50: "Take Back Tokyo! Part Five: World Painted Blood"
Four kilometers away from Tokyo's capitol building, the Senshi and their united forces formed a perimeter. It had taken a considerable amount of work to free its people from the clutches of the gods, and the most difficult obstacle was still ahead of them. Countless thousands had already fallen under their heels, including two more gods, but although they believed the survivors had scattered to the winds, they had actually been amassing here, around the capitol, acting as a final defense in their stranglehold over the country. In fact, there were more enemies here than they had destroyed; even with their forces augmented by the police and the millions saved from captivity, they were overpowered. Still, insurmountable odds had never stopped the Senshi before; it was the bread and butter of their heroic career.
Sailor Moon waited for all of the Senshi to signal that they had arrived. Every so often, her communicator would vibrate, indicating another one of her friends was in place. There were still two stragglers, and the wait for them to arrive was excruciating. She nervously scanned the horizon for any sign of change, and it was this vigilance that caught Sailor Mars approaching her atop the eight-legged Sleipnir. They smiled feebly at each other as Mars dismounted.
"So...um, how are you holding up?"
"Fine, fine. Ready to kick butt. Honestly, though, my stomach's doing flip-flops, and my palms won't stop sweating." She chuckled weakly and added, "You'd think we'd be used to this by now."
"It's the calm before the storm that always gets you. Whenever you're in battle, there's a strange sense of peace that comes over you—at least, that's how I feel. I can't afford to be nervous, so I don't. But anyway, I just thought I'd come and...visit."
Sailor Mars hung her head and glanced away forlornly. They had been friends long enough for Moon to know what that look portended, so she gave her a comforting touch.
"Rei...what is it?" She contemplated telling her, chewing her lip and turning pale. This was the worst moment possible to spring disquieting news.
"I had another vision a few minutes ago," she said quietly. "It was really vague, no surprises there."
"Any idea what was it about?" She shook her head.
"Just...pain. Deep, unfathomable loss. I got the impression someone's going to lose this battle, and the agony will be so incredible that...no sensation describes it."
"Maybe it's the bad guys who'll lose," she offered. Mars didn't so much as bat an optimistic eye.
"It was more like a battle that we lost, but I didn't get that indication. The pain I sensed was so full of sorrow, too, like a great evil had caused it."
"But...we're not going to lose this battle," Moon said, her voice laced with determination. "We're not, Rei. We're going to win. We're going to make it win. You said so yourself, not so long ago."
"I know. And I'm sorry for dropping this on you, when you're already beleaguered and...probably dead-tired, like I am..."
"Hey, I told you I was fine! Don't forget, I got my forty winks at the hospital. And you're fine, too. I know you better than that."
"And if I'm not?" she said, finally smiling. Sailor Moon winked.
"We're on the last stage. The final boss is right in front of us! We just have to get through the dungeon, clobber the head honcho, and have a kick-ass party somewhere in Kyushu!"
"It's that easy, huh? I swear, you and your video games..." Mars couldn't help but smile from her friend's infectious cheerfulness, and clasped her hand firmly. "Well, all right, then! If you say we can do it, then we can do it! And I'm bringing Setsu with me to Kyushu even if I have to drag her there myself!"
"That's the spirit!" Sailor Moon felt her communicator buzz two more times, indicating everyone had arrived. Mars felt the buzzing too, and the two sisters-in-arms smiled knowingly at each other.
"I'll meet you on the battlefield," Mars said, leaping atop Sleipnir and galloping away. Moon waved and wished her good-luck, then summoned the Cerynitian stag. She smiled as it nuzzled her.
"I wish Mamoru was here," she whispered to it. The stag nickered, indicating it understood her yearning, but now was a time for fighting. She saddled up, drew out her scepter, and pointed it in the direction of the capitol. Slowly, she trotted forward, Tokyo's police and people following close behind.
Makoto's music changed to the next song. The chords, surging with might, kept in time to the march of the Senshi and their forces as they gathered speed. The forces surrounding Tokyo's grand capitol could just barely be seen over the horizon, innumerable and powerful. Their attention was drawn to the opposition as it closed in on all sides. At the very center of it all were the remaining gods, their combined powers making the earth shudder and the skies groan. The last dim slivers of light faded, and the moon overhead became shadowed by thick clouds, ushering in a long night.
