Sympho-Saber: Song of Swords

G: EP08 – New Deals and New Paths

At Tassel's house, all was quiet for the evening, though that was the case for most times of the day. He had specifically picked the location in order to get away from the world in a sense. Though in this case he was pretty busy as he was trying to tidy up as much as possible before his guest arrived.

The doorbell could be heard as he perked up.

"Oh, seems he's here," Tassel smiled as he stood up with his feather duster, "Coming!"

It didn't take long for Tassel to reach the door, Tassel walking over and opening the door.

Before him was the same cloaked man who had been sealed within Avalon, "It's been a while."

"It has indeed," Tassel smiled, "How have you been?"

"I have found someone potentially worthy of Avalon's power," The man explained, "I must go and observe him soon, but I figured I'd catch up a bit."

"Oh I'm sure I can tell you all you need to know," Tassel gave a nod before gesturing inside, "Please, please, take a seat."

The FIS Air Carrier flew through the night sky undisturbed due to its invisibility thanks to the Shénshòujìng. Maria was currently piloting the ship in silence, keeping it flying steadily towards their destination. Of course Maria herself had a lot of things on her mind, mostly because the crux of their plan was hinging on her pretending to be Finé.

Maria's act was to perform a double catch of sorts, even if half it was risky. Dr. Ver had the knowledge and research needed to keep them in fighting shape. Calibur and the Megid had enough extra forces to keep them from being overwhelmed by the strengthened Section 2.

So Maria acted as Finé, baiting both groups into thinking that the FIS had the ultimate knowledge of heretical technology within their grasp. Of course that worked for Ver, as Calibur had other ulterior motives. Mostly in that it was deduced, even before Finé's most recent death that Calibur wanted to keep Finé out of the picture.

It was due to the fact that Calibur and Kento had made contact with the FIS via Ryoko Sakurai before the incidents that led to the Lunar Attack started. It was a clever strategy, especially with Kento acting as a liaison between Calibur and the FIS in order to inform him if something was amiss.

Maria, Kirika and Shirabe had warmed up to Kento fairly fast, and he had become like a brother to them. Despite this, Nastassja had made sure that at least Maria knew about the potentiality of being a target once the act of being Finé came into play. It was mostly to keep on guard, though Maria herself was willing to believe in Kento despite the likelihood of his mission being real.

'But Mom said I didn't need to play Finé anymore,' Maria thought as she kept her gaze forward, 'We have the Shénshòujìng and Nephilim's heart, both keys necessary to activate the Frontier. Why would she say there was no longer any need for pretense?'

"Hope you don't mind if I join you here."

"Huh?" Maria was broken out of her thoughts, turning to see Kento sit down in the seat beside her, "Oh, Kento. How are Kirika and Shirabe doing?"

"They're going through examinations right now I believe," Kento said, "To make sure the LiNKER overdose has fully worn off."

"Right, I see…" Maria gave a soft nod.

"Is… something wrong?" Kento asked.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about," Maria tried to play it off.

"Maria…" Kento sighed as he crossed his arms and stared up at the ceiling, "I can tell something's wrong, what's up?"

"I…" Maria trailed, not sure on what to say but given the start of them unraveling their pretenses… she felt she could trust Kento given his genuine nature, "Kento…"

"Yes?" Kento asked.

"Mom's not stupid," Maria said as she looked over, "You know that right?"

"What brought this up?" Kento asked as he looked over in surprise.

"While she was relaxed towards you, it was mostly because of how you acted around us," Maria explained, "But she and I know why you were placed here by Calibur. She knew he wanted to keep track on facilities Finé had a part in, including her potential reincarnation targets. It was too suspiciously convenient that Finé got backing from the Megid like she did. Especially given their goals likely don't match hers or ours in the long run. So she came to a singular conclusion…"

Kento froze at this, starting to feel sweat as he kept still, "Maria I…"

"You should be the first to know that the next reincarnation of Finé, what you're looking for, doesn't exist here," Maria explained, "I am not her, and she didn't reincarnate into anyone else…"

"I… I see…" Kento gave a nod, even though he knew that the last part was a lie. But given the genuine tone of his ally he had to wonder if she didn't know about Kirika. But he then gave an exasperated sigh of relief, "Thank goodness…"

"Huh?" Maria glanced in surprise.

"I'll be honest…" Kento admitted, "What Calibur wanted me to do… it never sat right with me. And I hated how close I had gotten to you all because of what I'd eventually have to do."

"Kento…" Maria muttered in near shock, she had assumed that Kento was a good guy despite the likely endgame of him showing up, but it was a pleasant surprise to see him genuinely relieved despite her revealing what she had known, "What will you do now?"

"I told you before didn't I?" Kento asked with a small smile, "I promised I'd help you out however I could and I mean to keep that promise."

"Thank you," Maria said before growing a concerned look, "But what about…"

"I could care less about what Calibur thinks," Kento admitted in a cold manner, "You all have a genuine want to help the Earth. That's enough for me."

"Speaking of your ally…" Maria trailed when she realized something, "Where is he? He's been absent a lot more lately."

"Recently I assumed it was because of Avalon," Kento said, "But right now I'm not so sure."

"Calibur… there's a third player in this game."

"I assumed that was us."

"No, we usually integrate into whoever opposes Section 2, this is the one that is the source of the unknown Rider… or previously unknown…"

"I see… and what should we do about it?"

"I need you to give her a push in a direction away from our mystery player."

Calibur was currently walking through a forested area as he recalled a conversation that Storious had brought up recently. In how the leader of the Megid had confronted Falchion before sealing Saber's sword, and had confirmed her identity as a somehow alive Kanade Amou. This was something that perplexed Calibur as he was aware she had used her Superb Song to burn her life away in order to get rid of the Noise at the Zwei Wing Concert Incident. He could only even guess as to what kept her alive or even brought her back, since he was sure that Kyomu and Eternal Phoenix should have been nowhere near that concert.

"A push in the right direction…" Calibur trailed as he continued to make his way forward.

Thankfully despite Falchion's void element being easy to get past Section 2's sensors, Storious had his own ways to search for wielders of the Seiken. This had led Calibur to this remote forested area, which made the Wielder of Kurayami wonder why Falchion was in this area to begin with.

