" Tsss. " Said Rô, while walking in the underworld. " No one here has awesome power! It's disappointing. "
Finally, turning to the guard who had taken him here before he said.
" We can go home! There is no one to recruit here. "
'' Are you sure, sir ? "
" Of course I'm sure. " Rô roared, while walking in front of a cell. " Bring together ten mighty warriors more powerful those from other universes? It's impossible. "
" Maybe not. " A voice suddenly sneered.
" Hum ? "
Looking inside a cell, Rô could see a man with a big size approaching him, while smiling.
" Who are you ? "
" My name is… Honest. "
Sitting cross-legged, and her eyes closed, Najenda let the time pass while meditating, and reflecting on what was to happen over the next few days. Beside her, Mine, Akame and Kurome were just as quiet. Still, anyone could have screamed in fear. Being with Mojito, the four girls were traveling through space at the speed of light.
" We are bored. " Eventually noticed Kurome, seeing only a few stars among the dark sky.
" Can someone explain to me how we can breathe? " Wanted to know Mine.
" Better not to spend several hours explaining all this to you. " Mojito advised them. " Besides, we are coming. "
Thus rushing towards a planet, the small group suddenly ends up landing on the ground, gently.
Opening her eyes, Najenda saw Tatsumi and Wave in front of them, along with Sidra and Rô. But, of course, they weren't all alone.
" Esdeath… " Najenda muttered.
" Najenda, my dear, how are you? " Esdeath questioned, with a mocking smile.
Stretching meanwhile, Run fills his lungs with fresh air, while asserting himself.
" Even though I'm still dead, it feels good to feel like I'm alive. "
" Run… "
Opening his eyes, Run could see Kurome standing right in front of him, while still showing a small smile, as tears formed in his eyes. Her friend was alive and well, and not a mere puppet, as he had been, when she had wanted to keep him with her, thanks to his teigu.
" I'm back, Kurome. " Run assured him, as he prepared to put his hand on his head.
Nevertheless, a pair of arms suddenly surrounded Kurome, and nearly destroyed his ribs.
" KUROME ! " Seryu cried, hugging her against her. " I'm so glad to see you again. "
" M ... Me ... too, ... Se ... Seryu. " Kurome assured him, while feeling his breath cut.
Looking at the three former Jaegers reunited like this, Wave couldn't help but smile, at the thought that this was a wish he had long wanted to achieve, but which he said had had no chance to happen. .
"Is this a dream? Or is it possible to reform the authentic Jaegers team, after the victory of this tournament? "
" Well, well, I see a lot of familiar faces. " A voice chuckled.
Freezing then Wave, ends up turning, to see Esdeath, just behind him. Staring at the boy, along with his three former soldiers, she cried out.
" I hope some of you have whispered to spend your time training! This will be of great benefit to us. "
" General Esdeath. " Kurome recognized her.
Looking at their former superior, the Jaegers' reaction was more or less different. Wave and Kurome were a little uncomfortable, now that they knew how much Esdeath had fooled them and how cruel he was, Run gave him a polite smile, and Seryu…
Looking at the young woman, Esdeath was only surprised at her reaction. As long as she could remember, Seryu, in her lifetime, had surely been the most dedicated soldier she could have found, always with the idea of doing whatever it takes to please him.
However, currently, Seryu was just stepping back, while literally shaking with fear. It wasn't Esdeath herself that frightened him. No, what she was afraid was that being around the general again would eventually send her back to hell. And that, she was horrified.
"Well, the return of Murder-girl." A voice chuckled, falsely pleased to see Seryu again. " Very cute the halo that you have above your head."
Recognizing this voice among a thousand, Seryu immediately turned to Mine, and displayed a face of pure rage. Seeing Mine alive infuriated her. For her, it was because of this girl, if she had ended up in hell. Yes, she was the one who had killed him, before she had the chance to purify the world and have the right to have her place in Heaven.
"Nobody missed you, once you died." Mine assured him, coldly.
Even more angry, Seryu forgot Mojito's instructions, and pretended to run towards Mine, to put his fist in his face.
"Stop! Sidra ordered him.
However, another person was responsible for stopping Seryu. Raising his fist in the air, Budo smashed it on Seryu's head, which then crashed hard on the ground. Surprised by this gesture, all looked at the former general, while the latter used his thick voice to make it heard.
