"Status update! What's the situation of the Wielders?"

The staff of S.O.N.G. analyzed the situation, though they couldn't see exactly what was going on outside of satellite footage. While Aoi and Sakuya were both trying to get a better grasp of the situation, Elfnein had already started reading into the scans on the Adapter's Gears and Miku's Faust Robe. "Their readings are still normal, that attack didn't do too much damage to the Relics," she informed, her screen displaying the very minimal damage that was inflicted. However, it wasn't the physical damage that they cared about as much as the footage that displayed after the dust cleared.

"But..."

Sakuya let out an apprehensive thought through a closed throat, something everyone was thinking about. Genjuro would be the one to finish that sentence, even his demeanor showing some hesitation in it through his determined gaze.

"There's two of them...?"

"Sorry, Sis... I tried to-"

Laya stood upright, being forced to her knees previously by the wind alchemy unleashed by her sister. She didn't want Leia to intervene, though she was grateful to have a knight in shining armor at her beck and call like this. The alchemist looked back at her double, noting how clean the Gear still looked after all her evasion. She expected to see Laya look more hurt and battle-damaged, but it looked like the worst she had was some dirt on her legs. "I expected it," Leia replied bluntly, her eyes traveling to the three groups that laid on the edge of her destruction.

"That girl..."

Chris gritted her teeth, her grip on her pistol tightening as her vision narrowed at Leia. The fact that Laya wasn't lying put the entire group on guard, but they were divided in a sense. Each group had their own encounters with the respective enemy, but they didn't think they'd be two different people.

"There actually were two of them," Kirika said, peeking past Shirabe's saws. Now, the group was a bit more cautious about what their next steps were supposed to be. Sure, they still outnumbered the twins, but with the way the girl in the Faust Robe fought, there was a chance the alchemy could pick them off one at a time from long-range.

"So, what's the plan now?"

Nidhogg asked the wearer of the Faust Robe, even though it already knew the vocal answer to that. It was constantly reading Leia's mind, so even though it knew what she really wanted to do, there was still an answer she had to respond with, now that she was in front of her sister.

"Simple. We leave," she responded, even if she didn't really want to. That test of alchemy had her wanting more, but her original intention was to retrieve Laya, nothing more. She had secured the package; the question now became how she was going to get out of the area without any of the other Adapters following her. She thought about using the same tactic she used before, but that space-time rift that Nidhogg created within that cyclone was exclusive to her, so it was out of the question.

"We're not gonna' let that happen!"

Chris aimed her Armed Gear up at Leia, her finger ready to pull the trigger, but before she could, Hibiki put her hand up in front of Chris.

"Wait, Chris-chan! Leia... what exactly are you doing?"

Hibiki questioned Leia's motives, her voice holding concern for the twins. Last time, she tried to extend her hand to Leia, but she was quite standoffish. No, that wasn't the correct term. It was much more hostile than that, but for what reason, Hibiki didn't know. It seemed that exact same way here, but in the moments that they didn't have knives at each other's throats, she could take that time to listen to her.

"What makes it any of your business?"

Leia responded harshly, the hostility in her voice being something Laya knew all too well. She was ready to answer for them, but she didn't know if Hibiki was referring to her or the one with the Faust Robe, so she retained her silence. The names of the two were identical, the same as their appearances outside of their transformations, but she would allow Leia to speak, seeing as how this entire operation was her idea.

However, Laya grew accustomed to that tone Leia had, the tone when she was agitated at a failed resolution or a dumb answer. She felt sorry for Hibiki, the following conversation already having played out in her head, including her sister's responses. "If you're trying to go into the Yggdrasil System, then we-"

"Have to stop us, right?"

Hibiki's concerns were cut short at Leia's assumption, the alchemist's shine in her eyes now fading back into the judgmental glare that was usually associated with her. She assumed that she knew what Hibiki was going to say, but with the way Hibiki's surprise appeared, it was clear that she meant something else. But if she didn't want to stop them, then what was she...?

"Wait. Don't tell me you were going to say that you were going to "help us", were you?"

Hibiki's hand opened, the clenched fist in defense of her friends now acting as an olive branch for assistance. The fact that Leia could insinuate what she was going to offer was a step in the right direction, her attitude not wanting to entertain the Godslayer's words before now.

