A/N: I'm not going to spend a lot of time on the author's note because you guys have been waiting for far, FAR too a long time for an update for me to waste time with apologies concerning my whack update schedule. We're going straight into the main event here and now. I'll talk more at the end of the chapter. Be prepared though, this one is one crazy ride. I hope you guys enjoy it! I also hope all of you had a very merry Christmas and that 2021 will bring great things for you all. Thanks for reading!
Warnings: As usual...there's violence galore because of Mina's mental decay. On top of that, this particular chapter just...ya'll ain't ready. I wasn't ready even when I wrote it. This chapter...I don't have words. Just...reader discretion advised. Not because of violence really but...you'll see okay. Ya'll ain't ready for this.
Quick Note: Special thanks to SuperNova23 for helping me with the duel you guys have been seeing for the last few chapters. You did a great job buddy! This chapter wouldn't have been possible without your help. Thanks a ton! God bless you!
Disclaimer: We have no time for this right now. Let's hit it!
Chapter 50
Monster Part 7
Line by line, the poem appeared on the computer screen.
Every night when I went to sleep, I would see a monster in my dreams.
The monster was ugly, scary, and mean,
It stalked the land whispering, "Who will my next victim be?"
My heart beat was agony as I searched for safety,
A refuge from the beast's wretched symphony.
The monster screamed,
The monster cried,
And eventually, the monster died.
Each day I woke with relief inside
But one day I awoke and found despair.
Beneath my feet lay my loved ones
I looked at my hands and saw their blood.
The monster screamed,
The monster cried,
Its tears were a flood pouring forth from my eyes,
A loud crash sounded from somewhere above Kara Fennette and her two companions. The first of those companions was a man known as Kirei Kotomine. He was dressed in a priest's garb as he was the head priest for the Church in the Fuyuki district of Area 11. The second man's identity is one the detective is unsure of, but at this present moment, all of her thoughts are on the poem and the message it conveys.
The comma after "eyes" indicated there was still more to the strange script running along the screen, but the final lines were slow to appear. While this development wasn't an error, (the load process had gotten increasingly slower with each line revealed), the wait elevated the increasing tension in the air. With rapidly decaying patience, Kara glanced at the message bar on the bottom right the corner of the screen. The progress bar was at 98%.
"Two more lines," she muttered, noting another violent explosion of sound. "Two. More. Freakin. Lines."
"Your King grows increasingly weary of these waiting games." Another crash from far above caught Kara's attention for a brief moment as the alluring blonde man behind her continued speaking.
"If it is not finished within the next minute, I will crush that device to oblivion."
"Please don't do that," Kara pleaded dryly, her gaze fixed on the loading bar. "This information is incredibly important, Your Highness. I'll..." she paused, regretting what her next words had to be in order to secure the safety of the data.
"I'll make the wait worthwhile for you. We have unfinished business from last night, don't we?"
Oh how she hated herself in this moment.
But the blonde man with looks similar to A.A.'s, seemed to delight in these words. Kara cringed internally but kept her expression neutral as he chuckled darkly.
"You desire the information contained within this vile thing that badly, concubine?"
"YES!" Kara screamed out excitedly, not even hearing the blonde's words as another line of the poem appeared.
And in that moment I finally realized...
The detective's eyes scanned the words as yet another brutal crash shook through the otherwise still room.
All of the noise was coming from a battle almost directly above the trio's current position.
Little did they know...
Minako Aino and E.E. were engaged in an all out war against one another.
The Millennium Sword...
This truly is that accursed weapon responsible for my demise in the Silver Millennium. Feeling the sting of the blade again today is almost nostalgic, but I don't allow myself to think much on the past. When Mina plunged it through my torso earlier, it very nearly tore through the weakest part of my body...the part that will kill the rest of me...
Of course, that's only possible if Rei Hino is the one to strike me there. Though the sword isn't originally her weapon, it was the Princess of Mars who nearly wiped me from existence with the use of that blade over a millennia ago.
