Reviews:

Guest: Y que lo digas. Tienes razon. Y aun mas que la vas a tener cuando veas que pasara mas adelante xD. Hajime esta rotisimo ahora mismo pero como esta super deprimido pues tambien esta nerfeado.

moniura2005: Again, I don't speak Polish but I'm glad to see you like the story. So I tried my best to use Google Translate to read your review so I can give you a response. Here it is:

Yeah, I'm noticing some people saying the same thing. Yes, Hajime acted out of line, but the others are to blame as well. Like yeah, he went overboard with Elfnein and Bragi, but this is largely due because they're homunculus and he doesn't have the best image of homunculus in mind after Bragard. Yosuke calling him out as a coward could be interpreted in many ways. But he's falling apart as well since he was the leader and so many people have died under his watch. And he also blames himself for not making it in time to save Hajime from seeing his family die. This is a reverse situation to the first chapters, where Hajime was calling Yosuke out. Now their roles are reversed. They both went through traumatic experiences, but they're different all the same. Except for Hajime, it's much worse since a lot of people died in front of him, and all the things that happened kind of revolve around him. And with Hazuki doing what he did, it was the cherry on top, and that broke him. Yeah, I agree that if he continued fighting, he would have probably gone through with his threat to Genjuro and probably gotten in the way of artillery to die. He's not thinking straight and his mind just wants to get rid of all that pain to the point where he doesn't think of the consequences of his actions. I think the Hibiki thing could be excused in a way. Oftentimes people tend to protect other people's secrets, even more so if they trust them greatly. I had a friend whose girlfriend had certain problems that I couldn't discuss, and he kept her secret for a while because he didn't want to betray that trust. Is what Hibiki did wrong? Yes, but she never could have expected things to turn out that way, especially because Hajime was never that kind of person during the time they dated. And she has zero experience with dealing with that kind of stuff, even though she went through a similar phase in her life after the Zwei Wing incident. She tried her best, but in the end, she could have taken other approaches. Miku noticed this as a problem because she has some experience with that kind of stuff. Or at least it's implied. I read a Symphogear fan comic about how Miku saw Hibiki's life during the time she was constantly being harassed, so it's just my headcanon. And also, yeah she could have wanted to be different from her head and never leave Hajime alone. But like you said, all of them went through different traumatic events, but they're all different people so the way they handled it is different. Hajime was a regular teenager until not long ago and now all of a sudden he lost almost all of his family and blames himself for not being strong enough.

Cyclonerider: Glad you're enjoying the story! I agree. It's wrong for them to want him to keep fighting, but you could also look at it this way. They just don't think him being left alone is a good idea, especially in the case that one of the Disasters goes after him and takes advantage that he's alone. But also there's the fact that he's the strongest, so they have become dependent on him as well. I'm glad to see so many different takes on this. Some people say they're right and others say they're wrong. So I'll leave it up to the readers' interpretation. Yosuke and Hibiki and two main examples of this. They had decent intentions. Yosuke because he thought that diminishing their numbers would put them at a disadvantage and Hibiki because she wasn't thinking straight. You could say she said he was running away because over the story Hajime has constantly been saying how he would never run away from a problem and face it head-on. And how he would always stay by her side, so seeing him do the exact opposite of that may have caused a bad reaction from her. His behavior toward Elfnein is completely out of line since he's just going off at her because she's a homunculus. Bragi is a different case since he's going out of his way to provoke him first, but still, uncalled for. And yet, sometimes you just need to collect your thoughts and be alone. I had a friend who had depression, and no one in our group of friends put any thought about his mental state. Neither did I, at the time, since I was young and inexperienced. But later on in life, I can imagine what he must have felt. So it's a matter of whether people sympathize and understand you. They all have gone through traumatic experiences, but at the end of the day, they're all different experiences from one another. So what happened to them can't be applied to what happened to Hajime. But now he's out of the fight, and Kuroiwa took him somewhere else to heal. So we'll see where the story goes from here.

primenidus: Honestly, any option is fine lol.

Blitzdigital: Si, era mejor que saliera para tomarse un tiempo libre, ya que si seguia peleando con esa mentalidad o se suicidaba de verdad o lo mataban. Interesante teoria. En especial por que esos 3 les tienen ganas a los otros. Jades a Hazuki, Yosuke y Takeru a Allister, y Raiden con Terunosuke. Cierto, Chiaki no tiene nada personal con nadie. Y con la que la tenia, que era Chao, se murio sin poder derrotarle una misera vez. No puedo decir mucho, pero algunas de estas peleas pasaran. No puedo decir cuales, claro. Pero lo que si puedo decir es que habran algunas muertes esta temporada. Y cierto, Odin puede ser desafiado cuando quieren. Pero si alguien de casualidad matara a Odin, aun tendria que matar a los demas Riders para poder concluir la guerra. Un Hazuki y Allister contra Hajime y Hamaguchi estaria genial. Dos mesias con sus respectivas manos derechas y mejores amigos. Aun que se podria decir que lo de Hazuki y Allister es un lider de un culto con su seguidor. Ya que como veras pronto, Allister esta muy apegado a la idea del nuevo mundo que Hazuki y Loki traeran. Pero ya veremos como se desarrolla la cosa.

lordri25may2001: True, I would say he exaggerated what he did. But I think it was best for him to leave because he was just destroying himself. Maybe he shouldn't have said all of those things, but in the end, they all went through traumatic experiences. Yeah, I made this fight short because the difference in power is just insane. Maybe if they were to have a friendly spar, it could have gone like that. But both of them were aiming to end it in one attack. Yosuke even cheated and attacked just before Takeru shot his gun to announce the beginning of the duel. But he was never going to win since Hajime at this point in the story is in a whole different league due to his constant power-ups against Bragard. You might see a water/fire combination. Hajime still has his Deck, so if for some reason someone attacks him, Kuroiwa is there so they can both transform. Oh, yeah. For sure. A lot of characters are going to die. But that's just how wars go. And this is a Rider War. Only one Rider can stand at the top. I'll try not to skip too many moments. I admit I shouldn't have skipped the Maria and the others moment apologizing. But other things are fine. I will only skip scenes(or make them shorter) if they go the same as in the anime. For example, I shortened a lot of the Carol fight since it was mostly the same but the message came across the same. Yes, don't worry. Hibiki will still turn into a Divine Weapon, so don't worry about that. Nothing really changes from now on. At least until that point. Sure, feel free to do it.

