Sky Striker Princess, but the swan song of Valkyrie.

If the bright white armor that Zero wore before represented never giving up hope and always adhering to the rational and stable use of power to achieve her goals.

Therefore, this armor, which is a mix of black and scarlet, definitely possesses an ominous power that is different from that of the bright white armor.

“Yi Ling Qi Ba Si Qi Wu Liu Wu, uh… enemy.”

Almost without hesitation, Zero, having finished dressing, immediately roared and raised his head, his scarlet mask aimed at the white-haired girl who was still reeling from the shock, and he stretched out his hand.

"Tiger Shark"

With a concise command, black and red smoke billowed out from the armor, coalescing into the shape of a shark. Then, without the slightest hesitation, the smoke-condensed shark opened its massive jaws and charged toward Chris, tearing at her.

"Oh no, Killer Ichaivaltron!"

There was no time to think about what was going on. The ethereal chant was sung rapidly amidst the roar, and the crimson Symphogear covered her body. At the same time, Chris crossed two red crossbows in front of her.

"Aaaaaahh ...

Shot away without any mercy, like a flying insect being bitten and slammed against the rooftop wall by the illusory shark, Chris screamed in agony from the sudden pain.

"My arm hurts so much, it's bleeding, and I can't move it."

When Chris recovered from the excruciating pain, she realized that the biting attack had not only damaged the ArmdGear on her arm, but the sharp teeth formed by the energy dust had also left deep, bleeding wounds that exposed bone.

[If I hadn't dressed in time, I would definitely have died from that attack... So, in this form, she possesses a ruthless, all-or-nothing power to destroy everything in a desperate battle.]

In the brief exchange, Chris realized that she was facing a completely different Zero, who was seriously trying to take her life.

"...This is really unexpected. I never thought you had this side to you. Why did you never show it before, but only now?"

"I already know the answer, don't I?"

Looking at Zero's unprecedented demeanor and recalling the past, Chris gradually understood why Zero had never wavered.

I fear that once she wavers, her enemies will likely be met with this reckless, berserk form that destroys all threats.

It was precisely because she didn't want to fall into this state of self-abandonment that she constantly increased her strength, making herself capable of handling anything at any time.

"Threat, escalating...kill, threat!"

Having failed to kill Chris with her first attack, Zero silently analyzed the situation and then launched an attack, charging directly at Chris and smashing her Flash Blade like a stick.

Oh—poof—boom—

"This kind of attack has absolutely no technique... but the force is really great."

Without time to treat the wound on her hand, Chris swung her broken crossbow with all her might.

Fortunately, although her close combat skills were not very good, Zero in this state had absolutely no skills to speak of.

He leaped up and slammed his sword down, then wildly swung his sword in a chaotic flurry, and occasionally charged forward with his head or body in a desperate attack.

They abandoned defense, giving up all defense and leaving only offense, an endless, reckless attack like a wounded beast.

"Ouch, that hurts."

The injury to her arm affected Chris's mental state, and the terror of life and death weighed heavily on her nerves.

Before she could react, Chris's body was violently slammed against the rooftop by Lingyi, leaving a crack in the roof.

"I have to stop her, it's my responsibility!"

With her arm drooping in pain and numbness, the powerless Chris tried to get up again.

"【Black Widow - Anchor Grab】"

But at this moment, Zero, who was in a berserk state, seemed to have grown tired of this game.

Black smoke billowed out of the armor once more. This time, the smoke coalesced into a spider-like chain claw with black ropes attached. The chain claw shot out and slammed down on Chris's body, who had not yet had time to get up.

"What is this... Ughhhhhh!"

The next moment, before Chris could struggle free, a potent poison and a high-voltage electric shock were simultaneously injected into her body. The unbearable stinging pain of being pierced by thousands of needles, as well as the burning and convulsing sensation from the high-voltage electricity, caused her immense suffering.

But the attack is not over yet; this pain is merely a prelude to prevent the target from escaping.

The deadly attack began to gather as the dark bio-matter's claws pressed it to the ground, and the black and red blade in Lingyi's hand flashed with intense red light.

