TRTSS3: The Trans-dimensional Trek! – By DS Wynne
Disclaimer: R1/2, SM, ST and other properties belong to their respective owners.
Note: This is a multi-genre story.
Part 25
Meanwhile, back in China, Ronin was already engaged in battle with Saffron. Well, a part of him anyway.
"Ha!" Ronin yelled, as he utilized the 'Heavenly Buddha Palm" to deliver a heavy pressure wave at Saffron.
"Gah!" Saffron replied back, as he used his fire-laden wings to deflect the bulk of the damage, only to be forced into side of a nearby mountain. "Oof!"
Ronin then rushes toward Saffron, only to receive a deadly swipe from a blade weapon.
"Ah!" Ronin said, as he felt his arm get cut. He turns towards the source of the attack to see Saffron's army. However, each of them had a bright yellow, and gave off heat signatures similar to Saffron himself. However, their energy signatures were exactly like Saffron's, and had a zombie-like expression on their faces.
'Mind control?' Ronin thought. 'Possession…?'
Ronin then turned to face the Phoenix Lord again.
"What did you to your people?"
"They have become extensions of my will, of course," Saffron said, as his flames died down a bit, revealing the human face of Ronin's opponent.
"So, you decided to cheat?"
"Really now. How can I 'cheat', if my subjects are now extensions of my being?"
Ronin frowns. He detected no spiritual or mental center within this horde, concluding that Saffron had essentially murdered his own people as a tactic against him. So, they could be seen as legitimate targets. However, if there was a chance to restore them back to normal…
Ronin didn't get the chance to decide on his next course of action, when, suddenly, he was swarmed by the Phoenix Folk.
"Oof!" Ronin said, as he felt his jaw being hit by Kiima's war mace. Due to being enhanced by Saffron, who was drawing power from the Phoenix Force, Ronin actually felt the hit.
"Ow!"
"Since my last encounter with you, well, someone like you, I've studied the lore of my people thoroughly," Saffron said. "While it is true that the Phoenix Folk and the Musk Dynasty share the same root, when powerful martial artist chose to take on animals for wives, it is the first of the phoenix princes who discovered the truth of the phoenix. For, you see, the phoenix is the living representation of a greater force of nature, of the universal cycle of life, death and rebirth, something that those of the dragon kind do not have. That is why it is hard for my kind to be killed, and why we are always destined to come back…"
Pause.
"However, unlike my previous incarnations, I learned to harness my past incarnations. Upon delving deeper, I learned of my connection to the Phoenix Force, which has allowed me to truly become a god."
"Eighty-seven," Ronin said.
"What was that?"
"Don't mind me."
"No, I want to know what you mean by that number?"
"Well, I like to keep track of the number of times I face someone who makes the proclamation that they have become a god, even if they aren't really gods. And you, my friend, are the 87th person who has said that to me…"
Suddenly, Ronin expanded his battle aura outward in an explosive way, shrugging off his opponents in the process.
"And you will be 88th person to be defeated by me who said that."
"That doesn't even make any sense!"
"It does if you factor the other me. I'm sure he and the others will end up defeating you as well."
"How dare you!" Saffron roared, as he created a heated, plasma stream that lanced outward like a ribbon. Ronin narrowly avoid the attack long enough to see the ribbon slice into a nearby mountain like a hot knife through butter.
"Huh, this is going to be a bit much," Ronin mused.
Meanwhile, in Tokyo…
"The other Saffron should be here by now," Ranma said. "I can…feel something."
"Are you sure that Saffron is here, Other Usagi?" Sailor Moon asked.
"He is here in the city," Sailor Cosmos replied, as she floated in a lotus position. She was concentrating on preparing her trap, while the others were to deal with Saffron himself.
"But his energy signature has been…diffused…"
Pause.
"I can pinpoint his position, but I would have to stop my ritual, and begin again."
"From my divining, I received a vision of a great bird crewing up the root of a tree," Sailor Mars said. "And then, that bird laid eggs that hatched more birds to chew the root of the tree some more. It was a really strange vision..."
Just then, Nabiki's cell phone ring.
"Hmmm?" Nabiki said, as she answered her phone. "Moshi, moshi…?"
