"If humanity truly wishes to stand as the dominant life form of this planet, it cannot live in subjugation." Saint-Germain said from atop the airship, watching the massive hordes of Alca-Noise being created. "Alchemy seeks perfection. It cannot fall to the likes of Symphogear."
The helicopter had landed, as Ogawa and Jeanne opened the door. The Kazanari twins looked out to see the other sets of twins running over to meet up with them.
Rui pulled out her pendent, slotting it into her belt.
GUNGNIR! AUTHORIZED
"Let's go kick some ass, girls." Rui said, on standby.
"Mm!" All the others nodded in agreement.
"You two-!"
Forte was standing in the hall, seeing Kirika and Shirabe run towards her.
"Forte, are they alright?" Shirabe asked.
"That's…" Forte grimaced, as Kirika and Shirabe rushed into the room. They saw that Maria and Elfnein seemed to be struggling, but Lala showed no discomfort.
"We'll watch over Maria and Elfnein!" Kirika told Aoi. "You should hurry to the bridge, dess!"
"The Commander is calling for you." Shirabe added.
"I will monitor them and guide them." Aiba said. "You should go."
"Thank you. They're in your hands." Aoi said, as she went past Forte to head to the bridge.
The three girls watched as Aiba managed the monitor, seeing Maria mutter in her psynced state. "Dr… Ver… I thought… you… died…"
"I don't know what's going on…" Shirabe admitted.
"But something is definitely not right." Kirika agreed.
Forte knelt down towards Lala, seeing how she wasn't reacting at all. It felt unnatural to see her like this. Come on, get what you need and get out of there…!
Inside Maria and Elfnein's shared mind, Dr. Ver laughed up the predicament. "Hey, this is just like that thing, you know? "Shouting in the Heart of Maria"! Crazy cool!"
"...the files said he was eccentric, but this seems to be stupidity." Lala said.
"I shouldn't have any memories of him doing this." Maria sighed.
"This is probably an image generated from your perception of him and other memories." Elfnein guessed. "Or so I hypothesize."
"Ah, so Maria really had a low opinion of him, Lala sees." Lala said with a bit of a sweatdrop.
"I need to get my memories under control." Maria said.
"It may be your subconscious trying to guide us to the Symphogear-connected area of your brain." Elfnein theorized.
"A guide to the Airgetlám?" Maria asked. "Then wouldn't Serena be a better choice?"
"The mind works in different ways, and this isn't a lucid dream." Lala said. "Plus, he was a man of science, right? So that might be why."
"Indeed. He was closely involved with the research, so it seems natural." Elfnein agreed.
"A researcher of relics and a true hero." Ver declared, holding out his arms as he raised one skyward. "A man larger than life. Larger than the extra-huge food challenge at a restaurant!"
What is this nonsense? Lala thought to herself.
"I've told you plenty of times, straight and clear." Ver said. "Beating around the bush isn't my style!"
"Then spit it out!" Maria shouted.
"If you've forgotten, you'll have to reach out and find it by yourself." He said, spinning around. "In the deepest, darkest depths of your memories. It is definitely deep down there!"
Around them, the smoke started to hiss and grow thicker. Elfnein frantically looked around. "Maria-san!"
"Is your mind reacting to this recollection?" Lala took a step back as the smoke drew closer.
"Stay close to me, you two!" Maria reached out, grabbing them by the wrists as the smoke covered them all.
"Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron~"
"Henshin!"
KAGUTSUCHI: GUNGNIR MODE
(Insert Makenai Ai ga Koko ni Aru by Aoi Yuuki)
Hibiki and Rui transformed, flipping and landing onto one of the many missiles that Chris launched. The others rode alongside them as they flew towards the massive Alca-Noise and the various swarms of fliers.
"I'm concerned about their sudden appearance." Tsubasa admitted. "We should face them without Ignite."
"Good call." Maia nodded. "Can't let them get the drop on us like last time."
"I don't know what they're planning, and I won't let this last long enough to find out!" Chris shouted, aiming her gatling guns.
BILLION MAIDEN
She fired a spray of bullets, taking out the Alca-Noise that were closest to them. Shuri took aim, picking off the larger ones that were in the back. Hibiki and Rui took a much more simple approach, merely punching and kicking away any of the Alca-Noise that got too close to them.
