Author's Note: I should clarify that a Philosophical Armament is what Phara had in GX. A Philosophical Armament is a type of weapon that is formed from peoples' beliefs, according to the Symphogear Wiki. It's most likely that when a belief becomes widespread enough it has the power to manifest properties onto the subject matter of the belief. For example, the Gungnir gained the power to slay gods from 2,000 years of people believing that it could. You could say the term Messiah itself is a Philosophical Armament as well. Since the Disasters have an ace up their sleeve in the form of a Philosophical Armanent that they are sure will kill Odin, I'll let you guess what it is. If you know, you know.
Reviews:
FlameFireZero X: Thank you! Damn, time does fly, huh?
Akira: We got Hajime back on the team but he's still healing. Hazuki is making moves. The brothers don't wait for anything. Hajime meeting Hibiki again once he wakes up is coming. But it'll take a while. Trust me when I saw I'm equally as excited as you guys. Right, Hazuki is smart about the whole Messiah thing. Now he knows he can gather power from a great number of people who put their faith in him. He does this by selling his cult to others and essentially promising them a new world. Dragreder is more special than the other monsters, yes. But back in G, he didn't separate the fusion himself. They had to dump Hajime into an ocean to cool off the flames. Against Bragard he just ran out of power.
Lord Ri The Husbu King: To be honest, you could put this as how much his character has progressed since the beginning of the story. In the beginning, he was bitter and resentful toward his siblings because of what happened to Serena, saying that Jades and Atticus could have saved her. But once he fought the Nephilim and lost, he came to realize that they really couldn't have done anything. Then Andreas tells him to come back to them and that he believes he didn't kill Atticus, just for the kid to die in front of him. And also, when you take the power of another Rider, you take a bit of their essence into you. That's why Allister went from just being focused on the mission and now wants to help Hazuki and find Elsa again. But yeah, there are a lot of things wrong with his head too. I mean, he and Allister are completely fine with Hazuki killing them to give him their power and get the wish. They're pawns and they're okay with it because they truly believe he can save humanity. Heimdall will appear but not know. Other gods will appear as well. Yeah, this is kind of a hassle but not because I don't want to do it, but because it'll take some time to think about and I got some things with school going on and I'm writing the character profiles with their cards. But I'll probably list the top characters in each season except this one since I would be spoiling many things.
primenidus: Yes, sir!
Blitzdigital: Si, muchos personajes se siente culpables por cosas que han pasado. Unos mas que otros. No es una temporada con mucho lore, pero es mucho mas emotiva.
Tenzalucard123: Hajime is the sleeping beauty waiting for Hibiki to kiss him awake. Setsuna finally returned with her onee-chan. She loves her a lot and was suffering since she and Hajime weren't talking with each other. Jades is a big cat. Villains vs Villains coming up.
moniura2005: Despite being villains, they kind of do care about each other in a way. They're all just the trash of the world and just have each other to rely on. Terunosuke is particularly more emotional since he sees her as a little sibling, despite how much they fought. And Terunosuke knows what it's like to have siblings since he was one of the older kids in FIS. Correct, not all Liangs are fighters. Even some full-blooded Liangs don't fight, like Hazama. The half-Liangs are not guaranteed to inherit a Liang characteristic such as black hair and pink eyes. For example, Hajime has black hair but amber eyes. Hazuki has pink eyes but blonde hair. Others don't show any characteristics at all like Setsuna, Yomi, and Despia. That's why even though he has the same power as Hajime, he relies more on his abilities. Loki knows full well the Disasters are going to die since their whole purpose is to make Hazuki stronger, so this failsafe saves them a lot of trouble. He's also not as gifted as Hajime, since he doesn't adapt as fast as he does during a fight. He plans to use his cult to make them believe in him and put their faith in him to give him more power. Eventually, he wants to expand his cult all over the world so he can be unstoppable before unleashing Ragnarok. As for Setsuna, we'll have to wait and see for that. Hamaguchi hides it, but he was suffering too. He experienced firsthand how people were dying in front of him and couldn't stop it. But he realizes that he did what he could, and that's what he told Hajime before. Chris can relate to Hibiki and she cares about her a lot. She sees herself when Hibik was crying for Hajime since the same thing happened to her before. Yeah, to be honest, I like how this went down too. Hamaguchi knows but not saying anything to Hajime. Since we saw what happened with Hajime, imagine how it would have gone if he told him about Takeru. He would have blamed himself. Hibiki is going to wait for Hajime and once he wakes up, they'll have to talk and fix their problems. They love each other very much and we know they can't wait to be reunited again. As for everyone else, they're all remorseful for different things. Yosuke for the people who died under his leadership, Jades for what happened in FIS, and Bragi for the things he did. They're all working to fix themselves and overcome their grieves to hopefully become better people once their struggles are gone. Bragi even more so since he's like 3 months old and hasn't experienced the world. He tries hard to not be like his Father and even wonders what Carol would think of what he's done. I agree, that feeling regret is the first step in becoming a better person. Right, they're trying to get more people on their side. And what better people than the remaining half-Liangs that the Liang clan vanished when they were alive? I can't reveal much about how their plan works just yet. But yes, you're on the right track regarding the Liangs being special to inherit that kind of power. Yeah, Yomi is basically how Hajime was. Hungry for action and battle, but even more so since he straight up just wants to be entertained in some way. He meant fighting them. We'll see if he's not one to form bonds later on. But he's a normal human, and even with Divine Power bestowed on him by Loki, he still can't compete. We'll see how he, Despia, and Wei are integrated into the group and how they'll cooperate in Hazuki's goal.
Chapter 94
The Flames of Calamity and the Guns of Revolution
The Bavarian Illuminati were currently lounging around their hideout, relaxing and killing time. Tiki was finally reunited with Adam and laid on his lap while he patted her head and read a book.
