WARNING: Before you read this chapter, make sure you check it's the correct one. There was a mistake in the chapter publication last week, so when I uploaded the right one, it didn't send a notification to those who are following the story. So make sure you're where you're supposed to be to avoid spoilers.

Author's Note: I'll be releasing one more chapter before I take a week off because I have midterms coming up. It should be coming up over the weekend.

Chapter 31
Mystery After Mystery

"Ah, Yosuke-sama." The blonde maid greeted him as she stepped aside."Please come in. Tanaka-sama is waiting for you."

The Tanaka residence was located in Minato, just a few train rides from Lydian. It was a big two stories high house with a beautiful porch and an even more beautiful garden. Yosuke never really understood why the Tanakas never moved. It was always just Goro and his dad so that whole extra space was unnecessary. And now...

Yosuke shook his head, forcing a smile."Thank you, Kowaru-san." He allowed himself into the house and idly walked by the corridor leading to the living room. He saw the many pictures hanging on the wall. The majority of them were of Goro and his dad, but a good portion of them contained himself and Akira in it. He couldn't help but smile, briefly reminiscing about old times.

"Yosuke, my boy." Jo Tanaka set his newspaper down as he was sitting on his couch."It's been a while, hasn't it? Keeping busy, I hope?"

"It's been a rather complicated month, I'll say that much, sir." Yosuke chuckled, sitting on the larger couch on the side."Sorry I haven't been visiting you. Has the Commander..."

"He has. But I told him to only visit me once a month at least." Jo replied, waving his hand."I don't want to intervene in his busy schedule. He's responsible for you all, the defenders of humanity. I am not lonely. Kowaru-chan keeps me accompanied when she's here."

"I'm happy to hear you're doing fine." Yosuke nodded with a smile."I do apologize, but I'd like to cut to the chase, if possible..."

"Right. You want to ask me something, correct?" Jo quirked a brow."When you called me, I was a little surprised. I didn't expect you to want to get involved and do some detective work, all things considered."

"I know I said I don't want to follow my father's footsteps...but being a detective runs in the family, after all. And this is important. However, the thing I want to investigate started after my father died, so his computer doesn't have any information on the matter. I know you retired ever since you got sick, but I know someone like you would keep tabs on an incident like this."

"I'll admit, it did pique my interest." Jo confirmed."It was back when Akira and Kanade were still around. Two years before their deaths. I have a friend in the force who keeps me in the loop about cases that seem...out of the ordinary. Kaiser Academy witnessed the murder of 10 victims. All of them seniors. Their bodies either disappeared or were found torn apart. As if an animal had mauled them."

"Very similar to what's been going on with the salarymen found dead, right?"

"Correct." Jo nodded."It seems you've been keeping tabs on that particular case."

"I know the one who's been killing those people." Yosuke furrowed his brow."He's a Kamen Rider. Kamen Rider Gai. He confirmed it when we fought him. He's also the one responsible for the destruction of Kaiser Academy."

"I saw the broadcast." Jo somberly said."Those poor kids...And their families...I know full well what it's like to lose a son. It destroys you. No parent should ever have to bury their children. So you've been tracking his trail?"

"I have. Recently, he assisted us in fighting FIS, the paramilitary terrorist group that declared war on the whole world. He has a history with them. More than we're aware of. I think that if we can get him to talk, he'll give us information that may help us find FIS and stop them."

"I see. So you plan to track him and make him spill the beans. If he's familiar with them, it could help you be prepared for your next encounter with them. But based on what you've told me...Do you think there's a link between the Kaiser murdered and the salarymen ones?"

"I have reason to believe that Kamen Rider Gai is also responsible for the deaths of those students. He admitted to Adachi that he was 22 years old when they fought at the school. A 22-year-old would have been 18, presumably a senior in high school. And if the MO is the same, I believe that he was the one who did all of that."

"It certainly seems plausible. However, you should be careful with those assumptions."

"Right. I know that I'm merely speculating. And any detective worth a damn would know better than that. There's no evidence to suggest that Gai was telling the truth, and the one who killed those students 4 years ago might have been another Rider entirely."

"That is true. We could narrow down our search a little bit and establish a motive." Jo pressed a button on a remote that was on his chair's armrest, prompting Kowaru to enter the room."Dear, would you be so kind to bring me a folder in my room? The one I was reading the other day on the second shelf next to my closet?"

"Yes, sir." Kowaru bowed, exiting the living room and heading upstairs. A few minutes later, the maid returned and handed the folder to the old man. He opened it and began browsing through the documents."Yosuke, what can you tell me about the salarymen who have been killed? Is there a connection?"

"Well, based on what I know, they were known to be full of demanding and pompous. Most of them were figures of power and were constantly being reported by their underlings. The regular workers were often arrogant people known to belittle others to the point where their colleagues would criticize them behind their backs."

"We're off to a good start then." Jo handed him a piece of paper detailing information on the dead students."All of those students were bullies."

"Bullies...?"

