Sky Striker Ace, but Symphogear

Clearly, things are obvious. This time, Raye infiltrated the underground using unknown Heresy Technology, then emerged at a crucial moment to kidnap Hibiki Tachibana. She then spread a massive amount of noise underground to separate the regular personnel from the Gear User.

The original plan of Second Division was to have the Gear User deal with the noise controlled by Raye, and then they would use their superior firepower to deal with Raye, who could be hit by weapons. The two attacks would be coordinated to maximize the defense against Raye.

However, with the battlefield now completely divided by the enemy's prior preparations, this idea is undoubtedly no longer feasible.

"Based on previous intelligence, she's clearly more adept at aerial combat... I see. Phew, shift the detection focus underground. Once detected, deploy ground-penetrating missiles. I remember I made the necessary preparations."

After calming himself down, Genjuro Kazanari pondered for a moment before issuing commands to counter the opponent's somewhat counterintuitive attack.

"Yes, Commander."

Once the order was given, people began working enthusiastically.

In order to deal with a possible attack from Raye, despite the fact that there was no precedent, Genjuro Kazanari did not ignore the possibility that the attack came from underground and prepared corresponding weapons to deal with it.

"No, the message cannot be sent. There is strong electromagnetic interference coming from underground."

Then, after quickly following his orders, the members of Second Division even more quickly confirmed its impracticality.

"In that case, activate the backup transmission method and use appropriate signal flares to guide the ground-penetrating missiles to strike."59

Having considered this possibility as well, Genjuro Kazanari immediately issued the order.

With ample resources to prepare, he can consider all common scenarios and make corresponding preparations.

"Yes, Commander!"

Even though we seem to have been caught off guard, things look promising once we calm down and with the efforts of many people.

Then, things didn't get better.

Genjuro Kazanari had discussed many possible battles with other commanders who had extensive combat experience and made corresponding plans for them. However, those plans were ultimately designed according to relatively conventional military thinking.

If they were facing a human army, this level of planning would undoubtedly be an airtight scheme without any loopholes. But this time, they were not facing a human army, but a completely new type of enemy that used Heresy Technology.

Right now, a scene that is completely beyond reason and imagination, a veritable magic, is unfolding before the people gathered here.

"My foot, I can't get my foot out!"

"Help me, I'm sinking!"

"Why has the ground turned into a swamp?!"

"The vehicle is stuck in the ground, and the ammunition box is sinking in too!"

This was an unusual situation. Before the many people stationed there could react, the ground they were standing on suddenly turned into a soft and fluid swamp.

Modern combat equipment, if left to its full potential, can cause considerable destruction. However, most conventional combat equipment requires a relatively stable environment to function effectively.

Now, this stable environment has been completely destroyed by Heresy Technology driven by Raye, technology that Second Division has never dealt with before. Perhaps some special equipment can still work under these circumstances, but without the ability to attack underground, it is nothing but scrap metal.

"Don't panic, stay calm, and continue according to the plan."

Genjuro Kazanari said this, and he also wanted those around him to do the same.

However, faced with this unforeseen situation where "the battlefield suddenly turns into a swamp," panic ensued, and fears spread among the crowd.

What exacerbated the panic was that scattered noises were rising from the ground in the area, and those who were supposed to fight the noises were pulled underground the moment the battle began.

"It's no use, Commander. The sudden appearance of the swamp area has severely hampered our underground detection. This viscous substance seems to have anti-detection properties, and in this situation, ground-penetrating missiles can't find their targets."

A member of the Second Division, standing nearby, explained the current situation with a hint of panic.

"Commander, the noise hasn't launched an attack yet, but the troops can't pass through the area where the noise is present."

Similar news also came from the other side.

"Commander, I tried to infiltrate underground, but I found that the underground area is completely filled with dense noise."

Shinji Ogawa, who had been trying to find a solution from the start of the battle, also brought bad news.

"Damn it, now we can only hope that Tachibana can stay underground and buy us some more time, at least until we can recover from this chaos."

As things had escalated to this point, Genjuro Kazanari couldn't help but feel annoyed.

It was now quite certain that their meticulously prepared arrangements had been rendered completely futile by the opponent's perfectly timed sabotage.

Right now, they're like duelists whose moves are interrupted at crucial moments by various soft counters, leaving them with nothing but a mess to finish their turn, hoping their opponents won't be able to finish them off next turn, desperately trying to figure out what else they can do.

[Balwisyall Nescell gungnir tron]

Her body was almost crushed by the immense pressure, and the intense feeling of falling constantly stimulated her nerves. However, having undergone special training, Hibiki Tachibana finally reacted and, during the fall, sang her own sacred chant.

"I want to protect my precious, ordinary daily life, and I also want to convey the idea that 'there is no need to fight.' I cannot fall here."

