AUTHORS NOTES
DISCLAIMERS: Rights to Sailor Moon are owned by Naoko Taceuchi, Kondansha Publishing, Toei, DiC, Optimum Productions, Cloverway...am I forgetting anything?
This story is supposed to provide an alternate story line to the Sailor Moon series. It starts after the Sailor Moon R series ends (the Death Phantom is destroyed and Rini goes home to Crystal Tokyo). The next events are of my own creation and do not relate to the Sailor Moon S series (at least not intentionally).
I finished this fanfic over a year ago, before the S and SuperS seasons were dubbed in America. Please excuse any attack names that are DiC-ish, because that is what I had to work with at the time. ;) This story, after looking back, seems a cross between Japanese and American references. So, please excuse the term "Negaverse" as opposed to "Dark Kingdom", because the story focuses on Jedite.
Anyway, please enjoy the story!
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CHAPTER 23
Upon hearing Lilithite's order, the Seven Generals of Apocalypse snapped into action. Ragor made a few hand gestures, and the other six generals followed his lead. Along with the Shadows, the troops had lined up in one of their most lethal formations. Ragor then began to whisper orders to the entire group. "Generals," he began, "the Sailor Scouts, from what I heard, were very formidable enemies. Do NOT underestimate their abilities for a second! Each of you shall take three shadows under your wing, split up, and ambush the Sailor Scouts... Guardians…whatever. I'll provide the back up, if any. Are your orders clear?"
"Crystal clear," whispered Fareth.
"All right," Ragor whispered. He then shifted his voice to his normal tone. "Attack!" he shouted! "Show them no mercy!" After which, the Generals gave the Apocalyptic Salute, and began to move out.
Upon hearing the commands of Ragor, the Sailor Guardians began to formulate a plan as well. Sailor Mercury began to observe the situation. "Hmmm, it seems we're severely outnumbered," she remarked.
"Yeah, it looks like thirty to eight out there!" added Sailor Venus, referring to the Scouts, Tuxedo Mask, and the cats.
"They could isolate us by at least four to one, maybe more," observed Tuxedo Mask.
"It doesn't look to good for us," added Sailor Mars.
Sailor Jupiter developed a smirk on her face. "I like them odds!" she shouted.
"Yeah!" shouted Sailor Moon, extending her hand towards her friends. "Lets kick some Nega-butt!"
With that said, the Guardians and Tuxedo Mask extended their hands out to Sailor Moon's, eventually meeting in the middle. A six way high-five was done, and the Sailor Guardians geared up for the hardest battle of their lives…
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Both the Guardians and the Generals split up and began to run towards the middle of the battle field. Leading the charge of the Seven Generals were Ragor, Porthos, and Witech. Each of them had three Shadows under their command. The rest of the Generals were close behind, each with their Shadows as well. The Sailor Guardians weren't sure whether to split up or to stay together when attacking, but they were to find out soon enough.
The first General to break out of the Apocalypse formation was Ygon, leading his Shadows on a sneak attack. He fired a laser from his palm, aiming straight for Sailor Mercury. Unaware of it, the laser caught Sailor Mercury in the arm, causing her to drop to one knee. Sailor Venus went to help, but Mercury waved her off. "You go ahead!" Mercury yelled to her friend. "I'll take care of these goons!" Venus reluctantly agreed, rejoining her friends.
As Mercury staggered to her feet, Ygon and his troops drew closer. Stopping a few feet away from their target, Ygon began to laugh. "Heh, maybe you girls aren't such a threat after all!" he gloated.
"You want a threat?" Mercury shouted at the top of her lungs. "You got it!" Upon reflex only, a huge ball of water and ice appeared in her hands. "Shine Aqua….ILLUSION!" she shouted, throwing it towards Ygon.
Acting quickly, Ygon darted to the left, barely escaping Mercury's projectile. However, one of the Shadows behind Ygon didn't see it coming, and the ice ball hit dead on. Ice crystals covered the Shadow freezing him from head to toe.
Seeing the display, the two other Shadows under Ygon's control began to charge at Mercury. Using her agility, Mercury managed to leap over the Shadows with ease. When she landed, she threw two more balls of ice at her targets. Before the Shadows knew what was happening, they had joined their comrades as ice statues.
Ygon was amazed at the talent of Sailor Mercury. He never thought that such a young girl could be so strong. However, he had orders to carry out, and he would die before failing. "You may have eliminated my troops, Sailor Mercury," Ygon shouted, "but you still have to fight me!"
After reciting those words, Ygon appeared directly behind Sailor Mercury. Reacting upon instinct, Mercury launched another Shine Aqua Illusion attack. However, Ygon just grinned evilly as the projectile bounced off of him. "That's all you got?" he shouted. "Now it's my turn!
Ygon assaulted Sailor Mercury with a hard punch to the stomach, knocking the wind out of her. Staggering back, Mercury took a moment to catch her breath. Surprisingly, Ygon didn't go after her when she was down. He was toying with her for now.
After Mercury regained her composure, she retaliated with a few punches of her own, aimed at Ygon's head. She wasn't used to fighting fist-to-fist, so the blows didn't have much of an effect on him. After several failed attempts of trying to take Ygon down, Ygon struck Mercury square in the jaw. This sent her crashing to the ground.
"Pathetic," Ygon muttered to himself. He slowly made his way toward the fallen Mercury, who was clutching her jaw. Stopping directly in front of her, he held out his hands. A battle axe suddenly appeared within them. "Good-bye, Sailor Mercury," Ygon sneered, raising the axe over his head. "It was a pleasure doing battle wi…."
"Venus Love Chain…ENCIRCLE!"
Within seconds, a chain of hearts surrounded Ygon, causing him to drop his axe. Sailor Mercury turned around to see a friend behind her. "Sailor Venus!" she shouted in disbelief.
Venus ran over to Mercury to help her to her feet. "Hey, can't let you have all the fun," Venus said. "Are you okay? Did that guy break anything?"
Mercury stood up, still rubbing her jaw. "He didn't break anything, thank goodness," Mercury remarked. "But now, it's time to test out these new powers!"