If she could understand what the end goal was, then there would be no problem getting all the information they needed from her. They could help the twins with whatever they wanted, if it was just to see what was in there. The others could see this approach, though they weren't worried as much about information over Hibiki's result of her choices. This girl was hostile, but even if she was, Hibiki would always make the attempt to reach out. "Y-Yeah! We can-"

"You've got to be one of the stupidest people I've ever met."

The moment those words left Leia's lips, the entirety of S.O.N.G. immediately became defensive. Sure, Hibiki wasn't the person who always thought everything out logically, but to say that to her, especially when she was trying to reach out...

It was like Leia was trying to make an enemy out of herself.

"Hey!"

As predicted, Chris would be the one to come to Hibiki's aid, her hot-blooded personality being at the front of Leia's mind after their last encounter. It would make sense that she paid more attention to her, seeing as how she was not only the one who was indirectly responsible for Nidhogg's upgrade, but also due to her being the loudest of the group.

"You've impeded us at every turn, what makes you think that we'd believe that," Leia informed, her sister starting to come to the realization of why she didn't have a high opinion over the morals of S.O.N.G. and their Adapters. They ended up fighting every chance they got, so there was no wonder Leia didn't want her to speak about any of the Candidates as if they could have been allies.

"Sis, I..."

"Quiet."

Leia barked the command, making sure she got that mindset ingrained into her double's head. They were enemies, they wouldn't have attacked otherwise. While one of the times may have been justified, the other two were up to interpretation. Starting a fight in an alley when both parties could have split quietly, then an attack out of nowhere before they even got into the opening of the Yggdrasil System... those realizations made Laya slink back slightly, since she had no real retort for those specific situations. While the Adapters witnessed this exchange, Miku tried to state her case.

"Hibiki is one of the most honest people out there, how could you-"

The response reached Leia, but her strength wasn't in empathy. If that were the case, she wouldn't be in this situation in the first place.

"You're speaking from personal bias and anecdotal evidence. I'll believe it when I see it."

The moment Leia dropped into the exchange, any attempts at empathy were immediately thrown out the window. As opposed to Laya, Leia was someone who only believed in results through empirical evidence, and judging from what Hibiki's records showed, her concept of "helping people" didn't align with theirs.

"You...!"

Chris couldn't take the alchemist's attitude anymore, especially when it came to the person that helped turn her life around. Pulling the trigger, three shots rang out, all aimed directly at Leia. Leia's face was completely unchanged, the same silver alchemy shield appearing to fend off the attack. It didn't work the first time they encountered each other, so it was foolish to think three random shots would be enough to even scratch her. However, before they could reach the shield, the bullets diverted, maneuvering in different directions before they dove around the shield. The last time, Leia would have been more careful about generating a lone shield as a defense, but now...

(HORNET PISTOLS)

Wind swirled around the twins, a tornado quickly engulfing the two as the bullets were forced away in opposite directions, all of them bouncing back at the corresponding groups. Maria, Shirabe and Miku did their jobs of blocking the deflected attacks, but Leia followed it up by expanding those gusts of wind, several wind slashes being fired in retaliation to the Adapters. They dodged the multitude of slashes, but the S.O.N.G. agents weren't too thrilled at being put on the defensive by one girl.

"How did..?"

The group was in shock, but once the wind dissipated, Leia remained unmoved. She didn't even so much as break a sweat using alchemy like that, which was weird compared to their last encounter. The winds here were much more powerful, much like when she was using two Octaves of Aristotle at once. The issue is that this time, she was only using one type of alchemy.

With a snap of her fingers, the alchemy circle on her wing shifted from the wind symbol to an earth symbol, the ground erupting with several crystals towards the Gears. Miku brought her mirrors up to destroy the alchemy coming after them with flashes of light, but as the light fired, the flashes bounced off the crystals completely.

The crystals finally stopped, the end result being three massive pillars that pierced the sky. It was unimaginable, the amount of energy that Leia displayed now eclipsing what she had around a week or so prior. "Her alchemy got even stronger," Chris questioned, her group now meeting up with the Blades of Zababa and the idol duo.

The group stood in a permeated silence, their options now limited in what they could do. Escaping was out of the question, not just because of their own duties as a part of S.O.N.G., but they also didn't think Leia would let them get away. The thought of overwhelming her with numbers was another option, but that would depend on how far of a gap her power increase led her.

