Sympho-Saber: Song of Swords
GX:EP07 – Those Shining Feelings that Dwell Within
It had been several days since the attack by Carol and her subsequent defeat alongside Calibur. A lot of things needed to be take care of, such as treating the wounded, repairs on equipment, continuing the various projects, etc. One of the more important aspects was bringing Kanade up to speed on everything while also finding out what she knew in regards to her time as an amnesiac. Even with everyone being as busy as could be, the situation was looking better than it had been for a while.
Despite all this, everyone knew they couldn't exactly be relaxed despite winning the previous fight. That was especially the case when it came to the resident duo that made up the technology division of SONG, Daishinji and Elfnein.
While Elfnein was busy working on the final touches to the Airgetlam, Igalima, and Shul Shagana Pendants, Daishinji was currently going through a checklist of various maintenance and data acquiring tasks that he'd need to get to. Of course it would have been overwhelming, had Daishinji not asked for a bit of help. His ear twitched as he glanced over to the side.
"So this is good here?" Miku asked as she set Ikazuchi down on a nearby table.
"Yes," Daishinji nodded, his ear twitched as he gave a nod to himself.
"So why exactly did you need Ikazuchi?" Miku asked.
"I need to run a checkup on it soon," Daishinji replied, "While Touma's improved he's still a bit too rough in combat."
"Of course he is," Miku giggled a bit.
"Normally I would have by now but Kyomu's been taking up all my time," Daishinji said as the main console he was using had Kyomu slotted inside of it. Inside the main book scanning case was also Eternal Phoenix, "Our newest Rider was truly monstrous with it and I'm still amazed it didn't break entirely with how little repairs were done to it."
"Well thankfully that won't be the case anymore now that you're here to repair it," Miku replied.
"True, it's a bit overwhelming but I do have additional help now," Daishinji said, "Thank you."
"No thank you," Miku said as she gave a quick bow, "I'm honored you offered me a chance to help you out a bit."
"You are part of our ranks after all," Daishinji said, "I'm just glad this isn't too overwhelming all things considered."
"Oh it's surprisingly manageable," Miku admitted, "I'm just glad I'm able to help out a bit more than I usually can."
"Hey Doc, what's up? Is my sword fixed yet?"
"And speaking of our unruly phoenix…" Daishinji muttered before seeing Kanade walk in with Rintaro of all people, "Kanade, Rintaro."
"So, is it fixed up?" Kanade asked, while she had gotten rid of her velvet robe from her time under Master Logos, thanks to Tsubasa returning it, she was able to keep rocking her long black coat over her casual wear, which she preferred.
"Unfortunately not," Daishinji gestured to the sword, "Your little rampage mid-repairs didn't do Kyomu any favors. I can at least give you back Eternal Phoenix to use in a pinch but your sword will have to wait."
"Oh right," Kanade gave a sheepish grin as she held the back of her neck, "Sorry about that."
"Well you technically had no control over that," Daishinji remarked as he brought out Eternal Phoenix from the book scanner and handed it back to Kanade, "But even if it was repaired we're still getting everything in order for you so you wouldn't have been able to fight immediately anyway."
"Fair enough," Kanade agreed with a quick shrug before pocketing her Ride Book.
"Wait," Miku spoke up as she realized something, "Rintaro, why are you here?"
"It was mostly coincidence that Kanade and I needed to visit at the same time," Rintaro admitted, "But I'm here with an inquiry."
"What would that be?" Daishinji asked.
"Have you finished the new Wonder Ride Book?" Rintaro asked.
"No, not yet," Daishinji replied.
"Then I have a request as well," Rintaro said, "When you do, please give it to me."
"You really want the power-up, huh?" Kanade smirked, recalling briefly from what she was debriefed on that there was another power-up book aside from Dragonic Knight in the works.
"If I am to defend this world for Kento's sake, yes," Rintaro admitted.
"You are one of our best fighters so of course," Daishinji agreed before holding out his hand, "But I'll need to adjust accordingly so I need your Ride Books."
"Of course," Rintaro said as he handed Daishinji his three main Ride Books that made up his Wonder Combo.
Daishinji of all people surprisingly grabbed onto Rintaro's hand to keep the exchange from being completed.
"Daishinji…?" Rintaro asked.
"Do understand that I'm unsure how long this process will take, even with the data gathered from Dragonic Knight's debut," Daishinji explained, "You'll only have your Seiken in the meantime."
"I understand," Rintaro gave a nod.
"Very well then," Daishinji said as he let go before taking the Wonder Ride Books and setting them in the book case to scan them.
[TENKUU NO PEGASUS!]
[LION SENKI!]
[PETER FANTASISTA!]
[KING OF ARTHUR!]
King of Arthur was also added in to help with the calibrations before bringing out the large pale blank book and inserting it into the glass scan case that formerly held Dragonic Knight.
"Huh, looks like this place is pretty lively today."
Everyone turned to see Genjuro enter the room with a smile on his face.
"Hey boss, how goes it?" Kanade asked.
"I've come to check in and see how everything was going," Genjuro admitted.
"I'm currently calibrating and adjusting the new upgrade to go to Blades," Daishinji replied, "While also running maintenance and working on fixing the Mumeiken Kyomu as soon as possible."
"I see, and what of the Symphogear Pendants as well as the rest of Project Ride Gear?" Genjuro asked.
"The remaining Gear Books are still being worked on," Daishinji admitted, "As for the Symphogears themselves…"
"It's done."
Everyone turned to see Elfnein smiling as she had just completed the final adjustments for all three remaining pendants.
"Huh?" Elfnein looked over with a faint look of surprise, "When did everyone get here?"
"She was so caught up in her work that she wasn't even distracted," Kanade stared in surprise.
"Truly a remarkable worker," Rintaro agreed with a few quick nods.
"Perfect, then we can call everyone up for a meeting," Genjuro smiled before punching the palm of his hand, "Now that we've pushed back our enemies we shouldn't lose our momentum."
Storious walked through the halls of the Megid hideout before reaching the main room. In his hands was Kurayami, or at least the hands of his monstrous Megid form, since that offered him some protection from the little 'quirks' the Sword of Darkness held. Not that it mattered when it came to those issues for him in particular. Either way, once he arrived he set it on the table before dismissing his form and walked out.
"Take as much time as you need, Calibur," Storious said as he walked out of the room.
Once Kurayami was alone, it began erupting with darkness before floating upwards, Calibur in Jaou Dragon forming from the wisps of smoke it unleashed. Calibur lowered his weapon before leaning it against a chair, allowing his transformation to dismiss itself.
"That young man, Touma Kamiyama…" Kamijo trailed as he now had a good moment alone to think on his defeat, "He's proven quite capable. Freeing Kaenken Rekka from the darkness I had hidden it in… claiming and mastering the power of Avalon through Arthur, and now forging a new power with that Dragonic Knight form. Originally I had hoped he'd live a normal life, perhaps not be involved in these battles but it appears as though fate has led us to this moment in time."
He stayed silent as he walked over to Kurayami, taking hold of it with his ungloved hand. He saw flashes in his mind, the sky cracked, waves of energy sought to destroy the world before nothing else came to him. He released his grip on the sword before taking hold again and then he could see it, a large book appearing in the sky and opening its pages for those to enter. He could see a bright light, and the goal he sought. But beyond that there was nothing else.
He had seen variations upon variations of these flashes constantly ever since the end of the Frontier Incident. But he could no longer see beyond them unlike what little he could see beyond both Finé's and Ver's plots. There was something that wasn't allowing itself to be seen.
"There is but one who can continue my mission if this truly is my end," Kamijo said, staring intently at the Seiken of Darkness, "For now he's in the safest place he can be, out of this dangerous growing conflict. Once the time is right, I or the one I pass Kurayami down to will retrieve him, thus fulfilling my promise to Hayato..."
Genjuro had everyone from the workshop accompany him to the bridge of SONG's HQ, with the other Riders and Wielders filing in. They had cleared out the bridge to themselves as the usual operators, including Aoi and Sakuya were not present. The only other people missing from the current head count were Sophia and Ogawa. Once everyone was gathered, the first order of business was Elfnein giving back the Relics she had modified.
"Sorry it took a bit," Daishinji said as he looked over at Kirika and Shirabe who had smiles on their faces while looking at the Relics, "But Igalima and Shul Shagana are now repaired and upgraded."
"Thank goodness," Shirabe said.
"Hooray, dess!" Kirika called out.
"I've improved their capabilities and installed the Ignite Module," Elfnein nodded, "The Ride Book Sync tech has also been added as well. And of course…"
"The Airgetlám has been restored too," Maria finished.
