Sympho-Saber: Song of Swords

AXZ: EP02 – Full Color Hero's Arrival

Tassel was currently rummaging through a briefcase he owned, it having the various Wonder Story classified Ride Books that held information of the Riders and their Seiken. While there were the six used during the Magical Girl Incident, there was in fact more. In his coat pockets that he quickly drew out before tossing to the ground were ones for Calibur, Falchion, Sabela, and Durendal.

He was in a panic as Yuri watched with crossed arms, before it finally clicked for him. He quickly held his hat as if a light bulb had flickered on, quickly removing it to reveal that the Story of Kougouken Saikou was in there the entire time.

"There it is," he smiled in relief before turning towards Yuri and holding it out, "Please use this and guide them further."

"I will use it to carve out a new history, as a swordsman once again," Yuri said as he loaded it into the blank slot of the Kougouken Saikou, "Let there be light!"

[KOUGOUKEN SAIKOU!]

The lights of the outside grew dim as clouds suddenly spiraled around the forest where Tassel's cabin was located, the area nearly turning pitch black due to the coverage. It didn't take long for lightning to strike down against Tassel's house from the center of the spiraling clouds.

[SAIKOU HAKKOU!]

A green light shined from the Story of Kougouken Saikou, it starting to grow in size and change shape as it went to latch itself onto the Seiken Saikou Driver buckle Yuri wore. A green backed and orange paged book formed, a multicolored star shaped warrior with a golden mask in a dynamic pose on the front cover, mimicking the style of a comic book. The title was…

[X-SWORDMAN!]

Tassel let out a light yelp at the thunder crashing down, though quickly composed himself as the clouds began to disperse and the light returned. Yuri meanwhile went to stare at the Ride Book he had created, removing it from his buckle to do so.

"I take it you're pleased?" Tassel asked.

"Indeed, it's quite a splendid transformation if I do say so myself," Yuri admitted as he looked it over before walking towards the door, "Now I must be off, I can only imagine they are patiently awaiting my return."

"Take care," Tassel said as Yuri exited, giving a soft smile as he went to close the door. Before he could turn to deal with the mess he made he let out a yelp at the sound of a phone ringing. It was an odd sound because he didn't own a phone, nor would he have gotten calls if he did.

Turning he stared at a rotary phone that was suddenly on the table that was where he'd place his tea normally. He could only narrow his eyes at this, there being only one possible explanation as he went to answer the phone but remained silent.

"Ah you finally picked up," a male voice said in a clearly pleased tone, "It's been a while, hasn't it my bro-"

"Why are you calling me?" Tassel interrupted.

"I've come to let you know that things will be changing soon, and that my offer still stands-"

"You know as well as I do that I will not work with you," Tassel interrupted yet again with narrowed eyes, "Why are you actually calling me?"

"It's as I said, but if you're going to be stubborn about it then be my guest."

Tassel let out a grunt, "Know that I will not-"

"I have no fear of you, nor do I fear any of the others who mindlessly chase after the Great Book. If you wish to stop this revolution then please, go ahead. But I'd rather not permanently deal with you if I can help it. We are-"

"I abandoned that term for us ages ago after what you've decided," Tassel interrupted with a hiss before abruptly hanging up and turning away, soon glancing back and seeing that the phone was no longer there, "I can only hope the heroes of this world can stop your ambitions before you go too far… but…"

He could only stare at the mess of Ride Books that littered his house, slowly but surely going to pick them up to put them back in storage for the time being.

A truck was currently rushing through a path within the forests of Val Verde, with Touma, Rintaro, Hibiki, Chris and Tsubasa in the back. The five had let the boy they had met, Stephan, take the lead by having him drive the truck to their next destination.

"We've left the chemical plant in Ogawa's hands, and are currently in pursuit of the director," Tsubasa informed as she reported through communications. She let out a short gasp, "Maria's team?!"

Everyone could only grow concerned at those words, especially without the proper context.

"They engaged the alchemists in order to rescue Fujitaka and Tomosato," Genjuro reported, "Given the situation I authorized the use of our remaining stock of Model-K."

"I see, so we've fully hit our limit," Tsubasa said in realization, realizing their restock of the LiNKER had been just as fleeting as what they had left before that, "This isn't good, especially given it's not tuned to them, so it won't last long."

"We need to hurry back!" Hibiki realized.

"You dummy, we've got a mission of our own!" Chris pointed out, "We gotta believe in them!"

"Besides, they should be able to last a bit longer than usual," Rintaro pointed out, hoping to calm everyone down just a bit, "Their sync rates have been improving by us utilizing Bremen on our down time after all."

"While I can fly rather fast in Crimson Dragon, even I'm not sure if I'd get there in time," Touma admitted before gripping his fist tightly, "That said, they won't let their story end here, that's for certain."

"Analyzing the LiNKER recipes on Dr. Ver's chip was my job," Elfnein said as she looked down at the station she was at, "I just never got around to it… especially with…" she could only yelp in surprise as her head was patted suddenly, "Wh-what?"

"We were all busy thanks to the Megid alongside Gaze and all our various exploits," Genjuro replied with a reassuring smile as he was the culprit, "I'm sure Daishinji and Sophia wouldn't want you to blame yourself like this."

"I… I suppose so…" Elfnein let out a soft nod at this.

"It's tough to sit here, being able to do so little in these kinds of situations," Genjuro said as he continued his pep talk, "That's why the most important thing we can do is believe in them and hope for the best. Just like how our allies back home are doing the same, and vice-versa."

"Believe in them…" Elfnein trailed before looking back at the footage being displayed. She could only look down further, "Even this body was given to me by Carol…" she muttered, "Will I always be a burden?"

"Are you two alright?" Maria kept her eyes forward as she addressed the two SONG members behind her.

"Yes," Aoi confirmed while Sakuya remained silent.

"We've got this," Shirabe reassured.

"Leave it to us, dess!" Kirika agreed.

"So here you are, Symphogear users," Saint-Germain addressed the trio.

"Finally we meet face to face, Bavarian Illuminati," Maria called out as she raised her blade, "What are you plotting this time?"

"Our revolution," Saint-Germain answered almost instantly, "Regaining control of history has always been our goal!"

The giant serpent shot forward as Maria did the same, the Wielder managing to spiral around and slice into the creature as she did, glowing cuts forming only for them to be dispersed without any issue.

"Her attacks aren't working, dess!" Kirika realized as she grabbed onto Sakuya while Shirabe grabbed onto Aoi, the two leaping away once the serpent lunged forward and smashed into the ground they were once standing on.

"Aww, they dodged it," Cagliostro said, clearly disappointed.

"Basically, we need to slow them down," Prelati said as she grasped and threw forward a handful of Alca-Noise Crystals.

Despite the sudden swarm of enemies upon them, Maria, Shirabe and Kirika were able to keep pace as they easily sliced through the Alca-Noise before them with little issue. The ground began to crack and shake around Maria however, the Wielder quickly leaping up and flipping backwards to avoid the giant creature erupting from the ground.

