"I'm so sorry!" Elfnein bowed to Chris, Maria and Rui. "Your Gears and Elekleid were taken for maintenance because I underestimated the annihilation barrier's effect."

Elfnein had asked for the presence of the three after a brief analysis of their weapons. Turned out that even with the Elekleid's support, they had strained them quite a bit.

"Don't worry about it." Maria reassured her. "We should be thanking you. You did a great job in the limited time you had."

"And I was able to get a whole lot of regrets off my back too." Chris added.

"Honestly, a break sounds great." Rui stretched her arms.

Elfnein smiled. "Lala and I will find a way to suppress the recoil as soon as we can."

"Plus, you can figure out more for Lala and Forte's own Elekleids, yeah?" Rui added, as Elfnein nodded in confirmation.

Chris patted Elfnein on the head. "For a little kid, you sure are a lifesaver."

"You aren't much taller though…" Elfnein pointed out.

"Huh?! I totally am!"

"No you aren't." Rui teased. "Those heels are doing the lifting. Literally."

"You-!"

Behind them, Shirabe and Tsubasa were in the training room, with Shuri overlooking their progress. The two dodged several shots from the Alca-Noise, as one turned into a blade and rolled towards them.

"Match your breaths with mine!" Tsubasa kicked the spinning Alca-Noise towards her. "Tsukuyomi!"

Shirabe tried getting ready, but found it was right upon her. "Too fast! Ahh!"

It crashed into her, knocking her back.

"Are you all right?" Tsubasa went over to her.

"Ugh…" Shirabe pushed herself up. "I had no trouble doing this with Kiri-chan…"

"And this is why you need to train with others." Shuri said, walking up. They're on the cusp of figuring it out… I'm sure of it.


"Even with Tsubasa taking the lead, it doesn't look like Shirabe-kun can match her." Genjuro noted, as they observed the training battle.

Shirabe stood back up and fired several buzzsaws, slicing through the enemy. "This training isn't working out."

"I had a feeling you'd say that." Shuri said, before turning towards a small burst of wind. "I asked for extra assistance."

The wind faded to reveal Ogawa.

"Ogawa-san?" Shirabe said, surprised.

"I'll do what little I can to assist you." He said. "Consider it a favor from Jeanne."

"He's well-versed in the ninja arts of the Hida." Tsubasa explained. "We'll never even get near him without working together."

Shirabe looked conflicted, before Kirika called down from a tall building, halting her training with Maia. "Shirabe! Catch him, and make an example of him!"

"Alright!" Shirabe agreed.

"Don't embarrass her too much, okay Ogawa?" Maia called.

(Insert Melodious Moonlight by Yoshino Nanjo)

"I'd prefer to get out of here in one piece." Ogawa admitted as he raised his arms.

Shirabe steeled herself, as everyone else had eyes on her. After a few moments, she swung her sawblades out at Ogawa. The man swiftly avoided all of her slashes, looking up to see she had her leg outstretched with a larger one aimed straight for him. "You're wide open!"

But in a blur, Ogawa disappeared, as Shirabe's saw just crashed and tore up the pavement.

"No way!" Shirabe widened her eyes.

"I'm over here." Ogawa called from atop a lamppost.

Shirabe threw out her yo-yo, but he disappeared almost instantly once more.

"You'll never catch me if all you do is follow in my wake." Ogawa said, between bursts of speed.

"Don't rush, Tsukuyomi!" Tsubasa advised.

Shuri frowned, seeing Shirabe rush forward and seemingly ignore Tsubasa. Wheeling towards Ogawa, Shirabe had grown frustrated. Kiri-chan can do it with anyone. But I can only do it with her.

She threw her yo-yos again, as Ogawa dodged.

I have to fight, even if it's by myself!

"We need to work together to corner him!" Tsubasa said, as she glided alongside her.

"Then just blanket the whole area! He can't run away from that!" Shirabe shouted.

Bad call. Shuri thought. Her frustration's reached a breaking point.

