Sympho-Saber: Song of Swords
RXU:EP06 – Phoenix's Strife
Chris and Desast were currently staring each other down in an alleyway, the Wielder and Megid slowly but surely approaching each other.
"Here you go," Chris said as she held Desast's Alter Ride Book out.
Desast walked over and grabbed it, looking it over before nodding, "Thanks."
"I should be saying that," Chris said as she turned away, "Thanks for believing in me."
"I figured you of all people wouldn't betray me," Desast replied as he also turned away, "That being said…"
"I'll pay you back with some instant ramen," Chris answered almost immediately, "But not today."
"Oh?" Desast looked over his shoulder, "Babysitting again?"
"No, the dummy called everyone available for an important meeting at lunch today," Chris replied, "I just figured I'd finally give you back your book while I was on the way."
"Well thanks for thinking of little old me," Desast chuckled before walking off, "Now give me a good show when it comes to shutting up the Megid."
"Sure thing," Chris smirked before heading off.
Michiko was currently in Fantastic Bookstore Kamiyama, or rather the living area as she was getting everything in order for her next overseas trip courtesy of SONG. Of course despite insisting she was fine, Miku had decided to come and help out.
"You really didn't have to do this," Michiko insisted as she made sure she had everything in order from SONG.
"I figured it's the least I could do," Miku admitted, "After all, you and your husband have helped us out so much back when the concert incident occurred."
"You say that but you've been just as big a help," Michiko answered, "After all, you were there for my son and Hibiki. Without your support I'm sure it would've been harder."
"You really think so?" Miku asked in surprise.
"Of course," Michiko smiled, "Being a good friend and being there for the both of them is something irreplaceable."
"I see," Miku nodded.
"Which is why I'd like to ask you a favor," Michiko admitted as her face dropped into a light frown.
"What kind of favor?" Miku asked, noticing the change in expression.
"I don't exactly know all the details… but ever since Touma came back from that sudden mission in London, he's been different," Michiko explained, "He's been a lot more reserved ever since then and hasn't been as talkative."
"I see…" Miku said, aware of the broad strokes of what had happened, though she'd have to ask for more details when she'd get the chance.
"I tried talking to him about it but he just shrugs it off," Michiko admitted, "So unfortunately I don't think this is an issue that I can help with."
"I'll see what I can do," Miku said before realizing something, "I just realized that I should probably get going."
"Oh, I take it more work with your Swordsmith… Daishinji was it?" Michiko asked, to which she received a nod, "Oh he's a nice fellow, I'm glad you and the others have reliable seniors to count on."
"They're really kind," Miku agreed before shaking her head, "No, it's just that Hibiki asked for me to join her and the others at the base for a meeting."
"Eh?" Michiko stared in surprise, "Hibiki calling a meeting?"
While it took a bit, Miku was still able to make it to SONG Headquarters in a reasonable amount of time. Upon wandering the halls she noticed Hibiki near the cafeteria keeping watch.
Hibiki looked over and smiled, "Miku, you're here just in time."
"Hibiki," Miku greeted as she hurried over, "So I take it I'm one of the first here?"
"Yeah, there's a couple others inside," Hibiki nodded.
"Just what is this meeting all about anyway?" Miku asked, "And why include me?"
"Well this isn't specifically official business," Hibiki said in a cryptic manner as she had a sly smile, "But it's a surprise so I can't tell you until everyone's here."
"Alright then," Miku said before deciding to head into the cafeteria.
Yuri, Touma, and Rintaro were already seated at one of the larger tables, and it didn't take long for Kanade, Chris, Shirabe, and Kirika to arrive as well. Once everyone was there, they all went to get some food before the impromptu and unofficial meeting got under way.
"Alright," Chris said as she eyed Hibiki, "What's the big deal?"
"I am curious too," Rintaro nodded, "You wanted to speak with all of us?"
"Right, there's an important reason I called you all here today," Hibiki said as she stood up, the utmost seriousness shown on her face as well as tone. She then pumped her fist and smiled, "And that's to plan a welcome home party for Tsubasa and Maria!"
"E-Eh…?" Rintaro was curious as to what the important reason was only to nearly fall over.
"Okay, seriously?" Chris asked, "A party?"
"What brought this up?" Miku asked.
"Well they'll be returning home soon, right?" Hibiki asked as she sat down once she noticed most eyes were on her, "I know Tsubasa needed to take care of a few more things in London, but they'll be back in a couple of days and I want to make their return home special."
"Come to think of it, we didn't get to do much last time," Shirabe admitted, "The last time they came home we were under a constant state of emergency."
"So true," Kirika nodded before pointing up into the air, "We should do this party, dess!"
"It sounds most splendid, yes," Yuri nodded, though he was currently playing with his food before eating it, giving a surprised look of satisfaction before swallowing and continuing, "I can only imagine there will be more delectable modern era food at this event as well."
"As quality as this food is, yeah it'd probably blow this out of the water," Chris replied in a nonchalant manner before sighing, "So all this is for a welcome back party?"
"Pretty much," Hibiki nodded.
"Honestly that's more of a sensible idea than what I assumed you'd suggest," Chris said much to Hibiki's shock, "So I'll go along with it."
"W-W-Wait…" Hibiki stammered out as she stared at her friend, "W-What did you think I was going to suggest?"
"Training, dess," Kirika replied almost instantly.
"Pretty much," Shirabe agreed as Chris nodded.
"A welcome back party definitely seems a great mood lifter," Rintaro replied before looking over at Kanade, "Wouldn't you agree?"
"Huh?" Kanade shook her head as she snapped out of her thoughts, "Uh yeah, sounds cool."
Rintaro tilted his head, since while he wasn't too good at social cues he could tell that Kanade was extremely distracted. Of course he wasn't the only one aware of this as Chris had noticed it too.
"Where do you think we should hold it?" Shirabe asked.
Kirika thought about it a bit, "Maybe here, dess?"
"Do we want to bother everyone though?" Chris asked, "Most of the official parties we have here usually involve the full staff. The way the dummy's been making a big deal about it, makes it sound more personal."
"Yeah I was thinking it wouldn't be too big, more like that one party we had after the Frontier Incident," Hibiki explained before snapping her fingers in realization, "How about at Fantastic Bookstore Kamiyama?"
"That could work," Miku agreed before noticing Touma hadn't spoken up yet, "What do you think Touma?"
"Huh, oh," Touma looked up when he heard his name being used, also seemingly distracted, "The shop should be big enough… I think."
"It would be all of us, plus Tsubasa and Maria," Rintaro said as he recalled the size of the front of the store, "A bit crowded, but I think we could make it work."
"If everyone thinks it's a good idea then I say we go for it," Touma nodded but didn't say much more.
Miku glanced down, sighing inwardly as she definitely realized that something was off with Touma. But knowing him, he'd probably not immediately talk about it so she'd have to approach this carefully.
Of course before anyone could continue, an alert sounded through the entire base. Everyone looked up at each other in an instant and realized where they were needed.
Upon arriving at the bridge, the Riders and Wielders were greeted by Sophia, Genjuro, Daishinji and Elfnein.
"Commanders," Touma shouted as he had taken the lead and entered first, "Is it another Megid?!"
"Thankfully no," Genjuro reassured as he held up a hand, "Unfortunately it's just as bad."
"I was honestly hoping we could get a few tests in before this happened," Elfnein sighed.
"We'll just have to roll with it like usual," Daishinji replied.
"What's going on?" Rintaro asked.
"Gjallarhorn's activated once more, thus triggering our alarm system," Sophia replied, "Meaning a parallel world has been directly connected to ours."
"So what exactly is the procedure for all of this?" Chris asked.
"We've been working on tuning our equipment further to Gjallarhorn," Sakuya replied, "And that includes working on figuring out whether the anomaly that is the Phantom Megid is in our world or the parallel world we've connected to."
"And judging by our statistics, it's appeared in the parallel world," Aoi replied.
"That's not good," Hibiki frowned, "That Phantom Megid we fought before was powerful."
"Indeed," Rintaro nodded, "With only one Wonder Ride Book in its possession it was a formidable foe."
"Kind of glad mine was just the standard one," Kanade admitted in a low voice.
