Sympho-Saber: Song of Swords
GX: EP02 – Shrouded Phoenix No More
Just before the Zwei Wing Concert Tragedy…
Kanade was currently walking around, a white hooded cloak draped over her idol dress for the evening show. She was trying to take her mind off of everything since it wasn't long till hers and Tsubasa's show started. Admittedly she wasn't paying attention where she was going and let out a light gasp as she bumped into someone.
"Jeez I'm out of it…" Kanade muttered as she backed away, "You alright?"
"Yeah…" The person she had bumped into was a man in a lab coat with black messy hair that went down to his chin, "Sorry about that."
"Hey wait," Kanade soon realized who she was talking to, "What's one of you guys doing up here?"
"Oh is that you… Kanade Amou, right?" The man asked as he bent over to glance under Kanade's hood, "Good, I was actually looking for either you or your partner."
"Wait, why?" Kanade asked.
"Oh Ryoko asked me to give this to you, something about helping with the concert today," The man said as he held out a strange orange paged and black covered small book with a phoenix on it, "I'm not exactly sure how… I uh… just started last week admittedly."
"No sweat," Kanade said as she took the small book, glad that their dresses had some hidden pockets as she tucked it in, "You can leave it to me."
"Thank you," The man gave a bow before turning to walk away.
"Hey what's your name anyway?" Kanade asked, "I'll probably be seeing you around."
"Oh, I doubt you'll remember but… it's Isaac," The man answered while keeping his back facing Kanade, giving a sinister smile while the Wielder was none the wiser.
"Well that was a thing," Kanade admitted before getting curious and taking out the small book briefly, seeing the title on it, "Eternal Phoenix, huh? Sounds cool…" she said pocketing the book before walking off to find Tsubasa.
Present Day
Kanade groaned as she began to wake up, soon giving a slight gasp as she quickly sat up before looking around. She was actually using her old cloak as a makeshift pillow as she was lying on a roof that was overlooking the stadium in London that was holding the Charity Rock Festival.
She wasn't exactly sure why she was here. After all, if there was someone who probably could have easily given her answers it was Hibiki. Every time they clashed she was able to get something, and when she was temporarily incapacitated during the Cinema Incident, she still felt a strange pull towards Hibiki. But then when she reformed after the battle she remembered Tsubasa walking up to her.
"Just how seriously do you take your life?"
…
"So try to take better care of yourself, alright?"
Kanade couldn't help but sigh as she stood up, dusting her black coat off as she looked up at the night sky. There was something about Tsubasa and those words of concern that made Kanade interested in the wielder of Ame no Habakiri. Her thoughts on Tsubasa however would come to a halt as she received a strange chill before her head immediately jerked towards the stadium.
"Something's not right…"
[AOKI YAJUU NO TATEGAMI GA SORA NI NABIKU! FANTASTIC LION~!]
Carol narrowed her eyes as the smoke dispersed from the crater she had made when assaulting Hibiki and Rintaro with her elemental attack. Splashes of water could be seen as Blades had shielded Hibiki utilizing Fantastic Lion's enhanced water capabilities. He was on one knee while Hibiki had been knocked off her feet despite the defense.
"Are you alright?" Blades asked.
"Y-Yeah…" Hibiki said shakily as she managed to stand up straight.
"The Rider has donned his armor," Carol said as she noticed Hibiki made no attempt to try and transform, "Why won't you don your Symphogear? Why won't you fight?"
"Before we fight, I want to hear why you want to shatter the world!" Hibiki called out.
Carol began to lower herself, perching on top of a piece of rock that was jutting out, her hat covering her eyes, "If I tell you the reason, will you step aside?"
"I…" Hibiki trailed, "I don't want to fight!"
"Hibiki…" Blades glanced back before turning his attention back on Carol, keeping a defensive stance. Admittedly he wasn't sure he wanted to fight either, Carol declared herself as an enemy… but her appearance was what was making it hard for him to want to go all out.
"Unlike you, I have a cause worth fighting for!" Carol called out.
Miku was currently walking down the street with Kirika, Shirabe and her other friends that had joined them at Chris' apartment to watch Tsubasa and Maria live.
"And here I was hoping we could have a nice sleepover together," Yumi admitted.
"We can't play around while they're out there fighting for us," Shiori reminded.
"It worked out because Hina had the keys to Kinechri's place," Kuriyo said before looking over, "How come you did, though?"
"Good question," Miku paused before giving a sheepish smile, "I don't know. Hibiki must've given them to me at some point."
"Excuse us, dear Senpais," Kirika said as she made her way to the front of the group with Shirabe, giving a salute, "But we live this way, dess!"
"Thanks for having us," Shirabe said with a short bow.
"Be seeing you, dess!" Kirika shouted, grabbing Shirabe's arm before running off with her in tow.
"Bye-bye!" Yumi said with a few waves.
"Take care!" Miku called out, "Now then… I should buy some rice balls from the convenience store."
"Oh?" Yumi turned in surprise.
"Well, well," Shiori also turned.
"I thought you'd be more worried," Kuriyo admitted.
"Helping people is what Hibiki does, she'll be fine," Miku reassured with a hint of confidence in her tone before going to head her own way, "Touma's likely to be helping too. If anything, I'm more worried about Hibiki in particular coming home on an empty stomach."
Her three friends were surprised to see how confident Miku was in her friends' abilities. But even through her confidence, Miku couldn't help but think back a bit at everything that had happened so far.
…
"I have to protect you, Hibiki!"
"One day, when I'm really in trouble… You can save me then. But today, let me do my part."
…
…
"I don't want to let you fight."
"But I will fight all the same."
…
…
"I owe you one, Miku."
"In the end you helped her out more than anyone could."
…
…
Despite being a while ago, her thoughts drifted back to the peak of the Frontier Incident, where she had been used like a puppet by Ver. And while she did save Hibiki from Gungnir, just that alone wasn't enough to fill the strange emptiness she felt. She wanted to be there for her and Touma, she wanted to help them on her own terms… but what could she do aside from cheer them on and hope for the best?
