Sympho-Saber: Song of Swords
G: EP09 – Preparations for the Final Voyage
Hibiki and Miku had managed to get the little boy they had seen to safety. Just as the two were about to get to safety themselves an explosion rocked through the area they were in. This resulted in blowing open part of the tower in the process. Miku had quickly pushed Hibiki out of the way of debris and the two managed to come out relatively unscathed. But before they could even think of doing anything else, the floor nearby Hibiki collapsed. Despite still being on solid ground, the shaking of the tower caused Hibiki to lose her balance, Miku acting quickly and grabbing Hibiki by the arm to keep her from falling. Despite this Miku was having trouble just keeping a hold of Hibiki.
"Miku! The floor won't hold for long!" Hibiki pleaded, knowing the one way out of this, "Let me go!"
"No!" MIku argued, "I have to protect you, Hibiki!"
"Miku…" Hibiki trailed as she saw the look of determination on her friends face before smiling, "One day, when I'm really in trouble… You can save me then. But today, let me do my part."
"I want to protect you!" Miku cried out as tears began to stream down from her eyes, soon feeling Hibiki's grip loosen. Her eyes widened as her grip on Hibiki faltered slightly, it being enough to allow Hibiki to slip out.
"HIBIKI!"
Hibiki closed her eyes and gave a sad smile, 'Sorry Touma… but I need at least a minute to save our friend…'
"~Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron~"
Hibiki opened her eyes as she flipped in mid-air, her transformation taking place as she righted herself to where her feet were pointing downwards. She soon slammed into the ground crouched, creating a crater upon impact. As she did her armor let out a large amount of steam due to her current condition.
"Not too long," Hibiki reminded herself as she looked upwards, "Miku! I'm coming for you!"
BOOM!
Hibiki could only stare up in horror that occurred at the Sky Tower as she screamed out her friend's name, "MIKU!"
Falchion stared out the Sky Tower from the building she was on. She silently watched as the massive air carrier Noise floated nearby while smaller flying Noise continued to circle the Tower.
[JUUKEN GEKIDAN! ONJUUKEN SUZUNE!]
"There you are," Slash spoke up as he walked out from the stairwell, Suzune in its sword board mode.
"…" Falchion turned and remained silent.
"You know we were actually looking for you," Slash said again as he stopped his approach at a certain distance, "But you actually revealed yourself for the first time."
"…" Falchion stayed silent before looking off to the side, her voice somewhat distorted, "Why?"
"So you can speak," Slash said as his ear twitched, while he couldn't make out the voice he was able to tell that their mysterious phoenix rider was a woman, "We need Mumeiken Kyomu's abilities."
"Because of that girl I've clashed with a few times," Falchion said as she glanced over, "Am I right?"
"We know your blade possesses nullification," Slash replied, "We were hoping to use it to potentially find a way to reverse the spread of Gungnir within her body."
"It doesn't work like that," Falchion replied before turning away and holding up Kyomu, "Yes, I can stop the adverse effects like her berserker nature. But nullifying is not the same as reversing. You'd find no help if you studied this blade."
"We won't know until we try!" Slash called out as he took a step forward.
"Unfortunately I didn't stay out in the open for you to ask about this," Falchion turned and held her blade forward, "I want answers."
"Answers…?" Slash questioned before quickly raising his blade as he watched Falchion leap towards him without warning. He braced with both hands, blocking a slash from Falchion as he gritted his teeth, "What kind of answers?"
"That isn't important!" Falchion called out as she pushed forward only to give a gasp as Slash ducked before slashing past her. Sparks flew as she gave a grunt, spinning before raising her sword and bringing it down on the Rider of Sound.
Slash immediately turned and blocked against the slash, wincing slightly from the force behind the attack.
"Very well… but you need to give me answers as well," Slash spoke sternly as he pushed forward, swinging out from the clash and forcing Falchion to take a few steps back. He then held Suzune with both hands, "Thus we'll let our blades speak and give each other the answers we need!"
"That's it… I'm pissed!" Zooous yelled out as he stood up with a roar, "You two are going down!"
"Chris…" Blades said in a hushed voice as he stepped forward, "Give me cover and then run… I'll distract the Megid."
"Idiot," Chris gave a glare as she kept her voice lowered, "What about you?"
"Hibiki needs your help," Blades insisted, "Please…"
"Fine then," Chris said before grinning and looking towards Zooous her skirt pieces extending out to reveal missiles, "Sorry mutt but you're going down!"
{MEGA DETH PARTY}
Zooous could only growl out as dozens of missiles were launched from where Chris was, the missiles all impacting around him and the Lead Ahiru.
[HISSATSU DOKUHA!]
The announcement from Blades' Swordriver just barely rung through as a sudden stream of water struck both Zooous and the Lead Ahiru. The water expanded before trapping them in a water bubble.
"Leo Cascade!" Blades yelled out as he rushed forward alongside Chris.
Chris had leapt forward but landed beside the bubble before leaping forward again, launching past the two trapped Megid and towards the tower.
"W-What…?" The Lead Ahiru gasped out.
Zooous grew angrier at this stunt, "WHY YOU-!"
[LION! PETER FAN! NISATSU GEKI! W-W-WATER!]
Blades gave a yell as he kicked forward, water streaming out of his right boot as he struck against the water bubble. At the last second, Zooous had managed to shift enough while grabbing the Lead Ahiru Megid and pulling it in the way, Blades' kick piercing through it and causing an explosive burst of water as a result.
Soon enough an explosion occurred as Blades slid out of the attack, water splashing everywhere as Zooous was sent rolling towards the side.
"By my pride as a swordsman, I will protect my friends!" Blades called out as he turned towards Zooous and got in an offensive stance, ready to charge gain.
"You… you and your stupid little tricks…" Zooous growled out as he fully managed to stand, "I'll slaughter you here now!"
"There is no need Zooous…" Storious suddenly walked in front of his Megid ally from seemingly nowhere, "We're done here."
"Seriously…?" Zooous stared at his ally for a good while before giving a sigh and dismissing his transformation, "Fine…"
"What…?" Blades trailed in confusion as he watched Storious vanish alongside Zooous, "Just what was the point of this attack?"
"Miku…" Hibiki trailed in heartbreak as she fell to her knees, her transformation dismissing itself, "How could this happen?"
