End the Cycle I

The ashes fell from the sky like snow in the dead of winter. Towers and skyscrapers once standing proudly at the height of innovation were scorched into molten piles of lava and warped heaps of scrap metal. Forestry burned, mountains crumbled, oceans dissipated into vapor while countless bodies lied scattered about. The variety of landscapes culminated together into one messy canvas of death and ruination as the crimson skies overhead fractured apart with shards of black falling from their grace. Bearing witness to this heartbreaking destruction was one man.

He could barely afford to crawl along the dirt as he rested upon a mound of soil. He turned his head momentarily to see the solid foundation of a headstone. His gradually weary eyesight beheld the text etched across it:

'Raizo Arashi'

Gritting his teeth, the battered and beaten Son of Mercer rolled over gripping his pair of broken eclipse blades. The skies began splinter apart further and further until it shattered like glass overhead. The concept of reality was distorting itself further and further and there was nothing he could do to stop it. As crimson skies faded away, an endless void filled the vastness of the empty space above. Within the embrace of the nothingness an illumination was revealed unlike any other source of light in existence.

Its shape unraveled into that of an ever-expanding river flowing throughout the cosmos. It was infinite yet complete, indicative of life yet intimidating as death, just to gaze upon it brought one's thoughts to a complete stand still. The spiraling, azure, illumination continued its radiance undisturbed by the crumpling of space around it. As the former Stormbringer was permitted to witness this, he was rendered speechless. He had no words to say, but someone else did.

"Alas it comes...the Swirl of the Root where all knowledge is stored and all events are determined. Seeing it up close, touching it, and understanding it would make even a newborn infant able to change the very definition of the 'impossible'. To give it a simple name varies on your culture or belief. A Creator Force, a concept of God in its purest form, Truth, the beginning and end, the ultimate form of enlightenment, and so on...but you and I know the facts. The Root—Akasha is much more than that. Being called the Goddess-Above-All does not even begin to cover it..."

The hazy stare of the red-eyed male realigned to the direction where the voice was coming from. Looming overhead of the male was the curvy figure of a woman of great authority, her appearance cloaked in shadow. All that he could see of her clearly was the menacing luster of her dark violet eyes. Raizo attempted to move. He raised the upper half of his body off of the ground using the tombstone as support. Yet as he tried to stand, he stumbled back down.

The female watched as the youth struggle, her eyes filled with a particular tinge of sadness which ultimately reflected her disappointment. She took a quick glance around at the devastation knowing that this could have been unavoidable.

"When we are free from Her eternal cycle of death and rebirth in my new world, I vow to bestow upon you and your family a new life liberated of the needless suffering She has put you through," she calmly expressed, her voice reflecting the sound of a young, stern and confident woman withholding her emotions.

"Don't...you dare…" Raizo shot back stubbornly, "I'd rather die for real than live in a world without Her."

The woman relinquished a frustrated sigh, "You never change do you, boy?"

Without even bothering to waste the effort reasoning with him, she raised a solitary hand over him.

"Rest for now, Raizo. We shall see each other again when this is all finished."

A sudden, overwhelming flow of energy expanded from the female's hand. In an instant, Raizo and the rest of the world was reduced to ashes. From there, the all-encompassing violet light ends reality. Yet something strange occurred. The picture of destruction fades into that of a strange illusion as a strange, static-like noise rings out. Within the midst of this sound, a cheerful voice follows.

"Too bad you got a 'Bad End' Senpai, you didn't even watch your step! You, my careless, thoughtless, worry-free Senpai, prepare for an inescapable episode of the BB Channel starting now!"

Raizo's eyes shot open as if he was being enthusiastically awoken from a bad dream, yet he found himself in another strange position. He saw a brilliantly illuminated stage before his eyes. A wide, solid oak desk was set up with a pair of chairs behind it with a giant pink, LED light fixture that said: "BB" was shining on the wall behind it. The pink and purple shag carpeting along the ground gave the space a bit of a comfy feel as he found himself sitting on a black, leather couch. Various lights and cameras were positioned all over the space causing the male to place a hand over his eyes to shield himself from the glare. Blinking a few times, he turned to his left and saw a girl sitting on a wooden stool nearby.

She had long purple hair and matching colored eyes hidden behind the glare of black, rimless glasses. She wore a lavender tinted chensogam that was cut along the thighs of each side, along with white leggings underneath capped off by high-heeled boots which greatly complimented her toned, curvaceous figure. Her pale-like skin further communicated her elegant beauty as she sat composed with a sorrowful expression on her face. Having a flashback of memories from the Shatterpoint timeline, Raizo was familiar with this woman.

