Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z or Dragon Ball GT nor any of its characters and I earn no money from writing fanfiction about them. I don't own the riddle at the beginning either. That should cover it.
A/N: This is a Dragon Ball Z fanfiction, so GT doesn't apply. I know many people like it and it does have some interesting ideas but it simply doesn't do it for this story's time line.
Chapter 1: From the lookout
This thing all things devours:
Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;
Gnaws iron, bites steel;
Grinds hard stones to meal;
Slays king, ruins town,
And beats high mountain down.
"It has begun…probably." He thought while hearing the battle echoes. They were still far away, but with so much power in display it made little difference.
Red sky, clouds of dust, and an interminable stream of lighting. Typical weather of the end of the world. Not so normally seen in Kami's lookout as the palace was over the clouds, but it was kind of expected with a powerful, evil monster trying to kill them all. The lighting storm continued, growing in intensity over time while blinding flashes of light coming from far below joined them. They came one after another, with less than a second in between, similar to the ones that could be seen in nightclubs back in the day. Shame there weren't any left.
"Damned those monsters. I swear once this is over I am going to one. Thank you Dende, the dragon balls; no matter how fucked up the world is we can return it back to normal."
Unfortunately, that was only wishful thinking, as it was impossible to return things to what used to be. The group was always fighting, and most of them had died more than once. The dragon balls wouldn't resurrect people twice, and with Evil Buu killing everyone in the world before, only the younger earthlings would come back to live this time. It would take generations to recover from this ordeal. Not to mention that for most of their friends and family it was going to be the final goodbye.
The palace started to shake, making him lose his balance. He looked around and wasn't surprised to see that the same thing happened to everyone there. Why would he? If he, the world champion, had lost his balance, how could they hope to keep it? He would have been more surprised if someone managed to stay on foot.
The tremors continued, showing that the battle was either growing closer or growing in intensity; probably both. He tried to regain balance when the palace really shock, sending everyone flying several meters and making him fall from the platform. Lucky for him, it was the side with a stair to climb to the palace. He made a grab for it, catching it just in time to avoid falling to certain death, be it from the landing or for passing through the battle below. He climbed it like a desperate man and breathed in relief when he reached the top. Looking around he saw that everyone had congregated around the god of earth and he walked their way. As he came closer he began listening to their conversation.
"What's going on?" Asked Bulma, the oldest woman in the group. She seemed worried, not much of a surprise, considering her son was the one fighting for their lives.
"Trunks and Mister Buu are engaged in combat with Behemot. Abbadon is just watching the fight for now." Dende explained while watching from the border of the platform "They just destroyed Korin Tower; the tremor was from the shockwave. The fight seems pretty even but our guys have the advantage since it's a two on one." He nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly with the young Namekian. They may have been monsters, but they had monsters on their side too. It was just a matter of time. "It will be a different matter once Abbadon joins the fray though."
"Nonsense, Trunks and Buu will handle it just fine. The fight will be over before those two come out from the Room of spirit and time. Besides even if the enemy does manage to get passed Buu you still have me to defend this place." He said beaming with confidence he didn't have. Dende just stared at him. Chichi was the one who answered him:
"ARE YOU INSANE OR JUST STUPID? IF MY GOHAN COULDN'T KILL THAT THING WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO? YOU WOULDN'T EVEN MAKE A DECENT MEATSHIELD!"
"WHAT?" He shouted enraged: "WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU CAN SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT! I AM NOT THE WORLD'S CHAMP FOR NOTHING, YOU KNOW!"
"YOU ARE THE WORLD'S CHAMP BECAUSE MY FAMILY'S KIND HEARTS YOU OLD FOOL!"
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING OLD? WE ARE THE SAME AGE!"
"SHUT UP BOTH OF YOU!" Bulma settled the argument. He and Chichi just stared at her before turning their attention to Dende again. The Namekian shouted in victory.
"Alright! They killed Behemot with a combined attack. Only Abbadon is left"
"That's not much of a relief considering he left us in this state." A voice said from the edge of the group. Hercule looked to his right to confirm it belonged to Muten Roshi.
"He was the one to kill most of us and with the last dragon ball in his power he even took our backup plan. Ah, if only Goku was still alive." He said and glanced down, an action soon to be followed by the rest of the group. Hercule clenched his fists and stared at them, knowing they were all thinking of the people they had lost. Bulma and Bra, who were worried for their son and brother fighting the monster, Chichi was grieving the death of not only her husband but both of her sons. Old Roshi who had outlived all his disciples and Oolong and Puar missed their friends. Even he had lost his only daughter and son in law. They were crying inside, knowing full well they wouldn't see them again since they had all died twice and the dragon balls couldn't bring them back. For a moment it stroke Hercule that he and Buu had never died before, even with all the adventures they had taken part since even before he had joined the group. Not that it mattered. The humans and animals in the platform, the Namekian, Mr. Popo, the two warrior below and the two in the room of spirit and time, they were Earth's last stand, the only survivors. If they died there would be no one to wish them back.
The world shacked again, taking him out of his musings. Hercule stared at the Earth's guardian who was visibly paler than before.
"Buu is dead. Trunks is out of commission and Abbadon is looking for him so that he can finish the job." The guardian stated. Bulma gasped at this and Hercule felt his heart sank and his eyes moisten as tears started to fall for his missing friend. It was too cruel, losing one friend after another under the psychotic rage of a madman. He could only hope for this nightmare to soon be over so they could resurrect the fat warrior. He felt blood coming out of his palms due to how hard his fists were clenched. He felt useless and he didn't like it one bit.
"I should hurry then." A voice came from behind the group. They turned around to find that Uub had already left the chamber. His saiyan armor had several cracks to it and the young man had a lot of new scars, probably due to his training partner
"Just give me a new armor and I will be off." He said as he started to strip from the one he was wearing. Bulma quickly tossed a capsule and even before the smoke could fully clear she was already rummaging through the box that appeared looking for a new set and urging the man to go save her son.
"Where is Pan?" Chichi asked Uub while he was putting the armor on. He decided to forgo changing the rest of the set of clothes as he was in a hurry.
