To say that the fight against the Noise was going poorly for the military was an understatement. While they seemingly had an endless stream of weaponry, it bounced off the Noise harmlessly. The Noise were tearing through their ranks like paper. Then again, they weren't trying to defeat the Noise, but stall them for long enough in order to help the civilians escape.
Rui and Maia were in the center of the school's courtyard, fighting the Noise. While they weren't as successful compared to the Symphogear users, they were still holding their own.
"Can I be honest?" Rui asked, kicking several Noise into nothing.
"What?" Maia asked, as Takemikazuchi split into two large broadswords that she used to cut down Noise, left and right.
"I was honestly scared at first, the idea of fighting these freaks." Rui said. "But now…"
A roundhouse kick to one Noise knocked them into several others for a massive explosion.
"...it feels like it was all a bad dream."
"Yeah? Well, don't get cocky, buddy." Maia said, slicing another Noise in half. "Kicking ass isn't our mission."
"I know, I know." Rui groaned. "But I think we made several sweeps of this area already. I think we got it covered-"
Rui stopped, as she stepped in something. Looking down, she saw that it was carbon dust. It was then that the two of them noticed that there were several piles here and there. No points in guessing what had transpired prior.
"If only we got here earlier…" Maia said sadly.
"Damn Noise…" Rui cracked her knuckles, before pressing the red button on Kagutsuchi. "You're all going down!"
In the school hallways, the girls were gathered and guarded by soldiers, as Miku tried to guide them.
"Everyone, please remain calm and evacuate to the shelter!" Miku instructed as they walked past her. "Please remain calm!"
"Hina!"
Miku turned to see her three friends, Yumi, Kuriyo and Shiori. "Girls!"
"What's going on?" Yumi asked. "How could the school be under attack? This is something that you only see in anime!"
"You three should evacuate as well." Miku suggested.
"Come with us, Kohinata-san!" Shiori said.
"You go on ahead. I need to make sure nobody's been left behind!" Miku said, determined, before running off.
"Hey, you three!" A soldier called over, running towards them. "Hurry to the shelter! It's not safe here! The Noise-!"
His last words were cut off, as a Noise tendril smashed through the window, piercing his body and carbonizing him into dust. Yumi could only scream in horror as the body collapsed.
"Hello?" Miku called, running around the school. "Is anyone still here?!"
She winced as she ground shook from the Noise outside. Looking through the crack in the wall, she saw how much destruction had occurred. "The school…! Hibiki's home…!"
Glass shattered as the several blob-like Noise broke through the window and clung to the hallway wall. Miku gasped as they shot at her, but she was knocked down just in time.
"Eh? Ogawa-san!" She said in surprise.
"That was a close one." He said. "Next time, we might not be so lucky."
Ogawa looked up as the Noise sprouted legs, before helping Miku up off of the ground.
"Run!" He said, though he didn't give her much of an option. "Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor!"
They turned a corner to the elevator to HQ, which quickly opened. The Noise pounced at them, making Miku think it was all over.
"Oreyaaaaaa!"
Miku turned and saw what appeared to be a ball of flame slam into one of the Noise, leaving a burning red footprint before it went up in ashes.
"Make way!"
Looking down the hall, she saw a blue-haired girl speeding towards them, before backflipping off of the board she was on, impaling the remaining two Noise and embedding itself into the wall.
"Man, Ryoko really gave these weapons one hell of an upgrade, eh Rui?" Maia asked, tearing the board out from the wall.
"Yeah."
Miku then realized that Rui's voice was coming from the ball of flame, which was slowly fading out to reveal the Tachibana twin.
"Um… Rui?" Miku asked.
"Yeah?"
"You're on fire."
"Huh?" Rui looked down at herself. "Oh, yeah, I am."
…
…
…
"Ow ow ow! Hot! Hot!" The girl started hitting herself to put out the flames, as Maia chuckled.
"Guess the barrier protects us, but doesn't stop that bit of discomfort." Maia deduced.
"What were you two doing?" Miku asked, as the flames on Rui burned out.
