Chapter 9: Consuming Madness
"My life suffocates.
Planting seeds of hate.
I've loved, turned to hate.
Trapped far beyond my fate.
I give.
You take.
This life that I forsake.
Been cheated of my youth.
You turned this lie to truth.
Anger.
Misery.
YOU'LL SUFFER UNTO ME!"
Mettalica, Harvester of Sorrow
What is evil?
What makes it so seductive? What gifts does it offer to consume so many hearts? What seductive siren song does it sing until it has its chosen pressed to its cold, emotionless breast? Why do so many fall into its grasp? Why do so many more go there willingly?
What breeds evil in a person? Unbringing? Genetics? Situations? Luck? Fate?
Can such a question even be answered?
Many people have been labeled evil when they in fact were not. Acts of violence against people, places, things, systems…they in itself are not evil. What motivates people to do these things?
Hatred?
Hatred is, in itself, not evil, for it inveitably is derived from fear or lack of information. Is a man evil because he is afraid, even though his fear may seem ridiculous if seen by an unprejudiced eye? Is a man evil because he does not know the whole story?
Such accusations carry little weight, and they do not breed evil. Not in itself.
Greed?
Perhaps…but not all men, for their love of money, possessions, or whatnot, will be driven to acts of evil. If a writer wants more money, the only way for him to do so is write. And he cannot risk turning out a mediocre tale, less he lose fans and hence the money he desires. Thus, he must do his best, whether for finicial greed or the greed or becoming even more well known and respected. And for those who have more money then God and still desire more, there are easier ways to get it, rather then resorting to the acts of evil. Greed for more is more usually a battle of what is better…or more convient. In itself, it also cannot breed evil.
Pride?
Can the arrogance of the human heart lead to evil? Or is it just one of the keys that drives evil on once it has bloomed? Even the greatest of prides do not reflect what is truly in the heart of a person. The most arrogant can become heroic…and the most humble can become monsters. Pride cannot be used as a measure. Once again, it cannot truly breed evil.
But then, what can?
Perhaps there is no way to understand evil. Perhaps it is a fool's errand to even try.
But yet it demands understanding, for evil is the one that takes action. Good is the one that must reclaim whatever evil has done once it has been revealed. Good does not go out with plots, plans, and terrible ideas. Good is merely the reaction.
But as evil mocks, good seems to be a futile reaction, one that seems to be self-destructive. For good is bound into its systems and ways, ways that may simply will not work against some. Good has rules…evil does not. This seemingly cripples what good can do. After all, what can it do if the evil deeds fall outside of its rules? And it cannot break those rules…it could seem to be evil.
It is as if good desires its own destruction. And that is what evil wants ultimately. To gain total and eternal dominance.
However, evil is too blind in its mockery to realize that in its action, it too is self-destructive. To gain total control is to upset the balance of existence. There cannot be darkness if there is no light. Swing the scale all the way…and everything will be torn apart and consigned to oblivion.
But evil does not realize this…and even if it does, it would never stop. Hence…it to is marked with the same seeming self-destructive taint as good.
Perhaps this battle cannot be understood…but what can be understood is that in the hearts of humans, both good and evil exist, each lurking on the opposite side of their coin. Whatever the reasons, a human will ultimately make the choice to follow one.
Erik Damien Ravensky and Patricia Delhart have made their choices.
And fate has cast them to hold the dice of existence.
Good…
Evil…
The world may not understand them, or how they war, or if a side can ever win.
But for those who watch, they know that once the battle is done…they will have to bear the consequences.
And heaven help them if it comes out wrong.
On each side of the field…the players.
On one side lurks a male figure with wings of black metal and eyes of blazing hate. Once, he was a young boy, who had a family and happiness. Now, he is a man…a man who has seen his life become a series of tragedies. But he has refused to break. He has endured it all, even a darkness born within him that an evil man tried to unleash for his own dark desires. But instead of being unleashed, the force was defeated and its power torn from it for reasons of vengeance.
He goes by many names. He calls himself the Angel of Death…although with his black wings and snapping metal tail, one wonders if he is just a pair of horns away from being the opposite. He calls himself Redemption, for what he desires. He calls himself Vengeance, for what he will forever desire.
And like the people who lay cast in eternity in the gold necklace he wears around his neck, people now peacefully resting in the earth, he is the last Ravensky. He may have a sister, but in a way, she was never a Ravensky, the chance torn from her by evil hands.
And those who dare to call him friend call him Erik. He will dare to be the sword of good…but not without his cloak of darkness and cruelty around him.
On the other side…madness, a madness that consumes that devours anything that crosses its path. Once, this was a girl named Patricia Delhart. Now it is something else, beyond words and almost beyond evil. She is darkness given flesh, a soul devouring storm unleashed on a fragile earth. Her eyes show the endless void within her, her heart pumping not blood but the ebony blackness of night. She is a wolf that hunts children in their cradle. She is an eater of worlds, just like her creator. She is his Herald of Destruction. She is the nightmare known as Agony. Once, she brought her thunders down on this realm, and it was nearly crushed. Now, once again, she marshalls her powers for an offensive…and this time, the game will be played for keeps.
The world shudders beneath the two warriors, as if it knows that its fate is about to be decided.
And elsewhere…the observers. They too have fought many battles, and almost all have done their own acts of heroism. But each, in their own way, knows that this fight belongs to Erik.
The Z Warriors.
The Legacy.
Buffy Summers.
And the vampire known as Spike.
They will either see a ruined soul finally achieve the redemption he desires.
Or they will be the first to die at the hands of an unstoppable monster.
But they have no plans of dying peacefully. If Erik does fall…
They may fall too. But like him, they will go fighting to their last breath.
There was no doubt in Erik's heart though. He knew he would win. If fate slapped him down again…
"You never learn, do you boy?" Agony suddenly said, as she stood on her pillar, rock and pebbles swirling around her. Erik looked at her. She smirked.
"It's always the same. You think your destiny is to slay me for my crimes…the crimes against you and your family. Only I see the truth. Your destiny is not to win. Your destiny is to join them."
Erik snarled.
"Never!"
"Oh?" Agony said. "Your own actions and history lie to you. How many times have you entered dangerous situations without a thought? How many lives have you saved at great risk to your own? How many times have you tossed aside your own welfare for the sake of strangers? Your actions tell the truth. You want to die, boy. You always have."
Erik's snarl built to a roar, as more and more blood-red lightning blasted from his form, tearing up his pillar and ripping open the ground and air around him.
"I will not die. You will Agony! FATE HAS DEALT ME ITS LAST CRUELTY!"
Agony laughed.
"No, boy. It's only just begun."
Erik's eyes glowed red, and then he suddenly screamed as he thrust his arms out.
Beam of blazing energy suddenly poured from his body, but he wasn't attacking Agony. It was as if his rage had become so great it had taken physical form and begun expelling itself from Erik's body.
The beams blasted across the horizon and tore through the black, thundering clouds above Erik. His whole body surging with power, Erik brought up his hand as red fire exploded on it.
"Look apon this Agony. This…is the mechanism…OF YOUR DOWNFALL!"
Agony smiled and licked her lips.
