Sky Striker Ace, but Symphogear

Because of the blast wave from the explosion, the surroundings were no longer as foggy as before. Hibiki Tachibana finally saw the true form of the thing she had always thought was the "moon."

It was a device whose main body consisted of two hexagonal rings with distinctly technological lines. Though it was a moonless night, dazzling white light shone from within the hexagonal rings.

Within that white light, Hibiki vaguely saw something black that resembled a hand cannon. Clearly, that was the weapon that had attacked her just now.

"That is the enemy's armament. Through a portal-like device like that, she can use an endless supply of other armaments on a considerable scale."

Standing amid the ruins of the hot spring and looking at the glowing device in the sky, Tsubasa Kazanari explained the device to Hibiki.

"The enemy... Miss Tsubasa, are you saying that's a weapon used by humans? The one attacking us was a human?"

Hearing Tsubasa's explanation, Hibiki realized that this was not an enemy like Noise, a monster without the ability to feel pain. It was a weapon wielded by humans like herself.

"Yeah, that's right. And the person using that armament is someone you know too, Tachibana."

Tsubasa confirmed Hibiki's guess while giving her more information.

"An enemy I know? Ah, could it be..."

After hearing Tsubasa say that, Hibiki did not need to think for long before an image of platinum-blonde hair appeared in her mind.

"Yes, just as you think. It's good that you understand, Tachibana. All right, enough idle chatter. What comes next is a fated battle to the death between me, a defender, and the one who sullied my honor."

As Tsubasa spoke, the look she gave the white portal gradually became savage.

The next moment, without any hesitation, Tsubasa grasped the pink pendant she had always worn around her neck.

[Imyuteus amenohahakiri tron]

Then, an elegant and ethereal chant like the one above flowed from Tsubasa's lips.

Through such chanting, one could activate the Symphogear Device.

Soon, as the holy chant continued, intense energy fluctuations radiated from Tsubasa's body.

Incandescent light burst from her body, and the blue hair that had been tied up while she soaked in the hot spring instantly spilled loose.

In the blink of an eye, a suit of blue-and-white armor appeared on Tsubasa Kazanari's body.

[Ya-Haiya—Instant Echo Ya-Haiya—Toward Impermanence]

At the same time, an intensely stirring melody began playing from within the armor.

"Come, Raye. Fight me, kill me, and then let me wash away the shame you left upon my sword with victory."

Fully equipped, Tsubasa forcefully raised the blade in her hand, pointed it at the white portal in the sky, and let out that furious roar.

P.S. It's over. I feel like my body clock has taken on the shape of the underworld.

Blue Charge

Boom—

In response to Tsubasa's provocative words, a continuous barrage of rapid-fire cannon shots came from hundreds of meters above.

"So this is your response? Then let me show you the strength I've accumulated over all these years, honing myself as a sword."

There was no need for more words. Since their blades had already been drawn against one another, all that remained was to fight blade with blade.

[Weeping Benevolence, Standing Asura, Old Disciple, Futile Seventy, Mysterious Wipe, One Flight]

A passionate song erupted from her heart, explosive power filling her entire body. Tsubasa had waited a long time for this moment, and both body and mind were ready.

The next moment, Tsubasa slightly bent her knees. The two armor plates mounted on her combat boots unfolded outward, and soon, blue flames burst from them as her body briefly broke free of the earth's restraints and charged into the sky.

[Thought W, Boastful Book, One Shake, DD Thunderous Roar Eight Seven]

The quiet night sky was torn apart by her frigid song. Beneath the black canopy of night, a blue meteor rose from the earth, flying upward against the white gate of light hanging in the heavens.

[Go D, Handle Death W! Imageless IC, Fierce Stone Flame]

[I can see her. That platinum-blonde figure—it really is you, Raye. This time, I will settle everything between us.]

As she drew closer, Tsubasa saw the figure she had longed to see beside the glowing portal in the sky, just as she had expected.

[Kagura D, Wind Benevolence, Extinguish L, Scattered Flowers (Sorrow for the Dead), In This World]

[With this sword, I'll sever that sinful body of yours.]

Amid the song, Tsubasa's gaze gradually hardened. She had already completely understood what she needed to do.

She tightened her grip on the blade in her hand, changing it from a rapier into a broader form, then swung it with all her strength.

