Chapter Twenty Four- 'It's Not Over Till the God Sings'
(Author's Note: Dragon Ball Super is owned by Akira Toriyama.
The only things the author owns are the OC and story.)
Within an instant, they had arrived. The young goddess stood momentarily in awe at the vast surroundings. She took in the massive expanse of the space around them, the darkness of the realm contrasting with the bright white of the time chamber they had spent the last three days. It would take some time for her eyes to adjust to the realm, a distant sun rendering little of its light to the gathering crowd.
While the ring was grand in its size, resembling a large spinning top in design, the stands they found themselves were much smaller and simplistic, barely filled with the presence of universal Kais and destroyers. Finding their creator god, the trio stood near the front ledge, witnessing a small figure floating above the ring, the halo around the crown of their head giving her a hint as to who it was.
Looking down, she saw the twin gods in the middle, their arms and legs bound, sitting back to back. Her eyes narrowed at the presence of two other familiar faces, Heles and Quitela standing next to the feline deities, awaiting the event to begin.
Taking a step forward, both angels held out their staffs, blocking her from getting any closer. The male angel kept his eyes forward, addressing the charge between them.
"I understand how you must be feeling," Whis said, "but you need to be patient. Now's not the time to be hasty."
His sister also chimed in, assuring the goddess, "You'll get your chance, my lady."
Sharply exhaling through her nose, Corsa relented, warranting the attendants to return their staffs to their sides. Glancing out of her periphery, she perceived two small child-like beings sitting away from the rest of the deities in an adjacent area, twin thrones positioned close to one another.
"So, those are the Omni Kings?" she inquired, gaining a passive nod from Whis, focusing on his father as he prepared to speak.
As the Grand Priest stated the terms of the punishment, his captive audience smiled, happy that the destroyer they despised so much was finally getting his own. They spared little concern for Champa's implication. Served him right for getting involved.
Facing the four deities, their superior announced, "Punishment will commence momentarily. Destroyers, please stand by."
Heles glanced up, noticing the balancer. The blue-haired woman looked right past her, eyes focused on the bound god behind her, a look of apprehension apparent in her features. The destroyer held some forlorn disappointment, hoping for a chance to see what the fledgling goddess was made of. Oh well, having the opportunity to beat on Beerus was an irresistible bonus. Heles found it incredibly amusing how she assumed the goddess was so willing for the god to take on the consequences to her actions. A thought came to mind, seeing the look upon her face, deciding to test her theory.
Walking over to the bound twins, her mouse-like peer was busy goading Champa as she stopped just short of the other sibling. She sneered down at the silent god staring a hole into the ground.
Beerus' head finally turned up, slowly taking in the form before him, eyes narrowing at her. He pulled away as Heles leaned down, bumping into the back of Champa's head, unable to get away. Reaching out, she grabbed one of his ears, yanking his head to the side, causing him to grit his teeth at the tension. Corsa looked on in silence, curious as to what the elder deity was doing, rage silently building.
The heavy-lidded woman tilted her head to the side, whispering to him, "Figured someone should give you a kiss goodbye, just in case."
Beerus said nothing to the woman, glaring daggers at her, Heles sneering back at him in mocking. The situation was humiliating enough, knowing his peer was merely sought to rub more salt into the wound. He wasn't sure how'd he or his brother would ever recover from this, but the god relented at the thought that at least his balancer wouldn't have to live with the trauma this punishment would have surely caused her.
Realizing what Heles was about to do, Corsa's countenance remained emotionless as her eyes shifted to red. 'Just try it bitch,' she thought to herself, arms crossed as a light flare of energy emanated around her body, warranting a passive glances from her attendants.
As her face neared his cheek, a spark of energy shot between them, causing the woman to jerk back. Whipping her head around, Heles zeroed in on the source of the shot, the balancer glaring down from the stands. By the look on the woman's face, the destroyer gained her answer, interested in how her intervention would be received by their superiors.
"Touch him and you're pulling back a stump," the blue-haired goddess coldly warned, gaining an intrigued glance by all present gods. Both the Omni Kings and the Grand Priest silently watched on as Heles' wide eyed look of surprise relaxed, grinning at young deity.
Placing her hands on her hips, she proclaimed, "Oooo, threatening me again? Don't you ever learn?"
"I make promises, Heles. I wouldn't dream of threatening you," she responded, Corsa maintaining her gaze upon the elder deity.
Letting out a light laugh, the female destroyer returned her gaze to Beerus, momentarily deliberating something. Turning her head back to the enraged woman, she motioned to her, beckoning. Corsa's face remained expressionless as the elder goddess spoke.
"If you truly feel that way, then come down, won't you?" Heles implored in a sing-song voice, gaining no response from Corsa.
"Please," the destroyer said, taking on a sincere tone.
