...Man, let me just say, this chapter is just a massive pile of fun. I had a strict set of goals that I wanted to hit for this battle, and while I did just that, it really started to take on a life of its own as I continued to write it. Inspiration just keeps lifting me through these chapters, and while I was originally planning to postpone this until my birthday(yes, yes, even I can be a little selfish in wanting to upload on my birthday), a part of me feels like I'll have so much more done by then that it would feel foolish. Don't get me wrong, I'm still gonna try and upload a later chapter on my birthday. Just not this chapter.

Now then, a quick few things before we start the chapter which are pretty vital:

For one, this chapter does contain a bit of darker description. I did not intend for this to happen originally, but planning and writing are two different things, and I was just really driven to write some of the scenes the way I did while completely submersed in my writing. If you're not a fan of gore, don't worry; I kept it to a minimum. There was, however, one instance where I deemed it necessary to describe a… pretty freaky sight. Now, I don't see myself as one of the greatest writers to ever live, but I have been told that if there's one thing I know how to do right, it's description. Consider yourselves forewarned.

Next off, the special's progress. If you don't follow my blog(Rott's Reviews, powered by Blogger), you probably don't know that I have a third of the one year anniversary special done. It's not that long of a chapter... certainly not as long as my regular chapters, anyway, but it is something I deemed worthy of a special that will be further explored down the line. That will, regardless of the chapter number it is, be uploaded on November 4th, 2014 as a one-year celebration of this story. I would have it done by now, but this chapter literally just seized my attention once I really got going with it, and I wasn't about to stop momentum on the main story for absolutely anything.

With all that said and done, allow me to welcome you to the beginning of the final battle for Earth: the rebellion vs. the demonic authority. I sincerely hope you enjoy this chapter just as much as I did writing it.


Demon Saga - Part 8: Edge of Daybreak

All was silent in Daimao Castle. The human servants had retired to their ragged chambers, the demonic children were sprawled throughout the castle as per their father's orders, and King Piccolo himself was in his throne room, alone with his thoughts.

For what had been the first time in a while, Piccolo had requested that Piano leave his side and that Accordion not bother to stick around outside his throne room. He didn't mind their company in the slightest, but if his assumptions were correct, those pesky fighters were likely lurking about… and he'd needed to assess this situation all on his own. It was his unparalleled pragmatism that had gotten him so far in his reign over Earth, and he would have to call upon it one more time if he wished to retain said hold over the blue-green planet.

'They'll be here soon enough. That much is for certain...' Piccolo thought to himself, rolling his fingers around before clenching them into fists. 'With the situation they've been forced into, there's absolutely no way that they'll risk sticking by their hideout – wherever that may be – and wait for us to make the first move. I hold all the power in the world, and those fools know it. They'll have to come to me if they want any chance at liberating this foul, disgusting planet.'

A faint smirk lit up his face, a dark, rumbling chuckle accompanying it. 'But I'm sure that despite whatever planning they may have done, they'll have never anticipated my own strategy. I can't wait to see the look in their eyes…

'...as they lose all hope!'

Almost as if fate had choreographed this sequence of events, a faint tremor suddenly shook the castle, nearly knocking Piccolo off his throne. Though he was initially caught off-guard with the sudden impact of it all, it only took a moment for him to use his ki to stabilize both himself and his throne.

That didn't save the rest of the room, however. A jug of water, the very same one Piano had presented to him for his drinking purposes for the last eight years, fell off his royal table and collided with the ground; needless to say, the ground won out in that little skirmish as the container shattered on contact. A moment after, the paintings that decorated the walls from the previous king's reign immediately buckled under the quaking pressure and fell to the floor, breaking in what was almost a rhythmic fashion.

Such items within the royal chambers continued to crash and break due to the sudden explosion that'd occurred outside, and when it was all said and done, King Piccolo sat atop his throne in a room in which there was nothing to own. Everything sans his throne, ranging from a basic chair to the finest piece of art, had been mutilated and distorted; the room was now a mere mockery of what it had been beforehand.

But Piccolo certainly didn't mind. Though he had rather liked the decorum of his throne room, he knew that practically everything in this room was replaceable. This opportunity, however, was not.

Standing up from the only surviving piece of furniture that had survived the sudden quake, a broad smile overtook the demon king's face. 'They've got guts, I'll give them that… they surely know that this city still has its fair share of human life, and yet they're still willing to so recklessly try and lure us out… something of which they will inevitably regret in the end.

'For now it is time... to see them fall.'

Piccolo crossed his long arms over his chest and walked out of the throne room, initiating phase one of his plan to eradicate the final obstacles that stood between him and his eternal reign over Earth.


It hadn't taken long for Nail to become acquainted with the remainder of Articuno's crew. Aside from the hearty bulldog-esque chef named Victus, there was also Suzaku, an orange-colored bird with the duties of a pilot and navigator; Metaic, the panda and rabbit-resembling doctor of the group; and what could only be described as an overgrown bug in Eldoon. Nail wasn't quite clear on his purpose, but from what very little he'd heard about him from Victus, he knew that Eldoon would be one with a lot to say once he was given the floor.

Shortly after they'd exchanged pleasantries and all the like, Nail and Articuno had set off toward the Grand Elder's home once again. Though all the flights and trips back and forth were starting to wear on the already fatigued warriors a tad, it meant nothing in the face of their new alliance.

And speaking of that alliance, all that was left to do before they could begin working together was figure out how best to break the news to the remainder of the Namekian populace…


"...Well, after hearing your tale, it seems we're in perfectly good shape to move onto our next course of action." Moori looked up toward the gargantuan patriarch of the Namekian people. "And your thoughts, Grand Elder?"

Guru let out a small exhale of air. "I would agree with your conclusion, Elder Moori. It seems I was not mistaken in identifying Articuno's aura as good-hearted, something of which I am thankful for." Though his wrinkles hid it well, the most keen of observers could tell that his eyes suddenly narrowed. "My biggest concern from here is how we address this to the rest of our people. I generally do not like working with a small group of people to make such important decisions, but in this case we had no choice."

"Agreed," voiced Articuno with a nod. "I'm going to stick out like a sore thumb when I show my face around this planet, and even now there were likely a handful of Namekians who spotted me and Nail flying all around the world. It just makes the most sense to me that we get this all out of the way as soon as we possibly can."

"I too believe that quickly clearing the air of suspicion among Namek's current events would be the best course of action," came Guru's booming reply. "It would be unfair of us to withhold this information from them now that we have reached our assessment of Articuno and his compatriots."

"Well, for starters," began Nail, his customary stoic expression etching itself back onto his face. "We could probably just go ahead and call some sort of gathering. With the Grand Elder himself approving this and one of the Elders overseeing it, I'm sure everyone would be perfectly happy to give us the floor."

Articuno seemed to frown at that, inadvertently arousing Nail's attention. The Namekian turned to face him fully, noting that he was facing the floor awkwardly. "What is it, Articuno? You seem a little troubled."

"It's not your people that I'm worried about," explained the blue-skinned rebel. "If they're anything like you are, I imagine that my crew and I would fit in quite nicely. It's more a matter of dealing with Kakarot… I don't imagine he'll be keen on seeing me alive and working with his brethren."

"He's probably right," Moori said, looking toward the outside light that was filtered in by the door. "Kakarot definitely won't be very receptive to seeing you, and informing him of this alongside everyone else could prove to be disastrous."

"I take full responsibility for such a thing." Now it was Nail's turn to shift uncomfortably. "Quite frankly, if I'd trained the boy better, he'd be a lot more tolerant of these types of situations."

Elder Moori's eyes practically bugged out at hearing the loner Namekian attempt to apologize. "No, Nail, it has absolutely nothing to do with you. You've done a fine job of training the boy; without your guidance and coaching, there's no way he would've even been able to fight Articuno." He paused for a moment after gaining the Arcosian's stare. "No offense, of course."

"Hardly taken," dismissed the rebel with a wave of his hand. "But if I may, I'd like to maybe point out that Kakarot does have a right to feel the way he does. After all, as much as he considers himself Namekian, he must know that he's truly not one of you. That may weigh on his mind more than you think. Plus, just basing off his reaction at first, it seems as if he's never even encountered any other form of extraterrestrial life."

"It has been a long time since the people of Namek have had the means of traveling into the stars," drawled the Grand Elder. "None of my children have done so since the great drought that plagued our planet."

"That could be another thing—I hadn't considered this before, but maybe we're part of the reason he has such a negative opinion of other races," Nail mused aloud. "After all, it's not like he's heard of any other race besides the very little we were able to tell him about the Arcosian and Saiyan people…"

"...Hmmm. That gives me an idea." All eyes turned to Articuno, who wasted no time now that he had the floor again. "With your permission, of course, I'd like to expose Kakarot to space travel. I highly doubt meeting everyone that suddenly makes it onto Namek would be a proper indication of the true and genuine races out there, and it could really help him in terms of understanding others."

Elder Moori cleared his throat. "While that does sound enlightening, Articuno, I'm not sure if I like the idea of our strongest son leaving our planet. Nail is a worthy warrior in his own right for certain, but in the instance that there is another invader… well, I would rather not risk anything."

Articuno placed his arms behind his back politely. "I'm not proposing that we roam far, Elder. I would only want to take him to a planet or two that is within reach of here, and even then it would only be with your and the Grand Elder's approval."

"It does not sound like too much of a gamble to me," opined the Grand Elder. "Kakarot could very well benefit from a trip like this, and the reward far outweighs any potential risk. I would be in favor of such a trip happening if there is a specific plan behind it."

"Excellent. I'm truly looking forward to it," smiled the Arcosian.

"Sorry if it sounds like I'm barging in, but I think I'd want to make this trip myself," Nail commented. "While I've already said my piece on how it'll take time for me to fully trust you, I know for a fact it'll take Kakarot even longer to do so. I think having a familiar face around will help him out throughout all this, as, aside from training, he generally isn't receptive to trying new things out."

"Understandable," Articuno affirmed. "I feel as if we can work all this out at a later date, though. It was just a one-off idea I had that we can expand upon some other time, but our real focus should lay with how we plan to tell Kakarot about all this." Quickly, he added, "Sorry for changing the topic so many times, as well."

"It's quite all right," replied Elder Moori. "As for how best to tell him… hmmm. I feel as if he would probably take the news the best from our current group… discounting you, of course."

"I suppose that makes sense. Nail is Kakarot's mentor, you seem to have worked with him intensely, Elder... and I assume that he listens to the Grand Elder just as obediently as anyone else would."

Nail nodded. "Well, judging by everything being thrown out here, it might be best if I just go ahead and bring Kakarot here to let him know. He's still not going to be back in perfect shape, so he could be restrained if needed…"

Elder Moori frowned at Nail's line of thinking. "Nail, what have I taught you?"

The loner Namekian sighed. Almost as if he were a child again, Nail repeated, "Never perform an act in solitude that you would not perform in public…"

"That's correct," approved the Elder Namekian with a smile. Just as quickly, though, his smile reverted into a frown as he thought things over. "I do see where you're coming from, though. I wouldn't want Kakarot to violently lash out. His rage rarely controls him, but when it comes to something that hits so close to his heart, he's driven by nothing short of anger."

"Hmmm… I definitely agree it would be best to isolate Kakarot from the others." Articuno cupped his chin in his blue-skinned hand for a brief moment. "Here's an idea… what if Nail brings Kakarot here while Elder Moori and I break the ice to everyone with my crew? That keeps the both of us apart for the moment and wouldn't result in any physical fighting."

"Seems like the best course of action to take to me," opined Nail. "Unless there's anything that either Elder Moori or the Grand Elder needs to voice, we should get this plan in motion."

"I have merely one thing to say to you all," interjected Guru's gravelly voice. "While it is clear that time will be the only true thing to knit every single one of our people together, I wish you all the best of luck at working as a cohesive unit."

