Cards introduced the last chapter:
Metalshooter: slimereader
Dragknuckle: slimereader
Dragzweishield: slimereader
Drillvent: slimereader
Reviews:
Guest DCDGojira: Glad you liked it
Tigracho: Yeah, Terunosuke showing up in any scene usually doesn't end well, at least for our heroes. A little fun fact: I love writing him since I love writing asshole characters. Honestly, I'm always trying to pull at people's heartstrings lol. Though I sometimes do this to myself even though I know what's coming.
lordri25may2001: Yes, pretty much all of them have their own goals. The only one who is truly invested in Ragnarok is Hazuki. The others are in the plan because it benefits them in some way but not because they care about "saving" the world. Pretty much all the villains here have their plans but they're working together for whatever reason. As for Damian and Garie, I have something in the works. You'll have to wait and see where this goes. lol yeah, I love writing Terunosuke. He's just so unhinged and so pompous that he can steal almost any scene easily. Maria scolded Jades because realistically Jades is putting them in danger for not wanting to kill Terunosuke, so naturally, she gets stressed over this. Yeah, with all the alliances going on, it's easy to forget it's a war. But a war primarily involves groups of people, like S.O.N.G and DDV.
Tenzalucard123: Damian has some secrets that he does not know yet and will continue to reveal as the story goes on. I don't want to say much to avoid spoilers. Hajime finally defeated Gai and Ouja after losing to them back in season 1. Was the wait worth it? Yes xd.
Chapter 53
The Emptiness of Eternity
"So...how are things with you and Hajime-kun?"
"Huh?" Hibiki blinked at her best friend.
"You told me you guys argued, remember? And that you went off on Maria-san. Did you ever work that out?" Miku asked, frowning."Please tell me you did."
"I was going to." Hibiki sighed."But I haven't seen Hajime-kun since yesterday. He's been...a little distant I guess. I can't help but feel it's my fault. Look at me, not wanting to fight while he's trying his best for all of us. I'm such a terrible girlfriend..."
"That's not true, Hibiki." Miku grabbed her hand with her free hand, holding her umbrella with the other one as they walked under the rain."It's not your fault that you can't sing. Maybe it's something inside of your head. Like a block, of sorts. I'm sure he understands. But you should talk to him to sort your feelings out. I'm sure he must be going through a lot with everything he's learned about his family."
"That's true..." Hibiki looked at the ground with a sad expression."I can't believe I'm struggling to fight alongside him because I'm scared of hurting people. But he's still fighting despite everything that's happened."
"I think he does it because he doesn't want you to get hurt." Miki smiled reassuringly."Because if he fights, you won't have to fight. Just give it some time. Things like this are expected. Couples fight all the time, sometimes even for dumber things. But, if he does something to hurt you..." A murderous aura surrounded Miku."He'll have to answer to me. And no Kamen Rider power is going to save him from me."
"Heheheh." Hibiki giggled."You talk like you're an expert in relationships. Don't tell me...did you and Haz-san finally hit it off?!"
"I...well, not really." Miku blushed lightly."I haven't seen him in a while. He hasn't even shown up to school. I texted him and he said he's been feeling sick."
"So you text each other daily?"
"Yes. He sends me funny pictures now and then." Miku giggled cutely."He's so silly. At first, when I met him, he seemed too serious and kind of scary. But he's such a goofball on the inside."
Hibiki beamed at her best friend, happy to see her in high spirits. She looked ahead to resume their walk, and that's when she noticed a familiar raven-haired walking ahead of them in the rain, her clothes completely soaked."Isn't that..."
"That's Chao-Xing-san." Miku and Hibiki shared a quick nod, jogging over to the girl."Chao-Xing-san!"
Chao-Xing shifted on her heels, raising a curious brow."Oh, it's you. Tachibana Hibiki and Kohinata Miku."
"Quick! Get under the umbrella!" Miku and Hibiki scooted closer to each other to give the older girl some space."Oh my gosh! You're soaked to the bone! You'll get sick!"
Chao-Xing stared at them dumbly. She rose her head, finding herself protected from the rain after walking for a while without an umbrella."What is this? I didn't ask for this."
"You didn't, but people don't need to wait for a cry for help when they see someone in need." Hibiki shot her a grin.
The Chinese girl scoffed, stepping out of the protection of the umbrella."I don't need your pity. The rain suits me fine. In fact, I find it oddly soothing. Especially the thunders. And I don't get sick easily. I am a Liang, after all. You're dating my pathetic cousin. You should know us Liangs are resilient."
"I guess...I've never seen Hajime-kun sick before." Hibiki hummed before a frown appeared on her face."Hey! Hajime-kun is not pathetic! You shouldn't talk about him like that! He saved you!"
"I didn't need saving." Chao-Xing seethed, clenching her fist.
"But wouldn't you have died if he didn't save you?" Miku inquired, causing the girl to freeze in place.
"I-If I was unable to fight against Bragard, then I do deserve to die." Chao-Xing closed her eyes."A defeat like that would have brought the ultimate shame to our family. And the only fitting punishment is death-"
"Don't give up on living!" Hibiki suddenly shouted in her face, prompting the proud warrior to take a step back for the first time."You just can't! Think about your brother and your father! They would have been very sad to see you die! So don't go saying things like that!"
"What do you know?" Chao-Xing bit her lower lip."And what do you care? I don't like you. I don't like Lingyun or his halfbreed sister! So just buzz off and leave me alone!"
"I can't do that. You're Hajime-kun's cousin, whether you like it or not." Hibiki stood her ground as both girls stared into each other's eyes."You're his family. And despite what your side of the family did to him, that doesn't matter anymore. Now more than ever you have to be united."
"Why are you...saying all of this?" Chao-Xing asked in bewilderment."I don't understand. Why am I being lectured by a nobody like you?"
"Because we're human. And this is what humans do for each other." Hibiki adopted a determined smile."So I'm sorry if you don't like it. You don't have to like me either. But if you ever need someone to talk to or anything like that...we're willing to listen. Right, Miku?"
"Eh? Oh, right."
