"Burning Mandala!"

"Fire Buster!"

The two rays of fire collided once more, resulting in an explosion. The gust from the blast was strong, but it didn't seem to make flinch any of the two warriors of flames.

"She got stronger," Mars thought, looking at her staff. "That must be because of this…!"

Suddenly, Eudial let out a chuckle.

"I'm impressed, Sailor Mars. Your flames are on part with mine. You truly deserve your title as the Senshi of Fire and Passion. It really is a shame that we never properly fought before."

"Yeah, well, you only exchange your previous toy for a more fancy one," Mars taunted, pointing to her staff.

Eudial seemed upset for a second before she sneered.

"This isn't a toy. This isn't even a weapon like my flamethrower was either," Eudial replied. "This is a magical artifact- a witch staff. It only serves to unlock the magic within you, daemonic magic. Only a true, perfect daemon, can use it- it's only meant for someone worthy to call herself a witch!"

The star on the staff turned red.

"FIRE BUSTER!"

This time, Mars didn't have the time to charge her attack and had to dodge the beam of fire thrown her way.

"I, Eudial, am the one true master of flames, the fiery witch!"

"That's nothing compared to the senshi of the planet of fire!" Mars exclaimed.

Eudial snickered at this.

"Then show me how strong you are, Sailor Mars. Show me the intensity of your flames!"

"With pleasure. Fire Soul Bird!"

Mars conjured a bird made of pure fire, reminiscent of the legendary phoenix, and launched it towards Eudial. The red witch stretched her arm, pointing her staff towards the fiery bird. The star turned red once again but she didn't attack. Instead, she absorbed the firebird in her staff.

"N-No way…!?" Mars exclaimed.

Eudial sneered at her.

"That was a pretty impressive attack. Thanks for that."

"What… what do you…?"

"Fire Buster Bird!"

Much to Mars' shock, Eudial sent a corrupted version of her attack back at her, but much bigger.

"W-What!?"

Mars barely had the time to dodge. She avoided the blast in extremis, jumping to the floor.

"It seems like fighting fire with fire isn't the way to go," Eudial taunted. "Too bad for you. But, good for me."

Mars grunted as she got back on her feet.

"I have to do something about that staff!" she thought.

Mars rushed towards Eudial, ready to snatch her staff from her hands by force.

"As if I'll let you! FIRE BUSTER!"

"Mars Flame Sniper!"

Mars quickly conjured her arrow of fire to block Eudial's attack. As she was about to seize her staff, Eudial suddenly kicked her right under the chin.

"Ugh!"

Mars could feel the shock of the impact right up to her head and fell to the ground, seeing stars. She was not expecting such a powerful kick from Eudial- but it was true that as a daemon, her physical strength was above that of a regular human. She shouldn't have underestimated her in close combat.

As Mars was about to get up, Eudial slid the tip of her staff under her throat, forcing her to stay on the floor. Eudial was now standing over her, using her staff to lift her chin a little to look her in the eyes, smirking down at her.

"Well, looks like your heart might not have been into it, Sailor Mars. Not that I blame you. I wouldn't fight hard either if it was to save Mimete. Not worth it."

"You're… you're wrong… it's not… just for Mimete… I fight… to save… the innocents…"

"Innocent? Pff, don't make me laugh. We're talking about this double-crossing, traitorous brat-"

"I mean both of you!"

Eudial cocked her head, seemingly confused by this statement. She crouched, straddling Mars, pinning her to the ground to make sure she couldn't get up.

"Please, enlighten me. What do you mean by 'saving' me and Mimete? The only threat against me is you and your fellow senshi…"

"No, we aren't… the biggest threat to you… is yourself…!"

Eudial remained stoic for a few seconds before starting to laugh.

"This is the funniest thing I have ever heard! Save me from myself? How hilarious! I don't know what kind of mind game you are playing, but this won't work. But at least you make me laugh…"

"We know… that you're dying… you are going to die-"

"Are you threatening me now? I don't think you are in any position to do so," Eudial taunted.

"N-No! Just like Mimete, you are… sick. You lost your source of energy, the Taioron Crystal, and you will run out of life force soon… we want to help you…!"

Eudial seemed taken aback for a moment. Mars could see now how pale she looked, her complexion seemed as sickly as Mimete now.

"Yeah, I figured out it was happening," Eudial said. "I'm surprised you know too, but I supposed you learned it from Mimete."