"A few things to keep in mind when facing the Phantom Megid," Genjuro spoke up, deciding to get the important details out of the way, "First, their regeneration abilities are strong but they will tire after enough damage is done. Second, try and make sure no Relics, be they the Symphogear or Ride Books, fall into the Phantom Megid's hands so they can absorb them. Third, and specifically for the Symphogear Wielders, Ignite is not a viable option against them."
"Wait, seriously dess?" Kirika asked.
"Why exactly?" Shirabe asked.
"The anomaly that is a Phantom Megid seems to amplify negative emotions," Elfnein explained, recalling the reports she read over when it came to the one that fought Hibiki, Genjuro and Rintaro, "Thus the violent nature of the Ignite Module is more likely to overwhelm you instead of you being able to conquer it like usual."
"Thankfully Project Ride Gear can come in clutch in situations like this," Daishinji replied, "You all have your assigned Ride Books, so you'll still have a booster when it comes to battles."
"I take it they won't be going at it alone, though," Rintaro spoke up, "Right?"
"Correct," Genjuro replied, "Teams for these types of missions will usually be made up of three Riders/Wielders. This leaves enough of us open for any potential Megid plots."
"So how does this work?" Kanade asked, "Do we volunteer or like…?"
"Excellent question Kanade," Genjuro pointed at the phoenix Rider with a trademark grin, a grin that just spelled that he had clearly spent a while coming up with a method. He turned and spread his arm out as he stared at the main monitor on the bridge, "Fujitaka, Tomosato, let's show them what we've got cooked up!"
"The Commander's excited…" Sakuya chuckled as he went to get the program set up.
"Well he's always got to find some way to make our mundane jobs a bit more interesting," Aoi admitted with a small smile as she helped out Sakuya.
Soon enough an elaborate Slot Machine-like program was seen on the display, the top of it reading 'Parallel World Squad' with three question mark blocks all next to each other. The question mark blocks began to suddenly show different profile shots of each active Rider and Wielder, each of the blocks shifting to a different profile at a steady pace before speeding up, the profiles becoming blurs as the speed increased.
"We'll be randomly generating teams via this special program we whipped up a few nights ago," Genjuro crossed his arms in a proud fashion.
"Of course we made sure to give the selection a few quirks," Sophia spoke up, "We've set different percentages to each Rider and Wielder. The higher the chance, the more likely it is they'll be chosen. Those who currently aren't with us at the moment like Tsubasa, Maria, and Kenzan are at 0.3%."
"Meanwhile someone such as Hibiki or Rintaro would be at 33%," Genjuro explained, "Of course there are other factors we needed to think of, like how Touma and Yuri are both at 9%."
"Wait, why are they lower?" Miku asked.
"It's because we're the two who can easily deal with the new Megid, right?" Touma asked, already figuring why he wouldn't be picked as often.
"Indeed," Genjuro nodded, "The values are adjusted depending on different factors."
"Random selection… but tactful about certain situations," Yuri nodded as he was marveling at how they were able to put together a program like what he was witnessing, "How splendid!"
It wasn't long before the selection began to slow down, the first portrait stopping and revealing that it was Chris who got selected. It didn't take long for the other two to get selected as well, showing profile shots of Blades and Falchion.
"Aww," Kirika slumped and hung her head, "I wanted to go dess…"
"There there," Shirabe patted her friends back, "Maybe next time."
"Oh you guys are so lucky!" Hibiki called out with a pout as she crossed her arms.
"Of course I'm the lucky person to get picked first…" Chris' eye twitched as she was less than excited for this. The entire Parallel World situation was something she was hoping to avoid. She simply sighed, "Let's get this over with."
"This should be an enlightening experience," Rintaro said before looking over at Kanade, "Especially since we have a veteran."
"I only did it once," Kanade replied before shrugging, "But I guess I am the most experienced."
"Huh?" Sakuya got an alert before suddenly pulling it up, the alarm soon sounding off once more "Ah! The Megid tracker really is up and running because it's got a hit!"
"Wait, we have a Megid tracker now?" Shirabe asked in surprise.
"It was all thanks to Daishinji's and Elfnein's hard work," Aoi spoke up, "But yes, we're able to pick up a Megid's signal now."
"Good, Yuri let's get going!" Touma called out as he immediately ran out the bridge without a second thought.
Hibiki turned in surprise, "T-Touma?!"
"He's in a hurry dess," Kirika said, "Admittedly given what we heard about London…"
"It's no wonder he's like this," Shirabe agreed.
"Yuri, Hibiki, Kirika, and Shirabe, you four are to support Touma," Genjuro ordered, not exactly liking how their Swordsman of Flame had run off like that, "Make sure we save that person from the Megid!"
"Don't worry sir, we will!" Hibiki nodded before quickly rushing out, with Kirika, Shirabe and Yuri following after her.
"In the meantime we should get you set up," Daishinji said as he and Elfnein went to lead Chris, Rintaro and Kanade off for their parallel world mission.
Miku meanwhile walked over to Genjuro and Sophia, "So, what exactly happened with Touma's last mission?"
Genjuro and Sophia both looked at each other before nodding as they realized that if anyone could likely get through to Touma, it would be Miku.
It was a pleasant day in a plaza, various white plastic chairs and tables set up for people to lounge at and enjoy some food from a nearby cart. Of course that was until chairs and tables started to be turned over and thrown by thin air. This was able to rile up everyone enough for them to start running away in fear, even the food cart owner abandoned his station to flee.
Soon enough a Megid shimmered into view, it had multi-layered scale-like patches on its forearms and chest, the layered skin being green and yellow. Its shoulder armor was made up of rolled up lizard-like tails that were in the same coloration as the layered skin. The head was a monstrous chameleon's, the eyes looking all over as it let out a yell.
[CHAMELEON DOOKODA!]
"What great mischief," Chameleon said as it looked around, "I hate how I look… so I'll simply cause trouble while not being seen."
The revving of a motorcycle caught the Megid's attention as it quickly turned.
[REKKA BATTOU! DON'T MISS IT! DRAGONIC KNIGHT~!]
The Diago Speedy came into view as it rounded a corner, Saber in his upgraded form riding it forward. He soon had the motorcycle skid to a stop before dismounting and looking around confused.
"Huh?" Saber stared at the empty but disrupted plaza. That was when he noticed that the food cart owner was still around. Feeling something off, he decided to carefully approach, "Excuse me?"
"Ah yes good sir, what can I help you with?" the owner asked.
"You haven't seen a monster running around, have you?" Saber asked.
"No, I don't think so," the owner replied as he shook his head.
"Ah I see," Saber said as he got the gist of the situation, or at least he assumed he did. He turned away and took a few steps away from the cart, "I'll keep on searching then."
The owner gave a wicked grin before creeping out from behind the food cart, silently shifting back into the form of the Chameleon Megid and lunging both of its hands towards Saber's neck.
[SPICY!]
Saber had turned and batted away the hands before punching with his Dragonic Booster, smashing his fist into Chameleon's face with an explosive fiery burst.
Chameleon gasped out as it staggered back, "What?!"
"I figured that you shifted back to your human disguise," Saber shook his left hand, "After all, why would someone be here calmly after what clearly looked to be an attack?"
"Clever…" Chameleon admitted before its body began to shift, soon becoming an exact copy of Saber Dragonic Knight, "However I hate my appearance, so let's have some fun."
"What?" Saber questioned as he got on guard, soon realizing that the cart owner wasn't the Megid's true appearance, "I don't have time for this!"
"Oh but I need all the time in the world," the copycat Saber called out as he began to spin around while spreading his arms out, before dropping them and staring directly at the real Rider, "So let's make this as complicated as possible."
"Why you…" Saber hissed out as he charged forward, slashing at his copy who easily blocked his strike with crossed arms.
It didn't take long for Daishinji and Elfnein to lead the currently selected parallel world team to the Gjallarhorn room. Clearance on it had lightened up due to the constant use it would be receiving in the future now that it had activated and stayed active for a while.
Chris was already in her Symphogear Armor, standing alongside Blades and Falchion, the three having transformed shortly after entering the room. Gjallarhorn's center jewel shined brightly, releasing a strange invisible wave into the air that everyone felt.
"Does it always shine this bright?" Blades asked.
