered down to Hibiki, but when it touched her shoulder, it was incinerated. Rui stopped kicking the Noise and looked back at her sister.
"Wh-What?!" Ver shouted.
"Hibiki…?" Rui said.
The others could only watch, but saw that Hibiki was literally glowing quite brightly.
"That heat…" Kuriyo said.
"Tachibana-san…" Shiori said.
"...what's happening to her?" Yumi finished.
Hibiki took up a stance as Ver started to rant.
"Why must you interfere with my plans at every single turn?!" Ver screamed. "You'll pay!"
He aimed Solomon's Cane and summoned several more Noise. But they did nothing, as Hibiki sang, before kicking and punching every Noise in her way. She was unstoppable, but there was something different about her.
"Hibiki…" Miku said quietly.
"Girls, go!" Rui shouted, kicking away a Noise that had gotten close. "We'll take care of this!"
They nodded and ran back the way they came, but Miku kept looking back.
"Every time! Every! Single! Time!" Ver screamed as he kept summoning more Noise.
Hibiki drew her fist back, before rocketing forward. She kept on ripping through them like paper, but Ver's hordes of Noise were endless.
"You're open, bastard!"
Ver looked up to see Rui diving at him with her leg outstretched, crackling with electricity. He panicked, as one Tachibana came at him from in front, while the other came in from above.
But then something came out of nowhere, blocking the two of them. Hibiki's fist slammed into it, as did Rui's heel.
"A shield?!" Hibiki said.
"Surprise, it's a saw."
Rui kicked off and landed next to Hibiki, seeing Shirabe had brought out her buzzsaws to protect Ver, with Kirika supporting her by rooting Igalima's spikes into the ground.
"Shirabe-chan…? Kirika-chan…?" Hibiki said.
"You two again?" Rui said.
"The Shul Shagana I wield is much more versatile than its fearsome appearance would suggest." Shirabe said. "It's as capable at defense as it is at offense."
"Even so… it takes everything the two of us have just to hold them back, dess…" Kirika muttered quietly.
"Sorry about that, Kiri-chan." Shirabe apologized. "I can't plant my feet firmly in these heels."
"Don't sweat it, dess!" Kirika reassured her.
"The Disaster Relief Squad are hardly the sole users of heretical technology based on the Sakurai Theory." Nastassja said to Maria, as their invisible ship flew through the air. "Once the good doctor summoned Noise, locating him was child's play."
"But Mom-" Maria started.
"I know." She said. "If we can locate him, so can the enemy. We must make haste."
"Did you two hear that?" Maria said into the comm link.
"We will secure the doctor and escape as soon as possible." Shirabe said.
"Or at least, that's the plan…" Kirika said.
The two were struggling, as Hibiki kept on pushing forward. From between two buildings, someone watched it all unfold.
"Out of the way!" Rui shouted, delivering electrified roundhouse kicks to help Hibiki stay on the offense. The twins broke through, though Shirabe and Kirika gave up the defense and jumped back, Ver with them.
"...but it's not so easy once you add them to the equation." Kirika said.
Hibiki was breathing heavily, before she clutched her chest and fell to her knees.
"Hibiki!" Rui shouted, kneeling down by her sister. She could feel the heat emanating from her body.
She's burning up… what's happening?
While everyone was distracted, Ver pulled out two injection syringes.
"Here, a present in recognition of your good work!"
He plunged them into Kirika and Shirabe's necks, before they were empty soon after. The person in the shadows widened their eye.
"What the hell are you doing, dess?!" Kirika shouted, holding her neck.
"LiNKER…" Shirabe realized.
"We still have time left!" Kirika said.
"That's exactly why this was necessary." Ver said, fixing his glasses. "You need far higher energy output to battle against that monster. To that end, we must raise your sync rates at any cost."
Shirabe frowned. "But then, the effects from the overdose will-"
"Screw you!" Kirika shouted. "Why would we go so far for you?"
