Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Looking Up To You ❯ Ascent Into Scion's Fortress ( Chapter 20 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Sailor Moon or any of the characters, blah, blah, blah.

NOTE: This story takes place after Sailor Stars, however, I haven't seen Sailor Stars, so forgive me if I miss a plot point or two. Also, I'm gonna go for American attack names here… *begs forgiveness from the purists*

---

The Senshi, Sammy, and Tuxedo Mask stepped into the castle. Immediately, they found themselves inside a huge foyer. The foyer was dark, lit only by torches mounted on the dark walls. There were three pathways in the foyer. One led to a hallway to the left, one led to a hallway to the right, and one went up to another hallway at the top of a large stairway.

"Which way do we go?" Sailor Moon asked. "It's too dangerous to split up!"

"Usually in my video games, the bad guys are up the stairs," Sammy said.

"This isn't a game, Sammy!" Sailor Mars yelled.

"Actually, he's right," Sailor Mercury said, using her VR visor to scan the paths. "There's a large concentration of evil energy through the door at the top of the stairs."

"I told you," Sammy said, glowering at Sailor Mars.

"Let's go!" Moon yelled. The seven warriors ran up the stairs and through the doorway at the top. They were immediately confronted by five flying demon-like monsters. The monsters had large, sharp teeth and black wings. The five monsters dove at the Senshi. Sammy beheaded one with his sword, but was immediately tackled into a wall by another monster.

"Jupiter Thundercloud Zap!" Jupiter yelled, frying the monster that had tackled Sammy and wounding the other three.

"Venus Lovechain Encircle!" Venus shouted, smashing the other three monsters with her chain and disintegrating them.

"There are more monsters up ahead!" Mercury shouted. "Be on your guard!"

The Senshi, Sammy, and Tuxedo Mask ran down the corridor. Soon, they encountered two large, red snake youmas. The youmas slithered toward the Senshi. Tuxedo Mask leaped above one of the youmas and slammed his staff down into the top of its head, killing it.

"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" Sailor Mercury shouted, washing away the remaining youma with several waves of water.

"We got 'em!" Sailor Moon cheered.

"Guys, I hope we don't have to fight like this all the way up to the top," Sammy sighed.

"Sammy, I promised your mother I would protect you," Mercury said. "We won't let anything happen to you, okay?"

"Thank you, Ami," Sammy said.

The seven warriors continued down the long hallway, fighting several more youmas along the way. Finally, they reached a huge dungeon-like room with a large cage hanging from the ceiling.

"This must be where Alexis and Letine brought me after I was captured," Sammy said.

"But how do we get to the rest of the castle from here?" Mars asked.

"There's another pathway over there," Tuxedo Mask said, pointing to a small passageway on the other side of the room. "But where does it lead?"

"Only one way to find out!" Sammy said, running to the other passageway.

"Sammy, don't go so fast!" Sailor Moon yelled, running to catch up.

"What's wrong, are you guys tired or something?" Sammy asked.

"He's so full of energy," Mercury stated. "No wonder he was able to fight so much…"

The five Senshi and Tuxedo Mask caught up to Sammy and ran down the passageway with him. The passageway was short, however, and led to another large foyer. There, the path split off into another passageway and two rooms off to the side.

"Which way this time?" Sailor Moon asked.

"Go down the passageway," Mercury said. "We're getting pretty close to Scion… but maybe we should go into the side rooms first."

"Why?" Sammy asked.

"My computer's telling me that the roomed belonged to Letine and Alexis," Mercury said. "They might contain some clues as to what Scion's weaknesses are."

"My sword's reacting," Sammy said, unsheathing the large katana that used to belong to Alexis. "That's probably why…"

"Should we split up to investigate the rooms?" Sailor Moon asked.

"You said we shouldn't split up," Mars said.

"These two rooms are small. It won't take us too long to go through them, so it shouldn't be that dangerous," Sailor Moon said. "Tuxedo Mask, Sammy, Mercury, and I will investigate Alexis' room, and you three can take Letine's room."

"Alright," Jupiter said. She opened the door to Letine's room and went inside with Venus and Mars. Meanwhile, Sammy, Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, and Tuxedo Mask entered Alexis' room.