"【Red Arrow】"

A crimson liquid gushed from the flash blade, propelling it into the air. Zero, whose gaze was obscured by the red mask, kept a close eye on Chris in the center of the rooftop.

The crimson blade energy slammed into Chris, the immense force piercing through the building and sending Chris crashing to the ground floor amidst the relentless impacts.

This was the first time Chris had ever suffered such a wound. All sorts of attacks were happening to her at once, and the unprecedented amount of pain nearly broke her nerves.

However, Chris could endure these things; she was prepared to bear them when she became a warrior.

P.S. Good afternoon, [Name/Title - likely a phone number or similar].

Chapter Fifty-Five: Showing No Mercy

I don't know how many ribs were broken, my lungs seemed to be pierced, and every breath I took was accompanied by pain.

The abdominal cramps were intense, as if the intestines and other organs had been torn to pieces by the violent impact.

The most serious injury was a laceration on his arm that was cut open and almost severed, with blood gushing out continuously.

However, none of that matters.

Physical pain, however severe, can be endured; but the death of the body, once one understands one's own needs, is no longer feared.

However, there was one thing that Chris absolutely could not accept.

"Hey, what are you doing? Don't... don't pay attention to that side, look this way!"

Seeing Lingyi's actions, Chris felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave. She shouted with all her might, trying to attract the other person's attention.

After blasting Chris through the roof to the ground floor, Zero silently watched her struggle on the ground.

"Attack has pierced the heart; death will occur in moments."

Then, seemingly confirming that she would die from this injury after a while, she turned to look in other directions, where crowds of people were fleeing, not understanding what had happened.

It is something that looks threatening and needs to be destroyed, because it can be hostile to you for all sorts of incomprehensible reasons, and ultimately it may harm the things you value.

Even things that seem harmless at first glance should be destroyed, because what seems harmless may become threatening as it grows, and then it may also harm the things you value.

Even things you value should be destroyed, because those things you value may, for various reasons, become hostile to you and harm other things you value.

Once suspicion is established, a thousand reasons can be found to presume guilt, and then, in order to suppress the unspeakable fear brought about by that suspicion, everything must be destroyed.

The final outcome can only be a void after destruction, where nothing remains and nothing exists anymore.

"The threat... cannot be left behind, destroy it—"

Then, the goggles lit up red, and Zero, tilting her head and having reached a certain thought process, raised her arm. The jet-black mimicking tiger shark that she had previously used to attack Chris was now aimed at the crowd.

beak--

"I told you, keep your eyes on me!"

However, it was stopped; before the trigger could be pulled, it was shattered by a scattering missile from the side.

Despite being covered in injuries and lying on the ground, Chris still managed to open one of the magazines of her Symphogear and fire, interrupting Zero's attack.

"I will absolutely not let you do such a thing!"

Despite her battered and bruised body, Chris endured the pain for the time being and did her best to attract Zero's attention.

"Strange, restoration?"

As she wished, seemingly puzzled as to why she could still move, Lingyi's attention shifted to her. She looked at her with a puzzled expression, raised the blade in her hand, and slashed at her.

[Yukine, Yukine, how's the situation on your end?!]

At the same time, a message from SONG finally connected came through the headset communication device carried in Symphogear.

"Too slow... hiss—anyway, Zero has gone berserk! Give me directions to the surrounding no-man's land!"

While trying to avoid attacking vital points as much as possible, Chris concisely presented the current situation and needs.

[Rampage... I understand. The surrounding no-man's-land is the battlefield where you fought Zero before. The personnel there haven't been assigned yet.]

Without saying much, after checking, SONG quickly found a place that met Chris's requirements and delivered it promptly.

"Ah, I get it."

After receiving the information, Chris felt reassured and focused her attention on Lingyi, who was being held tightly by her body and unable to come to any end.

Chris understood that with her broken body, it was impossible to avoid all attacks, and it would be even more difficult to avoid losing aggro.

So when Lingyi swung the blade again, she used her body to meet it, letting the scorching blade pierce through her body, and desperately grabbed Lingyi's hand holding the knife with both hands.

