(A/N: The way this chapter starts may seem a little strange, but that's because it and last chapter were originally one, and I split them when I saw how long it was turning out to be. We're also going to learn some more about Exxis, and see ways his approach to a challenge differs from Goku. I won't say anymore out of risk of spoiling, but I think you'll be surprised by the end.)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 9: Assault

Holding his hands up over his head, Exxis created a ball of energy. He spread them apart, and the energy ball grew in size. The wider he spread his arms, the larger it became, until it was several times his size.

"Get ready, Goku. Here it comes!"

He motioned towards the Saiyan, and the large ball of energy flew at him. Goku took to the air, and, with a gesture from Exxis, the energy ball followed after him. Smirking, he clenched and unclenched his hand, and the giant ball of energy burst into several thousand smaller ones, each one about the size of a baseball.

"What!?" Goku exclaimed in surprise as the swarm of energy balls flew at him at much faster speeds.

He put on a burst of speed of his own as he flew up and out of the forest. The balls of energy followed after him as Exxis hovered above the trees as well, directing them where to go.

Goku flew back down into the forest, hoping to either hide from Exxis' gaze or use the trees to stop the energy balls. It proved to be useless as the energy balls tore straight through the trees and kept after him. The only thing this was causing was senseless destruction of the forest, so Goku flew back up again.

The energy balls went after him, but this time Goku was ready. He stopped and began knocking them away before they could hit him, which was not an easy feat considering how many there were and how fast they were coming. To make matters worse, the ones he knocked away simply doubled back and came at him again. He missed one, and it blasted against him. This threw off his concentration, allowing others to hit, and he was soon being bombarded by the energy balls.

"Kaio-ken Times Twenty!" he cried, and his aura exploded outward in an angry red light. The energy balls were knocked back from the shockwave, but came at him again. Goku unleashed an explosion of energy, and the energy balls blasted against it until the last one was gone.

Letting his power die down, he looked back to where he knew Exis to be. Now that he wasn't focusing on being chased, he sensed something wicked happening, and he saw it too. The trees around the area were dying, their leaves turning brown and dropping off the branches. The dying area began to spread outward at an alarming rate, and Goku sensed death. It reminded him of what had happened with the Tree of Might, and he didn't like it.

Quickly flying over to the area, he found Exxis crouched down with one hand on the ground, his fingers buried in the dirt. His other hand was in the air, and he had a look of concentration on his face. All the life energy that Goku sensed was being drawn from around them was collecting around the mercenary.

He watched in horror as a lone squirrel crawled down a dying tree. The small critter's movements were slow and sluggish, until it finally dropped down on its side and stopped moving, its life extinguished.

"What are you doing?" Goku demanded furiously.

Exxis chuckled. "Do you like it? I call it the Dead Ki Blast. It forcibly draws all the life energy from my surroundings and concentrates it into a single attack. Behold."

Above his hand in the air, a ball of dark gray energy about the size of a beach ball appeared. Goku realized it was much like a Spirit Bomb, but there was a feeling of wrongness to it, as if the energy were dark and corrupt rather than pure and full of life.

"Lets see how you fair when the energy of the very planet you're trying to protect is turned against you!" Exxis declared.

Jumping up, he threw the energy ball at Goku. There was no telling what kind of damage an attack like that would do to the planet, the energy might even cause the land to become corrupt and rot, so dodging it was not an option. Gokiu braced himself and brought his hands together as the attack came at him.

He brought his hands up and struck the energy ball as if he were playing valley ball. The impact was great, and bolts of black electricity shot out all over the place. Goku tried to knock the attack away, but no matter how much power he used, he couldn't bring his hands up any higher as the energy ball pressed down on him.

The ground cracked beneath Goku's feet, nearly burying him up to his ankles. He grit his teeth as he pushed back against the attack, but couldn't get it to budge, while up in the air, Exxis chuckled at his futile attempt to knock away the attack.