Sailor Mercury turned to face the now immobilized Ygon. She shut her eyes and began to concentrate deeply. She curled her hands into fists, and held them to her chest. Looking deep inside herself, she began to sense a new power inside her. Her fists then began to glow a bright blue. Sailor Venus took a few steps back, not knowing what to expect. As Mercury's hands grew brighter, she began to lift of the ground. She was floating ten feet in the air before she stopped rising. As the power surged through her body, a new command formed in her mind. She opened her eyes and held her arms high above her head. "You're finished, Negacreep!" she shouted. "GUARDIAN MERCURY TITAL TEMPEST!"
Water and ice began to converge in a huge mass above hear arms. First, an huge icicle was formed. A ball of freezing water enclosed around it soon after. After enough water was collected, Mercury had thrust her right hand forward, sending the water to it's target.
The force of the freezing liquid hit Ygon hard. The attack encased him within a huge wall of ice, freezing him completely.
But Sailor Mercury wasn't done yet. She hadn't sent the ice crystal to Ygon yet. Thrusting her left hand forward, she sent the crystal straight toward the ice wall. The crystal impacted the wall, causing it to shatter, along with Ygon's body.
Sailor Venus applauded as Sailor Mercury finally came down to earth. "Woah, Mercury!" she complemented, "I didn't know you had it in ya!"
Mercury was still a bit dazed after such a display of power. "Thanks, I can't hardly believe it myself!"
Just then, screams could be heard in the distance. "Oh no!" Venus shouted. "That's Sailor Mars and Sailor Moon!"
"Let's go!" said Mercury.
Seeing Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars in the distance, Mercury and Venus charged toward them. However, a second beam of light was fired, hitting Sailor Venus in the back. The force of the impact knocked her down the greenish-orange grass.
Mercury stopped her charge and quickly helped Sailor Venus to her feet. After she did, both Guardians noticed another General and his Shadows on their backs. It was Witech to be exact. "I'll take them on," Venus said. "You go help the others, Mercury."
Mercury was concerned. "Are you sure?" she asked Venus.
"I'm sure," Venus said. "I can do this. The others need you more." With that, Mercury nodded and left to help Mars and Moon. Sailor Venus stood her ground, waiting for the eventual intercept. "All right, you goons!" she shouted. "Come and get me!"
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Sailor Jupiter had been caught in the middle of a crossfire. She was fighting the Shadows of Honbor's control, and trying her best to stay alive. All of Honbor's men, including five from the back-up, had surrounded her, firing laser pistols that Honbor had supplied them. The cocky General just watched from a few yards away, not involving himself in the least. "This is too easy!" Honbor shouted to his prey. "Dance, Sailor Soldier, dance!"
Jupiter had been dodging lasers for nearly ten minutes now. She couldn't make any headway fighting them. Every time she geared up for an attack, the lasers would break her concentration. She couldn't last much longer.
Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a familiar figure in the distance. It was Sailor Mercury. Jupiter didn't know where Mercury was going, or what she was going to do, but Jupiter knew that she was running out of options, and that she needed help bad. "Sailor Mercury!" Jupiter shouted at the top of her lungs.
Upon hearing her name, Sailor Mercury glanced to her right. She saw Sailor Jupiter surrounded by at least eight Shadows, maybe more. Putting Sailor Moon and Mars on hold, she ran toward Sailor Jupiter's aid. While running towards Jupiter, Mercury launched a Shine Aqua Illusion attack ahead of her. The ball of ice caught three Shadows dead on, freezing them completely.
Thanking Mercury for her help, Jupiter vaulted behind the newly formed statues. Finally out of the crossfire, she could finally concentrate on an attack. An antennae sprung forth from her tiara. Lightning began to hit it, powering it up. "Jupiter Thunder…CRASH!" she shouted.
From behind the frozen Shadows, Jupiter launched her lightning from her tiara. A steady stream caught each of the remaining Shadows, electrocuting and dissolving them upon impact.
Honbor was infuriated at this site. Within an instant, he pulled two daggers from his belt, and began his advance on Sailor Jupiter.
It was about this time that Sailor Mercury finally arrived at Jupiter's location. "Are you…okay, Jupiter?" Mercury asked, somewhat out of breath.
"Yeah, never felt better," Jupiter responded. "Thanks for the help."
"No problem," said Sailor Mercury.
"You two are about to become trophies on my mantle!" came a voice from behind them.
Both Guardians turned around to see Honbor advancing toward them. Jupiter shifted into one of her fighting stances. "Stand back Mercury," she shouted. "This one's mine!"
Mercury was concerned. "Are you sure you can take this guy on yourself?" she asked.
Jupiter smiled. "Trust me," she said. "Now stand back."
Mercury did as she was asked, taking a few steps back. Jupiter then awaited the arrival of Honbor. When Honbor was about ten feet away, he stopped suddenly. "You think that you can destroy a General of Apocalypse?" he yelled. "Think again!" He then proceeded to launch his daggers at his adversary.
Seeing the daggers speed towards her, Jupiter prepared an attack with great speed. From her antennae, she condensed some lightning into a huge ball. "Jupiter Thunderclap…ZAP!" she shouted.
With those words, she launched the lightning ball with great precision. The ball and daggers collided midway between eachother. Upon impact, the daggers seemed to dissolve due to the massive currents of electricity. The Thunderclap still proceeded to it's intended target. Due to it's speed, Honbor didn't have much time to dodge. The lightning caught Honbor square in the chest, causing him to drop to one knee.
After Honbor was injured, Jupiter began to feel something new surge inside her. She clenched her teeth and fists to bear the overwhelming force she was feeling. Her fists began to glow a bright green, and she began to raise off the ground. At about ten feet in the air, she used her hands to form a lightning barrier around herself. After that was erected, a new command came to mind. "GUARDIAN JUPITER THUNDER DRIVER!" she exclaimed!
Sailor Jupiter shifted her body so that her head was pointing to Honbor. She sent her arms in front, and launched herself towards her target at lightning speed. The thunder barrier around her would protect her of any damage. Honbor could only watch as the Sailor Guardian zoomed towards him. The two collided, causing a huge explosion. Sailor Mercury had to shield her eyes. When the smoke cleared, Mercury was staring at a small crater with Sailor Jupiter standing in the middle of it. Mercury ran towards Jupiter to see if she was okay.
Jupiter smiled once again. "Cool trick, huh?" she said.
Mercury was amazed. "I'll say," she said. "But where's that General?"
