Reviews:
FlameFireZero X: Yes...yes they did. But I didn't go into detail. I'm not good at writing lemon so I'm leaving it to the reader's interpretation. Aside from them beating him up, he's fearing what his sister has in store for him. I like that line. I think I see Hajime saying it more than Hazuki as weird as that sounds. Maybe not now, but later on in the story.
Alexander David: Lo he estado pensando. Tengo varias ideas para cuando termine la historia principal, pero nada concreto.
lordri25may2001: Right. I'm trying to show all of their background as flashbacks, including Bragard's because otherwise I would be making separate chapters. I'm glad you caught that. Current Bragard's personality is completely different from how he was in the past. We haven't touched on his story yet but it's coming soon. I'm not much of a fairy tail fan so I didn't think of that, sorry.
HanzoHasashi98: Hey, man, don't worry about it. I'm glad you're still around, though so no worries. One of the main cores of this story is family. Most of the characters are dealing with family matters in some way and I agree, family is important. Hajime and Chao-Xing need to learn to understand each other if they ever want to take down the guy who killed their whole family. Yes, there will be more power-ups in later seasons. It would be bad storytelling if I gave them Survive right now and that's it lol so I decided to give them something else. I'm thinking about the Symphogear vent idea but I was wondering if you could dm me about the specifics of Red Vent. I think I got something that can work with your idea but I need some details first. Yeah, you're right. Hajime's been spamming that Survive Mode in almost every fight he's been in. Maybe against Odin was necessary, but maybe not so much against Gai and Ouja. He's growing too dependent on it. The thing with Hajime is that he learns as he fights. But he doesn't really master what he sees. He just learns to counter it. So having Chao-Xing train him in some areas might help him become a more efficient fighter overall. You'll see what I mean in this chapter. But you're right, he'll need to learn all he can if he wants to stand a chance against Bragard.
Tenzalucard123: We're getting closer to the painful moment. Damian will be separated from Garie once again. And yeah, Tobias is their son. But he doesn't know since he doesn't have those memories and he was just a baby back then. Hajime and Yosuke are the boring ones in the group but are also very responsible for deciding to not do anything with their girlfriends until they are ready. Takeru and Jades don't care lol.
Chapter 61
Failed You Once More
"Alright, Tobias, what's next on the list?" Damian and Garie strolled over the busy streets of the capital of Ventara, visiting various shops to restock their pantry. Tobias was sitting comfortably on his stroller, playing around and crumbling the list they needed for their shopping. Garie pushed the stroller, making funny faces to keep her baby occupied while Damian held onto the items they were purchasing in hags.
"Let me see, Tobi." Garie peered down, taking a quick glimpse at the piece of paper."We need to get some bread and butter. Oh. And we can't forget about the corn. I want to prepare something special for Micha's birthday party next week."
"Okay, that sounds nice. Might need to get some eggs too." Damian added, receiving a nod from his wife.
"It's been a peaceful month." Garie smiled warmly."I wish you didn't have to go back to work soon. It'll be lonely without you."
"Hey, no need to get all depressed, honey." Damian poked her sides, receiving a giggle."I'm going back to my post as Royal Guard. They won't be sending me out of the kingdom unless it's really important. So don't worry. I'll be coming home every night."
"Really?" Garie's eyes lit up with joy."We'll get to eat supper together? As a family?"
"Every day." He smiled.
Tobias giggled as he ripped the note to pieces, much to his parents' horror.
"Tobi! No!" Garie frowned, grabbing the now pieces of paper from the baby before he could put them in his mouth."Why did you do that? We only had that one list!"
"Don't sweat it. We don't have much left anyway." Damian bent down, kissing his son's forehead."He's a sneaky one. I didn't even hear him tearing that sheet apart. He'll make a great knight."
"And a good dancer, I'm sure." She beamed at her husband."So, what shall we have for dinner today, my love?"
They stopped in the middle of the street after they heard a commotion in the center of town. Curious, the young family observed from afar and noticed a group of people being burnt at the stake.
"These here are witches who call themselves Alchemists!" The priest yelled, earning a cheer from the crowd."They are responsible for bringing about the plague that's been tormenting our beloved kingdom! Performing the Devil's deeds! They call it a miracle?! Well, I call it a curse!"
"They're executing more people..." Garie furrowed her brow, picking up her child from his stroller and hugging him tightly."They're just going around pointing at people and calling them witches. Just because they're afraid of the plague."
"The Church has labeled this as a curse from the Devil himself." Damian said."Alchemy is considered an act of witchcraft, and as such, they believe it was used to create the plague that killed hundreds of people. I fear for the safety of Izak and Leonardo. Their status as Alchemists is being kept in secret, but if they were to be found out...it would be their deaths."
"But that's not fair." Garie insisted."They're very nice people and are working hard to find a cure for the plague and to find a way to save Prince Bragi's life."
"That may be true, but the Church only cares about its power. They are using the name of Ventara to persuade the people into believing that Alchemy is evil. I fear that one day not even the Royal family will be able to stop them. Furthermore...I'm afraid they won't find a cure for Prince Bragard's disease soon. His body is deteriorating. His hair is almost completely white and is coughing more blood than before. Izak told me that he hopes that by finding the cure to the plague and His Majesty's condition, he will be able to clear the name of all Alchemists. They're hoping for a miracle."
"A miracle, huh..."
"That's right. But Prince Bragard is the Messiah." He set their groceries on Tobias' stroller, wrapping an arm around his wife as they continued walking."I'm sure he will be saved. He's destined to bring about change to the kingdom, after all. I believe in him."
"I hope so." Garie sighed, smiling at Tobias."For the sake of our child, I hope all of this confusion is cleared up."
"Of course." Damian kissed her hand."As long as we're together, everything will be fine."
In the present, Damian observed Hajime and Chao-Xing about to engage in combat. He and Garie were stationed outside of the beach area, sitting on top of a tree branch as they bided their time.
"Garie."
"What?" She asked in a bored tone, staring into the ground below.
"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Damian asked, reaching for her hand."There's still time to reconsider."
"What is there to think about?" She sighed in exasperation but did not pull away."I want to do this. I have to. I have to be the first and make myself useful."
"But I told you you're fine the way you are. We can just run away from all of this. Turn our backs before this mess gets out of hand."
"And go where?" She glared at him, baring her teeth."We're not human, Damian. We're Autoscorers. Dolls. We can't just turn tail and abandon our Masters. Besides...if I'm going to do something...I want to do it right. So I'm going. Whether you come with me or not doesn't matter."
"I'll come with you." He sighed, realizing he wouldn't be able to convince her."If you want to do this, then I have no choice but to support you as best as I can. As long as we're together, we'll be fine."
Garie pondered those words for a while, feeling like she had heard them before."Then let us finish this here and now."
Hajime rushed at Chao-Xing, who waited patiently until he was mere inches away from her before making her move. She grabbed his fist, using his momentum to flip over her back and slam him on the sand. He rose her foot, threatening to kick him but the boy rolled out of the way, kicking her calf and forcing her to jump back. She lunged at him with her leg out, which Hajime managed to block, only for her to throw a second kick. His instincts backed him up, however, and he blocked the kick with his forearm before grabbing her legs and hurling her away.
"Not bad." She kicked the ground, leaping into the air before landing gracefully."So far, you're not very disappointing. Kudos to you."
"Just getting started." Hajime grinned, though he was sweating bullets.'Man, she's fast and agile. Not to mention she counters every move as if she can read me entirely. I guess I have to switch things up a bit.'
