"Mom…?" Maria muttered.
"Do you not remember?" Nastassja asked, slowly moving forward in the wheelchair. "Your hands have long been stained with blood. How can you delude yourself into thinking those hands can save the world?"
"Even so, I…"
"Yes, you wish to save the world because you hope for your own salvation through it."
Maria froze, before Kirika shouted. "Maria! That's not Mom!"
"We laid her to rest!" Shirabe reminded her. "It must be a trick of the castle!"
"I know!" Maria shouted. "I know she's not real! But her words are true!"
"You wish to be saved by the silver radiance that is far too bright for you." The Nastassja doppelganger said.
Several walls fell from the ceiling around them, and Shirabe took the opportunity to grab Maria's hand to pull her along. "Kiri-chan, Maria, let's go!"
"What's going on, dess?!" Kirika shouted, running alongside her.
"I don't know! But right now, this is all we can do!"
"This feels way, way too much like a trap!" Kirika pointed out.
"The structural integrity of the world is progressing!" Fujitaka reported.
"It won't be long before it reaches the city center!" Aoi said, reading the energy ratings.
Genjuro kept his arms crossed, gritting his teeth.
"This is the final stage of her plan." Elfnein said.
She tried standing up, but stumbled and fell backwards. Thankfully Akira caught her. "You're in no shape for this!"
"Stopping Carol is my fight." Elfnein said, determined. "I have to see it through to the end."
"HRAAAAH!"
Shuri slammed her hands into the ground, causing giant dragon heads of darkness to burst from the earth. They formed a wall that shielded them from Carol's alchemy attacks.
"What's an alchemist doing singing?!" Chris asked.
The attacks slowed down, and Shuri slowly lowered the demonic shield to reveal Carol.
"Seven planets, seven musical scales." Carol said.
"What kind of BS is she spewing now?" Rui groaned.
"The harmony of the universe that lies at the core of alchemy is the harmony of music." Carol said. "That harmony is the basis of all truths."
"What are you trying to say?" Tsubasa asked.
"No, like genuinely." Maia added. "Like what the fuck does that mea-"
"Their roots are the same." Carol continued to explain. "There is nothing strange about it at all. Back in the prehistoric era, the Curse of Balal robbed humanity of their mutual understanding. To overcome that, they sought another way. Knowing all creation would make understanding possible, and that harmony with the universe is reached through alchemy. They tried to connect with the world through means beyond mere words."
"Singing?" Hibiki realized.
"Alchemy and songs were both created to fill the gap left by the lost universal language!" Carol revealed, spreading her arms.
The disbelief and surprise hit the group like a truck. "No way…" Chris muttered.
"Their origin has been lost to history, but you of all people should be able to guess." Carol said.
They all knew immediately who she was talking about. Rui could feel her leg start to shake, as they all thought of Finé.
The FIS trio were running through the halls of the Château, away from the double they fought earlier.
Kirika spoke up. "If we're running into a trap, this would be about time for them to spring it, but…"
They all stopped.
"It could be something even worse than a trap." Shirabe said, seeing who was in their way.
"Were you leading us here…?" Kirika asked.
"Dr. Ver…" Maria frowned, seeing the man.
"Just look at me. I don't have enough blood left to take full control of the Château." He said, clutching a wound on his stomach. He looked up at the trio with his remaining eye and raised a hand. "Now, let us strike a deal, right here on the battlefield!"
Jeanne felt her blood run cold briefly, before turning her attention back to the screen.
Maria… Kirika… Shirabe… stay safe.
The FIS trio landed on an upper layer of the Château. Kirika (who carried Ver by the back of his coat) tossed the man onto the floor.
"This is the Château de Tiffauges' central controller?" Maria asked. "So if we destroy this…"
"Sounds like your own CPU is a few generations obsolete." Ver said, sitting up. "That would simply send it out of control."
"Then what should we do?!" Shirabe yelled at him.
The Château's bells rang, summoning dozens of Alca-Noise that surrounded them.
"Don't forget that while you three twiddle your thumbs, the world is falling apart around you!" He added, standing up.
"Songs… Songs are destroying the world…?" Hibiki said.
"Tokyo lies on the focal point of the ley lines that crisscross the planet." Carol said. "Which makes it the perfect place to send songs echoing throughout the world."
