Sailor Moon Aeons.
Book 2: Rebirth.
Act 8: Hunting Season.
Episode 124: Thrill of the hunt.

By Razor Knight
Last update: December 14, 2016
Last edited: June 15, 2017

Three days had passed without any attacks by the Senshi Hunters, but Usagi knew better than hoping they would give up. If her past wars had taught her anything, was that these short breaks meant their enemies were planning something bad. Maria, Aki and Emi were there too, helping the weaker Senshi in their training.

"I wish those assholes would hurry up and show up so we can kill them," Rei said.

Usagi sighed at that. Rei had not been in a good mood since her last battle, and it was understandable. She knew her friend wanted to protect Yuichiro as much as he wanted to protect her. She knew how that felt, she didn't like seeing Mamoru get hurt, either.

She looked at ChibiUsa, who was sitting on the ground near her, eyes closed. In some ways, her daughter was the strongest Senshi in their team, being a Moon Senshi, but she was as eager to train as the rest. Still, what exactly was she trying to do?

"Being still and doing nothing aren't the same thing," Terry said, knowing what Usagi was thinking.

ChibiUsa opened her eyes and smiled as her hands lit up with magic. "Got it."

Maria had been talking to Ami about the Senshi Hunters, but she gasped as she saw the pink-haired girl's new trick. "No. Damn. Way."

"Did you do what I think you did?" Usagi asked.

ChibiUsa nodded. "I can finally use Demon Hunter magic without movement or speech. Just simple spells, though. And I would only use buff spells since my own magic attacks are right now stronger than the Demon Sword."

"Actually," Maria corrected, "the Demon Sword is as strong as its caster. That's why some of us can use improved versions, or modify the spell if needed. Still, you can shoot several of your attacks without getting tired, and only a handful of us can use that spell more than once... Or at all."

"So in theory, if I were to use a Demon Sword..."

"Have you used that spell a lot?"

"No, only once, and I was out for two days after that."

"That spell was, in the distant past, an attempt to emulate the Planet Attack. It has the same drawback, but much worse. You could use a weak version without risking death, but things like the 'Armageddon Call' variant could kill you, even if you were as strong as Galaxia."

"There's always a catch, huh?"

Aiko appeared near Usagi. "Two of the Senshi Hunters are right outside the dojo."

"They tried that before."

Usagi was looking at the images from Aiko's fly-like cameras. "They... Don't seem to be here to fight."

"So, just a social visit?"

ChibiUsa shrugged. "Let's go outside and ask them what they want. If they try anything, I'm going to beat them to death with their own arms."

"That sounds painful. I'll help you."

"Hotaru, don't encourage her," Usagi said.

"What the heck do you want?"

Lion met the pink-haired girl's glare with a neutral stare. "We want to help you stop Rex's madness."

"Why? You think I'll forgive you? You think I'll just let you leave once I'm done with Rex?"

"We thought you were trying to make us see the monsters we became," Hyena said. "We can't change what we did, but..."

Usagi was glad she had tagged along, because she knew what Hyena was trying to say. "Would you go and kill them for revenge, without giving them a chance to prove they have changed?"

ChibiUsa shook her head. "I just... What you did is something I won't ever forget," she gave Lion and Hyena another glare before continuing, "but I wasn't raised to be a bloodthirsty fool." She walked to Lion and stared at him for a few seconds before walking back to the others. "However, if this ends up being another pathetic 'hunting' trick I'm going to stop being nice."

"Good. With that out of the way, let us tell you something about our former allies. They have one last trick to play, and if they stopped attacking, it's because they're getting ready to use it."

Chie shrugged. "So they have ways to power up? Seen that before. If your ex-allies have a chance to beat us, though, why not help-"

"Because they need to be stopped, and you... There's something about your group. I can't put a finger on it, but I'm almost sure you will win. We want to help you stop the madness we're partially responsible for."

"Rex, I finally located Lion and Hyena."

"Good, I was starting to worry. They left without a word and-"

"You can stop being worried, and start being angry," Vulture said.

Rex looked at the screen Vulture had been using and let out a few choice insults. Those two were outside the Senshi base, but they weren't attacking. It was hard for him to accept there could be traitors in his group, but he saw no other reason for their current behavior. "Is the Zarthask ready?"

