Chapter Thirty-four - The Flow of War
The ground crunched and gave under their feet as the Sai-jins continued to add power to their attack. The clashing energies had stalemated now, only a few feet beyond their outstretched hands. "Amazing..." Kibito said softly as he watched the pair now begin to repel the attack the two Demons had generated.
"It has been a long time since I witnessed mortals with powers of this level." Mikomi agreed. "Not since the days before the weakening of the Tanarians."
Kibito glanced down at his fellow Kai for a moment. "They were well before my time." Kibito said as he turned back to the battle. The two Demons were now straining to force their attack down but the Sai-jins were forcing it away at increasing speed. "Were they really this powerful?"
Mikomi nodded slightly. "Some." she said. "At their peak during my time as Supreme Kai they had more elite and super elite warriors than they have population these days. There were a little over two thousand of them among those warriors who could have fought evenly against these two, nearly a thousand more who this pair would have had to work hard to defeat, and several hundred who could have defeated the both of them at once without effort. The strongest of them the day Buu came to their world, perhaps the strongest of their people to ever live, was even more powerful than Shin.
"The Tanarians were the strongest of the races. I am unclear as to why they had the power they did, so far beyond the other races of the universe, and though Muzai seemed to know he never explained it to us. But they never caused problems, never posed a threat, and so we left them be. I've come to think, following the events with Majin Buu, that perhaps they were the final Mortal check on evil in the universe, the final line between what was a Mortal afair and what was a matter for the Kais."
As she finished speaking the Demons finally gave up their attack and dodged to either side alowing it and the twin Kamehamehas to sail by them into the distance. They kept their eyes on the Sai-jins below them and scowled the entire time. Goku and Bardock took a moment to catch their breath and let the tension flow from them.
"This isn't possible..." Tenma said slowly. "How can a pair of MORTALS from Shinkai be stronger than US? We have been given power from Quietus himself that exceeds that of even the Grand Mazoku..." She raised her arms and gazed down at her hands as she clenched them into fists. "How is this... happening..."
"Pull yourself together!" Demona growled. "You're acting pathetic!"
"Well, she is pathetic." came a new voice. A soft and silky smooth voice. The two Demons turned to look behind them, those on the ground moving their gaze to look passed them, toward the source of the voice. It was a very Human looking individual with waist length white hair and red eyes wearing the same robes as the sisters.
Goku blinked and looked over to Bardock. "I can't tell... is that a guy or girl?" he asked softly.
Bardock shook his head. "Hell if I know." he answered, just as confused on the matter as his son.
"Maku!" the two Demons cried in unison.
Tenma swallowed. "Wh-what are you...?"
"I was sent to check on your progress. This world was supposed to under our control by now. I don't know about you two but I don't want to be here when the Supreme Kai shows up. Beyond that, Nefaria is still missing. She may be the weakest of the Supreme Mazoku but she is still more than we can handle."
/Nefaria?/ Mikomi wondered, furrowing her brow in thought. She knew all four Supreme Mazoku from her dealings with them when Quietus had first tried to usurp Makai. The weakest of them, then, and been Daikirai. Followed by Aku, Yokuatsu, and Neikan. /So then, one of the former Supreme Mazoku has been replaced in the last two thousand years./ she thought. /And the new one has sided with Dabura./
"Aren't you supposed to be locating Dabura?" Demona asked.
"Aku has come over to find him." Maku replied. "He was the one who sent me to check on you since you had not yet returned."
Mikomi's eyes widened. /Aku's in Shinkai, searching for Dabura!?/ she thought. /So he is still alive! We must find him as soon as possible, working together again is our only chance of stopping Quietus!/
Maku smirked and continued. "Having trouble with these Shinkai mortals? I told Lord Quietus that he was wasting his power on you. You're still as pathetic as ever."
"What was that!?" Tenma growled.
Maku smirked. "Truth hurts, doesn't it?" he asked, crossing his arms. "I mean, you can't even deal with a few weaklings. You're nothing but a waste of time and space."
