Chapter 25: "Seal-O-matic!"
"Helios, where are you taking her?" The tear-stained face of Serenity was watching him carry the child off, "What are you doing?"
"I'm going to recall her soul." He said simply heading to the shrine.
By now, they had entered the shrine and the Maidens of the shrine were trying their best to care for the king. If it wasn't so urgent to retrieve Yuzuki's soul, Helios would've been there with them.
For now, Artemis had gone to get Luna and hoped for news of his daughter.
"Please, " Serenity walks towards him, "Let me help. Let me do something!" Her grief was raw and she was once again close to the point of tears, "I don't want to lose any of them, please Helios!"
Helios only glances over his shoulder looking at her sadly for a moment. "I'm sorry, but the Earth will not accept you into her holy sanctum."
"To hell what the Earth wants!" She rushes forward, "That's my child!"
"And what would you do?"
That single question stopped her. "What?"
"I asked what would you do? Can your holy shrine to the moon retrieve souls? Do you have a priest or some holy figure there that can help you?" He was firm but trying not to be cruel. "The thing is, your highness, you on this planet and at this moment, are without any sort of power that you once demonstrated in your youth. You lost the will to believe in others and yourself due to whatever strangeness that is in your mind. Therefore it would be best that you were at the king's side. " He turns and continues walking, "And pray that everyone succeeds in their endeavors."
The door closed behind him when he entered the prayer room. Leaving the Queen of the Moon and Earth, very much alone and scared in the white marble and gold hallways.
The pink glowing ball collides with the form of the Regent and suddenly as if it didn't happen, the Regent was gone. Silence spread and everyone waited. Was it over? Was that it?
The first nervous laughter- no one knew who it came from- was the first sound that echoed across the empty field.
It was over. He was gone!
"Thank gods.." Darius mutters softly feeling weak. He glances over at the others knowing they had relaxed when suddenly a dark tendril whips out and was flying straight towards him.
"Darius!" Neo moon cries out and tries once more to stop it but she was rebuffed by a shield.
"Where did that come from?" Juno was bewildered as Sailor Saturn ran as fast as she could towards the frozen guardian.
"Silence Wall!" She had barely made it and grits her teeth. "You will not take him!"
Anki was frozen for a moment staring at them for what almost seemed like an eternity.
"Shit." Star Arbiter grumbles preparing himself to attack again. "Fucker's still alive!"
The laughter that followed made even Pluto shiver as the black form came back. "You think that would work on me? Ha. Stupid mortals!"
They attacked once again, but it seemed as if they were nothing more then annoying misquotes that nipped at him.
"You boy, possess hidden potential." The Regent said battering at Saturn's shield, " You shall be a fine horse to ride until your body breaks."
Anki bristled at that readying an attack when Saturn stops him, "If you leave this circle or do anything the shield will break!"
"Damn it. " He could only glare up from his mask at the dark looming figure. "How do we kill this thing? How do we defeat it?"
He flinches hearing the shield starting to crack and break. At this point, he had ran out of ideas and everyone, from what he could see, were exhausting themselves to the point where they would pass out if they stopped moving for long.
We need a way to defeat him! He thought, But how? How can we defeat something that is almost indestructible?
He turns and gasps softly behind the mask seeing more of those tendrils of darkness swarming around a crack in the barrier. It was getting bigger and he wasn't sure how long this would last.
"Get ready." Saturn said through grit teeth. He could hear the exhaustion in her voice, "We'll have to run."
"Right." He grips the rapier tighter before Saturn lets the shield down. "Ray of hope!"
"Silence Glaive Surprise!"
The tendrils were destroyed, Anki knew they only had a few seconds to run before they regrew and he dashes forward until he heard his sister's voice.
"Saturn!"
He turns seeing her held up by two of the tendrils choking the life from her as she twists and turns trying to get free.
"Shit." He turns and ran towards her, seemingly forgetting the other tendrils that suck up on him and wraps around his torso, pinning his arms down. Another one forced his hand to let go of the rapier which fell to the ground with a soft thud.
"That was a lot easier than I thought." Regent smirks, the crimson eyes seemed to be laughing at all of them. "None of you can defeat me!"
To add insult to injury he threw Saturn at the Outers, nearly knocking Uranus off her feet as she had to unexpectedly catch her 'daughter'.
"Hotaru.." She looks down at her as the young woman coughs. "Are you alright?"
"I'll be fine." Saturn mutters softly before trying to get up. "How could it withstand all of this? It makes no sense."
