Chapter 6: The Battle for Earth Akiyama stood on a small hill, looking through her binoculars for any sign of an advancing army. She was a little worried about what Prince Endymion and Prince Ryoku had told her earlier today. She hadn’t felt the dark presence that they had described to her, but she had no trouble imagining how it must have felt. With an ominous portent such as that, she was definitely not looking forward to this upcoming battle. When she saw Queen Beryl’s forces, she made a quick estimate of their fighting strength. When she was finished, she was relieved to discover that they hadn’t increased their numbers by very much. She lowered her binoculars and went to report the information. “Prince Endymion, Prince Ryoku, the enemy is approaching,” Akiyama reported. “I estimate that they should be here in approximately twenty minutes.” “Twenty minutes, huh?” Ryoku said thoughtfully. “How’s their fighting strength?” “Surprisingly enough, they haven’t increased by much. Only a few hundred more than last time.” “Only a few hundred?” Endymion asked, his tone showing a hint of suspicion. “Yes, Prince Endymion. Is something wrong?” she asked, her expression becoming concerned. “I’m not sure,” he replied hesitantly. “Something to do with that dark presence we felt earlier?” Ryoku supposed. “Yeah,” Endymion confirmed. “I have a feeling that something’s going to happen that will take things from bad to worse.” “Prince Endymion, aren’t the Sailor Scouts supposed to be coming today?” Akiyama asked hopefully. “Queen Serenity said that their training should take only a day, so they should be finished with their training by now,” he told her. “All we can do is hold on until they arrive.” “Endymion,” Ryoku said, frowning thoughtfully, “do you think that the Scouts might have felt the same dark presence that we did?” “Hmm... maybe,” he replied, frowning as well. “I only hope that it’s nothing that they can’t handle.” Akiyama turned to look in the direction of the incoming army. “Prince Endymion, Prince Ryoku, they are almost here. Shall we have the men prepare for battle?” “I guess we’d better get this over with,” he muttered as he, Ryoku and Akiyama all went to make their preparations. Quartzite growled to himself as he led his so-called invasion army to battle the humans. “How can Queen Beryl do this to me?” he shouted in frustration. “I am the commander of her armies. I may not be a General, but I have always served her loyally. Why has she made me, of all of her subordinates, the commander of this... this... mockery of an invasion force? “I am every bit as good as those pompous, arrogant, incompetent idiots she calls Generals,” he continued, his tone dripping with contempt. “I should be commanding a real invasion army, instead of just a diversion force.” He sighed and shook his head in resignation. “Until Queen Beryl recognizes my abilities and potential, I have no choice.” He looked back behind him at the seven dark apparitions that had elected to stay towards the back of the army. “Hmph. There’s the real invasion force right there,” he remarked sourly. Even though Queen Beryl had them following his orders for now, as soon as the battle began they would most likely ignore any orders he gave them. They were probably going to ignore him altogether. ‘Oh, well. No helping that. Not as though I care in the least.’ As his army drew closer to the human army, he gave the order to prepare to charge. At this time, he decided to stand aside and let his forces do the actual fighting while he stayed apart from the battle. ‘Since it doesn’t matter whether my forces win or lose, I’m not even going to bother. It’s up to the Seven Shadows to determine whether we win or lose, and they never lose.’ He gave the order to charge and stood aside as his army of decoys charged ahead. When the last of his army and the Seven Shadows had passed by, he looked around for somewhere he could watch the fun. “It’s almost a shame that it’s going to be over so soon,” he said to himself, grinning maliciously. Just as Endymion and Ryoku were about to join the battle, they had spotted seven dark figures slowly approaching the battle site. “Ryoku, do you remember when I said that the worst had yet to come?” Endymion asked. “Let me guess,” Ryoku replied sullenly. “It’s here?” “Uh-huh. All seven of them. They must have been the dark presence we felt earlier.” “No doubt. The army we can handle, but these...” Ryoku paused, searching for the right words, “shadow warriors might be out of our league entirely. If the Sailor Scouts don’t get here soon, then we’re in deep trouble.” “It looks like Queen Beryl is deadly serious, now,” Endymion said flatly. “This is it. If we lose this battle, then we lose it all. Earth’s freedom depends on our victory.” Ryoku’s promise to Haruna echoed in his head. “Then, we