" Listen all! Among you, there are people whose company I don't appreciate! And I know it's the same for all of you! Originally, we were two groups at war, and today we are forced to fight hand in hand! I know that for some it is an intolerable agreement! Yet we are forced to do it! Each universe will want to survive, so it is normal to think that only the most powerful fighters of each of them will participate in this tournament! And it will be the same for us! If we lose this tournament, we won't go to Heaven or Hell! No, we will simply disappear from reality, with no chance of being resurrected. "
Glaring at the other nine people who were about to make up their team, Budo cried out.
" We are obliged to act as a team! Whether you want it or not, you will tolerate the presence of those around you! I'm not asking you to be friend, and if your mind always tells you to kill them, so be it! But for the quarrels, just hear that the tournament is over! Once done, everyone is free to follow a new path or to resume their life where they left off. "
Hearing it, Mojito almost nodded. Budo might be just a human, he had just demonstrated a talent for taking matters into his own hands. For Mojito, he would have been a much better advisor to Sidra, than Ro is.
Suddenly applauding Esdeath attracted attention, while asserting.
" What beautiful words! I am almost moved. "
" Keep your sarcasm to yourself. " Budo growled.
Simply raising his hands in the air, Esdeath asserted.
" Don't worry, I wouldn't do anything! If I ever try to kill one of my new 'precious' partners, I guess I'll get killed, the second, right? "
Throwing a sadistic look in the direction of Najenda and her family, she asserted.
" I could wait, until the end of the tournament. "
Understanding his attentions, Akame pretended to pull a sword out of its scabbard, while Mine grabbed his two new revolvers. Seeing the guns pointing at her, Esdeath simply continued to smile, knowing full well that nothing would do to her.
Seeing a certain tension build up, Run suddenly asked.
" By the way, if I'm not mistaken, you talked about resuscitating us after the tournament! But is this the tournament reward, or is it just a gift from you? "
" To be precise, the tournament rewards are dragon balls. "
" Dragon balls? "
" Yes ! These are sacred relics that can be found in only two universes: the six and the seven! When reunited, these mystical items reveal a dragon capable of making any wish come true! Three wishes will be allowed, as a reward. "
" Three ? " Wave repeated. " But, even excluding Budo, we already have four people to revive! Not to mention that we have other friends. "
" Stupid boy. " Said Rô. " If you formulate your wish correctly, you will be able to revive an infinite number of people! Don't underestimate the power of this dragon. "
" Moreover, Mojito, here present, is able to resuscitate people. " Sidra learned, directing her gaze to the angel.
" What? Really ? "
" Listen ! In good faith, I would be ready to give you a present! If our universe is a winner, I would allow all the dead among you to come back to life! You can then do whatever you want with your three wishes. "
Hearing this, Najenda began to think, not staring at Esdeath. Ultimately, these Dragon Balls might just be the perfect solution to stop Esdeath from resowing chaos.
" But I do not understand something. " Kurome asserted. " Earlier, you told us that our victory was far from assured, despite the presence of Esdeath and Budo! Do you really think ten days will be enough to save us? "
" You are not going to train ten days… but ten years. "
There was a heavy silence, as everyone tried to understand what they had just said. Then, finally, everyone finally gives up.
" What ? "
" I can send you to a parallel dimension. " Mojito explained to them, while twirling his stick next to him. " There, a year corresponds to a day here! Therefore, if you stay in there, until the start of the tournament… "
" We will spend ten years of our life there. " Esdeath understood, while looking up to see his halo. " Honestly, even if it will be long, it does not bother me more than that! After so many years of twiddling my thumbs, I really need to let off steam, again and again! And then, dead as I am, I doubt that these ten years will have an impact on me. "
Simply sighing, at his comment, Najenda asserted.
" No matter, send us there. "
" What ? " Said Mine. " Stay ten years in another dimension to train us? I remind you that I have a daughter and… "
" Think a bit. " Najenda advised him. " In ten years of training, one of us will be able to develop the strength necessary to surpass the strength of Esdeath! If this happens, we will have no reason to fear it once the tournament is over! And then, for your daughter, she will only go ten days without seeing you! Sorry to ask you this sacrifice, Mine, but we need you. "
Seeing neither of them want to stand up to this plane, Mojito hit the ground with his staff. Immediately, suddenly appearing, various familiar weapons appeared in front of or in the hands of the warriors.