"A Daughter of Death…vs a Lord of Destruction…you shall soon see who is the mightier."
The red fire exploded into an even more fierce blood-red flame.
"And you shall soon see…Agony…THAT YOU WILL LOSE!"
And Erik thrust his arm out.
Agony leapt upward with some surprise as her cliff perch exploded underneath her feet as Erik blasted the top of it. The rest of the cliff crumbled as Agony flew up into the air.
And then Erik exploded into action, blasting up and off his cliff with so much force the whole thing shattered into pieces and collasped. Down in the crowd, Goku and Vegeta's eyes widened as memories of a battle fought long ago came back to them.
Agony's eyes widened as Erik blazed up at her.
Then her eyes were crushed along with her whole face as Erik slammed his fist across her face, spraying blood and bone chips. Agony flew backwards, and Erik zapped up, around, and then below her. He thrust his legs up and smashed them across Agony's back, nearly breaking her in half from the force of the blow.
Agony flew up, then her body twisted as she turned around, her face forming back into her cruel smile.
Then her eyes widened as she found Erik blazing at her again. She thrust up her hands.
Erik changed his course, zapping around Agony. Agony whirled as a black spear formed in her hand, and then she hurled it at Erik.
Erik blurred away and the spear missed, and then Erik's foot blasted through Agony's chest, blowing ruined pieces of lung, rib bones, and other body parts. Then Erik thrust his hand down and Agony's body was blown off his leg by a powerful blast. The ruined pieces went smashing through a cliff face and then went crashing into another cliff.
The air was briefly still.
"YAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!" Agony screamed as the cliff exploded away from her in a violent storm of shrapnal. She snapped her head up as Erik flew down towards her. The flesh as her fingers exploded away to reveal razor sharp metal blades as Erik flew towards her.
She slashed at Erik.
Erik leapt over her and pistoned backwards from his leap, smashing into Agony with his shoulder. Agony flew forward before she flipped over and zapped at Erik, black energy crackling on her fingers.
Erik ducked low and caught her in the stomach with a cracking punch, blowing Agony's whole abdomen out her back.
Agony seemed to stagger, ragged intestines hanging out her stomach and her bloody spine broken into pieces. She looked into Erik's burning eyes.
"Fight me, Agony. I know you can fight harder then this! DESTROY ME OR BE DESTROYED! BECAUSE ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, THIS ENDS NOW!" Erik bellowed, and slashed his hand at her head.
Agony caught it. Erik gasped as her wounds healed.
"You sad, pathetic little worm."
Agony's backhand nearly knocked Erik's jaw off as he flew backwards. He flipped and bounced off a cliff face.
Then Agony slammed into him from above, jamming her feet into Erik's back and shoving him into the ground. Rock flew up in a spray as Agony jumped backwards off of Erik as he tried to jam his elbow blades at her. Erik jumped to his feet, and then Agony knocked his block off with a spin kick.
Erik hit the ground, and then he suddenly found Agony laying on top of him. She purred.
"Poor little boy. You think you know the cruelties of fate. You don't even know what cruelty is." Agony purred, like she was whispering to her lover.
"GYYYAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Erik bellowed before he and Agony were consumed in a gigantic explosion of his summoning. The Z Warriors and Legacy recoiled as they were pelted with shrapnal.
The smoke cleraed to reveal Erik on his feet again, hunched over and gasping from sheer fury. On his other side, Agony was reforming.
"I'LL…KILL…YOU!" Erik hissed.
Agony smiled.
"Oh really…lover?"
"ARRRGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"
Erik flew at Agony, and she leapt at him.
The two warriors vanished, and their forms was replaced by a roiling cloud of dust, smoke, and energy as the two fought. The ground shattered underneath them as they battled.
Then the cloud of energy and dust exploded away, blazing across the ground and ripping apart anything near it. It blasted through a cliff face and reduced it to pebbles.
"LOOK OUT!" Trunks yelled, and the group scattered as the destructive cloud blasted through their midst, leaving a smoking channel carved in the black rock that Vagane's lab had been situated in. The cloud blasted through another cliff face and then carved a series of tunnels through a mountain before the rock structure also collasped.
The cloud blasted out of the wreckage, Erik and Agony still moving too fast to be seen. The Z Warriors scattered again as the cloud blazed past them, and Pan let out a cry as a spare tendril of energy flicked her arm, burning it. Gohan got angry, but he couldn't tell if the bolt had come from Erik or Agony.
The blazing cloud of annihalation blazed its way up a cliff, leaving the sizzling rock channel the whole way. Finally it stopped, and the cliff shook under the forces being emitted.
Then it stopped shaking, and the smoke cleared.
Everyone gaped as Agony was revealed, the last tears on her outfits vanishing. There was no sign of Erik at all.
"No…" Christine whispered.
And then Goten pointed, and everyone looked up to see Erik floating up in the sky, a few hundred feet above and behind Agony.
Slowly, he extended his hand, and although he whispered it, everyone heard him as clear as day.
"Turn around Agony."
Agony heard him too, and did so as red lightning crackled on Erik's hand.
"I want you to see the face of your undoing."
The ground around Agony blasted upward in shattered ruins as Erik slammed the ground where Agony had been with a bolt of sheer concussive force. The shock wave nearly knocked everyone off their feet again. Agony's body literally exploded in a cloud of blood before energy exploded up and consumed her.
And then the only sound was debris raining down.
"You think he did it?" Buffy asked.
I don't think so. This is gonna end with a bang, and that was just a whimper.
Erik floated down to the ground, his tail lashing around. He slowly licked blood off his top lip, waiting.
Black energy exploded from the crator as Agony floated up, her body reforming. She slowly floated to the edge of the crator and set herself down almost daintily.
"Your new abilities are so delightful. I was getting bored of our usual fare." Agony said, chuckling. Erik growled again.
"My turn."
And then Erik was flying backwards as Agony punched him. Erik flipped over and jumped forward at Agony.
Agony dodged aside and slashed her hand across Erik's back. Erik yelled and whirled, diving at Agony.
The two vanished as the destructive cloud exploded around them again, but this time it stayed in one place. The two warred for about fifteen seconds before Erik flew backwards.
He landed and fell to one knee, blood leaking down his black metal arm. Blood also leaked from a cut above his eye. He blinked as it ran into it, and then trickled on down his face.
Agony looked at Erik's blood, and she licked her lips.
Erik's right upper arm cracked open to reveal his cannon, and he let loose with a spray of blood red projectiles at where Agony was standing. She vanished in explosions. Blood red power exploded on Erik's left hand and he threw a ball of power after her. The explosion multipled.
Then Agony blasted out the explosion, her fist slashing out and catching Erik across the face. Erim flew and Agony pummeled him, laughing, before she smashed her foot into his gut. Erik flew into another cliff face, the rock exploding outward as he drilled into it.
Agony laughed and flew up, her arm crackling with black ki, and then she thrust her hand forward, firing a huge bolt of power at where Erik lay.
"Erik, get up!" Christine yelled.
"Baka, get her!" Vegeta yelled.
D-VON, GET THE TABLE!
"Die boy!" Agony laughed.
Then a red blast exploded out of the hole and countered Agony's blast. The two met and formed a dome shape as they pushed against each other, power sizzling on each side.
