The is the first of the revised chapters. While the process is simple, it is far more time consuming than I had initially imagined. There are a great number of author's notes I wish to make, so I will place them at the end of this document, so as to not hinder the ordinary reading of this chapter.
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Coughing up a bit of blood, Goku got up from the ground slowly. Taking a deep breath, Buu merely popped his wounds out again and smiled evilly. He'd been fighting this monster for a while, and had quickly come to realize it was ridiculously powerful. The fact that it was impossible to critically injure it didn't help in the slighest. Powering up, Goku went Super Saiyan and prepared to continue the fight. For a moment Buu looked puzzled, his fat pink face screwing up as he saw Goku glowing and fully healed.
"Who are you?" Goku asked calmly, gathering energy. Assuming that he currently felt all of Buu's power, it was still superior to him in most aspects. In Super Saiyan 2 he might be able to defeat it, but for the moment he wanted to conserve energy.
"They have called me many names since the dawn of time. Most recently I have been called the Evil." The voice didn't match the fat pink body, creating an extremely disturbing effect. "I am the purest manifestation of Darkness ever to exist... or at least I was until my form was corrupted."
"You aren't like the others," Goku observed. "Not like Shade and Eclipse."
"I am not," Buu admitted. "The entity that is most truly known as Darkness has done a great many things in this world. The manifestations you speak of were a failed attempt. Until recently, it had been assumed that this, an actual corporal body, was also a failure, as it was locked away by the Kioshins.
"It seems, however, that time causes even the ruler of the galaxy to forget how destructive darkness can be. Dai Kioshin was fool enough to let Babidi on Earth to summon me, thinking he could control my power. All his plans are about to come crashing down around him. To think that I am limited to merely this body would be infantile. The very essence of this reality is mine."
"And what are you trying to do? What can you gain from all this?"
"What can I gain? The question is irrelevant. My goal is to destroy the galaxy in its totality, at first in spirit and now physically. This goal is not motivated by some desire, it is simply a part of what I am. In the same way as you strive to save existence, I seek to destroy it. Because of this," Buu dropped to a fighting stance, fingers tightening so hard they vibrated, "I cannot allow you to interfere."
Abruptly pushing off the air, Buu shot a fist barely past Goku's head. Moving his entire body with the dodge, Goku smashed a massive kick into the pink monster's side, sending him hurtling through the air. Shrugging off the damage in mid fall, the monster twisted and blasted forward directly at Goku. This, at least, the saiyan had been fully prepared for. Concentrating all his built up energy in one palm, Goku smashed it directly into his opponent's stomach.
Stumbling backward with a hole through his body, Buu was unable to defend himself as Goku jabbed his foot into the wound and then ripped it out through Buu's side. Continuing to spin, he smashed his other leg into the side of Buu's head, sending him hurtling backward and crashing deeply into the ground.
Rolling back, Buu flipped himself to his feet With a twisted smile he healed the wounds in his body. Deeply Goku sighed, realizing the extent of Buu's regenerative ability. Both of them knew that he was the inferior warrior at the moment. His only goal was to burn enough of Buu's energy now that he could defeat him in Super Saiyan 2. But it was currently impossible for him to defeat the monster.
Despite himself, Goku grinned. Impossible was just a word. This fight could prove to be most enjoyable.
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Rumbling, the gates of the Afterlife began to slowly creak open. Warriors awaited on the other side, glad for an opportunity to wreck their destruction upon the planet. So intent were they upon the gate that none of them noticed tendrils of darkness slipping silently over the ground. Each tendril slid up the side of a different warrior, vanishing within them.
Another manifestation of Darkness smirked slightly. So many years had been spent carefully manufacturing all of these individuals into the perfect instruments of destruction. Many of them were weak, insignificant compared to the battle going on in the heavens, but that was beside the point. All of them had slowly been twisted, been corrupted, made into the perfect receptacles for Darkness. As soon as they were free, they would propagate Darkness to the entire world.
Even if Goku did manage to defeat the impure incarnation of Darkness, it would be too late. The shadow within the hearts of the galaxy would spread, and within hours would reach critical mass. It was only a matter of time until Darkness itself reigned in the galaxy. Then it would take only a single moment, a fraction of a second, and the very Darkness would consume the galaxy.