"She is staying there a while longer, she was working on something good to use against Abbadon. Well, I am going" He said and took off. Before he could leave the lookout someone shouted at him.
"WAIT!" Uub turned around and saw that it was no other than Hercule Satan himself who had stopped the warrior. The old champion wore a really serious expression on his face and Uub immediately knew that whatever the man was going to say he was going to mean it.
"UUB! IF YOU DID SOMETHING TO MY GRANDDAUGHTER I SWEAR TO GOD THAT…" The man was interrupted by a very irate Bulma.
"THIS IS NOT THE TIME! UUB, GO SAVE MY SON OR YOU WONT BE ABLE TO DO SOMETHING TO PAN ANYMORE, YOU HEAR ME?"
The young man blushed at the implication but none the less nodded and flew at full speed to where he sensed the monster was. Meanwhile, the champion was now caressing a very recent bump in his head.
"Honestly, can't a man worry about who his granddaughter hangs out with?"
"NOT THE TIME!" Chichi and Bulma shouted at the same time. Hercule decided that it was time for a tactical retreat as he backed a few steps.
"Uub reached Abbadon. His power is higher than last time I saw it but I fear it won't be enough. They are talking, I think Uub is trying to buy time for Pan to join the battle." The Namekian said loud enough for everyone to hear. It was necessary as he was the only one in the group that could sense energy and had Kami's power to watch what happened on earth. A few minutes passed in which everyone waited anxiously until he spoke again:
"They are fighting now but Uub is receiving most of the damage. Had he waited for Pan to finish they might had a chance but alone he is simply outclassed."
"Had he waited for Pan my brother would be dead now" Bra growled threateningly to the god. The green alien glanced at her before turning his attention to the fight below.
"If they are defeated your brother would die anyway, but you are right, Uub is not the kind of guy who would let someone die if he could do something about it. Neither I am!" He added quickly as he noticed the glare the girl was now sending him.
"I hope so because if AAARGH!" The girl screamed in pain as she fell to the floor along with everyone else. Hercule ignored the screams as he tried to withstand the pain he was feeling. It felt like he was freezing and burning at the same time, his ears were buzzing and he lost his eyesight, seeing flashes of all colors instead of what was happening in the real world. He couldn't breathe. He was too busy screaming for that.
The pain lasted five seconds, and it took him a minute to move his body again, too shocked by the sudden attack. To him, it lasted an eternity. Looking around he could see the shadows of his companions who apparently had felt the same.
"What…was…that…" He asked between breathes, seemingly to no one as he tried to regain his bearings. It was the second time he felt that way during the last week. Dende answered him.
"It was Behemot. He just resurrected."
The champ didn't really register what was said and just blinked stupidly. The rest of the group pretty much did the same, not really knowing what to say. Bra asked the question they were all thinking of.
"What do you mean he resurrected? People don't resurrect just like that."
Dende stood up, finally recovered enough to do so and readied himself to explain. "Behemot is Abbadon's first shadow servant. He cannot really die until his master does."
Satan swallowed hard at the idea of an enemy that could not be killed. "Sounds hard." was his bright comment but Dende shook his head.
"I don't think you get it. Whenever he resurrects not only is he fully healed but he comes back with his energy replenished. Imagine you spend all your energy trying to kill one enemy for it to come back as if nothing happened a few minutes later when you are too tired to fight. He is even stronger than Cell, almost on par with Buu." This made the champ pale as he started to wonder if they really had a fighting chance. He wasn't an idiot, he knew that anyone who could face Buu on battle was a real threat to the world but he was just now starting to see how hopeless the situation was.
"How is this possible?" Roshi asked making everyone turn to face him. "How is it possible for someone to have such ability? How can there be someone so strong?"
"Right! And how come all those people seem to have something to do on earth? There is only so much bad luck a planet can have!" Bulma chipped in. Nobody answered their questions, their mood somber from the new information.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Meanwhile, in king Enma's quarters, all hell was breaking loose. Onis running across the room with mountains of paperwork bigger than them, an infinite line of souls that had long ago lost any order and was now coping the already practically non-existant space and constant quakes that collapsed pieces of the ceiling every passing second. In the middle of it all, a humongous red devil stood in an equally big desk. Large drops of sweat fell from his redder than usual face as he used most of his godly powers to put some order into chaos. Still, even when judging a thousand souls per second the unstoppable wave of souls filled the underworld court faster than it was relieved. Besides him was his personal aid, a blue squirt of a devil stupid enough to follow every order and nothing else. However, even his lobotomized brain understood that the situation was dire as his expression, unlike usual, showed some panic.
"Please sir, I beg you, we have to evacuate the room!" He shouted desperately while pulling from the red god's pants. Enma dismissed him with a kick.
"Shut up you fool! A billion souls are coming in every minute and I am the only one to judge them and save them from the limbo! "
"But sir!" The oni protested while standing "You have to leave the room! That thing is coming after you, if you die then Abaddon will…"
"I told you to shut up you coward!" Screamed the king while shivering in anger " We have the strongest warrior in the universe fighting Angra Manyu and the Grand Kai is trying to unlock the power of the two strongest pure blooded saiyan as we speak! It's only a matter of time before that idiot is finished! If you have time to worry about me you have time to reinforce the gates!"
"But sir…" Started the oni again…
"GO REINFORCE THE GATES YOU DIMWIT!" Interrupted the demon lord with a roar. As he saw his aid leave his side, a new wave of souls arrive in the court room and a dozen devils using magic to reinforce the gates to the limbo –where the fight of the millennia was taking place-, a big frown took place on his face.
"Then again, if they don't destroy Abaddon soon, that fight over there is going to be pointless." he mumbled before returning to work. When he saw the soul of another Z warrior appear in the room, he could only curse.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
"Trunks is dead." Dende told the group around him. Bulma's face lost all color before she threw an ungodly scream and fell crying to the floor. Soon her daughter joined in her sorrow and Chichi hugged them both to console them. Satan could see the solemn faces of everyone around him as they mourned the fallen warrior. It was Roshi who asked the unspoken question
"What happened?"
"Behemot happened. That beast has not mercy for the fallen." Said the deity while grinding his teeth.
