Sky Striker Princess, but the swan song of Valkyrie.

Serena, who had also noticed the situation outside, thought for a moment and came to this conclusion.

"That's probably the case. And, using noise, which she doesn't like to use, to fight, she's probably been forced into a corner."

Naztasha also provided an analysis based on her understanding.

However, despite knowing all this, they had no way to change their situation as they were surrounded by noise and could only follow Zero's instructions.

This situation changed after a short while.

"Something's moving... Is that... a wing?"

As Maria moved forward, she observed the surrounding swarms of noise and noticed that the noise in the distance was being rapidly slaughtered like leeks. Soon, using her familiarity from her daily training, she recognized the person who had come.

“That’s your companion, sister. They’re here to see you, right? If there’s anything that could make Lingyi so flustered, your companion is probably one of the reasons.”

Serena made this inference.

As she spoke, Kazemiya, riding a motorcycle, had already closed in on the group. She leaped from the motorcycle, and as the motorcycle exploded, she traversed countless noises to reach them.

"Maria, enough with the small talk, shall we fight together?"

Without saying much due to the urgency of the situation, Kazami Wing, who had repelled the noise around him with [Reverse Rakshasa], handed a silver reagent to Maria.

"This is... a fusion reagent? [Silver Bowl], Tsubasa, did you also use something similar to dress up as Ame no Habakiri...?"

Taking the reagent and considering the current situation, Maria quickly understood its purpose and realized that Kazemikaze had probably invited her to participate in some intense battle out of trust in her companion.

"Can I really do it?"

Upon learning this, Maria's face showed an unconscious hesitation. She was unsure whether she, being so weak, deserved this trust, and her words carried an unease.

You see, in this situation, she's not the only one who can wear the [Silver Bowl]; her younger sister is even more suited to it. This makes her wonder if there are better options besides herself.

“Sister, there’s no need to consider whether you can do it. You just need to think about whether you want to do it. Besides, those are your companions, and the people you need to save are people you respect.”

Noticing the expression on Maria's face, Serena smiled and placed her hand on Maria, offering gentle encouragement.

“Phew... I understand, Serena. Even if I remain weak as always, I will no longer run away from it.”

With Serena's support, amidst the fierce battle, Maria, recalling Serena's past guidance, made her decision and pressed the reagent onto her own body.

[Seilien coffin-airget-lamh tron]

A solemn chant resounded, clothing transformed into light, and armor was donned, covering Maria's body in silver. Energy coalesced into a short sword and a silver bowl. Maria finally found her fighting spirit.

The rest is self-explanatory. Compared to Lydian Music Academy, which was overwhelmed by Xiaoqiege's attention and received a barrage of firepower, the noise on Kazan and Maria's side was much less.

With the help of Kazunari and Maria, the group quickly broke through the noise's encirclement. Maria found a black sedan, and Kazunari found a new, still-intact motorcycle.

So, after leaving Naztasia and Serena in the local shelter, Maria, Dr. Will, along with four support dolls and the young blonde alchemist, quickly gathered in the area where the musician was located in a black sedan, cleared by Kazanari's Blade Flash.

.........

Back to the present, after gathering together and setting up a simple base, they began to give brief explanations and summaries of their respective situations.

"I see, that's the situation on your end. But then again, why are you bringing Dr. Will along? What's the point?"

After listening to the stories of the others, Chris roughly understood the situation, and then turned her questions to the guy on the other side who had been making a lot of noise from the beginning, trying to attract attention.

"It's incredibly rude of you to call me a 'guy' when I'm supposed to be a hero. As for why you're including me, it's because a crisis is calling for heroes like me, and this place needs my heroic wisdom..."

"Because we need the Neferi in this guy's possession. With almost all the relics having been recovered by Zero and hidden somewhere, this is the only relic that can be found to activate the Mirror City."

Just as Dr. Will was about to say something, he was interrupted by Carol, who suddenly appeared wearing an alchemist's robe and explained why she had brought him along.

Previously, Dr. Weir had used a linker to inject Nephilim's cells into his own body, allowing them to deeply integrate with his body.

Since Dr. Will was at least still a living person, Zero did not take him back as a relic, but only sealed the Nafi portion of him.

"Hmph, this fusion was achieved using the linker I created. Although it appears to be only fused with my right hand, it is actually linked to my entire body and cannot be easily detached."

After Carol interrupted him, Dr. Will turned to showing off his genius, but by this time no one paid him any attention, and the few people present began to discuss the next steps.

"Carolo, what's the current plan? Is there anything else we're missing if we want to defeat Zero-chan?"

Hibiki Tachibana asked anxiously, her expression showing some unease.

When it comes to actually facing Zero head-on, all the previous anxiety, frustration, and fear will surge back into one's mind, making one unconsciously become even more anxious.

"No need to rush... Simply put, our primary goal right now is to completely destroy that 'territory' that's been modified by Zero, which is hovering not far away."

Carol stepped forward, pointed to the enormous shadow floating in mid-air not far away, and began to explain their current goal in detail to everyone present.

