In the back of a truck that Stephen was driving, Shuri and Tsubasa were talking to Genjuro through comms, while the other three kept look out.

"We left the chemical plant in Ogawa-san's hands." Shuri reported. "We're currently in pursuit of the director."

Tsubasa leaned forward. "What? Maria's team?!"

The other three reacted at those words, concern growing.

"They engaged the alchemists in order to rescue Fujitaka and Tomosato." Genjuro told them. "Given the situation, I authorized the use of our remaining stack of model_K."

"LiNKER?" Tsubasa asked. "But unless tuned to the individual, it doesn't last very long, does it?"

"We need to hurry back!" Hibiki said.

"You idiot, we've got a mission of our own!" Chris reminded her. "We gotta believe in them!"

"Besides, we probably wouldn't get there fast enough if we split now." Maia reminded her. "Maria, Kirika and Shirabe are tough. They won't go down easy."

Elfnein looked down at the keyboard. "Analyzing the LiNKER recipes on Dr. Ver's chip was my job… I just never got around to it with how…"

Genjuro patted Elfnein on the head, surprising her. "Wh-What?"

"You couldn't have foreseen the Lost Song incident forcing us to burn through a lot of our LiNKER supply." He reassured her.

"And hey, you got a super-smart android doing the analysis now too."

Forte walked into the room with a smile, now wearing a SONG uniform jacket over her normal clothes.

"Lala's going through all the data." Forte informed the two. "Hopefully there'll be a breakthrough soon."

"Good to know." Genjuro said. "In the meantime, we have to believe in them too."

"Believe in them…" Elfnein said, before looking back at the screen.

(Insert Stand up! Ready! by Yoko Hikasa)

"Are you three alright?" Maria asked the SONG members.

"Yes." Aoi confirmed, as Jeanne helped Fujitaka stand.

"I am alright as well." Aiba spoke up.

"We've got this." Shirabe said.

"Leave it to us, dess!" Kirika said.

"So here you are, Symphogear users." Saint-Germain called down.

"Finally we meet face to face, Bavarian Illuminati." Maria called up, before raising her blade. "What are you plotting this time?"

"Our revolution!" Saint-Germain declared. "Regaining control of history has always been our goal!"

The giant serpent lunged forward as Maria met it head-on. Stabbing her blade down, she ran around the length of the creature, only for it to deflect the attack with little issue.

"Her attacks aren't working, dess!" Kirika said, as she picked up Fujitaka on her back while Shirabe picked up Aoi.

"Jeanne!" Shirabe shouted.

They heard a small rotor as Jeanne flew out of the smoke. Aiba was out of her eye, having sprouted a propeller and hanging onto one of Jeanne's wrists. In spite of her small size, she was able to fly and carry her.

"When was this a thing?!" Jeanne asked Aiba.

"You never asked." Aiba said, carrying Jeanne to safety.

"Aww, they dodged it." Cagliostro said, disappointed.

"Basically we need to slow them down." Prelati said, before she tossed a handful of Alca-Noise crystals.

Despite more reinforcements from the enemy, Maria, Shirabe and Kirika weren't deterred, as they kept pushing through and cutting their foes down.

"Even this body was given to me by Carol." Elfnein muttered. "I'm so powerless. Will I always be a burden?"

Forte looked at Elfnein and started to reach out a hand, as if to reassure her, before pulling back. Nah, not now. She needs time first.

Maria slashed down several more Alca-Noise, before the ground underneath her began to shake. Reacting quickly, she jumped skyward as the serpent burst out of the ground.

"Maria!" Kirika shouted.

She and Shirabe got into action, jumping and launching projectiles at the creature. Maria flipped back in the air, avoiding the jaws, and kicking off them as they clamped down. The scythe blades and yo-yos slammed into the maw of the beast, destroying the head in an explosion.

"They got it!" Fujitaka said.

"Enjoy that feeling while it lasts." Prelati said.

The smoke cleared, to reveal that the head of the snake was completely fine. "It didn't work, dess? Is it the same kinda phase thingy that the Noise have?"

"If it is, then our Symphogear should be able to attune to it!" Shirabe said.

"If it's dampening the damage, then we just need to take it out in one hit!" Maria declared, drawing out an array of blades from her wrist. They spun around her, creating a vortex of razor sharp knives, as she took off to the sky.

TORNADO†IMPACT

It slammed into the open mouth of the serpent, tearing it in half. However, the moment it seemed to be defeated, it split apart into multiple overlays of itself, creating an odd effect that resembled multiple portals; each with a version of the creature that was undamaged.