"You…" A voice spoke up as the Medusa Megid emerged from a smoking crater nearby. It was the same one that Kento had ended up kicking out of the Sky Tower. It hissed out as it summoned several Shimi's to back it up, walking forward as it held its blades out, "You're the one who killed our dear sister…"
"…" Hibiki was completely unresponsive, not even reacting to the Megid approaching her.
"I'll be avenging her today…" Medusa's hands gripped its blades tightly before raising them up. It then yelled out before slashing downwards.
[ITTOU RYODAN! BUTTA GIRE! DOGO! DOGO! DOGOUKEN GEKIDO!]
Medusa's blades soon met Gekido as Buster was standing with his back facing the Megid, holding Gekido behind him. He then pushed back as he turned, slashing against the Megid and sending sparks flying.
"What?" Medusa asked as it staggered back.
"I won't be holding back," Buster said as he stomped against the ground, a chunk of earth erupting as he stabbed at it with Gekido, sending it towards the Medusa Megid.
Medusa rolled to dodge out of the way as it growled out, "Attack!"
[SOU TOU BUNDAN! ICHI NO TE, SHURIKEN! NI NO TE, NITOURYUU! FUUSOUKEN HAYATE!]
The Shimi that accompanied it had charged forward only for a blur of green to suddenly strike past them, Kenzan sliding into view.
"Sorry to say but you won't be touching them," Kenzan said before quickly leaping towards the Shimi to slash at them, grabbing their attention as he worked on swiftly cutting through their ranks.
"We're ending this now," Buster said as he lifted Gekido up before resting it on his shoulder.
"You…" Medusa growled out.
It wasn't long before the Noise circling the Sky Tower took notice of the battle and began diving downwards to strike at the Riders and Hibiki. Both Riders looked upwards and were ready to counter when red arrows struck through and pierced the flying type Noise.
"She's in your hands!" Chris called out as she ran into view, performing a flip to land closer before she started singing to attract the Noise towards her. She then began firing her arrows at the Noise, planning on getting all the attention on her to wipe out the Noise in record time.
"We'll leave it to you," Buster called out as he rushed towards the Medusa Megid.
"I'll leave you helpless and then smash you!" Medusa shrieked out as it raised its arms over its face before swiping them away, its eyes shining a bright red.
"That won't work again!" Buster suddenly slammed Gekido into the ground, a slab of concrete being picked up and forming a wall between him and the Medusa's gaze. He then gave a yell as he punched against the wall, creating an explosive force that launched chunks of debris against the Medusa.
Medusa yelled out as it was thrown backwards, "Fine then!"
Buster gave a light gasp as he began dodging against the Medusa's next attack. The Megid had unleashed its snake hair as tendrils to strike at the Rider. He gave a light gasp as he quickly raised his arm before sliding to the side, blocking a stray tendril from striking the downed Hibiki.
"You're annoying me!" Medusa called out as it continued its attack.
"I could say the same," Buster said as he replaced his Wonder Ride Books, pressing down on Gekido's trigger.
[JACKUN-TO-DOMAMENOKI! ITTOU RYOUDAN!]
Buster soon held his left arm forward as vines erupted from the cracks of his armor. Soon enough they solidified into the Jackun Armor, launching out bean projectiles that shot out towards the Medusa Megid's tendrils. Medusa could only gasp out as its tendrils were slowly but surely forced backwards.
"Why you…" Medusa called out before suddenly looking up as explosions littered the air, the two air carrier Noise getting struck by one missile each courtesy of Chris and being destroyed, "What?!"
"Like I said, we're ending this now!" Buster called out as he pressed Genbu Shinwa against Gekido's finisher slot.
[GENBU SHINWA! DOGON!]
"Grand Spinning Cut!" Genjuro roared out as he took a large step forward before kicking off the ground and spinning towards the Medusa with a slash.
"Like that will-huh?" Medusa cut itself off as it was suddenly ensnared by a multitude of vines that erupted from the cracks in the ground.
[GEKIDO RANDOKUGEKI! DOGON!]
Buster yelled out as he spun and slashed through Medusa, his back facing the Megid as it gave a dying yell before exploding.
"Good work, Commander!" Kenzan called out as he switched his weapons to their Shuriken Formation, tossing Hayate and allowing it to spin and cut through the remaining Shimi. He then held out his hand as the weapon returned, letting his arm drop.
Buster gave a nod and a thumbs-up before turning towards his despondent student, "Hibiki…"
Desast leapt up, pointing his blade forward as he became a tornado of purple energy that launched towards Tsubasa. Tsubasa herself was using the technique she used to catch Maria off guard, combining two longswords while spinning them rapidly in one hand, the blades erupting into fire as she skated towards Desast. The two yelled out as they closed in on each other…
"Calamity Strike!"
{Wind Ring's Fiery Blades}
An explosion of fire and dark energy erupted as they slid past each other, their attacks seemingly cancelling the other out as the two came to a halt. Tsubasa panted as she suddenly dropped to her knee, part of her shoulder armor breaking apart.
Desast gave a pained chuckle as he stabbed Grudge Dent into the ground, hunching over as a good chunk of his stomach and chest had been taken out, small fires lingering where he had gotten cut into.
"Not bad…" Desast chuckled as he stood up, his wounds healing with ease before glancing back, "But I still don't have my answer…"
"And what kind of answer would that be?" Tsubasa asked as she caught her breath, turning towards the chimera Megid.
"You and I are a lot alike… so I wanted to see the answer you came up with," Desast remarked vaguely before vanishing with a chuckle.
"Just what is that supposed to mean?" Tsubasa raised an eyebrow, "A lot alike? What kind of joke is that?"
[HISSATSU DOKUHA! KINGS SLASH!]
"Take this!" Saber called out as he spun and slashed again, unleashing a wave of fire and energy from Rekka and Kingexcalibur respectively.
[HISSATSU READ! JAAKU PEGASUS!]
Calibur slid his hand across the blade, energy gathering before he stabbed the bladed into the ground, the energy being sucked into him as two large Pegasus wings erupted from his back. The wings soon covered him and braced against the incoming slashes.
[KURAYAMI HISSATSU GEKKI! SHUUTOKU ISSEN!]
Soon enough the slashes erupted against the wings, exploding as blue feathers began to float around everywhere. Calibur was forced to take a few steps back, despite his finisher being used as a defense he was still being beaten back by King of Arthur's power.
"I suppose we're done here…" Calibur glanced back, noticing the black specks of carbon dust that littered the air with no Noise in sight. He narrowed his eyes beneath his mask, noticing a glint in the sky that was falling from the sky away from the Sky Tower.
