Condemnation PROLOGUE 1 (Opening Theme-Oni's Theme;"Symphony of Destruction" by Megadeth) (toom) She opened her eyes. She was looking down upon the city of Tokyo, from at least a hundred feet straight up. Metal and glass gleamed in the sun, as tiny, antlike people walked and drove through the streets. The sea was a gorgeous blue, shimmering with reflected sunlight. It was beautiful. toom What am I doing here? she wondered. It is a wonderful view ... but ... Toom. What is that sound? Far, far off in the distance, she could see a dark shape, almost over the horizon. It was an obscene blot on the beauty of the sky, and it was coming towards her. Fast. Toom! As the sound continued to grow louder, the black mass grew ever larger. Soon it was huge, looming over the ocean like a dark truth over the lie of life. TOOM! It was enormous now, covering half the sky. The city was nearly pitch- black with the darkness, which blotted out the sun like a light turned off. From the city below came cries of surprise and fear, as day suddenly became night. TOOM!!! The darkness covered the entire sky, from horizon to horizon. The scene was deadly-silent ... except for that sound ... that horrible, hellish sound ... *****TOOM!!!!!!!!!!***** A horrific explosion ripped through the silence, as the center of Tokyo suddenly exploded. As if on cue, the darkness above began to rain liquid that was not water. Looking down at her hands, she saw exactly what it was. Blood. NO!!!! she screamed, but none payed her mind. **********TOOOMMM!!!!!!!!********** The flames of the explosion spread, devouring the city like dry paper. It spread all the way up to the ocean, but instead of stopping, consumed it like oil. Which it was, her horrified mind realised. ***********KRACKA-TOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!************ As her screams futilely tried to be heard over the roaring of the flame, a titanic dark shape burst forth from the point of the explosion. It was pure black, a mockery of light. The outline was muscled to the extreme, and two batlike wings spread from either side. The only part of his body that could be seen were his eyes ... his horrible, burning eyes that seared her soul. As he looked into her, he uttered two words in a voice that sounded like the tortured screams of a quintillion souls, and shook the ground like an earthquake. "FEAR EVIL ..." With a scream, Rei Hino awoke. PROLOGUE 2 (Opening Theme; "Burn in Hell" by Twisted Sister) The forest was a gorgeous place, full of life and color. Lush green grass covered the ground, weaving around the towering trunks of trees that stretched their limbs hopefully up to the sky. A small squirrel, oildrop eyes gleaming, searched quietly for food; sniffing, running forward a foot or so, and then repeating the process. It was a place of tranquility, a haven against the chaos of modern life. And then, in a flash of Hellfire, Oni made his presence felt. The air became slightly hotter, and there was a light scent of sulfur. The squirrel paused, looking around for what might be causing this phenomenon. He wasn't around long enough to find out, for in the next instant, a pillar of white-hot flame suddenly erupted from where the squirrel was standing. The Hellfire disintegrated the grass around it immediately, and set instant fire to everything around it. Within seconds, the once-peaceful wood was burning. As the pillar of flame died down, a figure stood. It was seven feet tall, massively muscled, with dark purple flesh. A pair of huge batlike wings emerged from its shoulders, claws poking out from the knuckles. Upon each finger and toe was a long, sharp, black claw, and from each ankle a bone spur arched upward. Its eyes burned a hellish red, and above them, its short black hair rippled, as if seen through a great heat. Oni looked around at the carnage around him, and smiled approvingly. "This will make a fine sacrifice ..." he said in a deep, rumbling voice. "Once it is burned to the ground, at least ..." Smiling, revealing a row of extremely sharp fangs, he spread his wings and flew East. CONDEMNATIONS A Tale of Murder, Mayhem, and Oni by The Anarkist Based Upon Characters and Situations "Created" by Kenny Blackwell. Clarice Furgeson sat up, eyes slitted almost shut in the bright morning sunshine. Glancing to her right, she saw that Makoto was already up and out of bed. Wiping the sleep from her eyes, she got out of bed and walked over to the bathroom, shedding her borrowed pajamas on the way. Once inside, she turned the shower on "Hot" and let the water caress the last bit of drowsiness from her. Sighing contentedly, she shut the water off and walked back out, wrapping a towel around herself. She walked out, a tallish, lavender-skinned girl with long brown hair and almost-white eyes that, some might have said, were almost disturbing. Around her eyes were a pattern of pink markings, of what nature no one could say. After a brief stop to brush her hair, she stepped into a pair of blue-jean shorts and a white tank top. Smelling the scent of cooking breakfast downstairs, she walked downstairs to Makoto's kitchen. Usagi, Ami, Minako and Rei were already seated at the table, apparently wanting a free breakfast. Usagi was already wolfing a down a sizable portion of bacon. Makoto, who was carrying a steaming pile of pancakes over to her friends, looked over at Blink and smiled. "Morning, sleepyhead. Care to join us?" Blink smiled slightly. "Well, I was gonna go have lunch with Mel Gibson, but ya talked me into it ..." She took a seat between Usagi and Minako. Usagi, who had grabbed a good- sized stack of pancakes, had yet to notice the mutant. Shaking her head, Blink grabbed a pile of flapjacks for herself and drowned them in syrup. The ate in relative silence for awhile (except for the slight whispering of metal against plates and Usagi's rather noisy eating}, until Rei looked up from her obliterated breakfast and looked up at Blink. "So, Clarice, will you be joining us at the beach this afternoon?" Blink blinked at her, then looked over at Makoto. "Forget to tell me about something, dear roomate?" Makoto shrugged. "Never came up. So, you coming? I've got a spare bikini I think'll fit you." Blink thought for a second, then nodded. "Sure. Nothing much has been happening lately ... it'll be good to relax and get some rays for a change." Unseen by all, a small shiver ran up Rei's back. For a moment, the memory of her nightmare flashed through her mind, then was gone. Rei frowned slightly, then dismissed it. If I got all panicy everytime I had a nightmare, she thought, I'd be an awfully lousy superheroine. She should've listened. ****************** Captain Steven Hillard was a thirty-year verteran of the airline industry. Ever since he was a small child, he'd looked up at the birds and wonder what it was like to see what they saw, to feel the rush of the air on your wings. To be free from the confines of the land. Now, he was one of the rare few who actually occomplish their childhood dreams. Retirement was