A/N:
Hey guys, back again with another chapter. I managed to get this one out pretty quickly. I'm not doing too much lately so I've been hammering away at my stories. Really enjoying it as well. I'm sort of excited to see this story so close to completion. Over a year and a half of working on this, I won't lie, I'm rather attached. I know there's heaps of errors and things I've probably looked over, but hey, I'm proud of both myself and my editors for getting this far.
Doomguy914: I've been editing the most recent chapters of this story and Pride of Four myself. Our other editor is ill right now and we hope he gets better shortly. You have any gripes with the story's grammar you have only me to blame. Sorry.
So thanks for reading! Seriously. Thanks guys.
Now there's something I want you guys to understand before going into this chapter. It's really important and I want you guys to know. This has to do with the Humans of Remnant, versus the Humans of Earth. In terms of this story, the potential of Humans of Remnant, is far greater than the potential than the Earth Humans. I probably should have explained it more clearly in the story, but that's a problem on my front. So for all intents of purposes, here's my reason why the RWBY characters have gotten so powerful in such a short time in this story.
Reason: Humans on Remnant, over thousands of years have evolved to be natural born fighters due to the constant threat of extinction by the Grimm. Aura and Semblances in this story, are purely abilities that only those born on Remnant are able to acquire. Due to them never really unlocking their inner energy (Ki), their potential and destructive power has been capped at a certain level.
Earth's Humans in comparison, only really fight because of either passion or profession. It's never because their species is in danger of being extinction. They don't have Semblances or Aura. All of this ends with their potential being lower than that of Remnant's humans.
TLDR: Remnant Humans have more potential than Earth Humans because they have evolved over thousands of years to fight Grimm and other evil forces, while also having Aura and Semblances. Humans/Faunus on Remnant are completely different to the Humans on Earth.
Please keep in mind, this isn't an opinion. This is story specific which I probably missed completely on conveying. If any of you are confused, I urge to you to PM me so I can explain it a little bit clearer. I don't want to pad for words here, but what I've said is the general gist of why Pyrrha, Yang, and the others have gotten so strong in such a short amount of time.
Granted, this also coincides with the fact that they've been fighting against Cell and opponents much stronger than them, while also training with Gohan. I operate under the idea that fighting against powers stronger than your own, causes you to grow to new heights. Due to constant training with Gohan and fighting against Cell, they've grown considerably stronger in a shorter time span.
That's enough rambling, on with the chapter!
Chapter Twenty One: Of Men and Monsters
A chill could be felt for miles around the barren wastelands, spreading terror throughout home to the most dangerous of Grimm.
With its new occupants, even the Grimm, once thought to be unfeeling creatures of pure malice, were scared and they had every right to be. A war that had been a millennia in the making, was about to conclude and decide the fate of the world. The infamous witch, Salem stood faced off against her mortal enemy, Ozpin. In front of her, creations of her making, forged through the Relic of Creation and given shape by Gohan's memories.
Terror incarnate stood, smiling and taking delight in the fear they projected upon their opponents.
"My… what layer of Hell have I found myself in now?" Freeza mused as he scanned the area around him. His amusement was short lived when his vision landed on a boy who wore the same orange clothing as the man who killed him. His wrath and anger became visible on his ghostly white skin as he glared madly at Gohan. "You…"
Gohan remained deathly silent, glaring at all three of the enemies that stood in front of him. He knew that fighting all three of them at once would be foolish. There was something different about the two Androids this time around. He didn't know why, but he could sense their energy. They were strong, incredibly so. To the point where they could have probably beaten him if they had actually worked together back when he killed them. He had caught them off-guard and easily disposed of them.
Now, this would be a different story.
And with Freeza added to the mix, he was more unsure as ever just how this fight would pan out.
"Who are you!?" Freeza demanded hotly. "That get up you wear marks you a dead man!"
"Pipe down, short stuff," Seventeen quipped in amusement, drawing Freeza's attention. "That right there, is Son Gohan, and if you think you're going to be the one to kill him, I suggest you rethink your situation."
"He's our kill," Eighteen snapped angrily. The Galactic Emperor growled menacingly as he turned his gaze to the two humans who stood to his left. "Get in our way and we'll make sure you pay dearly."
Freeza was about to retort but was interrupted by a violent tremor in the earth around them. The now exposed lava surged upward towering before them in a fiery pillar.
An animalistic growl exited Gohan as a violent wind surrounded him. Yang took a step back as the hybrid's power swelled within him like a tsunami. His eyes flashed, his hair blinking between coal black and pristine gold. His muscles bulged like they never had before. This wasn't like his normal transition… it was like he was taking things a step further! Golden electricity impacted the ground around him as his aura engulfed him like a wildfire.
Gohan let loose a roar that echoed through the entire wasteland, a hurricane of power that was almost suffocating to those around him. The good, caring nature his eyes often held was gone, replaced by bitter, steel hatred for the beings within his line of sight. Yang and Pyrrha could feel the extent of this power. The only time they could remember him using this kind of power was back at Beacon when he fought Cell after the monster had achieved his second form.
This was the true, unbridled power of the Super Saiyan.
"Gohan…?" Yang breathed, slightly stunned having witnessed this particular power up first hand.
"As much as I believe I could fight all three of them, I don't think that would be the smartest idea. I know I can take those two," Gohan snarled gesturing to Seventeen and Eighteen. Yang followed his gesture to the male and female humans. Something told her they were more of a threat than the alien that stood a few feet to their left. "I'm much stronger than them, but I don't feel like I could keep track of all three of them. As much as I hate to say it, you guys need to fight Freeza. He's the weaker of the three, but don't take that for granted. He was infamous for destroying planets and erasing entire civilizations."
"You flatter me," Freeza chuckled mockingly.
"Freeza?!" Yang hissed under her breath, clearly shocked at the familiar name. "But I thought…" she trailed off, gazing at the three enemies in front of them. She balled her hands, her knuckles going white. Were these things created using Gohan's memories? Are these the foes he fought with in the past? The ones that had caused him so much heartache and despair? The merciless look in their eyes gave Yang chills.
"I will help," Pyrrha said suddenly, landing next to Yang. Weiss and Cinder also took to the sky and retreated to Yang's side, knowing that the blonde girl would need their help against a foe like this.
"I'm starting to wish I couldn't sense power levels, because all three of them are terrifying," Weiss said, gesturing to the twin androids. Turning her eyes back to Freeza, she started to sweat nervously. "Something about him seems even worse than the other two though."
"It's going to take all four of us to bring him down," Cinder spat, clearly not liking the situation. Yet another power that dwarfed her own had entered the fray. "As much as it sickens to me say, we all need to work together on this one. One wrong move and we are as good as dead."
"Let me take the hits then," Yang suggested, her hair instantly igniting. A quick grunt and her body shifted into her semblance evolved state. Her iris's shifting from lilac purple to fiery orange. Her body glowed, a tranquil, controlled feeling to her power. Pyrrha with some slight difficulty, managed to tap into her own semblance evolved state, having only used it twice before. The aqua blue aura rolling off her skin. Weiss and Cinder just powered up, a white aura surrounding both of them.
"Enough talk," Salem boomed. "Attack!" she ordered. Surprisingly enough, her creations did nothing.
Seventeen turned to the White Witch with a scowl on his face.
"We'll attack when we feel like it."
The statement left everyone present stunned save for Gohan. Seventeen turned to his sister, who still had her sights locked on the young Saiyan. The hateful glare she was sending the half-breed's way was absolute loathing and distaste. She could remember her death clearly at the hands of this boy. He even looked the same as he did when they last fought.
"I'm not about to let this kid kill us again, so how about we take things seriously this time around?"
Eighteen growled, the bitter memories of being the last to fall at the teen's hands plaguing her mind.
"I'm going to break his bones and make him watch as I kill all of his friends right in front of him. Seems fair enough for what he did to us. Come on, Seventeen. Let's break this punk!"
