Continuation from Chapter - First Day.
Author's Note: The story's continuation after the first Epilogue. It's an edit I've been wanting to include for a while but never got the chance to do so. Since this is a very long story, many would probably want to cut out about halfway through. I won't blame them if they do.
For all those just joining, this is a recent edit, which may have sent mixed signals for all those expecting the next chapter. Sorry if this may have inconvenienced some.
Anyway, moving on, this is the continuation of the Legacies storyline.
Dragonball Z
Legacies
Gods and Demons
(Meanwhile)
Light years away from planet earth, in a realm where only the truly privileged are permitted to reign, the most unusual of structures floated. Surrounded by dozens of moons and sitting beneath a golden glowing nebula, as if piercing the heavens themselves, the enormous pyramid that was the home of the God of Destruction floated in the cold vacuum of space. Its multi-layered transparent base, topped with sweeping fields and forests, and a massive tree almost as big as the oddly shaped world itself, which jutted into the clouds, stuck out of the formation like a sore thumb. The fact that its sheer size also camouflaged the countless buildings stacked across the naturally grown constructs meant this was the ideal training spot for the ruling deity and a perfect means to showcase his grand image.
After all, when one possessed strength capable of wiping out entire galaxies, one needed a secluded place to train and polish their skills.
However, at this point in time the primary denizen of this particular sanctuary was still asleep, leaving his training grounds open for the other resident of the floating pyramid to do as he pleased. Standing out in the fields stretched out across the pristine landscape surrounding Beerus's temple, the teal-skinned man with the white curled hair that was his attendant, dressed in his distinguishable maroon robes, black cuirass with white and orange embellishments, and wielding the scepter characterized by the floating gem above its pommel, had taken up position near the lake at the top of the hill.
Able to see most of the lowlands making up this part of the region, the servant breathed in the fresh air and let out a relieved sigh.
"You seem to be in an awfully chipper mood today, Whis," a deep voice spoke up, drawing the attendant's gaze over to another part of the plain.
When Whis glanced over his shoulder, the martial arts master saw the large, muscular form of one of the other guardians of the universe standing nearby. Possessing a fighter's build with a thick, chiseled upper body, big arms, and golden feathers covering its entirety, wearing plated boots, a white Shendyt wrapped around his waist held up by an obi, topped with a white nemes headdress, arm guards, golden bands and necklaces, and bearing the face of a falcon, the King of the Gods Ra held his post several yards back with a smile on his face and his arms crossed.
"Is it something you want to talk about?" the deity asked curiously as butterflies fluttered around him.
The every dutiful assistant chuckled, "You wouldn't happen to have been standing there this entire time waiting for me to say something, would you Ra?"
A shrug was the golden God's immediate response. "Nah, I've just been standing here for the past half-an-hour watching the birds dance across the meadows while the bush-tails nibbled on their acorns in the background." The falcon-headed deity then smirked at him. "Of course I'm waiting for you to say something about it! It's been driving me crazy all morning."
"He's right, you know," a third, soft voice chirped from above, drawing Whis and Ra's gaze upwards. As soon as their eyes turned towards the clouds, they spotted a petite figure floating just several feet above them.
Hovering on her back horizontal to the ground and dressed in flowing, pink silky robes that hugged at her luscious body, a shapely humanoid female with dark brown skin, pointy ears, and long, flowing blonde hair, and a figure that was the inspiration for countless artworks in history, drifted through the air with her hands behind her head. Legs crossed and the toes of one foot pointed towards the sky, the gorgeous elven woman sighed as she gently kicked the ether, at the same time feeling the pupils of the two males fix upon her.
"Ra's been restless the entire morning. I can literally feel his intensity. Perhaps you could indulge him a little and let him know what's on your mind," the cheerful poltergeist exclaimed, at the same time raising her hand up to check her finger nails. "His edginess is kind of throwing me off my mojo."
Picking up the exasperation in the woman's voice earned another laugh from the teacher. "Well, I'm afraid you're just going to have to be a little bit more patient with me, Ra… Aphrodite. Until your other fellow deities arrive, the vault containing all of my little secrets has been sealed off until further notice."
The blonde woman identified as the Goddess of Love pursed her lips and rolled over, resting her chin on her arms as she glared down at her host. "Party pooper…"
Huffing irritably, the falcon God looked away with a grunt. "Ugh. It better not be something petty, like a new dessert you discovered that you plan on sharing with us later this afternoon."
Whis smiled innocently, "You make that sound like it's a bad thing."