cannot fail,” he said with a grim determination that matched the expression on his face. His grip on his swords tightened to the point where his knuckles were turning white. “Ready, Endymion?” he asked. “Ready,” he replied, his determination matching Ryoku’s. “Let’s go.” At first, the seven Shadow Warriors held back, not actually engaging in battle, as if waiting for something. When Endymion and Ryoku joined in the battle, the dark creatures immediately leaped into action with incredible ferocity. They tore through the soldiers as if they were made of paper, leaving a bloody mess in their wake. When the soldiers tried to fight back, the Shadow Warriors merely slipped around their blows as if they were made of liquid. The Shadow Warriors continued on their path of destruction, heading straight for Endymion and Ryoku. Before either of them could get out of the way, the first two Shadow Warriors leaped at them. Before they could take down their victims, a couple of voices suddenly shouted in their direction. “Fire soul!” A large fireball slammed into the two attacking creatures, knocking them away from their intended victims. “Crescent beam!” Seconds after the fireball hit, a beam of energy blasted the other five Shadow Warriors, abruptly halting their rampage. The two princes turned toward the source of the voices and attacks and saw four figures rushing towards them. Four very familiar and very welcome figures. “Hey, Endymion,” Ryoku said, feeling very relieved, “it looks like help has finally arrived!” “Sorry we’re late,” Sailor Jupiter said with a wink directed at her brother. “Better late than never, right guys?” “I couldn’t agree more,” Endymion said, greatly relieved at seeing the Sailor Scouts arrive. “Don’t worry about those guys over there,” Sailor Mars said, gesturing towards the Shadow Warriors, who were now recovering from the blows they received from the Scouts. “We’ll handle them. You two have your hands full already.” Sailor Mars turned to the other Scouts. “Let’s go!” With that, the four Sailor Scouts ran off to face the dark creatures. “You heard them, Ryoku!” Endymion shouted, hope shining in his eyes. “Let’s go rid ourselves of these invaders!” “Right behind you!” Ryoku replied and followed his friend into the fray. Quartzite’s eyes widened in surprise at what he saw. “Amazing! Those two girls just blasted the Seven Shadows!” He was quite shocked at seeing the girl in red throw a fireball at two of the Shadows, while the one in orange threw an energy beam at the other five. The result was that the seven creatures went flying. Instead of being angry at the impossible turn of events, Quartzite started laughing. “Well now, this is going to be one interesting match-up. Obviously, those four girls must be Queen Serenity’s most powerful warriors. Such a shame to see such beauty go to waste though....” Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind. “Wait a minute. What if these four girls prove to be a match for the Seven Shadows? I hope Queen Beryl doesn’t blame me for it....” The seven Shadow Warriors danced around, as if mocking the Scouts. The four girls exchanged a look, nodded once and prepared their assault. Sailor Mercury was the first one to attack. “Shabon spray!” A thick mist appeared, making it hard to see. This time, though, Sailor Mercury had finally figured out how to use her power so that the Scouts could see through it, but the enemy couldn’t. After the fog had covered all of the Shadow Warriors, the other three Scouts began their attack. “Fire soul!” “Supreme thunder!” “Crescent beam!” The fire and lightning mixed with energy went hurtling into the fog at the Shadow Warriors. Moments before hitting them, they all jumped away, as if sensing the attack. Three of the dark creatures suddenly darted in the Scouts’ direction, heading straight for Mars, Jupiter and Venus. The first creature struck Mars in the side, while the second hit Jupiter in the stomach and the third gave Venus a blow to the head. “Oh, no! Jupiter! Mars! Venus!” Mercury shouted, as her teammates were hit hard. That’s when she was struck in the back by a fourth Shadow Warrior. Mercury flew through the air and landed hard next to her friends. “They pack quite a punch,” Jupiter groaned, as she and the other Scout got to their feet. “Yeah,” Venus agreed. “Shall we try again?” “I’m all for it!” Mars said and prepared to use her powers again. “Fire soul!” The fireball flew straight for a group of four Shadow Warriors, causing them to scatter. “Oh, no you don’t!” Venus said. “Not this time! Crescent beam!” “Fire soul!” “Supreme thunder!” “Shabon spray!” The four attacks each hit a different Shadow Warrior, knocking them to their feet. Meanwhile, the other three were charging the Scouts while they were blasting their comrades. The first one tackled Sailor