Chris stirred from her unconsciousness, as she slowly stood up. Hibiki and Tsubasa were also standing, looking at something blurry. As her vision returned, she smelt burning slag and looked forward to see a smoking crater. "What… happened here?"
"The Kazanari Institution HQ… was utterly annihilated." Tsubasa said.
Hibiki then realized who wasn't present. "Where's Maria's team and Shuri's team?! Where-?!"
Some debris was pushed over as Kirika stood, breathing heavily.
"Kirika-chan!" Hibiki said.
Nearby Kirika was Shirabe and Rui, who were both looking after Maria. Rui's armor was in significantly worse condition compared to everyone else, but she didn't draw attention to it.
"Stay with us, Maria!" Kirika said.
"Maria!" Shirabe said.
"Hey, wake up." Rui gently shook the older girl. "You made it."
Maria coughed a few times, opening her eyes. "We're alive…"
"Yeah we are… you hauled ass out there and saved me." Rui smiled, holding up her wrist. "Thanks, Maria."
"Least I can do." Maria weakly returned the fist tap.
As helicopters started to descend to pick the girls up, Tsubasa and Chris noticed their sisters weren't there.
"Neesama! Shuri!" Tsubasa called.
"We're good!"
Maia walked up to them, carrying Shuri in her arms. She had wiped away most of the blood from Shuri's mouth, but the younger Yukine still looked rather ill.
"Shuri!" Chris ran up to her. "Is she…?! What happened?!"
Maia shook her head. "I don't know. I can't explain it exactly, but she's doing fine now."
Shuri was conscious, as she gently rested her head against Maia's chest. Chris slipped her hand into her sister's, beside herself with concern over what had happened to her.
"We lost." Genjuro stated. "Completely and utterly."
While the FIS wielders and Shuri were absent, the others had gathered in the main room. The mood was rather somber, considering how they were defeated.
"Damn it." Rui hit her fist on the table, as Yusuke jumped down into her lap to try calming her down. "If I tried harder, than maybe-"
"We weren't gonna deal with losing you again." Chris said, her voice rather sharp.
"We've finally come face-to-face with the lodgemaster of the Bavarian Illuminati: Adam Weishaupt." Ogawa said, as the image appeared on screen.
"Fucking dickless streaking smug asshole." Maia muttered.
"And with him…" Three more images appeared on the screen; the alchemists.
"The alchemists' Faust Robes." Chris said.
"The moment we clashed with them, it felt as if they'd ripped the Ignite Module's power from our bodies…" Tsubasa said. "How could that happen?"
"The lapis philosophorum." Elfnein explained. "In other words, the power of the Philosopher's Stone."
"The Philosopher's Stone?" Rui asked. "Guess one of them did look like a ring..."
"They mentioned it too." Hibiki remembered.
"It is the end result of alchemy's magnum opus- the goal of all alchemists who pursue perfection, possessing the power to cleanse all impurities and illnesses with the purifying flames of purgatory." Elfnein explained.
"This was in some of Tesla's notes, as he tried using it himself." Lala explained. "But it was too far out of his reach, so he dismissed the idea. It's why he decided to completely lean into technology."
"The magic of the Dáinsleif, which drives your Ignite modules, was powerless against it." Elfnein finished.
"So in essence, it's the natural enemy of the Ignite module." Tsubasa concluded, putting a hand on her chest. "That shock that felt like I was being torn apart was the Ignite effect being forcibly undone."
"It was supposed to be our trump card, but now it's our Achilles heel?!" Chris grit her teeth.
"We still have two ace in the holes that the alchemists probably don't know of yet." Maia said. "Rui's Symphonic Drive and my Dual Relics Mode. Next time they show up, we'll turn the tables on them, right Partner?"
"Yeah." Rui punched a hand into her fist. "We got to give them a little payback."
Yusuke mewed in agreement. Hibiki smiled a bit, seeing the drive of the two, but then turned to Aoi. "I heard Maria's team and Shuri were transported to Tokyo. Are they alright?"
"We don't have the full exam results yet, but miraculously, they seem to have avoided any major injuries." Aoi said. "Though Shuri has since fully healed and already started helping out in any way she can. Jeanne and Forte will let us know if anything happens."
"You sure she's alright?" Rui asked. "What happened back then…"
"It's probably because of how the Ignite is closely interwoven with her body she had a violent reaction to it." Maia realized. "This means we can't risk sending her out there against them."
