Drops of Starlight

Chapter 48: Pursuit

💫 Drops of Starlight 💫
By Strawberry Moon Rose
🍓🌙🌹

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Chapter 48: Pursuit
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"Seiya!" Usagi cried, pulling back. "Watch out!"

Fighter pivoted, her gaze locking onto the incoming threat of Xenon barreling right for them, her arm coiled to strike.

"Star Crushing Nova!" Fighter slashed her sword. Beams of energy surged off the blade, arching in star-shaped discs.

Xenon was too close to evade the attack. With a howl, she took the barrage. Somehow managing to tuck and roll, the guardian hit the floor with some amount of grace and sprang back to her feet. She looked mildly injured, but fully provoked.

Fighter stepped in front of Usagi protectively. She narrowed her eyes on her opponent. Xenon held her glare. For a moment, no one dared to move.

Then Xenon tilted her head and said, "Ah, Fighter, even after all these years you still make that same face when you're angry. How endearing."

Fighter cut to the chase. "The brooch. Where is it?"

"You think I'd be foolish enough to hand it over? God, I'm so tired of people underestimating me..."

Fighter's grip tightened on her sword. This was bad. How was she supposed to attack while keeping Usagi safe? Any move would leave the moon princess vulnerable. Without her locket, Usagi couldn't transform, and Fighter knew she alone couldn't defeat Xenon. The only worthy opponent was Sailor Moon. Only Usagi could do this. That brooch was crucial.

In the charged silence, Fighter grappled with the deadlock, realizing their staredown could only stretch on for so long.  Would their allies ever locate them? Additional guardians would generate a much-needed distraction. Xenon may wield immense power, but their advantage lay in their numbers.

Fighter remembered Nephrite passing Queen Keika's starseed to her. He had somehow managed to get it from Xenon. Fighter envisioned being able to obtain the sailor crystals of Guihua, Krypton, Argon, and Neon. If resurrected, they could bolster their ranks, offering the distraction she desperately sought.

Doubt clouded her thoughts. Could she do that? In Nephrite's fleeting moments, Fighter hadn't thought to ask how he had acquired the Queen's. A fresh fear emerged—Xenon summoning Keika's other guardians as pawns against them, a parallel to Uranus and Neptune falling under Galaxia's control. If that were to transpire, she and Usagi were unequivocally doomed.

Each passing second heightened the tension. Could Xenon tell she was trying to formulate a plan? What intentions brewed behind that glare?

The hairs on the back of Fighter's neck rose. She had the sudden inclination that Xenon was about to attack.  She was right.

"Butterfly Spell!"

Violet energy bursts in the shape of butterflies erupted from Xenon's palm. Fighter grabbed Usagi's wrist, pulling her clear of the oncoming attack.

"Seiya-!" Usagi protested, tripping. Her body felt sluggish as if fighting off the effects of anesthesia. She didn't have the strength to run after Xenon's energy drain.

Pain seared through Fighter as the butterflies marked her back. An agonizing cry croaked from her lips. Xenon laughed, reveling in her suffering.

That's Argon's attack! Fighter thought, gritting her teeth. Xenon was directly channeling their power.

The confrontation escalated as Xenon launched another assault, prompting the swift reaction of the Starlight. Fighter retracted her sword into her star yell, scooped Usagi into her arms, and took off.