Reviews:
Kiro: That would be really sweet and wholesome. I think if one of them gets sick or injured I'll write and include it in one of the chapters
Jiro: She will, eventually. He wants to keep it a secret but a lot of people don't know when to shut up. *cough* Takeru *cough*
FlameFireZero X: He'll show up soon, don't worry. He's still around.
Tigracho: Yeah, Hibiki is always on her ideology of trying to talk her enemies down. I did take a page out of Chris' book since they have fiery personalities and would react the same way from suddenly getting hugged. If you think Tsubasa and Chao-Xing will clash, you don't want to know the types of arguments she and Chris will get into. Yeah, Dragreder genuinely likes Hibiki and she even pets him every chance he gets like he's an actual pet. Which he enjoys greatly. So he has a personal attachment to her as well, like his master. Our boy Hajime respects all women.
lordri25may2001: Oh, yeah. He likes to compliment all girls on their looks, maybe a little too much. He'll have a field day when he meets the girls in AXZ. But his heart will always belong to Chris only. If you want to know more or less what Chiaki looks like just look up Mashu Kyrielight from Fate and just type yandere and you'll get a good idea of what she looks like. I never even noticed that all the Riders from the DDV killed each other in the Ryuki series. Nice catch. It completely escaped my mind. But they won't be killing each other here because it would make things too obvious. I think Elsa would fit Allister better since they're both from France, and he's not exactly too picky when it comes to girls since he doesn't even understand his feelings. I see Chao-Xing clashing more with Femme, but a fight between Shem-ha(Miku) would be nice too.
Tenzalucard123: Hajime enjoyed the sight but he won't admit it. He's too nice xd. Chao-Xing joined the team but is after revenge only. How will this affect her relationship with the others? You'll see.
Digi-Gojira: Yeah, I wanted to make this Femme more unique and different than the original one. Like the original one was crazy enough to fight Ouja and then start losing even when he lost his power lol. She also got beaten by Ryuga pretty badly. Funny enough, one of my readers pointed out how Ouja, Ryuga, Femme, and Gai all killed each other in canon.
Chapter 54
Daughter of Thunder
Chao-Xing sat on an operating table inside S.O.N.G's HQ, accompanied by her father and brother.
"Nervous?" Huan asked with a smile.
The proud girl looked down at her dad's bionic leg. Even though that little girl had gotten him a new leg, he was still required to attend physical therapy since it had been a decade since he had used his leg. So he was still required to be in a wheelchair whenever possible.
"Why should I?" She dryly asked, eyeing her new bionic arm, and flexing her fingers and frowning upon hearing the mechanical sound it made. As the little girl had said, the process was painful. But the pain was something she was willing to take if it meant getting stronger."It's not like this changes anything."
"Why didn't you ask Elfnein-chan to make it look more human, like Father's?" Wei asked.
"Because this serves as a reminder of my failure." She sighed, inspecting her new arm."I must not lose again, and this arm will motivate me to avoid making the same mistake again."
"Ever the hard worker." Huan chuckled at his daughter's demeanor."Always headstrong. But I meant to ask about becoming this...Symphogear, was it? You don't have to. They did say you could just take the arm and walk away."
"I already promised I would. And I don't go back on my word." She crossed her arms under her chest."Besides, I've already been attacked twice. By supernatural things. If I'm going to be attacked again, I want to have a chance to fight back. Besides, how else am I going to restore the honor of our clan?"
Her dad adopted a stern look."Chao-"
"I don't want to hear it, Dad." She cut him off."I already made up my mind. That bastard has to die by a Liang's hands. We must take revenge on the monster who killed off our entire clan. Either way, he wants to exterminate all of us. He'll come back to finish us off. If we don't fight, we won't survive."
Before her dad could protest further, Elfnein came into the room, followed by the small patchwork Autoscorer holding some documents for her.
"We finally got the results of your compatibility match with the Mjolnir, Chao-Xing-san." Elfnein tapped the screen of her tablet."And as we expected, you're 70% compatible with it. However, to guarantee as little strain on your body as possible, you will require LINKER to shoot your compatibility rates to an acceptable percentage."
"What, 70 isn't enough for you?" Chao-Xing scoffed in indignation."Doesn't matter. I'll take my chances."
"Please, Chao-Xing-san, be prudent." Elfnein pleaded."If you use your Relic in unfavorable conditions it will have serious backlashes in your body. You'll have to get a LINKER specifically tuned for you."
"Great. Now I have to use drugs." The pink-eyed girl groaned, rubbing the bridge of her nose."Okay, out with it. You're holding information from me."
"W-well..."
Tobias approached the girl, holding out her new pendant for her."We don't have any LINKER at the moment. We're still working on it, but it's quite the process."
"So you're saying I can't use my power after all." She snatched the pendant out of his hands, proceeding to wear it around her neck."You know, for all the urgency to get me involved in this mess, you're not prepared. Very disappointing, but not unexpected."
"You still need to learn the basics of being a Symphogear as well as give you a rundown of your abilities. Let me give you someone who can explain that whole process to you." One of Tobias' eyes turned silver, indicating that he had switched positions with the God inside of him.
"I'm glad to see the Mjolnir Relic ended up in such a capable young lady." Thor chuckled."I can tell you're strong and your sense of justice is quite admirable too."
"W-what justice?" She growled."Just get on with it and explain everything to me."
"Very well." Thor nodded."Now, about being a Symphogear..."
Hajime sat in a resting area, playing some gacha games on his phone to pass the time.
"Heads up, Lietenant." Takeru tossed him a bottle of Gatorade, which he easily caught.
"You got me Gatorade?" Hajime frowned at the energy drink.