Slowly, Erik began to fly out of the hole, his beam growing shorter as he grew closer to the apex of his blast. Agony growled and began flying forward herself, her own blast growing shorter.
Soon, both of them were at ground zero, their beams only flying a foot before they met. The two warred for dominace.
Agony smiled, and then thrust her hand back and fired a black energy spear.
Erik blasted energy from his eyes to meet the spear.
The two attacks met, and they and the twin blasts exploded, consuming both Erik and Agony in a massive mid-air blast. Goten gaped in horror at the carnage, and Marron tightened her grip on his hand.
Then Erik flew backwards out of the explosion, flying down to the ground.
Then black ki projectiles began flying out of the smoke. Erik leapt away from the first as it exploded in a 20-foot dome of energy and then leapt away from the next one as it did likewise. The smoke cleared to reveal Agony throwing blast after blast at Erik, who leapt around as the whole field around him was consumed in explosions.
Erik landed as Agony's final projectile exploded behind him, backdropping him in devastation.
"Your aim sucks."
Agony smirked.
And then she opened her mouth as energy exploded from within her and out her mouth, blasting at Erik.
Erik snapped his head to the side and the bolt of power flew off into the distance and exploded.
"Like I said." Erik added, and flew at Agony, cocked back his fist and punching half her face off. He crushed the remaining skull with another punch and then kicked her body away before he blew it apart with a blast.
The body formed back together even as it flew at Erik, Agony's bladed fingers slashing at Erik's face. Erik caught her arms and threw her away. Agony crashed up against a cliff edge. Bones snapped, then healed immediately.
Erik snapped out his wings and fired a blast from them, but Agony leapt over it and the cliff exploded. She brought up her hands.
Then her hair extended and lanced at Erik, a million living hungry needles. Erik leapt away from the first charge and slashed her wing through the second, but there simply proved to be too many strands as more came from nowhere and wrapped around Erik's arms and legs. They sizzled against the metal.
"OW! LET ME GO YOU MISTRESS 9 WANNABE!" Erik yelled, firing several blasts at Agony. Agony dodged, and Erik used the oppurtunity to slash away her hair with his elbow blades and tail before he flew at Agony again. Agony brushed away the last of her extended strands and blasted at Erik herself.
The two met, each slamming their fist into the other before Agony slammed into Erik and they tumbled to the ground. Agony's arm turned to a barbed metal sword blade and she thrust it at Erik's head.
Erik caught it with his hands, holding it back barely as Agony shoved it downward. Erik looked at her cruel, smiling features, staring into the black orbs of terrible lust that were her eyes.
In them he saw the desolation that awaited Earth and existence if he failed.
Erik shoved Agony away and snapped out his claws. They slashed the air, carving Agony into pieces that immediately reformed. Erik snarled and snapped his leg out, sending Agony crashing into another cliff face.
Laughing, Agony blasted upward and fired off several black energy spears. Erik dodged away and retaliated with a two handed spiral blast that blew Agony apart. But as her pieces flew away, black energy erupted and brought them back together. Getting even angrier, Erik slashed his wings through the air and fired off several Kienzen-like blasts that again sliced Agony into pieces. Taking a note from Mirai no Trunks, Erik then fired a cone-shaped expanding blast that flesh-fried the pieces before they could reform.
Breathing heavily, Erik waited as the smoke cleared. There was no Agony. Erik jerked his head around, looking.
No Agony.
Erik kept looking around.
No Agony.
"ERIK ABOVE YOU!" Goten screamed, as Agony reformed above Erik and slashed downward.
Too late, as Erik screamed as Agony opened a long ugly cut along his back. Agony hit the ground and bounced away as Erik turned, feeling blood pour down his back. She'd slashed right through his metal guards.
Laughing, Agony licked Erik's blood off her fingers.
"You taste as good as your mother."
Snarling, Erik slashed his arm at the ground and energy erupted along it in a blazing stream. Agony leapt upward, and Erik lanced at her. Agony thrust out her hand and fired a huge blast at Erik, but he blurred away and the blast blew another crator in the ground.
Erik blurred above Agony and slammed into her, driving her down into the ground again with another explosion. Agony slashed at Erik as he leapt away, and then dove at her again as the two started another war of blows. Fields of rock shrapnal rose into the air around them.
"They just don't quit, do they?" Brigh marveled.
"With Erik's rage, and her kami-damned ability to survive, they could tear the whole planet apart before there's a winner." Vegeta said.
"No…" Goten whispered. "I can feel it. Erik is starting to grow tired."
Everyone looked at Goten. His eyes showed more worry then usual.
"For all Erik is, at his core he's still human. Humans have limits. Agony…I don't think her body can even comprehend limits any more."
"What? No way! Erik's not going to lose!" Ash said.
Maybe we should gets cameras and sell this as a PPV later.
"He's not going to give up…but if he's going to win…" Goten said before he trailed off. He didn't want to answer that question. No one did.
Erik kicked at Agony, but she dodged away and punched downward at him. Erik also dodged and Agony's fist shattered the rock, breaking every bone in her hand. As the bones fused back together, Erik tried another kick, but Agony was following up her failed punch with a kick of her own and the two kicked each other in the face.
The two were tossed back. Erik regained his feet and wiped blood from the corner of his mouth as Agony's broken nose twisted back into shape.
"You're hitting harder…thanks." Agony smirked.
Erik growled as blood-ed lightning exploded on his hands. It also crackled to life on the upper points of his wings, and then lighting blasted outward, connecting between Erik's hands, the points on his wings, and his hands and wings, forming a vague square-like shape.
Erik spreads his hands as the lightning crackled and then a beam of energy blasted from each point, crackling with the same energy that sizzled on Erik's hands and wings, blasting through Agony and exploding, blowing her to pieces. The energy wrapped around her pieces and began burning them away.
"DIE!" Erik yelled, as the energy tendrils coming from him increased.
Then laughter exploded from the pieces as black energy blasted from the pieces, slamming into Erik and knocking him backwards. The hunks of charred flesh flew together and formed back into Agony, as she continued to laugh.
Erik's lips skinned back from his teeth again as more red power exploded on his hands. Agony looked at it and smirked.
"Oh, what are you going to do, little boy? Blow me up again? I swear, men and explosions. I prefer impaling my victims, personally. What about that dear sweet sister of yours? I think she'd look rather nice with a large hole in her. And don't worry. When she's gone, I'll make her feel REAL at home." Agony said, smirking cruelly.
Everyone gaped at Agony's taunt. They knew what it was going to result in.
Erik's scream nearly shattered their eardrums as he flew forward and axe-handled Agony across the face, sending her flying backwards in a spray of blood. She slammed on the brakes as her face healed and Erik leapt at her again. She thrust her hands out.
Her blast missed as Erik leapt to the side, flashed past Agony, and then blasted backwards. He spun a few times and smashed Agony across the back, literally caving in her spine. Agony stumbled forward, her back healing, and then she whirled.
Right into Erik's follow-up spin kick.
The blow knocked her head right off her shoulders, and then Erik blasted her body up into the air after the head.