"Same thing as you." Maia said, letting the board shrink back into cube form before slipping it into her pocket. "Checking around for any survivors. We did save quite a bit of em, but…"
Rui looked away and clenched her fist. Miku realized what had happened. "As long as you tried…"
The four of them got into the elevator that led down to the base, as Ogawa pulled out his phone and started to report to Genjuro.
"Yes. Lydian continues to suffer extensive structural damage above ground." He said. "But thanks to Miku-san, Rui-san, Maia-san and the others, casualties have been minimal."
Rui slammed her fist into the elevator wall, surprising Miku. "It should have been zero casualties…"
Miku put her hands on Rui's, while Maia gave Rui a reassuring pat on the back. It did little to help her though.
"We're currently on our way to the shelter." Ogawa said.
"Roger. Be careful." Genjuro said.
"More importantly, Commander." Ogawa said. "We have identified the Kadingir."
"What?!"
Rui, Maia and Miku looked up at that.
"Though we have no hard evidence, we have reason to believe that the Kadingir is-"
The ceiling of the elevator started to dent, as Miku screamed.
"What's wrong?! Ogawa!"
It all happened so fast, as a blonde-haired, armored figure broke through the ceiling, before grabbing Ogawa by the throat and pinning him against the wall.
"You-!"
Rui jumped at her, but was struck in the face by a backhand into the wall. Maia helped her stand, as the two looked at their new foe.
"I'm surprised you managed to figure it out so quickly." Finé said, with a voice that was all-too familiar. "What gave it away?"
"If you wanted to build a tower without anyone noticing, you'd have no choice but to build it underground." Ogawa choked out. "If that's what really happened, we can deduce that the elevator shaft leading to the second branch's headquarters is none other than the Kadingir itself. And the one who made all this possible is..."
"And here I thought I'd fooled you with all that leaked information." Finé said, as the elevator reached the bottom floor.
"No way…" Maia said, realizing and looking at Finé as the doors opened and Ogawa backflipped out of her grip. "She's…?"
Ogawa, mid-air, pulled out a revolver and fired three shots. All of them made their mark on the exposed flesh, before it was quickly repaired, and the bullets were pushed out onto the floor.
"Nehushtan…" Ogawa muttered, realizing where Finé's regeneration was coming from.
Finé shot out one of chain whips on her back, ensnaring Ogawa, lifting him up and causing the man to yell in pain.
"Ogawa-san!" Miku yelled.
Through tight grip, he looked at the three. "You three… get out of here!"
Surprising everyone, Miku was the first one to move as she rammed her shoulder into Finé, causing little to no damage as the woman glared at her. Turning around, she let Ogawa hit the ground, before putting a hand under Miku's chin.
"Isn't that precious? You're trying to protect the people who used you." Finé said.
"Used…?" Miku asked.
"Did you ever wonder why this facility is situated directly under Lydian?" Finé asked. "It's so that we could gather experimental data about the effects of your songs on the relics. Not to mention, that Kazanari girl was a great help in getting all of you here to begin with."
Finé chuckled as she started to walk away. Miku looked at Maia, who looked down and grit her teeth.
"Even if they have to lie, or if they can't tell the whole truth…" Miku said. "They're all out there, putting their lives on the line for others! I… I believe in them!"
"Miku…" Maia said, touched.
Almost angered, Finé slapped Miku across the face, before lifting her by her uniform and doing it again.
"Miku!" Maia shouted in concern, catching the girl as Finé let go. Maia pulled out Takemikazuchi, but hesitated. Could she really fight her? She looked at Rui, who had the same stone cold expression the whole time.
"You're pissing me off." Finé said, before walking to the vault door and pulling out an identification device to open it.
But it was shot as soon as she tried. Looking back, Ogawa was back on his feet gun smoking.
"I won't let you get any closer to the Durandal." He said, before tossing his empty gun aside and holding up his fists.
Finé's chain whips rose, and she was about to start fighting again, before they all heard a voice.
"Stop right there, Ryoko."
Smashing through the ceiling was an incredible force that kicked up dust. Finé smiled.
