Chapter 35: DIvine Mei

Thinking about it, I had indeed become arrogant in my way of thinking, trying to protect them from harm. But that's wishful thinking. While I tried to make myself strong, I never faced them one-on-one, like real people. Maybe I was afraid that this was all just an illusion.

Well, what did I expect? Apparently, I have amnesia and have already done some things you often see in anime. So, while I thought this was my first reincarnation, it apparently wasn't. Even now, I'm not sure of everything anymore.

It was truly absurd that some of the things I lied about apparently had some truth to them, according to Morgan and another version of myself. This explained my scar and why I have two relics inside me, even though one of them was Morgan's.

The reason I started thinking this way was because I was stuck, repeatedly fighting my other self for who knows how long. I started to feel numb to the pain, and as for her grudge against my stomach? I don't care anymore.

Now, I was worried about what happened to me, though, since there's a chance that my real-life body was fighting the others, which somehow made me feel guilty about it. But I can't do anything about it unless I defeat myself in this world.

Mei's sudden appearance startled everyone, but then she began to scream as a cocoon rapidly enveloped her. Witnessing this, Adam clicked his tongue and fled, prompting Saint-Germain, Cagliostro, and Prelati to give chase.

After a short time, the cocoon dramatically opened, shocking the remaining Symphogear girls. Mei stood revealed in her duo relic form, but they immediately noticed a change in her, especially her eyes: her left eye was now gold, and her right was dark blue.

Their moment of shock was cut short as a new, unfamiliar melody began to play—a stark contrast to Mei's usual battle music. As the background music continued, the girls prepared themselves. The tempo then softened slightly, and Mei began to open her mouth.

"Hoshii mono ga wakaranakutemo." (Mei)

Mei dashed toward Hibiki, who reacted by punching her. Mei dodged, however, and punched Hibiki in the stomach. Tsubasa swung her sword at Mei, making Mei's punch as strong as it should be.

"Nandemo te ni hairu kara." (Mei)

Mei caught the sword Tsubasa swung at her and broke it in half. She then slid sideways, dodging Maria's sword aimed at her back, and deflected Serena's dagger thrown at her side.

"Yokubou dake shigeki sarete." (Mei)

Then Mei moved closer to Tsubasa, poised to kick her, but she took a few steps back to dodge Shirabe's yo-yo attack. She stepped back even further as Shirabe's spinning attack moved past her, resulting in them being back at their starting position, watching Mei.

"Shikou teishi." (Mei)

Mei then split into two, which surprised everyone as they were different from each other. The Mei on the left had white and yellow gear, dark blue eyes, and a white wing on her back. The Mei on the right had black and blue gear, golden eyes, and a black wing on her back. Both of them then opened their mouths and continued singing.

"Yoru ni yami wo musaboru youni." (light and dark Mei)

Dark Mei dashed toward Hibiki, kicking her in the stomach. Simultaneously, Light Mei appeared, catching Kanade's spear, which had been aimed at Dark Mei. Light Mei then threw the spear back with increased force. Maria managed to catch it, but her hand went numb from the impact.

"Nemuri ni ochite yukeba." (light and dark Mei)

Dark Mei used that chance to dash toward Kanade, kicking her, while Light Mei threw a sakura shield at Serena, who was silently preparing to attack Dark Mei. Luckily, Shirabe managed to save Serena by diving in and pushing her out of the way.

"Jibun ga ima dareka nante yume no naka." (light and dark Mei)

Light Mei slowly moved back, and divine power began to gather above her, covering her whole body and making her glow. She closed her eyes, then started to draw even more light into her body from every direction, making it glow even brighter.

"Doko he nagasareruno?" (light Mei) {Don't take me now} (dark Mei)

The girls notice this and begin to dash toward Light Mei to stop her, but Dark Mei holds them back. She spawns a shield to deflect every attack they launch at Light Mei: Tsubasa's flying slashes, Hibiki's rocket punches, Shirabe and Kirika's saw attacks, and a barrage from Chris, Serena, and Maria, ranging from Chris's rockets and beams to Serena and Maria's daggers.

"Boku no shōtai wo tsuki tomero." (Light Mei)

Then Light Mei shone bright, revealing her X-Drive duo form. They noticed a difference in this one: her armor now gleamed with a golden-yellow hue, and her eyes had a rainbow tint. This moment was only for a short time, as the next thing they noticed was Light Mei already grabbing Hibiki by the neck.