Tenma's upper lip curled as she growled. Suddenly there was a flash of purple as she surged toward the other Demon. Her swing passed through thin air as Maku vanished and then re-appeared above her slamming a foot into her back. She was knocked toward the ground at high speed but managed to pull to a stop and charge back up before she hit.
Again Maku vanished, this time before she even got close. Tenma pulled to a stop quickly, ready for anything, but gasped in pain and shock as the other Demon appeared before her and slammed a knee into her stomach. Before she could recover or react an elbow slammed into the side of her head and she fell to the ground unconcious.
"Tenma!" Demona cried as she watched her sister fall until she hit the ground. Then she turned her gaze toward Maku once more. "Alright pretty boy, let's go!" she yelled charging in at him.
"Huh, I'd have guessed he was a she." Bardock said. "Either way though, he's good..."
Goku nodded. This new arrival could be a problem, assuming they ever stopped fighting themselves.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ ZZZ
Mortal Plane, Galactic Games Arena
Hotaru had moved back from the main group now, carefully moving Sakura out of the way of the battle with help from Goten and Trunks. Sakura's injuries, while painful and unpleasnt to see, weren't life threatening. Which was good since Hotaru didn't have any means of healing her on hand and flying to a regen tank would take time. Turning from her injured daughter she directed her gaze toward the coming fight.
Elazeba bent her knees a little and then launched forward at Gainin. The Cyborg quickly slipped around her punch, blocked the follow-up elbow, and then slammed an open palm into the back of her head making her slam face first into the ground. She growled as she pushed off and flipped back onto her feet facing her opponent.
Again she launched in to attack and again Gainin avoided her punch, this time by ducking under it. And then his right arm shot out and his fist pounded into her stomach causing her to stumble back in pain. "Come on now, this can't be all you have." he said straightening up again. "I know you're holding back, you can't beat me doing that."
She growled as she held her stomach and glared at him. "Impossible... you don't have enough Ki for me to even sense it! You shouldn't even be able to see me move..." Suddenly she clenched her hands into fists and left out a yell as a blue aura flared up around her. Her power rose quickly before stopping just short of his.
As her power-up ended he noted her energy was still just as perfect as before. That meant she was still holding back. "That wont help." he said, taking a fighting stance. "If you want to beat me you'll have to stop holding back."
"Shut up!" she cried surging in.
Gainin smirked as he deflected the kick aimed for his head. The re-direct in momentum sent her off balance and he was able to slam both palms into her chest knocking her back. /Apparently I got to her./ he thought as he resumed his fighting stance. /Her power's increased but she's gotten sloppier. No... there's more to it than that.../
His thoughts trailed off as he leapt over a leg sweep and fliped over her to land behind her. Standing and turning quickly he blocked another attempted kick and then countered with a spinning back hand. Elazeba managed to just duck under it and then lunged forward intending to headbutt him in the chest.
Gainin backflipped away quickly, slamming his feet up into her jaw as he did. /That was close./ he thought as he landed on his feet again. /That horn could do some serious damage if she's allowed to stab me with it. Guess I'll just have to get rid of it!/ For the first time since the battle started the Cyborg went on the offensive and launched in at her.
Elazeba froze for a moment, shocked that her opponent had suddenly taken the offensive. That moment's hesitation was all he needed. Reaching her he slammed a foot into her stomach, grabbed her horn as she doubled over from the blow, and then flipped over her and used the horn to drag her through the air and then slam her down face first into the ground.
Still holding the horn with his right hand his left foot shot out and kicked her in the head, right at the horn's base. There was a loud crack and then he stood and quickly kicked her with his other foot knocking her away. "That's better." he said smiling as he tossed her broken horn up and down in one hand.
The Demon stood slowly, somewhat dissoriented by the unexpected assault, but her mind cleared as soon as she saw what he held. She reached up and felt where her horn should have been with one hand and found nothing. In an instant her enitre demeanor transformed. Her face contorted into a look of pure rage and hatred. "BASTARD!" she roared, surging in toward Gainin, her blue aura flaring up savagely as her power climbed once more.