"Still calling me by that name?" She asked, as Genjuro rose from the dust.
"Ordinarily, I wouldn't lay a finger on a woman." Genjuro said, tightening and raising his fists. "But if you so much as touch any of them, I'll tear you to pieces."
"Commander!" Ogawa said.
"About time, Uncle!" Maia yelled.
"We've known about your secret operation for some time now, thanks to the valued assistance of our American neighbors." Genjuro said. "In order to lure you out into the open, I pretended to play into your hands by getting all three Symphogear users together."
"You countered a scheme with a scheme. Not bad at all." Finé complimented. "But, do you think you can stop me?"
"Stop you?" Genjuro asked. "I'll beat every last secret out of you while barely breaking a sweat!"
"You mind if I join in, Commander?"
Genjuro saw that standing next to him was Rui. Finé laughed as she saw the girl approach. "Really? What can you do?"
"I always had you pegged as a nympho when we first met." Rui said, unzipping her hoodie. "Didn't know you were a bitch too."
The girl tossed her hoodie behind her, which Ogawa caught. Rui had a black t-shirt underneath, that let her arms free.
"And honestly, I've wanted a crack at you from the start. That little bitch slap of yours only pissed me off." Rui said, rolling the cricks out of her neck. "And you set the Noise upon the school… the place Hibiki loved…"
"Rui-kun?" Genjuro asked.
"Completely unforgivable!" Rui yelled, pointing at Finé.
Finé simply chuckled. "It seems that our mutual dislike is fueling this feud. But killing you won't be that hard. I hope you don't mind."
"Go ahead and try!" Rui said, surprising almost everyone. "Cause that'll make kicking your ass all the sweeter!"
"Hm." Genjuro smiled at Rui. "Your passion burns brightly, Rui-kun."
"What can I say?" She smirked back. "I learned from the best."
Rui took up a stance next to Genjuro, ready to fight. Maia just looked in shock.
"The balls Rui's got…" She said with a sweatdrop.
"That's just the type of person Rui is." Miku said with a smile.
Genjuro and Rui rushed forward at Finé, who shot one of the whip chains at them. Genjuro dodged to the side while Rui ducked underneath it. She lashed out the other one, which Genjuro avoided by jumping and grabbing the ceiling, while Rui rolled underneath the attack. Genjuro dove down with a shout and went for a devastating blow, but Finé dodged the strike and his fist smashed into the ground. But even the shockwave from the strike caused cracks in her armor.
"What-?!" Finé looked at the damage that quickly repaired itself. She glared at Genjuro in anger, before grabbing the chains. "I'll flay you limb from limb!"
The whips would have dug into Genjuro's arms, but the man caught them, surprising Finé.
"Now, Rui!"
Finé realized that she was wide open and looked behind her, to see Rui press the yellow button on her belt.
"I appreciate the gift you gave me." Rui said, as electricity gathered around her right foot. "Fire and electricity? Not too shabby."
Her look of hatred for Finé sharpened.
"Cause it's perfect for me... and perfect for sending you straight to hell!"
Rui delivered a devastating roundhouse kick empowered by electricity to Finé's back, launching her right at Genjuro. With a roar, the man delivered a devastating uppercut to her gut, sending her right over his head and crashing onto the ground. Finé shakily pushed herself up.
"How is it that you two can stand up to the power of a complete relic?!" She asked in anger.
"You wanna know?" Genjuro asked. "I eat, sleep, and watch movies! A true man needs nothing else!"
"As for me?" Rui said. "I just hate your guts. That's the best motivation out there."
Finé reached behind her back. "But you're just ordinary people!"
She pulled out Solomon's Cane to summon some Noise, but Genjuro stomped on the ground, launching debris into the air. "Not a chance!"
He kicked a stone at her, knocking Solmon's Cane out of her hands so hard that it embedded itself in the ceiling. Finé scowled, before she saw Genjuro right above her, ready to deliver another devastating punch.
"Compared to the Noise, this is nothing!" He declared.
"Genjuro-kun!" Finé yelled, in Ryoko's tone of voice, a look of fear on her face.