"What the…?" Jeanne muttered, everyone equally shocked.

The images all converged back, as the serpent was completely healed from all the damage.

"It regenerated?" Aoi said.

"No, it can't have…" Fujitaka said.

"I have analyzed my past video footage of the creature compared to how it is now." Aiba said, eye beeping. "There is absolutely no sign of damage. No scratches, scorch marks, or even smudges. The energy used also has traces similar to Nikola Tesla's Achtzehn Blitz."

"That's because it made it never happen at all." Cagliostro chuckled.

"Basically, the experiment is a success." Prelati added.

"This violates the laws of the universe once thought to be absolute. Until now." Saint-Germain said, before smirking. "At last alchemy has reached the goal of human science: the attainment of divine power."

"Retreat is always a valid last resort!" Maria said, swinging her blade and summoning dozens of knives. They all fired at the alchemists, before Maria turned to the others. "Now!"

"Right!" Aoi said, as they all started to run.

"You're not going anywhere." Cagliostro put up a shield to block all the knives, but her arm tensed up and let a single one pass through, grazing her cheek. "Oww, my beautiful face! This sucks!"

Prelati looked down and saw that Jeanne had glanced at Cagliostro a few seconds beforehand, which was why she froze. That ability…

Elsewhere, the team had arrived at the village, led by Stephen. "This is my village! If the soldiers are hiding out anywhere, it'll be here!"

They turned a corner into the village square. Stephen widened his eyes in shock, as the remaining enemy soldiers had taken all the villagers hostage, surrounding them with Alca-Noise.

"Alca-Noise?" Tsubasa realized.

Hibiki grit her teeth as the enemy director chuckled. "Need I explain? Any funny business and I'll have the Alca-Noise turn everyone here into dust!"

"That asshole!" Chris cursed.

Shuri looked back at Stephen, who was carefully moving away. They shared a glance and nodded. It would be better if he was out of sight.

"So try anything and- what are you doing?!" The director shouted.

Maia was slowly walking forward, almost casually.

"Neesama?!" Tsubasa shouted.

The look in Maia's eyes were completely serious, almost uncaring of the people at risk. She started to unnerve everyone, almost as if her eyes were black again.

"We've determined the best possible escape route with Aiba's scans of the area." Genjuro said as the SONG members ran. "It's in your hands!"

Aoi and Fujitaka stopped running, as they stopped at the edge of a cliff.

"We can do this!" Aoi encouraged Fujitaka.

"This is crazy!" He said in response. "Just how high up are we?!"

"Approximately 1473 feet deep, for the shallowest drop into that canyon." Aiba answered.

The wielders had arrived, looking back to see the serpent was still after them.

"This is one stubborn serpent, dess!" Kirika said. "We can't shake it off!"

Maria gripped her blade as she stared down the beast.

"It's time!" Elfnein said.

"They're not gonna like this…" Forte muttered.

"Alright! Jump!" Genjuro shouted.

Jeanne was the first to jump off the cliff, as Aiba helped slightly slow her descent. Kirika and Shirabe picked up Fujitaka and Aoi, who weren't doing the best at keeping composed. Maria sought to distract the beast, but it headbutted her, knocking her away.

"Maria!" Kirika shouted (over Fujitaka's screams), before looking down to see a train.

"Below us!" Shirabe said.

Hearing the call, Maria jumped down, her armor damaged from the fight. Everyone landed safely on the train, looking back to see that the serpent was still in pursuit.

"It's still coming, dess?!" Kirika said, getting annoyed at this point.

It lunged at them, before turning into gold particles, dispersing.

"It disappeared?" Maria said, confused.

Way back up on the cliff, Saint-Germain was returning the creature to the orb-like object she had.

"What are you doing? We can't just dissolve Yohualtepuztli now." Cagliostro asked.

"We confirmed the attainment of divine power." Saint-Germain said, putting it away. "That should be enough for now."

"So basically, we're not chasing after them." Prelati guessed.

Saint-Germain looked back at the theater. "We need to prioritize retrieving Tiki above all else."

"What are you doing?! Stay back!" The director shouted.

Maia continued to keep walking.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Chris screamed.

"D-Don't you care about all these people?" The director asked, starting to panic.

"Why should I?" Maia asked. "I don't personally know them."

"Aren't you supposed to be protecting them?" He asked, arm shaking.

"I think killing you counts, doesn't it?" Maia took more steps forward.

"I-I mean it! I'll kill every last-!"