"Yes, Grand Elder," Nail said, walking toward the doorway and looking out into the open scenery of Namek's blue and green geography. "I won't let you down." And with that he was off, soaring through the skies at nigh detectable speeds.

"We should also get going ourselves," Elder Moori suggested, beginning a slow stride of his own but soon turning back to face the Grand Elder. "I won't fail you either, Grand Elder. We have come too far in our preparations to build up an adequate defense to stop now."

"And neither shall I," came Articuno's smooth reply. "While I haven't known you all for very long, I relish the opportunity to work with you."

"It warms my heart to know that I can rely on pure-hearted people like you to lead the way in these times," the aged Namekian replied. "Now, be off and share with everyone you see the information we have discussed and partaken in."

In two more trails of light, the Elder Namekian and Arcosian rebel had taken off to initiate the final stretch of Articuno's assimilation into the Namekian population.


A violent tremor rocked Central City as Bulma and Launch's combined attack drove its way into Daimao Castle, smoke and asphalt being kicked up into the air as a result of the sheer might behind the shockwave. The blast had been well-aimed so as to avoid any civilian homes, yet it clearly attracted attention from the human populace as they either immediately dashed out of their homes or dove to the safest location in their homes.

But they were not of the human warriors' concern—at least not today. An all-or-nothing gamble was all they truly had left at this point, and they would be damned if they hadn't given it everything they had to turn the world back to what it had been eight long, harrowing years ago.

Just as the dust began to clear from the ambush, the sextet of warriors suddenly all dashed toward the front end of the castle and hovered in the air, waiting for their opponents to emerge…

... and sure enough, in a matter of moments, they'd done just that.

With the poise and elegance of their father, the demons assembled with superspeed just in front of the castle's entrance before slowly, excruciatingly slowly, levitating upward to meet their opposing combatants in altitude.

"You know… I may not be all that bright," Oboe started off, sharpening his claws, "but I think the point of a sneak attack is to actually attack when we're off our guard."

'So Piccolo hasn't come out quite yet… it seems he'll just be waiting to make the jump on us whenever he feels like it. We've planned for that possibility… hell, even prayed for it… but it doesn't make things all that much easier.' Tien scowled at the fox-emulating demon and mentally prepared himself for combat. "You do realize that there is such a thing as sensing energy. Once we'd fired off that shot, it was child's play to sense you moving about on all four sides of the castle. What would be the point in letting ourselves fall for something like that when we have a backup plan in store?"

"Tch, a backup plan?" Tambourine snickered, now floating under his own power instead of relying on his wings. "Sorry to disappoint you, but do you even know who our father is? We may all be differently attuned, but I think we know how to start and stop plans at our leisure."

"I know who your father is," Krillin growled, pulling in his arms and concentrating a large amount of dull golden energy within his palms. "It's the same face that haunts my dreams every now and then… the same face that took my master away from me… and it's the same face that has singlehandedly turned the Earth upside-down. You little monsters didn't help the situation at all..." Suddenly, his eyes lit up, as did his blast, and he thrust his arms forward. "And we're going to make every last one of you pay for it!"

The surge of energy roared toward the demons, who immediately braced themselves for impact, but it suddenly changed course on them and arced into the sky above them, hanging above them like a cloud would the ground. And then, just as quickly, it began to rain down golden bullets of light from the sky, forcing the demons to disperse in all different directions to avoid them.

"Now's our chance! Everyone, split up into the groups we made and let's finish these green bastards!" Yamcha cried out, summoning his blue aura and dashing toward Tambourine with a fire in his onyx eyes. A moment later, everyone wrapped themselves in identical lights and scattered off to begin the absolute final battle.


Tambourine landed on a city street clumsily, having been the closest one to being hit by Krillin's attack, and scowled at the two incoming specks of light that were surely his opponents. 'We got duped... but they're mad if they really think I'll be beaten in the end by only two of these weaklings.'

His opponents wasted no time at all as they broke apart from each other, speeding around Tambourine in a half-circle before charging him from either side. 'And by mad… I mean absolutely mad,' he added internally before jumping into the air and soaring upward as fast as he could. Looking down, he could see his opponents follow suit, and while he knew that he had the advantage in terms of speed, looking upward also indicated that he'd be in space if he kept this up.

'There's no point in isolating myself from the rest of the group… just in case that weakling Accordion needs help, I'd better keep within reach of the castle. Father would be livid if that poor sap died...' Tambourine immediately dispersed his aura and stabilized himself incredibly high in the air, his opponents stopping at equal distance from him.

"That kind of thing is what we've been pulling for the last eight years," his first pursuer, the scarred warrior named Yamcha, bitterly spat. "Care to try it some more, or should we just cut to the chase?"

Tambourine, just about to respond, turned his attention to his second opponent…

...and promptly proceeded to let out a twisted chorus of laughter.

"You?! Are you actually kidding me right now?!" snorted Tambourine as he practically held his sides, amused to no end. "I don't know how hard I must've hit one of you the last time we fought, but the blue-haired girl is absolutely no match for me. You, Yamcha, are a worthy opponent considering your strength and battle experience… but the girl you brought along with you is, as I said before, easily disposable."

"I may not be as strong as everyone else, but I'm smarter than you'll ever be," fired back Bulma as she took a well-prepared battle stance. "We'll see just how long you're laughing when we take you down."

Yamcha, however, did not seem to have the patience for Tambourine's amusement that Bulma did. Crossing the distance between himself and the winged beast in a heartbeat, he delivered a wicked cross that sent the demon sailing backward before both him and Bulma dashed off in pursuit.

'Smug bastard… thinks he's clever, attacking while I wasn't prepared? I'll shut him and that little bitch up right now!'

Regaining his balance and full coherency, Tambourine rocketed toward his two opponents and kicked off the fight.


Launch and Yajirobe tailed Accordion to the ground rather quickly, both parties landing face to face with one another. While the demon didn't seem so startled by Krillin's attack, he did seem a little off-balance.

Something which the formerly obese samurai used to his advantage.

Unsheathing his blade as if it were second nature to him, Yajirobe sailed forward and aimed a cut straight at the lion-demon at top speed. Naturally, the green-skinned warrior leapt upward to evade it, but Launch's black boot met his face just as he did so; the blonde-haired girl followed that up by darting around behind her adversary and slamming him to the ground with a double-fisted strike to the back.

"Get'm now, Yajirobe!" Launch cried out as she raised a fist, spurring the sword-wielder onward. Just as quickly as she'd stricken, the ronin – having sheathed his sword – opened his mouth wide and fired off a golden surge of light straight from his maw that was just barely deflected by the now-standing Accordion.

"Sorry to say…" the lion responded as Launch charged him from behind, spinning around at the last moment and catching the airbourne female by the leg. "But that won't work." He then quickly spun her around twice before hurling her toward the skinny samurai – who was currently trying to get a lungful of air following his mouth blast – and knocking the both of them down.

Launch was the first one of them up, bolting back into the fray as if she hadn't a care in the world. Throwing each of her gloved fists toward her opponent rapidly, the bipolar lady shouted, "You're not gettin' away with this, ya hear? I'm gonna rip your head off your shoulders an' show it to your deadbeat father!"

"I don't quite imagine he'd want to see that," Accordion swiftly replied while catching the blonde's left arm and using it as momentum to pull her in for a gut punch, doubling her over and forcing a cry of pain to escape her lips. "But then again, my father does have an affinity for gore…"

Yajirobe, now standing upright, scowled as he barreled forward. "Get your hands off her, you life-taking freak!"

Raising a palm toward the samurai, Accordion gathered a ball of sparking energy in his hand. "Father gets what father wants. I would be a failure if I did not follow my parent's orders." With that, he fired the sphere at lightning-quick speed; Yajirobe only narrowly avoided it by arcing upward for a split second and then continuing on his flight in his original direction.

"You're persistent, just as always," Accordion objectively noted, removing his fist from Launch's ribcage and aiming it toward Yajirobe. "So be it. I don't like to fight, but father would not want me to stand down and allow you to take my life."

Suddenly, he felt a massive sting in his stomach—looking down and to his left, he could see Launch, on her knees, grinning wildly. "Just a hint for these kinda fights—don't take your eye off of either one 'a us."

THUMMM! Yajirobe connected with a fist of his own a moment later, sending the lion-demon onto his back and skidding on the ground roughly.

"Shouldn't have played possum for so long there, Launch—was afraid I was actually gonna have to try an' knock him down one-on-one."

"Pfft! Don't be such a big baby," fired back Launch as she made her way back to her feet, dusting off her black vest. "We still have a demon to kill," she added, motioning toward Accordion as he straggled to his feet a few meters away from them.

"You… you call me a demon." The lion-resembling warrior stood, his mane of hair disheveled. "So does father. Even my brothers have decided to live under that name. But… why do you call us such a name?"

Launch's eyes almost grew out of her sockets at the demon's query, but then her surprise melted into sheer anger as she ground her teeth and clenched her fist. "Are you absolutely freakin' kidding me right now?! Is a little goblin like you seriously tryin' to spout off some sentimental bullshit?! Just for that, I'm gonna make your death twice as painful!"

"All I asked was why," repeated the son of Piccolo. "I never asked if you were justified in calling me by such a name… I just want to know why."

"You want the straight an' skinny? You're a monster who's taken the lives of human beings and works for Piccolo; there, get it yet?!" Launch blasted off toward Accordion in a fit of rage, feinting him with a punch before suddenly snapping his head to the side with a fearsome roundhouse kick. She followed that up with a powerful left hook that sent his head in the opposite direction, but when she tried for a third blow in the form of a right-handed uppercut, Accordion had recovered and blasted her back with a quick yet powerful bullet of energy.

He didn't have a moment to breathe, however, as Yajirobe was on him within a matter of moments; he swung his blade toward him in a horizontal stroke, yet the demon was too quick and had managed to duck down to avoid the sword. Using his position to his advantage, he swept Yajirobe's legs out from underneath him and grasped the metallic weapon in his hand. Yajirobe tried to flee, but a well-aimed boot to the center of the samurai's chest pinned him down roughly, the wind being knocked out of him instantaneously.

Removing his foot from the winded warrior's chest, Accordion aimed the blade so that it would pierce straight through his adversary's heart. "If you had complied with father's demands, we wouldn't be in this position. But since you have opposed him, you must face the consequences."

"Carbine Cannon!"

A white wave of light, tinged with a touch of yellow, soared toward Accordion with a howling roar of pure power. He only had a moment to hurl the blade to the side before outstretching both of his arms in an attempt to repel the energy attack, a faint grunt escaping the generally quiet demon as he fought against its momentum.

"This one'll do it, murderer!" Launch snarled, firing off another pulse of power into her attack. "You're… not gonna get away this time!"

"You act as if you're the one who is dealing justice…" Accordion mused, nearly in a whisper. The alabaster blast between either of his palms roared in defiance at being stopped, pushing onward and forcing his feet to skid back a few meters. "Yet you are the one defying authority. You and your friends must be reprimanded, no matter the cost."

"Rrggh… just die already!" Launch yelled out in anger, rearing her arms back for a split second and thrusting them forward once more with a whole new wave of power. It immediately magnified the blast by twice its size, practically already swallowing Accordion whole. But still, the spawn of Piccolo held on tightly, his resolve firm as could be.

"I made a vow to my father that I would not even remotely do such a thing until I gave you every last bit of energy within my body. As such, I refuse to die here." Accordion powered up, his aura springing to life and immediately pushing against the wave's intense fervor. "It would simply be disrespectful to my father."

"Then I'm pretty sure he's not gonna like this."

Accordion suddenly felt himself pitch forward, his balance lost to some mysterious force. Just before the blast encompassed him, he looked down to see Yajirobe – still on his stomach – with his hand outstretched, evidently having tripped him up with the simplest of motions.

