The search for the Fool's Stone was still underway, but there didn't seem to be much luck going on. Kirika was holding one of the tablets and holding it up to the debris, before it began to beep.
"Oyo?" She said, raising a brow and looking close.
"Okay, Kiri-chan, now be careful-" Shirabe held up a hand.
"Oyo!" She stuck a hand into the mud, accidentally launching some of it at Shirabe's face, as well Forte, who happened to be nearby. "Dess!"
Kirika held up the Fool's Stone with a sign of victory.
"Ah! Show me that, please!" Elfnein started to run over, but tripped into the mud.
"I can't even look." Hibiki sighed with a hand on her face.
"I can." Maia chuckled, as Kirika helped Elfnein up and handed her the stone.
Looking at it closer, Elfnein confirmed it was what they were looking for. "This is it! Our trump card against the Philosopher's Stone, the Fool's Stone!"
While the others marveled at it, Hibiki sighed. "That name really stuck, huh?"
Rui gently patted her sister on the shoulder.
"So we got what we needed, right?" Forte asked, shirt dripping with muck.
"Yes." Elfnein nodded.
"Good." Forte turned to Kirika, before tackling her into the mud.
"DESS?!"
"This is for earlier!" Forte declared, picking up some of the mud in her hands.
Yusuke came out onto the deck and merely watched as the chaos unfolded.
"Ahhhh! Nothing beats a hot shower after a bath of dirt, dess!" Kirika said, letting the hot water run over her body.
"Was digging the stone out that exciting?" Shirabe asked.
"Not as exciting as that mud fight, dess!" Kirika chuckled, clearing her ears from the muck.
"You deserved it." Forte grumbled, scrubbing her hair.
"Oh, where's Elfnein-chan and Lala-chan?" Hibiki asked, noticing they weren't present.
"They were in and out before you could hear the water running." Chris said. "Lala was kind of like a walking drying machine for her."
"All to make our miraculous diamond in the rough shine." Maria said.
"Our only chance." Tsubasa put a towel over her hair. "The annihilation barrier. It should be able to negate the effects of the Philosopher's Stone"
"Bringing victory once more within our grasp." Maria finished.
Rui turned off her shower and stepped out, putting on a towel. "About time. I was tired of doing the heavy lifting."
But before all that… Hibiki clenched a fist.
Aoi stepped into the changing room, carrying some after-shower products and face towels. "Chris-chan, the Foreign Affairs Ministry contacted us to set up a meeting."
"Huh? They were after me?" Chris asked.
"Stephan and Sonya were hoping to see you and Shuri-chan before they leave for Val Verde." Aoi explained.
"Oh, is that what it is?" Shuri stepped out of her stall. Maia followed suit, a smile on her face.
"...are you serious?" Maria asked, giving the elder Kazanari a deadpan stare.
"We didn't do anything too far." Maia held up a hand. "You think we're crazy enough to do it in a shared shower room, the same room as our siblings?"
The fact that no one answered her said enough, as they distinctly remembered the last time.
"You guys suck." Maia pouted.
"You don't make it easy, Neesama." Tsubasa sighed.
Chris took in the info from Aoi, before looking away. "Shuri can probably go, but tell them I can't make it."
"Oneesama?" Shuri turned to her.
"But-"
"Val Verde…" Shirabe said, blow-drying Kirika's hair.
Rui watched as Chris talked to Shuri, keeping her arms crossed.
They all left the showers, with Chris walking in front of everyone.
"Chris-chan…" Hibiki said in concern.
"The past is the past." Chris said, as she kept walking down the hall. "There's nothing I can do about decisions I've already made."
"But losing sight of the past makes it harder to achieve what you need to in the present." Tsubasa pointed out.
"Thanks for the lecture. I'll keep it in mind." Chris dismissed with a wave of her hand.
"You moron…" Rui muttered.
Maia and Shuri were silent as they kept walking. Shuri wasn't sure what to exactly say about the situation, even though she herself was involved. Maia looked off, before noticing Genjuro sitting on the lounge couch, waiting for them. "Old man?"
"I see you're all here." Genjuro said.
"Shisho?" Hibiki stepped back to look. "What's all this about?"
He stood up. "I'll see you all in the training room for a special lesson!"
"Huh?" All the girls said, confused. Except for SOUL's members.
"Are we doing that , Shisho?" Shuri smiled.
"Ah, I had a feeling about it." Maia grinned.
Oh, are we doing what he asked SOUL for a while back? Rui realized with a small smirk.
"Well, have fun!" Forte waved, as she rather quickly walked away from them.
"Training? We just got our hands on the Fool's Stone! What's left to train for?" Chris asked.
"If this were a movie, do you think they'd cut straight from finding some rock to the happy end?" Genjuro asked.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Chris asked.
"Rui-kun! Why don't you explain in your own terms?" Genjuro asked.
"Gladly!" Rui was suddenly by Genjuro's side.
The others all looked to the side to realize she had jumped over there in an instant. To top it off, she wore a large beige jacket over her clothes, and had mismatched red and blue shoes.