The two reincarnated androids shot forward at blinding speeds, aiming to fight Gohan head on. The half-Saiyan shot forward to meet them, his voice booming as he clashed with his mortal enemies. The entire landscape shook violently as the fighters disappeared into the sky. The dark clouds in the vicinity were blown away by the incredible power, leaving a crimson sky overhanging the entire area.
"So, the monkey half-breed has decided to ignore me," the white-skinned alien chuckled menacingly. "No matter. I will dispose of the trash and kill him myself," Freeza stated. Turning to Salem, the galactic tyrant sent the witch a dark look, promising death should she get in his way. "I do not know how you have managed to return me to life, but I must extend my gratitude for such an action. However, should you get in my way I will see to it that your existence is swiftly erased."
Salem watched, speechlessly as Freeza turned back to the four girls that faced him. Had she just been threatened by her own creation? The way it spoke, it implied she had resurrected them from the dead! If this was the power of the Creation Relic, combined with the Knowledge Relic, there was no telling what she could do. The sheer possibilities were endless! She had no idea where to start! The thought of artifacts being capable of defying the laws of death was simply astounding!
The four empowered girls watched as Freeza slowly moved towards them, a look of sadistic pleasure crossing his face.
"I suppose you four will do for now. The entree to my revenge."
"If you think this is going to be easy for you," Cinder growled hatefully. "Then you have another thing coming."
Freeza just laughed.
"Amusing. I hope you four put up a decent fight. I'll be disappointed otherwise. I find very little enjoyment in killing the helpless."
Before their very eyes, Freeza vanished from sight. Only Yang could properly trace the speeds of their alien opponent. Appearing to their right, Yang took the initiative and attacked, throwing a punch that Freeza caught effortlessly. Weiss and Cinder retreated slightly from the fight, knowing they would get brutalized if Freeza caught them off-guard again. Pyrrha maneuvered herself around the Emperor, only to have the fiend's tail wrap around her waist and throw her into a nearby mound of rocks. It had happened so quickly she hadn't had time to react.
"You can follow my movements!" Freeza exclaimed with some element of intrigue. A smirk crossed his face. "Perhaps things won't be as dull as I thought. For you to keep up with my speed in my final form is nothing short of extraordinary. Very few in the universe have managed to match me in power while I'm in this form, even less have survived. Let's see which one you are!" Freeza's power exploded around him, engulfing Yang in a magenta aura. Its energy was monstrous, however, nothing she hadn't dealt with before.
Freeza brought his knee up and rammed it into Yang's midsection. The blonde smirked as she felt her power rise. If Freeza had noticed, he clearly didn't show it. Yang directed a significant portion of her Ki to hardening her abdomen, while purposefully leaving it wide open for Freeza to attack while the monster had her hand trapped. Freeza chuckled as he repeated the attack over and over, the ground splitting and cracking each time Yang was hit. However, after a few moments, Freeza began to notice that the girl was letting him do it on purpose.
"Oh, figured it out have you?" Yang taunted with a grin. Freeza growled.
"Insignificant insect," the Emperor hissed. "What are you planning?"
"THIS!" Yang ripped her hand from Freeza's grip, letting her power explode all at once before ramming her fist into Freeza's own stomach. The galactic tyrant's eyes bulged as the transformed brawler brought her knee up and slammed it into her opponent's chin. Freeza was sent toppling backwards but Yang wasn't even close to being finished yet. Flashing forward and jumping over top of Freeza, she cupped her hands and launched an explosive yellow energy wave that swallowed Freeza whole, pushing the Galactic Emperor directly into the ground. The blast continued to dig deeper until it exploded just beneath the surface, peppering the land with shrapnel composed of obsidian and rock.
Immediately, Yang retreated, knowing that attack wouldn't be enough to put her opponent down for good. It took Gohan's father achieving a legendary transformation to finish this monster off. It would take much more than she was capable of dishing out to kill this guy. She landed next to Pyrrha, who had just managed to push herself out of the rubble. The redhead looked slightly dazed from the impact.
"You alright, Pyrrha?"
"I've had worse."
As the two steadied themselves, Freeza shot to the surface, touching down on the ground relatively uninjured from the assault. A sickly smile was plastered on his features as he eyed both girls. He also noticed the black and silver-haired girl who had been very adamant in keeping their distance. He grinned knowingly. They must have realized how useless their attempts would be to harm him. They did not seem to share the same resolve as the two in front of him, so therefore, they must not share the same power levels.
"A commendable effort, truly," Freeza mocked lightly. "However, I feel that you fail to see the bigger picture here. My power far exceeds your own, if those attacks were by any measure a testament to your true strength. You'd do well to kneel and pledge allegiance to me. Your very existence could depend on the decision you are about to make."
"Oh, get lost!" Yang retorted angrily. "I think I'd rather get eaten by Cell than serve someone like you!"
"Disrespectful peon. You're going to wish you hadn't said that," Freeza stated in annoyance. The merciless dictator began taking steps towards the huntress duo. Yang and Pyrrha slipped into a stance, just in time to see Freeza once again vanish from sight. Yang followed his movements carefully, blocking a kick meant to snap Pyrrha's neck. Deflecting an attack from behind, Yang shifted her weight, turning and hooked Freeza in the jaw. Pyrrha immediately turned, following up her friend's attack with her own.
Taking out Freeza's legs, she sent the alien airborne. Flipping over her redheaded teammate, Yang planted her foot directly into Freeza's stomach, causing the malicious emperor to splutter. Pyrrha exploded forward, grabbing the vulnerable Freeza by the tail and hurling him into a nearby mountain. Yang and Pyrrha then hailed down a volley of energy attacks that bullied the galactic ruler into the ground. After a few moments, the two girls stopped to observe what kind of damage they managed to do.
"This guy isn't so tough," Yang boasted. Just as she said that, Freeza casually strolled out of the smoking debris with a few scratches but minimal damage. Frieza stopped a fair bit away from them as he lazily brushed some dirt off his shoulder. "Okay… maybe he's tougher than he looks."
"Definitely stronger than Ginyu. You'd make my strongest soldiers look like toddlers. You're going to actually force me to use fifty percent of my power. Allow me to inform you that up until now, every strike you have landed on me, I have allowed you to make. I have been using a paltry twenty percent of my maximum power."
"Yeah!? Well I haven't been using my full power either!" Yang shot back. The ruthless sadist brushed off her comment as a bluff. However, that changed when Yang's aura erupted around her, a golden flare of power amplifying her energy like never before. The blissful fire that had replaced her golden locks had intensified. Her eyes burned with raw energy as she finalized her powerup. Freeza watched, betraying no emotions other than slight intrigue in her power. It was very similar to that of Saiyans, but she was clearly human and this was definitely no Super Saiyan.
"What say we make this a little more interesting?" Freeza proposed, his own energy covering him from head to toe. A slight flex of his muscles and power had his body shining brightly. In a split second, it vanished, leaving the tyrant looking the same as he did before. Yang and Pyrrha were left looking rather perplexed at the action their opponent had just taken. "Fifty percent of my maximum power. If you can last a measly five minutes against me at this level of strength, I will personally make sure your deaths are swift. Such commendable strength should be rewarded after all."
"Some reward," Pyrrha muttered sourly. Freeza laughed and shot a energy blast at the two girls. Pyrrha's eyes narrowed as her power kicked in. The energy blast fizzled out of existence before it even came close to hitting the two girls. The sudden occurrence of this event left Freeza rather confused as to why it had happened. Clearly something was afoot here and these girls possessed powers unlike any he had encountered before. They took the form of the humans he had encountered on Namek… but something about them was different.
"An interesting ability. I'm uncertain of which one of you possesses such a power but it won't matter. If my energy attacks won't work against you, then I have other methods of dealing with insects."
