Everyone at SONG could see the footage through the Symphogear users. They saw Rui, now clad in the Elekleid, somehow alive.

"Rui… Rui?!" Miku shouted, stunned.

"Rui Tachibana…" Tsubasa nearly stumbled on her crutches. "How…?"

"Is that… really her?" Jeanne asked.

"I've done a facial recognition scan. That is 100%, Rui Tachibana." Aiba said. "It cannot be a fake, as it is physically impossible to recreate every last detail of a human face."

"Everyone, stay alert!" Genjuro said. "Keep an eye on the battle!"

"Y-Yes sir…" Fujitaka said, still stunned.

Aoi didn't say anything, as Elfnein trembled.

What is this feeling…? Elfnein wondered. Is that… really Rui-san?

"Commander… get me out there." Tsubasa said. "We're close enough, deploy me in a pod."

"What?" Genjuro looked at her niece. "Your legs-"

Tsubasa tossed her crutches aside, ignoring the burning pain in them as she grabbed Ame-no-Habakiri. I need to get out there… I need to help them! I'll fulfill my promise to Rui Tachibana!

The two TEC members were in a similar state of surprise, but nowhere near the level of shock that the wielders were currently experiencing.

"Onee…san…?" Hibiki asked again.

Her sister was unresponsive as she continued to stare at the group.

"You freaking moron!" Chris ran forward. "If you were alive, you should've-!"

"Chris-senpai, move!" Kirika shouted.

The green Symphogear-user ran forward and tackled Chris, before bringing up her scythe to defend. In a single swing, the handle of her weapon was sliced in two with an upward strike, before a burst of electricity sent her flying back and crashing into the sand.

"Kiri-chan!" Shirabe screamed.

There was a flash of light as Kirika was back in her normal attire, struggling to push herself up. Lowering her newly formed blade, Rui continued to stare, electricity crackling off her sword.

"What are you doing, Rui?!" Maria questioned her.

Wordlessly, Rui drew out a second sword, as a mouthguard clasped over her jaw. Crossing her blades, she charged forward. Shirabe was the first to meet her, yelling with fury for what happened to Kirika. Jumping into the air, she kicked out, creating a massive sawblade aimed at Rui.

Sigma Style: Giant Blade's Fall

But with a single slash, Rui completely shattered the saw. Shirabe could only let out a small gasp, before Rui flew right above her and delivered an ax kick to her stomach, sending her into the sand as well.

"Shirabe!" Maria called.

"Everyone, attack at the same time…" Shuri said, voice shaking. "Immobilize Rui!"

"Wait!" Hibiki shouted. "Don't-!"

"Hibiki, she already kicked Kirika and Shirabe's asses." Maia said, voice surprisingly low in tone. "If we don't do something, she'll pick us off one by one. We gotta smack some sense into her."

"But-!"

Without stopping to listen, Chris, Shuri, Maia and Maria all ran forward to engage Rui in combat, as the girl took up a stance with her twin swords. During the chaos, Tesla contacted Forte once more.

"You two, retreat for now. I'm setting up a gateway nearby." He instructed.

"You did this?" Forte asked.

"Save your questions for later; I promise that I'll answer them." He said, hanging up as a blue portal appeared near them.

Forte and Lala took one last look at the battle before them, before quickly running through the portal, as it soon closed after. Hibiki barely noticed they escaped, as her eyes were glued onto the scene in front of her; her sister fighting her friends.

Shuri aimed Okami and Chris took to the skies, while Maia and Maria engaged Rui in close quarters combat. The swords clashed through the air, electricity sparking upon every clash.

"Rui, why are you doing this?!" Maria asked.

She swung her blade outward, enwrapping one of Rui's arms and swords with her whip-blade. Maia came in from behind, knocking away the other sword, putting her in a headlock while also grasping her free arm.

"Partner, whatever the hell's going on, snap out of it!" Maia yelled. "If you need help-!"

Rui's eyes started to flash purple. "Let go."

There was a large burst of electricity, conducting itself into the two wielders. Both of them cried out, before being launched back by the electric shock.

"You damn moron!" Chris yelled, aiming her guns at Rui. She created a large array of missiles, all ready to fire.

But she hesitated.

"It's stupid, but she always reaches out her hand to try and help whoever needs it. She's much stronger than me."