"Uub is done for. The only reason he is still alive is because Abbadon was toying with him. Behemot in the other hand is too animal-like to understand such thinking. He won't give him the same treatment. It's a two on one now." said in a pained voice. Everyone else in the lookout shared the same feelings of impotence at the unfairness of the situation. As the Namekian had said, it was a two on one now.
"Not for long." A quiet, yet inexplicably audible whisper reached their ears. Hercule turned around just in time to see the explosion of gold fill the place. Even in the distance he could clearly see the teal in the eyes of the seventeen years old girl. Granddaughter of Earth's hero and daughter of the universe's strongest, there stood Son Pan, humanity's golden hope.
The part saiyan immediately took action, disappearing from their sight before anyone could stop her, to join the battle below.
"Pan, wait!" Satan shouted a second too late. He started to curse loudly when he failed to do so. "Damn it! She doesn't know about Abbadon's body yet." Everyone's eyes widened.
"Dende quick, you have to tell her!" Chichi shouted "You are god, you have to do something!"
"I can't! She is too filled with rage she is not listening to me!"
"Oh no!" Puar's high pitched voice could be heard "At this rate she will die just like Gohan did!"
"NO SHE WONT!" Chichi roared to the cat. "My granddaughter is stronger than that, she wont fall for that kind of trick."
"Then again Gohan was pretty strong too…"Ooolong muttered before being silenced by a glare from both of the girl grandparents.
"Abbadon is fighting Pan!" Dende's voice silenced everyone else. "She fell for it and is barely fighting on reflexes alone. Uub is trying to help her but Behemot is keeping him busy."
"God damn it all!" Satan was breathing hard, he was close to a panic attack. Not only was Pan their only hope but also his only granddaughter and the only family he had left. This simply could not be happening!
"WHAT IS GOING ON DOWN THERE!" King kai's voice filled their heads "I HAVE A PLAN BUT I NEED PAN TO LISTEN TO ME FOR IT!"
"King Kai! Please get Videl to speak with Pan, she only listens to her mother when she is this angry!" Hercule screamed to the sky.
"Thanks, wait a second while I get her!" The god answered to them. The group waited anxiously for a few seconds until a new voice joined the mental conversation.
"PAN!" Videl's voice thundered in their heads making everyone wince in pain "GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF! THAT IS ABBADON YOU ARE FACING SO YOU BETTER START FIGHTING BACK OR YOU ARE ANSWERING TO ME WHEN YOU DIE, YOU HEAR ME?"
Not a second later the world shook on its place as the constant earthquakes that plagued it grew in intensity. Dende released a shout of victory.
"Alright! Pan transformed into SS3! She is fighting back!" Everyone in the group cheered, their morale a little higher. Satan let himself fall to the floor in relief, a relieved smile now in his face. "Those are my girls alright." He muttered happily
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Two energy balls clashed with the strength of two dying stars as Son Gohan escaped the explosion by a hair width. Though with no serious injuries, he had received more of a beating than he was used to. He had a swollen eye, cuts in his arms and legs from all the attacks he had barely deflected and had bruises all over his body; his gi was torn apart and his mouth was full of blood. Though none of those wounds really affected his fighting prowess, the constant barrage of attacks had forced him to use a large amount of energy to make up for the damage; In other words, the warrior's immortal soul was growing tired. His opponent on the other hand showed no tiredness in his face, as those mundane feelings were below him. Still, the mystic warrior knew that the fight was taking a toll on the shadow; his ki was lower than at beginning of the fight, even though his power was being replenished by a constant flow of energy.
"Make him use his energy faster than he can get it back, the only way I can do it is fighting all out." He thought while shooting another barrage of energy balls. Angra Manyu tried to evade them, but when he realized the Z warrior could change their trajectory he opted to blow them all away with an energy blast. He followed up with a frontal attack using his elbow, which Gohan parried with his own and countered with a knee kick. Even when the attack seemed to somewhat affect the shadow it didn't slow the following barrage of attacks which, for Gohan's dismay, seemed sharper than before.
"Well of course his attacks are sharper; the guy didn't even exist a year ago, he can only learn to fight better." He thought as he made some space between them. The fight had started even, but his opponent had gradually become stronger during the battle, and now he was receiving more damage than dealing it during the exchanges; he had no idea when Angra Manyu would finally go for the kill, but he knew that if he didn't change his strategy, he was going to lose. However as he tried to win some distance, an extremely hard kick connected his chest, sending him flying against the doors of existence.
"Of course. The only physical object in the whole limbo and I had to crash against it. The place doesn't even have a floor." The half Saiyan mumbled as he stood up. The power of that single kick had been more he had ever imagined and was now breathing hard. Angra Manyu looked down at him.
"Surrender to your fate, prideful warrior. Your sins are too heavy for you to handle." Said Abaddon's shadow. Gohan glared the monster with anger and disgust.
Angra Manyu was a monster with humanoid form, with red skin and horns like a demon. Black fire occupied the place his eyes should have been, disfiguring what otherwise would have been a beautiful yet stern face, that would have combined with his priest like clothes. His head was shaved, leaving a better sight of infinite number of signs and glyphs that flowed endlessly through his skin, as would the water of a river. His voice was without any emotion, who allowed no contradiction to whatever he said, was what pissed Gohan the most.
"I will never surrender! Your master will kill everyone if I do, how dare you speak to me about sins? It is you that should surrender!" Gohan screamed against him, but also to himself. He had to reassure himself that he could win this, everyone depended on him. And for that reason he would deny his opponent, and destroy him once and for all.
However, Angra Manyu smirked.
"I can speak about sins because I know them all. I represent them, and they represent me. They are in my core. And that's why I know all of your sins, Son Gohan. You have only believed in strength all your life. Whether with your strength or the strength of those you love you have survived lot of hardships. No matter how strong the opponent you have always won in the end. That, Son Gohan, has led you to believe that you could always win."
"If you are saying I have grown conceited, I have learned that long ago." Replied the saiyan with cold voice. "I know that my father wouldn't have died or that I could have saved more lives. I have accepted my past already, so if that's the sin you refer, it doesn't burden me at all."