Jupiter pointed to a fried carcass within the middle of the crater. "Does that answer your question?" she smirked.
"Well done, Jupiter!" Mercury exclaimed. "Anyway, before I came over here, Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars needed my help. We have to go!"
Jupiter clenched her fists again. "You don't have to tell me twice," she said. "Let's go!" And with that, Mercury and Jupiter headed towards their friends.
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CHAPTER 24
Sailor Venus collided with Witech's men with full force. Venus had begun assaulting the Shadows with a new agility and intensity that came with her new powers. With flurry after flurry of kicks and punches, she had downed the three Shadows with ease.
However, the only problem was the Shadows kept getting up after they fell. As soon as Sailor Venus advanced to the next Shadow, the one she beat rejuvenated instantly. It was as if Venus hadn't even harmed them at all.
Venus had gone through each Shadow at least five different times, and she was tiring out quick. "This is impossible!" she thought to herself. "They just keep coming!" An idea soon struck her, and she nearly smacked herself for not thinking of it sooner. "Venus Love Chain…ENCIRCLE!" she shouted.
A chain of hearts formed around her body and streaked toward one of the Shadows. The chain wrapped around it's neck, choking it. Venus grabbed the chain with her left hand and pulled hard to hold him in place. She then sent a second Venus Love Chain to a second Shadow. The same results occurred, this time grabbing the chain with her right hand. With both Shadows under her control, she began to swing the two helpless beings towards the third Shadow of the group. Controlling the chains with the utmost precision and timing, she slammed the two Shadows directly onto the third one. All three disappeared after the attack was finished.
Venus had to gasp for breath after the attack, for it took a lot out of her. "Nice maneuvers," came a voice from behind her. "But even those can't save you now!"
Venus turned around to stare at Witech, who was only a few feet away from her. She ran toward the General, fists in front of her. However, as soon as she got to his position, Witech reached back with his fist and punched her square in the stomach. She had staggered back for a moment. Witech laughed. "You obviously have no idea who you're dealing with!" he began to gloat again.
"It's you who doesn't know who their dealing with!" Sailor Venus shouted. "Venus Crescent Beam… SMASH!"
Venus fired a beam of light energy from her fingertips. However, Witech dodged to the right, missing the beam with ease.
Undaunted, Sailor Venus tried again. "Venus Love Chain…ENCIRCLE!" she shouted.
The chain managed to circle around Witech's arm, but Witech only smiled. He pulled the chain off his arm and merely tossed it to the side. It dissipated soon afterwards. "That was pathetic!" he yelled. "I'll show you what a real energy beam is like!"
Thrusting his palm forward he shot another palm laser toward Sailor Venus. However, Venus managed to perform a huge leap to avoid the blast. She had leaped nearly ten feet in the air. Venus was shocked that she jumped that high. And what really shocked her was that she actually stayed in the air! Venus had managed to float at her highest point in her jump. Witech was shocked as well, for he just stood in place.
As Sailor Venus hovered above the ground, she felt a surge of energy through her body. Her fists began to glow a bright orange as she began to control the untapped energy. Venus had never felt such a power in her life. As she concentrated, a new command formed in her mind. "GUARDIAN VENUS ROMANCE RAY!" she boomed.
A chain of hearts once again was formed, much like the Love Chain. However, the chain began to form an outline of a heart as large as Venus' body. Once the outline was finished, Venus put her hands in the middle of it. A white light began to form within the outline, filling the entire heart with energy. Soon after that, Venus thrust her arms into the light, forcing a huge beam of heart-shaped energy down to her intended opponent.
As hard as Witech tried to run away from it, it was no use. The huge beam of light engulfed him as soon as it touched the ground. Within a moment he was vaporized.
Sailor Venus was overwhelmed as she floated back towards the ground. Never did she feel so much power go through her at one time. But her celebration of her victory was short lived. In the corner of her eye, she saw Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mercury rush towards the aid of Sailor Moon and Mars, who still needed help. Without thinking twice, she ran to join them.
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Tuxedo Mask was fighting for his life.
He remembered during the group's initial strike, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Venus, and Sailor Jupiter were somehow separated from the rest. This left Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars, and Tuxedo Mask to lead the charge.
From behind Tuxedo Mask, a General attacked him by pulling down on his cape, forcing him to the ground. That General was Gerchon. Sailor Moon tried to come to his aid, but another one of the Generals, Fareth, grabbed her from behind. As Sailor Mars tried to break Sailor Moon free from Fareth's grip, Porthos managed to wrestle her to the ground. He also noticed that the red General had teleported away from the battle. "He must be a last resort," Tuxedo Mask thought. This left Tuxedo Mask alone to fight Gerchon and his men.
Tuxedo Mask had taken out the first two Shadows with ease. Removing his sword from his belt, he sliced through them with one stroke. The Shadows disappeared instantly.
The third Shadow, however, had learned extensive sword training before he was sentenced to his sleep-crystal. A sword with a black handle and a jagged edge appeared in his hand. Gripping the hilt with both hands, he began to advance toward the masked man.
After the first two Shadows were destroyed, Tuxedo Mask saw the third Shadow in the corner of his eye. The Shadow was lunging at him, blade first. Reacting quickly, he deflected the Shadow's strike with a quick stroke of his own sword. This knocked the Shadow off guard.
Quickly regaining it's balance, the Shadow retaliated. The two began to fight sword against sword, blade against blade. The Shadow and Tuxedo Mask seemed to be evenly matched skill-wise. Tuxedo Mask was impressed by the skills of his opponent.
The swords of the two men kept clashing as their battle went on. At one point, the Shadow gained the upper-hand. He was able to make Tuxedo Mask stumble and soon managed to knock him off his feet with low swipe of his jagged blade. The Shadow thought he had one the fight at that moment. However, Tuxedo Mask had produced a rose and threw it directly into the Shadow's torso. This momentary distraction allowed Tuxedo Mask to return to his feet and regain some momentum in the battle.
The Shadow parried constantly, but Tuxedo Mask managed to counter many of the moves it performed. Frustrated by failed strikes, the Shadow raised the sword high above his head, preparing for a final strike.
Seeing an opening in the Shadow's defense, Tuxedo Mask kicked the sword out of it's hands. The Shadow reeled back from the pain. With the Shadow defenseless, Tuxedo Mask thrust his sword into it's stomach. The Shadow evaporated upon impact.