"It's not one's blood that makes a sentinel." Tsubasa said, slashing her blade out. "It's the fiery spirit that burns within!"
She jumped off the missile she was riding on, as it blasted into one of the larger fliers. Spinning in the air with the boosters on her ankles, she spun around with her blades, slashing apart the Alca-Noise.
Reverse Rakshasa
Maia meanwhile jumped and slammed her massive sword into one of the larger Alca-Noise. With a shout, she ran and dragged the blade behind her, before kicking off with a final slash that tore the Alca-Noise in half.
Aoi sat down at her desk, getting back to work immediately and scanning the battlefield's situation. "Fifty-seven percent of the Alca-Noise remain."
"And the alchemists are still nowhere to be seen." Fujitaka said.
Genjuro looked deep in thought, trying to think of a reason behind these actions.
Chris sped above the Alca-Noise on a missile, Rui landing right behind her, the others not far behind. They looked down, seeing the massive multi-headed Alca-Noise.
"So that one's the mothership that's controlling them all?" Chris realized.
"Then that is where we should strike!" Tsubasa said.
"Right, cut off the head, and the rest fall!" Maia agreed.
"We'll bust it a new one!" Hibiki said. "On your call, Tsubasa-san!"
"I'll immobilize it!" Rui shouted, jumping off. "Then we all hit it at the same time!"
Rui dove, but not aimed at the Alca-Noise. Sticking out her feet, she landed on the ground. She took a few steps, one light, one heavy, before she smashed straight through the concrete, heavy foot first.
The moment she did, a white dotted line formed in the air, with several equations and other variables enwrapping the giant Alca-Noise.
"What the hell…?" Chris muttered.
Hibiki sighed. "Oneesan's showing off again."
"Oh damn, she's learning that now?" Maia said, reading the chart. "Pretty advanced stuff."
Rui rose out of the ground on a pillar of stone. She glanced up at the others to signal them. "Ready?! Go!"
Tsubasa, Maia and Hibiki all dropped down from the sky, readying their weapons.
"Taste my blade!" Tsubasa called, her sword increasing in size. "Haaaah!"
Maia clasped her two swords together, spinning them around and letting the flames turn blue. Hibiki drew back a fist as it increased in size to make a massive gauntlet. Rui jumped off the pillar, following the chart line as a guide as she kept her foot outstretched.
Hibiki, Tsubasa and Maia cleaved straight through, before Rui's kick connected, slamming straight into the Alca-Noise and tearing into it from the side.
VORTEX FINISH
"Yeah!" Rui shouted, making it straight through.
"Then we'll clean up the leftovers!" Chris shouted.
Shuri took careful aim, firing a bullet at the base of the Alca-Noise. Upon contact, ice spread throughout its body, completely encasing it. Chris kept firm and steady, creating a massive spray of missiles.
MEGA DETH INFINITY
They all slammed and exploded on the massive Alca-Noise, shattering the ice and causing it to roar in pain as it fell apart… only to suddenly regenerate the damage into three smaller parts, which were each rather large.
"What? We didn't finish it?" Tsubasa said, stunned.
"And now we have three problems." Maia grit her teeth. "Great."
"The giant Alca-Noise has divided into multiple, independently-moving parts!" Fujitaka reported.
"They're heading in different directions." Ogawa observed.
"So they wanted to split the Gear users up?" Genjuro concluded.
"We have a team of six, each with twins that can coordinate well." Jeanne pointed out. "If they split into three, I'd assume their plan wasn't taking into account the SOUL members."
"Commander, we have a call from Iruma Base!" Aoi called. "They're offering to provide backup if needed!"
"Nonsense!" Fujitaka said. "The enemy is Alca-Noise! The SDF Air Force would just slow us down, or at worst, increase casualties!"
Genjuro crossed his arms. "No. Request Iruma deploy Code 81."
"You want them to send Harriers?" Aoi asked. "Understood."
Hibiki and Rui were running on the highway, looking up at the massive Alca-Noise moving away from the others.
"Even if they wanted to split us up, at this size we can deal with each of them!" Hibiki said.
"Yeah." Rui held up her wrist, the Elekleid bracelet forming over her armor. "We got this."
