PHALANX - The series

Episode Thirty-two: Evolution.

 

The planet they were on was uninhabited. Most of the fauna and flora they all knew was present, but there were no humans, nor human interference, to behold. Frederic took a drag of clean air, and closed his eyes as he did so, allowing all the smells of a clean air wash over his nervous system.

He opened his eyes, and the smile on his face toughened a little. He linked his arms behind his back as he stood erect, his legs spread slightly. He beheld the people he had brought here.

Buffy, Willow, Xander, Angel, Oz, and Cordelia from Universe 001; Jessie, Jonny, and Hadji from the Quest universe; Tommy, Kimberly, Billy, Aisha, Adam, and Rocky from Universe 117; and, last but not least, the Inner Senshi from universe 576, augmented by Mamoru; all the Master Slayers that hadn’t been able to go Super yet. Thanks to a discovered ability of Ami’s, Frederic had been able to piggyback his mental abilities onto her signal, and bypass the Senshi’s shields that way. He had made them all Master Slayers… well, those that wanted, anyway. Chibi-usa was still too young, and the Outer Senshi had flatly refused to allow Frederic to mess with their minds.

As a result, the Inner Senshi were now the stronger members of the team. Hands still linked behind his back, Frederic walked past his troops, all of them standing perfectly at attention. He had a hard time repressing a proud smile as he did so.

“It has been seven months since Shadow has brought us tremendous knowledge and power,” Frederic began, his voice blasting over the valley they were in. “I shared all my knowledge with every one of you, and you have all grown tremendously because of it. I am proud of you. However, that is not why I asked you here. The reason I asked you is simple, and singular in purpose.” He stopped, and turned to his people. “Ladies. Gentlemen. The reason we’re here is because I want to help you reach a wish.”

He could see the muted silence on everyone’s face, the surprise his statement had brought them. Frederic smiled inwardly. “Ladies, gentlemen… I want to help you turn Super.”

“Say what?” Buffy asked. The rest of the group started whispering as well. Frederic’s statement had hit like a bombshell.

“You all have at least six months worth of experience in the use of ki-techniques. Not to mention the fact that some of you have been Master Slayers for years. You are all strong; extremely strong, and extremely skilled. If you want me to help you, step forward now. But be warned; ki-training is a training of pain, hurt, and anguish. Don’t expect this to be a gentle training session. In fact, the only way to reach deeper within yourself is under high duress. You will be fighting for most of the session, fighting for your life, your sanity, and the lives of your friends. Once begun, there is no backing out… you are all Immortal, and you all have the experience and responsibility to make a choice, and stick to it.

“Now, those of you who are willing… step forward. Those who don’t, this will not be held against you. You will be allowed to leave,” Frederic said, ending his monologue in front of a mutely silent audience.

Carefully, the people looked at each other. “To hell with this,” Jonny said, and stepped forward.

“Yeah!” Jessie agreed, stepping forward as well. Buffy and her five friends stepped forward as one, followed closely behind by Rocky and Tommy of the Power Rangers, before the others of their team joined in as well. The Senshi hesitated the longest before they too, joined.

“Great! I knew I could count on you!” Frederic shouted enthusiastically. “Now, I am sure that some of you are asking why Freda and her two companions aren’t here. The reason is simple… they already achieved Super-level status, and have therefore no need for this course.”

“Whatever,” Xander said. “Man, when do we start? I can’t wait!”

The other Master Slayers laughed, nodded, and agreed with Xander, albeit some less enthusiastically.

“Well… we will be going to the Ortega,” Frederic said, nodding toward Jennifer and Daphnix.

“Say what?” Buffy shouted. “But who’s going to give the course?”

“I am,” a shape materializing next to Frederic said. The Master slayers gulped, stumbling back.

“Sorcerer!” Buffy shouted.

“He, dude, not funny!” Oz shouted at Frederic.

Frederic shook his head. “You are all Immortal. As long as your head stays attached to your body, you’ll heal. Now, I got his word he won’t kill you during all this… since I’ll kill him if he does so. Same thing with permanent harm. That’s all… for the rest, he’s your teacher. He can do it… Since I don’t like hurting my friends, I called in someone who’s not in the least emotionally attached to you. I warned you that it would be an intense course. He’s more capable of… persuading people to use more power,” Frederic said, smirking slightly. “You all still have a chance to back out… once the Ortega leaves, you’ll all be stuck here for the next two to three weeks.”

The Master Slayers stared at Sorcerer, who actually seemed to have a civil expression on his face. Of course, they all knew that, in the past seven months, he had been behaving himself remarkably.

“No one back out?” Frederic asked, smiling. “Great! I knew I had chosen well when I made you Master Slayers! I’ll see you back in two to three weeks… make us proud, people!”

The Master Slayers muttered some stuff under their breath, and Frederic snickered as he called for transport. The three warriors disappeared in the blue transporter beam.

“Are you sure they’ll be okay?” Borlan asked as soon as the three had reappeared on the bridge. “That’s Sorcerer.”

Frederic nodded. “It’s Sorc. He’s an evil asshole with a really vicious mean streak. And he has given me his word he won’t kill them permanently. If he does break his word, he’ll know I’ll kick his ass around the galaxy, and that death is the least of his concerns. Don’t worry, they’ll be fine. Rei will be fine,” he added. Borlan nodded, and took a simulated breath.

 

As soon as Frederic, Jennifer, and Daphnix had left, Sorcerer had started looking at the sky. The Master Slayers grouped together, muttering among themselves.

“Look at him, looking at the sky as if he can see the Ortega,” Jonny whispered.

“I am sure that he can,” Ami replied, somewhat subdued. “And I do not like the prospect of being alone with him for the next fourteen to twenty-one days.”

“None of us are,” Buffy replied. “If he really is almost as strong as Fred, I don’t want to know what he’ll do to us…”

“Believe it,” Ami replied.

“That’s right, you saw them fight,” Cordelia put in. “So, is it really as far out as rumor says it is?”

Ami shook her head. “It’s further,” she answered. “Both can augment their power through magic, before having multiple Super-levels to boost themselves even higher.”

“Guys… he’s done…” Usagi whispered, teary-eyed in fear. Even though she was now a Master Slayer, which meant that school and most fights weren’t a problem to her anymore, she still felt more than a decent amount of fear.

The others stopped their chatter, and turned towards Sorcerer, who was now slowly walking toward them with an evil grin on his face.

“Okay, slackers!” he shouted. “Fred’s off. Which makes me the High Poobah around here. First off, I want to tell you that I am not your Fred. I am not going to play nice and do the get-in-touch-with-your-feelings crap. All I care about is making you stronger. And thus, I’ll make you stronger, even if I have to kill you to do it. You’re all Immortal. I won’t kill you permanently.”

The Slayers stared in mute silence at him. Sorcerer gave a nod of his head. “Good. Now, let’s start. This is the first, and only, theory lesson you’ll get from me during the next two weeks. Turning Super is something that’s going against the biological imperative of your body. When you pump up on power, you start charging your body… the higher your ki, the stronger and faster it gets, usually. There are exceptions, like pumping up on strength means depleting speed, or reversed. Turning Super is a state of mind, body, and soul where you pump so much power into your body it has two choices: change… or explode. The Super-transformation is the change.

“Now, in order for your body to go over the threshold, there need to be two things. One, you need to have the power to go through the change. Second, you need to be mentally strong enough to force your body to go through the change. That’s the theory. Generally speaking, there are two things you need. One is a need. The second is rage. Your power comes when there is a great need for it to come. Rage is the fuel for your emotional state of mind that will force your body to break its own biologically-ingrained boundaries, and evolve to the next stage.

“I turned Super because I had a great need, namely saving my Jennifer. And I was pissed off at Assassin for taking her, and hurting her. Thus: BAM! I turned Super within a couple of hours of me learning ki-techniques. Since you all have control over your kis, and you have experience in being Master Slayers, some more than others,” he looked at Usagi and the Senshi, who blushed, and looked away, “I will dispense with teaching you kiddy stuff. You won’t learn how to make blasts or control your ki from me. I will push you long and hard, and I will make you pissed off at yourself, at me, and at others. I will make you so pissed off you will fell your anger feed itself. THEN you will be able to turn Super.”

The Master Slayers gulped, and stared in mute fear at Sorcerer.

“Good. I see I already have your fear. Fear is good. It will keep you alive, on your toes, and it will fuel your anger once I start laying in you,” Sorcerer grunted. “First off. All of you. Power up to your max state, and attack me. All at once.  I want to know how far you slackers have evolved…”

 

 

“I got the drinks,” Frederic said as he walked up to his wife, his best friend, and his two children. “It’s something unique to this planet, as far as I know… it’s called a ‘squishee’.”

“Well, whatever it is, it can’t be any stranger than the rest of this universe,” Daphnix grunted, accepting the cup, containing a greenish goop.

“No kidding,” Jennifer grunted, looking at her PHIS-cloaked hand. “I’m still getting used to only having four fingers.”

“And the yellow skin,” Jessie added in, accepting her drink as well.

Frederic shrugged. “What I call strange are all the landmarks here. The continuously burning tire yard, the huge escalator to nowhere, the gigantic magnifying glass, the crashed monorail…”

“And the skyscraper made from cereal,” Daphnix reminded his friend, after trying out the drink. “Hey, this stuff isn’t half bad.”

Frederic took a try, and nodded. “It’s different, but not unpleasant. Hey, Linda, do you think you can get a molecular-replication model for this?”

Well, try, and let’s find out, the AI replied through the communicator. Frederic held the cup up to his mental amplifier, carefully hidden under the camouflage of the Personal Holographic Imaging System.

Got it. Yeah, we can replicate that stuff. By the barrel, if you want, she added with a chuckle.

“I think that’ll put us on permanent sugar-overload,” David replied, chuckling slightly, and discarding his empty cup in a conveniently placed garbage bin. “Hey, have any of you noticed that there’s always one of those nearby when you need them?”

“Now you mention it… they do pop up, don’t they?” Jennifer asked, smiling.

“Nuts. Like the rest of this universe. There’s a trashcan nearby when you need one, but there’s still litter.” Frederic shrugged, and chuckled. “I can’t get over it… how whacked out this universe is.”

“Speaking of whacked, I wonder how the Slayers are doing with Sorcerer,” Jennifer said.

“They’re doing fine,” Frederic replied with conviction. “Sorc’s one of the few I know that can do it.”

“I’m not worried about that. I’m worried about him killing them,” Jennifer grunted.

Frederic shrugged. “It’s only been three days. Sorc may be an evil bastard, but he’s not suicidal. He won’t risk anything.”

“I guess you’re the one to know best,” Daphnix replied. Frederic shrugged, and nodded. They walked past a bar called ‘Moe’s’. “Anyone care to explore the local entertainment?” Since the bar looked shady, the rest declined, and the group moved on.

“So, now what do we do? I mean… it’s an interesting town to stroll through, but there’s not that much to see,” Jennifer said.

“The nuke plant?” Daphnix asked, chuckling.

“And what’s so interesting about an old-fashioned nuclear plant?” Jennifer asked sarcastically.

Daphnix chuckled. “According to Linda’s records, the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant has the worst safety records of the entire world. Let’s see… it’s property of someone named C. Montgomery Burns, age 104.”

“An unsafe plant,” Jennifer answered. “That’s so interesting, D.”