Despite it attempting to clamp down on Maria she had pulled back enough to where its bite didn't reach her, the Airgetlam Wielder kicking off its teeth. It couldn't even make a second attempt as enlarged scythe blades and yo-yos smashed into its face which caused an explosion that blew its head clean off.

"They got it!" Sakuya called out.

"Enjoy that feeling while it lasts," Prelati remarked.

When the smoke cleared it was revealed that the giant creature's head was completely fine, as if it hadn't taken any damage whatsoever.

"It didn't work?" Kirika questioned, "Is it the same kinda phase thingy that the Noise have?"

"If it is, our Symphogears should be able to attune to it!" Shirabe reminded.

"If it's dampening the damage, then we just need to take it out in one hit!" Maria said as if the answer was obvious, drawing out a blade from her main gauntlet as dozens followed suit, spiraling around her rapidly and unleashing a tornado as she launched upwards with the blades at the tip of it.

{TORNADO†IMPACT}

The tornado of blades slammed directly into the open mouth of the serpent creature, tearing its jaw apart and dislocating it. Despite this, an orange light erupted from underneath it as an odd glow coated its body. It split into numerous flat overlays of itself, almost resembling portals of some sort, as if rewinding the portals launched inwards as the beast shined a bright coloration. The light then faded to reveal that it was completely undamaged.

"It regenerated?" Aoi questioned.

"No, it can't have…" Sakuya trailed in shock.

"It made it never happen at all," Cagliostro said with a chuckle.

"Basically, the experiment is a success," Prelati replied.

"This violates laws of the universe once thought to be absolute, until now," Saint-Germain said before letting out a smirk, "At last alchemy has reached the goal of all human science: the attainment of divine power."

"Retreat is always a valid last resort!" Maria said, realizing they didn't really have a choice in the matter. She brought out her blade, dragging out more to unleash a swarm of knives outwards, "Now!"

"Right!" Aoi nodded as she and the others went to run.

"You're not going anywhere," Caglisotro casually put up a shield to block the knives, managing to deflect them all… except one that managed to nick her right cheek, "Oww, my beautiful face! This sucks!"

"This is my village!" Stephan called out as he led the way, the group having made it far enough to go on foot, "If the soldiers are hiding out anywhere, it'll be here!"

Of course upon rounding a corner that led them to the center of the village, the group was met with a shocking sight. The director of the chemical plant had rounded up everyone in the village via the Alca-Noise while personally taking hold of a girl as he held onto a device that was likely able to control and summon the creatures.

"Alca-Noise…?" Tsubasa could only realize what exactly the situation was in that moment, Hibiki simply gritting her teeth at the situation.

"Not good," Rintaro muttered as he narrowed his eyes, "We've been cornered."

"Need I explain?" the director asked as if it was obvious, "Any funny business and I'll have the Alca-Noise turn everyone here into dust!"

Chris could only glare, "That asshole!"

Touma meanwhile was looking around before noticing that Stephan was slowly but surely inching away while making sure he wasn't taken notice of by the Director. The Swordsman of Flames wasn't exactly sure what the kid's plan was, but considering their limited options it was a risk they'd have to take.

"Alright, alright," He spoke up to take the lead as he went to raise his hands, figuring they'd have to play it cool for the moment, "You've got us. What do you want?"

"Well one of you is smart," the director smirked, clearly taking Touma's bait, "Let me off the hook! Don't get stupid, and I won't have to kill anyone!"

"Coward," Tsubasa hissed out.

"You too!" the director turned towards the hostages, "Don't try anything-!"

POW!

He couldn't even get the rest of his sentence out as a soccer ball nailed him directly in the head, letting go of his personal hostage as a result. The ball bounced back towards Stephan, who had gone around to strike from the director's blind spot.

"Stephan!" a woman called out in concern from the crowd, causing Chris to pause briefly as she recognized the voice.

"Come on!" Stephan called out as he grabbed the girl's wrist and went to hurry off to safety.

[BRAVE DRAGON!]

[LION SENKI!]

It didn't take long for the Riders familiars to launch outwards towards the hostages before any orders were given. Touma and Rintaro figured they'd try and thin the already present Alca-Noise to cover their transformations.

"Let's follow his lead, Tachibana!" Tsubasa called out as she and the other Wielders began to sing their holy chants while drawing out their Relics.

Touma and Rintaro meanwhile initiated their transformations into their base forms.

"Henshin!"

{SG-r01: Amenohabakiri}

{SG-r02: Ichaival}

{SG-r03': Gungnir}

[REKKA BATTOU! BRAVE DRAGON~!]

[NAGARE BATTOU! LION SENKI!]

It didn't take long for the Riders and Wielders to leap into action, the five concerning themselves with the Alca-Noise to fully destroy them before any civilians were hurt. Of course, that left the director alone with his frustrations.

"Shit!" he called out as he drew out a slew of Alca-Noise crystals as he watched Stephan and the girl he had saved running off, "Damned brat!"

"Huh?" Saber turned before giving a gasp when he saw the Alca-Noise crystals get tossed in Stephan's direction, "Oh no!"

[DRAGON MM-HM! SHUUTOKU ISSEN!]

Thinking quickly the Rider unleashed a wave of fire to burn away the crystals before they could be put to use. Unfortunately he was too far and was only able to destroy barely half of them as the others landed nearby to summon more Alca-Noise.

"Crap!" Stephan called out, turning towards the frightened girl, "You get out of here!"

Before Saber or anyone else could even make their way towards the surrounded children, an Alca-Noise managed to wrap one of its tendrils around Stephan's leg. The boy could only let out gasps and short yells of pain as his leg started to disintegrate from the contact.

No one was close enough to even make it in time, though even if the Alca-Noise's carbonizing ability was a slower process than the original iteration's, there wasn't much one could do aside from something drastic.

Chris knew exactly what that drastic choice was, and despite trembling and clearly being conflicted with what she knew she was about to do… she took aim and steadied her trigger finger regardless, "DAMN IT ALL!"

BANG!

"We've determined an escape route," Genjuro reported to the Wielders and Operators that were trying to outrun their pursuers, "It's in your hands!"

Sakuya stopped running once they hit the edge of a cliff, staring down in disbelief.

Aoi stopped nearby, her desperation overriding her fear, "We can do this!"

"This is nuts!" Sakuya called out, "Just how high up are we?!"

Maria, Kirika and Shirabe soon stopped nearby before turning, watching as the giant beast that they were facing down had continued to follow.

"This is one stubborn serpent," Shirabe remarked.

"We can't shake it off, dess!" Kirika realized.

Maria stayed silent as she kept her blade raised, needing to keep an eye on the beast for just a little longer.

"It's time!" Elfnein's voice called out.

"Okay, jump!" Genjuro ordered.

