"What do you mean, too late?" Reika demanded, the anger of Mars burning fiercely inside of her. Maigo shook his head.
"The last of the Asteroid Senshi is captured. Our master will arise soon."
"You mean Oni?" Reika asked. "Who is he? What is he after?" Maigo turned his face away, silent to her cries.
"Answer a princess when she speaks to you," came a voice from behind them. Everyone turned around to see that the dark covering around them had suddenly fallen, blotted out by a shinning white light. And when the light cleared, there stood a young woman with long pink hair, holding a crystal staff.
"Lady Serenity!" the princess of Saturn exclaimed. "You came for us."
The queen smiled. "Of course, Sakura. You didn't think I'd leave you in danger."
At the sight of the queen, Hecate's eyes widened in terror. Slowly, she tried to slip away unnoticed, but Lady Serenity's auburn eyes quickly found their way to her. The terror wasn't hers; she was feeling it for someone else. Someone for whom the king and queen of Crystal Tokyo were the only ones standing between him and his goal. Again, Lady Serenity raised her staff.
"Wake up!" she commanded. "Back to your normal self!" The staff blazed forth with light, but this time the light was aimed directly at Hecate. As it connected with her body, the woman let out a loud scream, a dark blue mist seeming to arise from her. When it was gone, she fell down onto her knees, looking very dazed and confused.
"Wh-wha?" she managed to stammer out. "What happened? Where am I?" The surrounding children watched the scene in awe. Hecate had been under a spell just as Hoshi and Kaiya were, but now through the power of the Silver Crystal, it was gone. Serenity, smiled, happy to have a done a service for this woman, but the joy was to be short-lived as suddenly the darkness around them began building once again, the ground shaking violently beneath their feet.
"You idiot!" Maigo yelled.
"Watch how you address the queen!" Kaiya snapped.
"I'm calling her an idiot because she is one!" Maigo yelled back. "By lifting the spell from Hecate, she's let Oni know exactly where we are!"
"That's what I want!" Lady Serenity called out. "If he's going to try and take over this planet, he will have to deal with it's king and queen first." She held the staff firm, showing the crystal on top of it to the darkening clouds. Helios smiled. How much his wife was like the former queen - so full of strength and nobility, willing to do whatever it took to protect those she loved. He only hoped his own strength was as fitting. With that, Helios closed his eyes. In his hand also appeared a staff, a golden one, it's head in the shape of a crown. This was the power of the Golden Crystal.
"You're insane!" Maigo cried. "Why do you think I warned you to run away from here? Oni is too powerful, you're destined to lose!"
The king and queen did not move from their positions. Maigo groaned; his pleas were no doubt falling on deaf ears. Suddenly, the boy felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw that it was the Pluto girl. What was her name... Kaiya?
"Don't worry," Kaiya assured him. "Our king and queen will protect us. Don't underestimate the power of the Silver Crystal."
"I'm not underestimating it," Maigo said with a shake of his head. "Your problem is that the Silver Crystal's power is in the wrong hands."
"What?" Kaiya gasped, but before she had a chance to ask any further questions, the ground began to shake again and in front them appeared what looked to be some kind of shadow... a shadow with red eyes.
"Are you Oni?" Lady Serenity demanded. The shadow nodded, for however much it is possible for a shadow to nod.
"And you are Lady Serenity," it said with a voice that sent chills up the children's spine and even the queen's as well, although she did not show it. "I can tell from your face, it is just like your mother's."
For a moment, the queen's face softened. "You knew my mother?" she asked.
"I didn't, no, but my mother did. Our parents fought in a great battle that was to decide the fate of this galaxy. We were almost victorious, but that wretched queen, that Cosmos, followed us into the Cauldron and destroyed her. I too, was almost dead. But somehow I managed to linger on, fueled by my anger and thirst for revenge. And now, ironically enough, here us children have come to settle what our mothers started."
Lady Serenity's eyes widened in terror. She knew full well who Oni was speaking of. But that couldn't be... "You are... Sailor Chaos' child?" she asked.
"Correct!" Oni answered. "And I shall take my rightful place as king of this new millennium."
"No you won't!" Helios yelled out, pointing his staff forward. "Golden Earth Crystal Power!" he called. Lady Serenity followed the lead.
"Silver Moon Crystal Power!" she yelled. The two staffs blazed forth with energy. She could feel Helios love for her through the crystal, her own love for him emanating through hers. Is this what it felt like, she wondered, all those times when her mama and papa stood side by side to guard the earth, with only their power of love to guide them. It must be, she thought. When they were together, they were invisible. She and Helios would be the same. Only now Oni didn't seemed nearly as concerned as he should have been. Casually he closed his eyes and reached out towards the royal light. And, as the children watch in horror, the power of Serenity staff seemed to darken, draining in towards him until it barely glowed at all. The queen sank down to her knees and King Helios broke his concentration to try and see if she was alright and what had happened. Seeing his opportunity, Oni pushed his hand forward with such a great force of energy that it knocked both King Helios and Lady Serenity to the ground.
"Your highnesses!" the princess of Saturn ran up to her king and queen's side. "Your highnesses! What happened?" Weakly, Helios pulled himself up.
"I don't know..." he said. "We were so strong at first, but then I felt the power of Chibiusa's Silver Crystal grow dull, almost cold." He turned over to his wife and felt her cheek. "She's passed out."
Above them, Oni laughed. "Do you see now that it is impossible for you to win?" he asked.
"Tell us what you did to the queen!" Akio demanded, holding up his shield and showing the proud symbol of Neptune to his opponent.
"Simple," Oni replied. "Through the use of the senshi of the Asteroids,
the power of the Silver Crystal is now mine."