"Calibur," Saber spoke up, "Just what is your goal? Why are you so focused on King of Arthur?"
"Let me reassure you by stating that I now know that I cannot take that book from you," Calibur admitted, surprising the Swordsman of Flame by a bit. The dark Rider turned and opened a portal of darkness before entering it, "However I will still obtain more power to seek out the truth. Of course, making sure Finé doesn't do anything rash and stopping the Moon from falling does take priority."
"All that trouble to get King of Arthur… and he doesn't want it anymore?" Saber trailed as he looked down once his opponent was gone, "But in exchange, what exactly does he want now?"
His thoughts on that however faded as he looked towards the heavily damaged Sky Tower, he held his breath as he could only hope that Hibiki and Miku were alright.
Falchion and Slash were once again caught in a clash with each other, forcing their hands on their blades to keep from being overwhelmed. It wasn't long before they realized this was yet another stalemate and quickly hopped away from each other.
"Well… have you gotten the answers you want?" Slash asked, already knowing what Falchion was attempting to do.
"I'm not sure," Falchion admitted as she shook her head before staring at her hand.
"Your sword definitely thinks so as well," Slash remarked, "It feels confused, as if you yourself are confused as well. It's not like that woman, Maria… she's conflicted… meanwhile this is just genuine confusion."
"Well when you're like me, you would be confused," Falchion admitted as she put her hand against her helmet in frustration, "I didn't let these lingering pieces of memory affect me before… but now…"
"Memory…?" Slash tilted his head slightly, "What do you mean?"
"You don't need to know," Falchion replied as they lowered their hand before setting Kyomu back in the Bladriver, "Admittedly, I did get something out of this."
"And what would that be?" Slash asked.
"I was able to feel something, maybe not memories… but I felt a thrill just now, as we fought," Falchion admitted as she gripped her fist tightly before looking up, "So I thank you for not wasting my time."
"One more question before you go," Slash said, "Are you against us?"
"Maybe before I was…" Falchion looked upwards, "But now I'm not sure anymore. Regardless I won't try and get in your way."
"I see…" Slash said before using his arm to cover his eyes, Falchion transforming into a fiery phoenix before launching up into the sky, "There was some progress at least, but I just hope you'll cooperate before it's too late."
In the aftermath it wasn't long before everyone converged and was brought up to speed. Touma was given the news and was escorted to a car to relax with Hibiki while Rintaro, Tsubasa and Chris decided to take their leave. Daishinji had immediately gone to return to Section 2's submarine base while Genjuro and Ogawa stayed behind, dozens of Section 2 agents filing in alongside the local police. Of course Ogawa was able to figure out some details and went over to Genjuro to inform him.
Genjuro raised an eyebrow, "The Americans?"
"There's no doubt," Ogawa said, "They got in touch with the FIS and tried to negotiate."
"And this disaster is the result?" Genjuro asked, "Looks like the negotiations failed."
"But whatever they were scheming," Ogawa spoke up, "Neither party would want to draw attention like this."
"So some third party didn't like the idea of the Americans and FIS teaming up, and decided to throw a spanner in the works?" Genjuro sighed as he deduced what likely happened, "Given the heavy presence of the Megid, could it have been them?"
"More than likely sir," Ogawa replied, "Something tells me that either the FIS or Megid will make their move soon based on this."
Hibiki was still sitting in the back of a Section 2 car, unresponsive as Touma sat next to her. The future novelist glanced at Hibiki in concern though he wasn't exactly in the best shape either.
'I should have never let go…' Hibiki thought, 'I should have held on to Miku's hand…'
"I brought you both something warm to drink," A voice said as Aoi walked over to the car, holding up two cups of hot chocolate, "It'll help calm the two of you down."
"Thank you," Touma said softly as he took the hot chocolate.
Hibiki took the cup though her arms continued to tremble as she tried to hold back her tears.
"Hibiki…?" Aoi asked.
"But the warmest thing I know… is gone," Hibiki said before breaking down into tears.
Touma sighed as he saw this, and could only do the one thing a friend like him could do. He put his arm around Hibiki to help comfort her even if it didn't seem to do much. Though with what had just happened, he couldn't help but reminisce on a memory from a while back.
It had been a few years since Kento and Luna had stopped visiting the same park that Touma would go to. But that didn't stop Touma from going back from time to time with his Wonder Story book and hoping they'd come back one day. The young boy could only give a sigh as he opened up the first page of the book, softly smiling though just barely as he couldn't help but miss his friends.
"Whoa, that's a cool book!"
"Hibiki, you shouldn't just bother him like that!"
Touma looked up and was surprised to see two young girls approach him, a cream-haired girl with a big grin alongside a black haired girl who seemed to be pouting towards her friend.
"I'm really sorry about her just running up," The black haired girl apologized.
"O-Oh… it's fine," Touma managed to get out, a bit surprised by the sudden interaction.
"I'm Hibiki Tachibana," The cream-haired girl introduced, "And that's my best friend, Miku!"
"Again, sorry about Hibiki right now," Miku apologized again with a bow.
"Oh come on Miku its fine," Hibiki waved it off before looking over at Touma, "Right?"
"Y-Yeah…" Touma gave a nod, "I wasn't doing much here anyway."
It was then that Miku noticed the pop-up book, "Oh? I don't think I've ever seen a pop-up book like that before."
"O-Oh… it's a real special one," Touma admitted with a light blush of embarrassment as he hadn't really ever talked with others about Wonder Story, "My uh… some old friends gave it to me…"
"Oh that's sweet," Hibiki smiled, "It's a super cool keepsake then."
"Do you all not hang out anymore?" Miku asked.
"Well uh… we used to hang out all the time," Touma said as he thought on it, "But then after a while they stopped coming around without any warning. But I still show up every so often, just in case they've been doing the same."
"Have you had any luck?" Hibiki asked.
"No, not really," Touma shook his head but he gave a smile, "But I do have hope we'll meet again someday."
Miku couldn't help but give a small smile at Touma's optimism before getting an idea, nudging Hibiki and giving a nod. Hibiki looked at Miku for a bit before smiling and nodding as well.
"Well if it's alright by you," Miku said as she went to sit by Touma, "Do you mind if we become friends?"
"Yeah," Hibiki went to sit by Touma as well, "It must be pretty lonely just coming out here by yourself right?"
"You two really want to be my friends?" Touma asked as he looked at the two girls.
"Of course," Hibiki smiled.