With this Hibiki Tachibana in mind, Tachibana Hibiki, after donning a yellow and white armor suit, put on her best resistance against the tan mechanical arms that were trapping her.

P. S. Good morning.

Chapter Ninety-Four: Choice

The dimly lit environment, the earthy smell permeating the entire nasal cavity, the cramped space where a slight jump would cause one's head to hit the ground, and the intense chill created by the low temperature and humidity—this was the first sight Hibiki Tachibana saw after breaking free of the earthen-yellow mechanical hand.

[Why does C5L fly? It flies through the world of HongW.]

[﨑Place C privately guides left D?]

With a completely new mindset, Hibiki Tachibana's new voice rises to the tune of Symphogear.

[The Miku on Earth must be so worried about me. Ugh, how am I going to explain this to Miku when I get back? She'll definitely be angry.]

Standing in the dim light, Hibiki Tachibana's first thought was of the potential Miku consequences of her ordeal.

[Just thinking about how angry she'll be in the Miku is terrifying... Ugh, never mind, I'll think about that later. Right now, the important thing is to deal with Miss Raye.]

But then, Hibiki Tachibana shook her head, temporarily setting aside this potential trouble, and began to focus on observing her surroundings. Raye hadn't brought her here to show her the underground scenery.

[This feels like there's such a huge space underground. Could it be that Miss Raye created this all by herself? Is Miss Raye even capable of something like this?]

After a brief observation, Hibiki Tachibana discovered that the underground space was surprisingly large; in terms of both height and area, it was comparable to some parking lots she had ever seen.

[The light is so dim; I can't see anything beyond that. I have a feeling that Miss Raye has a particular fondness for dark battlefields. She did the same thing last time, turning off the power to create a dark environment.]

As Hibiki Tachibana moved her feet incessantly to the rhythm of Symphogear, she began to search for the enemy who had brought her here in the darkness.

[Where could it be, Miss Raye...?!]

Before Hibiki Tachibana could even organize her thoughts, her heightened senses, honed over nearly two weeks of training, suddenly alerted her.

"Hmm, I didn't expect you to break free of your restraints so quickly. Is it because the armor's power, activated by such an inferior method, is still somewhat insufficient, or has the training over the past two weeks made you a little stronger?"

The moment Hibiki Tachibana, a familiar voice came from behind her, accompanied by a blade she had just barely managed to block from the side and a girl with long, platinum-blonde hair holding the blade.

After rigorous training, Hibiki Tachibana became somewhat accustomed to Raye's frequent feint attacks and was no longer easily deceived by false information.

"No, it seems to be both. I didn't expect that such a short period of training could bring about such a transformative performance in you."

Raye's evaluation voice appeared again, and since engagement had already begun, this time Raye's voice appeared in the right place.

"Miss Raye, there's no need for us to fight. Aren't we all human? If we communicate properly, we can definitely find a way without fighting."

Having entered battle mode, Tachibana Hibiki Tachibana maintained a steady stalemate with the Sky Striker, then spoke the words she had already prepared to say to the girl standing very close to her.

Even if I was rejected last time, I won't give up. If once doesn't work, I'll try twice; if twice doesn't work, I'll try three times. As long as I persist, we'll definitely be able to understand each other.

Hibiki Tachibana thought firmly, perhaps it was naive, but this was her reason for fighting.

"Really, you haven't given up yet. Well, my answer is the same as last time: I don't intend to leak the information here."

Faced with Hibiki Tachibana's statement, Raye, who had exchanged blows with her, responded expressionlessly with nothing more than a statement of facts.

Then, taking advantage of Hibiki Tachibana's distraction by her words, Raye deflected her punch and distanced herself from her.

The opponent's strength was slightly beyond her expectations. She needed to observe for a while to see just how strong the opponent was before deciding on how to fight.

"Why? If we could understand each other and find better ways to solve the problem, we wouldn't have to hurt each other like this."

Hibiki Tachibana continued her question with unwavering resolve, simultaneously stabilizing her stance and preparing for a second attack.

"Haven't I already said I have no intention of doing that? How many times do I have to tell you before you understand?"

Raye said this, her originally calm tone now tinged with a hint of helplessness.

As she spoke, she pulled out the Staff of Solomon from behind her back, and dozens, even hundreds, of noises filled the underground space. When it comes to testing the waters, there's no better cannon fodder than noise.

"No matter how many times Miss Raye says it, I won't give up. I'll keep doing this until Miss Raye agrees."

Hibiki Tachibana said firmly, then clenched her fist to meet the onslaught of noise from all around.

[Sub-D field LD Ji D smiling face flying to watch L flying stone on b]

[This should be D-level special flight to office 5 self-separated flight W dragon W on]

The singing continued, the released harmony Phase-Difference Barrier of the noise.

