Sky Striker Princess, but the swan song of Valkyrie.

Maria made this statement, then pointed the tip of her spear at the nearest door behind her, delivering a powerful blow that caused it to collapse.

"Must we defeat Zero...?"

Standing on the back seat of the Windwing motorcycle, Chris recalled the scene when she arrived.

At that time, within the Second Division, after intense discussion and debate, they concluded that Zero had to be defeated before he could reactivate that terrifying control ability.

From any perspective, her attempt to dominate humanity must be completely stopped. So, I'm counting on you, Yukine and Tsubasa.

Kazanari Genjuro explained the necessity of doing so.

Based on my deduction, controlling over seven billion people simultaneously might not be an easy task for her, and she may currently be in a weakened state.

Finney provided feasibility through observation and knowledge.

Therefore, we must take advantage of this brief window to rush to Zero's side and defeat her.

Therefore, after a general discussion, Section Two dispatched her and Kazanari Tsubasa to carry out this mission.

"I hope it really goes as smoothly as Finney said... Um, senior, wait a minute, look ahead, isn't that Maria?"

While Chris was pondering how to confront Zero, she suddenly discovered the musician riding the black Gungnir on their path.

"So, even after Tachibana told her that Rei might do that kind of thing, she still planned to support Rei?"

Kazami, who had also noticed the other party's presence, understood Mary Adam's position after a moment's thought.

"Tch, we don't have time to waste here. We need to break through this barrier as soon as possible. Senior, I'll cover you from behind!"

"Ah, I understand."

After confirming the other party's hostility, Chris jumped off the car and entered attack mode, while Kazanari Tsubasa, driving his motorcycle with its extended blades, charged toward Maria, who was staring intently at her.

"Absolutely, we must stop you."

Maria, dressed in black Gungnir, waved her cloak as she faced the missiles flying towards her and the motorcycle hurtling towards her at high speed.

boom

Soon, amidst the clanging and explosions of weapons, Maria's battle against Kazanitsubasa and Chris began.

"Heh heh heh, as long as the linker integrated with Naphri's cells is injected into the arm, I can remotely control Naphri... Ahhh, the connection has been severed?!"

As Maria began to engage in combat, Dr. Will seemed to be trying to do something, but his obvious failure resulted in a groan of resentment.

"Why, Miss Maria, would you do this?"

On the other side, watching Maria in her armored suit battling alongside Kazanari Tsubasa and Chris, Hibiki Tachibana felt somewhat confused.

She didn't quite understand why Maria, who had no reason to stop her anymore, was going to fight so desperately at this time, even though, according to Naztasha, Zero and they were just partners.

“I might know a little about Maria. She has always been a gentle child, but too gentle, to the point that her personality is somewhat weak.”

Watching Maria fight as well, Naztasia closed her eyes and explained to Tachibana Hibiki with a slightly uncomfortable expression.

“Miss Maria…is she weak?”

Hibiki Tachibana was a little confused, since the Miss Maria she knew had always seemed very strong.

"Maria has never been particularly confident, and she has always struggled to cope well when faced with major decisions or difficult circumstances."

"However, at some point, these qualities gradually disappeared, and she became more confident and worked harder in her daily training."

“I originally thought this was a sign of her growth, but now it seems that’s not the case. The reason for this change is probably simply because she has found someone she can rely on.”

Naztasha recounted what she knew about Maria.

"Could it be, Zero-chan?"

Hibiki Tachibana quickly understood who Naztasha was referring to.

"He saved his sister in a moment of despair, managed everything around him perfectly, and could give convincing answers to any question. Such a mature, rational, and reliable person would probably be hard for the still immature Maria not to rely on."

"That's why, even though she knows that Lingyi might do something wrong, she's already developed a dependency and can't accept the outcome. Phew, I never realized this before."

Naztasha was a little frustrated. She hadn't expected that Maria had unknowingly accumulated such questions in her mind and was rambling on about them.

"I understand, um... Professor, I will try my best to persuade Miss Maria!"

Just as Naztashya was rambling on, Tachibana Hibiki nodded and loudly assured the somewhat bewildered Naztashya.