"Sh-Sheele?" he said in surprise.

"And that's not all!" another woman said.

The youth turned around to see his vision now obscured by another female. Unlike her meek partner, this female was clearly bolder in action. She wore a white leotard whose bottom half was obscured with a black combat skirt complimented by a red ribbon tied into a bow at the pit of her neck underneath the collar. Over top she wore a high-collared black-sleeved cloak and white gloves complete with black, knee-high heeled boots. Long, flowing purple hair draped from her head just barely missing the ground she trod upon by at least a foot, a red ribbon tied in her hair on the left side. Her purple eyes gazed strongly at the male seated upon the couch as she had her hands placed upon her voluptuous hips not shying away from her feminine charms whilst touting an ample bust.

"Um...who...are you?" Raizo asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The name's BB and I'm totally your number one fan!" she proclaimed.

"Ugh…" Sheele sighed off to the side.

"Me and the doom-gloom girl over there make up the identity of Famine a.k.a. the last of the Four Horsemen employed by Miss Arayashiki~"

"Tch..." the male tensed up knowing fully what those individuals were capable of as he recalled the encounters with the counterparts of Adena and himself colloquially known as War and Conquest. Death—Esdeath rather—was won over to become an ally thanks to Akaro, but this one is an unknown variable.

"So if there's four horsemen...how come there's two of you for one role?" Raizo asked whilst trying to develop a strategy of how to deal with this potentially escalating encounter.

"Allow me to explain..." Sheele proposed as she pushed up her glasses and closed her eyes.

"I am not exactly a strong individual. I'm clumsy, careless and by no-means a top-of-the-line warrior. Granted, I had skills that was useful to Phantom Siege, but I still considered myself weak...that and I dislike conflict. So due to my weak persona, Arayashiki took the time to infuse a personality into my conscience to help me keep up. And that is where the lovely Artificial Intelligence—BB—came from."

During this explanation, the other persona—BB—decided to entertain herself at Raizo's expense. She pressed a solitary index finger over her lips to tell the youth to be quiet as she decided to join him on the couch. Unsure of her intent, the male merely leaned away from the woman showcasing his discomfort; however BB did not seem to care. She reflected a sly grin across her face as she inched closer to the boy without any form of hesitation. Raizo tried to back away more until he wound up on his back atop of the soft, leather cushions of the couch. Capitalizing on his clumsiness, BB continued on.

She did not flinch at the idea of mounting the boy whilst sliding her hands up his legs and under the hem of the boy's shirt. In fact, the bold beauty let her hands cascade over the toned features of the youth's abdomen up to his pecs whilst leaning her own body on him more and more. Raizo attempted to speak in protest, but she silenced him by reaching forward and placing her fingers over his mouth with her left hand. The sly female wiggled her plump rear over the youth's groin area whilst locking her gaze with the red eyes of her target. Biting her bottom lip, she continued feeling the man's skin until she was completely smothering his body with her own. She placed both hands on his cheeks before sliding down his arms while kneading her large, bountiful breasts against him. Taking it a step further, she took the youth's hands and placed them on her ass underneath the skirt.

"W-What the hell are you doing?!" Sheele coughed in embarrassment as she opened her eyes to take note of what was going on.

"Fufu, oh nothing, I figured I'd explore Senpai's desire levels a bit to see if I could get a rise out of him. He's quite the specimen~" BB playfully winked.

"Now's not the time for that! Goodness, contain yourself at least!"

"Ehhh? Come on...we're both known as 'Famine' so...like, starving for sexual attention is okay right? Besides, the viewer ratings will shoot through the roof over fanservice of this magnitude!"

"Ugh...I don't mind a bold personality, but dealing with this is too much for my head to deal with."

"And that's exactly why I always take the driver's seat!"

"Umm...I...understand you two are having a moment but...c-can you please get off me now?" Raizo interrupted the duo with a blush on his face.

"Hoho...come now Senpai, you don't like the plump, thickness of my body? Surely you have more pent up frustration no? Let your cute kouhai take care of it. I'll be sure to extract everything down to the last drop~" BB winked whilst motioning her hand up and down in the air.

"BB...just get off of the boy already, this is a serious situation that we are discussing!" Sheele yelled with a flustered tone.

"Fine, fine," her counterpart sighed whilst doing as told before sitting normally on the couch.

"This isn't over yet Senpai, just you wait...we're gonna make an adult movie together some day!"

"Gonna pass on that...I have enough situations with women in my life as it currently stands," Raizo responded whilst sitting up and lowering his shirt.

"Playing hard to get eh? Oh my...quite the interesting case~"

"BB...FOCUS!"

