Pardon the tardiness of this episode. Finding a suitable internet connection was difficult.



About anti-ki: Anti-ki is not so much a negative version of ordinary ki as it is the absence of. Compared to ordinary matter, it is more like a vacuum than anti-matter. Basically, the warrior completely drains a small area of any sort of ki- now because ki surrounds and is in everything, this is unusual. This area of concentrated lack of ki, then, will suck the ki out of whatever it touches. It's a simple matter of densities... just on a supernatural plane.



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Teleporting a sword into his hand, Apprentice sliced forward. Taken off guard, Goku could only avoid the attack. When Apprentice struck again, Goku was more ready and turned the blade aside, forcing Apprentice to try a massive overhead strike. Side-stepping, Goku allowed it to strike the ground, then stepped on the blade with one foot and kicked Apprentice away with another.

Flipping to land on his feet, Apprentice charged forward. Goku slid away from the attack easily, but Apprentice merely scooped up the sword and turned to attack him once again. This time, Goku caught the blade between two of his fingers and ripped it from Apprentice's hands. Bring his hand down on the blade, Goku shattered it. Dodging a few of Apprentice's strikes, Goku moved back a bit then moved behind him and slammed a knee into his head.

Tumbling, Apprentice jumped to his feet and simultaneously fired a blast behind him. Goku batted it aside then leaped forward, slamming into Apprentice's back. The young Kioshin clenched both hands, sending an aura up around him, then charged back toward Goku, who easily evaded him again.

Apprentice knew it wouldn't be easy, but he had a trick up his sleeve. His own manner of teleportation was far more effective than this saiyan's. He could appear anywhere, however he wanted to. Teleporting in midstrike, Apprentice attempted to smash his fist into the saiyan's back, except he wasn't there. For an instant he was confused, then sensed that Goku had also teleported. Before he could sense for him, an attack from behind blasted him into a crater in the ground.

Gaining his feet again, Apprentice considered his next move. Xenar had somehow failed, and Piccolo was now at the gate. If this was to be won, he had to finish this before the fight became uneven. Apprentice leapt forward, but Goku backhanded him easily, sending him flying. As he flew through the air, Apprentice teleported once more. When he materialized he should have been behind Goku, but instead he found the saiyan looking directly at him. It wasn't a reassuring sight.

A fist slammed him back, and Apprentice found it difficult to regain control of his flight. Still, the impact doubled him over entirely. Struggling to overcome the pain, Apprentice slowly straightened, only to find himself facing Goku, who stood before him.

"What?" Goku raised an eyebrow. "Are you wearing out already? I'm disappointed."

Firing a ki blast point-blank, Apprentice scrambled backward, to get away from the saiyan. Calmly blowing aside the dust that surrounded him, Goku casually glanced toward Apprentice, who watched him carefully. To their right a massive silver explosion sounded, and both were acutely aware of the sudden lack of Danai's ki.

Without saying a word, Goku held up his index and middle fingers. From across the blasted battlefield, Apprentice looked at him strangely, watching for a ki attack of some sort. None came. Then, Goku moved his fingers down, only a slight motion. Instantly a crushing force slammed down on Apprentice. Lifting his fingers, Goku slammed him upward again. As Goku's fingers moved back and forth, Apprentice found himself unable to escape the barrage of blows that seemed to come from nowhere. How was Goku doing it? A slap from the left sent him reeling painfully.

Seeing 18 return, Goku decided to end it. For an instant he held his fingers motionless and the blows stopped, then he stabbed both fingers forward. The impact slammed into Apprentice who fell to the ground, then vanished nearly instantly. Dropping to the ground, Goku nodded to 18, who looked relatively unharmed.

"We're in business," Piccolo told them, turning from the lock, "I have attained access."

"So what are we trying to do here?"

"More of the same. Except here, I have a suspicion we'll find our missing books. And I'd bet a good bit that someone like Dai Kioshin doesn't want anyone having that information. Which means it's exactly what we need."



Froug flew in at a slant, smashing into the ground where Maraikoh had been only moments earlier. Olibu attacked from behind, but Froug pivoted and slammed his palm into the warrior's stomach. As Olibu flew backward, Froug turned to Maraikoh, who was on the attack again. Dodging his fists, Froug waited until an opportune moment and then smashed a foot into Maraikoh, who gasped in pain. In the same instant, Olibu came flying back, slamming into Froug, who went tumbling across the ground.