"When did you-?" Chris started.
"I learned to stop questioning Oneesan about these things…" Hibiki sweatdropped.
"Allow me to explain!" Rui held up a hand. "The Ignite Module are the Super Forms, and the X-Drive are our Final Forms. But the Fool's Stone upgrade means that our Super Forms have gotten the fine tuning that they needed, meaning that we're in the middle of the Kamen Rider show, entering the second half! Though if we're counting past incidents, it would be more appropriate to call this our fifth season's halfway point!"
"Exactly right, Rui-kun! So then, let's get pumped before the next arc!" Genjuro punched his hand into a fist.
Back at the hideout of the alchemists, Cagliostro watched over the Prelati, as the latter's wounds started to heal up. She had a look of deep thought on her face, seemingly unsure what to do at the moment. After overhearing Saint-Germain and the Lodgemaster's conversation about sacrificing one of them, she kept the fact she knew under wraps.
"How fares Prelati's recovery?" Saint-Germain asked, walking into the room.
"All good. She just needs a little more time." Cagliostro said.
"We all share the same dream, her included." Saint-Germian walked over, pulling a blanket over Prelati.
"Yeah. Anyone who hurts one of us, hurts all of us." Cagliostro agreed, looking off to the side. "I won't rest until they've been taken down."
(Insert Go with the flo by Kentaro Maeda, Wataru Hyuga, and Ayaka Imoto)
The six transformed wielders were standing within the training arena, as the area around them turned into an empty city.
"Launching training program!" Aoi announced.
Several Alca-Noise simulations started to rise from the ground. Kirika and Shirabe were the first to rush forward, slicing through the Alca-Noise with ease.
Calamity Ring: Tinkerbell
Alpha Style: 100 Saṃsāra
Hibiki ran forward and slugged through several Alca-Noise without issue. Tsubasa sliced through several of the mooks, before jumping in the air alongside Chris and Kirika, as they all rained down attacks on their foes.
One Thousand Tears
QUEEN'S INFERNO
Kill Juliet
"Kiri-chan and I just need to synchronize our songs!" Shirabe said.
"The blades of Zababa will take on anyone!" Kirika declared.
With a shout, Maria slashed through a group of Alca-Noise. "But this is ridiculous!"
"Oh, not as ridiculous as this!"
Maria jumped back to avoid a knife, which was colored like Gungnir. To the shock of the others, Maia landed in her Dual Relics Mode. Walking up behind her were Rui and Shuri, the former in her Symphonic Drive transformation, while the other surprisingly had demonic claws. Her arms and legs were brimming with an animalistic form of the Ignite Module's power, as her armor had darkened similarly to the Ignite forms of the Symphogears. Although red cracks traveled along her skin towards her eyes, she seemed to be handling herself fine. But their biggest surprise was Genjuro, stretching his arms.
"This time, I'll train with you!" Genjuro said. "Don't hold back! Because you can bet I won't!"
"You sure, Commander?" Rui asked. "I mean, Maia, Shuri and I would win against them without your help. This feels like overkill."
"Well, there's no better training than this." Shuri said, raising her claws. "Oh, and don't worry about me! I just had Elfnein and Lala make a few adjustments thanks to their new research!"
Chris had a rather exasperated expression on her face, seeing how much more difficult (and ridiculous) the training was about to get. Genjuro rushed at Maria, launching a barrage of punches that the girl barely defended against, as she was sent skidding back. "What should we do?"
"SEI-HAAAAAAH!"
Before they could formulate a plan, Rui flew through the smoke with a shout, kicking Maria and sending her flying with a splash of orange.
BURAI KICK
"Maria!" Tsubasa shouted as Maria landed in several trees.
"I don't like the idea of fighting another human…" Shirabe admitted.
"...but are we even sure he's human at all, dess?" Kirika asked, looking at Genjuro in particular.
"Then you'd better focus on me!" Shuri dropped in from above with a downwards claw swipe, smashing through the pavement as the duo avoided the strike.
"Maia-san!" Hibiki called. "Fight me next!"
"Alright, some Gungnir on Gungnir action!" Maia grinned. "Let's go Hibiki!"
"Don't rush in, you training addict!" Chris yelled as the two Gungnir users charged forward.
The two threw a punch each, creating a huge shockwave that cracked the ground around them. Hibiki threw punches and kicks, but Maia played a more defensive game; dodging, blocking and parrying all of Hibiki's hits.
"She's using Ame-no-Habakiri's agility to play around Tachibana's more straightforward style…" Tsubasa realized. "Are they trying to tell us something by fighting us, by forcing us into cooperation?"
"Pretty good, Maia-san!" Hibiki said. "But this one's my victory!"
She threw a powerful punch right at Maia's chest, but Maia caught her fist and smirked. "Nah, I'd win."
With a singular motion, Maia swung her around and tossed Hibiki into the trees with Maria. Rui landed by her partner, taking up a stance.
"You could've been more gentle." Rui said, looking at where her sister was launched.