"So, Adam..." Lilith stared, sitting on a couch as Raphael served her some tea."Do you mind telling us why you didn't make that attack any stronger? And why bother showing up?"
"Hey! What Adam does is none of your business!" Tiki fumed, but Adam simply rubbed her head, calming her down.
"Same as you dear, I thought I'd show up to make an impression," Adam responded, receiving a glare from St. Germain."Maybe I do go a bit easy on that attack."
"We had them cornered. The light of the lapis drove away the darkness of the Ignite Module and Cagliostro had taken down Carol and Bragard's spawn. You didn't need to interfere."
"Not to mention, you and the Little Prince almost caught us in your skirmish." Cagliostro sighed."That gravity power of his is kind of dangerous."
"And you failed to kill a single one." Prelati pointed out, bringing out a projection from one of her toad familiars, showing the group of girls safe and sound."I doubt Carol's kid is dead. He was regenerating constantly throughout the fight."
"But Lodgemaster Adam did blow up his head, though." Raphael reminded them, bringing up a valid point."I get he can regenerate, but his head..."
"I won't refute your complaints." Adam nodded, not all bothered by his subordinates' words."So I'll leave the Sympgogear and Riders to you. But I do want to try my hand against the Messiah. After all, I do owe him for taking care of Bragard for me. But the pleasure was mine and mine alone. And I can't allow that to go."
"How petty of you, Adam." Lilith covered her mouth, stifling a chuckle."And who said you were the one to face the Messiah anyway?"
"If Adam wants to do it then he will!"
"No need to make it a competition." Adam, once again, patted Tiki's head to calm her down."Very well, Lilith. Let's see who can fight him first."
"First come first serve? I like that. Of course, as an artist, I won't allow myself to not get the best look first." Lilith stood from her chair."But in the meantime, shall we discuss what Tiki found?"
"Of course. Business comes first, after all." Adam nodded, grabbing his hat with Tiki glued to his arm.
"Where are you guys going?" Raphael asked, raising a brow.
"The experiment was a success, was it not?" Adam glanced over his shoulder."Then it's time for us to put it into practice and give the Divine Power form."
"If it's okay with you, we have our own things to deal with." Raphael raised a hand, gaining Lilith's curiosity."We learned where the next meeting of the Disasters of Valhalla is taking place. We'll go there tonight and ambush them."
"They are worshipping a God named Loki," Prelati stated."Supposedly, they have his blessing. Whatever that means."
Adam and Lilith looked at each other, their eyes wide.
"What is it?" Tiki asked upon seeing their expressions.
"Nothing. Just a name I haven't heard of in years." Adam dismissed the thought."Very well. Do what you must."
"Do try to get their leader here." Lilith ordered."We could learn a lot...from him. Divine Power from a God is even better than regular Divine Power, after all. More...effective."
"So, you fell for our bait after all." Hazuki mused, his left eye turning gold."Just like moths to flames."
'Hold it, Superstar. Don't activate your Divine Power just yet.' Loki said, forcefully deactivating the power, the golden eye returning to its natural pink color. 'Since you just received Chiaki's power, yours is unstable. You need time before you get accustomed to the power boost.'
"Fuck."
"So you baited us here?" Cagliostro arched a brow.
"I see..." St. Germain folded her arms across her chest."So Cagliostro followed a lead set up by you."
"Do you really think we'd be so stupid to post information about our meeting tonight on the forums?" Hazuki derisively asked, allowing himself a condescending smirk."I had a feeling you were trying to track us down. It only makes sense. We were in close contact with Bragard as well."
"You also are the last oppressor that must be taken down, Hazuki Kaburagi." St. Germain said, her tone stern."How awful that humanity's biggest enemy is a Messiah. It's truly heartbreaking. But I suppose one must get all the bad traits out of two brothers. I find it repulsive that you consider yourself some sort of prophet, Anti-Messiah."
"So you know about the Messiah and Hajime, huh?" Hazuki hummed."You guys fought them?"
"We fought some of them. Your little brother was not there." Raphael chimed in."You wouldn't happen to know where he is, would you?"
'So they could track us here but not Hajime? I guess they don't know about what happened in Okinawa.' Hazuki stifled a chuckle."Well, what do you think?"
"I think you're hiding something, basically." Prelati adjusted her glasses."You're a shady individual. This cult proves it."
"Shady?" Hazuki asked, raising a brow.
"So kind of like how you are, Bavarian Illuminati." Terunosuked scoffed, hands to his hips."You're a secret society. A cult that works in the shadows and manipulates the flow of history, right? We're not that different."
"Ara, Ara. I didn't know the underling could speak without his master's permission." Cagliostro smirked at the former real estate agent.
"You are one to talk, you bitch." Terunosuke seethed, a vein on his forehead about to pop."I know your type. Big-breasted bimbos who are too dumb to understand what they say. Just do your job and keep being a pretty face, whore. Because that's all you can do."
"W-whore?!"
"Well, yeah. Look at how you're dressed. You're practically begging for someone to just get down on you. Not that I would though. I don't like your type." Terunosuke waved his hand.
"I would." Yomi grinned, only to be chopped on the head by his sister."Hey! Don't be jealous because you lack in the chest department, sis!"
"Gosh! This guy is the worst!" Cagliostro stomped her foot on thr ground."Why are these Riders so uncivilized and crude?!"
"You're one to talk about being crude," Prelati mumbled under her breath.
"Those kids..." Raphael grabbed the hilt of his sword."They're half-Liang. Except for the one with the black and white sweater. He's a full-blooded Liang."
"Liangs? I thought only the Messiahs and that little girl were the only ones left after Bragard exterminated them all..." St. Germain rubbed her chin.
"Who is the leader?" Yomi walked ahead of Hazuki, hands on his hips.
Despia waved her hands frantically."Don't do it, moron!"
