Back in the spatial room, Mistress 9 could no longer sense Kaolinite. However, it didn't faze her. "So, Super Sailor Moon managed to defeat Magus Kaolinite, eh?" she said. "No matter. The time has come to make this Omega Area our sacred place." She took the Silver Crystal out from the brooch and tossed it aside. "And now that we have the Legendary Silver Crystal, no one will be able to stop us! We have nothing to fear!"
She then took the Silver Crystal into her mouth and swallowed it whole in a single gulp. No sooner than she did, power surged her body as she began to radiate in a rainbow glow.
"Amazing! Such amazing power!" Mistress 9 spoke as she looked at her hands in wonder while shuddering in delight. "I can feel it throughout my body, filling me to the brim!"
Pharoh 90 couldn't help but be amazed as well, as his eyes twinkled with interest. "Is that the power of the Legendary Silver Crystal flowing through you?" he asked.
"Yes, it is! Master Pharoh 90!" Mistress 9 cried with euphoria. "Behold the power that I've obtained for you!"
"What wonderful luster!" Pharoh 90 spoke, who was just as excited. "The Taiyron Crystal doesn't even come close to having power like this!"
At that moment, a giant hand made of a purple substance came looming out from the darkness towards the glowing statue. Then, with a mighty swing and a slam of its palm, the hand crushed the statue, reducing it to nothing but rubble.
"At last! The time has come for me to reach my full strength!" Pharoh 90 boomed with triumph. "I will finally be able to make this world into our second mother planet! Now, hear me, O Legendary Silver Crystal, this is the moment for my vesselization, so give me more! I want all of your power!"
"Yes! More!" echoed Mistress 9, her face with glee taking a more maniacal tone. "Release more of that incredible power!"
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Meanwhile, back at Mamoru's apartment, Mamoru was still holding Chibiusa's hand, using his power to keep her alive. Then, Chibiusa stirred slightly, and her body began to glow in rainbow-colored light, the same as Mistress 9.
"What's going on?!" Mamoru gasped. "What's with this light?!"
Then, Chibiusa's eyes snapped open as her body violently convulsed.
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At the same time, Mistress 9 suddenly felt a shock of pain shoot through her body as she convulsed as well. Her forehead also began to glow bright with a violet color as she heard the voice from before again.
"You have to stop this!" the voice yelled. "This can't go on! You can't increase its power any further! It doesn't belong to you, so don't release any more power!"
Mistress 9 cried out in pain as she fell to her knees while clutching her forehead. "What is this?! My forehead is splitting! It burns!" she shrieked in pain.
Luckily, after a few seconds, the pain subsided, and her forehead stopped glowing, but that didn't make Mistress 9 all the more unnerved with what just happened.
"Someone inside of me is trying to interfere by controlling my body from within!" she thought to herself. "But until Master Pharoh 90 completes his vesselization, I have to put up with it a little while longer! After that, I'll no longer need this inconvenient body! I'll chew my way out of it and rule the world!"
Her body began to radiate with energy as she tried to draw power from the Silver Crystal inside of her, but as she did, the aura was quick to dissipate, much to hers and Pharoh 90's shock.
"Impossible!" Mistress 9 spoke in her thoughts. "The Legendary Silver Crystal's power is weakening!"
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In a strange gray void, Chibiusa found herself floating through it, feeling confused as well as frightened.
"Where am I?" Chibiusa wondered in her thoughts. "It's so dark and scary in here. What am I even doing in a place like this?"
As she ventured further, the little pink ordango girl had the feeling that something was pursuing her, which caused her to turn and look behind her. What she saw made her gasp with fright. A swirling black vortex of mass was raging and roaring, taking in anything it could, appearing to get closer to her with every second.
"Wh-What is that thing?!" Chibiusa thought, growing more fearful by the second. "It's coming this way!" She then shut her eyes and covered her eyes. "I'm scared! Someone help me!"
Then, as if someone had heard her plea, a bright and warm light shone forth, followed by a familiar voice.
"Chibiusa!"
The pink ordango opened her eyes and saw where the light originated. A few feet away from her was a very familiar object, a shining stone in the shape of a prism.
Upon seeing it, Chibiusa knew what it was. "It's my Legendary Silver Crystal!" she gasped as she swam over to it until she was able to hold it in her hands, holding it to her chest with relief. "Thank goodness! I was feeling nervous being without it! It's become something I always want to keep with me, like a lucky charm. It's almost like it's a part of me."
"That's right. That crystal is a part of you, Chibiusa," said the voice. "It's like your heart, so make you don't let it out of your sight again. And don't be so eager to show it to others. Keep it safe and secure inside you."
