Two Worlds Collide: Chapter 27

Back in Crystal Tokyo, the battle still raged on. Only instead of a resurrected Beryl and her horde, the defenders of the Silver Millennium and the Senshi had to contend with a new enemy. An enemy unlike any they had faced.

Alone, the peaceful guardians of the Millennium didn’t stand a chance against the army arrayed before them. It was an army straight from the mouth of Hell itself, a legion of monsters, murderers, pillagers, and demons. All the stuff of children’s nightmares, believed to be pure myth and superstition even by these gentle folk, was real and it was here, destroying all in their path.

Alone, they would have been destroyed in a single night, such was the destructive might of the army they faced. But as the old saying goes: the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

And this army of horrors, this legion of killers, this……Chaos……….it had an enemy of its own, and that enemy was here, the army of order fighting beside the guardians of the Millennium and ensuring their safety.

For the defenders of the Millennium, it was a new foe. For their strange allies, this was a foe they had fought, vanquished, and lost time and time again for millennia………and it won’t end in their lifetime.

………………………………………………………..

Two royals, two sisters in fact, were out in the courtyard of Crystal Tokyo, witnesses to a hell made real.

Everywhere they looked, the beautiful city of light and love was burning. Hordes of crazed madmen ran rampant through its streets, killing and pillaging with mindless abandon. Beside them were numberless hordes of otherworldly creatures, beasts and monsters conjured from nightmares. Not far from this army were vast machines of destruction: rolling metal slabs that spat blasting fire, mechanical constructs fitted with an array of deadly weapons that spat killing death at anyone……….it was endless.

And high above, the normally beautiful skies were completely twisted. A writhing, churning mass of red streaked with dirty white and black covered the sky over Crystal Tokyo. Thunderous bolts of lightning struck down from the foul clouds of the storm, and howling winds issued from above, winds that literally seemed to howl with the voices of the damned and the suffering.

From this storm came more of the nightmarish creatures, the creatures that their strange allies called daemons. The name was apt, for each did indeed look like the evil being of ancient religious myth. And here they were, spreading death, decay, and destruction upon this city of peace.

It was a lot to bear for the twin sisters, who just looked on ahead with fearful gazes. “So terrible.” said the younger of the two, a young woman of pale skin and lithe build, strawberry-blonde hair flowing down her shoulders. Her elder sister turned to look at her.

“I know, Anna.” the elder sister replied. She was slightly taller than her younger sibling, clad in a fine dress of white and light blue. She was paler than her sister, and her hair was platinum blonde in color, though as white as the snow of her native realm. She too, shared the same fear as her sister.

“I know.” she repeated. “It is terrible, but we should go out there and help in any way we can.” As she finished speaking, she lifted her right hand. From her hand emerged a misty haze of snow and a light blast of wind. For the elder sister possessed a power that her younger sister didn’t have; she had the power to command the snow and wind of her homeland, and she had it since childhood. For a long time she restrained her power after it nearly killed her sister, but it was finally unleashed, plunging her kingdom in a perpetual winter. Thus the elder sister went into exile, afraid that her power would destroy all around her. Her younger sibling, however, believed otherwise, and she went on a journey to find and save her sister. It almost cost Anna her life, but in the end, both sisters were reunited and the elder sister finally learned to master her power, and she was able to drive away the winter she had accidentally imposed upon her kingdom, restoring it to its former beauty. Since then, she and her sister have ruled the kingdom of Arendelle peacefully for centuries, gifted of long life and wisdom following their quest.

Two sisters, a queen and a princess, bound forever in love and friendship. The elder sister was known to her people as the Snow Queen, a fitting title for her. Her name was Elsa.

“I agree.” Anna replied, more than willing to go out there and help the people of the Silver Millennium, who were caught in the crossfire between two warring armies. Such was her selfless will and care for others. “But I don’t know how to fight, not that well at least.”

“But we can help others reach the safety of the palace.” Elsa spoke back, turning her gaze to several of the red-armored giants fighting back against a trio of crimson giants festooned with horns. “Let the giants fight this enemy. We can help the people get to safety.”

True, indeed; there were many ways one could help others in a time of crisis. War was no exception, and this was the sisters’ first true taste of war. They had faced hardship and danger before, but this battlefield was their very first. Their selflessness and bravery outweighed their growing fear, though. They were more than willing to help the innocents of Crystal Tokyo in any way they could.

“It’s decided, then.” said Anna, the younger sister rising to her full height, courage burning deep in her heart. She turned to look at her elder sister and gave Elsa a heartwarming smile. “You coming, Elsa?” she asked, and Elsa smiled in return, both her hands now sheathed in swirls of snow and wind. She was ready. “Let’s go.” she replied, and the twins went into the crucible of war.