" That … ? " Mine wondered, holding Pumpkin in his hand.
" Our teigus are back. " Akame remarked.
Feeling a silhouette behind her, Najenda couldn't help but smile, while declaring.
" Good return among us, ... Susanoo. "
Surprised, everyone turned to see an eleventh person. As surprised as they were, the teigu looked at his body, like new, although he was certain it had been destroyed.
Noticing the presence of Night Raid, then the Jaegers, he moved into combat position, ready to attack.
" Enemy detected. "
" Susanoo, no! They are allies. "
" Allies? " Susanoo wondered. " What do you mean ? "
" Many things have happened since your death! I'll explain that to you. "
" Awesome. " Suddenly rejoices Rô. " This guy is a weapon, isn't he? It is not a living being! What luck ! So he too will be able to fight on the ground. "
The ground around them suddenly froze. Smiling, Esdeath felt his power reappear throughout his body.
" Finally ! My power is finally back. "
Noting that their teigus were back, there were both cheerful and frightened surprised looks. However, one of the people began to look around, noticing that his was nowhere to be found.
" But ... and ... and Koro? " Wanted to know Seryu. " Where is he ? "
Ignoring his words, Mojito knocked on the ground again, causing all of the contestants to disappear except Seryu.
" The training begins. "
" Very good. " Sidra assured, while pretending to leave. " I'll let you handle this, Mojito! They need to be ready for the tournament. "
The next then, Rô told him.
" By the way, I would like to talk to you about an idea. "
" An idea … ? "
Seeing them leave, Mojito sighed with happiness, no longer having to hear Ro's unpleasant voice. Nevertheless, the silence was quickly forgotten when Seryu exclaimed.
" And me ? Why am I still here? Why isn't Koro here? Did you not succeed in resuscitating him? Or are you going to take someone else in my place? "
Sighing again, Mojito turned his back on him and began to walk. Surprised by his gesture, Seryu remained motionless for a few moments, before finally following him. However, before he could say anything, Mojito questioned him.
" Seryu, what is the goal in your life? "
" My goal ? Well… it was to bring about justice. "
" Why do you say '' was ''? "
" Because establishing justice forces me to kill people! And that will lead me back to hell, if I continue. "
" Seryu, I'm going to teach you something: if a person fights all his life, and only destroys people with dark souls, he will never be in hell! It is even the opposite! She will be seen as a hero. "
" But that's what I did! Seryu retorted! I only did fight evil. "
" It's wrong ! You only killed the enemies of the empire! Nothing more ! You have no idea how many innocent people you have killed. "
" Innocent? " Seryu repeated. " Whatever ! I only killed criminals. "
" Seryu ... petty thieves of junk are not criminals. "
" Of course yes ! If you dare to claim the opposite, it's because you don't know anything about justice. "
No sooner had she had time to say these words, when Mojito turned to her, with a hateful look. Pointing the end of his staff at her, he let out a ball of ki. Throwing himself to the ground to avoid it, Seryu felt it pass over his head. Then, a few seconds later, a powerful explosion was felt, destroying a large part of the area where they were.
Turning around, Seryu could only shudder when he saw the chaotic area behind her, realizing that she was two fingers away from dying.
" What … ? That … ? " She wondered.
Teleporting in front of her, Mojito still stared at her with an angry face. Raising his hand, this time he created a multicolored ball.
Afraid of being destroyed, Seryu pretended to run away. Nevertheless, gripping his arm, Mojito was quick to send his ball touching the back of Seryu's head. However, instead of exploding, it disappeared inside the girl's head and ended up connecting to her brain.
Immediately, as if lightning had fallen on him, Seryu began to scream in agony, while rolling to the ground. Seeing her suffer thus, Mojito left while affirming.
" The process will take a few hours! I will be back until then. "
Having trouble moving, the rest of the group found themselves in a strange dimension where white stretched out endlessly. Around them, a kind of pressure existed and prevented them from moving as they wished.
" I ... I am paralyzed. " Wave asserted.