Chibiusa's eyes then started to grow drowsy as she fell asleep. She could also feel that she was in someone's lap. At first, she believed it was her mother's lap, the future Usagi, but then she began to feel that this was different than before. However, she still felt safe and secure. Little did she know that the lap she was sleeping on belonged to Hotaru, whose spirit somehow remained inside the space.
"Don't worry. I will protect you, Chibiusa," reassured Hotaru as she gently stroked the sleeping girl's hair. "No one's going to lay a hand on your soul of your Legendary Silver Crystal because I won't let them. I promise I will save you."
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Back with Mamoru, the glow that surrounded Chibiusa slowly faded away, and her eyes closed again, much to his surprise and confusion. Not only that, but as he was still holding his daughter's hand, it started to grow warmer.
"What's going on now?" Mamoru thought while observing. "Could someone be protecting Chibiusa's soul?"
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Back inside the Mugen building, Super Sailor Moon and the other guardians were still searching around for any sign of Mistress 9, whom they believed to be Hotaru, as well as the home base of Pharoh 90. They searched through every classroom, every lab, and even the teacher's lounge, but they couldn't find any sign of what they were looking for anywhere. Eventually, they all met up at an intersection of hallways.
"Any luck?" asked Super Sailor Moon.
"I didn't find anyone," replied Sailor Mars.
"Me neither," said Sailor Uranus.
"Sailor Mercury, can't you use your visor to detect any forms of life in this place?" asked Solaris.
"I did, but it's no use," Sailor Mercury spoke, shaking her head. "I can't get any reading on the building's layout or any coordinates. I can't even detect any signs of life."
"Then why don't we try looking in the basement?" suggested Sailor Neptune. "Down there is where most of the other laboratories are."
Sailor Venus then looked at the board, which showed the many different building levels. "Then, we should split up into two groups," she said. "We'll start here on the fifty-sixth floor and check each one floor by floor as we go. Sailor Moon. You, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto will take the elevator."
"Sounds like a plan to me," said Solaris. "Let's go!"
Super Sailor Moon felt worried. "Be safe, you guys," she warned.
Solaris and the Inner Guardians stopped and looked back.
"Don't worry about us, Sis," reassured Solaris. "We'll be fine."
"He's right," agreed Sailor Mars. "Just make sure you find Hotaru."
"Please take care of the princess for us," Sailor Mercury told Sailor Uranus and the others. "We'll leave her in your hands."
Sailor Uranus smiled. "Absolutely."
Solaris and his party then took off, dashing away into the darkness of the hallway while the elevator door then opened, letting out a ding as it did.
"Come on, Sailor Moon," said Sailor Uranus. "Let's head down to the basement."
Super Sailor Moon was still worried, but she quickly pushed the doubts away from her mind as she joined the Outer Guardians in the elevator.
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Tomoe was beside himself with glee in his lab, sensing that his foes were heading towards his location, awaiting their arrival.
"It would appear those little girls protected by their Guardian planets are coming," he chuckled with a snide smirk. "Too bad that the elevator they're riding on will take them straight to their doom. The time has come. My lifelong dream has finally come to fruition, and those girls will get to see the results of my life's work of super life forms!"
He then walked over to some bottles and tubes where several vials lay connected. Inside of them was several Daimon Eggs, eight contained in each one.
"They're beings with intelligence and stamina hundreds of times greater than a normal human being and with a significantly longer lifespan," Tomoe continued to gloat. "All it took to make them was a little gene manipulation administrating the right drugs with correct timing and cybernetic enhancements. To think that my decision to use this Omega Area for research, and even the fire, turned out to be gifts from Heaven that helped me get this far!"
His smile became even more malevolent and twisted as he started thinking back on the past.
"Here I was about to try recreating Hotaru's body and produce a superior life-form to realize my dreams," he continued. "But then in the middle of that great experiment..."
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Tomoe and Kaori were in an operation room, about to get ready to undergo Hotaru's surgery to turn her into a super life form. But then, the lights suddenly turned off, rendering the room dark. Then, a Daimon Egg came shooting down from the ceiling and implanted itself right in the middle of Kaori's forehead. Kaori let out a cry in agony as the egg disappeared from the surface of her skin.
"Kaori! Are you all right?!" exclaimed Tomoe as he rushed over to try and help her.
At that moment, something else descended from the ceiling, a giant mass of violet energy that hit the floor, causing the entire room to shake. Tomoe fell flat on his butt, caught by surprise, but as he looked up, a shocking sight met his eyes. The giant mass of energy was now sporting a familiar pair of glowing white eyes. Kaori was also hovering just below those eyes; only she wasn't Kaori anymore. She was now the Daimon known as Kaolinite.
