Lucius wasted no time as he arrived with Helenia the next day! As is usual with war, more minor battles were fought, but it did not matter to the Senshi as they were not letting anyone or anything get to Simone. While the kittens, as Senshi, are preoccupied with battling, Lucius's first target is Demi.
She'd interfered and needed to be taught a lesson! Demi barricaded herself and called for help with the pendant. It was seemingly made of moonbeams, which Neo-Queen Serenity had gifted her. But neither posed an issue for the pale man as he magically unlocked the door and made the barricade vanish!
"Nowhere to run or hide now, girl." Lucius hissed.
"My name is Demi! I don't care what you do to me because I know the Senshi will defeat you!"
"I'm not intending to fight the Senshi at all. If they WANT to fight, I won't hold back. However, I'd rather have them join my army."
"They'll never join you!" Demi shouted.
"That's for them to decide, not you." Lucius disarmed Demi by blasting her backward through the air and into a wall with dark magic. Thus knocking the pendant out of her hands!
"W-W-Why did you give into him?" Demi asked Helenia weakly.
"No one was left to protect me. I gave everyone I had to my daughter." This black-haired queen admitted.
"OUR daughter, and while it was a clever move, I'll have to punish you when this is over." Lucius snapped to his wife.
Helenia would not speak out against him to defend herself. As Demi attempted to get up, Lucius conjured ropes to restrain the redhead! However, the dark, celadon-eyed girl did not give up and fought back, so Lucius knocked her unconscious! Next, Lucius transformed the staircase into a slide so the three could go for a little ride!
"Really, Lucius?" Helenia gave him a quizzical look.
"Warlocks can have a little fun, too. Plus, it's easier than hefting Demi down the stairs." Lucius explained as he held Helenia close with Demi in his lap as they slid down. Outside, Lucius saw his first group of enemies: Neo-Queen Serenity's ground troops, led by Queen Helenia's 'pretty boy' guardian.
"Release Demi, now!" Sailor Pyro demanded.
"What are you going to do if I don't?" Lucius smiled, handing Demi to Helenia.
Pyro tried to use his whip but instantly dropped it as Lucius morphed it into a snake! Swiftly changing tactics, the orange-haired Senshi threw some knives, but they did not even make contact as a shield was conjured! Pyro summoned a vine, but Lucius burned it away with enchanted flames. To defuse any further attempts to waste his time, the cold-eyed man summoned water to douse and plaster the tiger-like soldier to the ground. Seeing how overpowered Lucuis's magic is, Pluto's brunette daughter makes a costly decision, "Pyro, take Venus and Earth home."
"What?" Pyro stared up at her with deep horror in his blue eyes as he imagined all the things Lucius could and possibly would do to them, and he could not bear just to let it happen.
"Take Venus and Earth back." Neo-Super Sailor Pluto repeated.
"No..." Pyro rasped, too terrified for her and Saturn's safety.
"Saturn and I are the strongest. We have the best chance. Knowing you, Venus, and Earth are safe is a load off our minds. Please..." Pluto quietly begged.
"You'll die." Tears begin to build and run down Pyro's face.
"That's a risk I will take for my family and friends." Trisha's stern gaze told Pyro she could not be made to change her mind.
Knowing it was better for three of them to be safe than all five of them dead but still sick at heart, Pyro grabbed Venus and Earth in his arms and back-flipped into a hoop of fire to teleport back to the Crystal Palace.
"What are you three doing back?!" Neo-Queen Serenity scolded them as she thought they had abandoned their post.
Pyro stepped forward to explain, but he wailed, de-transformed, and broke down on the floor! Suddenly, they feel the tremor of an explosion a few miles away. Tiger's Eye sobbed harder, and Neo-Queen Serenity gasped, her hands flying to cover her mouth, as she realized Saturn and Pluto were not coming back. Back on the battlefield, Lucius sighed, "Such a disappointment. You would think two girls who control Time, Death, Rebirth, and the Underworld would put up more of a serious challenge or just be smart and join me."
