I do not own Dragonball Z, Death Note, Batman Beyond, Justice League, Teen Titans, X-Men Evolution, Bleach, Yu Yu Hakusho, Ghost in the Shell, Fairy Tail, or Darker than Black
Chapter 10: The Searcher
The four members of Caliwone's core team entered the air space above one of Rekai's desert regions and for the first time came face to face with the bipedal monolith that stood before them. Two thousand feet tall, clad in full body armor that looked more like something an old fashioned scuba diver from Earth would wear, and carrying a staff in one massive hand. Six glowing openings, like the sixth side of a die, marked the otherwise plan, almost squared helmet that gave no indication as to expression. Had it not been for the occasional flicker of…. something…. Caliwone would have thought it was a machine of some kind. He couldn't sense it exactly, but he could feel it somehow.
"What is it?" Helena whispered, staring in awe at the enormous form.
"Shayera, Kurama," Caliwone said, ignoring Helena. "Get those cities evacuated and have L deploy half of the reserve squads to assist. We need them out of here fast."
"Understood," Shayera said, snapping herself out of her own awe.
The two took off and Caliwone refocused his attention on the calamity in front of him. "Are you picking anything up from it?" Caliwone asked.
"Not really," Helena said, her tone sounding slightly confused. "I can feel it but it's really weird."
"Same," Caliwone said. "Sounds like we need to start probing the old fashioned way."
Helena smirked. "You know, I was really hoping you would say that."
With a flare of power side by side, the two Saiyans transformed, their gleaming gold glow radiating immensely around them. In another sharp thunderclap of suddenly displaced air, both of their hair spiked and grew a little more, lightning arcing around them both in complete synchronization. Under them, the ground shattered under their combined pressure, rising to into the air a mile around in large chunks that then hovered there.
In response, the enormous creature lifted its staff slightly off the ground and then slammed it down hard. Caliwone's senses flared with the sudden release of extraordinary power as from the place where the staff contacted the ground, a shock wave raced out in all directions, wiping the ground clear of all hills, water holes, and any life in its passing. Caliwone started to launch himself forward, trusting Helena to block the attack from at least the nearest population center where Shayera and Kurama were headed while he attacked but she was frozen in shock. Swearing, Caliwone changed direction and lanced downward, using the power of his Dragon Twister cut like a lightning strike through the expanding bubble of energy directly in the path to the city. Like a wave sliced in half, the bubble of power split, washing to either side of its projected path and sparing the city and causing the attack itself to slowly dissipate.
The monstrosity looked down at Caliwone, clearly taking note as the wave of power finally vanished completely around Caliwone and he rose back into the air next to Helena and shooting her a disgusted look. As he did so, he could see her visibly shake herself free and a wide grin spread across her face.
"What are you smiling about?" Caliwone growled.
"Are you kidding?" she asked, shooting him an excited glance. "I have been waiting for something like this!" Caliwone frowned at her, unsure as to whether she was bluffing or not. With her, it was often hard to tell.
In front of them, the Goliath took a single step toward them, covering a massive amount of ground with that one step and seeming to grow larger simply based on distance. Caliwone smirked, feeling the adrenaline begin to kick in for him a bit now too. In his ear, L's voice spoke.
"Kurama and Shayera have begun the evacuation of the city closest to you and the other teams are beginning a planet wide evacuation but we simply do not have the numbers to do it with the teams we have. I would like to send in the former SDF to assist."
"The SDF?" Caliwone asked in surprise and annoyance. "You have got to be kidding."
"Not at all," L said, his tone sounding a little strained as he tried to coordinate the different teams. "I have already initiated contact with them a little while ago to gauge interest and they were already willing to cooperate with us as an incursion specialist team. They have years of experience with this kind of general situation and have both better numbers and coordination to handle a bigger piece of this."
"I will not have them apart of this, L," Caliwone snarled back. "They cannot be trusted."
"Because they were following their orders from above you?" L shot back. "Get over your pride."
"Watch your tongue, L," Caliwone said, his attention snapping back to the monster in front of him as it began moving again.
"Think about the people of this planet, Caliwone," L said, attempting another tactic. "You are in charge of protecting them. That comes before any slights against you. With that said, you are the lord commander of this team. I will not make a decision like this without your approval."
Caliwone bared his teeth for a moment and the muscles in his arm tighten. But L was right. The teams that he and Kurama had set up were not rated to handle a defensive confrontation at this scale. They needed the help. He would make sure that the SDF understands their role later.