Vegita and Trunks exchanged glances, ready to destroy the world as soon as they got out. The two giant golden gates parted to either side. Free! Finally free! A rage burned deep within Vegita that he did not know he possessed. Yes, anger toward Kakkarot, yes, anger toward the cursed android, but never this hatred toward all of mankind.
Framed in the golden doorway, Piccolo and 18 waited silently as the warriors rushed forward. Restraining his anger, Vegita moved back with Trunks and Gohan. From the corner of his eye, Vegita noticed their shadows seemed a bit odd... but no, they shouldn't have any shadows at all, not here in a place of light. But at the moment that was irrelevant.
"Let the others try to beat them first," Vegita muttered, "wait till they get tired out, then finish them."
The other two saiyans nodded. They allowed the others to rush on Piccolo and 18 at full speed.
Piccolo saw Raditz coming for him before any of the others. Fitting indeed. The saiyan did a flying head butt, and crashed headlong into the Namek, who didn't budge. Taking Raditz' hair in his hands, Piccolo kneed him in the chest to the ground. Raditz growled and tried to push him off, but couldn't. Letting him get away, Piccolo allowed the giant blast the saiyan fired to hit him.
"Repaying me for that dust I gave you?" Piccolo asked, smiling slightly as smoke evaporated from his body. "Well, really, I insist- you keep it!"
Raising his hands, energy collected swiftly then rushed through Raditz, leaving nothing remaining. Piccolo turned to meet his next foe, his face serene. They seemed unnaturally strong and bloodthirsty... almost like something wasn't quite right. Their portion of reality seemed... slanted. But there was no more time to think as several warriors leaped upon him at once.
18 first met head on with a large fat pink monster. He charged forward, but 18 caught his head in one hand and punted him into the air. Dodoria flailed around, then 18 leaped into the air. First getting grazed as 18 came up, he took another hit as she came back down with a knee to his back. Dodoria got pushed all the way to the ground, where he crashed unmoving in a pink heap, which was soon erased from existence.
Zarbon leaped forward, and actually got within a few feet of Piccolo before the Namek calmly smacked him on the side of the head. Whirling in a circle, Piccolo landed a spinning kick that sounded a painful crack on Zarbon's head. The changeling fell to the ground, then jumped back up, transforming into his monstrous form once again. Piccolo merely waited and allowed Zarbon to hit him directly. Clutching his hand, Zarbon sank to the ground, where Piccolo kicked through him with his full power, sending him into the gates, where both parts of him disappeared.
18 saw her next opponent was a bald saiyan. Not one she recognized either, meaning he couldn't have been on the planet when she had destroyed it. A quick glance at her files registered him as Nappa, one of the saiyans Goku had fought on Earth.
"You're going down, pretty girl!" Nappa roared, charging her. Tightening her eyes, 18 dodged his punch and slammed him against the ground as hard as she could. He vanished.
"Weakling," 18 muttered. Turning, she and Piccolo slapped a high five and waited for the next set of warriors. From the bodies of the fallen warriors, a faintly shimmering mist continued to rise...
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Skidding through the ground on his head for quite some time, Goku's momentum was eventually overcome and his body crashed into the ground. Painfully he struggled to move, ignoring the pain that screamed at him from every inch of his body. This phase was almost over. If he kept this up for very much longer he would die.
Spinning rapidly, Goku tunneled back into the ground. Hanging overhead Buu saw his maneuver and attempted to smash the ground apart, but was already too late. Landing on the pile of rubble, Buu concentrated and tried to find Goku's ki. It was not long before he found it... in the form of a fist striking the back of his head. Blows rained down on him from behind, weak and in such multitudes that it made Buu stumble forward. Gritting his teeth, Buu whirled, fist aiming to taking Goku's head off.
His punch was fast, faster than the saiyan could have dodged. However, Goku had no intention whatsoever of dodging the attack. The punch was not faster than his transformation to the ascended level of Super Saiyan. Golden energy exploded around Goku, blowing off half of Buu's body. Focusing, Buu brought the scattered remnants of his being back together, just in time for a fist to bury itself in his face.
Falling back, Buu mentally struggled with a new feeling. For the first time, he sensed an energy signature stronger than his own. In this new form Goku had a great deal of new energy... too much for him to handle. No! This couldn't be happening! Even polluted like this he should have been more than a match for any being!