"It doesn't look like they are to join you as we had hoped," Helenia added, making it seem like she was annoyed with the Senshi trying to stop Lucius, but she was annoyed the black-robed man had not been stopped yet.
In her opinion, splitting up was probably the worst option, so she had never done it with her Senshi. Still, she did see the plan: Instead of wasting more lives, Pluto's red-eyed child wanted Simone to have more of a last line of defense, which was pretty intelligent and sweet. Helenia accepted the action. Suddenly, a cloud of silver powder engulfs Lucius, putting him to sleep. Helena runs to aid him, but a firewall blocks her! Looking at where the stream of fire had come from, Helenia spotted a newly repaired boat. Not wasting a second, a black, skeletal dragon attacked Lucius and Helenia, waking Lucius up while wounding him and paralyzing Helenia!
On the boat...
"Good job with levitating Juno's sleeping powder, Universe." Super Sailor Sun complimented her princess, who had been nervous her magic might not have been able to carry small particles far.
"That was fast thinking of cutting Helenia off from helping Lucius too, Sun. Nice combo attack, Jupiter, Eclipse. What do you call that one?" Universe asked, excitement shining in her now purplish-blue eyes.
"Energy Dragon." Jupiter looked pleased with herself.
"I wanted to call it Dark Black Void Energy Dragon, but maybe that's too long of a name, and I don't think what we call it matters as long as it works." Eclipse pointed out.
Without warning, a tidal wave crashed onto the boat, destroying it, even though the water had been calm that day. Now, the water had turned into a vicious current!
"Lucius can control water!" Juno screamed as she tried to swim, but it was impossible.
"STOP!" Jupiter boomed to get the group's attention. "You can't swim straight in this; you'll exhaust yourself fighting the current. Aim for shore at a 45-degree angle. Keep your feet pointed downstream, head up, calm, and don't give up!"
As slow as it seemed, the blond-tipped brunette was right as keeping their feet down helped them push off the bottom, rocks, and other debris to propel themselves to land, and holding their heads up helped them see and breathe better. However, Lucius was not too pleased as he loomed over them!
"You're going to pay for being sneaky..." Lucius's form began to glow green!
"Run! Barrier!" Eclipse threw up a nearly impenetrable shield as Saturn's daughter had broken through once on her own, but only Eclipse and Lucius remained facing off inside now.
Realizing what her twin planned, Sun began crying, trying to stop her sister by banging on the barrier, "Eclipse, don't! You're not Sailor Saturn. There's no guarantee you'll be reincarnated if you die!"
Jupiter and Juno dragged her away as she thrashed.
"Die? Listen to your friend. You don't want to waste your life this way." Lucius spoke softly to Eclipse.
"That's my twin sister. I don't consider this a waste. I will gladly end my life if it means saving everyone else I care about. DARK BLACK VOID-" A flash of green light silenced Eclipse. She de-transformed and crumpled to the ground, her barrier fading!
Shadow lay on the ground, dying as Lucius knelt and brushed the dark strands of hair out of her face, "How sad. You would have been a perfect addition. Hopefully, your friends will be more willing to take my offer."
Lucius kissed Shadow's forehead, to which she shuddered and passed. Lucius returned to Helenia and used magic to cure her paralysis.
"Why did you-?" Helenia began, but Lucius knew what she was going to ask.
"It was a farewell kiss. Even though we are enemies, I respect the sacrifice she made. Either way, she knew she was going to die, and that takes boundless courage." Lucius explained, and it is one of the few times he has shown proper respect to anyone.
When Jupiter's group returned to the Crystal Palace, Neo-Queen Serenity did not have to ask where Shadow was as she felt she already knew. Surprisingly, Dawn's parents raced in to hug their troubled daughter. Everyone had de-transformed to conserve energy, and though they had managed to wound Lucius, they had lost another teammate and friend. As Setsuna, Hotaru, and Dawn's family grieved, Lucius continued. From the sky, energy bolts rained down on Lucius, paralyzing and burning him!