Earlier into the night, Chris and Touma had been dropped off by the SONG Helicopter. They were a good distance away from the burning buildings in order to see if they could find the culprit.
"The rescue mission from the burning building is going smoothly thanks to Hibiki and Rintaro," Aoi reported.
"I can't let her have all the glory," Chris gave a smirk.
"Then we'll have to do our best," Touma shook his fist in encouragement.
CLINK
The two perked up hearing small impacts up into the air before an explosion was soon heard. The two turned only to watch as the Helicopter that had been nearby burst into a fiery blaze.
Chris began looking around rapidly before spotting an odd figure that seemed to be a woman standing atop the monorail tracks nearby in an odd pose.
"Did you do that?!" Chris shouted.
"Huh?" Touma looked up, "What's with that-"
"Hehehe…"
A burst of flames happened behind the two, both quickly turning as they saw a Goblin Megid jump out of the flames. The Megid landed in a crouched state as it held its kanabo staff, both ends being lit on fire. Chris then got back to back with Touma, keeping an eye on the strange woman.
Unbeknownst to either Rider or Wielder, someone else was watching the current situation. It was the same small hooded girl that was trying to run away before.
"We've lost the dispatch helicopter!" Aoi called out.
Genjuro stood up, "What's going on?!"
"It seems the Kamen Riders and Gear Wielders are under attack!" Aoi reported.
"We've also received reports from London that Tsubasa and Kento are engaged in battle!" Sakuya reported as well.
"At the same time…?" Sophia asked.
'Are they trying to throw us into turmoil? However…' Genjuro thought before quickly sitting down and pressing a button at his station, "Ogawa!"
A screen popped up with an Audio Only sign, Ogawa answering, "Sir!"
"We don't yet have enough information to determine the enemy's objective," Genjuro said.
"Roger. I'll work with the iAS and MI5 to assess the situation," Ogawa responded.
"Remember to only transform if necessary, but…" Sophia trailed.
"I know, I might not have much of a choice," Ogawa admitted before hanging up.
Coins began to strike around Chris and Touma, one taking a few strands off Chris' hair while one managed to get Touma to help as it tore part of his hat, shifting it slightly.
"That person up there…" Touma muttered, realizing the way those coins were thrown was completely inhuman.
"I am ready," The strange woman spoke up.
"Wonderful. Then I won't feel bad about this afterwards," Chris said as she drew out her Pendant, "Alright bookworm, I've got her, you got the Megid, so lets kick their asses and send them packing!"
"Well we don't have much of a choice," Touma said as he readied his Swordriver before bringing out both Brave Dragon and Saiyuu Journey, slotting both into place before gripping his Seiken's hilt before drawing it out.
"~Killter Ichaival tron~"
"Henshin!"
[REKKA BATTOU! KISEKI NO SAIYUU DRAGON!]
Flames surrounded the two as red light soon began to pierce through, dispersing the flames and revealing Chris in her Symphogear Armor alongside Saber Saiyuu Dragon.
Chris brought out her crossbows, twirling them before unleashing a rapid fire volley of energy bolt after energy bolt against the strange woman. Despite this hailstorm of long ranged attacks, the strange woman was able to dodge each of them with expertise and grace.
Saber meanwhile swung his left arm as he closed in, the pole of his Saiyuu Arm launching out and striking at the Goblin Megid who used its staff to block and bat away his attempts. He then braced as he held up Rekka, the Goblin Megid unleashing burst of flame forward. Saber ran through the flames before giving a yell and slashing at the Goblin Megid who simply kept laughing.
'Her movements aren't superhuman… they're just not human at all!' Chris thought as she watched the strange woman grasp two of her energy bolts, crushing the constructs. Chris aimed a crossbow forward, this time adding additional layers to increase her output, "Well looks like this makes you easy to deal with!"
"Commanders…" Sakuya trailed.
"Yes?" Sophia asked.
"What is it?" Genjuro asked.
"Could these be related to that mysterious signature we detected last night?" Sakuya asked.
"An unknown presence turns out to be a new adversary…" Genjuro trailed.
"Do you think it could be related to the Megid?" Sophia asked.
"They could be… but…" Genjuro trailed.
"If only we had an easy way to see if they were attacking," Sakuya sighed in frustration, hating their lack of progress on that front.
Chris continued to unleash her bursts of energy bolts, but unfortunately her firepower was being matched by the woman who was bringing out several coins to deflect each and every bolt.
The hooded girl could only observe further, "She has the most offensive power of all the Symphogear users, with superb phonic gain, and yet she still can't touch Leiur."
Chris and Leiur began to run towards the side, following each other's movements while continuing to fire their projectiles at one another. It didn't take long for the two to move at faster speeds, becoming blurs as they most that could be seen were their projectiles sparking against each other in brief clashes.
"I have to bring them Dvergr Dainn's legacy as soon as possible," The hooded girl realized.
Leiur landed on a building while Chris shifted her left crossbow into its Gatling gun state. The Symphogear Wielder aimed and fired away, Leiur managing to keep ahead of the bullets to dodge every one of them. Leiur eventually leapt to the ground, running across it towards Chris before leaping upwards to strike from above.
But that's what Chris wanted, her skirt armor popping open to reveal dozens of missiles loaded in, launching them all at Leiur.
{MEGA DETH PARTY}
Leiur's eyes widened as she gave a gasp, the missiles striking against her as the smoke from the explosive attack covered her from view.
The hooded girl's eyes widened, "A hit?!"
"Nice one Chris!" Saber called out before giving a like grunt and hopping away from the Goblin Megid, it bringing its staff down against the ground, "Now then!"
[SAIYUU JOURNEY!]
Saber quickly hopped onto a red cloud that formed beneath him, launching forward and slashing at the Goblin Megid, managing to break past its defenses and cut into it. The Goblin Megid yelled out as it began spinning its kanabo staff around before swinging forward, unleashing fireballs at Saber who began to zip around at various heights to avoid them.