Hajime raised both of his hands, his right arm in front as he pushed up his middle fingers.
'That stance!' Chao-Xing's eyes shot wide open, watching as her cousin closed the distance between them. He aimed toward a particular area on her shoulder, but she batted his arm away before delivering a quick jab to his chest, causing him to recoil. She went for a roundhouse kick, but he bent his knees and struck the back of her thigh after ducking.
"Tch!" She winced, turning around and giving another kick, which he blocked by crossing his arms in front of him. The impact sent him to skid a few meters away."I see. So you're familiar with Kyusho Jitsu, a martial art based on striking the opponent's nerves."
"Something I picked up after fighting Kamen Rider Ouja."
"Oh? The hitman?"
"Yup. Though I'm not that good at it. I keep forgetting where the nerves are and well..." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly."That fighting style doesn't concentrate much on attack power but on speed and precision. I have the speed but I keep missing."
"I see. So you have the capability of adapting to your opponent's fighting styles as you battle. It's no surprise how you went from a typical delinquent to an almost seasoned martial artist in less than a year. However, I see you have a limit."
"A limit?"
"You're a jack of all trades, master of none. That means that sure, you can adapt to your opponent's fighting style, but you can't really incorporate it into your own. So the only thing you can do is predict their moves and counter with your thug style. Also, it seems that you learn during battle. You're countering my moves better and better."
"Right back at you. And please don't call it thug style. I stopped being one a long time ago. It's just a brawler style." Hajime cracked his knuckles."But you're also getting better too."
"It's only natural. We're both Liang. But it does seem like your adaptability has a slight edge over mine. I want to see more."
They resumed their sparring match, but this time, Chao-Xing was now countering all of Hajime's movements. He couldn't believe it. They were just evenly matched but now she had the advantage. Without warning, she kicked the sand, sending it to his face and blinding him. Before he could protest, he reached for where his belt would be but realized he was not in his Rider form and took a kick to the chest.
"Ow...that's cheating...Where's the honor in throwing sand to people's faces?!" Hajime voiced his complaint, rubbing the sand off of his eyes.
"There is honor in a fight. But there is no honor in a fight to the death." She stated, taking him by surprise."On the battlefield, you don't fight to win or for glory or praise. You fight to survive. Use your instincts. Think outside of the box and outsmart your opponent. Create openings. Your opponent won't tell you their weakness. You have to figure that out yourself."
He was perplexed at the sudden drop of knowledge he was hearing from his cousin. At first, he was expecting her to ridicule him. But not give him genuine advice.
"You've grown too dependent on your powers. Just now you tried reaching for your Deck to activate an ability." She folded her arms under her chest."You're indeed a gifted fighter, but you lack any real technique. I suppose your powers make up the difference. Regardless, you-"
Hajime threw sand in her eyes, causing her to take a few steps back, sneering."You shouldn't drop your guard before the fight is over!"
As he tried to tackle her, Chao-Xing merely sidestepped, easily avoiding him. Thinking this was pure luck, he threw hin several punches in her direction, but all of them missed their mark. She grabbed both of his fists, kneeing him in the gut and knocking the wind out of him, forcing him to his knees."How...?"
"I can feel your Chi." She began rubbing her eyes."So even if I'm blinded, I can still know what you're doing. But nice try though."
"Man..." Hajime grunted, falling on the sand, defeated."I guess I have a lot to learn. If I want to take on Bragard, I need to get as strong as I can."
"I don't mind teaching you." Chao-Xing offered."I can't have you making our clan look bad with such primitive moves. Besides, you might help me get stronger myself for when I face Bragard. Sorry, kid. I'm the one who's going to kill him."
"Fine. I guess learning from such a cool Liang won't hurt me." He quipped, earning a roll of eyes from his cousin."Not gonna help me up?"
"Consider this your first lesson, smartass."
"Hey, guys!" Hibiki waved at them, jogging over to the pair of cousins."Are you guys fighting?"
"Just sparring." Hajime scratched his cheek.
"Tachibana Hibiki. Just the woman that I wanted to see." Chao-Xing adopted a haughty smile."Care to join me on my workout? I do warn you, I tend to turn up the heat rather quickly."
"I'd love to, but we were summoned by Master." Hibiki did a quick bow as an apology."So we have to go report to the base nearby. We're all going except for Maria-san, Jades-san, Elfnein-chan, and Raiden-kun."
"Huh? Why not?"
"Jades has a severe hangover after last night." Tsubasa explained, approaching the group with a tired look on her face."I can't say I'm doing much better, though."
"Maria is staying behind to nurse him back to health." Shirabe chimed in."Also, Raiden is going to stick around in case Maria needs help if Garie shows up again."
"We'll be nearby, but just in case," Yosuke added.
Chao-Xing acknowledged the group with a critical gaze, noticing their worn-down conditions. However, to her surprise, Chris and Takeru were quite the opposite. They were holding onto each other, giggling like schoolchildren going on their first date.
"You look okay, Chao-Xing-san." Setsuna scanned her from head to toe.
"As do you. And you." She glared at Hazuki, who winced back.'This guy...How long does he intend on keeping this a secret?'
Andreas, twiddled his fingers, blushing upon Setsuna glancing at him."S-so, Setsuna-chan...are we-"
"A couple?" Setsuna hogged his arm to herself, batting her eyelashes at him."Only if you want me to be."
"S-Setsuna!" Hajime gasped in horror."No! I don't approve of this!"
"Haji, I can date whoever I want." Setsuna stuck her tongue out, leaning against a very embarrassed and startled Andreas, who was shaking in his boots at Hajime's glare."Just suck it up."
"B-but..." Hajime deflated, watching as his sister hid behind Andreas, who looked as if he had seen a ghost.
"H-H-Hajime-san...I can explain!" Andreas pleaded, stammering in fear.
"Save this for later." Tsubasa brought the conversation back on track."We need to get moving."
"Wait, where is Hamaguchi?" Hajime wondered and immediately everyone started whistling, averting their gazes."Uh...you guys didn't kill him, did you?"
"Noooo." Kirika laughed a forced laugh that screamed fake."We just...tied him up a bit-desu!"
"And beat him up a bit too," Shirabe said."And gave him the perfect punishment for a pervert like him."
"And we happened to hear his phone ringing." Yosuke added, smiling in amusement."It turns out he's been hiding from his sister, letting her and his aunt run their restaurant by themselves these past couple of days. So we told them we'd meet with them later today."
"Ouch...Seiko-san is one thing, but Chisa-san is something else." Hajime cringed."Can I see him-"
"No."
"Oh. Okay."
Jades groaned in pain, laying on his bed with a bag of ice over his head and a cup of seltzer water next to him on the table. Now he was beginning to regret drinking so much. But what he didn't regret was spending the night with Maria. Though now another thing he was regretting was going at it for hours without sleeping much.
'Mom would kill me if she was alive today...' He chuckled, but this just caused more pain.
"Hey, babe." Maria entered the room, holding a tray of food and a cup of water."I brought you some breakfast."
"Oh, thanks." He sat up with a groggy smile."You didn't have to, though."
"I wanted to." She countered with a smile."How are you feeling?"
"Like my fucking head is splitting apart."
"Did you eat that dish that Kuroiwa-kun prepared to cure hangovers?"
"I'm not eating a fucking octopus." He deadpanned."I'm allergic to seafood, remember?"
"True. I completely forgot since we don't eat that anymore." She sat on the bed next to him."About last night..."
