Gogogogogogogogogogogogogogo!!!!!!

Within seconds of when Hunter-sama leaves, the ground begins to shake. The sound of hard rock can be heard outside, but just barely as Sutoria-sama's scream drowns it out. I struggle to maintain my balance, while Yamiso stays airborne.

(Shit! Looks like they've started!) Yamiso thinks.

The room begins to fill up with more electric rhime to the point that Yamiso's hair stands up.

"BBBBBBBBBBBBBIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I try to move towards Sutoria-sama, but the shaking ground slows my progress.

"Don't waste your time." thunders Hunter-sama's voice.

I look back at the vent and see Hunter solidifying her body. Jolts of electricity dance across her still in a gaseous state, but she endures the pain and completes her transformation before the electricity intensifies even more.

"Now..." Hunter continues. "Witness the face of your ender!"

The pillar of rhime stops shooting upwards and starts to encircle Sutoria-sama until the rhime becomes a near-solid sphere. The sphere disperses all around in an explosion that pushes all three of us back.

When the debris clears, I see her...

Sutoria...in her harmone form.

Her clothes have changed from her idol attire to that of a ninja's. Clothes...made of solid electric rhime, decorated with lightning motifs. Her nails glow yellow, and her blonde hair sticks up, shining white. Pupilless eyes glowing like her hair. Electricity dances across her body.

She's...intimidating.

She looks at her own body in surprise.

"What's...happening to me?" she asks, her voice sounding synthetic.

Her body begins to radiate sound. An...electric keyboard?

"This...is your true power!" Hunter-sama proclaims. "Power to protect those dear to you!"

Hunter-sama pulls out a button.

"Beat these two, and I won't...!"

I hear echoing vocals. Slow and remorseful, starting quiet but crescendoing. Scratching sounds are used to rewind the "I".

(Hear me. Hear my voice. I-I-I am here.)

(Hear me. Hear my voice. I-I-I am here.)

"Don't mess with me!" Sutoria-sama yells...at Hunter-sama?

I look back to where Sutoria-sama was standing near the entrance of the theatre, then back to Hunter-sama near the back stage.

(What!? She's...she's... How fast is she!?) I think.

Sutoria-sama lifts Hunter-sama up by the throat.

"Everything you've done! You'll regret all of it!"

Hunter-sama struggles for a few seconds, then smiles.

(Hear me. Hear my voice. I-I-I am here.)

(Hear me. Hear my voice. I-I-I am here.)

"I know you can't kill me. Not after everything we've been through. Besides, I took some precautions. The alarm this switch triggers is also connected to my vitals. Can you risk those two trying to kill me?"

(Hear me. Hear my voice. I-I-I am here.)

(Hear me. Hear my voice. I-I-I am here.)

"Plus, you wouldn't know where to look."

Sutoria-sama lets go, upset.

"Then..." Sutoria-sama starts. "What do you...?"

Hunter-sama points to us.

"Kill them. For your family."

(Hear me. Hear my voice. I-I-I am here.)

(Hear me. Hear my...)

Sutoria turns towards us, drinks what looks like the hydra antitoxin...

And slowly walks forward, charging electricity between her fingers.

Why. Can't. I. Reach. You?

"Wait!" I shout. "Sutoria-sama! Don't listen to her! You can't trust her!"

"I have...no choice." she replies.

With my hands. With my voice. With my heart.

All I want is to be with you.

She "teleports" over to me, grabbing my throat, and sending electricity through my body.

"Oren!" Yamiso yells. "Darkness Drive: Animated Sins!"

His darkness clone separates us, giving me time to ready my blade while catching my breath.

Sutoria-sama looks at the clone.

"Electric Drive: ."

One of her clones appears to the side of her...

BATAN!!

Then appears right before Yamiso's clone, kicking it into the wall behind us.

"What the fuck!?" Yamiso hollers.

(I thought they couldn't touch anything!?) he thinks. (Is this...her harmone?)

My. Tears. Drown. Out. My. Voice.

Relunctanly, I charge towards Sutoria-sama...

BATAN!

Just to be kicked straight in the stomach by a newly created clone.

"I'm...sorry." Sutoria-sama states. "Electric Drive: SELECT!!!"

(Soul Conversion 10...BEAT!!!)

I use practically all my newfound stamina just to be fast enough to block her hand thrusting towards my chest.

BATAN!