Blasting the ground, Maraikoh very nearly hit Froug, who jumped at the last possible instant. Closing the gap between himself and Olibu, Froug attacked. Olibu was driven back by the force of the attack, able only to block, but then Maraikoh joined as well. Amazingly, Froug was keeping up with their onslaught of attacks. Smirking, Olibu redoubled his attack. They had him now. All he could do was block, and eventually he would lose.

Maybe Olibu was a bit too cocky, or maybe Froug was stronger than they thought. Either way, both warriors fighting Froug made a mistake at the same time. Froug capitalized on both of them. Maraikoh was floating slightly below him, and now received a knee to the face. At the same time, Froug slammed the heel of his palm into Olibu's forehead. Both were sent flying back through the air. They crashed into the ground.

Channeling his anger, Olibu launched another blast toward Froug, who batted it aside, but not without effort. In any case, he remained still long enough for Maraikoh to hit him with a glancing energy wave. Temporarily stunned, Froug was smashed from overhead by Olibu, then slammed by Maraikoh. Smashing into the ground, Froug made it to his feet and knocked Olibu back with his legs, but Maraikoh managed to get him in a full-nelson.

Struggling, Froug attempted to escape from Maraikoh's iron grip. Smirking, Olibu moved backward and charged up a massive blast. Careful to keep the blast focused so Maraikoh would be unharmed, Olibu fired his attack. As it crossed the space between them, Froug easily escaped from Maraikoh's hold and leapt into the air. The gigantic blasted slammed into Maraikoh, catapulting him into the air.

Coming down from his jump, Froug darted forward and slammed Olibu with a flying kick. The damage became too much for the warrior, and he keeled over on his knees. Froug smashed him again, then rose into the air over him. Olibu could only glance up as Froug fired a slicing beam downward that finished him off.

His limbs shaking slightly, Maraikoh rose from the pile of rubble he had been buried in. One arm clutched a nasty looking wound that Olibu's blast had caused. Turning, he faced Froug, a look of pure rage on his face.

"You'll pay for this," Maraikoh said, voice charged with emotion. "You'll pay now!"

The largest blast yet seen in the battle raged forward, slamming into Froug, who raised both arms. Soon, the energy became too violent for anything to be seen. When it faded, Froug had been forced back a few yards. He dropped his arms from in front of him, and smiled once.

Opening his mouth, Froug launched a beam that slammed Maraikoh, finishing the warrior off as well. Froug's eyes glimmered darkly as he surveyed the damage caused. For now, the battle was won. Remaining still, the Darkness within him began feeding off of the dark ki surrounding.

A soft tap announced the arrival of someone else landing on the ground. From between the shade of the trees, a figure could vaguely be seen. Narrowing his eyes, Froug watched carefully. Then the figure moved forward, and Pakihaun stepped forth.



Flipping back over a couple of pages to make sure he was correct, Piccolo allowed himself to smile slightly. This was the last thing he needed. As he had suspected, Dai Kioshin had relocated all the important books to his own library. Now that they were in, however, it hadn't taken Goku much time to find the ones they needed. From then on, it had just been about piecing together the clues they had. But now the puzzle had come together.

"I have it," he said. Goku and 18 both glanced up from their own books.

"All of it?" Goku asked.

"As much as we can get."

"Go ahead."

"We had already figured out that dimensional matters fuel Darkness. You recognized that something didn't add up. Well, I just confirmed the missing part of the equation. Hate also fuels them, a lot more than dimensions. Which is why they wanted the android dimension around; it was more beneficial to them that way."

"We all use the term 'them'. Eclipse did too," Goku pointed out.

"That's true," 18 agreed. "Are we dealing with a group here?"

"I have that figured out too," Piccolo told them. "And no, it isn't a group. Actually, Darkness is more of a force than a person. It simply is what it is. We aren't certain what created it, or if it even was created. I'd be willing to bet that people in general created it, with their hatred. With so much dark ki in our world, it needed a reflection. That would have been Darkness. But that's irrelevant now.'