"We've got no other choice, dess..."

[Insert: Blooming Courage – Aoi Yūki]

Kirika gripped her scythe, the shoulder pieces of Igalima opening and propelling her with the jet boosters while Shirabe's wheels drove her directly behind. "Tsubasa," Maria called out, following the Blades of Zababa as the sword in her hand began to split into multiple blades, all held by a wire.

"Right!"

On cue, Tsubasa ran alongside her partner, her holsters granting her two katanas that began to burn a bright blue flame. The final three had no words for each other, simply nodding as Hibiki charged onwards with the rest. Chris and Miku figured that having all their forces charge in at once was a bit foolish, but with at least two long-range fighters, they'd be able to keep the pressure on from afar.

"How did she get so strong so quickly?"

The staff of S.O.N.G. could only look onward as the Adapters battled, but even if it was a seven-on-one fight, there wasn't a contest in who was winning based on the footage. Leia's movements accounted for everything the Adapters sent her way, ranging from spirals of flame and torrents of water all working to either impede the Symphogears or to completely deflect them. It also didn't help that the wings on her back were already open, continuing to gather energy. However, unlike the last time this happened back in the city plaza, it was at a much faster rate. It was no wonder why she could belt out alchemy like that so easily, but only Elfnein knew the source of this.

"She's giving off the light of the Philosopher's Stone..."

When she said that, Sakuya and Aoi looked over to her in surprise. Aoi didn't really expect an answer to her question, but with the answer they got, they would have much preferred if they had to keep guessing.

"But how? I thought that we were the only ones that had it!"

Sakuya's declaration was on everyone's mind, the fact that the Philosopher's Stone created by Saint-Germain was no longer only in their hands. They didn't think to expect it, since the files they were able to retrieve from the Bavarian Illuminati were all conveniently omitting how to make a Philosopher's Stone. Whether it was because Adam didn't want anyone recreating it or just the other alchemists being spiteful and destroying all the evidence, they didn't think there'd be anyone left to make one, anyone aside from Elfnein, who had already analyzed the process after the bout with Adam.

"She shouldn't have one, but it's right in front of us..."

"I trust! In our blooming courage!"

Hibiki hopped from broken crystal to broken crystal, the propulsors on her ankles shooting her forward as added insurance that her midair jumps would have enough momentum. With a spin, her leg came down, stopped by a silver barrier as Tsubasa came up from the other side. The energy from her sword released, heading straight for a weak point in Leia's defense.

(Blue Flash)

Leia's eyes were directed to the slash, but she didn't need to put her hand up to create the barrier that stopped the attack. After the defense, the shield converted into a red alchemy circle, engulfing Tsubasa in a spiral of flames. While Leia was apprehensive about using fire alchemy before, now that the area was cleared out by her stunt, she was free to use it without thinking about burning the entire forest down.

The sleeve on her right arm lit up with a bar as Leia snapped her fingers, the defense stopping Hibiki now converting into a gust that sent her to the ground. Despite this, it didn't stop Hibiki from singing her heart out.

"I don't want to just clench my fist! I want to open my hand and connect with you...!"

Hibiki jumped back up in the air to fight Leia, the boosters on her back closing the distance between them. "She's so annoying," Leia thought to herself, "she just keeps getting back up." She stretched her hand out, ready to fire some earth crystals at her, but before she could generate the alchemic circles, her arm was caught by a wire, several smaller blades wrapping around it as Maria firmly planted her feet on the ground.

If it was to create an opening, even for a moment, she'd make sure Hibiki succeeded in that chance to connect. Leia, on the other hand, wasn't going to let that happen.

With another snap of her fingers, one of her wings opened slightly more than it already was, a blue alchemic circle already stationed with a burst of energy aimed right at Hibiki. The attack was successful on Leia's end, once again bringing Hibiki to the ground. However, Leia's demeanor switched completely.

Rather than her indifference and confidence that had been on full display since they started fighting, the capture by Airgetlám gave her mixed feelings. After she pointed at Maria, the ground below her began to rumble, multiple crystals coming from the ground to knock her off her balance. Once that happened, Leia had no problem swinging her arm forward, taking Maria straight into Chris and Miku.