Spinning in midair, Buu lashed out two kicks toward Goku. Weaving with new speed, Goku easily evaded both attacks. Extending his legs, Buu jerked them back slightly lower, sending his limbs wrapping around Goku's body. Immediately the saiyan counterattacked, spinning rapidly. Pulling along for the ride, Buu whirled about Goku once before the other warrior instantly changed the direction of his spin, smashing a kick almost through him.
Force of the blow forcing Buu back into his normal state, the monster barely had time to blast off from the ground before Goku's punch smashed into it. Smashing his palms together in midair, Buu began gathering energy. Narrowing his eyes, Goku realized that it was becoming more refined. For the first time the monster realized a serious threat to its existence and was fighting back accordingly. Leaping into the air once more, Buu gathered power around himself and Goku sensed it becoming more refined. There was a burst of light that he closed his eyes against, and then Buu faced him, teeth clenched, eyes seething.
"This is foolish. No matter how much power it gives you, no mere transformation can hope to defeat me!" Buu growled, seeming to resize up his opponent.
"You do not understand the scope of my power," Goku said simply. He held up a hand, and suddenly a stream of invisible ki lashed out, causing a gash to appear across Buu's body. Grimacing, Buu concentrated and healed the cut, but doubt was evident in his eyes.
Blasting off the ground at an angle, Buu came flying for him at full speed. Goku built up all his ki inside him and held out a hand in front of him just as his opponent struck. Buu's head hit the hand and his body scrunched up oddly after him as his excess momentum compiled him together. Spinning before the pink monstrosity could reform himself, Goku smashed his other elbow into Buu, dashing him several feet into the ground. Going slightly airborne, Goku began raining down kicks on the fallen warrior.
Abruptly Buu shattered, pink remnants flying throughout the area. Immediately they covered Goku and began to squeeze. Sending out his aura in spikes all over his body, Goku shredded the blob surrounding him. Not nearly good enough. Then for the first time Goku noticed that he had been covered by only a thin layer... where was the rest of Buu?
The remnants flew through the air at high speed, quickly catching up to the fleeing monster. So it had been no more than a distraction. Shifting to the most maintainable level of power, Goku flew after his opponent. He was gaining until Buu began to open dark portals and slip through them. Doing his best to follow each energy signal, Goku managed to stay with him, but eventually was lost amid the portals.
Screeching to a halt in midair, Goku focused, sensing for his opponent's presence. There was no point in running, unless he had a way to obtain more power. Abruptly Goku felt a dark presence, and he shivered. Buu's ki was obvious, standing out darkly, but it was within a gigantic mass of Darkness covering most of a continent. It was spreading...
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Buu laughed and flew after the fleeing Kais. Catching up to the slowest one, Buu zapped him, turning him into a chocolate. Consuming the Kai, Buu felt the pain and destruction from its death wash away a small amount of this accursed taint on his body. Nothing stopped him as he moved on to the next one, and the next. Goku got there to see Buu on the ground, stuffing his mouth with chocolates.
Though he looked foolish, Goku realized that each and every of the chocolates had been a living being. Furthermore, the pink monster was now slimmer and looked a bit nastier. His eyes were no longer red, they had become a light grey. When Goku looked at them closer, he saw Darkness surrounding Buu. Before, there had been a core of Darkness surrounded by a pinkish shell... now that shell had partially fallen away.
"Stop!" Goku yelled, thrusting out both hands and annihilating the entire city nearby. When the dust faded Buu was revealed on his feet, arms cross, a red shield glittering around him. All of the chocolates were gone now, and the creature that had been known as Buu growled at the loss of its meal.
Leaping forward with startling speed, the monster hit Goku hard across the chest. Forcing aside the pain, Goku righted himself and slugged back, but actually felt the contact when his hand hit the dark pink body. Not good. Dodging another punch and continuing to turn his opponent's blows aside, Goku gave an inward groan. Closer to his form of pure darkness, Buu had become even more powerful... more powerful than he could handle even in Super Saiyan 2.
Catching Buu's arm, Goku slammed his opponent into the ground, then swiftly stopped back as a torrent of pink rushed into the air, again reforming the monster. Once more the battle had been made hopeless. Shifting to a fighting stance, Goku prepared to continue fighting. He could do nothing else, it was his nature.
