Sympho-Saber: Song of Swords
GX:EP13 – Believe in Justice and Hold It Close
Luna was currently standing on a building far from the battle between Carol and SONG's forces. She watched as the multicolored tornado tore through the cloudy sky before witnessing twelve figures descend from above.
"Good luck, Touma," Luna smiled.
"Another Miracle…"
Luna quickly turned as she felt a chill, but it was too late as she caught sight of a hand right in front of her face. The hand released a red pulse, the young woman becoming lightheaded as she swayed from side to side, soon falling unconscious. Thankfully she was caught, though the one that had caught her was none other than Master Logos.
"You definitely were scarce before though it seems the continued battles the Swordsman of Flame enters allowed you to go out in the open," Master Logos remarked as he went to lift the unconscious Luna up. He let out a smirk that was hidden underneath his hood as he stared at the current state of the battle, "The Rider and Symphogear Systems never cease to impress me. Now then Carol, let us hope you're ready for this."
"Master Logos."
It wasn't long before Master Logos turned to see Reika stumble into view and kneel. He noticed that she seemed to have been injured.
"What happened, Reika?" Master Logos inquired.
"I was… caught off guard," Reika admitted as she held her side, "I was planning on retrieving the Raimeiken Ikazuchi first due to it lacking an owner but I was blindsided by a civilian using it."
"A civilian…?" Master Logos asked in a heavily curious fashion, "Are you certain?"
"Yes, she wasn't a part of the Swordsmen you had listed," Reika said as she kept her head bowed, "Yet despite her lack of status she somehow drew out the Seiken's elemental properties. As a result she managed to hit me hard enough to pierce through my armor. I knew I couldn't continue as I had lost the advantage so I cut my losses and retreated."
"No, you did well," Master Logos admitted with an oddly satisfied tone, "I was not expecting Ikazuchi's new owner to show up now but this doesn't change anything."
"But I failed to secure the Seiken and Wonder Ride Books," Reika said as she looked up in surprise before noticing the young woman that Master Logos was holding, "Master, who is that?"
"But we now know that all the Seiken that we don't hide away will be out in the open," Master Logos explained, "As for her, she is the priestess who will allow us to reach the apex of our plans… so I'd say this was a genuinely prosperous venture."
"Of course," Reika bowed her head again.
"Let us return to base, your brother has likely already arrived there by now," Master Logos said, "He reported not long ago that he's acquired Calibur's equipment."
"Of course," Reika said as she brought out Noroshi, smoke spewing from it and covering herself alongside Master Logos and the unconscious Luna. Once the smoke began to fade, it could be seen that they were no longer in the area.
Storious currently walked through the halls of the ruined Château de Tiffauges, soon coming across the recently deceased Dr. Ver. There was no need to be on guard so he had reverted back to his human form for the time being.
"My dear doctor… thank you," Storious smiled as he walked over and knelt down and held his hand out, it phasing inside of Ver's body, "While I would never call you a hero, you were instrumental in readying the next phase."
The Megid Leader could only grin madly as he removed his hand, revealing a bulky pure white Ride Book that was similar in shape to Jaou Dragon. Storious stood up, simply tossing the new blank book up and down in his palm before walking off.
"One against twelve of us," Maria said as she watched Carol float over to confront them.
"You're an alchemist," Tsubasa spoke up, "You should be able to calculate the difference in power between us."
"We've got X-Drive, Emotional Dragon and Powered-Up Riders on top of that!" Chris boasted, "It's over!"
"Sorry to say but the odds are looking like we're about to kick your ass," Falchion remarked.
"Do you really think a few puny miracles will be all it takes to defeat me?" Carol asked with a scoff, putting on a tough act despite her shock earlier.
"We all found this power within ourselves!" Shirabe called out.
"It's more than just a few "puny miracles", dess!" Kirika added.
"There are also like twelve of us," Blades pointed out as roars echoed while he spoke, "That's too many to just be "a few" as you put it."
"I think not!" Carol snapped as she glared at the twelve, "Miracles are worthless no matter how many there are! My father saved the village from the plague that ravaged the land. The villagers called his medicine a miracle. And then they burned him at the stake for working miracles they thought he had no right to!"
"Your father…" Hibiki muttered.
"My mission was to lift the veil on the fundamental principles and laws of the universe and record them all in the Château de Tiffauges," Carol explained, "Thus completing the Apocalypse of All Creation, and yet…"
"Carol," Hibiki spoke up before seeing her opponent's face, "You're crying?"
"Every miracle is a catastrophe, like the plague that attacked our village!" Carol answered with watery eyes, "So I vowed to slaughter them all. That's why those who wield miracles are the last people I'd let myself lose against!"
Everyone watched as Carol threw dozens upon dozens of Alca-Noise crystals all around them. Soon enough numerous Alca-Noise were summoned, whether it were the small ground types, to larger combat types to even ones that overtook the air around them all.
"What is she doing?" Maria questioned.
"Carol has…" Aoi's voice spoke up.
"She's summoned an immense number of Alca-Noise," Sakuya was next to comment.
"So even without the Château de Tiffauges, she still has the means to destroy the world?" Buster questioned.
"Overwhelming power," Kenzan said, "But…"
"We're not going to let that deter us!" Slash called out.
"Touma…! Hibiki…!" Hansuke's voice came through communications now, "There's a girl in tears here!"
"Wait, Dad?" Saber asked in surprise.
"It's Elfnein!" Miku called out next.
Hibiki and Saber both gave a light gasp at Miku's words, the two looking over at Carol who was still tearing up before glancing at each other.
"If someone's in tears, you need to reach out to them!" Hibiki said, as she held up her arms.
"Agreed," Saber nodded.
"Forget it!" Carol shouted, "I'll just destroy everything!"
That was the invisible command to allow the Alca-Noises to start destroying, all of them striking at various buildings to simply destroy the world the old fashioned way.