As before, Lucius cured himself of paralysis and teleported to the airship with Helenia. He wanted to be up close with those who managed to injure him before he retaliated. He had to remember not to kill but to recruit.
"Why can't you, Senshi, see I'm not here to fight? I've been through two battles! I'm sure you can tell and killed three of your pesky friends! I'm growing weary!" Lucius rolled his shoulders to get the ache out of them.
"If you're not looking to fight, you have a funny way of showing it!" Neo-Super Sailor Mars hollered. Hate burning in her dark eyes from how casually Lucius talked about her teammates' deaths.
"Those who have died valiantly will be honored much longer than you." Sailor Ventus stated, trying to keep the girl's emotions in check.
"You kill without a thought and murder all that's good! That is why we'll never join you!" Vesta yelled.
Ventus and Neo-Super Sailor Uranus are the real heavy hitters in this fight as Mars, Sailor Nova, and Vesta try to get through to Helenia. Still, her replies sounded hollow and rehearsed, like she did not realize what she was saying. But I was forced to say it anyway. Sickeningly, Lucius tried to use Demi as a 'meat shield' to prevent the Senshi from attacking him, which worked. That is until a gunshot went off, and Lucius screamed in agony, clutching his bleeding knee!
"I got him!" Nova cheered.
Unable to fully control his magic through his hazy pain, Lucius cursed and unleashed everything he could think of to destroy the ship and its passengers. A small flock of bird explosions caused unbearable pain, conjured enormous, destructive, enchanted flames, and immobilized them! Ventus saw the ship start breaking apart, and though extremely difficult, he summoned his hoop of feathers.
"Girls, get in!" Ventus shouted, both in pain and urgency.
Uranus had the easiest time moving, though much slower than she preferred. Uranus's blonde daughter struggled toward her teammates and picked them up to throw them into the portal because they could not fight the pain. Uranus was reduced to crawling as the ship started to go down! Ventus managed to grab her and throw her into the hoop, too.
"VENTUS!" Uranus called out, worried for the man's safety, and she was right to do so as Ventus de-transformed because, if Lucius died from this, he wanted to see it with his own eyes.
Though safe and no longer in pain or immobilized inside the Crystal Palace, Holly, and her group, now de-transformed, watch the ship crash with wide, teary eyes and gaping mouths. No one could have survived such a catastrophe. Unknown to them, somehow, Lucius and Helenia had survived, but Lucius had to try and summon the bullet out of his knee and supplies from town to treat the wound properly. This meant Lucius's next attack would be delayed, yet he was unwilling to stop! Underground, Sailor Aqua's group is on high alert as they know They are next!
"You will have to help me in the next fight," Lucius told his ice-blue-eyed wife.
"I'm not as powerful as you." Helenia objected.
"True, but I'm wounded, and you still have magic." Lucius reminded her.
"Yes..." Helenia agreed, though she desperately did not want to repeat what happened centuries ago.
"I know you don't want to kill anyone, my dear, but we must do what is necessary to reclaim Simone." Lucius held Helenia close.
Sickened he was speaking of their daughter as if she was property by using the word 'reclaim,' Helenia did not respond. As Lucius and Helenia headed toward the underground, Neo-Super Sailor Jupiter ventured out to retrieve what she could recover from the fallen Senshi. Still, she could only locate the Sailor Crystals of Neo-Super Sailor Saturn and Pluto and scraps of Shadow and Hawk Eye's clothing! This means they can be brought back, right? When Jupiter returned to the palace, the girls discussed returning the others.
"This isn't magical death. This is ACTUAL death!" Christen shouted, hurt and anger raging in her dark brown eyes.
"There's so many ways a Senshi has cheated death. Let's wait and hope a solution will present itself." Gracie advised.
No one had an answer to this, so all they could do right now was not much. Meanwhile, underground, the girls had managed to dig decoy tunnels with various traps at the ends. While these might not kill Lucius, it would buy the girls time to devise a way to defeat him! Since Lucius could not crouch down because of his injury, Helenia had to check the layout for him. Seeing the numerous tunnels, she knew exactly what the group was up to!
