The Makai Tree shot out one of its branches at Sailor Moon, which she caught effortlessly between her two hands, stopping it dead. She then rolled out of the way, deciding to attempt to reason with the tree.
"Listen! I can feel you're in pain! I know you don't want to do this! Just stop!" She said, placing her hands up in front of herself.
To her surprise, however, a flame shot out of one of her hands and onto the Makai Tree's surface, causing it to recoil.
"What?" Usagi said, before being forced to dodge another of the tree's attacks. She then looked down at her hand, confused, "That's… new."
…
"I don't understand, why did Usagi change again?" Artemis asked as he and Luna watched the battle from a nearby rooftop.
"I can't say for sure, but if I had to guess, I would say Eternal may have been an incomplete transformation."
"Incomplete?"
"Yes. When the eight Sailor Guardians entrusted Sailor Moon with their power, she needed time for herself and the Silver Crystal to properly adjust to it." Luna explained.
"Oh, I get it! And since she hasn't transformed for the last few months…"
"Exactly, she has been able to evolve and unlock her ultimate transformation, one that allows her to utilize the powers entrusted to her by her friends."
…
Sailor Moon wasn't the only one whose power had increased, however. The other Inner Guardians felt their strength increase several fold with their new transformations.
"Changing your outfits won't save you!" An said as she launched an energy attack at Mars, which the red-suited guardian effortlessly dodged.
"You sure about that?" She said with a smirk, before utilizing her new power, "Mars Raging Inferno!"
A wall of flame exploded from the Guardian of Fire and towards An, shattering her psychic shield and forcing her to the ground.
"My turn!" Venus shouted, rushing towards An, "Venus Love-Struck Dynamo!"
A large heart made of yellow energy shot out and struck An, rendering her unconscious.
"An!" Ail shouted at his partner, taking his attention away from his two assailants. A mistake that would be his undoing.
"Mercury Hydro Burst!" The Guardian of Water shouted, engulfing her adversary in water.
"Just like old times. Jupiter Lightning Barrage!" The Guardian of Thunder said, launching thousands of bolts out of her body and electrocuting the water which Ail resided in, knocking him out.
The four Guardians then turned their attention back to Sailor Moon, who was currently dodging between the Makai Tree's branches.
"Sailor Moon! There's a strange energy permeating from all of them! I think that's what's causing them to act this way! Can you help them?" Mercury called up to her.
"I don't know! These powers are all new to me! Apparently I shoot fire now?! I still need to figure out how to goodify people in this form!"
Suddenly, as if to answer her question, Usagi saw a familiar object materialize into her hand.
"The Moon Stick?" She asked. While it looked close to the Moon Stick she had lost years ago, there were some differences. The biggest being that the crescent atop the stick was now silver instead of gold, "Wait, I know what to do!"
Sailor Moon raised the Moon Stick high above her head, and channeled the power from the Silver Crystal in her compact into it.
"MOON HEALING ESCALATION!" She shouted, causing the street to fill with light. When the light died down, they saw Ail and An had returned to normal, while the Makai tree was once again reduced to a sapling.
"What… What were we doing?" An asked, sitting up and rubbing her head.
"We were hoping you could explain that to us." Venus replied.
Sailor Moon descended down to her friends, her wings dissipating as she landed, she opened her mouth to speak before being cut off by a voice from above.
"Excellent! I expected nothing less! Glad to see you all haven't lost your touch."
The Guardians immediately directed their attention upward, where they saw an armor-clad, cloaked figure floating above them. The figure held a staff in their hand, atop of which was a crystal that the five guardians immediately recognized.
"The Malefic Black Crystal! I knew that the energy surrounding them was too similar to be a coincidence!" Mercury shouted.
"But I thought we destroyed it!" Jupiter said, confused.
"Oh, you did." The figure said, descending to ground level, "Well, most of it, anyway."
"You! You… did something to us. Twisted our thoughts…" Ail said, clenching his head in pain.
"Yes, yes, you played your parts like good little pawns. However, I no longer have any need for you." They said dismissively. Then, with a wave of their hand Ail, An, and the Makai Tree sapling simply vanished.
"What did you do to them?!" Mars asked angrily.
"Oh, fret not, I've simply sent them back to the primitive little world I got them from. After all, I may need to make use of them someday in the future."
"Who are you? What do you want?" Sailor Moon asked, shakily.
"You may call me… Reign. As for what I want… don't worry…" They said, opening a dark portal behind them, "You'll find out soon enough."
"Quick, don't let them escape!" Venus ordered, but it was too late. A mere moment later Reign was gone.
So... two things I need to address.
1. This chapter is late.
2. This chapter is short.
And hopefully both can be addressed with me saying... I graduated from college last week. So you can imagine I was a little busy.
But we're (I hope) back to our regular schedule of bi-weekly updates!
NEXT TIME:
I won't say what the next chapter is about but I will reveal the title... Midnight Secret Talk (if you know you know ;) )
Until then, let me know what you all think! Reviews are very much appreciated!
And come back next time for Chapter 6!
