Counterattack! Nidhogg - the Black Dragon

[Insert: Defender'Z Brand! - Nana Mizuki]

Laya stared down her adversary, another girl donning armor similar to the Symphogear she adorned. More importantly to her, the person's voice was quite like the idol whose home they were invading for answers relating to the Yggdrasil System. The more that Laya investigated this new foe, the more she realized that the woman standing before her did share a couple of qualities to that incredible pop star. The blue wing of hair that was reminiscent of an eighth note, the comparative height and build... if she didn't know any better, she'd believe that the Tsubasa Kazanari was standing in front of her.

Nonetheless, something preyed on the back of her mind, a suspicion that she couldn't hold herself back from believing.

"Uh... Sis...?"

She struggled to get that out of her throat, Leia listening to her sister's hesitation in her tone. She knew that there would be a chance for them to be intercepted, the most likely adversary to see here being the wielder of Ame no Habakiri. Those scans she held didn't tell a lie, she told herself.

"We got what we needed. Withdraw."

It wasn't an "end all, be all" answer to the questions they had, but they got just enough information to treat this as a worthwhile expedition. However…

"Easier said than done..."

Laya's wings whirred, her body leaping up to fly out of the cavern and away from the enemy. She only got so far up before their enemy intercepted her, using a set of boosters on their ankles to close the distance and kick her back down to the floor. Once the dust cleared, Laya rubbed her back, hissing through her teeth before the woman pointed her katana at her.

"State your business here," the azure girl demanded, having Laya on the back foot. Laya couldn't help but wonder exactly how this woman could overpower her in such a way, her previous confidence from when she transformed started to fade. Being humbled was in the cards for her, it seemed. "Man, that hurt," Laya winced, her face locked on the sword that was aimed at her. She had an option of answering her opponent's questions, but she had a feeling that Leia wouldn't like that option all that much. Still, it beat fighting someone that she didn't even know, especially someone who had just ragdolled her back into her spot on the floor.

"Um, I'm-"

Before she could introduce herself, she could hear two different voices coming at her at once, one from her Gear and the other from her mind.

"Are you seriously thinking about giving information to someone who just did that to you," Leia questioned, recalling how her sister just got roundhouse kicked into the ground.

On the other hand, the dragon provided its input, "I don't think it would be wise to blindly answer her questions."

The two had their own reservations about this new woman, even if Laya didn't think she was all that bad. She did trespass on personal property, so she was prepared to be questioned, even if it was at the end of a blade. The other two had a different opinion, wanting to withhold information until they got more about this new person.

Even though they both knew this would lead to a standstill, since both sides would only want to divulge information after they got their own questions answered, Leia knew her sister was the odd one out. She sighed, making note of the diagnostics of the Gear on one of her screens. Her sister's phonic gain output was quite low, not even scrapping the double digits in the percentages. This was a perfect chance to get combat results, though Laya wasn't raring to battle. As much as she wanted her sister to leave, the anticipation started to eat away at her, even if she kept her composure.

"Okay, let's assume you do answer her questions. Do you think she'll let you just walk out and leave?"

"It's not impossible."

Leia pinched the bridge of her nose, doing everything in her power to not slam her face against the table. Idealistic, as always.

"Listen, there's no escaping this without a fight. So, as much as I don't want to..."

Leia trailed this statement off, knowing full well that this approach would lead the Candidate to her desired outcome. If she gave a sense of suspense to the sentence, it makes the older twin feel like that information was that much more important. As if on cue, Laya asked, "What?" Taking hold of her curiosity, Leia dropped the bombshell, one that basically guaranteed that she'd be willing to fight.

"...I'll give you permission to go all out."

Just like that, the floodgates were released, with Laya's mind now racing after getting permission to fight to her heart's content. As much as she wanted to resolve everything peacefully, she had a part of herself that wanted equally as much to see her limits with Nidhogg. Ever since she activated the Gear, Leia always told her to use it as minimally as possible, even while under her discretion. She was told that it was best to not let anyone know that they had this piece of equipment, not just because it was already a hassle to hide from the Bavarian Illuminati already, but they also didn't need the Second Division on their tail either.

However, with another Symphogear being in front of them, there was no reason to keep holding her back.