Chris and Shuri were taking a boat towards the one over the water. "It's the three of them vs the six of us."
"Two against one." Shuri said. "Bad odds for them even with this surprise."
On the other side of the bridge, Tsubasa and Maia were speeding across the water towards the last one.
"Be that as it may…" Tsubasa said.
"Shit doesn't look good at all." Maia finished.
Hibiki and Rui had finished running, seeing the massive Alca-Noise spawn more smaller ones at an airfield.
"No more innocents!" Hibiki declared.
The Tachibana twins jumped off the ledge. Hibiki's boosters shot her forward, as Rui held up her wrist. "Elekleid! Switch, on!"
(Insert Giant Step by Astronauts)
In a flash of purple, Rui gained a massive burst of speed, overtaking Hibiki. She landed on the ground, drawing her blades and ripping through all the smaller Alca-Noise near the civilians. Hibiki took the fight to the larger Alca-Noise, punching off one of its heads. One of the surviving heads headbutt Hibiki and she was sent crashing into the ground. She quickly got up as it spawned more of them.
"There's no end to them!" Hibiki realized.
"Doesn't matter!" Rui shouted, stabbing another Alca-Noise. "We got to take them all down!"
Having reached land, Tsubasa ran across the rooftops, while Maia flew alongside her with Takemikazuchi's hover function. The younger Kazanari dashed forward, slicing off one of the Alca-Noise heads with a slash. But the severed head grew into a new body, as the original regrew its head.
"Just as I thought! It keeps multiplying!" Tsubasa realized.
"This is gonna be a pain." Maia gripped her own blades.
Chris and Shuri dodged several of the Alca-Noise's attacks, avoiding the stabbing tendrils aimed at them. The ports on Chris' legs opened to reveal several smaller missiles. With a shout, they all launched.
MEGA DETH PARTY
The missiles struck true, blowing up the Alca-Noise in half, but the two halves simply regenerated into two smaller monsters.
"Again!?" Shuri shouted, as she and Chris ran, barely avoiding getting blasted.
The two twins landed among some debris, but stood back up, pushing off all the trash.
"How much work are you gonna make for us?" Chris grumbled.
Shuri tapped her comm link. "Rui-san. Maia. We might have to use our trump cards sooner, than later."
"Gotcha."
"Once those stupid alchemists show up, it's over." Rui agreed.
Back in the psyncing room, Shirabe, Kirika and Forte watched over the three that were still in the mindscape.
Shirabe was holding Elfnein's hand. "You can do it!
Kirika was doing the same on Maria's side. "Everyone's doing the best they can, dess!"
"Aiba, how is it going?" Forte asked.
"They've stabilized somewhat, increasing their allowed time." Aiba informed them. "But any sudden major issues in their psync might end up being huge problems."
Forte looked back at Lala, who was doing the best of the three with how calm she looked. Come on Lala…
In their connected minds, Maria, Elfnein and Lala landed on what appeared to be a wet surface in space.
"Where are we?" Maria asked.
"This doesn't look like an ordinary mental image…" Elfnein said, looking around.
"Over there." Lala pointed, as some of the space started to glow.
"I want to be strong." Maria's voice resonated throughout the space.
"Was that… my voice?" Maria recognized.
"I want to hide away my weakness." Her voice resonated again, this time behind them, before being heard all around them. "Even if I have to lie, even to myself. But I don't want to lie!"
"Is this your inner cosmos?" Elfnein asked.
"What you never show to anyone…" Lala said quietly.
"The dark, shadowed part of my heart…" Maria clutched her arms. "I feared to bond with people because I was scared they wouldn't accept me. Back then…"
"Maria-san…?" Elfnein asked.
"If I wanted someone to hold my hand, I had to reach out to them myself." Maria covered her face, shaking her head. "But… What if they pushed my hand away?"
"Maria…" Lala said quietly. So many of us feel like that, but I didn't realize Maria was affected this much.
The two observers felt something off, looking down to see they were disappearing.
"Ah! Maria-san!" Elfnein reached out, but she and Lala were being pulled away. "Maria-san! Maria-saaaaaaan!"
Lala quickly hugged Elfnein, as the two disappeared and their vision went dark.
"HRAAAAAAH!"
