Judge the Resonance, Part IV - Your Soul is Eternal (The World of Symphogear)

The Son of Mercer looked over his shoulder and saw that the fragment that was floating nearby was shimmering brightly and there were chunks of flesh pulsing around it.  In that very instant, the energy signature of Tiamat appeared once again but emanated a horrific atmosphere that had evolved a hundred fold.  As the gear users turned to face the anomaly taking place, it was then that the glow expanded and consolidated into a female silhouette.  In a flash like a firework at a festival, the identity of the being was now revealed to all present.

         A tall woman with pale skin appeared with long violet hair and primrose colored eyes.  Along her alabaster tone, she had golden scales appear like a color around her neck as well as on her legs from the mid part of the thighs down to her feet which were shaped like that of a dragon.  Her forearms were covered in the scales too and her hands were gold with razor sharp talons on the fingertips.  She wore purple and gold armor on her body that covered like a vest exposing her entire stomach and about 60% of her large breasts. Complete with a combat skirt that had a golden scaled pattern on the back and purple veils draping from the waist to cover her crotch and rear, the being before them was all but the same creature as before.  She had black and red serpents combing from her body and a golden tail, this was the new form that the foe from before had taken.

"Tiamat…but how?!" Raizo gasped but the woman merely smiled and pointed to the jewel grafted into her chest right at the neck line.

         "The fragment of the Arcana Crystal is quite full of surprises, isn't it? I feel like I just gave birth to myself but then again, reincarnation via evolution could also be described of what you see before you.  This fight is far from over but alas, I'm afraid that it is time to dismiss the extras from the stage," the Demon Goddess stated with confidence waving away the Symphogear users.

         "Yeah right bitch, if you think we're-…gack!" Chris was about to say before coughing up blood.  The same sound was reiterated by all of the girls.

         Raizo turned his eyes to behold the horror in the form of all of his comrades being impaled by his enemy.  Using her serpent heads, she robbed each girl of the chance to challenge her again.  Their fight was over.  She tore her reptilian tendrils away as they all stammered in their stances before falling down to the Earth.

         "NO!" Raizo shouted.

         He took off after them quickly and scooped each one of them up hauling as fast as he could down towards the Earth shielding each maiden with his lightning to protect them and prevent them from bleeding out.  In the background, an evil laughter escaped from Tiamat's lips as she watched the heroes descend to the Earth.

*****

         The World was busy discussing the matters of the night sky from the Hawaiian Islands.  They didn't know what was coming or what was going but given this world's history in this day and age, dealing with Noise could be considered commonplace.  However, the problem was the simple fact that the shape of the Noise has never taken the shape of such creatures from mythology before.  Many news stations were connecting the dots already, talking about how the threats were connected; others were discussing the possibility of an extinction level event.  Regardless, S.O.N.G. was on the case especially since the United Nations was breathing down their necks.

         While Genjuro was handling the politics, Elfnein was doing her best to keep a monitor on the girls and their function with the SOUL module.  Their levels were performing at numbers that far exceeded her expectations and she was pleased. That did not stop her from growing concerned when she picked up signs that they had entered the Treasury of Babylon again.  Live footage was coming in from their satellites that showed the battle the girls fought against the Distortion.  She saw firsthand how Raizo's power influenced the Symphogear greatly and effortlessly brought the girls to new heights.  The scientist could not help but wonder if there was some way to utilize this data as a permanent means of upgrading the relics themselves.

         Before she could allow her young mind to entertain those notions, she saw how the data was sporadic then detected the X-Drive.  Their vitals were stable until they started taking damage from whatever was within that dimensional space, and then Elfnein saw that the girls had used the Superb Song.  She could not help but surmise that the threat that was in there was something that warranted it yet she was curious as to why the backlash was negated.  After that, things took a turn for the worst when it appeared like the girls flat lined.  Before she could even utter a word, Raizo popped up inside the bridge with the girls in his arms as they were all covered in blood.

         "Help me with them please!" he pleaded.

         The deck officers sent word to have them ferried out of the room.  The youth was still glowing purple from his transformation which had everyone in the room pondering what that phenomenon was but they could not afford to focus on it right now.

         "Raizo-kun, what happened?" Genjuro asked beating Elfnein to the punch.

         "The Distortion is dead but…there's a foe far greater than them present.  She's the one who gave birth to them.  Your world is in grave danger and I'm the only one who can stop it.  Though, I don't know how well I can do against her," the Stormbringer responded.

         "Raizo-san…what are you going to do then?" Elfnein asked.

         The male saw the girls being wheeled out as their armors crumbled from their bodies covered in blood.  Before bringing them aboard, he managed to stimulate their cells enough to regenerate their fatal wounds but he was unable to fully treat them in time.  He would have to rectify that but he had a battle to deal with first.  Pushing that to the side, he turned to Elfnein and Genjuro.

         "I'll do what I have to in order to win.  Even if it costs me my life, I won't let a universe suffer under the hands of an enemy from my side of the multiverse.  Just keep them safe…please."

         "Without a doubt, but be sure to come back.  Those girls will want to see you when they come to," Genjuro said with a nod.

         "Fair enough, I'll be back soon enough."

         That being said, the male phased through the layers of the ship and dashed into the night sky to deal with the Demoness one final time.