Freeza flashed forward only to be met head-on with Yang. The girl collided with the megalomaniac, landing straight into a mercy lock. Freeza looked rather annoyed by the fact that fifty percent of his power wasn't enough to overwhelm the girl. Clearly, she was far stronger than he gave her credit for. His flaw seemed to be vastly underestimating his opponents. He had done it countless times on Namek and his short-lived visit to Earth. However, it seemed he hadn't quite learned to rectify that mistake yet.
"What's wrong?" Yang taunted as she lifted a leg to knee Freeza, only to have him mirror her actions. The force of their knees colliding forced the ground below them to split and crumble in on itself. A crater seemingly formed in a split second and the two fighters found themselves floating in the air, struggling to overcome one another. "You don't look as confident as you did before. If this is all you have then I'm very disappointed!" Yang growled, pulling Freeza towards her, just in time for Pyrrha to seamlessly fly over the brawler's head and deliver a roundhouse kick directly to the Emperor's face.
Freeza was sent barreling into the ground, with Pyrrha continuing the assault by turning herself into an angry, red comet. Tearing into the sky, she circled back and shot down into the ground, impacting Freeza's body, sending him further into the ground with an agonized roar. She quickly retreated, flipping out of the crater and landing at Yang's side, preparing herself for whatever Freeza was going to throw at them next.
"Never thought I'd be pulling off team attacks with you," Yang quipped lightly. Pyrrha noted the humor behind the comment. They were both on different teams after all.
"We do make a good team."
Before either of them had a chance to converse further, the ground started to shake. Tearing through the earth below them, a violent dark pink aura shot out of the ground and into the air. Arms crossed and looking slightly miffed, Lord Freeza hovered above them. The Emperor displayed no signs of physical damage aside from a few scratches, causing a pit to form in Yang's stomach.
"An impressive display of strength," Freeza mused. "I'm fortunate I was brought back in this form, otherwise I might have been in danger of losing my life once again. It appears I have underestimated your capabilities. You are clearly unlike those other humans I encountered on Namek. I will make sure to treat you with the respect you deserve," the tyrant finished, adding mockery to his tone. Yang and Pyrrha prepared themselves for an attack, only to see an energy wave thunder towards Freeza from behind.
Freeza turned, slightly annoyed at the interruption. Cinder and Weiss appeared to have worked together, combining their powers to attack Freeza. However, their power wasn't nearly strong enough to scratch the Galactic Emperor. Anger flooded the sadistic emperor's features as he turned and effortlessly caught the blast head on, immediately directing it towards the sky. Cinder and Weiss watched, dumbfounded that their attack had been deflected so easily. Before either of them had a chance to say anything, Freeza shot towards them, his hands outstretched.
Clamping around both their necks, he slammed them both into the ground, dragging the two females through dirt and rock. Yang and Pyrrha quickly launched into action, rushing Freeza directly. The alien quickly dealt with his current prey tossing them aside and firing two ki blasts at them for good measure. Cinder and Weiss screamed as the blasts detonated on them in unison. They were sent barreling across the battlefield, unable to recover in the air.
Yang attacked Freeza's left side while Pyrrha assaulted Freeza's right. The both of them were a blur of colors, fighting at speeds Freeza was all too used to. However, at this speed and power, he found himself on defense, unable to attack either of them. Yang managed to brute force her way through Freeza's guard after a few moments, delivering a thunderous punch to Freeza's side, all while Pyrrha launched a devastating attack on his head. Freeza was sent skidding backwards, having received colossal damage. The Emperor could feel his lower ribs crack from the incredible strike. Although, it seemed the damage he had taken from the redhead was significantly less than the fiery blonde's.
Yang and Pyrrha immediately charged a Kamehameha wave and fired them off in unison.
The two blue energy waves combined and impacted Freeza dead on. The tyrant struggled to maintain his balance with his current injuries. After a few moments, Freeza smirked as a magenta aura engulfed him. Powering up, he quickly pushed himself off the blast and circled around towards the two girls. The Kamehameha wave continued forth, slamming into where Salem's castle had previously resided, erasing the entire mountain from existence. Freeza laughed maniacally as he slammed into both girls, clothes-lining both of them. Using his forward momentum, he launched both girls into a pile of rocks.
"A feeble effort! Let me show you how it's done!" Lifting his finger, he fired off multiple Death Beams towards the two transformed girls. Yang had just enough time to shield Pyrrha from the vicious attacks. The beams of energy ripped through Yang's body like a knife through wet cardboard. She screamed in agony as the beams hit the rocks behind her and exploded. Luckily Pyrrha wasn't killed by the vicious assault. "You should think twice before attempting to face me!"
Freeza continued to fire off Death Beams into the cloud of smoke that continued to get larger and larger. Finally, after a few moments of devastation, the Emperor of the Universe halted his attack to observe the results of his onslaught. When the cloud of smoke cleared, Yang was on her knees, blood leaking from the corners of her mouth and from the various holes in her body. Pyrrha was standing in front of her, practically shining. Freeza was utterly shocked by the fact that his death beams were floating in the air in front of Pyrrha. With her arms outstretched, a look of fierce concentration was plastered on the redhead's face.
With a scream, she thrust her hands forward, sending the energy beams straight back at their maker.
"What!?" Freeza exclaimed batting away the various beams of energy. A few beams collided with Freeza, exploding on contact, covering the egotistical ruler in a cloud of smoke of his own creation. As Pyrrha fired Freeza's attacks back at him, Yang slowly pushed herself to her feet with inhuman strength. Her body was shaking violently as she growled. Pushing out as much power as she could, she willed her body to heal the damage done. The holes in her body slowly closed up and knitted themselves back together. Muscle, bone, and organs repaired within seconds.
Wiping blood from her mouth, Yang flexed her power, standing to her fullest unharmed in the slightest.
"That… was the most painful thing… I have ever experienced," Yang breathed heavily. Pyrrha finished firing off the remainder of attacks and slipped into a defensive stance. Yang mirrored her friend's action. "This guy is no joke. If I didn't have this power, I would be a lifeless hunk of swiss."
When the smoke cleared, Freeza stood tall, covered in scratches and blood leaking from the left corner of the tyrant's mouth. A look of fury burned in the Emperor's eye. If they had any chance of mercy before, they had most certainly signed their death warrants now.
"You…" Freeza growled. "YOU WILL REGRET DEFYING ME!"
The Emperor of the Universe leaned over, a roar exiting his throat. Lightning crackled in the sky, the very planet itself starting to shake violently. A purple aura exploded around Freeza as his muscles bulged to ridiculous levels. His power shot through the roof, his murderous gaze zeroed in on both Yang and Pyrrha. The two girls knew they had pissed him off with how much power he was exerting. The entire wasteland seemed to blacken even more than it was, as if Freeza's own shadow overwhelmed the area.
"I'm sick of playing these games with human CHILDREN! If you wish to die so badly, allow me to be the one that fulfills your request!"
His energy exploded and suddenly, Pyrrha found herself buried in the ground, Freeza's foot crushing her chest. Coughing up blood, she felt her ribs crack as the immense pressure almost flattened her. Freeza then immediately turned his attention to Yang who was already on the attack. Freeza easily bulldozed through her defenses and tackled her, flying across the battlefield and taking them both straight into a mountain. Exploding out the other side, Freeza took Yang by the hair and threw her into the ground.
Not even a split second later after Yang hit the ground, Freeza was after her in a flash, firing off energy blasts that scorched her body from head to toe. The entirety of the barren wasteland was shaking from the immense power as Freeza refused to let up the punishment. Immediately after the blasts, Freeza shot down and rammed his knee directly into Yang's face. Blood spewed from her nose and mouth. Punches were thrown at lightspeed as the fight became one-sided.
Attacks rained all over her body, and to fatal areas no less. Kidney… lungs, liver, pelvis. Her entire body was screaming for mercy but received none. Her iconic weapons had been disintegrated into dust. Her favored huntress outfit was ripped to shreds, leaving her modesty rather exposed. She was down to her yellow sports bra, black shorts and her combat boots. Her entire body was covered in dirt and blood. Her aura had shattered at some point in the fight because her body was no longer being shielded by it. She felt like she had landed in Hell.