"'Territory'...wait, was that originally 'territory'?"

At Carol's prompting, Chris looked at the huge shadow shrouded in clouds not far away and realized that she had been wondering when a high mountain range had appeared in that direction.

"According to Finney's analysis, after Zero's modifications, that 'Territory' has become the center of domination that spans the entire world. Not only can it achieve absolute intelligence crushing, but in emergency situations, it can also use this domination to gather the string enhancements of all mankind, just like before."

"With the continuous boost of seven billion strings, there is no way we can defeat it. Therefore, your first priority in this battle is to completely destroy the core of that huge structure. This is the premise for our chance of victory."

Ignoring the astonishment of everyone present, Carol methodically conveyed the ideas she had discussed with Finney to the musicians present.

"Well—basically, we just need to rush in straight ahead at the shortest distance and fastest speed, right?"

Despite not fully understanding, Tachibana Hibiki explained what she needed to do in her simplest terms.

"...Ha, that's generally true, but the process wasn't that simple. As her most valued core area, it was naturally fortified with the strongest iron walls."

“I previously sent Elfnein with Farah and Rhea to investigate. Around that ‘territory,’ an absolutely impenetrable defensive barrier has been built by harmonizing the four elements and circulating them in a harmonious form around it.”

Despite some dissatisfaction, Carol patiently explained the problems they were facing after Elfnein's investigation.

"To breach that defensive barrier, we need to use immense power to blast a breach in one of the breaches, disrupting the complete energy cycle of the four elements. Well, never mind, you might not understand just by saying this. Anyway, bring these with you for now."

Realizing that explaining alchemy to them would be like casting pearls before swine, Carol turned to action, tossing six strange gems to the six people present.

What is this?

Taking the gemstone, Feng Mingyi examined it in his hand with a puzzled look.

[An item that allows non-alchemists to communicate telepathically, and it was encrypted during its creation. Although it's likely that guy will crack and interfere with it after a while, at least until then, it can effectively deliver our combat forces and support from the rear in a timely manner.]

Carol demonstrated the item's function to the group through her actions. After all, traditional communication technologies would most likely be rendered useless by Zero's interference, while such a creation of unorthodox technology would be relatively slow to be cracked or interfered with.

"Sounds a lot like something Zero gave me before?"

Looking at the item in her hand, Chris remembered that Zero had given her a similar item before.

"The principle is the same as the alchemist's telepathy. This is the most interference-resistant communication technology we can offer. We will communicate with you and provide support through this during the battle. Now, let's deal with another important matter."

Having delivered everything that needed to be delivered, Carol was finally able to begin executing the plan she valued, the one that would most likely give them the upper hand in the fight against Zero.

Suddenly, a phase portal appeared beside Carol, and from it, an ancient-style harp slowly emerged.

"Ah, if Master is doing this, it seems it's time for us to step down as well."

"Soft, but Mika hasn't participated in many battles yet..."

“Little Mika, we, who are now barely made from discarded materials, do not have the same powerful strength as before.”

"That's exactly right. So now it's appropriate for us to quietly make our exit and become the foundation of the Master."

Noticing Carol's actions, the four dolls realized that the time had come and reacted differently.

"What do you mean? Exit? And what's wrong with Carol??"

Hibiki Tachibana felt a little strange looking at the alchemist and the four puppets beside him.

"Symphogear players, in addition to the original holy relics, you have also been equipped with another combat system called Sword Draw, which was created using the magic sword Dainesreb."

"However, this level of power alone is not enough. Therefore, I need you all to use this sword-drawing system to help me complete an ultimate weapon that can absolutely fight against it."

"so……"

As Carol spoke, she played a few notes on her harp.

Immediately, the harp changed shape, and the strings transformed into Faust's robes, covering Carol's body. At the same time, Carol's body also grew, transforming from a loli into a mature woman.

"Fight, then kill this body of mine, destroy my four puppets, and as a help, I will annihilate everything as the Miracle Slayer when your miracles are overwhelmed by that guy."

Having grown into a mature woman, Carol stretched her body slightly and then declared war on the seven Symphogear players present.

"We... Yue@Yi* first release-... are we going to kill Carol?"

Hibiki Tachibana was somewhat unable to understand this sudden development.

“Go ahead and do it, Tachibana. This is my deal with her, and it’s the basis of our cooperation. She helps me, and I will help her achieve her goals.”

"Consider this a time to get used to drawing your sword before the final battle. So, let's fight, Tachibana."

Finney briefly emerged from Akatsuki's body, temporarily relieving Tachibana Hibiki of her worries.

"I understand. So, the destruction we're causing is actually helping Carol, right? If that's the case, then I'll do it. Draw the sword, is that what I'll do?"

Although she didn't quite understand many things, Hibiki Tachibana still managed to understand Carol's thoughts in her own way, and placed her hand on her chest without saying much.

P.S. I hope to get perfect attendance this month... right?

Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Breakthrough of the Final Battle

While the musicians were preparing their attack plan, Lingyi, who was at the core, was also doing her work, analyzing the various information she had obtained from Adam.