The Senshi marched faster—faster—faster—faster.
The music played louder, louder, louder, for all the world to hear.
The enemy amassed to defend its last hold on the world.
Sailor Moon burst into a full sprint as all of pandemonium was unleashed.
Disease spreading death entire population dies
Dead before you're born, massive suicide
Vicious game of fear it's all extermination now
Poison in your veins, global genocide
Slaughter governs law the apocalypse begins
Pain becomes the norm, seeking homicide
Beware the coming storm that starts illuminating fires
God is laughing hard, man has gone insane
WORLD PAINTED BLOOD, no sanctuary!
WORLD PAINTED BLOOD, no sanctuary!
She smashed against the first wave and sent them scattering through the air, plowing through the horde heedlessly. The stag lowered its head, its diamond-hard antlers cleaving into the thickness, shredding everything they touched, trampling over anything that survived. An unexpected jolt sent her tumbling out of her seat, and she was immediately surrounded and smothered. Countless blows hit her from all sides; her teeth gnashed as she bore them patiently. Finally, she burst her way through, cracking one on the head with her scepter. Two of them suddenly grabbed her from behind and pinned her, while a third rushed in with a long spear. Sailor Moon quickly performed a back-flip, kicking her charger and freeing herself from the other two. She vaulted behind them and launched a roundhouse kick, sending them sprawling back, where they were trampled underneath Airavata's thunderous foot.
Tip the human scale follow revelations plan
It must come to pass, secret shadows lie
Blueprint haunting dreams in which manipulation wins
Speak no hidden fears, religion neutralized
Emerged from the dark sadist mercenary ride
Realm of this world, godless messengers
Sickless, mindless hate becoming evolution's cure
Planets usher in, alignment God has died
WORLD PAINTED BLOOD, no sanctuary!
WORLD PAINTED BLOOD, no sanctuary!
Sailor Jupiter blasted through the crowd, lacing the road with tendrils as her avatar smashed everything in its path. It was standard procedure until she came across several of the titans, each of them bearing numerous soldiers on their bodies. The titans clutched onto Airavata, offering the soldiers a bridge. Jupiter quickly kicked one off, picked another up and threw him to his doom, and tackled a third, adding a spark to her attack. He infected everyone he touched; a final blast blew him to bits. Still, more assaulted her, and one approaching titan was carrying far more than she knew she could handle. Nursing a sinister grin, she powered up for a strong attack, snapping her fingers and sending a sizzling jolt directly through the giant's forehead, felling it and squashing all the soldiers it had carried.
Airavata threw off several of the titans, but one got back up, clutching onto one of the retreating soldiers. It tossed it at Jupiter with all its might; she jumped away, darting quickly to avoid a second, and blasted a third out of the air, but as more of the titans watched their comrade work, they joined the assault, and soon Jupiter was overwhelmed. Airavata tried to shake them off, but there were too many of them, and soon even the thunderous elephant was overpowered. A great blare pierced the battle as a big rig drove through the swarm, slamming into one of the titans and giving Jupiter some room to breathe. She looked up and beamed as she saw her husband behind the wheel, then smiled even brighter as she saw police sharpshooters riding on the trailer. They picked off more of the enemy, giving Jupiter all the leeway she needed. She surrounded herself with white-hot lances and spun them around, creating a gigantic deadly buzz-saw that ripped apart anything that got in her way.
Noticing several flying enemies going after the big-rig, she flung her electric saw and cleaved them apart, but more appeared in the sky, and Jupiter was staring down another wave. As Airavata bore through them with his tusks, and she summoned a thunderbolt, she noticed two flickering shadows in the sky. The wind was picking up at an alarming rate, and despite all the myriad odors competing for her breath, she could smell the sea...
