(Continuing Off From The Previous Chapter, Planet Sadala. . .)
"Just what in the hell is going on here. . .?"
That was the first thing that came out of Vegeta's mouth in response to what was currently happening. How couldn't he? One moment, he was fighting against an endless army that wanted nothing more than to make him into a Shish Kabob, and the next, those very same creatures had seemingly frozen in place. Not even a blink. Inwardly, he knew he should be grateful but at the same time, his Saiyan urges for battle were disappointed. Nevertheless, his eyes turned toward the likely cause of this. The Ki signature that had managed to garner his attention more so than the main enemy himself, "Kolard. . ." Before he realized it, Goku had already flown over next to the Saiyan prince to get a better look at what was going on with Troc following behind him.
"Hey, Vegeta? You feel it too right?" Goku asked.
The Saiyan prince nodded before turning to Troc who seemed just as perplexed as the rest of them, "I take it everything is good on your end?"
"Yes," Troc reaffirmed, his eyes glued on the younger Saiyan below, "The portal seemed to have frozen still and no more of those creatures were passing through. It may sound weird but it may have to be due to something about your ally. Something's odd about him. . ."
"You're right, Kuzuku does seem different," Goku rubbed his chin while Vegeta remained quiet. Despite his current expression being stone-cold, he had to agree with them. Everything stopped the moment he felt the boy's Ki signature change. He couldn't quite get a good grasp on what exactly about it was different. It felt godly yet not exactly like any god he's sensed before. Angel? No. God of Destruction? Certainly not. Kai? Never. In fact, it didn't even strongly resemble the Ki of a Super Saiyan God. No. . .this was an entirely different spectacle to that of the god transformations. Though one thing's for certain that caused his mind to dwell between the two due to the very thought of it being a paradox.
His hand clenched, a bead of sweat dripping from his forehead with a frown on his face, "It's almost like a Saiyan yet not a Saiyan. . ."
Meanwhile, down below inside the crater, Kuzuku stood motionless as the strong winds blow against his body. His now red eyes, pupils that glowed a bright white akin to that of the ring around them were now lost in thought. He raised his hand and looked down, trying to see if he had any changes in his body's appearance that were noticeable yet he felt none. . ., "How strange. . .I feel like I've transformed into a Super Saiyan 5 yet there aren't no visible changes." His eyes narrowed before suddenly, he began to hear clapping. Tilting his head up, he finally took notice of Krugel's somewhat happy expression.
"What an unexpected turn of events. To think you were the Wisdom King my master had mentioned. I'm truly honored," Krugel bowed.
Kuzuku didn't show any visible reaction and only asked, "Wisdom King. . .?" He thought about it for a moment. He had no clue what exactly that meant, and he'd be lying if he were to say he didn't care to know. However, that was less important in comparison to the current circumstances. He had no way of denying he was this so-called "Wisdom King" considering he could clearly feel a change had happened to him and the strange events that transpired were only raising more questions that needed answers. Disregarding this, he looked around with a calm expression on his face, his attention turning towards something else entirely. The Saiyan would be a fool to not notice it, but, he felt that all eyes were directly on him. Not from his comrades nor the Saiyans of Universe 6. No. . .it was these monsters that came in swarms. From this, only one thing was felt by him when he locked eyes with one of them.
"Malice. . .and immense amount of it too. . ." Kuzuku noted, the flames of the halo flickering the moment his muscles began to tense. He faced forward, his resolve unwavering regardless, "I don't know what you're on about and as much as I wanna know, I feel like this has gone on long enough."
Krugel stood silent before suddenly letting out an inaudible laugh, "Heh, I suppose you're right. Maybe we should end this. Though, I have orders to hold off on killing you so. . ." Krugel raised his hand before snapping his fingers. At an alarming rate, the Mara began from all over began gathering all over the crater in such large numbers that even Goku and Vegeta had to take a mental step back to process it all. With so many enemies they have dealt with before, they were sure that they had at least cut their numbers in half. But, looking at it now, that was clearly not the case, and judging from the unified intent directed towards Kuzuku. . .they were starting to ponder on putting aside their Saiyan urges and jumping in.
"We'll all come at you with full force if you don't mind," Krugel smirked before reassuring, "But don't worry, they may hate you but I'll be sure to keep them tame enough from killing you."
Ryo frowned with a few beads of sweat though similar to Kuzuku, he remained just as calm. The Saiyan stood motionless, not even a sliver of unwavering resolve showing by his body language. In fact, he simply closed his eyes despite Mara drawing closer and reading to enclose on him. He could feel their killing intent yet for some reason, it didn't bother him. In fact, it felt like he had been in this type of situation before yet he couldn't pinpoint exactly when. All he knew by instinct alone was that he needed to concentrate. Since Ryo had touched him, something echoed deep within himself. Like a small light, gently buzzing and brimming within the depths of his soul. It was calling him. Pleading to him as if it knew him. Though the pleas were inaudible but redundant at the same time.
"I'll be your light. . ."
Kuzuku's hand twitched, the flaming halo around his head flickering a bit more frequently.
'I'll be your guide. . ."
The Mara began to sense a change in the air, their body language shifting from malice to cautiousness in mere moments. A golden, flaming light began to encircle beneath Kuzuku's feet, the embers rising gently like little stars.