"I think?" Falchion said in an inquisitive manner, "It's been a while."
"Gjallarhorn emits a sonic wave to notify us of the abnormality occurring," Elfnein explained.
"Sonic wave… so the light being emitted from the Relic is…" Blades trailed off, hoping for an answer.
"Yes," Elfnein nodded, "It shows that it has detected an abnormality in the parallel world which usually has been a Phantom Megid."
"Which means if you come back thinking you completed your mission and it's still shining bright?" Daishinji asked before continuing, "Then that means your mission isn't over yet."
"Alright," Chris said before looking around, "So how exactly do we do this?"
"We just walk close enough and let the light envelop us," Falchion recalled as she stepped forward, "Though the trip to and from is somewhat lengthy. It's kind of like going through a multi-colored tunnel."
"Thankfully we have just the trick for that," Daishinji said as he held up a familiar Ride Book, the Book Gate. He then went and handed it to Falchion, "Touma's experience when describing the Book Gate made it sound almost instant compared to your reports."
"Huh, fast travel," Falchion remarked as she took the Ride Book, "Looks like we won't be waiting that long after all."
"Perfect," Chris said, "I'd rather this not take too long."
"Hopefully with the three of us, things will be simple," Blades reassured.
"Remember, your mission is to deal with the Phantom Megid," Daishinji replied, "Try not to cause too much trouble since you'll be on your own and there's no telling what kind of organizations or people are on the other side."
"If the mission gets too dangerous, please come back so we can assess the situation and send you in with backup," Elfnein added, "We'll keep monitoring the Gjallarhorn to see if anything else comes up as well."
"Also make sure you have your location marked when you get there," Daishinji continued, "From Kanade's report, the gateway while disappearing for the most part, stays in the same space."
"Yep, just went back to a little green light and a portal opened up to send me back," Falchion nodded, "Which means we just need to use the Book Gate on the portal to come back."
"Sounds simple enough," Chris nodded before staring at Gjallarhorn, "You guys ready?"
"Of course," Blades said as he stepped forward.
"Way ahead of you," Falchion said as she opened up the Ride Book.
[BOOK GATE!]
Soon enough a giant book opened up in front of them, its pages shining a green light as it kept itself open.
[OPEN THE GATE!]
Chris, Blades and Falchion all stepped through, the giant book closing after they all stepped through and vanishing.
Parallel World:
A bright green light began to shine near a wall, the Book Gate opening up near it. Chris, Blades and Falchion all walked through, the three finding themselves in a warehouse district.
"Whoa, that was instant," Falchion chuckled as she closed the Book Gate.
"So is this the parallel world?" Blades asked as he looked around.
"It looks like your usual warehouse district you Riders constantly fight at," Chris said as she surveyed the area, "Why is it that you guys end up in these spots anyway?"
"I am unsure," Blades admitted, "But it does provide good cover."
"Fair enough," Chris shrugged.
"That being said," Falchion walked over to where the glowing speck of light was, bringing out Kyomu and scraping the tip of it against the wall nearby. The result was an X scratched into the wall, "This should make it easier for us to figure out where it is."
"Just keep track of exactly where in the city we are," Chris suggested.
"So, what do we do now?" Blades asked as he placed a hand on his Wonder Ride Book, "Shall we dismiss our transformation and-"
"What the hell is that thing?!"
"That's not the Noise!"
"Who cares what it is, run!"
The three were alerted to screams and yelling nearby as they quickly rushed through the warehouse district and rounded a corner. Soon enough various workers began running past them, not looking where they were going.
What they were running away from was none other than a Phantom Megid, and the Phantom Megid seemed to have some minor changes. However, they were barely changes when one looked at it more closely. Two pink spikes were jutting out of its shoulders alongside pink blades sticking out of the sides of its arms at an angle.
"A slightly modified one, that's not good," Falchion said as she gripped her sword tightly before rushing forward, "Let's do this!"
"A-Ah, Kanade please wait!" Blades called out as he reached out before lowering his hand and sighing, soon rushing off after her.
"I swear," Chris pinched the bridge of her nose before bringing out her crossbows and taking aim before firing them off.
The Phantom Megid roared out only for the long ranged energy arrows to curve around while zooming forward, striking at it and forcing sparks to fly. Falchion rushed in first, slashing and striking against the Phantom Megid's stomach, Blades moving in shortly after and slashing past the Phantom Megid's chest.
The two Riders turned and slashed, the Phantom Megid turning and blocking their blades with its own. The two watched as their slashes and Chris' shots that had torn against its body began to heal. The Phantom Megid howled out and forced the two back, ready to pounce at them when several arrows struck it in the back. It slumped forward, the holes in its back healing as it turned towards Chris.
"Alright you freak," Chris narrowed her eyes, "We're taking you out!"
Main World:
While Elfnein was heading back to the bridge in order to keep informed on the current parallel world situation, Daishinji had been stopped by Miku before he could get back to the workshop. The two had currently relocated to the lounge, both of them sipping on a soda each as Miku informed him of what happened.
"This situation is definitely weighing on him," Daishinji admitted, "I hadn't read the reports, but just judging from his reactions today…"
"He's being too hard on himself about this," Miku said, "I know that we only have Yuri and he's very much the chosen wielder but…"
"He's putting all that pressure on himself because he's created an impossible goal," Daishinji answered before sighing, "We're going to need to do something drastic."
"Something drastic…?" Miku asked.
"I hate fights," Daishinji called out suddenly though Miku could see a serious expression his face, "But… I will face him."
"Face him?" Miku asked.
"While many people don't like thinking of the thought, sometimes the best way to convey something to someone is to fight them," Daishinji answered, "The Sword of Logos before the Logos Sector was no different from what I've read up on as they would participate in duels."
"I see," Miku nodded, "Do you think you'd be able to do it?"
"Of course," Daishinji replied confidently, "That being said… there's something I'd like you to help me with which in turn requires me to ask you what you just asked me."
"What do you mean?" Miku asked though when she locked eyes with Daishinji she had an idea of what he was going to ask of her.
Parallel World:
Blades and Falchion swung at the same time, digging their Seiken into the Phantom Megid's shoulders only for the Phantom Megid to loop its arms around their Seiken. The two grunted and kicked the anomaly in the stomach, forcing it backwards as they pulled away.
{BILLION MAIDEN}
Bullets began impacting against the Phantom Megid at a rapid pace, sparks flying as Chris had locked on and began unloading with her multiple tri-barrel gatling guns. The result was the Phantom Megid being littered with holes, the wounds healing once more.
The anomaly backed up before leaping towards a warehouse, slamming its fists into the wall to make indentions. It soon began punching its way upwards to climb onto the roof in order to escape.
"Like hell we're letting that thing get away," Chris called out as she brought out Daishogun Momoichirou, "Rintaro, go for King Lion and try to bring it down!"
"Of course," Blades nodded as he initiated his form change.
[NAGARE BATTOU! KING LION DAISENKI!]
Blades took his strongest form and drew out two Ride Books to scan on his Booster.
[ONE! READING! PETER FANTASISTA!]
[TWO! READING! MAKYŪ ICHAIVAL!]
Blades took a step back and braced as red energy began forming in the cannons on his shoulders. He let out a yell and unleashed two energy hook and chains, the chains splitting and forming more hooks. It didn't take long for the hooks to latch onto the Phantom Megid, the anomaly shrieking out as sparks flew before it was dragged away from the warehouse, being slammed into the ground as an explosive burst happened.
"Hell yeah," Chris called out as she initiated her Ride Gear change, "Henshin!"
The Phantom Megid meanwhile groaned as it got up, the holes and torn apart pieces regenerating but slower than before.
{Ride Change: Ichaival Sanjo!}
While Chris' transformation in her Ride Gear form occurred, Falchion took the lead to distract the Phantom Megid further. She had drawn out Eternal Phoenix and scanned it on Kyomu, black and orange fire erupting from it.
[TOWA NO FUSHICHO!]
Falchion leapt forward, managing to land several clean slashes against the Phantom Megid. It began to regenerate as it punched forward only to get blocked by Kyomu, the blade was shifted and struck the Phantom Megid again before Falchion spun and kicked it in the chin to send it stumbling back.
[MUGEN ITTOTSU!]