……………………………………………………………..

“Enemy right!” a strong voice called out to the leader of a five-man squad of giants. The warrior, clad in crimson armor engraved with esoteric scripts and sigils, looked at where his brother-warrior pointed. It was true; four enemy warriors strode towards them, evil intent guiding their every step.

They too wore armor of a similar red color, but it was hideous and disgusting to gaze upon. Their armor was spiked and pitted, battle-worn and warped to the point of non-recognition. Torn parchments written with dark script flowed from their shoulders, arms, and legs, and all manner of evil icons could be seen in full view. The symbol of their legion, a black daemonic head upon a burning flame, writhed and churned, almost as if the symbol itself were alive.

 Weapons they bore, immense cannons that looked identical to those of their enemies, but even these did not escape the touch of corruption. Their very metal skin appeared pitted, spiked, and even stretched in some parts, making them look semi-organic in nature. There was no doubting the lethality of their firepower, however.

This the leader knew. “Confirmed, brother.” he said to his comrade before giving out instructions to his men. “Wall formation. We’ll fire a volley before closing in.” The giants obeyed, forming a solid wall of steel, weapons forward and aimed at the other giants, who now bellowed in their dark tongues and charged heedlessly at them.

A few moments of calm ensued before the leader said, “Open fire!” From the barrels of their enormous guns death spat out to meet the charging beast-men halfway. It became a din of sound as the immense bullets found their targets, striking through corrupt flesh or glancing off the worn but strong armor of the monsters. One of them fell, his head a pulpy red mass of blown flesh and bone, the rest of his body falling forwards with a little momentum gained from his run before finally collapsing to the ground.

The other three went on, heedless of their fallen comrade, intent on meeting their enemy head-on and fighting up-close. From the depths of their evil-visaged helmets cries came out, cries spoken in a forbidden tongue. Their enemies replied, countering the monsters’ curses with mystical chants of their own. It was a battle of wills as much as a battle of physical skill.

 But in the end, it was the defenders who were victorious. The attackers were all killed, one actually having reached within striking distance before being decapitated by the leader’s unsheathed blade, a golden sickle-sword now slicked with the blood of the slain.

But no sooner had the attackers been slain that another of the warriors spoke. “Brother-sergeant, another group of traitors to the west, bound to this location.” He pointed, and there were another five giants, all of them armed with some immense heavy weapon. The brother-sergeant nodded, replying, “Pull back. Those are Havoc autocannons. Even corrupt with the taint of Chaos, they are still lethal to us.”

His warriors acknowledged his command, retreating from the battle and giving ground intentionally. It was called a tactical retreat. Unfortunately, there was more danger ahead. “Brother-sergeant, another group of Word Bearers to our north!” one of the warriors called, pointing north to reveal another six of the enemy giants bearing down on them. Huge devices were worn upon their backs, growling with plumes of flame that bore them aloft. Raptors.

“A third group in front of us as well.” said another, seeing four more enemies coming from the east directly in front of them. The six defenders were cornered, and the brother-sergeant knew it. “Mandala.” he instructed, and his five brothers formed into a circle with him as the central point, guns aimed outward. “If it is our time to die, then it is so. For Magnus and the Emperor, brothers. Show these traitors no mercy.” They replied, muttering catechisms and mystic oaths to their mysterious patron. Slowly the enemy groups headed for them, tightening the noose slowly and deliberately. These monsters savored the moment of the kill.

It was to be their undoing.

………………………………………………………….

From out of nowhere a blast of rapid-forming ice emerged, spearing towards the northern group, the ones with the flame-spewing devices. Instantly the monsters were frozen, trapped within tombs of ice. The threat to the north vanished.

Bewildered, the attackers looked all around, trying to find their new enemy. When their foe appeared, further bewilderment played across their hidden faces. Their enemy……….was a woman, a woman of thin yet lovely build, hair of platinum blonde blowing wildly around her from an unseen wind. Frost and snow flowed from her hands, and a gaze of controlled anger beset her fair face.

One of the evil giants screamed out a command, pointing his thorn-studded iron blade at the woman. The others ignored their previous quarry and went straight for the maiden, who reacted with blasts of snow that transformed into ice walls or spikes. But all her powers did was merely slow the giants down, for they simply smashed through with their sheer bulk. She reacted further, conjuring spikes from her hands and ice walls. Whether by intention or not, some of the giants were impaled by the ice spikes, blood leaking out from newly-formed wounds.