..........

Zero didn't understand Chris's struggling, but she still began to exert force, pressing the blade little by little against Chris's heart.

"It really... hurts, it's merciless."

Facing the red mask, Chris deeply felt the chilling killing intent emanating from her.

"But I will never die... I will live even if I die. It was so hard to get you to show your true self. This is the best moment I've ever had."

However, even as Chris faced the chilling killing intent, a slight smile appeared on her lips amidst the pain.

Throughout her battles with Lingyi, the oppressive feeling emanating from her opponent's consistently effortless demeanor made her believe that they could never defeat her in this lifetime.

However, Lingyi's current state clearly shows that she has been pushed to the edge of a cliff. She, who has never shown any signs of weakness, has finally shown a glimmer of hope that she can be defeated.

Therefore, we must persevere. Will all our efforts be in vain, leading us to hell, or will we truly save her and go together to the happiest ending?

Everything will be decided by this battle of fate.

Therefore, let's bet everything here; there's no better time to go all in than now.

“I am really looking forward to watching the fireworks with you again in the most relaxed state, without thinking about those painful things, and drawing my sword, Daines Reibu.”

With her right hand gripping tightly and her left hand clutching the pendant at her chest, Chris smiled gently as she gazed at the person shrouded in darkness before her, activating her sword-drawing mode.

In an instant, pitch-black energy surged from her body, spreading all over her body. Then, the brand-new protective gear, which had never been damaged and remained in the state of being pierced, covered Chris's body with black armor.

The fusion of relics brings not only an increase in explosive power and defense, but also the Symphogear, which constantly generates and reconstructs energy within the body. When stimulated intensely, it can even help heal serious injuries.

Although the price of this recovery is that the body moves closer and closer to the relic in the process, speeding towards the end where the whole person turns into a mindless humanoid relic.

However, it is undeniable that this process can indeed allow the performer to unleash power far beyond what is reasonable.

"【Exterminate Ten Thousand】"

With the boost from drawing their swords, two homing missiles appeared out of thin air beneath the conjoined pair without needing to charge up.

Then, a missile ignited, blasting open a passage through the already crumbling ruins, followed closely by another missile.

..........

"Hmm...Future, what do you think is happening over there?"

“Indeed, it looks like something collapsed, soft, wait, look, that’s Chris’s guide bullet.”

At the same time, Tachibana Hibiki and Kohinata Mirai, who were still confused about what was happening, saw panicked crowds scattering and fleeing around a building not far away. The building itself collapsed first, and then after the explosion, a homing missile that they recognized flew out from inside.

"Really, it's Chris on the missile... no, there's someone else besides Chris... the enemy?!"

Hibiki Tachibana, who also noticed Chris's missile, saw something else.

"Tachibana, Hinata, Uncle said Rei has gone berserk, and Yukine is stalling for time. She needs our help!"

Just as the two were feeling confused about the current situation, Kazami Tsubasa drove his motorcycle quickly through the crowd and came to stand in front of them.

After confirming Chris's plans, Kazanari Genjuro immediately began contacting players with combat capabilities, starting with Kazanari Tsubasa, who had a means of transportation.

"Zero has gone berserk. I understand, Miss Yi. Let's discuss the rest in the car."

"Yes, together in the future."

Understanding the urgency of the situation, the two got into Kazami Wing's car.

Immediately, the roar of the motorcycle rang out, and it sped off towards Chris's destination in one go, leaving everyone else in the dust.

At the same time, Tsukuyomi Chowa and Akatsuki Kirika also encountered Maria, who had also received the same message and was driving away in a black luxury sedan with them.

.........

The wind whistled past her ears, the blade pierced her body, and the tug-of-war between repair and destruction forces brought Chris an excruciating experience. Blood flowed freely from her body, only to be replaced by the artifact's repairing power and its crystals.

One kilometer left...

Clutching her missile tightly, Chris pressed Zero's body against it, using this position to restrain and immobilize it, thus buying Chris a considerable amount of time.