coming up soon, and while he regretted not being able to fly the "Friendly Skies" anymore, it would be nice to have no obligations again. He could settle down with his wife, Marta, and spend more time with her and their two kids, now grown up and living nearby. Unfortunately, Captain Hillard was never going to make it to retirement. For, at exactly 11:04 A.M., an object moving at roughly the speed of sound rammed into his plane. They barely had time to see it on the radar before it impacted with the shoddily produced TWA junkheap, igniting the fuel and destroying half the plane in a flash. The other half fell into the Pacific Ocean. All passangers were declared lost at sea several days later. Oni continued on. ****************** The six girls looked out at the beachgoers. Not many were here just yet-a few families, a couple or two, and at least one girl in a swimsuit that looked illegal in most countries. Smiling slightly and shaking their heads at that last, they stripped off the T-shirts and shorts they'd been wearing, leaving them in their bathing suits. All but Ami were wearing two-pieces, roughly corresponding to their planets-Rei red, Minako green, Makoto yellow, and Usagi white. Ami, who claimed that her midriff tanned badly, wore a tight blue one-piece. Blink was wearing Makoto's pink bikini, which fit in rather well with her lavender skin. "Good ... no crowds," Ami commented, as she stretched prettily. "I half- expected poor Clarice to be mobbed." "Yeah," Blink grinned, "Guess they don't love me anymore, huh? "Gee," Rei put in, "I wonder why ..." Shrieking good-naturedly, the mutant girl began chasing Rei down to the water. The others hung back, smiling. Then it happened. A second before the explosion came, Rei's nightmare suddenly came rushing back to her, all at once. She stopped short in the sand, and Blink almost ran into her. "Rei ...?" she asked, looking a little worried. "Gods help us ..." Rei whispered, "He's here ..." Then, the world exploded. ****************** First came the sonic boom, which knocked the six girls down. The rest of the beachgoers screamed, and several who were in the water began to try to make their way back. Then, the temperature of the water suddenly increased a thousandfold, and the screams became louder and full of pain. A man attempted to lift his leg up out of the water, revealing something that looked very much like a boiled chicken leg. Before their horrified eyes, it burst open, spewing blood and steam into the water. "SHIT!" Ami screamed. "To hell with secret indentities ... Mercury Crystal Power ... Make Up!" Not even waiting for the costume to finish forming, she suddenly thrust both hands forward. "SHABON SPRAY FREEZING!!!" The supercold bubbles struck the water, which was boiling by now. They struck it, cooling it enough for the survivors to limp back to shore. Minako, Makoto and Rei then began trying to help them, while Usagi and Clarice looked out in the general direction of the explosion of sound. Clarice, who had the heightened senses that came with having to fend for your life every day, saw it first. "Something's coming, Usagi ... and FAST!" Usagi saw it soon after. "No kidding! And whatever it is, I don't think it's friendly! Moon Eternal Power, Make Up!" With that, she became Sailor Moon. Blink took a karate-like battle stance. "And me without my staves ..." Within seconds it was upon them. It looked like something out of a video game, a demon-like creature with purple flesh and huge muscles. Blink thought she'd seen something like this guy in Tekken 2 ... and she doubted that was a good sign. This fellow was apparently no different from his counterpart, because a blast of red energy suddenly seared out of his eyes. Blink grabbed Usagi and threw her back onto the sand. When she quickly glanced over at the spot they had been, she saw a line of fused glass where the blasts had hit. Almost gracefully, the demon flew down to the sand, almost right in front of the two girls. His eyes were glowing with another blast. "You have two choices, mortals. Join me and the Malebolgia's armies, and you will live. Do it not ... and you will all die at Oni's claws." "How about Plan C ... we blow your ass back to Hell!" a voice suddenly shouted from the demon's right. He snapped his head around, just as a massive dragon made of electricity slammed into him head-first. Oni staggered back, bellowing. The other four Senshi ran up to Sailor Moon and Blink, helping them to their feet. "You OK, guys?" Ami asked, looking to see if they were hurt. "Fine," Clarice said flatly. "Unfortunately, so is he." They all turned. The demon's eyes were glowing intensely, and he did not look overly happy. "Very well ..." he growled, "If you won't *rule* in Hell ... I'll make sure you *rot* in it!" With that, he unleashed a tremendous energy blast. Usagi barely managed to use her Cosmic Moon Power to summon a shield before they were disintegrated. Even with the shield, the heroines staggered back from the blistering heat. With no warning, Oni was amongst them. Grabbing Jupiter by her ponytail, he slammed her into Venus with incredible force. Before the two could even fall, he picked Mars up like a rag doll and threw her across the beach, meaning to take them out one by one. Fortunately, Rei managed to roll with the landing, and pulled a scroll from somewhere. "You think you're the only one who can play with fire? I call upon the power of Mars ... FIRE SOUL BIRD!" A massive pheonix-like bird of flame struck Oni dead center in the back, knocking him down to one knee. The expressionon his face was one of mild annoyance. Before Oni could react, Mercury thrust her hands forward again. "DOUBLE SHABON SPRAY FREEZING!" she cried, as another blast of bubbles came out of her hands. They surrounded the demon, who seemed rather surprised at the choice of weaponry, and then burst, freezing him in a wall of ice. Minako and Makoto took this chance to help each other up. "Nice job, you two. We're getting better at this teamwork thi ..." Suddenly, the ice encasing Oni shattered. Small chunks of razor-sharp ice cut at the Senshi, as their hands flew up to protect their faces. Blink, meanwhile, was struck by a much larger chunk, and fell to the ground, dazed. Once again, Oni stood, snorting steam from each nostril. "So," he said, almost conversationally, "Who's next?" It turned out, all of them. Each Sailor leaped forward, summoning their strongest attack. "SHINE AQUA ILLUSION!" "BURNING MANDALA!" "SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE!" "CRESCENT BEAM SHOWER!" "MOON PRINCESS HALATATION!" The attacks flashed forward, lighting the sand in a rainbow of colors. All of them rushed forward, colliding at the center-Oni. A sizable explosion was the immediate result. Over the roar, however, Oni's enraged bellow could be clearly heard. One imagined it could be heard even unto the very corners of the multiverse. It took several moments for the dust to finally clear. When it did, they saw a large circle of sand fused to glass ... and one very pissed-off Oni. They had finally managed to dent him, thankfully ... a cut ran across his right bicep, bleeding dark blood. Unfortunately, that was apparently all they had managed to do. Before they could do much more than gape, Oni suddenly flung his hands towards the sky, palms-up. "OBSIDIAN FLAME WAVE!" Suddenly, black fire exploded all around him, spreading in an ever-widening circle. The flames did not burn the Senshi, but they fell to the ground, moaning. To have the black fire touch one, is to have ones soul frozen solid. The flames finally stopped spreading after covering a 25-foot radius, and turned into normal fire. There it continued to burn, higher and higher, until they were surrounded in a fifty-foot tall column of flame. Oni walked slowly, deliberately, his footprints leaving flaming imprints which soon turned to glass, towards Sailor Moon. Reaching down, he wrapped his huge hand around the throat of the young girl, picking her up. Her tiara fell to the ground as she weakly struggled in his grip, looking down at him with fear, disbelief, but also a kind of stubborn determination. Oni admired that. "Usagi Tsukino ..." Oni sail softly, threads of hellfire ripping up his arm and into her. With every wave, she shuddered , twitching desperately. "You have fought me bravely, but only the foolish challange me. And now ... your life is over." With a sickening *SNAP*, Usagi's neck was broken. As Oni dropped her to the ground, the light fading from her wide, blue eyes, the demon ... smiled. Then, all Hell really *did* break loose. ****************** It all started with a clear, masculine voice. "Justice must be served!" It cried. Before Oni could turn around, it cried out a simple command; "ATTACK!" Suddenly a series of blistering fireballs slammed against his upper back, forcing him to drop to one knee. In the next instant, a brown-and-red blur rushed at him from the left, clawing at his face and retreating before he could retaliate, leaving small scratches. Finally, some fool actually dared to KICK him, hitting him in the lower back and bouncing away. Oni supposed it might well have hurt a normal person. Finally, Oni whirled, eyes blazing almost white with rage. The battle with the Senshi had carried him out into the outskirts of the city, and in the middle of the street, stood his attackers. Quite the entourage, they were ... a white-haired man in black and gleaming chrome; a pyromorph clad in red and yellow, flames whirling around his burning form; a brown-haired man in what looked like a form of ninja suit; an extremely well-proportioned red-and brown-striped cat girl; and--what was this--what looked like a blonde haired angel, hovering slightly above the ground. Suprisingly, Oni smiled. "Ahhhh ..." he said, exposing his fanged maw. White-hot energy still smoked up from his eyes. "Perhaps you hope to stop me. Perhaps you wish to avenge the girl's death ..." At that, the angel-like being's eyes widened slightly, a tiny gasp escaping her. "...And you certainly have considerable power ... but the power of Hell is mine to command ..." Suddenly, the street below the heroes exploded out, in a huge gush of water and steam. The white-haired leader managed to jump away; however, the cat- girl and the pyromorph weren't fast enough. The cat-girl gave out a short, horrified yell, as she was bloodily torn apart. The pyromorph, meanwhile, was suddenly extenquished, turning into a regular human with abnormally red hair, and crashed hard to the ground. The group of heroes was disoriented, and Oni gave them no time to recover. The demon charged, a haymaker throwing the ninja across the street, and through a glass wall. An energy blast took out the angel, who was trying to fly over to help her fiery friend, who was groaning in pain. The blast seared a hole through one of her wings, causing her to cry out and flutter away, some sort of strange energy bubbling out from the wound. The leader was on the other side of the hole, already calling out orders to his troops. Oni glanced over at him, then went after the fallen pyromorph. The white-haired one was no threat, as far as he could see; the firecaster, however ... Before Oni could reach him, however, incredible pain seared through his shoulder. He roared, the volume of the sound causing the glass in nearby windows to shiver, and clapped a hand to his shoulder. The pain was unbelivable ... only the lances of the Angels were able to inflict such pain upon a demon! Another bolt seared the underside of his right thigh, causing him to again bellow out in pain and fall to one knee. Oni's vision began to blur as a red haze of battle rage seemed to fall over his eyes, as he quickly raised an energy field to protect him from further blasts. Then, he did the unexpected. Without warning, the demon that stood before them morphed into a human teenager, the wounds disappearing along with the mass of his demon form. Then, before the remaining heroes could do more than gape in surprise, Oni shifted back into his true self, fully healed. Then, spreading his wings, he took to the skies, to engage the angel in a firefight. The battle was fierce, the two firing energy blasts that lit the area in alternating crimson and pearl-white bursts. For awhile, it looked like a completely even match, as their barriers deflected each other's attacks. Alas, Oni was all but tireless, and the angel's barrier began to weaken, then crack, and then finally shattered with her exhaustion. Without hesitation, Oni unleashed a phenominally powerful burst of hellish energy that blinded any who tried to look at it directly. The angel fell to the ground in a blackened heap, the feathers on her wings still flaming slightly. Oni roared in triumph, energy searing from his eyes ... Suddenly, a blue and white flame smashed into the demon's back, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground, somewhat cushioned by his still-flapping wings. Oni was on his feet in a heartbeat, snarling at his attacker. The ninja had somehow managed to crawl out of the wreckage of the department store; blood tricked from a dozen small cuts all over his body and face. Yet, still he stood, eyes blazing in rage for his comrades. His hands cracked with chi energies, apparently residue from the fireball he had thrown at Oni. He suddenly charged at the demon, screaming, "I'LL KILL YOU, BASTARD! SHINZUI KYAKU!!!" With that, he suddenly launched at Oni in a blinding kick, that caught Oni directly in the chest, causing him to reel back against the wall. Then, amazingly ... he grinned. And beckoned him, as though inviting him to keep coming. Screaming in rage, he began to attack Oni furiously, his attacks blurring into one another in their fluidity and speed. Throughout all of it Oni stood, staggering slightly, yet making no move to fight back. Finally, the ninja pulled back a chi-sharged fist, ramming it towards the demon's dark heart ... Oni finally moved, with a lightning speed unlike anything a mortal could rival. He reached forth, grabbing the