"No, Son Gohan. Everyone needs to believe in something. Your strength has become your truth, your core. That confidence that you would always win, no, that will that has pushed you to always win is the reason you and your friends have always won. Yet now that will is wavering. You are facing a responsibility too heavy for you and you doubt whether you can carry it out. You also doubt that even if you carry it out it will it be of any use. You are doubting yourself, and by doing so you are betraying everything that makes you yourself. And betraying that confidence, by betraying your only truth, you made the worst sin you could make. That truth you denied, that responsibility you can't bear, is what's weighing you down" finished the apparition. Gohan just glared at him with fury. However, what Angra Manyu said next took him by surprise.
"However, you don't have to bear that responsibility. Just let me bear it for you, Son Gohan."
"What?" Gohan ground his teeth as he spit the question. Angra Manyu smiled.
"I am Angra Manyu. I am the fire that cleans the sinners, the vessel that takes all their sins and returns them to the cycle of death and rebirth. I represent all sins. And to do so, I have the strength to bear them. I will bear your sins, Son Gohan. Only by letting it go is that you can take that weight away from your shoulders. Surrender and let go of the world of the living you don't belong to anymore. Forgo that body that opposes my lord even in dead and won't let you reincarnate. Only that way you can rest and return to the cycle of death and rebirth."
"I can't!" He screamed. An explosion of power followed up the scream. "There's no way I will do that! I will not leave the fight while I can still save them!"
"You are already dead, Son Gohan. The dead shouldn't interfere with the living. That's only an act of arrogance."
"You may call it arrogance! But I won't rest while evil is destroying my planet."
"Evil you call it? Yes… You could call Behemoth, the king of beasts, evil. A failed creation, I call it. A creature that enjoys killing and kills for the pleasure it gives him. The second shadow is no better. He is intelligent, and cunning, but also ambitious. He may be purging planets under my master's orders, but he does it for his own benefit. Its true that if you look at his acts, Abaddon is the most evil of them all, but I would not call him evil. Abbadon is everything and nothing, an entity that is but should not be. This universe needs his existence but does not allow it, so he will shape it until it does. Is he evil? No, Son Gohan, Abaddon is not evil. His only sin was to exist. I can't punish such acts."
"Nonsense!" Roared the super warrior, no longer able to contain his anger. "He is a monster! A murderer! Nothing you say is going to change that!"
"Just because you don't understand it doesn't mean it doesn't make sense. Farewell, Son Gohan. I will start my cleansing of the other world with you." The monster stated as his ki raised like a flare. Knowing it was probably going to be his last stand the mystic warrior also increased his energy levels, showing the true worth of his legend. Like raging dragons both auras clashed, creating lighting from the friction. The sheer amount of power they released was enough to destroy a whole planet from the pressure, yet both warriors kept increasing their energy to levels that defied reality, that no human should be able to understand yet that were being focused in a single attack. Only a madman would had dared to get between such titans as they prepared their final attacks
"You talk too much." A third voice stated as it shoot an energy beam. Angra Manyu had to dispel his technique as he blocked the attack to his side with his forearm, yet the surprise attack caught him before he could put up all his defenses. The cleanser was thrown back hundreds of meters, yet the mysterious attacker was already were he was going to land. The short blond warrior launched a merciless kick to the falling enemy, yet before he could connect the dark priest had twisted himself upside down and blocked the side kick with a descending one of his own. The shock wave caused by the colliding limbs extended itself into the nothingness of the limbo, pushing back the two fighters. Angra manyu readied himself for a second attack, when a loud voice from the doors of existence made an exclamation that would have made his bones shiver, had he any emotion.
"…HAME…" The shadow turned his head to see the mystic warrior doing the pose of the overly famous attack, while focusing an insanely large amount of energy in his hands. In that moment before doom Angra Manyu realized that eating such attack head on could seriously endanger his existence. The existence flew up, trying to get out of the range of the technique, only to find an unexpected resistance. Looking down he found holding his leg the one who had kicked him. He was a short saiyan with blond hair, long enough to reach his waist, with evil eyes and an even eviler smirk; he was another who refused to give up his body after death. The super saiyan screamed with hate as he threw down the priest where the first saiyan was. Just when he was finishing his technique.
"…HA!" Gohan released the power of the super Kame Hame Ha against the approaching form. In a desperate attempt, their common enemy put his hands between him and the energy ball, shooting a technique of his own.
"Divine Wrath!" screamed while throwing his own attack. The two immeasurable amounts of power collided in another contest of strength. Though the heat of the attacks was strong enough to rip pieces of Gohan's skin even at that distance, the mystic warrior could only grin as his attack was slowly but surely winning against his.
"Final Flash!" The shouting voice behind Angra Manyu assured Gohan of their victory. Sandwiched between two super powerful attacks, the remaining strength of the divine wrath dispersed as its master disappeared between both attacks. What remained after the cloud of heat and energy dispersed was a heavily burned Angra Manyu, with his robes no longer intact.
"Regret your ways, Son Gohan. Forgiveness will be paid with blood." Angra manyu turned then to look at the other warrior, who was also looking at him with disgust. "I salute you, prince Vegeta. I assume you don't look for atonement for yours sins?"
The prince saiyan grinned madly.
"Oh, I look for atonement all right. Killing you will be my first good deed."
As if it was a previously arranged signal both Saiyans barged against the enemy with perfect timing. Gohan reached him a tenth of a second earlier, launching a skull breaking straight followed by an ascending right kick with a speed that put lighting to shame. Angra manyu however responded by punching his arm before it could connect and stopping the kick with his own leg. When he was about to counterattack Vegeta appeared behind him and punched down with both of his fists clenched together. The black priest thrust his hand back and shot an energy ball to the face of the saiyan prince, stopping his charge. He bent down to dodge a kick from Gohan and flew up, leaving both opponents in range for an attack. The cleanser thrust his arms down and released a barrage of energy attacks. The energy rain kept the warriors at bay for a moment, until an unknown source of energy appeared above Angra Manyu apparently from nowhere. A second super saiyan, this one wearing an orange gi, hit him down with a chop that actually launched him in the direction of his previous attacks. The dark priest tried to regain his balance, but before he managed to do so the other two saiyan appeared besides him, mercilessly kicking Angra Manyu at the same time. What followed was an apparently endless storm of energy balls, that the dark priest tried to evade or block with his own. In the middle of the explosions, high pitches from the energy attacks cutting the space at supersonic speeds and screams from both fighting parties, the voice of Son Goku, the last fighter to appear, resounded through absolute chaos that was the limbo at that time.