"I can't believe Nabiki brought her phone with her at a time like this," Akane said.
"Business never ends," Nabiki said. "Wait, slow down. WHAT? Gosunkugi, how many? HELLO?"
"What is it, sister?" Kasumi asked.
"Assuming that Gosunkugi is correct, Saffron is here in the city, but he is attacking Nerima, starting with the school," Nabiki said.
"But why would 'bird-man' attack school, instead of here?" Shampoo asked.
"Why would you say that?" Ukyo asked.
"Yeah, I'm the one Saffy would be after," Ranma replied. "Unless…"
Ranma turns towards Sailor Mars.
"Does this place have a lot of spiritual power?"
"It does," Sailor Mars said. "In fact, the Sailor Scouts uses this place as a sanctuary to hide in plain sight. In fact, it sits on a dragon point."
"Dragon point?" Ranma asked.
"It's a place where the greatest concentration of Earth energy exists," Sailor Pluto said. "It fact, it is one of the key energy signatures for the future Crystal Tokyo."
"I didn't know that," Sailor Moon said. "But that doesn't explain why this Saffron guy isn't attacking us."
"It's because of the high energy that this place emits that prevents our individual auras from being detected," Rei said. "And it does help that this place is heavily warded."
"Then that means that the Hikawa Shrine is a blind spot," Ryouga said. "But, how was I able to be here without getting lost?"
"Perhaps the spirits guided you here?" Sailor Mars offered.
"Yeah, the spirits of misdirection," Ranma said with a smirk.
"You, if today was any other day, we'd rumble right now," Ryouga replied.
"So, how are we going to deal Saffron?" Mousse asked. "Clearly, the moment we leave this place, the sooner Saffron will find us."
"Then we march forward, and deal with this braggart," Kuno said, as he stuck out his chest. "Some of us were born in the bosom of the land of the rising sun. The world begins with us. Therefore, we have to honor are sacred duty as its gate keepers."
"Or, we can seriously kick butt and take names," Ranma said with a smirk.
"What we do now, Ranma?" Shampoo asked.
"Some of us have to stay here in reserve, to defend Sailor Cosmos."
"The Outers can certainly do that," Sailor Uranus said.
"And we can easily be called upon to assist you all if need be," Sailor Neptune said. She then turned towards Sailor Saturn and Sailor Chibi-Moon, who were milling about the courtyard.
"And we have more than Sailor Cosmos to protect."
"Then it's settled," Sailor Moon said with determination. "Six of us will accompany Ranma and five of his friends to take the fight directly to this Saffron guy."
"Are you sure you are up to the challenge, Sailor Moon?" Luna asked.
Sailor Moon turned towards Sailor Cosmos, who was in deep meditation…
"Somehow, Other Usagi made it through the worse of her experience," Sailor Moon said. "If she can, so can I…"
She then turned to look at Ranma. Her feelings about him were complicated, knowing that her counterpart had a full life with this overly-confidant, teenage boy…
"Um, Ranma, I, um…"
"I know, it's weird for me, too," Ranma said with a broad smile. He then extends a hand in friendship.
"Allies?" Ranma asked.
"Friends," Sailor Moon said with a smile of her own, as she accepts the hand in friendship.
"And so, it begins," Sailor Cosmos said.
"What do you mean by that?" Tuxedo Mask asked with suspicion. He wasn't sure if he should challenge Ranma to ensure his place in his Usagi's heart or not, even though it was clear that the Ranma Saotome of this world was not interested in HIS Usagi…
"Yeah, what about it?" Akane said angrily. Like Tuxedo Mask, she felt the same way about the Usagi Tsukino of this world…
"On my world, MY Sailor Scouts and the Nerima Wrecking Crew of MY world became close friends and allies," Sailor Cosmos said. "In fact, our lineages will be linked by blood and marriage…"
Pause.
"For example, on my world, the child of Ranma Saotome and Ryouga Hibiki would go on to marry into alien royalty of my bloodline."
"WHAT?" Ranma and Ryouga yelled in unison. They then turned towards each other with suspicion.