"While I admit the worm-sundae special from Proteous Five was extremely delicious, the fact that you dragged twelve of us to that diner just to have tea and cakes together was kind of strange." Not to mention unorthodox.
It was a good thing nobody in that small county restaurant realized that they were having dinner alongside a group of the most powerful warriors in the universe otherwise they would've had some serious problems. Granted not being able to sense their ki was a big advantage on their part, that didn't mean the Gods were completely anonymous from the public.
"Well, considering the amount of work we've been doing over the last thousand years and the fact that we don't see each other very often, I just thought it would be nice for all of us to meet up for the day and have a little bit of fun together," Whis explained to the royal fighter with a good-natured smile on his face. "After all, the responsibilities of a guardian can be incredibly taxing on the body and the mind. It's good to get out there in the galaxy and let off a little bit of steam."
Aphrodite, seeing the reason behind his explanations, nodded her head in agreement. "That, I can agree. Making Love-Love arrows fifty-six hours a day, ninety eight days a fortnight can be such a pain…"
Shrugging a little, the falcon God then glanced across at his former master with a sour looking scowl. "For the record, that bowling match we had back on that moon a thousand years back was completely fixed. You and Artemis cheated on your last two turns."
The attendant, his back turned to the other two warriors, faked a gasp and turned to the deity with a look of shock slapped across his face, "How could you say that? Artemis didn't cheat." He then gave a very devilish smirk at the end, showing the falcon warrior that his astonishment was all an act.
His bullshit meter going off the scale, Ra pointed at the man in triumph, "Ah-ha! So you admit it!"
Humming cheekily, Whis looked away from the man coyly, "What? I didn't say anything."
"I want my fifty gold daleons back! All of them!""
"Oh, I'm afraid that that's impossible. You see… I spent it all."
"What?!" Ra shouted, his feathers bristling in outrage. "How? When?" His shouting had the goddess floating above them laughing in amusement.
"I used my winnings to buy several boxes of those delightfully milky confections they were selling at the front counter called marsh cakes. I'm sure you remember them; the little brown lathered treats topped with cream and dallen berries. They were quite expensive too if my current shopping bill is anything to go by, but so worth the extra expense."
Turning upside-down in midair, the laidback Aphrodite crossed her arms over her ample chest and smirked. "It's true. Those cakes really are delicious." She then took on a thoughtful look. "Perhaps I can pick some up for my subordinates on my way home."
Shoulders slumping as his once imposing image quickly deteriorated, the golden feathered warrior brought his hand up and ran it down his face and beak. "Ugh. You're more gluttonous than Dionysus back when he was the God of Festivities."
Whis giggled under his breath, "I'll take that as a compliment."
"Would you two stop arguing so loudly? I can hear you from the other side of the third moon," a new voice suddenly spoke up, drawing the trio's attention over to a nearby tree.
When Whis, Aphrodite and Ra looked towards the top of a large dead wood with the thickest branches cut down to form three ascending platforms, they saw a large man, about a head shorter than the falcon deity, with long, flowing blonde hair, silver figure-hugging chainmail outlining his muscular physique, silver and blue plated armor similar to a Viking's, with a fur lined collar and boots, sitting there with a hammer held tightly in his grasp.
One leg hanging from the side and swinging back and forth above the ground, the irked looking newcomer frowned. "I'm disappointed in you Ra. After all our years of fighting alongside one another, I always thought you were more composed than this. But it looks as though I may have overly misjudged your character."
The golden warrior grumbled and pointed at the armored fighter. "That's tough talk coming from the man who got his tail handed to him by Set in the first hour of the battle."
"She sucker punched me," the Norse God shot back with a dejected frown, "It was an unfair fight."
Aphrodite rolled her eyes as she turned back over and slowly floated down to the floor, "Yeah right."
Sensing a challenge, Ra smirked and placed his hands on his hips, "Whatever you say, sparky. Don't forget, I was there when it all happened. Just suck it up and admit that you're disappointed it was someone else that wound up defeating the God of Storms in the end and not you."
"Hence the reason why I'm visiting today," Thor spoke up while turning his gaze towards the white haired man standing on the hill. A smile formed on his face when his gaze met his, "Isn't that right, Master Whis?"
A nod quickly answered the warrior's question as the attendant held his post. "Any news from the others, Thor? Will the rest of the Gods be arriving soon?"
Reaching out with his senses, the blonde hammer wielder shook his head and slowly stood up from the edge he was sitting on. "I'm afraid that most of our kin are tending to other business and have been unable to answer your call. I suspect we will not be seeing them for another few days."