"Fine," Caliwone said, his body relaxing only slightly. "Bring them in."
There was a long pause. "Thank you," L said, not sounding surprised exactly but… something. "I will send them in right away. Also, you have incoming."
"Do not send anyone to assist us, L," Caliwone said, frowning. "The others cannot handle this."
"Not my call," L said and twenty feet in front of Caliwone and Helena, blue light shimmered suddenly revealing a man in all black and white and graying hair. Superman looked up at the monster, clearly not expecting something quite like that and just as clearly not seeing Caliwone and Helena behind him.
"You are not needed here, Kal-El," Caliwone said, relaxing slightly in the air and folding his arms across his chest. "You are in the way."
Superman turned and caught sight of the two floating behind him with halo's above their heads and facing this threat. The stunned look on his face lasted only long enough for his brain and muscles to react and rushed him over to the two.
"What are you doing here?" he asked and then shook his head. "Never mind. We received reports that this thing has destroyed a planet and was headed here. I assume you are here to stop it?"
"Of course, Kal-El," Caliwone said. "And I see that you are off playing universal police again."
"Those with power," Superman said, "have a responsibility to protect with that power."
Caliwone didn't sneer but he came close and simply snorted instead. "Believe me when I tell you that is not the way of the universe," he said instead. "In any event, stay back. Helena will deal with this. Assuming," he added and throwing her a dark look, "you don't freeze this time."
"Please," Helena said. "I'm too hyped up to do that again. Besides, I have been waiting for an opportunity to show you up."
"I know you are both incredibly strong," Superman said, turning back to face the monster and readying himself, "but I'm sorry, we really need to all work together this time."
Caliwone grabbed the back of Superman's shirt and pulled him backwards with astonishing ease. "You misunderstand," Caliwone said. "This is my solar system to protect and you will do what I say when I say it. Understood?"
Superman stared. "Your solar system?"
"Helena?" Caliwone said, ignoring Superman. "Let us see what Kakorate has taught you."
Grinning wildly, Helena floated forward to face the giant that was still waiting for them. Her aura blazed around her, more ferociously than Caliwone had ever seen it do before. It snapped and sizzled erratically as if blown around in a raging wind before her inner light blinded all those who looked on. After a moment or two, Caliwone was able to see what Helena had become.
Her golden hair stretched most of the way down her back now with fewer strands arcing over her face. Her eyebrows were gone completely leaving nothing but her eyebrow ridges in their place to lend to expression. The blue arcing electricity that was the hallmark of the Super Saiyan 2 transformation was much more elaborate here, sparking far thicker bolts at intervals. Her muscle tone was far sharper as well, coiled with strength and power while continuing to lack in mass that was shared in her other forms as well. But the power that was emanating from her left no doubt as to the level she was now on and, wearing Kakorate's uniform, the resemblance between them was uncanny.
Caliwone forcibly relaxed his arms from where the tension was squeezing at his sides and forced calm into his body. This was a very unexpected achievement for her and one that Caliwone himself had not yet advanced to, but that form had many flaws despite its power. Vegeta had described the battle with Majin Buu in its pure kid-like form and how Kakorate had managed to win using this form. At the time, there was nothing else even close. Vegeta's stories had stopped there though, never describing much past that point but he had seen the power the two of them still possessed when Kakorate had lost his senses and become uncontained evil on Earth many years ago. But to think that he would be surpassed by Helena…
"That seems drastic," Superman said dryly, looking for any kind of clue as to what he was looking at from Caliwone. "I like the hair."
Caliwone snorted. "It is the third form of the Super Saiyan," he said. "Right now, she may be the strongest person in the Living Realm."
"Do you really think so?" Superman asked, sounding dubious.
"It will depend on how she fairs against this monster," Caliwone answered. "And, of course, you."
Helena burst forward in an explosion of fiery aura. Trusting in her incredible speed, Helena didn't even bother to try any evasive maneuvers on her approach and crossed the vast distance untouched and with ease. She cocked back a fist for a strike that has been proved capable of punching clear through planets in this form and struck out unrestrained. The attack connected and the shock wave from the impact vaporize the clouds away in the sky and split the ground underneath.
