The Autoscorer in London scoffed. "So what if you donned a Symphogear yourself? That doesn't change anything."
She held up her blade, rushing at Maia. She brought her sword down on her neck.
CLANG
Her eyes widened, as Maia had blocked the slash… with her wrist.
Maia glared at her with sheer anger, before kicking the Autoscorer away. She grasped her sword and sped forward, with a significant increase in agility. Maia wasn't lowering on the pressure anytime soon. The Autoscorer slashed outwards, but Maia backflipped out of the way, kicking her in the face mid-jump. She tossed her sword behind her, turning into its hoverboard form and landing on it. With blinding speed, she darted all over the battlefield, making it hard for her foe to keep track of her. Her vision became even worse as flames were flowing everywhere.
"Is she… doing this-?"
The Autoscorer was cut off, as Maia rode her board right next to her, slashing across her side with the sharpened edge, engulfing her in a fiery explosion.
Sky Raid Empty Blade
Maia landed on the other side, looking back at the inferno she had subjected her foe too.
Back in Japan, Shirabe sped across a bridge over the area, slicing up Alca-Noise in front of her while carrying Elfnein. Shirabe winced, as she cut through more of the Alca-Noise. She could feel the feedback from her low sync rate. They were right. We can't use our Gears effectively with sync rates this low.
"Shirabe!" Kirika said, as she landed next to her friend, with Chris in her arms.
"I'm fine!" She said, as they looked down at the battle below them.
Shuri stood still, as the Alca-Noise between her and Leiur got closer.
"You transform and spout about deciding my fate, yet you haven't done anything." Leiur said. "Empty threats, as-"
A blue arrow of energy passed right by her head, severing several strands of hair. The Alca-Noise all fell, pierced by the single arrow. But Shuri wasn't finished, she fired two more arrows that completely stunned the Alca-Noise with electricity. She took her weapon and aimed it at the ground. She fired a shot that created a shockwave strong enough to launch the Alca-Noise skyward. Her weapon transformed into a massive railgun, which started to charge up with energy.
"BEGONE!" She screamed, as the energy unleashed, completely disintegrating any of the Alca-Noise that got caught in the blast radius, with Leiur holding up her arms to shield herself.
SEPULTURA BUSTERRAY
The blast dispersed, leaving no Alca-Noise left alive. Leiur could only stare at the younger Yukine, who had her railgun aimed at her.
"I'll give you this chance." Shuri said, voice low. "Leave."
Leiur held up a capsule and shattered it on the ground, retreating as she disappeared into the magical circle. Her angry gaze lightened up, as Shuri jumped up onto the bridge that her kouhai were waiting for her on.
"Shuri-senpai…" Shirabe said.
"You disobeyed Oneesama's orders." Shuri said.
The two of them were prepared for a scolding, but Shuri patted them both on the heads.
"Good job." She said. "I wouldn't have been able to protect Oneesama and Elfnein on my own."
Shirabe was surprised, but let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "But why did you let her get away?"
"I can't defeat her." Shuri said simply, surprising the two. "If Oneesama couldn't, my Relic Battle Mode certainly wouldn't be able to, being physically weaker. That attack took a lot out of me to perform. We caught the foe off guard this time, so I doubt that we'd be able to do it again. This was the only chance I had."
"That does make sense…" Shirabe said.
"But you were super cool out there, senpai!" Kirika grinned. "It was awesome, dess!"
Shuri blushed at the praise, but laughed. "Thank you. But let's get Oneesama and Elfnein back to SONG HQ."
Maia was observing the charred road where she had blown up her enemy. She ran a finger across the scorched concrete, before scoffing.
"She got away." She said. "I'm not strong enough to one-shot her, so she must've retreated."
Maia kicked at the ground, muttering as Maria walked up behind her.
"You did well though." Maia said. "You did cause her to retreat."
"Yeah, I guess." Maia shrugged. "I'm gonna give that succubus doll a little more the next time I see that stupid face."