Shirabe jumped and fired dozens of sawblades at Ogawa.

"You can't use that!" Kirika shouted. "Just let him get away, dess!"

To nearly everyone's shock, one of the sawblades caught Ogawa, tearing through him.

"This is bad. Really bad, dess!" Kirika started to panic.

"Nah, he's fine." Maia looked unconcerned. "You didn't see an explosion of blood, did you?"

The top half of Ogawa's body went up in smoke, turning into a log wearing his jacket.

"I switched with a decoy by reflex." Ogawa had suddenly appeared behind Shirabe. "You've got the power. All that's left is how to use it."

Shirabe was relieved that Ogawa was fine, but fell to her knees, disappointed in herself.

"Shirabe-chan!" Hibiki ran over with Kirika, while Maia casually walked behind them.

"Shirabe, are you okay?" Kirika asked.

Maia walked over to Tsubasa and Shuri, briefly looking back at the others.

"Heh, she's just like how you used to be Tsubasa." Maia said quietly to her sister.

"Mm…" Tsubasa looked at the younger girl in concern, as did Shuri.

Ogawa tapped his communicator to call Jeanne. "Sorry if I worried you there."

"I know you'd be fine, but I did not like seeing that!" Jeanne's voice pinged from the call.

"Your blood pressure is rising." Aiba noted.


Rui, Chris and Maria had joined up with the rest of SONG's support staff in the bridge, to discuss the results of the training.

"We tested all the possible unison combinations." Aoi reported.

"Shirabe was the sole participant unable to increase phonic gain." Elfnein said.

"Only her?" Rui raised a brow.

"That's an unexpected wrinkle." Genjuro scratched his chin.

The monitor beeped, and Fujitaka checked who was calling. "Commander. Call from the Cabinet."

"On screen." Genjuro waved his hand.

The screen came to life, showing Yatsuhiro Kazanari.

"What is it, Yatsuhiro?" Genjuro asked. "Did something happen?"

"Mm. I have intel for you from the Shrine Association." He said.

"The Shrine Association?" Aoi asked.

"That must be the ley line information we asked for." Fujitaka realized.

"The story of the Divine Gate." Yatsuhiro spoke.

The words surprised everyone.

"Divine… Like the power sought by the Bavarian Illuminati." Elfnein said.

"Lala remembers Tesla bringing it up in his research…" Lala put a hand under her chin.

"You should hear the details directly from the source. I'll send you the necessary paperwork." Yatsuhiro said, before ending the call.

"What should we do, Commander?" Aoi asked Genjuro.

The leader leaned back in his chair, before looking at the screen to see Shirabe, who still seemed disheartened. "We could use a change of pace."


"Tsuki Shrine in Saitama?" Hibiki asked. "Is there something there?"

Maria was driving her and several of the others along in a car, while Chris had a tablet out to make sure they were on the right road, while also conversing with Elfnein.

"Most shrines are built on ley lines, and that one is no exception." Elfnein explained. "It's also related to the legend of the Divine Gate."

"Lala is checking her memory banks, because Tesla and Starlit have visited shrines before. Maybe there's something Lala can tell." Lala said.

"So we're hoping to find something that'll let us get one step ahead of the enemy." Maria concluded.

"Hm?" Chris heard a rip and looked back to see Kirika had opened another bag of chips. "How do you still have so much energy after all that training?"

"You're trying to flatter me, but it won't get you anywhere, dess!" Kirika grinned, munching away.

"What gave you that idea?" Chris grumbled.

Shirabe was tuning out the conversation, looking out the window and thinking back to when she was still in the FIS facility… and when she first met Kirika.

"How do you read that?" Kirika had asked, looking at her name tag.

"It's Shirabe Tsukuyomi now." Shirabe answered.

"Shirabe? That sounds super cool! I love it!"

"I can't remember my real name. They gave me this one based on the things I had."

"Same here! I forgot my birthday, so I made it the day I arrived! We're the same! I'm sure we'll be great friends!"

