Sailor Moon Aeons.
Book 2: Rebirth.
Act 13: The Return.
Episode 149: Summon Bigger Mantis.

By Razor Knight
Last update: September 27, 2017

Terry parried his foe's slash, and smiled. "I remember the first time we sparred, Rabbit."

"I didn't last more than ten seconds."

Terry nodded. "Yet I knew you had potential. You being able to keep up with me right now is proof that I was right."

Usagi had seen Terry's style enough to know he would sometimes distract his opponents by speaking casually, right before he... There!

Ami had been watching the fight and was impressed to see Usagi easily dodge Terry's charge. Impressed, but not surprised. However, Usagi did surprise her by phasing right behind Terry as he turned to try again, her hand wrapped in bright mana, milimeters away from the back of his neck. "That..."

Terry smirked. "Guess I wasn't fast enough."

As Terry vanished, Usagi also smirked. "Yeah." A wave of energy shot in all directions, knocking Terry (who was dropping from above) away.

The blond guy stood up and laughed. "Okay, you've beaten me around long enough."

"So...?"

"You don't have to worry about being rusty. You're as ready as you could be for another war."

Usagi sighed. "Good."

"There's something else worrying you."

She looked at Ami and groaned. "Not fair, I'm the one supposed to read others like books."

"If you don't want to tell me, I'll under-"

"Ami, you're one of my closest friends. It's not that I don't want to tell you, but... I'm not sure what it is that's nagging me. Even my 'special' senses can't pinpoint what it is. And yet... I've been a Senshi for long enough to know nothing is ever 'just a hunch.'"

Aiko appeared near them. "I just found something, or rather 'couldn't find' it."

"Stop emulating Setsuna," Terry muttered.

Aiko ignored her father's remark. "I was scanning for clues on where the enemy is hiding, and decided to check the Moon, just in case. There's an area of the Moon I can't scan. Something is blocking all surveillance methods I know."

"So that's why we couldn't find Onara..." Usagi said.

"Guess he was more of a lunatic than I thought," Terry joked.

Usagi sighed. "If we go up there, we may walk right into a trap. But if we wait here, they may wreck the city. Call the others, Aiko."

"Already done."

"Good. That man, and whoever he's allied with, have been lurking for too long. It's time to drag them into the light."

"Are you sure?"

"General Rakurai, I know Usagi has a plan, but even if it works, one stray shot from one of us could level a few blocks. If we have to hold back, it will make things difficult."

Saiko looked at the woman. Despite her respectful manners, this was a woman who, even without a formal military rank, outranked and outpowered every army on Earth. The Senshi of Time, Sailor Pluto. "Still, you're saying you can move all of Tokyo's population out of the city? I know your group's motto, but even then, it sounds quite impossible to me."

Pluto smiled at that. 'Motto,' huh? " She used a skill she seldom used, but she wanted nobody else to hear what she was about to say. "One Senshi of Pluto would be drained after that, but..."

Saiko looked around the room. Everything had turned grey, and she could see a fly frozen in mid-flight near her. "What the... So Tomoe was right, you can stop time."

"Stopping time itself in the whole universe is out of reach. I simply make it so the area around me, and anyone I choose, are moved out of the timelines. It takes quite a bit of mana to do it, so let me be succint. One Sailor Pluto would be weak after moving so many million humans to another location. Fortunately, there's more than one of us, and the other Pluto is even stronger than me."

"Another Pluto?"

"My daughter," Pluto said. "But as you may guess, it's not something many know of. The Senshi, and the Guardians. And you."

"Why tell me that?"

"Because she may need to be the one in charge, in the future. And I know you can be trusted with that secret."

Saiko saw the room going back to normal. "I see... Good luck, Sailor Pluto." As the Senshi nodded and left, she let out a sigh. "I knew General Kino retiring a couple years ago was a bad omen..."

She had been aware of something, for a long time. Despite their numbers and age, the Senshi were the most powerful army on Earth. Her own army would have to deal with the confusion and chaos that might arise from Pluto's plans, but that was okay. She could protect civilians from other human armies and minor threats, but that Onara creep... He had been the Senshi's enemy for a decade and counting, and had avoided total defeat. That meant he could be the most dangerous foe the Senshi could ever face.

The General wasn't a coward. She had, in the past, helped the Senshi, even against monsters like Neherenia or Galaxia. But she was not going to ask her soldiers to do something she wouldn't do herself. And throwing her life away against enemies like those the Senshi had faced in the last few wars... Yeah, there's a fine line between bravery and idiocy, and she wasn't going to cross it.

Still... She looked at a wall as she pressed a button on her desk, and a screen appeared on the wall near her. "Tomoe, is our big gun ready?"

"Big gun?" The scientist said, feigning ignorance.

"I'm not going to use the name you gave it."

"But I may think of the wrong big gun, so for the sake of clarity..."

"Right. Off the records, you're a crazy old bastard and if you weren't so good at your job, I would have fired you already."

