Saint-Germain flipped through Nikola Tesla's notes and folders; everything they had taken from his old hideout.
The thoughts this man had… they're not that different from mine when my mother passed…
Saint-Germain closed her eyes, before closing the book.
"But with your help, we finished it…"
Projected in front of her was what appeared to be three heart-shaped crystals, each with pink veins inside them.
"Lapis." Saint-Germain said. "That which harnesses the power of alchemy to right the laws of this world rife with oppression."
"Uuuugh. I'm so bored!"
Cagliosto turned around from looking out the hotel window to see Tiki was laying on a bed, reading a manga.
"If Adam doesn't come to see me soon, I'll get so bored I'll rust to death!" Tiki whined, kicking her legs.
Prelati paid no note to it and went back to her tea.
"Hey." Cagliostro turned to Prelati. "Do you know where Saint-Germain is?"
"She's busy with the final adjustments on our Faust Robes." Prelati said. "Basically, we owe a lot to the data that both Carol and Tesla gathered. Also…"
She looked up to see Cagliostro walking off.
"Where are you going?" Prelati asked, standing up.
"Ooh, ooh! Don't tell me… You're stealing a march on us?" Tiki asked.
"So basically, you can't even wait for the Faust Robes to be finished?" Prelati said, irritated.
"Using protection feels so wrong." Cagliostro chuckled. "I want to touch and feel those kids directly."
"Skin to skin? That sounds like love!" Tiki gushed as she laid down on the bed. "I wanna touch Adam too! I want him to have his way with me from head to toe!"
Prelati sighed at the rather idiotic actions of her companions.
Hibiki and Rui looked out of the vehicle, watching as the civilians of Matsushiro were being evacuated due to the covert nature of the operation.
"Man this sucks…" Rui muttered quietly before she sat down. Gently petting a napping Yusuke on the table.
"Does this really require this much of an evacuation?" Shuri asked Genjuro.
"Before the end of WW2, the military chose to relocate their headquarters here to Matsushiro." Genjuro explained. "It also houses the predecessor to the Special Disaster Response Unit: the secret Kazanari Institute."
"The Kazanari Institute?" Hibiki repeated.
A few of them turned to Tsubasa and Maia. The former had her head down with her eyes closed, while the other was leaning back in her chair, looking like she wanted to be anywhere else but here.
"As Japan was short on natural resources, they sought a means to turn the tides of war by researching the powers of relics." Genjuro said.
"Such as the Ame-no-Habakiri, and those they received from their then-ally Germany: the Nehushtan armor, the Ichaival and the Gungnir." Tsubasa spoke up.
"The documents we acquired in Val Verde are encrypted using the same method that Nazi Germany employed during the war." Ogawa said. "We need the cipher machine held here to decrypt them."
"Tesla had one of these machines too, but it got destroyed back during the Lost Song incident." Lala said.
"Would've made our lives much easier, I can say that much." Forte said, putting her hands behind her head.
"I can understand why the local security level would be raised to maximum for such an operation." Tsubasa said as she stood up. "But why would you burden the residents by ordering them to evacuate?"
"It is not the people we must protect, but the country." Genjuro answered.
"Not the people…?" Hibiki asked.
"Bullshit!" Rui shouted. Yusuke woke up, looking at his owner in concern.
"That is what Kamakura thinks, at least." Genjuro said.
"Honestly, it's for the better." Maia said, sitting up and surprising the others. "At least this way, the civilians ought to be safe if the enemy attacks us."
The team had arrived outside the secret base, watching as the scientists and coders were decrypting everything. Lala and Elfnein were lending their help wherever they could.
"Decrypting it will take time." Genjuro said. "Tsubasa."
"After the briefing, Tachibana, Yukines, and I will stand by and guard the outside area. Neesama and Shuri will remain guarding the interior." Tsubasa said, as Genjuro nodded.
"Um, what should we be doing?" Shirabe asked, raising her hand.
Maria and Rui walked behind Shirabe and Kirika. The latter two had binoculars and were scanning around for citizens. Rui had left Yusuke behind in SONG's truck for safety.