"Why are you here?"

Calibur looked up and immediately braced with both hands, his sword blocking an incoming downwards slash from Falchion.

"Well now," Calibur said as he quickly stepped back to slip out of the clash, "Looks like Storious' information was right."

"I have no qualms with either of your groups now," Falchion stated, "Just let me continue my personal mission in peace."

"Oh but I have business with you," Calibur stated as he charged forward, slashing at Falchion who backed away. Falchion then stabbed forward forcing Calibur to bat it away, the Wielder of Darkness spinning and slashing at Falchion who ducked underneath it.

"Why?" Falchion asked as she backed away before blocking a slash from Calibur, "Why are you so fixated on me?"

"You're one of the more interesting Riders," Calibur admitted, "Especially in your origins."

"I'm not sure what you mean," Falchion said as she gritted her teeth before kicking Calibur away to force him to back off, "I am but a simple servant to my Master."

"Because he molded you to be that way," Calibur pointed out, "But you are not a creation, you used to be someone else."

"Someone else… I didn't question it before but…" Falchion asked before gripping her head, giving a grunt, "But these images and voices… I was told to ignore them and they hurt… but…"

"So it seems Storious was right," Calibur mused, "You do still have memories of your past."

"They aren't important… they'll just cause more issues…" Falchion shook her head, "What's important is my mission."

"Oh but that's where you're wrong," Calibur said, "They're very important… especially since they'll keep eating away at you until you find out who you really are."

"Find out who I really am…" Falchion trailed in repeat before shaking her head further, "Shut up, what do you even know about any of this?!"

"Getting rowdier… there we go," Calibur gave a low chuckle, "I can't say that I know anything, however if you truly want to know then get the attention of Section 2. Have them come to you. Even if it isn't the Gungnir Wielder, I'm sure you'll be very enlightened."

"Why are you telling me this?" Falchion asked as she raised her sword.

"Let's just say it's in my best interest to see your memories return," Calibur stated before turning and walking away.

Falchion could only stare at Calibur leaving before holding up her free armored hand. She stared at it for a while before gripping it tightly, turning and heading off deeper into the forest.

Hibiki was finally awake, being informed of her situation by Genjuro while she was in Section 2's medical room alongside Tsubasa, Chris, Rintaro and Touma.

"These are the scans of your body, Hibiki," Genjuro explained as he showed her the images, "The Gungnir fragments embedded within you have spread even further throughout your flesh. They are forming a new organ within your body. That is both the source of your explosive power and the single greatest threat to your life."

Everyone had a dour expression on their face as even hearing this again, it was still hard news to swallow. They were broken out of this grim explanation when they heard laughter, everyone glancing back at Hibiki to see she was smiling. Most were confused though Touma looked away, already knowing where this was going.

"Hibiki…?" Rintaro asked in a near baffled tone.

"So you're telling me to avoid stimulating the Gungnir within me any further, I need to avoid using my Gear whenever possible?" Hibiki asked.

"Cut that out!" Tsubasa called as she grabbed Hibiki by the wrist, "…'whenever possible'…? Are you insane?! You are banned from combat hereafter!"

"Tsubasa…" Hibiki trailed as she saw the normally stoic and in control Tsubasa have a few tears welling up.

"If you keep this up, you're going to die, Tachibana!" Tsubasa yelled out.

"That's enough!" Chris called out as she got between the two, "She knows well enough."

Tsubasa quickly hurried out of the room, Rintaro silently excusing himself to follow after her.

"Our crews are doing everything they can," Genjuro explained as he decided to lighten the mood, placing a hand on Hibiki's head, "The doctors have made good progress based on the data Ryoko left behind. And Daishinji is dedicated to trying to find some kind of answer despite there not being much to look into."

"Teacher…" Hibiki trailed.

"I'm sure they'll figure something out in no time," Genjuro gave a reassuring smile, "Until then, there should be no harm in taking it easy, so just rest for now."

"All… right," Hibiki said as she stared down at her bed.

"We'll get out of your hair for now," Chris said as she elbowed Genjuro who gave a nod before the two walked out of the room.

That only left Touma in the room though he was still silent just like before. He was trying to still process everything and wasn't sure of what to even say.

"Touma…" Hibiki spoke up when she noticed he was the only one left.

"Please," Touma said as he turned, his usual hat covering his eyes though Hibiki was able to spot a few tears trailing down his cheeks, "Please don't transform anymore."

Hibiki stayed silent, unsure of what to say, "…"

"Miku and I don't want to lose you," Touma admitted in a choked voice, "And it's not just us anymore like it was for a long while. Rintaro, Tsubasa, Chris… Daishinji, Sophia, Genjuro… so please. Please promise me you won't transform until we can figure something out."

"I…" Hibiki trailed as she gripped her bed sheets tightly, a few tears forming, "I promise…"

"Thank you," Touma said as he rubbed his eyes a bit before putting on a smile, "So how did you enjoy Miku's gift? She managed to dig up her old copy to give you and asked me to find her a new one to replace it. Thankfully it wasn't that hard to get."

"O-Oh," Hibiki suddenly recalled the copy of One Thousand and One Nights that was with the get well letter, soon giving a smile, "I haven't had time to look through it. But I do want to read it again, I still remember Miku having a lot of fun with that one when your parents first read it to us."

"Yeah, I was a bit surprised she took that much of an interest in those stories but I'm glad she found a favorite," Touma said with a small smile, a bit of relief flowing through him as they were able to bounce back into a lighter topic.

Tsubasa's fist slammed against the hallway of Section 2's base as she was hunched over.

'A sword has no need of tears, and yet… Why won't they stop flowing?' Tsubasa thought to herself as she let her tears fall, 'Have I failed as a sword bound to protect my comrades?'

"It's genuinely alright to cry," Rintaro reassured as he stood at a distance.

"Shindo?" Tsubasa turned in surprise and wiped her eyes quickly, "Why are you-"

"I told you all, you're a part of my family," Rintaro smiled, "I couldn't just leave you when you were clearly hurting."

