Chapter 7: The Fallen Star
A shadow materialized upon the balcony's stones almost as soon as twilight began to fade beyond the distant horizons. She was, by this time, no stranger to this locale; because she'd been chosen to retrieve the boy, she had quickly familiarized herself with what was known of the castle design in order to further her valuable mission. Combining technology and cunning, she'd easily evaded detection, and had thus been able to quickly uncover the location of the all-important traveler through teleporting and locating the proper resources and information. She smirked, considering how easy it had been to arrive in this most protected of places on a whim. And not only that, her clever and intricate weavings in the boy's mind and conscience had guaranteed him favored towards her cause. It came in handy sometimes, being able to manipulate people as she did, but soon no manipulation would be needed. Prophecy itself would guide the course.
She quickly brushed aside the transparent curtains, once more the darkness of the guestroom meeting her gaze. She guessed Evan would likely be in the bedroom, and, turning in that direction, was pleased to see beyond the half open door the boy himself, looking at her. She quickly began to walk over to him.
"Glad to see you again. Have you made a decision yet, Evan?"
The boy was silent, his features unmoving and with a strangely sympathetic bleakness to them as if his heart had been torn out and all he wanted was to leave his pain behind. She nearly smirked; this was exactly the kind of reaction she'd been hoping for. Her ploy had worked perfectly; once the suggestion had been made that Neo Queen Serenity was untrustworthy and motivated by selfishness, she'd known it was only a matter of time before Evan found something that would, in his mind, validate those false claims. Marissa herself knew that Neo Queen Serenity had only the desire to better the mysterious youth, but, for the sake of the prophecy and the years of planning, she knew that the only way to get Evan to go with her was to discredit and vilify the altruistic Neo Queen. And Evan, of course, had swallowed every word of the clever deception.
"I see you've discovered what Neo Queen Serenity is all about, then. I'm sorry you had to go through this, but there was no other way." The words rolled off her tongue like soothing honey, knowing that her sympathies would draw Evan to make his imperative decision. Empress Desinion was not, after all, one to be kept waiting after so long. "If you're ready to go, I can get you out of here right now. Don't worry; you have my word of honor that nothing bad will happen to you."
Yet still Evan's features altered not the slightest, and his body didn't move in the least. His eyes stared straight ahead, like as if what he'd gone through had made him a statue incapable of movement, so petrified by misery that nothing else mattered any more.
"C'mon, talk to me. I said you had a friend in me. Talk to me."
She was standing right in front of him by now, and reached out a hand to touch his shoulder.
-And instantly, the moment her hand touched him, he disappeared. Vanished. Blinked out of existence. Gone, not a trace.
For only a split-second, Marissa stood there in stunned silence, then her eyes shot up towards the ceiling. There, directly over where the mirage of Evan had been, was a small circular device. She cussed under her breath; it was a portable holo-projector! She'd been set up!! Evan had betrayed her.
Almost instantly, the lights of the room burst into full illumination, nearly blinding her with the sudden light. Jupiter, having been in hiding in the wardrobe, threw the doors open from within, and quickly stepped forwards into a combat stance. Mercury, Mars, and Venus burst in from the bathroom, and quickly assembled into a line alongside Jupiter, all prepared to fight.
"So you're the intruder that was lying to Evan." Venus stated, taking a good look at Marissa's outfit and appearance.
"I don't know who you think you are, but you'd better be ready for a thrashing." Jupiter challenged, a fierce confidence in her tone.
"Yeah; Sailor wannabes aren't allowed. Visiting hours are over!" Mars added.
"On behalf of this kingdom and our planets, we'll punish you!" Mercury decreed boldly.
Marissa stood there for a moment, then sneered and placed her gloved hands on her hips. She casually combed her hair out of her eyes with her right hand, then folded her arms.