"Oh what, are you gonna go easy mode on my sister?" Maia asked, watching Tsubasa raise her blade. "You better not slack off as my Gungnir partner!"
"Yeah yeah…" Rui chuckled, as she raised a hand. "Now, shall we begin the experiment?"
"I'm intrigued, but more than that…" Tsubasa held her sword firmly. "They've riled my warrior instincts!"
Tsubasa dashed forward, swinging her sword with precise strikes. Rui and Maia both dodged the strikes with swift movements, before Rui held up her hands and caught the sword in between her palms.
"Well done…!" Tsubasa praised.
Rui pulled the blade behind her, dragging Tsubasa in for a headbutt to her face, before Maia swung the blunt side of her spear at Tsubasa, knocking her back. "I'll try it your way for once."
Rui grinned. "I thought you'd never ask!"
The two jumped up and dove with shouts, green energy surrounding them both with their legs outstretched.
DOUBLE RIDER KICK
The attack hit Tsubasa head-on, knocking her away several feet in a burst of power.
"Oh yeah!" Maia raised a fist, while Rui flicked her wrist after landing.
"You twin headaches! Eat this!" Chris shouted, launching an array of missiles at the duo.
MEGA DETH PARTY
But to her utter shock, Genjuro jumped in to interfere, catching each and every one of the missiles , before throwing them straight back at her.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Chris shouted, before her own missiles hit her, launching her back. She landed in the claws of her sister.
"Sorry about this, Oneesama!" Shuri apologized, before she jumped in the air and threw Chris straight into the pavement.
"You can't beat us with numbers alone!" Genjuro shouted. "You need to match the rhythm! Match each other's hearts and minds! Your mind is ground zero!"
"Grandmother said this…" Rui raised a finger skyward. "A bond is a deep connection that can never be broken. Even if apart, heart and heart are still connected!"
While Genjuro stomped on the ground, Rui and Shuri smashed their fists into it. Swinging her spear around, Maia stabbed her spear down to join the others. The shockwave was enough to reach Kirika and Shirabe, who were sent flying from the force.
"Is that it?" Maia asked, pulling her spear out. "We're just getting started!"
The hellish training session had finished up, and all six of the wielders were on the ground. The three SOUL members had a few cracks on their armor, while Genjuro remained untouched.
"Don't forget that the Fool's Stone is but a means to neutralize the Philosopher's Stone." Genjuro reminded them.
"If you guys rely entirely on that little rock to carry you in fights, you're gonna get sloppy." Rui had her arms crossed.
"That should do for a warm up!" Genjuro reached over to grab something.
"Huh? That was just a warm-up?" Hibiki groaned.
"The real deal starts now!" Genjuro pulled out an old radio.
As he and Rui started explaining the next part, Maia turned to Shuri. "We can make do without you for now. You should probably go to Elfnein to fine tune it further."
Shuri looked at her hands and concentrated, as the bestial features disappeared back into her body. She had asked Elfnein to use the Fool's Stone adjustments on her as a test, and they seemed to be working for the small part changed. With a nod, she left, looking back at her hands as she walked down the hall.
I'll be able to fight with more control now… She remembered how in the last few battles, she could only see Rui and Maia's backs… now she could be on the frontlines with the two of them. I can stand by their sides again!
By a remote shrine far away from public eye, Tiki was projecting the astral map from her eyes, as Adam, Saint-Germain and Cagliostro studied it.
"Seven planets, seven notes in the scale…" Tiki observed, raising her arms. "It's like the heavens are sheet music!"
"Let us begin the ritual of creation." Adam said.
Saint-Germain lowered part of her clothes to expose her left shoulder. Adam held out a hand, as a circular mark started to form in Saint-Germain's skin, causing a bit of discomfort. Cagliostro watched on in concern, as Adam leaned forward.
"It's just about time for you to choose." He whispered. "Whose blood, whose life shall we use?"
As Saint-Germain's eyes widened, Adam stood back up as if he said nothing.
"I'm concerned about those decidedly un-destroyed Symphogear." Adam said.
"I'll handle them." Cagliostro offered. "I'm the only one who isn't injured or otherwise occupied."
"Oh? Do you have something up your sleeve?" Adam asked.
Saint-Germain looked at her comrade, surprised Cagliostro suddenly said she would.
"They're too strong to face head-on. It's murder on my skin." Cagliostro said. "I said I was done with deception, but I'm not above fighting dirty."
She held up an odd device in her hand, determined to carry out her plan.
Elfnein handed out the upgraded Symphogear pendants to the others.
"Is this it?" Hibiki asked, looking at the tray, while Yusuke was resting on her shoulder.
"Yes. It was a bit of a rush job, but Lala and I equipped them with the annihilation barrier." Elfnein said.
"They look just the same." Shirabe noted, as she and Kirika picked hers up.
"Were you expecting a fancy trinket like Rui described…?" Lala said with a bit of a sweatdrop.
"But now we won't lose to the Philosopher's Stone, dess!" Kirika declared.