Gritting his teeth, Goku summoned up more power. He cried out loudly as his body changed further, and his power doubled. His hands came up, volleying the energy ball up and away. It flew at Exxis, whose eyes widened in surprise.

"What the!?" he exclaimed as his own attack came at him.

He swerved out of the way, and the energy ball flew up into the sky, where it eventually burst into an explosion of negative energy. The sky darkened for a few seconds before the sun shined through once more and the negative energy dissipated. But Exxis' attention was quickly returned to Goku and the transformation he had undergone.

The changes were subtle, but they were there. His muscles were larger, his hair was slightly longer and straighter, and his aura now flowed straight upward rather than outward and now had sparks of electricity in it. The change wasn't just physical; there was a notable increase in his energy levels as well.

Exxis was visibly amazed by this sudden change in Goku, and he stared at him in awe. "What is this? It's like the Super Saiyan transformation, but greater."

Goku looked at the mercenary with narrowed eyes, no longer looking like he was having fun. "That's exactly what it is. It's the level beyond that of a Super Saiyan. I call it a Super Saiyan Two."

"A Super Saiyan Two…?" Exxis repeated.

"That's right. You said you wanted me to stop holding back. Well, you're about to get your wish."

It didn't seem as if Exxis was paying attention to his words anymore as he continued to stare at Goku's new form. "Super Saiyan Two… Super Saiyan Two… Such a thing never occurred to me before." He looked at his hands. "I wonder if I can become a Full-Power Hera Two."

"An interesting idea," Goku remarked. "Even Cooler was able to transform beyond his race's fourth form. Want to postpone this fight until you have a chance to look into it?"

Lowering his hands, Exxis smiled in amusement at Goku. "Nice try, my friend, but the only way this fight will end is when one of us is dead. It's the only way a real fight ever can end."

"I disagree. Besides, if you always kill your opponent, then you can never have a rematch."

Exxis chuckled. "A small price to pay for victory. I'm not one to show mercy, Goku. Mercy is a weakness, one your opponents can use against you that can lead to defeat. The same goes for compassion. These are flaws one must overcome in order to truly reach their potential."

Goku frowned at his philosophy. "I disagree. Having something or someone to protect gives you a reason to go on and become stronger."

"Oh, trust me, Goku I'm fighting to protect something alright. My life. I always enter a battle knowing my life is on the line. It's all the incentive I need to reach my max and go beyond my limits. And it seems you've already broken yours. So lets see just how strong this Super Saiyan Two of yours really is."

He launched at Goku, and the two met midway. They collided, and Goku overpowered Exxis, grabbing hold of him and pushing him back and back. They sped through the forest, sending trees flying as they tore through them, and eventually crashed into a mountain.

Goku began punching into Exxis' chest, causing a crack to run up the side of the mountain. As the punches kept coming, Exxis managed to grab Goku's fist, then grasped his arm with his other hand. His power flared up, disintegrating rock, providing space between himself and the mountain, allowing him to spin Goku around and slam him against the rock wall. He prepared to give the Saiyan the same treatment, but this time Goku caught his fist and delivered his own punch that knocked Exxis back.

As he flew backwards, Exxis opened his mouth and fired a beam of energy. Goku knocked it away as he caught up to Exxis and threw a punch. The mercenary vanished and reappeared above him, lashing out. Then it was Goku's turn to disappear and reappear above the mercenary, only his blow didn't miss, and Exxis hit the ground.

Standing up, Exxis looked up as Goku flew down at him. He took aim with his index finger, and began moving his hand about while repeatedly firing a laser from his fingertip. Goku repeatedly dodged and vanished as he closed the gap between them, then threw a punch when he reached the mercenary. Exxis raised his arms to block, but the punch phased right through him, an After Image.

Goku head-butted into Exxis' back, causing the mercenary to cry out. He whirled around and threw a punch, but Goku caught it, Exxis held up his other hand and blew Goku away with an energy blast.