And in order for me to die...truly die...I either have to lose all my Codes, exhaust those Codes to the point that I can't regenerate, or the fire princess has to plunge the Millennium Sword through my heart. Of course, it's not as simple as just that though. Every condition from that moment would have to be exactly the same. A single slip of the hand...and well...I'll remain alive. Even so, the Millennium Sword is still a fearsome weapon, especially in the hands of Minako Aino. Regardless of her inability to kill me with it, my current physical state leaves me particularly vulnerable to Code depletion.
However, I still have several advantages over the former senshi of love. For one, Sailor Mars has no knowledge of the Millennium Sword. Information about the sword's existence is limited, entrusted only to my most loyal subordinates. Even the boy Bakura, possessed by the spirit of the Millennium Ring, knows little of the sword's history. especially in regards to my connection to it. The scraps of history he knows served me well when we worked together. After all, it was his time altering hourglasses that allowed me to reverse time and save myself from defeat at the hands of the Sailor Scouts.
My first two attempts to wipe out the Sailor Scouts and Geass failed during the Special Zone Massacre. After the second defeat, I reset the clock to a few days before Rei departed for the Tokyo Settlement to start my third and final attempt.
This is the farthest I've gotten.
And per my former agreement with the Spirit of the Millennium Ring, the dreaded artifact Mina wears now, this timeline cannot be reversed. Everything that happens now is for keeps.
K3 is dead thanks to that.
But I promised to end this through whatever means necessary.
She's at peace now, but I won't be until I've upheld my end of our promise.
And so, for that end I've drawn out the Millennium Sword despite the monumental risk doing so provides.
"E.E.!"
The ribbon wearing blonde charges for me as my heel scrapes along a piece of glass. A crimson aura surrounds her, illuminating the space as our swords collide against each other. She has the advantage of two arms while I only have the usage of one, but her attacks are a lot sloppier than mine, especially now that she's lost the vengeful rage she'd stormed down here with. Her resolve to kill me is as firm as ever, but she's struggling internally. She's fighting against the madness that gave her the edge in this fight.
The tip of her blade stabs into the wall next to my face...a face that is nothing more than a skeletal mask. I have no physical eyes to speak of, but I can still see Mina's face in my mind's eye. Her gaze is an unfocused swirl of blue and red.
"What's wrong Mina?" I taunted, dodging another flurry of attacks by performing a series of one-handed cartwheels away from her before lowering myself into a sitting position on the floor. When she came close, I slammed my foot into one of her ankles. She cried out and fell to her knees as my own sword manifested next to my palm in a show of blue flames. Gripping the hilt, I extended my arm backwards to aim my final strike.
A single blow through the top of the head. Those are the conditions necessary to forcibly take the Millennium Sword from its master. The only other method is for the master to give the sword away willingly. I had hoped she would have done so after that sword's illusion forced her to shoot at all her family and friends...but that brat Wheeler...
Her attachment to him is the only thing keeping her from completely giving in to the mania already crawling inside her.
"That part of her has always existed."
With a harsh breath she rolled over on the ground just as my blade surged downward.
Of course, seeing Minako Aino for the impostor she is wasn't easy initially.
It's not something she's even aware of.
She would have found out eventually if she were going to live past this night.
But she isn't. She's too dangerous to be left alive any longer.
"Won't you stay still!" I shouted, slamming my sword against hers again, more forcibly than before. "I can make all the pain stop you know. Don't you want to see your precious Joseph again? Don't you hear him crying out to you?"
With a vicious growl she jammed her foot against my stomach. I stumbled back a few paces while she flew forward, a newfound rage in her eyes as she slashed against the air, just barely missing my chest. I countered by parrying off her initial attack with enough force to send the blade flying away from her.
Now vulnerable without her sword, Mina defaulted to using the working blade in her gloves to defend herself. This weapon paled in comparison to the Millennium Sword, which made pinning the blonde down much easier.
"There's no need to struggle anymore," I whispered, pressing my knee against her stomach while raising my sword again. "You knew this would be the end result."