Yet even that didn’t slow them, and the maiden realized her mistake. Unleashing a final wall of ice, the largest one yet, she fled backwards, shouting, “Anna, run!” Not far was another woman, fear upon her face and she followed her sister’s words, running away. But as fast as they were, the giants were faster, even with their gaping wounds caused by the ice. Soon they would have them.

Or not.

………………………………………………………….

Anna ran, doing as Elsa told her to do. Looking back, she saw Elsa covering their retreat, conjuring more and more ice walls to prevent the giants from gaining. But it was to no avail, for the giants were driven on by rage, and they kept pursuit.

In a matter of moments Anna and Elsa would be caught and killed, but then someone intervened. A blast of fire emerged from their left, immolating two of the chasing giants, who screamed as they were burned alive. The rest turned to meet their foe. It was the squad of warriors they were encircling earlier, now back in the fight.

Anna and Elsa quickly turned and hid behind a fallen pillar, seeing their saviors before them. It was the same red-armored giants Elsa had saved from the other giants with her ice powers. They were back to return the favor.

“Use your powers, brothers.” They heard the leader say to his men. “There are too many to kill with our bolters, so we have no choice. Unleash the might of our Legion.” And from his hands emerged roaring blasts of flame.

…………………………………………………………..

Anna and Elsa stared in amazement as they beheld the giants unleash powers very much like Elsa’s ice abilities. Each one was individual, though, not one power being the same.

The leader was obviously a fire-user, for tongues of flame continued to spring forth from his outstretched hands. The heat from the flames was truly hot, for the sisters saw the pitted armor of the monsters literally melt before their eyes. The leader wielded the tongues of fire like whips, slashing them around, creating fire walls or striking down his foe with the flame.

Beside him, another of the giants merely raised one of his hands and the sisters saw two of the monster-giants suddenly become sluggish, their limbs moving forcefully, almost as if they were no longer theirs to control. It was true, for the giant raised his other hand and began to gesture with it. Each gesture saw the monsters move sluggishly, raising their weapon arms……….and aiming them at each other.

A final gesture, and the ear-splitting sound of gunfire erupted. Under the control of the puppet master, the monsters killed themselves, unleashing their weapons upon each other until both died from their self-inflicted wounds. The giant lowered his arms, his control complete.

And then he raised his left arm to ward away another monster who charged at him in a bellowing frenzy, toothed sword raised and whirring. What Anna and Elsa saw shocked them: a crater suddenly emerged in the monster’s chest, warping and destroying his armored chest and ruining the body within. The crater apparently had force behind it, for the monster was hurled back at the same time by the giant’s simple hand gesture, a gesture that had subtle, powerful force behind its move.

More destruction the sisters saw: a third giant was battling another monster who wielded a savagely crafted axe that crackled with energy. The monster was swinging his axe with precision, but his enemy was too swift, dodging each strike with ease. Finally, an opening came, and the giant took advantage of it. But he didn’t raise his weapon; he raised his hand instead. What the sisters beheld was nothing short of horrifying.

The monster was on his knees, screaming in agony. Blood heated to the boiling point was flowing out from his helmet and every other open joint of his corrupted armor. His killer simply stood there, hand raised as he forced his opponent’s blood to boil and evaporate. Very soon, the screaming ended, and the monster died, his flesh drained of blood.

It went on like this for only a few more moments. The fight lasted only a short while, and soon all of the monsters were dead, though their enemies hadn’t raised a weapon at all, instead killing them with their unseen powers.

A very unnatural and dreadful way to die, and yet……it was necessary.

…………………………………………………..

Anna didn’t seem to think so, and she yelled out to the giants, who saw her and Elsa and strode towards them. “How could you do that!?” In particular, she shouted to the ones who had controlled the monsters mentally or boiled their blood, forcing them to die painfully. The giants, their faces hidden behind their golden helms, merely looked down at her.

“What are you talking about?” said the leader, speaking on behalf of his men. Anna continued her tirade. “Killing those monsters with such powers! Sure they were evil, but you didn’t have to control them like that or do whatever it is that killed them! It’s so horrible!”

“Be silent!” thundered one of the giants, the one who had controlled two of the monsters and caused them to kill one another. “You should be grateful that we saved your lives, mortal.” Before either the giant or Anna could give out an angry retort, however, the leader raised his hand, stopping his brother’s words. “Forgive my brother, princess. He is belligerent, as are many of his kin in the Raptora. But he is right. We had no choice but to kill those traitors with our powers, no matter how gruesome they were.”

Anna wasn’t convinced, though, and she prepared yet another volley of accusing words when Elsa stopped her. “Anna, that’s enough!” she said to her sister. “Leave them be. As much I hate it, they’re right. They were outnumbered, and they didn’t have a choice.” Only her older sister’s words placated Anna, and she relented, albeit reluctantly.

