Zetsubo no Senki: Symphogear if/Part 2

**Table of Contents**
1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9
10 · 11 · 12 · 13 · 14 · 15 · 16 · 17 · 18

#### G Chapter 1

Maria Cadenzavna Eve sat down in a chair with a huff. She was exhausted, both mentally and physically, as she leaned back and rubbed her temples. Anxiety gripped at her heart as she tried to catch her breath, but it was no use–her heart simply refused to calm itself.

"What did I just do?" Maria was an idol beloved worldwide, despite her limited time in the spotlight. Her cyan eyes that sparkled like jewels and bright pink hair in which she wore blue butterfly ornaments were a symbol of hope to many–or were, until a couple of minutes before.

As she sat in the small dressing room, alone, she could hear the rumble of chaos beyond the door. "Excellent work, Maria. I know it must be hard for you, doing this." A voice echoed through the small device lodged in her ear. It had no speaker, so Maria could not respond verbally, but she chose not to regardless. Instead, Maria simply gave a dry chuckle as the static on the other end silenced–the connection was cut, for now.

Slumping back in the chair, Maria turned her gaze to the grey ceiling. "I never even wanted to become an idol." She tilted her head, a crack echoing through the room as her tense body finally broke its position.

Up until two years ago, Maria Cadenzavna Eve was presumed dead. Her parents had been killed when she was a child, and she and her sister had been taken into government custody not too long after. At the time Maria didn't know why, but now she wanted nothing more than to apologize to her younger self–she couldn't have known that her parents were the target of the attack that killed them, but that it was all in the name of securing Maria. All official records of her existence ended with the lives of her parents, and only those 'in the know' were aware that Maria and her sister had both survived. Of course, no one truly cared about the Maria from back then; it was only once she stood on stage did the world finally take note of her.

Yet despite that, she casually tossed it all away in one night. "To declare war on the world for the sake of peace? A truly insane plan." With a sigh, Maria placed her sweaty palm against her forehead and looked towards the door.

"What do you think? Are we doing the right thing?" Maria spoke not to herself nor the empty room, instead directing her question to the two figures she sensed beyond the door. When neither of the two girls she knew stood there answered, Maria narrowed her eyes. "I know you're there."

This earned a small chuckle from one of the girls as she slowly pushed the door open and poked her head through the opening. Maria couldn't help but feel the nerves leave her body at the sight of the girl's cheerful smile; she mirrored her expression unconsciously. "You two need to work on your stealth techniques."

"Yeah, Kiri. You're too noisy." The second girl said quietly, her body still hidden from Maria's view by the door. Her words were curt, and Maria could picture the annoyed expression that was likely crossing her face at that moment–an expression that the girl in the entryway was now staring at as she slowly backed into the room with an awkward smile.

The cheerful girl, who stood in the space between the hallway and Maria's dressing room, turned back to the idol they had been spying on. With a thumbs up and a cheerful smile that could light up any room, she tried to lift Maria's spirits. "We'll fight through heaven and hell if it means we can be together, Maria!"

At that, Maria stood up slowly and stumbled towards the two girls on tired legs. Pushing the door open with her elbow, Maria did not give the two any warning as she scooped them up into a wide hug. She loved these two girls; they were not her sisters by blood, though she felt a kinship with them. They had all been through so much, and she wanted nothing more than to keep them safe.

As Maria tucked her face in-between the two girls, trying to calm her heart that still beat faster than some rock songs, the two girls looked at each other over the cloud of pink hair that separated them. They didn't need to say anything, they both had the same thought: "Maria... we can't breathe..." It was the girl with blonde hair who finally spoke, ending the silence that hung in the stale air around them. With that revelation Maria finally let go, and the two girls could see why she had been so focused on keeping them close: she was crying.

These three girls had been through so much together, they were all they had. The vulnerabilities that lined their hearts was clear as day to each other. As Maria stepped back the other two could see the calamity of thoughts that shook behind her eyes, as they knew they likely had similar storms brewing behind their own.

Maria Cadenzavna Eve smiled at her strange family. Her own sister had perished in an incident that left their so-called 'Mother' horribly injured and Maria's heart decorated with a quilt of scars, but these two almost filled the hole in her heart left by the disappearance of her real family members. She took in every last detail of these two girls as she knew there would likely come a point soon where they could be separated forever.

The blonde girl who poked her head through the door first was Kirika Akatsuki. She wore a black and green t-shirt that looked to many to be a sweater due to the matching detached sleeves that began as gloves that hugged her palms before rolling up past her elbows. The white X-shaped designs on her shoulders matched the same black design she wore across a lock of her straw-coloured hair.

Beside her stood Shirabe Tsukuyomi. Shirabe was a reserved girl who admired the world through ruby-coloured eyes. Her coal hair was held in place, dropping down into two twintails that danced past her shoulders, held in place with pink ribbons that matched the turtleneck sweater she wore.

The two girls were technically her cousins–distant cousins connected only through their shared, albeit extremely distant, relative. That was the reason the three met, their fates intertwined from the moments they were born. Maria had known Kirika and Shirabe for less of her life than they knew her, but they all knew their connection would never be broken.

After all, of the 37 children who had been abducted by The Federal Sacrist Research Institution of America–F.I.S.–the three of them were the only three who still drew breath. The pain of loss they had been forced to feel more than most should have forced the three to withdraw into their broken minds, but they learned young that forming any relationships within the environment they grew up in was only a detriment. Their strong bond was only a result of their survival; F.I.S. was officially dead–a fairly new development–but it was still a cage that hung over the three of them, and would for the remainder of their lives.

Even now, though the official group that was F.I.S. had been disbanded, the three of them were still in the shackles of the group that controlled their entire lives. The collars the two younger girls wore around their necks were proof of that–weapons designed through a combination of both modern technology and the knowledge gifted upon humanity through its research into the ancient relics. The collars were designed to administer LiNKER, allowing them to make use of sparkling red jewels that hung from their necks, yet they could also harm the wearer should the order be given. The three of them were strangled by the hold F.I.S. had over them–in Kirika and Shirabe's cases, this was literal–and could not disobey any of their orders.

"Preparations have been completed." A curt voice interrupted the three girls, cutting into their ears through the communication devices they wore. The voice of the man on the other end of the headset sent chills down the three girls' spines, their bodies recoiling in disgust at the mere thought of having to interact with him once more. "Report to the extraction point, immediately."

Kirika hung her head low as the planted her hands upon her hips. "We never get a moment to rest, huh?" She said it in a comical manner, her voice dripping with a heavy dose of irony. All three girls were well aware of the plans they had been forced to participate in–or whatever plans their esteemed benefactor desired to let them in on, anyway–but they did wish that they could have just one moment of peace.

"Kiri, Maria just declared war on the world. We're only going to get busier." Shirabe pointed out, her cold gaze slicing up the comical veil in a single moment. Kirika looked wounded as she pointed out this fact, exaggerating the pain of being stabbed through the heart by Shirabe's retaliation. Maria just giggled at the sight, reflecting an image of a little girl over top the refined and powerful image she radiated as an idol.

"You two... together, I'm sure it will all be fine." Maria sighed, pushing the two out of the room. "Come on, it's time to go."

. . .

"Everything is not fine!" The girl in the hospital bed whined. "What do you mean we're going to war and I can't be of any use?" She coughed, her throat clenching as she screamed. Her face was red in anger but, in stark contrast, she flailed her arms about in a goofy manner. The three girls who stood by her bedside sighed knowing that–while her anger was justified–she still had to accept her situation.

Hibiki Tachibana had almost died (again) three months ago. She awakened to the ability to make use of a Symphogear in an extreme way: grabbing hold of the three crystals her friends made use of, she had absorbed the power of them all and transformed into a feral beast of darkness. The result left her weak after she regained her true self, only to be stabbed by the girl she loved more than anyone else. She held no grudge; her friend was now missing, potentially dead, but Hibiki didn't give up hope that she was alive, and she wanted nothing more to find her.

Unfortunately, the injuries left her in an incredibly weak state. She could barely survive in a hospital room now–she knew it, and her three friends all knew the same. Still, they held the same sentiment as she: they wanted to help somehow, and right now they were trying to do that by keeping Hibiki calm.

Yumi Itaba was one of the three girls looking at her wailing friend in the bed. She recalled the message that the large man had shown them all only an hour earlier:

*"Attention, people of the world. You may know me as the idol Maria Cadenzavna Eve, though I implore you now to cast away all prior impressions of me. My true name is Finé, the priestess of the end, and we–The Federal Sacrist Research Institute–and we, in the name of the future, declare war on the globe."*

The speech that the woman–whether you desire to call her Maria or Finé–made echoed across the entire world. Yumi and her two closest friends, Shiori and Kuriyo, had no idea what was going on, but they could tell by the dour looks on the faces around them–the faces of Genjuro and Tsubasa Kazanari, Shinji Ogawa, Kanade Amou, and Chris Yukine–that the situation was worse than it seemed on the surface. Of course, they knew that war–any war–was bad, but it was the name 'Finé' that seemed to resonate with the others more than the rest of her declaration.

The situation only turned from bad to worse when the pink-haired idol was joined on stage by two other girls. They looked younger than even the fifteen year-old Yumi, yet one carried a large green scythe and the other wore large pointed shields from her head.

Yumi recalled the way the two girls were dressed. "So those were Symphogears, huh?" She muttered, tilting her head. These words managed to silence Hibiki's tantrum, drawing all of the girls' attention towards her like a magnet. Yumi knew they expected some analysis of the situation, but she was well aware that she did not know enough to make an accurate assessment. Instead, she just waited before making a simple, slow comment. "They really do look like something out of an anime."

The sighs from her friends that immediately filled the room afterwards felt like a stab to the heart to Yumi, but she paid it no mind. Instead, she looked down as she brought up the video–which had been uploaded to every social media site on the planet–and gazed at the looks on their faces. The girl with the scythe looked angry while the other looked cold and distant. Together, flanking the sparkling girl radiating a powerful aura, they looked like a team of super villains from an anime, and yet... "I don't think they wanted to do that." Yumi could sense it. She had watched countless hours of television so she had a grasp on the larger, more obvious ways that animators displayed emotion, and this eventually evolved into a way of reading other people like she would manga. Yumi was sure about this as she looked into the girls' eyes.

"I think you're right." Kuriyo added as she peered over Yumi's shoulder. "They look almost empty."

Hibiki sighed. "I feel empty just sitting here." Her tone was sad, yet still joking.

"Well that's the risk that comes with wanting to be an anime character, I suppose." Shiori muttered with a hand cupping her cheek. She glanced over to Yumi to see whether she appreciated her attempt to mimic her, but got nothing in response. She instead kept her gaze locked on her phone, scanning every possible detail.

Eventually Yumi gave up and put her phone away. With a huff, she dropped herself into one of the chairs that were pressed up against the bone-white wall. "All we can do right now is wait until you get better, I guess."

Hibiki crossed her arms as she pursed her brow. She knew for sure that her friends were right, but she couldn't get the thought out of her mind: Miku was out there, somewhere, and she needed to find her.

#### G Chapter 2

Maria stared out of the window at the murky grey sky. She, as well as all of her associates, were currently flying over the Pacific Ocean in an aircraft powered with heretical technology, en route to Japan. The sight should have been beautiful, but Maria only felt a deep sense of unease as she gazed out over the water that still sparkled despite the grey clouds forming above. In addition to the fact that their crew was now Public Enemy #1 across all countries and continents, the main thing sewing dread within her was the man sitting across from her with a wide smile plastered on his face.

She wanted to gag as he looked at her, but Maria forced herself to look at his reflection in the window beside her as his mouth cracked open and his frog-like lips began emitting words. "Finé, the Kadingir that you had developed and attempted to use: are you sure you were unable to activate its true potential?"

While they were active, F.I.S. had the backing of the American government's intelligence network at their disposal. Every relic-related incident across the globe made its way back to them somehow, so, even though Maria was only acting the role of Finé's new vessel, she had studied every detail of the ordeal that her ancestor went through. So even the most accurate lie detectors would not be able to catch onto the fact that Maria wasn't actually Finé as she explained the incident to the man beside her. "Correct. I had intended to use the songs of the three Symphogear users to supercharge the ion cannon. Unfortunately, my plans were interrupted before that could happen." Maria wanted to vomit as she spoke; this whole lie, it was disgusting.

The man gave a chuckle as he crossed his arms, turning his focus back to the cage by his feet. Maria knew he had lost interest in her for now and was grateful for the silence that followed.

Finé, an eternally-reincarnating priestess whose soul travels into the body of one of her descendants upon death. Ever since humanity's creators, the godly race known only to humanity as the Custodians, turned their back on the planet known as Earth, Finé set her sights about undoing the curse that they placed upon humankind before their disappearance. She had been working towards this goal for generations, and even founded F.I.S. under one of her many identities to assist in this purpose–as well as to gather all of Finé's potential vessels: the Receptor Children.

Yet, as they found out three months ago, Kadingir–the particle ion cannon that Finé had constructed in order to destroy the ruins on the moon that kept the curse chained to humanity–had been activated, yet the Curse of Balal still bound them.

Maria was not entirely sure what the Curse of Balal did to humanity. Throughout her entire life, Finé and her followers had described it to her and all of the other Receptor Children as something that prevented humanity from being truly able to understand each other, and it was the cause of humanity developing so many distinct languages. Even so, Maria believed that the curse truly wasn't too much a burden on their species; music transcended the power of language and connected people in a way even a shared language would be unable to. Thus, Maria often found herself wondering what the true source of Finé's obsession with the Curse of Balal was.

The question lingered on the tip of Maria's tongue, but she knew that if she asked it aloud then she'd need not only tear down the veil that she was forced to wear but also potentially endanger the two girls she cared about more than anything on this planet. Yet even despite her ability to swallow her words, she noticed the white-haired man gazing at her as if he knew the truth.

Suddenly the door to the small chamber opened with a chill noise that sounded like something out of a sci-fi movie, not that Maria had ever seen one. Kirika and Shirabe were on the other side of the automatic door and marched into the room like soldiers, an act that dropped immediately as Kirika threw herself down on the bench next to Maria like the child that she should have been able to live as. "Mom said we're nearing the coast of Japan and will reach Kadingir in about an hour." She reported to the room.

Kirika and Shirabe were much younger than Maria was, and every memory they had been one of F.I.S. and the devils that ran it. While Maria did hold some respect for their so-called 'mother'–Dr. Nastassja Sergeyevna Tolstaya, one of the world's foremost engineers on heretical technology who had been trained by Finé herself–Maria was slightly more hesitant to see her as the parental figure that her younger cohorts did. It wasn't that she hated Nastassja, it was more what she represented that she could not get past: though she was not at the top of the food chain, Nastassja had essentially been the head of F.I.S. and the executive that most often dealt with all of the Receptor Children.

Nastassja had a cold exterior, even more so since the incident that occurred six years prior, but even Maria could tell that there was genuine kindness within her. Even as she had beaten all of the Receptor Children and forced them to endure so much pain, her eyes were always filled with regret and sadness. Still, all Maria, Kirika, and Shirabe had went through was all, to some extent, the fault of Nastassja Sergeyevna Tolstaya, and Maria was not about to forget that. Even their current predicament was Nastassja's brainchild, as was the fact that they were now working with the maniacal scientist who simply smirked as he looked the newcomers over.

Kirika's face twisted into a cruel snarl as she saw the man gazing at her. "Would you stop looking at me, creep?" She asked, her voice cold. The other two girls–and potentially even the doctor himself–knew that Kirika wouldn't hesitate to resort to violence if the direction of his eyes didn't change, but neither said anything. They were both, deep down, hoping that Kirika would unleash her rage upon the man.

"You girls need me to keep your 'Mom' all healthy. I know you wouldn't harm me." He answered with a smirk, which remained on his face even a moment later as Kirika held him by the collar of his shirt. He was right, of course; after all, the doctor sitting across from the three girls was on a level equal to that of Nastassja.

While Nastassja Sergeyevna Tolstaya was an engineer who studied the relics in order to integrate them into modern technology or bring out the full potential of their powers, Dr. John Wayne Vercingetorix was a researcher who knew more about the relics that America possessed than any other person. In fact, he had been working directly under Finé to analyze and replicate the theory that she–or rather, the Japanese scientist Ryoko Sakurai whose consciousness Finé had usurped–used to create the weapons known as the Symphogears. Dr. Vercingetorix–or Ver, as the girls called him–was essentially the leader of their current operation; the three girls knew not his true motives, but he claimed to only follow the words of Finé so they could all guess.

Still, that disgusting look in his eyes and megalomaniacal attitude send shivers down Maria's spine. Plus he was the reason Kirika and Shirabe now wore collars that could end their lives at any moment–the one stipulation Ver had for offering his assistance in keeping the internally-wounded and sickly Nastassja alive until they could achieve Finé's goal.

"This is all a mess." Maria thought, and the words echoed into her ear simultaneously. She turned with a start to see Shirabe looming over her, the girl's cold expression somehow burning through the walls Maria had put up around herself. Shirabe was always quiet, but Maria knew it wasn't because she never had anything to say. Rather, Shirabe simply just didn't feel the need to speak too often. Since she was brought into F.I.S. as an amnesiac all those years, she'd clung to the lively Kirika like glue; Maria assumed that her silence was merely to allow Kirika more room to speak. But because of her desire to remain quiet, Shirabe was very perceptive. Not only did she always seem to read Maria's mind, but she also knew just the right way to phrase things in order to playfully push Kirika's buttons. In fact, as Maria reacted in shock at the girl reading her exact thoughts, Shirabe continued: "I agree. Kiri needs to learn to control her emotions better."

This, of course, riled up Kirika, who promptly dropped Ver and leapt over to Shirabe to playfully prove how 'wrong' she was–although her method of doing so, by flailing about like a child, said otherwise.

Shirabe spoke the least of the trio of Receptor Children riding in the grey flying machine, yet Maria believed that she was the only one capable of actually saying what she wanted to. Maria was now being forced to live a lie and pretend to be Finé, while Kirika pushed down her past with a playful and cheerful shell that Maria had only ever seen broken once–after the incident six years ago that Maria did not want to remember.

"You girls are too carefree." Ver commented. "We may be working towards our idea of a just world free of the Curse of Balal, yet we are the villains to everyone out there! Yet here you are, playing like schoolchildren."

"Technically we are schoolchildren." The barely fifteen year-old Shirabe pointed out as Kirika–who was now silently watching Ver–continued to punch the black-haired girl in a comical fashion. Maria silently wondered if Kirika's attacks hurt, but Shirabe didn't even flinch.

"Schoolchildren normally don't wield–pardon my official terminology–weapons of mass destruction." Ver scoffed. "You two are monsters, plain and simple, as necessary as you are for this."

This silenced Shirabe and finally ended Kirika's fury. Ver was right, of course. No human should be allowed to harness the relics without proper knowledge, yet the two of them embodied the strongest versions of these heretical weapons that Finé had devised. Both of them looked down at the red jewels hanging from their necks. Even Maria, who couldn't use bond with a Symphogear even half as strongly as the other two girls (though none of them could without some amount of LiNKER, regardless), stared at the jewel that once belonged to her sister.

Igalima, the soul-reaving scythe; Shul Shagana, saw blades that could cut through anything; and Airgetlám, the mysterious silver hand. These were the Symphogear weapons that surpassed all other relics–barring other Symphogears, of course. Any weapon equal to their power would be locked away, accessible only through top secret protocols and meetings, yet these three were in the hands of some random orphaned girls. Maria knew that their Symphogears were powerful, but even she couldn't believe that they had been entrusted with them–even if she refused to use the one her sister had used before her.

"No offence, of course, Finé." Ver added after the hefty pause, his gaze turning to Maria. "I know you mean well with these Symphogears, though I am still apprehensive about their use."

"Ver, Finé: buckle up." A voice echoed through the aircraft, silencing the party in the passenger cabin. Even if the source of the voice was in another area of the ship, the four passengers couldn't help but turn their heads skywards, towards the speakers. "Akatsuki, Tsukuyomi: report in, now. This is an emergency."

Doing as ordered, Kirika and Shirabe ran out of the room. With Maria and Ver left alone once more, the doctor chuckled. "Seems our work is finally going to be put to the test, Finé. You must be quite excited to see the results."

. . .

Kirika and Shirabe leapt out of the aircraft and spread their limbs out wide. "I detected Aufwachen Waveforms not far from here. It seems Sector Two is aware of our approach." Nastassja told them when they reported to the cockpit. "Regretfully, I'm going to need you two to deal with them."

"You can count on us, Mom!" Kirika said with a smile as Shirabe nodded silently.

Of course they were confident. The two of them had never been in a proper battle using their Symphogears before. They'd undergone training exercises, sparring in virtual reality against fake Noise, but Kirika was sure that fighting other human beings would be just as easy as their training had been. Shirabe, the more sensible one, knew otherwise. "Be careful, Kiri." She yelled to her partner as the two fell through the sky.

With a fresh dose of LiNKER injected into their veins before they exited the vehicle, they gripped tight the red crystals around their necks and sang their respective Holy Chants.

*Zeios Igalima raizen tron*

*Various Shul Shagana tron*

As if stars dancing through the sky, the two girls were briefly enveloped in bright white light. In an instant their casual clothes had been replaced with armour developed using science no human should be able to comprehend. Yet, Ver had grasped the techniques Finé devised with ease and created these two Symphogears in record time.

Kirika and Shirabe landed in a crash, the earth shattering into the shape of a spider's web beneath their feet as they took crouching positions upon impact. "There." Shirabe pointed, a blue flash on the horizon. They had done their research into Sector Two and their Symphogear wielders; the two girls who wielded Zababa's blades recognized the sight as the work of the one who wielded Ame no Habakiri, the first Symphogear.

Indeed, though their heads were hidden by helmets, the two girls could make out two figures riding tandem on the blue motorbike. "Ame no Habakiri and Gungnir." Kirika reported. "We could take them out, easy." She pointed her scythe upwards and leapt into the air.

Kirika was taken aback by the fact that the two motorcyclists predicted her technique, leaping off of their ride as they drew close. Kirika proceeded with her attack anyway, slamming her scythe into the earth's surface to slice open a new crevice, though she landed on unsteady feet as she realized that Ame no Habakiri's wielder was underneath her and ready to strike.

Thinking fast, she spun her weapon horizontally around herself, turning herself into a saw blade not unlike those thrown out by the Symphogear of Shul Shagana. While a smart attack, Ame no Habakiri countered Igalima's descent, launching the spinning girl as if she were nothing but a baseball about to become a home run.

Shirabe, meanwhile, encased herself in a blade of her own, riding within a saw as she cut the earth in two. Seeing the mark Kirika left had given her an idea, and she was going to make use of her partner's clumsy failure. With one eye on the approaching Gungnir wielder, Shirabe spun into overdrive as she threw her bladed wheels into the ground around her.

The saw blades spun of their own volition, continuing in a path that the Gungnir wielder was unable to comprehend; but she didn't need to. The goal Sector Two's Symphogear wielders had right now was to gain information; and that meant testing the two other candidates in battle. The orange-haired girl smiled as a bonfire erupted from within her as she kept cutting the air with her Armed Gear. Every swing of her spear, to others, would have seemed like a miss, but even with only one eye she could see that she was barely able to deflected Shul Shagana's deadly attacks: saw blades of light that travelled so quickly they appeared to be simply pink flashes that spun through the air. They disappeared as soon as Gungnir stabbed or sliced through them, but the sheer number of the weapons and Shul Shagana's ability to fire them indefinitely was, as the spear-wielder noted, definitely an issue.

But Shirabe, the one using Shul Shagana, refused to get close to the spear. She kept driving her giant bladed skate across the ground, carving the earth's crust to her own whims, as she fired blade after blade at her enemy.

Kirika, on the other hand, was having much more trouble. Her scythe engulfed with the flames of the damned, she unleashed a wave of energy that burned the very air it flew through... but Ame no Habakiri easily cut through it. Every attack that Kirika fired was countered with a simple strike; she realized quickly that it was as if her enemy was only toying with her, and this made her angry. She cast away her thoughts. "I won't let you stop us!" She roared as the pauldrons on her shoulders extended. It was one simple movement that transformed her from a girl with a scythe into a spider–each pauldron extended into two blades of their own, granting her five blades to attack with. She smiled at her enemy, who looked down upon her with a single sword.

Pushing off the ground, Kirika lunged towards the blue-haired girl and spun. Each of her additional blades sliced not only the wind but every molecule that hung in the air. With her scythe, she effortlessly sliced and finally managed to stagger her opponent–Kirika clicked her tongue. All that and all she managed to do was knock her enemy backwards a few metres. "Damn it." She cursed, readying her scythe for another attack.

Just then, her partner appeared beside her. "Kiri, watch this." Shirabe said innocently and clicked her fingers. The Gungnir wielder, who rushed next to her own friend, was caught off-guard by the sudden explosion that erupted around them.

"What did you do?" Kirika watched in awe as the ground in front of them began to sink. Indeed, Shirabe had managed to cut out a portion of the earth and cause it to collapse in on itself–she dug a pit by erasing the outer edges. Kirika wasn't sure how it was possible, but she was impressed.

"I set blades into the ground as I moved and distracted Gungnir with others. They can probably get out, though."

"You two done talking, yet?"

This voice came not from the brand-new pit in front of them but rather from behind. Both Shirabe and Kirika were shocked to see a third Symphogear candidate now standing before them. Clad in red, she carried two crossbows; Kirika knew immediately that she was at a disadvantage. Even still, she smiled. "Give us everything you've got."

The white-haired girl smiled. "If that's what you want."

She then proceeded to do something neither of Zababa's blades could comprehend: the third opponent threw away her weapons. Both were aware of the powers of each Symphogear and Ichaival was no exception–it was a magic bow. And yet, they could not believe their eyes as, all of a sudden, the girl unleashed missile launcher on missile launcher from her form. It was as if she, herself, was a silo housing missiles; Shirabe, at a quick glance, estimated about fifty or so missiles were readied and aimed directly at them.

She made a quick decision. "Run." Kirika nodded at Shirabe's order, and the two split up just as the first rockets began to eject themselves out of the cannons. Seconds later the spot that they had just been standing in was no more; a lump just as deep as the one Shirabe had made earlier had been added onto the initial crater. Shirabe was shocked–that wasn't in the report; Ichaival's strength had increased significantly.

On the contrary however, Kirika had a smile plastered on her face as she angled her eyebrows. Extending her pauldrons out into arms once more, Kirika took on a new approach. "Shirabe!" She shouted to her partner, hoping that she would understand her idea.

And Shirabe thought she did as she encircled herself with a saw and, once more, cut through the earth. This time, she fired her lightning-fast blades not at Ichaival but at her friend. Kirika nodded and, with each of her four bladed hands, stabbed perfectly through the centre of the many blades Shirabe had thrown to her. Yes, the bladed arms became saws themselves, and Kirika almost laughed to herself as she could see surprise in her enemy's face.

But Ichaival did not waver. Pulling out more crossbows, she fired round after round at the two Symphogear wielders that danced around her, but not a single shot hit. Similarly, Shirabe began to toss her own weapons at her enemy just as Kirika sliced at close range, though not a single attack hit.

To Maria, who watched the scene above in worry, the battle looked like a dance. Every time Kirika drew near Ichaival, she'd dodge away and past every blade Shirabe threw at her. Maria knew the name of each of her opponents, and she hesitantly praised the wielder of Ichaival in her mind–Chris Yukine. "They seem to be having trouble."

"It is their first time in a real battle, I suppose." Ver stated, his eyes glued to the cage beside him. It was small, as if it could carry a dog; in fact, one might think it did. "Perhaps I should let our friend here assist them."

Their 'friend' was a unique relic known as Nephilim. While most relics were simple objects that harboured immense power, Nephilim was almost a living being of its own. It had been awakened only once before six years ago, and Maria's sister had been killed trying to seal it again. Yet, forced by Ver's demands, Kirika and Shirabe's songs had been forcefully used to rile it from its slumber once more.

But Maria did not want it to claim another life. That was a fate she didn't even wish upon her foes. "No. I believe in the two of them. As you said, this should be seen as a test of the capabilities of Igalima and Shul Shagana."

"Yes, I suppose I did say that."

"Aren't you two back yet?" Ichaival's wielder screamed as she avoided yet another one of Kirika's strikes. Igalima's user was getting desperate; her attacks started as quick sweeps that tried to cover as much ground as possible, but now they seemed to be focused on power and hitting her target directly. The girl with the white hair–Chris Yukine–was tired of dodging their attacks. Shirabe was too fast to get a proper aim on, and any attempt she made was interrupted by Kirika jumping in to strike. They were in sync, despite their failure to land even a single blow. Because of this, Chris was getting furious. "I can't believe they're having me doing everything around here!"

'They' referred to her partners, the wielders of Ame no Habakiri and Gungnir, respectively. She frowned as she finally decided to make the call to retreat. Or rather, Chris wanted the blades of Zababa to believe that, so she quickly tried to put as much distance between herself and the two of them. It seemed to work, or at least make them hesitate, as Shirabe slowed her volley as she realized the distance would be too great to cover.

Thinking now was the perfect time, Chris readied more firepower–this time a single missile, albeit one much larger than the others had been. This time, she wasn't aiming for the Symphogears in front of her. No, she was aiming for–

"Get ready to dodge!" Maria ordered as she burst into the control room. Nastassja, at the helm, nodded; they had cameras on the outside of the vehicle that let them see the ground below, and they planned to use this to avoid Chris's incoming missile.

"Taking into account the size, and the speed that the previous missiles travelled at..." The woman with the wavy violet hair coughed as she made calculations in her brilliant mind. She waited, her teeth clenching her dry lower lip, until the perfect moment. Not too early–otherwise Ichaival's wielder could adjust her aim before she fired–but doing so too late could result in their death. The timing had to be perfect.

"Now." Maria and Nastassja both shouted as one. Between them their three eyes had been glued to the monitor showing the scene below and the moment they saw the missile begin to shift, that's when they knew it was time to move. Nastassja activated the thrusters on the left side of the ship, and they tilted as they sped in that direction.

Maria held her breath as she watched the missile fly by the window in front of them. If it had made contact, Maria was sure that they wouldn't have been able to survive its blast even with the sturdy outer plating. She gasped for air as she watched the trail of flames pass by them as the missile flew up into space. Who knew where it would land?

"Alright, I think I've had enough of this." Chris said, watching frustrated as her missile just barely managed to squeak past the ship without exploding. She noticed relief on her opponents' faces; they were clearly glad that whoever was up there was safe.

Chris looked past the girls now, at the two figures exiting the hole. She realized now why it had taken them so long to escape–though Tsubasa Kazanari, the wielder of Ame no Habakiri, leapt up over the edge of the pit with grace, Kanade Amou, the one who used Gungnir, was clearly drained of all stamina as she stabbed her spear into the ground and used it to pull herself up. She clicked her tongue, biting back the desire to scream "about time you showed up!" As her eyes met Tsubasa's, the blue-haired girl gave her a nod.

"Hey." Chris shouted over to the pink and green girls who stood in-between two groups of foes. They stood back-to-back now, Igalima facing Chris and Shul Shagana facing the two former idols known as Zwei Wing. Chris addressed the girl turned towards her. "What are your names?"

"Kirika Akatsuki."

"Kiri don't just give her your name." The pink one immediately cut in as her friend's name left her lips. Chris could see Shul Shagana's user sigh, before looking over her shoulder at her with cold eyes. She was used to pain of the physical kind, but the glare that Chris received felt like icy daggers being stabbed into her brain.

She smiled. One name was enough. "Alright. Later."

. . .

Kirika and Shirabe shook their heads as they watched the missile fly off. "What just happened?" Kirika asked.

"I think we won?" Shirabe was just as confused as she. In one moment, the two of them were fighting against three enemies; the next, one of them asks for their name and then hops on a giant missile as it flies away, the other two hopping on next to her.

The girls couldn't help but just stare at the horizon. "It doesn't feel like we won." Kirika pointed out to her partner. "We didn't even hit them once."

"They're strong." Shirabe agreed.

After the missile disappeared into the distance, finally becoming shrouded within the grey clouds blanketing the sky, the two girls had a new thought pop into their mind. "Hey Shirabe?"

"Yeah, Kiri?"

"Do you think Mom will remember to come pick us up this time?"

The two girls craned their heads upwards–their ship was gone from its perch above them. Indeed, it was already beginning to fly in the opposite direction of the missile. The two girls sighed. It wasn't the first time they'd been forgotten about; they weren't the important ones in this situation, they were just tools. Maria was the star of the show that they were putting on, using her to manipulate Ver into keeping Nastassja alive so that they could each complete their own goals. Kirika and Shirabe were just caught in the middle of this mess.

But even so, they were putting their lives on the line–both purposefully and not. Kirika and Shirabe both silently wished that a little more attention was paid to them.

"Do you think that girl's motorcycle still works?" Kirika bounced over to the edge of the pit and gazed down into the deep hole.

"Are you strong enough to carry a motorcycle out of a pit?" Shirabe retorted, but Kirika shot her down immediately just by holding up the giant green scythe of Igalima. Shirabe was not sure how heavy the scythe was, but she did have to admit that it looked hefty. "Do you know how to drive a motorcycle?" She instead asked, and this time Kirika just brushed the back of her head with her hand.

With a clumsy smile, Kirika offered some encouragement. "It can't be that hard, right?"

The two girls ended up walking for almost an hour before they saw their ship inching closer in the sky, looking for the two of them.

#### G Chapter 3

As the sun fell beyond the horizon, the members of F.I.S. silently crept through the trees and towards the giant structure looming over them. According to their intel, this site was once the location of a private music academy–and the location of Sector Two's headquarters–though no trace of the building that once stood here remained. Instead, standing tall above them was the large cylindrical form of Kadingir–an ancient cannon developed by Finé so many years ago using technology lost to time.

"It's huge." Kirika marvelled. "I mean, I get that it was supposed to shoot the moon, but this is way bigger than I expected." She looked to Shirabe, who just nodded in response.

Kadingir stood several stories tall. Even if the weapon had not been placed on a hill away from the city, it likely would have looked down upon most of the skyscrapers that F.I.S. had just flown over. But the surprise Maria felt had to be stifled; not just as part of the act she was forced to play, but because other thoughts fluttered into her mind. They had no idea what had happened to Sector Two after the destruction of their base but, considering the attack they suffered on their way here, Maria knew they were still active–the question she had was whether they were watching them at this moment.

"It's marvellous! To think, the technology that had been poured into this device is completely unknown to us today!" Though Kirika was in awe of the spectacle that was Kadingir, the illustrious relic researcher Dr. Ver was much more focused on the technological aspect of the device. Of course, there was a wooden fence surrounding the cannon's base so they couldn't get too close to the weapon–for now–but Maria could picture the doctor running up to Kadingir and hugging it like it was his own child.

"Yes, Kadingir is quite impressive. However, as we know, using it to destroy the moon in its entirety would do more harm to the planet than good, even if it were to end the Curse of Balal." Nastassja spoke matter-of-factly from her high-tech wheelchair. She looked to Maria–to the 'Finé' of their group–as the words left her mouth. "My apologies, Finé." Maria did not answer.

Like the ship they rode in, Nastassja's wheelchair was outfitted with all kinds of heretical technology that Maria would never be able to understand. All she knew was that, no matter the terrain, Nastassja could traverse anything, sometimes even better than she could.

"So tell me, Finé, how does one activate the secondary and tertiary functions of this device?" Ver asked, his eyes going wide. Maria sensed the doctor's vicious hunger for knowledge and lust for power within his eyes as he gazed at her, waiting the precious answers he desired. Then he scowled. "But first, we must do something about this pesky wall."

Without even waiting for a response, Ver dropped the cage he had carried from the aircraft. It landed with a thud on the ground, bumping against the stones and nearly tipping over, but Ver kept it steady with a light kick. "Nephilim." He ordered, opening the heavily-reinforced cage. "Show us but a modicum of your incredible power!"

Maria watched as a black blur flew out of the cage at a high speed, crashing head-long into the wall in front of them like a riled bull. The being pulsed with veins flowing with pink and green energy as it effortlessly pulled down the wooden curtain, splinters flying every which way as sounds of destruction reverberated across the scene. It was a tiny creature, about the same size as an adult Pomeranian, yet the power it contained likely surpassed that of the two blades of Zababa, who simply watched the chaos with wide eyes. Kirika and Shirabe, just like Maria, were terrified still, not wanting to move in case Nephilim decided to turn on them next.

Nastassja, on the other hand, just watched the scene with disinterest as if it were paint drying; it was only Ver, his insane laughter being drowned out by the noise, who found any glee from the sight. "Excellent work, Nephilim! You did exceptional!" He cried as the Nephilim's face–or rather, where its face would be, as it only had a wide mouth cut into its body like a river–turned towards them. Slowly, as if it had used up all of its energy, Nephilim lumbered back into its small cage and fell silent. If not for the splinters of wood that littered the hillside, no one would have ever believed the beast was capable of such a ruckus. Even if it had only been a wooden wall, the Nephilim's work was complete in less than a minute.

"Back to my initial question, Finé, how are Kadingir's additional functions activated?" Ver turned calmly back to Maria as he slid the cage shut. "We'll need to complete our work here fast if we are to also search for Durandal and Solomon's Cane."

Nastassja slid in-between Maria and Ver at the mention of the two latter relics. "Based on our intel, we know for sure that Durandal and Solomon's Cane both went missing during the activation of Kadingir. We also believe that Sector Two has yet to find them, even after clearing all of the debris from the building that had been here prior." The elderly woman turned to the young girls who stood a short ways from the group, looking on in silence. "Akatsuki and Tsukuyomi should scour the nearby area while we work on Kadingir."

Maria forced herself to nod. More than anything, she wanted the two girls to remain forever by her side–especially if she had to work directly with Ver. But right now she was not Maria Cadenzavna Eve–she was Finé, and she was dead-set on being as convincing as possible in this part. "Most relics resonate with songs; that is the basis for the Sakurai Theory, as I believe you're aware doctor." Maria faced her two young friends. "Of course, while it would behoove us to rely on your Symphogears to amplify the songs in your hearts, it would also allow Sector Two to detect your Aufwachen Waveforms. If they did not know we had landed here, then they certainly would, then."

"A double-edged sword." Ver muttered. Then he waved his hand. "Bah, forget it–we have Nephilim. You two, go search for the relics. I hope you know what they look like."

Kirika glared at the doctor. "Of course we do." She spat. "Come on, Shirabe. Let's go." Kirika didn't need to add that last part as, while Kirika spoke to the doctor (who had already lost interest and begun to walk towards Kadingir) with her sour expression, Shirabe had already begun walking away. Seeing this, Kirika bounced into high gear to catch up.

. . .

"Hey boss, I know I said I wanted to know what was going on, but this isn't what I had in mind."

Hibiki laid in her hospital bed, her bleak blue gown blending in to the bedsheets of the same colour. She stared up at an awkward angle, looking into a tablet held up for her by Shiori Terashima. "You know full well that you can't be out and about in your state." Her friend stated.

The tablet showed the room of Sector Two's new, albeit temporary, headquarters. This was the first time Hibiki was getting to see the building where she was technically employed, and it was a small, low-quality view from another tablet. "Can you tell Fujitaka to at least keep the tablet still?" Hibiki muttered to herself, trying to both keep an eye on the meeting she had been asked to attend' and avoid the shaking stream.

Fujitaka sighed from behind the camera. "Here give me that." A second voice said from beside him, and Hibiki suddenly felt the view of her workplace shift as a pair of hands gripped the tablet. The scene she saw shook as another employee of Sector Two–Aoi Tomosato–smiled into the camera. "Sorry about that, Hibiki."

"You shouldn't apologize. It's Hibiki who is being unreasonable." Yumi said. She and Kuriyo sat in chairs beside Shiori, holding up tablets of their own to show whatever was on the main monitor in Sector Two's HQ–which, right now, was absolutely nothing but a basic green grid.

"Hey, you idiot, maybe don't let yourself get stabbed next time! Then you could be here in person." Chris shouted. Hibiki could only see Genjuro and Tsubasa's left side from the position Tomosato took up, but she knew Chris and Kanade were both in the room as well. Still, Chris's voice surprised all four of the girls, and Hibiki's three friends all flinched–both from the shout, and the words she spoke.

Hibiki Tachibana had been hospitalized three months before, on the night that Kadingir had first activated. Stabbed clean through the abdomen by her best friend, the now-missing Miku Kohinata, whose mind had been under the control of Finé at the time. She could still picture Miku's emotionless face as she stared down at Hibiki–in fact, it was the only face Hibiki could picture when she thought of her. Hibiki had known Miku almost her entire life and the two girls had been so close that most people thought they were sisters. Yet despite the fun that they had had and the tragedies that they endured, only Miku's cold stare remained front-and-centre in Hibiki's mind. And she hung her head at the thought. "My apologies." Hibiki muttered towards the tablet.

Not wanting the situation to get any more awkward, Genjuro, who stood with his back to the giant monitor that illuminated the headquarters, cleared his throat. "Alright, Hibiki, I'll catch you up to speed a bit first." Finally the monitor behind him, and thus the tablets that Yumi and Kuriyo held, displayed something other than a simple green grid–it showed a scene that all four girls had been staring at on their phones several hours earlier. "As you know, the idol Maria Cadenzavna Eve interrupted one of her concerts to declare war on humanity, claiming to be Finé in the process. We have continued to investigate her claims, but we currently have no updates on that.

"Now, several hours ago we detected an unknown aircraft travelling at a high speed across the Pacific Ocean towards Japan. The aircraft did not answer to any radio transmissions. Normally the Self Defence Force would be the ones to investigate a potential threat, however we stepped in as the leads on this investigation. Tsubasa, Kanade, and Chris all went out to meet the ship and gather as much intelligence as they could."

"And we got tons." Chris said enthusiastically. "Well, more than we were hoping for."

Chris had had a terrible life. After her parents were killed, Chris had been forced into slavery and suffered through terrible acts at the hands of so many men. Eventually she came into the care of Finé, who promptly tossed her aside when she saw no more use for her. Yet despite that, she'd come to grow close with Genjuro and started to become just a bit more lively–he'd even had her enrolled in the new Lydian Private Music Academy and provided her with a place to live, helping to reintegrate her into society.

Hibiki had to smile at that. Here she was–in terrible shape both physically and mentally, with the sunlight who'd always led her out of the dark no longer guiding her–and yet just as she fell, another girl found her footing. They traded places, in a sense, but Hibiki didn't hold a grudge. She was truly happy that Chris had found happiness with Sector Two.