'Why are these two so damn nice?' Chao-Xing sighed, trying to avoid their gaze by looking elsewhere.'Why is everyone acting like this now? Is it because they pity me for missing my arm? That little halfbreed said something like that. So why-'
Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw someone watching them from afar, hiding in the shadows of an alleyway. It was relatively quick. The figure disappeared in a mere second, but Chao-Xing remained staring at the place for far too long.
"Um...Chao-Xing-san?" Hibiki gently grabbed her arm."Are you okay? Where are you looking at?"
The sudden contact snapped the girl out of her stupor. She abruptly pulled back from Hibiki's grasp, turning in the opposite direction."Nothing. Just leave me alone. I'm done listening to this."
"Oh. Okay. Have a good day then!" Hibiki said, waving her arm as the girl continued her walk, ignoring them.
"Wow, Hibiki. Where did that come from?" Miku rose her brows, taken aback by Hibiki's speech."Here I was giving you some comforting words, but you didn't need them. You told her what she needed to her."
"A-ah! I hope she doesn't think I was being presumptuous!" Hibiki yelped in realization, pulling her hair.
"No. I think she understands." Miku giggled, resuming their walk."She's just stubborn and too prideful. I guess that's where Hajime-kun gets his stubbornness from. The Liangs must have been very self-reliant people."
"I don't know. I met her dad and he's very nice and humble. Maybe not all of them were that way." Hibiki shrugged."But I guess I'll never really know. I wonder where her brother is. Shouldn't he be with her?"
"Wei Liang, right? He's on the track team. A friend of mine knows him. I assume he stayed at school for a track meeting or something. The rain kind of came out of nowhere, so I'm not that surprised she didn't bring an umbrella with her. So, is it true? Will she become a Symphogear as well?"
"That's the idea, but she keeps rejecting it." Hibiki sighed."We really could use her help. She's already proficient in martial arts, even more so than I ever was back then. So it's not like she'll be slowing us down like I did before. But she keeps saying she doesn't want handouts or a power that's not her own."
"I think I'm reading too much into this, but I believe it's because of her trauma." Miku said, catching Hibiki's attention completely."I can't imagine how she must be feeling. If Bragard was the one who wiped out her whole clan except for her dad and brother when she was little, then him coming back and taking her arm like that probably traumatized her even more. She probably plays it off as a pride thing, but I think she's genuinely terrified. She is human, after all. We're all scared of something."
"I guess that makes sense." Hibiki nodded slowly."I know what it feels like for trauma to follow you around. I wonder if Hajime-kun is scared too..."
"Ah! Finally, I found you!"
The pair looked up to a light post, where a girl with red hair and a way too wide of a smile stared down at them."You're...an Autoscorer! You look similar to Garie!"
"Yup! You got it! My name is Micha! I came to play around with you for a bit and break your Symphogear!"
Hibiki stood protectively in front of Miku, a cold sweat dripping down the back of her neck. There were people around and no doubt this Autoscorer wouldn't mind killing them too.
"If you do what I say...I can let your friend go!" Micha grinned enthusiastically."I want you to be in top shape so you can sing for me!"
"You'll...let Miku go?"
"If she can get away...then yes!" Micha threw a handful of gems at the ground, summoning a battalion of Noise that caused the bystanders to run for their lives. The Noise lunged at them, forcing the girls to split up.
"Miku! Run!"
"But what about you?!" Miku gasped in horror, watching as the Noise were closing in on them.
"I'll be fine! I can't fight with you around!"
Miku, giving a shaky nod, ran in the opposite direction, with the Noise stopping their case after her.
"You're really letting her go?" Hibiki asked, her voice full of skepticism.
"Sure! Now, sing for me!"
"Okay..." Hibiki glanced around, noticing that most people had evacuated the area. But this was still a populated area of the city, so she decided to take the fight elsewhere."Then catch me if you can!"
"What the-hey!" Micha pouted, jumping off the light post and running after her."Why are you running?"
Meanwhile, Miku hid in an alley, hoping that the Noise weren't following her.'If only Ryuga-san was here...'
A loud thud caused her to yelp, sharply turning to the source of the sound. In front of her, squatting on a dumpster, was an all too familiar lilac-haired girl. But this time, her eyes were pitch black except for her yellow pupils and black lines around her body. But to top it off, her clothes were covered in blood.
"I FINALLY FOUND YOU!" Chiaki screamed hysterically, her eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets and she waved around a pair of bloody scissors."MIKU-CHAN~!"
"Huh...so these are the Autoscorers that you guys fought with." Takeru whistled upon seeing the replays on the screen."They're kinda cute, don't you think? I guess they're not called dolls for nothing."
"Seriously?" Chris elbowed him in the ribs, causing him to yelp in pain.
"Of course, they're not as beautiful as you, babe." He quickly corrected himself, wincing in pain.
"That's better."
"That aside..." Tsubasa rolled her eyes at their antics."Is that all of them?"
"There's still Micha, who hasn't revealed herself yet." Elfnein stated."But including her, Carol has four Autoscorers under her command while Bragard has two."
"Why just two?" Yosuke folded his arms."Keeping his personality in mind, you'd think he would have more than that to protect him."
"Mainly because he only had his hands on two Decks." Elfnein responded."Also, like you said, because of his personality. He doesn't need protection. I can only assume he calls them Royal Guards for the sake of putting on a show."
"It makes sense." Ogawa nodded."The Autoscorers serve as Knights, guarding their queen and king respectively."
"Great. So we can't even beat dolls." Chris huffed."That's pathetic."
"Overpowered dolls, which apparently two of them can regenerate." Takeru patted her on the head."I'd say our odds were bad enough from the beginning."
"Aside from the fact that Zeke and Damian are hybrids between Autoscorer and Homunculus, I don't have many specifications regarding any of the Autoscorer's abilities."
"Overall, one thing we know for certain, is that the enemy is extremely powerful." Tsubasa bit her thumb."The only one capable of fighting on equal terms with them is Adachi, but he has yet to master his power."
"And Raiden-san and Andreas-san are hesitating to use Survive Shippu." Elfnein frowned."I can't blame them. I don't know how using the card will affect their bodies, given how their affinities are completely different from theirs. It could very well be life-threatening."