In that one moment of hesitation from Genjuro, Finé's fear turned into a twisted grin, as one of the whips pierced right through his stomach.
"Commander!" Ogawa and Rui yelled.
"Uncle!" Maia screamed.
Miku could only scream in fear and horror as Genjuro fell to the ground, and blood began to pool. Finé snagged the bloodied keycard out of his pocket.
"You can struggle, but you can't win against fate." She said.
"You fucking bitch!"
Rui pressed the red button on her belt and ran at Finé, enveloped in flames as she jumped and went for a diving kick. But she was grabbed out of the air by the chain whips on Finé's back.
"And you…" Finé glared at Rui with a look of hatred that rivalled the one she got back. "You've been a thorn in my side since the day we met."
Finé ripped off Kagutsuchi from Rui's waist, causing the flames to die down.
"Now your little defense is gone." Finé said. "I'm going to enjoy this."
Using the whips, she slammed Rui onto the ground, causing the girl to cry out. But she wasn't done. Treating Rui like a ragdoll, Finé slammed her into the floor multiple times, causing cracks to form on the hard surface.
"Stop! Stop it!" Miku yelled at Finé, tears coming out of her eyes, knowing her plea fell on deaf ears.
Beaten down and bleeding, Finé raised Rui up by her right leg until they were face-to-face. "I was going to let you go after defeating Genjuro, but you decided to try and play the hero." She rubbed a hand on Rui's bruised cheek. "I thought you were smart."
Despite her injuries, Rui smirked. "That's a compliment, coming from the prostitute." She said, before spitting blood into Finé's face. Finé didn't seem to react.
But the chains around Rui's leg did.
CRUNCH
Rui screamed in pain, as the chains tightened and crushed her lower leg, causing blood to fly.
"Rui!" Maia and Miku yelled.
Finé slammed Rui onto the ground again, planting her foot on her head.
"I'll give you one last chance." Finé said, anger having reached a breaking point. "Be silent, or I'll silence you myself."
Rui chuckled, before looking up at Finé. "Go fuck yourself."
Finally having been pushed to her absolute limits, Finé kicked Rui across the face, knocking the girl out.
"I can't even bother killing you, brat. You don't deserve that salvation." Finé said as she used a whip to retrieve Solomon's Cane from the ceiling. "But, that was cathartic to both of us. I suppose that makes us even."
Finé used the scanner to gain access to the vault door, and walked in, leaving everyone behind.
"Commander!" Ogawa said, running up to Genjuro's fallen form. "Commander!"
"Rui! Rui!" Miku yelled, kneeling down next to her friend. "Please… please wake up!"
Maia placed a shaky hand on Miku's shoulder. "C-Come on. We'll get them back to the HQ. They can get help there."
"But what if…" Miku shuddered at the thought. "If Hibiki sees Rui like this…"
Maia knew what she meant, as Miku helped Ogawa carry Genjuro while she picked up Rui. She remembered how she herself felt when Tsubasa was in critical condition. How would someone as kind hearted as Hibiki feel?
Finé stepped towards the device that contained Durandal, as a holographic screen appeared. She tapped several buttons and input several codes.
"Awaken, tower that pierces the heavens!" She chanted as Durandal began to glow. "Come to me, and extend beyond the horizon!"
The members of Sector Two were observing the destruction, before Aoi heard the door open and looked behind her, eyes wide at what she saw.
"Commander! Rui-san!" She said, as the others carried them in.
"They need immediate medical attention!" Ogawa yelled, as the two were laid down on the couches.
Medikits were delivered, as Aoi bandaged up the wound on Genjuro's stomach. Several other members of Sector Two had put Rui's leg in a splint, and wiped away most of the blood, patching up any open wounds. A non-rebreather mask was placed over her mouth, helping her breathe. Ogawa used Rui's hoodie as a makeshift blanket for the girl.