"Rather than repair it, I installed a whole new converter," Elfnein explained as she walked over and held the Airgetlam pendant up for Maria to take, "I added a neural pass-through, so you should be able to use it."
"I can wield Serena's legacy once again," Maria said, taking the pendant and staring at it, "I want to use this light to make myself stronger."
"Looks like we're finally bouncing back," Touma smiled while Hibiki nodded in agreement.
"Now then for a proper explanation of Project Ride Gear," Daishinji cleared his throat as visuals were pulled up on the main screen of the bridge, "Having enough scrap from the repairs we were able to incorporate those pieces and the data from the Relics to integrate into blank Ride Books."
It wasn't long before the Zettō Ame no Habakiri, Makyū Ichaival, Gekisō Gungnir Books all appeared on the screen with various data appearing all around them.
"We're currently working on the last three remaining ones of the six Symphogears," Daishinji replied, "Though of course given recent events in it'll likely take a while longer. But this will allow us Riders to access the power of Relics."
"But that is not all, correct?" Tsubasa spoke up, occasionally glancing at Kanade who was further away from her in the group.
"You're correct, as Symphogear Wielders also have their own cross functionality with the Ride Books now," Daishinji replied, "By holding the scan port on a Ride Book up to your pendants while transformed, you can initiate a Wonder Ride Sync. For now it's just going to be attacks… but…"
"I noticed potential compatibility between certain Symphogears and Ride Books while going over the data to help Daishinji," Elfnein explained, "It's likely that certain Book and Gear Combinations could grant you new forms."
"Well would you look at that," Chris grinned a bit, "Finally our turn to get a bunch of shiny new toys."
"Didn't think you were that jealous of us," Kanade remarked with a smirk as she crossed her arms.
"Who said I was talking about you?" Chris questioned before gesturing towards Touma, "I'm more talking about our bookworm who seems to just attract power-ups galore."
"R-Really…?" Touma asked with a bit of a chuckle, "I don't think it's been that much."
"King of Arthur, Emotional, Bahamut…" Chris listed off, "Now your shiny new silver one."
"Dragonic Knight," Daishinji interjected.
"Okay but like, half of the ones listed I can't even use right now," Touma reminded.
"Even so she does have a point Kamiyama," Tsubasa said as she glanced at the Swordsman of Flame, "You are the strongest and most versatile of the Riders we have right now."
"Speaking of Riders, we should probably get the elephant in the room out of the way," Daishinji said as he crossed his arms, "Or more appropriately… the Phoenix in the room."
"Oh right," Kanade said before giving quick wave as everyone looked over to her, "I'd introduce myself but I'm pretty sure everyone here is aware of who I am, right?"
"Yes, I was more referring to your situation," Daishinji said before giving a glance at Genjuro who nodded.
"Kanade's now been reinstated into SONG, of course there are a few restrictions placed on her at the moment and we're working to get those resolved," Genjuro explained, "She'll be joining us in our battles soon enough."
"That's great to hear," Hibiki pumped her fists with a smile as her eyes sparkled before looking over at Kanade and moving closer, "I never thought it would be possible until recently, but I'm glad I'll be able to fight alongside you."
"Same," Kanade flashed a smile as she ruffled Hibiki's hair a bit, "I've heard what you've been up to with Gungnir, and I've got to say I'm impressed."
"Wait, really?" Hibiki asked as she grew more bashful while rubbing the back of her head, "I'm not sure what to say but I'm glad to hear it."
Tsubasa couldn't help but give a soft smile at the interaction alongside a few others like Touma and Rintaro.
"That being said," Genjuro cleared his throat to keep things from getting too off track, "Thanks to Kanade's return we've finally gained some information that could be beneficial to us in the long run."
"What kind of information?" Miku asked.
"We now know there was indeed a third group acting behind the scenes," Genjuro explained, "While we're currently trying to research what exactly we're dealing with we do have certain specifics."
"Yes we do as it appears that the Mumeiken Kyomu wasn't the only Seiken they had," Daishinji added, "From what records the Logos Sector had and Kanade's words, we were able to identify that they had two of the three remaining lost swords."
"Lost swords…?" Touma asked.
"There are 11 Seiken in total, well 10 if you don't believe in myths," Daishinji replied, "There's supposedly a Sword of Light that is Kurayami's opposite. But there's no telling where it is as there are only legends on it. However of the 10 known ones, there are two we've yet to find until now: Eneiken Noroshi and Jikokuken Kaiji."
"From what Daishinji was able to research he found that they controlled the elements of Smoke and Time respectively," Genjuro added.
"The wielders are siblings, Reika and Ryoga Shindai," Kanade explained as she decided to help with the explanation, "I worked alongside them while also working under this hooded dude named Master Logos."
"Master Logos…?" Maria raised an eyebrow.
"Wait, you mean like the Logos sector, dess?" Kirika asked.
"Would they even be related?" Shirabe questioned.
"You'd be surprised."
Everyone was surprised to see Sophia suddenly enter with Ogawa, the two having a few books in their hands as Sophia set them down.
"The Logos Sector wasn't originally a government organization," Sophia explained, "Its earliest origins with the various families that joined to make it were with a covert group known as the Sword of Logos."
"Sword of Logos…" Chris asked, "That sounds like something out of a fantasy book."
"It was very much an organization of its time," Sophia replied, "An organization consisting of many swordsmen who dedicated their lives to protecting the world from the shadows. It was also headed by several generations of people who all took the title Master Logos."
"I seem to recall my grandfather telling me stories about that," Daishinji admitted, "Given the ever changing world and the fragile stability of some of those who took the title of Master Logos, the organization was disbanded for a long while with various equipment being split between major families."
"Eventually, Viktor, the former founder/leader of the Logos Sector, sought to rebrand the organization via the Japanese government," Sophia explained, "And well, the rest is self explanatory."
"So we've got some nutcase who thinks it's however many years ago running around with people who can wield Seiken," Chris said before sighing as she hung her head, "We can never catch a break, huh?"
"Given Carol mentioned him by title, I would not be surprised if they had some part in this or a connection to Carol herself," Daishinji added, "So we should be prepared to face two Riders wielding those swords at any time."
"And that brings us to the next part of this meeting," Genjuro crossed his arms with a smile, "Now that you've acquired these new powers, it's time for a special training session!"
Nearly everyone had the same question, "Special Training?"
Of course there were varying looks all throughout the crowd. Chris had a look of dread on her while Hibiki was absolutely pumped up. Touma was rather wary given the last training session he was a part of while Rintaro at most seemed curious about what it could be.
"In preparation for your next battle with the Autoscorers and Megid, it is imperative that the Wielders master using the improved Symphogear and the Ignite Module. Not to mention this will be a good chance for our Riders to grow however they can as well," Genjuro explained, "We also need to pick up some research data from the heretical technology lab in Tsukuba. So you should take this opportunity to steel your bodies and souls."
"I'm up for special training anytime!" Hibiki called out.
"Of course you are," Touma chuckled, though he was also curious as to what the special training would be.
A Day Later…
However no one was expecting the 'special training' to be that of making use of a private beach at Tsukuba. Of course given the time they were allotted to stay, it'd be too much time to simply train, which Genjuro had accounted for when scheduling this. He figured giving them enough time for some relaxation would be useful in the long run instead of an insane training session, especially given the location.
When the day had arrived, most of the participants in said training had gotten there around the same time, that being the six Gear Wielders, Miku and Elfnein, the eight of them setting up at the beach and going to enjoy the time they had on the private beach.
As for the Riders, Daishinji was going to be in his lab at their main submersible headquarters working on final adjustments to the Seiken and Wonder Ride Books while Genjuro held down the fort with Sophia and Aoi. Ogawa, Sakuya and Kanade were to work on picking up the research results while Touma and Rintaro…
"Ah, looks like we got her just as they finished setting up," Touma said as he stepped out into the main beach.
"I'm terribly sorry about this Touma," Rintaro gave a quick bow.
"Hey you needed some help, plus I got to get some stuff ready as well," Touma said with a sly smirk before waving and shouting out, "Hey everyone, we're here!"
"Oh, looks like Touma's…" Miku paused when she turned to see Touma, "Here…"
"Huh?" Hibiki looked over before realizing why Miku's tone had changed, "Oh."
Normally Touma's outfits consisted of a white button up shirt underneath a black jacket, with black slacks, shoes and a hat to top it off. Sometimes he'd shift the colors to a navy blue, or even keep the jacket off entirely. Usually they were rather fairly tame for a guy as creative as he was. That was not the case for this particular outfit.