Maria nodded at that, though then gained a sense of dread as Maia turned to face her. The serious expression on the older Kazanari was gone, replaced by a mischievous grin.
"So… what was that about saying Tsubasa was a pretty face?"
"Shuri-chan managed to intimidate the foe into leaving." Aoi reported. "She, Kirika-chan and Shirabe-chan are bringing Chris-chan and her charge back to safety."
"Our top priority is to retrieve the Gear users." Fujitaka said, swiping various screens at his station.
Genjuro looked at the camera feed, seeing Elfnein being carried by Shirabe. "She looks just like that alchemist, Carol…"
Shuri, Kirika and Shirabe had stopped at a road on the edge of the city, next to the sea. The sun was rising over the horizon, the first few hours of daybreak.
"LiNKER or not, we'll never lose to the likes of them." Kirika said.
"Kiri-chan…" Shirabe said.
Shuri saw electricity spark on their bodies. "Kirika-chan, you and Shirabe-chan should-"
"I know!" Kirika said. "But it'll be slower if only you're the one transformed. So just a little bit longer..."
Shuri frowned, but knew that arguing would be pointless at a time like this.
"How far are we supposed to go?" Shirabe asked. Shuri guessed she wasn't talking about distance. She took Chris from Kirika's arms, and stepped back to let the two talk.
"As far as we can, dess." Kirika said.
"But then nothing will have changed from back then." Shirabe said. "None of us, gathered in that world of white walls and ceilings had any relatives. The Symphogear we got there blew our troubled pasts away. We thought of it as a special power."
"To protect the world from a catastrophe caused by relics, we needed relics of our own." Kirika said. "We wanted to help Mom. we learned the hard way that just using our power to overcome what was in front of us didn't just get us anywhere."
Shuri ran on ahead, letting the two follow behind her.
"It was never about what Mom or Maria wanted to do." Shirabe said.
"The problem was that we couldn't find what we were supposed to do." Kirika said.
"Even if we go as far as we can, if we don't have a goal, there's no guarantee things will end favorably for us." Shirabe said. "We can't just jump in head-first."
"Is that why they wouldn't let us mobilize…?" Kirika realized, turning her gaze to Shuri.
Shuri didn't answer the question, and was more distracted when she saw her sister open her eyes. She stopped, as Kirika and Shirabe looked at their senpai.
"Thank goodness." Shirabe said.
"Are you alright, dess?" Kirika asked.
"Do I look okay to you?!" Chris yelled.
While both Kirika and Shirabe looked at each other, wondering if they had done something wrong, Shuri looked reassured.
"If you can yell like that, you're okay, Oneesama." She said. "Come on, let's go, girls."
They nodded, as they continued on their way.
The sister and kouhai I was supposed to protect ended up protecting me. Chris thought. How would anyone consider that "okay"?!
Back in London, the local police had secured the area. Maia had transformed back to normal. Tsubasa, now dressed in her sister's clothes, was holding the cracked Ame-no-Habakiri in her hand. Her comm link was connected to SONG HQ as she reported what happened.
"She utterly defeated me…" She said. "No, even worse than that. My Gear broke down, but the clothes I was previously wearing were not reconstituted."
"So the converter's been damaged too far to work properly." Maia concluded.
"Does that mean your Symphogear…" Maria said.
"The absolute sword, Ame-no-Habakiri, has been rend." She concluded.
"Chris-chan's Ichaival and Tsubasa-san's Ame-no-Habakiri have been damaged." Aoi said.
"How can we repair them now that Ryoko is no longer with us?" Fujitaka said.
"How goes Hibiki-kun and Rui-kun's recovery?" Genjuro asked.
"I'm fine." Hibiki said through the comm links. "But Oneesan's exhausted."
"As long as you're both alive." Genjuro said.
"I'm sorry." She apologized. "If only I could've talked things out with Carol-chan…"
"Talk?" Genjuro said.
Several black cars drove up and surrounded Maria, Tsubasa and Maia. Men in suits all got out of the cars, before pulling out their guns and aiming them at Maria.
