Chapter 21: The attack of autoscorer

From what I've gathered, our idol activities are temporarily suspended as we focus on the Carol attacks and her alchemist allies. I'm currently alone with Elfnein, observing her fidgeting. It's ironic, considering she's unaware she's merely a puppet, albeit one with implanted memories that Carol used to grant her a real body.

"You're Elfnein, correct? How much do you remember from when you worked with Carol?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" she replied.

"Do you honestly believe Carol would let you run around without it being part of her plan? If so, you're more naive than I thought. But in a way, that's a good thing."

I patted Elfnein's head, a faint smile forming on my face. Carol used to be like this before her father died. But alchemy was forbidden back then, grouped with witchcraft, which is why he was burned at the stake. I still wonder why they spared Carol; she was there too.

"I know you're a homunculus. Let's just say I'm from the future, so I'm aware of a fair amount of what's happening, including the fact that you're still under Carol's control."

"Carol is controlling me?"

"Yes. In fact, letting you go is part of her plan. She needs Symphogear. And even if her plan succeeds, she's still missing a key component. I don't intend to let you witness it, because I know Carol can see and hear through you, isn't that right, Carol Malus Dienheim?"

The moment I spoke her name, Carol appeared, a hologram-like projection. Elfnein was startled, but Carol ignored her, glaring at me, which was expected. I already knew her plan.

"Oh, so you decided to show yourself. Is it because you think I'll really interfere? Or do you see me as a bigger threat now? Regardless, how far along are you with your memory collection? Has Micha Jawkan been activated yet, or is Garie still gathering memories?"

"Tch... you're asking too much, and you know too much as well."

"I already said, I'm from the future. But don't worry, I won't disrupt your plan. Even if I killed you and the Autoscorers with the Ignite Module, it still wouldn't be enough to stop it."

Elfnein looked shocked, while Carol continued to glare at me.

"But seriously, even though your father didn't want you to do this, you're going to end up destroying the world that killed him. It's ironic, isn't it? The father wanted to protect the world, while the daughter wants to destroy it."

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ME?"

"You're angry because you know I'm right. Do you really think your father was so weak that he was captured by normal villagers?"

She fell silent, which was to be expected.

"Well, I won't bother with your plan anymore since what you're doing is greatly benefiting me anyway. I was merely using your plan."

"What do you mean by that?"

"All this time, it was Carol's plan?"

Elfnein looks like she's breaking down, so I just pat her head as I look at Carol.

"You see, I used to be the kind of guy—I mean girl—who liked my endings to be perfect, the way I dreamed of them. That's why I often took drastic charge to pursue them, even if it meant sacrificing a lot of people."

Hearing my words and noticing my stare, she flinches and takes a step back, which I find rude, but I guess it's normal.

"Don't worry, I will make sure the others don't know about it, since your plan is—let's just say—a stage play for me. In the future, there will be many evils that make your plan look like child's play."

"A child's play, you say? That's a lot of words for someone who got done in by my Alca-Noise."

"Pfffttt, ahahahaa, yeah, I miscalculated that part. Never thought that the impact would be that strong."

The words confuse Carol, but I ignore it as I keep patting Elfnein's head, while glancing at her.

"From your look, Micha should be awake but doesn't have enough memories to operate yet. Well, fine. I already know you plan to destroy the generator anyway, but if you plan to come attack us here, I welcome it, since I want to try the Ignite Module and the cursed melody you always wanted to take in the first place."

Hearing my words, Carol only clicks her tongue, which is not surprising since there's someone who knows her plan in detail and is helping her, even though she's supposed to be on the enemy side.

"Besides, seriously burning through your memories is rather dumb if you ask me. While it is a good and easy way to gain power, seriously? This just shows how narrow-minded you are in alchemy. I wonder if your father will be disappointed in you, as you've already stopped trying to learn new things but instead are destroying everything."

"DON'T MENTION HIM LIKE YOU KNOW HIM, YOU STRANGER!"

"And you can't handle the truth either, even though you're much older than me. But you're still like a kid who got abandoned by their parents and doesn't know what to do. Honestly, I was disappointed with you. Besides, you need that grand structure of yours to destroy the world, but I know others who can destroy it with a flick of their finger, and you're nothing compared to them."

I let out a sigh as I shake my head. While I was trying to provoke her, I didn't think it would be this easy at all. While I think mocking her father will give me a more good feedback, I feel bad for Elfnein, so I don't mock her father at all. While Elfnein was a clone created from Carol, she still has Carol's innocence, which is why I don't want to hurt her further.

Then an alarm starts to sound as I glance at Carol.

"Looks like you accelerated your plan, well that is good enough for me but you better hurry because if the one you send to us is only Micha then she will get mess up you know."

Well, around this time, Hibiki should be defeated by Micha, but somehow Carol attacked us first, meaning there have already been some changes, though that's not a surprise since Miku, Kirika, and Shirabe got defeated first instead of Hibiki. Though for now, I should see how much of a power-up I did receive.

"Well, Elfnein, you should speak with Genjuro and others about this, but you should be prepared—it will be a surprise. Ah, but can you please keep Carol's plan a secret for me?"

I slowly raise my finger to my mouth to gesture being silent, but Elfnein, who is back, just stares at me in confusion.

"Why?"