"For you are my one and only ruler, wield me with your heart. . ."
Kuzuku raised his hand and unbeknownst to him, Ryo began to crack a smile of glee. Almost like he had been waiting to see this moment come. Slowly, Kuzuku's eyes began to open, his appearance being more serene despite his surroundings.
"As I am your sacred treasure, call upon my name. . ."
Then, the world stopped, the light vanishing before Kuzuku could project a twinkle within his mind as something echoed and prompted a command to escape his mouth, "Ruyi: Expanse." At his command, the light surrounding him began to shine and blind the surrounding area with its radiance akin to that of the Solar Flare technique which forced everyone within the vicinity to shield their eyes. It was simply too bright, and the only thing that they could use to infer what was happening was the sound of flesh being torn into shreds. . .a countless amount of flesh. Soon enough, the light began to settle down and their visions began to return to what came to be an ever-so-shocking sight.
Falling from the sky above were an unfathomable number of bodies of the Mara, their bodies bisected from their torse and their wings were torn to complete shreds. There wasn't even a single one that remained, and much to Goku and Vegeta's surprise, the one who caused it remained standing in the same exact spot with no signs of him even taking a single step. But most of all, Krugel was left completely stunned. Even though he hadn't moved, he couldn't help but have his eyes glued on something else. The young Saiyan before him stared him down, his hand gripping tightly around what looked to be a pillar of light that stretched toward the sky. However, little by little, the light began to diminish and contract back towards a resemble size of a stick about several inches taller than the Saiyan. In fact, like glass breaking off by some wind, the energy surrounding the object slowly revealed a black bo-staff with Chinese logograms etched into its structure along the center, the metallic tips of each end being branded in gold that oozed off a bright light. The butt of the staff rested on the soiled dirt as Kuzuku let out a breath as the flaming halo had also cooled and extinguished, the halo now solidifying into a metallic structure of a similar shape around his head with a horizontal Karma symbol in the center.
"Thanks for that, saved me a lot of hunting later. . .," Kuzuku calmly said, his words nearly falling deaf to Krugel's ears.
The Ex-God of Destruction felt a chill down his spine from what he had just witnessed, "All of them. . .in just an instant? Feeling their power is one thing, I know that but this was just ridiculous!" As he was stunned, Kuzuku took a moment to glance back at Ryo. He didn't even say a word to him yet his eyes already had conveyed the message he wanted to say to which Ryo nodded. That settled, he spun the mythical bo-staff in hand before implanting it in the ground near the mysterious traveler, the butt now digging deep into the dirt.
"Ruyi: Encase," The Saiyan called out, the staff glowing for a brief moment before surrounding Ryo in a golden-colored cube. With that settled, Kuzuku began treading forward towards Krugel, his approach snapping him out of his stupor.
Now knowing that this was indeed the real deal, the Ex-God of Destruction took his stance with caution, "I can't jump the gun just yet and use my last resort. Even if he is a Wisdom King now, he still only just awoken which means there is no way he's anywhere close to his original power from the stories. Not only that, his injuries from before are still present so. . ." He maximized his defenses and tightened his muscles for battle. For the first time in this fight, he was fully alert and felt danger lurking towards him. Nonetheless. . .
"Teiryudou:. . . ." Kuzuku muttered, his feet planting into the ground with his next move already being planned out.
Seeing this, Krugel knew what was coming, his mind working the ins and outs on what was the best option, "Here he comes, from that distance, he'll likely go for that kick. I'll just bloc–DIWJNAISNDWANOO!" His whole train of thought which was running at full speed was cut short by a sudden wall. His hands mid-way were already raising to block something fast approaching him as a fail-safe from what his eyes could faintly perceive. The problem was, the blow was simply too fast. . .
*POW!*
The sound of the hardest part of someone's foot crashing into the side of their skull traveled through the air. Krugel was left completely motionless, his eyes wide and arms halted in place out of pure shock at how useless they were while the Saiyan himself looked as calm as ever. His knee was raised yet there wasn't a single sign that he had launched his attack. The kick was too fast, way too fast, "Kechuku." At the mutter of the technique's name, the fierce, tornado-like wind passed through behind the Ex-God of Destruction, the ground ripping and tearing apart a wide trail as it disperse. Krugel's eyes flickered on and off, his feet wobbly though the Saiyan didn't even give him time to recover.
*POW!* *POW!*
In small intervals, Kuzuku slammed two more Kechuku to each side of his head, the kicks causing his opponent to lean towards each direction with equal amounts of shock. The strikes were clearly calculated, the result being that it allowed him to use the rotation of the two previous Kechuku's to spin around with gathered centrifugal force before delivering a fierce side kick to the stomach that sent him rocketing backward towards the wall. While practically being thrown airborne, Krugel hissed with blood leaking through his clenched teeth that tried to grit away the pain he was feeling. Consciousness was his priority, even though he was bewildered by how much power was put into those strikes alone. Especially since both of the Saiyan's legs were punctured. He shook that thought off and steeled himself. Krugel knew he had to regain momentum, his body flipping onto his feet to stop himself by utilizing the friction against the ground. Though, he didn't wait for a complete stop. His hand extended forward and multiple distortions began to surround Kuzuku from differentiating angles.