"9 o'clock, all clear." Shirabe said.
"12 o'clock, all… ah!" Kirika pointed towards a tomato farm, where she spotted a figure. "Civilian sighted, right there, dess! Let's go, dess!"
Kirika ran forward as the others watched her. Shirabe watched her friend run. "I understand you want to copy the others, but that's…"
"You need to evacuate!" Kirika said, running in front of the 'civilian'. "Waah! It's not a person at all, dess!"
"I would've thought the stick it was stuck on would be a giveaway." Rui said.
"Scarecrows are quite realistic these days…" Shirabe sighed as she walked over.
Rui glanced at Maria, who was looking down. "This is all we can do without more LiNKER."
"Hey, I'm sure Elfnein and Lala'll come through." Rui reassured her.
"We have to keep going and make sure no one's been left behind, dess!" Kirika said.
"You're overdoing it a bit, though." Maria said.
"I have to keep myself occupied somehow, dess." Kirika muttered.
"Then we could ask what Rui-san is doing with us." Shirabe pointed out.
"Huh?" Rui put her hands behind her head. "I mean, it wouldn't hurt if you guys had backup, right? Besides, I'm not allowed too much time nearby government secrets because-"
"Liar." Maria said, crossing her arms. "I read the information the commander provided. You don't have any limits on your movements or activity due to the fact you were indirectly blackmailed into compliance when you worked with Tesla. What is the real reason you're here?"
"Ugh…" Rui sighed. "Well… I guess I needed the time to apologize to you three."
"Apologize? For what?" Shirabe asked.
"Pretty much everything I did with Tesla." Rui said. "Not just how I fought you guys, but… it was pretty hypocritical of me."
"Hypocritical?" Maria raised a brow.
"I remember when we first met, how I blew up at Shirabe for how she didn't understand a thing for what Hibiki went through. How she was being stupid for working with FIS and all that crap." Rui looked down at her hand, remembering how it used to be mechanical. "But there I was, working with someone to do the same thing, but even worse."
"Rui-san… that's completely different, dess." Kirika said.
"You were backed into a corner, thinking you had no choice." Shirabe said. "You couldn't have-"
"No, I could have. If I just chose not to help Tesla… if I wasn't so weak…!" Rui clenched her fist, only to see Maria put a hand on her shoulder, a look of understanding in her eyes.
"I thought the same way, Rui." Maria reassured her. "I believed that I was weak, for continuously going along with FIS. We could have also made the choice to step away, but we didn't. And after all was said and done, you and the others still reached out towards us."
"But-"
"We're not going to say you're a hypocrite." Shirabe shook her head. "You're our friend."
"That's right, dess!" Kirika nodded.
"Your weakness makes you human, it makes you strong." Maria smiled. "And even now, I still believe you are one of the strongest people I have ever met."
"I… you three…"
"We're still friends, dess! That won't change!" Kirika promised.
"I still have a lot to learn from you. Both with things like this… and cooking." Shirabe said.
"Hold your head up high, Rui." Maria told her. "It suits you better."
"That's… thanks." Rui smiled. It looked like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
Seeing her friend happier, Kirika lightly slapped her own cheeks. "All right! Time to recommence the mission!"
"H-Hey, behind-!"
Rui tried warning Kirika as she ran into someone, accidently spilling over some tomatoes.
"Are you alright?" Maria asked, running over.
"I'm so sorry, dess!" Kirika apologized.
"No, no. It wasn't your fault, my dear." The elderly lady said, reassuring Kirika.
"A full-scale evacuation has been ordered." Maria informed her. "You should leave right away."
"Of course, of course." She said, before picking up a few tomatoes. "But I have the last tomato harvest of the year to see to."
"Oh, right." Rui looked over at the various tomato plants. "It's the perfect time to pick them right now."
"Those look wonderful, dess!" Kirika said, eyes seeing the shine of the fruits.
"And they taste even better! Give them a try." The lady offered.
Kirika took a big bite out of one of them. She shook with joy at the taste. "Mmm! It's great, dess! Shirabe, you try yours too!"