ninja's fist in his own massive hand, holding it back. Oni's own dark red chi began to course over his body, causing their entertwined fists to glow with a brilliant light. Then Oni applied pressure--hard. VERY hard. The ninja attempted to bite back the pain, but could not keep from crying out as Oni crushed the delicate bones together, ground them brutally against one another, threatening to snap them. As blood began to run from his hand, the ninja finally fell to his knees, his bright blue chi finally dying out. Almost gently, the demon reached forth a massive claw, wrapped it around his opponent's head ... "ENOUGH!" a voice yelled from behind him; their leader, finally deining to join the fight. Oni began to smile, turning slowly ... only to have a fist as hard as adamantium crash into his skull. For the first time, Oni was knocked off of his feet. Holding a bleeding gash in the side of his head, the demon looked up at the thing that gazed coldly down on him; a being made entirely of metal, that shimmered like the surface of clear water. It was barely recognizable as the white-haired man that Oni had considered harmless; obviously, he had been grossly mistaken. As he watched, the leader's hands grew into long, razor-sharp claws, the arms covered with spikes. It tapped the red scales symbol on its belt with one hand. "System, teleport Arsenal to the infirmary, homeward bound." In a flash of light, the ninja disappeared. "My name is Silver, demon," it growled, stepping towards him. "And it is time you were sent back home. The hard way." As Oni took his feet, he smirked slightly. "Then let the game begin ..." ****************** Blink opened her eyes slowly, a painful groan escaping her throat. The back of her head felt like the Undertaker had just practicing his sledge- hammer skills on it; the hair back there felt sticky with blood. For a moment she struggled to remember what had happened; all she remember was waking up, the sun in her eyes, and breakfast ... Her eyes opened wider, as the attack suddenly rushed back to her. She struggled to sit up, but fell back when pain suddenly exploded in the back of her head. Her resolve faltered ... it would be so easy to simply lay back down, close her eyes ... She was about to do just that, when something caught her eye. About fifteen feet to her right, Usagi lay sprawled on the sand, not moving. Groaning, Blink crawled over to her friend, dragging herself along with her elbows. The hot sun thudded down on her aching head, but hse gritted her teeth and kept on. Soon, she reached her friend. She put out a hand to shake her. "Usagi--" The shake that was meant to wake her up instead rolled her over, the blonde girl's head not moving with the rest of the body. Her eyes were wide, staring. Dead. "Oh, Usagi ..." Blink moaned, tears beginning to flow down her cheeks. She didn't have to check for a pulse; she could tell from the way her neck looked that she was gone. As she watched, a fly fluttered down, landed on the dead girl's forehead, and began calmly washing itself. As the mutant girl struggled to get to her feet, she looked around for the other Senshi. They were not dead-thankfully-because every now and again one of them would twitch. She finally managed to take to her feet, and walked carefully over to the closest one, Rei. The raven-haired priestess' eyes were locked into a wide, horrified stare. A small bit of drool trickled from the side of her mouth, causing the sand to turn a darker shade with the dampness. What could've done this? she wondered. Then, her eyes closed into slits, pink energy coming out in little sparks. She *knew* what had done this. That demon bastard. Even over the pounding of her head, she could still hear the battle; someone else was challanging the monster, probably with no more luck than the Senshi had had. Blink straightened, feeling a huge, unnameable thing rising inside of her. It was like rage, but more ... not a hot flame, but a icy hand that gripped her heart and sent pulses of liquid nitrogen pulsing through her veins. She felt the throbbing lessen, then vanish, consumed by this all-consuming hatred. She gave herself over to it; welcomed it. She would've made a deal with the devil himself to be able to kill that creature. BLINK-INK-INK-INK! She opened four transportals under the four living girls, sending them to their homes. It was the best she could do, to get them out of harm's way. Pity Oni would have no such option. She closed the portals (BLINK-INK-INK-INK) and opened another one. She jumped through this one (BLINK) And came out at Makoto's house. She quickly grabbed her quiver of staves and her bo staff, then teleported back to the beach, closing the door behind her. "You're dead, monster," she whispered through clenched teeth. ****************** The battle lasted longer than Oni had suspected. Silver's malleability made it rather difficult to do any permanant damage, and the claws he grew were somehow capable of cutting through his hardened skin. However, as skilled and powerful a warrior as Silver was, Oni was stronger, and had thousands of years of experience on his side. Using his claws and bone spurs, he managed to wittle away at its mass, and then took a step back, and unleashed his ultimate attack. "THOUSAND HELL'S FURY!!!!" The massive black fireball struck the staggering leader and exploded. For a moment the black fire consumed everything, blocking out all light within the dome of the explosion. When it finally cleared, Silver was apparently gone; what lay in his place was nothing more than a molten blob. Oni had beaten them all. He roared in triumph, black laughter mixed with his victory. "Is this the best you were able to do?" he screamed at the sky. "Everything you could put in my way, I've torn to shreds! This world is OURS!!!!" BLINK! "I am sick ..." Blink started as she plunged out of the transportal, hitting Oni squarely between the wings with a double-legged kick. "And tired ..." she continued, ducking under a vicious backhand he threw at her. "Of villains ..." Blink slid in between Oni's legs, then brought her legs up into his groin ferociously. "Who won't SHUT UP!!!" BLINK! A transportal opened up beneath the demon, suddenly putting him ten feet above the ground. He tried to soften his landing, but had no time, and fell down hard. "Especially when they kill my friends," she finished, pulling out a stave and charging it, bo staff extending in the other hand. Oni stood, blood trickling down into his eye from a cut on his forehead. A few drops pattered to the ground, hissing like acid. "I know you ..." he said softly, relishing the look of shock in the girl's eyes. "Clarice Furgeson ... codenamed Blink, correct? Such colorful nicknames you heroes have." "How ... how do you know that?" Blink growled, hoping her surprise didn't show through. "Who told you my true name ...?" "Why, you did, child," Oni murmered softly, grinning like a shark. "I can see into you ... into your soul, into your memories." Then, suddenly, he began to change. As