"Anyways, so moving along with the topic at hand here...the deal is this: We, as Famine, don't really see ourselves allying with Arayashiki anymore. Sure the idea of changing the current system of things was appealing at first, but that woman just down right wants to delete and rewrite everything! I mean so many viewers just gone like that!"

Sheele shook her head sighed, "What BB actually means is that forsaking the innumerable lives within creation is not worth the change that Arayashiki ultimately seeks."

"Yeah Senpai...what she said. That little dream that you had, that was just one of the many futures that we analyzed. And lemme be the first to say this...no one survives in that or any of the others for that matter."

The God Hunter-in-training paused for a moment to mull over this fact before asking the main question.

"Why are you telling me all of this? I mean...Sheele, I saw what the other me did to the world in the Shatterpoint timeline. You were one of...his enemies. We are two different entities but ultimately similar existences. You should want to see me die at least, so...why?"

"That...is..." Sheele hesitantly began to say before BB answered.

"Let's save that complex story for another time, shall we? To give you a shorthand response: You're our only hope, Senpai! To win this you need to be complete, fully prepared and all that. Meanwhile, we will be Team AKARA's very own undercover agent."

"I see...but still...that-..."

"Looks like time's up for now Senpai! Remember what we told you, and make sure you win this thing for everyone's sake~"

Before he could utter a response, the boy woke up in the real world. Looking around the room, he recognized it as the same setting he shared last night with his first love. The visions of Assana's face among other happy thoughts ran through his mind recalling the quality time he spent with her. Knowing that there was a long day ahead of him, the male rose from the bed and stood up on the floor to stretch. The crispness of the cool air in the room wrapped around his stark naked frame. Just when he turned to pick his clothes up off the ground, the door opened up.

"I can't believe Sensei has so many girls chasing after his affection. Just what kind of people are we dealing with around here?" said Chris as she passed through the threshold.

"Well they are powerful beings that come from a different universe, love has no boundaries after all," Maria followed as she entered behind the girl.

"Meh, doesn't matter. We'll figure something out. Anyways, I just gotta grab a quick change of clothes before we start training today. Friggin' Hibiki is gonna have us running around the inside of the base again so...might as well grab some..."

"Eh? Chris-chan, what's the mat-..."

The attention of the two girls were instantly locked upon the visage of the naked man standing in his room. During that moment, they were able to grasp the full image of Raizo's body from head to toe uninterrupted by anyone. The heterochromia haired male turned to see the two women and knew the compromised position he was in. All at once, the three individuals blushed intensely.

"S-S-S-Sensei!!!! Wh-What are you doing in my room naked?" Chris shouted out.

"My goodness, have some decency already!" Maria followed as well.

Even though they were clearly perplexed and embarrassed, the two women were not trying to look away at the moment.

"H-Hey, it's not like I knew this was your room or anything! B-Besides, stop staring so I can get my clothes on at least! Or...shut the damn door before someone else sees me like this, idiot!"

"Who are you calling a damn idiot? You're the idiot coming into a girl's bedroom and getting naked! Plus you slept in my bed?! What the hell were you thinking of doing if I came in here last night, idiot?!"

"Sensei, I...I am speechless at the level of your boldness."

"Hey, how the hell was I supposed to know this was your room, Chris? And don't encourage her, Maria! I just woke up in here at some point last night. Jeez...anyways...just let me get dressed in peace already. Turn around or...something dammit!"

The lovely little exchange continued for a few more minutes, but eventually Raizo was able to get dressed in peace. After it was settled, the trio agreed not to say anything about this to anyone.

"By the way, Raizo-sensei..." Maria spoke as the youth was about to leave the room. Knowing what was about to be uttered, Chris had a worried look wash over her previously flustered face.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Your mother is awake."

Hearing Maria's words, the boy's eyes widened. Without a second's delay further, he quickly raced away from the area.

*****

Year: 4250 A.D., 16th of October

Time: 10:00 A.M.

"Hold still, I must complete the remaining tests before you can be discharged," Nightingale said as she stood by the bedside of the patient with a clipboard in hand while taking vitals.

"I told ya I'm fine dammit. Primordial regeneration is some next level hacking so lay off will ya? Jeez, it just took a little longer than usual," an annoyed female responded.

"Lucy, let the Nurse do her job. You were in a coma for quite some time. At one point, I thought I lost you for good," Mercer's voice spoke calmly trying to ease the nerves of his anxious wife.

"Babe, I understand you're all worried but this is a little much man. I'm fine, I keep tellin' y'all that. A sass pot like me needs to recharge her savage batteries every now and then. My rest was just forced so..."