"Okay… itadakimasu." Shirabe took a bite out of hers, a smile lighting up her face. "You're right! It's nothing like the ones you get in supermarkets!"
"Right?" The woman said with a kind nod. She looked over at Rui, who was observing the tomato plants, her eye having spotted the one that looked the most ripe. She looked at the woman, as if asking for permission. "Go ahead, dear."
Rui picked one of the tomatoes, turned it in her hand a few times to check for any bruises or bugs. Seeing it was fine, she bit into it. She kept her mouth on the fruit for a bit, carefully taking note of the texture and taste, before pulling it away.
"Amazing…" She muttered, turning to the elderly lady. "Normally you'd have to salt a tomato to get this kind of flavor, but this one's great on its own…"
"I see we got a young chef here." The lady chuckled. "You can taste the love put into it, can't you?"
"I can." Rui smiled. "My own grandmother says the same thing."
"Um… E-Excuse me, ma'am…" Maria tried to get the elderly lady's attention considering the situation's urgency.
"Oh yoo-hoo~!"
The SONG members all looked over to see Cagliostro standing across the field.
"Found you~!" She chuckled.
Rui ran in front of the others, pulling out her Proto-Gear.
"Oh, cancel that." Cagliostro sighed. "It's just Team Dango and the optional Mitarashi glaze."
Shirabe was baffled. "Team…?"
"Dango?" Maria finished.
"Who're you calling dango?!" Kirika demanded.
"Just look at your colors." Cagliostro chuckled. "You mad~?"
"Oh, so I'm just the optional bonus." Rui muttered.
"Though it'll be no fun fighting spoiled dango like you three." Cagliostro sighed, before looking at Rui. "How about you? You want to have a good time with me~?"
GUNGNIR! AUTHORIZED
"Sorry, but I made a promise to myself not to play around with villains." Rui said, stepping forward and tightening her gloves. Rui turned to the others. "Get the lady to safety. I'll kick her ass in no time."
RELIC BATTLE MODE; READY
"Bold words, kiddo." Cagliostro pulled out a few Alca-Noise crystals. She tossed them at Rui, who had taken up a stance.
"Henshin!"
The orange crystals formed around her, knocking away the Alca-Noise crystals. All of them shattered, as both the Alca-Noise were summoned and Rui transformed.
KAGUTSUCHI: GUNGNIR MODE
(Insert BELIEVE YOURSELF by Naoto Fuuga)
"Sha!" Rui held up her wrist before she dashed forward, kicking and punching away at the Alca-Noise.
Maria looked back as she, Kirika and Shirabe escorted the elderly lady to safety. This is the best we can do with our current power.
"Alca-Noise detected!" Fujitaka shouted, seeing the alert. "Rui has engaged the enemy! Located at S1-6! There's about fifty!"
"Roger! Heading there right away!" Hibiki shouted.
"Leave it to me! I'm the closest to the Chuunigure!" Chris said. Yusuke mewed, almost as if encouraging her.
Getting a running start, Chris jumped off a hill, grasping her Relic.
"Killter Ichaival tron~"
Chris fired a missile after transforming, riding the rocket to get a boost. As she sped through the sky, she saw Maria, Kirika and Shirabe running. Maria was carrying a civilian on her back. Looking past them, she saw the horde of Alca-Noise, with several of them going flying thanks to Rui's hits. Hovering over, she started firing crossbow bolts at the enemy, lending her support.
"Rui-san's backup has arrived!" Kirika said, seeing Chris above. "She's so cool!"
"We'll leave it to you!" Maria called up, as Chris nodded. "Let's go!"
As the three left to get the elderly lady to safety, Rui saw Chris and smirked, before smashing through the horde of Alca-Noise.
"Chris-chan has arrived!" Aoi reported.
"She's engaged the enemy!" Fujitaka added.
"The alchemists are powerful! You two had best wait for Tsubasa and Hibiki!" Genjuro said.
"You're underestimating us, Commander!" Rui shouted.
"Besides, I would if I could!" Chris grumbled.
Chris was dodging Cagliostro's energy bolts in the sky. The alchemist was firing blast after blast.