         A loud clap of thunder echoed in space which caused the ascended Tiamat to spin her body around to pay attention to the source of the noise.  The powered up demonic being smiled with delight as her eyes were filled with the form of the Stormbringer.  Enhanced with the same glow as herself, she could not contain her excitement laughing in joy upon gazing at her prey.  As for Raizo, his body tightened from tension and pressure he felt overtaking him.  He was enraged to say the least but he contained that burning sensation for the sake of maintaining his rationale.  He glared at his foe filled with an aura of hatred but he did not make any reckless moves just yet.

         "You do realize that I'm not going to let you get away with that fragment or escape your punishment from how you hurt my new friends," the male spoke with a deep tone of voice.

         "Oho, I know my dear Child of Thunder.  I can't wait to feel how you'll punish me.  I've been such a bad girl after all so show me what you're made of," the insidious seductress uttered licking her lips lustfully.

         "You think this is a fucking joke?  Do you not understand how many people you almost killed within the past 36 hours?"

         "Almost 8 billion but that isn't my concern.  Besides, why should I care about a race that dares to destroy the very home I created so long ago?  As far as I'm concerned, humanity is an obstruction to the beauty of creation and should be purged; however, it's not like I actively seek to destroy them.  They are just objects in the way that can be removed should they get in the way.  The populace served as perfect bait to draw you out and bring you here.  Everything I've done so far with this universe was just a means to bring you to me.  I only want you, Raizo Mercer."

         "What?"

         "That's right. You are my objective.  I know I have to take away the other fragments in your possession for the sake of Lord Ars; however, you are a treasure for my own benefit.  You are a means for something far greater than just some ancient jewel and I will have you, boy."

         The red-eyed warrior did not say anything else after that.  Instead, his glance merely cascaded over the empty space then traced over the shattered moon behind him.  He turned to view the Earth imagining all of the people that would be shrieking in terror from fear of death.  The male had to protect them at all costs.  They should not have to die because of the deeds he felt he inadvertently caused because of his journey.  The radiance around him increased in volume as the purple aura evolved into a miasmic flame while his eyes shifted to a brighter shade of pink.

         "I'm going to end you, Tiamat.  I'll erase you from existence just like I did to that bastard in the last universe I visited," Raizo uttered releasing the mastered state of Heart of the Storm.

         "You will try but our battle should take place away from prying eyes otherwise your precious humans might just die in the crossfire," Tiamat replied before snapping her fingers.

         In that instant, she opened a rift and let it envelope the two of them.  The pair was taken into a reality marble that mimicked the structure of the Treasury of Babylon.  It was yet another multiverse to serve as their battlefield, to be destroyed completely when a victor was decided.  Tiamat generated two black and red energy swords from her hands holding them tightly as she aimed one at the youth before her.

         "Come Stormbringer, bring me the climax I crave," she challenged openly.

         "Six Claws…" Raizo responded as he generated six lightning blades of his own design and held onto them in between his fingers.  A brief pause passed between the pair before they charged at one another full force.

         The pair of beings collided in one single attack.  The moment their blades impacted against one another, a sharp ring carried out from the hit destroying about twenty different universes in one go.  Following up with that attack, Tiamat and Raizo slashed at each other countering one another's hits and parrying their moves as a result.  Like a sporadic storm, flashes of purple light had illuminated the empty dimension space as the two beings swung at each other eclipsing speeds that were massively faster than light.  The godly movement of the parties tore apart the space they were in soon shredding the space-time continuum of the current universe before traversing the rift to another.

         Tiamat had the slickest smile upon her face thoroughly enjoying his fight while Raizo's face was stern and focused.  They swept at each other with their weapons in hands appearing evenly matched before the woman kicked away from the youth creating distance between them.  She licked her lips as her serpentine hair bushels lashed out from her head and into the depths of the space.  Unsure of what was going on, Raizo paused for a moment but then he saw that the layers of the space they were in seemed to fold inward.  Upon this, his eyes bore witness to countless celestial objects and star clusters rushing towards his location.  The Demon Goddess was ripping away cosmic constructs being held within the nexus and was throwing them using her hair vines like they were nothing.

         The Stormbringer sought to attack her head on to stop this but she had disappeared from his visible range.  As the cosmic collapse occurred, the assassin took his blades and threw them one after the other towards every bundle of space that he could see coming.  To follow that up, the armor-wearer spread out his arms and opened his palms as lightning crackled all around him.  Bringing them together in a horizontal jaw shape, he discharged his energy in the form of a giant ball of electricity that surged forth like a massive beam of light.

         "Ruin Unyielding!" the male shouted out.

         The energy wave devoured the entire scape of the battlefield obliterating any celestial objects and clusters that were sent towards him.  They were wiped away without a single trace of their existence remaining as more than half of the space seemed to open up. Suddenly the space began to quake heavily as hairline fractures appeared all around him.  Bewildered by the phenomenon, he figured that this area of space was caving in from his earlier attack so he rushed away to escape harm.  Unfortunately, the youth came to the realization that the entire dimensional space was collapsing in on itself and it appeared that he had no method of exiting.

         "Then I'll make one myself," Raizo uttered drawing Vajra from its scabbard and imbuing it with crimson lightning.

         With one strong swing, the heterochromia headed youth cut open a rift in space and charged straight through it.  Behind him, the multiverse construct destabilized and imploded.  When the Stormbringer sheathed his sword, he looked around the space and found himself in the same construct as before except it was completely unaffected by the battle he was in before.  The same earthquake reaction happened once more causing the lightning child to reciprocate the same decision before drawing his blade and slicing a rift in space and running through it.