"My son would never marry his rival!" Genma yelled. "I would have raised him a man amongst men."
"I never said my world's Ranma and Ryouga married."
"Huh?"
"One of Ranma's enemies kidnapped him and Ryouga, and created a clone child for the sake of creating a living weapon. And due to Ranma's curse, the child was born a girl."
"Oh, okay…I guess…"
"What happened to her?" Kasumi asked.
"We took her to the distant future, away from Ranma's enemies, so she could be raised a normal life," Sailor Cosmos said. "We decided that for the child's well-being, Ranma and Ryouga accepted the role as co-parents, even though both disliked the idea of being perceived to be 'romantically' linked, even thought that was not the case at all. It was only later that the girl learned of the truth, and, in fact, took it well…"
Pause.
"At any rate, she would grow up to be a powerful fighter in her own right as 'Sailor Ixion'."
"'Sailor Ixion'?" Sailor Pluto said with concern. "But that would mean-"
"Yes, Setsuna, she has possession of the fabled 'Blade of Ixion', which I fully endorse."
"What is so special about this blade?" Sailor Chibi-Moon asked.
"It's a weapon capable of killing gods and powerful entities permanently," Sailor Pluto said. "Unfortunately, no one senshi was capable of handling the blade, so Queen Serenity had the weapon sealed away…"
Pause.
"Although, we could have used it the night the Moon Kingdom was attacked by the Negaverse."
"But, do you have access to that blade?" Sailor Moon asked.
"Yes, but-"
"Then have it ready," Sailor Moon said. "We're not taking any chances."
"Princess, the reason why the Blade of Ixion is deadly is because the last senshi to wield it died," Sailor Pluto said. "When it kills, it kills not just the target but as the wielder as well…"
Sailor Pluto turns towards Sailor Cosmos.
"But you must have found a way, correct?"
"No, I didn't," Sailor Cosmos said. "All I know is that only those who are destined to wield the blade will master it. All others need not apply."
"And you?"
"Never possessed the weapon, but Ranma's daughter did."
"Well, the idea of me with a kid with 'P-chan' still disgusts me," Ranma replied.
"On that, we have agreement," Ryouga said.
"I can't believe that Ryouga would be with Ranma," Ukyo said. "I'm a real woman, you know!"
"Could you not say that?" Ranma said.
"Maybe Shampoo consider Pig-Boy rival?" Shampoo said.
"I'm not interested in Ranma!" Ryouga said. "Mousse, could you tell your 'girlfriend' that?"
"Mousse not Shampoo's girlfriend!"
"But Shampoo, why not?" Mousse asked desperately.
"Too little time to list."
"So, I want to be clear, again, I am NOT interested in Ranma!"
"That is good to know, peasant," Kodachi said dangerously. "Otherwise, I might have to consider feeding my pets pork."
"Grrrrr!" Ryouga said. "Ranma, it's all your fault-!"
"Cease!" Kuno said. "As much as I wish to end the existence of Ranma Saotome, we all are needed."
"Wow," Nabiki said. "For once, Kuno makes sense."
"Even I can see the seriousness of the situation," Kuno said, as he took a practice swing of his wooden blade. "There will be other times for recrimination."
Meanwhile at the Cat Café, Saffron smiles at his handiwork, as he surveys his eggs. But these were not Surikomi Eggs, the kind that can force a person into obedience. These were a new kind of eggs that Saffron had created.
"With my 'Rebirthing Eggs', I can create an army to serve me, using the local population to do so," Saffron said, as he lends his energy to speed up the rebirth process…
There was a noticeable crack in one of the eggs, as Saffron grinned. He had hoped to enslave as many martial artists as possible for his army, to be used against his foe.
"Yes, yes-!"
A beautiful, long-haired girl emerges from her egg. She looks around, confused as to how she found herself to be in such a predicament…
"You," Saffron said.
The girl turns towards Saffron, as she instinctively spread her new wings.
"Yes, my Lord?" the girl said.
"You will lead my army against the others, even if one of them is your great-granddaughter…Cologne."
The confuse look gives way to a steel look of determination.
"By your command, Lord Saffron," Cologne said. "It shall be fulfilled…"
Tbc.