By the time she reached him she'd finished her power-up. Her fist slammed into his face and sent the Cyborg sailing backwards quickly. The Demon shot off after him immediately and quickly over took him before slamming a foot into his back knocking him into the sky. Again she took off and passed him and then slammed a fist into his gut driving him down into the ground.
"I think she's mad." Mijima said, arching an eyebrow. "She's also stronger than I expected, stronger than Gainin or I, and she's still not maxed out."
"Can he still win?" Vegeta asked.
Mijima remained silent for a moment as she watched her brother get back to his feet and attempt to block a punch only to get kicked in the side. But the blow was a glancing one, he managed to avoid most of it and then counter with a punch of his own. "Yeah. He can still win." she replied as the Demon was knocked onto her back. "She can't fight properly she's so mad."
Gainin had to agree with his sister's assesment as he tossed aside the broken horn and shot in to attack again. The Demon had gotten even sloppier now but... there was more to it than that. /Her attacks are wild, out of control. It's like she can't.../ His eyes widened as he easily slipped around an energy blast and realization hit him. /She can't control her power proprerly, it's like she's not used to it./
He could remember how much trouble he and his sister had initially had learning to properly manage and control their power after Doctor Gero had settled on a design. Having made an increase in power of more than 1.5 million fold it took them a while to be able to do normal things again, let alone fight properly. He was seeing the exact same things in this Demon's fighting that he'd seen in his and his sister for the first week after getting their power.
Elazeba managed to slip around his first punch but his second caught her across the jaw and then his leg slammed into the back of her head causing her to stumble. Taking advantage of the opening he spun around and slammed his heel into her face knocking her toward the other Demons. She managed to pull to as stop only a few feet away from the lizard like one. "Damn it..." she growled. "How can he be this powerful when I can't even sense anything!?"
Gainin smirked. "Because my power is artificial." he said. "I don't fight with Ki." Instead of sliping back into his fighting stance he crossed his arms. "So, how strong where you yesterday?" he asked.
"Wha-what?" Elazeba stammered. The other Demons all glanced at each other while Angel ran an appraising eye over the Mortal. Her thoughts about him had been right. He was certainly unusual. A warrior that didn't utilize Ki for his power. And apparently he'd been able to discern from the battle that they were new to their strength.
"Well." Gainin began. "You're sloppy. Your attacks are wild, the force behind them varries randomly, and you're hesitant to go to your full power."
"What's he talking about?" Videl asked.
Mijima glanced over to her and then back out at the battle. She hadn't really noticed it herself, but she hadn't been the one on the recieving end of the attacks. "When Gainin and I first got our power we couldn't even begin to control it." she said. "We were stronger than your average Human before, but after... well, you know how strong we are now. Our powers increased over a million and a half times in what seemed to us to be only an instant.
"We went to sleep before the surgery maybe five or six times stronger than the average person and woke up an hour later as two of the most powerful beings in the galaxy. It takes time to adjust to that kind of an increase in power. Surely you've experienced it as well?" she asked, looking toward Videl again.
"I... yeah, I have." she said. "I was never that good at controlling my strength to begin with. But during the training for the Cell Games, after we started staying in Super Sai-jin, it became nearly impossible to do anything without breaking something. It took me almost a month to get back to the level of control I'd had before."
"Exactly." Gainin said, grinning. "And I can tell from the way she's fighting that she's the same. She's still coming to grips with her power. Which means it's realtively new."
"You're right." Angel said. "Just a few hours ago we weren't nearly this powerful. We Demons are to Makai what the Oni are for Shinkai. Largely assistants and paper pushers. But Lord Quietus wanted an army of powerful warriors and so he gave us our power. Power to rival the Mazoku!"
Vegeta snorted. "If this is all the stronger the rulers of this 'Makai' are then you've already lost."