"I missed you so much!" Cagliostro teased. "Oh, the estrogen's boiling my brain~!"
Chris fired several crossbow bolts to try and counter the attack, but one of them hit the back of the missile she was riding on. It exploded mid-air, but Chris managed to drop down safely.
"Finally, you're close to me!" Cagliostro grinned, holding out her arms and firing a concentrated blast of energy.
Chris backflipped to dodge all of them, taking up a spot behind a cliff for cover. The dust from the attack faded, as Chris was now holding a massive bow.
"You're in a hurry to pull out the big guns, huh?" Cagliostro chuckled.
The alchemist disappeared in a burst of speed, reappearing next to Chris. Far too close for the bow to be useful.
"But now I can slip behind you." Cagliostro smirked. "Big mistake."
"I'm not the only one who's got someone behind her." Chris chuckled.
Cagliostro widened her eyes, remembering who she had forgotten. Turning around, she was slugged in the gut, winding her.
"You messed with someone very precious to me." Rui said, a hint of anger in her voice. Blue electricity crackled around her body, before it turned violet once it reached her leg. "Big mistake."
With a spin, Rui delivered a devastating roundhouse kick at Cagliostro's face, sending electricity coursing through the alchemist's body.
RIDER KICK
The force of the attack sent Cagliostro flying, crashing into the dirt road multiple times.
"Gotcha!" Rui held up her wrist, and Chris tapped it with her own as they both smirked.
"Oh, you two really finished already? I guess those Kamen Rider shows that Shisho showed really did have all the answers."
Hibiki landed next to them, having arrived on the battlefield. Cagliostro got up, but found she was blocked off by a large structure. "A wall?"
Looking up, she saw Tsubasa standing atop the massive sword. "How boorish of you to call my blade a mere wall."
"So Team Primary Colors are all here, huh?" Cagliostro said, annoyed.
You've had enough fun playing the maverick. Return at once. Saint-Germain ordered telepathically.
Cagliostro smashed a transportation crystal at her feet. "I'll be attending the next ball in my lovely new clothes! Please do look forward to it. Bye~!"
She disappeared in a burst of light.
"Looks like she had enough." Rui said, arms crossed.
"So uh… Oneesan, do you want to explain what you said?" Hibiki asked, a rather teasing smirk on her face. Usually a bad sign.
"Huh?"
Tsubasa dropped down from her blade, letting it disperse. "Your communicator was still on."
"...what?" Rui started to pale, before noticing Chris looked a bit embarrassed, now that the fight was over.
"You said Chris-chan was very precious to you." Hibiki said, grinning. "What do you mean by that?"
Rui started to choke on air as she tried to give an explanation. Chris turned away, softly smiling.
Maria, Kirika and Shirabe had managed to drop the elderly woman off by an evacuation center.
"Thank you, dear." She said, as Maria let her down.
"You're welcome." Maria smiled.
"I'll get you some water, dess!" Kirika said, running off.
"Wait up, Kiri-chan! I'll come too!" Shirabe ran after her.
The woman chuckled. "They sure are full of energy."
"Are you hurt anywhere, ma'am?" Maria asked.
"I'm fine. But you must be tired, dear." She said. "I caused you so much trouble by sticking around."
"No, not at all." Maria shook her head, looking down. "If only we had the power to protect you, we could have avoided all of that."
"That reminds me." The woman put down her basket. "Since you're here, you should try a tomato too!"
"I-I'm not much of a tomato person." Maria said, trying to politely decline it. But the smile on the woman's face convinced her otherwise. "But okay. I'll just try a little bit."
Remembering Rui's words on how she described it, Maria took a bite. She widened her eyes at the flavor.
"It's sweet! Like a fruit!" Maria said, amazed.
"The harsher a tomato's environment, the sweeter it grows." The woman said, holding up a finger much like Rui did when talking about cooking. "Deny it water as long as possible, and it'll turn sweet all on its own."
Maria frowned, looking back at the tomato. "Won't it shrivel up?"
"Being too soft on it actually does more harm than good." The woman explained. "The biggest harvests are the ones that have endured the harshest times."