---

"The Senshi are getting close," boomed Lazuli's voice through Scion's throne room. "I hope you're prepared to face them. They defeated most of your warriors without a scratch."

"I'm very ready," Scion said. "I want them to come… so they will die."

"Good," boomed Lazuli's voice. "I will continue to reform my body…"

"I think you underestimate me, father," Scion said.

"I just want to be prepared," Lazuli's voice said.

"I will destroy the Senshi," Scion said. "You have no need to worry."

---

Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Tuxedo Mask, and Sammy looked through Alexis' room. It had the things you would usually expect to find in a bedroom: a bed, a desk, and a few books. Nothing unusual.

"There's nothing here on how to defeat Scion," Sailor Moon said.

"I didn't expect to find anything here," Tuxedo Mask said. "Still, it was worth a try."

"Yeah," Sammy said. "Don't feel bad, Ami."

Sailor Mercury gasped.

"What is it?" Sammy asked.

Sailor Mercury pulled out a small, framed picture of herself from inside the drawer of Alexis' desk. The frame was beautiful, crafted of silver and studded with blue sapphires.

"It's me," Mercury said. Sammy looked at the picture.

"He kept a picture of you," Sammy said. "Figures."

Suddenly, Sammy's katana began to glow intensely. A small piece of paper appeared out of nowhere and fell to the ground. Sammy picked it up and looked at it.

"Ami," Sammy said, holding the note up to her face. "You have to read this."

Mercury set down the picture and looked at the note. It read:

Dear Ami,

If you ever find this note, I just want to say that there is nothing I could ever say or do to justify my actions toward you, which were lustful and disgusting. I am truly sorry, but I cannot blame you if you never forgive me. You see, Letine and I were brought up by Scion, who trained us in the dark warrior arts from a very young age. He was a very strict teacher, but we admired him as a father. One of his lessons was that if we wanted something in life, we had the right to take it by force. You and your friends taught me that no one has that right… but I learned that a bit too late. My sister never got the chance to learn that lesson, but I do not want you to feel sorry for us in any way, as we do not deserve your pity or compassion. When I came to Earth and saw you, I knew I had to have you… by any means necessary. You were the most beautiful thing that I had ever seen… for the first 400 years of my life I had never gotten to see anything outside of this castle, and…

Before my death, I infused my katana with a small part of my being so that it would survive my death. As my final act, I used that small piece to form this letter. Again, I know that nothing can justify my actions, but I am truly sorry to you and your friends. I wish you luck in your final confrontation with my former master Scion, and I hope that you can find happiness with the person you truly love, whether it be the young man you were dating at the restaurant or the young warrior who rescued from me countless times. Goodbye, Ami.

With deepest apologies,

Alexis

"He never had the chance to be anything else," Mercury said, setting the note on Alexis' desk and looking at Sammy. "I do forgive him, but I wish that in the afterlife he would try less aggressive means for getting what he wants…"

Sammy held up Alexis' katana, which was no longer glowing.

"Aw," Sammy groaned. "It was cooler when it glowed…"

"Shall we reunite with the other Senshi?" Mercury asked.

"That sounds good," Sailor Moon said.

---

Back in the small foyer…

"Did you guys find anything?" Tuxedo Mask asked.

"No," Sailor Mars said.

"She had boy band posters on her walls," Sailor Jupiter said.

"And a bunch of really neat witch outfits!" Sailor Venus said. "Did you guys find anything?"

"Nothing important," Sailor Mercury said.

"Let's go find Scion now," Moon said.

The five Senshi, Sammy, and Tuxedo Mask ran down the corridor that would take them closer to Scion. Eventually, they reached another large stairway. They climbed it, facing several more youmas along the way. Finally, they reached a huge, golden door with a large handle in the shape of a dragon.

"Scion has to be behind here," Sailor Mars said. "So much evil… I can feel it…"

"This is it," Sailor Moon said. "The final battle… are we ready?"

"I'm ready as I'll ever be!" Sammy said. He turned to Sailor Mercury. "What about you?"

"I'm ready, Sammy!" Mercury said. "Let's go!"

