Chapter 12 – Silent Armageddon
Trunks, at the speed of blinding light, charges Zyxoiar. He spins kicks Zyxoiar in the ribs, sending her flying across the sky. She slams against the side of a plateau; her back against the landscape. She looks up, sees a fist coming and moves to avoid being hit. Unfortunate for her, she places herself right in front of Trunks – in between he and the cliff side. He thrusts his fist into the side of the land formation, creating a crater. Some of the landscape starts to collapse.
Seeing this as an opportunity to get away, she jumps, lands on his head, and pushes off. Trunks smashes into the cliff side head first. Before he has anytime to get himself out, Zyxoiar charges at him with a kicked aimed to his cranium. The kick itself projects Trunks deeper into the mountain and out the other side. He stops himself right after he's in the clear. Zyxoiar appears right over him with an ax kick. He grabs her leg and throws her. Just as she stops herself, Trunks comes at her with an elbow thrust to the side followed by a round kick. Zyxoiar breaks away from the fight. Trunks charges at her head on and vanishes.
Zyxoiar: Dammit! Where is he?!
He rematerializes right in front and embraces her, binding her arms and crushing her body against his. He flips backwards and two descend rapidly toward the battlefield headfirst. Zyxoiar looks at Trunks, revealing her own fears for the first time.
Zyxoiar: What the hell do you think you're doing?! You want to die too?!
Trunks responds with a cold stare – narrow eyes fixed onto hers.
He crushes her into the ground and, dangerously close to the ground, pulls himself back into the air. Zyxoiar sees him launching an assault of ki blasts into the crater and, shutting her eyes, braces herself. The burning feeling of the blasts never comes. She opens her eyes, only to see Trunks flying overhead, getting ready to launch the attack.
Zyxoiar (to herself): All of the cells didn't die yet? I can see what he's going to do before he does it?
Trunks actually fires the series of ki blasts this time. After the smoke clears, he descends to earth and lands next to the crater.
The others start to advance toward him. Without turning to them, Trunks raises a hand, signaling them to stop.
Trunks: Wait…she's not dead. Get up in--!
Before Trunks could finish his sentence, light absorbs ground from under everyone's feet. From their current positions, either kneeling or laying down, all turn to a battered, infuriated Zyxoiar. The ground around her continuously collapses. A light comes from within her, replenishing her energy, making her stronger, faster, and more agile. This time, however, everyone can now sense Zyxoiar's ki; how dark it is, how much it's like Trunks' with it being so different.
Zyxoiar: If you think I'm going to die like that you're sadly mistaken.
Ready for the dare, Trunks takes her on. Plowing through what's left of the Desert Sector easily, they enter the Tundra Sector – a frozen wasteland filled with glaciers and ice.
Using her influence over wind, she gyrates a whirlpool, attracting bulky shards of ice. On her command, the cyclone of frosty daggers propels itself at Trunks. It sucks him in and throws him clear across the sector. Still spiraling around him, he breaks away from the torturous twister and, using his own techniques, hurls the blistery frozen remains back at his opponent.
Fluid from the melted glacier runs into a river. Trunks flies ahead, parallel to the body of water. Not knowing she would be so close behind him, he turns around. As they skied across the water, their wings' reflection glistened from the simulated moon. Trunks, whose back is facing the silver liquid, grabs Zyxoiar by the collar, pulls her toward him, and thrusts her in the water. She grabs his arm before he lets go, dragging him into the same watery field. The two emerge, gliding against the waterfall and into the rest of the Jungle Sector. Explosion clouds scatter throughout the entire area as the two encroach the Solstice.
Using it as the only means of survival, Zyxoiar crashes into the Solstice through a window. Trunks follows suit, creating an entrance through a wall. She maneuvers through the dungeon-like corridor, tempting him to follow. The two race down the great hall, until Zyxoiar abruptly grabs a slim support beam and, using it to pivot her turn, slams into Trunks with a series of attacks. Both continue the fight whilst propelling themselves backwards deeper into the mansion.
Zyxoiar has the homeland advantage. Having known where all her traps are, she flies ahead and activates them with a simple touch on a wall. A series of defense mechanisms show themselves, coming out from the floor, ceiling and walls. She flies around each obstacle effortlessly, continuously observing Trunks endeavoring the challenges.
Being forgetful of one certain obstruction, Zyxoiar smacks against it, sending her flying back in the direction where she came from and into Trunks. The two fighters dash through all other traps – none creating enough friction to slow either down – and into a smaller section at the extreme opposite end of the Solstice before pounding against a steel wall.