"Our opponent is a prodigy, so I'll impose no limitations on you," Leia explained, reminding herself of exactly who they were facing. The person who Laya was standing against was a person who activated a Relic at the mere age of five, so holding back was only going to make things worse. With this restriction lifted, Laya couldn't help but cheer, pumping her fist in the air as the woman before her looked on in confusion. Despite her stoic expression, she couldn't help but be reminded of another girl that she knew with just as much enthusiasm.

Laya smirked, getting into a position as if she were going to get a running start. All the while, she spoke under her breath, that confidence of hers rising similarly to before. This time, it wasn't going to fade anytime soon.

"If you put it like that..."

[Insert: KICKASS - TRiDENT]

The blue-haired girl raised her sword defensively, blocking an attack from Laya that came from out of nowhere. Even though she saw her get into position to charge at her, she didn't even see her leap forward, seemingly teleporting right in front of her to throw a punch. Laya would continue this onslaught, throwing a flurry of punches that the girl struggled in blocking completely with just one sword. Her options were obvious, so she would choose something that gave her the advantage.

The side of her right leg's Gear opened, producing another sword that she used to create distance between Laya and herself. However, as Laya was flung back, the wings behind her were sent towards the Ame no Habakiri, sections unfolding to reveal nozzles that released blasts of energy towards her. The woman blocked these blasts, of course, deflecting attacks and dodging others before she figured that now was the time to get serious. She connected the swords she held by the hilts, spinning the blades as fire erupted from the metal.

Laya didn't spend any time trying to find a strategy to block the attack, since the woman was falling for her trap. Just as the woman reached Laya, the tail of Laya's Armed Gear immediately came to intercept, blocking the attack and slamming the girl into the other side of the cavern.

"Khh-!"

The woman fell from the crater in the wall, though she would land on her feet. She didn't expect to be blindsided by that swipe, but it made her more wary for next time. Laya grinned, hopping from left to right, as if to say that she was just warming up. The metal tail swiped at the air, unleashing a wave of energy that the woman was forced to dodge, all while the blasters from the wings continued to try and keep her in one spot.

The fight seemed to be going in Laya's favor, for the most part. Leia could tell this much, but what was more impressive was the Gear's diagnostics. The readings that Leia observed were vastly higher than what her sister showed off previously, her phonic gain output going from single digits up to nearly thirty percent since the fight started.

She truly was getting the hang of Nidhogg, if she didn't already have mastery over it based on the way she was fighting with it. The only problem was the readings from the other Relic, Ame no Habakiri. As much as Laya was pushing her, the woman's phonic gain output was just starting to reach eighteen percent, so there was still a very high chance that Laya would get overpowered if she didn't end the fight quickly. The issue with that was...

"You may be helpless, but if you're breathing..."

Laya dashed towards the woman, a fist landing in her gut and sending her flying upward as she continued to sing. She bent her knees, leaping into the air to land another punch, but the woman anticipated this, bringing her sword over her head and swinging it down in a blue flash of energy.

(Blue Sword Lightning Punishment)

Despite this counterattack, Laya spun around midair, dodging before bringing one of her wings up, using it as a platform to leap towards her again. She landed another hit, continuing with the chorus, "Release your instincts and go on the offensive!" Her fists ran wild, all before kicking the girl back down to the floor, causing the ground to rumble once she made contact.

"No matter how strong or weak they are..."

Laya landed from the air, the wings coming together as they all aimed at the woman, who hadn't even gotten a chance to get to her knees. "The one who followed the path he has chosen!" Energy began to coalesce into the nozzles of the blasters on the wings, charging as the metal tail latched around the woman's waist. Locking her in place, the only thing the woman could do was watch as Laya's attack was let loose.

"That person is the HEROOOOOOO!"

(ARMABLAZER)

The phonic gain from the four blasters shot out in a massive torrent of energy, one that the woman had no time to dodge, even if she was able to get out of the metal tail that forced her into that spot. The result was an explosion, one that rattled the entire space they occupied. While Leia was glad that she gave Laya the ability to go all out, an attack like that was risky, since they didn't know if the entire cavern above them could have collapsed at that. What's more, Laya seemed to not be able to control herself, the grin on her face being ever-present as she got the high of a century being able to scream her heart out.