Maria looked at hers briefly, before noticing Chris, Shuri, Tsubasa, Rui and Maia were absent. "On that note, where are the others?"
"I already gave them theirs." Elfnein said. "Apparently they've gone to see off someone they know."
Hibiki distinctly recalled Rui asking Chris to go, only for her to refuse. What happened after was that Rui put her in a headlock until she agreed to go, and she left Hibiki in charge of Yusuke while they were gone. Yusuke mewed, before pawing at Hibiki's relic.
Chris, Shuri and Tsubasa were sitting at a table with Sonya and Stephan. Rui and Maia were sitting at a separate table, watching on. They had elected to tag along for emotional support for the Yukine twins, but also knew that sitting at the same table would just make it crowded. There was also a very likely chance one of them would speak out of place and cause the situation to get worse, so the two of them had ordered ice cream as they waited. Maia ate a spoonful of her fruit parfait, humming at the delicious flavor.
"Mmm, paru faits are the best!" Maia grinned.
"It's par fait." Rui corrected.
"No, parufait."
"It's parfait!"
"It's parufait!"
"Parfait!"
"Parufait!"
"Parfait!"
"Parufait!"
Tsubasa looked back, a bit of an annoyed expression on her face, as it was extremely obvious that Maia was messing with Rui on purpose. She ignored it for now, since there were bigger issues at the moment to cover.
"We're flying back this evening." Stephan said. "But before we leave, I wanted to tell you about this."
"Your new leg, right?" Shuri said softly.
"I'm recovering well after the operation, so I can start rehab soon." Stephen said.
Rui overheard him and smiled, as Chris nodded. "That's great."
"I'd have loved to see more of a country without a civil war, but there are a lot of kids waiting for my sister to come home." Stephen turned to Sonya.
"Kids?" Shuri asked, surprised.
"She carried on your parents' work in supporting children who'd lost their homes and families." Tsubasa explained.
"She did…?" Shuri smiled at Sonya, while Chris looked stunned.
"You carried on Papa and Mama's work…?" Chris asked, remembering the day her parents lost their lives. I knew it wasn't her fault. But… I still…
Before she could speak up, the wall burst open with an explosion. While the others stood up quickly, Rui and Maia looked rather annoyed as they remained sitting, their parfaits having been blown away by the blast.
"Damn it, we're busy!" Chris shouted.
"Alca-Noise?" Tsubasa said, watching them pour through the wall.
"Man, these Illuminati bastards are persistent." Maia groaned. "And they owe me a new parfait!"
"Oh so you can say it right." Rui said, as the two of them stood up.
"Alca-Noise detected in Area 7!" Fujitaka announced as the alarm blared. "SOUL, Ame-no-Habakiri and Ichaival are already on it!"
"The others are on their way." Aoi said.
"Do they really need it?" Forte asked.
"Regardless, please request an evacuation." Ogawa said.
"Get out of here!" Tsubasa told Sonya and Stephan.
"Got it!" Sonya started wheeling her brother out as fast as she could.
"You really didn't wanna do this…" Chris grit her teeth, pulling out her pendant.
"Yeah… let's grind these bastards into carbon!" Rui agreed.
"Killter Ichaival tron~"
"Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri tron~"
"Henshin!"
KAGUTSUCHI: GUNGNIR MODE
TAKEMIKAZUCHI: HABAKIRI MODE
OKAMI: ICHAIVAL MODE
(Insert GUN BULLET XXX by Ayahi Takagaki)
"OREYAH!" Rui was the first to leap into action, punching and kicking at the Alca-Noise. She smashed her fist into the ground, launching several of them skyward and straight into the oncoming fire from Chris and Shuri.
"Wow…" Stephen said, watching them.
Unbeknownst to the siblings, the ceiling above started to crack.
Tsubasa and Maia cut down several more Alca-Noise, before hearing oncoming blasts. They quickly raised their swords to block the shots and cover the others. The smoke faded to reveal Cagliostro standing atop a pillar, looking down at them.
"Looks like I smoked you out." She grinned.
"Great. It just had to be the bimbo." Rui grumbled.
"An enemy alchemist has appeared!" Fujitaka reported.
"But she's alone?" Ogawa noticed, seeing no other blips on the radar, or the other two on the camera feed.
"Is it a distraction?" Aoi suggested. "Or some kind of trap?"
"Aiba?" Jeanne asked.
"I'm not sure myself." Aiba admitted from Jeanne's socket. "While a diversion tactic may be possible, this action does not seem logical if it is only one of them."
"I got a bad feeling about this." Forte crossed her arms.
Cagliostro swung several energy lashes that the girls kept dodging. The Alca-Noise around them wasn't making things easier.
"Don't let her near the building!" Tsubasa said. "There are still civilians inside!"
"Rui-san! Go help with the evacuation!" Shuri commanded.
"You got it!" Rui broke away from the battle, running back into the building and punching through several more Alca-Noise in the way.
Chris fired several more bolts at Cagliostro, but the alchemist casually danced around, dodging all of the shots. Her blood ran cold as Cagliosto reappeared behind her. "Fuck off!"