"We've been briefed on the situation." One of the agents said. "However, Maria Cadenzavna Eve, the restrictions on your activity are still in place."
Maia crossed her arms with a smirk on her face. "Do it, Maria."
Maria nodded, before taking Tsubasa's comm link and putting it to her own ear. "Commander Kazanari, I'd like to formally request my transfer to SONG."
"Maria?" Tsubasa said.
"I may not possess a Gear of my own, but given this crisis, I cannot remain a false idol any longer." She said.
"Eat shit, assholes." Maia said to the surprised agents, all while flipping the bird.
Cooking class. One of the most valuable classes one could take, teaching a young growing person a life skill that can take them far. It was a pretty fun class too. You could sing a musical number about cooking beef stroganoff (which was what Yumi, Kuriyo and Shiori were doing) and no one would bat an eye.
But for Rui Tachiabana, cooking wasn't just a life skill. It was an art.
Half of the class was watching the older Tachibana as she got to work. She sliced up the ingredients with expert precision that would impress Tsubasa, before tossing them into the pot without spilling. She stirred in one swift, solid motion, all while occasionally adding a pinch of spice or extra ingredients. All without taste-testing either!
"It's finished…" Rui said, taking the pot off the lid as the rich aroma filled the room. She finished by pointing skywards. "Grandmother said this… Cooking spreads to another. The flavor connects one person to another."
As everyone clapped, Rui noticed that Hibiki wasn't in line, even though she was always the first one to try. Why wasn't she-?
"OW!"
As she let the other classmates try her beef stroganoff, she wrapped a bandage around Hibiki's finger. Miku sighed, putting away the bandage box into her bag. "That's what you get for not paying attention to your knife."
"Another thing Grandma said, Hibiki." Rui told her. "A knife can only bring happiness when used in cooking."
"...yeah." Hibiki said. "It's not right that a tool meant for making delicious food should cause injury instead."
The two saw Hibiki's downtrodden expression.
"In the same way, the power of the Symphogear is meant for helping others." Hibiki said. "I don't ever want to use it to hurt people."
"What happened is still eating at you, huh?" Rui said. "Can't say I blame you."
"Just what happened in that last mission of yours?" Miku asked the two. "They put Shirabe-chan and Kirika-chan in the hospital for necessary tests as well."
"I'm bored to death!" Kirika shouted, throwing a magazine she had read for what felt like the millionth time.
"Hospital food is so bland…" Shirabe muttered, looking at the plain meal of soup and water they had received. "I want Rui-san's cooking…"
Hibiki and Rui didn't answer as they reflected on the previous mission. Miku pouted in irritation, causing alarms to blare off in the Tachibana twins' brains. An angry Miku was something they did not want.
"D-Don't worry!" Hibiki spoke up in her usual cheerful manner. "I'm sure we can understand each other if we just talk it through!"
"You're always like this." Miku muttered.
"Can't say I echo Hibiki's feelings though." Rui said. "I wanna punt that kid into the sun for that hit."
"...you fought a child?" Miku asked.
Tsubasa looked out the window of the plane, unresponsive. Maia tried to get her to talk a few times, but nothing worked. It was clear that her mind was stuck on the failure from earlier. She had talked with Tony Glazer, who agreed to let her head back to Japan for now and take a hiatus during this crisis, only asking her to continue pursuing her dreams after it all ends.
Maia sat down next to Maria. While the older girl was watching Tsubasa in concern, Maia was staring at the damaged pendant in her hands. Tsubasa had told her to hold onto it for safekeeping, especially since she was the only one that could fight with it at the moment. While she was glad to do so, there was a sense of unease she had.
I feel like I have a huge weight on my shoulders. She thought. Was this what it was like for Tsubasa?
"We will soon begin our descent for landing."
The three of them walked into the airport, Ogawa carrying their bags as Jeanne spoke with him.
"I would have carried some for you." She said.