The monolith turned its head slightly to look at Helena and with sudden force, Helena was hurled backwards and too the ground. Falling, Helena was able to recover enough in the air to through herself into several back flips that allowed her to hit the ground with her feet first and slid through the rock before staggering a few steps to a stop, bleeding from a wound on her forehead. The ground exploded without any warning but Helena was already moving to counter attack. She struck at the back of the monsters head, intending to at least avert its attention long enough for her to begin testing its armored body for weaknesses but the attack never landed. She was frozen in mid movement, unable to even retreat.
"Telepathy," Caliwone snarled and raised his power level to attack power. "Great."
But Superman was already on the move. Like a speeding bullet he arrowed in at the center of the beasts chest armor and connected. The creature, whatever it was, slid backwards just slightly but ignored the Man of Steel as it raised its staff and crushed Helena down hard to the ground.
Caliwone relaxed his stance, his eyes on the rising cloud of dust that marked where Helena was buried. He could feel her energy quite clearly, it having not reduced much at all from that attack even though he could feel her pain. Her pain and frustration. The ground erupted a second time from the same location, this time a blaze of gold accompanied the explosion and she raced upward. Superman started to race forward as well, attempting to time the attacks to coincide with hers but instead, took the full brunt of her anger himself. He hurtled out of sight from the force of her attack and she turned to face the destroyer again. It looked at her, no expression visible but, as it did Caliwone, it was clearly taking note. The two stared at each other for a long moment, both contemplating what the next move the other might make but Helena, never one for long stare downs, moved first.
She flashed in, dancing dangerously through the air, attempting to again use her speed as her key offensive advantage. Although the Goliath was enormous, it soon became clear that not only could it clearly see Helena, but often times could either predict where she was going to be or else was able to see the future. Its large arm struck upwards at Helena surprisingly quickly, forcing her to dodge late. The force of wind from the arms passage was enough to send her stumbling through the air again but she managed to regain her footing in the air and hurl a blast of energy at the destroyer. The blast detonated like a nuclear bomb a hundred feet in front of the monster.
"Shields," Caliwone muttered darkly. "How fortunate for it."
Superman floated over to Caliwone from where ever it had been that Helena had sent him, rubbing his jaw slightly. "I see what you mean about her maybe being the strongest thing alive," he said. "But that was that really necessary?"
"You were interrupting her battle," Caliwone said. "I would have done the same."
"And I would expect nothing less from you," he said. "But, I often forget how much she picks up after you."
Caliwone spared Kal-El a dark look. "L, any idea what this thing is yet?" he said instead.
"Nothing concrete as yet," L said. "However, I have put in an emergency request for information to the Kaio's and Koenma and I am still waiting to hear back from them."
"And what of the evacuation?" Caliwone asked instead, ignoring the surprised and approving look from Kal-El.
"It is progressing well," L said. "With Other World support assisting in the evacuations, I would expect them to be completed in no less than twenty minutes."
Caliwone raised his eyes at that but did not otherwise comment on his surprise. "Well done, he said instead. "Let me know when it is done and when we have more information on this thing."
"That was the plan."
"I am glad you are getting the planet evacuated," Kal-El said. "How long?"
"Approximately twenty minutes," Caliwone said.
Superman stared. "That's incredible!"
"Other World has many resources when it decides to use them," Caliwone said, his tone calm and unsurprised. "We will also have more information on this creature soon. Perhaps in time to save this planet all together."
"The Justice League stands by to help in any way we can," Superman said, still looking like he was itching to get in on the fight. "You just need to say the word."
Caliwone snorted gently. "Other Worlds resources, and therefore MY resources, are far greater than anything your remnants of a Justice League could offer." Caliwone threw a dirty smile at Kal-El over his shoulder. "But you are welcome to be a witness."
The ground exploded as another of Helena's energy attacks bounced off of the monsters shields and kicked up dust nearly as high as it was and then its shields flared from behind as Helena struck while its attention was diverted. Much like the first time she had tried that tactic, she was caught in its telepathy and frozen. This time, the monster turned to look at her and blasted her from all six of its eye holes.
Caliwone's senses flared as he sensed more power in that attack than the initial one that would have wiped out the cities it had started with. Helena screamed and flew back, impacting the ground and carving a crater a mile long. Next to him, Caliwone could feel Kal-El resist the temptation to make sure she was alright.