"Thank you," Tsubasa gave a nod, "But…"

"I understand wanting to be strong for others, but it's alright to grieve," Rintaro explained before looking down, "I know I had to do a fair bit of that myself with my Master…"

"I see…" Tsubasa trailed as she looked off to the side.

"Tsubasa?"

The two blue sword wielders turned to see Ogawa standing nearby.

"I know," Tsubasa said, getting back on track, "I have a number of interviews today, correct?"

"Tsubasa!" Ogawa called out in concern.

"I'll be fine by myself," Tsubasa reassured as she walked off, "Don't worry about me."

"I'm sure she could use some kind of break from our duties," Rintaro admitted before looking over at Ogawa, "Though try and make sure she doesn't push herself too hard, alright?"

"I will," Ogawa gave a nod before he noticed Rintaro's expression, raising an eyebrow, "Is something the matter?"

"Just… thinking," Rintaro admitted as he put a hand to his chin. Now that there was a chance to think he was able to recall how Touma fought utilizing Kaenken Rekka and the Kingexcalibur from what little he saw, "Could you do me another favor as well?"

"What kind of favor?" Ogawa asked.

"Coming in," Chris announced as she walked into Daishinji's lab.

"So I take it she was told?" Daishinji asked as he worked on maintaining Suzune, noticing Chris' mood.

"Yeah," Chris said as she gave a frustrated sigh, ruffling her hair a bit, "Every time I hear it though, it doesn't get any easier…"

"Its news that can't be taken lightly," Daishinji agreed, "So why exactly come here?"

"I've been doing some thinking…" Chris trailed as she crossed her arms, "I think I have a lead on how we can help the dummy."

"What kind of lead?" Daishinji asked a bit curiously.

"Well, you know Falchion right?" Chris asked, "I talked to Touma after they had shown up again, and asked about when they showed up during the Kadingir incident. I think that sword that Falchion has might help in some way."

"True, from the reports it did seem as though Falchion was able to destabilize Hibiki's berserk state," Daishinji put a hand to his chin, "The sword's element, Void, could have a general nullifying effect that can work on just about anything. If we could replicate that then we might be able to find some way to stop the spread or maybe even have it reverse Hibiki's current state."

"Do you think you could replicate it?" Chris asked.

"That's the hard part," Daishinji sighed as he turned away, "Even as a Swordsmith it'd be hard to try and replicate a Seiken's elemental properties. We'd need to either defeat Falchion or get them to be cooperative. And I don't think that's going to be easy in either regard."

"Well we don't really know much about them, right?" Chris asked, "There's a chance they could help willingly given they've done it more often than not in the past."

"It's a risky bet," Daishinji said.

"One that needs to be taken for the dummy's sake," Chris reminded.

"Right…" Daishinji said before sighing, "There's one other issue."

"What's that?" Chris asked.

"The Seiken's Void Element allows it to mask itself, much like Kurayami can use the power of darkness to cloak itself as well," Daishinji replied, "So we have no idea where they could be."

"Then we'll just have to find a way to get past that blocker," Chris said before giving a small grin, trying to keep Daishinji motivated, "I mean, someone like you can do that, right?"

"Given this is our best lead?" Daishinji asked before giving a small smirk, buying into the motivation, "I'll give it everything I have."

The FIS Air Carrier had reached its destination, hovering over a seemingly random spot among the vast ocean. On the radar screen was what looked to be an island, Maria still piloting with Nastassja having resumed co-piloting duties.

"Maria, please proceed," Nastassja said.

Maria pressed an activation switch, launching a small device that began to hover as the bottom of it unfolded to reveal a reflective surface.

"Shuttle marker activated," Maria said.

"Deactivate cloaking," Nastassja said, "Focus the Shénshòujìng's energy."

"So what exactly are we doing?" Kento asked as he watched with Ver, Kirika and Shirabe.

"The Shénshòujìng, found at Mt. Minakami in the Nagano prefecture, is a mirror relic," Nastassja explained, "Should the ancient tales be true, it is not only capable of bending light to create optical camouflage, but also has the power to exorcise evil. The Shénshòujìng's power will negate and release the relic-powered seal on the Frontier."

"Hold on a moment," Ver grabbed Nastassja's wrist before she could press the switch, "Once you unseal the Frontier, you will make its existence known to the world. Shouldn't we wait until we have completed all the preparations?"

"You need not worry," Nastassja said as her expression didn't change, "Beam Volley, discharge."

Kento watched as the device holding the relic pendant for Shénshòujìng began to glow brighter and brighter. The Air Carrier itself had unveiled a small beam emitter that shot a purple beam of light against the shuttle marker. The marker itself refracted it off into the sea, and causing a small splash as it shot downwards. The result caused the water to bubble and shimmer as steam began to rise out from the spot that was hit.

"Now the seal upon the Frontier shall be no more!" Ver called out with both fists pumped and raised, "No more! No mo-"

The water eventually returned to normal, the bubbling and steam subsiding as the sea returned to its natural state.

"It didn't work?" Ver asked in a near stunned voice, "It… it wasn't… it wasn't unsealed?"

"The power was insufficient," Nastassja answered, "Even the Shenshoujin's power is not enough to undo the Frontier's seal if we only amplify it mechanically."

"Mechanically…?" Kento asked before thinking on it a bit, and realizing that Nastassja meant that a machine could not replicate what a human could in terms of bringing out the full power of a Relic, "But we don't…"

"You knew?" Ver asked as he interrupted Kento's thoughts, giving a glare towards Nasassja as he leaned towards her, "You're a specialist in Relic's, I can't for one second imagine that you failed to realize this when you first investigated the area. Did you bring us here merely to demonstrate how far we still are from unsealing the Frontier?"

"I believe we need to discuss the important details of what will come next," Nastassja answered in a calm manner.

As the doctor gnashed his teeth in frustration, a hum was heard at the back of the main cockpit. Everyone turned to see a dark corridor open up with Calibur walking out.

"So I see things aren't going too well," Calibur remarked.

"More like we were reminded of our current position towards our goal," Kento corrected.

"And where have you been?" Maria asked.

"Just dealing with some potential issues that would have popped up," Calibur replied.

Back at Section 2's command center, Genjuro was at his station alongside Sophia, the two getting word on the results of their research.