" Good blood, where are we? " Wanted to know Mine.
" In another dimension. " Sidra told them by appearing with Rô and Mojito. " Here, a year corresponds to a day on Earth! This is where you will train. "
" Train us? " Tatsumi wondered, trying to move her arms. " Impossible ! I can't even move. "
" This is precisely why you are going to train here! To move in this world, you will need to know how to perfectly control your energy so that it is in harmony with this place! Once that is done, you will then need to become stronger to support the gravity which is much stronger here than on your planet! Once completed, you will have already gained a lot of experience. "
Trying to stand up, Esdeath dared to raise his head towards the god, while asking.
" The… The other competitors… can they do it? "
To answer his question, Mojito shook his staff. Immediately, a hologram of Goku appeared in front of them.
" Here is a warrior from universe 7 who will be present at the tournament! His name is Son Goku! He's a saiyan. "
" A saiyan ? "
" A group of people capable of increasing their energy during difficult battles. " Sidra told them. " But this one had surprisingly high strength! I will not lie to you! Even with Seryu, the ten of you won't stand a chance of defeating him. "
And to prove it, he stared at Mojito. Just nodding, the angel hit the ground with his staff. Immediately, as if the pressure had subsided, the warriors were able to stand up and move as they wanted.
" We will give you a chance to defeat this man. " Sidra announced, before stepping back with the others. " Go ahead, it will be a nine to one! The fight will end when one of the teams can no longer fight. "
Looking at each other then, the fighters felt a little insulted, starting with Esdeath. She hated that someone made her look so weak and pathetic.
As a result, she did not lose a moment to attack Goku's hologram.
" GRAUNHORN! "
Immediately, hundreds of ice spears were hurled at the saiyan, while Esdeath envisioned a thousand and one ways of skewering it alive. Simply displaying a confident smile, the hologram only waved one of his hands. And just by spinning it, he managed to deflect several projectiles, before having fun catching them in his hand and gathering them under his arm.
And once the murderous rain stopped, Esdeath and the others could only be amazed when they saw the man in front of them unharmed as the Ice Queen's attack had not infected him in any way.
Even wanting to take advantage of it, he threw all the spears he could catch and the projectiles flew with a phenomenal force, which tripled their speed. Seeing this, the small group could only move aside as the projectiles destroyed the entire ground where they had been before.
However, not having finished, Goku rushed towards them and found himself in front of Susanoo, barely having time to see him, the teigu immediately placed his huge club in front of him to defend himself. Unfortunately, Goku had no trouble breaking it, with a single punch, and managed to hit Susanoo's chest so hard that he threw him back.
" Susanoo ! "
Flying away, Run gained altitude, before dropping a cloud of sharp feathers. Barely raising his gaze, Goku created ki blasts in his hand and swung them towards Run's attack. In a few seconds, he destroyed all the feathers and started aiming at the angel. Trying to dodge his attacks, Run could only zigzag a few seconds before being hit and crashing to the ground.
However, taking advantage of the diversion he brought, Mine had had time to charge Pumpkin as well as Budo. Immediately, a laser beam and a sphere of lightning were launched on the saiyan. Distinguishing the attacks, Goku just put two fingers on his forehead and disappeared from view, while avoiding the attacks.
" What … ? "
Appearing then between Budo and Mine, Goku surprised the two warriors. Wanting to turn around, they stopped, while Budo was punched in the stomach and Mine was hit in the chin by the palm of a hand.
Seeing them collapse quite easily, Goku's hologram looked annoyed that his opponents were falling so quickly. However, he had to dodge the blade of a sword, while Akame tried to attack him with Murasame. Feeling a dark aura emanating from the weapon, Goku took the trouble to dodge each of the blows, before finally locking the weapon between his fingers. Immediately Akame was unable to dislodge her, while the saiyan's strength was greater than his.
Wanting to take advantage, Kurome found himself behind Goku and charged him, sword in front. Not even needing to turn around, Goku eventually lets go of Akame's sword, before screaming while projecting energy. Acting like a shock wave, the gesture threw the two sisters back. Taking their places, Tatsumi and Wave grabbed their teigus, before being covered in armor. Running towards Goku, Wave charged with his bare hands as Tatsumi grabbed his battle spear. Unfortunately for them, dodged their charges without the slightest problem, Goku let Wave pass him, before hitting him with the edge of his hand, at the back of his neck. Pulverizing the armor, he knocked the boy out in an instant before turning to Tatsumi.