"AAAA!!" Yamiso yells...as he flies past me from the attack of another clone.

"Kill them!" Hunter-sama yells.

"GGGRRR... Darkness Drive: Eclipse Void!!"

The stage gets engulfed in the darkness rhime, giving me time to retreat towards him.

Those I have kept have all left. Those I left are long gone.

What am I to do?

Within the void, the volume of Sutoria-sama's music increases, with louder playing keyboard and electric guitar sounds distorted by scratching. For the first time, I see light in Yamiso's Eclipse void.

Lightning.

GORO!!!

As the sound of thunder crashes through the room...

Sutoria-sama appears right in front of us.

GA! GA! BATAN! BATAN! GA! BATAN! GA! GA! GA!

As the solo continues, she puts us on the defensive. When we attempt to block, a clone attacks from behind or our side, easily hitting its target. And whenever we try to hit her or her clones, they simply vanish within centimeters of collision.

GA! BATAN! BATAN! GA!

(Where...is she!?) I think.

I try to follow her movements, but it's impossible. To my left? Behind Yamiso? Above us? Everywhere I look, I see either Sutoria-sama or one of her clones, but only for a brief moment. Yamiso's Devil's Claws continuously miss, and so do my sword strikes.

WWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNN!

Just missing me, Yamiso's Darkness Bellow flies past me, destroying part of the back stage wall. Of course, he missed his target. He actually has better chances than I do, because he can hear her.

(Soul Conversion 20...BEAT!!)

Vocals return to Sutoria-sama's song, with said vocals matching the volume and faster tempo.

Betrayal and lies! Loss of all trust!

What I didn't deserve I gave!

Above me...

"Electric Drive: !"

She thrusts down at my head. I lean back to barely dodge her attack.

BATAN!!

Her thrust destroys a large portion of the flooring, creating a shockwave of electricity that knocks me back.

I did everything wrong! All I love is far gone!

And I can only blame ourself!

"Electric Drive: !"

GA! BATAN! BIRI! BIRI! GA! BATAN! BIRI!

Surrounded by her clones that I cannot count due to their speed, Yamiso and I continue to get barraged.

Honestly, we're outmatched.

I cry out to you! I sing all your songs!

Praying you'll return to me!

(Truth be told, I didn't think you'd give up this easily.)

(What!?)

Forgive who I was! I will change if I can!

My voice is all that's left of myself!

(Left!)

I look to my left to see a clone coming. I barely escape another to my side.

(Above!)

I lean back again, just to narrowly escape a drop kick to my skull.

(What?) Sutoria-sama thinks.

Sutoria-sama retreats towards the stage to create distance.

(How is he avoiding her attacks?) Hunter-sama thinks.

Not taking chances, Sutoria charges up more rhime around her. With every scratching sound in the song, clones disperse from her body.

(She can only maintain that form for so long. Follow my instructions, and you should be able to hold out long enough.)

(Got it!)

(Told you I would help.)

(Fine, but...)

(Right!)

I dodge a strike from the right...

Biri!

But my cloak still gets nicked.

I listen to my heartbeat. A rhythm all its own.

A beat no one will hear, reminding me I'm alone.

(Left! Above! Lean back!)

Biri!

(Behind! Duck! Above!)

Biri! Biri!

(Soul Conversion 5...BEAT!)

Everyone watches in amazement.

(Oren!?) Yamiso thinks. (How the...!?!?)

"Gofu..."

(What?) Yamiso continues...

After hearing Ripperu cough.

(Are they...? Darkness Drive: Darkness Bellow!!!)

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yamiso sends his attack above me, making the clones retreat.

"Oren! Buy me time!" Yamiso yells.

"What are...WHOA!!!" I yell back.

Yamiso looks at Hunter-sama, who doesn't plan to join the fight. Surprisingly, she looks quite tired and doesn't want to interfere. Why is that? Maybe she'd get in the way of Sutoria-sama's clones? No. That can't be it.

(If she won't fight, and Oren keeps Sutoria occupied...)

I'll sing as loud as I possibly can, if it can reach out to you.

Forget my once hateful words, for these lyrics are true.

(Soul Conversion 10...BEAT!)

I continue to dodge nearly every attack, but I cannot keep this up forever.

Biri! Biri! Biri!

Honestly, I'm slowing down while Sutoria-sama isn't.

(Come on, Rip! Tarran!) Yamiso thinks. (Help me find you!)