XXVII
"No! It won't end like this! I can't let it end like this! I finally defeated Goku, and now Vegeta is back? How did that happen? I thought for sure I had erased him. That's fine though, I'll finish him off. The damned kaio-ken is draining by body, but if I give it all I have in one fast burst, I'll be able to win," Diamao went over in his mind. He was crumpled to the concrete, his body worn from the intense fighting. A steady trickle of blood fell from his mouth, along with the holes where his antennae used to be. He got up onto all fours, still putting most of his weight on his knees. When Diamao looked over his shoulder, he saw Vegeta staring down at him. But... there was something different about the saiyan prince. Instead of his usual cold stare, Vegeta had an almost... sympathetic look over his face. As soon as he saw Diamao staring at him though, it hardened, and the arrogant Vegeta was in control again.
Damn.
"Namek! I'll give you one last chance. Give control of that body back to Piccolo and I won't erase you," Vegeta called from above, his face set in stone. "Answer me, namek!"
Diamao struggled to his feet, trembling as he lifted himself onto both legs. He looked at Vegeta, hate washing over him. This bastard had all but defeated him. The power that Diamao held didn't affect Vegeta in the least. Even with their combined powers, Piccolo and himself, he still couldn't beat him. He had taken out Goku, one of the most impossible feats he could have imagined. And, after being nearly erased once before, Vegeta had returned, more powerful then even Goku. This prince, this damned saiyan prince, dared to challenge him. Dared! Well no more! Diamao hadn't come this far, this DAMNED far to give up now.
"Vegeta you will lose this battle! I've done to much to lose now! I DESERVE this!" Diamao raged, unable to contain his fury, "I lost to a boy at the height of my mortal power. I've had spent more then two and a half centuries preparing for my revenge. Countless hours of training, pushing myself, being the best I could be. I've gone days, sometimes weeks, without sleep, training my mind in meditation. Years spent massing power. And all the while, all the time I was preparing to become the most powerful warrior in the universe, my son, my flesh and blood, befriended the man that killed me. The very same man!
"So I spent more time training and hating and seething with rage. I trained harder then ever before when I learned that my son had given his life to die with the earth. And do you know what? I gained more power in ten years then Goku gained in twenty. The only thing that separated us in power was those damned super saiyan transformations. So I fused with my son. A namekian fusion is for good; it can never be undone. Just as I wanted it. Now Piccolo can never disobey me again. We're one body now. And what better way to defeat Goku then through the body of one of his closest allies?
"And so I found the kaio-ken ability hidden within his body. And with that, I was finally able to reach Goku's power level. The differences between us was obsolete. I had even nearly erased him... But then you came. Now that you're here, everything's changed. My revenge is ruined. I can never regain the honor that this man stole from me. But... What would you know? What would you know about honor, saiyan?"
Vegeta glared at him, fury overtaking his entire body. This... This weakling dared to ask him about honor?
"What would I know about honor? What would I know about honor? What would I know about... HONOR? My entire life, living and dead, has been DEVOTED to my honor! My entire race was wiped out by the very man that I had followed for more then twenty years. My saiyan pride stripped away as I, the saiyan prince, was defeated by a 3rd class warrior. He even reached the level of super saiyan before me. My birthright, taken away by a commoner. And for a while, a long while, Diamao, I was hateful. My heart was filled with evil. I didn't even realize I was the one stripping away my honor. I turned my back from my wife and child, I ignored those closest to me and followed my own ambitions. I was destroying myself. My pride over rode everything. My honor included. I've spent the last 200 years trying, trying somehow, to regain some shred of it. I..." Vegeta trailed off as Diamao inturrupted him.
"I don't care," he stated bluntly. He had raised his posture so that he stood defiantly with his chest puffed outwards. "I don't care about what you've done. Let's just finish our battle." Vegeta's aura ignited, his fists clenched and he gritted his teeth.
"All right, namek! It's time for us to end it then!"
------------------------
Goten lifted the final stone from his father's crushed body. Goku was almost completely crushed, his ki had dropped to a dangerously low state. They were lucky that Vegeta showed up when he did, otherwise Goku would be erased by now. His mouth was dripping blood on both sides, along with several cuts and scrapes coming from his legs and arms. Goku even had what looked to be a broken arm. Of course, just because it was turned backwards and something white was sticking through the skin didn't mean much.
Goten kneeled by his side and placed a hand on Goku's chest, and two fingers to his own forehead. Then he searched for the Grand Kai's ki signature.