"Shirabe!"

Shirabe was brought out of her thoughts by the present-day Kirika speaking.

"What's wrong, Shirabe? Does the car give you motion sickness 'cause it's so different from your saw?" Kirika asked.

"No, I'm fine." Shirabe assured her.

Tsubasa had rode up nearby on her motorcycle, looking through the window. She couldn't see her face, but could tell that Shirabe was troubled.

"Any issues?" Maia asked, riding up on her own motorbike. Shuri was riding on the back, arms wrapped around Maia's waist.

"A few, yes." Tsubasa admitted, knowing she couldn't hide them from her sister.

"Don't worry. I'm sure this shrine trip'll help you both clear your heads. Right, Shuri?"

"Mm." Shuri nodded. "I'll be there to help too."

"I appreciate it from my future sister-in-law." Tsubasa smiled.

That sudden response caused Maia's grip to wobble, as her motorbike grew unsteady. Thankfully, she regained control in time. "Whoa, WHOA! That's a new one, Basa!"

Shuri didn't respond, instead burying her face into Maia's back to hide her embarrassment.

On the other side of the car, Rui was riding alongside the others with Ride GearStriker. Yusuke was sitting in a basket in the front of the bike, and Chris looked at her girlfriend with an odd expression of longing.

"Are you getting jealous of a cat?" Maria teased.

"Wha-?!" Chris turned red. "No! Shut up!"


The girls had all arrived at the shrine safely (though Maia almost crashed from Tsubasa's comment). Kirika was looking in awe at the big rabbit statue near the front.

"Oyo! This shrine's not guarded by dogs, but by rabbits!" Kirika raised her hands, imitating one.

"You'd better not make a "Best Match" joke." Chris told Rui, who rolled her eyes. Yusuke was curled up on top of one of the rabbit statues, taking a nap.

Shirabe however, didn't seem to pay much attention to her friends as they all took the time to look around the shrine. Eventually, they stood in front of the offering box.

"Hey… wasn't this the shrine we went to on our first date?" Maia asked, turning to Shuri.

"Huh, now that you mention it… I did remember seeing some rabbit statues." Shuri said, putting a hand under her chin.

"But you two just had eyes for each other, right?" Rui joked.

"They told me beforehand, but you're even younger than I expected." A kindly voice said, as an old man walked up to them.

"Are you the priest here?" Hibiki asked.

"Very much so." He said. "Hm. Pardon me, but seeing you reminds me of my late granddaughter, who had passed with her family in a car accident. I daresay she'd be around your age if she were alive today."

"...wait, whose age?" Chris asked. "She can't be the same age as all of us! What the hell are you-?"

"Oi, have some tact." Rui told her. "That's not the shit you say after he tells us something like that."

"Well swearing at a shrine probably isn't good either, is it?" Chris shot back.

"I see you two get along well." The priest chuckled. "But please, it's just a joke! A priestly prank, if you will. It smooths out human relations!"

"Oh huh, didn't know priests had great senses of humor." Maia commented with a grin. Shuri stamped on her foot.

"We've just met, and look how well it's broken the ice!" He said.

"All you did was build a Great Wall of distrust between us." Chris grumbled.

"Well, let's get down to business." The priest said. "Are you familiar with the Hikawa shrines?"


The priest had taken them inside, as he opened up a rather old-looking map.

"Is that the Orion constellation?" Maria asked, recognizing the formation.

"More precisely, it's a mirrored version of Orion drawn by seven Hikawa shrines in this area." He explained, as a few of the others pulled out their phones to scan it. "It is more traditionally known as the Drummer's Gate to Heaven, a gate where gods were known to descend."

"It might be just guesswork, but many aspects line up with the Bavarian Illuminati's goal." Tsubasa said. "We can't pass up this lead."

"I don't think it's guesswork at this point, with how frequently we're right on the money with our assumptions, Tsubasa-san." Shuri said.

