Silver Millennium Life Bonds
Rocky Oberlin
Chapter 25
Disclaimer: I haven't changed my name so I don't own the Ronin Warriors or Sailor Moon. In fact, I don't think that changing my name would even give me the right to it.
Well, here it is. The battle everyone was waiting for. Cosmos vs. Chaos. (I HATE writing fight scenes.)
Windy brought the trio back the same way she sent Sage. When they landed, Serena was surrounded by hugs and the two Ronins were checked over by Ryo and slapped on the back by the rest. "I guess that Ryo still is playing mother hen," whispered Seckmet to Anubis. "What with the way he's going over Halo and Strata."
"It's called being a good leader," said Anubis. "He wants to make sure that there isn't anything wrong with them or any injuries that they won't tell anyone about."
Seckmet crossed his arms. "I still think that he's playing mother hen."
Ryo caught the whole conversation, along with the rest of the group, and threw the Venom armor bearer a dirty look after he finished his inspection. He walked away from the group to join the glowing ghost as she watched the patterns of magic swirling around the castle. "See anything?" he asked.
"Chaos is building Its power base. We will have to hurry or we'll be caught in a strong tide when It does Its final call."
"This will be like the last fight I had with Chaos, won't it?" she asked quietly.
Rowen heard the sadness and fear in her voice and put an arm around her shoulders. He hugged her close and didn't let go. Serena leaned into his embrace and stayed there. She didn't want to lose her love like she almost did the first time.
"Yes and no," answered the ghost. "I'm going to make darn sure that Chaos doesn't take anymore people, but you ultimately will be the one to fight It." Windy squinted like she was trying to see in the far distance. "And beware of the form It's going to take. You will have to steel your heart because It found a new body."
The Outer Sailors and Lita stiffened. "Who did It take?" growled Haruka.
"Endymion."
Even the Ronins and Warlords glowered at that. It was one thing to take on a force that couldn't be destroyed and had to be banished, but to fight it in a human's dead body? That was against any rule they had ever known. You did not desecrate the bodies of the dead, no matter how much you hated them.
"So much for Chaos using Endymion because of his talent," muttered Sage. "He was just another convenient body."
"At least it's a dead body this time," said Hotaru. "It was living in the body of Galaxia when we fought it."
"That had to have been fun," snorted Kento.
"We didn't know," said Setsuna. "We were dead."
"Then who fought her?" asked Cye.
"Serena," said Michiru. "We were killed for our star-seeds."
"And those Starlights," spat Haruka.
"You really have to learn to live with them helping when we couldn't," said Lita. "At least they got Serena through it alive."
"That is the only credit I'm going to give them," said Haruka. "I still am not convinced."
"And never will from the sounds of it," said Sage.
Ryo looked at Rowen. "Who does that sound like?" he asked.
"Like us when it was only Anubis helping us and Mia."
"You, at least, said thank you and accepted me later. It sounds like Haruka is still having trouble with this Starlights issue," said Anubis.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Windy was just barely paying attention to the conversation going on around her. She was quietly leading the group through the rest of the maze with only Lady Kayura as her companion. She had left the others to their talk and traveled with the ghost after she had made her revelation.
"How much further do we have to go?" she asked quietly.
"A little further. Once we're in the safety zone, we can stop and figure out what is going to happen."
"How long before Chaos does Its last call for power?"
Windy zoned out for a moment and then came back in a hurry. "We have to move," she said quickly. "Now."
Lady Kayura dropped back to hurry the ones in back while Windy started to get the ones in front to move faster. She directed them which way to go as she continued to jog the ones who started to lag.
"What's the hurry?" puffed Dais as he ran beside Cye.
"Windy says that Chaos is making Its last call," answered Lady Kayura.
"What will happen if we get caught in the end of it?" asked Cale.
"You really don't want to know," said Windy. "It's not pleasant." She dropped back further to hurry Sage and Lita who had lagged back further then the rest. "You have to go a little faster. We are only half way to the safety zone."
"We want to help," said Lita.