"Not to mention none of their Decks have been upgraded." Tobias commented."The energy surge is already high enough. But if they use a card that's not tuned to their power, it might lead to catastrophic results."
"Which is why Elfnein-kun and Tobias-kun have proposed an idea that can benefit us immensely." Genjuro chimed in."Project Ignite and Project Survive."
"Ignite and Survive?" Takeru parroted."Survive I get, but what does Ignite mean?"
"Let's start with the simple one." Tobias started."We can make copies of these Survive Cards using Thor's power as well as our knowledge of Advent technology."
"Oh, cool!" Takeru beamed, excited at the idea.
"So not only can you repair and upgrade our Decks..." Yosuke rubbed his chin."You can power us up?"
"That's right." Tobias nodded, scratching his cheek."Though, there is a small problem. Thor is only capable of creating two Survive Cards. Shippu and Rekka. While we can copy the others and make them suitable for your individual powers, they will be weaker."
"Weaker as in...how?"
"Well, for starters, you'll have a shorter time frame.." Tobias began."Also, the power boost will be significantly less than the originals. Of course, the more you master their powers, this handicap become less noticeable. But the cards will always be inferior to the real ones."
"Can't have the nice things for a change, huh?" Takeru deflated."Well, that's fine. The Luitenant and Yosuke are our strongest. So their having the strongest cards seems fitting. Besides, we still have that Divine Beast thing plan as backup, right? So not all is bad."
"Actually...that might not be possible." Tobias meekly said, seemingly shrinking.
"Huh? How come? I mean, we have 6 Advent Beasts. If we can get the others, then-"
"It's because only one Rider can possess that power and only one Rider can win the Rider War." Yosuke cut him off."Even if we use Link Vent like last time, the result is not the same as the real thing. One of us would have to make a contract with all the monsters. And that would involve all of us being killed except for one person. So you see why it's not the most optimal solution."
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense." Takeru rubbed the back of his head."We did agree we weren't going to use the wish after all. But it'd be nice if we could. And honestly, I don't want to die for that. Nor do I want to kill any of my friends."
"If it means all of you except one person dying, then we don't need that wish." Tsubasa shook her head, leaving no room for argument.
"What about the Symphogear?" Chris asked."What do you have for us with this...Ignite thing?"
Elfnein cleared her throat before beginning her long explanation."Essentially, the Symphogear possesses different functions that can turn the tides of battle."
"Yeah, we figured."Chris nodded."X-Drive and our Superb Songs."
"That's right. However, your Superb Songs are basically suicidal power boosts intended for direct combat. As for your X-Drive forms, that's only possible when extreme phonic gain is available. Which is not convenient, to say the least."
"Can't rely on miracles all the time." Takeru shrugged, resting his arm on Chris' shoulder."So what do you suggest?"
"There is another function. Similar to the Advent Decks in nature. I believe only one of you has used it."
"Wait..." Tsubasa gasped."Don't tell me you me...Are you suggesting that that berserk form Tachibana used is a function?!"
Chris marched up to Elfnein, grabbing her by the collar of her shirt."You better not be suggesting for us to use that too! You weren't then when that dummy used it!"
"Wow! Calm down!" Takeru grabbed her arm, separating her away from Elfnein."Why the hell are you getting all aggressive with her? It's a valid idea."
"A valid idea?" Yosuke asked in an incredulous tone."If it's similar to what happened to Adachi, then you're either blind or delusional, Sakamoto. You saw how uncontrollable they were. Adachi nearly killed Tsubasa!"
"Yosuke," Tsubasa said, hoping to calm the purple-haired boy down.
"It is possible to harness the berserk power that Symphogear possesses and transmute it into raw combat potential that you can utilize to face Carol." Tobias spoke up."The Dainsleif fragments can help you with that."
"Oh? Really?" Takeru adopted a grin again."Then can that help us harness our own berserk power too?"
"Unfortunately, that's impossible." Tobias shook his head."Because that state can only be achieved when both the wielder and the monster share a common goal and their spirits synchronize, even for the briefest of seconds. Not to mention that your transformations are achieved by drawing power from your Advent Monsters. If you attempt to draw more, the monster in question will go berserk and try to consume you, like it almost happened to Hajime-san. That and the important detail that you'll attack anyone on sight. Friend or foe, without restraint."
"That's a shame." Takeru sighed."Guess things can't ever be easy, huh?"
"Alright..." Chris let go of Elfnein."Sorry about that..."
"It's okay. I understand."
Just then, the alarm went off, alerting everyone of the presence of Alca Noise.
"Alca Noise detected!" Sakuya informed them, displaying the live video on the screen.
"Not only that! Gai and Ouja have shown up at Maria's location!" Aoi gasped."But Hajime-kun is on his way there!"
"A coordinated attack?!" Genjuro clicked his tongue."This can't be a coincidence..."
"Commander!" Aoi stood up from her chair with a pale expression."We lost the signal to Miku's communicator!"
"N-Nakahara-san..." Miku instinctively took a step back."W-what happened to you?! You are covered in blood! And...what are those marks on your body? And your eyes?"
"I finally have you all to myself!" Chiaki screamed, bending her back in an unnatural way."I guess dreams to come true after all! And no one is here to hear you scream as I rip your heart out!"
"W-what are you talking about...?" Miku bumped into the wall, finding herself cornered.
"You stupid bitch..." Chiaki's tone suddenly shifted."You...think you can go around...seducing my man like that...?"
"What are you-"
"You think I don't notice the way you...look at my Hazuki..." Chiaki pulled out her phone from her breast pocket, showing her a screenshot of an Instagram post Miku had posted with Hazuki. In the picture the couple smiled at the camera, enjoying two milkshakes."You stole him from me...you little whore. Did you think I was going to let that slide? Fuck no...fuck no...FUCK NO!"
"W-what?! Is this...is this your true nature, Nakahara-san...are you really here to...t-to kill me...?"
"Of course! What, did you think I was going to accept this!? No! I even made sure to write it down on my arm!" Chiaki pulled back the sleeve of her sweater, showing her fresh wounds with kanji engraved on her skin with a sharp object."I will never...ever let this slide. But that's okay, Miku-chan. I am nice. You know me, right? I am nice. Very nice. So how about we play a little game?"