"I'm glad you're okay. Just don't pull any stupid shit like that on us again, okay?"

"I know scars are painful, but they're also proof. Proof that we'd do anything to protect the ones that we love."

She failed to realize that Rui had rushed at her. Rui sliced through the missiles, blowing them up and stunning Chris. Unable to react, the older Tachibana slugged her in the stomach, sending her flying back into the sand.

"Oneesama!" Shuri screamed.

Rui turned to Shuri, creating another sword. Shuri found herself frozen on the spot. Everyone else had been easily defeated, while Hibiki was still unmoving due to the shock. She was the only one that could fight, but found she couldn't as Rui approached her.

"Ignite Module! Bakken!"

(Insert Beyond the BLADE (IGNITED arrangement) by Nana Mizuki)

Sparks flew off from Rui's armor, as several small blue swords slashed across it.

One Thousand Tears

Flipping out of the way, Rui looked over to see that Tsubasa had landed on the beach, having activated the Ignite Module. The two locked eyes, staring at one another, as if gauging their strength.

"Rui Tachibana…" Tsubasa said quietly, before raising her blade. "I'll fulfill our promise!"

With speed, Tsubasa rushed forward and swung downwards with her katana. Rui drew out her two swords and matched the clash. She tried sending electricity through Tsubasa's weapon, but the Ignite Module managed to block enough of it for Tsubasa to shrug it off. Tsubasa shouted, pushing further down and causing Rui to skid backwards.

The Ame-no-Habakiri user was about to charge forward to continue the fight, but winced, feeling the pain in her legs.

I don't know how much longer I can keep doing this… Tsubasa thought. But this is for Rui's sake as well!

Within a blink, Rui had sped at Tsubasa, delivering a roundhouse kick with her bladed heel. Tsubasa wasn't able to bring up her sword in time to block the strike, taking a hit to the hip. Gritting her teeth, Tsubasa split her longer katana into two shorter blades as she clashed her swords once, creating a burst of flames.

"I'll match your sparks with my flames, Rui." Tsubasa said.

Rui said nothing, keeping up a defensive stance as if goading Tsubasa to try attacking. However, she grew impatient with Tsubasa refusing to attack, as she leapt forward with a stab. Tsubasa moved her head to the side to avoid the strike, before swinging around with her twin blades. Rui stopped her attack, but was pushed back. As she was recovering, she realized Tsubasa had used her flames to propel her up close.

Moonlit Wind Ring's Fiery Blades

Tsubasa managed to slash across Rui, before flames burst out from the damage. Rui cried out, as the cut to her armor was sparking. Landing, Tsubasa took a few breaths, ready to continue the attack, seeing Rui was stunned for the time being.

"No… don't fight… Oneesan, don't fight Tsubasa-san…"

Hibiki managed to weakly speak, as Tsubasa turned to her. Closing her eyes, Tsubasa lowered her head.

"Forgive me, Tachibana." Tsubasa apologized. "I'll end this battle now."

Combining her two swords into a single katana once more, she sped forward with a thrust, aiming carefully to avoid stabbing a vital spot. However, Rui recovered in time and flipped backwards.

"This is over!" Tsubasa jumped skyward, before throwing her sword. She kicked the hilt, as the blade increased into a massive size.

Heaven's Wrath

However, Rui held out her left arm. Her sword retracted, as she gripped the blade in her right hand. Extending the Elekleid's wings, she flew up to match Tsubasa. Aiming forward, electricity sparked off the sword. She drew her arm back, swinging it forward to create a pointed construct of purple electricity.

Drei Ring Schwert

The tips of their attacks clashed against each other, sparks against flames. Both of them began to shout, fully tapping into the power of the Ignite Module and the Elekleid. The armor around Rui's arm began to crack as she kept pushing herself, eyes glowing purple. There was a massive explosion, blinding everyone from the two.

"Did she… do it?" Chris muttered.

Tsubasa hit the sand, no longer wearing her Symphogear. Her clothes were torn, and there were slashes all over her, with a few small burns thanks to the flames and electricity.

"Curse… my weakness…" She groaned.

The smoke mostly cleared to reveal that Rui was still garbed in the Elekleid. There was blood on her armor from the clash, but she was relatively fine aside from a few nicks and scratches. The armor around her wrist was cracked, slightly sparkling with electricity.