"They only way for you to help right now is if you get up there with the others," said Windy. "It you get caught in this last wave, we won't be seeing you ever again. You will be a part of Chaos and will be sent with It when Serena banishes it for the last time."
When they didn't move fast enough, Windy sighed. She could see the wave coming closer and the others were already crossing the line into safety. Ryo had turned back at the last minute and saw that his friend and Lita were no where near the point of safety and was ready to run back to get them himself.
"Ryo, get in here!" yelled Cye. "That thing is almost on us!"
"Sage and Lita are still out there," said Ryo. "I'm not letting them go without trying to get them across."
"Ryo! Get your body over that line now before I help you across!" threatened Windy. She had heard the Ronin leader and knew he was going to do something really stupid if she didn't stop him. Serena and Rowen were trying to cross the line again, but the force of magic was keeping them on the other side. She just had to push Ryo across and get the two stubborn people to hurry a little more. The Windwalker sent a hard gust of wind to push the Mars prince across the line and heard the name he called her when he found he couldn't cross again. It was enough to get a dirty look from Haruka and an interested look from his friends.
"You two are going to be the after death of me yet," growled Windy as she grabbed the last two by their arms and flew. She had to move fast because the wave was right on her heels and she didn't want to explain to several parties why she lost the Sun prince and Jovian princess to an inanimate object like a wave of magic. Windy didn't look back as she pushed one more time and barely crossed the barrier into the safety zone. She turned on them both. "If you ever do something like that again when you are told by a higher being to move your tails, then you will deserve whatever you are given if you survive the experience," she snarled
"We wanted to help you with the wave," growled Sage.
"I wasn't going to do anything with it. Even I have limits and that is one of them. I can only control what I can get a handle on. That was too big for just me to handle and having you with me wouldn't have helped me any. I would have been sent back and you would be sharing your power with Chaos."
"We didn't know," protested Lita. "We just wanted to help you."
"It was a nice thought, but when I say run, then you run. It is not up to a debate in situations like this."
"Why are you yelling at them like that?" snapped Ryo. "They didn't know."
"Because I don't like the idea of losing friends to something like Chaos and they wouldn't be retrieved if they had. Dais asked what would happen if you got caught in the last wave, well, I'll tell you now. You cease to exist. You become a part of the thing that is calling the power to it. Do you see what it's like out there on the other side? There is nothing. It has been swept clean and you would have joined it. The only reason why this line is here is because Chaos wants someplace to work from; otherwise it would have gone with the rest of the power."
Silence answered the terse and bitten off reply. The warriors were shell-shocked at what they were told. They could have been swept into what they were trying to fight and there was no way that they could have been brought out by the Windwalker. They could see the pain in her eyes and the worry etching her face. She must have lost someone like that before if she was yelling like this.
"Who was it?" asked Serena.
"A friend a long time ago." Windy bowed her head before raising it and pushing onward. The subject was finished.
* * * * * * * * * * *
They were getting closer, Rowen could tell. He watched as their guide move swiftly and deadly through the last of the monsters trying to keep them out. It was like she was taking on the minions so they wouldn't have to. She knew something and she wasn't talking; after her angry outburst, Rowen didn't think that any questions should be asked quite yet.
"That was the last of them," Windy said quietly. "The monsters stop here and the nightmare begins."
"Are you sure?" asked Setsuna.
"Positive. Chaos is waiting for us."
"I'm not ready," said Serena. "I don't think I can do this now."
Windy looked at the Moon Princess. "Are any of us ready? Trust in us and in yourself. You can do this, Serenity." Windy looked her in they eye. "I know you can. I have faith in you."
Serena was going to say more, her friends were going to say more, but Chaos decided to interrupt. "Ah, the old pep talk. Sorry to intrude, but I think that it's time to finish this. Out of the way, follower of the Creator. I will deal with you when I'm done with Cosmos." Chaos flung Its borrowed body's hand to one side and Windy went flying into a wall. She slid down and didn't rise. Serena watched with horrified eyes as the most powerful protector she had was tossed aside like a rag doll by a being in her once love's body. She didn't know if she could handle fighting Endymion's body even if Chaos was using it.
