-1Chapter Seven:

The Final Battle.

Ami's compact radar screen suddenly started going off the hook: "Oh my god! The energy readings are rising, I can't even keep up with my calculations!" Without warning, an explosion of fire and ice ripped through central Tokyo. The pillar of flame rose to the sky as the ground beneath collapsed. Alzurath drew his sword: "Alright everyone! Let's give hell a warm welcome!"

The Senshi of time began to spin her weapon: "Oh god of time, Chronos! Open the gates of the past, to save the future's freedom!" With those words, the sky began to swirl above them, as dozens of legendary warriors from Ancient China and Feudal Japan appeared before them: "Hey Alzurath! Long time no see, looks like we got to the party just in time!" "Keiji! Its good to see you here. Looks like you brought quite a few of your buddies."

"Supreme, THUNDER!" Jupiter's lightning crashed into a ferocious demon charging at the two, killing it instantly: "Hey you guys, you can play catch up later. We got a war to win!!" Keiji smiled: "I love a lady who knows what she's doin'!" he yelled as he charged at the line of hellish creatures.

By now everyone was engaged in this horrific battle for earth. Ami dodged a sword, and was able crack the back of the demons neck with a well placed hit. She suddenly stumbled, and before she could recover another Demon came flying toward Ami. Alzurath threw his sword and it pierced the beast's neck.

"Ami! Mistakes like that can get you killed!" He said worriedly: "What's wrong? You're not on your toes like you usually are." He could see she was filled with fear, and the tone of her voice confirmed it: "I-…I never seen this much blood and violence, not in all of our previous battles has it been this bad…"

She went pale as another group of three attacked them: "Mercury, Freezing Storm!" She summoned an attack that she had no idea where she learned. A wall of solid ice formed in front of the two and slammed head on into the demons, it shattered on impact. The following explosion tore the creatures apart. "Mars Flame Sniper!"

An arrow of fire suddenly pierced the flesh of several beasts, leaving a trail of flame in its path. Rei stepped back: "Damn! There's so many of them, we can't hold out for much longer!" Jupiter rolled out of the way of the burning arrow just in time: "Ow! That's hot! Mars, watch your line of fire! Reign of Thunder!" Dark clouds began to swirl in the sky, as mother nature unleashed a hailstorm of deadly lightning upon the unsuspecting army.

The Attack decimated Hell's center line, not to mention the surrounding buildings. "Crescent Beam Shower!" thousands of dots formed by a yellow light poured like rain unto the horde, melting the flesh of any sinister creature it hit. "World Shaking!", "Deep Submerge!", "Dead Scream!". Three spheres of high powered elemental energy formed as one, creating a large celestial core which devastated the rest of the first assault wave.

Almost immediately after however, the secondary wave rose from the ground and began to approach the tired, and weary Senshi. Usagi collapsed to her knees from exhaustion: "I-…I don't know how much more of this I can take." Mamoru held her up: "Hang in there. Not only is our duty to protect earth, but its also our charge to protect Ami and Alzurath. We must not give in, we have to fight to death. Are you prepared for that Usako?"

She stood up: "Yes. I am, to protect earth, and my friends. I'm willing to give my last breath on this day…" She was about to perform a final attack when from out of no where, several ear piercing booms echoed above them. This was followed by a storm of explosions that annilated nearly half of the enemy force.

Alzurath was thrown five feet backwards by the impact of this sudden attack. "Ow.. What the bloody hell was that?!" the shocked angel said as he recovered from the blast. He looked to the ground and noticed that the rocks were trembling. To all the warriors surprise and amazement, twenty Military Stryker class APC's came roaring past them, and came to a stop just before the battle zone.

A tall, strong, and a seemingly experienced man came out of the lead vehicle: "That was a very touching speech madam. But I'm afraid that there'll be no dying today, not on my watch." All the Senshi's mouths dropped, Military help was the last thing they were expecting. Alzurath walked up to him: "And Who might you be?"

