33: "Bloodbath"
The skies had already begun to darken over Tokyo, foreshadowing a powerful rainfall. The battle between the Senshi and their colossal enemy had summoned even greater storm-clouds, blackening the sky, making the heavens tremble. Night was falling, and all the electric signs and lamps had been destroyed in the fight. It was so dark that Sailor Moon did not cast a shadow as she approached the dragon; she could barely even see. Yet those steely eyes of hers never flinched, her stride never lessened, her countenance never wavered. She had been pushed beyond the point of desperation and frustration and would now unleash all of that in a burst of unstoppable energy.
"Okay, you overgrown worm," she growled, fists clenched so hard that they trembled, "I didn't want to do this—I mean, I really, REALLY didn't want to do this, but you've left me no choice. Long ago my friends and I swore we'd never return to this life: we were certain there was no need for it. But monsters like you couldn't leave well enough alone. You just had to crawl out from your dark pits and ruin every last shred of goodness and decency and peace and contentment we had earned. But even that wasn't enough for you. Those who came before you have terrorized, harmed, and even killed our friends and neighbors, and those who have escaped these nightmares were forced out of their city in fear. There is nothing left of their city but ruin, nothing left of their spirit but memories. For this reason, I have sworn not only to punish you, not only to consign you forever to the darkness which spawned you...but to deliver unto thee total annihilation! You have brought this divine wrath down upon your own head, you wretch, and for that, you shall be obliterated!"
And so she gestured, and the black heavens above opened, and it knew neither cloud nor storm; the long bleak emptiness of night was banished; the endless void of space was made to cower under the luminosity of a hundred trillion stars; beloved Helios bent its golden crown in joyous humiliation; all of Earth knew a light and a joyous wonder that surpassed the previous numbing cold of death and silence Saturn brought to them, for this was a strength beyond even that, an unnameable and unknowable force superseding light, time, death, life, darkness, space, matter, knowledge, and love. It was Eternity, Infinity, that which has no end, that which never fades, never dies, never rots.
Or, to put it better, before the angels a man might sink: before this he might die, but if he lived at all, he would laugh. If you had caught one breath of the air that came from her, you would have felt yourself taller than before. Though you were a cripple, your walk would have been stately; though a beggar, you would have worn your rags magnanimously. Majesty and power and festal pomp and courtesy shot from her as sparks fly from an anvil. The pealing of bells, the blowing of trumpets, the spreading out of banners, are means used to make a faint symbol of her quality. It was like a long sunlit wave, creamy-crested and arched with emerald, that comes on nine feet tall, with roaring and with terror and unquenchable laughter. It was like the first beginning of music in the halls of some King so high and at festivals so solemn that a tremor akin to fear runs through young hearts when they hear it. For this was Eternal Sailor Moon, through whom the joy of creation principally blows across. At her coming there was exaltation too sublime for language. The Senshi, momentarily caught up in the Gloria which this excellent Nature perpetually sang, forgot for a time the lower and more immediate purpose of their being.
But when at last Eternal Sailor Moon opened her eyes, the operation could begin.
"With this power bestowed upon me, for which even gods are unworthy, I shall blot your wickedness from the world and create only emptiness where once your memory resided. No mercy shall befa—"
She was cut off as Azhi Dahaka effortlessly swatted her away.
Eternal Sailor Moon flew through the air limply, colliding into a crumbling building, wrecking the entire structure so it would collapse upon her. Then the skies ominously sealed again, covering the land in darkness. Thunder rumbled as a harsh rain fell upon the world. Dread consumed all.
"USAGIIIIIIII!"
Azhi Dahaka roared, pealing with triumphant thunder, its voice surpassing the grumbling heavens above. Light flashed; bolts seared across the sky. The dragon stood undaunted.
Slowly, with arthritic care, the slabs parted ways, opening for the battered creature trapped within. Dust exploded and was consumed by the rain; debris shifted, was flung aside, and finally trod upon. A lone figure crept out of the waste, limping and badly bruised, blood trickling from her face, her arm, her chest. The stunning aura that had once encapsulated her was gone; she looked as pathetic as a mangy dog, struggling to lurch away from the wreckage, every step an exercise in pain and effort. With just one blow the enemy had reduced the most powerful Senshi in the universe to a disheveled, deformed creature barely clinging to life.
But she still marched out to face him, and the fire in her eyes had not dimmed in the least.
"All right," she hissed, taking a deep breath. "Let's try that again."