"Sassy as always, Lucy-chan is back everyone," Akaro commented off to the side.

As Lucy turned her head, she saw the familiar faces of Team AKARA in the Crimson Envoy, Kimiko, Akame and Adena initially.

"There's my favorite little band of misfits. How's it goin' kids?" the blonde female smiled.

"Eh you know, existential crisis, reality threatening to come to an end, peeps teaming up that never thought they'd ever have the chance, and so on..." Akaro shrugged.

"The usual Omake stuff but with further spice of additional characters," Kimiko nodded.

"So I woke up just in time for the crossover? Jeez, I thought we were past that now...I mean you guys are almost always together so...what the hell writers?" Lucy sighed.

"Just another excuse for the fam to kick some ass, gotta love those moments," Adena chuckled.

"Oh hey...there's my soon-to-be daughter-in-law! So uh...how's things? Did ya make the home run yet?"

"I scored, so I can call you Mom now too right?"

"Yes, yes you can. In fact...we need to start talking about the future too. Speaking of which...where's my kid?"

"Trust me, he shall arrive shortly," a new voice entered the mix as the guise of the Sovereign appeared from the shadows.

"Ohoho...look who has finally made her return. It's been a long time hasn't it, Mo-chan? Or...is it all good to call ya Rei-chan now? Sorry about uh borrowing your role as Grand Saber and all."

"Do not worry about such trivialities dear friend. You helped me observe much of the happenings in this world during my time of need. It warms the heart to see your vigor return to you. And yes...you may call me in reference to my original name. The truth about me has been revealed. And I am fortunate to have been liberated from the curses that bound me to Purgatory."

"Heh good to know, looks like I missed quite a bit then. Still...where is..."

It was at this point that the door to the room slid open. Standing there was the vessel of the Son of the God Hunter slightly winded from his anticipation of what lied within the room. As he passed through the entryway, he could feel his heart pounding heavily in his chest. The throbbing of the muscle in his chest cavity felt like it jumped upward into his throat before sinking down into its proper position. As he crept his way forward, his family just cast casual glances his way but did not utter a single word. Instead, they just stepped aside knowing that there was no way the youth could be held back.

As he made his way past everyone, he saw his father standing there obscuring the view. The taller man just relinquished a curt nod before stepping to the side as he revealed the visage of the beautiful woman sitting up in the bed with a smile on his face.

"Hey kiddo, long time no see. Ya grown up a bit," Lucy grinned.

"M-Mom..." Raizo stammered over that word, his voice breaking up over the phonetic pronunciation of it.

He closed the gap between them before reaching her bedside. In that moment, he instantly just fell to his knees and leaned on her lap.

"You're really awake...I thought I lost you..." he said as tears began falling down his face.

"Me? Nah kiddo, no way I'm leavin' you or your Dad behind any time soon. I was just taking a little bit of a nap that's all. Heh, sorry for makin' ya worried over me. There, there," she said with that cheerful grin before patting the boy on the head.

In that moment, Mercer joined in by leaning downward and embracing both of them.

"My family is truly whole again," he said.

"Dammit...you two are gonna make me cry. At least lemme get outta bed first!"

"This is indeed a touching reunion, but as the dutiful medical professional I am, I must interrupt. The patient still needs to finish her final checkups before I am willing to discharge her and there are far too many bodies in the room. Therefore, I must ask that you all vacate this area and politely get out of my way. Otherwise someone will wind up on the autopsy table in the morgue," Nightingale threatened.

"Yeesh, no need to get all serious," Akaro tensed up with his hands in the air.

"Well to her point, all of us in the room does make the job a little harder," Akame suggested.

"Oh come on, as if germs or anything can affect all of us. We all have like mad immunity game and crap," Addy sighed.

"Now, now...let us not instigate any unnecessary conflict. Come along, and besides this gives us the chance to prepare for a meeting to discuss what is to come," Reina suggested.

As a result, Kimiko, Adena, Akaro, and Akame filed out of the room behind the Queen of Cocytus. Raizo did not want to leave his Mom's side, but Mercer just pat him on the shoulder gently.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine. It won't be long before we join you. Go with the others. Besides, your Mom needs to get caught up on everything she's missed since she was asleep," the God Hunter assured.

"Right...I understand, Dad. Then, I guess I'll see you soon Mom," the boy said with a slight sigh of disappointment.

"Heh, don't frown. Your Momma will be outta this baby in no time, 'kay? Now get goin', kiddo!" she spoke enthusiastically.

"Yes...only Mercer-san is allowed in the room for now...hurry along before I sign you up for a private exam again," Nightingale threatened with a slight grin.

"Er...no...let's not."