White baggy pants with grey stripes and slip on beige shoes, a yellow polo with a beige jacket that held white polka-dots and a light blue Lei around his neck. Of course that wasn't the end of it as he had gold rimmed circular sunglasses with metallic blue lenses and a short, small straw hat.
"Sorry about the wait guys," Touma said as he watched everyone approach, having to keep from grinning when he saw Miku's reaction, "Rintaro just told me today he didn't have any good vacation appropriate clothes so I managed to quickly help him pick out something while getting some stuff for me too."
In comparison Rintaro was actually dressed fairly normally which was still weird when it came to the senior members of SONG as they had usually only seen him in his swordsman attire. Sandals, light blue shorts and a palm tree covered button up was his shirt of choice alongside a multi-colored Lei. He also had on the same gold rimmed sunglasses though these were the usual darkened coloration one would normally expect.
"You know, it's weird seeing you in normal clothes," Chris admitted.
"Trust me, the feeling is mutual in regards to my appearance," Rintaro agreed with a nervous smile, clearly a bit out of his element when it came to this portion of their stay.
"Do not worry Shindo, you look fine," Tsubasa reassured.
"I must admit Touma," Maria spoke up, "Given your usual attire I wasn't expecting something so extravagant and fashionable from you."
"Really now…?" Touma asked with a slight grin as he heard this.
"Yes I must admit as well, I wasn't expecting this," Tsubasa admitted, "It looks good on you Kamiyama."
"Ah, thank you," Touma smiled, "I figured it's nice to let loose every once and a while, right Hibiki, Miku?"
"R-Right," Hibiki said with a nervous smile with a chuckle, though it was mostly because of Miku's current state.
"Right," Miku said with a smile though it was clear there was a dangerous aura emanating from her, one that Kirika and Shirabe were able to take notice of.
"W-What is this aura, d-dess?" Kirika asked in a near whisper as she scooted closer to Hibiki.
"I've never felt anything like this…" Shirabe agreed with a nod.
"O-Oh…" Hibiki said as she looked over before lowering her voice, "So you know how she's Touma's unofficial editor with his drafts, right?"
Kirika and Shirabe both gave a few quick nods at this.
"Well that's not the only thing she's an 'editor' of…" Hibiki whispered with a nervous chuckle.
"Dess…"
"Oh…"
The two Wielders at that moment knew that Touma was very much capable of being very creative with his outfit choices, but there was a limiter in place. And that limiter's name was Miku Kohinata.
At the technology lab, Ogawa, Kanade, and Sakuya were currently with a scientist at a projection screen, the scientist having brought up the projection of a golden orb.
"What is this?" Sakuya asked.
"We were able to reconstruct this image from the data Professor Nastassja left behind at the Frontier," The scientist explained.
"A ball of light…?" Ogawa questioned.
"You could say that, we've nicknamed it the "photosphere"," The scientist replied, "The real thing is much larger, approximately forty million times the size of this model."
"Damn…" Kanade muttered in an impressed tone, surprised by how big the thing before them actually was.
"Just what is this 'photosphere'?" Sakuya questioned, though it was mostly to himself since no one truly had the answer to said question.
As data collection continued, Ogawa and Kanade both excused themselves outside so that Ogawa could give his report.
"We've collected the data," Ogawa said as he called Tsubasa, "How's your training going?"
"They've got a hell of a course lined up for us!" Tsubasa nearly shouted in a rushed voice, "It never ends! I'll call you back later with the full story."
Ogawa raised an eyebrow before hanging up, before soon hearing an audible sigh. He glanced over towards Kanade, "You seem bored."
"I'm not exactly the most interested in technical stuff," Kanade admitted with her hands behind her head, "So yeah… just a bit."
"It's because you didn't get to join the others on the beach, isn't it?" Ogawa asked near instantly.
"Caught red handed," Kanade raised her hands with a chuckle.
"Don't worry, your probation shouldn't be that long," Ogawa reassured, "Until it finishes however…"
"Right, right," Kanade put her hands in her coat pockets and turned away, "I'm under your watchful eye."
"Sorry about this," Ogawa apologized.
"Nah I get it," Kanade admitted, "I wasn't exactly an ally for the longest time, and then there's me coming back after my death two years ago. It's a big can of worms to open and confront… that's for sure."
"Right," Ogawa nodded though he noticed how low energy and uncertain Kanade sounded by the end of her sentence.
Despite Tsubasa's claims, everyone was just playing some good old fashioned beach volleyball. Tsubasa had teamed up with Chris, the duo currently facing down Maria and Elfnein. Of course there needed to be a referee, and that was given to none other than Touma who was sitting on an elevated chair, whistle in hand. The others were on different sides of the volleyball court, all watching with excitement at how the game was about to unfold.
"Tsubasa sure is serious about this," Miku admitted.
Hibiki gave a nervous chuckle, "We're supposed to be taking it easy before the real deal, but…"
"Hey! Bring it!" Chris shouted as she was also getting into the competitive nature of the sport.
Touma looked between both teams, seeing their determined looks and deeming all four ready to begin. Once he blew the whistle, Elfnein was up first, tossing the ball up and jumping to serve… only to miss entirely and fall against the sand.
Touma saw this and gave a quick whistle to indicate a missed serve while gesturing, "Brief break everyone."
"Why can't I do it?" Elfnein asked as she began to stand up, "Theoretically, I know how to perform a strong serve, but in practice it's completely different."
"You don't have to push yourself to copy what you've seen others do," Maria explained, having picked up the ball. She soon did an underhand serve to demonstrate, "You can hit it from below, like this."
"I'm sorry," Elfnein apologized.
"Even a weak serve is enough to get the ball moving," Maria said as she leaned down to talk to Elfnein, "The important thing is to just be yourself."
"Okay," Elfnein nodded, "I'll try!"
"Alright let's try this again," Touma announced as he watched everyone get back in their positions for the match. He waited for a bit as everyone started to get into the zone before whistling to signal the recommencement of the game.
The unofficial SONG volleyball tournament had gone on for a good while, with several close matches making for an intense recreational session. Needless to say, after playing around in the sun all day, everyone was tired enough and content to relax underneath some umbrellas and recliners that had been set up beforehand.
"Somewhere along the line, this turned into actual training," Shirabe sighed.
"Whose fault was that, anyways?" Chris asked, so tired she was just laying on her stomach and just barely on the chair as a result, "Things got serious all of a sudden."
"You say that but you were one of the first ones to get serious," Touma commented as he leaned back, currently having a small notebook out as he took some notes. Even on a day like this he was still getting inspiration from the area around him.
"I'm glad the weather's nice today," Elfnein admitted.
"It's because a typhoon just passed through here yesterday," Miku said.
"It's our good karma, dess!" Kirika called out with a grin.
"I suppose we are on a rather nice luck streak," Rintaro agreed.
"So, is anyone else hungry?" Hibiki asked.
"This is a government-owned private beach, though," Tsubasa spoke up.
"Members of the public don't come here, so there are no beachside shops either," Maria added.
They all knew they couldn't just use SONG as a delivery service, and it'd be a lot of running to do a supply run with everyone. There was only one course of action that was left if it came to that.
"Losers go on a food run! Rock-paper-scissors!"
To say everyone was risking a lot was an understatement. Everyone figured that Touma would choose paper due to his love of books. So there was clearly a preference to scissors for some, but a few were bold to go with rock just to go against those with scissors. Of course, there was some relief alongside horror when Touma was one of the many who had chosen rock. So those that had chosen scissors… chose poorly…
Those that did choose scissors were most of those present that would utilize blades in their fighting style. Kirika, Shirabe and Rintaro had all thrown scissors alongside Tsubasa… somewhat. Tsubasa did throw scissors, but instead used her index finger and thumb, resulting in what looked like a finger gun.
Hibiki was the first to break the serious charade they all had, unable to control her laughter, "Tsubasa lost with the weirdest scissors I've ever seen!"
"This isn't weird!" Tsubasa defended, "It's cool!"
"The severing weapon…" Shirabe trailed as she stared at her hand.
"…severely lost, dess," Kirika called out in defeat.
"To think my Swordsman heritage would be my undoing…" Rintaro hung his head.
"I'm just surprised the bookworm didn't use paper," Chris said.
"Sorry to say but I'm a bit more unpredictable than that," Touma called out proudly.
"Don't just buy junk food, okay?" Maria turned towards the four who lost, "Get something to replenish our electrolytes and minerals too."