Screaming in acceptance to the challenge, the dragon thrust its entire mammoth body at the puny flea, large feet sloshing in the rain, sending small tsunamis of their own. Claws the length of giants tore through the air; the Eternal One clutched onto the hand with all her otherworldly strength, struggling to keep it at bay. The hand clenched; the body was smashed; she fought with all the powers of the Infinite Cosmos merely to keep herself from suffocating. A passage opened, sweet breath—then a quick slash, not with any tool or talisman but her own hand, glistening with prismatic energy, cutting the hand in two. She plowed on, severing the arm chunk by chunk, the dragon's pained reaction too late as its body churned and turned, the second hand flailing. She braced; she was struck; wings of a heavenly host sprang from her back, holding her aloft. Beams of energy lashed from her arm as she gestured, hitting the beast's shoulder; its heads snapped, capturing the goddess in a single bite. She broke free almost at once, smashing through skull and brain, debilitating one of the two surviving heads. At the apex of her ascent she unleashed her power again, the energy wave coursing down the dragon's neck until it singed the beast's shoulder. The two halves slowly began sewing together; the head reformed; the hand made whole.
Higher she flew, away even from the titan's grasp, causing the immense serpent to wheel around, jumping and reaching fruitlessly, its lone jaw snapping, the whole world shuddering at its every touchdown. She swung as its teeth reached too near, shoving the dragon to the earth, but its hand lashed out again, clinging on and drawing the angelic creature with it. Both collided, THOOM, the Eternal One helplessly imprisoned in the beast's iron grip. The claws squeezed firm; Eternal Sailor Moon felt her life pressed from her body. Her Senshi tarried themselves to her service, came rushing to her side, ready to fight and die. Denial. Unbearable cold and heat pushed back the dragon's fingers, turned them to atoms, severing all the way down to the wrist. She had covered herself in a protective dome, smiling, weary, promising she would need no assistance.
Was that still Usagi behind the goddess, as the dragon arose in furious pursuit?
Or did Usagi play hostess to this beneficent creature, and called her at will?
Perhaps they were one and the same.
Regardless, the shield broke as the full fury of Azhi Dahaka smashed into it, sending the Eternal One plummeting to the ground, where she was buried in mud and rain—and soon, underneath the monster's foot. The Senshi screamed helplessly as their beloved princess was crushed by the titan—but then the foot lifted, and not of its own accord. Mouths unhinged as a great energy forced the mountainous weight away, but the dragon pressed on, smashing its foot down again and again. A crater opened up on the ruined highway; stray bits of rubble tumbled down, shattering to particles as they touched the Eternal One's barrier. The putrid smell of searing lizard flesh; noxious fumes wafting out of the crater; the rancid stink of profanity juxtaposing with sanctity. The shield finally broke, the serpent heedless of the burning, smashing the ground with all the weight of the world behind it.
Eternal Sailor Moon had already flitted out, but sputtered and fell, losing her wings. The light surrounding her had almost flickered out; the fire nearly quenched in her eyes. When once determination and righteous anger caused her fist to shiver, now fatigue drove its epilepsy. She heard the dragon scream, saw the puddles ripple as it stomped after her, pushed herself free through sheer force of will, firing...
Azhi Dahaka flinched...
But it lunged forward, berserk with bloodlust.
Its claws dug into the earth, uprooting the streets and Eternal Sailor Moon with them. It flung the rubble into the sky, waiting for its prey to be sifted loose. Eternal Sailor Moon stammered and squirmed, trying to regain her senses. The dragon leaped as it saw her, spiking with its gargantuan fists, striking with a blow that would have broken the foundations of creation itself. Eternal Sailor Moon flew until some miracle saved her, causing her to swoop back into the sky, where the beaten warrior-goddess faced her enemy eye-to-eye.
Trapped in purgatory
A lifeless object, alive
A bright, searing flash. Azhi Dahaka reeled back as fresh new pain unfolded.
Awaiting reprisal
Death will be their acquittance
Stumbling, it brandished its terrible arms, crushing the fly.
The sky is turning red
Return to power draws near
She crashed, utterly beaten, broken beyond measure. Hands of timeless strength drew her back out of the pit.
Fall into me, the sky's crimson tears
Abolish the rules made of stone
A wall of solid diamond arose from the depths of the earth, and the dragon smashed against it. She willed the wall to collapse, pinning her enemy to the ground. A flat slab became voracious razors, each sharp enough to slice through stone. The dragon wriggled, but lifted itself up. A second, third, and fourth layer was added, and two layers each on all sides, pressing and shredding. The slabs erupted into shards, a whirlwind of rainbows cutting relentlessly. The dragon plowed through, screaming, its rage unparallelled. Long powerful arms smashed the ground in dogged pursuit, each impact opening a new canyon. Eternal Sailor Moon leaped away, but only narrowly, as even her goddess speed could not easily outmatch this devilry.