Trunks shakes his head, trying to regain his senses. A small chain around her neck slips itself out from its secure place and dangles in front of the warrior's face. Towards the bottom of this visible part, an emblem shows itself resembling half a heart with a bird-like wing. He grabs it, hoping his eyes were deceiving him. Indeed, this part is the other half of his.
Zyxoiar yanks its chain, recovering her charm and drawing it away from him. She exits the room. Trunks can hear her voice booming from speakers located in the room.
Zyxoiar: The room you're in right now isn't part of this training facility. You're in a depressurization chamber. Soon, all of your molecules will expand until you explode. See you on the other side.
The lights in the chamber dim, signifying that the process has started. Trunks starts to see his muscles expanding and his hands swelling. Not knowing what else to do, he concentrates for all of his energy to envelop around himself. Everything– the chamber, the walls, and the section of the Solstice – starts to fall apart.
---
Krillen: I don't like this. Nothing's happened in—
Krillen is cut short when he and the other fighters see Zyxoiar floating overhead with no sign of Trunks.
Krillen: Did she…win?
Blinding light comes from an area of the Solstice just before it explodes. Trunks emerges from the wreckage; his fighting spirit vanquished.
Zyxoiar darts at him, ready for anything he delivers. To her surprise, he remains in the same place motionless, head turned away.
Using this as an opportunity to overpower him, Zyxoiar jolts in the air and lands on Trunks shoulders. Her iron-like thighs close together with his head in between, suffocating him. The fighter grabs one of her thighs, trying to pry her off. In an instant, she jerks her legs off to one side. A sharp crack is heard. Trunks stops stunned and starts falling; his eyes widen and mouth agape. Zyxoiar leaps off.
He somehow catches himself and stands up with his expression unchanged. His wings start to glow lightly. He slowly lifts his heavy arms to his head and jerks it to the opposite side, realigning his spinal cord, and gasps for air. Slightly winded, the warrior turns around, scanning the area for his opponent.
Unaware to him, the enemy is advancing swiftly from overhead. The heel of her boot crashes right on his skull. Trunks suffers another crack, this one sounding sickeningly muffled. His vision becomes blurred.
---
Piccolo: He can't last much longer. We need to give him some of our power.
Ioni: No.
Piccolo: No?
Ioni: None of you can transfer your powers to him.
Goku: Can't you see he's dying out there?
Tien: He won't make it.
Ioni: It would not work. It just cannot work. I am sorry.
---
Zyxoiar grabs both of Trunks' forearms and flies feverishly, keeping him in
front. She shoves her victim into a boulder, part of the Solstice in a previous
life. The speed and force of the blow paralyze both of Trunks' wings. Fatigue
that has been haunting the two shows itself.
Zyxoiar: *Haa* *hah* Your time…is almost up…*haa*
With those words, Zyxoiar crushes Trunks' arms against the rock and kicks each of his knees, breaking them both. This not only causes Trunks to cry out in intense pain, but also eliminates the only way for him to support himself up.
Gohan: That's IT! I'm not gonna just stand here while you kill my friend!
Zyxoiar (turns to Gohan): Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot all about you and your other friends. Well, here are some of my friends who are just dying to kill you. (to Ioni) Fujitsu, would you do the honors?
Ioni: I am your slave no more!
Zyxoiar: I don't agree.
Zyxoiar's blood cells reactivate in Ioni, striking him down to his knees. Flashbacks relay in his mind quickly. The scleras of his eyes turn black again.
Goku: Ioni?
Ioni (getting up): Fool! I'm not Ioni. I am Fujitsu.
Fujitsu raises his right arm to the stars.
Fujitsu: Locked away by Innocence; beaten by Purity; killed by Light! Militia of Malevolence, show yourself! Inflict pain and agony on all you encounter!
The ground starts to vibrate, and split apart in front of Fujitsu. Masked fighters wearing authentic fighting robes leap up through the slits. Each fighter has a certain weapon; either a rod, a pair of sais, or a sword. After one emerges from the ground, another lands. After one lands on the ground, another charges at the Z-fighters.
Goku: Everyone! Stand your ground!
Fighters from both sides battle one another. The ancient warriors appear to be just as powerful as the living ones.
Zyxoiar: See that, Trunks? This battle will be the absolute last thing you'll remember before I kill you.
Trunks (looking down): Tell me one thing, just one thing, Zyxoiar. Why?
Zyxoiar (annoyed): Why what?