huge as he already was, he gained a good foot in height, and maybe a hundred pounds of mass. The purple skin lightened, turned blue. Armor began to form, as a crimson cape emerged from his shoulders ... "No ..." Clarice moaned, eyes wide in shock. "What is the matter, child?" Apocalypse asked, a tyrannical smile turning his already grotesque face into something even more terrible. "Didn't you miss me?" Before Blink could respond, he changed again. He shrunk to about 6 feet tall, the muscles becoming wirey, the blue power armor shifting into the black and chrome costume and long, silvery hair of ... "Sephiroth," Blink whispered, beyond shock. "Hello, Clarice," Sephiroth rasped, unsheathing the massive Masamune from its place on his back. "You wouldn't happen to know where your sister Aerith is, would you? There's a few loose ends that have to be *cut* ..." "BASTARD!!!" Blink shrieked, running at him full-tilt. Sephiroth only grinned, taking a battle stance ... As he suddenly disappeared, leaving Oni in his place. "Time to die, girl." He quickly sidestepped the girl as she charged, grabbing her by her bloody hair and whipping her against a wall with bone-crunching force. He unleashed an energy blast at point-blank range ... (BLINK!) ... And was suddenly egulfed in his own hellish energies, as the transportal reversed his fireball back on its caster. He roared, blinded, as Blink charged him, pinkish energy crackling all over her bikini-clad body. With a scream of rage, she drove the charged bo staff into Oni's gut, following up with a blow to the top of the head. The demon roared, clawing blindly at her, and Blink countered with a ferocious haymaker ... SNAP! Blink screamed, her right hand suddenly shattered by the blow. It felt like she'd just tried to punch her way through adamantium. Before she could recover, he was upon her, wrapping a hand around her throat. He threw her viciously to the ground, then wrapped one hand around the other in a double- fist. Within his hands a hige double-bladed battle-axe appeared, a skull perched on each blade. He brought it up and over his head, sent it down in a double-handed arc that would split her in two ... BLINK! The girl suddenly disappeared, the axe smashing into the concrete. Before he could think, Blink dropped down from the sky, smashing him across the back of the dead with her bo staff. Oni went down for the first time, bellowing in pain. Not letting up, Blink continued to fight bravely with her one hand, the other held closely to her side. Unfortunately, Oni whirled, claws outstretched, and this time she was unable to dodge. The claws raked through flesh, leaving four jagged tears across her breasts. She fell back, grimacing in pain, as Oni yanked his axe out of the pavement, and stalked over to her. "Now, little girl ..." he growled, holding the axe over his head once more. "Time to join your friend ... in HELL." "#$@* YOU!!!" she shrieked, surging forward with the last of her strength, pink energy cracking through her arm. Her hand reached Oni's chest ... BL-L-L-L-L-LINK!!!!! Oni screamed in agony as Blink's ultimate attack displaced him into a hundred different realities, all at once. He could actually FEEL his molecules being torn apart, feel himself being ripped to shreads by the interdimensional energies … … It all might have ended there, had Blink not already lost a grave amount of blood. As it was, she was unable to maintain the attack long enough to destroy him, and fell back, drained beyond belief. As she passed out, she offered a prayer for forgiveness … she had failed Usagi … failed the Earth … Oni re-formed, the power that was destroying him gone. He stared down at the unconscious, bleeding girl with something not unlike respect. He raised the axe for the final blow. "Goodbye, Clarice …" Oni murmered. "You have fought well … but now, your life is …" The axe was suddenly halted in midswing. "… Just beginning." Shaed Bloodgrave said from behind him. "While yours is about to come to a close." ****************** Oni had had quite enough of heroes spontaneously appearing out of thin air. Without bothering with bravado, he whirled, hitting the smaller man with an increadible haymaker. Shaed never even moved; the fist punched a hole right through his chest, gore and blood spraying out the exit wound. Without a sound, the man collapsed. Oni began to turn back towards Blink, when, increadibly, Shaed spoke. "Was that supposed to hurt?" Oni looked back at him, eyes widening in surprise. Impossibly, the man was standing. As he watched, the huge hole in his chest shrunk to a pinprick, then closed completely. "So," Shaed said, almost conversationally. "Want to try again?" Roaring with rage, Oni slashed forward with both claws, lightning-quick. The interloper's head immediately flew off in a rain of blood droplets, bouncing on the ground once. The headless body then punched him through a building. Oni was completely dumbfounded. This … THING had survived not only a hole being blown through his chest … but he apparently functioned fine without a head! Before he had time to recover, Shaed barreled through the wreckage of the building, charging right at Oni. His head was now back on his shoulders, at least. Oni slipped back to his feet, glaring at the charging hero, arms at his sides. Shaed reached him, throwing an earth-shattering punch to the demon's stomach … And Oni took it, his flesh rendered as dense as adamantium. While Shaed recovered from his surprise, the demon waded in, throwing thunderous punches, tearing at Shaed with his claws, his spurs, his teeth. Oni was a purple blur, crackling with corrupted chi as he attacked Shaed with a viciousness the immortal had never known. Finally, Oni hit Shaed with all his power, channeling all his hellish energies into his fists for a double strike. The resulting explosion decimated four city blocks; fortunately, the Japanese were well used to destructive monsters tearing through Tokyo, and had evacuated quickly. When the smoke cleared, Oni stood alone, drained. "A worthy adversary …" he panted. "But not worthy enough …" Oni's eyes widened as Shaed suddenly began to re-form in front of him. "Oh really?" ****************** Miracle opened her eyes, finally restored back to health by the pearl energies that coursed through her body. For a moment there (oh no oh heavenly father i've failed i'm dead) she thought the demon really had killed her. Thank Heaven she was able to heal herself before her spirit departed … she had to help her friends … She gasped as she looked up at the wreckage of the battle site. Poor Roar still lay in several pieces by the geyser that had erupted in the middle of the street; Firestrike lay in a heap close by. Arsenal had been teleported away, presumably by System. Even Silver was laying unconscious. And Blink … her life force was almost completely gone … An explosion suddenly ripped from the left, flooding the area with hellspawned power. Miracle quickly raised a pearl barrier, trying to keep the injured from being further