"A...game?"
"Here's the problem." Chaiki twirled her scissors around as Miku slowly reached for her communicator."What matters here is whether I like you or not. And you're lucky. Very lucky. I still like you, Miku-chan. Part of me does consider you as a friend. So make sure you don't disappoint me. You have 10 seconds to run and hide while I close my eyes and count. If you win...congratulations! You get away from here! But if not..." Chiaki hummed in thought, grinning once she noticed Miku reaching for her communicator."It's a surprise. So do your best, okay? Oh, and..."
The holder of the Femme Deck threw her scissors with such precision that not only stabbed through Miku's hand but also damage her communicator. Miku released a blood-curdling scream at the pain, holding her bleeding hand and watching in horror as her palm had been pierced through all the way.
"I can't have you calling anyone here and ruining our little game. One! Two!"
Miku shrieked, not wasting any time and breaking into a sprint, tapping into her talent as a runner."Three! Four! Five!"
'Why is this happening?!' Miku ran down the desolated streets, frantically looking for either a good hiding spot or for Hibiki.
"Six! Seven! Eight!" She heard Chiaki's voice from afar.
'Why is she doing this...? I didn't even know she liked Haz-san like that...but this is wrong! This is sick! This isn't love!'
"Nine! Nine and a half!" Chiaki giggled to herself."Just kidding! Ten! Ready or not...HERE I COME!"
"Don't run! Sing for me!" Micha ran after Hibiki with some Noise behind her."I already let your friend go! Wait a minute...Are you leading me somewhere where it's easier for you to sing? Why didn't you just say so?!"
'This Autoscorer is just as crazy as Garie!' Hibiki continued running as fast as she could. She noticed a building in construction ahead of them and decided for the battle to take place there. But the problem remained. Could she sing this time? Last time, she wasn't able to do it and because of that, Maria and Hajime had to fight for her.
'I can't doubt this time. I have to go back for Miku!'
After reaching the building, Hibiki ran up some stairs to gain the high ground, looking down at Micha and her Noise.
"Oh?" Micha glanced around, her face lighting up in realization."So you did want to fight here. You could have just told me. Well, what are you waiting for? Sing for me!"
Hibiki glared at her, taking out her pendant and clutching it in her hands.'I have to sing. I can't keep slowly the others down because of my fears.'
The image of Maria and Hajime fighting came into her mind.'They protected me when I should have been able to fight alongside them. Not because I wanted to hurt people, but because I have to protect them. Some people...' Her gaze hardened at Micha's savage grin.'Just can't be reasoned with simple words. If my words won't reach them, then my fist will do the trick.'
The cream-haired girl took a deep breath before finally chanting her song.
"Balwisyall Nescell Gungnir Tron..."
(Play Genkai Toppa G Beat)
"Finally! Here I was thinking I'd have to kill puppies and kittens to incite you to fight me!" Micha giggled, clapping with her claws."Let's see how you do against them!"
The Noise charged upon receiving the command, but Hibiki was not deterred in the slightest. She slammed her right fist against the ground, releasing an explosion of energy that destroyed the Noise surrounding her.
"Oh? That was cool!" Micha grinned, watching as Hibiki rushed at her. She materialized a fire carbon rode from her palm, using it to block the punch. She giggled, her pigtails igniting and releasing fire from them, serving as boosters that helped her push Hibiki back. However, Hibiki was far from done, igniting her boosters and resuming her assault, concentrating her phonic gain on both of her gauntlets, enlarging them, and slamming them against Micha's stomach. She was sent flying away, her face contorted in one of surprise, not having expected the violent assault.
Hibiki kicked the ground, not stopping her momentum, and prepared to deliver another blow. Micha began rapid-firing her spears at her, with Hibiki punching them away and closing the gap between them. Once she was close enough, she winded her fist back and went for a blow to her stomach, only to realize that Micha's body had turned into water."What?!'
"She totally fell for it, as expected." Garie's haughty tone echoed from above, watching the fight with a bored expression."Finish it, Micha."
"Okey dokie!" Micha fired another spear from her palm, connecting against Hibiki's chest, in particular, against her pendant. The attack was so potent that Hibiki's body shot up to the sky, even destroying a part of the roof and going outside of the building as she screamed. Once the pendant could not withstand more punishment, it broke, causing her to free fall from the sky. Her armor began disintegrating from her, slowly leaving her in a nude, vulnerable state.
"She's done for." Garie chuckled sinisterly.
However, before Hibiki's body touched the ground, a red dragon burst into the building, catching her on its back and firing a few fireballs at Micha.
"What the-" Micha screamed as a fireball connected against her torso, launching her across and into a pile of rubble.
"Micha!" Garie cried, turning to face the dragon she was all too familiar with."Not this guy again!"
"Dragreder...?" Hibiki was surprised to find the faithful dragon carrying her around."No...you're different, aren't you?"
Dragranzer gave a low growl as if agreeing with her.
"I get it..." Hibiki smiled, rubbing its back."Thank you. But if you're here, then Hajime-kun is-"
Suddenly, another figure broke through a wall and flew straight to Garie. Before the Autoscorer could react, Ryuki planted his foot against her face before giving a horizontal kick to her head, sending her flying like a ragdoll.
"Shit...I didn't make it in time..." Ryuki's propulsors died down, his breathing ragged.
"Hajime-kun!"
"Hibik-AGH! I'M SORRY! I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING!" Ryuki quickly covered his eyes, flushing.
"Who are you, you big cheater?!" Micha demanded, pouting at the dragon-themed Rider."Why are you interfering? You're preventing me from getting my hard-earned kill!"
"Sorry to disappoint." Ryuki scoffed, trying to not imagine what he had seen."You're new. I guess you have fire powers, right? I mean, the color scheme kind of gives it away."
"I could say the same to you." Micha shook her head, a savage grin adorning her face."But this is fine. I wanted to fight a Kamen Rider anyway so this works out! Not only do I get to destroy a pendant, but I can destroy a Deck too!"
