Symph-Saber: Song of Swords
GX:EP09 – Reignited Wings
At the Château de Tiffauges, Leiur and Phara stood waiting for Carol to make her next move after her revival. Storious was also in the area alongside the last remaining Goblin Megid.
Carol stood up before a sudden pulse of pain shot through her, clutching her chest as she fell to one knee.
"Master," Leiur called out.
"Is your last spare body malfunctioning?" Phara asked.
"The high-speed installation of my memories puts great stress on the body," Carol admitted, "Furthermore the memory of my suicide is causing a rejection."
"What shall we do?" Leiur asked.
"Proceed with the plan, of course," Carol answered as she stood up and began looking around the throne room.
Six pillars now stood surrounding the podiums the Autoscorers would use. Upon each one was a Ride Book that was related to one of the Riders from SONG. All of them were pulsating with their respective colors, all except for the one that held the title 'Story of Onjuuken Suzune'.
"It is a good thing you allied with us," Storious chuckled, "Our backup plan is proceeding smoothly and needs only one piece."
"Thanks to the two that took Micha out, if I need to reconstruct recordings then I shall," Carol answered as she was not about to let Storious get complacent, "So my side is very much still on track and your side will always still be, the backup."
"Very well," Storious simply bowed, "However, I was wondering about one thing…"
"After his defeat alongside Micha, it seems as though Calibur has vanished," Carol said as she looked at the Megid Leader as she already knew his question, "If he's somehow survived it seems he's abandoned our plans since he hasn't shown his face."
"I suppose so," Storious said as he turned away before walking off, "Use the final Megid in order to secure the backup just in case."
"Of course, I'm not about to let this moment pass me by," Carol replied as she began to smirk. Once Leiur had delivered the Ankokuken Kurayami she had it hidden away in a storage room. Since Calibur had yet to revive she assumed he'd been fully defeated. Normally she would be interested in a Seiken itself, especially Kurayami given its properties, but that wouldn't matter in the long run.
Touma was currently in Daishinji's workshop, watching as the swordsmith was hunched over the main console.
Daishinji was making sure calibrations were correct before a ding was heard. He could only smirk as he opened up the main bookcase of the console to draw out three new Ride Books. They were a part of the Gear Class Books that he had been making.
"They're completed," Daishinji said as he walked over to a table to place them on, "The remaining Gear Ride Books."
All of them had the same white covers the other books had, though these had pink, green, and silver spines/pages to them.
The book with the pink pages was titled, 'Ōkyo Shul Shagana'. A pink-ish red curved blade covering most of the front cover with a silhouetted person wielded a bladed shield standing in front of it.
'Gokuren Igalima' was the title of book with green pages. It had a green curved blade covering most of the front cover with a silhouetted person wielding a scythe standing in front of it.
The last of the three with the silver pages was 'Ginwan Airgetlám' an open silver left hand rising up and covering most of the front cover. There was a silhouetted person with a numerous knives floating around them in front of it.
"So these would function like the other Gear Ride Books, right?" Touma asked.
"Yes," Daishinij nodded, "They'll likely come in handy during the coming fights."
"That's good to hear," Touma admitted, "While they can be used normally like giving us new armor for our base forms, they're also pretty handy to use in the Boosters."
"Yes, plus having more to toss around would be good," Daishinji added, "As of right now Ogawa's hanging on to Ame no Habakiri's, Rintaro with Ichaival's, and you with Gungnir's."
"Right, so are we going to split these up too?" Touma asked.
"It's been decided that you should hold onto them for now," Daishinji said as he took all three before holding them out.
"Alright," Touma said as he took the Ride Books, "Its cause of the mission today, right?"
"Yes, I'd rather you be at your strongest in case something happens," Daishinji replied.
"Right," Touma said before getting a text and looking at his phone, "Ah, Miku said she's on her way."
"Good, we'll likely leave immediately after she arrives then," Daishinji said, "So what was keeping her?"
"She was insistent on at least making sure Hibiki got her examination done," Touma replied, "Thankfully Rintaro's heading back now to be stationed in the city, so hopefully nothing bad will happen if she gets targeted."
"To be honest I wouldn't be worried about Hibiki's physical health," Daishinji admitted, "She usually bounces back rather well."
"Surprisingly so," Touma nodded.
"Coming in," Genjuro announced as he entered the workshop with Elfnein who had been leading the way.
"Commander," Touma said as he stood at attention.
"So what exactly did I need to come here for?" Genjuro asked.
"A rather important discovery that we've come across due to our last battles," Daishinji said before going over to a monitor, "Elfnein if you could."
"Of course," Elfnein nodded as she held up a tablet, soon scrolling through some data and putting it on screen.
The data seemed unreadable at first, at least to Touma, but he was slowly starting to put it together, "Wait…"
"I was admittedly hoping something would've happened after I handed Chris my auxiliary Ride Book," Daishinji spoke up, "And Touma ended up putting my theory into action during the fight with Micha."
"These are Shirabe's and Kirika's sync rates, correct?" Genjuro asked as he was currently looking at Shirabe and Kirika's sync rates when it came to their Gear and LiNKER usage. He also noticed the length in time when it came to how long their sync rates remained stable, "These are…"
"It turns out that using Bremen no Rock Band regulates their sync ratios with their Gears for an extra periods of time when applied alongside the LiNKER in their bodies," Elfnein explained, "While we've yet to figure out a way to implement it, we think that using Bremen no Rock Band on our latter three Wielders every now and then will help with our LiNKER shortage."
"Will this be able to replace our LiNKER issue?" Touma asked.
"Not replace," Daishinji shook his head, "But it should allow us to stall for time until we can figure out a way to make new LiNKER."
"With the LiNKER's length of effect being extended, that should hopefully allow us to utilize Maria, Kirika, and Shirabe a lot more should we need to," Elfnein added.
"What an unexpected boon," Genjuro admitted as he put a hand to his chin, "While we're currently dealing with Carol right now and can't properly test it, this is definitely good news in the long run."
A black car pulled over to the entrance of an old fashioned estate, stopping at a set of steps that led up to a traditional gate and wall. Stepping out of the car was Ogawa, Kanade, Tsubasa and Maria.
"Where is this?" Maria asked.