The bind of Airgetlám became slack, falling off her arm with a clattering sound as it retracted.

"Tch..."

Leia couldn't help but click her tongue. Even if she was fighting the Adapters, the thing that annoyed her the most was the set of "extras" that were tagging along with them. She had taken the time to come up with plans for all of them, but the remnants of the F.I.S. were much more annoying than they were threats. She didn't see much in the Receptor Children she read about, the people who desperately needed LiNKER to fight, so to see that even one of them thought that they stood a chance against a weapon like Nidhogg...

"Worthless."

She extended the other wing, flames shooting out to attack the fallen trio of Chris, Miku and Maria, who were all still recovering from the impact. Before the attack could connect, Kirika and Shirabe snagged Chris and Miku away respectively, while Maria used Airgetlám's blades to make a shield for defense.

"I believe! In our blooming courage! Even if our beliefs are different!"

Leia was shocked to hear Hibiki still singing, assuming the blast of water would have been enough to knock her out, if only for a bit. She was ready to transmute the water around Hibiki into ice, but Maria acted without haste, the swords in her hand creating multiple daggers that flew at Leia.

(INFINITE†CRIME)

Leia was distracted enough to block them, but once she did, Shirabe's Armed Gear opened, firing multiple saws at the alchemist. Chris would do the same, the Armed Gear in her hand now transforming into a gatling gun that fired away at the same time.

(Alpha Style: 100 Samsara)

(BILLION MAIDEN)

Shields appeared to stop those attacks as well, but it gave Hibiki just enough time to launch a counterattack. The boosters on her back fired away, the gauntlet on her fist transforming and spiraling like a drill as she blasted forward. "Come on, right now... to the heavens before our eyes!" Leia heard this, so she snapped her fingers, a brown circle appearing and firing several crystals at the oncoming attacker. Hibiki wouldn't take this rebellion lying down, spinning herself around with kicks and attacks from her scarf that shattered the crystals with each hit.

"Let's break through, saying, "Even if that's so!""

The distance between the two closed, but the attack would ultimately fail, the piercing drill faltering once it was in contact with Leia's layered barriers.

"Hmph."

With a wave of her hand, the four shields that enclosed her flew out, each one homing in each of the Gears that attacked her. While the others were able to roll out of the way before collision, Hibiki was right in front of the silver plate of alchemy, so the impact was all but assured. The dust began to settle, the Adapters all starting to regroup after their efforts to penetrate her defense fell through.

"She's shrugging everything off like it's nothing!"

Tsubasa couldn't help but be the one to notice their enemy's demeanor, one of confidence. They wondered how this girl had risen to the power level she had attained, especially Hibiki. She was nearly blindsided by Chris in their last encounter, but now, dealing with seven different Adapters at once... it was inconceivable.

"Is that it? This is barely a warm-up," Leia scoffed, rolling her wrist as the wings on her back continued to siphon energy from the air. She looked like she was above everyone now, but the only reason she wasn't completely exhausted was due to that factor. The Philosopher's Stone made the energy conversion of her Faust Robe a lot faster, so her attacks were much more potent. On top of that, she was able to use less of her own energy, meaning that even a tired Leia still had fight left in her.

"Actin' all high-'n-mighty... Wait, where'd the other one go?"

The moment Chris mentioned it, everyone's eyes scoured the area, searching for the tail and black wings that were with them prior. It was weird, but this was exactly what Leia was trying to pull off. Once the attention was all on her, it allowed Laya to escape completely unnoticed. She had been gone since Hibiki started to sing, so everything had gone according to plan.

"No one even noticed that she left," Kirika muttered, holding herself up on her scythe after letting Chris down. If the other one left, there was the possibility that she could be just around the corner, ready for a sneak attack.

But Leia wouldn't let that happen.

"I would say that this is my time to leave, but... I have other plans."

Leia extended her hand to the group, her wings opening completely as the energy absorption accelerated. She wanted to get more data from this, but more importantly, she didn't want to get rid of this exhilarating feeling just yet. If Laya was there, it would only kill the buzz. If she had a Relic, she was planning on using it to the fullest any chance she got.

"You haven't rested in a while, so don't push yourself."