Once her sister was calmed down, Elsa spoke to the leader. “Thank you for saving us.” she said to him. The leader nodded, replying, “You were foolish, mortal, to fight our enemy. We would have willingly died with honor fighting to save this city. But,” he gestured to his warriors, “you have our thanks as well. But next time, leave the fighting to us.”

“You’re welcome.” Elsa replied, and then she explained the reason why she and her sister were here. The giant nodded in understanding, answering, “Your reason and my squad’s mission are the same then, for we are tasked with finding any civilians and bringing them to the safety of the Crystal Palace.”

“We thought we could help.” Anna stepped in, her previous anger gone. “We’re not fighters, but we can find others and take them to safety, even though it’s a long walk back to the Palace.” The giant nodded again. “True, but it is not necessary to walk back to the Palace. We have a Thunderhawk waiting to take any civilians we find.”

“Thunderhawk?” said Anna, unfamiliar with the word. Elsa was also equally confused. “What’s that?”

The leader answered, “An aircraft, a flying machine if you will. A mode of transport that is capable of flight. It is no different to how your ships use the wind and sails to travel across water.”

A flying machine? This was new information for the sisters to take in, for nothing like that existed in Arendelle or anywhere on Earth.

“However,” the giant’s words interrupted their thoughts, “I must decline your offer of assistance.” Before the sisters could argue back, he added, “You are not warriors, and I cannot ensure your protection all the time. This is a battlefield now, and there are sure to be more enemies out there. I cannot guarantee your safety.”

“We don’t care about our safety!” Anna yelled back, not backing down. “We want to help!” The giant said, “I know you do, but understand that I cannot protect you all the time, nor can my warriors.”

“It doesn’t matter!” Anna retorted. “I want to help, and so does Elsa! We’ll do the searching while you do the fighting!” Elsa nodded in agreement, adding, “Our presence will also reassure any survivors we find to be at ease. I’m pretty sure many are intimidated by your very presence.”

That gave the leader pause. He had never considered that. Elsa saw her chance and took it. “Please.” she implored him, “Give us a chance. We’ll stay out of your way, and if we need protection I can use my powers to fight back. Besides, you could use two more pairs of hands.”

A long moment passed, and finally the leader gave out a sigh. “Although it is against my better judgment,” he said, “I am forced to agree with you. It is true what you say.” He stood to his full height, continuing to speak. “Very well. You will come with us and help in rescuing any civilians we find. But you will stay out our way.” To that the sisters nodded in agreement.

The leader being satisfied, he turned to address his men when Anna asked him, “What’s your name?” She didn’t expect a response, believing the giants to be grim and emotionless, but reply he did. “My name is Brother-Sergeant Sekthi of the XV Legion. These are my warriors.” He gestured with his left hand, going from left to right in order.

“Brothers Amek, Thutis, Xanath, Rhomedris, and Akhtem. And before you introduce yourselves,” he added, “let me tell you there is no need. We know who you are, Queen Elsa and Princess Anna of Arendelle. It is an honor to meet you both.”

Anna and Elsa were further surprised as all six giants bowed in respect to them, their belligerent manner totally gone. It was shocking. Even more shocking was the leader, Sekthi, unsheathing a triangular-shaped dagger from his belt and handing it to Anna. In her small hands, the dagger was the equivalent of a normal-sized sword, the dagger being made for a giant, not a mortal.

“You will need that.” he said to her. “My warriors and I won’t be there all the time to protect you, and neither will your sister. I hope you know how to wield a blade.”

“Not that good,” Anna replied, her previous shock gone and her bubbly yet courageous personality coming back to the fore, “but not that bad, either. Thank you.”

Sekthi nodded and rallied his warriors to him. Anna and Elsa stayed close to them. “Let us go.” he said, and they ventured into the battlefield that was Crystal Tokyo.

……………………………………………………….

Within the Crystal Palace, they ran.

They ran back to the battleground, to the hell that was once the paradise city of Crystal Tokyo.

All around them, the group heard the sounds of machinery deep below the foundations of their palace. Every wall of the palace was now dominated by deep tremors and rumbles, a dolorous toll of sound that was the herald of something they had unleashed. It was as if the very earth beneath the city was shifting, moving to bring forth something long since hidden but was now needed.

But what? What could be hidden under the very foundations of their peaceful city? The natives had only heard the cryptic words of their newfound allies, and it was no soothing thing at all. It only served to deepen the fear and doubt that was now in their hearts, for they couldn’t help but think: what necessary evil had they unlocked and brought forth from the deep?

What indeed?

………………………………………………………….

