45
Chapter Forty Five
" Honor is simply the morality of superior men."
H.L Mencken
Vegeta's mind was racing as he watched the events unfold, saw the focused determination in Adalina's eyes. The malicious smirk that had sprouted on Frieza's face. If that blast hit the planet, it would no doubt destroy it, or come close to it.
Had he lost his mind?
"Frieza you idiot if you let that blast hit the core of this planet you'll kill everyone, including Adalina!" the prince shouted as he stood from his hiding spot.
The tyrant stopped, his malicious smirk fading as the prince's words hit him. He hadn't thought about that. She wouldn't just be learning a lesson by destroying the planet she had fought so hard to protect, she would be perishing along with it...
With a growl and a scream he kicked the massive ball of energy into the atmosphere, singeing his leg. The exhaust of power had been enough to weaken him, and he found himself with that odd feeling of pride and anger once more.
"A blast of that size could have destroyed the planet had I decided to dodge." he explained darkly, looking the shocked woman in her eyes, "You're becoming sloppy and reckless; your new power isn't holding up too well, is it?" he smirked.
"Shut up." she replied, her breathing heavy as sweat dotted her brow.
"You're not strong enough to defy me, so step aside. I don't want to hurt you, but I will." he spat.
"Then do it." her mind began swimming as a fog fell over her. The feeling wasn't unfamiliar, it was one associated with losing control.
This isn't suppose to happen. I trained.
Frieza watched as her expression suddenly went blank and robotic like. Her body was rigid, and her eyes gave him an uneasy feeling, their cold depths nearly sending a shiver down his spine.
Vegeta had long since taken shelter after his heroic save, neatly tucking himself amongst the Earthlings again,
"What's up with her?" Krillin asked, observing the hauntingly still Adalina.
"Her body goes on auto-pilot when it is in immense danger. This isn't the first time." he replied stoically, confused on how she was able to do it. Her power was steadily growing, even though it had been about to run out mere moments before.
Frieza cautiously walked towards her, his idiotic feelings taking precedence,
"Adalina? Can you hear me?" he questioned when he was standing before her.
Her fist suddenly snapped out, catching him in the jaw and sending him to the ground. He was more shocked than anything, left to wonder at how her power had suddenly gone up.
She was oddly mute, her face lacking any emotion. It was as he had feared, her body had gone on auto-pilot, but this time, she wasn't leagues below him. It would be difficult to snap her out of it.
"Hopefully this means more fighting and less talking." he smirked as he stood, a small bruise decorating his cheek.
Frieza's tail lashed out, shooting towards its intended target with startling accuracy. Adalina deftly dodged out of the way, flipping out of range. As she landed a black mask slammed over her face, only adding to her imposing presence. The tyrant wasn't sure what to think. He supposed it was time to take things more seriously.
How far she had come, with her by his side they would be unstoppable.
She had even managed to weaken him, if only a little. Such a strong warrior he had found.
He tapped into fifty percent of his power, barely straining before he fired a death beam towards her.
She dodged in a predictable fashion, ducking to avoid having her head shot off by the suspiciously slow beam. Frieza phased behind her and kicked her in the back, knocking her into the dirt with a thud. He formed his hand into a blade and aimed it for the base of her neck, fully intent on knocking her out.
Adalina sensed something was up and she quickly turned and caught the hand, staring him down. She fired a blast at point-blank range, hitting him in the chest and propelling him into the sky.
Frieza grunted in pain as the powerful ball of energy spun and scorched his chest, nearly making him unable to concentrate. He looked past the pain and expanded his aura with a shout of frustration, his fists trembling as he held them out by his sides.
The Arcosian recovered and began firing rapid blasts at her, every time she would dodge one, another would barrel into her torso. It was her own tactic, being used against her.
That didn't mean she couldn't use his own tactic against him.
Obliterate rapid blasts.
She stood still, taking the brunt of the blasts before charging a ball of energy and engulfing the blasts, and their sender. Frieza didn't have time to react as the blast disintegrated against his porcelain skin, leaving black marks and faint cuts.