"Do you regret it?"
"N-no! Of course not!" She shook her head."It's just...I wasn't expecting it."
"I enjoyed every moment of it." He reached for her hand."I wouldn't be any happier without you. You're perfect."
"Oh, stop it. You're just complimenting me because I'm your girlfriend now." She giggled."I'm not perfect. I'm weak. My fight with Garie proved that."
"You're being too harsh on yourself, Maria." Jades sighed."It was your first time confronting the sword's curse. You couldn't have done it the first time. It's never easy."
"How do you know?"
"Well, Survive works kind of similar in a way. We have to be able to control the power." Jades grabbed his Deck from under his pillow."Also, we need to have the strength and stamina to utilize it. I'm sure with practice you'll have it done in no time."
"But...what if next time I need to use it, I'm not ready?" Maria pondered, closing her eyes."What if I'm not strong enough? I'm weak-minded. Look how I completely bent to Dr. Ver's will before. Because of that, Mom-"
"Maria, we were all in the wrong there. We were all just lost. Look, now things are different. If you don't find the answer, then I'll help you find it. If you need strength, I'll give it to you. Count on me and the others. We got your back."
"Thanks, love." Maria smiled, standing up from the bed."I needed that...I'm going to go get some fresh air."
"I'm coming with." Jades grabbed his shirt from the floor."Can't be crammed up in here the whole day. Who else is here?"
"Just Raiden and Elfnein-chan."
"Oh, boy." Jades chuckled."I wonder what those two are up to."
"By the way, Andreas is now apparently dating Setsuna-chan." She shot him a grin."And Kuroiwa-kun said he'll get Kirika to date him one day."
"Oh, I see. Then I-THEY WHAT?! WHAT DID I MISS?! HOW DRUNK WAS I?! I DON'T APPROVE OF THAT!"
"But you're perfectly okay with Raiden being alone with Elfnein-chan and Andreas dating Setsuna-chan."
"THAT'S COMPLETELY DIFFERENT! I DON'T WANT MY BABY SISTERS TO HAVE BOYFRIENDS! MY HEART CAN'T TAKE IT!"
"I don't understand." Elfnein huffed, missing yet another serve."Why can't I do it, Tobias?"
"I'm at a loss as well, Master." Tobias kicked the ball back to Elfnein, sitting on the opposite side of the court."I don't understand either."
"I should have sufficient knowledge to make a perfect serve." She rolled the ball in her hands."I don't get it."
"It's probably because you're trying too hard to imitate the others."
They both yelped, surprised to see Raiden leaning against the wall, observing them."Oh. Raiden-san. I'm sorry. Did I disturb you?"
"Nah. Just bored." He shrugged, approaching the girl."Nice dress. Maria picked it out for you?"
"She did." Elfnein nodded, giving a little twirl."It's comfortable."
"It looks good on you." He flushed slightly."A-anyway, want me to help you?"
"Sure. Please. I'm in your care."
Raiden made his way over to her, realizing just how tiny she was. Not that he was tall himself. He was shorter than Maria and Tsubasa. But still taller than Chris, Hajime, and Kirika.
"Okay, so here's what you do." He stood up behind her, gently grabbing her arms."Are you left or right-handed?"
"Mmmm...Right-handed." She responded, curiously watching him situate her arms accordingly. She felt a little off about the situation. Not that she disliked it, but it made her stomach feel funny.
"So you tossed the ball in the air with your left hand." He began."Then you smack it with your...well, I was going to say hand, but you might hurt yourself. No offense, Elfnein-chan, but you're a little too scrawny for this kind of stuff."
"I know..." She sighed."I'll try to eat more."
"Then...how about you use your fist?" He suggested."Smack the hell out of the ball and it'll go flying."
"Really? Would that work?"
"Yeah. As Maria said, it's okay if it's weak, just stay true to yourself and trust your teammates. But to do that, you need to make the first move. Take the initiative, no matter how you have to do it."
"Take the initiative...I got it." Elfnein nodded, deciding to give it a try. She threw the ball in the air, jumping after it and punching it, sending it flying over the net."I did it! I-"
Raiden caught her in his arms after she failed to realize she was about to fall face-first onto the sand."You okay?"
"Y-yes..." She meekly replied, feeling the temperature in her face rise as their faces were inches away from each other."Thank you. It worked!"
"Of course it did. You gotta have some level of self-confidence with these things." He smirked.
"You gonna let her down, Raiden?" Jades asked, giving him a knowing smile.
"I was about to before you interrupted me," Raiden grumbled, gently setting Elfnein on her feet.
"I hope you're not taking advantage of Elfnein-chan's innocence." Maria quipped, wagging her eyebrows suggestively.
"I'm not like you guys!" He groaned, embarrassed beyond belief."I was just teaching her how to serve!"
"He was." Elfnein came to his defense."Please don't get mad at him. He wasn't doing anything wrong."
Before they could reply, an explosion of water caught their attention. Two pillars of water emerged from the ocean, with Damian and Garie standing on top of them.
"Hello there, useless user." Garie looked down at Maria with a cruel smirk."Will you sing for me this time?"
"Garie and Damian!" Tobias gasped."They're both here?!"
"Just fucking great." Raiden clicked his tongue.
"We don't need to gather your energy anymore." Damian took out his Deck as his V Buckle materialized around his waist."So I can safely kill you this time."
"Like we'd let you!" Jades yelled as both he and Raiden did the same."Elfnein-chan! Tobias! Get behind us!"
"Henshin!"
"Seilen Coffin Airgetlam Tron..."
Destwilder and Evildiver appeared in energy forms, circling around their masters before combining into one with them.
"So, you've upgraded your Decks." Abyss noted with mild interest."Garie?"
"Already on it." Garie threw a handful of gems to the ground, summoning a battalion of Alca Noise. Tiger, Raia, and Maria got to work, facing the Noise head-on.
Tiger tore threw them with his axe, kicking and punching the ones who began to flank him. Maria drew her dagger and converted it into a whip sword, lashing it out around the Noise.
Empress Rebellion
Copy Vent
Raia copied Maria's Armed Gear, repeating the same move she did, and wiped the Noise around him clean. Both of them retracted the whip back to its dagger form, swinging them in front of them and forming a dozen copies each.
Infinite Crime
"I guess there's no need to hold back on them." Abyss jumped into the water, drawing a card from his Deck.
Zone Vent: Flood Zone
Using his ability, Damian was able to manipulate a huge chunk of the ocean, creating a gigantic wave that threatened to flood the entire area and cause countless casualties.
"Oh, fuck!" Raia quickly jumped into action, drawing his Survive Card and using it in an instant.
Survive: Seishin
His body was surrounded by purple psychic energy, causing the sand around him to levitate before finishing his transformation. He drew a card, inserting it into his improved visor, the Evilvisorzwei.
Psychic Vent
Raia rose his arms, stopping the wave from washing over the area, grunting due to the effort."I'll pour the water back into the ocean! Give me a minute!"
"You won't have a minute." Abyss immediately aimed his visor at Tiger, firing several slashes of water at him. The burly man twirled his axe in an attempt to block, but he found himself overwhelmed easily and cried in pain after receiving the attack.
"Jades!" Maria cried, only to be blasted by a stream of water by Garie.
"You're fighting me, useless user." She grinned sardonically.
Sword Vent: Abyss Sabers
Abyss manifested his twin serrated blades, dashing at Tiger in an instant.