'Should I survive this,' he thought as he wrapped his aura around him in what could only be described as a last attempt at defending himself, crossing his arms and shutting his eyes, 'I will have no choice but to tap into my primal instincts and tear you apart.'

The blast drove him back into an abandoned home, throwing up brick, debris, and smoke all over the battlefield, a low-pitched rumble ringing within the combatants' ears.

Grinning haughtily, Launch clenched her fist close to her chest and remarked, "hey, nice little move there! I didn't even spot you movin' till you tripped him up."

Yajirobe stood up after a brief pause, wiping off his face and upper garments with his hands. "We got lucky that he can't seem to keep an' eye on the both of us," his husky voice replied. "It's gonna take things like that if we wanna take him down for good."

"Yeah... " Launch bemusedly replied, looking upward into the sky. Bulma and two other flashes of light were zipping through the skies at incredible speed, fighting with their utmost intensity. "...Man, we're really in over our heads, aren't we? Fightin' these guys... Piccolo bein' able to show his ugly face whenever he feels like it... An' that's not even mentioning the fact that Krillin and Tien have one of these green punks each…"

Yajirobe practically gaped at the sight of Launch daydreaming, and he was half-tempted to shake her out of it. "A-Are you crazy? We have our own lives to worry about right now against this lion guy!"

Wiping a modicum of sweat off her brow, Launch nodded and stared at the smoke cloud intensely. "Yeah. Should probably go ahead an' kill that son of a bitch, shouldn't we?"

"If you two were more astute, you'd realize I was already up."

Accordion dashed out of the smoke cloud at rapid speed, his eyes burning with a fire that Launch hadn't even seen in the mirror. His fangs bared toward the human, the normally calculating demon aimed a wild claw toward the blonde's eyes. She swiftly ducked and gripped him by the arm, spinning him around for a grand total of five rotations before hurling him to the right and toward Yajirobe. The ronin kicked off the ground and met Accordion with a well-timed headbutt to the ribs, but just as quickly as he landed and hissed in pain, he was right back on the attack.

"...Shit," Launch murmured to herself as Accordion made her way toward Yajirobe at a frightening pace. Gathering a sphere of energy in her hand, she too dashed off to help her partner combat the demon. "This is gonna be a long day."


Tien and Krillin landed abreast one another to meet the straggling combination of Oboe and Drum. Both the fox-emulating and rotund demons had been stung by Krillin's sneak attack more than they'd cared to admit, yet aside from a few minor bruises and scratches on their respective green-skinned bodies, they seemed as if they weren't harmed at all.

"I should've guessed that wouldn't have done that much damage," Tien grimaced upon seeing their adversaries' condition. "But I guess we can't ask for all the cards to work in our favor, can we?"

Oboe was the first to respond, cracking his neck from side to side. "Hehe… all the cards? Since when have you become so smug and confident? Do you even know who sired us?"

"You know, after hearing this for the second time in less than ten minutes, I'm starting to think that your dad really didn't give you all that much in the way of brains," retorted Tien. "But I guess that's all right when you have enough brute force to back it up."

"That's right," snickered Drum, his gravelly voice practically resounding around the battlefield. "You two boys are biting off a little more than you can chew by fighting us especially, but don't worry… the pain won't last forever."

"Did you ever stop to think that there's a reason why the two of us plan to fight one-on-one while everyone else gangs up on your brothers?" Krillin clenched his fists as he called upon his power, a blue flame of light surrounding his body within a matter of moments. "Well… even if you didn't, you're about to find out. Tien!"

"Let's do this!" Tien affirmed, the both of them kicking off their feet and charging toward their demonic enemies. At the last moment before they grew within physical distance of their opponents, Krillin and Tien dove to the right and left respectively, crossing over one another as they connected with well-aimed fists to the jaw. Oboe had been sent spinning to the left; Drum spiraled to the right.

With a quick nod to one another, Krillin and Tien branched off to meet their respective opponents and start their portion of the battle.


Yamcha and Bulma were currently locked into a skirmish with Tambourine, both of them throwing punches and kicks at the winged beast in an attempt to wear him down. The monster, to his credit, parried a good bulk of them away, but he couldn't stop a few blows from sneaking past his defenses.

'D-Damn it, this isn't going anywhere at all!' Yamcha internally seethed, throwing a palm strike toward Tambourine that was swiftly deflected. 'I'm exerting so much energy just trying to defend Bulma from half these strikes, and yet she's still tiring out so early into this fight! Chi-Chi… you better pull through for us when we need you…'

Beside him, Bulma had similar thoughts. A couple of bruises were peppered across her face, marring her pretty expression, yet she still pressed on with everything she had. 'M-Maybe I shouldn't have let Chi-Chi take my only way to effectively keep up in battle… if I had the strength that suit provided me with, Yamcha and I could cream this guy with no trouble… but right now, I dunno if there is a way for me to help him out...'

"Bulma, move!"

She was snapped out of her thoughts by a rough shove to the shoulder, pushing her out of the way of a direct palm to the face. Using her new positioning to her advantage, she thrust an arm out and fired off a blast of energy that exploded directly in the monster's face before swerving behind him and connecting with a double-legged kick to the spine; the demon was sent staggering forward by the impact and had no way of countering Yamcha's next attack: a brutal uppercut to the jaw that nearly sent Tambourine out of the Earth's gravitational pull.

The demon stopped himself just as he was about to exit the Earth's upper atmosphere, immediately having to counter a well-aimed kick from the blue-haired warrior and strike back with a headbutt of his own. Doing so, however, left him open to an extended fist from Yamcha that buried itself in the monster's abdomen, forcing him to keel over. He soon found himself on the receiving end of a back elbow that sent him spiraling downward, courtesy of Yamcha, before Bulma zipped down and knocked him to the side with a long-legged kick.

'Now that we've gotten away from a simple power struggle, the numbers game is really working out for us,' Yamcha thought as he fired off a golden wave of light at the monster, which, while easily deflected, exposed him to a rapid barrage of mini ki balls from Bulma. 'We just have to keep this kind of momentum going and he'll be down in no time.'

Following up on Bulma's attack, Yamcha darted forward and connected with a roundhouse kick that whipped the demon's head to the side, paving the way for Bulma to appear next to him and aim a roundhouse punch that knocked it back to its straight positioning. The two then outstretched their palms, glanced at each other for a brief moment, and then fired off a combined blast that engulfed the monster's entire body in blue light. Yamcha watched as he was sent back by the attack, howling and yelping in pain, but the monster freed himself by igniting his aura and spinning out of the way of his attack. However, his freedom did not come without a price, as evidenced by gravity overpowering him and sending him toward the ground.

Watching as the winged beast spiraled down to the ground, Bulma took the initiative and immediately soared toward him. 'He looks really shaken up after having to take a combined blast like that… I might be able to finish this right now!"

"Bulma, wait!" Yamcha called after her, but to no avail. She was nearing the monster with every passing second, something the long-haired rebel wasn't particularly keen on. He shot down toward his former girlfriend and his adversary, his maximum speed just almost managing to close the lead that the scientist-turned-fighter had on him. "You can't take him on alone, you hear me? If I'm not by your side at all times, he'll deal with you faster than I can get to you!"

Cool blue eyes glanced back at him for the briefest of moments before they turned back to meet the falling demon. "We don't have the time to plan every single move, Yamcha; we have to fight!" Extending both her hands out and gathering energy between them, she aimed toward the prone demon. "Just one slip-up will cost us both! I shouldn't be your biggest concern right now, Yamcha; the fate of the world should be!"

Her bitter tone caught him off-guard, almost as if it'd held some sort of deeper meaning. But he didn't have the time to think about that right now; they were ever so close to the monster right now, and Yamcha knew that, at the very least, they did indeed need to make the most of their proximity.

But his brief lapse in focus would cost him. Just a moment after he turned his attention back to the beast, he saw something he inwardly cursed himself for not paying attention to prior.

A bluff.

"B-Bulma, watch out!"

Before she could even register what Yamcha had said, Tambourine caught her by the arm and flung her to the side, keeping her at arm's reach as Yamcha flew toward him with absolutely no guard whatsoever. Then, with his other arm, Tambourine fired a golden wave of energy that the Turtle-trained student had no means of countering, sending him back up into the sky with a shriek of pain.

Turning his attention back to Bulma by swinging her to his front, Tambourine darkly grinned. "Got you."

Bulma could do nothing but look on in fear, powerless to escape his grip.

Then, just as quickly as he'd spoken, he reached out with a clawed fist and decked Bulma right across the nose. It was swiftly followed with a knee to the stomach and a jab just above the eyes, sending her eyesight for a loop. The monster before her suddenly started to spiral, her brain unable to establish a proper connection with her irises. His cackles sounded darker now, more sinister than ever before.

"You should feel lucky that you and your friends haven't been chosen by the lottery. However, just this one time, I think we can say that you've won a special raffle ticket." He immediately twisted Bulma's leg to the right, eliciting a shrill shriek of pain from the scientist-turned-fighter, before he swiftly hurled her to the ground. The combination of gravity beginning to become more prominent and her lack of ability to resist said movement had her crashing roughly onto the ground within the span of five seconds.


Yamcha ground his teeth as Tambourine's feint attack forced him higher and higher into the air, gathering all his energy around him in an attempt to escape. "If he could do it… then… I can… too!"

Releasing all his pent-up power in an explosive wave around him, the former bandit freed himself from the attack. He wasted no time in charging back down to meet Tambourine, who seemingly was waiting for him with a sinister sneer as he floated in place.

"Call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure you had another person fighting with you."

"Y-You…" Yamcha started, balling his fists. "Where the hell is Bulma?"

Without words, Tambourine jerked his thumb toward the city. His eyes following, Yamcha looked down and just barely made out the sight of Bulma laying on the ground, her twisted leg sticking out like a sore thumb.

It took a moment for the sight to register fully within his conscience.

And then he snapped.

"...First... you take my master.

"Then… you terrorize the Earth.

"And then after that… you made the woman that I love suffer the same fate I did at the World Martial Arts Tournament."

"Pfft... so?" The winged beast haughtily smirked, crossing his arms. Judging by the small pause in his speech, he was evidently fatigued. "And what's that supposed to mean to me?"

"It means… that you should start running."

For the briefest of moments, Tambourine could swear he'd seen the head of a wolf flicker in Yamcha's expression, a low growl accompanying it. "Wolf Fang Fist!"

And then he struck.

Tambourine hadn't even seen the first blow coming. In one moment, Yamcha had been directly in front of him; in the next, a clawed hand had raked its way across his face. Before another three seconds had gone by, he'd been hammered away at, a mixture of clawed strikes and deadly punches raining down on his dark green skin. All the while, Tambourine couldn't mount a proper defense; the moment he would see an attack, he'd already felt the stinging pain that the next blow had brought upon him.

Suddenly, Yamcha relented his attack for the briefest of moments, retracting his arms and merely just staring at the battered warrior. Purple bruises and welts decorated his skin, ranging from his muscled torso to his sinister expression.

'But that's not enough,' the scar-faced warrior told himself. 'I won't have my revenge until he's dead.'

Tambourine, as one might've expected, was quick to capitalize on Yamcha's backing off. He shot forward and struck the human with an explosive forearm to the jaw, following it up with a wild flail of punches and kicks that smacked the Turtle-trained warrior around like a rag doll. A final thrust kick to the gut finished off the barrage, yet Yamcha only recoiled slightly…

...and stared back at him with cold, unrelenting eyes.

"Energy control," spoke Yamcha solemnly, his arm darting out and gripping the demon's black-panted leg with all his might. "After studying the way you moved, I could tell that you'd go for a shot to my stomach that way… allowing me to move all my energy there to block it."