Rui stabbed down, shooting out a burst of electricity in all directions that fried the Alca-Noise. But the second she did, the massive one just spawned several more. Jumping back, she landed next to Hibiki.
"Keep them busy, Oneesan!" Hibiki shouted, punching and kicking away at the Alca-Noise.
"Already doing it!" Rui shouted back, slashing several more.
Hibiki jumped into the air, slamming her fist on the massive Alca-Noise, before another massive punch blew up its head, leaving her open for the next one, if not for Rui jumping up and stabbing into its head. And just to make sure it really was dead, her arm transformed into a massive cannon, which she aimed point-blank at the monster.
"Die."
Blitzfirewerk
The blast completely incinerated the Alca-Noise, as Rui jumped back and landed on the ground.
Tsubasa jumped off several pillars, jumping skyward. The huge Alca-Noise stabbed one of its tendrils at her, but she slid down it like the side of a building. Another tendril shot at her, but this time she jumped up.
"Now!" Tsubasa shouted.
Maia rushed in from below, having drawn out a massive blade. "DYAAAAAAAAAAH!"
With the Alca-Noise distracted, she managed to stab straight through it, leaving it open for Tsubasa's attack. She swung her blade, firing a thousand blades of energy.
One Thousand Tears
The two heads exploded from all the damage, but one of them spit out a glob of energy at the ground before blowing up. Tsubasa and Maia landed on a nearby building, sweating from how much they exerted themselves.
"I expected a battle of attrition, but not to this extent." Tsubasa admitted.
"Hey, Maria's probably a better challenge for you, right?" Maia chuckled, wiping her brow.
"What?"
Shuri lowered her arms, creating a massive railgun that started charging with energy. Chris took aim at the Alca-Noise flying in from above. "I won't miss a single shot! Take this!"
Chris fired an array of bullets and a pair of missiles at the Alca-Noise, while Shuri fired a huge burst of electricity.
MEGA DETH FUGA
SEPULTURA BUSTERRAY
The attacks pierced and blew up all the larger Alca-Noise, as Chris took a knee, leaning against her cannon. "It can't multiply if you blow up the whole thing at once…"
"We're not done yet, Oneesama." Shuri pulled her sister up as they stared out at the Alca-Noise.
"Yeah. All that's left is the cargo." Chris smirked.
Rui and Hibiki turned to the remaining Alca-Noise, keeping it from spawning more. It shot its tendrils at them, but they dodged, running up the arms embedded in the ground.
"Keep multiplying and dividing all you want!" Hibiki shouted.
Hibiki was the first one to jump off, kicking it in the head and stunning it. She pulled back her arm, creating a gauntlet.
"Numbers were never a problem for us!" Hibiki declared, smashing her fist into it.
"You're going down!" Rui declared, spreading her wings and dragging her blade across the tendril, sending electricity through the body.
Hibiki pierced straight through the Alca-Noise, before the rest of the electricity traveled into the main body. At the last second, part of it spliced off before disintegrating. The Tachibana twins watched as it flew off, but took chase.
"Slippery bastard…!" Rui cursed, gripping her blade.
"No matter how many!" Hibiki caught her breath, before rushing after it.
Maria was falling deeper and deeper into the abyss. She didn't bother trying to open her eyes, or even move. She let herself sink.
Will I drown in the darkness I created and vanish into the abyss?
She sank further into the murky ink of subconsciousness.
"When it comes to Symphogear compatibility, there's no such thing as miracles." Ver's voice echoed around her.
A watery orb floated down in front of Maria as she opened her eyes. Reaching out her hand, she clasped it in her palm as the bubble popped, before turning into a bright light that cast away the darkness.
"Maria-san!"
Maria sat up, finding herself in a bright room. She was sitting on what appeared to be an operating table, as both Elfnein and Lala were standing by her. Curiously, Lala was back to her normal appearance.
"Elfnein. Lala… you're…?" Maria said, looking at the girl.
Lala looked down at herself. "Lala guesses that since we're in the deepest part of your mind, Lala looks like how you see Lala."
Maria looked around the room. "This is that white-walled room to which we were taken at the FIS."
Looking over, she saw her younger self and Serena, cowering in a corner as Nastassja and another scientist were talking to them. The scientist reached out her hand to Maria, gently coaxing her. But as the younger Maria held out hers, Nastassja smacked it with a riding crop.