"That's enough, Rui. You've demonstrated our strength to them." Tesla said through the Elekleid's communicator. "Return to base."

"Got it."

A portal appeared behind her as she turned around to enter it. Before she could, she heard a shout.

"IGNITE MODULE! BAKKEN!"

Rui turned around, getting punched right in the face by a massive gauntlet.

Hibiki Style: Spear's Violent Destruction

She was sent rolling from the hit, before landing on her feet and holding her jaw. Hibiki clenched her fist, tears rolling down her eyes. They briefly flashed red, but flashed back to their normal color.

"Why… Why is this happening?!" She sobbed in rage. "Why… Why?!"

She rushed at her sister again, attempting to try and stop her. Rui drew out a sword, but Hibiki was ready for it. As Rui slashed at her, Hibiki's gauntlet transformed into a giant claw, as she avoided the slash and tore into Rui's arm…

The realization of what she had just done hit Hibiki all at once, as the anger and confusion drained away. Hibiki's eyes widened in horror, she felt her claws tear into Rui. Rui quickly jumped away, but she didn't appear to be fazed from the attack.

Rui's right arm from the elbow down had been destroyed from Hibiki clawing it off. There were sparks coming from the stump, with a few wires and jagged metal edges hanging out of it.

The arm was not human.

"Rui-san…!" Shuri widened her eyes.

"Oneesan…!" Hibiki took a step back. "I… What have I…?"

She barely realized Rui had gotten close to her. Rui had sped up right in front of her, a fist in front of her stomach. Leaning forward, her sister whispered into her ear. "I'm sorry."

She punched Hibiki in the gut, knocking the wind out of her. The electrified strike was enough to shatter Hibiki's armor, turning her back to normal as she fell to her knees.

Seeing that Hibiki couldn't fight anymore, Rui walked over to the portal. She turned around once to look at Hibiki, who weakly stared back at her as the Elekleid dispersed. Her expression didn't change as she stared at her younger twin, before she walked through the portal and it closed behind her.

Hibiki fell forward, hands grasping at the ground, silent as SONG arrived to assist the injured wielders. But once everything had registered completely, she screamed, smashing her fist into the sand.

"What the hell are you thinking, Tesla?!" Forte yelled.

Back at TEC's HQ, Lala and Starlit watched as Forte blew up. Rui stood silently, her damaged arm sparking every few seconds.

"You gave her Starlit's Elekleid?!" Forte had grabbed the man's collar, pulling him down to her height. "Are you out of your fu-!?"

"It was my idea!" Starlit quickly spoke up. "Let him go, Forte!"

Forte looked at Starlit, glare still on her face as she let go.

"Lala wants to know, how is she alive?" Lala asked, looking at Rui. "Lala thought she…"

"Starlit's mission when you were watching over Susanoo." Tesla said, fixing his collar. "I wanted to make sure none of SONG's wielders were collateral damage, as there's still a chance of bringing them to our side. Using her Elekleid's speed, Starlit was able to rescue Rui Tachiabana before she was killed."

"I just wish I was faster…" Starlit said sadly.

"Okay, but why the hell is she using the Elekleid?" Forte asked.

"After I made sure her life signs were stable, we discovered she was surprisingly quite compatible with the Elekleid." Tesla explained.

"With my failing health, I realized that Rui would be the best successor for the Elekleid." Starlit said.

"Okay… but why the hell is she helping us all of a sudden?" Forte asked.

To her and Lala's surprise, both Starlit and Tesla seemed to have remorseful looks on their faces.

"That is something we will have to refrain from sharing." Tesla said. "I'm sorry we cannot tell you."

"Tch, whatever. This won't mean that I'll accept her!" Forte declared.

"Rui, we'll take you to Tesla's main lab to repair your arm." Starlit gently said. "Come on."

Rui nodded without a word, following Starlit and Tesla. Lala stared after them, while Forte was grumbling to herself.

Rui Tachibana… Lala thought. What happened to you?

Everyone had gathered in Tsubasa's hospital room once more. The girl was conscious, but had taken a lot of damage in the fight, worsening her previous state.

"What the hell were you thinking, Tsubasa?!" Maia chewed her younger twin out. "You know how reckless that was?!"