Strike Vent: Destclaws
He rose one of his claws to block, only for it to be shattered by the swing of a sword."W-what?!"
"Weak," Abyss muttered, kicking him in the solar plexus and launching him into the sand.
"Jades-san!" Elfnein yelled, rushing to aid him.
"Damn it!" Raiden aimed his hand at Abyss, using his Psychic Vent to freeze him in place, engulfing him in a purple aura. However, much to his shock, he was able to overpower his ability and hurl one of his swords at him and since his attention was set on pouring the giant wave back into the ocean, he had no choice but to receive the slashes. A tentacle made of water wrapped itself around his ankle, tossing him into the sea.
'Even if my upgrades weren't completed, I'm way stronger than I was before.' Damian looked down at his hands, astonished by his growth in power.'I lost to Raia before, but now he shouldn't be much of a problem.'
Freeze Vent
Damian looked down at his swords, frozen in solid ice along with his hands.
Tiger made a beeline toward him, wielding one claw and his Destvisor in his other hand.
Two magic circles formed around the Autoscorer's hands, engulfing his hands in water and melting the ice. He then pressured the water, firing two converging jet streams that cut around Tiger's body, causing him to fall to his knees.
Abyss turned on his heels, watching as several psychic arrows were shot at him from afar.
Guard Vent: Abyss Dome
A dome of water surrounded his body, and due to the water pressure around him, the arrows could not reach their intended target. However, they were all explosive arrows, blowing up and destroying the water dome.
"Did he get him?" Elfnein asked.
"Not yet..." Tobias responded.
In effect, Abyss stood in the middle of the small crater, blast dust swirling around his hands and regenerating the damage done by the explosions. He drew a card from his Deck, opened up his visor, and inserted it inside.
Tsunami Vent
From behind him, he conjured a huge wave with small sharks made of pressurized water while controlling the ocean water, aiming to encase Raia.
Frost Vent
Two waves of ice appeared in the middle, freezing the waves of water in place before they could reach Raia.
"Tch." Abyss shifted his gaze to Tiger with disdain."Not done yet, huh?"
"What's up with you guys?" Ogawa addressed the teens, who were all trying but failing to look normal.
"Don't they look...a little suspicious?" Sakuya rubbed his chin."Did something happen-"
"No! Nothing happened!" Takeru laughed awkwardly, rubbing his nape while hiding the ring on his finger."Nope! Nothing at all!"
"So you don't need to ask any questions, okay?!" Chris forced a crooked smile.
Ogawa and Sakuya glanced at each other, shrugging in response.
"Enough about that." Tsubasa cleared her throat."So, it seems the dolls are still attacking, even without Carol. That means that Bragard took charge of the operation, as we suspected."
"Garie showed up but she was by herself." Andreas yawned."I wonder what happened to the others?"
"It's possible Damian and Zeke are being...upgraded, as they once said." Yosuke offered."Which means that next time we see those two, they'll be stronger than ever."
"But I don't get why they keep attacking us and refusing to finish us off." Shirabe brought up a good point.
"Maybe it's just a game to them?" Kirika shrugged.
"It's possible. They are being guided by this bastard, Bragard." Chao-Xing gritted her teeth."Which means we better hurry up and master our powers."
"It's not that easy, Chao-Xing-san." Hibiki said."When you get taken over by that power, everything in your mind turns black. You're not able to think straight anymore. We only came back because we thought of the people we loved."
"But even then, it was a close call." Tsubasa closed her eyes."It's not easy. That's why we must be careful when using it."
"You all just lack discipline." Chao-Xing said with a haughty."Obviously, you don't have the mental fortitude for it."
"Then why haven't you tried it?" Miku asked, causing the Chinese girl to deflate.
"Alca-Noise detected!" Sakuya announced, checking over his laptop.
"Fuck!" Hajime exclaimed as everyone jumped to their feet."We have to run! The others might be in danger!"
Without wasting time, the whole crew ran out of the room except for Miku, Setsuna, and Hazuki, who stayed behind. Ogawa noticed something weird passing through the door and rushed outside.
"What's wrong?" The youngest Adachi asked the ninja.
"Nothing...I hope..." He narrowed his gaze, not sure of his own words."Maybe the wind..."
Meanwhile, Maria was being frozen by Garie's stream of water as she slowly decreased the temperature, freezing Maria in place.
"What's wrong?" Garie mocked her."Your boyfriend seems to handle the cold just fine. And this much is enough to stop you? Pathetic."
"Strong..." Maria thought to herself as she was frozen in ice.'I have to be strong!'
To her surprise, the ice began to crack before Maria burst out of it with a scream. However, she fell to her knees, glaring at Garie.
"Not bad. But that seems to be your limit." Garie scoffed."You won't get anywhere like this."
Maria slowly tried reaching for her pendant, something that didn't escape Garie's attention."Don't even bother. You're too weak, that power will consume you again. And this time, no one will save you. Damian is handling your boyfriend and that brother of yours just fine on his own and your buddies aren't here either. You're alone."
"You're wrong!" Tobias cried, running to stand in front of Maria."She's not alone!"
"Tch. You're finally deciding to step up, Patchwork?" Garie sneered at the sight of the traitor Autoscorer."You have some nerve, you damn traitor."
"Maria-san is not weak!" Tobias yelled, raising his fists."She's not alone either! And neither are you!"
"Huh?" Garie rose a puzzled eyebrow.
"You don't have to do this! You can stop right now! Both of you!" Tobias pleaded, and Garie felt a warm feeling in her chest."I don't want to see you guys get hurt. You don't like me, I know. Compared to you, I'm just a failed creation...But I still consider all of you like family!"
"I'm the happiest person in the world." Garie grimaced upon hearing those foreign words in her mind."I was blessed with this beautiful child and my loving husband."
'What is this...? Why am I hearing this now?!' Garie grabbed her head, conjuring a dagger of ice in her other hand."SHUT UP! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"
She lunged at Tobias, winding her arm back to stab through him.
"No!" Marie yelled, but she wasn't going to make it in time.
However, the dagger stopped mere inches away from Tobias' head. The incomplete Autoscorer didn't flinch. Instead, he held his firm expression on his face.
"Why?!" Garie screamed in frustration."Why can't I kill you?! My body won't move!"
"Because you're not being yourself." Elfnein explained to her, earning a gasp of shock."You're forcing yourself to be something you're not. Because that's what you think you have to do. But that's not true. As long as you're yourself, everything will turn out just fine."
"That's right." Maria smiled at her words, finally finding the courage she needed."Even if you're weak or insecure, you have to be yourself. Because by being yourself...you'll find true strength. And if that's still not enough, your friends around you will give you that strength."
"What are you talking about?!" Garie snarled, jumping back and gaining some distance."It's okay to be weak?! That's insane! You're not making any sense!"
"It does make sense." Tiger landed next to Maria. Abyss also landed a few feet away from a confused Garie."There are other ways to be strong than having overwhelming power. Elfnein-chan and Tobias-kun are a clear testament to that. She gave us hope. And it's up to us to make sure their courage doesn't go to waste. Maria."
"Let's do it." Maria reached for her Pendant while Tiger drew his Survive card, generating sub-zero winds around them as well as snowflakes."We'll fight together, as we are. We won't pretend to be someone else anymore!"
Garie took a step back, something that did not go unnoticed by Damian."Garie?"
"Ignite Module, BAKKEN!"
"Dainsleif."