"We just asked you if you wanted us to," Miku also gave a smile, "So I think the answer's obvious."
"Alright then, I guess we're friends!" Touma nodded before giving a genuine smile.
"So do you bring that book every time with you, Touma?" Hibiki asked.
"I do," Touma replied, "It's simple but the pictures just make dozens of stories come to mind."
"You must really like reading then," Miku noted.
"I really, really do," Touma said, "And I want to write books when I grow up!"
"Whoa, that's so cool Touma!" Hibiki shouted at the top of her lungs, both Touma and Miku recoiling a bit at her loud nature, "Maybe one day you can become super famous too!"
"I hope so," Touma gave a bit of a chuckle.
Miku simply gave a sigh but couldn't help but smile at Hibiki's loud nature. She looked over at Touma, noticing that despite their brief talk, he looked to be in higher spirits than before they had gone over to him.
It was then that Touma had gained a second set of irreplaceable childhood friends in the form of Hibiki and Miku. They'd begin to hang out more often and Touma eventually managed to get the two more interested in reading as a result. The three had ended up growing close, and their friendship only grew stronger after the Zwei Wing Concert incident. But Touma always remembered how Hibiki would insist that Miku was the one who wanted them all to become friends.
It absolutely hurt to think that Miku was gone now, especially after everything they had been through. There was sadness, but there was some anger, wondering who was responsible for the attack in the first place. Especially since he remembered that Miku was trying to get Hibiki to relax and not fight. And now because they were caught up in that event… Miku was…
He absolutely refused to believe it, he wanted to have some hope that Miku had possibly survived. Slowly but surely he took a sip of his hot chocolate only to lightly wince at how hot it still was.
"Jeez," Touma muttered as he came back to his senses before seeing his friend still in her despondent state, "Hibiki…"
As the day grew later, the FIS and Megid had reconvened at the Air Carrier. In one of the rooms Maria managed to punch the window so hard her knuckles began to bleed.
"I have stained my hands with blood…" Maria managed to barely speak out, "What hope is left for me… Serena?!"
Kento could only wince as he watched Maria scream in anguish, Kirika and Shirabe also watching in concern.
"Tell us, Mom," Shirabe turned towards Nastassja, "What happened?"
"I believe I can elaborate on that," Ver said as he walked in, "We believe that we should save as many lives as possible before the Moon falls in a decade, do we not? However, Nastassja tried to sell us out to the Americans."
"Mom…" Shirabe trailed.
"Is that true?" Kirika asked.
"And that's not all," Ver spoke up as he continued, "The story they told about Finé's soul residing in Maria was nothing more than a grand deception, a charade born from Nastassja and Maria's scheming."
"I'm sorry," Maria said as she was still staring out the window, "I'm sorry, girls."
Kirika's eyes widened, "But if you're not Finé, then-"
"They only told this tall tale to win my cooperation, and most likely the Megid's as well," Ver explained as he slammed Solomon's Cane into the ground, pushing his hair back, "Isn't that right, Fukamiya?"
"That…" Kento trailed.
"That would be true," Calibur said as he walked in before using Kurayami to bat against Solomon's Cane to force Ver to take a few steps back, "However given the current situation of the world, what's more important is utilizing Frontier to its fullest capabilities beyond the current plan."
"What are you talking about?" Ver raised an eyebrow.
"Saving as many lives as possible is good, but not the best solution," Calibur said before glancing at Nastassja, deciding to play up a bit of a charade, "I can only assume Nastassja here realized this and tried to see if we could get a better hand. That is why I had Legeiel put the second Medusa Megid on standby, just to make sure nothing went wrong."
"…" Nastassja remained silent, deciding to let Calibur speak.
"Regardless, her plan failed and nearly cost us precious data," Ver argued, "We had only just retrieved the Nephilim's heart, and it was almost lost to us forever."
"Oh I'm not disagreeing with you," Calibur corrected as he turned towards Ver, "However there are better ways to utilize the Frontier."
"And yet I don't see you mentioning them," Ver gave a bit of a hum, "It certainly isn't the Book of Ruin I've been studying at the moment. While that book is indeed powerful, its capabilities are not what we're looking for."
"Mom… Maria…" Kirika interrupted as she looked around "What they're all talking about is a lie, right?"
"It's true," Maria spoke up, "I am no host to Finé, and we have been having second thoughts about the current plan to save mankind."
"But…" Shirabe started.
"Mom tried to get the Americans' help by sharing what we knew about the Frontier," Maria explained, crossing her arms.
"But didn't the Americans only care about saving themselves?" Shirabe asked.
"And we stood against the world so that we could save as many people as possible!" Kirika called out.
"If those negotiations succeeded, we would've lost the upper hand," Nastassja said before looking over towards Ver, "That's why you assisted the Megid by bringing out the Noise there and laid waste to our surroundings."
"Oh, please. I protected you from those wicked Americans…" Ver said as he aimed Solomon's Cane at the older woman, "…using Solomon's Cane."
As Kirika and Shirabe stood protectively in front of Nastassja, Calibur walked over and grabbed the cane. He gave a light scoff at Ver waving around the weapon like a toy and lowered it slightly.
"Any other Megid alongside myself there were merely acting to make sure any Riders or Wielders from Section 2 didn't arrive and intercept you," Calibur spoke to Nastassja before looking over at Ver, "Unfortunately someone didn't seem to think subtlety through."
"We needed our trail as clean as possible," Ver gave a shrug.
"Subtlety or not, our next course of action is clear," Maria said as she walked over to stand by Calibur and Ver, "We can't protect the world with half-hearted devotion. We can't fulfill Serena's wishes like this. Only force… only through brute force can we maintain justice. Only the doctor's way can change the world, so I'm with him!"
"Maria…" Kento gave a frown, not liking this sudden outburst, "Are you sure about this?"
"I am," Maria said as she steeled herself.
"I knew this would happen," Ver gave a chuckle as he saw Maria side with him.
"I don't want that," Shirabe admitted, "That very force would be used to oppress the weak. Is that really…"
"Very well," Nastassja spoke up, "This is the decision of Maria Cadenzavna Eve herself, and not the false Finé, I trust?"
Maria said nothing, but her silence and expression gave everyone the answer they needed to know. Of course the silence was interrupted by Nastassja having a sudden coughing fit.
"Are you alright, dess?!" Kirika asked as she went to Nastassja's side with Shirabe and Kento.