"I still have two wishes, right?" she said, recalling the sarcastic remark the young woman had made at their first meeting. Gaining a ghost of a smile in response, the destroyer locked eyes with the young woman, her emerald orbs smoldering with the fires of battle.
"You wanna go? Then let's do this."
Powering up, Quitela took a step back from her, holding no interest in taking on the balancer. Rather, he'd preferred to pummel the twins and get some much needed revenge. He could care less what Heles wanted to do, more fun for him if she was distracted.
Whis glanced down to his charge to gauge her reaction, watching as her shoulders shook, eyes narrowing at her chuckling. The offer sounded like the best idea she'd heard all day, the tan woman below unwittingly granting a wish of her own. She bared a wide grin, lavender eyes dancing with anticipation. Due to the tense nature of the atmosphere, she had honestly wondered how she could approach gaining entry into the ring. Heles' words had given her the very opening she was seeking.
Corsa had mused about fighting the destroyer for some time, knowing before that she wasn't remotely ready to take her on. Not now though, things had changed. She had changed. Gaining confidence she hadn't felt for quite some time, the goddess appreciated what she assumed was how her uncle felt before a fight. The excitement was similar to what she had experienced moments before conducting an operation, hands itching to complete their task.
Taking a step onto the ledge, Heles appreciated the balancer's uncontained glee at the notion, returning the woman's menacing grin.
Appearing before the young deity, the Grand Priest gazed down, inquiring, "Am I to understand you wish to be a combatant, balance god?"
"Absolutely," She replied, ignoring the bound god's protests from below.
"Hey, I didn't agree to this!" Beerus hollered out. He had offered to take the penalty for his balancer, not for her to get involved in a battle. Just what on earth was she thinking?!
He flinched when the grandest of angels turned his eyes to him, stating coldly, "This isn't something that needs your approval, destroyer. Like it or not, Lady Corsa is your superior. Her position holds privileges that is beyond your reach. Considering the circumstances, she's free to do as she wishes."
Being a god of equality and fairness, it was unsurprising to the angelic being that she wouldn't permit someone else to suffer on her behalf. Unbeknownst to Corsa, she had gained a shred of respect from the high priest with her confirmation of his assumption. He simply awaited approval from his majesties to permit her entrance.
Sparing a glance to his two children, he was interested to see the extent of the woman's prowess, gaining intel that she had accepted to be the balancer of an additional universe in order to gain instruction from Vados in addition to Whis. Gaining a thumbs up from the Omni Kings, the Grand Priest returned his gaze to the young deity, baring a ghost of a smile.
Due to the insistence of the goddess to intervene, he announced to the crowd, the rules would be amended. The balancer would have five minutes to keep the destructive pair away from the bound gods. After the time limit elapsed, the twins would be permitted to join, another five minutes tacked on to allow for a more interesting battle. If they managed to make it to the twins, her time would be up and would be returned immediately to the stands, leaving the punishment to go uninterrupted. The Kings of All squealed with delight, having the rules explained somewhat similar to a game of 'capture the flag.'
After his announcement, the grandest angel waved his hand high in the air, proclaiming, "Balance god, please approach the ring at your leisure."
In an instant, the goddess appeared in the ring, stunning the audience at her speed. Walking straight past Heles, she made her way to her reason for being there, gracing him with a warm smile. She couldn't help herself, she was overjoyed to see him. Though she wanted nothing more but to reach out and embrace him, the woman held herself back, unaware how her reaction would be received. If they survived this, she assured herself, they would have more than enough time for a proper reunion.
"Hey," she said, her gentle greeting and misplaced smile leaving Beerus indignant, his bewildered look replaced with a glare. Though happy to see his goddess, he was frustrated beyond belief that Corsa involved herself in such a dangerous game.
"Don't 'hey' me! Just what the hell do you think you're doing?! Are you completely brain damaged or something?!" he barked out. With those words, the warm feeling of their reunion fizzled, the woman's rose-colored glasses of him fading with the reality check of his usual temperament. She rolled her eyes before narrowing them at him.
"Three years in a time chamber with two angels, you tell me." She replied sarcastically.
Thinking back, the god deciphered her meaning, figuring she must have went to Earth to get in as much training as possible. 'Two angels? What does that mean?' he thought. Glancing up to the stands, he grumbled to himself, finding his brother's attendant sitting right next to Whis.
Scooting himself closer to her, Beerus looked up, the woman readied herself, prepared to take an ear lashing from him. Part of her welcomed it, happy to be so close to him, not caring that he was yelling, just as long as she got to hear his voice. She surprised herself by how much she truly missed the cantankerous deity, unable to hold back a smile as he proceeded to berate her.
"I don't care! Do you have a freaking death wish?! You don't have a snowflake's chance in hell of defeating them! You're gonna get us all killed!"