"G-Get your hands off of me!" Tambourine shrilly snarled, trying to twist and turn his leg free before attempting to swipe at Yamcha's eyes. Each time, though, he dodged, leaving absolutely no opening whatsoever. "I'll rip you apart and feed you to the wolves if you don't release me right now!"

"Funny you should speak of wolves…" Yamcha murmured, summoning that inner power again and mentally gripping it with all his might. "Wolf… Fang…"

"Gragh!"

Tambourine suddenly shot a golden bullet of energy straight out of his maw that smacked Yamcha in the face and completely caught him off-guard. Ever the opportunist, the winged beast descended toward the ground at top speed, and it was only when Yamcha regained full coherency that he fully realized the direction the monster was flying in.

He was flying directly toward the prone and injured Bulma.


Tien was on the defensive, deflecting and dodging a multitude of bulky punches from the rotund demon known as Drum. He kept a calm, stoic expression as he matched the demon's strikes with swift counters, knowing that his opportunity to win would soon be upon him.. 'His power is impressive… but he is nowhere near my equal in fighting skill. If his stamina runs out on the sooner side... I can put him away with a charged Tri-Beam.'

However, the triclops hadn't anticipated himself making a mistake. Just as he'd countered an uppercut with a forearm of his own, a wild sting began to run straight through it, rendering it paralyzed for the moment. Just as rapidly, he attempted to use his other arm as compensation, but he wasn't quick enough—a nasty blow nearly smashed in his cheekbone, sending him barreling backward and scraping his back against the city's paved streets.

"I thought I'd have more of a fight on my hands with you!" Drum snarled, zipping forward with agility that was disproportionate to his bulk. It was only a moment before Tien had the demon on him again, forcing him to swiftly push up off the ground and raise both of his knees into Drum's chin. The monster was sent snapping upward into the air, something Tien used to his advantage as he sprung up to his feet and then rocketed off toward him.

"I won't fight you," the triclops whispered as he neared the demon's flying, prone frame, raising a fist of his own and charging it with energy. "I will kill you!" he proclaimed, swinging his energy-charged fist down with all his might. The impact knocked the beast down to the ground, upon which Tien let his charged energy go in an explosion of golden light; as soon as it made contact with the ground, it threw up a small barrier of smoke of which Tien was hard-pressed to see through.

'This fat one may not be as savvy as his brothers,' thought Tien, 'but I can't risk anything now that we're so close to knocking these guys down.' Putting his hands in a cross formation, the triclops charged his energy for a good five seconds before whispering to himself:

"Multiform."

Suddenly, three doppelgangers of Tien's original body were conjured into existence, all of them immediately looking toward their creator for instructions. He descended to the ground just a few feet away from the now-dissipating smoke cloud, his clones following suit.

"So…" Tien said as Drum began to come into view, a scowl distorting the rotund monster's face. "You should feel special. While your other brothers have to deal with two of us at a time, save for the one Krillin's fighting… now you get to deal with four."

Drum snarled at the original Tien, clearly livid. "I'll admit you've roughed me up a little, but there's no way you could possibly defeat me! Not even if you had a thousand of you!"

"Well, I guess we should put that theory to the test, shouldn't we?" Tien narrowed his eyes. "The game ends here, you monster. I'm going to kill you, and your brothers will follow you into the next dimension once my friends finish up with them."

"You know that there's still my father to deal with even if you do get past me," Drum grinned horridly. "Even if that scene you speak of plays out, at least we'll get front-row seats in hell as he rips you limb from limb."

Tien remained unfazed. "We'll just have to see about that, won't we? But first things first… it's time to make you pay for your sins."


"Whoa, jeez!" Krillin exclaimed, just narrowly avoiding a diagonal slash from his fox-emulating opponent. He performed a quick backflip to create distance between him and Oboe, keeping an arm out for defense."You… your brothers are strong, but you're really something else…"

Oboe grinned, a gleam in his eye. "No one is more durable than me, human. You got the short end of the stick… it'll take an army of warriors to bring me down for good. I almost feel sorry for you that you were chosen to face me alone, but then again, it's understandable that nobody else would want to fight me…"

"Anyone would fight you if they had the power to do it," Krillin argued, taking a battle stance. "It's just that, unfortunately, not everyone has the power that we do. You can bet that these people you rule over would've taken a stance against you if they could've."

Oboe promptly cackled. "Really? Then please, explain to me why people have so easily adjusted into this new way of life. I'll tell you why they did…" A wide grin spread his face. "They're just like us demons. All they needed was a little push in the right direction. Once my father lifted the laws on killing and stealing, the crime rate went through the roof. Numbers don't lie… and neither do actions."

"...It only makes sense that a monster like you would think that way," Krillin snarled angrily. "You have no idea what true human nature is like at all."

"You can keep talking them up all you want, but you're not livin' in the real world..." Oboe bared his fangs, charging toward Krillin with his eyes ablaze. "Let me remind you just how it really is!"

Krillin leapt upward to avoid the fox's claws, responding with a swift kick to the head that sent him staggering backward. The diminutive fighter landed on the ground, using his momentum to launch him forward and land a headbutt in the monster's ribcage, but the monster fought through the pain and and gripped the ex-monk by his sides. It only took a moment for Oboe to raise him up into the air before slamming him down onto his knee harshly.

"I warned you," Oboe snarled, proceeding to raise him up again and then perform another backbreaker, "that you would not want to face me." He attempted to perform a backbreaker a third time, yet the human just barely managed to wrangle himself out of the monster's grasp, leaping over him and landing on the ground with his back to the beast. As quickly as he could, Krillin spun around and drove a forearm into the back of his adversary's skull which – in theory – should have sent him to the ground.

Oboe merely staggered forward as if it were a love tap.

'Damn… that barely made him flinch…!' Krillin took his battle stance again as Oboe pivoted to face him. 'But… I can't just quit here… the whole world is counting on all of us to do our part... And if I don't...'

"Who will?!" Krillin finished aloud, charging in blindly with flying fists of fury. Each of his punches connected beautifully against Oboe's dark green skin, all of them leaving their mark, yet the demon never truly seemed to be hurt by them.

Oboe leapt backward, shocking the ex-monk, before he shook his head and frowned. "I can tell what you're trying to do, you know."

"W-What do you mean?" Krillin asked suspiciously, keeping his focus on the demon as well as his positioning. At the moment he didn't seem to be adorning any sort of battle stance, but Krillin had learned over the years to never trust an opponent.

Chuckling, the demon crossed his arms. "What you're doing is simple… you're trying to conserve your energy, am I right? If you honestly think that you can defeat me without pouring every drop of power you have out, you're out of your mind."

"Who're you to tell me that?!" cried out the monk as he honed in on the monster yet again, phasing out just before he made it to Oboe and re-appearing behind him with his leg reared back. Just as the fox began his pivot turn, Krillin swung his leg in an arc that snapped the beast's chin back…

...but barely budged him more than five meters at best. The monster turned and grinned at his adversary as he landed on the ground, shock and fear permeating throughout his very core.

'H-He's right… I'm not using my full power… but why? We have a plan in motion, and so far everything's been working perfectly… we can practically guarantee that Chi-Chi's doing her part in all this… so why am I holding back?' Krillin bowed his head in shame. 'M-Master… am I failing you by not fighting as hard as I can? I-I thought I was giving it all I've got… but...'

"That look on your face tells me I'm right." Oboe crossed his arms. "Well, here's a little tip for ya. To beat a beast, you must become a beast."

Krillin narrowed his eyes. "Just what're you up to? You're insane if you think that I would ever slaughter for fun."

"I never said that," grinned the demon horridly. "What I'm saying is that you need to let everything go. Forget about these humans and what they mean to you… and make it your power. Fight with every last inkling of power your body holds and forget what it'll accomplish. That is the only way you will ever be able to defeat me. You're not gonna get anywhere by attempting to save your strength for my father, 'cause if you do... well, you won't even be alive by the time he shows his face."

"...And why tell me this?" the diminutive fighter asked. "Wouldn't you want me to be so much weaker than you? Wouldn't you want to be able to kill me so easily?"

The demon recoiled, almost as if he were offended. "Absolutely not. What I want, human, is a challenge… and while I can't sense energy half as well as you can, I know when someone has power when I fight them. You can give me that challenge if you let yourself go… so do it. It is the only way I will be able to fully relish in your death."

"Heh… so this is all a game for your amusement, huh? Well, sorry to say, but while I'll never forget why I'm fighting against you... I will fight with everything I've got in me." Krillin clenched his arms at his sides, grounding his teeth together. 'Much as I don't like it, fighting at my absolute full throttle may be our best shot… and even if Chi-Chi doesn't make it in time, then I'll die knowing that I really did give it my all.'

He looked up to the sky for the briefest of moments. 'Master… this one's for you.'

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Krillin cried, a blue aura enveloping his figure as he drew upon his inner reserves of power, bringing it to the surface of his body in a large cloak of light. It trembled, almost as if it were quivering in fear, yet Krillin would not stop. He knew that he would have to harness everything he had to stop this beast before him, and that thought continued to drive him on as his power swelled within him.

His cries building to a crescendo, the monk let out one last shout…

...and there Krillin stood, his power swirling around him in a blaze of bluish-white light. His fists were clenched tightly, small droplets of blood leaking out of them here and there, but he had bigger concerns at the moment.

"Now that you have what you wanted, let's finish this," Krillin said. "I'm tired of all of this strife and killing… but I know that if I don't take your life right now, it'll never end."

Oboe grinned, a sinister glint appearing in his eyes. "You didn't have it in you to kill me before. I could see it in your eyes… it's the same look that my brother, Accordion has. So innocent, yet so… weak.

"But those are not the ones who thrive in this world. We are. The ones who will give every last breath in our bodies to fight for what we believe in. Now that you've shown me your full resolve… it is now that I can take the most delight in ripping your fantasy apart."

Krillin took his fighting stance, his eyes ablaze. "You may have done this all for your personal gain," he started, "but I have to thank you. If it weren't for you… well, then I wouldn't have been able to let this all go."

"Us demons don't accept thanks," Oboe spat. Then, just as quickly, he grinned. "But we do take repayment. And the only way you will make this up to me is by giving me the fight of my life right here, right now."

"Well, us humans do give thanks when we're grateful," Krillin retorted. "And I hope you don't consider it as a sign of respect. I can't stand you or anything you live for, but you've given me the key to your downfall."

"What did I say before? Talk is trash," the beast said. "So go ahead and back it up."

''Even back before we started fighting, I was afraid… afraid of taking a life. Well, no more.' Krillin hardened his expression and charged his fists with energy. 'I have to. This is a monster that deserves to be killed. Think about all the lives he's taken over the years… how many cities were razed to the ground, how people's very existences were stopped because of him. 'There's no giving up now, Krillin!'


"D-Damn it, just stay down already!" Yajirobe cried out as he threw another fist, catching Accordion's jaw with his full might. The blow made the lion warrior recoil, yet the samurai knew it would take more than that to finish the job. With another burly shout, another hook was sent the servant's way, one that he just narrowly re-oriented himself in time to catch.

"I'm afraid I can't do that just yet." Accordion's eyes, already a golden color, seemed that much more menacing now. "There… is still a battle to fight. I will not cease attacking just to accommodate you, a lowly human." There was something unnatural about his voice. Yajirobe could swear he'd heard almost an animalistic roar behind his foe's words, yet at the same time, it carried the son of Piccolo's general diction.

"Then let me do it for ya!"

Launch, just now approaching the combatants again, outstretched her leg and caught Accordion right under the chin. The sheer force behind the blow sent him careening back, but unlike before, he swiftly stopped himself and landed a fair distance away from his opponents, likely to assess the situation before him and prepare some sort of counterattack.

"It seems that you two wasps refuse to accept your fates individually," spoke Accordion, a faint snarl escaping his lips in an uncharacteristic fashion. "I suppose that means I'll have to indulge you both at the same time."