Leaping into the air, to dodge his spear, he then directed his foot towards his face, and threw him back. Feeling her face spray, Tatsumi spat blood from it, while Incursio disappeared.
Seeing all these people fall like this frightened Najenda. This Goku, he seemed to look exactly like Esdeath. He seemed to be invincible.
" ICE GOD'S SPEAR ! "
Turning then to Esdeath, Goku and Najenda could see her create a gigantic spear of ice that could have slain any monster in their home world.
" We will see if you can survive in the face of this. " Cried the young woman, throwing her spear.
Seeing the huge projectile, Goku smirked more while thinking he finally found what looked like a challenge. So, concentrating his energy, he let her go up before changing the color of his horses. Feeling a surge of energy creating violent drafts, Najenda felt herself pull back, while Esdeath looked surprised.
Finally, transforming into a super saiyen, Goku placed his hands back, before focusing his energy on them.
" KAMEKAME… "
Then it all happened too fast for anyone to understand. Swinging his hands forward, Goku released a powerful energy beam, which pulverized Esdeath's attack in an instant. Then he continued on his way and brushed past Esdeath's body. Perfectly still, Esdeath easily felt the power of the attack as the attack could easily have killed her if it had hit him.
" HAAAAAAAAAA. "
Finally, when the attack subsided, Najenda fell to her knees, feeling her body shaking.
" But what ...? "
" Do you understand now ? " Rô grunted, angry at their team's weakness. " You are just a bunch of weaklings. "
" What ... What did he do? " Najenda wanted to know, while Goku's hologram retained its golden tint.
" From what I could understand, the Saiyans can transform in order to increase their energy. " Sidra explained to him! There are different levels: the normal mode, the super saiyen, the super saiyan 2 and 3, the divine super saiyen, and the super saiyen blue. "
" What ... What "? Wave wondered, while trying to get up. " This guy, has four levels of transformations, besides this one making him stronger! But he is invincible. "
" Not at all. " Mojito retorted with a small smile.
Then, seeming to enjoy ruining the team's hope even more, he conjured up a hologram of Toppo, as he asserted.
" This man comes from universe 11 and fought against Goku! And you know what ? He won ! And, at the end of the fight, he said, himself, that he was only the second best fighter in his universe! To his knowledge, someone named Jiren is even more powerful than him. "
Hearing this created immense silence among the fighters. No one could believe it. No one could believe that such people could exist. Their level of combat was not superior to them. No, they were of a level far above them.
" You understand now? " Wanted to know Sidra. " Without any training, or even if you train for ten days, it wouldn't change a thing! Your chances of winning this tournament will be zero percent, no matter what strategy you choose! Your only chance to win and save your world is to train here for ten years. "
" Which is equivalent to the tournament waiting time. " Kurome understood.
" You don't have the choice. " Affirmed Ro. " If you lose, I swear… "
A huge laugh suddenly broke out. having not moved for a while, Esdeath had ended up collapsing onto his back, chuckling, over and over again. She even began to hit the ground with her legs, like a child.
" Who is it funny? " Sidra questioned.
Eventually calming down, Eadeath suddenly jumped to his feet and stood up. Then everyone could see the long smile she put on as she ordered.
" Make me fight against this hologram again! No, make me fight this guy from Universe 11! I want to fight him over and over again! Put as much gravity as you want! Don't hesitate to let me get massacred! Don't hesitate to allow me to make me stronger. "
Then creating a block of ice in her hand, she threw it at Toppo, who grabbed it with no problem, as if it were a simple apple.
" Oh yes. " Rejoices Esdeath. " During these ten years and thinking about this tournament… I feel that I am going to have fun like crazy. "
Instantly Ro began to swallow, not understanding how a mortal could be so eager for a fight. For her part, Sidra felt a kind of uneasiness, as he could see some kind of aura around Esdeath. Seeing this, he asked himself:
"This woman… is it a good idea to train her and resuscitate her afterwards?"