"You will." Ver said, mania slipping into his voice as he started to rant. "Or rather, you must. You cannot oppose me if you wish to save your comrades! Your home! Now that the old hag's condition has worsened, you have no choice but to follow my orders! Nastassja needs my skills as a biologist to contain her sickness. Now, will you use that power which transcends your mortal limits to save me?"
While Ver continued to laugh, the person in the alleyway watched everything unfold before they disappeared, none of the others aware of her presence.
He really is the lowest of the low… I know what I have to do now, Mel.
The screen analyzing Hibiki was turning red, as the words caution appeared all over it.
"Hibiki's condition is fluctuating rapidly!" Aoi shouted.
"Is this because of her fusion with the Gungnir?" Sakuya asked.
Genjuro tightly gripped the desk in frustration. "Where are the others?!"
"The two Gear users are rushing towards the scene." Aoi said.
"But they'll need a bit more time!" Sakuya said.
"What about Maia and Shuri-kun?" Genjuro asked.
"They're with their sisters." Aoi said. "They should arrive around the same time as them."
Tsubasa sped through the traffic on her motorcycle, weaving in-between the cars. Maia was right next to her, riding on Takemikazuchi in it's board form.
"Tachibana… don't you dare rush ahead…" Tsubasa muttered.
"No time to regret how we handled this." Maia said, gritting her teeth. "We need to get there as fast as we can."
"Right."
"You…"
"Hibiki?" Rui asked, as Hibiki slowly stood up.
Kirika and Shirabe started to feel the side effects of the LiNKER overdose. They had to move as soon as they could.
"Let's do it, Kiri-chan!" Shirabe said, wincing. "We have to bring him back to Mom, no matter what. That's our duty."
"You mean… use our Superb Song?" Kirika asked.
"Yes! Sing! Sing!" Ver screeched. "Studies have shown that the higher the sync rate, the less recoil is incurred! Now that I've pumped you full of LiNKER, you can sing your Superb Songs as much as you want!"
The two powered through the pain, before turning back to their foes.
"You bet we will, dess!" Kirika shouted.
The others had finished running, having gotten a safe distance away at Rui's orders.
"She'll be fine, right?" Yumi asked.
"Of course! There's no way Tachibana-san would go down here!" Shiori said.
"And Tachibana-san's with Bikki too." Kuriyo added. "Those two are unstoppable together. If we stayed, we'd only get in their way."
Miku only looked back down at the road they came from. She knew further down, her best friend and her sister were fighting to protect them all.
"Hibiki… Rui…"
Hibiki kept clutching her chest, as Rui kept telling her to breathe slowly.
Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal~
"What are they… singing?" Hibiki said, momentarily forgetting her own pain.
"Wait…" Rui widened her eyes. "That's…!"
Emustolronzen Finé el balal zizzl~
"Their Superb Songs?!" Hibiki realized.
Rui had paled, remembering the memory from so long ago.
The memory of Tsubasa clutching Kanade Amou as she turned to dust in her arms.
Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal~
"No!" Hibiki shouted. "Using LiNKER to power your Superb Song eats away at your life force!"
"Hear the goddess Zababa's Superb Song, and crumble away! Witness my flawless victory!" Ver screamed, rubbing the cloth-wrapped relic in his arms. "It's time to take my precious home!"
Emustolronzen Finé el zizzl~
The song finished, as Kirika and Shirabe felt the painful boost in power.
"Shul Shagana's Superb Song is an endless assault that can be made from any range." Shirabe said, as her gear transformed. "Even if you defend against it, it will render you immobile."
"And following on, Igalima's Superb Song cuts through the target's very soul in one slice." Kirika said, brandishing her morphing scythe. "No defense can possibly block it. Together, they are absolute, inescapable death!"
"Shit…" Rui said, taking a step back. "Not good… how-?"
Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal~
Emustolronzen Finé el balal zizzl~
Hibiki started to sing her own Superb Song, as the others realized something.
"Energy has dropped below the level required for Superb Songs." Shirabe said, as her relic transformed back to normal.