"That's right. They were constantly bullying students. Most of them were popular kids and athletes as well as some with a wealthy background that would help them cover up their acts. You probably don't know, but the old principal was found to be a crook. Stole school funds, harassed students, accepted bribes to change grades, you name it. He was also found dead."

"The motive... aligns. It makes sense, right?" Yosuke stared at the paper with wide eyes."Gai must have killed these students back when he was in school. And they're all seniors too. So that means...is Gai a salaryman as well?"

"It's possible. Or at least, he works in a similar field." Jo nodded."But there is a problem. What happened between high school and his job?"

"That's true. He should have gone to college, right? There has to be some kind of record of murderers. Unless he stayed quiet. I wonder if-"

Just then, Yosuke's phone began ringing. He excused himself, answering the phone."Yes. No, I'm not around school, why? What?! Right now?! Got it. I'm on my way!"

"Something happened?"

"My friends are being attacked." Yosuke took out his Deck."It's important. I..."

"I get it." Jo raised his hand, cutting him off."Feel free to come back whenever you get a chance. I'll do some research of my own and see what else I can find."

"Yes, sir. Thank you. For everything." Yosuke ran to the stairs of the second floor, briefly stopping in front of Goro's room.

"So, what are we going to do for summer?" Akira had said back when they were all on summer break as they headed inside the room."We could go to the beach."

"You just want to see Kanade's swimsuit." Yosuke accused him as he was eating a popsicle.

"Guilty as charge." Akira chuckled, letting his body fall onto Goro's bed."But it's a good idea, right?"

"I think it's a good idea, Akira-senpai." Goro meekly commented."It's really hot outside, so cooling our heads could be a good idea."

"See, GoroGoro gets it." Akira shifted his gaze to Yosuke, who was leaning against the wall."Why do you hate the beach?"

"I hate getting sand everywhere." Yosuke shuttered at the thought.

"Liar! You're just afraid of another fish climbing up your trunks!" Akira guffawed, much to his dismay. Goro joined in on the chuckle, though a bit apprehensive to not hurt Yosuke's feelings.

"I never really got over my disdain for beaches. It feels like forever since we went to the beach." In real-time, the young man pulled out the promise rings around his neck."It's...hard to believe that out of the original 5, only Tsubasa and I are left. I refuse...I refuse to let any more friends die. I'll end this game, one way or another."

"Oh. Akira Nishitani, huh? So that's the name he went by after? How surprising." He recalled Genjuro reciting the exact words Ouja had said to him during their brief encounter."Yeah, I knew him. I'm surprised he never told you about my existence. Truly breaks my heart. But as what my connection with him was...that's for you to find out."

Yosuke decided to put suppress his thoughts on the matter and go up to the attic, opening the window and transforming.

"Ah..." Femme hugged herself with a low moan."Poor thing." She glanced back at the corpse behind her."How unfortunate. I've done this more times than I probably realize, and yet I did the mistake of not cutting her deep enough...How pathetic of me. Because of my incompetence, she suffered more than she needed to. I will never forget her death. A person is truly dead when they're forgotten. Honestly, I don't like ending things this quickly. I like to inflict pain. With pain, comes fear. If there is no pain, they have no reason to fear, right?"

"You...you..." Ryuki trembled, his gaze still fixated at the sight of blood on the ground."You just...killed her...You killed Shibuzawa-san..."

Femme tilted her head, leaning slightly forward."Isn't that...what I just said? Did I...not make it clear enough...?"

"You're insane." Zolda gritted his teeth. He took a step back, and for some reason felt hot. He turned on his heels, noticing a glow emanating from Hibiki."Holy shit. Tachibana, you're smoking hot!"

"Huh?!"

"No, like, literally." He quickly corrected himself."Look...shit, I shouldn't have let you transform. Stay back. I'll handle Alternative Zero and the Noise. Luitenant, you-"

Ryuki screamed at the top of his lungs, lunging at Femme and ignoring Zolda's warnings. He swung his blade, but she parried using her double-bladed staff."Damn you!"

Femme grinned sardonically under her helmet, pushing him back. But he wasn't going to let this stop him. He rushed right back into battle."You can't..."

The swan-theme Rider twirled her staff, blocking Ryuki's strikes."...defeat me..."

Frustrated, the boy threw himself at him but she struck him in the head with the handle, sending him staggering backward. She then kicked him in the stomach, sending him skidding on the ground."...with half-asses attempts like this."

"Hajime-san!" Hibiki cried out.

"I'm fine..." Ryuki took a deep breath, trying to calm down. He was fuming, but he remembered what Yosuke had told him.'I have to...stay in control. I can't let my emotions get the better of me...'

After counting to 10 and taking deep breaths, the dragon Rider grabbed his blade firmly, staring down at his opponent.

"Oh? You're going to be careful now, Ryuki-kuuuuun...?" She extended her sentence with a mocking tone."But that's good. That's very good. I wanted to fight you for some time now...All these fights that have occurred and all this opportunity to leave my mark...but they've been so far from school...I wouldn't say I like running around too much. Sure, I find it better when they run...it makes it a fun experience..."