Again glancing about the area, as if after a fleeting shadow, Piccolo saw three warriors step up to him: Guldo, Burter and Jiece of the Ginyu Force. Without even speaking Guldo opened his mouth to take a breath. Smiling, Piccolo let him take the breath, waiting for time to freeze. Leaping through the air, Guldo aimed a punch directly at his opponent... and then Piccolo caught his blow.
"I gathered time for myself," Piccolo said calmly, "and I have about fifteen seconds I can use whether time flows properly or not." Even as Guldo let out his breath in a gasp, Piccolo had already smashed a hand into him, sending him hurtling through the air, already fading from existence.
Whirling around, Piccolo kicked Jiece, who was leaping for him. Jiece started hopping and flipping around him, Piccolo joined in an odd battle. It seemed almost like the most stupid dance in the world, both careening about with no apparent aim. After a few seconds on the inanity, Jiece fell to the ground completely dead, vanishing from the universe.
"I am again the fastest warrior in the universe!" Burter roared. "Feel my speed!"
To Piccolo, it seemed as though Burter was inching forward, crawling over space at an infinitely slow rate. Running up to him, Piccolo ran around him dozens of times before Burter got one foot down. The explosion from such speed catapulted Burter into the air, where he was picked off by a swirling beam from Piccolo.
18 saw two more ugly aliens facing her now, but really didn't have much time for them. There was something else, another ki forming in the area. It alone seemed somewhat dangerous. Flitting before the bulkier of the two aliens, she landed a blow to his chin, sending him up into the air. Catching the nearly dead alien as he fell on top of her, 18 blasted a hole through Recoome's stomach, sending him to vanish as well. The other alien had taken the time to get behind 18, and attacked swiftly, only to run directly into her flying elbow.
Wiping off blood from his mouth, Captain Ginyu appeared to take a deep breath... and then suddenly a blast exploded from his mouth.
"Change!"
The blast sped forward, blasting toward 18 at point blank range. Scanning the attack, 18 discerned what manner of energy it was and then refined her own energy to another frequency. When the blast struck her it immediately reflected, entering Captain Ginyu's mouth. He let out a terrible cry that slowly became warped as his body twisted, dried up and then vanished completely.
Both of 18's eyebrows shot up. That, she had not expected. Turning to see who was going to try and fight her next, 18 felt something at her back too late too avoid it. A massive body grabbed her from behind, driving her toward the ground. Surprised, 18 glanced down and realized the hands holding her were those of Android 16. Interesting. Unfortunately for him, it was a relatively simple matter for her to twist out of his grip and leap away. He landed on his feet with surprising agility.
"You have deserted Gero," 16 intoned, "you will die."
"Actually, I have an issue with that whole dying thing," 18 told him, without much interest.
"The files are quite clear: I was created with greater power than you." 16 flew forward, only to take a hard backhand from 18. He staggered back for a moment but still fell to the ground.
"And my power can be raised," 18 returned, stepping in front of him. 16 took off his hands and yelled. The hundreds of blasts arced toward 18, crossing the distance between them in a fraction of an instant. Not fast enough. Holding up her hands in the stream of attacks, 18 curved them, the energy bullets being launched curved across her hands and flew back at 16. The upper half of his body exploded, leaving the rest to fade away.
Frowning, 18 remained looking at the place where he had been some time. Why had he still existed? As mere robot he should have had no spirit, nothing to remain in the Afterlife. Something like a shadow slipped away from where he had been, but this time she saw it fully. Darkness. Before her eyes it evaporated into the air, soon diffusing into the air itself.
Curious, Piccolo glanced about the battlefield? How had 16 been here, anyway? When the gates had first opened he hadn't noticed them, so perhaps that meant he had arrived by other means. Hearing the sound of someone landing behind him, Piccolo turned and immediately smiled: just the large white fat guy he wanted to see. Android 19 zoomed forward to meet him. Piccolo slipped left, grabbed him by the back of his shirt and hurled him into the ground. They fought, Piccolo dodging everything thrown at him, and at last the white android backed up.
"You cannot defeat me!" he squeaked, making Piccolo grimace.