Normally one of the others would've made a snarking comment about Maia's hypocrisy, but what happened earlier went against that idea.

"That… That really was Rui-san, right?" Kirika asked.

"Has to have been… she…" Shirabe said quietly.

"Damn it!" Chris slammed her fist into the wall. "If I didn't freeze up like a deer in headlights, maybe…!"

Hibiki was staring at the floor, and found herself unable to cry. Miku kept an arm around her, holding back her own tears.

The hospital door opened, as Elfnein and Genjuro entered. Aiba was sitting on Elfnein's shoulder.

"We… finished the analysis of the battle." Elfnein said, voice shaking. "And…"

Hibiki looked up at Elfnein, seeing that she had been crying for quite a bit. Aiba put one of her little arms on Elfnein's face to try calming her.

"What we discovered… it might shock all of you." Genjuro said. "What we're about to show may be disturbing, so fair warning."

"We're… already reeling from the revelation that Rui-san is alive, Commander." Shuri said. "Something like this shouldn't disturb us."

Genjuro frowned, but then nodded at Aiba. There were a few beeps as the monitor in the room turned on. It showed some of the footage from the battle, with several stills of Rui. The one that was being focused upon was when she was no longer garbed in the Elekleid, with her damaged arm.

"I have done a thorough analysis on the footage of the fight, and scanned Rui Tachibana multiple times." Aiba said.

"So… it's a fake, right?" Chris asked. "It can't be her; maybe some kind of android copy to mess with us?"

Aiba shook her little head. "I'm afraid not. This next scan… this is what will shock you."

The image of Rui changed appearances, removing her clothes… as well as a majority of the skin on her body to reveal what was underneath. Everyone widened their eyes to see that Rui's arms and legs were completely made of metal, as was her torso. The only part that remained unchanged was from the collarbone up. The tips of where the skin met metal had a few burn scars. Part of the metal on the chest was pulled away to show her internal organs.

"Wha… What in the world…?" Maria muttered.

"What is this insanity?" Tsubasa asked.

"I… analyzed the footage with Aiba." Elfnein said, voice shaking. "About 70% of Rui's body is made of that metallic substance. The only parts of her that are still human are her neck down to her collarbone, her head, as well as the bones and organs in her torso."

"This is… it's some fucking sick joke, isn't it?" Maia asked, desperation in her voice.

"I went over the footage from today, as well as the footage on the day we believe Rui Tachibana had passed on." Aiba said. "By taking note of all the details, we came to a conclusion."

"We believe that during the chaos, TEC's other members had saved Rui's life from that giant monster, but not quick enough to prevent her from losing a majority of her body." Genjuro said. "As such, they made do with a full body replacement."

"But… she looked so normal!" Chris said. "How-?!"

"I believe that Tesla used a form of alchemy-based technology and had it installed into Rui-san's body, and it allows her to project skin and clothing to look more natural." Elfnein said, wiping her eyes.

"Alchemy?" Shirabe repeated. "They know it as well…?"

"So with all this in mind, this means that Rui Tachibana is a cyborg, her body having been modified by TEC." Genjuro concluded.

The silence hung in the entire room. Rui, their friend was alive, but now… could they still call her human?

Hibiki wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. Nothing would make her feel better than smashing something like the wall, but she couldn't. All of the pain from the last week had taken its toll on her, and made it impossible for her to break any further.

Maia turned to Tsubasa. "But this… it doesn't answer why you went out there, Tsubasa."

Tsubasa looked down. "My reasons… they were because of a vow I made with Rui Tachibana."

"A vow?" Shuri repeated.

Tsubasa sat up, slightly wincing. "This was back during the Frontier Incident, after we had saved Kohinata and Yukine seemingly betrayed us…"

Rui and Tsubasa walked down the halls on their way to see Miku, as they had just saved her.

"Are you doing alright, Rui?" Tsubasa had asked her friend.

"Doing better, but… damn…" Rui grit her teeth.

"What's the matter?"

"That bastard Ver used Miku to mess with Hibiki, forcing them to fight." Rui said. "That… Hibiki was already going through a lot, and now that Chris joined up with the enemy…"

"You and I both know Yukine wouldn't do that without a reason." Tsubasa said. "We should have faith in her."

"Yeah, but… it scares me." Rui told Tsubasa.