Angel smirked. "Lord Quietus and the Supreme Mazoku surpass anything you could ever dream of, or hope to match."
"Enough talk!" Elazeba growled, her arua flaring up again as she powered up once more. This time, when her power stablized, it wasn't even and perfect and Gainin could tell she was at full power.
And her full power was going to be a problem.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ ZZZ
Earth, South City, EDF Detention Center
Autoro scowled as he looked around the corner into the next hall. "Where the hell are they all coming from?" he muttered under his breath.
"More of them?" Ward asked. He was covering the way they'd come incase anyone came up from behind. Jairel and Gard were currently catching their breath between the two, worn from running and fighting so much the last twenty or thirty minutes.
"At least a dozen." Autoro replied.
"Why...don't...we...just...leave..." Gard panted.
Autoro frowned and looked back at him. "Because you bozos took my helmet." he replied. "I can't fight properly without it, I need the mind link control unit to manage most of the special functions of this arm." he patted his metal arm for emphasis. "It's your own fault for locking it up on the opposite side of the building."
"We're almost there." Ward said, glancing back at the others. "Just down that hall, third door on the left, do you see it?"
"Yeah, I see it." Autoro replied, looking down the hall again. "Man, what are these guys doing? They're just standing around staring at the walls."
"Maybe... they fell... asleep?" Jairel suggested, his breathing almost back to normal.
"Do Zombies even sleep?" Ward asked.
Autoro snorted. "Who knows, who cares. I should have enough energy to blast them all to dust though. Without the helmet I can't get a read on their power levels but these things have all been wimps so far."
"Easy for you to say." Gard said straightening up. "Jairel and I have done all the fighting."
Autoro grinned. "Exactly my point. You aint dead yet so these punks are wimps." He moved away from the wall and out into the hall. "Stand back, I'll deal with these ones." he said. As he stopped in the center of the hall he looked over the Zombies again but they weren't even moving in the slightest.
He was just about to bring his arm up to fire off an attack when the building suddenly shuddered under the force of an explosion from outside and the Zombies all toppled over onto the ground. "The hell?" Autoro wondered, staring at them. "They're all... dead."
"That's what a Zombie is." Jairel piped up.
"I know what a Zombie is!" Autoro yelled back. "But I mean these ones aint moving. There's no one home. Whatever brought them back must have left or something."
Ward made his way over to one of them carefully, just incase it was faking or something, but got no reaction from it. "I don't think it's... dead." he said, unable to find a better word. "The eyes are still moving a little. Maybe they're dazed or something?"
"Who cares, let's just go!" Jairel said as he hurried down the hall to the door leading into the evidence locker. He punched in the access code quickly and the door slid open. A glance around inside showed the room was empty and he rushed in, grabbed the helmet Autoro had been wearing when brought in, and came back out. "Here." he called, tossing it to the man.
Autoro grinned as he quickly pulled it out of the bag it was in. He took a look over the damage it had received during his capture but it looked largely superficial. Hopefully it was. He donned it quickly and fastened it in place. A moment later the visor lit up as the helmet came to life.
MIND LINK SYSTEM... OK. NOW ENGAGING MIND LINK... MIND LINK NOW ACTIVE. RUNNING SELF-DIAGNOSTIC SCAN. PRIMARY POWER CORE... OK. SECONDARY POWER CORE... OK. ENERGY CELL 1... OK. ENERGY CELL 2... OK. ENERGY CELL 3... OK. ENERGY CELL 4... OK. ENERGY ABSORPTION SYSTEM... OK. KI SCANNER... OK. TARGETING SYSTEM... OK. POWER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM... OK. NOW BRINGING PRIMARY POWER CORE TO MAXIMUM OUTPUT... MAXIMUM OUTPUT OBTAINED. TOTAL AVAILABLE POWER... 494,203. ALL SYSTEMS CLEAR. OPERATIONAL STATUS: GOLD.
"Alright, time to kick some Zombie ass." Autoro grinned from within the helmet.