Her emotions were turned off. There were only flames, and she had become one with it. The fire was her and she was the fire. She left a scorching trail in her path, burning everything in sight. The fight with Rubeus was tough, as he had flames in his command, too, but he didn’t have her anger. He didn’t have the pure fury that was fueling it.

She had knocked him to the ground for the umpteenth time, bruised, burnt, and bloody, when she heard the distant cries. Rubeus’ head turned to the source, and for the first time he looked scared. Gone was the trace of arrogance in his eyes. Mars didn’t need to turn to know what was going on.

“They’re dead, aren’t they? Your minions.”

The others weren’t holding back either. The Black Moon Clan was truly doomed now. They had screwed with the wrong people, and they had killed the wrong queen. Now there was only death for everyone.

“I don’t imagine there are many left. Soon it will be your turn, too.”

And this time she wouldn’t even give the option to surrender.

Anything other than death for all the White Moon’s enemies was unacceptable.

The first lightning-infused punch had missed, Petz worming out of the way just enough so that her fist cut through the air rather than feel that sweet, satisfying squish of hitting her solar plexus, but she heard the crackling of the diffused energy snap at her opponent's midsection and that afforded some measure of pleasure. She pivoted on her forward leg and swung around, ducking and blocking with her left forearm as a black-gloved hand narrowly missed her face; with a well-practiced twist and grab, she caught the outstretched arm and flung sideways and away, throwing Petz off balance just in time to hit her square with a lightning-infused uppercut as she held fast to her opponent's wrist, feeling the tug as the body wanted to move upward with the punch. She jerked the arm around and released it, flinging Petz into the remains of a crystal spire as she fell into another attack form, pulling her leg behind her to send her into a spin.

"Jupiter Oak Evolution!" she cried, directing the furious storm of nature towards her winded opponent and fueling it with her rage and sorrow. 

When the attack cleared, Petz was gone, her black crystal earrings shining in the dust her body had left behind. Without mercy, Jupiter strode over and stomped them once, hard, cracking the crystal and breaking its fastenings. "That's for her." 

But it wasn't enough. Just one of them wasn't enough. Turning, she sought out any of the colorful crew but they were gone, all but for the one that held Mars's attention, though judging from his position it was near time for his end. Rubeus. 

Lightning crackling around her fists and murder in her eyes, she strode across the battlefield towards them.

She didn't have time to look up and observe the battle that raged around her. The Droids seemed endless—for every two she struck down with the light from her wand, Sailor Moon felt like three more rose in their places. Her muscles ached as she fought, using every tool in her arsenal. Sometimes it was magic, sometimes it was strength. She tried to pace herself, doing whatever she could to stave off exhaustion. The things that she opposed seemed to have none of the human concerns that made each kick ache and every blast of energy seem to steal her very breath. The Droids had once terrified her with their inhuman qualities, and even though she had overcome that fear, this reminded her very well why she had reacted in such a way.

Sailor Moon knew she couldn't keep fighting—not for long. At least there were no airships. That had almost become a mantra, something to repeat in her mind over and over again: At least there were no airships. At least there were no airships. She knew how devastating those massive floating fortresses had proven to the sailor soldiers time and time again. They'd try as hard as they could, if the reinforcements came, but they'd be outnumbered once again.

She wondered how the others were doing. They had separated to fight the Ayakashi Sisters and that malicious tormentor, Crimson Rubeus. She wished she could run to their sides, lending them her power, but more than that... she wished her mother was here. She couldn't block out the memories that bubbled up to the surface; even though she had trained as a sailor soldier in the 30th century, honing her skills and fighting on missions in the service of the queen, the strongest memories were those where she fought alongside Sailor Moon. It wasn't the actions or the strategy she recalled, or even the enemies—just the emotional ties. Knowing that no matter what, there was someone beside her, trying to keep her safe.

She couldn't rely on that now.

Sailor Moon waved the Cutie Moon Wand once more, gritting her teeth as she pulled it through the air, calling out that attack phrase one more time, watching the way the Droids disintegrated in the path of the focused moonlight.

"Come on, everyone!" she prayed silently, trying to stay focused. "Mercury... Mars... Venus... Jupiter... I believe in you!"

She wanted this to be over. She wanted to go home... together.

She wanted to drop to her knees, exhausted by the effort, but she managed to steady herself. Sailor Mercury gulped down deep breaths like a drowning man, struggling to right her senses. Berthier was gone. She could barely believe it. There had been so few victories lately. It seemed strange, fantastic even, that she had accomplished a goal. She felt drained and bruised, but whole... well, as whole as she could feel, given the circumstances.

This was no time to relax. Keen blue eyes swept the battlefield, her focus sharpening, and she felt the Mini Supercomputer in her hands almost before she knew that she had called it. She scanned and tapped, the blue visor tinting the world around her. What she read on the screen shocked her: victory. It wasn't just Berthier who no longer registered as a threat—Calaveras and Petz were conspicuously absent, as well, although there lingered a small trail of their energy. It was enough to make her fairly certain that all of the Ayakashi Sisters could no longer bring darkness and destruction to Crystal Tokyo.

But they weren't done. Droids still tried to breech the perimeter they had set around the Crystal Palace, most of them focused on Sailor Moon. In the distance she saw a flare of blazing fire, and she knew that must be where Crimson Rubeus faced Sailor Mars. A crackle of lightning and a peal of thunder rumbled, and Mercury saw a streak of green that could only be Sailor Jupiter heading in that direction. She paused for a moment, unsure of where to lend her aid, but her analytical brain calculated the chances of success for Jupiter and Mars, united, and she set off instead towards that intermittent flare of moonlight.

The Droids never saw her approach.

"Shine Aqua Illusion!" Mercury cried, but it was too late for them to turn towards her and get the first move.

She sent wave after wave of bone-chilling water at the creatures. They didn't register emotion on their blank faces, but their knees buckled and their artificial bodies disintegrated under the stress of the additional energy. She had to do her part to lessen their numbers, relieving some of the pressure from Sailor Moon. She kept her emotions closed and locked, blocking out the memories that threatened to compare this situation to so many from her youth, when she had fought alongside a blonde teenager in a similar uniform, providing support in the face of danger.