Anticipation

"Are you absolutely sure about this, Sis?"

Laya's voice came through the receiver, her sister rolling her eyes as she looked over the sealed glass in the lab. The Gear was already at the coordinates, so there should have been no reason she was getting cold feet with how far she traveled. "You're doubting me now? You're already out there," Leia acknowledged, her glass box before her hissing as the red crystal was finally made available to her. She did more than enough work over the previous week to get this perfect, only now reaching the apex of her hastily committed efforts. It could have been polished a bit more, but as is, it was just fine.

"Well, yeah, but..."

Laya was ready to voice her concerns again, even though her sister was right. The second opening of the Yggdrasil System they were opting to investigate was off in the middle of a forest, one that was just far enough from any civilization that it wouldn't call attention to them. From what Leia explained, this specific area was one that had the third highest reading of energy at the time of the Yggdrasil System's activation. She thought of going off to the spot with the highest reading, but with how S.O.N.G. was on their tail, they more than likely had that spot heavily guarded.

Leia provided her input, "Just listen. Your job is just like last time. Go in, find anything of note, then come out."

Laya knew exactly what the job was, she didn't have a problem with that. The issue came from the implications of their last discussion about their tactics.

"And if I see her...?"

Of course she'd bring up the user of Ichaival. From what Laya told her, on a trip last year, she was attacked by Alca-Noise. She would have immediately teleported home, since she always carried a teleport gem with her, but she never got the chance to use it after being caught off-guard. She was nearly finished until a rain of gunfire fell upon the Noise, followed by a girl in a set of red armor who was singing as she fought. The only thing she got from that encounter about that girl was a name, as the girl declared, "Red Singing Hood was coming to the rescue!" It made more sense why Laya was apprehensive about this, but the alchemist didn't care. If anything, she found it very annoying.

"You can invite her to our place and we can have snacks and a movie night."

"R-Really?"

Leia pinched the bridge of her nose, ready to let out a groan. It was bad enough that her sister had personal attachment to two of the Gear users of S.O.N.G., but it was the third one that was going to be a problem in Leia's eyes. "Obviously not," Leia chastised, dropping the sarcasm that she had in her voice moments prior, "If you are found out, make sure that you escape."

Laya had a pout on her face, the retort from Leia shutting down any chance she had of being able to reconcile any bad blood between her savior and her sister. Without any need for a signal, she dove into the trees, ready to swoop into the opening. The faster she got it done, the sooner she could leave and not have to worry about any surprise visitors.

The alchemist held the gem up to her eye, examining the thorn-like patterns on the inside of her creation. It looked different to the Philosopher's Stones in the diagrams and footage she reviewed, this not being in a heart shape and instead being in the shape of a kite. Perhaps it was because she did it in a rush, but considering that she could still feel the power radiating from it, she didn't see it as a failure. It was just a couple more tweaks to an otherwise perfect first attempt. "It's just about done too," she muttered, that act of marveling at perfection being short-lived as her sister grunted through the earpiece.

"Gah-!"

Leia swiveled her chair towards the screen above her, the view now displaying point-of-view footage of being sent back between the trees. When the camera stopped, she could make out two figures: one with a pink yo-yo and two sheets of armor resembling twintails and the other being a green scythe that launched several blades between the forestry. The entire time, the two girls that were wielding these weapons were singing, the readings on these two individuals' phonic gain increasing drastically on Leia's monitor.

"The Blades of Zababa are here? How did they...?"

She knew that they would have to deal with these two eventually, which was why she made preparations in the first place. However, there was no reason why any of S.O.N.G.'s units should have been there. Without a moment's notice, she tossed the Philosopher's Stone into the air, falling right into Nidhogg's mouth. The dragon had been observing these events the entire time, keeping quiet on Leia's end until prompted, but now...

[Insert: Cutting Edge×2 Ready go! - Yoshino Nanjō & Ai Kayano]

"All according to plan, dess!"

Kirika's scythe swung forward; the green blade being deflected by Laya's tail as she tried to defend herself. She was caught off-guard by these two, Kirika's green blending in with the forestry just enough for her to be able to sneak up on the unsuspecting Gear user. While she thought that she would have been fine against one of them, the aerial barrage of pink and black buzzsaws were completely out of left field. Thankfully, the wings on her back came up to defend her, spinning as a barrier to shatter the weapons coming her way. When she saw the culprit of the assault, the other Relic user's song was made much more audible, as if the whirring of the wheels on her feet crushing the dead branches on the ground wasn't already.