Helena floated up through the dust cloud. Her clothes were tattered and blood flowed from wounds all across her body and lip but her under garments seems to be made of tougher stuff than Kakorate's gi. Her face was rather calmer than what Caliwone would have expected despite her deep frown she was giving the creature. Even her energy hadn't fallen much after all of that which gave Caliwone a small shiver up his back at the true power of that form.
The monster raised its arms to its side in some slow, grand gesture and time seem to lose all meaning. Clouds began to sweep across the sky at an astonishing rate and the blue that tinted the sky itself darkened to a blood red. What trees and plant life was left at the edges of the initial blast zone all wilted and listed, losing all of their leaves, then suddenly straightened back up again and bloomed in an ever repeating pattern.
Helena remained where she was, unmoved by the events happening around her. She would allow this to happen in order to see what exactly she was dealing with. Clearly it was messing with time to one degree or another which put this monster in a different class than the old fashioned overly powerful alien creature and more into something resembling God-hood but she had seen and heard stories of non-Gods performing similar feats.
Caliwone too watched with slight interest, his own mind trying to categorize the monster as well when Kal-El's hand gripped Caliwone's shoulder weakly. He turned and was surprised to see the already aging Superman looking more like the wizened old Bruce Wayne. He frowned, suddenly realizing that he and Helena were essentially immortal being dead and on Other Worlds business but for Kal-El, and every Rekai still on the planet, they were being aged and killed.
"Helena," Caliwone said, turning back to the two in the distance and ignoring Kal-El's tired and indignant look. "You need to put an end to this now. Everyone not already dead is aging and likely dying as we speak."
Helena glanced over at Caliwone before lowering herself down to the ground beneath her. Setting her stance, she raised both of her hands palm forward to point at the monster. Caliwone couldn't hear the words from where he hovered but the stance and the piercing blue light that glowed from her hands as she brought them both back down to her right hip told him everything he needed to know. Kakorate's successor indeed.
The blast that Helena launched shook the planet as it lanced out and connected solidly dead center of the monsters shielding. Whether due to design or strain, the shields glowed a dark red that matched that of the sky for several long seconds. Caliwone had to cover his eyes from the light and blasting wind that swept over him but managed to grab the aged Superman by the shirt front to keep him from being blown away. He dangled from Caliwone's grip, utterly unable to do anything himself even as Helena opened up with the full force of her attack.
Like a bead of water running down an existing stream, Helena's full power smashed into the monster and blasted through its shields. The monster was lifted off the ground in an astonishing display of power and thrown back for what must have been several miles even as the blue of Helena's attack was absorbed by the sky again, the monster landed hard on its feet.
Helena's attack faded and Helena stood gasping where she was and feeling the full effect of the Super Saiyan 3's flaws. That attack had been everything, Caliwone knew. She was now basically useless.
Caliwone glanced back as Superman rested a hand on the one Caliwone was still holding on to the "S" shield on his chest reassuringly. He was back to normal; no longer aged and wizened from a few moments before. Caliwone released him, glad to see that whatever that monster had been doing with time seemed to have reversed its effects once it had lost concentration.
"Caliwone," L's voice said in his ear. "The evacuation has been completed."
"That was fast," Caliwone said, frowning. "It hasn't been twenty minutes."
"That time gets dramatically reduced when nearly everyone we are trying to evacuate dies," L said and for the first time, Caliwone could hear what seemed to be a mix of awe and outrage in his voice. "Only infants and barely older survived the aging process although they are now back in their proper forms but all those who died stayed dead."
"I see," Caliwone said. "Kal-El, return home. This is no place for you and there is nothing more you could do anyway."
"I'm not leaving," he said. "It needs to be stopped."
"And so it shall," Caliwone said, raising a hand and clenching it closed with a spark of electricity. "But you are vulnerable here. If I require you, I will make contact with you."
"Caliwone-" Superman started to say but was cut off as Caliwone made a swiping motion and L removed Superman back to Earth.
"Thank you," Caliwone said to L as he turned his attention back to the monolith. "Any ideas?"
"Still waiting for word from the other Gods," L said ruefully even as his anger seemed to be quelling. "You are the expert in this kind of situation. I suggest you figure it out or retreat until we can come up with a solution."
Caliwone snorted. "There is no honor in retreating, L."
"Nor is there shame in doing so when you are up against an opponent you do not fully understand," L retorted. "I had to do it several times when I was up against Light and the Death Note. Do not allow pride to eclipse your view of the bigger picture."
"And you still managed to die," Caliwone said.