Turning away from him, she said over her shoulder, "Geez, it's not like I have to kill them or anything," mumbling under her breath, she added, "Besides, if it comes down to it, I already took care of that."
"What do you mean you-" he paused, realization washing over him, furiously wriggling himself closer.
"You linked with someone else, didn't you?!" he yelled out, taking on an accusatory tone.
"Cripes, it's not like I cheated on you," she grumbled.
"And who was the idiot who took that on?" he questioned, looking up to the stands. He saw the Old Kai quickly hiding unsuccessfully behind Shin, warranting the destroyer's eye to twitch.
Bowing his head, he groaned, mumbling under his breath, "Oh for the love of- you're unbelievable…"
Hearing a light chuckle from the goddess, he glanced back up. His didn't appreciate the amusement she was gaining from his discomfort.
"Sorry, didn't want you guys kicking it in the event I do die. It's just temporary."
Rage and worry welled up within him like a tsunami, the waves crashing into each other as his fists shook at his sides. Having nothing more to say at that moment, Beerus roughly pushed himself back. Champa felt his brother slam against him, berating him for his roughness.
"Hey! The hell's your problem?!"
"Shut up!" he yelled, not in the mood to argue.
Beerus felt his heart grow heavy in his chest, wishing that she would cease this farce and just sit back in the stands and let things be. He would feel better that if she did, at least she would survive if worst came to worst.
Then again, the rules had already been changed, and the Omni Kings would not permit another delay to the event, noting their shared excitement at the latest development. Glaring a hole in the back of Corsa's head, he hollered out, "Don't you dare die on me!"
"Not planning on it," she retorted, standing in front of the siblings as seconds ticked by, the other two destroyers sneering at the trio as they waited patiently for the commencement.
Watching the clock count down, denoted by the use of the ring's inner beam, Beerus watched as Corsa's shoulders began to shake, finding her doing her best to stifle a laugh.
Becoming irritated, he finally asked, "Mind letting me in on the joke before we get the crap kicked out of us?"
"Hm? Oh, just something Whis told me," she replied, having plenty of time in the Hyperbolic chamber to engage in conversation with the two angels.
"And what's that?" he asked, his irritation growing at her hesitancy.
Turning her head, the destroyer saw her flash a sly smile before saying, "Galactic pop star, huh?"
Beerus was left perplexed, grumbling when realization came to him. He was honestly surprised that it never came up in conversation before, his eye twitching at the angel being the one to tell her about his decades long visions of her. His face flushed slightly with embarrassment at his goddess' amusement at his private obsession.
"To hell with you. The both of you. Besides, it ended up being true!" he defended himself, looking to regain some dignity over his prophecy.
"Well, yeah…" she said, returning her gaze back to the destroyers on the offensive.
"That's not what I was laughing about. Truth be told, you would have had a hard time finding me, had you've been awake."
"Please, don't make me laugh," he said, curiosity finally peeking his interest.
Groaning, he asked, "Alright, why pray tell?"
"Simple, you would've been looking for a girl."
Her statement left him perplexed.
"And that would've been a problem, because…?"
Just then, a gong rang throughout the stadium, the Grand Priest calling to those in the ring, initiating the round.
"The time has come," he proclaimed, floating swiftly above them, waving his arm as he yelled, "Begin!"
As the unhindered gods took their stances, Corsa emulated them, taking one of her own. Before she began, the balancer tilted her head downward, taking on a toothy grin as she made one final comment.
"Girl pop singers were a dime a dozen back then, so I posed as a boy."
"WHAT?!"
Laughing, Corsa took a step forward, surveying both her opponents, ignoring her intended's outrage. Sparing a glance towards the crowd, she closed her eyes, resolving, "First, let's even the playing field."
"Huh?"
The woman disappeared and returned in a flash, leaving the audience perplexed. Both Heles and Quitela decided to power up, wanting to give the goddess their all. They would teach this interloper the error of challenging a destroyer god, both having enough of her insolence. She stood motionless as the pair attempted to channel their destructive energy, finding themselves unable to access their god given power.
"What the hell?!"
"What's going on here?!"
"Just as I said," she responded, the pair staring her down as she added, "you won't be able to access those powers for a while."
Corsa turned her gaze to the rest of the destroyers in the audience, proclaiming, "Or any of you for that matter."
"What?" Liquirr questioned, Rumshii laughing heartily at the claim.
"Please, as if you could bound my power," the elephant-like god stated, the balancer shrugging her shoulders, placing her hands on her hips.
"Go ahead then. I'll wait."
Standing, the deity closed his eyes, trying to feel the familiar sensation the destructive energy had always gave him. He found the power totally absent, only able to utilize his base abilities.