He stood in attention: "Staff Sergeant Major Oriely, of the 101st Stryker brigade. I'm also Second commander of the U.S.A. and Japanese Nato alliance. President Hiomasha being the first. "

"Sir! The lines' advancing again! Hurry up and give the orders to attack will you?!" A combat anxious private stated over the radio. He nodded: "All right men, the future of the world rests on the outcome of this battle! Show no mercy, take no prisoners! Kill all these demon bastards who slaughter our kind! Attack!"

Dozens of elite Soldiers from all ages started pouring out of the back of the Strykers and began firing their semi-automatics. Soldiers who were manning the fifty cal. Machine guns mounted on the top the Strykers also began firing.

"I assume you're the one in charge of this battle son. What's your name?" The angel stumbled: "P-….Alzurath sir!" Ami looked at him dumbfounded. "Alzurath? Strange code name, but it'll do. We'll set a perimeter around downtown Tokyo and hold off the enemy. You and the Senshi find a way to end this war for good!" Keiji Maeda came up to him: "Well Alzurath, I suppose that's our cue to high tail it out of here! Break some skulls for me!"

"Thanks Keiji, we owe you and your allies a lot for getting us this far in the fight. Perhaps we can hang out in a time of peace. Later!" The Senshi waved as Keiji and the other Samurai warriors disappeared from the modern era. The Sergeant scratched his head: "Who was that clown? Forget it for now. Our satellite imaging revealed that there are nine layers inside that blasted hole. We believe that the one responsible is in the last layer.."

Alzurath managed to smile despite their bleak situation: "So you like legends I see." Oriely sighed: "That's what were basing our conclusion on yes." his radio began to static: "Sir! We need more firepower, they're pushing us back!" Oriely picked up his radio: "Stryker brigade, fall back to secondary defensive position Bravo15 and regroup. Heavy armor lines one through three, move up and engage at Alpha one."

As the Strykers fell back to the ordered destination, three lines of fifteen M1 Abram tanks each formed and began to lay siege to hell's army. Alzurath wiped the blood off his face: "Man. This is intense, alright everyone, lets sneak around the front line and slip into hell unnoticed." They nodded, wished good luck to Oriely and his soldiers, and began to walk through a maze of destruction.

Everyone was silent, not knowing of the struggles which lay ahead. Ami held Alzurath's hand tightly, she had the sickest filling that their love would be tested to the breaking point. With no hesitation, the warriors jumped down into hell's entrance. "So you have finally came this far…" Everyone tensed as an eerie voice echoed through the air.

Alzurath thought back in his mind: "…Abandon all hope who enter here. Enter the gates, Charron awaits…" The lyrics ringed through Ami's ears: "That's from Dante's Inferno by Iced Earth right? Oh no…." she said worriedly. The Senshi of flame stepped forward. "Rei! What are you doing?" Usagi pleaded but to no avail.

"Show yourself! I, Rei Hino, guardian of Mars challenge you!" Usagi again tried to convince her friend otherwise: "Please Rei! Let us fight together! You can't die here…" tears began to form in her eyes, as she knew her attempt was futile. "That would be the ideal outcome wouldn't it? But we don't have time. Usagi, you and the others proceed. I'll stay here and deal with Charron myself."

Alzurath placed his arms on her shoulders: "Rei. Your sacrifice will not go unanswered. We will find a way to bring you back." She nodded, and hugged him. "Here take this pendant. I want you to hold onto it,

just in case." She handed him a beautiful red jewel which depicted a phoenix.

She smiled at everyone, and prepared to face her opponent. As Alzurath and the Sailor Senshi descended their way downward, the scenery became more and more horrific. Tortured corpses, both dead and dying were plentiful, the moans of the suffering haunted the warriors. Meanwhile, the beast Charron rose from the fires: "That was honorable of you. However, your attempt is wasted. No human can defeat me. As punishment for entering my domain, your death will be painful, after I enjoy the fruits of your flesh."