"Well, well. Dear me; four Sailor Scouts just to take down one little intruder? Palace security a little uptight nowadays, huh?" She sneered. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Sailor Antipode, Sailor Soldier of paradox and antithesis power!, and you Sailors picked the wrong night to get on my bad side."
"Big talk from someone who's outnumbered with nowhere to run." Jupiter asserted. Mercury then added. "We've activated an energy shield around the castle, so your little teleporting trick won't save you this time."
"I don't need to teleport to bust outta here, but first," She cracked her knuckles with a smirk. "Let's see what the Sailor Soldiers of this solar system can really do."
Sailor Antipode braced in a combat posture, the smirk leaving her face and a serious look replacing in, one of readiness and fierce intensity. The four Sailor Scouts braced themselves as well, every muscle tightening in accord with the oncoming battle.
Then, suddenly, Antipode just dematerialized. The Sailors quickly rushed into the other room just in time to see Sailor Antipode's silhouette leap off the side of the balcony. Mercury quickly reached for her earring, which now doubled as a discrete communicator.
"Uranus, do you read me?"
"Loud and clear. What's going on?"
"She's headed into the gardens, just like we hoped. Also, she calls herself Sailor Antipode."
"Ten-four, Mercury. Begin phase two."
The foliage of the gardens would be perfect to help her get the best of her opposition. Sailor Antipode quietly made her way into the shadows that trailed the wall of the castle, being careful to be alert for any movement or sound. No way the Sailor Scouts would be crazy enough to jump off a terrace that high up, especially without teleportation to land them safely on the ground as she herself had done. That meant they'd have to come in from the left side entrance to the gardens. And based on that knowledge, she could launch a surprise attack from where she stood.
Suddenly, a neon blue glow caught her eye, but by the time she realized what it was it was too late to dodge. Neptune's Deep Submerge plowed into her with it's full aquatic force, knocking the wind clean out of her as azure filled her field of vision. She collapsed to one knee, clutching her chest in pain and wincing only so slightly, then looked over to see Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto's silhouettes standing at a distance. Ignoring the pain, she quickly stood to her feet and glared at the trio menacingly.
"Cheap shot. I can see you've been preparing for me, Sailor Scouts. Well, let's see how you like this! Antipode Blazing Frost!!"
She outstretched one open palm, and suddenly her hand was enshrouded with a bizarre purple flame. The black four-pointed star on her tiara seemed to glow lightly as she launched the attack, the flame transmuting itself into a fireball of mixed ice-blue and inferno-red as it soared through empty air at it's targets. The trio of outer-rim Soldiers jumped aside to dodge the blast, and it slammed to the ground with incredible force. From where it landed, both flames and a thick, ground-freezing layer of ice erupted, the flames seemingly not effecting the thick frost. In a single moment, all nearby plants suddenly caught ablaze as the ice spread to a circumference of about seven feet. Sailor Antipode smirked.
"What do you think of my power, Sailors? Here, have some more!! Antipode Blazing Frost!!!"
Self-contradicting fireball after fireball shot forth from Antipode's outstretched hands, and soon it looked like the entire garden might soon be set on fire. Pluto, Uranus, and Neptune backflipped, sidestepped, and dodged the fireballs as fast as possible, being careful not to land on any of the circles of ice that now dotted the grand gardens' remains. Uranus leapt out of the way of a fire-ice blast, then pulled out her talisman sword.
"Ok, I've had enough! Space Sword Blaster!"
The razor-sharp blade of energy sliced cleanly through an incoming fireball, causing it to implode harmlessly in mid-air, and streaked across the battlefield at Antipode. Antipode's eyes went wide, then she quickly crossed her arms in front of her face and shouted "Antipode Elemental Shield!"
The blade-like bolt of energy burst apart harmlessly against the transparent blue and red energy bubble which leapt into being around Sailor Antipode. From behind the protection of the shield, Antipode smirked as if to challenge the Sailor Scouts, daring them to fight against her barrier.