Caballero lector rojo: Asi es. Hajime tendra que encontrar su motivo para seguir adelante. Y lo veremos pronto.

Tigracho: What makes you think he'll die? lol. I mean, to be fair they all have the same potential to die but why Kuroiwa? I'm curious. Yes, it's ironic, Since Hajime went on for seasons why he wouldn't leave her alone no matter what. And how he stayed with S.O.N.G/ Section Two because she was still fighting. But he just can't handle it anymore and has changed. If you compare him now to how he was at the beginning of GX, the difference is clear. He was all cuddly and loving with Hibiki and now he's just snapping at her at a moment's notice. He's not okay. Yeah, Maria always was on board with the whole Terunosuke thing since he killed Atticus. In the anime, she said something along the lines of "You can't kill family no matter what" in XV. But at this point, does Terunosuke even count as family, after everything he did? Jades still feels apprehensive. And there's a reason why. I'll leave it as a secret for now. Yeah, this time it's not just Tsubasa, is everyone. And the suffering is not over yet, unfortunately. XV is going to be pretty interesting regarding her and old man Fudou. Especially when that concert happens.

Tenzalucard123: A lot of things have happened, and everyone is affected by it. Hajime leaving for now is probably the best for the group, since he needs to clear his head and heal. Kuroiwa will take care of him and Setsuna. But are they going to be safe? Or is Ryuga and his group going to find him and attack? We'll see.

Chapter 82
The Bavarian Illuminati

"So, you add the Y, so the x is by itself with the number..." Terunosuke was sitting on the living room couch along with Mona, helping her with her math lessons."And then-"

"You divide x by the number next to it so it will be by itself, correct?" Mona asked, receiving a satisfied nod from the man.

"Yup. Look at you, already having the hang of this. Smart girl." He praised her, ruffling her pink hair.

"You're a good teacher, Kuwana-san. Thank you..." She smiled, making him gush upon hearing that.

"Look at you, already loving that kid when you were against having her here." Chiaki snickered, lying on the ground with a carefree attitude."I guess it only takes a little praise to get you happy, eh, Oji-san?"

"Stop calling me that. I'm only 23." Terunosuke groaned."And so what? She respects her elders. Why is more than I can say about you, you lunatic."

"You are good with kids, after all." She snickered, causing him to growl at the implication. Hazuki just sat on the kitchen table, browsing through his phone and checking the activity of the Mirror Monsters. The door suddenly flung open, revealing their neighborhood assassin with a weary expression.

"I don't like that look." Loki commented, sitting on the table in his penguin plushy form."Bad news?"

"As expected, Kazanari-san is enraged with our "juvenile spread of anarchy." He said, doing quotation marks with his fingers."It seems we're costing him money. Not only hiding us but also financing the searches around the country for us. As bizarre as that sounds. He has to keep appearances. That little stunt of ours put a target on our backs. And we must be extra vigilant when talking to him. He wasn't happy, to say the least. I had to talk sense into him to not call for our executions."

"You're worrying too much." Chiaki scoffed."What the hell is an old man like him supposed to do to us? We're practically Gods among humans, right?"

"You'd be surprised. He's quite capable. Maybe even more so than that monster of a man that is his son, Genjuro Kazanari." Allister opened the fridge, taking out a can of sparkling water."Besides, how do you think we have this penthouse? Not to mention having him watching our backs makes it easier to move around without any government officials becoming suspicious."

"I agree. It's in our best interest to keep him happy. We need the political power if we want people to jump on our side and embrace salvation." Hazuki nodded."That aside, I am detecting more Mirror Monsters in Val Verde. And they're being dispatched off quickly. Which means..."

"They're there." Terunosuke finished the thought."Are we going?"

"We're under the spotlight right now. I think if all of us go, we'd be in trouble. But we must go. I think the reason why we're not getting enough souls might be because whoever is there, is capturing the souls and using them for something else."

"If so, let me go." Allister volunteered, patting Mona's head, making the girl purr.

"You?" Hazuki arched a brow."Not that I don't trust you to handle yourself, but..."

"Takeru is in Val Verde. I have a score to settle with him, after all. I've let my mission dragged on long enough. It's time I kill one of them. Besides, we might be able to find out where the souls are going. A lot of people must be dying in Val Verde and yet the Sea of Souls does not grow larger. In addition, I am the best in stealth missions. I might kill more than one. Does anyone have any preferences?"

"I don't care about any of them." Chiaki waved her hand."But Oji-san wants his brothers all to himself, right? I mean, imagine if you can get 3 powers! How poetic!"

"And what about you?" Terunosuke snapped."You haven't made another contract yet."

"Don't need to." She opened her mouth, taking out her Laevatein."I have this. I don't need anything else. My Hazuki has Loki. So you two can feel free to get as strong as you'd like."

"I'd get my own power-up soon." Hazuki said, but not bothering to elaborate."Feel free to kill them all, if possible. And here."

Hazuki hurled a small black marble."This is..."

"Based off Carol and Bragard's teleporting crystals, except with my power." Loki supplied."If you find yourself in trouble, break it and it will teleport you here."

"Got it. This should be fun." Allister grinned, eyeing the dark marble in his hand in fascination."Also, Kazanari-san has given me an interesting piece of news...Regarding our favorite red dragon."

Bragi glanced down at his watch, noting he had 30 minutes to eat before the next meeting. It had been a few hours since the whole Boy Wonder incident and how he had left for Okinawa. Not that he particularly cared. In fact, he was quite happy he left. If he was weak-willed, he didn't deserve to be there.