Hibiki glanced towards her left, "Tsubasa!"
"I know, Tachibana," Tsubasa said as she drew her sword.
"This isn't the first time I've played along with your screwy way of fighting," Chris said with a smirk as her armor expanded, utilizing her X-Drive to create her usual small aircraft form.
"Let's split up and clear out the Alca-Noise," Maria said as she drew out her X-Drive's sword from her chest armor.
"Everyone, let's make a promise!" Saber shouted as he held his sword forward.
Falchion tilted her head, "A promise?"
"I think I know where this is going," Tsubasa chuckled.
"We'll save this world and reach out to Carol," Saber explained, "And we'll make it back in one piece!"
"I think we can manage that," Buster agreed.
Everyone else nodded and all gave their own sounds of confirmation, the twelve Riders and Wielders of SONG all splitting up to fight their own battles.
Hibiki had kept to the skies, forming her right gauntlet into Gungnir's spear while swinging and cutting through a horde of Alca-Noise around her. She then yelled out as she launched forward, becoming a yellow streak through the sky that tore through numerous Alca-Noise.
Kirika and Shirabe had opted to go for some of the smaller ground forces, though in a rather unorthodox way. Shirabe had formed a giant buzzsaw around the two, with Kirika adding Igalima's blades as scissor-like extensions. The result was the two moving the saucer-like object around while snipping away any Alca-Noise.
'She's the same as us…' Kirika thought.
'She was downtrodden and oppressed, but she kept struggling for something better,' Shirabe continued.
'The only difference is that she was all alone!' Maria extended brought out numerous swords connected by an energy rope, swinging it like a whip as she cut through a giant alien-like Alca-Noise.
'I gotta help her, I was saved like this too,' Chris thought as she unleashed her arsenal against the carrier Alca-Noise, soon launching out numerous beams to clear the skies further.
'That's why, with miracles as my blades, I'll rise no matter how many times I'm struck down!' Tsubasa shifted her sheath into a second sword while extending her leg armor to create giant blades. She then launched forward, slicing through a carrier Alca-Noise.
'That is why we sing throughout this war-torn sky!' Hibiki launched forward, continuing to skewer more Alca-Noise.
The Riders of course weren't slacking either in their assaults, the six playing to their strengths and fighting as hard as they could.
"Holding in all of that, wanting that revenge, I understand those feelings," Falchion said as she came across a good line of Alca-Noise, she gripped her fists tightly and initiated her Bladriver's finisher, "I suppose in that case, I've got to fight my hardest too!"
She kicked off the ground, becoming an orange glowing Phoenix that spread its wings, piercing through the Alca-Noise with its beak while slicing through them with its wings.
[HISSATSU MOKUDOKU! FUSHICHO MUSOU GEKI!]
"Humanity makes mistakes, but atoning for those mistakes allows change," Buster said as he used Jackun's vine to reel in several Alca-Noise. He cut through them with ease before readying his finisher, "Destroying our present, our future… means that nothing can change!"
He slammed Gekido into the ground, green cracks glowing as vines erupted to catch the horde of Alca-Noise in front of him. He then held his sword back with both hands, a green projection of Gekido extending out from the blade. With a shout he swung forward, slicing through the captured Alca-Noise and causing numerous explosions.
[KAISHIN NO GEKIDO RANDOKUGEKI! DOGON!]
"No matter how hopeless it seems, we must move forward," Kenzan said as he had utilized Kobuta 3Kyodai's duplication technique, the three Kenzan clearing the Alca-Noise littering the rooftops, soon preparing their finishers, "The more steps we take, the more we grow in order to face the challenges ahead!"
The three Kenzan began performing hand signs before leaping up into the air, each one glowing brightly. Suddenly in bright puffs of green smoke, dozens of Kenzan were now in the air. The clones all had Hayate in its shuriken mode, all of them launching the shuriken down at the horde of Alca-Noise and kicking up smoke.
The three Kenzan then launched down like bullets, slicing through the stragglers as a singular Kenzan launched out of the smoke caused by the finisher.
[HAYATE SOKUDOKU GEKI! NINNIN!]
"Every human is different, not everyone back then was like those who condemned your father, we change, grow, and teach," Slash called out as he began rolling around, shooting through the Alca-Noise with ease as he continued to move around constantly. He then began prepping his finisher, "The skills and passions we pass down become history's supreme… sound~!"
He aimed Suzune forward as multicolored strings of music began to gather at the tip. He launched out the musical strings, all of them forming a ring around a large grouping of Alca-Noise. The ring began to reverberate several times to the beat of the song the Symphogear Wielders were singing. Suddenly a bass drop was heard as the ring unleashed all its energy inwards, causing numerous explosions.
[SUZUNE ONDOKUGEKI! YAY!]
"I won't give up!" Blades yelled as he charged through the streets in his Lion Mode, launching out cannon blasts to tear through the larger Alca-Noise while trampling through the smaller ones, "I won't give up on my own future or the futures of my precious family!"
Nagare appeared within the Rider turned mechanical lion's mouth, soon using it to cut through the Alca-Noise before swinging his head around. As a result he managed to launch several larger Alca-Noise in the air before taking aim with his cannons, unleashing a high pressurized stream of water from both that tore through his opponents.
[NAGARE HOKOU!]
"Obtaining all knowledge, there was a less destructive alternative than your dissection," Saber said as leapt across buildings, bashing his enemies away with his shield while slicing through them with Rekka. Several of the large alien-like Alca-Noise blocked his path however, so he slotted Rekka into his Swordriver to prepare his finisher, "What you wanted was revenge, and that can run deep and take hold… that's why I'll fight with Hibiki to save you from this destructive desire!"
[HISATSU DOKUHA! DENSETSU NO SHINJUU!]