"The Divine Gate…" Hibiki said, in deep thought… before her stomach growled.

"That was loud, dess." Kirika commented, as everyone stared at her.

"I'm paying attention! Honest!" Hibiki said, covering her stomach. "I just can't control the beast within me."

"Well then, let us break for dinner." The priest chuckled, standing up. "My quiche is a real delicacy, if I do say so myself."

"Isn't this a shrine? At least make something Japanese!" Chris said.

"We really shouldn't." Tsubasa said humbly. "But we do appreciate the offer."

"If you want to get through all these scrolls, you'd better have full stomachs and plenty of energy." The priest said.

"Yeah, that's right." Rui said, pointing upwards. "Grandmother said this; "Sickness occurs because of the food. You can't spell great without eat.""

"Oh, so you're a fan of Kamen Rider, I see." The priest chuckled.

"Huh?" Rui lowered her arm. "You know about it?"

"Surprised an old priest like myself knows? I don't blame you. Well, this shrine has been frequently used for filming before a few renovations and a rename about a decade or so ago." He explained. "I believe my predecessor watched over the place when the show was filming back in… I believe 2015."

Rui nearly fell over. "Y-You mean I'm standing in the same shrine that was used for Daitenku Temple from Kamen Rider Ghost?! Oh my God, I thought the interior looked familiar! I gotta take some pictures! I-Is that okay?!"

Everyone else merely sighed at Rui's usual antics.


Back at the hotel the Illuminati were hiding out at, Prelati stared out the window. Her wounds had healed and she was pouring water into a glass. There was a glass of wine already poured out.

That moron. Who did that former fraudster think she was fooling, running off to take a dramatic final stand?

She picked up the water glass, tapping it against the wine. She remembered what Cagliostro had said to her, believing she was asleep.

"He wants to transmute us into the remaining life energy he needs to power the central plinth. It doesn't sit right with me how ready Adam is to sacrifice his own. He has to be hiding something. Or so my woman's intuition tells me."

"Your woman's intuition, huh…" Prelati smirked. "You were given a woman's body later in life, in pursuit of biological perfection, but that didn't stop you bringing it up at every opportunity."

She drank her water, smiling.

"Basically, though, I think it's a hunch worth following up on."


Tsubasa was sitting on her motorcycle, having moved over a bit to allow Shuri to sit next to her. Several hours had passed since dinnertime, and the priest offered to let them stay the night since it had gotten late. While the others were all asleep, they were communicating with HQ via tablet.

"The gate to divine power, huh?" Genjuro said.

"We worked together and found some information in the ancient scrolls of the shrine." Tsubasa explained.

"If the enemy is really trying to use the ley lines, we can only counter them with the keystones." Shuri had concluded.

"We lost a few keystones in the struggle against Carol." Ogawa recalled.

"Do we not have more?" Jeanne asked.

"It's not that straightforward." Lala said. "But completely destroying a keystone isn't that easy."

"They should still function as a safety valve for the ley lines." Elfnein nodded.

"We cannot allow the Bavarian Illuminati to attain divine power." Genjuro said. "We must stop them at any cost!"

"I know. And we will." Tsubasa nodded.

"We'll make sure of it." Shuri agreed.


Shirabe had gotten out of bed, kneeling by one of the small pools in the shrine.

"Well I'll be." The priest walked up to Shirabe. "Taking a late-night stroll?"

Shirabe stood up, silent.

"Is something troubling you?" He asked her.

"I can deal with it myself." Shirabe said.

"I find it still helps to get one's troubles out in the air." The priest said. "No one can live entirely alone."

"I know that! But… I…"

"Why bottle up secrets in a shrine?" He asked. "I can't think of a better place to deal with what troubles you."

She followed the priest to the offering box, watching as he bowed a few times before clapping his hands and bowing again. He noticed Shirabe was merely observing.

"I guess youngsters like you might not be too familiar with this." He said.

"Yeah… It's outside my comfort zone." Shirabe admitted.