"Wait, wait, wait!"

Laya tried to deter the two, putting her hands up in defense as the duo came after her. The two looked a bit younger than her, so that hampered her idea of fighting them, even if they were donning the Symphogear system.

"Ready, go!"

The duo rushed ahead, their attacks and their songs now in sync with each other, even if the words they spoke were ever-so-slightly different. Shirabe threw one of the two yo-yos from her hand, sharp blades extending from it as it tore up the ground. As it neared, Laya put her arm out, one of the wings swooping in and blocking the toy from getting any closer. "Even if we're immature and incomplete, we won't run away."

With another lyric belted out, Kirika appeared from the air, the shoulder pads on Igalima releasing grappling chains to capture the trespasser. Laya tried to deflect the attack with two of Nidhogg's wings, but she was just a tad too slow in retaliation, her body and the wings from being caught in the chains before a blast could be fired to shatter them. Before she could even think of another plan, a blade much larger than all the scythes before came down upon Laya.

(The Slasher: Jabberwock)

Without a moment to spare, the wings that were trapped by Igalima exuded a barrier, giving the chain enough slack for Laya to slip out before the attack landed, causing a massive bout of rumbling on the ground floor. She backed away, trying to create distance, but Shul Shagana was immediately on her tail. "The histories we surpassed by believing and creating turn into stars." A wave of buzzsaws launched from Shirabe's Armed Gear, all of them trying to be one step ahead of Laya to keep her in one spot.

(Alpha Style: 100 Samsara)

Laya could see this coming, her wings coming to her aid after being freed from the chains. Their blasters finally revealed themselves, opening fire on a portion of the saws that fell, while Laya's tail deflected the remaining ones that she didn't dodge. It was good, considering that she didn't need to make too many extra moves and could conserve energy, but she couldn't help but notice that the two were quite relentless. Igalima returned in front of her, the scythe now transformed into a halberd that nearly took off Laya's head had she not dove under it. The brunette took hold of the halberd's handle, using the momentum of Kirika's swing to force the weapon onto the ground and propel Laya upward.

"We'll shine now, at this moment, too, and support the light... look!"

Once she got into the air, the trees were threaded with a bright pink string, another attempt to trap her by Shul Shagana.

(Beta Style: Prison Thread Dance)

She caught herself on one of the strings, using it to bounce herself up even higher as she used the trap to her advantage. Her wings soon followed, but the higher she got, the quieter the singing of the two were. She had gotten to fly above the trees, ready to breathe a sigh of relief as the blue sky flooded her vision. She was so caught up in finding an escape that she never thought of just rising above the trees. However, her relief was very short-lived, the tune that was chasing after her now soaring slightly higher than she was.

When her eyes followed the flash of pink and green, the two made their move, their fingers intertwined as two weapons appeared at the bottom of their feet. In the case of Shirabe, the compartment on her leg opened, a massive saw revealing itself, while on the end of Kirika, the Armed Gear she had transformed into a curved blade that was equally as large.

"People are waiting for us...! Let's go together, my twin heart!"

(Sigma Style: Giant Blade's Fall)

(Wicked Leg: Gulliver)

Laya gritted her teeth, putting her arms up as her wings intercepted the attack, a barrier stopping any sort of contact with her. However, while the attack didn't hit her, it didn't stop her from being pushed back down to the ground. After an impact on the ground that shook the forestation around them, Laya let out a groan, even if she remained mostly unharmed. Their attacks were progressively getting stronger, just like when she fought Maria and Tsubasa, but this time, the slope of the increase felt much more drastic.

Granted, she didn't want to fight them, but she had to try harder to defend herself. She wanted to get out of there, if not for the fact of who she was fighting, but also because the expedition already felt like a lost cause. With a flick of her wrist, the wings that blocked the attack flung the Blades of Zababa back, the tail stabbing the ground and burrowing behind Laya.

"These two are..."

Once the two landed on their feet, the metal tail erupted from the ground in multiple areas, almost as if it were sprouting like roots. Kirika and Shirabe were stuck in a metal web, though Laya only needed this for a moment. The moment the two were sealed, the wings began to whir, propelling Laya back in a completely opposite direction away from them. "I won't let you get away, dess," Kirika yelled out, though there wasn't much she could do while stuck within the confines of metal. Even bringing down her scythe upon the entrapment wasn't enough, as slashing at it had no effect. However, Laya could only give an apologetic smile, waving them goodbye as she hastily made her escape.