Tsubasa meanwhile was mulling over her 'cool scissors' that had failed to best everyone else. She perked up as sunglasses were placed on her.
"You're a celebrity, so wear these out there," Maria said with a smile as she had placed her own sunglasses on her idol friend.
"You're almost like a mother, Maria," Tsubasa commented.
Thus the journey of the blue sword wielders and blades of zababa had commenced. They had lucked out and found a convenience store in the closest town. Thus they walked out with heads held high, having completed their food run.
Tsubasa was holding a hefty watermelon, and thankfully wasn't recognized. What had helped was she had borrowed Touma's hat, using that to help cover her head further. Rintaro was carrying bags of sports drinks, some nutritious trail mixes, though nothing too filling due to the walk it would take to go back.
"It's a shame we couldn't get anything too substantial," Rintaro admitted.
"True, however there wasn't a cooler we could buy to place it in," Tsubasa reminded, "We'll just have to hope that this will be enough for now."
"Kiri, you just bought you favorite junk food after all," Shirabe sighed.
"Call it a perk of a job!" Kirika called out with a grin, both blue sword wielders giving small chuckles at the remark.
On their way back it wasn't long before they noticed a local shrine that had been heavily torn up with a small crowd of boys and a man looking on at the destruction. Normally one would be able to pass it off as damage from the typhoon. Though there was one prominent discrepancy that stood out.
Spikes of frozen ice littered the entire area…
"What an odd yet compelling sight," the lone adult remarked as he stared at the structure. He was fairly well dressed, wearing black slacks and dress shoes, a red button-up shirt and a black jacket of all things with a giant rose image sewn on the back of it. He had short neatly combed hair, a goatee and glasses.
Meanwhile everyone else was waiting out by the shore of the beach, all of them taking in the scenery as they either sat or stood in the sand.
"Coming to the beach with you all is like a dream come true for me," Miku said.
"Aren't we supposed to be training?" Elfnein asked.
"You're so responsible, Elfnein," Hibiki giggled.
"The Ignite module harnesses the power that makes you go berserk," Elfnein explained, "And it has a triple-layered safety mechanism for extra protection, but it's still a very dangerous ability! That's why you need training to keep it under-"
A burst of water shot out from the ocean, forming a geyser that interrupted Elfnein and caught everyone's attention. Standing atop the Geyser was the blue Autoscorer everyone was familiar with by now.
Elfnein's eyes widened, "Garie?!"
"Having fun?" Garie asked in a mocking tone as she struck her usual ballet pose, "Made enough summer memories?"
"Like hell!" Chris shouted as she hurried over.
Touma meanwhile readied his Swordriver, already realizing they were at a slight disadvantage due to Miku and Elfnein being in the area.
"~Killter Ichaival tron~"
"~Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron~"
Chris and Hibiki immediately donned their Symphogears, Chris acting first and shooting a hailstorm of arrows agains Garie who launched herself towards them. It turned out that it was one of her water clones, it bursting apart.
"Watch out!" Touma called out.
Garie formed behind the wielders just as they turned, giving a grin before striking forward and knocking both back.
"Maria, Touma!" Hibiki called out, "Get the others to safety!"
Touma and Maria both gave a nod, the two running off with Miku and Elfnein.
Garie noticed this but before she could act, both Chris and Hibiki blocked her path.
"Are you acting without orders from Carol?" Hibiki asked.
"You forgetting who else is a part of our crew?" Garie asked as she brought out a few capsules and threw them into the sand, summoning Alca-Noise to combat the two Wielders.
Hibiki and Chris quickly went to work, Hibiki easily tearing through the Alca-Noise with her martial arts while Chris cleared the crowd out further with her arrows, bullets, and missiles. Of course, Chris' assault against the aerial Alca-Noise wasn't the most discreet.
It wasn't long before Hibiki noticed that Garie was suddenly nowhere to be seen. She paled in realization as she recalled there was still a Wielder who had not lost yet against the Autoscorers and Alca-Noise.
Tsubasa could only gasp as she took off the sunglasses, spotting the explosions from afar alongside the others, "What?!"
"Don't tell me what I think you're going to tell me, dess!" Kirika realized.
"We have to hurry!" Shirabe said.
"Indeed," Rintaro gave a nod as he hurried off back towards the beachfront, Kirika and Shirabe following after him.
Tsubasa had lagged behind to address the only adult there, "It's dangerous here! Get the children to safety!"
"Of course, just make sure you keep safe yourself!" The man replied before whistling out to catch the school kids' attention, "Hey you kids, follow me it's too dangerous here!"
"I'll make sure of that," Tsubasa said with a soft smile, glad to see the man taking charge before quickly hurrying off after her friends.
Maria, Touma, Miku, and Elfnein were all running down a path through a forested area only for Garie to drop in front of them. Touma brought out Dragonic Knight and set it in his Swordriver while Maria stood protectively in front of the group.
"Found you, useless user!" Garie mocked before skating forward, forming a blade of ice from her hand, "I've had enough of chasing after you!"
Touma was ready to transform but was caught off guard by Maria who had ran forward to intercept Garie.
"~Seilien coffin Airgetlám tron~"
Maria shifted her head to the side, avoiding the ice blade which only cut off a few strands of her hair. She watched the Autoscorer's eyes shrink in realization as she punched the doll directly in the face with her left fist.
Garie could only give a look of disbelief as she was sent flying from the punch.
A silver shine occurred on Maria's fist as armor materialized on her left arm before forming on the rest of her body shortly after.
Garie could only gasp, "A silver… arm?"
"Wait… is that?" Miku asked as she recalled the meeting they had the prior day.
"That's the holy Airgetlam!" Elfnein answered.
Garie had managed to recover, twirling and giving another smirk, "Well, I hope you don't disappoint me like last time!"
"Silver huh, then this is perfect," Touma chuckled as he ran forward, "Henshin!"
[REKKA BATTOU! DON'T MISS IT! RIDE ON DRAGON, FIGHT~ DRAGONIC KNIGHT~!]
"And there's the troublemaker," Garie frowned briefly before tossing out more Alca-Noise crystals, summoning a horde against Saber and Maria.
Maria wasn't worried, drawing out a knife from her main gauntlet on her left arm which had a trail of even more blades. She wasted no time in launching them all forward.
{INFINITE†CRIME}
They knives shredded apart the first wave of Alca-Noise with Maria taking the lead, easily slicing through the Alca-Noise that tried to challenge her with rather graceful movements.
'The LiNKER I took for training is working,' she thought as she glanced around, 'This is my chance!'
Saber slotted Brave Dragon into his Booster before holding his blade out, Rekka's emblem facing forward.
[BRAVE DRAGON! ONE READING!]
Rekka's emblem shined brightly before a stream of flames shot forward from it, burning through a group of Alca-Noise that attempted to charge forward.
[FLAME SPICY!]
"Not bad Saber," Maria complimented.
"I could say the same," Saber nodded.
Garie glared, realizing that this was going to be harder than she thought with Saber helping out.
It didn't take long for SONG to start mobilizing once they got Alca-Noise signals alongside the usual signals for the Kamen Riders and Symphogear Wielders.
"The Autoscorers attacked?" Genjuro asked.
"Yes," Ogawa said as he was currently on sound only call, "They were split up. Maria and Touma are facing Garie."
"She's fighting without testing her new Gear?" Genjuro asked.
"Saber is there at least," Sophia spoke up to give some level of ease to the situation.
"Even so, the Ignite Module is a double-edged sword," Genjuro said, "She can't go too far."
"Hey, Touma's with her right?" Kanade spoke up, "I think she'll be good."
Maria lashed out with her short blade, it extending and segmenting itself into a long chain-blade that tore through the Alca-Noise near her.
{EMPRESS†REBELLION}
Saber meanwhile was slicing through Alca-Noise with little issue, gathering fire in his booster and punching one away when they got too close. He noticed that he had created a gap between him and Garie, soon shouting as he rushed forward.
"Not so fast!"
Saber gave a gasp at the familiar voice, raising and shifting his sword as he blocked against another blade. He took a step back as his eyes widened beneath his helmet. The one clashing blades with him was none other than Desast.
Maria turned in surprise, "Desast?!"
"And why are you here?" Garie questioned, "If you're here to-"
"I could care less about teaming up," Desast called before giving a gasp as his blade was pushed back.
"Then why are you here?" Saber questioned as he pushed further, "The other time you-"
"It's like I told my best buddy, I'll only ever get in your guys' way if you can offer me a delectable fight," Desast called out as he pressed forward to match Saber's push, "And that new form of yours that dealt with Calibur is certainly something that'll make me do that."