Rei stepped back in her fighting stance: "Ha. Your desire for me will never be granted. I will kill you before you get the chance!" Although I doubt I will live through it. she thought to herself grimly. She summoned what strength she had left, and called upon the stars for power: "Mars. Grant me this one time your power and strength. I hereby sacrifice myself in your name!!"

A red aurora began to surround her, a pillar of flame suddenly engulfed the Senshi of fire. About a hundred feet away, Usagi collapsed to her knees when she sensed what her dearest friend was about to do. "Rei!" was all she could say as the tears began to fall. Mamoru helped her up: "Listen Usagi. You must be strong, and honor Rei by defeating hell for good."

Ami was running calculations like mad on her mini-supercomputer, and was shocked : "Rei's power level is growing immensely! Her body will be crushed by the aftershock of this unknown power!" Back at the site of the battle, the ground began to shake as Charron launched several attacks to try and disrupt Mars' power surge, but they were deflected.

Deadly jets of flame began firing out of the pillar, spinning and bursting in random directions. Like a homing missile, they dialed in on the beast. Hundreds of them surrounded Charron, and pierced his rotten flesh. The beast let out a final scream as the fire exploded within his body. Sailor Mars collapsed to her knees, let out a last breath, then fell to the ground lifeless.

Her body burned and broken beyond repair, vanished from hell, as her spirit ascended to the stars. The grief was evident in everyone, because not only did they lose an ally, they lost a dear friend. They continued the march through hell. Eventually, they reached the second fiery plain.

Souls of the lost and lustful cried out in endless agony, and the fog was dense. Alzurath, Mamoru, and the Senshi were pale from the sight. Suddenly a dark voice roared through the space: "I smell Angel's blood in my domain. Whom that of the living dares to enter a realm of the dead?" Usagi hid behind Mamoru from the terrifying voice. "Dissension, thrusting through the second plain. Minos judges, as his tail twines…." This time it was Ami reciting the lyrics.

Without warning, a dragon like tail with a deadly sharp, spear like spike on its end, came crashing towards the warriors. "Love Me Chain!" Venus launched her attack and the chain of light wrapped around the tail tightly. "Go! Get out of here! I'll hold it off the best I can!" She said frantically struggling to keep her grasp on the beast.

Before anyone could react, two claws appeared out of the fog and pierced Mina's stomach. She let out a short cry of pain as blood came gushing out from the wound. She was then thrown hard into the ground, breaking her left arm and crushing several ribs. It happened so fast she didn't even have time to move.

Usagi and the others watched in horror as their friend was brutally taken down. "Weak Mortal. You were foolish to challenge me. I am in a different league compared to Charron." Sailor Venus layed there, showing no signs of life for what seemed an eternity. Then to her friends amazement, and Mino's amusement, she stood up under her own power.

Her voice is weak and her body was shaking from the amount of pain she received from the vicious attack: "I…I may be down…But I…I'm not out…not by a long…shot…" He laughed heinously : "So you wish for your torture to continue. Very well, I shall enjoy every moment of inflicting agony unto you."

His tail swung at her again with devastating force, but somehow Mina managed to jump at the last second and dodge it. To avoid making the injuries on her left side worse, she landed and slid on the ground using her body's right side. This caught the demon off guard. Seizing the opportunity, she used the momentum she gained from the jump and prepared to launch her final, most powerful attack.

"…Golden Light…of the…Goddess!!" What started as a small pulsating light in the jewel on her Tiara, quickly grew to cover her entire body. As if calling the great goddess "Myojo" herself, Mina raised her hands to the sky. Several blinding flashes of brilliant, golden light, crashed down like lightning on the unsuspecting Minos.

The beasts flesh began to melt as it howled in tremendous agony. As a last effort, it tried to stab Minako again with its tail, but Alzurath jumped in and blocked it with his sword. "May you burn in the Dark Lands." The Angel said as Minos turned to ashes. Everyone ran to her aid as Mina fell to the ground in pain.