"The harshest times…" Maria repeated.
The woman gently patted Maria on the leg. "You know what I think? People are just the same as tomatoes."
Maria soon got a call on her communicator and picked up. "Hello?"
"Yo, Maria, you mind sending in a truck or something?" Chris asked.
"Huh? Why?" Maria asked.
"Rui insisted on picking every single tomato there. Saying they belonged to someone." Chris said.
"Oh, I see." Maria smiled, knowing Rui's intention. "I'll ask them to send someone to pick them up."
"Great. Thanks."
"Your friend really has a good eye for these, don't they?" The woman chuckled, having overheard the conversation. "Sounds like someone that can judge others well."
Maria chuckled. "You have no idea…"
Night had fallen, and Lala sat up. She stretched her arms, taking a breath as Elfnein walked over.
"How was the progress this time?" Lala asked, as Elfnein pulled out the wires on her body.
"Doesn't seem to be working." Elfnein shook her head. "Even with your advanced systems, the encryption is so complex."
"It makes sense. Tesla was smart, but even he didn't know everything." Lala said, as she put her shirt back on. The ports on her body closed.
"We have two things to work on at the same time… it's a lot to unpack." Elfnein said. "Let's see what we can do from what we got today."
Lala nodded as the two went back into the main room and sat down, getting to work on all the data that they had. Both Fujitaka and Aoi chipped in as well, but weren't really able to contribute much with how complex the coding was. Ogawa was nearby, watching as Jeanne was getting Aiba checked out by Forte. She saw in the footage that the alchemists had recognized it, so she wanted to check, see if anything she found lined up with Tesla's research. Yusuke was sitting on Elfnein's desk, watching everything.
"Everyone."
Shirabe walked up holding a tray of hot chocolate.
"It'll warm you all up." Shirabe said.
"Right on, dess!" Kirika agreed.
"Thanks. It does feel warm." Aoi said, taking a cup. "I'm used to doing this the other way around."
"Here's one for you too." Maria handed one to Elfnein.
"Oh, thank you." Elfnein smiled.
Yusuke mewed up at Shirabe, practically begging.
"No, Yusuke. Cats can't have hot chocolate." She told him. "Your owner would also wring my neck if I gave it to you."
He let out a small hiss before turning around, plopping back down on Elfnein's desk.
"Do you want one too, dess?" Kirika asked Lala.
"Yes." Lala nodded. "Lala can still eat and drink food like normal people. Tesla programmed into Lala's body that Lala can have food and it is turned into special energy reserves, much like a normal human's digestive system."
"...where does all that food go after it becomes energy?" Shirabe asked, curious.
"You do not want to know." Forte said, putting away the small flashlight she was using on Jeanne's eyes. "This one time she tried gum? Drove Starlit and Tesla crazy trying to get it out."
"By get it out, how do you mean-?" Kirika started to ask.
"A-Anyways, how is the research going?" Maria asked, changing the subject.
Elfnein and Lala were silent, as they looked at the screen.
"Wait, is this what I think it is?" Maria said, seeing ID photos and other information about children that were under the FIS' experiments.
"Yes. I think we'll need it if we want to have the LiNKER ready as soon as possible." Elfnein said.
"That brings back some horrible memories." Maria said somberly. "None of us orphans had been chosen by Finé, so they used us as guinea pigs in their experiments to maximize sync rate. …Mom…"
Kirika and Shirabe shared a look of concern, as Jeanne walked up and gently patted her friend on the shoulder. Forte grimaced at the memory, but shook her head. "With that over, I can tell you guys what I found."
"What did you find, exactly?" Aiba popped out of Jeanne's socket onto her shoulder.
"I remember reading about this in Tesla's notes. Full relics had untold power, and relic fragments required someone else to bring out their power, like a Symphogear." Forte said. "But then there's the very rare cases of a "half-relic", where a fair amount of their relic is gone, but enough remains to function. This can only be done if the relic is powered enough, though."
"A half-relic?" Jeanne asked, looking down at Aiba.