"Leave the rest to us, you should rest well Nastassja," Ver spoke up in a more mocking tone as if he had succeeded in another plan, "I must devote myself to preparing for our plan. If Calibur would be so kind to accompany me, I'd like to discuss a few things as I also need to make preparations for our dear guest as well."
"Speaking of our guest," Kento immediately spoke up, "I'll go see that she's tended to."
"Please do," Calibur gave a nod before looking over towards Ver, "I can accompany you for a short moment, I have my own issues to attend to."
"Very well," Ver said before walking off.
"What?" Reika asked.
"Is this a joke?" Ryoga asked.
"This is no joke," Master Logos said as he was currently in his viewing chamber, standing to address the two siblings in front of him, "Falchion has seemingly abandoned the mission I gave her as she allowed herself to be detected by Section 2 before being confronted by one of them."
"But… why would she…?" Reika trailed as she tried to think of a reason.
"Why act defiantly like this?" Ryoga questioned, "What point is there to this?"
"It seems she's trying to chase after her painful memories," Master Logo said, "Or at least I can only assume. I had hoped that a mission away from those in the current conflict would help but it seems she's been pushed to find answers one way or another."
"What do we do?" Ryoga asked.
"For now we'll wait and see where she goes next," Master Logos said, "If she has not continued our mission then she is to be brought back immediately, understood?"
"Yes Master," Ryoga gave a bow.
"Yes Master…" Reika trailed a bit as she gave a bow before she was dismissed with her brother. As she walked back to her room she could only wonder why Kanade was choosing to abandon their cause to chase after memories. If she was going to get answers she'd need to involve herself directly if they were ordered to bring her back.
Kento eventually made it into a dark room that was likely the holding cell of the air carrier. The only thing that illuminated the room being a set of energy poles that acted as a cage. The energy cage emitting a soft glow that revealed that inside the cage was none other than Miku Kohinata. She was sitting with her knees up, arms wrapped around them.
"Hibiki…" She muttered before burying her head in her arms.
Kento stayed silent as he had Ikazuchi out, noticing it giving off a small humming sound as he entered the room. He had recalled it reacting before, and the reaction growing stronger the further up they went. While they could have exited from any floor, Kento insisted that they go as far up as possible. Ikazuchi's reaction soon reached its peak once Maria had arrived on the same floor as Miku. While Maria had instinctively gone to help Miku, Kento was still confused by why Ikazuchi reacted so strongly in her presence. Of course he was hoping to simply drop her off so they could be on their way but Ver insisted they take off with her.
He wondered if Ver's interest in Miku was because she was a potential Symphogear Wielder candidate. Both Rekka and Nagare had resonated with the other Wielders back during the Lunar Attack. So the theory that Ikazuchi reacted because Miku could also be a strong wielder like the others made sense.
"Hey…" Kento finally spoke up, putting Ikazuchi away as he went to sit down in front of the cage, "Are you alright?"
Miku looked up and saw Kento, but gave a light glare, "Does it look like it?"
"I'm sorry," Kento apologized as he looked to the side, "Maria and I wanted to leave you somewhere safe but we were ordered to take you with us."
"It's probably because of Hibiki and the others…" Miku admitted as she stared at the ground.
"You know… I think this is the first time we've met," Kento admitted in a bit of an awkward tone, "But because of our groups, we do know about each other."
"…"
"Silence huh… I get it," Kento gave a nod as he realized this was going to be tough, "I'm sure you're also mad at me for basically fighting against Touma, right?"
"Do you two really have to fight?" Miku asked, "Why can't you work together? You were friends weren't you?"
"We were and I still like to believe we are…" Kento gave a nod, "However… I need to see this mission with the FIS through to the end… and I also need to make Calibur pay."
"Calibur…?" Miku asked before remembering the details Tsubasa told her, "But isn't he…"
"I can't forgive him for what happened two years ago," Kento shook his head, accidentally interrupting Miku as he was lost in his own thoughts, "Which is why I needed to keep myself in his favor. To stay alive and keep training so that one day…"
Miku noticed Kento trailed off but decided to change subjects, something bugging her, "Why did you leave Touma?"
"…" Kento remained silent before gently brushing his hair on one side, "It's not like I wanted to… but my training with my father took priority and I had to be at the Logos Sector full time with him after a while. I know we talked but I'm sure Touma still has a bit of hate for me…"
"Not in the slightest," Miku shook her head, "He always held out hope that you and Luna would turn up again one day. He was especially hopeful when he thought he met you 2 years ago."
"I see…" Kento gave a chuckle, "Touma really hasn't changed since I first met him. Well aside from the confidence…"
Despite the frightening and unknown situation that Miku was in at the moment, she couldn't help but feel relieved around Kento. Despite the earlier tension, that all seemed to melt away as the two kept up their discussion for a while. It slowly began to wind down however as Miku decided to get some sleep, with Kento deciding to do the same. Of course that didn't mean that Miku's stay would be as comfortable as this the entire time, as Ver himself was working on the final phases of a plan to make good use of her.
At Section 2 HQ, the three Symphogear Wielders alongside Touma and Rintaro were gathered. Sophia had apologized for having them all come out so late but Genjuro needed them to arrive as soon as possible, realizing they couldn't wait till the morning with this news.
"What's this?" Hibiki asked as she stared at a communicator.
"Miku's transmitter," Genjuro said, "It was retrieved from a location some distance from the Sky Tower."
"Wait," Touma's head shot up as he heard this, "Away from the Sky Tower?"
"We analyzed its tracking data," Sophia said.
"Before it was disposed of, it moved away from the Tower at a steady speed," Genjuro explained as he pulled up the tracking data on screen, showing it happening as per his words.
"Wait a moment," Rintaro said before gasping, "That means!"
"Miku is not dead," Genjuro confirmed, "She was probably rescued by another party and is now being held hostage."
"But, teacher, that means-!" Hibiki spoke up.
"It's time to stop feeling sorry for yourself and leap into action," Genjuro turned around with a grin before walking over to his student.
"Thank goodness," Touma gave a sigh of relief as he put an arm over his eyes, hunching over as he began to tear up with joy, "Thank goodness…"
"I'm glad for you, Kamiyama," Tsubasa gave a soft smile as she put a hand on Touma's back.
"This is such wonderful news!" Rintaro called out in relief with a smile as he pumped his fists.
Genjuro soon walked over and patted Hibiki on the head, "Now then! Nothing's better for a change of mood than some exercise!"
"Sure!" Hibiki called out.