"I believe in you," whispered Rowen as he stood at her side. "I will never leave you, I promise."
Sage stepped to her other side. Lita joined him and they smiled at their friend and princess. Ryo walked to the other side of Rowen and gave her a wide grin. Slowly the other warriors joined the protector of the cosmos as she faced off with her enemy. The feeling of her friends supporting her gave her the confidence to face her adversary.
"Feeling a little more confident?" sneered the body of Endymion. "That's good, because I'm going to take them away one by one and leave you all alone. Remember the last time we fought? How alone you were? No one to help you, no one to stand beside you."
Serena remembered. She remembered the battle clearly. She wasn't alone then and she wasn't alone now. "You are wrong," she growled. "I'm not alone. I have my friends with me. They will never leave me."
"Not by choice," chuckled Chaos. "But they will leave you because I said so." It waved Its borrowed hand again and the five Warlords of the Nether Realm disappeared. It waved Its other hand and the four Outer Sailors faded with yells of outrage. "See? I have taken over half of your friends. Shall I take the rest from you?"
"They believe in me," stated Cosmos. "They will help me wherever you sent them."
Chaos chuckled again. "No, I don't think they will. They aren't even alive anymore. I killed them."
Cosmos blanched. It seemed like it was the final battle all over again. Rowen grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly. She looked over at him and felt a spark of hope. If the Diplomat could bring her to her brother and her love, then may be she could do something about her lost friends. "They will still help me Chaos," she yelled.
Chaos didn't say anything this time when It waved Its hand. Serena could hear Sage yelling and trying to hold onto his sister. She wasn't quick enough to grab his hand and she lost the subtle connection with her twin.
"I have broken your bond with your twin. Shall I break the one you have with your love?" It snarled.
Rowen whispered in her ear, "I will always be with you. Don't give up." Then he disappeared with the last wave of Chaos' fist.
"Well, Cosmos? Will you think about an offer I could give you?"
But Cosmos stood there. She couldn't feel her twin or her love, but she knew they were there. They would never leave her. Her friends were gone, but she knew that they would support her even if they were beyond the mortal plane. She raised her head. "No."
Chaos started to smile, but at her answer it was erased from It's borrowed face. "What?"
"You heard me. I said no. I won't join you, I won't work for you, and I certainly won't let you take over everything that people have worked hard to make." She started to gather the power she knew she had. "You are done. I'm sending you back to where you belong."
"We shall see, Cosmos." Chaos started to draw the power It had gathered before making It's final appearance. It quickly dwarfed everything that Serena had gathered from herself.
Serena was starting to worry when she saw the amount of power that Chaos drew. She knew that she was in trouble and might not make it from this fight.
"I have faith in you," whispered a voice. "And so do the others."
Serena glanced at the still body of the Windwalker. It was almost like the last words she said to the princess, but this time the voice was adding the sediments of her friends. She drew herself up and decided if she was going to do this, then she would go down in a blaze of glory and hopefully she could bring Chaos down with her.
* * * * * * * * * * *
In the corner where the clay shell of a dead woman laid, a smile graced the still lips. Cosmos finally got it. She was open and ready for the others to help her. A soft sigh passed through the smiling, still lips before the body faded away. This matter was almost done.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Serena didn't notice the loss of the ghost. She was too busy watching the power level of Chaos rise to proportions she didn't think that she could achieve. It was more than Chaos ever had when she fought the entity the first time.
"See something different?" laughed Chaos. "I got it from the powerless people who once served you. I would have had more, but my old servant stopped me from gathering more. I think, though, that I have enough to defeat you."