"You are truly pathetic. Even the monkeys put up a better fight than you did," Freeza growled, picking Yang up by the hair. Yang peered through the blood that dripped over her eyes. She could feel her body slowly healing the damage done, but at this current moment, Freeza was doing more damage than she could heal. At this rate, she was going to be killed. She could truly see the resemblance between Cell and Freeza. Cell was a ruthless monster. Freeza however… this was more like she was staring into the eyes of the Devil himself.
Yang slowly raised one of her hands and clamped down on Freeza's hand. She had faced worse than Freeza! She still had to get back at Cell for what he did to Ruby! She wasn't about to give up here. No… she couldn't. Failure was not an option here and giving up was absolutely out of the question. Her pride wouldn't allow it. No matter how many bones were broken, or how much she bled, she wouldn't die here.
A golden, celestial flame erupted around Yang as she tightened her grip around Freeza's arm, slowly removing it from her head. Freeza gasped and tried to step back, only to find that he couldn't despite him being at full power. Yang's grip was like Iron… and her eyes. Her flaming golden eyes. For a brief second, Freeza saw the avatar of the man who had bested him so many years ago. Only briefly. The Saiyan known as Son Goku for a split second, took the place of Yang Xiao Long. Despite having different colored eyes, they shared the same burning resolve to crush him.
"N-No!" Freeza tried to pull away but Yang refused to let go. A growl that couldn't possibly be human exited Yang's throat. "Not again! You aren't even a Saiyan! You can't be the same!"
In a flash, Yang buried her fist inside of Freeza's stomach. All the abuse and damage she had taken surged through her, but instead of releasing it, she held onto it. Refusing to let go of the strength she had just gained. Freeza stumbled backwards, coughing and spluttering from the unexpected attack. Glancing at Yang, Freeza realized through his wheezing that the girl appeared to have gained an incredible amount of power from some kind of source. She was literally glowing, just like that monkey had been all those years ago.
"You WRETCH!" Freeza spat as he steadied himself, drawing on all the power he could. "I will not be bested again!"
Summoning every ounce of his power, Freeza shot forward and slammed into Yang. The fiery blonde held her position with clear difficulty. The ground beneath them exploded, debris floating up around them due to the immense power being traded between the two. Freeza went in for another strike, only to have it met with equal force by Yang's own strike. Freeza roared with frustration and anger as he started throwing as many attacks as he could. Yang matched every single one, the two fighters battling at speeds invisible to the untrained eye.
"I don't care where your power has come from!" Freeza bellowed. "You're no Saiyan! You're going to hit your limit sooner or later and when you do, I'll be the one to kill you!" the Emperor of the Universe stated as the two continued to trade blows. However, as they did so, Yang's energy increased ever so slightly and before Freeza knew it, she was starting to overwhelm him. The veins on her skin became visible as fire started to lick her skin. Her body was starting to steam from all the energy she was generating. Yang grunted, feeling the inferno inside of her starting to fall out of her control. She knew she had to end this soon or her own power would end up killing her.
"You sure love talking," Yang hissed, delivering a bone-shattering kick to Freeza's right shoulder. The tyrant's expression was that of agony as Yang felt the bones within her opponent start to crack. Thrusting her hand forward, she let loose a blast of energy that carried the Emperor a few hundred meters before exploding. The smoke cleared quickly as Freeza powered up, clearly having taken significant damage from the attack. Freeza retaliated by speeding towards Yang and kicking her into the sky. Flashing behind her, he wrapped his tail around her neck and threw her into another mound of rock and dirt.
"Take this!" he threw another colossal blast of energy her way. Yang shot out of the crater and collided with the Ki blast. She pushed with all the power she had. Her hands felt like they were going to burn off but as she continued to push, she could feel Freeza losing control of the blast. With a scream, Yang tore through the energy and headbutted Freeza in the chest, completely winding the Emperor. Using her momentum, she flipped and drop-kicked Freeza directly into the earth below.
The Emperor of the Universe recovered, landing on the ground, cracking the surface as he did so. He looked back up at Yang, rage clouding his thoughts, he thrust both hands forth and fired off one of the biggest energy waves Yang had ever seen. She had no time to dodge, so she decided she'd once again meet him with her own attack. She thrust her hands forward, the familiar blue energy wave exploding from her cupped hands. The two blasts met violently as the beam struggle shook the entire area around them. Countless debris was lifted from the area and flowed into the middle of the two clashing beams, disintegrating on touch.
"Die! DIE! DIE!" Freeza screamed, pouring more energy into his blast. Yang found herself being pushed back as the merciless megalomaniac came terrifyingly close to overwhelming her. Her inexperience when dealing with such a clash of energy was weakening her. She had to gather her bearings quickly, otherwise Freeza would completely annihilate her! Gritting her teeth, Yang pushed more of her energy into the wave.
"I can't lose here!" Yang thought desperately. Luckily her prayers were answered when a beam of energy rocketed from a nearby destroyed cliff. Weiss and Cinder were standing there looking worse for wear. Their hands were smoking as they had combined their Maiden powers to unleash all of their available energy into a single attack. Freeza had no time to move before it impacted him, exploding and interrupting his concentration. Yang took this opportunity to overwhelm him enemy with all of her power.
Screaming, she reached down into the depths of her power and pulled it all out. The Kamehameha wave multiplied in size and tore through Freeza's blast. Once again the universal tyrant was swallowed by an energy wave, screaming as he felt his body sustain inconceivable damage. The wasteland was bathed in a blue light as the attack detonated on the surface of the planet. A flash of light could be seen from Remnant's atmosphere followed by clouds on that side of the planet being blown away.
The immediate area was blanketed by a thick cloud of vaporized debris. More molten rock poured forth from the planet's crust as a small pool formed in the base of the crater left in the attack's wake. As the smoke cleared away Yang could be seen floating above a steadily growing pool of magma breathing heavily.
Exhausted from her battle, she dropped out of her semblance evolved state and began to plummet to a fiery demise. Weiss and Cinder sped to her aid, the former catching the girl before she could hit the scorching liquid.
"I got you!" Weiss called as she caught Yang's exhausted form. Setting her down just on the edge of the crater, Weiss supported her teammate, allowing the blonde to remain in a sitting position. "You are incredibly reckless… you know that?" Weiss chastised. Yang merely wheezed as she tried to laugh at her white-haired teammate's jab. Cinder said nothing as she eyed the blonde. The power she had gained previously had now run dry, leaving the blonde in a very vulnerable state. Yang was officially out of power and out of the fight… but at least they had managed to deal with-
A pink blast erupted out from the fiery pool and stopped short a few meters away from the three girls. Cinder immediately stood in front of Weiss and Yang to defend them from any attack, but was shocked when she saw the enemy they had been fighting before still alive! However, he was looking worse for wear. The Emperor of the Universe was missing parts of his tail. One of his legs had been completely eviscerated and blood was leaking from every orifice of his body.
"No way…" Weiss breathed. Yang was just growling, trying to stand up but failing to do so. Her injuries and exhaustion had overcome her. It would take awhile for her to recover.
"Great…" Cinder murmured, sweat starting to form on her forehead. Freeza was breathing heavily, as he outstretched his hands to either side of his body. Two magenta disks of energy whirred to life and expanded. A crazed grin appeared on his features. The circular projections emitted a light whine akin to a pair of buzzsaws.
"Here!" Freeza laughed. "Just like I promised! Now you will die by my hands!" Freeza hurled the disks at the three girls. Yang shut her eyes as Weiss attempted to shield her. Cinder summoned energy to her hands in an attempt to deflect the disks, but after a second, she knew that was going to be a bad idea. They all had to move otherwise that attack would slice right through them! But it was too late, the disks were already upon them. They were moving far too fast to dodge now.