To the northwest of Crystal Tokyo, Anna and Elsa found it quite difficult to keep up with Sekthi and his band of warriors, men whom the sisters learned that Sekthi called his “battle-brothers”.

The sisters were quite amazed at how fast and swift the red giants were despite wearing overly exaggerated and bulky armor. In all instances, such heavy armor should have hindered their movement to the point of sluggishness, but the truth couldn’t be more opposite.

These warriors moved with swift precision, their every footfall sure and on the mark. Anna and Elsa had to all but run as fast as they could to keep up with the giants. If they didn’t stop soon, the sisters would have to stop to catch their breath.

There would be no need, however, for one of the giants- Akhtem- raised his hand, saying, “I hear something, three meters to our left.” Everyone strained to listen for the sounds Akhtem had heard, and after a moment of listening, they heard it: a series of muffled cries for help.

Another of the warriors, Thutis, spoke then. “Armor auto-senses confirm, brother-sergeant. I detect five individuals beneath that pile of rubble where Akhtem heard the sound.” He pointed at a pile of broken marble and crystal, and the group headed over there. In no time at all they heard the cries of help more clearly. It was a man and a woman, along with three children.

“Help!” the man cried. “Is anyone out there?” Sekthi wasted no time and replied to the man’s call for help. “Yes.” he spoke clearly, his resonant voice carrying out through the rubble. “Do not despair, your salvation has come.”

“Thank the moon!” another voice, tinged with relief, spoke. It was the woman, and she spoke to her children, soothing their fears. It was Sekthi’s booming voice that scared the children. He paid them no mind. “Are any of you injured?” he inquired.

“No, only a few cuts and bruises.” the man replied. “Who are you? You don’t sound like anyone from Crystal Tokyo. Are you one of those evil giants that come to destroy us?”

“No.” Sekthi replied. “I am not one of those traitors. And even if I were, I would not have wasted time calling out to you. I would have simply killed you instead.”

That seemed to shut the man up. Sekthi continued to speak. “Two of my battle-brothers are going to lift the rubble, and we’ll get you out. Keep your heads down.” He then directed Thutis and Amek to physically lift the rubble and extricate the trapped civilians. In no time the two giants went to work, clasping their guns to their waists and using their bare hands to lift heavy blocks of masonry and marble. Anna and Elsa marveled at the giants’ strength, looking on in amazement as they simply hefted huge stone blocks and threw them away.

Finally, the family trapped beneath was free, and they quickly got out. The three children immediately clung to their mother at the sight of Sekthi and his five warriors, the mother speaking soothing words of reassurance to them. The father, meanwhile, uttered his thanks to Sekthi, who accepted it with kindness.

But the words of thanks were short-lived, for the rearguard- Rhomedris- called out. “Word Bearers! Three of them, inbound to our position! They are clad in Terminator armor!”

Terminator armor? What could that mean to the sisters and the family? Sekthi, however, knew what it was, and he quickly ran over to his warrior’s position, instructing the others to stay put. Soon he saw what Rhomedris saw: three hulking figures strode towards them, clad in immense armor plate bigger than his own, wielding enormous maces and a double-barreled cannon.

“Not good.” said Sekthi, Anna and Elsa joining him and Rhomedris. Both women gasped at the sight of the huge figures out there in the gloom; they seemed much bigger than Sekthi and any of his men. He paid no heed to their gasps of shock. “One of them wields a reaper autocannon, and the other two have power maces. Those maces could crack our armor in two under a single blow, as will the reaper. We cannot fight them and defend the civilians at the same time, even with our powers. We must withdraw.”

So saying, he turned and quickly returned to his squad, the others following him. “Fall back immediately! We cannot fight them.” His men obeyed, ushering the fear-stricken family in the opposite direction. Meanwhile, Sekthi said to Elsa, “My queen, raise a barrier. We need to delay those Word Bearers as much as we can.”

Elsa nodded, not caring that she was taking orders from a common soldier, albeit one who was a giant. Survival overrode any sense of formal etiquette. She turned and blasted snow and frost from her hands which transformed into an immense, solid wall of ice. Spikes protruded out from the front, some as big as the titans themselves. The ice wall erected, Elsa fled with the others.

But no sooner had they gone a few steps that the group heard the sound of ice tumbling down; the Word Bearer giants had smashed through Elsa’s ice barricade. Sekthi bade the group run faster, having the parents carry their children. All the while, he had his hand pressed to his helmet, calling out to the wind.

“Ra-Horum. Ra-Horum, come in!” he cried out repeatedly. There seemed to be no answer to his call, but finally they heard a sound of relief in Sekthi’s voice as whoever he was calling answered.