With Goku out of the way, Exxis yelled loudly, his eyes and hands glowing red. He slowly began rising his hands as if he were struggling to lift something heavy. From out of the ground, giant rock formations began to emerge, ranging from the size of cars to as big as entire mansions. He began swiping his hands through the air, and the enormous rocks flew at Goku one after another.

As Goku made his way back towards Exxis, he did not let the giant rocks stop him. A single punch caused the enormous rock structure to shatter, or let him punch his way completely through, no matter how big they were. Realizing that this method wasn't working, Exxis clenched his hands and the last rock structure exploded into fist-sized rocks. He sent them flying at Goku, and it seemed to be more effective, the rocks pelting against the Saiyan.

Goku cried out, and the rocks that were flying at him were disintegrated by the shockwave. He reached Exxis and threw a punch. The mercenary's arms came up in an X formation, and Goku's fist slammed into it. Exxis' feet left deep grooves in the ground as he was pushed back. He jumped up and kicked out, only to have his kick blocked. Goku held out his hand and fired a blast of energy, and the beam that shot out carried Exxis into the air.

Up, up, up he went before he managed to get off the beam. Looking furious, he cried out loudly, and blasts of energy flew out of every part of his body, flying in every direction, reducing everything to rubble. Not even Goku was able to escape the continuous onslaught of energy blast, as they seemed to be everywhere at once, and he instead used his Instant Transmission to teleport into the air a few feet in front of Exxis.

The mercenary gasped at his sudden appearance as Goku unleashed the Kamehameha Wave. The attack knocked aside Exxis' smaller energy blasts until it reached the mercenary, and Exxis held up his hands to catch it. He once again found himself being carried off by an energy blast, but at last this time he was holding it back.

"Ka-me-ha-me-HA!"

The cry came from behind him, and Exxis turned to see that Goku had teleported to his other side and fired a second Kamehameha Wave. A snarl escaped Exxis, and he let go if the first attack with one hand to block the second. It hit, and the mercenary found himself sandwiched between two Kamehameha Waves, straining to keep the both back.

"Ka-me-ha-me-"

Exxis looked straight up. Goku was above him, preparing to fire yet another blast. He had purposely made sure to get Exxis trapped between the two attacks so he could have an open shot like this, and the mercenary's face twisted with anger at having been cornered. "Damn you!"

"HA!"

He couldn't defend against it. The attack hit, and Exxis's arms dropped, allowing the first two Kamehameha Waves to come crashing together, with him caught in the middle. The larger more powerful one from above pushed the mercenary back down to Earth, and he hit with a mighty impact, followed by the explosion from the attack.

Goku looked on, waiting to see what type of damage his attacks had done. They had certainly done significant damage to the forest, but there was no telling how Exxis would be affected.

As the smoke began to clear, the mercenary was shown to be lying on the ground. He stirred though, and slowly began to get to his feet. He was still exerting more energy than Goku had hoped for, letting him know that Exxis was far from finished. To correct this problem, Goku began firing countless blasts of energy down at the mercenary.

Exxis was just beginning to get to his feet when the onslaught began. Under the rain of countless energy blasts, he was knocked to the ground again as the numerous attacks struck him and around him.

Goku kept it up for several more seconds before forming a particularly large ball of energy and throwing it down into the dust cloud. It exploded, making an even larger one, and forming a massive crater from the blast.

Coming in for a landing, Goku touched down in the outside of the crater, he stared into the dust cloud, attempting to locate the mercenary inside it with both his eyes his and senses.

"Dad!" Gohan called as he and the others flew over.

Goku held up his hand to stop them. "Stay back, this isn't over yet."

Yes, he could see him now, or at least his silhouette. He was floating in the air a few feet from the entrance of the dust cloud. Raising his arms, he moved them outward, and the dust cloud parted like curtains. Exxis flew over and settled down a short distance from the rim of the crater.

"Your power has doubled from your previous form," he noted. "I guess that means that Super Saiyan Two is twice as strong as an ordinary Super Saiyan."

Goku smirked. "More or less."