decimated by the blast. At last, it ebbed, allowing her to make her way over to Blink, who was the most greviously injured. She laid her hands upon the girl, praying that she had enough time … The girl stirred. "Mr. Creed …" she mumbled. "Izzat you …?" "Hush, child," Miracle whispered. "It's not your time yet …" ****************** The battle had finally fallen to fisticuffs. Oni's strongest attacks couldn't phase Bloodgrave … yet Shaed's blows were unable to do any great damage to the demon, either. Needless to say, both combatants were growing rather frustrated. "Enough of this!" Oni suddenly snarled, drawing his fist back. "Maybe I can't damage your outside … but I can hurt you in SO many more ways than that …" He suddenly slammed his fist into the Ravenant's heart … and it simply disappeared into it, as though it were just an illusion. Shaed blinked in surprise; and that was when Oni jerked his closed fist back, something gauzy and pitch-black stretching out from the immortal's chest … Shaed screamed in agony, as pain like nothing he had ever felt before now ripped through his chest. He felt like his soul was being ripped out by Oni's clenched fist; and then he realized that that was exactly what the demon was doing. As Oni continued to pull on the soul, it stretched, causing Shaed further agony … In desperation, black chi exploded from the Ravenant's body, throwing Oni back. For one terrible instant, Shaed's sould was torn almost completely from his body … he could feel its tethers to his body snapping, one by one … but the force of the explosion finally dislodged his iron grip, causing the gauzy material to suddenly snap back into the Ravenant's body. Shaed staggered, still feeling the horrendous pain of the Soul Rend … Dark Mist, that attack might be able to kill even him … Oni tackled him, throwing him to the ground and pinning him with his enormous mass. Shaed tried to throw him off, but the demon increased his mass until he was completely immovable. Laying his clawed hands on Shaed's chest, he began to channel black Hellfire through his arms and into Shaed. The Ravenant screamed again, as the black fire seared his soul and froze it simultaneously. He thrashed and spasmed, but Oni held him fast, channeling all the agony of Hell into Shaed's body. Shaed's soul, already damaged, threatened to disintegrate … and that would make him as good as dead. His immortal body would continue on, as a vegatable, but the real him would die. What would become of Morrigan and Lilith? His bride and his half-sister ... truly their tears would be bitter if he were to leave this realm. Or worse yet--what if his body continued to go on, without his soul? Would he become a mindless monster, destroying everything that had what had been stolen from him? An unkillable beast of pure destruction … In desperation, Shaed's hand shot forth, digging at the snarling demon's face. He found Oni's eyes and, without an iota of hesitation, plunged his fingers into their sockets. Oni shrieked in rage and agony as black blood bubbled out of the wounds, causing the flesh of Shaed's arm to bubble and melt. Still he held on, a massive amount of black chi channeled into his hand … "Kurojigoku Kogeki!!!" he screamed, as obsidian energy flooded the demon's body from within. Gashes that had ceased bleeding now gouted black blood once more, followed by the Shaed's energy, desperate to find a way out of Oni's body. Oni screamed one last time, crimson blasts exploding uncontrollably from his sockets, tearing Shaed's fingers into bare bone … but bone that clung with an iron grip. "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!" Oni screamed. "IT … MUST … NOT … STAND!!!" Oni's body suddenly exploded in an unbelievable burst of black energy. It ripped outward in a sphere of pure, unadulterated necromantic power, leveling all in its path. The sphere grew and grew, buildings flying up into the air as the wave of devastation uprooted them, shooting them upward before they crumbled to dust. It spread further, consuming all of Tokyo … and then stopped, dissipating into the air, leaving the area it had affected a scorched crater of fused metal and concrete, devoid of all life. At the center of the crater, Shaed Bloodgrave lay motionless, his ring gear mostly shreaded by the blast. It was impossible that even he could have survived such a cataclysm. He should have been dead. Nonetheless, the Ravenant staggered slowly to his feet, looking around at the devestation his attack, and Oni's subsequent explosion, had brought this poor city. He sighed. "Well... that was fun..." he finally whispered. "You nearly beat the hell out of me... literally..." he smirked to himself. "But you can't kill what refuses to die." Suddenly, the ground before Shaed began to crack, a low rumbling heard coming from the bowels of the Earth. The fused ground suddenly exploded outward, as Oni's pitch-black spirit form appeared before him, eyes burning hotter than ever. "Congratulations, Ravenant," he rasped. "You've defeated me ... this time. "But we shall meet again, Bloodgrave. Count on it." With that, the spirit suddenly leaped back down into the pit from which it had emerged, the ground sealing itself up again. Shaed blinked in surprise ... then shrugged, and began to climb his way out of the crater ... He had a lot of explaining to do, he thought. (Ending Theme-Shaed's Theme-"Du Hast" by Rammstein) EPILOGUE "USAGIIIIIIIIII!!!" Blink suddenly sat bolt upright, eyes wide open and staring, screaming in horror. When her awakening cry finally finished, she collapsed back to the bed, slowly becoming aware of her surroundings. She was in an extremely high-tech infirmary, laying in a hospital cot. Several electrodes were placed across her naked body-- Naked body? Blushing a deeper shade of purple, Blink quickly pulled the cover over her naughty bits. Fortunately, the only one in the infirmary besides her was Miracle, who was smiling radiantly at her. "Welcome back, Clarice!" the half-angel said. "Feeling all better?" Instinctively, Blink ran a hand over her chest, where Oni's claws had sunk deep into the flesh. The wounds were gone, except for four small scars. Frowning, she looked from the scars to Miracle, who bowed her head. "I wasn't able to heal them completely …" she said, a little sadly. "My healing powers were inhibited by the nature of the wounds … apparently, Hell is able to impede the body's natural healing processes. If I hadn't healed you, you would've died." "Don't worry about it, Cyndi," Blink replied, wrapping the sheet around herself so she could sit up. "Life always leaves its scars, either on your body or your soul." A look of worry crossed her face. "The Senshi … how are they …?" A tear slipped from the half-angel's eye and trickled down her cheek. "I'm sorry, Clarice … Usagi was beyond my powers by the time I got to her …" Blink choked back a sob at this terrible news. Usagi may have been a meatball-head, but she was one of Blink's best friends. "And what about the others?" Miracle looked