"We can use it now, but remember there's no going back once it's activated."

"It's something we've kept as a last resort, but we've been losing against weak Senshi. It's time to bring out the big guns."

"When do we attack?"

"As soon we can. We'll go there and make sure no Senshi is left standing."

Sailor Pluto was both glad to finally be able to 'see' the immediate future, and worried about what she saw. It was clear to her that the Senshi Hunters were already doomed, some of them at least. But what was coming after that... She had never been one to give up without trying, but the enemy she was seeing... It had been hiding right under their noses, in a way. And it was a threat older than Silver Millennium. A threat the Senshi, at their current level, could not defeat. And still, her power wasn't infallible. "But then again, nothing is impossible for us."

"Looks damn improbable to me, though."

Pluto looked at the only other person there. The Gates got few visitors, but it was still not strange to see her there."I would think you saw enough of these Senshi already to know why that saying still exists."

"I know. Will you help them?"

"Yes, that enemy is as powerful as Galaxia, if not stronger. They'll need my help to defeat her."

"We should go back inside," Karin noted, "before the fans notice us all standing here and come nag us."

Pluto appeared right then. "The enemy is about to arrive, so you should get ready to fight them."

"Good, I'm tired of this stupid 'hunting' thing."

Rei smiled at that. Years ago, if Usagi had been unable to use magic, Rei would have told her to stay out of the fight. But she knew Usagi could still fight, and heck, she had kicked Rex's rear a few times without magic. "It could be tough, but what boss fight wasn't?"

"The super Daimon, that mantis guy, the dream lich, that dumb plant thing, the ice queen..."

Rei blinked at Hotaru for a few seconds before shrugging. "Those weren't boss fights, those were bonus stages."

Lion had been silently listening to all of that. "It's good to see you are all taking this seriously."

"Despite how carefree they may sound at times, they are serious when it counts."

The man looked at Pluto. "You... I can sense you're at Holy level. Why didn't you help before?"

"I fight when I see they need my help, and your group is nothing they can't handle."

"Then why are you here?"

"If I told you, I would have to kill you. But I am glad I'll have a chance to help them in this war. After all, I've guessed the reason you could come back here is because of me. Of the future me."

"Setsuna, what does that mean?"

Pluto heard Usagi's question, but she didn't stop staring at Lion. "I don't think they found any other Time Senshi out there."

"You're right. We wondered where the young Senshi who had escaped was hiding, but then Vulture saw what your powers were. He found a way to emulate them, it took him almost one of your weeks, but Rex hated leaving Senshi alive."

"Guess Rex's devotion to his holy crusade is admirable, in a creepy way," ChibiMoon muttered.

As if on cue, Rex and his allies appeared right then. "Oh, there's a few of you missing," Rex said, "I'll wait until they arrive, I'm tired of tracking you kids down."

"Already on it," Aiko said. She saw Rex's group looked different, their skin was pale and they had what looked like patches of metal plating randomly spread over their skin. "So, you guys decided it would be cool to be a cyborg too, huh?"

"They've used the Zarthask," Hyena said. "A device we found in one of many worlds we've been in. The Senshi of that world had gone insane from using it, and killed most civilians for fun. I still think we should have destroyed that thing."

"You were always a fool, Hyena," Rex snapped, "but your foolishness has reached a new low. Allying with Senshi? Have you forgotten what Senshi did to our world?"

"I haven't, but the Senshi who did that are all dead. This 'hunt' is wrong and we will stop you."

What followed happened too fast for anyone to react. Rex smirked at Hyena's words, then vanished, reappearing right behind her and punching right through her chest. "How will you stop me if you're dead, traitor?"

As Usagi saw Hyena fall, what little hope she still had of being able to talk Rex out of his madness vanished. The man was evil. The worst kind of evil, the kind which though of itself as heroic. She saw Lion staring at Hyena and cringed. She knew how that felt, to see someone you love die... She noticed Saturn walking to Lion and smiled, but then saw the others weren't reacting. "Come on guys, start shooting at those bastards. I would if I could."

Saturn sighed. "I can bring her back."

Lion looked at her. "Why would-"

"Because you are trying to make up for your past errors, and I don't think it's fair to die without getting a chance to do so. Also... I know you two are in love. I can only imagine how it would feel to see Chibi die."

