SailorStar9: With Chapter 35 uploaded, I present Chapter 36 of this fic. For everyone who put this fic on your favorited and followed lists and/or story alerts, thank you, but remember everyone, a lot of authors (myself included) sustain on readers' reviews.

Disclaimers: I only own the plot.

Chapter 36: Anubis' Armor Revived


After the fight...

The now enlarged group found an abandoned safe-house where they could rest up and prepare for the final battle.

"I can't wait." Kento was amped up.

"Ryo?" Rowen turned from his short running match against Sage and saw their leader at the staircase.

"Don't worry." Mia assured. "Anubis is just working some things out."

"I don't get it." Kento was confused. "If Anubis hadn't butted in, we could've finished off Kayura."

"I guess he has his reasons." Rowen suggested. "And that's not discounting the fact that Kayura called Athena 'Athena-sama'..."

"You don't think," Cye spoke up. "That Kayura has a link with the Ancient's clan?"

"No way!" Kento objected. "There's absolutely no way someone from Ancient's clan can be evil!"

"Anubis," Ryo spoke for the rest of the Ronin Warriors. "We have to leave now."

"I must stay here." Anubis replied. "You have have to fight on your own. I must stay here until the Ancient's will becomes clear to me."

"You came to help rescue us and now you leave us in the lurch?" Kento fumed. "What a letdown."

"Anubis, I will tell you this." Sage interjected. "If we come up against Kayura, we won't hold back."

"Regardless who Kayura might be, those who take the side of Talpa must be defeated."

"I'll leave Athena, Mia nad Yuli to you, Anubis." Ryo noted and the five Ronin Warriors set off.


In Kayura's quarters...

With her control device partially destroyed, Kayura started to remember how she came to the Dynasty: just as Athena was surmised, she indeed had been controlled by Talpa; she was just a child when Talpa's troops razed her clan, the Ancient's clan, to the ground and kidnapped her. She recalled her parents, about how her father had been part of the monks whose prayers gave birth to the Jewel of Life, about how her mother had introduced her to the Ancient and subsequently, how she first met the reborn Athena of that time. Though not blood-related, the two girls were close enough to call the other 'sister'.


In Talpa's throne room...

"What?" Talpa was shocked. "Kayura?"

"Yes," Badamon nodded. "And in her current state..."

"How could this have happened?" Talpa wondered. "Are you saying I will not be able to use the power of her clan? Just when the nine shrines of the armors are so close to completion... in order to realize my thousand-year ambition of taking over not only the human world and also claim the throne of the Gods, I will need all nine of the armors. Without Kayura's power..."

"I have a plan." Badamon proposed. "Kayura will recover her memories as a result of the staff and her close proximity with Athena. We, Nether Spirits, are the only ones who can erase that memory."

"Don't try to impress me." Talpa snapped. "Just tell me your plan."

"I will possess Kayura and use the power of the Dynasty through her." Badamon explained. "That will even overwhelm the power of the Inferno Armor. However, Master Talpa, it will be necessary to draw upon all the power of darkness. I will be taking possession one from the Ancient's clan, after all."

"We have to keep Anubis and his precious staff away from this." Talpa reminded.

"We will have to eliminate all that get in our way." Badamon added. "Excuse me." he made himself scarce to commence his plan.

"Summon the three Warlords!" Talpa ordered.


At his prayer alter...

Badamon gathered the Nether Spirits and drew upon the Spirits' power.


At the safe-house...

"He's hiding in there." Dais remarked, the thee Warlords having arrived at the safe-house. "Be prepared. Don't let your guard down against Anubis."

"After all, he did fight as a Warlord once." Cale agreed. "We knew very well the power if his 'Quake with Fear'.


In Kayura's quarters...

"Kayura..." Badamon droned outside the chamber. "Kayura..." he blew open the doors.


In the safe-house...

"What?" Anubis gasped when the rings on the staff started clanging wildly, signaling the danger looming Kayura. "Something's happened to Kayura?"


In Kayura's quarters...

"You are a descendant of the Ancient clan, the only clan to have rejected the power of the Nether Spirits in all of history." Badamon lowered Kayura's mental defenses with his enchantment. "You shall become a prisoner of my grudge and take Athena's life with your own two hands."

"Father..." Kayura choked as Badamon forced himself into her body." Mother... Athena-sama..."


In the safe-house...

"I'd say that Kayura is related to the Ancient's clan." Anubis concluded after the rings stopped clanging.

"That must be why the staff was protecting her all along." Mia realized.

"I've also sorted out my past life's memories." Athena supplied. "Kayura and myself... we were close; close enough to call each other 'sister'. She was the only girl closest to my age at that time, before the Ancient's clansmen were sold out by one of ours and Talpa's forces razed the clan's ground to nothing. I would take a guess and say Kayura was kidnapped in the aftermath."

