Act 52 Stars 3

Chapter Data

Minako and Rei face off against the Three Lights
Name (kanji/kana):	Ａｃｔ　５２　スターズ３
Name (romaji):	Act 52 Sutaazu 3
Name (translated):	Act 52 Stars 3
Volume Number:	11
Chapter Number:	52
Original Number:	45
Crystal Episode:	Sailor Moon Cosmos
Previous Chapter:	Act 51 Stars 2
Next Chapter:	Act 53 Stars 4

Summary

Rei's necklace breaks and her crows fly up in a furious storm. A young Hotaru runs to Setsuna anxiously. They all sense the loss of their teammates, Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter, and the capture of their Sailor Crystals. Meanwhile, Sailor Moon, Sailor Venus, Sailor Neptune, and Sailor Uranus have just found out that the Three Lights are actually the Sailor Starlights. Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune are trying to piece together that these three are Sailor Senshi and Sailor Venus is very upset over Mercury and Jupiter. Sailor Moon is too stunned to speak. Uranus shouts to Sailor Moon to pull herself together and slaps Venus to calm her down. Sailor Star Fighter explains the obvious but horrible truth: Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter are dead and their Sailor Crystals, the origin of their powers, were taken by the enemy.

Sailor Moon, Venus, Neptune, and Uranus are shocked and speechless. Sailor Star Fighter addresses Sailor Moon, but Sailor Uranus steps forward with her Space Sword to protect Sailor Moon from the strangers. The Starlights do not seem to want a fight. They tell the Senshi that they will not be able to beat Sailor Galaxia and Shadow Galactica by losing their tempers. Sailor Star Fighter also tells them that they should not waste their energy. Sailor Neptune begins to ask if it's really true that Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter are gone, but in an instant, the Sailor Starlights leave and the Senshi are left on the rooftop, dazed and confused.

Back in civilian clothes, Usagi, Rei, Minako, Setsuna, Hotaru, Haruka, and Michiru meet up at the Game Center Crown. They piece together what little information they have, and struggle with the idea that their new enemies are Sailor Senshi. Sailor Moon thinks to herself that she does not feel like the Starlights are enemies, because they guarded her against Sailor Aluminum Seiren when she attacked. Minako wants to go to Shadow Galactica to save Mercury and Jupiter. Artemis wants to know how this invasion occurred without warning.

Luna informs the group about a meteor shower that recently occurred. She tells them that the Sagittarius Alpha meteor must have been their road in, and Setsuna confirms that there has been no disturbance in the Fourth Dimension. Haruka points out that they invaded the Earth as a star. Michiru offers to take Usagi home, and Haruka volunteers to keep an eye on the Three Lights. Rei tells Minako secretly that they are going to go confront the Three Lights the following day and see if they can find whose side the Sailor Starlights are on. Rei tells Minako that if they are enemies, the two of them will fight find out where Shadow Galactica is. She tells Minako that Mercury and Jupiter aren't dead and that they can rescue them out of Shadow Galactica. She says they will protect Usagi and Earth.

Usagi slips into a strange mood on the walk home with Michiru and decides to part from her. She goes to see Mamoru's friend Asanuma to find out if he has heard from Mamoru at all, but he has not. However, after Usagi's explanations about the cards and her obvious sadness, he tells her that he will ask around the next day. Michiru can be seen in the background still following Usagi.

Usagi is still upset and finds herself calling Mamoru's old phone number. She feels like she is forgetting something, but when she tries to think, she gets confused. Chibi Chibi comes to comfort her, but she is still thinking of the others, of Mercury and Jupiter and how to save them. She thinks about how she feels about them, and she thinks about Mamoru. She begins to sway and faint but Seiya shows up and catches her. Haruka and Michiru come running to her, but Taiki and Yaten are there and Taiki stops them by holding up a card. The card has the image of a familiar man on it.