"From today, you'll all participate in combat training." Nastassja told them. "You receptor children who failed to become Finé's vessels: Now is the time for you to serve the facility by shedding blood, not tears."
"Really? Was it only the feat of Mom you remembered?" Ver's voice asked.
Maria looked at the memory again. That's right. I sealed away the memory because of the fear and pain, but Mom always looked so sad after hitting me.
As Maria watched through all the memories of Nastassja putting them through training and experience, Lala tapped her wrist, going through a database of information.
Now I remember. No matter how hard the training and experiments were for us, Mom didn't let a single one of us drop out. And the receptor children who were able to find a brighter future after what happened are now all under protection. So that we could live, she kept killing herself, little by little.
Maria held up a hand, remembering the words of the tomato farmer. "The thrasher a tomato's environment, the sweeter it grows. Deny it water as long as possible, and it'll turn sweet all on its own."
"The biggest harvests are the ones that have endured the harshest times. I wouldn't have made it this far on kindness alone. Mom's harshness is what tempered out strength. And behind that…"
In a flash of light, Maria had donned her Symphogear again.
"I've said this countless times, both to Nastassja and to you." Ver's voice said. "That which connects people and Symphogear…"
"I've traced the area of the brain indicated by the electrical signals." Elfnein said. "This warm and deep caring for others is what connects people and Symphogear. We need only tune the LiNKER to this area!"
"And that's not all…" Lala said, as everything turned white.
"Psync complete." Aiba said. "Subjects are waking up."
Jeanne picked Aiba up, putting her back in her socket. Elfnein opened her eyes, sitting up, back in reality.
"Elfnein?" Shirabe asked.
"How did it go, dess?!" Kirika asked.
"We're almost there!" Elfnein said, taking off her helmet. "After that, it's in your hands."
Lala stood up, Forte helping her pull out the wires in her body. "The solution… we've found it…!"
The two ran out of the room in a rush. Jeanne walked over to Maria, as she pulled off her helmet.
"Maria!" Shirabe said.
"How you feeling?" Jeanne asked.
"...what do you all think of Mom?" Maria suddenly asked.
"Mom?" Kirika repeated.
"She…" Shirabe wasn't sure what to say.
"Well I don't remember and don't want to." Forte crossed her arms. "But I did read up on how it was afterwards. It sounds like she tried turning a new leaf… sort of. I don't think it excuses the fact that all the crap she did to us, but it's good to know that she wasn't completely a monster."
"...wow, that's surprising coming from you." Jeanne admitted as Forte flipped the bird. "But she's right."
"Yeah, dess!" Kirika admitted.
"The things that happened may not be what should have happened… but Mom was there to push us regardless." Shirabe said.
"I ultimately can't forgive Mom for everything, but… I can't say I completely despise her either." Jeanne kept her arms crossed.
"Tesla was like that too. He believed the ends justified the means, but he was never happy about doing it." Forte said. "Guess he really hated himself that much if he snapped once he got Gjallarhorn…"
Kirika patted Forte on the back, as Jeanne looked at Maria. "Why did you ask all of a sudden? Was it something in your memories?"
Maria nodded.
"But you're not gonna let it drag you down or change your belief, right?" Jeanne asked.
"It won't."
"Then that's fine by me." Jeanne said with a smile. "Anyways, you, Kirika and Shirabe had best get going. Allons-y."
"This may not have been how we imagined things, but… thanks, Mom." Maria quietly said, wiping away a tear.
The Alca-Noise had wormed its way to the ruins of the Château de Tiffauges, multiplying into several snakes.
"We don't care how much you multiply!" Hibiki declared.
One of the snakes had rushed at her, but she caught it. Another sped at Rui, who flipped over it, landing on its back and stabbing her swords into its back. The third Alca-Noise started flying off, seeing the twins were distracted.
"Damn!" Hibiki smashed the one she was holding into the ground. Before jumping up and driving her feet into its head, crushing it into red mist.
"Go get that one!" Rui shouted, steering the Alca-Noise into some rubble. "I got things covered here!"
"Roger-!" Hibiki looked up and widened her eyes. Appearing before her out of the air was an airship, shedding its camouflage. "Isn't that the same one we took down in Val Verde?"