“We have found five survivors in the northern residential area of the city.” he said to his unseen listener. Who was he talking to, wondered Anna? “We require immediate extraction. Three enemy Terminators are inbound to our position. Come quickly.”

This time, Anna heard a faint but definite reply, being close enough to hear the words. “Understood, brother-sergeant. The augurs have scryed the position of your locator. We shall be there shortly. Ra-Horum out.”

Sekthi now turned to the group, giving orders to his warriors. “Alpha Star formation. Protect the survivors. The Ra-Horum is inbound, but I do not know when she’ll arrive.”

“Ra-Horum? You mean that flying machine of yours?” Anna asked Sekthi, to which he replied, “Yes. It is our means of escape. She’ll be here soon, so we’ve got to hold out until then. Be ready, for our enemy comes.”

No sooner had he finished the words that a loud war-cry could be heard. Just at the other end of the street were the giants in hulking armor, the Terminators. Anna and the family cried out in fear upon seeing their tusked helmets, the tusks of bone glistening with blood. Elsa stood beside Sekthi and his men, intent on protecting the survivors and her sister.

Upon seeing them, the Terminators charged.

………………………………………………………………

Elsa dealt the first blow, unleashing a blinding blizzard of torrential snow at the enemy. Frost appeared on their armor as the Word Bearer monsters battled the freezing cold of her element, but they went on. Elsa didn’t let up, concentrating more and more of her ice power into stopping the giants cold. It gave Sekthi and his men the opening they needed.

“Bolters.” he ordered, aiming his own gun at them. “Look for weakpoints in their armor and open fire. Be precise with your shots.” So saying, he pressed the trigger, and his gun discharged with a loud roar, the other five guns of his warriors following suit. While Elsa deterred the Terminators with her snow, they let loose a hail of bolts that punctured through the giants’ war-plate, causing deep wounds within.

But the Terminators’ thickness and immense girth proved to be their greatest strength, for they kept on coming despite Elsa’s constant barrage of ice and snow and the bloody wounds caused by the shots they took. Very soon they would close the distance, and carnage would ensue.

But once more, fate was on the defenders’ side, for a loud roar sounded overhead, followed by the repetitive blast of gunfire.

Anna looked up and saw a large flying machine hovering above them like a protective raptor over her young. Fire spat from three black orifices in its back, keeping it aloft. From its front, twin weapons blazed bright bolts of yellow at the Terminators, who now jerked wildly as they were struck down by the much bigger weapons of the flying machine. Soon they were dead, and the danger was passed.

Elsa finally relented her attack and looked up in amazement at the flying machine that slowly lowered down onto the ground behind them. She had never seen anything like it; it was a long, blocky flying ship, clad with a pair of metallic wings and with fire spitting out behind it. It was painted in red and chased with golden trim. Beautiful script was written along its flanks, and numerous symbols dotted its metal hide, the greatest being the mark of a white, eight-pointed wavy star on the front of the flying vessel. It was simply remarkable.

 “The Ra-Horum,” she heard Sekthi explain, “the Thunderhawk transport that I was telling you about. She is our way out of here. Everyone aboard, now!”

His warriors ushered the family inside, and he directed Anna and Elsa inside too. Once everyone was aboard, he went over to the side of the aircraft and pressed something there, saying, “We are aboard. Take off!”

“Acknowledged.” everyone heard a disembodied voice reply. “Lifting off.” An instant later, Anna, Elsa, and the family cried as they felt a sudden lurch and they nearly fell over, followed by the strange sensation of lift. “Do not despair.” the strong voice of Sekthi calmed them. “We are currently flying above the ground right now, and we will take you to the Crystal Palace. Rest assured, you are safe.”

The family gave out scattered words of thanks, but stayed close together, afraid despite the fact that they were truly safe. Meanwhile, Anna and Elsa strode over to the brother-sergeant, albeit cautiously since they had never been off the ground and inside a flying machine before.

“Thank you for letting us help.” said Anna, giving a small curtsey which Sekthi accepted. Elsa gave her own thanks as well, which Sekthi also accepted. “Your thanks are accepted and appreciated,” he told them, “but you will remain at the Crystal Palace once we land. And this time, I’m not taking no for an answer.”

There was no argument coming from either of the royals, for they saw he was right. They weren’t ready to venture out into the battlefield, no matter how courageous either of them were. Those thoughts were cast aside, however, as they heard something loud beyond.

“What was that?” said Anna, hearing the constant barrage of sound outside the metal walls of the Thunderhawk flying machine grow louder and louder. Sekthi looked up at a transparent screen upon the aircraft’s ceiling that showed an external view of the city, and he smiled, his smile visible to all thanks to his helmet being off.

“Salvation.” was all he said as below them, the tide of the battle finally turned.