"I suppose that would be me." St. Germain regarded the half-Liang blonde."And you're not a Rider. Who are you?"
"The name is Yomi Kugisaki." Yomi introduced himself.
"Wait...I know those two twins." Raphael pointed at the blondes."You two are performers, right? I've seen some of your shows on YouTube in that circus."
"Oh, yeah. You upload some of our performances there, yeah?" Yomi inquired, receiving a nod and a few hand gestures from his sister."Really? We can get money from that if we get enough Subscribers? Interesting. But I wasn't aware we'd run into a fan today."
"You know them?" Prelati looked unimpressed at the man."And magic? Please. What mere performers do is just cheap tricks. What we do..." The bespectacled girl summoned an orb of Alchemy."...is the real deal."
"I think magic are alchemy are two separate things, Lady Prelati." Raphael chided her."We should-
Before Raphael could finish his sentence, Yomi dashed toward St. Germain with a mad grin. He reached for his hat, pulling out a dagger, ready to stab her but the silver-haired man blocked it with his Excalibur.
"I was getting tired of all this conversation! I just want to get into the good action now!" Yomi said, black lines appearing around his body and the whites of his eyes turning black. He jumped over Raphael, using his agility as an acrobat to go for a horizontal kick upside down.
The knight easily blocked with his forearm, taken aback by the sudden charge.' His agility is remarkable. And that power just now...was that Divine Power?!'
The man shoved him with his shoulder, sending him staggering backward. He swung his blade, but the magician threw a ball at him, creating an explosion of dust upon impact.
"A smoke grenade? But this is a cheap trick!" Raphael covered his eyes from the dust, unaware of the battle-hungry boy behind him.
"These are no mere tricks...!"
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck Raphael on the back, sending him skidding across the room.
"It's magic!" Yomi made a quick bow, smoke coming off his hat.
"Impossible..." St. Germain unfolded her arms, astonished."Alchemy...?"
"No, that can't be. It has to be some sort of trick." Prelati furrowed her brow.
Cagliostro fired a bullet of Alchemy toward Yomi, but crystals emerged from the ground, stopping the attack.
Despia had her arm out, holding a wand. Her arm had red shining markings across it. She lashed out a scarf that wrapped around Yomi's ankle, pulling him toward her.
"Hey! What gives?!" Yomi gritted his teeth, pulling up his other sleeve, revealing yellow markings, similar to Despia's."And these are no tricks! These are runes! We actually have real magic."
"Pull back for now." Hazuki ordered them."You three are valued resources. We can't lose you here."
With a snap of his fingers, he opened a portal in the back of the room. The other followers began entering the portal, popping up in an unknown place.
"Aw, really?" Yomi whined, his body returning to normal.
"Yes. Plus, you're not used to that power. And these guys...are a bit too much for you to handle."
"We should listen to him, Yomi." Wei nodded."We'd just get in the way of their fight."
"You'll get your chance to fight when the time is right and you're prepared, Yomi," Hazuki promised his cousin.
"Besides, you're obviously outclassed." Terunosuke snorted at his impatience."Would you jump in to fight someone far stronger?"
"Yes!" Yomi exclaimed in an exasperated tone."That's the whole point of it! Why the hell would I want to fight a weakling?!"
"Just get the hell out of here, kid..." Terunosuke deadpanned.
Despia grabbed his hand, ignoring her brother's protest as she grabbed a few donuts in her hand, stuffing her mouth full. Wei regarded Hazuki one more time before entering the portal, closing behind them.
"Tch. You're a Liang, aren't you?" Yomi scoffed at Wei."Aren't you supposed to be as excited for a fight as I am? Come on, man. We could have taken them!"
"Don't be delusional, Yomi." Wei sighed, addressing his cousin."We're outclassed. We're no used to them if we die."
"So what if we're outclassed? That's the thrill of it! To face something you can't beat!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms up."Wasn't your sister like a super powerful martial artist? What was her name again? Chao-Xing? You should be just as good as her and-"
"Shut up!" Wei grabbed him by the collar."Just listen to what Hazuki said! You'll get our chance to fight too! Our help is needed and together we'll change this world full of monsters! We'll be the heroes who stopped the eternal cycle of hatred!"
Despia got in between them, separating them as she shook her head.
Yomi took a deep breath, stuffing his hands in his shoulders."Alright. Fair point. I guess...we can wait a little longer for some action."
"You seem confident in sending your followers away." St. Germain regarded them with an analytical glare."Just 2 you of against 4 of us. I thought there were 2 more, though...One of them is the famous hitman, Code Cypher."
"Just two of us is enough. Don't worry. We won't call the Mirror Monsters in." Hazuki said.
"So you are the ones controlling them." Prelati scowled."We were able to get a few under our control, but you are the ones fully controlling them. How?"
"Bragard's little gift." Hazuki cryptically said, shrugging."So, what do you guys want? World domination?"
"Quite the contrary. We wish to free mankind from the chains of oppression. From people like you and Bragard. You are the opposite of what a Messiah is supposed to represent."
"Free mankind, huh? And what would that do? Humanity is headed toward certain doom." Hazuki refuted."What humanity needs is to be exterminated, so that we may cleanse their souls and free them from all evil. We will welcome their souls in the new world where they can live eternal happiness."
"I've seen thousands of cults over my many years of life." St. Germain sighed."Usually, the cult leaders are trying to sell something. They want power over others and authority. But you...you actually believe what you're saying."
"Of course. I am the only one who can save humanity from evil. I will guide them toward the path of salvation. I will become the Ultimate Good and dictate what's good and wrong in this new world. My Mom wanted to see the beauty of this world. But this world is rotten, full of evil and corruption. So I promised her I would make a world where she would be happy. We all will live our dream lives. And that could include you if you stand down."