"Go for it. But the second you do? You're dead." Maia said, voice cold, with a glare to match. "All that'll do is make you a slightly bigger speck of a name we won't care about. Do it, bastard. Go ahead and end that pathetic excuse of a life you have left."

The man was trembling at this point, and completely distracted. A soccer ball nailed the enemy director in the head, causing him to let go of his hostage. The ball returned to Stephen, who was the one that had kicked it.

"Stephan!" A woman shouted from the crowd.

Both Chris and Shuri recognized the voice.

Maia quickly kicked the enemy director in the stomach, before grabbing the girl that was held hostage. Turning, she led her over to Stephen. "Get her out of here."

"You got it!" Stephen nodded. "Come on!"

Maia turned back to the others, who were relieved that she had been putting on an act to get the enemy to let their guard down.

"Sorry, did I get you guys too?" Maia asked with a small chuckle.

"Honestly, Neesama…" Tsubasa sighed. "But let's follow their lead, Tachibana!"

"Yeah!"

The two ran forward, pulling out their Relics. Maia quickly pulled out her own artificial Relic and inserted it into Takemikazuchi.

AME-NO-HABAKIRI! AUTHORIZED

"Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron~"

"Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri tron~"

TAKEMIKAZUCHI! HABAKIRI MODE

Tsubasa cut down several Alca-Noise down to size. Hibiki punched several more, lowering their numbers.

The enemy director pulled out several Alca-Noise crystals. "That brat…!"

Maia kicked him in the face. "Not on our watch, asshole!"

The kick stunned him, but the Alca-Noise crystals all spilled around. Chris and Shuri shot down several more, before hearing a scream. Stephen and the girl he saved were surrounded by Alca-Noise. Thinking quickly, Stephen pushed the girl back. "You get out of here!"

One of the Alca-Noise lashed out a whip, wrapping around Stephen's leg.

"Stephen!" One of the women from the crowd screamed.

The boy yelled in pain, as his leg started to carbonize from the contact. The others were too far to do anything but watch.

Except Chris, who took aim. Gritting her teeth, her finger trembled on the trigger. "DAMN IT ALL!"

BANG

"We managed to capture the director." Tsubasa said into comms, looking at the man that was tied up. "However…"

Tsubasa looked over to one of the stretchers, where Stephen lay. The others were all watching over him, along with the woman from the crowd earlier. She had identified herself as Sonya, Stephen's older sister.

"We have a casualty among the civilians."

Stephen's leg was wrapped in bloody bandages, the lower half completely gone. Chris had shot it off to prevent the carbonization from reaching the rest of his body and killing him.

"Stephen… Stephen!" Sonya cried. "Why did this have to happen?"

"Sonya…" Chris said, a hint of familiarity in her voice.

"Chris… It's your fault that my brother…" She turned with anger towards the girl. "It's your fault that Stephen lost his leg!"

Chris' expression didn't change, but there was a lot of pain behind her eyes. "Yeah… I shot it off."

Maia was about to stand and chew Sonya out, but Shuri put a hand on her shoulder, shaking her head. The younger Yukine looked at the woman, frowning slightly.

Sonya… this isn't how I wanted to meet you again…

Back at SONG's submarine, the theatre team had returned safely.

"We returned from our scouting mission." Aoi said.

"Good work out there." Genjuro complimented.

Fujitaka let out a breath. "I'm glad to be back at HQ. At last I can breathe easy."

Jeanne similarly let out a sigh, with Aiba sitting in her hair. "It's exhausting sometimes…"

Ogawa chuckled, patting Jeanne on the shoulder as she leaned into him. Maria raised a brow. When did those two get close?

"Don't get too comfortable." Genjuro said. "You got work to do."

"Yeah, we almost died for this data." Fujitaka said, pulling out the laptop as Aiba hopped onto his shoulder. "I'll get on it right away."

"There is a lot of data to analyze." Aiba said. "Hopefully we'll be able to narrow things down."

"The fact that an AI is unsure worries me…" Fujitaka muttered.

"An invincible monster is certainly cause for concern." Genjuro said. "We managed to draw the Bavarian Illuminati out into the light, but it looks like they're going to give us a run for their money."

"Don't worry." Shirabe said.

"Yep!" Kirika raised her hand. "Next time we get the chance-!"

"Uh, you two are forgetting something." Forte reminded them, imitating a LiNKER shot.

"I'm sorry." Elfnein said. "If we had enough LiNKER you could fight whenever you wanted."

"Oh, no, that's not what I meant, dess!" Kirika said, shaking her hands.