"Yatsuhiro Kazanari's mansion, and Tsubasa's childhood home," Ogawa explained.
Tsubasa meanwhile simply stared at the manor, "It's been 10 Years. I never thought I'd return in this fashion."
"Huh," Kanade said as she stared up at the gate, recalling the conversation that led them here.
Everyone was gathered at SONG HQ's bridge, well everyone aside from Hibiki and Miku. The grouping of Riders and Wielders were currently being informed of their next move.
"I'll put the results on screen," Aoi said as she typed away.
The main screen soon began to show a map with several yellow lines and dots that were connected to each other.
"Here are the locations to which we're routing additional power," Sakuya explained.
"There are way more than I thought, dess!" Kirika admitted.
"Indeed," Rintaro agreed.
"And that one there seems to be the top priority," Shirabe pointed, noticing one dot at the very bottom right of the map was larger and had numerous lines running into it.
"What exactly is it though?" Touma asked, noticing that the location was based in the ocean compared to the others.
"Neptune's Palace," Genjuro spoke up, "It's a maximum-security area where dangerous heretical technology and other unanalyzed materials are locked away."
"It's so highly classified that even we aren't able to access the details," Sophia added.
"The most secret of secret bases…" Genjuro finished.
"If the Autoscorers' aim was to locate it…" Tsubasa spoke up.
"…then they must be after the dangerous items held there," Maria said.
"We need to stop them then," Daishinji replied, "They've had too much of an advantage for too long for them to gain a new edge."
"Agreed," Chris held up her fist, "We just gotta get there first and wait for them in ambush!"
"Just in time too," Kanade grinned, "Pretty sure I'm all green to keep up my Kamen Riding so you all have got an extra helping hand now."
"Indeed," Daishinji nodded, "I'll get you your sword after the meeting."
"Of course, there is another potential target," Genjuro replied.
"Wait, there is?" Kanade asked in surprise.
Soon enough the map began to zoom in on a specific point inland, the dot soon flashing as it was selected.
Tsubasa's eyes widened when she saw the location, "That's…"
"I had the intelligence division look into something that had been bothering me for a while," Ogawa admitted, "There have been multiple reports of temples and shrines being destroyed in various incidents. Each one was a part of a spiritual safety net installed by the Meiji government a century ago, placed at vital points for controlling the city's ley lines."
"Huh," Touma put a hand to his chin, "That doesn't sound good… if they're trying to weaken the ley lines or use them for their own purposes…"
"Yes, it appears as though Alchemy and the ley lines are two fundamental pillars of our enemy's plan," Genjuro agreed.
"There is a keystone on the Kazanari mansion premises," Tsubasa said after a bit of thought, "It's quite possible they'll target it as well."
Sophia nodded, "There's also the issue with the Megid."
"Those Goblin Megid that specifically show up with different elements," Kanade said, "We have any idea what they want with that yet?"
"Unfortunately not, however if we're going by the elements we had before you joined alongside the one Rintaro dealt with, then there's only one left," Genjuro explained, "And that would be Daishinji's element of Sound as Slash."
"But when that's done… what happens?" Rintaro asked.
"If it needs to be slain, I'll do it," Daishinji said as he tapped his holstered Suzune gently, "It would be troublesome if that Megid was kept around because we couldn't kill it."
"Although Hibiki is in the hospital for a medical exam, this might be our best chance to strike," Genjuro admitted as he glanced towards Elfnein.
"Please put an end to Carol's vengeance," Elfnein said as she turned to face the Riders and Wielders who all responded with their own respective nods.
"Alright," Sophia said as she turned to face everyone, "Let us figure out how to split up our forces for this new plan."
"Understood," Ogawa said as he finished communications with HQ. He then turned towards the girls as they stood outside the entrance, "Chris' team will soon arrive at Neptune's Palace."
"Let us hope we do not stride into pandemonium ourselves," Tsubasa said as Kanade gave a simple nod.
Maria walked with the others as the gates opened up to let the group in, the four entering the courtyard of the manor. She couldn't help but notice that for being reunited, the former duo of Zwei Wing weren't exactly the most talkative around each other. In fact she noticed that while Kanade seemed to have an alright time talking to the others, only Tsubasa seemed to be the one she put distance from.
"The keystone…" Tsubasa spoke up.
"Is that it?" Maria asked.
"Looks like it," Kanade said.
Standing before them off to the side in the grass was a large stone slab decorated with sacred ropes and surrounded by a fence. Of course they wouldn't get to stare long as they were greeted to a few people approaching him.
Two of them were standard agents with the man in the center dressed in a grey traditional robe.
"Father…" Tsubasa said, confirming the man as Yatsuhiro Kazanari.
"Thank you for your hard work, Shinji," Yatsuhiro said to Ogawa who simply nodded, he then turned his attention towards Maria, "And I have heard that you have accomplished much since joining SONG as well."
"Th-Thank you," Maria spoke up, a bit surprised by the sudden addressing.
"I must admit," Yatsuhiro looked over at Kanade, "It is a bit odd to see you again given everything, though your help is always appreciated."
"Yeah, I know," Kanade shrugged, "Whole thing's taking a bit of getting used to."
Yatsuhiro nodded before looking over at Ogawa, "I received a report on the Alca-Noise from Ahnenerbe's mysticism department. Let us review it later."
Tsubasa watched as her father turned to walk deeper into the mansion ground's, despite not being acknowledged at all she still spoke up, "Father!"
Yatsuhiro paused, soon stopping as he waited to hear what Tsubasa would say.
"I'm sorry for not keeping in touch," Tsubasa said.
The man glanced back slightly, "Even without you, the house of Kazanari stands firm. You shall return to the battlefield once your duty is done."
"Yeah that sounds about right," Kanade muttered as she heard this, recalling the general attitude she had heard about whenever she'd briefly hear about Tsubasa's family back when she was alive.
"Hold it right there!" Maria stepped forward, "You're Tsubasa's dad, aren't you? Don't you have any-"
"Maria, it's fine," Tsubasa quickly interrupted since she didn't want to cause a scene.
Maria glanced over, "But-!"
"Its fine," Tsubasa insisted as she watched her father continue to walk away.
Kanade was about to speak up when she felt something off, quickly turning she saw a shimmering spot in the area. She wasn't the only one as Ogawa had seen the same, quickly drawing out the Fuusouken Hayate and shifting it into its shuriken mode.