"You… you knew…?"

"Well, duh. Why do you think I abducted her? I needed a guinea pig to run some tests and find a way to not die, you know?"

"Mimete… where is she now?"

Eudial grinned.

"Let's just say… she outlived her usefulness, but she has still a role to play in my survival."

"Did you… did you kill her!?"

Eudial scoffed.

"Why do you care? She was a huge pain in the ass. For both me and you."

"Because, I already told you… I'm here to save you both…!"

Eudial remained speechless for a moment before a sinister grin appeared on her lips.

"Well, if you want to save me that much, I do have an idea…"

Mars remained confused for a moment until Eudial suddenly seized her chin and she had a bad feeling about this.

"W-Wait, what are you…?!"

"You said it yourself, you want to 'save' me," Eudial said with a smirk. "And right now, I desperately need some life force to survive. I spent a lot of energy in that fight, so it's only fair I get it back from you, right? And I think your fiery life force will be just perfect for me… or even your pure heart crystal."

Mars felt panic rise within her and tried to push Eudial away, but the latter was pinning her to the ground with great strength. The red witch started leaning towards her, ready to kiss her- and steal her life force.

"N-No…!" Mars weakly mumbled.

Before Eudial could kiss her, the witch was suddenly thrown in the air, kicked with great force.

"She said no. Don't you know what consent means!?" Jupiter yelled.

Eudial roughly landed on the ground with a groan of pain.

"Jupiter, you're alright!" Mars exclaimed, relieved to see her friend safe and sound.

"It will take more than a measly trap to take me out!"

Jupiter offered Mars her hand and helped her get back on her feet. Eudial managed to only crawl back on her hands and knees, stuck in a coughing fit.

"You… you'll pay for this…!" Eudial said between two coughs.

Eudial suddenly tried to rush towards her staff but Mars was faster, getting a hold of the artifact before her.

"Give it back!" Eudial angrily said.

"Sorry, but since you haven't behaved well, I'm confiscating your toy," Mars scoffed.

To emphasize what she just said, Mars pointed the staff at Eudial, forcing her to recoil. The witch looked beyond pissed.

"Mars, Jupiter!"

Sailor Moon was running towards them and calling their names, followed by both the rest of the inners and the outers.

"Great, more of you… uh!?"

Before Eudial could complain more she was suddenly pushed against the wall by none other than Sailor Venus.

"Where's Mimete!?" Venus asked.

"Ouch! What's the matter with you? There's no need to be so rough…!"

"Where is she!? What have you done to her?!"

"What a brute…! I haven't done anything to her… yet. She was still alive when I left her. But I can't guarantee that it's still the case. She was in a pretty bad state last time I saw her…"

Venus suddenly raised her fist.

"What does that mean!?"

"V-Venus, calm down!" Sailor Moon told her. "We're not here to hurt her! And we need her to find Mimete."

Venus grew tense but finally lowered her fist before releasing Eudial. The red witch barely had time to sight that Uranus suddenly seized her, twisting one of her arms behind her back.

"W-what..!?"

"Sorry, Eudial, but I can't let you go around freely," Uranus said. "This is only for safety measures, don't worry."

"Tsk…! You're always as despicable, huh…" Eudial muttered.

"I could say the same about you," Uranus said back.

"Now lead us to Mimete!" Venus ordered.

'"Ugh… fine! But you might now like what you'll discover…"

"... Mimete…?" Venus called weakly.

Mimete laid unresponsive, strapped to a metallic table. She looked awfully bruised and battered, as well as seemingly unconscious.

"Mimete!?"

Venus rushed towards the injured witch, hastening to undo her bindings.

"What… what have you done to her?!" Venus furiously asked.

"You beat her up!?" Jupiter exclaimed.

"Huh? You think I did that to her?" Eudial replied. "Well, technically, it was my car- it's not like I would tie someone up just to brutalize them, you know. I'm not some kind of barbarian- unlike you all."

"You hit her with your car?" Neptune asked.

"And you call us barbarians?" Uranus added.

"Hey, she sabotaged my car and made me fall down a cliff, this is just a little payback," Eudial replied. "Not enough to kill her or even seriously injure her."

Venus finished freeing Mimete from her restraints.

"Mimete, wake up! Mimete!"

The blonde witch remained inert, looking more sick than ever. Her breathing was so low and weak that it looked like she could stop breathing at any moment.

