Sky Striker Ace, but Symphogear

Because they were so close, Raye received what she needed just seconds after the operation: a pair of closed, tan-colored mechanical hands.

[Yes, although due to insufficient energy, it can only be deployed in this limited state by consuming a large amount of materials after making advance preparations for alchemical element reserves, it is still more practical than conventional weaponry.]

As the closed mechanical hand approached her, Raye thought to herself.

Ryo-ri, Kaina, Saten, and Reiku are the iconic armors of Sky Striker Ace, and also the source of their strength. After discovering the corresponding blueprints in Sky Striker, Raye has been trying to manufacture and activate them.

However, because a replacement for the key energy system has not yet been found or developed, only a portion of the armor can be used under limited environmental conditions, not the entire armor.

[However, even Limited Armor that's less than 1% of the full potential can significantly boost combat power if used well, so let's leave it at that for now.]

With that thought in mind, Raye began to control the robotic arm.

[Originally, this action was necessary because of a lack of field of vision, forcing them to rely solely on weight and size to lock onto targets. Unexpectedly, given Hibiki Tachibana's unexpectedly superior strength, it has this new purpose.]

With this thought in mind, Raye opened the mechanical arm, revealing the bewildered black-haired girl inside.

"Hey, Hibiki Tachibana, before you continue fighting, why don't you take a look at this?"

Then, before either of them could react, Raye stopped Noise's actions and pressed the black and red knife against Kohinata Miku's delicate neck.

"The Miku, why, why is the Miku here!?"

Raye's movements successfully attracted Hibiki Tachibana's attention, and this completely unexpected event caused her pupils to dilate violently.

"What on earth happened? Why did Hibiki become like that? And what is this...? Huh?"

On the other side, Kohinata Mirai, who has finally seen the Kohinata Miku, is also thrown into a state of inexplicable confusion after feeling the warm blade pressed against her neck and seeing the user of the blade.

"Alright, Hibiki Tachibana, I'll give you thirty seconds to decide whether to surrender now or continue fighting."

"If you surrender, shatter this teleportation gem and enter the cage I've prepared for you. If you continue fighting, I'll gladly oblige, but I can't guarantee your life."

"So, Hibiki Tachibana, what is your choice?"

Ignoring their panic, Raye, having completed her preparations, immediately and concisely stated her requirements.

At the same time, she gently tossed the red crystal-like object she had taken from her clothes to Hibiki Tachibana, who was still in a daze.

[Miku!!!]

An overwhelming pain and regret, far exceeding anything Hibiki Tachibana had ever experienced, proliferated in her mind, and the intense spasms almost made her want to vomit.

"Is the Miku a consequence of my actions...? If I hadn't kept it from the Miku, if I had been stronger, things wouldn't have turned out this way."

The heavy pressure from within caused Hibiki Tachibana's fighting spirit to visibly decline.

She couldn't imagine what she would become or what kind of pain she would feel if something happened to her best friend because of her.

P. S. Good evening.

End of Chapter 95

"Choose: submit to me and spare your friend's life, or risk your friend's death and continue the fight."

In the dimly lit underground space, a girl dressed in yellow and white armor is facing a difficult and painful choice.

"Huff, huff, hah"

Torn between her inner struggles, Hibiki Tachibana's breathing quickened. Although she wasn't fighting, she felt her body was in even more discomfort than when she had just been fighting.

[I never imagined the price of battle would be so heavy.]

Hibiki Tachibana thought this, her heart pounded, and the world seemed to darken.

How could I possibly choose between the Miku and everyone's expectations? They are all clearly very important things.

Choosing to give up means that Second Division and all my efforts have been in vain, but choosing to continue fighting means that the life of someone very important to me is on the other side of the scale.

There was no choice; Hibiki Tachibana didn't want to give up either side.

"Twenty seconds left. Don't try to stall for time. If this plan doesn't bring me enough benefit, I'll use another plan—of course, one that doesn't guarantee her survival. Alright, ten seconds left."

Raye's words interrupted Hibiki Tachibana's painful thoughts, pulling her back to reality.

Although Hibiki Tachibana seemed to be struggling with her decision, Raye didn't intend to wait for her to finish. The reason she was trying this method was for efficiency, and if the efficiency didn't meet her expectations, she would immediately switch to the next method.

"Wait, wait a minute, I'll think about it right away!"