"Basically, Aiba is incomplete, but she has enough of herself to function fairly well at a different level." Forte said. "If we properly complete her, she should be able to be even stronger, maybe even contribute more in battle."
"Hm. That seems to make sense. I've been looking into my memory banks and I noticed that I have been missing several key files to access some of my other abilities." Aiba recalled. "Persumably lost over time, I would wager."
"How do we complete her?" Ogawa asked.
"I dunno. Probably find the rest of the relic, or something close enough to it that it'd count." Forte shrugged. "It'd probably take a while to do, though."
"Aiba is plenty useful already though." Jeanne gently rubbed a hand atop the small hamster-like form. "Though more help is not something I'm against. I wouldn't want to put more work onto Elfnein and Lala's shoulders, though."
"We can keep it as a background project for now." Lala said. "Since this isn't as high of a priority."
The alarm started to blare, as they all turned to the monitor.
"But that's probably high priority." Forte said.
"Multiple Alca-Noise detected!" Aoi said, typing away. "They're moving from Matsushiro 3rd Elementary toward the Kazanari Institution."
"That's where we took the tomato lady, dess!" Kirika realized.
"Maria!" Shirabe looked over to her.
"Right!" Maria nodded, as the three started to run off.
"You mustn't! You don't have LiNKER!" Elfnein called, worried.
Genjuro had just entered, unintentionally blocking their way. "Where are you going?"
"Tsubasa and Shuri's teams can take care of the enemy." Maria said. "We'll help the civilians evacuate."
"Fine. Don't do anything stupid." Genjuro said, as he stepped aside.
"Of course." Maria nodded, as she and the others rushed off.
Both teams had already transformed, and were staring down the army of Alca-Noise.
(Insert Gekishō Infinity (IGNITED arrangement) by Aoi Yuuki, Nana Mizuki and Ayahi Takagaki)
"This many?" Hibiki said, doing as best of a head count as she could.
"We can't let them pass." Chris said.
"No time to waste. Cut through them in a flash!" Tsubasa commanded.
"Easier done than said." Maia chuckled, raising her blade.
"Rui-san!" Shuri called.
"You got it!" Rui hopped on Ride GearStriker, revving the motor. "Now, it's showtime!"
As the Symphogears activated their Ignite Module, SOUL was the first to charge in to give them some initial breathing room. Maia dashed forward, slashing through them with her blades, while Shuri took aim and fired, piercing through several rows with her rounds. As for Rui, she drove, smashing through the Alca-Noise and sending them scrambling with the gunfire from her bike, all while punching apart any that got too close. Once the Symphogears had donned their Ignite Modules, they were an unstoppable force. With an array of blades, bullets and punches, the Alca-Noise were being made into mincemeat.
From up above on a building, the alchemists were observing the girls fighting.
"I've been waiting for you to unsheathe." Cagliostro chuckled. "Basically, that Ignite Module is a fine piece of work." Prelati said.
"Indeed. That's why we hold these glimmering red keys to victory." Saint-Germain held up what appeared to be a pistol, as Cagliostro put on a ring and Prelati pulled out a kendama. All three of them had a heart-shaped crystal embedded in them.
As they triggered the items, glowing with power, Tsubasa was the first to notice the enemy observing them. She jumped skyward, legs and blades wreathed in flames.
Soaring Phoenix's Slash
"I, Tsubasa Kazanari, will be your opponent!" She declared. "You cannot withstand my blazing blades!"
Her flames turned blue, as she slashed them straight at the alchemist trio. However, they dispersed upon a barrier that had been formed by Saint-Germain. Sparks flew, as Tsubasa felt herself weakening.
"My Gear-!"
She was knocked away from a burst of power, crashing painfully into the ground. The Ignite Module had dispersed, leaving her back in her normal armor.
"Tsubasa-san!" Hibiki shouted.
Maia ran to her sister's side to check on her, as the others looked up to the rooftops to see the alchemists had transformed. Prelati had a huge red robe, Caglistro had a revealing yellow and purple outfit, and Saint-Germain donned purple and blue armor.
"Don't tell me…" Hibiki said. "They have Faust Robes?"