God send death, watch it bleed, justified, manufactured lives born in hell
Angels fall, wings on fire, crucified, terrorizing man, burn the world
Reflecting eyes, sickle swings, wave of blood, suicidal mind from the start
Endless pain, open wounds, slit the throat, radiation child seeks the throne
Uranus and Neptune cleared a path for the big-rig, but the skies continued to swarm with enemies. Uranus grasped the strong gale in her fist and commanded it to thrust them down, where they were met by Neptune's crashing waves. Bedawang and Long Wang snapped them out of the sky, crushing them with their jaws, opening a clearing. Uranus spotted Pluto and Saturn dealing with more enemies than they were normally accustomed, and signaled to her partner. She mounted Bedawang and stirred her forward, only to be knocked down by a lancing blow from one of the titans. Neptune shouted after her lover but was dragged down as a huge swarm of soldiers grabbed hold of her writhing avatar. She pushed her way through the crowd, debating whom to save, but never came to an answer as more soldiers barred her path.
Strafing down demigods certain death, coming from the stars, lord of all
Dark rift rise, flourish life, perish man, we destroy ourselves, cease to live
Children's blood feed the dead sea of flesh, catastrophic fall rest in hell
Flaming corpse, screaming eyes, watch it die, walk among the dead, pick your grave
Grunting and wincing in pain, Uranus climbed to her feet, staring hotly as the swarm parted for the giant that had dethroned her. It had spiked manacles on its arms and legs and was armed with an enormous club. She met it with her saber, narrowly rolling out of the way of its crushing attack; it stomped down, creating a great hole in the ground, but she quickly darted to its other leg and dug her weapon in deep. The giant writhed and stomped faster, but she simply leaped to its other leg, using the shackles for a foothold. The arms came swinging next as she scaled its back, bearing huge meaty fingers with enough power to bend steel. She clung tight and fought them off with her sword, eventually cutting a vein open as a hand flew too close. As the behemoth howled, she ascended higher, wrapping her legs around its thick neck, and stabbed the head furiously, again and again, clinging for dear life as the monster bucked and flailed. Finally, it became still, and fell to the earth, where she leaped away gracefully.
Neptune stood before her, snorting.
"Showoff."
She excused herself curtly and continued to Pluto's location, suffering through a hailstorm of arrows. She took out her mirror and deflected them, then vaulted over one of the eerie stone faces the soldiers used as sentinels. Its mouth opened, issuing a flashing ring of energy, but that too was repulsed, and shattered the creature on impact. Neptune hopped over four more of them before arriving, turning around only briefly to wipe them out with a watery blast. Pluto and Saturn were surrounded, fighting a huge swarm back-to-back, like the eye of a vicious tornado. Before Neptune could jump in and even the odds, the ground rumbled with the arrival of several police assault vehicles. Heavy gunfire went off, opening a huge hole in the crowd, and those enemies fortunate enough to escape were flattened by the cavalcade. Noticing how effective they were, Saturn got an idea, and summoned the Phoenix.
"We're getting nowhere fast and we need to make a path. Could you help us, please?" The Phoenix screeched and carried her over to the nearest assault vehicle. Saturn asked the driver to give her command, and he jumped out just as the Phoenix grabbed hold of the car and slowly lifted it into the air. She pointed her glaive in the direction of a thick cluster, so the Phoenix accelerated and released its catch, throwing it into the masses where it crushed them. The impact destroyed the car, unfortunately, causing Saturn to fret.
"Oh, gosh, we threw it too hard! Sorry!" The driver merely stared at the wreckage helplessly.
"Uh...that's okay...I guess."
Four titans suddenly came up from behind, swatting the Phoenix away and grabbing Saturn in their huge fists. She let out a scream as the monsters crushed her, but the great serpents Long Wang and Ouroboros quickly coiled around them, crushing them with far more power. Neptune rushed in, knocked one of the titans flat with a watery sphere, caught Sailor Saturn as she fell from the enemy's clutches, placed her down, spun around and caught an errant sword, kicked the soldier away, and bowled over another group with a disorienting shot from her mirror.
"Thank you, Michiru," Saturn said. Neptune smiled back at her.
"My pleasure, Firefly. Did you see where Pluto went?"
"Back to her station. I was in a bind and she broke ranks to help me."
"Well, just be careful in the future, please. We won't always be there to sa—"
Neptune winced as Saturn abruptly thrust her glaive past her ear, skewering one of the stone faces. Saturn beamed.