Thanks to the combined effects of improved reaction time and a changed mindset resulting from long-term training, Hibiki Tachibana, who used to be forced to fight and run away from noise, is now able to gain the upper hand in direct combat with noise.

[If it's just noise, that's fine. Break through the encirclement of noise, then close the distance and engage Miss Raye in close combat, preventing her from utilizing her previous firepower advantage.]

Thinking this, Hibiki Tachibana kicked away the inexplicably obstructive black high heels on her armor, punched the noise that approached her into carbon dust with a few punches, and locked her gaze on Raye, who was doing something on the outer edge of the noise group.

[Hmm, what is Raye doing? Why is she putting the Sky Striker on that Relic that releases noise?]

Then, Hibiki Tachibana saw Raye place her Sky Striker on top of the Staff of Solomon.

"It seems you can accept this level, but can you handle this?"

Raye said, and then the red patterns on the Sky Striker in her hand, following the point of contact with the Staff of Solomon, invaded the Staff of Solomon.

Can you withstand it?

Hearing Raye's words and seeing her actions, Raye Hibiki Tachibana had a bad feeling.

Then, very quickly, she came to understand the true nature of her ominous premonition.

[So fast, so dense, these noises seem to have become more agile.]

On the surface, there didn't seem to be much change, but during the battle, Hibiki Tachibana felt a noticeable increase in pressure.

To give an example, when Hibiki Tachibana fought against a group of noises, although it was a group of noises, the noises basically just swarmed in and had no concept of coordination.

It looks terrifying, but if you find a way, you can reduce the number of noises you face at the same time by maneuvering around them, and you can even seize the opportunity to wipe out a large group in one go.

But things changed when Raye placed the Sky Striker on Staff of Solomon.

The noise, which used to only rush in one direction, suddenly seemed to have learned to cooperate with each other, using tactics such as cross-cover, feints, opportunistic attacks, combining feints and real attacks, and flanking maneuvers with ease.

The previously scattered offensive, where everyone seemed to have their own ideas, was replaced by a well-organized, continuous, and relentless barrage of attacks that gave no one a chance to breathe.

[Was it Miss Raye who commanded these noises? I heard Master mention before that Miss Raye seemed to be able to command noises, and that noises under her command became much more troublesome. I didn't expect the change to be so drastic.]

Under such pressure, Hibiki Tachibana felt immense pressure. She had to keep her nerves on edge the entire time in order to barely prevent herself from being defeated in a short period of time.

[In that case, I must become stronger. To protect what is precious, to return to the important place, and to truly understand Raye, I must persevere.]

Hibiki Tachibana regained her confidence, and as she thought this, she felt as if the armor on her body had become even more powerful.

[Ji Jilong <Flying W) You Yi can't fly but uses flying]

My breathing became rapid, my lungs felt burning hot as they simultaneously performed the functions of exercise and singing, my hands and feet felt as heavy as lead, and my body felt like a steam engine.

[Longing for the Nine Cs, the Dragon is near]

Time seemed to have passed for an hour, or perhaps only a few minutes, but Hibiki Tachibana didn't consider failure. Or rather, just when she felt she was about to give up, strength seemed to be squeezed out from somewhere within her body, allowing her to continue fighting.

"This is truly unexpected. I didn't expect you to actually be able to hold on, and not only that, your strength seems to be constantly increasing. Where did you get this protagonist's physique from?"

Hibiki Tachibana's performance was somewhat beyond Raye's expectations.

She had initially thought that Hibiki Tachibana wouldn't last more than a few attacks before being defeated, but to her surprise, although he was struggling, he managed to hold on, and as the battle progressed, his strength, speed, and skills seemed to have increased slightly.

"She was struggling even against groups of Noise soldiers before, but in just half a month, she has made such great progress. Is it the power from Polymerization with the Relic, or is it because Hibiki Tachibana is inherently more talented?"

Raye made this analysis: given this unprecedented case of Relic Polymerization with a human body, it wouldn't be surprising no matter what phenomena occurred.

"Even if her strength has indeed increased, if this continues, her stamina will eventually run out."

Even though it seemed that the opponent's combat power had increased rather than decreased, Raye could tell that the opponent's overall condition was declining.

"However, there's no time to wait for her to run out of energy. The setup above can indeed buy her a lot of time, but if those guys don't care about the cost, they can break through in a short time."

"Should we use our main body in the battle? No, there's an easier way to try. Let's give it a shot first, and if it doesn't work, I'll go in."

While pondering and talking to herself, Raye manipulated the noise to maintain continuous pressure on Hibiki Tachibana, and then performed other actions.

"Ah, here it comes."