The shuriken was thrown towards the shimmering spot only to be knocked away by a burst of wind, the wind dispersing to reveal Phara.
"I knew it," Ogawa narrowed his eyes as he called Hayate back to him, realizing that Phara was likely the presence he felt in Tsukuba.
"How barbaric," Phara said as she struck a pose, "I had no intention of interrupting that touching family reunion."
"You're that Autoscorer!" Tsubasa called out, recognizing Phara from London.
"Now, I'll be releasing the ley line here, if you'll excuse me," Phara said.
"So you are after the keystone!" Maria accused as she gripped her pendant.
"Yeah, we're not letting you touch it," Kanade brought out her Bladriver and attached it to her waist while Ogawa readied Hayate.
Phara brought out several Alca-Noise crystals between her fingers, "Danse Macabre."
Everyone watched as an Alca-Noise horde was summoned before them.
"So you wish to challenge us?" Tsubasa questioned before smirking and holding out her pendant.
"~Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri tron~"
"~Seilien coffin Airgetlám tron~"
[BATTOU! ETERNAL PHOENIX!]
[SOU TOU BUNDAN! FUUSOUKEN HAYATE!]
The grouping quickly went to work in dealing with the Alca-Noise. Tsubasa rushed forward, swiftly slashing through the horde without much difficulty. Maria brought out numerous daggers to pierce her opponents with, shifting her blade into its whip formation and lashing out to shred the horde apart.
Falchion was going for a mix of unarmed and sword based combat, kicking and punching an Alca-Noise whenever she could before moving in for a slash. Kenzan meanwhile flipped through the horde, slicing them apart with little issue.
Watching from a rooftop of the manor, hidden by the shadows the sun cast was none other than Desast. Like always he had been watching the Riders and Wielders of SONG, and had caught Tsubasa and Chris' usage of the Ride Gear system. While it wasn't the most impressive to him, he did find the mixing of styles interesting, so he was curious as to how Tsubasa would handle an Autoscorer with it, or if she would unleash the raw power he had seen earlier with Ignite.
"I'll handle this!" Tsubasa said as she glanced at her father.
"Fulfill your role!" Yatsuhiro called before rushing off, the two agents he was with escorting him away.
Tsubasa's spirit faltered briefly at those words before she steeled herself again, working on slicing through the Alca-Noise approaching her.
"Well, catch me if you can!" Phara taunted as she kicked up a green whirlwind to ride on, tearing through the ground and aiming at Tsubasa only for the blue-haired sword wielder to dodge her attacks.
"Allow me to show you my new power Autoscorer," Tsubasa declared as she brought out Issun Bushi, scanning it with her pendant.
{Wonder Ride Sync}
Tsubasa slotted the Ride Book into the buckle that formed at her waist, pressing down on it to unleash the Ride Books power, "Henshin!"
{Ride Change: Habakiri Bushi!}
Tsubasa slashed forward, water erupting from her blade and consuming her before splashing off and revealing her Ride Gear form of Habakiri Bushi.
"Oh?" Phara raised an eyebrow, seemingly amused by this as she kept atop her tornado, "But will it really be enough?!"
Tsubasa swiftly managed to dodge out of the way of Phara's next set of wind filled strikes, quickly launching up into the air. Water erupted from her sword like waves before she slashed downwards, sending a multitude of water-filled slashes at the Autoscorer.
Phara swung her sword, unleashing a wave of wind forward that sliced through and cancelled out Tsubasa's attacks. She then landed and brought out a few more Alca-Noise to bolster her defenses.
"Bring out as many as you want…" Tsubasa said as she went to initiate her finisher, planning on ending this now, "I'll slice through them all!"
{Hissatsu Dokuha}
"An impeccable sword," Tsubasa called out as a needle began to rise out of the ground as she stepped on it, rising up alongside it as the area began to grow dim to the point where only Tsubasa's blade could be seen shining through it.
Soon enough the blade sped forward, swirling and spinning as it sliced through the Alca-Noise with ease. Soon enough Tsubasa came to a stop in front of Phara and brought her blade down, "Beyond the…"
CLANG!
Phara had blocked with her sword, red runes glowing on it as a green beam of light was unleashed, eradicating the sword that Tsubasa held before striking against the Wielder.
Tsubasa could only gasp out as she was thrown backwards, tumbling against the ground, the force from the beam enough to revert her back to her base Symphogear armor.
'My sword… broke apart…?' She thought as she began losing consciousness.
Maria's eyes widened as she cut through an Alca-Noise, "Tsubasa!"
"My Sword Breaker is a conceptual weapon that breaks anything defined as a sword, regardless of its qualities or power," Phara explained before pointing her sword forward, "Now, what will your next move be?"
"Not even her enhanced Symphogear could stand against it…?" Kenzan asked.
Maria rushed forward, unleashing a multitude of daggers at Phara.
"A useless effort," Phara said as she swung her sword, unleashing a beam of energy that shattered Maria's daggers on contact. The energy kept going, forcing Maria to dodge as it struck against the stone slab, causing it to explode, "Oh? Could it be the Airgetlam is defined as a sword too?"
"A conceptual weapon…?" Maria questioned as she glanced at the destruction before putting her eyes on the enemy, "A weapon that cuts away at concepts themselves, similar to curses or geasa?"
"If you wish to try, I'd be interested in your song," Phara admitted, while she had a preference towards Tsubasa, either her or Maria would suit her needs.
"Sorry but there won't be singing when I'm through with you!" Falchion shouted as she launched for Phara, slashing forward.
Kenzan gave a gasp, "Kanade, wait!"
"What did I tell you?" Phara asked as she blocked Falchion's slash with her Sword Breaker, the runes began to glow a bright red as green light formed.
[MUMEIKEN KYOMU!]
"No way," Kenzan said as his eyes widened behind his mask.
Phara's eyes could only grow wide as the runes began to turn black and fade alongside the green light.
"Regardless of qualities or power…." Falchion repeated with a chuckle as Kyomu's emblem began to shine brightly, a black light coming from the blade, "But how about if said quality is the embodiment of nothing at all?"