In that instant, Raizo quickly retreated from the room.

"Heh...damn how long was I out? Kid looks totally different...he feels different," Lucy said.

"It's been a month actually. There is much to tell you so I shall you through a mental link instead. That is, if you think you're up for it."

"Hey Babe, I was in coma...not dead. Besides, ya know I like a picture show alongside my long ass stories. Why do you think anime is so stimulating? I mean yeah...original source is great and all but...ya know...manga is as far as I'll go. Light Novels are snoresville. But anyways...let's do this."

With a slight smile, the long-haired man relinquished a curt nod. Words could not express the joy he felt in his heart to listen to his wife's witty humor once again. In truth, he could easily sit there and embrace her for as long as he needed to just out happiness in being reunited with her; however, the current state of affairs could not afford such luxuries.

"Nightingale, apologies for inconveniencing your tests but this has to be done," Mercer spoke.

"Do whatever you need to so long as the patient does not leave this room until after the tests are finished," the combat nurse responded.

With that, the King of Elysium closed his eyes and held his wife's hands in his own as a pale, golden energy emanated from his body before reaching out and covering her head. In that moment, Lucy was whisked through the events that have passed ever since the moment she fell in battle.

She witnessed the destruction of the heavenly realm of Elysium; countless heroes, Counter Guardians, and other Divine Spirits fell to the weight of the march by Erebus and Nyx alongside their vast army of darkness. She also saw the result of the endless destruction caused by the erasure of human history as well as the lingering moments in the war against Goetia and the Demon Gods. Then she was also forced to witness the heartbreaking death of her stepson by the hands of the Demon King and the rise of Indra.

From there, she was whisked through the next sequence of events. From the departure of allies from other worlds to the restoration of Earth in 4250 A.D. The Primordial Goddess of Time was able to see how the Heroic Spirits tried to assimilate in society along with the Symphogears too. As for Team AKARA, she observed how Raizo's demise rattled their morale to the core; the dissonance between them temporarily caused them to separate and grieve in their own unique ways. It was truly heart-wrenching to the point where the woman wanted to look away; but she knew that she had to see it through.

Eventually, Raizo's resurrection came to pass and everyone was reunited; yet it still came with its own share of dangers. She saw how the presence of the Horsemen became a thing and how their arrival gave rise to the next conflict. The Demon Gods' War was over, but that was just one tough battle in a multi-faceted assault. Arayashiki and Indra were still behind the scenes orchestrating something massive which led to the current time slot. The last vestige of cheer was her son's birthday party, but now it was time to get to work.

As the link ended, Lucy found herself shedding tears. Over the span of something as trivial as a single month, so much happened while she was in a coma. It was almost as if she was gone for nearly a lifetime because of the sheer weight of the experiences her friends and family endured; yet it was in just that tiny span of time.

"That was...quite a lot to process. And to think...all I've been doing this whole time is just sleeping. I mean...there's so much to say, but I can't find the right words to spit out. Yet out of everything, the one thing that is burned into my mind: our son died. He was killed in front of everyone's eyes and I wasn't there to protect him. I saved him once, but I failed to do it again because of my own situation. Sure, he's back and all but...still. It hurts. What if he never came back? What if I never got a chance to see him walk through that door? Dammit..." Lucy ranted whilst experiencing an emotional break.

"I know it hurts, but there was nothing you could do to change the outcome. Even I was helpless when it happened before my very eyes. All that matters is that we have him back now. And we are reunited as a family. We just have to make it through this trial before we can finally go home together," Mercer explained to alleviate his wife's pain.

"Right...sorry, I just had a sensitive mommy moment. Heh...makes me realize just how attached I've become to the pipsqueak. Anyways," the sassy goddess sighed before turning to the Nurse.

"Alrighty Berserker-chan...come poke and prod me so I can get the hell out of this damn bed already."

"I was going to do that whether you wanted me to or not. Now where did I put that needle..."

"Whoa, whoa...needle?! I thought it was just vital stuff! Babe, say something about this!"

"Just do as the doctor says," Mercer sighed.

"I'm gonna remember this!" Lucy cried out.

"Mercer-san, would you be so kind as to hold her arm out for me?" Nightingale said whilst making her approach.

1 HOUR LATER…

Time: 11:00 A.M.

Location: Assembly Room

While Lucy was finishing up her medical evaluation, Team AKARA, Inari, Vesta, Hikari and Reina were gathered inside the meeting room within Chaldea. It was a secluded office-like space with a wooden ellipse table that seated up to 13 people. In the middle of the area was a holographic sphere that represented the current state of the planet along with the monitoring of the residual energies coursing within it. Charts of the outer regions of space that was still observable by devices within Chaldea tracked the void-like heavens in search of the two most wanted beings in the Omniverse: Arayashiki and Indra. The meeting was meant to be on hold until Mercer and Lucy arrived...however, time was not exactly on anyone's side.