------------------------
"Geritsoudan!"
"Final Flash!"
Both of the powers fired their most powerful attacks, Diamao's green aura exploded as the sphere of green ki launching at Vegeta. The remaining bridge crumbled under his feet, the ki surrounding him tearing it apart with urgent speed. The buildings on either side flew in opposite directions, crashing into other houses as well. His body crackled with energy bolts, even after he had drained so much ki fighting Goku.
Vegeta's attack was twice the size of his opponents, and it's yellow energy shone in the sky, illuminating the air. His body was surging with power, and his muscles contracted rapidly under the stress. White specks of lightening surged around him as his power was stretched to it's max. No more playing.
The two beams collided, creating a Yin Yang affect as the heads tore into each other. They surged in and out, but it was quickly over. Within less then five seconds, though, the green beam was surged backwards incredibly fast. The hundreds of feet that had separated Diamao from the center of the blasts was reduced to fifty feet within seconds. Diamao closed his eyes, readying himself for the intense stress he was about to put on his body.
"Kaio-ken!" he started. The first level of kaio-ken felt as if it were ripping his body apart. His muscles were tightened and his ligaments were stretched beyond normal. But still the beam did not retreat. It grew closer, now it was only twenty feet away. "Kaio-ken... x30!"
Diamao felt his entire body swell with energy. His power level had been multiplied by 30 in the blink of an eye, making him barely stronger, but stronger nonetheless, then Vegeta. The geritsoudan fought the final flash, pushing it back one step at a time, farther away from the namekian. The epicenter where the two attacks met grew tremendously, swelling to the size of a small house as more and more power was pumped from Diamao into it. The waves were both blasts met cackled with white hot energy, shooting bolts of ki from the edges into the air, sizzling with heat.
Gohan's mouth hung open in shock at the two powers in front of him. Diamao, who seconds before had been to weak to fend off even Tien, but now he was going toe to toe with the second most powerful being in the universe. Amazing. The air's temperature shot up by a dozen degrees as a huge bolt of energy broke off from the ball of energy concentrated between Diamao and Vegeta and exploded in the air just above Gohan, showering him with ki. But he was to busy staring at the battle before him to even notice.
"No! It won't end like this! I can't let it end like this! I finally defeated Goku, and now Vegeta is back? How did that happen? I thought for sure I had erased him. That's fine though, I'll finish him off. The damned kaio-ken is draining by body, but if I give it all I have in one fast burst, I'll be able to win," Diamao went over in his mind. He was crumpled to the concrete, his body worn from the intense fighting. A steady trickle of blood fell from his mouth, along with the holes where his antennae used to be. He got up onto all fours, still putting most of his weight on his knees. When Diamao looked over his shoulder, he saw Vegeta staring down at him. But... there was something different about the saiyan prince. Instead of his usual cold stare, Vegeta had an almost... sympathetic look over his face. As soon as he saw Diamao staring at him though, it hardened, and the arrogant Vegeta was in control again.
Damn.
"Namek! I'll give you one last chance. Give control of that body back to Piccolo and I won't erase you," Vegeta called from above, his face set in stone. "Answer me, namek!"
Diamao struggled to his feet, trembling as he lifted himself onto both legs. He looked at Vegeta, hate washing over him. This bastard had all but defeated him. The power that Diamao held didn't affect Vegeta in the least. Even with their combined powers, Piccolo and himself, he still couldn't beat him. He had taken out Goku, one of the most impossible feats he could have imagined. And, after being nearly erased once before, Vegeta had returned, more powerful then even Goku. This prince, this damned saiyan prince, dared to challenge him. Dared! Well no more! Diamao hadn't come this far, this DAMNED far to give up now.
"Vegeta you will lose this battle! I've done to much to lose now! I DESERVE this!" Diamao raged, unable to contain his fury, "I lost to a boy at the height of my mortal power. I've had spent more then two and a half centuries preparing for my revenge. Countless hours of training, pushing myself, being the best I could be. I've gone days, sometimes weeks, without sleep, training my mind in meditation. Years spent massing power. And all the while, all the time I was preparing to become the most powerful warrior in the universe, my son, my flesh and blood, befriended the man that killed me. The very same man!