"Sorry, gotta go!"

Laya weaved through the trees that stood before her as she flew, only recalling the second part of her Armed Gear the moment she knew she gained enough distance between herself and the other Gear users. After flying over a lake, the detachable tail flew out from the water, having burrowed its way back to her rather than having it attract back to her like a magnet. She would have had it fly back to her, but she feared it would give away her location considering that she was going in every direction to make sure she wasn't going in a straight line.

"It's good that you got out in one piece. The Blades of Zababa are worrying, to say the least," Nidhogg informed the wearer, finally giving the first input after what felt like an intense fight. It didn't have much to say, since Laya wasn't injured after her encounter and was trying to make it to her sister as fast as possible, but this was the second time she had heard that name.

"The blades of whaaaAAAAAA-"

She was ready to ask Nidhogg for clarification about that phrase, but before she could, two beams of light flew right at her. She spun around the light, the source of the attacks stemming from a girl brandishing a flowing white and purple armament. Miku swung her arm forward, the straps on her arm catching one of Laya's legs and spiraling her into a completely different direction. The moment she was slammed into a tree and broke it, she took the chance to free herself, spinning herself to release the hold of the ribbon and getting out as fast as she could.

"She's heading your way, Chris!"

"Don't need to tell me twice!"

Laya heard the exchange between the two voices, and while she didn't recognize one of them, the other was imprinted in her mind from day one. A volley of bullets fell in front of her, coming after her in a continuous stream as she forced herself to back up and evade. Her eyes trailed the source of the assault, falling upon Chris, stationed up in a tree mercilessly unleashing ammo on her enemy with a gatling gun on her left arm. However, Laya couldn't help but raise her voice in surprise as she brought the wings up to defend from the oncoming attack.

"OH, NOT YOU TOO!"

The shots bounced off her wings, the barrier working as more than enough to allow her to charge forward and pass by the artillery. She leapt forward, the speed advantage and flight she retained in the Gear working wonders to get her out of Chris's range. Without those wings in use, her flying speed decreased drastically, but it was still enough where a Gear without flight wouldn't be able to catch up to her.

Running straight through Chris's onslaught, Laya's tail attacked the tree Chris was standing in with a quick slash by one of the wings. She couldn't help but apologize internally after hearing the tree crash to the ground, but she figured that Red Singing Hood wouldn't get hurt from a fall like that, so it was fair to make sure she stopped shooting at her. She heard Chris's dismay as she fell, but didn't stick around for too long before making it out of her sight.

"You've brought a party."

Nidhogg's remark lit a fuse in Laya, though her mood was still a bit livid considering the last two opponents that tried to subdue her.

"I WASN'T TRYING TO!"

She didn't care if she alerted others to her location, since it seemed like they already had said location at every turn. It wasn't like she could turn her voice down right now either, she was too high in emotion to calm down right now. At least, not while she was trying to escape. The fact that four different Adapters were here outside of her was already stressing her out. She didn't know how they found out where they were, but the blonde girl from earlier said that it was going "according to plan", which implied that they knew she was going to be there. It wasn't like Leia made their plan known, so...

"Ugh, I need a breather..."

She was hoping that this would end soon, but considering how far she diverted from the end that she was trying to leave from after Miku's throw and Chris's gunfire, she needed to get to another end of the forest. That thought of hers was immediately cut short as a massive reflective barrier descended from the sky, stopping her right in her tracks. It was close to taking her head off, but the sound of cutting through wind brought her attention up above before she needed to dodge. She could see her reflection in the wall, the shocked expression staring straight back at her as she uttered, "Wait... a wall?"

"It's not a wall. It's a sword."

The voice came from above, causing Laya to look up and see the culprit of the blockade. As her eyes took in the "wall" before her, she noticed that the mysterious voice was correct about their declaration. The edges of the object seemed to widen the higher up it went, the appearance being more akin to a blade the longer she looked at it. At the top stood a familiar figure, arms crossed as she looked down upon the black wings that didn't even bother to move away from the sword.

"Tsubasa-san!?"