'I don't get how the hell a guy like him defeated the Second.' Bragi clicked his tongue, holding his tablet closer to his chest. It really made no sense. When he first awoke from his "birth", he only heard great things from him. How everyone looked up to him and how they thought of him as a great asset. One of the two Messiahs. Something the Second aspired to be. And yet, he was anything but. So why was everyone willing to put up with his crap?

Once he entered the cafeteria, he shrank upon the various glares he received from the other workers. He should be used to it. People looked at him with disdain and hatred. His team was nice to him, to an extent, but he knew they harbored some ill feelings toward him. After all, he looked exactly like the man who almost destroyed the whole planet and killed countless people.

Wordlessly, the young prince walked to the empty line, standing in front and cringing when the lunch lady glared at him as if she was glaring at the dirt on her shoes."Um..."

"I'm all out of food." She said, walking away and taking off her gloves.

Bragi deflated, realizing he now had to comfort with the snacks he had gotten earlier in case of emergencies. Not that he was particularly hungry, but he knew Elfnein got worried when she didn't see him eating in a while.

"Here, Bragi-kun." One of his senior co-workers offered him a tray of food."Are you hungry? Take mine."

"Oh, thanks," Bragi muttered, a faint smile forming on his lips. He was about to go on his merry way when the same person kicked his feet and caused him to fall on the ground, spilling food all over his body and breaking his tablet.

"Haha! Serves you, right monster!"

"I can't believe the son of a devil actually showed up. He must like being judged by others."

"Why did the Commander even let him in? Didn't he kill a ton of people and is the reason why Hajime-kun left?"

"He's a murderer. And a murderer deserves to die. You piece of shit."

"Just drop dead. Kill yourself."

"Die, monster. You're nothing but the spawn of an even greater monster."

Bragi sat up, wincing upon seeing his broken tablet. He was glad he kept his documents in his cloud.

"Look, he's not even going to say anything."

"He knows he deserves this. At least he's self-conscious. Go on, get out of here."

Bragi didn't need to be told twice. He stood up, deciding to go to the bathroom to wash the food off before going for a change of clothes.

"Bragi-kun! Are you okay?!"

Shirabe rushed to meet up when she saw him on her way to the cafeteria, her expression showing her concern."Is everything okay?!"

"Yeah. Thanks for your concern, Shirabe-dono." He muttered, embarrassed that she had to see him on such a stage.

"Oh, my goodness. You're dirty." Shirabe took out her handkerchief and wiped his face.

"Ah, you don't need to..."

"It's fine. I can always get a new one." Shirabe shook her head, grabbing his hand to take him to the nearest restroom."You need to get cleaned up. What happened?"

"I tripped." He lied.

"And your tablet?"

"It broke when I fell." He adverted his gaze, looking at the ground.

"You're lying."

"Huh?"

Shirabe stood in front of him, staring intently at him"Stare..."

"W-why are you accusing me of lying?" He took a step back."Also, stop staring so much..."

"You're prideful. Extremely so. And you always talk with your chin high." She copied his gesture, raising her chin."And you tend to boast whenever you can. You never admit to your mistakes. So when you said that just now, I know that you're lying."

"I never admit to my mistakes...?" He deadpanned."That's quite harsh, Shirabe-dono. I'm not that bad."

"If you say so." Shirabe sighed."So...will you tell me what's wrong? Or does your pride not allow it?"

"I...It's not important, alright?" Bragi said softly."I just get teased, that's all."

"Teased?" Shirabe muttered, bewildered."You...you call this teasing...? They're doing this to you...?"

"It's not that bad. Could be a lot worse."

"This is...this is bullying. Straight up abuse." Shirabe frowned, examining his body for further injuries.

"Don't bother. Even if they struck me or something I can just regenerate my wounds." He winced when she touched his torso, grabbing her arms."Look, I appreciate the sentiment. I really do. But I deserve this."

"You...deserve this...?"

"The Second brought too much pain to the world." He breathed."To you guys. To those around me. It's only natural they treat me like this. I know the others are apprehensive of being around me."

"No, that's not true. I-"

"It's fine." He cut her off."I can tell from their gazes. I just look so much like the Second, they can't help but think back on a bad time."

"Is that why you're always in your room?" Shirabe asked, receiving no response."I...I had no idea...We should tell the Commander about this."

"No. Promise me you won't tell anyone about this."

"But-"

"I told you this because I trust you," Bragi said, tightening his grip on her wrists. He noticed her wincing, so he immediately let go."I can handle myself. Besides, the last thing I need is for people to see me as a crybaby. Auntie Elfnein worries enough about me as is. I want to prove myself as a valuable asset to the team. Prove my strength. And for that, I have to correct the Second's mistakes. So please, let me do this, Shirabe-dono. Don't tell anyone about this."

"Okay..." Shirabe caved after seeing his pleading look."I understand...Just promise me you'll speak up if it gets too much. Alright? And don't stress yourself about it. You've done nothing wrong. You couldn't help what Bragard did."

"Maybe. But I am basically his copy. And just being related to him paints me in a bad light." Bragi adjusted his tiara."I'll make amends for his mistakes and I'll prove myself. I am not like that man."

"I know. I can tell." Shirabe smiled gently."So...I don't think I asked but why do you wear a tiara? It's kind of girly."

"H-huh?! It's not!" Bragi yelped, instinctively grabbing his tiara."It represents my status as a Prince. And since I am a prince, I can't wear an actual crown. Plus, it's comfortable when I am wearing my Rider armor."

"But it's girly." Shirabe forged on.

"Just leave it alone!" Bragi groaned, blushing as he rushed to the bathroom. Shirabe could only follow him with her gaze, giggling at his embarrassment. It was weird to see him acting like this, considering how she saw Bragard act back then.

"I can't believe you dared to tell him all of that!" Tsubasa berated her boyfriend, who had his head hung low."You're unbelievable, Yosuke. Out of all people, I can't believe you went for such a low blow. Ryukid? Really? How old are you?"

"I know..." Yosuke sighed.

"And then you accuse him of thinking of this as a game." Tsubasa continued, pacing around her room."A game...? If anyone doesn't consider this a game, it's him, Yosuke. He lost almost all of his family. You ought to know that."