"How did you like that?" Falchion questioned.
"Not bad," Chris said as she walked over to Falchion's side and patted her on the arm before pushing past. She pressed her palms together before forming a peach shape with her fingers, "Now let's finish this!"
{Hissatsu Dokuha: Ichaival Sanjo!}
"Right," Blades nodded as he flipped down the lever of the King Lion Dai Senki Book, transforming into his form's Lion Mode.
[NAGARE HOKOU! KING LION DAI CHANGE!]
The Phantom Megid picked itself up, only to notice that it was trapped in a pink energy peach. Of course it wasn't long before Blades landed in front of the peach, unleashing two energy blasts against it from his cannons that impacted and turned it into a bright blue coloration.
Chris shifted her crossbow into its large bow form and took aim, an energy arrow forming as she unleashed it and it struck the blue colored peach, soon sticking out as it formed cracks, "Rooster, you're up, so get it good!"
{Issatsu Geki!}
"One split peach, coming up!" Falchion sheathed her Seiken before initiating her Driver's finisher.
[HISSATSU MOKUDOKU!]
Falchion leapt forward, her body bursting into orange and black flames as she transformed into a fiery phoenix that shot straight towards the arrow pierced blue peach. She kept speeding up towards the trapped Phantom Megid, going faster and faster until…
[FUSHICHO MUSOU GEKI!]
The fiery phoenix struck against the arrow, infusing the arrow with Kyomu's energy and sending it piercing through. This resulted in the energy from Blades' attack to come crashing inwards, overwhelming the anomaly.
An explosion occurred as Falchion flipped away from it, landing before spinning to face her allies, Blades shifting back to his warrior mode while Chris walked over.
"Did we do it?" Blades asked before sighing in relief as the smoke died down to reveal no Phantom Megid.
"That was pretty easy," Chris remarked, "Especially given it was modified."
"Yeah," Falchion nodded, "Guess we head back and see if Gjallarhorn's calmed down."
"Right," Blades nodded and turned alongside Chris, the three heading back towards where they remembered the Gjallarhorn portal was.
"Hey there, I'm going to need you three to come with us."
"Huh?" the two Riders and one Wielder all turned at the same time when they heard an older man's voice, the three staring in surprise at what they were greeted with.
Kamen Rider Buster was standing in front of them, several agents that resembled SONG's around him. The agents all held pistols up while in defensive stances though Buster while having Gekido out, had it at his side and pointed at the ground.
"Wait, Buster?" Blades muttered.
"That doesn't sound like the old man though," Chris muttered, not recognizing Buster's voice.
"I'm very curious as to how Blades is even active at the moment," Buster admitted, "Especially with a form we've never seen."
"This voice…" Falchion placed a hand on the back of her neck, recalling it from somewhere, "Just where…?"
"What do you mean by not active?" Blade spoke up as he took the lead.
"Wait, that voice…" Buster let out a light gasp, "Rintaro…? But how…?"
"Huh?" Blades tilted his head.
"Okay there's a bit of a misunderstanding here," Chris said as she stepped forward, "Who are you?"
"I'll remove my transformation if you all remove yours," Buster said as he raised Gekido and rested it on his shoulder, holding a hand towards his Ride Book.
Falchion, Blades and Chris all looked at each other, the three nodding and going to dismiss their transformations as well.
All of the agents kept their stances, though Buster raised his free hand, the agents looking at him and nodding as they lowered their weapons and backed away. Buster went to remove his Ride Book, his transformation dismissing itself.
Everyone's transformations ended at the same time, though Chris was the only one of the four heroes who was confused at whom she was staring at. Everyone else on the other hand…
Kanade's eyes widened, "Old man Kamikawa?!"
Rintaro gasped, "Kamikawa sir!"
The two were staring at an older man with black hair that was slowly graying. He had rounded glasses, a white dress shirt, alongside plaid pants and a coat similar to the one Genjuro would wear. Kanade recognized him as one of her teachers that managed to help Tsubasa out back in their early days at Lydian, while Rintaro recognized him as the kind mentor that passed away trying to help Tsubasa back during the Zwei Wing incident.
Standing before the two was Toshikazu Kamikawa, the original Kamen Rider Buster of their world, alive and well.
Of course Kamikawa himself was in shock as well, "Rintaro… Kanade…? But how…?"
"I'm… completely lost," Chris admitted before looking over at Kamikawa, "Hey, do you work for SONG, or rather Section 2?"
"I do, but how do you know about our group?" Kamikawa asked as he focused on Chris immediately, "And how are Rintaro and Kanade even standing here to begin with?"
"Wait, what?" Rintaro asked.
"Oh boy," Kanade muttered, already realizing at what Kamikawa was getting at, "This world too huh?"
"It's a long explanation," Chris admitted, "One that I'm not even sure I get myself… but it'd be best if we talked to whoever's in charge of your Rider and Wielder Division."
"I see," Kamikawa muttered before nodding and taking out his Gattrike Phone before giving a kind smile, "Let me make a call first."
"Take your time," Chris replied.
Unbeknownst to the group, a familiar figure was watching them from afar. It was Kamen Rider Calibur, the dark Rider simply staring at them and gripping the sheathed Ankokuken Kurayami tightly.
It had taken a while, but Kamikawa was able to get a brief bare detailed report to his superiors. Needless to say they were surprised by his statements, but there was no room to argue against the Swordsman of Earth due to the recovered footage. With everything taken care of, Kamikawa was tasked with taking Chris, Rintaro and Kanade to Section 2's HQ.
Kamikawa had taken the initiative and chose to personally drive the three back in one of the agencies cars. It was a fairly quiet ride, with no one really knowing what to say to each other. Of course arriving at the main location was a surprise for the three world travelers.
They had arrived at Lydian Academy's original location, and unlike their main universe, this Lydian was still standing with no signs of the Lunar Attack having occurred.
Of course further surprise would come once Kamikawa parked, with the three world travelers getting out and noticing that it was rather late into the day when it came to arriving at the world. That meant the moon was finally coming up, it shining down as it rose to bring forth the night sky.
"What a nice full moon," Rintaro smiled.
"Yeah, definitely," Chris said before pausing, "Wait…"
"Wait, what?" Kanade looked at Chris before looking up, her eyes widening, "Oh you've got to be…"
Rising for all three to see was a fully intact moon, there was no chunk taken out of it and no debris circling it in a ring formation.
"I'd ask if you've never seen the moon before but given your reactions…" Kamikawa trailed off.
"We kind of had some issues involving people wanting to blow up our moon back in our world," Chris admitted, "So seeing it whole like this is a surprise."
"Oh," Kamikawa said in sudden realization before nodding and taking the lead, "Come on, I'll lead the way."
The three world travelers glanced at each other before following after the Swordsman of Earth, the four heading inside Lydian Academy and into central wing where the teachers would live. It didn't take long for them to reach and enter the elevator, Kamikawa bringing out his Gattrike Phone and scanning it on the main console.
The result was the interior of the elevator shifting, various handrails being unveiled from the handles as a new door slid up to replace the standard elevator door.
"Well this is certainly nostalgic," Rintaro said as he went to grab a handrail.
"Yeah, for sure," Kanade agreed as she grabbed a handrail too.
"Ah so you are aware," Kamikawa said as he held onto a rail, "Well I don't think I have to warn you then."
"Never been on this before, so this is weird," Chris said as she grabbed a handrail once she saw the other two instinctively grab them. At least until she clocked what Kamikawa had said, "Wait, warn us about-AHHHH!"
The Ichaival user was caught off guard by the sudden speed at which the elevator dropped, giving a loud shout as it occurred. Shaking her head as she gained her bearings she glared when she saw Kanade snickering at her.
Rintaro was trying to keep a polite face though he did find the sudden shout from Chris a bit cute given her usual hardened demeanor. Kamikawa meanwhile let out a light chuckle at seeing this.
Eventually the elevator entered a large tunnel-like shaft, Rintaro, Kanade and Chris' attention immediately being caught when they recalled why exactly Section 2 was below ground to begin with. Upon viewing the large shaft, they were able to notice that the ancient mural-like texturing of Kadingir could be seen, but it wasn't as complete as it could be. Furthermore there were various standard metal panels breaking up the design.