………………………………………………………………

“Oh, my goodness……….Impossible……………How can this be?......................What have we done?........”

These were the questions that spat out of everyone’s mouths when they finally came out into the main courtyard of the Crystal Palace. Only Serenity and Endymion remained silent, but there was no doubting the shock in their minds as they beheld a most incredible…….and destructive sight.

Out before them, whole areas of Crystal Tokyo were shifting, either in large or small scale. Entire sections of the ground opened up, revealing cavernous fathoms from which many things were slowly emerging.

Many of the objects emerging from beneath the ground were revealed to be weapons systems, and they were many and varied. The group saw tall towers, as high as the crystal towers of the city, filled with numerous cannons that immediately opened fire, spitting beams of light and trails of bolts down upon their common foe.

More came: automated turrets that carried yet more weapons of varied design, all of them activating and firing upon the nearest enemy. Their payloads of death were varied, from torrents of bullets to gouts of white-hot flame, to bursts of blue fire to blasts of superheated energy.

 Tall pillars with crystals embedded into their frame emerged, a quartet of small antennas forming their very top. The crystals upon these pillars began to glow a bright blue, and from the antennas a shining sphere of protection was formed. Those who witnessed their creation saw their purpose: they were energy shields of some sort, shields specifically made to counter anything daemonic or otherwise unnatural. They beheld daemons charging at the huddled individuals beneath some of these shield-towers, only to have their filthy bodies instantly disintegrated once in contact with the shield.

Immense statues of steel, stone, and gold also emerged, many of them being hooded angels with swords held firmly in front of them. Some of the more psychically-attuned Senshi sensed powerful harmonious energies emitting from these statues, but they weren’t the energies of love. The frequencies they generated were much more aggressive, though not evil in nature. Even though they were not derived from the power of love, the powerful frequencies were no less lethal, as many daemons around the statues’ vicinity suddenly fell to their backs and knees in pain, clutching their misshapen heads as they beheld their bodies instantly being destroyed by these frequencies, presaging the return of their ethereal forms back to the hellish realm from whence they came. Those statues were no doubt an extremely potent defense mechanism.

More emerged: black pillars written with golden script that somehow dispelled the negative energies pervading the entire city. A sense of peace soon began to fill the city despite all the violence that was occurring, but it wasn’t the familiar, joyful peace the people of the Silver Millennium were so accustomed to. Instead, it felt almost dead, a sense of nothingness replacing the churning chaotic energies that were once here.

From the larger sections that opened up in the vast areas of Crystal Tokyo huge domed buildings emerged. They possessed a Gothic architecture in their design, having high towers, statues, and arches typical of that ancient era. But they also revealed numerous technological systems, some of which were immense cannons larger than anything seen on Earth, all of them pointing to the sky.

But it wasn’t just vast structures, weapon systems, and pillars that came out from beneath the ground. People, or rather machine-people, came out as well.

………………………………………………………………….

Rini looked on in disbelief as she saw all these vast structures emerge from under the ground of her beloved city. She had never truly believed that what the stranger Ahzek had said was true, that an entire underground complex existed far beneath her city.

Now she could no longer deny the truth, for it was appearing right in front of her. All these towers, all these buildings, all these weapons that came and began to spit death, it continued to shatter the good energies and peace of Crystal Tokyo. She felt the dying light of her home die a little more with each new structure that came from beneath the earth.

“Look!” she heard the voice of Mercury cry out, and she saw pointing to the courtyard. More holes were appearing along the outer edge, away from the marble paths and gardens. They could all hear the sound of gears and of something rising from below, and soon they beheld what came out from underneath.

It was more of those half-machine people she and the others had seen down in the secret chamber. Servitors. That was their name. These were the half-robotic slaves that the woman Selene had said served their so-called Imperium in any capacity. But to Rini, she just saw unwilling slaves who deep down were human beings kept under control. How wrong and naïve she was, for there was truly nothing beneath these mindless creatures, as she would soon find out.

“Good.” the strong voice of Sobek spoke. The giant stood behind them, holding aloft the Banner of Macragge on his left arm. None could doubt the shining gleam that came off the banner, or the immense fountain of hope that seemed to exude from its very fabric. How it was able to contain so much positive energy was beyond them.

“Good.” Sobek said again. “The defenses are emerging. Our plan is coming into action after centuries of inactivity.” He then nodded to Sailor Mercury, who was going to ask him a question about these particular servitors, for they weren’t like the ones they had seen down below in the chamber.

These were armed.

Each had one of their upper limbs, either their right or left arm or even both their arms, replaced entirely with a bladed weapon, be it a grafted sword, axe, or some other melee weapon. Others were fitted with huge fire-spitting weapons, ranging from heavy cannons to beam emitters. Regardless of their configuration, however, each servitor was armed and moving out to the main gate of the palace and into the battle.