The seven warriors pushed the door open and walked inside.

---

"They're here," Scion said, his back turned to the door. The five Senshi, Sammy, and Tuxedo Mask were immediately taken aback by the huge size of the throne room. The walls were solid gold, and the floor was as well. Several large statues of Scion were placed around the room near the walls. Scion's throne sat at the very back of the room.

"It's over, Scion!" Sailor Moon shouted. "Turn around and face us!"

"You'll pay for all the people you hurt!" Sailor Mercury yelled.

"That's right!" Sailor Mars said. "It's time to face the music!"

"Face the Sailor Senshi!" Sailor Jupiter yelled.

"And all of our power!" Sailor Venus said. "The power of love and friendship!"

"And the power of justice!" Tuxedo Mask said.

"And the power of the Masked Warrior!" Sammy yelled.

Finally, Scion turned around to face the Senshi. His golden armor was adorned by a long, flowing red cape that flapped behind him as he turned. His expression was serious.

"You defeated Alexis, Letine, Ninjetti, and my powerful army," Scion said. "You truly are powerful warriors indeed. This will be a true test of my awesome power."

"Give it up," Sailor Moon said. "You're finished."

"We'll see about that," Scion said. His body began pulsating with energy.

"Stay back, Sammy," Mercury whispered. "This guy is dangerous. Wait for a chance to get a good hit on him."

"Alright," Sammy said, realizing the danger of the situation. "But if you guys are getting beat, I'll have to jump in."

Scion began to rise up into the air. The air around him rippled with intense surges of energy. Scion pointed his arms at the seven warriors.

"Trembles Of Darkness!" Scion shouted. A rippling wave of energy began to rush at the seven warriors. Sailor Mars ran out in front of them and pointed her arms at the attack.

"Mars Flaming Cannon!" Sailor Mars shouted. Several bursts of intense flames rushed at the rippling wave of energy, but they dissolved on contact with the wave. The wave continued to charge at the warriors. All of them rolled out of the way as the wave impacted the door behind them and ripped it off of its hinges, sending the two huge golden doors flying down the hallway.

"Oh wow…" Sammy gasped. Sailor Mercury charged at Scion.

"Mercury Ice Javelin!" Mercury shouted, flinging several large spears of ice at Scion's face and chest. Scion leaped up to avoid them, but the javelins continued to rush at him, homing in on him.

"Way to go, Mercury!" Sailor Jupiter said. "The javelins are locked onto him.

Scion began flying at Sailor Mercury with incredible speed. Mercury gasped.

"He's going to fly at me and go up at the last minute, causing the javelins to impale me!" Mercury thought. "I have to get out of the way!"

But before she could, Sammy lunged in front of Scion and slashed at his head with his katana. Scion stopped to avoid the slash, but his split-second freeze caused the ice javelins to slam into his back.

"Argh!" Scion shouted as the deadly spears pierced his back.

"Sammy…" Mercury said. "I thought I said-"

"I said if you guys were getting beat I'd jump in!" Sammy said. "It looked like you guys were getting beat to me!"

Mercury smiled. Suddenly. Scion flexed his muscles outward, causing the javelins to fly out of Scion's back and shatter against the wall. Scion growled angrily at Sammy.

"That's the kind of teamwork that defeated my warriors," Scion said. "I know now for sure why they lost. Well, it won't happen again!"

Scion began pulsating with energy again. Two red energy swords appeared, one in each of Scion's hands. He slashed at Sammy with one of the swords, and Sammy quickly parried with his katana. Scion used his strength to push Sammy's sword back.

"You're very powerful for a human boy, but now it ends!" Scion shouted.

"Jupiter Thunder Axe!" Sailor Jupiter shouted.

"Venus Arrow Of Beauty!" Sailor Venus shouted. Scion turned around to see a large lightning axe crash into his head and a white arrow pierce his chest plate, knocking him back toward Sammy. Sammy kicked Scion in the head and went behind a statue with Moon, Mars, Mercury, and Tuxedo Mask.

"Did they get him?" Sailor Mars asked.

"Not by a long shot," Mercury said. "Look!"