         "Are you fucking kidding me?" Raizo sighed heavily as he found himself in yet another construct.  The phenomenon repeated again and again leading the Son of Mercer to reiterate his same strategy over and over as well.

         When he escaped for the fifth time, he found himself facing Tiamat holding six blades glowing gold with miasmic amethyst energy.  He didn't understand what was happening but the constructed space showed no signs of imploding again.  Staring at his target ahead, he drew six blades once more but this time tossed them into the far reaches of the space.

         "Oh my, I wonder what you have planned for me," Tiamat chuckled flirtatiously but Raizo merely yielded a small grin.

         "Just watch...Adamant Waltz!" he said before creating a bounded field around the woman.  In a blink, he was gone.

         The male had not used this technique in a long time, since his fight with The Silver Fox to be precise.  It was the first version in the many iterations of the Absolute Blade Trance that kept the target bound in a circle that led to a devastating chain of slash attacks.  He charged off towards the first blade and grabbed it before rushing at the woman and swinging it at her then proceeded to the next one crossing the multiversal space.  The youth completed this process six times over before slashing at her with all six blades and tossing them up in the air above her.

         "Rain Unyielding!" he cried out causing the six blades to rain down upon her like lasers from a rifle.  Thousands of others followed suit in that moment blasted at the woman destroying the space contained therein restoring reality around them.

         Earth and its shattered moon returned to the Stormbringer's view for the moment giving the child peace but his ears would soon ring with the evil laughter of his foe.

         "Aha, the Son of Mercer is truly a beast when it comes to entertaining a lady.  That actually felt so good that it turned me on all over again.  I knew you were good but I've never had the privilege of feeling such euphoria in all my eons of living," Tiamat ranted revealing her insatiable desires.

         "How is that possible? You should have been dead many times over by now!  Do I really have to use…fuck it; I refuse to deal with you any longer!" Raizo cried out.

         The male drew a different blade this time, the one he kept tucked away in an amber sheathe.  As he drew it slowly, the youth had begun to channel immense elements of crimson and indigo energy within it.

         "Mor-…" the Crimson Harbinger was beginning to say but Tiamat merely shook her head and disappeared.

         "You can stop teasing me now," the Unholy Mother murmured cutting the male off from releasing the power of his weapon.  She swung down those mysterious blades upon the Son of Mercer one after the other in rapid succession.

         The swords were all imbued with the concentrated force of the multiversal realities she destroyed; each one represented the amount of times she caused her dimensional spaces to fall. Skillfully, she took the ominous blades and hit the youth across his chest in an X-shape over and over lining the cuts on top of each other as if she was trying to achieve a certain goal.  In the next moment, she took the blades and merged them into one before stabbing the armored target in the center of the cross virtually impaling him.  Grabbing him by the collar, Tiamat threw Raizo onto the surface of the moon being careful not to destroy the celestial object.

         Stunned by the impact, Raizo was rendered helpless for a period of time as his sword lied beside him.  He attempted to reach for it but the Demon Goddess stood over him and restricted his movement by grabbing his wrist using the jaw of one of her snake tendrils.  She did the same to the other hand and used two more to hold his feet down before standing over him resting a hand on her energy blade for a short span of time.  She snickered as the child writhed in pain but he dared not waver.

         "W…Why are you…so strong?  The fr-fragment could not have…done this," the youth also known as Obsidian stammered distraught over the superior display of power that the woman unleashed.

         "Dear child, did you really think I would take you on haphazardly without having some sort of plan in mind? I'm not like those other foolish children and siblings of mine.  I'm the second strongest among the Demon Gods for a reason.  With experience comes great wisdom but to answer your question, did it never occur to you that the first round of our fight when you had those poor children fighting with you wasn't just too easy?" the woman explained leading Raizo to go silent for a moment.

         "I had to feel out just how strong you all were.  Their strength soared to being in the lower end of demanic spectrum and your power only fueled them but I merely wanted to observe.  I let you have the advantage only fighting back just enough to extend the battle a little longer and receive some damage here and there.  Then that finishing move allowed me to process everything you all had and what your peak potential could be."

         "Wh-what are you saying?"

         "I let you have the initial victory.  I absorbed everything you had to offer to me and processed it like data.  Then my body reacted to that information, regenerated and changed as a result.  The jewel piece only amplified the rate at which my body changed and experienced the metamorphic process.   Adaptive Evolution, something that has kept me alive for many eons across many battles is what I like to call it.  That's where I put the most pride in my abilities.  To put this in simpler terms, my body just evolved to a point where it counters you through and through.  You've lost Son of Mercer, and now I can claim my prize."

         Knocking away the blade and causing it to dissipate, the body of the young man was bleeding profusely.  The woman standing over him reached down and placed her hand over the wound causing it to close up just enough to stop the blood from flowing but she dared not heal him fully.  The purple glow around the youth faded away due to the fact that Tiamat's serpents were actually draining his energy slowly but surely.  Now rendered helpless in his base state, she proceeded to crouch down.

         "I can take the fragments at any point in time from you but for now, why don't we go ahead and establish who you belong to now?" the insane beauty smiled in delight.