"You were saying?"
Like a disease spreading death, erasing your existence
Like a disease spreading death, erasing your existence
Like a disease spreading death, erasing your existence
Like a disease spreading death, erasing your existence
Satan's hand begins the end and frees the world forever
Gomorrah's dream to live in sin has reached its critical mass
Man himself has become God and laughs at his destruction
In which we trust a secret government is now in total collapse
Sailor Mars was breathing hard, standing over the defeated corpse of a titan, as Pluto slithered past her. The Senshi of time winked, then blew a very uncharacteristic kiss at her, before resuming the fight.
"Looking good, sweet potato!" she called. Flustered, but encouraged, Mars mounted Sleipnir and blasted through more enemies, trying to open a path to the capitol. She circled around a large crowd, trailing a wall of fire behind her until she had left a huge flaming ring. She summoned a fiery bow and arrow, shooting a bolt into the sky; it arced down and landed with a tremendous explosion, turning everything inside the ring to ash. Whirling Sleipnir around, she fashioned a lance and skewered soldiers as she charged forth, Sleipnir butting enemies out of the way. A massive titan blocked her path; his footfalls caused the earth to crack, opening huge fissures. Mars wove around them, stirring Sleipnir to his maximum speed, until she and her totem were a blazing blur. At the last moment, she hurled herself off, slamming herself and the horse into the titan with the force of a volcanic eruption. Mars passed through the creature, landing gracefully on the other side.
"Kaboom," she whispered. The monster was soon undone in a gory, fiery explosion.
Disease spreading death entire population dies
Dead before you're born, massive suicide
Vicious game of fear it's all extermination now
Poison in your veins, global genocide
Slaughter governs law the apocalypse begins
Pain becomes the norm, seeking homicide
Beware the coming storm that starts illuminating fires
God is laughing hard, man has gone insane
WORLD PAINTED BLOOD, no sanctuary!
WORLD PAINTED BLOOD, no sanctuary!
Many soldiers surrounded her, but Mars merely grinned—no problem. She called fire to her fists and tore through the crowd with a flurry of blazing punches. Suddenly, an enormous glacier formed before her, encasing the crowd. Mars was unable to stop her attack, so when she hit the glacier, it shattered from the impact, destroying everything it had encased and spewing countless shards to level any surviving foes. Mars barely put up a fire barrier in time, and just made out Sailor Mercury as she flew by. Her old friend only offered a sweet wink before leaving Mars amazed.
"Hey, how about giving me a little encouragement?!" Mercury smiled sweetly as she was joined by Sailor Venus and Quetzalcoatl. They had already swept across most of the flying enemies and looked to confront several scorpion-men below.
"Dear Mina, you're like the summer sunshine."
"Oh, really?" she blushed. "Hey, I'll take it—my sweet blueberry muffin!" Mercury giggled, and decided to help her lover. She had but to touch Llyn Llyw, and the wise fish poured freezing water along the highway, turning it to ice. Venus saluted Mercury and leaped down, drawing her Love Me chain out. She slid over the ice with all of the grace and beauty of her namesake, whirling and flailing her chain with blinding speed, cutting apart everything in her path. She leaped into the air for a finale, and was caught by Quetzalcoatl.
"Very impressive!" Mercury called. She turned her focus back to the surface, noticing the people of Tokyo pushing further through the crowd, even toppling a titan with grappling hooks. A path to the capitol was slowly clearing up, so she opened a channel to the other Senshi, telling them the news.
"Not a moment too soon!" Sailor Moon replied. "Okay, everybody, full speed ahead!"
Signs of disease, rivers red, blood in ice, plague
Signs of disease, rivers red, blood in ice, plague
Signs of disease, rivers red, blood
Welcoming our death
At last they breached the capitol steps and found themselves staring at the main entrance, or rather, the gods guarding the entrance. On one side was Nanna, the moon-god; on the other, Shamash, the sun-god. Seeing such polarizing forces uniting was unheard of, but the scale and scope of this battle necessitated it. What little was left of their forces surrounded the gods, but they parted as their masters gestured for them to stand aside.
"Which of thee is the moon-sailor?" Nanna said. She stepped up, glaring with righteous fury.