"You can negate Sword Breaker?" Phara narrowed her eyes before unleashing a tornado around her body to knock Falchion away, "I will return once more when Little Miss Sword awakes. I'd like to hear either her song or yours, Airgetlam Wielder."
Falchion attempted to try and attack the tornado only for it to dissipate, revealing that Phara had fully vanished.
"Damn," Falchion hissed out as rain began to fall.
"What will you do now?" Desast muttered as he kept out of sight and began to sink into the shadows, "It's clear you can't beat her the usual way, so show me how you'll get past this."
As the SONG Submarine began closing in on their destination of Neptune's Palace, Ogawa had contacted them to inform them of the current situation.
"We failed to defend the keystone," Ogawa said over the call, "I can't apologize enough."
"So they attacked both locations at the same time," Genjuro responded.
"Both?" Ogawa asked, "Do you mean…"
"Yes. They infiltrated Neptune's Palace," Genjuro replied.
"We can see them on the security cameras," Sophia added, "Which confirms that the last Goblin Megid is with them."
The footage soon showed Carol and Leiur being followed by the Goblin Megid. Leiur took the lead, flicking coins at doors to force them open. Carol glanced back purposely towards the camera, as if wanting to truly show that she had come back and that it wasn't just a convincing fake.
Elfnein stared at the camera feeds, "Carol…"
"Did begging the devil for mercy actually work?" Chris scoffed, a bit annoyed that Carol had seemingly managed to cheat death despite purposely killing herself earlier.
"They are undoubtedly laying a trap for us," Genjuro said what everyone was likely thinking, "But we can't afford to ignore them."
"Then we hold Saber back for now," Sophia suggested.
"What? You want to hold back our strongest guy?" Chris questioned.
"I'm the only Rider needed for this," Daishinji spoke up, "Besides if their aim is to split us up even further, having the Commander and Touma here will do us some good."
"That's right," Genjuro nodded, "Chris, please head to the location with Daishinji, Shirabe, and Kirika."
"Roger," Chris gave a mock salute.
It had taken a bit of prep but eventually the three Wielders and one Rider had reached Neptune's Palace via a smaller submersible craft. Once at their destination they found the designated dock and disembarked as Touma, Genjuro, Sophia and Elfnein kept watch on the mission.
"We've got the structural data for the facility," Sakuya spoke up from his station.
"Hurry up and locate the intruders!" Genjuro ordered.
"Carol wants to destroy the world," Elfnein said as she tried to figure out what exactly Carol wanted, "She must be after the relics or other, similarly dangerous items stored there."
Genjuro frowned at those words but felt a hand touch his shoulder, he looked over to see a reassuring smile from Sophia and he nodded.
Touma meanwhile could only give a sigh, to which he noticed Elfnein staring at him, "Huh?"
"Is everything alright Touma?" Elfnein asked.
"Sorry, just thinking on some things," Touma admitted before glancing back towards the entrance of the bridge, "And wondering if it was alright to bring Miku along."
"Well from what Daishinji said he's mostly having her watch the workshop," Genjuro said, "Not to mention we ran by what we'd be doing with her and she understood the risks."
"Right," Touma nodded.
"Besides, both you and Buster are here," Sophia replied, "We aren't completely defenseless."
"You're right," Touma agreed as he shook his head a bit, "I guess it's just pre-mission jitters."
Tsubasa let out a light gasp as she opened her eyes, soon realizing that she was in one of the rooms of her father's estate. She noticed a tray that held a water jug and towel was placed near her. As she began to collect her thoughts she recalled what had happened.
"I see… I fought Phara…" Tsubasa recalled, 'I abandoned a dream too great for me, and yet I still couldn't stand my ground. Even with my new power…'
"Is she up?"
"Are you okay, Tsubasa?"
Tsubasa gave a light gasp, turning to see that it was Kanade and Maria who had spoken up. The two were currently standing outside the doors to the room she was in.
"Sorry. I let my guard down," Tsubasa apologized.
"If you can walk, come with us," Maria said, "Your dad has sent for you."
"Alright," Tsubasa said.
The three had soon headed over to Yatsuhiro's office, where he and Ogawa had been waiting for them. Upon arriving the three were handed binders to look at and review.
"What is this?" Maria asked as she looked at what she was given.
"We asked Ahnenerbe to analyze the red particles generated when the Alca-Noise strike," Ogawa explained, "This is their report of the results."
"Uh… what is Ahnenerbe again?" Kanade asked with a sheepish smile.
"Ahnenerbe is a German government research organization that was closely involved in the development of Symphogear," Tsubasa answered without missing a beat.
"Oh…" Kanade nodded, though this caused Maria to give her a glance.
"According to this report, the red particles are prima material, the elementary material created when matter is decomposed by alkahest, the universal solvent," Yatsuhiro added.
"Elemental material…?" Maria asked, "Created through decomposition?"
"Alchemy is a branch of heretical technology that studies the theory of decomposition analysis, and reconstruction," Ogawa replied.
"What does Carol want to reconstruct the world into once she's decomposed it?" Maria questioned.
"Well that's the million dollar question," Kanade remarked, "The better question is what do the Megid even gain from working with Carol?"
"Tsubasa," Yatsuhiro spoke up.
"Yes?" Tsubasa looked up from her binder.
"How are your injuries?" Yatsuhiro asked.
Tsubasa gave a brief look of surprise before that faded, "I can deal with the pain."
"Then leave this place and analyze the data at a more suitable facility," Yatsuhiro replied, closing his eyes, "The keystone you came to protect is no more."
"Understood," Tsubasa said.
"Though that may be the most logical course of action, should you really be addressing your wounded daughter so coldly?" Maria questioned as she had to hold back the anger in her voice.
"Its fine, Maria," Tsubasa said.
Maria turned in surprise, "Tsubasa!"
Tsubasa looked down, "It's fine."
"What was that supposed to be?" Maria questioned as she basically stomped around the wooden deck of the manor with Tsubasa and Kanade trailing behind, "He may be an expert when it comes to national security, but he has absolutely no idea how to interact with his family!"
"Sorry," Tsubasa answered, "This is how we are."
"And you," Maria said suddenly as she turned before pointing at Kanade of all people, "What's your deal?!"