"Pierce him, Megaldon!" Krugel mentally commanded.
However, as the spikes began to slowly submerge through the distortions, Kuzuku took a quick glance around before crossing his right hand across his body as if he were ready to swing. Behind him, the bo-staff from before began to thrum with light as the Saiyan uttered his own command that had come from memory, "Ruyi: Fragmentation. . ." His arm swung to the side with a trail of light that slashed away the spikes that aimed to skewer him. Much to Krugel's dismay, the light revealed an exact replica of the previous weapon which was enough to make him worry due to prior capabilities. He dared not to get within its range so he leaped away to gain more distance.
Seeing this, Kuzuku twirled the staff and pointed it toward him with both hands wrapped around near the center before vanishing from his sight only to reappear above him. Krugel turned only to meet Kuzuku's glare, "You're not getting away. Ruyi: Expanse!" Now getting a chance to take a glimpse at what happened before, Krugel could see the tips of the bo-staff beginning to glow for a brief second. That was the only amount of time he was given before he saw the light expand toward him instantly. He had no time to react, the solidified expansion of what felt to be Ki smacking into his chest with a force like no other. His eyes nearly bulge out of his sockets and worse of all, he was pushed straight into the ground. He gagged, blood coughing up the moment his back hit the ground yet unfortunately for him, the Saiyan was far from done. This time, the entire replica of the staff began to glow.
"Now, enlarge!" In a mere instant, what looked to be a long rod became a towering pillar comprised of golden ki and reached all the way to the clouds. Furthermore, the weight of the object was visibly noticeable as the ground was shattered by the sudden increase in weight while Kuzuku stood atop the structure. He looked down at his legs and nodded to himself before raising his fist into the air and punching the surface of the enlarged bo-staff, the shockwave cause the replica to formulate multiple cracks all around it.
Then, he began to utter under his breath, "Kaaaaaa. . . .meeeeee. . . ." His fist retracted away from the now small hole at the top of the construct, his hands motioning in a spiral together.
"Haaaaaaaa. . .Meeeeeee. . .," Within seconds, Ki gathered within the center of his palms resting near his waist, the blue orb shining brightly as streams of energy spewed out in all directions. It almost felt like an aurora was forming due to it, though its intent contrasted the normal feel for such a phenomenon.
His eyes narrowed before thrusting his palms towards the hole, his roar echoing outward, "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" In a blinding flash of light, the famous energy wave of the turtle master was unleashed into the depths of the construct. As a result, the wave traveled through the cracks toward the bottom, the blue ki mixing with the gold that spiraled upward toward the sky. No screams could be heard as the flash of light had likely drowned them out in its radiance. As the light began to dim, the replica Ruyi began to crumble and turn into nothing more than flickers of ember drifting in the wind while smoke covered a good portion of the area below. Kuzuku remained still and eyes glued for any signs of movement. Still, he couldn't help but look at clench and unclench his fist in deep thought.
"This is unreal. . .my body feels more in control than before and it doesn't seem like I'm near my limit. Something's residing even deeper. . .something unknown. . .," Kuzuku noted. He couldn't help but take notice of this. The fact that the power he used against Jiren and Broly felt more tamed than it ever was really started to push the question. How far can he really push himself? How large was his potential? Even though this strange state he was in was completely unorthodox to him, he still felt that it was different compared to how it normally is. Call it a hunch, a feeling of some sort that he couldn't quite explain yet. All in all, he felt that this was more natural in comparison to Super Saiyan 5 or even his Grand Super Saiyan 4. That said, he quickly snapped out of his thoughts as he felt two familiar Ki's approach him from behind. He didn't even have to look to guess who they were.
"Whoa, you sure did a number on him, that's for sure," Goku commented casually, his hand pressing against his forehead to get a better look.
Vegeta scoffed at the remark and turned to Kuzuku with indignation, "Alright boy, speak. What the hell is this?"
Kuzuku blinked a few times before replying, clearly unsure of how to explain, "Uh. . .Well, I–Damn no. . .shoot I'll keep it real, I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around it. Ryo did something and all of a sudden I got this power. Trying to explain now is going to be a headache." He was lying, even though he practically had a conversation with an apparition in his head or something, he was still left clueless. Simply because the cryptic answer he got only led to more questions that needed to be answered. Something that all of them don't have the time for currently. Though Vegeta seemed to be more skeptical than he was before but still, he decided to drop it for another time.
Goku took a glance between the two of them before noticing the smoke beginning to clear. Now, the three Saiyans were waiting patiently for an updated visual on the Ex-God's state. Shortly though, they managed to spot his unconscious body in the center of multiple Mara corpses, his eyes completely blank and devoided of any other color than white. Furthermore, his appearance had reverted back to what it had been prior, the change almost causing them to think he was someone else if not for simple logic. Though despite this seemingly being over, Goku couldn't help but express his disappointment, "Aw man, he's down already? I was hoping to get a crack at him. . ."
"How?" Kuzuku asked with a frown, "If he survived then I'd still be fighting him. You'll have to wait for me to tap out."
"What? No fair," Goku whined.
Vegeta scoffed at the irony, "Doesn't feel too good now does it Kakarot? You hog most of the stronger opponents more often than not." Goku opened his mouth but nothing came out once he began to recall every single major enemy they have fought in the past. Hell, even when he was a kid, he took on the role of taking out the big bad. So what right does he have to complain?