"KAME…" The priest's eyes shot wide open remembering what that same technique had done to him the last time. With a guttural roar that came from deep within him Abaddon's third shadow flew up –or at least what was up to him since the limbo didn't have things like directions- while concentrating on getting enough ki for a sure kill attack. Only worrying about that the priest withstood the pain and heat of Gohan's and Vegeta's energy attack in order to escape from the rain of hell he was in. His effort was rewarded as after some painful seconds he escaped from the vortex, giving him clear sight of the three saiyajin.
"…HAME…" The priest placed both of his hands in front of himself, readying the attack that he thought could end the fight. The other two Z warriors flew into different directions, but their speed wasn't enough to get away. His final attack was going to end this.
"SIX BILLION…" The shadow started to yell the name of his strongest attack, a technique that would cleanse the three insects in front of him in a single go. However, in the last moment one of the insects disappeared from sight, being replaced by a dreadful presence behind him. He had not seen him move, such speed should not have been possible, yet his target was behind him. The tenth of a second of confusion that took him to realize that it was possible, that Son Goku knew the instant transmission technique was all Goku needed to end his technique.
"…HA!" an explosion of energy hit Angra Manyu on the back head on. The dark priest screamed in pain as he tried to withstand the attack, as his flesh burned and his bones cracked. In the middle of his hell, two others voices rose to infinity with a message of doom.
"FINAL FLASH!"
"MASENKOHA!"
Both attacks joined the Kame Hame ha in its mission of destruction, increasing the burden on the shadow. The priest cursed them as the unstoppable wave of energy pushed him deeper and deeper into the nothingness of the limbo. The three saiyan scrutinized the space, only to find the priest still flying and watching them from afar.
"The scum doesn't know when to give up, does he?" Vegeta growled as he closed on to Goku. Gohan followed after him.
"Dad! Vegeta! What are you doing here? Did the ritual work…?" Gohan's voice died down as he slowly realized the true. The saiyajin were transformed into super saiyan level 3, the strongest form they could achieve by normal means. However, the ritual they had undergone should have turned them in mystic warriors like him, a form without the super saiyan golden halo. He had worries, but his father managed to blow them away.
"Well, it kind of worked, but no. We are far stronger than we were, but that's it. Both of us should still be enough to take this guy, though."
"All right. I will then engage him directly. You two look for a chance to finish him up."
"No!" Gohan winced at the yell of his father. "Gohan, King kai has a plan to stop Abbadon, but he needs you in Grand kai's planet right now."
"I will go as soon as we end this"
"Listen to Kakarot, brat. Go to that planet and let the real saiyans handle this fight."
"Gohan, Vegeta is right. This guy is battered from the previous fight so you go to King Kai's, I am sure we will manage without you"
"No dad, this fight is too important for that. We will finish this quickly and then I will go"
"Son, listen to me! This fight useless if Abbadon survives and we only have one chance to stop him! So go and defeat him and leave this one to your father, you hear me?"
"But dad…"
"Kakarot, here it comes!" Vegeta warned them. Father and son turned to see another energy attack from Angra manyu, one that covered everything in sight, and closed to them and what was behind them: the gates of existence.
"Gohan, that attack is too big to either evade or parry it; we need to attack the same point and make a hole through it!" Instructed Goku as he readied an attack. His son was one step ahead of him and was gathering the energy. The saiyan prince didn't complain.
"Your sins can't be forgiven." A deep voice resounded behind their backs. They heard the sound of flesh breaking apart as well as a desperate gasp for air and they saw the horror. The dark priest had gone ahead of his own attack and appeared behind Gohan, stabbing him in the back. A blood red arm was now coming from Gohan's shoulder, the mystic warrior frozen by pain. The other two saiyans didn't wait to retaliate and instantly closed the distance. They attacked from both sides, each throwing a punch that would make the gods quiver in fear. The shadow pulled his arm out from the half saiyan body and blocked the attacks with his arms, but they were followed by others even more furious. He flew to the side to dodge them, then spun in the air and threw a backhand punch to Goku and a roundhouse kick to Vegeta; Goku took it head on, while Vegeta managed to put his hands in front of his stomach before receiving the attack. As both warriors were pushed back Angra Manyu followed through with a thrust against Goku, his fingers extended and going for the kill like a spear handled by an ancient hero. Ten centimeters away from victory a sharp kick to the neck pushed Angra Manyu away from his prey, and that was followed by a liver punch from the saiyan prince, who had recovered from the attack. The priest winced in pain and headbutted Vegeta, dodging a straight that aimed to where his jaw was an instant before. Prince Vegeta flew away but then a white light engulfed them all as Angra Manyu's energy attack finally hit them all. The brutal attack pushed them against the doors of existence, their bodies crying blood as they endured the attack. When the energy attack finally dissipated, the cloud of energy revealed three saiyans in a sorry state. Vegeta coughed some blood and looked up, watching the enemy with rage.
"Freaking psychopath. He took his own attack only so he could take us by surprise. It won't work him again." The saiyan spit his digust towards the madman tactics. The shadow looked down to him, a fair distance away from the doors. He had managed to receive less damage than them from the attack, be it for a better position or that he was prepared to receive it, but his current state was still deplorable. His clothing ripped to pieces, blood covering him like sweat, open slashes on his flesh that reached the bone, the inclemency of the three to one fight was showing everywhere. Regardless, no pain nor tiredness reflected on his face. While Vegeta was glaring at the enemy, Goku was holding his son on his arms.
"Gohan, are you okay?" He asked in worry. He had shielded his son with his body, and as a result his back was completely burnt. That, however, was nothing compared to Gohan's wound, a red hole that was open on his shoulder. A hole that hadn't stopped him from saving his father's afterlife with that kick to the shadow's neck. The half-blood forced himself to stand.
"No, but I managed to move at the last moment, otherwise I would have died again. I don't think I can use my right arm though."