"You think I would make it that easy for you, E.E.?"
I blinked as the Millennium Ring began to surge with energy. "Bakura..."
Mina's sudden scream of anguish made the Ring pulse from the raw power of it. The resulting shock-wave sent me flying across the room until my body crashed against the only lit chandelier. When gravity pulled me to the floor, I fell into shards of glass and crystal.
"This isn't going to end well at this rate," I thought, heedless of the glass sticking into my flesh hand as I hastily got to my feet. Mina was still on the other side of the room, her screams slowly transitioning between roaring sobs and unhinged laughter. Once on her feet, she extended her right hand away from her body.
Her laughter ceased the instant the the Millennium Sword materialized.
Keeping the blade from her left glove extended, she rasped out, "I can't die! I can't die yet! Not until I kill you...E.E!" She paused for a moment, her breathing erratic as she stumbled a bit to the right."Y-You k-killed t-them. Y-you k-killed my m-mom. Y-you k-killed...J-Joey."
"Cat caught your tongue all of a sudden, or did you bite it off from screaming and crying so bloody much," I muttered, irritated as Mina's body started glowing in that familiar crimson hue again. "Have you still not gotten the point?"
"W-what p-point!?"
I let out a sigh. "No of course not. Blame me all you want, Minako. I am to blame somewhat...but you're still responsible for your own decisions. No one forced you to kill your mother. You would have done it anyway, even if your little friend Joseph hadn't been a factor. And deep down, you always knew that."
"You pulled the trigger in the end," I told her, taking a shaky step forward, my own breathing laborious. "No one else. You've slaughtered ten people. Your mother and nine of my subordinates."
"S-shut up!"
"And, involuntary or not, you activated the mechanism that killed your precious Joey..."
"E-enough of your m-mind games a-already!"
The boy isn't actually dead, although if D.D. has done what I've asked, he should be soon enough. He seems to be taking his sweet time though. Regardless, Mina's new sword created the illusion of his presence. All I did was trick her into thinking that shadow was the real thing.
In the darkness, it would be impossible for Mina to know that no trace of the illusion remains here. The shadow is gone...just like K3, my direct subordinates, and...
"Of course I'd think of him now. I always do in moments like this."
"You're pathetic," I began, lifting my sword once more. "If you can't face reality, then you don't deserve to live in this world."
"And what's that reality exactly?" Mina asked, pointing her own sword towards me.
After a split second of staring at each other, we raced into battle again, swords clashing and clanging as glass crunched noisily beneath our feet.
Leaping into the air, my body twisted in a spiral as I started to plunge my sword down toward's Mina's head again. She easily blocked with the Millennium Sword. It glowed brightly the second the metals clashed, creating sparks of gold and crimson simultaneously as my feet touched the ground. I pushed back against her, my heart racing in response to the sparks of blue shooting out from my sword.
"You killed your mother," I told her, looking directly into her eyes. "You hated her. You didn't kill her to protect Joey. As much as you seem to care about him, that wasn't the reason you did it. You were angry with her. You hated what she became. You hated the fact she allied herself with me at all, the very person ruining your entire life. And now that you know your father worked for me...you hate him too."
She gritted her teeth.
"That's the truth, Mina." I continued. "There's no escaping that reality. You can put as many mental bubbles around yourself as you want. You can pretend it was all my doing. Most of it was. But in the end...you still pulled the trigger. Not me. Not Rei. Not anyone else!"
Her hands shook around the hilt of the blade as chaotic energy continued to swirl around us. Mina was desperately trying to keep her rage under control. I could easily sense the internal struggle thanks to my array of Geass powers, but my hindsight wasn't limited to just that.
The truths she doesn't want to admit have transformed her into a monster, and the lies tying her to a persona of love and justice no longer exist.
"You decided to come down here to kill me."
Mina's grip continued to tighten around her sword as I pressed harder against it in the vain hope of gaining the upper hand. My attacks are getting weaker. I don't know if I'll be able to keep fighting at this pace for much longer.