"Your Mother...? I've heard enough. There is one thing we can agree on. Every sacrifice means something. Every drop of blood you and I have spilled for our goals serves our purpose. But you want to become the supreme ruler of all. Further conversation is meaningless with you." All four Alchemists conjured orbs of Alchemy, shooting them at the duo.
Advent: Blancwing
From the smoke, Blancwing flapped its wings, creating a strong current of wind that pushed them back. Gai and Ryuga had transformed, ready to fight.
"So, how are we doing this?" Ryuga asked the older male.
"Leave those 3 idiots to me." Gai said."I am just a side character in all of this, much like they are. The albino woman looks strong and seems to have a particular bone to pick with you. Not to mention, one day, I will have to fight all of my siblings at once. This will make for good practice."
"Alright. Just don't do anything reckless. You're the shield and I'm the sword, right?"
"Of course."
The Alchemists immediately clad themselves in their Faust Robes as the standoff began.
Strike Vent: Metal Horn
Raphael was the first one to charge in with his Excalibur, sword meeting horn as they clashed in the middle. Suddenly, spikes of ice were shot in their direction, with Raphael merely jumping and having Gai take the attacks head-on.
"Tch!" Gai observed at the girl clad in a tight bodysuit watching him from afar. And that's when he noticed something.' Where's the other one?'
"Got you now!" Cagliostro screamed, slamming her fist against his arm, and launching him away.
'Her attacks...they're embedded with Alchemy and can bypass my armor's durability..." He gasped, noticing the slashes of energy coming toward him. He noticed Prelati behind him, swinging her enlarged kendama in his direction while Raphael came from above.' Fuck...No choice!'
Survive: Hagane
Iron sand surrounded his body, shooting towards the Alchemists and pushing them back due to the magnetic force behind them.
Gai popped his neck with a sigh, similar to how Allister often did it, clad in his Survive form.
"So, taking us seriously already, huh?" Cagliostro mused.
"I learned not to take things too lightly." Gai shrugged, wielding a sledgehammer that was now his Metalvisorzwei."Those brats don't play along, huh? Who did you fight? The girls or the guys?"
"Huh? Wait, who exactly are you referring to?" Raphael blinked, lowering his sword."Because you look nothing like any of them."
"That's to be expected. None of us are blood-related."
"Wait..." Prelati's eyes widened in realization."Are you...Raiden's brother?"
"Oh? And the Neopolitan Team too?"
"Yeah." Gai scratched his head."It's complicated. But yeah, we're siblings."
Prelati suddenly leaped closer to him."Then...would you...mind giving Raiden a good word for me?"
"Huh?" Gai deadpanned under his helmet."Raiden? Seriously?"
"Yes!" Prelati insisted."I want to keep him all to myself! He sees me as an enemy, but there is no greater love than love between enemies, right? But maybe his other older brother can put in a good word for me? I'd appreciate that."
"Uh..." Gai scanned her from head to toe."I mean, you're within his range, I guess. You look like you sleep like 2 hours a day though, with those eye bags. But I doubt he'd pick you when he has other options in that group of his."
"I told you he already chose Elfnein." Cagliostro hollered from behind.
"Shut up! I will not stand for that!" Prelati growled, clenching her fists."I refuse to acknowledge he's more interested in Carol's little homunculus than me!"
"Speaking of which, do you mind giving me some help too?" Cagliostro winked."I'm interested in that stud of a brother of yours. He's built like a tank."
"Ok, I'm done." Gai kicked Prelati away while she was distracted, watching as Raphael rushed at him. Having no time to charge up his swing, he opted to block the sword with the handle of his visor. Cagliostro flanked him from the side, delivering a right hook to his sides. However, unlike before, he seemed unperturbed by the attack.
"What the-?"
"You could try better than that, sweet cheeks." Gai slammed his elbow against her chest, earning a pained groan from her. Before she could retaliate Gai kicked her away, much like he had done to Prelati.
Raphael fed up, maneuvered around him, thrusting his sword against his chestplate. To his surprise, the armor was beginning to crack, causing Gai to swing his visor to fend him off.
'His sword...it's strong enough to damage me, unlike the other two...' He noted.'At least if he can get multiple or strong hits in. The other two aren't a problem just yet, but if I'm going to fight three opponents at once, I'll need some speed.'
He noticed Prelati's kendama coming at him, and he spun on his heels, slamming his visor against it and sending it back. Prelati gasped as the kendama crashed into her, sending her flying toward the wall and going through it.
"Lady Prelati!" Raphael growled."You'll pay for that! A man shouldn't be treating a woman like that!"
"Man, you talk like you're from the medieval era or some shit." He spat, drawing a card from his Deck."All this chivalry shit is dead. Equal rights? I say equal lefts!"
Spin Vent: Terazellestab
Using Imperer's weapon, he blocked the incoming slash, he pushed the button located by the handle, revving the drills to life. Using his left hand, he swung his visor against Raphael's side, knocking him to the floor.
"I'm not like those brats. I'm not as pathetic as they are. And I will never be like that fucking bastard Jades!" Gai rose his Terazellestab, going for a stab but the knight rolled to the side, giving a quick slash in the air, lashing out a slash of light. Gai blocked it with his visor, focusing his attention on the energy bullets coming from Cagliostro. He decided to tank the attack since his armor made him impervious to anything they were throwing at him. Except that sword. And a huge kendama smacked him in the face, sending him flying.
'Tch! The sly little bitch uses that whore's attack as a smokescreen...But while they can throw me around like this, my armor is the toughest of all Riders.'
"Sounds like you have a lot of problems with your family!" Raphael yelled, engulfing his sword with light and making it bigger, swinging it down at Gai. At the same time, Cagliostro fired a heart-shaped attack and Prelati several ice spikes.
Shatter Vent
A shockwave reached all three Alchemists, canceling out their abilities.
"You're damn right I have a problem with them!" Gai snarled, activating another card.