"It won't be...as easy you as you think." Ryuki took deep breaths.
"Be wary of him, Micha." Garie sneered, dusting off her clothes."This guy is using Survive Mode. He nearly defeated me and Damian. We'll have to team up to defeat him."
"Oh? Really? Well, he doesn't look so tough to me. He looks like he's about to collapse."
"Huh?" Garia squinted her eyes, taking a closer look at Hajime's body. She noticed his ragged breathing and his knees slightly bending."Oh, I get it. You're tired, aren't you? You're still not used to that power. Were you fighting someone before? It would explain why you're ready to fall over and die. I wonder if you'd be able to defeat both of us together."
"We'll just have to find out, won't we?" Ryuki activated the blade mode of his visor.'I'm bluffing so hard right now it's not even funny. Even though I'm getting better at using this form, I'm still not completely used to it. Not to mention I used energy against Gai and Ouja before coming here. And if that wasn't enough, I had to come here at full speed which burnt through most of my reserves. I'll have to be careful against these two. I could destroy one of them, but I might be left vulnerable once I run out of Survive.'
Micha created a spear, rushing at him as he met her halfway there. Sword against spear. Micha used her propulsors in her hair to give her an extra boost, but Hajime's boosters came to life, pushing Micha away. He leaped into the air, avoiding the ice shards generated from the ground. A jetstream of water was shot from the side, and due to his energy being depleted, Ryuki wasn't able to dodge it in time. The water froze around his arm, leaving it trapped in an ice cube.
'Damn! I'm making so many mistakes!' Ryuki cursed, eyeing out of the corner of his eye as Garie rushed at him. He used his frozen arm to slam it against her face, nearly caving it in and breaking the ice on impact. The Autoscorer was shot violently away crashing into a different building entirely. However, it turned out to be an illusion made by Garie, as the original one was hanging back with Micha.
"You weren't kidding! This guy is pretty strong!" Micha praised him."You're so fun to fight with!"
"You're not so bad yourself." Ryuki returned the compliment."Under different circumstances, you could have been a good sparring partner."
"Stop trying to act tough, Herrscher of Chaos." Garie spat."All we gotta do is-"
Dragranzer shot another fireball at them, forcing them to split up."And of course, we have to worry about his overgrown lizard too! Micha! Attack from afar! He'll run out of energy soon and then we'll catch him!"
Hibiki observed from above, worried sick about Hajime's wellbeing."Please be okay..."
Ryuki could only shoot with his Dragvisorzwei, trying to hit Micha or Garie as they continue to bombard him from afar, trying to tire him out.'Fuck! I have no choice! I'll have to bet everything on this last attack! I'm running out of power!'
Hajime opened up his visor, inserting a card inside.
Ignite Vent
Ryuki was encased in fire, forming a tornado of sorts that blocked the attacks coming at him. The tornado then divided into different parts, heading toward Garie and Micha.
"Oh, crap!" Garie summoned a barrier in front of her as well as a wall of water for good measure. Micha yelped, realizing she was defenseless. However, the fire quickly died out as Ryuki fell to his knees, reverting to his base form. Dragranzer roared, reverting to being Dragreder.
"No way..." Ryuki found himself so drained that he could barely hold the transformation."I'm all out...!"
"Ha! We got him!" Garie cheered, grinning sardonically."You lost! And therefore, you'll lose your life too!"
"NO!" Hibiki screamed.
Micha stopped as she noticed a purple egg-shaped object falling from the sky before it blew up in her face.
"What the hell?! A bomb?!" Garie covered herself with a barrier as more bombs flew down from the sky.
"Bakime!" Raia flew inside the building with Evildiver, holding onto his Evilauncher."I'm taking this whole place down! Move it or lose it!"
"Got it!" Dragreder flew down to Hajime, who deactivated his transformation and jumped on top of him. He covered his eyes to avoid seeing Hibiki's nude form, removing his blazer and offering it to her.
"T-thanks...Are you okay?"
"Once we're out of here I'll answer that."
Dragreder flew toward the ceiling firing rapid shots at the walls and pillars to further destabilize the structure. Combined with the bombs, the building began to collapse on itself.
"Fuck!" Garie cursed aloud, taking out a red vial."We have to retreat for now."
"Really? Aw. And it was starting to get fun." Micha pouted but obeyed the command. The Autoscorers escaped just in time before the building collapsed.
Raia immediately began flying away, much to the couple's confusion."Hey! Where are you going?!"
"Miku-san is in danger!" Raia hollered as he commanded Evildiver to go at full speed.
"SHE'S WHAT?!"
Miku had been through countless scary situations, ranging from Noise attack, hanging off a building, more Noise, being used as a puppet to use a Symphogear, and fighting her friends. But for some reason, this seemed to be way scarier than any of that, and her heart rate was proof of that. Though maybe the fact that this time she was hiding from a normal human, who she had thought to be a friend and even admired on some occasions, made the experience that much scarier. She wasn't hiding from supernatural beings like Noise or crazy scientists. She was hiding from someone that attends her school. A girl a year older than her. Another person.
She managed to find shelter inside of a store that was left open, hiding inside a box. She gingerly examined her hand, wincing in pain as she tried moving it. The blade of the scissors had gone clean through. Removing it now would just cause the hemorrhage to worsen. And that was another problem in and of itself.
"Oh, Miku!" She heard the sweet voice belonging to Chiaki getting ever so closer to her location. "Where are you, Miku? Where you could be?"
'Oh, no...was I bleeding so much that I could have left a trail of blood behind...?' Miku's face drained of all color.'God, please...'
"Miku!" Chiaki called again, her tone suddenly shifting."MIKU! WHERE ARE YOU, MIKU?! WHERE?! WHERE?! WHERE?! WHEREEEEEEEEEEEEEE?!"
'Why is she doing this...?' Miku tried to rationalize the situation in her head.'Is she jealous of me? Because how close I am to Haz-san? But if so, then how long has she been feeling this way...?'
"I can practically hear you shaking." Chiaki's voice echoed, sounding as if she were in the middle of the street."I know you're on this street. I can practically feel it. You want to know something interesting, Miku? People live to die."