Chris looked the most concerned, picking at her shirt. Shuri…
"I'm sure they'll be okay." Elfnein spoke up.
"Yeah… you're right." Hibiki nodded. "They'll be alright. They have to be."
Lala looked at Elfnein, as the small scientist seemed to be in deep thought. They used their Gears without LiNKER. Add the stress from the Ignite module, and I wouldn't be surprised if they suffered Superb Song levels of recoil. And yet…
Lala tapped her fingers. Tesla did some experimentation with LiNKER to try and help Starlit, but they all ended in failure and he deleted the information in case SONG got ahold of it. But now… now it might be our key to victory. We need to find the alternative.
"The Kazanari Institution HQ is to be abandoned as of now." Genjuro said. "Prepare to pull out."
"If we had been able to analyze the Val Verde documents, we might have found a way to turn this situation around." Fujitaka sighed.
Ogawa nodded in agreement, before his communicator beeped. He pulled it out, seemingly surprised by the caller. "Commander. It's Kamakura."
"I doubt I'll get away with a mere scolding this time." Genjuro said with a bit of a defeated smile.
At the hotel that the Illuminati were using as a base, Adam sat on one of the beds, reading a book. Tiki was nuzzling close on his lap, almost like a cat.
"The lapis' radiance swept the darkness of Ignite away." Saint-Germain had her arms crossed as she stood off to the side. "Victory was ours. And yet…"
"We almost ended up in the soup too!" Cagliostro said from one of the couches.
"Not to mention." Prelati waved a hand, showing footage of the wielders; all alive. A frog was watching them from atop a building. "You basically failed to eliminate any of them."
"Come on, Adam finally joined us!" Tiki said, sitting up. "Don't worry, be happy!"
None of the alchemists showed any reaction. Saint-Germain in particular closed her eyes in irritation.
"Come on!" Tiki pouted.
"Thank you, Tiki." Adam patted her head. "But they're not wrong, you know. I just figured that if I showed up, I'd best make the experience memorable."
He flipped around his hat, before putting it on.
"But on reflection, I'd rather leave dealing with the Symphogear to the rest of you." He said, standing up with Tiki. "And do be careful when dealing with Tesla's Instrument of Change. She seems to be quite the tough one."
"Where are you going, Lodgemaster?" Saint-Germain asked.
"Tiki told me something useful she'd gleaned from the stars." He answered. "Didn't you?"
"Mm!" Tiki snuggled up close to him.
"The experiment was a success, wasn't it?" Adam asked as he turned to face Saint-Germain. "Then it's time we put what we learned into practice… and give the divine power form."
"I'm not sure if this is a good idea…"
Forte was watching through an observation window, while Jeanne was at her side. Inside the training room were Kirika and Shirabe. The two girls had transformed and were taking on the fake Noise simulations. Aiba was sitting on the console, managing everything.
"I don't think it's a good idea either, but you know how persistent the two can be." Jeanne said.
"Honestly… it does make me wonder." Forte admitted, watching the two fight.
"Wonder what?"
"What if I was with you guys from the start." Forte said. "Maybe I could see why you guys called Nastassja "Mom" after all the crap she put us through."
"She did apologize to us a long time afterwards, but…" Jeanne gently put a hand over her eye socket. "Some scars I don't think will ever fade."
"You forgive her?" Forte asked.
"It's not forgiveness, but…" Jeanne shook her head. "Maybe some kind of understanding. I know Mom regretted it even as she passed on… better late than never."
"Forgiveness is weird, yeah." Forte agreed. "I mean, you guys let me and Lala join up with you guys after we kinda kicked your asses. Though I guess this makes it even after you guys left me for dead."
Jeanne was silent at that, causing Forte to raise a brow.
"Something up?" She asked, turning to her.
"It's that… I do remember seeing you, pinned under the debris." Jeanne put a hand around her empty eye. "But through the flames, I couldn't tell if you were still alive."
"You were like, what, 17 or something, right?" Forte recalled. "There was no way you could've pulled that off me."
"But you were right… we should've checked for any further survivors…" Jeanne said quietly. "We abandoned that facility as soon as we could…"
"I mean, Tesla would've done the same if he was in Nastassja's shoes." Forte shrugged. "S'all good with me."
"But-"
"You know what, if you want to make it even more even than it already is, just treat me like normal." Forte said.
"Like normal?"
"Tesla and Starlit… they treated me and Lala like family. So did Rui once she joined up with us." Forte sadly smiled. "So if you guys can do something like that, we'll call it even. Former FIS gotta stick together, yeah?"