Strike Vent: Steelhorn
Wielding his weapon in one arm and his late brother's in another, he regarded Cagliostro, who was chuckling.
"And despite that, you're using one of their weapons. Imperer was their brother, right? And since you have a contract with his monster, you must have killed him."
"No. It was Hazuki."
"And you let him kill your brother?" Prelati scoffed, riding on top of her kendama."You're a real piece of shit."
"Shut the fuck up. You don't understand shit. I can do whatever I want because I have the power now." Gai snorted."In this world, only those with power have true freedom. And you only have true freedom when you can take it away from others!"
Gai charged at Cagliostro, who weaved away from the double-headed spear and went for an uppercut to his chin. As expected, he was unfazed and swung his arm but the woman jumped back. He lunged at her again, thrusting his Steelhorn forward but she cast a barrier of Alchemy, blocking the attack.
"You forget, I'm not just wielding the ultimate shield..." Gai thrust his Terazellestab into the barrier, grazing Cagliostro's arm."I have the ultimate spear!"
"Owie! That hurt!" Fed up, Cagliostro punched her barrier, sending Gai flying away.
Once more, Gai was heading toward the kendama coming at him. He swatted the thing with his Steelhorn, but Prelati released a barrier of energy that engulfed Gai's body.
"W-what the fuck is this?!" He grimaced, feeling as if his body was being electrocuted by pure energy.
"Raphael!"
Raphael let out a battle cry, aiming the tip of his sword at Gai and shooting a beam of energy in his direction at the same spot he had tried piercing before. The crack began to get bigger, some of his armor breaking as he was shot down to the ground.
"Nice one, Lady Prelati. As I had suspected, it seems that his armor is super strong. However, my sword is strong enough to break it if I attack the same spot multiple times."
"As expected, I might have the highest durability but I'm probably the slowest..." Gai grimaced, considering his recent altercation with the Alchemists.'If those two keep distracting me and the guy catches me lacking, I'll be in trouble.'
"Alright then...Fine, I'll give you a show..." Gai's body was surrounded by a purple aura, a skeletal wing sprouting from his back, and a horn from his head.
"What is this?" Prelati gaped at the sight.
"Divine Power..." Raphael narrowed his eyes.
"So don't blink now!" Gai hollowed, throwing his Terazellestab into the air to materialize his visor, activating a new ability.
Hop Vent
Using the springs attached to his boots, he hopped into the air at great speeds, catching the double-headed spear."I'll show you true power!"
Meanwhile, Ryuga and St. Germain were back in the cathedral, each of them running on opposite sides as they shot at each other. St. Germain continued using her gun while Ryuga used his Dragclaw to shoot fireballs. Their attacks were hitting the columns holding the place together, and eventually, they broke down. Both of them shot toward the ceiling, creating a hole for them to escape to before the place began to collapse.
"I know you're using Divine Power." St. Germain said, shooting a few rounds that went through Alchemic circles, piercing the ground and creating earth spikes that forced Ryuga to jump through a portal to evade. He appeared above her, charging his Dragclaw before shooting dozens of black fireballs in her direction."If I can get my hands on you, we won't need to go through more trouble to fulfill our mission!"
The silver-haired woman cast a barrier, blocking the attacks. However, a portal opened up in front of her, and she immediately jumped back in time to avoid an orb of darkness from hitting her.
"Oh, yeah? And what mission would that be?" Ryuaga inquired, drawing a card from his Deck and sliding it into his visor.
Sword Vent: Dragsaber
"To tear down the Curse of Balal." St. Germain scowled at the Anti-Messiah."People oppress each other by force because of a mental imbalance caused by the Curse of Balal in their souls. You are a prime example of that, an oppressor who wishes to create his own world where he can dictate what's right or wrong for people. You wield Divine Power, because you have an ancient oppressor, a God, inside of you."
"Tch. You think too small." Ryuga scoffed."The Curse of Balal is bad, sure. But getting rid of it is not enough. It's the power of free will that truly makes humans evil. Because they are given choices, and those choices are what gives them the ability to do bad things. Do you truly believe that not being able to understand each other is enough of a reason for all the evils of this world? People kill, steal, rape, murder, and more just because they're bored. Because it entertains them. Not because they can't understand another person. To that end, humanity needs to be ruled over by a single, Ultimate Good. One that can set the laws of order so that no evil will be born. I will become such Ultimate Good and guide people toward happiness. To get rid of the human ego. And unlike you, I have the means for that."
"Ragnarok..." St. Germain muttered."Do you think global genocide will purge evil from the world? How absurd. And even if that was the case, what gives you the right to be the one to become a God and put humanity under your foot?"
"Because I know best." Ryuga replied easily."I know what's good for the world. No one else. So go ahead and keep resisting. People blinded by their ideals are disgusting."
"You are full of yourself, aren't you?" St. Germain wasted no time in shooting a special bullet, one that took the shape of a blue fire wolf's head rushing toward her opponent. Ryuga winded his arm back before punching the air, unleashing black flames in the shape of Dragblacker. Both flames collided against each other. The black flames began to overpower the blue ones, and St. Germain was forced to leap into the air. However, she gasped upon seeing a portal above her, going through it. Once she came through the other side, she received a punch to the face and sent her crashing against a tree.
Ryuga noticed his fist covered with her blood, shaking it off."I don't know how the others lost to you guys. You're not that tough. Or maybe we're just strong."
"So you say...You are stronger than the rest, that is true. But still, I doubt you even hold a candle to the Messiah." St. Germain dashed at Ryuga, who was taken aback.
'She's closing the distance despite being a long-range fighter?' He accepted the challenge, meeting in the middle with his blade. She parried using her gun, easily ducking her head to avoid a fireball to the face. She kicked his leg, forcing him on one knee. He tried slashing at her legs, but she blocked using her knees. Grabbing his arm, she pulled him closer to her, using the gun located at her elbow to shoot several bullets in his face and with a kick, sent him skidding away.