Miku blinked, startled at how easy it seemed for her to switch not only personalities but also topics.
"People go through all kinds of problems to sustain themselves. Make a name for themselves. Ever since they're babies. They grow up, study, grow, get a family, work until they retire, and maybe have some grandkids, until one day they die, surrounded by the legacy they built for themselves. Such a peaceful ending, isn't it? But people don't do this because they expect love from their future offspring or anything like that. No. People do it to leave something behind and have a place to die. They want to be remembered because it all leads up to the point where you take your last breath. Because after that, there is no more."
Chiaki continued walking, staring into the mirrors she walked by."People are afraid to die alone. For their names to be forgotten in history. And rightfully so. Think about it. Do you think the world will remember you 200 years from now? Do you think they'll remember Miku Kohinata ever existed? Being forgotten is humanity's greatest fear. Because people are afraid that nothing that they did will ever matter. That they're just meant to be lost in the giant sea that is history."
Her smile widened when she noticed droplets of blood, leading to a shoe store."However, even people who do nothing but good and right by others will eventually stop mattering. My parents were killed in a fire when I was a baby, and my other relative present in my life was my grandfather, who had just lost his wife as well in a tragic accident. We had no one else except for each other. My grandfather was a famous surgeon who saved countless lives in his career. But he caught a very nasty disease. Alzheimer's. I watched slowly as the only person I had left in my life slowly started to deteriorate. And even forgetting who I was."
Miku scowled at that.'Her grandfather had Alzheimer's? But...she never mentioned that...'
"I tried to care for him. Eventually, he couldn't go to work anymore because he had forgotten what made him so happy, to begin with. And the people who once praised his name forgot about him because he wasn't useful to society. I stopped going to school to dedicate my time to taking care of him. Do you know what it feels like...? For someone, you loved so much to start forgetting you? To start seeing you as a different person every time? To forget about the times you shared? To one day just look at you, scared out of their minds because they think you're there to harm them? I felt this. For 2 whole years. I tried so hard to make him remember him. Photo albums, stories, and notecards with even the smallest of details. But he never remembered me again. And so I thought...was this how I wanted to remember my grandfather? As someone who didn't even recognize his granddaughter? Somewhere down the line, I broke, I think And I only came up with one solution."
Chiaki began cackling in pure madness, banging her head against a wall."I KILLED HIM! I KILLED HIM TO PRESERVE HIS MEMORY! It was so good! The experience! One that will never leave you! It was engraved into my mind! And that's when I figured it out! The moment a person dies is when their name is forgotten. So I started killing more people and remembered all of their names. All of them. They aren't dead as long as I remember them. That's why you shouldn't be afraid, my precious Miku-chan! You'll be alive inside of me! You won't be forgotten to time!"
Fresh blood poured down from the wound she had inflicted on herself, eventually reaching her lips and licking it off."That's why I want to be remembered through all of eternity. To live on in everyone's minds. That was my original wish. I wanted to wish for everyone in the world and those who will be born in the future to remember my name! And once that was done, I was just going to kill myself to make it more impactful."
'S-she's insane! She's been killing people this whole time for that?!'
"But now I see the bigger picture. A perfect world where everyone's dreams become a reality. And that will happen once Ragnarok begins. I will be remembered through all of eternity. Not one person will not know who Chiaki Nakahara is! Everyone will be brought back to life in a new, clean, and pure world. So all of these deaths are inconsequential. I can kill as I please. So don't be afraid. You'll be revived in the new world. Don't you panic, now. It will all be over soon."
An eerie silence followed soon after. As if the madwoman screaming her head off outside was never even there. Miku was about to exhale a breath of relief when someone removed the lid of the box.
"Boo. I found you." Chiaki adopted a sinister smile, licking her lips."I found a cute little Miku-chan hiding from me." She leaned closer to her ear, whispering."Too bad. I win."
"H-how did you-"
"You're bleeding quite a lot." Chiaki smiled, grabbing the scissors from Miku's hands and yanking them away harshly, earning a pained scream from the girl."I'm surprised you haven't lost consciousness yet. So? Anything you want to say to me?"
"I...I don't understand why you're doing this...how will killing me help you get closer to Haz-san? How will it help you be remembered?!"
"People tend to remember the darkest moments of history the most. The black plague, the World Wars, things like that. Tragedies, overall. I'm making my impact on the world by killing others. Simple as that. Even if, and this is a huge if, even if you survive this today, you will remember this traumatic experience for the rest of your life. There won't be a moment where you don't think of me." Chiaki leaned forward, licking Miku's cheek."As for Hazuki...I love him so much. I could die for him and gladly do so. God, just thinking about him is making me excited~! But of course, you intervened between me and him. My angel. I will rip the wings off this butterfly today. I wonder...where should I start cutting you? I wanted to take my time. Maybe tie you up and start cutting you slowly, starting from your fingers? I don't want you dying just yet. I want to...savor you. Then I can savor him myself! I did learn how to properly cut a person without killing them online. I can't wait to-"
Miku suddenly slapped her in the face, stunning the girl. She mustered all the courage she could and pushed her away, knocking her on her butt."You're insane! Do you think any of this will help you get Haz-san to like you?! You're a murderer! A good person like him could never love a detestable, psychopathic, repulsive person like you! You're just a horrible person that excuses her horrible deeds with any excuse she can find! I will never let you hurt him! Because...because I love him!"
"YOU BITCH!" Chiaki lunged at her, grabbing her by the hair and dragging her out to the street where she tossed her against the pavement, stepping over her head."Fine! Then I'll cut off your head with my scissors! I'll put it up in my room where I can start at your eyes every morning! DIE YOU FUCKING WHORE!"
'I'm sorry, Hikibi...' Miku closed her eyes, prepared for the worse.
Out of nowhere, a figure emerged from the shadows, landing a devastating kick against Chiaki's face, nearly snapping her neck and sending her flying against a wall.
Miku opened one eye, confused as to why nothing had happened. And that's when she saw her."C-Chao-Xing-san!"