"That… That's something I can do." Jeanne smiled.
The two heard a loud crash from the training room, looking in to see Kirika had crashed onto the ground.
"Ah dammit." Forte cursed, guessing what happened.
"Aiba, shut it down!" Jeanne said, running in with Forte as the simulation ended.
Shirabe wheeled over to Kirika, as their transformations were dismissed.
"Are you alright?" Shirabe asked Kirika, as she knelt down to her.
"She looks like she's doing not too bad." Forte said, as Kirika pushed herself up.
The doors on the other side of the room opened as Maria ran in, alongside Shuri, Hibiki, Rui, Chris, Lala and Elfnein. As usual, Yusuke was perched on Rui's shoulder.
"Shirabe-chan! Kirika-chan!" Hibiki said in concern.
"You don't have any more LiNKER! Why are you doing this?" Maria asked.
"Because if we didn't have to rely on LiNKER to fight… That wouldn't have…" Shirabe muttered.
Shuri saw their expressions, knowing they were talking about how they weren't able to help out against the alchemists.
"That doesn't mean-!" Chris started.
"We're fine." Kirika said, a bit of strain in her voice. "We need to keep training, dess. If we can increase our sync rates enough, we won't need LiNKER anymore."
"You need to take better care of yourselves!" Hibiki said. "One mistake, and you could die!"
"You were blessed with your sync rate without even knowing what it was!" Shirabe said, turning to Hibiki. "Don't act like you understand!"
Hibiki took a step back. Rui slightly glared at Shirabe, though she understood the girl's frustration. Yusuke rubbed his face on Rui's cheek to try calming her down.
"I can't stand always being useless, dess." Kirika muttered. "Even when my heart is beating, I feel dead inside!"
Her words hung in the air.
"Please, let them do this." Maria requested.
"Maria-san!" Hibiki protested.
"We'll make sure they don't do anything dangerous." Jeanne promised, as Aiba hopped onto her shoulder. "It's practically my job when it comes to these two."
"And I can understand where they're coming from." Forte chipped in. "Until I got my Elekleid from Tesla… I always felt like dead weight with the TEC."
Lala shook her head. "Lala never thought of you as dead weight."
"Nice to hear, but it doesn't change how I used to feel." Forte said.
"You're not gonna raise their sync rates!" Chris protested. "The only thing they'll level up is in stupidity!"
"It's pretty risky, yeah." Rui agreed. "You're going into this with minimal precaution."
"Eventually, more LiNKER will be available." Maria said.
Elfnein and Lala shared a glance at the words.
"But we don't have the luxury of waiting for that." Maria looked off.
"There is a way." Elfnein spoke up, as the others all looked at her and Lala. "A way to find the last missing piece of the puzzle."
"The last piece?" Shirabe asked.
"Are you serious, dess?" Kirika asked.
"There's one part of Dr. Ver's LiNKER recipe I was never able to decipher." Elfnein said. "It concerns which part of the brain the Symphogear should be connected to in order to minimize stress."
"Lala looked at it as well." Lala said. "He may have been supported by Finé and the FIS, but we have to hand it to him: despite the shortcomings we know, he was a great scientist of the heretical arts. Lala knows that Tesla considered breaking him out of the Undersea Dragon's Palace for his assistance."
"Why didn't he?" Shuri asked.
"Because he was far too much of an unpredictable wild card, which was confirmed when we read up on his actions during the Frontier and Magical Girl incidents." Lala said.
"Plus, I would've probably killed him for all the crap he pulled." Forte added. "And if not, Rui would definitely have done that."
Rui remained silent, but she didn't seem to disagree. Yusuke gently pawed at her shoulder.
""Great"?" Maria raised a brow. "That's one point on which we'll have to disagree."
Jeanne was silent along the others, but looked down at Aiba, knowing she wouldn't have met her little eye partner without him.
"A-Anyways, could we skip the messy stuff and fast forward to the part about that final piece?" Hibiki asked, trying to avoid the bad mood.
"The key is Maria's Airgetlám." Lala said.
"The Silver- my Gear?" Maria asked.
"One of Airgetlám's abilities is the control of energy vectors." Elfnein explained. "Lala and Aiba had reviewed the footage and noticed it would occasionally light up in battle."
"That was the aforementioned ability visualizing the electric signals between your brain and the Gear." Lala said. "We hypothesize it was also working to mitigate the Gear's stress on you at that time."