"Training…? Now of all times?" Chris asked, more perplexed than anything.
"Of course," Genjuro called out, "The time is drawing near for our biggest confrontation yet. So we Riders and Wielders must train our bodies and spirits to withstand the coming battles!"
"Wait… when you say we…" Touma perked up as he heard the phrasing.
While Touma had partaken in some of Genjuro's training, he wasn't prepared for what had transpired next. Genjuro was somehow able to bust out a full musical number in what the future novelist assumed was Chinese as they trained. The even odder part being that Hibiki was somehow able to pick it up in record time and synch up with his singing in a perfect manner.
The training was varied to say the least in Touma's eyes, and thankfully his prior times training had helped build up a decent foundation for this montage of exercises. Whether it was vertical sit-ups to transfer water, jump roping, balancing water via cups, drinking raw eggs for protein, even going to a frozen meat locker and punching the frozen meat in there. That wasn't counting the runs that were in varied locations, coastlines, a snowy mountain, etc. Of course Genjuro had also managed to rope in Daishinji for a bit of help in training, the swordsmith adding in a few sword stance exercises for everyone to help them get proper footing and placement down, this particular bit assisting Touma, Rintaro and Tsubasa greatly.
By the end of it all they had finally made it to the top of a mountain temple, all of them ascending the stairs as this signaled the end of their training. Touma admittedly was a bit exhausted as he was hunched over and catching his breath. Despite his exhaustion he couldn't help but smile at Hibiki who looked to be having the time of her life. The Gungnir Wielder was currently being lifted up by Genjuro, the two celebrating a training session well done. He was glad that her spirit had been fully renewed thanks to the news and this training.
Rintaro was currently stretching his arms up as he caught his breath. He was a bit surprised by the intensity of the training, but glad he was able to find new ways to better himself. Beside him was Tsubasa who didn't seem any worse for wear, and also seemed pleased by the results of the training.
Chris meanwhile was completely exhausted, having put up a weak fist into the air as she was hunched over. Compared to everyone else, she was very much the worst at basically every exercise she tried her hands at. She was admittedly surprised to see Touma managing to handle it better than she could as well.
'They're all burning so fiercely,' Chris thought as she went to sit down, 'This place is just too warm for me.'
Touma meanwhile couldn't help but give a smile at the rising sun, 'Don't worry Miku… just wait a little bit longer. We're coming to get you.'
Maria was currently watching over Miku in the FIS's Air Carrier, looking over the broken Relic pendant in her hand.
The apple floated in the sky…
The apple dropped to the ground…
The stars are born, and the-
Maria interrupted her song and looked towards Miku, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Miku said as she stared past the cage she was in, "Just… thank you. Why did you save me?"
"Don't give your thanks to me only," Maria admitted as she walked forward, "Kento was the one who insisted on going further up. That's how we ran into you."
"I see…" Miku trailed as she thought back to her conversations with Kento from before.
"Though I guess the reason why I rushed forward to help after that was…" Maria paused as she began to think on past events, "I suppose you reminded me of Serena, surrounded by flames."
"Her late younger sister," Ver spoke up to clear up any confusion as he entered the room.
"Doctor…?" Maria asked as she watched the man walk over, "Kento and I saved her, but you ordered us to bring her back here. To what end?"
"To further our plans, naturally," Ver said as he went to lean towards Miku, giving a friendly smile, "Please, don't look so afraid. How about we have a little chat? I'm sure I'll be able to help you."
Despite the friendly smile and his words, Miku couldn't help but be wary of Ver's presence.
Kento was currently with Kirika and Shirabe, the three working on some towels and blankets that were hanging near the air carrier.
'If Maria's not Finé, then she must be within me,' Kirika thought as she shuddered slightly, 'I'm scared.'
Kento noticed this and gave a sigh, 'So is it really Kirika who's Finé? But if that's the case then why hasn't she acted up aside from the barrier?'
"What's wrong with Maria?" Shirabe suddenly spoke up, breaking the two out of their thoughts, "I wanted to help Maria. Not Finé."
"Yeah, that's right," Kirika gave a nod.
"We were lonely crybabies. She was kind to us," Shirabe said, "She was the protector of the weak. But now…"
"Only through brute force can we maintain justice"
"Aren't you scared, Shirabe?" Kirika asked as she looked up, "If she's not Finé, one of us potential vessels might end up becoming her instead."
"Kirika…" Kento muttered as he tried to internally figure out why exactly Finé hadn't fully resurfaced within Kirika, 'Why is she taking her time?'
"I'm not sure," Shirabe admitted.
"Is that all, dess?" Kirika asked.
"What's wrong?" Shirabe asked.
"Kirika… you know if you want to say anything…" Kento spoke up slowly.
Kirika however just shut her eyes before running off and away from the two.
"Kiri…?" Shirabe asked, confused by her friends behavior.
"Something tells me she has a lot on her mind," Kento said, not wanting to give away that he had seen what transpired that had made him realize Kirika was Finé.
"Sounds like you do as well," Shirabe looked over at Kento, "It's about Maria, right?"
"I…" Kento sighed as he paced around, "I saw what she had to do just to give us a chance to escape. She's in so much pain right now and she's trying to bury it by going along with Ver."
"You're right," Shirabe gave a nod, "So what are you going to do?"
"I'm… not sure," Kento admitted as he decided to go back to the laundry to keep him busy, "I promised I'd help her… but if helping her with the plan means she'll continue to be in pain… then…"
"Then I think you know what you need to do," Shirabe said, realizing that she was having the same feelings about Maria as Kento.
Watching from deep within the forest was Desast, giving a soft chuckle as he could tell the two were going to take action soon.
The Megid Base was rather lively this time, as it was not only the three Megid Leaders and Calibur this time. The Plain Ahiru Megid alongside the remaining Medusa Megid were also around.
"Those swordsmen and wielders will pay for killing my sisters!" Medusa called out.
The Plain Ahiru gave a whining sound, "When am I going to get to go out?!"
"Will you two please be quiet?!" Zooous slammed his hand on a table to get both Megid to quiet down, "Calibur, why not take them out already so we can stop hearing them?!"
"Patience…" Calibur hissed out as he looked over at Storious who seemed to not mind all the noise, "Are the preparations complete?"
"But of course, although do remember the dangers involved," Storious smiled as he drew out three particular Alter Ride Books, placing them down. They were of three separate categories as well, Kabekara Gargoyle for Phantom Beasts, Drill Mandrill for Animals, and Usotsuki Wolf for Stories.