"You decided to kill whoever got in your way."
"E.E..."
"Is that not what happened?" I asked, interrupting her. With a grunt of pain I tried to force more strength into my working limb to break our stalemate.
"You wanted vengeance..."
"And the paperwork for my father..."
"Paperwork I don't have."
"LIAR!"
"Sorry," I muttered, shaking my head amidst the intensifying sparks surrounding our blades. "Not this time."
"Shut up. SHUT UP!"
We broke apart then, canceling out the light-show the magic caused before flinging ourselves into another series of brutal attacks. With each strike of our swords, magic shot out, colliding with whatever was available to destroy.
Eventually a particularly vicious spark shot toward the drapes that hung over my throne at the end of the room. From the corner of my mind's eye I could see the beginnings of a flame tearing through the fabric.
"You know, maybe we should make a campfire while we're waiting, Wheeler. It really is quite cold now that I think about it."
I didn't answer. As cold as it is, my only thought is on the arrow winding down to a stop.
Of all the times I have waited for the Time Wizard's roulette to stop...this time has to be the absolute worst.
My nerves are shot and all my hopes are riding on this moment.
My whole life...and maybe even Mina's life could be hanging in the balance.
"Here goes," I whispered, my eyes transfixed on the arrow.
Its final spin was like the ticking of a clock counting down the seconds to a fate unknown.
"TIC."
"TOC."
"TIC."
I bite down on my tongue as sweat pours down the side of my face. "Please..."
"TOC."
The arrow stops and for a few seconds, all I can do is stare at it as snow continues to steadily fall around us. Breaths leave my mouth in puffs of warm air while my heart swells with sudden, unrelenting triumph.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAW YEAH!"
D.D. stared blankly at me. "Must you yell so loud..."
"My Time Roulette was successful," I interrupted, breathing an obvious sigh of relief as I glanced once more at the arrow within Time Wizard's wand fixed on one of the two chests instead of one of the four skulls that would have spelled my immediate doom.
"You really came through for me buddy." Smiling sadly, I narrowed my focus on my opponent's monster.
"Now! Time Roulette go! Fast forward time on the field by one thousand years!"
The Wizard seemed to nod at my request as it lifted the wand into the air. "TIME MAGIC!"
A sharp wind engulfed the field, sending up puffs of snow that I had to shield my eyes from, but the Time Wizard's magic was doing it's job just as it had always done.
"Thanks, Yug," I thought, narrowing my gaze on Baby Dragon as it began to transform into Thousand Dragon. "This next move is for you pal."
The wind died down a bit, allowing me to see D.D., but I couldn't see his monster yet.
Thousand Dragon ATK: 2400
Thousand Dragon DEF: 2000
"Thanks to your field spell, my dragon gains five hundred extra points." I shouted, still unable to see much past the violent gust of snow.
Thousand Dragon ATK: 2900
Thousand Dragon DEF: 1600
D.D.'s smirk was the first thing I saw when the wind cloud started to settle down. My skin crawled at the sight and my heart sank when the wind completely dissipated, revealing Shino-Sorceress Raven completely unaffected by my Time Wizard's magic.
"No!" I screeched, gritting my teeth. "You got to be kidding me!"
Shino-Sorceress Raven ATK: 3000
Shino-Sorceress Raven DEF: 1900
D.D. immediately startled cackling, his coal-like eyes mocking me as his laughs echoed through the air. "Sorry, but Spirit monsters are eternal, Wheeler. I guess you miscalculated. It's what I'd expect from such an amateur duelist."
"Has this guy been talking to Kaiba or something?" With an internal groan, I set one card face down. "I end my turn."
Joey: 2000
D.D.: 1900
"My draw then," D.D. replied, quickly plucking a card from the top of his deck. He stared at the face of his card for a few seconds, his smirk widening into a truly evil grin as he started giggling softly to himself. He must have gotten something good, which definitely isn't the best news for me...