"Gohan, you have to go to King Kai's. We will handle the situation here."
"No! If we lose here…"
"Shut up, brat." Vegeta flew towards them without losing sight of Angra Manyu in any moment. "You won't be of any use to us in that state. Go to get yourself patched up then save our planet."
"Vegeta…"
"You heard him son. We have faith in you. Have faith in us too." Said Goku with a soft voice. Those words really affected Gohan, who finally stood up and glared at Angra Manyu. His following words were directed to him.
"I will go to amend my sin."
"It may be too late by then" The dark priest immediately charged forward after sayings those words. Vegeta intercepted him, engaging in close combat fight. Goku turned to his son.
"Gohan, go now! I will cover your back."
"Yes dad!" The grown man straightened up and looked around, trying to find something. After a moment of silence he turned again to his father with an awkward smile and stretching his face with a finger.
"Um, dad… How do I get there?"
"GO!" Letting a shout of frustration Goku finally lost his patience, grabbed his son's clothes and pressed his fingers to his forehead. Before he could realize what happened the half breed was unceremoniously dropped in King Enma's desk, and his father already gone. The mystic warrior stood up and laughed nervously when the giant arched an eyebrow at him.
"King Kai has a plan to stop Abbadon but he needs me there" He explained
"THEN GO!" The god roared, a vein popping in his forehead and making Gohan wince from the pain. The half saiyan didn't make him beg and immediately took off.
"I'm going, I'm going! Geez, why everyone is screaming to me today?" He mumbled to himself as he disappeared from sight.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Back in Kami's Lookout everyone's expressions were grim again. Even though she had transformed into Super Saiyan 3 Pan didn't seem able to seriously injure Abbadon and Uub was too busy with Behemoth to join her. Ever since Videl's words to Pan they had heard nothing from the otherworld so they had no idea if King Kai's plan was already in motion or not. The silence was unnerving but no one dared to speak, be it they distract the guardian from watching the battle below. Hercule clasped his hands in prayer, asking whatever god was out there to protect his granddaughter in the battle for earth.
"Alright, we are all set here." Hercule jumped in surprise when King Kai spoke directly to their heads. A huge pillar of yellow light appeared a hundred meters north of the lookout, the wind that followed it nearly knocking them off. Satan realized it was a Ki attack, impossibly big as if to pierce heaven itself. Dende quickly confirmed his suspicions as he called them from his position on the border of the platform.
"Pan Killed Behemoth! Uub has the dragon ball and is coming this way!" No sooner had he said it when the Indian boy appeared above them, sure enough the four stars ball on his hand. He swiftly landed and as fast as he could he raised his hands and called for the dragon. A pillar of light came from the seven balls and Satan felt the floor shake and heard an explosion of debris near him. He turned around to discover the quarter saiyan coming out from the new crater on the floor in the platform. As the sky turned dark and the giant dragon appeared, Satan looked up, cowering in fear and knowing where his eyes would lay, on who his eyes would lay. Floating above them, was Abbadon.
Satan was the first to see him. His white boots. His turquoise clothes. His cape. The sword on his left hand. The remains of his helmet, long ago broken. And knowing he couldn't postpone it anymore, that it would be real when he did so, he saw his face.
Videl's face.
"YOU HAVE TWO WISHES."
The monster in his daughter's form, dressing in a tattered Sayaman 2 outfit, arched an eyebrow at sight of the dragon. Faster than the worlds champion could follow, Uub charged against the monster. It was in vain. The next thing he saw was the body of the young warrior pierced in the stomach by the monster's sword, its tip coming from his back, were his spine was. Abbadon smiled in satisfaction and placed his feet on the boy chest and used them to push the man, pulling the sword in the process. Hercule's mind went blank. He didn't hear the gasps of horror around him, nor the cries of his granddaughter for her friend or perhaps more. The only thing on his mind was the rage and indignation he felt when he saw the limp body of Goku's first and only disciple fall to the floor.
"SHEN LONG!" His roar could be heard above the raging winds coming from the last two standing warriors "DESTROY ABBADON!"
Overhearing his plea, the destroyer's hand glowed red, readying to destroy the dragon, least he himself were destroyed. Pan was soon onto him, blocking the attack with her palms and sending it up into space. The monster released a bestial scream and hit her with the hilt of his sword, sending her crashing to the palace. However, before he could continue in his attack, Shen Long's voice answered for their wish.
"I AM SORRY BUT THAT WISH IS BEYOND MY CAPABILITIES."
Both Satan and Abbadon blinked twice at this. The monster then snickered and fell into a fit of giggles, crouching over his stomach trying to contain his laughter.
"Oh my gosh!" He said in a perfect imitation of his daughter's voice and the champ had to force himself not to cry at the sigh. "To think I was so worried about that stupid legend and it turns out it can do nothing to stop me! Hahaha! "
"SHEN LONG! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? DESTROY HIM!"
"I AM SORRY BUT THAT WISH IS BEYOND MY CAPABILITIES."
"Hahaha! Please try it again; I heard the third is a charm."
"YOU HAVE TWO WISHES."
"STOP MOCKING ME DAMNIT!" At this Abbadon ceased his laughing and stared at the people down in the lookout with interest. Something similar to a compassionate look crossed his face.
"I guess I could do that, this planet was the most entertaining so far. I mean, I got to fight the strongest warriors…" He pointed with his hands to the ruins of the palace and Uub's body "…I saw some amazing sighs…" He gestured vaguely towards the dragon "…I even got a rockin' body!" He puffed his chest and put his hands on his hips.
"DON'T TALK ABOUT VIDEL LIKE THAT" Satan screamed, trembling with ire and fear while pointing his finger toward the destroyer.
"YOU HAVE TWO WISHES." Insisted the dragon. Not that anyone was listening.