Saber got in a crouched stance as red, white, and black flames spiraled around him. He then leapt up and kicked out, "Emotional Dragon Godly Wrath Break!"
He shouted while kicking out, the dragons of Brave, Pride, and Love launching out alongside him and overlapping with his body. The four burst into an gold energy dragon with red, white, and black streaks that launched through the alien-like Alca-Noise, burning them apart. On the other side the Rider reformed, landing while kneeling.
[HISSATSU GEKI! FIRE!]
Saber looked back towards the falling Alca-Noise, tilting his head briefly as something about those particular Alca-Noise felt familiar. He shook those thoughts off however and quickly launched up into the sky.
With Six Symphogear Wielders and Six Riders, they were able to make quick work of the hordes of Alca-Noise that Carol had summoned. Buster, Kenzan and Slash all went to get back onto Lion Blades who launched back into the air to regroup with the Saber and Falchion who were back in the air as well.
"Hell yeah, with us powered up and X-Drive we can win this!" Falchion shouted as she raised her sword.
Buster however noticed something was off, "That may be but Carol's been building her Phonic Gain this whole time."
As the Riders and Wielders regrouped, everyone could only stare at Carol who had several alchemic circles around her, constantly building energy.
"Were the Alca-Noise just a distraction?" Hibiki asked.
"Are you really going to burn every last memory you have?" Chris questioned.
"Don't do something so hasty," Saber called out, "Memories aren't some fleeting thing that you can just toss away!"
"If only everything was gone," Carol spoke up as blood was streaming down from her eyes, "The world, its miracles… and my memories too!"
In that instant an explosive burst of white energy was unleashed as a bright light engulfed Carol.
"We swore we'd save her!" Maria called out.
"That's right!" Tsubasa said as she shot forward, "To me, Maria!"
The two sword Wielders launched up, getting chest to chest while flying forward and combining all their blades. They began spinning around and turned into a drill of silver and blue that launched directly towards Carol.
Carol yelled out as she brought out a barrier to block the drill before unleashing a pulse to counter, "Just fall!"
Tsubasa and Maria screamed out as they were launched away, their blades breaking in the process.
Chris' eyes widened, "Senpai!"
"Maria!" Kriika and Shirabe shouted.
Carol yelled out further as she allowed the wires she so often used to engulf her. The wires shaped themselves into something more before breaking apart to reveal a giant lion-like Alchemic Beast that was ethereal, with green armoring for the head, sides, and feet, having red and gold accents.
"What is that?!" Chris questioned.
"Did she just steal from Rintaro?!" Falchion questioned.
"I don't think now's the time to question that!" Slash called out.
Carol was now within the beast itself, Dur da Blá was out and around her as her armoring had changed, strings extending from her arms and thus her own body was now linked with Dur da Blá which acted as the controller for the alchemic beast.
'Nothing matters to me anymore,' Carol thought as she planned on finishing this now, 'But this is the only way I may quell the fire in my loins!'
"She's about to attack!" Chris warned.
The Alchemic Beast began to spew fire before launching a beam of fire outwards, the Riders and Wielders just barely dodging as the fires completely tore through several buildings with ease.
Chris' eyes widened, "What's with that insane power?!"
"We just have to get her…" Shirabe started.
"…before she gets us, dess!" Kirika called out as she and Shirabe rushed forward.
"Hey!" Chris called out.
"Don't forget about me!" Falchion rushed forward with the duo.
The three attempted to attack the Alchemic Beast with physical attacks only for it to knock them all back. Blades and Slash attempted to shoot down the Alchemic Beast, though it simply shifted its head to deflect the blasts away from it.
"Her defense is too strong," Maria realized, "If we keep attacking like this, we'll never get through."
"Then we have to focus all of the X-Drive's output into our Armed Gears," Tsubasa spoke up, "Then punch through with one mighty blow!"
The other Wielders began to land near where Tsubasa was, planning on regrouping as the Riders moved closer to them as well.
"It'll leave us wide open, but the firepower is worth it," Shirabe said.
"And we can concentrate it all into one, dess," Kirika nodded.
"Chat later!" Chris said as she stared straight ahead, "We've got incoming!"
The Alchemic Beast unleashed dozens of beams of energy, all of them curving towards the Riders and Wielders while converging on one point. Hibiki and Saber quickly got between the lasers and their friends, Saber holding his left arm's shield up while Hibiki raised her right arm, forming her spearhead. The two blocked against the beams of energy, managing to hold them back with their enhanced forms.
"We'll hold it back!" Hibiki shouted.
Saber shouted as he kept his defense strong, "Go for it!"
"Let's do it!" Maria ordered as she and the other Wielders raised their hands into the air. Each Wielder was encased in a pillar of their respective colors as their main armoring was converted into energy. The energy all gathered in one place, the five Wielders punching forward and unleashing a golden blast of energy against the Alchemic Beast.
An explosive blast occurred as the damage could be seen, the head of the Alchemic Beast being broken open to reveal the dimensional pocket that Carol resided within.
Carol smirked, "You were one Armed Gear short."
The smug comment was almost instantly shut up as Hibiki held up her spearhead, Saber backing away as Hibiki gathered the latent energies from the blast directly into the Armed Gear.
"I'll destroy miracles! I'll slaughter them all!" Carol called out in response to this turn of events, "I'll commit a genocide of miracles!"
The Alchemic Beast launched a continuous beam of energy at Hibiki and Saber. The Rider was ready to move forward to defend when Hibiki herself held him back, the beam seemingly engulfing the two. Everyone was concerned but the concern dissipated quickly as a giant armored hand that resembled Gungnir's Gauntlet was now seen holding back the beam.
"This hand lets me reach out to others! It's my Armed Gear!" Hibiki shouted as the hand squeezed shut, dispersing the beam, "It might be painful if it hits you, but Miku taught me how it can do so much more than that!"