"Huh?" Kanade raised an eyebrow, "What are you-"
"You act normal around everyone else but you barely interact with Tsubasa," Maria pointed out, "Especially with what I've heard about you, the way you act and respond to her is more subdued than it should be."
Kanade gave a sigh, "Listen-"
"And are you going to tell me this whole situation doesn't anger you?" Maria questioned, "You're supposed to be her partner-"
"Listen if I'm going to be lectured by the mom then I'm just going to head my own way till we're ready to leave," Kanade interrupted with a light glare before turning and marching off in the other direction.
"Hey, wait," Maria said as she went to step forward, "We're not done yet."
"Maria," Tsubasa grabbed her friend's arm, "That's enough."
"Are you really pushing this down too?" Maria questioned.
"More like I want to give her the space she clearly needs," Tsubasa answered before going to lead Maria away before stopping outside of a door, "Anyway, this used to be my room when I was little. Let's talk in here."
Maria gave a sigh before looking in and taking a defensive stance, "Did the dolls do this? Are we under attack?!"
"Uh, no…" Tsubasa said as she didn't even have to guess as to why Maria reacted like that, giving a blush of embarrassment, "Only my own imprudence."
It seemed as though Tsubasa's messy habits went all the way back from when she was a child. The room was a complete mess, clothing, toys, just about anything aside from food just thrown everywhere.
"I wasn't expecting him to leave it this way for ten years, though," Tsubasa finally spoke up to cut through the silence.
Oddly enough there was something strange that Maria noticed once the lights were on. Despite the huge mess, the room was nearly spotless in terms of dirt and dust.
Kanade sighed as she leaned against one of the outside walls of the Kazanari estate, hands in her pockets as she stared out in front of her.
"I'm surprised."
"Huh?" Kanade turned to see Ogawa walk over, "Oh, Ogawa."
"I figured you'd be with the others," Ogawa said, "What's wrong?"
"So I'm that easy to read?" Kanade asked with a smirk.
"Given how you've been with Tsubasa before, yes," Ogawa smirked back before going to lean next to her, "So why exactly keep your distance now?"
"There are a lot of reasons," Kanade admitted, "I mean… the awkward feelings for one."
"Well you were thought dead to us for around two years, and you just barely regained you sense of self not long ago," Ogawa replied, agreeing with Kanade's words, "But is that really all?"
"I guess… I wasn't expecting Tsubasa to be so different," Kanade admitted, "Like, I can still remember what I've seen of her when I was strictly just Falchion. And seeing all those times, she's changed…"
"I don't think she's moved on if that's what you're getting at," Ogawa countered, "Especially given she was the one to pull you out of the abyss you were in."
"Less that, more I'm worried that getting close again will cause her to try and drastically change herself to rekindle our old partnership," Kanade admitted, "Even if she's been through a lot, she shouldn't have to force herself to change just cause I'm suddenly back."
"That is understandable," Ogawa agreed, "But I'm sure she's still worried about what's going on with you. She just isn't showing it, I mean you saw what was going on right now, right?"
"Yeah, yeah I get that," Kanade sighed as she ruffled her hair, "Guess I really should just drop the distancing act, huh?"
"She did work really hard to get you back," Ogawa replied, "Even if you two can't be what you used to be, that shouldn't stop you from creating something new. I'm sure she'll understand that."
"I see…" Kanade muttered.
"She's lucky to have friends like you all. So for her sake, you shouldn't keep yourself at a distance. Not when one of us already has…"
Kanade and Ogawa perked up at the new voice that entered the conversation, the two turning as a result.
"You…" Kanade spoke up in surprise.
Maria was currently hard at work making sure Tsubasa's childhood room was cleaned, Tsubasa helping out where she could though Maria was doing most of the legwork.
"I remember how I used to sing old pop songs to him here," Tsubasa reminisced.
"But this room makes me wonder…" Maria trailed, "Have you always been like this?"
"You mean, have I always had a messy room?" Tsubasa stammered out.
"No," Maria said as she looked over with a bored stare, "I meant your relationship with your dad."
"My grandfather, Fudo, the current head of the Kazanari family, started thinking about an heir once he felt the burden of his years," Tsubasa said as she seemingly went on a random tangent, "The candidates were his first son, Yatsuhiro, who was my father, and my uncle Genjuro, his younger brother."
"The Commander, huh," Maria mused.
"However, my grandfather named neither of them his heir," Tsubasa continued, "He chose me, though I had only just been born."
Maria looked in surprise, mostly at the age range, "You?!"
"He never told me why, but I've been able to piece it together over the years," Tsubasa admitted with a dull expression, "It seems I am not my father's daughter."
"What?" Maria nearly choked at this.
"To keep the Kazanari blood as pure as possible, my grandfather made my mother bear his child," Tsubasa said, "That was me."
"How could Fudo Kazanari still call himself human?" Maria questioned as she looked away while gripping her fists. She then realized something, "Wait, you told me but…"
"Yes, Kanade knows," Tsubasa nodded before recalling a few painful memories, "Since then, I've fought for my father to accept me, even if only a little. I went and forged myself into a sword, a tool, instead of a human being. But if this is all I have to show for it, he's only going to hate me more."
"Speaking of Kanade," Maria decided to shift subjects to try and alleviate Tsubasa of some of her thoughts, "Why exactly are you fine with her keeping her distance? Doesn't it hurt that she isn't like the way she used to be around you?"
"Probably because I accepted she was dead not that long ago but that her memory would live on in various ways," Tsubasa admitted, "Her showing up again… that completely caught me off guard."
"Then…" Maria started.
"I've come to accept that we can never truly have what we had before, not like how I am now compared to how I was back then," Tsubasa admitted as she closed her eyes but let out a content smile, "However I will wait for her, so that when she's ready, we can forge something new from this second chance."
Back at SONG's submarine headquarters, the bridge crew was currently working on their part in the mission.
"We've linked up with the control systems of the Palace!" Sakuya announced.
"If we can narrow down what Carol is after, we might be able to find a way to stop her," Elfnein stated before her eyes widened, "Wait, that one!"
The screen being accessed was a listing of Relics, soon being stopped as the one Elfnein pointed out was soon highlighted.
"Yantra Sarvasva?" Touma questioned.
"What is that?" Genjuro asked.