"I know...I know..." Yosuke clenched his fists."I...I let my emotions get the better of me. I criticized him nonstop when in fact, I was the same way before. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't be alive right now. He's grieving. And yet...All I could think about was using his power to give us an advantage. I'm such a hypocrite."

Tsubasa's lips thinned."You owe him an apology. While I don't condone the things he said, I can't blame him for them. You two are so similar."

"We are?"

"You're both blaming yourselves for mistakes that are out of your control." Tsubasa sat on her bed next to him, squeezing his hand."Look...I know how you feel. I felt the same way about Kanade. But you took the responsibility of being in charge of the others because you want to carry that burden alone. That's why all of their deaths are affecting you this way. You feel like you could have changed something. Anything. And maybe in your head, you could. But could you have predicted that when it happened? Could you have predicted that Albedo was going to surprise attack you after Odin bombarded the city? That Liang's family was going to be kidnapped and used as leverage to lure her into a trap for Bragard to use to break Adachi? Or that the Disasters would attack and Kaburagi would have killed Kagutsuchi when we were in London?"

"I..."

"Adachi feels the same way. Except, it's more personal to him since those were his family members. And he had just gotten to know his Liang side of the family." Tsubasa took a deep breath, composing her thoughts."You're both similar in that regard. So next time you see him, apologize. I'm sure by then, he'd have collected his thoughts too."

"Right...You're right." Yosuke smiled, planting a kiss on her cheek."Thanks, Tsubasa."

"N-no problem..." She stammered, still not used to being open about their relationship."And you made Sakamoto the leader?"

"I don't think I'm a good leader at all. Sakamoto might be. He has the experience to be a decent Captain, like Adachi calls him."

"That's true. He always wanted to be a soldier, right? Being in charge of his own squad is a good step in that direction." Tsubasa pulled out her phone, taking a look at the time."We should go. The meeting starts soon."

"Get up, we gotta get going." Chris patted Takeru on the back, but the young man was snoring loudly and not stirring awake."Damn it, Takeru. Get up!"

"It's still early, though..." Takeru moaned, rolling on the bed and facing Chris, wrapping an arm around her frame."I want to sleep more."

"Since when did you become such a heavy sleeper?!" Chris groaned, pushing his arm away.

"Hey, it's not my fault. My sleep schedule is all messed up because of all these time zone changes."

"Poor you." Chris rolled her eyes."Get up. If the Old Man sees us like this, he'll kill you."

"I don't think he's that overprotective." Takeru shrugged."Besides, I'm sure he's seen the rings already, no?"

"Yeah but does he know we had sex?"

"Fair point..." The orange-haired young man relented."Fine..."

Both of them began to get changed from across each other. It was a silent rule of theirs to respect each other's privacies, despite being so intimate with each other already.

"Did you mean what you said before?" She asked, a little timid, much unlike her.

"Said what, Shortcake?" He asked, fixing his messy hair.

"You know!" She insisted, stomping her foot down.

"No...Not really?" He stifled a chuckle.

"About you wanting to marry me!" She groaned, her face scarlet red like her armor.

"Oh. Well, yeah. I thought I told you I would." Takeru replied nonchalantly.

"Yeah, you did. But..." Chris played with her hair, bashful."You said you're planning it already...?"

"Huh? Oh. Well, yeah. But it's not like I'm planning it to be like any time soon." He chuckled, trying to put his tie on to no avail."Fuck..."

"Here." Chris marched up to him, fixing his tie for him.

"But yeah...I just imagine how it will be. You know. Sometimes when I'm feeling down I just picture it. I wanted it to be on a big ass yacht. It's fancy, right?"

"Honestly, I don't care where it is." Chris confessed, fixing his collar a bit and his hair."Then...we can settle down."

"Hopefully all this fighting will be over by then." Takeru sighed."But that's the plan. Shit. Still haven't learned how to cook, have we? I guess I can't bake pastries every day?"

"Not a chance. And especially with how much sugar you put in them."

"As for a family..." It was Takeru's turn to blush."Talking with Damian got me thinking. I don't think I would mind if it's a boy or a girl. I would love them all the same."

"I personally want a girl." Chris shrugged."Boys are too rowdy."

"Oh, and girls don't get complicated the older the way?" He rosed an amused brow, receiving a flick to the head."Ow..."

"We're not complicated. We're just more honest with our feelings."

"Oh, you? You're honest with your feelings?" He burst into laughter, making her giggle.

"I love you." She muttered, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I love you too." He responded, leaning forward and kissing her lips. Once they ran out of breath, they rested their foreheads against each other, looking into each other's eyes lovingly."Okay...now we should get going."

"Nah. A few more minutes won't hurt anyone." Chris grinned as they engaged in another kissing session.

"Alright. Good to see everyone is here." Genjuro nodded, acknowledging the assembled team of teenagers in front of him.

"Not everyone..." Bragi muttered in disdain, receiving a smack to the back of the head by Chris."Ow!"

"Not the time, Third."

Genjuro seemingly hadn't heard or chose to ignore this conversation, so he continued."We've located another military facility. A chemical plant, to be exact. Chris-kun, Hibiki-kun, Tsubasa, Yosuke-kun, and Takeru-kun will follow the river to the facility upstream along with Ogawa. Takeru-kun is familiar with the area, right?"

"I am." Takeru nodded."Our old base used to be around there. I used to go fishing there from time to time, so I know my way around and toward that chemical plant."

"There might be Mirror Monsters as well as Noise, and only the Riders can use the Seal Cards."

"Aw, come on! What about me, sir?!" Bragi whined, eager to prove his worth.

"Actually, I have a mission that will suit you." Genjuro turned to face behind him."You'll be going with them as backup."

"We have a mission of our own." Aoi explained."And in case things get complicated, we might need the help."

"Besides, you're smart. We might need your brain rather than your strength." Sakuya nodded.

"There you have it, Bragi-kun." Shirabe smiled at the hybrid homunculus.