"Is that why you destroyed the keystones that formed the town's spiritual defenses?!" Tsubasa demanded.
"Is there nothing left we can do…?" Chris muttered.
"There's never nothing left!"
Maria's voice rang in all of their ears.
"No matter how many times you fail, you can always try once more!" Maria shouted. "That I know!"
"That's right…" Rui tightened a fist. "Keep trying…"
"Maria-san…" Elfnein said quietly, as she was supported by Hibiki's father.
Kirika and Shirabe fended off the Alca-Noise with their weapons.
"We'll hold them back!" Shirabe said.
"Do what you need to, and quick, dess!" Kirika shouted.
"Like I said, I'm short on blood, so I can't just do it in one shot!" Ver shouted back. "You brats don't know the meaning of patience!"
A hexagonal screen materialized to show Carol glaring down. "So you're still alive, Dr. Ver? What do you think you're doing?"
"I'm reprogramming the Château." Ver said with a smirk. "All alchemy is based on decomposition, analysis, and last, but not least…"
Carol snarled. "You want to reverse its functionality and reconstruct the disintegrated world? You fool! The Château could never handle the load! It'll swallow you all whole and-"
"Exactly! Explode!" Ver grinned.
Kirika and Shirabe looked over in shock.
"But that'll put an end to the disintegration either way, yes?" Ver asked, before chuckling. "Damn, I love screwing up people's plans!"
Maria sliced apart several of the Alca-Noise, before looking at the man. "Dr. Ver…"
Kirika and Shirabe were knocked back to Maria's feet. She quickly looked to see their adversary; the fake of Nastassja.
"Mom…" Maria said.
Carol landed on the ground in front of the wielders outside.
"The disintegration of the world won't stop." She said. "I won't let you stop it!"
"Too bad." Maia said, resting her sword on her shoulder. "Just watch us."
"We're not gonna let Elfnein-chan down!" Hibiki declared, raising a hand to her pendant.
"Wait!" Chris said.
"If we use the Ignite module, we could be playing right into her hands!" Tsubasa said.
"Move!"
Wires tore through the ground, ripping it up and knocking them all away. Shuri felt it tear into her body, but she powered through.
"I'll finish you now, up close and personal!" Carol declared.
"RRAAAAAAAAH!"
Shuri rushed at Carol, before the alchemist unleashed a blast of energy dead on, slamming straight into her and exploding.
"I know that you're not Mom!" Maria shouted at the fake.
There was a burst of darkness from the copy, before it changed into a new form; Maria in her Gungnir armor, with the original cape. The only mistake in the copy was that it had red eyes. It raised the spear, unleashing a burst of energy, which Maria barely blocked with her blade, sending her rolling backwards.
"I am Finé. Yes, I am the one named "the end."" The copy spoke with a robotic reverb.
Maria punched a fist into the ground as she stood up. "I see. So you're me. You're the culmination of our mistakes and missteps."
"But shameful pasts exist to be rewritten, dess!" Kirika said, as she and Shirabe stood up as well.
"We'll overcome our sins and get out before the Château explodes!" Shirabe declared.
She and Kirika went to Maria's side, as the three readied their weapons.
(Insert "Arigatō" wo Utai Nagara by Yōko Hikasa, Yoshino Nanjō and Ai Kayano)
Shirabe sped forward with her buzzsaws, as the copy blocked them with her spear. Kirika dropped down from above, slamming her scythe down. Maria rushed in with several quick knife slashes, which the double blocked with her cape.
"Maria-san!" Elfnein's voice rang in her communicator. "Can you give your communicator to Dr. Ver?"
"What?"
"I'll fight the only way I can!" Elfnein said.
Maria nodded, before turning. "Doctor!"
She tossed her communicator to the man, who caught it.
"Connect this to the Château!" Elfnein told him. "I'll support you!"
Ver grinned as he connected the communicator. "Sounds good to me! But are you up to it?!"
SONG got a view, which pulled up something familiar.
"I see! The Photosphere!" Ogawa said.
"If we decode the ley line patterns stored there, we can work from here!" Aoi realized.
"Mom…" Jeanne put a hand over her chest, softly smiling. "Thank you."
"Fujitaka!" Genjuro said, pointing to the man.