Soon enough the swordsman of Flame got high enough to where he leapt off of his cloud, dropping down and slashing past the Goblin Megid. He landed and went into a roll, ending up near Chris.
In London, Espada, Maria and Tsubasa were all staring down the Autoscorer who seemed to be no worse for wear.
"Alright…" Espada trailed as he stepped forward.
"Espada… allow me," Tsubasa raised her sword and brandished it before rushing and thrusting forward. The Autoscorer had met her attack head on, deflecting her sword and knocking it out of her hand. This seemed to be planned however as once the tip of Ame no Habakiri pointed downwards, the weapon shifted into a massive sword.
It caught the Autoscorer off guard, landing on top of her and shoving her down several floors of the stadium.
"Did you get her?" Maria asked.
"I only knocked her through the floor," Tsubasa admitted.
"So we have some time to breathe," Espada let out a breath as he tried to figure out a strategy, "If we-Ow!"
"We're leaving, come on!" Maria had stomped on the Riders foot before grabbing Tsubasa and dragging her away much to the blue-haired Wielders confusion.
"I suppose we don't have much of a choice," Espada hissed out before running after the two.
"So did you get her?" Saber asked.
"Like hell I did," Chris said as she stared directly at the smoke, "Stop screwing around and show yourself already!"
The smoke began to clear, Leiur's arms forward as a yellow barrier had been formed from the coins she held.
"Hehehe…!" The Goblin Megid laughed as it spun its staff in the air, unleashing fireballs while Leiur launched out more coins towards both Chris and Saber now.
The two quickly rushed to run and dodge from the projectiles, both trying to figure out a way to turn the tides.
"What's going on, Chris, Touma?" Aoi asked through communications.
"We've got Megid!" Saber called out, "And something else too!"
"How are you guys holding up? Did you run into something?" Chris asked.
"Watch out!"
Chris and Saber looked back when they heard the voice only to see something catch their eyes from above. Looking up they watched as multiple boats were falling towards them.
"You've got to be shitting me!" Chris gasped out with wide eyes.
Saber could only yell, "Why boats?!"
Both Rider and Wielder jumped away from the boats just barely… except the boats exploded on impact and as a result sent both of them flying.
Leiur was observing from a building while the Goblin Megid had gotten unlucky and gotten caught near the explosion, being blown back as well.
"I'm hardly the subdued type, but this is a bit too much even for me," Leiur said as she stared out into the ocean, a gigantic figure hidden by fog with a glowing yellow eye holding two boats in its hands, "Time to turn down the volume a little."
The giant faded away as the boats it held soon fell back into the water.
Leiur closed her eyes, "Now, then."
Kirika and Shirabe were at a crosswalk waiting for the pedestrian signal to come on so they could cross. The two were currently recalling what Chris had told them when they had asked to help as well.
"You two hold down the fort here! You're not fighting out there without LiNKER!"
"It makes sense if you think about it," Shirabe admitted.
"Despite how they seem, they're kind to a fault, really," Kirika nodded, "When we were taken into custody after the Frontier incident, the girls we once faced as enemies came to take care of us."
"They may consider it custody, but they even let us attend school," Shirabe replied as she thought back to their first day at Lydian and how welcoming Hibiki, Miku, Chris and their friends were, "Not to mention the freedom we have and how welcoming Touma and the other Riders were."
"Yeah, it still is incredible to step into that store," Kirika admitted, her childlike nature having kicked into overdrive when she saw how colorful Fantastic Bookstore Kamiyama was, "I never would have imagined living this happily in FIS's headquarters."
Despite the light signaling for them to walk, and others walking ahead who were waiting, the two stood where they were.
"Can't we support them somehow?" Shirabe asked.
"I want to do something, whatever it is, dess," Kirika agreed as she pulled out her Pendant to look at it, "We have the power to help them right here."
"Don't forget that power on its own isn't enough to change things, Kiri," Shirabe reminded.
"Now back to our report on the fire tearing through a high-rise apartment building and its surroundings."
The news broadcast interrupted their thoughts and caught the their attention, both Wielders looking up at the monitor showing the current situation.
"While details are still unclear, there have been multiple reports of suspicious individuals. We cannot rule out the possibility of a terrorist attack."
Just then the helicopter in the footage suddenly exploded.
Shirabe stared in surprise, "Did it just…"
"…explode in mid-air, dess?!" Kirika asked.
"Something else must be going down," Shirabe realized.
Back with Chris and Saber, the two were hiding behind some large bushes, peaking out and staring at the destruction the boats had caused.
"She's really going to town…" Chris muttered.
"Those… those were boats…" Saber muttered, still in shock over the turn of events, "They threw boats at us?"
"Oh come on after everything, boats are the issue?" Chris gave a bored stare before smacking Saber lightly on the cheek, "Remember what we've been through?"
"I know but it's still ridiculous when you think about it," Saber sighed as he rubbed his cheek.
"Are you two okay?"
The two turned when they heard the voice again.
"Yeah," Chris nodded, "I-"
"W-What happened to your clothes?!" Saber yelped as he suddenly sat and faced away on his knees while bowing his head. Indeed, the hooded girl was simply wearing a black and purple rimmed hood, with only black panties and boots as undergarments.
"Who are you?" The girl asked.
Chris was startled by the girl's lack of clothes as well but realized she needed to hide her identity, so she quickly covered her face while deepening her voice, "T-The name's Little Red Singing Hood. I have no relation to the UN or Japanese government at all!"
"Okay I get the cover story…" Saber sighed when he heard this, "But that last part…?"
"I work day and night to make the wor-!"
"You're the wielder of the Ichaival Symphogear," The girl said, "Chris Yukine, right? And the gentleman with you is Touma Kamiyama, Kamen Rider Saber."
"Eh?" Saber gasped but kept facing the other way, "You know all of that?"
"Wait your voice…" Chris suddenly realized, "You're the one who helped us earlier!"
