The Ronin Warriors gazed upon the Crossform Senshi's true face and found it to be that of Mina Aino.
"Sailor Venus?" Kento wondered in disbelief.
"So how come Reeny's got your powers?" Rowen wondered.
"The little spore must of stolen my transformation pen. So I used my old
transformation brooch, but somehow I got changed into the Crossform Senshi,
as you call me. But someone did tell me to stop the Sailor Senshi from forming
the armor, but if you nine were to get in my way, I was supposed to kill
you."
"What did this person look like?" Anubis asked.
"He had a big hat on his head, and strange robes." Mina replied.
"Sounds like the Ancient, but why would he try to kill us?" Sai wondered.
"And while we're on the subject, how could he turn Mina into the Crossform
Senshi if Kayura's got his staff?" Ryo wondered.
"We can worry about that later. Six out of the nine Sailor Senshi have crystals."
Dais said.
"And we have the three remaining crystals." Sekhmet said.
"But they also have Hotaru. I just hope for her sake she drives them crazy."
Kale said.
"You foolish pest! You will join us, or die!" Raye shouted at Hotaru, whom
they had chained to a wall.
"I'll never join you and your companions! The power of Saturn was not meant
to be used for evil!" Hotaru protested.
Raye left her, to speak with the others.
"The little pest refuses to join our cause." Raye said.
"This really ruins our plans. If we want to destroy the Ronin Warriors and
their allies we need the armor's full power." Haruka said, angry.
"Well if she won't join us, we'll have to change her mind." Michiru said.
"And how are we going to do that?" Lita asked.
"Simple. We get the correct crystal from the Ronin Warriors and activate
its power. Then they are doomed." Michiru said.
"And we get one for me!" Reeny shouted.
"But you know the Ronins aren't going to just give us the crystal." Serena
said.
The group stared at her for actually making a comment that fit with the discussion.
"Right, that is why we use Hotaru as the bait. We exchange Hotaru for the
crystal." Ami said.
"And then we don't give her back." Raye added.
"You catch on quickly. Haruka, Michiru, grab Hotaru."
The ladies departed to find the Ronins. When the team finally arrived on the scene, they noticed Hotaru hanging from a rope, with Lita ready to cut it with her sword.
"Listen up Ronin Warriors. Give us the crystal key to the Armor of Cruelty, and we will let Hotaru go. Fail, and she dies. And if you're thinking of charging in like a bunch of heroes..." Ami said as Haruka and Michiru appeared to block their path, "then you've got another thing coming."
"We can do it guys!" Kento shouted, charging the girls, but Michiru blasted him away with her Submarine Reflection. Rowen then tried to fly up to untie Hotaru, but Serena shot him with her own bow.
"We can match anything you try Ronins." Ami said.
"Then let us see if you are correct." Ryo said.
The others charged, with the exception of Anubis, who was guarding the three crystals they still had. The teenage Reeny charged them, but Anubis was able to block, at which point she nailed him in the groin and grabbed the small pouch they were being kept in. As Kale dueled with Lita on the roof, he accidentally cut Hotaru free, causing her to fall. But everyone was too far away from her to save her. Suddenly, everything stopped! Sailor Pluto appeared. She had used her forbidden attack once more. She then leaped up, caught Hotaru, and lowered her to the ground. Suddenly Reeny stuck up behind Pluto and placed a crystal on her chest, causing her to don an armor that resembled Sekhmet's.
Dais had not engaged, but was hanging upside down nearby. He caught on with what was going on. Every time they had seen the Sailor Senshi gain their armor, they were in their Sailor forms. So that might mean, he thought, that the crystals could only work if they were transformed. He came out of his cogitation just in time to see Hotaru begin to remove her transformation pen.
"Hotaru! Don't transform! That's what they want you to do! If you transform, then they can summon Crystónin!" Dais shouted. Hotaru was able to hear him. But Reeny was closing in. Thinking quickly, Dais fired his Naginata, and shouted for her to grab the chain. He retracted, bringing her safely away. He dropped down from the ceiling.
"Time to make a hasty retreat."
Dais warped reality, making it look like the Ronins were leaving. The Sailor Senshi prepared to teleport away, but Reeny shouted that it was a trick. While Dais had grabbed Hotaru, she had activated the Crystónin Illusion armor.
"Okay, try this on for size."
Dais created the same thing with his holographic projector. Reeny could not distinguish this illusion because it was not magical in creation. While the Sailor Senshi followed what they thought to be the Ronins one way, the real guys ran the other.
Back at Mia's, Hotaru was reunited with Mina. But everything was not well. Mina had learned that she was unable to reactivate her Crossform Senshi abilities via her Sailor V brooch.
"It wouldn't have been a good idea anyway. If that fake Ancient comes forth,
then he might turn you against us." Ryo suggested.
"But now they have all the crystals, and all they need is Hotaru. The second
she becomes Sailor Saturn then they'll be on top of us." Anubis said.
"I want to help you." Hotaru said, "but without my Sailor Senshi powers I
can't help you...it battle that is. But I can use my mysterious power to
heal you."