"Fun experience for what? Do you like killing people for the fun of it?" Hajime felt himself growing sick at how bloody her armor was. Hibiki watched on, wanting to intervene but remembered Zolda's order.

"The fun of it? Well, I guess it is fun..." Femme grabbed one of the edges of her staff."I love slicing people up. Cutting them up and feeling my blade dissecting them...But...I do it because I want to leave a mark. Like Jack the Ripper did. And have my name transcend the boundaries of time. Be endless. What you saw today? Me slicing that girl's throat? It will be an image burnt in your retinas. When you go to bed, you'll remember. When you're at your wedding, you'll remember. When you're looking at your first child, you'll remember. When you're dying of old age, you'll remember. And you'll remember me...won't you?"

"What...? I'll remember you...?"

"People remember good times fondly, but they also never forget the bad memories. Their traumas, their fears. Their terrors." Femme chuckled to herself."But of course, I don't know if I can resist the urge of tearing you apart limb from limb. I'm not supposed to, but..."

"I've heard enough!" Ryuki cut her off."I'm done listening to you, you psychopath!"

"Go ahead then!" Femme screamed in retaliation. She threw her staff behind her back, doing a quick spin before grabbing it. She bent her knees slightly, and bent her back as much as she could."Let's start the bloodbath, Ryuki-kun!"

Zolda pulled the trigger of his visor, quickly changing his targets as he destroyed the Noise around him. His real object, however, was amongst the Noise, slowly approaching.

Shoot Vent: Gigacannons

Zolda began shooting at the crowd of Noise, forcing Alternative Zero to come out of hiding."Stop hiding and face me, you coward! Or better yet, give me that cane and surrender."

"Surrender? Now, why would I do that, when I have the advantage?" Alternative Zero scoffed, drawing a card from his Deck."We're just getting started."

Sword Vent: Slashdagger

Clicking his tongue, the green Rider began shooting missiles at the doctor, but he summoned Noise to serve as a shield.

Accel Vent

Alternative Zero's speed increased significantly, taking Zolda by surprise and slashing one of his cannons off. The Rider took this opportunity and delivered a powerful horizontal kick against the doctor's shoulder, knocking him to the ground. He aimed the remaining cannon and fired.

The doctor followed the suit's battle system and rose his weapon, blocking the missile entirely. Before Takeru could fire the next one, he ran up to him, forcing him to block his strike with his Magnuvisor.

'I have to get Solomon's Cane.' Takeru tried grabbing it, but the pseudo-Rider merely smacked him with the cane and summoned more Noise. He noticed a few Noise beginning to target Hibiki and the other girls watching from afar, so he quickly used another ability.

Shoot Vent: Magnumini

He began spraying the bullets from his minigun around, killing the Noise. Having his mind concentrated on the Noise, he didn't notice Alternative Zero sneaking up on him and striking him with his blade, causing him to stagger backward and drop his weapon.

'This fucking pussy keeps summing Noise to diverge my attention and attack when I'm distracted!' Zolda hissed in annoyance.'I'm getting sick of this. And fast.'

'Yes! I can see him and predict his movements!' Dr. Ver grinned from ear to ear.'This suit gives me accurate live data and allows me to counter his attacks while it gets stronger! He's no match for a true hero, after all!'

On the other hand, Ryuki and Femme were engaging in fierce combat, each of them using their melee weapons to strike at the other. They were relentless, each of them attacking and simultaneously countering. Hibiki watched in awe as their blades moved in quick succession, appearing as blurs to her. Hajime was fighting differently. He wasn't just swinging his sword in rage like before. Now, he seemed to be focused.

Femme swept at his feet but he jumped, returning the favor with a jab to her side. The girl hissed in pain but laughed at the end, thrusting the blade of her staff forward. Ryuki swung his blade upward, changing the trajectory of the thrust but Femme merely used the other end of the staff to attack. He leaped back, barely dodging being slashed.

"Why so serious all of a sudden?" Femme taunted."I thought you were furious after I killed that girl?"

Ryuki said nothing, merely taking a battle stance.

"But you know..." Femme lowered her tone."It's nothing to be sad about...After all, she's not really dead. As long as her name is remembered, she will always live on. Isn't that what people say when someone dies? That they'll live inside of them? You should be happy, Ryuki-kun."

"Is it too much to ask for you to just shut up and fight?" Ryuki grinded his teeth.

"No need to be so hostile...YOU PIECE OF DOG SHIT! I'LL TEAR YOU APART!" Femme lunged at him, drawing a card from her deck and materializing her Blancvisor, a rapier, and activating her ability.

White Vent: Sky Walk

"Dance of the Swan." She muttered as a pair of white boots with wings clad her feet. She first gave a horizontal kick, which Ryuki blocked with his forearm. Before he could retaliate, she delivered a second one, which he was forced to block. She repeated this motion and increased her speed and strength with each kick, slowly forcing Ryuki to start backing away. It got to the point where she kicked the sword out of his hands, leaving him defenseless."What's wrong?! Cat cut your tongue, dipshit?! Not so smug now?! I won't let you go!" The swan Rider cackled."I'm going to break your arms and when I do, I'll have my way with you! I'll rip out your intestines and force that girlfriend of yours to watch! It'll be amazing! I LOVE having an audience! And who knows..."