"It's incomplete?" Rintaro asked.
"Seems that way," Chris nodded.
"I take it you all know what that is," Kamikawa said, noticing the reactions of the Rider and Wielder, clear surprise evident on their faces.
"From the way you talk, it sounds like you know too," Kanade spoke up.
"Considering how the moon is still in one piece though…" Rintaro trailed off.
"We'll answer your questions in due time," Kamikawa reassured before the elevator began to slow down to a stop. The doors opened up into the hallways of Section 2, the Swordsman of Earth walking out and leading the trio of World Travelers through the hallways, "Especially if I'm correctly piecing together what I think I am."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Chris asked.
"Sounds like this world is going to be a trip," Kanade replied.
"I'm sure it won't be anything too crazy," Rintaro suggested with a smile.
"There's no need to worry," Kamikawa reassured with a calm smile as he led the way to the main control room of Section 2. It didn't take long for them to reach the doors of said room, the older man opening them up as he entered, "Alright, I'm back folks! And I brought guests!"
Chris, Rintaro and Kanade all walked in after Kamikawa, the trio pausing however when they saw who had turned to greet them.
The first was a familiar face to the three, that being Genjuro. His style didn't seem to change from his main world counterpart, his usual casual business style shining through. While he kept the usual pink tie in his pocket, his shirt was lavender instead of its usual dark red they were so used to seeing.
The person that made them all pause was someone that they never expected to meet again. Or rather Chris and Rintaro since Kanade hadn't properly met him during her time as Falchion.
Dr. Ver stood before them in an olive green button up alongside a white overcoat with blue accents, both sleeves being rolled up with black slacks and a black tie. He couldn't help but stare curiously at the three before him, though of course he couldn't help but grow a bit nervous as he noticed the Riders and Wielder slowly but surely get into guarded stances.
"And here I thought this was going to be a normal trip," Chris remarked before gesturing towards Ver, "The hell is he doing here?"
"Um…" Ver spoke up as he glanced at Genjuro, "What do we make of this?"
"Clearly they don't have the fondest memories of you," Genjuro said as he looked over before holding up his hands, "If you could remain calm, maybe we can come to an understanding here as we're just as confused as you are."
"I'd say less confused and more wary when it comes to some of us," Kanade admitted.
"Some explanations are probably in order, on both sides," Kamikawa said as he went to stand by Genjuro.
"I suppose I can go first…" Rintaro said as he raised his hand before holding it out towards Genjuro and Ver, "I know this may be hard to believe, but-"
"You're from a parallel world," Ver interrupted as he gestured towards the three, "That much is obvious."
"Wait," Kanade stared in surprise, "You believe us, straight up?"
"Less believe and actually guessed," Chris answered in surprise, "How did you even guess?!"
"It's mostly due to who is present in front of us," Genjuro explained, "Assuming two of you go by Rintaro Shindo and Kanade Amou."
"We do," Rintaro said in a more inquisitive manner, "Why does that…?"
"So what exactly was that alert earlier?"
The new voice caused Rintaro to immediately pause, Kanade and Chris casually turning to watch an older man with neatly combed hair enter. He wore a blue tunic-styled shirt with brown pants, almost being similar to Rintaro's style though he wore a blue coat with black edges over his Logos Sector attire.
"I know I'm not much help at the moment," the Swordsman said, "But I'm curious as to what…" he paused when he saw Rintaro who turned in an instant before locking eyes immediately, "What…?"
"M-Master…?" Rintaro barely managed to choke out.
"No, you can't…" the man let out a light gasp as he covered his mouth, a near distraught look crossing his face as he immediately turned and ran out of the command center.
"E-Eh…?" Rintaro stepped forward while holding out his hand.
"What was that all about?" Chris asked as she raised a brow.
Kanade remained silent however, glancing at Rintaro and realizing why exactly the man reacted to him like that.
"That seems like the standard reaction," Ver noted as he went to cross his arms, "I can't blame the poor man either."
"We should probably get started on the explanation," Kamikawa suggested as he tried to clear up the awkward air that was now in the room, "Though how should we go about this?"
"They should tell us their side first," Genjuro replied, "We can work on any changes after they're finished."
"And if you could, start from the earliest possible timeframe," Ver suggested as he and Genjuro began to head down to the middle segment of the command center where the lounge area was, "I have a feeling there have been some interesting divergences… some I'm keen on learning myself."
Kamikawa went to follow the two while gesturing for the others to follow, Chris and Kanade managing to snap Rintaro out of his slight stupor to usher him towards the lounge area.
Main World:
The two Sabers were currently grappling with each other, one having tried to grab onto the other and the other grabbing back. Of course they weren't alone as flashes of orange, green and pink occurred nearby in the air.
{SG-r03': Gungnir}
{SG-i02: Igalima}
{SG-i01: Shul Shagana}
Hibiki, Kirika and Shirabe all leapt onto the scene in their Symphogears, Yuri hurrying over as he had yet to transform. The four however could only stare on at the sight they were seeing before them.
"What's going on?" Shirabe asked.
"Wait, there are two of them?" Hibiki questioned.
"Alright, then, I think I've got this, dess!" Kirika called out as she drew out Igalima and took a few steps forward only to get her shoulder grabbed by Shirabe, "Dess?"
"Let's not try and do anything hasty, yet," Shirabe suggested as she pulled her friend back.
"Uh… how do we figure out who's who?" Hibiki asked, "Because one of them is the Megid, right?"
"Huh?" both Sabers looked over before shoving each other away.
"He's the fake one," Saber called out before pointing at the other Saber, "That's the Megid!"
"No he's the fake one," the other Saber shouted before pointing at his copy, "That one's the Megid!"
"Uh…" Hibiki trailed off.
"Wouldn't this be easy to do?" Kirika asked.
"You should ask him a question only he knows," Shirabe suggested to Hibiki, "You are the person who would know Saber the most."
"True," Hibiki nodded, "But uh… what should I…"
"I believe I can help speed things up," Yuri replied as he walked forward, preparing his transformation before drawing out Saikou, "Henshin!"
[WHO IS THE SHINING SWORD? SAIKOU!]
Yuri's body vanished into gold sparks and entered into the Seiken, transforming him fully into Saikou as he spun upwards into the air, "Let there be light!"
It wasn't long before Saikou shined a bright light outwards, blinding both Sabers as they turned and staggered back. One of them however screamed out as its body began to smoke, being thrown to the ground and revealing itself as the Chameleon Megid.
"There's the Megid, dess!" Kirika pointed.
"Splendid," Saikou called out as he shot towards Saber who quickly grabbed onto him, "Let's finish this Touma."
"Right," Saber said as he brandished Saikou before rushing forward.
"Crap," Chameleon yelped as it began to run off only to gasp as black grappling chains with bladed ends caught it, the blades digging into the ground and keeping it in place, "Uh oh!"
"Like we're letting you run," Kirika called out, having used her equipment to bind the Megid, "You've got this Touma!"
[SAIKOU HAKKOU!]
"I'll free the person you've trapped!" Saber shouted as he rushed towards the Megid, raising Saikou high as Chameleon squirmed around in Kirika's trap.
The blade of the Seiken of Light was brought down… until Chameleon shifted shape, a scared Hibiki taking its place. Saber gasped as he quickly checked his strike, despite seeing the change in front of him he still wasn't able to strike her down.
The real Hibiki alongside Shirabe and Kirika could only stare in surprise as they saw the fake Hibiki form. They could also see that Saber despite freezing, was still clearly moving due to how heavily he was breathing.
Saikou let out a gasp, "Touma!"
"I… I…" Saber took deep breaths to try and calm down.
"Wow, looks like I found your weak spot," the fake Hibiki said with a surprised face before giving a sinister smirk, breaking through the chains binding her. The resulting chains being lashed out and forcing Saber back before the fake Hibiki spun and sent a kick to Saber's chest, sparks flying as he was sent staggering back.
Saber fell to one knee but stayed where he was, Saikou trying to shake out of his grip though Saber kept holding on tight.
"Well that was fun, but I've got to get going," the fake Hibiki said as she backed away, shifting back to the form of the Chameleon Megid before vanishing entirely.