That voice in her head went to remind her of her current situation, but she didn't want to hear it. At least, not right now. Last time, she was coughing up blood, but now that she isn't dependent on using her own life force to fuel her alchemy, she felt like she was on top of the world. "I know where my limits are," she responded, the alchemy symbols for water and wind appearing on each of her wings. Even in this position, she still showed annoyance for the dragon's backseating.

And just like that, she began to sing.

[Insert: Alive – TRiDENT]

The control room could only look on as the destruction unfolded, all caused by one girl. No matter how much the Gears dodged or blocked, the attacks would keep on, only stronger and stronger. Each element just got converted into another, their properties being flipped through so fast, it was hard to keep track of what their original elements even were. Not to mention, all the attacks were being amplified by alchemy-converted phonic gain, causing the flattened earth around them to only become more jagged and unruly with each strike.

"Phonic gain and two Octaves were bad enough individually..."

"Now she's doing both at once?"

While Aoi and Sakuya were both trying to assess any information they could get from this fight, Elfnein's thoughts ran rampant. It was typical for an alchemist for wanting to think of such precise transmutation like this, but to do it in quick succession numerous times over without taxing the body in any way made her even more curious. "Doing that has to take a lot of energy... It can't be just from the Philosopher's Stone," she questioned, looking down at the screen below her. If there was anything about this Relic that they gained from this so far, it was that it was perfect for an alchemist.

"Come on, go my way, reveal your true nature."

Two more tornados came after the Gears, forcing them to split apart as they dodged. The moment Hibiki and Tsubasa jumped away, one of the cyclones followed, a wave of bronze crystals firing at them as the winds of the tornado were transmuted into earth. On the other end, Maria and Miku tried to slash through the wind, but as they attacked it, the wind ignited, the spiral now searing away their attempts at retaliation alongside the ground below it. "Keep living, keep living, there's no way you'll keep us down."

Once Tsubasa and Hibiki were backed into a corner, the crystals lit up, just like their last fight before they combust into flames.

"Tsubasa-san!"

The azure girl took heed of this cry, the blades on her legs giving her more than enough time to fly out of the way while Hibiki's boosters sent her in the other way. The crystals detonated, a scorched path in their wake as the swirling flames attacked the wearers of the Airgetlám and Shénshòujìng. Despite the Blades of Zababa trying a long-range tactic to disperse the flames, the moment the saws and scythe blades met the spiral, the flames were converted into water, then into a wave of ice bolted at both parties. Leia had already gotten a grasp of rapid transmutation with Nidhogg, but with these upgrades, it became so much easier.

"With the proof of our existence here, the meaning of our lives is the "now". Screaming out, struggle now, fight as yourself for once in your life."

The Receptor Children and the other Adapters didn't have the chance to retaliate, the ice engulfing them and freezing them into place. Tsubasa was quick to go and free them, but of course, it was part of Leia's plan. The excess water began to flood the area, so the two free Gear users were put on a time limit to save them. Reacting to the oncoming threat, a new wave of ice rose to intercept Tsubasa, but she would make sure she was not captured here.

Cartwheeling onto her hands, she pushed herself from the ground, landing on top of the ascending ice wall that she rode on. If she could use Heaven's Wrath here, she could get everyone out.

At least, that was the plan.

Once she got to a certain height, the ice pillar that held the Adapters emitted a gust of wind, courtesy of a wind alchemic circle appearing on its side. Tsubasa brought her katana up to block the strikes, but the ice below her fired straight up, catching her off-guard and slashing her left arm. While she would have been able to dodge it easily, the attack from her entrance slowed her down just a bit, but that fraction of a second was all Leia needed to mount a counterattack.

The moment Tsubasa had let her guard down, the ice pillar encapsulating the other S.O.N.G. Adapters was shattered, a white and yellow fist being the cause.

"Even with such simple things to live your life with, those were my medals for life without realizing it."

As the Adapters fell from the ice, the shattered remains around them lit up a bright red, the wall surrounding them and the water they waded in doing the same as Tsubasa descended on top of them. Once Leia snapped her fingers, everything around them detonated, the area around them now seared with black soot after the chorus rang out.

The entire time, she had a smirk on her face, her eyes having a sense of triumph in them. The Gears were no match for her, which was to be expected. The energy conversion was constant and her transmutation, albeit a bit labored considering how tired she was, wasn't something they could contest with in their current forms.