But whatever strategy he has planned...I'll find a way around it.
"This is it, Wheeler," he proclaimed after laughing a bit longer. "Your demise is at hand, for behold, I activate the equip spell, Fusion Weapon."
"He's probably going to use that to power up his monster," I thought digging my heels into the snow. "Which means..."
"Fusion Weapon boosts the attack power of Shino-Sorceress Raven by 1500," D.D. continued. "Bringing her overall total to 4500."
Shino Sorceress Raven ATK: 4500
"Definitely not good," I muttered, glancing at my Thousand Dragon as a heavy feeling settled over my heart. "My dragon is toast and I'm about to eat a good 1500 points of damage."
D.D. pointed at my Thousand Dragon. "Shino-Sorceress Raven, attack once more with Garula Tempest Slash!"
With a monstrous howl, the bird lady lifted her staff into the air and twirled it several times above her head, creating massive gusts of wind. The crystal on the end of the staff glowed until it was bright enough to almost blind me. Then, in a flurry of slashing moments, more gusts of frigid wind pierced into my Thousand Dragon, destroying it instantly.
D.D.: 1900
Joey: 400
"Your end is swiftly approaching," D.D. stated almost gleefully. "Do you feel the chill of the Grim Reaper, Joseph Wheeler? It's calling you! Why not give in now and spare yourself the humiliation of a devastating defeat?"
"Because I have a friend to save! We've been over this like five times already, so shut up!" I growled, a vein ready to burst from my head as I drew a card. "This game isn't over until the last life-point is gone."
D.D.'s grin softened a bit. "An apt way to put it, Wheeler. When your life-points hit zero on my next turn, you'll lose your life." He paused for a moment, his grin disappearing altogether as he stared blankly at me from across the field. "Such a shame. A part of me really does want to see how you'd react to your little friend's barbarity. Unfortunately for both of us, you simply aren't skilled enough to..."
"What part of 'shut up' do you not get?" I cut in, glancing down at the card I'd just drawn, Graceful Dice. "There's not going to be a next turn for you, but rather than just say that, let me show you with the cards."
Extending my hand to the right, I pointed to my face down card.
"See, while you were busy ranting about my being an amateur earlier, I set my Grave Robber card face down," I told him, smiling triumphantly. "And guess what he stole from your graveyard!"
D.D. blinked, obviously confused when I revealed that I'd taken his Polymerization Card.
"How is that supposed to help you, Wheeler?" he asked with a downright haughty tone of voice. "You have no monsters on your field."
"No, but I got these two monstas in my hand," I answered, flipping over two cards to reveal Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Battle Warrior. "And when fused together, they create the unstoppable force known as Red-Eyes Slash Dragon!"
From the sky a ball of flames fell, enveloping my side of the field and warming the otherwise freezing air. The two monsters sacrificed, Red-Eyes and Battle Warrior, fused together in a flash of white light.
"What is the meaning of this!" D.D. called out, his eyes widening as my dragon slowly but surely appeared amidst the flames. Large black and red claws dug into the snowy ground as the dragon let out a piercing shriek that shook through the night. Its body was a mix of red, black, and silver while its wings blended into the night sky above us.
"Now that, is a dragon," I thought gleefully, glad that I was able to summon it for what might be my final duel. My hands start shaking a little as my mind drifts to my friends back home. Yugi, Téa, Tristan...right now I don't know if I'll ever see them again.
And my sister...I promised I'd always be there for her.
That promise to my sister is probably the most important promise of my life. It's what kept me going during Duelist Kingdom. It's what's kept me strong all these years we've been separated. Through all the beatings my dad gave me, through every trip to the hospital, through every moment of loneliness and anger...my promise to Serenity kept me grounded.
It kept me breathing in moments when I didn't want to anymore.
Before Yugi and the others showed up in my life, Serenity was all I had to keep me here.
Now I have so much more to live and fight for.
And Mina is part of that. I promised to always be there for her too.
So I...