"Thank you."

Saturn had already started bringing Hyena back. She hated how easy it was for her to revive people, it meant she had gotten a lot of practice. "If you want to thank me, then do as you said you would. Help us stop Rex."

Hyena's eyes opened, and she looked around in confusion. She then saw Saturn there and realized what had happened. "I... Thank you."

"As I told your guy a moment ago, all the thanks I need is for you two to keep your word."

"Don't worry, I never wanted to shout him to death as much as I do now."

"So they're going all out."

Onara nodded. "Those 'Senshi Hunters' have somehow increased their power a hundred times in a few days. They may be enough to kill the Senshi."

"I remember you saying the same about Galaxia."

"True. Perhaps this time around, we could send our Senshi friends a little surprise?"

"What are you planning?"

"The Senshi have numbers in their favor. If we send a diversion, it will keep some of them busy. There's a little project I've been working on, mimicking one of the allies of our enemies."

"Sounds interesting," Black Lady said. "What is it?"

"You'll see soon enough."

Mercury leapt away from Lynx and grimaced as she landed on her wounded leg. These enemies were no pushovers, their speed, strenght and resilience had gone up to the point where they could keep up with Guardian Senshi. She saw Usagi was out - unconscious, her visor told her, and Rex was right now facing both ChibiMoon and Saturn. Most of the group was trying to fight the other Hunters, but a few of them were also injured, or knocked out.

"Witch Sword!"

Lynx was sent flying back by an explosion, and Mercury saw Warwitch walking to her. "Thanks."

"No problem. I was waiting to try that one on a bad guy."

Mercury smiled. "From my readings, that was quite a strong attack."

"Yeah, but all I can do is buy time," the witch said, noticing Lynx was already walking to them.

"I have no time for weaklings," Lynx said.

"I know I can't beat you, but I can help those who can. Witch Balm. Witch Anthem."

Mercury felt her leg wound healing, and also felt a rush of energy. "Oh, this will help."

Lynx saw Mercury raise her arm, a huge ball of ice forming rapidly above her. "That's going to hurt."

"We're ready to shoot, General."

Kino looked at Tomoe. "Are you sure it will work?"

"It will shoot, but I'm not sure how much damage it will do to someone as strong as those Senshi Hunters, I can't tell without some field testing."

"What about the Senshi?"

"A certain lady in green told me she'll move everyone out of that area before we shoot."

"Good. Let's give your toy a try, then."

Usagi woke up and groaned. That damn guy had knocked her out with one blast, she would be no help for her friends at all. "Damn it, it's pointless..."

"It's not like you to give up before you try."

She saw the three Demon Huntresses walk to her. "Even with the skills I learnt from Hakko, I'm still useless."

"We could help you," Circe said.

"Just go help the others..."

"Usagi, we won't even scratch those assholes by throwing all our mana at them in one shot," Calisto explained, "and you're better at melee than us, and stronger too. So just stop moping about being useless already."

"Maria, stop!" Circe scolded.

Usagi smiled. "That sounded like something Rei would say, and you're right. Let's give Rex and his posse a beating."

Pluto appeared near them. "Before that, I'll have to move you all out of time for a bit."

"What do you-"

"No time to explain," Pluto said, and all the Senshi and their allies vanished, leaving a group of very confused Senshi Hunters there. However, their confusion was short-lived, as suddenly the whole area exploded with mana.

"What in Darkness was that?"

Onara could understand Black Lady's reaction, the magic blast that came from the sky had been quite powerful. "The army."

"You mean they have a weapon that strong?"

"Guess we weren't the only ones working on secret projects. I'll admit Tomoe is dangerous in his own way. However, gathering that much mana would take a while, even for human mages, so we can send our surprise in."

"Good thing you didn't send it earlier."

"Agreed, Rubeus. It would have been a pity to have Infinitus destroyed before it could kill a Senshi or three."

"Send it in," Aurite said, "let's see what it can do."

The Senshi appeared near their base and took a moment to look around the area. Somehow, the large mana blast had not damaged any building. "The Demon Hunters can do some impressive things when enough of them gather," Pluto said.