Scion pulled the arrow out of his armor, causing it to disintegrate in his hands. The impact of the thunder axe made several cracks in Scion's armor, but did hardly any damage to Scion.

"Beam of Rage!" Scion shouted, pointing his hand at Jupiter and Venus. Two huge red beams came out of Scion's hand, slamming both Senshi into the wall. Sailor Moon leaped out from behind the statue and pointed her henshin stick at Scion.

"Moon… Blessed… Hallation!" Sailor Moon shouted. Without warning, Scion reached out and grabbed Sailor Moon's henshin stick. He then snapped it in his hands and tossed the two halves of the broken stick behind him.

"Oh no!" Sammy shouted. Tuxedo Mask leapt up and charged Scion. Scion spun around and kicked the staff out of Tuxedo Mask's hands, then grabbed Tuxedo Mask and hurled him to the wall on the other side of the room next to Jupiter and Venus.

"Three of us have been KOed," Sailor Mars said.

"We're in trouble…" Mercury gasped.

"Without my henshin stick, I can't attack him!" Sailor Moon shrieked.

Scion began to laugh.

"My father Lazuli told me not to be overconfident," Scion said. "But it's awfully hard not to be overconfident now."

"Then I'll teach you!" Sailor Mars yelled.

"No!" Mercury shouted, holding Sailor Mars back. "We need a plan!"

Mercury took out her computer and began scanning Scion for weaknesses.

"Find anything?" Sammy asked.

"Not one weakness…" Mercury said.

"Of course!" Scion shouted. "I'm the leader of the Darkspawn! The perfect warrior! I am Scion! I have no weaknesses!"

"You don't need a weakness to lose!" Sammy said, stepping up to face Scion.

"Sammy, don't!" Mercury pleaded. "You'll be killed!"

"I can't let him hurt any of you!" Sammy yelled. "Okay, Scion, you're facing me now!"

Scion lunged forward and slashed at Sammy. Sammy leaped over the slash and returned with a slash to Scion's midsection. Scion caught Sammy's sword in both of his own.

"Is that all?" Scion said, using his two swords to pull Sammy's away from him.

"My sword!" Sammy shouted.

Scion used the two energy swords to toss Sammy's sword into the air, and then made the two swords disappear so that he could take Sammy's. He held the katana in his hand and admired its surface.

"So this is Alexis' sword," Scion said. "And now it's yours?"

"Give it back…" Sammy said through clenched teeth.

"It's no one's now," Scion said. "I think I'm going to destroy it."

"Mercury Ice Javelin!" Sailor Mercury shouted, tossing several spears of ice at Scion. Scion smacked the javelins away with his sword. One of them pierced right through Sailor Mars' stomach.

"Argh!" Sailor Mars yelled, collapsing to the ground.

"Sailor Mars!" Sailor Moon shouted, running over to her and pulling the ice javelin out of her chest.

"Four down," Scion said. "Wait, no, zero down. That's another reason why my warriors lost… no one ever wanted to finish any of you off."

Scion pointed his arm at the unconscious Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Venus, and Tuxedo Mask.

"That's going to change right now," Scion said.

"No it won't!" Sammy yelled, tackling Scion from behind. "And give me my sword!"

Scion threw Sammy off of him with one mighty toss, causing Sammy to slam into the wall.

"Sammy!" Sailor Mercury shouted, running to his side.

"Ami, get out of here…" Sammy said weakly. "There's no way to beat him…"

"We'll try this again, with the boy," Scion said. He pointed his hand at Sammy.

"I won't let you hurt him!" Sailor Mercury said, running in front of Scion.

"Neither will I!" Sailor Moon said, standing in front of Sammy protectively.

Scion slashed across Mercury's chest with Sammy's katana. She dodged the slash, but sustained a large gash across the left side of her chest, causing her to fall to one knee.

"No…" Mercury gasped.

Sailor Moon faced Scion.

"You have no magic, no weapon, nothing!" Scion yelled. "What makes you think you can stand up to me where your friends have failed?"

"You hurt my friends…" Sailor Moon said angrily. "My friends are everything to me! How dare you hurt them! How dare you!"