"I won't disappoint." Bragi nodded firmly.

"And make sure you don't give them a hard time." Elfnein chimed in, much to his chagrin.

"A-alright..."

"What about the rest of us?" Maria asked.

"The three of you will be on standby. We only have three shots of LINKER left." Genjuro continued."Jades-kun and Raiden-kun will be as well. But they will be deployed in case any group needs the help.

"We've been trying to recreate the LINKER formula, but..." Tobias trailed off.

"It's a challenge, I'll say that." Bragi relented, not wanting to admit too much."Just give us some more time and we'll have it figured out. So rest assured."

"We're counting on you three." Tsubasa nodded. With that, the meeting concluded. Bragi stayed behind, as he caught eye of Hibiki's quiet demeanor. While she was technically dating the Boy Wonder, he didn't hold any particular ill will toward her. So, in an attempt to make peace with those around him, he approached her.

"Hibiki-dono. You okay?" He asked her, hands behind his back.

"Oh, hey Bragi-kun." The cream-haired girl forced a friendly."Yup. I'm alright. Thanks for checking up on me."

"No, you're not." Bragi frowned. He could tell she was lying. Not only was she a terrible liar, he could read her expression like a book. Pretending everything was fine. It was creeping him out how much in common he had with her and the Boy Wonder."It's bad to bottle up your emotions. Things can become quite explosive. You saw it happen."

"You...heard?"

"Well, he wasn't exactly whispering." He chuckled."I just didn't want to intrude. I was about to. He yelled like that to Auntie Elfnein. And when he yelled at you...I got mad. You two are the kindest people I know. And neither of you deserve to be treated like that. So...Maybe you shouldn't feel sad he's gone."

"No...No, it's my fault." Hibiki shook her head, hiding her face."I'm a horrible girlfriend...I knew he wasn't right. I knew it all along but I refused to think he was. I was scared...To see him that way. I thought it would get better. That things would go back to the way they were...But today...I should have said something. I should have understood him. Instead, I accused him of running away...It must have hurt him more..."

"I'm sorry." Bragi sighed."It's all the Second's fault you're going through this. And by extension, it's my fault..."

"No." Hibiki wiped her tears away, turning to see her junior."No, it's not. Don't blame yourself for what Bragard did. You weren't even...Erm..."

"Born."

"Born," Hibiki said."It's not your fault."

"Listen..." Bragi ruffled his hair."What you did is not a bad thing. Covering for him, I mean. The suicide attempt. I mean, maybe it was a mistake the first time. You couldn't have known. And you stuck by him until the end. I don't think you should belittle your loyalty and love, Hibiki-dono. You did what you could. You're only human, after all."

"I guess that's true." Hibiki trailed off, rubbing her arm."I just wish there was something I could have done better. That I could have said. But...Now he's better off with Kuroiwa-kun. I hope he can help him."

"Right." Bragi nodded. Wishing the best for Hajime left a sour taste in his mouth, but he wasn't about to say otherwise in front of her right now. Not after what she had been through."Anyway, I'll leave you be. We got our own missions after all, don't we?"

"Right...Let's do our best." She smiled, this time more naturally than before.

Bragi had to admit, her smile was contagious. He supposed that at least they had a few cheerful people on the team and that made things less tense than they were."You got it."

Hibiki headed for the door, but before she left, she called out to the prince."Bragi-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"You should take your own advice too." Hibiki said, glancing over her shoulder."Don't bottle up your emotions either."

"You..." Bragi's eyes widened slightly at the implication.

"But I won't force you to say anything," Hibiki reassured him. She could tell he had his own baggage he was struggling with. And she wanted to help. But she figured he'd eventually open up more to them."See you!"

"Be well..." Bragi muttered, baffled.'How does she know...?'

Later that night, the 3 Symphogear and 2 Riders along with Ogawa, rode on their fishing boat along the river, with Takeru giving Ogawa directions. Once he finished, he sat back down next to Chris, leaning his head on her shoulder.

"You okay?" She muttered.

"I should be asking you that." He whispered back. Chris ran a hand through his hair, her mind clustered with emotions due to being in this hell of a country once more."Brings back memories, doesn't it?"

"Did you miss it?"

"Hell no." Takeru snorted."Now that I've lived in Japan for a long time, I can see this place is like, 30 years behind. No Mcdonalds, no good internet, communism, no nothing. And no peace. After all these years, this place is still at war. I was thinking earlier...when we were fighting those soldiers? Maybe if things had gone differently, I would have been with them, facing off against you guys."

"If that were the case, I wouldn't be here either, dummy." She rolled her eyes."You saved me, after all."

"Oh, yeah. You remember when we had to cross this river? Before Fine found us? You couldn't swim so I had to carry you on my shoulders."

"Yeah." She rested her head on top of his."But I'm a kickass swimmer now. You should see me."

"Wish I could, babe. But boys aren't allowed to be in the pool when the girls are there." Takeru chuckled."Still, maybe we can go to the pool one day. Or a water park. Those are so damn cool."

"A water park? What are you, 10?" Chris poked his cheek.

"A water park is for all ages, Shortcake." Takeru winced upon feeling her nail against his skin."You wanna go or nah?"

"You just wanna see me in my swimsuit, pervert."

"Come on, it's not like I haven't seen you na-" Takeru paused, realizing what he was about to say. He carefully looked around, making sure the others were doing other things. Hibiki was deep in thought, while Tsubasa and Yosuke were busy staring at the starry sky.

"Dumbass..." Chris blushed, punching him in the arm.

"Don't worry." Takeru grinned, rubbing his arm and showing her his ring.."We'll get through this. Like we always have."

"Right..." Chris nodded, mimicking his action."I love you."

"And I love you more."

"If you guys are done flirting..." Yosuke spotted a light in the tree lines."We got company!"

"Alright. Everyone, you know what to do." Takeru recited."Take down the enemy and try not to kill if you can help it. Let's not stain our hands with blood!"

The girls and boys leaped into the air, taking out their respective pendants and Decks.

"Henshin!"