"Hehe," Goku chuckled sheepishly, "Okay, maybe it's a little fair. But next time, I call di—"
"No, the next one is mine!" Vegeta interrupted, knowing full well what Goku was trying to do.
The hero of Earth winced, "Ehhhhhhhh?!" Kuzuku couldn't help but chuckle a bit. However, something caught his attention down below. Immediately, his eyes were locked onto Krugel's unconscious body. Something wasn't right and he knew it. His intuition was only reinforced when Goku and Vegeta seemed to have noticed as well. The tension in the air was growing and it suddenly spiked the moment Kuzuku saw a twitch. His eyes widened, the hair on his skin standing up before turning to Goku.
"Goku! Instant Transmission now!" Kuzuku informed, his fingers pressed to his forehead in haste, "I'll get Ryo while you get Vegeta! Try locking onto Caulifla's Ki!"
The hero of Earth nodded, his survival instincts suggesting the same thing as his hand immediately gripped onto Vegeta without even asking, "Got it!" In an instant, the two were gone while the younger Saiyan teleported right behind Ryo who was still within the barrier. Wasting no time, Kuzuku snathed Ruyi from the ground and grabbed onto Ryo before he even realized it.
"Eh. . ." the mysterious traveler comically let out.
Kuzuku said with haste before the barrier diminished into embers of light "No time to explain." Immediately, the two were gone just in time. Krugel's body seemed to have been pulsating ominous ki, one that was a pure, yellowish-green light as his body began to twitch. Soon enough, a tornado of the same size as the crater began to rise towards the sky and carry the Mara corpses with them before reaching the large, dark construct above and dragging it towards the center. The center in which Krugel resided. Everything within began to be pulled towards him and absorbed into his body. Debris, buildings, the Mara corpses, and even the ever-so-large portal was no exception. It was merely stretched and broken down smaller and smaller until eventually. . .the center of the storm had been illuminated.
(Currently, With Caulifla and The Other Universe 6 Saiyans. . .)
Caulifla took in a breath once she finally gained some consciousness of her surroundings. It was weird, even for her though she began to feel a creeping feeling of embarrassment crawl up her back. From her perspective and with the context of those around her, it was simply her making sure Lottus doesn't injure himself any further than he already was. However, even she understood that in their current position, it looked like she was caring for him like he was. . .," Yeah, no. . ." Caulifla internal yet half-heartedly growled at herself. She wasn't going to even entertain the thought for obvious reasons. They all had no time or patience to dwell on it.
Knowing this, she tilted her head towards the sky at their target. . .or where it was supposed to be. Replacing the dark, portal-like construct was a blinding light that she was beginning to wonder how she had not noticed it. The feisty female warrior looked around to see if Kale and the others had noticed too which was proven when they were all just as equally stunned. The only one who was unaware was the unconscious prince wrapped around her arms while unbeknownst to her, the elder prince's chest began to glow faintly under everyone's radar. Before she could utter a word, the sound of teleportation resonated in their ears before picking up the sound of voices.
"Phew, you guys are in better condition than I thought you were," Kuzuku noted, his hand releasing and dropping Ryo onto his butt while Vegeta and Goku stood beside him.
Caulifla was about to retort though she couldn't help but notice something strange about the Saiyan in particular. Raising an eyebrow, she pointed, "Yeah, Lottus took a pretty serious injury but he'll live. But what's with you. . ." Kuzuku sighed, and simply waved it off.
"It's a lot to explain but we don't get time for all that. As you can clearly tell, we got a bit of a situation on hand—!" Kuzuku stopped and flinch mid-sentence when he notice something flying straight toward them at high speed. Instinctively, the group of Saiyans scattered while Kuzuku grabbed Ryo who was still rubbing his bum before the figure impacted the ground. Smoke kicked up as the earth below became indented, the debris causing them to cough a bit before the smoke revealed who it was.
Vegeta's eyes widened a bit at the sight, "Namek? What the hell happened?" Coughing, Troc opened one of his eyelids and shot a glare at the Saiyan prince that hailed from a sister universe.
"For the. . .it's–ack! Troc! Get it right!" The Namekian groaned.
Goku leaned forward in awe, his memories recalling the Namekian from the Tournament of Power, "Still though, what happened to you? For someone who was a match for Piccolo, I didn't expect you to be beaten so easily. I guess those monsters were stronger than we thought." Troc groaned in an attempt to straighten himself up.
"They weren't, I got dragged in by something until. . ." Troc paused as everyone noticed the tornado and light disperse, the pulsating energy spreading like a ring in the sky. Though, standing in the center of the ring was the one who Troc seemed to have burned into memory. Swirling black markings wrapped around both of his arms. Black sclera eyes while red pupils. Dark green hair that seemed to ooze of an ominous, black, and aqua mist like it came from the abyss. The top of their clothing was torn to reveal a white cube that held a dark orb inside embedded in their chest and spreading glowing purple veins throughout his upper body and even just shy away from his cheek. The new figure stared down at them with three eyes, one being vertical at the center of his forehead while the only thing distinguishing him was his previous features that came from his prior transformation, "He showed up. . ."