Even though she turned around, she didn't make the shot, realizing where she was aiming.
"You're not half as stupid as you are foul-mouthed." Cagliostro chuckled, as Chris realized that taking the shot would damage the building further, endangering the people inside. Before Chris could retaliate properly, Cagliostro blasted Chris point-blank with four shots.
"Yukine!" Tsubasa called.
"Oneesama!" Shuri shouted.
The two tried to advance, but the hordes of Alca-Noise only grew and blocked their approach. Chris grit her teeth and tried to stand as Cagliostro slowly approached. "Nothing personal, kid, but I'm gonna kill you."
A whip sword shot at her, forcing her back.
"Are you okay, Chris-chan?!" Hibiki landed nearby.
"You're late, dummy." Chris smirked.
"Hell yeah, the cavalry arrives!" Maia grinned.
Shirabe twirled, launching several sawblades, while Kirika swung her scythe and launched several projectiles.
Alpha Style: 100 Saṃsāra
Kill Juliet
The blades tore through the Alca-Noise, severely lowering their numbers.
"We owe you two, Tsukuyomi, Akatsuki!" Tsubasa said, cutting down another Alca-Noise.
Shuri shot down another row of foes. "Excellent work!"
"Give us a chance to shine too!" Shirabe smiled.
"It's time to turn this around, dess!" Kirika added.
"You've got no idea just how right you are." Cagliostro grinned.
She tossed two crystals at their feet. Suddenly, Tsubasa, Shirabe and Shuri all disappeared in a wave of hexagons. Hibiki, Kirika and Maia all called out for them, only to fall to the same fate.
"What did you just do?!" Chris demanded.
Maria was much more calm. That hexagon pattern… were they transported into that space again?
Cagliostro smirked. "The crimson blade, Shul Shagana, and the emerald blade, Igalima. Prelati's sacrifice taught me to be wary of their unison."
"I'm sure they'd love to hear that." Chris smirked.
"So you think we're no threat?" Maria asked.
Cagliostro answered by firing her gauntlets, as Chris fired several crossbow shots to counter them. Maria jumped through the smoke, dispersing it. "You can't jump away from here."
Cagliostro's eyes widened briefly, before she ducked under Maria's punch. "Too bad you just ended my range!"
Her fist glowed with energy, before she uppercutted Maria in the gut.
"Maria!" Chris shouted, seeing her friend get knocked back. She could barely react in time before Cagliostro slugged her, knocking her straight into the wall.
"Victory pose!" Cagliostro raised a fist.
"You'd better quit counting your chickens early, you fucking bitch."
Cagliostro looked behind her to see Rui. With a shout, the girl threw a punch.
"We're trapped in here!" Kirika looked around, looking at the golden space around them. "And it's just the three of us!"
"Is this the same as before?" Hibiki asked.
"And my partner isn't here to help us bust out this time…" Maia grit her teeth.
"We don't have time to look for the core." Tsubasa said, having made a quick look around the indigo space she was in with Shirabe and Shuri.
"Right." Shuri nodded. "We need to brute force this one."
"...Think back to our training." Shirabe slowly realized.
Chris groaned and pushed herself back up. But she looked up to see that Sonya and Stephen were still present. "You're still in here?!"
"Stephen's wheelchair got stuck!" Sonya said, trying to push Stephen, but his wheelchair refused to move in the rubble.
"Why didn't Rui evacuate you two?!" Chris asked.
"We asked her to help the rest of the people in the building first…" Stephen tried pushing the boulders away with his hand, but they barely did anything.
"Uah!" Rui crashed through the wall, landing nearby Chris.
"Rui!" Chris shouted.
"Tch…" Rui stood up, wiping her mouth. "Guess the bitch learned from her mistakes and caught me off guard."
"Sorry for getting you caught up in this." Cagliostro walked through the hole in the wall. "But don't worry. I'll put you out of your misery right away."
"Not so fast-!" Chris tried to stand up, but her legs failed her.
Rui rushed in front of Stephen and Sonya. "Not on your life! Elekleid- gah!"
Cagliostro fired a shot at Rui's throat, stunning her girl.
"Rgh! Elekleid- ah!"
This time, Cagliostro shot her wrist.
"Elekleid- ggh!"
Another shot, this time to her leg.
"Do you really think I'll just let you power-up?" Cagliostro smirked. "And you messed up by making yourself the human shield."
Chris closed her eyes, hearing Rui yell in pain as Cagliostro kept shooting at her. Hearing the girl's shouts and seeing how she was protecting them, Stephen pushed himself up out of the wheelchair and kicked a piece of metal debris at Cagliostro.
"A desperate defense?" Cagliostro knocked away the debris with her fist.
"Rraaagh!" Chris fired several crossbow bolts, forcing Cagliostro to jump out of the building or get hit. She quickly turned back to Stephen, who was helping Rui stand.
"Ugh… thanks for the assist, kid." Rui said with a thumbs-up. "Hopefully I protected your dream."