"How dare you do that to Senpai?!" Chris shouted.
"Wait, Oneesama!" Shuri held out a hand.
Chris fired a stream of missiles at them, but Prelati held up her weapon. Swinging it, a huge sphere on an energy string shot out, rotating and destroying the missiles. Chris grit her teeth as Cagliostro jumped out of the smoke, shooting a beam of energy from her hand. She brought up a shield to defend herself, blocking the beam.
"That all you got?" Chris tried taunting, before widening her eyes to see the Ignite Module was fading away. Cagliostro smirked, as Chris' shield shattered, sending her back and crashing into a building.
"Oneesama!" Shuri screamed as she rushed over.
"The Ignite…" Chris muttered.
"Chris-chan!" Hibiki shouted.
"Hibiki, get back!" Rui held out an arm as Saint-Germain stepped forward. She aimed her weapon at the Tachibanas, taking aim. "Oh no you don't!"
Saint-Germain fired as Rui rushed forward, trying to punch away the energy bullet. But to her shock, it curved around her, before spinning back around behind them.
"Shit!" Rui cursed. "Hibiki-!"
The energy ball went off in an explosion, detonating and blinding all of them. When it faded from view, Hibiki laid on the ground, back in her normal Symphogear, next to a smoking crater where the explosive shot burst. The wielders were all defeated.
"The hell…?" Maia said, stunned. "How…?"
"Faust Robes formed by lapis philosophorum." Saint-Germain answered. "This is the pinnacle of alchemy, uniting the philosophers' stone with the human body."
"We used the data from the Château de Tiffauges' analysis of the world's composition. Not to mention Nikola Tesla's notes about stabilization." Prelati said. "Basically, we couldn't have done this without it."
"If you intend to use that power to hurt others, I'll stop you." Hibiki said, with her voice strained.
"Hurt others?" Saint-Germain repeated. "Please. All we wish for is to free mankind. We seek to break the chains of oppression."
"Free mankind?" Hibiki asked. "Then can't you tell us how? If it's for the good of others, then can't we work together?"
"Work together?" Saint-Germain raised a brow.
"If they really wanted to work together, they would've done it ages ago, Hibiki." Rui said, slowly walking towards Saint-Germain while keeping her guard up. "During every last incident they could've stepped in, but they didn't. I'd say that makes their real goals obvious."
"Yeah." Maia said with a glare. "I think the time for talking is over."
"Wait, you two-!" Shuri held out a hand.
Cagliostro grabbed the younger Yukine's wrist. "Sorry~! Can't let you- huh?"
Shuri's eyes started to glow red, as she put a hand over her mouth. Her lungs felt like they were on fire as she started to violently cough blood. Cagliostro let go out of shock as Shuri fell to the ground, convulsing in pain. It hurts… it hurts… it hurts…!
What in the world? Saint-Germain's eyes widened. What's happening to that girl?
"Shuri!" Maia screamed. "You fucker, what did you do to her!?"
"I didn't-!" Cagliostro raised her hands.
"That's it!" Rui roared. "You're going down!"
Rui stood on one leg, before breaking into a dash straight at Cagliostro. The bulky parts of her armor broke off, as her body disappeared into steam, baffling the alchemist. They briefly shaped into a grasshopper, before Rui reappeared and re-equipped the armor, launching a steaming kick straight at her foe. Prelati quickly got between the two of them, before blocking the strike with her massive weapon.
STEAMHOPPER FEVER
Rui's kick didn't make its landing, but she skid on the ground nearby, running in for more attacks. Saint-Germain was still confused by the development, before she quickly blocked a strike from Maia. Anger was in the eyes of the girl, as she was nearly pushed back by the strength.
"You bastards hurt my friends, my sister, and now the girl I love!" Maia shouted. "I'm not letting this slide!"
Cagliostro grimaced at how out of hand the situation had gotten, wincing at the sparks from every time Prelati blocked Rui. However, more problems would arise as the sky above them seemed to light up, almost as if it was lit aflame.
"That light-!" Cagliostro realized, eyes wide.