She delivered a final kick, clashing against Ryuki's forearm, and due to the strength of the attack, the young man hit himself and took the full force of the kick, knocking him down."...I'll slaughter her too!"

Upon hearing those words, Ryuki bit his tongue to prevent himself from passing out, standing on one arm and kicking Femme across the head, sending her flying away. He lost his balance, falling on his back.

"Hajime-kun!" Hibiki rushed to him but remembered what Zolda had told her.

"I'm fine, just...my head is spinning..." He tried to stand up but was too dizzy.

"I'm surprised..." Femme chuckled, laying on her back before suddenly sitting up."I'm rusty...and yet that attack should have been enough to hospitalize someone. At full power, decapitate you. But you stopped it and ended up with a mere concussion. You...are strong. I understimated you..."

"Glad...you're amused..." Ryuki muttered, finding himself grinning.'This girl is fucking crazy. One wrong move and I'm dead.'

"But then again...you did fight Odin and survived. And you defeated Fine as well." Femme slowly stood up, her torso bent forward and her arms hanging limply.

"How do you know all of that?" Hibiki asked, and her chuckle only served to make the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

"I know a lot of things...But...there is something I don't know..." Femme threw her torso back, finally standing straight."If I were to spare your life...would you tell me where she is? Miku Kohinata, that is."

"Miku...?" Hibiki's eyes widened.

"Why did she name-drop you, Miku?" Shiori whispered in her ear as they hit behind a car."Do you know her?"

"No!" Miku gasped, afraid of why that killer Rider would know her name."I have no idea!"

"But then again, she's wearing a mask..." Yumi rationalized."Maybe she's a student..."

"That's seriously bad." Kuriyo swallowed the lump in her throat."If there's a serial killer in our school with powers like that, we're in big trouble."

"Is it one of those girls?" Femme was suddenly facing them, causing them to shriek in fear."One of them...is Miku Kohinata...right?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ryuki gulped down."They're just regular girls. Much like the one you just murdered..." He looked over his shoulder, looking at the worried expression on Hibiki's face.'Hibiki-san, please, don't do anything reckless just yet.'

"Is that so...?" She drawled, twirling her blade around."I suppose that's...reasonable...But..." Without warning, she began dashing at the girls."I don't give a damn! I just want to kill something NOW!"

"No!" Hibiki and Ryuki ran after her.

"Just kidding," Femme screamed as she had already drawn a card.

Final Vent: Misty Slash

Out of nowhere, a swan flew past Hibiki and Ryuki, landing behind them. The swan Monster began flapping its wings, creating strong currents of wind that propelled both youths toward Femme, who was spinning her Wingslasher like the blades of a helicopter. Ryuki quickly drew a card and frown upon seeing his Advent Monster. But he had no choice.

Advent: Dragreder

Dragredered roared, firing a fireball at Femme's back, forcing her to leap to the side and slide across the pavement. Hibiki and Ryuki landed roughly on the ground, but safe.

"Dragreder! You saved us!" Hibiki beamed at the dragon, but Hajime wasn't as happy.

"You! I heard what you did to me!"

Dragreder simply snorted, baring its teeth at him before roaring.

"Huh?! I don't care if you were mad! I was mad too! But you nearly killed my friends! Don't do that ever again-"

The dragon swatted him with its tail, flinging Ryuki into the ground.

"Hajime-san!" Hibiki cried, rushing to him.

"Luitenant!" Zolda screamed and as he attempted to go help, but a few circular saws landed in front of him, prompting him to stop

(Play Shul Shagana)

On cue, Kirika and Shirabe landed in front of Alternative Zero."We won't let you hurt him-desu!"

"We hate to say it, but we need him alive," Shirabe added.

"I appreciate the gesture..." Alternative Zero scoffed."Your words are too kind."

"You guys have a shitty sense of timing." Takeru clicked his tongue."What, now I gotta fight you three?"

"Considering you're having a hard time fighting the doctor alone, adding us to the equation would only decrease your chances of winning further."

Zolda acknowledged the purple-eyed girl with a snort."Maybe. But he likes to hide behind others. Just like he is now."

Femme observed from afar with great interest at the girls."So...that's a Symphogear? I've never seen one up close before."

"Kirika!" Ryuki cried out to the blonde.

Kirika furrowed her brow, adverting her gaze.

"That's...lovely..." Femme chuckled sinisterly."Look at the cute little ducklings that have just arrived...So that's...your enemy...?"

"You won't get close to her." Ryuki growled, clenching his fists."I'll kill you before you touch either of them."

"Hajime-san, wait-" Before Hibiki could stop him, she fell on her knees, writhing in pain.

"Hibiki-san!" Both Zolda and Ryuki yelled.