Hibiki Tachibana realized that although this was a difficult choice that required a lot of thought, Raye didn't intend to give her time to be sentimental.

"Five seconds left, five, four..."

Ignoring Hibiki Tachibana's words, Raye continued to act according to her plan and began counting down.

[ In the Miku... Miss Tsubasa, Master, everyone, I'm sorry, I'm still too weak.]

Perhaps after careful consideration, Hibiki Tachibana will be able to strengthen her resolve, and maybe after putting on some tragic drama, she'll unleash her full potential.

But under the immense pressure exerted by Raye in such a short time, Hibiki Tachibana was unable to understand.

Therefore, she could only make her most instinctive choice, the only answer, which was to exchange her life for the life of her dearest friend.

"I understand, I will do it!"

After making a decision in an instant, Hibiki Tachibana immediately picked up the red crystal that Raye had thrown to her and threw it forcefully to the ground.

"Ring?"

Half a minute had passed, not even enough time for Kohinata Miku to understand what had happened, when she saw Hibiki Tachibana make that move.

"Is that so...? I'm just giving you a friendly reminder, this kind of teleportation is quite unstable. It's best not to move around during the teleportation process, otherwise I can't guarantee you'll still be alive after you're teleported there."

Seeing that Hibiki Tachibana had made her choice, Raye kept her promise, removed the Sky Striker from Kohinata Miku's neck, and thoughtfully gave Hibiki Tachibana instructions on how to use the teleportation crystal.

"I'm sorry, in the Miku, I may have to leave for a while... oh no, wait, maybe it might be forever. Anyway, don't worry too much about me, Miku."

Having made this choice, Hibiki Tachibana forced a smile and said this to her best friend.

"Wait... what happened, Hibiki!?"

Although Hibiki said that, Kohinata Miku, who hadn't grasped the current situation, had no way of understanding it.

She stood up, trying to grab the other person's hand, but before she could do so, a flash of red light appeared, and the girl in yellow and white armor vanished from the space.

"Why..."

Seeing this incomprehensible scene before her, the intelligent young woman with black hair collapsed to the ground, her mind filled with countless questions.

Why was Hibiki Tachibana captured by the robotic arm, and why was she also taken underground by it?

Why is there such a large space underground, and such a large amount of noise?

Why is Hibiki Tachibana wearing strange armor, and why does she disappear with a sorrowful expression after shattering a crystal?

[Also, why would someone she knew, someone who had shown her kindness, appear here in this manner, and seemingly be hostile towards Hibiki?]

Countless thoughts swirled in the mind of this frail young girl. Knowing nothing, she couldn't understand the key to these things, and all that remained in her heart was immense confusion and helplessness.

"Call

On the other side, seeing that the teleportation had been successfully completed, Raye relaxed a little.

Now that the most important task has been completed, Raye no longer needs to be too tense and can give herself a little rest.

"Is that all? The countermeasures considered for the two possible scenarios afterward were completely useless."59

Raye thought this, then sent a message through her Sky Striker, closing the portal she had secretly opened behind Hibiki Tachibana.

One of them was prepared by her to prevent Hibiki Tachibana from going berserk. Once she detects any signs of Hibiki Tachibana going berserk, the portal will activate Widow Anchor Level One at the right time, seizing the gap between her emotional breakdown and berserk state to stop the berserk state and complete the capture at the same time.

Another plan she prepared was for Hibiki Tachibana's alternative choice. If Hibiki Tachibana chose to fight, she would throw Miku out to attract attention, and then the portal would fire Tiger Shark Cannon Level One that would only damage Relic and not humans, attacking Kohinata Miku Hibiki Tachibana order to temporarily eliminate her combat power without harming her.

"The main reason is probably that they didn't expect Hibiki Tachibana's will to give in so quickly, or rather, they underestimated the importance of Kohinata Miku in Hibiki Tachibana's heart."

With these thoughts in mind, Raye glanced at Kohinata Miku. She seemed to have been greatly shocked, as the other girl was still slumped on the ground, unable to get up.

"Ah, let's prepare for the recovery work first."

"First, I need to eliminate as much of the trace I leave here as possible to reduce the possibility of intelligence leaks."

"Then put those noises back where they belong. Littering is not a good habit."

"Oh, right, we also need to get this girl to the surface. This place is quite well hidden; we can't just leave her here like this."

Withdrawing her gaze from the black-haired girl on the ground, Raye muttered to herself as she prepared to enter the final stage and carry out a series of wrap-up tasks.