After the last Shadow was slain, Tuxedo Mask could hear a clapping sound from behind him. It was Gerchon, seeming applauding the masked man for his efforts. "Give a round of applause for the formal swordsman!" Gerchon shouted sarcastically. "Now let's see what you're really made of!"
Gerchon then closed his eyes and began to concentrate deeply. Gerchon was a master of focusing his energy with his mind, and redirecting it towards his enemies. He raised the palms of his hands to his forehead, his hands glowing as energy gathered around them. Within a few moments, he began to fire bolts of energy towards the tuxedo-clad hero.
Tuxedo Mask tried to block the energy blasts with his sword, but that proved ineffective. One bolt of energy caught him on his left arm, causing him to drop to one knee. Gerchon paused for a moment to check what damage had been done. Pleased with his work, he began to charge for another attack.
Tuxedo Mask lifted himself to his feet once more, producing another rose to throw. However, instead of just one, he threw a barrage of at least ten to fifteen roses toward his adversary. Half of the roses struck the green skin of Gerchon, breaking his concentration.
Gerchon looked around his body, noticing the various roses protruding from his arms, legs, and torso. He became furious. "You lousy swine!" he shouted. "I look like a friggin' rose garden!" Gerchon went back to gathering energy for his attacks, this time for an even larger blast then before.
Tuxedo Mask was prepared. Pressing the button upon the hilt of his sword, he soon held the Rose Staff within his hands. He held the staff out in front of him, with the rose top facing Gerchon. It was this time that Gerchon released the energy in form of laser blasts. Using the staff, Tuxedo Mask was able to draw in the lasers into the top of his staff. Every time, the staff would draw in energy, it would glow brighter then before.
When Gerchon opened his eyes again to check if he did any damage, all he saw was the rose top of the staff facing him. Gerchon was shocked. "What have you done?" he shouted.
Tuxedo Mask only uttered two words. "Energy Reversal!" he said.
The energy that had collected within the orb of Rose Staff was released upon the unsuspecting Gerchon. His attack turned against him, Gerchon was burned into dust.
Tuxedo Mask smiled as he turned his staff back into a sword. "I can get used to this," he muttered as he strapped the sword to his belt, and made his way to Sailor Moon's aid.
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Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars were trying their best to escape from their current situation.
When Tuxedo Mask was thrown to the ground by the green General, both Guardians tried help him. However, two other Generals had double-teamed them, forcing the two girls to shift their attention from their fallen friend.
Then the mindless Shadows began to attack. Like Sailor Jupiter, they had surrounded the twosome. However, they were surrounded by the men of Fareth, Porthos, and whoever was left of the back-up troop. The Scouts had nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide.
When the Shadows had the two Guardians completely surrounded, they all joined hands. Using the energy from within their bodies, they created a huge dark dome to trap them in, similar to a dome that Malachite had once surrounded the Sailor Scouts with. Fareth and Porthos were just laughing from outside the dome. "You two are the most pathetic bunch of saps I have ever lain eyes on!" cackled Porthos.
"I can't believe we were able to trap you so easily!" added Fareth.
Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars had shifted into fighting stances. "Yeah, well that shows you how much you know, pig-face!" Mars yelled out. "Mars Celestial Fire…SURROUND!"
Eight rings of fire surrounded Sailor Mars' body, and launched toward the dome entrapping her and Sailor Moon. However, the rings simply bounced off the wall and back at the two Guardians. Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars were moving in every way they could in trying to dodge the fire. What made it increasingly difficult was that the fire rings kept bouncing off each wall they came in contact with. It took a few minutes of impressive maneuvers until the fire rings finally dissipated.
Sailor Moon nearly collapsed after Mars' attack ended. "Nice going, Pyro!" she shouted in anger and disgust.
"Well, excuse me!" Mars retaliated. "I didn't know that was going to happen!"
The two Generals just sat back and laughed at this spectacle. "This is just to easy, Porthos!" Fareth gloated. "And to think we actually thought of these creatures as a challenge!" The two continued to laugh hysterically, not noticing three familiar figures heading toward their location.
"Shine Aqua…ILLUSION!"
"Jupiter Thunderclap…ZAP!"
A huge ball of ice and a lightning disk slammed into a few of the Shadows holding the dome together. A couple were frozen solid while three others evaporated. Without the support from the Shadows, the dome faded away.
Sailor Moon looked behind her to see her three rescuers. "Sailor Mercury! Sailor Jupiter!" she shouted.
Sailor Mars had turned as well when Sailor Moon shouted their names. "Sailor Venus!" she shouted.
"Thought you could use some help!" said Sailor Jupiter, who with the rest of the Guardians, had finally caught up with Sailor Moon and Mars.
"Did we ever!" remarked Sailor Moon. "Thanks, you guys!"
"No problem," said Sailor Venus.
Fareth and Porthos were spellbound by the recent events. "Aw, for cryin' out loud!" Porthos shouted. "I can't believe you broke out of this!"
"Ragor's gonna have my head on a silver platter," Fareth muttered under his breath.
When the Shadows finally realized what was happening, they whipped out any weapons they could find and charged directly towards Sailor Moon and Mars.
Sailor Mars held her right fist high. "I don't know about you guys," she shouted, "but I'm getting a little bit tired of all these goofs running around! Mars Celestial Fire…SURROUND!"
Once again, eight rings of fire surrounded Mars' body, aimed to strike the Shadows. This time, when the rings were launched, they had struck their targets dead on. Within moments, the troop of Shadows which had plagued them were nothing more then a memory.
"Way to go, Sailor Mars!" said Sailor Mercury.
"But it's not over, yet!" came two voices from in front of them.
All the Guardians turned to face two irate Generals. Porthos had a staff equipped, while Fareth had pulled out a rather large boomerang. The smug looks were gone from their faces, and were replaced with snarls and stiff upper lips. "Your fun ends here, Sailor Goofs!" Fareth snarled.
"You may have destroyed our troops, and even our own comrades," Porthos growled, "but we are not so easily defeated. Prepare to meet your maker!"
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NEXT TIME...
The battle continues on, with only three Generals of the Apacolypse left. And Porthos manages to gain the upper hand?