"I really hate that voice," Piccolo snapped, eyes narrowing. Abruptly he vanished, leaving 19 to squeak in confusion. The Namek appeared behind the android and calmly lay a hand on his shoulder... and then his ki exploded, ripping apart the mechanical components that made up the android, sending them scattering to the ground. They faded almost immediately, leaving a vaguely smoky residue.
Darkness. Piccolo's eyes widened slightly. Abruptly the shadows leapt from the ground, toward him, trying to batter their way inside his mind. Barely he threw up mental shields in time, forcing the Darkness to stay just centimeters from his head. He must have left himself open to it somehow, been too careless with his emotions. Gritting his teeth, Piccolo cleared his mind of every taint of hatred, anger, pride.
When he opened his eyes they glowed a solid white. The Darkness was flung away from him, evaporating into the air like all the rest. Sensing a ki blazing through the air toward him, Piccolo turned to face it. He seemed to move almost slowly, as if through a thick liquid. His eyes still glowing white, he saw King Cold through different eyes. For a brief moment he was very sorry for the twisted, evil being that now attacked him. Bringing a hand down on the head of Frieza's father, Piccolo ended the wretched life instantly.
Something strange was going on. 18 saw Piccolo's battle with Darkness, but wasn't sure she comprehended all the ramifications of it. Her eyes glowed when his own did, though with less intensity. Abruptly it was as if her senses were enhanced. Though she could see the area around her, she saw it as if through the looking glass of herself. There was Darkness attached to her, Darkness that originated from behind her.
Turning, 18 found herself face to face with Cell. He rushed on her, tail poised, looking ready to destroy the world. She didn't care. All of his evil ambitions seemed to dissolve in her mind, as if they were as worthless as mere chaff. Grabbing his tail, 18 whipped him around her head and threw him into the wall. Still retaining a great deal of his power, Cell pushed off the wall and flew back at her, but 18 met him directly with a palm to the chin. Taking an uppercut that sent him flying, Cell gasped as he realized that 18 had vanished from the ground completely.
He felt a cool hand on his tail a second later. Frantically he turned, but he was too late. 18 ripped his tail from its socket, then sent an electrical burst over the wound. She did not attack further as he collapsed to the ground. Grunting, Cell tried to regrow his tail and discovered it was completely impossible. The wound had already been-
Then 18's hand emerged from his back. From her arm white flames licked over his body, spreading down his limbs and soon enveloped him. Every atom in his body was consuming by the leaping flames, which faded from existence even as he did. 18 remained where he had stood for a long time, contemplating the destruction of the villain. No more than a pawn, really. Nothing compared to Darkness.
"Even children, Darkness?" Piccolo asked softly, raising an eyebrow at the young Trunks standing before him. "How swiftly humanity allows you a foothold in their world."
The small Trunks leapt forward, but Piccolo easily caught his head, letting the young warrior swing wildly in midair. Flying back a short distance, Trunks pulled a large sword from his back. Since when had he gotten that, Piccolo wondered? In any case, he easily caught the blade in three fingers when it swung for his head. Tightening his hand, Piccolo snapped the sword in two.
For a moment Trunks gaped in midair, and Piccolo merely stared back at him. Then the young boy's face became a snarl and Piccolo sighed. Pure white light shot from his eyes, and Piccolo violently jerked his head to the left, sending the beams through the half saiyan's body. He was gone before he struck the ground. The air around them was thick with wisps of Darkness.
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Falling from the sky toward the ground, Goku managed to get an arm beneath him, begin a flip to return him to his feet. Midway through the maneuver Buu smashed into him from above, embedded him firmly in the ground. Completely sure of his victory, Buu laughed slightly. During the battle the last remnants of the shell that had surrounded him had fallen away, leaving only Darkness.
Springing off the ground, Goku kicked as hard as he was able, but Buu caught his foot inches from his face. Immediately Goku shot out his other leg, slamming Buu in the chin. The monster stumbled back, took Goku's energy bolt as the saiyan rose to his feet, then calmly shrugged off both attacks and batted his opponent across the city. Destroying several buildings as he skidding, Goku stopped and realized that this time he could get up.
Soon Buu was hovering in the air over him, quickly finding his body and landing by it mockingly. Darkness was arcing around him dangerously. There was definitely no remainder of the shell left. To his horror, Goku realized that even though the shell was gone, the monster was still at less than full power.