"It's slightly off?" Genjuro asked.

"Yes," Aoi confirmed, "We've detected a subtle difference between the Moon's actual orbit and the one NASA publicizes."

"The discrepancy is very slight, but it's definitely there," Sakuya added, "And our future projections don't look good."

"This flies in the face of the US government claim that the change in the Moon's orbit caused by the Lunar Attack would not be a problem for centuries," Genjuro said.

"It stands to reason that the FIS made their move because they knew the Moon would fall sooner rather than later," Sophia added.

"But why bring in the Megid?" Genjuro asked, "Why would Calibur even consider it given what he tried to do during the Lunar Attack?"

"Regardless of what he was trying to do with or against Finé, I think he realizes the gravity of the situation," Sophia replied.

"Yeah, even he doesn't want to risk the moon crashing onto Earth I suppose," Sakuya remarked before ruffling his hair a bit, "Still… things are just getting more and more complicated."

The Next Day

In Section 2's training room, Saber was currently by himself in Dragon Arthur form. Rekka was currently sheathed within the Swordriver, with his hands gripping the Kingexcalibur blade. Saber was currently humming as he worked on his sword stances and swings. He decided to go back to the basics when it came to trying to handle King of Arthur's great power. And like he thought, the Kingexcalibur was light and easy to wield, too light and easy if he was being honest.

So the best way to train was to get used to the Kingexcalibur's easy to swing and use nature. As such he had requested to have the training room all to himself as he slowly but surely managed to get a handle on how to wield the sword.

Despite this he began to slow down after a while as his thoughts lingered. He had technically been invited by Hibiki and Miku to join them at the Tokyo Sky Tower. But he had ended up passing on it since he wanted to get King of Arthur under some kind of control. Or at least be able to handle its power a bit better, since while he wasn't scared of it, it was still a bit overwhelming at times.

Or at least that was the excuse he was trying to make for himself. When it came to Hibiki, well, his feelings on how useless he felt to her resurfaced. So much so that he couldn't really bring himself to have any fun even if it would help lift her mood. But she had Miku with her and the two were friends far longer than he was with either of them, and he figured if anyone could help Hibiki relax it would be Miku.

"You've come a long way since when you first joined up."

"Huh?" Saber turned in surprise to see Ogawa, "Oh, Ogawa, what are you doing here?"

"Rintaro actually asked me to help you," Ogawa admitted as he had Hayate out and ready, "He mentioned you seemed off in your swings and movements while dual wielding your swords."

"It's that easy to tell, huh?" Saber asked with a chuckle.

"He figured I could teach you a thing or two," Ogawa gave a smile as he split the blade of Hayate into its two blades before holding them out, "Only if you don't mind."

"Well despite just becoming a swordsman you are pretty good with those two blades," Saber admitted as he dismissed his transformation, walking over as he put his Wonder Ride Books away.

"I suppose that's because of my prior training," Ogawa admitted with a chuckle.

"So you just want me to use Hayate right now?" Touma asked as he took the blades in his hands.

"I figured you could get used to a few stances first and how it feels with two similar weapons," Ogawa mentioned as he went to help Touma on his posture and stance, "Then we can move to more practical exercises."

"Sounds good to me," Touma nodded.

At the Tokyo Sky Tower, an elevator dinged with the doors sliding open. Nastassja was wheeled out by Maria with Kento joining them.

"Mom," Maria spoke up as they made their way forward, "What did you mean-"

"Up until now, we've taken on the role of terrorists," Nastassja explained, "However our true duty is to prevent the terrible devastation the Moon's fall would bring about. Is it not?"

"You're right about that," Kento replied.

"So are you saying we can't save the world as we are now?" Maria asked as she wheeled Nastassja into the conference room, the three being greeted by men in black suits, "Mom, who are they?"

"American government agents," Nastassja answered, "I called them here for negotiations."

"You want to strike a deal with them?" Maria asked.

"I told Dr. Ver and Calibur as well," Nastassja said as she wheeled herself over to the end of the conference table, "Now let us discuss the important details of what will come next."

Rintaro was currently sitting on a bench nearby the Tokyo Sky Tower. He gave a sigh as he looked down, his thoughts on a conversation he had with Miku recently.

"Listen, I know this is a weird request… but could you be nearby the Tokyo Sky Tower today?"

"I can… but why?"

"It's just that… with everything going on I'm worried something might happen. So I'm hoping that with you being there you'll be able to handle said something so Hibiki doesn't get involved."

"I see… I'm hoping nothing will happen though."

"But if something does, you'll make sure you're around, promise?"

"I promise…"

"Why is it that I feel so uneasy though?" Rintaro muttered.

"I still don't get how you can wear that outside."

"Huh?" Rintaro looked up to see Chris walking over, "Chris?"

"Who else would it be? Bookworm's doing training last I heard and you know how Senpai can be," Chris said as she was holding bottled water before holding it out to Rintaro, "Here you go."

"Ah thank you," Rintaro said as he took the water before unscrewing the cap and drinking it. He gave a sigh of relief, "That hits the spot."

"The heck are you doing out here anyway?" Chris asked as she went to sit next to Rintaro.

"Oh, I'm here because I promised Miku to be in the area," Rintaro explained, "You see, her and Hibiki are at the Sky Tower right now. And she wants me to be around in case anything happens, that way Hibiki doesn't have the impulse to fight."

"Huh, smart of her," Chris mused.

"Are you here because you promised as well?" Rintaro asked.

"Nah, just felt like taking a walk to clear my head today," Chris admitted, "Then I spotted you acting all suspicious and figured something was wrong."

"Eh? Suspicious…?" Rintaro asked before standing up and spreading his arms out, thus looking very suspicious despite his next words, "I am not suspicious in the slightest."

"Sure you aren't," Chris rolled her eyes at her friend's attempt, "So what's wrong?"

"Oh um…" Rintaro sighed and sat down again, "I'm just worried something might go wrong."

"In our line of work that sounds like a common line of thought," Chris pointed out.

"I suppose that is true," Rintaro gave a soft chuckle.

"While making sure you relax is important, it always pays to be on guard," Chris said in a more matter of fact tone.