"Then, I swear, Athena-sama," Anubis claimed the Ancient's staff. "Just as you and the Ancient had saved me in the past, I will awaken Kayura to her true self." his senses alerting him of danger, he grabbed Mia and Yuli and leapt out of the safe-house, just as Dais' scythes destroyed the wooden house from below.

"It's been a while, Anubis." Dais remarked.

"You guys." Anubis looked at his former teammates. "Have you still not awakened?"

"Awakened?" Cale echoed. "How dare you? Arm yourself and fight."

"I will never again be the Warlord of Cruelty." Anubis stated.

"You coward." Sekhmet sneered. "I'll wipe you out along with Athena, the girl and the kid. Die!" he pulled out his swords.

Anubis parried off Sekhmet and pushed the Warlord of Venom off with the Ancient's staff.

"Anubis, we are fighting for what we believe in like you used to." Dais reminded. "For Master Talpa!"

"You will die." Cale barked.

"Foolish three Warlords." Anubis rebuked.


With the Ronin Warriors...

"What's that?" Ryo stopped short when he saw a giant object rising from the waters in front of them.

"Is it Kayura?" Sage wondered.

"The three Warlords?" Kento added.

"You finally show up!" Ryo snapped

"You seem overly confident little pests." the Badamon-possessed Kayura mocked, riding the Dynasty's mega bomb. "You shall get a taste of the greatest weapon of the Nether Spirits."

"That fireball!" Ryo instantly recognized the bomb.

"You mean from back then?" Cye exclaimed.


With Anubis...

"Look, Mia!" Yuli pointed to the bomb in the air.

"That's a Nether Spirit fireball." Mia gaped in horror.

"This is the end of the Ronin Warriors." Cale laughed. "Anubis, it is time for you to give it up."

"Damn it!" Anubis cursed and slammed the Ancient's staff onto the ground, creating the crevice between them and the three Warlords. "Warlords, I will save you as well." he promised and hurried off with the others in tow.


With the Ronin Warriors...

"Fireball." Kayura droned. "Obliterate them all." she sent the bomb on a crash course straight towards the Ronin Warriors.

"Ultra Ballistic Thunderbolt Cut!" Sage fired his attack at the incoming fireball.

"Ultra Ballistic Super Wave Smasher!" Cye followed up with his attack.

"No." Ryo realized the combined attacks barely made a dent on the charging fireball. "Our power has no effect on it."

"Get away!" Rowen barked. "This is..." he winced, stunned in place by black lightning, the other Ronin Warriors were also held in place by Kayura's lightning web.

"I won't let you go, little pests." Kayura smirked.

"Ryo, use the Rage of Inferno." Rowen instructed. "Unite all of our powers."

"Bu do you think it'll work?" Ryo asked.

"It's better than giving up." Sage reasoned. "Now!" he sent his armor's power to Ryo, the others following suit and allowing Ryo to summon the Inferno Armor.

"The Inferno Armor, huh?" Kayura mused. "Just try it."

"Ultra Ballistic Rage of Inferno!" Ryo released the attack, just as the bomb crashed into him.

"We're too late." Anubis gaped in horror.

"The Ronin Warriors are finished." Kayura declared, stepping on Ryo's helmet in victory.

"Kayura!" Athena and Anubis entered the battlefield.

"Kayura, please wake up." Athena pleaded. "You're..." her senses picked up another entity. "Badamon!"

"I'm the priest of darkness." Badamon mocked. "Lord Badamon."

"Why you!" Athena growled, pointing the Nike Staff at the possessed Kayura. "I'll use the power of the Nike Staff to drive you out of my little sister's body and free her!"

"I wonder if you can, little Goddess." Badamon taunted. "The likes of you who've always hid behind the Ronin Warriors."

"Don't underestimate the Goddess of War!" Anubis snapped.

"Anubis!" Dais shouted, the three Warlords having caught up. "You cannot hide."

"Useless fools." Kayura snorted. "So they've come."

"You can't get away, Anubis." Dais was rearing to renew the fight.

"You lose." Cale added.

"Submit and give up your neck." Sekhmet advised.

"What is this?" Anubis wondered, the Ancient staff rose from his hand and summoned his Armor of Cruelty helmet to his hands. "Ancient, are you telling me to fight? If that is what you wish, then I'll become the Warlord of Cruelty again. Armor of Cruelty, Tao Chu!"

"Prepare yourself, Badamon!" Athena had also transformed into her Senshi form, Sailor Cosmo Mercury. "This is the first and last battle we will fight."

"Then, come at me, Sailor Cosmo Mercury." Kayura accepted the challenge.

"Purifying Light Circle!" Sailor Cosmo Mercury started the fight by turning the light halo into a curved energy blade and threw it at Kayura.


SailorStar9: This chapter is officially over. Read and review.