"Damn it," Saber hissed, "I don't have time for this!"
"There's no need to worry," Maria called out as she charged at Garie, "I can handle her!"
"Aw, looks like I might lose this one!" Garie called out with a fake shocked expression before laughing. She watched Maria get closer before spinning out of the way while forming a chunk of ice and smashing it into Maria's face, "Just kidding!"
Maria could only wince as she was sent flying, being slammed against the ground.
"Maria!" Saber called out as Miku and Elfnein gasped.
"Eyes on me Swordsman of Fire," Desast growled out as he pushed further, forcing Saber to take a few steps back, "I'm your opponent!"
"Damn…" Saber hissed out as he got in a defensive stance, realizing he needed to put his full attention on Desast.
"You're strong," Maria said as she picked herself up and grasped at her pendant, "But…"
"Oh?" Garie grinned, "But what?"
"I'll finish you with this power!" Maria called out as she fully stood, "Ignite Module! Bakken!"
Just like the other she clicked her pendant, pulling it off and holding it up.
{Dáinsleif}
The pendant entered its pronged state before impaling Maria through the chest, the Airgetlam Wielder could only scream in pain from the surge of dark power, leaning forward.
"I'll kill… the weakness in my heart! GRAAAAGH!"
Maria's body was enveloped by the dark power of the cursed blade, the darkness consuming her and twisting her into a mindless berserk beast similar to when Hibiki had lost control. Her form was now pure black with a red glow around it, red piercing eyes staring down the Autoscorer.
"Oh my," Garie said, a bit surprised but also disappointed by the result. She quickly danced around Maria who had lunged at her several times, "She's just a rabid beast now."
Hibiki and Chris both arrived, having dealt with the Noise. The two however could only stare in shock at what was going on.
"She went berserk?" Hibiki asked.
"She was taken over by the sword's curse…" Chris trailed before noticing something, "Wait, Desast is here?!"
"No, no, these wild attacks won't do at all," Garie said as she continually dodged against the berserk Maria. She then grabbed Maria by the face before looking around and giving a grin, "Sing for me, like the idol you are!"
Hibiki and Chris were expecting Garie to attack Maria but instead the Autoscorer threw the berserk Airgetlam Wielder while spinning her. The result disoriented the berserk Wielder and sent her charging towards Saber and Desast.
"Did you really think you could become strong through desperation alone?" Garie questioned as she was wiping her hands with a handkerchief, "You're such a letdown, useless user."
Chris and Hibiki began to charge in only to pause when Garie had thrown down a teleportation crystal.
"You two should probably be concerned with your friend," Garie grinned, "Though if we're being honest it'll be for the best if she rips him to shreds."
"Huh?" Hibiki looked over with wide eyes, "Touma, watch out!"
Saber turned his head alongside Desast who had heard the inhuman yelling, the two quickly breaking out of their current clash and crossing their swords inadvertently, blocking against a swipe that Maria had lashed out with.
"Maria!" Saber called out only to get no response, trying to keep his blade up and against the swipe, "We don't have Kyomu either…"
"I swear to…" Desast gritted his teeth as he took a step forward to keep the advantage while raising his right arm, "Saber! We'll have to do this the hard way!"
"Huh?" Saber looked to see what Desast was doing and giving a nod, raising his left arm up, "Fine…"
The berserk Airgetlam Wielder's arm was forced down by Kaenken Rekka and Grudge Dent, Maria growling out only for Saber's left fist and Desast's right fist to strike her directly in her chest.
[SPICY!]
Maria gasped out as she the punches were enough to knock her off balance and slam her against the ground. Dust kicked up from the impact before a white light occurred, the light released in a burst and cleared the dust away revealing Maria had transformed back to normal.
"Hey! Wake up!" Chris called out as she hurried over.
"Maria! Maria!" Elfnein cried out as she hurried over to check on the fallen Wielder as well.
Maria winced as she barely opened her eyes, "I couldn't win… but what did I lose to…?"
"Alright," Saber turned towards Desast who was now walking away, "What?"
"Those damn dolls always ruin the mood," Desast said with a click of his tongue as he began to vanish, "I'm taking my leave now."
"Seriously," Saber lowered his weapon, "I just can't get that guy."
"Touma, are you alright?" Hibiki asked as she hurried over.
"Yeah," Saber nodded.
Back at Carol's base, Garie reappeared on her podium, the other Autoscorer's on each of their own while the Megid General's and remaining duo of Goblin Megid were all scattered around. After the battle with Carol, the gears in the center floor had shifted as differently colored banners now decorated the ceiling of the throne room, each in one of the Autoscorers colors.
The throne of said throne room was also now replaced by a closet-like box, various piping running out of that and into the back of the throne area.
"You certainly put on a show," Leiur remarked.
"Just a brief detour from my mission," Garie answered with a bored face.
"Mad that you're the only one who never broke any pendants?" Micha asked.
"Shut up!" Garie called out with a glare as Micha had accurately guessed what put her in her mood, "That's why I targeted that failure!"
"You certainly give it your all," Phara said, "I should make my move soon too."
Garie gritted her teeth before staring up at the multi-colored banners that now decorated the throne room, 'I won't let you be first.'
"They'll be expecting you to come back."
Everyone turned to see Kamijo walking out of the shadows.
"You…" Garie narrowed her eyes, "I thought you were…"
"Allow me to assist in the next round," Kamijo interrupted, not bothering to answer the question that was on the Autoscorers minds.
Sophia had gone to visit Daishinji who was working to put the final touches on repairing Mumeiken Kyomu while continuously adjusting the data and overseeing the process of the new Power-Up Ride Book.
"And that's the current situation," Sophia said, finished with her debriefing on what occurred over at Tsukuba.
"So she was unable to control it huh," Daishinji said as he removed Kyomu from the main machine and began inspecting it, "That sounds like her."
"Huh?" Sophia asked.
"While she has confidence she allows herself to get lost in it to where it becomes a mask," Daishinji explained, "She won't be able to truly use Ignite until she gets past that."
"I see," Sophia said.
A chime was heard as a bright blue flash was soon seen from the main console Daishinji used. The coloration of the book had changed to dark blue, a large almost mechanical version of the Lion Senki being seen on the cover, it having two massive cannons on its shoulders. The title of the book read…
[KING LION DAISENKI!]
"Perfect timing," Daishinji smirked at this, he looked over at Sophia, "I need a transport over to Tsukuba now."
"Understood," Sophia nodded.
The Riders and Wielders had all reconvened at the main housing complex by the beach, Kanade, Ogawa and Sakuya joining in on the current meeting that included mostly everyone in the group. Maria seemed to be the only one absent for the meeting taking place.
"Even without their master, the dolls still attack," Tsubasa said.
"We need to remember that the Megid are still out there," Touma said, "They might've taken over the operation."
"Our opponents this time have always had the upper hand," Shirabe noted, "So why do they keep retreating without finishing us off?"
"Now that you mention it, that's a good point, dess," Kirika realized.
"Something feels off about the situation," Kanade muttered as she crossed her arms.
"It's so hard to get a read on them," Chris admitted.
"I'm worried about Maria too," Miku said as she looked over to her best friend.
Hibiki looked down, "When you get taken over by that power, everything in your mind turns black. You aren't able to think straight anymore."
Rintaro frowned as he crossed his arms when he heard this. While he was glad their forces were getting stronger, he didn't like the negative effects that the Ignite Forms posed if used improperly. That was one of the many reasons why he had asked for the power-up.
'I need to protect my precious family…' He thought before noticing that someone aside from Maria was absent. Realizing the conversation was still going without his input he silently headed out while everyone was still talking.
Outside of the housing complex, Maria was by herself, thinking about the current situation. Thankfully Touma had held back in his punch and only hit as hard as he needed to. She still needed to get some bandages here and there but other than that she was alright physically.
'I had my life spared by a doll? And I even attacked a fellow ally… how pathetic,' She thought to herself, 'I can't believe I was too weak to overcome the sword's curse. I need to become stronger… that's why I came here to begin with.'
The sound of bouncing broke her out of her thoughts, a volleyball bouncing past her.
"Sorry," Elfnein said as she hurried over to grab it, "I was trying not to bother everyone."
"You're not a bother," Maria reassured, "I'll help you practice."
"Thank you!" Elfnein smiled.
It didn't take the two long to walk over to the volleyball area, Elfnein serving several over the net but something was still off.
"This is weird," Elfnein admitted, "I still can't do it properly."