“What kind of…….servitors are those?” asked Mercury. “Are they……….made to fight?” Sobek nodded in return, replying, “Indeed they are, Senshi of Water. These are called combat-servitors, and they specifically designed to fight in battle. Thus, they are modified with numerous systems geared towards fighting, including the amputation of at least one of their limbs and the installing of a weapon, whether it be a sword or gun.”

“Don’t say that.” Rini sputtered out, the princess of the Silver Millennium unable to take the callousness of the giant any longer. “Don’t say that these “servitors” are machines! They’re not modified, they’re not changed, and they’re not soulless! They are people, living people!”

“They once were, princess.” the soft but equally stern voice of Selene interjected, the silver-clad woman stepping to intervene. “But remember what we told you; many of them were criminals of the worst sort, and they were given too many chances to redeem themselves. There is a limit to our tolerance and compassion, and these people passed that limit. Thus, there’s nothing left for them but this forced servitude.”

“Do not think,” Sobek cut in, knowing what Rini and a few of the others were going to say in protest, “that we condemn innocent beings to this fate so cruelly, either. We reserve this dark yet necessary fate only for the most vile of criminals. This is something we do not choose lightly.”

“It still feels wrong. There’s nothing like this in our world.” Rini countered, and Sobek answered, “That is because you have never faced true horrors like that which you see before you. You believe that which you are seeing right now is truly horrific and cruel, but believe me, there are far worse things out there that you will soon see. Mark my words, all of you: the universe is a hostile, uncaring, and violent place, more so than you think, and sometimes it is not enough to be kind and compassionate in such a dark realm.”

“Indeed.” another voice spoke, and everyone recognized the sageful and mysterious wisdom of Ahriman in those words. Sure enough, Ahriman appeared, a quartet of giants wearing helmets with their right side covered in script walking beside him, bearing weapons.

“To embody the virtues of good in a hostile universe is not enough.” he said, Ahriman continuing where his former student left off. His next words were like swords cutting through the good hearts of Serenity and the others.

“Sometimes, to survive in a violent realm, you must become violent yourself. Sometimes, you must become a monster in order to defeat a monster. To fight fire……..with fire.”

………………………………………………………………

Ahriman’s words definitely left chills for Serenity and the group. Never had they considered battling evil with evil. That was their view of Ahriman’s lesson, unfortunately, for they were victims of the belief that there was only good and evil, and nothing in between. But there were many other variations of his words that were equally true. They just didn’t see that, so full of the divide between good and evil, right and wrong they were.

Ahriman did not take pause to explain his words, however, heading straight for Sobek, who bowed in respect to his commander. “My lord, our task is done. The defenses have activated. Our time has come.”

His mentor nodded in reply, just as pleased as Sobek with the success of their mission. “Yes. At long last the war to reclaim our lost homeworld has begun. And it shall start here, with the defense of this sacred city. Heed my words, Sobek: Crystal Tokyo cannot fall under the grasp of Chaos.”

“It will not, my lord.” Sobek said, sweeping his hand over to Serenity and the others. “Though they doubt our good intentions, we will not abandon them to our traitorous kin. To do so would be to damn ourselves in the eyes of our Emperor, and they would suffer for our folly. We will fight and die on their behalf.”

“Yes, we will.” Ahriman replied, giving his next set of orders. “Take back command of the First, Sobek, and cleanse this city of the taint which the Word Bearers have brought. With the help of the defenses, you should be able to secure the city within the next few hours. I will remain with the leadership of the city and keep them safe should our adversaries return.”

“Understood, lord. I have command.” Sobek replied, pausing to ask another question. “What of the other royals? Prince Aladdin, Princess Jasmine, and all the others? They remain out there, fighting to protect this city.”

“They are all crucial to the future events that will soon unfold.” his master answered, speaking in hushed tones to his student, though they had taken steps to isolate their voices so that no one would eavesdrop on their conversation, for it was of great importance. “These individuals, the queen included, will have a great role to play in the coming years. Their survival is paramount, Sobek. Instruct our brothers to find and bring the royals back to the safety of the Palace by any means necessary, but no harm is to come to them. Am I understood?”

“Perfectly, my master.” Sobek replied, saluting his teacher and commander with his unsheathed blade. “Your will be done. Success in your endeavors, my teacher.”

Ahriman copied the salute, raising his golden staff in acknowledgement. “And may success come to yours as well, my student. Emperor guide your hand.”

And with that, the conversation was over, and the first true battle of the war finally began. Earth was now at war.