"That's why Maria didn't like, explode or something?" Rui asked, while Kirika and Shirabe shuddered at the idea.
"Your sync rates have improved somewhat after the training you've done between missions." Elfnein said. "We suspect this might be why."
"Maria's sync rates have always been the highest among us." Shirabe recalled. "Does that mean…"
"All the work we've done wasn't in vain, dess?" Kirika asked.
"Yes." Lala nodded. "If Elfnein and Lala can analyze the traces of electric signals in Maria's brain…"
"Then you can find out which part the LiNKER should act on." Maria realized. "But how?"
"Can we even do it without Ver's help?" Chris asked, unsure.
Lala and Elfnein nodded at one another.
"Follow us." Elfnein said.
The girls followed the two down the hall into one of the labs. There they saw some sort of headset with wires attached to it.
"What's that?" Maria asked.
"Dr. Ver left behind a certain "Direct Feedback System," which I tried remodeling with a few elements of alchemy, and Lala added her own contributions using the knowledge she retained from Nikola Tesla's data." Elfnein explained. "By converting one's consciousness into electric signals and transmitting it into the brain of another, it allows direct observation."
"So you're saying that thing lets you peek into people's brains?" Chris asked.
"In theory." Elfnein said. "But the brain is like a labyrinth surrounding the mind."
"Like an Underworld…" Rui realized, as Yusuke bat at her ear.
"At worst, the observer's mind could meld with that of the subject, reducing them both to a vegetative state." Elfnein said.
"I'll do it." Maria said confidently, as the others all turned to her. "We're within striking distance of finishing that LiNKER. I'm not letting this chance pass."
"But that's way too dangerous!" Shirabe said.
"Maria's gone mad, dess!" Kirika added.
"Like either of you can talk!" Maria pointed out, still clearly upset at what the two tried doing earlier, before she turned back to Elfnein with a softer expression. "So the observer- in other words, you- would face the same risk as well?"
"This is the least I can do." Elfnein said. "But we have someone to make sure the risk isn't as high."
Lala stepped up and held up a hand, as a few of her fingers retracted to let some wires slide out. "I will be directly connecting to the Direct Feedback System in an attempt to stabilize the overall process. Due to my more mechanical nature, I can bypass the risks and lend my support."
"I forgot that you were able to do this." Rui admitted, looking at Lala's wire fingers.
"With Lala helping us, it can't fail. Let's fight together, Maria-san!" Elfnein said.
Maria smiled and nodded.
Maia was leaning against the wall, looking up at the sky. The clouds were rather dark, blotting out the sunlight. She was back at the Kazanari estate, waiting for her sister, uncle and father. She was standing as far away from the door as possible, but was keeping an eye on Tsubasa from a distance. She was kneeling by the door, while inside, their grandfather was presumably lecturing his two sons about their failures.
I didn't even want to come back here, but… She looked at Tsubasa. It's for her sake.
She saw the door open, and Fudou walked out. He had stopped, presumably saying a few words to Tsubasa, and Maia decided to start walking over. She didn't hear any of the words Fudou said, before he started to walk again. The two passed one another, and Maia briefly glared at him. But the Kazanari patriarch didn't even seem to notice her, much less acknowledge her presence.
Somehow, that pissed her off even more.
She went over to Tsubasa, who stood up. "Neesama."
"Did the old bat give you a hard time?" Maia asked.
"No. It was the usual." Tsubasa reassured her.
"I think I saw a few bubbles at the corner of his mouth." Maia smirked. "He's definitely pissed."
"It's unsurprising, considering recent events." Yatsuhiro said, stepping out, with Genjuro right behind him.
"We'll simply have to double our efforts." Genjuro said. "He was not happy to learn that you were one of our main advantages against the enemy, Maia."
"Oh that just made my day." Maia chuckled, putting her hands behind her head. "I know the old fart is seething right now."
"You've been doing a good job, Maia." Yatsuhiro smiled. "Keep at it."
"...yeah." Maia nodded with a grin. "I got it."
Tsubasa and Genjuro both had their own smiles, seeing that the two were on much better terms. Almost as if they were all a normal family.
Maria had put on the headset and was sitting on a large chair it was wired-up to. Elfnein was sitting on another similar chair and had the same headset. Managing everything was Aoi, with assistance from Aiba and Lala. The others had all since left, since this wasn't their particular field of action. Though Forte stayed outside the room in case they needed an extra hand.
"Shall we begin?" Elfnein asked.