Then, Tachibana Hibiki turned around, looked at the battlefield that had been going on for some time, and rushed towards it without looking back, leaving Naztasha standing there, completely unable to understand her thought process.

"Wait, wait a minute, what's going on... Dr. Will, what do you want to do?"

When Kohinata Mirai saw her best friend's reckless actions, she tried to stop him, but Dr. Will blocked her way.

“Miss, I don’t want to do anything. I’m here to help you. You need to stop Lingyi now. Good, keep it up. I will assist you in this endeavor.”

With a somewhat manic smile, Dr. Will extended his hand, which was not injected with the Felicity cells, and placed a red pendant in his palm.

"This is... the Divine Beast Mirror?"

Kohinata Mirai recognized the Symphogear she had used before.

"That's exactly why, with my keen insight and resourcefulness, I seized the opportunity when I disembarked from that ship and managed to get my hands on this sacred relic."

Dr. Will proudly recounted his somewhat dishonorable actions.

"Does Lingyi know you did this?"

Kohinata Mirai couldn't help but complain.

“I’m pretty sure she doesn’t care where this technology that she’s basically figured out is going. So, Miss, accept it and use it to stop the world from coming where I can’t be a hero.”

As Kohinata Mirai spoke, Dr. Will threw the pendant of the Divine Beast Mirror to her, and Kohinata Mirai instinctively caught it.

"Strange person...wait, ring!"

Snapping out of Dr. Will's interruption, Kohinata Mirai remembered her original purpose and looked toward the battlefield, only to find that Tachibana Hibiki had already rushed to a position close to the battlefield.

The constant bombardment from various guns and missiles in the distance, combined with the intricate swordsmanship constructed by the changing forms of various sword blades around him.

Even though she used her cloak, which combined offense and defense, to escape danger, Maria felt that her defeat would come very quickly.

clang--

The sound of metal clashing rang out as Maria's gun clashed with Kazemiya's sword, while at the same time Chris's missiles relentlessly fired at her.

[We need to defend... Oh no, it's too late!]

Just as Maria was about to use her cloak to defend herself, she was too exhausted from the intense battle to react in time and was blasted away head-on.

"Cough-cough-"

Maria, feeling slightly unwell, used her spear to prop herself up; for her, fighting two opponents at once was still too much of a strain.

"Give up. Even if you want to stall for time, you can't stall for much longer."

After catching his breath, Fengmingyi raised his sword and warned Maria.

"Is that so? Well, you know I still have a trump card up my sleeve. Even if I have to make my final move here, I won't let you pass."

Realizing that defeat was inevitable, Maria decided to take a gamble and use the power of her final song to buy herself some more time.

Chapter 71 The Gathering of Combat Power

If Maria had to choose the person she could trust the most, her choice would undoubtedly be the girl who looked younger than her, Zero.

The unbelievable identity of the other party when they first met, the proper handling of the situation when rescuing Serena, the superior attitude when facing those ruthless adults, the patient and precise teaching when training him, and his upright conduct in daily life.

All of this gave Maria the confidence that entrusting tasks to Zero would definitely be fine.

So, when she heard that Lingyi might want to dominate the world, after setting aside her initial panic and resistance, her next thought was, 'That's not bad either.'

[That's right. Although the task involves absolute control, I can trust Zero. So, I just need to follow her orders as usual.]

This thought echoed in Maria's mind, prompting her to continue adhering to Zero's instructions until now.

That's good enough. This is all I can do.

Dressed in black Gungnir, Maria prepared to repel Kazanari Tsubasa's attempt to stop her with a single shot, then recklessly used her final song to abandon any thought about this difficult problem.

"No, this song absolutely cannot be a final farewell, Miss Maria, stop running away!"

But just as she was about to do so, an unexpected person appeared in front of her and caught the tip of her gun with his bare hands.

"Tachibana?!"

Hibiki Tachibana's sudden intervention caused Tsubasa Kazanari to quickly stop the sword she was about to swing.

“Miss Maria, what you are doing now is just running away from the problem. It won’t solve anything and will only make things worse.”