Daphnix chuckled, and went on. “In fact, the plant almost went off on a dozen separate occasions… once, it was saved by someone named Homer J. Simpson. Hey, look at this, guys! Dictionary entry on ‘Homer’. ‘Pulling a Homer’. In spite of gross stupidity, succeeding through sheer and utter luck.”

The group froze, and stared at Daphnix. “You have got to be kidding me,” Jennifer whispered.

“This Homer J. Simpson. What role does he play in the plant?” Frederic asked.

Daphnix tapped the amp, and chuckled. “You’re not going to believe this. Homer J. Simpson is the safety inspector! Currently stationed in sector 7G… hired under project ‘bootstrap’, issued by President Ford.”

Frederic rubbed his head. “Politics and nuclear power plants. Dangerous mix,” he grunted. “I am inclined to stay as far away from the plant as possible. Anyone up for a trip to Australia?”

“How about we get our asses back on board the Ortega, and hightail it out of here?” Jennifer suggested.

“I agree,” Frederic grunted. “Anyone else care to join us?”

“Us,” Jessie said, indicating herself and her brother. Daphnix sighed.

“Guess that just leaves me. Okay. I’m out of here too. Goodbye, Springfield, –” his speech was cut off as a transporter whisked him away.

 

Buffy hit the ground with a hard thump, leaving a small pit behind. Groaning, she lifted her head, just in time to see Jonny and Billy be hit out of the free–for–all Sorcerer called a training session. The others were still going hard and fast at him, and so far, they hadn’t even driven him to the point where he had been forced to turn Super. He had turned up his ki-furnace, yes, but he had not been forced to go Super.

Buffy got to her feet and jumped off, colorless ki-flames flaming up around her body. Jonny and Billy just landed on their feet, and immediately pushed off, back into the slaughter fest. Sorcerer was killing them all, very slowly.

Having twenty-one Master Slayers fight him was not a new deal for Sorcerer, who was used to sparring with the demonic gladiators he used to commission for his relief. He was used to fighting many-on-one.

His arms and legs blurred as he blocked punch after punch, and kick after kick. He sighed. The kis weren’t rising the way he had hoped they would. Grunting, he turned his ki up a few notches, and started counter-attacking. Instead of blocking, and landing a punch here and there, he now ignored the defense, and just went for them, letting his body’s resilience deal with the puny attacks the others were throwing at him.

He kicked Buffy in the belly, drove his fist into Adam’s face, and drove the elbow of his other hand into Jonny’s gut. He started kicking and hitting in a devastating tornado of feet and hands. In less then twenty seconds, everyone was on the ground, and he gently touched down.

“This isn’t working. You’re not being challenged. You weaklings aren’t true fighters, trying to overcome your nemesis. Your hearts aren’t in this. I will make sure your hearts are in it,” Sorcerer said at the Slayers, who were now grunting as they got back on their legs. Sorcerer saw their Immortality healing them. As such, he knew their energy hadn’t been depleted, or even been tapped, yet.

“You will all remain where you are. The first to move out of line without my say-so gets blasted into subatomic residue. Buffy. Get your ass over here.”

The Slayers gulped, stood in a line, and did as Sorcerer asked. His voice commanded it… there was something in it that screamed that he wouldn’t let off. He meant it when he said he’d kill them if they moved, and every Master Slayer knew it. Usagi got teary-eyed, her knees started shaking, and her lower lip started quivering. She dragged in her breath, and bit the quivering lip. Being a Master Slayer had given her added emotional strength, and she wouldn’t let Sorcerer see her cry. She had cried, at first… at Sorcerer has just mocked her for it. She didn’t want a repeat performance.

Buffy stepped forward, facing Sorcerer. “Fight me,” he told her, curtly. She shrugged, and attacked. She only knew pain the next instant, and looked up at the clear blue sky. She saw Sorcerer’s frame looming over her, his fists drawn. He had jumped up, and was preparing to come down hard on her. Buffy rolled away, causing Sorcerer to crash into the ground.

She had thought it would give her the time to get up. Instead, Sorcerer jumped off the exact moment he hit the ground, sending chips of rock flying. He kicked her while she was still rolling, forcing her to cry out. Fortunately, the blow had thrown her into the air, and Buffy managed to get her feet under her. She dropped to one knee the moment she made contact with the ground once again.

“That’s pathetic,” Sorcerer said, raising his arm towards her. Buffy’s eyes went wide. A ki-blast hit her, throwing her backwards, singing her hair, burning her skin, and sending wave after wave of blistering pain racing along her nervous system. Buffy screamed louder than she had ever screamed before.

“Come on, bitch! Get up! Fight me!” Sorcerer screamed, advancing on her. “I am playing with you! Doesn’t that make you mad? Don’t you want to hurt me? Come on, bitch! Get pissed off!”

Buffy coughed some blood, remaining down on all fours. “Enough…” she croaked.

Sorcerer laughed. “What? That’s not going to help you, you bitch!” He jumped up, and crashed down next to her, his fall broken by planting his elbow in her back. Buffy howled, and went down. The other Slayers were obviously waiting to get at him. Most of them were almost hopping up and down in place, ready to get at him. Sorcerer turned to them, smirking.

Good. Become angry. Become very angry, because I will kill this here bitch if she’s not helped soon! He thought, and turned back towards Buffy.

Buffy groaned, and got up. He kicked her in the face. “Come on, bitch! I can feel the power in you! Release it!”

Buffy groaned. She opened her eyes. Ki welled up around her, and she screamed. The ki flames erupted in size and intensity. Sorcerer smirked as he slowly walked towards her. Buffy jumped high, and kicked him in the face the moment she passed by him on her way down. Sorcerer’s head moved sideways, but not in any manner that would indicate serious harm.

Crouching in front of him, Buffy’s bloodied face stood angry. She was breathing deeply, the colorless ki flames still welling up around her. Sorcerer turned back to her. “You’re weak, Slayer-bitch. That was a punch everyone could have handled!” to punctuate his words, Sorcerer spin-kicked her hard in the face. Buffy was sent flying, growled, and put her feet into the ground, ripping open the rocks as she removed the momentum. She howled in rage, and charged.

Sorcerer smiled as she did so, blocking her kicks and punches, seemingly without effort. “Come on! You’ll have to do better than that! Or can’t you? You’re a worthless bitch! You can’t even do one simple thing! Fred should let me kill you… you know what? I’ll kill you, regardless of his imperative, and save him the trouble of weeding out you weaklings himself!”

With those words, Sorcerer kicked her in the gut, sending her flying. He appeared behind her, and hit her in the back, sending her on a fast one-way trajectory to Mother Earth. She left a crater where she impacted.

“No, damnit!” Angel, as well as some of the Master Slayers, raged. Ki was welling up dangerously around their bodies. They were erratic, fueled only by anger, but Sorcerer didn’t care. He wanted them pissed off.

Sorcerer lowered himself, and pressed his hands to one hip. “Ka…me…” A white ball of energy appeared in his cupped hands.

“BUFFY!!” Angel raged. “You have to block it! There’s no other way!”

Buffy’s reply was a mere groan. “Ha…me…” Sorcerer continued, the white ball of energy growing.

“HA!!!” Sorcerer howled, throwing the ball towards Buffy’s crater.

Kamehameha, Buffy whispered, raising her hands instinctively, gripping deeper within herself for brute energy that could be used to block Sorcerer’s attack.

“Good!” Sorcerer said as her energy blast and his clashed. It seemed to be about even. He kicked his higher. Buffy howled as her ball started to be overtaken, and she dug deeper for strength. Sorcerer’s harsh words burned in her soul.

Am I weak? Am I really unable to do this? Her arms were burning with exhaustion. Her breath came in short gasps. She was exhausted, her energy gone. More words by Sorcerer came into her mind. There is a need, not a desire. Rage is the catalyst…I have the need! I CAN do this! Buffy’s clenched eyes opened, and she growled in anger. Sorcerer’s energy ball had crossed the rim of the crater she had made, making it only a meter or so away from her.

Anger! He can’t beat me! I can’t die! I WON’T die! I WILL make him eat his words! ALL of them! Buffy’s face twisted in anger. She howled. She found strength deep within herself, a strength she never thought was there. And with it came energy. Dark energy, created by one of the most potent of all human emotions: pure rage. The energy came out, and Buffy howled in a combination of pain and anger.

Sorcerer grinned as he continued his ball. He could feel her wall chipping. And then… it collapsed. The ground shook in conjunction to a thunderclap that originated from the crater. His energy ball was overtaken in no time, and Sorcerer would have been blasted if he hadn’t had his lighting-reactions. He had dodged. Just in time.

Out of the crater, Buffy floated. Her normally golden hair had deepened its color, just like her eyebrows. Buffy’s eyes were now a vicious turquoise. Her face stood outraged, and its gaze was pointed towards Sorcerer.

“Good,” he smirked. “I knew you could do it.”

“You tried to kill me,” Super-Buffy said, voice ice-cold.

“That was the idea, yes,” Sorcerer said. The next moment, Super-Buffy flashed into existence in front of him, and her fist drove into his stomach. Sorcerer doubled over. Super-Buffy kicked him in the face, sending him flying.

She materialized behind him, hoping to do to him what he had done to her. She didn’t expect him to turn around, smile, turn Super, grab her, and throw her into the ground.

Sorcerer landed, and everyone stared at him. Contrary to Frederic, Sorcerer’s Super-mode was ‘normal’. His normal ki was green, like Frederic’s was, but his Super-form had golden ki, and his hair had turned golden, contrary to Frederic’s red ki, and red-streaked hair.

“You went Super. For that, I’ll forgive you,” Sorcerer said to Super-Buffy, lying on her back not far away, in a second crater. “Next time, I’ll kick your ass into oblivion.” He looked at the setting sun. “Anyway, we did enough for today. I’m off.” With those words, Sorcerer turned down from Super, and disappeared over the horizon. The Slayers were used to it. Sorcerer always disappeared during the nights, leaving them to fend for themselves.

Buffy grunted, turned down from Super as well, and crawled out of the crater. The others were by her side in no time.

“Our turn to go hunting,” Jonny said, indicting himself and his two fellow Slayers, after they had made sure that Buffy was alright. “We’ll be back in half an hour or so.”

“We’ll go to the cave… if it wasn’t destroyed, that is,” Xander told the threesome.

 

“That planet’s a mess,” Frederic whispered, looking at planet Earth in universe 899. “The Earth Strategic Mental Forces were right. We should do something.”

Jennifer nodded, along with Daphnix. “Ten years ago, some terrorists set off a nuke in the atmosphere… and it shows. In the US, and most parts of Canada and Mexico, all electric circuits were fried. The entire world economy collapsed. They managed to get some systems back, but it’s pretty basic. Satellites are still working, telephone and Internet have survived… but society is pretty much in anarchy. Survival of the richest and fittest,” she said, reading her screen.

“Think we can establish an F² chapter here?” Daphnix asked. “We have eight chapters right now… think we can establish an extra one?”

“Jenny, Love, contact ESMF HQ, and see how many people we have available… see if it’s possible to do with ESMF resources, or if we have to recruit locals to do the work,” Frederic asked, still looking at the screen.

I’m detecting something unusual, Linda suddenly reported. An anonymous TV broadcast. Hang on.

On the large screen in front of the bridge, a wide-screen picture became visible. It showed a pair of eyes, flanked on the top and bottom by a rolling banner proclaiming ‘streaming freedom’. An electronically garbled voice started.