"This is my job." Ogawa said.
"It should be my job too!"
"Tsubasa-san! Maia-san! Maria-san!"
The three heard their names from a familiar voice. Hibiki was waving at them with Rui, Chris, Shuri, Shirabe and Kirika alongside her.
Despite the sense of failure, Tsubasa smiled at seeing them again. "Everyone."
There was a blur of white as Maia was practically tackled by Shuri for a hug.
"Whoa!" Maia yelled, but she was smiling. "I missed you too Shuri-oogh, my ribs!"
"I suggested the tackle hug." Rui said as she walked up with the others. "You should've seen her face light up when she heard you were coming back."
Maia grinned as Shuri stopped hugging her. Rui held up a fist to Maia.
"Welcome home, Partner." Rui smiled.
"Good to be back." Maia said, tapping the fist with her own. "Partner."
All of them had assembled in the SONG submarine, ready to be briefed on the situation.
"I've called all you Symphogear users together." Genjuro said. "Though that might not be the best term to use right now."
"What is that?" Ogawa asked, seeing the images pulled up onto the screen.
"This is the state of Ame-no-Habakiri and Ichaival after they were seriously damaged by the new type of Noise." Fujitaka explained. "The relics that serve as their core are intact, but…"
"The protector elements that serve to stabilize the energy have been lost." Aoi finished.
Maria widened her eyes, before pulling out a broken relic of her own. "Just like Serena's Gear..."
"So that explains how it worked." Maia said.
"How what worked, dess?" Kirika asked.
"Well, when Tsubasa's pendant got damaged, I grabbed it and stuck it into the Relic slot in Takemikazuchi." Maia explained. "I managed to transform into my Relic Battle Mode, even with it being damaged."
"It happened with Shuri-senpai too." Shirabe remembered. "But she was able to transform her weapon into something she never used before."
Maia pondered for a moment, before going into detail on what she thought. "Our weapons are powered by harnessing the phonic gain that the Symphogears make. Even though they were damaged, our weapons were capable of drawing out that power and letting the two of us transform. Actually, the fact that they were damaged was a good thing for us, since that meant they wouldn't be able to pass a dangerous sync rate level. Adding onto the fact that our weapons are powered by the Symphogear, and aren't the actual Symphogear itself, means that Shuri and I are immune to the relic breaking thing the new Noise types can do. And Shuri being able to use a new weapon is probably because our weapons got powered up thanks to the time they were in X-Drive Mode, meaning that we're at least on par with the Symphogear's base form abilities, with a little extra thanks to our weapon specialties."
Everyone blinked several times in surprise at Maia.
"What?"
"I… I forgot you were smart." Chris admitted, as a good chunk of the others nodded as well.
Maia fell over in indignation, before flipping both birds. "Screw all of you!"
"But we can fix them, right?" Chris asked.
"Since the Sakurai Theory was made public, research into heretical technology has made rapid progress worldwide." Aoi said.
"However, there's no actual way we can repair an actual Symphogear system without Ryoko herself." Fujitaka said.
"Which means the only complete Gear user we have left is Hibiki-kun." Genjuro said.
"Just me?" Hibiki said.
"That's not true, dess!" Kirika shouted.
"You have us too." Shirabe said.
"No." Genjuro refused.
"Why?!" Kirika yelled.
"Do you have any idea how much it damages your bodies to use your Symphogear without supplementing your sync rates with LiNKER?" Aoi asked, pulling up the hospital scans.
"We can't send you out there without preparing LiNKER tailored specifically for you." Fujitaka said.
"So in the end, we're just useless children." Shirabe muttered.
"I knew our medical results were worse than we expected." Kirika grumbled. "But still…"
"I don't want to lose any more friends this way." Tsubasa told them, Maia nodding in agreement at the memory of a certain redheaded wielder.
"For now, your support is enough." Chris said.
Carol sat on her throne, in deep thought as she watched the red Autoscorer get reactivated. The other two were standing on their podiums.