Kirika and Shirabe went to pick up Sakuya and Aoi, jumping off the cliff as both of SONG's lead operators could only yell and scream out as they dropped down from the cliff. Maria meanwhile had gone to strike at the serpent when it lunged forward to cover them, only to yell out as it managed to strike her first with its head to knock her back.

"Maria!" Kirika called out, though it was unclear if she could be heard given Sakuya was still screaming. Of course those screams weren't loud enough to drown out the horn of a train that was passing by.

Shirabe eyed the train, "Below us!"

Maria let out a wince as she landed before leaping off the cliff and landing on the train not long after everyone else. It seemed as though their plan was a success… if it wasn't for the fact that the giant snake creature was still in pursuit.

"It's still coming, dess?!" Kirika questioned, more annoyed than concerned.

The serpent lunged towards them… only to disperse into harmless gold particles.

"It disappeared?" Maria questioned, surprised by this.

The creature itself had been recalled by Saint-Germain, returning it back to the orb-like object she had used to summon it.

"What are you doing?" Cagliostro questioned, "We can't just dissolve Yohualtepuztli now."

"We confirmed the attainment of divine power," Saint-Germain answered as she dismissed the orb, "That should be enough for now."

"So basically," Prelati spoke up, "We're not chasing after them."

"We need to prioritize retrieving Tiki above all else," Saint-Germain reminded as she glanced back towards the theater before she noticed the area beginning to grow more smog filled, "Oh?"

"I'm sorry I'm late," the familiar voice of Reika was heard as Kamen Rider Sabela appeared before the trio of Alchemists in a burst of smoke as the smog cleared, "Master Logos only just decided to dispatch me and I've only now caught up on the situation."

"It's fine Reika, we appreciate yours and your master's assistance regardless," Saint-Germain nodded as she walked over, "Your brother isn't here?"

"Master Logos requested I alone check in on the situation in Val-Verde," Sabela explained as she dismissed her transformation while sheathing Noroshi, "Meanwhile my brother is to be on standby in case anything happens in Japan."

"I see, if that's how he wishes to utilize his subordinates," Saint-Germain said, silently taking note of Reika's appearance, even though Reika had remained unchanged since they last met.

While Cagliostro was tending to her cut, Prelati seemed to take note of this as well.

'Now that I'm looking more closely at her, given who we just ran into… she looks awfully similar to…'

"We managed to capture the director," Tsubasa said into her comms unit, glancing at the director who had been tied up and was now under watch by a couple of civilians, "However… we have a casualty among the civilians."

Stephan was on a stretcher, eyes shut and hands gripped in pain as the other Riders and Wielders surrounded him alongside the woman that had called out to him earlier. Upon rushing forward to assist the group in applying first-aid, she had identified herself as Stephan's older sister, Sonya.

"Stephan… Stephan!" Sonya cried out as her brother's right leg was now a stump, the bandages it was wrapped in already stained red with blood, "Why did this have to happen?"

"Sonya…" Chris trailed with a clear familiarity in her tone. It was clear her choice was weighing on her, having shot Stephan's leg off to stop the disintegration from the Alca-Noise's tendril from spreading out and killing him.

"Chris… it's your fault that my brother…" Sonya trailed off with a clear angered tone as she turned towards the Ichaival Wielder, "It's your fault that Stephan lost his leg!"

"Yeah…" Chris didn't deny the accusation as she kept her face the same as it had been for the past several minutes, as neutral as could be with some pain barely showing, "I shot it off."

Rintaro was ready to speak up in defense for his friend but Touma immediately put a hand on his shoulder.

Touma shook his head when he saw Rintaro look back towards him, realizing all too well that this was a messy reunion to a relationship that was likely already shaky to begin with.

Back at SONG's submarine HQ, the duo of operators and trio of Sympohgear Wielders had returned from their escape mission at the theater.

"We returned from our scouting mission," Aoi reported.

"Good work out there," Genjuro praised.

"I'm so glad to be back at HQ," Sakuya said with a breath of relief, "At last I can breathe easy."

"Don't get too comfortable," Genjuro remarked with a smirk, "You've got work to do."

"Yeah, we almost died for this data," Sakuya said as he held up the laptop he had, "I'll get on it right away."

"An invincible monster is certainly cause for concern," Genjuro admitted as he crossed his arms, "It's unlike any regeneration we've seen. Despite managing to draw the Bavarian Illuminati out into the light, they're still going to give us a run for our money."

"Don't worry," Shirabe replied.

"Yep," Kirika agreed as she held a finger up, "Next time we get the chance-"

Kirika went silent at that as she realized the elephant in the room with them.

"I'm sorry," Elfnein apologized, "If we had enough LiNKER you could fight whenever you wanted."

"Oh, no, that's not what I meant…" Kirika held her hands up nervously.

"It's a shame we had to leave Gjallarhorn behind for the mission," Ogawa admitted, "We could have gone to another world to get some LiNKER for a short resupply."

"As much as I'd love to, I didn't call for a resupply before we left for a reason," Genjuro said, "We can't just frivolously take whatever we need from Parallel Worlds. They have their own fights as do we."

"Not to mention there's no telling if they'd reproduced any LiNKER yet where we got it from," Maria added as she began to step forward, "Especially since they gave us their remaining batch."

"Still," Elfnein spoke up, "If I was good enough to analyze those recipes, then-"

Maria cut her off by gently grabbing at her cheeks and pulling them briefly, smiling when she saw Elfnein blush and pull away.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Elfnein asked as she grasped her cheeks in embarrassment.

"We barely made it out alive, but we haven't lost yet," Maria replied, "It's no one's fault, so you don't have anything to apologize for."

"That's right," Shirabe agreed, "We don't give up."

"Save your breath, and use it to cheer us on instead!" Kirika added with a smile.

"Cheer you on instead?" Elfnein asked, recalling the other's words prior.

"That's right," Maria replied as she placed a hand on Elfnein's head to gently pat and reassure the small homunculus.

The trio of Alchemists had returned to the basement of the theater, Reika trailing behind the four as they all were looking over the amber crystal before them. Encased inside was an odd humanoid figure that seemed to resemble an Autoscorer.

Saint-Germain kept silent, recalling the events that had led them to this point with this particular encased individual, events that spanned nearly 400 years prior.

'In times long past, we of the Bavarian Illuminati founded the practice of alchemy, by gathering and utilizing pieces of heretical technology left behind by Finé. Naturally, this led us to clash with Finé herself, who sought to monopolize all such technology. It was the goal of Adam, our founder, to attain the divine power and give it form. However upon losing Tiki, a key element of those plans, the Illuminati were banished from the backstage of history.'

"Four hundred years have passed, and Finé is no more," she finally spoke up as she stared intently at the crystal, "We successfully triggered the fall of America. This is our chance to make our return."

"So basically, all we need to do now is bring this doll back with us," Prelati said plainly.

"It sounds so boring when you put it like that," Cagliostro said as she went to rub a bandage she applied on her cut.

"Then I take it you've completed your mission," Reika spoke up.