"Too bad dad's trick didn't do much against those creeps," Saturn noted as the Senshi Hunters appeared near them.

"I'm not sure what that was, but petty tricks won't work on us-" Vulture trailed off as he noticed someone else had appeared. A cyborg of some kind, its body almost featureless and its 'skin' silvery. "Who the hell?"

"I am here to help," the creature said. "My creator shares your current goal. I was created to kill the Senshi."

"So, yet another Omega?" Earth muttered. "That Onara guy is a pest."

"I am not just an Omega. My name is Omega Infinitus."

"Let's just kill all the uglies," Jupiter said.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible," Infinitus said before a dozen clones of it appeared.

Phase chuckled. "So he can multiply. I can take care of him." A dozen Phase clones appeared and shot at the Infinitus, but their blasts did no noticeable damage. "Uh, guess I'll need help with that."

"Guys, split up and fight them."

Mira looked at Usagi as the others rushed in to fight their foes. "Let us help you."

Usagi smiled. "Go ahead."

As the three Huntresses used their best buffs on Usagi, Luna came running in. "Good, you're still here."

"What's wrong?"

"If you really plan on fighting that Rex guy, you should have brought these along."

Usagi saw her chakram and her board appear in front of her. Of course! She didn't need magic to use either of those. "Thanks."

Luna nodded. "Now go and help your daughter, Sailor Moon."

Infinitus had proven itself to be quite a challenge for the Senshi. Whenever a clone was defeated, a new one appeared, and it was keeping both the Senshi and their allies from being able to team up with others. Divide and conquer, as the old saying went.

Saturn was just done cutting one in half, but another was already rushing at her. "Out of the way, idiot. I need to go help my girlfriend."

"Sorry, but you won't help her."

"Guess I'll have to keep on cutting you down until you die for good, then."

Jaguar had been able to keep up with Venus' improved speed, but that wasn't good enough. The Zarthask should have made him faster than her, not just equal. "Damn it, you brat! Stand still so I can rip you apart!"

"You took the words right out of my mouth, catboy," Venus snapped back. Still, this was not good. She was running out of energy, if Brad was there then he could make her faster and- No, she couldn't depend on him to win every fight. She couldn't beat Jaguar at speed, so she would need to improvise. "Ugh, damn it..."

"Out of energy already?" Jaguar said as Venus knelt on the ground. "Lucky me!"

Venus saw Jaguar rush straight at her, and chuckled as she summoned her chain sword. Jaguar tried to stop his dash, but it was too little, too late. "Fell for it, catboy."

Jaguar had felt the chain hit right through him, and grimaced. Still, all he needed too do was phase away and- His train of thought derailed as he saw Venus smile, then noticed the chain had wrapped around him, its many tiny hooks digging into his flesh and making it impossible to focus enough to teleport away. "Damn brat."

"Call me a brat all you want, but I still outsmarted you."

"I'm going to-" Jaguar's threat was cut off as the chain first tightened around him, and then lit up, the light energy covering him in an instant. He barely had time to scream before the energy vaporized him.

"Finally, he shut up." Venus muttered, looking at the spot Jaguar had been standing on for a second before turning around and walking away.

Whoever had sent that multiplying cyborg had really helped Rex. He had thought he would have to face at least three Senshi, but was left his main target. And for all her bravado, she couldn't even hit him. "So tell me, kid, what are you going to do once we kill all your friends? Go further back in time to ask for help?"

ChibiMoon didn't fall for Rex's taunt. "Why ask questions I'll never need to answer?"

Rex was about to say something, but then sighed. "Jaguar has fallen."

"You don't seem too upset," his foe said. Was he really so heartless as to not care for his fallen allies?

"See, this device we used, the Zarthask, it does more than upgrade its users. It links their souls. If any of us dies, the rest of us will become stronger, get a part of their skills."

ChibiMoon figured out what that last bit meant, and jumped up, dodging Rex's charge. "So you have some of his speed now."

Rex smirked. "I'm surprised you could dodge that. Guess you'll be a challenge after all."

Suddenly, there was a shriek, and the ground shook. Rex was knocked away by a soundwave, and ChibiMoon blinked in awe. "Wow, that's..."

Lion saw Hyena coughing and grabbing her throat. "That's her strongest sound blast, but she won't be speaking for a few minutes."