"I had a feeling someone was chasing you and Tachibana." Chao-Xing threw her school bag onto the floor, removing her tie."When I saw this girl watching you from afar, I knew it wasn't a coincidence. And the Noise attack proves it. So...you were trying to kill Kohinata back at school. When you pretended to drown, you were merely drawing her in so you could drown her along with you."
"You're such a party pooper." Chiaki chuckled, waving her scissors around."I didn't know you cared for this bitch, Chao-Xing-san."
"It's less about caring and more about letting a mindless killer on the loose. We have enough of those already. I always knew there was something off about you. You looked so unstable and yet no one saw who you really were."
"Yeah? Then if I'm as predictable as you claim I am, show me!"
Chiaki rushed at Chao-Xing, going for a stab with her blood-covered scissors. The martial artists grabbed her wrist, moving it to the side and causing Chiaki to miss. She kicked her hand, causing the scissors to be sent flying upward. The lilac-haired girl went in for a roundhouse kick, but the Liang blocked her with her leg. She went in for a jab but narrowly missed when Chiaki jumped to the side. The scissors landed in her hand, aiming for Chao-Xing's eyes.
With a grunt, she quickly delivered two jabs to her solar plexus, causing her to release a silent scream and disarming her when she grabbed her torso in pain.
'N-no way...! She shouldn't be able to do this to me! I'm using Loki-sama's power!'
"I don't know what the deal is with those weird markings on your body or your freaky eyes." Chao-Xing said."But I am still a well-trained warrior. I can tell you don't have any fighting experience with your lousy movements. I could have no arms and I'd still be able to defeat you."
"Is that so?" Chaiki reached for her pocket and pulled out her Femme Deck. Her V Buckle materialized around her waist.
"W-what?! She's a Kamen Rider?!" Miku gasped in horror.
"Like the halfbreed?" Chao-Xing clicked her tongue.
"Henshin!"
In a flash of light, Kamen Rider Femme appeared, wielding her Blancvisor."Now...let's try this again."
Femme was suddenly in front of Chao-Xing, going in for a stab with her rapier. The martial artist barely avoided being skewered by bending her body backward, using her arms to sustain herself, and kicking Femme's weapon out of her hands. However, Femme simply cackled, kicking her in the stomach and launching her against a building, breaking through a wall.
"Chao-Xing-san!" Miku screamed in concern.
"Don't worry." Femme smiled."After I kill her, you're next. No need to get greedy."
"I don't think so!"
Femme gasped when she noticed a figure bouncing around the walls before colliding with her, sending her flying down the street.
Imperer bounced in place with his springs, jumping over to Miku's side."Kohinata-san! Are you alright?!"
"I-I'm fine! But Chao-Xing-san!"
"I'm not dead!" Chao-Xing grumbled, getting back on her feet, her body covered in bruises."I'm not letting this piece of garbage kill me before I avenge my clan!"
"Please don't push yourself!" Imperer pleaded."She's dangerous!"
"And I just keep getting interrupted!" Femme growled in frustration. She then noticed Evildiver and Dragreder flying down to them, causing her to scream."Fuck! Can't I have some peace while I mangle her body?! Fuck!"
She took out a red vial from her pocket, breaking it."I'm not dumb enough to take all of you on, even with my Divine Power. But you'll remember this, Miku-chan. I will always be with you! No matter where you go or hide, I will be there watching you!"
With those words, Femme disappeared from view, leaving the group astonished.
"She also had one of those vials that the Autoscorers and Teru-nii used!" Imperer noted."Does that mean she's also working with them?!"
"MIKU!" Hibiki jumped off Dragreder's head, ignoring Imperer's gasps upon seeing her almost naked."YOUR HAND!"
"I'm fine..." Miku winced at her wound. The bleeding thankfully had stopped and she assumed no arteries had been damaged though she did feel a bit dizzy. But then all the pain went away when she noticed how Hibiki was only wearing Hajime's blazer."What happened to your clothes?!"
"I'm sorry...my pendant got broken..." Hibiki hung her head in shame.
Raia returned to normal, offering his sweater for Hibiki to wrap around her waist."You can keep it. It would be weird if you gave it back to me after this."
"Thank you." Hibiki smiled at the bespectacled boy."But what happened here? Why did Femme attack you?"
Miku proceeded to tell the group about what had happened to her after splitting up from Hibiki.
"Shit...Nakahara-san was Femme? And she's the serial killer that's been going around kidnapping students and killing them?" Hajime shuddered."I can't believe it...she didn't look like she'd be capable of doing that...You think you know a person..."
"I knew something was off about her." Raiden scowled as he recalled back 3 months ago."Back when Andreas, Kirika, Shirabe, and I infiltrated your school, I felt a horrible presence behind me. Nothing but unadulterated killing intent."
"Why would she reveal herself like this, though?" Hajime couldn't wrap his head around it."And why would she be so obsessed with Hazzy-san to the point where she would try to kill you?"
"It's pointless to try and figure out people like her." Raiden grimaced, remembering their encounter with Terunosuke."People like that make no sense, other than to themselves.
"We should tell Haz-san as soon as possible." Miku cried, her face full of concern."If she goes after him I'm worried what she'll do to him!"
"We'll let the Commander know." Raiden nodded, his gaze shifting over to the lone girl sitting on top of the hood of a car with her eyes closed."And...she saved you?"
"Yes. She said she saw something following us when we saw her earlier and kept an eye out for us." Miku beamed, walking over to the girl and bowing down."Thank you so much, Chao-Xing-san."
"Thank you so much!" Hibiki also bowed."I don't know how I can ever thank you for protecting Miku!"
"No need." Chao-Xing rose her hand, waving off their gratitude."I don't need your thanks. But like I said, I wasn't going to let a murder happen."
"Chao-Xing-san is so cool." Andreas grinned, jumping in place."She was kicking Mirror Monster's butt too and she faced off against a serial killer without fear!"
"Heh. You praise me too much, kid. But I didn't do anything. Again, I was overwhelmed." Chao-Xing clicked her tongue, laughing at her powerlessness."If you hadn't arrived sooner, we would have both died."
"Obviously you wouldn't have known that Nakahara can transform into a Kamen Rider. And yet you still fought." Raiden gave her a curt nod."You're incredible."