Jupiter, who immediately countered by throwing it off her and blasting it with another thunderbolt. The second tried to slash at Sailor Mercury, but missed as she leaped out of the way. Sailor Venus then blasted it with one of her crescent beams, which sent it flying to join the first four. The last one leaped at Sailor Mars, who met it midair with a jump kick followed by a fireball. By the time it hit the ground, the other six were up and ready to challenge the Scouts again. “These guys are tough!” Mercury said with dismay. “It looks like it’s gonna take everything we’ve got to defeat these monsters,” Mars said. “Ready?” “Ready!” the other Scouts replied in unison. “Then, let’s go!” Mars shouted as she and the other Scouts charged at the seven Shadow Warriors. During the battle, Ryoku had lost sight of Endymion. He was beginning to grow tired of constantly getting separated from his friends during battle. He was going to have to start paying more attention next time. He let that thought go, as he was now preparing to face three opponents at once. At the moment, they were circling him warily, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Since he was growing a little impatient, he obliged them by dropping his guard. Just as he predicted, all three attacked almost simultaneously. He rushed at one of his attackers and parried his blow with one of his swords while continuing to run past him. Now that all of his attackers were behind him, he turned to face them. He met the first one by blocking his sword and kicking him in the stomach and then the head. He then dodged the second attacker altogether and gave the third one a sword thrust through the middle of his chest while, at the same time, swinging backwards with his other sword, taking off the second attacker’s head. He turned back to the first attacker, who had already gotten to his feet and was charging at him, and blocked his attack with both swords. He locked swords with his opponent and was straining to gain the upper hand. Suddenly, his grim expression was replaced by a menacing grin. Before his opponent could figure out what was going on, he simply said, “Goodbye,” and quickly spun to one side while at the same time slicing his opponent’s throat. Taking a short break to catch his breath, he looked around for any sign of either Endymion or Akiyama. Turning to his left, he could see the battle taking place between the Sailor Scouts and the Shadow Warriors. ‘Wow,’ he thought to himself, ‘it looks like the Scouts are going all out in this fight. But the Shadow Warriors are taking everything they have to give and then some. I just hope the Scouts can keep them away from the other battle that’s taking place. The fight’s going bad enough as it is.’ Suddenly, he spotted a group of enemy soldiers heading straight for the Scouts. ‘With the concentration the Sailor Scouts are putting into their fight, I doubt they’ll have any to spare against those minor threats. Endymion and Akiyama can take care of themselves. I’d better go take care of this little problem.’ He hurried to intercept the group before they could sneak up on the Scouts. The group was heading for the nearest Scout, Sailor Mars, who was in the middle of trying to fry a couple of Shadow Warriors with her fireballs. “Sailor Mars, look out!” he called out, just as one of the soldiers leaped at her with his sword aimed for her neck. She turned around in time to see the blade rush dangerously for her throat. A couple of inches before the blade would have sliced her throat, Ryoku deflected the attack while at the same time impaling the attacker on his other sword. After sliding his sword out of the body he quickly dispatched the remaining attackers. “You all right?” he asked, turning to check on Sailor Mars. “Yeah, thanks Ryoku. I guess I owe you one,” she answered, grinning sheepishly. “Don’t mention it,” he replied, grinning back. His grin faded when he saw that more enemy soldiers were headed their way. “You and the other Sailor Scouts just take care of those Shadow Warriors. I’ll try my best to keep these guys off your backs,” he told her as he pointed toward the oncoming group. She nodded and smiled in appreciation. “That’ll be a great help. I’ll be sure to let the others know. Especially, Sailor Mercury.” He groaned slightly as he turned to face the advancing horde. “I’m just kidding, Ryoku,” she said with a laugh. “Fine time for it,” he muttered, but grinned despite himself. “Sorry,” she replied, still smiling, and turned to leave. “Take care of yourself, Ryoku, and good luck.” “You, too,” he said, as she departed. “All of you.” He took a quick count before getting ready to repel the enemy’s advance and found that there were more than he counted last time. “Uh-oh....” At first, only a few soldiers tried to attack the Sailor Scouts, but gradually