Rex walked back to them and glared at his two former allies. "You traitors, go away."

"Sorry, we'd rather stay here and stop you for good," Lion said.

Rex was about to say something else, but felt something hit him in the back. He turned around to see a white airboard floating there, and the board smacked him straight in the face before he could ask what it was.

Usagi walked to ChibiMoon. "Didn't think I would stay out of the fight for long, did you?"

ChibiMoon smiled. "Of course not. Sailor Moon never gives up."

Neptune wasn't about to admit it, but she was worried. Lynx and Boa were not weak to begin with, but they were suddenly moving faster. Much faster.

"What's up, Senshi bitches, are you tired?"

"Tired, yeah... Of your merry group of lunatics."

Boa chuckled at Uranus' words. "Good one. Too bad you're too weak to do anything about it."

"Maybe we need to use that technique."

"Will it work? We never used it in a real battle, and with the catboy weakening us..."

"It will work because it has to," Uranus said.

"I like how logical you can sound when saying the most illogical things," Neptune teased.

"Shush. Are you ready?"

"As if we would let you hit us!" Boa snapped, and both Hunters run to the Senshi.

Lynx was confused, however, when Neptune and Uranus started shooting blasts at each other. "What the hell..."

The blasts were a distraction, as suddenly Neptune leapt straight at Uranus, feet first. "Go!"

Uranus' hands were blurred by small whirlwinds, and she shot them out just before Neptune reached her, sending her flying straight to their foes.

And their foes both noticed Neptune had long tendrils of water coming out of her hands, and those tendrils were blurred by the wind circling them. "Oh fu-"

Neptune hit them both with one tendril, the energy being released and knocking them back, hard enough to send them crashing through several buildings. "Think they're dead?" Neptune asked before falling to her knees. "Ow."

"I'll go check, you try and recover."

"That was impressive."

Neptune turned to see Saturn there. "Thanks. Why are you-"

"I'm almost out of energy, so Usagi told me to stay back in case anyone gets injured... Or worse."

Uranus came back and frowned. "I saw no corpses. They either vanish when they die, or decided to escape."

"If they ran, we'll have a chance to fight them again, Neptune said, "I'll just have to hit them harder."

Mercury didn't lose her patience easily, but this 'Infinitus' thing was really starting to annoy her. She had lost track of both Aiko and Terry in the mess, and she couldn't go find them if she had to keep fighting those cyborgs.

She blinked in surprise as Jupiter rushed in from the side, sending another Omega crashing into the one she was facing. Both exploded, but two more appeared to replace them. Two more Omega. For some reason, that didn't sound right. Oh, of course!

"Ami, you got a plan?" Jupiter asked. "My usual methods don't work, they just keep coming."

"I think I know its weak spot," Mercury said. "But I'm not sure we-"

Jupiter saw Mercury stop and look to the side. The look in her face told her something bad had happened. "Ami?"

"I was about to say I wasn't sure we could kill then fast enough, but they had to go and hurt Terry." Mercury's body shone and she frowned. "Mercury Guardian Power!"

One of the Infinitus tried to sneak up on Jupiter, but she simply spun around and slapped its head away. The body, however, froze. "Whoa..."

"I see I was right. Its name is a bluff, it isn't 'infinite' at all. There's a limit to the number of copies it can have at any particular moment."

Jupiter wasn't as smart as Mercury, and wasn't afraid to admit it. Still, she knew what Mercury meant. "So we need to kill all of its clones in one go."

"Or stop it from cloning itself," Mercury said, nodding at the frozen, headless Infinitus still standing there.

"How long can you keep those things frozen?"

"A few hours if it's one, a few seconds if I freeze them all." Mercury typed a few commands into her glove computet and nodded. "I just need to stop the others from destroying them until I freeze them all."

Jupiter sighed. "Guess you got this under control. I'll-" She stopped and looked south. "Someone just hurt Kage. I'll go hurt them now."

Mercury nodded again at Jupiter, then looked at the data in her visor as her friend teleported away. "Aiko, I need you to do something for me..."

Fighting Vulture was already hard enough, but after he somehow got faster and stronger, things got hectic. Dragon Mars knew Dragon Sun and Dragon Lilith were still alive, but Vulture had only needed one shot to knock them both out. "You're quite strong, Kiwi."