"It seems like we're just gonna have to get this party started," Akaro sighed with a slight shrug of the shoulders.

"Mom is gonna be okay...right?" Raizo asked with a hint of anxiety.

"Of course she will, Lucy-san just hates dealing with medical nonsense," Kimiko replied.

"If she had to deal with needles, then there is a reason why she and Mercer are running late," Akame stated.

"Eh? Momma don't like needles?" Addy asked with a head tilt.

"She despises them with a passion. But if you ask her if she's afraid of them, you're likely gonna get some exaggerated form of no. Which anyone with a clue will tell you otherwise," Akaro followed.

"Hmm...so even Goddesses have aversions to things? Interesting," Inari surmised.

"But needles are excellent torture devices from time to time," Hikari pointed out.

"Excuse me but do I hear a bunch of lil' shits taking a moment to talk about me and needles behind my back?" the voice of Lucy echoed out as she was escorted by wheelchair with Mercer as her driver.

"There's the woman of the hour!" Akaro clapped his hands in celebration.

"Don't try to distract me with a warm welcome, Hero-kun...heard ya been talkin' shit. Do I have to go around and smack a few of you kids on my first day back in action?"

"That depends...would you be willing to do it if I had a face full of needles?"

"Akaro...you idiot," Mercer sighed.

"Oi...Envoy...fukkyu...I am not afraid to chronostasis your punkass and make you into a crossdressing shota."

"Whoa...that's kinda drastic there," the Crimson Envoy shuddered, "But I'll still have the equipment of an adult."

"I will shrink that bitch down real quick."

"Um...Akame...mind helping your husband out here?"

The Red-Eyed Killer of legend was too busy pondering something to herself.

"Shota...Akaro...hmm..." she whispered whilst imagining how that could turn out.

"Babe? Hello? What's with that weird face your making?" the eldest of the Crimson Brothers inquired nervously.

"Ah...you see, that is the face of a woman who is experiencing her creative side," Vesta said whilst sipping from a cup of tea.

"Psst...if you need some tight leather and handcuffs, I have that covered," Hikari instigated.

"Oi, don't encourage her!"

"Wow Big Bro...I'm getting a whole new viewpoint of ya right now. So even you can be flustered eh?" Adena chuckled.

"Ahem, as much as comedy can ease a tense atmosphere...can we please focus on the discussion at hand?" Reina interrupted.

To that end, the excess chatter within the room settled down as the lights dimmed so that the meeting could begin.

"Let us start with everything we know so far."

"Allow me, Senpai," Akame began, "Human history is still for lack of a better word, erased. The conflict with Goetia and the Demon Gods left nigh irreparable damage that cannot be simply fixed while the current threat remains active. We managed to restore the foundation of humanity on this Earth and we know that the worlds of the Symphogears as well as our other allies still remain albeit just barely."

"We also know that the Grail's influence has completely disappeared from this world and only by alternative means are the current batch of Heroic Spirits able to exist," Akaro followed suit.

"Translation: You fucked them…" Lucy snidely commented.

"Oi, your kiddo helped in that regard too...just sayin'."

"Ehhh?! You were wrapped in this as well, Son?"

"Mom...Aniki...focus please..." Raizo shook his head.

"Anyways. We also know that the Arcana Crystal is still around even though most of its power should have been drained inside the Greater Grail, but Indra is somehow making use of it. But given what we now know of this 'Legion' character, it makes sense as to why he's obsessed over it," Vesta inserted her share of information.

"And why he targeted me by taking the essence of Agni out of my body," Adena finished.

"Just to throw in my two cents here," Inari interjected with a raised hand, "If this Legion chick is composed of technically 12 parts: six from the fragments of the Arcana Crystal and six more being the essences of the Deva Gods, then shouldn't there only be like 8 in play and 4 that are missing right now? I mean the Arcana Crystal, Indra, and then Agni. So...shouldn't we just focus on locating and capturing the other 4?"

"That is a valid point, what's the point of waiting for her resurrection when we can just stop that plan dead in its tracks and at most have to deal with a hyper-powered Lesser God and Arayashiki?" Hikari nodded in agreement.

"That would make the most sense to do...however, not everything is as simple as it seems to be. We would be wasting our time in this effort, wouldn't we Reina-san?" Kimiko said as the eyes in the room shifted to the Queen of Cocytus.