Kuzuku instantly could feel their gaze was directly on him. This person was certainly Krugel, The Ex-God of Destruction of Universe 6 and it seemed that he had changed again once more. Though this time, it's for real. With a snap of his finger, Krugel had formed a pair of sharp-energy projectiles that wrapped formatted into two crescent halves behind him. Seeing this, Kuzuku stood on guard, the grip around Ruyi becoming tighter in response to any approach. However, the Ex-God of Destruction averted his attention away from him and down at the unconscious Okara. He scoffed, "Tch, what a letdown. No matter, I'll need to eat you as well. So. . ." His hand raised and directed towards Okara with a brief shine emitting from it. Before anyone could realize it, the older prince's body twitched before something shot up straight from his chest toward Krugel's palm.
The light was snatched mid-air, only revealing an identical object to the one in Krugel's chest. Kuzuku, curious as he may be, raised an eyebrow, "Could that be the source of his mysterious power?" He took a mental note until he heard a shrill cry.
"Okara! My child, what's wrong!?" Queen Chaya's frantic questions were what caused him to turn towards the audible groans. Curiosity got the better of him as he noticed Okara squirming in agony. His hair began to grow white while his skin began to turn pitch black while his eyes were purely white yet filled with fear. Everyone watched in complete horror as a black mist began to shroud him before consuming him completely to the point that one couldn't see anything underneath. Then, soon enough, the mist vanished with the groans as nothing was revealed within it moments after. They were all stunned but not as much as the Queen herself. She was already mentally distraught from everything early. But this? This was far enough to send her over the edge for today. Her eyes rolled back and fainted right on the spot with Cabba being the only thing keeping her from hitting the ground.
Ryo was about the only one left unshocked by what had happened though all he could do was bow his head in solemn lamentation. However, the danger wasn't going to give them time to process it all. Landing with speeds nearly unforeseeable for even Vegeta and Goku, Krugel was already several feet away from them and directly staring at Kuzuku. The awakened Saiyan noticed and returned the gesture twice as much while the Ex-God played with the object in hand. Kuzuku didn't even hide his intention and came straight out, "What did you do. . .?"
"I merely took back the gift bestowed upon him since he failed to make good use of it," Krugel answered bluntly, his fingers enclosing and wrapping around the cube, "These things are precious you know? Wisdom Kings' blessings aren't easily accepted to merge with just about anyone. Such a shame really, he never got to meet the master he was serving before his time came. . .They must be weeping at such a sight but I suppose you wouldn't understand."
Kuzuku sighed, "You're right, I don't. . ."
Krugel let out a muse chuckle as he raised the cube above him, "Fair, though I wasn't really going to resort to this. Even as I am now, I still fall short of you. Hence why I had to take drastic measures of extracting the Tengyoku." Wasting no time, Krugel opened his mouth wide to reveal sharp teeth akin to that of a shark before dropping the cube down his throat and swallowing it completely. He sighed, even letting out a burp before staring back at Kuzuku with a smirk.
"He absorbed it. . ." Kuzuku noted, his heightened senses being able to sense the change. It wasn't visibly noticeable but the Ex-God's power had spiked once more to the point that he had to be on guard. His eyes took a quick glance next to him before reaffirming his stance, "Goku, Vegeta, I'll take him on alone. Make sure you keep Champa and everyone else safe."
"Tch, fine. But as soon as you go down, I'm taking him on nex–"
Kuzuku shook his head before he could finish that sentence, "No, as he is now, he may be too much for any of you to handle. He was already tough before this new transformation of his but now it's in an entirely different league of its own. If I had to make a comparison. . ." The young Saiyan paused before taking another look at the current enemy.
"He may be stronger already stronger than Broly. If things are looking to go south then don't hesitate to fuse into Gogeta," Kuzuku insisted.
The Saiyan prince of Universe 7 took a moment to think before attempting to access the situation for himself. It was already strange that he could feel the energy of a destroyer within him but the fact that the feeling of inferiority was pressing against his very being was another. It was akin to how he felt when comparing himself to their own God of Destruction. A feeling that you wouldn't be able to reach their pedestal no matter how hard you try and the current strength you are feeling is nothing more than them being mindful. As if you would be crushed like an ant in their presence if they made a mistake. That said, Vegeta scoffed to the side, "Fine, I'll fuse with the clown if needed. Just don't get yourself killed."
Kuzuku smirked, his hand tightening around Ruyi, "Fair enough, besides, I'd like to finish what I started anyways." Just as he was about to take a step forward, Ryo took the opportunity to gain his attention by tugging at the loose cloth of his ripped pants. The awakened Saiyan paused out of curiosity.
"Huh? Ryo, what's up?" He said.
The mysterious traveler's expression was a bit serious though still assured that the situation was alright, "Just be careful. Even though I've reawoken you, I was only able to lift the surface. Your prohibitor is still active so be mindful of how much power you are using."
"My Prohibitor. . .?" Kuzuku repeated in a mumble. He would ask what exactly it was but he didn't have the time for that. He simply heeded his warning and nodded, "Got it. . ."