"Yes, let's." Maria nodded before she put a hand on the headset. "So you'll be entering me through here?"
"Both of us will, yes." Lala said.
"More precisely, we'll be connecting to a model of your brain in a virtual space, leading to a state of shared consciousness." Elfnein said more specifically.
"The term we used for this is a "Somnium"." Aiba added.
"I understand." Maria said.
"Initial testing and simulations only had a limit of six minutes, but with Lala's assistance, we were able to extend the time indefinitely." Aiba added.
"Lala won't let anything happen to either of you." Lala promised.
In order to take their minds off of what was going on, the others had gone to the local fairgrounds. Ogawa and Jeanne were essentially chaperoning them for the time being.
"So you brought out the old eyepatch now?" Ogawa asked, seeing Jeanne had it over her currently empty eye socket.
"It was a backup I had." Jeanne explained. "The old one got torn up when I got Aiba in the first place."
"I see…" Ogawa said, before looking at his phone. "Well, it looks like Tsubasa-san's group finished up their end of things."
"So we got some time before they get back." Jeanne concluded. …damn it, Jeanne! Work up a nerve, already! Ask him!
She was thankful that Aiba wasn't there to comment at the moment. Ogawa looked at the time on his phone before turning to her, noticing her fidgeting. "Something wrong?"
"Huh? A-Ah, no." Jeanne shook her head. "I was just thinking… well, it'd be a waste if we came here to the fairgrounds and got nothing."
"Oh. Well, I don't get a break that often, so shall we?" Ogawa asked. "We do have some time before we should head back."
"...yeah. I'd like that." Jeanne nodded.
As the two went off together, the girls were sitting at one of the picnic tables. They had gotten crepes, but weren't really excited to eat them.
"Kiri-chan, I know you're worried." Shirabe said.
"I know, dess!" Kirika said. "It was a decision made with full awareness of the risks involved, dess!"
She bit into the crepe, eating a bit too much and starting to choke.
"That's what you get for ordering chocolate with pollock fish." Shirabe said.
"You better eat it after making me pay, Miss Sensible." Chris snarked, taking a bite out of her own. "Huh, this isn't half bad."
"I don't think Rui-san would agree…" Shuri remembered the death glare on her friend's face when she saw the food.
"This is a dare! If I can finish this, it'll bring Maria and Elfnein good luck so their experiment succeeds, dess!" Kirika said.
"That's not how it works, Kirika-chan…" Shuri sighed.
From a table over, Miku chuckled at Kirika's words. She turned to see Hibiki was staring off into space, having barely licked her ice cream cone. "Hibiki? Earth to Hibiki!"
"Eh-?" Hibiki snapped out of it. "What?"
Miku pointed at the melting ice cream cone in her hand.
"Waah?!" Realizing her treat was disappearing, she stuffed it into her mouth. "Mmph!"
"You're going to get a headache like that." Rui said, taking a sip of soda, while petting Yusuke with her other hand.
Miku pulled out a napkin. "If you need someone to listen to your worries, or just someone to wipe the ice cream off your face, Rui-san and I are here. All you have to do is ask."
"This little bit of ice cream is nothing." Rui said, as Miku wiped Hibiki's face. "You should've seen the miso soup incident when we were five."
"Ah, you said you'd forget that!" Hibiki blushed.
"Never."
"Ugh… but still, thanks so much, you two." Hibiki smiled. "Whenever I'm around you two, it's like the warmest spot and the coolest spot I know."
"Oi, I'm no ice queen." Rui said.
"Completely debatable." Miku fired back.
Rui rolled her eyes, before turning to one of the nearby TV screens that had been setup. The report showed a familiar face. "Hey… isn't that…?"
"Our next story. Stephan lost one of his legs to civil war in his home country."
Chris looked up, seeing the news report switch to Stephen in a wheelchair, with Sonya standing alongside him.
"But he's so determined to play his beloved soccer again that he came to Japan from Val Verde today to get a new prosthetic foot."
"That's great!" Hibiki said, relieved. "He can play soccer again!"
"...that'd be nice." Chris agreed, voice low. "Just because you agonize over a decision doesn't make whatever you do the right choice. Sometimes, there never was a right choice to begin with."
Hibiki and Miku looked at their friend, concerned, before Rui stood up.
"Hey, Chris. Mind walking with me for a sec?" Rui asked.
"Huh?" Chris raised a brow. "Uh, sure?"