"Hey, that's some good stuff." Jades grinned."You were completely exhausted and out of energy when you got here. This ought to reenergize you back."
"I guess so..."
"What a mess." Raiden sighed, scratching his head."First Terunosuke and Cypher turned out to be alive, but then this Nakahara chick tries to kill Miku-chan. And all of them are in cahoots with Ryuga."
"Not to mention that they all had those crystals." Yosuke pointed out."So they must be working with Carol and Bragard."
"But it's not all bad!" Andreas chirped."We have our Survive Cards! And with the girls getting this Ignite Module thing, then we should be good, right?"
"The Luitenant and the boys have gotten stronger than before." Takeru nodded."I'm sure that if we-"
"It's no use." Hajime interrupted, rubbing his face."We still wouldn't be able to win. Maybe against the Autoscorers, but Bragard and Carol are a whole other matter."
"Really? But you were beating on them pretty easily." Takeru frowned."You've gotten stronger than before. Cut yourself some slack."
"You don't get it, Captain. I'm still nowhere near as strong as I should be." Hajime gritted his teeth."I'm supposed to be stronger than this to defeat Bragard...I'm the one who has to protect my family...And fix my dad's mistakes! But you saw how quickly my Survive Mode fizzled out during the fight! If it happened in front of Bragard, I would have died on the spot! I'm still way too weak! I still don't know anything!"
The group fell into an awkward silence, not sure how to respond to his outburst. It was true. His family was involved and they were the only thing he had in this world. The near extinction of the Liang family proved that Bragard was more than capable of killing them.
Takeru sighed, rubbing his head as he approached Hajime. He planted his hands on his hips, tilting his head."So? Did you see it?"
"See what?" Hajime hung his head, not feeling up to humoring him.
"Come on, man. You know what I'm talking about." Takeru adopted a shit-eating grin."Did you see it or not?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Hajime rose his head with an annoying glare."What do you mean? See what?"
"Dude, what?" Takeru glanced over his shoulder."You guys know what I'm talking about. Why is he pretending he doesn't know?"
"We don't know what you're referring to..." Raiden looked over at his brothers, who gave him a shrug.
"Come on! Why are you guys so dense?! Raiden and Andreas must know what I'm talking about!"
"Oh, my god, Sakamoto." Yosuke, who had seemingly caught on, facepalmed."Please stop."
"Hell no I'm not stopping. My curiosity is killing me" Takeru huffed."Come on, bro, stop holding out on us. We want to know."
"KNOW WHAT?!" Hajime snapped, fed up with the roundabout games.
Takeru, unfazed by his tone, grinned."Okay. You want me to say it? I'll say it." He took firm steps with every word, approaching the raven-haired teen."Did. You. See. Hibiki-Chan's. Ass?"
"Huh...?" Hajime's face quickly turned red."WHAAAAAT?!"
"God damn it, Sakamoto." Yosuke groaned, facepalming again."Why?"
"Wait, so that's what this was about?" Jades blinked, perplexed."You made it sound like it was something else."
"Are you serious? Hibiki was butt naked. No way in hell he didn't catch a glimpse of her butt. You guys did, right?"
To everyone's surprise, Raiden blushed profusely as well, playing around with his bangs."I-I mean...I did catch a quick glimpse by accident...But I swear I didn't mean to!"
"I did too! And I'm sorry!" Andreas quickly apologized."She jumped down from Hajime-san's dragon and well..."
"What?! You didn't tell me you saw too!" Hajime gasped, furious.
"Ah, so you're admitting you saw it then." Takeru flopped down on the chair next to him, wrapping his arm around his neck."Give us details. How big is it, exactly? Is it up to your standard? Did you touch it, maybe?"
"What the hell do you care?!" Hajime jumped out of his chair, nearly losing his balance due to how fast was."W-w-why don't you talk about Chris-san, huh?!"
"Hey, if you want me to talk about Chrissy's boobs, I can have you guys here the whole day and I wouldn't get tired." He flexed his fingers as if he had grabbed something."I told you, I like to grab onto something. They're pretty plushy. So, want to take that bet? I talk about Chrissy's boobs and you tell us about Hibiki-chan's ass?"
"No! Not in a million years!"
"Okay, but do you like it?"
"Yes! I think it's big and soft!" Hajime screamed, hiding his face behind his arms."Please don't tell her I said that..."
"Wow...I didn't know you had that kind of taste, Hajime-kun." Jades was genuinely surprised."Hey, don't be ashamed. I think it's normal to have your own preference. Besides, what matter is what's inside."
"Where did you get that? A Facebook post?" Raiden rolled his eyes at the cheesy line.
"At least we know that Raiden likes them plain and simple." The orange-haired boy laughed."And smaller than him too."
"I-I-I do not!" It was Raiden's turn to blush, pointing his finger at Takeru."You're wrong!"
"And Jades here is a boob man too." Takeru snickered."A fellow boob man. I like that."
Jades walked up to Takeru, striking a dramatic handshake as they shook their arms."My brother!"
"You're not serious..." Yosuke deadpanned, his eyes darting over to Andreas."At least we have nothing to hide."
"He likes Setsuna-chan and you like Tsubasa's thighs." Takeru shrugged."You're no fun anymore, Yosuke-senpai. You just openly admit that you're into Tsubasa and her thighs and you kill the fun."
"Because I don't want to give you the satisfaction."
"So...wait, you like her thighs?" Jades blinked, a smile creeping onto his face."This is a surprise!"
"Oh, shut up." Yosuke groaned, throwing his arms up. The group erupted into a chorus of laughter, with even Yosuke chuckling."Damn it, Sakamoto. I don't know how you do it, but you always seem to lighten up the mood."
"Can't be all doom and gloom all the time, right?" Takeru offered a smile."We got to stay positive. For the girls."