"Here we go~! Chu!" Garie said, kissed the last Autoscorer on the lips. There was a brief flash of pink, as the red Autoscorer came to life. Albeit she was a little stiff as she moved.
"It took longer than expected to gather all the memories required to activate Micha, our strongest fighter." Carol said.
"Oh, come now. I did my very best, you know?" Garie said. "It was really hard to get enough together without catching too much unwanted attention."
"Very well, it matters not." Carol said. "With this, all the Autoscorers are active, and our plan can progress to the next phase."
The red Autoscorer moved an arm stiffly, before whining.
"What's wrong, Micha?" Carol asked.
"I'm so hungry I can't move." She moaned.
"Garie." Carol said.
"Right, right. It's my job, huh?" The blue Autoscorer said.
"I have one other job you can take care of while you're at it." Carol said.
"Oh, by the way, Master." Garie said, interrupting her. "They've taken Elfnein in."
"I am aware." Carol said, closing one of her eyes. She looked at the other two. "Leiur, Phara, are your repairs holding up well?"
"Perfectly fine." The green Autoscorer now named Phara said. "The tear has been fixed and the burnt fabric has been completely replaced."
"And the burned scorch marks on myself have been restored." Said Leiur.
Carol clasped her hands together in thought. They were completely blindsided by the transformations of the Maia Kazanari and Shuri Yukine. If we were to damage the relic of Hibiki Tachibana… would her sister take it up in her stead?
Genjuro leaned against the doorway as the girls talked to Elfnein. Thankfully, Shuri had given the girl a proper pair of pants for the time being.
"I helped construct a giant apparatus under Carol's orders." Elfnein explained. "But one day, when I accessed her database, I happened to find out this apparatus was designed to dismantle the world. So I escaped to try and put an end to her plan."
"Dismantle the world? That doesn't sound good." Chris said.
"You'd need a ludicrous amount of power to pull off a stunt like that." Rui noted.
"The power of alchemy makes it possible." Elfnein said. "Consider the Alca-Noise, originally based on a recipe for creating Noise. Through them, she already has the power to break down anything, Symphogear included. Her next plan is to construct a giant apparatus designed to turn that power on the whole world: the Château de Tiffauges."
"You said that you were involved in its construction." Tsubasa said. "Are you also an alchemist?"
"Yes." Elfnein answered.
"Short and blonde. Fits the bill." Maia joked. "Just get a red coat and a metal arm and you'd be set."
"But I don't have all the knowledge and power that Carol does." Elfnein said. "I was created for a specific purpose."
"Created?" Hibiki repeated.
"She only installed the minimum required knowledge for me to assist with the construction." Elfnein explained.
"Installed, you say?" Maria asked.
"She copied specific information directly into my brain." Elfnein said. "Unfortunately, the data she installed did not contain the specifics of her plan. However, one thing I do know that the Château de Tiffauges is very nearly complete. Please, help me! That's why I've come to you bearing Dvergr Dáinn's legacy!"
"Dvergr Dáinn's legacy?" Hibiki asked, looking at the box Elfnein was holding.
"It's a relic." Elfnein popped open the box, pulling out a black and red shard. "It's capable of thwarting the Alca-Noise and Carol's alchemic power."
The migraine returned, and Chris noticed her sister wince. "You okay?"
"Y-Yeah…"
"A fragment of the enchanted blade Dáinsleif." Elfnein finished.
"These are Elfnein-chan's medical results." Aoi reported, as they all gathered back in the bridge.
"We ran some routines on... her. Let's say "her."" Fujitaka said.
"Wait, did you not ask for her pronouns?" Maia asked.
"We'll get to that part in a moment." Fujitaka explained.
"We found no irregularities in her bodily functions or health, nor any implants or post-hypnotic suggestions." Aoi explained. "However…"
"However?" Hibiki asked.
"She, Elfnein-chan, has no apparent gender." Aoi said. "According to her, that's nothing unusual for a homunculus like herself."
She's unusual enough already! Most of them thought.