"I have the faith of my friends and a person who came to help me," Cosmos muttered. "I can do this. I won't give up." As these words passed her lips, she felt more power joining with her. It was more than when she fought Metalia. It was more than when she fought with Rini against the Doom Phantom or even against Pharaoh 90. It was the joining of friends and love to help protect something they all cared for. "This must be what Ryo feels when he receives the other armors to make the Inferno armor," muttered Serena. An affirmative feeling showed that at least one of her friends was still with her.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Chaos was tired of this game. It was going to finish it for good. "Say good bye Cosmos. Give my regards to your family when I send them to you." Chaos raised Its hand for the last time and threw the power It had gathered at the defender of the cosmos, Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom.
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Watch out!"
Cosmos looked toward the raw power being thrown at her and responded with a call of her own power. She made a small shield to block the first attack and then forced it forward towards Chaos.
"Keep it up. The combined power will force It back to where it deserves to be."
Cosmos didn't argue. She pushed forward with all her might and stopped only when Chaos copied her with Its own push of power. She couldn't move forward and she refused to move back; Cosmos was at a stalemate.
"Take what We offer. It will help you."
She didn't know who was talking to her, but she took the offered strength and inched her way forward. She could feel the strength of the Justice. Virtue flowed through her veins like fire. Loyalty and Piety joined with Trust and Wisdom to support her. Serenity enfolded her as Obedience swept around her. The powers of Strength, Time, Death and Rebirth, Elegance, and Grace surrounded her. And pulsing around them all and Sailor Cosmos was Life. They were with her even now and they were going to help her.
With the added force she pushed forward inch by inch. Chaos felt the rise in her power and pushed more if Itself into the force It held against her. Again Cosmos found herself at a stalemate. Once more she felt something brush around her. This time it wasn't something that was symbolized by her friends, but by a ghost who had joined so many others before her and after. It was Unconditional Love. That force alone helped her push through the last defense that Chaos had raised.
NNNNOOOO!
The cry wasn't spoken, but she could feel the sediment. She looked through her squinted eyes before she fell. "Never come back," she whispered.
"It won't. The semblance is a part of humanity, but the entity of Chaos is finally banished. We thank you for letting Us use Our Love through you. Now you can be normal."
Serena didn't understand who the last person that spoke to her was. She was busy falling to the ground in exhaustion. She had finished her fight. Finally.
Rocky Oberlin
Chapter 25
Disclaimer: I haven't changed my name so I don't own the Ronin Warriors or Sailor Moon. In fact, I don't think that changing my name would even give me the right to it.
Well, here it is. The battle everyone was waiting for. Cosmos vs. Chaos. (I HATE writing fight scenes.)
Windy brought the trio back the same way she sent Sage. When they landed, Serena was surrounded by hugs and the two Ronins were checked over by Ryo and slapped on the back by the rest. "I guess that Ryo still is playing mother hen," whispered Seckmet to Anubis. "What with the way he's going over Halo and Strata."
"It's called being a good leader," said Anubis. "He wants to make sure that there isn't anything wrong with them or any injuries that they won't tell anyone about."
Seckmet crossed his arms. "I still think that he's playing mother hen."
Ryo caught the whole conversation, along with the rest of the group, and threw the Venom armor bearer a dirty look after he finished his inspection. He walked away from the group to join the glowing ghost as she watched the patterns of magic swirling around the castle. "See anything?" he asked.
"Chaos is building Its power base. We will have to hurry or we'll be caught in a strong tide when It does Its final call."
"This will be like the last fight I had with Chaos, won't it?" she asked quietly.
Rowen heard the sadness and fear in her voice and put an arm around her shoulders. He hugged her close and didn't let go. Serena leaned into his embrace and stayed there. She didn't want to lose her love like she almost did the first time.
"Yes and no," answered the ghost. "I'm going to make darn sure that Chaos doesn't take anymore people, but you ultimately will be the one to fight It." Windy squinted like she was trying to see in the far distance. "And beware of the form It's going to take. You will have to steel your heart because It found a new body."
The Outer Sailors and Lita stiffened. "Who did It take?" growled Haruka.
"Endymion."
Even the Ronins and Warlords glowered at that. It was one thing to take on a force that couldn't be destroyed and had to be banished, but to fight it in a human's dead body? That was against any rule they had ever known. You did not desecrate the bodies of the dead, no matter how much you hated them.
