Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon: Future

Chapter 31: Three-Way Valiance

PRETTY SOLDIER SAILOR MOON: FUTURE

Chapter 31: Three-Way Valiance

A familiar silver arrow charged with a tornado of poisonous green wind struck Sailor Uranus' energy slice, causing both attacks to dispel each other. Neptune looked back and up at the upstairs balcony to find the short-statured archer standing on the railing, calm and poised with her bow after having fired the shot.

"There you are, Sailor Arsenic Hyena!" Naja declared.

Neptune demanded, "You know who this Soldier is!?"

"Of course I do! There's no Alkiman Soldier that we don't know about!"

"No doubt so that you can brainwash them all to do your bidding, much like what you've done to Uranus and various other Soldiers from my world," Hyena snapped.

"Brainwashing..." Neptune grimaced, recalling the dark energy she felt surrounding Haruka earlier.

"Yes. Unlike the Erisians we've fought before, that is a power we Alkimans cannot defeat using regular means. Use your mirror if you want to be certain," Hyena suggested.

Neptune nodded and brought forth her Deep Aqua Mirror, holding it directly in front of Uranus and chanting, "Submarine Reflection!"

Uranus grimaced as soothing energy flowed from the mirror, and what was reflected surprised Neptune. Uranus' soul was strained by the presence of a pitch-black apple, corrupting whatever purity she had. Neptune uttered, "What in the world is that?"

"The Black Apple," Hyena explained. "From past reconnaissance, I learned that it is an extension of Eris that's far more powerful than the golden Apples of Discord, but is also far rarer for her to produce."

Naja smiled. "Glad to see I'm not the only one who knows what's going on around here. As I said, the Black Apple is that 'sweet fruit of absolute power'. A seed is planted into a person's soul, and from there it uses that person as fertilizer to elevate their negativity. Soon enough, the victim's mind degenerates so much that the Black Apple can completely dominate them, turning them into an Erisian."

"Essentially, an Apple of Discord possesses inanimate objects and grants it the evil spirit's hatred, while a Black Apple possesses a living person and amplifies their own natural vices, turning them into the evil spirit."

"If you want to be that basic, then yes, that is the main difference between them."

Neptune scowled at her enemy for using such a foul tactic to gain the advantage in this battle. Hyena noticed the sharp glare in her eyes and told her, "I will keep Naja away from you."

"Sailor Arsenic Hyena..." the nervous Sailor Soldier quivered. "Although I appreciate the assistance, it doesn't mean I fully trust you."

"Whether you trust me or not is irrelevant at this moment. I simply have business with Sailor Uranus' puppet master."

"Do you know of a way to free Uranus?"

"The only possible thing would be for you to destroy the Black Apple before her soul can be completely devoured. Unfortunately, I'm not aware of any method that exists for eliminating an intangible source of evil. I suppose it wouldn't be much different than what you folks call 'exorcising' someone."

"I see. Thank you for the advice." Despite the potentially poor outcome of this fight, Neptune would do anything she could to save Uranus' mind. Even so, she still had an idea in mind.

Only the Silver Crystal can purify Erisians. Apples of Discord and Black Apples may function differently, but they are still born from Eris herself. If that's the case, Chibi-Moon should be able to cleanse Haruka's soul the same way she eliminates Erisians... Then the only thing I can do is weaken Haruka so she doesn't threaten Chibi-Moon during the purification process.