As Tsubasa began to talk, Hibiki was pulled out of her thoughts and back to the meeting at hand. "The two Symphogears we encountered were, as we believed, Igalima and Shul Shagana, two of the relics that America had seized during the Iraq War. We can assume they likely have the third, Airgetlám, as well." Tsubasa seemed to make a face, as Genjuro tilted his head in confusion after she stopped talking. Just as he was about to ask, Tsubasa continued. "As for fighting prowess, neither seemed particularly skilled. Shul Shagana's wielder seems far more observant and clever, while Igalima's is more brash and impulsive."

"Akatsuki something." Chris reminded the room. "Kirika, I think." At the mention of a name, Hibiki could hear furious hands typing from behind the keyboard, and the scene shifted just a bit as Tomosato glanced behind her.

That one glance, however, showed Kanade to Hibiki. "Is Kanade okay?" The orange-haired idol was wrapped in bandages, and one around her arm was stained with a bit of blood. But the way she stood was not weak, rather it was as if Kanade didn't feel the pain at all.

"Yeah. The pink one, Shagana, she can create an endless number of saw blades. Used them to create a pit around Tsubasa and I. And with my limited amount of stamina, I may have tumbled a bit more than I should have."

"You've got to be more careful, Red." Chris spoke up. "If I hadn't been around, they probably could have finished you off."

"Yeah, you're right. But it's not like we have anyone else who can use Gungnir."

"Well, why don't we give it a shot?" Yumi stood up, setting her tablet down. The one that Kuriyo held now only showed half of the image of a flying ship unlike any Hibiki had ever seen before. "You've got three girls right here who can help you."

"No way." Genjuro flat out rejected Yumi's suggestion immediately with such force that Yumi–despite not even being in the same room–stumbled backwards. "Truthfully, I had reservations about sending Kohinata, and even Kanade, Chris, and Tsubasa into battle before. And now Kohinata is... missing and Kanade keeps getting more and more injured–everything I had worried about is coming to pass. Unless we get backed into a corner and become truly desperate, I'm not allowing anyone else to try using a Symphogear."

"Aww chief, I didn't know you cared so much." Kanade playfully added after a brief silence, cutting the tension down with only one sentence. "But I'm real glad you do."

"Sorry to interrupt, but I have... information on Kirika Akatsuki." Fujitaka announced to the room. "Or rather, I have the lack of information on Akatsuki. The only records of her I could find was an American death certificate in her name. Nothing else–not even a birth certificate." He breathed in slowly as if to say something else, but was cut off instead.

"Igalima said her name was Akatsuki." Chris leapt to her own defence immediately. "And the other girl even chastised her for giving out her name, so I don't think it was a lie."

"I did find one other thing, however." Fujitaka continued after a lull. He brought up a very low-quality image on the monitor behind Genjuro; Hibiki had thought the tablet she was seeing her boss on had poor image quality, but the (half) image she gazed at on the monitor Kuriyo still held up was so much worse. "This security camera clip from one of Maria Cadenzavna Eve's concerts from a few months ago."

The clip, which had very low sound, showed Kirika pulling her friend–Shul Shagana's wielder–along through a thin hallway before crashing into a security guard. The young girls shrunk back as he berated her before pausing. From out of the camera's range, another girl entered into the commotion: Maria. Hibiki could barely make out the words the idol said as she addressed the guard in an elaborate dress befitting an idol known throughout the world. "These are my friends Kirika Akatsuki and Shirabe Tsukuyomi. We're practically family, so I gave them permission to be here." The clip paused after that.

"I ran a check on Shirabe Tsukuyomi as well, but I got nothing outside of this clip. It seems they've done perfect jobs covering their tracks..."

"...Or they don't legally exist to begin with." Kanade finished his thought. "If that woman, Maria, is calling herself Finé, then it wouldn't be crazy to think she had a hand in the fact that they seemingly don't exist. Like me, they're probably orphans... maybe those aren't even their real names."

Chris sighed. "What's with Symphogears and orphans? Is Tsubasa the only one of us who has a living parent?"

"I've got my mother." Hibiki pointed out, but it fell on deaf ears as a siren erupted from the opposite side of the monitor. Her camera feed shook as Tomosato spun around, and suddenly Hibiki found herself staring at the ceiling of the building. "Hey! Tomosato!?"

"We've detected an Aufwachen Waveform... two Aufwachen Waveforms." Tomosato reported, ignoring Hibiki's confusion. "They're close by... at Kadingir!"

"I'll go investigate." Tsubasa shouted over the confusion. Hibiki could hear Genjuro fumble for words, but nothing came out of his mouth as three sets of footsteps echoed through the tablet.

Hibiki turned her face away from the tablet as the scene refused to change, and instead gazed upon the looming figure of Kadingir on the hill. It overshadowed the hospital she sat in, always a grim reminder of her failure to help Miku. She was about to sigh until she heard something outside. "Is that singing?" She asked the room.

Kuriyo, who rubbed her shoulder after finally being allowed to drop the tablet she had been holding above her head, shook her head. Just as words were about to leave her mouth however, she froze. "No, I hear it too."

"Yeah there's definitely... No, you can't go investigate it." Yumi noticed the glimmer in Hibiki's eyes in the reflection of the window. They were determined, yet Yumi could also sense a deep sadness lingering beneath it.

Just as Hibiki was about to complain, they found the source of the singing. Or rather, the singing girl found them.

The room erupted as the glass window exploded, and Hibiki used her pillow to cover her head just in time to prevent herself from being bombarded by too many shards; Shiori, Yumi, and Kuriyo instinctively leapt back, too, so they were unharmed. "What was that?" Yumi yelled, but regretted it immediately.

The pink Symphogear wielder stood on the windowsill. She had her arms positioned downwards in an A-like shape, her feet delicately maintaining balance on the thin beam. She seemed like an impossible dancer to all four of the girls, yet knowing that she must have been the reason for the sudden shower of glass raindrops, they could only hold their breaths in silence as they waited for her next move.

Shul Shagana's wielder scanned the room, her ruby eyes piercing Yumi, then Kuriyo, and lastly Shiori. Finally, Shirabe looked down at Hibiki. Anger was in the injured girls eyes, though she did not speak–Shirabe's cold expression reminded her too much of Miku's on that day. She froze up entirely, but Shirabe clearly singled her out as her target.

While maintaining her precarious perch, Shirabe bent over and grabbed Hibiki by the collar of her hospital gown. Despite her small size, the pink armour that covered her body granted her far more strength than someone of her age normally would possess, so she lifted Hibiki up to meet her eye-to-eye. "Where is it?" Shirabe asked, her face unflinching and her words cold. "You have it, don't you?"

Hibiki could not answer. The face that stared back at her. "Miku..?" She asked the girl, but Shirabe shook her head in response.

"I know you have one of the missing relics. Hand it over, now."

Yumi, not moving from her spot on the other side of the bed, raised her hand. "Hey, what are you even talking about!? What kind of relic are you looking for."

Shirabe dropped Hibiki, throwing her back into her bed. Leaping from the windowsill, she cleared the obstacle in front of her and landed in front of Yumi, Kuriyo, and Shiori; they all froze up as she seized their abilities. After just a second, Shirabe extended her arms. "Gold sword about this big?" She made a box with her hands. When the three girls shook their heads, Shirabe continued and drew out a thin line in the air. "A staff–cane–about this big?" Again, the three girls shook their heads.

But Shirabe was not backing down. She had come this way and singled out this particular room for a reason: she sensed a relic calling out to her song. Turning away from the three girls, she examined the bed that Hibiki watched her from.

The blue bedding draped over the sides of the steel frame, hiding whatever may lay under it. Shirabe had a hunch and pushed them up, throwing the sheets over Hibiki's head. The girl whined as she was covered by a veil of blue, but Shirabe paid it no mind. She had found what she was looking for.

Solomon's Cane rested in the shadows of the bed. The cane could be compressed into a smaller size, and it was that shape that Shirabe reached for. It had been hidden just behind the leg of the bed, against the wall in such a way that most people would not notice it.

"I'll be taking this." Shirabe held up the compact version of Solomon's Cane and promptly leapt back out of the window that she entered in through.

The four girls just watched her go. Hibiki was waiting for the inevitable question, but–thankfully–it did not come. Instead, she gasped in surprise as Yumi and Shiori expressed their own thoughts to the room.

"Alright, let's go after her." Yumi announced as her friend echoed a similar idea at the exact same moment.

#### G Chapter 4

Kirika kicked at the ground. "Death. Death, death, death." She muttered as she sent rocks and twigs flying with even the lightest of kicks. Her orders had been to locate Durandal and Solomon's Cane, and Shirabe suggested they split up in order to cover more ground quicker. Of course, Kirika would never turn down any suggestion from Shirabe, no matter how absurd.

Especially because she didn't want to let Shirabe–or Maria, for that matter–know that she hated being alone more than anything. Kirika wasn't supposed to be sad; she was the funny girl, the light-hearted one who always tried to cheer others up. Of course that's not to say Kirika did not feel other emotions, she just stifled them for the sake of those she cared about; they were more important than she was, Kirika believed.

Kirika wasn't sure why she had such an aversion to solitude, but whenever one of her closest friends weren't around she'd feel as if the world was suffocating her. That was how Kirika felt now, as she angrily marched about trying to calm herself down. "Where am I even supposed to start looking for these things?" She sighed, looking off into the distance. The sparkle of the city glistened in the distance just as the stars did above, and she had the fleeting wish for the freedom to just sit there and gaze out at the world from afar forever.

"Kiri."

The small voice caused Kirika to jump–quite literally in fact, an act that caused her to leap directly into the low branch of a nearby tree. Turning her head as her feet crashed back to the ground she saw Shirabe standing amidst the tree trunk soldiers that gazed back at her, her two black twintails swaying back and forth as she waved around a compact device.

"You found one already?" Kirika asked as she rubbed her head.

"Easy." Shirabe flashed a peace sign with her other hand.

Kirika sighed. Shirabe was far more impressive than she was, that was both Kirika's belief and–she thought–a fact that the others would never vocalize around her. "I don't even know where to look."

"I just sang as I rode around."

Kirika could picture Shirabe singing nonsense as the giant saw blade wheel that she loved to encase herself in carried her across the city streets. Of course, the Symphogears drew out the songs within the hearts of the girls who wore them, so the thought in her head of Shirabe singing about food she wanted to cook was nothing but a comical dream.

Kirika watched Shirabe as she looked at the small device in her hand. It looked no bigger than one of those compact umbrellas that would extend out at the push of a button, but Kirika recognized the design of its head from the documents Nastassja had shown her.

Shirabe, seeing the languid look on Kirika's face, held the relic above her head with one hand. "Da da da-daaaaa!" She sang, imitating a tune from a video game that Maria had gotten a chance to attend a press event for as part of an idol gig. It was her chance to make Kirika smile, and Shirabe's heart filled with glee as she saw the result she wanted.

And then Kirika pointed up at the sky. "Hey, why don't we just sing from atop Kadingir?" When she saw Shirabe tilt her head in confusion, she continued. "We could see so much more from up there, and our songs would be carried a lot further than in these trees."

"Let's give it a shot." Shirabe gave a small smile as she nodded.

. . .

Kuriyo sighed. "Maybe this wasn't such a great idea."

The group of four girls–Kuriyo, Yumi, Shiori, and Hibiki–were trekking through the trees. Hibiki, who could barely walk on her own, was being carried on Kuriyo's back after she stumbled three times before they even got off the road. "Sorry Kuriyo. I appreciate the help." Hibiki muttered, offering an apology for the work she was now putting her friend through.

Turning around as she reached the top of the hill above the other girls, Yumi waved her hands before placing a finger to her lips. "Quiet." She hissed in a whisper. When the others got closer, she continued. "They're right there."

With a confident point, Yumi's finger directed the others' gazes through the wall of bushes they hid behind. Sure enough, a short distance away were Nastassja and Maria, the two talking as they looked around the perimeter. Hibiki, poking her head over Kuriyo's shoulder, pointed out something quite obvious to the others: "The Symphogear wielders aren't with them."

"I could have sworn that girl went this way." Yumi placed a hand to her cheek. "It's not like she could have disappeared. Real life is not like an anime, where characters disappear and then reappear when you least expect them to."

"Maybe she jumped?" Shiori pointed above the group. Sure enough, there was a hole in the roofing of leaves that spread out above them to hide the stars.

"Jumped where, though? To the moon?" Hibiki was only partially joking.

The group stopped and wondered–should they remain in the bushes and continue to be oblivious to the two Symphogear users' whereabouts, or try to locate the two girls so that they wouldn't have to worry about them sneaking up on their group. Unfortunately the decision would be made for them, as they heard two voices a short distance away only seconds later.

"Hide." Yumi screeched in the loudest whisper she could muster, and the group scrambled–carefully. Yumi and Shiori quickly clambered up nearby trees, hiding amongst the thick coat of leaves, while Kuriyo pulled Hibiki into one of the bushes making up the wall between the girls and their enemy.

Their movements were speedy and as quiet as possible. Yet the two approaching Symphogear wielders were still somewhat cautious as they approached. "Did you hear something?" Hibiki heard the familiar voice of the girl with the black hair speak, and plastered a hand to her own mouth to prevent any sound from leaking; beside her, Kuriyo did the same.

"No, should I have?" Kirika responded quickly and took up an exaggerated pose, bending forwards as she placed the side of her hand upon her forehead in order to 'properly' search their surroundings. After turning her head back and forth twice, she shrugged. "I hope it wasn't a bear, death."

"Are bears even in this area?"

"I don't know where bears live! I've never even seen a bear outside of a book!"

The two girls continued to talk about nothing useful as they ignored the four girls who watched them. Shiori and Yumi, from above, got a perfect view of the two small girls as they leapt out of the forested area and into the clearing to greet their allies. In the trees, Shiori and Yumi both let out a simultaneous sigh as they realized they had been holding their breaths.

"Good work on finding Solomon's Cane." Hibiki heard the woman with indigo hair wheeze. "As for Durandal...?"

"Kiri thought it might be a good idea to use Kadingir as a vantage point."

"You didn't have to tell her, death."

Hibiki watched the group as they spoke, but her eyes continued to rest on the pink-haired idol who claimed to be Finé. She did not speak, but a warm smile was plastered on her face as her allies drew near–Hibiki found this quite odd. The Finé she remembered looked down on everyone, and tossed aside anyone or anything she no longer needed. Her heart clenched as she remembered the fate that befall her beloved Miku.

*Miku.*

Something flared up inside Hibiki, and she found herself angry all of a sudden. The warm smile that this Finé wore was foreign to the one that the priestess burned into Hibiki's mind.

"Wait! Hibiki!" Kuriyo found herself gasp, slightly louder than she wished to, as she struggled to reach for Hibiki. Hibiki, up to this point, had not realized that she had stood up out of the bush; it was only when Kuriyo spoke was her attention snapped back to reality–and the members of F.I.S. also turned their attention to the girl who stood half out of a bush, as well.

"Who are you?" Kirika shouted, pointing her giant green scythe at Hibiki. She was a distance away, but Hibiki was aware of a Symphogear's power.

But Hibiki ignored Kirika's question, as did she completely disregard the glares Shirabe and Nastassja were giving her. Instead, she addressed the idol known to the world as Maria Cadenzavna Eve: "Are you really Finé?"

This shocked the idol, who could only watch as Hibiki stumbled forwards on unsteady feet. She could barely walk as her legs shook, but Maria was somehow scared of her deep inside. "Do you want us to..." Shirabe was about to ask, but Maria stuck her arm out in front of the Zababa blades. Instead of a vocal response, Maria just stepped forwards to meet Hibiki, and in a few steps they faced eye-to-eye.

"Yes. I am Finé." Maria recognized the girl from the data they received from the real Finé on Sector Two: she was Hibiki Tachibana, and Finé held a strange fascination with her based on the data that Maria had studied. Maria looked down on the weak girl. "What do you want, Tachibana?"

"So, you do know who I am." Hibiki was not fazed by this fact, despite her belief that Maria was a fake. But she did not care about that. No, Hibiki wanted to know one thing–something more important to her than anything else. "If you really are Finé, then tell me. What happened to Miku?"

Maria was shocked to hear this. Behind her sapphire-like eyes, Maria's brain began running at a breakneck pace. She tried to fit together the puzzle that came with only half of the pieces, none of which were able to connect. Maria recalled the information from Finé–Miku Kohinata was another person Finé held interest in. *But why would she know what happened to this Miku girl?*

She realized the answer, and her breath caught. She did not know if Finé could actually go through with it; it was just a theory that F.I.S. had proposed at one point, to Maria's knowledge. *Finé tried to use this Miku as a vessel. If that girl is alive, then this would explain why Finé hasn’t yet awoken within one of us even though we can sense that her body is gone.*

Hibiki could not catch the slight change in expression on Maria's face–it lasted for less than a fraction of a second–nor could she read her mind. To her, she just saw Maria sizing her up until her mouth cracked into the familiar smile she recalled from her memories.

Every muscle in Maria's face hurt as she forced it into a cruel smile; one she had only seen on one occasion. Her mouth cracked open into the creepy crescent reminiscent of Sock, the smiling comedy and tragedy mask. Maria could see Hibiki, whose body shook as it struggled to keep herself standing tall, freeze up; that was how Maria was sure she bought the act. "Ah yes, my past vessel. Clearly, as I am standing here now, it should be obvious to you."

Hibiki's entire soul quivered as the girl, whom she truly believed to be Finé at this point, spoke three simple words. She crumpled to her knees even before they all had left the woman's mouth. Static filled her head; Hibiki had denied the thought all this time, but if it was coming from the culprit herself, then it must be true.

"Miku is dead."

A sharp pain flared up through Hibiki's head unlike anything she had ever experienced–it was if a million needles filled with electricity all stabbed into her brain all in a single moment. She grabbed her head with both hands as tears filled her eyes.

Maria was both confused and scared; confused as to why the girl's reaction was so dramatic, but scared that her act was so convincing. She may not have actually been Finé, but Maria could feel herself becoming more and more like her ancestor as she was forced to play the role. She turned away from Hibiki, dropping the cruel smile as she took a step forwards.

"Stop." Hibiki growled, and Maria did just that. It wasn't as if Maria followed the order out of the goodness of her heart, rather she froze up from the power she could sense coming up from behind her.

"Get back!" Kirika and Shirabe leapt into action simultaneously, leaping towards Maria at a high speed. The idol couldn't wrap her head around the situation, even as she found herself being pushed away. She heard a clash.

Hibiki stood in the clearing, no longer wearing the loose shirt and pants she had been given before leaving the hospital. Now hugging her body was an orange jumpsuit that transitioned into a white skirt, a black V-shaped mark extending across her chest. On her wrists she wore white gauntlets marked with brilliant gold wraps. Maria was shocked as she recognized this design as a Symphogear; yet she did not hear a Holy Chant to activate it. Furthermore, the large orange crystals protruding from Hibiki's body–from her shoulders, around her neck like a spiked collar, and like a unicorn's single horn–looked foreign to her in every sense of the word.

With the powerful gauntlets Hibiki wore, she effortlessly held the giant scythe of Igalima. Her eyes were empty as if she were in a trance, yet Hibiki seemed fully aware of what she was doing as she tossed Kirika away as if she was nothing but a crumpled up piece of paper.

Kirika crashed into Shirabe, and the two girls rolled a short distance. "Girls!" Nastassja called in surprise, watching her three associates as they all realized what had happened to them.

"Enough of this, you useless tools."

Hibiki's empty eyes just stared forwards; yet they bore directly into the physique of Dr. Ver. The doctor appeared with the small crate holding Nephilim in his hand, slowly walking around the side of Kadingir. Stopping as he stepped up next to Nastassja, the doctor dropped the crate and slid it open with his foot. "Nephilim!" Ver's eyes bugged out of his eyes as he spat his orders. "Kill that woman!"

On all four limbs, Nephilim rushed out of the crate and straight towards Hibiki. Its feral movements were wild and each step created a new dent in the ground, yet Hibiki just stood unmoving as she watched it.

Yumi, Shiori, and Kuriyo couldn't believe their eyes. "What do we do?" They were all panicking, but it was Kuriyo whose thoughts leaked from her mouth. "We can't just let her get more hurt!"

"But what are we going to do!" Yumi flailed her arms. They were still whispering, hoping to remain undetected, but their voices were quickly raising in volume. "We're not the heroines of this anime! We don't have powers."

Shiori pulled out her phone and scrolled through her contacts. "I'd suggest we call Kazanari or Amou, but we don't have their info." She sighed. "We could try to distract the old woman, maybe?"

That was when the three girls heard Dr. Ver make his grand announcement: "Nephilim! Kill that woman!" They all froze, and poked their heads through the bush. Fear gripped their hearts as all they could do was watch as the black form of Nephilim appeared and, despite its size, exploded into the scene.

"Hibiki!" They couldn't help but call out in unison.

Kirika clicked her tongue as she saw a bush sprout three unique heads and shout. "She had friends, death."

"Lets take care of them." Shirabe took a step forwards, but was stopped once more by an arm–this time, Kirika's.

"I'd rather not." Kirika moaned but held her scythe up anyway. "But, if we must."

An explosion rocked the ground near her before she could take a single step, forcing the blades of Zababa to turn their eyes upwards. They could only watch as three figures appeared from above, one of whom fired with twin crossbows at the grounded girls.

Shirabe and Kirika dodged to the sides as Chris Yukine landed where they had been standing just a moment earlier. Dirt flew into the air at the impact, forcing the two smaller girls to cover their eyes for just a moment.

"Don't take your eyes off us." A deep voice sent chills down Kirika's spine–literally–and a second later this cold feeling was replaced with the heat of pain as Tsubasa kicked the girl in the spine to send her flying.

Tsubasa dashed up to Chris, who just looked at Hibiki. "What's that idiot doing?" The white hair girl shook her head.

"What did I just say?" Tsubasa retaliated as she used her sword–Ame no Habakiri–to knock away an incoming saw blade.

Hibiki just watched with cold eyes as Nephilim flew towards her. Without moving her feet in the slightest, Hibiki waited until the beast entered the range of her hands and–just as she had done with Kirika's scythe–reached out to grab the Nephilim. Its arm made contact with Hibiki's hand, though the girl did not flinch as the beast knocked her arm away.

With her emotionless expression Hibiki just tried the same strategy again, and Nephilim repeated its original attack. The beast growled; if it had eyes, anyone would be able to see the hatred burning within it. It lunged forwards to try and bite Hibiki this time, and for once the girl finally moved her feet. It was like a dance as Hibiki dodged the Nephilim's lunge, just for her own follow-up punch to be avoided by the black beast.

"Get back!" Kanade shouted from a short distance behind Hibiki, before she tossed the powerful Gungnir at Nephilim. Hibiki however did not heed her warning; instead, the girl caught the spear out of the air to use on her own.

Hibiki had never used a spear before, but the emotionless being inhabiting her body as this moment had no difficulties getting used to the weapon. She stabbed with immense fury, a power so devastating that the air itself caved until Gungnir's pressure.

Yet this attack was useless on Nephilim, who simply dodged to the side. Hibiki repeated this farce again and again, but the small beast was simply too fast. Seeing that this action was futile, Hibiki tossed Gungnir to the side and raised her fists.

"Don't tell me she intends to punch that thing?" Kanade asked nobody. She was still recovering, so she did not want to get in the way of Tsubasa or Chris as they dealt with Igalima and Shul Shagana. Still, she didn't want to be useless–especially now, after Hibiki just tossed her spear away.

With her one eye, Kanade saw the crazy doctor that summoned Nephilim raise a relic she believed had been lost: Solomon's Cane. "Guess my job will be taking care of the small fry." She mused as a group of seven Noise appeared out of green lights around the laughing man.

"This is chaos." Maria stood away from the others and just watched the battles unfold. Chris and Tsubasa were countering each attack Kirika and Shirabe threw at them–though Maria's friends were holding their own as they did the same–while Kanade cut down the army of Noise that Dr. Ver kept summoning. All the while, Hibiki and the Nephilim performed their revue in the centre of the clearing; the emotionless girl and the feral beast continually missing each other.

"This is the chaos we aim to end." Nastassja sat in her wheelchair beside her.

The songs of the five Symphogear wielders washed over them, but the two of them could only sit in silence.

Hibiki finally landed a single punch of Nephilim, leaving not even a dent in the creature's stony exterior. The beast, in response, did not flinch, but instead extended one of its multi-jointed arms to bat at Hibiki, who dodged it effortlessly with a backwards jump. Her face still frozen in a cold stare, Hibiki flew forwards as flames seemed to extend from within her.

The girl literally flew through the air, spinning as she went to punch Nephilim head-on. The beast, too, charged toward Hibiki, aiming to rush head-first into its enemy. But when Nephilim sensed an opening, it took advantage of the situation.

Just as Hibiki's punch was about to connect with Nephilim's head, the beast opened its mouth. Hibiki's gauntlet disappeared into the dark void that matched Nephilim's exterior, and the beast could almost be seen smiling as it chomped down upon Hibiki's arm.

Her bones shattered, muscles tore. The light returned to Hibiki's eyes and the crystals covering her body shattered as her body filled with immense pain. With her left arm she reached for her right.

But it wasn't there.

The realization shocked her. Blood spewed from the hole in her shoulder where her arm had been until only a second ago. When she looked back at the monster looming over her, the horror she felt only gripped her heart tighter.

Nephilim was chewing on Hibiki's arm. Every time its mouth moved and its sharp teeth dug into the limb that had once been part of a girl's body, the beast grew bigger and bigger.

Hibiki clutched the stub at her shoulder and screamed.

Hibiki's scream tore through the clearing, and all eyes turned to her. Tsubasa, Chris, and Kanade all looked at their friend, their faces white as they saw her missing arm. Even Kirika and Shirabe stopped fighting as they looked on with pained faces.

The doctor however, still clutching Solomon's Cane, just laughed. His wide eyes were like cue balls as they bulged out of their sockets. "Excellent work, Nephilim!"

"Quick. We need to get her help." Kanade announced to her comrades, and they nodded. Fighting this threat was important, but they could do it another day; at the rate Hibiki was bleeding at, she might not survive the hour.

A stone landed by Kirika's foot as she just watched her opponents turn around–it came from the bushes, where the three girls' heads popped out of. She wanted to say something or go after her foes, but she truly did not want to fight them. F.I.S. had a goal–to unite the world, without the Curse of Balal–yet they still needed to fight in order to see the peace they wished for. "Come on Shirabe. We have to find Durandal."

The chaos that had erupted in the clearing was brought to an abrupt end just as it had begun. Shiori, Yumi, and Kuriyo ran down the hill, following after Kanade and Chris as Tsubasa, whose Symphogear granted her increased mobility even in comparison to the others, carried a comatose Hibiki in her arms a short distance ahead.

The six girls dodged trees as the laughter of Dr. Ver and the sound of Nephilim chewing on Hibiki's arm reverberated both through the forest and through their minds.

"Which one of you idiots let Hibiki out?" Chris looked over at her shoulder as she addressed the three 'normal' girls. But when she saw the pale looks on their faces, Chris's own expression softened. "No, there would not have been any stopping her anyway."

"Hibiki had that relic." Kuriyo blurted. "Solomon's Cane? Hidden in her hospital room."

"She... what?" Kanade couldn't believe her ears. "Seems as though chief's going to need to do some interrogation. If, well..."

Kanade didn't want to finish that sentence, and the three girls were grateful for that. They had already lost one friend–even if they hadn't known Miku well or for long, they still considered her their friend–and losing another so soon scared them. Chris, however, just cursed in anger. "Forget Genjuro, when she wakes up she'll have me to deal with."

#### G Chapter 5

Genjuro slammed his coffee cup into the desk. It was empty so the hollow slam reverberated through the room. Everyone present–including Tomosato and Fujitaka–stared at him in silence. On the screen in front of him, the face of their government contact, the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Masahito Shibata, stared back at him as he slowly slurped down some ramen. Genjuro could not contain his anger as he glared at the tired man on the other side of the screen.

"Thirteen minutes ago the American government publicly pledged their support to F.I.S.–to Finé. The higher-ups don't want you to fight them now, for obvious reasons." Shibata sighed in-between sounds of his food slapping against his lips.

Genjuro sighed. "It'd be seen as Japan declaring war on America." He pinched the bridge of his nose as he began to think, and immediately the question sprang to mind. "Does this mean that F.I.S. is an official government agency?"

"Seems like it started that way originally. The data we found seems to imply that Americans have been researching relics and heretical technology secretly–F.I.S. seems to be behind this."

"Does this mean Finé was working with the Americans?" Fujitaka asked from afar, and the sound of Shibata's eating was his immediate answer.

"Possibly. Hard to know." The white-haired Vice Minister clacked his chopsticks together. "Considering that woman declared herself to be Finé, it wouldn't be surprising if she meant it literally and not simply as 'the end.'"

Genjuro crossed his arms. "We have a terrorist group being backed by America with two mysterious Symphogear users and some sort of creature that we know nothing about; Tachibana appears to have the power to generate a Symphogear of her own just as Kohinata did, and had Solomon's Cane in her possession all this time, but is currently comatose after losing an arm; Durandal is still missing; and this whole mess centres around another woman claiming to be Finé. Yet we still know nothing!"

Tomosato waved to Genjuro from across the room as he recounted the situation aloud. Seeing this, he nodded to acknowledge her and, as the final words left his mouth, Tomosato began talking. "F.I.S. does seem to be trying to reactivate Kadingir, as well. But, right now, the two women–Finé and the violet-haired woman–are just loitering around while the others go about their own tasks."

Fujitaka brought up an image on the monitor. "I've identified the two individuals working with F.I.S.: John Wayne Vercingetorix and Nastassja Sergeyevna Tolstaya."

Shibata put down his bowl, now empty. "Vercingetorix, huh? I feel like that name is familiar." Off to the side, outside of the borders of the camera feed, he reached for a pile of papers and quickly began shuffling through it. He smiled as he held up a paper. "From what we found, it seems F.I.S. was split almost five years ago into three groups after an incident occurred: two are complete unknowns, but one likely continued their research as before, and the final group consisted of researchers who abandoned the group. We don't know the complete details, but it seems that Vercingetorix was one of the people in the latter category–we have details about his termination from F.I.S. but almost everything has been redacted."

"Anything on Tolstaya?" Tomosato asked as she tapped on her own keyboard. "Our records are pulling up nothing."

"Unfortunately it was incredibly difficult getting even these details–we don't have too many other names. However, we do know that the American laboratory seemed to have been shut down some months ago after a massive cyberattack. We're talking a complete corruption of all data they had."

"F.I.S. has the backing of the American government, so it's likely they may have continued their research until the group shut down. But with Vercingetorix working with them, them being those who left the group is not an impossibility either." Shibata threw his stack of papers back onto his desk and leaned back to look at the ceiling. "The real question we should be asking is: what do they want?"

Genjuro nodded. "We have absolutely no idea on their current goals. We have attempted to analyse Kadingir, but we haven't made too much progress on that front. If they know how to reactivate and use it, their goal may be the same as Ryoko–they may plan to destroy the moon–but we have no idea if that cannon has any additional functions."

"Could they want something in our old base, maybe?" Fujitaka pointed out. "It was mostly destroyed and our excavation of it has been slow going. We did have a vault of relics below the base, so that may be their true target."

"The vault would make sense." Tomosato nodded. "That creature–Nephilim–grew in size when it devoured Hibiki's arm. We assumed its change in size was due to it simply consuming anything, but if we were to instead believe that it absorbs the powers of relics to increase its own strength..."

"It would be pretty bad if they got their hands on the relics down there." Shibata sighed. "But it's basically impossible to get into that vault now, right?"

Genjuro nodded. "We barely managed to excavate enough for us all to escape the ruins from the main room. Right now it would be almost impossible for anyone to enter the vault." He tilted his head down. "Still, it's not a possibility we should rule out. It would spell certain doom for us."

"But, again, you can't use your Symphogears to fight them." Shibata reminded the group. "What are you going to do?"

Silence. The tense and heavy air surrounded the members of Sector Two that stood in their new temporary headquarters, weighing down upon them in a way that almost seemed suffocating.

Outside, Kanade quietly sighed. Everyone in the room she spied on was under the belief that she was resting and recuperating; even Tsubasa and Chris had collapsed as they returned with Hibiki. She had no energy, and yet she was also supercharged.

The former-idol with the burning orange hair looked down at the device in her hand. A small gun-like tool that injected the LiNKER she required to use her Symphogear properly stared back at her, and the murky green liquid in the vial it held reflected just her eyes. Kanade could see the dark bags forming under them, and yet she did not feel tired.

Instead, she ran away.

. . .

"We're detecting an Aufwachen Waveform!" Tomosato shouted.

"What?" Genjuro had just disconnected the call with Shibata and had flopped back into a chair. But now he, once more, stood at attention, his hands clenched around his biceps as he crossed his arms.

"This pattern... it's Gungnir!" Fujitaka exclaimed, bringing up the familiar orange flower-like image that Kanade's Symphogear released. "It's Kanade!"

"Kanade!?" Genjuro slammed his hand into the communication device in front of him, connecting to the earpiece he knew Kanade would be wearing. The second he heard the signal tether to her own, he shouted into her ear. "What are you doing?"

"Sorry chief." Kanade's voice was sad as she spoke. "But someone's got to do something. If you officially can't fight F.I.S. then I'll do it unofficially."

The gruff man knew he couldn't stop her; he was strong, his power surpassing that of most people, but he knew fighting Kanade, even in a weakened state, would be difficult. He knew Tsubasa's fighting style and trained Tachibana, but Kanade created her techniques herself; it was a complete improvisation. At full strength Kanade would easily be able to overpower Genjuro, but even in her injured state he'd have incredible difficulty. "I know I can't stop you." He sighed after a moment. "And I know that even if I did, you'd just go out and fight anyway. Truthfully, I do even agree with your idea. Just, don't do anything stupid. We're going to get hell for your work either way, but I'd rather you be safe."

Genjuro couldn't see her, but he could tell that Kanade flashed a confident smile as she spoke once more. "Got it, I'll be careful this time."

Kanade ran leapt from building to building as she crossed this city. The sun was beginning to rise above the horizon, and she couldn't help but smile at the sunrise as it finally poked its head up at her. "Got it, I'll be careful this time." She spoke into the headset she purposefully wore up until this point.

Genjuro cared for her–for all of the Symphogear girls–quite deeply and Kanade knew that throwing them into battle again and again weighed heavily on his soul. She knew he'd call the second she activated her Symphogear, and she wanted to speak with him.

If what she heard from Shibata and Genjuro's conversation was to be believed, what Kanade was about to do was declare war on America on Japan's behalf. Regardless of the outcome of this battle–a battle against a mysterious black beast and two wielders both with more energy than she–Kanade was fully aware that she was technically in the wrong here.

As the connection to Genjuro snapped shut, Kanade reached up and pulled the speaker out of her ear. Tossing it onto the ground in front of her, she smashed it with the butt of her giant spear, completely decimating the device in a simple smash. "Sorry chief, I don't think I'll be able to make good on that."

Kanade leapt towards the forest as she reached the boundary between the city and the wilderness that led up towards Kadingir. She had run this same path not too long ago with friends, but now she ran it alone. Kanade clenched her jaw as she watched the trees pass by her, one thought running through her mind: "I'm sorry Tsubasa."

. . .

"Do you see it?" Shirabe asked Kirika, who stood facing the opposite direction.

"Nope." Kirika replied, once again with the side of her hand pressed against her forehead.

The two girls stood at the very top of Kadingir's barrel, which they climbed with Shirabe's giant saw blade wheel. From this vantage point–just as they believed–the two could see a great distance, but they forgot that the dense forest would make it difficult to see the ground around the trees. Still, they tried to sing and activate Durandal, hoping it would give them a sign, though to no avail.

"We could always try–" Kirika cut her friend off before she could even fully make her suggestion. She was fully aware of the idea Shirabe had, but it was one that she was completely fine with never making use of again.

"Not a chance. I am not going through that hell again." Kirika scowled. Shirabe couldn't see Kirika's face, but the quiet girl could sense the immense amount of hatred and anger that resonated from behind her.

*We could always try singing our Superb Songs.* Shirabe had wanted to suggest to Kirika. The two of them were forced to sing the nuclear song that devastated the bodies of the Symphogear wielders as it released immense power. They had been forced to sing it together to activate Nephilim after overdosing on LiNKER; their bodies had almost been torn apart at that time, and the two of them almost died as a result. It was for this reason that Kirika especially hated Dr. Ver–it had been his idea to have them perform their songs–but Shirabe was aware that there were truly no other options; even Maria's powerful singing did nothing for the beast, and their Superb Songs were only barely able to activate the monster's heart.

"Hey Shirabe, I think I see something!" Kirika pointed, and Shirabe turned her head to follow the girl's slim finger as it cut through the air. It was barely noticeable, but through the leaves there were splatters of orange moving about. "I think those girls are back."

"Should we engage?" Shirabe asked, but Kirika ignored her. Or, rather, she silently gave Shirabe the answer to her question: by leaping off of Kadingir with her scythe ready to cut anything in its path. Shirabe sighed, but followed after her regardless.

*Keikoku melody shinigami wo yobu zetsubō no yume Death-thirteen*

Kanade heard the singing before she saw her enemy, but reacted accordingly regardless. She swung her spear at the source of the song, just as a girl in green and black descended through the leafy cover above her. The spear crashed against Igalima's scythe, and Kirika flew back through the air and landed with a flip. Shirabe, silently, landed beside her.

"She's all alone this time." Shirabe noticed, muttering to a singing Kirika. Her partner nodded as confidence flared up within them; their last battle could be seen as a draw, but this time they were sure they would win.

But Kanade just smiled. As if her body had suddenly regained all of its energy, Kanade leapt towards the two girls at a high speed. This quick movement surprised Kirika, who could do nothing but, again, block the girl's incoming attack and be sent flying, this time crashing into a tree.

Shirabe watched her friend get knocked away but remained calm. Unfolding the two coverings that surrounded her twintails, Shirabe revealed two large arms that extended from her head, each ending with a spinning buzz saw. Kanade saw this, but the smile did not leave her face.

Shirabe punched forwards with one of her saw arms as she spun towards Kanade, though the idol parried this with her spear as if swatting a fly away. As Shirabe's footing was disturbed as she landed on a tree's root, Kanade took advantage of this to stab at her saw. With just a single strike, Gungnir pierced Shul Shagana's extended arm and the metallic Armed Gear shattered, the buzz saw spinning through the air as it fell to the ground. "She's strong." Shirabe muttered.

Kirika, back in the action, followed up from behind. As the saw of Shirabe's twintail crashed into the ground in front of Kanade, Kirika transformed her scythe into a halberd as she fused it with a copy of herself, and cut through the tree to Kanade's left with a single strike. The idol did not even blink however, and leapt out of the way of the attack as Kirika and Shirabe regrouped as the buzz saw lodged in the ground was crushed by the tree.

Using her spear as a javelin, Kanade stabbed the ground in front of her and leapt forwards, swinging her weapon out of the ground and around herself. Shirabe pushed Kirika out of the way as the idol hurled towards them, and used her remaining saw arm to counter Kanade's saw-like movement. The saw and the spear clashed and sparks flew through the trees, but Kanade came out on top: the saw buckled under the pressure and Kanade made contact with Shirabe's body directly. Shirabe's body was filled with pain as her tiny frame bounced down towards the ground and then back up into the air; Kanade followed this up with a powerful sideways kick that launched the small girl into a nearby tree. Shirabe crumpled to the ground as she flew through the one trunk that Kanade had aimed for and crashed into another not too far behind her.

Seeing this, Kirika was pissed. Hatred filled her entire being as she saw flames–no one hurt Shirabe. She rushed towards the idol and swung down her halberd, sending forth spinning boomerang blades of light, yet Kanade effortlessly dodged them. Kirika screamed as annoyance filled her, and tried again; but Kanade dodged once more.

Kanade saw the frustration in Kirika's heart and took advantage of this. She readied her spear over her shoulder and, knowing Kirika would put her entire focus on her weapon, threw it like a giant dart. As Kanade believed, Kirika's eyes followed the spear, which she blocked with a strike of her weapon–but she did not see Kanade as she closed in on her and grabbed the weapon just as Igalima collided with it. She swung the spear like a guillotine's blade, cutting through the air and stopping just short of Kirika's neck.

"What kind of idol turns to murder?" Kirika grunted in anger. Slowly the blind fog of hatred began to lift, but the intense hatred she felt only grew hotter.

But Kanade didn't care, and in response to Kirika's question she simply chuckled darkly. "One who has a spot in hell reserved for them." Kanade grabbed hold of Kirika's arms, forcing Igalima out of the blonde girl's hands. "Tell me. What are you all after?"

"I won't tell you."

"Fine. Then I'll kill you."

"Go ahead." Kanade could feel the girl's arms clench despite her strong words. "As long as Shirabe is fine, that's all that matters to me, death."

Kanade let out another dark wheeze. "So be it."

The orange-haired idol pulled back her weapon. Just as she had before, Kanade swung her oversized spear with the entirety of her strength, and Kirika just closed her eyes. She awaited the sensation of death that saw so many people experience before her...

...But it did not come.

"What?" Kanade gasped, and Kirika opened her eye a crack to see what was wrong. At the sight, she could not form words. Her entire brain shut down as she took in the sight that blocked Gungnir's powerful spear from piercing through Kirika's neck like a guillotine.

The pink, interlocked wall of energy. Both girls had seen this same creation before. "No." Kirika whisper, her eyes wide. Terror gripped her entire being. "No, no. No." She just continued repeating the one word over and over, and she collapsed to her knees as Kanade's grip loosened on her arms. As Kirika slumped to the ground, the same word tumbling over and over out of her mouth, the pink wall disappeared.

Asgard. The alchemical power that Finé wielded against the Symphogear wielders before.

Kirika looked up and met Kanade's cold glare that dug into the heart of the girl who could cleave souls. "So, you're the new Finé." Kanade pointed her spear directly at her enemy's head, marking the spot between her eyes as if ready to strike. "This changes things."

At the idol's words, Kirika hung her head and fell silent. Her eyes darkened as the shine of life left them. "I'm..." Kirika's voice was sad as she began to moan a word, but cut herself short.