I don't want to die. I really don't want to die.
But no matter what happens from here, I have to see this through to the end. The promise I made to Mina is one I can't break, especially not now when she's gone off the deep end. Even if there's nothing I can really do to help...I promised to be there for her when she needed me.
Like it or not...Mina needs me more than ever right now. I won't fail her again. I'll live long enough to do everything I can to save her because she's saved me over and over again...even at the cost of herself.
I won't let that be in vain. No matter what. Even if it hurts. Even if it breaks me inside. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure she survives this.
Red-Eyes Slash Dragon ATK: 2800
Red-Eyes Slash Dragon DEF: 2400
D.D. wove a hand through his blue hair. "Really? All that hype for something still weaker than my Shino-Sorceress Raven?"
"It may be weaker at the moment," I replied, grinning cheekily to hide the fact that my hands were trembling almost violently now. "But like your monster, mine has a neat little ability. Ya see, this card lets me equip a monster from my graveyard to give it a little attack boost."
In another burst of fire, my Flame Swordsman appeared as a fiery silhouette slowly expanded and shrouded itself over my dragon, giving it an additional two hundred points.
Red-Eyes Slash Dragon ATK: 3000
"And lastly," I began, flipping the last card in my hand to face D.D. "From my hand I activate Graceful Dice. Depending on what number it lands on, it'll increase my monster's attack points."
"I see," D.D. answered, placing a hand on his hip as a scowl overtook his features. "Once more, it all comes down to a game of chance. Will you be lucky again or is this where your luck finally runs out?"
Clenching my fists I replied. "I don't really know."
"Typical."
"But one thing I do know is that this isn't the end for me."
D.D. outright laughed as the die began to roll onto the field. "Didn't I already tell you earlier..."
"Yeah, I remember," I interrupted, exhaling slowly. "And it ain't gonna happen because..." My words trailed off when the die bounced and landed on its side, spinning slowly until finally...
"Because I simply have too much to live for," I thought, watching in grim satisfaction as the die landed on a four. "Mina...hang on. I'm on my way. No matter what it takes, I'll save you."
D.D. stared coldly at the die, his coal-like eyes practically lifeless. "Well, look at that. You've defeated me after all."
"Told you I would!" I shouted out, watching as my dragon's attack power skyrocketed.
Red Eyes Slash Dragon ATK: 12000
"NOW! RED EYES SLASH DRAGON ATTACK!"
Every night when I went to sleep, I would see a monster in my dreams.
The monster was ugly, scary, and mean,
It stalked the land whispering, "Who will my next victim be?"
My heart beat was agony as I searched for safety,
A refuge from the beast's wretched symphony.
The monster screamed,
The monster cried,
And eventually, the monster died.
Each day I woke with relief inside
But one day I awoke and found despair.
Beneath my feet lay my loved ones
I looked at my hands and saw their blood.
The monster screamed,
The monster cried,
Its tears were a flood pouring forth from my eyes,
And in that moment I finally realized...
The monster in my dream was me.
After the final line of the strange poem appeared an unexpected prompt loaded over the text. Detective Kara Fennette examined this prompt with curiosity even as her two companions complained about the constant noise from the battle above their heads.
The prompt was as follows:
DO YOU WISH TO VIEW LEVEL SS DOCUMENT #7
Kara immediately clicked YES. An instant later, the words of the poem scrambled then shifted to form an entirely new document.
-INDUCTION & STAGE ONE INFORMATION
-CRIMSON COUNCIL
to Operative A.A.
The following is a Level SS Class document pertaining to Stage One of the Geass Eradication Project originally designed by the entity known as K3. No one outside the inner circle of the Crimson Council is permitted to view the following document. Review this information carefully.
-Revised Operation of Stage One
- Date of Revision : April 17th, 2017
The first stage of the revised Geass Eradication Project involves drawing out the Millennium Sword, a weapon designed to safely split humans from a parasitic and sentient form of Geass manifested from the chaos existing within the host's soul. When fully formed, this type of Geass can take complete control of its host and eliminate their self-consciousness entirely. The Millennium Sword's power, when used, allows the host and the parasite to exist separately as their own entities.