"Indeed. Now I imagine that the idea of the four essences being erased when all of the worlds across the Omniverse were wiped out by Goetia crossed your minds. In a way, you would be correct since their hosts are all currently deceased. However, despite being Lesser Gods, they are each a sliver of a Primordial being which affords their preservation that level of protection. Therefore, the remaining Devas—Rudra, Shiva, Kali and Durga—are all still alive and are currently in limbo somewhere in the cosmos. However, knowing Indra, he is using the Arcana Crystal as a beacon to draw each of them in."

"I see. It makes sense. Each of them are a part of Legion, therefore, each should possess some implicit desire to be made whole," Mercer surmised.

"Precisely. Whether the Devas realize it or not, all of their individual ambitions or goals that are harbored within their existences are all tied to their desire for greater power. In that sense, they want the Arcana Crystal in some way, shape or form. Once they obtain it, no matter who, they will want to use it to gather their siblings together which inadvertently causes them to merge into their truest self—Sakinah Vashti," Reina stated which caused a brief stint of silence over the room.

"One thing I'm trying to figure out is...what's the point of the Horsemen?" Adena asked.

"I believe their function was to be a fail safe. Each one of them had some tie to one of the major members of Team AKARA, right? So maybe Arayashiki's purpose was to make them take you guys out so the primary element of resistance is smothered," Hikari proposed.

"Conquest went after my lil' bro...War came for Addy, then Death came for me whom I converted to our side with my mad persuasion game. And no Lucy-chan, I didn't have to use my charms so don't go there."

"Oi, I wasn't gonna say anything. Though that didn't stop me from thinkin' it!" the blonde female smiled smugly.

"I'm hurt that you think so low of me," the Envoy sighed.

"To be fair old friend, you do have that habit about you from time to time," Mercer remarked.

"Indeed...which is why I feel like I have to put a leash on him at times," Akame shook her head.

"You get used to it," Kimiko said with a deadpan expression.

"Big Bro does like to be the player and get around," Adena shrugged.

"That's rather ironic coming from you," Inari quickly chimed in.

"Ah the Princess beat me to it...well darn," Vesta chuckled.

"Oi...both of ya...shuddap!"

"Truly amazing how even in times of great crisis, you lot have the time to crack these kind of jokes," Hikari said with a raised eyebrow.

Meanwhile Raizo sat in his chair quietly rummaging through his own thoughts. Seeing this out of the corner of her eye, Reina called order to the room by reaching out.

"Ma...ahem...I mean, Raizo-san, you appear to be perplexed. What is it that is bothering you?"

The chatter quickly died down as the attention was turned to the youth whom looked up with an expression of uncertainty.

"I...met the fourth and final Horseman."

"Wait...what? How? Are they here in Chaldea still? I didn't even sense anything!" Adena shouted in a panic.

"We need to get everyone on alert then. If we're under attack from within then we've dropped our guards due to yesterday's festivities," Vesta added.

"Hang on ladies, don't get the panties in a bunch. Ol' Raichu here clearly isn't finished," Akaro casually directed causing the atmosphere to settle.

"Go on, Raizo...tell us more," Kimiko urged calmly.

"The reason why none of you felt her presence was because I met her in my dreams. She uh...apparently decided to get my attention by showing me a horrific nightmare," Raizo continued.

"Yes...the realm of dreams is an entirely separate plain of existence that cannot be accessed by the conscience mind. In fact...it mirrors that of the Astral Plane in scope. But I digress, what exactly did she show you?" Reina asked.

"And who was she specifically?" Akame further inquired.

"I saw the future...just a glimmer of it. The entire world was terramorphed into a state of decay unlike any other. Mountains crumbled, rivers dried, the dirt was scorched, and all visible plant life was eroded. It literally looked worse than this Earth during its Dystopian phase when the Grail War was going down. All around me, all I could see was death. I...even caught a glimpse of all of you.

I was on my last leg leaning on my makeshift grave that I made for 'Raizo Arashi' back home. The strength was fading from my body, everything was going dark when I saw someone standing over me...telling me how all of this could have been avoided. In the distant skies, I saw the Root open up stretching endlessly into the vast expanse of the cosmos. The female standing over me said that she was going to change all of it by getting rid of the cycles for good. She gave me a chance to join her, but I resisted. Then I...and the rest of the world was erased in a snap. From there...my mind went blank before I awoke in a strange room that was like some weird set from one of those shows on T.V. that you all watched.

That's when I saw her...the last Horseman. There were two women...both of which held similar appearances. The first one was Sheele..." Raizo explained.

"What? Sheele? As in...the first of Night Raid who died, Sheele?" Akame asked in disbelief.

