Part 8: Evil's Weakness, Purity's Strength
Suddenly the ten
true senshi appeared encircled around Arachne and Animalia.
Arachne's jaw dropped nearly to the ground and she stuttered, "How
...how is it possible! They are dead...see their bodies lie over
there." She pointed to the lifeless senshi on the ground.
Animalia clasped her hands before her back and turned toward the very much
alive Sailor Mercury. "Would you mind?"
Mercury pushed a button on her computer and the dead senshi and their
starseeds shimmered out of existence. Arachne stared in disbelief
until Animalia explained. "Come now Arachne, did you really
think I was going to let an impotent pretender like you kill them?
Those were holograms, nothing more than a trick." Animalia winked at
Sailor Pluto, "It's amazing the things they leave lying around in
Crystal Tokyo." The smile faded and Animalia's face
hardened. "Now then will we be destroying you and your friends
over there or just you?"
Arachne turned
toward her companions with pleading eyes. The shortest figure simply
replied, "Galaxia does not tolerate failure Arachne. Never
underestimate your enemy." Then the four figures disappeared
into a black haze.
The scantily clad woman
stared in disbelief with her eyes full of fear. I can't face them
all alone. Maybe one or two, but not all of them. I know if I
take out the leader Sailor Moon they will be caught off balance. Yes
that's it and if I get her starseed Galaxia will surely come to my
aid. She faced the senshi with a new resolve. "All right
then let's go Animalia. Arachne Web Entangle!"
Her webs flew towards the senshi, but Jupiter used her Oak Evolution
attack to slice through their sticky threads. Some did manage to
pass through the attack, instead they knocked Venus down to the
ground. Sailor Moon ran to her friend's side as Uranus used her
Space Sword to cut the soldier loose as the other senshi kept Arachne at
bay.
Arachne's eyes darted from foe to foe as
she watched how the senshi protected the princess as well as the
princesses reactions. Finally she saw their weakness--the princess
always runs to her fallen comrades and she has a strong attachment to the
only man among them. That is her weakness and now I must exploit
it.
Arachne launched a boomerang from her
back to clear a path to Tuxedo Kamen. The senshi were so busy
protecting the princess they did not notice Arachne's movements toward the
man. She quickly pulled her swords from her back and knocked him
down. She placed the tips of the swords on his throat. "I
know you are the real thing now Sailor Moon. If you want him to live
you will surrender your starseed."
You
never learn do you Arachne?" Animalia spoke from behind the
villainess. She stood tall with the Jade Eye floating between her
hands in front of her chest. Animalia continued with strength and
mystery in her voice. "Sailor Moon save the prince. I
will deal with this creature. Animal Fury!"
Her eyes began to glow with a jade-colored light as she raised the Eye
over her head. It began to pulsate with its own bright light.
A golden wolf, eagle, and whale appeared over the eye and were suddenly
sucked into the blinding Eye. A beam of golden energy flew out from
the Eye towards Arachne.
Arachne realized what
Animalia was going to do and brought her blades forward into an X to
shield herself from the attack. The golden energy washed over her shield
and destroyed a patch of grass and a tree that stood behind her.
My attack was not strong enough, Animalia thought. She
implored anyone who would listen with both her mind and her
thoughts. "Please, animals of the Earth, Faunalina, and the
Universe lend me your strength. Help me defeat this woman who would
claim she is an animal and sully the reputation of the arachnids."
The animal guides who had hid in the brush now emerged with a green glow
in their eyes. The birds in the trees also flew from their perches
with the same glow. Animalia's form was encircled by jade beams of
light. She rose nearly a foot of the ground as her body was
completely encased in an aura of jade light. The Jade Eye burned
even more brightly until no one could look upon its blinding brilliance.
Another golden beam burst out of the Eye towards Arachne as before, but
this time a jade beam spiraled around the golden. The beam
incinerated Arachne leaving only a pile of dust and her two swords.
The glow around Animalia's body slowly dimmed into nothingness and her
body tumbled to the ground. Pluto rushed to her side, "Animalia
are you all right?"
The other senshi
joined Pluto at Animalia's side. Sailor Moon shook her body in an
attempt to wake her, but still her eyes stayed closed. As tears came
to their eyes, a large hand delicately pushed the stray jade hairs off of
Animalia's face. The group turned to see the newcomer. He wore
a long gray cape that covered his entire body, save his head. He had
long white hair with jade-colored highlights. His eyes were also a
dark jade color.
He never returned their gaze
he simply looked upon the fallen warrior and placed his hand along her
cheek. For a few seconds he seemed to contemplate something and then
he spoke with a familiar voice, "She is not..." he struggled
with the word," dead...yet. Sailor Pluto, Guardian of the Gates
of Time, can you open the portal to Faunalina?"
"First you must identify yourself," Pluto replied.
He looked to her with pleading in his eyes and strength in his voice,
"I am guide and friend Faunus. I have taken this human form to
save my her life." He stopped and changed to a gentler tone,
"Please you must believe me. If she does not return to the
Island immediately she will die."
Sailor
Moon framed his eyes with her delicate hands. She looked deep into
the stranger's eyes. Her frown deepened, "Please hurry
and do as he asks Pluto. This is Faunus who stands before us."
"Of course Princess," she stood and walked a few steps
from the group. She tapped her staff on the ground three times and
closed her eyes. The Garnet Orb began to glow and the wind began to
stir. A reddish vortex opened in front of her. When it grew
tall enough to permit a human's passage, she placed a hand on Faunus'
shoulder, "Go now."
Faunus gently
slid his hands under Animalia's body and raised her from the ground.
The Jade eye flew into the vortex. Sailor Moon stood in his
path. "She will be alright, won't she?"
"If Faunalina cannot save her no one can," he answered in a
whisper. He walked around the girl and stood at the vortex when
sailor Moon spoke in a regal tone, "you have done well Sailor
Animalia, Solitary Soldier and Guardian of Animals."
As
Faunus disappeared into the vortex, Sailor Moon's mind was filled with
Kouken's gentle voice, "Long live the Princess, long live Neo Queen
Serenity."
Sailor Moon's face
brightened, perhaps she is the strongest of us all.