         She straddled over top of the male's pelvic area resting her crotch upon his.  She used other strands of her hair to caress the child's armor before worming into the damaged parts and stripping the plates off one by one.  The woman's chest heaved up and down in a faster rate as her heartbeat was accelerating due to the excitement running through her.  A few seconds later, the boy's chest was laid bare for her to look at before her strands began to tear away other layers of his armor and subsequent clothing.

         "Hey…what are you doing? S…Stop, let me go!" Raizo cried out trying to move underneath her but the more he struggled, the more he felt his strength escape him as the serpents drained him.

         "Aha…the Son of Mercer is truly a delectable dish, one that I'll savor for an extended duration of time," she muttered in a heated breath feeling her insides tingle and her lower area getting damp as a result.

         Leaning forward, the woman unlatched her chest armor exposing her breasts before pressing herself against his body so that she could feel his heat and vice versa.  As her eyes made contact with his, she closed in even further before kissing his neck causing the boy to squirm about again.

         "No, not…not this, why are you doing this?! Get away…you disgusting…whore!" he groaned in fear.

         "I told you, you are my prize and I'm going to enjoy every inch of you," she smiled before forcefully taking his lips for herself inserting her tongue into his mouth.

         A deep kiss followed suit as the demon took advantage of the poor boy disregarding his pleas for mercy.  She let her hand travel down south reaching into the assassin's personal area where she began to try and fondle the contents within.  Pulling away slowly from the kiss, a strand of jewel separated between their lips before snapping.  Raizo gasped violently for air as a result.

         "Just submit to me and I'll give you ecstasy you've never dreamed of before.  All of your needs will be met, your desires will be met, everything you've ever craved and more.  The Counter Force and the Gods of Elysium will never give you what you truly crave, but I can.  Become mine and I'll bring you to the Eden of the Inferno where you can share my bed every night.  And don't worry; I'll even bring in the rest of your Team AKARA as well.  You all would be well satisfied with me as your Mistress," the foul beast declared as she stroked the lower region of the male.

         "N…Never, I'll…never submit to you…even if you breakdown my body into a million pieces!" he declared with pride.

         "Oho, a fighter…I love it when they resist.  It makes the domination all the more fun.  Don't worry boy, I'm going to fuck you so hard that the moon will eventually crumble under us before raining down on the Earth.  We'll see how long you last after I make you climax with my insides," she stated confidently.

         "I'll give you the kind of euphoria that not even that bitch, Akasha, would ever allow creation to have.  I'll become your Goddess-Above-All just by my body alone then I'll erase the memory of that pathetic woman from you for all time.  Then again, who knows…maybe Lord Ars will break her in front of you so that you can truly fall into my arms.  You'd be surprised at the slutty nature divine beings possess."

         When those words entered Raizo's mind, something changed.  His eyes became soulless as if he just forced himself into a coma or in a similar state and he no longer struggled.  In a death-like state, the youth's body remained.  Tiamat's statement rang in his mind: I'll erase the memory of that pathetic woman…  Then he remembered the face of the woman in question that lived within Kimiko.  She's spoken to him many times before, inspired confidence and faith in his heart even when he didn't know of her identity.

         "Believe…"

         That's the one word that she could utter to him over and over again and it would give him the peace that he craved.  To believe in himself was something that he struggled with and deep down, he still does from time to time but he made the effort to do it.  He was thankful for the ability to hear her voice and even experience her presence.  Finding out that she lived within Kimiko only made him feel that much closer to the Goddess-Above-All as a result along with the girl that he cherished so to have someone even fathom the possibility of threatening her wounded him deeply.  To have some wicked being taint her name and speak of her in a way that dared suggest harm riled his anger in such a way that he could hardly control it.  She gave him everything that he needed to keep going in this ridiculous life that he had hated off and on providing him with the reason to exist.  To have her so close and being blessed with the rest of his close family was the sole meaning to his desire to fight and keep fighting and now that Zen was threatened.

         His mind began to rampage through a series of images of all the times he spent with Team AKARA as well as the memories of Akasha.  Then it traversed into images of a life that seemed familiar, yet distance all at the same time.  He saw Kimiko's face vividly smiling at him.  His heart accelerated joyfully then he felt the softness of her warm skin in his hand when he caressed her cheek.  Next, he was able to taste her lips sharing a deep kiss with the girl as an insurmountable feeling of love entered his heart.  They lived in Elysium as a pair with approving eyes from Mercer and Hestia, who looked extremely happy without any visage of ambition or hate in her eyes.  When times demanded them to fight, they always seemed to share the same words.

         "Come back to me," the voice of the sweet yet dangerous One-Cut Killer said to him bearing the Mystic Eyes when it was time to separate during a crisis.

         "Even if time is barren of a promised future, nothing will stop me from returning to you," he would respond.

         These memories were not the memories of the current Raizo known as the Crimson Harbinger of Death and the Red-Eyed Stormbringer but of someone else that was him, but not at the same time.

         "What is this?" Tiamat uttered lifting herself from the boy's body and backing away instinctively before latching up her chest armor once again.

         A dense energy flowed around Raizo.  His wounds were sealed up and his body glowed with a bluish-white outline. It was then that a vortex appeared like a halo around the moon over the Stormbringer's vessel.  A great pillar of gold descended in that moment and consumed the body of the boy momentarily.  The silhouette of the youth appeared but was shaped differently.  When the radiance faded, the body of a teenager disappeared and was replaced with a man seething with the golden aura around him.