"Ugh, really?" the present goddess groaned as her bare feet gently padded along the ground. Hands on her hips, the dark elf then lightly kicked at the grass. "Damn…"
"Hmm. That's a shame," Whis murmured while turning his gaze towards the horizon. "And here I was hoping for a better turn out than this… what with the events that'd transpired recently. But I suppose if everybody else is too busy…"
Blinking a few times, the blonde man, who'd obviously been sleeping on the sidelines for the past hour or so, then pointed his hammer towards the lake. "What about that carapace gentleman over there?" His quick jab of the hammer had Ra, Aphrodite and Whis look towards the water banks at the bottom of the hill, where they immediately spotted a humanoid man covered in a hard exoskeleton that was light-green with black spots, had black plates on his shoulder, shins and chest areas, two black wings extending from his back, and two off-shooting sections of his cranium that pointed straight upwards.
Not only was his back turned to them, showing a pointed tail retracted under his wings, but his arms were also crossed and his attention was fixed upon the distant horizon.
"He's been staring across the lake and listening to us for some time," Thor informed the other two Gods.
The goddess standing alongside Ra tilted her head at him. "Yeah. I've been wondering about that guy too. Who is he anyway?"
Whis merely smiled at his fellow deity's inquiries. "Do not worry. That young fighter down there is a delegate from one of the neighboring universes… a denizen of Universe 13 I believe."
"Ah. Well that explains why I do not recognize him," the hammer wielder exclaimed, taking a moment to analyze the foreigner before a smile formed on his face. Stroking his bristly beard, he then raised a hand in the air and waved. "Hello, friend!" When his shout reached the lakeside, he saw the carapace warrior turn to look in his direction. Thor then beckoned him over, "Why not come over here and join us? You must be pretty lonely over there!"
Blinking a couple of times, the green stranger breathed out a sigh and, turning around, slowly began to amble towards them.
Smiling at his success of coaxing the fighter over, Thor hopped down from his pedestal and landed on the grass at the base of the trunk. Walking over to where Ra and Aphrodite were standing, he met the armored insect-male halfway and extended a hand towards him. "I do not believe we've been introduced yet. I am Thor; Guardian of the Asgard System, first in line to the throne of Odin and the current God of Lightning."
Staring at the equally tall warrior and considering his hand for a second, the fighter from another universe slowly reached out and shook it, at the same time meeting the warrior's gaze.
"It's a pleasure."
Thor grinned back at the alien stranger in a respectful manner. "And who do I have the privilege of shaking hands with?"
Coming to stand next to his fellow deity, Ra chuckled and crossed his arms, at the same time gesturing to the newcomer. "This smartly dressed young man here is named Cell; the current God of War of Universe 13 and the successor of Guan Yu."
"God of War, you say?" Thor repeated in surprise. With his hand still firmly wrapped around the android's palm, the Norse warrior took a moment to consider the individual's title before an even more enthusiastic grin formed across his lips, "A most intriguing prospect. You and I must do battle some time, Master Cell. I believe a little joust to stretch the legs, strengthen our souls and empower our hearts is a terrific way to solidify a bond between two fellow warriors."
Raising an eyebrow at the gutsy and ever-confident Norse God, Aphrodite sighed and shook her head. The elven goddess even went so far as to place her hand upon her crown. "Men… always thinking with their fists…"
The armored warrior, hearing the thunder deity's proposition loud and clear, smirked confidently and nodded. "That's a very tempting offer. I'll consider it."
Feeling more invigorated than before, the armored fighter with the hammer then turned his attention towards Ra, at the same time releasing Cell's hand from his ludicrously strong grip. This was indicated by how the android ended up shaking his fingers out after their brief and spirited exchange of pleasantries.
"Visitors from other worlds? What's the occasion?"
Ra, a smile appearing on his beak, locked his gaze on Beerus's assistant, who was still standing at the top of his hill like a statue on the plain, "I'm sure you'll find out soon enough." His attention was then pulled towards the heavens above. "Ah. It seems that a couple more of our friends have finally arrived."
The moment everyone's eyes turned towards the sky, they suddenly saw a flicker of light appear in the distance, followed shortly by a flaming, golden comet that shot down through the clouds and crashed in the field directly beside them. The mass of energy struck the valley with a violent, earthshaking tremor, blasting debris and dust into the air, and washing the cloud over the four individuals in the valley. As soon as the veil caused by the object's impact lifted, two new figures emerged from the mass.