"You're full of openings. You may have great power, but I've honed my skills for centuries. I can read you like an open book."
"Yeah, I'm not exactly the best in hand-to-hand combat." Ryuga admitted."Even if I'm half Liang, I wasn't blessed with great fighting prowess. However..."
St. Germain did not let him finish, her shoulder armor popping open and revealing a number of turrets that shot out at Ryuga.
Quickly, Ryuga drew upon his Survive, a barrier of darkness blocking the bullets and deflecting them at random. St. Germain covered her face with her gun as the bullets landed next to her.
Survive: Kurayami
The darkness engulfed his body in a black tornado before revealing him in his Survive form. St. Germain regarded him with a fierce glaze, pausing to reload her gun.
"So you can also evolve, like your fellow Riders." St. Germain observed."But I'm curious, that power you used earlier where you summoned the swan...it's not yours, is it? If my information is correct, your team consists of Gai, Ouja, and Femme. Did you kill Femme?"
"She died fulfilling her duty." He briefly explained."You said so yourself, every blood spilled counts. Her death will not be in vain. I will see it that she is revived in the new world where she will live her wildest dreams. There is no reason to be sad. Would you not feel the same if your friends were to die?"
St. Germain's lips thinned."I wouldn't sacrifice my comrades for my goal. At that point, you're just willing to sacrifice everyone around you for your own desires. It's because of their support that I made it this far."
"And that's why you'll lose. It's not bad to sacrifice everyone at your disposal for the sake of a greater objective. And besides..." Ryuga splayed his hands, a malicious grin underneath his helmet."All for the sake of destroying this corrupted reality and making a new one. Is there really such a thing as a high price when it comes to the future of the world? That's why I wouldn't mind Ragnarok wiping out the human race."
"You...you inhuman monster!" St. Germain leveled her gun, but a portal opened up in front of her. She jumped back, only to accidentally go inside one behind her. And appearing in the sky.
Ryuga aimed his visor at her, shooting multiple laser beams in her direction. St. Germain flipped in the air, shooting from her heels to block the barrage of lasers. She loaded special bullets into her gun, shooting two bullets that turned into fireballs.
"A bad strategy for when you're in the air." Ryuga snapped his fingers, creating two gates that absorbed the attacks and shot them back at her.
St. Germain fired two more bullets, creating a wall of water that absorbed the flames, creating a cloud of mist.
'A smokescreen.'
'This is bad.' St. Germain hid in the mist.'If I'm not mistaken, Ragnarok is what ended the whole Nordic Pantheon. If that were to be unleashed here on earth...the casualties would be in the millions. All in a single day, possibly.'
She clicked her tongue, realizing that this boy possessed far more destructive capabilities than she had. She had killed over 70,000 people over the centuries. And yet, he could replicate the same feat with ease. He was a devil. A monster.
"All Evils of this World..." St. Germain fired two bullets, morphing them into azure-flame wolves that attacked the middle of the mist where she thought Ryuga was
Guard Vent: Dragshieldzwei
A shield armed to his left arm appeared to protect him from the attacks. Suddenly, he lunged at St. Germain, smacking her with the shield. Once contact was made, the shield released an explosion of darkness that sent her flying into the wheat fields behind the cathedral. Without wasting time, Ryuga activated another ability, tossing his shield to the side.
Advent: DragKaiser
DragKaiser flew down from the sky, shooting a breath of black flames at St. Germain. The white-haired woman leaped out of the way, but part of her arm was burnt, causing her to trip to the ground.
'I feel it...' Ryuga examined his hands.'I'm beginning to get accustomed to Chiaki's power. My body is growing used to it.'
"Indeed. This woman is exceptionally skilled, but your power is beginning to set in. She shouldn't be much of a problem from now on.'
"Agreed." Ryuga nodded, opening a portal to his side."You know, it's quite a shame. You're so determined and yet you lack the will to cross the true line to achieve your goal. That's why you'll fail. You just don't have the will...the will to be cruel and force your way onto the world. Only a winner can shape the world how they want. You want to free humanity by getting rid of something as meager as the Curse of Balal, thinking they will stop oppressing the weak. That is a loser's reasoning. A winner has to speak not of the world as it is, but of the world as it should be. And I...WILL BE THAT WINNER!"
Ryuga was about to go inside the portal, but a barrage of bullets stopped him."What the-?"
He opened another one, thrusting his sword inside as he opened one next to St. Germain's face. She switched her gun into blade mode, parrying the attack and forcing Ryuga to stumble back in shock. She took advantage of the portal and went inside, surprising him with a shower of bullets from the turrets on her shoulders. He staggered back, bewildered at what had just happened.
"You depend a lot on those portals." St. Germain noted, raising her blade."But if I can prevent you from going inside and predict where they'll open up, I can counter them. And they're not ordinary portals. I would say those are close to being Hyperspace Gates."
"I took you too lightly." Ryuga acknowledged with a nod."Very well then. No more portals. From now on, I'll fight you directly."
"You want to annihilate the human race just to recreate the world to your image." St. Germain spat in disgust."You want to eliminate all evil, but your actions contradict your own beliefs!"
"If that's the case, then I'll sink to the bottom of the abyss and become the Ultimate Evil so that I may become the Ultimate Good." Ryuga drawled, already drawing his next card."There is no shame in doing what you must do to purge evil from existence. Even if I have to become evil itself."
Sword Vent: Dragsaberzwei
A nine-rigged sword appeared in his hand, kicking the ground and dashing at St. Germain. She shot a few bullets, making him raise his blade to deflect them. To his surprise a purple alchemic circle appeared in front of him, absorbing the bullets.'What?'
Suddenly another one opened up, and the bullets hit him on the back, causing him to lose balance and fall to his knees.