"Yeah...I feel better." Hajime slowly nodded."Thanks, Captain."
"Anything for my Lieutenant." Takeru stood up, hands in his pockets."So...what does Hibiki-chan say?"
"Obviously I'm not going to mention the butt part!"
"No. I mean of you seeing her naked."
"Oh...OH SHIT! YOU'RE RIGHT!" Hajime gasped, his face turning blue."I DID SEE EVERYTHING!"
"Then be a man and go apologize to your girl." He punched him lightly on the shoulder."You both need each other right now, right? Go with her, man."
"R-right! See you guys later!" Hajime exited the room, rushing toward the infirmary area.
"Well, now that that's done." Raiden headed for the door as well."I'm off. I got some things to think about it."
"I want to go take a nap." Andreas also left, leaving the older boys behind.
"Thanks, Takeru." Jades nodded at the boy in question."You cheered everyone's mood."
"Meh. It was nothing. I have...experience in cheering people up. It's what I've been doing to Chrissy my whole life. So this is nothing. Besides, they deserve it. They're the youngest and yet they're carrying such a heavy burden because we can't fight. It's...frustrating."
"You're right. They shouldn't have to carry such a big responsibility." Jades nodded."They should be playing, studying, and enjoying their youth. And yet, Hajime-kun is our best shot at defeating Bragard. If he surpasses you, Yosuke, he might have a chance. His latent potential is our best weapon and you've seen how much he's progressed so far."
"That's true. But..." Yosuke furrowed his brow."If possible, I don't want him to be the one to have to shoulder all this pressure. As soon as I get my Deck back, I'll start training harder than ever. I won't let that kid surpass me. For his sake."
"Sheez..." Takeru visibly flinched."Then that means we can't fall behind. We can't let our juniors overshadow us, right?"
"I won't let my siblings get in danger ever again." Jades nodded solemnly.
"But that aside...So...about Tsubasa's thunder thighs-"
"Would you shut up! Why are you even talking about this!"
"We're guys. It's normal. Besides, with what they wear, they leave little to the imagination. It's cool."
"I don't think it being cool is the problem. You better not say this in front of them or they'll kill you."
Takeru turned around, facing away from the door, unaware that it was left open. Unaware of a group of girls entering after they had listened to the whole conversation.
Jades and Yosuke gaped, their eyes wide."Oh, shit."
"What? It's true though, isn't it? I find it interesting how Tsubasa is the second oldest of them but is the least endowed, at least comparable to Shirabe, who is the youngest. Chrissy on the other hand is short, but she definitely makes up for it."
"Sakamoto...!" Yosuke hissed at him, but the orange-haired teen paid no attention."Behind you...! Behind you...!"
"Speaking of Chrissy, she joined the archery club. I don't even know how, honestly." He began groping his chest."I mean, with her huge breasts, I'd figured Japanese archery would be difficult since the bowstring would rub against her breasts when she pulls it back."
"Turn around...!" Jades also hissed, terrified at the collective murderous aura that surrounded the 5 girls behind him."Takeru!"
"I gotta say though, Maria's size is comparable to Chris's. Man, you eat good, Jades-san. But her personality is kind of meh, to be honest. If she were as sweet as a button like Kirika-chan, I'd give her props. But then again, Kirika-chan is kind of an airhead, isn't she? Kind of surprising she's got a pretty decent size, right?"
"HIT THE BREAKS, YOU MORON!"
"But overall they-"
"Oh, Sakamoto."
"Takeru, you bastard..."
"Takeru-kun~"
"Takeru-san!"
"Takeru-san..."
Takeru felt his body paralyzed upon feeling 5 hands grabbing onto him. He slowly turned around, meeting the glares the girls gave him that could kill anyone on the spot."Oh...hi..."
"We were about to call you guys for a meeting." Tsubasa smiled a smile that scream fake."But we stopped when you decided to get descriptive about our physiques."
"You fucking pervert!" Chris was less subtle about her rage.
"You have quite the naughty mind, don't you?" Maria's smile twitched, a tick mark on her forehead.
"You're the worst." Shirabe stared at him with murderous eyes.
"Desu-desu!" Kirika growled, tightening her grip on him.
"Guys...?" Takeru shot his friends a pleading look."Help..."
"Nope. This is all you, buddy." Yosuke rose his hands."Have fun."
"Yup. A man's gotta take responsibility for his actions." Jades shrugged.
"Shit..." Takeru was dragged outside of the room, fearing for his life."HELP! HELP ME!"
"Hold him down! Don't let him get away!"
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Hibiki screamed, sitting up in her bed.
"AH!" Miku yelled, startled by the sudden scream."Hibiki, what's wrong?!"
"I just realized! Hajime-kun...Hajime-kun..." Her face turned a deep shade of red, steam coming out of her ears."H-h-h-he saw me n-n-n-naked...! OH MY GOSH! HE SAW EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING, MIKU!"
"Uh...I guess he did..." Miku sweatdropped. She was on her own bed, with her only major injury being the hand that Chiaki had stabbed through."I think even the other boys might have taken a peek."
"NO! MY INNOCENCE!" Hibiki lamented, hiding under her covers."How am I going to see him in the eyes now?! He's seen every inch of me!"
"It should be fine...right?" Miku asked, unsure."I mean, he is your boyfriend...Eventually, that was going to happen I suppose..."
"But not like this! It was supposed to be special!"
"Hehehe..." Miku giggled, enjoying seeing her flustered expression."So you've been thinking about that, huh? You're so naughty, Hibiki."
"N-N-NO! I didn't mean it like that!" Hibiki groaned.
Miku smiled, laying back on his head, checking her phone."No answer..."