'I should be careful not to poke the dragon too much this time.' Alternative Zero slowly reached for his back pocket, pulling out two syringes. Taking advantage of their distracted state, the doctor injected them into their necks, causing them to squirm away.

"What did you just do?!" Kirika grabbed at her neck.

"LINKER?" Shirabe frowned."But we just-"

"That's why I'm using it now." Dr. Ver smirked under his helmet."Believe me, that white Rider is a complete monster who is capable of going toe to toe with the dragon. Not to mention we also have this monster to worry about too. Said booster shot will help suppress the backlash of your Superb Songs!"

"You're out of your damn mind!" Kirika snapped."Why would we do that for you?!'

"You must." Alternative Zero spread his arms widely."This is our only way of winning. Besides, you didn't come here just because you consider me a friend. I bet that old bat's condition has worsened, and Jades-kun needs immediate medical attention. You practically need me. Of course, you can choose not to do it, but the side effects of the overdose will be very unpleasant, to say the least. Much worse than singing."

"How dare you..." Ryuki grinded his teeth, seeing red."I'll...I'll-!"

"Let this be a reminder of how your actions affect others when you lose control."

Ryuki recalled Yosuke's words, deciding to instead take a deep breath and calm himself.

"It's better if she does it, Hajime-kun." Dr. Ver hollered at him."You can strike me down right now if you want. Go ahead and go berserk, but you'll kill everyone here indiscriminately. Your dragon friend doesn't care, does he?"

"Dragreder..." Hajime grumbled, staring down at his visor."Kirika...Why can't I do anything right...?"

"We have no choice, Kiri-chan." Shirabe winced, already feeling the effects."We have to bring the doctor back to mom and Jades-nii-chan..."

"I know..." Kirika nodded, her gaze falling on Ryuki."Gatrandis Babel ziggurat Edenal..."

"Emustolronzen Fine el Balal zizzl..."

"We have to stop them!" Hibiki pleaded to her friends."A Superb Song, using LINKER, will rip the life out of them!"

"Stop it how though...?" Zolda clenched his visor tightly.'I don't know if we can trust that guy's word, but if we stop them and he's right, they'll be worse off, right?'

"Gatrandis Babel ziggurat Edenal..."

"A Superb Song?" Femme wondered aloud.'Judging by their reaction...it can't be good...'

"Emustolronzen Fine el Balal zizzl..."

"Kirika! I'm sorry!" Ryuki yelled to her, though he knew it was pointless.

"It's okay, Hajime-kun." Hibiki smiled at her friend despite the pain she was in."I'll save her. Both of them. Gatrandis Babel ziggurat Edenal..."

'She's...using her Superb Song too...?' Alternative Zero quirked a brow.

"Emustolronzen Fine el Balal zizzl..."

"Hibiki..." Zolda immediately knew what she was doing. That stunt she pulled back at the concert. If it worked, she could save them. But in the state she was in...

"Gatrandis Babel ziggurat Edenal..."

"Our energy outputs...aren't enough to activate our Superb Songs?" Shirabe found herself losing power fast.

"How did she do that?!" Kirika was taken back, watching as Hibiki was shining brighter than ever.

"Set Harmonics!" Hibiki began harnessing the power, her body literally catching fire. She slammed her hands together, making the gauntlet on her right arm bigger and manifested a rainbow spiral around it. She punched the air, releasing the energy in one burst of power, and expelled a rainbow tornado that could be seen from everywhere in the city.

"Why did she...?" Shirabe whispered to herself, unable to comprehend what drove Hibiki to do that.

"Kirika, Shirabe, grab the doctor and get out of there immediately." Nastassja's voice spoke through their comms."Three high-speed signals are closing in on your location. More than likely Kamen Rider Knight, Ichaivail, and Ame-no-Habakiri. And you're under the strain of the LINKER overdose, as well."

"Understood." Both of them replied reluctantly.

"Hold on!" Ryuki tried to run after them, but they had already leaped into the air, grabbing onto ropes coming from their VTOL."Kirika!"

Zolda thought to shoot the damn thing, but he didn't want to hurt those girls. He knew one of them meant a lot for the Luitenant, after all. He then gasped, realizing the state Hibiki was in. He tried approaching her, but he felt the intense heat coming out of her. What's worse, he noticed shards protruding from her chest."Fucking hell..." He looked everywhere for something to help the situation and he spotted a water tower above their heads."Nice! We can just do what Ryuga did to Ryuki when he was burning up."

Shoot Vent: Gigalauncher

He aimed his rocket launcher at the tower, firing a single rocket at it and making a hole, causing the water to fall directly onto Hibiki. The water immediately heated up, filling the street with steam. But fortunately, Hibiki was back to her normal self, albeit unconscious."Hibiki!"

"Hibiki-san!" Both Riders ran to her along with the Symphogear.

"What the hell! You were supposed to be in charge of making sure she didn't transform!" Chris jabbed her finger against Zolda's armor."And look what happened!"

Tsubasa said nothing, her gaze fixated on Hibiki.

"Look, a lot happened, okay?" Zolda rose his arms, taking a step back."Can't blame me for this."