Holding Maria's gun tip, Tachibana Hibiki spoke firmly to Maria.

"Those who cannot fight should not wander on the battlefield. Besides, what do you know? Entrusting everything to Lingyi is the best choice. Even if she wants to dominate the world, the world under her domination will definitely become better."

Hibiki Tachibana's words stirred up intense emotions within Maria, prompting her to involuntarily express her opinion aloud.

"Yes, I believe that too. I believe that if it were Zero-chan, even if she ruled the world, she might actually be able to make the world a better place."

Hibiki Tachibana did not deny Maria's claims.

"Then why are you stopping me? Why are you stopping her?!"

Upon hearing Tachibana Hibiki's words, Maria questioned her.

"Miss Maria, do you really think that dominating the world would be a happy thing for Zero-chan? Won't it just make Zero-chan even more miserable?"

In response to Maria's question, Hibiki Tachibana countered with her own question.

"Is there even a need to ask about this? Throughout history, the position of those in power has always been... no, that's not right, if it's her."

Maria was about to say that this was only natural, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't convince herself to believe it.

The Lingyi she knew had never been interested in power, and even if she did acquire power, she would strive to assume the responsibilities that corresponded to those rights and make the fairest possible decisions.

As far as she knew, this was the kind of person who would never feel happy from dominating the world. With that in mind, she understood what Hibiki Tachibana wanted to express.

“Miss Maria, I will stop Zero-chan not only because I cannot allow humans to be controlled by that power, but also because I do not want Zero-chan to enter that painful situation, and I do not want her to continue to suffer like this.”

"I don't want Lingyi to be so lonely. I want to hold her hand and tell her that I will sincerely help her. So, you don't have to do everything alone!"

Faced with the hesitant Maria, Hibiki Tachibana continued to express her most sincere thoughts and feelings.

"What do you know? Someone as powerful as her could never solve a problem, so there must be a reason for her actions that I don't understand."

Hibiki Tachibana's words pierced Maria's heart, tearing open the contradiction she least wanted to think about.

The next moment, Maria, in agony, wanted to swing Gungnir in her hand to drive away the object of her pain.

[Balwisyall Nescell gungnirtron]

The hymn of Gungnir spontaneously came from Hibiki Tachibana's lips, and at the same time, the black Gungnir on Maria's body vanished in a flash of golden light.

"what are you up to?! "

Maria sensed something was wrong, and then she saw the energy that had disappeared from her body turn into specks of light and spread outwards, before converging back onto the girl in front of her.

"How could this be? The Fusionist wasn't a suitable candidate; it was because of your singing, so why is this happening!"

Unable to comprehend, this was a phenomenon beyond Maria's common sense. Under her gaze, the light on Tachibana Hibiki expanded and contracted like breathing, transforming into a posture that was somewhat familiar to her.

Immediately, her black armor was taken away and transformed into the white and gold Gungnir armor worn by Hibiki Tachibana.

"Tachibana, as expected of Tachibana, she can actually do something like this."

Upon seeing this, Kazanari Tsubasa was initially surprised, but upon realizing it was Tachibana Hibiki, she understood.

"That idiot, I just don't know how she did it, but she really knows how to do it."

Chris, who had also witnessed the entire event, put away the sniper rifle she had been aiming at Maria.

"Ha...ha...did I lose to you in spirit?"

After Tachibana Hibiki took away her equipment, Maria collapsed weakly and was supported by Tachibana Hibiki.

"I don't really understand either, I just did it because of a surge of energy."

Hibiki Tachibana was also confused about the current situation.

"I understand, Tachibana, what you said makes sense, but I really can't make the right judgment. Please, go stand by her side and help her."

Completely dejected, Maria said no more. After asking Tachibana Hibiki for help again, she sat down on the ground and closed her eyes to rest.

"Tachibana, now that you're back in the team, let's hurry up. According to Miss Koko's deduction, Rei is probably in a weakened state right now. If we want to defeat her, now is the best chance."

Upon arriving at Tachibana Hibiki's side, Kazanari Tsubasa briefly explained the current situation to her.