"Are you trying to contact Haz-san?" Hibiki asked from within her covers.
"Yes..." Miku sighed, clenching her heart."I called him earlier and told him everything. He was really surprised to find out that Nakahara-san attacked me and that she was a Kamen Rider. I asked how he was, but he said he was out of Tokyo...He didn't tell me where was."
"Because I love him!"
"Oh..." Miku found herself blushing, embarrassed about her earlier confession."I can't believe I said that..."
"Said what?"
"Oh, n-nothing..." She chuckled nervously.
The door to the room swung open, revealing a tired-looking Hajime after he had sprinted to the infirmary ward."Finally! I made it...!"
"Hajime-kun!" Hibiki shrieked, refusing to leave the safety of her covers."W-w-w-w-w-w-what are you d-d-d-doing here?!"
"I just...wanted to talk to you." Hajime had a visible blush on his face.
"I'll be going to the bathroom and give you guys some space." Miku got off her bed, heading for the door.
"Miku-san! Your hand!"
"I'm fine. It should heal and leave mild scaring, but it could have been worse." She patted him on the head."Well, go on in. She needs you."
Hajime nodded. He made his way to her bed, sitting on the bedside."Come on, Hibiki-san...It's time to wake up."
"But...you saw me..."
"I did..." Hajime admitted, sheepishly scratching his nape."I'm sorry...I didn't know your pendant had broken at the time. And when I looked up to you, well..."
"Oh...So you didn't do it on purpose...?" Hibiki asked, finally removing her sheets.
"Of course not. I respect you too much to ever pull that crap." He responded."I'm trying to forget what I saw...If it makes you feel better."
"Did you...did you...you know..."
"What?"
"Like..." Hibiki swallowed the lump in her throat, her face red as a tomato."Did you like what you saw...?"
"Oh..." Hajime coughed in his hand, adverting her gaze."Yeah...I did...I mean, how could I not? You're so perfect. Like an angel fallen from the sky. The most beautiful person I've ever laid my eyes on. My sunshine."
"Aw, Sunny." Hibiki beamed, jumping off the bed to tackle him into a hug."I could never be mad at you. I'm...happy. That you find me attractive..."
"Of course I do." He kissed her on top of her head."Never doubt that."
"Hajime..." Hibiki sighed, snuggling against his chest lovingly.
"Hibiki." Hajime smiled, enjoying her warmth.
"Are you okay?" She asked, glancing up at him worryingly."You've been a little distant lately. I understand with everything going on that you might be busy and all. But I'm worried it's affecting you mentally."
"Yeah...I guess I have been a little stressed out." Hajime nodded slowly as Hibiki scooted closer to him"It's just...all of this just happened too fast for me to wrap my head around. Some guy wants to kill all of my family, and he's already killed everyone except a few people. And all because he wants revenge against my dad? My dad, who helped create the Kamen Rider Decks and caused so many problems. So many tragedies. And...I don't know if I'm strong enough to take on Bragard. Everyone is counting on me. But...I am pretty scared. But at the same time, I'm excited for a fight. It sounds stupid, I know. But...I don't want to lose any more family. Or lose my friends...And I hate how excited I am for a fight like this..."
"No, it's not stupid." Hibiki squeezed his arm, bringing his head down to her lap as he lay on her lap. She began gently massaging his head, pecking him on the lips."I'm worried too. And now I can't fight. But you're not alone. We're all here for you. You don't have to face this alone. I'll always be there for you. We'll face this challenge together. Like we always have."
"You're right..."
"And don't torture yourself for something that your dad did. That was out of your control. Remember I know what it feels like to have a crappy dad too. Remember? Shitty dad club, was it?"
"I can't believe I heard you say the word shitty." Hajime stifled a chuckle."You never swear."
"Oh..." Hibiki covered her mouth in realization."Oops..."
The boys erupted in a fight of laughter at her cute reaction."I guess we learn new things about each other every day, huh? But a badmouth Hibiki-san? That's surprising."
"Sunny!" Hibiki whined, embarrassed. Hajime sat up, wrapping his arm around her frame."Hajime..."
"Hibiki..." He kissed her on the cheek."How about once this is over we go on a special date? Just you and me. I know we haven't had time for ourselves in a while, so I was thinking we could go out together."
"Sure! I'd love to." Hibiki nodded, closing her eyes as she leaned for a kiss."I love you so much."
"I love you too. Like you have no idea."
"Can we stay like this for a while?" She yawned, bringing him down with her to the pillow.
"I'd love to." He smiled, wrapping his arms around her.
The couple embraced each other, and soon enough they were both fast asleep in each other's arms.
"You said you want us to upgrade your Deck now?" Elfnein rose a brow upon hearing Raiden's request."I suppose I could prioritize yours, but we're almost done with the others. Besides, your power could be needed, especially since Hibiki-san can't fight anymore."
"I know. But..." He clenched his fists."I'm tired of not being able to fix up my own mess."
"Did something happen?" The homunculus curiously asked, patting the stool in front of her working station.
Tobias, who was currently working on the Decks, was fast asleep on the floor, exhausted after using all of his short energy. He had been offered a proper bed, but the Autoscorer claimed to like sleeping on the floor, as odd as it sounded for the others.
"Elfnein-chan...do you have any family? Or how does it work for homunculi?"
"Biological family?" She hummed in thought."I suppose not. I am an artificial human being, after all."
"What about the Autoscorers? Do they count as something like siblings to you? The way Jades-nii and the others are for me?"
"I never thought of it that way, honestly. But some of them are related. Leiur has a little sister, for instance. And Phara is Zeke's older sister."
"Really? But they're...dolls, no? So how does that work?"