"He's right." Ryuki chimed in."A new Rider showed up. Kamen Rider Femme and-Wait...where is she?"

The group looked around, noticing the lack of anybody in the vicinity. Ryuki panicked and began running to where the girls had run to but he lost his footing, falling to the ground.

"Hey, what happened?!" Chris ran to help him up."You okay?!"

"Femme hit his head really hard." Takeru trailed off, his eyes gazing upon the corpse of the young girl Femme had killed. Chris and Tsubasa were horrified to see one of their peers dead. But what was worse was the expression of pure horror she had before dying.

"Keep going, girls!" Kuriyo looked back to her friends who were running out of breath.

"But...I'm so tired..." Yumi groaned, finally stopping and falling to her knees.

Miku panted, glancing back at where they came from."Hibiki..."

"Don't worry, Miku, I'm sure they're fine," Shiori reassured her.

"We have to think about YOUR safety right now." Yumi planted her hands on her hips."You're not an anime protagonist. None of us are. If we had stuck around, that crazy armored girl would have killed us!"

"I wonder...what she wants with me...?" Miku muttered, perturbed that she was being persecuted.

"We'll figure that out later. Now, we have to-"

In the blink of an eye, Femme was now in between all four of them, grabbing her Blancvisor. Before any of the could react, she unsheathed her blade to cut their throats simultaneously, but a foot stopped her forearm, preventing her attack.

The girls all shrieked in fear, recoiling away. Knight stood in front of Femme, stopping her arm with his foot. She felt a sword to her throat and the bat Rider leaned forward."This is as far as you got, you madwoman."

"Mad?" Femme grabbed Knight's rapier."Yes...I am mad. Mad with adoration...mad with desire...mad for eternity!"

Knight retracted his weapon as the girls stood behind them.

"I'm so happy...I finally get to meet the heroes of the Lunar Attack." Femme had a deranged smile under her helmet."The heroes of humanity. Recognized by everyone as heroes. I wonder...how would the world react if I get to slaughter you all? Will I leave a scar on this world by wiping out its heroes?"

"What are you..."

"I could kill you right now...or so I would say...but I am a bit rusty due to not fighting for so long. But I could just go all out and see how far my body can go..." Inside her helmet, the white sclera of her yellow eyes turned pitch black as a black aura surrounded her body. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her head, forcing her to stagger back.'Not...enough energy, huh?'

Knight had enough and lunged at her to strike her while she was distracted.

Whirlwind Vent

Once he pierced through her, her body exploded into thousands of white feathers obstructing their view. He used his cape to cover his helmet and tried to scan the area, only to realize Femme was gone.'Great. Just great.'

"Girls!" Jades ran to his sisters, sighing in relief once they boarded the VTOL. His relief quickly turned to anger once he noticed Alternative Zero standing behind them. He walked past them, grabbing the man by his neck and slamming him against the wall.

"Jades-nii!" Maria gasped as she pushed Nastassja's wheelchair.

"I should throw you off over the fucking edge right now." Jades muttered between gritted teeth, tightening his grip on him."You son of a bitch! How dare you do that to-ugh!"

The silver-haired man took a step back, hissing in pain as his arms were aching.

"Onii-chan!" Kirika screamed in dread as she saw his bandages now stained with blood. The younger girls quickly rushed to help Jades up."Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine..." Jades winced at the pain in his arms."Just...never mind about me. I'm more worried about you two. Are you..."

"That girl drained our energy and took the strain from using our Superb Songs." Shirabe quickly elaborated."But...why?"

"Maybe it was because Jades saved one of them." Nastassja said, earning several silent gasps."There's no harm in you knowing. But when Hajime Adachi's Advent Monster went out of control, he attacked Tsubasa Kazanari, who was being used as a hostage by Dr. Ver. But upon realizing he was going to attack her and him, he pushed her aside, leaving her vulnerable to the attack. Jades here threw her out of the way and saved her. That's how he ended up with his arms burnt. So I suppose that Hibiki Tachibana wanted to return the favor. Or...maybe that's just in her nature."

'I also saved Chris Yukine...' Jades said in his mind.

"That aside..." Dr. Ver returned to normal, pocketing the Alternative Zero Deck."I do apologize for doing that to you, girls. But given the enemies we were facing, we couldn't afford to go small. I assure you, it won't happen again. To make it up to you, I'll take a look at Jades' arms and Nastassja's condition."

"Fine...I'm not of any use with my arms like this." The burly man reluctantly agreed. He followed Maria and Nastassja with the doctor behind them, leaving the girls by themselves.

"So Jades-nii-chan saved one of them?" Kirika inquired."I wasn't aware of that."

"It might have happened when we couldn't track the fight. But I wonder why he did it." Shirabe frowned."And more importantly, why did they save us? I mean, they aren't obligated to return the favor, after all."

"It's strange..." Kirika yawned."Sorry...I'm a little sleepy."

"We should get some rest, Kiri-chan. I want to go look for Andreas and Raiden whenever possible." Shirabe said, following Kirika to their chambers.