The first was a humanoid woman with golden yellow skin and long brown hair. Shapely and fit in appearance, the woman wore Egyptian clothing similar in design to Ra's, complete with Shendyt and a white, folded sheet top, and golden braces and plates holding it all together. Along with a pair of multi-strapped sandals that ran up her legs, the woman also had on a golden-band crown with a red jade sitting in its center, with two eagle-like wings of red feathers growing down her arms, giving her a very majestic, angelic appearance.
The second was a human woman, only her outfit was a lot more outlandish and revealing than her companion's. Tall, about the same height as a Saiyan male, she was a tan-skinned, curvaceous young female with a very stoic, aloof expression that didn't at all detract from her attractiveness. She had cool blue eyes, straight black hair framing an enchanting face and cut into an asymmetrical bob style, with the front bangs reaching her shoulders. Her outfit was also unique, consisting of a scarf, elbow pads, gloves and a leather jacket, all black with shoulder pauldrons, which she wore over a black, thin ribbed, zip-up corset top with a long coat back and no front. This meant that her stomach below her midriff and pelvis was exposed, which showed that she was wearing a black lace thong. To round out her incredibly steamy outfit, she also had black lace leggings that went all the way up to her mid thigh area, black boots, golden bands on her arms, and the top part of her dress zipped open.
This exposed her sizable cleavage, which was just as ample as Rangiku Matsumoto's, made more pronounced in her incredibly tight top.
She also had golden eagle wings sewed over the front of her uniform and on the back of her jacket, showing that she was aligned with the woman she'd traveled here with.
When the attractive pair arrived at the spot the rest of the Gods were standing, the woman with the feathers greeted them with a smile. "Long time no see everyone."
Expression brightening at the sight of the alien woman, Aphrodite took a deep breath and dashed forward. She moved so quickly that the winged newcomer swore she teleported directly in front of her. "Isis!" Her cheer was matched by her hug, which she trapped the woman in and caused her to stumble back slightly. "You're here. I'm so glad."
"I missed you too, Di," the brown haired woman also spoke, pulling away from the slender girl to smile at her. "You look breathtaking, as usual."
"So do you. You got a new haircut. That's awesome," Aphrodite chirped, levitating off of the ground to float over to her friend's side as she continued walking along with her companion.
Once the new arrivals got close enough, the leader of the entourage acknowledged their arrival in his usual laidback manner. "It's good to see you," Ra spoke, nodding to the angel when she stopped in front of him. "How's your arm?"
The yellow-skinned woman chuckled as she flexed her right, spreading her feathers with a quick stretch, "Much better, especially after almost having it blown clean off. Thanks for asking."
"Set really did a number on you during our last battle. Most of us didn't think you were going to make it," Thor spoke, gesturing towards his comrade with a gentle smile of his own. "It brings me great joy to see that you're alive and well."
Eyes twinkling at the kind words spoken by the deities, the old but still remarkably young-looking goddess bowed to them and turned her attention to the voluptuous young woman standing behind her. When their attention turned to the raven haired girl, Isis gestured in her direction. "I don't think any of you have met my new student yet. This is Cleopatra. I'm training her to become my successor."
Upon being introduced to the group, the woman in black bowed in the direction of the Gods, receiving similar gestures in kind. When her presence was made known to everyone standing in the field, she then quietly straightened up and folded her arms, causing her chest to stick out even more.
Looking at the raven haired girl from the side and seeing how her promiscuous bust was almost bursting out of her top, Aphrodite took a moment to look down at her own. Pressing her hands against it, she then frowned and scowled enviously across at the girl.
The blonde goddess immediately became downtrodden and turned around, shoulders slumping as a raincloud appeared over her head. "Damn it…"
Ra tilted his head at the raven haired trainee when her emotionless gaze panned over them in a very analytical manner, "When did you pick her up?"
"About thirty thousand years ago… give or take a couple of years."
"Ah. A young goddess?" the falcon warrior said with an understanding nod. "She must be pretty talented for you to actually see fit to choose her as an apprentice. Eighty million years of serving as a guardian of this universe and in all that time you never showed even the slightest interest in taking on a student. What changed your mind?"
"Oh… a lot of things," the winged protector giggled, resting a hand on her hip as she watched the girl in black step away for some space. When she saw the youngster then proceed to watch the butterflies dance across the meadows to her right, Isis allowed a gentle smile to form. "Mostly because I believe it's getting to the point where it's time for me to hang it all up… to call it a day."
Perking up when she heard her friend's words, Aphrodite spun around and floated over to her, "R-Really?"
The winged-guardian nodded, "Yes."
"B-But…" the blonde stammered.