"You will learn the answer in time. For now, report to Genjuro that Carol can, in fact, control your body. You might be surprised by their kindness."

I gently pat Elfnein's head before heading outside to the command room with her. Everyone is already there. Elfnein still hasn't spoken, which is normal, so I pat her back.

"Genjuro, I'll be heading out."

"Be careful, Tsubasa. Chris and Maria will support you."

"Geez, you're such a worrywart. But I understand, especially after what happened last time. Sure."

The four of us head outside and find Micha attacking us alone. It's surprisingly close to the original scenario, with only a few changes.

"Custodire Welt Aegis Zizl."

"Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri Tron."

"Seilien coffin Airgetlám Tron."

"Killter Ichaival Tron."

We attack the Alca-Noise, but I focus on Micha. It shows just how human this Autoscorer is. Her attacks are mostly fire or crystal, and I'm handling them fine, though her punches are harder than I expected.

This place isn't the only location under attack, but we're still in the experimental phase. Besides, we need to protect the generator, because Fine is still in the middle of building a new one inside the submarine. Surprisingly, I can control my shield much better now. I can even support all of them.

For example, I can now summon shields from a distance as long as there's one of my shields nearby. This is usually only possible in X-Drive form, so it's a definite plus. Still, they're trying so hard that I'm having a hard time holding back my laughter. Just as I was thinking that, Carol arrived.

And oh boy, is she

glaring at me.

"Mei, why is she glaring at you?"

"Oh, I provoked Tsubasa a bit too much. I never thought it would be this effective."

"You really hit a nerve, huh? Serves her right."

"Well, that just means this is going to be dangerous as well."

"Let's just see where this is going. Be prepared, you three."

Just like in the anime, she's letting Micha go. I could interfere, but Carol's plan needs to work, so letting her go is the right move for now. But now that I remember, why did I leave Dr. Ver alive? Without her, Carol can't control the doomsday device, though he's the one who made its self-destruct mechanism as well.

"Looks like you're facing us alone, huh, Carol? But remembering your Faust Robe, it should be simple, right?"

"Tch... I really hate your type the most, Mei. I will crush you with all I've got."

"Awww, I love you too, Carol."

While I was messing around, I noticed Chris, Tsubasa, and Maria staring at me.

"Uh... What?"

"Nothing. I never thought you were a Lolicon, Mei."

Ugh.

"Well, Mei, I hope you won't go near Elfnein anytime soon."

Guha.

"Well, Mei has her reasons, right, Mei?"

Ugh.

"Damn, you guys should know I was messing around with the enemy. To hit me this hard is as expected from you three."

Getting angry, Carol proceeded to summon a harp, which I know pretty well is a relic called Daur da Bláo. She started to play all the strings, which activated the Faust Robe and its transformation sequence. Still, her cup size and height changed as well, since she became close to adulthood.

Then she proceeded to strike us with strings. This wasn't surprising to the team, since I can fight without a song as well. Elfnein should explain it by now. Besides, the team can dodge the strings with ease, so I tried to minimize the damage it would cause to the generator with my shield.

I could hear their talk through the comms, but still Elfnein proceeded to think that Carol expected results by coming here alone, which isn't really wrong, as she was planning to die here and activate the system after all. Still, while the others were having a hard time facing her alchemy attacks, I could absorb them well before firing them back.

But I noticed that the power of the shield I spawned far away from me was rather weak compared to the one I spawned near me, which is no surprise since I wasn't in X-drive form. Funnily enough, since Hibiki's relic is in the middle of upgrading, she can't fight right now, which is a pity.

Still, I hope she stops attacking the generator while at the same time aiming for us, as it was hard to protect them all. What's more, maybe because of my protection, Chris is getting reckless, as she's just standing there firing all she wants. Still, as expected from power fueled by burning through memories, it's really powerful.

"You three used your Ignite Module."

At my words, the three of them nodded.

"IGNITE MODULE." x3

"DRAWING." x3

The three of them squeezed their relics, drawing them from their chests and then releasing them. The relics began to float, spreading out and spawning light blades aimed at the spots on their chests where the relics had been. The blades shot forward, stabbing them, but my shield was in place, so they should have been fine.

I had underestimated the pain.

I thought I could handle one of them using it, but the pain was tripled with all three at once. I struggled on the ground, writhing, until finally, the three of them transformed into their Ignite Module forms.

"MEI." x3

"Ha... that was painful, but I see it really works."

I smiled softly at them, noticing Tsubasa clenching her hand before attacking Carol. However, Carol spawned Alca-noise, numerous enough to force the other two to ignore me and focus on eliminating them. I was still using my normal transformation.

I was itching to use the Ignite Module, but I felt that if I used it now, with my mental strain at its limit, I would likely enter a berserk phase. I decided to hold back until we had finished off all the Alca-noise. Noticing that I was the only one not using the Ignite Module, Carol focused her attack on me.

"Looks like you really want me to defeat you with the Ignite Module after all, Carol-chan. But don't worry, the main protagonists in this fight are those three."

"Tch. Just how much are you underestimating me, you bitch?"

"Well, if you insist..."

"IGNITE MODULE."

"DRAWING."

I squeezed my relic before releasing it. It floated up and aimed at my chest. I took this moment to strike a pose, a bit different from the others who simply spread their arms and legs. But after the relic stabbed me, I found myself alone in a dark world.