"It's Vulture!" the man snapped. "Just die!"

The Dragon barely dodged the blast. "Sorry, been doing that a lot. If I die again, Rei will kill me."

"That- How- But-"

"I think you broke Hummingbird's brain. Can I break his everything else?"

Vulture glared at Jupiter. "Damn, more pests." He shot a barrage of metal feathers, but Jupiter summoned her hammer and used it to deflect the feathers. "How can that thing block my feathers? What is it made of?"

"Magic, friendship, and large quantities of pain," Jupiter snapped. "Anyhow, you hurt Kage, so I'm going to punch this hammer right through your chest. Jupiter Guardian Power!"

Vulture glared at her as her transformation ended. "Empty threats won't work on me!" He started shooting metal feathers at Jupiter rapidly, but his foe punched them back at him. "Nice trick, but-" Vulture's mind registered what had happened as pain flooded it. He looked down and saw most of his torso wad missing.

"Told you," Jupiter said as her hammer flew back to her, then shrugged as Vulture's body started vanishing. "They don't make Generals like they used to."

Dragon Sun staggered up and noticed Jupiter's suit looked different. "I think I can figure out what happened."

"Yeah, you got knocked out by a parrot."

"... Guess that's pretty much it."

"Let's go see if Ami finished giving the dumb robots the cold shoulder."

"Huh?"

"Just follow me."

Mercury smiled. "There, that was the last one."

Venus looked at the group of frozen cyborgs. "So, you need them to be destroyed as fast as possible, right?"

"Yes, that should stop it from cloning itself when destroyed. In theory."

"Guess it's time to test that theory," Venus said and 'vanished.' She appeared a split second later, standing right besides one of the Omega. Before anyone could say a thing, the creatures all exploded.

"Okay, that worked," Saturn said. "Now let's go beat Rex."

Phase appeared near her. "Rex's gotten stronger with each Hunter we kill. Even ChibiMoon in her dual form can't hit him."

"I'll take you all there," Pluto said.

"Stop sneaking up on us."

Pluto stared at Phase for a split second before smiling. "It's one of the few fun things I'm allowed to do."

"... When you say it that way..."

"Let's just leave the socials for later. The two Usagi need us," Rei said.

Aurite was, despite the failure of their wild card, slightly amused. She was sure it was the first time she had seen Onara, for lack of a better term, thoroughly pissed off, and it was a sight to behold.

"Those damn brats! I spent months working on that one, and they destroyed it like it was no challenge!"

"Maybe it's because it was no challenge," Black Lady said.

"You-" Onara stopped himself from saying more. Both because he was aware that woman could kill him without breaking a sweat, and because she was right. "I'll need to try something else next time, then."

"If we're lucky, that Rex guy may kill a few Senshi," Kaorinite said.

"I'm not counting on it," Rubeus commented, "I'm almost expecting Sailor Moon to make a last second comeback and kill that guy."

Nothing was working. In a way, this was like the fight against Galaxia, except this time around she couldn't hope some godlike toddler would give her the power she needed to win.

Usagi watched as her friends tried again. She was exhausted, and the buffs she had been used had worn off. Still, Rex had mostly ignored her once she run out of juice. That guy was playing with them, he knocked a few of them out each time they attacked. Even most of the Senshi of Guardian level were already out, but he wasn't killing them. What was he planning?

Rex smiled. He would make these kids struggle, and fail. He was purposefully leaving ChibiMoon for last, but he would let Lion and Hyena live, at least until he was done with the Senshi. Yes, the pink-haired one was exhausted, it was almost time to end the hunt. "Foolish Senshi, you will all die today."

"I will not let you do that."

Rex saw the girl's body shine. Was she about to- No, she was holding a crystal. A crystal like the one Serenity had. "Damn brat, die!"

"Leave my daughter alone!"

Rex saw Dragon Earth rushing at him from the side, and shot a blast at him. The Dragon tried to use his sword to block, but the impact knocked him back. He hit a wall and sank to the ground, out cold.

ChibiMoon knew it was risky. She had rarely used the Ginzuishou, but it was a risk she had to take to win. There was no beam, no blast coming out of her. The crystal's energy would be used differently this time around. Her arms lit up with pink light and she tackled Rex, knocking him down to the ground. "I told you, idiot, I won't let you kill anyone."