"Oh, really?" The priest chuckled.

"I'm not very good with customs, rules, and adjusting to people in general." Shirabe said. She repeated the same motions that the priest did, bowing and clapping. "Even if I try, it never turns out well. I can only relate to the tiny world I know. In my weakness, I put up walls that push those dear to me away. Eventually even my very best friend, or so I fear."

"You're a good person." He said.

"Why would a good person wall themselves away?" Shirabe asked.

"Breaking down the wall and opening up might be important." The priest said. "But I believe walls are not just for rejection. And I'm inclined to believe that maybe you have a friend that knows what you're going through."

Rui was watching from the window as Shirabe talked with the shrine priest. She had heard Shirabe get up and followed her at a distance. It was hard for her to fall asleep on this sacred ground.

…by that she was obviously referring to it being the filming location for Kamen Rider Ghost.

"Yo, having trouble sleeping?"

Rui turned to see Maia walk up to her, before looking out the window to see what she was watching.

"You were watching over Shirabe, huh?" Maia noted. "How nice of ya."

"Mmm." Rui mumbled, glancing at Maia. "Did I wake you up?"

"Nah. Just couldn't sleep in the first place." Maia shrugged. "It's one of those annoying things."

"I completely get what you're talking about." Rui nodded.

"I gotta say though. On my way out here?" Maia said. "Saw Hibiki, Chris and Kirika. It's already hilarious just how messy they sleep, but their snoring is on a different level of crazy."

"Yeah."

"...hey."

Rui turned to Maia, who had an expression of concern on her face.

"Is something wrong?" Maia asked.

Rui sighed, before looking at Maia's chest. The clothing was loose on her body, hiding enough to preserve her dignity, but revealing the vertical scar on her body.

"Is it about when I stole your ramune at dinner?" Maia said, rubbing the back of her head. "I can buy you a six-pack later-"

"No, it's not that."

Rui slowly raised her hand to her own chest, and Maia mirrored the movement, before running a hand across the scar.

"Oh… you mean this, huh?" Maia said. "Don't worry about it."

"But…"

"Listen, after that whole crap with Tesla was all wrapped up, you, Shuri and I had that good fight that made it even. We already finished talking about it a couple of days ago too when you started actually looking at me again." Maia said. "You don't have to worry about it."

"But I… I..." Rui's voice was shaking as she remembered that battle, Maia's blood staining her weapons. "I almost killed you…"

Seeing the actual scars on Maia's body that she inflicted… it was completely different. The tears started to come out now. She couldn't stop them. A pair of arms wrapped around her.

"I told you, it's fine." Maia said, her voice reassuring. "We're partners, aren't we?"

The warm hug around her let her calm down. Despite the tears, Rui smiled. "When the hell did you get so good at this?"

Maia grinned. "I did this a lot for Basa when we were kids, and Kanade was a big giver of hugs. I think you probably did the same for Hibiki."

The two moved around on the window sill, letting Maia sit next to her and watch the stars, with Rui sitting next to her. They didn't say anything as they just watched the night sky.

"You know, I can see why Chris fell for you." Maia said, chuckling.

"Shut your mouth." Rui smiled, as Yusuke walked up and hopped onto her lap. "...I'm glad you're alive, Partner."

"Right back at you."


"I wanna be a real girl!" Tiki said, snuggling up to Adam in the hot tub.

"That's quite the thing to say out of the blue. Even for you." Adam was mildly surprised.

"Once you get your hands on divine power, I wanna be human just like you!" Tiki said. "I can't be your wife if I'm a puppet, can I? I wanna have kids! Like, a whole bunch of them! Enough to make a baseball team! So turn one of those C-grade alchemists into energy and let's get on with it already!"

"Do tell me more. Basically, I'd love a full explanation."

Adam looked up to see Prelati staring down at them.

"We've all been over this, you girls included." Adam said, standing up. "I won't take ignorance as an excuse. You knew your lives were part of our plan all along. That includes you, and it includes Saint-Germain."