"Retrieving the astronomical observation tool Tiki is essential to the success of our plan," Saint-Germain nodded as she glanced back, "In particular…"

"It's necessary to weave human history into the correct form, basically," Prelati said, already knowing what exactly their leader wanted, "Isn't that right, Saint-Germain?"

"No one in this world should be oppressed," Saint-Germain replied.

"Then I'll leave carrying it back to you all since we have some extra help to make up for little ol' me," Cagliostro spoke up, "I should pay a little thank-you visit to the people who gave me this new scar."

"You want to deal with the Symphogear Wielders before we complete the Lapis?" Saint-Germain asked, "That's also not to mention the potential Riders that could be around as well."

"So basically, you're just being selfish," Prelati figured.

"Allow me to assist you," Reika suggested, figuring she could make herself of use to the three aside from transport, "There's no telling how many will show up."

"It should be a cakewalk with Yohualtepuztli, but if that's what you desire then it'd be wrong for me to deny you of that at least," Cagliostro admitted as she went to walk off, not planning on waiting up for anyone, "I've spent enough of my life telling lies after all. From here on, at the very least I want to be honest with myself."

"Be honest with myself…" Reika muttered before staying silent and following after Cagliostro.

Saint-Germain and Prelati simply watched the two head off, the two alchemists glancing at each other though, their thoughts still on Reika.

Outside of the theater, Legeiel and Zooous regrouped in one of the abandoned buildings, having managed to witness the entire showcase of Yohualtepuztli alongside the short aftermath with Reika's appearance. Instead of tailing the Alchemists and Riders, the two decided to slink off before they were noticed.

"Well now, looks like this next group's got quite the fangs," Zooous said with a light grin, recalling the massive beast they saw dealing with the Wielders with ease, "What do you think?"

"It's certainly something," Legeiel said simply, not willing to be impressed in order to keep the pride in his strength intact, "But do you really think that'll make them last longer than us?"

"Who knows," Zooous remarked with a smirk, "They'll probably last longer than you at least."

"What was that?" Legeiel narrowed his eyes, though received nothing but silence. He let out a scoff as he looked away, "Whatever."

"Point is, these guys have got their act together," Zooous spoke up, "And we'll likely be clashing with them further."

"You really think they'll get in our way?" Legeiel asked, "Didn't Saint-Germain come to us for help early on during the summer?"

"Yeah, but that was just for a favor that Storious humored," Zooous reminded, "Either way we should keep an eye on them here just in case they cause any more trouble for SONG."

"What would we even get out of just watching them?" Legeiel asked.

"When it comes down to it, we'll need a way to deal with that big beast of theirs," Zooous explained, "And if we get lucky, SONG can show us exactly how to."

"Fair enough," Legeiel replied with a shrug, "It would have been too boring to head back this soon anyway. I can't imagine what Storious is even doing to pass the time."

Bursts of earth, wind, and fire ended up exploding outwards at the construction site back in Japan. Falchion leapt backwards while drawing out her Seiken with Gekisō Gungnir in her Bladriver.

[BATTOU! ETERNAL RELIC!]

Charybdis unleashed more stone fists from its stomach mouth, the fists frosting over with ice to increase the damage. Of course it wasn't expecting a fiery wheel to appear in front of Falchion, the Rider had rapidly spun the spear she wielded while unleashing fires outwards, melting the ice and shattering the fists.

[IKAZUCHI BATTOU!]

Just as Charybdis was about to fully close its stomach mouth, a large folding fan slammed into it. The result was it partially lodging itself between the teeth of the Megid before its mouth fully closed.

[GOLDEN SHINJUKYŌ~!]

"Give Daishinji back!" Espada shouted out as she gripped her Armed Gear tightly, unleashing a further charge to try and force its mouth open, "Or else I'll make you!"

Charybdis however seemed to comply, opening its mouth wide open which caused Espada to fall forward as a result. Before it could clamp its mouth around the Rider of Thunder however suddenly felt a burning sensation in its legs as it lost all feeling in them.

What had happened was Falchion moving around the Megid and immediately slicing through the legs to cut them off once she saw the amalgam try to devour Espada as well. Charybdis was forced to fall back as the mouth fully retracted, Espada having dashed backwards with Golden Shinjukyō's leg boosters.

Falchion went to hop back, regrouping with Espada and both keeping their weapons at the ready as Charybdis' legs grew back so it could stand back up.

Watching the fight between the three was Calibur, having been cloaked within the shadows of one of the large vehicles. He had seen the fight since the beginning, but had mostly kept his eyes on Espada. Reaching this point in the fight, he let out a soft grunt and a nod in an almost satisfied manner. With not another sound he simply pressed himself against the shadows, taking his leave of the area.

"Okay, not our best work," Falchion admitted, "Prying open the mouth is a start but…"

"There has to be a way to pull Daishinji out…" Espada nodded, "But how?"

"Don't know," Falchion said before noticing Charybdis' chest mouth start to open up again, "But-!"

Charybdis let out a screech as it opened its mouth, a pink flash occurring in the void within its mouth as it unleashed a flurry of energy blasts. Espada was quick to shove her fan forward, unfolding it and extending it into its shield-like form as she used it to deflect and defend against the blasts.

Falchion used this to her advantage, leaping upwards and aiming her spear before launching it downwards, a burst of fire causing it to pick up speed. She had managed to nail Charybdis directly in the head, tearing it apart before she flicked her wrist, the spear vanishing and returning to her hand.

Charybdis fell backwards, its chest closing up again as it went limp, at least until its body started to jolt as its head began recovering with little issue.

"That was a Daishinji attack, wasn't it?" Falchion asked as she landed.

"It was," Espada said as she retracted her Armed Gear as Charybdis went to sit up, "And it looks like a head shot won't down it for long."

"Damn," Falchion hissed out, watching Charybdis stand up, "And here I was hoping to get lucky."

"We might just have to overwhelm it and then open it up," Espada said as she reached towards her Ride Book, planning on changing modes, "So..."

"Sorry! I've kept you all waiting, haven't I?!"

Everyone paused as the Riders could have sworn they had just heard Yuri speak up. Charybdis looked around in confusion while Espada and Falchion followed the voice up towards the top of a piece of construction equipment. The two Riders could only let out some light gasps as their ally had returned just in the nick of time.

"Yuri!" Espada called out, "You're finally back!"

"Good thing too," Falchion added, "Daishinji was just gobbled by that thing!"

"Just leave it to me!" Yuri called out as he initiated his transformation into his Seiken state, "Henshin!"

[SAIKOU HAKKOU!]

Transforming into Saikou, the Seiken launched downwards at high speeds as a shadow pool formed near Charybdis, Shadow forming and catching Saikou before spinning and slashing against the Megid.

[WHO IS THIS? SHADOW!]

Something distinctly notable about Shadow this time was that it looked like a fully solid suit. It wasn't like before where it was partially transparent and warped in terms of appearance. This became clearer however as it brought out X-Swordman and opened it up briefly.

[Episode 1: Fight with all the colors!]