Kirika kept her eyes glued to the ground in front of her, so she did not see Kanade as her own eyes flickered in an attentive way. Kanade leapt back, dodging away as one of Shirabe's pink saws crashed into the ground in front of Kirika.

"Kiri, let's go." Shirabe weakly muttered, her face covered with dirt and her skin pierced in multiple areas by small splinters of wood. Dirt and mud caked her body, sticking her hair into clumps, but her eyes were determined. "She's too strong for us."

Kirika did not answer, nor did she give any indication to Shirabe that she had heard them. Confused, and worried for her friend, Shirabe grabbed hold of Kirika's hand in her own and leapt up into the air, pulling her partner with her. Kanade just watched them fly up and away and swung her spear horizontally in anger; a single motion that easily cut a tree in half. With a click of her tongue, Kanade decided to follow them.

Shirabe looked down at the girl whose hand she held. Kirika was flailing as if she was just a doll being blown about by the wind, the usual shine and cheerful attitude completely vacant from herself. Shirabe had not heard any of Kanade and Kirika's conversation; the second she regained her senses, she fired a blade at her attacker. Her body hurt all over, and she could feel blood dribbling from her nose as they bounced from tree to tree towards the clearing surrounding Kadingir.

The small girl did not know what had happened to Kirika, but she was sure that whatever had happened was certainly not good. Whether it was something the idol said or an attack; whatever it was, Shirabe believed it to be imperative that they keep their distance from Kanade Amou. She spied Dr. Ver, walking with the Nephilim by his side, as they neared Kadingir.

"Nephilim." Shirabe spoke to the beast quietly. "Are you hungry?" She pointed back in the distance the two had come with, and just as she did Kanade appeared through the trees. As if it were a cheerful dog ready to play fetch, Nephilim dashed forwards towards Kanade and the two collided.

"Doctor, we need to go." Shirabe addressed the crazed doctor, who silently watched the fight in front of him.

"Very well. I've discovered a way in to the base below, so we may be able to get to their vault after all. Our two other associates are down there now." He replied as he adjusted his glasses. Dr. Ver's attention was already being diverted away from the fight as he spun around, leading Shirabe–and thus, by extension, Kirika–towards the apparent entry to the old Sector Two headquarters.

#### G Chapter 6

Tsubasa reached up and grabbed hold tight of her uncle's collar, but Genjuro did not resist nor pull back. He saw the blue flames burning behind her eyes, ones demanding answers, and knew exactly what she was going to ask him.

"How could you let her go after that thing alone?" Saying that Tsubasa was angry, or even pissed off, was an understatement. As an idol Tsubasa was always known to be somewhat shy and reserved, but ever since the Zwei Wing Tragedy she had transformed into an aloof defender who saw herself as nothing but a sword. Yet that image of a cool shield was nowhere to be seen in the hellfire burning a hole through Genjuro.

He sighed. "You know as well as anyone how impossible it is to get that girl to listen to you." It was now when he finally acknowledged Tsubasa's hold on his shirt as he gently placed his hands upon her own. "Go."

Tsubasa had stormed into the room when she had awoken, dragging a yawning Chris with her. When she forced the answers out of Fujitaka as to Kanade's whereabouts, her hatred turned directly to Genjuro. But he did not mind. He was the boss; every decision Sector Two made was his responsibility, even if these decisions were unofficial. These were the burdens he placed upon himself when he took up the position–the burden of having to watch children fight wars, and the burden to be helpless to protect them.

He watched as Tsubasa stormed out of the room, but did not try to say anything else to her. Genjuro and Tsubasa were family, he knew her far better than anyone. Yet even still, the flames he felt were new to him.

"Guess I'll help those idiots out too." Chris groaned as she wiped her eyes. Her hair was disheveled–the two tied tails of hair that ran down her back were undone and a wreck–and the bags under her eyes were dark. Genjuro could tell that Chris likely had not been asleep. For a little while after the destruction of their original base, Genjuro had let Chris stay with him as they could sort out living arrangements and every night he could hear Chris's sobs and screams from the nightmares that tortured her. Yet even then, the tired look in her eyes was also one he had not seen before–this fatigue dug deeper than emotional, physical, or mental levels, and instead perverted her very soul.

The door closed with a hiss as Chris's slow footsteps echoed out of the room and for just a few short moments the room fell into silence. Genjuro had wanted desperately to monitor Kanade as she fought, but considering she was technically doing so 'unofficially' they decided that it would be best if no records of her leaving remained–this included footage or recording logs. He was worried, his mind a hurricane of doubts, and finally Genjuro collapsed into a chair.

"This may not be the best time to add more bad news to the pile," Tomosato slowly began to say as the familiar tapping of working fingers filled the office once more. "But it seems Tachibana's condition has worsened. The medical team has also sent us a report regarding that full body scan we ordered."

Genjuro did not move, but instead let out a deep, exhausted sigh. "Of course her situation is worsening." He muttered. Pinching his forehead, he asked Tomosato to continue her report.

"It seems as though Dr. Sakurai–or Finé, rather–had been destroying some sections of Tachibana's medical results–and Kohinata's, as well. The initial scan we had revealed fragments of Gungnir in both of them: Kohinata had fragments concentrated within her back, while Tachibana had a far fewer amount located in her shoulders and around her neck. However, today's scan revealed that Tachibana's situation is far more dire than we initially believed. It seems some of the relic's shrapnel has embedded itself within her brain."

Genjuro looked at her. "I may not be as well versed in this subject as Ryoko was, but would it be possible for Gungnir to be fusing with her brain?"

"This is the doctors' hypothesis as well. They believe she may very well be becoming Gungnir, and this is likely how she activated the Symphogear earlier without possessing a pendant or by singing a Holy Chant."

Genjuro was tired of all this bad news. He was sure of how this conversation was going to end, so he just skipped to the part he was dreading. "How long does she have to live?"

Beside Tomosato, Genjuro could hear Fujitaka inhale sharply as he undoubtedly brought up the report on his own screen. Tomosato, too, simply remained in silence. "They're not sure. At most they believe two months, but at the least they believe she could be dead by tomorrow. It seems as though Gungnir's rate of fusion with her body fluctuates constantly–and randomly, apparently."

"It fluctuates." Genjuro repeated. "Is it possible it's resonating with Kanade's Gungnir? Or, Kohinata's, if she is still alive?"

"That's..." Tomosato cut herself off. "That could be a possibility. And it might also be why her condition suddenly worsened once Kanade disappeared."

Genjuro had already let one girl in his care die, and he desperately did not want another to follow behind. He brought up the communications relay, ignoring their earlier assessment of the situation, and ordered Kanade to be constantly monitored as he waited for the connection to link. When he heard the buzz of Tsubasa's headset connecting, Genjuro opened his mouth to speak before it was severed. "Tsubasa severed the connection herself, sir." Fujitaka reported immediately.

Exhaling once more, Genjuro tried to establish a connection again–this time with Chris. When he heard her slow reply a few seconds later, he immediately relayed the situation regarding Tachibana to her. "So you want me to get Kanade to stop using her Symphogear?" Chris muttered after taking it all in. "Dunno how useful I can be there, but I'll give it a shot."

. . .

Kanade felt the darkness burning within her as she fought Nephilim. Her spear could crack the beast's exterior, though the strain the weapon was putting on her body was a double-edged sword. Every successful strike forced Kanade to flinch as she felt the brunt of her song recoiled back into her.

While every woman is technically capable of bonding with a Symphogear, not everyone could naturally do so–Kanade fell into the latter camp. The phonic gain that resonated from a candidate's song could make or break them as a fighter, and Kanade's simply wasn't strong enough for Gungnir to grant her its full strength.

So, she used a technological marvel known as LiNKER to off-set the difference. LiNKER temporarily raised the phonic output of a candidate's song to such a degree that they could theoretically bond with any Symphogear, though LiNKER came at a cost–the injection put immense strain on the body and mind of the wielder.

Yet despite knowing these risks, Kanade continued to use it. In fact, as she had run away from headquarters, she stole multiple vials of LiNKER and essentially overdosed on the formula. Six complete vials she took–normally only half was used at a time. Kanade knew this was dangerous and could barely breathe now as she swung her spear into Nephilim's stony hide, but she had no other options. It was only because of the amount she took that she was able to overpower Igalima and Shul Shagana's wielders and stand toe-to-toe with Nephilim. Even if it killed her, which Kanade fully expected, she was not about to stand idly by as F.I.S. continued to do as they pleased.

But now, the LiNKER was about to run out. Kanade could feel every vein in her body pumping lava into her heart as she struggled to remain conscious. Every muscle screamed at her, begging to rest, but she needed to ignore them–Kanade Amou was set on stopping Nephilim at all costs. It was the least she could do.

She and Nephilim clashed once more, and the force knocked the two fighters back. The darkness that had invaded Kanade's mind was only getting stronger–the consequence of using so much LiNKER at once. She did not want to allow it to completely overtake her, and yet she realized that it may be the only way to defeat the beast once and for all.

Kanade watched Nephilim's foot graze the ground for barely an instant before it flew back into action, ricocheting off an invisible wall and towards her person. In that second, as she saw Nephilim's mouth begin to crack open wide, she tore off her eyepatch.

"I'm tired of staring into the darkness!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. The darkness clawed at her mind, and she could feel a feral rage building within her chest as she stabbed Nephilim's head with her entire being.

. . .

Hibiki Tachibana was unconscious and laying in a brightly-lit room. Genjuro had come to check on her after hearing the news about her condition, and was just entering the room when the girl let out a blood-curdling scream.

The girl on the bed could barely breathe. Even in her comatose state, unaware of the world, she was wailing louder than a banshee. She clawed with her one arm at her throat, trying to rip away the invisible hands that strangled her, but to no avail. Seeing the girl in this state, Genjuro gave orders to every medical officer in the room, who turned at the girl's sudden outburst: "Get her strapped down, and do whatever you need to do to calm her down."

"Sir, we've already administered painkillers and anaesthetics. Theoretically speaking, she should be in a completely peaceful sleep." One medical professional reported. "This condition... it's likely the fault of Gungnir."

Almost as if on cue, Hibiki began to convulse. As the name of the relic left the doctor's lips, crystals began to form across Hibiki's entire body, sprouting primarily from her head and shoulders. It wasn't like before, where spikes erected themselves upon her neck and forehead; no, now chunks of orange ore began to manifest from her body as if she the walls of a cave. As her screams rang out through the room, Genjuro and all of the other medical professionals were unable to do anything other than strap her three remaining limbs to the table–to prevent her from clawing herself to death.

"That's it." Genjuro growled. Loosening his tie, Genjuro tossed the piece of fabric over his head as he bolted out of the room at a speed that certainly would have put an Olympian to shame.

. . .

Despite the chaos in Sector Two's headquarters and the chaos of battle above her, Maria Cadenzavna Eve walked in peace. Though these tunnels, ones partially-collapsed and lit only by the few emergency lights that they managed to return power to, were ones she had never before visited, she found herself feeling a twisted, sickening kind of nostalgia as she walked. Trying to calm herself, Maria began to sing a song to the ghosts that followed alongside her.

*Ringo wa ukanda osora ni…

Ringo wa okkochita jibeta ni…

Hoshi ga umarete uta ga umarete

Ruru ameru wa waratta tokoshie to

Hoshi ga kisu shite uta ga nemutte

Kaeru toko wa doko deshō…?

Kaeru toko wa doko deshō…?

Ringo wa okkochita jibeta ni…

Ringo wa ukanda osora ni…*

In her mind's eye she could picture the sweet smile of her late sister as she brushed her hand on the dirty wall she walked beside. This song–Apple–was one passed down to her by her parents before they died, and it was the only thing that still bound her family to her. With the hand not touching the wall, Maria clutched tight the red pendant that hung from her neck.

"You're a good singer."

Maria had heard the footsteps creeping up to her but, when she turned around, the pop sensation was still surprised. Standing in the shadows of the tunnel was Shirabe Tsukuyomi–and only Shirabe. It was rare for Shirabe and Kirika to be separate, so Maria knew something was up. "What's wrong?"

Maria's expression softened as she approached Shirabe, and the smaller girl looked down. Shirabe was always hard to read, but she had a hard time hiding when she had doubts. Seeing the sadness reflected in Shirabe's eyes, Maria recalled a time many years ago when Shirabe had always had a lonely look in her eyes; this was before she had warmed up to their new 'sister' Kirika.

"Something's wrong with Kirika." Shirabe and Maria leaned side-by-side against the wall. They were Receptor Children–technically distant relatives already–but Maria considered Shirabe and Kirika to be sisters on the same level as her departed Serena. Whenever one of them had a problem, Maria was always willing to help them to the best of her ability.

And yet, when Shirabe brought up that 'something was wrong' with Kirika, Maria couldn't help but sigh. "I think there are a few things wrong with all of us at this point." She looked up towards the dark ceiling. "If it wasn't for those collars around your necks, I'd have carried the two of you away long ago."

Shirabe shook her head. "The Gungnir wielder appeared and fought us. I was knocked out for a moment but, when I recuperated, Kirika was different."

"So you think Gungnir said or did something to her?"

"Possibly."

"Truthfully Shirabe, with everything going on, it's not insane to think that Kirika's just being crushed by the situation we're in and needs some time to clear her mind. She cares about you more than anything–if she didn't want to talk to you about whatever was worrying her, then it's something Kirika needs to work out herself." Maria put a hand on her chest. "That's what I think, anyway. Serena told me something similar before."

"So you think she'll be fine?"

"Kirika's probably the strongest of us. She's always been there for us, so I'll help her out in a heartbeat, but I don't want to force that assistance onto her. I'll talk to her, but I don't want us to force our help upon her."

Shirabe nodded. "I think your thoughts got a bit muddied there, at the end, but I can understand what you're saying." She slowly slid down the wall and landed on the cracked floor. Bringing her knees towards her face, Shirabe pressed her head against her legs. "I'm still worried."

Up on the surface, Kirika found herself in the same position. She sat against a tree, beside the entrance to the small cavern that led down into Sector Two's old headquarters. The path was thin and hard to traverse so 'Mom' had not travelled down there–instead, she returned to their craft in order to prepare for the reawakening of Kadingir–so Kirika offered to watch the entryway in case any of the other Symphogear users appeared. Or rather, she insisted that she would guard this place–alone.

The sounds of Nephilim and Kanade fighting in the distance echoed into Kirika's ears, but they were drowned out by the calamitous storm of thoughts that ran though her head. She was scared–terrified, even–of becoming Finé. She and Shirabe had been let in on the plan to have Maria masquerade as the priestess in order to bring Dr. Ver into their circle, but she never expected her to appear within one of them.

"I'm going to lose my self." Her black and white-striped stockings were starting to get dirtied from the tears that ran from her eyes, yet Kirika continued smiling all the same. "I'm never going to be able to see Shirabe or Maria again."

Kirika could feel her body shaking uncontrollably. "I don't want to become Finé."

The Receptor Children had been told about Finé by the eternal priestess herself. Ever since they were brought into F.I.S., the children had all been fed propaganda in order to prepare themselves for the eventual future where they would possibly become Finé's vessels. Kirika never believed that she would be the one in which Finé would awaken, so she never paid the idea any mind, but now...

She looked at her hand. She could sense something within her that was foreign now–Finé–and wanted to address the second soul within her directly. Kirika tried to remember what she had been taught in that sanitary hell, but her thoughts were such a mess that she was unable to focus on the idea. "I can't let this happen."

For the first time, Kirika's forced smile wavered. "But if I were to die, then she'd just awaken in someone else." The smiles of Maria and Shirabe popped into Kirika's mind to cover up the brief suicidal thought. She did not want to become Finé, but even more she did not want her closest friends–her sisters–to succumb to the same fate.

The air was still around her as she wallowed in her future–or lack thereof–until she sensed the wind blow. This should not have bothered Kirika, and yet it tore the mad thoughts racing through her mind asunder. The wind was not natural, Kirika could sense, and readied herself.

*Zeios Igalima raizen tron*

The green and black fairy tale outfit granted to her by the Symphogear Igalima appeared on her person in an instant, and she leapt up to the trees above her. Using her giant scythe, Kirika cut through the leaves to get a clear view of Kadingir and the battle that waged on at its base.

What she saw shocked her.

Kanade and Nephilim glared at each other as darkness encircled them. The two fighters let out identical monstrous roars as the light faded from the world around them. Kanade was losing control of herself; the effects of the LiNKER doses she had taken were overpowering her senses, and now she was falling into the shadows she had tried to push away.

The darkness swallowed her in an instant, and Kanade suddenly found herself floating in a black void. She had no control of her body, which was now entirely lacking in light. The black beast that took on Kanade's form had glowing orange eyes and a similar faint glow about her, and it screamed in anger as it appeared in the spot where Gungnir's wielder had stood.

Across from this beast, Nephilim–a monster of its own calibre–let out a feral screech. The two monsters had been several metres apart from each other and yet in the blink of an eye the two had collided. The shockwave that exploded out from their contact was intense; even Kirika, a fair ways away, could feel the wave of power wash over her.

Kirika found herself even more weary now. She could throw herself into the middle of a battle she had no way of winning, or remain here and continue drowning in her doubts. Her heart pained as she hesitated.

"Akatsuki." Nastassja's voice rang out in her ear. "Gungnir's wielder has lost control of her Symphogear. At this rate she will likely overpower Nephilim. I need you to assist it."

The decision had been made for her, it seemed, but Kirika wavered. Her legs quaked as she hugged the giant Armed Gear to her chest. "I'm doomed either way." She finally realized, looking up at her new enemy with a small flame igniting in her chest.

*Ikusen, ikuman, ikuoku, no inochi

Subete wo nigirishime furikazasu

Sono se mo kōritsuku danpa no issen

Chiru kakugo wa aru ka?*

The song reached Kirika's ears before she could even move, and barely had time to register the sudden appearance of the blue Symphogear–Ame no Habakiri–before pain flooded her body. Tsubasa collided with Kirika's back, launching the girl in green from her perch in the tree with a strong kick that, to anyone else, was so fast it appeared as a blue streak of light through the air. Kirika landed with a thud, blood rising from her throat, but she choked it down.

"Didn't want to save me this time, Finé?" She whispered to herself as Igalima's scythe dug into the ground in front of her. Kirika used her weapon to prop herself up and pull her to her feet.

But Tsubasa did not give Kirika a second glance; already the girl in blue was running away, racing towards the two dark beasts that fought a ways away. Kirika considered retaliating and raised her scythe to fire out blades of energy, but hesitated. "Now I don't have to get involved." She realized with a whisper, and lowered her Armed Gear slowly.

Her hands were still shaking as she deactivated her Symphogear, but not out from being kicked. No, Kirika felt Finé's soul again–though it was significantly stronger now. "I can't use Igalima any more without letting Finé grow stronger." She realized, placing a hand on her forehead. A smile cracked over her face as insanity filled her wet eyes. "I'm completely worthless!"

Chris Yukine did not want to fight the mad girl either. She just watched from the treeline as Kirika's sanity collapsed in on herself. The girl in the black shirt laughed and cried as she fell to her knees, the black X-shaped band in her hair bouncing alongside her shaking head.

"Poor girl." Chris lowered the crossbow she had trained on her, ready to follow-up on the opening Tsubasa gave her, but was now aware that she would only be pouring salt into the many wounds that crossed Kirika's heart. "But I do know how she feels."

She shook her head. Chris had heard Kirika's cry about Finé and instantly wanted to rush over there in search of answers, but she had a more pressing matter to attend to–Kanade. She looked at the two black beasts that continued their feral dance as Tsubasa stood in the centre of them. "How am I supposed to reason with a monster?" Chris had not told Tsubasa about Hibiki's condition–or couldn't, as Tsubasa had maintained a decent lead on her. Realizing the best way to deal with Kanade, Chris's eyes filled with an exhausted annoyance. "I'm going to need to destroy that Nephilim thing and then beat Kanade, aren't I?"

The girl in the red Symphogear known as Ichaival turned her back on the sobbing Kirika in the clearing and instead began making her way towards the three distinct flames that burned against one another.

A distance away, Hibiki Tachibana screamed in a vicious agony that echoed throughout the building she was kept in.

#### G Chapter 7

"Kanade! Calm down!" Tsubasa called as she dodged out of the way of her friend's attack. Kanade had completely lost her sanity–the darkness had entirely consumed her–and she was now indiscriminately attacking both an unwilling Tsubasa and a Nephilim that, too, is flying about in a blind rage.

As Tsubasa rolled out of Kanade's way, she heard the sounds of the former idol colliding with Nephilim, the two growling like angered animals as their limbs smashed against one another. "Please Kanade." Tsubasa muttered, her heart in pain from seeing her friend's descent into a feral madness more uncontrollable than a wild animal.

Chris dropped down next to Tsubasa. "I have a feeling she'll calm down a bit if we take out Nephilim." She assessed the battle unfolding in front of her. "But we're goin' to need to deal with this fast."

"Fast?"

Brushing the back of her head, Chris looked away. "Yeah, you kinda ignored Genjuro and I didn't have a chance to tell you yet. They think that Kanade using her Symphogear might be making Hibiki's condition worse." She looked over to Kanade. "And considering... that, I can't imagine the idiot's faring great right now."

Tsubasa's eyes widened as her head turned to face Chris. The surprised look lasted for barely a second–a sand grain falling from an hourglass would take longer to hit the bottom of the object than the amount of time Tsubasa held that expression–and was quickly replaced by one of self-doubt. Tsubasa shook her head. "I shouldn't have let my anger get the better of me. I'm sorry."

"Damn right you should be sorry. You rushed off without thinking and ignored HQ's call! That's not like you!" Chris placed her hand on her forehead in annoyance, grumbling some nonsense that could barely be called intelligible before she frowned. "Regardless. Let's just deal with this however we can. We're wasting time."

Tsubasa nodded. "That beast's hide is extraordinarily tough; even Kanade's spear seems barely able to pierce its body. I doubt Ame no Habakiri would be able to cut it."

"Then just leave it to me. You get orange away from it." Chris flashed a cocky smile as she extended gatling guns from the jewels on her back. Seeing the confidence in her ally's eyes, Tsubasa couldn't help but smile as she climbed to her feet.

Kanade sliced the air with her spear, the air being cleaved in two just millimetres from Nephilim's body. The beast bowed its head to avoid the Symphogear's attack and roared as it swung its body up to tackle Kanade; though the girl bounced away just in time.

With some distance between the two monsters now, Tsubasa once again jumped in the midst of the battle. "My apologies, Kanade." The former-idol in blue spun upside-down, kicking with the blades on her legs as she spun like a tornado towards her friend. Kanade's eyes flashed acknowledgement as the girl trapped within the darkness of her body managed to wrench control from within for just a moment–a single moment that was just long enough for Tsubasa to come in contact with the monster that overtook her.

As Tsubasa's body collided with her partner, the monster that was formerly Kanade flew through the air. She did not fumble, however, as even while airborne Kanade managed to regain balance and land on her feet like she was a deranged cat. "Good enough." Chris noted as Tsubasa ran away from Nephilim, who thus turned its attention towards the newest, and closest, threat: Ichaival.

A second later, the sky was torn apart as Chris ripped apart reality with a hell-storm of bullets, following right afterwards with as many missiles as she could summon with her songs. Nephilim, still being fairly small despite having absorbed strength from the severed arm of Hibiki Tachibana, should have been fast enough to dodge the lead snowstorm that approached it and yet it didn't–it took the brunt of the attack head-on without flinching.

Though Tsubasa wanted to make sure Chris's attack was successful, Kanade was not going to let her: the black monster with a giant spear lunged at her with reckless abandon, and Tsubasa struggled to parry the attack with her own Armed Gear as Kanade's feral face snarled at her own. "Kanade, snap out of it!" Tsubasa screamed, enlarging her sword in a desperate attempt to gain the advantage over her friend's strength.

"What the hell?" Tsubasa heard Chris yell from behind her, followed by a quick warning: "Look out!" But this was impossible for the blue idol as she was forced to push her blade down upon the spear of Gungnir that desired to dissect her. It was when Kanade retreated that Tsubasa realized that Chris's attack was a failure, as she then immediately found herself flying through the air.

. . .

Dr. Ver slammed Solomon's Cane on the ground. He had managed to restore some power to Sector Two's former base, but most of their equipment had been damaged so he could not get anything from the servers about the location of the relic vault somewhere below him. He scowled as he reached yet another dead end in the labyrinth of tunnels that had collapsed when Kadingir broke through the earth above.

"Noise only target human beings, but they transform those they come in contact with into carbon dust." He looked to Solomon's Cane, a plan beginning to form in his mind. "If this phenomenon will occur should Noise come in contact with any organic substance, then theoretically you could use them as excavation tools." Up to ten percent of dirt is made up of organic matter. Ninety percent of the soil would remain and carbon dust would replace the remaining ten percent, however, so this plan was doomed from the start; a fact that caused Dr. Ver to, upon realization, kick the wall in anger as a vein bulged from his forehead.

Just then, he felt the earth above his head quiver as the world seemed to explode outside. Dr. Ver was several metres underground, so the impact on the surface must have been intense if he was able to sense its shock from so low. He cursed, spinning on his heel. "That damned brat. She said she could handle guard duty."

As Ver was about to leave, something caught his eye. A hole–a very small one, barely the size of a 10 yen coin–had been carved into the wall as a new piece of debris had been dislodged from the ceiling by the new quakes. He cracked a wicked smile as he slammed his foot into this space upon the realization of what he had found.

It took a few kicks, but eventually Dr. Ver managed to break the hole open further. He found within the small crevice behind the wall a small box, an image of two snakes wrapped around a sceptre marked burned into the wooden face he looked down at. Dr. Ver recognized the symbol–most people would–but his eyes lit up further when he pulled the box open and found its contents in pristine condition.

"With this, my trump cards will be complete." He laughed as madness gripped his soul. "With this, I shall be the hero who purges calamity from this earth!"

It took several minutes afterwards for the doctor to reach Maria and Shirabe, who had both returned to the main room, where computers and glass now sat in incomplete states. They stared at the base of Kadingir through a hole in the wall, and barely even acknowledged Ver's approach until he shouted at them. "Finé, let us begin the activation of Kadingir's secondary functions." Ver addressed Shirabe now. "You should know your role in this."

Shirabe nodded solemnly. "Of course." This was her quick response as she clutched the pendant around her neck.

*Various Shul Shagana tron*

The song caused pain to flare up in her head, yet she pushed through it as she let the white light of the Symphogear wash over her. Shirabe and Kirika both required LiNKER to use their Symphogears to their full potential, and it had been some time since she had taken some. Still, Dr. Ver had enhanced their formula so that they would require smaller doses, and even then Shirabe had taken more than she should have before exiting the now-hidden aircraft. The pain she felt was a sign not that the LiNKER's effect was running low, but that it was only beginning to wear off; her phonic gain was likely still high enough for her to be of adequate use.

"I'm sorry about this." Maria sighed with a bowed head. They had no other option; if they wanted to achieve their goals, they needed Shirabe–or Kirika, though the latter was on the surface at the moment–to sing their Superb Song and resonate with the relics with which Kadingir was built.

Shirabe did not respond to Maria's words, nor did she pay her nor the doctor any mind as they stepped back. The girl with the bobbing black twintails and eyes the colour of pomegranate seeds stepped towards the giant wall that was Kadingir's exterior and placed her hand upon it. With a sharp inhale, she felt the tingle of pain pulse through her skull again, and Shirabe began singing.

*Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal

Emustolronzen Finé el balal zizzl

Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal

Emustolronzen Finé el zizzl*

As the final word exited her mouth, Shirabe felt her body explode. Blood rushed up from her heart, and she vomited out the red liquid like a geyser would pump out water. She felt her eyes watering, though she was sure that they were dripping blood, not tears. Her entire soul was being torn asunder by the Superb Song, and it was simply too much for her. She lost consciousness just as Maria's arms encircled her.

. . .

Outside, Chris cursed as she tried to fire upon Nephilim, who continued rushing around the field at a high speed. It bounced off the ground with its eyes set on the girl carrying crossbows, but Tsubasa leapt in front of the beast to protect her friend, using Ame no Habakiri's blade to block its attack at the last second. At the same time, the monstrous Kanade, still lost to the shadows that consumed her form, seemed somewhat aware that her fellow Symphogear wielders shared her goal of defeating Nephilim and tackled the beast from the side, sending it rolling away from the two other girls.

"This is absurd! What is that thing?" Chris asked as she lowered her firearms. She refused to fire at the beast as it struggled under Kanade's might in fear of accidentally hitting the latter.

"Is it possibly a relic?" Tsubasa wondered aloud.

"That thing? A relic?" She screamed. "Are you insane?"

"Think about it. This creature is clearly not Noise, yet it resonates with our Symphogears in the same way. Our songs can connect with certain relics, so it would stand to reason that this thing must either be a relic or the result of one."

"What kind of nonsense are you spouting? Relics aren't usually alive, you know!"

"There are still many things about these treasures that we don't know, Yukine. The vault Sector Two used to have had many relics that we never managed to activate. Take Gjallarhorn for example–"

"Now's not the time for this." Chris shook her head. Kanade and Nephilim were of equal strength, and spiralled across the ground as they used their power to push each other around. The two were locked in an eternal draw. "We need to do something about these monsters before something else happens."

As if Chris's line was the cue for it to happen, Kadingir suddenly exploded in light. It was not the same light as when it had been active all those months ago, no; instead it lit up in a red glow, one that Nephilim suddenly shared. The beast looked at the structure and threw Kanade off itself as it suddenly lost interest in their scuffle.

"Or maybe that something else could be useful." Chris said in bewilderment at the scene that had just played out. "Now we just have to deal with orange... and Kadingir, again, I guess."

The red Kadingir was like a siren that blared through the clearing, engulfing the world around it in a fiery glow. Slowly, this red glow began to soften and then turn to a sparkling silver.

"Girls!" Chris and Tsubasa turned in surprise as a new figure approached them–Genjuro Kazanari. "This is not looking good."

"What are you doing out of HQ, old man? Don't you know what you're doing?" Chris screamed as the lion-like beast of a man approached them with a scowl.

"Yes. What I'm here to do is deal with Kanade. I want you two to figure out what activated Kadingir. Get down into the old base, pronto."

"Wait what do you mean you're going to deal with Kanade? She's..." Chris was flustered, waving her arms about in shock at the nonchalant way Genjuro explained that he would handle the situation, but Tsubasa smiled.

"I'm sorry, unc–boss." Tsubasa bowed her head in apology before turning to Chris. She was about to continue before a light shot out of Kadingir's barrel–a white light so beautiful that even the uncontrollable Kanade was lulled into a peaceful state by its light.

 . . .

Maria had been the one to activate Kadingir after it resonated with Shirabe's song. With the small, bleeding girl cradled in her arms like a cat–Shul Shagana having deactivated itself–Maria sang a song so calming that even the unconscious Shirabe cracked a smile.

*Ringo wa ukanda osora ni…

Ringo wa okkochita jibeta ni…

Hoshi ga umarete uta ga umarete

Ruru ameru wa waratta tokoshie to

Hoshi ga kisu shite uta ga nemutte

Kaeru toko wa doko deshō…?

Kaeru toko wa doko deshō…?

Ringo wa okkochita jibeta ni…

Ringo wa ukanda osora ni…*

In front of her, she had her eyes locked onthe red jewel that was her sister's Symphogear–Airgetlám. Maria had never once activated the Symphogear herself, and yet it still resonated with her whenever she had sung this song. Even now, as Airgetlám sat pressed into a diamond-shaped hole in Kadingir's impenetrable shell, the small device glowed a heavenly white that soon encapsulated the cannon's entire shell.

"Excellent, just as planned." Maria heard Nastassja's voice in her ear as she stared at the glowing beast in front of her. "Just as Finé had said it would–Kadingir is now resonating with all presence of the Custodians left on Earth."

The Custodians–the ancient extra-dimensional race of beings that created humanity. They had been the gods to the precursors of civilizations both modern and ancient–the peaceful land that was home to the Lulu Amel. And yet these same 'gods' that had been worshipped were the ones that placed the Curse of Babel upon humanity's heart, forcing them into a catastrophic cycle of war as they lost the ability to truly understand one another. Maria unconsciously scowled at the mention of their name in her ear, but calm soon replaced it as she stared into the glow that radiated in front of her.

"Maria, that's good. We've pinpointed the location of Frontier." Nastassja reported, giving Maria the okay to remove Airgetlám. She carefully did so, not wanting to drop Shirabe, and turned to the doctor who should have been behind her, only to see his back as he exited the room. "Report back. We're leaving."

. . .

At Sector Two's headquarters, Aoi Tomosato clutched her head. With Ryoko no longer with them and Genjuro MIA, command thus fell to the next most-qualified member of the team: her. But, just her luck, this meant she had to deal with any official calls that came through for them–and she stood staring now at the sight of Kadingir aglow on her screen. Fujitaka clicked away beside her.

"I've got a lock on the signal that Kadingir is resonating with." Fujitaka sighed. "Whatever this thing is... talking to, I guess? It's out in the middle of the ocean."

"I can't believe chief made the right call when he made this our new headquarters." She was dumbstruck. Genjuro watched a lot of action films, and the excitement he felt from them was what compelled the chief of Sector Two to splurge–with his own money–for the unconventional headquarters she now stood in.

Sector Two's second base of operations was not a building, as had Hibiki Tachibana been led to believe. No, it was a high-tech submersible akin to a strange cross between a WW2 aircraft carrier and a submarine–Tomosato was amazed that it could float, let alone move through the water.

"Guess we should have believed him when he said he had a 'gut feeling' that we would need it." Fujitaka shook his head. When Genjuro had revealed to the team that their new headquarters was a submarine, both Tomosato and Fujitaka had been appalled and berated him for the decision; Chris Yukine joined in, as well, as she believed him to be just as much an idiot as he appeared to be. And yet now their boss's purchase seemed to be the one thing allowing them to keep up with F.I.S. and their still-unknown plans.

With gentle, yet quick, taps, Tomosato radioed Chris. "Yukine, are you there?" She asked. When she got a curt reply, Tomosato continued. "Kadingir's resonating with an unidentified object in the ocean. We're going to need you all to subdue Kanade and return to base ASAP."

"Oh yeah, about that." Chris sounded a bit dumbstruck herself as she spoke. "Genjuro managed to do that all himself."

Chris had not believed her eyes–the 'battle' between Genjuro and the animalistic beast that used to be Kanade was over before it had even begun. The giant man in the red button-up shirt suddenly disappeared from his spot next to Tsubasa and Chris and, in the next moment, was colliding fists with Kanade. The two had exchanged blows with movements faster than Chris's eyes could even track. With one successful blow, Genjuro completely launched the darkness off Kanade's body, and the idol collapsed under the stress. Chris shook her head just recalling the chain of events, and a thought escaped her lips. "Is that numbskull even human?"

"Probably not." Was the resounding answer Chris got from all directions–both Tomosato and Fujitaka on the other end of her headset and Tsubasa from her side. Chris could not believe her eyes. He was incredibly powerful, far stronger than any other normal human (read: non-Symphogear wielder) that Chris had ever seen; and she had lived with a priestess that could generate alchemical shields, infect others with her consciousness, and resurrect herself through her descendants.

Now, Genjuro stood with Kanade in his hands. She had fallen unconscious, her orange hair dirtied in such a way that made it look more like the smouldering embers trying to stay alive on burnt logs. He smiled as he looked to Tsubasa and the dumbstruck Chris. "Alright, let's get a move on."

"Hold on." Chris remembered. In the distance, she saw the small, shivering frame of Kirika Akatsuki hugging herself on the ground–Tsubasa nor Genjuro seemed to notice it, and only recognized the figure as Chris deactivated Ichaival and began to run over to her.

"Uhh... geez, I'm not good at this kind of stuff." Chris stuttered with a blush as she approached Kirika. The girl was sobbing and her red eyes looked up to Chris as she began to talk. Inside those reddened eyes, she saw a mix of emotions–confusion, sadness, anger... a stew of feelings that Chris was very familiar with. She bent over and reached out her hand.

"Listen, I know we're supposed to be enemies and all but... you said you're Finé, right?" Kirika was unsure how to respond to that, and both shook her head and nodded simultaneously. "I'm going to assume that's a yes. Finé saved me once, so I feel as though I have to do my part and give back to her by doing the same."

"But I don't want to become Finé..." Kirika finally spoke up, albeit only with a sad moan. Chris smiled as she realized that Kirika was just like she had once been; though Chris had not had the same help back then as she was offering now.

"Come with us. We've got people who can make sure you don't."

Chris went to grab Kirika's hand forcefully, but Finé's pink wall of Asgard blocked her. She clicked her tongue as her knuckles bounced against the alchemical barrier, but it was weak; like a frail pane of glass, Asgard shattered under her touch and Kirika shuddered as it did so. "Alright. I, personally, will make sure that witch doesn't corrupt you. She's already stolen away the friend of this idiot I know, and I'll be sure to protect you so that those close to you don't have to suffer in the same way."

Kirika let go of her own body and laid limp on the ground. "I... I don't want to become Finé, but I don't want Maria or Shirabe to either."

Chris patted the girl's muddy hair, and this time Asgard did not appear. "You're a good kid." Making sure Asgard wouldn't appear again, Chris bent over fully and scooped Kirika off the ground. The lost little puppy in her arms shivered a bit, but Chris couldn't help but feel a strange warmth in her heart.

"Was this how he felt when he reached out to me?" She wondered aloud, and slowly began walking back towards the two members of the Kazanari family with the sound of Kirika's tears finally dissipating into snores.

#### G Chapter 8

*Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.*

The sound had ingrained itself within Maria's mind, yet she had only been sitting in the room for ten minutes. The grey walls of their small infirmary rarely saw company–and when it did, the only one whose eyes laid upon them tended to be Nastassja and Ver–but now they housed far more colourful characters.

Maria's eyes were glued to Shirabe, who was almost deathly still–if not for the shallow rise and fall of her chest, most people would have believed her to be a corpse. The oxygen mask on her face and the bandages that wrapped most of Shirabe's body made her look more like a medical diorama than a living being, a thought that caused Maria's chest to tighten as she clutched her friend's hand.

Kirika was missing, presumably captured by their enemies; Ver had disappeared into the depths of the ship to engage in his own work, though Maria had no idea what that doctor was planning; and Nastassja was piloting the ship–which was currently cloaked using the heretical technology they reverse-engineered from the Shénshòujìng relic. For the first time since she had placed Shirabe down on the bed and tried to aid her in recovering from the blowback of the Superb Song, Maria glanced to the other side of the room–at Nephilim. Dr. Ver suggested that Nephilim had resonated with Shirabe's Superb Song, and the beast has since refused to leave her side. It sat on the ground next to Shirabe's bed, up at attention like a dog waiting for its master as it guarded its post.

"We declared war on the world in order to unite the world against us. But we can't even fight a group of girls from Japan on equal footing." Despair gripped Maria's heart as she whispered to herself, and the idol sensed Nephilim turn to her as the words escaped past her lips. "I know we're supposed to be doing the right thing, but it just feels like we're villains running around with no plan."

Extremely weakly, Maria felt a light pressure around her hand and looked down at Shirabe. The girl's lips moved slightly but no words fell out–even if she had made any noise, Maria knew they would be drowned out by the infernal beeping that repeated every few seconds. Maria felt herself tear up as she clutched Shirabe's hand tighter. "I'm so, so sorry."

. . .

Dr. Ver laughed maniacally as he took a small blowtorch to a small silver device on his desk. When he had first agreed to work with Nastassja, he had several stipulations in exchange for both his knowledge of relics and medical expertise. In addition to placing collars around the two girls to ensure they do not betray the group, Ver required Nastassja hand over a copy of all data she had stolen from the official F.I.S. and allow him to continue his precious research.

The other stipulations really were more an attempt to hold power over the group–he truly did not care to use the explosives placed in the collars Shirabe and Kirika wore, nor was the research data particularly useful to him. But his research, his beloved research, was what he cared about most.

He dreamed of being a hero, but he needed songs to complete it. The songs generated by the Symphogears had proven strong enough to awaken Nephilim–Dr. Ver's expectations had been completely shattered by that act alone. For their songs to be strong enough to successfully resonate with Kadingir, to locate the tools he required to be humanity's saviour–they were sure to hold the strength to unlock that which bound his experiments.

The mere thought of his project succeeding excited Dr. Ver beyond all the borders of his mind. He had proven capable of recreating the theory that Finé had put forth and created several Symphogears. But this was the child's play for Ver–he wanted to surpass Finé, the priestess who embodied the origin of humanity in the modern age, not just match her.

With trembling hands, Ver put down the blowtorch. The small silver device seemed to glow as he held it up in the dim light of the workshop he had cut off from the rest of the airship. It was a replica–a near-perfect copy of the relic he had found hidden away in Sector Two's old headquarters. He knew not how it ended up locked away behind a wall (he assumed such was the work of the cursed woman who once worked there) but he thanked the strings of fate for guiding him to it. Ver smiled at the small silver object, but his eyes focused more on what sat past him.

"I truly must be the chosen one." He giggled, remembering that his work had only managed to get to this point through pure chance. Luck was not an aspect of science, and as a doctor he should not have believed in it, but he knew some divine manipulation had allowed all of the pieces to fall into place perfectly.

But he now had two of these small devices. Though one was the original–a device created by the Lulu Amel and only existing in the modern era through myths and legends–Ver believed the replica he had created lacked any flaws. It was truly perfect. There was but one major problem, one that he was about to rectify.

"Maria Cadenzavna Eve." Ver muttered, drawing the famous idol's visage in his mind. "While you may not be the Finé I long to surpass, you may still be of some use to me."

He placed the two identical objects down on the desk in front of him and turned off the light that hung above them. Draped in the cloak of darkness, none could see the look in his eyes that would have burned even the devil's heart. The man placed his hand on the handle to the door with a touch hotter than the Earth's very core.

Pushing down on the small piece of metal, he slicked his wicked white hair back into a neat push and readjusted his glasses.

. . .

Three girls now laid in the infirmary: Kirika Akatsuki slept on the bed, her body twitching at random intervals as unconscious emotions surfaced; Kanade Amou was unconscious with her eyepatch removed, blood caked to her cheeks as she slept surprising peacefully; and Hibiki Tachibana rested now silent and still, though orange crystals still peppered her skin. Chris Yukine and Tsubasa Kazanari looked at the three girls from afar as they sat, otherwise alone, in the pure white medical lab.