Stephen smiled at the gesture.
"What are you even doing?!" Chris shouted.
"I could only help you now because you helped me back there!" Stephen said.
Chris was surprised by his words, as Rui shakily stood up.
"I can't do anything about my lost leg, about the past." Stephen said. "But I'll do what I can now! We still have a future!"
"Stephan…" Sonya said.
"You both keep obsessing about a past you can't change!" Stephen said, surprising the two. "I'm standing on my new leg. What about you?"
"Heh, where was this kid back when I went rogue?" Rui asked. "He would've saved you guys a lot of time and trouble."
"Shut up, Chunnigure." Chris said.
Stephen put a trembling hand on his wheelchair, as Sonya put hers on top of his. After a few moments of hesitation, Rui pushed Chris forward, and she put her hand on Sonya's.
"After a speech like that, even moving the Chunnigure… I can hardly keep sitting around feeling sorry for myself, can I?" Chris asked.
"Let's go, Chris." Rui looked out the hole in the wall. "Maria's gonna get creamed if we don't help."
"Yeah… let's go!"
"Elekleid, Switch On!"
Maria had tried to take on Cagliostro, but her swift movements were catching her off guard, and she hit the ground.
"Time for the K.O. punch!" Cagliostro weaved in, but several crossbow bolts forced her away.
Chris landed, holding up her crossbow and keeping Cagliostro at bay.
"You're late!" Maria said. "But I like that look on your face, so you're forgiven!"
"Yeah, all that baggage has been dealt with." Rui, now donned in the Elekleid, landed next to Maria.
"Can we pull off what we practiced earlier?" Chris asked.
"Sounds good to me. I'm just in the mood." Maria said, tightening her fist.
"So it looks like you realized it, huh?" Rui tightened her wrists. "Cause I'm well aware of it."
"Looks like I don't keep you busy enough!" Cagliostro shouted, she swung her hand around, creating a heart-shaped symbol. "Take this!"
She punched at her, launching a beam of energy forward. It hit them dead-on, but to her utter shock, Chris and Maria were standing at the front, now clad in their Ignite Modules. Rui was behind them, having transformed into the Elekleid Symphonic Drive.
(Insert Change the Future by Ayahi Takagaki and Yōko Hikasa or Time of Victory by Kamen Rider Girls)
"Ignite?" Cagliostro widened her eyes. "Even in the light of the lapis philosophorum? But how?"
She looked closer, seeing a gold shine from the crystals on their chests.
"These aren't the same Symphogear you saw yesterday!" Chris shouted.
"Now then…" Rui raised a hand before making a declaration. "It's time for the highlight!"
The three dashed forward, singing their new song. Cagliostro launched several more projectiles at the three, but they all swiftly dodged them. Rui threw her hands on the ground, pushing herself off and into the air, just as Maria threw her blade outward and slashed at Cagliostro with the whip. She managed to parry it, only to see Chris coming in from one side with several crossbow bolts. She deflected a majority of them, before Rui dropped in from above, her foot letting out several multi-colored sparks. Upon impact, a resounding HIT! was heard.
MIGHTY CRITICAL STRIKE
Rui followed up with several more kicks, each with their own resounding HIT!, eventually forcing Cagliostro back.
Are they in unison?! Cagliostro thought. I thought only Zababa's blades could do that!
She rapidly whipped around and launched multiple blasts, but the three were ready for it, the energy bouncing off their wrists.
"Fool's Stone annihilation barrier confirmed effective." Aoi reported. "The Ignite Modules are still active, and the Elekleid Symphonic Drive's power has increased significantly!"
"It worked!" Elfnein smiled.
"We did it…" Lala breathed out in relief.
"What, was there any doubt you two geniuses would?" Forte asked.
"They're mutually raising each other's phonic gain!" Fujitaka said, seeing the gauges grow. "Most likely due to their unison!"
"Can they do it?" Genjuro wondered, remembering the special training he and SOUL had put them through.
The wielders were all on the floor, exhausted, while Genjuro and SOUL's members were still standing.
"Shirabe-kun and Kirika-kun, your unison is powerful, so we can expect they will try to separate you!" Genjuro said.
"You guys can't rely only on the key abilities of your Gears." Maia told them. "That's just a complete crutch and you'll get sloppy."
"You must be able to match each other's rhythm no matter who you end up paired with, whether they use a Gear or not." Shuri added. "That's why SOUL is effective as a unit; we cover each other's weaknesses and enhance the other's strength no matter who's working together."
"With the bond of unison..." Rui raised her hands before clapping and pointing upwards. "You can win any battle with a Best Match you make on your own."
"The bond of unison…" Genjuro repeated.
"Well, I say that special training was worth it." Jeanne noted, watching them dominate the battle.
"Resistance to the lapis, and unison too…" Cagliostro grit her teeth. "I can't let the others fall to this!"
Chris aimed her gatling guns and started rapidly firing. Cagliostro brought her fists together to create a barrier, before causing it to expand into flames. To her irritation, Rui was standing in front, absorbing all of the fire into her pendant.