Maia sat down, breathing heavily with her face leaning on her hands. Her clothes were still stained with blood from when she helped carry Rui. There was still blood on the floor from when they had walked in, though the Sector Two members worked quickly to clean it up. Miku gave Maia a reassuring pat on the back. Shuri, who had been silent the whole time, gave Maia a hug. But neither of them were sure if the girl even noticed.
"We have an intruder!" Ogawa said, taking Aoi's place at the command chair. "The enemy is Sakurai Ryoko."
Sakuya gasped, as Aoi looked at Ogawa. "That can't be…"
Almost as if the situation couldn't get any worse, the lights in the HQ turned off, with only the emergency lights and screens providing light.
"What?!" Ogawa yelled. "What's going on?"
"Someone's hacking our system from within!" One member said.
"There's nothing we can do from here!" Said another.
The screens slowly became covered with static, as Sakuya slammed his fist against it. "This can only be Ryoko-san's doing."
Miku could only watch the static on the large screen. "Hibiki…"
Genjuro didn't know how much time had passed as he opened his eyes. Aoi, Shuri and Miku were standing around him.
"Commander!" Aoi said, as he slowly sat up.
"What's going on?" He asked, ignoring that he had been injured.
"Most of our computer systems are offline." Aoi explained. "We know nothing about the situation on the surface, nor underground."
"I see…" Genjuro said, before remembering. "What about Rui-kun?"
Aoi looked down, as Genjuro looked over her shoulder, shock going over his face as he saw the critical condition Rui was in. He tightened his fist and hit his knee. "Damn. If only I didn't let my guard down. I was a fool to let her join me..."
He shook his head.
"No. Now's not the time to reflect on my actions." Genjuro said.
"It's best if we move out of here." Ogawa said. "It's not safe."
"But what about Rui-san?" Shuri asked, looking at her friend.
"Here." Maia came into the room holding a stretcher. "You can help me carry her, right?"
Shuri nodded. "It's the least I can do for her, after she helped me."
While Ogawa helped Genjuro walk, Maia and Shuri carried Rui on the stretcher down the darkened halls of the HQ. Thankfully, Sakuya had a flashlight that made things a bit better.
"The assassination of the Defense Minister, the scheme to get hold of Durandal, and the tower of Kadingir built secretly underground…" Genjuro said as they walked. "Sakurai Ryoko has been pulling all the strings."
"We have indeed noted a number of suspicious incidents since the disappearance of Ichaival." Ogawa noted.
"But, she also spent a lot of time with us." Genjuro said. "I can't bring myself to believe that it was all a lie."
"I don't want to believe it was a lie either." Maia said. "But…"
She looked at Rui, who was shakily breathing through the mask. She wasn't in any real danger anymore, but the damage had been done.
"I know I'm being naive." Genjuro admitted. "It's my nature."
"But that's what makes you a good person." Shuri said, trying to cheer Genjuro up.
"Heehee, it's kind of like Hibiki." Miku said.
"Explains how we were in sync during training, then." Genjuro chuckled.
"The laughing is helping." Maia said. "But we are kind of in a rush-"
The ground around them began to shake again. Ogawa nearly buckled over carrying Genjuro, but Sakuya quickly supported him.
"Damn, another earthquake?" Sakuya said.
"No. I have a feeling it's much worse." Ogawa said, realizing the situation.
"Quickly, this way!" Aoi said, as she and Miku led the others, the ground crumbling behind them. Thankfully, they had managed to keep far enough from the destruction, even at their slow pace. And while the rumble was loud, they could hear singing from up above.
"I can hear Tsubasa's voice…" Maia said.
"That's… oneesama's voice too!" Shuri realized.
Rui let out a small groan of pain, but otherwise remained unconscious.
"We're here!" Aoi said, stopping by a wall.
"Um… what's "here?"" Shuri asked, as she looked behind to see the destruction slowly catch up.
"The other side of this wall is the shelter." Aoi said. "It's far more structurally sound than here."
"Normally I'd punch through the wall." Genjuro said. "But I can't right now."
Maia smiled. "Leave it to me, Uncle. Miku? Can you take over for me?"