"Two can play the same game!" St. Germain hopped into the air, unleashing a barrage of bullets from the gunts in her heels. Ryuga twirled his blade to deflect them. St. Germain landed in front of him, both blades clashing against each other and the ground beneath them breaking. She grabbed his arm, twisting it to stab his back, but he activated the blade made of his visor, blocking the stab. He created a portal under his foot, stomping his feet as another one appeared behind her head, kicking her hard in her skull and nearly causing her to black out from the impact.
He bent down, and as she stumbled forward, she tripped over him. But before she could fall, she did a handstand, kicking him across the face and shooting him with her gun heels for good measure. The Rider opened a Calamity Gate, shooting the bullets back. But she did the same thing and returned the bullets. Realizing this was going nowhere, they both dashed at each other again. They parried each other strikes simultaneously, neither of them successfully landing a blow with their swords. St. Germain used the decorations on her hair to shoot at him, forcing him to jump back to gain some distance.
Shoot Vent: Dragblaster
A metal cannon was strapped to Ryuga's left arm with the face of DragKaiser, and he immediately shot a beam of black flames toward her. The Alchemist began to hop around, avoiding the attacks as she retaliated, shooting a bullet that exploded into a sphere of water, trapping the Rider. Ryuga clicked his tongue, opening a portal underneath him to escape.
Shadow Vent
Similar to Ryuki's Ignite Vent, Ryuga's Shadow Vent allowed him to create constructs of darkness. He created two wings, hovering above in the air, and flapped them hard, shooting feathers of darkness at St. Germain.
She shot a few bullets into the air, her bullets creating platforms of Alchemy to jump on to reach the Rider. Ryuga formed two blades of darkness, swinging at them St. Germain, but she shot a bullet that created a wall of earth, using it as footing to jump higher into the air and unleashed her full arsenal at the rogue Rider.
"A nice try, but you can't defeat me!" Ryuga concentrated all of his darkness and created a tornado that engulfed St. Germain, throwing her to the ground.
She tried standing up, but was beginning to lose ground.'This is bad...He's stronger than I had anticipated.'
"I could call you right now. But honestly, I want to try something and show off for a change." Ryuga's body began to glow, a skeletal wing sprouting from his back and a horn sticking from his head.
"That's...Divine Power...pure Divine Power from a God..." St. Germain observed in awe.
Suddenly, Ryuga vanished. And she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen.'Where did he-'
He backhanded her away, sending her rolling on the dirt.
"It's time to end this little racket." Ryuga flapped his dark wings, drawing a card from his Deck. DragKaiser and Blancrider appeared next to him, contrasting each other's color palettes.
Unite Vent
Kamen Rider Femme appeared momentarily before she was absorbed into his body, much like Blancrider was absorbed into DragKaiser. A huge tornado of darkness and light erupted into the sky, parting the clouds and allowing the moon to illuminate the area. Once his transformation was complete, Kamen Rider Ryuga appeared once more.
Kamen Rider Ryuga - Dual Mode
His armor remained the same, except now half was white and the other was black and had a white cape, white boots, and white bracers on his arms. To top it off, on the top of his helmet was the Femme Symbol, and his Deck now had the two wings of the swan next to the dragon's head.
"Let's put this to the test, shall we?" He showed her a card containing darkness and light, combining together into a Yin-Yang Symbol.
Darklight Vent (Similar to Ignite, Shadow, Tempest, and other elemental vents. Except this one combines light and darkness.)
He lifted his hand, creating an orb of darkness as the light began to infuse into it, growing in size several times and causing the ground to shake.
"No way..." St. Germain took a step back."This attack...is as strong as the Lodgemaster's chrysopoeia..."
However, a golden glow caught their attention, making Ryuga dismiss his attack."Oh?"
Gai used his Hop Vent to hop around, increasing his speed dramatically, and was now able to compete with the 3 Alchemists facing him. Prelati swung her kendama, but Gai used it to hop toward Cagliostro. She immediately cast a wall of water, but thanks to wielding the ultimate spear in the form of Terazellestab, he bypassed it and aimed to pierce her chest. Had Sleipnir not come in at the last second and forced her onto his back.
"What the fuck?! Gai stopped, dumbfounded upon seeing the horse clad in golden armor."Where did that thing come from?!"
"You saved me, Donatello!" Cagliostro hugged the 6-legged horse, receiving a neigh in return.
Sleipnir trotted in the air for a bit until he landed next to Prelati, letting the blue-haired woman go.
"The Ultimate Spear and Ultimate Shield of the Kamen Riders..." Prelati furrowed her brow."He's got the best defense and offense. And he's making up for the speed difference by using those springs of his."
"Sorry to say this, Lady Prelati, Lady Cagliostro." Raphael addressed his friends."But your attacks can't bypass his defenses. He's too tough for you."
"Basically, I agree." Prelati sighed."He's not particularly stronger than us, but our attacks are ineffective against his armor."
"I punch and punch and blast him but nothing." Cagliostro shrugged.
"Only my Neo Excalibur can bypass his defenses." Raphael walked ahead of them."Stand back."
"What now? Fighting all on your own?"
"My Neo Excalibur can sense what's truly in your heart!" Raphael raised his blade, feeling out what it was telling him as it began to summon projections of people Gai knew.
Kirika, Shirabe, Raiden, Jades, and Maria appeared in front of him, their eyes darkened.
"The brats and Jades and Maria...?" Gai scowled, gritting his teeth."What are you playing at?!"
Suddenly, Andreas, Serena, and Atticus appeared in front of them.
"What...Serena...Atticus...Andreas...?"
"My sword can reveal the darkness in someone's heart. And yours is completely filled with it." Raphael's features softened once he knew the whole scope of Gai and his darkness."You...feel like they didn't appreciate you enough. And you blame Jades Demetrios for the death of your beloved Serena. And yet, you have mixed feelings regarding them, don't you?"