"Balwisyall Nescell Gungnir Tron..."

"Imyuteus Ame No Habakiri Tron..."

"Kilterr Ichaival Tron..."

(Play Makenai Ai Ga Koko ni Aru)

In a flash, all fighters landed on the ground, spreading around the area as the alarms in the facility began to go off. The Alca Noise deployment system was activated and Mirrors Monsters were unleashed from hidden mirrors. On top of that several soldiers used the Alternative Zero Deck, becoming Alternatives to intercept the Riders.

Advent: Slashdagger

Zolda parried one of the attacks with his visor, kicking the Alternative in the chest and shooting several rounds at his belt, destroying it. He knocked the man out with a smack of his gun and proceeded to follow the rest.

Hibiki smashed her fist against one of the jeeps, hurling it against a wave of Mirror Monsters and causing the jeep to explode. Tsubasa moved like a flash of blue lightning, slashing the soldier's weapons and Decks, preventing them from even attempting to join the battle.

Knight mowed down the battalion of Noise, destroying any mirror he could find to prevent more Mirror Monsters from spawning. Chris created a bow, nocking an arrow that grew larger and aimed at a group of funny-looking Alca Noise.

"Oh, shit! They look like bananas! That's so cute!" Takeru flushed, laughing aloud at the Noise shaped like bananas. To his disappointment, Chris shot her arrow, tearing through them and destroying them."Party pooper..."

"Stop being a child and pay attention!" Chris hollered, grabbing Takeru out of the way of missiles shot from a Psycho-Rogue. She used her free hand to fire several arrows from her crossbows, destroying the monster and by extension, canceling out the soldier's transformation. One of the stray attacks hit a building, causing it to collapse and forcing people to flee the area, except for a young boy who froze in fear.

"Oh, no!" Hibiki used her thrusters, going full speed to save the boy before he got crushed."Phew!"

"Good job, Hibiki-chan!" Zolda gave her a thumbs up, blasting his Gigacannons against a wave of Noise."We're almost done. We just need to-"

All of a sudden a giant Noise emerged from the ground, spewing out smaller Noise. The lucky soldiers clad in Alternative armor fought off the Alca Noise that attacked indiscriminately. But the ones who didn't weren't so lucky. The Symphogear rushed in to help the helpless soldiers, while the two Riders took care of the Noise targetting the civilians.

Tempest Vent

Energy Vent

Both Riders used their abilities in unison, Knight's Winglancer was infused with wind, raising it in the air and creating a gust of wind that launched the Noise and Mirrors Monsters in the air. Zolda created energy weapons, shooting them simultaneously and shooting through every creature with ease.

Blue Flash

Tsubasa rose her blade, launching an energy slash that cut some Noise chasing down some soldiers."So they have no qualms in killing off their allies?!"

"Heartless bastards. All of them." Chris clicked her tongue, nocking another giant arrow and firing it at the huge Alca Noise.

ARTEMIS CAPTURE

The Alca Noise exploded, making Chris smirk with pride."Not bad, huh?"

"IF THAT HITS US, WE'RE ALL DEAD!" One of the Alternatives yelled, using his Accel Vent to flee from the area.

"What the-" Knight looked up to see a gigantic Noise coming down to the ground."Oh, shit...Not good. If that hits the plant, the explosion..."

"Leave it to me!" Hibiki pulled the piston on her arm back, her scarf shining in bright yellow. In a yellow blur, she appeared behind a group of Noise which she had easily destroyed, glancing up at the monster.

"Tachibana!" Knight ran up to her, his Winglancer creating a tornado with his Tempest Vent.

"Roger!" Hibiki leaped in the air, with Knight launching the tornado and boosting her up to meet the Noise in the air. She punched the tip, her piston coming down and unleashing a devastating force that destroyed it completely. Knight brought her back down to the ground, sighing in relief.

"Nicely done."

"Thanks, Yosuke-san." Hibiki smiled, happy at his praise.

"Good stuff, all of you." Zolda nodded, hands to his hips as he glanced back to the remaining soldiers and Alternatives."So...you guys wanna keep going? Or are you ready to surrender?"

Without much of a choice, the soldiers dropped their guns and their Decks.

Meanwhile, a separate group was infiltrating a secret base where the high commands were taking refuge. Bragi had successfully taken out every guard on post silently, allowing his teammates to sneak in with him.

"Uh...Sorry, I'm asking this all of a sudden, but..." Bragi approached Aoi, fidgeting."But why am I here? I mean, not that I don't want to help, but I thought I'd be more useful in a real battle."

"Well, we requested for your assistance." She replied with a smile."We thought you could be of tremendous help. Not just with your powers."

"You...requested for me...?" Bragi muttered, taken aback."But...why?"

"What do you mean why? You're part of the team now." Sakuya chuckled."And we know how eager you are to prove yourself."

"We know you blame yourself for what...your other you did." Aoi said, choosing her words carefully."But instead of saying words, we want you to be the one to show us who Bragi Third Dienheim is. You're someone who prefers actions over words after all, aren't you?"

"Tomosato-dono...Fujitaka-dono..." Bragi found himself beaming."You got it. I won't disappoint!"

With a nod, the group infiltrated the auditorium, where they hid in the shadows and listened to the higher-ups talk.

"We prepared a decoy plane at Escalon Airport, sir. We would-"

"Unnecessary." The man in the chair, the President of Val Verde rose his hand."As long as the barrier stands, this is the safest place in the country."

"So in other words, what you're trying to protect is here...isn't it?"

The men looked up to see three silhouettes standing by the windows, with a fourth one leaning on the wall under them. None of them men even noticed that person getting inside, nor did they know how long they had been there. The figure in question was a tall man with silver hair, wearing a light gray t-shirt, black pants, and a black long-sleeved jacket. He had a long, golden sword sheathed to his back.

"Who are you?!"

"Huh?" The man looked up from his phone, taking out one of his AirPods."Sorry. Did you say something?"

"Ignore him. Him and his gadgets..." St. Germain sighed, planting a hand on her hip."Back to the matter at hand, we tried looking through your military facilities first, but they were empty. Now we know why."