Not giving a damn about that, Mojito ends up hitting again with his stick on the ground. Immediately, all the warriors felt their wounds disappear as if by magic. However, they didn't even have time to rejoice that they were crushed again by an invisible pressure.
" Good, we leave you to the care of these two. " Sidra told them, before leaving with Mojito and Rô.
Immediately, Goku's hologram hitting his fist before running towards his opponents.
Eventually opening her eyes, Seryu suddenly straightened up, as she felt like she had lived through a real nightmare. Waking up on the planet of the gods, she found that her nightmare was real.
" No, no " She scared, heading for a lake.
Leaning over the water, she could see her reflection, and her eyes widened, noticing the halo above her head.
" No, that cannot be true. "
" Who is it difficult to understand? "
Turning around, Seryu could see Mojito sitting at a small table, while drinking tea and eating a slice of cake.
" Y ... You? What have you done to me ? "
" Hum? Why do you look angry? Are you angry with me because I incorporated part of the memory of your victims and the people you knew into you? Or, are you mad at yourself, now that you realize that you are far from being the vigilante you thought you were? "
" Grrr! Shut up ! " Seryu roared. " All this is not true! You're just trying to manipulate me. "
Still, struck by a memory, she moaned in pain, hearing the voice of her former guardian: Captain Ogre. Hearing her speak to another person, he finally snickered, while receiving a wad of bills, as he said he would have no problem hiding the crimes the other man had just committed.
Then curling up into a ball, Seryu caught a glimpse of memories of one of the people she had killed. She thus saw the man in the company of his family, while she lived in the poor districts of the city. Harassed by the soldiers, suffering because of the family, overtaxed because of the taxes… this is what the daily life of this family was like, before the father decided to steal loaves of bread from a bakery.
The rest, Seryu already knowing because she herself had seen the man come out of the store, with his loot, and had immediately ordered Koro to kill him. Hearing his family's crying, the moment she realized he had been dead, Seryu pleaded.
" Stop it! I beg you ! Stop it. "
Finally, when the memories left her mind, the young girl remained on her knees on the ground as she began to assert herself.
" I'm not mean ! I'm not mean ! I'm not mean. "
" You are right. " Approved Mojito, quietly drinking his back. " You were a simple puppet for the real villain of the empire! And when you died, he immediately made sure to find someone else to replace you! If you had no value in his eyes, it is also obvious that everything else was hoping for your death. "
Hearing this, Seryu stopped sobbing, to start looking at him.
" But then ... even if I came back to life ..."
" Yes. " Approved Mojito, with a small smile. " Your old knowledge on your home planet will hunt you down, day and night, in order to find and kill you! In the end, your life is going to be very similar to the one you lived in hell. "
Afraid at the idea, Seryu implored him.
" No, I do not want ! I don't want to be tortured anymore! I… I don't want to do anything anymore! The Empire… Night Raid… the Jaegers… I'll be ready to forget all of this! I don't want to do anything that will send me back to hell. "
Widening his smile, hearing this, Mojito asserted.
'' Very well, in that case, I will train you myself for the next five days. "
" What ? " Seryu wondered.
" You heard me very well! To be honest, Seryu, you were very lucky. "
" A lot of chance ? "
" Yes, because, you see, it is I who made the list of warriors to be resuscitated! And you were the last! Truth be told, there were many more powerful than you! I even hesitated a lot, with another warrior named Leone! To be honest, she had many more qualities than you and deserved to be chosen! If she had taken your place, you would still be in hell, with no chance of getting out. "
" But then ... why? "
" Your commitment to justice. " He taught him Mojito. " Despite having taken the wrong path, you want more than anything to ensure respect for the good around you! In fact, you are one of the few mortals I have come across with such a strong will! Therefore, you are able to have this power. "
" What power? "
" That I'm going to teach you. " Mojito assured him, getting up. " Seryu, we're going to make a deal! Over the next five days, I will teach you countless techniques, without giving you time to sleep or eat! Once done, you will join the others and finish your training with them! And, if during these five days, I realize that you apply yourself and that you have really made your hatred towards Night Raid disappear, I will allow you to get your teigu back. "
" It is true? " Seryu asked him. " Could I get Koro back? "
" I promise! Not to mention, that the fact that you change your behavior can help you a lot, if you manage to come back to life. "