"You're still young. I'm sure that you have many more years left to give before the universe sees fit to grant you a safe and noble passage into retirement," Thor said, trying to convince her otherwise.
"Maybe. But in case things go awry, it brings me comfort to know that I have somebody to carry on my work, should something happen to me," the fighter replied, sharing with the warriors a warm look before glancing over to her protégé. "She's strong, compassionate and wise. I know she will serve this universe well." Upon receiving gestures of acknowledgement from the two males, her gaze then fell upon Whis, who she noticed was now walking towards them with his signature staff in hand. Isis brightened up when he finally stopped on the edge of the circle that they'd formed. "I received your message."
"I knew you would. Of all the Gods that existed in the early days of the universe, I could always count on you to make an appearance," the teal-skinned attendant replied with a bow of greeting. "The years have been kind to you, Isis. I'm glad you're alright."
"As am I, Whis," Isis replied, nodding to the man as soon as he rose up to full height. Once their exchange was made, she then took a moment to step back and count the heads that'd decided to show.
While she, Thor, Aphrodite and Ra stood next to one another, with Whis positioning himself as center speaker a few yards away, to their right the visitor from another universe had taken a few steps away and was once again standing out in the open. Cleopatra on the other hand had decided to take a spot a few meters behind Isis, and was now using that time to play with the butterflies that had decided to converge around her.
Heck, she even held out a finger for one to land on, which it did. It was a sight that brought a smile to the raven haired human, as well as a cheerful look to the winged deity's eyes.
"It seems that we are the only ones who've shown up," Isis remarked, glancing back into the semi-circle that she and the other Gods had formed. "That's a surprise."
"So far," Ra said, arms crossed and a serious look on his face. "Give the others another day or so. I'm positive that several more will come." His attention then shifted over to the teacher of the God of Destruction, who was now looking them over with a more professional air about his person. "Are you going to tell us now why you decided to call all of us out here on such short notice?"
Lowering his head, the blue-skinned man's eyes flickered with seriousness as he raised his staff ever so slightly and tapped it into the ground. At first Thor, Aphrodite and Isis were confused as to why he did that. But after the chime of the scepter's contact echoed across the field like the ring of a mystical bell, the group then saw two silhouettes suddenly teleport into view behind the attendant, drawing their gazes over to them. The instant they appeared, the two Gods then realized that they weren't alone, and that there were two other warriors whom were visiting this temple.
As soon as their forms became tangible, the group saw a human male with spiky black hair, his face covered in multiple battle scars, wearing a red headband, black figure-hugging spandex, and black and green battle armor similar to those worn by the Saiyans, step into the light. He was soon followed by a second figure, an alien who was a couple heads shorter than him, with a white and purple carapace form, an incredibly effeminate appearance, sharp red eyes, and a long white tale waving behind him. Despite his form's diminutive size, it was sleep and imposing, and managed to convey an air of incredible power.
While the first one didn't seem like much to the group, the second one without a doubt had a couple of the Gods in the area turn a head. Furthermore, it was their appearance to the scene that had the visiting Cell look in their direction and stare at them with an intrigued gleam in his eye.
After stopping behind Whis and sharing a glance with one another, the two newcomers then turned their attention to the rest of the crowd as the teal-skinned man proceeded to speak.
"Just like our friend from Universe 13, the gentlemen you see behind me are also delegates from two of the neighboring realities. The warrior with the spiky black hair is designated Bardock; the God of Fury and representative of Universe 6. The man standing next to him with the long tail is Frieza; the God of Destruction and representative of Universe 9… a man I understand a couple of you are quite familiar with." Whis focused his attention on the central deities as the two visitors stepped closer, their arms crossed and moods set to tense. "I called these three here because of the precarious incident that had recently unfolded involving one of our own…"
Isis, well aware of what the overseer was referring to, frowned at what she expected was the discussion to come, "Set… right?"
The attendant nodded. "Due to circumstances that were beyond our control, the seal surrounding my former student's prison was broken and the God of Storms was allowed to run loose across the universe once again. She then quickly proceeded to try and destroy it. However, as I'm sure that all of you are aware, Set was promptly confronted and defeated by a warrior from the planet that she'd previously been imprisoned on, and her efforts to lay waste to the world were quickly thwarted."
Narrowing his eyes, the King of the Gods acknowledged the attendant's words with a nod. "This much we already know."