The head reconnected with the fried body as the cells rapidly rebuilt. Agony was no sooner done healing then Erik slashed at her again. Agony snapped her fingers out as they turned into knives and the two enganged in a slashing war of punches. Blood rained down as Agony was repeatly slashed again and again, losing gallons of blood in seconds and regaining it in seconds.
"Since you couldn't give your heart to that girl father killed, why don't you give it to ME!?!?" Agony laughed as she stabbed at Erik's chest. Erik flew up to avoid it and lanced down, blasting a punch across Agony's face that rang through the air like a gunshot.
Agony flew down, and Erik followed, their bodies twisting around as they punched and kicked each other.
Agony won that war, kicking Erik into the ground. As Erik stood up in the newly formed crator, Agony thrust her hands down as black energy formed on them and then two huge energy hands lanced from her arms down at Erik.
Erik dodged away, and as they struck the ground he flew up at Agony. But Agony swung up her head and thrust it down as her hair extended again, wrapping around Erik's leg. With a cry of joy, she swung Erik around her head and threw him into another cliff, which collasped in a cloud of dust.
Roaring, Erik exploded from the ruins and and fired two blasts at Agony. She dodged away from them, but she flew right into Erik, who had zapped into her from the side. He slashed out his talons, tail, and wing, chopping her into pieces. As she reformed, Erik flew upward and spun, kicking his legs downward and bashing Agony into the ground.
As Agony began getting to her feet, Erik flew up as blood-red lightning crackled on his form, and then he zapped downward, his fist pistoning out and down at Agony.
Agony looked up in horror as Erik bore down on her.
Then she smiled and blurred away.
Erik's fist stuck the ground, and the earth was thrown into seizures from the cracking impact. The Z Warriors flew up to avoid the spasms, while the Legacy and Buffy pitched and rolled, trying to keep their feet. A massive chasm split opened from where Erik had punched, tearing open along the ground in a fissure thirty feet across and god knew how deep. Goten could have sworn he saw the faint red glow of molten magma.
As Erik growled, looking at the chasm he had created while trying to hit Agony, Piccolo's eyes widened as Agony blurred behind him, already raising her hand.
"ERIK LOOK OUT!"
Almost in slow motion, Erik began to turn as particles of black light flashed into existence around Agony's fist, only to be pulled inward and into her palm. As Erik completed his turn, Agony completed her power up. She smiled at Erik's shocked face.
"Boom."
And then a gigantic blast of black power erupted fom her hand, spreading out and utterly vaporizing anything in front of her. Erik screamed as the blast consumed him, and everyone cried out in shock as the building sized beam blew forward, blasting through the mountains in the background and blowing them to ash, leaving a huge hole hundreds of feet wide.
From the blast, Erik's limp, smoking form flew upward, and everyone watched in horror as his bleeding, burnt body fell into the chasm. With one final laugh, Agony flew upward and clenched her hand shut.
The chasm closed with a thunderous bang, the earth smashing together and leaving no trace of the hole that had been there. Christine cried out in horror.
"MWA HA HA HA HA! He dug his own grave!" Agony lauhed, and thrust her hand down. A section of stone suddenly shattered and flew away. Gohan's heart filled with anger and sickness when he saw it was a huge cross. The sickness only increased as Agony continued to laugh.
Then something caught her eye, a flash of light on something gold, and she looked.
The same thing caught the eye of all the Z Warriors, Legacy, and Buffy. Goten gasped.
Falling through the air, the chain tarnished and scorched, was Erik's necklace, containing the lone picture he had left of his family. Agony's attack had torn it off his neck, and now it was falling back to the earth where Erik had been laid in rest in.
"No…" Goten said in horror. Erik would have never let that chain be seperated from him…unless he no longer…
Agony smiled as the chain and locket was about to hot the ground, reaching out her hand. One last reminant of her greatest opponent to be…
Erik's hand exploded from the earth, bleeding metal fingers clamping around the locket as it fell into his hand.
Agony's eyes widened.
And then the ground exploded out in a hail of rock shrapnal as Erik burst forth with a roar. Agony threw up her arms as sharp daggers of stone slashed across and through her body even as the force wave threw her backwards. Her wounds closing, she looked around for Erik.
Erik dove in from above, smashing Agony across the face with the same fist that held his locket. She flew into the ground and smashed a ten-foot channel across the rock face with her body.
Erik flew after her as she wrecked the ground below her, as Agony flew out, her badly wounded back healing as she flipped around and landed, thrusting her hands out. With a scream, she fired off dozens of arcing black blasts at the same time.
Erik flew right into them, and they exploded in a firestorm of energy and smoke.
Then Erik, hurt but still going, flew right out the other end, engaging Agony in another war of blows. Agony ducked and dodged away and then leapt upward, but Erik followed her up and attacked at the same time as he spun, blood-red fire spiraling around him and blasting Agony. She reeled, and then Erik slashed both his wings up, cutting off her arms and throwing her backwards at the same time.
As Agony stopped as her arm grew back, Erik clenched his fists harder as his wings snapped out. His upper arms tore open to reveal his cannons.
And then with a scream, he began thrust his hands out as blasts began firing from everywhere: his hands, his cannons, his wings, even his body, thousands apon thousands of blasts that bore down on Agony.
They consumed her, and the Z Warriors saw that she was actually trying to block them. It wasn't working, as the blasts were tearing her to pieces bit by bit. Erik didn't stop his onslaught or his screaming as he held the pressure on Agony.
"It's working! It's killing her!" Yamcha yelled.
Great, now we can figure out how to make money off of this and how much of it I get!
Agony began to scream as more and more of her was torn away in the blasts, and then her arms were shattered and the blasts consumed her. She vanished from sight, but Erik held the blasts, firing and firing until he couldn't fire any more.
He slumped as his cannons closed, his tail hanging limply at his side and his shoulders heaving as he drew in deep ragged breaths. He was clearly exhausted.
"Did he win?" Pan said.
"Oh kami…please have won." Goten whispered.
"Oh me…let that bitch be dead." Dende said.
"I still think I could have taken her this time. I know her moves now." Vegeta scoffed. Bra smirked. It was his way of saying he was glad Erik had won.
Gee Erik, did ya hafta make the battle so short? We barely had time to sell the book rights, make the TV Movie, release the video, do the cartoon, cancel the cartoon, syndicate the…
Erik's tensing muscles made everyone shut up.
Then Agony flew from the cloud of smoke, as alive as ever. Erik set his pose to meet her.
Even prepared, it didn't work, as Agony ducked around his punch and smashed him into the ground with an axe handle. Everyone gasped as she flew down, landing on top of him.
Erik gasped for air as Agony planted a forearm of steel across his throat. Once again, Erik found himself looking into her crazy eyes, filled with the kill lust he had come to know so well, and her twisted love for him that he despised almost as much as her.
"You just don't get it, do you?" Agony purred. "No matter your form, your powers, your vows…it is all the same. This came into being because of I. I came into your life. I structured everything about you, your desires and wants, your hopes and fear…your future and very existence. I made you, Erik."
Agony brought up her other hand, her forefinger turning into a black barbed blade that she brought against Erik's forehead. She pressed it down slightly, smiling at the jolt of pain from Erik and feeling her desire burn as she saw the drop of blood emerge from the wound.