“Do not attempt to adjust your set. This is a streaming freedom video bulletin. The cable hack will last exactly sixty seconds. It cannot be traced, it cannot be stopped, and it is the only free voice left in this city…”

“Looks like there are some people who’re not happy,” Frederic noted sarcastically. “Linda, trace?”

Seattle. Got his address. Hard to do with normal tech, but he’s no match for me.

“Thanks,” Frederic said. “If I didn’t know any better I’d say you enjoyed doing tha- Hey!” He cut off as Jennifer elbowed him in the ribs.

“Will you hush?” she asked exasperatedly. “I’m trying to listen to Freedom Guy over there.”

Frederic raised his hands in apology, and the threesome listened to the streaming freedom bulletin, which wielded a bunch of semi-useless information. Corrupt politicians and cops on the take were not really what they normally dealt in.

“Linda, are there undead?” Frederic asked.

No. A bunch of modified genomes, but nothing that can be classified as ‘undead’ or even ‘evil’. Just the normal every-day human crap. Wars, drugs, crime, and so on. It’s worse than usual thanks to the anarchy, though.

“Maybe we should go pay this ‘Eyes Only’ a visit,” Frederic suggested. “Maybe he can help us establish an F² chapter here. We could lift the economy within months.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Jennifer said, casting a look on her science screen. “By the way, ESMF HQ replies that there are enough people available. When the light is given, we can have a factory running in a month. Two, tops.”

“Bad as corrupt politicians may be, this might just help us,” Daphnix said. “We pay whoever’s in charge, buy our place, and erect our facility… all without the need for pesky paperwork. We could start almost immediately.”

Frederic and Jennifer nodded. “Use one evil to root out the bigger evil,” Frederic said, turning to look at the screen. “But first, we’ll go pay ‘Eyes Only’ a visit. I want to know if he knows anyone we can trust on this undertaking.”

“What if he doesn’t trust us?” Jennifer asked.

“We earn it,” Frederic answered calmly. “Worst case scenario is that we tell him everything, and he tries to have us committed.”

“And they’ll commit him, since there’s no trace of us,” Jennifer replied sadly. “Let’s hope it doesn’t turn out that way.”

“Let’s,” Frederic and Daphnix said at the same time.

 

Sorcerer circled Ami, the blue-haired girl crouching in the exact center of the circle Sorcerer was describing around her. Light-blue ki flames pulsed around her body, her beautiful face distorted by anger as her head turned to follow him with her glare. She had been trained continuously for the last six months by Frederic, Jennifer, Daphnix, and the twins. As such, Ami was pretty much Buffy’s equal, although her experience and her pre-Master Slayer abilities still gave the blonde a small advantage, the reason why Sorcerer had singled her out first.

Ami’s fists were balled into fists, her mouth turned into a scowl.

“Come on, bitch,” Sorcerer said, continuously turning around her. “Just because you’re Daphnix’ slut doesn’t mean you’ll get it any easier!”

Ami growled a little louder, and crouched a little deeper. The Senshi looked at each other. “I never knew Ami could get like this,” Usagi whispered to her friends. The rest looked with big eyes at Ami as well, and indicated that they too, had no idea.

Sorcerer suddenly stopped in front of the girl, turned towards her, and seemed to appraise her. Leering, he advanced on her, causing her to change her stance so she would be ready for any attacks he might try, even though he was Super, and she was not.

Sorcerer chuckled as he saw her change to a defensive position, and kept his advance, until they were almost touching. Looking at the light-blue hair, floating on the flaming ki of the girl, Sorcerer’s eyes traveled downward, until they locked with her eyes. He leaned in.

“You know, I could save him the trouble. I can take you right here; in front of all your friends… wouldn’t you like that? Be a real woman, by me?”

Ami’s eyes went big, and she turned to look him right in the face. Her teeth bared as her growl became louder. Sorcerer smirked, grabbed the sides of her head, and kissed her. Hard. On the lips. Ami shrieked, struggled, and clawed at him, to no avail. Sorcerer was Super. She wasn’t. He had all the advantages.

“Ami-chan!” Usagi shouted, along with all her Senshi-friends. She could see Buffy, Super, ready to pounce, seemingly at an indecision as of yet. Finally, the blonde moved, chips of rock flying backwards as she launched herself towards the Super-Sorcerer.  Sorcerer didn’t even look up. He just raised his hand, and blasted her. Super-Buffy was catapulted backward, and hit the ground with a dull thud. She grunted as she got up.

Ami too had detected Buffy’s approach. She had felt the thickening of the air, moment before the explosion, as Sorcerer’s blast left his hand. His power was monumental. She heard the cry of the Master Slayers. Her knee flew up, hitting Sorcerer were it hurt. Or better, it would have hurt. He didn’t even feel it, and continued the kiss. His one hand traveled down, and grasped her breast through the gi she was wearing.

The contact seemed to inject pure adrenalin into the girl’s muscles, and it literally dumped pure antimatter into her ki-furnace.

Ami’s ki exploded.

Sorcerer hadn’t even felt the wall crack. One moment, it was only just being touched. The next, it had vaporized, and the resulting explosion had catapulted him backward.

To Ami, it felt good. Better than she had ever felt about anything in her life. For her entire existence, Ami had controlled her emotions, trying to fit in, and not draw any attention to herself. When Sorcerer had grabbed her, something had snapped inside of her, and she had released her last holds on herself. The ki had exploded around her, dragging something else with it. Something Ami knew only too well.

Sailor Mercury.

Sorcerer stared at Ami, who had momentarily been hidden from view by a dark-blue ki flame. The flame had died away, leaving the girl with a dark-blue angrily pulsing ki-aura. The light-blue hair had followed, along with the girl’s eyes.

And then, Ami was dressed in a Senshi uniform the likes of which Sorcerer had never seen before. The bodysuit was black, adorned solely with the Mercury-symbol over the girl’s left breast. She was wearing a golden-colored armored battle skirt, golden armored boots, and golden gloves, reaching to her elbows. Ami’s head was adorned with a black tiara, containing a single dark-blue gem, emitting a dangerous-looking blue light.

“Supreme Blizzard Evolution!” Super-Sailor Mercury shouted. As if powering a ki-attack, her hands were held in front of her, cupped, and pointing towards Sorcerer. In those few seconds, Sorcerer felt Ami’s power skyrocket. He had expected an elemental attack coming form the skies, like Mercury’s usual attacks. Instead, it was a straight beam of deep-blue color, blasting toward him. Sorcerer slapped it aside.

He smiled at her startled face. “You turned Super. Good! But, in order to hurt me, you’ll have to do better. Now, power down, and join your friends. Let’s see… who’s next?”

Ami stared at him, clenched her fists, and growled. Her ki expanded slightly. She attacked… before darkness hit.

 

That evening, three of the Master Ranger-team’s members were out foraging for food, while the others were in the cave that had become their home away from home. In the center of the large and spacious cave, a fire was roaring.

“He got three of us today,” Ami said, staring blankly into the fire. “Me, Willow, and Angel.”

“He fought three of us at Super-level, and he looked as if he had been taking a walk in the park,” Buffy grunted. She turned to the blue-haired Master Sailor. “Ami… what happened?”

Ami sighed slightly, and continued to stare into the fire. “I don’t know, Buffy-chan. Somehow, he triggered something…something deeper… than simply going Super. When I went, Sailor Mercury went with me. It was...strange. When he touched me… I’ve never felt so angry… I’ve never been so angry at anybody ever before…”

“When you finally let go, you crossed the threshold immediately,” Angel said. “You’re usually so composed, your emotions are used to be locked down… and when Sorcerer…did what he did, you let go of everything. Your emotions fueled you, just as he had lectured us to do, and they grabbed at anything they could.”

Ami closed her eyes, and nodded. “I know…But that’s only part of the problem… Not that I became angry at someone, so angry that I wanted to take him apart atom by atom,” she growled, clenching her fists, and staring at them as the memory of his touch came back. Those who knew her best gasped in shock at the Sailor. The others’ eyes went wide when ki actually started to form around her. Ami took a breath, and composed herself, the ki and angry scowl disappearing slowly. “It was what I felt afterward. I had become so angry, and it triggered my transformation… but after the transformation, I felt as if I could make good on my rage, and I let it! I wanted to take him apart, and I was doing my best to do so!”

“I know,” Willow added. “I felt like that, too. I wanted to destroy him, and I would have done it, too! If only he wasn’t so damned smug in his superiority.”

Angel chuckled. “Tell me about it. I haven’t felt anger like that since I was a soulless vampire, and even then, most of them time, it didn’t even come close to what I felt today. And that’s saying something.”

“We should learn,” Ami said after a few minutes of silken, during which the Master Slayers in the cave tried to assimilate the recent events. Everyone looked at her with an expectant look on their faces. “Learn to turn Super at will, learn to master our new strength… and learn to control it to the extent of our normal ki.”

“That’s a good idea,” Buffy said. “And, at the last day, we’re all going to wipe the smirk off of Sorc’s face!”

Ami simply smiled slightly while the others jumped up, and started cheering. “We can survive on four hours of sleep,” she said during the commotion. In one second, everyone fell silent, and stared at her, making her blush slightly. “I was thinking…” she started again. “We can survive on four hours of sleep. Two hours of double-sleep, if we’re going to push ourselves. That leaves us with six added hours of training… training ourselves.”

The others sat down, and stared at her. “How?” Cordelia finally asked. “I mean, no offense, all we can do is take pot-shots at those who’ve already turned Super.”

Ami nodded. “Yes, but we can split the group up… Those that already turned Super spar and train amongst themselves. Those that haven’t, do the same. Or, we can alternate between such a schedule and a schedule in which those that have turned Super go after those that haven’t. That way, those that have turned can help those that haven’t.”

“Like a tutoring program,” Angel said thoughtfully. “You know… that just might work. Remember that change Fred put into our genetic make-up?”

“The Saiyan clause?” Ami asked with a chuckle.

“That one, yes,” Angel replied. “Every time we’re near-death, we come back stronger. Now, our Immortality doesn’t work when we’re fighting all-out, since we’re draining the energy of our immortality away into our fighting skills. But, if we train, and really go AT it, and then allow ourselves to heal up…”

“We can grow stronger on a daily basis,” Ami finished. She shook her head. “It doesn’t work that way… Sorcerer showed that to us those first couple of days. We were near-death more than we were on our feet. We didn’t turn until he started psychological warfare.”

“Yes, but what if the combination DOES work?” Kimberly asked. “Sorc teaches us to go beyond ourselves, and at night, we train ourselves to push our ‘normal’ higher. That way, the base level of our power should rise…”

“Damn, that’s so stupid it might actually work,” Xander said, looking around the group.

“Hey, guys!” Rocky greeted the group when he, Billy, and Adam walked in. “We caught an elephant. Plenty of food for a couple of days!” he said, greeted by ecstatic cheers from the group.

“We placed it in a magic containment field, so the meat will stay good,” Billy said, sitting down. “So, what have you been talking about?”

“Yeah. What have you been doing with your time while we were out, slaving to bring food on the table?” Adam asked with a chuckle.

“We worked out a plan to teach Sorc a lesson,” Willow replied deadpan. The three hunters looked around the group, to see if it was a joke.