"It could be that it's regenerating." Pluto finally said, "That may be it's main power. So destroying it would be out of the question. We need to seal it."
"How?" Vesta, who was close enough to hear, asked, "I mean it's not like we have a Seal-O-Matic around!"
"Now, "The regent looks at Anki smirking, "I shall enjoy using you."
"Fuck. You." Anki was rewarded with an even tighter squeeze that was threatening to break his bones for his cheek.
I can't let this happen. Was his thought but he couldn't figure out how to get out of this. I need help.. anyone!
That's when a light pierced through the dark tendrils releasing the guardian from it's hold.
"Anki!" Fujin and his brother moves forward to help him move out of the way. "Think you can still fight?"
Thetis tried not to act too concern, but his body language betrayed him a bit as he helped the prince up.
"I am." Anki breathes slowly but looks up, "What...Benny?"
The Starseed that had been attached to him and followed him nearly everywhere for the past few months was now shining brightly before the Regent who covers his eyes glaring at it.
"I will not let you have him!" Verbena's form took shape around the crystal, though she was still somewhat translucent. "Starlights!"
Five heads snapped up looking at her with varying expressions.
"Prepare the seal!"
Regent snarls, energy crackling around it, "You wouldn't dare. You don't even have the key." The sharp white teeth grins at her, laughing at this newest attempt. " I saw to that. I killed it when I entered this world!"
"That's why, " Verbena raises her hand, "It's best to have a spare!"
"What is she talking about?" Juno wasn't sure but watched in amazement as Verbena's spirit grew brighter and the tendrils of light threaded together to create a net around both her and the Regent. "What other key?"
Star Marker was the one that realized it as she got up, "Come on, form the ring. Everyone! Anki, Neo Moon, you two in the center, just like before." She moves forward with the others, "Starlights in the first, everyone else form a second. Summon up every last ounce of strength you have!"
"What's this?" Regent starts to struggle within the net trying to attack the others, but Verbena holds it together trying to make it harder for him to escape even though a few of them knocked Ceres and Khem back.
The two warriors only got back up, tired, bruised and beaten and were determined to end this by any means.
"I will not go back!" the Regent's movements because more wild as the chanting started beneath.
Neo Moon and Anki were at first bewildered by this, but as they did as Star Marker instructed, a glow appeared on their chest where their crystals were. The light shot up towards the regent as Neo Moon's tiara and Anki's mask disappeared and the symbol for the moon and earth appeared there.
As they continued, Verbena was trying hard to keep the net closed, but it was becoming difficult. Far more than she had ever thought. He had time to sit around and gather power and she wasted hers being what she had been.
But I had to. She thought gritting her teeth, to protect them all. I had to.
Between Neo Moon and Anki, something appeared. A small red familiar box that opened and played the familiar sweet tune from before.
"Yuu's muzic box?" Neo Moon mutters in surprised, "But -?"
"Don't lose concentration!" Verbena shouts, "It's almost over!"
Heeding the ghost woman's words, Neo Moon re focuses her power back to sealing the monster.
"No.. NO!" The Regent's terrified screams grew louder. "I will not go back! I will NOT GO BACK!"
"Too late." Verbena smirks as the spell was completed and a vortex came up from the music box surrounding them both.
"Benny.." Anki could only watch, wanting so much to stop this but found he couldn't move. He couldn't stop this, "Benny get out of there!"
"Sorry." She could only smile, "Guess I broke our promise, Darius."
When the music box closed, the Regent with his darkened skies and Verbena with her sad smile were both gone.
Silence reigned once more over the battlefield and the guardians were able to move from their positions finally. Some collapsed because of the strain while others simply stood silently or helped their fallen companions.
"It's finally over..." Bellatrix, now in her human form, said picking up Sailor Kinmoku who's transformation faded back into the school uniform that Jimmu wore. "It's over."
Above it all, on top of a building that over looked the scene of carnage, Crista stood with an emotional-less look on his face as he reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a pack of cigarettes. He pulls one out and lit it before taking a drag. He exhales slowly watching the Regent being sealed away in a trinket. Crista shook his head before flicking the ash of the cigarette away.
"Hm." Well first part of the plan was complete. The Regent was out of the way. What a pesky child. He supposed that with this, it should be infinitely easier for his real master to come forward. "All that's needed is a form."
Rolling his neck, the man simply slips away and into the night that had descended on the land without much notice.