"I am."
"You are found," he said, rather strangely. This shook up Sailor Moon's agitation.
"Umm...say what?"
"Long have we sought the celestial sailors, whom we erroneously called Sage. Blood has been shed and time has been wasted in this attempt. Were I wise Ea, I would ponder if such events were truly meant to take place, that no other recourse could be made. As I merely hold office over the moon, though, tis' not my place. Shall we all not lay down our arms and discuss our matters peaceably?"
"Oh, yeah, sure," she snarled, "right after you pull out all of your people and get the hell out of our country!"
"Why entreat with them, Nanna?" Shamash said, his very words becoming bright fire. "Tis' plain they are a plague. Ninurta could not conquer them, Ninhursaga was destroyed by them, Gula driven mad, Adad shamed, Enlil cast down, Marduk lost, Ea hid..."
"Ea is not hid," thundered a great voice. Three other massive creatures descended from the sky, one supporting another while the third spread his arms out. "He is here, Shamash, and has brought Gula along. I believed it prudent that we should all be here, in body if not in mind. Usmu." Sailor Moon had almost forgotten about the gods' envoy; he had borne the catatonic goddess upon his shoulder, only to place her down gently between the other two. Shamash looked upon her with great sorrow, while Nanna focused on Ea.
"Thy brother's death is upon thee, Ea. Restoring the goddess of life to her station doth not remedy this."
"I bear my sin in my own fashion, Nanna."
"And what of Adad? Hast thou in thy wisdom seen to his death?"
"Nay," he replied grimly, "my Master urged him to appear." He nodded sharply, gesturing behind the other gods, where a broken, embittered creature came limping in, his stature stooped and his glow dim and sickly. Sailor Moon recalled fighting him with excruciating clarity: although she had been healed from the fight, she could still feel the bolt ripping through her body. Even now, weakened and shamed, Adad exuded enormous power and sovereignty. His eyes darted over to her for a moment, then he glanced at Jupiter and Uranus, before finally settling on his kinsmen.
"These are all who survived?"
"All save Marduk, who remains unaccounted for." Nanna and Shamash hung back shyly, but Usmu still bowed, and Ea extended his hand. Adad clasped it firmly.
"Shame is our sky now, wise one, and pride our dirt."
"Aye, but growth happens not in the heavens. The wheat must fall before it can sprout."
"Pithy as ever. So: do we moot or wage war?"
"Neither," Sailor Moon growled. "You get your evil glowy butts out of Tokyo right now—"
"Impudent wretch!"
"Silence, all," Ea commanded. "The conclusions we have hitherto devised were ill-met and soured. Therefore, I have entreated a higher authority to intervene."
"What dost thou speak of?" Shamash said. "Has Marduk been found after all?"
"Nay. Tis' not his word we must heed, but his father's." At that Ea knelt, and Usmu and Adad followed him. Shamash was petrified with terror—surely Ea did not mean... Oh, but then the skies opened, and a light even brighter than the sun's pierced the black of night. The entire world trembled, nature was stilled, men and women were stricken, and Sailor Moon dropped to her knees, weeping to be so overwhelmed. It could not be seen, not by the eyes of mortals or even of gods; it could only be felt, and known. A universal hush entirely different from Saturn's blanketed creation, and the father of the gods, almighty Anu, came down from his lofty perch. He did not touch the earth, but the ground beneath him gave way, opening a small crater. He did not speak, except through an ear-shattering noise. Usmu translated.
"He... The Incomparable One introduces Himself. Such an occasion is unprecedented; the Overwhelming Awe of Anu never appears in the world and seldom interferes with the lives of servants. To have Him descend... O, most Beatific Beginning, O most Encompassing End, how can such a spectacle be known to Thy servants? ...Ah, forgive me, I shall relay Thy word. Anu identifies thee as servants granted extraordinary abilities through means known only to His Magnificence. The confusion dies; you were heroes all the time. We were all such fools: this being Yamato, so distant from our own beloved land, you could not expect to share alliance with us, just as the Greeks or Egyptians or Britons did not always share their beliefs with our servants. That such blind ignorance should permeate our ranks..."