"And I can unmake you."
"NEVER!" Erik screamed, blowing Agony off of him with an expulsion of energy. Laughing, Agony flipped in mid-air as Erik was getting up and smashed him across the face with a flip kick. Erik flew backwards, bouncing along the ground and landing near the grouped warriors. Agony landed, laughing.
"Erik!" Christine yelled. Her cry was echoed in others.
Agony finished her laugh.
"I have grown bored with this game. It is time I finally ended it." Agony said, as she lifted her hands.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the shadows around Agony began to warp and twist, and at the same time an appalling cry rose from the silence, a mind numbing shriek that tore right to the hearts and souls of all those watching.
"Dear kami, what is that!??!?!" Gohan yelled, covering his ears. But the terrible cry pierced through his fingers, driving into his brain, threatening to shred his sanity.
"I've never heard anything so horrible!" Piccolo cursed.
"Daddy, make it stop!" Bra cried.
"What the devil is that?!?!?!?" Vegeta yelled.
"It's their cry…" Goku whispered, her body shaking from the noise. "The cry of thousands apon thousands of souls…tormented in ways beyond comprehension…in the hell that lies within Agony…the hell where every one of her victims was cast into…"
Goten crumbled to his knees, his hands clamped over his ears so hard he fingers gorged small cuts in his face. If that was what lay within Agony…
"ARRRGGGHHHHHH!" Ash yelled.
"STOP THAT! ANYTHING! JUST STOP IT!" Christine cried.
Agony just laughed as the shadows twisted and flew around her even more violently, concentrating around her hands.
The only one who did not crumple was Erik, as he stood up. He knew the cries everyone was breaking before all too well. Like all the innocent souls that seemed to be flying around Agony, unable to be seen and yet seen with terrible clarity, Erik had heard the same cry from other souls, those ones stained and corrupted with blood. His link to Agony had never been more clear…or more terrible. In the end, they were both slayers of life. They just had different tastes.
"No…" Erik whispered, as he brought his own hands up. "You've taken…far too many…I will not…let another drop of blood…be spilled by your accursed fingers."
"Listen to it!" Agony crowed, oblivious to anything but her own ecstasy. "Isn't it marvelous? And think of how much greater it will song when all your voices are added to the harmony…when all the voices of all creatures are added! A HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"BITCH!" Vegeta roared, firing a blast at Agony. It disintigrated long before it reached her, blown away by the power flowing around her.
"Can't fail…failed too many…won't fail again…" Erik whispered, as white power began crackling on his hands.
The screams growing into a cataphony of torment, Agony raised her hands and looked at Erik as he brought his hands to his side.
"And you…boy…will finally be joined with those you love. How ironic…you claim I am your curse. You're wrong Erik. I AM YOUR SAVIOR!"
And Agony thrust her hands down at out, and fired it. In a way, it was like Riot's Doomsday blast, and somehow it was even worse, darker and blacker and tainted with an evil that Riot could have never matched. It wasn't so much a blast of power as it was an emission of Agony's purest essense, of death, destruction, and eternal hell.
White beams poured from Erik's fingers. In a small part of himself, he smiled. His friends used this position to fire an attack that had seemingly been woven into their blood. Now he would fire one that would either save them…or splash that same blood onto the cold, black earth.
"You…are not my savior Agony…you are…my final vow to all I hold dear…and this…is…MY LAST JUDGEMENT!"
And Erik thrust his hands forward, the white beam exploding from his hands and firing out to meet Agony's blast, the ground burning away from the power within the beams.
The two beams met, and the ground beneath them vaporized as the two began shoving at each other, beams of black and white light shooting off from the apex and tearing through rock faces, cliffs, the ground, and seemingly everywhere.
Agony laughed.
"Your last judgement, boy? THIS IS THE LAST ANYTHING YOU WILL EVER DO!"
The beams from Agony's hands flared up and increased in size, and began to push Erik's back towards him. Erik held his ground as his blast became shorter and shorter.
"Oh no…no…no…!" Christine gasped.
Somehow, above all the noise, Erik heard Christine's voice. His eyes trailed away from Agony and fell on her, her outfit torn and dirtied, her body battered and bloodied from all the fights she and everyone had been through, and the look of fear and desperation in her eyes. But it wasn't for her sake. It was for the brother she had barely ever known.
Not all fall by the hand of evil…some fall on the wayside and never know how to get back…she did…you've know her so little…are you going to let her lose you almost as soon as she found you?
Erik's eyes blazed.
"No."
Erik thrust forward and Agony's beam stopped cold. Agony stopped her laugh with some surprise.
And then Erik yelled and his beam began pushing Agony's blast back towards her. She almost looked confused before she set her legs and tried to stop the beam. But it wouldn't stop.
Slowly, the beams of black light that were pouring over her began being replaced by white beams as her blast was pushed back towards the apex. She growled and tried harder, but she still couldn't stop the blast.
Everyone watched and slowly, ever so agonzingly slowly, Erik's blast pushed Agony's back.
"No…no…this can't be happening! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" Agony yelled.
Erik smirked.
"I'm not doing this, Agony. Fate is."
And then Agony's beam seemed to be broken, as Erik's blast expanded even more and broke over the edges of her beam even as it continued to be pushed back.
Burning energy began washing over Agony. Her continued beam acted as short of a shield from the brunt of Erik's attack, but it still wasn't enough to wholy block the blast. Bits of flesh began to be peeled off from Agony's face and body. She half-screamed, half snarled.
And suddenly Goten was stepping forward, thrusting his hands out.
"What are you standing there for? HELP HIM!"
And then Goten fired a beam of golden energy from his hands. It slammed into the invisible shield that Agony's power had created around her, but Goten held the blast anyway.
Everyone reacted, as they all raised their hands and fired off their own golden blasts at Agony. The Legacy raised their weapons and fired off a varierty of multi-coloured attacks, which joined the offensive against Agony.
Agony staggered under the sheer force being thrown at her, her power barely able to hold off all the attacks while she was still trying to hold back Erik's.
Then more ki blasts came raining down from the sky onto her, and Agony screamed and looked up to see Vegeta and his family. They had taken the air and begun their own assault down on Agony, all their hair the same radiant gold colour.
"Die you bitch!" Vegeta screamed as he kept firing. Erik's blast grew ever closer.
Agony's mad eyes blazed utter darkness as she suddenly shrieked.
"BEGONE YOU PATHETIC WORMS!"
And then Agony's black aura exploded out from around her, a wave of pure burning force. It swept across the ground and air and blew away all the Z Warriors and Legacy with a cry, sending them flying off into the distance on a hell-born wind. Even Vegeta was knocked away, spiralling off with his son and dauighter as he screamed protest and vengeance.
Agony turned her furious eyes back to Erik.
"And as for you, boy…SUFFER JUST LIKE YOUR FAMILY!"
And Agony's blast tripled, shoving away Erik's blast like it was nothing. In seconds Erik had lost all the ground he had gained and Agony's blast was pushing back towards him.
Erik watched in horror as it approached again, accompanied by Agony's mad laughter. His blast grew smaller and smaller.