"Tatta ichido ataerareta." (Light Mei)

The moment they registered what had just happened, Light Mei started to sing again. This snapped them out of their daze, and they all moved to save Hibiki, but Dark Mei appeared in front of them, blocking their way with her shield.

"Inochi wa chansu dakara." (Dark Mei)

Hibiki struggled against Light Mei, who then covered Hibiki's face with her free hand. The hand began to glow brightly, causing Hibiki to scream in pain. Hearing Hibiki's cries, Miku panicked, her judgment clouded by anger. She fired a full-power beam at Light Mei, even though Hibiki was still in the way.

"Boku jishin wo." (Dark Mei)

Dark Mei noticed this and kicked Miku, causing her aim to go slightly off. The team panicked for a moment but then breathed a sigh of relief when Miku's beam missed. They then noticed that Light Mei was gone and Hibiki was crouching in pain. What surprised them even more was that Hibiki was in her X-drive form, despite not singing her swan song and the Phonic gain not being high enough to achieve that form.

"Kachi eru tame." (Light Mei)

Then they hear Light Mei's voice directly behind them. As they turn, they see Light Mei holding a giant sakura shield, which she throws at them. The shield moves with surprising speed, hitting Miku, Shirabe, and Serena off guard, and momentarily distracting Hibiki, Kirika and Maria.

"Kokoro no tabi wo susunde yuku." (Dark Mei)

The team was struggling. Hibiki, feeling their power was insufficient, decided to sing her swan song, following Chris and Tsubasa into their Ignite modules. However, Dark Mei attempted to intervene but was blocked by Maria, Kirika, and Kanade.

"Kono mune ni umare tsuita."  (Light Mei)

Light Mei was about to attack the trio, but Serena, Miku, and Shirabe managed to stand up in time to block the laser she shot from her mirror shield. However, due to the firepower and their already struggling state, they were knocked unconscious despite successfully blocking the beam from reaching the trio.

"Ikiru iryoku wo buki ni." (Dark Mei)

Hibiki sang her swan song first, before Tsubasa and Chris could transform into their Ignite Module forms. As her X-Drive form glowed brighter, she launched a giant rocket punch toward Dark Mei, but it was blocked by Kanade's body, which Dark Mei swung as a shield. Chris, now in her Ignite Module, was about to fire when Dark Mei noticed her, picking up Shirabe and using her as a shield. Chris stopped, unwilling to accidentally shoot the unconscious Shirabe.

"Kodoku datte." (Dark Mei)

Dark Mei threw Shirabe toward Maria, who was about to slash her from behind. Dark Mei then grabbed Maria's face while she was distracted trying to catch Shirabe. Dark Mei spawned a dark flame in the hand still gripping Maria's face, instantly igniting her and drawing the attention of the entire group.

"Nando datte." (Light Mei)

Surprised by Dark Mei's actions, they temporarily forgot about Light Mei, who launched a full-power laser toward Kanade and Kirika. Kanade, possessing sharp instincts, noticed it and dashed in front of Kirika, launching her spear to block the laser. While it managed to block some of the blast, a portion still leaked through. Kanade used her body to protect Kirika, who was behind her, and finally fell unconscious.

"Tsuyoku nare." (Dark and Light Mei)

The girls who fainted had their transformations undone, but Dark and Light Mei ignored them. Even Kirika, barely standing as her linker was about to hit her limit and render her immobile, was ignored as they focused their attention on Hibiki, who was late to react to all of it, as well as Chris and Tsubasa, who were already in their Ignite Module form.

Seizing the opportunity, Kirika forced her body to move. She carried the unconscious girls away from the battlefield, knowing that her Linker had reached its limit and remaining would only burden Hibiki, Chris, and Tsubasa. She could only hope they would defeat Mei, even as the situation continued to worsen.

As the song continued without Dark and Light Mei singing, Hibiki, Chris, and Tsubasa began to move. Suddenly, a chain shot out from behind them. Tsubasa caught a glimpse of it, pulling Chris away, while Hibiki dodged it with ease. Dark Mei then moved to the back, mirroring Light Mei's earlier action, but this time, shadows crept up and covered her entire body. Despite the difference in appearance, the aura was identical to the divine power Light Mei had absorbed.