"The pressure is gone?" Kirika said, as her scythe shifted back into a more simpler state.
"Set! Harmonics!" Hibiki shouted.
All the energy in the area went to one target; Hibiki.
"She's leeching away our energy?!" Kirika said.
Hibiki grimaced, as she felt the energy gather in her.
BA-DUMP
She took one step, and the ground around her foot lit on fire.
"Hibiki!" Rui shouted.
"Oneesan… get back…" Hibiki said.
"But-!"
"I don't want you… to get hurt…"
Rui clenched her fist, before retreating to the side.
"I won't let you sing your Superb Songs…" Hibiki said.
Her armor became much more powerful and bulkier, before she aimed her fist skyward.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
A multicolored tornado of energy was launched from her fist, kicking up dust and shaking the area around them. Rui held up her arms to protect her face as the aura forced her against a building.
The girls had seen what was going on from their safe distance. Miku's lip started to quiver.
"No… I don't want Hibiki to leave me again!" Miku said, before she started running back.
"Kohinata-san!" Shiori said.
"What's wrong?!" Kuriyo yelled. "Hina!"
Maria watched as she saw the destruction from a screen on the ship. She saw Hibiki in her glowing state. "She took all that immense destructive power into her body?"
"The power to bind anything together allows her to harness and control the Superb Songs of others." Nastassja said. "I suppose this much was nothing for her."
Nastassja put a hand over her mouth and started to cough again.
"Mom!"
"Don't concern yourself with me." She said.
The monitor beeped, showing two more symbols on it, blue and red.
"These readings…" Maria muttered.
"It seems they caught up." Nastassja concluded, before pressing the comm link.
"Can you hear me?" Nastassja told Kirika and Shirabe. "Get the doctor and hurry back on board."
"But this is our chance." Shirabe said, looking at Hibiki who was still reeling from the energy she had released. She was standing in a crater, with flames all around her.
"We've detected two other relic users approaching you at high speeds." Maria said. "We believe they are the wielders of Ame-no-Habakiri and Ichaival."
"You are also suffering from LiNKER overdose." Nastassja said, as the ship materialized. "Withdraw. That's an order."
"...understood, dess." Kirika said.
The two grabbed onto the ropes that the ship lowered, with Kirika holding Ver. They got on the ship, before looking back down at Hibiki once as the ship went invisible again.
"My body hasn't suffered any damage at all, even though we sang our Superb Songs." Kirika noted, looking at her hands.
"Could she have protected us?" Shirabe said, before looking down in confusion. "But why?"
Miku had arrived on the scene, where she saw Hibiki standing in a crater, while Rui stood on the edge of it.
"Hibiki!" Miku shouted.
Hibiki fell to her knees again, her back to Miku and Rui. Unbeknownst to them, relic-like shards had begun to form around Hibiki's scar. Miku tried to run forward, but Rui held out an arm.
"Rui!" Miku shouted. "Let me go!"
"I would, but…"
Rui picked up a scrap of paper, and tossed it at Hibiki. Miku widened her eyes as it ignited itself and burned up almost instantly.
"Something's happening to Hibiki… and I don't know what…" Rui said, gritting her teeth. "We can't get close…"
"No!" Miku shouted. "Hibiki!"
Miku tried to run forward again, ducking under Rui's arm, but someone else came and stopped her.
"Get back!" Chris shouted, already in her gear as she and Shuri arrived onto the scene. "You'll sear the flesh from your bones! Shuri! Try and cool her off!"
"But… Hibiki!" Miku yelled, as Chris and Rui held her back.
Shuri aimed Okami at the ground near Hibiki's feet, and fired one of her cryokinetic bullets. But to her shock, it detonated in the form of a puddle that evaporated instantaneously.
"This won't work…" Shuri said. "What's happening to Hibiki-san?"
The group heard the rev of a motorcycle, as well as a familiar chant.
"Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri tron~"
Maia landed next to the girls, as Tsubasa ramped off some rubble and slashed across a water tower with a huge blade on her motorcycle.
Flash of the Rider's Blade
Huge waves of water poured down onto Hibiki, and the steam made from the heat made it almost impossible to see her.
"Hibiki! Hibiki!" Miku shouted.
Tsubasa landed her bike, before walking up to the others. The water stopped, and the steam started to fade as Hibiki lay on the ground, transformed back to normal, and unconscious. Tsubasa's actions had successfully cooled her off.
"Did I fail in protecting her?" She said to herself.
"Fail in protecting her?" Chris repeated.
"You…" Rui grabbed Tsubasa by the collar. "Did you know this would happen to her?!"
"...I'm sorry, Rui." Maia said sadly.
"Hey! What are you two talking about?!" Chris yelled. "Spit it out!"
"Hibiki…" Miku said, kneeling next to her friend. "Hibiki! HIBIKI!"
"Vital signs are stable. You're quite fit for your age." Ver said, working at the monitor, before turning his head to Nastassja, who was lying on an examination table. "Or do you just stubbornly cling to life?"
"I'm glad." Shirabe said.
"And I'm so glad!" Kirika said
Nastassja adjusted her head, looking at the girls. She thought to herself as they looked on in concern.
What was I trying to make these gentle girls do? I should've realized sooner that a few petty acts of terrorism would do nothing to protect us from the impending calamity.
Miku sat in Sector Two's lounge, hands clasped together in silent prayer as she waited to hear Hibiki's condition. Shuri sat next to her, but neither of them spoke much. Everyone else was much closer to the operating room, because they had to hold down Rui from breaking in herself. Thankfully, the silence was broken by Ogawa's footsteps as he arrived.
"Is Hibiki-san…?" Shuri asked.
"The emergency surgery was a success." He told them.
"Success?" Miku repeated, standing up. "So Hibiki will be alright?"
"...yes. But, there's something you two should know. Please, come with me."
"Now, let us cut to the heart of the matter." Ver said, pulling up a monitor to show an odd grey heart-like object that occasionally beat red.
"Is that the Nephilim?" Maria asked.
"It was quite a challenge to bring its awakened heart back." Ver said. "It has not consumed enough relics to reach its full power output. THis heart, and the object you retrieved five years ago... Have you forgotten?"
He pointed at Maria, who widened her eyes.
"You, Finé, took the Shénshòujìng from the archeologists at Mt. Minakami." Ver said.
"Right… Of course." Maria sait, though there was hesitation and confusion in her tone.
"Not all of Maria's memories have recovered yet." Nastassja said, back in her chair. "And besides, handling relics is my job. Please direct further inquiries at me."
Ver mockingly bowed. "Pardon my impudence. Let us return to the subject at hand. We finally have Shénshòujìng, needed to release the seal on the Frontier, and the Nephilim's heart, needed to activate the Frontier itself."
"We have also determined where it is sealed away." Nastassja said.
Ver started clapping with false cheer in his voice. "Indeed! The preparations for this grand party are complete! Now all that's left is to make mankind dance to our mad rhapsody."
He started to maniacally laugh, as the others ignored him.
"We shall soon advance to the final stage of the plan." Nastassja said. "For now, though, let us rest."
While she wheeled out of the room and the other girls followed her, Ver shook his head, letting out a brief chuckle.
Ogawa led Miku and Shuri into the command center of the HQ, before leaving shortly to deal with something else. They saw Genjuro waiting for them. Chris bent over and leaned against one of the monitor stations, while Rui had their back to them, looking at a wall.
"Shuri-kun, Miku-kun. There is something I want you to know."
The diagram appeared on the screen, and they both gasped at what they were seeing. It was an x-ray of Hibiki, but blood-red, root-like veins ran all across her body, all originating from her heart.
"I-Is that…?" Shuri asked, unable to finish her sentence.
"Fuck this shit…!" Chris cursed, kicking the desk. Rui however, said nothing.