"Basically, that's news to me!" Prelati shouted. She shot several balls of ice at Adam, but he snapped his fingers and broke through them with a single slash of green energy. Prelati ducked down to avoid it. "What else are you hiding? What is your true goal?"

"The divine power my puppet dreamed of." He answered.

"Puppet?" She looked at Tiki, but had to move to avoid another energy slash. She was too slow, and it tore through her frog plush. Gritting her teeth, she pulled out her spellcaster from its mouth and jumped off the building. With a flash she transformed, smashing down into some cars before rolling off on her kendama.

"She got away! She's gonna warn Saint-Germain!" Tiki shouted, looking off the side of the building. "What do we do?"

Adam's arms were crossed, but he seemed unconcerned. "Let the Symphogear hunt her down."

Prelati sped alongside the highway, trying to contact her comrade. Saint-Germain! Saint-Germain! Tch, he's blocking the signal.


"An alchemist?" Tsubasa asked, as Shuri leaned closer to the tablet. The others had also awoken due to hearing the alert on the tablets they were given.

"Sighted on the new Kawagoe bypass, moving at insane speed!" Fujitaka reported.

"She's wreaking havoc in her path." Aoi said. "What if she hits a residential area?"

Random destruction doesn't seem to be the usual scheme for the alchemists… What's going on? Shuri wondered.

"Got it! We'll handle it!" Hibiki said.

"Where are you all off to?" The priest asked.

"Huh? Shirabe?" Kirika looked behind to see Shirabe running towards the exit of the shrine.

"Shisho! Shirabe just ran off!" Hibiki reported.

"We dispatched a helicopter for you." Genjuro said. "Wait for it before rushing off!"


Shirabe had already transformed and was speeding down the road, intent on catching the enemy. I can catch her with the Shul Shagana.

As she turned onto the bypass, a pair of lights came up behind her. She turned to see Tsubasa on her bike, as well as Shuri riding Ride GearStriker. Both of them were in their armor.

"You're not the only one who can travel quickly if need be." Tsubasa said.

Shirabe nodded, but looked surprised at Shuri. "Isn't that Rui-san's bike?"

"She lent it to me. Though she tried to make it a dramatic moment by throwing her phone and expecting that I'd catch it." Shuri said, rubbing her nose.

Shirabe chuckled at that, as Tsubasa spoke up. "Shuri, is it fine if I take the lead with my experience with high-speed combat?"

"Permission granted." Shuri nodded, looking down at Ride GearStriker's dashboard. "I'm still having a bit of trouble here, even with the onboard AI…"

"You had better learn quickly." Shirabe said before looking forward. Prelati had come into view, and the three caught up to her.

"Where are you going? What's your plan?" Tsubasa demanded.

"Basically, I don't have time for you!" Prelati shouted, blasting a stream of fire that the three swiftly dodged. She smashed through one of the walls, changing lanes into a different road entirely.

"She's not even trying to listen." Tsubasa said.

Something happened with her. But what? Shuri thought.

"Tsukuyomi, we need our unison!" Tsubasa called. "If we use that, we can stop her with the Ignite double boost!"

"I'll be here to help keep it steady. Don't worry!" Shuri added.

Shirabe frowned. "I can't use that unison."

"Tsukuyomi?" Tsubasa said.

"Kiri-chan can do it. She can do it with anyone. But I can only do it with her!" Shirabe confessed. "I don't know how to work with people. I have to get strong on my own! Alone!"

"The walls you've built are tall, Tsukuyomi." Tsubasa said.

"Walls…"

Shuri quickly drove forward, creating a wall of dark energy to block the debris from Prelati's destruction.

"I once lost a dear friend and vowed never to lose anyone again." Tsubasa said. "That became my wall. It grew so high as to blind me."

"Kanade Amou…" Shirabe realized, as they entered a tunnel.