"Haha! We may just be bugs to ya, green man, but we're bugs that sting!" Launch slammed her fist into her palm, crouching down into her fighting stance eagerly. "Come 'n get us if you think you really can put us down!"

Aside her, Yajirobe gulped. "H-Hey, speak for yourself! I don't wanna be turned into demon food any sooner than I hafta!" He had to admit that the way Launch stood so fearlessly in the face of death was admirable… yet at the same time, it was equally as terrifying.

"So be it. I will slaughter you both at the same time." With that the monster was speeding toward them, and unlike their previous encounters, Launch and Yajirobe stayed put in the face of this threat. Both knew that while their hit-and-run tactics had worked to stun and whittle down the monster, they'd need to start getting in some heavy hits if they wanted to finish this battle before the demon finished it.

Just before the demon reached them, Launch smirked. "You can try."

It was no later than a moment after that the demon struck, shooting out both of his arms in an attempt to impale both the humans where they stood. The bipolar beauty had the foresight to avoid it by ducking; the ronin's training allowed him to shift his body to the side to avoid the piercing blow.

Looking over the demon's arm, Launch nodded at Yajirobe.

Yajirobe nodded back.

Then, as one, they struck the demon's exposed flesh with their combined might, pushing past his ribcage and piercing through his rough skin. He was immediately sent flying back, almost in an arc, before he hit the city street with his stomach now sporting a purple-hued hole.

"Is… is that really… it?" Launch huffed, trying to compensate for her sudden release of power. "Did… we get...'m?"

Yajirobe, equally as fatigued, scrutinized the demon further. Purple-coated blood was leaking out of the monster's newest orifice, staining the city streets with the mark of a monster. "It… looks… like it..." Accordion's ragged breathing still confirmed his continued existence, yet it was clear that he wasn't about to be recovering from such a fatal wound.

"Heh… who would've guessed it'd only… take one blow…" Launch felt her knees buckle, and she made no attempt at stopping herself from hitting the ground on her back. "Gotta say… thought… he'd be tougher…" With that, she slipped into unconsciousness, her vision going dark in a matter of moments.

'He should've been,' thought the samurai warily, the hairs on the back of his neck bristling. 'I know we hurt the guy, no doubt 'bout that, but… we were pretty banged up by him too. Plus, the guy didn't even try to bluff us; he just went for one straight attack. All in all, it doesn't make sense that it'd be so easy to ki—'

A primal roar suddenly rang through the battlefield, immediately snapping Yajirobe out of his bemused state. Just as he'd feared, that cry… was coming straight from Accordion's lips. To make things even worse, he was slowly dragging himself to his feet, his expression somehow dazed yet coherent at the same time.

A scary sight to say the least.

"Y-You… I don't know what the hell you're plannin'... but I sure ain't gonna let you do it!" Yajirobe honed in on the monster with all of his remaining speed, clobbering him with an explosive barrage of attacks. The demon flinched and recoiled from them, letting out devolved hisses and shrieks of pain, yet his eyes… they only seemed to be growing more dangerous.

Yajirobe, out of fear, leapt back; however, he was certain to keep his guard up. 'There's no tellin' what kind of stuff these monsters have up their sleeve… hell, for all I know, he gets holes in his gut on a daily basis.'

"Adrenaline… rush… of power…" the demon murmured, transfixed on Yajirobe. "Power… father… vow…"

If nothing else, that certainly took Yajirobe aback. 'D-Did he take that on purpose?'

"Senses… heightened… primal… instincts…" the monster could barely form words now, a mixture of saliva and blood foaming at his mouth, yet what Yajirobe could deduce frightened him to his very core. "...Kill… humans…"

With speed unlike anything he'd ever demonstrated before, Accordion blitzed forward and slammed Yajirobe with a sloppy claw, immediately drawing blood from the human as he was sent to the city street roughly. Briefly, the monster looked at his taloned claws, a feral grin sporting his demonic face as he saw a small stain of crimson blood on him.

"Blood... " he murmured, before he suddenly lost balance and collapsed to the ground. Then, just as quickly, he scratched and clawed at the pavement as if he were searching for answers. "Need… more… victory…"

A few meters away from him, Yajirobe mimicked the demon's actions. His feeble attempts to get up were unsuccessful, yet resilient and brave—two words that, only eight short years ago, would never be found in the samurai's vocabulary. 'Forget Piccolo… these guys... they're the real loons…! If I can't at least stop this one...

...then this'll go on forever an' ever...'

That thought spurred him on, the samurai rising to his feet slowly and steadily. Within the span of ten seconds, he'd risen to his feet again and taken a battle stance, ignoring the violent gash that ran down his left cheek. 'Screw my injuries… those can be treated later. But the world… there ain't no other chance to heal this place than right here, right now.'

Almost as if fate had choreographed this very sequence, Accordion sprung to his feet like a rabid animal, howling with delight as he raced toward his prey. "You… end… here…"

His body fueled with adrenaline and his mind racing a mile a minute, Yajirobe prepared himself for what would inevitably be his last gasp. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw it. "Think your speech is a little messed up there, but you're on the right track." In one swift movement, the ronin dove out of the way of the demon's wild charge before rolling toward the object of his desire.

And then, in another swift motion, Yajirobe clenched his metallic blade tightly as he rolled back to his full height. It only took a moment for the demon to turn his head and see him, but once he did, he came charging at the samurai with a crazed shout. To this, Yajirobe grinned and rushed forward, analyzing the monster's weakest point and focusing his blade accordingly.

"Gotcha, green bean," he whispered, swinging his blade in an arc. Flesh began a duel against metal in that very instance, and it would be almost redundant to say that the metal won out considerably, its reward for victory being nothing short of Accordion's right arm being cleanly amputated right off his body.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" howled the beast as he held the stump that had formerly been tethered to his arm, grasping at it in a feeble attempt to numb the white-hot pain that had been sent in shockwaves throughout his body. Like an untamed beast, he snarled, heaved, and panted in between these primal howls of pain, yet despite his best efforts he could not mask the unyielding pain that came with such a devastating blow.

Yajirobe spun around and nearly almost grinned at his handiwork, but then he swiftly remembered what had happened the last time they'd thought they won. 'Gotta keep up my guard… can't risk anythin' right now. He looks in pain, but it's almost like he can make his pain into strength… an' if that's the case, then we're so damn screwed right now.' He thought better than to utilize his blade at the moment and sheathed it; it wouldn't help him any in close combat.

In between his chorus of howls, the lion swung a taloned claw straight out in front of him—a surprising action considering that Yajirobe hadn't even rushed in to strike yet. 'Is… is it really over? The guy can't even seem to focus right; he probably couldn't even take a simple punch at this point.' He tried to mask his grin, yet it would not be contained by his facade. 'Hehe… seems we're one step closer to freein' this planet!'

"...F-Fa…" Accordion stuttered, his disorientation apparent. "D-Did… fa-fail…" Yajirobe almost cringed as he vomited up a puddle of dark yellow bile, the substance splattering all over the pavement and mixing with his violet-hued blood. It swirled together in an unsettling combination, almost leaving the samurai with the urge to expunge his last meal as well.

'W-What should I do now?' thought Yajirobe as he eyed the panting and heaving mess before his very eyes. 'I almost don't want to attack, but at the same time… who knows what he'll do if I leave him for too long...?'

"Need…" the demon whispered, sinking to his knees and drenching the lower half of his outfit in this disturbingly potent puddle. "...power… f-fa..."

"'Fraid to say, pal, you ain't gettin' nothin'."

The monster looked up with dilated irises, seeing Launch teleport before him, looming over the demon with her left hand thrust into his face at point-blank range. Despite the sickening sight, the blonde's jade-green eyes held absolutely no mercy for the lion-emulating warrior. "It's over." Sparks of energy crackled within her palm as she gathered her energy, coalescing in her palm neatly in a vast contrast to the disheveled heap of a warrior below her feet.

And then she fired, her power encompassing Accordion's entire body and driving it back before it detonated in a violent explosion of golden light, throwing up a pillar of smoke that could be seen for miles and miles on end. The power of the explosion was so large it had even sent Yajirobe sailing back; the samurai used the last of his power to drag his feet into the concrete before he was blown away. As he looked up, however, he found that his field of vision was covered in smoke, something that wouldn't do. The monster's power had plummeted and was no longer sensible to Yajirobe, yet he still felt the need to be prepared in the event of another attack, prompting him to raise his aura and use it to disperse the smoke.

As it cleared, Yajirobe found a very interesting sight: blue-haired Launch stood where her alter-ego had just moments prior, though she still was huffing and puffing as if her bluenette self had fought the battle.

'Maybe the wind got her sensitive nose or somethin'...?' Yajirobe thought, but then he decided he didn't care in the slightest. 'Forget about that… fact of the matter is, we did it—we took down one of Piccolo's demons.' Practically giddy as he mentally repeated that to himself, he stumbled over and helped support the fatigued Launch by wrapping one of her arms around his shoulders.

"Did… did we finish him off?" Launch asked, heaving in another breath. Yajirobe could tell it hurt her to speak, but at the same time, he knew that after all that they'd been through, she needed to hear it as well.

"Yeah," Yajirobe beamed. "Yeah, we did. Our part's over for the time being, so… 'scuse me if I just totally collapse and pass out for a while."


Drum, despite his well-built frame, felt a surge of pain well up in his back as one of his four opponents nailed him in the spine with a well-aimed kick. The impact burned, yet the pain didn't last—he'd long since figured out that his foe's duplication technique had come with the price of dividing his power into equal portions.

However, unfortunately for the rotund monster, that didn't mean the technique wasn't effective. Far from it, in fact, as evidenced by his newest wounds and bruises. Looking at them sent a wave of frustration through the demon, and though he managed to catch one of his enemies with a fully-charged right hook, another suddenly swooped in with a jab to the chest. Another would quickly follow with a heel kick that sent him spiraling backward, stinging pains racking his body.

Pathetically, Drum landed on the ground with bruises and welts peppering his shirtless frame, a scowl on the monster's face. "Y-You… you can't keep this up forever…"

One of the Tiens, evidently the original, spoke. "Of course I can't. There isn't a set time limit on how long I can sustain the Multiform technique, but obviously there'll come a point in this battle where I can't divide my power equally. But that doesn't matter when you consider your current condition... by the time I'm forced to remerge, you won't be able to stand... much less fight."

"Grgh… what have I told you…?" Drum seethed as he stood up, a vein throbbing in his dark-green brow. "I am one of King Piccolo's sons, and there is no way a lowly human can ever defeat me!"

Tien crossed his arms. "If it helps you, I'm not an ordinary human. I've lived my whole life in this sort of business – fighting, killing, you name it – and while I've done some regretful things in the past, what I'm about to do can be considered my repayment."

"You say that you'll finish me off…" breathed Drum. "So do it! Are you afraid, three-eyes? Are you afraid of what my father will do to you if you stick around? If that is why, then I recommend you just scurry out of here, and maybe I'll decide and pretend you didn't show up with the rest of your friends."

"Only a monster who knows his death is coming would make such a offer," spat Tien as he, as well as his other clones, raised his arms. "And I'll have none of it. Despite what you think and despite what even one of my closest allies thinks… he doesn't care about you at all. You're just one of his pawns in his operation. Easily sacrificable." He prepared to pounce. "The fact that he didn't show up here with you proves it."

"A simple breed like you humans will never understand my father's genius!" Drum blindly yelled, rage building up within him. "Even if you do manage to kill me, I guarantee my father will have you crawling on the ground like the little worm you are!"

"Maybe so," smoothly replied Tien, "but I'll at least know that I've avenged so many peoples' demises over the years by killing you. Even if you are just those simple pawns, the fact of the matter is… you've taken more lives of innocent people than I can count." He narrowed his eyes. "And if I die today, that's all I need to let myself rest in peace… even if it means that I leave my best friend behind in this dimension."