She was only snapped out of it when she saw the smoke from her attack clear, a translucent triangle defending the blue-haired girl held together by a set of three silver daggers. She blinked twice, only to see another set of daggers flying towards her, all that were dodged with grace. "It seems we have more than one of them to deal with," Nidhogg informed, causing Laya to take note of another woman standing beside the girl with azure hair.

"Are you alright, Tsubasa," she inquired, the shield brought about by her daggers dissipating as she flipped her long pink hair.

"Just fine, Maria," the blue-haired woman responded, breaking out of the grip of Laya's tail and kicking it away.

Laya gazed at the two, her ears registering the names of the two that stood up straight. Even with the visors the two had on and the Symphogears that they adorned, their appearances were identical to the people she had in her mind. There was no doubt about it, which caused her to squeal in excitement. Her sister had to take off her headphones, the high-pitched screaming causing a fight-or-flight response to protect her ears. Laya pointed her finger at the two, her glee bubbling as she stammered out a response.

"W-W-Wait...! Y-Y-Your name is Tsubasa!? As in Tsubasa Kazanari!? And if that's the case! Then you...!"

Her finger was directed towards Maria, who wore a shocked expression. For someone who just launched an attack that was comparable to a nuclear blast, this girl sure did a one-eighty after hearing their names.

"You must be Maria Cadenzavna Eve!"

Laya hopped up and down in joy, her demeanor changing to that of a schoolgirl, which was appropriate considering how she was face-to-face with two of her idols. While she was more of a fan of Tsubasa's music, the number of collaborations she had with Maria made her music grow on Laya, even causing her to go out of her way to listen to music in English, a language she wasn't exactly fluent in. It was a dream come true, even if they were in the middle of a fight, but this didn't stop onlookers from commenting.

"Is now really the time for you to be fangirling!?"

Leia snapped into the microphone, trying to bring Laya back down to Earth. This was part of the reason why she didn't disclose anything about the mission to her sister, since hearing that she'd be fighting against such popular figures would have swayed her decision-making completely. It was already risky enough letting her know that she needed to be near the Kazanari residence, since there was a chance where Laya would just walk up and be treated like a deranged fan, albeit not much different than she was now.

Just like Leia, Nidhogg also had a say in Laya's behavior. "Did you forget that this woman attacked you," it spoke out, causing Laya to shake her head. Nidhogg's input about the situation wasn't unwarranted, since it was in direct contact with the battle. While it didn't have feelings based on senses on its own, like pain after being tossed around like Laya, it still had a mind that wanted Laya to stay on track, even if it wasn't as overbearing as her sister.

"No, I didn't, but you seriously can't expect me to not be this excited when-"

"Laya, the entire reason I gave you permission to fight like that is because it'll give you an opening to withdraw."

Leia cleared her throat, regaining her composure as she continued, "You hopping around and thinking about discussing your favorite Zwei Wing song is not going to get you out of Yggdrasil." The comment caused Laya to roll her eyes, but her sister was right. She was given the order to leave and standing around wasn't making it get done any faster. If anything, with the inclusion of Maria in the fight, it hastened the process.

She had questions for the duo, an abundance of things that she wanted to ask, but they were all things that she knew should be asked while they were on... more friendly terms. She snapped her fingers, the tail that was kicked away now flying back over to her to meet her wings. "Alright, fine. But..." She stretched her neck, tilting her head from side to side before responding, "You owe me big time for this one."

[Insert: Fushichō no Flamme - Nana Mizuki & Yōko Hikasa]

After reaching her hand out, one of the wings on her back flew towards the two, charging another attack. However, before its blast was launched, Maria's sword extended, whipping around to slam against the wing from below. The result of this move tilted it upward, the blast now firing straight up into the air without hitting a single thing. Tsubasa took this chance to charge at Laya, the swords in her hands brightening and hitting her with a slash of fire as the idol duo began to completely take control of the battle.