"So much for Chaos using Endymion because of his talent," muttered Sage. "He was just another convenient body."
"At least it's a dead body this time," said Hotaru. "It was living in the body of Galaxia when we fought it."
"That had to have been fun," snorted Kento.
"We didn't know," said Setsuna. "We were dead."
"Then who fought her?" asked Cye.
"Serena," said Michiru. "We were killed for our star-seeds."
"And those Starlights," spat Haruka.
"You really have to learn to live with them helping when we couldn't," said Lita. "At least they got Serena through it alive."
"That is the only credit I'm going to give them," said Haruka. "I still am not convinced."
"And never will from the sounds of it," said Sage.
Ryo looked at Rowen. "Who does that sound like?" he asked.
"Like us when it was only Anubis helping us and Mia."
"You, at least, said thank you and accepted me later. It sounds like Haruka is still having trouble with this Starlights issue," said Anubis.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Windy was just barely paying attention to the conversation going on around her. She was quietly leading the group through the rest of the maze with only Lady Kayura as her companion. She had left the others to their talk and traveled with the ghost after she had made her revelation.
"How much further do we have to go?" she asked quietly.
"A little further. Once we're in the safety zone, we can stop and figure out what is going to happen."
"How long before Chaos does Its last call for power?"
Windy zoned out for a moment and then came back in a hurry. "We have to move," she said quickly. "Now."
Lady Kayura dropped back to hurry the ones in back while Windy started to get the ones in front to move faster. She directed them which way to go as she continued to jog the ones who started to lag.
"What's the hurry?" puffed Dais as he ran beside Cye.
"Windy says that Chaos is making Its last call," answered Lady Kayura.
"What will happen if we get caught in the end of it?" asked Cale.
"You really don't want to know," said Windy. "It's not pleasant." She dropped back further to hurry Sage and Lita who had lagged back further then the rest. "You have to go a little faster. We are only half way to the safety zone."
"We want to help," said Lita.
"They only way for you to help right now is if you get up there with the others," said Windy. "It you get caught in this last wave, we won't be seeing you ever again. You will be a part of Chaos and will be sent with It when Serena banishes it for the last time."
When they didn't move fast enough, Windy sighed. She could see the wave coming closer and the others were already crossing the line into safety. Ryo had turned back at the last minute and saw that his friend and Lita were no where near the point of safety and was ready to run back to get them himself.
"Ryo, get in here!" yelled Cye. "That thing is almost on us!"
"Sage and Lita are still out there," said Ryo. "I'm not letting them go without trying to get them across."
"Ryo! Get your body over that line now before I help you across!" threatened Windy. She had heard the Ronin leader and knew he was going to do something really stupid if she didn't stop him. Serena and Rowen were trying to cross the line again, but the force of magic was keeping them on the other side. She just had to push Ryo across and get the two stubborn people to hurry a little more. The Windwalker sent a hard gust of wind to push the Mars prince across the line and heard the name he called her when he found he couldn't cross again. It was enough to get a dirty look from Haruka and an interested look from his friends.
"You two are going to be the after death of me yet," growled Windy as she grabbed the last two by their arms and flew. She had to move fast because the wave was right on her heels and she didn't want to explain to several parties why she lost the Sun prince and Jovian princess to an inanimate object like a wave of magic. Windy didn't look back as she pushed one more time and barely crossed the barrier into the safety zone. She turned on them both. "If you ever do something like that again when you are told by a higher being to move your tails, then you will deserve whatever you are given if you survive the experience," she snarled
"We wanted to help you with the wave," growled Sage.
"I wasn't going to do anything with it. Even I have limits and that is one of them. I can only control what I can get a handle on. That was too big for just me to handle and having you with me wouldn't have helped me any. I would have been sent back and you would be sharing your power with Chaos."
"We didn't know," protested Lita. "We just wanted to help you."
"It was a nice thought, but when I say run, then you run. It is not up to a debate in situations like this."
"Why are you yelling at them like that?" snapped Ryo. "They didn't know."