“A tutelage program,” Angel explained. “We’re going to sleep two hours of double-sleep a night. In addition to that, we’ll have half an hour to eat and drink. The rest, we’ll spend training. Gaining strength, speed, and skill. We’re going to go flat-out against each other, then heal up, and do it again.”

“The Saiyan clause…” Billy muttered.

“Exactly,” Ami said with a nod. “We’ll train ourselves. Sorc will teach us to turn. We’ll teach ourselves to use that turning. Control over the Super-mode. Turning at will, and the ability to remain emotionally balanced. Turning Super has some downright scary emotional consequences, one of which is that you’re unable to contain yourself.”

“Cool,” Rocky said. “Count me in. But right now, I’m going to get myself some meat. Any of you guys want some?”

As one person, the entire group stood up, and laughing, they joined Rocky outside, where the elephant had been preserved. Everyone knew that the remaining time was not going to be easy. All had trepidations, but none of them had doubts. They were Master Slayers; the Super Elite of the Multiverse. They couldn’t fail… not themselves, not each other, and not their trainers.

 

One by one, the Master Slayers turned Super under Sorcerer’s ‘careful’ supervision. But it wasn’t until two days later when they made the biggest breakthrough of them all.

“Sorcerer, may I offer a request?” Ami asked just after Sorcerer had reappeared on morning.

“Go ahead,” Sorcerer grunted. “What does my little slut want?”

Ami blushed away the embarrassment she felt at the comment. Gathering all of the emotional strength she could muster, she looked up, into his eyes. “I… eh… we… were wondering...”

“Out with it, bitch!” Sorcerer snarled.

Ami scowled at him. A single snap in her mind caused her to go Super, making sure that she changed into Super Mercury at the same time. It wouldn’t do to give away all of her advances. With the emotional reinforcements of her Super-mode behind her, Ami walked up to him, up to the point where she was almost standing on his toes. Small Ami stared angrily up into Sorcerer’s eyes, whose body towered above her. “We want to change the training schedule.”

“Really?” Sorcerer asked, raising an eyebrow, intrigued. “Which is?”

“We will remain at the cave, training ourselves. You collect one of us, work on him or her, turn the person Super, return said person, and collect a new one. So forth until we are all Super,” Ami said coolly.

Sorcerer stared at her. Damn… when she’s Super, she’s got one HELL of an attitude. Problem is that I don’t know whether to be scared, or amused by it. He looked around the group of twenty-one Master Slayers, standing in a circle around him and Ami. And they’re all like it. Damnit, Fred, what did you do to these kids? They could stare down practically anyone!

“Sounds fair,” he finally said. “I will make one amendment. Some of you fight for the others, rather than for themselves. People like that need to be stimulated by the suffering of their friends. When I am working on such a person, I will collect others to assist.”

Ami stepped back, and dipped her head. Immediately, the Super-ki dropped, pulling the girl back in the remnants of the gi she had been wearing since the start of the ‘training sessions’. She bowed respectfully. “We thank you, Sorcerer.” With those words, she turned on her heel, and blasted off in a flash of light-blue ki-energy. The others followed suit, except for Cordelia, who was the next in line to change.

 

“That’s it! I’m stopping! You can’t take this anymore, Ami!” Super-Buffy shouted at the blue-haired girl, who was sitting on her hands and knees on the rocky ground. Flanking Buffy were Super-Willow on the left and Super-Xander on the right.

“No,” Ami groaned, wresting herself to her feet, and balling her fists. “I…can not give up! I WILL not give up!” The dark blue Super-aura pulsated dangerously, indicative of the girl’s exhaustion.

“You don’t know your limits when you’re Super, Ami,” Buffy said gently, powering down from Super. Willow and Xander did the same. “You don’t give up. Ever. It’s dangerous, Ami… you’re getting yourself killed!”

Super-Ami snarled. “I still have power left! Now fight me! I need to be stronger! I can NOT give up! I will not give up! Trust was placed in me, and I will not abuse that trust!”

“Than you’ll have to fight us by yourself, Ami. We won’t fight back,” Buffy said evenly. By now, the rest of thee Master Slayer had gathered around the argument. It was not the first time that Ami, in Super mode, refused to give up. Until now, she had won each and every time, always finding new amazing depths to her power. But it appeared that this time, she had found a match.

“You know I can’t fight you like that,” Ami said, her voice level. “You’re my friends. I can’t hurt you.”

“We can’t hurt you, either,” Willow said gently. “And that’s what you’re asking us to do.”

“Because it makes me stronger!” Ami shouted. “It’s what we’re here for! To grow stronger! To show Frederic-sama that he made the right choice when he made us Master Slayers! To prove our worth, to gain new insights into ourselves!”

“But there are limits, Ami,” Buffy said, speaking just as gently as Willow had done. “Right now, we’re capable of killing you if we make a mistake… your power level is dangerously low, your body is exhausted, and your mind is grasping for straws. Come on, Ami… you know you’re dead on your feet.”

Ami grunted, balled her fist, and dropped into the combat crouch. She snarled. Her power level exploded. “I…will not…give up,” she growled, emphasizing each and every word. “Now fight!”

Buffy looked dejectedly at the ground, and powered to Super. Willow and Xander stared at her. “Buffy…” Willow whispered.

“Hey, Buff, you sure about this? We could kill her,” Xander asked.

“This is between me and Ami,” Buffy said. “I didn’t want to do this, but it’s part of the training. Everyone must know their limits,” the golden-haired Master Slayer said. “Ready yourself. Here I come.”

Super-Ami smiled, and readied herself, shifting her balance slightly to receive Buffy’s first attack. Super-Buffy shifted from her place, materializing in front of Ami, who nimbly dodged the first punch, and slammed upward to Buffy’s gut. Buffy dodged sideways, and aimed a drop-kick at Ami’s head. Ami rolled sideways in mid-air, landed on her feet, and pushed off, sending rock flying. Now the duo started trading punches, blocking strikes and kicks rather than dodging them.

Suddenly, Super-Buffy landed a knee in Ami’s gut, causing the girl to double over. Buffy spun around, and aimed a kick into Ami’s neck, sending the girl into the ground. More cuts had appeared on her beautiful body when Ami wrested herself from the pit.

“Kamehameha!” Buffy whispered, cupping her hands. The moment Ami looked up, Buffy cut loose with the Kamehameha-wave. Ami knew there was no time to dodge. She pushed her hands out in front of her, cupped.

“Kamehameha,” Ami whispered to herself, her own power-blast racing up to meet Buffy’s. The two waves collided in mid-air, causing the ground to shake and debris to lift up and away form the fighting zone. Ami could feel her power sapping.

“Give it up, Ami!” Buffy shouted. “Your power is almost gone! I can feel it! I don’t want to hurt you with this thing!”

“I can not give up,” Ami whispered to herself. I can not give up… not for myself, and not for the trust Daphnix and his family have placed in me. They accepted me in their family. They taught me, guided me, and helped me. Now it’s my turn to help them. I can not give up… EVER!

Ami’s eyes, clenched shut, opened themselves. She snarled and screamed, “I… will not… SURRENDER!” she howled over the battlefield. “For the love and protection D has shown me! For accepting me into their family! I can not FAIL!”

Super-Buffy’s eyes went wide-open, along with the eyes of all the other Master Slayers. This was why she was pushing so hard? Buffy debated dropping her power-blast, to let the girl win, then decided against it. Ami needed this… she needed to know that there were limits to what she could do. Buffy growled silently, and threw more power into the blast.

Ami could feel her blast being overtaken. She could feel her grip on her power slipping. Sorcerer’s voice boomed through her ears. You’re only Daphnix’ slut. Don’t think for a moment they accepted you because of your power… they accepted you because you’re D’s slut.

Ami felt rage sweep over her. “I…have…the power!” Ami snarled. “I … KNOW… I have the power!” She felt unfathomable emotions sweep over her. It was as if the world was suddenly colored the red of blood, and a bright hot-white blast overtook her mind. Ami screamed the scream of the damned.

The world turned a dark blue, lit up by an explosion of Ki from around the girl. The blast suddenly magnified in intensity and power to the point where Buffy barely felt her blast being overtaken before she hit the ground.

“By the trust placed in me by Daphnix and his family! By the power ingrained into me by the personal training of Frederic and Shadow! By the love and support everyone showed me… I have succeeded!” Ami’s voice howled through the cloud of fire that hung around her, obscuring her from view.

Slowly, the cloud died down, reveling Ami, her hair now standing upright on her head, and tiny sparks of electricity flying through the dark-blue ki-aura. Ami’s body seemed to have grown in height and muscle mass, and her uniform seemed… angrier, somehow, now that it was coupled to the dark-blue electric-sparked ki-aura, and a face that showed the most eerily intense pure-rage look anyone had ever seen on Ami’s face. The usually quiet and shy girl had been transformed in a stone-cold fighting bitch from hell.

“Ami…” Willow whispered.

“She’s gone Super TWO!!” Xander yelled, breaking the spell that held everyone quiet. The group cheered and called. Buffy, releasing her Immortality the moment she was still on the ground, had healed by now, and joined in. Ami’s outraged face grew a tiny smile, but it didn’t appear right. The girl closed her eyes, dropped out of Super altogether, and fell to her knees with a speed that astonished everyone. Rei was the first one there, catching the girl before she fell sideways… totally unconscious.

“She’s exhausted,” Rei muttered. “It looks like we’ve got something new to strive for… I want to see Sorc’s face when we actually go Super-2 in his face.”

The others chuckled, talking quietly among themselves as they re-entered the cave. Too much had happened to resume training today. They needed to talk, and adjust their training schedule.

 

Super-Willow spun in mid-air, flipping and rolling until her she landed, feet-down on the ground, her feet digging deep spoors, as they stopped her from flying backwards even further. She looked at the two figures in the shadow, who were now slowly emerging.

“We will keep that a secret as well,” Ami said with a smile as she walked up to the Super-witch, looking at Oz and Angel, the two figures that had now fully emerged from the shadows. “It will scare the living hells out of Sorcerer.”

“It sure scared the Hells out of me!” Willow added vigorously, powering down from Super. “Who would have thought…”

“It’s a left-over. Just like the Power Rangers,” Ami said with a chuckle, “Our Sailor powers; the Ranger’s Power Ranger morphs; and now, Oz and Angel. Who would have thought?”

“Well, we all know Fred never does half work. And we know from you guys that he doesn’t strip anyone powers and enhancements they already had,” Cordelia said. “It’s only natural to assume that the Master Slayer abilities interface with the older enhancements, and boosts them to new levels.”

“No offense, but I don’t see mine as enhancements,” Angel said. “It was a curse, and it’s disturbing to find it still present…”

Buffy plastered herself to him. “Yeah, but honey… remember. It didn’t bother you for years. You can walk in the sunlight, you can touch a cross, and you can take a bath in Holy water, if you wanted. It’s totally under control, so there’s nothing to worry about… it is under complete control, right?”

“Of course,” Angel nodded, “No Thirst, no Bloodlust, nothing; just the unfathomable anger… and the added attacks.”

“But, just like ours, it’s more for show that for anything else,” Ami said. “It impresses the Hells out of your opponent, but it doesn’t raise your power level that much. It unlocks some added attacks and abilities, but your basic power level remains more or less the same.”

“Cool,” Oz replied calmly. “We’ll scare Sorc.”

“That we will,” Ami said with conviction. “We will scare the Hells out of him, and kick his ass into oblivion!”