The three girls shut their eyes, ready for the pain to come.
But it never did.
"W-What!?" Freeza gasped, utterly confused as to what he was seeing. To his surprise, the disks of energy had halted, mere millimeters from Cinder's form.
In the blink of an eye, they shot back towards their maker, slicing him into thirds. The Emperor was too shocked to speak as his own attack had once again, dealt him a fatal blow.
As the galactic ruler fell to pieces and hit the ground, his final vision revealed Pyrrha Nikos, standing behind him with her hand outstretched and her entire form glowing blue. Pyrrha's breath was labored and blood was leaking from the corners of her mouth. Her hair was disheveled and her greaves were warped jutting out in sharp angles. The sash that adorned her thigh was completely torn away revealing more of the amazon's pale complexion.
All eyes landed on her, then shifted down to Freeza's lifeless corpse. In mere moments, the remains of his body melted into shadow and were absorbed into the ground. The disks that had killed Freeza remained halted in the air to either side of the redhead. Her hands curled and the disks of energy were dispelled.
"Back to Hell," Pyrrha grunted. "I hope you enjoy it there."
=/=
=/=
Thunderous booms cracked throughout the sky as three forces collided violently with one another.
Flashes of gold appeared on the crimson background that painted the sky. Son Gohan was once again locked in mortal combat with two of his most hated adversaries. Gohan's power had grown far beyond theirs but their teamwork made for a tedious war of attrition. Gohan had years worth of fighting experience to weigh the odds in his favor.
"It was easier when I last fought them. They underestimated me and paid for it. Now… they know what I can do," Gohan mused as he left another afterimage, fooling Eighteen. Seventeen immediately covered her blindspot, blocking an energy blast that Gohan had instinctively conjured and fired with flawless accuracy. Knowing the black haired twin would intercept his attack, he blasted forward clotheslining the brother into his sister. Flashing behind the two, he kneed Eighteen before flipping over top of them and releasing a Masenko directly above them. Before Seventeen even had time to bring up an energy shield, the yellow demon wave crashed down upon them, sending them directly into the ground.
Floating down and touching down on top of a nearby cliff, Gohan watched with his arms crossed as the smoke cleared. Seventeen and Eighteen bolted out of the crater the attack had made and glared at Gohan. A quick glance to his left allowed him to see that Yang and the others had engaged Freeza and were faring as well as they could be. He could see flashes in the distance, having moved the fight with the two Androids far away from where the others were. He wasn't going to lie, he was worried about Yang more so than he was worried about himself and the existence of the Androids.
Freeza was no pushover.
"So," Seventeen started with a growl. "It seems you've gotten even stronger than the last time we fought. Can't say it was actually a fair fight though. We did underestimate you. Know that we won't be doing that again."
"I'd be disappointed if you did," Gohan shot back. He unfolded his arms his gaze returning to the two Androids. All his life he had been afraid of these two and when the day had come where he killed them, he had reveled in the feeling. He had finally avenged everyone they had killed or hurt, but that wasn't going to bring them back. What these two demons had done was beyond redemption. They paid the ultimate price for their selfish desires and Gohan had been the one to deliver judgment.
Now here they were, revived somehow through his memories.
It didn't feel right.
Their presence felt unnatural and Gohan had no doubt it was because of that ring Salem was wearing. One of the relics… she had peered into his past with a simple wave of her hand. Using that knowledge she had learned, she had recreated his worst enemies as her tools of destruction. Although, it seemed she did not have complete control over them, as Seventeen had been disloyal from the moment words came out of his mouth. It had been rather shocking that Salem did not have complete control over these two, seeing as they were merely just constructs of his memory, given physical form.
Perhaps that was her inexperience with using the Relics. She hadn't had them long. Knowing that, it probably was the right call to confront her before she could truly realize the potential of the weapons she possessed. Nevertheless, he was confronted with a predicament. Despite being conjured from his memories, they seemed to be self-aware and intelligent. The fact that they could speak and recall events was a testament to his theory. They were copies, with memories of their previous selves right up until the moment when they died. It just so happened that Gohan had been there to witness each one of their deaths.
"You're not going to find this fight easy," Eighteen hissed. She fired off a quick blast, her emotions getting the better of her. Gohan merely stared at the blast as it barreled towards him. His form blurred and moved to the side, all without his body even twitching. The attack rocketed past him and disappeared into the horizon. A dome of fire erupted, swallowing the darkness in the horizon. The ground shook as the sky was painted by an orange glow. "We're not going to entertain these games anymore. You've killed us once. Expect us to return the favor!"
"You're more than welcome to try," Gohan responded, his tone dark and foreboding.
The two Androids shot towards him, splitting the earth the moment they took off from the ground. Gohan tensed as he watched them draw closer. Suddenly, they paired off, going in two different directions. No doubt they were trying to divide his attention. That wasn't going to work as well as they would think. Gohan took to the air, keeping an eye on both Androids as they mirrored each others' actions, maintaining equal distance from him on either side.
In a split second they closed in for the kill. Gohan amplified his power and blocked both attacks that came his way. Eighteen kicked while Seventeen punched, Gohan caught both attacks with ease. Breaking off the engagement, the three slipped into a lightning-fast exchange of blows. Gohan managed to slip in some damage on both the Androids while he minimized all the damage they could possibly do. His incredible speed allowed him to see all their attacks for what they were. Nothing was hidden from his eyes. He had them outmatched, just like he did all those years ago.
Pushing onto the offense, Gohan pulled Seventeen in by the arm, tossing him away the moment he had control of the Android. Turning, he narrowly avoided a kick from Eighteen. Weaving through her guard, he rammed his knee straight into her mid-section. An agonized, silent scream exited her throat as all the air was knocked out of her. Turning his body to the side, he elbowed the girl directly in the nose. Her head was thrown back as he cupped his hands, an all too familiar blue light sparking to life.
"Kamehame Ha!" his roar echoed throughout the battlefield as he threw his hands forward, the signature energy wave ripping through Eighteen's energy and tearing into her body. It wasn't going to be enough to kill her. Gohan saw her smoky remains hit the ground as he let his blast fizzle out of existence. He glided back to the ground and stood a few meters away from Android Eighteen's body. He glared at her as she attempted to stand. He merely sighed and without even looking, moved to attack the empty space behind him.
He threw out his elbow, just in time for Seventeen to appear and take the full brunt of his attack.
Turning, Gohan jabbed the black haired android in the throat, cutting off all oxygen to the humanoid cyborg. Stunned, Seventeen stumbled backwards, only to see Gohan lifting his leg. A force like none other slammed into him, the weight of Gohan's kick carrying more power than he ever remembered the boy having. He shot off like a rocket and impacted a mound of dark rock and crystal. Blood leaked from the android's mouth as he struggled to regain his composure.
"Damn you…" Seventeen cursed. Gohan raised a hand and fired a Ki blast off behind him, impacting the ground beneath Eighteen, who had only just managed to make it to her feet. She was sent flying, her body rag-dolling in mid-air. A short, quick thrust of Gohan's hand once more, sent an invisible force towards the blonde android. The force of the blow cracked the ground around Gohan and sent loose debris flying everywhere. Pulling himself from the crater, Seventeen hit the ground, falling to his knees. A displacement in the air suddenly showed Gohan to be in front of him, towering over him, his entire body encased in shadow.
"I pity you," the Saiyan hybrid started. "I've gotten a lot stronger since we last fought. It shouldn't come as a surprise to you that this fight wouldn't last long."
"You think… this is over..?" the black haired android hissed. Gohan watched with emotionless eyes as he pulled himself to his feet. Power exploded around the android as he went in for a punch. "IT'S NOT OVER UNTIL YOU'RE-"
Raising a hand, Gohan silenced the Android by catching his attack with one finger.
Seventeen's eyes shook madly, unable to comprehend the power that this boy had achieved.