Eyes panning across his audience, Whis took a deep breath before continuing the recount. "Above all odds, the warrior was able to summon the power necessary to defeat the goddess Set and cast her off into the depths of space. At first I believed she'd been destroyed in the closing stages of the battle, but after checking in with King Yemma and taking a look through his records, no mention has been made of my former student passing through the check-in station."
The carapace visitor standing nearby threw the speaker a concerned look. "You're saying she wasn't destroyed?" Cell asked, earning a quick nod from Whis.
Thor, finding this news puzzling and quite troublesome, glared in the attendant's direction. "Can you locate her through your staff?"
Expression conveying defeat, the martial arts master shook his head. "That's the problem. I can't find a single trace of her. That tells me that she's either been incapacitated and does not wish to be found or something else is preventing me from locating her."
"That's odd. Usually you don't have any problems with finding anything through your all-seeing-eye technique," Ra commented, giving the attendant a puzzled stare. "Perhaps you're reading the airways wrong?"
Expression twisting slightly in thought, the blue-skinned guardian turned his gaze from the ground back up to his audience, whom was now currently scratching their heads over this newest mystery. "Whether or not my student survived the struggle is the least of my concerns right now. As long as she isn't stirring up trouble, then we don't need to make any efforts to pursue her. The reason I called you all here today is because of something far more serious." Glancing over his shoulder towards the other two representatives behind him, Whis then proceeded on to the topic that'd been rattling his brain for the past week. "During the battle above earth, Set threatened to suck this entire universe into the space between spaces, taking everything and everyone with it. A move like that, I know, would've not only destroyed our world, but unleashed the terror that would've gone on to wipe out countless others…"
His announcement quickly entrapped the attentions of Ra, Aphrodite, Thor and Isis, all of whom looked at the man with a glimmer of concern on their faces. While the males looked surprised, the females appeared genuinely shaken.
"Surely you're not suggesting-" Isis began to speak, her tone reflecting a sense of fear.
"I am," Whis interjected, shooting a serious look in the winged-goddess's direction.
"No way." Ra narrowed his eyes as a bead of sweat trickled down the side of his face, "I doubt even Set would be stupid enough to allow such a thing to happen."
"She was there when we faced it the first time. Even with all her power, not even the goddess of storms came close to being a match for it," Aphrodite spoke up.
"She was blinded by both anger and ambition the moment she was released from the Nexus. Due to the mixture of emotions clouding her judgment, I have every reason to believe that she'd forgotten all about the monster that we fought and defeated all those years ago," the white haired man stated while his grip around his staff tightened nervously. "Had she succeeded in her endeavor, I have no doubt she would have inadvertently awakened the creature from its slumber."
The events that'd taken place during that battle had been more than enough to shake the man to his very core knowing how close their reality and many others had come so close to extinction.
Feeling that they were being kept out of the loop, Bardock, arms crossed, took a step forward and directed his attention towards the falcon deity. "What exactly are you guys talking about? What monster?"
For something to get even the guardians of this universe riled up, it stands to reason that whatever it was they were referring to should have the rest of them worried too. This became abundantly clear to all those standing in the area as the other two visitors from the neighboring universes focused all of their attention on their hosts and began listening to what they had to say.
Deciding to fill in the blanks, the falcon-faced God turned his attention to the newcomers and addressed them in kind. "The creature that we're referring to goes by many names. The inhabitants of the ancient planet of Gama called it Mictlantecuhtli. The people of Sura called it Erebus. Other races in the common tongue refer to it as Death Bringer. But the race who first encountered this entity in the early days of our universe called it Esdraelon, which translates to 'the one who will end all worlds'." Scowl becoming more serious, the man began recalling everything he knew on this matter, and began relaying it to their guests. "A primordial beast unlike anything you've ever encountered before, Esdraelon was a genetically engineered monster created by a group of aliens called the Charon, who were conducting illegal biological experiments to transform an alien child into the ultimate life form; one that was capable of surpassing even the Titans. The trials that they ran involved an infant child surviving on the harshest worlds imaginable, killing it and reviving it repeatedly, and forcing it to evolve regenerative abilities to adapt to its surroundings. Due to the horrid nature of its inception, the child eventually developed the mindset where its one and only instinct is to kill everything in its path, hence its name."
While Bardock found this information quite shocking, the white and purple alien standing beside him smirked at what the man had just said. "This beast sounds like an interesting pet. With his power, I bet he could do an entire afternoon's work for me and I wouldn't even have to lift a finger to help." He then shared a glance across at his fellow delegate, who threw a glare back at him. "Reminds me of how I did business back in the day."