"She's alive?" Akaro spoke up with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes...but...it's the incarnation of her from the Shatterpoint timeline. So...she's the same but different. She's a clumsy pacifist who disliked killing yet she still worked with the Phantom Siege. She told me that Arayashiki hated that part of her so she was infused with an Artificial Intelligence called B.B."

"Oh you have got to be fucking kidding me..." the Crimson Envoy sighed.

"Yooo I remember her. She was a sass pot too but savage as hell. Clearly best girl from Fate/Extra...just sayin'," Lucy inserted.

"Dear...don't confuse everyone with your video game habits."

"Fine, fine...damn Alex...ya gotta let me have my fun here."

"Ahem...but yes...BB and Sheele take up the role as Famine among the Four Horsemen. She was the one who showed me that terrible dream. She also informed me that it was just one of many millions of outcomes in which we fight Legion and Arayashiki and ultimately lose. Yet surprisingly enough, she doesn't want that. She said that she'd work with us to try and defeat both of them. I don't know how, but that was what was said."

"I see...so according to her, we lose...then it seems we will have to force our way to create the one outcome in which we do not meet such a fate," Reina declared.

"We shall train harder than ever and I shall send word to my armies in Cocytus to mobilize for an all-out war. By Akasha's grace, we will survive this conflict and save the Omniverse from this grim endeavor. Everyone in Chaldea will have to prepare as well. In addition, if Elysium has any forces to spare then we must bring them too. Legion and Arayashiki must be stopped, whatever it takes."

In spite of that rousing speech, most of the members of Team AKARA were still feeling concerned to some degree. After all, this was an existential crisis on a whole new level.

"You know...instead of mounting our offense here, there is a chance that we could take the fight straight to their backyard," Hikari began. This caused a shift in attention.

"Oi Sovereign...you can observe the Omniverse or something to that degree right? What if I were to tell you that I know exactly where the lost dimension that Indra was hiding in was located? That might help you find Arayashiki, right?"

"You have my attention," Reina responded.

"I'll be sure to pass it along with the time comes. For now, we have to get ready, right?"

"Indeed, Devil Queen. To that end, Mercer-san, Lucy-san...I shall leave the Elysium side of things to you. I just sent my orders down to Cocytus so it will not be long until the preparations are complete there."

"The fuck? That damn quick?" Adena asked in shock.

"I am always connected to Cocytus, even when I am not physically there. My Cardinal Four never fail when I call upon them. But that is beside the point. Team AKARA, Vesta, Hikari, and Inari...you eight are with me."

"Senpai, what's going on?" Akame asked.

"I shall increase our training regimen. There is no more time to hesitate."

"Oi, oi, whoa...why the hell do I have go? I'm pretty sure I can manage on my own with preparing for this shit," Inari protested.

"And I'm not exactly all for doing group training sessions. I'm plenty strong as it is," Hikari followed suit.

"True...you are both powerful warriors...all of you are, however, you have not been pushed enough. For this final session, I must teach each one of you individually with as much time as possible uninterrupted by the outside world."

Reina caused eight balls of black flame with spiraling crimson and indigo aura to orbit around her palm. In that moment, she shot them out to each of the individuals she was going to train before they were absorbed inside of the essences. Before disappearing herself, the Sovereign looked to Mercer and Lucy.

"I shall leave the rest to you. Please make sure no one disturbs this room," she requested.

"Understood, good luck," the legendary hero nodded.

"Take good care of the brats for me," the time goddess smiled.

"I will," she said before fading out.

Whisked into an unknown space, the eight warriors found themselves in separate alternate spaces that were white voids with auroras of cool colors spiraling in the air. Before they could ask any questions, Reina appeared before them.

"Welcome to your very own, personal reality marble separated from the world and isolated from your fellow teammates. In this space, time is slowed down where one second is about a millionth of a second in the present space. This is to allocate plenty of time to train. While we are here, I shall develop your skills and pass onto you some knowledge of mine that will push you into a new direction that shall cause your fighting styles to evolve beyond your wildest dreams. At least, I hope that is the case. Otherwise, I might wind up killing you. Apologies in advance. Anyways, it is time that I taught you all how to be truly resolute like me," Reina explained simultaneously to the individual 8.

"I am satisfied with Team AKARA's teamwork thus far; however, there is much more to be done. I need their absolute best if we are going to win. I was not expecting to face Legion again in my lifetime. If nothing else, I have to pass on all that I know just in case this battle is my last."

Reina reached out to the side and summoned her trusted blade—the Kanemitsu.

"Come, let me show you everything I have to teach."

With that, the most gruesome training ever experienced by the eight began.