DISCLAIMERS: Rights to Sailor Moon are owned by Naoko Taceuchi, Kondansha Publishing, Toei, DiC, Optimum Productions, Cloverway...am I forgetting anything?
This story is supposed to provide an alternate story line to the Sailor Moon series. It starts after the Sailor Moon R series ends (the Death Phantom is destroyed and Rini goes home to Crystal Tokyo). The next events are of my own creation and do not relate to the Sailor Moon S series (at least not intentionally).
I finished this fanfic over a year ago, before the S and SuperS seasons were dubbed in America. Please excuse any attack names that are DiC-ish, because that is what I had to work with at the time. ;) This story, after looking back, seems a cross between Japanese and American references. So, please excuse the term "Negaverse" as opposed to "Dark Kingdom", because the story focuses on Jedite.
Anyway, please enjoy the story!
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CHAPTER 23
Upon hearing Lilithite's order, the Seven Generals of Apocalypse snapped into action. Ragor made a few hand gestures, and the other six generals followed his lead. Along with the Shadows, the troops had lined up in one of their most lethal formations. Ragor then began to whisper orders to the entire group. "Generals," he began, "the Sailor Scouts, from what I heard, were very formidable enemies. Do NOT underestimate their abilities for a second! Each of you shall take three shadows under your wing, split up, and ambush the Sailor Scouts... Guardians…whatever. I'll provide the back up, if any. Are your orders clear?"
"Crystal clear," whispered Fareth.
"All right," Ragor whispered. He then shifted his voice to his normal tone. "Attack!" he shouted! "Show them no mercy!" After which, the Generals gave the Apocalyptic Salute, and began to move out.
Upon hearing the commands of Ragor, the Sailor Guardians began to formulate a plan as well. Sailor Mercury began to observe the situation. "Hmmm, it seems we're severely outnumbered," she remarked.
"Yeah, it looks like thirty to eight out there!" added Sailor Venus, referring to the Scouts, Tuxedo Mask, and the cats.
"They could isolate us by at least four to one, maybe more," observed Tuxedo Mask.
"It doesn't look to good for us," added Sailor Mars.
Sailor Jupiter developed a smirk on her face. "I like them odds!" she shouted.
"Yeah!" shouted Sailor Moon, extending her hand towards her friends. "Lets kick some Nega-butt!"
With that said, the Guardians and Tuxedo Mask extended their hands out to Sailor Moon's, eventually meeting in the middle. A six way high-five was done, and the Sailor Guardians geared up for the hardest battle of their lives…
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Both the Guardians and the Generals split up and began to run towards the middle of the battle field. Leading the charge of the Seven Generals were Ragor, Porthos, and Witech. Each of them had three Shadows under their command. The rest of the Generals were close behind, each with their Shadows as well. The Sailor Guardians weren't sure whether to split up or to stay together when attacking, but they were to find out soon enough.
The first General to break out of the Apocalypse formation was Ygon, leading his Shadows on a sneak attack. He fired a laser from his palm, aiming straight for Sailor Mercury. Unaware of it, the laser caught Sailor Mercury in the arm, causing her to drop to one knee. Sailor Venus went to help, but Mercury waved her off. "You go ahead!" Mercury yelled to her friend. "I'll take care of these goons!" Venus reluctantly agreed, rejoining her friends.
As Mercury staggered to her feet, Ygon and his troops drew closer. Stopping a few feet away from their target, Ygon began to laugh. "Heh, maybe you girls aren't such a threat after all!" he gloated.
"You want a threat?" Mercury shouted at the top of her lungs. "You got it!" Upon reflex only, a huge ball of water and ice appeared in her hands. "Shine Aqua….ILLUSION!" she shouted, throwing it towards Ygon.
Acting quickly, Ygon darted to the left, barely escaping Mercury's projectile. However, one of the Shadows behind Ygon didn't see it coming, and the ice ball hit dead on. Ice crystals covered the Shadow freezing him from head to toe.
Seeing the display, the two other Shadows under Ygon's control began to charge at Mercury. Using her agility, Mercury managed to leap over the Shadows with ease. When she landed, she threw two more balls of ice at her targets. Before the Shadows knew what was happening, they had joined their comrades as ice statues.
Ygon was amazed at the talent of Sailor Mercury. He never thought that such a young girl could be so strong. However, he had orders to carry out, and he would die before failing. "You may have eliminated my troops, Sailor Mercury," Ygon shouted, "but you still have to fight me!"
After reciting those words, Ygon appeared directly behind Sailor Mercury. Reacting upon instinct, Mercury launched another Shine Aqua Illusion attack. However, Ygon just grinned evilly as the projectile bounced off of him. "That's all you got?" he shouted. "Now it's my turn!
Ygon assaulted Sailor Mercury with a hard punch to the stomach, knocking the wind out of her. Staggering back, Mercury took a moment to catch her breath. Surprisingly, Ygon didn't go after her when she was down. He was toying with her for now.
After Mercury regained her composure, she retaliated with a few punches of her own, aimed at Ygon's head. She wasn't used to fighting fist-to-fist, so the blows didn't have much of an effect on him. After several failed attempts of trying to take Ygon down, Ygon struck Mercury square in the jaw. This sent her crashing to the ground.
"Pathetic," Ygon muttered to himself. He slowly made his way toward the fallen Mercury, who was clutching her jaw. Stopping directly in front of her, he held out his hands. A battle axe suddenly appeared within them. "Good-bye, Sailor Mercury," Ygon sneered, raising the axe over his head. "It was a pleasure doing battle wi…."
"Venus Love Chain…ENCIRCLE!"
Within seconds, a chain of hearts surrounded Ygon, causing him to drop his axe. Sailor Mercury turned around to see a friend behind her. "Sailor Venus!" she shouted in disbelief.
Venus ran over to Mercury to help her to her feet. "Hey, can't let you have all the fun," Venus said. "Are you okay? Did that guy break anything?"
Mercury stood up, still rubbing her jaw. "He didn't break anything, thank goodness," Mercury remarked. "But now, it's time to test out these new powers!"