"Because I don't like the idea of losing friends to something like Chaos and they wouldn't be retrieved if they had. Dais asked what would happen if you got caught in the last wave, well, I'll tell you now. You cease to exist. You become a part of the thing that is calling the power to it. Do you see what it's like out there on the other side? There is nothing. It has been swept clean and you would have joined it. The only reason why this line is here is because Chaos wants someplace to work from; otherwise it would have gone with the rest of the power."
Silence answered the terse and bitten off reply. The warriors were shell-shocked at what they were told. They could have been swept into what they were trying to fight and there was no way that they could have been brought out by the Windwalker. They could see the pain in her eyes and the worry etching her face. She must have lost someone like that before if she was yelling like this.
"Who was it?" asked Serena.
"A friend a long time ago." Windy bowed her head before raising it and pushing onward. The subject was finished.
* * * * * * * * * * *
They were getting closer, Rowen could tell. He watched as their guide move swiftly and deadly through the last of the monsters trying to keep them out. It was like she was taking on the minions so they wouldn't have to. She knew something and she wasn't talking; after her angry outburst, Rowen didn't think that any questions should be asked quite yet.
"That was the last of them," Windy said quietly. "The monsters stop here and the nightmare begins."
"Are you sure?" asked Setsuna.
"Positive. Chaos is waiting for us."
"I'm not ready," said Serena. "I don't think I can do this now."
Windy looked at the Moon Princess. "Are any of us ready? Trust in us and in yourself. You can do this, Serenity." Windy looked her in they eye. "I know you can. I have faith in you."
Serena was going to say more, her friends were going to say more, but Chaos decided to interrupt. "Ah, the old pep talk. Sorry to intrude, but I think that it's time to finish this. Out of the way, follower of the Creator. I will deal with you when I'm done with Cosmos." Chaos flung Its borrowed body's hand to one side and Windy went flying into a wall. She slid down and didn't rise. Serena watched with horrified eyes as the most powerful protector she had was tossed aside like a rag doll by a being in her once love's body. She didn't know if she could handle fighting Endymion's body even if Chaos was using it.
"I believe in you," whispered Rowen as he stood at her side. "I will never leave you, I promise."
Sage stepped to her other side. Lita joined him and they smiled at their friend and princess. Ryo walked to the other side of Rowen and gave her a wide grin. Slowly the other warriors joined the protector of the cosmos as she faced off with her enemy. The feeling of her friends supporting her gave her the confidence to face her adversary.
"Feeling a little more confident?" sneered the body of Endymion. "That's good, because I'm going to take them away one by one and leave you all alone. Remember the last time we fought? How alone you were? No one to help you, no one to stand beside you."
Serena remembered. She remembered the battle clearly. She wasn't alone then and she wasn't alone now. "You are wrong," she growled. "I'm not alone. I have my friends with me. They will never leave me."
"Not by choice," chuckled Chaos. "But they will leave you because I said so." It waved Its borrowed hand again and the five Warlords of the Nether Realm disappeared. It waved Its other hand and the four Outer Sailors faded with yells of outrage. "See? I have taken over half of your friends. Shall I take the rest from you?"
"They believe in me," stated Cosmos. "They will help me wherever you sent them."
Chaos chuckled again. "No, I don't think they will. They aren't even alive anymore. I killed them."
Cosmos blanched. It seemed like it was the final battle all over again. Rowen grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly. She looked over at him and felt a spark of hope. If the Diplomat could bring her to her brother and her love, then may be she could do something about her lost friends. "They will still help me Chaos," she yelled.
Chaos didn't say anything this time when It waved Its hand. Serena could hear Sage yelling and trying to hold onto his sister. She wasn't quick enough to grab his hand and she lost the subtle connection with her twin.
"I have broken your bond with your twin. Shall I break the one you have with your love?" It snarled.
Rowen whispered in her ear, "I will always be with you. Don't give up." Then he disappeared with the last wave of Chaos' fist.
"Well, Cosmos? Will you think about an offer I could give you?"