"She's… she not doing well… You did something to her, don't you!?" Venus accused Eudial.

"No, I haven't. I told you, didn't I? She was already in a bad state when I left her, so it's only natural that she got worst. I warned you that you might not like what you'd discover…"

"You…!"

"I don't think Eudial has anything to do with this," Mars suddenly intervened. "Remember, Mimete was already weakened because she was running out of energy. If she hasn't drawn life force for a long time, she's probably near the end of her own energy…"

"No… it can't be…" Venus mumbled.

"Yes, I'm afraid that she doesn't have much time left," Eudial said. "She's about to die."

"No! I won't let that happen! Mimete, wake up!" Venus exclaimed, trying to shake her lightly. "Take some of my energy, please… don't die now!"

Mimete let out a weak moan and opened her eyes. Her vision seemed unfocused like she wasn't fully conscious.

"Mimete…!"

The blonde witch raised her head, noticing Eudial's presence, and pure terror could be read in her eyes.

"You… no… don't…" she began to mumble before she looked at Venus. "Aino-san… this isn't… I don't want to die, please…"

"I'm not letting you die! I promise! I will find a way-"

"... ugh… argh…!"

Mimete let out a pained groan as her body started to convulse.

"M-Mimete!?"

"Ahhh….!"

A dark light suddenly came out from Mimete's body, followed by an oval-shaped object.

A daemon egg.

"That's…?" Sailor Moon whispered.

The egg fell down and broke in half, releasing the remaining essence it contained. Mimete's body stopped convulsing and went limp. She wasn't breathing anymore.

"Mimete… no…" Venus whispered.

"What… what happened…!?" Jupiter exclaimed. "Is she… dead?"

"Her body was no longer able to contain her daemon egg," Eudial began. "She grew too weakened and the egg was rejected, and it wasn't able to survive without a host… it's over for her."

Mimete's complexion started to get paler. Venus tried to shake her more vigorously.

"Mimete, wake up!" she said desperately.

"It's futile. She's dead," Eudial said.

"No!" Venus cried out. "You're lying!"

Mercury rushed towards Mimete, pressing her ear against her chest.

"I can hear a pulse, but it's very faint. Her body isn't dead yet," Mercury said.

"What?" Eudial muttered.

"We could medically preserve her body so her organs don't die," Mercury proposed.

"Then what? Keeping her in a vegetative state for the rest of her life? This is the same as being dead," Eudial scoffed.

"You should be more concerned about this," Mercury replied. "After all, this is the fate that awaits you too, Arimura Yuuko."

All gazes turned to Eudial, the latter seeming more confused than shocked.

"What…? What's that name you're calling me…?"

"You don't know? This used to be your name, Arimura-san. Back when you were still human."

"I… I used to be human?"

"You all were. All the Witches 5 used to be humans. Your crystal heart was stolen and replaced by a daemon egg to corrupt both your body and mind."

"... Really…?"

Now Eudial genuinely seemed taken aback. Mercury gestured to Uranus to release the witch. She was highly outnumbered and unlikely to be able to escape. And Mercury had a feeling she wouldn't try anyway.

"Here, take a look," Mercury said as she pulled out her pocket computer. "Take a look at who you used to be- your true self."

Now freed from Uranus, Eudial stepped towards Mercury, who handed her her pocket computer. The screen was currently displaying a student profile- Arimura Yuuko's.

"This is… me?" Eudial whispered. "My name was… Arimura Yuuko… and I used to be human."

"You were a victim too," Mercury said. "The Death Busters stole away your heart and turned you into a daemon host. But without the Taioron Crystal, your daemon egg, the source of your life force, cannot survive for long. You are dying."

"I told you," Mars continued. "We aren't your biggest threat. The Death Busters are what ended up harming you."

"That's why we do want to help you!" Sailor Moon interjected. "We are not your enemies. We just want to save you."

Eudial seemed lost in her thoughts for a moment before she let out a chuckle.

"So I really used to be human," she suddenly said. "I had a doubt, judging by Mimete's conditions, that she, at the very least, used to be human- but I guess it makes sense that I was too. But seeing it with my very own eyes, this picture… of another me, feels quite eerie. I have no memory of ever being human- of being this Arimura Yuuko mentioned in this profile…"

"This is how evil individuals manipulate people into doing their biddings," Neptune replied. "They get rid of their sense of identity, and more extreme here, make you forget you were a human, making you believe you were created for their purpose."