"Kino told me that a few times. I am glad I'm good at what I do."

"Fine, is the... 'Orbital Mana-Fueled Gun' ready?"

Tomoe's smile was a sound effect away from mad laughter. "Indeed, the OMFG is ready to fire."

Saiko groaned at that. "Good, we may get to uae it today."

"Oh, another final boss?'

"The Senshi know Onara will be showing up soon, and he intends to awaken some ancient demon. Usual Senshi business."

"... And?"

"Sailor Pluto will be moving every non-mage out of Tokyo. Us included. We'll need to use the... Gun, remotely."

Tomoe smirked again. "So we'll need to use the Wireless Trigger Frame."

The General scowled at that. "Yes. Also, from this day on, you are forbidden from naming any device you create."

"The Senshi are gathering, a few miles above Tokyo."

Rubeus looked a Onara. "So, they want to lure us in. Why go up there?"

"Maybe they don't want to ruin their pretty city during the fight," Aurite said.

"Like we couldn't blast it from up there," Lynx noted.

"Wasting energy on that would be foolish," Black Lady noted.

"And pointless. My sensors tell me Tokyo is empty."

"Empty?"

Onara nodded at Kaorinite. "Other than the Senshi and a few allies, no other living creature is there."

Black Lady chuckled. "Oh, that must have been Pluto."

Aurite looked at the others in turns. "Let's go, the Senshi are waiting for their last battle, and it would be rude to keep them waiting."

Moon looked down to the city. "Wow, Setsuna did it."

"Did what?" Lilith asked.

Mercury wa scanning the city below them. "No living beings inside the city, except for a few strong energy readings. I'm guessing one of the Plutos, or both of them, used a mass teleportation spell."

The two Pluto appeared right then. "Some people say there's nothing impossible for the Senshi," Younger Pluto commented.

Pluto smiled at Moon. "Hello Usagi. Good to see you."

"Wow, she said hi before going full Pluto."

"Always a first time for everything."

Pluto shook her head. "You guys are a bad influence."

Phase smiled. "Reinforcements incoming."

Hana, Yukiko and Kim appeared floating near them. Yukiko moved to Usagi and frowned. "Aiko told us what you're planning. Even if you tell us-"

Moon looked at Yukiko. "I know just how much power you have, because I've also trained and gotten better at sensing magic. In the past, I was afraid to see my friends get hurt, but... For better or for worse, I grew out of that, learnt to trust you all, and to know it would be foolish to tell four of the strongest mages on Earth to stay out of one of our wars."

"Every little bit helps, huh?" Kim commented.

Moon chuckled. "You're far stronger now than I was when I met you, Kim, and with your special skill, you could probably be as strong as me. You could be me, almost literally."

"For a whole second," Kim admitted.

"One second can be the difference between winning and losing, between life and death," Dragon Saturn said.

The Mooncats appeared, in human form. "We'll help you too."

Usagi looked at Luna. Obviously, Aiko had once again predicted what she was going to ask her to do next. "Good. The more, the merrier."

Phase blinked at that. "Cuprite just called the 'me' inside our base. She's sending every youma here." She then looked at Dragon Sun. "And Mira said they would help too, something about Zeus..."

The Dragon looked at Dragon Venus, and knew they were both thinking the same. "Zeus' March?"

Phase nodded. "Yeah."

"That one... One of the first famous post-Silver Millennium Demon Hunters created that one. His name was, obviously, Zeus. It's a group buff that can basically bring normal humans to Senshi levels, for a very short time. And it isn't like any other buff we used before."

"Other buffs are either being used, or already spent. this one can be 'held' until needed, and stopped at any time before it runs out, then re-activated later on."

Phase was checking the Library. "I see... Zeus died using it?"

"He was one of the strongest Demon Hunters ever, but using such skill repeatedly ended up killing him."

Phase sighed. "I've been asked to repeat a message to everyone, but specially for Usagi. Mira says... The spell could kill any Hunter they knew, but with every Hunter in Tokyo sharing the burden... They'll be fine, but they won't be able to fight."

Pluto smiled as she felt the latent energy boost, and knew the others felt it too. "Being the one punching and shooting the enemy isn't the only way to fight."

Phase looked ar her. "Should I tell her that?"

"Yes."

Mercury turned to the east and flinched. "Several strong energy readings approaching, readings tell me it's... No damn way!"

Moon was about to ask Mercury about the reason of her outburst, but then sensed them. She knew all of them. As they landed near her group, she sighed. "We really need to start making sure our enemies are dead for good."

Aurite laughed. "That is quite right. They all gathered thanks to me, but I would have died the day you blasted me away, if not for my foresight. I could see Beryl was a fool, so I looked for an alternative. I found a certain scientist who had been working on a project I wanted to see complete, so we helped each other."

Onara looked at the Senshi. His body had a crystalline hue, like diamond. "I couldn't find any way to fund my Omega project, but Lady Aurite helped me complete it."