Survive: Fubuki
Maria squeezed her Pendant, causing it to pop off its place while Tiger inserted his card into his visor, encasing them in a dome of ice. Once more, Maria was struck by her Pendant, immediately summoning the darkness as it threatened to overtake her body. However, this time, Tiger grabbed her hand tightly as he was also undergoing his own transformation.
"If you need strength, then lean on me for support." Tiger reminded her."I'll always be with you. I always acted like I knew best, but that's not the case. I'm not strong at all."
"And neither am I." Maria forced a smile."In the past, I clung to lie after lie. But now, I accept the fact that I'm weak. And being weak, I will overcome this curse!"
With those words, she finally was able to overpower the curse and take over, prompting the dark energy to swirl around her armor and causing it to change. Simultaneously, Tiger's armor changed as well. He had golden highlights around his helmet, chest plate, shoulder pads, kneepads, and bracers. The chest plate of his armor now had the face of a tiger on it. His visor evolved from Destvisor into Destvisorzwei, a double-edged axe with a small blade at its hilt. For Maria, she was clad in a black version of her Symphogear, with silver and light-blue highlights on her armor.
(Play Ginwan Airgetlam - Ignite Version.)
The dome of ice broke into smaller pieces, sending them flying toward their opponents and forcing them to cast a wall of ice to defend themselves.
"So they did it," Raia noted from the sidelines, watching as an icy mist surrounded the couple.
"This is it." Abyss turned his gaze toward Garie, an impassive look on his face."What you've been waiting for."
"Yes." Garie gave a small nod."I can finally be the first."
"Garie Tuman." Abyss offered her his hand."Would you let me have this dance with you?"
"Damian..." She breathed, finding herself reaching for his hand."I hope you've practiced a bit since I taught you those dance lessons."
"I'll follow your lead." He smiled. Both couples faced each other, ready to engage in what could be the last battle of their lives. Both Autoscorers adopted a dancing position, aiming their intertwined hands and forming a bigger magic circle, firing a jetstream of pressurized water that was beginning to turn into ice. Tiger twirled his axe around, dispersing the water and breaking the ice. Maria jumped above him, attaching her dagger to her gauntlet and firing energy blades at them.
Abyss drew a card from his Deck, jumping in front of Garie protectively.
Rod Vent: Abyss Trident
Summoning a trident, Abyss mimicked Tiger's move and twirled his weapon, blocking all the energy blades.
Strike Vent: Frostclaws
A bigger version of Destclaws clad Tiger's arms. The claws were now able to move independently, unlike before, and had an ice-like appearance. He and Abyss met in the middle, clashing with their weapons. However, Tiger grabbed onto the trident and cause it to begin turn to into ice.
"You love her, don't you?"
"Huh?" Abyss gasped. Taking advantage of his distracted enemy, Tiger smacked Abyss with his other claw and lunged at Garie, seemingly cutting her apart with his claws. However, her body exploded in a burst of bubbles, surrounding them.
Maria gritted her teeth, opening firing at shooting at the bubbles.
Dive Vent
Abyss cloaked his body in water, turning into a puddle of water that began approaching Maria. Once he was close enough, he jumped out of it and slashed her in the face with his trident, forcing her to jump back. She removed the dagger from her gauntlet, leaping in the air before flying down toward Abyss. Cloaking himself with water, he disappeared and was able to evade Maria's attack.
Shoot Vent: Frost Blaster
Tiger grabbed a blaster with his right claw, pulled the trigger, and fired a wave of ice that began to freeze the puddle of water. Abyss quickly jumped out of it, realizing his right leg was frozen, and sliced it clean off with his trident, regenerating instantly.
"Damian!" Garie screamed in concern, rushing at Tiger and forming an ice dagger in her hand while summoning a magic circle, and firing a blast of water at him. He rose his gun, pulling the trigger to unleash a wave of ice that froze the attack before it ever reached him. To her surprise, Garie's hands were also frozen due to getting too close to her attack.
Maria took this opportunity, lunging at Garie with her dagger out.
Damian, with his Flood Zone still active, controlled the ocean water to encapsulate Garie in a dome of water. And using her Alchemy, she managed to freeze the water to protect herself. Maria, however, pushed through with a battle cry, breaking the ice into pieces and uppercutting Garie, flinging her in the air.
"N-no!" Abyss cried, raising his hand to conjure a giant figure of water like how he did against Raia.
Blizzard Vent
A cold blizzard quickly froze the water before it could become a weapon, rendering Abyss' Zone Vent useless.
Meanwhile, Maria attached her blade to the back of her gauntlet, the dagger growing to the length of a sword. Using the thrusters on her back, Maria shot downwards Garie.
"No! NO!" Abyss cried in pure despair, running as fast as he could to stop her.
"Garie! Tobias!" His vision was clouded with images of what looked to be the past. He was falling from what looked to be a destroyed castle, trying to reach out for a young woman and a baby in her hands.
"Damian!" She cried, holding her baby tightly. Their bodies began to disintegrate without a reason, and before he would cease existing, Damian caught a glimpse of a figure standing on the ground. Red, piercing eyes stared at him with the most evil smile he had ever seen in his life.
He shook his head, forcing himself back to the present.
Maria's blade caught fire, slicing Garie cleanly in half, and landed on the sand.
Serenade
"I'm going to be the first!" Garie cheered despite her predicament, activating her self-destruct."Yes! I'm going to-"
"Garie Tuman, would you marry me?" Memories of the past flooded her mind. Of a forgotten past. She remembered her husband rushing inside the hospital room, soaked to the bone, and being by her side with their newborn child. She remembered how they spent their days going out to town with their son and how they spent their evenings together. Their friends, families, and hobbies. Their son's first and only birthday. And how the kingdom fell and led to her and her son's death. All of that came back to her mind. And her smile flipped to an expression of fear and anguish. She stopped her self-destruct but it was too late. The process had already begun."N-no...I don't want to die..."
Maria took a deep breath, returning to her regular form as she fell to her knees.
"Maria-san!" Hibiki yelled alongside the others, who were running toward them."You beat an Autoscorer!"
"It seems I did..." Maria managed a weak smile."But not without help."
"That was your strength, Maria," Elfnein said, but the pinkette shook her head.
"Or maybe it's my weakness. Either way, it's the power of being myself." Maria patted the homunculus' head."Thank you for making me realize that."
"You guys froze the ocean!" Andreas cried in disbelief, watching as a good portion of the water turned to ice.
"We had no choice." Raiden pointed out."It was the only way to stop Abyss."
"Wait, where is Abyss, anyway?" Yosuke glanced around, looking for the second Autoscorer.
"There!" Hajime spotted Damian, who had undone his transformation, and took out his Deck.
Tiger rose his hand, stopping the group from making any hasty movements."Hold on."
"Jades-nii-chan?" Kirika carefully asked, but the silver-haired man said nothing. The group silently made their way to him, watching on as Damian knelt next to Garie's remains.
"Garie..." Damian muttered, his voice breaking."D-don't worry...I can take you back and we can find a way to fix you. I-"
"I remember everything." Garie sighed, reaching for his face and caressing his cheek. To his shock, he saw tears building up in her eyes, something he thought impossible since they were dolls. "Darling...I'm sorry. I remember too late. You were right...we are human."
"Darling...?" Damian parroted the familiar word."Garie, what do you-"
"You were right all along." Garie sobbed silently."There was something connecting us...we weren't strangers. You and I...we are husband and wife. Those weren't visions in our heads...those were memories we had long forgotten."
"So those weren't just hallucinations?" Damian gaped."Those memories...are real."