Shadow slotted the Ride Book onto its buckle before pressing down on the button of the buckle with Saikou's pommel. This opened up both Ride Books on Saikou and the buckle at the same time, X-Swordman descending and launching out comic panels that began to float around the two.

[SAIKOU HAKKOU!]

"I shall protect this world as a sword…" Saikou trailed off as the comic panels began transforming into colorful comic-styled armoring that retained the sharpness of Saikou itself. He let out a grunt as a gold star-shaped mask formed, bright white-green eyes decorating the front, "No, as a swordsman!"

The form itself had utilized the new comic styled armoring to unite Saikou and Shadow into one, Saikou having clear control of the body now.

[GET ALL COLORS! X-SWORDMAN!]

[Episode 1: Arriving in Full Colors! Ba-ba-ba-ban!]

"Whoa, talk about super flashy," Falchion admitted with a light whistle.

"Almost garish," Espada admitted, "But I suppose it fits Yuri."

Saikou had rushed forward without any hesitation, going for fairly stylish and dynamic attacks now that he had proper control over a body. It was as if he was trying to make each strike feel like they came straight from a comic or manga. It was odd, but surprisingly effective as Charybdis was slowly but surely forced back, Saikou performing a spinning mid-air kick before landing and pivoting to spin kick to send Charybdis rolling.

Charybdis managed to get up, opening up and extending its torso mouth as it planned to devour Saikou now. This didn't seem to bother the Swordsman of Light as he simply pressed down on his Ride Book, opening it up to a second page surprisingly.

[IDOU SAIKOU! UDE SAIKOU! FULL COLOR GOES TO ARM!]

The result was Saikou's armor launching off, reconfiguring itself to fit over Shadow's left arm to completely coat it while giving it a bladed gauntlet, the mask even attaching itself to the center. This was Saikou's secondary mode, Saikou Powerful.

[Episode 2: Slice away with a colorful sword!]

"I'll be taking our ally back now," Saikou said politely as he stabbed into Charybdis' mouth with his bladed arm. The arm shined brightly as he took hold of something, soon pulling away as he pulled and tossed Slash out of the belly of the beast, though he couldn't help but tilt his head slightly, "Huh…"

Charybdis let out a shriek as it retracted its mouth, staggering away as it began holding its chest and stomach in pain at the forced removal of the Swordsman of Sound.

Slash meanwhile let out a gasp as he rolled against the ground, "What?"

"Are you well?" Saikou asked.

"Yuri?" Slash asked in surprise, taking note of the Rider's unique form, "You've returned?"

"I have," Saikou nodded as he turned to stare down the Megid, taking note of something odd that he could tell while rescuing his fellow Rider, "This Megid isn't like the others… I can't sense a human presence inside of it. But I can tell it isn't complete yet."

"So it is entirely different," Slash realized before letting out a sigh of relief, "It's a good thing I took that hit then…"

Saikou wasn't sure what Slash had meant by that but went to initiate his finisher, "Let there be light!"

[FINISH READING!]

Saikou leapt forward, his bladed arm and his Seiken shining as he performed a cross slash against Charybdis while launching past.

[SAIKOU POWERFUL!]

Charybdis let out a shriek, its body destabilizing as if it was ready to eject a host, only for it to not as it opened up to reveal no one inside. The other Riders could only stare at this in surprise while the Saikou gauntlet broke apart to reform into the full armored Colorful formation.

"Here I go," Saikou said as he initiated his form's base finisher, silver and gold light gathering in his Seiken's blade as he crossed his arms, "X-Sword Break!"

[FINISH READING!]

Lines of comic panels appeared on both sides of Charybdis, trapping the Megid in a one way path with Saikou who launched forward. He slashed through the Megid with silver light before spinning, landing and unleashing an energy slash of gold light that struck and completed a cross-slash on the Megid's body.

Charybdis could only groan out as it exploded, its body torn apart as it was destroyed by the finisher.

[SAIKOU COLORFUL!]

Saikou let out a scoff, "Nailed it."

It didn't take long for Falchion and Espada to hurry over, everyone dismissing their transformations while Miku and Kanade helped Daishinji up.

"What was that supposed to be?" Miku questioned.

"Yeah," Kanade agreed, "Why did you push me out of the way?"

"I did it because I had no clue what you being devoured would have done," Daishinji explained as he glanced towards Kanade, "It was able to utilize Megid abilities as well as elemental attacks via Alchemy… I'd hate to see what would happen if it were to fully devour a unique Rider like you Kanade."

"Oh," Kanade said, recalling how Charybdis was able to shoot projectiles with ease, "Thanks for that then."

"You still shouldn't be so reckless like that," Miku chided as she pouted slightly, "What if you were fully devoured?"

"Thankfully our Rider armor protects us quite a bit," Yuri said as he walked over, "So it's not as instant a process as devouring a defenseless living being."

"I figured," Daishinji replied before shuddering slightly, "It was still unpleasant though."

"Either way thanks for the assist Yuri," Kanade said as she patted her allies shoulder.

"There's no need for thanks," Yuri shook his head, "It's just another day for the swordsman of justice."

"Okay, you can dial it back a bit," Miku responded near immediately in deadpan.

"Eh?" Yuri stepped back in surprise at how quickly his ally's mood had shifted.

Kanade and Daishinji could only stare a bit at Miku, realizing she had gone into 'Editor Mode' as Touma liked to call it.

"By the way, I'm curious as to what has been happening in my absence," Yuri said, figuring he'd change the subject, "Why send you all out to face a Megid threat instead of Touma?"

"We'll catch you up," Daishinji reassured, "That said, to briefly answer your question, aside from us and Sophia, the remainder of SONG is out of the country."

"Ah, I take it that something has happened then," Yuri realized.

"Yeah," Daishinji nodded as he went to lead the way back, the others following after him, "Like I said, we'll catch you up."

Back in Val Verde, Tsubasa had taken the lead in driving the truck they had commandeered, Rintaro silently sitting in the passenger's seat. Hibiki and Chris were in the back with Stephan who was currently unconscious, Sonya having joined them.

Riding alongside them was Saber on the Diago Speedy, having wanted there to be as much room as possible for everyone in the back. But he had also decided to take the lead in transforming in case of a potential ambush. It would be disastrous at this point given they needed to transport Stephan for proper medical care, and he'd make sure they weren't caught off guard.

Chris meanwhile sat in silence, wanting to speak up but simply resigning herself to thinking back on her own painful past.

'Sonya Vilena. She worked with my parents to bring peace to the world through music. She was really kind to me when I was little. I loved her like my very own sister. But it was her neglect that let them sneak in the bomb that killed my parents.'

When it came to the decision to shoot off Stephan's leg, it was clear that while it was the only way to save his life, Sonya still wasn't thrilled about it. Likewise, she wasn't ungrateful that her brother was spared from dying, but even then the alternative she received was still painful to process.

'Why does it always end up like this?' Chris questioned internally as she grit her teeth, 'Do my choices really only ever lead to suffering?!'