Miku carefully took Maia's place in holding Rui's stretcher, as Maia stepped up to the wall and pulled out Takemikazuchi, which unfolded into two broadswords. Stabbing into the wall, rocket thrusters on the sides of the blades pushed it through, finishing the cut. The chunk of stone fell into the room with a boom.
"Kohinata-san!"
The smoke faded, and they saw that Yumi, Kuriyo and Shiori were inside the shelter. Yumi was practically crying as Kuriyo was comforting her.
"Thank goodness! I'm so glad you're alright!" Miku said, relieved as everyone came through the opening.
"Is that Tsubasa Kazanari?" Kuriyo asked, looking at Maia who put away Takemikazuchi. "And… ah! Tachibana-san!"
The three girls looked over the girl, who was in the stretcher. Shuri and Miku gently put her down onto one of the shelter's beds, while Fujitaka went to a terminal and pressed a few keys.
"Looks like this terminal is operational!" He said, with a small fist pump of victory.
"I'll go look around!" Ogawa said, before quickly leaving.
"Who were those people?" Kuriyo asked.
"Well… um…" Miku scratched the back of her head.
"We are the Disaster Relief Squad." Genjuro explained, as Aoi replaced his bandages for fresh ones. "We specialize in handling disasters such as these."
"So you're from the government?" Yumi asked.
"What happened to Tachibana?" Shiori asked, looking at their friend.
Miku looked down. "Rui was trying to help keep us all safe, and got hurt."
"And why does Tsubasa Kazanari have short hair?" Kuriyo asked, looking at the blue-haired girl.
"And isn't this that Chris girl from earlier?" Shiori added, looking at Shuri. "How did her hair get longer that fast?"
"Oh uh…" Maia sighed, seeing there was no point in keeping the secret at the moment. "I'm Maia Kazanari. Tsubasa's older twin. My existence was kept well under radar to prevent paparazzi and crap."
Shuri bowed. "My name is Shuri Yukine. I'm Chris Yukine's younger twin. It's… kind of the same thing for me, but different reasons."
"Two more pairs of twins?" Yumi asked, surprised.
"Yeah, we said the same thing." Maia chuckled.
"I managed to reactivate the monitor!" Sakuya called over. "We can assess the situation from here!"
The screen lit up, showing the footage above ground. It showed a shot of Hibiki and Chris.
"Hibiki!" Miku said, looking at the screen.
"And that girl named Chris from before!" Shiori added.
"Oneesama…" Shuri said softly.
The camera changed directions, showing Finé lashing her whips out at the girls.
"Is that…?" Sakuya asked.
"Ryoko?" Aoi finished.
"What's going on?" Yumi asked. "It's like we're really in an anime!"
"You knew about Bikki?" Kuriyo asked Miku.
Miku didn't say anything as she looked back at the screen.
"When you had that fight earlier…" Kuriyo realized, piecing everything together. "That was because of this as well, right?"
"I'm sorry…" Miku apologized to her friends, for having kept the secret.
Chris let out a shout as a barrage of missiles launched from her legs, all aimed at Finé.
MEGA DETH PARTY
Finé simply used one of the whips to cut all of them right out of the air, creating multiple explosions. Hibiki and Tsubasa jumped through the smoke, using the distraction as an advantage. Hibiki unleashed a flurry of kicks, which Finé simply dodged or blocked. But Hibiki jumped out of the way for Tsubasa, who brought her sword down on her foe. Her blade met a deadlock with Finé's whips.
The whips wrapped around her sword, causing the sentinel's expression to turn to alarm, as Finé ripped it out of her hands and threw it aside. Tsubasa backflipped out of the next few whip strikes without much effort, before spinning and extending the blades on her heels. Finé spun a whip like a helicopter blade, defending herself from Tsubasa's attack.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Hibiki yelled, delivering a diving punch from Finé's other side. The woman barely brought up her arm to block the strike, and pushed away from the two users in a powerful shockwave. She was about to keep fighting, but then saw Chris had created two large missiles.
"This is what I'm really after!" She yelled.
She fired one of them at Finé, who dodged it at first, before it honed in on her.