Off in the distance, the Z Warriors and Legacy were regaining their feet, watching the latest development in dread.
"She's too strong…she's just too strong…" Krillian whispered, his hope finally crushed under the apparent fact that Agony could not be beaten.
The same feelings of doubt were sweeping through Erik as Agony's blast began drawing near to ground zero. He could feel the terrible power from the blast, an inferno of heat and yet an oblivion of cold.
Then he saw it.
Somehow, it had stayed in his hand the whole time, even now. The power was trying to make it fly away, but for now the locket stayed in his fingers, hanging on by a chain. Erik looked at it as the clasp finally gave up the ghost and broke, letting the locket fly open.
And Erik saw.
He remembered how gentle his father had always been, abhorring violence and saying that humans, if they were truly civalized, would use civalized methods to settle disbutes. However, that had not stopped him from taking up arms to try and defend his family against Agony. But he had failed.
He remembered how beautiful his mother's laugh was, a laugh that was reflected in Christine. Now she would never laugh again.
He thought of Marianna, his youngest sister, how she was always smiling goofily at anyone and everyone, never letting anything get her down. She even kept her smile when Erik had called her that his nickname for her, Booger, which she despised. Now that smile was eternal…but all its beauty had been lost.
He thought of Tamara, how serious she was for her age, and how intelligent she had been. She had wanted to be a lawyer, of all things. But her dreams were shattered.
All of them were.
Because of her.
Agony's laugh pierced through to his very core.
All because of her.
"DIE BOY!"
His whole life…all he ever wanted…torn from him…all…because…of her…
Erik clenched his fist around the locket harder.
The blast was inches from his hands.
Agony laughed once more.
And then with a scream of utter grief, rage, and vindication, Erik snapped out his wings and thrust forward.
His blast exploded, blowing away and shattering Agony's blast like it was nothing. Agony gasped as she went from on the verge of winning to staring down the ultimate expression of Erik's rage.
"NO!!!!!!!!!!"
The blast washed over Agony, throwing her off her feet and spreading out her arms and legs like she was being crucified as the beam of pure white pierced through her, lancing through every cell of her being.
"NO! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE! I CANNOT BE…AAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Agony screamed before the blast tore her head apart.
Everyone watched as her body broke up, torn to shreds that were vaporized as the blast exploded. The whole mountain range shook and was reshaped by the utter power of the blast.
The explosion blew skyward into space, and everyone on the planet heard the boom that echoed from the blast.
And then…there was silence.
As the debris rained down, everyone slowly lowered their arms to look apon the shattered and torn apart landscape.
"Wow." Buffy said. She had seen a lot in her young life, but she had never seen anything quite like what she had just witnessed.
"Is it over?" Lindsay said.
"God, I hope so." Diana added.
"That blast nearly fried the sensors in my eyes…ow…" Seventeen said, shaking his head.
Dammit! That means it probably ruined my film! I was gonna be rich!
Slow, the Z Warriors recovered from the shock and began flying towards where they had last seen Erik, carrying the Legacy and Buffy.
Chaozu saw him first, and pointed him out. Slowly, everyone landed before the standing figure that stood, his back to them, on the burnt rock slab.
"Erik…?" Goten said. They had kept their distance from Erik…just in case.
"Erik…is that you…?" Christine said.
The figure was silent and motionless, looking out at the smoky air. Searching.
"Erik…?"
And then Erik turned.
His eyes were of the deep blue that everyone had come to know. It was him.
"Erik!" Goten said.
"Hello Goten…" Erik said, his voice tired beyond belief. Goten's happiness quickly faded.
"Erik…is she…?"
Erik looked behind him.
"I had a link with her…it was my curse to always be linked to her…truly know…" Erik said, and then turned back to the Z Warriors.
"The link has been broken. Finally…she's gone for good."
Everyone was silent.
"Then…we won?" Pan asked.
Erik looked at her. He seemed to be struggling with words…but in the end, he got them out.
"We won."
The crowd exploded into whoops and cheers as everyone finally let their battle instincts slide and got into a celebatory mood. Ash picked up Christine and spun her around as the rest of the Legacy shook hands or hugged. The Z Warriors were reacting in a simular fashion, and then the two began to intermingle with each other.
Erik stayed still, standing on the cliff face, letting a cool breeze comfort his wounds. Finally…he was free.
Dende began doing some goofy dances to celebrate, while Tring stood still, not quite sure what to make of it. Dende was aware people were laughing at him, but he didn't care, as he laughed and sucked in loads of air, air which never seemed so precious and bountiful and…
Dende stopped as air wooshed through his nostrils and and a familiar sceent pricked in them. A scent that set alarm bells ringing in his brain.
"Blood…I smell blood…I SMELL BLOOD!" Dende suddenly yelled in a panic. Everyone stopped as he yelled it, and Erik, who had been in the process of lowering his head snapped ip up as his eyes widened.
Then he heard Goten's scream.
"ERIK LOOK OUT!"
Then it pierced through him, a black blast of pure malevolence, as thin as a finger. It tore through his back and punched through his lung before it blasted out his front in a torrent of blood. Erik screamed and crumbled, clutching the bloody wound.
And then the chuckle floated through the air, filling everyone's heart with ice again, as she was revealed, standing on the cliff, one finger pointing at Erik.
"I'm afraid you were a little too quick with your judgement, boy." Agony chuckled, as she swept her hair back.
"No…no…NO!" Vegeta whispered.
Erik stood, blood pouring down his front. Of all the thoughts and feelings coursing through him, he could only manage one word.
"No…"
Agony laughed.
"Oh, you thought you won because you couldn't feel our link any more, huh? Well boy, I had to do something while walking out of that desert…one of the things I figured out was how to block it. And once you hit me with that big blast, I figured it would be best if I played possum, blocked the link, and waited until you turned your back. You think that blast was going to kill me? You just don't get it! I cannot be destroyed with violence! Violence is my elixir!" Agony laughed.
The depth of Agony's cruelty was never more clear, how beautifully she had set Erik up for a fall. Indeed, as more blood soaked the ground around him, it was clear Erik was tettering on the very edge.
"You can never win boy. That is your destiny. Why can't you just accept it?" Agony smirked, his eyes shining with bloodlust.
Erik looked apon Agony with dead eyes.
"Pure black looking clear…"
He had done everything he could, used every trick he had, and Agony was still standing. She was simply unstoppable.
"My work is done soon here…"
But…he still had one last card up his sleeve.
"Try getting back to me…"
He should have known he would never be redeemed. His sins were too great. But…
"Get back which used to be…"
He could still make things right.
"Drink up…"
Erik wiped his mouth with a bloody hand, tasting the salt of his own blood. If anything, he wouldn't let Agony have it.
"Shoot in…"
Erik tensed his muscles.
"Let the beatings begin…"
His metal fingers curled into fists.
"Distributor of pain…"
Erik looked at Agony once more. He almost looked…sad.
"Your loss becomes my gain…"
"Erik!"
Erik turned his head from Agony and saw Christine as she came up towards him, stumbling over the rock.
"Chris…" Erik whispered. He didn't want this to happen.
"You're hurt bad! Let me heal you!" Christine said as she came to Erik's side. She reached out for her power.