"Videl? You mean this woman? Uh. "Abbadon looked up and stroked his chin pondering something "I didn't know that was her name, I just saw her body in that Gohan dude's mind and liked it enough to take that form." He blinked twice and looked back at the group. A Cheshire cat smile adorned his face and Satan couldn't help but think it was unnatural for a human to smile that widely. A second later pain exploded in Satan's mind, for the fourth time that week he felt himself burn and freeze at the same time that a black crack, darker even that sky over their heads appeared to Abbadon's right. Long green claws, followed by a pair of even longer hands forced their way through the gap in space opening it until the whole body could pass. The creature was eight feet tall even though its back was curved, very much like a gorilla. Its body was long, in proportion even more than a human's but even longer was its arms. It had two elbow joints on each of them with spikes on the shoulders. The legs had similar shape to those of a frog but with scales and if one looked closely there were very little thorns on them. Its mouth had sharp tooth, its irises were from all colors in the rainbow. Finally, two horns in the shape of blades came out of its forehead and a halo was above them.
The creature stood still for a few seconds, the pain Satan felt increasing with every single one. The new monster howled to the sky and its halo shined with an intensity that hurt the eyes of those who witnessed it. Black cracks appeared on it and Hercule felt his head was about to explode from the pressure he was now feeling behind his eyes. When the halo finally exploded in a million pieces the pain receded. He felt his vision was off, he saw everything tinted red. With a startle he realized he was shedding tears of blood. The lookout was eerily silent but for the heavy gasps for air from the people on it. Abbadon's voice though, who seemed unperturbed by the whole ordeal, sounded crystal clear for those present.
"Videl, the slayer of time. Videl, destroyer of life. I like how it sounds." He said, testing it out. He turned to the newcomer "What do you think Behemoth? Should I change my name?" Behemoth growled in response "Yeah but I like it anyways."
"Stop making fun of my mother!" Pan yelled at them while she forced herself to stand up. Pearls of sweat were falling from her face and she was having trouble to breath. The SS3 was causing stress on her body, a transformation that was not meant to be maintained with a normal body. Despite that Pan had tried to fight in that form, and was now paying the price. Abbaddon could see that pain the young girl was in, yet didn't stop smiling.
"Oh? I thought you would be happy with that. I'm offering you to make your mother's name famous all across the universe!" The destroyer exclaimed extending his arms. The saiyan girl growled, her eyes fixed on the enemy. Cracks were appearing around her from an overwhelming pressure that Hercule felt –yes, he felt it- was coming from his granddaughter. Even at the distance the world champion felt how it was gradually pushing him away, smashing him against the floor. If she didn't regain control her own power was probably kill them all.
"I mean, just imagine it! People from all races, from all the galaxy; From places you wouldn't start to imagine and lifestyles you couldn't begin to understand, all of them linked together by the same hate, the same demise! Cursing between their teeth your mother's name as the light disappears from their eyes and they fall into oblivion! Videl will be known…"
"Shut up!" The teenage girl couldn't stand it anymore and screamed in rage. The power she was releasing increased dramatically and blew the crowd away, a better destiny than that of the floor that was crushed around her. "That will never happen! No one will know it, no one will curse my mother's name, because I'm going to kill you right now! I will destroy you, I will obliterate you from existence!" Cries of anger and frustration were heard as they golden warrior focused all her hatred in the monster that had taken her mother's form. If Abbadon was a glacier, a cold murderer that killed without a second thought, Pan was the sun, a burning star that burnt everything that approached with tongues of fire, fueled by hate that increased in intensity by the second. Hercule started to fear, no by the imminent threat that was the destroyer, no by the dim future that seemed to await humanity, but feared by the loss of the humanity his granddaughter had left. She was different; she was no longer the little angel he knew. Something had transformed her in the time and spirit room and he was looking at the consequences…
"And how would you do that?" Abbadon mocked, and the champ started to fear he had provoked her too much.
"I mean, I'm the stronger warrior in the universe! The difference is so big it's not even funny! It is kind of sad if you think about it; after all this hype I'm just destroying all, no real opposition or anything like that"
"Then why would you do it? Why would you kill everyone? Why, my parents, my uncle, Trunks, Buu, Uub?" Her voice seemed to crack at the last one. She was now trembling and her head hung low.
"What could you get from doing something like this? Just, why?"
"Why?" He asked her, "I want to conquer the past, to destroy the present, to stop the future. I want to write my name in history over and over again until there is nothing else. I want to create a universe where I am the only truth, the only certainty. I did it because I am Videl, the only true conqueror of time!"
"So that's the reason" Pan responded, her voice misleadingly calm. Her power rose, her hair and the debris around her floated in the air and for a moment the champ could finally see it, the golden tail that the girl didn't have the day before. In a swift movement she rose her arm, an energy ball coming from it passing besides Abaddon's head. The energy attack flew higher into the firmament and stopped a few dozens of meters away, a silver glow in the endless night. Abaddon barely needed to move to dodge the attack, and looked somewhat disappointed.
"What was that attack, saiyan child? That can't be your best shot after all this barking. Poorly aimed, slow as an energy attack can be, thrown with a motion you could see from a mile away… It didn't even have a hundredth of the energy of your previous attacks! If that's how you fight when you get angry, then I fear I wasted my breath." The monster stated. His voice didn't have half of his previous joy. A moment of silence passed, the only noise being the shaking of the lookout due to the clash of powers, before Pan answered.
"I didn't want to use this technique." She said trembling in fury "I told myself it was too strong, that earth wouldn't, couldn't take that kind of punishment. I was wrong. Someone like you deserves the worst they can get" The girl raised her head, forcing herself to look at the floating orb. A wild convulsion assaulted her body, but in no moment she averted her gaze. A second of silence followed, and, when it seemed nothing would happen, it all started.
THUMP THUMP. A wild heartbeat coming from deep within her
Pan went stiff, her canines looking sharper than before. Her pupils contracted and a tint of red surrounded her teal eyes. The Saiyan girl bent in pain, as if something had gone horribly wrong. Her face was distorted from pain, her mouth drooling as it has no longer place to keep her long fangs. The red in her eyes had already consumed the white in them and her face, completely disfigured, resembled more a demon than a human.
THUMP THUMP. A second pair of beats resounded in her ears. The girl's world dissolved into nothingness.
A second wave of pain expanded through her body, but she accepted it with confronted emotions. It was painful, but right, as if her body was meant for it. The girl's muscles expanded under her skin, risking to rip and thorn her in half yet growing as if the resistance meant nothing. Her bones enlarged, increasing her size several times in space of seconds. They heard the shrieks of pain from the saiyan armor as it stretched itself, undertaking forces that no piece of clothing should ever experience, yet it lived true to its reputation by not breaking through the whole transformation.
