Sky Striker Princess, but the swan song of Valkyrie.

"Ouch, this hurts! Is this what real combat is like?"

"Kinata, be careful, your Divine Beast Mirror is too strong at attracting hatred."

Kohinata Mirai, who was forced to fall from the sky, and Kazanari Tsubasa, who was covering the enemy's evasion, also arrived here.

"Hey, wait a minute, why are we all gathered together?!"

At this moment, Chris noticed something was wrong. For some reason, as they exchanged blows with Nafi, the distance between them had inexplicably shortened.

"Oh no! Watch out! Scatter!"

The group, alerted, realized something was wrong, and then the intense heat emanating from the side made Feng Mingyi immediately understand the other party's thoughts.

A blazing fireball, an even larger and hotter fireball that had been accumulating for an unknown period of time, was already gathering in Nefertari's mouth and aimed at the people gathered there.

At the same time, the attacks from all around made it difficult for the musicians to escape the trajectory of this attack, and at this moment, they did not have time to set up their defensive barriers.

Soon enough, the intensely hot pillars of fire engulfed the performers.

However, as the smoke from the flames dissipated, what was revealed inside was a white ball of energy. Under the protection of this energy ball, no one was injured.

"Miss Maria!"

Hibiki Tachibana happily called out the name of the person who had shielded them from the attack.

A few minutes earlier, Maria had been watching Tachibana Hibiki and the others walk away from her, and she remained in place, falling into a bewildered silence.

"What should I do? What should I do? Should I leave... and continue to leave everything to others?"

Confusion and unease grew in Maria's heart. Now that Gangnir had been taken away by Tachibana Hibiki, logically speaking, there was nothing left for her to do here.

"But why can't I move my feet?"

However, thinking of what Tachibana Hibiki had just said, of the other party's firm words, and of... that girl whose back she could only ever see, Maria's steps faltered.

"Selena, what should I do?"

Feeling the vulnerability within her, Maria involuntarily took out a Gear belonging to her sister, who was not as weak as she was.

Gazing at the red crystal pendant, Maria seemed to see her sleeping sister reflected in it.

"Selena, if it were you, what would you do?"

Looking back on the past, Maria tried to find the answer, but the answer already existed in her heart.

She knew very well that Serena was a kind, gentle, and much stronger person than herself, who was willing to give her life to help others.

Therefore, the choices she would make would naturally be things that her weak self wants to do but dares not do, things that she wouldn't do if she shifted the responsibility to others.

The sound of a car engine came from the car. Maria looked up and saw the car driving up beside her, and on it, Naztasha in a wheelchair.

"Mum, I'm sorry, I lost, both in battle and in spirit."

Upon seeing the visitor, Maria dejectedly explained her current situation.

“I understand. So, Maria, now that you’ve failed and are no longer capable of fighting, would you like to come and visit Section Two?”

Naztasha knew this, but she didn't say much about it. Instead, she asked Maria if she wanted to wait together in a safe place.

"I...Mum, what should I do now?"

Naztasha's proposal left Maria hesitant, and ultimately, unable to make a decision, she sought advice from an elder she also greatly respected.

“I see… Maria, this is a decision only you can make.”

Seeing the confusion in Maria's eyes, Naztasha quickly understood, but she did not offer Maria any advice.

“Mum?”

Naztasha's words made Maria feel somewhat uneasy.

“Maria, you are very lucky to have met a strong person you can trust in during the most turbulent period of your life. This has undoubtedly provided you with a safe and comfortable environment to grow up in.”

“But this can’t last forever, Maria. As an independent person, you will eventually have to face the time when you make your own decisions and take responsibility for them.”

Therefore, I cannot make the decision for you.

Naztasha said to Maria.

"Take responsibility yourself..."

Naztasha's words once again brought the problem that Maria had been trying to avoid to the forefront.

[Sounds like that... I feel like I've heard them somewhere before. Ah, I remember now, Lingyi said something like that back then.]

If one day we face difficulties alone, without anyone to rely on, those of us who are now independent must have the ability to solve problems on our own.

Confused, Maria vaguely recalled the past. In her hazy memories, she remembered words that the other person had often said a long time ago.

"Phew...I see, I understand, Mum, I won't run away anymore."

Recalling the past and the words of the people she had met, Maria steeled herself and suppressed her inner weakness.

"Sorry, Section Two, I still have things I need to do right now."

Gripping Selena's Symphogear tightly in her hand, Maria turned around and ran resolutely toward the direction where the battle would begin.

So, now, when the six musicians are in danger, Maria appears and uses the energy field generated when she puts on her costume to shield them from Nephilim's attack.

"Hibiki Tachibana, I will no longer be confused. From now on, I will act in accordance with the justice in my heart."

Located within the energy field, Maria declared her current stance.

"Hmm? Read-y?i er. Yo-shan noon chess-chou liu】I?II er, let's fight together, Miss Maria!"

Hibiki Tachibana is also delighted to be able to fight alongside Maria.

Seeing that his attack had been blocked, Neferi launched a second attack, bombarding everyone's protective shields with high-temperature energy.

"Everyone, let's sing our final song together, and use the power of our final song to break through!"

Looking at her companions gathered around her, Tachibana Hibiki was the first to make this suggestion.

"Alright, let's show her our resolve!"

After being beaten for half a day, Chris agreed without much hesitation.

"We can't let Zero-chan suffer like this anymore." "Even though I don't understand it either, we have to defeat Death to help Zero-chan!"

Tsukuyomi and Akatsuki reached a consensus at the same time and held each other's hands.

"Let's do it together, Hibiki. With this power, let's bring her out of the abyss."

Although it was her first time, Kohinata Mirai had no intention of backing down.