"The idea of fighting Yukine?" Tsubasa asked.

"No, not that… what if one day, we're the ones they have to end up fighting?" Rui wondered.

Tsubasa wanted to say that was nonsense and she was worrying too much, but that would be lying to herself. After what had happened, a nagging feeling in her mind kept suggesting the idea of her fighting Hibiki, always bringing to mind how she had first treated the girl. "So you've also had these uneasy thoughts…"

"If I had to fight Hibiki… she wouldn't be able to fight at her best." Rui muttered. "She wouldn't want to hurt me no matter what…"

"...what if we made a pact, then?" Tsubasa asked.

"A pact? For what?" Rui asked.

"On the off chance one of us were to ever be on the opposing side of Section Two, we will strike them down without hesitation." Tsubasa said. "Prevent any further pain to our comrades."

"Wha-!? Are you fucking stupid?!" Rui yelled. "You want me to kill you if you ever join up with the enemy, and vice-versa?!"

"It's not a promise of sorts, but more of something to reassure the both of us." Tsubasa said. "We're about to enter another battle, so I'd rather we not have these thoughts plague us. And I never did say anything about killing; you jumped to that conclusion yourself."

"And I thought I had stupid and reckless ideas…" Rui sighed, rubbing the back of her head. "So this is something to remember so we won't have doubts, yeah? How we always got each other's backs?"

Tsubasa nodded. "Though if I do ever turn to the enemy, I give you permission to end my life."

"Not the time for sick jokes." Rui grumbled. "But, yeah, I can go with this idea. If either of us do something stupid, it'd be good to have a contingency. Though, if both of us end up joining enemy sides, that'd be a problem."

"Then we must believe in the others, if something like that is to ever pass. But for now, let's return to the battlefield with a clearer mind and with this mutual trust between us. Together." Tsubasa said, holding out her hand.

"Yeah." Rui took the handshake. "Together."

"But if I may ask, what do you have planned for Yukine?" Tsubasa asked her as they finished shaking their hands.

"Easy, isn't it?" Rui said. "If I'm the one that fights her, I just beat her ass and drag her back."

"So that's your plan, Rui?" Tsubasa said.

"Yeah, if it ever happens." Rui said. "I just hope it never comes to pass…"

When Tsubasa finished, Maia had to hold herself back from hitting her sister, since she was injured.

"Are… you both… stupid?!" She yelled.

"Neesama, calm-"

"Are you freaking telling me that, behind all of our backs, my sister and best friend made a pact to kill each other in case one of you went rogue?!" Maia screamed. "How the fuck do you expect me to remain calm?!"

"It was not a vow to kill one another!" Tsubasa said. "It was that we would not hold back in the instance something like this happens! I was not aiming to kill Rui Tachibana, I was trying to stop her!"

Chris and Miku shared a glance, guilt building up because of their actions during the Frontier Incident being the cause of this idea. Maia grit her teeth, before grabbing Ame-no-Habakiri off the table and leaving, slamming the door behind her.

"Tsubasa… that pact of yours and Rui was incredibly stupid." Maria said, frowning with her arms crossed.

"I'm well aware, Maria." Tsubasa said. "I'm sure Rui and I silently forgoed that idea once you, Akatsuki and Tsukuyomi joined us."

"Then why did you fight her, dess?" Kirika asked.

"I knew that a shock like that… if it stunned me that badly, it would do the same for all of you." Tsubasa said. "I had to get out there and help."

"You had better talk to your sister later, and clear things up with some apologies." Shirabe said.

"I'm well aware, Tsukuyomi." Tsubasa sighed. "Although, I'm not sure if she would want to talk with me anytime soon…"

Hibiki had tuned out the entire conversation, staring at her hands. The same hands she had turned upon her sister.

Her sister…

Oneesan…

Entering the room she was assigned with TEC, Rui collapsed on the bed. She put a face on her hand, remembering how she had ended up in this situation.

Pain.

That was all she could feel.

Unbearable, searing pain.

Yet at the same time, she didn't feel it.

All Rui could do was scream, as she barely heard two voices frantically shouting.

Her vision came back into focus, as she saw the reflection on the mirrored ceiling.

Her arms and legs were gone. So was most of her torso. She could see her heart.

She could see her heart.

She screamed again, before she felt an anesthesia mask cover her mouth, going back into darkness again.