Tomoe couldn't help but be shocked as well as amazed as Kaolinite opened her eyes and looked at herself.
"What is this light coming from me?" Kaolinite wondered. "I feel... different."
"It would appear that the vesselization was a success," the mass of energy said. "You are now a Daimon."
Kaolinite looked across to the being, more confused rather than afraid. "Vesselization? What is that?" she wondered. "And who are you?"
"I am Master Pharoh 90," the being spoke to her. "And I want you to pledge your loyalty to me. If you do, then I shall give you more power and grant you the title of Magus."
Kaolinite felt a surge of power course through her veins and gasped with euphoria as she reached out her hand, while Tomoe continued to watch in astonishment.
"I do! I pledge my loyalty to you, master!" Kaolinite said. "How may I serve you?"
"Collect human Hostes and implant our eggs in suitable vessels," said Pharoh 90. "This is for the sake of our resurrection and to make this land into our second mother planet!"
At that moment, a black star appeared on Kaolinite's forehead and quickly faded away. Kaolinite then lowered back onto the ground and gracefully bowed at her new master.
"I understand, Master Pharoh 90," she said. "If that is what you wish, then I shall gladly fulfill it. I live to serve you."
The being then turned towards Tomoe and presented him with another Daimon Egg in his hand, which was different from the others, being a strange and eerie violet color.
"As for you, Tomoe, this is the egg of my partner from a previous life known as Mistress 9," Pharoh 90 told him. "It is imperative that you achieve her vesselization without fail."
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"And then from their world, the Daimon Eggs descended into ours along with the Daimon Eggs," went on Tomoe. "At first, I didn't know what to make of them, nor was I sure I could fulfill his request. But then I was granted the opportunity to vesselize one of the eggs into myself, and not long afterward, I chose to use my daughter Hotaru as the vessel for Mistress 9. I even managed to produce five other specimens that were just as beautiful."
He then came up to a tank that contained a Daimon, which gave a menacing roar when he came close to it.
"And then there are my beloved Daimons, of course," Tomoe continued monologing, growing more maniacal by the second. "The Death Busters may have called you "defects" because you failed to vesselize, but you were still indispensable for my experiment's success. After completing our master's vesselization, I'm eager to continue performing more vesselizations with the intent of making more perfect specimens just like myself! They will be new life-forms combing human beings and aliens! Super life-forms that will be my creations! I'll make those pompous fools of academics regret kicking out a genius such as myself! No, I'll make them regret kicking out a god!"
Tomoe then began to shriek with laughter and triumph as his voice echoed throughout the emptiness of the lab.
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Super Sailor Moon and the Outer Guardians were still descending downwards on the elevator, which had gone past the thirtieth floor. As they stood there in silence, Super Sailor Moon couldn't help but think back to the vision she saw back when she was Mamoru a few moments ago. However, it didn't make her worried or fearful.
"That scene of destruction. I don't want to think that's a vision of our future," Super Sailor Moon thought to herself. "If I want to defeat the Death Busters, we have to do it quickly so that we can go back to our peaceful lives. But for that to happen, I have to get Chibiusa's soul back as well as her Silver Crystal and save Hotaru, too."
Then, the elevator broke the silence, which began to creak and shudder as it began to speed up, which made Sailor Moon a bit tense.
"It's like I'm falling into an abyss. The elevator's starting to speed up. I'm scared."
And because of this fear, Super Sailor Moon began to worry about her brother and the other Guardians.
"I sure hope the others are okay," she said aloud. "I can't help but wonder if they're safe."
"Don't worry about them," soothed Sailor Neptune. "I'm sure they're fine."
"But, aren't you three scared?" wondered Super Sailor Moon. "Not even a little bit?"
"Well, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't," said Sailor Uranus. "So it's not just you."
"I'm hopeless when it comes to being scared," Super Sailor Moon spoke with a mirthless smile. "I still get freaked out so easily, especially in a haunted, abandoned building, or even an unstopping, speeding elevator like this one. It's too much for me to take." She then looked towards the floor, squeezing her hands with worry. "And even now, when I'm thinking about going up against a powerful enemy, just thinking about it scares me. I can't help but think about all the bad things that might happen. Like what if - I somehow end up all alone? What would I do then?"
"Does the thought of being alone scare you?" asked Sailor Uranus.
Super Sailor Moon stayed silent but answered with a nod.
"You know, the three of us used to be alone for quite a long time," said Sailor Uranus. "We all lived in places where there were no others all by ourselves. However, at every moment we could, we would remember the Silver Millenium and its beautiful queen, princess, and prince."