"Hibiki…" Saber muttered before his friend looked back at him and nodded, he nodded back, "Good luck."
"Thank you," Hibiki held her giant arm out to the side, revealing that the gigantic gauntlet fist was attached to the spear she wielded. Saber meanwhile went to land nearby the others, Blades having switched back to his Rider Form at this point.
"I'll crush you all the same!" Carol shouted before feeling another painful pulse, "Another rejection? Now of all times?!" she paused however as her mind flashed back to her father, "No! These memories of Father are trying to stop me! I can't accept that! There's no way I could! I don't need memories that will defy me! Burn! Burn, and fuel my power!"
The Alchemic Beast roared out as Carol burned away more of her memories, it gathering more power for one final attack.
Hibiki meanwhile let out a shout while lifting her giant fist upwards, the mechanical armament breaking apart as the energies she brought in from the other five Wielders exploded out and combined with her power. The enlarged gauntlet had broken apart and shifted into a giant fist with multi-colored jewels, and ethereal light holding it together as Hibiki was right in the middle of it.
Hibiki yelled out as the gigantic fist launched forward, the Alchemic Beast roaring and shooting a beam of energy to overwhelm the fist. Despite this Hibiki was still managing to push through but was slowly only reaching a stalemate at best.
"Even now we have a stalemate?!" Buster questioned.
"She's matching her power," Blades realized, "But for how long?"
"We'll lend our power to Tachibana!" Tsubasa called out before holding her fist forward, it shining a bright blue as the others followed suit, "Ame no Habakiri!"
"Ichaival!"
"Shul Shagana!"
"Igalima!"
"Airgetlam!"
Saber nodded and aimed Rekka forward while scanning Brave Dragon, the other Riders scanning their respective personal Ride Books against their Seiken and aiming forward as well.
"Kaenken Rekka!"
"Suiseiken Nagare!"
"Mumeiken Kyomu!"
"Dogouken Gekido!"
"Fuusouken Hayate!"
"Onjuuken Suzune!"
The Wielders all held their hands forward, the energy around them shining brighter as they pushed their energy into the attack that Hibiki was performing. The Riders meanwhile swung their swords forward, beams of light corresponding to their colors spiraling out and striking the back of the giant fist Hibiki was within.
Hibiki let out a mighty shout as the fist pushed further and further, slowly but surely breaking the stalemate despite the Alchemic Beast's best attempts. Hibiki punched forward as projections of Saber, Blades, Falchion, Buster, Kenzan, and Slash overlapped in front of her body rapidly while she shouted even further.
"GUNGNIR!"
Carol's eyes could only widen in shock as the fist pushed its way through, striking the Alchemic Beast directly in the face and smashing into it.
{GLORIOUS RIDER BREAK}
Everyone could only stare up in shock as the attack had actually managed to hit. The fist dispersed as Hibiki firmly stared forward at Carol who held a sad smile. The Alchemic Beast began to rise up in the air as white energy began leaking out of it, growing larger and larger.
The entirety of SONG HQ was also surprised to see that the Riders and Wielders combination tactic had worked. However, that surprise faded when they saw the Alchemic Beast start to leak energy.
"The energy's going out of control!" Aoi reported.
"Calculating damage estimates!" Sakuya called out.
"Sixty seconds until it goes critical!" Aoi turned to look over at Sophia.
"At this level, everything within a 12km radius will be caught in the explosion," Sakuya reported, "And any buildings within 3km will suffer extreme damage!"
Sophia could only look on in concern alongside Hansuke and Miku, the three watching as the light from the camera feed illuminated the darkened control bridge they were on.
"Let me engrave it into your very souls: the cruel truth of a world where songs can't save anything!" Carol shouted as tears streamed down her face.
"I won't give up," Hibiki answered as she had ended up entangled in Carol's wires after her attack, "Even if it takes a miracle!"
"Every miracle is a curse!" Carol called out, "They kill all those who rely on them!"
It wasn't long before the Alchemic Beast began to explode, taking apart chunks of it as Carol was blown away. The alchemist ended up being at her limit, as the blast that launched her also had forced her back to her child-like state.
"Carol!" Hibiki shouted as she managed to pry herself mostly away from the wires, launching after the falling Alchemist while holding out her hand, "Take my hand!"
Carol gave a cruel smile, "Your songs can't save me… they can't save anyone!"
"That's never stopped me before!" Hibiki shouted as she clasped her enhanced X-Drive pendant, clicking it in, "Bakken! Dáinsleif!"
In a burst of darkness, Hibiki entered a combined state of her X-Drive and Ignite Module forms to give her the boost she needed to reach Carol. The angelic armor was darkened and sharpened as black fiery energy wings flapped to push her down faster.
As she reached out, an image of Elfnein could be seen over her, also reaching out to the alchemist, "Carol!"
However, Carol's eyes widened when she saw another hand reach out to her, the hand of her father, Izak, "Father…!"
"Carol, know the world. Ensuring that people can one day understand each other is the mission entrusted to us all," Izak spoke with a smile, "You're a smart girl, so you understand that, right? You know what you have to do."
Carol held a bitter smile at these words but soon reached out while shouting, "Papa!"
Hibiki took this chance, grasping Carol's hand and holding her close, her dark wings wrapping around the two of them just as the Alchemic Beast exploded, launching them downwards while shrouded in dark energy.
The explosion released a bright amount of light, tearing through the area and causing massive destruction as it engulfed numerous buildings.
A Few Days Later…
At SONG HQ, Genjuro and Sophia were currently listening into a report by Ogawa. The Rider of Wind was currently visiting the site where the battle between Carol and SONG had taken place. While the building and Château were still standing despite being in complete disrepair, the entire area around it was a massive crater with the surrounding buildings being scorched.
"So we have yet to locate Carol?"Genjuro asked.
"It's already been seventy-two hours since the battle's end," Ogawa reminded, "The trail's long cold by now."