"Lock-on active!" Chris said. "Snipe!"
The other missile launched at the tower.
"Destroy!" Chris yelled.
"Oh no you don't!" Finé shouted as she sliced the missile in half, and frantically looked around. "Where's the other one?"
Everyone looked up to see that the missile was going skyward. And on the tip? Chris herself.
"Chris-chan!" Hibiki exclaimed.
"What is she trying to do?!" Tsubasa yelled.
Finé grit her teeth. "No matter how hard you fight, they're just toys! There's no way you can stop the Kadingir!"
The tower had nearly finished charging up since their battle had started.
"Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal~"
Tsubasa heard Chris's voice and realized what the girl's intent was. "That song… It can't be!"
"Her Superb Song?!" Hibiki asked.
"This is bad!" Sakuya said. "If she does it from that high up…"
"And she's already taken damage from the fight…" Aoi said.
Shuri just watched as she heard her sister's voice. "Oneesama…?"
Maia put a hand around Shuri, pulling the girl close. Rui groaned again, and slowly tossed on the bed.
Chris had nearly reached the ozone layer, as she jumped off the missile and turned towards Earth, Moon at her back.
"Emustolronzen Finé el balal zizzl~"
Chris spread her arms, as her armor created a wing-like formation.
"Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal~"
Several small crystals spread around her, as lasers bounced off all of them, becoming faster and faster.
"Emustolronzen Finé el zizzl~"
The lasers practically solidified into a crystallic wing formation, as Chris created a large hand cannon and aimed it down. Kadingir fired an astronomical blast of energy straight at the Moon. Chris returned fire with an enormous shot of her own, as the lasers that created the wings enhanced the original blast. The two beams clashed against one another, creating light comparable to a supernova. Hibiki and Tsubasa just watched the blast, despite how bright it was.
"It stopped?! She's countering it?!" Finé exclaimed.
That wasn't the full truth, as cracks started to form on the large blaster Chris had, and blood leaked from her mouth. She knew that she didn't have too much time left, but wasn't scared. Smiling, she closed her eyes, as she let positive thoughts go through her mind.
Mama… Papa… I've always loved you. That's why I want to carry on your dream.
The cracks started to form on the rest of her armor, as Kadingir's beam slowly started to overpower her.
I want to bring peace to the world with my song… That's the reason… for which I sing!
The blast drew closer and closer. She thought of the many other people that had helped her.
That idiot… Hibiki… she reached out to me… Miku… thank you for saving me… and Rui… for understanding me...
Then she remembered the smile of the person she cherished the most in the world, as tears ran down her face.
I'm sorry, Shuri… If only I could see you… one last time…
The beam finally broke through, enveloping the girl completely.
From the ground Hibiki and Tsubasa watched as the beam finished firing. Waiting, hoping for a sign.
A chunk of the moon cracked off, but not all of it was destroyed.
"It wasn't enough?!" Finé screamed. "Don't tell me she was able to stop it?!"
Something started falling from the sky like a meteor. Hibiki and Tsubasa gasped, realizing who it was.
Chris was in a fast free fall, plummeting towards the forest. The girl was broken and bleeding.
Miku had her hands over her mouth, as she started to shake. I couldn't even say goodbye to her! Why… why did it have to end like this?
Genjuro only watched, eyes widened. So that was your dream? You said you were still so far from achieving your dream, and yet you did so much… If that's true, then how far away must we be?
"Yukine…" Tsubasa said softly.
The destructive crash echoed throughout the destroyed school.
Hibiki could only scream in despair as she fell to her knees, but she wasn't alone.
"Oneesama!" Shuri yelled. "Oneesama! You can't… you can't be gone! Please… tell me it's going to be okay… oneesama..."
Tears ran down Shuri's cheeks as she screamed and sobbed into Maia's chest, the taller girl consoling her with a hug. Shuri's tears didn't stop, nor did her cries. And she wasn't the only one. Behind them, on the bed, a single teardrop fell from Rui's closed eyes.
Chris...
A/N: Um... Happy Valentine's Day, everybody!