"Phew. She was beginning to sound like one of Saban's minions." Kento said.
"But I have my armor to heal." Sage said.
"Wait. Mina, try using your transformation brooch to become Sailor V."
Mina did, and was able to become that alternate form.
"It works!" Mina said triumphantly.
"Let me try something. Yuli, hand me the Jewel of Life." Kayura said.
He did, and Mina donned it. It began to rotate, and sure enough, the armor of the Crossform Senshi activated. Mina deactivated both.
"But what about me?" Hotaru asked, feeling left out.
"Hotaru, you can use the Armor of Kaos. I haven't needed it lately." Kayura
said.
Just then, Talpa came storming in.
"Morons! You failed to secure the crystals! Because of you nine, and your
allies the Forgotten Souls, they now are one step away from calling on the
full power of Crystónin! Hotaru, it is best that you stay here. And
as for you Crossform Senshi, you better stay away from combat as well, because
we know what happens when one of those crystals touches you. And since that
the Crystónin Armor still has the five original Ronin Armors embedded
in it, we have a problem. If it is summoned, we have five more armors to
deal with." Talpa replied.
"Wait a sec. Speaking of our armor, how come we have our sub-armor if Ryo
ripped it out of us?" Kento asked.
"When I created the White Neo Armor I simultaneously took back the sub-armor.
We would not have been able to stop Ryo without them being in our possession."
Kayura explained.
"But we better rest now. We'll need all our strength if we're gonna keep
those Senshi from forming Crystónin." Ryo suggested.
So everyone went to sleep. Except for the Netherealm Demons, who could not. So they chose to stand guard over the slumbering samurai. Those that could shed their armor did so.
On the roof, Hariel and Dark Inferno surveyed the situation while the demonic Forgotten Souls patrolled the house.
Unknown to them, a group had slowly been able to penetrate their defenses.
"We did it!" Serena screamed in happiness.
"Shut up you ditz! You want them to hear us?" Raye shouted.
Hariel was about to fall asleep when Dark Inferno began sounding alarms like crazy.
"What is it?"
Danger. Danger. Enemy forces approaching.
"The Senshi. I knew it. Sand Strikers, attack."
Out of the ground near the Sailor Senshi the Sand Strikers emerged from the ground and engaged. But Raye forced them to retreat when she threatened to use her ofudas. Suddenly, the Sailor Senshi with the exception of Ami and Michiru were frozen solid! A new figure emerged. It was Sub-Zero, wearing an armor unlike any that had ever appeared before.
"You are not going anywhere." he said. "The Cryos Armor will make sure of that."
He revealed a large staff.
Seconds later the others broke free and overwhelmed Sub-Zero. Hariel began firing Dark Inferno's weapons at them, and the Senshi ran for cover. All of them prepared to use their attacks, but Hariel kept breaking their concentration with more volleys.
"We'll have to do this on our own turf!" Lita shouted.
"Right!" Raye said.
With that, they vanished, but not before Serena fired an arrow at the house.
The next morning, the heroes awoke to Yuli's screaming.
"Ryo! Come quick!" He shouted.
Ryo followed him outside, where he found a note pinned to one of Serena's arrows.
Ryo of the Wildfire,
we have your friends.
If you ever want to see them again,
come to juuban and face us alone
in mortal combat. if one other warrior
interferes with the battle,
all your friends die and you will too!
refuse to fight us, and you die!
how's that for choices?
Sincerely the Sailor Senshi.
Ryo ran into the house to find no one within except Mia, Mina, Hotaru, Yuli, and the Forgotten Souls.
"We must have been fighting an illusion last night! While we fought what
we thought were them, they broke in and captured everyone else." Hariel said.
"They want to fight me, and me alone." Ryo said once more.
"Let's get them. Together, I know we can win!" Saber Strike said.
"No. The others die if you help me." he said.
"Ryo, it says we can't intervene. While you fight the Senshi, we'll attempt
to get your friends free. Once they're safe, we have Kayura hightail us out
of there." Hariel explained.
"That might work, but they'll kill us the second you touch them."
"We have terrible odds. Eight of them against you." Sun Devil said.
"I have no choice but to fight them." Ryo said.
"Ryo, there is probably another way." Saber Strike said.
"I refuse to accept, we all die. You guys help me in any way, we die. I fight
them, I might win." Ryo said.
"Ryo, going against all eight of them is madness!" Gash shouted.
"True, but the odds were stacked against me when I fought Saban, and I beat
him." Ryo reminded them.
"Yes but there was only ONE of him! There are EIGHT of them!" Hariel reminded
him.
"It's a risk I have to take." Ryo said.
Later that day, Ryo stood before the Sailor Senshi on a bridge. Mia, Yuli, Mina, and Hotaru stood with Kayura, who had generated a force field to protect them from harm. Hanging above them, tied together, were the Warlords and Ronins. Hariel and his Forgotten Souls were hidden from view.
"Sailor Senshi!" Ryo shouted. "I accept your challenge! Fight me in mortal combat." He quickly activated his armor and brandished his swords. The Sailor Senshi charged him, weapons drawn.
To Be Continued...