"Usmu, you dare insult us?!"
"Beg thy pardon, Lord, but these are Anu's words, not my own. I should want death before I hold those thoughts in my own mind. ...Ah, I must also recite the Inexpressible One's wish for your silence, great Lord, and... Oh, Greatest of All, it shall be done as You say, even though my own heart doth ache to hear it... Most noble heavenly sailors, it is now our station to eradicate you. Anu has spoken."
"Has he, now?!" Sailor Moon was brought to her feet by Jupiter, and supported by Mercury and Venus. She snapped out of her transcendent daze, wiping tears from her face, and saw Mars, Uranus, Pluto, Neptune, and Saturn there as well. "Well," Jupiter continued, "maybe it's our station to stop you."
A terrible force blasted them backwards, shattering stones and cracking trees. The Senshi were caught in mid-air, hoisted up high, stunned, and blasted with powerful jolts of pain. The blinding area of light where Anu hovered roared furiously, attacking them on all fronts, inflicting more torture than any of them had ever known. Usmu wailed and fell prostrate.
"Anu has spoken, Anu has spoken... Your lives are forfeit, heroes, for none can withstand His Totality..."
Whenever people said something like that, it usually made the Senshi want to fight even harder, push themselves beyond their limits—but they had reached those limits already, and nothing in the world could make them go further. Whatever this was, it was too great for them. There was no amount of dauntless grit or foolhardy willpower they could call forth to counter this: it was power and strength in its greatest form.
And in spite of everything they knew and everything they were feeling, it actually got stronger.
They had all known furious, excruciating pain before, be it of the body or heart, but this was a suffering beyond mortal—and even, in some cases, immortal—comprehension. Nothing could equate to it, nothing could be compared to it—nothing could survive. They felt the life being forced out from them, their existence torn apart, countless years and experiences turned into nothing by the efforts of this most powerful enemy. There was no way out, no escape, no savior to come swooping in this time...
But then something impaled Anu, and the light and the pain vanished at once. The Senshi were released immediately, and fell to the ground, helpless and half-dead.
The gods were no less astonished. The long object protruding out of their master's chest was an arm, and each of them immediately knew who it belonged to.
He, of course, grinned savagely.
"Hello, Anu. Even though you can't see me right now, I'm sure you recognize the sound of my voice."
It was Nergal, god of the underworld.
"How long I have waited. How tirelessly I planned. How fitfully were my days spent! I believe I have a right to savor this moment, don't you? After all, it's only fair. No, please: don't get up." Nergal raised his other arm, repulsing the other gods with but a gesture, then shoved back the whole crowd. He laughed coldly and leaned forward, until his face was masked by the fading light of the dying god.
"I'm really not sure where I should begin. Obviously your existence is now mine to control, and I wish for you to understand the full implication, and perhaps even the irony, of that. The pain you are going through now will be short and deliciously sweet. Once you are in my realm, though... For every flicker of a moment I have suffered, yours shall be an eternity stretched to its screaming limitations. Yours will be a fate lost in endless darkness, horror, forgetfulness, suffocation, helplessness, choking, freezing, burning. The dry lands will swallow you up until there is nothing left but bare rock; even your memory will be torn to pieces and lost forever. I decide when, but that is not the best part. You will understand what I have felt, and what my love has felt, magnified infinitely, but that is not the best part. Your sons and daughters will share your suffering, but that is not the best part. Your world will be overrun, and I shall make it my abode, and there shall be neither life nor death, but that is not the best part. As time will be meaningless to your wretched condition, so shall it be with my blessed reign, but even that is not the best part."
He then hissed, "Do you want to know what the best part is? All of this, from my resurgence to your imminent demise, from your twilight to my dawn...all of this was thanks to your son, Marduk. I would not have had the ability to do any of this without his generous assistance. ...Ah, and of course, you know that he would not have accepted my demands willingly, or while he still...lived. That thought alone shall be your greatest torment, and my finest delight. Anyway, die."