"So did you, Caliwone," L shot back. "But in my case, my understanding of the enemy lead to his eventual downfall by my successors." Caliwone's lip twisted at that but there wasn't much he could argue. What little information he had gotten from Kurama about L's final case, it did seem that L knew how to play things smart.
"If we get to that point, then we will do as you say," Caliwone said as the monster moved in on Helena. "But I have not yet had my turn."
His aura blazed around him as he launched himself forward at the same time Helena did. The monster paused briefly as if assessing who was the greater threat before turning his eyes on Caliwone. It was a wise move.
Pushing himself hard, Caliwone vanished, angling himself to come in at the top of the monsters head and driving his Dragon Twister straight down. The monster looked up, not taken by surprise at all by the move but Caliwone had expected this. Before he could be trapped by telekinesis, Caliwone reappeared directly in front of what would be considered its now exposed neck. With speed that Caliwone would have thought impossible for a being this size, its staff whipped up and connected solidly with his side and sent him rocketing off sideways.
Taking advantage of the distraction that Caliwone had caused, Helena swept in on the same trajectory and managed to sneak in a punch right on the front of the monsters head. The blow forced the monster to take a step back from the force but was equally quick to use its own head as a weapon and send Helena crashing to the ground once again.
Caliwone skidded to a halt in the air, finally able to recover from the blow. His mind was fuzzy and he shook his head once to clear it. Gritting his teeth, Caliwone ripped the bandages off his right arm and began drawing energy from all the life on the planet, storing it all in his dominant hand. Racing back to the battle, Caliwone was just in time to see the monster slam its staff down hard onto where Helena was laying. Purple and red energy sparked from the impact point and throughout the cloud of dirt, making Caliwone suspect that the attack Helena had just been hit with was probably several times more severe that what it had looked like.
Putting that thought aside, Caliwone fired his White Lightning at full force down onto the monsters back. Caliwone's ultimate offensive struck, blasting straight through the creature and into the ground in a thousand thick bolts of lightning that spawned a hundred more minor bolts in all directions and cracked thunder as if it was a God's voice.
Caliwone grinned as he looked through the hole in the monster he had created as smoke wafted up from the edges of its burned flesh. That smile faded though as the monster straightened and the hole slowly filled itself back in, complete with armor.
"Are you kidding me?" Caliwone growled in frustration and readied himself again. Only this time the monster ignored him all together. Caliwone only got a flicker of warning before the monster fired its energy attack from its eyes again down on where Helena lay sprawled in the crater. This time however, the attack was far more powerful.
Caliwone raced in at his maximum speed. It was barely fast enough. He appeared directly in front of Helena with his Dragon Twister already writhing in his hand and punched the blast as hard as he could. The ground erupted all around them like water splashing off of a rock in a waterfall. All Caliwone could see was light, blinding light and could feel the immense pressure this monster was producing. He could feel his hand, arm, and shoulder breaking and healing over and over even as he poured more and more power into the Dragon Twister to keep them both from being obliterated.
Helena staggered to her feet and struggled to walk over to Caliwone even in her form and rested a hand on his shoulder. With her left, she reached past him and fired everything she still had left in a wave of energy to try and push back the attack. The two of them, for the first time working as one, straining with everything they had. And it still wasn't enough. Caliwone could feel the monsters efforts increase and the two of them losing what little ground they had been able to make together. The ground underfoot bucked and shook making it hard for either of them to keep their footing. Caliwone closed his eyes, gritting his teeth as he put it all into keeping them in existence. But for all of their might, it was still nowhere near enough.
"L!" Caliwone yelled, struggling to get that single syllable out coherently. "Get us out of here!" And in a sudden blink, they were gone and suddenly found themselves back in the Other World command room with L, staggering with the sudden loss of opposing pressure.
Helena collapsed to the ground, her Super Saiyan 3 hair fading back to her normal red as she lost consciousness as she hit the floor hard. Caliwone, for his part, managed to keep himself upright long enough for him to watch on the display as Rekai glowed brightly yellow at first, then red, and then vanished into a millions pieces, taking a chunk out of Domi with it before he too collapsed into unconsciousness.
To be continued…
What a stack of Super surprises. But even with a powered up Helena, they were still no match for the power of that thing. And with all of that, the tally of destroyed planets climbs to three.
What happens now? I want to know your thoughts!
Please, leave a review and see if you're right!
The Dark Prince