         He wore a grey blazer with a black tie over a white collar shirt, long matching grey trousers with black dress boots.  Over top of him was the double-breasted, black trench coat with his hands tucked in said jacket's pockets.  The same iconic black and white hair covered his head though it was longer in the back making contact with the area where the neck and shoulders connected, the white strands covering his right eye with the lone, shimmered red eye of the left being revealed.  The suffocating aura of the man's power pulsed out like wave reaching out far in the depths of space to parts unknown.

*****

Earth

Year 2026

Time: 8:00 P.M.

         In the outskirts of a bustling metropolis was the lone mansion that housed the other members of Team AKARA.  Inside the house were two women merely relaxing and enjoying the peace like there was nothing else to do.  Akame was taking out utensils in the kitchen preparing to make something to eat while Kimiko was lying on the couch watching television.

         "Hey, what do you have a taste for? Besides pancakes…" Akame called out while looking in the pantry for something to make.

         "Oh come on, pancakes are a delicacy," Kimi responded with a slight complaint.

         "You had ten stacks of pancakes for breakfast," the black-haired woman countered.

         "Fine, I don't know then.  Grilled Flatbread sandwiches I guess?"

         "Simple enough, how do you want yours?"

         "Chicken, cheese, Fritos and that spicy enchilada sauce sounds good."

         "Alright, give me about 10 minutes."

         While the red-eyed chef began her work, Kimi was casually trying to entertain herself with something decent on television but it was mostly dull to her.  Being annoyed by the programs currently airing, the female got up from the couch and headed down the hallway to her room to grab some comics to read.

         She stepped into the large space filled with a neatly made bed, two end tables, a desk, a chest of drawers and a huge bookshelf occupied by numerous publications of varying topics.  As she stepped towards the shelf to examine her collection of titles, she felt a strong presence that grabbed at her senses.  The wave of power made her feel different, not because of a foreboding sense or anything dark of that nature; instead, she felt a pull inside her chest like her heart yearned for it.

         As she stepped further inside her room, she turned her head and looked into her mirror standing next to her closet door.  Upon gazing at her reflection, she noticed a trail of tears falling from her eyes on either side.  This surprised the girl because she wasn't feeling any hint of sadness or anything like that but something led to her crying.  Taking a moment to herself, the red-eyed girl pondered to herself the source of such a phenomenon before she whispered one name aloud.

         "Raizo…?"

*****

This energy wave hit the beta universe where Kimiko Hanate had stayed, yet the man would be unable to realize it.  Meanwhile, Tiamat found herself in a precarious situation.

         "Who the hell are you?" Tiamat said hesitantly as she stepped back away from the person in question quivering in fear.

         "I am the God Killer, Raizo Mercer and you are on my hit list," he said casually as he walked towards her.

         "For threatening to destroy creation, to purge the lives of billions of innocent lifeforms, and to assist in a plot that would start another great war amongst the gods are all great offenses, however, your biggest mistake was shaming the name of my wife who is far above the comprehension of some repulsive beast like you."

         "W…Wait, this isn't…this isn't possible.  You should have been on the brink of death!" Tiamat stuttered in disbelief but a deafening silence emanated from the furious individual, his eyes radiating with pure killing intent.

         The space around them shifted without warning to an alternate dimension.  The void of space dotted with various constellations and colorful galactic clusters spread across the vast landscape.  Littered throughout the cosmic plains, an innumerable amount of blades were stabbed into the ground as far as the eye could see.  A chilling and hollow breeze carried within the realm yielding the atmosphere of a battlefield soaked with the blood of the slain as these weapons stood as their memorials.  The blacken skies above with red and purple nebulae carried gigantic, rotating gears with a similarly shaded aura flowing through it.  The sound of hammers banging against steel echoed in the air sounding like the pair of people was placed inside a blacksmith's workshop.

         "What…what on Earth is this place? How did you manage to-…" Tiamat uttered with fear.

         "A place that will be the last thing your eyes behold before you are removed from this world, that is where you are," the God Killer spoke plainly beginning to walk towards the woman.

         "No, I refuse! I will not die in some alternate dimension without having a taste of my greatest desires! I am the Great Mother that gave birth to the Earth! I shaped the foundation of life itself!" she ranted using her hair as a means to attack the male from all sides.

         Raizo merely snapped his fingers before blades came out from the space behind him and were hurled in her general direction slicing off the serpent tendrils without sparing a single strand.  It was then that he stretched his right hand out generating an object with a gold and crimson aura coming from it.

         It was an imposing blade of about five feet in length excluding the foot-long handle.  A crimson grip with about a 3-inch golden pommel with the shape of a wolf at the end leading into a cross-guard decorated with golden wings, a crimson X in the middle and a golden cross on top of it.  The steel blade was also golden in tone with a liquid like, ruby red trail of energy traversing down the middle.  About a foot of the blade starting from the top of the cross-guard leading around 6-inches down was a crimson spine decoration as well.  The unique blade was a holy sword gifted to him forged from a shard of the grandest legendary weapon in existence.  Faster than the eye could  comprehend even with the sight of a higher being like the Demon Goddess, Raizo appeared before Tiamat raising this blade up high as its brilliance burning stronger than the flames of the mighty Phoenix.

         "P…Please…" Tiamat begged fearfully with tears flowing down her cheeks and a certain other liquid flowing rapidly down her thighs.