Nergal's fingers slithered out from his hand, turning into long black wires. With a single flick, the wires coiled around Anu's body and tore it to pieces, and they continued coiling and whipping and shredding without pause or remorse, as fast as the eye can blink, until only eviscerated chunks remained. Nergal quickly withdrew his hand, opened his mouth wide, and screamed, issuing a searing blast that vaporized the chunks and everything else within a one-meter radius. He carelessly waved the smoke away and drew himself up, raising his nose in indignation.
Then, suddenly, he cackled, and clapped wildly.
"And I couldn't have done it without the interference of your Apkallu, or whatever you have chosen to call them! I don't even mean the actions they have performed these past few days, smashing your armies and snuffing out three of your kinsmen! Oh no, they have been inadvertently helping me for a very long time!"
"You sick bastard!" Venus screamed. "We never helped you!" Nergal suddenly became grim and regal again, staring at the golden-haired warrior with equal amounts disdain and respect.
"I beg to differ, Venusian-sailor. Whom do you think was responsible for releasing the Druj from their captivity? Who dared break the chains that held Azhi Dahaka fast?"
"Incredible!" Adad spat, flailing helplessly. "Outrageous! Vile fiend!"
Nergal waved his arm, knocking Adad back with a thunderous blast. He stood silent for a moment, then cleared his throat.
"I had hoped the dragon would kill your lot, but then these wonderful Sailors came about and tried to stop it. Marduk, being the noble creature he was, offered up his strength, bringing them closer to his level while he was brought down to theirs. In such a weakened condition, even the greatest of all gods was easy prey."
"Monstrosity!" All of the gods, save Gula, charged at Nergal now, but they were all forced back. Nergal spat at them, his face churning into disgust.
"You dare accuse me of evil after what you have perpetrated? None of you are innocent! The servants you revile and disdain so much are worthier of my respect! And lo, our two sides even had the same agenda, did we not? Overthrow the gods: was that it?"
"But...we didn't..."
"Please, don't deny it. We both had the same idea; we just executed them differently. I must thank you just as much as you must thank me. After all, if I had not arrived, would you still be among the living?"
"Okay, that does it!" Uranus roared. "I've heard all I want to out of this freak!" She launched a powerful attack, but the searing golden orb slowed to a crawl, until all Nergal had to do was reach out and grab hold.
"Fascinating. If my own powers had not been augmented by Marduk's, would I have suffered the same fate as Ninurta? In any case, I waste my time here. I must go and rewrite the fabric of this world, and as I'd rather not have gods, servants, or heroes interfering, I'll have to summon something to distract them." He snapped his fingers, and three figures rose up from the ground. "Akwan, Moloch, and Illuyankas," Nergal announced, "and many more where they came from. Call them Druj, demon, devil, what you like: I call them treasured friends." He smiled with mock-warmth at the gods, then bowed before the Senshi and the crowds, before vanishing in a plume of gray smoke. The three figures he summoned immediately scattered, and Senshi, gods, and civilians all stood around stunned.
Sailor Moon slowly climbed to her feet.
"Darn it, Rei, why can't you ever get any good premonitions?"
Author's notes:
The end is near, but I have to make the Senshi work for it.
I must apologizing for abusing the deus ex machina so much, but it happened in the anime just as often (usually in the form of Tuxedo Kamen). At least I'm trying to think of different ways to represent it, and the Sailors aren't always helpless wimps who only use their attacks once before getting tied up or hypnotized or overpowered, or some silly nonsense. They can get in and out of peril, but I try not to make either very easy.
Usmu mentioning contact with the Britons is not a mistake or a typo: they were as much of an ancient race as the Babylonians, and in fact immigrated as far as Persia and Asia minor. The Greeks and Romans were aware of them as well, although the Greeks called them Hyperboreans, and the Romans simply fought them. Stories of King Arthur came out of that meeting, but that's a myth for another day.
Akwan is a demon of Persian lore who threatened the hero Rustem. Moloch is an Ammonite god to whom human sacrifices, particularly children, were made. Illuyankas is a dragon of Hittite origin who waged war against the gods. Basically, more "villains of the week" for the Senshi to fight. Oh, and remember when I said that Azhi Dahaka was the worst thing I could throw at the Senshi? I was wrong. I've got two other monstrosities coming up that are worse, and one's of my own creation.
The song World Painted Blood is by Slayer.