Adalina dove through the smoke and kicked him in the gut, the force enough to cause blood to rupture from his dark lips. She was no longer pulling her punches, or perhaps she had gotten stronger somehow? Her hits were beginning to hurt, and that wasn't something that Frieza had experienced for quite some time, and most certainly not from her.
He growled, anger beginning to rise. He would not be tossed around like filth, and not by someone who was suppose to be weak. Perhaps he needed to stop pulling his punches as well? As long as he didn't kill her, it would be fine.
Frieza pounced, Adalina tried to dodge, but she wasn't nearly fast enough . The tyrant caught her by the wrist and pulled her towards him, slamming his elbow into her diaphragm. The blow had successfully knocked the air from her lungs, leaving her stunned as she dropped to the ground below.
Adalina attempted to fire a blast, but it was batted away by a fuming Arcosian as he descended upon her. He would no longer partake in her silly games.
"This has gone on far too long for my tastes." his face was stoic, guarded, "I hope your little Earthling friends are prepared to fight." he smirked, casting a side glance at their hiding spot.
Adalina wasn't able to truly process what was being said, her mind still a muddled mess of warnings.
But she knew that she was losing her footing in the battle, and that it would only be a matter of time before she was out of the fight completely.
Goku had been monitoring the battle between the two super powers, and at times he had wondered if he could keep up once he was healed. But the fate of the universe was no doubt resting in his hands now, as he felt Adalina's power begin to become frantic, dropping with every second. He would be the only thing standing between his friends and the tyrant now.
He would fight with everything he had to save his friends, and maybe even help guide the wayward alien towards a path of light.
His time in the healing tank was coming to a close, and a new power began rising within him, a confirmation of his earlier brush with death. Sometimes he disliked being a Saiyan, but at least it meant he got a power boost from fighting!
Lilith chuckled to herself as she slowly made her way through the castle, killing whoever dared to get in her way. She wasn't even worried about the happenings on Namek, no she would have nothing to worry about if Polarra's power was truly at the level Kain said it to be. She was going to wait a few years to see how the girl's power progressed before nabbing her, but it seemed it was already matured enough for her uses.
She would give them all the time in the world to call upon their army, to prepare themselves, but the truth of the matter was that without either of the princes on planet, they were helpless.
Cooler's ship rocketed through the atmosphere, docking right outside of the palace. The landing seemed to edge on forever, the ship slowly setting its landing gear on the harsh terrain.
He couldn't help but think that the happenings on Namek were somehow connected to the demons, and that they were using Arcos' vulnerability to strike. Frieza was occupied, but that didn't mean he was.
And he'd be damned if anything happened to their only remaining family.
The crown prince maneuvered his scouter, contacting his aunt,
"Arctica, I'm nearly to the palace." he stated, "Are you two alright?"
"Yes, we're fine, but hurry. I've been holding off these shadow monsters with ki blasts, but I fear I'm not match for any of the actual demons." she replied as Polarra scorched another one with careful precision as it slipped under the base of the door.
"I'll be there shortly."
Adalina was determined to come out on top as she scrambled to her feet, taking a fighting stance once more. She pushed off from the dirt, taking to the air, fully intent on delivering a scathing blow to his cranium.
She was totally thrown off as her feet hit nothing, causing her to stumble and hit the ground on her knees. He was faster than her.
He was stronger than her.
And he was going to win.
The tyrant wasted no time in phasing behind her and delivering a well-placed blow to the base of her neck.
Her vision went fuzzy, but through the moment of haze, her mind cleared, allowing her to see the smirk on his face as she fell backards. He was triumphant. He was proud, and he was absolutely giddy that he was getting his way.
It sickened her.
The world faded to black.
"Checkmate." he murmured as he caught her falling body.
A/N: Finally, I really didn't want to drag that fight scene out, but I got going and couldn't stop! That's Dragon Ball Z I guess. Now you'll finally get to see what role Goku will play in all this. And don't worry, Adalina's fight isn't over yet, she's just out of the game for a bit.
Will Frieza have his way? Will the Earthlings survive? Find out next time on Moral Compass! And expect a longer chapter, I have a whole week to write. This one was churned out in two days.
OH AND WE HAVE A TWITTER NOW! The handle is MoralCompassfic