"For the three of us being alone in that darkness," said Sailor Neptune. "Just picturing it became a ray of light."
"And when it shone brightly, we could feel the power grow within our bodies," joined Sailor Pluto. "That light has always guided us, reassuring and encouraging us never to give up."
Super Sailor Moon couldn't help but feel inspired and touched by the Outer Guardians' words, which helped her feel a lot less scared.
But the moment was rudely interrupted, for the elevator suddenly jerked and began to drop even faster than before. At that moment, everything turned black as night.
When Super Sailor Moon opened her eyes, she found herself floating in endless darkness. Everywhere she looked, she could see nothing but black. As she floated around, Super Sailor Moon's fear seized her heart once more as she began to panic while thinking about her friends.
"I'm scared! I'm so scared!" she spoke with fright. "Uranus! Neptune! Pluto! Venus! Jupiter! Mars! Mercury! Solaris! Mamo! Chibiusa! Help me! I can't do anything without you guys! What should I do?! What can I do?!"
Then, she remembered what Outer Guardians said about her being their light of hope, which gave them strength, easing Super Sailor Moon's fear and making her realize something important about her friends.
"They're right. Whatever happened, my friends and family have always been there for me as the light that guides me," she thought. "And I have a light within me, too, the light that represents the power of everyone's hearts uniting as one. So I have to believe in it."
At that moment, a light came shining from above, illuminating the darkness around her. That light was coming from the moon, which mysteriously appeared above me. As she reached up towards it, the empowered guardian of the moon began to radiate with the same light as she cried out bravely, her heart filled with courage.
"I am Super Sailor Moon! The guardian who shines with the power given by all! I will become the light that illuminates the darkness! The darkness will not defeat me!" She then summoned her Spiral Heart Moon Rod and unleashed her signature move. "RAINBOW MOON HEARTACHE!"
With a mighty blast of hearts, the light from Super Sailor Moon's attack obliterated the dark landscape, blinding Super Sailor Moon and obscuring her vision.
When Super Sailor Moon opened her eyes, she found herself back on the elevator along with the Outer Guardians, who were also coming around.
"Way to go, Sailor Moon," Sailor Uranus spoke thankfully.
"Your light shines in the dark," added Sailor Neptune.
"And will always be the light that guides us," finished Sailor Pluto.
Super Sailor Moon smiled with pride, but then the elevator doors opened, and an unsettling sight awaited the four guardians. Standing in front of them was Tomoe along with three Daimons.
"Welcome to my laboratory, Sailor Guardians," Tomoe spoke with a dark smile as he pushed up his glasses. "My Daimons and I have been expecting you. You see, my beloved Daimons are hungry."
All three Daimons roared as they lunged toward the Guardians, forcing the four to jump out of the elevator to avoid them. Then, the Daimons relentlessly attacked them, swinging their tendrils and swinging their claws as they tried to kill their prey.
Sailor Pluto using her talisman fired an attack.
"PLUTO CHRONOS TYPHOON!
In a powerful cyclone of energy, the guardian of time successfully destroyed two Daimons in seconds.
"NEPTUNE SUBMARINE REFLECTION!"
In a mighty blast of seawater from her mirror, Sailor Neptune destroyed third, leaving Tomoe all by himself. But instead of being worried about the numbers against him, the mad scientist let out a mad cackle of arrogance.
"Go ahead and destroy them all you want, but I can create more!" he sneered. "I can create as many Daimons as I wish!"
"Please stop this, Professor Tomoe!" Super Sailor Moon ordered. "We didn't come down here to fight with you! We came to find Hotaru! Where is she?"
"Oh, you mean my former daughter," Tomoe maddeningly smirked. "She's at the sacred temple offering the Legendary Silver Crystal, the light that is like the Taiyron Crystal, to our master known as Master Pharoh 90 for his resurrection!"
Super Sailor Moon was puzzled, wondering who the madman was talking about but was interrupted by a sudden tremor, the entire room around them trembling and rumbling.
"That shaking! It's coming from below!" cried Sailor Neptune.
"You feel that? The master's fetal activity is about to begin!" Tomoe continued to gloat. "Unfortunately, none of you will get the chance to see it! This place will become your graveyard! Your honor will have the honor of being my first prey!"
The man ripped off his lab coat and mutated into a monstrous creature. He now had dark-violet skin, spikes protruding all over his body, razor-sharp claws and teeth, and glowing red eyes.
Super Sailor Moon gasped. "You're a Daimon, too?!" she exclaimed.