His feet turned towards Krugel was anxiously darting between him and the unconscious God of Destruction. Kuzuku knew his objective from the mere glances and took a look around. All of the rubble, the destruction, the bodies, and the scar made on the planet itself. Some well-deserved karma was coming. He took in a breath before spinning Ruyi within his hand and pointing it at the Ex-God of Destruction. It was time. . ., "For the final round.". His eyes flared red flames that came and went before his feet kicked off the ground as he rocketed towards Krugel at speeds that left everyone in shock.
"I couldn't agree more!" Krugel roared, mimicking the same approach. What better way was it if not to meet your opponent head-on in the final bout. Two blurs, a blazing orange, and green darkness dashed toward each other before meeting the center in a clash. The force generated caused their respective aura to rise up as they struggled for dominance with Krugel's bladed elbow grinding against Kuzuku's apparent Sacred Treasure. A breath was all the time Kuzuku needed, his staff brushing off the blade and spinning around to intersect several slashes from the energy spikes that elongated around Krugel. Although, he quickly noticed one had entered his personal space, his head weaving narrowing only for the spike to graze his cheek slightly. Retaliating, the awakened Saiyan spun around and swung Ruyi toward the side of Krugel's head only for the blow to be blocked by the last spike. Fortunately for him though, he noticed the Ex-God of Destruction wince as blood trickled down the side of his head indicating that he wasn't able to block the full force.
A glisten appeared in his eyes, the Saiyan using the momentum of his spin for a follow-up, "Teiryudou: Moon Sickle!" Like painting a crescent moon with a brush dipped in blue, Kuzuku's crescent kick ripped through the air and was already inches away from his opponent. Krugel's eyes widened, his memory recalling the attack from earlier. He had to get away. . ., and fast. Quickly, he propelled himself backward out of the range of the kick before raising his hand with a dark, green glow surrounding it. Kuzuku raised an eyebrow at first before noticing something strange occurring in the air. Unlike the distortion from before, this time wind began to pick up only in certain spots with several glistening blue particles becoming visible.
"Moisture within the air. . .? No, something different about it," Kuzuku noted, his intuitive way of thinking immediately picking up on the oddity in the substance. Before he could so much as deduce exactly what it was, water-like projectiles shot forth like needles aiming to shred him to a bit from multiple directions. He recoiled back a bit. If it were the sharp, spikes that came from thin air, then he could deal with them. But there were simply too many coming at him at once now. He needed to defend. Quickly, he spun Ruyi and slammed the butt of the rod into the dirt, "Ruyi: Encase!"
Almost immediately, the gold, cubic barrier rose from the ground and blocked off the projectiles much to Krugel's dismay. All he could do was let out a grunt as the water-like particles slammed into the cube at great ferocity. On the other hand, Kuzuku had to hand it to this ability. Among most barriers he had encountered, this one had to be the only one being better than Android 17's. That aside, he had to keep on the momentum. He placed his hand on the ground and began to vibrate Ki around it.
"Kami Dragon Tremor!" He shouted, the technique causing the ground to shatter and rise up all around them. Taken aback, Krugel frantically looked around in search for the Saiyan as the rubble blocked his view until a voice made his ears twitch, "Ruyi: Expanse. . ."
He turned towards the direction of the voice only for his forehead to be struck by a quick beam of light that felt like it was made of the hardest metal in the universe and being thrown at immeasurable speeds. He groaned as he spotted the Saiyan's figure between the rubble, "Ruyi: Retract. . ." As fast as it expanded, it retracted before the awakened Saiyan began weaving in .between the rubble like a snake to a different location.
"Expanse. . ."
Similar to before, Ruyi expanded at high speeds at his command, this time striking Krugel in the back of his head which left him a bit dazed.
"Retract. . ."
Krugel turned to grab the solid ray of light the rod emitted, but he ended up grabbing nothing but air.
"Expanse. . ." "Retract. . ." "Expanse. . ." "Retract. . ."
From two different directions, rays of light struck Krugel from both sides of his skull. He groaned, his teeth clenching in annoyance before noticing the rubble finally touching the ground after what felt like an eternity. He smirked, his eyes picking up on the awakened Saiyan already maneuvering behind him. He was ready this time, his eyes already noticing the butt of the staff pointed towards him emitting the golden light. It shot forward at speeds that he could very well perceive, fast yet not fast enough for it to be unavoidable compared to before. He crossed his arms ready to block until he heard something shocking that made him shiver to his bones, "Ruyi:. . .Enlarge!" With similar speeds to expanding, the rod's projected light multiplied in size several weight classes over before colliding with its target.
A short scream was all that was heard as it pushed Krugel through several building all the way back to the crater while burying him into the Earth. The ground tremble like an earthquake had struck and rippled throughout the entire city, the onlookers currently within the area of the battle all stunned by the feat. Regardless, Kuzuku pressed his hand against the enlarged back of Ruyi, his breathing becoming a bit more visible before noticing something. . .Ruyi was shaking. His eyes widened as he looked up to see sharp tendrils of the water-like substance coming raining from above. He clenched his teeth, the soles of his shoes digging into the ground before leaping on top of the mystical staff and taking off in a full-on sprint towards the opposite end. The tendril dug into the staff one by one, each one narrowly missing the Saiyan who was but a trail of flames from the human eye. As he dodges another one which just grazes his shoulder, he let out a grunt before growing stone-cold at the sight of something coming toward him.