At the forest where they had hidden the air carrier, Kirika was sitting down under the shade of a tree, still in deep thought.

'Reincarnation… if I'm the vessel for Finé's soul, does that mean my own soul's going to disappear?' Kirikia thought before something finally hit her, 'Wait a moment… If that's the case, then how can Maria be Finé?'

"Someone seems deep in thought…"

"Huh?" Kirika looked up before giving a surprised yelp.

Desast was currently hanging upside down in the tree, his legs wrapped around a branch as he was staring directly down at Kirika.

"What could someone like you be thinking this deeply about?" Desast asked in a curious tone.

"That's n-none of your business, dess!" Kirika called out as she stood up and backed away.

"Well if it ends up interfering with our plans then it's someone's business," Desast replied, "Not like I care about those anyway."

"Then why even ask?" Kirika questioned.

"Because you're usually not this gloomy," Desast replied as he went to sit up, turning himself around, now sitting on the branch and staring down at the Wielder, "What's up? If it's a fun secret then I won't tell."

"Yeah right, dess," Kirika narrowed her eyes.

"Kiri, foods ready!" Shirabe called out as she walked out from their mobile base.

"Th-Thanks!" Kirika quickly turned around, relieved to see Shirabe there, "What did you make, dess?"

"298 Yen," Shirabe held up two fingers.

Kirika already knew what that was code for, instant ramen, "Sounds great, dess!"

"I was wondering what that delicious smell I started to pick up was," Desast called out as he looked down at the two, "You make enough?"

"We're not giving any to you, freeloader," Shirabe narrowed her eyes in a bored manner.

"Hey, that's a little mean don't you think?" Desast asked with a huff.

"Anyway," Shirabe ignored Desast much to the Megid's displeasure and turned towards Kirika, "Is the doctor out on some mission? I didn't see him around."

"I don't know and I don't care, dess!" Kirika admitted as she hurried for the inside of the Air Carrier, "Let's eat before he shows his ugly mug around here and spoils it!"

"So cold," Desast sighed as he went to shift himself into a more comfortable position on the branch when he suddenly paused as he caught another scent, he looked around and sniffed the air again, "This scent…"

After coming to equal terms, Maria had given the lead American agent a data chip to seal the deal.

"Thank you," The lead agent spoke up as he pocketed the chip, "We gladly accept the information you've provided regarding heretical technology."

"I will assist you in making full use of it," Nastassja said as Maria walked back over to her and Kento, "Now then-"

In an instant all of the government agents quickly drew out guns, Kento immediately drawing out Ikazuchi and getting in front of both Nastassja and Maria.

"You scum!" Kento gave a glare as he adopted a defensive stance.

"Bullets kill faster and more mercilessly than songs do," The lead agent gave a wicked smirk, "And I doubt a sword can protect you all for long, boy."

"Did you intend to spurn our deal from the very start?" Nastassja asked, she had brought Kento along for this reason, but she didn't think the agents would be so hasty to get them out of the picture.

"We got what we wanted," The lead agent replied as he kept his aim, "Now we simply need to dispose of what we don-"

CRASH

"What a bunch of idiots!"

The American government agents all turned as in an instant one of the two remaining Medua Megid had dropped down from outside and shattered the window to enter. It gave a sinister laugh as it swiped its hand over its eyes, unleashing a red pulsing wave that caught the American agents. All of them could only gasp out as they were turned to stone.

"You…" Maria trailed.

"No need to thank us," Medusa replied in an almost sarcastic manner, bringing out two blank books and using them to absorb the frozen agents. Soon enough the process had turned them both into full blackened books.

It wasn't long before flying Noise began to be seen flying around outside while several humanoid types phased into the room they were in.

"And this turned even worse than I imagined…" Kento trailed before he glanced at Maria who gave a nod.

"Granzizel bilfen Gungnir zizzl~"

"Henshin!"

[IKAZUCHI BATTOU! LAMP DO ALANGINA!]

With Maria's transformation complete she rushed forward and summoned her spear, slashing through and skewering the Noise.

"W-What are you doing?!" Medusa questioned.

"We don't need your help!" Espada shouted out as he suddenly appeared in front of the Megid while in mid-air, giving a yell as he performed an electrical charged kick against the Medusa Megid's head. The Megid could only yell out as it was sent flying away, it being launched out of the broken window it had entered from before freefalling.

"Those damn Megid… and Dr. Ver…" Espada hissed out as he stood up from his crouching position.

"We need to leave, now," Maria said as she went to pick up Nastassja, slinging the older woman over her shoulder.

"I'll help cover you," Espada gave a nod as he hurried over to them.

Daishinji was currently in the Command Center of Section 2, mostly collaborating with both Sakuya and Aoi in trying to find a way to track Falchion. Genjuro and Sophia both watched intently as they saw Daishinji coordinate with their main operators.

"How's progress?" Genjuro asked.

"It's a bit hard," Sakuya admitted as he ruffled his hair while typing with one hand, "But I think we're getting somewhere?"

"Daishinji's idea to cross reference prior records definitely helped," Aoi said as she typed away at her console, "Going for times we've known they've appeared and then checking records of all signatures narrows it down."

"But the problem is finding it," Sakuya admitted.

"It's not as if it's untraceable," Daishinji spoke up, "It's likely an ability of the Mumeiken Kyomu. Kurayami also had a similar ability from what I remember studying of it when Fukamiya was still on our side. So it's likely forcing us to pick up nothing."

"That's one of the swords the Logos Sector had on records when first studying the swords," Sophia admitted, "Though we didn't have much to go on other than its name due to the swords nature. And even then by the time our current generation came into the picture it had been lost."

"Though its name was enough to correctly infer its abilities," Daishinji replied, "Its main ability being a wide array of nullification powers."

"So basically we need to comb through the signal records and try to find something else among them," Aoi replied, "It's not as if it's constantly in a state of non-existence. It's forcing us to pick it up like that."

"Interesting," Genjuro said as he put a hand to his chin.

"It sounds simple once you say it, but it's a lot of effort when actually putting it to practice," Sakuya said, "But we'll… hold on!"

"We're getting an Alert!" Aoi called out, "It seems to be a Relic of some kind, cross referencing with records."