"A tablet of condensed information that is capable of operating and controlling any machine or mechanism," Elfnein explained, "That's the trigger element Carol needs to complete the World Destructor at the Château de Tiffauges.
"We have located the Yantra Sarvasva," Aoi called out.
"Have Chris' team proceed there without delay!" Genjuro ordered.
At the Kazanari estate, a sudden impact echoed though as one of the roofs was mostly torn through. This had managed to alert all those that were there, Maria and Tsubasa arriving to the area first. Standing on the damaged roof was Phara who had her blade out.
"You already destroyed the keystone!" Tsubasa called out, "Why have you returned?"
"I merely wish to hear a song from either of you," Phara remarked.
"~Seilien coffin Airgetlám tron~"
"~Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri tron~"
The two assumed their Symphogear armor and leapt upwards, Maria tossing a knife forward to strike at Phara as they closed in by landing on the roof. Phara however dodged out of the way, leaping up and unleashing a whirlwind that forced the two to split up and dodge away, the two ending up back on ground level.
Maria was undeterred, drawing out her blade and extending it into its whip form before lashing outwards.
{EMPRESS†REBELLION}
Phara simply swung her sword, unleashing a tornado that shattered the whip instantly and struck Maria, sending the Airgetlam user flying.
"Maria!" Tsubasa called out before turning towards Phara and charging forward, "I am a sword! I'll cut you to pieces!"
"You say you yourself are a sword?" Phara asked as she pointed her blade forward, before reeling her sword back and slashing forward, "Shall we test that concept?"
A ringing sound was heard as a bright green wave of wind was unleashed, engulfing Tsubasa before she could get closer. Tsubasa winced as she braced against the wave, her armor cracking and breaking as a result of Sword Breaker.
"It's… breaking apart..." She gasped out as she was thrown away, "The body I forged into a sword, and with it, my pride…"
Maria's eyes widened at seeing the state of Tsubasa's Symphogear, "Tsubasa!"
Desast meanwhile was back at it again, watching the fight from one of the roofs and keeping hidden.
"Come on, you're better than this," He remarked, "Don't let some stupid gimmick break you…"
[BATTOU! ETERNAL PHOENIX!]
[SOU TOU BUNDAN! FUUSOUKEN HAYATE!]
A phoenix lit up the night sky, breaking apart as both Falchion and Kenzan launched out of it. The two yelled out and kicked at Phara who blocked their attacks with her sword. She then unleashed a wave of wind, both Riders gasping as sparks flew from their bodies while they were forced back.
"I knew it," Phara mused, "Your armor is created via a sword, thus allowing it to be easily breached by Sword Breaker."
"Think we'll be giving up easily? Fat chance," Falchion remarked before glancing to the side, "You guys okay?"
"Now that you're here," Maria sighed in relief as she managed to get to one knee.
Tsubasa meanwhile was on her hands and knees, staring at the ground as she didn't respond.
"Sword Breaker is a dangerous weapon, though that means creativity is needed," Kenzan admitted as he brought out Zettō Ame no Habakiri and initiated the Wonder Change.
[ZETTŌ AME NO HABAKIRI! SOU TOU BUNDAN!]
Kenzan stabbed Hayate into the ground as he held his left arm out, blue hexagons spiraling around and forming the armor of Ame no Habakiri over his armor. He then swiped his hand fast across a replica blade he brought out, sparks flying as the sword lit up in blue flames. He then gave a yell and spun before swinging forward.
Phara watched as a fireball formed from the slash, bringing up Sword Breaker and slashing forward. Realizing she couldn't use her sword's ability she simply swung and batted it off to the side, causing a small explosive burst to occur.
"I've come for a song," Phara replied, "I have no interest in continuing if you won't give me what I want."
"What?" Falchion asked.
Tsubasa meanwhile began to pick herself up, "I gave up my dream, placing my pride in my combat skills, but… how utterly powerless can I be?"
"Tsubasa…" Falchion said as she glanced at her old partner.
"Tsubasa!"
Tsubasa's eyes widened when she heard a familiar voice, turning, "Father?"
Falchion chuckled, "Was wondering when he'd show up…"
Yatsuhiro was currently standing across the small lake in the yard space they were in, "Sing, Tsubasa!"
Tsubasa looked in shock before turning away, "But if I can be neither tool nor sword of the Kazanari, then I…"
"You needn't be either!" Yatsuhiro called out.
Tsubasa turned in surprise at this, "Father?"
"Don't ever be afraid to hold on to your dreams!" Yatsuhiro called out.
"Me?" Tsubasa asked, "Dream?"
"That's right!" Maria stood up, "He didn't just abandon your room for ten years! It was messy, but there wasn't a single speck of dust! He held on to your room so as to hold on to his memories of you! Is that really something a father who hates his daughter would do? Open your eyes, you idiot!"
"Did he distance the Kazanari family from me so that I could better follow my dreams?" Tsubasa questioned as tears began to well up in her eyes, "If that's really what you want… may I dream once again?"
Yatsuhiro simply closed his eyes and gave a nod, recalling the brief conversation he had with Kanade.
"You know it's not too late, you can still say something to Tsubasa."
"Can I, really?"
"Pretty sure she's been waiting all this time for something."
"Will you do the same then?"
"I…"
Phara smiled at this, mostly because of what this meant, "Now then…"
"We're not done yet," Falchion interrupted before walking over to Tsubasa and dismissing her transformation, "Yo."
Tsubasa looked up in confusion at this act, "Kanade?"
"Listen, sorry about the distant loner act," Kanade said as she stared at her friend and held out her hand, "You've grown, so much that I was worried you'd try to force yourself to make things feel like old times. I didn't really want to put a stop to your growth so that's why."
"I figured," Tsubasa smirked a bit as she went to wipe her tears, "I have grown, and I'd like to think I've grown so much that I don't need to act like I did back then."
Kanade raised a brow, "Really?"
"Despite everything, I've gained a lot in those years, and I wouldn't trade my experiences for anything," Tsubasa explained before grabbing Kanade's hand firmly, "But that doesn't mean we can't forge a new bond."
"A new bond huh?" Kanade grinned as she helped Tsubasa up, "Different but similar, right?"
"Of course," Tsubasa smiled before her Pendant began to pulsate suddenly.