Her eyes widened, the foe she faced before now cutting off her path to escape. Out of everyone to stop her, Tsubasa and Chris were the only people she expected to see. Everyone else she saw were all brand-new faces to her, including the one that was coming right at her from the right side of the sword.

"Oraaaaa!"

The black wings came up automatically, blocking the gyrating drill that came after her. Sparks flew at the barrier made contact, but after a push of energy, the attacker was forced back, dragging up leaves as the drill stopped spinning and transformed into a gauntlet.

"Well, seems like everyone's here!"

This time, it was Maria's voice that made itself known, the silver Symphogear stepping around from the other side of the giant sword that Tsubasa had brought down. Meanwhile, Hibiki, who had just got sent flying, regained her composure, standing strong as if nothing had happened.

While Laya recognized Maria and Tsubasa from their music, she recognized Hibiki from a different place. She remembered a broadcast from back with the Frontier Incident, seeing that same face right as tensions were running high. From what she recalled, it was right before a massive red being appeared in the sky, only to vanish without a trace. After seeing what Hibiki did with Maria's Gungnir, she could only assume that the disappearance of the giant was a result of her, which made her more frightening.

Maria on one side, Hibiki on another, while Tsubasa looked on from above. There still was a route she could go, but...

"That was a lot of running, dess..."

The Blades of Zababa showed up moments later, Kirika planting her scythe onto the ground and leaning on it while Shirabe held up one of her yo-yos. "Welp, there's that plan down the drain," Laya thought to herself, being surrounded by all angles. It wasn't long before Miku and Chris both arrived as well, Chris being carried by Miku as they descended on either side of Hibiki. "Seems like you're cornered," Nidhogg inputted, an obvious observation from the all-knowing tome. At this point, it was now seven-against-one, unless Nidhogg was added into the count, but if Relics were a part of the equation, that would make fourteen-to-two, which made the odds so much worse.

"I don't think I'd use the word "seems" here, Nids..."

Laya muttered under her breath, the Adapters inching ever closer to her. She stepped back, but once she reached the sword that was positioned behind her, she had nowhere else to go. Flying up wasn't an option considering where Tsubasa was, while digging downward was bound to get her caught. "The jig is up! I'm not gonna' forgive you for what you did last time," Chris exclaimed, aiming her Armed Gear at Laya accusingly. While everything else was bad enough as is, having who she considered to be her savior now pointing a barrel down her face wasn't something she woke up expecting today.

"But I didn't do anything!"

She was quick to defend herself, since she was correct to an extent. She hadn't done anything to disrupt them yet, the closest thing being the time she dealt with the idol duo. She didn't even do anything to the Blades of Zababa, since her actions were primarily evading and blocking them off. However, the way Chris spoke, she made it sound like Laya did something to tilt her specifically, which was blatantly untrue outside of defending herself a couple of minutes ago. There was no "last time" for them, but Nidhogg was quick to remind Laya of prior events.

"Your sister."

Once that bombshell was dropped on her, she was reminded that Leia did fight against Chris and two other Adapters, being the other two on Chris's left side. She could see how this was going now, the two sisters getting mixed up in all this, despite wearing completely different weapons.

"Ah... uh... wait, you've got the wrong girl! I'm not-!"

When she raised her hands up in defense, Kirika held her scythe up to her face, Shirabe doing the same with one of her buzzsaws. They were just far enough so they wouldn't hurt her should she move her head, but close enough that she wouldn't consider escaping without careful thought. "And we're just supposed to believe you," Shirabe questioned, prompting Laya to nod furiously.

"Yeah! That was just my sis, it wasn't me!"

The moment a sibling was mentioned, the group all turned to each other with confused looks, some mixed with anger and others with utter bewilderment. The fact that Laya even mentioned a sister was news to them, since their information told them that there was only one child born to the alchemist Stella Noire. If this was the case, their information was still lacking, but it didn't make sense why that information was omitted.

"She thinks we're stupid..."

Chris was the first to break the silence, shaking her head as she pinched the bridge of her nose with her free hand. Miku and Hibiki looked to each other with eyebrows raised, while the Blades of Zababa were contemplating the possibility of there being a second Noire lying in wait. The girl didn't look like she was lying, she seemed completely genuine. Not to mention, unlike the girl they fought before, Hibiki noticed that this girl's eyes were much kinder compared to the other's. With the other girl, she looked down upon them like they were less than dirt, but this one's expression was much more caring. It made her more inclined to believe that this girl was telling nothing but the truth.