"I assume it has to do with the personality Carol and Bragard gave to them." Elfnein shrugged."For example, I gave Tobias a meek but somewhat confident personality. But thanks to Thor's influence as well as my own words, he's been developing some sort of a personality outside of his programming."
"I see. Huh. So even those guys have something they call family, huh."
"As for Carol...I suppose she would be some type of "older sister" of sorts." She giggled."I mean, I am based on her. Bragard is...well, he was not much of anything. He just flirted with Carol and bossed the others around. It's weird but...despite him and Carol having a relationship, I think of him as a brother."
"And what do you think about fighting Carol, then?"
"Mmmm. Not much. We have to stop her. It's the most rational thing, right? She is trying to destroy the world."
"True...better stop her before she does something that we won't be able to take back..." Raiden frowned.
"Is this about your encounter with Terunosuke Kuwana, Kamen Rider Gai?"
"You know?"
"Genjuro-san mentioned it to me. He was one of your siblings back at FIS and was the one who killed Jades-san's brother to take the Gai Deck. He was presumed dead twice and recently tried to kill you guys again."
"Yeah..." Raiden trailed off."It's just...I hate him so much. He manipulated me and Andreas and tried to get us to kill each other. Tried to kill Jades-nii too and destroy our family. And worse of all, desecrated Mom's grave. And yet...I can't help but feel strange."
"Strange?"
"He was my brother. At one point, he was. Even though he always treated us like crap. He had a very nasty personality, even before he went completely off the deep end. But despite that, I admired him. I wanted to be like him. No matter how much he fell, he always stood back up. He always progressed and wanted to increase his abilities. I wanted to be like him. His determination and courage...was something else. I guess that's why I fell for his lies. Because he was my role model." He let out a dry chuckle."I guess it's pretty stupid, huh? To feel that sort of emotion for someone who killed another close person and is trying to kill you."
"I don't think it's stupid." Elfnein shook her head."I'm not too experienced with emotions, but I think if you feel about him that way, it's because you cherish the times you spent with him. They meant something. Formed you into who you are today. And as you said, you guys were close."
"Jades-nii thinks we can still save him. I'm frustrated with his decision, but I understand. He doesn't want to lose my siblings. He had Atticus and was about to be an older brother but the baby didn't make it. So I think he wants to desperately believe he can save Terunosuke because he's lost too much."
"Then shouldn't you try to do the same thing? Though maybe you don't want to. He did kill his brother, didn't he? But if you want my honest advice, just protect them. Fight for what's right and let your actions speak for you. I think it's okay to not want to kill him. But locking him up would be necessary. I see...so that's why you want your Deck upgraded already."
"I want to defeat him. And destroy his Deck. But I was so useless back then...Bakime had to come in and save us."
"Bakime...?"
"Baka plus Hajime makes Bakime. Long story."
"Ah...I see." She sweatdropped, deciding not to question it. "Well, as I said, we can try upgrading your Deck, but remember that they can attack at any moment. Once the upgrade begins, it can't be stopped until it's done."
"Yeah...I figured." He sighed, crossing his arms."I've been scared of using Survive. But I feel like I can't keep prolonging it."
"Be careful." Elfnein said, almost pleading."Use it only as your last resort. It could have bad side effects on your body since it's not your affinity."
"I know. But if I must, I'll do it. I'm done doubting myself. If I'm going to do something, I'll do it right." He jumped off the stool, heading for the door."I'll keep my Deck around. Who knows when I'll need it, right? Thanks...for the talk."
"It's not a problem. I'm happy if I made you feel better." Elfnein gave him a warm smile, causing him to feel butterflies in his belly."If you need to talk again, I'm always willing to listen."
"T-thanks..." He blushed, closing the door behind him.
Chiaki gasped as she was slammed against the wall inside the Divine Disasters of Valhalla's penthouse(I'm going to abbreviate their name to DDV from now on for the sake of simplicity)."Oh, harder, Daddy ~!"
"Ugh!" Terunosuke visibly cringed."I think she's enjoying this..." Allister arched a brow, watching the scene unfold. Hazuki had his arm pressed against her neck, preventing her from breathing properly.
"You fucking scumbag! Who the hell gave you the right to try and kill Miku-chan?! Huh?!" Hazuki pressed harder, hearing Chiaki choke out a chuckle.
"Why are you so worked up over that whore...?" Chiaki giggled maniacally."She was just begging for me to kill her..."
"You bastard!" Hazuki growled under his breath.
"Besides, if Ragnarok happens, everyone has to die anyway. Miku Kohinata is destined to die. Everyone on this planet will die as a consequence of Ragnarok. There will be no exceptions...I know you don't have it in you to kill her. So I might as well do it to prevent you from suffering that pain." Her eyes gleamed in madness."I was going to make it memorable! Such a wonderful experience! Tortured her to death while peeling her skin off slowly, enjoying her screams of agony! They took that away from me!"
"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO DECIDE THAT!" Hazuki screamed, his sclera turning black in contrast to his pink pupils."I have half a mind to kill you right now! You have no right to decide how she dies!" He glared back to his companions, his eyes full of rage."The same goes for you guys. If you ever lay your hands on Miku-chan...I will kill you. She is not to be touched! Understood?!"
Terunosuke took a step back, feeling the pure murderous energy emanating from Hazuki. He hated to admit it, but this kid was freaking him out.
"Sure. We understand." Allister shrugged."She understands as well. Best not to kill her. We do need her."
Hazuki backed off Chiaki, allowing the girl to fall on her knees and pant for precious oxygen. She spat out the crystal that was hidden under her tongue."Miku-chan is off limits."
"It saddens me to see how much that bitch has tainted your mind." She picked up the crystal, shoving it inside her mouth again."What did she do? Have sex with you? I bet she has. Otherwise, you wouldn't be against her dying. But is she better than me? I can give you a good time, my dear Hazuki. I can rock your world!"