However, Geass Alternates, as they became to be known in the days of their creation, are ultimately unstable, monstrous versions of the humans they were once part of.
In the era of the Silver Millennium, it was the creation of the Geass Alternates that prompted the Sailor Wars. During this series of wars, the original holder of the Millennium Sword, Princess Annalissa of Venus, met her end at the hands of her own Alternate. This Alternate assumed the identity and role of Sailor Venus secretly up until Queen Serenity sent the spirits of the Sailor Scouts to be reincarnated in cycles throughout time.
As Alternates themselves, K3 and E.E. attempted to prevent the birth of the Alternate's reincarnation into this modern time, but were ultimately unsuccessful. Thanks to the insubordination of operative Cecelia Ashford, the Alternate carrying minute spiritual traces of the original Princess Venus, was born again as Minako Aino. In order to secure future stages of the project, they have formed an operation to draw out the Alternate's true nature as a means to reveal and forcibly take the Millennium Sword, which may prove useful to future steps in the plan.
Due to the unstable nature of Alternates, K3, E.E., and D.D. are ineligible to maintain control of the weapon for long periods of time. For this reason, they have agreed to transfer ownership of the sword to Commander Veronica Wong once the weapon is secure and out of the hands of Minako Aino. In the unforeseen event of her passing, the sword will be held in a high-security base within the Chinese Federation until a new suitable wielder can be found.
Further details and revisions concerning Stage One of the revised Geass Eradication Project will be sent to you once they are available. This document serves as proof of your induction to the inner circle of the Crimson Council. Speak of it to no one. That is all.
The instant Kara finished reading the document, she noted a peculiar smell. The blonde idiot calling himself Gilgamesh mentioned it while she was reading, but only now did the scent truly register in her brain.
"It's smoke," she muttered, quickly saving the document to her USB drive before yanking it out again. "Coming from above us probably. We need to find a way up there."
Kirei Kotomine turned toward the door they'd originally come through as another loud crash sounded overhead. The paint and plaster of the ceiling above cracked ever so slightly as he spoke, saying, "We will have to backtrack a fair amount. We'll have to circle around to reach the higher levels."
"You're kidding right?" Kara asked rolling her eyes, heedless of the increasing amount of cracks in the plaster directly above her head. "We don't have that kind of time. The action is literally above us..."
"Yes, but by several levels," Kirei interrupted, his voice a flat monotone as he wondered how he'd found himself in this mess. "If you want to investigate this place and make it out alive, you will just have to trust me."
Kara's expression deadpanned at that. "I don't trust you at all!"
Gilgamesh, completely bored with the exchange, merely lifted his gaze toward the ceiling. Tiny bits of plaster were falling down and landing on Kara's head of fiery red hair.
"A wise choice in the long-term, but not in the short."
"This is hardly the time for a witty comeback you..."
Before Kara could finish speaking, Gilgamesh wrapped an arm around her waist and forcibly yanked her to him. Her forehead smacked against his chest hard, to the point the detective was sure she'd have a headache the next day, but just as she was about to grumble obscenities she heard the telltale clank of a huge piece of plaster hitting the floor.
"Crap...he saved me. Now I actually owe him."
As if to irk her more, Gilgamesh started laughing lowly in her ear. "My, my, concubine. You smell delightful...for a mongrel that is."
All Kara could manage was a flippant, "Yeah, the girl who got drenched in sewer water is just a radiant field of roses." Extracting herself from him, the detective quickly withdrew her cellphone. "Better call Kururugi. I have a hunch about who's up there causing all the ruckus."
The mountain city of Narita was once a flourishing site of tourism and romantic getaways in Japan, but after the war that stripped the Japanese of their nation, the city became a center for trade more than tourism. There were certainly plenty of Britannians who visited for sightseeing purposes, but the atmosphere of the place changed dramatically. The unnatural landslide that occurred in the battle between Viceroy Cornelia and the Black Knights added to the eerily quiet nature of the city. It served as a massive graveyard and little else at this point.