"What is this bullshit you're spouting?!" Gai snarled, swatting at the air."Mixed feelings?! I hate those fucking brats! I hate Maria! And I fucking despite Jades with all of my heart!"
"That would be true until recently. My sword does not lie, as I have said. You...wanted happiness. For people to value you for your efforts. But these people always did. They loved you and you didn't know what to think of it. But when Serena died, you fell into that darkness, didn't you? I can understand that. If St. Germain had died back then, I too, would have become lost."
"N-no...I killed Atticus! I watched Andreas die for the sake of our plan!" Gai barked."I tried to kill them so many times! I will kill them all! I don't give a shit about any of them!"
"So why is there so much turmoil in your heart?!" Raphael snapped back."I can feel it! Even without the sword, you're doubting! You're doubting whether your life would have been any different by their side! Also, you didn't kill Atticus. So why are you acting like you did?!"
"No...I killed him, fucker!" Gai bellowed."With my own two hands! I stabbed him to death!"
'Something is off...' Raphael hummed.'The sword is telling me he indeed did not kill Atticus. And yet, his heart is also convinced he did. Could it be...he convinced himself he did to escape the guilt...?'
"I'm sick of these mind games! They're not real! THEY'RE DEAD! AND SO ARE YOU!"
"Then allow me to use their power to show you the truth!" Raphael raised his sword as the projections began entering it, making it glow brighter than ever.
'That attack is probably his strongest...' Gai reached for his Deck, drawing his Unite Vent. But he froze.'Why am I hesitating to combine our powers, Andreas...? Do I... feel guilty for what happened to you...? But that's impossible. I hate all of you.'
He shook his head, pocketing the card back and drawing another card.'Then I have no choice but to tank it.'
Juggernaut Vent
His body was engulfed in a green aura with his Steelhorn in front of him. An immense pressure was felt by both of them. The source was clear as he hovered above the sky.
"Kaburagi-kun!"
"St. Germain!" Raphael gasped upon seeing his beloved friend on the floor. He sneered, swinging his sword in Ryuga's direction."EXCALIBUR!"
The attack cut through the earth itself, passing by Gai and heading toward the monochrome Rider in the air. He smiled, clapping his hands and creating a huge Calamity Gate that absorbed the attack, shooting it back. But to everyone's surprise, the attack was directed toward Gai.
"What is he doing?!" Cagliostro cried out in shock. Gai cackled as the attack consumed him. But contrary to everyone's belief, he absorbed the attack and fired it back at Ryuga, who absorbed it with his portal and shot it back.
"What the hell is going on...?" Raphael was completely flabbergasted upon seeing his strongest attack being treated like a hot potato.
Prelati saw the writing on the wall and immediately hopped on her kendama, grabbing onto St. Germain's hand and circling back."RUN! NOW!"
"Good instincts." Gai remarked, returning the attack, his armor beginning to crack."Juggernaut Vent allows me to increase my durability immensely and absorb any type of attack and return it with its power doubled."
"And since we've been doing this 5 times now, that's a 10 times increase," Ryuga added.
Gai shot the attack back one more time, his energy finally depleting upon using his strongest defensive Vent to its maximum, falling to his knees as his armor disappeared.
Ryuga's portal took the attack, expanding in size to increase the range.
"Fuck!" Raphael carried Cagliostro in bridal style, jumping on top of Sleipnir as they began trotting away with Prelati and St. Germain behind them.
"I believe it was something like this...EXCALIBUR!" Ryuga unleashed the attack, completely decimating the ground around them as it headed toward the fleeing Alchemists.
"We have to teleport! Now!" Prelati screamed, taking out a red vial. Cagliostro took out one as well, and they broke it in unison. They teleported just in time as the attack completely wiped out the area where they once were, creating a huge explosion of power that left the whole area as a wasteland.
"They ran away." Ryuga landed next to Terunosuke, returning to his human form."You alright, Kuwana-san?"
"Yeah..." Terunosuke sighed, falling on his rear."I did pretty good, I think."
"You did. You've improved tremendously. And you are naturally good at using Imperer's skills with your own. But still, I can understand why you don't use Unite Vent just yet. But one day, you'll need it."
"I know...It's just..." Terunosuke ruffled his hair."It's...difficult. I don't understand myself."
"I can relate to that. For the time being, let us retreat home. I think we've grown in this fight." Hazuki offered Terunosuke a hand.
The man looked at it intently, as if it was a foreign object. Reluctantly, he accepted, and Hazuki helped him up."They're probably working with someone."
"Yeah, Loki thinks so too." Hazuki nodded."I doubt an organization like theirs has been existing for all these years under St. Germain's command. We should be wary of whoever their leader is. I doubt they're anything like these guys."
"If that's the case, then we should be ready for their next visit." Terunsouke stretched his arms."Or we'll let those brats deal with them."
"Whatever is fine with me." Hazuki opened a portal and stepped his foot inside. However, he noticed Terunosuke staring off into the night."Kuwana-san?"
"We're all a family, TeruTeru. That includes you too."
Images of his time in FIS flashed in his mind and Raphael's words echoed in his ears.
"I'm fine. Just...reminiscing." Terunosuke waved his hand dismisivally, turning on his heels and entering the portal without another word.
"Don't press him, Superstar. He's got a lot on his mind."
"Yeah...I can tell." Hazuki nodded, entering the portal and closing it behind him.
And that concludes the fight between the Bavarian Illuminati and the Disasters of Valhalla. To be honest, I went back to watch AXZ and the Alchemists aren't that impressive in terms of power. Sure, the girls needed to use their combined attacks and whatnot, but there were plenty of times when they were pushing them back in their normal Symphogear. Anyway, no more major fights for the time being. Also, the next chapter might take a while since I have a test coming up. So see you next time!