"Whether out of a sense of self-protection or out of gratitude, if you are unable to control yourself, I will help you get rid of that pain."

Feng Mingyi sheathed his sword.

"This is a decision I made with my own will; I will no longer follow you around!"

Maria also solemnly expressed her determination.

A consensus was reached in their hearts, and the swan song began to echo in the air. The energy index gradually increased, and at the same time, the massive string gain used to illuminate the moon was also activated by the song.

The will of the seven was united, and the song awakened a miracle. The restrictions on Symphogear were lifted one by one, and the energy around the wearer transformed into wings.

X-Drive, the previously briefly available unlocked mode, is now activated thanks to the seven's final performance, the immense string amplification remaining here, and the one in ten thousand miracle.

A streak of multicolored light flashed, and Neferi, who had been difficult to defeat before, was completely defeated by this power in just an instant.

Chapter 73 One Against Seven

A rainbow-colored stream of light pierced through Nefertari's chest, unleashing the power of the Limit Release Mode within him. The energy within the defeated Nefertari exploded.

With their backs to the explosion, Hibiki, Mirai, Chris, Tsubasa, Cho, Kira, and Maria all looked upwards; the people there were their targets.

"Let's attack together, everyone!"

Nodding to her companions, Hibiki Tachibana threw a punch forward, activated the energy wings on her back, and launched the first attack.

Obviously, it wouldn't go so smoothly. Before she could even prepare herself, she suddenly felt a strong pressure acting on her.

All the battle maidens felt this pressure and it took them several seconds to stabilize themselves in the chaotic gravity field that was sometimes rising and sometimes falling, and land on the territory.

"Ha, he's even resorting to this kind of attack. Has that guy run out of cards to play?"

Although gravitational field disorder is a very powerful attack, it is not an unacceptable attack for the battle maidens who are currently spewing energy wings.

With just a slight adjustment in attitude, it can continue to fly upwards without any obstruction.

"No, Yukine, this is probably just a greeting, and it seems we don't need to go looking for her."

Steadying himself, Feng Mingyi gripped the sword tightly with both hands, and looked warily at the figures standing in front of them, silently watching their silhouettes as he spoke.

"Zero-chan...has she recovered?"

Looking at that white-gold figure, Hibiki Tachibana realized this fact.

While they were defeating Neferi, Zero also recovered from her weakened state; they were ultimately a step too late.

Even if we recover, we'll be stronger than before!

Chris didn't care about that, after all, they were much stronger than before when they activated XD mode, and they could even fight them head-on.

"Zero-chan, stop fighting. Maybe there's another way besides doing something so sad. Let's go back together. I... and everyone else will help you."

Before the battle began, Hibiki Tachibana wanted to make one last attempt to persuade him to avoid fighting.

"...Does this mean you think you're guaranteed to win?"

After Chris asked the question, Zero, who had been silent all along, raised her head slightly, raised her Flash Blade and aimed it at them. Her emerald green pupils reflected the colorful energy light emanating from the musicians who were hovering near the ground.

“Read, no, I just…”

"Indeed, it's really strong. The power unleashed by the release of the restrictions on the seven Symphogears is indeed terrifying."

"However, I will not surrender easily. A battle is not something that can be decided by simply comparing strength. The winner is still uncertain."

Before Tachibana Hibiki could finish speaking, Rei interrupted her, first acknowledging the power of the warriors, and then uttering words that showed no intention of surrender.

"Are you really that stubborn? Is that kind of thing really that important? Does it have to be this serious?"

Chris was stunned by Zero's words, and then angrily expressed her incomprehension.

"Really, is it impossible to avoid fighting?"

On the other hand, Kohinata Mirai, still clinging to a sliver of hope, is finding it hard to accept what is about to happen.

"Since you've put all your strength into it, I'll do the same. Let's fight with all our might and decide which side is right through this battle."

Ignoring Chris and Kohinata Mirai's words, the red patterns on the flash blade in Zero's hand began to glow.

"Well then, I'll just have to beat you up before taking you back!"

Enraged by Zero's words, Chris's armor extended numerous cannons, all aimed at Zero in front of her.

...........

Seeing that battle was inevitable, the others also prepared for it.

In an instant, sword energy, circular saws, and cannon fire took the lead, followed closely by fist-shaped scythes and short swords. Finally, the mirror began to gather its power.

Facing this opponent who had consistently maintained the upper hand in countless battles, all the battle maidens gave it their all.

"Open up, Flashblade Sky Zone Zero, construction complete, multi-mission sword mechanism, energy shortage resolved, now display your full glory."

Lingyi also offered her response: just before the ranged attack was about to hit, she activated the fortifications she had been building and perfecting ever since she took control of the territory.

Specks of light appeared, and the entire territory was enveloped in a dark blue glow. Illusory hexagons shimmered and were arranged closely throughout the environment, instead of appearing individually as before.

Immediately afterward, before the battle maidens could react, the sword energy circular saw and the artillery fire were each swallowed up by the white hexagon that lit up in front of them.

"Alright, here you go."

The next moment, Zero opened her arms to Tachibana Hibiki, Maria, and Akatsuki Kirika who were rushing towards her. As the hexagon in front of them materialized, the attack that had just been swallowed came to them.

"That's so unreasonable, Death!"

Completely unexpected, the attack struck Akatsuki directly, while Tachibana Hibiki and Maria barely managed to defend against the reflected attack before they could even react.

"ring--"

Seeing Tachibana Hibiki get hit, Kohinata Mirai glanced at her with concern before trying to point the mirror at Rei.

However, the spot where Lingyi had just been was now empty, replaced by the sound of something cutting through the air coming from behind her.

"Watch out, future older sister!"