"…you know all kinds of things, right, Elfnein?" Maria asked as Elfnein looked over at her, "Do you mind if I ask you something? What does it mean to be strong?"
"Isn't that something you taught me?" Elfnein asked.
Maria raised an eyebrow, a bit confused by the response. But her question would have to wait since a burst of water occurred, Garie standing on top of it like before.
"Hello there, useless user!" Garie mocked as she watched Maria get protectively in front of Elfnein, she could only grin. "Will you sing for me this time?"
"Maria, you'll be fine!" Elfnein reassured, "I know you can do it!"
"~Seilien coffin Airgetlám tron~"
Maria quickly donned her Symphogear, brandishing her blade as she stared down Garie without a word.
"If you want to prove you're not useless, do it through combat!" Garie called out in an annoyed tone as she drew out crystals that shattered to summon Alca-Noise.
Maria quickly went to work, slicing through the Alca-Noise with ease.
"So, Airgetlam's been restored."
Maria paused at this, quickly turning to see a dark portal open up as Calibur in Jaou Dragon walked out from it.
"Calibur…" Maria's eyes widened, "But we saw you…"
"Die?" Calibur asked, "The Ankokuken Kurayami is a sword with many special abilities, one of which is bypassing death by submerging oneself in darkness."
"Submerge in…" Maria muttered before her eyes began to narrow, Kento's screams echoing through her mind as she remembered the state he was in when he was lost, "Wait…"
"Don't get distracted!" Garie called out in a mocking tone as several Alca-Noise charged forward.
"Like it would be that easy to distract me," Maria called out as she easily sliced through the approaching Alca-Noise.
Phara was watching the fight unfold from atop the building nearby, a rose in her mouth. She withdrew it and threw it away, the petals being flung off as she vanished.
Sakuya received an alert on his laptop, opening and pulling it up, "Alca-Noise detected!"
"Maria and Elfnein are in trouble, dess!" Kirika shouted as she and the rest of the Riders and Wielders, sans Kanade, quickly ran out of the room to go assist. They were all so in a rush that they didn't even notice Rintaro was also missing.
Ogawa and Kanade felt something was off after the group had left, so the two hurried into the hall and looked around.
"Was it the wind…?" Ogawa muttered.
"What's wrong?" Miku asked as she walked over.
"Nothing… I hope," Ogawa said as he continually looked around.
"Something's definitely fishy about this situation…" Kanade narrowed her eyes.
Maria's daggers continued to pierce the Alca-Noise, eventually destroying the entire grouping that Garie had sent out. Once that was over she charged towards Calibur, keeping her knife in a reverse grip as she slashed at the dark Rider.
Calibur let out an amused chuckle as he blocked the strike before backing away, dodging against a few more swipes before parrying Maria's next attack against him.
"Eyes on me useless user," Garie taunted as she unleashed a stream of water at Maria.
Calibur backed away while Maria threw out three daggers, forming an energy shield to block it. Garie increased the water pressure and size, slowly but surely working around the shield and dropping the temperature of the water to freeze Maria from the ground up.
'Strong… I have to be strong!' Maria thought as she gritted her teeth as she was trapped within the makeshift ice prison.
"Maria!" Elfnein called out.
"Strong…!" Maria shouted as she broke through the ice only to fall to her knees.
"You're just too weak!" Garie scoffed as she decided to keep on mocking Maria, "Far too weak to use that power, I would think."
"I'm still weak…" Maria's eyes widened before she shut them tight, "How can I become strong?"
"And what's wrong with being weak?!"
"Huh?" Garie turned only for her eyes to widen as she just barely dodged out of the way of a slash.
The culprit was Rintaro who held out Nagare, as he had still brought it with him despite it being the only thing he could use to fight.
Maria looked up in surprise, "Rintaro?"
"Oh?" Calibur perked up at this.
"So long as she never gives up, then it doesn't matter if she's weak," Rintaro called out, "Despite what losses and failures I receive, my duty and promises still persist to remind me that I must keep going! And when I gain more power, it becomes nothing if I simply give up and stop trying. And I know Maria would never do that!"
"He's right Maria!" Elfnein called out, "Don't give up, just be yourself!"
"That's right," Maria said as Elfnein's words from earlier also rang through her mind while she lifted herself up, "I am weak."
"Huh?" Garie's glare turned to a confused face at these words.
"Elfnein made me realize that even if I can't get stronger, even if I might be weak, I'll still be myself. That is true strength," Maria explained, "Elfnein doesn't have the strength to fight but she acted bravely in the face of danger and brought hope to us all."
"Maria…" Rintaro turned and smiled as he began to back away.
"Elfnein, just listen," Maria called out as she held her pendant, "This song is an ode to your courage! Ignite Module! Bakken!"
{Dáinsleif}
Once more the pendant became its pronged state before piercing Maria in the chest. Despite this she was managing to keep calm compared to the last time as the dark energy overtook her.
'In the past, every time I panicked, I clung to another lie. That's it! If being oneself is true strength…'
Elfnein and Rintaro both looked on, "Maria!"
Maria soon yelled out, "…then I, in my weakness, will overcome this curse!"
The dark aura was sucked into her pendant before it was unleashed, tearing apart her armor and replacing it with sharpened and darkened versions of it. Maria drew her dagger once more, holding it forward.
"So you conquered your darkness…" Calibur mused.
"Weakness is strength?" Garie asked as she threw out more Alca-Noise crystals, "At least try to make sense!"
Maria didn't seem to care that more Alca-Noise were summoned, mounting the knife onto the front of her gauntlet and aiming it forward. She then unleashed dozens upon dozens of energy blades that tore through the Alca-Noise grouping entirely, leaving only Garie and Calibur left.
Maria immediately bolted towards the side, removing her knife from her gauntlet and slashing rapidly at the dark Rider.
Calibur chuckled as he began to back up, blocking each of the strikes before one ended up being too quick for him, striking his chest and causing sparks to fly as he was forced to step back, "You…"
"Hey now, don't ignore me!" Garie called out, getting a bit annoyed that Maria was gunning for Calibur all of a sudden. She slid forward on an ice trail to interrupt the fight between the two.
"Incredible…" Rintaro muttered as he stared at the fight intently, watching as despite Garie joining in, Maria was managing to handle both the Autoscorer and Calibur with decent proficiency.
"The Ignite Module is working well," Elfnein said, though she was worried that even with it that Maria would have trouble in the end, "But…"
"Rintaro!"
"Huh?" Rintaro soon heard whirring from above before looking up and giving a gasp, "Daishinji?!"
A SONG Helicopter was flying past, Kamen Rider Slash having leapt off of it before landing on the beach near Elfnein and Rintaro.
"Daishinji," Elfnein hurried over, "Why are you here?"
"Well I was worried the Ignite Module might prove too much for Maria," Slash admitted as he fully stood, gesturing to his holster on his waist and revealing he had Kyomu on it, "However it seems like she managed to make it work."
"She did," Rintaro nodded before looking over with a grimace as he watched Maria slowly get pushed back, gripping his hands tightly, "But…"
"She won't fare long, especially if the rest of our team gets here a moment too late," Slash said before chuckling, "Good thing we have someone ready to fight."
"Please, assist her Daishinji," Rintaro said before he felt something bump against his arm, he turned and looked over to see Slash holding out the new Ride Book, "This is…"
"Do it," Slash nodded.
Rintaro nodded, bringing out his Swordriver and placing it on his waist before slotting Nagare into it. He grabbed the Ride Book and took a deep breath, "I swear upon Suiseiken Nagare… I will protect the balance of this world!"
[KING LION DAISENKI!]
Rintaro brought out the Ride Book before opening it up.
[A blue mane that transcends nature wears armor and roars on the throne…]
He then closed it fully before slotting it into the middle of his Swordriver, soon drawing out Nagare and opening up the book, the main cover opening up to his right while a second cover beneath opened up to his left, revealing an image of Blades sculpted within the center of the book itself.
[NAGARE BATTOU!]
Rintaro gritted his teeth as water began erupting and spiraling around his blade, an enlarged version of King Lion Daisenki forming behind him and opening up. He threw his arm forward, the water launching off as the mechanical lion on the cover launched out of the book and began circling around.
"Henshin!"
[RHYMING! RIDING! RIDER!]
The water that was launched off of Nagare soon began to spiral around Rintaro, submerging him in an aqua tornado as the King Lion Daisenki began spinning around rapidly, being sucked into the vortex.
[JUOH RAIOU! RISING! LIFULL! KING LION DAISENKI!]