"Chris…" Hibiki muttered, as Saber rode alongside them in silence.

"Back then…" Sonya spoke up, "I was separated from Chris in the chaos without so much as a goodbye. This wasn't the reunion I spent all those years hoping for."

"A painful reunion…" Saber muttered, recalling how it had been for him to see Kento again and how they were on opposite sides during most of the Frontier Incident, "Even so, it's up to the individual to decide whether or not you can get anything good out of it."

Chris had kept silent only to let out a light gasp when she felt something tap her foot. She looked down and let out a light gasp, seeing Stephan reaching out towards her. Despite her hesitance she went to grasp his hand, allowing him to grip hers so he could gain some reassurance.

It didn't take long for Rintaro's Gatrike Phone to start ringing, the Swordsman of Water answering it and putting it on speaker. Saber had heard the ringing and picked up his speed, now near the passenger side window.

"What's the matter Commander?" Rintaro asked.

"We've picked up a number of Alca-Noise at Escalon Airport," Genjuro explained, "I've sent Maria's team there alongside Ogawa."

"They intend to secure the area while the LiNKER's effect lasts," Elfnein added, "Ogawa also has Bremen on hand to extend it even if it might not last as long as we'd like."

"Roger," Tsubasa replied, "We'll head there too once we drop off the injured civilian somewhere he can be treated."

"A couple of us can also easily take the lead once we're good," Saber reminded, already having a plan on who exactly to send first while everyone else caught up.

The airport had been lit ablaze as the Alca-Noise kept on the attack as a plane had already been destroyed. The soldiers that had been stationed there were attempting to shoot the Alca-Noise down, though that proved fruitless.

"Weren't these things supposed to be on our side?" one of the soldiers questioned.

Another Soldier glanced at his ally, "Does it look like they-!"

He didn't even get a chance to fully retort as he and his comrade were eviscerated by the Alca-Noise in a few seconds.

Cagliostro was standing on one of the hangers, Sabela beside her as she had decided to transform once the attack had begun. While one would consider this a preemptive measure in case of an attack, it was the opposite in regards to Reika.

The Swordswoman had donned her armor in order to mask her expression, as while the soldiers and the army they were a part of were terrible, she didn't exactly enjoy utilizing them as bait to draw SONG out. Cagliostro didn't seem to notice this, simply admiring her handiwork.

"So basically," Prelati started, causing Sabela to glance back to see the shorter alchemist had arrived, "This disturbance is to draw out SONG's forces?"

"Oh?" Cagliostro had looked back as well, "Have you come to help?"

"I prioritize whatever is most fun," Prelati replied, making her intentions clear, "Saint-Germain can handle Tiki's transport on her own."

'Fun…' Sabela held back a look of disgust despite having a mask on as she internalized her feelings, 'I know that the Bavarian Illuminati has been useful in helping us gather supplies, and their end goal aligns similarly to ours, but…'

The Rider was broken out of her thoughts as she and the two Alchemists looked up to see a helicopter hover into view. Maria, Kirika, Shirabe and Ogawa were all prepared, the four looking down at the group before them.

"Took you long enough," Cagliostro remarked with a wink.

The three Wielders leapt out from the helicopter, all of them singing their holy chants as they flashed colors of white, green, and pink respectively.

{SG-x00: Airgetlám}

{SG-i01: Shul Shagana}

{SG-i02: Igalima}

"Henshin!"

Ogawa had leapt out after them, splitting his blades and initiating his transformation as a green whirlwind wrapped around him and transformed him into Kenzan.

[SOU TOU BUNDAN! FUUSOUKEN HAYATE!]

He immediately crossed his blades and twisted them, shifting Hayate into Shuriken Formation as he initiated its finisher with Bremen no Rockband.

[HAYATE SOKUDOKU GEKI! NINNIN!]

He swung Hayate in front of him, it spiraling rapidly as it unleashed a colorful whirlwind that washed over the trio of Wielders below him. Maria, Kirika, and Shirabe's bodies shined brightly as they sang in unison, Maria dropping down faster while Kirika brandished her scythe, Shirabe spinning and unleashing multiple sawblades at the Alca-Noise to slice them apart.

{Alpha-Style: 100 Rebirths}

Maria meanwhile slammed down into the hanger roof, forcing Cagliostro, Prelati and Sabela to leap back to avoid a direct impact. It didn't take long for Kenzan to land next to Maria, the two brandishing their blades.

"So basically, full power right from the get-go?" Prelati let out a soft chuckle as she had let go of her frog plush, it finding its way back by landing on her head, "Allow me to respond in kind!"

Of course she didn't get a chance to counterattack once several steel wires bound her in place.

"Got you at the get-go, dess!" Kirika called out as she had extended her shoulder armor out to ensnare the Alchemist.

"Goodness, what are you doing?" Cagliostro questioned in annoyance only to flip back to avoid a slash from Maria. She went to gain more distance, unleashing a volley of blue energy bursts that Maria managed to speed through and avoid as she went to close in.

Kenzan meanwhile leapt towards Sabela who remained where she was, the Rider of Wind slicing down only to pass through smoke as the Swordswoman of smoke had dispersed her physical form. She quickly reformed from behind, stabbing at Kenzan who barely shifted his head out of the way, bringing up Hayate while spinning to force Sabela backwards.

"Well then, here's the invincible Yohualtepuztli," Cagliostro called out as she hopped back, raising a hand, "Just for you-!"

"HAAAAH!"

SMASH!

Maria had closed in faster than the alchemist could react, drawing back her left fist and nailing Cagliostro in the cheek as a result.

"It might be thick-skinned and impervious to attack, but the same can't be said for you!" Maria called out as she pushed her fist in further, managing to launch Cagliostro straight against the ground.

Prelati meanwhile closed her eyes as her body let out a bright glow, unleashing energy outwards to break away from her metallic binds. She then went to raise her hands, bringing out yellow shields to block against the Zababa duo's blades. She was wondering just how she'd handle the two, with the thought of helping Cagliostro briefly crossing her mind before getting an idea.

"Hey Sabela, switch with me," she called out as she kept her defenses going strong, "You can handle these two easily, right?"

"Of course," Sabela called out, her voice finally being heard by Shirabe and Kirika who had to pause briefly. The Swordswoman of smoke quickly initiated her Seiken's ability as she burst into smoke just as Kenzan slashed at her.

[NOROSHI MUCHUU!]

Prelati smirked as she quickly backed away once smoke began to spiral around her, soon enough Sabela reformed as mechanical spider legs erupted from her back at the same time. The legs blocked attacks before rapidly lashing out to force both Shirabe and Kirika to step away.

[INSECT SHOT!]

"Know that I, Reika Shindai, won't go easy on you two," Sabela said as she went to aim Noroshi at the two Wielders who both tensed up at her words, "Well?"

"Just what's going on?" Shirabe muttered, wondering if her mind was playing tricks on her, "Is that…?"