“YEAH!!!” the entire group of Master Slayers shouted.

 

Sorcerer circled Usagi, who was sitting on her knees on the ground, clutching her stomach, fighting back the tears with small, pitiful moans. She was the last one to change. Sorcerer had kept her for last, had even waited till the next day before tackling her. Now it was time… the sun had risen, and he had called her out. As if one, the entire group Master Slayers lifted into the air next to her. Sorcerer had no idea why.

And now, here she was: Usagi, Sailor Moon, on her knees, whimpering pitifully as she clutched her stomach. Sorcerer stopped circling her, and stared down at the girl. Suddenly, his foot lashed out, kicking her right under the chin, forcing the girl up and backward. Usagi hit the ground, and slid a few meters on her back. She cried out in pain, and remained down.

“Usagi-chan!” the Master Sailors shouted.

“Get up, Usagi!” Buffy howled in encouragement. The others joined the Slayer, and started shouting encouragements. Usagi forced herself upright, tears streaking her face. Seemingly drawing strength from her friends, Usagi managed to climb to her feet.

“Fight me!” Sorcerer shouted, landed a muscular fist in her stomach, making her double over. He swept her legs from under her, causing the Master Slayer to hit the ground flat on her back. The next moment, Sorcerer had placed his foot on top of her chest, pressing slightly to hinder her breathing.

“Come on! Power up! FIGHT!” Sorcerer yelled. Usagi growled, her hands grabbing at his calves, attempting to lift his foot off her chest. In response, his smiled and pressed harder. “That’s a pitiful attempt!” he scolded her. “Try harder!”

Usagi shouted, actually forming ki around her for the first time. She jerked his feet sideways, off her chest, and the Sailor managed to jump to her feet, breathing deeply to bring oxygen to her starving muscles.

“Finally,” Sorcerer said, cracking his knuckles, and flying towards her. She actually fought back this time, blocking two of his strikes before landing a hit on her kidneys, causing her knees to buckle.

“You’re such a pitiful bitch!” Sorcerer shouted angrily. “How you ever made it to leading that pitiful bunch of friends of yours, I’ll never understand! You’re a soft-skinned, weak-bellied pampered and spoiled rotten aristocratic slut!”

Usagi looked up at him angrily when he insulted her friends. Sorcerer smiled evilly. “Weakness,” he said. “Your friends… Watch me kill them.”

“NO!” Usagi yelled, once again forming a ki-aura. She blasted towards his unprotected back, and tempted to strike it. At the last moment, Sorcerer simply sidestepped. As she passed, he planted his elbow deep into her back. Usagi’s eyes went wide open, and a silent scream escaped her open mouth. She sunk to her knees, and rolled over.

Sorcerer looked at the girl, rolling over the rocky ground in a futile attempt to squelch the pain. He sighed. “You’re useless.” He lifted his arm to his side, one finger pointing in the direction of the Master Sailors. Before Usagi’s startled eyes, a small sphere of green energy formed at the tip of his extended index finger. The next moment, the sphere blasted off, a second one formed, and that one blasted off, too. A third sphere was followed by a fourth.

Usagi didn’t notice. Her started fear-filled eyes focused on her friends. Ami, Rei, Makoto and Minako all sunk to the ground at the same time. Usagi had only been a Master Slayer for seven months. The concept of Immortality had yet to fully settle in. When she saw the beam penetrate her friends’ hearts, when she saw them sink to the ground with a vacant look in their eyes and a silent scream on their lips, Usagi was sure that it was the end. Sorcerer had killed her friends.

Usagi closed her eyes. Tears streamed from the corners of her eyes. “You…killed…my friends,” Usagi whispered, eyes suddenly flying open and focusing on her tormentor. Ki welled up around her. Sorcerer could feel it gripping at his clothes: the sudden tornado-like winds generated by the girl’s explosive aura. “I can not let you get away with that!” She shouted, forcing herself to her legs.

After that, she crouched, and balled her fists. She threw a look at the place where her friends were. “I swear revenge,” she grunted, looking at Sorcerer, who lifted an eyebrow. She screamed in pure rage, a rage totally uncharacteristic for the kind-hearted Sailor Moon. A pure white flame hid her from view, and Sorcerer could feel her power level skyrocketing. He already patted himself on the back. You did it again, old boy. That’s the last one.

There was a small thunderclap that accompanied the shudder that went through the ground when Sailor Moon broke the Super-barrier. She was Super now… he could feel it. Sorcerer smiled, anxious to see the last of the Sailors in the pitch-black Super-uniform. Instead, Sailor Moon continued to shout.

“You killed my friends!” came the howl over the wheezed of the fire-vortex that now surrounded Usagi’s body. Her power level continued to rise. Sorcerer stared.

Oh no…she is not…don’t tell me she’s…she can’t! She’ll blow her body to bits! Sorcerer prepared to strike out through the flame-tornado. He knew he had to stop this. Now.  If what he thought was coming was right, then…

Usagi screamed. Her mind felt like it was on fire, and she felt liquid energy pump through her veins. All she knew was that she wanted to destroy Sorcerer. Never in her young life had Usagi felt such rage, such…hate for anyone. She grasped at the locket that contained the Imperium Silver Crystal that powered her Sailor Moon powers. She could feel its energy adding to her own.

Before Sorcerer could make up his mind, Usagi’s power level exploded, the flame vortex finally dying out. “I can never forgive you for the crimes you committed!” Usagi’s voice shrieked trough the veil of settling dust. “In the name of the moon…!”

“Don’t tell me…” Buffy whispered. “Usagi can be so…”

“Usagi?” Angel offered.

“Exactly,” Buffy said with a nod.

“…I will now kick you ass into oblivion!” Usagi finished, causing everyone to stare at her slowly-materializing form. Super2- Usagi stared angrily at Sorcerer, who had no way of containing the surprise he felt.

She shot straight to Super2… and her body actually HELD? Damnit, Fred! What did you do to these kids?

Usagi’s ki was a bright transparent white, mimicking the virgin-white color her hair had gained. Her hair was now braided, and formed a circlet on top of her head, putting it out of the way and making a nice effect at the same time. Her outfit… was totally different from the other Sailor Senshi. It was bright white in color, both the skirt and bodysuit, as well as the armored gloves and boots. The moon symbol was placed over her heart, superimposed over the Phalanx symbol, which also decorated the clasp of her belt. On her back, Usagi’s Sword of Destiny was visible.

Sorcerer snapped out of his stupor, and kicked himself to Super 1. There was no way he could take a Master Slayer at Super two without going Super one. Two hundred Master Slayer equivalents was just too much for any non-super person. Usagi scowled at him.

“You killed my friends. I do not fear you. I will make you pay for what you did,” Usagi said, her voice cold as Antarctic ice.

“You friends are just fine. Remember your Immortality? You can’t die unless I chop your pretty little head off,” Sorcerer replied arrogantly, motioning for the spot where her four friends were now slowly making their way back up on their legs. Usagi’s eyes locked with her friends’.

“Usagi, you did it!” Ami shouted. “Now, the Master Slayers are complete once again!” Ami kicked in her ki, forcing her body through the transmogrification to Super. The other Master Slayers did the same.

“She’s beyond any of you,” Sorcerer snarled. “My finest work, if I do say so myself,” he said with a smirk.

“You are mistaken, Sorcerer!” Ami shouted, blasting higher, turning Super2. The other Master Slayers followed suit, those that just turned Super yesterday having a little more trouble than those with the most experience. They had worked through the night to be able to turn Super2 at this little gathering. There was no way they were going to miss out now.

Sorcerer looked around the group, seeing grim determination and Super2-kis everywhere he looked.

“And now, Sorcerer… it’s payback time!” Ami shouted, launching herself toward the man. Her punch was the second to land, behind Usagi’s.

Sorcerer was forced to go Super-2 himself, and once he did so, he was capable of holding them all off. For the moment. Ami jumped back, leading the others to stand in a circle around their teacher.

“Okay, guys. Surprise him,” Ami said with a vindictive smile.

“Our pleasure,” Tommy said, balling his fists. “Super Ranger Power! Energize!”

In one second, the Master Rangers had been engulfed in flames, covering them from view. When they re-emerged, they were dressed in pitch-black armored suits, covering them from head to toe. Their helmets had similar design to their old Power Ranger helmets, only they too, were pitch black now. The only thing that set the uniforms apart from each other was the colored strip around the visor, showing the color of the Ranger. They too, wore the Phalanx symbol over their hearts.

Sorcerer barely had time to recover. A piercing howl washed over the battlefield. Oz’ head was swept back as far as it could go, and his body mutated as he howled at the skies. His muscles grew larger, hair grew over his body. When the howl stopped, and the Super-Wolf looked at Sorcerer, the triple Phalanx could see that Oz’s head had elongated in a freakish mix of human and wolf.

Again, Sorcerer couldn’t linger as a growl now penetrated his hearing. Angel growled, crouching slightly, and balling his fists. His skin grew green, and spikes now framed his demonic face, with brightly amber-glowing eyes, flaring nostrils, and long canines.

“What the…?” Sorcerer shouted, before the twenty-one Master Slayers engaged him once again. He still managed to keep them off. Ami was the first to break off.

“Supreme Blizzard Evolution!” she shouted, blasting the blue beam of power at Sorcerer. Sorcerer managed to duck, barely, but was rewarded by Tommy’s boot hitting his face. The melee continued for a few seconds, and Minako broke off the moment Ami rejoined the fight.

“Supreme Crescent Blast!” Super Sailor Venus shouted, shooting a yellow beam of energy at the Triple Phalanx, who didn’t see time to dodge this time. He did what he had to do: knock it aside, and hurt his hand in the process.

“Damn you bastards!” Sorcerer shouted. “Magic Augmen–” He was cut off by Rei, who had flung herself into the air the moment Minako had rejoined.

“Supreme Celestial Firestorm!” Super Sailor Mars howled. A huge blast of fire left her hands, flying towards the group of fighters. As if well-trained in the scenario, the Master Slayers jumped away right before its impact, leaving Sorcerer to stare at the incoming blast like a startled deer looks at headlights.

The blast hit, and the Master Slayers cheered. When the smoke and fire died down, there was no trace of Sorcerer. They cheered louder.

Sarcastic clapping suddenly appeared from behind them. Gulping, they looked around. Sorcerer. Intact.

“Almost didn’t make it before it hit,” the Triple Phalanx said. “Impressive, yet futile. Magic Augmentation, level two.” They could feel his power level rising.

“Guys! Scatter!” Ami shouted, dropping to the ground, and readying herself for another attack. The moment she had a clear shot, she took it. “Supreme Blizzard Evolution!”

“Supreme Crescent Blast!” Minako shouted from not far away.

“Supreme Celestial Firestorm!” Super Mars added in. Sorcerer vanished right before the blasts hit, and charged Ami’s back. The other Master Slayers jumped right in, and once again, the battle erupted in a full fight of fisticuffs.

Makoto and Usagi jumped up, looking at each other.

“Supreme Thunder Revolution!”

“Supreme meditation Escalation!” Super-Moon added in.

The two blasts raced to the surface, where Sorcerer suddenly vanished from the middle of the melee, leaving the Master Slayers to scramble for safety from the destructive orbs.

“Damnit! Now what?” Buffy shouted.