Once the group had taken Hibiki back to Section Two, they were forced to wait for her surgery outside the ICU.

"I'm really sorry..." Takeru apologized again, his head hanging in shame."I should have stopped her from transforming..."

"You didn't have a choice, Sakamoto-san..." Miku shook her head, gently placing her hand on his shoulder."That's just how Hibiki is...she'll help no matter what..."

"Well, she has to stop doing that from now on." Yosuke folded his arms."She has to think about herself too."

"But that puts us at a disadvantage, right?" Takeru frowned."We're one Symphogear down and this homicidal maniac showed up and is looking for Kohinata-chan."

"Why is Femme looking for her?" Tsubasa leaned forward, intertwining her fingers."Did she say anything specific?"

"Not really. She was just blabbering weird stuff." Hajime supplied, holding a pack of ice on his head."Something about leaving an impact and making our fight memorable..."

"She did mention something about eternity." Yosuke nodded."She said she wants to kill us because we're the heroes of humanity. And killing heroes will give her some kind of...fame or whatever."

"How would killing Miku-san help her with whatever she wants?" Hajime asked, but no one had an answer."Don't worry, Miku-san. I'll protect you."

"We all will." Chris corrected him."This fucking psycho goes to our school. She's one of us. Hell, for all we know, one of us probably has her in their classroom."

"I haven't noticed anyone like that," Miku said.

"People like them are easily spotted." Tsubasa remarked."Not to mention our school performs backgrounds for students since they're still looking for potential gear users."

"Great. So Femme is not only a Rider but could wield her own Gear." Takeru muttered."Maybe...she can mask her real personality like Ouja. Maybe that's why we can't recall ever seeing an unhinged person like that in our classes."

"She's insane. When I was fighting her, it felt like I was fighting with different people." Hajime stated, earning their full attention."She kept acting differently throughout our fight. It felt...off."

"The Commander said he'll keep Kohinata under surveillance for the time being. A pair of guards guarding her at all times but not obvious enough to prevent her from living her normal life. Is that okay with you?"

"Y-yes...thank you so much." Miku bowed slightly, feeling a wave of relief washing over her.

"And once Hibiki-san is good to go, we'll talk to her." Hajime offered a toothy smile."Maybe she won't listen to me. But for sure she'll listen to you. You're her best friend after all."

"You...are her best friend too." Miku found herself saying.

"Me? Nah." Hajime sheepish rubbed his nape."I'm just her friend. I'll say this. I'm in love with her. But I can't compete with the bond you two have. Besides, realistically, I might die any day during combat."

Miku's eyes twitched upon hearing his words.

"Adachi!" Tsubasa gasped upon hearing that.

"What? It's true. We're fighting every day, risking our lives. And things only get more dangerous as time goes by." Hajime glanced at the ceiling."You have it easy, Miku-san. At least you don't have to get involved in all this bullshit."

"Do you honestly think I'm happy not being able to do anything?" Miku sharply turned to him."That I'm happy being the damsel in distress, waiting for Hibiki to come back to our room?"

"Miku-san..." Hajime realized the error of his words."I didn't mean-"

"No! I hate it!" Miku snapped at him."I hate feeling powerless and fearing that one day Hibiki is going to return dead! You don't know what that feels like so stop pretending you do!"

The group was left speechless, baffled at Miku's outrage. The poor girl had tears in her eyes, glaring directly at Hajime.

"Awkward..." Takeru muttered to Chris, who nudged him in the ribs.

"I'm sorry if I'm interrupting anything." Genjuro came in, feeling the tense atmosphere."Did...something happen?"

"We're all good..." Yosuke shook his head."Do you have an update?"

"Hibiki-kun will be just fine." Genjuro reassured them, causing them all to sigh in relief."Miku-kun, may I ask you to watch over her for a moment?"

"S-sure." Miku nodded.

"Do you need us for something, sir?" Takeru inquired."Is it FIS again?"

"There's something I'd like to show you all. Follow me." With that, the Commander exited the room and the rest followed behind.

Once they reached the command center, they were met with the most bizarre thing they could ever have thought of in their lives. There was a live feed of someone wearing a business suit, dancing around. Aside from their physique, indicated to be male, there was no other distinguishable characteristic. The icing on the cake was the big Maria head they were wearing, obscuring their identity.

They were playing Orbital Beat, in contrast to their Maria costume as they danced around doing all sorts of weird poses. The background was a simple green screen, preventing anyone from deducing their location.

"Can someone tell me what the fuck we're looking at?" Yosuke couldn't help but swear, watching incredulously at the screen.

"We...were in communication with Minister Shibata, and..." Sakuya trailed off, making Aoi pick up on the explanation.

"Our transition was hijacked by this person. They said they would explain what was going on when you guys would get here. They've been dancing around for a while now."

"We're working on finding their location but it's proving to be more difficult than we thought." Genjuro rubbed his chin."Hey, you! We're all here! So why don't you stop your games and tell us who you are?"