The girl removed her hood, revealing fluffly blonde-green hair, "My name is Elfnein. I've been looking for you and your friends to help me protect the world from Carol's Alchemy."
"Alchemy…?" Chris asked.
"Are you guys getting this?" Saber asked as he contacted SONG Headquarters.
"Alchemy…?" Aoi asked, "You mean that hyper-advanced technology that existed before science and magic diverged?"
"That would mean we are against a heretical discipline different from that of the Symphogear," Sakuya realized, "But wait…"
"I recall from what little texts we have on the matter, the Megid attempted alchemy or something similar to try and recreate the Great Book," Sophia mused, "That is how the Alter Ride Books came into existence."
"A new enemy… Alchemists…?" Genjuro asked, "One's that could very likely have close ties to the Megid at that…"
"What should we do?" Sophia asked.
"I need estimation on all modes and combinations of transportation," Genjuro said as he stood up and adjusted his coat, slipping his arms through the sleeves to fully put it on, "Relay it to me once you figure out the fastest method to get there."
"You're going to go out sir?" Sakuya asked.
"With Sophia here I can afford to leave command to her," Genjuro said "I plan on grabbing Daishinji as well."
"No need," Daishinji said as he entered, hefting up Gekido for Genjuro to take as he was already dressed in his coat and had Suzune in its holster, "We'll cut the time on prep work. Just get us estimates."
Back with Carol, Blades and Hibiki, a young man was managing to record the confrontation on his phone from a corner, hidden away.
"Now, what's the best way to sell this juicy footage to a TV channel?" The young man asked with a grin, surprised he was able to get a scoop. He was glad he wasn't seen, ready to slink away and make a run for it once he was far enough.
"Filming private events without permission, are we?" a voice asked as walking up to the surprised man was a pale girl in a blue dress, she placed her hand on his chin to startle him but hold him in place, "Now, now, didn't your mother raise you better than that?"
The man's eyes widened as he was pulled into a kiss, his life force being drained completely as his skin and hair turned white. It didn't take long for the pale girl to drop him, the corpse falling to the ground. The girl could only lick her lips with a grin, satisfied with her work. Of course this had all gone unnoticed by the three combatants nearby. Though calling the third a combatant…
Hibiki finally spoke up, repeating Carol's declaration, "A cause worth fighting for?"
"Indeed," Carol gave a nod, "You had one yourself, didn't you? That's why you prevented the destruction of the Moon with your songs. You fought with your songs, with your Symphogear!"
"No! I had no other choice!" Hibiki called out, "I didn't want to do it that way. I didn't want to fight! I wanted to use my Symphogear… to protect people!"
"Words well spoken," Blades gave a nod, "We fight Noise alongside monsters like the Megid and we don't like having to fight fellow humans. Especially a girl-"
"How the name of Logos has fallen if you're one of their current Swordsmen," Carol spoke up in a disgusted tone, "The old wielders of the Seiken would do whatever it took to bring peace even if they failed spectacularly in some instances. But now…" she paused before forming a yellow magic circle beneath her, "Both of you, face me with all that is within your power."
"Eh?" Blades raised an eyebrow at this.
"I don't want to use a power meant to help people for fighting," Hibiki called out.
"Do you too, mean to die helping people?!" Carol questioned as she raised her arms, forming another magic circle above her as the area began to shake from the power she was ready to unleash.
Blades glanced back at Hibiki, surprised to see his friend not donning her armor to at least defend herself. He took a deep breath and steadied his grip, having felt his hands shake as he didn't want to fight what was seemingly a small girl. He sheathed Nagare into his Swordriver before readying himself.
[HISSATSU DOKUHA!]
"But…" Hibiki called out as she ignored what Blades was doing, "When I saw you before, you were crying! I don't want to fight you! I want to find out why!"
"You spied on me… you invaded my privacy…" Carol spoke between gritting her teeth in further anger before snapping her fingers, "Turn to dust, along with the world!"
[NAGARE BATTOU!]
Blades drew his sword while standing in front of Hibiki, stabbing downwards water bursting forth from his Seiken and wrapping around both him and Hibiki as a water sphere. Carol had added a symbol to her magic circles, finally unleashing an explosive blast of yellow energy against the two.
[PEGASUS! LION! PETER FAN! SANSATSU GIRI! W-W-W-WATER!]
Hibiki's eyes widened as she saw Blades unleash his finisher to protect both of them, the yellow energy engulfing the sphere of water they were encased in before breaking it apart. She could only scream while Blades yelled out.
The explosive blast began to fade, Carol nearly hunching over and breathing heavily.
Thankfully both Blades and Hibiki had managed to survive, Hibiki's clothes scuffed up though Blades had gotten the worst of it as he had reverted back to his base form of Lion Senki.
Blades could only cough out as he laid on his back, his extra Wonder Ride Books near him as his suit had some scuffs and cuts in it.
Hibiki winced, pushing herself up before her eyes widened, "R-Rintaro!"
"Hibiki…" Blades gave a breath of relief surprisingly as he turned towards her, "Are you alright?"
"Of course I am!" Hibiki called out as she quickly crawled over to him, "Why did you do that?!"
"You are my precious family…" Blades coughed out as he grasped Hibiki's hand when she reached forward, "I couldn't let her hurt you while you were unable to defend yourself."
"I…" Hibiki looked up at Carol, "Why do you want to destroy the world? Why are you going so far that you'd hurt others as well?"
"It is a task left to me by my father," Carol answered, "Do you not have one of your own?"
"Father…?" Blades coughed out before going silent at realizing he couldn't exactly relate to that kind of thinking specifically, "I…"
"Your father…" Hibiki said as she looked up at the alchemist, figuring what Carol meant by those words, "I see…"
"What a pain…" The pale blue dressed girl was now sitting on the damaged bridge that overlooked the area.
"Were you watching us?" Carol asked as she didn't bother looking, "You're rotten to the core, Garie."