<<Triple kick,>> Ami told the Quest team, having opened an individual conduit to all the Master Slayers <<Ready yourself. The rest of us, get him into position!>>

No-one replied, just did as they had been told, following Ami back into the battle against Sorcerer. He didn’t notice them leading him to a specific spot. And if he did notice, he didn’t show it.

Suddenly… Triple Slayer Kick! The Master Slayers scattered like birds. Jonny, Jessie, and Hadji had taken up a formation, each one had his or her right leg extended, the feet pushed together to form a tip. At said tip, a blast of ki-energy was forming.

Jonny was the one who was doing this kick the ‘normal’ way, his right leg extended fully, and his body perched behind it. Hadji, to Jonny’s right, was upside-down, his right leg forming a wedge with Jonny, facing the ground rather than the sky, like Jonny. Below them, Jessie. She was facing the left. Each of the team members were removed exactly one third of a circle away from each other. Three kis were forming into one.

Sorcerer saw them come. He wouldn’t be able to dodge at this distance. He closed his eyes, and braced himself. The impact was bigger than he had expected, and Sorcerer found himself blasted backward. Immediately, the other Master Slayers were on top of him. He started snarling, throwing ki-balls and magic blasts around, not really aiming, but throwing enough that something had to hit.

Finally, Sorcerer found himself the break he needed, and powered himself to MA 7. Now finally at full power, Sorcerer grinned evilly at the Master Slayers… and vanished as supreme speeds.

“He’s too fast for a lock!” Ami grunted. “Okay. Maneuver twelve!!” she shouted, not caring if Sorcerer heard her.

“Master Slayer Master Destruction,” Buffy quietly expanded. As one person, the twenty-one Master Slayers lifted into the air.

“Supreme Blizzard Evolution Super Bolt!” Ami shouted.

“Supreme Crescent Blast Super Bolt!”

“Supreme Celestial Firestorm Super Bolt!”

“Supreme Thunder Revolution Super Bolt!”

“Supreme Meditation Escalation Super Bolt!” Super Sailor Moon finished her Slayer’s blast.

“Supreme heavenly Destruction Super Bolt!” Super-Endymion shouted. He was the Super form of Mamoru, a reversal to the young man’s form of the Silver Millennium; Super-Endymion was dressed in a bright golden armor. With black accents.

“Supersonic Howl Super Bolt!” Super-Wolf howled.

“Demonic Eliminator Super Bolt!” Super-Demon shouted.

The other Master Slayers, not really having a ‘super’ attack, simply called together, along with their more gifted friends, “Super BOLT!!!”

Twenty-one orbs of mass destruction rained down on the battle field and the surrounding grounds. In the middle, Sorcerer appeared, caught in the mass destruction. He simply stood his ground, looking arrogantly up to the Master Slayers in the air.

“Take Two!” Ami suddenly shouted, her previously joined hands now spreading, holding her hands at shoulder level with her arms perched behind them, a stance mimicked by all the other Slayers. Before the blast even wore off, and Sorcerer could actually see them, all of the Master Slayers had powered two of the spheres, and had launched them to the ground.

“Oh, fuck!” They heard Sorcerer shout, right before the blasts hit.

Around the blast zone, the Master Slayers dropping in a surrounding cordon. Their power was gone. The Master Destruction was a last resort, and would obliterate just about anything. And that included Sorcerer. Or so they thought. As the dust settled, they heard a sarcastic laughing. Out of the clouds of rock-dust, Sorcerer appeared, arms crossed, laughing.

His clothes were disheveled, and he was bleeding from numerous cuts. Yet he was still standing, and still going strong. “You have just expanded all your energy, yet I remain! You blasted an area the size of three football pitches. Do you have any idea how much wasted energy that was? If you had all hit me… then yes, it would have been a close call. But now… you spread out too much. Ninety-five percent of all your energy was wasted effort!”

Ami grunted. “Fuck.”

Sorcerer chuckled. “No kidding. I admire your spunk, ladies and gentlemen. You did your best against a vastly superior opponent, and didn’t even do so bad. That triple kick was a good one, and the mass destruction thing was a good find, although a little waste-y with the energy.” He dropped from Super and MA. The Master Slayers, shocked, mimicked. “I am honored to have been your trainer,” Sorcerer said. “You did very well, all of you, and you showed initiative and courage. I commend you.”

“Did you…just compliment us?” Ami whispered, staring at the man.

“You all did well. You all found new heights within days…sometimes not even that… of what I taught you. And you actually landed a couple of good ones on me. I’m impressed.”

“Thank you…” Ami said, bowing. Those Master Slayers from Japan followed her example, while the Western Slayers simply dipped their heads in gratitude.

“Now,” Sorcerer said, smirking. “It’s still a couple of days before Fred returns… when he does, let’s hold him a welcome home party. A BIG one.”

 

Frederic, Jennifer, Daphnix, David, and Jessica beamed down at the exact spot they had left the Master Slayers almost three weeks ago. Frederic had a big smile plastered on his face, happy about the stuff they did in 899. F² had taken root, and the standard of living was now rising rapidly.

“That was why I still like my job,” Frederic said to Jennifer. “We did a lot of good on that planet.” He looked around. “No Master Slayers. They’re shrouding really well… I can’t find them.”

“Or Sorc blasted them to subatomic residue and ran like the wind,” Daphnix muttered darkly. “I swear… if he did…”

“He didn’t,” the suddenly heard from behind them. The entire group swiveled around, to stare at Ami. The young warrior looked impressive; arms crossed, gaze neutral, feet slightly apart.

“Sweets!” Daphnix shouted, smile appearing on his face. He ran towards her. “It’s so good to see you!”

It was obvious Ami had originally planned something else, but she succumbed to emotions, broke her stance, and ran towards him. They met in the middle, arms flying around each other, their lips meeting.

“It is so good to see you, too,” Ami whispered, eyes closed, trying to fight back tears. “I really missed you…”

“Oh, Sweets… I missed you too,” Daphnix whispered in her ear, hugging her tighter. Somewhere, it registered that Ami’s body felt…different. The young warrior had put on a lot of muscle, and Daphnix could feel the strength in her grip as she hugged him.

Finally, they broke apart. “But there is something I must do before we can continue this reunion,” Ami told him, with a lot of regret in her voice. She strengthened herself, and slowly approached Frederic. Daphnix turned around, curious.

“Frederic Fromthefield. You left us here, with Sorcerer. You put us through almost three weeks of tremendous physical, emotional, and psychological torture.” Frederic winced at her words, and opened his mouth to start apologizing. In his mind, he was already working out ways to kill Sorcerer, as well as mental programs he could run to try and correct damages. He needed to contain the situation. NOW.

“So, we demand the right of retribution,” Ami said with a cold smile. Frederic frowned slightly, before lifting one eyebrow.

Out of the sky, the twenty remaining Master Slayers fell, surrounding the small group. “Allow us the right to show you what you did,” Ami continued. “Master Slayers… activate!”

As one, all twenty-one Master Slayers turned Super, making sure that super-transformations, should they have one, didn’t come out with them. Frederic’s mouth was wide-open, along with the mouths of the group, as they looked around at 21 Master Slayers, all Super, and all staring coldly at them.

Frederic smiled, finally catching on. “So you want to test your new strengths against me, huh?” he asked, smiling widely. He threw his vest off, revealing a black sleeveless t-shirt. His bared arms rolled slightly. Jennifer, Daphnix, and the twins jumped up and away from what was soon to be ground zero. Frederic pushed himself to Super. Only now, after spending so much time with Sorcerer, did the Master Slayers realize just how unalike the two were. Sorcerer with his golden Super-transformation was totally different from Frederic, whose ruby-red Super transformation gave him an impressive look.

Frederic, meanwhile, took his time to study the Master Slayers. All of them had normal, golden, ki-transformations… except for the Senshi. Ami had a dark navy-blue one, Rei had a fire-red one, her long hair braided into a ponytail, Minako’s was a warm orange-yellow, Makoto’s was an electric green, and Usagi’s was a transparent white.

“Master Slayers,” Super-Ami said. “Next level.”

Again, as one, the Master Slayers dropped into a combat crouch, and balled their fists. As one, they turned Super 2. Frederic’s jaw hit the floor.

Daphnix, Jennifer, and the twins, looking from a cliff not far away, stared as well as the twenty ki flames that raged in a circle around Ami and Frederic.

“They already turned Super TWO?” Daphnix asked, shocked.

“They really went at it!” Jennifer said, shaking her head slowly. The twins just found it all fascinating. For them, who grew up without limits, there was nothing at all wrong with a group of people boosting themselves higher, faster, than anyone imagined possible.

“Cool,” Frederic just said to Ami. “Super-two, huh? Nice. Sorcerer really outdid himself.”

Ami dipped her head. “That he did. He pushed us a lot harder… simply because he had the stomach to target our minds and emotions.”

“Because I care too much to hurt you like that,” Frederic replied.

“Granted,” Ami said. “Yes, you still left us with him. The result is here. We went Super, and soon crossed into Super-two on our own. Yet, it was hard and gruesome before we first crossed the threshold, and we want a little payback. For the last three days, we have been training with Sorcerer. Now we want you.”

Frederic smiled, and dipped his head. He spread his arms. “Come and get me.”

The Master Slayers disappeared, flinging themselves towards Frederic. He vanished as well, dodging.

“He’s already used Magic Augmentation!” Ami shouted. “Compensate!”

“Is it my imagination, or is Ami leading them?” Jennifer asked.

Daphnix simply nodded. “I think she is…”

“It’s logical,” David said. “She practically lives on board the Ortega. As a result, she has put in a lot of time sparring with both Dad and Shadow. She’s also present during the planning stages, so she knows how Dad and Uncle D make up battle plans. Plus, she’s the smartest of the bunch. Highest power level thanks to the training, highest innate intelligence, and highest tactical planning abilities thanks to her experiences. The Master Slayers are smart. They recognize a good leader when they meet one.”

Jessie nodded. “Plus, Ami’s really nice, knows how to listen and to make decisions. She has all the right personality traits for a great commander… once the Super-mode hid her shyness.”

Suddenly, Frederic reappeared in the middle of the group, arms crossed, not even moving. The Master Slayers, nor really caring much to look a gift horse in the mouth, attacked… and flew right through him.

“He’s phased!” Ami shouted. “We can’t hurt him…but he can’t hurt us, either,” she said with an evil smirk. “This is a stalemate. Master Slayers, shutdown and regeneration.”

The Master Slayers dropped into a circle around Frederic, and powered down from Super. They released the Immortal Energy they normally used to fight, and allowed it to regenerate their reserves and the cuts and bruises Frederic had put on them.

“First mistake,” Frederic said when the Master Slayers were in their cycles. He phased back, spread his arms, and shouted. A Ki-dome formed over him, blasting outward. The Master Slayers jumped up and away, turning Super in mid-flight and Super-2 the moment they reached ‘safety’.

“Damnit,” Ami grunted. “He’s faster than I remembered!”

Frederic stopped the ki-dome, and stared defiantly at the Master Slayers.

“Master Slayers… Super Transformation!” Ami shouted, falling into position in front of Frederic. The others fell into circling positions. Frederic’s eyes went wide when the Master Sailors, the Master Rangers, Oz, Angel, and Mamoru were engulfed in ki-flames, hiding them from view.

“Now what?” he asked quietly. Soon, his questions were answered.