"What I've also figured out is a bit of important history. All of the eldest Kioshins have always known about Darkness. The first incarnation of Darkness we know of was a being called Buu. It was incredibly destructive. All of the strongest Kioshins, the one's we have today, I believe, worked together to stop it. Dai Kioshin managed to imprison Buu away, but not Darkness. However, it dealt a massive blow to Darkness' cause.

"To prevent anyone else from learning about the matter, Dai and the others covered up the entire thing. They killed those who were aware of it. Only scraps of information remained. To make up for the immense destruction, they invented the legend of Evil. Really, though, 'Evil' is just part of the latent Darkness."

"I get what you're saying." Goku looked thoughtful. "Why is Darkness back now? Just a gradual increase in hate?"

"That would be part of it. However, I have another clue that sheds a bit more light on the issue. Thanks to you for getting me the book on history. Dai Kioshin and his compatriots have begun tapping into Darkness to gain more power for themselves. This granted them a lot of energy, but the negative consequences were astronomical. The barrier between reality and Darkness is much weaker now. Now, it's on the rise again.'

"Which is why we've seen beings like Eclipse."

"This is a lot more serious than I thought."

"That it is," Piccolo agreed solemnly. "That it is."



Pakihaun casually tore off his weighted gi and turban and tossed them to the ground. Froug remained still, neither attacking or displaying any sign of life. Cracking his knuckles, Pakihaun glanced at him coolly.

"I know who you are."

"It doesn't matter," Froug snickered. "Dai Kioshin lied to you. Even if you knew the truth, you'd never understand."

"I understand one thing," Pakihaun told him icily. "I understand that I'm going to destroy you."

"Bring it on."

Instantly Pakihaun sped to Froug, and kneed him in the gut. Before he could recover he slammed an elbow into his head, smashing him to the ground. Smashing one foot into his back, Pakihaun smirked as he ground his opponent further into the dirt. Froug couldn't compare to him in power, and his battle with all the others had worn him out.

Still, Froug managed to get out from under his foot and above. From his higher vantage point, Froug fired downward. Pakihaun flew through the blast, it glanced off him. Then Froug froze as he found a hand placed dangerously over his chest.

"I hate you," Pakihaun hissed, then he sent a blast of energy through him. Froug's body fell to the ground. Pakihaun dropped down to kick him a bit. Rolling over so he faced up, Froug smiled a final time.

"You're no better than the rest." His voice was a dying whisper. "You don't really understand, do you?"

As he breathed his last, Pakihaun waited a moment, considering his words. They were nonsense, he at last decided, a last psychological trick. He didn't need to be worried.

He should have been. Dark flames surrounded him, and in moments Pakihaun was one more warrior controlled by Darkness. Around him on the battlefield, broken bodies were strewn everywhere, the last of what remained of the once great Celestial Fighters. Darkness, now with a new and fresh body, flew over the horizon. There was much work to do.



"I sense a horrible evil," Piccolo went on. "Something extremely dark. It is my belief that Darkness is using its power to possess those with impure hearts like a virus, and it's spreading. Chapuchai was just the beginning. I can sense worse things happening elsewhere. I don't think it can possess too many people at once, but those it does possess will probably cause enough destruction to possess more. Especially with the universe as it is now. Most likely, when the warrior it has chosen is killed, it will be killed in hate, allowing Darkness to merely transfer its possession over to the warrior who killed its former host."

"Is there any way to beat them?" 18 asked.

"Wait a second." Goku stopped any reply Piccolo would have made. "If we fight them, won't we just further their power? Can we guarantee that they won't possess us? How can you defeat something like that?"

"It isn't as bad as it sounds," Piccolo told them. "Though you have hit upon a difficulty. We can't just say that certain people are evil, then kill them and remove the evil. Darkness is a force, and you can't just randomly destroy anything that has it. Because it's in just about everything. And if someone 'defeats' Darkness but succumbs to it themselves, nothing is gained."

"So do we have any hope?"

"Do you remember how I said Darkness is really a force?" Piccolo asked. "Well, that isn't all there is to unreality. Somehow, there is a mirror image of Darkness. It is entirely different, it has no conscious. But somehow, the two are complete enemies. This one exists only because of what little good there is in the world. It does not act or change reality in any way. It simply is."

"Where is this other force?" Goku questioned.

"Ah. That's the odd thing. This counter-Darkness, Light we could call it, is sometimes tapped into by people. Through their development, it evolves inside them."