Ami studied her, and fought back the tears as she broke the news to the group: "She's bleeding internally. E-even if we could get her out of here. Th-there'd be nothing we can do to save her…" Alzurath placed his hands on Ami's shoulders, his gaze comforted her somewhat, but she couldn't stop crying.

"Al…Alzurath…" Mina managed to summon the strength to speak. The Angel knelt beside her, gently placing her head on his lap. "Yes Minako?" he replied softly. She offered her hand, and he held it, in an effort to ease her suffering. "Don't…ever…let…Ami…go. We…die to assure that you and her…live. She, is the key to earth's survival. between…Heaven…and Earth…you two will find your true destiny's…Good bye everyone…"

Alzurath felt her pulse fade, and Mina slipped away into death. The Ice Senshi was no longer able to control her grief and frustration. Ami fell to her knees and slammed her fists into the ground. "Why?! What's the point of everybody dying! What's so special about me that my friends have to die!!"

Alzurath stared at Minako's body silently as it faded away into the stars. He then walked next to Ami, and eased her back to her feet. She embraced him, tears falling. Sailor Uranus stepped forward: "I know this may seem harsh, but we have to move on. Lady Mercury, are you up to it?" She nodded: "Y-yes. I'm sorry I just…."

Usagi walked up to her distraught friend: "Listen Ami. Those of us that remain are here for you. Even if we die, we would still be watching over you in spirit. Now, lets go and bring peace to earth." Mizuno stepped back and opened up her mini super computer. "Well. Judging from my calculations, we should be able to use Sailor Teleport now. We couldn't activate it before because the demonic presence was too strong."

So, everyone gathered and held hands in a circle. Each of the Senshi began to glow in their designated color. In a flash, the group vanished and appeared just before the entrance to the final circle. As they entered the Ninth realm, it suddenly became biting cold. Dozens of tentacles rose from the ground and entangled the group so that only Ami and Alzurath could move freely.

Ami and Alzurath tried to destroy them, but they were as strong as steel. They're friends began to moan in pain as they were slowly being crushed to death. "Now you see the true power that I possess. You will not hinder my conquest of Earth." Alzurath turned around: "Lucifer!! You heinous bastard…You will die for the pain and suffering caused by your crimes!"

The Angel was now overcome by the anger of his friends death, as well as Ami's suffering caused by them. His wings formed, emanating white light which disintegrated the tentacles that once wrapped around his allies. Drawing his sword he charged at the monster, until a hidden barrier stopped him. He was blown back ten feet in the air by a single thrust from Lucifer's Wings.

Alzurath landed on the ground. "Damn. The gust of wind coming from his wing is like a hurricane." Ami came up to him and held his hand: "We can do this together…Let not just strength, but the strength of our love purge this evil." A grim feeling came over Usagi, Makato, and Mamoru, and the three outer Senshi. For they knew what the two were about to do.

However, Usagi also knew that Ami and Alzurath didn't have enough power combined to take Lucifer down. Usagi looked at the others, and they simultaneously nodded. "Good. I am glad everyone is willing to make this Sacrifice…" Tsukino said in sorrowful tone. Ami turned around: "You guys get out of here! You can still make it out alive if you leave now!"

Usagi placed her hand on her friend's shoulder: "We can't do that Ami. We all know you two don't have enough power to kill Lucifer on your own. Let us send all our strength and feed it to your attack." Mizuno shook her head, her eyes showing signs of tears: "No! If you do that, you'll all die!"

Setsuna approached her: "That is our duty as Senshi is it not? To make sacrifices that are necessary for the planet's survival?" Ami fumbled for a counter, but the words failed to come out. She knew Sets was right, and silently turned around. Usagi grinned: "Thank you Ami, for understanding…Alright, that's our cue everyone! Once their attack is launched, we will surge it with our own energy!"