"You look exhausted." Chris noted as she looked at Tsubasa's face. 'Exhausted' was an understatement; Tsubasa's ponytail had–at some point–come undone and black rings draped her reddened eyes. Her skin was somewhat pale as Tsubasa's body shook slightly. "You need to get some rest."

"You're one to talk." Tsubasa chuckled. As she looked at Chris she believed that she was looking into a mirror. Chris's hair was similarly undone, and her face sick from fatigue. The two girls looked like zombies and, despite the circumstances, both smiled. They were so tired, their bodies and minds felt disconnected, and they couldn't control their emotions. They should have been angry or sad or worried–they had hundreds of reasons why–but both just sighed; despite the chaos and the several girls in pain only a short distance away, this was a very brief moment of respite.

Chris leaned her head on Tsubasa's shoulder. "I am so tired." She muttered, but Tsubasa did not respond. When Chris looked up at her friend, she found that Tsubasa was silently snoring as she finally succame to the hands of the Sandman that groped for her mind. Chris chuckled to herself and moments later she too joined the others within the abyss of sleep.

. . .

Sector Two's submarine headquarters cut through the water like a knife through warm butter. They could not find any trace of F.I.S. as they made their way towards the area that Kadingir had pin-pointed. Tomosato, Fujitaka, and a grumbling Genjuro–who had just been (begrudgingly) lectured by the National Security Specialist, and his own brother, through a video call about his and Kanade's actions–all stood looking at the screen that displayed the world around them. Their sensors picked up absolutely nothing; they had no idea what they were racing towards.

And they had no idea that F.I.S. hovered in the sky not too far away from them. Nastassja knew what their destination was, but she had no idea whether their plan could be successful. They were hoping that the Custodian's work could still be activated; it had been thousands of years, so no one truly knew if age had eroded its functions. She coughed as she stared at the horizon and caught a dash of blood that flew from her mouth.

Six years ago, Serena Cadenzavna Eve had been killed during the first attempt to activate Nephilim. They had been successful in doing so and it flew into a rampage; Serena sacrificed herself in order to put it back into its slumber. Many scientists had been killed in the event, and Nastassja has since suffered as a result of the injuries she sustained back then. Internal bleeding, one eye had to have been removed from her head during surgery, and so much shrapnel embedded within her that she could still feel the tickle of these shards in her muscles.

Nastassja knew she was going to die soon. Her last act on Earth would be to free her successors from the shackles of the Curse of Balal: this was what she desired more than anything. Her eyes looked to the sky in the horizon as she thought of the faces of the remaining girls whose lives she had helped ruin. F.I.S. had done so much harm in the name of good and Nastassja had regrets; her one dream was a selfless one, for the sake of Shirabe Tsukuyomi and Maria Cadenzavna Eve.

As for Kirika Akatsuki, Nastassja had to make good on her promise–as much as she did not want to. With a shaking hand, Nastassja Sergeyevna Tolstaya pressed a small button on the dashboard in front of her as she said a silent prayer for the final life she was about to steal away–and the only one which had no virtuous backing for it.

#### G Chapter 9

Kirika shifted through the images that appeared to her as she slept–some were familiar, filled with the faces of Shirabe and Maria, while others featured locations and people she had never before laid eyes upon. Kirika gazed at this collage of fantasies that spread forever throughout the dark void that was her unconscious mind as she flew past them.

Lands that seemed like fantasies to Kirika and modern cities she had never before visited were among the many locales she passed through as she flew towards her unknown goal. She recognized a giant statue of Buddha among these pictures–the Shōwa Daibutsu–and briefly stopped to admire its marvel. It was smaller than Kadingir, but she saw the cannon as nothing more than a weapon; the Shōwa Daibutsu was a work of art that stole her breath away, even if she had never seen it before in person.

But after a short pause, she continued on her trek. Kirika flew away from the Buddha and towards a memory–this one distinctly her own. The young Symphogear wielder saw a sterile white room with a gaggle of children–perhaps twenty or so at this point–all loitering about, but none seemed happy. Among the crowd were white-wrapped scientists who followed a golden woman like they were her lost chicks, and all eyes in the room–and the eyes of both Kirikas, past and present–were glued to her. The shining yellow shell of hair that wrapped her body, the porcelain skin, and the expensive black attire she wore–all of this contrasted the chrome room she strolled through in a way that told everyone that she was the focal point. Indeed she was, as she was a woman every single person, including the kids, were highly aware of.

Her name was Finé.

"I do remember you from back then." A voice resounded next to the Kirika of the present, but it did not shock her; she had seen the figure materialize next to her. "I found you to be quite an interesting young child–it was quite fortunate for fate to grant me this chance to learn more about you."

Floating beside Kirika was the ghostly figure of the same woman she watched in her memory. The spectral figure to her right wore a revealing white dress that arched up into a hood that covered her forehead, with golden jewellery that sparkled across her neck; this image, Kirika knew, was far more befitting the 'eternal priestess' role she held than that of the Hollywood actresses she appeared to be mimicking in her memory. Kirika, however, only spared the ghost an impatient glance before returning her gaze to the memory, but spoke to her nonetheless. "Do you wish to take over my soul, too?"

The image of Finé smiled. "No. Before I lost... no, treating her like an object is disrespectful. The girl who was Miku Kohinata, she taught me a great many things–both through the words she spoke to me and the memories I saw." Both the present-day Kirika and Finé watched the priestess in the memory gently bend down and say something to a young girl, who silently nodded in response. "I see now that my approach may not have been as virtuous as I believed them to be."

"I thought your last vessel was some doctor named Sakurai." Kirika raised her eyebrow. "Or have you gone mad after all of these years?"

The Finé of the past may have taken it as an insult, but her present day counterpart let out a small chuckle at the thought. "Kohinata, I tried to force my self upon her, yet her will was too strong, and she managed to match my strength." The spectre floated in front of Kirika, blocking her view of the memory that was screened before her. "I believe you, too, may have the necessary mental fortitude to block me from completely usurping your conscious, not that I particularly care to."

"So you're letting me remain... me?" Kirika was confused. The scientists–and Finé herself–had explained to all of the Receptor Children that carrying the priestess's soul was an honour, and they would be mad to not want to give up their beings for her; and most of the Receptor Children probably would have believed that. Kirika, too, may have once lacked any objections to having Finé push her consciousness to the side, but now she was different–now she had a family. She cherished that family more than she cherished herself, and yet Kirika's place in that family was one she did not want to give up.

Hearing that Finé planned to allow Kirika to remain herself–even if the idea was one with no substantial basis–caused her eyes to regain the light they had lost. The young girl stared into the eyes of the everlasting woman who now shared her body and mind, and watched as she nodded. Finé placed her hand upon Kirika's chest. "I wish to aid you, Kirika Akatsuki. I shall grant you the power of Asgard and access to my wisdom, as thanks for allowing me to remain in your soul. Until your body should crumble to ash, the two of us will be as one."

The idea of having a second person living within her scared Kirika, but the thought of her body being usurped by this invader scared her more. She smiled as she thought about the idea Finé had just put forth: not only would Kirika Akatsuki remain Kirika Akatsuki, but Finé would essentially gift her all that she had. It was a complete win for her–but she knew it couldn't be as good as it seemed.

"You thought correct." Finé's voice was sad as she slid a short distance away from Kirika, who recoiled as the priestess seemed to read her mind. "As I said, I do not intend to take over your body at this time. Granting you my knowledge and memories, however, may prove to be as harmful to your mental state as they would be useful to you in the future. There are some things I've seen that no human should ever have to see."

"So you're basically placing your own curse onto me." Kirika narrowed her eyes before hissing one more word: "Death."

"It is a necessary burden to carry should you desire the power of Asgard. I have been able to protect you from within thus far but, as our souls are currently separate, I lack the strength to continue doing so for long."

Kirika could not disregard the power of Asgard. She had seen it protect her now several times; the barrier seemed completely impenetrable–with it, no one would ever be able to call Kirika useless again. But to continue making use of it, she needed to put a strain on her mind that no human should ever bear. The girl with the short hair frowned just as Finé's calm expression changed.

"Something is wrong." Finé sensed, and every hair on the mental image of Kirika's body stood on end–she felt it too. Finé closed her eyes for just a moment, and both figures sensed something horrible about to happen; Kirika did not know how this premonition was coming to her, but it was likely related to the woman in front of her.

Finé had momentarily offered Kirika a choice–gain the power of Asgard or not–but now that choice had been made for the two of them. The eternal priestess apologized as she thrust her hand into Kirika's chest–her fingers literally diving through the girl's skin like it was the glistening surface of a calm lake. As Finé's hand reached around Kirika's heart, a sharp pain erupted through her entire body as the entirety of human history forced its way into her soul. She cried out silently as her main began to collapse under the weight of several thousand years of lives.

"Kirika Akatsuki, I promise that I will do everything in my power to keep your soul intact. Until your body fails from natural causes, you must believe in me."

Kirika awoke from a yelp that sliced through the room like a sword. It took her a few moments to gain her composure as the world spun around her. As if it were being crushed by a hydraulic press, her brain cried out in pain from the new weight that was foisted upon it, and Kirika winced as she slowly sat up.

Propping herself up with a kick of her feet, Kirika met the shocked and confused eyes of Chris Yukine. "So you really are my... Finé." Kirika did not understand Chris's words until she followed the line drawn by the white-haired girl's pupils.

What she saw was something she did not fully understand, at least not at first. Kirika seemed to wear Asgard like a necklace, but within the pink barrier floated chunks of steel shrapnel. It took several moments, but Kirika realized what had happened. "Dr. Ver activated it, death." She hissed through her teeth like a snake. "I'm going to kill him if he did anything to Shirabe."

"Keep it down." Moaned Kanade, who laid groggy on another bed. She flopped from her back onto her side. "I'm trying to sleep."

"You guys have been asleep for hours." A new voice chimed in–one that Kirika had not heard before. It belonged to a girl with dark blonde hair pressed in by a white headband. "They were worried that you weren't going to wake up in time."

"Not that we can talk." Kuriyo Ando said from beside her. "We slept for a long time, too."

"You have to see this!" Yumi Itaba shouted as she leapt up into the air. A giant smile was plastered on her face and her eyes were literally sparkling. Yumi's excitement was contagious–even Kanade rolled to face the girls in the entrance at her cry. "Even Hibiki managed to muster the strength for this!"

At the mention of Hibiki's name, Chris, Kanade, and Tsubasa all turned to look at the now-empty bed in the centre of the room. As they said, Hibiki was missing from it; belts that held her arms and legs down were strewn about the ground around the bed. "We must have been out." Tsubasa shook her head, the realization that they had fallen asleep at a crucial moment.

None of the girls even seemed to pay much attention to Kirika, beyond Chris's initial reaction anyway. The small girl watched as Yumi, Shiori, and Kuriyo led Kanade and Tsubasa out of the room, but Chris remained behind. She looked down, almost as if embarrassed by Kirika's curious gaze. "Hey." She said quietly. "I... We'll talk later."

As Chris ran out of the room after her friends, Kirika reached up to touch Asgard, which still encircled her neck, only to realize that she had been restrained. Her legs were free–she could walk around–but her Symphogear pendant was missing and her hands were encased in an iron block. "I suppose it'd make sense they would treat me as an enemy, death." Kirika sighed.

Flopping her legs over the side of the bed, Kirika pushed off the platform. She did not expect a chill to rise up her legs as they brushed the frame, and the involuntary shudder her body made caused her to nearly fall back into the bed. Kirika did not have the mental fortitude to try again, so she just crashed her back down onto the soft surface and stared at the ceiling glowing with lights. "Chris Yukine." Kirika recalled the name of the girl who had just run out of the room in a hurry. She had learned it from the records they managed to acquire from F.I.S.–who in turn had stolen from Sector Two–but now the name held a different weight.

Kirika barely knew Chris Yukine. The two had technically never had a conversation–though Chris had spoken to her–and yet Kirika felt a strange kinship with her. She knew why, of course: Finé. The memories the priestess bestowed upon her showed Kirika all of the pain that she had put Chris through. Physical, mental, and sexual tortures–Chris Yukine had seen it all, and yet she stood strong as one of the members of Sector Two. "And I can't even get out of bed." Kirika said to herself, realizing just how pathetic she could be.

"No." Kirika blinked. She threw away the pathetic coat that she had been wearing up until now as Finé's memories flooded into her mind. Hundreds, thousands of years worth of failures compounded upon Kirika's heart, and yet the young girl recalled the way Finé had been acting in her mind–she was happy. Finé had found strength through her missteps. Her greatest failures–namely trying to take command of Miku Kohinata and trying to destroy the moon–both caused her heart to change.

The Finé that Kirika had witnessed in her memory wore a fake smile akin to that which Kirika was intimately familiar with, but the priestess's eyes were cold. She cared for the concept of humanity rather than other humans; everywhere her eyes turned, Finé always looked downwards.

And yet, the new Finé seemed different. Kirika had seen the priestess flutter directly in front of her and met the woman's eyes. No longer did she seem to view others as tools in her goal of reuniting with god–Finé wanted to undo the Curse of Balal that bound everyone by working with them as equals.

With newfound determination, Kirika threw herself off of the bed and onto her feet. From the memories she was gifted, Kirika now had knowledge that would help others. And, more importantly, a grudge she needed to settle for the sake of someone she had never–and will never–meet.

Kirika Akatsuki, with one emerald green eye and one eye that sparkled like an ancient golden treasure, finally marched towards the exit that led into the grey hallway beyond.

Chris held her face as she leaned against the wall right outside of the room. Her brain had overloaded; she had so many things she wanted to say to Finé but could not find the words to do so. Panic gripped her heart as she heard footsteps from within the room echoing towards her as she fumbled for what to say to the girl who would show herself in seconds.

But she didn't come. Instead, Chris heard the girl speak to herself. "Oh right, I need to do something about this." Kirika's voice seemed confused, almost as though she were a doctor performing an experiment, the results of which would be a surprise to everyone. A moment later Chris understood why as the sounds of metal colliding on metal–that is, the shrapnel of the detonated collar she wore colliding with the cold ground beneath Kirika's feet–reverberated into the hallway. "That's better, death."

Taking that as her cue to reveal herself, an anxious leapt out into the entryway, causing Kirika to flail backwards in shock and confusion at the girl's sudden appearance. But Chris paid her reaction no mind, and instead just pointed at Kirika's heart. "If you are Finé, then I have some words to say to–"

The words caught in Chris's throat as she watched Kirika do something she would have never expected Finé to do: she bowed at the waist, at almost a perfect ninety-degree angle. "Yukine! On behalf of Finé, I want to apologize to you."

Chris was frozen at the sight, but Kirika continued as she turned her gaze up while retaining her bent pose. "Finé granted me her memories, death." Straightening her back, Kirika looked at her hands. "It feels like I did everything that she did, and it makes me sick to think that a part of me put you through worse than what I suffered through."

Still, Chris didn't speak. The most shocking part of this was not the apology coming out of Kirika's–Finé's–mouth but the tears that leaked from the girl's heterochromatic eyes as she profusely apologized. Kirika turned her head at Chris's stone gaze and wiped away her tears. "It's terrible. I can feel all of the joy that Finé felt while manipulating your heart. I hope you can forgive me, death!"

Chris clutched the palm of her hand tight. She had wanted answers from Finé, but this was not what she was expecting to happen. As Chris's own vision began to blur, with one hand she wiped her eyes and stuck her other out, ready for a handshake. "They said your name was Akatsuki, right? You don't need to apologize to me. But if you share Finé's feelings then... I'll forgive her."

Kirika slowly took Chris's hand with her own trembling fingers locked in handcuffs, and the two girls' embrace bounced up and down once before breaking apart. "That said." Chris started, still wiping fresh tears from her eyes just as Kirika was doing the same across from her. "I still want answers from Finé."

"I don't know how much I can be of help, but you can talk to me whenever you want." Kirika realized now what she had said–or rather, to whom she spoke.

She was in enemy territory. Shirabe and Maria were nowhere to be seen; she was surrounded only by strangers that only half of her were familiar with. Perhaps it was because Kirika had unconsciously begun to sort through Finé's memories that she did not find it weird to be among Sector Two, but now, thinking about it from the perspective of Kirika Akatsuki, she panicked. "Wait! I'm supposed to be fighting against you guys, death!"

Chris laughed. "You're only realizing that now? You might be as big an idiot as she is, after all."

"Well. I don't mind working with you, Yukine. As a way to atone for what Finé did..."

"Like I said, you don't have to worry about doing anything!" Chris patted Kirika on the shoulder as she spoke, and gave her new friend a little shove. "Come on, the others are going to need help from you. Both of you."

Kirika felt her consciousness be flooded for just a short moment as she closed her eyes. She spoke a few words in a voice both her own yet in a tone unfamiliar to herself; they were Finé's thoughts. "You've changed for the better, Yukine, and I couldn't be more proud."

Chris froze up at the comment for just a second and spun to look at Kirika's face with a mix of hope and fear twisting in her heart, but as the smaller girl opened her eyes the wielder of Ichaival saw not the calculating eyes of Finé but instead the confused–and slightly scared–ones of Kirika Akatsuki. "I... um." Kirika stuttered, not completely realizing what had just happened to her own body. She wanted to move past it, forget it ever happened, and leapt forwards a few steps. "Let's go, death!"

. . .

Maria stood behind Nastassja in the bridge of their airship, and Dr. Ver stood close beside her. The three looked out over the sea, at the marvellous structure that Nastassja had managed to lift from beneath the sea with the Shénshòujìng relic that sat in the dashboard of the craft. "So, that is Frontier."

In Japanese mythology, Torinoiwakusufune no Kami–or Ame no Torifune–was the god of ship and transportation, but more prominently the name referred to a vessel that carried the gods across the universe. In reality, the legend about the flying barge was entirely true: it belonged to the vessel that carried the ancient Custodians to Earth. None would have ever imagined that this mythical relic actually resided on Earth, yet Finé knew otherwise. This was Frontier–a codename that the eternal priestess had used for the relic.

Frontier was technically a spacecraft from another dimension, yet you would not be looked down upon should you think otherwise. The alien device looked more like an island; in fact, with its hills of green and brown, it likely harmoniously mingled with the scenery of Earth in an ancient era. The most alien thing about Frontier–other than the fact that it floated above the blue surface beneath it–was the giant stone structure that extended into the sky.

The Custodian's eye, as Maria had imagined it. It was almost an antenna of sorts, the artistic display that pierced the heavens like a spear. The antenna split in two at one point and rejoined at another to create a circle in which a small orb seemed to float despite being connected to the perimeter by two arms of its own. This majestic display was only overshadowed by the large, pointed appendages that surrounded it however, resembling what Maria could only describe as alien wings.

"It's as gaudy as I imagined it would be. No offence intended of course, Finé." Ver cracked his lips into a crescent as he scanned the area in front of them. "Now, it would seem as though we have some guests awaiting us. Shall we have them disposed of?"

They had been tracking Sector Two's movements ever since they left Japan. Unlike F.I.S., the Japanese government's envoys lacked the heretical technology to completely block their signals, and thus doing so was simple enough for Nastassja. With another cough, she turned in her chair and looked to the side to get a better view of the two standing behind her. "Unfortunately, with Tsukuyomi currently bedridden and Nephilim refusing to leave her side, we have no way of entering combat."

The lack of mention when it came to Kirika hurt Maria's heart. Of course, she knew why: she was dead. Nastassja had activated the explosive in her collar, just as the professor had promised Dr. Ver she would. Maria wanted to cry, to express any amount of sadness over another loss, but she couldn't; she was 'Finé' right now. She had to be uncaring and see the world through the eyes of the priestess that Maria had only spoken to on one occasion.

"I'll have you know that I have not been cooped up in my workshop for nothing." Dr. Ver's voice ripped Maria out of her thoughts and back into reality. "I have been working on something, just for such a situation. However, I will require something for the both of you, and some time to prepare, should you wish to make use of it."

"What are you planning, doctor?" Nastassja asked with a hoarse voice and a glare. She seemed to haveno idea of what Ver needed, just the same as Maria.

With a chuckle and a slight adjustment of his glasses, Ver ignored her question. "Give me... let's say less than twenty minutes; likely fifteen or so. Then you'll see."

"I see." With a sigh as she abandoned her search for answers, Nastassja turned back to the dashboard at the front of the craft and readjusted the position of their ship.

Maria watched the eye of Frontier rise to meet them as the ship lifted higher into the air. Still not knowing what was going on, this confusion only intensified as Nastassja spoke into the microphone that was built into the dashboard to allow the captain to communicate with the rest of the ship. "Tsukuyomi, I'm sorry, but we will need your assistance."

. . .

The command room of Sector Two's submarine was filled to capacity with Yumi Itaba, Shiori Terashima, Kuriyo Ando, Tsubasa Kazanari, Kanade Amou, Genjuro Kazanari, Chris Yukine, Kirika Akatsuki, Aoi Tomosato, Sakuya Fujitaka, and, leaning against the wall, Hibiki Tachibana. "Ame no Torifune." Tsubasa muttered as she recalled the legend of the god's ship.

"That thing's a relic!?" Chris shouted in surprise. When she and Kirika–their apparent prisoner–had entered the room, the two barely got a glance; yet this cry turned all eyes towards her. "First we have some weird rock dog thing and now an island? What even are relics!?"

Kirika, who hid slightly behind Chris as to not garner unwanted attention, addressed her, regardless. "Even with Finé's memories, I don't think I can answer that question for you, death."

"I'm sorry, did you just–" Tsubasa turned her gaze to Kirika as what she had said echoed in her brain, but Chris stuck her arm out in front of the small girl. It felt ironic to Chris as she found herself protecting Kirika just as Finé had technically protected her before.

"We have other stuff to worry about first."

"Right. Akatsuki–er, Finé?" Genjuro scratched his head as he tried to figure out how to address the handcuffed girl still cowering behind Chris. It was only for a second that he paused before continuing his question. "What can you tell us about F.I.S. and their plans?"

Kirika tilted her head. "Kirika Akatsuki was not let in on any of F.I.S.'s goals. I was just used as a tool by them because I could make use of Igalima." She looked down, again realizing that her Symphogear had been stolen from her. "Even Finé's memories can not be entirely sure."

She did not know why she was so willing to share with her captors, but Kirika did not even hesitate to assist them. Was it Kirika's desire to prove her worth to others, or was it Finé's warm memories of her time as Ryoko Sakurai–Kirika did not know whose will was stronger in this instance, but spoke regardless. "Ver and Mom–Nastassja–worked with F.I.S. so they likely share Finé's goal of undoing the Curse of Balal. But with the way they're going about it, they might know something about the curse that Finé doesn't."

"So we're still in the dark, huh." Fujitaka sighed.

"But I do know one thing." For the first time since she entered the room, Kirika Akatsuki stepped out from behind Chris; but her eyes were dark. Gone was any trace of the light of life, and no emotion took over her face. In the darker room, everyone was sure that Kirika's eyes glowed like an intense golden fire as she spoke six simple words. "I'm going to kill Dr. Ver."

As the words left her mouth, Kirika looked around in confusion; even she could not believe what she had said as her wide eyes looked at the shocked expressions around her.

The only one who spoke up afterwards was Hibiki, who hobbled up next to her. The girl's face was worn out and pale, almost ironically monotonous as the orange crystals protruding from her skin reflected every bit of light in the room. A tired look filled her eyes, but beneath the clouds of fatigue laid an intense feeling that burned her soul. Hibiki reached for Kirika's collar with a shaking hand, and could barely grasp it tight as she spat angry words into her face. "I would want nothing more than to kill you for what you did to Miku." A similar fire as that which ignited in Kirika's eyes spewed from Hibiki's mouth, but it was only for a brief moment. The next, the girl let her fist fall away from Kirika's dark shirt as she hung her head limply. "But none of us ever get what we want."

Silence suffocated everyone else present. Hibiki's eyes registered only the girl in front of her, the one who had killed Miku; and to Kirika, only the girl she thought had died looked back. They simply stared at each other until one of the many computers made a noise.

"Report: we have located F.I.S.'s craft. They're... right above us?" Tomosato reported in confusion.

"Why would they reveal themselves now?" Genjuro asked the room–mainly Kirika, albeit indirectly.

"Now that they've activated that relic, perhaps they need to reveal themselves in order to use it as they want." Fujitaka speculated, but something popped up on his monitor immediately to ruin his idea. "Never mind–a new signal is approaching us. And fast!"

"Is it that rock dog again?" Chris asked.

"If it is, I'm going to take it down this time." Kanade punched her open palm.

"Not a chance." Genjuro shot it down immediately as Tsubasa began to recount the hypothesis she had heard third-hand from Chris Yukine–that Gungnir is resonating with Hibiki whenever Kanade uses it, and the reason why her body is slowly being destroyed. The others in the room all watched as Kanade's expression darkened with each word, and she simply exited the room as Tsubasa backed away. "Apologies, Kanade." The boss muttered before the door closed, and he saw Kanade pause for a second before continuing on her sombre march.

"We don't have time for this!" Tsubasa yelled, following after Kanade through the door; though she did not echo the path that Kanade took, instead taking a sharp turn and jumping up a ladder as she began to sing.

*Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri tron*

. . .

Shirabe stood now next to Maria on the roof of their aircraft, looking down on the submarine that pushed out of the water like a small stone. Nephilim was flailing its arms as it flew like a meteorite towards the submersible, a low growl echoing even over the sound of the vehicle's propulsion system. "How terrifying." Shirabe said in a complete deadpan.

Shirabe's gaze was distant, her face frozen in a strangely horrifying calm–but Maria didn't blame her. She had almost died–even now Shirabe was only on her feet thanks to Maria literally lending her a shoulder to lean on–and she had been told that one of the very few people in her life who actually cared for her had been killed by their so-called 'Mother.' Maria could feel the girl tremble lightly; she felt frail, like a centuries-old doll that could crumble apart at any moment, and the thought brought a tear to her eye.

Due to the power of Shirabe's Superb Song resonating with Nephilim, the beast now only responded to her commands; and seemingly did so even if she did not have Shul Shagana activated. As Shirabe had said earlier, the beast was terrifying in every sense of the word, and yet, whenever it stood next to the girl with black twintails, it now sat docile. Maria had seen the Nephilim's insatiable hunger and the chaos that erupted from it, so seeing it be completely obedient–and to a small girl of barely fifteen years old–truly did send a slight chill down her spine. "Truly terrifying." She echoed.

The Nephilim collided with the submarine. Though the two could not see the action from their perch, they knew that Nephilim had been countered. The beast bounced back into the air for a moment as a blue flash of light seemed to pass right through its body.

"Maria." Shirabe let herself fall limp as Maria's hold grew stronger. "I don't want to be a villain any more."

The former idol could not summon any words to respond with. Instead, she just brushed a stray strand of hair out of Shirabe's face as she looked up at her with scared eyes. The mental toll of declaring war on the world–and then not only going through with it by constantly doing battle against opponents with weapons straight out of legends, but also losing a beloved comrade along the way–would destroy anyone's mental state, let alone that of a child. Maria began to cry as she realized that face.

Shirabe was just a child.

Kirika had been just a child.

The two should have been going to school, singing karaoke, and studying with friends. Maria wanted normal lives for them–she wished she could turn back time to save Kirika and give them the chance to be your average fifteen year-olds. Yet, she also realized, if they had lived normal lives, the two would likely never have even met nor managed to develop such a close bond. It was a paradox; Maria wanted Shirabe and Kirika to be normal girls together, but if they had been normal then they couldn't be together.

The weight of the thoughts she had crushed Maria. "You're crying." Shirabe pointed out, now mimicking the older girl's action by brushing away a strand of hair that stuck to her tear-stained face. What Shirabe had not mentioned was that she, too, had begun to cry as well.

Even though a battle raged on below the two girls (that they should have been monitoring), Shirabe and Maria stood surrounded by peace as they let their calamitous emotions take over.

Below the two girls who lorded above the submarine, Tsubasa clenched her teeth in-between lyrics as she reflected the Nephilim's charge once more. She could not unleash the full potential of Ame no Habakiri if they continued to fight on the submarine carrying the rest of Sector Two so she was taking care to make sure neither she nor Nephilim damaged the hull. So far she had managed to prevent any damages beyond slight dents, but Tsubasa knew that this was likely not going to remain the case for too much longer. Unfortunately, the closest landmass was Frontier–which was floating high above the water.

*Dakishimete… kono tsumi wo…

Ryōte surinukete yuku puromisu

Onegai my star… dōka ima…

Tabidatsu tsubasa no kaze wo ah kanadete*

Tsubasa tried to look around her surroundings as she fought, but as she feared there was nowhere she could take the battle beyond Frontier. While singing, Tsubasa frowned.

"Head's up!" A voice cut through the air, attracting the attention of both Tsubasa and Nephilim. With a very quick glance, she saw Chris, Ichaival's missile launchers at the ready, in an odd crouch; as the launchers came out at a downwards angle, her crouch had to angled to account for this and yet not in such a way that she would lose balance. Tsubasa was afraid that Chris had not taken into account the fact that they held the safety of the people below her in mind, but the calculating look on her face told Tsubasa otherwise.

Just as the single missile ejected from Chris's missile launcher–Tsubasa had expected far more–the blue girl used Ame no Habakiri's enhanced mobility to bounce back a great distance. She did not expect this missile to harm Nephilim, just as the storm Chris had unleashed at Kadingir did nothing for it, so she wondered what Chris had in mind.

The missile collided with Nephilim but, to Tsubasa's surprise, it did do something: launch the monster with the small detonation. "What?" She stopped singing to question Chris's tactics, but the girl offered no explanation beyond a thumbs up and a smile.

"Let's take this battle up there." Chris nodded with her chin as she fired a missile from her back. Both girls fumbled their fingers as they gripped the missile tight as it began to fly up into the air towards Frontier's base.

But Nephilim's trajectory was off–it would not reach the same area they did. Tsubasa noticed this, but Chris offered a smile. "I've got it, don't worry."

The two girls were still beneath Nephilim, but gaining on its height quickly. As they came up from below the beast, Chris transformed the missile launchers into gatling guns and fired them at Nephilim, sending it spiralling through the air at a greater height than before. The two girls then watched as it arched right towards their goal.

"My weapons may not do much harm to that thing but it sure can knock it around." Chris explained with a shrug. Their missile reached the same height as Frontier's base just as Nephilim crashed into the ground in front of them. "Well, now that we're here, we can let loose."

"Problem is, even if we did, we likely won't hurt it." Tsubasa countered, enlarging her blade. "Does the genius Chris Yukine have any other ideas?"

"Genius, huh? Well we could always resort to That."

"Perhaps calling you a 'genius' was not the best idea." Tsubasa sighed as she kept her gaze on Nephilim. The beast slowly clambered to its feet but did not move; it was as if Nephilim was analysing its prey's strength for the first time.

"Do you have any other ideas?" Chris shouted at her ally as she kept her handheld crossbows trained on Nephilim. Even now the beast did not move, and the two Symphogear wielders stayed just as still as to not provoke it.

"We do have our medical team on standby." Genjuro reported to the two girls through their headsets. "Though I would prefer it if you thought of the Superb Song as the last resort that it is."

Chris clicked her tongue. "Alright, Plan B."

Tsubasa turned her head in surprise. "We have a Plan B?"

"Plan B: think of a new plan."

With a groan of disgust, the two girls continued their stand-off in silence.

. . .

Kirika walked up to Genjuro. "If you let me, I can help you." For the first time Genjuro had seen her awake, Kirika seemed completely sure of something–other than her desire to murder Dr. Ver–as her eyes looked up at him. She smiled mischievously. "Don't worry, I won't stab them in the back."

Genjuro brushed the back of his head as he ruminated on the idea. "You are technically our prisoner–you're aware of that, correct?"

Kirika nodded. "We–Shirabe, Maria, and I–did not want to do any of this. We were all forced to help them, death. All we want to do is help others, so they don't have to suffer like we did."

The surprisingly virtuous speech Kirika gave caused Genjuro's face to soften. He did not want to put another girl in harm's way, but he knew he had no choice yet again. Even if the chance for this girl to turn on Tsubasa and Chris was there, Genjuro was sure she would stay true to her word.

"Let her help."

Hibiki took Kirika's side, both in a metaphorically and physical sense. The weak girl could barely stand, and glared at Kirika in disgust as she stood next to her. "I saw Finé's power first hand. Even without her Symphogear, she'd be useful."

"You just want me to croak, don't you, death?" Kirika snapped at Hibiki.

"I'm not heartless." That was Hibiki's only response. She turned her head away from Kirika as she spoke; everyone in the room was sure that Hibiki had more to say, but she just left it at that.

"Is it just me," Kuriyo spoke up, reminding the three in the centre of the room that they were not alone. "Or is this new Bikki a little scary?"

"She's definitely gone full anime rival character." Yumi nodded with her arms crossed and a satisfied look on her face. Once she realized what she had said however, she open her eyes in confusion. "Wait, then who is the main character?"

"This isn't the time for this." Shiori sighed, but her words were overwritten by a hiss from Hibiki.

"Miku is. Miku will always be the main character of this story, even if I have to be her rival." Hibiki had a sad look on her face as she looked to her three classmates, and they knew it would be best to say nothing else on the subject.

"Once we get back, we'll need to get you some of Flower's famous okonomiyaki." Kuriyo said with a smile. "We'll have to bring Hina there too." Hina–a nickname stemming from Miku's last name, Kohinata–may have been dead, but she would always live on with Hibiki; Yumi, Kuriyo, and Shiori had accepted that long ago, and they never insinuated the opposite. To them Miku was just missing, but they believed that one day she would walk in through the door with the genuine smile that existed now only in Hibiki's memories.

Genjuro sighed at the scene. "You girls are all too carefree." Reaching into his pocket, the man with the red lion's mane pulled out two objects. First came a key, which he used to unlock the iron brick that had been bound to Kirika's hands (and now she could finally scratch her wrists, which had been itchy this whole time). The other item he held was the red Symphogear crystal of Igalima, the string tangled around his fingers. As he looked down at Kirika, who rubbed her pained hands together, he gently placed the pendant around her neck. "Don't die."

"I won't, death!" Kirika had a wide smile on her face and ran out of the room. The literal second her back foot left the room however, she spun around. "How, do I get out of here?"

With an awkward chuckle, Tomosato walked to the door and gave her quiet directions.

#### G Chapter 10

The air was a frenzy as Shirabe and Maria watched Tsubasa and Chris combat Nephilim from afar. The two Symphogear wielders were holding their ground as they battered at and fired upon the black creature that glowed with burning veins of pink and green, but the beast refused to flinch from their attacks. Every slice, every bullet–every attack simply bounced off of the beast's thick, stony hide.

Standing on the aircraft as it hovered in place, Shirabe and Maria wiped the tears from their eyes. Inhaling through her mouth deeply, Maria then let out a deep sigh as she tried to calm her rowdy heartbeat. Beside her, Shirabe had already managed to stifle her tears, though the red that encroached upon the sclera of her eyes was still painfully clear to Maria.

"I'm a little glad I don't have to fight Nephilim." Shirabe muttered, and Maria couldn't help but let out a dark chuckle. She realized that Shirabe had been trying to lighten the air around them a bit.

*Zeios Igalima raizen tron*

"Kirika?" Maria and Shirabe shouted together. They showed each other their shocked expressions just for a moment before they peered over the edge towards the sound from where they had heard their friend's voice come from: the submarine below them.

Like a bolt of green lightning, the two members of F.I.S. watched as a small girl just slightly larger than Shirabe flew out of the ship's hatch and high into the air. Kirika was facing away from the two girls, but the two recognized her from the green witch-like hat she wore, the sparkling yellow hair, and the giant green scythe she held high above her head. Just as they knew Kirika had a determined smile on her face, Maria and Shirabe's own faces sparkled with the new knowledge that their friend was alive.

But they were also shocked. Her appearance was drastically different from how the Igalima of their memories manifested. Gone was the jet-black jumpsuit and skirt, replaced with bright greens and whites. Kirika's witch-like hat was now sparkling like snow atop her head, from which two minty wings protruded. The most notable difference came in the form of two giant green bat wings that sprouted from her back, from which sparks of lime-coloured electricity jumped. She flew through the air, singing with such a strange calm that Maria and Shirabe could not believe that they were looking at their friend.

*Pīkan no sora ni shuwashuwa na funsui no shawā

Iēssu! Naui wanpi go go desu*

With a flip, Kirika begins her quick descent. Sensing her approach, Chris and Tsubasa dodge out of the way as Kirika's scythe begins change shape. Instead of one hooked claw, the scythe sprouts new blades, which split out into a claw-like formation as she begins to spin it. The multi-headed weapon cuts through the air at a high speed, creating a tornado that surrounded Nephilim in an instant. As Kirika quickly flew like a meteorite, Nephilim just looked up at her–or seemed to, though, lacking eyes, one could only guess–and roared.

Kirika collided with the beast, the two exploding in a burst of green flames. The other Symphogear wielders close by could not see Nephilim in the smoke that erupted from the ground, but Kirika leapt out towards them. She landed with a smile as her scythe folded back into its single blade.

"What's with the wings?" Chris asked with one raised eyebrow. She put her weapons down for a moment as she spoke to Kirika, but Tsubasa kept an offensive pose; she remained on-guard against both the newcomer and Nephilim.

Kirika noticed Tsubasa's stern expression, so she kept her focus on Chris as she replied with a non-answer. "I'm not sure. It just... happened, death."

"Are you friend of foe?" Tsubasa needed the answer to that question before she returned to the fight against Nephilim, but both Chris and Kirika knew that, no matter what she said, the possibility of Kirika attacking them would remain in Tsubasa's mind.

"Friend. I'm tired of being used by F.I.S. and I'm tired of fighting, death!" Kirika shouted. "I just want to live peacefully with Maria and Shirabe!"

Though they were a fair distance away and standing on an aircraft from which loud engines roared, Shirabe and Maria heard Kirika's shout as it pushed aside all other sounds. "I just want to live peacefully with Maria and Shirabe." Maria echoed, tears in her eyes. "We all just want to be normal girls."

Though bandages wrapped around her entire body and her movements were shaky, for the first time since standing up from the medical bed Shirabe stood on her own away from Maria. "Let's run, then."

"But what about the collar? Na... Mom will detonate it if you try to disobey her."

Shirabe touched the device that was locked around her neck. "If Kirika could get it off, then maybe she can help me, too."

Maria did not want to argue with Shirabe–she had wanted to do this from the beginning, run away–but she was worried. Maria did not want Shirabe to die from either an explosion nor by Nephilim's powerful claw. Thus, she knew that staying up on top of their ship was the safest option for them right now.

The girl with the curly pink hair clutched the red jewel that hung around her neck. For the first time, she had heard the Symphogear speak to her just as she knew it had spoken to her sister all those years ago.

"Let's go." Maria nodded.

They would not have much time. Neither Maria nor Shirabe had taken any LiNKER, and going back into the ship to get more would be suspicious. For Maria especially, having never used a Symphogear before, the two would only be able to help take Nephilim down for a short while, but they knew that five heretical weapons would be a greater advantage than three.

Shirabe and Maria both drew in sharp breaths before the songs in their heart exploded out of their mouths.

*Various Shul Shagana tron

Seilien coffin Airgetlám tron*

Two new Symphogear girls landed on the ground in front of Kirika to block the incoming charge of Nephilim. With Maria's inexperience and Shirabe's beaten body, the two have to force themselves to the brink just to match the basic strength that the other girls have shown this entire time.

"Maria? Shirabe?" Kirika looked between the two girls with wide eyes. "What are you doing?"

As Nephilim bounced back a short distance, giving the three girls time to speak, Maria spun around quickly. "We don't have much time. We'll be able to help you safely if you can remove Shirabe's collar however you got your own off."

Chris shook her head from a short ways behind Kirika as she fired her crossbows at Nephilim from afar. Kirika chuckled just as the words left the white-haired girl's mouth. "That's not the best idea."

"Kazanari!" Kirika turned to Tsubasa, who had just retreated after attacking Nephilim. "Ame no Habakiri should be able to cut her collar off. Just aim for... that seam." Kirika pointed to the right side of Shirabe's neck.

Tsubasa narrowed her eyes but knew not to object. She appeared next to Shirabe within a second, and flicked her sword at a speed faster than light. Just as Kirika had said, Tsubasa's sword effortlessly cut through the steel collar at the seam, and it fell onto the ground in two pieces. "If you had cut it anywhere else, it would have exploded." Kirika said in awe. "You're incredible, death!"

"I take it Finé was the one who created the plans for these?" Tsubasa picked up the pieces of the collar off the ground and tossed them at Nephilim. Just before they made contact, Tsubasa swung down her sword to release a blue beam of light–the explosive in the collar mixed with the power of Ame no Habakiri's attack finally caused Nephilim to flinch, albeit briefly.

"No. She just knew how they worked." Kirika said quickly. Noticing the confused looks on her friends' faces, she reassured them with a smile that she would explain everything to them later. "For now, let's just defeat Nephilim, death!"

. . .

As the battle unfolded on the monitor that acted like the sun to light up the dark command centre, Genjuro turned to Hibiki. She looked sickly, the bandages covering the stump of her right arm stained lightly with blood; Genjuro wanted her to rest, but he did need answers to a question he had been waiting to ask. "Where did you find Solomon's Cane?"

The already-small Hibiki shrunk beside the imposing Genjuro. Her three classmates, who now stood around Hibiki as they worried that she would collapse, all flinched as if ready to catch her. But, as Hibiki regained her footing, they all bent back with relieved sighs. "I've been wondering about that too." Kuriyo said with her finger pushed up against her cheek. "Bikki was unconscious when she was brought to the hospital, and we were with her as much as possible so she couldn't have snuck out to look for it."

"That's because I didn't. Solomon's Cane, just..." Hibiki pressed her toes against the ground as she rotated her heel slightly. "It just kind of appeared."

"Okay, I think you need to go lay down." Yumi said after a tense moment. "Now you sound like you really are from an anime."

"No, it's true!" Hibiki shouted, causing her friends to flinch back slightly in fear.

"What are you talking about?" Genjuro asked calmly, crossing his arms.

"Solomon's Cane can summon Noise, right? It opens up portals to dispense them." Hibiki seemed to be changing the subject, but, as Genjuro was about to question her about this train of thought, Hibiki continued. "I don't know how, but it appeared from a portal of its own, so I assume it just... activated itself?"