The other gods followed suit, finding the same result. Left in total disbelief, Rumshii hollered out, "Just what did you do to us?!"
She scoffed at the question.
"With as big of ears as you have, you don't really listen, do you?"
Belmod maintained his seat, crossing his arms in front of him. Thinking back, he noticed that as Corsa vanished, he had felt a tap on his shoulder, at first thinking nothing of it. Due to its lightness, the clown god figured a bug or something had bumped into him.
"You might as well give up," he stated, gaining his peers' attention. The eldest among the destroyers was well educated in the divine hierarchy, familiar in theory with a balance god's abilities.
Glancing over to them, he said, "She used the absolution technique on us. It's a skill only gods of her status can utilize."
Heles whipped her head back to the woman, Corsa remaining motionless as she yelled to her.
"That's impossible! How did you manage to negate all of us?!"
Beerus grumbled, knowing full well she had negated both Champa's and his energy as well, her affinity of equality not lost on him. He was just as curious as his peers how she'd made so much progress. Even if she did utilize the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, having so much control over the absolution in such a short amount of time was unheard of. At least, he would think so. The destroyer had a multitude of questions for his balancer later.
The woman grinned at her elder, stating, "That's none of your concern. Just know that I figured the rules of this match could change at any time, so I took care of the problem beforehand."
Feeling her hand shake, Corsa excused herself, walking toward the edge of the ring. Holding her hand up, she released a dark violet blast into the void, her arm continuing to twitch as the excess energy dispelled.
Reappearing before the twins, she motioned her hands up, summoning a shield around them, leaving herself outside the energy field.
"So, we gonna do this or what?" she asked, the destroyers returning to their fighting stances.
Having a thought, Quitela hollered out to the Grand Priest, demanding to know what he was going to do about the goddess going outside of the ring.
Tilting his head to the side, his superior exclaimed, "There are no rules against any of you going out of bounds. Do as you please. The time has already started. I suggest you make hast."
The rodent-like god grumbled, knowing the Grand Priest would likely do nothing about the absolution either. 'Seems anything's gonna go in this match,' he thought. Taking his place beside his peer, the two stared the woman down, chatting amongst themselves.
"It doesn't matter. We still have the rest of our abilities," Quitela informed Heles.
The woman nodded her head, saying, "Yeah, we got this. It's not like she's physically strong."
"Ke, ke, ke," the mouse-like deity laughed, stating, "she didn't think as far ahead as she thought. Let's put her down quickly so we can get to beating on those idiots."
"Sounds good," she said, the pair rushing to the trio.
The three flitted around, light gusts of wind being the only inclination as to where they were. Try as they would, neither god could get a hit in on the goddess, narrowly avoiding contact. The crowd watched on, intrigued at the agile nature of the balancer.
"Wow! She's really fast!" One Omni King said.
"Yeah," said the other, agreeing with his future self, adding, "wonder how long she can keep it up for."
Appearing before the twins, Corsa made a quick comment before avoiding the pair again.
"Didn't you find it funny that no mortal's recognized me yet? Seriously…"
Champa howled with laughter, tilting his head back, his long ears draping over his sibling's head. Beerus moved himself away, grumbling at the confession.
Truth be told, he would have never lived down the embarrassment had he indeed been awake and managed to track her down. The god would have had so many things to question about himself, his sexuality, in particular. He never held any affinity towards men. Chances are very likely he would have killed the cross dressing teen on sight, also having zero interest in minors.
He shivered at the thought of what could have been, never so thankful that he slept for as long as he did. The time had allowed the woman to become the deity the universe needed her to be, finding a sense of pride at that. The fact that she held him in such high regard as a destroyer and bedmate was an unexpected bonus.
Quitela finally had a thought, growing frustrated at Corsa's dodging. 'We need to reduce her speed.' Swiping repeatedly at her legs, the goddess finally tripped, put directly into Heles' line of fire.
"Shit," she muttered, shielding herself just in time as a barrage of arrows were flung her way, the elder goddess having no further patience for the elusive target.
Disappearing in a flash, the blue-haired female reappeared once again in front of the bound gods, her hands noticeably shaking from glancing off their blows. 'That's gonna hurt in the morning,' she thought, gritting her teeth as she held her hands, gaining a look of concern from Beerus.
Utilizing the absolution when she did was the appropriate call to make, resolving she had no chance if they were to use their full power against her. However, the stamina the technique drained was substantial, dodging their blows and focusing on maintaining the shield all she could manage at present. The pair working together to immobilize her was concerning, but she was confident she could stay a step ahead of them.
The angels had chosen to focus on perfecting her strengths, her speed increasing a hundred fold. The absolution had gained vast improvements, instructed to channel the extra she couldn't filter into the void, having no worries over damaging other worlds. While she could utilize other techniques she was taught, her strength needed time to recover before attempting to go on the offensive. She would simply have to bide her time. The goddess was confident, but getting nervous. Her mind was concerned with too many things at once, the strength of her powers splitting with it. Elucian control over abilities depended solely on a focused mindset.