Sailor Moon rushed at Scion. Scion slapped her hard across the face, causing her to stumble backward and nearly fall over. She kept her footing and charged Scion again, ramming into him and pushing him back a few steps before Scion pushed her away and then slashed her across the face with Sammy's katana.

"I think I will keep this sword," Scion said, smiling. "I like it."

Blood dripped down Sailor Moon's face as she stared Scion down again.

"I will NEVER give up…" Sailor Moon said. "Never!"

Suddenly, the two broken pieces of Sailor Moon's henshin stick began to glow, as well as Sailor Moon's hands.

"Wha?" Scion said. "What's going on?"

The two pieces of the henshin stick floated toward Sailor Moon. A piece drifted into both of Sailor Moon's hands. Then, her hands began to move closer together. A blinding glow emanated from Sailor Moon's hands as the henshin stick began to reform.

"It's happening…" Sailor Mercury said softly.

"What's happening?" Sammy asked.

"Sailor Moon's determination and loyalty to her friends is reforming the transformation wand…" Sailor Mercury said.

The glow disappeared. Sailor Moon now held a brilliant, shimmering sword in her hands. The sword had a beautiful pink handle with many different jewels in it. Scion's eyes grew wide.

"The Sword of the Moon…" Scion said. "I don't believe it… that was father's weapon!"

"What?" Sailor Moon asked. "Maybe I shouldn't touch it…"

"You've won this battle, but I'll be back!" Scion shouted. He threw Sammy's katana down at Sailor Moon's feet and then disappeared through a black portal, which closed behind him.

"What was that about?" Sammy asked.

"I don't know, but- argh!" Sailor Mercury yelled, clutching her wounded chest. Suddenly, a brilliant glow engulfed Sammy, Tuxedo Mask, and the four wounded Senshi, healing their wounds instantly. The fallen warriors got up. Sailor Moon's new sword turned back into a regular henshin stick.

"He's afraid of this sword," Sailor Moon said. "Or at least it was a sword…"

"Somehow, you were able to gain some weird new powers," Tuxedo Mask said. "Seeing us all hurt must have given you the strength to form that new weapon."

"Well, what do we do now?" Sailor Mars asked.

"Try to find out where Scion went," Sailor Mercury said. She took out her computer and began typing. "He's above us. But I thought this was the top level!"

"This palace must have another top floor," Sailor Jupiter said.

"Let's go around and see if we can find another way to reach it," Sailor Moon said. Sammy picked up his katana as the Senshi and Tuxedo Mask left the room.

---

Meanwhile, up in a large room at the top of the palace, a dark mist floated overhead. Scion stood in the center of the room, looking up at it.

"She has your sword," Scion said. "The one that you wielded as the greatest warrior in the Moon Kingdom."

"The Sword of the Moon," Lazuli said. "Scion, why were you afraid of that sword?"

"Not afraid," Scion said. "Just stunned that she had it. I wanted to ask you why."

"You had that battle won," Lazuli said. "Why did you leave?"

"I apologize," Scion said, bowing graciously. "I will not fail you again. Even if Sailor Moon does wield the mighty sword, I will not back down."

"Leave this place," Lazuli said. "They'll find you, and if you're in here, they'll find me before I've had a chance to reform."

"Alright," Scion said. "I will wait outside and fight the Senshi there."

"Good," Lazuli said. "Keep them out of this room at all costs."

---

The Senshi, Sammy, and Tuxedo Mask ran down to the large foyer they had been in when they first entered the castle.

"No sign of an alternate entrance anywhere," Sailor Moon said.

"Hey, what about these two hallways?" Sailor Mars said, pointing to the two hallways they passed by when they went upstairs to the third floor. "Maybe the way to the top is through one of these."

"But we can't explore them both without splitting up," Sailor Moon said.

"Let's just agree to come back here when we find something," Sammy said.

"Alright," Sailor Moon said. "Same groups as before?"

"Yeah," Sailor Mars said. So Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Tuxedo Mask, and Sammy went in one group, and Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus went in the other group.

"Alright," Sammy said. "Let's go!"

Sammy ran toward the passageway to the left.

"Hold on, Sammy!" Mercury yelled, running after him.