"Thanks for the boost!" Rui smirked.
"Rrgh! You shall not pass!" Cagliostro fired several more energy shots, forcing Rui to jump out of the way.
"She's pumping out immense amounts of energy." Maria realized. "Is she planning to take us down with her?!"
"I'm gonna show you how powerful a girl's charm can be!" Cagliostro declared, clasping her hands together and launching upwards.
Chris and Maria's armor started to expand and morph, creating a massive construct around the two with three bladed tips.
Change †he Future
Rui landed right behind Chris atop the construct, before the thrusters activated. Cagliostro dove towards them with all her power, as the three girls shot off to match her. They clashed in the air at blinding speeds, before entering one final clash with all their strength. Sparks flew everywhere as each side struggled to push forward.
"Conquer the present!" Stephen shouted from below.
"You're strong!" Sonya encouraged.
Chris opened her eyes, as Rui gently placed a hand on her shoulder. She roared and brought out her blade, aiming it forward as it expanded and coalesced onto the construct.
Drei Ring Schwert
The final extra burst of energy was enough, as Cagliostro screamed in pain. Everything went up in a massive explosion in the sky, but Chris, Maria and Rui all landed safely, albeit exhausted.
"We… did it?" Maria said.
"Yeah…" Chris said, realizing they won.
Rui stood up, flicking her wrist. "That's one down..."
As the sun set, several invisible figures were cut down, before the rest of the team returned to reality.
"Chris-chan! Oneesan!" Hibiki called.
"Maria!" Kirika and Shirabe shouted.
"Is everyone okay?" Tsubasa asked.
"Judging from the fact that all of us got out, and that alchemist bitch is nowhere to be seen…" Maia shouldered her spear. "I say yes."
"I'm not sure how, but we made it." Chris said.
"Oneesama…" Shuri smiled, seeing the relieved expression on her sister's face. It looks like she had finally put the past hardships behind her.
The wielders had gathered at the airport, seeing the plane off. Sonya and Stephen looked out the window.
Chris… Shuri… May our paths cross in the future. Sonya thought.
We'll see each other again. For sure. Chris thought, as she put a hand on Shuri's shoulder.
Back at the shrine, Adam continued to conduct the ritual on Saint-Germain, as a second mark appeared in her back. They were interrupted as Tiki walked up.
"She lost! She's gone!" Tiki danced. "Cagliostro became a star in the sky! Rest in peace!"
"No way… Cagliostro…?" Saint-Germain stood up.
"Well, that saves you the trouble of deciding." Adam said, rather coldly as Saint-Germain widened her eyes. "Let us use Prelati. She can't fight, so really, it's perfect."
"Do you have any-?!" Saint-Germain raised her palm to strike him, but Adam grabbed her wrist.
"No humanity, no." He finished for her. "We've been over this."
He pulled her arm, before throwing her to the ground. Tiki walked up, eyes sparkling. "You're so inhumane, Adam! So wicked! Bad boys always win the girls' hearts!"
"We stand to gain divine power on part with that of the old oppressor." Adam said. "You can't open the doors to heaven with kindness."
"So that's that for now, huh?" Rui walked down the hall with Chris.
"Makes sense." Chris said. "Our Gears were emergency tunings, so we had to hand off ours and Maria's to Elfnein and Lala for proper maintenance."
"Still… good to see you're doing better after that." Rui smiled.
"Thanks." Chris nodded. "...say, why did you choose to come with us?"
"Hm?"
The two walked out onto the deck as they continued to talk. "I get why Tsubasa-senpai came, since she was there to help and keep an eye out on Maia-senpai. And Maia-senpai came because she's Shuri's girlfriend. But what about you?"
"Did you… not want me to?" Rui asked.
"No, it's nothing like that!" Chris assured her. "I just… wanted to know why."
"Because I'm your friend?" Rui said.
"So is your dummy sister, and Miku, and Kirika, and Shirabe and-"
"Alright I get it." Rui leaned against the railing atop the sub. "I was just… there for you since you were there for me all the time."
"Huh?"
"Back when we learned about Hibiki's condition… back when her Gear was broken… even after I had joined up with TEC." Rui said. "You were always there to talk to me."
"Oh…"
"I had to be there for you sometimes too, like when Shuri had that reaction to the Ignite shard thing, and when you came over to our dorm that one night." Rui said. "And also…"
"Also what?"
"Also…" Rui turned away so Chris wouldn't see her blush.
"Also what? Spit it out already!"
Rui was still choking on her own words, seemingly unsure what to say. She hit herself in the chest a few times, clearing her throat.
"I… no it's nothing…"
"No it's not nothing!" Chris said, getting annoyed now. She tried putting Rui in a headlock, but found herself easily overpowered. "Agh, screw your brutish strength!"
Rui let go of her. "You… You sure you want me to say it? Cause if I do… it'll change everything between us…"
"So you're telling me you came out to help me get over my own issues, but you're fine bottling down your own?" Chris raised a brow. "That doesn't seem very fair."