Sailor Mercury turned to face the now immobilized Ygon. She shut her eyes and began to concentrate deeply. She curled her hands into fists, and held them to her chest. Looking deep inside herself, she began to sense a new power inside her. Her fists then began to glow a bright blue. Sailor Venus took a few steps back, not knowing what to expect. As Mercury's hands grew brighter, she began to lift of the ground. She was floating ten feet in the air before she stopped rising. As the power surged through her body, a new command formed in her mind. She opened her eyes and held her arms high above her head. "You're finished, Negacreep!" she shouted. "GUARDIAN MERCURY TITAL TEMPEST!"
Water and ice began to converge in a huge mass above hear arms. First, an huge icicle was formed. A ball of freezing water enclosed around it soon after. After enough water was collected, Mercury had thrust her right hand forward, sending the water to it's target.
The force of the freezing liquid hit Ygon hard. The attack encased him within a huge wall of ice, freezing him completely.
But Sailor Mercury wasn't done yet. She hadn't sent the ice crystal to Ygon yet. Thrusting her left hand forward, she sent the crystal straight toward the ice wall. The crystal impacted the wall, causing it to shatter, along with Ygon's body.
Sailor Venus applauded as Sailor Mercury finally came down to earth. "Woah, Mercury!" she complemented, "I didn't know you had it in ya!"
Mercury was still a bit dazed after such a display of power. "Thanks, I can't hardly believe it myself!"
Just then, screams could be heard in the distance. "Oh no!" Venus shouted. "That's Sailor Mars and Sailor Moon!"
"Let's go!" said Mercury.
Seeing Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars in the distance, Mercury and Venus charged toward them. However, a second beam of light was fired, hitting Sailor Venus in the back. The force of the impact knocked her down the greenish-orange grass.
Mercury stopped her charge and quickly helped Sailor Venus to her feet. After she did, both Guardians noticed another General and his Shadows on their backs. It was Witech to be exact. "I'll take them on," Venus said. "You go help the others, Mercury."
Mercury was concerned. "Are you sure?" she asked Venus.
"I'm sure," Venus said. "I can do this. The others need you more." With that, Mercury nodded and left to help Mars and Moon. Sailor Venus stood her ground, waiting for the eventual intercept. "All right, you goons!" she shouted. "Come and get me!"
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Sailor Jupiter had been caught in the middle of a crossfire. She was fighting the Shadows of Honbor's control, and trying her best to stay alive. All of Honbor's men, including five from the back-up, had surrounded her, firing laser pistols that Honbor had supplied them. The cocky General just watched from a few yards away, not involving himself in the least. "This is too easy!" Honbor shouted to his prey. "Dance, Sailor Soldier, dance!"
Jupiter had been dodging lasers for nearly ten minutes now. She couldn't make any headway fighting them. Every time she geared up for an attack, the lasers would break her concentration. She couldn't last much longer.
Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a familiar figure in the distance. It was Sailor Mercury. Jupiter didn't know where Mercury was going, or what she was going to do, but Jupiter knew that she was running out of options, and that she needed help bad. "Sailor Mercury!" Jupiter shouted at the top of her lungs.
Upon hearing her name, Sailor Mercury glanced to her right. She saw Sailor Jupiter surrounded by at least eight Shadows, maybe more. Putting Sailor Moon and Mars on hold, she ran toward Sailor Jupiter's aid. While running towards Jupiter, Mercury launched a Shine Aqua Illusion attack ahead of her. The ball of ice caught three Shadows dead on, freezing them completely.
Thanking Mercury for her help, Jupiter vaulted behind the newly formed statues. Finally out of the crossfire, she could finally concentrate on an attack. An antennae sprung forth from her tiara. Lightning began to hit it, powering it up. "Jupiter Thunder…CRASH!" she shouted.
From behind the frozen Shadows, Jupiter launched her lightning from her tiara. A steady stream caught each of the remaining Shadows, electrocuting and dissolving them upon impact.
Honbor was infuriated at this site. Within an instant, he pulled two daggers from his belt, and began his advance on Sailor Jupiter.
It was about this time that Sailor Mercury finally arrived at Jupiter's location. "Are you…okay, Jupiter?" Mercury asked, somewhat out of breath.
"Yeah, never felt better," Jupiter responded. "Thanks for the help."
"No problem," said Sailor Mercury.
"You two are about to become trophies on my mantle!" came a voice from behind them.
Both Guardians turned around to see Honbor advancing toward them. Jupiter shifted into one of her fighting stances. "Stand back Mercury," she shouted. "This one's mine!"
Mercury was concerned. "Are you sure you can take this guy on yourself?" she asked.
Jupiter smiled. "Trust me," she said. "Now stand back."
Mercury did as she was asked, taking a few steps back. Jupiter then awaited the arrival of Honbor. When Honbor was about ten feet away, he stopped suddenly. "You think that you can destroy a General of Apocalypse?" he yelled. "Think again!" He then proceeded to launch his daggers at his adversary.
Seeing the daggers speed towards her, Jupiter prepared an attack with great speed. From her antennae, she condensed some lightning into a huge ball. "Jupiter Thunderclap…ZAP!" she shouted.
With those words, she launched the lightning ball with great precision. The ball and daggers collided midway between eachother. Upon impact, the daggers seemed to dissolve due to the massive currents of electricity. The Thunderclap still proceeded to it's intended target. Due to it's speed, Honbor didn't have much time to dodge. The lightning caught Honbor square in the chest, causing him to drop to one knee.
After Honbor was injured, Jupiter began to feel something new surge inside her. She clenched her teeth and fists to bear the overwhelming force she was feeling. Her fists began to glow a bright green, and she began to raise off the ground. At about ten feet in the air, she used her hands to form a lightning barrier around herself. After that was erected, a new command came to mind. "GUARDIAN JUPITER THUNDER DRIVER!" she exclaimed!
Sailor Jupiter shifted her body so that her head was pointing to Honbor. She sent her arms in front, and launched herself towards her target at lightning speed. The thunder barrier around her would protect her of any damage. Honbor could only watch as the Sailor Guardian zoomed towards him. The two collided, causing a huge explosion. Sailor Mercury had to shield her eyes. When the smoke cleared, Mercury was staring at a small crater with Sailor Jupiter standing in the middle of it. Mercury ran towards Jupiter to see if she was okay.
Jupiter smiled once again. "Cool trick, huh?" she said.
Mercury was amazed. "I'll say," she said. "But where's that General?"