"Of course," Calibur gave a nod as he went to place down Tenkuu no Pegasus, Needle Hedgehog, and Saiyuu Journey underneath their respective book category.
"If you were to combine these three Alter Ride Books with the power of Jaaku Dragon…" Storious trailed as he went to arrange the six books in a circle, "Alongside the swordsmen's Wonder Ride Books… you will give life to a book that towers over King of Arthur's power."
[JAAKU READ!]
Calibur wasted no time in scanning Jaaku Dragon before going over and individually scanning each Alter Ride and Wonder Ride Book before putting them back in position. Calibur stared as his blade shined bright purple before giving a nod to Storious. The Megid Leader soon placed a singular blackened book in the center, Calibur giving a yell as he stabbed down against the book, all the energy flooding into it as an invisible link was created between the four Wonder Ride Books, three Alter Ride Books, and singular blackened Book.
"Now then… the two of you," Calibur turned towards the lesser Megid, "You're coming with me. It's time for you both to be of use."
"Oh? Can I finally go all out?!" The Plain Ahiru asked.
"I can finally have my revenge…" Medusa gave a sneer.
"Of course," Calibur gave a nod as he took the three Wonder Ride Books before placing the Alter Ride Books in a triangle around the Blackened Book, "You know what do to next, right?"
"I do," Storious replied.
"You better not screw this chance up," Legeiel gave a glare, "Finé's plan ended up pushing us back heavily and with Ver in charge we won't be able to execute our plan this time."
"How much longer do we need to wait?" Zooous turned with a growl.
"Now was not the right time to strike regardless…" Storious spoke up, "While Frontier is valuable we must look to other potential assets."
"My plot is to merely make sure we have the strength to proceed to the final stage without issue," Calibur said as he opened up a dark corridor before stepping through alongside the Plain Ahiru and Medusa.
The FIS Airship was currently flying through the sky above the ocean, heading for the destination of Frontier. Of course this one time, it didn't seem to have its cloaking feature on at all. Kento, Shirabe and Kirika were all at the front as Maria piloted the craft by herself.
"How is Mom?" Shirabe asked.
"She needs to rest," Maria said, "Not only did she overexert herself, her sickness is getting worse too."
"Oh no…" Shirabe muttered.
"That means we have no time to waste," Ver said as he joined the four, "We must unite and guide mankind to the new world before the Moon descends to Earth. That is the duty with which we have been entrusted."
Kento could only stare at Ver alongside Kirika and Shirabe, though they were broken out of their thoughts when an alarm went off.
"What?" Maria asked as she pulled up the image, a large ship coming into view from the camera feed.
Kirika's eyes widened, "An American carrier, dess?!"
"No matter, we can still use this to our advantage," Ver replied, "How about we get the world's attention by sending them to Davy Jones' locker?"
"That's… the way of the strong who terrorize the weak," Shirabe spoke up.
"Also a bit brash don't you think?" Kento asked, "We're on a time limit, is now really the time for this?"
"Yes," Maria answered as she ignored the two's concerns, "We may need to conspicuously demonstrate our power to get the world's attention."
"Are you listening to yourself right now?" Kento questioned.
Shirabe gave a look of concern, "Maria…"
"I… we are Finé," Maria interrupted as she kept piling on fake resolve to keep strong, "We will bring an end to this world where the strong oppress the weak. I will tread that path with no fear or hesitation."
Kento looked over to Shirabe who did the same, the two of them sharing a look as they could tell despite her 'conviction', it felt as though she was still forcing herself to act like this.
Section 2's mobile submarine base was currently submerged and floating through the depths of the ocean. The three Symphogear Wielders alongside Touma and Rintaro were at the command center of their base alongside Genjuro and Sophia. They were currently hoping for some sort of action from the FIS in order to counter them and take Miku back. The alarm began to blare as they seemed to have gotten their wish.
"Noise detected!" Aoi called out.
"An American carrier is requesting assistance!" Sakuya reported.
"It's close by!" Genjuro ordered as he stood up, "Full speed ahead!"
"I'll get ready to assist them!" Tsubasa turned and rushed out of the room to head to the launch bay.
Hibiki turned on instinct, "Tsubasa! I-"
"Do you want to die that badly?!" Chris immediately turned Hibiki around and grabbed her by her uniforms tie, despite this her expression softened, "Stay here. Okay? You mustn't leave this place."
"We can handle the fighting for now," Touma reassured with a smile.
"Please," Chris said, fixing her friend's tie before running off to join Tsubasa.
"I swear by Suiseiken Nagare, we'll keep safe," Rintaro gave a nod to Hibiki before rushing off, "Let's go, Touma!"
"Right," Touma said before patting Hibiki on the shoulder before walking past her.
"Please, stay safe," Hibiki turned towards her friend.
"I will," Touma said as he adjusted his hat before picking up his pace to exit the room, "I promise."
The fight on the American carrier was going poorly for the soldiers onboard. Once the Noise had been brought in to attack, it didn't take long for it to become a one-sided bloodbath.
Watching on the monitor in the FIS Air Carrier, Maria could only bite her lip as she watched the bloodbath unfold. It was to the point where she ended up biting down so hard she drew blood.
"Is this what you really want?" Shirabe asked as she walked over to her friend, "Is this really necessary to protect the weak?"
Maria didn't respond and forced herself to keep a neutral expression, but that was all the information that Shirabe needed. Shirabe then looked back towards Kento and gave a nod, and in an instant both of them rushed to the side doors of the air carrier.
Kirika's eyes widened as she saw this, "Shirabe?! Kento?!"
Kento drew out his Swordriver and readied it, Shirabe opening the doors to the aircraft.
"What are you two doing, dess?!" Kirika called out as she stopped near them.
"If Maria is suffering, I will set her free," Shirabe simply answered before jumping out.
"Sorry Kirika, but I promised I'd help Maria… and this is the only way," Kento gave an apologetic look before leaping out after Shirabe, "Henshin!"
"~Various Shul Shagana tron~"
[IKAZUCHI BATTOU! LAMP DO ALANGINA!]
Kamen Rider Espada soon joined Shirabe who had transformed into her Symphogear armor, the two dropping down to the battlefield that was the carrier.
"Shirabe… Kento…" Kirika trailed as she watched her friends leave.
"If you want to bring at least one back," Ver said as he put a hand on her shoulder, "I know just the thing."