"I'm not good enough to analyze those recipes." Elfnein said. "That's why I had Lala-"

She was cut off as Maria gently grabbed her cheeks and pulled at them. Forte chuckled at the sight as Elfnein blushed and pulled away.

"Wh-What are you doing?" She stuttered.

"We barely made it out alive, but we haven't lost yet." Maria said. "It's no one's fault, so you don't have anything to apologize for."

"That's right. We don't give up." Shirabe added.

"Save your breath, and use it to cheer us on instead!" Kirika grinned.

"Cheer you on instead?" Elfnein asked.

"That's right." Maria nodded, gently patting Elfnein on the head. She smiled at the gesture.

In the light of the broken Moon, the alchemists had returned to the theatre, staring at the crystal. Encased inside was an odd figure that resembled an Autoscorer.

Saint-Germain was silent, thinking back to times past. Nearly four hundred years ago.

In times long past, we of the Bavarian Illuminati founded the practice of alchemy, by gathering and utilizing pieces of heretical technology left behind by Finé. Naturally, this led us to clash with Finé herself, who sought to monopolize all such technology. It was the goal of Adam, our founder, to attain divine power and give it form. However, upon losing Tiki, a key element of those plans, the Illuminati were banished from the backstage of history. She looked back at the crystal. "Four hundred years have passed, and Finé is no more. We successfully triggered the fall of America. This is our chance to make our return."

"So basically, all we need to do now is bring this doll back with us." Prelati said.

"It sounds so boring when you put it like that." Cagliostro said, rubbing the bandage on her face.

"Retrieving the astronomical observation tool Tiki is essential to the success of our plan." Saint-Germain said. "In particular…"

"It's necessary to weave human history into correct form, basically." Prelati concluded. "Isn't that right, Saint-Germain?"

"No one in this world should be oppressed." Saint-Germain said. "The same conclusion Nikola Tesla came to, but in the wrong direction."

"Then I'll leave carrying it back to you." Cagliostro said. "I should pay a little thank you visit to the people who gave me this new scar."

"You want to deal with the Symphogear users before we complete the Lapis?" Saint-Germain asked.

"So basically, you're being selfish." Prelati concluded.

"It should be a cakewalk with Yohualtepuztli." Cagliostro said as she walked off. "I've spent enough of my life telling lies. From here on, at the very least I want to be honest with myself."

Tsubasa was driving the truck back in silence, with Maia sitting in the shotgun seat. Chris, Shuri and Hibiki were in the back, silent and watching. Sonya was with them, as Stephen lay unconscious, as they transported him to get proper medical assistance.

Chris wanted to speak up, but merely watched. Sonya Vilena. She worked with our parents to bring peace to the world through music. She was kind to Shuri and I when we were little, and we considered her like another sister. But it was her neglect that let them sneak in the bomb that killed our parents.

I know you can never forgive me, but neither can I forgive you… Sonya thought. I know it was the right choice, but it doesn't make it any better!

Why does it always end up like this?! Chris grit her teeth. Why do my choices only lead to suffering?!

Shuri sadly watched the two, having an idea of what they were both thinking. She herself didn't hold anything against Sonya, but she couldn't speak at the moment either.

"Chris-chan…" Hibiki said softly.

"Back then…" Sonya suddenly said. "I was separated from Chris and Shuri in the chaos without so much as a goodbye. This wasn't the reunion I spent all those years hoping for."

"...it wasn't for us, either. But…" Shuri looked up. "I'm glad you're okay, Sonya."

Half of a smile appeared on Sonya's face, but it disappeared soon after. Chris wanted to say some comforting words as well, but nothing came out. She felt a nudge on her foot, and saw Stephen reaching for it. She gently grasped his hand, as if trying to reassure him herself.

In the front seat, the communicator went off as Maia picked up and put it on speakerphone. "What's up, Uncle?"

"We've picked up a number of Alca-Noise at Escalon Airport." Genjuro said. "I sent Maria's team there."

"They intend to secure the area while the LiNKER's effect lasts." Elfnein informed them.

"Roger. We'll head there too once we drop off the injured civilian somewhere he can be treated." Tsubasa said.

The airport was in flames as the Alca-Noise attacked. The enemy soldiers tried shooting at the Alca-Noise, but it was proving useless.

"Weren't these things supposed to be on our side?!" One of them shouted.

"Does it look like they-?! Gaagh!" The two of them were carbonized by the Alca-Noise in a matter of seconds.