The three Symphogear Wielders tried to spot the Chameleon Megid but when they couldn't they began to hurry over to where Saber was.
"Touma, Touma let go!" Saikou grunted as he flew out of Saber's grip before shining a bright light in the area, hoping to catch the fleeing Chameleon Megid in it. Unfortunately the Megid had managed to escape. The Seiken of Light turned towards the Swordsman of Flame, "Touma, what was that?"
"Even if she wasn't real, I can't just bring myself to strike Hibiki down," Saber spoke up as he began to stand.
"Is your resolve that weak?" Saikou questioned.
Kirika held a nervous look as she held up a hand, "H-Hey now dess…"
"Of course my resolve isn't weak!" Saber shouted in near anger as he shifted his head, despite not seeing it, both Shirabe and Hibiki could feel the glare penetrating the Rider's mask.
"Yet this is the second time you've shut down," Saikou remarked, "Clearly you aren't-"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence," Saber called out as he pointed forward, "I know what's at stake, and it's eaten me up completely that I couldn't save dozens upon dozens of people from being turned into Megid!"
"G-Guys let's calm down a bit," Hibiki held a worried look as she quickly rushed between the two, "We'll find the Megid and beat it before it can pull anymore nasty tricks."
"I agree," Shirabe nodded, "I doubt it's that far along in its transformation."
"Then we'll split up," Saber said as he hurried over to the Diago Speedy, dismissing his transformation and mounting it, "I'll go one way, the rest of you all go different ways. We'll contact each other when we find it."
"I'll simply defeat it once I come across it," Saikou huffed before launching off into the sky, deciding to stay in his Seiken form for the time being.
"Ah," Hibiki looked around in surprise, "Touma, Yuri!"
Her words however fell on deaf ears as Touma and Saikou both headed off in opposite directions, the two completely ignoring her.
"This isn't good," Shirabe muttered.
"I guess London's still weighing on him, dess," Kirika realized before huffing a bit, "But Yuri can be a bit too impatient at times."
"True, but now Touma's growing impatient in his own way," Shirabe added, "You saw what happened after we found out about the alert, right?"
"Do you think there's a way we can help?" Kirika asked as she looked over at Hibiki, hoping that Touma's childhood friend would have the answers they needed.
"I… I'm not sure," Hibiki admitted before she and the others were contacted on their headsets, she put a hand to her earpiece, "Hello?"
"Hibiki, we managed to catch everything," Sophia spoke up, "Don't worry about Touma, Miku said she has a plan to help him out."
"Alright," Hibiki nodded, "If Miku has something she thinks will help then I'll believe in her."
"What about the Megid, dess?" Kirika asked.
"The Megid's invisibility is messing with our tracking features," Genjuro spoke up, "We'll inform you of its location once it makes itself visible again."
"That's fine," Shirabe said, "Just keep us updated."
"Of course," Sophia replied before cutting the transmission.
"Alright, we'll leave Touma to Miku, now let's hope we can find that Megid," Hibiki told her friends who both nodded.
Parallel World:
Despite the three trying to figure out who would explain what, and even then everyone interrupting each other in trying to give context, Chris, Kanade and Rintaro were able to give an explanation of the events of their world.
"What harrowing battles," Genjuro admitted, "You've been through a lot."
"And now I see why you're so wary of me in the first place," Ver finally spoke up as his eye twitched, a clear look of annoyance on his face, "It seems as though your world's version of me wasn't the most well put together, huh."
"So I take it you have nowhere near the same plans?" Kanade asked.
"Of course I don't, I'm man of science, not a mad scientist!" Ver called out in clear disgust as he placed his hands on his face, "I love heroes, especially Kamen Riders. But the further you mentioned his actions and remarks, the more I want to sink into my seat and vanish into nothingness at the thought of a parallel version of me being that horrendously terrible…!"
"This is definitely odd," Chris said, her wariness slowly fading due to Ver's genuine response of disgust.
"Indeed," Rintaro replied, "While we can relax in that regard, I am most curious as to how the doctor here ended up working for Section 2…"
"Now that is a rather interesting story…" Ver said as he began to calm down while clearing his throat, "But where to begin?"
"I think now would be a good time to mention what's happened differently," Kamikawa suggested, "Now that we can easily jump around."
"Right," Genjuro nodded, "Let's start with the Zwei Wing Concert Incident…"
"So that happened here as well," Kanade muttered before realizing something, "Wait…"
"The battle was going well, in fact despite our Kanade's sync dropping due to her LiNKER wearing off, the crowd of Noise wasn't as bad as it could have been," Genjuro explained, "But we weren't expecting well… what came next."
"Put simply, that thing you all defeated earlier," Ver spoke up, "You classified it as a Phantom Megid, correct?"
"Yes, they're anomalies that occur in parallel worlds that look similar to but aren't Megid," Rintaro explained, "But I'm unsure as to how that is related to your Zwei Wing Incident."
"A Phantom Megid was at the epicenter of our Zwei Wing Incident," Genjuro explained, noticing the surprise he got from the Wielder and two Riders, but continued regardless, "We barely have any footage of it, whatever cameras were working at the time alongside what I saw. But it arrived at the Nehushtan testing site beneath the stadium and absorbed the activated Relic."
"Afterwards it made its way upwards and erupted onto the stadium itself," Kamikawa explained, "Our Kanade was defeated but managed to just barely hang on, however… she's currently in a coma."
"That explains why she's not around," Rintaro replied.
"And why you believed us," Kanade realized.
"We thought that maybe you had woken up, but when we checked our Kanade was still comatose," Genjuro said as he crossed his arms, "Tsubasa however… wasn't as lucky. She gave her all to defeating the Phantom Megid and used her Swan Song, giving her life to eradicate it completely."
Chris and Rintaro stayed silent though their eyes widened in shock, the two glancing over at Kanade for obvious reasons.
"No way…" Kanade's eyes widened before looking down and lowering her voice, "So our positions were reversed in this world for the most part, huh?"
"It was such a shame, her giving her life for all of us," Kamikawa sighed as he looked down, "Especially given the other losses we received."
"What… other losses?" Chris asked carefully.
"Nearly the entire Logos Sector was cleared out that very day thanks to the Phantom Megid," Genjuro replied, "While they were already receiving casualties the Phantom Megid furthered them. Toshikazu Kamikawa here alongside Kenshin Nagamine who you briefly met, are the only survivors."
"What…?" Rintaro asked with a gasp, "Then his reaction…"
"He wasn't expecting to see his dead pupil again," Genjuro answered solemnly, "Though given your reaction and what you've recounted…"
"It's quite a shock for me to see him as well," Rintaro admitted, "What about Sophia?"
"After the disastrous performance both Section 2 and the Logos Sector ended up putting on, she went to take all the blame on herself," Genjuro admitted, "She was promptly relieved of her position and we haven't heard from her since."
"She didn't seem to mind and considering how many allies and friends she lost…" Kamikawa trailed.
"So how about we address the elephant in the room, or rather lack thereof to keep from spiraling down too much," Ver said as he glanced around, "Or rather the ancient priestess from long ago that got nowhere close to blowing up the moon in our version of events."
"That would be nice," Kanade admitted, "Because I'm wondering how you all even stopped her."
"Well she was missing a lot of key components compared to your world's version," Ver replied as he held a finger up, "Unlike your world, our Tsubasa and Kanade were our only active Wielders. Nehushtan was gone thanks to the destruction of the Phantom Megid, and Solomon's Cane has yet to be found and likely hasn't been activated yet."
"Huh, that would slow her down a lot…" Chris trailed, "But what about the FIS?"
"That's actually how we found out about her," Genjuro replied, "You see, I had brought in Ver due to needing another technician versed in Relics, hoping he'd be able to help us with what Seiken we had."
"It's been a great learning experience, while not exactly Relics, their ability to call upon the power of Relics via the fragmented Great Book is extraordinary," Ver admitted with a hint of fascination in his voice, "Of course I'm a keen observer… and I wasn't exactly too fond of Ryoko Sakurai and her attitude, so I did some digging."
"And while I'm not one for petty rivalries, it did prove useful to us," Genjuro replied, "We found out about a second unrecorded Gungnir Symphogear despite having one under repair. There were also records and logs that it would be transported to America's secret Relic organization, the Federal Institute of Sacrists."