"The relic fragments buried in Hibiki's chest are spreading throughout her body." Genjuro explained. "If they spread much further, she will no longer be herself."
Miku was shocked, but she took a deep breath, before calmly asking. "Does that mean they won't spread further if she doesn't fight?"
He nodded. "You, Hibiki's best friend, are one of the strongest links she has to an ordinary life. I suspect her spending time with you is the only thing that can hold the Gungnir back."
"I can help her…?" Miku asked. "But wait, you said one of… do you mean…?"
"Correct." He looked at Rui. "Both you and Rui-kun. Please, protect her."
"..."
Everyone turned to Rui, who hadn't moved or said anything.
"Rui-san?" Shuri asked, caution in her voice.
"...where are they?" Rui said, voice low.
"Where are… who?" Miku asked.
"Tsubasa and that idiot sister of hers." Rui said, tightening her fists so hard that her nails cut into her palms. "Where are they? I need to beat the shit out of them."
"Hey!" Chris said, seeing the blood run down her hands. "I'm pissed at them too, but they had a good reason not to say anything. Calm down-"
"CALM DOWN?!" Rui screamed, silencing everyone. "HOW THE FUCK DO YOU EXPECT ME TO CALM DOWN?!"
She whipped around, tears flowing out of her bloodshot eyes and running down her face.
"YOU'RE TELLING ME TO CALM DOWN WHEN THOSE TWO, BLUE-HAIRED BITCHES DIDN'T TELL ME THAT MY SISTER WAS FUCKING DYING?!" She yelled. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH IT FUCKING HURTS, THAT MY SISTER IS TURNING INTO SOMETHING THAT ISN'T HUMAN ANYMORE?!"
She punched a wall, slightly denting it and causing her knuckles to also bleed, but she didn't care.
"IF THIS GODDAMN PLACE CAN'T FIND A FUCKING CURE FOR HER, I FUCKING SWEAR TO GOD THAT I'LL-!"
She was cut off, as Miku pulled her into a hug. Tears of her own were starting to form.
"Rui… I know it hurts a lot. It hurts me too." She said, voice shaking. "But shouting won't get us anywhere. We need to make sure Hibiki has a normal life until they find a way to save her."
Miku stopped hugging her, and stepped back, giving Rui some space. Rui took a shaky breath, trying to calm down. She looked at Genjuro, the rage drained from her.
"...could a heart transplant work?"
The others looked alarmed at this.
"If the heart is what's causing the problems… Hibiki and I should be similar enough… then-"
"Out of the question." Chris said. "Think for a moment. You think we'd sacrifice you?"
"But if Hibiki is saved…"
"That wouldn't work." Genjuro said. "The relic has spread far too much at this rate."
"Then take it out of her and put it in me!" Rui shouted, raising her voice.
"Rui-san…" Shuri said.
"Hibiki… she's been through enough… she deserves a future." She said, the tears coming back. "Me…? I'm a good for nothing loser and shitty sister that's better off dead… sacrificing myself for Hibiki would be the only good thing I ever do… So if it's possible… let me-"
SMACK
Rui's cheek stung as she felt the strike. She put a hand to it, as she looked at the culprit; Chris, who had also begun to cry.
"How stupid are you?!" Chris yelled. "Do you really think any of us would be happy if you were gone?!"
"But if Hibiki-"
"If you die for her, that's gonna haunt her for the rest of her life!" Chris shouted. "Don't treat dying to protect someone you love… as the only option…"
Chris furiously wiped her eyes, as Shuri put a reassuring hand on her sister's shoulder, before looking at Rui.
"Rui-san…" Shuri said kindly, trying not to cry herself. "I promise that Maia-san and I will work extra hard in your absence. Just please… don't be a martyr, be the sister Hibiki-san needs."
Genjuro looked at Miku and Rui once more. "I ask again, will you two protect Hibiki-kun?"
"I promise." Miku said.
"...yeah." Rui agreed, all the fight having left her body.