"All we know about Solomon's Cane is that it acts as a doorway to the Treasury of Babylonia, and can be used to summon Noise." Fujitaka reported from his seat at the base of the monitor. "You said it summons portals? That doesn't seem entirely correct."

"Then," Shiori spoke up. "Do you think someone gave Solomon's Cane to Hibiki?"

"As much as I want to deny the possibility, we have no idea how many relics exist nor their functions. It's entirely possible that something could be used to create portals through space." Genjuro closed his eyes. "But that begs the question: who sent Solomon's Cane to Tachibana? They needed to find the relic and know where she was being kept. Not to mention they had to be willing to part with Solomon's Cane, unless they were not aware of its functions."

The red lion glared at Hibiki now. "Whatever the case may be, why did you keep it hidden from us?"

"I wanted to use it as leverage." Hibiki said meekly. "I was going to ask you to let me go find Miku if I could find Solomon's Cane for you, so..."

Genjuro sighed. He had a feeling that had been the reason why she kept it secret, but was still slightly annoyed at her. "Even if we let you go searching for Kohinata, we have no idea where she may have landed." Genjuro shook his head. "We've done as much as we could through satellite scans to try and narrow down a possible search area, but a single girl that small is impossible to keep track of for even our highest-grade technology."

"I know, but I can't give up on Miku!" Hibiki had tears in her eyes. She clutched at the stump of her arm as the bandages that wrapped it began to darken with blood stains. Hibiki grunted in pain as Shiori slung the girl's one arm over her own shoulder.

"Let's get you back to the medical centre for now." Shiori whispered, and Hibiki knew that she had been defeated here. She hung her head and sadly nodded.

"Wait. What are these readings?" Tomosato cried out in shock, and this froze Shiori and Hibiki in their tracks. The two girls turned to look at the girl with the short blue hair just as she stood up in surprise with a shout. "An Aufwachen Waveform?"

. . .

Nephilim let out a loud roar as Kirika's scythe, bathed in green flames, pierced through one of the colourful veins that glowed atop the black, rocky exterior. "These veins are surprisingly tough to hit, death." Withdrawing her blade, Kirika jumped out of the way as Nephilim clumsily swung its arm out at her.

According to Finé's memories from when she had studied Nephilim with the official F.I.S., the veins that criss-crossed over Nephilim's body were its true flesh; the black, stony exterior was more akin to a clam's shell. Though the beast had not been awoken at the time, Finé believed that its active state would only be hurt if one could target these specific thin lines; this was, of course, just a theory. But, when Kirika suggested this to the others, it did prove to be the beast's one weak point.

Maria and Tsubasa, each clutching their own swords, followed up as Kirika got out of range. Tsubasa's ancient katana Ame no Habakiri sliced through the same vein with precise cuts at high speeds, while Maria clumsily stabbed with the silver shortsword of Airgetlám at a slower, but still effective, speed. Tsubasa was able to escape with haste as Nephilim rocked its entire body, but Maria–whose blade was still lodged in the beast–was thrown back by it.

Shirabe, skating on the ground with small wheels on her feet, leapt up to catch Maria as she flew through the air. Not taking into account Maria's size and weight, Shirabe and Maria collided and rolled around clumsily on the ground as they landed together. "Sorry about that, Shirabe." Maria offered an apology to her friend as they both climbed to her feet.

Nearby, Chris readied a missile. "Out of the way!" With a warning, Chris fired the missile at the black beast–Tsubasa and Kirika both jumped out of the way at the last second as the missile collided with Airgetlám's blade still trapped within Nephilim's body like Excalibur in its stone pedestal. The explosion from the missile launched the swordsword into Nephilim's body, and the monster screamed in pain as the knife flew all the way through its body, slicing off one of its arms.

Clumsily trying to adapt to the lack of one limb, Nephilim toppled over and was helpless as Tsubasa and Shirabe double-teamed their enemy, slicing at the creature's exposed veins as it flopped onto the ground. It shouted again, its roar paralyning everyone in place as the pain the creature felt washed over them.

. . .

"This is not good." Nastassya watched the battle from her position in the sky. She had not reported Shirabe and Maria's desertion to Ver, for she knew that he would simply brush her off with the order that he needed more time.

The Symphogear wielders of both F.I.S. and Sector Two had their focus locked on Nephilim, but now that they had found its weak point and were now dicing it up like an onion, it was only a matter of time before they remembered her airship was there.

With a scowl, Nastassya slammed her palm into the communicator on the dashboard. "Ver, we're running out of time!" She shouted, but her voice was hoarse. The ageing scientist could feel blood rising from her throat as she spoke, and did not even bother wiping the liquid she felt dribble down her chin.

"Alright. I'm finished. I'm activating my trump card now. Nastassja, you were an excellent pawn but I'm afraid my benefactors and I no longer have any use for you." Dr. Ver's cool voice echoed through the speakers around her.

"What are you talking about you fool?"

"Me, a fool? Did you truly believe I would work for that witch?" Ver laughed. "It was only a means to an end for me. I long for justice, to heal humanity of its cursed wounds. Though you may share my goal, your methods and hers have both been nothing but games. You truly do not understand anything."

Nastassja had given Ver everything she had been able to, and now he was turning on her. She had a thought that it would come to this, but she still could not believe it. "Apologies, doctor, but it seems you and your so-called benefactors may have underestimated me. I shall send Shirabe and–"

"Hah. Do you think that I haven't been paying attention? I know that those two ran off already. You have no weapons to turn against me."

Ver's eyes were wild as he flung his arms out. Speaking into the microphone on the wall, Ver laughed as he revealed to Nastassja something she had dreaded. "I haven't been healing your body, Nastassja; I've been making it more and more impossible for others to heal you! You're a blight on our species, a villain masquerading as a virtuoso, and for that you must face justice."

The white-haired doctor heard a cough on the other side of the speaker. "You... monster." Nastassja's voice hissed, but Ver did not care to hear it. Instead, he spun away from the communicator the second the word 'justice' had left his mouth. The dying doctor was not of his concern now; it was time for celebration.

"After all of these years." Ver's smile eclipsed his entire face. "My lifelong dream is almost complete. But alas, I may need to delay its completion for just a little while longer."

With a snap of his fingers, a purple glow illuminated his lab. This glow emanated from a large machine he had against one wall–or more specifically, the light came from what was within it: Shénshòujìng, the divine mirror. Ver walked over to the relic as he took in its splendour, completely ignoring that which surrounded the ancient object as he produced a small silver device from his breast pocket.

"If only this relic had been in its complete state, then your mind may have been whole. Then again, perhaps it is better this way–so the darkness does not pervert you." Ver took the small relic between his fingers and stabbed it into that which carried a shard of Shénshòujìng.

In Greek mythology, Asclepius represented the strongest of the healing arts. The man was said to have defied the gods in order to resurrect the dead with his heretical knowledge. Myths were built upon fiction, however, and Ver knew the truth: it was not Asclepius who rose the dead, it was the relic he held. The silver staff wrapped by a single snake: the Rod of Asclepius. Though the small device he held differed slightly from the symbol that was still used in medicine today: the snake's small head had been chipped away with age. Such a small blemish, and yet it cost the relic dearly as it limited its true potential.

As Ver pushed the Rod of Asclepius into the figure in front of him, he slowly felt a spasm as the body's heart began to beat once again. Simply restoring life to a corpse was not the only use for this incredibly powerful relic; he had managed to restore this body from nothing but a small piece of DNA. Ver marvelled at the device's capabilities even in this imperfect state–to think of what would be possible if it were whole! He smiled as he activated the brainwashing headset and stepped away from the figure.

"Wielder of Shénshòujìng, you serve me!" He commanded with an insane disposition. His laboratory was connected to the ship's docking bay with only a small wall blocking them, so he heard as the platform began to expose itself to the realm outside. Pointing towards the wall, Ver shouted. "Go, eliminate all threats that stand in our way!"

The figure punched through the wall and flew out of the ship at intense speed. Ver did not care how much damage was caused to this vehicle; he had another set to arrive from his benefactors in moments. He simply needed Shénshòujìng to distract the girls outside for long enough for him to finish his masterpiece.

Dr. John Wayne Vercingetorix strove to develop an artificial relic, and his goal had almost been completed. With the activation of Shénshòujìng as a Symphogear, he now had all of the data he required.

. . .

Tomosato cried out that they had picked up an Aufwachen Waveform on their scanners, but she need not say any more. Everyone in the command room of Sector Two's submersible–no, even the girls who stood around a lifeless Nephilim outside–all turned their gazes to the being that hovered in the air.

It was a girl, her body covered from head-to-toe in black armour. A grille of purple lights covered the girl's face, and the bulky armour prevented her frame from being seen. From a hypothetical standpoint, anyone could have been in that armour; but something about it gave Hibiki pause.

As she stared up at the girl, she felt something familiar in her chest. "Miku?" She whispered, just loud enough for those nearest to her–but no one responded. Everyone held their breath as they waited for what this new combatant would do.

"Eliminate all threats." The girl said. Her voice was distorted and broken by the helmet–it was completely indistinguishable from a text-to-speech bot on computers–but as the girl raised her hand and spoke those three words, she made her intentions crystal clear.

"Submerge, now!" Genjuro shouted, but it was too late. Before the procedures could even begin, a purple light crossed through the ship and blinded everyone within.

#### G Chapter 11

The black beast known as Nephilim laid broken on the ground. Its body had been shattered by the girls who wielded Symphogears, but the relic had not yet been deactivated. It lacked eyes, though Nephilim was able to see the world around it regardless.

Trembling lightly, the beast saw with a new clarity. Ever since it had first been awoken, Nephilim had been blinded by an insatiable hunger for power–power it could only absorb from other relics. When the girl with the two tails sang, Nephilim felt its heart flare up as a determination to protect her arose within its body. But now, as it laid on the ground, it realized its mistake: that girl, and the one with the X in her hair, had both been its targets in this battle. The beast's hunger for relics had thrown it into a frenzy, and the multiple overlapping songs had drowned out the voices it knew.

Nephilim did not feel emotions the same as humans did; it was, by all accounts, technically an inanimate object. The beast's 'life' was nothing but a heretical lie. Yet, despite all of this, Nephilim felt a pang of regret–outside of a lust for food, this was the first emotion it had ever felt.

None of the Symphogear wielders had their eyes on Nephilim any more–they had all lost interest in it, believing it had been defeated, as another enemy had appeared. As the clouds of hunger finally cleared from its non-existant eyes, Nephilim tried moving. Most of its body had been torn apart by the girls' relics so now only one of its legs was able to move on command–Nephilim knew that it would not be able to fight in this state.

One of the girls shouted, and Nephilim's attention turned to them. The beast could not understand their words but it realized that they were in danger. One-by-one, the girls clad in musical armour leapt out of the way as a spray of purple lights flew towards the island that they stood on. The girl with the X, the girl with the silver arm, the blue streak of light, and the red archer–each of these girls dodged, but even Nephilim could see the fatigue setting in. But its focus was not on these five girls; Nephilim only cared about the girl with the two tails.

The girl was shaking, not in fear but in pain. Nephilim could sense the girl's weakness as she struggled to move. The monster did not understand humans but even it could tell that she had been hurt earlier, and the wear in her muscles was incredibly apparent. One of the other girls shouted as the purple beams of light continued to rain down the island known as Frontier, but the one that Nephilim cared for did the opposite–she fell forwards in pain.

She tried to look up, her ruby eyes reflecting the bright purple missile of pure light that cut through the air with ease. Nephilim could feel the energy that the projectile gave off and knew she would not be uninjured should it hit her. Mustering up all of the power it had in its one limb, Nephilim pushed against the ground.

Sweat coated Shirabe's forehead, soaking through the bandages that were plastered against it. The wielder of Shul Shagana gasped for breath as her small chest rose and fell quickly. She winced as pain overtook all of her senses–Shirabe knew she was at her limit.

As a white flash surrounded her for but a second, Shirabe could feel Shul Shagana's influence leave her body–her Symphogear had been deactivated. She tried to move her legs or arms, to do anything she could to move out of the way, but it was a futile attempt.

The light that had just moments before hit the submarine of Sector Two finally crashed into Shirabe.

...

...

...

Or, it should have.

Shirabe watched in shock and horror as the light dissipated just centimetres from her face. The reason for the halt in the light's momentum was clear to her, yet so insane that she could barely comprehend the sight.

As the light was about to collapse into Shirabe, Nephilim suddenly appeared. Flinging its lumbering body over Shirabe, the light crashed into the beast and tore it apart; but in doing so, the monster had absorbed the power. In an instant, Nephilim's body shattered completely–shrapnel of its body flew out in every direction, and the beast's head, which had just escaped a direct hit, was thrown through the air over the ocean. Shirabe could feel some of the small pebbles bounce off her body, but she did not care.

"Nephilim?" She asked, more confused than anything. Shirabe could not move her body still, but even if she could she knew she would regardless be frozen in place. Her mind was rocked, trying to understand how–and why–the beast that had known only insatiable hunger would protect her.

"Shirabe! We need to get you somewhere safe!" Kirika shouted, landing beside her. Shirabe could not see her friend's face, but something inside her did not want to look up at it anyway. The one golden eye that replaced one of Kirika's earthen green ones shocked her to her core; it was the same shining organ that the witch behind her pain had carried in her skull.

Shirabe let Kirika pick her up and hold her princess-style in her arms. She looked up at Kirika and the burning question in her heart spilled out of her mouth as the two flew through the air down towards the submarine. "You are Kiri, aren't you?"

"The one and the same, death!" Her friend replied with the usual cheerful smile that Shirabe was familiar with, but the overall expression was not. The eye of Finé tried to match the warmth that radiated from the emerald beside it but was unable to; the simple idea of a friendly expression seemed foreign to it. Shirabe looked away, watching the ship that floated in the sky behind the two girls as they descended. Moments later, Shirabe found herself surrounded not by the clouds that whipped by her but instead glowing computers.

"Keep an eye on her, death!" Kirika gave an order to someone to whom she handed Shirabe to.

"Understood." The man in the red shirt gave a curt nod as he took the frail girl in his strong arms.

The light of Shénshòujìng had cut not through Sector Two's submarine in an effort to destroy it, but instead seemed to be nothing but a warning. With extremely precise aim, the girl who raised her arm managed to cut off only the roof of the submarine and tore it off just like one would the thin tin lid of canned fish. Though now the submarine could not submerge, it did allow easy access for the Symphogear wielders... and attacks from their enemies.

"Chief!" Kanade ran into the room, exasperated. She clutched the pendant of Gungnir that hung around her neck as she glanced at Hibiki beside Genjuro, then at the small girl in his arms. "You have to let me fight, too."

"You know I can't... Hold on." Genjuro turned his head and addressed the three girls who stood clustered in a group near the front of the command room. "Terashima, Ando: get this girl down to the medical room. Itaba, stay here." Silently the girls obliged, and Shiori took Shirabe on her back before she and Kuriyo sprinted from the room.

Turning his focus back to Kanade, Genjuro narrowed his eyes. "You know I can't let you use Gungnir until we can find a solution for Tachibana."

"Let her go." The stump of Hibiki's arm was bleeding profusely now, and Hibiki looked to be in great pain as she clenched her teeth. She narrowed her eyes, which seemed to glow as the light from the outside reflected upon them and the crystals that sprouted from her body. "I don't think I'll be seeing tomorrow, anyway."

"Don't say that, Hibiki!" Yumi shouted. "What about Miku? You have to stay alive to save her!"

"Miku is dead. I've been lying to myself this whole time, but it's obvious." Hibiki hissed, her eyes bulging as both anger and pain flooded her body. "Finé took over another person, so that means Miku has to be dead."

Kanade put her hand on Hibiki's shoulder–the one not wrapped in bandages–and the girl with dusty brown hair looked up at the idol. They had both been scarred by the war they fought, and the experiences they had faced since that concert had changed them. Regardless, Kanade's words from that day echoed through Hibiki's mind as she stared into the eyes of the fiery red idol.

But the hopeful eyes–now eye–of the idol had clouded over. Hibiki searched for the optimism that caused her to shout those words that day, but they were missing from Kanade's face. As the sounds of battle echoed from above them, Hibiki saw only a single goal etched deep into Kanade's mind. That, and the fact that she was so insistent on fighting. "You gave up on living, didn't you Kanade?"

Kanade could not help but smile at that, though her expression was hard and soaked in sadness. "I've never been one to follow orders–even my own." With that, she bent down and stared into Hibiki's eyes at equal height. "Both of us gave up on life long ago. The second you find that spark of hope again, I'll stand down."

The idea of Kanade tossing Hibiki's life away momentarily brought pain to her heart, but Hibiki too shared the same thought. "Genjuro." The girl clutched her arm as she looked past Kanade and to her boss. "Let me fight. I know I might not be useful, but..."

"Are you two insane? Do you want to die?" Yumi shouted, her face red with anger. "This isn't like an anime, you know. It's not like we'll be able to save you from danger at the last moment."

"Itaba's correct." Genjuro nodded sternly, but then sighed. "But I know if I tell you not to, you won't listen. Go. Do as you please."

"What?" Yumi shouted her question in anger, but Kanade and Hibiki shouted the same word with pure confusion. The two girls nodded to each other with that sentence of approval.

*Croitzal ronzell Gungnir zizzl*

As Kanade donned the orange and black jumpsuit of Gungnir, Hibiki fell to one leg. The crystals that sprouted from her body began to glow–this time not just a trick of the reflecting light–and more ejected themselves from her skin as she grunted in pain.

Hibiki screamed as her body was encased entirely in white. As the cocoon of light enveloped her, Kanade squatted down and pressed her hand on Hibiki's head. "It will be okay. Just hold in there." She comforted.

"What are you doing? Change back!" Yumi was desperate now and threw herself at the former idol she once adored. "You're killing her!"

"She wanted this." Kanade said sadly, not even sparing the girl a glance. Yumi knew that Kanade spoke the truth, but it hurt her seeing Hibiki in pain like this. The two had not known each other long, but they had managed to grow quite close in that time–Yumi had, at first, revelled in the fact that her new friend was like the protagonist of an anime, but over time she began to worry as doubts and pain began to crush Hibiki's heart. Yumi pitied Hibiki–it was why she, Kuriyo, and Shiori had worked so hard to bring a bit of hope to Hibiki's life as she was hospitalized; they felt they needed to replace the sunlight that had burned out.

Hibiki's scream reverberated out into the sky above them. Finally, the white light began to subside and the girl known as Hibiki Tachibana–or what was left of her–returned to reality.

The girl's eyes were closed and she fell forwards, out of her crouch and into Yumi's waiting arms. The crystals had multiplied profusely; now her skin peaked in what seemed to be hundreds of orange stones–and one giant crystal sprouted from her back like a camel's hump. But none of these were what the eyes of Yumi, Genjuro, and Kanade focused upon. No, what everyone's gaze was drawn towards was her right arm.

No longer was it just a stump, now Hibiki's right arm was a long crystal–it was as if her arm had been transformed into a lance. Even Hibiki stared at the object that had appeared where moments before there was nothing, but her eyes were unfocused as she winced through the pain. "Whoa." Kanade flinched away from the girl in shock.

Yumi glared at Kanade from over Hibiki's shoulder. "I'm not exactly in the best mood right now. Just get out there, do your hero thing."

Hibiki grit her teeth. "I'm going too." She slowly pushed herself away from Yumi and stumbled as she tried to get to her feet. Ignoring Yumi's pleading eyes, Hibiki cut the air with her new limb and began to sing.

 *Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron*

Hibiki's body transformed in a way she never had before. Her jumpsuit was white with light yellows and orange, a device resembling orange spider legs extending out from her back. Between the appendages that appeared on her spine flapped four golden wings that rivalled those of the angels of fiction. With the orange crystal lance that was her right arm, she pointed towards the sky. "Let's do this!" She screamed, blood dribbling from her nose as she did so.

It was almost as if she had lost her physical form. One second Hibiki had been standing in the remains of the command room, and the next only an orange light remained as she sped up into the air at light speed. Kanade looked up with a smile. "What do you know. Maybe that spark of life never died out after all." Turning to Genjuro, she addressed the issue she had yet to announce to the room. "Now, I'm going to need you to move over there a bit so I can get a ride up."

"There?" Fujitaka's eyes followed the line that Kanade made with a dramatic point. As he scanned the area, something in his brain clicked and his eyes lit up. "Ah. I see. Genjuro, sir?"

"Let's go." He announced with a smile–he too had figured out Kanade's plan.

Fujitaka obliged with Kanade's earlier order and began the preparations to move the submarine to the target area. At the same time, Tomosato, at her own station, turned to Genjuro next. "Sir, we have received a message from Ogawa regarding his own mission."

. . .

Nastassja watched in horror as the girl used the Shénshòujìng relic. Even this indigo-haired scientist, whose chin was dribbled with blood both new and old as she continued to cough up her life, did not understand what she was looking at.

The girl in the black armour was completely obscured–Nastassja had no idea who could be within it. What Nastassja was sure of was that Shénshòujìng did not have an offensive power that could decimate a submarine as it had. No, Shénshòujìng's light was one with purifying properties; unless that vehicle had been made of relics, theoretically speaking nothing should have happened when her light pierced it. "What did that doctor do?"

Watching as the girl in black bounced through the air like a butterfly flapping its wings, Nastassja realized that sitting still in the air was not what she should have been doing. Even with all of these setbacks, her goal was within reach. Nastassja had located and raised Frontier from beneath the ocean floor. The scientist knew how to activate it, but whether or not her body would allow her to–and thus use the giant spaceship to free humanity from its curse–was a deadly gamble.

The scientist bit down on her lip, but as she flinched in shock her teeth managed to tear away just a small bit of cracked skin. The sound that surprised her was that of the door behind her opening, coupled with the low cackle of the crazed doctor who claimed to be fighting for righteousness.

"Marvellous, isn't it." Ver leaned over Nastassja as he admired the girl outside. Outside the Symphogear girls of both F.I.S. and Sector Two took turns dodging and retaliating against the purple light of the girl that embodied the black knight, but within the cool airship Nastassja could only focus on the doctor's face as it hung above her. "Though that witch may not have been in her right mind, her techniques are utterly superb."

"What did you do to Shénshòujìng? To that girl?"

"The art that decorated was not just aesthetic, you know." Dr. Ver leaned back to stand with a straight back and adjusted his glasses with a maniacal crescent crossing his face. "Many of those drawings were runes infused with alchemical gold. By merely infusing just a miniscule amount with Shénshòujìng, I managed to combine both the powers of the divine mirror and the wretched cannon Kadingir together."

Dr. Ver threw his arms out as a wicked laugh rang out. "I call it Chalkydri! The archangel of the sun that will rise over my new world!"

"You defiled ancient relics in such a way?"

Ver chuckled. "If that angers you, then you wouldn't be able to stomach my real trump card."

"That monstrosity...?" Nastassja gasped as she realized. This man created a monster that could utterly destroy Nephilim in a single attack, and yet that was not the extent of his power. The sickly woman shrunk back as her eyes grew wide. "Just what are you planning, doctor?"

"Like you, I, too, wish to cleanse humanity of the Curse of Balal that plagues us. However, doing so would only allow the heinous to rise up and infect the righteous easier. I aim to create a just world, one where only those with heroic spirits stand unburdened against the gods that abandoned us."

"What kind of justice do you believe in?" Nastassja spat. "Transforming a girl into a weapon like that!" Nastassja turned her head just in time to see the girl's black helmet be shattered apart.

~ ~ ~

While Hibiki sprouted a new limb where she had lost the other and Nastassja confronted the wicked doctor, the Symphogear girls were engaged in battle against the black knight that donned Shénshòujìng.

Kirika leapt from Sector Two's submarine with her scythe raised high above her head. As she encroached upon the mysterious figure's personal space, she swung her Armed Gear as hard as she could. Not only did she cleave through the air, she cleaved through the very space where oxygen had existed just seconds before, tearing apart the essence of reality for just a small second. But this attack did nothing as the girl dodged with a light flutter. Kirika clicked her tongue before crashing down next to Chris, Tsubasa, and Maria on the dirt ground of Frontier.

"She's too fast to hit, death." Kirika shouted.

"We could fill the air with projectiles so she has nowhere to dodge." Chris suggested.

"It won't work. With that light, she could just destroy anything we throw at her." Tsubasa stomped her foot into the ground. "We're completely out-matched here. Only one of us can fly, and–" she glanced at Maria "–another one of us has no idea how to fight."

Maria grunted as she readied her blade. She could not argue–Maria knew she wasn't as useful as she had hoped. This Symphogear had belonged to her sister, and she had watched her elegant movements as she fought many, many times, but Maria's attempts to replicate them have been mediocre at best.

Though her combat mentality may have not been as trained as those of her current allies, Maria knew that she could still be of use with her intellect. Remembering how Tsubasa had changed the size of her sword to fight Nephilim, Maria turned to the former idol with the blue ponytail hanging off the side of her head. "How big can you make your sword?"

"What are you getting at?" Tsubasa raised her eyebrow.

"If you can make it large enough, the rest of us could use it as a platform to combat that girl at close-range."

"That would only make it an easier target for that light." Tsubasa grunted.

"Then we'll just need to make sure Ame no Habakiri doesn't get hit, death!" Kirika pumped her empty fist at the idea, but Tsubasa just sighed. Still, she knew the group had no other options, so she did just as suggested.

Tsubasa pointed her blade skywards and focused. With stiff movements, Ame no Habakiri's blade unfolded out into a giant version of itself–the sword's blade exceeding the size of even a giant tree. With shaking hands, Tsubasa leaned back and held it out in front of herself. Just as Maria had suggested, the sword created a stage for the girls to use to fight the black knight that watched them from afar, seemingly amused in their attempt to level the playing field despite no face being visible.

"Go." Tsubasa grunted, and her three allies followed her order. Leaping over the blue girl, they began to run up the blade that was held up at an angle. Sensing that they were once again ready to fight, the mysterious girl fired lights as she waved her hand through the air like a conductor would a wand.

Chris leapt out in front of Kirika and Maria and fired pre-loaded missiles at the lights. They collided in the air, the smoke blocking their view of each other and eliminating the threat of Shénshòujìng's purifying lights. This did not last for long, however, as the girl quickly flew through the cloud that had enshrouded her.

Maria met Shénshòujìng's approach. As the girl used her arm as if it were a blade, Maria countered with her own silver weapon. She clenched her teeth as she tried to fight against her opponent's superior strength, but her footing was beginning to waver.

"I won't let you harm anyone else!"

A shout echoed through the air and the girl in black dodged away from Maria just as an orange light flashed through her vision. She could not tell what she had seen–at least, not until she found where Shénshòujìng had been pushed to.

Hibiki, her four golden wings sparkling in the natural light, thrust her orange crystal arm against the arm of the girl in the armour. Sparks of both orange and purple flew as the two girls pushed their arms against one another, wildly spinning through the air while they did so.

"You idiot!" Chris yelled at Hibiki. Not at all grateful for her sudden appearance, Chris's eyes fired anger towards the girl covered in orange crystals. "Do you want to die?"

"Yes!" Hibiki shouted in response, and Chris did not know what next to say. She truly did not expect that to be how Hibiki answered her, so she just cursed under her breath.

Hibiki stared at the girl whose face was obscured by a black and purple grille. "Who are you?" She grunted. With her left arm–her actual human arm–Hibiki readied a punch, but the girl with the light of Shénshòujìng pushed back against her. The force of this knocked Hibiki off balance despite being airborne, and she lost some of the altitude she had gained in seconds with a powerful jump.

Though Hibiki had not expected an answer from the girl, a cold robotic voice whispered one as she fell onto Tsubasa's blade. The voice was quiet, and Hibiki could only just hear it as wind whipped around her. "Chalkydri."

"Chalkydri, huh?" Chris had heard it too, and repeated the name as she fired upon the girl with her crossbows.

*'At the rising of the sun, they burst into song.'* Maria recalled a small excerpt about the Chalkydri. *Ironic that this girl does not need to sing.*

Running her hand across the silver blade that she held, Maria transformed the small Armed Gear into a long whip-like sword of shining chains. With quick movements, Maria jumped into the air and shot her new, longer blade at her enemy. But the girl–Chalkydri–did not care, and batted it away with her hand as if it were nothing but a bug. At the disrespect, Maria frowned, recoiling her blade.

"Alright, idiot, why are you here?" Chris readied gatling guns on her hips, but held off firing until she got an answer.

"I'm here to fight." Hibiki shouted, anger filling her body. Chris could sense that the darkness was beginning to well up within the body of the girl beside her, but knew that, even if it did, it would be nothing but an advantage for them.

So Chris nodded. "Alright. Nice arm, by the way." She smiled as she began to fire at Chalkydri, hoping that the black knight would not just decimate the storm of bullets with another wave of light.

Hibiki and Kirika followed Chris's lead. As the white-haired girl's guns slowed down, the two girls with wings flew up at a high speed. Kirika sliced down her scythe as its blade became engulfed in a coat of green flames, and Hibiki stabbed forwards with the orange lance that had become her arm. But, just as before, Chalkydri bounced through the air as if she had elegantly trained her entire life to be airborne.

"Get back!" Maria yelled, noticing something the two nearby girls had not–Chalkydri's arm began to glow as she readied another wave of light. Tsubasa, too, took notice of Maria's warning and, just as Kirika and Hibiki landed on her giant blade, she flicked Ame no Habakiri up as if she were a chef cooking pancakes. This threw her allies into the air, but allowed her enough time to then lower her blade underneath the wave of purple energy that cut through the space that the entire party had populated a moment earlier. As the purple light disappeared, Tsubasa held her blade flat again as Maria, Hibiki, Kirika, and Chris all landed on the blade simultaneously.

Kirika did not hesitate. Immediately after landing, she bounced off of the steel relic and flew straight at Chalkydri. Spinning through the air, Kirika threw herself towards her enemy with her spear held in front of her like the blade of a guillotine.

"You... Yukine." Maria turned to the girl next to her. "Send me over to them on a missile."

"You sure? You won't be able to get back."

Maria pointed with her chin, pointing at the floating island that served as the backdrop on their combat revue. "Angle it towards Frontier. I'll use my whip."

Chris nodded, albeit reluctant to go through with the plan. As if practised before, Chris fires a missile from her back and Maria flips onto its back in a quick and elegant manner totally unbefitting of Maria's earlier, more-clumsy movements.

Kirika's guillotine attack barely missed Chalkydri, who only bounced out of the way at the last second. Expecting this, Maria had already shot out her whip-like blade and targeted not Chalkydri directly but rather the spot where she predicted–accurately–that she would dodge to.

Chalkydri did not expect this, and, for the first time, a successful attack landed on the girl. Just after Maria's Armed Gear smashed into the black armour, Hibiki punched into the confused girl's face with her crystal arm. The sharp lance pierced the helmet from the side, shattering the front from the impact.

One of the Symphogear wielders could barely breathe as she saw the face that had laid underneath the black helmet of Shénshòujìng. Though they had been some ways away, it was clear to them that Chalkydri was not this girl's real name.

Empty green eyes, completely lacking any sense of life, stared at Hibiki. Strands of brown hair the colour of milk chocolate were still tucked away beneath the rest of the helmet, but her thick bangs dropped down over her now-exposed forehead.

Serena Cadenzavna Eve spoke, now in her own voice without the voice modulator, as her raised up her glowing arm with robotic movements. "Die."

#### G Chapter 12

 *Ringo wa ukanda osora ni…

Ringo wa okkochita jibeta ni…

Hoshi ga umarete uta ga umarete

Ruru ameru wa waratta tokoshie to

Hoshi ga kisu shite uta ga nemutte

Kaeru toko wa doko deshō…?

Kaeru toko wa doko deshō…?

Ringo wa okkochita jibeta ni…

Ringo wa ukanda osora ni…*

Six years ago, two small girls were led down a long, chrome hallway by a myriad of men and women all wearing monochromatic attire. This was not an abnormal sight to them; though the two girls had only been brought into F.I.S. only a year or so earlier–though they had lost track of all time–they had still managed to walk this same path countless times.

Maria Cadenzavna Eve, the elder of the two girls by two years, had no reason to follow her sister down this path each time she was summoned, but did so anyway out of a desire to protect her. After all, Serena was all Maria had left; their parents had died in the war that ravaged their home country, and they had no more possessions of their own. When they had their futures stolen away from them, Maria and Serena were forced to wander the desolate world that had been scarred by humanity's weapons, huddling together for warmth in the cold, white hell scape of winter that worked to hide the work of the war.

Knowing what each other had been through, Maria and Serena never left each other alone in this white orphanage they had been brought to. After all, the world that they left behind was only marginally more dangerous than the experiments they were subjected to each day.

The song the two girls sang as they marched through the laboratory was what kept them grounded in reality. They did not know the origins of the song, only that their parents had sung it to them from their births until their deaths. Humans robbed Maria and Serena of their possessions, so they clung to this song as the only memento of their family and their life from before they knew tragedy.

An elderly woman with indigo hair opened the door at the end of the hallway, and it was only now that Maria let her fingers untangle from her sister's. The room that Serena followed the woman into held a stone-like object that the scientists called 'Nephilim' that the doctors wished to awaken, and Serena was believed to be the best candidate to do so.

Maria followed a different doctor through another door, which led to a set of stairs. This was the viewing platform that looked down over the large room that housed the old woman–Dr. Tolstaya–as well as Serena and the pedestal on which Nephilim sat. Alongside the brown-haired man that let Maria into this room, there was another unfamiliar man in glasses and a woman with a beehive-like hairdo that she recognized as Dr. Sakurai.

*Seilien coffin Airgetlám tron*

Maria could hear as her sister sang four strange words that neither girl knew the meaning of, and subsequently watched as her body was bathed in a shining silver light. "Airgetlám, the silver arm." One of the doctors–the one with the darker brown hair–beside Maria marvelled. She had never seen this man before, and from his reaction she knew that he had never seen Serena undergo her frequent transformation either.

Serena appeared in the room before her, clad in a new, strange armour. On her torso, there sprouted four white wings that Maria thought looked like flower petals, and on her back she wore a cape of pink that resembled a lotus.

Though Maria could only see Serena's back from this angle, she knew Serena held her in her mind as she began to sing a hopeful melody.

*Dareka no tame no

Hikari ni nareru no nara…to

Chīsana hāto ga furueru*

Serena's song resonated with Nephilim and the relic glowed white. This had happened before a handful of times, but the glow subsided into a dull silver every other time. But now, as Serena sang about her desire to protect dreams and memories, even Nephilim could not help but react to the emotions the young girl poured out.

Dr. Tolstaya muttered something from her post beside Serena, but Maria could not hear what the old woman said. Dr. Tolstaya was the one in charge of overseeing Maria, Serena, and all of the other young children that lived in this mysterious little lab, and most of the younger children saw the old woman as their 'mother' of sorts. Maria and Serena refused to call the doctor by the familial name however; their memories of their real parents were too strong and recent, they couldn't bring themselves to overwrite them now.

"It's working. Airgetlám is resonating with Nephilim!" Dr. Sakurai leaned forwards, taking her eyes off of the clipboard that she held close to her chest. Maria did not know what that meant, but her heart felt heavy–she had a very bad feeling.

As the final words of Serena's song echoed into infinity, the relic on the pedestal before her began to shake. Dr. Tolstaya stuck out her arm to protect Serena. "Get back." The doctor cried, pushing the young girl behind her backwards as she, too, backed up slowly.

The relic released a deep growl that shook Maria to her very core. "What is that?" She asked, not being able to believe her eyes. The stone-like object began to morph, being pulled apart by invisible hands and moulded like a ball of clay. In moments, it transformed from a small white object that resembled a tiny nautilus into a quadrupedal beast several times larger than both of the women that shrunk away from it.

A siren blared as the rooms that both sisters inhabited turned completely red. "Nastassja, get out of there." The doctor with glasses shouted, and Dr. Tolstaya ushered Serena towards the door. As their exit slid open, the beast flew into a frenzy and rushed towards the two figures that tried to escape.

"Lower the shutters!" Dr. Sakurai ordered, and the two doctors that flanked her began to furiously tap buttons on the consoles in front of them. Maria watched as the walls around Nephilim released black, steel grates, transforming the pristine lab into a twisted prison.

Serena–still wearing the silver Airgetlám–rushed in to the room to reunite with Maria, and the two girls shrunk away as Dr. Tolstaya stormed in. She furiously began yelling at the two male scientists, but Maria tuned her out. "What do we do?" Maria asked her sister, fear chilling her heart solid. Her scared eyes flew back and forth between the beast that attacked the walls around itself and the girl who she clung to.

"We need to do something about that beast." Serena's eyes, on the other hand, were calm. Her voice was steady as she stood strong, ready to take on the beast. "I need to do something about Nephilim."

"No, Serena, it's too dangerous!" As Maria cried out, Serena stepped forwards. Her hand reached out to grab Serena's angelic arm, but, as if her skin was coated in soap, Maria's grip slipped off.

"Stand back." Serena addressed the adults in the room. Dr. Tolstaya and the two male scientists ignored the girl's order, but Dr. Sakurai smiled at the wielder of the Airgetlám Symphogear.

"I don't think they're going to listen to you." Dr. Sakurai had a strange look on her face that appeared to Maria to be a mixture of apologetic and curiosity. She winked at the girl, her expression transforming into a playful one. "Just bust through the glass. I'm sure Airgetlám is powerful enough."

Maria jumped forwards to try and block Serena, but her sister was faster. Producing a pink sword that seemed to absorb one of her hands, Serena leapt into the window–which Maria had, apparently mistakenly, assumed was bullet-proof–and it shattered instantly, startling the three scientists that had ignored the girl's approach. When Dr. Tolstaya recognized that Serena was the cause of the glass's destruction, she yelled out through the newly-created hole that connected these two rooms. "Serena, what are you doing?"

"I'm the only one here who can wield this Symphogear." Serena strolled up towards Nephilim at a slow pace, facing the wild beast that flung its arms down into the ground around her. "I'll protect all of you."

Taking a deep breath, Serena began to sing once more. This time, the song was not a hopeful one; it was a cursed song that no girl should ever have to sing. Dr. Sakurai recognized it as the first word echoed out of Serena's mouth: "The Superb Song."

*Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal

Emustolronzen Finé el balal zizzl

Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal

Emustolronzen Finé el zizzl*

Maria felt her brain explode as a burst of light exploded out from Serena. The young girl lost consciousness as her body was launched backwards into the white wall painted by red light behind her. Serena was grateful for this as she stared back towards the group that had watched her sing from the other room.

Tears of blood burned down Serena's face as she cracked a crooked, yet peaceful smile. Her eyes were wide as her brain was unable to comprehend the sensation of pain that welled up within her.

As quickly as Nephilim had formed, Serena had destroyed it with her Superb Song. But Nephilim was not the only target of this attack. The doctors–barring Dr. Sakurai, who was bent over with her hair now undone–were strewn about the room and debris began to rain down as the building collapsed.

Serena was not aware of her surroundings, but she heard a crack above her. The girl refused to look and instead only barely recognized the scent of fire as it began to tingle her nostrils. Everything that was happening around Serena was being rejected by her brain; she ignored the flames that began to encroach upon her, the rubble that was being thrown down upon the area around her by the gods above... nothing fazed her.

And nothing would ever faze her again as, still lost in the limbo between conscious and unconscious, a giant block of concrete broke off from the ceiling and crushed the girl like a boot would stomp down upon a bug. Her bones were shattered and her skull crushed open like a watermelon, but no one aside from Dr. Sakurai was aware of this fact.

It would only be several days later when the doctors returned to salvage their data that they would find the mangled and heavily burned corpse of Serena Cadenzavna Eve. And a week after that, Maria awoke from her coma to the news of her sister's death.

. . .

"You're... not Miku..."

Hibiki stared at the girl who floated in front of her. The girl had a kind face framed by strands of hair the colour of chocolate. If not for the lifeless expression and pale skin, Hibiki would have sworn that she was looking into the eyes of an angel–but not the angel that she wanted to see.

Sadness overtook her. Hibiki had said that Miku was dead, but her heart refused to believe that fact. When she saw a mysterious girl appear, Hibiki wanted to believe that somehow Miku had found her way back to her. But now that small light of hope had been extinguished; Miku truly was gone.

Hibiki screamed to the heavens just as she heard Kirika shout the name of the girl that had called herself Chalkydri: "Serena!"

The name embedded itself in Hibiki's mind, and she felt the darkness consume her mind. The white angelic armour that she had been clad in was quickly enshrouded in murky ink, just as her skin was. The orange crystals that spiked out of her body lost their colour and shine, turning dull and grey upon the creature of shadows that had replaced Hibiki Tachibana. She screamed Serena's name in a feral roar as Serena, across from her and silent, held up her now-glowing arm–she was getting ready to fire another beam of light from Shénshòujìng, but Hibiki wouldn't allow it.

Lunging at Serena, the berserk Hibiki swiped at the girl with her one good arm, which was now large as evil claws burst forth from her skin. Serena, for the first time, seemed to panic at the sudden change of strategy, though her gaze remained still–the girl cancelled Shénshòujìng's charge and used her arms to instead block the onslaught that targeted her. Serena struggled as Hibiki's claw struck her armour again and again.

"That idiot!" Chris spat as she glared up at Hibiki and Serena as they tumbled across the endless blue sky. The Ichaival wielder lowered her crossbows. "I can't aim like this."

"And I'd just risk hitting Tachibana if I got in close." Kirika added with a click of her tongue. The two girls looked at each other in frustration as they tried to determine what their next move would be.

Seeing their inaction, Tsubasa began to swing her giant sword platform. The action slowly brought the two closer to Frontier, and the girls leapt off onto the grass as they reached the floating island. With sweat beading down her forehead, Tsubasa shrunk Ame no Habakiri back into its original katana-like appearance, the relief of no longer needing to hold the weighty blade for her allies apparent in her eyes.

"Who is that?" Chris turned to Kirika. "You said her name is Serena?"

"That's my sister."

Running up from behind Tsubasa, Maria spoke sadly. "But she should be dead. I... saw her body."

Maria had begged the doctors to let her confirm that Serena had truly died, and the heartless scientists agreed. At the time, Maria had not known what awaited her, and as she stared at the mangled flesh that laid on a silver table, she could not believe that the object was once her beloved sister.

Her head had been missing, one arm bent at a strange angle and missing a hand. Both of Serena's legs were splayed out, clear to any who looked at the meaty–and heavily burned–flesh that almost every bone in her limbs had been shattered as debris crushed her.