Genjuro and Sophia's eyes widened as they saw the images of the confirmed signal.

{MUMEIKEN KYOMU}

{ETERNAL PHOENIX}

"IT'S THE MUMEIKEN KYOMU?!"

Both Commanders looked at each other in surprise, half due to the sword they were looking for showing up, and half because they had both shouted the same thing at the same time.

"Give me the location, I'll deploy personally," Daishinji called out.

"Right, finding location now," Aoi replied, "Found them!"

The main screen showed a map of the city before an orange dot was shown, it pinging a few times. Daishinji was ready to head out when the screen before them flashed red a few times as the alarm began to sound.

"This isn't good, we've got a Noise Alert," Sakuya called out as he pulled up multiple pings that were surrounding an area further away from Falchion, "They're at the Tokyo Sky Tower! Wait-"

{GUNGNIR}

{RAIMEIKEN IKAZUCHI}

{LAMP DO ALANGINA}

Everyone paled at the sight of Gungnir but immediately pulling up the signal caused everyone to breathe a swift sigh. They were unable to get diagnostics or a warning and that meant that they had detected Maria's usage of the Symphogear.

"Maria and Kento are there, huh?" Daishinji asked.

"Not only that but we're getting similar interference any time a Megid shows up," Aoi added as the interference began to show on screen, "Except this time there's more, as if there's a lot more than just the one running around."

"Just what is going on…?" Genjuro asked.

"Commanders!"

Touma and Ogawa both rushed in, the two sweating as they had just finished their training session together when the alerts started popping up.

"Good, you two are here," Sophia sighed in relief.

"What's going on?" Touma asked, "We were just getting done with training and heard the Noise Alert."

"Get in contact with Rintaro, Tsubasa and Chris!" Genjuro ordered, "We'll need all hands on deck for this!"

"There's a Noise Alert at the Tokyo Sky Tower," Sophia explained.

"The Sky Tower…?" Touma asked in near shock, "Hibiki's supposed to be there with Miku! We need to get there now!"

Genjuro's eyes widened, "What?!"

Dr. Ver was currently sitting in a restaurant that was facing the Sky Tower, and while not as high up, the top of the tower could still be seen. He had Solomon's Cane leaning next to a free seat. Of course he wasn't alone as both Legeiel and Storious were sitting across from him.

"Why does everyone have to be so reckless?" Ver asked before he went to sip some coffee he had ordered.

"Ah but that's what makes these stories surprising," Storious smiled as he looked out of the window, "Any good narrative has a good few curves to it."

"This is a good opportunity for us to get more fuel regardless," Legeiel gave a smirk, "Right?"

"Indeed," Storious gave a nod.

"Aw, but when am I going to get to have fun?" A dopey voice asked as the air shimmered as the plain Ahiru Megid was with them but using its invisibility for the time being.

"Patience my little ugly duckling…" Storious held up a finger, "First your last brother needs to show what he's got."

"So I take it you are going all out for this attack," Dr. Ver remarked once he heard his ally's words, he raised an eyebrow, "Is it really necessary?"

"Zooous is itching for a fight after being unable to do much for a good while," Storious admitted, "However given our current position and how Nastassja compromised our mission… we need to be prepared for the full assault of Section 2's forces."

"True, I would like to get out of this unscathed," Ver gave a nod.

Rintaro and Chris were ready to leave when they suddenly heard screaming, watching in horror as swarms of Noise began to circle around the Tokyo Sky Tower.

"See what I said?" Chris gave a glare before she heard her communicator beep.

"Looks like we're being called," Rintaro said as he drew out his Gattrike Phone and answered at the same time Chris did.

"Chris, Blades," Sophia called through communications, "We're still getting through to Tsubasa but we need you at the Sky Tower immediately. There's a Noise outbreak."

"Understood, we're already nearby and will engage the enemy immediately," Rintaro replied.

"Do not underestimate the enemy's forces," Sophia said, "Also watch out for Falchion, we've finally detected them and they may try to cause more trouble. Though Daishinji is going to try and intercept them."

"We finally found them, huh?" Chris remarked in a lower voice before looking towards the Sky Tower, "Alright then, we'll get to work!"

At the Sky Tower, Hibiki and Miku had been taking in the view alongside a fairly large crowd of people when they heard explosions starting to rock the tower itself. It wasn't long before they were able to see the culprits, flying type Noise. The flying type Noise by this point had opted to crash into the tower while causing small explosions, clearly trying to make sure no one escaped.

"What?!"

"Is that Noise?!"

"We gotta get out of here!"

Hibiki was ready to run off when Miku grabbed her by the arm.

"You mustn't go! Don't go!" Miku insisted as she kept a firm grip on her friends arm.

"Miku?" Hibiki asked, "But I have to!"

"I won't let you!" Miku insisted, "I don't want to let you fight! I don't want you to leave me!"

"Please promise me you won't transform until we can figure something out."

Touma's words echoed through Hibiki's mind when she heard this, remembering her promise to him as she bit her lip.

"Mommy, where are you? Mommy!"

The two looked up to see a little boy wandering around while crying due to the frightening situation at the moment.

"I'll be fine as long as I don't use Gungnir!" Hibiki insisted out as she knew what she could do without transforming, quickly running towards the boy, "But I have to do something!"

"Hibiki…" Miku said before she gave a nod, running off after her friend.

[IKAZUCHI BATTOU! MITTSUMATA LAMP DO CERBERUS!]

Espada gave a yell as he gathered electricity around himself, launching it outwards through his right Cerberus styled gauntlet and unleashing an electrical shot that tore through the Noise in front of him and Maria. However a sudden ding was heard not long after that.

Maria quickly turned and used her cape to shield herself, Nastassja and Espada, several American soldiers having filed out of the elevator and opened fire. Espada stabbed the ground, unleashing an electrical field against the floor that gave light shocks to the soldiers, stunning them as Maria rushed forward, using her cape to bash through and knock them out.

"Maria, Kento," Nastassja spoke up as they ran towards the stairs, "There are likely more waiting below, let us make our escape from above."

"Lamp Do Alangina will be perfect for that," Espada added as he ran after Maria.