Accompanied by a violent flash, a sharp white sword aura appeared in the space between Tsubasa and the platinum-blonde figure.

"I'm not done yet!"

Tsubasa shouted as the blade in her hand returned to rapier mode. Points of starlight appeared around her, spreading through the air and transforming into dozens of small swords.

[Old Past Handle None... Heart C, Full Exclusive Dragon Resolve]

After summoning the blades, Tsubasa stepped on one of them and used it as leverage to accelerate through the air a second time. The other blades followed the earlier sword aura like raindrops, attacking the platinum-blonde figure in the sky.

This was Tsubasa's maximum output. It could be said to be the greatest offensive she could unleash aside from Swan Song. She was confident that even the nightmare that had always haunted her heart would be thrown into disarray by such an assault.

So, did things truly go as Tsubasa imagined?

They really did!

In Tsubasa's sight, the sword aura she had unleashed struck the glowing white portal cleanly, and the countless blades that followed seemed to hit quite a few times as well.

After those two consecutive attacks, the platinum-blonde figure's flight seemed unsteady under Tsubasa's watchful eyes, as though she might fall at any moment.

[This feeling... I think I can win.]

Seeing her attack achieve such great results, Tsubasa could not help but feel that way.

And with that thought, Tsubasa finally closed in on "Raye." Several wounds made by her attacks still had blades embedded in "Raye's" body.

"Repay your sins!"

Without the slightest suspicion—or rather, without time for suspicion—Tsubasa, who had reached above "Raye" with the acceleration from her second jump, threw the rapier in her hand, preparing to use her strongest attack in her normal state.

[Alas, Bond Benevolence, Inch Eight Flight, Gambling L, Left Flashing D Sword Above]

The next moment, the rapier thrown into the sky expanded with the wind and transformed into an enormous broadsword. Tsubasa had already arrived at its hilt, her combat boots braced against it as the armor blades extending from them erupted with even greater thrust.

Great mass contained great energy. Under Tsubasa's control, the massive blade bore down on the blonde girl, whose flight seemed somewhat unstable, with an overwhelming and unstoppable momentum.

Amid a cloud of dust that spread across a vast area, that immensely powerful strike completely struck the target Tsubasa had intended to hit, at least from her perspective.

"Did I defeat her?"

Tsubasa stared intently at the dust cloud and spoke nervously.

"Well, what do you think? Do you think your attack just now was enough to defeat me?"

That voice came from within the thick dust cloud. The familiar figure of the girl Tsubasa knew slowly emerged from the haze. Apart from some dust, there was no sign on her body that she had just endured Tsubasa's heavy blow.

"As expected, victory won't come that easily."

Looking at "Raye," who was almost completely unhurt, Tsubasa wore an unsurprised expression.

After all, several years ago, she had personally experienced the other girl's terrifying strength. Someone who could harvest all the Noise throughout the venue in such a short time, someone with power of that level—it would have been stranger if Tsubasa had defeated her so easily.

"All right, Miss Kazanari, don't be too upset. After all, you're facing me. Being able to withstand that level of attack is only natural."

Noticing Tsubasa's words, "Raye" spoke in a frivolous tone.

"You..."

That self-congratulatory, flippant attitude caused Tsubasa's emotions to waver.

"But putting that aside, you've grown quite a lot."

"After discovering me, you transformed and charged in without any unnecessary movements. You launched such a powerful assault, and even while attacking, you took care not to harm any innocent bystanders, driving me into this deserted wasteland."

"To be honest, I greatly admire your growth, Miss Tsubasa Kazanari."

Ignoring Tsubasa's emotional reaction, "Raye" clapped her hands and lavishly praised Tsubasa's actions just now in a deeply approving tone.

"Huff... So why did you come here this time?"

Faced with "Raye's" inexplicable praise, Tsubasa did not respond. She merely asked about her purpose in a calm voice.

After all, Tsubasa was not confident that she could keep the other girl here. So she intended to stall for time until her uncle and the others realized what was happening and arrived to support her, allowing them to take the enemy down together.

"Oh, asking me something like that? You should know it's not a useful question. I see, I understand now. You're trying to stall for time, aren't you?"