Jupiter pointed to a fried carcass within the middle of the crater. "Does that answer your question?" she smirked.
"Well done, Jupiter!" Mercury exclaimed. "Anyway, before I came over here, Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars needed my help. We have to go!"
Jupiter clenched her fists again. "You don't have to tell me twice," she said. "Let's go!" And with that, Mercury and Jupiter headed towards their friends.
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CHAPTER 24
Sailor Venus collided with Witech's men with full force. Venus had begun assaulting the Shadows with a new agility and intensity that came with her new powers. With flurry after flurry of kicks and punches, she had downed the three Shadows with ease.
However, the only problem was the Shadows kept getting up after they fell. As soon as Sailor Venus advanced to the next Shadow, the one she beat rejuvenated instantly. It was as if Venus hadn't even harmed them at all.
Venus had gone through each Shadow at least five different times, and she was tiring out quick. "This is impossible!" she thought to herself. "They just keep coming!" An idea soon struck her, and she nearly smacked herself for not thinking of it sooner. "Venus Love Chain…ENCIRCLE!" she shouted.
A chain of hearts formed around her body and streaked toward one of the Shadows. The chain wrapped around it's neck, choking it. Venus grabbed the chain with her left hand and pulled hard to hold him in place. She then sent a second Venus Love Chain to a second Shadow. The same results occurred, this time grabbing the chain with her right hand. With both Shadows under her control, she began to swing the two helpless beings towards the third Shadow of the group. Controlling the chains with the utmost precision and timing, she slammed the two Shadows directly onto the third one. All three disappeared after the attack was finished.
Venus had to gasp for breath after the attack, for it took a lot out of her. "Nice maneuvers," came a voice from behind her. "But even those can't save you now!"
Venus turned around to stare at Witech, who was only a few feet away from her. She ran toward the General, fists in front of her. However, as soon as she got to his position, Witech reached back with his fist and punched her square in the stomach. She had staggered back for a moment. Witech laughed. "You obviously have no idea who you're dealing with!" he began to gloat again.
"It's you who doesn't know who their dealing with!" Sailor Venus shouted. "Venus Crescent Beam… SMASH!"
Venus fired a beam of light energy from her fingertips. However, Witech dodged to the right, missing the beam with ease.
Undaunted, Sailor Venus tried again. "Venus Love Chain…ENCIRCLE!" she shouted.
The chain managed to circle around Witech's arm, but Witech only smiled. He pulled the chain off his arm and merely tossed it to the side. It dissipated soon afterwards. "That was pathetic!" he yelled. "I'll show you what a real energy beam is like!"
Thrusting his palm forward he shot another palm laser toward Sailor Venus. However, Venus managed to perform a huge leap to avoid the blast. She had leaped nearly ten feet in the air. Venus was shocked that she jumped that high. And what really shocked her was that she actually stayed in the air! Venus had managed to float at her highest point in her jump. Witech was shocked as well, for he just stood in place.
As Sailor Venus hovered above the ground, she felt a surge of energy through her body. Her fists began to glow a bright orange as she began to control the untapped energy. Venus had never felt such a power in her life. As she concentrated, a new command formed in her mind. "GUARDIAN VENUS ROMANCE RAY!" she boomed.
A chain of hearts once again was formed, much like the Love Chain. However, the chain began to form an outline of a heart as large as Venus' body. Once the outline was finished, Venus put her hands in the middle of it. A white light began to form within the outline, filling the entire heart with energy. Soon after that, Venus thrust her arms into the light, forcing a huge beam of heart-shaped energy down to her intended opponent.
As hard as Witech tried to run away from it, it was no use. The huge beam of light engulfed him as soon as it touched the ground. Within a moment he was vaporized.
Sailor Venus was overwhelmed as she floated back towards the ground. Never did she feel so much power go through her at one time. But her celebration of her victory was short lived. In the corner of her eye, she saw Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mercury rush towards the aid of Sailor Moon and Mars, who still needed help. Without thinking twice, she ran to join them.
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Tuxedo Mask was fighting for his life.
He remembered during the group's initial strike, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Venus, and Sailor Jupiter were somehow separated from the rest. This left Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars, and Tuxedo Mask to lead the charge.
From behind Tuxedo Mask, a General attacked him by pulling down on his cape, forcing him to the ground. That General was Gerchon. Sailor Moon tried to come to his aid, but another one of the Generals, Fareth, grabbed her from behind. As Sailor Mars tried to break Sailor Moon free from Fareth's grip, Porthos managed to wrestle her to the ground. He also noticed that the red General had teleported away from the battle. "He must be a last resort," Tuxedo Mask thought. This left Tuxedo Mask alone to fight Gerchon and his men.
Tuxedo Mask had taken out the first two Shadows with ease. Removing his sword from his belt, he sliced through them with one stroke. The Shadows disappeared instantly.
The third Shadow, however, had learned extensive sword training before he was sentenced to his sleep-crystal. A sword with a black handle and a jagged edge appeared in his hand. Gripping the hilt with both hands, he began to advance toward the masked man.
After the first two Shadows were destroyed, Tuxedo Mask saw the third Shadow in the corner of his eye. The Shadow was lunging at him, blade first. Reacting quickly, he deflected the Shadow's strike with a quick stroke of his own sword. This knocked the Shadow off guard.
Quickly regaining it's balance, the Shadow retaliated. The two began to fight sword against sword, blade against blade. The Shadow and Tuxedo Mask seemed to be evenly matched skill-wise. Tuxedo Mask was impressed by the skills of his opponent.
The swords of the two men kept clashing as their battle went on. At one point, the Shadow gained the upper-hand. He was able to make Tuxedo Mask stumble and soon managed to knock him off his feet with low swipe of his jagged blade. The Shadow thought he had one the fight at that moment. However, Tuxedo Mask had produced a rose and threw it directly into the Shadow's torso. This momentary distraction allowed Tuxedo Mask to return to his feet and regain some momentum in the battle.
The Shadow parried constantly, but Tuxedo Mask managed to counter many of the moves it performed. Frustrated by failed strikes, the Shadow raised the sword high above his head, preparing for a final strike.
Seeing an opening in the Shadow's defense, Tuxedo Mask kicked the sword out of it's hands. The Shadow reeled back from the pain. With the Shadow defenseless, Tuxedo Mask thrust his sword into it's stomach. The Shadow evaporated upon impact.