"Needless to say the discovery shed enough light to where the FIS was shut down and all the subjects were released," Kamikawa replied, "Of course that isn't exactly the main focus here."
"It didn't take long for Ryoko, or rather, Finé to counterattack," Genjuro explained, "Of course despite her extraordinary abilities, our Riders at the time were able to halt her rampage… however…"
"It turns out there was another Rider still lurking about," Ver continued, "The one we all know as Calibur."
"So Kamijo's still alive?" Rintaro asked, "Or is it Kento's father?"
"Neither," Genjuro replied, "When we said that Kamikawa and Nagamine were the only ones to make it out of that confrontation, we meant it."
"O-Oh…" Rintaro said as he looked down.
"So what happened?" Chris asked, deciding to not bother on the mystery of who the new Calibur could be, "Because if Calibur killed Finé then she'd just…"
"We're unsure what Calibur did to her, but I think we won't have to worry about that reincarnation you mentioned," Kamikawa spoke up, "From what it looked like, they killed Finé host but trapped her soul within darkness."
"That's uh… very vague," Kanade remarked.
"Sorry," Kamikawa let out an apologetic smile, "But it's the best I can describe it as."
"The point is, Finé can't exactly bother anyone anymore from the looks of things," Ver replied, "Which leaves one less enemy for us to fight thankfully given our low numbers…"
"Ah that's right," Rintaro said as he turned towards the Swordsman of Earth, "So then, you and my Master have been fighting alone all this time?"
"Correct," Kamikawa nodded, "But, Kenshin's been put on the sidelines as of late due to certain complications."
"What kind of complications?" Kanade asked.
"Also why haven't you guys haven't tried recruiting new swordsmen?" Chris questioned, "If you're down Wielders and Swordsmen, wouldn't giving the Seiken new swordsmen take precedence?"
"And now we return to the topic of Calibur," Ver snapped his fingers in response, "For you see, they're the reason we don't exactly have a way to grow our ranks."
"We didn't only lose our swordsmen during the concert," Kamikawa clarified, "We also lost all of our Seiken except for the Dogouken Gekido and Suiseiken Nagare."
"Rekka, Ikazuchi, Hayate, Suzune, and Kurayami all went MIA following the concert tragedy," Genjuro explained in clearer terms, "We were unsure of what happened to them until that new Calibur showed up and quickly took care of Finé. We had hoped they were an ally, especially when they started fighting what Megid and Noise popped up, but…"
"The new Calibur now started fighting with Kenshin and I," Kamikawa replied, "They were able to defeat Kenshin recently and take Suiseiken Nagare."
"It hasn't been all bad though," Ver admitted, "They did deal with that white faced horned demon fellow in a rather swift manner."
"Wait, they defeated Storious?!" Rintaro questioned in surprise.
"In record time compared to what you all spoke of him," Ver nodded, "The only two still active at the moment are the ones you called Legeiel and Zooous."
"I take it since you're using they for them then you don't know who this Calibur is then?" Kanade asked, getting an odd feeling in the back of her head about Calibur.
"Their body build is slim but built enough to be either male or female," Genjuro replied, "Regardless of who they are, they have great precision over that blade…"
"It was thanks to Calibur resurfacing that our assumption of the Megid taking the Seiken was proven false," Kamikawa added, "Because if they went to such lengths to take Kenshin's blade, then that means they likely had taken the rest."
"And that should catch you all up to speed," Genjuro said, "Though from what you've mentioned…"
"We probably shouldn't be staying in this world for much longer," Rintaro replied, "As tempting as it is…"
"Yeah, we need to report back and see if we actually did our job," Chris nodded.
Before anyone could speak up, the alarm suddenly began to blare as the room turned dark, Genjuro and Ver immediately standing up as the various communication officers began working on figuring out what had caused the alarm.
"We've got reports of a large scale fight breaking out!"
"It appears to be the Megid!"
The visuals soon began to appear on the main screen and showed Legeiel and Zooous in their monster forms. Nearby the two was a completely destroyed building with a legion of Shimi Megid around them.
"Their attacks were very small scale before, and they've never initiated them themselves," Ver remarked in surprise, "Why are they going all out now?"
"Something's wrong," Kamikawa narrowed his eyes, wondering why the Megid would throw away all pretense like this.
"We'll assist you!" Rintaro turned towards the alternate Genjuro.
Genjuro looked over in surprise, "Really?"
"Eh?" Chris was surprised by Rintaro's sudden proposition, "Hold on a minute!"
"I mean we are here," Kanade pointed out, deciding to back up Rintaro's decision, "We'll sweep them up real quick to give old man Kamikawa a bit of a break."
"Are you sure?" Kamikawa asked in surprise.
"You've been fighting alone for a while," Rintaro replied, "So please allow us to offer some relief to you."
"Fine," Chris grumbled as she crossed her arms, before holding up a finger, "Just one mission though!"
"Thank you for agreeing Chris," Rintaro turned and bowed.
"Glad to see you aren't that much of a stick in the mud," Kanade smirked.
"What did you say rooster?" Chris asked, her eye twitching.
"Alright, alright you four," Ver clapped a few times, "The longer we stand here, the more damage the Megid will do."
"He's right," Kamikawa said before hurrying off, "Come on, I'll show you all the way."
"Please do," Rintaro said as he, Chris and Kanade followed after him.
"Did we get it?" Zooous asked, having been staring at the wreckage of the damaged building for a while.
"I'd like to hope we did," Legeiel replied before letting out a growl, "That damn thing… it mocks us with its appearance and attacks us?"
Their heads shot up when they heard rummaging from the damaged building, the Shimi all shaking in response.
"Don't just stand there idiots," Legeiel hissed out, "Attack!"
The Shimi all growled out and charged towards the wreckage of the building, moving towards the rummaging and slightly moving debris. A few Shimi that were behind the two lead Megid's were about to move forward when they suddenly turned.
"Huh?" Zooous looked over alongside his ally.
It didn't take long for two Ride Gatrikers to stop nearby, Kamikawa and Rintaro riding them as Kanade and Chris were hitching a ride from the two Riders.
"So you finally got some new help old man?" Legeiel questioned.
"New?" Zooous asked as he stared at Rintaro who locked eyes with him, "Pretty sure I killed at least one of them."
"We're not getting into an entire damn explanation with you two of all things," Chris glared as she drew out her pendant, "Let's go!"
The Riders all prepared their transformations and drew out their blades.
"~Killter Ichaival tron~"
"Henshin!"
{SG-r02: Ichaival}
[NAGARE BATTOU! LION SENKI!]
[BATTOU! ETERNAL PHOENIX!]
[ITTOU RYODAN! DOGOUKEN GEKIDO!]
Chris donned her Symphogear Armor in a flash of red as the Riders completed their transformations, the four entering their usual stances.
"A new Seiken Wielder?" Legeiel questioned as he saw Falchion.
"I'm questioning how the water Seiken is still around," Zooous growled, "I saw Calibur take that idiotic master's sword, so how does this kid who's supposed to be dead have it?"
"Wait a minute, we don't have time to be dealing with this," Legeiel realized before turning, "We need to be dealing with-"
BOOM!
An explosion from the wreckage of the building had caught everyone's attention. Shimi yelled out and were sent flying away alongside tons of debris. As the debris cleared, all too familiar energy whips launching outwards and skewering various Shimi before reeling the monstrous grunts inwards.
Chris and Blades could only step forward in shock as they saw what was before them, Falchion gripping her hands tightly at this.
Before them was a Phantom Megid, though it had white armoring on its head, forearms, chest, and shoulders that resembled the Nehushtan Armor. Seven pink colored energy whips dropped down from the back of its armor, the whips acting as a cape of sorts. The Phantom Megid had drawn in the Shimi before absorbing them into its body, a burst of aura surrounding it briefly as it had powered up from absorbing the Shimi.
"Oh hell…" Chris gritted her teeth at this, "She didn't actually kill it?"
"Seriously…?" Falchion asked.
"Relics… more Relics…" the Phantom Megid spoke up as it stepped forward, "Relinquish your Relics to me… now."
Legeiel and Zooous both got in defensive stances, the two backing up slightly but still holding their ground.