"Wait for me!" Sailor Moon shrieked. But as she started running toward the passageway, she tripped. Tuxedo Mask ran to her side as Sailor Mercury and Sammy stood just inside the passageway.

"Wait up," Sailor Moon said, slowly standing up. "Ugh, I almost twisted my ankle!"

Meanwhile, the other three Senshi were running into the other passageway. But as they crossed the threshold into the passageway, a large stone block sealed both passages shut. Now, Sailor Mercury and Sammy were sealed in one passageway and Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus were sealed in the other. Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask were trapped outside.

"Oh no!" Sailor Moon shouted. "They're all trapped!"

Sailor Moon pounded on the barrier of both passageways, but it was no use.

"No…" Sailor Moon said, slumping against the door to the right passageway. "They're trapped…"

"Let's try to find another way to the top," Tuxedo Mask said, running back up the stairs to the middle door. "Maybe we missed something."

---

Meanwhile, Sammy and Sailor Mercury were trapped inside the left passageway, which was pitch black.

"I can't see anything…" Sammy said.

"Don't worry, Sammy, there has to be some way out of here!" Sailor Mercury said cheerfully.

"We need some light," Sammy said.

"Let's go on and see if we can't find a room with a torch or something," Sailor Mercury said. Sammy and Mercury began to walk down the dark passageway. Suddenly, Sammy tripped. He let out a loud scream, but Sailor Mercury caught him before he hit the ground.

"Ami, you caught me," Sammy said.

"I'm standing right behind you," Mercury said, setting Sammy back on his feet. "Don't worry."

"But what if you fall?" Sammy asked.

"I guess you'd have to go on without me then!" Mercury said jokingly.

"Don't say that," Sammy said. "Ami…"

"I'm sorry, Sammy," Mercury said. "Maybe we should find a light…"

Mercury and Sammy continued walking until finally, Sammy bumped into something.

"Ow!" Sammy said. "My head hurts…"

"Did you bump your head on something?" Mercury asked. "See if it's a door…"

Sammy began to feel around for a handle. Without warning, the door pushed in. Sammy and Sailor Mercury fell down in a heap inside of a lighted hallway.

"Ouch!" Sammy said, landing on the floor. "Ami, get off!"

"Sorry," Mercury said, rolling off of Sammy and standing up. "Well, at least this room is lighted…"

Sammy and Sailor Mercury walked down the long and winding tunnel before they found themselves inside a small, circular room. A stairway was on one side of the room, while a large metal door was on the other side. Sammy opened the door and was suddenly staring out onto the cityscape of Juuban.

"Whoa…" Sammy said. "This must be the door to that crystal place…"

"The one we destroyed?" Mercury asked. A gust of wind from the outside caused her to shiver. "We must be getting close to something…"

Sammy closed the door.

"I want to rest," Sammy said, sitting down. "Is that alright with you?"

"We need to find the top floor quickly," Mercury said. "But we can take a break if you want to…"

Mercury sat down across from Sammy.

"This floor is cold…" Sammy said.

"Yes," Mercury agreed.

---

Meanwhile, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus had found themselves inside a large, brightly-lit room with a large cage set up in it. The cage had a door that swung in either direction. Several swords and staffs were hanging from the wall.

"Is this where they keep prisoners?" Sailor Mars asked.

"No," Jupiter said. "They used this as a training room… notice all the weapons hanging on the walls."

"Well, they could be torture devices," Venus remarked.

"No," Jupiter said. "Notice the weapons. Swords were Alexis' weapon of choice, and staffs are usually used to cast magic, which is Letine's weapon of choice. This is a training room…"

"Guys, look!" Sailor Mars said, pointing at the wall. "There's a stairway!"

"Let's go!" Sailor Jupiter said. The three Senshi ran up the stairway.

---

Meanwhile, Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask had arrived back in Scion's throne room.

"Nothing," Sailor Moon said. "How are we going to find the others?"

Tuxedo Mask walked up to Scion's throne.

"So, this is his throne," Tuxedo Mask said. "The Darkspawn treated Scion like a king."

"Well, he IS their leader," Sailor Moon said.

Tuxedo Mask sat down in the throne and leaned back.