It was already next morning, as Kirika and Shirabe walked out of the supermarket, holding plastic bags with groceries.
"Having fun shopping is one thing, but lugging all the bags back is quite another, dess!" Kirika said.
"It's all we can do." Shirabe said. "Until the effects of the LiNKER overdose wear off, we're stuck with kitchen duty."
They walked in momentary silence, before Kirika spoke up. "I'll carry yours, dess! You don't seem to be doing as well."
"I appreciate it, but I'm fine." Shirabe reassured.
"Hmm... then let's just take a break, dess!" Kirika said.
Shirabe sighed, but smiled. "Okay, Kiri-chan."
Back by the ship, Maria had wheeled Nastassja out for some fresh air.
"After everything that's happened, I know all too well how weak my resolve and determination really are." Maria said to her. "I also know what's waiting for us in the end."
She stepped out in front of her.
"So please, Mom, allow me to-"
"That will not be necessary." Nastassja said.
Maria raised her eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Kirika and Shirabe sat at a construction site, where Kirika pulled out some baked goods from the grocery bags.
"There are a lot of icky things around here, but I couldn't even imagine this kind of freedom when I was at the facility, dess." Kirika said, before taking a bite.
"Mm… that's right."
Shirabe responded with not much in her voice, not even opening her snack. After swallowing, Kirika looked down.
"We were locked up in the facility as potential vessels of Finé's soul." Kirika said sadly. "But Maria relieved us of that burden, harboring that soul by herself. It must be so scary to cease being who you are. We made her endure that all on her own."
She finished the rest of her bread, before turning to her friend. But to her shock, Shirabe was sweating, her expression pale and unfocused as she breathed slowly.
"Shirabe!" Kirika said, alarmed. "Were you always that pale?"
"I'm fine." Shirabe insisted, standing up. "Now that I've rested for a bit-"
"Shirabe!"
She suddenly fell over into several metal rods, causing a chain reaction as several more higher up started to fall as well. Kirika protectively covered Shirabe, holding up a hand to try and fruitlessly stop it.
"You don't have to play the great Finé anymore." Nastassja told her.
"Mom? What are you saying?" Maria asked.
"Because you, Maria Cadenzavna Eve, harbor not the slightest trace of Finé's soul." She said. "You are simply the kind girl I've always known. Finé's soul failed to reincarnate in any of the potential vessels. That is all."
"What…?" Maria said, shocked.
"You know, I had a feeling that was the case."
The two turned at the new voice, before they saw a familiar brown ponytail and eyepatch come out from behind a tree.
"It was tres évident, when one thinks about it." She said, with a shrug.
"Jeanne?" Maria asked.
"Sorry I've been gone for so long." She said. "But after hearing that, I think there's a change of plans now, isn't there, Mom?"
Nastassja nodded. "I'm not sure that you're open to the idea, but-"
"I'm in." Jeanne said.
"That fast?" Maria said.
Nastassja smiled. "Thank you, Jeanne."
"Don't thank me just yet." Jeanne said. "Thank me when we actually do it."
Unbeknownst to the three of them, Ver had overheard everything from behind a tree, and chuckled to himself.
Kirika kept waiting for the impact, but it never came.
"Huh? What-?"
She opened her eyes, and saw the pink hexagonal barrier that had protected them. Shirabe lay unconscious, not knowing what was happening around her.
"Wh-What's going on…?" Kirika said, still in complete shock at what was happening.
This barrier… did she make it? Did that mean… Finé's soul didn't reincarnate in Maria… it reincarnated…
...in her?
A/N: And cliffhanger.
Rui's reaction was by far one of the my favorite parts to write. While in-canon, no one had exactly lashed out like that when they found out about Hibiki's condition. Rui's here to fulfil that empty spot.
As for a smaller announcement, this story will go on hiatus for a month. I'll need a bit of a break from it as I work on some of my other stories (which you can check out). The next chapter will be up on September 5th.
Feel free to leave a review. See you all next time.