With haste, he crossed his arms and blocked the flying punch that blew away the tendrils that had embedded themself into Ruyi while the eyes of Krugel locked onto his own. They were locked in a close, the Saiyan knowing full well that it was done on purpose. Nevertheless, he quickly shot his knee towards the side of the Ex-God's ribcage, the action prompting his opponent to counter by checking the strike with his own knee. However, that was exactly what Kuzuku was aiming for, his strike stopping just halfway before changing trajectory with such precision that Krugel had to recollect his assessments on him. Except, he could do that as what was supposed to be an empowered knee became a rising upward kick surrounded by the wind in the shape of a snake, "Teiryudou: Rising Imoogi!" With fierce ferocity, the kick slammed directly into Krugel's chin and sent him skidding backward.
He could see the eyes of the awakened Saiyan locked onto him and he had to admit, he was impressed. But, he had tricks up his sleeve as well, his finger twitching with a smirk. Kuzuku's eyes twitched, his intuition picking up on something lurking. But it was already too late. Beneath his feet, something wet began to stain the bottom of his shoes, his eyes widened before taking a look down to notice the same water-like substance that seemed to come from nowhere had already surrounded him in what looked to be a pond. His first thoughts were to get away, however, as quickly as it appeared, the water-like substance shot up like a geyser of medium sea blue. The awakened Saiyan could feel his skin start to gain cuts from all over as he desperately shield his face. His teeth were clenched while his eyes struggled to open to see. He could tell that he didn't have enough time, so he had to act fast.
"I've gotch you now!" Krugel shouted, dashing forward with his bladed elbow ready to deliver a devastating slash.
The sounds of the Ex-God's footsteps drew closer by the millisecond, and each step only quickened Kuzuku's train of thought. There was no other option, he had to push through with not just sheer force, but determination. His feet planted into the ground, his eyes glowing a flame like no other as the wind gathered around his foot and ankle and caused the everlasting geyser to become a swirling tornado filled with gold. Krugel's eyes widened, his hesitation evident as his body shivered, "Wait. . .this is different. . .!" Just as that thought passed, he saw it. A figure that was not just the awakened Saiyan himself but also something lingering behind him. Something large and mystical. A creature that resembled the beings who rule the sky and grant wishes.
"Krkk. . .!" Krugel panicked and stopped mid-way, "I have to move out of the way—!"
His sentence was drowned out by Kuzuku's mighty roar, "Kechuku!" At the sound of his roar, a phenomenon occurred. Like a current, his Ki traversed the skies and melded with the winds. Through this, his Ki had soared like a bird going through a metamorphosis after flying for so long. Yes, when a bird finds the pale golden wind that can reach into emptiness. Such power is certainly enough. . .to blow away multiple mountains and puncture a hole through the sky. . .
(Meanwhile, Outside of the Planet Sadala With Whis and Vados. . .)
"In name of all that is holy. . ."
That was all that Whis could say to what he had witnessed. Angels weren't the most combative-driven races and more so we're on the benevolent side. However, even though they weren't they were also still the strongest beings within their respective universe. Even if a mortal were to come along and surpass their lords, they were meant to be a guaranteed fail-safe to deal with them if a said mortal were a problem. But only on the wishes of their lord or the Grand Priest were they allowed to act. For such restrictions, it would be logical to assume that they had no rivals and that nothing could overpower them in whatever it may be. It'd be a Paradox if it were to happen so. . .why was there a gaping hole within the barrier that they had formed around Planet Sadala?
Whis frowned, a single yet the first bead of sweat falling off his chin in countless eons. At one moment, everything seemed to have dialed down. The black structure disappeared which was good for the universe but he could easily sense the new threat that was even dark than the previous one. Not as negatively impacting but if let loose with such a wicked mind would spell disaster all over. However, several moments after, something within the planet shot out, a spiraling gust of golden wind akin to a tornado with the shadow of a mythical creature had blown right through the stratosphere and through the barrier. The very same Barrier comprised both his and his sister angel's energy. That kind of power was something not even he sees every several eons.
Vados turned to her brother, "Whis, just what in the name of Zeno has your universe produced. . .?" Whis didn't answer, mainly because he wasn't sure himself. For the first time, he was completely stumped. He only knew that the one responsible was very well the youngest of the Universe 7 trio of Saiyans. His strange development into acquiring the Ki his training was supposed to blossom so quickly was alarming enough. But this. . .this was a step-up. He couldn't help but begin to think.
"Kuzuku Ayoma. . .just what are you. . .?" Whis questioned to himself. This was all too suspicious. He needed answers and who is better than the one who sits at the top of all angels?
(Returning Back To The Battlefield On Planet Sadala. . .)
*Crash*
A piece of debris hanging off the side of a building had slammed into the ground near the side of Ruyi's enlarged structure. Smoke covered a good chunk of the top portion of the staff and standing in front of it was the Saiyan who had several gashes and steam oozing all over his body, his knee raised as an indicator of the previous attack. Though still, his eyes were as wide as they could be in confusion, ". . .What did I just do?" He asked himself that question out of disbelief.
"That Kechuku didn't feel right at all yet. . ." His eyes bore towards the obvious gap within the sky that revealed the endless space on the other side. He knew Whis and Vados had put up a barrier but he never expected his attacks would break through, "To think it'd be that powerful. . .Did that previous attack Krugel used to have some sort of effect on it?"