Standing on one of the hangars, Cagliostro looked down at all the destruction, as Prelati walked up next to her. "So basically, this disturbance is to draw out the Symphogear users?"

"Ara? Have you come to help?" Cagliostro asked.

"I prioritize whatever is most fun." Prelati stated simply. "Saint-Germain can handle Tiki's transport on her own."

The two heard the stuttering blades of a helicopter as it came into view. Maria, Kirika and Shirabe looked down at them from the open doors.

"Took you long enough." Cagliostro said with a wink.

"Seilien coffin Airgetlám tron~"

(Insert Senritsu Sorority by Yoko Hikasa, Yoshino Nanjo and Ai Kayano)

The girls all transformed, jumping out of the helicopter. Shirabe spun around, before launching several sawblades at the Alca-Noise.

Alpha Style: 100 Rebirths

The blades ripped them all to shreds. Maria slammed down onto the roof Cagliostro and Prelati were standing on. The two alchemists barely jumped out of the way with the amount of force Maria applied.

"So basically, full power right from the get-go?" Prelati chuckled as her frog plush landed on her head. "Allow me to respond in kind!"

She raised an arm and attempted to use alchemy, but was ensnared by several steel wires.

"Got you at the get-go, dess!" Kirika said, having been the one to launch the attack.

"Goodness, what are you doing?" Cagliostro sighed, annoyed. She quickly flipped back to dodge a knife slash from Maria. She swung her arm, firing a rapid stream of blue energy blasts that Maria swiftly avoided as she advanced.

"The users of Airgetlám, Shul Shagana, and Igalima have engaged the enemy!" Fujitaka reported.

"Sync rates stable." Aoi said.

"Girls…" Elfnein said quietly.

Forte grumbled, putting her hands behind her head. "If my Elekleid was good to go, I'd be out there, helping them kick some alchemist ass."

"Well then, here's the invincible Yohualtepuztli, just for you!" Cagliostro chuckled, raising a hand.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Forgoing her knife, Maria drew back her fist and slammed it straight into Cagliostro's face.

"It might be thick-skinned and impervious to attack, but the same can't be said for you!" Maria swung her fist further, launching Cagliostro into the ground. Looks like Rui's been rubbing off on me.

Prelati closed her eyes before glowing, breaking off her bonds. Kirika and Shirabe rushed in with their blades, as the alchemist blocked them with glowing yellow shields. Despite the shields holding strong, the two kept putting up the pressure. Maria was doing the same against Cagliostro.

I just have to keep her from summoning that monster! Maria thought.

With another slash, Maria broke Cagliostro's guard. But the second she did, there were brief sparks on her armor, alongside Kirika and Shirabe.

"Sync rates dropping rapidly!" Aoi shouted, as the monitor beeped in alarm. "Th LiNKER's effects are about to wear out!"

"Commander!" Fujitaka turned back to Genjuro. "Igalima and Shul Shagana are in the way…"

"Of an airplane?!" Genjuro shouted, seeing it show up on the monitor.

"Tell them to move!" Forte shouted. "They're gonna get crushed!"

The three wielders had seen the incoming plane, attempting to take off or at least avoid all the Alca-Noise chasing them.

"Shirabe!" Kirika called.

"I know what you're thinking, Kiri-chan." Shirabe said.

"Go! Leave the rest to me!" Maria ordered.

"Roger that, dess!"

Kirika and Shirabe pushed Prelati back, before rushing towards the plane. Prelati picked up her frog plush, which had fallen during the fight. "Do they think the two of them can handle it on their own?"

Cagliostro landed next to her, as Maria stared the two of them down.

"Well, the two of us can handle her on our own?" Cagliostro pointed out.

Maria dashed forward, slashing her blade at the two of them. The two deflected the attacks, keeping up their guard as Maria kept pressing the assault.

Kirika and Shirabe launched blades from their weapons, shredding through the Alca-Noise. Unfortunately, a few of them managed to get past, crashing into the wheels of the plane and tearing them off. In a second, Shirabe and Kirika were both underneath the plane, lifting it with their own strength, and using their Gears to help keep pushing things along. Their armors were sparking with how much stress they were putting on it.

"They aren't giving up." Elfnein observed, before briefly seeing Maria glow blue as her armor sparked again. "What was that?"

"She glew…" Forte noticed.

"Everyone!" Elfnein spoke into the comms. "Hold on just a moment longer! I'll extend that moment to an eternity! I didn't give up analyzing the LiNKER recipes! So don't give up either!"