"So she's non-binary then, but uses she/her pronouns?" Maia asked. "Got it."
But as she said that, Maia couldn't help but frown. She had an uneasy feeling, and she wasn't sure why.
"And she bought us a relic to combat Carol, huh?" Rui said, as she opened the box to look at the fragment of Dáinsleif. She picked it up, staring at it. "Dunno how a sword shard'll be helpful, but I guess I can't say since this isn't my field of expertise."
"Well, the pendants were made from the fragments of relics, so I'd assume that this shard would have the same capabilities." Tsubasa said, as Rui passed it to Kirika and Shirabe. The latter let out an audible "jiiiii" as she tried to think of how it could help. Afterwards, they passed it to Shuri.
But the moment she touched it, her vision started to blur. The shard fumbled in her hand, as she accidently cut her finger.
"Ow…" She murmured.
"Miku gave me a few band-aids because of Hibiki." Rui said, reaching into her pockets. "I can give you one-"
Everyone froze, sensing something was off. Shuri was breathing heavily as her arms and legs trembled. The box and relic dropped from her hands, but Tsubasa caught it. Shuri stumbled around before hitting the wall and falling to the floor. She was clutching her own arms, tightly gripping herself.
"Shuri!" Chris shouted, running to her sister's side. "What's-?!"
She had to cover her own ears, as Shuri had started to scream. Her eyes were squeezed shut, as tears were spilling out. Her bloodcurdling screeches told them all she was in absurd amounts of pain. She started to claw at her own throat, but Maria and Rui quickly grabbed her wrists before she could draw any blood.
"Get her to the medbay! NOW!" Maia shouted.
The submarine was docked at the surface near the city as the midday sun beat down on it. Rui was sitting next to Chris as they sat outside the medical bay. She, Tsubasa, Maia and Maria had stayed behind while the others had left some time after Shuri had been put under sedatives. She asked Hibiki to explain things to Miku while she and the others stayed behind to keep an eye on the Yukine twins. They had stayed overnight, but Shuri still hadn't woken up.
"What happened…?" Chris had said for the tenth time in the past hour.
They had put the fragment of Dáinsleif under heavy security until they could figure out what to do with it. Elfnein, who had the most knowledge on the relic, was helping SONG scan Shuri to see what had exactly happened. She had apologized profusely for the incident occurring, even though this was something that to her knowledge, could not have happened, with Chris reassuring her that it was fine.
While the others had gone to do whatever throughout the base, Rui had stayed at Chris's side for the most part. They two didn't really talk, and Rui wondered if she should even stay.
"Was it like this for you?"
Chris had spoken to her for the first time in hours.
"Like… what?" Rui asked.
"Waiting to hear if she'd be okay."
Rui raised a brow, wondering if Chris was talking about Shuri, but then realized what she was trying to say.
"...yeah." Rui admitted. "Sitting in the hospital wasn't any fun, waiting to hear if Hibiki would be alright or not. Even though I was trying to stay positive, that nagging feeling at the back of my head would never go away..."
"How did you handle it?" Chris asked.
"...I didn't." Rui answered. "It's not something you can just handle. It was the same for Maia… and Hibiki herself."
That caused Chris to sit up. "I know about senpai getting hospitalized since I was kinda responsible for that, but you?"
Rui sadly smiled before standing up. "It's a story I'm not ready to share just yet."
"Wait, hold on-"
"Just keep on hoping." Rui told her. "I'll believe that Shuri's going to wake up, so you should too."
Chris was left to reflect those words as Rui left.
Rui walked down the halls of the headquarters, before she heard someone shouting from the training room. She saw Tsubasa in kendo gear, swinging a wooden bokuto with incredible, hitting targets around her.
"Training, huh?" Rui asked as she walked in.
"Oh, Rui." Tsubasa took off her helmet. "I thought you were with Yukine."
"Chris needs a bit of time to herself." Rui said, looking around to see that they were the only two here. "Where's Maia and Maria?"