"What the hell…?" Rui muttered.
"Neesama!" Shuri shouted, looking through her scope at the airship.
Chris grit her teeth as she pushed back some of the Alca-Noise with several shots.
Tsubasa and Maia were skidding across the waves, having also seen the airship. While Tsubasa was speechless, Maia sighed.
"It's never easy for us, huh?"
Cagliostro was gently stroking the head of the rod, chuckling.
"The Symphogear may be powerful…" She gave the tip a kiss.
"But the hearts of their wielders are easy to break." Prelati finished.
Saint-Germain raised an arm. "Go all out on them!"
The airship spawned several flying Alca-Noise, creating even more Alca-Noise and rapidly increasing their numbers.
"The Alca-Noise are progressing to Area 19!" Aoi reported into the comms.
"That's where Lydian is!" Hibiki realized.
"No time to waste! Hurry there!" Chris called.
"Chris-chan?" Hibiki asked.
"We'll handle the larger ones in the sky." Shuri added.
"B-But-!"
"You don't have to worry about us!" Chris shouted.
Miku's face flashed through Hibiki's mind, as she remembered her friend was back over where the Alca-Noise were heading.
"Just believe in your justice and grip it tight!" Chris told her. "Make the right choice by yourself, if nothing else!"
Rui chuckled. "I've really rubbed off on you, huh?"
"Shut your trap!" Chris yelled, though the others could tell she was grinning. The Alca-Noise started to land around them.
"Thanks, Chris-chan." Hibiki said, slowly moving her hand to her Gear. "But I have to do this."
"You won't be doing it alone, Hibiki." Rui said, cracking her knuckles.
Up on the airship, Saint-Germain pulled out her Spellcaster. "This is the moment we've been waiting for."
"Ignite Module!"
"It's not time for last resorts or trump cards yet, dess!"
Hibiki and Rui stopped themselves, as Kirika's voice came on the comm lines. Two jets zoomed past above them, flying upwards and above the airship.
"You two aren't the only ones that get to indulge themselves here." Shirabe declared.
The seats of the jets ejected, as Kirika and Shirabe entered free fall.
"Various Shul Shagana tron~"
"Zeios Igalima raizen tron~"
With flashes of light, both Shirabe and Kirika had donned their Symphogears once more, to the amazement of Hibiki and Rui.
(Insert Melodious Moonlight by Yoshino Nanjo)
Shirabe's headpieces opened up, shooting out an array of buzzsaws as the Alca-Noise. Kirika swung her scythe around, launching several of the blades from the weapon head.
Alpha Style: 100 Saṃsāra
Kill Juliet
The blades ripped and tore through the flying Alca-Noise, as Kirika and Shirabe landed on top of the airship, speeding forward to take down more.
"Shul Shagana and Igalima have engaged the enemy!" Fujitaka reported.
"We owe a debt of gratitude to the Iruma units." Ogawa said.
"Kirika and Shirabe are far more valuable anyways." Jeanne said, dismissively.
"Yeah, they're totally kicking ass out there!" Forte added.
"Vitals stable. Symphogear recoil well within acceptable levels." Aoi read the readings on the monitor.
"Well done finishing in time, Elfnein, Lala. We owe you both a debt." Genjuro smiled.
Elfnein leaned back in her chair and let out a breath, as Lala gently massaged her shoulders. They were looking over the LiNKER formula they recreated on the screen.
"The last piece in the LiNKER puzzle was finding the brain area that connects to the Symphogear." Elfnein said. "It represents the wish to protect another, even at the cost of oneself."
"Something that describes the wielders well." Lala agreed.
"To sum it up in one word…"
"Love!"
Maria was standing atop the roof of Lydian, having donned Airgetlám once more. Seeing the snake-like Alca-Noise approaching, she jumped off, drawing her blade. With a shout, she swung the whip-like weapon forward.
EMPRESS†REBELLION
It slashed straight through the Alca-Noise, finally ending it. Maria landed back on the roof, red particles falling down around her.
""Great" is still the one thing I refuse to call you." Maria said, standing up. "You were the very worst of the worst, Dr. Ver."
Kirika swung her scythe back, increasing the blades in massive size. She jumped in the air and slashed straight through one of the fliers. As it exploded, she jumped off the chunks to get back down on the ground. On the airship surface, Shirabe launched two massive sawblades to slice apart another spawner, before dodging a blast of fire.