Then she stopped as Erik's hand suddenly unclenched and touched her cheek. Despite the metal, Erik's touch was as gentle as a feather's.
"Erik…?" Christine said.
"Chris…" Erik said. "Mom always wanted to be a grandmother. Could you please…grant her that wish?"
Christine's eyes widened, but she nodded dumbly, not understanding. Erik smiled slightly, and in that brief instant Christine saw the man Erik would have surely been if Agony had not come into their lives.
"Thank you…sis…and I want you to know...no matter what…I'll always love you."
Erik's intentions came to Christine in a flash as Erik lowered his hand away and held it before her.
"Goodbye…."
"ERIK, NO!" Christine screamed as she was blasted away. But it wasn't an attack. It was more of a push that threw Christine through the air, away from Erik and towards the Z Warriors.
Gohan caught her as she screamed again.
"What's going on?" Gohan yelled.
"He's doing a suicide attack! Stop him!" Christine screamed.
"What…ERIK NO!" Goten screamed.
"AGONY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The blood-red lightning erupted up on Erik's body, dancing on his form as he bellowed Agony's name to the heavens once more. The ground shattered and vaporized under him, huge chunks of rock floating up in the air before they were smashed to pebbles, and then dust. Erik's tail lashed the air.
"I'M NOT GOING TO HELL BY MYSELF!" Erik roared, as his fists clenched so tight blood exploded from between his knuckles. Agony stood, watching, as Erik snapped out his wings.
"You're coming with me!" Erik screamed. "Now…taste the fires of righteous damnation…and CHOKE ON IT!"
And Erik blasted outward, his talons snapping out, his aura a blazing field of destruction as he flew at Agony. And as everyone screamed for Erik to stop, he screamed his final words.
"TASTE THE FIRES OF VENGEANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Erik flew at Agony.
Christine screamed for him to stop.
And then the air around Erik and Agony exploded in terrible fire. At the same time, a terrible shriek filled the air, like metal ripping through metal.
The ground shook from the blast, and then the smoke cleared.
All the shocks that everyone had felt before, this one easily surpassed them all. They had expected to see a variety of terrible things.
But the image of Agony, one arm out, her flesh trailing into a blade that was pierced right through Erik's chest, her smirking face looking at Erik's contorted gaze, was far more horrible then anything they could have imagined.
No one noticed as Christine began to cry.
Erik felt the blade through him, piercing through his shattered heart, blood pouring from the wound. Despite the situation, he didn't want to believe it. Somehow…she'd gotten him. His final blow had been dodged and she had struck.
"This…no…" Erik gasped, as Agony smiled.
"You want to know the cruelest thing about fate, Erik?" Agony said, smiling as Erik's lifeblood ran down her arm. "We become the things we hate."
Erik could only gurgle, as he tried to lift his arms, tried to do anything. But he had nothing left to give. All he could do was scream inwardly as Agony's final revalation.
"When you flew at me to take me with you, you finally became what I always knew you were. You had finally stopped caring. You didn't care about your friends. Your didn't care about your sister. You didn't care about your dead love. You didn't even care about yourself. All you cared about was destruction…my destruction. The thing which is all I care about. At last I have finally done it. You haven't destroyed me…" Agony chuckled.
Then she reached over with a bladed finger and pressed it at one end of the V scar over Erik's right arm, and then sliced her finger to the side, drawing a bleeding across the V…forming an upside down A.
"You have become me." Agony finished, laughing.
"No…no no no NO!" Erik pleaded, not wanting to admit it was true.
"Oh, but it's true, boy. You finally possessed the same feelings as me, to destroy life. You always bore my mark…in your heart, and on your flesh. I think Xaxargas always wanted you and I to stand side by side…each the same. But I don't want competion, boy. So I'm afraid this has to end."
Erik began to scream as he was lifted up by Agony's power, a scream of terrible grief and pain.
"I'm not going to steal your soul, boy. I'm going to do even better. You have always been a part of me…so I will absorb you fully into my being…so I can always have you…and I can torment you in body, mind, heart, AND SOUL!" Agony laughed.
Erik's wings began to break into black smoke as he continued to scream. But there was no escape, as his body was slowly and methodically dissolved into a black mist that flowed around Aony. His screaming mouth was the last to go.
Agony laughed and reared back her head as her mouth opened. The mist flew into it, and she swallowed it down greedily, her eyes fluttering in esctasy as she imprisoned Erik within her.
Erik's locket clattered to the ground, as Agony closed her mouth. There was one final faint scream as Erik was cast into hell.
Then she opened her eyes, and smiled once more as the black pits temporarily became the colour of dark turquise. Erik's eyes.
"It has ended, boy. You have lost. You were always meant to." Agony said. Reaching down, she picked up Erik's golden necklace.
"I think I'll wear this as a momento." Agony chuckled, slipping the necklace on. The metal sizzled briefly and then turned night-black.
Agony took a slow breath as she closed her eyes.
Then she snapped them open as she felt Erik's incredible powers of destruction flow through her, adding to her own and the god-like powers she had stolen from her children.
"At long last, MY DREAM WILL FINALLY COME TRUE!" Agony crowed, as flaming piles of rock exploded up from around her and the dark clouds above her crackled with blood-red lightning as the world shuddered. Agony was once again a god, and this time her powers were even worse then before.
A giant dagger of flaming black rock stabbed up from below Agony, and she laughed as it carried her up, a giant perch flaming with the fires of destruction.
"Now…once again… THIS PLANET IS MY PLAYGROUND!" Agony laughed as she thrust her hand up and out, firing a gigantic blast off into the distance. It raked across the earth for hundreds of miles, destroying anything in its path.
"AHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!" Agony laughed, and she fired another blast in another direction, burning another blood-soaked streak across the earth.
Time flows like a river…history repeats…and now it seemed to all coming to an end.
"No…Erik…why…WHY!?!?!??!" Christine wept as her brother was absorbed into Agony, her greatest victim. Ash tried to comfort her.
Then Agony ascended, and everyone could only tremble from the gigantic power standing before them.
"This can't be happening…it's a nightmare…please, let me wake up…let me wake up…" Marron sobbed in pure terror as she clutched onto Goten, who was going through his own sorrow at Erik's fall and his own terror at Agony's rebirth as a destroyer of all.
Vegeta didn't know what to do except comfort his children, who were clutching him. They hadn't seen Agony's original ascent, the one that had resulted in the total destruction of the Earth and dozens of other planets, but that didn't matter. Agony's very essense triggered total terror in the bravest of hearts.
"What do we do?" Gohan said, holding onto Pan.
Then Goku whispered again.
"Fight…"
Everyone looked at him. In a way, he almost seemed to be smiling.
"You…are the last hope for all existence. Fight her…if we are all fated to die…let it be on our feet…with our swords in our hands and the fires of war burning in our hearts!"
Christine stood up, wiping tears away.
"He's right…we can't let her go unopposed…Erik would want it that way."
Goten set his jaw.
"She's right…we have to fight her…no matter the cost, the odds of winning…we have to stand. It was why Erik always fought. He knew that humanity could always be redeem for the crimes of its evil. We can't let her…get her claws into them."