"So I spent more time training and hating and seething with rage. I trained harder then ever before when I learned that my son had given his life to die with the earth. And do you know what? I gained more power in ten years then Goku gained in twenty. The only thing that separated us in power was those damned super saiyan transformations. So I fused with my son. A namekian fusion is for good; it can never be undone. Just as I wanted it. Now Piccolo can never disobey me again. We're one body now. And what better way to defeat Goku then through the body of one of his closest allies?
"And so I found the kaio-ken ability hidden within his body. And with that, I was finally able to reach Goku's power level. The differences between us was obsolete. I had even nearly erased him... But then you came. Now that you're here, everything's changed. My revenge is ruined. I can never regain the honor that this man stole from me. But... What would you know? What would you know about honor, saiyan?"
Vegeta glared at him, fury overtaking his entire body. This... This weakling dared to ask him about honor?
"What would I know about honor? What would I know about honor? What would I know about... HONOR? My entire life, living and dead, has been DEVOTED to my honor! My entire race was wiped out by the very man that I had followed for more then twenty years. My saiyan pride stripped away as I, the saiyan prince, was defeated by a 3rd class warrior. He even reached the level of super saiyan before me. My birthright, taken away by a commoner. And for a while, a long while, Diamao, I was hateful. My heart was filled with evil. I didn't even realize I was the one stripping away my honor. I turned my back from my wife and child, I ignored those closest to me and followed my own ambitions. I was destroying myself. My pride over rode everything. My honor included. I've spent the last 200 years trying, trying somehow, to regain some shred of it. I..." Vegeta trailed off as Diamao inturrupted him.
"I don't care," he stated bluntly. He had raised his posture so that he stood defiantly with his chest puffed outwards. "I don't care about what you've done. Let's just finish our battle." Vegeta's aura ignited, his fists clenched and he gritted his teeth.
"All right, namek! It's time for us to end it then!"
------------------------
Goten lifted the final stone from his father's crushed body. Goku was almost completely crushed, his ki had dropped to a dangerously low state. They were lucky that Vegeta showed up when he did, otherwise Goku would be erased by now. His mouth was dripping blood on both sides, along with several cuts and scrapes coming from his legs and arms. Goku even had what looked to be a broken arm. Of course, just because it was turned backwards and something white was sticking through the skin didn't mean much.
Goten kneeled by his side and placed a hand on Goku's chest, and two fingers to his own forehead. Then he searched for the Grand Kai's ki signature.
------------------------
"Geritsoudan!"
"Final Flash!"
Both of the powers fired their most powerful attacks, Diamao's green aura exploded as the sphere of green ki launching at Vegeta. The remaining bridge crumbled under his feet, the ki surrounding him tearing it apart with urgent speed. The buildings on either side flew in opposite directions, crashing into other houses as well. His body crackled with energy bolts, even after he had drained so much ki fighting Goku.
Vegeta's attack was twice the size of his opponents, and it's yellow energy shone in the sky, illuminating the air. His body was surging with power, and his muscles contracted rapidly under the stress. White specks of lightening surged around him as his power was stretched to it's max. No more playing.
The two beams collided, creating a Yin Yang affect as the heads tore into each other. They surged in and out, but it was quickly over. Within less then five seconds, though, the green beam was surged backwards incredibly fast. The hundreds of feet that had separated Diamao from the center of the blasts was reduced to fifty feet within seconds. Diamao closed his eyes, readying himself for the intense stress he was about to put on his body.
"Kaio-ken!" he started. The first level of kaio-ken felt as if it were ripping his body apart. His muscles were tightened and his ligaments were stretched beyond normal. But still the beam did not retreat. It grew closer, now it was only twenty feet away. "Kaio-ken... x30!"
Diamao felt his entire body swell with energy. His power level had been multiplied by 30 in the blink of an eye, making him barely stronger, but stronger nonetheless, then Vegeta. The geritsoudan fought the final flash, pushing it back one step at a time, farther away from the namekian. The epicenter where the two attacks met grew tremendously, swelling to the size of a small house as more and more power was pumped from Diamao into it. The waves were both blasts met cackled with white hot energy, shooting bolts of ki from the edges into the air, sizzling with heat.
Gohan's mouth hung open in shock at the two powers in front of him. Diamao, who seconds before had been to weak to fend off even Tien, but now he was going toe to toe with the second most powerful being in the universe. Amazing. The air's temperature shot up by a dozen degrees as a huge bolt of energy broke off from the ball of energy concentrated between Diamao and Vegeta and exploded in the air just above Gohan, showering him with ki. But he was to busy staring at the battle before him to even notice.