completely miserable. "Comatose." Blink was shattered. Three times now her whole life had been taken away from her … first, when the fire had killed her family … then, when she had found out that her entire home reality was destroyed … and now, this. She held her hands to her face, sobbing quietly, rocking back and forth in the bed. Miracle quickly went to her and put an arm around her. Clarice stopped suddenly, and looked up at her. Her eyes were blazing, but not with tears. It was rage and hate that lit her irises with pink energy. "What about Oni?" she growled. "Shaed killed him," Miracle said. "He blew up most of Tokyo doing it, but …" Blink suddenly threw off Miracle's arm and her sheet, standing. Blood rushed to her head, but the lavender-skinned mutant hardly noticed. "I have to see him," she said. "Now." Miracle thought about trying to stop her, but decided against it. Instead, she nodded at her. "Like that?" she asked. Blink looked down and, realizing she was stark naked, blushed even deeper than before. "Uhm … could I have some clothes?" she asked, her anger temporarily forgotten in her embarrassment. Miracle smiled a little, and tossed her a pile of clothes. They resembled her original costume; green leotard, long, fingerless gloves and long boots. Blink grabbed them and started to change. "By the way," the half-angel said, before returning to the multiple diodes and computer equipment that lined the walls. "Shaed should be in the rec room … that's on the first floor, by the way." "Gotcha," she replied, stepping out of the infirmary and into the Castle proper. ****************** Shaed reclined in one of the living room's comfortable couches, and pretended to watch TV. However, the programs had no interest for him. He was too busy pondering the aftershocks of the latest fight … This wasn't what he'd had in mind when he went off in search of competition. That demon had almost torn his very soul out … and when he'd finally gone down, he'd taken the entire city of Tokyo with him. He'd fought with plenty of nasties … his own son, in fact … but never with ramifications like this. He'd killed one Clan Justice member, seriously injured Arsenal, and--worst of all--destroyed the Sailor Senshi. That bastard killed Sailor Moon before the Clan could come to help … and he'd locked the others into a coma that even Miracle couldn't bring them out of. Too often, his own immortality had made him forget the mortality of his friends … and, at times like this, he almost wished he wasn't forced to live through an eternity of seeing his friends die … He was brought out of his reverie with Blink opened the sliding door and walked in. Shaed sat up, looking at Blink. Her eyes were hard to read, being without pupils or irises, but she seemed to be rather upset. "So …" she said after a beat. "You're the one who took that bastard down, huh?" Shaed smiled and nodded, then turned grave. "I'm sorry I was too late to help your friends …" Blink dismissed it with a wave of her hand. "It's OK … so was I. But I want you to tell me exactly what happened after I got knocked out. Especially the part where you killed him." So, Shaed filled her in on the story after Blink had happened, including the appearance of Oni's pitch-black spirit form, and his vow of revenge. At this last, Blink's eyes flashed dangerously. "I hope he does try to come after you again …" she growled, teeth clenched in rage. "And I hope I'm there … so I can kill him myself." "I would be careful what you wished for," Silver said from behind her, entering the same way she had. "He beat us all before … you included. It is doubtful you would survive such an encounter." "I DON'T CARE!" Clarice roared, pink energy now crackling through her clenched fists. Later, when she stopped to look at them, she would notice half-moon scabs where her nails had sunk in. "I'm gonna get back at that son of a bitch for what he did to Usagi and the rest of the Senshi! And to Roar!" The usually emotionless Silver winced at the last statement. Blink felt a little bit of pity creep into the red haze of anger that covered her vision. The poor man had loved Katherine like a daughter … how must he be holding up? Then, as soon as it appeared, the look of pain vanished from Silver's face. "Do whatever you wish," he said coldly, and then walked off, the door closing behind him. Shaed rose, placing a hand on Blink's shoulder. "Clarice …?" "Don't … just don't," she whispered, pulling away and running out the door, her tears falling in a stream after her. ****************** Oni opened his eyes, standing. The cavern he was in was blisteringly hot, the screams and wails of tormented souls echoing throughout. It was lit not by a sun, but by some unholy luminescence from the walls themselves. Before him sat a massive, grotesque demon with scraggly hair, sitting on a throne of bone. The Malebolgia. Back in Hell, he thought, grimacing at the thought of his recent defeat. The Demon Lord before him opened his massive mouth, exposing hundreds upon hundreds of incredibly sharp fangs. His eyes glowed a sickly green as he spoke, the words booming throughout the cavern. YOU HAVE FAILED ME, MY CHILD, the Malebolgia rumbled. Oni bowed to one knee. "I am sorry, 'father'. I was met with some … unexpected resistance. An immortal …" YES, YES … ONE SHAED BLOODGRAVE, the Lord interrupted. HE HAS FOILED MY PLANS ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS … WHICH IS WHY YOU ARE STANDING BEFORE ME INSTEAD OF ROASTING IN THE PITS WITH THOSE YOU ONCE TORMENTED. Oni bowed his head. "I thank you, my Lord. I …" SILENCE! the Malebolgia boomed. I HAVE ANOTHER MISSION FOR YOU, MY CHILD. SEE TO IT THAT YOU DO NOT FAIL ME AGAIN … OR I WILL NOT BE SO MERCIFUL. "I shall not fail again, sire," Oni growled. "Speak, and your will shall be done." The Malebolgia smiled. VERY WELL. I HAVE FOUND THE TREASURE WHICH YOU MOST DESPERATELY SEEK THE UNIVERSE FOR. "Samantha Jones?" YES. "Where?!?" PATIENCE, MY CREATION. PATIENCE. FIRST, YOU MUST FULFILL A MISSION FOR ME … Oni listened, then nodded, standing again. Holding his hands up into the air, he spoke a phrase in an unspeakable language, that of demons and of mad blasphemous monks, and disappeared in a roar of Hellfire. ****************** The gravesite of Alicia "Lynxara" Ashby was still fairly well-visited, as the former Power That Was had been very well-loved. Fresh flowers still stood at the foot of the headstone, though not as many as the two graves that now accompanied it … that of Usagi Tsukino, to the left, and Katherine "Kitty" Jannetty, to the right. Katherine's casket, however, was still above ground; no hole had been dug. Gathered around the graves was a rather large group of heroes; Shaed, his wife Morrigan, and his unusually solemn half-sister Lilith; Blink & Aerith; all the Clan Justice Members that were still alive; the heroes from the Seventh and Sixth Realms; the various incarnations of Death; Shaed's sister Tiem Bloodgrave, and the undead Corse; and several dozen others. First, each hero stepped