"It's not that! She's just someone very precious to me!" Hazuki sneered."She didn't have sex with me or seduce me in any way. She's just a very good friend and I'm happy she's in my life."
"But that said, she will have to die eventually." Allister pointed out."If her soul is to be cleansed for when the new world is created, she will have to die. Maybe mercy killing wouldn't be bad. But we'll leave that up to you."
"Right...Thanks..." Hazuki closed his eyes, heading off to the sink and washing his face.
"Are you all done?"
The group immediately turned to the sight of a blonde girl wearing a short red dress.
"You're...Carol." Allister recognized her."Why are you here?"
"I came to get that girl." She pointed at Chiaki."Micha vouches for her. I need her for something."
"What makes you think you can give us orders?" Terunosuke glared daggers at her.
"Because you work for Bragard and he works for me." She glared back."Now, I don't have to hear any more complaining. We are upgrading your Decks, after all. The least you can do is show some appreciation. We could have just killed you."
"I'll go." Chiaki rubbed her sore throat, heading toward Carol."We should show some appreciation, right? Besides, I want a round two with those little bitches. I've been dying to properly fight a Symphogear for a while."
"I have bad news for you. They're all destroyed." Carol commented, a smile creeping onto her face."Though, they've recently gained a new addition to their team. Someone you might be familiar with. You fought her."
"Oh? So Chao-Xing is with them, huh? Perfect." Chiaki clasped her hands, licking her lips. She stuck out her tongue, revealing the crystal she kept hidden, and grasped it in her hand."I'm dying to tear her to pieces!"
"An eager one. I like that. I'm sure you'd do a good job."
Centuries ago, inside a small house located on the outskirts of the once-known Ventara kingdom, a small girl had her eyes glued to a book almost as big as her, studying intently. Her attention was disrupted when a small explosion shook the house."Papa!"
"Ah, great..." A middle-aged man wearing glass coughed, waving his hand to disperse the smoke around his face."It exploded...but good news, Carol! Lunch is ready!"
"Wait! You said we're getting some visitors today, right?"
"Yes, why?"
"L-let me try it first..." Carol swallowed the lump in her throat, deciding to try out her father's cooking before their visitors arrived. Her dad nodded, serving some food for Carol to try, and sat beside her, waiting for her opinion. The girl cut some of the burnt meat and forced it down her mouth, wincing upon swallowing it.
"So?" Her dad leaned forward."What do you think?"
"Good thing I decided to try this out first." Carol covered her mouth."It's bitter, it smells terrible, and it tastes even worse. This isn't edible."
"Fantastic..." Her dad deflated."Guess I'll have to buy something at the market. It's strange, though. They say that with cooking and alchemy alike, as long as you follow the recipe, everything will turn out fine. I wish I could cook like your mother..."
"Papa, you don't have to buy anything." Carol stood up with a smile."Let me cook this time. We don't want to have your guests coming to an empty table, do we?"
"You're a lifesaver, Carol!"
With that, the girl got to work, whipping out something from the leftovers her dad hadn't used."Is there some trick to cooking? You're making it look easy."
"It's a secret." Carol said, puffing her chest."And it's your job as an Alchemist to figure it out. I can't make it easy, now, can I?"
"That's quite the challenge you've prepared for me." Her dad chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. A knock on the door grabbed their attention."Must be them. I'll go bring them in."
"Oh, ok." Carol nodded, keeping an eye over her shoulder, curious to see who her dad had invited over. They must have been important enough to clean the house and ask her to wear her best clothes.
"Ah, Leonardo! You made it!" The bespectacled man beamed, taking a step back to reveal an older man with grey hair, wearing a grey robe and a hat.
"Izak, thank you again for inviting us." Leonardo nodded, glancing over to the girl looking back at them."That must be your lovely daughter, Carol."
"Right. Carol, this is my old friend, Leonardo Clausell. He and I learned Alchemy from the same master."
"Oh! N-nice to meet you." Carol turned off the stove, running to meet the man."My name is Carol. It's a pleasure."
"She has such good manners. I'm jealous of you, Izak. If only my daughter gave me the time of day..." He sighed, scratching his long beard. They heard the sound of light coughing behind him, and Carol looked up at her father.
"There you are, my prince." Leonardo took a step to the side, allowing a small boy with pale skin, black hair, and blue eyes to enter the house. He was wearing expensive-looking clothes and a tiara on his head.
"H-hello." He meekly said, coughing into his handkerchief, his voice raspy."I am Prince Bragard Hyperion. But everyone calls me Bragi. I humbly thank you for having us over for lunch."
"T-t-the prince!" Carol gasped in shock, covering her face in embarrassment."Papa! You didn't tell me the prince was coming over!"
"It's okay..." Bragard smiled gently."I like this place. It has a comfy atmosphere to it...I'm looking forward to learning as much as I can."
"Learning?"
"The prince will be learning Alchemy with you from now on, Carol." Izak stated."Leonardo got him interested in the subject, and since you're both around the same age, we thought you could be classmates."
"Is that so?" Carol tilted her head, still somewhat hesitant."To learn with the prince...it's such an honor."
"The honor is mine, Carol. I heard a lot about you." Bragard walked up to her, holding out his hand."I hope I can keep up with you. I wouldn't like to disappoint."
"Not at all! I'll do my best to teach you what I know too!" Carol excitedly shook his hand. She then noticed something odd about his hair. It was pitch black, darker than any other person she's seen. But one of his locks was white.
"You're awake, Master," Tobias noted as he watched Elfnein stirred awake from her slumber.