Garie dropped down and landed near Carol, striking a short ballet pose as she spun around unnaturally with ease, "Please don't say that. You made me this way, Master."
"How goes the collection of memories?" Carol asked.
"According to plan," Garie answered she put a hand to her cheek before she faked herself crying, "Micha's never satisfied, though. She's so greedy!"
"Then let us withdraw for now," Carol said, "On the double."
"Roger! I'll do my best!" Garie saluted, her mood shifting in an instant as she dropped a small crystal onto the ground, creating another magic circle of sorts as she stood atop it before giving a wave and striking another ballet stance, "Farewell!"
In an instant she had vanished, Carol taking out a crystal of her own and dropping it down, "Next time, we will fight. How else will I destroy everything you hold dear?"
Hibiki could only watch as Carol vanished in the same manor Garie had, Blades lightly coughed as he was able to just barely catch Carol leave.
"A task by her father…" Blades muttered, though it was loud enough to be heard by Hibiki, "I wish I could relate to that, but…"
"Rintaro…" Hibiki muttered before shaking her head, "Are you going to be alright?"
"I'll manage…" Blades gasped out before losing his transformation completely, his clothes being roughed up alongside him having scratches and bruises all over him. Hibiki could only stare in concern at her friend, unable to hear the frantic radio chatter from SONG on her earpiece.
Back in London, several agents had been deployed due to the current situation at the concert stadium. Three agents were currently trying to figure out what was going on.
"We are assessing the situation."
"Hurry up and seal exits A3 to 6!"
The three heard footsteps, seeing Maria running out with Tsubasa and Kento, the two having dismissed their transformations for now.
"Agent Maria!"
"Your involvement in this operation is restricted!" One agent called out and despite this the three ran past the agents.
"Sorry, but this is an emergency," Maria said as she stopped near a parked taxi before looking over at the owner of the taxi, "Sorry, but we're borrowing your car."
"You have no such authority!" The agents called out as they drew out their guns.
"Hehehe!"
A Goblin Megid suddenly landed as bolts of electricity struck all three, stunning them before it quickly tapped each of their heads. The agents could only gasp out as their bodies became flattened and red, soon adorning the ground as human shaped markings.
Tsubasa's eyes widened, "A Megid?!"
"So they are involved!" Kento quickly got in front of his allies and drew out Lamp do Alangina.
[SOU TOU BUNDAN! FUUSOUKEN HAYATE!]
In an instant a green blur and a burst of wind occurred, Kenzan flipping over the Goblin Megid and landing in front of it before performing a hand sign, unleashing a burst of wind forward and launching the Megid backwards.
"Stay back," Kenzan called to the terrified taxi owner as he prepared himself for the Goblin Megid's next attack, "You all have a plan right? Go!"
"Thanks," Maria gave a nod before getting in the driver's seat, Tsubasa getting in the front passengers while Kento slid into the back seat. It didn't take long for Maria to get the car started, pressing down on the gas as hard as she could and speeding away from the concert stadium in a flash.
"Just what is going on?" Kenzan questioned before noticing a burst of fire suddenly occur at a distance, a distinct bird-like shape occurring before launching off, "Well at least I know they'll be in safe hands…"
"You're not the one I want…" The Goblin Megid grumbled as it picked itself up.
Chris and Saber had chosen to prioritize extracting Elfnein away from the area when they received a call.
"Someone got the better of both dummies?! Chris asked in shock.
"What's the situation elsewhere?" Saber asked, having heard enough radio chatter while the fight was going on to hear that something was going down with their overseas allies.
"Kento, Maria and Tsubasa are regrouping," Aoi said.
"Is alchemy really stronger than the Riders and Symphogears?" Chris muttered.
"Let's keep faith in them," Saber suggested as he tried to keep a cool head even if he was worrying for all of his friends at the moment.
"Right, we've got a 2-5-2 here," Chris called in, "Pick us up!"
Saber noticed something out of the corner of his eye and gasped, "Dodge!"
Chris grabbed Elfnein and pulled her close, leaping away alongside Saber as they avoided an explosive force crashing into where they were just standing. The two however gave a slight pause when they saw red smoke emerging from the crater as the ground around the crater was slowly eaten away.
"What is this?" Chris asked.
Maria continued to drive forward with little hesitation, seemingly having a destination in mind despite just grabbing the car.
"Don't you think it's about time you explained yourself?" Tsubasa asked.
"Why exactly are we retreating?" Kento asked.
"Just think about it," Maria said, "She was clearly going after Tsubasa, and while you did get in the way Kento, it was easy to tell she was just trying to avoid you. In order to minimize civilian casualties, the best course of action was to take her away from other people."
"Good idea," Kento said as he finally understood what his friend was doing, "Especially since we have Megid after us."
Tsubasa still wasn't satisfied, "All the more reason we should ask for help and-"
"I am under more restrictions than you think," Maria interrupted.
"It's honestly a miracle we were able to get away with what we could," Kento admitted in near exasperation. It helped that the Megid and Calibur were enemies that the UN was now made aware of, allowing for an easy tale of Maria infiltrating their group to thwart their plotting.
Not to mention there was Kento's newly fabricated situation. It was a tale of how he had been placed by Section 2 as a long con to see what Calibur was up to after his betrayal. The two inside agents would then team up and cause chaos from the inside. It made a believable story where Maria was a hero who fought alongside a Kamen Rider on the inside for the sake of the world.
Maria wasn't exactly happy with being used as an idol however, figuratively and literally. Though there was some solace in the fact that Kento would be her acting manager, especially when he showed up to tell her the news personally.
'Even then,' Maria thought, 'This isn't what I should be fighting for!'
Kento caught a glimpse of something before his eyes widened, "No way!"
"Maria!" Tsubasa called out.
Maria soon put her attention back on the bridge they were crossing as there was now an obstacle or rather two in the way. The Autoscorer was standing in the middle of the road alongside Calibur.
Maria narrowed her eyes and stepped on the gas in an attempt to run down or at least bash both of them out of the way.