But Cosmos stood there. She couldn't feel her twin or her love, but she knew they were there. They would never leave her. Her friends were gone, but she knew that they would support her even if they were beyond the mortal plane. She raised her head. "No."
Chaos started to smile, but at her answer it was erased from It's borrowed face. "What?"
"You heard me. I said no. I won't join you, I won't work for you, and I certainly won't let you take over everything that people have worked hard to make." She started to gather the power she knew she had. "You are done. I'm sending you back to where you belong."
"We shall see, Cosmos." Chaos started to draw the power It had gathered before making It's final appearance. It quickly dwarfed everything that Serena had gathered from herself.
Serena was starting to worry when she saw the amount of power that Chaos drew. She knew that she was in trouble and might not make it from this fight.
"I have faith in you," whispered a voice. "And so do the others."
Serena glanced at the still body of the Windwalker. It was almost like the last words she said to the princess, but this time the voice was adding the sediments of her friends. She drew herself up and decided if she was going to do this, then she would go down in a blaze of glory and hopefully she could bring Chaos down with her.
* * * * * * * * * * *
In the corner where the clay shell of a dead woman laid, a smile graced the still lips. Cosmos finally got it. She was open and ready for the others to help her. A soft sigh passed through the smiling, still lips before the body faded away. This matter was almost done.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Serena didn't notice the loss of the ghost. She was too busy watching the power level of Chaos rise to proportions she didn't think that she could achieve. It was more than Chaos ever had when she fought the entity the first time.
"See something different?" laughed Chaos. "I got it from the powerless people who once served you. I would have had more, but my old servant stopped me from gathering more. I think, though, that I have enough to defeat you."
"I have the faith of my friends and a person who came to help me," Cosmos muttered. "I can do this. I won't give up." As these words passed her lips, she felt more power joining with her. It was more than when she fought Metalia. It was more than when she fought with Rini against the Doom Phantom or even against Pharaoh 90. It was the joining of friends and love to help protect something they all cared for. "This must be what Ryo feels when he receives the other armors to make the Inferno armor," muttered Serena. An affirmative feeling showed that at least one of her friends was still with her.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Chaos was tired of this game. It was going to finish it for good. "Say good bye Cosmos. Give my regards to your family when I send them to you." Chaos raised Its hand for the last time and threw the power It had gathered at the defender of the cosmos, Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom.
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Watch out!"
Cosmos looked toward the raw power being thrown at her and responded with a call of her own power. She made a small shield to block the first attack and then forced it forward towards Chaos.
"Keep it up. The combined power will force It back to where it deserves to be."
Cosmos didn't argue. She pushed forward with all her might and stopped only when Chaos copied her with Its own push of power. She couldn't move forward and she refused to move back; Cosmos was at a stalemate.
"Take what We offer. It will help you."
She didn't know who was talking to her, but she took the offered strength and inched her way forward. She could feel the strength of the Justice. Virtue flowed through her veins like fire. Loyalty and Piety joined with Trust and Wisdom to support her. Serenity enfolded her as Obedience swept around her. The powers of Strength, Time, Death and Rebirth, Elegance, and Grace surrounded her. And pulsing around them all and Sailor Cosmos was Life. They were with her even now and they were going to help her.
With the added force she pushed forward inch by inch. Chaos felt the rise in her power and pushed more if Itself into the force It held against her. Again Cosmos found herself at a stalemate. Once more she felt something brush around her. This time it wasn't something that was symbolized by her friends, but by a ghost who had joined so many others before her and after. It was Unconditional Love. That force alone helped her push through the last defense that Chaos had raised.
NNNNOOOO!
The cry wasn't spoken, but she could feel the sediment. She looked through her squinted eyes before she fell. "Never come back," she whispered.
"It won't. The semblance is a part of humanity, but the entity of Chaos is finally banished. We thank you for letting Us use Our Love through you. Now you can be normal."
Serena didn't understand who the last person that spoke to her was. She was busy falling to the ground in exhaustion. She had finished her fight. Finally.