Gohan's finger curled around Seventeen's fist, until suddenly, the Android found his hand encased by the Saiyan's.
"No-" He didn't even get time to speak before the hybrid Saiyan knocked him out with a swift chop to the neck. Seventeen crumpled to the ground, hanging loosely from Gohan's hand. After a few moments, he dropped the black haired android.
The savior of Earth merely sighed, peering down to his hand. He felt nothing. There was nothing about this fight that was satisfying. In fact, it was almost sad. Constructs of his memory given form, only to be destined to be defeated once again by his hand. There was no glory in this kind of victory. There was just… nothing. An empty void.
"I would have thought killing you again would have brought some kind of satisfaction," Gohan turned to see Eighteen land a few meters away from him, looking as livid as he had ever seen. His memory was as clear as day. There was nothing different about this time, or the last. Seventeen had been the first to die by his hand, leaving Eighteen the last android standing. "Believe me, killing you is not something I'm going to enjoy."
"How… could you!?" Eighteen hissed. "Not again… I won't die like I did before! I won't let you!"
"What makes you think it's going to be any different from last time?" Gohan growled. Eighteen didn't even see him move. A blur in her vision and the golden clad Saiyan was behind her. Gohan just pushed her in the back, sending her stumbling forward. With an angry swipe, she slashed her hand as she fell, disintegrating almost every bit of the mountain of rocks behind her. "You took the lives of all those innocent people and not once did you feel any regret for your actions. Not a single life was spared."
Eighteen couldn't even stand up without Gohan being a few inches away from her, towering over her like some kind of God. Reaching down, he picked her up by the scruff of her neck. She squirmed and struggled in his iron grip. His cold, unforgiving eyes stared deeply into hers. After a few moments, Eighteen stopped struggling as Gohan sighed, tossing her to the ground. She crawled backwards until her back was against some rocks. She had nowhere to go. History was repeating itself and she had no way to stop it!
"You look scared."
Eighteen's breath halted in her throat. Fear was not really a concept she related with at all. She had no idea what it felt like. Glancing down, she looked at her hands only to see them trembling violently. Her entire body was shaking, the anticipation of her death dawning on her once again. She had died so quickly last time, her last memory had been of this boy, his eyes filled to the brim with hatred, but now… when she looked at him. All she could see was pity.
"I always saw you as monsters incapable of feeling fear, but I just realized something," Gohan paused for a moment. "You were once human as well, weren't you?" Eighteen didn't respond. She watched as Gohan raised a hand, a ball of bright yellow energy circled within his palm. It was warm and almost welcoming. "Do you have nothing to say?"
After a few moments of silence, Gohan sighed once again. The energy in his hand intensified as he prepared to end her existence, once again.
"Gohan, stop!" A power landed behind him, one that he recognized. Turning he saw a black haired girl with a white coat. She had amber eyes and a black sword tied to her back. Blake Belladonna had arrived, just in time to witness the execution of one of his most hated enemies. Her eyes were filled to the brim with disapproval. However, Gohan did not allow the energy in his hand to disappear. "What are you doing?!"
"What I have to."
"You're going to kill her!? She's defenseless!"
"She's just a memory, Blake. Nothing more."
"What?" Eighteen thought angrily as she glared at Gohan. A memory? Was that what he thought she was? Was that… truly all she was? All she could remember was her death and then suddenly, she was here… on this strange barren wasteland with her brother at her side. The moment her eyes landed on Gohan, her hatred had clouded her mind. She had tunnel vision for revenge. It had blocked out all the questions she had when she arrived here. What was this place? Who were these people? All she cared about was killing Gohan.
"What does that mean?" Blake questioned, clearly confused at the situation. She had just arrived in time to see Gohan almost kill someone. In her books, the only person that deserved to die was Cell and arguably Salem. She was still conflicted on what to do with Salem. The more she used her recently acquired knowledge to try and figure out what exactly drove Salem to be the person she was today, the more she wanted to try and give the witch another chance. However, trying to root out the hatred that had grown and cemented itself over hundreds of years would be an almost impossible task.
"She was created from my memories, Blake. Salem used the Relic of Creation to pull her from my head and give her a physical form. She's evil. I won't let her do to this planet what she did to mine."
"And what did she do?!"
"She's one of the two Androids I told you about."
Blake paused, peering at Android Eighteen who remained with her back against the rocks. The fearful look in her eyes was hard to place with the mixture of anger in there. Something Gohan had said had ticked the blonde off.
"A memory!?" Eighteen raged. "How dare you claim that we are just memories! I'm alive and so is my brother! If I have to prove that to you, I'd be more than happy to!"
"Then you will end up just like your brother!" Gohan roared back at her, shutting her up. Blake walked up to Gohan and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You don't need to kill her. We're stronger than her. She doesn't need to die."
"There are some of those, who words can't reach."
"You really believe she is one of them?"
Gohan didn't respond. He could never fathom the mere idea of allowing Seventeen and Eighteen to live after what they had done to him and his friends back on Earth. They had all died trying to stop these monsters from slaughtering innocents and they just laughed as each fighter fell.
Then again, so did Vegeta when he and Nappa came to Earth. Redemption was something Gohan wasn't too fond on giving out. His experiences with enemies told him they could not change. His entire life had been made a Hell because of them.
Gohan opened his mouth to respond to Blake's question but stopped. Turning his head to the left, he quickly glanced over to where Yang and Pyrrha's energy were. It seemed they had bested Freeza. A small bubble of pride formed in his chest.
Freeza had been enough to give his dad problems even as a Super Saiyan. Had they really come that far? Their potential to grow was almost as much as his. He may not have believed it had he not been here to witness it.
"Gohan?" Blake said softly, breaking him out of his stupor. He turned his gaze back to the black haired faunus, before glaring at Eighteen again.
"She's not real," Gohan stated impassively. "She's nothing but a fabrication of one of my nightmares from my past. The only reason she exists is because of the Relic's power."
"I AM REAL!" Eighteen screamed in denial. Energy sparked to life in her hands as she readied herself to attack. Gohan didn't move an inch, all while Blake flinched. "I don't know what kind of nonsense you keep spouting on about but if you're so intent on believing that I'm not real, then I'll just have to show you."
"I'm not sure you understand," Gohan replied, lacking any kind of emotion in his tone. "I killed you almost fourteen years ago. Both you and your brother have been dead for years. You may look, talk, fight, and act like her but you're not really her. I know this, because I can sense your energy," Gohan explained, letting his energy attack in his hand dissipate. His arms fell to his sides, all while Eighteen continued to stay on edge. She looked confused, as did Blake. What did that have anything to do with the current situation?
"What?" Eighteen growled viciously. Gohan regarded her with pity in his eyes. After a few moments, the riddle to the current situation arrived for Blake due to her memories gifted to her by the Guardian. Centuries worth of knowledge at her disposal and she was only just now figuring it out when Gohan mentioned the relics.
"Your form… your body, was created by the Relic that Salem has," Gohan said. "You're a copy given form because of how I remember you. What Salem saw, she recreated."
"He's right, mostly," Blake started, drawing the attention to her. "The Relics are capable of breaking the boundaries of reality. If what Gohan says is true and you were one of the Androids that terrorized his home, then you are not the same as you were before."
"What nonsense…" the blonde woman hissed. "I remember dying as clear as day. All I remember next is being here, cured of all my injuries and a chance for revenge given to me. I swore I'd make you pay for killing my brother and I"
"The point is," Blake cut in, glaring at the blonde. "You're not androids anymore. You're human."
That seemed to get her attention. The power in her hands fluctuated as she glared at Blake.
"What?" she uttered hatefully.
"Your body," Gohan said, drawing her attention back to him. "You're human now. It's why I can sense you and your brother. It was also why I found it increasingly easier to beat the both of you. The magic of the Relics did not bring you back as androids. They brought you back from Salem's understanding of my memories. You both appear human, therefore, she brought you back human. Since you're not androids in those current forms, your power is not infinite. You've been running out of stamina and you haven't even realized it."