"Time to put Professor Nastassja's keepsake to good use for a change!" Fujitaka said, getting to work. "I'll turn Carol's weapons against her!"
"I'll handle half of the calculations to alleviate some of the burden." Elfnein said. "Please dedicate all the Château functionality you control to the reconstruction!"
Maria's copy unleashed a blast of energy, which the real one managed to block with a barrier. While it shattered, she remained unharmed.
I'll atone for the sins I committed! "Shirabe! Kirika!" She turned to face them. "Leave this to me and go help the others!"
In that moment, her copy threw the Gungnir spear at her, and she couldn't react in time.
Thankfully, Shirabe and Kirika did, as they blocked the weapon with their saws and scythe.
"The three of us…" Shirabe said.
"...have to overcome our sins together, dess!" Kirika said.
Maria widened her eyes at their words. "Thank you… Both of you." She turned to Ver. "Doctor, we will defend you with our very lives! The fate of the world is in your hands!"
Ver grinned, as the gears of the Château began to turn. Electricity started to spark outside the massive structure.
"No…" Carol was witnessing it from outside. "Stop getting in my way! Stop it!"
She flew off towards the Château.
"Where do you think you're going?!"
Carol turned to see Rui flying right after her.
"Shuri!" Rui called.
Shuri roared, as darkness burst out of the ground towards Rui, wrapping around the Tachibana's arm as she drew it back. With a shout, Rui threw the punch forward, unleashing a massive demonic dragon head.
Hell's Fang
The massive demon jaws chomped down on Carol, locking her in place. The alchemist screamed in fury, trying to break free, but the jaws were shut like a vise. Rui dropped down, landing and looking up at Carol, before seeing the energy generated by the Château.
Maria entered a duel with her double, deflecting the spear with her dagger. She entered a deadlock with the copy, before speaking through the comm link.
"I loved taking the stage with you, Tsubasa. If we get another opportunity, I want us to sing together until morning." Maria said. "And Maia, you were a great manager. Protect your sister, and take care of yourself."
Tsubasa had pushed herself up with her sword, hearing the words. "Maria? What are you doing?"
"No…" Maia realized what Maria was saying.
"I always thought it was amazing how you made friends with your mortal enemies, Chris-senpai. I admired that about you!" Kirika said. "And Shuri-senpai, you're one of the kindest people I know!"
"You can do it too!" Chris shouted. "You already have!"
Kirika-chan… Shuri's eyes were turning back to normal, and the demonic energy was starting to fade.
"I'm sorry. The day we met, I called you a hypocrite, even though I knew nothing about you two." Shirabe said. "I know I should apologize in person, but…"
"I don't mind!" Hibiki said. "Just-"
"I've already forgiven you!" Rui threw her arm to the side. "Get out of-!"
Beams of energy were bursting through the walls of the Château. One of them cut through the dragon head keeping Carol in place, dispersing it. Shuri fell to her knees, heaving blood as Chris ran to her side, supporting her. Carol flew up to the Château, screaming.
"Please! Stop!" She held out her arms. "Don't get between me and my father!"
"I'll protect the world with my own alchemy." Elfnein swore. "I'll never let Carol destroy it!"
She winced, as the blood dripped from her side, but Jeanne was there for her. She had wrapped several bandages around the wound, not even saying a word.
Shirabe and Kirika ran in from both sides of the Maria copy, swinging their weapons and knocking the spear out of its hands. Maria locked her dagger into her elbow, as it extended into a single-edged blade. She took off, ready to strike.
The copy threw off the cape, before transforming into none other than her little sister.
But such tricks would not work now, as her resolve was strengthened.
"Serena!" Maria shouted, swinging around, before slashing right through the fake Serena.
SERE†NADE
The Château glew even brighter, shaking the entire area.
"STOOOOOOOOOP!" Carol screamed.
In a last ditch effort, she unleashed her power with a massive blast, piercing straight through the Château.
There was silence, before a massive explosion sent smoke and flames everywhere, hiding Carol from view. The only sound that could be heard was the broken and twisted chimes of the destroyed Château.
The rays returned to where they originated, undoing all the damage caused.
"We've confirmed reconstruction of the disintegrated areas!" Fujitaka reported.
"But Maria's team…" Ogawa said.
Genjuro grit his teeth. "Is it not possible to secure a bright future without sacrifices?"