"Dying again...The only thing I regret is..." She wiped, tears streaming down her face like waterfalls."We couldn't see our baby grow up. We couldn't make more memories together, darling. There was so much I wanted to tell you. So much more to experience together. And when the kingdom fell and our life was cut short...I was so scared. I wanted to at least save our son..."
"I let you down again..." Damian muttered, memories of his past filling in the blanks as he was now beginning to understand everything."I couldn't save you. I'm so damn pathetic! I couldn't save either of you! I ran as fast as I could. You were within my grasp! You're dying in my arms, just like you did before! I couldn't save anyone...not my family or my friends...The kingdom was destroyed and I couldn't do anything to stop it. Please...please forgive me, Garie! Forgive me for being so weak! For letting you down again!"
"Darling...My beloved husband...My Damian..." Garie felt her insides beginning to shut off as the self-destruct sequence did its job."You did what you could. You're not weak. Just like they said...you stayed true to your values. You fought for what was right. I could never hold that against you...Even though we couldn't grow old together and watch our son grow and have a family of his own...I loved every moment of us together as a family. I wanted so much more but...I'm content with this. The day you proposed to me and when I gave birth to our son...were the happiest moments of my life..." She forced herself to sit up and shifted her gaze to Tobias, who was standing a few yards away from them.
"He was just a baby and probably doesn't remember us. But I can feel it. Deep inside me. That's our son." She sobbed, a sad smile on her face."Please, Damian. Protect him. Don't let his life be taken away again...like he did to us...Please...Please...I beg of you, please...protect him...For me..."
"I will, Garie." Damian held her in his arms, finding himself crying alongside her. He didn't care if he was a homunculus and an Autoscorer. These tears were real. He did not doubt that."I'll try to save the others too. I swear I will. There won't be a repeat of Ventara. I love you...I love you..."
"I...love...you..." She slowly closed her eyes, her body beginning to crumble to pieces."...too...I'll wait for you...on the other side...Don't rush things, though...I...can...wait..."
"Don't leave me, Garie! Please, God! Don't let me lose my wife again!" Damian pleaded, knowing full well her body was going to explode but he didn't care. He stayed with her until the very end, even when her body exploded right in his arms.
The group took a step back, surprised by the explosion that just went off. Once the sand cleared out, Damian was regenerating himself due to being so close to the explosion. In his hands, he held Garie's bow and ribbon.
"Damian..." Jades muttered, feeling sympathy for the Autoscorer, despite having fought against him.
Takeru and Chris held each other tightly, feeling as though they could relate to him in a way.
"My mama..." Tobias fell on his rear and Elfnein rushed towards him. She was surprised to see tears streaming down his face, much like Garie and Damian.
"Tobias...you're crying..."
"Am I?" He asked, touching his face and feeling the wet tears.
'I see...' Thor, who had observed the whole thing from inside Tobias, nodded to himself.'So that's why his memory bank was completely blank. It wasn't because he was just created in a rush. But he also was just a baby when he died in his previous life. Does that mean all Autoscorers were once people as well?'
A thunderbolt flew past the group, heading for Damian, who couldn't react in time. Chao-Xing grabbed his head and began pouncing on him repeatedly on the ground, holding none of her punches back. Damian kicked her in the head, forcing her to let go of him, and jumped onto the frozen ocean.
"Chao-Xing!" Maria exclaimed, grabbing her arm."That is not necessary-"
"We hesitate now, we die!" She swatted Maria's hand harshly. She clapped her hands together, creating a thunderbolt with the intention to kill."These people wouldn't hesitate to kill you. Bragard did not have any mercy on the children he killed! The elderly! The mothers and fathers! We can't have mercy on them! They deserve to die!"
"But he's different! Hibiki grabbed her shoulder."Back then, he let the girls go before fighting me and Hajime! He's not a bad person!"
During the distraction, Damian broke a red vial in his hand and teleported away, barely missing the thunderbolt that a furious Chao had launched.
"Goddamnit!" She yelled in frustration."Fuck! Why did you stop me?! I was going to kill him!"
"He just lost someone important." Hibiki tried to reason with her."Those tears...I don't think they were fake. He loved Garie very much."
"I'm sure Garie didn't care about that when she stole the life force from those people." Chao-Xing returned to normal, jabbing her finger against Hibiki's chest."You need to get yourself straightened out. You cry for those who do not deserve to be cried for."
"Everyone deserves to be cried for." She solemnly said."Because they're people too. They may have done bad things before, but that doesn't mean we have to do bad things back."
"Tachibana is right, Liang." Tsubasa chimed in."We must be better than our enemies. Because had we all attacked him just now, we would have been no better than Bragard or Carol."
"Tch. Whatever." She scoffed, turning away from the group."I don't understand your unorthodox way of doing things."
"You say that, Chao-Xing-san, but you didn't attack him while he was talking to her in her final moments." Setsuna pointed out, much to her chagrin."You do have a heart. You just don't want to admit it."
"I...well, that's..." Chao-Xing was left speechless. By a little kid no less."I'll get you for this..."
"HAMAGUCHI KUROIWA! GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE NOW!"
A young woman in her twenties with long, dark brown hair and large black eyes stormed into the beach, holding a sandal in her hand. She was wearing a white robe with the sleeves folded, a sort of dark blue apron with ribbon ties at the top, and a bright white bandanna.
"Oh, hi." Her frown shifted into a pleasant smile."Nice to meet you, I'm Seiko Kuroiwa."
"Seiko-san!" Hajime rushed to the tall girl, engulfing her in a hug.
"Aw, little Hajime is all grown up now." She ruffled his hair."Sounds like you guys had it rough. I saw that gigantic wave from back at the restaurant. Wait, is the water frozen?"
The group looked back to the frozen water as well as the ice constructs left by Tiger. There was a lot of explaining to do.
"I see." Seiko hummed, setting the final ramen bowl in front of Kirika, who salivated at the sight."So that's what happened. When Hamaguchi said you guys were these heroes or whatever, I thought he had gotten high or something."
"No, it's true. We were just fighting two formidable opponents." Maria stated, lowering her gaze as she remembered the painful goodbye between Garie and Damian."And, well..."
"Hamaguchi! I want those dishes shining!" An older like in her fifties, Chisa Kuroiwa, yelled at the boy who was covered in bruises and dressed up as a girl. Kuroiwa had been forced into a pink dress, high heels, and a red wig as well as several layers of makeup."And hurry it up! We got some deliveries to be done!"
"Y-yes, auntie!" Kuroiwa cried, regretting his life decisions.
"Seriously, I'm going to have to talk with Kotaro's mom." Chisa snorted."Not only did you spike the drinks of your new friends but you also put aphrodisiacs into them?! What were you thinking?!"
"And you were shamelessly sexually harassing Kirika-chan." Seiko added, a tick mark appearing on her forehead."Do you like touching girls' butts? Then you won't mind if I get a paddle and spank you to know how that feels like?"
"N-no! Please, Seiko-nee-chan! Have mercy! I won't do it again! Not the paddle!"
"Stop whining and get on the scooter!" Chisa set down a bag full of box meals for them to deliver."You have a lot of deliveries today. And be sure to smile."
"That dress looks good on you-desu." Kirika giggled at his expense, puffing her chest out and enjoying the feeling of giving Kuroiwa a taste of his own medicine.
"Aw, thank you." Kuroiwa wagged his eyebrows at her."This is a test. I'm going to endure this so that one day you fall in love with me, Kiri-chan. I'm going to keep working harder and harder and keep loving you! You'll see. One day, you'll be head over heels for me."