"I used to have walls too, to protect myself after everything my sister did for my sake." Shuri said. "But there were two people in my life that reached out to help me."

She didn't have to say who the two were, as Rui and Maia flashed through Shirabe's mind.

"Your wall isn't there to reject others." Tsubasa said. "You built it to protect them."

"To protect…"

"That's your kindness, Shirabe-chan." Shuri said with a smile.

"Kindness…"

Prelati fired several shards of ice that pierced through Shuri's wall of darkness, but Shirabe dodged all of them.

"It's not my kindness, but that of everyone near me." Shirabe said. "You all care for me so much…"

Tsubasa and Shuri smiled at her.

"...that I want to return that feeling in kind!"

"Get lost!" Prelati screamed, flames in her hands. "Basically, just leave me the hell alone!"

She fired it at the electric wiring above, causing huge explosions that enveloped the three members of SONG. Prelati sped ahead, looking back at the destruction in the tunnel she left behind.

"Good riddance."

Dáinsleif

(Insert Fūgetsu no Shissō by Nana Mizuki and Yoshino Nanjo)

The three burst through the flames, the two Symphogears having donned their Ignite Modules. Shuri's hands had transformed into demonic claws, and the red energy trailed behind her like a scarf.

"They're still coming?!" Prelati shouted.

Tsubasa looked up at the street signs as they sped forward. "There's a residential area right ahead!"

"Then we can't make any mistakes!" Shuri shouted.

"Now! Let us strike!" Tsubasa revved her bike.

Tsubasa's bike extended a blade and tried to push Prelati's kendama back, but its effort was minimal.

"Don't get in my way!" Prelati screamed.

She was about to blast ice at Tsubasa, but Shirabe came in from the other side, extending her own blade to knock Prelati off balance and cancel her attack.

"Rrgh, you matched each other's rhythm?!" Prelati shouted.

The two pushed Prelati towards the wall, Tsubasa's bike grinding against the steel. Shuri came in from the back, ramming Prelati and locking her into place.

"No one should have divine power!" Shirabe shouted.

"Basically, I share that sentiment!" Prelati shouted.

Shuri's shoulders burst into dark energy, forming a pair of jaws.

HELL'S FANG

Prelati jumped up, dodging the jaws trying to clamp down on her, before landing on the tip of her kendama. She raised her hands and fired two massive torrents of water from her hands.

"Good luck trying to sing underwater!" She shouted.

"She wants to block our way?!" Tsubasa realized, the water fast approaching.

"Then we just need to break through!" Shirabe declared.

Shirabe fired several saws through the water. Prelati blocked the attack, but the saws slashed into the highway barriers. The damaged pieces formed a ramp, which Tsubasa and Shirabe ramped off of. Their speed tore through the ramp, and it seemed like Shuri would get swamped. However, the jaws transformed into demonic hands, quickly pushing off the ground and pulling her across the rocks before gravity could take effect, letting her catch up to the other two. The three dove down at Prelati, who grabbed the hammer and roared. "GO AWAY!"

She managed to deflect the three with a swing, as they all landed several feet in front of her.

"Let's catch her!" Tsubasa said, charging straight at Prelati.

Shirabe and Shuri joined her, as their constructs all combined. It created a massive ramming vehicle with Ame-no-Habakiri's blades and Shul Shagana's wheels.

Swift Union of Wind and Moon

"I have to warn Saint-Germain!" Prelati slammed her hammer into the ball, cracking it. It morphed and changed into a ramming weapon to challenge the three. "I can't fall here!"

The wielders kept picking up speed, glowing with energy from the rate they were accelerating.

"I have to tell her that Adam means to kill us!" Prelati shouted.

The two rams crashed into one another, creating a massive explosion. Both sides kept pushing forward, but neither had an edge.

Except for one.

"IGNITE!" Shuri screamed.

A howling rang out through the air, as Shuri's demonic claws bubbled and burst, transforming into several draconic heads of demonic energy. They all twisted until they formed a massive hand, which Shuri brought down on Prelati.