"Ugh… I feel like my head and heart are gonna explode…" Rui slapped herself a few times. "Fine… Fine I'll say it!"
"Then say it already!"
"Chris, I…" Rui took a deep breath, before looking into Chris' eyes. "I'm in love with you."
The stars in the sky seemed to shine brighter as Chris processed this. "...oh."
"It all clicked for me since I got my body back." Rui said. "You've been there for me… and I want to keep being there for you. You probably guessed that I felt this way, but I didn't want to outright say it because… I was scared."
"Rui…" Chris said.
"And if you don't want me… I'm fine with that." Rui lied to herself. "You probably wouldn't want to deal with-"
"No, no!" Chris shook her head. "The thing is… I love you too."
"Huh?"
"I just never said anything because… I was unsure." Chris admitted. "I'm not the cutest girl out there- I'm damaged goods. I thought you probably wouldn't have wanted me… but hearing that now… it makes me happy."
Also I asked your dummy sister how you felt about me, but there's no way in hell I'm gonna say anything about that. Chris thought.
"Chris…"
Rui wanted to reach out and hold her hand, but was unsure if she should. So Chris took the initiative, taking Rui's into her own. Rui felt the warmth through them.
"So… if you're fine with a girl like me…" Chris said.
"...I was gonna say the same thing." Rui smiled. "Uh… can I hug you?"
Chris nodded as the two drew together for an embrace. It was rather awkward, but the two felt safe in each other's embrace. It was different compared to the few other times they hugged. After a few minutes, they broke away.
"So… we're dating now, huh?" Rui said.
"...yeah? I guess so?" Chris said.
The two were still unsure of what to do, since this was new territory for both of them.
"This is the part where we kiss or something, right?" Rui asked, genuinely uncertain.
"No… at least, not yet." Chris shook her head. "I'm not ready for that yet."
"Alright." Rui nodded. "I'll wait until you're ready. But hand holding and hugging is on the table, right?"
"Yeah…"
"Well, it's about time!"
The two turned to the entrance to realize that they had an audience. Maia was the one leading the eavesdroppers, with Hibiki and Shuri not far behind. While Kirika and Shirabe looked interested, both Tsubasa and Maria had apologetic expressions on their faces.
"...how long have you been there?" Chris asked, face turning red.
"Erm… we noticed you two didn't come back with Maria-san." Shuri said. "We got worried and looked for you."
"We noticed you two exiting onto the deck… which is how long we've been watching." Tsubasa said, apologetically looking away.
"Oh God, since we started talking…?" Rui realized, blushing hard.
"Sorry." Maria apologized with a small wave.
"But we all saw this a mile away, dess!" Kirika grinned.
"Congratulations you two." Shirabe clapped.
"So does this mean I can start calling Chris-chan "Chris-neechan" now?" Hibiki asked with a rather cheeky grin.
"I think it does." Maia smiled. "And I guess if we're establishing things, I wouldn't mind if Chris also started calling me "Oneesan" or something along the lines of that. But you got the right idea; "Maia-neechan" does sound good too."
"Maia…" Shuri sighed, though she was clearly amused as well.
"...Chris, you think if we jump off the ledge we can drown ourselves?" Rui asked, blush prominent on her face. "Cause I really want to die right now."
"It would be better than having to listen to this." Chris agreed, face equally red. "On three?"
Thankfully the two didn't jump off, and instead endured most of the teasing and prodding before Maria had them stop.
But regardless, Rui and Chris still felt quite happy, now that they had each finally put behind all their regrets, ready to face any future hardships.
Together.
A/N: Here we have a bit more to talk about.
I once posted the Revice parfait joke on my twitter years ago as a small preview. I decided to lean in a bit more into that by using a Revice insert theme during the training session. The training session I was very excited to tackle since we'd have the twins helping out this time around; and by "helping out" I mean "kicking ass." Genjuro curbstomping the six in canon was comical, but I wanted to add more to it with the twins joining in. It also serves to show how strong the teamwork between the trio is.
We have a few more people present during Chris' reconciliation scene. Rui in particular I wanted since she would be paired off with Maria and Chris for the whole synchronization bit. As you might've guessed, the same will apply to Shuri and Maia later down the line.
Shuri didn't have as many scenes during the reconciliation since, well, she's mostly past things. She didn't hold any sort of grudge and didn't blame Sonya. This allowed her to play a bit of a peacemaker-ish role, while getting rid of any last issues she had left.
Here we also see one of the weaknesses of the twins, since Rui wasn't able to transform. Yes, Cagliostro broke the unspoken rule that you're supposed to allow the henshin hero to transform first; but that's also a sign of her desperation and not playing around.
And of course, the big one. This has been a long time coming, but Rui and Chris are officially a couple now. They're much slower on the approach compared to Maia and Shuri, but that's mostly because of their personalities and pasts. Expect a very different dynamic for them compared to the other pairings, one I'm very excited to finally bring to you all.
Feel free to leave a review. See you all next time.