"Got it, Mom," Maria slammed her foot into the door that led to the stairs, busting it open before rushing upwards.

Upon reaching a new floor, the group was pinned down again by another set of American soldiers. Maria had to put Nastassja down while crouching with Espada, using her cape to shield them. Of course this time there were civilians in the crossfire. A few getting gunned down as a result of attempting to run past Maria. Maria quickly used her cape and extended it, smashing it into the soldiers and knocking them away.

Maria took several deep breaths to try and stay calm only to see the corpses that were lying nearby.

"Maria…" Nastassja trailed.

"This is all my fault…" Maria trailed as she turned with a glare, "It's all my fault for failing to become Finé's vessel!"

Espada was ready to rush forward to deal with the soldiers that were aiming their guns at them, only to turn when he heard Maria scream out, watching as her cape extended outwards and smashed into two of the soldiers. He could only then watch as Maria rushed forward in a blinded rage, kicking a soldier away before slamming one into the other with her spear, the attack managing to draw blood and splatter on Gungnir.

"Maria…" Espada muttered before he felt something warm in his hand. He looked down only to see that Ikazuchi's emblem was pulsating softly, it also giving a soft humming sound, "Is reacting to something...?"

"Oh no! Help! Someone help!"

Espada jerked his head and noticed that there were people nearby that had managed to keep from getting shot at. He was ready to attempt to calm them down when Maria stepped in front of him.

"Don't panic!" Maria called out towards the civilians. Of course both this time and the last time at the concert she had used those words to reassure herself more than anything, "Don't panic! Just run!"

The civilians couldn't help but reflexively recoil in fear before running off and taking Maria's advice.

"Maria…" Espada spoke up, "Are you-"

"I will hesitate no longer!" Maria interrupted as she grabbed Nastassja and held her underneath her free arm while holding up Gungnir, "We're getting out of here!"

Espada gave a hesitant nod as he got close, the spear spinning rapidly in Maria's hand as she covered the three of them in her cape, turning into a massive drill that launched upwards.

Section 2 had eventually managed to reach Tsubasa, the Wielder of Ame no Habakiri trying to ride as fast as she could to the Sky Tower. As she got closer and closer she gave a gasp as she went to turn her bike, sliding sideways and skidding to a stop.

"Well now… what's the hurry?" Desast asked, having decided to ditch Kirika and Shirabe to have his own fun, "Sounds like this festival is starting to reach its turning point… so why don't we play?"

"Desast…" Tsubasa narrowed her eyes, giving a fierce glare as she dismounted from her vehicle, "Out of my way!"

"Scary…" Desast chuckled as he drew out his sword and rested it against his shoulder, "How about you use that to fight me."

"If you have a death wish then I shall grant you that," Tsubasa called out before taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, "~Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri tron~"

In a flash of blue Tsubasa rushed forward, drawing her blade and slashing at Desast who blocked with his own. The two clashed their swords together, sparks flying as they tried to overtake each other.

"There we go… that anger… that rage!" Desast chuckled, "Let's see if you can do better than our first meeting!"

"Silence," Tsubasa gritted her teeth before quickly leaping back to dissolve the clash, "I have no time for this!"

"Because of the Gungnir Girl, right?" Desast said as he noticed Tsubasa perking up in surprise at his claim, he then scoffed, "Like any of you would be able to keep her from fighting…"

"I know," Tsubasa gripped her blade tightly before charging forward for several quick slashes, "Which is why I need you out of my way!"

Desast gave a chuckle as he began stepping backwards while raising his sword to block against the slashes, managing to bat them away. He then spun and slashed at Tsubasa was going in for another slash. Their two blades clashed as the force behind both attacks caused a small burst of energy to form, the burst forcing both to back away by taking several steps back.

"You've changed," Desast remarked as he pointed his blade forward, "You know that?"

"What?" Tsubasa asked.

"You've never showed this much emotion before, even when you took Saber's place the first time we met," Desast said as he began to step forward, dragging his blade along the ground, "And yet here you are…"

"Just what game are you trying to play?" Tsubasa questioned as she raised her sword up, gripping it with both hands and pointing it forward.

"Maybe you can give me the answers I want…" Desast said as he began to pick up his pace, leaping up into the air and holding his sword up high as he dropped down and slashed, "So you'd best be prepared!"

At the same time, Touma, Genjuro and Ogawa were riding in one of Section 2's helicopters in order to make it to the scene in a timely manner.

"Sir, due to the current outbreak of Noise we're only able to get so close," The pilot warned.

"That's fine, get as close as we can and drop us off," Genjuro replied.

"Roger," The pilot said, "We'll be arriving shortly the-whoa!"

The helicopter suddenly swerved away, just barely avoiding a slash of purple flames that was sent hurtling towards it from below.

"What?" Touma asked.

"Not good," Genjuro opened the side door and managed to catch a glimpse of Calibur on one of the buildings below, "Calibur…"

"Is he trying to stop us from reaching the Sky Tower?" Ogawa asked, "Why?"

"I'm not sure but it seems like we'll have to deal with him first," Genjuro said as he readied Gekido.

"Commander, Ogawa…" Touma spoke up as he walked towards the opened side door, "I'll deal with Calibur. King of Arthur's power is the one thing that can likely beat him right now…"

"Touma…" Genjuro trailed as he saw the determination the young man was emitting.

"Do you think you can handle King of Arthur's power?" Ogawa asked.

"I'll put all of the training you gave me into wielding that sword," Touma gave a nod, "For the sake of my friends."

"Then get going before Calibur gets restless," Genjuro suggested.

"Just one more thing," Touma said as he readied his sword driver, slotting in Brave Dragon and King of Arthur, "Make sure Hibiki's alright."

"Of course," Genjuro gave a nod before grinning, "After all she is my student!"

"Thank you," Touma said as he quickly leapt off of the helicopter while drawing out Rekka, unleashing orange flames below him that he fell through, "Henshin!"

[REKKA BATTOU! WONDER RIDER! DRAGON! ARTHUR OU!]

Saber soon emerged from the flames in Dragon Arthur form, gripping both the Kaenken Rekka and Kingexcalibur in his hands as he landed where Calibur was.