"Did I fall asleep?" She sat up from the floor after the Autoscorer had fetched her a pillow and some sheets."Was that a dream...? No...memories from Carol?"
"You must have been exhausted." Tobias set down the Knight Deck he was working on, assisting his master up."You said you saw Carol's memories?"
"I did...it's happened before. I've seen Papa several times as well. But it's the first time I've seen Prince Bragard in them." She shook her head, gently slapping her cheeks."Let's get back to work, Tobias. We must finish upgrading the Symphogear and the Decks."
"As you wish, Master."
"So...what happened to him?" Genjuro asked, pointing at a sulking Takeru on the corner. He had makeup on, his nails were painted in a deep shade of red, and had hair extensions that made his hair seem longer.
"It's his punishment," Tsubasa stated.
"Originally we were going to beat him up to a pulp, but turning him into a girl works just fine." Chris smirked at her boyfriend."Isn't that right, Takeru-chan?"
"No more nail polish please..." Takeru cried, shaking like a leaf.
"Told you so." Yosuke sighed.
"Poor Takeru..." Jades couldn't help but sympathize with the former mercenary.
"He wanted to ogle us, so we just gave him what he wanted," Maria explained with a triumphant smile.
"Anyway..." Yosuke sighed, exasperated."Now we have more trouble on the way. This...DDV. Or whatever was written on that piece of paper that Nakahara left behind."
"I can't believe Nakahara-chan is a serial killer." Takeru lamented."Or even Femme. She seemed...very nice. She was a great tutor..."
"A great liar, that's what." Chris huffed."I never fell for her good girl act. But to think she was a psychotic killer..."
"According to the note Nakahara left behind it seems she's in this group called the Divine Disasters of Valhalla." Genjuro watched as a picture of the analyzed piece of paper was shown on screen."Given their name, it's safe to assume that she's working with Ryuga and Loki."
"Also with Terunosuke..." Jades clenched his fists.
"And that fucking snake bastard!" Takeru sneered in disdain.
'Tch.' Yosuke grimaced.'As long as Ouja is alive...Goro will not be able to rest in peace...'
"But why would Ryuga even work with them." Maria crossed her arms."I thought his goal was something like world peace through destruction."
"Just like you said." Tsubasa nodded."His goal is to wipe out humanity and start on a clean slate. Destroy the foundation to shape the world to his will with the wish."
"Destroying all of humanity is too much, even for a guy like him." Yosuke added."What better thing to do than to work with sickos that wouldn't bat an eye for killing innocents?"
Just then the alarm went off, alerting everyone of the danger."What's going on?!"
"Sir! It's the Alca Noise!" Aoi informed them."They've gone straight for the generators at our dock."
"And not just that." Sakuya pulled up several more live feeds."They're attacking throughout the city!"
"A coordinated attack." Yosuke bit his lower lip."If they cut off our power, we're screwed."
"Call Hajime-kun and send him to the city. Andreas-kun and Raiden-kun will protect our generators!" Genjuro ordered.
As the others began discussing possible strategies, Shirabe and Kirika snuck out of the command room, wearing their incognito glasses.
"Where are we running all of a sudden?" Kirika asked as they took a turn down a corridor.
"We'll buy time." Shirabe replied."We have to secure enough time to complete the upgrades. Also-"
Once they took another turn, they met with a stern-looking girl, leaning against the wall as if she had been waiting for them.
"C-Chao-Xing-san." Shirabe muttered, taken aback from seeing the newest member down where they were."Why are you...?"
"I saw the little kiddies sneaking out of the meeting and I knew you were up to something." Chao-Xing unfolded her arms."You two are also Symphogears, are you not? To me, it looks like you have a plan in the works. So why don't you be good girls and fill me in?"
In the city, a wave of Noise marched inside a power plant as the workers ran for their lives. To make things worse, several Mirror Monsters had emerged from the Mirrors, killing anyone too slow to get away. That is until a ball of fire prevented them from advancing any further.
Ryuki rode on top of Dragreder, grimacing upon seeing the many enemies down below."Shit...there's a lot of them here. But I can't use Survive just yet. I can't get winded right away and something tells me this is just the beginning."
Dragreder growled, unleashing another fireball that disintegrated a group of Noise and knocked some Mirror Monsters down.
"Yeah, you're right, buddy. Let's show them that we're not to be understimated!" Ryuki jumped down drawing free falling from the sky. Out of nowhere, a volley of gold coins was shot at him, forcing him to cover himself with his arms.
"I hadn't expected anyone to show up here." Leiur drawled, striking one of her fabulous poses."And a Kamen Rider at that. I suppose making a show out of it would be fitting."
"Great..." Ryuki swallowed the lump in his throat."Guess it won't be so easy, huh?"
"Hahahaha!" Femme clapped as she stood on top of a structure, watching the Noise get the work."This is amazing! It's like I'm controlling my own army!"
"Right? Noise are pretty useful. It's too bad there aren't any mirrors around otherwise we could have made this a party!" Micha cheered.
"I like your style. You're pretty funny." Femme smirked under her helmet.
"Speaking of funny, look over there!"
Down below, Raia and Imperer mowed down through the battalions of Noise with their respective weapons. Imperer pierced through them with his Gazellestab while Raia used his Evilwhip to strike them away.
"We can't let them get closer to the generators at the docks!" Raia screamed, dodging a beam of energy that a Noise shot at him.
"Right!" Imperer drew a card."Better call in some backup!"
Advent: Gigazelle
The Gazelles quickly got to work, pushing the Alca Noise back but were still outnumbered vastly. Just then, a massive explosion went off in the distance, raising a pillar of water near the docks.
"What the hell was that?!" Raia cried out, watching in the distance as more pillars of water erupted to the surface."No! It must be one of the water Autoscorers! I have to go! But I can't leave Andreas here..."