"This is nice…" Tuxedo Mask sighed.

"Darien, get out of there! This is no time to relax!" Sailor Moon shrieked.

Tuxedo Mask leaned his arms back behind the throne. Suddenly, his hand landed on something long and rounded. He pushed it back, and the throne began moving.

"Hey, what's going on?" Tuxedo Mask said. The throne moved to the side, revealing a stairway.

"You did it!" Sailor Moon said, jumping up and down. "Now let's find that Scion jerk!"

---

"Sammy," Sailor Mercury said. "What were you doing at that opera house?"

"You mean earlier tonight?" Sammy asked.

"Yes," Mercury said. "Did you know that I would be attacked?"

"Kinda," Sammy said. "When I was talking to Greg, his eyes flashed a weird kinda red color, and I knew something was up."

"Thank you, Sammy," Mercury said. "For saving my life again…"

"It's nothing, really!" Sammy said. "I want to protect you…"

"Sammy, do you still… love me?" Sailor Mercury asked.

"I do," Sammy said. "I know you and Greg are together, but I can't… I mean… I feel that I have to protect you, because…"

Sammy sighed.

"I'm becoming like Alexis, aren't I?" Sammy asked. "I'm becoming obsessed…"

"There's a difference between obsession and devotion," Mercury said. "You're very devoted to me. Like Greg."

"I know," Sammy said.

"Greg saved my life once too," Mercury said. "When I first met him… a large metal beam was about to hit me in the head, but Greg told me to get out of the way, and I did."

"Greg is very devoted to you," Sammy said, sighing.

"Both of you are," Mercury said. "I'm very lucky to have two people devoted to me as much as you two are, and that's why I think I'm beginning to have doubts about-"

"About what?" Sammy asked.

"It's nothing, really," Mercury said.

"Oh," Sammy said. He stood up. "Ami, we should probably be going up those stairs now."

"Alright," Mercury said, standing up. "Let's go!"

---

Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask ran up the stairway and arrived in a small, square room. The first thing they noticed when they entered the room was that the room had two other stairways, and a large door on the other side.

"Scion's probably behind that door," Sailor Moon said. "I wonder where those other stairways lead to…"

Suddenly, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus dashed up the stairway to the right.

"Oh wow, are we glad to see you guys!" Sailor Mars said.

"A big stone slab sealed us into the passageway!" Venus said.

"How'd you get here?" Jupiter asked.

"There was a stairway behind Scion's throne," Sailor Moon said.

Sammy and Sailor Mercury dashed up the stairway to the left.

"Everyone's here already?" Sammy asked.

"Wow, that turned out a lot better than I thought it would!" Sailor Mercury said.

"We think Scion's behind that door," Sailor Moon said. "And now that everyone is here…"

"This time, we won't be beaten!" Sailor Jupiter declared.

"That's right!" Venus said. "This is it!"

"I'm ready," Sammy said. "Again!"

The seven warriors pushed the door open and ran inside. This time, they entered a gargantuan domed room. The dome was a beautiful golden dome decorated with brilliantly colored stained glass. The Senshi, Sammy, and Tuxedo Mask admired the ceiling with awe.

"This is the commencement room," came a voice from the other side of the room.

The seven warriors all looked at where the voice had come from. They saw Scion, standing at the other end and looking very confident.

"This time, you're going down, Scion!" Sailor Moon shouted.

"If you think that sword will scare me again, you're mistaken," Scion said. "Wait a second, where is your new sword?"

"It'll show up when it's good and ready!" Sailor Moon yelled.

"This time we know what you're capable of!" Sailor Mercury shouted.

"And we're all stronger!" Sailor Mars shouted. "When we're together, we're unstoppable!"

"Enough with the speeches," Scion said. "Like I said, this is the commencement room. Let the battle commence!"

---

And so the final battle with Scion is about to begin! But what about Lazuli, who is gaining his once-deadly strength as we speak! What role will he play in the final fight? And in the midst of this battle, will Sammy and Ami realize their love for one another? Or will Ami's destiny lie with Greg, who is recovering from his wounds? All these questions and more will be answered in the final chapter! Don't miss it!