"And thanks to S.O.N.G's meddling, we managed to weed out this place." Prelati drawled, holding her stuffed toad close to her chest.

Cagliostro did a little twirl, giving a cute wink at the men."Thanks for leading us here, Mr. President."

"Oh, we're doing this now?"

"Yes, Raphael." St. Germain groaned."Put the phone away."

"Right, right. Sorry. I was just watching a movie." Raphael stuffed his phone in his pockets, clearing his voice and adopting a serious expression."I thought you guys were gonna take care of the monologuing..."

The President shot up from his chair, bewildered."St. Germain! Cagliostro! Prelati! Raphael!"

"You know them, sir?"

"They're our sponsors." The President nodded."You said you whoever wore this mark would be under your protection."

"Yeah. We did say that." Raphael smiled."And I for one, don't want to do this. I am a man of honor and there is no lower form of honor than breaking a deal, but...You didn't read the fine print."

"Huh?"

"You've outlived your uselessness." Prelati elaborated."Basically, that's what you meant, right?"

"Yup." Raphael winked in her direction with a peace sign."Thanks for explaining, Prelati."

The quartet began singing in unison, and the soldiers began to feel pain, screaming in agony. The Bavarian Illuminati pins they wore shined brightly, engulfing their bodies in a bright aura.

"W-what is this?! It hurts!" The President screamed, but his pained expression changed to a pleasured one."But it feels gooood..."

The President along with his men disappeared into particles, being collected into St. Germain's palm in the form of a sphere."That makes 73,788."

"Awesome." Raphael smirked at the white-haired woman."So, Milady. Shall we proceed?"

"We shall." She nodded, all three women jumping down inside and heading for a metallic door leading to an underground passage.

'What the fuck is going on?!' Bragi clenched his teeth, a cold sweat dripping down his forehead. For some reason, the sight of that woman made him want to jump into action and start fighting. He felt an overwhelming rage coming from his inner thoughts, though he didn't know why.

Aoi noticed his gaze, grabbing his arm and shaking her head. The group quietly followed the mysterious group inside the basement, monitoring their movements carefully.

Once they reached the deeper part of the basement, St. Germain uncovered what they were looking for.

"Oh, hey. It's her." Raphael grinned, recognizing the figure inside."I haven't seen her in a long time. I kinda miss her squeaky, loud voice."

"Tiki. The Autoscorer." St. Germain nodded. She was about to continue when they heard a loud beeping noise from behind them.

"Shit!"

Aoi and the agents drew their guns, firing several bullets at the group. But St. Germain blocked these with ease by casting a barrier. Suddenly, black spikes were shot her them, forcing her to create more barriers to block."What is this?"

"Tomosato-dono! Fujitaka-dono! Run!" Bragi rushed toward danger, leaping in the air and attempting to punch the white-haired woman. To his surprise, she blocked his strike with her forearm and threw a jab toward his kidney which he blocked with his knee. He grabbed her arm, determined to go for a horizontal kick against her head, but she ducked at the last second, winding her fist back and throwing her fist toward his chest. Bragi copied her, blocking her punch with his forearm, but the force of the attack launched him skidding a few meters back."Remarkable. She's good."

"No way..." St. Germain muttered upon seeing the young man.

"What the hell...?" Prelati narrowed her eyes.

"Oh. It's the Little Prince." Cagliostro said before turning to Raphael, punching him against his shoulder as she whined."You said he was dead, Raphael! So what gives?!"

"He is dead, though..." Raphael reached for his sword, grabbing the handle. The blade shined momentarily, and Raphael knew the answer to their questions."He's not Bragard. While he has 50% similarity to him, he also has 50% similarity to Carol. Which means..."

"He's their lovechild?" Prelati covered her mouth as if she were to throw up.

"He's a hybrid Homunculus." Raphael continued, folding his arms as he stared at the hybrid with great interest."Half human and half homunculus."

"If so, you must know where the Messiah is." St. Germain narrowed her eyes at him."The one who defeated Bragard."

"That's right, I know where he is but I'm not telling you shit. You seem to think I am like the Second, but you couldn't be more wrong." Bragi jabbed his thumb at himself."I am Prince Bragi Third Dienheim! The Third Hyperion. The wicked and handsome scientist who looks for the truth of all things! That's right, ladies and gentlemen. Number 3 is..." He gave them a thumbs down."Your unlucky number!"

The quartet deadpanned, except for Cagliostro, who clapped with sparkles in her eyes.

"Seriously?" Prelati arched a brow.

"What? That was funny." Cagliostro shrugged, casting a blue energy of Alchemy."Well, you seem eager. Want to fight us?"

"Oh, you bet." Bragi smirked, casting two dark magic circles and pulling out two daggers."I can take on all 4 of you at once. Just so you three know...I am not afraid to hit a woman."

"That's fine. Because neither am I." Cagliostro returned the smirk with one of her own, but St. Germain held her hand out."Huh?"

"No need. Let's see what this "Third Hyperion" is capable of." St. Germain approached a state at the corner of the basement."This will make a fine experiment as well as a test."

"And we'll grant the President's wish too." Raphael nodded."Still, I am curious to see what this kid can do. But I suppose you're not interested in him, are you, Milady? You want to meet the Messiah."

"Messiah?" Bragi scoffed in indignation."You want a Messiah? You got one right here!"

"Oh, right. There are supposed to be two of them, no?" Cagliostro placed her finger against her chin.

"But the other one is Ryuga. So it can't be this boy." Prelati shook her head."He must be...a False Messiah. How pathetic."

"You...How dare you?!" Bragi bared his teeth.

"If you want to prove us wrong, show us what you can do, False Messiah. I'll use the energy we collected from the sacrifice, and instill into it this spirit of wrath." St. Germain conjured up the energy she collected earlier.

"Bragi-kun! Get out of there! We're good to go now!"