"Don't lose, ChibiUsa."

"She won't lose."

Usagi turned to stare at Pluto. "You could help her, you know?"

"She won't need my help. Rex is too full of himself, too sure his enemies are easily dealt with. That will be his doom."

Looking at the battle, it was hard to believe what Setsuna was saying. And yet... Yes, she could see what she meant. Rex was in for a world of pain.

Rex smiled as he looked at the girl kneeling near him. "So I guessed it right. You couldn't keep that up for too long. You tried, kid, but it wasn't enough."

"You murderous bastard, even if I die, I'll take you down with me!"

The man saw his foe stand up, energy cracking along her arms. Still, her movements were slow, unsteady. It was clear she was using the last bits of power she had left. He kicked her down to the ground, smiling as she tried to stand up. "I can at least admire your determination, but determination alone won't win a war." He rose his hand, energy gathering in it. "Don't worry, I'll send your friends along soo-"

"I think I told you to leave my daughter alone."

ChibiMoon looked up and smiled despite the pain and exhaustion. Rex's face as he looked down at the tip of Excalibur, coming out of his chest... And then his short-lived scream as the sword lit up, shooting out a beam which destroyed him. She realized what had happened right then. The Excalibur had absorbed Rex's blast and stored it, and her father had simply feigned being out and waited for the right time to strike. "Dad... Thanks."

"You're not upset?"

"Why?"

"You didn't get to make him eat his own heart."

The pink-haired girl smirked. "That... I'm just glad it's over."

Saturn came walking to them. "I'm glad you're okay, Chibi."

"I hope we get a damn break after this."

"Same here."

ChibiUsa smiled at Saturn, then saw Lion and Hyena approach. "Thanks for the help."

"I wish we could have helped more, but Rex was out of our league."

"So, what will you do now?"

"We'll go back to our era and destroy the ship's time shift. We'll try to make up for our past sins by helping Senshi, rather than killing them."

"We don't know if the future you'll go to will be the one you came from," Saturn said.

"We don't belong in this era," Hyena said, "so even if it's a different future, we want to go back home."

Saturn saw ChibiMoon flinch at that last bit. "Chibi..."

"I'm fine. But I guess I know how it feels, to miss home. Still, as strange as it might sound, I see this era as 'home' too. Just... Could you do me a favor?"

Lion nodded. "Of course, if it helps you forgive-"

"I won't forget what happened that day, but as a wise woman once told me, forgiving those who hurt you is not a bad habit. Besides, you two helped us fight your former allies. I think I can forgive you for what you did back then."

"That's... Almost too good to be true," Hyena commented.

"Anyhow, my request is, if the future you find is the one we come from... Stay on Earth for a while. Protect... That world."

"We will try and do as you ask."

The rest of the Senshi appeared near them. "Another day, another boss battle done," Dragon Nemesis said.

Mercury looked at Lion. "What about that artifact Rex used. Zarthask, was it?"

"It's not an artifact, but an artificial life form. It binds to organic beings and feeds on their energy. The energy it takes is small and as you could see today, it has many perks."

"But," Hyena said, "Vulture's tests revealed that the more time you have it, the more likely it is that it will degrade your mind. making you bloodthirsty, reckless, sociopathic. So we decided to not use it ourselves, but Rex still kept one of those things as a last resort."

"In any case," Lion said, "it's time for us to leave."

"Goodbye, then. Maybe we'll meet again, in the future."

Lion nodded at Usagi, then both ex-Senshi Hunters vanished. Phase looked up and smiled. "Oh, I see. That's where they parked their ship. The Sea of Serenity."

"On the Moon?" Usagi asked. "Weird."

"You're in a foul mood," Dragon Earth said.

"Can't fool you, huh? I thought I would get my powers back, during this fight."

"Powers or not, you're still you."

"Hmph."

"Don't worry, I'm sure next time some aliens come looking for trouble, you'll be back to normal."

Saturn looked at Pluto as Mars said that. Pluto let out a long sigh and vanished. "Deja vu."

A/N: One of the Dragons killed a final boss. I think I definitely broke this universe now.