more broke from the battle to charge the Scouts. Ryoku found it harder and harder to deal with so many at once. There was also the added difficulty of having to fight in a thick mist that was constantly appearing, thanks to Sailor Mercury. Fortunately, he quickly adjusted, using the fact that he knew the terrain better than his opponents and the fact that he was growing accustomed to the fog. After taking down a couple of soldiers going after Sailor Venus, he took a quick look to see how the main battle was faring. What he saw wasn’t encouraging. A third of the army was gone, while Queen Beryl’s army had lost only a few hundred. Obviously, the arrival of the Shadow Warriors had made a psychological impact on the defending forces. As determined to win as he was, Ryoku knew when to admit defeat. A quick glance to his right showed Sailor Jupiter preparing to electrocute a couple of Shadow Warriors. Behind her were a couple of soldiers trying to sneak up on her. “Supreme...,” she began, oblivious to the threat behind her. “Sailor Jupiter, behind you!” he yelled as he ran towards her, trying to intercept the attackers. “What? Hey!” she exclaimed as he tackled her to the ground, wincing as he hit. “What are you doing? I was just about to....” Before she could finish, he lashed out behind her with his sword. She quickly turned to see that he had taken down the soldiers who were about to ambush her. “I’ve got some bad news,” he said as they both stood up. “Great,” Jupiter muttered, “just what we need. What is it?” “The army’s being overwhelmed. I think that we might have to retreat to the Moon for now.” “What? Are you sure? We can’t just abandon the Earth like that.” “I know. I need to find Endymion. It’s his call on whether we stay or go. With the way things are going right now, we might not have much choice.” He clenched his fists in frustration. “You should let the other Scouts know fast.” “Right. I’ll go tell them now,” she said. He nodded and started to leave, but he suddenly winced in pain and stumbled forward a little. That was when Sailor Jupiter noticed that when he saved her from that ambush, he wasn’t left unscathed. On his left leg was a small wound, not very deep, and across his back was a long diagonal gash from his right shoulder to his left mid-section. Added to the many minor cuts and wounds he had already sustained, the fact that he was only now starting to show that he was injured surprised her. “Ryoku, you’re badly wounded!” she said worriedly, her concern for her brother evident on her face. He shook his head as he ignored the pain. “I know, but that’s not important now. You have to warn the other Scouts and I have to find Endymion. You gotta hurry!” he said, then turned to go find Endymion. “Be careful, Ryoku,” she said quietly. Almost as if he had heard her, he turned around briefly, waved, and quickly disappeared, swallowed up by the chaos that was rapidly unfolding all over the place. Endymion didn’t know how it happened, but somehow it had. After losing sight of Ryoku in the middle of the battle, he had his hands full fighting soldier after soldier. For every opponent he had cut down, two seemed to appear in his place, until he was now surrounded. Even surrounded, he refused the give up without a fight. He managed to hold his own for a few minutes, but he knew eventually one of the soldiers would reach him. Even now, one of his opponents’ swords was coming dangerously close to his neck.... Before the sword could pierce his throat, a sword suddenly deflected the attack while another ran the offender through the chest. The owner of those two swords was someone Endymion was very glad to see. “Been busy?” he asked. “A little,” Ryoku replied, shrugging indifferently. “You?” “Not much going on here. You can join in if you want.” Ryoku made a show of examining the opposition. “Looks like you can handle it by yourself, but since I got nothing better to do...,” he said while assuming a defensive stance, “I might as well.” The fact that there were two targets instead of one should have made little difference, but since they were both expert swordsmen, the two princes tore through the horde of soldiers with few problems. “Hmph. Hardly a challenge. Right, Endymion?” Ryoku asked smugly. “Yeah. Thanks for your help, Ryoku,” he said gratefully. “No problem.” Ryoku frowned as he recalled the reason why he had searched for him. “Endymion, I’ve got some bad news. We’ve got an emergency on our hands.” “Emergency?” Endymion asked, growing concerned. “Don’t tell me that the Shadow Warriors have defeated the Sailor Scouts!” “No, no, no!” Ryoku corrected quickly. “They’re still holding them off. It’s about the army, Endymion. We’ve taken heavy losses, while Queen Beryl’s forces haven’t lost as much as we thought they would. My guess is that they’re being encouraged