Calibur looked towards the helicopter that was flying closer towards the Sky Tower and gathered darkness in his blade. He then unleashed a wave of darkness to strike at the helicopter again.

[JAKIN!]

In an instant a blue wave of energy was launched out, striking the wave of darkness and dispersing it.

"You won't be getting in their way," Saber said.

"And what's this?" Calibur asked, "That power must be going to your head if you think you can face me alone."

"I'll admit that's part of the reason," Saber remarked as he struck a new stance, having learned a few from Ogawa, "However, I trust in my allies to deal with more important matters."

"It seems I could only attract one of you, so I suppose you saw through my ruse," Calibur chuckled, "Regardless, having you over there would only complicate things with your new power."

"You may be right about that," Saber admitted as he glanced at the Kingexcalibur, "Even so…"

"Show me the power you wield," Calibur said as he began walking towards Saber, "And if you do not satisfy me, then I will relieve you of that power!"

"Like I'd ever let you have this!" Saber called out as he rushed forward.

Calibur gave a yell as he raised his sword upwards and slashed downwards. Saber meanwhile spun, swinging both his blades horizontally and striking at Calibur's sword mid-swing. The counterattack had worked, Calibur yelling out as he was blown back by the force of the attack. The dark Rider was forced to spin in mid-air before landing and skidding back in a crouched state.

"This skill…" Calibur muttered as he stood up, even though it was a brief break between the two of them fighting, he was able to tell Saber had improved.

"I'm getting the hang of this," Saber spoke to himself as he had a better grip on his new weapons power. Of course he felt like he wasn't drawing out his new Ride Book's true strength but that didn't matter at the moment. He gave a yell as he rushed forward.

[HISSATSU READ! JAAKU SAIYUU JA!]

Calibur scanned Saiyuu Journey before holding Kurayami forward, the blade turning a deep maroon coloration before he gave a hard thrust. Soon enough the blade extended outwards towards Saber in an attempt to skewer him.

[KURYAMI HISSATSU GEKKI! SHUUTOKU ISSEN!]

[JAKIN!]

Saber gave a yell as he ducked and raised the Kingexcalibur, using it to push the extended blade upwards as he ran forward, the weapons scraping against each other as he kept the extended Kurayami upwards. Getting closer he gave a yell as he stabbed forward, flames exiting from Rekka as he struck against Calibur's chest.

Calibur could only gasp out as sparks flew, staggering back as he quickly used the remaining energy in Kurayami and extended his blade once more.

Saber raised both Rekka and Kingexcalibur, bracing and blocking against the defensive slash as he skidded backwards.

"This confirms it," Calibur said as he realized that Saber was slowly but surely mastering the power of King of Arthur, which meant that it was likely that he wouldn't be able to claim King of Arthur's power for himself.

Rintaro and Chris meanwhile had entered a mad dash to get to the Tokyo Sky Tower. Thankfully most of the Noise seemed to be the airborne types and they were slowly but surely making their way towards the base of the tower. That was until the two were forced to come to a halt when they saw Zooous flip into view in his human form, the Lead Ahiru Megid walking over to join him.

"We've been waiting for you, quack," The Lead Ahiru said as it held a hand against its chin.

"Oh come on, seriously?!" Chris asked.

"Zooous…" Rintaro narrowed his eyes, "We don't have time for this!"

"Sorry but you aren't interfering!" Zooous called out as he clawed against his chest, taking his transformed monstrous form, "I hope you can make this fun given you're lacking the power that you had before!"

"Chris… let's go," Rintaro said as he readied his Swordriver alongside his two Wonder Ride Books.

"Right, there are more important places we're needed," Chris said as she gripped her pendant and glared forward, "And these freaks aren't stopping us anymore!"

"Henshin!"

"~Killter Ichaival tron~"

[NAGARE BATTOU! KAGAYAKU LION FANTASISTA~!]

In flashes of blue and red, Blades stood alongside a transformed Chris in his Two Book form of Lion Fantasista.

"There we go, give us a good fight!" Zooous yelled out as he drew his blades and charged forward alongside the Lead Ahiru.

"We'll end this quickly!" Blades called out as he tapped his Driver before extending the hook and chain on his left arm outwards.

[PETER FANTASISTA!]

Soon enough he began forming a reflective water portal high up into the air, it suddenly growing denser as it split into multiple reflective portals. The water portals soon descended and were now all around Zooous and the Lead Ahiru in a dome formation.

Zooous looked around, "What?!"

"Chris, do it now!" Blades called out.

"No need to tell me twice!" Chris called out as she leapt up into the air, getting a good angle to fire at one of the reflective portals. Soon enough her crossbows began to expand but still stayed in their crossbow shapes. Instead it ended up allowing her to lock in more energy bolts at once, tripling her rate of fire.

{QUEEN'S INFERNO}

"Take this!" Chris yelled out as she launched the multitude of arrows forward, all of them striking against the reflective portals as the portals themselves drew closer towards each other once the arrows flew in.

Zooous and the Lead Ahiru could only gasp out as the arrows began bouncing around, striking them from all sides as sparks flew. The portal soon faded away as the last of the arrows hit, Zooous hunching over while the Lead Ahiru fell to its knees.

"Nice one, Chris!" Blades pumped his fist.

"Now let's take care of these guys and go on our way!" Chris called out as she was planning on backing Blades up on a finisher.

"Right," Blades gave a nod as he sheathed his sword and was ready to initiate his Rider Kick.

BOOM!

Blades had been caught off guard by the sound and sight of the top of the Sky Tower exploding. It didn't take long before a sudden ear-piercing cry rang out from near the base of the tower itself. Both Blades and Chris froze when they recognized the voice near instantly. That was because the scream was from someone they both knew…

The scream had been Hibiki's…

"MIKU!"

To Be Continued…

Author's Note: Well now, seems as though Kanade's starting to take her own course of action. Meanwhile the attack on the Tokyo Sky Tower is in full swing as everyone starts getting sectioned off into their own encounters. It was a fun bit of chaos to plan on how everyone would be split up and who they'd be fighting.

Also hey, we got up to 100 Reviews here on FF! Very nice to see, thank you all again for your continued comments and support, I really appreciate it. With that said, I'll see you all next time.