         "The moment you stained her name with your wicked tongue in disdain, you were already dead," Raizo coldly responded before swiftly bringing down the mighty blade down upon her.

         "Excalibur…ASCALON!!!!"

         The blade of divine nature completely cleaved the dark, hypersexual deity in half.  On top of that to ensure her death, the alternate higher dimensional space that was greater than the size of a multiverse shattered around the pair and encapsulated her remains in a bubble.  The sphere broke down with Tiamat's body inside into subatomic particles that evaporated into light leaving only the yellow crystal to float around before falling into Raizo's hand.  Standing atop of the moon, the battle was truly finished.

         "And now my fight is over…" the mature God Killer spoke softly as the holy blade dissipated in his hand.  The golden light burned ever so brightly like a star around him turning everything white.

         Within the space of this illumination, the Crimson Harbinger in the broken Janus Armor floated around listlessly in this emptiness unsure of what was happening.  He didn't feel pain or anything ailing his body but he noticed that his armor was gradually repairing itself.  He recalled almost being taken advantage of by the Demon Goddess but everything went blank for a small moment in which he felt like he was outside of himself.  The Stormbringer saw the plains of swords and felt a holy construct in his hand and he recalled the sensation of death being brought down upon the evil creature but it didn't feel like he was the one doing it.  He felt like someone else was there.  Sure enough, he captured the vision of an identical yet older version of himself standing in front of him with a calm expression upon his face.

         "You're…me?" the youth asked with an ambiguous tone of voice unsure of what to think.  The being before him merely nodded.

         "That is correct.  Although, where I come from I am known as the God Killer—a play on our father's original title," he responded.

         "Where are we?  How are you even here right now and why are we able to speak?"

         "You have a lot of questions, that is understandable given the circumstances but there is not enough time to cover all the details.  I will simply answer you as so; Akame is not the only one who has the Bleeding Effect."

         "Wh-what?"

         "Listen to me, before our link is cut there are things I want to tell you."

         The Stormbringer merely nodded as he grew quiet then the God Killer continued.

         "I know you must be sick of all this fighting against the gods but such is our destiny.  You have many more battles to come including wars that will decide the fate of all creation but do not let that fact deter you.  You have to keep fighting and keep growing.  Take pride in what you are and learn to appreciate yourself more.  You have a long journey ahead and times will get tough.  You may hate yourself, despise your situation, and even more but you cannot afford to quit.  Always keep fighting and always strive for something greater than your current self.  Even if it is one step at a time, never stop growing.  You are nowhere near the pinnacle of what you are as the Son of the God Hunter; but when you reach that summit, you will have one final test.  At that point, all I ask of you is that you break the cycle.  Remember her words and hold them close to your heart."

         "It is finished when seven become one…?"

         "Precisely, those words mean a great deal. Over time, you will come to understand.  Just never forget that you are not alone."

         "Team AKARA…"

         "Indeed."

         The space around the two sons of the great hero was fading away and the God Killer's consciousness along with it.  As Raizo felt his armor fully regenerate, he felt his strength completely return to him assuming the mastered form of Heart of the Storm out of nowhere.

         "Purple is not a bad color but that style will fade at the end of this journey you are currently on.  But one last thing before I go," the older version spoke as he patted his younger self on the shoulder.

         "If anything above all else; take care of her.  She needs you more than you realize. Anyways, it is time for me to go.  Good luck Stormbringer."

         The visage of the Goddess-Above-All ran through his mind in that moment before the God Killer faded away as well as the space around him.  The amethyst imbued male stood on the moon trying to comprehend everything that just happened but it only left him feeling confused.  Yet among those feelings of uncertainty, he felt a semblance of peace and determination understanding what should be his next step.  He walked over and picked up his blade that was knocked away from him and sheathed it behind him.  Feeling something in his right hand, he saw the yellow fragment and opened the space to store it with the others.  Turning towards the Earth, he was about to run off when he saw an ominous ghost-like individual with dark blonde hair covering his eyes and a black cloak over his body.  Before the male could react, the being impaled him with a dagger in the assassin's lower abdominal region.

         "You may have defeated Tiamat and collected five of the fragments so far but your journey shall end here," a dark and brooding tone escaped as the child could only struggle for breath from the immense pain.

         The five fragments he gathered were taken away from him and floated around the free hand of the assailant.  The Stormbringer looked down and saw the blade that pierced through his armor emanating a poisonous green, purple and light red aura before his power faded away once more.  The man pulled out the dagger and backed off letting Raizo drop to his knees before him.

         "W…ho…are…you?" the youth grunted.

         "Does it really matter?" the entity began pulling out a golden chalice adorned with a blue jewel that resonated with the other five fragments.  The orange, green, red, purple, and yellow pieces dropped into the cup before it faded away.  A chuckle escaped the person's lips before he continued.

         "I should thank you for getting rid of my foolish subordinates.  The only real loss I suffered was Tiamat but even she was a tool to be discarded eventually.  I knew they would be unable to defeat you even if they grabbed some form of an advantage.  At the very least, you made it easier for me to obtain all the fragments to remake the Arcana Crystal."

         "You…You're…that Ars…they talked about."

         "Yes, I am the King of the Demon Gods and the leader of the 72 Pillars—Ars Goetia."

         "You…bastard…I swear I'll kill you."

         "You're welcome to try, Son of Mercer.  Come and fight in the Great Holy Grail War if you wish to die.  I'll be waiting."