Sensing the deity becoming overwhelmed, Whis called out to her.
"My lady, you need to calm down!"
Corsa took a deep breath, attempting to slow the roaring beat of her heart in her ears, her body feeling tense and on edge. She knew being tense could restrict her movements, hearing the attendant scold her uncle for the same habit. Breathing wasn't doing her any good, making her panic more as she took on another barrage of attacks, letting out a massive shield at the pursuers in frustration, draining her further.
Chiming in, Vados exclaimed, "Find your center!"
The angel recalled that meditation had done wonders in calming the woman at times she had become frustrated in the chamber, unable to continue if her mind shut down. Giving a nod, Corsa disappeared once again, thinking, 'easier said than done' at the suggestion.
"Coaching from the side lines? That's new," the elderly kai said, raising a brow.
"I thought you two were supposed to be neutral."
"We are, just wanted to give her a little reminder. She's new, after all," the attendant reasoned, his sister nodding in agreement.
"Though she has natural talent, the destroyer's combat experience will eventually overwhelm her. If she doesn't stay focused, that is," she said, raising up a finger.
"Indeed," Whis replied, glancing down to the match, narrowing his eyes.
He had seen vast improvements in Corsa while they were in the time chamber. The angel knew this was mostly due to having little distraction, able to utilize her Elucian focus to accomplish what she needed to. Though he had held concerns over the nature of the match, multiple things going on at once, he still held on to hope that the woman would be able to block most of them out. However, his primary fear of Beerus distracting her would soon come to fruition, noticing that she had formed an obvious habit of returning to the shielded twins. If the offensive pair hadn't noticed yet, they would soon.
Heles pulled her bow taunt, releasing an arrow in her direction just as she appeared in front of the siblings, lying in wait for her. The balance god almost made it too easy, making such an obvious tactic. Having no time to shield herself, the arrow met it's mark, plunging into her shoulder. Beerus was left wide eyed as he saw bright red blood drip from its razor sharp point, the projectile imbedded into pale flesh.
"CORSA!" he called out, the injured woman stumbling backward, catching herself.
The goddess glanced down, slowly bringing her eyes up to the sniper, unimpressed by the shot. Quitela rushed up, approaching from the woman's side, thinking he had an open shot to put her down. He was gravely mistaken. Eyes going red, Corsa swiftly waved her free hand, multiple shields lighting up along the ground, catching the god in one of them. She quickly relinquished the failed attempts in order to conserve energy, her hand taking on a constant tremor.
Motioning her free hand upward, the confined god was thrust high above the ring, banging on the sides of the sphere in an attempt to free himself. The shield around the twins quickly negated, prioritizing her focus. Looking into Heles' eyes, she found consolation that the woman's focus was solely on her, comfortable that the shield was no longer necessary.
"Kay, now I'm pissed," she muttered, reaching up to push the arrow the rest of the way through, grunting as it fell to the side, wincing at the pain. Observing blood ooze out from the wound, the balancer grimaced. This had been the third time someone had shot her that week, the statistic leaving her extremely unamused at the trend.
Just as the lone destroyer rushed forward, Corsa raised her hand up to her injury, standing her ground. Heles halted as she saw the woman seemingly waiting for her to get closer, her instincts telling her to stay away. Removing her hand, the goddess' wound disappeared, holding a glowing fist out to the sharp shooter. Heles flinched, narrowing her eyes at the balancer as a grin spread across the young woman's face.
Both women stood motionless, gone in a flash as Corsa chased her elder around the ring, Heles trusting her intuition to avoid contact with her at all costs. Neither woman could be seen as their game of cat and mouse went on, frustrating the balance god to no end. Her stamina couldn't keep this up forever. She had to figure out some way to slow the destroyer down. Recalling the woman's penchant for beauty, she grinned, calling out to the destroyer.
"Hey grandma!"
The elder goddess' eye twitched at the nickname.
"You're looking a little tired! I got some concealer to cover up those crow's feet!"
"What did you say?!" Heles exclaimed, the insult to her appearance striking a nerve.
Stopping herself, she pivoted around looking to make the girl pay for her words. The goddess went wide eyed with shock as her pursuer slammed into her, knocking them both to the ground. Corsa hadn't thought her ploy would actually work, being proven wrong as the women skidded across the ring, both gritting their teeth and wincing upon impact.
Scrambling on top of the dazed destroyer, the balancer pressed herself against her, pinning her down as best she could before plunging her hand down to touch her. Her wrist was swiftly caught in the Heles' grasp, furiously resisting. The two exchanged blows with their free hands, Heles growing frustrated as Corsa was barely managing to keep her legs pinned with her own, unable to escape.