He saw the Super-Sailors, the Super-Rangers, Super-Endymion, the Super-Wolf, and the Super-Demon. “Fuck!” Frederic grunted. “Just what in the nine hells did Sorc do to you?”

“He taught us our potentials,” Ami said evenly. “Get him.” As she finished her command, she blasted toward him.

 

“Damn. Now I know why Sorc can’t beat him,” Buffy grunted as she hit the ground right next to Ami, looking at Super4-MA4 Frederic. “He’s faster than lighting, and hits like a damn meteor.”

Ami grunted something, and got to her feet. “Okay, guys! Show him what you’ve got!” She lifted into the air, along with Buffy. The Master Slayers look down at Frederic, who was still standing there, casually, arms crossed, looking at them without a hint of worry on his face.

“This is something Sorcerer taught us yesterday,” Ami said. “Magic Augmentation! Level TWO!!!”

Frederic lifted an amused eyebrow. “Full attack, Maneuver thirty-One.”

The Master Slayers attacked. All of them did so, except for the Master Sailors, who had grouped around Super Mercury.

“It’s our last chance. It worked on Sorcerer,” Ami said.

“Once,” Super Mars grunted. “But, okay, I see your point. We only need to get him once.”

“So we are in agreement?” Super-Mercury asked. “I can’t order you to do this.”

Super-Venus and Super-Jupiter nodded. Super-Moon hesitated slightly, then nodded.

“Okay. Here we go,” Super-Mercury said.

Frederic didn’t have time to look for the Master Sailors. He dodged something Jonny Quest had obviously just improvised, but worked greatly. He stood, his left side facing Frederic, left arm held slightly bent, the palm of his left hand facing the skies. Above it, a ki-ball formed. His right hand was held in a ‘pushing’ stance, also forming a ki-blast.

When the two balls had stopped forming, Jonny pushed his right hand, flinging the second ball through the first ball, causing the two balls to merge violently, forming some sort of arrow-shaped ki-blast, flying incredibly fast and doing a lot of damage for a non-powered attack.

It worked so well that the other Master Slayers had taken it over, and now Frederic was dodging arrow-blasts all over the place. Not that it took him a lot of effort to do so, but it still took all of his concentration to get them all.

Above the battlefield, five Master Sailors were floating.

“Super Mercury Power!” Ami shouted, a blast of navy-blue energy flying from her to Super Moon.

“Super Mars Power!”

“Super Venus Power!”

“Super Jupiter Power!”

One by one, the Super-Sailors gathered their power on Super Moon.

“Moon Supreme Power!” Super-Moon shouted, pushing her two cupped hands towards the battlefield. Rainbow-colored energy surrounded her, formed into an energy sphere, and blasted towards the ground.

At the last instant, the Master Slayers looked up, and vanished at their maximum speed. Frederic looked up. “Oh, shit…”

Jennifer and Daphnix winced when the Sailor-Blast hit the ground and detonated. They could feel the planet shaking, the power discharge enough to rip the plant apart at the seams.

“Good thing we chose an uninhabited planet,” Daphnix commented. “It won’t survive for much longer.”

The massive crater slowly filled with lava. Of Frederic, there was no trail. The Master Slayers dropped in a cordon around the crater.

“Fred?” Super-Ami asked. “Fred? Where are you?” she asked again, worry creeping into her voice. When no answer came, she powered down. “Frederic-sama, it was just a joke…”

“Good to know,” Frederic said, voice coming from behind her. He was cradling a left arm, which definitely had seen better days. “Because that was very funny.”

Ami smiled shyly, and looked at the ground. He lifted her chin with one finger. “You fought very well. I am impressed both by the skills of all of you, and your leadership qualities,” he first told the Master Slayers in general, and addressed the last to Ami in particular. He powered down, and allowed his Immortality to heal his injured left arm.

“Sorcerer barely survived that blast,” Rei grunted.

“I deflected it with my left arm, buying me the time to teleport to safety,” Frederic said. “I’m just that little bit faster than Sorc.”

“So, what do you think of my handiwork?” Sorcerer asked, suddenly appearing out of nowhere.

“Not bad,” Frederic said with a grin, extending his hand. As Sorcerer clasped it, he continued, “not bad all…”

 

Epilogue

The blue transport shimmer died out, leaving a single form standing. Frederic took a steeling breath, and walked purposely to the Temple of Stonehenge. The air shimmered slightly, and the modern surroundings faded away as the temple resurrected to its ancient divine glory. Frederic cast only a glancing look at the temple as he walked to the exact center of the stones. He knelt to one knee.

Drawing his human Phalanx Sword, Frederic drove it into the ground, exactly under the crossing of Divine Lines that were visible in the sky. He then drew his Ketari Sword, and stuck that into the ground right next to the human Sword. Finally, he took off his Necklace, transmogrified it into a dagger, and placed it alongside the two swords, the three Divine Weapons forming a triangle.

Frederic stood up, erecting himself to his full height, and looked at the skies, as if testing someone to do something.

It seemed that Frederic reached his goal, as the Wise One appeared, standing on the other side of the Phalanx Weapons. “It has been a long time since I was formally summoned, Young Phalanx,” the Wise One said with his omni-present voice.

“I apologize for the formality of this all. I know it was a forceful summons, rather than a friendly inquiry. Yet, this situation requires the full formality of the Divine Law,” Frederic answered.

The Wise One raised an eyebrow. “It is one of those matters, then,” the being replied, nodding. Immediately, his form changed, and he was now dressed in the robed and hooded garment the Wise One had worn the first times he had appeared in human form. “What business hath thou with the Gods of the Universe?” he asked with formality.

Frederic swallowed, and looked at the ground. He disliked this next part… yet the full formality had to be obeyed. Just because he was the Triple Phalanx that could stand up to the Third of the Destroyers, just because he had saved this multiverse on so many occasions, it didn’t mean that he could get from under using the formality of the Law. He may be a friend of the Gods… but he was still only a human; a Divine Being, but not a God.

Frederic knelt to one knee. “My Lord Wise One, I have a request to ask of you.”

The Wise One looked down at Frederic, eyes widening slightly. His mouth opened, then closed, in obvious shock. It had been a long time since Frederic had knelt down to him. “Rise, Young Phalanx. As you should know by now, we owe you a debt of gratitude. We do not require your degradation…just your loyalty.”

Frederic stood up. “Thank you, Wise One,” he answered shakily. He meant every bit of it.

“Now, tell me what favor you require,” the Wise One answered.

“It has been seven months since I returned as Shadow. Seven months during which I have trained the Master Slayers. Now I ask of you to enable to Alter Ability within them, so that I might continue to train them,” Frederic replied respectfully.

The God blinked. “The Alter Dimension can only be accessed by beings born on a certain location in a single far-away corner of the multiverse, Young Phalanx. You and Jennifer, as Phalanxes, have the ability to draw upon it through the Divine Powers of the Phalanx. To enable such ability within being such as the Master Slayers… will require a breach in protocol of the Divine Treaty. It is a direct interference of the Gods of the Universe against the Forces of Darkness led by the Destroyers,” he replied carefully.

Frederic looked at the ground. “So it can’t be done,” he answered levelly, managing to hide his disappointment. He swallowed a lump in his throat, and looked up. “That is bullshit, Lord Wise One.”

The Wise One blinked three times before he was able to answer. “Young Phalanx, I have allowed you many things, but this disrespect…”

“DISRESPECT!?!” Frederic shouted, advancing a step to the Wise One. “You dare speak of disrespect? Would you know what that word means? I have put my life on the line to save the multiverse time and time again! I have died protecting your creation, and I have almost lost my family because of it! My Master Slayers put their lives on the line each and every day protecting the people you can’t protect because of that infernal treaty, and the first chance you get to repay their service, you shoot down! THAT is disrespect! Disrespect for their bravery, their service, and the things they risk fighting!” Frederic shouted, slowly progressing through his stages as he spoke. First, he grew Super-1, then Super-2, and finally Super-3 before he ran out of steam.

The God backed away with each of the thunderclaps that accompanied the Super-stages as Frederic continued to progress upon him. As Frederic’s speech halted, the Wise One nodded slowly, the movement disfigured through the hood he wore.

“You are correct, Young Phalanx…but to risk war…” the Wise One halted, and threw back his hood. He looked at Frederic with an appeasing look in his eyes. “There is one way that we can empower your Master Slayers… and you with them.”

“Me, Wise One?” Frederic asked, dropping back to normal once he realized what he was doing. The God shook his head as Frederic started to apologize, stopping him from doing so. The Wise One continued.

“Yes. The only way for you and your Master Slayers to assume the full right and privileges of the things you do,” the Wise One answered, turning. “Come with me, Young Phalanx. We must go to the Sacred Vaults on Avalon. There is something I must show you.”

Frederic blinked, and flashed into existence next to the Wise One. The next moment, they were in Avalon.

“I examined every centimeter of the Vaults, Wise One,” Frederic said as they faced the huge door of the Vaults. “There is nothing there I haven’t seen before. What is it you wish to show me?” he asked in curiosity.

“There are many more things between Heaven, Earth, and Hell than even you know, Young Phalanx,” the Wise One replied as the doors slid back and they entered. “Once, at the dawn of the multiverse, when the dimensional discontinuity that formed the multiverse was still in its infancy, there were only a couple dozen realities. Yet, life had already sprung up, and many civilizations rose in those first hundred million years,” the God said as the approached one side of the Vaults. He lifted his arms, and the wall, complete with weapons-alcoves… vanished.

Behind the wall lay a new cavern, its walls decorated with mysterious paintings depicting different scenes. Frederic’s eyes opened wide at the sight.

“The Divine Treaty had already formed,” the Wise One continued his tale, “So we were forbidden to directly interfere with the progress of the lives in that small multiverse. The Destroyers created vampires and demons. We created the Slayer, as well as other mythical warriors, to combat them.”

Frederic smiled slightly. “So that’s how the Slayer came into being.”

“Exactly,” the Wise One said. “But, one day… things went out of control very rapidly.” The Wise One walked up to the first picture-scene, located on the edge of the left wall, right next to the wall that had once again sealed this place from the main Vaults. The scene was a hellish one, showing people of long-since extinct races being terrorized by other beings, these of immense power. “The Destroyers managed to corrupt the lesser gods, beings of power equal to the beings of the Greek Pantheon, for instance. The Greek, Egyptian, Norse, or other gods you might have encountered on your journeys.”

Frederic looked at the picture. It seemed to burn into the depths of his soul. He could feel tears well up. He fists balled. “What…is this?” he whispered.

The God understood immediately. “These pictures are Divine in nature. They were meant to last for eternity, and tell the story of what happened… should we ever need it.”

Frederic took a shay breath. “I can feel it burning within my soul.”

“It tells the story very well,” the Wise One said.

Frederic nodded slowly, and finally managed to take his eyes off the picture, and focused on the Wise One. “What happened then? After the smaller gods went insane?”

“We couldn’t interfere directly,” the Wise One answered. “The Destroyers merely talked. It was unlikely that by merely talking, we could reverse what had happened. So, we needed someone to do it for us…someone with the power to destroy the insane gods.” The Wise One walked to the second picture. On it, there were a dozen figures, kneeling before a single being. Frederic immediately recognized the upright being, even though he looked totally different on the picture. The Wise One.

Frederic looked closer at the kneeling figures. There was one figure that was kneeling directly in front of the God, with a dozen or so people kneeling behind the first person. Frederic could feel hope well up in his heart and soul.