"W-w-what?!" Kirika gasped at him reversing the situation on her.
"Absolutely not!" Both Jades and Seiko yelled, prompting the young man to run out of the door and ride their scooter away.
"Oh? You're here brother?" Seiko inquired.
"That's right." Jades responded, wrapping his arms around Maria and Shirabe, who was sitting next to him."We're all a family. The two boys over there too."
"You guys don't look alike at all." She said.
"Our bond runs deeper than blood." Kirika recited the words she had come to learn.
"Ah, just like us." Seiko turned toward Chisa.
"You?" Chris repeated.
"We're not related by blood." Chisa began, turning off the stove."None of us are. I only had only one child before my husband passed away. I didn't feel like marrying anyone else, so I decided to adopt. That's when I adopted Seiko here. Hamaguchi came later on. He was just 4 and we found him. Unlike Seiko, he didn't have anything."
"What do you mean?" Shirabe asked.
"I remember my parents as well as my previous life before I was adopted by our auntie. My parents were drug dealers and eventually child services noticed and took me away. But Hamaguchi...he doesn't know. Not his parents, no nothing."
"We don't even know his real birthday." Chisa sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose.
"He doesn't remember his birthday...?" Kirika echoed, her eyes widening slightly. Jades glanced in her direction, knowing that was something she could relate to perfectly.
"If I'm not mistaken, Chisa-san, you said his birthday is now the day when you officially adopted him, right?" Hajime frowned."He was bullied at school because of that, wasn't he? No wonder he went around picking fights all the time. It was to protect himself."
"People don't take too kindly to orphans. I should know." Hazuki set his cup of tea down, furrowing his brow."Children, while pure, can also be merciless. And in Japan, those without parents or any family to call their own are seen as trash. But he was lucky you adopted him. Usually, kids don't get adopted at all. No one wants to taint their family name by bringing in an outsider."
"My name didn't mean much before I adopted these two." Chisa smiled wistfully."Hamaguchi was a handful, but Seiko helped me raise him as best as we could, even though she had always wanted a sister. That's why Hamaguchi likes some girly stuff. Seiko here would force him to play with him and her dolls but she learned to love him as he was. She even decided to start working early so we could save up for college."
"To our utter surprise, though, he ended up dropping out of school." Seiko rubbed her temples in exasperation."I was hoping to ask you to set him on the right path again, Hajime-kun. But...sometimes I think that that's something he has to decide on his own."
"You both worked hard so he could succeed and be something better." Tsubasa said, folding her arms under her chest."I can't believe Kuroiwa would just drop out like that."
"He did say he was okay with just being a chef. And after Kaiser Academy was destroyed, we grew scared that one day he wouldn't be so lucky. But it's been a long time since I've seen him this happy." Seiko reached for Kirika's and Hajime's hands."It's because of you two. You both sparked something inside Hamaguchi that's been long extinguished. I beg you to please continue to motivate him. You, as his best friend, and you, as the girl he likes. I understand what I'm asking is selfish, but..."
"Nah, I understand." Hajime shook his head, giving her a reassuring smile."We've reconnected and we came back to being friends. We grew up together and we'll grow old together."
"I...well, I don't particularly dislike him..." Kirika trailed off, a small blush appearing on her face."But when he's not being a jerk, he can be nice-desu. I also don't remember my real birthday, but that doesn't affect him, does it? He's strong. So if he needs a little push to be a better person then I'll shove him to the finish line-desu!"
"Thank you, everyone. To show our gratitude, everything is on the house. So don't hold back!"
"Really?!" Miku beamed."Thank goodness. I was worried since I didn't bring any money..."
"Sorry if I'm intruding..." Hazuki rose his arm."But what happened to your actual blood-related child? You said you had one before your husband passed away, right?"
Chisa and Seiko glanced at each other with troubled expressions on their faces.
"Oh..." Tsubasa mouthed."Did they-"
"She's not dead." Seiko snorted, folding her arms under her chest."As far as we know, anyway..."
"Seiko, what did I say?" Chisa chided her, causing her child to sigh."Kagura is my biological daughter. She's the eldest, 26 years old, Seiko is 24, and Hamaguchi is 17. She's off in Tokyo, working a white-collar job in some big corporation, as she always wanted. Before she left..."
"What happened?" Maria asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Our family restaurant has been passed down from generation to generation. Kagura wanted to be the next one to get it. However, I decided I wanted to pass it down to all three of them. But...she didn't take the news well..."
"She never loved me or Hamaguchi." Seiko cut in."Because we're not blood-related to our auntie. She thought the privilege of owning this establishment was hers alone since we were all "unrelated bastards" as she so eloquently put it. So when she graduated high school, she went off to college and never came back. Until we moved here to Okinawa half a year ago. But other than that, she completely disowned us. Because she didn't get what she thought she was entitled to. She's probably in Tokyo living her own life and doesn't even bother to call her mother."
"I understand. We also have a...troubled sibling with a similar problem..." Jades began."So we understand how you feel."
"Though for us it's a bit more extreme..." Raiden muttered with a scoff.
"Anyway, enough about sad memories." Chisa shook her head."Feel free to order more. I don't mind feeding the heroes who saved the world and are friends to my son, after all."
"Are you okay, Tobias?" Elfnein leaned toward her creation."Do you...want to talk about what happened?"
The others turned in his direction, prompting the Autoscorer to take a deep breath."I feel weird...Feeling something...I'm a puppet. I shouldn't be able to feel things that I'm not programmed to. But I know I should feel sad. Garie...was my mother or at least in another life. But...My heart hurts but I just...don't know..."
"Honestly, I get how you feel." Hajime scratched his head."I mean...how should we feel about this? Garie called Damian her husband...and they were talking about living together..."
"But never before they mentioned anything like that." Tsubasa stated."In fact, they showed they weren't really on the best of terms."
"But during our fight, they seemed to be in perfect sync." Maria informed them."What could it mean?"
"And Garie called you son..." Elfnein grimaced in concern."What did she mean? I'm sure I build you out of spare parts. So how could you be her child?"
"Thor suggested that...it's possible that all Autoscorers, including me, were humans, at one point." He said, earning several gasps."It's possible that something triggered their memories of their past lives to resurface. And that's why Garie and Damian remembered who they were and cried in each other's arms..."
"It's not possible. They can't be human." Chao-Xing banged the table with her fist."I hit Micha with all my strength and delivered devastating body shots that would have broken something inside a normal person. Fully mechanical. Damian was a little different. I felt flesh when hitting him but he's able to regenerate his body. They are not human."
"It's possible that...maybe their bodies are artificial, but maybe their memories are real..." Elfnein clenched her chest at the idea."Which means...They were people at one point...But how can that be...?"
"They may have been people then, but not now. Which means we shouldn't hesitate to kill them." Chao-Xing held her chin high."One doll down and few more to go."
"Still...it feels wrong. Maybe we can talk to them." Hibiki suggested."At the very least, maybe we can make them remember their lives and that could-"
"Even if they remember, there is no guarantee that they won't continue their work." Yosuke cut in, sighing."I agree that maybe we can try some form of persuasion, but if it doesn't work, then we use force. Like Chao-Xing said, they aren't people. So do not hold back. Because if we make one mistake, we're finished. Understand?"
"Understood." Everyone said in unison, resuming their idle chatting.
"By the way, did we get the fireworks?" Shirabe asked, receiving no answer."I guess not..."