Trunks (continuously looking down): The destruction. The killing. You are responsible for all that bloodshed.
Zyxoiar: You're right. If I hadn't killed that many people, none of you would've given our offer another thought.
Trunks: Heh…I never though it would end this way. You used to be a good-spirited person, too.
Zyxoiar: Still claiming that we met when we were younger?
Trunks: I know we met. Whether you believe me or not is not the case. What be both know is there being something that forced you to do this!
Trunks lifts his head to see Zyxoiar face and stares into her cold, death-like eyes. His eyes fill with hate. His tears fill with love; love for a friend he knew so long ago.
Trunks: You and I both know that your wings are to blame. They gave me a strange feeling from the first time we met. I sensed a strong evil from within them. They might be able to guide you at times, but they are warping your subconscious. They are turning you into a vicious, inhumane killer. This can't be you!
Zyxoiar: Quiet!
She lets go of Trunks' left arm and thrusts her hand into his chest.
Trunks (in intense pain): …What…are you...doing?!
Zyxoiar: Killing you! It's the slowest and most painful way!
Zyxoiar continues to project her hand into his body. She feels around for one of the most vital organs. Knowing there is no way of trying to communicate with her through violence or talking, Trunks lifts his free but increasingly growing limp arm, barely putting his hand in the left pocket of his baggy pants. Zyxoiar continues to search for what would cause the most traumatic pain while dying if removed.
Impatient, she breaks the sternum. Trunks forces his hand to obey and makes it move out of his pocket. Zyxoiar clinches his heart. Her prey cringes in pain and returns to an untransformed state; his wings also revert to their original color and gleam in the moonlight. He drops the emblem as his left arm gives out. Zyxoiar glances at the glistening item falling towards the ground and stops what she is doing. She stands there with a specter look on her face and a pounding heart in her hand.
Zyxoiar: That…medallion…you can't be…
Images of when she and Trunks first met flash in front of her – when she took care of his injuries, when she helped him fly, when he took her to a safe place to hide, and when she gave him half of her medallion.
Zyxoiar: When split in two, thee and me are destined to be and shall meet once more…the legend was real…
She gazes at Trunks' now mangled body. His kneecaps are broken. His arms are smashed. His chest is open with blood gushing out and an arm injected in. She looks up to his face. Blood is escaping through his forehead. His eyes shut closed – his screams of pain become increasingly louder.
Zyxoiar: What have I done…to the one…I was destined to be with?
A blast comes toward Zyxoiar on her right side. She blocks it with her left arm – the one that was helping to keep Trunks up. Trunks fall slightly; his body is now being held up by Zyxoiar's right arm – the arm emerged deep within the body. Vegeta flies strait into Zyxoiar in effort to get her away from Trunks. After one of his body slams, Zyxoiar clenches onto Trunks' heart, unaware of what Vegeta is trying to do. Trunks starts to vomit blood. Zyxoiar's grip becomes too tight for the muscle to stay whole. With one more final thrust by Vegeta, Zyxoiar's fingers rip through Trunks's heart. Trunks looses his breath. His eyes widen.
Seeing most of Zyxoiar's arm being purged out of Trunks' body, Vegeta starts to deliver a series of kicks and punches while advancing toward the edge of the cliff. Without anything to hold him up now, Trunks falls awkwardly to the ground – first sliding down against the boulder, landing on his left side, and then turning face-downward in the pool of blood. The Militia of Malevolence sinks back into the ground.
Elsewhere
Bulma feels a sharp shooting pain going through her heart. The pain is sever enough to strike her down to her knees. She sees images of her grown son as she drifts downward, whispering his name.
Elsewhere
Vegeta launches a series of scattering blaster balls around Zyxoiar to attack her at all angles. All of that energy hits her simultaneously, making her more vulnerable. When the smoke clears, he hovers overhead with his arms pointing downward at her.
Vegeta: FINAL…FLASH!!!
All of Vegeta's anger manifests into a large beam – larger than when he typically uses this attack – and much more deadly. Zyxoiar puts up a shield for protection, but is hit and the streak of annihilation carries her downward until she smacks the ground. The beam continuously rams on her, crushing her shield against her body, breaking the land and forming a chasm. Fujitsu sees his master in distress and jumps over the ledge into the water for her.
Vegeta returns to his son. Trunks' body lies there motionless. His wings move slightly – their luster becomes increasingly dimmer. All the fighters circle around them in mourning.
Vegeta (quietly): My son…not again… (louder) God damn you, Zyxoiar! Burn in fucking hell!!