Exxis shook his head in amusement. "It's a good form, but can it stand up to my Searchlight Death Beam?"

Goku blinked. "Um, your what?"

The mercenary chuckled. "Just wait and see. I think you'll find the name to be quite appropriate."

He began to emit a cry, his voice rising in volume as his body started to glow. A transparent gold bubble of energy form around him, almost acting like a barrier, but Goku felt it was more than that. Then a ring of energy appeared around the bubble and began to slowly gyrate around it. It steadily gained speed, and Goku felt a rise in energy. He realized what was about to happen and turned to his friends. "Get out of here now!"

A beam burst from the ring, tearing through the forest for as far as the eye could see. There hadn't been an intended target, but it did not appear to be needed. The ring rapidly gyrated around the bubble as it continuously unleashed a stream of energy. The way the beam moved about, Goku could see why Exxis had named it so; it did indeed look like a searchlight waving around, a particularly destructive searchlight.

They all took to the air as Exxis' attack brought everything to ruin. The movements of the cylindrical beam appeared to be wild and random, but that did not seem to matter as it appeared that the attack would destroy everything around it eventually.

Rising up to join the Z Fighters in the air, Exxis continued his attack. He seemed to have little to no control over where the beam went, but seemed to be able to direct it enough to prevent it from firing in the direction of his ship; everything else, however, was fair game. The ring swirled wildly and randomly all around the bubble, dragging the beam with it.

Goku and the others could do little more than dodge the beam when it came at them due to the randomness and speed of its movements. But Goku realized he needed to put a stop to it before Exxis turned the entire forest into a barren wasteland, and he attempted to do so with a Kamehameha Wave. "Ka-me-ha-me-HA!"

His own beam struck Exxis'. It held it in back for a few moments before the beam changed direction. He tried again, this time attacking the bubble itself, but it seemed that the bubble did indeed act as a type of barrier rather than just a surface for the ring to travel over. And when the ring changed direction again, the beam cut straight through the Kamehameha Wave.

"Damn it," Goku seethed as he tried to figure out a way to put a stop to this.

The attack continued gyrating around, and in the distance, Goku caught sight of a flying dinosaur family fleeing from the destruction Exxis' attack was causing. The beam whizzed by them, coming a little too close to one of the dinosaurs, and it screeched in protest.

"No!" Goku shouted, unwilling to see an innocent get hurt, even if it wasn't human. "Stop it! Super Kaio-ken!"

The power of his Kaio-ken mixed with his Super Saiyan power flared up around him in a furious red aura. He teleported directly in front of Exxis, even though the ring could circle back at any moment, allowing the beam to blast him away. "That's enough!"

He threw a punch, striking the barrier. It caved in under his fist, but held. For a few moments anyway. Under Goku's assault, the bubble burst, and the ring vanished, the beam along with it. Goku's fist kept coming and slammed square into the mercenary's face.

Exxis fell back, stunned from the blow, but Goku gave him no time. Doing a flip, he brought his foot down on the mercenary, sending Exxis speeding to the ground. Goku helped him out, flying down and grabbing hold of the mercenary, speeding down to the ground even faster.

He hit the ground with enough force to shake the land, and a massive crater formed. Goku immediately flew up into the air while leaving Exxis lying on his back. Unwilling to waste the opportunity, he fired a Kamehameha Wave down at him. Exxis' hands came up to hold it back. He managed to catch it, but could not keep it at bay, and the attack exploded against him.

Letting his attack die down, Goku came in for a landing. With the danger past, the others came down as well as they waited for the smoke to clear. It didn't take long, and Exxis was revealed to be lying on the ground. He stirred and began to rise, taking long deep breaths. His expression was unreadable as he slowly walked out of the crater and approached the Z Fighters.

Taking one last deep breath, he let it out, and then smiled. "Excellent, Goku. Truly excellent. I came here hoping for a worthy challenge, and you haven't disappointed."