Prelati was holding her hands out, ablaze from the flames she fired. She swung her hands to launch more balls of flame, as Shirabe matched them by shooting sawblades to intercept. Kirika rushed in, slashing at Prelati and forcing the alchemist back. Cagliostro returned the favor by throwing a punch of blue energy at Kirika, who blocked the strike with her scythe shaft.
"So you're back on the drugs after all?" Cagliostro chuckled.
"This special LiNKER is more than just a drug!" Kirika declared.
"It's an indelible bond formed by our feelings for each other!" Shirabe spun her yo-yos around at Prelati, who deflected them with several barriers. Shirabe skated around, before spinning and turning her skirt into a saw blade. The teeth of the weapon clashed against Prelati's barrier, causing electrical sparks.
Delta Style: Charming Axel Killer
Prelati grit her teeth as she was forced back, lowering the barrier. Kirika meanwhile, pushed forward with her scythe, breaking through Cagliostro's defenses and sending her backwards. The two alchemists ended up back-to-back, as Kirika and Shirabe regrouped for their next attack together. Jumping in the air, the two clasped hands, sticking out their legs as the sawblade and scythe heads extended and combined into a massive weapon.
"Victory will be ours, dess!" Kirika declared as they flipped and shot off at their foes.
Saint-German quickly ran in front of her comrades, holding up her hands to create a larger barrier to protect the three of them. To her surprise, the force behind the attack was more than the barrier could hold, so she quickly strategized a plan as the defense shattered. Kirika and Shirabe tore through the airship, slicing straight down before slashing out the other end. The two landed on the ground, shocked by the sudden disappearance of their enemy.
"Where did they go?" Kirika asked, looking around.
They heard two gunshots, as Shirabe noticed red blurs shooting at Kirika. "Kiri-chan!"
"Your lives will help lay the foundation of a revolution." Saint-Germain declared, as she and the other two Alchemists had donned their Faust Robes.
Before the bullets could hit, Hibiki and Rui rushed in front of their friends. Holding out their hands, Hibiki blocked the bullet with her palm, while Rui caught it in her fingers.
"What?!" Saint-Germain widened her eyes.
"Hibiki-san! Rui-san!" Kirika smiled.
"Basically saying "You will be sacrificed for the greater good" and your armor is called Faust Robes." Rui tossed the bullet over her shoulder. "That's hilarious."
"That's not right." Hibiki said, as the bullet fell to the ground. "People's lives aren't just building blocks! That's wrong!"
"A little outmatched with four on three." Cagliostro said.
"So basically, you're getting full of yourself." Prelati added.
The alchemists looked up for a few seconds, before a hailstorm of bullets shot down towards them. Standing on the edge of the creator were the other Wielders and SOUL members.
"You mean nine on three!" Chris declared.
"This party better not be getting started without us." Maia shouldered her sword.
"Tsubasa-san! Chris-chan!" Hibiki grinned.
"Maria!" Kirika and Shirabe smiled.
"Took you long enough. Shuri. Partner." Rui smirked.
"Traffic was awful." Shuri joked, as the five jumped down, joining the others.
The Bavarian Illuminati grimaced, seeing as the numbers advantage was heavily against them. Tsubasa held a sword out, pointing at them. "Isn't it about time, Bavarian Illuminati, to tell us what you're after?"
"You said you want to free mankind from its chains." Hibiki remembered. "What are you even fighting? What are you fighting for? Tell me! If it's for the good of others, then can't we work together?"
That's probably why they aren't working with us. Maia thought to herself. If it really was for the greater good, things would've probably been different.
"Work together? How arrogant." Saint-Germain said, raising a hand. "With the power of God in our hands, we will tear down the Curse of Balal."
The others recognized the words, as realization went through all of them. Rui's legs suddenly felt pain in them, remembering the first person to say those words.
"The power of God? The Curse of Balal?" Tsubasa repeated.
"We'll seize the Lunar Ruins!" Saint-Germain closed her fist, finishing her declaration.
A/N: This chapter is mostly action, though there are a few changes here and there to the Maria's memories side of things. I drew quite a bit from XDU for several of Rui's new attacks.
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