She stood up and went over as the two walked away. Hibiki smiled as she watched them go. Oneesan…
Yusuke stepped over to Hibiki, curling up on her lap. Hibiki gently rubbed the cat's back. "Fluffy…"
Aoi was looking on as Maria and Elfnein sat back in the chairs. Lala had sat down in between them, as several wires from her back were attached to the larger machine.
"Are you three ready?" Aiba asked from atop the console.
"Lala's all good." Lala said with a thumbs-up. Or as best as she could with all the wires coming out of her fingers.
Maria and Elfnein both nodded.
"Then let's go." Aoi said.
"Begin the psync." Aiba said.
Aoi tapped a few more buttons as the machine started up. It began to whir and beep, psyncing up Maria and Elfnein's minds, with Lala's functions acting as a mediator. Maria expressed brief discomfort before she felt herself sinking away into unconsciousness.
Elfnein opened her eyes, finding herself within a wide field of flowers, with trees and mountains being seen in the distance. A gentle song was resonating through the air.
"Is this… Maria's mind?" Elfnein asked. "This mental scenery is constructed from her memories?"
"That's what Lala gathered too."
Elfnein turned to see Lala was standing next to her. Though she was surprised to see that Lala was significantly taller than her, no longer resembling her smaller self.
"L-Lala?!" Elfnein said, surprised.
Lala looked down at herself, widening her eyes. She spun a few times to look closer, properly registering her changes.
"How surprising…" Lala said, amazed. "It looks like Lala looks like Starlit and Amelia now."
Is it because of how this is Lala's own mental scenery? A combination of her age and how she initially had forced herself to try and be Amelia?
"Lala doesn't know how much this will help, but Lala likes this." Lala smiled, flexing an arm. "Elfnein, could you make Lala a body like this when we go back?"
"I'll… keep it in mind." Elfnein said before clearing her throat and looking around.
"Over there." Lala pointed.
Sitting a few feet away from the two of them were two young girls. One had pink hair, and the other's was light brown. They were collecting the flowers around them, smiling and laughing together.
"Maria-san?" Elfnein said.
The scene shifted to the inside of the FIS facility, where a younger Nastassja was disciplining a few of the children. She used a riding crop and struck Maria's arm.
"Ouch…!" Elfnein felt the blow on her wrist.
Lala gently held Elfnein's arm, looking at the hit. "Only you were affected…"
"From today, you'll all participate in combat training." The memory of Nastassja declared. "You receptor children who failed to become Finé's vessels: now is the time for you to serve the facility by shedding blood, not tears."
Serena hid behind Maria, who was keeping her mouth closed to avoid further outcry.
"So because only your consciousnesses are shared, her memories and sensations only affect you." Lala realized, before picking her up.
"Lala? Why are you-?" Elfnein blushed.
"If anything else affects you as a precaution." Lala said, as the lights around them dimmed and the scene shifted again. "Lala will help you save your strength."
Elfnein smiled, but it disappeared soon after as they saw the next scene. All the kids were sitting around in the dark empty room, looking depressed at their fate. In one corner, they spotted a younger Jeanne with her younger sister Mel, gently holding her. Another side had Kirika and Shirabe, huddled close. In the corner by herself was Forte, gritting her teeth and glowering.
"So this is the pain they felt…" Lala said quietly, before the two turned back to Maria and Serena, as Maria comforted her little sister.
"Where could it be?" Elfnein wondered. "Where is the part of her brain that connects to the Gear?"
The two of them remained silent, as they saw the horrific training and experiments done to the children. Lala tried looking away, but Elfnein noticed more people during them, such as Ryoko Sakurai and Dr. Ver. She didn't have long to dwell on these observations, before the scene changed again.
This time, they were surrounded by buildings and rubble. Lala gently put Elfnein down, letting her stand as she protectively looked around. Noise had gathered around them, lumbering forward.
"These are her memories of the Noise?" Elfnein realized.
"Elfnein, let's go." Lala said, as she instinctively raised her wrist. "Elekleid-!"
She realized she didn't have access to her weapon, and sighed before turning and running with Elfnein.
"If we die here, we probably won't wake up again!" Elfnein said.
"Of all times not to have Neun!" Lala muttered, before they jumped over a large pile of debris. However, Elfnein twisted her ankle and tripped. "Elfnein!"
Lala quickly ran back and picked her up. She kept her arms around her protectively, as they stared up at the Noise approaching.
"Seilien coffin Airgetlám tron~"
"That voice!" Lala recognized.