"I get it," 18 interrupted. "It's the truth thing, isn't it?"

The light within the room intensified slightly as all three of their eyes shone brighter for a moment. Piccolo smiled.

"You're correct. As far as I know, the three of us are the only ones anywhere that are part of the Light. I don't think it actually helps us any, or increases power like Darkness does. But one thing it does do is oppose us against Darkness."

"So it's guiding us?"

"No. That's the confusing part. To a certain degree, the whole thing is parallel. We aren't who we are because of the Light, we are the Light because of who we are. So Light is more defined as having that opposition to Darkness, not the cause of it. That's a bit irrelevant for the current battle, however. If I'm correct, Darkness would like nothing better than the complete destruction of this core dimension. From there, everything attached to it falls apart."

"So we go and stop it?"

"You have the idea. First off, Eclipse is still unaccounted for. Finishing him off would solve most of the problem here in the Afterlife. What's worse is all those that Darkness has possessed. It isn't enough to finish them off, or cast out the Darkness. We have to imprison it, and then destroy it."

"How do we do that?" 18 asked. Piccolo smiled.

"I was hoping you'd ask."



"I can't believe I'm doing this," East Kai muttered, glaring across the small table at West, who adjusted his monocle cheekily. He had interrupted her right in the middle of a good motorcycle ride. Hmpf. Some business he probably thought was horribly important.

"I hate you as much as you hate me," West told her, "but this is a serious matter. All of my Celestial Fighters are unaccounted for. Do you know why this is?"

"If you're insinuating I had something to do with it, you're sadly mistaken," East told him condescendingly. "I was merely enjoying myself until you arrived."

"Something is very wrong, I-"

The table was burnt to a crisp as dark flames leaped around them both. When they faded, both blinked dark eyes and stood.

"Will these bodies be sufficient for the task?" one asked the other. What had been East nodded.

"For now. There is time."

Both leaped into the sky, and were soon gone.



South Kai glanced up briefly. Something was very wrong. Not only had he suddenly lost contact with his Celestial Fighters, something was doing a lot of damage in other parts of the Afterlife. He considered carefully, and realized it was mostly in the upper Afterlife and the western branch. It didn't concern him then. Let those Kais handle the problem. For now, he had more important things to think about.

A blast suddenly arced from the side, and South Kai barely noticed it in time. Once he was aware of the blast, however, he batted it aside.

"Who are you?" he roared, searching the area around him. Nothing answered him.

"Do you really think you can stand against a Kai?" he asked his unseen assailant.

"Yes."

Whirling to the source of the word, South Kai found himself unable to see who had spoken, as they remained in shadow. Then, the fighter stepped forward to face him, and South found himself facing West. Something was horribly wrong, but South couldn't put his finger on it.

"Die," West said coldly, before launched another blast of power. South knocked this one aside as well.

"Are you a fool?" he asked, firing a blast of his own. "We are both Kais! We're equals! You cannot possibly win against me!"

"Not necessarily."

Another person had spoken. South Kai glanced briefly over, only to see East Kai as well.

"What is this, an alliance?"

"You could call it that."

While South Kai was momentarily distracted, West launched a blast that hit him this time. Blasted through a nearby wall, South slowly got to his feet, then fired a blast directly back. West leapt over it, but East failed to move in time and was struck.

Smashing her another time, South Kai felt West Kai smash into his back. Falling, he got to his knees and barely leaped in time to avoid another blast. Rising into the air, he fired a massive energy burst downward, but West and East knocked it aside together.

Both attacked at the same time, and South couldn't keep up with two fighters. In seconds his defense failed, and he found himself pummeled from all sides. Landing painfully, he rolled to the side just in time to avoid East's attack, and flipped up, hitting her back. Anger filling him, he fired a spiraling blast at West, who was smashed directly in the face. Maintaining his balance, West removed his shattered monocle.

"That's it."

West fired a blast, and South met it with his own. Neither gained an advantage, but as it happened, it didn't matter. East returned, firing a series of attacks that smashed into South. Unable to contend with two fighters of his same rank, South Kai fell, and did not rise.

"We had not intended to kill him," West said coldly. "But I suppose there is little lost."

"We have another task to complete."

"That is true. Where is the North Kai?"

"Still on his own planet."

"Good."

In an instant, both of them were gone, leaving the fallen Kai behind.