Raye tilted her head as though thinking, then spoke as if she had suddenly realized something.

P.S. Everyone, make sure you protect yourselves. Don't be like me and nearly cough your lungs out.

The Truth of Words

Tsubasa neither admitted nor denied Raye's words.

Without saying a word, she raised the blade in her hand and stabbed toward Raye, seemingly intending to express her opinion with her sword.

"Oh my, you don't plan to talk? Or did I hit the mark?"

Raye spoke as her body drifted aside from Tsubasa's attack like paper floating in the air. Then she swiftly pulled back, trying to widen the distance between them.

"That has nothing to do with you."

In response to Raye's evasion, Tsubasa used the momentum of her earlier charge, bent low, and planted one hand on the ground. As her body flipped upside down, she began spinning, and the armor blades on her boots unfolded in unison.

In an instant, the two armor blades on Tsubasa's boots and the sword in her other hand formed a storm of blades, rapidly closing in on Raye, who was trying to escape.

However, Tsubasa's seemingly certain strike did not produce the feedback of hitting anything.

"Careful, careful. I almost really got cut there. That would have been bad."

Dense white fog from nowhere suddenly burst outward, drastically reducing visibility in the area in an instant. At the same time, Raye's voice came from the opposite direction of Tsubasa's attack without her knowing when it had happened.

"Such petty tricks."

Stopping her advance, Tsubasa gave off specks of starlight amid the smoke-filled surroundings. Dozens of swords appeared in the air once more and shot toward the source of Raye's voice.

"Come at me head-on, Raye!"

After doing that, Tsubasa charged rapidly toward the source of the voice. She soon rushed out of the smoke, which had never covered a very large area, and saw Raye, who appeared to have just dodged her blades.

"Honestly, people who cling so desperately aren't very likable. Besides, there's no real need for us to fight, is there?"

After turning and dodging Tsubasa's blade, Raye spoke in a somewhat helpless tone.

Then, taking advantage of the brief gap after Tsubasa's old momentum had faded and before new strength could arise, Raye took several steps backward and opened the distance between them.

"Huff... How could that be possible? At this point, there is no longer any room for Shirabe between us. The humiliation you brought upon us—the humiliation of having two Complete Relics taken away one after another—must be repaid through battle."

Tsubasa said as she caught her breath and adjusted her breathing.

After a little over a minute of attacking at full force, even someone like her, who was long accustomed to intense combat, could not help but need a breath before continuing the fight.

"If that's the case, then there's even less reason for you to keep pestering me."

"I'm just someone who works for money. The ownership of those two Relics isn't with me. Instead of competing with me here, you should think of a way to find my employer."

"Think about it. Compared to dealing with a professional like me who does this kind of work, dealing with someone who needs to outsource that work would be much easier, if you can find them."

Raye spread her hands and seriously analyzed the situation for Tsubasa.

"Then I'll defeat you and force you to reveal the identity of the person behind you."

Completely unmoved by Raye's words, Tsubasa, having adjusted her breathing, raised her sword again and began gathering power.

"And there's only one way your words could possibly be credible: when you're in bed—"

Tsubasa spoke, then the blade in her hand changed shape, and a sword aura shot toward the seemingly defenseless Raye.

She had always believed that there might be some truth in an enemy's words, but only the parts that would emerge in an interrogation room after that enemy had been defeated.

"You really are stubborn. Fine, today's purpose has been achieved anyway. As long as I take the report on our battle to that guy who wants to dock my pay, I can demand more compensation."

After dodging Tsubasa's sword aura as if she had skipped a frame, Raye tilted her head and said that to Tsubasa.

"What do you mean?"

Hearing Raye's words, Tsubasa was somewhat confused.

"Exactly what it sounds like. Someone thought I wasn't worth that much pay, so they docked some of it. And I've always worked according to how much I'm paid. So today's job is done, and it's time to clock out. Armed Request—Eagle-Type Thruster."

As Raye spoke, a pair of mechanical wings appeared from a portal that had somehow appeared behind her.

"So now I'm going to run off. See you again if we get the chance. Ah, maybe we won't. I'm not sure whether I'll take on any more jobs after this."

The mechanical wings attached themselves to Raye's back. Then, as exhaust flames slowly emerged from them, Raye's body gradually rose from the ground.