Jeanne fell to her knees, eyes shadowed by her hair.
"Jeanne!" Ogawa said, quickly kneeling down by her.
"Une vie honorable est une vie éternelle…" She said quietly, tears running down her face. "But why… why did it have to happen…?"
She quietly sobbed as Ogawa pulled her into a hug.
The twisted chimes came to a stop as the Château fell upon the building, causing destruction, yet being supported enough to prevent it from spreading.
"The Château… My mission…" Carol said.
The Symphogears stood up, as did SOUL.
"Girls…" Hibiki said, eyes watering at the loss of their friends.
"Why?!" Chris screamed, crying. "Goddamn it!"
Rui screamed in sadness and rage as she smashed her fist into the ground, cratering the concrete. Shuri let her tears flow freely as she kept her hands over her mouth, not caring that her blood was mixing with her tears.
Tsubasa shouted in despair, before stabbing her sword into the ground. "Surrender at once!" She yelled at Carol, as the tears fell down her face. "The future you sought is now naught but ruins and rubble!"
"We'll drag you down from there if we have to!" Maia screamed, pointing her sword, eyes red from crying.
Carol was still as she let her own tears run. "Future?"
"Just stop… Please, Carol…" Elfnein begged through SONG's communicators. "I'm sure this isn't what our father wanted."
Carol didn't respond, letting Elfnein continue.
"When he told us to learn more about the world, flames licking at his feet, this isn't what he was asking for!"
"I know that!" Carol screamed. "But how else can I avenge his death?! How else can I overcome this grief?! He left us with this problem and never told us the answer!"
"But…" Elfnein said quietly.
"I think your father must've wanted to tell you something important." Akira said, speaking to both Elfnein and Carol. "When people are on the verge of death, they say what they most want to say."
"What did our father, an alchemist, want to tell us more than anything?" Elfnein asked.
Carol made her presence appear at SONG HQ once more. "It could be nothing short of the truth."
"The ultimate goal of alchemy is to understand all creation, and through that, each other, in perfect harmony with the world…"
"Harmony!?" Carol spat. "Are you saying that Father told us to accept the world that rejected him? Impossible! He'd never say that!"
"Then… I'll answer it in his stead." Elfnein said, breathing heavily, as Carol turned to her. "The solution to his problem is forgiveness."
Carol stared at Elfnein in shock.
"Forgive the world's ignorance and what it brings." Elfnein said. "That's what Father, no, Papa was trying to tell us!"
Carol's image dispersed, as Elfnein spat up blood. She fell out of her seat, but Rui's father caught her.
"Hey! Hang in there!" Akira said, supporting her.
"The Château de Tiffauges is in ruins, and with it, the future where I bring the Apocalypse of All Things." Carol said aloud to herself. "Then I shall abandon the past and crush the present!"
The wielders all looked up at Carol, as she started glowing with gold energy.
"Don't!" Elfnein shouted. "If you burn up any more memories, you'll forget our papa!"
"Does she mean to transmute all her memories into combat power?" Genjuro realized, stunned that Carol would go this far.
Ignoring Elfnein's begging, Carol continued to draw more power into herself by burning her memories.
"Carol-chan, why are you doing this?!" Hibiki shouted.
"Revenge!" Carol answered.
She swung her arms outward, unleashing a wave of wires that knocked the wielders back, crashing painfully into the sides of buildings, or the pavement.
"Revenge is all I have left…" Carol muttered.
"Will the flames of her enmity continue to rage until all her memories are consumed?" Tsubasa asked, standing up.
"This isn't revenge." Maia said. "She's just throwing a tantrum because she no longer has a goal."
"Elfnein doesn't want revenge…" Chris said.
"Yeah." Hibiki said, putting a hand on her pendant. "We carry her hopes right here!"
"The Ignite module?" Chris said. "Are you serious? It's a hell of a risk."
"That's the best course of action." Shuri said, wiping some of the blood from her mouth.
"We don't have many options left." Tsubasa said.
"Elfnein gave us this power." Hibiki said. "So I'll put my faith in it!"
"We'll be right here for you three as always." Rui said, cracking her knuckles. "Go!"
"Ignite Module! Double Bakken!"
They clicked their pendants twice, before pulling them off.