"It can't be, dess," Kirika shook her head. Normally she'd brush it off, but given what they had experienced during the summer via Gjallarhorn…

"If you falter, you'll be beaten, it's as simple as that!" Sabela called out as she rushed towards the two Wielders, the spider legs still extended as she planned to put them to use.

"Now then," Prelati was ready to move forward only to quickly hop back and bring up a barrier to block Hayate's split blades, "You should probably be helping those Wielders."

"Maybe, but I can't exactly let you get the upper hand," Kenzan said as he entered a stance, "Especially if it involves helping your ally."

'I just have to keep her from summoning that monster!' Maria thought to herself as she kept pushing and pushing, trying to keep up the pressure on Cagliostro. She went to go for a shattering strike with her dagger but was surprised to see her blade only just clash against the shield Cagliostro brought out.

It was then that the trio of Wielders all had the same realization, both Shirabe and Kirika slowly losing the extra boost they had gained from Bremen.

"Sync rates are slowly starting to dip down to normal!" Aoi called out over comms, "It likely won't be long till they start dropping even more rapidly!"

"If need be, utilize your Ride Gear forms!" Genjuro suggested, "The additional power from the Ride Books should-!"

"Commander!" Sakuya called out in panic, "Igalima and Shul Shagana are in the way…"

Genjuro could only let out a gasp, "Of an airplane?!"

Kirika and Shirabe could only let out gasps as the smoke cleared to reveal the airplane heading straight towards them. It was rushing down the runway as fast as possible, trying to take off amidst the chaos in order to avoid the Alca-Noise chasing after them.

Sabela could only step back immediately while retracting her legs, "Not good…"

Kirika looked over, "Shirabe!"

"I know what you're thinking, Kiri!" Shirabe nodded, realizing they had a chance now that Sabela had withdrawn from them.

"Go! Leave the rest to me and Kenzan!" Maria called out.

Kirika and Shirabe both went to hurry towards the plane as Sabela went to group up near Cagliostro while Prelati moved towards them as well, Kenzan going to join Maria.

"Do they think the two of them can handle it on their own?" Prelati questioned.

"Well, the three of us can handle these two on our own," Cagliostro replied confidently.

Sabela simply stayed quiet, shifting her head slightly towards the side to keep Kirika and Shirabe in sight as best she could.

'Why am I suddenly concerned for those two…?'

"How about we make it three Symphogear then," Maria suggested with a smirk as she drew out Ressō Gungnir, summoning her Buckle and loading the Ride Book in place, "Kenzan?"

"With pleasure," Kenzan let out a chuckle as he drew out Zettō Ame no Habakiri and loaded it onto Hayate, "Let's go."

"Right," Maria said as she activated her strongest form change, "Henshin!"

[ZETTŌ AME NO HABAKIRI! SOU TOU BUNDAN!]

{Ride Change: Junpaku Gungnir!}

In bursts of blue and black, the duo entered their Symphogear enhanced forms, Kenzan brandishing his Seiken and replica Armed Gear while Maria held her combination drill spear with both hands.

"So these are the extra forms we heard about," Cagliostro remarked.

"Interesting," Prelati admitted, "But…"

Maria let out a shout as she rushed forward with a sweeping swing, the Alchemists blocking with their shields though there was a noticeable strain on them when defending against the spear. For a brief moment a blue glow appeared over her body, her speed being boosted as she launched forward for another attack.

Kenzan leapt up, trying to get the drop on them only for Sabela to leap up and clash blades with him, planning on keeping her allies from getting overwhelmed.

Kirika and Shirabe meanwhile went to shred through the Alca-Noise with their weapons, hoping to keep the rear of the plane clear so it could take off. Unfortunately a few managed to launch past, crashing into the wheels of the plane and tearing them apart. The duo of Wielders hurried to get underneath the plane, using their Gears and what strength they had to keep pushing it along.

"Just what was that?" Elfnein muttered as she observed the situation, noticing how Maria's armor had shined briefly on its own. Despite this she was in awe at the trio of Wielders fighting their hardest despite their dropping Sync Rates starting to pick up in speed, "Girls! Hold on just a moment longer! I'll extend that moment into eternity! I didn't give up on analyzing the LiNKER recipes! So don't give up either!"

With Elfnein's encouragement, Kirika and Shirabe glanced at each other and nodded. Shirabe passed over Tsuki no Hime Kaguyan to her partner while Kirika passed Sarukani Wars over. Shirabe then sped forward to get towards the front of the plane, the two Wielders expanding their Gears to reinforce their grips on the plane itself. The duo then went to scan the Ride Books on their pendants, feeling a brief boost of energy as they went to load the Ride Books on their Armed Gears.

{Wonder Ride Sync}

Kirika extended her scythe handle towards Shirabe, who took a tight grip and went to extend her wheels into spikes, utilizing the additional strength of the Ride Book she had to firmly plant herself and start pulling on the handle.

{Hissatsu Dokuha: Tsuki no Hime Kaguyan/Sakurani Wars}

The image of a moon meanwhile appeared beneath the two, Kirika utilizing anti-gravity to launch herself and the plane high and fast alongside her boosters. This resulted in a successful take off, the plane being tossed into the air and allowed to fly unimpeded.

{Hissatsu Dokuha}

Maria retracted her drill spears handle, latching it onto her left arm as it opened up from the center and began spiraling and extending out to form a cannon-like shape as it charged white and orange energy within the spinning blades, "Horizon Buster!"

{Junpaku Gungnir! Issatsu Geki!}

Cagliostro was ready to dodge, only for Prelati to raise an arm instead, the duo watching as the spiraling colors hurtled towards them before a massive explosion was kicked up.

Maria let out a heavy breath before wincing as her armor began to spark, her Ride Gear form instantly ejecting itself though she managed to keep her base transformation.

"…you!"

Maria paused at the sudden shout, glancing back only to barely raise her blade in time as Sabela had launched towards her after breaking away from Kenzan.

"Just because you got them, doesn't mean you can breathe easily," Sabela reminded as she kept pushing her blade only to let out a gasp when Maria managed to push harder, being forced to step away, "I can still fight."

"You…" Maria let out a shaky breath with wide eyes as she recognized the voice instantly. How could she not considering what she had just recently been through during the summer. It was rougher, and the tone was a bit different, but she'd recognize that voice anywhere, "You're…"

"Huh?" Sabela tilted her head in confusion at this only to quickly raise her blade and block and incoming set of slashes from Kenzan.

Maria let out a light gasp, "Ogawa!"

"Maria now's not the time to space out!" Kenzan called out as he quickly leapt away once Sabela had dispersed into smoke.

Kirika and Shirabe quickly hurried over only to wince as their armors began to crackle with electricity. While the strain of lifting the plane was likely the cause, the two also knew that their time was nearly up. Of course they alongside Maria soon noticed something off when the smoke from the explosion cleared faster than it normally should have.