"This is getting on my nerves." Uranus stated blandly. By now, the grand gardens were in shambles. Plant debris were scattered everywhere, a few nearby crystal tables lay in shards and shambles, and the ground was spotted with giant ice circles, like as if some form of arctic crop circling.
"Oh, wassamatter? Do I annoy you?" Antipode teased, fists surrounded in unnatural purple flames. The Elemental Shield began to get brighter in color and energy as she spoke. "C'mon, is that all you've got? I'll take your best shot."
Slowly, Uranus smirked.
"That's a mistake you'll soon regret." She sheathed her sword and cracked her knuckles. She turned her head towards the other two Scouts, keeping her eyes on Antipode. "Whatd'ya think? Should we let her have it?"
"Best not put too much power into it, or we might vaporize her." Neptune replied.
"It shouldn't be hard for the three of us to shatter that shield of hers. Let's just be careful to limit the collateral damages." Pluto added, giving her staff an agile spin before leveling it at Antipode. The Three Sailors stepped back and away from each other, keeping their eyes on Sailor Antipode, who cynically smirked and folded her arms in defiance.
"You three are all hot air. This barrier can repel any attack."
"We'll see about that. Prepare to be witness to the new powers imparted to us when our Sailor Crystals were reborn." Pluto declared calmly. Her staff began to glow with a deep fuchsia light, beaming brightest from the head of the garnet scepter and particularly the orb which hung suspended within it's frame. The Sailors' tiara gems also began to glow, each in their color.
"Uranus Cosmic Ether Cannon!!"
"Neptune Cosmic Tidal Wave!!"
"Pluto Cosmic Time Fissure!!"
From Uranus' outstretched open palm erupted what looked like a bolt of energized clear plasma, made visible by the melee of black and white electric-like shocks coursing through it inside. It's very presence seemed to distort the air that touched it as it raced headlong at it's pitiful victim. A massive swell of perfectly crystalline water materialized around Neptune as she braced one graceful finger over the gem of her tiara, the aquatic rush emanating a powerful blue glow bright enough to half-blind someone. With a sweeping gesture of her hand she sent the massive cyclonic force spinning within itself like a giant missile, aimed directly at Antipode. Pluto, spinning her garnet scepter over her head with practiced precision, swiftly brought the talisman down in one swift stroke, and all the energy that had surrounded it's form culminated in the air directly in front of her. The energy spun like a vertically-stretched comet towards the shielded Sailor Antipode, striking first of all the attacks and shattering the Elemental Shield like glass. The Time Fissure that the attack was named for materialized in an instant, replacing the fuchsia blast, forming into what looked like a swirling dark purple and navy blue vortex around Antipode, larger in size by several feet than the now-crushed Elemental Shield had been. Antipode barely had time to react in pain before the Ether Cannon and Tidal Wave hit her like a truck, combining with the Time Fissure and adding their colors likewise to the spiraling maelstrom. In a final burst, the vortex vaporized, throwing Antipode several feet through the air and into the nearby wall. Her body struck the wall violently, then she dropped face-first to the ground and lay there motionless. A few seconds later, the other four Sailor Scouts plus Saturn arrived onto the scene, quickly rushing past circles of ice and dead plants to join up alongside the three Outer Rim Sailors. The group of them stared at Antipode for a long moment, then Uranus, slowly, walked over to investigate the girl's condition.
Suddenly, Antipode began to move slightly. With great effort, the girl struggled to lift herself to her knees, her face stained with mud and her hair disheveled. But before she could get fully upright, Uranus leveled her saber at Antipode's throat.
"Move and you're dead. It would be in your best interests to surrender." Sailor Uranus stated point-blank.
"Never." Came Antipode's stubborn reply. She glared up at Uranus with a look of pure unrestrained hatred and malice.