Of course Calibur immediately leapt back as the Autoscorer drew her arm back before swinging forward, cleaving the car horizontally and tearing off the roof of it. Kento hasped and ducked where he was while Maria and Tsubasa immediately pushed their seats back, the blade just missing them by an inch. As the car road past, Tsubasa immediately drew out her Pendant.
"Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri tron~"
In a flash of blue light, Tsubasa had donned her Symphogear Armor, grabbing both Maria and Kento and leaping out of the car just as the two halves collided into each other and slammed into the side of the bridge they were on, exploding.
"That was too close…" Kento sighed in relief as he was set down alongside Maria.
Tsubasa drew out her sword, expanding it into its enlarged cleaver state, "I'll take the lead, Fukamiya get ready!"
"On it," Kento said as he figured it was time to go all out, especially with Calibur.
Tsubasa charged forward, slashing at the Autoscorer who had blocked with her own sword, the two managing to reach a deadlock.
"My sword is the bane of all blades: Sword Breaker," The Autoscorer said as various red symbols began forming over her blade. It didn't take long for a green flash to occur, white cracks forming along Tsubasa's blade and shattering it back into its starting katana state.
Tsubasa immediately pulled back but kept in a defensive stance as she awaited the Autoscorer's next move.
"What?" Kento's eyes widened before glancing at his Swordriver, wondering why she didn't attempt to use that ability earlier with him.
"Of course you can't use that ability frivolously," Calibur said as he walked over in a calm fashion, "Phara."
"Yes, I know," The Autoscorer now known as Phara nodded before giving a bow, "I take it you finally wish to do the heavy lifting?"
"I do wish to give them a taste of despair," Calibur admitted as he prepared Kurayami, "Both of you, come."
"If you wish to be defeated so badly…" Tsubasa said before glancing at Kento who walked over to her, all three books for Ikazuchi slotted in, she could only smirk as she looked towards the Dark Rider, "Then we'll gladly do so!"
"Henshin!" Kento yelled out as he drew out Ikazuchi.
[IKAZUCHI BATTOU! LAMP DO MAGIN GA SHIN NO CHIKARA WO HAKKI SURU! GOLDEN ALANGINA!]
Yellow needles alongside the Lamp Do Alangina circled around the Swordsman of Thunder as he raised his blade high in the air, it flashing a bright yellow. The image of a Cerberus formed over him, lightning striking and fully transforming him into Kamen Rider Espada, Golden Alangina.
Tsubasa immediately launched forward slashing at Calibur who blocked her slash while backing up. The Wielder of Ame no Habakiri continued to charge forward, Calibur keeping on the defensive before spinning back to avoid a slash, once he completed the spin he stabbed at Tsubasa who simply leapt up into the air.
A stream of lightning was launched from where she was once standing, striking Calibur and causing sparks to fly as he staggered back. He quickly raised his sword, Espada closing the great distance between them at lightning speed. He blocked the swing at him only to glance at something out of the corner of his eye. He quickly backed away to dodge a swipe from Tsubasa who had come in from the side.
The two sword wielders rushed in and slashed in tandem, Tsubasa going for the heavier swings while Espada relied on his speed.
"They're overwhelming him," Maria said but was getting worried by the fact that Phara hadn't stepped in to help Calibur yet. She was ready to keep going until Calibur stopped her, but why was that?
Tsubasa managed to strike against Calibur's gut, Espada going for a heavy downwards slash. The blade of Ikazuchi began growing needles out of it, electricity crackling as Espada yelled out, breaking through Calibur's defense and striking the Dark Rider in the chest.
Calibur gasped out as he staggered back from the assault, holding his chest.
"We'll put our all into stopping your new scheme here and now," Tsubasa declared.
"No matter the cost… this ends tonight!" Espada called out.
"Put your all… no matter the cost…" Calibur repeated as he soon drew out Jaou Dragon, staring at it intently.
"That is the power you wished for."
"However, whether or not a human can master it remains to be seen."
He recalled Storious' words and while he had yet to fully test the book, he had been training his body further in order to make sure it was ready for the moment he needed to use his new power.
"Then I, too, will hold nothing back," Calibur stabbed Kurayami into the ground before holding up Jaou Dragon, opening it up as dark purple and gold smoke escaped from it.
[JAOU DRAGON!]
[Release the power hidden by many dragons clad in the darkness of ultimate evil…]
Tsubasa's eyes widened, "When did he…"
"…get a book like that?" Maria finished as Espada gritted his teeth beneath his helmet.
[JAOU READ!]
Calibur drew out Kurayami, scanning Jaou Dragon on it before replacing the Jaaku Dragon book in his buckle with it. An enlarged version of Jaou Dragon formed behind him as purple flames began to form all around. Holding Kurayami with both hands he slammed the hilt down onto the button of the buckle, opening up Jaou Dragon and revealing it to be a pop-up book similar to Emotional, this one having four gold dragon heads on both sides of a purple dragon with piercing red eyes.
[ANKOKUKEN KURAYAMI!]
[JUMP OUT THE BOOK, OPEN IT AND BURST. THE FEAR OF THE DARKNESS.]
An enhanced version of the Jaaku Dragon, Jaou Dragon flew out with four gold dragons accompanying it, all of them flying around as they began to circle Calibur. Soon enough they slammed into his body in flashes of light, removing his side skirt piece and adding armor to his upper body.
[YOU MAKE RIGHT A JUST, NO MATTER DARK JOKE. FURY IN THE DARK~!]
Calibur's arms were now adorned with spiked golden armor on his outer forearms, his chest piece and shoulders now being gold layered with four dragons resting on the upper portion of it. His helmet was also drastically changed, the mask having broken apart to reveal jagged deep red eyes with a gold jaw and dark red mouth piece, a fierce dragon's head adorning his forehead as he now wore a long black cape.
Black miasma began to be released from his body, the dark energy swirling around before fading into the air as the Dark Rider held his arms out, taking in the power.