"You're lying!" Eighteen denied desperately. The moment the words left Gohan's mouth, she felt a heavy weight crash down on top of her. It was suffocating. She felt tired, exhausted… as if her body was trying to kill itself. She hadn't even noticed it until now. The power she had been so used to controlling was barely there anymore. If she wasn't an android, there was no way she was going to beat this guy without her infinite supply of energy! The horrific realization dawned on her features that she truly was going to die to him again.
With a brief glance over his shoulder, she caught sight of her twin brother, lying facedown on the ground. She couldn't die here, she had to win! She had to show this boy that he shouldn't mess with her, or her brother! With a roar, she charged forward, Gohan didn't even bother evading. She threw her strongest attacks against him. With each punch and kick, Gohan didn't budge an inch. He stood tall, like an immovable wall. She wailed away at him, desperate to do any kind of damage. However, it was a lost cause.
"Just give up," Gohan said passively. Eighteen silently refused. She absolutely refused to stop until one of them went down. Unfortunately, she was forced to stop when a hand grabbed hers. She looked to her left to see Blake, casually grabbing her arm, stopping her from attacking Gohan.
"That's enough. You're beaten."
"No! If I don't kill him, I'm dead! I won't die! Not again!"
She ripped herself from Blake's grip, only to find that she suddenly lost control of her body. Gohan nailed her right in the stomach, his foot outstretched as she flew a couple of yards, hitting the ground at tremendous speed, ripping her clothes and tearing up her body. She tumbled, rolling across the rocky wasteland before coming to a stop. Slowly and painfully, she pushed herself to her feet. Seventeen was still alive. She had to keep going. She had to protect her brother!
Gohan landed in front of her, followed shortly by Blake.
"I've already killed you once. Don't make me do it again."
Before she had a chance to respond, the sky was bathed in a bright light that almost blinded everyone in the vicinity. A pillar of energy shot into the sky, piercing the planet's atmosphere and shooting off into space. A wall of dust and debris tore through the area forcing everyone to raise their arms to shield themselves. Gohan peered through his guard, reading the energy that was being released very carefully. The person that was generating that kind of power knew the consequence of using that amount of energy so recklessly.
A few moments later and the light died down. Eighteen looked around to investigate what had caused that blinding light. As she did so, she caught sight of her brother, his body smoking and peeling away like paper being burned like ash.
"Seventeen!" She rushed to his side, Blake and Gohan made no attempt to stop her. When she arrived at her brother's body, it was almost gone. She went to put a hand on it, only for the rest of his form to erupt into ash. Her eyes widened as she looked down at the hand that would have touched Seventeen, only to see that it too, was starting to fade away. Confusion exploded inside her head. Her mind raced as the skin on her hands started to peel away, the flesh turning to ash that flew away in the breeze. Horror gripped her heart as tears slowly formed in her eyes.
"What's happening to me?"
"You're fading," Blake explained, landing next to her. "It seems that the Relic that gave you life has either been destroyed, or it has run out of power. I'm not sure which one," the faunus informed sadly. Eighteen's eyes clenched shut, the weight of all her actions sitting on top of her. She wouldn't call it regret. What she had done to humanity was unforgivable and she knew that… but regret wasn't something she felt. She was angry at humanity… for what it had done to both her and Seventeen. Dr. Gero wanted to create monsters to do his bidding. Well… he got monsters.
"I don't want to die like this."
"You're already dead," Gohan stated walking up to the disappearing blonde and his faunus friend. "You've been dead for years. That fact has never changed. The body you've been inhabiting is falling apart and shortly, I have no doubt you will return to the afterlife," the Saiyan retorted. There was silence between the trio as Eighteen slowly started to fall to pieces. Her arms and legs were almost gone, leaving only the main part of her body still intact.
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry it had to come to this."
"What?" Eighteen sounded, completely surprised that the words had come out of Gohan's mouth. The Saiyan merely turned away, refusing to meet her eyes.
"I already killed you once. That should be payment enough for the crimes you committed against the people of Earth. Dying a second time… well…" Gohan trailed off. "I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemies. I hope you find some kind of peace in the afterlife," there was no sincerity in his voice. Eighteen couldn't exactly blame him and neither could Blake.
Eighteen's final moments were done in silence. No more words were exchanged as her body faded away. Blake sighed as the last vestiges of the woman floated away like dust in the wind.
"You know," Blake started. "When you first told me about the Androids… I wasn't expecting them to look so…" Blake trailed off, finding it hard to say the right word. Gohan merely sighed.
"Human?"
"Yeah."
A pregnant silence hung around them as a breeze blew past them, the atmosphere dark and foreboding. Death was in the air and it soured the mood greatly.
"It's Ozpin, isn't it?" Blake asked, hoping she was wrong. Gohan nodded grimly.
"Let's end this so we can go home."
Blake nodded as their auras exploded around them before they took off into the sky, heading back to the main battlefield once more.
=/=
=/=
Centuries of animosity had been leading up to this very moment.
The constant conflict with humanity and the Grimm. Today was the day that decided who was going to move forward as the main power in Remnant.
Standing in a clearing of silence, listening to the sounds of war all around them, Ozpin and Salem stood off against each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. Salem had gotten what she had wanted. Distractions to pull them all away from the man she so desperately wanted to kill herself. She had planned to have him fall at Beacon by Cinder's hand but evidently, that didn't seem to work out the way she had expected.
"All things must come to an end, Ozpin."
"Must you be so poetic? It's rather dull. You're going to perish Salem, that much is clear to me. Whether it be by my hand, Gohan's, or Qrow's… it doesn't matter. It's like I told you. I am but a man. If you kill me, it does nothing but satisfy your own needs. There are plenty of others strong enough to fill my shoes once I'm gone," Ozpin retorted with a smirk. Salem's smirk turned to a frown, shortly morphing into a scowl the moment the words began to sink in.
"You are not going to stop me."
"Perhaps not, but someone will."
Without another word, an irate growl from Salem signaled her desire to attack. She shot forward at speeds that impressed Ozpin. She didn't seem like the fighting type and it clearly showed. She wasn't nearly fast enough to kill him. Sure she had magical power that bent the rules of reality itself, but as long as she couldn't hit him with that sword of hers, he had nothing to fear from her. However, the magical barrier that surrounded her posed an issue. It took the combined power of Gohan, Yang, and the others to crack it. That was power he did not possess, so it seemed they were stuck in a stalemate.
"You can't run away from me forever, coward," Salem mocked. Ozpin retreated back a few meters, a white aura surrounding his form while a green outline clung to his body. If she even got in a lucky shot with that sword, it could all be over. "With the power of the Relics at my disposal, I might as well be a God. You may be faster than me, but it is like you said… you are but a man. You will tire out eventually, while I continue to pull from the Relics' infinite power."
"Everything has a weakness, Salem."
"You're optimism is quite impressive considering your situation. You truly are the representation of what humanity is. I'm going to enjoy snuffing it out."
This battle was one of patience. Salem continued to chase Ozpin around the battlefield as if they were two children in a deathly game of tag. Ozpin knew he couldn't do any damage as long as that shield was up. He needed to exploit a weakness but right now, that was proving extremely hard to find. Ozpin's speed due to his knowledge of Ki allowed him to outmaneuver Salem easily, while her attacks butchered the canyon they occupied. With every slash and slice, rocks and crystals were erased from existence. A purple energy surrounded the sword ominously, like it was a hungry animal, waiting to consume anything it touched Even the molten liquid seeping from the gashes of the earth was at the mercy of the dark blade.