"Get the hell off me!" she yelled out, the balancer ignoring the pain of her blows as she pushed against the woman's tight grasp with both hands, attempting to motion her glowing hand closer to the deity's shoulder.
"Come on, just a little…tap!" she called back, grinning through the pain of her throbbing head, witnessing the tan female's arm edge closer and closer to herself.
Yanking her arm back towards Corsa, she yelled out, "No! Get away you ingrate!" swiping her free hand at the young deity's face. She felt her opponent's energy flare up slightly, watching as the scrapes upon the young woman's cheek healed.
Corsa bared a wide grin as she mocked, "Ah, be a good sport! It only hurts real bad the first time! I'll be gentle…"
"Freaking sadist!" Heles yelled, flinching at her tasteless double entendre. It dawned on the destroyer that while her punches did make contact, they weren't slowing the woman down, almost as if she was enjoying being pummeled on.
Corsa found it amusing as hell. She had dealt with worse blows when sparring with Beerus, even more so when she helped her uncle change out the god's bed sheets, being on the receiving end of his unimpeded kicks and punches. The balancer silently thanked him for increasing her durability, laughing to herself at other ways he had inadvertently helped her endurance.
Her attention returned to the destroyer squirming underneath her, having enough of the cheap shots Heles was giving. Grabbing a handful of hair, Corsa slammed the woman's head into the ground, trying desperately to find a way to loosen her grip on her wrist. Her injury reflection would only work if she could manage to touch her with that bound hand.
Pushing with all her might against her insane grip, she yelled, "Quit being a little bitch and let me touch you already!"
"Not on your life!"
As the women struggled, some of the other gods appeared a little, distracted. Continuing their vicious grappling match, their skirts had begun to hike up, revealing more of their svelte legs than either would like in normal circumstances. Focusing all her attention on the goddess, Corsa's shield containing the other destroyer dissipated, dropping Quitela unceremoniously to the ground beside Beerus and Champa. Rather than rushing to attack the bound pair, he stood beside them, the three gods tilting their heads slightly to the sides, hoping to get a better look.
Shin had to scold his ancestor as the elderly kai's nose burst forth with streams of blood, unable to take seeing the females pressing against each other, grasping a handful of the other's hair, glaring one another down through gritted teeth. It honestly was looking less like a fight, and more of a violent encounter than anything. The three gods continued staring, Beerus feeling a little guilty for the entertainment their bout was bringing him, never daring to mention his fantasy to Corsa.
"So…who you think's gonna win?" Champa asked, receiving an elbow to the kidney. Whose side was he even on?
Quitela scoffed as he replied, "Who cares?"
The males were kind of enjoying seeing Heles overwhelmed, noting the rarity of seeing their peer in close combat, the cat fight she found herself in just a bonus. Two attractive females in such a position as they fought was unintentionally causing some of the audience to have less than wholesome thoughts regarding them.
Heles attempted to land another punch on the goddess, making impact with her cheek. Enraged, Corsa brought her knees up to the woman's chest, digging them into her shoulders as she spit a mouthful of blood onto Heles' face, looking to add insult to injury. The pinned woman went blue in the face with disgust, finding the ploy akin to a street fight, lacking any of the beauty or finesse she so favored. Wailing on the young goddess, she yelled out as Corsa did her best to block the barrage.
"You disgusting little punk! Have you no class?!"
Getting a leg up, the destroyer kicked at her, rushing backward to keep the woman in her sight. Landing on her behind, the balancer winced in pain, absently wiping excess blood away as she locked eyes with the grossed out goddess, chuckling at her discomfort as she rose from the dirt.
"And what's so damned funny?!" Heles demanded, enraged at the progress of their fight thus far. It seemed to her that the balancer, while surely losing stamina taking on so many blows, was just seeking to get a rise out of her.
Corsa gave a half smile as she uttered, "Checkmate."
"Hu-" was all Heles got out before blood burst forth from her shoulder. She had managed to make contact in the confusion the destroyer caused, seizing the opportunity to graze her target. Gripping the wound, she yelled, "Ah! Son of a-"
"It's just a flesh wound, you baby!" the balancer called out, rushing towards the deity. Putting a leg out to trip her, the elder woman's head slammed into the ground, causing the tiles beneath to crack under the pressure.
Corsa grinned as she dug her foot into the injured goddess' wound, Heles wincing as she glared up to her. There was something in the balancer's eyes she wasn't liking, sensing the woman was gaining some sick satisfaction out of her pain.
"What's the matter, grandma? Fallen down? Can't get up?"
"Would you quit with that?! I'm not old!"