"Ahhh… the small one…" Drum smiled sinisterly. "I knew someone was missing out of your little clan. Sad to see he isn't here with you; he would've made a fun doll to break apart."

"Had he been fighting here alongside me, you wouldn't have even lasted this long," Tien retorted. "And while he is a capable fighter in his own right, even more so than Bulma and Launch in terms of pure skill and tactical ability, I care about him enough to allow him to avoid death for as long as possible. Tell me… does your father ever think that way with you and your brothers?"

That struck a nerve within Drum, his blind anger resurfacing in all of one second. "That's it! I'll rip you apart right now!" He leapt toward the Tien quartet with nothing but bloodlust in his eyes, yet he would not be granted the satisfaction that he had received for the past eight years.

'I'm afraid it's the other way around.' Tien sent a telepathic command to his doppelgangers to charge the monster, he himself following the triptych of clones as they collided with Drum. 'As I thought—he thinks I'm one of the three attacking him because I've been the one leading them all this time. Judging by that and the way he moves...' He took a moment, sizing up his opponent's movements as he swiftly dodged and countered, punched and kicked… practically everything about him. 'I have my perfect shot.'

Charging his fingertip with a pencil-thin beam of energy, Tien looked toward his doppelgangers as they valiantly fought against the monster with all they had. 'I definitely can't kill him at a quarter of my power… yet calling two of my clones back to get to three-fourths of my power would tip him off to the fact that this body here isn't a clone. He'll see them rush toward… wait… see… if I take away his sight...

'...That's it.'

Sending one last message to the clones, Tien prepared to pounce. He could see one of his clones touch his fingers to his face, spreading them apart carefully before he dashed in front of the demon and yelled out:

"Solar Flare!"

Making sure to have shielded himself from the intense light that had been generated from the attack, Tien peeked through his arms and noted the demon clutching at his eyes in fervent pain. A moment later, he recalled his mirror images to him, reabsorbing all three of them into his body, feeling whole again.

"And now," Tien declared, never one to waste a moment on the battlefield. "Let's finish this." He quickly closed the distance between himself and Drum, his golden-tipped index finger pulsating with intense vigor. "This is it… the end of the road for you, monster!

"Dodon Ray!"


In one moment, Drum felt a blinding pain invade his eyes and obscure his vision.

In the next, he clutched at his irises in an attempt to alleviate the pain.

In the next, there was some sort of burning sensation through his chest.

And in the next…. there was nothing.


Tien watched as the demon fell straight backwards, his life force extinguished faster than a lit candle. A perfect hole had been carved straight in Drum's chest, not large enough to be grotesque, but large enough to have infiltrated his body and pierce his heart cleanly into two. The triclops' enhanced vision actually allowed him to see the red organ as it lay still within its owner's chest, effectively useless now. It was a sight he had seen before on the humans he'd assassinated, but seeing the heart of a demon no longer beat with vigor brought him satisfaction that no other kill could've brought him.

'Though it isn't the one who took you away from us, I am one step closer to fulfilling my promise to you… Roshi.'


By the time Yamcha had landed on the ground, it had already been too late. Tambourine had the firmest of grips on the scruff of Bulma's neck, his claws just barely grazing her soft, supple flesh. Blood trickled out of her newest markings, her lungs seemingly so winded she couldn't even scream at the pain, yet the monster wasted no time in moving her body directly in front of his.

Yamcha scowled at the monster's cowardice, pointing an index finger at him in disdain and contempt. "You put her down and leave her out of this. You proved your point—she was only slowing me down in our fight. Now let her go this instant or I'll make you regret it."

"Fufufu… and what do you have to threaten me with, Yamcha?" Tambourine darkly smiled, tightening his clutch on Bulma. While the fighter-turned-hostage didn't scream, Yamcha needed only one glance into those sapphire eyes to see her pain. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing. My father's taken all the cards away from you."

Yamcha retracted his index finger in favor of extending his whole palm out, facing upward, his other hand going out to support it at the wrist. "Maybe so… but there's one thing he still doesn't have… and that's… our lives!"

Immediately, the former bandit began to focus his inner energy, channeling it into his flat palm. 'This needs to be as strong as it possibly can be… no matter how this works out, I can't just accept this! We've come too far to fall prey to a simple hostage move!'

"D...Do it…" Bulma croaked, her voice faint. Yamcha nearly ceased gathering his energy to look at her bruised and battered form. Only one of her eyes were opened, the other seemingly forced shut; the scarred warrior knew it would most certainly leave a black eye. His eyes trailing down the rest of her body, he noticed the scrapes and tears in her clothing before he came upon the same sight he'd seen at the World Tournament all those years ago:

A broken leg.

"For-Forget about me," Bulma managed to cough out, yet Tambourine made no sudden movements. One glance at the monster told Yamcha that he was practically reveling in Bulma's submittal. "J-Just kill him…"


"...if I get a clear shot at one of them and someone runs in the way, I don't want to be faulted for taking an opportunity to rid the Earth of those bastards."


'N-No... ' Yamcha internally cried out, concealing as much of his concern for his former girlfriend as was humanly possible. 'I… what I said before…'


"...these are some damn dark times, and I'll be damned if we pass up a potentially successful plan and risk millions of others for the sake of just one person."


'I… I didn't know… it would be her...' Yamcha thought to himself wistfully, a tear nearly coming to his eye. '...No. It's not just her... what has masking my emotions done for me? What's prioritizing Piccolo's death over everyone else mean if there's nobody to build the world back up again afterward? What the hell was I thinking when I thought that hiding my emotions would let me gain the power I needed?

'It's not working. This kind of approach isn't gonna cut it anymore. So many human lives have been sacrificed due to our inability to stop him… but I can avenge them. From here on out… I'm fighting straight from the heart!'

He was suddenly snapped out of his thoughts by the shrill growl of Tambourine, who'd seemingly grown infuriated with his disconnect from the remainder of the world. "Did you not hear me?" the monster practically snapped.

"No… not at all," Yamcha truthfully admitted with a grin. "And I don't think I need to. Any threat you throw my way isn't going to phase me anymore… because one way or another, I will overcome you." A fiery orange sphere materialized in his palm, humming quietly as it took its full shape.

A cackle leaked its way out of the demon's mouth as he dug his razor-sharp claws into Bulma's neck further, the bluenette feebly trying to resist it but to no avail. "My, that's a very quick change from your panic attack before. Tell me… have you just finally lost it, or are you finally aware that a demon like me can't be defeated? Even that attack of yours, while likely powerful, isn't about to hit me if I have this little beauty here." Almost as a reminder, he jerked his head toward the sight of the fatigued Bulma.

Frowning at the demon's word choice, Yamcha nodded grimly. "You're right. There's definitely no way I can sneak this past Bulma without you having the time to do something about it."

"Hehehe… it seems you've finally wisened up. Do me a little favor, would you, and get rid of that attack right into that abandoned house over there. It's a little too early in the morning to see something so bright."

"And if I don't?"

"Well… the alternative won't be very pleasant for your female friend over here," Tambourine sneered. "It would be in your best interests to just follow my orders so we can finish things up here much quicker."

Yamcha sighed. "Fine. You win on this one." He hurled his energy sphere to the side, all three participants of the battle watching as there was a sudden explosion of light. "Happy now?"

"Quite, actually." Tambourine smiled. "I almost thought you would force me into demonstrating my power against her… I can't say I'm not a little disappointed that I didn't get to, but you'll serve as a fine substitute."

"We'll see about that. I know in my heart that there's still some way that I can beat you," Yamcha insisted. "My master, while not the strongest I could've trained under, always taught me something about battling."

"Oh, do tell," Tambourine drawled, practically infatuated with his current predicament. "I love hearing these corny one-liners before a human dies. There's been so many of them over the years that I've lost count, but it doesn't stop me from enjoying it every single time."

"It's that there's always a way to turn things around." Suddenly, Yamcha thrust out his index and middle fingers before pulling them backward in the swiftest of motions.

"W-What're you—UGH!" Tambourine howled as an unseen force drove into his back, causing him to release his grip on Bulma. Then, all of a sudden, the pain amplified alongside a new scorching sensation as something exploded upon his spine, sending him onto the ground face-first and practically immobilizing him.

"I call that one," Yamcha grinned toothily, "the Spirit Ball. You never noticed, but I never exactly let that massive attack go—I'd be stupid to waste that much energy. A quick kiai was able to cause that little diversion, and from there, it was easy enough to get the Spirit Ball behind you. You got outplayed today, you demon, but the difference between you and I is that I'm not going to get my jollies out of humiliating you.

"What I want is not only to save this planet… but my own personal revenge." Yamcha slowly walked forward, seeing Tambourine slowly crawl toward Bulma in a feeble attempt to cause some sort of destruction, and he promptly slammed his foot down on the monster's hand and crushed the bones within them. The shriek of pain that accompanied such an injury filled the atmosphere around them, yet Yamcha did not cease his attack. He raised his leg and proceeded to smash down on the winged beast's hand yet again, and before he knew it, he'd continuously stamped on the green-hued hand until it was nothing more than a distorted and mangled array of fingers.

But that wasn't enough. Yamcha firmly clenched onto the demon's arm, squeezing it tightly, as he remembered the fallen man who had brought him to this very day. 'Gohan… this one's for you, my master.'

Swinging the winged beast into the sky, watching as he involuntarily was sent hurtling through the air, Yamcha knew that he was finally about to close the book on a personal vendetta that had lasted eight years.

He saw nothing more fitting than to use the legendary technique his master told him that he'd learned from Master Roshi in the Kamehameha wave.

Cupping his hands to his side, Yamcha began to pool cerulean energy in the creases of his palms, his eyes never once leaving the sight of his adversary. He almost couldn't believe that this moment was real and actually happening, but the familiar sensation of having his ki manifest between his palms reminded him that this was truly reality.

"Ka…"

'I never could've gotten this far without you, Master Gohan.'

"Me…"

'When I die, whenever that may be… I will find you and thank you for everything you've done for me.'

"Ha... "

'You are my mentor and my hero. Without you, I would never be the person that I am today. I can only hope that by avenging you, you can truly realize how much you meant to me.

"Me…"

'Goodbye, Master Gohan. May you rest in peace.'

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Yamcha's Kamehameha wave erupted out of his palms at blinding speed, roaring with fervent intensity as it scoped out its target. The beam arced upward into the sky as it was set to collide with its prey, and despite his demonic shrieks of terror, the beam swallowed him whole and completely tore away at him. The sea of blue light continued to ascend into the heavens, ripping apart the monster bit by bit, until the beam faded into the heavens with a faint twinkle.

Tambourine was dead.


Lowering his arms, Yamcha genuinely smiled for the first time in nearly a decade. He didn't need to feel out for the monster's energy signal to confirm his demise; he could tell just by the sheer elation that was cascading throughout his body that Tambourine had truly been laid to rest.

But he wasn't alone, something he was painfully reminded of once a feminine voice hit his eardrums.

"Is… is it...?" she raspily spoke, her voice only now starting to return to her. "...over?"

Yamcha, now free from the mental shackles and bindings he'd imposed on himself, nodded with a grin. "Yeah. He's not coming back from something like that… which means that Gohan can finally rest easy in the next world."

"T-That's g-good," Bulma stuttered out, a smile touching her bruised face. Yamcha knew she was trying to conserve as much energy as she could in anticipation of any further attacks, yet he couldn't even find it within himself to care at this very moment. He'd finally avenged the man who had helped him seen a life beyond petty thievery, and to say he was overjoyed would be the understatement of the century.

"I know you can't really speak all that much… but we have to do something about your leg, y'know." Yamcha scrutinized the twisted body part, his eyes softening as he fully processed the sight. "We all agreed that we'd make the jump to help out the others if we have the energy to, and I still feel enough energy to at least make a difference against the rest of Piccolo's kids. At the same time, though… I'm not going to leave you behind." His heart began beating a little quicker, yet he was more concerned with finding Bulma an appropriate place to hide than his heart's implicit messages.