The two alchemists could soon be seen, both unharmed despite taking the attack head on. Prelati was glancing towards where Sabela was with a satisfied look while Cagliostro clicked her tongue and wagged her finger towards the shocked Wielders.

"You can still fight, dess?!" Kirika questioned.

"And we're out of gas…" Shirabe realized as it was getting difficult to just maintain her gear by this point.

"You two are alright," Sabela let out a light gasp as she backed away and moved towards her Alchemist allies, "I thought…"

"We won't go down that easily," Prelati stated.

"Come now, my invincible li'l Yohualtepuztli," Cagliostro beckoned as she raised her arm forward, a gold light snaking upwards before fully forming the giant serpent.

"So that's as far as we can go?" Maria asked, still able to maintain her Gear but she also realized that maintaining their Gears was all they could really do. A full on fight was out of the question at this point.

"Unfortunately I'm not sure I'm equipped for this," Kenzan admitted as he stared at the giant beast only to tilt his head when he heard sudden booms in the distance, "This is…"

[STORM EAGLE!]

"That announcement…" Prelati spoke up as she glanced upwards.

"Saber's here," Sabela realized, "Which means…"

"Oh perfect~!" Cagliostro let out a chuckle, clearly unbothered by this, "We can wipe them all out then if the cavalry is on the way!"

"Hey, did someone call for a special delivery!" Saber called out, high up in the air in Crimson Dragon. He had his arms hanging with Hibiki gripping onto them tightly, hanging off of the Rider. He then pulled inwards before tossing Hibiki forward, launching her down towards Yohualtepuztli.

Hibiki allowed herself to drop while utilizing her boosters to pick up speed, shooting towards the gigantic serpent at high speeds.

"HOOOOAAAH!"

SMASH!

With a mighty shout alongside a powerful punch, she had landed a direct hit with her fist against Yohualtepuztli's side.

"That's not going to work," Prelati chuckled.

An invisible shockwave erupted from the punch, a sudden flare up occurring as the gigantic beast began to burn away from where it was hit. The alchemist duo alongside Sabela could only stare stunned at the display while the others could only feel some relief.

"That's it!" Shirabe cheered, "Just punch through the impossible!"

"Fist 1, Reason 0!" Kirika cheered as well.

"HAAAAAH!" Hibiki shouted further as she completely tore through Yohualtepuztli's side, decapitating it as it dissolved into gold particles.

Prelati could only stare wide eyed at this, "What is going on?!"

"Hello?" Cagliostro questioned as she grew upset at this display, "Just what happened to the whole invincibility thing?!"

"You're looking at her!" Hibiki called out as she took up a fighting stance, Saber landing beside her as a brief wave of heat washed over the area, "Besides when it comes down to it…"

"…How this story ends is for us to decide!" Saber nodded as he drew out Rekka while raising it forward.

The alchemist duo didn't seem too threatened by their words, though Sabela kept on guard just in case. Of course there was another pair that was unknown to the feuding groups at the moment. Legeiel and Zooous had been following along and were now in shock at the display of power that Hibiki had just shown them.

"What the hell was that?" Zooous questioned, at a loss of words while trying to keep his shock in check to keep from blowing their cover, "How did she even do that?"

"She's not even fused with Gungnir anymore," Legeiel hissed out as he narrowed his eyes, "So why is she still a damn monster when it comes to her power?"

Of course while they were questioning what had even happened, the remaining Rider and Wielders of SONG arrived to support their comrades.

"Stand down, Bavarian Illuminati!" Tsubasa called out as she aimed her blade.

"I'm in a pretty bad mood, you see," Chris added as she aimed her crossbow, "If you resist, who knows what might happen!"

"Chris…" Blades muttered as he heard this but kept his blade held up, he had simply gone for his base form in order to cut down on weight, but was ready to power up further if need be.

"The nerve," Cagliostro called out in annoyance, "It's time someone took you down a peg or two!"

As if on cue an alchemic circle appeared in front of the Alchemists and their Rider ally, Saint-Germain appearing before everyone.

"Finé's remaining legacy, the Symphogear, alongside the current form of those who have protected humanity from within the shadows, the Kamen Riders," she said, regarding all parties while staring the group down with no hesitation or fear, "However, opening humanity's future is beyond your power."

"She's calling us Kamen Riders and not Swordsmen…?" Saber muttered, realizing the distinction, especially when Carol had honed in on the Sword of Logos aspect of their work.

"You know of Finé?" Maria questioned, "And what do you mean by opening the future?"

"She sounds just like Ms. Ryoko," Hibiki spoke up, "Remember how she talked about freeing mankind from the Curse of Balal?"

"Is that your goal?" Tsubasa asked.

"Cagliostro, Prelati, Reika," Saint-Germain said, choosing not to answer the inquiries given, "We are withdrawing."

"They did take out Yohualtepuztli," Cagliostro admitted, putting her hands behind her head.

"Basically, we need to regain our footing," Prelati stated, understanding the reasoning.

"So long as you're done with everything here," Sabela nodded, unaware of the looks she was getting from Maria, Kirika, and Shirabe.

"We have sacrificed more of our time and lives than you could comprehend to regain control of the future," Saint-Germain continued as she brought out another teleportation crystal, tossing it to the ground to prepare their escape, "No one will stop us. Not even you."

"Regain control of the future?" Hibiki asked as she stepped forward only for the four enemies before them to disappear in a flash, "W-Wait!"

"Just what exactly are they planning?" Saber questioned, as the goal seemed pretty clear cut but that left the inquiry of just how the Bavarian Illuminati planned to do what they claimed.

Zooous and Legeiel both glanced at each other before nodding and stepping back into the shadows to quietly vanish without anyone being aware of their involvement.

Once nearly a minute had passed, Maria, Kirika, and Shirabe all let out sharp breaths as their transformations were dismissed automatically. Their LiNKER dosages had worn off and while they were glad they could maintain their Gears for a bit longer than usual, the extension was only just barely enough.

Of course when it came to what they were worried about, LiNKER was the least of their worries.

Maria could only stare at the spot where the Alchemists and Sabela had fled, her words barely audible yet she felt so sure of what she had heard.

"Serena…"

It had been hours since Charybdis' defeat back in Japan, and despite the powerful display by Saikou… There were still small scraps and pieces of the Megid left. Its screech echoed throughout the empty construction site, turning into purple liquid that converged and formed a Super Alter Ride Book that was still in the process of fully forming, it being half covered in the red-like substance that would encroach upon it.

Storious walked over with a pleased expression, having expected this turn of events. He took hold of the incomplete Alter Ride Book, "When it comes to this current chapter… the fun has only just started…"

To Be Continued…

Author's Note: Not much to say as we're still in the early bits of the season, but we've got Yuri's debut utilizing X-Swordman to become a full fledged Kamen Rider. But of course I feel like the more interesting bit of his little plot was what happened at the end with Tassel after he left. Speaking of plots though, the FIS Trio has finally had a chance to face Sabela, and well, the seeds have been planted. With that said, thanks for reading and I'll see you next time.