DEVOURED BY DARKNESS

"Saint-Germain!" Prelati screamed in panic. "Saint-Germain!"

The crushing blow of the claw blew the wielders back, knocking them off their wheels and out of the fire. Shirabe pushed herself up, looking into the flames.

"We won?" She realized.

"That's right. We seized victory together." Tsubasa said.

Shuri spat out some blood and coughed, concerning the other two. "Ugh.. I can't push myself like that too much."

"Are you okay?" Shirabe asked.

"Perfectly fine." Shuri said, wiping her mouth. "Just a bit tired."


Saint-Germain lifted her hand from the ground, sensing something was off as the Sun rose. The phone next to her began to ring, and she picked up.

"Prelati was run over like a frog on the highway!" Tiki said in a cheerful voice.

Saint-Germain's eyes widened.

"We can't even sacrifice her like this. What a waste!"

Saint-Germain remained silent, as she heard the phone being passed on the other end.

"It is as she says, unfortunately enough." Adam said.

"She ran off by herself?" Saint-Germain asked.

"Come back soon, before the Symphogear obstruct the ritual." Adam said, ignoring her question as he hung up.

"First Cagliostro, now Prelati…" She grit her teeth, looking down at the ground. She was now the only one left.


"Thank you for everything!" Hibiki said with a bow to the priest.

"You're very welcome. Was it helpful?" The priest asked.

"We learned a lot, dess!" Kirika said.

"Except you gave up after the first paragraph." Chris reminded her.

"How did you know?!" Kirika said.

"Erm, would it be alright if I can come back to take cosplay pictures?" Rui asked.

"Isn't that disrespectful?" Shirabe asked with a small frown.

"B-But… this is the filming site of Kamen Rider Ghost!" Rui protested.

As they kept talking, the other four were by the vehicles, discussing things with HQ on the tablet.

"So we were right about the alchemist's destination?" Tsubasa asked.

"She was headed straight for one of the shrines in the mirrored Orion- situated on a ley point, no less." Genjuro said.

"They keep proving our suspicions." Maria said.

"If we can catch them anywhere, it's probably there." Genjuro concluded.

"Yeah. We'll catch em in the act." Maia agreed.

Shuri, on the other hand, looked concerned. I have a bad feeling… They might feel driven into a corner now… Maybe try something desperate…

"You're all welcome here at Tsuki Shrine any time you like." The priest said, speaking to the other girls talking to him. "Just as long as it's while I'm still alive."

"These priestly pranks are really not funny…" Shirabe said.

The priest smiled, before handing something over to Shirabe. "Take this."

Shirabe held up the small rabbit charm wishing good health on it, smiling.

The five all bowed. "Thank you very much!"

As they started to walk towards the cars and motorbikes, Kirika looked back at the shrine and looked at the kanji on the signs. "I still don't get it, dess… This says "Tsuki Shrine"? How do you read that as "Tsuki"?"

"Kiri-chan, we'll leave you behind!" Shirabe called.

"C-Coming, dess!" Kirika ran over.

Rui placed Yusuke into Ride GearStriker's basket (the bike thankfully untouched thanks to Elfnein's master craftsmanship), and the cat began to meow. "What's up, Yusuke?"

Yusuke looked in Shirabe's direction, seeing the smile on Shirabe's face.

"Ah, that. Yeah, she looks like she's doing a lot better now." Rui put on her helmet. A real look of relief on her face.

Yusuke stopped mewing, then turned to some of the others.

He stared at Kirika, who was talking to Hibiki and Maia.

He curled up to go back to sleep. Rui gently rubbed the cat on his head.

Are you sensing something that we aren't, Yusuke? Rui wondered.


A/N: Yusuke cat senses might be a running bit here and there in the story.

We cover Shirabe's moment from the season, with a few last things to address between Rui and Maia. Also I had that Kamen Rider Ghost joke for a long time.

Feel free to leave a review. See you all next time.