(Insert Stand up! Ready! by Yoko Hikasa)
There was a large burst of falling blades, spearing through the Noise. An explosion of smoke knocked them away, before a familiar silhouette appeared.
"Maria-san?" Elfnein recognized.
"It's a bit embarrassing having someone peek into my memories. Even you two." Maria said. "Hm. That's quite the growth spurt, Lala."
"Um, what memory is this?" Elfnein asked. "Which Maria are you?"
"Considering how she reacted to us, it's safe to say this is the real one, formed by her subconscious and recent memories." Lala guessed.
"Didn't we just promise we'd fight together?" Maria reminded them. "We're sharing our consciousnesses, so I'm present just as you are. What's wrong with me going wild in my own mind?"
Maria rushed forward, slashing through the Noise and singing.
"That's not a memory or a recreation?" Elfnein said. "It's Maria herself?"
"We're breaking through!" Maria shouted.
"Lala has seen your resolve, Maria!" Lala shouted, raising her wrist. "Lala'll fight alongside you!"
There was a flash of blue, before her Transformer Coil appeared on her wrist.
"Elekleid! Switch On!" Lala shouted.
In a flash of lightning, two blue rings circled Lala, forming the Elekleid Neun. Raising her arms, a pair of wings sprouted, blasting lightning at the Noise.
"Lala!" Elfnein said in surprise. "You managed to…?"
"Lala thinks seeing Maria in action awakened the resolve to properly fight." Lala said, grabbing one of Elfnein's hands. "Now, let's go!"
With both the Airgetlam Symphogear and Elekleid Neun side by side, the three were easily able to break through the wall of Noise.
"All systems seem to be working fine." Aiba said through outside observation. "All three are showing alright behavior."
The monitor started to beep, before Maria's side had a few red alerts of danger pop up. Aoi widened her eyes. "What is this?"
"That does not appear to be good." Aiba commented.
Outside, Forte was fidgeting as she overheard the conversation. She was hoping things would turn out alright.
The three had passed through the ruined city, making it to what appeared to be a snow-covered field. It was rather gray instead of the bright white snow that normally covered the fields.
"Where are we?" Maria asked.
"Shouldn't we be asking you that?" Lala pointed out.
"This might be a half-forgotten image buried deep in your subconscious." Elfnein suggested.
"My subconscious?" Maria repeated.
As soon as Maria said that, what resembled a portal seemed to form above them, as well as underneath their feet.
"What's going on?!" Lala said, taking a step back.
The monitor started to beep rapidly in alarm. Tsubasa had come on the communications link. "How are they?"
"Their vitals are well below the safety zone." Aoi said. "They won't last long like this."
"If this continues for too long, they may start receiving irreparable brain damage." Aiba said. "I calculate six minutes, but that's only for the average person."
"We don't have many options." Genjuro said. "If it comes down to it, abort the experiment."
"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Chris asked.
Rui had taken her over to behind the fairgrounds, where there was no one there to bother them, with no chance of anyone coming by. Confirming they were alone, she took off her hoodie and started to unbutton her shirt.
"Huh?! Oi you idiot pervert! What are you doing?!" Chris covered her eyes.
"Relax." Rui said. "That's not what I wanted to show you. Just look."
Chris lowered her hands to see Rui's chest. She had kept her bra on, but what was shocking her wasn't that, but rather the line on her body that traced on her collarbone. Looking closer, she saw that the skin below had a paler tone, with a few burn scars above the line.
"This is…?" Chris stepped forward.
"When I got it back… it wasn't completely perfect." Rui gently put a hand on the scars. "It's just gonna be a permanent reminder of what I had lost, and that it was a miracle I even got something to replace it."
Chris started to reach a hand out, before looking at Rui. Rui nodded to give her consent, as Chris gently traced her fingers on the scars. Her fingers felt the unnatural smoothness of her new skin, contrasted with the occasional roughness above her collarbone.
"...why are you showing me this?" Chris asked.
"The choice you made with Stephan was hard, and it's impossible to say if you made the right or wrong decision." Rui said. "I… I can understand that sort of feeling, from both your end, his sister's, and even him. I remember how you hesitated when fighting me all those months ago, and I know how this situation has been eating away at you inside."
Chris was silent, before she pulled her hand away, buttoning up Rui's shirt.
"So… I guess what I want to say is that no matter what, I'll understand you." Rui said softly. "I'm here for you, Chris."