by the fact that their strongest warriors have now taken an active part in their battle.” Endymion nodded soberly. “That would explain why they’re more aggressive now than the last two battles they’ve fought in.” “Endymion, I think that we may need to retreat to the Moon for now,” Ryoku said in a subdued voice. “I know this sounds like I’m giving up, but I’m not. We’re losing too many men and the Scouts are barely holding the Shadow Warriors back. We can’t take much more of this. You know we’re willing to defend Earth to the end, but right now there’s no chance of winning, barring an impossible miracle. “It’s your decision, Endymion. Stay, or retreat?” He was quiet for a long time. ‘If I stay, then it’s likely that I, Ryoku, the Scouts and all of us will die. If I go, then we will be abandoning Earth to Queen Beryl. Either way, we lose and Queen Beryl wins.’ He shook his head in discouragement and sighed. ‘If there is any chance of defeating Queen Beryl, I have to be alive to do it. I guess I have no choice.’ Just then, Sailor Mercury ran up to them. She gave a small nod to Ryoku, who returned the favor. “Endymion, we can’t keep them away from your men anymore,” she said apologetically. “Queen Beryl’s troops are constantly getting in our way, attacking us. We can’t deal with both at once.” “I understand Sailor Mercury,” Endymion said. “You and the other Sailor Scouts did your best. It looks like we have no other choice. We have to retreat.” He said the last part with an angry growl, clenching his fists in anger. “The Moon Palace must be defended at all costs,” he continued. “No doubt that is Queen Beryl’s true goal. Ryoku, I want you to go to the Moon Palace immediately and inform Queen Serenity of our defeat. I will join you when I can.” Ryoku nodded. He then turned to Sailor Mercury. “Sailor Mercury, would you and the other Scouts accompany him? I’m worried that if we start retreating to the Moon Palace, Queen Beryl might see it as an opportunity to attack immediately. She may have troops waiting to invade right now. I must stay and help General Akiyama begin the evacuation to the Moon.” “Certainly, Endymion,” Mercury replied. “The other Scouts and I will go with him. Besides, we must also tell Queen Serenity about the creatures we just fought.” “The Shadow Warriors,” Ryoku murmured quietly. “The Shadow Warriors?” Mercury repeated quizzically as he looked at him. “That sounds appropriate.” “Endymion, while I’m at the Palace, do you want me to tell Serenity about what has happened here?” Ryoku asked. Endymion’s expression grew sad as he thought of his beloved. “No, Ryoku. It’s best if I tell her myself. You’d better get going. We don’t have much time.” “Right.” Ryoku and Sailor Mercury said in unison and left, while Endymion left to go find Akiyama. A short while later, he found her, wounded, but still able to walk, if a little painfully. “Akiyama,” Endymion began in an emotionless tone, “we must regroup and prepare for a retreat to the Moon. This battle is lost.” From his vantage point, Quartzite started smiling at the humans’ expense. The humans were retreating and the battle was theirs. All that was left was to report the victory to Queen Beryl. “Queen Beryl, this is Quartzite. I have news concerning the battle.” “Well, what is it?” Queen Beryl replied telepathically. Quartzite thought she sounded almost... excited. “The humans have been defeated and are now retreating as I speak.” “Excellent! Now I can move on to the final phase of my plan.” “Queen Beryl, there is something else you should know.” “What? What is it now?” Now she sounded angry. “During the battle, I saw four girls take on the Seven Shadows. They were almost as strong as the Shadows, but they couldn’t defeat them. I believe that they are Queen Serenity’s most powerful warriors.” “So? They were beaten! Why do you think that this should concern me?” “They may have gone back to the Moon to gain reinforcements. They might try to retake the Earth. Attacking the Moon right now might not be a good idea....” “Don’t presume to tell me what to do!!!” “Yes... I mean, no... I mean... As you wish, my Queen.” Now, she was angry. “Still... you may have a point. Very well, I shall wait and build my army’s strength so there shall be no doubt as to who will be the victor in this war, and who shall be the vanquished....” Disclaimer: All original materials belong to their respective owners. Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi and is also Copyright © Kodansha, Toei Animation, TV Asahi, Bandai, DIC, Cloverway, Pioneer, etc. No copyright infringement is intended. This story belongs me, so I would appreciate it very much if you would ask for permission before posting it anywhere else. Thank you. Earth Scout Chronicles, Kino Ryoku: Copyright © 1999-2003 Jason C. Ulloa. All Rights Reserved.