"Understood," Genjuro replied, "Call off the search and return."
"Roger," Ogawa said before cutting communications.
"Hibiki protected her, and she's fine, so Carol should be alive too," Aoi noted as she looked back at the Commanders.
"There's also the whereabouts of the Ride Books that were powering the Château we still have yet to find," Sophia spoke up, "Maria's team never got a chance to retrieve them and despite carefully picking through the interior rubble, we've been unable to find them."
"Perhaps our mysterious sword wielder is the cause of that," Daishinji said as he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, "After all from the reports he seemed to be concerned with the Ride Books' usage. Perhaps he took them after Maria's team got the data chip from Dr. Ver."
"That is a possibility," Genjuro admitted.
"Honestly, all those questions aren't my only concern," Sakuya admitted as he was looking at an X-Ray sheet. The only other sound that could be heard was the slamming of a fist against the wall, it being Daishinji who had been the cause.
The Symphogear Wielders, alongside Miku, Touma, Rintaro and Kanade were all currently in a hospital room, the ten of them visiting Elfnein who was currently recovering from her wound.
"Thank you for coming to visit me," Elfnein said with a soft but tired smile, "I feel bad that you come every day."
"Don't be," Miku said, "It's summer vacation now, so we're good."
Elfnein looked over in confusion, "Summer Vacation?"
"It's a whole lot of fun," Shirabe replied.
"And this is our first one, dess!" Kirika cheered.
"It'll definitely be an interesting experience," Rintaro nodded.
"The kids are going to be out of classes which means Fantastic Bookstore Kamiyama is going to be a lot more lively," Touma chuckled as he adjusted his hat, "That'll be fun."
"You can sleep in as much as you like, and you can stay up as late as you want!" Hibiki leaned forward with a smile.
"That's just your lifestyle, Hibiki," Miku gave a sheepish chuckle.
"Don't teach her your weird habits," Chris added.
"I don't know I think my successor has the right idea," Kanade put her hands behind her head as she smiled.
"Of course you'd agree with her," Tsubasa pinched the bridge of her nose.
"There are summer festivals in the shopping districts, too!" Hibiki continued to explain despite the comments, "They have Yakisoba, Cotton Candy, Takoyaki, and Grilled Squid!" she leaned forward, "Don't tell anyone, but when she gets in the mood, Maria's Gear starts playing traditional dance music."
Elfnein turned to look at Maria, "Really?"
"Of course not!" Maria nearly shouted with a blush of embarrassment before taking a deep breath to regain some composure, "That'd be more Tsubasa's kind of thing, anyway."
Everyone couldn't help but imagine Tsubasa in Ame no Habakiri wielding two Taiko drum sticks, playing to the beat of the music as everyone else in traditional festival outfits danced around.
"Ooh, A+ deflection," Kanade remarked as everyone began to laugh at the thought.
Tsubasa meanwhile couldn't help but keep her eyes closed as her eyebrows twitched, "I see, I see… so that's what my Ame no Habakiri means to you…"
"I still have so many things to learn," Elfnein wiped a few tears away from laughing too hard as she smiled, "If I learned more about the world, and about all of you, could we be even better friends?"
"Of course," Hibiki said as she clasped Elfnein's hand with her own, "So heal up and get back on your feet soon, all right?"
"Yeah, I'll even share my treasure trove of knowledge with you," Touma smiled, "So feel free to visit."
The group's visit went on like normal though it wasn't long before they decided to leave for the day to let Elfnein rest up. Hibiki had decided to go to the restroom with Miku following after her, already knowing what was wrong. Everyone else decided to head out for some air and took their own paths, Touma and Rintaro walking together though Maria was lagging behind the others she was with, glancing back at the two Swordsmen.
"You know I probably would've been a good actor," Touma sighed as he shifted his hat to shadow his eyes, "Because…"
"Yes, the reports we received on her condition…" Rintaro nodded in a solemn manner as he gripped his fists tightly.
The two continued to walk before reaching one of the benches on the floor they were on, the two surprised to see Touma's father sitting there.
"Dad…?" Touma asked as he walked over, "Why are you here?"
"I wanted to visit her," Hansuke admitted as he held his head low, "But I don't think I can…"
"Dad…" Touma muttered as he walked over and sat next to him.
"I couldn't help her, and I heard from the doctor's that…" Hansuke gripped his hands tightly as he lowered his head further, only to be surprised when he felt an arm wrapped around his back, he looked up in surprise at Touma who was hugging him, "Touma?"
"You aren't a medical expert," Touma reassured, "I know you and Miku are beating yourselves up a lot because of this… but sometimes there are things you just can't control."
"Regardless," Rintaro hurried over and knelt down near Hansuke, "You did more than you were ever asked to during those battles. You should not be ashamed of that."
"I suppose…" Hansuke gave a soft smile before looking at Rintaro, "Thank you for being there for my son."
"I suppose I must thank you for him being there for me," Rintaro smiled, "He's an incredible Swordsman and Kamen Rider."
"Of course he is," Hansuke smiled as he hugged his son back, "So what are you two going to do now?"
"We were set up with some rooms to spend the nights here," Touma admitted, "There's a bit of extra space if you'd like to join."
"That'd be appreciated…" Hansuke said.
"Touma," a voice called out as the three turned, all of them a bit surprised to see Maria walking over, "We need to talk."
"Eh?" Touma asked as he pulled away from the hug, a bit surprised by Maria's sudden appearance, "Maria?"
Hibiki had currently holed herself up in the restroom as best she could, running the water to the sink and leaning over it as she was currently crying. Of course despite her tears and the water running, she was able to hear someone enter, and even while hunched over she already knew who it was.
Miku was behind Hibiki, a hand near her chest as she looked over at her friend.