"Forget about me… I'm kinda useless in this condition." Bulma frowned.

"Then let me handle it," came a childlike, high-pitched voice. Both fighters looked up to see Chiaotzu, garbed in his traditional clothing, floating down toward them.

"C-Chiaotzu? What're you doing here?" Yamcha asked, looking upward at the pale-skinned psychic.

"Tien told me to stay back… but I just couldn't do it." His red eyes seemed steeled with determination. "I know he doesn't want to risk me dying… but there's just no point in living knowing that I didn't give it my all to help save the world. Anything I can do, no matter how big or how small, will be worth it."

"Yeah… I think I understand. Does Tien know that you're here?"

"We only saw each other for a moment," replied Chiaotzu, "but he does. He tried to convince me to turn around, but like I said before, I refuse to do something like that. After that, he went off to go and help Krillin out while I helped Launch and Yajirobe find a nice hiding spot to recover. I can do the same for Bulma right now while you go help finish off the demon Krillin's fighting."

Mulling it over for a moment, Yamcha nodded."Yeah… I definitely think that'll be the best way to handle things. Everyone who's injured isn't going to be able to pitch in for the moment, and Bulma especially isn't in any kind of shape to be an exeception."

"All right." Chiaotzu lifted Bulma up with his telekinetic powers, being ever so careful to avoid aggravating the scientist's broken bones. "I'll get her to safety… but just promise me one thing, Yamcha."

"Yeah?" the scar-faced warrior asked, tilting his head. "What is it, Chiaotzu?"

"Please… please make sure that Tien lives throughout all this!" Chiaotzu practically cried out. "He's my best friend in the whole wide world… he tried to get me to stay behind because he wanted to see me live through all this… and I have to thank him after this is all over."

"You got it, buddy," Yamcha determinedly declared to the child-faced psychic, tugging a grin out of the former Crane student. "If I have my way, nobody's gonna die today except for Piccolo and the last of his goons. I won't let Piccolo steamroll through us without being dealt the most pain he's ever experienced in his lifetime. But first… we need to finish off the monsters who did his dirty work." With that he blasted off toward the east, honing in on the final demon's ki signature to bring this demonic debacle to a close.


A few moments earlier…

Krillin dropped back from the fox-emulating monster, nursing a fresh bruise on his cheek as he did so. "Darn… even giving it all I've got, he still has a nasty right hook…" he thought aloud.

Oboe landed on the ground with a grin, though his clutching of his left side indicated that his adversary had managed to do some lasting damage. "That… that was pretty damn good. For a one on one battle, you're probably the strongest opponent I've ever fought to the death." A crazed, twisted smirk lit up his face. "But considering that this is a battle to the death… it'll be a shame that I can't fight you anymore."

"You're right," Krillin acknowledged, thrusting out both of his palms. "But I'm not going to be the one dying today. I said that I would give it my all and whatever happened was up to fate, but… every time I see your sickening face, I'm reminded why the Earth has no choice but to be freed from you all."

"I see that I haven't hit you hard enough yet to break that spirit in you," Oboe devilishly grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Let's fix that, shall we?"

Without hesitation, Krillin fired out twin streams of azure light from his palms, Oboe leaping up into the air to avoid them. Having predicted this, Krillin tucked his knees in and prepared to launch himself into the air—

—but he'd been beaten to the punch.

Oboe fell to the ground a second later, his hand going to the back of his neck in an apparent attempt to assuage his newest injury. "Ugh… damn cheap shot right there, coward…"

Krillin looked up into the sky, grinning. "T-Tien! Man, am I glad to see you!"

His eyes zeroed in on the monster before him, Tien levitated toward the ground abreast Krillin. "Likewise. I was a little worried about you being pit in a one-on-one, but it seems Bulma was right in you being the most capable one of holding out."

"Yeah… about that…" Krillin trailed off. "He's strong. Real strong. Even though I'm around his level of power, the guy can take hits harder than a tank…"

"The one I just killed wasn't exactly a pushover himself, Krillin," Tien deadpanned. "While this demon may be able to handle you in a one-on-one fight, I'd like to see him take on the two of us at once." He slammed his fists together before entering his Crane stance, ready for battle.

Krillin, a wave of confidence rolling over him, adorned his battle stance as well. He grinned as Oboe stood, the pain of his injuries giving way to adrenaline. "You're right! There's no way that this guy's gonna take the both of us out!"

"Maybe not." Oboe, dark-green hands rolling themselves into taloned fists, lit his aura in a cloak around him. "But I will hurt you. If I'm going out today, I'm going out with guns blazing. You two… you're never going to be the same after this fight ends."

"Make that three."

All three combatants turned their gaze upward, watching as Yamcha honed in on them and landed just in front of the side-by-side duo of Tien and Krillin. "Bulma and I finally avenged Master Gohan, but she's out of commission for the moment."

"Haha! Don't make me laugh, punk!" Oboe sneered maliciously. "You don't look half as well as the bald ones; you're clearly still wounded from killing my brother!"

"I can still fight, so I figured I'd lend a hand." Yamcha shot a grin at the spawn of Piccolo, sliding into his combat stance. "That's more than your dad can say, y'know. All he's doing is sitting on his pretty little throne, leaving you and his other kids to die."

Oboe's response was not what the Z-Fighters had expected. Instead of blanching in realization, the monster threw back his head and laughed heartily. "Do you think I'm really as gullible as my brothers are? Unlike them, I couldn't give a damn what my father does. He can sit on his throne for the rest of time and I won't care at all, and you know why…?

"I live to kill. I live for death. This is what we demons were born to do. The way my brothers died is exactly how we're supposed to go out—following our master's orders to the bitter end." His face suddenly contorted into a frown. "But not me. I'm different from the rest of them… I don't care what happens to me in the end so long as I have blood smeared on my hands. So if you're going to kill me, go ahead and do it."

"...I thought Piccolo abandoning you and his other children was heartless," Krillin spoke lowly, bowing his head. "But you've proven yourself to be just as evil, if not even more, than your dad. While, even after everything I said before, I still don't like the idea of taking a life…" His eyes narrowed. "I'm not even gonna feel a bit of regret after we do away with you."

"Every second we let him live is another he could be plotting something," remarked Tien as he warily took another glance back at the castle. "I suggest we just get this over with right now."

"Same here," opined Yamcha, scowling at the last of Piccolo's demonic children. "I don't want to waste another second of my life looking at these ugly green faces."

Oboe toothily grinned as he crouched down. "Now you're speaking my language!" he cried as he sprang forward, cackling vehemently.

"Now! Let's finish it!" Krillin cried, the triptych of warriors leaping forward in a full blitz toward Oboe. There was no need to strategize—a three-on-one battle, with all of Earth's strongest defenders combined, left little to no hope for the demon's chances of victory.


A moment later, the four combatants met one another just a few inches off the ground.

It would be a waste of words to say that Oboe emerged on the losing end of it.


Oboe fell to the ground, his entire body convulsing with white-hot jolts of pain. Despite the durability his body boasted, not even his endurance could handle three opponents at once.

But he didn't care.

The monster rose to his feet slowly, a grin overtaking his face as he looked up at the trio of warriors. "Now this… this is the kind of pain I live for."

Recklessly charging up into the sky, the monster swung a fist at the weakest of his opponents in Yamcha. However, his motion was intercepted by Tien's swift knee to the jaw, leaving him open for a powerful hook from Krillin. Again he found himself sailing backward, yet the monster fought through it and stabilized himself in the air, albeit it sacrificing a great portion of his remaining power.

"You just don't quit, do you?" Yamcha rhetorically asked, a fist subconsciously clenching. "No matter what kind of damage you take, you just seem to get right back up…"

"There's another difference between me and my brothers," pointed out Oboe with a grin. Even in the face of death, he refused to let these pitiful humans get the better of him. "When they're out of energy, they know they're finished. But me? I won't drop dead until my life is beaten out of me. Every. Last. Bit of it."

"I'd love to oblige and give you the death you deserve," fired back Yamcha, rolling his neck. "But I'm afraid we have bigger fish to fry in the form of your dad."

Oboe sinisterly smiled, entertained by the humans' false sense of hope. He had to admit, for once he could understand what made Tambourine love breaking his opponents' resolve. "You say that now… and you're right to, considering my father's superior power. But there's the problem—he is my superior, you fools. Consider how much effort it took out of you to fight my brothers and I… and then magnify that by ten. You still don't recognize how easy it'll be for father to squash you, especially with your weakened powers."

"I suppose we'll have to worry about that when the time comes, then." Tien didn't react in the slightest. "Your father may be strong, but we didn't come without being prepared. But anyway… as you said… talk is getting cheap." Tien cupped his arms to the side, pool-blue light swirling around the creases of his palms. Taking the hint, both of his allies drew their hands back in a similar motion, identical streams of light coalescing before Oboe's very eyes.

And he grinned in spite of the fact he knew his end was nigh.

"Do me a favor…" the monster rebelliously said, stretching out his arms to either side. "Make this one hurt."

"With pleasure," Krillin scowled, completing his gathering of energy. Moments later, his cohorts had done the same. Then, as one, they yelled out "Kamehameha!" and fired a triptych of the legendary blast toward Oboe, who eagerly anticipated the blast like a child would his evening meal. Just before the beam reached him, the Kamehamehas merged together in a roar of blue light, their fusion increasing the height and width of their combined efforts by a magnification of three.

Oboe grinned even wider at the sight.

The beam engulfed him a moment later, its sheer intensity swallowing him up and carrying him backward in a stream of light. His body began to twist and distort underneath the force of the Kamehameha wave, yet even as he could feel his body being vaporized, Oboe still found it within him to let out one last defiant cackle. 'I always pictured myself leaving this world as a result of father growing fed up with my insolence… but this is an even better demise. The only thing that'll top it is watching as father tears at your very flesh and rips your emotions to shreds…'

Finally, he felt his conscience disconnect from his body as it was ripped apart to nothingness, cackling all the while until he could cackle no more.


Krillin lowered his palms, beads of sweat glistening on his skin as they traveled down in rivulets. Though the battle had been strenuous, he knew in his heart that they had succeeded. All of Piccolo's enforcers had finally been brought down by their power, and he'd been responsible for taking one of their lives. It was a surreal sensation, but one that was undeniably reality.

And he beamed.

"Woo-hoo!" he cheered, his inner kid rising to the surface as he pumped a fist into the air. "We did it! We finally did it! They're all finished!" The realist within him knew that there was still Piccolo to contend with, but that was irrelevant at the moment.

"That just leaves that other one who was on the television alongside Piccolo," continued Tien, his stoic expression unchanging in the slightest. "But I highly doubt that, after eight years of sitting on the sidelines, he's suddenly gotten stronger."

"So… that means we're down to one… all we have to do is take out Piccolo, the demon king." Yamcha smiled. The progress they'd made was certainly substantial, but it was only half of the challenge. As that last monster had iterated beforehand, the patriarch of the demonic authority was no pushover. "Seems to me like we have our work cut out for us, huh?"

"It would appear you do," came a rumbling baritone voice that was permanently etched into the fighters' minds. Looking downward and toward the castle, the demon king was standing just outside the entrance with a grin of absolute confidence. "The only question is… can you act upon it?"

Instead of being paralyzed by trepidation, Krillin glared directly at Piccolo. "Yeah. Yeah, we can. We may not win… but we're not afraid of you any longer."

The monarch lowly chuckled to himself, ascending into the air to meet his opponents' elevation. "It seems that you've all raised your morale considerably. I suppose that'll help you… but not by much." He then eyed the trio of warriors, a frown spreading his face. "I take it you three couldn't have dealt with all my children on your own. Did the others run away like frightened little children?"