"I'm nothing like the other Daimons!" the transformed Tomoe spoke in a beastly voice. "I am the ultimate superior life-form! An alien-human hybrid! Now, die!"
He swung his hand, extending his fingers into tendrils at the guardians. They bent and twisted around as they pursued the guardians, each one strong enough to pierce through them if they hit, but Super Sailor Moon and the others were able to dodge using their agility. Tomoe then unleashed powerful beams from his eyes right toward Super Sailor Moon. The ordango guardian avoided in the knick of time, but both blasts were so strong that the wind pressure was enough to send her flying.
"URANUS SPACE SWORD BLASTER!"
With a mighty swing of her talisman, Sailor Uranus released an array of crescent-shaped energy, showering Tomoe with them and forcing him to go on the defensive. Seeing that he was open, Sailor Uranus moved in to take Tomoe down, but then Super Sailor Moon called out to her.
"No, Uranus, stop! That thing was Hotaru's dad a few minutes ago!"
"Not anymore, he isn't!" Sailor Uranus said firmly. "He's our enemy! He lost his humanity the moment he turned into a daimon!"
Then came trouble. When Tomoe saw Sailor Uranus distracted, he extended his fingers again and landed a solid hit sending Sailor Uranus tumbling.
"Sailor Uranus, no!" cried Super Sailor Moon.
"Sailor Moon! Use your rod!" yelled Sailor Neptune. "You have to!"
Super Sailor Moon now didn't know what to do. She knew that she had to help Sailor Uranus, but she didn't want to hurt Tomoe for being Hotaru's father.
Then, she saw Sailor Uranus, who struggled back up to her feet as Tomoe closed in on her for the kill. It was then that she knew what she had to do.
"Hotaru! Forgive me!" Super Sailor Moon said as she readied her rod while aiming Tomoe. "RAINBOW MOON HEARTACHE!"
The ordango guardian unleashed a mighty blast of hearts from her rod, and before Tomoe could react, the attack reduced him to ash. The Outer Guardians were relieved, but Super Sailor Moon felt guilty.
Then, she heard a voice echoing through the silent laboratory that sounded sad as she stood there.
"Goodbye, Daddy."
Super Sailor Moon quickly looked back, feeling startled. "Who's there?" she called out, wondering.
But no one replied.
"What is it, Sailor Moon?" asked Sailor Uranus.
Super Sailor Moon didn't answer her as she looked around. "For a moment, I thought I sensed someone else was here," she thought. "Did I imagine it?"
But she didn't have time to answer her question, for right then, the trembling came again, this time more violently, as the ground cracked and began to collapse.
"Something's coming!" cried Sailor Neptune.
Thinking quickly, Sailor Pluto waved her staff using another one of her moves.
"PLUTO GARNET BALL!"
Immediately, a magenta-colored barrier shrouded the four protecting them. Then, as the ball suddenly shot upwards, carrying them to the outside, something burst through the floor from where they stood and headed towards the upper levels. In addition, Super Sailor Moon's brooch began to glow as if it was trying to warn her.
Super Sailor Moon then gasped. "The others are still upstairs!" she gasped. "Mercury! Mars! Jupiter! Venus! Solaris!"
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Meanwhile, Solaris and his group were still searching in the upper levels. It was then that the building began to shake, which caught them by surprise.
"What is that?!" exclaimed Sailor Venus. "What's going on?!"
"I don't know, but it seems to be coming from below!" said Sailor Jupiter. "From the basement, maybe?!"
Solaris looked down towards the floor. Then, he sensed that something was coming. Something big and dangerous.
"Girls! Get close to me, now!" Solaris yelled. "Hurry!"
The Inner Guardians quickly got close, and Solaris raised his hand to try and use his power, but it was too late as the floor below them exploded.
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As Super Sailor Moon's party stayed hovering from above, the glow from Super Sailor Moon's brooch faded away. Then, no sooner than it did, Super Sailor Moon suddenly detranformed, reverting to her original form, much to the shock of the Outer Guardians and to the horror of Sailor Moon herself.
"The power that made me Super Sailor Moon is gone!" Sailor Moon gasped in her thoughts. "The bond of our hearts has been cut! Which means that something bad must have happened to the others!"
The sky grew ominously dark as black clouds loomed from above, swirling around Mugen Academy in the form of a vortex as thunder crackled.
Sailor Pluto then saw something that made her gasp. "Look! Down there!" she cried.
The others then looked and saw something from the top of the building. It was the spatial room, which turned out to be a large temple. Pharoh 90 emerged from inside, and close behind him was Mistress 9, who wore a sick and demented smile on her face as she radiated with ominous power.