"Sorry, I didn't want to cry in front of Elfnein. She'd never get better that way," Hibiki said as she turned off the running water, her tears still dropping, "In this world only simple problems can be solved with your fists. So all I can achieve is little things. It's so frustrating."
There was so much Miku wanted to say, how it was her fault that Elfnein had ended up like that. How she wished she was stronger that way the situation with Sabela hadn't gotten to that point. How she wished she was able to help Elfnein further than what she was able to. Despite these thoughts she pushed them aside for now as she knew what exactly Hibiki needed to hear, something she still deeply believed.
"That may be true, but you know what?" she finally spoke up as she took Hibiki's curled hand, and lifted it up and held it close to her face, "When you clench your fist to do what you think is right, you have something unique, something special."
"Special…?" Hibiki looked over.
"It's the kindest fist in the world," Miku answered, "I'm sure one day it'll solve everything that's wrong with the world."
"Miku…" Hibiki stared in surprise before going to hug her friend, "Thank you. You really are… my sunshine."
Miku simply smiled and hugged back, glad that her friend felt even just a bit better.
"So what did you want to discuss?" Touma asked as he and Maria were currently at a lounge area with a vending machine. Despite initially refusing, Maria had gotten two iced coffees for them both to drink.
"It was about your battle with Calibur," Maria replied as she popped open her can, "I haven't read any of the official reports, though I'm sure there's only so much they'd likely take from your word on the events."
"Ah," Touma nodded as he popped open his can to drink from it, "What did you need to know?"
"While we have no way of truly believing his word, he did talk to me briefly when I first used Ignite," Maria admitted, "I've only ever said anything to Commander Kazanari but…"
"But…" Touma trailed.
"One ability we've seen of his that he made specific mention of was utilizing the darkness of Kurayami to submerse oneself and bypass death," Maria said as she saw Touma gain a look of realization, "He told me to keep on the path I was, and that I was aware there was more to the situation than what was shown."
"So that really was what would have happened to me…" Touma muttered in realization as his mind shifted back to fighting Calibur, the darkness shrouding and overtaking him until…
"I take it you have an idea of what I'm getting at," Maria spoke up.
"I do," Touma nodded as he pushed himself out of his realization to keep the conversation up, "When we were fighting, Kamijo tried to smother me in darkness. He even said something along the lines of sleeping in darkness until I'm ready."
"I see," Maria said, "How did you escape?"
"I felt a warm light and heard a familiar voice," Touma smiled as he looked over at Maria, "Then I saw Kento. He helped me escape Kurayami's dark grasp."
"Kento… he did that?" Maria asked in surprise.
"Yeah, and Kamijo even said that Kento was safe," Touma nodded, "He couldn't fully explain since he was killed, but I think… I think he sealed Kento in Kurayami."
"Then that means only one thing," Maria replied, "Kento isn't gone."
"He isn't," Touma nodded, "But…"
"Master Logos now has Kurayami," Maria finished before turning away, "Leave it to me, I may have been given a mission that could relate to Master Logos in the long run. So if I find success, then maybe I can find Kurayami so we can bring Kento back."
"A new mission…?" Touma asked, "So soon?"
"It's very important given the background details SONG's been uncovering," Maria explained, "But it's highly confidential. I shouldn't even be telling you this."
"But you are because…" Touma trailed.
"I suppose despite my suspicions I needed more evidence to fuel my desire to see this through," Maria admitted as she began to walk away, "Thank you Touma, leave finding Kento to me for now."
"I will and good luck," Touma said before going back to sipping his coffee.
Later that Evening…
Elfnein was sleeping as peacefully as she could, the sound of her monitoring equipment performing steady beeps. Of course the sound of a door opening caught her attention.
"Bon Lecture…" a voice whispered as Carol entered, the voice belonging to Tassel who was right behind her.
"Carol…?" Elfnein asked as she turned before she saw who was behind her, "Viktor?"
"Carol?" Carol repeated, "Is that my name?" she paused before looking back towards Tassel, "And his is Viktor?"
"I go by Tassel now, actually," Tassel said with a kind smile before frowning.
"Amnesia," Elfnein realized, "You burned almost all of your memories."
"All I have are fragments, like vague shapes in the mist," Carol said as she approached Elfnein's bed, "Just who am I? I came here because when I close my eyes, I see you. I thought you could give me answers."
"You are another me," Elfnein explained.
"I'm another you?" Carol asked.
"Yes," Elfnein replied, "We came all this way together, following the words Father left us."
"Father's words…" Carol gave a light gasp, "How did I forget something so important?"
"It wasn't your fault, sometimes we deal with pain in our own ways," Tassel muttered.
"Please tell me everything," Carol begged as she looked between Elfnein and Tassel, "Even as we speak, I can feel myself slipping away…"
Elfnein looked at Carol before coughing, blood staining her hand and cheek, "I want to start from the beginning, but I can't manage that as I am. You can see the state my body is in."
"So you're fading too, just like me?" Carol asked.
Elfnein stared up at the ceiling, tears starting to fall, "Yes. I thought I'd gladly give my life if it meant saving the world. But, I don't want to die now!"
"Then one more time," Carol said as she pushed herself onto the bed, clasping Elfnein's hand, "Together-"
"Wait a moment," Tassel said as he held out a hand, causing the two to glance over at him, "I… I couldn't do much for you Carol, even after the promise I gave your father. But even though what you plan to do will help the two of you… there's might be a better way to allow you both to properly heal."
"What?" Elfnein asked.
"What do you mean?" Carol asked.
Tassel turned towards the door as Yuri entered the room. The two nodded at each other as the ancient man walked towards the two, a light beginning to shine brightly from him.
All the Wielders, Miku, Touma, Rintaro, Kanade and even Hansuke were all making a mad dash towards Elfnein's room. Their rooms had been set up with special alerts just in case something happened with Elfnein's vitals. And once they had been alerted something was off it didn't take long for everyone to nearly stampede in. Of course everyone was forced to abruptly stop due to the sight before them.