Ozpin eyed the sword carefully, noting its destructive power. It was cutting through anything, even his own energy blasts and practically erasing them from existence. Perhaps… Salem's ultimate offensive would prove to be her greatest mistake. If he could time his movements correctly…
"Come and face me you coward!" Salem yelled, displaying her clear frustration with their battle. It was going nowhere fast. Ozpin showed no signs of slowing down, while Salem refused to stop her assault. Her attacks were becoming more telegraphed by the moment and her anger was playing to his advantage. Just a little longer then he'd be able to exploit her frustration and use her own power against her. He fired off a few energy blasts for good measure, mainly to obscure her view and anger her.
"Is this all you're capable of doing!?" Salem roared. "Running away and attacking from a distance!? You fool! As if I would be stupid enough to let your attempts to hurt me work. I will not entertain these mindless games!"
"My predecessors warned me about you. I've spent my entire life preparing to fight you, in the event that this day would come. I'm not about to throw my chances away by letting you get cheap shots on me. I will protect Remnant, as my sworn duty to protect mankind from the darkness and machinations of the creatures of Grimm. That includes you, Salem. You're going to have to try harder to kill me."
"Such arrogance," Salem hissed. "I don't intend to allow you to achieve victory so easily."
The fight raged on as it had been, the ex-headmaster of Beacon Academy evading every blow Salem attempted to send his way while delivering counterattacks when he could. The fruitlessness of his attacks became more evident over time as the shield just continued to absorb any damage he tried to deal. Because of her apparent invincibility, Salem had become more reckless with her movements and attacks. She blatantly ignored her blind-spots in favor for obliterating any area that Ozpin appeared in. With a single swipe of her sword, the landscape around her changed, like a painting on a canvas.
"Fine…" Salem growled. The sword in her hand started to glow dangerously. The obsidian aura around it intensified as it began charging an inconceivable amount of energy. Ozpin's eyes widened. If he let that attack go off, it would no doubt be enough to wipe out all life in the area.
Maybe pushing Salem's frustrations to the limit wasn't such a good idea, but it seemed like it was now or never to execute his plan that still had no endgame to it.
As Ozpin raced forward, he charged a blast in his hand in preparation for his attack. As he closed in on Salem, she smirked. Swinging her sword directly at him, Ozpin had no choice but to dodge… however, he did not retreat this time.
Firing the blast towards the ground in front of her, the force of the blast caught the sword mid-swing, altering its trajectory. A shocked look overwhelmed her features as the tip of the blade cut through her shield like butter, creating a small opening for his arm to fit through. Using this sudden opening, Ozpin reached in and grabbed Salem's hand, which also happened to have the Relic of Creation on it.
Using his other hand, he tossed away his cane in order to pin Salem's sword hand in place so she couldn't attack. With her shield damaged, he had managed to incapacitate her for the time being.
However, he did not manage to plan this far ahead. What he did now, he wasn't quite sure. He needed to think fast, as he could already see the hole in Salem's shield start to mend itself together. He had less than a minute at most before the fight resumed as it had been and Ozpin knew Salem wasn't stupid enough to make the same mistake twice.
"An interesting tactic," Salem growled as she struggled against his overwhelming strength. Proving fruitless after a quick few attempts, Salem knew she had to try something else before Ozpin got any smart ideas. "We both seem to be at a standstill. If you are thinking you can take the Ring from me, or Destroy it, then you are more foolish than I gave you credit for."
"The Relics are indestructible. Only the power beyond that of the Gods can destroy them. I also know, that you have probably fused your very flesh with the Relic, preventing any attempt to take it off," Ozpin stated, his tone displaying no surprise whatsoever. Salem's arrogant smile disappeared as her predictions of the man had suddenly flown out the window. If he wasn't trying to destroy the Relic, or take it from her, then what was he trying to accomplish with this suicidal tactic?
"Let go of me," Salem hissed. She started to pull once again against his grip, knowing that he had something else planned. Whatever it was, she didn't want to find out. Suddenly, Ozpin started to pull on her arm. She panicked, knowing with his incredible strength it would only take him a few short seconds to rip it from her body completely.
"I'll just take your arm instead."
For once, a crippling fear bubbled up inside of her chest. She was completely defenseless. Her eyes started to shine brightly, her crimson orbs bore into Ozpin's in a desperate attempt to influence his mind. Her semblance working away furiously to stop the man from dismembering her. To her wonder, his strength started to fade as his mind started to fall prey to her orders.
She grinned as she used the Relic of Choice to amplify her semblance. Ozpin's eyes started to change back and forth between his normal color and a shade of blood red.
"You think you could outsmart me!?" Salem boomed as she pushed her semblance to her limit. Ozpin's mind was safely guarded but with the Relic of Choice, overwhelming him wouldn't take long. He was one of the most powerful Huntsmen to walk the planet. Even with the power of the Relic, bringing him under her rule would take a while. It was better than having her arm pulled off. No matter. She could slowly torture him once he was under her command. She didn't want him as her servant… the idea of having him as her torture subject was most amusing.
As Salem began to laugh, Ozpin struggled under the crippling pain his mind was placed under. It would be a few seconds before he was overwhelmed and even if he managed to resist, the shield would fix itself, taking his arm off in the process. He had to act now before his chance of defeating Salem was lost. A resolve suddenly burned throughout his body as the answer came to him. He had no time to think up any other solution.
This was it. He was out of time.
There was no other choice.
Summoning what remained of his control and power, he let his energy burst forth. His entire body was encased in a burning green aura, covered in a white flame. Salem's eyes widened as she felt his power swell to the surface, a hurricane of power rose up and encased them in a tornado of energy and light. He would not allow himself to succumb to her power and if that meant he had to make the ultimate sacrifice, then that's what he would do.
Somehow he knew it was going to end this way. Humanity's spark did not end with him… no, if anything, this would just make it burn brighter.
"Some men live too long," Ozpin thought with a bitter smile.
Salem's furious look was coupled with emotions that betrayed her true feelings. Fear and horror were evident all over her features as she was blinded by Ozpin's overbearing power. As the light grew brighter, he could feel his body grow weaker as his energy swelled. He felt a sense of peace spread throughout his body and mind, pushing out that darkness that Salem was trying to force into him. It wasn't going to work out in her favor.
"YOU COWARD!" Salem roared in a rage. "DON'T YOU DARE ROB ME OF MY REVENGE! I WON'T LET YOU!"
"You already have."
The words flowed out of his mouth like a tranquil river. His eyes shut as his power exploded, engulfing the entire area and razing the canyon they occupied into a smoking hole in the ground. Salem wailed in agony as the light swallowed her whole. The burning light exploded into the sky, a beam of energy that could be seen for miles. The attack shook the very foundations of the planet, mountains in the area crumbling under the immense force that had been exerted.
In a few moments, the cataclysm calmed and the world turned silent.
A/N:
I feel like I outdid myself with this chapter.
I have to give credit to my editors for cleaning up the fights, plus a small shoutout to J-Dude, writer of Transposition F for some pointers on how to write Freeza. If you haven't seen his story, I suggest you go check it out. I've never seen Freeza written so perfectly on any fanfiction website.
At this point, if the RWBY characters can't match Freeza, then they're not going to be much help against Cell, right? You guys probably saw this coming. I tried to make the fight as engaging and enjoyable as I could. I wanted to make it believable. I didn't want to have them shit-stomping Freeza and vise versa. Yang and the others have come so far in this story, and having them face off against Freeza at max power is probably the best way to show just how far they've progressed.
By no means was it an easy fight. Yang was able to survive long enough to let her Semblance soak in all the damage Freeza was doing to her, and then turn it back on him in one explosive show of power, which pushed her up to the strength of Super Saiyan Goku. That might be a bit hard to swallow, but that power boost was only temporary. I felt like I did that fight justice to really show how different all the characters are now.
The fight between Gohan and the Androids was one-sided. We've already seen him fight them, and he's only gotten stronger since then. The fight was more… symbolic, than to provide an action-packed fight scene. Let me know what you guys think.
And lastly, yeah… Ozpin. Let's see what you guys think of that.
I think that's enough for now. I'll see you guys in the next chapter.