In the present, Maria's eyes grew wide as the image returned to her mind. Beside her, Kirika–who had not seen Serena's corpse in person and thus must have conjured up a memory from Finé–put a hand to her mouth as she gagged.

Yet the image in Maria's mind did not match reality. The utterly destroyed corpse she had looked down upon six years ago had been real, and the remains of the dress that clung to her body made it clear that it was Serena, and yet reality seemed to disagree as Serena–her body completely whole–floated above the sparkling ocean defending herself against Hibiki's rage.

"If she's dead, then what's she doing attacking us?" Chris raised the obvious question as she put one hand on her hip. "Are you really telling us that we're fighting a zombie?"

"There must be a relic that can resurrect the dead." Tsubasa's eyes turned to gaze into Kirika's golden eye as she speculated aloud.

"Finé thought that there was–the Rod of Asclepius–but she could not activate it, death." Kirika tilted her head as she dove into the flood of memories that were not her own. "Even then, she was under the impression that you needed the corpse to resurrect someone."

"So your friends up there brought your sister back to life. And they seem to have fused her with a Symphogear." Chris summarized in deadpan, following her report with a deep sigh. "How do you kill a zombie that they could just resurrect again and again?"

It was now Tsubasa's time to sigh. "In my uncle's action films, the definite way to kill a zombie is to cut off its head." She shook her head. "But that's just a film, and–"

"We can't fight Serena. We definitely can't cut her head off!" Maria shouted. "Even if she is our enemy, I don't want to have to see her die again. If we can just find some way to free her from whatever brainwashing Ver did to her..."

Chris rose an eyebrow. "Our enemy, huh? So you have turned against F.I.S. now?"

Kirika's cheeks puffed up. "After we've been fighting together all this time, death?"

But Maria was far more calm about the accusation. "The only reason I followed Nastassja's orders was because they had explosive collars around Kirika and Shirabe's necks."

"And we only followed after you!" Kirika jumped onto Maria and embraced her in an overpowering hug. Chris blushed and looked away at this act of affection, fumbling for something to say to break up the act she believed to be inappropriate.

"So you were blackmailed." Tsubasa closed her eyes in thought for a moment. "Regardless, now is not the time to question loyalty. What are their plans? Do they plan on destroying the moon just as Finé did?"

With Kirika still clinging to Maria, the older girl shook her head. "No. Even we–Nastassja–agreed that Finé was going too far in that regard. They theorized that the Curse of Balal's seal was held in ruins on the moon, and wanted to use Frontier to block it."

"This thing–" Chris stomped on the ground once. "–Can break the curse?"

"I don't know the specifics," Maria finally pushed Kirika off her as she spoke, and the smaller girl stumbled back in surprise. Kirika caught herself by stabbing her scythe into the ground as if it were a cane, leaning on it to balance herself. "But that's how they framed their plan."

"Frontier was the spaceship that the Custodians–the gods to the first humans–used to travel from their dimension to ours." Kirika explained. "Finé was very fascinated in it, but she thought that treating this thing as just another relic was disrespectful to..." Kirika blushed and covered her eyes. Muttering her single-word catchphrase multiple times, Kirika shook her head quickly.

"I don't know how I feel about you knowing so much about everything." Maria sighed. "And I really would like an explanation as to how you do. But that will have to wait."

"Okay, so this thing–Frontier–has the power to break the chains that bind humanity. F.I.S.–" Tsubasa began to summarize everything they had just learned but was cut off as Maria specified the name of the mad scientist who she believed to be responsible for her sister's reappearance. With that, Tsubasa corrected herself. "Dr. Ver managed to resurrect a girl from the dead and bound her to a Symphogear in a way that does not require her to sing, likely as a countermeasure to us and any other organization that would rise up to fight against them."

Chris looked out at Serena and Hibiki clashing over the ocean. The berserk beast's movements were too fast for Serena to charge up Shénshòujìng's power but too weak to sufficiently damage the girl. Their struggle was an infinite loop that sent the two careening wildly. "So that brings us back to step one: what are we going to do?"

Kirika, diving back into her sea of knowledge, spoke up with a suggestion. "Shénshòujìng's power is supposed to be able to purify... impurities, so if we could find a way to turn that light back on Serena, it may free her from the brainwashing."

"Even if it's supposed to be a pure light," Chris pointed out to the vessel that sat partially-submerged in the water below them. "I don't think you want to be hit by something that can cut off the top of a submarine."

"I don't think we would want to be hit by it anyway." Tsubasa looked at the blade of Ame no Habakiri, which glimmered in the light of the sky. "If it destroys impurities, then it may obliterate our relics."

"If it doesn't kill you first." Chris sighed as she wiped her forehead, closing her eyes for just a moment. "At the very least, we only have to deal with one of these Symphogear killers."

When Chris opened her eyes again, she saw three annoyed expressions looking back at her. It was Kirika who voiced her concern for what Chris had said. "I think you just jinxed us, death."

. . .

Dr. Ver angrily slammed his fist on the chair in which Nastassja sat. "They managed to break the helmet's armour? Perhaps I underestimated the power of those Symphogears."

"Even with all of our research, we never truly understood the capabilities of the Symphogear relics that Finé developed. I have trust that those girls will destroy your plans." Nastassja spoke calmly with a fierce smile at first, but this transformed into a cruel glare as she looked over her shoulder. "But bringing back a girl from the dead? Is nothing sacred to you?"

The doctor grunted in rage. "As if you can talk about consecration, with the experiments you performed on those children."

Moving to the side of Nastassja's chair, Ver used one arm to push the elderly woman with incredible strength, sending her flying out of her seat and against the wall. She coughed up blood as she collided, moaning in pain as she tried to regain her composure.

Dr. Ver pulled a small device out of the pocket of his white lab coat and slammed the button present on it. "They may be able to damage the black armour I clad Chalkydri in, but that was merely a passion project I had been working on." He smiled with a wildly intense look in his eyes. "All of my research had been leading into the development of completely artificial relics beyond those that the accursed gods had gifted our forefathers–and a goal that you shall now see the borne fruits of."

As the button clicked under the doctor's pale finger, the injured Nastassja could feel as the ship she sat in began to shake wildly. Already dizzy from the potential concussion she suffered from, Nastassja's head only began to shake harder as her body quaked. Across from her, the devious doctor laughed like the mad scientist that he was.

. . .

*Kara Lancea Longini zizzl*

The Holy Chant chilled the four Symphogear wielders that stood on Frontier to the core. Kirika only glared at Chris as if to imply that the sound that resonated through the air was her fault–and the wielder of Ichaival seriously questioned whether or not she had manipulated the whims of fate only seconds earlier.

But Tsubasa froze for a different reason. It was not the Holy Chant's claws that stabbed her heart, but rather the voice that sang it. The voice was quiet and calm, but just as emotionless as that which came from Chalkydri–Serena–on the rare occasions she spoke.

The girl with the blue ponytail could not help but glance over to Serena and Hibiki, and was shocked to see that the two had ceased their clash. Like the others around her, their gazes were locked on the flying airship from which the words emanated.

As if she had been there the whole time, Kanade suddenly appeared beside them. "Alright, I'm here to help." She introduced herself with, sparing but a single glance to look over the Symphogear that Maria held.

"Kanade, where did you come from?" Tsubasa was both confused but glad to see her friend, and could barely contain herself as she looked into Kanade's one uncovered eye.

The girl whose wild hair flowed down her back like a volcanic river shouldered her giant spear–the spear of Gungnir. "I attached a rope to Gungnir and threw it at the underside of the island. Climbed right up and then scaled the rest of the mountain." Though Kanade had a confident smile on her face, the slight red colouration of her face and the heavy rise and fall of her chest gave away that she was not as energized as she tried to appear.

Regardless, the others had a difficult time hiding the fact that they were impressed with the girl's strength. Kirika even vocalized such as her eyes glowed. "You're incredible..." she muttered quietly, awe filling her mind.

"Now's not the time to admire me." Kanade waved her hand, but the blush that crept through the red of fatigue was obvious as she turned her head. "We've got a difficult battle ahead of us."

. . .

From within the black void of her body in which she was trapped, Hibiki's eyes went wide. The anger that clouded her mind were sliced by the sword that was the Holy Chant of Lancea Longini.

Somehow, the sadness that welled up within her began to push aside the darkness in which she drowned. Hibiki found herself wading through the corruption that tried to weigh her down, climbing her way up to the light that shone from above.

As Hibiki's consciousness regained control of her body from the evils within her heart, a voice from a ghost reverberated in her mind. It was a kind voice, one very familiar to her, saying something that she had long forgotten about.

I shall be the spear to pierce through the heavens.

. . .

The airship in which Dr. Ver and Nastassja had resided in exploded as a figure cut its way out of it with no regard for safety. The weapon cleaved through the heavy metals of the ship as if it were a pair of scissors cutting through a thin piece of paper.

"Miku!" Hibiki shouted as the darkness exploded from her body. Colour returned to her body, her Symphogear glowing a brilliant white and gold just as angelic as the wings that sprouted from her back.

Tears welled up in Hibiki's eyes, blurring the sight of the airship's destruction. Hibiki felt a strange mix of anger and relief as the ship finally broke apart like an egg and a figure flew into the sky. Unlike Serena, who looked like a villainous black knight with purple spikes attached to her legs, the being that appeared was instead clad entirely in gold, holding a long polearm that appeared to be a giant bladed cross.

The girl was, of course, Miku Kohinata–the girl who should have been dead. Her wavy black hair was loose and significantly longer than it had been when Hibiki had last seen her and the girl's eyes were no longer gold to signify the influence of the eternal priestess Finé. No, the girl's eyes sparkled just as blue as the ocean beneath her, yet the darkness that clouded them was clear at even a glance. Another new element of Miku's appearance came in the form of the dark red lines that carved through her face, a remnant of the burns she suffered as she fell back to the earth.

The sight of her friend should have brought her complete joy, but Hibiki only felt despair; she knew in her heart that Miku was her enemy now. Hibiki swore to herself that she would do absolutely anything to bring back the girl she loved.

Remembering that Serena–who was just as captivated in the sight as Hibiki was–still floated next to her, Hibiki launched into the girl with a powerful kick. The amount of force she put behind her attack far exceeded that which her body should have been capable of, but she did not care as she watched Serena spiral towards her allies on the island of Frontier–towards her allies. Hibiki cared about Miku just as much as Miku cared for Hibiki, so the angel faced her golden sunshine filled with the determination to free her from the chains that bound her.

Neither girl acknowledged the water that sprayed up around them as the ruined vehicle finally dropped crashed beneath the waves.

. . .

Serena righted herself in the air, but did not halt her momentum. From below her, Chris fired upon the girl with her crossbows, and Serena instead turned her attention to those who looked up at her.

"Serena!" Maria, who stood beside Chris with her silver arm pressed up against her heart, called out to her sister. "It's me! Maria! Don't you remember me?"

The girl who was now called herself Chalkydri did not acknowledge the idol's desperate plea for her to see her. Instead, Serena just began to charge up the power of Shénshòujìng, her arm beginning to spark with purple intensity.

With a powerful wave of her arm, Serena let loose a blade of light that cut through the air as it sailed towards Chris and Maria–the other Symphogear wielders were nowhere to be seen, but Serena did not think highly enough of any of her enemies to care. Chris fired a missile into the light to block it, and the two exploded as the air shook as purple lightning and orange embers flew out from the cloud that resulted in their collision.

"Watch about below, death!" Serena had forgotten that Kirika, like her, could fly–a deadly mistake. The young girl barely had the time to turn her head upwards before she felt a foot make impact with her back.

"Let's get you down." Kanade spoke calmly as she stood on Serena's back. The two fell to the ground, rocking the false earth with enough force to dent the spaceship, but Kanade seemed unfazed despite the fact that Serena's nose was now pressed into the ground.

As Serena slowly righted herself, the other Symphogear wielders surrounded the new, shallow crater that had formed as Kanade jumped up to join them. As she stood up next to Chris, Kanade swung her spear out to point at their enemy. "Aim for where I just kicked."

Chris nodded in acknowledgement and readied the gatling guns that Ichaival provided. Maria saw this, however, and gasped in horror at the thought of Chris's weapon shredding her sister, but Chris shook her head. "I won't aim for your sister's face. The rest of her body should be tough enough to withstand this."

Without waiting for Maria's response, Chris began to unload her lead volley at the girl in the centre of the pit–though she did not move nor attempt to block it. Serena's sole response to the attack was to once again charge up the electric light in her arm.

"Not on my watch." Tsubasa rushed up to the girl at a high speed as Chris halted her attack, igniting her Armed Gear in blue flames as she neared. Cutting the air, Tsubasa released a wall of flames that Serena was forced to dodge.

As the girl younger than the other Symphogear wielders that she fought against jumped high into the air, presumably to regain the advantage of distance, Kirika appeared in her path. With an intense look on her face, Kirika smashed her weapon into Serena as she swung her scythe like a baseball bat, launching Serena back into the crater she had just escaped from.

Kanade was ready for the follow-up and landed on the girl to pierce her armour with her spear. For the first time as the black metal buckled under the spear's attack, Serena's blank expression changed into a wince.

"Serena, I'm sorry!" Maria cried as Kanade stepped back. The silver arm of Airgetlám transformed into a pink sword of light and Maria ran this weapon down through her sister's back. A chasm was cut through the shield that protected the young girl within the shell of Chalkydri, and now her white skin was exposed.

In a rage, Serena threw her elder sibling off of her back. Slowly flipping into a vertical state, Serena once again began to charge up Shénshòujìng's power. Tsubasa saw this and attempted to repeat her earlier attempt to block the attack, but Serena anticipated this.

Instead of charging the attack to its full potential, Serena channelled the attack into her index finger, which she extended outwards. Pointing at Tsubasa as she dashed towards her, she fired a small bullet of purple energy from the tip. With Ame no Habakiri's enhanced agility Tsubasa was able to dodge, but she still only barely managed to do so.

Serena did not give the wielders any time to compose themselves as she immediately began charging up another attack, and it was the nearby Kanade who was her new target. As she released another small ball of light from her pointer, Serena gave Kanade barely enough space to react to the projectile only to immediately follow-up with a second.

"Sorry about this, orange!" Chris shouted, launching the missile at Kanade at the same moment the first purple light appeared from Serena's finger. The missile collided with the ground right next to Kanade as the orange idol dodged the first attack and knocked her far out of the course of the second.

Serena immediately began to charge up the attack again, but Maria and Tsubasa retaliated first. Together, the two girls rushed towards the black knight, raising their blades down upon the girl in a harmonic attack. Both of their blades bounced off the armour of Serena's shoulders, but Maria expected this. Withdrawing the pink blade that surrounded one of her arms, Maria sliced at her sister with a small silver dagger, wrenching open the ravine that ran down her spine.

The armour cracked as Maria used her knife as a crowbar, and a deafening crack rang out. Serena could not hold her stoic expression any longer, and screamed as the black plating shattered off–but she did not let this stop her. The young girl swung her arm at her sister with no weapon ready, and struck her across the face. Maria crumpled away, not anticipating the power of the small girl.

"Sorry." Serena cried out, and this single word caused everyone–even the young girl–to pause. For just that single moment, her eyes regained their light before it was quickly overtaken once more by the emotionless darkness.

That small second brought hope to Maria. "Serena, you..." She shook her head, the pink curls bouncing as Maria took on a renewed determination. Their attacks were breaking the armour and freeing her from her curse–she did not know how, but they were doing the right thing here.

Kirika smiled as she saw the hope in Maria's eyes flare brighter than they had been before. She had an idea that she knew the others would disapprove of, but she tossed aside any restraint that kept her back–more than anything, Kirika just wanted to see her friends happy.

She tossed her scythe aside and slowly began making her way towards Serena. Tsubasa nodded in acknowledgment at her decision and jumped back, pulling Maria–who withheld her complaints with this plan–with her.

Taking a deep breath, Kirika began to sing.

*Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal

Emustolronzen Finé el balal zizzl

Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal

Emustolronzen Finé el zizzl*

As the final word escaped Kirika's lips, she reached her hand out towards Serena. Blood dribbled out of her mouth as the song came to a close, and she felt Serena's hand touch her own as her consciousness faded.

. . .

Hibiki and Miku simply stared at each other as they floated in space. Tears streamed down Hibiki's face, but the expression that looked back at her was cold and distant. "You will die here." Miku said in her best impression of a robot.

"Miku, how are you alive? We thought you..." Hibiki knew speaking to her friend was useless halfway through her thought. Instead, pushing away the tears with her good arm, Hibiki pointed her crystalline spear at the girl she held higher than anyone else. Miku, sensing Hibiki's will to engage in combat, mimicked her as she raised her Armed Gear in an identical manner.

Throwing herself forwards, Hibiki flew towards Miku just as her beloved echoed the same action. The two collided, their spears releasing a symphonic chime as the two relics clashed with an intensive power that released a wave to ripple the watery surface far below them.

Pain flared up through the stump of Hibiki's arm, but she ignored it. Drawing back her opposite arm, she threw a powerful punch that Miku deftly avoided by kicking her opponent away. Hibiki spun for just a moment but, with a shake of her head, regained her will to fight.

Hibiki's desire to defeat Miku exploded as the pain from her friend's attack lingered in her gut. It was no longer just a wish to free her Ver's experiments, but also a desire to simply punch her friend for letting her fall to him.

Miku did not give Hibiki time to continue thinking however–she flew towards the angelic Hibiki with her spear pointed forwards, ready to cleave a hole through the light of the sun she once admired.

"Snap out of it, Miku!" With a shout to the heavens, a pain flared up through Hibiki's body. The entirety of her mind was being pulled apart by a combination of her injuries, the strain of the shards of Gungnir embedded within her, and the stress of seeing her friend in such a state.

Hibiki did not move, nor even attempt to guard the attack. The desire to punch Miku was replaced in a moment. The pain took over her mind, Hibiki's strength being pushed by the side as the weaknesses exploded within her.

A second later, the spear pierced Hibiki's body, cutting straight through the girl's chest.

#### G Chapter 13

"Maria... now you can... be happy... with Serena..."

Kirika laid on the ground, her cheek pressed against the cold artificial earth that was the surface of Frontier. Tears of blood stained her cheeks, just as a similar red river flowed out from between her shaking lips.

As she had sung her Superb Song, Kirika Akatsuki surrounded herself and Serena in the power that Finé had bestowed upon her–Asgard. By trapping the energy her body released through this self-destroying song within a pink globe, Kirika was able to bombard the armour that shielded her enemy from every which way, though consequently she, too, suffered from an omnidirectional attack.

Her plan had been successful, however. Though Kirika now laid on the ground in a heavily damaged state, Serena's armour had been drastically weakened and the girl laid on the ground unconscious. The black shield of Chalkydri had many holes in it, the largest of which revealed the young girl's chest as that had been where Kirika approached from.

Luckily, both girls, however, were alive. Though Serena had collapsed in silence, the shallow rise and fall of her chest and the painful look in her eyes signified that life remained within her; life that, for all intents and purposes, should not have been there to begin with.

But Maria had tears streaming down her eyes as she leaned over the body of the other girl. Kirika's golden hair had been stained by the dirt around her and her skin tainted by gore, but she was smiling as she looked up at the idol who cried over her. "Stop crying..." Kirika tried to ease her friend's pain. "I... saved Serena..."

"You idiot! Why would you do something so dangerous?" Maria screamed at Kirika with a concoction of anger and sadness, but the girl's weak smile remained on her face. "You know how dangerous singing the Superb Song was!"

Kirika did not respond verbally. Instead, as her eyes began to glaze over as her consciousness faded, Kirika slowly raised up her shaking hand and wiped the tears that had wet Maria's cheeks. A kind act, but the blood and dirt that had collected on Kirika's hand was now painted across the idol's face like warpaint. Kirika let out a weak chuckle–though the exhalation sounded more like a sigh to the girl sitting over her–as the blinds of her eyelids were finally drawn.

"Oh shit."

As Maria and Kirika had a touching moment alongside the sleeping body of the resurrected Serena, the other three girls watched the battle unfolding over the ocean with wide eyes. Or rather–they watched the result of the battle, one that particularly shocked Chris Yukine, who couldn't help herself but swear.

The golden warrior who sparkled amongst the heavens held a pointed cross-like spear in her grip, the weapon's point embedded deep within a shining angel.

Hibiki looked down at the weapon that had pierced her chest in shock. She couldn't breathe–both due to the injury, but also from the shock that ate through her mind. With trembling fingers, Hibiki reached for the weapon but could not grip the relic as she instead only made contact with an ocean of blood.

"Mi–" Miku Kohinata stared at Hibiki with emotionless eyes as her victim tried to call out her name, only to gargle up blood instead. These two girls had known each other for years–no bond could have been stronger–and yet now one of them was silently working to drain the other of life.

Hibiki vomited blood as Miku pushed the weapon deeper within her, cutting through the muscles and organs in their path with little difficulty. Her body spasmed slightly as the weapon reached as far as it was allowed, and Miku then began to quickly withdraw the blade from its living sheath.

As Miku's Armed Gear finally exited Hibiki's body, she crumpled. Falling limp with her blood-stained hands collapsing to her sides, Hibiki then fell like an unwanted doll through the air. Her Symphogear shattered apart as a trail of blood painted the trail Hibiki made. But the amount of blood that her body released slowly decreased.

Hibiki's consciousness faded as she watched Miku travel further and further away from her, but the young girl's vision was not fading to black like at the end of a film–no, she saw orange as Gungnir's crystals sprouted around her eyes. But these crystals did not only cut through the skin of Hibiki's face; the gems grew like weeds across Hibiki's entire body, with a crystalline flower growing from the deep cavern that had been carved into her chest.

The water exploded as Hibiki's body crashed into the surface. As her limbs splayed out from the incredible impact, the water parted to bury her beneath the shining ocean for all eternity.

By the time Hibiki Tachibana hit the waves she had already left the realm of the living.

. . .

Maria and Tsubasa landed in the submarine that was Sector Two's headquarters. The air was tense as the two girls–who carried Kirika and Serena on their backs, respectively–cut through the coat of depression that hung over the vehicle.

Genjuro had a stern expression on his face, but most everyone else was a mess with tears. Not only did they just watch Hibiki get murdered–with Kanade currently swimming through the water trying to locate her body–but she had been killed by the girl she had dedicated herself to reuniting with.

After stabbing Hibiki, Miku seemingly deactivated. It wasn't as though life left her body, rather she just froze in the air. Even now, almost an hour later, Miku had not moved from the position where she committed murder, staring into the distance with a vacant look in her eyes. She did not seem willing to attack further, but the girls were still on guard; even as Tsubasa and Maria left the command room to give the girls medical attention, they kept one eye each on the sky above them.

"Damn it!" Genjuro finally snapped and punched the steel wall he stood beside. His fist burst the metal plating, denting it in an instant and exploding the air with the sound of destruction. This stunned the already-quiet room into a chilling silence; not even the cries of sadness could be heard.

It was Chris who was brave enough to speak up under the pressure that strangled them. "The Rod of Asclepius." She mused, recalling what Kirika speculated about how Serena miraculously returned to life. "If that Serena girl was brought back to life, there must have been something in that ship that could bring the idio... Hibiki back to life."

"We'll go look!" Yumi shouted, punching her chest to feign a confidence her tear-stained face and red eyes belied. "We'll find some way to save Hibiki!"

Fujitaka and Tomosato, who, up until now, had silently tapped on their computers as they forced their emotions inwards to project a false calm, both looked at each other when the suggestion came up. Their looks were not hopeful, rather they were quite the opposite. "We performed a scan on the wreckage of the ship immediately, but..."

As Fujitaka trailed off, Tomosato picked up the remainder of the thought. "We found no traces of anything worthwhile. There were no signs of life nor relics. Our scan was quite thorough."

"Still, it doesn't feel right for us to just stand around like this!" Yumi angrily waved her hand. "I don't want Hibiki to..."

Shiori grabbed her friend's rumbling hand. Even though her face mirrored the same sad state of her friends', Shiori's voice was exceptionally calm as she spoke. "It may be fruitless, but let us look. Even if we can't find any relics, we might be able to find something to explain why nothing was left behind."

Finally pulling his clenched fist out of the crater that he had created within the wall, Genjuro addressed the two girls with a cold stare a scarily calm voice. "Very well. We have diving equipment in storage that you can use. Tomosato, show them the way."

"Understood." Tomosato stood up in a stiff manner. Despite the tragic act she had witnessed, she still strove to maintain a professional–and friendly–demeanour in every possible way. Her sad eyes that whispered pitiful vibes contrasted the small, kind smile she wore as she led Shiori, Yumi, and Kuriyo out of the room, dodging out of the way as Tsubasa entered right afterwards.

Tsubasa immediately gave her report to the room as the door–which was useless, considering the recent removal of their roof–slid closed behind her. "Both girls appear to be in stable condition."

"Do we know if Serena's brainwashing was broken?" Chris asked, and Tsubasa immediately shook her head.

"She's still unconscious, and I do worry about what could happen if she awoke and tried to kill the girls in the infirmary, but I have a feeling Maria Cadenzavna Eve would be able to handle it."

"Speaking of," Fujitaka spun around in his chair. "What are we going to do about those girls? Even ignoring the fact that Akatsuki seems to have acquired Finé's knowledge and memories, the three girls are officially wanted terrorists in almost every country."

"We'll need to figure that out afterwards." Genjuro sighed as he closed his eyes. "Ogawa, brother, you two have a difficult task ahead of you."

The group heard a splash of water from beyond the walls around them, and a second later a geyser of water rose up a short distance away. No one panicked however, as they saw the cause of it but a second later: Kanade, who fell from the top of the water's tower and landed with a thud in another room of the submarine. A few moments later Kanade, her entire body–which was still wearing her Symphogear, being the only girl still clad in the armour–dripping wet. Just by standing still in the entryway, a puddle quickly began to form beneath her feet just from the droplets that fell from her hair.

Kanade had a solemn look on her face as she undid the rope that had been tied around her waist. This rope had trapped the body of Hibiki Tachibana against Kanade's back as she swam through the water, and the corpse fell off and landed against the ground in a thud.

Hibiki Tachibana's corpse had completely transformed. No longer was she a girl who slumped like a puppet with cut strings, now Hibiki's entire body was encased in a spiky orange crystal like a fossil in amber. Her face was frozen in shock, and the blood that had spilled from her chest now floated before her in a cloud, suspended within the stone that kept her trapped.

"That..." Chris tried to find the words to describe the scene. Despite the fact that they were technically staring at a corpse–and a corpse of a girl they had all grown fairly close to–her body looked more like a twisted work of art. Chris stared at the cadaver forever locked in orange, her mind racing for a way to finish that sentence but unable to gather a single word.

"Even if we were able to free her from this, we couldn't revive her." Tsubasa touched the crystal with her hand, gripping one of the many spires that extended out from the prison at awkward angles. She lowered her head in apology as she stepped back after a moment. "I am truly sorry, Hibiki Tachibana, that you had to meet your end in this way."

Kanade punched her hand into her opposite palm as anger filled her mind. "Damn it! I want to kill that girl." Lowering her hands sadly, her tone shifted. "But I know she would be heartbroken to know what she did."

"This really is a mess." Genjuro collapsed into his designated seat. "The only silver lining we have is that Kohinata has not continued her attack."

"Isn't that weird?" Chris pointed out at the mention of their stalemate. "She's clearly strong and could probably take the three of us on all at once, but it's like that girl only wanted to fight her." She gestured towards Hibiki with her head, consciously doing so in a way that prevented herself from getting a proper view of the girl's terrifying expression.

"Now that you mention it," Tsubasa realized. "Chalkydri–Serena–primarily focused her attention on Tachibana as well. It was only when she was launched towards us that her target changed."

"You think this was intentional?" Kanade asked as she wrung her hair out like a soggy towel. The ground around her was already soaked, so nobody complained as another puddle formed around her feet. "And do you think they knew Tachibana would become...?" Though she trailed off, they all knew where she was going.

"Unfortunately, we're still almost completely in the dark. If only Finé was kind enough to share her research data with us." Fujitaka sighed.

His sigh was quickly replaced with surprise as a light flashed upon the console in front of him, illuminating his face. "Kohinata seems to be on the move." He announced, and all eyes turned skywards.

"Shall we go, then?" Tsubasa stretched her leg out as if about to run a marathon, taking a quick and silent moment to glance at Kanade as she did so.

Her Zwei Wing partner just stared at the sky, taking in a sharp breath through her cracked lips. Tsubasa noticed a distant look in Kanade's tilted eyes, one that was justified due to the recent death of one of their allies–their friends. The sadness that came with the tragedy of death gripped Tsubasa's heart for just a moment, but she pushed it aside.

Now was not the time for mourning. Right now, they needed to avenge their fallen comrade.

*Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri tron*

. . .

Miku Kohinata flew towards the giant tower of Frontier in silence. In her hand, the girl clutched the cross-shaped lance that was coated with the stolen life of her best friend. Her dark eyes were focused on the location that the brainwashed Miku's master had ordered her to report to: the control room of the Custodian's giant spaceship.

The obnoxious voice of Doctor John Wayne Vercingetorix resounded in her ear. "My greatest creation, fulfil your duty!" He cackled to end the orders he had given her.

Miku's heart wanted to disobey the man within her mind, but her brain shouted otherwise. She felt compelled to follow Dr. Ver, for reasons she did not quite understand. Was it the result of the experiments he performed on her, or was she subconsciously grateful that he brought her back from the brink of death?

The answer did not truly matter–Miku knew that she had no choice but to follow his orders. After all, Miku had no will of her own at this moment; she was but a living weapon, the Lancea Longini, designed solely to assist Dr. Ver in his twisted goals.

A sound rippled in the distance from behind her, and Miku turned to look over her shoulder. She saw a large missile flying through the air, aimed directly at her and carrying four figures atop its back.

Chris Yukine, the source of this rocket, stood at the head, her gatling guns taking aim at Miku's chest. Behind her, the girl in gold could see Tsubasa, Kanade, and their new ally, Maria Cadenzavna Eve all with their Armed Gears drawn and ready to strike.

Miku was floating above the ground of Frontier, not too far from the mountainous outcropping that extended up into the eye-like antenna at the top of the artificial island. She knew that, when they landed, they could engage in combat with her far easier than when she floated above the ocean; this was something she needed to rectify.

As the girl began to ascend away from the ground, Miku watched as Tsubasa jumped high into the air and off the missile. The girl in blue slashed her sword to cut through the air, sending a projectile of blue light towards Miku. She had no choice but to dodge, sliding downwards out of the projectile's path. The act made her certain–they were not going to let her run off.

The missile closed in on Miku, and she made the decision to temporarily abandon Ver's orders: it was time to fight. She had successfully completed her first mission, but the corrupted Miku knew that this second fight would not be so easy. Hibiki had been weakened both mentally and physically, but a four-on-one fight with girls who have only been worn down by fatigue would be significantly weaker.

Lancea Longini was a completely articial relic designed using the data of all other Symphogears: Gungnir, Ame no Habakiri, Ichaival, Airgetlám, Shul Shagana, Igalima, Shénshòujìng–even data taken from Nephilim, Solomon's Cane, and Kadingir. All of these powerful relics came together to create the armour that now clad Miku Kohinata; a set of armour that she had not even begun to use to its full potential.

And now Miku knew–it was time to wield this power.

As the missile closed in on Miku, black veins cut through her skin. The power of Lancea Longini was generated not through songs as Symphogears were, but through emotions and memories; this was because of the alchemical metals that Ver had implanted within Miku's central nervous system. She could control her new power effortlessly so long as she breathed–the only downside was the pain that consumed Miku as her body rewrote the notes of her heart.

The group that backed Ver and his research had tasked the doctor to create an artificial weapon that combined the Symphogear system that the eternal Finé had concocted with the alchemical Faust Robes that Ver only had cursory knowledge of; Lancea Longini was the result of this perfect marriage.

Maria, Chris, and Kanade all leapt off the missile as it finally entered Miku's personal space, but the latter girl did not move. With her soulless eyes, Miku simply watched as the red point of the rocket sailed directly towards her.

An explosion rocked the air, sending a dark cloud of flames spiralling out in all directions, but the four girls who arrived on the missile were sure that Miku was still active. The explosion likely would have harmed her, but, if they had learned anything from the armour that had clad Serena, Ver's work was incredibly durable.

What none of them could have predicted was the report that came from Tomosato in their earpieces just as the missile collided with the girl in the air above them. "We're detecting a new Aufwachen Waveform!"

Chris cursed in shock both as the news and the sight registered within her brain. "This girl's a monster!"

Miku Kohinata was completely surrounded in a blue globe of metal, one which did not even have a single speck of dust stuck to it. Though describing it as an orb or globe was apt, the design more closely resembled two flowers, whose petals were angled to touch at the tips. The shield was more a prison that hid Miku within the shining calyces and away from the view of the girls before, and two chains of diamond links crossed around the entire product like a pair of ouroboroses.

These chains unfurled slowly, disintegrating into light as the new object dissipated. Miku revealed herself once more, her golden armour now the same shining cyan as the shell had been.

"Shrivatsa." Miku commanded that the shield disappear with a wave of her hand, and the blue colouration of her armour returned to its wealthy gold–though the black tears that sliced her skin remained. Miku did not need to speak the command but did so as she aimed a shadowy glare at her opponents.

Miku lowered herself to the ground as she made the decision to reveal the extent of her power to her opponents, hoping they would flee so that she could complete the mission she had been given with haste.

She deftly dodged an attack from Maria without blinking, and swatted away the incoming spear of Gungnir with a back-handed smack. "Weak." She spat, echoing the words of the man who commanded Miku from a safe distance.

"Why not give them a taste of their own medicine?" Dr. Ver phrased his order as a considerate question but Miku was forbidden from disobeying him. She complied, raising her arm into the air.

The black tears across her skin lit her body up in a similar murky darkness, and a moment later her armour had once again transformed.

"Gold is a spear, blue is a shield..." Chris commented from afar, watching as her allies regrouped around her. "What do you suppose red means?"

Miku silently answered the girl's question by thrusting her arm out in front of her. "Ichaival." Miku shouted, though she did not address Chris by saying this.

No, as Miku called the name of the relic, her arm was engulfed in a red energy. The girl grabbed down on the gas that formed around her fist, which connected with a solid bar.

"Are you kidding me?" Chris complained. Her face was washed with anger and confusion, and the girls around her were similarly shocked.

After all, Miku now pointed one of the same crossbows Chris held at the girl clad in the Ichaival Symphogear.

"She can use our Symphogears?" Kanade asked her allies. "Then we're going to need to get creative."

As Kanade smiled, Miku began to unload upon her enemies.

#### G Chapter 14

Waving to Tomosato, Yumi and her two friends dove off of a platform that had extended out from the submarine. Though Yumi, Shiori, and Kuriyo had never gone diving before, Yumi had grasped the fundamentals from an anime she watched and had–to Kuriyo's surprise–successfully instructed her friends how to use the equipment properly.

The helmets the three girls wore were claustrophobic, but they were equipped with radios to allow them to communicate with each other. That thought was comforting as they slowly descended beneath the waves. "The ship crashed in this direction, right?" Kuriyo asked as she led Yumi and Shiori through the darkness.

"Ah, is that it?" Shiori pointed–very slowly, considering the weight of the water that surrounded her–at a structure beneath them.

Frontier's emergence had torn up the ocean floor, turning the mysteries beneath the surface inside-out like a sweater, and dust was still floating around the girls. Despite that, the tan exterior of the airship seemed to sparkle through the darkness, perhaps a result of the few rays of sunlight that streamed down far enough to reflect off the glass that still remained.

Yumi was the first to reach this part of the ship. It had flipped upside-down in its descent and the water had rocked the interior; she had no idea which part of the ship it was, nor what it was being used for, but it seemed to look like something out of a sci-fi anime. "I think this was the lab." Yumi reported as her friends drew nearer to her.

As Kuriyo stared into the darkness of this part of the ship, she gestured towards an area that seemed brighter. "I think Hina broke out of here." The giant hole in the wall did not have a symmetrical partner, and the way some of the surrounding wall spiked outwards away from the girls, it looked as though something had definitely broke out–Kuriyo was correct in her assessment.

Yumi clicked a button on the side of her helmet, which projected a cone of light out in front of her via a small light implanted atop it. As Shiori and Kuriyo did the same, the girl swam into the remains of the lab. "This place looks horrifying."

She may not have been sure if the chaos was due to the ship's destruction and the water's interference, but it was still clear to Yumi that some of the mess may have been here before the ship was destroyed. As she looked around, she could tell that some terrible experiments had gone on in this room. What looked to be a medieval torture rack was built into the wall–with markings of a cross drawn over it in a red substance that Yumi hoped was paint–and next to it a giant tesla coil-like device that had multiple chords still attached to it. Only one of the chords that floated within the water had anything in its grasp, but Yumi believed that all twelve of the rubber tentacles around her had all held the same thing: giant syringes. Yumi cringed at the thought of being stabbed by even one of these large needles, let alone twelve–or potentially more.

"What did Hina go through?" Yumi heard Kuriyo, who was on the opposite side of the room, through her headset and looked over as she picked up a small, pure-black shard. "Do you think this was what that armour was made from?"

Yumi remained on the other side of the room, fixated on the horrible mechanical monstrosity, but spared just a quick glance. "It looks the same, doesn't it?"

"Hey girls, over here." Shiori slowly waved from further into the ship. "Do you think they might be able to salvage anything from these computers?"

Shiori gestured at something that looked to once be a table. Both sitting atop it and around it, several large machines had toppled over, and one had even cracked open like an egg to reveal several colourful chords. These machines surrounded three computers, all of which seemed to be in fine condition despite being submerged. "We could each carry one up."

"It might be worth a shot." Kuriyo nodded.

"Yumi?" Shiori called to their other friend, who still stared at the black device. She now held one of the rubber chords in her hands, ogling the dagger-like syringe. The giant anime fan poked the tip of the needle absent-mindedly, forgetting that she was underwater and wearing a diving suit. Even as Shiori called her name, Yumi did not acknowledge them.

Instead, Yumi recalled the reason why Genjuro had asked her to remain in the command room while Shiori and Kuriyo brought Shirabe to the medical room.

It took Shiori a few waves of her hand for Yumi to finally snap back to reality. When Yumi realized that both of her friends were looking at her with very concerned looks.

"Are you all right? You're focusing very hard on that... syringe." Kuriyo asked.

"Of course I'm not all right, it'd be weird if I was after everything that's happened." Yumi sighed, but smiled nonetheless. "But yeah, I heard you. You found some computers?"

Shiori and Kuriyo looked at each other as Yumi simply turned and swam further into the ship. They both knew Yumi was not okay–they weren't either, of course–but they felt that she had been acting especially odd. "Perhaps the stress is just getting to her?" Kuriyo offered a moment later, and Shiori smiled a smile of pity.

Yumi, on the same radio frequency as her friends, ignored their questions as she swam away. An image had burned itself in her mind; it was not the syringe that had held her attention, but what had been carved on the wall beside the device that she had held it in its grasp.

. . .

It took Yumi, Shiori, and Kuriyo far longer to carry the computers up to the surface than it had taken them to reach the ruined lab. Kuriyo had needed to swim up to the surface to get some ropes, to allow them to tie the computers to their backs as they swam. What's more, the girls did not realize how much they had left gravity aid them in their descent; what took them only a handful of minutes before required almost an hour's work to rectify.

As she dropped the computer down at Tomosato's feet, Yumi collapsed onto her back. The girl threw off her helmet, letting her untied hair fall down onto her wet shoulders, and she shook her head as her lungs filled with clean air for the first time in what felt like an eternity. Kuriyo and Shiori, she noticed out of the corner of her eye, did similar motions–they had not realized how suffocating their helmets had been until they removed them.

Tomosato bent down and handed them towels, a concerned look on her face. She clearly wanted to say something, but Yumi held her hand up. "I'm really sick of bad news right now." She angrily fell to her back and closed her eyes, dropping the fresh, white towel over her face.

"Yumi, that's..." Shiori muttered, but she could understand the girl's feelings. With her blond hair curled up even more, taking the shape of the helmet that she had stuffed it into, Shiori nodded an apology to Tomosato, who simply smiled in return.

Once they had stripped out of their diving suits and hung them to dry, Tomosato led Kuriyo and Shiori out into the hall, giving them the 'bad news' that Yumi had declined to hear. None of them noticed as Yumi cracked the door open to hear as they walked away, curiosity getting the better of her.

"The Symphogear wielders are engaged in battle with Kohinata at the moment." At the news, Kuriyo couldn't help but sadly gasp out the nickname she had given her classmate, and Tomosato paused for a moment as she tried to determine the right phrasing for her continuation.

"How are the others doing?" Shiori asked, seeing the distress in Tomosato's expression.

Tomosato did not know whether it would be better to phrase the fight in favour of the girls' close friend–Miku Kohinata–or the ones trying to free her from her cursed gear, so she instead just came out and addressed the situation in the most blunt way possible: "Terribly."

At this point they exited the range for Yumi to continue hearing their conversation, so the girl slumped back into the room and slowly began to remove her diving suit

. . .

Kanade flew through the air and collided with the side of the cliff that acted as the base for Frontier's main tower. The stone behind her cracked under the force of the impact, creating a pattern resembling a spider's web that had trapped the orange-haired girl like a fly.

"What did they do to you?" Kanade pulled herself out of the dent in the wall that her body had made and let gravity pull her to the ground. Her sad words only reached the ears of Tsubasa, who stood next to her breathing heavily.

The two members of Zwei Wing stared at Miku Kohinata as her armour continually shifted between different colours. With every move of her arm, a different shade engulfed her body and the weapons she held changed appearance accordingly. With Maria closing in on her, Miku became awash in a golden glow as she countered the silver arm of Airgetlám with the lance she had begun the battle with, following up immediately by targeting a distant Chris with saw blades she summoned as her gear turned pink to match the design of Shul Shagana.

Kanade Amou, Tsubasa Kazanari, Maria Cadenzavna Eve, and Chris Yukine. Together, these four wielded some of the most powerful relics known to humanity, and yet Miku held a power far greater.

"She can counter all of our attacks effortlessly, as if she's reading our minds." Tsubasa assessed the situation, watching as Maria and Chris attacked simultaneously from opposite directions. Their attempt was useless however, as Miku's blue armour folded into its spherical coffin to protect her from their onslaught before Chris's projectiles had even begun flying through the air. Both the ethereal bullets that Ichaival fired and the silver blade Maria clutched in her hand bounced off of Miku's shield, leaving not even a dent.