[In the prehistoric civilization, the Anunnaki encountered some kind of immense terror, which Adam himself was not entirely clear about. Furthermore, according to his memory, there existed a "me" in the prehistoric civilization, and that "I" was created by the same gods as him.]

In the calm and tranquil ocean of her mind, Lingyi was slowly contemplating the various events related to ancient civilizations.

[...If it's some kind of external intrusion, I couldn't possibly be unaware of it. Every step it takes leaves a trace. No matter how superb its stealth capabilities, it's impossible to completely conceal its intrusion path under multiple layers of scrutiny.]

Combining this with the memories in Adam's mind, well, I think I understand now. It wasn't some foreign object that invaded from the outside; more likely, it was something that had existed in my mind or memory from the beginning, and now it's awakening because of some kind of stimulus.

After some simple thought, and by carefully analyzing and combining the various doubts she had previously discovered, Lingyi came to this conclusion.

In fact, she had experienced similar things in the past, and she had suspected it for a long time, but she had never been able to be completely certain.

The reason, if you ask, is the complete relic she encountered called Sky Blade.

After spending a long time with it, Lingyi had already figured out the technology used in this creation and its hidden abilities. But it was only after figuring it out that she discovered a very contradictory thing.

That is, the shape of the Flash Blade was not inherently designed this way. Many of its technical functions could have been solved with better design solutions, but because of the shape, redundant and excessive technical additions were made.

It's like, other things like cost-effectiveness are secondary, the only thing that matters is the shape of the blade, which has to be black and red.

The same applies to the Sky Slash Machines and Sky Slash Armor. Many of their functional designs could have been improved by making unreasonable changes, but due to a certain obsession with appearance and function, they were all cut down to some extent.

Rather than being a product that was rationally created as a weapon, it is more like an artwork made out of some kind of insistence, using very high-end technology, where the target was drawn after the arrow was shot.

This matter had always been a question in Lingyi's mind, and as the development of the device progressed, many of its features were designed to suit her own personality, and it became very smooth to use, this question only deepened.

Now, with the help of Adam Weshout's generous gift of intelligence, Zero is able to glimpse the hidden truth. After analyzing his database, she has found a reason to explain these strange phenomena that have puzzled her.

That is, she had already existed and designed this whole set of equipment in the prehistoric civilization. Furthermore, due to some kind of accident in the prehistoric civilization, she was forced to clear (seven) (Lu Jiu Yao Ba Yue - Yi $ her memories and most of her abilities. And the reason for this accident was most likely the consciousness that had always been hidden in her heart.

If we take this conclusion as a premise, then many perplexing issues will be resolved.

Why am I appearing in this world in the form of Lingyi? It's because of something the gods of the ancient civilization did.

The reason I obtained the Sky Blade, a weapon with excellent compatibility, is because I designed it myself.

And why do I have some kind of consciousness in my heart but can't remember these things? It's because some invincible enemy from the ancient civilization was sealed inside my body, and losing my abilities is the price of that sealing.

As for how she did it, after recalling the designs and functions of the Sky Blade machines stored in the Sky Blade and their most powerful abilities, Zero had some guesses in her mind.

[Phew, that's all we can analyze for now. Now that we have a target for our investigation, we can focus our efforts in that direction.]

After completing a rough analysis of the information about Adam, Lingyi breathed a sigh of relief and temporarily put aside this matter that still required effort to yield results.

We can't rush things like this. Technology development is a gradual process, and no matter how anxious we are, we have to develop it step by step.

For now, let's deal with the most pressing matter: putting those who broke through the blockade back in place.

With her attention shifted from the major events of prehistoric civilizations, Lingyi began to focus on the small things at hand.

Soon, with a slight movement of her will, the current situation of the Symphogear musicians appeared before her. In an open space, almost all the musicians, clad in black armor, were gathered together. Beside them were a small pile of white ash and four fragments of Carol's dolls.

This is Neijiang... no, this might also be part of some plan I'm unaware of.

Upon seeing this scene, Lingyi immediately thought of it, but then rejected the idea, instead becoming more wary of what might happen next.

In short, no matter what they do, what I need to do remains unchanged. Let me see what resources I still have on hand that can be used to make weapons...

[Tch, my high-level Flashblade units and armor are running low on stock and need time to repair. There's practically nothing left. Damn Adam, couldn't you just surrender and let me save some trouble?]

Thinking about what to do with the musicians' spare clothes, she pulled up her current weapon inventory list, and the large number of urgent needs made her feel rather unhappy.

It can only be said that, as the prototype of humankind created by the gods of prehistoric civilizations, Adam did possess considerable strength. Although he did eventually suppress Adam, he did replace most of Adam's advanced weaponry.

[The current weaponry is far from sufficient to deal with the combined attack of seven musicians. Let's build up our forces first, repair the armor, and then launch an attack. For now, let's monitor their movements. Give me a day, and I should be able to repair it almost completely... Hmm?]