"Pft, yeah you are. Compared to me, anyway. Hey, just between us," she said, leaning in while holding a hand up to her face, whispering, "how old are you? Couple million, give or take? Come on, you're secret's safe with me."
Heles' fists shook with rage, never being so insulted in her entire time as a god of destruction. How dare this punk ass god mock her! Even beaten and broken, the blue-haired deity above her had the audacity to make time for jokes. She was mocking the entire purpose of the punishment, influencing the Omni Kings to change the rules with a wave of a hand. Indignance filled her with equal ferocity, unable to take how much disrespect the seventh universe showed the other realities at every twist and turn.
The tan deity couldn't stand the additional insults from the defiant deity any longer, "What the hell is wrong with you?!"
Corsa seemed to pause at this, pondering for a second before responding.
"Well, you at the moment."
She found the question rather odd, considering the destroyer doing her utmost to rile her up at any given opportunity. Corsa didn't care much for the fighting, but if it would put Heles in her place when it came to Beerus, she was more than happy to oblige.
Glancing around the ring, the goddess inquired of the elder's partner, not sensing the rodent's energy.
"Speaking of problems, where's that-"
Quitela attacked out of nowhere, distracting the woman long enough for his peer to get further away. With every blow missed and blocked, the mouse-like god noticed the balancer starting to breath heavily, her stamina reaching its limit. Corsa hadn't had nearly enough time to recover, warranting a grin. Quitela zipped behind her, catching the balancer in a headlock. Try as she would, the woman couldn't free herself from his grasp, exhausted from her previous bout with Heles. Flinging a fist at him, Quitela caught it with ease, twisting it behind her. The audience watched the display as the woman cried out in pain.
"Ahhh! Let go you rat bastard!" she called out, making the god laugh at her demand.
"Ke, ke, ke. Not a chance. Heles!" he yelled, looking to his peer, aiming a handful of arrows straight at them.
The confined goddess struggled against him as the elder female exclaimed, "This ends here, Corsa. Hope you said your goodbyes," pulling back further against the taunt bow, stern eyes staring the woman down.
Sneering at the overwhelmed deity, the mouse-like god gave a swift kick, hearing her leg snap upon impact. The woman fell to her knees, screaming as Quitela yanked her head up by her hair, leaning in to hiss in her ear.
"Don't need you running out of the way of this. I'll do you a courtesy and watch with you as it comes our way. I'll be able to avoid it, of course."
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Beerus yelled out, pulling against his constraints, receiving a cold reminder from the Grand Priest.
"You still have thirty seconds," he stated, stressing that if he should feel the need to intervene any sooner, he would be immediately erased. Pulling against his restraints, Beerus felt the fabric slightly give, prepared to slough off his bounds the instant he could.
Knocking his head back against his brother to gain his attention, he said, "Hey, you better be ready to go, Champa! If you run with your tail between your legs, I swea-"
"I'm ready, jackass!" he hollered out, adding, "Geez, you think I'm gonna leave family to fight my battles? You got another thing comin'!"
"Hmph," was the only reply he received, Beerus holding his breath as Heles prepared to unleash her attack on his balancer, praying that he wouldn't be too late.
"While you were impressive, our experience trumps your raw talent any day," Heles called out, giving a cold stare as she added one final statement.
"This'll teach you what it means to challenge a god…"
The bowstring brushed against her fingers as it flung the arrows forward, careening towards their helpless target, Quitela jumping out of the way as the barrage neared impact.
Corsa's eyes narrowed, zeroing in on the energy signature the projectiles held as she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. 'Find my center,' she thought, the advice finally registering. Instead of the searing heat of rage filling her being, her body sensed a gentle warmth emanating from her chest outward. A sense of calm and clarity she hadn't felt in a long time coming over her, relaxing her tense muscles.
Opening her eyes, time appeared to nearly halt, watching as the arrows slowly crept closer. She felt no fear of death in that moment. In fact, her victory hadn't felt more certain.
'I'm not dying yet,' she thought, her body surrounded by a light blue glow, standing up, pain no longer pulsing through her leg. Aside from the calm, Corsa realized she didn't feel anything, holding her stance as the arrows came dangerously close.
'Not now, not today, not ever. I still hadn't told him my answer yet…'
Holding her hands before her, a small blue sphere began to form as she stared the barrage down.
'I'm tired of losing people that are close to me, and I won't lose what I have now!'
Corsa flung her hands out, the sphere expanding as the projectiles rushed towards her, disintegrating the arrows upon contact. The impact caused a massive plume of smoke to engulf everything around her, blocking the figure from view.
"CORSA!" Beerus hollered, unsure of what his eyes would see when the dust cleared, fearing the worst for his beloved goddess.