Rubeus glared at the Senshi. "You fools left me for dead in that spaceship, but Aurite gave me a second chance."

Kaorinite looked at Uranus and Neptune. "My former allies are dead thanks to you, Senshi. I was unable to help them, but it's time for you to die."

Lynx shrugged. "Rex was a bit of an asshole at times, but he was my friend, my leader. I'm going to destroy you all for killing him."

"And I'll glady help," Boa added.

Black Lady looked at ChibiMoon, then at Moon. "You were always foolishly brave, Serenity. Coming here has sealed all your fates."

Moon glared at all their foes in turns. "Destiny, fate, those words mean nothing to me. The future isn't set in stone. We know of your plans, and we'll stop you from gathering those stones."

Black Lady laughed, a wicked, mocking laughter. "You can't stop us, Serenity, for we have a way to counter your one advantage." As she said that, she rose her hand, revealing a small crystal resting on it. A Ginzuishou.

"What the hell?"

Black Lady smiled at Mars. "When a Serenity dies, her crystal becomes nothing but a lifeless jewel. But there was one case of a Serenity who didn't die, at least not as far as the Ginzuishou cares. Her soul was absorbed by an evil being."

Mercury's eyes widened. "That is... The first Serenity of Silver Millennium was killed by her daughter, Ina, who had become evil and learnt how to absorb souls. Ina was reported dead along with Serenity, but a legend I read in my past life says... Ina absorbed her mother's soul, realized the curse her powers were, and left her sister Soma as the next Serenity."

Black Lady nodded. "What those legends don't tell, is that a Serenity can use another Serenity's crystal, as long as the original owner still lives. I guess Ina is still alive, out there, much like that freak Galaxia."

"Is she implying what I think she is?" Lilith asked.

Black Lady chuckled. "The Ginzuishou doesn't seem to care that I'm a clone. I can still do a lot of things with it. For example, I can tell it to gather all the pieces of Cygale's prison for me."

Moon saw many stones appear floating above the evil woman's head. She recognized the ones her group had gathered and realized things weren't working as expected. "That- Evil beings can't use the Ginzuishou to its fullest."

"Haven't you listened to a word I said, oh mighty Senshi Queen? I was cloned from your dear daughter, my original self used to be a better version of her. I'm what she would be if she stopped blabbering about defending the weak and all that useless drivel your group is shackled by. But above all that, I am a Serenity, just like her."

As she said those last words, the stones all gathered, and everyone could see they formed a perfect sphere. The etchings on the sphere shone green for a few seconds before it exploded, leaving behind a black mist. The mist gathered and slowly took form, becoming something the Senshi were too used to see by now.

The creature looked around and groaned. "Oh, I see the so-called Senshi are still a plague."

Earth looked at the creature. It was much taller and its body had a metallic hue, but it was still one of those things. "Okay, I realize the name should have hinted us to it, but still... The ancient monster we didn't want to face, was yet another 'Gale'?" The creature was quite larger than the usual bug, but still a bug nonetheless.

"I am the Dark One, I am Cygale, there is none like me."

"Sorry to disappoint you, but there may be a planet full of creatures who look like you, only shorter and much weaker," Mars noted.

"Interesting. I'll go destroy them for copying my uniqueness, after I'm done destroying you all."

"You all?" Black Lady growled. "We awakened you. Without us-"

"I would have awakened, sooner or later, for fools will always seek power and I am power incarnate. I suppose that, as a show of my gratitude, I'll kill you and your allies last." He looked at Black Lady for a few seconds and nodded. "I can sense you are a descendant of Serenity. Why awaken me?"

"Because the Senshi are a pest, as you said. A pest we want gone. You're the perfect tool for that job."

"Tool?" Cygale snarled. "How dare you, worthless maggot-"

Black Lady let her full power flare, silencing Cygale, and making the Senshi realize just how much her power had grown since last time they fought her. "You remind me of Metallia. You ancient demons tend to forget, or at least not realize, that being 'dead' for a very long time doesn't come for free. You should focus on the Senshi, finish what you started aeons ago."

Cygale shrugged. "Very well, I'll leave you for last." He turned to look at Moon, then felt something. "What... I feel stronger, faster. How?"

Boa smiled at him. "From what I've heard of you, you're not a team player. I am Boa, and I've always been able to boost anyone I choose. I may not be able to make you as strong as the legends said you were, but I can still help."

"We'll all help," Aurite said.

Moon sighed. "Guys, split up and fight them. I'll take care of Cygale."

"I'll take care of the lousy copy," ChibiMoon said, looking dismissively at Black Lady.

"Oh, I'm going to enjoy kicking the snarky bitch out of you," Black Lady snapped.

A/N: This particular episode went through two rewrites. I had planned to start the big fight in this one, but in the end I decided to make one last 'preparation' episode before that.

And yes, Tomoe did create a WTF to fire the OMFG. He's a mad scientist, what else did you expect?