“We selected a Divine Warrior, the first Universal Savior, to fight the insane lesser gods. However, there was no time to put him through a path like you have walked… so we gave him abilities very akin to the powers of the Phalanx which you now wield. He was able to learn anything in mere hours, and he progressed quickly. However, we knew it would not be enough. As such, he selected a dozen followers… the dozen best of his entire race. Those twelve were given a different status. The Jokilar Gerius…the Master Slayer.”

Frederic blinked, and whirled around to the God. “WHAT?”

The Wise One chuckled. “It was just a coincidence that the Oech-anya, billions of years later, chose the same name for their best warriors. And that you chose to inspire your students on the same name.”

“The Master Slayers…” Frederic whispered, looking back at the picture.

“The Master Slayers were given tremendous power,” the God went on. “However, the Divine Treaty disallowed any direct involvement at the time. There existed no Phalanx yet. So, this group operated on its own, under the command of the leader we had originally selected. That leader reported to us, yet remained independent in his decision-making. Whatever he needed, he got… but was not under our direct command.”

Frederic nodded slowly as he still looked at the picture. The God showed him to the third picture. Fierce fighting was taking place, and Frederic could feel a cold rage build within him. It took a large amount of control not to turn Super on the spot.

“With all their combined abilities, the group defeated the insane lesser gods, and restored the worlds to normal… however, the peoples those gods had governed were devastated. It took them a long time to recover. Some never did.”

“And the group?” Frederic asked.

“They remained who they were, in case the Destroyers ever tried it again. They were never needed again, as the Destroyers unleashed their next weapon, the Phalanx. It allowed us to intervene as well, with the known result as consequence. The first group of God-hunters all died of natural causes, but the authority to invoke and create them has remained with us to this day. The Destroyers probably long-since forgot about their existence, just like we have… until this day,” the Wise One said.

“What would it entail?” Frederic asked. “What would this mean, if we became the next group of Vampire/Demon/Black Mage/God hunters?”

“You would be officially within the Divine Chain of command… as well as outside it at the same time. We will tell you where the disturbances are, and you will take care of them in your own way, by whatever means necessary. Your Master Slayers fall completely outside this chain of command. We can not tell them to do anything. We can ask, but they can turn us down and there is nothing we can do about it. They would follow your leadership only.”

“And the rest?” Frederic asked. “We’d be in the Divine Chain of command… but what does that mean, exactly?”

“You’re directly below us, the Gods of the Universe. The Q, the Angels and Archangels, and everything else would have to obey your orders if you called upon them. But, we must urge you to do so only under the gravest of circumstances. Whenever you encounter a new form of fighting, or a new form of fighting using an unknown form of energy, like the Alter, you will grow access to it as easily as you can now learn a new ability.”

Frederic whistled. “And in return I would be under your command?”

The God chuckled. “Yes and no… we can only tell you where the disturbance is. That is it.”

Frederic shook his head. “I came here for the Master Slayers, to give them the Alter. What happens to them if they accept this?”

The God turned back to the picture. “They will become immune to Phalanx mental energy, with much of the same powers as the Phalanx normally has. They will learn incredibly fast, almost as fast as you do now, and their bodies can handle much more than they can now. They will also have the ability to gain access to unknown forms of energy, and learn the new skills that go with them.”

Frederic whistled again. “That’s big.”

“True Divine Warriors. The Master Slayers are accountable to no-one but you… and you are only accountable to us. Whatever it takes,” the God said.

“But why, Wise One?” Frederic asked. “Why would you make us into these Divine Warriors… there aren’t any insane lesser gods out there at the moment, so this power isn’t needed right now.”

The Wise One sighed, and looked at the ground. “You have opened our eyes today. You have done many great things for us, and for this multiverse… we should repay you.” He looked up, and turned to Frederic, who instinctively turned to look at the Wise One. “Frederic Fromthefield, Phalanx of the Human, Oech-anya and Ketari races, Commander of the ESMF, Master Slayer, Jedi Knight, Personal Champion to the Gods of the Universe, Universal savior, Inheritor of Hiten Mitsurugi, S-Class Alter User, and conqueror of the Internal Force, do you accept the highest honor we, the Gods of the Universe, can bestow upon you?”

Frederic’s eyes glazed over slightly. He bowed his head. Then knelt to one knee. “I accept, Lord Wise One,” he whispered shakily. He could feel the God put his hand on top of his head. It felt as if pure Divine Energy washed through him. He felt… powerful. The Link to Jennifer, normally closed because of the dimensional barriers, reopened.

“You are now as close to Godlike as any non-God can come, Young Phalanx,” the Wise One said. “Arise, Lord Frederic of the Master Slayers. Arise and take your role as second in command, as protector of the multiverse, and as Warrior of Light.”

Frederic stood up. “Thank you, Lord Wise One.”

The Wise One nodded, then bowed. “It was our honor and privilege. Now, tell your Master Slayers of our offer.”

“I will. You can be sure that I will,” Frederic said with a smile. He bowed. “Thank you, Wise One.” He vanished, leaving the Wise One with a smile on his face. With a single thought, he keyed the wall to Frederic, before disappearing. Because there wasn’t a single thought in the Wise One’s mind that Frederic wouldn’t tell the Master Slayers this story.

 

Frederic bowed to the Wise One, as Jennifer and Daphnix knelt a little bit behind him, and the group known as the primary Master Slayers knelt further behind those two.

“I see it was decided to accept,” the Wise One said, sounding pleased.

“We have, Lord Wise One,” Frederic said, erecting himself. “They are all here: the Master Slayers of Sunnydale, Universe 001; the Quest team from universe 078; the Master Rangers of universe 117; and the Master Sailors of Universe 576.” Frederic knew that Mamoru wouldn’t mind being grasped under the same numerator as the Inner Senshi. After all, as tight as he and Usagi were, they might as well be one person.

Frederic’s mind smiled at the thought of him finally being able to turn the Senshi into Master Slayers, without hindering their powers. As Ami was one of them, she was able to bypass the shields of the Senshi without a problem. Frederic had piggy-backed his own powers upon Ami’s mental power, and as such was allowed full access to the Senshi’s mental processes. He had boosted them all, except for Chibi-usa, as she was still too young, and of the Outer Senshi, who had flatly refused to allow Frederic to enter their minds.

They had long since regretted that decision, but once turned down, it would never be offered again. The Inner Senshi were now vastly stronger than the Outers.

Frederic stepped to the side as the God let his gaze trail over the group, still kneeling to one knee with heads bent.

“So I see,” the Wise One replied, walking up to Jennifer and Daphnix. He placed a hand on each head. “Jennifer Fromthefield, for the good you did to the multiverse, We, the Gods of the Universe, grant you the status of Phalanx ad-interim, and of the Divine Warrior. Arise, Warrior, and take your rightful place.”

Jennifer stood up, and bowed to the Wise One before she stood next to Frederic. Both smiled at each other before resuming their professionalism.

“Daphnix Smith, for the good you did to the multiverse, We, the Gods of the Universe, grant you the status of Divine Warrior, the Master Slayer. Arise, Warrior, and take your rightful place.”

Daphnix stood up, and bowed. He walked to Frederic and Jennifer, and stood on Frederic’s other side. The duo smiled in welcome at Daphnix, who returned it before returning to normal.

The Wise One then walked to the Master Slayers. One by one, he empowered them, telling them to take their rightful place. One by one, the Master Slayers took their positions behind the commanding trio.

“Mizuno Ami, for the good you did to the multiverse, We, the Gods of the Universe, Grant you the status of Divine warrior, the Master Slayer known as Sailor Mercury. Arise, Warrior, and take your rightful place.”

Ami got up, smiled shyly at the God, bowed, and walked to the group, which smiled at her in welcome. She returned the smile, and joined her fellow Divine Warriors. The Wise One walked to face the group.

“You now all have the Divine Authority as granted by the Gods of the Universe, and the rights and privileges that go with that Authority. As Our warriors, you, the Master Slayers, are as close to Divinity as is possible. You are the best of the best among your dimensional twins, able to draw upon strengths that are near-Phalanx in their strength and speed,” the Wise One said, arms linked behind his back.

He let his arms free at his sides. “Master Slayers, present your weapons.”

As one person, everyone unsheathed their swords, be they Swords of Destiny, Dragon Blade, or twin Phalanx Swords, and lifted them into the air, points touching the skies. The God lifted his arms. “With your new status comes the power of the weapon of a Master Slayer: the Divine Sword.” Blue lightning shot out form his outstretched hands, and engulfed the different swords.

When it died down, The Swords didn’t seem any different outwardly, yet the wielders could feel the difference: the swords were more powerful now, able to assume any shape or any enchantment of Heaven, Hell, or Earth.

“It may be needed to fight darkness with darkness,” the Wise One explained. “Your weapons are now class-13 negative energy weapons, if you need them to be. Master Slayers… allow me to present to you… the Frognar Trianvi, the Banes of Darkness!”

As one person, the assembled warriors looked up at their swords, and shouted at full power, “Bane of Darkness!”

As one weapon, the Swords of the Phalanx, the Dragon Blade, and the Swords of Destiny seemed to liquefy, changing shape slightly. The blade was a dark gray, with a purple hue around it. The cross-guard resembled an eye, while the handle was of a green metal that was set with moonstones and pieces of amber.

“Each now holds the only weapon that is capable of inflicting wounds that can not be healed through magic or the Water of Life. Healing wounds inflicted by those weapons requires an outside intervention, be it from a second god, magic-user, Senzu bean, or otherwise,” the Wise One said. “Now leave this place as the ultimate protectors of the multiverse, the Divine Warriors who first walked this reality billions of years ago, but were never seen again until this day! You are now Jokilar Gerius, the Master Slayers!!”

The weapons lowered and the warriors looked at their new companions. Frederic was the first to say something. “Normal mode,” he told his two weapons, which promptly shifted back into the green-hued Swords of the Phalanx. “I will keep you like this until needed,” he told the two weapons. “As Banes, there is just too much danger involved… canceling out our Immortality is dangerous.”

By his side, Jennifer nodded, and allowed her Bane to shift back into the Dragon Blade as well. Within moments, all the other warriors had done the same.

“Already you are making the right choice,” the Wise One told them. “The Banes of Darkness are indeed extremely powerful weapons, and they should not be used at full power unless it is absolutely necessary. Master Slayers, the Scourges of the Gods, I salute you!” The Wise one shouted, balling his fist, clenching it over his heart, and disappeared.

“That is like so cool,” Cordelia said. The Sunnydale Master Slayers groaned. Sometimes, Cordelia spontaneously regressed to her airhead days. 

 

Epilogue 2

Under the three suns, baked in the harsh UV light, the Entity was running. His skin was a poisonous green, hardened and baked in the harsh sunlight. Racing towards a cliff, it never even thought about slowing down, and ran right through the rock, emerging from the other side, leaving the rock plateau to cave in long after it had passed.

The Entity came to a stop, standing on the surface of a lake. Still standing on the water, the Entity’s arms and legs blurred and disappeared as it executed martial arts katas at tremendous speeds, without making the water surface move.

“This is pointless,” the Entity grunted, jumping up, and landing five hundred meters further, on a sheer muscle-powered flight. “I need an opponent.” It closed its two lizard-like eyes, and focused.

It split into two, and the Entity started to fight itself, under the harsh light of the three suns…