After the last Shadow was slain, Tuxedo Mask could hear a clapping sound from behind him. It was Gerchon, seeming applauding the masked man for his efforts. "Give a round of applause for the formal swordsman!" Gerchon shouted sarcastically. "Now let's see what you're really made of!"
Gerchon then closed his eyes and began to concentrate deeply. Gerchon was a master of focusing his energy with his mind, and redirecting it towards his enemies. He raised the palms of his hands to his forehead, his hands glowing as energy gathered around them. Within a few moments, he began to fire bolts of energy towards the tuxedo-clad hero.
Tuxedo Mask tried to block the energy blasts with his sword, but that proved ineffective. One bolt of energy caught him on his left arm, causing him to drop to one knee. Gerchon paused for a moment to check what damage had been done. Pleased with his work, he began to charge for another attack.
Tuxedo Mask lifted himself to his feet once more, producing another rose to throw. However, instead of just one, he threw a barrage of at least ten to fifteen roses toward his adversary. Half of the roses struck the green skin of Gerchon, breaking his concentration.
Gerchon looked around his body, noticing the various roses protruding from his arms, legs, and torso. He became furious. "You lousy swine!" he shouted. "I look like a friggin' rose garden!" Gerchon went back to gathering energy for his attacks, this time for an even larger blast then before.
Tuxedo Mask was prepared. Pressing the button upon the hilt of his sword, he soon held the Rose Staff within his hands. He held the staff out in front of him, with the rose top facing Gerchon. It was this time that Gerchon released the energy in form of laser blasts. Using the staff, Tuxedo Mask was able to draw in the lasers into the top of his staff. Every time, the staff would draw in energy, it would glow brighter then before.
When Gerchon opened his eyes again to check if he did any damage, all he saw was the rose top of the staff facing him. Gerchon was shocked. "What have you done?" he shouted.
Tuxedo Mask only uttered two words. "Energy Reversal!" he said.
The energy that had collected within the orb of Rose Staff was released upon the unsuspecting Gerchon. His attack turned against him, Gerchon was burned into dust.
Tuxedo Mask smiled as he turned his staff back into a sword. "I can get used to this," he muttered as he strapped the sword to his belt, and made his way to Sailor Moon's aid.
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Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars were trying their best to escape from their current situation.
When Tuxedo Mask was thrown to the ground by the green General, both Guardians tried help him. However, two other Generals had double-teamed them, forcing the two girls to shift their attention from their fallen friend.
Then the mindless Shadows began to attack. Like Sailor Jupiter, they had surrounded the twosome. However, they were surrounded by the men of Fareth, Porthos, and whoever was left of the back-up troop. The Scouts had nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide.
When the Shadows had the two Guardians completely surrounded, they all joined hands. Using the energy from within their bodies, they created a huge dark dome to trap them in, similar to a dome that Malachite had once surrounded the Sailor Scouts with. Fareth and Porthos were just laughing from outside the dome. "You two are the most pathetic bunch of saps I have ever lain eyes on!" cackled Porthos.
"I can't believe we were able to trap you so easily!" added Fareth.
Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars had shifted into fighting stances. "Yeah, well that shows you how much you know, pig-face!" Mars yelled out. "Mars Celestial Fire…SURROUND!"
Eight rings of fire surrounded Sailor Mars' body, and launched toward the dome entrapping her and Sailor Moon. However, the rings simply bounced off the wall and back at the two Guardians. Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars were moving in every way they could in trying to dodge the fire. What made it increasingly difficult was that the fire rings kept bouncing off each wall they came in contact with. It took a few minutes of impressive maneuvers until the fire rings finally dissipated.
Sailor Moon nearly collapsed after Mars' attack ended. "Nice going, Pyro!" she shouted in anger and disgust.
"Well, excuse me!" Mars retaliated. "I didn't know that was going to happen!"
The two Generals just sat back and laughed at this spectacle. "This is just to easy, Porthos!" Fareth gloated. "And to think we actually thought of these creatures as a challenge!" The two continued to laugh hysterically, not noticing three familiar figures heading toward their location.
"Shine Aqua…ILLUSION!"
"Jupiter Thunderclap…ZAP!"
A huge ball of ice and a lightning disk slammed into a few of the Shadows holding the dome together. A couple were frozen solid while three others evaporated. Without the support from the Shadows, the dome faded away.
Sailor Moon looked behind her to see her three rescuers. "Sailor Mercury! Sailor Jupiter!" she shouted.
Sailor Mars had turned as well when Sailor Moon shouted their names. "Sailor Venus!" she shouted.
"Thought you could use some help!" said Sailor Jupiter, who with the rest of the Guardians, had finally caught up with Sailor Moon and Mars.
"Did we ever!" remarked Sailor Moon. "Thanks, you guys!"
"No problem," said Sailor Venus.
Fareth and Porthos were spellbound by the recent events. "Aw, for cryin' out loud!" Porthos shouted. "I can't believe you broke out of this!"
"Ragor's gonna have my head on a silver platter," Fareth muttered under his breath.
When the Shadows finally realized what was happening, they whipped out any weapons they could find and charged directly towards Sailor Moon and Mars.
Sailor Mars held her right fist high. "I don't know about you guys," she shouted, "but I'm getting a little bit tired of all these goofs running around! Mars Celestial Fire…SURROUND!"
Once again, eight rings of fire surrounded Mars' body, aimed to strike the Shadows. This time, when the rings were launched, they had struck their targets dead on. Within moments, the troop of Shadows which had plagued them were nothing more then a memory.
"Way to go, Sailor Mars!" said Sailor Mercury.
"But it's not over, yet!" came two voices from in front of them.
All the Guardians turned to face two irate Generals. Porthos had a staff equipped, while Fareth had pulled out a rather large boomerang. The smug looks were gone from their faces, and were replaced with snarls and stiff upper lips. "Your fun ends here, Sailor Goofs!" Fareth snarled.
"You may have destroyed our troops, and even our own comrades," Porthos growled, "but we are not so easily defeated. Prepare to meet your maker!"
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NEXT TIME...
The battle continues on, with only three Generals of the Apacolypse left. And Porthos manages to gain the upper hand?