Pierced from below, souls of my treacherous past
Betrayed by many, now ornaments dripping above
At last she was cornered. A portion of the city not flattened by their enemy kept her imprisoned; the dragon soon removed this obstacle as it crashed headfirst. It emerged from the falling rubble shortly, bruised and gushing blood, impossibly strong. Eternal Sailor Moon followed, hefting the entire building with her, surrounding herself with its great stone leftovers. She commanded the debris to smash; the dragon's head was assaulted. It broke through, spinning wildly, slamming her into the ground. The earth rippled as she dug through it, emerging below, cutting an enormous gash in its abdomen as she shot out. One of the mouths caught her as she came up, jaws snapping shut on her body. The Senshi screamed as their beloved was caught...
Awaiting the hour of reprisal
Your time slips away
Her fist shattered the tooth, freeing herself, leaving behind an embarrassing hole where the razors had deflected off her body. Stunned, the dragon crushed her with its elbow, kneed her, whirled around, and slapped her away with its head. The skies roared and lit the entire city with their thunderous light as she was thrown to the wayside; the Eternal One smashed clean through two buildings before finally coming to rest on the surface. Life and death could only be beyond her reach for so long; soon even the timeless would feel reciprocation for these amazing abilities. Not on a whim had she allowed them to take over her, and soon the other side of this bargain would show its face.
Just not yet. Not until she made it worth it.
So she got up. Azhi Dahaka was tearing through the destroyed city, heading straight toward her. They would inevitably meet. Eternal Sailor Moon summoned up the last of her powers, the very last of what she and the universe had to offer, and wings graced her features one more time. Rain fell on her mud-stained face. The garment of gods clung to her feeble mortal skin. Her shining gold hair had been undone, and it flew freely in the stormy winds. Her eyes were those of a dead woman's.
Nothing to do but run, scream, make one last effort.
Raining blood
From a lacerated sky
Bleeding its horror
Creating my structure
Now I shall reign in blood!
The dragon lumbered closer, each step an earthquake. Eternal Sailor Moon rose into the rainy sky, spreading light before her, life below, becoming a comet, a streaking meteor, a shooting star, the vanguard of a rainbow. The heavens cried out. The Senshi held their breath, stunned. Absolute evil stormed across the land as absolute good streaked through the sky to meet it. She raised her hands, energy itself forming into a weapon: the dragon's claws arched, held up by timeless, invincible evil...
Thunder clapped. Lightning flashed.
And Eternal Sailor Moon fell to the ground, while the dragon stood.
Its roar of victory echoed throughout the entire world.
So: it had ended. The heroine laid there, unresponsive, battered, failed. The wicked lizard bellowed, fists clenched and pumping, reveling, unstoppable. The rain fell relentlessly, upon the victor and the lost princess, and upon the Senshi, who had watched helplessly as their last hope was snuffed out. They could not even bring themselves to move, or to speak. Words, actions, could not hope to express the despondency they all felt.
Eternal Sailor Moon had not yet been killed; she still had strength enough to move one arm. With that feeble gesture, every millimeter searing agony, she reached into her uniform, painfully extracting a small, thin object. At the very end of her rope, at the last bastion of defeat, when all chance of success was gone, she called upon her transformation pin, the oldest and dearest tool of all. But what could she hope to conjure now, when all else had failed?
It took everything she had, but Eternal Sailor Moon managed to sputter her wish: "Puh...puh...p...parasol." And the pin became a large pink umbrella. So: it was to guard against the rain. For what futile good that would do...
Satisfied that his opponent had been defeated, Azhi Dahaka turned now to focus on the other nuisances. The Senshi braced themselves for a hopeless, short battle...
And then watched in awe as one became two. The dragon's top half teetered away just as the bottom half stepped forward. It hovered in the air for a moment, perplexed. Then two became two thousand, as sections of the dragon peeled away, each keeping its own time in the air before plummeting to the earth. The whole thing then burst in a massive explosion of blood, shooting gore and entrails across the entire city, smothering everything—everything, that is, except for Eternal Sailor Moon, who laid there laughing feebly as the splatter bounced harmlessly off the parasol. The Senshi, of course, were not so fortunate. They were covered in moments, casualties of their friend's final, and decisively successful, attack.
One honestly couldn't tell whether she was laughing out of joy, or laughing because she was the only one to escape this bloody fate. In any case, Sailor Mars wiped her face off.
"That's...that's great work there, dumpling. Really nice. Thanks a lot."
She continued to laugh as the rain fell gently, washing all the filth away.
Author's notes:
This one goes out to kickass_kfu, who has waited very patiently for Sailor Moon to show us what she is capable of.
The song is, of course, Slayer's Raining Blood.