"I guess I should start from the beginning, when the Demons first arrived." I looked up at the faces around me, all filled with anticipation.
"As you know all it started six years ago..."
The bright sun shone brightly upon Satan City, the early morning dew glittered as her gentle rays showered over it. But Juuhachi-gou didn't have time for such sights.
'Damn that woman how can she expect those kind of results so quickly.'
Juuhachi-gou had been working for Capsule Corp for the past four years. Even though she had just days earlier blackmailed Mr. Satan for an exorbitant amount of money in the Tenkaichi Budoukai, Kuririn had insisted that she continue working for at least a few more months to avoid any unwanted attention. Unfortunately, Bulma had just started a new project inspired by the Majin Buu incident. She had found a way to mask ki signatures in a large area, a ki shield she called it. Apparently if anything like Majin Buu ever happened again all she had to do was have these shield generators discreetly positioned around a city, turn them on, and then no one would be able to find cities just by sensing them. It might not stop them from just searching for the cites visually, but it would certainly slow them down.
There was only one problem with this plan as far Juuhachi-gou could see, she had been placed in charge of it. And because Majin Buu had shown that you never know when a new enemy is going to arrive, Bulma had ordered the project be a top priority. All non-essential projects had been put on hold and Bulma was expecting results immediately.
'She could probably get them if she didn't spend all her time on that stupid reactor of hers. I don't see what's so great about cold fusion anyway, I mean it's not like were having any power shortages. That woman is too impulsive. I can't help but wonder what would happen if I ever had her kind of self control, I'd probably march down to her stuffy old lab and tell her to take this job and... what the hell?'
A scream and an explosion, which was soon followed by more screams, interrupted Juuhachi-gou's thoughts. She leapt out of her chair and literally flew to the window. Throwing it open she leaned outside to get a better view, she was rewarded with a glimpse of hell.
I suppose being an ex-android had one advantage any other being probably who have reached at the sight. There were bodies everywhere, men, women and children, all slaughtered before they even had a chance to cry out or question why. A thin stream of blood wound it's way around their bodies steadily growing in size till it finally poured into the rain gutters. Blood, life, tears all of them were to be shed this day. I was frozen, immobile, 'who, how, why' a thousand thoughts filled my mind and yet still I could find no answer.
There! A sound, like a ki blast but somehow... I couldn't place why it seemed different, it just wasn't right. I had to know, I had to stop this, there was no telling how many had died wile I had stood there I had to act now.
I leapt from the window catching my self with my ki inches from the ground. Then using the same force I pushed myself away from the earth and towards the sounds. Explosion, screams, kis fading into nothingness. I had to go faster. I had to stop it! There, I see it the murderer who has destroyed this city. He looks so strange, he wears saya-jin armor the color of night, silver runes and strange symbols adorn its surface. He has a helmet almost like I would expect of a knight hundreds of years ago. From the center rose a great purple feather surrounded by seven small golden skulls. There laying on his chest, an amulet a good two hands wide covered in jewels, few of which I recognize. But I had yet to see that which would forever taint my soul and return nightly to my memory in nightmares, not until he lifted his visor did I realize what I was truly against. I saw his face, a feral snarl smeared across his lips, sharp jagged teeth poking out from underneath. His face was scaled like the body of a serpent, the color so obsidian it seemed to drain the very light that surrounded it. Yet still, never have I felt such fear as pierced my heart the moment I looked into his crimson eyes, I saw nothing, no pleasure, no pain, no fear, no soul. I looked into his eyes and saw nothing, not even myself reflected in them; they were devoid of all things. I couldn't look away from them it was like they anchored my very soul within their depths, not when he approached, not when he placed a blast over my heart even as I plummeted form the sky I still saw them in my mind.
"What are you?" I whispered.
"Golgotha," his eyes replied.
After that everything went dark. I woke up hours later buried under twenty feet of concrete and asphalt, when I dug myself out there wasn't anything left. I think the only reason I survived is because I hit so hard that a skyscraper had collapsed on me shielding me from the blasts that had created this armageddon. I keep my ki low and hidden. I knew that I could never win alone, but when I tried to find the rest of the senshi I couldn't sense anyone, I was alone. I spent years wandering trying my best to find the Demons weakness and to help those they had not yet reached. Four years later I had formed a fair sized resistance group. We were everywhere throughout the world, but it seemed that even as we gained many members we lost still more to spies and infiltrators. All of our projects were a high risk, especially mine. I had heard stories of the origins of the Demons and eventually I was able to sort fact from fiction.
They were originally from Makyo-sei the home world of all Demons, just like Garlic junior. Although his father was of noble lineage there, he tried to overthrow the Demon king Akuma, failing miserably he was banished to Chikyuu where he tried to destroy Kami-sama. He was banished to the Dead Zone, but his son survived and tried again to destroy the new Kami as well as releasing the Black Water Mist. He was like his father defeated, however there were many high ranking Makyo-jin who were friends of Garlic and his son. When they learned of that Lord Garlic had been trapped in Dead Zone, and mere mortals had defeated his son, they were furious. They cried out to Akuma himself for revenge and he granted them passage to Chikyuu. They had but one purpose in mind to create a monument to their fallen comrades, they wanted to make this world a place of all encompassing hopelessness, and eternal obelisk of despair, just as the farther and son had tried. That was when I truly began to understand their methods, the way they thought, acted, and most importantly of all how to defeat them. When I realized what they were I immediately began seeking help from their polar opposite, they holy powers of Jouten-sama.