Hearing Frieza's amused chuckle, Isis's gaze snapped in his direction. "You think this is a joke?" Her statement caused the lizard man to frown, which then prompted the woman to carry on the story in Ra's place. "This beast is a monster of the worst kind; the embodiment of all hatred and malice in the universe. It doesn't eat, it doesn't sleep, it doesn't age, and it feels no sense of compassion or mercy. It just kills, because it knows nothing else… because it has no choice." Ruffling her feathers, the woman stepped towards the center. "After decades of constant torture and torment at the hands of its creators, the beast eventually broke out of its confinement, murdered the scientists that gave it life, and destroyed the planet it was on with its bare hands, traveling to the next one in the debris and repeating the process over and over again."
"This monster was unstoppable," Thor interjected, shivering at when he remembered the strength and capabilities demonstrated by the ancient foe. "The creature's strength fed off of its rage… and its rage burned as hot as the brightest star. Its power grew in proportion to the strength of its opponent, meaning that it could learn and evolve while it was fighting. Decades of being killed and brought back to life also gave this 'Death Bringer' creature the innate ability to resurrect itself on its own accord. It would then adapt to whatever caused its death in the first place, meaning it could not be killed the same way twice. It'd come back stronger than before every time it regenerated."
"It's the most powerful force of nature we ever encountered," Aphrodite explained, crossing her arms over her stomach and shivering when memories of their clash flashed through her head. "That thing's face still haunts my nightmares."
Narrowing his eyes, Cell glanced across at Ra, who shared a similar look of dread on his face. "What happened to it?"
The golden God took a deep breath and looked over at the carapace android. "The creature rampaged for many years and destroyed countless galaxies, threatening the balance of life in the universe. When it started encroaching upon our domains, the Gods of the universe decided to step in and stop it. Over thirty of us went in to fight it… but only fourteen of us made it out alive."
Bardock's eyes widened in shock, "It took thirty of you to kill this thing?"
The question prompted Ra to look across at the stunned visitors with a serious glare. "The God of War Ares and the Goddess of War Freyja sacrificed themselves to defeat it. They killed it and sealed its corpse inside of a crystalline prison, which we set on an infinite orbit around a distant star in a system that we could monitor from a safe distance."
Finding a problem in the warrior's story, Cell turned to him questioningly. "Why didn't you destroy its body or send it packing to another dimension?"
"The creature's body is indestructible. No matter what we tried, even when it was immobile and unresponsive, we could not destroy it," Whis spoke up, drawing everyone's attention to him as he brought his ever-trusted scepter around. "And we couldn't risk sealing it inside another dimension and breaking the prison Freyja gave her life to put it in. If, by chance, it suddenly fell through a subspace wormhole or struck a dimensional barrier, we ran the danger of dispelling the seal or sending the creature to another world, which is something we could not allow. By keeping it locked away in this universe, we have the ability to quarantine it, while at the same time spare the other worlds from its wrath." The blue-skinned warrior then threw a glance towards the other two delegates behind him. "This is the reason I called you here today. In case Set's rampage caused Esdraelon's prison to weaken, it is best that we take extra precautions to ensure that we can stop it, should it somehow manage to break free."
"Since there are so few of us left, we can use all the help we can get," Ra finished in place of the attendant.
Processing the words of their hosts, Bardock looked down at the grass for several moments in thought. With the weight of what'd just been said now pressing down on his shoulders, the battle-scarred Saiyan smiled and looked up. "What the heck? Since I've got nothing better to do, I'd be more than happy to lend your universe a hand. Even if it means I have to work with the scum of creation." He said this while shooting a look towards the lizard alien standing nearby. "The Frieza from my world was a monster and a tyrant. I'm glad our race was able to do away with you back when you tried to destroy our planet."
Tail waving behind him agitatedly, the deity from universe 9 also smirked, "The feelings are mutual, Saiyan. Before I was indoctrinated for the position of God of Destruction in my universe, I wasted no time in seeing your backward home planet was completely and utterly destroyed. I'm just surprised that neither of us has taken the opportunity to try and destroy one another over the matter. However… since I am a benevolent deity, and both of us have killed the other in our respective spaces, I'd say that we are even on the karma scale. Yes?"
A chuckle and a nod answered the smug alien's inquiry, "Of course." Bardock then turned his gaze towards the other visitor to this universe, whom he could see was still standing separate from the rest of the group with an unflinching expression. "And you? What are your feelings on the matter?"