[JAOU DRAGON!]
[No one can escape…]
"What is this sinister form?" Tsubasa asked as she shook slightly, catching this she quickly steadied herself.
Espada let out a breath before shaking his head and moving forward, "Take on any form you like, it won't matter!"
"Fukamiya wait!" Tsubasa called out.
Calibur watched as Espada didn't listen and rushed towards him, so he raised Kurayami to block his opponent's first slash. He didn't even need to brace, darkness bursting out and easily keeping Espada from pushing forward. He then slammed his free palm into Espada's chest, darkness bursting forward and sending the Swordsman of Thunder staggering back.
Espada slashed forward several times, trying to break past Calibur's defenses only to be slowly overwhelmed by his opponent turning blocks into counters. The Swordsman of Thunder yelled out as he was struck in the chest, being sent rolling along the concrete. He attempted to get up only for Calibur to grab and slam his head back against the ground, Kurayami being slammed into his body and the force behind the attack sending him scraping across the bridge they were fighting on.
"That's enough!" Tsubasa called out as she ran forward while stabbing her blade into the ground, sparks forming before she slashed upwards, a blue fireball being launched at Calibur.
{Knights Ignited Flash}
Calibur turned holding out his free hand as darkness escaped from it, the darkness allowed him to catch the fireball before slowly engulfing it. He then gave a grunt as he closed his hand, crushing and extinguishing the fireball.
Tsubasa stopped her advance, surprised that Calibur didn't even need his blade to block it.
"I believe it is time…" Calibur said as he glanced at Phara, "Time to give them the ultimate despair."
"Leiur would applaud your theatrics," Phara remarked before bringing out a cluster of gems, dropping them on the ground and causing them to shatter. The ground began to shine a bright red as summoning circles began to bring out very familiar adversaries…
"No way…" Kento gasped out as he held his chest.
"It can't be!" Maria gasped out, "Noise? But how?!"
Before the group was the Symphogear's main adversary once more, the Noise. Though compared to previous encounters there were some things that felt off. While the Noise now somewhat resembled the ones from prior, they still seemed too drastically different. The Noise being off was especially apparent since they all seemingly had peculiar white glowing appendages.
Tsubasa said nothing as she charged forward to slice through the Noise. Despite the return of her old foes alongside Calibur's new dangerous form, she was dead set in making sure that didn't shake her resolve.
At SONG's Submarine headquarters, Genjuro and Daishinji had put their attempted preparations to help out on pause when they were receiving the reports. It seemed as though both Chris and Saber were also dealing with a similar situation of their own. The attack from earlier that both had gotten away from and eaten through the ground was meant to summon Noise.
"Signature identified!" Sakuya called out, "They match the patterns we detected last night!"
Genjuro pounded a fist into his hand as he gritted his teeth, "Weren't Solomon's Cane and the entire treasury of Babylon consumed in a million-degree inferno?!"
"Something's not right…" Daishinji narrowed his eyes.
"We're finally deciphering the strange signal near Ame no Habakiri and Raimeiken Ikazuchi!" Aoi called out as she brought it up on screen, "This is…!"
{ANKOKUKEN KURAYAMI}
{BOOK UNKNOWN}
"An unknown book…?" Sophia asked.
"Not only that but cross referencing data, it appears as though this is outputting as much energy as what we calculated as Emotional Dragon's baseline without Phonic Gain," Aoi added.
Daishinji's eyes widened, "It's what?!"
"You should just be a good girl and let me kill your sword," Phara said as she watched Tsubasa fight against the Noise she had summoned.
"I'm not the type of woman who simply sits back and does what she's told!" Tsubasa shouted as she continued to slice through the incoming horde of Noise, "My friend once told me the sentinel's sword isn't just a pretty face."
"You bring that up now?!" Maria called out in near embarrassment, especially with Kento nearby.
But surprisingly Kento didn't seem to react, the swordsman fully focused on Calibur at the moment. The Swordsman of Thunder simply gave a yell as he tried to slash at Calibur who blocked against his attacks with ease.
{Reverse Rakshasa}
Tsubasa fell onto her hands, performing a handstand and spinning rapidly while extending her ankle blades, continuing to slice through the Noise with ease. Eventually getting back on her feet she sliced through more Noise before readying her blade and stabbing forward, a warrior styled Noise with glowing needles for hands thrusting forward as well to meet her blade by its tip.
Chris meanwhile was unleashing her Gatling guns against the Noise, bullet holes littering the Noise as she kept it up. Saber meanwhile was slashing through the Noise, curious as to why the Noise now had odd glowing appendages for their hands.
"Come at us all you want!" Chris taunted, "You Noise are a piece of cake now!"
Saber managed to get into a clash against one of the Noise, Rekka clashing against the glowing portion of the Noise's body. In a surprising reaction Rekka violently shook before unleashing a burst of flame on its own, knocking the Noise away from it.
"What?" Saber asked in surprise before a smaller Noise tried to slash at his Wonder Ride Books, the Rider Moji symbols appearing around them and forming a barrier that the smaller Noise clashed against before being blown away, "Eh?"
The Swordsman of Flames was surprised to see his Seiken and Wonder Ride Books acting so oddly. But that was also when he realized something. Why were the Noise of all things trying to go for his transformation devices? He didn't have much time to think though…
Chris raised her Gatling gun to block against several Noise that had launched their appendages out like white needles. To both her and Saber's surprise, the needles began to burn through and dissolve Chris' weapon. The Wielder of Ichaival could only watch in shock as her Gatling gun was shattered not long after.
"What?!"
"That's what you get for assuming these are Noise," Leiur said, standing atop a lamp post.
It didn't take long for the needles to close in, striking at Chris' pendant crystal, cracks forming as her armor began to break apart as a result.
"It's breaking…?" Saber's eyes widened behind his mask before rushing forward, "Chris!"
"Hehehe!"
The Goblin Megid quickly landed in front of him and stabbed at him with its kanabo staff, forcing Saber to block with the flat of his blade. Saber could only grit his teeth as he could hear SONG on communications going crazy over what was just occurring.