"There's something odd about the way she's fighting." Kanade spat out a globule of blood and wiped away some red that had dribbled down her chin. It had not been the first time she was thrown against something during this fight; several spider webs dotted the scenery around them, and each time Kanade stood back up with resolve in her eye. "I don't think she actually wants to kill us... and..." Though Kanade trailed off, Tsubasa was able to finish that later thought. It was something even she had realized during their battle.

*Miku did not channel Gungnir.*

As Miku's shield unfurled, the armour that was bound to her sparkled like an emerald as she sliced the air with a giant scythe–one that Maria was only barely able to dodge by leaping back towards the two idols of Zwei Wing who watched as if innocent bystanders not intending to fight.

"I want to test something." Kanade cocked a sad smile as Maria approached. Then, raising her voice, Kanade summoned Chris over.

The robotic Miku Kohinata did not understand why the four girls had halted their attack. Of course, they had yet to even glance her with their Armed Gears, but Miku had been sure that the four Symphogear wielders would not simply give up.

As if echoing her thoughts, a voice hissed in her ear. "They're planning something. Kill them now."

"Understood." Miku could not help but nod at the suggestion. This man was the puppeteer of the strings that held up her heart; she could not disobey him no matter what her weak heart tried. As such, under his command, she clad herself in armour as black as the night–the armour signifying the use of Shénshòujìng.

Just as the second test subject Chalkydri–otherwise known as Serena Cadenzavna Eve–had done before, Miku channelled a sparking purple light throughout her entire body as her hollow eyes focused on the group of Symphogear wielders that she mostly knew from her past life.

Then, she heard the music from the Symphogears begin to play. The song that emanated from the heart of the girl that wore Gungnir was not one filled with the emotions she wished to convey through fighting, but instead a melody that was familiar to the deepest recesses of Miku Kohinata's mind.

Sparking purple light continued to spark around her body, but Miku did not move. Her heart simply froze as the voices of Kanade Amou and Tsubasa Kazanari reverberated around her.

*"Kikoemasu ka…?" Gekijō kanaderu mujīku

Ten ni

Tokihanate

"Kikoemasu ka…?" Inochi hajimaru myakudō

Ai wo

Tsukiagete*

Though her mind was frozen in confusion at the memory that welled up within her, Miku could tell from the warmth in her chest that this was one from her past life–the one that should have been thrown away.

The girl looked around in confusion–Frontier was nowhere in sight. Instead, under the orange light of the burning sunset, two voices rang out from the dazzling stage laid before her.

Tsubasa and Kanade sang, not dressed in the armour built from relics but instead clad in bright blue and pink dresses of idols. The serious expressions that the two had worn in combat looked foreign to the girls before her now; the fact that Kanade looked down upon her with both eyes was, in itself, incredibly startling to Miku for reasons she did not quite understand.

Cheers welled up from around her as Kanade and Tsubasa. Ghosts from a past that Miku had forced down slowly filled the empty stadium around her, with only a single empty hole right next to her. The girl, no longer wearing the black armour that had been forced upon her, looked down in confusion as her hands grasped green glow sticks.

*Yes, just believe kami-sama mo shiranai hikari de rekishi wo tsukurō

Gyakkō no shawā

Mirai terasu

Issho ni tobanai ka?

Just feeling namida de nureta hane omokute habatakenai hi wa wish

Sono migite ni soeyō

Boku no chikara mo

Futari de nara tsubasa ni nareru singing heart*

"Thank you Miku." A girl's voice drowned out the cheers beside her, and Miku looked up. The spot was empty, a faceless figure the closest being to her, but Miku knew that a familiar voice had rung out from the chaos that surrounded her. As she looked for its source, she heard it speak again. "Without you, I never would have been able to see this!"

Chris and Maria stood off to the side, just as they had been asked to. Chris had her gatling guns ready and aimed at Miku in case the plan that Kanade suggested had backfired, but all seemed to be working as she believed it would.

"So that's the power of Zwei Wing." Maria admired from beside her. They stood on the side of Frontier's base, clinging to it as if they were spies as they balanced on the uneven earth that rose up the edges.

Kanade had suggested that she and Tsubasa try to use the power of Miku's memories to break the spell that controlled her, noticing that, though they had all been sent flying at different points in time, Miku only ever attacked in defence. "I think some part of her is still alive in there." Kanade explained with a nod. "We just need to draw it out."

"But singing Gyakkō no Flügel?" Tsubasa raised an eyebrow. The question she had on her mind was more so why she wanted to drag out that particular memory–the memory of the day when Miku and Hibiki had almost died, and the catalyst for the events that led them to today.

Kanade's sad smile and kind eye looked down at Tsubasa. "Unlike you, I'm not always focused on the mission at hand. I remember seeing the looks on their faces that day–I noticed the wonder in both Kohinata and Tachibana's eyes, and it made it clear to me that my songs were actually helping people.

"I think that song we sung was the last thing that had brought them hope." Kanade admitted with a sigh.

"Even I have to admit that they're pretty incredible." Chris's words pulled Maria back to the present. Even though Kanade and Tsubasa carried their Armed Gears, they performed elegant movements befitting the idol name that they had created for themselves. "But I still can't believe this is working."

Maria couldn't help but release a chuckle. Even if she had only worked as an idol to aid in Nastassja's experiments, she did not hate living the life of someone that people all over the world looked up to. She was fluent in English, Ukranian, Russian, and Japanese–Maria's songs could communicate meaning to many different people across the world. She knew better than anyone that the words she told Chris were true: "The power of song is not to be underestimated."

It was as if the world agreed with her. She felt Frontier tremble slightly beneath her feet, knocking her and Chris both slightly off their precarious balance, but they managed to remain on their balcony looking down at the idols' performance below. But the scene looked different now: golden veins of light flowed through the ground, up towards and through the tower that Maria and Chris had their backs pressed against.

"That's probably bad, right?" For the first time, Chris purposefully lowered her crossbow off Miku and turned to look at Maria, whose face was white with fear. "Yep. Alright, now what?"

"Is it possible that their song activated Frontier?" Maria wondered aloud. Shaking her head, she spun her neck to meet Chris's gaze. "Let's head up to the control room."

Kanade and Tsubasa noticed the lights flare up around them but kept singing regardless. Miku was stunned into silence, her body no longer pulsing with the energy of Shénshòujìng, and the sight made even Tsubasa's face break into a smile.

Kanade's theory was right–the real Miku Kohinata was still locked inside there, somewhere, and they just needed to draw it out to overpower her. Unfortunately, if Miku broke from the daze and still wanted to fight, Tsubasa knew that they no longer stood a chance of winning as she saw Maria and Chris dash away.

But as the music that their Symphogears played slowed to its end, Tsubasa knew combat was no longer necessary. Breathing even harder now than she had been while fighting–a thought that made her forget how difficult it was to be an idol–Tsubasa watched as Miku's eyes flooded with tears. The black veins that crossed her scarred body slowly began to fade away, and the girl collapsed to the ground. "Hibiki!"

Miku sobbed as she curled herself over the artificial earth of Frontier, crying the name of her friend over and over. Tsubasa was both glad that their song had had such an effect on the girl but also quite sad; after all, all they had really done was brought back the Miku that now had to deal with the fact that she murdered the one who she was closest to. Miku had already lost her parents to suicide, and now the girl who she clung to for support had been ripped away by her own hands.

Tsubasa wiped a tear from her eye as Kanade approached Miku. Bending down, she patted Miku on the back as she encouraged the girl to let out her feelings.

"I'm so sorry, Hibiki!" Echoed through the silent air as the members of Zwei Wing comforted their distressed fan.

#### G Chapter 15

Miku slammed her fist on the ground as her heart exploded into a hurricane of emotions. The song that Zwei Wing had sung grounded her self within her body, yet the mind that she had had corrupted through the experiments of John Wayne Vercingetorix tried to turn off the light that had begun to burn once again.

It was as if Miku's mind was fractured in half. Within the cage of her brain, Miku looked through the supernova that exploded out around her at a copy of herself–one with a stiff and frozen expression that looked through her. The two Mikus simply stared at each other within this metaphorical space, watching and waiting for the other to attempt to force out the other.

The two beings that were each different versions of Miku Kohinata were locked in a tense stalemate, though this could not have been known by either of the two idols who stood over the crying girl who huddled over the ground.

Kanade patted Miku's back with her warm hand, listening to the heavy sobs and the cries for her departed friend that Miku continued to release. The orange-haired girl had a sad smile on her face as she turned to her blue partner. "Go."

Tsubasa did not want to stand around any longer. She was not heartless, far from it, but she felt as though there were more important matters to deal with at the moment now that the largest obstacle in their path had been dealt with–if only potentially temporarily. The long blue ponytail that hung off Tsubasa's head bobbed as she nodded quickly before dashing off.

"I'm sorry." Kanade looked back down to Miku, kneeling down to match the height of the girl crumpled over the ground of Frontier. Her head hanging low, Kanade shed a single tear of her own. "I truly am."

. . .

Chris Yukine and Maria Cadenzavna Eve jumped off a missile and landed on the squared-off rocky cliff that the rocket flew past at a high speed. This cliff acted as a rectangular window that looked into the wide, mostly empty chamber within the centre of Frontier's main tower: the control room.

It was more apt to describe this area as the control crater, however. The 'control panel' was a large ornament that rose out of what appeared to be bottomless pit. A long, thin spire of stone rose out of this chasm, and it transformed a tower of giant gears at its peak. These gears held a violet crystalline shrine, with a small pedestal that held a spherical device atop it and surrounded by a similarly–albeit cyan-coloured–crystalline pillars that encircled the entire spectacle as a ring.

Standing at the top of this pedestal was Dr. Ver–his hand on the globe that emitted a deep blue glow. In disgust, the doctor scoffed at the sight of the two Symphogear users as they looked down upon him. "I had hoped that the activation of Frontier was due to a mutual destruction. Seems as though my research may not be as complete as I had originally believed."

"Ver!" Maria shouted, and her voice echoed through the chamber. "What is your plan?"

"My plan?" The mad scientist laughed, spit flying from his mouth as his cackle reverberated towards Maria and Chris above him. "To free humanity from the Curse of Balal and create a just society!"

"So we've got a Finé wannabe?" Chris rose her eyebrow, shaking her crossbow in annoyance as she drew up memories of her former master and the life she had been forced to live. "Do you want to blow up the moon, too?"

"You dare compare me to that insolent witch?" Ver's response was an angry shout, and the girls could see veins bulging from beneath his skin as rage flowed through him.

"That's a yes, then." Chris and Maria spoke simultaneously, with the former following it up with a heavy sigh.

"Bah! What would you children even know about this cursed world of ours?" With a pump of the hand not pressed against the alien machine, Ver rose his fist to the sky. "Then I shall show you! This world that shall be changed by my hand!"

The false ground began to shake, throwing Maria and Chris off balance. "Uhh..." Chris turned her head to glance at the world over her shoulder–a world that was now shrinking as Frontier slowly began to ascend. Looking back to the doctor, she shouted in the loudest voice she could muster as an angry confusion gripped her. "Are you insane?"

"The only insane ones here are you!" Ver laughed. Though his wild eyes looked up at the grey ceiling, the doctor still twisted his body to dodge a magical bullet that Chris fired from her crossbow–instead of cutting through the man she had it trained on, it only barely glanced the tail of the white lab coat that whipped up as Ver's body spun. As Chris clicked her tongue, annoyed, her eyes focused on Ver's hand, still pressed against the control panel.

"This place doesn't offer us a lot of combat options." Maria's focus danced around the room as she analyzed the layout. "We don't know how he got here, but if Ver was so confident to leave himself open like this then we should assume he has something up his sleeve."

Beneath them, Ver chuckled quietly.

"And it definitely does not seem like it would be a good idea to fall in that pit." Chris finished Maria's thought. Showing Maria a sly smile as she held up one of her red crossbows. "I'll be fine up here."

Maria just let out a sigh as she readied the small silver blade in her hand. "You're going to need to cover me."

Flipping up through the air, Maria landed on the stone bridge behind Ver with a gentle thud, and immediately regretted her decision as the ground quaked beneath her. She looked down beneath the rocky platform on which she stood and gasped in confusion.

"Noise?" Chris shouted, firing her crossbows at the technicolour beasts that began to claw their way up the tower. A magical bullet cut through the large grape-like one that had rocked the bridge Maria was on by firing a purple explosive at the ground beneath her; the bridge should have shattered because of the blast, but Maria assumed it held its shape due to the Custodians' advanced design.

"Where did they come from?" Maria asked, slashing at a small orange creature that flew up to meet her. As the silver weapon of Airgetlám cut through the Noise, it shattered into sparkles as the monster disappeared.

Ver cackled from his position in front of her. "Have you not wondered what had happened to Solomon's Cane?"

Finally, the mad doctor took his hand off of the device that he had been desperately groping up until now. As he spun around, he threw open his white coat and pulled up the grey-green turtle-neck that had hidden underneath.

Strapped across Ver's chest was a silver bandolier-like device that crossed over his heart–above which was a purple jewel. The crazy eyes of the doctors cut through Maria's soul just in the same way her blade pierced another flying Noise leapt up to meet her. "It is merely a prototype right now, but I have merged my own body with the technology of Solomon's Cane."

The doctor threw one hand out beside him and a pink blast released from it. The energy that had pulsed out of Ver's palm formed into an orange flying Noise to replace the one that had just shattered–though it, too, would likewise explode as Chris fired upon it. But Ver turned back and placed his hand back on the globe, not sparing the girls another glance. "I had spent this time spawning an army of Noise, commanding them to remain hidden until you appeared."

"So your secret weapon was Noise?" Chris smiled, watching as Maria slowly cut through the army of Noise that reached the peak of the stone tower and began marching towards her. "Do you really think that some of these smallfry would be enough to beat us?"

"Of course not, you imbecile." Ver spat. "Who do you think I am?"

"A disgusting creature." Maria clenched her teeth as she remembered the twisted experiments that she–alongside Shirabe and Kirika–had been subjected to by the doctor with the snowy hair. But moreover, Maria took a deep breath as she tried to push out the pain that had begun to grip her mind.

Tsubasa leapt up the cliff as she circled the tower of Frontier. She was having a hard time catching her breath as the artificial island flew up towards the heavens, and worry flooded her mind as she thought of Kanade–and Miku–below her. "Knowing her, she should be fine." A smiling image of Kanade flashed through Tsubasa's mind as she verbally reassured herself, and continued her climb.

She was not too far away from the cliff she saw Chris perched upon. Sounds of battle pierced her ears, and Tsubasa pushed herself to continue pushing herself past the limits her body placed on her.

"Ah, you made it." Chris replied casually as Tsubasa finally landed beside her. The blue-haired girl placed her hands on her knees as she struggled to find her breath, realizing now that her lungs were filling easier on this cliff than they had outside.

"So we can breathe in here." Tsubasa noted, wiping sweat from her forehead. With a shake of her head, she focused on the battle that unfolded inside of the rocky dome.

"He said he fused with Solomon's Cane." Chris fired off blast after blast with her crossbows, not even sparing a moment to pause as she spoke to Tsubasa. "So now we're dealing with some old friends."

Tsubasa nodded a thanks for the recap of the events that she missed. Noticing a gap in the army that closed in to encircle Maria from both directions she could move in, Tsubasa backed up and sprinted to the end of the cliff before leaping off. While in the air, Tsubasa swung down the blade of Ame no Habakiri, firing off a blue blade of energy to cut through the hoard and widen the safe haven she was aiming for.

Landing behind Maria, the two idols gave each other a glance as they readied their blades to continue the fight. In that quick interaction, both noticed the slight weaknesses both suffered from: Tsubasa's lungs were still gasping in the air she had been deprived of outside, while Maria's eyes were slightly unfocused as the knife stabbing her brain only dug its blade deeper in. But they could not worry about each other at the moment.

"We need to get to Ver." Maria shouted as the two cut down the Noise that approached them.

Tsubasa, her back brushed by Maria's long pink hair, stabbed through a Noise that had leapt up from the side of the bridge. "Trade."

With one order, the two girls' movements synced up. Taking but a second to hesitate, the two girls slid past one another as they traded positions, slicing through Noise that had been leaping at the opposite idols' backs as they switched the directions they fought in. "Now, ready to run?" Tsubasa asked, but did not give Maria any time to answer.

Flipping onto her hand, Tsubasa extended the blades on her legs as she began to spin. Her legs rotating like a helicopter's rotor, the girl spun over the long stone bridge towards Ver, cutting through some smaller Noise and tossing some larger ones off into the abyss.

"What?" Maria gasped in surprise at the speed Tsubasa travelled at and ran to catch up with the spinning helicopter-girl who blasted off towards Ver. Ignoring the wall of Noise that closed in from behind them, Maria cut down any of the Noise that managed to dodge Tsubasa's spinning fury and stood now in Maria's way.

In moments, Tsubasa had closed a much greater distance with her kicks than Maria had in the entire time she had been fighting. She marvelled at the strength of the girl who flew about in front of her. "This is the power of a true Symphogear candidate."

Ver grunted in anger as he noticed the two girls' approach. He muttered to himself as his brain ran through several ideas on how to combat these two girls should he need to. "That pathetic girl. I know I should have used the Rod of Asclepius on her as well."

"Stand down Ver." Tsubasa ordered as she reached the base of the shrine from which the doctor looked down upon her, flipping back to her rightful head-up position. "Back away from the console."

Dr. Ver cracked a smile as he held up his hands. "Very well. I surrender." The doctor hung his head low and feigned a sad expression as he turned around to face the two girls, ordering the Noise to cease their approach. He took one step towards the edge of the level, towards the stairs that led down to the Symphogear wielders, and stopped.

"After all, we're all in position now." Lifting his head, Ver's wild smile burned the two girls that looked up at him.

"Guys?" Chris called from even further up.

Tsubasa and Maria turned their gaze upwards to see the girl who shouted to them. Chris's white hair seemed to glow as the darkness behind her contrasted her pale beauty. It was this darkness that stole their breath away, as, even further behind Chris, they saw a sparkling blue globe in the distance.

They were no longer on Earth.

"We're on the moon." Chris and Ver shouted simultaneously, though their tones were far different. Chris shouted it in surprise, while Ver's cry was one of satisfaction.

"What? I thought..." Maria stumbled for words, but Ver cut her off with a creepy laugh.

"Finally, the Curse of Balal shall be broken today!" Ver clapped his raised hands above his head twice, a sound which echoed through the silent chamber.

At the sound of his hands colliding, all of the Noise in the room disappeared as they shattered into light. Maria and Tsubasa took positions back-to-back again, waiting for Ver to show his hand.

"Rise, my creation!" Ver screamed to the heavens, and the room was filled with a dark purple light as a bolt of violet lightning struck through the centre of the room.

"What now?" Maria sighed, wondering how much longer she could keep fighting as the stress compounded in her mind.

As the bolt of lightning dissipated, a figure appeared in its place.

"Is that...?" Chris gasped as she saw the monster that floated in the air.

"But I thought we saved her." Tsubasa couldn't help but gasp, herself.

Floating in the centre of the room was Miku Kohinata–or a beast that looked like her. Her skin was jet black, with purple spikes protruding from her body and out of indigo rivers that crossed her body. She looked similar to the Berserk forms that Hibiki and Kanade had taken on before, but her movements were distinctly different. Instead of a wild ferocity that Miku embodied in her very appearance, she instead seemed sad.

The girl's eyes were not visible, they had been consumed by the darkness that enshrouded her skin just as most of her features had been, but it was not as if they had disappeared. No, Tsubasa, Maria, and Chris could all see tears streaming out of the shadows where her eyes should have been.

"Please, run!" Miku sobbed a warning out to her allies. "I can't control my body!"

"Silence you fool! You had been robbed of your humanity by that witch, so now it's time you become the tool that you are." Ver waved his hand out with an angry scowl. "Now, release the chains that bind humanity!"

Dr. Ver raised his hand and pointed towards Miku with closed fingers. Channelling the power of Solomon's Cane, the doctor's fist released another pink explosion that slowly sped through the air.

The energy collided with Miku, and the girl let out a scream. The three Symphogear wielders could only watch as her body was engulfed in the light of the cursed cane that could summon Noise.

As the glow surrounded her, Miku's body began to change. No longer did she seem to resemble a humanoid version of Nephilim, Miku's body became engulfed in colourful globules that morphed her form.

It took only a handful of seconds for the figure of a young girl to disappear from their view. In its place floated a monstrous beast: a fusion of relics, Noise, and a human.

Miku had become a second Red Dragon of Revelations, the same kind of beast that Finé had become several months earlier. The monster that she became was drastically different, however: Miku seemed to tower over the girls and the doctor that gazed up at her, with six giant arms that were amalgamations of different Symphogear weapons and the Noise that surrounded her body. These evil limbs extended out from a wide, bestial body that flashed between jet black stone and colourful plasma. Yet, despite the horrendous look of the body, the head appeared simple: the same shadowy face that had just cried out a warning looked down upon the figures she floated above, though now she wore what looked like an afro formed out of hundreds of different Noise creatures.

. . .

Earlier, not too long after Tsubasa had left the two girls, Miku finally grew silent. Kanade listened as Miku's faded into nothingness, and the girl fell to sleep. While she wanted to believe that this was because Miku had finally exhausted herself, a small voice in Kanade's mind told her otherwise.

Frontier was rising up into the sky–it had begun slowly, but now the artificial island was now speeding into a racing pace. Kanade had noticed the darkening sky as they raced into space and her body had similarly realized that they were no longer as close to the Earth's surface as they had once been. The breath in her lungs slowly chilled as her body rejected the thinner air that it had been forced to adapt to at a high speed.

Kanade picked Miku up and held her in her arms. For the first time, the older girl realized how small Miku actually was–as she trembled slightly, Miku looked more like a baby than the teenager that she was. Perhaps it was her position, the fact that she curled up in her sleep as if cradling a pillow–or a lover, Kanade realized sadly–in a hug.

"Alright, let's hope these spacemen gave us a place with oxygen." Kanade looked up into the air, gazing at the tower that sparkled gold above her. A thought dawned in her mind as she took in the gigantic scale of the spire. "I don't think I'll be able to make it up there."

Kanade shrugged, albeit only slightly because of the girl in her arms. "Maybe they left us a staircase." She hoped aloud, speaking only to the girl who was no longer conscious.

Slowly wandering over to a small rocky mound not too far away from where Miku had collapsed onto the ground, Kanade sat Miku down gently, listening to the girl as she muttered nonsense as she flew through dream land.

Turning away, Kanade returned to the wall of the tower that exploded out from the uneven surface of Frontier. Summoning her Armed Gear, the orange spear of Gungnir, Kanade drew in a deep–but weak–breath.

Back-flipping into the air, Kanade kicked her spear, launching it flying as if it were a soccer ball. The spear sailed through the air at a high speed, colliding with the stone wall and obliterating a chunk of it. Landing with a satisfied huff, Kanade returned to Miku and scooped the girl back up as she walked through the newly-devastated wall of Frontier's tower.

As they crossed over the rubble, Kanade could feel as the air somehow became plentiful. She did not question this; she had just hoped that something would have worked out in the end. It was pure serendipity on her part, but she did not complain.

Again, Kanade set Miku down on the ground within the tower. Taking a breath of the clean air that contrasted the dingy tower, Kanade leaned against a remaining part of the wall and slumped down. "I'm safe, for now." She rode down the wall and collapsed into a sitting position with a satisfied sigh. "I hope the others are okay."

The girl eventually fell asleep from fatigue, and would eventually be awoken by the sound of lightning exploding in front of her.

#### G Chapter 16

"Hasn't this girl been through enough!?" The loud, angry plea stunned the vast alien chamber into silence. It was not the question in particular that stood out, but rather the girl who screamed it.

Chris Yukine looked down at Dr. Ver with a pointed, fiery glare. She leapt off her perch with a huff and slammed down next to Tsubasa and Maria, landing in a crouch as the ground shook beneath her powerful stomp. "Damn it, man! At least Finé pretended to care about me. All you seem to do is treat people like tools!"

Ver looked confused at the girl's accusation, and cut his hand through the air as if to tell Miku to pause her imminent attack. "And why wouldn't I treat you traitors like tools, hmm?"

"Traitors?" Maria was the one to ask, but Chris and Tsubasa had the same question in their minds. At the sight of the three confused girls below him, Ver cracked a maniacal smile.

"My research, and my benefactors, have provided me with knowledge that even that Finé of yours may not have been aware of." With a confident glimmer in his eye, Dr. Ver pointed at Maria. "Airgetlám is a unique relic, almost being more akin to a living organism than an inanimate object; and yet it is wholly inanimate. All of the Symphogear weapons you girls possess seem to contain traces of the same alien makeup as the relic we know as the silver arm, which led me to my theory–a theory that was only bolstered by my own successful attempts to replicate the initial three Symphogears.

"I believe Airgetlám may have once been at least part of one of the Custodians, potentially the arm of one. Likewise, as all of your Symphogears contain the same type of unknown energy that makes up Airgetlám, it's highly likely that Finé made use of the bones of the Custodians she admired when initially creating the Symphogears." Dr. Ver's eyes were practically bulging out of his head entirely as he spat his revelation at the three girls. "In essence, you girls are wearing corpses of the aliens that enslaved our kind."

But Ver was not done speaking. Leveraging the knowledge he possessed, Ver slowly began to descend the shrine's steps towards the girls who grimaced both in anger and disgust at his words. "What Finé believed to be an innate genetic compatibility some women have with the Symphogears is more likely to be an unconscious contract that you girls are forming with the souls of our dead creators. In layman's terms, you girls are puppets–the envoys of the Custodians' spirits in this modern age."

Reaching the bottom of the incline, Ver leaned in towards Maria. "My illustrious supporters even provided me with the knowledge that led me to my goal here today. I fully believe that the Symphogears... no, the ones who wield the Symphogears are the stakes the Custodians have planted to cage us in with the Curse of Balal."

Maria flinched back at his words. "You mean...?"

"To bring as many of you Symphogear wielders to the moon, here: this was my goal from the beginning. With this, my greatest tool–" Dr. Ver gestured up to Miku, who stared down at the small group as the ovoid pool of Noise that floated above her pulsated like a beating heart. "I shall destroy you–the ones holding the Curse of Balal in place upon humanity with the songs you sing!"

After his rambling ceased, the mad doctor raised his hand up to the sky. Snapping his fingers, this was the cue for the weaponized girl floating above him to begin her attack–as the sound echoed through the chamber, the pulsating orb of Noise began beating at a rapid pace. Tsubasa, Chris, and Maria did not react though. Despite the imminent threat quite literally looming above them, the three girls just continued to stare at the man in front of them.

"So what?" Chris muttered after a moment. "That's just a theory, though. We don't know what this Curse of Balal thing even is, so what does it matter if we're the ones protecting it? We're working our asses off, trying to protect others."

"Truthfully, I had been hoping you knew a little more about this curse than we did, Yukine." Tsubasa sighed, but not in despair. Resolve flashed behind the blue sword's eyes as she raised her Armed Gear. "But she is right. No matter what adverse effects our songs could have, they don't matter as long as we can still use them to protect others."

Maria smiled. "Excellently put." Raising the small silver dagger she clutched beneath her armoured fingers, Maria took on a fighting stance just as the other two did.

A fiery aura seemed to surround the three Symphogear wielders, and Ver could not help but flinch back in surprise. He had hoped that the revelation he had bestowed upon them would put out the fires of battle within them–he truly did not anticipate the opposite happening.

Ver twitched into a dancing step to avoid Tsubasa as she thrust her blade towards him. But the wielder of Ame no Habakiri did not follow-up. "You will free Kohinata from your control right now." The girl's voice was like a bestial growl as she fired a dark glare up towards the doctor's face.

But Ver did not back down. He cracked a smile. "I know you care too much about the knowledge I possess to kill me." With a chuckle, the doctor launched a kick into Tsubasa's chest in defence of his personal space.

Sprinting back up the steps he had just descended, Ver's glasses shone beneath the lights of the stars that dotted the scenery beyond Frontier's walls as he looked up and shouted a simple command. "Destroy them all!"

"Understood." Miku's voice was both filled with emotion and yet robotic as she raised one of her six arms out in front of her.

Each of the girl's new limbs was a chimera–a fusion of a relic, Noise, and Miku herself. The six arms that extended out from the sides of her torso were each corrupted amalgamations of the Armed Gears that the Symphogear wielders fought with: the spear of Gungnir; the blades of both Ame no Habakiri and Airgetlám; a cannon resembling Ichaival's gatling guns; the scythe of Igalima; and what appeared to be a normal, humanoid arm that unleashed sparks of Shénshòujìng's purple light. It was the arm that resembled Igalima's firearm that Miku rose now as she prepared to fire upon her friends.

The Noise that pooled above her head slowly began to rain like droplets onto Miku, dissipating as they collided with her jet-black skin. Every time one would explode into shards of light however, the cannon began to glow with greater intensity.

"Is she using the Noise as her ammo?" Chris asked her two allies, though she knew that they wouldn't have the answer.

But Tsubasa nodded all the same. The three girls had little room to move on the platform that encircled the shrine in the centre of Frontier's control chamber, so they all knew that they would need to prevent their foe from taking potshots at them to have any chance of victory. "Then we'll need to cut off her supply."

Miku let loose a burst of orange and green energy from her cannon at that moment. The sound that exploded through the room was like that of a thousand screaming children as a painful hiss echoed through the chamber. The girls who were in the attack's line had not anticipated the sound and were momentarily stunned, but threw themselves out of the way as the giant globule raced towards them.

The projectile exploded upon the ground, destroying the weak hold the shrine's platform had to the bridge. When the three girls looked back, they only saw a hole where they had been standing before; their already-limited battle arena was now even smaller.

*Aisatsu muyō no gatling

Gomibako iki e no death party

One, two, three mezawari da*

Chris countered. As soon as she slid out of harm's way, she immediately began firing upon the orb of Noise that floated above Miku's head. Every time one of her crossbow's bullets would pierce the orb, she would see the sparks of Noise being defeated before another would take its place immediately. Still, she continued her attack, ignoring as Miku readied another blast.

Noticing the imminent annihilation of their battle arena, Maria and Tsubasa caught each other's eyes and nodded. They had the same simultaneous thought: as long as Ver was commanding Miku, the chances of her attacking him were slim. As such, the two girls rushed up the steps, hoping to block her shots by using Ver as a human shield.

"Wait! What are you–!" Ver noticed their plan and spun to address Miku. "You fool! Don't! You'll kill me!"

"Understood." Miku's sad monotone rang out once more, and she instead readied her more melee-oriented arms. Chris's barrage did not stop–even with the cannon now sidelined, she still fired blast after blast into the pool of Noise that continued to float high above the ground.

The monstrous creature that Ver had transformed Miku into flew down–away from the Noise–to meet Maria and Tsubasa, blocking their approach with her own versions of their swords. The two could only parry her attack, underestimating the raw strength that the girl had been imbued with. Miku had the advantage however; while the two pushed against her with all their might, Miku used her Gungnir-like limb to thrust at Tsubasa and Maria. The two leapt out of the way, giving up on their futile attempt to overpower Miku as they dodged, and regrouped with Chris as she climbed up the steps.

Maria and Chris had been through their own versions of hell before them, but seeing the power that the monstrous Miku wielded with ease, even they needed to back down. "What did you do to her?" Maria couldn't help but ask the doctor as he 'confidently' cowered at the top of the shrine.

He flipped his hand in response. "I merely did what I needed to purge that witch from her mind... is what I would say if she had not been the perfect subject to test my theories on."

"You truly are a monster." Chris couldn't help herself. Knowing that Ver's knowledge relating to relics was only rivalled by Nastassja Sergeyevna Tolstaya–whose whereabouts were currently unknown–was not enough to restrain her. With the crossbow that she clutched tight, Chris fired a projectile straight at Ver.

The doctor, not anticipating to be attacked directly again, did not attempt to dodge the attack–a fatal error. The pink arrow pierced straight through the man's shoulder, a chunk of meat flying off as the arrow continued to soar after its gory exit. Ver's scream echoed through the chamber.

"Thank you." Miku turned to Chris and spoke in her sad monotone, but the word that escaped the girl's lips shocked all parties. From the emotion in her voice, it was clear that Miku Kohinata still lurked beneath the monstrous surface, but now they had proof that they could draw her out.

Chris was momentarily shocked, but recollected herself a second later. With a smug smile, she addressed the girl who had just been attacking her, Tsubasa, and Maria with all her might. "Not used to people thanking me. Especially not from someone trying to kill me."

As if that brief moment of clarity for Miku had never happened, she lunged for Chris with her spear arm. "And we're back to this." Chris spat as she sidestepped the spear's attack. In retaliation, but knowing her weakness when it came to close-quarters combat, Chris attempted to kick Miku's side, but this attack was easily caught by the humanoid arm on her left side.

Tsubasa and Maria would not let Miku activate Shénshòujìng. The two pushed off the ground at the same time, their blades sparking under the starlight as they both worked together to stab at the Noise-like armour that covered Miku's chest.

Miku did not flinch as their blades sliced at the colours however. As if Chris were nothing but a wet towel, she effortlessly picked the girl off the ground by her leg and flung her at Tsubasa and Maria, knocking them tumbling down the side of the shrine. At the Symphogears' failure, Ver let out a pained, but cocky, laugh.

As the girls struggled to untangle themselves from their tumbleweed of limbs, Tsubasa muttered–mainly to herself, but not caring that she was loud enough for her partners to hear. "I doubt we'll be able to overcome her strength."

"We managed to free her mind for a sec when I shot Ver." Chris pushed herself away from the two other girls, a slight blush creeping across her face as she imagined how the way they had just been connected must have looked.

"It would be easiest to just kill Ver." Maria agreed.

"You two really do sound like the villains." Tsubasa was not having their ideas. She shook her head in disgust, and gestured with her chin as Miku began flying towards them again.

Miku swung her giant scythe at the three girls, who all easily avoided its wide berth. "Well, got any other ideas?" Chris shouted as she fired a volley towards Miku, who, in turn, effortlessly swatted away every projectile with one of her other limbs. "I don't think singing will work a second time."

"As I said!" Lording over them from on high, the 'righteous' doctor cackled as if he were a deity atop his shrine. "There is nothing just about the cursed songs you sing!"

Chris fired another shot at Ver, but this time the doctor anticipated it and dodged. She clicked her tongue as she ducked around one of Miku's blades as it swung down towards her.

"What if we just dig out her raw emotions?" Maria suggested, stabbing Miku's technicolour armour once more yet not getting a reaction out of the girl wearing it.

Tsubasa's eyes lit up at that. "I truly am sorry for this, Kohinata." With an apologetic whisper, and a counter of one of Miku's high-speed attacks, Tsubasa backed away from her opponent.

Then, raising her voice, she called out in a hateful voice. "Kohinata! Did you forget that you killed your best friend? Hibiki Tachibana is dead because of you!"

"Tsubasa!" Chris shouted in surprise, not expecting the girl to dig up such a recent tragedy and frame it as if Miku had killed the one closest to her of her own volition. But Chris stifled any more complaints when she saw the sad look in Tsubasa's eyes.

Swallowing, Chris joined in. "Yeah, that idiot would be alive right now if you hadn't let yourself be taken over by that mad scientist." She did not want to admit it, but Chris choked slightly as she shouted at Miku; perhaps Chris had held a higher opinion of Hibiki than she consciously realized.

Maria understood what the two were doing but, having been their enemy up until only a short period of time ago, she held silent. Part of Maria felt guilty; though she had no idea of what Ver had been working on, nothing stopped her from checking on him in his lab. Something nagged at her as the two continued to shout, attempting to draw out the sadness from within Miku's broken heart: the thought that maybe she could have prevented the death of one of their friends.

*Or,* Maria realized as she listened to the way Tsubasa and Chris spoke about the recently-departed Hibiki, describing her as an idiot and referring to her in a formal manner. *Had they even been friends with Hibiki Tachibana?*

But despite the storm of guilt that brewed in Maria's heart, she did not disagree with their methods. As Tsubasa and Chris continued to criticize Miku for her role in her friend's death, Maria noticed as Miku's attacks quickly began to slow. She still attacked–Chris shouted once more, dodging as Miku clumsily swung down the scythe that made up one arm–but her attacks had far less power behind them.

"Hibiki." Miku's voice, one filled with the raw pain that exploded from the young girl's heart, reverberated through the room as she screamed. The black ink that covered Miku's skin slowly began to fade to a light grey, and her delicate features became visible once more.

Miku's eyes were full of tears, her cheeks burning red through the stone-coloured exterior that covered her body. "I'm so sorry!" The girl's sad screams hindered the movements her body was puppeted to make. Now, as Miku stabbed one of her blades towards Maria, the pink-haired idol barely needed to move as she easily parried the blade with her own.

"You useless..." Ver, noticing the weak heart of the girl he had mentally and physically destroyed, shouted in anger. He rubbed his head with his uninjured arm–the other hanging limply by his side. "If you want something done right, I suppose."

Miku's movements were like those of a snail. She swung one of her blades through the air with little force, the mere air being enough to slow its slice. It was as if Miku had been underwater; though, from one look at her bawling face, that may not have been completely inaccurate. The strength flowing out of her body as she shouted her friend's name again and again, Miku's body transformed back into its original state–its true, original state. No longer was she covered in Noise nor even the golden armour of Lancea Longini–no, collapsed on the ground was Miku Kohinata, wearing a grey T-shirt and matching shorts, both of which had been torn in places and stained with blood.

Chris walked over to Miku and looked over to Tsubasa. "You handle Ver." A smile spread across Chris's face as she looked down on Miku, but she did not know why. She had not been close to the girl before; heck, the two had only interacted on one, maybe two occasions. Chris did not know why relief flooded her heart, but she brushed a single tear from her own eye as she bent down beside Miku.

But Tsubasa just watched the two girls that had collapsed on the ground. Noticing her lack of movement, Maria approached. "Something wrong?"

"No. I just had the strangest sense of déjà vu." Remembering that this had been the same scene she had left earlier, a thought poked up at her mind. "I hope Kanade is fine."

"She is." Maria nodded despite the fact that she had never really spoken to the girl. "Nastassja believed that Kanade was the strongest of you, even though she requires LiNKER to fight."

Maria put her hand on her forehead. "Speaking of which: I'm out of time, too." Her Symphogear shattered into white, with new clothes replacing the silver armour she had just been clad in. Tsubasa would not describe Maria's clothes as 'casual'–with a spiky blue jacket over a white top that exposed her cleavage, tiny tan shorts, and a single brown stocking that hugged her left leg–but she, being a former idol herself, definitely could understand the image she was trying to project with the clothing.

Tsubasa had not been aware that Maria required LiNKER to fight, but that matter little at the moment. Miku Kohinata had been... 'defeated,' to some extent, and Chris was watching over her, clearly worn out herself. But that only left two individuals locked in combat: the steel sentinel Tsubasa Kazanari, and the mad Dr. John Wayne Vercingetorix.

With her sapphire eyes, Tsubasa glared up at Dr. Ver. While the four girls below him had been conversing, the scientist had made use of Solomon's Cane's power and begun summoning Noise around himself to use as a shield.

But Tsubasa cared little. Even if she, too, could feel her limbs growing heavy from fatigue, the girl with the blue hair bounced up the steps as if she were on the moon–which she was.

The wielder of Ame no Habakiri ascended up the shrine like a frog within seconds, cutting through any Noise creature that stood in her path with quick work. Ver was shocked at how much energy Tsubasa seemed to have as she landed in front of him. "I know you won't kill me!" He reminded her, but Tsubasa ignored him.

This time, Tsubasa aimed for Ver. With a quick stab, the Armed Gear pierced the air towards the trembling doctor's fragile heart...

Only to stop short as a crack echoed around them.

"That should be enough to prevent you from using the relic any more." Tsubasa lowered her blade to her side as Ver lifted up his shirt. Just as Tsubasa said, the bright purple eye that stared out from within a silver bandolier-like device that crossed over the mad doctor's chest had been shattered into the shape of a spider's web. It did not stop Ver from trying to summon Noise, however; but the way he wildly threw his hand outwards with shouts of broken confidence did nothing but make the man look silly.

"I can't believe it. My plan... I was supposed to be the one to free humanity from the Curse of Balal..." Ver collapsed to the ground with a sad laugh. "I... failed?" The realization that his plans had been crushed finally came to him, and he crumpled like a doll. Tsubasa, meanwhile, deactivated her Symphogear and returned to the clothing she had worn before donning Ame no Habakiri.

"Hey!" Tsubasa heard Chris shout from below her, and looked down to see the girl–balancing one of Miku's arms over her shoulder as Maria did the same on the other side of the unconscious girl in the middle–cupping her mouth as she yelled. "Don't forget, he needs to get us back to Earth."

Tsubasa just looked at the sobbing mess that crumpled on the ground in front of her. "I don't think that's happening." That realization scared Tsubasa, and the quote made a fire light up within Ver's heart. The doctor laughed as he replayed what Tsubasa had just said again in his mind.

"No! I won!" A maniacal chuckle echoed out from his chest. "If we can't get back to Earth, then you all shall perish with me up here on the moon!"

For the first time in what she believed to be her entire life, Tsubasa gave into the anger that welled up inside her. The intense hatred she felt for this man who toyed with girls with no remorse, doing so for a twisted justice that made no sense–her emotions overpowered her as he began laughing in his delusions of success.

With all of her strength, Tsubasa couldn't help but kick Dr. Ver in the chest. The impact knocked the breath out of the doctor's lungs, and he struggled to inhale as he sailed over the edge of the shrine platform the two had stood on. Tsubasa did not even watch as he fell–she knew that, somehow, the doctor wouldn't die. He was a twisted man who deserved far worse than death, but fate had a way of shielding those like him.

"Oh." Maria's slight exclamation came a few moments later, but Tsubasa ignored her friends. She turned to the console and placed her hand upon it instead of reacting to the confused shouts that began to flow up from Chris's sky-turned mouth.

"This shouldn't be too hard to figure out, right?" Tsubasa whispered to herself, as the small silver globe lit up under her touch.

#### G Chapter 17

Chris sat on the cold stone ground, her back pressed against the slanted incline of the shrine that sat in the centre of Frontier's hollow control chamber. In her lap was the head of the sleeping Miku Kohinata, whose shallow breaths brought a strange calm to Chris despite the uncertainty of their future.