There were nods. Goten sighed, then spoke again.
"I'll offer it…if anyone wants to flee…go ahead. We won't hold it against you. Hell, if I was in my right mind, I think I would run away." Goten said.
No one replied. Goten sighed. Ash took the oppurtunity to look over at Buffy.
"Buffy…you know, you don't have to do this. We dragged you into this…"
"Can it, Ash. I ran away once. It didn't solve my problems, and it won't solve them now. This fight is my fight too, and I'll stand by your side, and be honoured to do it." Buffy said, her eyes hard.
"Are you sure, Buffy? You've never fought anyone quite like her." Gohan said.
"And you've never fought with three other girls over a blouse at a clearout sale, but I don't plan on holding that against you, Gohan." Buffy replied.
"I don't have any big dramatic speech to make, but count me in too, mates."
Everyone whirled as Spike walked up. Buffy whipped out a stake, as Spike held up his hands.
"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa! I'm here to help!"
"Help? You moron, I thought you would have crawled back under your rock by now!" Buffy snapped.
"I couldn't find one suitable, and anyway Betty, I doubt there's anywhere I can run from her." Spike said.
"Why should we trust you?" Christine said.
"You don't have to. I gain nothing in going against you now."
"I still say we should stake him." Buffy said. Spike looked at her.
"Hey Buffy, don't you remember something I told you, long ago, when we teamed up to take down Angelus? I don't want to see the world destroyed."
Buffy was silent. Spike went on.
"I joined up with Vagane because he said he would give me godhood by killing all those people and infusing the power of their souls in us along with himself. I wanted that godhood for revenge on you, Slayer. Once I was done, I was actually considering bringing you back to life so others could have a crack at you, and then going on my merry way. I didn't want to rule the world, that's too much of a bloody hassle, and I didn't want to destroy it either. I like my world. It has lots of great things, like alcohol, and foxy boxing, and shit like that. I figured that since I was on Vagane's side, he would leave my universe alone. But old Floaty's dead. And I'm afraid his crazy daughter don't have the same plans as he did. She wants to destroy EVERYTHING. You, me, Stone Cold Bloody Austin, EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING. That is not good for me. So I'm gonna hook up with you and do my bit. That, and I don't want someone else killing you. I've been beat up too bloody much to earn that."
Buffy's look never changed, but she put the stake away.
"Fine. But after this, you're dust!"
"I'm sure. Does anyone else have any bloody problems?"
There was some growls, but no complaints.
"Fine. Here Buff, you dropped this." Spike said, tossing Buffy the sword she had stolen from him. "I don't need it. I got my own weapons." Spike said as his face became feral.
I wouldn't recommend trying to suck her blood.
"Why? Does it lack taste?"
No, it would probably explode in your stomach. Or something. Why don't you try it and see, and I'll send it in to "Dumb Vampires Who Don't Listen 6!"
"Oh shut the hell up." Spike growled.
"Ok guys, we're going to go…"
"Leave me."
Goten looked at his father.
"What?"
"I'm of no use. Leave me behind." Goku whispered.
"But father…"
"Do it! You all have to fight! You can't all do it with me slowing you down! I've never given you an order, Goten, but I am now: LEAVE ME!"
Goten stared, then nodded.
"Ok father…I will…I love you."
"I love you too…son." Goku wheezed.
Goten turned.
"Let's go guys."
And he flew off, holding Marron. Slowly, everyone passed by Goku before they followed him.
"We'll be back father." Gohan said.
"I'll avenge this crime against you, grandpa." Pan said.
"I will make you proud sensei." Ubuu said, bowing slightly.
"Son…it will honour me to fight for life in your stead. You taught me just how precious it is." Piccolo said, and flew off.
Vegeta was the last to pause by where Goku was now sitting.
"You better not die, Kakarott. I still owe you an ass kicking!"
"Good luck to you too, Vegeta." Goku replied. Vegeta stared, then smirked with one side of his mouth.
"At last, I can prove my supremacy without you interfering!" Vegeta said, and flew off towards Agony with Bra and Trunks.
And then, Goku was alone. He looked off at Agony, as she stood on her flaming perch, delighting in her power.
Then Goku finally noticed it. Somewhere in the battle, Erik had sliced Agony's hair and it had not grown back to its previous long length. Her hair was now short.
"My…nightmare…oh dear kami…" Goku whispered as he finally realized what that horrible nightmare he had had several months ago had meant. (Writer's Note: That happened in my short story, "Cruel Hearts")
It had been a vision of things to come. But had it been a vision of what could happen…or what was going to happen?
"Oh Kami…Fate…please…if you don't wish to be destroyed as well…find a way for them to win!"
Agony laughed as she fired another blast off in the distance. A gigantic explosion blasted in the Pacific Ocean, creating a gigantic tidal wave that smashed against the ruins of California and swamped a good part of Japan.
"Ah, so many ways to kill people…but I have all the time in the world! AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!" Agony laughed.
Oh just shut the hell up!
Agony looked down at the voice and saw the group gathered there. She smiled and leapt down off her flaming rock perch.
"So…what have we here?"
Christine gripped her bladestaff tightly.
"You murdered my brother." She hissed.
"You murdered our ally." Ash said, the Soulfire at the ready.
"You murdered our friend." Goten said, his family and allies all standing beside him, from the strongest to the weakest, all united and ready to fight to the bitter end.
Agony smirked.
"Oh, and so you all want to die too?"
"Not this time. This time, we know you. We can fight you. We will beat you. For us. For your crimes. For Erik." Vegeta said.
Agony stared.
And then she started to laugh.
"So…it has come to this…all these people…so very small…stand between me…and my dream of total destruction…AH HA HA HA HA HA! YOU FOOLS! Do you even comprehend what you face? I am Agony, the Herald of Destruction! I am the black heart of the universe, the slayer of hope and the devourer of the righteous! I AM UNHOLY WRATH! THE LAST TIME YOU FACED ME, I CUT YOU DOWN LIKE GRAIN BEFORE A SCYTHE! LOOK APON ME AND DESPAIR!!!!!!!!!"
Power exploded around Agony, ki and destruction and evil, ripping up the ground.
"Everyone, power up to your highest peak! United we stand, now and forever!" Goten yelled as his hair flaired up and turned gold, before golden lightning swallowed him and revealed him as a SSJ3.
With a combined yell, auras exploded as the powers of the Saiya-jin blood were released and the blades of heroes were drawn and charged. Buffy got into a battle stance, the wind from her fellows sweeping her hair around and giving the illusion that she was powering up as well.
Spike watched in distaste, feeling left out.
"Tell you what, I'll stand here and yell like I'm trying to take a big dump, Ok? I'll pretty much sound the same." Spike muttered, and did so.
And so the final lines were drawn. On one side, The Z Warriors, The Legacy, Buffy Summers, and William the Bloody.
On the other…the greatest evil that had ever existed. Patricia Delhart. Agony, the crown jewel of Xaxargas.
The beginning of the end had arrived.
You can't overpower her…
You can't outfight her…
You can't even hurt her…
All you can do...to win…is use the brightness within your heart…the hope within your soul…and the light within you that a great man died trying to protect…
But what if that's…not enough…?
To be continued.