While the group was all having their own reactions, Laya could only let out a groan, wondering what their plans were going to be with that information. She didn't expect it to stump them that hard.

"Uh..."

Maria was the one to step forward, though the grip on the blade in her hand loosened slightly. She wasn't above giving others a chance to explain themselves, especially considering her track record with the F.I.S. and her redemption. If there was another Noire, they'd just get information out of the one in front of them first. "I'm sorry, but we still have to take you into custody, even if it is to ask some questions about your trespassing," Maria informed, reaching out her other hand. She made sure to keep her palm open, a way of showing that she'd put trust in this person and that it wouldn't resort to what was essentially a kidnapping. Laya saw this move, noting how little hostility Maria was displaying despite her words.

She did trespass on private property, so it was only right for them to want to answer some questions. Her hands fell to her sides as the Blades of Zababa inched back ever-so-slightly to allow Maria to get closer, her eyes locked on the hand extended out to her. Without any thought, she went to reach for Maria's hand, not even Nidhogg stopping her. After all, what was the worst that could happen if she took her hand here?

"Wai-"

Before the two could clasp hands, a powerful tornado engulfed Laya, pushing back all the S.O.N.G. Adapters with a single move. The group were all sent in different directions, even Tsubasa's sword taking the brunt of a massive gust of wind that shattered it to pieces before anyone could realize it. The one to call it out was Tsubasa, though she was too slow in warning everyone before an attack was launched. However, after being caught by Maria, she would try to analyze the situation through the searing pain in her arm. The attack landed on her first before anyone else after being caught off-guard, so she cursed herself for not being faster.

The tornado spiraled, only to widen and encompass the area around them, causing all the Adapters to bring up their defenses. Shirabe increased the size of her saws, using them as a barrier to defend both halves of Zababa. Maria wasted no time bringing three of Airgetlám's swords up, erecting a clear barrier that took the winds head-on. The back panels of Chris's Gear opened up, her mighty reflectors standing in the way of the tornado and her friends behind her.

Only a moment later, an entire section of the forest was leveled, not a single tree in sight for miles after the display of power. The newcomer could have gotten rid of everything, but doing that was completely unnecessary, considering that it was merely a test of her new capabilities.

"What the...?"

Chris let down her remaining reflectors, some of them being shattered after the contact with the gales fired at her. They could reflect the blast fired at the moon years ago and got many upgrades since then, so how could they be broken as easily? It wasn't like this attack was from the Shénshòujìng, the Relic eraser, so why...?

"Alchemy...?"

Hibiki recognized the attack immediately, especially after seeing how similar it was to the other attacks they've seen. Not to mention, the green circle was still in the air before fading away into nothing after the new girl spread her mechanical wings.

"Sis!"

Laya jumped for joy after seeing her sister come to her rescue. She appeared at the most opportune time, all while everyone was in a false sense of security, just to slam them with an unsuspecting wave of alchemy. The chance was just too good to take advantage of. However, the more Laya looked at her sister, the more she realized that something was off about her. There weren't the eyes of a calculated mastermind that her sister wore here, these were much more akin to an excited child who just got a new toy.

"Didn't expect them all to be here at once."

Leia's words were oozing with confidence, similarly to her encounter with S.O.N.G. previously. Unlike that previous fight, though, Leia's excitement was much more apparent, even if the stern look on her face never changed. On the other side of the leveled fighting ground, Miku looked over Leia's Faust Robe. Laya was telling the truth, from what it seemed. She did have a sister and they didn't fight her, considering that this new girl swooped in with the same Faust Robe that they dealt with before. However, something was... different.

It wasn't like before, this time, there was more of a gleam to the clothes she wore. The armor that covered her legs was higher, covering more as the endpoints shifted slightly to the sides. The headpiece she wore shone as if it were just finished being polished, the same went for the metal bars that held her wings. Even the cape itself looked longer and the transparent energy exuding from the wings looked brighter.

With all these observations, the trio of Chris, Miku and Hibiki were all dead silent, but they felt like someone had to say something. In the midst of this, all Hibiki could utter was a simple phrase.

"It's... so bright..."

And just like that, the reveal is here! Obviously, we knew that there were two of them, but now, S.O.N.G. does too! The question is... how will S.O.N.G. respond to this? Guess you'll have to find out in the next chapter!