Tsubasa stood a short distance away, mumbling annoyances under her breath. The blue-haired swordswoman had been unable to solve the mystery of how to control Frontier. Stoically standing at the top of the shrine, she had stood with her hand on the glowing orb for far too long; they had no way of telling the time as their giant spaceship sat on the moon's surface, but Chris assumed it had been several hours now since they 'defeated' Ver. Maria had replaced Tsubasa at the top of the shrine and, judging from the few quakes that have shaken Frontier, seems to be having a slightly more productive time.

A loud gurgling echoed through the room, and Tsubasa turned to a blushing Chris as if on instinct. "I understand that feeling." Tsubasa put her hand on her stomach with a wry smile. They hadn't had much downtime until now, so their bodies were finally starting to show the wear that they had accumulated over the day. Miku had fallen asleep even before Tsubasa's first attempts to move Frontier, and Chris, too, was now struggling to stay awake.

"I think those three girls,"–Chris did not want to admit that she did not know the names of Shiori Terashima, Kuriyo Ando, and Yumi Itaba–"Had mentioned some famous okonomiyaki restaurant. We should check it out after we get back home."

With a kind chuckle, Tsubasa slowly made her way over to Chris, and joined her on the ground. "That sounds like fun."

Chris felt the girl laying against her fidget slightly. Miku had flinched several times now, so Chris had a feeling the girl was either awake or not entirely asleep any longer. Pushing back the dirtied black hair that hung down over Miku's red face, Chris smiled. "Of course, you can come too."

"Oh, is Kohinata awake?" Tsubasa glanced down at the girl in surprise.

"Yeah." The girl moaned as she slowly sat up. "I just... needed a moment."

"I think we all do." Chris chuckled, looking up at the stone ceiling that hung above them. A thousand cracks were painted across the flat surface, a sign of the many eras that this spaceship had endured. Deep inside, Chris wondered how many other humans had stepped foot even onto the island of Frontier, yet alone sit in its control centre.

"I must admit, Yukine. When I first met you, I did not take you to be the kind sort. Especially considering you put up enough of a fight for Kanade to resort to singing her Superb Song."

Despite Tsubasa's unintentional insult, she had a kind smile on her face, so Chris couldn't exactly get mad at her. She flushed red as her mind struggled to accept the roundabout compliment that–she hoped–Tsubasa's intended. After stammering for a couple seconds, Chris instead turned to look at Miku as she took a seat opposite Tsubasa to surround Chris on both sides. "How are you doing?"

"Awful." Miku's answer was blunt. Her eyes were clouded over, but not as they had been when Ver was in control of her mind. No, now the storms of depression were heavy over the teal lakes of her pupils. Chris could not deny that Miku did indeed look terrible, what with her bloodstained and tattered clothes, and eyes that looked redder than the hottest steel, but the small smile that cut across Miku's face implied otherwise.

"Even after all that's happened." Miku closed her eyes. "I almost died to save the moon. I almost burned up as I fell back to Earth. Ver brought me back from the brink of death only to experiment on me. I attacked you all under his orders and ki... Did things I regret.

"But, right now, I think I'm too tired to be sad any more. I'm sure, once I have time to think about the horrible... thing I did, I'll be even more of a mess, though."

"Yeah, tragedy has a way of doing that to you. We've both been through hell, huh? No, wait. I guess all three of us have." Chris's gaze spun between Miku and Tsubasa on either side of her before she settled in the middle. "Finé and Ver messed with our bodies and minds, and all three of us–either indirectly or directly–have blood on our hands."

Tsubasa looked down. "I still can't forgive myself for the tragedy that day."

"Eh, it's not your fault. You've got to move past it." Chris sighed. "That's what Genjuro keeps telling me, anyway. I don't think I'm doing a great job with it, though."

"You're doing fine." Miku did not pass over the comment Chris made earlier, though, and was curious about it. "But... you killed people, too?"

"I didn't question Finé's orders. She saved me from the hell I went through back in South America, so anything she asked of me I would do without question. That included... yeah, I'm not the most innocent." Chris didn't want to elaborate much more on the past she tried to push down out of her mind. Just thinking of Finé brought forth a hurricane of emotions she could not control–confusion, anger, hatred, love... she hated having to deal with it. Wanting to move on, she tilted her head back as far as she could and yelled up to Maria, who was working above them. "What about you, superstar? Are you part of our little club of sins, too?"

"Unfortunately." Maria's answer was one word. The three below couldn't see her from the angle that they were at–or at least, only the top of her pink, pointed hair as it bobbed around, annoyed–so she could easily hide the fact that she was clenching her teeth, biting back memories she so desperately wanted to forget.

But Chris, having been through the same, understood that feeling and did not press further. "Look at us. We're supposed to be the heroes of this story, aren't we?"

"The differences between us and people like Finé come down to our motivations. We fight to help people, as shields to protect what we..." Care about. That was how Tsubasa had wanted to end her sentence, but considering Miku was the one responsible for destroying the last ray of sunshine she had been grasping for, she knew that was not the best thing to say. Instead, she fumbled for an alternative as she continued. "For what we can. We're just doing what we can, as best we can, for the sake of others; the people we've fought against all had selfish reasons propelling themselves forwards."

"Did they, though?" Miku wondered. "Didn't Finé and Ver just want to rid humanity of this Curse of Balal thing? I don't think that's necessarily selfish, but– Finé at least–definitely could have gone about it in a much different way. I even told her as such."

"Oh right, you were possessed by Finé." Chris recalled, and then flinched away from her. "Wait, that's right! What happened to you? How are you even alive?"

Miku touched one of the red marks that had scorched her skin–burn marks from when she fell back to the planet after her race to prevent Finé from destroying the moon. "I remember falling, and feeling very warm. Then, next thing I know, I'm in a lab and Finé's no longer in my head. Instead, I have to listen to the ramblings of some doctor who thinks he's a hero." The small girl shuddered, and the ill-fitting clothes that were lightly draped over her body danced as her body shook. As her shirt lifted ever slightly, Chris could see burn marks and scars dotting her skin, creating a blanket of scars that wrapped the girl tight.

Chris felt bad for the girl. She knew how it felt to be violated and tortured, but she would never wish the same pains she felt in her heart upon anyone. Though it embarrassed her, Chris knew she had to bare the scars upon her skin–to help Miku accept her sins somewhat, just as she had been trying to do.

"Whoa, Yukine!" Tsubasa slid a short distance away as Chris pulled the red and maroon dress she wore over her head clumsily. She still wore a thin white shirt–and of course her undergarments–underneath, and pulled the former up to bare her back.

With wide eyes, Tsubasa and Miku both stared at the girl's battered skin. Like Miku, Chris's back was covered in red marks that would never fade, her body forever scarred by her past. Her hand trembling, Miku traced one of the larger scars that sliced down her spine, hesitating slightly as the other girl's skin trembled under her cool touch. "I guess we're both broken." Miku whispered, her warm breath bouncing against Chris's skin.

"No, you're not broken." Tsubasa shook her head. "The scars only serve as proof of your strength–your resolve to survive after all you have been through."

As Chris began to redress herself, hiding her burning face, Miku backed away. With sad eyes, she turned to Tsubasa with a confession. "I... don't want to live." Picturing the blood of Hibiki Tachibana on her hands, Miku held her fingers up to try and keep a grip on the red life that she had shed. "Hibiki should have been the one to survive. I... don't deserve it."

Tsubasa put her hand on Miku's shoulder, but did not speak. Both girls who looked at Miku had the same thought, the same thing they wanted to admit: *I've had those same thoughts*. For Chris, she believed her parents should have continued to chase their goal instead of leaving her to be ruined; for Tsubasa, she still could not come to grips with the fact that almost thirteen thousand of her fans had gathered to see her on stage, only to meet the shadowy face of death by the end of the day.

"Don't you remember what I said on that day?" A shout echoed up from below them, and all three girls hurried to peer over the edge of the platform they had been on. There, a fair distance below them, an orange speck hung from a white stick that was protruding from the wall. The fiery orange hair burned with optimism as the figure tried to look up at her friends gazing down upon her. "Don't give up on living!"

"Kanade?" Tsubasa shouted down at the girl, who waved cautiously in response as her other fist gripped tight around her Armed Gear. Hurriedly turning to Chris, Tsubasa opened her mouth to say something but stopped as Chris stood up.

*Killter Ichaival tron*

A couple moments later, Kanade, Chris, and a third figure all collapsed onto the platform beside Miku and Tsubasa. Chris had jumped off into the void and used her incredibly useful missiles to carry the group up into the sky and back up to the shrine.

What Chris, Tsubasa, and Miku had not expected to see flop off the missile was the unconscious form of Dr. John Wayne Vercingetorix, a rope tying his body into a crescent as if he were a hog.

"You saved him?" Tsubasa asked, stepping in-between the doctor and Miku. The latter girl froze up upon recognizing the man, and the fire that ignited in her eyes told all of the other girls that she would not hesitate to kill him for all that he had put her through. Tsubasa hoped that, by using herself as a wall, Miku would at least wait for a little while.

"I'm going to kill him." Miku muttered, but only Tsubasa heard her cruel whisper.

Kanade rubbed the top of her head. "I would have made it up here sooner, but he hit me and reset my progress." She smiled. "But even if this guy is shit, I couldn't leave him down there."

"I don't think that was the best idea." Chris sighed, also repositioning herself to block Miku's approach. "Even if you think his head might be useful, we've also got Finé's knowledge if we get back to Earth."

"There's no 'if' we get back to Earth." Kanade's eyes narrowed as she stuck a finger in Chris's face. "I'll get us back there, no matter what."

With that mission statement, Kanade–not giving herself a moment to rest despite having climbed up the stone walls of Frontier by creating hand holds with her spear–pushed past the girls and marched up the steps of the shrine in the centre of the chamber. Chris, Tsubasa, and Miku just watched her go, crowding around Ver's limp body.

"I'm going to kill him." Miku repeated, this time far louder.

"Honestly I think we should let her." Chris whispered, leaning in towards Tsubasa. Though Tsubasa glared at the suggestion, Chris tried to defend her idea. "It'd probably be good for her psyche. To help her get over the pain of..."

"Truthfully, I understand her desire to exact revenge Ver. He made even me lose myself for a moment." Tsubasa admitted with a sigh, her voice just as low as Chris's earlier whisper. "But, still, is killing him the right thing here?"

"It is." Miku hissed as she entered into the conversation, scaring Chris and Tsubasa so much that the latter grabbed for her Symphogear as if ready a new threat had arisen.

"You'll only regret it." Tsubasa stood in front of Ver, who still flopped unconscious against the cold ground. "Besides, right now he's the only one who can get us back to Earth."

As if changing the subject, Miku turned to Chris with a question. The fire died in her eyes for just a moment as she addressed the white-haired girl. "How long has it been since Kadingir?"

Shocked, Chris searched for the answer in her mind. "Three months, I think?"

With that information, Miku angrily turned back to Tsubasa as the flames of hatred reignited within her. "That man tortured me for three months and then used me to kill the girl I loved. He's a monster who doesn't deserve to live!" She stomped on the ground with so much force that the impact reverberated throughout the room.

And, as if answering the cry of her foot, Frontier began to shake. The three girls could feel the spaceship begin to lift off the lunar surface for the first time, even if it was only moving slowly. The shock at the events pushed away the thoughts Miku had about killing Ver, and all three turned to the shrine.

Maria slowly descended the stairs with a shrug and a vague explanation. "Seems like she really is special."

Kanade had figured out how to move Frontier–a feat neither Maria nor Tsubasa had managed to accomplished. The ancient alien language that flooded Tsubasa's mind as she touched the orb confounded her entirely–and still did–and yet Kanade had managed to decrypt the riddles immediately and take complete control over Frontier just as Ver had earlier.

Though the girls could not see the former idol's wild eye, they heard loud and clear as Kanade made an announcement. "We'll be back home in no time."

. . .

Genjuro rubbed his temples. It had been four hours since Frontier ascended, and they lost all contact with the Symphogear wielders. Worry had gripped him at first, but now he was just filled with the stress of having to deal with the aftermath.

The submarine, or what was left of it, had since begun making its way back to Japan–though not entirely by choice. The partial destruction of their base of operations was the main reason for this, as a storm had begun brewing, and they needed to protect the equipment and people they had on board; but Genjuro had a second reason as well, one which he had been dreading: he had been summoned by the Japanese government for an emergency meeting regarding Frontier, the terrorist organization that declared war on the world, Genjuro acting against orders and fighting said terrorists, and, most importantly, the loss of the precious Symphogear technology.

Serena Cadenzavna Eve and Kirika Akatsuki were still asleep, but Shirabe Tsukuyomi had awoken; Shiori Terashima and Kuriyo Ando had been wrecks–grieving over Hibiki and incredibly worried about Miku, whose status they had not known–and since tried to retreat for rest. Yumi, on the other hand, was far more composed, and Genjuro looked up from the monitor in front of which he was sat.

The two teenage girls–Yumi Itaba and Shirabe Tsukuyomi–sat down in chairs between Aoi Tomosato and Sakuya Fujitaka. The latter was groggy, chugging his seventh cup of coffee in a row to stay awake as he continued to scan for Frontier's reappearance; but Tomosato was particularly cheerful as she spoke with the two girls, waiting for the information that they had managed to find in Ver's heavily damaged computers to transfer to Sector Two's database.

Noticing Genjuro's gaze from the corner of her gaze, Yumi got up and slowly strolled over to him. He leaned back as she stood over him, playing with her brown hair left untied out of their usual twintails and instead now hanged down over her shoulder. "Remember that logo we saw in the footage Ogawa provided us? I saw it again down in Ver's laboratory."

Genjuro slowly nodded. "Yes, Tomosato told me that you reported that. That proves that Ver is definitely connected to them, and likely explains the current whereabouts of Dr. Tolstaya." The man stroked his spiked red beard. "But that's not what you were so eager to talk to me about, was it?"

Yumi crouched down to look into Genjuro's eyes at equal height. She reached into the pocket of her dress and pulled out a small black stone covered in gold protrusions that slightly resemble the orange jewel that now encased Hibiki in a prison. "This was in a syringe I found down in Ver's lab."

"Why did you not report this earlier?" Genjuro asked, raising his eyebrow. He knew that Yumi was smart, so it did not aggravate him that she kept a secret from him officially–there must have been a reason why she did not mention this.

"When I found it, it was just a black stone, without the crystals. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but something about it seemed odd so I also didn't want to toss it." Yumi explained. "When I brought it close to Hibiki, that's when the crystals appeared."

In thought, Genjuro stroked his beard again as he sat straight-up. "So, the stone resonated with the Gungnir crystal? No, that shouldn't have possible without a song..."

Yumi pocketed the stone again, hoping that no one else saw her treasure. "Anime likes to call it alchemy, but a lot of the time it's just magic." Seemingly changing the subject, Genjuro leaned back again as he dove into his thoughts while Yumi continued to speak. "But these crystals, I think they're gold; and Alchemy was originally the scientific pursuit of turning lead and other metals into gold."

"I'm listening, though I'm not really following where you're going here." Genjuro admitted.

"Remember how Miku looked when she first appeared? Her armour was golden–I think this is what Ver used to... do whatever he did to Miku."

Sensing how Yumi was about to continue, Genjuro managed to predict the next word that the girl would speak just as it escaped her mouth: "But...."

Yumi pulled the stone back out and held it up in front of her. "But I don't think this stone should exist. Look." She tilted the stone, and Genjuro could tell immediately what she meant by her hypothesis.

The stone was almost like a two-dimensional image. Whenever Yumi tilted the stone in her hand, it seemed to shift accordingly; there was only one angle that you could view it at. Not only that, but it did not seem to react to the lighting of the room as the crystals stayed a murky gold that, while it looked shiny, did not reflect any light.

Genjuro's eyes went wide, and he couldn't stifle a cry. "What the hell?"

"Here's what I'm thinking, right. It's going to sound crazy, but you're going to have to stick with me." Yumi hid it again, and this time Genjuro's eyes followed the strange stone as she slid it into her pocket.

"Okay." Genjuro exhaled. "I doubt anything could surprise me at this point."

"I think it came from another dimension." Yumi responded without hesitation. "I mean, obviously–look at it–but I think it may be, like, an incomplete... alchemical summon? Or an alchemical mistake? When that island returns, I want to be there to see if there's anything like this on it. It's clearly alien, so it might have some leads."

"So I take it this means..."

"Yeah. I like your idea."

"Alright, fine. With everything that's happened to your friends, I understand your desire to be involved. I'll get you in on the investigation."

Fujitaka did not want to barge into the conversation that he had been listening in on but, as a warning flashed across his screen, he felt as though he finally needed to. "Sir, sorry to interrupt."

Yumi and Genjuro snapped their attention to Fujitaka, the girl sliding her hand into her pocket stealthily. Genjuro on the other hand stood up, pushing himself into his vertical position by slamming his hands against the desk. "Go on, Fujitaka." He urged.

"I've detected a large mass entering the atmosphere. It's very likely..."

Shirabe and Yumi shouted the names of their friends together: "Maria!" "Miku!"

Genjuro walked over to Fujitaka. "Where do you estimate it will land?"

Taking a drink from his empty mug–a sight that Genjuro shook his head at–Fujitaka tapped into his keyboard as he did the math. Tomosato, on the opposite side of the room, completed her calculations faster however, and spoke up instead. "Based on its angle of re-entry... it seems to be targeting Kadingir."

"How fast can we get back there?" Genjuro asked.

"Ninety minutes at best." Fujitaka replied immediately.

"Let's go get the girls." Yumi shouted excitedly, throwing one arm in the air as she cheered. Turning to the quiet Shirabe, she stared into the small girl's large ruby eyes. "We'll need to give them the best welcome party!"

Shirabe nodded with a smile.

Tomosato, Shirabe, and Yumi had been talking about how to welcome the girls back after their–assumed–success, and the latter two came up with the idea of throwing Chris, Tsubasa, Kanade, Miku, and Maria a feast. Shirabe was especially interested in the idea, having been the chef for the terrorist organization she was forced to work for, so Tomosato gave the girls permission to use the submarine's small kitchen to prepare whatever they wanted.

"Let's get cooking!" Yumi grabbed Shirabe's hand and lead her out of the room with a smile, pulling her cooking partner along as she wore a shocked expression.

Genjuro watched the girls leave and could not help but shake his head. "I'll never understand teenagers and how quickly they can shift tone."

Fujitaka chuckled. "Hard to dislike how lively it has gotten, though."

"A shame their party may not end as well as they hope." Genjuro sighed sadly. After all, despite their attempts to help, Maria, Shirabe, and Kirika had all publicly declared war on the world–they were wanted criminals, and Sector Two would need to bring them into custody for, at the hopeful (but unlikely) least, questioning.

#### G Chapter 18

Shirabe and Yumi flew around the kitchen, making a ruckus as they cheerfully readied food for their returning friends. The excitement in the air was infectious as they worked; Shirabe throwing out orders to Yumi as the two girls worked to create a delicious cake. The submarine's kitchen was not designed for elaborate meals so the amount of ingredients they had were limited, so they had to scale down their plans from a grand party to just making a 'welcome back' cake.

The reason for their chaotic workflow was two-fold: they had little time until they believed Frontier would reach the ground, but more so they were working hard to keep sad thoughts out of their mind. Both girls did not want to have to think about the possibility that only one–or neither–of the girls they were specifically waiting would return, or, in the worst case scenario, the possibility that all of the Symphogear wielders had fallen.

But there were other ideas trying to creep into the girls' minds that they wanted to ignore. Yumi, in particular, was privy to theories that none of the Symphogear wielders nor her other friends had any knowledge of. Ideas about the ones funding Ver's research, and theories she was concocting like a witch would potions about what their goals may be.

The ruby-eyed Shirabe, too, was struggling to hold back doubts as she cracked eggs into a steel bowl. Shirabe was worried about Kirika–no, she was scared of the Kirika that existed now. The cheerful blonde girl who had introduced herself with a smile to a girl with no memories seemed to have been corrupted by the wisdom of an ancient priestess. The golden eye that tainted the peaceful field that had once sat behind Kirika's eyes had burned itself into Shirabe's mind, just as the image of the woman who gifted it upon Kirika still haunted Shirabe.

Though these murky seas of doubts tried to drown the two girls in their own unique ways, they struggled to swim up towards the surface. Within this chaotic tsunami of darkness, the two girls used only the idea of baking a sweet cake as a raft to weather the storm around them.

"Do we have strawberries?" Shirabe asked quietly, and Yumi silently pushed a plastic container of red fruits across the counter towards her.

Fujitaka, who stood outside of the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee–his sixth since the girls had starting baking–sighed. He, too, struggled with his own thoughts, though his were far less suffocating than those that rampaged through the girls' minds.

While he did like the idea of the girls baking a cake for their friends, he did not want to mention that two of them were still unconscious. Furthermore, Kirika had sung her Superb Song; the blowback from the attack had damaged her far more than the medical team originally believed because the LiNKER had begun to exit her system by the time she had used the sacrificial technique. Kirika likely would not be able to enjoy the cake they worked hard to make, and Serena's condition was even more of an anomaly considering she had been brought back from the prison of death.

But, like Yumi, Fujitaka's mind was also brewing his own theories about the ones who contributed to Ver's research and drove him to reach for his crazy ideals.

Finishing off his cup of coffee, Fujitaka recalled the conversation the group in the command centre had had with Ogawa earlier that day.

. . .

"Sir, we have received a message from Ogawa regarding his own mission." Tomosato reported from her seat, and Genjuro nodded sternly.

"Itaba, as you may have already surmised, we looked into the three of you–Shiori Terashima, Kuriyo Ando, and yourself–before we brought you on to work for us." Genjuro turned to Yumi, who was wiping tears from her eyes. At this time, she had just seen Hibiki cry out in pain before her arm transformed into a crystalline spear due to Kanade activating her Symphogear, so she was not entirely in her right mind.

Despite this, Yumi still spoke up with a cloud of confidence forming over her emotions. She did not truly think highly of Genjuro at this moment–especially now, as Yumi's suspicions that they had snooped on her and her friends had been confirmed. But, she knew from anime that this was to be expected of top secret government agencies, and continued listening with clear eyes as Fujitaka spoke up with a smile that signalled his high opinion of the girl that was Yumi Itaba.

"You seem to have quite an interesting repertoire of knowledge. We want you to consider working under Ogawa on intelligence."

Yumi cocked her head. She had joined in order to keep an eye on Hibiki–that was something she, Shiori, and Kuriyo had all made evidently clear when they were brought on. So for them to be asking her this, Yumi was sure they weren't done talking. "You can still keep an eye on Hibiki; we rarely have Ogawa working remotely like we do now." Tomosato clarified, just as Yumi expected.

"Believe it or not, we believe your extensive knowledge of anime may actually come in handy." Genjuro nodded. "Tomosato, patch Ogawa in."

"Understood." Tomosato clicked her keyboard. A moment later, Ogawa's face expanded across the large monitor.

With the sunlight peering in to the [former] submersible from the removal of the roof it was difficult–but still possible–to see Ogawa's shocked face as he saw the sorry state of their vessel due to the glare that crossed the screen's surface. "Not going well?" The man with spiked brown hair asked after a moment, earning just a sigh from Genjuro in response. Seeing that his boss was not going to elaborate on their situation at Frontier, Ogawa cleared his throat. "Right. As you had asked, I looked in to F.I.S. and the current whereabouts of all of their alumni. Just as we had suspected, all of them have since passed away since the organization was shut down, with the exception of John Wayne Vercingetorix and Nastassja Sergeyevna Tolstaya of course."

"Oh god." Yumi muttered.

"What's curious is how most of these scientists passed away, however–every single one of them was murdered. The cases are still being investigated by the American government believing them to be connected, but so far they have not officially revealed a culprit."

"Officially?" Genjuro raised his eyebrow, and Ogawa looked down.

"There was one case that differed from the others, and that the American public seems to be overlooking. Do you remember, several months ago, the body that was found in the Sumida River? The Japanese police ruled it suicide and her identity was never publicly revealed." Turning his gaze back up to look at the people in Sector Two's base, Ogawa continued. "We learned that she had fled to Japan after F.I.S.'s shuttering."

"Do you suppose Finé had a hand in their deaths?" Fujitaka speculated, but Ogawa shook his head in response.

"With the help of some friendly gentlemen, we managed to acquire backups of 'lost' security footage from a construction site near the hotel where the woman had been staying. I just sent it to you, but first I want you to play this clip."

A small box appeared over part of Ogawa's face, and within it played a short clip. The video showed an American woman with her blonde hair tied into a long ponytail and large sunglasses hiding her eyes. Clutching a purse tight to her chest, she exited the building with a professional air about her. There was nothing suspicious about this clip, at least to Yumi.

"That is the American scientist." Ogawa reported, and clicked something on the tablet he held. The footage zoomed in on one frame, where one of the scientist's eyes could be seen from behind the dark glass. Yumi now saw what Ogawa had taken interest in–her eyes did not look normal. Instead of a pool of solid colour filling her sclera, the woman's pupils appeared to be filled with a rainbow of stained-glass shards.

"Are those... contacts?" Yumi asked, more to herself than anyone else. She needn't even wait for an answer, as a moment later her brain offered her one from her memories. "No wait, those look far more realistic than contacts for cosplay purposes."

"Precisely. We believe that she may have been..." Ogawa searched for the word. "Influenced, in some way. We know that Finé can implant part of her consciousness into others, and we speculated that that power may have some basis in alchemy. This appears to be a derivative of that technique."

The small box cut to black, before the image of the girl's corrupted eyes was replaced with a new, albeit far lower quality, one. This primarily showed a construction site, just as Ogawa had said earlier, that had been draped in shadows by the setting sun. Yumi waited in silence as the same American woman slowly walked into the frame, a definitive purpose still in her mind.

"And here is the 'lost' footage we procured." Ogawa announced. "This reveals to us that the scientist was, in fact murdered, and gives us a slight look at the culprit."

Yumi swallowed–she was about to view a murder. Characters often died in anime, but seeing a living person suffer grievous wounds in real life was far more gruesome. She steeled herself as her eyes followed the scientist's movements.

The American walked behind an unfinished wall, obscuring most of her body. She stood and, from the way her arms moved, appeared to be speaking to someone that was outside of the camera's view.

And then, the woman fell over as a line of blood dripped through the air. Yumi did not see an attack, but assumed it had been from a bullet that was fired from the person that the woman had been speaking to.

"Replay that last second, but go frame-by-frame." Genjuro, on the other hand, kept his mind open and believed otherwise. With a nod from Fujitaka, the entire screen filled with the low-quality image.

The first still showed the woman with one arm out-stretched, as if pointing to something. Several more frames showed her in similar positions as she drew her arm back. And then Yumi gasped in shock.

A hand entered the screen, with two fingers extended outwards as if making a knife, a sight only compounded by the long fingernails that the tips of the figure's fingers wore as a hat.

The next few frames showed an arm enter the frame. And then the side of a woman's body. These three consecutive frames, smaller than a fraction of a second apart, revealed a figure that moved at incredible speed. Genjuro couldn't help but grunt in surprise at the idea that this person could move so quickly that even digital cameras had a hard time tracking her. With part of the girl's head visible from behind the steel beams that crossed through the site, this was where the scene paused.

"Who is that woman?" Yumi wondered aloud, and Ogawa–his face still hidden by the killer who could move at supersonic speeds–answered her with an uncertain voice.

"We could not find this woman in any Japanese records, however..." He trailed off, as if searching for something on his own tablet. Eventually he found it, and the image of a young girl appeared on the screen next to the partial face of the mysterious woman. "Ten years ago, a missing persons report was filed for nine year-old Millaarc 'Milly' Cranstoun from Austria. She and her family had been on vacation in Slovakia when the girl had been kidnapped. We believe this to be her."

Side-by-side, Yumi could see a vague resemblance between the young girl and her allegedly elder counterpart, but there was nothing concrete. The image of the child was smiling, her long black hair tied into a long braid that hung down the left side of her sweet face with golden eyes filled with innocence. By contrast, the older woman's eyes were stern and heartless; her now blue-black hair was spiky, tied into a high ponytail that forked outwards in all directions like a saw, with a single red strand spiking down over her forehead.

But what she really focused on was the girl's mouth. The supposed elder version of this Millaarc Cranstoun had long, almost bestial, fangs that cut down through her open mouth as the killer sneered.

"I... don't really see much of a resemblance." Yumi admitted after a moment, shaking her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Fujitaka nod in agreement.

"Cranstoun's mother has been hard at work trying to locate her long-lost daughter, and has even started an organization dedicated to tracking down missing children. One year ago, almost to the day, she had an artist attempt to create an image of Cranstoun as she would look at eighteen years old based upon old photographs of Millaarc and both of her parents." Ogawa continued his explanation, and the portrait of the child disappeared from view. In its place came a similar, but starkly different-looking image.

Now, Yumi could see the resemblance. Though the eye colours and hairstyles differed, the girls looked very similar. The artist's rendition of Cranstoun had shorter hair tied into a ponytail, and her eyes had darkened into an almost brown–just darker than the orange of the killer's eyes beside her. Still, the largest difference between the two came down to the pointed fangs.

"Incredible work, Ogawa." Even Genjuro was impressed with his subordinate's research. "But that does not give us much to go on."

"Unfortunately, we have not been able to connect too many more dots." Ogawa sighed. "See, this woman–Cranstoun–simply disappears afterwards. We checked all security camera footage we could, and not a single camera captured her anywhere."

"Can you brighten the security camera footage from the construction site?" Yumi asked, having a hunch. Her eyes were locked on the girl that resembled a vampire, but in the dark shadows of the image it was difficult to take note of specific details.

"Alright." Tomosato responded, and the image brightened significantly. "Applying colour correction..." The blue hair woman continued to mutter as the image changed in appearance, slowly becoming slightly more clear to Yumi.

She pointed at the screen. "I thought so–look." Yumi's finger singled out a small area of the image–around Cranstoun's neck. Tomosato zoomed in on this spot, and they all noticed the same thing that Yumi had: a metallic band.

It was distinct from the one that Kirika had worn when they brought her in, and looked far more sleek; though clearly made of a black metal, it looked almost like rubber. But there was something else, and that was what Yumi had actually been focused on: an eye.

A small eye was etched into the collar that the girl wore. It was very subtle in the original version of the footage, but Yumi thought she had noticed something there and was surprised to find out that she was right.

More over however, she was surprised that she recognized the eye. "That's the Eye of Providence." She explained to the room. The small image was that of a simplistic eye surrounded in a triangle–one made famous as the insignia of a certain secret society that Yumi had become familiar with through the media she consumed. "The Bavarian Illuminati allegedly used it. They were a secret society that existed in the late seventeen-hundreds under a man named Adam Weishaupt, but there are still many conspiracy theories relating to it today because of the interest some of its later members had in alchemy and spiritualism."

"Alchemy, huh?" Genjuro scratched his beard as he contemplated the implications of that.

Recalling a quote she had read once–one that was written to be the general goal of the organization–Yumi followed up on Genjuro's self-directed thought with a monotone voice. "'The order of the day is to put an end to the machinations of the purveyors of injustice, to control them without dominating them.'"

Later, Yumi Itaba would find another Eye of Providence, carved into the wall of Dr. Ver's laboratory.

. . .

"Attention, everyone."

Tomosato's voice crackling over the loudspeaker brought Fujitaka back to reality. Choking on his new (seventh) cup of coffee that he had been drinking, Fujitaka's throat struggled to take in air as his business partner's voice echoed down around him.

"We've almost reached the port. Please be ready to disembark."

"Ah we're almost out of time!" Yumi panicked from the kitchen connected to the dining hall that Fujitaka stood in, and the tired man couldn't help but let out a dry chuckle as he finally recovered his ability to breathe.

. . .

Six figures stood around the base of Kadingir, staring up at the sky with a total of twelve tired eyes. The silhouette of a giant island lingered above them, blocking out the moon from their sight as it cut through the starry blanket that hung above them. Beside them, the giant cannon of Kadingir looked like a single leg that stretched down to the ground to keep the island in place.

Frontier no longer glowed–it hovered silently, with no lights upon it. The group below the alien island–a group that consisted of Yumi Itaba, Shirabe Tsukuyomi, Aoi Tomosato, Sakuya Fujitaka, Shiori Terashima, and Kuriyo Ando–waited patiently to see their friends return to Earth.

"How do you think they're going to get down?" Kuriyo yawned. Though she and Shiori had retreated to a small room to rest, they had not been able to fall asleep and instead just laid awake staring at the sky that had been made available to them.

"If worst comes to worst," Fujitaka brushed the back of his head. "We may need to run away from a missile."

The girls around him all took one step back at the comment. They all knew Chris would not hesitate to fire a missile at the ground–and towards her friends, if she did not know they were there–as a means of travel, just as she did in any other direction.

"And you still haven't been able to reach them?" Shiori turned to Tomosato with the question as she patted down her messy blonde hair.

Tomosato, her hand to the earpiece she wore, shook her head. "If I had to guess, it's possible that Frontier–or the tech inside it–reflects our signals. That would explain how none of our technology was able to detect that it was hidden beneath the ocean."

"Is that them?" Shirabe pointed upwards, drawing a line that all of the people around her followed. Her finger identified a small shadow that seemed to be growing in size. First small, it quickly grew and grew until the people beneath it were able to make out the shape clearly.

"Run." Fujitaka ordered calmly, but his eyes were anything but. The group scurried away from where they had been gathered–the place where one of Chris's missiles was now poised to explode. Even though most of the people had managed to get very little–if any–sleep and were running on the fumes of anxiety, none of them hesitated for even a moment as they scrambled for safety.

As they ran for the safety of the tree line, the group was launched as the ground behind them detonated into a cloud of fire. Silhouetted amongst the orange flames, grey clouds, and brown dirt that mixed together in the new crater that formed stood the images of Chris Yukine, Maria Cadenzavna Eve, and Kanade Amou. Though the group that stood a short ways away likely couldn't be seen by the three Symphogear wielders through the pollution that filled the air, they could certainly hear them as they spoke.

"So what did you think?" Chris leaned in to address Maria with a proud smile. "Fun, right?"

"Yeah. But not something I think I'd want to get used to." The idol replied as she smoothed down her frazzled hair.

"It's a good thing we were looking up!" Fujitaka shouted to the three girls, snapping their attention to the group who had been dirtied by the earth that had been thrown by the explosion.

"I did try to tell Yukine that it may not have been the best idea." A voice from above sighed, everyone turned their gaze skywards. It had been Tsubasa who spoke, her hand gripping the palm of Miku as the latter girl–clad in the gold armour of Lancea Longini–slowly descended through the air. Of note, the still-tied up Dr. Ver was also being held unconscious under Miku's other arm.

"I knew they would move out of the way." Chris's objection came with the wave of a hand as she sauntered towards the blue-haired sword whose feet touched down on the ground in a much more delicate manner.

"I'm so glad you're all okay!" Shiori exclaimed as the Symphogear girls gathered around their Sector Two allies. Shirabe threw her arms around Maria, and Miku was instantly surrounded by her classmates, but the other girls were not ignored as they were all dragged into a group conversation.

"I'm going to be honest... I don't think any of us are okay." Miku said as her friends dragged her into a group hug. The calm smile on her sad face told her friends that, though she did mean what she said, it was not in a completely negative way. After all, they had lost a friend on that day and their mental states would likely take a long time should they ever be able to recover from the stress they felt over this twenty-four-hour period.

As Miku, Yumi, Shiori, and Kuriyo all embraced, the ghost of Hibiki Tachibana floated over them as they finally all took the time to mourn their fallen friend. Tears began to stream from the latter three girls' eyes, but Miku's were dry as she had depleted her own collection long ago.

Tsubasa, a short ways away, smiled as she took up her post by Kanade's side. "I think the four of them are quite strong."

"Speaking of strong guys," Kanade tilted her head to address Fujitaka and Tomosato beside her. "Where's the chief?"

"The government called an emergency meeting." Fujitaka said with a weary look on her face. "I don't think they were really impressed with our actions today."

"Hey, we took down a terrorist group and defeated some mad doctor. What more could they want?" Chris's cocky voice rose up from behind the group as she stood with her arms crossed against her chest.

"Well... it seems more like we assimilated that terrorist group into our ranks." Tsubasa gestured towards the happy couple of Shirabe and Maria who spoke happily in the shadows of Kadingir.

"We also have orders to bring them in for questioning." Tomosato solemnly added. "Even though they had been blackmailed into fighting against us, the government is still acting as though they had been the masterminds behind this event."

"Not to mention, they seem to think we had been hiding the existence of Frontier from them. And the existence of more Symphogears." Fujitaka sighed. "I hope Genjuro doesn't get yelled at too much."

"Maria, I'm very glad you're safe." Shirabe spoke quietly, nuzzling her face against the pink-haired girl she thought of as her older sister.

"I'm glad you're okay too, Shirabe." Maria petted Shirabe's hair down as the two hugged. Warmth filled their scarred interiors and kind smiles crossed their exteriors; they truly loved each other like family. But their family was incomplete right now, a fact that Maria couldn't help but bring up: "How is Kirika doing?"

Shirabe was conflicted and bit her lip as she struggled to answer the question. Kirika was doing as well as one would be after using their Superb Song, but Shirabe did not know if she was necessarily 'okay.' After all, Shirabe could no longer tell where Kirika ended and Finé began.

But she didn't want Maria to worry, so she happily nodded with a quiet lie. "She's doing well." Continuing with actual facts now, Shirabe took a step away to look at Maria. "Kirika and Serena are both unconscious still."

Maria's eyes lit up. "I still can't believe that Serena..." Though she now considered Shirabe and Kirika to be part of her precious family, Serena had been by her side long before she had met the other two Receptor Children that were younger than her. Serena still stood atop a pedestal in her heart that no one could measure up to.

"Doctor Ver may have been a monster but at least he somehow brought Serena back to life." Shirabe muttered.

"I'll have you know, I take offence to being called a 'monster.'" Ver spat at the two from his position on the ground beside Maria. Neither of them had known that the mad scientist had awoken–and that's something that was likely true for the others as well.

Shirabe looked down at the doctor with a dark fire burning in her eyes. "Shut up, you creep." She sneered, kicking the man across the face. Not only had that man subjected one of her friends to experiments unknown, Ver had been responsible for a lot of the terrors that the Receptor Children had experienced throughout their lives. That one, quick act of revenge brought a small flare of satisfaction to Shirabe, though she desired to do much worse.

"Oh, real nice. The traitors to humanity continue to defile the virtues of our species." Blood trickling out of the doctor's mouth, Ver spoke with a crude smile and wild eyes.

When Shirabe turned to Maria in confusion, wondering about what Ver meant by 'traitors,' the girl just shook her head and brushed it off with a sigh. "He said a lot. I'll tell you later."

"Oh! Speaking of which!" Yumi clapped her hands together, drawing all eyes towards her as the girl stood up with a bounce. "Shirabe and I baked everyone a cake. We wanted to have a celebration."

Walking over to the group with a phone in her hand, Tomosato offered some good news to Maria and Shirabe. "I just received word that your sister has regained consciousness. Akatsuki, too, seems to be doing better as well."

The two Receptor Children both exhaled as they placed their hands against their chests. Despite their drastically different appearances, one would not be remiss to think that they were twins from the almost-identical movements they made. "Thank goodness they're both all right." Maria sighed in relief.

"So, how about we all head back for a little party." Yumi smiled, pulling Miku close with her arm.

"Sounds like a good idea. I could use something nice after everything we've been through today." Tsubasa nodded.

"Probably a good idea. We do have a lot to talk about afterwards." Fujitaka scratched the back of his head as he vaguely tried to both acknowledge and ignore the bad news that he needed to present later on. He sighed, shaking his fatigued head.

"I hope you like the food." Shirabe looked up to Maria with shining eyes.

As the sun began to lift over the horizon, the light purple sky caused Shirabe's red eyes to glow like the most pristine rubies. Maria couldn't help but happily nod at the sight. "I'm sure I'll love it."

"Am I invited to this party?"

Everyone leapt back as Ogawa seemed to appear out of thin air in the centre of their group. Though his appearance was sudden, it should not have been unexpected–everyone around him, including the F.I.S. girls who had done research on their former-enemies–knew that he was a ninja. It was why he was so skilled in gathering intelligence.

"Where did you even come from?" Kanade shouted with a wide smile plastered on her face. She had been scared by Ogawa more than anyone else, so by now she had grown to expect his random pop-ups. Because of this, Kanade was the only one who remained in the same spot as where she had been a moment earlier.

"Sorry, sorry." With quick apologies as he surveyed the confused looks around him, Ogawa turned his attention back to Kanade. "I was underground. The higher-ups asked me to lead the excavation of the relics from our old HQ. But now that I've got all of them loaded up, I thought I'd check to see the commotion."

"And you didn't think to come up when Chris blew the ground up?" Miku asked deadpan, one eyebrow raised. This earned a chuckle from the brown-haired young man, who wore a clumsy look on his face.

"After Tomosato told me you guys would be landing here, I just assumed she was the source of that."

"Maybe I do rely on my missiles too much." Chris muttered under her breath so quietly that only Tsubasa, who stood next to Ichaival's wielder, could hear the near-silent words. The blue swordswoman couldn't help but smile at the late realization.

"Alright! Now that we're all together, let's have a party!" Yumi shouted, pointing at the island that floated above them. "To victory!"

. . .

Genjuro Kazanari rubbed his temples as he exited the room. His heart had been crushed in the meeting he had been forced to attend before the sun had even begun to rise over the country of Japan.

As the girls of Sector Two held a party, Genjuro had been yelled at non-stop for several hours. Even with their attempts to defend his actions, Genjuro's brother Yatsuhiro and Masahito Shibata had done little to stifle the amount of complaints rained down upon Genjuro like the deadliest storm. His two allies, even now, were trying to defend his actions to their bosses, though Genjuro had been asked to step out for now.

The man sighed as he held up the papers he had just been given. With a scared look, he re-read the notice his superiors had prepared for him. Genjuro's tired eyes scanned the first paragraph over and over, and eventually found himself reading the words aloud to the empty hallway around him.

"As a result of the reckless actions of Sector Two that went against the orders given, it has been decided that the Sector Two of the Special Disaster Response Team will be disbanded and the Symphogear program be reorganized."

**[ To be continued... ]**