He began to think while slowly regaining his breath and ignoring his body's pleas for rest. Think back to what had previously happened, he only acted out of desperation and fired a Kechuku at full power without readying himself. As a result, he never aimed to utilize his opponent's technique for strength. In fact, it was more like he overpowered it with something a technique of his own. That was for certain, which means. . .Krugel's attack was a trigger or some sort. He pondered a bit until he noticed the smoke begin to clear. He cranked his head up, his eyes getting droopy, "Damn. . .of all times to start feeling sleepy. . ." The smoke soon revealed Krugel in a state of shock with half of his body severely damaged and bruised though much to Kuzuku's chagrin, was still standing.
"Tch, my aim was off. . .," Kuzuku hissed, his feet sliding back in preparation for another Kechuku. He had no time to dwell on what happened any further, he'll just have to roll with it, "Still standing, huh? I'll just have to correct that with—!"
His voice hitched as he begin to feel something pulsating. It was so sudden that he nearly passed out from the shock with the halo that had hovered around his head radiating a pulsating orange light. His eyes shook with confusion and pain to the point that he didn't even realize his knees buckled and hit the surface of Ruyi. A headache so intense was all it took after all. He gripped his head and clenched his teeth while silent cursing, "W–What the hell!? Where did this come from. . .!?" He thought for a moment, immediately recalling what Ryo had said earlier.
"Prohibitor. . .so this must be the consequence for. . .damn it!" Kuzuku muttered, his eyes noticing Krugel's victories yet vicious grin.
For once, lady luck was on the Ex-God's side and he had to admit, he was feeling pretty damn good about it. It made him laugh loudly, "Heh. . .Hehe. . .HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! In gratitude to my lord, this has to be the best-case scenario! I must admit, only your last attack would have killed me if it landed dead on! Too bad, and you were so close! But don't worry, I'll grant you a nice nap so you don't have to watch your friends die before dragging you back!" Kuzuku sneered at his intent and silently prayed that Goku and Vegeta were already in the motion of performing fusion. In Krugel's current state, there was no way he could. . .
*Bubble!* *Bubble!* *Bubble!*
The sound of bubbling water made Kuzuku grow cold at what he was witnessing. All of Krugel's previous injuries. His gashes, bruises, swelling, and even his internal damage. They were all beginning to fade as bubbling water began to surround half of his body. The awakened Saiyan was slowly beginning to have Zamasu flashbacks which were only serving to intensify his already irritating headache even more, "Y-You've got to be kidding. . ."
"Sadly for you, I'm not," Krugel snickered, "Like I said, only your last attack would have killed me. In my current state, I've reached my true self."
"True self. . .?" Kuzuku repeated.
Slyly, Krugel knelt down and grinned, "Precisely, aren't you curious about my other abilities. The distortion of space and emergence spikes out of seemingly thin air like they were underwater? Or the water-like substance that I was able to generate? That's all part of my power. I can treat space itself like a giant ocean with no end and water. And due to that, I can manipulate it like water itself. However, in my current state, I'm not limited to manipulating it. . ." Krugel raised his hand as he got ready to knock the Saiyan out, his eyes gleaming with joy.
"As long as it exists, I'll come back and reform. . .!" Krugel finished before plummeting his fist towards Kuzuku. As he was now, there was no way he could dodge it and Ryo was currently down for the count. Even then, none of them had any way to put Krugel down permanently if what he said was true. He was virtually unkillable unless they quite literally destroy the entirety of Universe 6. Something that they wouldn't dare to think about doing. Knowing how hopeless it all was, he closed his eyes and waited for defeat.
"It's over. . ." Kuzuku thought to himself, his body showing little resistance in fighting back. The punch was only a few centimeters away. That's all that was left for all of this to be over—!
*POW!*
The sound of someone's fist crashing against Krugel's skull echoed within Kuzuku's ears and snapped him out of his despair. Slowly, his eyes began to regain their light as he noticed Krugel's body flying back several dozen meters away from him. The sight was nearly enough to make him forget about his headache that was still forcing him to his knees but what truly distracted him was the familiar flowing blue sash in the wind and blue hair that he recognized from the fierce battle in the arctic.
"Wow, it's not like you to give up. You're lucky my other self isn't here right now or you'd be in for a scolding," The dual voice noted.
There was no mistaking it now that he heard it and got a good look at his Ki. He knew full well who it was and nervously smirk at being saved by him for a second time. He'd thank him, but he could only mutter his name in gratitude as the headache came once more much to his distress, "Go-Gogeta. . .!"
A/N: Deja vu from the Broly Arc? Yeah, I know, a bit redundant on my part but it was either have a 2 vs 1 of Goku and Vegeta vs Krugel or Gogeta vs Krugel. Scaling-wise, I found that it'd make more sense for Gogeta to appear based on the current situation. Now as for Krugel being kinda overpowered in his current state. The reason for that is because of the foreshadowing of why Kuzuku specifically is very threatening and vital to the plot. I'll admit, I nearly forgot when thinking about the climax of the arc since I like the scene I imagined more as it develops him in his own training but I've figured out a way to combine the two. So get ready, the next chapter will certainly be the climax of this arc! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and until we meet again ^_^!