"You insult them by calling them such a name," Tien retorted. "But to answer your question… not at all. We just happened to be the ones who pitched in the most."

Piccolo raised a hand to a chin in thought. "Well, that much doesn't surprise me. Even all those years back, you two," he motioned toward Tien and Krillin, "were the biggest thorns in my side. Then again, that was back when my bones were aged and fragile… now I have no such limitations on my body." Suddenly, as if this were casual conversation, he asked, "will the others be joining us, or will I need to hunt them down all separately?"

"The only reason we defeated your kids was because we all worked together," disclosed Yamcha, crossing his arms. "We'd be idiots if we thought we could pull something different to knock you off."

"Excellent," grinned the demon king. "Then fetch me them."

An immediate silence permeated over the battlefield, one that nobody broke for ten lengthy moments. Then, suddenly, Piccolo raised an eyebrow and snarled."...are your ears failing you? I ordered you to fetch me your friends!"

"While we're not about to pass up such a generous opportunity," Tien started, narrowing his eyes, "I have to wonder just why you're letting us do that. We're weak right now and have no means of fending you off—why not just end our lives now?"

"I am many things," chuckled the demon king. "I am a demon, I am a monster, and I am a king. But if there is one thing I am not… it is an idiot. I would have to be exactly that to not line up each one of my targets in one row. Regardless of my superior strength, not even I can monitor every single thing that happens on the battlefield. Allowing my children to fight you first allowed for you to be forced to work together, thus allowing me to get you all in one space.

"Fair enough," Tien acquiesced. "I'll go ahead and round up the others." He sparked his aura to life before dashing downward, feeling out Chiaotzu's suppressed ki and honing in on it.

Piccolo watched as the triclops soared downward and made his way toward the edge of Central City before turning back to face the duo of Yamcha and Krillin. "You should feel lucky that I'm granting you these few additional moments to live. Use them however you like."

Neither of his adversaries replied for fear of inciting the monster's wrath.


Tien landed on the outskirts of Central City, beginning a speedy dash toward the forest that overlooked the city with his mind running a mile a minute. 'He'll regret letting us get everyone else all together… and when Chi-Chi shows up, we'll have our best shot at taking this monster down.'

He made his way into the dense forest as quickly as he could; while he was fairly spent by this point, it didn't take him very long to find himself in the middle of a clearing. Upon doing so, Tien came to a screeching halt and closed all three of his eyes. 'I don't have that much time to linger around… but then again, it's not as if it'll take me forever to find them. Chiaotzu's ki was around this area somewhere, yet I can't exactly pinpoint it due to it being suppressed extremely well...'

A few lengthy seconds went by; all Tien could hear were the faint whispers of the wind as he searched his immediate perimeter for any energy sources. He found one, which he quickly traced and honed in on. He suddenly opened his eyes. 'There.'

Not a second later, he lunged to his right and stopped right in front of Chiaotzu, his right side to him and the benched fighters as they all collectively rested against a large tree. The two Crane students instantly locked eyes with one another, and without a single word being communicated, both the imp and the triclops shared an understanding as to their current situation.

The next battle to occur would be the last.


...Whew. That… was the longest chapter I have ever written on FanFiction. This even eclipses the legendary Chapter 3(otherwise known as when I started my lengthy chapter trend). However, while I may be impressed at my ability to churn out chapters with such high word counts, it does not mean that I want to hit these lengths in the future. An 18K chapter is a little more than insane, honestly, and if it were not for this chapter encompassing the entire demon royale, I would have tried to find some way to adequately split it. On that note, if the ending was abrupt to you… well, that's because it was meant to be. I consider this chapter and the next main storyline chapter to be companion pieces, and I feel a really strong way of showcasing this is by tying them together through the final scene. It may feel a little sudden to you considering how much detail I clearly put into this chapter, but as a general rule, I always have some literary device behind the way I write(you can also sort of see that being put to the test with my different attempts at writing each of the demons' final moments). This is just one of those examples right here.

Moving onward, for those of you concerned: Articuno's crew will be getting more specific descriptions in the near future, but I couldn't exactly provide them that with Nail's perspective being more focused on other things. Rest assured that, in their next appearance, they will indeed get fleshed-out descriptions, and it's also then when I plan on describing my allusions for them. In my author's notes/commentary, I only discuss things that the narrative brings up in detail, hence why I feel it would not be prudent to explain everything about these fellows immediately.

Additionally... working two plots at the same time can be insanely difficult. This has been and will be a staple of my story, so while it's not going to stop for the foreseeable future, it does mean that there will be some lapses in time here and there. I don't particularly like doing things like this, but I do want for both arcs to be eventful, so things like this may happen from time to time. Since the King Piccolo battle obviously has priority over the denouement of Namek's current battle, it will be the most prominent of the two for its entire duration. While I would normally try and fit in a Namek scene here and there, I'm afraid that the tonal shift would be far, far too large… and also, King Piccolo is a villain that deserves your full, undivided attention. I'm sure if he were in the real world, he'd blast me to oblivion if I didn't allow him his proper airtime, so there's another thing altogether.

Another something that is worthy of note: this chapter was almost, almost, entitled I Live for Death. Only real reason it wasn't is because, in the end, I felt like it was just a one-off quote by Oboe and that it didn't represent every single one of his demonic children(read: Accordion before he pretty much relinquished his intelligence for adrenaline), but I do think that it sort of sums up the grand bulk of what's been going down on Earth for the last few years. Edge of Daybreak was selected in its place due to, well, it not only literally being the edge of daybreak, but also metaphorically. The stakes are so much higher now that our heroes have dealt with the demonic clan(and that reminds me… I am sick and tired of writing that pronoun in, but thankfully I can stop writing it in such an overabundance) and moved onto King Piccolo, meaning they're only one step away from regaining the planet they've worked so hard to take back.

Lastly, the chapter itself. I was pretty damn confident in what I wrote for it, and I really allowed myself to get sucked into the story. This is the third chapter to be uploaded in a little under two months, and when you consider they were all written in relatively short intervals(this one was written in about seven hours altogether), I feel we are finally on the horizon of more frequent updates. I really, really have to thank you all for your overwhelming support, and here's to Turbulence only getting better and better from here.

-enarmonios: I like your story its seems that you have planned out many great things for the future. I just wish your Namek side of the story is as lenthy and as interesting as the earth part. Because i wouldn't like it if all Kakarot does is waiting around for the earthlings come to Namke to revive their dead friends(at this point there will be no earthling to survive Raditz but still) or for Vegeta and Frieza to find out about dragonballs and arive to Namek. I believe that Kakarot should go to space ffor some reason , maybe along with articuno to attempt to destroy Frieza's base or some strategic move(avoiding battling with frieza of cource) that just a suggestion

Haha, well, you did have the right train of thought there. I'm not exactly wanting to get involved with the Planet Trade yet, but I did have plans for the trio to go to space for a looooong while now. That being said, it'll be a while before their departure due to Namek's current deal and Kakarot's need to recover. The potential for characterization from this point on is endless, and it should hopefully tide you over on the Namek side of things until the space action heats up.

-maximusrexmundi: I was a little curious about Kami here. I never really understood him in canon DBZ so I don't necessarily expect to understand him here either, but I'm curious why he hasn't interfered yet. I mean... Goku defeated king Piccolo and THEN got trained (granted Piccolo Jr was stronger (still don't get how THAT worked... but moving on) so it may have warranted it?) but he won't train people actively trying to stop him? I guess I'm just looking for a why here.

You and me both, pal. You and me both. I've already ranted countless times about how none of his actions made sense, but if you want something... well, here's what my brain cooked up in about five minutes:

As an author, I really, really do want to see my story flow without inconsistencies. I don't like relying on cheap plot devices or flimsy explanations to justify why my story goes down the way it does. In this case, I have to... but I'm at least going to try and defend it even if I don't entirely agree with it myself.

My rule in Turbulence when it comes to taking up the role of Guardian is that the Guardian cannot directly interfere with direct threats to the Earth if there is an adequate defense to said threat.

I know what you're thinking… sounds pretttttty stupid, right? Well, fear not, explanation time:

The reason Kami did not interfere with Goku vs. KP in canon is because after getting his massive power-up from the Super Holy Water, Goku did, in fact, indeed have the power to kill Piccolo. We know this because, well, he did. The reason Kami took Goku in to train him for the likes of Piccolo Junior is that, even combined, the human warriors would fare no chance against him come three years later. Kami realistically had no choice but to train Goku because he was the Earth's only hope(and I'll remind you that canonically Kami doesn't even offer to train Goku until he himself takes the initiative to climb up to the Lookout, so… yeah, pretty plot-messy over here, right?). Even so, their powers were even enough that Kami interjected himself into the fray as Hero(which is the one sort of hole in this explanation, I'll admit), yet he still did not directly attempt to make a claim on Majunior's life when he went for the Evil Containment Wave. Furthermore, when he asked Tien to kill him, he was still not making a direct threat to Piccolo. Had Tien gone through with it and killed Kami, Tien would've technically been responsible for killing Piccolo as well.

How does this explain how Turbulence has gone down so far? It's simple. As you should all probably know by now considering it's been implied in the text, the combined power of all the humans against King Piccolo would crush him. He would stand no chance whatsoever if he was put into a situation where he had to fight everyone on his own, and because there is that possibility of a curbstomp happening, Kami cannot directly train them. He also wouldn't ask Mr. Popo to take his life because he knows that he is their only hope to reviving the Dragon Balls(which they will inevitably need to resolve this whole mess).

Now, I won't lie and say that this is a perfect explanation. I totally get that it's super flimsy, but as my disclaimer pointed out, it has to be.. There really is no way to justify Kami's thought process during the DB story other than Toriyama writing the manga on a weekly basis and likely only conceptualizing Kami a few weeks(or maybe not even that) in advance, and so I feel I have the right as an author to use my creative licensing in order to make the narrative of a better quality. I personally abide by the motto that we, as authors, have the right to be able to fix something that did not make coherent sense in canon, but... well, we need to remember that it isn't possible every time. Toriyama needed to do something for his story to work, and I'm doing something for my Demon Saga to work.

Ugh. I seriously don't like typing these kinds of things because of its lazy connotations, but this is something that has to be said. In my opinion, it's really unavoidable. I won't conscientiously contradict canon unless I have a good reason to(and even then, I try insanely hard to make sure I'm not screwing up dates, times, et alia), and in this case… well, I do. If you don't follow the template canon DB did when dealing with this mess, you're gonna find yourself in a rough scenario. As such, utilizing a plot device like mine in this instance is perfectly understandable from my perspective. Sorry to anyone if they don't feel this way, but this is the one time I feel I need to play the AU card to my advantage. I won't do it often(and hopefully never again), but when I do... well, it's serious, as it is here.

-Vnnk: I am honestly loving all this focus on the earth z fighters i hope you dont fall into the trapings of most dbz fics and just soly focus on how amazing and powerful the sayins are and forget about the humans post sayin arc. Hope at some point we get Nameks at some point meeting one of picilos children the mutated nameks it would be great to see there reaction towards thoes abominations.

Considering that two of the primary characters of my story are Krillin and Bulma, both human beings, I would definitely put those fears to bed. The Saiyans will have their fair share of focus(as they should), but while I am against 'roiding up the humans just 'cause and not wanting them to overstay their welcome(in other words, don't expect them hitting Buu Saga levels of power or something ludicrous like that), I do also wish to accomplish a sense of balance in my story that deals with both power and characterization. An ensemble piece, such as my own, will try to do exactly that.

As for Piccolo's children meeting the Nameks… sure doesn't seem likely now, does it? I had a great time writing out their final moments(Tambourine's and Oboe's especially), but yeah, I do agree it would've made for an interesting sight to see them meet pure-blooded Namekians.