"What does she mean, they're not Noise?!" Genjuro's voice could be heard.
"That explains everything now," Saber said before giving a yell and pushing forward, managing to force the Goblin Megid away, "They were too different from the others… but even with that information…"
"Hehehe…" The Goblin Megid laughed as it stood in between him and his now defenseless friend.
Carol was currently sitting on a throne in a massive almost ancient styled mechanical room. Four stands were in the center, with one being occupied by another Autoscorer that was currently standing atop it motionless.
"Alca-Noise… What will you do now, Symphogear?!" Carol called out as she observed the situation, seeing her results happen as she predicted. Especially when she had seen Kaenken Rekka and the Wonder Ride Books actively defend themselves against the Alca-Noise attacks.
Her dramatic declaration however was paused when she saw the current situation in London wasn't the same as what was happening in Japan.
"That's…"
"I won't let you off the hook with a simple defeat," Phara said as she watched the Alca-Noise Tsubasa was clashing with do its job.
The Alca-Noise's needle hand began to disintegrate Ame no Habakiri by its tip. The weapon broke apart as it pushed forward, using Tsubasa's shock to close in.
[BATTOU!]
A fireball suddenly slammed into the Alca-Noise before it could even reach Tsubasa. Phoenix Wings spreading out before the fires burst apart revealing Falchion. The Alca-Noise could only fall back and burn into ashes as it was unable to move forward.
"You…" Tsubasa trailed as she threw away her sword as it fully disintegrated.
[ETERNAL PHOENIX!]
"So you showed up," Phara said.
Falchion got in a defensive stance as it stood between Tsubasa and Phara. Tsubasa meanwhile looked back to see the remaining Alca-Noise beginning to approach.
"I can't let those things hit me," Tsubasa realized, figuring she'd have to play it smart since she was sure they were to get more aggressive now, bringing out two broadsword styled weapons and readying them as she got ready for the incoming attacks.
Espada meanwhile was completely ignoring the current events, getting continuously frustrated that he wasn't able to get past Calibur. He sheathed Ikazuchi, initiating his finisher.
[HISSATSU DOKUHA!]
Calibur responded by silently closing up his Jaou Dragon Book, drawing it out of his buckle and scanning it against his sword.
[HISSATSU READ! JAOU DRAGON!]
[IKAZUCHI BATTOU!]
Espada yelled as he drew out Ikazuchi, electricity crackling while he held the weapon in both hands.
[CERBERUS! HEDGEHOG! ALANGINA! SANSATSU GIRI! T-T-T-THUNDER!]
Darkness began pouring out of Calibur's sword as he got in a defensive stance before initiating his finisher.
[KURAYAMI HISSATSU GEKI!]
Espada had launched forward at high speeds only for Calibur to hold out a hand, the armoring on him glowing as the four gold dragons launched out of his armor. The four dragons butted their heads against Espada's strike, holding him back.
Calibur then gathered all the darkness around him into his blade before slashing forward, the Jaou Dragon forming out of it and launching against Espada. The five dragons began to push Espada, dragging him back before pushing forward once more.
[SHUUTOKU ISSEN!]
Espada yelled out as the five dragons rammed into him, an explosion of dark energy occurring as he was sent rolling back and out of his transformation.
"Kento!" Maria nearly screamed out, catching Falchion and Tsubasa's attention, the two startled by the fact that Calibur had easily beaten a Wonder Combo by himself.
"I admire that tenacity of yours," Calibur admitted as he began to approach, "But despite your training you are still a novice."
"Shut up…" Kento hissed out as he tried to pick himself up before wincing and falling forward, dark wisps of energy exiting his body.
"Now then… return to the darkness from whence you came," Calibur said as he raised his sword up, dark energy beginning to form from its blade as he seemingly planned to strike Kento down.
"Fukamiya!"
Calibur caught the yell and the dark energy immediately dispelled itself as he went to slash down, Tsubasa immediately dashing forward to get in the way of the attack. The Symphogear Wielder had crossed her replacement swords to block the strike as she readied herself.
Tsubasa gave a glare, "You won't hurt my comra-"
To her surprise, she was grabbed and thrown out of the way by Falchion of all people.
Falchion had followed after Tsubasa immediately when the Wielder tried to defend Kento. It didn't take long for her to raise her blade up to defend Kento instead.
Calibur yelled out as he slashed downwards, breaking past Falchion's raised blade and digging Kurayami into her shoulder.
Falchion gasped out, sparks flying from her shoulder as energy crackled, her distorted voice fading as she gave a familiar yell, slashing out at Calibur who had backed away to avoid it. The world turned silent as Falchion fell onto her hands and knees, the slash not being strong enough to kill her but enough to force her transformation off. An orange glow surrounded her armor before tearing apart and revealing Kanade who had not donned her hooded cloak to hide her identity, thus revealing herself to everyone present.
Tsubasa's eyes widened as she saw this take place, her head growing light and dizzy as she tried to take in what she was seeing. She was so distracted she was unable to notice another warrior styled Alca-Noise rushing towards her alongside Maria's warning.
snip
The Alca-Noise had struck at Tsubasa's pendant just below her neck, cracking it and causing her armor to break apart and dissolve. Despite this she could only manage to utter one word…
"Kanade…?"
To Be Continued…
Author's Note: I always figured if I was spreading Q1 of Saber out this far, this had to be the spot where Jaou Dragon debuted. I was very much trying to push how the situation is completely spiraling out of control at the moment. Not only that but there's information overload for everyone as the cat's finally out of the bag to Tsubasa, Maria and Kento. It won't be long until everyone in SONG is aware of this development.
Aside from that, this chapter is relatively the same but of course adding in the Megid as a factor. Though there are a lot of minor bits that are important for later on. Curious to see if anyone will catch them, since while not major are still noticeable I feel. With that out of the way, thanks for reading and I'll see you all for the next update.