"Leave it to me to deal with the Swordsman of Thunder," Desast spoke up as he walked out of the shadows, giving a small chuckle as he had managed to see the outburst the Wielder and Sworsdsman made.
Meanwhile, Espada and Shirabe were just ready to land, the Wielder unfolding the compartments on her armored twintails and unleashing a flurry of small saw blades.
{Alpha Style: 100 Samsara}
The attack had managed to rain down on a grouping of Noise, piercing through and dissolving them. This allowed the two to have a clear landing zone. It didn't take long for Espada to get to work, his blade crackling with electricity as he sped forward at incredible speeds, slashing through individual Noise's with ease. Shirabe meanwhile skated around, extending her twintails outwards and forming massive saws at the ends, using them as an extended pair of arms and slicing through the Noise with ease.
Espada gave a yell as he slashed through a Noise before turning, "Shirabe, behind you!"
Shirabe turned as she watched a Noise leap at her, ready to strike at it when it was suddenly pierced through. Shirabe and Espada both saw a familiar face in Kirika land nearby as it was Igalima's scythe that had finished off the Noise.
"Kiri!" Shirabe gave a smile, "Thank-"
Shirabe was cut off as Kirika without warning or hesitation pulled out an injector and pressed it against Shirabe's neck, injecting a red liquid into her.
"What…?" Shirabe stumbled back as she felt dizzy, "I can't… maintain my Gear…"
"Hey," Espada called out as he watched Shirabe lose her transformation, "Kirika, what did you do?!"
"Butt out, Swordsman of Thunder!" Desast suddenly leapt into view slashing at Espada.
Espada quickly braced and blocked with his sword, "Desast!"
"The doctor had some really nasty stuff called Anti-LiNKER," Desast remarked in an almost bored tone, "Needless to say, it's the humane way to bring her back… you however…"
"Like I'll let that happen!" Espada called out as he pushed forward, managing to force Desast to stumble back.
"Finally breaking free from your chains, huh?!" Desast called out as he slashed at Espada again.
"I will pierce through with my convictions!" Espada slashed as well, the two locking each other in a clash of blades.
"I might cease to be myself at any time!" Kirika said as she held up her hand towards her friend, "I have to leave something behind before that happens, or even you'll forget me one day!"
"Kiri…?" Shirabe asked, confused by this statement.
"Kirika… so that's why…" Espada trailed before gritting his teeth as he was nearly forced back by Desast only to regain his footing and keep his ground.
"Even if I should disappear, as long as this world remains, so shall the memories we share!" Kirika called out, "That's why I'll protect the world as the doctor wishes! That's the only way-!"
Kirika's thoughts were interrupted by the surface of the ocean exploding outwards on both sides of the aircraft carrier. Two missile-like capsules pierced through before the shell broke mid-air, Tsubasa and Chris in one while Saber and Blades were in the other. All four leapt out of their capsules and entered the battlefield.
Tsubasa immediately made a beeline for Kirika, rushing in with rapid sword slashes. Kirika leapt back and retrieved her scythe, entering a brief duel of speed and close ranged weaponry with Tsubasa. Chris meanwhile went to restrain Shirabe who was too weak to fight back due to her stamina being lowered alongside no longer having her armor on.
"Don't butt in, dess!" Kirika called out as she exchanged blows with Tsubasa.
Blades and Saber both went for Desast and Espada respectively, the two breaking up the clash of Swordsman of Megid. Blades performed a few graceful slashes, water escaping from them to force Desast to leap back while Saber clashed blades with Espada.
"Touma," Espada called out as relief filled his voice before quickly stepping back to break out of the clash, lowering his wepaon, "Thank goodness you all made it."
"Eh?" Saber tilted his head at those words.
"Where's that damn Ver?!" Chris called out as she kept a tight grip on Shirabe, "Where's the wielder of Solomon's Cane?!"
"Hey don't be so rough with her!" Espada called out as he held a hand forward, "The two of us aren't fighting against you all anymore!"
"Wait, what?" Saber questioned.
"Excuse me?!" Chris asked in surprise.
Kirika had heard the commotion and glanced back to see Shirabe had been captured. But that one glance was all Tsubasa needed to secure an advantage, holding the tip of her blade extremely close to Kirika's neck.
"Just what is going on here?" Blades asked as he kept a ready stance near Desast.
"The party's just about to start…" Desast gave a chuckle before looking up.
Maria's eyes widened as the situation escalated, "Everyone!"
"I see things aren't going well," Calibur's voice echoed through the ship as a dark corridor opened, Calibur exiting it alongside the Plain Ahiru and Medusa Megid's. He looked at the current situation and gave a hum, "Oh?"
"On the contrary," Ver gave a smirk as he leaned over and pressed a few buttons on the middle dashboard, "It is time for us to tilt the scales back in our favor, as dramatically… and as romantically as possible!"
"You don't mean…" Maria started.
The sequence of buttons that Ver had hit was to allow the bay doors to open, dropping something… or rather, someone down towards the battlefield.
"~Rei Shénshòujìng rei zizzl~"
"What?" Saber immediately lifted his head up as he recognized the voice that sung the chant almost instantly, "That voice!"
"That's why he wanted her?!" Espada questioned as he looked up in shock, causing the Rider and Wielders of Section 2 to look over at him in surprise.
A shining white light with hints of purple flashed for a second before a person impacted against the aircraft carrier. Steel was torn up and dust was kicked up upon landing, and everyone could only stare as the dust slowly but surely cleared to reveal who it was. She was wearing a purple and white Symphogear that held bulkier armor towards her legs alongside her head. She gave a thousand yard stare but there was no mistaking who it was.
"Mi…" Saber barely choked out as he tried to find the words, "Mi…"
His sentiment of shock was shared by Hibiki who was watching the video feed alongside the members of Section 2. The Swordsman of Flame finally managed to gather the courage to speak just as the former Wielder of Gungnir did, the two speaking the name of their friend in tandem without realizing it…
"Miku…"
To Be Continued…
Author's Notes: It was mentioned that there'd be more chaos going forward as we reach G's endpoint and I'd agree. Got some fun stuff from the brief clash of Kanade and Daishinji, to Kento and Shirabe both defecting at the same time, alongside Touma being right on the frontlines with Miku now arriving in Shénshòujìng.
Probably one of my favorite bits to write though was the little flashback of how exactly Touma met both Hibiki and Miku. Figured it would be nice to have Touma reflecting on that given the circumstances at the time. Not much else to say other than thanks for reading and I'll see you all next time.