For these reasons, E.E. chose the underground military fortress beneath the city to serve as her base of operations a few weeks after the landslide occurred.
And so, on the night of December 21st, 2017, it became a battlefield.
Infected by the venom of E.E.'s snake monsters, Sailor Uranus attacked Sailor Mars. Later, Sailor Neptune stepped in and saved Sailor Mars with the unexpected help of a member of the Amazon Quartet, CeleCele. While Sailor Neptune stayed behind to fight, Sailor Mars and CeleCele departed on a flying bicycle for the cable car station where one of the three entry points to E.E.'s underground lair was located.
Elsewhere, two more members of the Amazon Quartet, VesuVesu and JunJun, finally overpowered Sailor Mini Moon, who had also been infected by the snake monsters. With groans of frustration, the two girls began to drag the pink-haired teen by her ankles up the hill where ParaPara, the final member of the quartet, was waiting. By her side, Sailor Jupiter lay on the ground, her head soaked in blood.
Sailor Moon, having given instructions to ParaPara, took off in the general direction of the memorial site and tried to get in touch with Sailor Mercury, who was fighting her own battle against a series of phantoms E.E. sent out as a last line of defense. Though faring well, she was unable to answer any calls.
And so, roughly twenty minutes before Joey Wheeler called out his final attack against D.D., Sailor Mars, a.k.a. Rei Hino, saw a vision of his future. In the immediate aftermath of this vision, she made desperate attempts to contact Sailor Mercury to the point she got distracted and stopped peddling the magical bike entirely. This ultimately caused the vehicle to crash to the ground about mile away from the cable car station. CeleCele wasn't very happy about the destruction of her precious bike, but opted to mostly keep quiet about it as the two girls extracted themselves from a messy, undignified heap on the cold ground.
Getting up as quickly as she could, Rei made several more attempts to call Mercury and even tried getting in touch with Sailor Moon. Neither of them answered, which made the senshi of fire all the more anxious as the minutes ticked onward.
"Come on," she muttered, pacing in front of CeleCele's destroyed bike. "Please, someone answer!"
"What's all this about anyway?" CeleCele asked with an irritable huff as she placed her hands on her hips. "It better be important considering the damage to my property."
Rei didn't reply in a rare show of self-control. This wasn't the time to entertain petty arguments.
After another ten minutes, Sailor Mercury finally answered, allowing Rei to reveal the vision she'd seen and the means needed to stop it from happening. Sailor Moon was added on to the call early on, allowing her to hear the gist of things as well, but as they were talking, an unexpected ally started his slow approach toward the senshi of fire and her acrobatic companion.
It was during the creation of this slow alliance that Joey Wheeler secured his victory over D.D.
However, what came next was beyond anything the young duelist could have anticipated.
A/N: This chapter took me so long to finish. You guys have no idea how much I have toiled over it, but I think the long wait well worth it. This one chapter...I wasn't intending to drop this particular narrative bombshell until later but...well you guys saw it. Kara's second section revolving around the poem is arguably the most important scene in this entire series. It's a plot twist I have been waiting to spring on you guys for a while. Just needed the right opportunity. Also, there is a date inconsistency. In Here We Go Again I messed up and made all this drama happen on December 23rd...but it's supposed to be December 21st. In this story I made the proper correction, but it's probably still off in Here We Go Again as of now. Thought I'd give a heads up on that so there's no confusion for those of you who read both stories. Anyway, I don't really have anything more to say as of now. I'm just going to let that one giant bombshell I threw in this...basically filler chapter...sink in. Hopefully, I will update more quickly next time. Thank you all for reading. Please feel free to leave your thoughts in a review. Best wishes to all of you as 2021 approaches. I hope and pray it will be a better year for us all. Until then, stay strong everyone. Things are looking up! God bless you guys!