"Hell yeah!" Forte agreed. "You better keep kicking ass so I can kick it with you when I get back out there too!"

Hearing encouragement from the two, Kirika and Shirabe changed directions for their plan. Shirabe sped forward while Kirika reinforced her grip using her Gear. Shirabe did the same near the front, as both her Gear and Kirika's expanded in size and shape to better support the plane. Kirika extended her scythe handle towards Shirabe, as the two used the leverage to allow the plane to take off properly, letting it fly.

Maria drew her arm back, as her right arm transformed with the armor to create a blaster.

HORIZON†CANNON

The blast of energy struck Cagliostro and Prelati dead on, as there was a massive explosion.

Back at the base, Elfnein let out a breath of relief. "Good work, everyone…"

"Man, where was that when they fought me?" Forte chuckled.

"Lala finished analyzing the information."

Most of the people in the room jumped, as Lala suddenly appeared.

"Dammit Lala, how long have you been there?!" Forte grumbled.

"Some time now. I have good news and bad news." Lala said.

Having finally run out of energy, their armor dispersed. Maria was breathing out as she recovered, before realizing something was off. The smoke faded to reveal the two alchemists were still standing, unharmed. Cagliostro clicked her tongue and wagged her finger.

"You can still fight, dess?!" Kirika asked.

"We're out of gas…" Shirabe muttered.

Cagliostro raised her arm. "Come now, my invincible li'l Yohualtepuztli."

With a flash of gold, the giant snake had been summoned once again. Its massive appearance intimidated everyone, even those at the safety of HQ.

"No way…" Elfnein said quietly.

"So that's as far as we can go?" Maria muttered, looking up at the giant beast.

Before the snake could strike, the rumble of a motorcycle could be heard.

"So the rest of them are getting closer." Prelati said.

"Oh goody~!" Cagliostro chuckled. "Looks like we can wipe them all out with a single strike!"

Maria listened closely to the sounds, before realizing that it wasn't the sound that Tsubasa's bikes made. "Who…?"

"Ride GearStriker!"

(Insert Kakusei by Ricky)

Cagliostro and Prelati jumped out of the way to avoid a hail of gunfire, as a motorcycle ramped off one of the roofs. The driver was wearing a black trench coat and a helmet that covered their face. Pulling out what appeared to be a Relic, they inserted it into their belt.

GUNGNIR! AUTHORIZED

RELIC BATTLE MODE; READY

Kicking off the bike mid-air, the driver held out their arms.

"Henshin!"

KAGUTSUCHI! GUNGNIR MODE

In a flash of light, the driver had transformed, gaining orange-white armor and white scarves. The black trench coat was still covering most of it, though her helmet was gone. She took up a stance, as smoke went off from her body. Her bike expanded with rocket boosters, flying up to let her land. They flew towards Yohualtepuztli, as the driver lept off and kicked at the giant beast, engulfed in flames as the bike sped in behind her.

"HYAAAAAAAAA!"

Her foot slammed into the creature. Yohualtepuztli roared in pain, but was still in striking position.

"That's not going to work." Prelati chuckled.

"HOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAH!"

The flames intensified, increasing the power as Yohualtepuztli started to burn away, not recovering from the damage. Rui jumped back, before rapidly kicking at it from multiple directions, each one giving off a hitspark effect. The alchemists were stunned at the display of power, as the wielders smiled.

MIGHTY CRITICAL STRIKE

With one more kick, the flames returned, as Rui kept pushing as far as she could.

"That's it! Just kick through the impossible!" Shirabe encouraged.

"Rider Kick 1, Reason 0!" Kirika cheered.

"HAAAAAAAAH! DYAAAAAAAAAH!"

The kick tore straight through Yohualtepuztli, decapitating it as it went up into gold particles.

GRAND VICTORY

"What is going on?!" Prelati said, stunned.

"Hello?! What happened to the whole invincibility thing?!" Cagliostro shouted.

Landing on the ground in front of the detransformed wielders, Rui Tachibana turned to face the enemy. Her motorbike revved up to her side, as she tossed off her coat for it to catch.

"Invincibility? What a ridiculous joke." She pushed her scarf back, before she held her hand out in front of her, striking a pose. "I'll clear this with no continues!"

A/N: Yes, that was a quadruple reference combo of Ex-Aid, Geats, Valvarad and Shin Kamen Rider for Rui's return, all set to a Blade insert. Did you expect anything less from her?

And thus, I can say that the AXZ arc is truly starting with all the players on the board. Get ready for some craziness.

Feel free to leave a review. I'll see you all next time.