Seiya tells Usagi that she has no time to waste and she must remember. He asks her what happened to Mercury and Jupiter, and what happened to Mamoru. The image of Mamoru's disappearance flashes in Usagi's memory and she collapses in anguish. Seiya catches her, telling her he does not want to hurt her. Michiru and Haruka see the image of Mamoru's death as well, and then Taiki shows them a card with Sailor Galaxia's image on it. Usagi runs away crying, trying not to think about what it means. She thinks of Seiya and how he seems so much like Mamoru. The Three Lights watch Usagi as she runs away, wondering what it is about her that reminds them of someone else.

Usagi gets to her house and there is another card in the mail, and this one has a galaxy on it. Usagi thinks about the image and wonders if they are really from Mamoru after all. The card falls to the ground.

A massive many-pointed crystal is mounted high above a glowing figure seated in an unfamiliar throne room, while another figure kneels on the stairs below. The kneeling figure apologizes for the failures of Sailor Aluminum Seiren and Sailor Iron Mouse. The glowing figure above is happy with the two crystals that were obtained. Then the figure below swears by the power of the Sailor Animamates that she will capture more Sailor Crystals for Galaxia before the final battle. Sailor Galaxia informs her that human Star Seeds are insignificant compared to Sailor Crystals.

From the darkness comes a new Sailor Animamate, Sailor Lead Crow. She tells Galaxia that she will drag Sailor Moon to her grave.

Somewhere far from this dark place, Hotaru observes that they may no longer be able to stop what is coming.

Meanwhile, Rei has dressed up in Minako's school uniform and Minako is wearing her volleyball outfit. They discuss Usagi and decide that as long as she can fake being happy she is fine for the time being. Rei asks Minako where they will find the Three Lights, and Minako whips out her Three Lights Super Secret Journal. She announces that they have lunch on the rooftop, but she is quite surprised to find the rooftop empty. While Minako frets about missing out on lunch, Rei reflects that she wishes she went to school with the others. Minako can sense her sorrow and Rei shows Minako the card she had pulled that day - the card of Death. She begins to tell Minako that this time it is different and that they will not win, but Minako silences her with a soft touch to the lips and a grasp of her hand. Minako tells Rei that they have always fought together to overcome and they would do the same this time. Then Minako lightens the mood by expressing how great it will be to return to high school life and get boyfriends. While she is going on about how great life will be, she is interrupted by a curt, "Yeah, right."

They turn defensively to find the Three Lights standing there, and see that Yaten had been the one speaking. He continues by reminding them that they already have someone that they have dedicate their lives to. Minako concedes that they are correct, and states that she has given her life to her one and only, as a vision of Usagi flashes in her mind. Rei also states that they don't actually need any men at all, and asks the Three Lights if they have a problem with that. Yaten states that he does not, and wouldn't expect less from a Sailor Senshi. Rei begins to ask about that particular subject when Yaten asks what they would do if they found out the Starlights were fakes. Minako informs them that they would be their enemies who would then be beaten. Then she and Rei transform into Sailor Venus and Sailor Mars.

Sailor Venus and Sailor Mars tell the Three Lights that they don't want to fight, they just want to know who they are, and ask them to transform. The Starlights do so, and Venus and Mars sense the power of stars from them. Venus and Mars tell them that they believe their powers are true, but they want to know where they come from. Sailor Star Maker addresses Sailor Mars and gives her a card with a picture of the galaxy. Then the three of them leap off the roof and transform back into their civilian forms. Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus realize that the Starlights are from their galaxy, as a violent wind from the south picks up. Sailor Mars notes that it is coming from the direction of the Hikawa Shrine.

At the Shrine, the crows are flying around in alarm. Sailor Lead Crow calls out that she sensed their Star Seeds and orders them to show themselves. Two crows, Phobos and Deimos, change into the form of two woman and confront Lead Crow.

Trivia

• This act featured the first appearance of Sailor Lead Crow.

Previous act: 51	Arc Stars	Next act: 53