"Well..." Maria began addressing the boys."That means you-"
"No, ma'am." Takeru crossed his arms as did all the others."We're done playing mule for you girls. We demand equal rights. So it's your turn to move."
"Fair enough..." Tsubasa trailed off."So, how do we settle this?"
"Miku! Look at this!" Hibiki pointed at the vending machine outside of the convenience store."They don't have mushroom juice back in Tokyo! Salted spring onions with natto!"
"Who would have thought she was depressed over losing a rock-paper-scissors match." Hazuki deadpanned at the cream-haired girl's antics.
"That's Hibiki for you." The dark-haired girl smiled."Thanks for accompanying us, Haz."
"Don't mention it. I figured you might need some help to carry some things." Hazuki shrugged with a grin."Besides, I haven't been able to do anything this entire trip. So carrying things is the least I can do. Still though...those are some weird flavors."
"Maybe they're special in Okinawa?" Miku offered, but she wasn't sure.
"Oh. Are you...Miku-chan, right?" A middle-aged man who worked in the store addressed Miku."And you're one of the boys who were here yesterday"
"Do you know him, Miku?" Hazuki arched a quizzical eyebrow.
"I...think so?"
"Well, I'm not surprised if you don't. You used to play with my daughter and-"
"What's the hold-up guys?" Hibiki approached the couple."What are you-Oh..."
Hibiki dropped the beverages she had bought to the floor, taking a step back."Dad...?"
"Hibiki?" The man was equally in shock as the wielder of Gungnir.
"Wait, Dad?" Hazuki furrowed his brow."What do you-"
Without warning, Hibiki broke into a sprint without looking back.
"Hibiki!" Miku ran after her. Hazuki looked back at the man before shaking his head, chasing after the girls.
Back in Carol's base, the Autoscorers watched as a blue pillar of light engulfed the blue banner from where Garie used to stand.
"Marvelous." Bragard, who was sitting on Carol's throne, smiled in satisfaction."Good, very good."
"So, Garie was the first one after all." Leiur noted with a stoic expression on her face."She always liked putting on a show, even more than me."
"What a blowhard." Micha giggled.
"But she did great." Phara nodded."Just three more and-"
"BRAGARD!"
The Autoscorers turned to see their fellow Autoscorer, Damian, stopping in front of the throne.
"Ah, Damian. Glad to see you decided to join us." Bragard clasped his hands together."So, how can I help you?"
"I remember. I remember everything." Damian snarled in pure hatred."Everything!"
"Oh? And what is everything, may I ask?" Bragard rested his arm on the armrest of the throne with a bored expression.
"We were people. All of us! We were humans! Garie...Garie was my wife...And she's dead because of you! Garie is gone!"
"Gone, but not without reason, my boy." The albino waved his hand lazily."She performed her role admirably. As the rest of you shall. She died wanting to be the first one. And she got what she wanted. You should be happy for her."
"Happy that she's dead?!"
"Again with this human nonsense?" Leiur planted her hands on her hips."Here I thought you were finally past that."
"And Garie? Your wife?" Micha blew raspberries."That's so dumb!"
"We were all people. But the selfish desires of this monster caused the kingdom of Ventara to be destroyed...Ans for our lives to be sacrificed so he can make that fucking Stone!" He pointed at Bragard."He's using us! Manipulating us to do this dirty work! But we're expendable to him! Please, guys! Remember! We were all friends before! We lived good lives, and spent time together! Laughed and shared memories! Don't you remember any of that?!"
"Should we?" Phara seemed unamused."I don't remember any such thing. Are you broken, Damian? Did those upgrades mess up with your brain?"
"No! I know the whole truth now! He's just using us! We'll die if we continue with his work! I wasn't able to save any of you before..." He clenched his fists, fighting the urge to cry."But I swore to Garie I won't let you die a second time! I won't let him betray us again! So, please. listen to me! I want to save you!"
The Autoscorers showed no emotion to his words and simply stared at him like statues. Damian felt his heart shatter to pieces after receiving the cold stares from his friends. A clear contrast to their happy expressions all those centuries again.
"A nice speech." Bragard clapped derisively."Very touching. I suppose you are broken if you're seeing these hallucinations. I have no idea what you're talking about. Memories? Past lives? You're all puppets. Dolls without souls. You're just as defective as Tobias."
"Don't you DARE speak about my son like that!"
This erupted laughter from the Autoscorers, ridiculing Damian further and breaking his heart. These were his friends. But...they didn't remember anything.
"And betrayal?" Bragard's tone grew darker, a wicked smile plastered on his face."I'm afraid you don't seem to understand your position, my dear Damian. You even stopped calling me father. Betrayal implies that we both stood on equal ground when that isn't the case. I'm the master and you're just a tool at my disposal. I'm the closest thing to a god in this world. The soon-to-be perfect being. I tower above all. All things. The whole world! Everything you see around you? It's mine! By the way...I wonder how you keep seeing those...visions. And why did Garie see them before she died?" His eyes gleamed in a red glow, showcasing his madness.
"You say you have free will, that you were a human. But my beloved Damian, has it ever occurred to you that I built you this way? That I made you think these thoughts? Maybe you don't have free will after all. You're just following my programming. Like a good tool. You'll never know. And I'm afraid neither will Garie."
"You..you what...?" Damian shook his head in disbelief."That's a lie...I know what I saw...You're a monster! A fucking liar!"
"Careful, Damian." Bragard grinned, his voice low and dangerous."Think about your next move now. It will decide whether you live or die."
"I'll save you...I swear I will. I won't fail you again!" Damian told to his former friends. He turned on his heels but was greeted by Micha, who fired fire spears at him, forcing him to leap in the air.
Leiur bombarded him with coins, forcing him to transform into Abyss and activate an ability.
Sword Vent: Abyss Sabers
Phara was next, appearing in front of him and swinging her sword. To his surprise, her sword managed to break his, prompting her to leap away, drawing another card.
Zone Vent: Flood Zone
Using his power and magic, water was conjured in the middle of the area, threatening to flood the whole place.
Bragard rose his right arm, using his gravity powers to push the water away, and formed a dark magic circle on top of the water. Black matter encased the water before shrinking to the size of a marble. However, Damian was long gone.
Micha took a step to go after him, but Bragard rose his arm."My Lord?"
"Let him go. You three don't stand a chance, even with his incomplete upgrades." Bragard leaned back on the throne, crossing his legs."Worry not. Our friend Zeke is almost ready to come out. I'm sure he'll be more than eager to hunt down the traitor."
"Will my little brother's power be enough?" Phara asked, receiving maniacal laughter from the prince.
"Of course! Using the Divine Power I took from Loki, I found a way for Zeke to use it! He will be more than a mere homunculus or Autoscorer. He will become...A Divine Weapon." Bragard jumped off the throne, jumping like an excited child in place."I can't wait to see more! The world will soon be mine! I will become the ultimate, perfect being! I can almost taste it! And soon enough...the Messiah will fall to me. And the Liangs shall be no more."
Late in the night, Hazuki stood in front of a stone door, somewhere down a cave in a remote area of Okinawa.
"So this is one of them. One of the Gates of Hell. One down, 6 more to go."
And with that, we conclude the beach arc. It was fun but all good things must come to an end. Garie is gone and Damian has defected. But Bragard doesn't seem to care at all.
Finally, we get to Hibiki's daddy issues. I just want to clarify that I had forgotten her dad's name is Akira when I gave Akira his name lol.