THUMP THUMP.
A third pair of bestial beats in her mind and the girl let out a roar. Her face enlarged, her nose turning into a snout and her ears changing into those of an animal. Golden fur covered her body like armor made of sunlight and shone in the darkness, defying what seemed to be humanity's last night.
Mr Satan gasped in horror as his last descendant underwent the shocking metamorphosis. He closed his eyes, told himself it was impossible, he tried to deny the truth that he couldn't understand. No matter how hard he tried, he was forced to accept what was in front of his eyes. There, where his little angel had been fighting until then, stood a giant ape monster with armor. The oozaru roared in defiance and Behemoth backed away in a fit of animal instinct. Abbadon readied his stance while laughing it off.
"Hahaha! Will surprises never end? Come on girl, you said it yourself! Give me your worst!"
"Grandma, Grandpa! Use the dragon balls and bring them back!" The oozaru roared at them before jumping forward. The giant monkey moved with speed several times faster than before, taking the two enemies by surprise. The great ape dragged them in a giant tackle, and not too long after that they were fighting thousands of meters away from where the others were. The sudden movement of such a humongous mass created a void of air where it used to stand, pulling the people on the lookout like a giant vacuum and making them fall from the sacred place. Mr. Satan screamed for his life as he fell to the void, yet when he thought it was the end his fall was stopped by a soft surface. Faster than the blink of an eye he was transported to Kami-sama's home, then dropped butt first. While still caressing his pained butt Hercule looked to his savior, a Mr Popo that was just finishing bringing people back with a magic carpet.
"Haha, thank you." The wrestler laughed hysterically as he couldn't believe that he had yet again escaped death. The genie answered with a broad smile that, though he was thankful, still creeped Hercule out. He looked around, everyone seemed as pained as he was from the rough "transportation", but he was glad that they hadn't lost anyone. Dende had run towards Uub as soon as he had landed and was looking at his state. The god gasped in surprise before turning to everyone.
"Everyone listen! Uub is alive!" Everyone cheered as the namekian started to work his magic on the fallen teen. Before they knew it the man had stopped bleeding, and color was returning to his face.
Satan looked around trying to locate his granddaughter. In the distance he could see a bright yellow spot so he assumed it was her.
"COME, TELL ME YOUR WISH. I WILL GRANT ANY TWO WISHES YOU HAVE."
"Pan said we should resurrect someone" Bra was the first to recover "The only one I can think of is Mr Buu." Hercule nodded. He knew the pink warrior was strong and the only other strong person he knew had only died once was Cell. Something told him the android wouldn't have the strength or the will to help them so Buu was their best choice. However, the others didn't seem to think that way.
"That would be as good as nothing. Buu is very strong, but he is only as strong as Behemoth is. He would only last against Abaddon as long as he wanted him to last." Roshi said cooling them down. "we would need someone like Goku or Gohan to beat him"
"Then why don't we let him absorb Goku or Gohan? That way he would become stronger and we could resurrect him." Said Bulma as stating the obvious.
"Do you want that monster to absorb my Gohan or Goku? Have you lost your mind?" Chichi argued against the idea. The other saiyan wife winked at her.
"You don't have to worry for things like that. Buu is one of the good guys now and he can choose what people to absorb and which to return to us. We only have to ask him to return them to the other world after he beats Abaddon."
"That… may actually be a good idea. It's true that we never know when Majin Buu could get angry and release his evil side again, but as long as he doesn't absorb someone evil it should be okay." Mumbled Roshi, looking for any defect to the plan.
"Buu is a good kid! He won't go crazy again! I can assure you!" Mr. Satan added, supporting his friends.
"I fear that's not among our options." King Kai's voice echoed in their minds. "It's true that Mr. Buu would be very strong if he absorbed one of the saiyans, but to do that he would need to have his body in the other world. We couldn't retrieve his body when he died because there was nothing left of it, so if you used the dragon balls he wouldn't resurrect here but were his body was when he died, on Earth. We had already thought of that option and tried to reconstruct his body, but the magic it required was beyond anything we could do."
"What if he absorbed someone from Earth? Someone who didn't die?"
"I'm afraid that the only strong fighter you have left is Pan, and even if he absorbed her it wouldn't be that big of a difference. Not to mention that she would lose the influence from the burutsu rays that keeps her in oozaru mode. No, he would be even weaker than the current Pan if he absorbed her."
"What about me?" Asked Uub from the floor. "I don't know what you are talking about, but if he can stop Abaddon I'm ready to be absorbed."
"That would be able to work. You may not know this, but you used to be the same being. You could be as strong as super Buu, no; with your current power level you would be far stronger. However, we have already someone in mind who could be far more useful than Buu."
"Who are you talking about?" Bulma asked "Every other fighter we know died when Super Buu destroyed the earth. Buu is the strongest who didn't die before"
"You are mistaken, Bulma. There is someone else who didn't die when Buu attacked, not because she was strong, but she was in the other world during all the fight. She is not a fighter herself but she can break the rules of the dead and bring the people we need there" The god spoke mysteriously. He let the mood sink, waiting then to realize who he was talking about. Most of the people there knew her, but it was the Kame sennin the first one to put the pieces together.
"Of course!" Shouted Roshi "How could I forget?" he turned to the dragon and yelled as loud as he could.
"SHEN LONG! PLEASE RESURRECT MY SISTER, URANAI BABA!
A/N: First thing I want to say is thank you. Thank you for taking your time to read up to this point. I know the chapter was long (and it was cut in half!) but hopefully chapters 3 onwards will be a little shorter. Second I want to explain something: I know that there are warriors like Gohan, Goten, Trunks and Piccolo that were resurrected only with the namekian dragon balls. The same applies for most of earth's inhabitants. Technically, since the restriction on earth's dragon balls is that you can't ask for the same wish twice, they should be able to resurrect with the ones from earth as they were never wished back with those. However, in order to make the story more interesting, we will go with this rule: if someone was brought back with dragon balls, you can't do it again using the earthling ones. R&R!