Back at the hotel, Tiki perked up suddenly, smiling. "I can feel it in my heart!"
Floating in the sky and holding an orb of flames was a man with long indigo hair, dressed in a sharp white suit and fedora.
"Who the hell…?" Rui looked up at the new face.
"Guessing this smug bastard is the big fish." Maia said, tightening the grip on her weapon.
"Lodgemaster Adam Weishaupt!" Saint-Germain recognized. "Why are you here?!"
The man didn't respond, merely chuckling before tossing away his hat. The orb grew brighter, burning away his clothes.
"What is this exhibition?" Prelati demanded.
"Chrysopoeia, my dear. I'm transmuting gold!" He said. "We're alchemists, are we not?!"
He raised his arm, as the orb increased in size rapidly, almost like a miniature star.
(Insert Senritsu Sorority (IGNITED arrangement) by Yōko Hikasa, Yoshino Nanjō and Ai Kayano)
"He's using alchemy… to trigger nuclear fusion?!" Elfnein realized, running the scans.
"In addition to the new enemy combatant, we're also detecting Airgetlám, Shul Shagana, and Igalima on the field!" Fujitaka typed away.
"They transformed?!" Jeanne shouted.
"Their Ignite Modules have been activated and they're fighting without LiNKER!" Aoi reported. "The strain is tearing their bodies apart!"
"Those morons!" Forte clenched a fist.
Lala quickly activated her communications. "Rui! You need to buy everyone time!"
Gritting her teeth at the Lodgemaster's rather reckless display, Saint-Germain pulled out her transportation crystals. "Get out before you get caught in the Lodgemaster's chrysopoeia!"
"Elekleid, Switch On!"
"Partner!" Maia shouted.
As Saint-Germain and the other alchemists smashed the crystals, they saw a flash of violet. Rui, now donned in her Elekleid, seemingly ready to keep fighting. Such recklessness… she's going to be killed.
The alchemists teleported away as Adam's attack reached the final stages. Rui tapped her communications. "I need info! How much is that blast gonna pack?!"
"The fireball's estimated destructive power is ten megatons!" Fujitaka reported.
"The same as the Tunguska event?!" Genjuro shouted.
Back down below, Maria's team had arrived, helping Maia recover the four defeated girls. The attack reaching its peak, Adam threw down the massive orb of energy. Slamming into the ground, it started to rapidly expand. The others started to run, carrying the wounded on their backs. Rui was the only one that ran towards the explosion, holding out her hands. "Alright! Here goes!"
The massive blast slammed into her, but she stood her ground. Her palms were burning with the heat, but she choked down the pain. Both Kagutsuchi and the Elekleid were working together to try absorbing the flames, as electricity started to spark everywhere from how much energy she was taking in.
Shit… Shit this hurts…! Rui winced, gritting her teeth. But… I got to push through…!
She dug her feet into the ground, as the expansion of energy was pushing her back. Cracks started to form on the Elekleid armor, overloading from how much power was going into them.
No, it would be more appropriate to say it wasn't able to properly absorb it. This was no ordinary explosion, something Rui realized as her strength started to weaken.
No… not this time… I'm not gonna let a stupid explosion win…
But her mind remembered the giant monster Susanoo… and the unforgiving burns of the flames…
Her arms finally gave in, as time seemed to slow down and she fell backwards… only for a set of arms to grab her. Maria hoisted her onto her back, breaking into a run.
"I swear I'll save you, even if it destroys me!" Maria promised.
Rui closed her eyes as the explosion's bright light blinded everything in the area.
As the explosion faded, the destruction level was slowly revealed. Nothing was left of the Kazanari Institute except for a smoking crater. Observing the damage, Adam opened his palm to see a few pitiful drops of gold within. "Oh?"
The man began to laugh, seeing at how little there was.
"Is that all it amounted to? Life's so damn cheap!" He scoffed, before breaking into a laugh at his devastating demonstration of power.
A/N: And stuff has gone down. Rui's arc also continues with her making amends with her friends. There's a little extra stuff added here and there that I hope you guys pick up on.
Feel free to leave a review. See you all next time.