It took me two years of searching through endless texts of every religion before I found the key. It was contained between the pages of an old diary I found laying in a rubbish heap. Something about the innocence such an object represented beckoned to my curiosity and I immediately picked it up. The lock was long since broken away and small book immediately opened to the last page. From the look of the writing it had belonged to a child no older than seven. Yet somehow this simple mind had discovered something so simple I was amazed I had not yet thought of it on my own. In her young disjointed writing she expressed her fear of the Demons, she told of how she was so afraid at night she could never sleep, so her kassan had told her that all she had to do was pray and an Angel would protect her. She had done as her mother had instructed and quickly fell asleep. Later that night she had a dream, in it she saw a beautiful Angel. The Angel came to her and comforted her while she cried and told it her story, then it told her that she would no longed have to fear the Demons, that they would soon be banished by a higher power and that all she needed was faith. The diary ended there. I read it again and again to make certain that I had understood. All that was needed was the faith of a child and a little prayer to receive the help of an Angel.
So that night I did something that I had never done in as long as I can remember, I got down on my knees next to my bed and I prayed. I prayed for guidance in my search for any surviving senshi, I prayed for help in my struggle against the Demons, and most of all I prayed for a Guardian Angel to comfort me as the child. That night I dreamed. There was white all around me, I turned around and there she was, I've never seen anything so beautiful in my life. She had great pearl colored wings with wingspread of at least a dozen feet, her hair was silver, her skin the color of cream. She had eyes the color of honey and lips redder than any rose. I stood gaping in awe for many minutes before she spoke.
"What is it that you seek?" her voice was soothing like a gentle spring rain.
"I have to find a way to stop the Demons, to save this world." I was surprised I had the ability to speak before her.
"If you are to truly defeat them once and for all you will need some help. As soon as you wake you must head due north, do not stop for anything, and do not look back, or all is lost."
"North? What's that direction?"
"Why the key you seek of course. You are not pure, you cannot receive the power necessary to save this world, there you will find someone who is." And with that she was gone, I awoke immediately, her words still ringing in my ears.
'As soon as you wake you must head due north, do not stop for anything, and do not look back, or all is lost.'
So I did just as she told me. When I was no more than a hundred yards from the hideout I heard more explosion like those that had destroyed Satan City six years ago. I had come know later that they were not ki but magic, which is why none of our warriors were able to stand against it. I was about to look back when I heard her words once again.
'Do not stop for anything, and do not look back, or all is lost.'
I knew that the hideout had been found. I wanted with all my heart to turn around and help my comrades, but I knew I didn't have the power necessary to do it. So I started running north to where I would find the one who did. Moments later I heard the familiar howls of the Hell Hounds that were being used to seek out any who might have survived the raid. Closer and closer they came I don't know how long I ran, but it seemed like days.
I stumbled, almost falling aver a bare tree root. 'Just my
luck on the run six years, but they only find me when I've got some thing
that could turn this war around in our favor.' I thought
I stumbled again exhaustion and lack of sleep getting the best of me
I had woken from the dream barely an hour after falling asleep.
'Shimatta. This would be a lot easier if those bakas hadn't gone
off and gotten themselves killed right away.' I remembered the other
members of the senshi who were lucky enough to have died before the true
horror began.
The hounds continued their mournful howls as they had for many
hours previous, a constant reminder to me that I could not stop even for
second to rest. Even though my entire body screamed in protest of the abuse
it was receiving, I knew it was nothing in comparison to what would happen
if they ever caught me.
'There's no way I can escape from these Hell Hounds, their practically immortal and they've got more energy left than I do. My only chance is to find some where the won't find me and wait till they pass by.' I looked desperately around me, but knew it was hopeless, even if I did hide they would still find me by my scent.
My thoughts returned to the Angel I had spoken to, surely this was not part of her plan. It couldn't be if I was caught...I dared not continue the thought, instead I sent a silent prayer to any celestial being who might be listening and immediately I received an answer.
Before I realized or had time to react a small door opened in the trunk of a great redwood tree not more than a yard ahead of me. As I continued running towards it a strong arm reached out and pulled me inside, the other arm closing the secret entrance behind me. I wasn't certain where I was or who was holding me, but I was certain it had to be better than what awaited me out side. Nevertheless a hand was roughly clapped over my mouth in case I should decide otherwise.
Slowly the mournful bawling became quieter and indistinct until it finally faded into silence. I felt my mysterious savior relax slightly. However I was still didn't know who, or even what he was, therefore asked the obvious question.
"Who are you?" I whispered
"Oh come now Juu-san don't tell me you've forgotten me already." A gentle masculine voice replied.
I narrowed my eyes, but it was so dark I still could not make out the face. I suppose if it had been a few years ago I would have just tried to identify his ki, but the Demons masked their ki and I had dropped the habit. I could no longer hear the Hounds, so hoping that they were far enough so as not to be attracted by the light I created a small ki sphere in my right hand. When I looked back up I almost dropped it from surprise.
"Gohan-kun!?"