"They have dug decoy tunnels to fool us." Helenia looked up at Lucius from inside the main tunnel.
"I'm not so easily fooled. How sad for them. Well, let's...how shall I say it? Flush out our prey?" Lucius laughed as he began filling the maze with water!
Thankfully, the girls are brilliant. Neo-Super Sailor Mercury used Hyperspatial Barrier Activate, which protected them and their weapons/carried supplies as she tried to keep the tunnel open so they could escape!
"All that work for nothing!" Aqua whined, throwing her hands in the air.
"Don't discredit your ingenuity; otherwise, it was a brilliant idea." Lucius complimented the girls' intellect.
"It didn't work." Neo-Super Sailor Neptune countered.
"I didn't say it worked. I said it was brilliant. It might have fooled many others." Lucius explained.
"Our point was to fool you!" Aqua shouted, stomping one of her feet.
"You have command of three girls, yet you are the one acting like a child," Lucius said disapprovingly.
"You are the one acting like a child! You're angry because Helenia doesn't want you using Simone as a tool! So you take what you want by force just like an entitled brat who steals!" Mercury yelled.
"You need to be taught a lesson!" Furious, Lucius shot the same curse he used to kill Shadow at Mercury. Yet Neptune jumped in the way, trying to use her mirror to reflect the curse!
"NEPTUNE!" Everyone, excluding Lucius and Helenia, cried in alarm.
"Silly little girl, a mirror can't stop my deadly curse." Lucius shook his head.
For a minute, Neptune struggled to redirect the curse, and then her mirror shattered! Neptune's daughter de-transformed and fell among the shards of her talisman! The shockwave blew back Mercury.
"NO!" Aqua and Pallas rushed to help Alexis, but they were too late as she faded away!
Mercury bolted forward to protect Alexis's Sailor Crystal, "Ali, don't die...I promised Holly I'd be here for you...We need you..."
"It's alright. Keep my Crystal safe, Mercury..." Alexis smiled as she closed her eyes and passed.
Mercury held the Crystal close to her heart, cried, and howled in sorrow. She sobbed and screamed harder and louder; she could not express how regretful she felt.
"She knew she wasn't going to be strong enough but was willing to die to protect all of you." Lucius sighed as Neptune might have made another potential soldier for him.
"You killed a mother's child..." Suddenly, Mercury stopped crying, but she was not done!
Mercury's tiara gem began to flash all shades of blue dangerously! It started to feel like sub-zero temperatures, and the ground began to freeze, but it resembled blueish-purple waves! Something needed to be fixed; this was not a power Mercury should be using! Pallas touched one of the 'waves,' "It's...crystal!"
Lucius tried to break through the growths with his magic, but it instantly grew back or was not affected at all! "Her power is becoming uncontrollable!"
"She's not freezing us or water." Fish Eye noticed.
Thankfully, someone knocked Mercury over, causing her to stop this frightening display! Mercury's blue-eyed daughter was hustled into another secret passageway! Looking up, the light brunette is shocked and petrified of who she sees, "H-Holly!"
"You little dummy, what did you do?" Holly did not say this as an insult, but she knew what happened to Alexis as she could feel it through their bond, not just as sisters but as Uranus and Neptune.
Mercury looked at the crystallized ground, which even she was unnerved by, and then she remembered why this happened, and she latched onto Holly, crying.
'I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Mercury begged for forgiveness profusely.
"Oh, it's OK. Don't cry. It's not your fault. It could have happened to anyone. I'm here." Holly hugged Mercury to comfort her.
As Mercury calmed, Holly began to grieve, but she was grateful Mercury safeguarded her sister Crystal. Getting their bearings, they used this passageway to get back into the Crystal Palace safely! Deforming with those left of her group, Crystal realized something horrifying: They are the last line of defense for Simone, and without Neptune, Saturn, Pluto, Eclipse, or Ventus, they did not stand a chance!