"So, I'd like to say that I don't think our mission in this world is over yet," Falchion said as she raised her blade.
"It would appear so," Blades nodded, "So long as a single Phantom Megid exists..."
"Phantom Megid," the Phantom Megid repeated as it caused everyone to stare at it due to its response, "Phantom Megid…" it repeated once more as it walked forward at a steady pace before shaking its head, "I am… I am more than a mere phantom…" it nearly hissed out as it spread out its arms, "I am, Hebi-O."
"Taking inspiration from the Nehushtan armor a bit too literally are we?" Buster asked warily.
"It's also thinking a little too highly of itself…" Chris' eye twitched slightly at the addition to the end of its name.
"Like we care what you even name yourself!" Legeiel yelled out as he gathered an electrical charge in his blade before launching out multiple streams of electricity.
"Yeah, you're going down!" Zooous gathered energy in his blades before swinging forward and sending several bursts of energy outwards.
The attacks struck dead center against Hebi-O as various scorch marks, chipped off pieces and gashes began littering its body. It didn't take long for the damage to heal itself, it happening almost in an instant.
"Great, as if normal regeneration wasn't bad enough…" Chris narrowed her eyes as she realized what had just happened, "Having Nehushtan's added on top explains why it survived…"
"But wouldn't we have gotten word of it surviving?" Blades asked, "Wouldn't Gjallarhorn have reacted before now?"
"Something tells me it was likely hiding in a dormant state while recovering," Buster guessed, "Especially since I was sure that Tsubasa eradicated it."
"Then we'll just have to deal with it here and now," Falchion said as she stepped forward only to get grabbed by Chris, "What?"
"You idiot, we're outmatched," Chris glared, "We need to think about this smartly."
"We'll just go full force," Falchion replied as she shoved Chris back, "Now…"
Legeiel and Zooous yelled as they ran forward, gathering energy in their weapons as they swung at Hebi-O. The anomaly/relic hybrid simply gathered the tendril whips around its arms, forming lance-like protrusions as it began batting away both of the high ranking Megid's strikes. It didn't take long for Hebi-O to release its protrusions, the whips lashing outwards to force Legeiel and Zooous back.
Legeiel and Zooous managed to regain their footing, rushing forward again only for Hebi-O to stab the ground with its tendrils, energy being released and exploding outwards. The result blew both Megid leaders away, the two crashing into opposite facing buildings.
"Okay I retract my statement…" Falchion said after this display of power.
"While corrupt items are fine… pure items like yours are much better," Hebi-O said as it began to approach the group, "Especially when they're so out of place in this world…" it said in an almost hungry manner, "I will tear a hole in dimensions, starting with this world…"
"What is it even going on about?" Buster questioned.
"Hell if I know," Kanade admitted, "They never get this talky with us."
"That being said we're going to need more space before we run!" Chris called out as she opened the sides of her lower armor, unleashing dozens of missiles, "So help me out!"
{MEGA DETH PARTY!}
Hebi-O began lashing with its whips, destroying the missiles only for several to get past, striking and exploding against it.
Blades and Falchion nodded, the two sheathing their Seiken in their Drivers before drawing them out again to initiate their finishers.
[HISSATSU DOKUHA/MOKUDOKU!]
Blades slashed forward, unleashing a razor sharp wave of water while Falchion slashed and sent a bright orange wave of energy outwards.
[NAGARE BATTOU! LION ISSATSU GIRI! WATER!]
[BATTOU! TOWA NO FUSHICHO MUSOU GIRI!]
The two attacks struck in quick succession as they exploded out, forcing Hebi-O back as smoke began to spew out and obscure their vision.
[GENBU SHINWA! DOGON!]
"Alright let's go for one more!" Buster shouted as he raised his sword while initiating his finisher, rocks starting to gather as the Dogouken Gekido was enlarged, orange energy engulfing the enlarged blade, "Hopefully this gives us enough cover!"
[KAISHIN NO GEKIDO RONDOKU GEKI! DOGON!]
The giant sword slammed downwards, a sudden explosion of smoke occurring as it hit directly against Hebi-O, the sword breaking apart as Buster panted heavily, getting on one knee as he rested his sword on his shoulder.
"Kamikawa sir," Blades hurried over.
"Hey, are you going to be alright?" Falchion asked as she walked over with Chris.
"I'll be fine, just put a lot of energy in that swing," Buster reassured despite his heavy breathing.
"Good, now let's get out of here," Chris suggested before wincing as she and the others braced against a sudden gust of wind.
The wind had come from where Hebi-O had been struck, it being a result of the relic fusion anomaly unleashing its tendrils outwards. Everyone's eyes could only widen as they saw that Buster's attack had indeed hit. There was a giant gaping cut from the left shoulder down to the center of the stomach alongside other cuts and bits blown off.
Of course because of what Hebi-O was as well as what it had absorbed, it began instantly reforming and stitching itself back together.
"This monstrous regeneration is insane…" Chris trailed in shock.
"Agreed," Blades replied with a shudder.
"Let's get going while it's still recovering though," Falchion suggested as she went to help Buster stand, "Because it doesn't look like it wants to stop."
"Right," Buster nodded as he managed to stand on his own after a few seconds.
"I never said you could go," Hebi-O said as it launched its tendrils outwards only for a dark portal to suddenly open up in its path.
[KURAYAMI IAI!]
Calibur emerged from the dark portal, it dispersing as they removed Kurayami from the Hissatsu Holder. They held it up, dark energy gathering rapidly as the blade shined a bright purple. They then swung horizontally, a wave of darkness being unleashed from the golden blade.
[DOKUGO ISSEN!]
The resulting slash had shattered the ends of the tendrils, Hebi-O reeling them back as it stared at the newcomer.
"You…" Hebi-O hissed out.
"No way," Buster let out a light gasp but got on guard.
"Calibur…" Falchion muttered.
Calibur said nothing as they glanced back before shifting their head forward and aiming the Ankokuken Kurayami at Hebi-O. It was a simple gesture, but Chris and Blades could both tell that Calibur was more concerned about Hebi-O than them.
Main World:
Touma was going as fast as he could on the Diago Speedy, Genjuro and Sophia having informed him that the Chameleon Megid had resurfaced. After telling them to inform the others while racing towards the location he ended up at what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse.
He slowly but surely skidded to a stop as he couldn't see anything nearby. He was about to contact SONG HQ when he heard yells from around the corner alongside the clashing of weapons. Not wasting any time he dismounted his bike and prepared his transformation, rushing around the corner, "Hen-!"
He paused when he saw what was going on, Daishinji and Miku had just backed away from each other. Both paused and went to stare the other down, the latter in her usual workout outfit while the former was in his Swordsman attire. The two kept their stances for a while before shouting as they rushed towards each other with no hesitation.
"Miku…? Daishinji…?" Touma asked before seeing as Daishinji raised his blade, "Hold on a moment! What are you two-?!"
He was interrupted when he saw Miku swing out with the Raimeiken Ikazuchi, clashing blades with Daishinji who had swung. The two sword wielders kept in their clash before backing away from each other, they then pretended to sheath their blades before bowing. The two then turned towards a still in shock Touma before walking over.
"Touma," Miku spoke up first, "There's something we need to talk about."
Touma could only still stare in surprise, "Eh?"
To Be Continued…
Author's Note: And our first character to be clued in is… Touma! I figured he'd be the first to know outside of the people already aware. Helps that he'll be getting an extensive 'lesson' next time from Daishinji as well considering what I've built up to between the two.
But it's time for us to finally get into our first little Arc of parallel world shenanigans. From the get-go, this is what I mean when I'm using XDU concepts and ideas for inspiration instead of straight adapting scenarios. The main concept was from One Winged Wielders where Tsubasa dies instead of Kanade, though this Kanade is in a coma. Of course the swerve here is that Ver takes Finé's place and is actually a rather well adjusted and normal guy. Being a parallel world also means I'm able to utilize other Saber Riders who have been scarce for varying reasons. In this case it's Kamikawa and Kenshin showing up in this world alive. I ended up getting inspiration from his various parallel selves that have popped up in XDU. I'll probably talk more about the construction of this arc the further we get into it, but I'll leave it at that for now, thanks for reading and I'll see you all next time.