"Raiden!"
The stingray Rider looked over to SHirabe and Kirika."Why the hell are you two here?! Go back inside!"
"It's okay! We have a plan!" Kirika nodded at him as they took out their pendants."So go ahead and go! We'll protect Andreas! We're his older sisters after all!"
"You girls..." Raia muttered, allowing himself a small smile."Darn, you surprise me sometimes. Fine! But I'll be back soon, alright?!"
Advent: Evildiver
Raia jumped on top of Evildiver and headed toward the docks.
"Let's go, Kiri-chan."
"You got it-desu!"
"Various Shul Shagana tron..."
"Zeios Igalima raizen tron..."
(Play Genocide Saw Heaven)
Imperer was blasted by a Noise, sending him skidding on the ground. More of them headed his way, but a rain of sawblades rained down upon them, saving him.
"Shirabe! Kirika!" Imperer beamed upon seeing his sisters.
"You okay?" Kirika helped him up, twirling her scythe to slash a Noise away.
"Now that you're here...yeah." He chuckled sheepishly."I'd be lying if I said I wasn't happy."
"You won't be happy for long!" Micha came down from the sky with a dive kick, which Kirika was barely able to block with her scythe."Oh! Not bad!"
"Kiri-chan!" Shirabe rushed in after her along with Raia.
"So it's a two-on-three?" Femme landed in front of them, cutting them off."How sad. It's so unfair, isn't it? For you, that is."
"Make it two-on-three."
Femme frowned, turning to the source of the voice. Chao-Xing stood up tall, or as tall as she could, with a hand to her hip."You meddling bitch. Lucky me. I was worried I'd have to hunt you down later. But this works out just fine."
"Why is Chao-Xing-san here?" Imperer gasped."She needs our help! They'll kill her!"
"I wouldn't count her out just yet," Shirabe said.
"Tsukuyomi, take that little kid brother of yours and help Akatsuki." Chao-Xing ordered, approaching them slowly."I'll take on this one. You make sure to smash up that doll."
"Kyahahaha!" Femme cackled in delight."That's so precious! And how, pray tell, do you plan on stopping me? You saw last time how I was about to kill you if this little brat hadn't interfered."
"We're evening up the playing field, you cunt." She grinned, taking out her pendant.
"No way..." Femme's eyes shot wide open."That's...a Relic!"
"Good. So you know what it is. Then you know how fucked you are." Chao-Xing took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself before uttering her chant with her heart, the words coming out as if she had known them her entire life.
"Malice delal Mjölnir tron..."
Thunder suddenly fell from the sky striking her, creating a blinding light that temporarily blinded Femme. Once the light died down, Chao-Xing changed her appearance completely. She was now clad in a cyan-blue sleeveless bodysuit with black highlights and a cyan-blue battle skirt with black lines that reached up to the middle of her thighs. She also wore black armor with numerous metal plates, forming protective guards along her chest, waist, shoulders, and thighs. She also possessed two gauntlets in each of her arms, similar to the ones Hibiki used but slightly bulkier. To top off her appearance, she had two lightning hair clippers on the sides of her head, that connected to her headset, which displayed her model number: SG-r04 Mjolnir. Finally, two white and blue mallets continuously rotated around her shoulders.
"No...she's a Symphogear..." Femme took a shaky step back, shaking her head in disbelief.
Chao-Xing opened her eyes, electricity sparking around her, aiming her finger at her."Thunder and lightning...You're about to see what a real Liang is capable of doing."
Meanwhile, Bragard sat on his throne, typing away at his energy keyboard and watching as the Divine Power he had collected so far was stored inside of a tube."Good. Now I can get to work on the Goliath Noise." He shifted his attention to the ceiling, staring at his clone who remained in an inanimate state."If I can collect more Divine Power, then the Overall will-"
Just then, the alarms of his system went off. He quickly switched his attention to one of the main monitors in front of him, his eyes widening in horror upon seeing a humongous energy signature had been located near Leiur's location."It can't be...why is he here now...?!"
Leuir and Ryuki lunged at each other, only for golden slashes to cut away the Noise and Mirror Monsters around them as if they were mere fodder.
"What the hell?" Ryuki muttered, astonished.
"What just happened?" Leiur narrowed her eyes, equally puzzled.
They both glanced at each other."What sort of trickery did you/What the hell did you-"
Both of them stopped as they cut each other off."Wait, so you're telling me you had nothing to do with this?"
"I was going to ask the same thing." Leuir blinked."I thought this was some sort of plan of yours. So if it wasn't you...then what caused this?"
just then, a blinding golden light emanating from the sky blinded them with its mere power."It has been a long time, has it not, Ryuki? You've come a long way since the last time I saw you."
"No way..." Ryuki blocked the intense light with his arm."How...?!"
Leiur had to block the light with her hand, but she could vaguely make up a silhouette."That's..."
The light slowly began to fade away, allowing both Rider and Autoscorer to see the new person that had arrived, their golden armor emanating a faint glow."And one of Bragard's toys as well. Interesting. I did not anticipate he would make this move yet."
"You...!" Ryuki gritted his teeth once he saw the golden Rider in front of him with his arms folded."Odin!"
And so the first fight against Carol and her forces begins. Although without permission, Chao-Xing officially joined the team and is already out on the field. Now she can kick Femme's ass to her heart's content. But will she be able to do it? Or does Femme have a plan in store for her? The current Riders have to hold out for reinforcements to arrive but more dangers are waiting for them. Stay tuned for more! Also, Chao-Xing looks like a regular Symphogear but more covered up, since she's not a fan of having her skin so exposed. And with the armor of a samurai to protect some of her body.