Dáin-Dáinsleif
(Insert Genkai Toppa G-beat (IGNITED arrangement) by Aoi Yūki)
The girls all donned their darker armor, though with a bit of a change. They had a white aura around them that wasn't there before. There wasn't enough time to pay mind to it, as the three charged at Carol, now on par with the alchemist's power. Back down on the ground, SOUL were ready to fight, but stayed back.
"What do we do?" Maia said.
"Right now, we can only observe." Shuri said. "Until we find a good opportunity to step in, fighting Carol's enhanced state would be suicide."
"Damn it." Rui muttered. "I hate feeling useless."
"Then while we wait, I should check up on you. Shuri, are you feeling fine?" Maia asked.
Shuri nodded. "It seems that last hit had overtaxed whatever ability I had gained. I can still feel it within me, but I won't be able to use it for a while."
"Can you two enlighten me?" Rui asked. "What the hell happened to you, Shuri?"
"We'll tell you later." Maia said. "It's not something we want to remember so soon…"
"Two of the Ignite Module's three safety mechanisms have been disabled!" Fujitaka announced.
"They've shifted from Phase Nigredo to Albedo!" Aoi confirmed.
They saw a timer for their forms on the screen, rapidly dropping in number.
"The more their output increases, the more risk they face." Ogawa noted.
"So they're on a time limit." Akira observed. "But I know that Hibiki will be able to overcome this, especially with Rui at her side."
The Symphogear users were all attacking Carol from every angle. Hibiki threw punch after punch, while Tsubasa and Chris played the distance game with rapid-fire projectiles. But the alchemist had brought up barriers that blocked each and every one of their attacks.
"Brute force, hm?" Carol said. "Very much like you. Cute, even."
She swung her arm out, increasing the size of her barrier and knocking Hibiki back. Thankfully, Rui had been watching and caught her out of the air. She landed on the ground with her, meeting up with Tsubasa and Maia.
"No way!" Chris shouted as she landed by them and Shuri ran up to join the group. "We even broke two of the three safeties!"
"Her power is incredible." Shuri said. "I can't find any sort of weakness."
Carol had a smile on her face, seeing how the welders were unable to even touch her. "Now, it's my turn to sing."
(Insert Senkin Dur da Blá by Inori Minase)
As the lyrics flew out from Carol, shockwaves of power came from her, kicking up the wind.
"Shit, that's some pressure!" Maia said, raising an arm.
"She's increasing her output even further?" Tsubasa asked.
"Just how much phonic gain does she have?" Chris said, half impressed, half irritated.
"But this is just what I've been waiting for!" Hibiki said, placing a hand on her pendant, as Tsubasa and Chris followed suit.
"Bakken! All safeties, release!"
Clicking the pendants for the third time, their power skyrocketed, clashing with Carol's own phonic gain.
"They've reached the final phase, Rubedo!" Fujitaka reported, seeing the numbers go haywire as they drew closer to zero. Genjuro grit his teeth as he watched the wielders struggle against Carol's overwhelming power. Maia had stabbed her swords into the ground to create cover for herself, Rui and Shuri, as they watched over their sisters.
"We'll use Ignite's raw output to overpower her…" Chris said.
"...then bring together this raging storm of phonic gain and release it!" Tsubasa finished.
"S2CA Triburst!" Hibiki shouted.
The wielders all shouted, but were still clearly struggling against the sheer amount of phonic gain Carol was unleashing.
"We can't hold it…!" Chris muttered.
"I know the Ignite Module's maximum output." Carol said. "That's why I threw that blade away. Didn't you realize?! My song alone has the phonic gain of seven billion Superb Songs!"
With a final shove, a blast of energy broke through and knocked the wielders away, blasting through several buildings behind them.
"How exquisite." Carol laughed.
The dust cleared, to reveal that the welders were thankfully all caught by their sisters.
"You're always reckless, you know that, Hibiki?" Rui asked, holding her sister in her arms.
"Heh… I learned it from the best, Oneesan." Hibiki said, as her sister gently let her down to stand. "No matter how many times you fail… you can always try once more…"
Almost as if answering her words, several voices sung out.
Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal~
Emustolronzen Finé el balal zizzl~
More of the dust cleared to reveal Maria, Kirika and Shirabe. Alive and in their Ignite Modules.