         The Demon King disappeared after that taking the fragments that Raizo worked so hard on obtaining with him.  He would have been at the end of his journey with one more universe to go but he was robbed.  All of his hopes for getting back home were dashed just like that with a snap of the fingers.  Now, he was bleeding out on the moon of some universe that was not his own.  He tried to maintain his composure but the wound was not healing naturally for some unknown reason.  Wincing in pain, the male rolled over on his back looking out to the Earth in the distance.

         "Dammit…dammit all to hell, I can't afford to lose here," he cursed.  It was then that the Gemini sheathe holding Vajra at his side relinquished a pale aura.

         The pure aqua light embraced his body and began to regenerate his wounds.  Raizo forgot that his mother, Lucy, had this sheathe made for him with the primary thought in mind of helping him in times of need like this.  Blessed with the essence of Avalon, the curse was rejected and any damage he suffered was banished away in that moment.  Once more, his vitality returned to him allowing the male to stand up with his armor intact.  He looked to that side where the scabbard was hitched to him witnessing the eminence fade away.  Remembering who made it for him, he could only yield a small smile.

         "Thanks Mom," he spoke before turning his attention to the planet once more and dashing off to the surface.  He had one last bit of business to attend to before he would have to leave.

*****

         Back on the planet below, the threat that was visible for all to see had disappeared.  Everything grew quiet after the massive dragon and the rift in space vanished from any observable scale.  Any trace of the varying anomalies ghosted from many recording instruments and devices.  Genjuro would have it reported that the Symphogear users dispelled a possible threat from the Distortion and any other extraneous steps to provide a proper cover-up so the United Nations would be put at ease.  However, the reality was that his team was down and in recovery and that their special guest had went off to deal with it.

         The six maidens were all conscious and in the medical ward receiving treatment as needed but their looks of despair expressed how they felt like they failed.  They wanted to know how the battle turned out knowing they were taken out of the fight prematurely.  Genjuro and Elfnein were in the room with them as well just waiting quietly unable to even have a conversation about what had transpired.  Suddenly, they received a knock on the door as Aoi escorted their unique guest inside.

         "Sensei!" the girls exclaimed in joy but they all simultaneously winced in pain from their wounds.

         "Take it easy you all," Raizo spoke calmly visiting each bed touching the girls on their foreheads one by one healing them of their lingering injuries and spasms of pain before standing in the middle of all them.

         "Hey, I'm all good to go now!" Hibiki gasped.

         "Heh, back to ass-kicking status at last, let's go make that bitch pay!" Chris smirked.

         "Yukine, with Raizo-sensei among us, the fight is more than likely over," Tsubasa sighed.

         "Sensei won desu!" Kirika grinned happily.

         "Thank you, Sensei," Shirabe nodded approvingly.

         "I hope you did not encounter any significant trouble with the enemy, Raizo-san," Maria stated gracefully.

         "I wanted to at least put another arrow in that slut…but, oh well," Chris sighed heavily.

         "You all did well with what I had given you.  The S.O.U.L. module was an astounding success albeit one that we may never have the capacity to use again," Elfnein explained.

         "Raizo-kun, are you okay? The battle is over no?" Genjuro asked the young man noticing the grim expression on his face.  The room grew silent awaiting his response.

         "The threat has been dealt with.  Tiamat won't bother your universe anymore but…the object I came for was lost.  And I hardly feel like I won as a result," the assassin explained.

         "But…you're alive and you came back to us right?  You just healed all of our wounds and gave us the means to fight on if another threat comes to our doorstep so that's a victory, right?" Hibiki said.

         "Yeah, ya gotta give yourself some credit, Goofball-sensei," Chris added.

         "You saved us all…the whole universe for that matter.  And you showed us how we can grow too," Tsubasa stated.

         "You won in more ways than you realize, Raizo-san," Maria spoke with Shirabe and Kirika nodding in agreement.

         "Please don't feel so down on yourself, Raizo-san.  You really did more for us than you know," Elfnein pleaded.

         "You all…" Raizo spoke faintly looking at their hopeful faces.

         Seeing this gave him some relief because despite of what he just went through, he did have many positive outcomes in the end just with them alone.  He saved another universe, saved humanity from a possible extinction event, and passed a torch of inspiration for its heroes to grow even stronger than before.  That had to count for something.

         "Raizo-sensei, there's something bothering me," Hibiki began as everyone in the room turned to her curious to what she would say.

         "What's wrong, Hibiki?" Raizo asked.

         "Tiamat said something about Team AKARA and their fame throughout the multiverse.  Who are they exactly?"

         "Ah, they're my family.  They're the ones who I owe everything to," he responded with a bit of a smile on his face.

         "Oh really, what are they like?"

         "Well the team is composed of five members, one of them being yours truly. Among the other four, the first is my big brother, Akaro Hajime.  He's known throughout the multiverse as a legendary hero and has the nickname, Red Knight.  He's saved my ass more times than I can stand to count alone and helped me realize a lot of errors in my ways and changed my edgy way of thinking.  He's also taught me a lot of stuff too, trained me on how to use my powers and what not. Also, he has a bad habit of charming women which brings me to the second member of the team—Akame Hajime.

She's Aniki's wife and my big sister but I prefer to address her as 'Sensei'.  In history she's regarded as the Red-Eyed Killer, a legendary assassin who could end her foes with a single stroke of her blade. She helps me refine my sword techniques from time to time…though she knocks me on my ass more often than not. It is funny watching her interact with Aniki, especially if he's being a little too flirtatious.