Opening her eyes for the second time, Rui could feel her arms and legs again.

Or what she thought were her arms and legs.

Sitting up, she looked down at her body, widening her eyes. She still wasn't sure, so she went over to the nearest mirror.

Her arms and legs were completely made of metal. What remained of her chest was also encased in a similar material. She fell to her knees in complete shock, tears falling out of her eyes, though she made no sound.

"I'm sorry."

She barely turned her head to see Tesla walk up, looking at her with pity and… regret?

"This was my fault… I grew too hasty at suggesting Susanoo to gain souls to empower my plans…"

Rui wanted to jump at the man, kill him where he stood, but she couldn't find it in herself to do it. She felt no motivation.

"Concentrate on your appearance. You can make your body look the way you want via a projection." Tesla told her, in a gentle voice.

Rui closed her eyes, opening them again to see she was in her usual gray hoodie, her skin human again.

But she knew it was false. She touched her hands, feeling the cold metal underneath.

When she was young, she always wondered what it would be like to be a cyborg, thanks to the older Kamen Rider shows she watched. She always thought it could be cool.

But now she knows the truth. She wasn't a hero. She was just a monster now. She wasn't human anymore.

"You are welcome to stay as long as you need to." Tesla told her. "You need not do anything-"

"Why?"

"Hm?"

"Why did you save me?" Rui asked, voice hoarse from all the screaming and crying. "You could've just let me die. You want to use me or something?"

"...I will be transparent with you. I wanted to recruit either you or your sister because of your connections to the Gungnir relic, which would be invaluable on my side. And your run-in with the other TEC members revealed you had a high sync rate with the Elekleid Drei, with Starlit proposing the idea of you replacing her." Tesla told her.

"Replace her? Why?" Rui raised a brow.

"She's not much longer for this world." Tesla said. "But after what happened with Susanoo… I decided to think in a different direction. I will not force you to assist us."

"Why are you even doing this?" Rui asked.

"The history books tell you I died several decades ago. But the truth is that was just when I went into hiding." Tesla explained. "My inventions benefited society, but were reaching a level of complexity that no one was able to understand. I lost my funding for all my projects as no one knew what I was trying to make. Everyone abandoned me, but… one woman stayed. One of the maids I had barely paid attention to, Amelia. She let me keep going, keep inventing…"

He somberly looked at the floor.
"But she had fallen into a coma due to an untimely accident. I spent every waking moment of my life trying to find a way to wake her up… but I wasn't able to and she passed on." Tesla said. "She is the reason I am doing all of this. Once I gather enough souls to empower my inventions, I can recreate the world."

"The world…" Rui repeated.

"One there is no suffering, no pain… one where Amelia didn't have to die so young. I will give humanity the ability to advance… to progress…" Tesla said. "And I swear to you, Rui Tachibana. Once I accomplish the goal, the first thing I will do is restore your flesh and blood."

Rui was surprised by his words. She believed completely differently about Tesla when they first met, but now… he didn't seem to be lying. It wasn't like the honeyed meaningless words Finé used, the insane rantings of Dr. Ver, or even the arrogant tone Carol had. She could feel the genuine intent to help behind his words.

Standing up, her gray hoodie changed into a yellow jacket with violet highlights. She made her decision.

"...if you can really make me normal again… how can I help?" She asked, Tesla widening his eyes in surprise.

She briefly flexed her repaired arm, staring at how human it looked. Closing her eyes and concentrating, the disguise disappeared, as her arm was now robot in appearance; its true form.

A single tear fell down her cheek.

A/N: So… do you remember way back in Chapter 26 during the events of Symphogear G, Rui and Tsubasa had that offscreen conversation? Yeah, that was the conversation you see here. Those two are headstrong and determined, but their own natures tend to result in them forgetting how others would feel.

And here we finally have the revelation of what happened to Rui. This idea went through multiple revisions, heavily shaped by the translations of the Lost Song event in XDU. Ultimately, I decided to connect it back to one of her most well-known traits of being a Kamen Rider fan to make all of those "ha ha funny nerd" moments end up becoming dark foreshadowing. I'd wager the most obvious one was her watching Kamen Rider 555 in the GX OVA chapter.

Feel free to leave a review and update the TVTropes page. See you all next time.