"Maria-san!" Hibiki shouted, as the others were left in shock.
"You three gave us one hell of a scare, you know that?" Maia said, chuckling.
While Kirika and Shirabe both gave apologetic smiles as they sang, Maria looked back at the ruins of the Château, where a certain someone had sacrificed their life.
"Dr. Ver!"
Maria knelt down by the doctor, who was mostly crushed by fallen debris. Kirika and Shirabe looked on from behind, unsure to feel.
"Looks like… I saved the world…" He choked out.
"No…" Maria muttered.
"I saved your life… so you could tell the whole world about my heroic deeds…" He said, struggling to get his last words to her.
Maria was silent as Ver continued.
"What are you waiting for?" He asked. "Get out there and prove that you were someone worth saving! Or are you that same useless woman you were back then?"
He held up his hand, which held a data chip. Maria raised a brow. "What is-?"
"It's love, my dear."
"Why bring that up now?!"
"There are no miracles involved in Symphogear compatibility…" Ver said. "If you want to make that power your own… you have to keep reaching out for it…"
Maria took the chip, as Ver's hand started to fall. But before it did, he pointed at Kirika and Shirabe.
"Jeanne's new eye… it's called Argus' Eye." He told them. "Tell your friends at SONG this. They'll know what to do."
"Wait, you knew?" Shirabe asked. "You knew what would happen?"
"Did you give it to Jeanne to… say sorry?" Kirika guessed.
Ver's hair slightly parted to reveal the empty eye socket, before turning back to Maria. "Maria… was I able to become a hero?"
"...you did." Maria turned away. "The worst hero in history."
"You three…" Jeanne wiped her tears. "Stop scaring me like that…"
Her new eye glew ever so slightly.
"Host's mental state has improved."
Shirabe and Tsubasa stood together, as did Kirika and Chris. Maria and Hibiki stood side by side at the front. SOUL each took to the sides of their siblings… as they started to sing as well, their own pendants glowing.
Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal~
"You think you can stop me? Don't delude yourselves!" Carol shouted, before unleashing a massive blast of energy. "Your story ends here!"
Emustolronzen Finé el zizzl~
Carol's massive blast clashed against the girls, who all held out their arms, their phonic gain creating a barrier that managed to hold back against the barrier.
"We'll be the ones…" Rui opened her eyes. "To decide how this story ends!"
"S2CA Nona-Conversion!" Hibiki shouted. "I'll use Gungnir to bring the phonic gain together!"
"I'll use Airgetlám to control and redistribute it!" Maria shouted, placing her hand on Hibiki's back.
As they took on more and more phonic gain, Hibiki and Maria's weapons morphed and increased in size, as all nine of them began to glow.
Elfnein held up her arm.
"One… last… miracle…"
"This can't be…" Carol widened her eyes in realization. "Do they mean to use my own phonic gain against me!"
SYNCHRONIZATION MAX: X-DRIVE MODE, READY
Rui smirked as SOUL's weapons finished the announcement. Hibiki practically roared at the amount of phonic gain she was absorbing.
"GENERATOR…!" Maria shouted.
"X! DRIIIIIIIIIIVE!"
Hibiki screamed skyward, unleashing all the phonic gain in a massive tornado of energy that split the clouds above.
"N-No…!" Carol shouted in horror.
As the phonic gain tornado dissipated, nine figures descended from the clouds. Their armor now white, with angelic wings of bright colors letting them fly. All nine of them, clad in their X-Drive forms.
Elfnein smiled, seeing the power that created a miracle.
"Miracles… in the flesh…"
A/N: Happy almost Halloween everyone. Here, we've expanded more on the canon episode. Not much has changed this time around.
For those of you that had a watchful eye, you might've noticed that I've used the term "Father" instead of "Papa" until now. Well, the reason I did so was that "Papa" is a more childish term, so I felt Carol using it during the endgame part of GX was fitting, as her reasoning changes. The whole formal usage of "Father" was to try and make her reasons sound more justifiable to the ear. Using "Papa" is where that image breaks.
Also, now I can add YouTube links for the Symphogear songs (on the AO3 version) now that they're all up and available, so that's neat.
Next time, we enter the finale of the GX arc. Hold your horses, everyone. Things are about to get wild.
Feel free to leave a review and update the TVTropes page. See you all next time.