Next is Adena Zao-Long.  She and I have a bit of a history.  We knew each other when we were kids and were actually betrothed to one another via arranged marriage.  But, times changed and lots of events happened that invalidate that agreement.  We hadn't seen each other for years until we reunited for the first time a long time ago.  She and I have a rather complicated relationship.  It's not like we don't get along or anything, it's just…I don't know.  It's difficult trying to figure out how I should deal with her.  I mean, she's really strong and confident too.  Plus she doesn't back down if she's challenged in anyway and what not."

Raizo took a minute to scratch his head as the girl also known as Benihime ran through his mind.  That proud female with the long, red hair was someone he did care about but at the same time, he was nervous with her.  He knows of her affections for him and he has feelings for her too but he did not understand how to best deal with said feelings.  The Stormbringer felt like he still had to prove that he was worthy of her but really, his heart was just torn because of someone else.

Slight chuckles ensued from the people in the room over Raizo's flustered expression.  Talking about his family made everyone in the room listen to his story with keen interest.  Each of them felt happy knowing the complex stranger had people in his life that gave him happiness.  From what they gathered about the youth, he had a very complex life with a myriad of circumstances that they could not even begin to fathom.  However, there was something off.

"Oi Sensei, you said there were five people in this team right?  We already know about you but you only named 3 of the other members.  Who is the last one?" Chris inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Ah sorry, I got caught up for a second there.  Anyways, the last member is Kimiko Hanate but we call her 'Kimi' for short.  She's the one I…" Raizo began before pausing again.

The sensation of a knot in his chest choked him up as his heart seemed to ache uncontrollably.  The memories that he saw before of the girl through the eyes of his alternate self—The God Killer—came rushing back into his subconscious.  Her smile, the softness of her skin, the taste of her lips, everything about her in those memories combined with the memories he had of her in this life took hold of him in a vice grip preventing him from being able to speak.  Seeing his face turn like that, the girls in the room as well as Genjuro himself stared out of concern.  Suddenly, a voice echoed from behind coming from the entrance into the room.

"Hey stranger, it's been a while hasn't it?" the voice calls out causing everyone in the room to turn in order to investigate.

Standing by the doorway leaning back against the wall was a single female.  She appeared to be in her early 20s and had short, dark brownish black hair that was cut just above her shoulders.  Wearing a blue kimono and black boots along with a red jacket over top of it, the girl had her hands tucked into the pockets of the coat as her eyelids casually opened revealed her deep red eyes.  The girl had a resting stern expression but it softened into a smile as she locked eyes with the male in armor.  Unaware of her identity, everyone was speechless save for the one male in question.

"K…Kimi-nee?" Raizo gasped in astonishment seeing the girl for the first time in what felt like forever.  His heart burned with intense joy among a storm of other emotions that made his face burn up in embarrassment.

"H…How are…you…"

The Stormbringer could hardly form words to speak properly.  Instead, he just found himself walking towards the girl.  Given whom she was the group in the room did not perceive her as a threat.  The thought of how she even got here ran through their minds but thinking about Raizo and what he could do with his abilities, they could only surmise that she had similar abilities or more.

Raizo and Kimi embraced one another.  The overjoyed Crimson Harbinger could hardly contain himself as he began to cry on the dot.  He missed her and was not expecting to see her so soon especially with the way his journey has been going so far.

"Kimi-nee, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.  I'm trying my best to get back home but I…"

"It's okay, I know.  I know everything that I need to know," she responded patting his head softly as she embraced him.

Watching the reunion unfold, the girls lying in their beds had tears forming in their eyes showing signs of empathy.  Even Elfnein had tears welling up while Genjuro could only smile closing his eyes in relief.  Chris and Maria felt weird pains in their chests watching the two but tried their best to ignore it and feel happy for them both.  It was at that time, Kimi let go of Raizo for a moment and addressed the room.

"Thank you for taking care of him, I'm in your debt," she spoke.

"Wait what? No, Raizo-sensei saved us and our universe.  If anything, we owe you guys," Hibiki stated with a panicked look on her face.

"Yeah, Sensei here really did us a solid.  He helped us learn a lot about ourselves and helped us overcome a big challenge," Chris added.

"If anything, we'd be honored if we could see you all again," Tsubasa spoke earnestly.

"Desu!" Kirika grinned with Shirabe nodding alongside of her.

 "We'll keep your song in our hearts forever, Raizo-san," Maria smiled softly.

"Yes, perhaps we could meet the rest of Team AKARA in the future," Elfnein said.

"You're welcome back to our world anytime," Genjuro extended.

"Thanks everyone, that means a lot," Raizo replied with a bow of his head.  Kimi gently nudged him in the side.

"I told you that you could become a hero," she smirked slightly.

"Kimi-nee…tch…" the youth blushed.

"Well, it's time to go. Are you ready?"

"Wait, you're coming with me?"

"Of course, I told you already.  I know everything."

The girl then pulled out a small dagger and sliced the air opening a rift.  She turned and gave a wave to everyone then disappeared within it.  Raizo was about to do the same but he turned towards everyone in the room and smiled one more time.

"Farewell."

         The Symphogear users and their commander waved before witnessing the cloaked male step through the rift.  As he vanished, the portal closed behind him; his final battle awaited him.