The only person in the room was Carol who was facing an empty bed. There were no traces of Tassel, Yuri, and even Elfnein.
"Carol…?" Hibiki asked.
'Carol' shook her head a few times before turning, despite this being Carol in body, her face and expression showed that it was Elfnein before the group, "I am…"
She didn't get to finish as Hibiki rushed forward with tears in her eyes to hug Elfnein. Everyone else couldn't help but all give relieved expressions as they saw this, most walking over to Elfnein as a few stayed back to give everyone space.
Days Later…
Several days had passed since Elfnein's miraculous recovery as some put it. As a result, Summer had kicked into full gear for everyone, with the Riders and Wielders of SONG spending it however they wished.
Kirika and Shirabe were currently studying hard, or at least trying to as they were trying to make their way through the summer homework that Lydian had given them.
"I thought summer vacation was supposed to be fun," Shirabe said, "What happened?"
"And how can Chris take it so easy, dess?" Kirika asked as she looked over.
The two were actually at Chris' apartment, the older Wielder supervising their studying. Though said older wielder was currently lounging on her couch enjoying an ice pop.
"I'll take this opportunity to tell you something," Chris smugly spoke up as she pulled out a score sheet that showed her academic scores, very impressive ones at that, "I might not look it, but my grades aren't half bad!"
Shirabe gasped in shock, "No way!"
The two winced when they saw Chris glare towards them, Kirika quickly pointing towards her friend, "Shirabe said that, dess!"
"What happened to sticking up for me, Kiri?" Shirabe asked.
"Shut up and get your homework done!" Chris shouted.
Outside of Chris' apartment was Desast who was lounging in a tree's branches. He was currently reading a manga that Chris had lent him so that he wouldn't bug her so much during study sessions.
"Calibur and that spoilsport Carol are gone, those bossy Megid failed spectacularly…" Desast released a content sigh as he relaxed further, "The coming months are going to be fun… oh!" he interrupted himself with a gasp as his eyes suddenly went back to the page he was on due to something catching his eye, "Things are getting real good now!"
Tsubasa had made plans to return to England to continue her idol career now that things had calmed down. She had basically set up a less restrictive schedule that would allow her to perform live and do her various promotions but also give her enough space to easily continue work with SONG if the need arose. Of course Ogawa was to accompany her like usual, but they had a surprise guest who was also tagging along with them in Maria.
Outside of the airport, Genjuro watched the flight Tsubasa, Maria, and Ogawa were on takeoff into the air. With him was Kanade who had her usual black coat on despite the summer heat, but she was also wearing sunglasses and her hair had been tied up in a ponytail. Despite everyone's skeptical nature on it, especially given her idol status prior, it was a flawless disguise as no one recognized her.
The two were standing next to a black car, as Yatsuhiro was in the passenger's seat.
"Don't you think it's a pretty poor excuse for a father that can't even see his daughter off?" Genjuro asked.
"This is sufficient between us," Yatsuhiro replied.
"Whatever you say," Kanade shook her head with a shrug.
"However, Gen…" Yatsuhiro continued, "What is your opinion on this magical girl incident?"
"Things have been uncertain in Europe ever since the US fell from power," Genjuro pointed out.
"Or perhaps…" Yatsuhiro pushed up his glasses.
Genjuro said nothing, and even Kanade didn't choose to comment as she had her hands in her coat pockets. She knew exactly why Maria was joining Tsubasa in England and also knew that just because Carol was defeated, this wasn't the end.
Daishinji was currently in his and Elfnein's shared workshop, keeping up the repairs on the Seiken and various Ride Books that SONG had at their disposal.
"Good day Daishinji."
"Good day Elfnein," Daishinji said as he didn't look up from his current work in order to greet his new partner when it came to the science/research division of SONG.
Elfnein herself had gone for an outfit change, going for a layered yellow dress with a green string bow and dark green shorts, keeping her usual shin length white socks and brown variants of her dress shoes she had on before. But this time in order to show her official status as a worker of SONG, she had a white coat that was fitted for her size, it having special straps near the biceps she could adjust.
"So what are you working on today?" Elfnein asked.
"Raimeiken Ikazuchi," Daishinji admitted as he was currently inspecting the Seiken of Thunder.
"But it hasn't been used since the battle where we debuted the Ignite Module," Elfnein spoke up, "Wouldn't it still be in pristine condition after the repairs there?"
"Not exactly," Daishinji said as he stared at the sword, "Remember, there was Sabela's infiltration."
"Oh, that's right," Elfnein realized as she held her side gently, though it technically wasn't her side at the moment, but that was semantics she wasn't about to get into, "Miku ended up taking it with her to protect it, and then managed to defend me by using it briefly."
"Yeah…" Daishinji said as he recalled Miku managing to draw out a significant portion of Ikazuchi's power without any prior training, "Yeah she did…"
"Oh right, so we're still analyzing the data chip that Dr. Ver left us," Elfnein said, "So far progress is slow, though given your discovery with Bremen no Rock Band I think we should be fine for a while."
"I've been making sure to schedule sessions with Shirabe and Kirika so that we can potentially cut down on their LiNKER usage," Daishinji replied, "Unfortunately with Maria having to go overseas I could only get in a brief session before she left."
"Still, it is helpful to cut down on two-thirds of usage at the very least," Elfnein reassured.
"I suppose you're correct on that front," Daishinji said as he let loose a small smirk before turning back to Ikazuchi, staring at it for a while before continuing his work on maintaining it.
"I'll be alright," Reika insisted before wincing, she was currently in Logos' castles medical wing being treated by her brother Ryoga.
"Well at least you're reeling back less," Ryoga said as he had continually treated the injury his sister received when Miku had struck her, "Still you need to be careful Reika."