Suddenly, in a blur of motion, Antipode whipped her left hand, which had been hidden behind her knees, straight at Uranus, and a glimmering black particle instantly burst forth, striking the sword-wielding Sailor Soldier in the stomach. The particle seemed to implode, the burst sending Uranus flying backwards and scorching into her flesh and uniform. The others quickly gasped and raced forwards, either to help Uranus or attack Antipode, but the mysterious dark Sailor was already charging up for a much larger, more powerful blast. Uranus lay on the ground, clutching her wound, as Antipode's attack continued to build.
"I didn't expect to have to use this," Antipode shouted, rage fueling her as she stood slowly to her feet, her right hand cast behind her open-palmed, with a massive black star-like particle increasing in size and diameter just above her touch. "But you leave me no choice!!" She then screamed with the full of her being. "DARK STAR CANNON!!!!!"
"Look out!!" Mars shouted, and the instant Antipode launched the attack everyone scattered for their lives. The blast struck the ground and swiftly expanded into a massive transparent black explosion that sphered outwards from it's striking point. The sheer forcewinds created by the blast ripped whatever plants remained up by the roots and debris flew in every direction. Uranus, being closest to the explosive eruption, was whipped into the air and cast to the ground almost two dozen feet away. Antipode managed to ride out the blast braced against the wall, and the other Sailors were fortunate enough to withstand the fierce shockwave of the blast with no injuries. When at last the dust began to clear, a giant crater sat in the middle of the decimated grand gardens, dipping down at least five feet into the terrain. Uranus, still clinging with one hand on her injury, slowly raised her head and looked over at Antipode, as did the other Sailors. A weak smirk decorated Sailor Antipode's features... then suddenly her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she dropped limply to the ground.
Several moments passed in total silence, then Neptune and Mercury quickly rushed over to Uranus. Pluto slowly, cautiously, walked over to Antipode, skirting the edge of the crater, and Jupiter, Venus, Mars, and Saturn followed close behind. Pluto knelt down next to Sailor Antipode and examined her.
"She collapsed of energy depletion." Pluto surmised. "That last attack took all of her strength out of her. She won't be giving us any more trouble tonight."
At a distance, looking down upon the scene, a dark phantom with a long cape and long stranding hair observed as the battle came to it's conclusion. He'd watched from this point, hovering effortlessly in the air high above the Crystal Palace, an onlooker as the epic conflict played out in it's vast, but quick and decisive, array of actions and force. He'd made precautions to keep from being detected, whether by the warriors below or by any technology of the castle's. His crimson-red eyes searched the scene below, both fierceness and intellectual prowess displayed in his gaze by the very nature and shape of his face. Alongside him floated another shadow, the girl clad in her usual dark attire including her infamous Living Garb, the cloak she named Nova, ironically the source of their present invisibility. The girl's deep black eyes likewise had watched the scenario below unfold, although with the cold solidity and likewise the gleam of dark ice in her neutrality of expression. She had little favor of battle scenes, and less interest in the multi-colored skirt-clad combatants. She could find little but revulsion for them, especially their attire, even the defeated girl whose abilities and apparel she disliked least.
"So, I presume, they are the gallant and elevated 'Sailor Soldiers'. Fha, what tepid company young Evan nowadays keeps." Said she, a half-malicious criticalism in her voice. She turned her gaze to her companion, whose eyes remained downwards at the scene. "What say you; are these not a most ridiculous looking spectacle?"
He nodded, barely moving his head to accomplish the gesture, not removing his gaze, his arms muscular crossed over his chest.
"I cannot detect Evan's energy." Said he, breaking the silence a moment later. His voice was deep and strong, matching his appearance. "The shield must be blocking it out, but even still..." He paused for a moment. "We'll watch from a distance, learn what we can. I'd like to see further how this plays out."
"And the others?"
"If they wish to investigate, let them." His tone indicated that these 'others' would have no assistance in their investigation from him, or her. It seemed, by the very demeanor of his voice, that such a manner was not uncommon practice for him, but was actually an accustomed disposition, part of his being. "Let them do whatever they will."