Both Heles and Quitela chuckled, confident that the woman was no more, free to pummel the twins to their hearts' content. The audience looked on in hushed silence, concern coming over Shin's countenance. Realizing that his ancestor was still present, his eyes widened, whipping his head back to the ring. 'She's alive,' he thought, anxious as to what state his blue-haired counterpart was in.
Just as the goddess and rodent turned their backs, the smoking clouds of dust swirling around the ring suddenly took on a light glow emanating from its depths, causing them to pause. Light humming could eventually be heard, making Beerus' blood run cold. He feared that the woman had hit her breaking point, his stomach turning at the thought of seeing that infernal form again. Unbridled power, raging out of control, was the last thing he wanted to contend with in addition to the other gods.
The destroyer was confused when the unmistakable stench of bloodlust didn't fill the air. Instead, everything felt light, calm even. A gentle pulse ran through him, sensing a comforting aura. The smoke began to clear while a gentle singing rang out through the ring, the divine audience watching on.
"I won't just survive…oh you will see me thrive…can't write my story…I'm beyond…the arc…of time…"
As the plumes dissipated, the crowd looked down in intrigued silence, taking in the being below. Light silver hair replaced the ocean blue waves, white sparks shot up around her aura, growing in frequency and intensity. Corsa held her hands at her sides, eyes closed as the untapped energy poured out of her, relishing in its full release. Her skin held a healthy complexion, no longer blemished and stained from her previous injuries, appearing completely restored. Lavender eyes finally opened, glistening with a stern clarity. It was though those eyes showed the soul of a seasoned warrior, taking slow steps towards the four deities, eyes locked on two of them in particular.
"That's not Ultra Instinct, is it?" Shin asked aloud, leaning forward in his seat. He couldn't fathom such a rank amateur gaining the ultimate power with such little instruction.
Nearby gods shook with irritation, becoming enraged at the thought of another person from that universe gaining such a form with ease, a feat that they themselves haven't come remotely close to mastering. Their fears were staunched when the seventh universe's attendant chimed in.
"No," Whis replied, gaining the Creator god's undivided attention.
The angelic siblings shared a smile, appreciating the fruits of their tireless labors, taking in the transformed balancer below. Reclining back, the male attendant's countenance wearing a look of satisfaction.
"Seems she finally took your advice, sister," he said, Vados giggling at the comment, returning her gaze to the ring.
"Indeed. Albeit, she sure took her sweet time heeding me."
Whis grinned, offering a reason for the delay.
"Corsa appears to learn best when her life is on the line. Sensing the end was certainly near, her body must have responded, using the stimulus gained to attain her race's ultimate form.
"You mean," Shin asked, cut off by the attendant.
"Yes, the Elucian combat form, coined the Buki Dai Shoko. The highest transformation they could ever hope to achieve."
Perceiving the creator's desire for him to explain, Whis continued.
"Roughly translated, it means 'large weapons archive.' The form permits access to a multitude of options for summoning energy weapons, increasing offensive prowess exponentially."
Watching the balancer make her way across the ring, he smiled, adding, "While the form normally takes a considerable amount of energy for a mortal, I'm curious as to how Corsa's divinity will affect that minor glitch."
The Omni Kings looked on in delight at the unexpected transformation, hoping that it meant the fight would continue. The Grand Priest was pleased as well with the outcome, glancing over to his charges, grinning with approval at the Kings' jovial mood.
Corsa's hair flowed out from around her, pushed back by the whirlwind of her aura. Heles and Quitela watched as the woman got closer and closer, unblinking as she stared at them, her expressionless countenance giving nothing away, unnerving the pair.
The brothers were rendered silent, unsure how to react. Beerus looked in awe at the woman, his destructive nature unnerved by the aura emanating from her, the gentle pulse pushing back the anger a destroyer utilized to summon their power. Another piece of him felt lulled by it, almost as though he could fall asleep at the warm comfort in his chest, easing the tension out of him.
Stopping just short of them, the deity finally blinked, tilting her head gently to the side, appearing to be measuring them up. Beerus braved a step forward, his beloved balancer never turning her gaze away from the two destroyers. Taking a breath, the four waited to see what the woman had to say, the measured voice that came out sounding almost foreign in comparison to her prior goading.
"Experience, huh? I like that," the goddess said, offering a misplaced smile, holding no sarcastic undertone or animosity.
"Tell me," she asked, raising her arms up as two twin blades appeared in her hands, "would you like to learn what it truly means to challenge a god?"
Author's Note:
Thank you for reading chapter twenty-four!
I hope you enjoyed the long chapter this week, I really enjoyed writing this one!
With the initial time limit up, how will the rest of the match transpire?
Will Beerus and Corsa get a chance to fight side by side?
Stay tuned to find out!
(By the way, the song lyrics come from State of Mine- 'Rise.')
As always, your reviews are encouraged and immensely appreciated!