"How was I supposed to know a random girl would be able to draw out Ikazuchi's power?" Reika questioned with a light pout, "I very much had the situation under control until then."
"I know, I know," Ryoga sighed as he finished treating the wound on her side, "But some caution would always be good. Sometimes the unexpected can do more than just an injury like this…"
"I see…" Reika said as she noticed the concern on her brother's face, guessing that it was about the incident that caused her amnesia, "I'll take your word for it."
"It should heal up soon," Ryoga said, "So just take it easy for the time being. After all I don't think our next mission will be that soon."
"I suppose," Reika said before standing up and putting on her coat, "Thank you brother."
"I'm always here to help," Ryoga gave a nod, watching Reika walk out of the room before he drew out the pocket watch again, staring at it intently, "It's always the unexpected that takes the most from us when we least expect it…"
Master Logos smiled as he walked through the halls of his castle, making his way to his viewing room. He had just checked up on Kurayami, the sword continuing to stay dormant as it was housed in a secret room that no ordinary wanderer in the castle could get to. He had also checked up on Luna shortly before, the young woman still unconscious as the spell he had placed on her was still active.
Of course he knew that it was only a matter of time before she woke up so he made sure to place a special barrier around her room to prevent her from escaping.
"While not the catch I was hoping for, securing Kurayami alongside the reincarnation of the priestess who kept hold of the Great Book so long ago…" Master Logos trailed with a smile as he stopped outside his personal viewing room, "Those are definitely invaluable."
Entering the room he was greeted by his monitors being static filled, as he had yet to set them to watch any particular event. Of course as he walked forward he could only smirk as he heard a phone suddenly ringing.
In front of the monitors, just barely fitting on the table was an old fashioned telephone that didn't seem to be connected to anything.
"With Carol done you're starting on your plans, huh?" Master Logos asked as he walked forward and took hold of the phone before answering it, "Hello?"
"I suppose I should be taking my leave," Hansuke said as he was currently at Fantastic Bookstore Kamiyama, meeting with his son, Miku, Hibiki and Rintaro.
"You have stayed pretty long, even by your standards," Touma pointed out.
"Well what can I say, given the insane stuff that happened shortly after our meeting, things sort of take priority," Hansuke remarked with a slight chuckle, "Still, I know I don't have to tell you all to keep safe."
"Of course," Hibiki said as she raised her fists, "Don't worry, we'll be fine."
"I plan to lighten the load on your father's work when I get back," Hansuke said, "That way he can get in touch more often like before."
"Thank you, again," Hibiki bowed.
"Make sure you keep them all reeled in Miku," Hansuke added, "You know how wild those two can get."
Touma and Hibiki could only stare in shock, "Eh? What's that supposed to mean?!"
The others could only laugh at the Rider and Wielder realizing that they had said the same thing at the same time.
"Rintaro," Hansuke spoke up between laughs, "Keep up the good work, I'm glad my son has a friend as reliable as you."
"Thank you very much sir!" Rintaro bowed, "I won't let you down!"
"Right then, now I should-" Hansuke paused abruptly as he started to turn before recalling something, "Oh that's right Touma, I got a message from your mom the other day."
"Wait, really?" Touma asked.
"She's planning on coming down sometime soon," Hansuke replied.
"Ooh, she's coming to town too?!" Hibiki asked in excitement, "I wonder if she's gotten any cool souvenirs!"
"Of course that's your concern," Miku sighed.
"That's good to hear," Touma said, "I'll make sure everything's in tip top condition for her."
"Also maybe try and let her know about this whole SONG business before something crazy happens?" Hansuke suggested with a bit of a stern look.
"I'll uh… I'll start talking to the Commanders…" Touma said as he hung his head, recalling how he got a bit of an earful from his dad after they had explained everything post the Magical Girl Incident. Rintaro could only give a sheepish smile as Hibiki and Miku went to comfort Touma.
Hansuke gave a final smile and wave before walking through the front door. Despite everything he had heard and was told alongside the worry he had, he knew that his son would be fine. While the danger of the Megid and anyone else who would step up was a concern, he knew that so long as Hibiki, Miku, and the others supported Touma, that his son would be alright in the end.
Author's Note: Bit of a shorter chapter this time but the main story of Song of Swords GX is now fully completed! Of course there's one more chapter I have planned for the end of the year, the Special Extra Chapter of Song of Swords that will have a bit of set up the next season going forward as it always does. I wanted to maybe sneak the OVA in this year but I ran into some complications (nothing major, don't worry), so we'll just have it next year.
That being said, there wasn't much I ended up needing to do for this finale, it was rather straight forward for the ending compared to messing with the middle of it. It was mostly adding some additional bits for the Riders during the big fight alongside whatever additional scenes I felt could be added. That being said, there is an important notice you all need to read.
Important Notice:
Well we did it guys, we made it through the year for the most part and I've only got one chapter left to put out for Song of Swords. Now if you've looked at my FFN Profile or my Twitter (still not calling it X) updates you'll know I planned to take a break in December after releasing the Special Chapter for GX. That will still be occurring but I'd like to announce I'm extending that break to include January and February. We'll be returning in March mostly because the backlog (for both main stories) is finally starting to dry up. I want to be able to give you consistent bursts of chapters and this break allows me to unwind by not having to worry about updating chapters for a while.
The schedule for Song of Swords is likely to stay the same, the bi-weekly schedule is less strenuous than the weekly schedule I had for Roze. If something comes up I'll be sure to let you know and it will be reflected in the schedule.
Of course if you do want to keep up to date, I do have a Twitter that you all can look for titled "Zero's Workshop" that is (at-sign) ZeroEnchiladas. There you'll find that I do updates, occasional rambles, and posts relating to both of my stories. And considering how FFN is on stability these days, I feel like this might be the best way you'll know when I update. So thanks for reading and I'll see you all next time.