Kanade felt something pulsate in her hand as she lifted up Eternal Phoenix, her eyes widening as it began to flash in tandem with the pendant on Tsubasa's armor. The duo looked at each other before they turned to face Phara who had a look of confusion.
"What?" Phara asked, "What is…?"
[ETERNAL PHOENIX!]
Kanade walked over to Tsubasa's left before holding out Eternal Phoenix. The Ride Book's scan point was held up to the pendant, a chime being heard.
{Wonder Ride Sync}
Just like with Issun Bushi, Tsubasa gained the white buckle over her armor. Seeing this she could only smirk as she took the Ride Book and slotted it into place. She then held her hands forward while crossing them, Kanade mimicking her movements. The duo then shifted their hands to where they faced inwards, Tsubasa pressing down on the buckle as the two shouted.
"Henshin!"
{Ride Change}
Kanade's body flashed a bright orange as her form changed into Falchion, as this happened a bright blue wing erupted from Tsubasa's back on her right. Soon enough Falchion broke apart into orange feathers that gathered into an identical orange wing on Tsubasa's left. The wings folded in front of Tsubasa before spreading outwards and exploding into numerous energy feathers, all of them obscuring the Wielder briefly.
The feathers soon subsided to show Tsubasa's new form. She had gained Falchion's chest and shoulder armor over her Symphogear. Her forearms and shins now also had Falchion's armor, her ankle blades being removed with her gloved hands having orange segmented padding covering the tops of them. Coming from underneath her belt was Falcion's skirt piece though it fully covered the sides and backs of her legs. Lastly she had an orange mouth cover similar to Falchion's mask alongside an orange visor covering her eyes that was shaped just like the phoenix Rider's visor.
She held the Mumeiken Kyomu in her grip tightly as she pointed the Seiken at the Autoscorer, giving an intense stare.
{Eternal Habakiri!}
Phara narrowed her eyes at this form, "This form…"
"That form…" Desast repeated with a chuckle as he watched on, "This should make this party more fun…"
Meanwhile at Neptune's Palace, SONG had managed to locate Carol who now had the Yantra Sarvasva in her hands. Of course with quick coordination, Chris, Kirika and Shirabe in their Symphogears, alongside Slash had managed to intercept the alchemist who brought out Alca-Noise to even the odds.
Chris was currently fighting Carol, unleashing a horde of missiles outwards to which the Alchemist merely created a shield to block against them. Kirika was currently facing Leiur, swinging out while Leiur countered with her rapid firing of coins.
Slash gave a shout as he was currently fighting against the last Goblin Megid. He had to admit that fighting against his element was tricky, the Goblin Megid unleashing sound bursts with its strikes to make them hit harder.
Shirabe meanwhile was currently riding a large wheel she made for herself, slicing through the Alca-Noise hordes with ease.
{Extreme Sigma Style: Forbidden Full Moon}
She then jumped upwards before unleashing a flurry of saws at Carol.
Carol blocked with her shield but suddenly felt a surge of pain, forcing her to drop the shield. That was enough for a stray saw blade to strike the Yantra Sarvasva and cut it in two, rendering it unusable.
"The Yantra Sarvasva…!" Carol called out before quickly forming a quick shield to block against the remaining saw blades.
"Thanks for the opening!" Chris called out as he she unleashed her heavy artillery, forming four rockets and launching them alongside smaller missiles out from her open skirt.
MEGA DETH QUARTET
"Don't be subdued!" Leiur called out as she rapidly began launching out coins to strike at the barrage of missiles and rockets to destroy them. The coins continuously destroyed missiles, only for Leiur to run out with one singular large rocket left. Her eyes widened, "Master!"
Carol heard the callout, her eyes widening as she saw the rocket hurtling straight towards her.
(Insert: Sōyoku no Wing Beat by Nana Mizuki & Minami Takayama)
"This is not the song I want to hear," Phara remarked as she brought out Alca-Noise crystals, tossing them onto the ground and summoning a horde of them between her and Tsubasa, "I'll make you realize that your paltry form changes aren't what can beat me."
Tsubasa stared at the horde before letting out a confident chuckle. She rushed forward, leaping into the air and holding Kyomu up. Soon enough a projection of Falchion formed alongside her as they slashed downwards, striking through a few Noise in an instant. Tsubasa then held out her hand, her thigh armor launching out a hilt that formed into a full katana as she charged forward.
The Alca-Noise charged forward valiantly, but they were clearly outmatched by Tsubasa. Not only was she dual wielding, but Falchion was forming briefly alongside her and slashing through any that she missed on her swings.
Phara could only narrow her eyes further as she watched Tsubasa easily take care of the Alca-Noise that she had summoned. Realizing that the plan was going awry, she quickly switched her sword to her left hand before bringing out a transport crystal, "I suppose-"
"Hah!"
Phara just barely glanced to the side as she felt her wrist shatter, two knives piercing through and shattering the ball joint. Soon enough a green blur snatched the hand as Kenzan landed nearby, he had shortened knife versions of Ame no Habakiri in one hand while he held the transport crystal in the other.
"I'll be taking care of this," Kenzan said before quickly leaping away from several torrents of wind that had been slashed at him.
Phara could only glare in anger as she continued to slash at him, trying to strike at him before quickly raising her blade, swinging out and tearing through several knives. She turned to see that it was Maria who had attacked her.
"Looks like someone's lost their composure," Maria smirked, noticing that the Autoscorer did not look pleased in the slightest.
"No matter what you all do, do not forget you hold a disadvantage against me," Phara stated as she held out her sword.
"Is that so?" Tsubasa asked as she began charging forward, dismissing her Gear's sword while holding Kyomu with both hands.
[MUMEIKEN KYOMU!]
Tsubasa and Phara clashed blades, the Wielder giving a yell as she pushed forward while Kyomu's nullification cancelled out Sword Breaker's abilities.
Phara's eyes began to widen when her sword began to crack, quickly unleashing a burst of whirlwind while backing up.
Tsubasa leapt backwards, joining Kenzan and Maria as the three faced down their opponent.
"Glad to see some people have gotten their acts together," Maria scoffed before giving a smirk, "So how does it feel to have Zwei Wing reunited?"
"Like a dream," Tsubasa admitted, "It's not the same, but it feels nice."
