Chapter 270: Was It Gungnir?!

March 28.

The tenth day after Hana Hikari woke up.

When Hana Hikari, lying on the hospital bed, agreed for the second time to the group owner's cross-reality application, a blinding white light appeared before her eyes, followed by a rhythmic, melodic chant emanating from within the light.

"Who is trapped in the past? Who's winter counts down the springlight?"

Before seeing the person, one hears the voice.

"Huh?"

Last time, severely injured and half-conscious, she remembered only a powerful, warm white light descending before her, then nothing else—could the group owner really be this poetic?

This time, Hikari finally got a good look at the person before her—

A head of spiky, upright hair, as if meticulously styled; white bandages wrapped around the wrists, like a fighting game boxer, yet even more muscular than typical game characters.

Tight, bulging leather jacket studded with rivets, revealing defined muscles; snug denim jeans; massive black spiked boots; the open jacket exposing exaggerated pectorals.

Wearing sunglasses, yet the aggression still radiated uncontrollably… This guy couldn't be further from a poetic vibe.

I am the legendary Super Beidou person, warrior of cosmic peace, Master of Acupressure, Fighting Expert, Strategy Prince, Hypnosis Master, Rhetorician… Known by the nickname 【The Black Skyscraper】—I am Jia Ji—

Too many oddities in this self-introduction; it felt like a bunch of random nonsense got mixed in.

The girl, whose brain nearly overloaded, snapped back to reality and quickly replied.

"Oh oh, I'm Hana Hikari. Nice to meet you."

Actually, Jia Ji had just come from Ken Shi Lang's place and nearly got dragged off by her and her friends for a full image overhaul.

But no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't catch someone who refused to part with this end-of-the-century punk skin—though those seven scars had been "temporarily" treated by Jia Ji, at least outwardly they were barely visible.

Temporary was the key word.

"Hikari, are you feeling alright?"

The muscular man, who seemed to fill the entire room upon entering, plopped down beside the girl's bed, casually grabbed the untouched fruit basket on the nightstand, and shoved a fruit into his mouth.

"Huh…?"

They hadn't even exchanged more than a few words, yet he was already calling her by her first name—Hikari found this overly familiar behavior unsettling.

In fact, she wasn't the only one who felt this way.

"The doctor said… my body is perfectly healthy—healthier than expected." The girl unconsciously touched the cross-shaped scar on her chest; she could feel something unnatural—something not flesh—inside it.

The doctor's exact words were: she was lucky—the shards had pierced her chest but missed her heart, grazing its edge and lodging there. During surgery, because countless tiny fragments were scattered around the heart, they were left in place for safety.

"So it's true… Congratulations, you've become a Symphogear wielder!"

The guy, sneaking bites of the orange from the basket, offered his congratulations.

As expected, Hikari had walked this path—the worldline had converged; there was no way to stop the birth of the one who would punch the world itself.

"Wanna try an orange?"

"Um… I don't need one."

Hana Hikari grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of her head, gradually relaxing in front of this intimidating group owner—basically, their vibes were wildly different, yet somehow oddly compatible.

But,

—What is a Symphogear?

A sudden doubt arose in the girl's mind, and she asked outright.

Jia Ji blinked, his gaze sharpening instantly.

"Hikari!"

"Yes!"

For some reason, Hana Hikari instinctively flinched and answered—suddenly uneasy, dreading what might come next.

"You saw clearly that day, didn't you? The battle between Amane Kanade and the Noise…"

The girl nodded. The shards inside her body told her what she'd seen wasn't an illusion—that power capable of fighting Noise, that magnificent, awe-inspiring form, had been seared into her heart.

"They are Symphogear wielders—carriers of Sacred Relic fragments who transform to combat the anomaly disaster Noise, just like magical girls fighting monsters in anime…"

A simple, clear explanation—even a fool could understand.

Hikari wanted to exclaim, "So that's how it works!"—but seeing Jia Ji hadn't paused, she wisely stayed silent.

"Kanade holds a fragment of the Sacred Relic 【Tsumuha】—the first ten-fist sword used by Susano-o in myth, the blade with which he slew Yamata no Orochi. Hence, when she transforms, her weapon is a sword. Amane uses a fragment of 【Gungnir】—the weapon of Odin from Norse myth, forged from a branch of Yggdrasil and a magically charged spearhead—hence her weapon is a gun…"

When mentioning Gungnir, the man's eyelid twitched; a stern, head-hugging figure flashed through his mind.

Everyone uses Gungnir—why does Reimi look so weak?

"Gungnir?!"

The girl blurted out involuntarily—she never imagined the shard piercing her body was the legendary Eternal Spear. Then she remembered Jia Ji's opening words, and her body froze.

"I… am I going to become a Symphogear wielder too?"

She pointed at her own face, disbelieving.

"Not yet—but soon. Sacred Relics aren't just for summoning spirits or unlocking lore—they can also transform you into a Symphogear wielder, though it requires an extremely high compatibility rate, and so few have ever succeeded…" Jia Ji smiled, shoving an orange into the girl's stunned mouth.

"But you're different. You carry a fragment of a Sacred Relic fragment—and the fusion is exceptionally stable… You're practically a walking Sacred Relic fragment. If a Sacred Relic fragment can transform you, then a fragment of a Sacred Relic fragment can too."

"Mmmmm…"

After swallowing the orange, Hikari paused, fell silent for a long while, then finally asked:

"…Why me?"

She was just an ordinary middle school girl, never fought before, and now suddenly she was to become a Symphogear wielder who fights Noise…

Kanade looked so cool that day—but she bled so much. It must have been agonizing…

Thinking of Kanade's blood-soaked, terrifying form, the girl's body trembled slightly.

Hana Hikari didn't feel she had the courage to risk her life fighting Noise like them.

"It's coincidence… and inevitability."

Jia Ji couldn't help but ruffle the girl's hair—the softness reminded him of his younger brother, Ken Shi Lang; his gaze seemed to say, "You can't escape."

After all, it was the Spear of Fate—Gungnir.

(End of Chapter)