His body relaxed, and he suddenly reverted back to his base form, his hair going from red to black, and his skin from yellowish-green to a teal-blue. A confused look crossed Goku's face as he felt the mercenary's power drop, and he shared a curious glance with the others before looking back at Exxis.

"You powered down," he said suspiciously. "Why? Are you calling it quits?"

Exxis threw his head back and laughed. "Don't be ridiculous. This battle is far from over. Just consider this a little break. As I said earlier, the only way a fight truly ends is when one of the combatants is dead."

Goku's eyes narrowed. "That's a very dark opinion."

"It's not an opinion, Goku, it's a fact. Leave an opponent alive, even if you're victory is certain, and they could always surprise you with a sneak attack that could end your life in an instant, even if you're leagues stronger than them. Or they could always come back another day even stronger and kill you then. Sparing your opponent is a foolish move that will only lead to your death. I always enter a fight prepared to die. Kill or be killed, the battle only truly ends when your opponent is dead. It assures your victory beyond a shadow of a doubt."

While Goku did not agree with Exxis' philosophy, he did, somewhat, see his point. He'd experienced it several times in the past. Frieza, for example, had tried to stab in him the back twice, and had even come back a year later with his father with the intent to kill him and everyone else. But still, Goku could not accept the idea of killing your opponent to be the only way to achieve victory.

"So if you're not giving up, then why'd you power down?" he asked. "Something tells me that taking a break excuse isn't exactly the truth."

Excited amusement danced in Exxis' eyes. "I suppose you could say that I want to show you something. I also think you've earned the right to hear a little more of my tale."

Vegeta reeled in his anger as his impatience threatened to overwhelm his reason. "We never asked you to explain anything. Whatever your sob story is, we don't care."

His outburst did not seem to bother Exxis. If anything, he found it amusing. "Trust me, Vegeta, you're going to love this. You see, I haven't been completely honest with you all. Or rather, I should say that I didn't tell you the whole truth."

His hand came up to slide through his hair. "As I'm sure you remember from your fight with Bojack and his followers, they all had bright orange hair. That is a trait that all Hera possess. All pureblooded Hera at least. And if you'd been paying attention, you would have realized that my ears aren't anywhere near as long or as pointy as theirs."

He cracked his neck. "The truth is, I'm only half Hera. During my little tale, I mentioned that the surviving Heras did not breed outside of their species in order to maintain the Hera race and not dilute the bloodline. This was true for all except for one, the last remaining pureblooded Hera, who decided to break that rule upon becoming the last remaining Hera in the entire universe, not counting Bojack and his followers of course."

Goku raised an eyebrow. "Ok, but what's that have to do with anything?"

Piccolo stepped forward. "I think I see what he's getting at. He wants us to guess what other race he belongs to."

Goku looked back at Exxis. "Alright, so what is it?"

The mercenary's smile widened. "You mean you haven't figured it out yet? Well, here's a little hint."

From around his waist, something uncurled, something brown and furry. Goku had noticed it as part of his attire earlier, but had paid it no mind, thinking it was a belt or some other piece of his uniform.

Clearly, he had been wrong. It was not a belt, or part of his outfit, and it was moving around as if it were alive. Seeing it moving like that, he now recognized it for what it was; the tail of a monkey.

Gohan recognized it too, and gasped. "But… that's…"

Exxis chuckled. "That's right, it's exactly what you think it is. The tail of a Saiyan. I'm not only a Hera, I'm also a Saiyan."

(A/N: And another big piece of the puzzle has been revealed. Exxis is half Hera, half Saiyan. The two greatest warrior races in the universe in one. This story is called The Ultimate Warrior for a reason. Hey, if Tarble can have… whatever Gure is for a mate, then why not a Saiyan and a Hera? Did anyone suspect this of him? I was afraid that him having black hair even though he was a Hera might be a bit of a giveaway. But if he really is half-Saiyan, then why does he want to want to wipe out the rest of the Saiyan race. There's still more mystery to be solved, so stay tuned.)