"Okay, let's begin. Let's wrap things up properly, then take a break. Not resting for too long will eventually affect our work efficiency."

With that thought in mind, Raye turned around, ready to leave.

"Wait a minute, Raye, are you Raye...?"

However, just as she was about to do so, Raye felt her hand being pulled by someone who had been slumped on the ground, while saying this.

P. S. Good afternoon.

Chapter Ninety-Six: Capture Complete?

The Western-style mansion with its blue-tiled roof, Fine's stronghold, had a flat area in its backyard. A dozen meters below it was a brand-new, dark room that had just been completed.

Inside the room, Chris Yukine, holding the unfurled Bronze Serpent Armor and wearing Demon Bow bow pendant around her neck, slumped impatiently on the table.

Ugh, so annoying. Zero said something like, "Wait here three nights from now, and when you see Biological Relic Fusion Case No. 1 emerge from the room, activate the device and put on the Snake Armor to subdue her," and then he just disappeared for three days, Amu.

Looking at the red button near the light switch on the wall, the white-haired girl muttered to herself in annoyance, then listlessly took a snack from the pile of snacks she had brought down and stuffed it into her mouth.

"Amu, I really wanted to take this opportunity to get to know Raye better, but she's been gone for three days. Is that girl using work as an excuse to avoid spending time with me?"

Chris swallowed her snack, looking dejected, as this thought popped into her mind.

"No, that's not right. Raye wouldn't do that. Ah, although I'm reluctant to accept this fact, Raye shouldn't disrupt her normal plans over something so trivial."

However, Chris immediately dismissed this idea.

"So, she really thinks that in order to capture that guy, she has to go to the designated location and lie in wait three days in advance?"

Finally, Chris reluctantly came to this conclusion.

"Alright, since it's a necessary action, it's not unacceptable."

Chris thought this through, convinced herself, and then calmed down, focusing her attention on the tasks Raye had assigned her.

Boom Shadow 1

"Ugh, no, it still doesn't feel right."

Chris slammed her hands on the table, stood up, and looked at the empty room that contained nothing but herself. She felt extremely unhappy.

"Let me do something, please. Am I really that useless? Why do you have to leave me here all alone... Damn it, I'm not alone, and I won't be alone again."

Feeling irritable, Chris vented her terrible emotions without even knowing what she was saying.

"Huff, huff-"

After venting her frustration, the white-haired girl, puffing up her cheeks, looked toward the platform enclosed by a glass curtain wall, where Rei had told her that Raye Hibiki Tachibana might appear.

"Ah, it's decided. Fusion Case No. 1, right? I hope you don't disappoint me. Show some backbone, then I'll have a legitimate reason to beat you up and show them that I'm capable too..."

Raising her Bronze Serpent Armor, Chris Yukine was prepared to take her anger out on Hibiki Tachibana if she showed up and resisted.

"... Oh, wait, it's here already?"

Then, just as Chris made this decision, a red light emanated from the platform she was looking at, and the figure of a girl with flaxen hair wearing yellow and white armor emerged from it.

"Bronze Serpent Armor!"

Chris, realizing what was happening, immediately donned the Bronze Serpent Armor.

"I'll take care of Fusion Case No. 1."

Wearing the Bronze Serpent Armor, Chris Yukine excitedly pressed the button on the wall as Raye had instructed.

Then, the instant Chris pressed the button, thick red steam billowed from an inconspicuous device resembling an emergency fire extinguisher in the ceiling of the area enclosed by the glass curtain wall.

At the same time, several tiny Grappling Anchor suddenly flew out from around the platform, clinging tightly to the girl's armor and continuously transmitting an electric current-like force to her body.

"Ugh... Ugh, this feeling is awful, I can't muster any strength."

Then, in front of Chris, who was preparing for battle, the girl who had just been teleported here struggled a few times before collapsing weakly into the glass-walled cell.

"This... Ah, haha, I knew it would be like this."

Looking at Fusion Case No. 1, who was almost completely powerless, and Chris Yukine, who was covered in Bronze Serpent Armor, his expression instantly changed from excitement to boredom.

In the end, her combat abilities were completely useless; under Raye's arrangement, it made no difference whether she was there or not.

"So, we've captured this guy. Now that we've done it, Raye should be back soon. Oh, right, now that we've caught him, Fine, who's been gone for who knows how long, should be back soon too."