"B-but..." Bragi clenched his fists. He wanted to fight. He really did. But he also didn't want to disappoint his teammates after they put their trust in him. He cast several spheres of dark matter, shooting them around the room as they bounced off the walls as a distraction while he rushed up the stairs. Raphael unsheated his blade, easily cutting through the spheres.

"One thing is clear, he's not like Bragard. At least he's not stupid enough to fight when he knows he's going to lose."

"Damn! I can't believe I ran from that!" Bragi punched the car as he jumped on the back.

"We got what we wanted," Aoi said over his communicator, driving the car while Sakuya sat in the passenger seat. To their surprise, a huge serpent emerged from the ground behind them, causing the ground to shake.

"Keep driving and don't panic!" Bragi began rapid-firing dark matter blades at the creature."I'll hold it off!"

However, to his bewilderment, the blades were doing zero damage to the thing."The fuck?! Okay! Then how about this! Third Impact!"

Bragi clapped his hands, creating several spheres of dark matter and sending them toward the creature as they began to merge upon impact, creating a gigantic sphere of dark matter that exploded in a burst of energy.

Third Impact

The attack stunned the serpent, but it was only temporary as it lunged at them once again."What?! How?! There's no way tha-WOAH!"

Bragi nearly fell off the car as Aoi took a sharp turn, trying to lose the serpent as they descended down the mountain.

"Why aren't you transforming?!" Sakuya shrieked, panicking once the took another look at the Yohualtepuztli.

"Uh...I wanted to make this more fun for me." Bragi scratched his cheek, taking out his Alternative Deck."But now I see I need to up the ante a little. Henshin!"

In a flash of dark light, Alternative was clad in his armor, drawing a card and scanning it in his visor.

Shoot Vent: Psycho Fireworks

Armed cannons attached themselves to his shoulders, immediately opening fire and bombarding the serpent's mouth, making it screech. But no visible damage could be seen.

"Why aren't my attacks working?!" Bragi growled, becoming more irritated as the fight went on."Fine. If I must get close and personal, then so I shall!"

Sword Vent: Slashdagger

Alternative jumped out of the car, aiming his sword at the beast and spewing azure flames from his blade, making the serpent back up.

"Bragi-kun!" Aoi gasped.

"Don't worry about me! Just get out of h-"

Bragi had looked away for a second, but that's all it took for the Yohualtepuztli to close the distance and bite off his body from his waist down.

"BRAGI-KUN!"

"And he's done." Prelati smiled, pleased that their experiment was going well."Not so tough as he had thought."

"No. It's not over yet." St. Germain remarked.

In effect, Bragi immediately regenerated his wounds, his armor regenerating alongside him as he fell to the ground."Damn...Can't drop my guard for even a second against this thing. But that's what makes this fight so fun. Come on then, show me what else you got!"

"Bragi-chan! Stop being so reckless!" He heard Elfnein's voice through his communicator."You're not like Bragard. You burn a lot of energy every time you regenerate too much. You'll exhaust yourself!"

"Don't worry, Auntie." Bragi aimed his gaze at the Alchemists watching the fight. The secret to killing a snake is cutting off its head!"

Bragi shot himself toward the Alchemists, narrowly avoiding cutting off St. Germain's head as she dodged at the last second.

'So fast.' St. Germain noted with interest.'He recognized me as the leader figure and decided to go for me first. He's smart. As expected of his son.'

Cagliostro smiled, shooting a barrage of blue bullets at the prince, who blocked them with his blade. Raphael intervened, clashing blades with him.

"Not bad. Bragi, was it? Are you trying to prove yourself superior to Bragard?" Raphael smirked, pushing the Prince back."But so far, I'm not impressed. Maybe you're just overcompensating for something."

"S-shut up!" Bragi sneered, his voice cracking upon hearing his words.

To his surprise, the golden blade was shining, cracking his sword before Raphael sent him flying off the top of the mountain where the Yohualtepuztli waited with its jaws opened, ready to devour him.

'Fuck!' He cursed, bracing himself. However, a wave of ice washed over the beast, freezing its mouth and a pink-haired woman scooped him up in her arms."Huh?"

"You okay?" Maria asked, carrying the Prince in bridal style.

"Yeah...Thanks, Maria-dono." Bragi muttered, embarrassed that he had been in the need of being saved in the first place."You too, Jades-dono!"

"No problem." Tiger waved, having also saved Aoi and Sakuya after a rock caused their car to crash.

"Backup has arrived." Raia announced, flying above the Alchemists on Evildiver."You're done."

"Oh? Is that a challenge?" Prelati smirked deviously.

"Only if you want it to be." Raia responded half-heartily."But not like it matters."

Kirika and Shirabe landed next to Maria and Alternative, regrouping.

"So, you're using your last LINKER dosage." Alternative brushed off the dust off his armor."Completely unnecessary. Just Tiger and Raia would have been needed."

"Doesn't look that way." Shirabe shook her head."The enemy is strong. You were nearly eaten."

"It was part of my strategy. Attack from the inside." Bragi half-lied. True, he had thought about attacking from the inside, since the thing had such a sturdy exterior. But he certainly wasn't aiming to get eaten in the process."

"Regardless, we're here to help-desu." Kirika pumped her fist."So leave it to us."

Alternative sighed, rubbing his nape."Okay...thank you for the help."

The siblings smiled at each other, glad to see Bragi cooperating with them.

"So Kamen Riders and Symphogear." Prelati observed the group with a keen eye."But Ryuki is not among them."

"The Messiah is not here." St. Germain said, a hint of disappointment in her voice."Nonetheless, the experiment must continue."

"Must all Symphogear be such cute girls?" Raphael couldn't help but compliment their appearance."Kind of makes me feel bad for having to fight them. I don't mind fighting the Riders. But the Symphogear...I don't think I have it in me to hurt them."

"The chivalrous Raphael doesn't want to fight girls." Cagliostro giggled."Now this is an ideal man. Isn't that right, St. Germain?"

St. Germain remained silent. Her mind pondering on other thoughts.'Just where are you hiding?'

Chapter done. I found myself with some free time this week since I'm caught up with all of my work for school so I managed to finish this chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed it.