"That being said if you're getting lonely Maria, we could always make it Drei Wing," Kanade's teasing voice was heard as a few flames kicked up from the armor.
"W-What kind of insinuation is that," Maria questioned before realizing something, "Wait you can talk in this form?"
"Duh," Kanade replied, "Just felt like being a silent badass for a bit."
"That's just like you," Tsubasa remarked.
"I suppose the only thing left to do is deal with our intruder," Kenzan said as he saw that Phara kept a defensive stance, "We've gotten rid of her means of transport so she has nowhere to run. But there's Sword Breaker to deal with…"
"Leave that to Kanade and I…" Tsubasa said as she stepped forward, "Ogawa, you and Maria will give us the opening we need to finish the Autoscorer after that."
"Understood," Maria said as she brought out Needle Hedgehog, gripping it tightly, "Kento…"
"Let's get going," Kanade called out.
"Right," Tsubasa shouted as she charged forward, holding Kyomu in a reverse grip with her left hand as she closed in. She watched as Phara got ready for a parry with Sword Breaker, simply reeling back her right arm. Falchion appeared to her right, her left arm reeled back. The two yelled out as they punched forward just as Phara went to counter, the two's fists striking against Sword Breaker as blue and orange energy was released in tandem, soon shattering the conceptual weapon.
Phara could only watch as fire erupted from their fists, their punches going further and striking her in the chest. The result sent her tumbling backwards against the ground, the top of her clothes being scorched.
"Now to finish this up," Kenzan said as he switched his Seiken into its shuriken mode and brought out Sarutobi Ninjaden. He initiated the finisher before spinning and tossing Hayate forward, "Azure Hurricane Sword Dance!"
[SARUTOBI NINJADEN! NINNIN!]
Utilizing hand-signs, Kenzan was able to remotely command the Shuriken as it began spinning above and behind Phara. Soon enough it began to form blue winds that began to suck the Autoscorer upwards though the Autoscorer herself began to try and counter with her own green wind.
{Wonder Ride Sync}
Maria meanwhile held up Needle Hedgehog to her pendant, her gauntlet shifting to where there was a slot available for her to put the Ride Book into. She shoved it in as her body became electrified, gold energy forming over her fists before that energy spread out into sharpened needles. She released a short shout before rushing forward.
{Hissatsu Dokuha: Needle Hedgehog!}
Phara's eyes widened as she watched Maria rush forward in a burst of electricity. She didn't have a chance to counter, the Symphogear Wielder performing a series of rapid electrified punches against her. The spikes forming from Maria's fists also embedded themselves into the Autoscorer, piercing through and dealing more damage to the Autoscorer's body.
{Ride Gear Finish!}
Maria gave one final yell as she slammed her fist into Phara's chin, launching the Autoscorer upwards and forcing her to get sucked towards the Fuusouken Hayate.
Phara gasped as she tried to release a burst of wind to free her from the vortex only for her movements to suddenly pause. She was just barely able to tilt her head and eyes downwards to see Ame no Habakiri sticking out of the ground where her shadow was casted.
Kenzan had his hands together, having used one of the replica swords from his Ride Gear armament to utilize his technique, "Shadow Weaving…"
"What you face Autoscorer are not swords but wings…" Tsubasa said as she closed Eternal Phoenix before she prepared her finisher. Blue and orange energy began gathering in her left shin downwards before she pressed down on the buckle to fully initiate the finisher, "Your conceptual sword-breaker can never clip our wings!"
Kanade could be heard chuckling, "You tell her!"
{Hissatsu Dokuha}
Tsubasa crouched forward before launching upwards while kicking out with her right leg. Orange glowing wings with blue rimming on the tops formed on her back, flapping and launching her forward. She yelled out as she kicked Phara directly in the stomach, the Autscorer giving a look of shock as the hit connected.
Suddenly a projection of Falchion appeared in a similar position to Tsubasa, the two reeling back their right legs before kicking forward again.
{Eternal Habakiri! Issatsu Geki!}
The result struck Phara in the stomach and chest, the burst of energy so strong it broke her out of Shadow Weaving and launched her past the Fuusouken Hayate. Phara could only yell out as the energy filled and consumed her body before she exploded in a bright display.
(Insert End)
Tsubasa landed as she watched a bright blue and orange explosion light up the night sky, staring up at it as she smiled beneath her mask. She closed her eyes and removed Eternal Phoenix while dismissing her Gear, a flurry of orange feathers breaking off from her and forming Kanade next to her.
"We did it," Maria said as she walked over, dismissing her own Gear.
"We did," Kenzan agreed as he dismissed his transformation.
Tsubasa and Kanade looked at each other and shared a smile, while Yatsuhiro looked on and simply gave a nod and a smile while closing his eyes.
"They're not swords but wings, huh?" Desast let out a chuckle as he began to sink undetected back into the shadows once more, "So that was your answer… not bad, not bad at all."
The smoke from Chris' last attack began to clear, everyone's eyes widening as they saw the rocket that was meant to hit Carol stopped dead in its tracks.
"What's going on?" Chris asked as the others regrouped and huddled near her.
Slash frowned beneath his helmet as his ear twitched upon hearing a chuckle, "No…"
"It's been so long since I tasted a Relic," A familiar voice to the Rider and Wielders said in a giddy tone as the smoke fully cleared up, "I just can't get enough of this sweet, enchanting flavor!"
The man before them was in a white lab coat and held a crazed grin that complimented his white hair as he hid his face with his right hand. Of course the most notable feature was his monstrous left arm, it having broken down and fully absorbed the rocket that Chris had launched out.
Shirabe's eyes widened, "No way!"
"Of all our damn luck," Slash hissed out.
"This can't be true, dess!" Kirika called out.
"Sure it can. I'm the man of truth…" The man removed his hand from his face and pointed forward with his monstrous arm, "Dr. Ver!"
To Be Continued…
Author's Note: While I can't guarantee everyone will get multiple Ride Gear forms, I will put multiple ones in when I feel they work out well. That's what Eternal Habakiri being Ame no Habakiri + Eternal Phoenix, or more specifically Tsubasa + Kanade is. That being said, we're continuing onwards with GX, Dr. Ver is back in play and we've only got one Autoscorer and Goblin Megid left. We're reaching the endgame folks.