"What do you think, Hajime-kun?" Hibiki turned to face her boyfriend, who remained in the back with his arms folded.
"I...well...Yeah. I can't deny that we owe you for saving Miku-san." Hajime leveled his gaze to meet his cousin's."Thanks."
"Hah! I'm being thanked by the halfbreed? How comical."
"Ok, fuck you. I was just trying to be nice."
"Keep your stinking gratitude. I don't need it." Chao-Xing spat in disdain. She took a deep breath, ruffling her hair."Fine. I'll do it."
"Do what?" He arched a brow.
"I'll become this Sympho whatever." She reluctantly said, rubbing her temples."If I'm going to be constantly attacked, then I want to at least fight back like a true warrior. Not die in vain because my opponent is using supernatural abilities. So I'll do it. Not because of any of you. But to restore the honor of my clan and avenge my family."
"Really?! You'll do it?!" Hibiki beamed in joy, throwing her arms around the girl's frame."Thank you so much! I'm so happy!"
"H-hey! Let me go!" Chao-Xing yelped at the sudden contact.
"Hooray for Chao-Xing-san!" Andreas joined in on the hug, with the two most joyful members of S.O.N.G laughing together, much to Chao-Xing's despair.
"Get these two idiots away from me right now!"
Raiden allowed himself a small smile. He had to give it to them, despite everything that happened, they were still able to smile."Are you upset?"
"Yeah. What do you think?" Hajime scoffed."But it's not like we got much of a choice. The enemy is strong, after all. We'll need all the help we can get. And now that Hibik-san was defeated, that only leaves me, you, and Andreas. You'll have to use Survive next time."
"I know." Raiden sighed."I know I can't keep prolonging it. I just hope things don't get worse from here on out."
"Why the fuck did we teleport away?!" Terunosuke yelled, standing in front of Allister's face, who had an impassive expression."We could have-"
"Could have what? Died a pointless death?" Allister shook his head."We were outmatched. Plain and simple. Better to retreat and fight another day."
"But I didn't kill a single one!" Terunosuke hissed, directing his rage toward a wall, and began kicking it."Damn it! Jades didn't suffer! He didn't cry in despair as I killed his beloved siblings! Damn, it all!"
"You hate that guy, huh?"
"Of course I do. I despise him. He always outclassed me in everything and broke his fucking promise. Serena is dead because of him!"
"Look, I get it." Allister said, attempting to call him down."I'm not as heartless as you think I am. Sure, I feel no emotions. But I also had someone I held dear. At least, before I became an assassin. So I get how you feel."
"Oh, right. That Eliza or whatever."
"Elsa Bete." Allister corrected, a wistful smile adorning his face."She was...my only friend back when I lived in France. We were raised in poverty so we worked together to get by every day. She had an abusive family, though. After I became an assassin, I tried looking for her but she was nowhere to be seen. I presume they sold her in exchange for some petty cash. I did her a favor and killed her horrible family. That was the first time I ever killed without being paid. Well, I guess that's not exactly right, considering. I did kill a good friend back in the House of Grey. To prove if I felt something after my feelings were numbed. But no."
"So whatever happened to this girl?" Terunosuke asked, genuinely curious."Did you look for her?"
"I did, but work kept me extremely busy. I don't know if she's dead or alive. But...I suppose I will have my answer when Ragnarok starts. Not saving her is the only regret I have in my whole life. I wish...I could have given her a better life."
"You know, it's hard to take you seriously when you literally tried to kill me before." Terunosuke folded his arms, deadpanning.
"Aw, come on. That's water under the bridge, isn't it." Allister chuckled in amusement."We're teammates now fighting for the salvation of the world."
"Whatever. But I guess we're not that different." Terunosuke conceited."We're similar in some aspects. Why don't you try asking Kaburagi-kun to see if Loki-sama can help you search for her soul in the Sea of Souls?"
"I don't know. I mean, this was years ago. I don't know if her soul would have made it there."
"Just give it a try, man. Stop being so damn pessimistic." Terunosuke slapped him on the back."Come on. Those who don't want to grow or try something new are lame-ass conformists. You're better than that, aren't you?"
"Heh. You're giving me a pep talk? That's out of character."
"Do remember I am an older brother to some idiotic people." Terunosuke shrugged."This is second nature to me. Still. You're talking about out-of-character? I didn't know assassins were capable of falling in love."
"Maybe it's because of Goro Tanaka being part of me now, or because I knew her before I became an assassin." Allister grasped his chest."But I feel like whenever I think of Elsa, I feel something bizarre inside of me. Could it perhaps be some sort of emotion I had long forgotten?"
Just then, Chiaki appeared in front of them as she headed for the nearest wall and began slamming her head against it."FUCK! FUCK! FUUUUUUUUUUUCK!"
"The fuck is wrong with you, you crazy bitch?!" Terunosuke grabbed Chiaki from behind, pulling her away from the wall before she could break her skull."Stop banging your fucking head on the wall!"
Allister simply stared at them with an amused smile on his face.'It's been a long time since I've been part of a group like this. It feels...nostalgic.'
And another chapter is done. This one was done relatively quickly since I started typing as soon as I finished the other one. So Hibiki was defeated and now only 3 Riders remain to take a stand. But since Chao-Xing has agreed to join S.O.N.G, will she be able to turn the tide of battle?
A fun fact:
The Divine Disasters of Valhalla all represent some type of human desire. They all have an obsession with something in particular, which is what makes them able to understand each other to some degree. Terunosuke is obsessed with Serena as well as wanting people to recognize him for his efforts and put him on a pedestal. Chiaki is obsessed with Hazuki and wants to be remembered through eternity. Allister is obsessed with wanting to understand human emotions since he was never able to properly socialize in the past due to his background, so he aims to see a person's most powerful yet purest emotion, aimed toward the biggest goal. And Hazuki is obsessed with wanting to fit in with the crowd, get rid of his nihilistic personality and belong somewhere to recuperate his sense of identity since all he has left is Miku and the idea to start Ragnarok. Also, they all have some warped sense of love toward a specific person. Hazuki for Miku, Terunosuke for Serena, Allister for Elsa, and Chiaki for Hazuki himself.