forward and said a few kind words about the fallen heroines. Then, System stepped forward, faced the crowd, and held out her palm. "Initiate Program Roar; Omega," she whispered. Suddenly, a life-size image of the deceased cat-girl leapt out of her hand, clad in her usual red, skin-tight costume and a red bow in her hair. A few people in the crowd gasped in surprise … others simply stood, watching as the image of Roar spoke. "Hello," the hologram said. "If this is being played, then for whatever reason... I died. Now, you probably know what I'm going to say... stuff like "Don't mourn my death, celebrate my life," that sorta thing... just do what comes naturally. But always remember the good times and the bad times we all been through. The days I laughed... cried... played and fought. I was here since the Clan Justice first formed... and for seven wonderful years, I enjoyed being a Clansman. I wish it didn't have to end so soon for me... but we all know how dangerous this line of work is. I guess I should get started with the whole funeral thing." The hologram paused for a moment, bowing its head, then continued. "I don't want my body buried or cremated. I want it to return to the Louisiana Bayou, where my life as I knew it began. I also want to wear this... and ONLY this at the funeral, too." The holgram held up a sinple alligator tooth necklace, and smiled. "It's what I wore when Silver first found me. Yeah, I know I'll be practically naked... but that's the point. I was born naked, and I want to leave this world the same way. Besides..." she continued, striking a sexy pose, "... I DO have a killer body." The hologram giggled slightly, then returned to a straight face as she continued. "I want Silver to take my body into the bog and release me into it... I chose Silver for two reasons. One... Silver was the one who found me originally... it's only fitting for him to return me to my home. And second... well, no offense, Rocker, but if YOU did it, you'd probably be staring at my breasts until you passed out from a nosebleed!" The hologram smiled playfully, then bowed its head. "I have no doubt in my mind that Scar'll be there... if he comes for my body as it sinks, let him have it. He had a taste of my flesh back when I was thirteen... and ever since then he's been wanting to finish the job. So let him. I don't mind. "Now, I suppose I should start with the rest of the will. First of all, to my boyfriend, Rocker. This has gotta be tearing you up inside. Losing your first girlfriend, and now this... I guess all I can say to you is always remember the fun times we had... remember the first day we met... our first date... our first kiss... the first time we made love. Remember it all, Rocker. Because I sure will. And I want you to have this…" the hologram reached behind her head and pulled off the bow in her hair, shaking her mane loose. She then held out the bow, revealing the Clan Justice symbol in its center. Rocker, who had moved to the front of the procession, stretched out his hand to take it, but passed through the hologram. "You'll find this in your room. Keep it, as well as the many pictures we took together, as momentos of the time we spent together. And know that I will always love you. "To Tayja. I want you to be my replacement as a member of the Clan Justice. I chose you because you are now fourteen years old physically... the same age I was when I first became a Clansman. I want it to come full circle, now. If I wore shoes to begin with, I still wouldn't want you to try to fill them... be your own person. Cyndi has brought you up well... and I taught you well in capoeira. I wish I could help finish your training, but I guess System could do that for me. Just remember this, Tayja... if you ever go up against whatever or whoever killed me, don't make whatever mistake I made that whatever capitalized on." Smiling, oblivious to the sniffling that the crowd was making, she continued. "Hmph... the way I'm talking, it's like the mistake would be tangling with whatever to begin with! "To Ariel... my most closest friend. You may be an android, girl but you still have the strongest heart of us all. I know that deep down, you still love Rocker. And although you hate being second best... I want you to go ahead and take Rocker as your own, now. You have my blessing. I know Rocker loves you too... so it shouldn't be a problem. I just wish I could show up at your wedding... I love angel food cake." Silently, the android girl took Rocker's hand. After a moment, he squeezed it, gratefully. "To Cyndi... when we first met during the Clan's inception, the only thing I believed in was myself. Thanks to you, I believe in more than myself. Thanks to you, you opened my mind to God and Heaven and Jesus Christ. I know, with great certainty, that I will go to Heaven. I have done so many good deeds as a Clansman... it's gotta be a sure thing. I just hope they won't put against me the fact that my costume is probably a good three square inches long... and that the only thing keeping it on me is my bioelectric rhythm... hmm... I wonder if it'll come off when I die...??" She giggled. "Well, if that's the case, I'm sure to give the baddies a thrill when I die!" "To Aftershock... I know you're my brother." Aftershock stiffened noticably, a small noise escaping his throat. "I could smell his scent on you. Aftershock... you've saved my life so many times... and yet you never say a word... never show me what's under your mask. And now... for whatever reason... you weren't there to save me this time. I wish I knew exactly who you were before I died. But... I guess I'll have to go with my gut... you ARE my brother, Nathan Jannetty. And I love you." "Finally... to Silver. Silver, you took a frightened, unsure fourteen year old girl and you raised her to become a strong, courageous twenty-one year old woman. And for that... I can't thank you enough. When my own father betrayed me and shot me... you came to my rescue. You became my father since then... for seven long years, I've followed you faithfully and bravely. All I can say is... I am proud to have been a member of the Clan Justice, and more proud to have been the first Clansman." Silver bowed his head, a single, chrome-like tear creeping down from his right eye. "... So, I guess that's it. Well... one more thing, actually... my epitaph. "The cat has been belled... but she still fought to the end." With that, the words immediately appeared on Roar's headstone. "Goodbye, my friends... I love you all." The hologram bowed her head, tears falling from her eyes. "End recording, Roar: Omega," System whispered, as the image of Roar faded out. For awhile, the only sounds were the grieving of the crowd. Then, Silver stepped forward, lifted her casket, and turned to Blink. "Clarice …?" Blink nodded, and opened a transportal in front of Silver. "Want any help?" Silver actually smiled slightly. "No thank you. I must do this alone." With that, he stepped through the portal. That night, a cold wind blew through the multiverse.