"Oh, sorry." The heavily-modulated voice of a man came through, turning off the stereo."I had to get into character. Maria the idol. Turned terrorist. What a scandal, huh?"

"Yeah?" Yosuke quirked a brow."And?"

"What, no reaction?" The figure sighed, shaking their head."And after all the trouble I got to get a Maria oversize head. They pulled all her merchandise off the market as soon as she went rogue. But you know, I never understood the appeal. I'm much more attractive than she is. She uses her attributes to earn fans. Without her breasts, what is she, really?"

"Stop talking shit about Maria!" Hajime protested, clenching his fists.

"I forgot you were her fan, Ryuki." That made everyone's eyes widen."You still don't get it, do you? Judging by those bewildered expressions. Fine. I'll give you a hint." The figure took out a card, revealing a very familiar snake symbol.

"Ouja!" They all said in unison.

"How did you hack our transmission?" Genjuro demanded, narrowing his eyes.

"It's a simple matter of knowing what to do, Genjuro Kazanari." Cypher chuckled."I have extensive knowledge of things like these. It took some time and some patience on my part. This whole thing is just a show I wanted to put on for you guys. See, 56 years ago in America, there was this incident that has remained unsolved, even to this day. A mystery that shocked the world. An unidentified person hijacked a television signal, much as I did. I've been watching a lot of documentaries recently. They're...interesting. It makes me want to know more about the world."

"Can you just get to the fucking point?" Chris hissed, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Sure." Cypher shrugged nonchalantly."In short, I have some information that may help you get closer to FIS."

"What sort of information?" Genjuro rose a brow in suspicion.

"And why help us?" Yosuke's face remain stoic, but his eyes told everyone how he felt.

"To make the game move along, of course." Cypher answered."You guys have been in a constant guerilla warfare with FIS that has led nowhere. It's stalling the game."

"Guerilla...warfare?" Hajime repeated, puzzled.

"It's a tactic that uses ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tactics, and mobility." Takeru responded."You call this a game...why?"

"That's what it is, isn't it? This isn't a war. It's a game to determine who will stand at the top and get their wish granted. This goes beyond what a simple battle royale could ever hope to offer. The high stakes, the betrayals, the friendships, and so much more makes it a thrilling game. I came to understand that when we fought Odin before. We're little people in a much greater scheme. And for that reason, I feel it necessary to make this a little more entertaining. You should know by now that I seek the strongest emotion aimed at the strongest goal. The side who is victorious might give me what I want."

"Cut the crap!" Chris snapped."This isn't a game! Lives are a stake!"

"Need I remind you...you killed Goro..." Yosuke gritted his teeth, starting to lose his cool."And you still haven't told us what your connection with Akira was."

"Still going on with that, huh?" Cypher sighed with a chuckle."Look...Just think of this as a token of good faith. Trust me. You'll find it very interesting. I'll send you some files."

"And what makes assures us you're not sending some kind of virus to overtake our systems?" Tsubasa asked as she planted her hands on her hips.

"Your staff should be competent enough to scan the files for any viruses." Cypher mocked."But then again, they're incompetent enough to prevent me from hijacking your signal. Maybe you should consider hiring me instead, Genjuro Kazanari."

"Why you little-" Sakuya was about to yell, but Aoi's stare silenced him.

"He's trying to get a reaction out of us. That's just what he wants." She chided him, her attention returning to her console."Analyzing files."

"Decompressing files." Sakuya returned to his work, albeit still feeling sore about the insult.

"Say, where's that ball of sunshine of yours?" Cypher looked around the room."Is she not feeling well?"

"Take a guess," Yosuke grumbled.

"So hostile. I was just trying to make small talk."

"Files received." Aoi typed something on her keyboard, prompting the files to be displayed on the main screen next to Cypher.

"This is-!"

"Those names..." Hajime muttered as he read the file names.

"Maria Cadenzavna Eve, Tsukuyomi Shirabe, Akatsuki Kirika, Kagutsuchi Andreas, Amaterasu Raiden, Jades Demetrios. Wait, there are others here too." Tsubasa recited the names."Serena Cadenzavna Eve...Atticus Demetrios."

"Those have the same last names as Jades and Maria." Takeru stated as he noticed the last file."That one...What's up with the random letters?"

The last file was encrypted, and instead of a name, it displayed a random selection of characters.

"I believe I've given you what you need to aid in your fight." Cypher nodded."Anyway, I'll be taking my leave. One last thing...Takeru, Chris. I still have my eyes set on you two. I will fulfill my job to Fine."

With that, Ouja cut off the transmission, leaving the room in complete silence.

"Serena and Atticus...they're related to Maria and Jades respectively, right?" Chris grimaced, already feeling sick from interacting with Ouja again.

"But we haven't seen them at all." Hajime pointed out."But wait...they did say some of their siblings had died. Atticus and...someone named Teru or something. But no one ever mentioned a Serena."

"This Teru person might be the encrypted file." Yosuke put two and two together."We need to decrypt that information. If Cypher is making it this hard for us to figure out who the last file belongs to, it must have a huge significance. One that might turn this case upside down."