The water and Familiar combined with Rintaro, water bursting off as a blue slash of water latched itself onto Rintaro's face to form the visor of his Rider form. Blades' Rider form had also completely been altered by this new transformation.
He wore a black bodysuit but with sharp patterning and indentions at certain points. His armor was sharp and almost mechanical, being a deep blue coloration with light blue accents and silver detailing at certain points. He had a full skirt piece that went down to his knees on all ends, the back of it resembling a lion's tail. He even had small mechanical-like wing flaps on his back. There was also obvious bestial parts on him, his feet being full on paws while having paws folded up on the back of his forearms.
Of course it still kept the basic design philosophy of Blades, holding a lion's head on his chest and keeping a similar design to the helmet. His mask was sharper however, being blue lined with a black visor, having blue lines running through where his eyes would be.
He held his own version of the Dragonic Booster, the head of the booster being a blue Lion's head as it was the King Lion Booster. And last but not least, his shoulders had two cannons mounted on them.
[In other words, he's the artillery warrior!]
"Whoa…" Elfnein muttered in amazement, "This is…"
"Blades, King Lion Daisenki," Slash said with a chuckle before drawing out three Ride Books, "Rintaro!"
Blades turned and quickly caught the three books as they were thrown at him. He could only lightly gasp as the books he caught were none other than Kento's Wonder Combo Books. He silently nodded as he opened up his King Lion Booster and began scanning them as fast as he could.
[ONE! READING! LAMP DO ALANGINA!]
[TWO! READING! NEEDLE HEDGEHOG!]
[THREE! READING! TRI CERBERUS!]
"I will not forget the promise I made…" Blades said with a fiery intensity as he held up his left forearm, recalling Kento's promise to look after Touma and Maria, "Please stand aside, Maria!"
Maria turned back at Blades' yelling, her eyes widening when she saw his newly transformed state. She didn't bother questioning it however as she hopped away from a slash by Calibur before rolling away from a blast of water from Garie.
Garie and Calibur were ready to give chase when they suddenly caught sight of Blades.
[LIONIC BURST!]
A rain of electrical needles was launched out of the King Lion Booster, the Lamp do Alangina and Tri Cerberus launching through the needles. The Lamp Do Alangina yelled out as it slammed its fist into Garie, sending her tumbling away while Calibur was forced back by multiple electrical bites from Tri Cerberus.
Maria looked over as she watched Blades run over, "Rintaro?"
"Yes," Blades chuckled as he approached, "You won't face them alone so long as I'm here."
"Good," Maria said as she began eyeing their opponents. Despite Garie's taunts and prodding from earlier, her mind was still stuck on Calibur's words, turning towards the dark Rider "Rintaro, I know this may sound selfish but…"
"It would be wrong to not allow you to face him," Blades saw where Maria was staring and nodded before holding out Lamp Do Alangina, "Leave the Autoscorer to me."
"Thank you," Maria smiled, taking the Ride Book before yelling out and rushing towards Calibur.
"Again with ignoring me," Garie gritted her teeth before launching towards Maria, and to her further expectation and annoyance, Blades had gotten in her path, "Out of my way!"
"Sorry but you'll be facing me!" Blades slotted Nagare back into the Swordriver as he gripped the King Lion Booster tightly, soon punching forward.
Garie quickly stopped and formed a barrier, blocking the punch.
[BURST!]
Water began overflowing from the King Lion Booster and enveloping Blades' fist, the fist breaking through the barrier and striking Garie directly in the face.
Garie's eyes widened as she was thrown back from the punch, quickly spinning and striking a pose as she recovered with a glare, "What?!"
Blades wasted no time, rushing forward and punching at Garie only for her to burst into dozens of bubbles, some of which held her image.
[ONE! READING! NEEDLE HEDGEHOG!]
Blades hopped back as his cannons began sparking with electrical energy, soon shouting as he launched a hailstorm of needles forward.
[TANSAN BURST!]
Blades eyed the bubbles and before they all popped he drew out Nagare, the base of his Booster against the tip of the Seiken. Once they all popped Blades turned and slashed at seemingly nothing behind him.
[SPECIAL! MM-HM-HMMM! KANZEN DOKUHA ISSEN!]
Garie had reappeared in a bubble behind Blades, planning on making a break for it to interfere in Maria's fight. However she caught a shining object in the corner of her eye, turning and gasping out as a water filled slash was launched out, it cutting through and tearing her right arm off.
"I told you that your opponent is me!" Blades shouted as he rushed forward.
Calibur and Maria meanwhile were caught up in their own fight, both blade wielders slashing, blocking, dodging and countering each other as they tried to keep pace with one another. Maria had her gauntlet to block any attacks, powering up her knife to easily force her way through Calibur's blocks. Calibur meanwhile was pushing Jaou Dragon's strength to its limit while using his years as a swordsman to keep up.
Maria knew she needed an edge and did the unthinkable when it came to a fight with swords, started getting in closer while mixing several punches into her attacks. Surprisingly it managed to work, Calibur only being used to standard swordsmanship, so her reverse grip and hand to hand combination were slowly but surely forcing him back.
"So this is the power of Ignite?" Calibur questioned as he blocked another slash from Maria.
"Answer me this," Maria said, "What did you really do to Kento?"
"I don't know what you could be talk-" Calibur gasped as Maria powered up her blade again, forcing him into a stagger before he received a powerful uppercut to the chin via Maria's left fist.
Maria watched as Calibur turned into a bright purple orb of fire that flew higher before dispersing to reveal that the dark Rider was now floating in the air with a dark aura surrounding him.
Calibur stared down at Maria, and despite there being no visual indicator with the Rider, the two immediately locked eyes with each other.
Slash and Elfnein were watching the fights ready to reach their conclusion until they heard yelling, soon seeing everyone else rushing over.
"Maria conquered the Ignite Module, dess?!" Kirika asked in surprise as she saw this.
"Is that Shindo?" Tsubasa questioned as she saw Blades' new form.
"Wait, Calibur's alive?!" Chris questioned as she noticed who Maria was facing.
"You guys made it," Slash said before holding out an arm to keep anyone from advancing, "Don't worry, they've got this."
Blades continued to slash at Garie who was attempting to get away from him, the Autoscorer unleashing a burst of water to force him back.
"I will pierce through with my convictions!" Blades shouted as he took hold of the strange point sticking out of the center of his book. He pulled it down to his left side, causing the middle page to flip to his left and reveal the innermost page of the book which held a lion molded into it.
[NAGARE HOKOU! KING LION DAI CHANGE!]
Blades let out a loud roar as he reeled his body back before hunching forward and running. He leapt forward and spun as a projection of the King Lion Daisenki launched out and overlapped with his body. His body grew and armor shifted as he soon turned into a mechanical lion that resembled the armor he wore. Nagare was launched out of his hand, the mechanical lion head grabbing the Seiken by the mouth.
[Furthermore, a lion transformation!]
"Rintaro turned into a lion?!" Hibiki and Touma shouted at the same time.
"Excuse me?!" Garie called out before quickly forming a barrier with her only hand to block against a blast of pressurized armor from the cannons on Blades' shoulders, "I will not be denied! I will be the first!"
Blades remained undeterred, running circles around Garie fairly fast in his lion form, launching out blast after blast. The Autoscorer attempted to block the blasts only to get overwhelmed, the blasts striking her constantly and causing her body to crack and chip as a result. Blades charged straight in, striking Garie in the stomach with his head and launching her up into the air.
"No, this wasn't how it was supposed to go!" Garie shouted with wide eyes.
Blades held the Suiseiken Nagare tightly in his mouth before he leapt upwards after Garie, "King Lion Grenature!"
Garie could only watch as Blades grew closer and closer, gasping out as she was sliced in half by the Rider, "Not like this!"
Blades flipped several times in the air before landing back in his Rider form and looking up. Garie's eyes rolled back as bright blue cracks began forming all over her body, an explosion erupting out and fully consuming her.
{Wonder Ride Sync}
Maria had her Pendant read the Lamp Do Alangina book, a slot on her gauntlet opening up as she loaded the Ride Book into it. She leapt upwards, launching up higher than Calibur while attaching her knife to the back of her gauntlet to form a massive blade that jutted out from the back of it.
"Show me!" Calibur shouted as he looked up, and initiated his finisher.
[JAOU! HISSATSU DOKUHA!]
Maria used her Symphogears boosters to launch forward, flames bursting from her gauntlet and igniting her blade. She pressed against the Ride Book as her body began to electrify, blue electricity sparking all around her, even joining the fires that lit up her blade.