The trio panicked when they saw that and began to attack Dark Mei, unwilling to let her transform into her X-drive form. This time, however, Light Mei defended Dark Mei from their assault with dozens of shields. Whenever Hibiki punched, Tsubasa slashed, or Chris shot, a new shield would instantly appear, each one growing more resilient to their attacks.

But then the transformation was complete at a much faster rate compared to when Light Mei does hers, and the trio knew that the situation had just gone from bad to worse. Now they could see Dark Mei had also entered her X-drive duo form, and what's more, her entire team was the complete opposite of Light Mei's.

"Kizutsuku hodo chikazukanaide." (Dark Mei)

Dark Mei threw a sakura shield, chained to her hand, toward Hibiki. Hibiki punched the shield away, but it curved toward Chris, who was about to shoot Light Mei. Tsubasa blocked the shield before it could hit Chris, though Sakura could feel her hand going numb from the impact.

"Aimaisa ga sutairu." (Light Mei)

Light Mei shot more beams toward the trio, making them move away from their original position as they wove past the dozen beams. Chris decided to fly up with her rocket, but Dark Mei destroyed it with her sakura shield.

"Hieta hifu ja kanjouteki ni." (Dark Mei)

Then the trio noticed that their legs were chained with small, shield-like anchors to the ground. But before they could even try to break free, both Light Mei and Dark Mei jumped, their wings growing large before slowly covering their entire bodies, shaping them like drills as they dove toward the trio.

"Nani wo osoreteruno?" (Light Mei) {Don't let me down} (Dark Mei)

Hibiki freed herself, but knowing Tsubasa and Chris wouldn't escape in time, she lunged toward the drill. Transforming her right hand into her signature rocket punch, Hibiki gritted her teeth and struck the drill. Chris and Tsubasa, noticing her sacrifice, began to sing their swan song together.

"Kimi ni furete mirai ga kawaru." (Dark Mei)

Hibiki managed to punch the drill away, but the force of the blow launched her backward. Luckily, because she was in her X-drive form, she was able to stabilize herself. Chris and Tsubasa were surprised to find they had also changed into their X-drive forms. Tsubasa noticed that, compared to her usual X-drive form, the output was slightly smaller this time. Nevertheless, they finally had equal footing.

"Tatta hitori mamorenaide." (Light Mei)

Hearing the song continue, the trio remained vigilant, but when the smoke cleared, they suddenly remembered two crucial facts: Mei was in her duo form, and the other relic was the Holy Grail. They recalled this because Light Mei was holding a giant bow, clearly one Chris often used, while Dark Mei held a light and dark Gungnir in each hand.

"ikite yuku kai ga nai." (Dark Mei)

Chris began to curse as she dodged a barrage of beams from the very weapon she usually used to clear out Noise. Tsubasa, meanwhile, struggled against Dark Mei's heavy strikes. Hibiki attempted to assist, but each time she moved to help one, the other Mei would intervene, resulting in an awkward deadlock.

"Naguri kakaru." (Light Mei)

"Kanashimi sae." (Dark Mei)

Knowing this couldn't go on, Tsubasa glanced at Chris, then gambled, throwing her a katana. Chris, surprised for a second, suddenly understood the plan and added her own rocket gear to it. They then aimed it at Hibiki, who, having watched them, finally understood the plan. She caught the gear, combined it into a giant rocket punch, and aimed it toward Dark Mei.

"Zenshin de uchinomesu darou." (Light and Dark Mei)

Light Mei suddenly appeared beside Dark Mei, and the two joined hands, spawning a huge, multi-layered shield. The punch penetrated each layer, but its momentum slowed with each successive one. Inside, Hibiki screamed as the rocket gained momentum, penetrating the shield even faster.

"Kono mune ni yomigaeru." (Light Mei)

"Ai no chikara wo buki ni." (Dark Mei)

The rocket punch finally connects, hitting both Dark and Light Mei. They are thrown hard into a nearby building, which collapses, but Chris and Tsubasa know how tough Mei is. Despite landing a clean hit, they remain vigilant.

"Kimi no mae de." (Dark Mei)

"Arinomamade." (Light Mei)

Then they see both Meis walk out of the dust, but they notice something: both Meis are ragged beyond comprehension. This gives Tsubasa a bad feeling, and she starts to look around, noticing something floating in the sky. But before she can tell Hibiki and Chris.

"Atsuku nare." (Dark and Light Mei)

When the girls notice they already standing inside a dark world without anyone else beside them.