"I saw Neesama in the bridge, going over some files. Maria went to the cafeteria." Tsubasa said. "So I decided to train for now."
Rui went over and picked up a practice sword of her own. She remembered Tsubasa had drawn them the culprits back in London and showed it to them before they talked with Elfnein.
"Is this the Alca-Noise that damaged Ame-no-Habakiri in London?" Chris asked, looking at a sketchbook.
"Yes. I think I drew a pretty good likeness." Tsubasa said.
"Tsubasa, I've seen every drawing you've made as a kid." Maia said, exasperated. "You didn't."
Rui and Chris just stared at what looked like a very poorly-drawn samurai.
"Do you… take constructive criticism?" Rui asked.
"There's avant garde and then there's this! Are you trying to change your career from "pop star" into "pop artist"!?" Chris yelled rather bluntly.
"The real problem here is that the Alca-Noise is at that alchemist's beck and call, and we only have one Symphogear user left to fight them." Maria said. "Not counting Maia and Shuri, of course."
"I think you SHOULD count us!" Maia shouted, acting insulted.
"I don't suppose we can come to an understanding without having to fight them… can we?" Hibiki said.
"Are you running away then?" Maria asked.
"I'm not!" Hibiki said, standing up. "But ever since I synched with the Gungnir and felt its power as my own, it really troubles me to use a power meant for helping people to fight them instead."
"And that's the arrogance of those privileged with power!" Maria shouted.
Rui couldn't help but silently agree with Maria then, but still...
"Are you planning on joining me?" Tsubasa asked.
Rui flipped the weapon in her hands. "Yeah, I guess."
"Don't guess." Tsubasa said. "Give me a solid answer."
"Fine." Rui held up her sword above her head. "I'm ready."
Tsubasa stared at Rui for several moments, before she laughed.
"What?" Rui asked defensively.
"Rui, have you never used a sword in your life?" Tsubasa asked her. "Because your stance is quite awful."
"I'm fine. Just get this-"
"I've already won."
Rui looked down to see Tsubasa's training sword only half an inch away from her chest.
"You-? When did you-?"
"You're keeping your sword above you, which is the worst spot to hold up your weapon." Tsubasa explained, pulling away her sword. "If you keep it right in front of you, it'll be much easier to defend."
"Shit." Rui cursed, as she let her sword arm fall.
Tsubasa smiled, before going to Rui's side. She put one arm around Rui's back, and used her other hand to help guide her wrist.
"Keep it in this position." Tsubasa instructed. "And with this…"
She guided Rui's arm, as they broke a target together.
"Whoa." Rui said, surprised she did that even with Tsubasa's help.
"And that would be your first lesson." Tsubasa said. "Do you want me to teach you more?"
"Well, I suppose it can't hurt." Rui said. "I should learn other weapons too."
"Before I start, I should ask; did you come in here to help me take my mind of the situation?" Tsubasa asked.
"Not… uh, no." Rui said, though Tsubasa could see through her lie.
"Then I suppose teaching you about this is a good tradeoff?" Tsubasa said. "We still have that promise that we both made."
"Yeah, I know." Rui said. "Teach me what you can."
But just before Tsubasa could continue the lesson, an alarm started blaring throughout the headquarters.
"Alca-Noise?!" Tsubasa shouted.
Rui quickly narrowed down the possible targets, before her eyes widened at remembering who's Gear remained unbroken.
"No…"
Several miles away from them, Hibiki and her friends had encountered Garie, running into a new problem.
Hibiki found herself unable to sing.
A/N: I dunno how I ended up making this an unintentional call back to Season 1's third chapter by ending it with Rui bonding with someone before immediately cutting to the end scene of the corresponding episode, but I did.
But yeah, Relic Battle Mode makes its return, as does another new development with Dáinsleif. Don't worry guys, Shuri's completely fine. :) Aside from that, I hope Maia's explanation was good enough.
Feel free to leave a review or edit the TVTropes page. See you all next time.