{Hissatsu Dokuha: Lamp Do Alangina!}
Calibur meanwhile gathered the dark aura around his blade, leaving only a small bit at his feet to keep himself floating. He then yelled and slashed forward as dark energy erupted from his weapon.
[JAOU HISSATSU GEKI!]
{Ride Gear Finish!}
Maria dropped towards Calibur, suddenly flashing and launching downwards at lightning fast speed. The two soon met, another bright flash occurring that forced everyone to cover their eyes.
{SERE†NADE}
An explosion soon occurred not long after, two figures bursting through the smoke. Maria launched out, landing on her knee with her bladed gauntlet held forward. Calibur meanwhile fell downwards from the smoke, managing to land on his feet.
Silence passed as everyone waited to see what exactly the result was, Maria fully standing up while Calibur suddenly gasped. Numerous electrical bursts and sparks flew from the front of the dark Rider's suit as he fell to his knee, needing to use Kurayami to brace.
"Not bad," Calibur said as he looked around, noticing the Riders and Wielders all around him. He stood up and opened up a portal while looking back at Maria, "Keep on the path you are on and you'll achieve the ending you desire."
"Calibur…" Maria glanced back at the dark Rider, "Just what did…"
"You're a smart girl," Calibur answered before she could finish her question, "Given your reactions to me in this fight, you're likely aware that there is more to everything than what has been shown."
"I see," Maria closed her eyes and turned away.
Calibur then walked through the dark portal, it vanishing as everyone began hurrying over to meet with the two. Maria fell to her knees as her transformation dismissed itself, Blades and Slash dismissing their transformations as well.
"How long have you all been here?" Maria asked.
"We just got here as you all were wrapping up," Hibiki explained before holding out her hands like claws, "I didn't think Rintaro would get a cool form too!"
"Well thankfully he came to me at just the right moment," Daishinji chuckled.
"Oh, it's nothing," Rintaro rubbed the back of his head with a smile.
"You say that but you beat an Autoscorer," Chris pointed out, "That's a pretty big deal."
"Though that's not to say Maria was slacking either," Tsubasa spoke up, "After all she was able to match Jaou Dragon and force Calibur to retreat instead of him simply leaving like always."
"That's true," Touma agreed, "Which means the Symphogears are also on par with Jaou Dragon if they're pushed far enough."
"It would appear so," Maria replied.
"That is your strength, Maria," Elfnein said.
"Or, maybe it's my weakness," Maria mused to herself before looking over, "Either way it's the power of being myself, thank you for making me realize that."
"Of course," Elfnein nodded with a smile.
"Well said," Rintaro said as he held out his hand.
"I should thank you as well," Maria said as she took Rintaro's hand and lifted herself up, a small smile forming, "So long as we never give up, we can still keep fighting, correct?"
"Correct," Rintaro smiled back.
Everyone however was unaware that they were being watched. On top of a nearby building was Phara who had just materialized, narrowing her eyes at the scene before her.
"Calibur is becoming a hindrance to our plans," She said, "I may have gotten what I've come here for but this was still a failure on our side."
She turned her head to the side and held her tongue out revealing that she held a small data card on her tongue.
With the Autoscorer taken care of and Calibur's retreat, everyone was able to relax for the rest of the day with ease. Night had fallen and everyone was setting off some fireworks to finish their little "training session" off right.
"I'm glad Maria cheered up," Shirabe said as she was holding a sparkler alongside Kirika.
"Now we can return to Tokyo with our heads held high, dess!" Kirika added.
Tsubasa gave a nod as she looked up, "This certainly was a fulfilling training session."
"…are you serious?" Chris asked with a skeptical stare.
"Well in a sense we relaxed our bodies and minds," Touma spoke up, "Even with a few bumps on the road, we were able to come out of it relatively unharmed. And two of us got something great in return."
"Indeed," Rintaro agreed while Maria simply nodded.
"Fulfilling is definitely the word!" Hibiki agreed, "So how about we fill our stomachs next?"
"You're always hungry, aren't you?" Elfnein asked.
"In that case, we have one option," Maria smirked.
"Losers go on a food run! Rock-paper-scissors!"
Everyone huddled together before throwing their hands forward, and at first it seemed like there would be a draw. Everyone had held out scissors… except for two people…
Hibiki and Touma had chosen paper.
"This is what I get for doubting my fist…" Hibiki whined.
"What was that about not being predictable?" Chris held a smug grin towards the bookstore owner.
Touma hung his head in defeat, "I was hoping that maybe people would slip up and pick rock again since that won last time."
"Stay strong, Touma!" Hibiki reassured as she put a hand on Touma's shoulder before raising her fist, "We'll get through this together!"
"Fine," Miku sighed before smiling, "I'll be nice and tag along,"
Hibiki turned with a smile, "Really?"
"Thank goodness," Touma gave a sigh of relief.
"Besides Touma, you and I need to have a talk," Miku kept up her smile though Touma himself could feel a dangerous aura around her.
"Oh no…" Touma muttered as he realized what this was really about.
"Now come on, even with two people it'd be a lot to carry if we're getting something filling," Miku said as she grabbed Touma by the wrist and began to drag him off.
Hibiki could only nervously chuckle before following after her two friends.
And so the trio made their trip to the same convenience store that Tsubasa and the others had been to, Touma having gotten an earful from Miku about his stylistic choices.
"Clearly my style is not that bad," Touma huffed as he crossed his arms, "Or did you forget the compliments today?"
"Touma, we've been over this…" Miku sighed as she stood in front of the convenience store, the doors opening before she realized Hibiki wasn't with them. She looked over to see Hibiki staring at a nearby vending machine, "Hibiki?"
"Look at this, Miku, Touma!" Hibiki pointed at the machine, "You can't get this mushroom juice in Tokyo!" she did a double-take as she saw another flavor, "And salted spring onions with natto? Ooh, this one's anglerfish flavor!"
"How many of those would even be good…" Touma muttered with a raised eyebrow.
"They'd probably be fine enough for her," Miku answered with a light chuckle.
"Alright," the well dressed man that was near the shrine earlier that helped evacuate the children had just walked out of the convenience store with a few bags, "This should make a good meal before I call up Akir-" he paused when he saw who was outside, "Eh? Touma, Miku… what are you all doing out here?"
Touma and Miku paused when they heard the man, the two turning and staring in surprise at who was before them.
"What is it, guys?" Hibiki asked as she walked over, noticing the two had yet to go into the store. She then looked over at who they were talking to as her eyes lit up in surprise, "Wait a minute!"
"Hibiki's here too?" The man asked.
"EH?" Touma quickly backed up in surprise, "Dad?!"
"Yo," The man gave a chuckle as he gave a flick of his fingers near his head as a salute, "Hansuke Kamiyama at your service."
Hibiki giggled a bit, "You still go with that greeting?"
"What? I happen to think it makes a fine first impression," Hansuke huffed as he put his hands near his hips as best he could before he got lost in thought, "Speaking of… I should've led with that when that blue-haired girl asked for my help."
"Wait… you met Tsubasa?" Miku realized.
"Oh did you know her and her friends?" Hansuke asked before realizing something, "Actually wait, what are you three doing out this way?"
"Uh…" Touma muttered as he wasn't expecting his father of all people to show up, "It's a bit of a long story…"
To Be Continued…
Author's Note: Listen, if you're going to give me a beach episode when I have Touma Kamiyama of all Riders in my hands… I'm going to give him one of my all-time favorite outfits of his. Touma's and Rintaro's looks both come from Saber's final episode in which the cold opening involved everyone wearing vacation gear in their base and relaxing. Given the setting for the episode this particular chapter is based off of… I just had to do it.
This chapter was also a big one to write as I had both Maria returning to the field alongside Rintaro's debut of King Lion Daisenki to contend with. Not to mention there was the extended beginning with a bit more establishing stuff given Kanade's now in the mix as well as a proper explanation of Project Ride Gear.
But we've done it, we've entered the latter half of GX and well… things are going to be a bit different if this ending is anything to go by. Of course it's not just the ending, since Rintaro's upgrade debuting here did alter the fight against Garie by having her get defeated by him while Calibur was pushed back by Maria using Ignite. With all that taken care of, thanks for reading and I'll see you all next time as we continue further into GX.
Additional Note (FF Exclusive/Edited in Post Release): So it appears as though the recent outage has also just completely killed Email Alerts, at least for me. If you aren't alerted to this despite following and want to keep up to date, there is a schedule. But I also have a writing twitter account ZeroEnchiladas for you to follow. You can also find ZeroEnchiladas on Tumblr if you look hard enough if Tumblr's more your speed.