"... more importantly, was I really only 18 years old?" Eudial suddenly added.

"I know, right? I was surprised too," Sailor Moon said.

"... Is this really the only thing you are taking from all this?" Uranus reacted.

"This does change a lot, I'm not going to lie… but it does seem hopeless for me. Without a crystal heart and with my daemon egg running out of energy, I'll be dead soon too-"

"Mimete's heart…! Its… its beatings are starting to fade away even more!" Venus suddenly exclaimed.

Mercury took back her pocket computer and rushed towards the dying girl.

"She's about to go into cardiac arrest!" Mercury said. "That's bad. If we don't get her in a hospital soon, she's going to die…!"

Much to everyone's surprise, Eudial spoke something unexpected.

"There… might be a way to save her," the red witch suddenly said.

Venus stared at her before nearly jumping on her.

"Why haven't you said so earlier!?" Venus cried out.

"Because I wasn't sure if it would save me too," Eudial calmly replied.

"... What?" Venus muttered. "You knew a way to save her this entire time and you kept it to yourself for so long!?"

"I mean, yeah? Why are you acting so surprised? I don't care about Mimete, and as far as I was concerned you guys were a threat to me. Why risk telling you how to save her if it's only for you to get rid of me afterward?" Eudial explained. "But… now things have changed. Not only did you confirm to me that I indeed used to be human and therefore will suffer the same fate as her, but you… clearly expressed a desire to save us both. So I don't see any reason to keep it from you anymore-"

Venus grabbed Eudial by the collar.

"You would have left Mimete died…!"

"Yes. Have you forgotten that I'm not particularly fond of her? Her living or dying is irrelevant to me. All I want is to survive. I'd rather have the both of us to live than both of us dying, you know?"

"You…!"

"Venus, that's enough," Mars intervened. "She's awful, but it doesn't change the fact we still need her. And we did come to save them both."

With reluctance, Venus let go of Eudial.

"Then speak now," Jupiter ordered. "How can we save her?"

"Our body cannot sustain itself because we have no crystal heart, and our daemon eggs are running out of life force. It seems like the problem is clear, we are dying because we do not have our crystal hearts and our eggs are no longer a viable source of energy. So the solution… is to get back our crystal hearts."

"Your… crystal hearts? Do you actually know where they are!?" Sailor Moon asked.

"I might have an idea. I do have a program I used to… find potential pure heart crystal targets," Eudial began. "I could use it to confirm my suspicion, to pinpoint their exact location. I mean, I was able to find the talisman with this program, so it shouldn't be too hard, especially since I already have a doubt about where they might be."

"And why should we trust you? Who to tell this isn't some kind of trap?!" Venus accused.

Eudial bitterly laughed at this statement.

"Really? Why would I be lying at this point? I literally have nothing to lose," Eudial said, gesturing to Mimete's inert body. "This is the fate that awaits me. I've witnessed it with my own eyes. Do you really think I'd be up to something at this point? I'm literally dying. I don't care anymore what it takes, I'm going to try anything to not end up like that. Even if it means… working with you. And saving Mimete of all people."

Venus still seemed doubtful but it seemed Eudial had a point. She had nothing to lose. Working with the senshi seemed to be her best option in order to survive. And yet, she still remained suspicious of her.

"Let's do that then," Sailor Moon declared. "Mercury, do you think you can preserve Mimete's body so she doesn't die?"

"With the right equipment, I should."

"I have the basic medical equipment in my laboratory," Eudial said. "Enough to artificially keep her in a coma so her body doesn't die."

"Why helping?" Venus said.

"I told you. If saving this little brat gets you to save me too, then I shall do it. I literally don't care anymore. I just… don't want to die."

"I'll take care of Mimete then," Mercury said.

"I'm staying with you," Venus declared.

"And I'll try to locate our crystal hearts," Eudial said.

"Under our supervision," Jupiter added.

"... Of course."

Eudial went to her computer and started working on her program, while Uranus helped Mercury carry Mimete to the medical equipment, followed by Venus, who glanced one last time at Eudial before leaving the area, then looking at the unresponsive Mimete.

"Don't worry, Mimete, I won't let you die," Minako thought. "And once this is over, I'm looking forward to meeting the real you- Hanyuu Mimi."