"Have you had your fun?"

Nidhogg chimed into her ear, the alchemist's train of thought being derailed by the mocking tone of the dragon. Upon hearing its voice, she rolled her eyes, her arms crossing as she got ready to leave. She got the results she needed, the computer at home having more than enough data to work with for any future updates. While part of her objective was to blow off some steam, the main part was to see how much stronger the Philosopher's Stone made this weapon. And that answer was handed to her on a silver platter.

"Shut it," she snarled, but before she could turn around, she could hear Chris' voice call out to her.

"How about this!?"

Leia didn't expect to hear any of their voices, especially after an explosion on that scale. She thought that they should have been stunned, at least, for a little bit of time. However, the moment she saw those golden flower petals in the air, she could assume what was going on. The dust was blown away, the group of Adapters all aside from Miku engulfed in golden spheres. While Miku was the only one left out, her mirrors reflected most of the damage from the attack, only receiving a few scuffs here and there on the white portion of her Faust Robe.

Leia saw these forms once before, but upon closer inspection, she noticed something that made them look interesting. Unlike in the city, none of them were brandishing weapons. The reconstructed power was only used as a golden barrier, which put them at a downside. With no weapons, they couldn't fight. She could leave right now and they couldn't do a thing about it.

But a part of her wanted to see what this new form was capable of.

The one to start the counterattack was Maria, who activated the Amalgam's secondary function and turned off her barrier. In exchange, the energy coalesced onto her left arm, a silver and gold dragon head manifesting as a sleeve.

For some reason, this irked Leia. She already had to deal with one of those things, but having someone like Maria holding up another in defiance was just the cherry on top. The dragon on Maria's arm thrust forward, spinning as a blast of flames and wind came after Leia the same way she had been attacking them.

(TORNADO†DRAGON)

Leia knew this attack wouldn't work. Even with the distance, she had more than enough time to transmute it, let alone block it. Sure, it was stronger and faster than anything else they had tried before, not to mention that this was an attack she probably needed to stop, but something about it made her not just angry, but livid.

She gritted her teeth, the animosity in her eyes now on full display as she put her left hand out. The sleeve on her right arm had charged energy from throughout the fight, just like her wings. However, once she finally began to call on the Relic's true power, those multitude of bars with bright light vanished, as if that energy was going somewhere else.

"Nidhogg."

The diamond on her left arm glimmered, the haze spewing out before the shadows came together to form a black dragon's head like Maria's.

"The dragon...?"

Hibiki saw the dragon coming from Leia, the head circling around her before opening its jaw. Unlike Maria's dragon, which spewed out a culmination of wind and fire, Nidhogg took in the attack, swallowing any incoming threat that dared reach its line of sight. The moment the blast was devoured, Nidhogg set its sights on the Airgetlám, rushing after the imitator and enshrouding it in a dark void.

Within moments, the gold and silver dragon started to disintegrate, fading away as the haze traveled all the way down to the Gear users. It was just a clump of shadow, but once it reached the group, the dragon head manifested again, causing Kirika and Shirabe to jump in front of the attack. They hadn't taken down their barriers, so they were able to take the full brunt of it for their friend.

(ARMAGEDDON REVISER)

The Blades of Zababa were pushed back alongside everyone else, the destruction ending in the middle of the greenery that laid on the outside of their battlefield. While everyone tried to recuperate and reassess the surroundings, Hibiki was the one to notice the massive pillar of black wind from where Leia was floating. Just as fast as it appeared, it vanished, the winds opening and revealing no one inside.

Just like before, they couldn't subdue her, only this time, it was much more apparent how difficult this task was going to be. While Tsubasa and Chris helped Maria stand upright, Miku touched Hibiki's shoulder, showing compassion in her eyes for Hibiki and her distressed state.

"She's gone again..."

Man, Leia seems like a meanie, doesn't she? Well, don't worry...

She can only get worse from here-

Anyways, congrats! You've made it halfway through the story! Nothing really too big of note here aside from the fact that this was just a long fight chapter. If you haven't checked out the AO3 version of the series, then you'd miss out on a couple of cool pieces of art for the series, since I'm drawing art for certain chapters (and some previously posted chapters may get their own illustrations as well). That being said, I'll see you all next week for the following chapter!