This was a possibility that Leia was afraid of, seeing her sister getting completely overwhelmed. She thought that her sister could handle one Symphogear user, but any more than that would have been a problem. Looking down at the diagnostics of the Relics on the battlefield, she noted something curious on both sides of the battle. For the user of the Ame no Habakiri and the newly arrived Airgetlám, their output seemed to be increasing drastically, as if their phonic gain was bouncing off each other and resonating.

She read about this aspect of singing together increasing a Relic's strength, but she was under the assumption that this was only for the Blades of Zababa. The notes didn't advise that this was able to be done by other Relics, so the situation looked even more dire by the second. The singing of the two confirmed this Unison, even if she tried to deny it. If they weren't in the middle of a fight, it would have been no different than an actual performance of the two. However, the other screen that displayed Laya's phonic gain output was significantly different.

Laya dodged another Blue Flash, only to be intercepted by Maria. She threw a kick at her, but Maria blocked, using her free arm to hit Laya in her chest and send her back. Once the distance was created, Maria's sword split yet again, the several different sections bouncing off each wall to trap her opponent in a web of blades and wires.

(EMPRESS†REBELLION)

Laya noticed this, so she retaliated, extending the tail on her backside to do the same.

(ARMAPIERCER)

The tail intersected the sword at certain points, leaving the entire area a field that one couldn't so much as move in without careful precision. Thankfully, Laya didn't care, hopping and sliding between the tightest of corners as the wings she had went in opposite directions. Maria did the same, the two of them finally meeting in the middle to try and push the other into a direction that led them to a much more favorable position.

Laya hopped back, using the wire on Maria's sword like a rope from a wrestling ring, bouncing back and propelling herself forward for another punch. Before her reared-back fist could reach Maria, Tsubasa stepped in, the boosters on her back legs spinning her around to block the punch with a kick.

She dove between the metal, finally landing on ground to stop herself, but as she did, multiple pillars of light rushed towards her from the ground, cutting her off into a straight line. Once they got to her, two more pillars of light appeared and trapped her in her place as Tsubasa weaved between the blasters and the elaborate web. With the way the lights trapped her, it was a complete invitation for a frontal assault, which was only exacerbated by the ramping up of the chorus of this Unison.

"Now, with those undying dreams as your feathers, won't you fly with us to the tomorrow you desire?"

(Moonlit Wind Ring's Fiery Blades)

Tsubasa's swords lit ablaze once again, her attack making contact in the form of a blue flaming cross that Laya was forced to take head-on. Amid the flames, she could see another gleaming light, just like the attacks from her wings and their blasters. However, this time, it was from Maria, a powerful surge of energy culminating in her left arm. Her arm boasted what could only be described as a cannon, the projections of light behind it conducting small sparks of electricity before she let the attack loose. "Burn up the heavens and sing your phoenix song!"

(HORIZON†CANNON)

Laya could do nothing more than watch as the attack came towards her, seeing Tsubasa move out of the way before the blue energy beam could reach her. The attack seemed to have landed, the cloud of smoke rising from the ground as the areas of this makeshift web of wires that met the HORIZON†CANNON fell apart.

Leia's eyes back home were wide, her expectations blown far out of the water with the events that were unfolding. The experience of Unison was something that she didn't think she'd witness just yet, but after seeing the massive power output, she knew that the preparations she made ahead of time were justified.

She had a suspicion that she may need to deal with the Blades of Zababa eventually, but learning that the Gears without innate synergy with each other could also use that ability only gave her more reason to keep planning ahead. While the transmission kept playing for her, the number on the screen before her just kept increasing...

Maria and Tsubasa stood together, Maria's cannon being lowered with an exhale of bated breath. With the amount of destructive power that attack had, it was a wonder if the girl she attacked would be able to stand up afterwards. She didn't intend to hit her as hard as she did, but even her holding back still seemed a bit like overkill. She was ready to take the cannon down completely, but before she could, she noticed a flicker within the smoke. She couldn't get a clear glimpse of it, but she could have sworn that amidst the smoke and debris, she saw the wing of a dragon.

On top of that, a set of words were being recited, yet another song filling the air, but this time, there was a sense of urgency that felt like it needed to be acted upon. "If you want to push the envelope and reach for what you want to be..." Once the smoke cleared, the singer was visible, her lips curled up into a smile as she spoke loud and proud. There was one noticeable change with her, though...