Ami closed her eyes, and for the second time, transformed into the Warrior Princess. Her abilities increased tenfold with the force of Mercury now flowing in her veins. "Mercury…I seek the knowledge and power that is you. Please, lend this to me…" With those words, the other remaining Senshi activated their powers.

"Jupiter Crystal Power!", "Pluto Crystal, power…", "Neptune Crystal Power!", "Uranus Crystal Power!", "Moon, Celestial…Unity!!" Sailor Moon summoned a wave of elemental energy, by far the strongest of any previous attack. Alzurath prepared to charge Lucifer again, this time with the energy of the universe channeling through his body.

Ami merged her own powers into the swirling mass of energy, which was now concentrated at the edge of Alzurath's sword. With a fury beyond words, the Angel attacked Lucifer. A horrendous explosion tore through the entirety of hell, even causing the ground on the surface to buckle and break under its great pressure. He broke through Lucifer's barrier, and without hesitation thrust his sword deep into the Demon Lord's flesh.

Finally, it was over. Victory however, came with a high price. A recoil that resulted from the blast ripped through the Senshi. Because they no longer had any strength left from the power merge; could not avoid beeing hit by it. Everyone but Usagi was killed instantly, and even she was mortally wounded.

Ami's worst fears had come to past, a harsh exchange for saving the lives of millions of innocent people. Seeing that hell was no longer attacking, Oriely barked an order through his radio: "Cease Fire! Cease Fire! The enemy, they've all been destroyed!" Despite these turn of events, there was no cheer from the Nato Army. Their heroes have not yet emerged, and an eerie silence took hold.

Back down below, Mercury desperately tried to deny what had come to be: "Usagi! Please, hold on! We'll get you out of here, and get you to the Hospital!" Ami cried as she held her dying friend in her arms. The dumpling head smiled: "Ami…Please…Worry about your own injuries, you and Alzurath go…There's no hope for me…The other's have already passed on, now I can join them…" Ami stubborn as usual, shook her head: "I…I can't leave you! I don't want to be alone…"

Alzurath held her hand tightly. "Hey Usagi…We won't forget what you and the rest of our friends did here today…" Sailor Moon coughed, and spat out blood, but still managed to talk up a joke: "Thanks…Alzurath, Never let go of Ami…If you make her cry…I'll come back and haunt you." He nodded: "Alright, you have my word."

She moaned, and was struggling to breath. they both knew her time had come: "We will always be watching from above…Someday, we may see each other again…Good bye Alzurath, good bye Ami…" Her eyes closed, and her body faded, as her Spirit joined with the others. Though they were both bloodied up and hurting badly, they held each other up. Alzurath's wings faded, and Ami de-transformed to save what strength she could.

As they ascended to Earth, Hell began to collapse, with its dark power no longer able to sustain its existence. With Ami clinging to his back, Alzurath climbed out of the hole and back onto the pavement. A roar erupted from the soldiers as they saw the two were still alive.

Oriely ran over to them: "My god! Get a Black Hawk and a medic over here now! They have to be air lifted to the nearest hospital, immediately! How badly are you two hurt, where are the others?" Alzurath held Ami up: "I could be better…I think my left arm is broken. I'm more concerned about Ami though, she's in worst shape." Oriely called in for a stretcher, which was brought quickly.

They picked Ami up and gently placed her on it. "The others…They didn't make it…Killed in action …" Alzurath replied with sadness, now that the full reality of what just happened struck him. Oriely sighed: "I see…They sacrificed their own lives for us. You two as well as the fallen will receive the highest military honors. The casualties were great, but now we can concentrate on rebuilding Tokyo."

An odd blue aurora of energy began to swirl in the skies. Oriely looked up: "What the bloody hell…." The two tired heroes looked at each other. Without warning, a Super Sonic boom erupted through the air, which was followed by a blinding flash of light. Then, everything for Ami and Alzurath went black…