Chris didn't respond, but wrapped her arms around her, pulling her into a hug. Rui was a bit surprised by the notion, but returned it. In that moment, she could feel Chris' warmth, close enough that she could smell her hair. It was a nice feeling, something she knew Chris likely felt the same about.
She wasn't sure how long they would've stayed like that, but it was interrupted as they heard a rumble in the distance.
The alarm started to blare on the bridge of HQ. Genjuro looked up. "What's the matter?"
"Alca-Noise detected in the Tokyo Bay!" Fujitaka announced.
"God, are you kidding me?!" Maia cursed as the screen showed the multi-headed monster. "Now of all times?!"
"Is it another space-splitter? Or something new?" Ogawa asked, as he and Jeanne entered the room. "Either way, it's gargantuan!"
"The thing is hundreds of times bigger than the buildings around it…" Jeanne muttered.
"We can't let them pass." Tsubasa said. "Neesama and I are heading out!"
The Kazanari twins ran out of the room, pulling out their pendants.
High above the massive Alca-Noise, the air seemed to be shimmering. Cloaked in the sky was a huge airship, where the alchemists were watching their handiwork.
"There were a bunch of nice toys besides Tiki hidden below that opera house." Cagliostro said, holding a staff with serpent heads carved at the tip.
"Basically, we just had to share the joy with all these people." Prelati said.
"With the power of God in our hands, we of the Bavarian Illuminati will right the laws of this world." Saint-Germain agreed.
"If it's for the good of others, then can't we work together?" Saint-Germain recalled Hibiki's words.
"We fight for a just cause- no, for justice itself." Saint-Germain strengthened her resolve. "I can't afford to reconsider the steps already taken, even if I have to struggle alone."
"But you're not alone." Prelati said, smiling. "Basically, we can't leave you by yourself."
"It's thanks to you that we're here at all." Caglistro added. "Wherever you go, we'll go together."
Saint-Germain turned back to the massive Alca-Noise, but smiled at the words of her allies.
"Roger! We'll head to the helicopter pickup point!" Hibiki said, answering the call on her communicator.
Rui and Chris quickly ran over to the girls. "We got the call! No time to waste! Let's go!"
"Understood." Shuri started to run, but Chris grabbed her shoulder. "Oneesama?"
"If those alchemists show up, stay away from them." Chris said. "You need to stay safe."
"I know. I won't make that mistake again." Shuri nodded as the Yukine twins went on ahead.
"We should head back to HQ." Shirabe said.
Kirika quickly gobbled down her crepe. "I'b wobbied adout Mawia ad Elfnwein!"
As the two headed back to HQ, it left only the Tachibana twins and Miku.
"We'd better get going." Rui said, as Hibiki nodded.
"Miku, you should hide out at the school shelter." Hibiki said, before she started to run. "And keep Yusuke safe too."
"Hibiki!" Miku called, as her friend stopped running. Rui had noticed it as well, feeling something was off.
"Everyone has something they'll never give up on." Hibiki said. "But that doesn't mean I can afford not to win."
"You don't have to win." Miku pointed out as Hibiki turned around. "Just don't lose."
Yusuke jumped onto Miku's shoulder, meowing in encouragement.
"Yeah… she's right." Rui nodded. "And I'll be there to make sure you never lose."
Seeing the tears in Hibiki's eyes, Rui pulled out a handkerchief to wipe them. Once they were gone, Hibiki put a hand on her chest. "There's a song in my heart!"
"There sure as hell is." Rui smiled, as did Miku. "Now let's go kick some ass."
Hibiki nodded, as the Tachibana twins rushed off to join the others.
"Maria… Maria… Maria, wake up."
Maria opened her eyes to find herself floating in a dark blue void, almost like water. Elfnein and Lala were next to her, which is when she noticed both she and Lala were back in their normal clothes. Hearing the voice as well, Elfnein and Lala woke up, looking to see that floating above them was a man in a lab coat with white hair and glasses.
"A-Are you…?" Elfnein realizes.
"His appearance matches the description and footage from Tesla's notes." Lala said.
"Indeed." Dr. Ver chuckled. "I am but a passing hero."
"Dr. Ver! I thought you died!" Maria shouted.
"And yet I live on in your heart like so." Ver said, fixing his glasses as an insane expression formed and the area around them fluctuated in color. "That's what we dead people do!"
A/N: Once again, not too much to say. While we deal with the main canon events in AXZ, we continue to have Rui's own subplot involving talking to her friends. Though here, we also have a bit more involving some of the FIS-related cast members, as well as Lala.
Feel free to leave a review. See you all next time.