"Celebrate life rather than develop your talents!"

On her right arm, her sleeve that took up her entire arm was now covered in a dark haze, the darkness surrounding it being completely pitch-black. The two had no way of describing what they were seeing, her arm being covered in what could only be called a void, even the bare minimum of color unable to escape as the attack continued to charge.

Once it reached an apex, the phonic gain started to take form, a wave of energy resembling that of a dragon head. The entire time, Tsubasa and Maria were trying to figure out what their next move should be. Should they find an opening to attack with Unison again? Would evading whatever attack she was going to launch better in this situation? The two were good at analyzing combat and adapting with the flow, but their opponent also seemed to be good at that as well.

Despite the odds stacked against her, Laya was doing well, if not, getting better with each blow she took and each punch she landed. "To whom those sirens sound out for! Who will fight for justice?" The girl's arm reached back before jutting it forward, the dragon head now launching as she sang the climax of the chorus.

"It's me, 'cause I'm the HEROOOOOOOOOO!"

(ARMAGEDDON REVISER)

The dragon head charged relentlessly at the duo, the sheer force of the energy destroying everything around it as it closed in on the idols. Maria swung one of her daggers, creating three more as her shield came up to defend. While this defense was solid enough to defend them from being completely overrun by the dragon, the two were still pushed back, the ground below them being brought up as the attack sent them into the wall of the cavern.

Maria's shield made sure they didn't receive any damage from the front, but a shield would only be able to do so much. What's more, the shield itself was starting to wane, the light radiating from the energy connected by the daggers now being enveloped in darkness. The dragon manifestation dissipated seconds later, the duo now being able to stand without having to deal with the manifestation of absence of light.

Tsubasa was the first to hit the floor, standing upright as she aimed her sword in the direction the attack came through. However, when she jumped out to attack in retaliation, she noticed that Laya had vanished. She couldn't see where she had gone, but the only assumption was up, so she looked up into the sky, only to not see a single person up there. "Just who... was that," Maria asked, her knees buckling a bit from the impact of the last attack. Tsubasa could only shake her head, not having an answer. She was just as clueless as her partner.

"Reckless."

"Yup."

"Foolish."

"Yeah."

"Idiotic."

"Any other words, sis?"

The two bickered as Laya continued to fly home to meet back up with her sister. Leia was still speaking through the headphones on the Gear, but while she was saying those words, Laya couldn't tell if they were directed at her or at the situation. She knew Leia wouldn't elaborate, even if she did stop her incessant use of words that all had the exact same meaning.

"Quiet."

Laya shut her mouth accordingly, simply staying silent until she got home. She could hear that venom in her sister's tone, but even though she was still on a high from fighting, she knew better than to anger the alchemist even more than she already was. All the while, Leia looked at the screens before her, twirling the hair on her left. While she was surprised at the Unison between Gears that weren't Zababa, there was one other thing that caught her eye, being the diagnostics of the Nidhogg Symphogear. While the screen displayed everything during that fight, she noticed that the compatibility values were a topic of discussion.

From what she could see, the Gear's compatibility values were off the charts, the number having a point where the numbers were reaching over one-hundred and fifty. It shouldn't have been possible, at least, not without LiNKER. However, even with LiNKER, it would take much more than just a lethal dose to reach these numbers. This explained how that last attack was so powerful, but she didn't have an explanation on exactly how these numbers came to be. She waved the screen away, not wanting to take further note of the compatibility charts. She could only muster one word, though it was on a mic that she muted out of anger for looking over her sister's aptitude.

"Inept."

And that's their first fight out of the way! Most fights will tend to be longer chapters, so that's just an additional warning for ya! Anyways, fights will be basically be formatted the same way every time, with potentially multiple song inserts and attack names having their own breaks. I won't type out the whole song, but I'll type out the chorus or lines of lyrics for each of the characters' songs at least once, but I won't confirm if they'll continue to have singing after their introductory fights or not, that's a secret! Next chapter will be a bit of a breather, but anyways, after this chapter, it's completely brand-new to everyone, so look forward to it! Oh, and as for the word choice by Leia in the final section (since some may point out the usage of the final word), don't worry.

It's intentional.