Cell, eyeing the rest of the group suspiciously, took a few seconds to consider his options. "I for one have no grudges or express any ill will towards either of you, even though my creator did design me with the sole purpose of defending my home planet from the likes of you. Since this Esdraelon presents a threat to all the universes and not just this one, I see no reason why I should decline the invitation to join this prestigious alliance." He then gave the deities of this universe a wide smirk. "A battle with this so-called destroyer of worlds presents somewhat of an interesting challenge to me. If worse comes to worse, I'll do my best to uphold my title as a God."
Clapping his hands together, Whis expressed a sense of joy at the delegates' unanimous responses. "Wonderful. Than we have an accord." He then gestured to the three warriors standing in the field. "Please… feel free to make yourselves at home. Lord Beerus is currently still asleep in his citadel, so you can take any one of his chambers for your stay-"
"I'm fine out here," the green android answered quickly, turning his back on the attendant with his arms firmly folded. Though his response did draw a few stares from the Gods standing nearby, the visitor paid them little to no mind and instead focused his attention on the horizon ahead.
"Very well," Whis chirped, while adjusting the blue hoop around his neck. "If that is your wish, then I see no reason to argue against it."
Tapping his finger against his bicep, a deeply contemplating Ra turned his gaze over to the attendant and gestured towards him inquisitively. "How is the status on our doomsday friend? Is he still stuck inside his little mobile home?"
Twirling his staff around and bringing the gem to the center, a rush of ki then ran down the stick and caused the crystal at the end to glow. A series of multiple energy-based polygons then sprung up and encompassed the area, drawing everyone's eyes to the sky above. It was there they saw a large bubble appear, giving them a clear view of the Solar System and the comet that was in orbit of the cluster. Whis was sure to zoom in on the celestial object in question, which could be seen trailing blue fire around planet earth's path.
"Still in transit, thankfully," the blue-skinned assistant said with a sigh of relief. After allowing the group a chance to inspect Hayley's Comet for themselves, he then deactivated his all-seeing-eye technique and withdrew his scepter. Returning it to his side, the man straightened his back and beamed around at all of the Gods. "If the system remains stable, then we won't have to worry about our apocalyptic problem breaking free and going on a killing spree of the neighboring systems."
"Good," Thor breathed out, tying his trusted hammer to his belt and placing a hand on his hip. "Very good."
After looking around at the relieved expressions on everyone's faces, Aphrodite and Isis shared a glance with one another before then fixing it upon their host.
"Just so we're clear, what was the name of the young warrior that defeated Set?" the winged-goddess asked curiously.
Waving her hair about, her pink-wearing companion cupped her hands together and smiled, "Was he handsome? Please tell me he was."
Chuckling at the enthusiastic inquisitions towards the other matter, Whis tapped the gem of his staff against his palm and analyzed it. "Well, first and foremost, he was not a God; just a mortal man. He was also quite fetching for a denizen of his world too, not surprising considering his lineage," Whis informed while looking around at his fellow deities. "The one who defeated Set was a martial artist gifted with incredible strength and talent… a half-Saiyan from earth named Son Gohan."
Initially the Gods didn't react beyond a surprised blink. However, the one who responded the most noticeably was Cleopatra, who'd previously been standing in the background staring off into the horizon. It was only when the name of the mysterious fighter who'd vanquished the goddess of tempests was mentioned that her interests were fully perked. The raven haired vixen's head snapped towards the center where, as her mind fully processed the speaker's words, her eyes widened and surprise appeared across her once impassive face.
This was quickly followed by a quiet whisper, "Did you say Gohan?"
Isis and the others quickly turned towards the formerly silent party, with the teacher giving her student a curious stare. "Cleo… you know this person?"
Shaking her head of her astonishment, the empress quickly set her sights on her instructor and briskly nodded. "Yes. Yes, I do." She then turned away, her expression once again tightening as she focused her eyes onto space in the direction of earth.
When they saw the goddess-in-training wasn't going to say any more on the matter, the crowd of powerful deities slowly returned their attention to the middle. Conversation quickly started up amongst them once again, with Ra and Thor expressing interest over this mysterious warrior and deciding to approach Whis about it, who was also graced by the presence of Bardock. Isis began chatting with Aphrodite, in which the two beauties proceeded to catch up on old times, and Cell and Frieza isolated themselves from the group.
While all this was going on, the raven haired Cleopatra, who had said and done very little to that point, then directed her astonished gaze towards the grass in thought. Raising her right hand, she flexed her fingers a couple of times, upon which she then clenched it into a fist and turned her gaze to the nebula above.
Eyes shining, the beautiful human goddess smiled.
"I've finally found you… Gohan-kun…"
(TO BE CONTINUED)