"You've done well, but only the Legendary One can defeat Evil itself," Buu rumbled, voice making a mockery of the legend. "Of course, you understand how worthless Dai Kioshin's ramblings are. Darkness will not be stopped by any force. But still, you have fought me for a long time, and only now have I managed to defeat you. Thus you earn a short, if painful, death."
Buu's hand came down, blunt fist sharpening into a deadly spike. At moments like this, Goku had always thought he would see his life flash before his eyes. Strangely enough, not a single thing he had done came back to him; all he could think about was everyone who was counting on him, all the things that would happen to him if he did not stop the spread of Darkness. Images flickered across his mind, of Piccolo, of 18, of the planet filled with human beings who would never get another chance if he failed. Before Buu's hand could bridge the distance, another transformation took place. Power never seen before in the galaxy erupted, sending Buu flying back. Goku got up, energy flowing around him.
His eyebrows disappeared, his hair started growing, rippling down his back and then tightening into golden spikes. Frantically Buu smashed a fist into Goku's jaw, sending him into the sky , but the saiyan was already breaking into the next level. Not about to let Goku reach a new level of power, Buu charged forward, focusing his power in his arms and aiming to rip the saiyan in half.
Energy arced around Goku, slicing the pink blob to ribbons, throwing him back and forcing him to waste time reforming himself. The sky darkened, blue electricity flew down to strike Goku, forming a blue wall around him. Everything grew whiter and whiter, blinding even the monster, and then there was an all-encompassing flash.
Goku stood, a maelstrom of energy surrounding him, self-generated electricity bursting out in spurts across his body. He was undeniably a Super Saiyan 3. With an eldritch roar Buu attacked at full strength, but Goku was gone and behind him instantly, smashing into him with new power. From his blow electricity burst violently, and Buu was sent crashing into the ground.
Picking himself up, Buu took a swipe at Goku and hit only air. He didn't even have time to gap before a foot hit him from behind, sending him flying. As he tumbled a violently spinning shot sliced through him, forcing him to remake himself once again. When he had repaired his body, he found he couldn't see Goku anywhere. The next instant he felt a large ki directly behind him, but it was too late. In one smooth motion the saiyan spun repeatedly, each and every blow nearly ripping through Buu.
Growling, Buu launched power around him in a scarlet column, but Goku leaped back, avoiding it entirely, then kneed Buu in the head while he was vulnerable. Flying backward, Buu launched a maelstrom of blasts toward his opponent, none of which made contact as the saiyan dodged and wove with unnatural grace. Curling into a ball and flipped forward, Goku span toward Buu, who frantically fired more blasts at him. All of them were deflected away by the rapid spinning, and Goku crossed the distance between them in a flash. As he spun his hair whirled repeatedly, shredding Buu's body.
Reforming himself as fast as possible, Buu punched toward Goku's face. A hand closed down over his wrist with painful strength. Gasping in pain, Buu shrugged off the damage and sent another beam at Goku's face at point blank range. When the blast faded, it revealed that Goku had pulled his head all the way back, narrowly avoiding the attack. Now as his head came up his hands met on Buu's stomach.
Blue energy exploded through the monster, Goku's Kamehameha sending him down to a faintly visible cloud of pink. For the first time ever, thoughts of doubt ran through Buu's mind. How could he be beaten? Was Goku's determination really strong enough to overcome this manifestation? At the moment it appeared that it was. If this battle continued, he would lose the entire war. Only if this battle continued.
Reforming himself, Buu threw out his arms and an explosion of Darkness ripped through the heavens. Around Buu the sky seemed to burst into flame, faint yellow light being ripped away and leaving only darkness. Bitterly cold winds howled and shook the very foundations of reality. When the blast faded, there remained a massive hole in existence that was slowly repairing itself... but Buu was gone.
The very ground crumbled beneath the Super Saiyan 3's wrath.
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Regarding what I meant by "critical mass:" I was using the definition indicating the point at which various circumstances reach a point at which things are irrevocably changed, as coined by Isaac Asimov. When looking for this, it is quite important to think metaphysically.
I am glad there is actually curiosity about the identity of the Legendary One, if such even exists. As we've seen, much of the legends regarding evil were no more than lies that even Dai Kioshin made himself believe.
My thanks to Syn Shenron, for proving that it is a good thing to accept anonymous reviews. I will do my best to respond to your questions as I am able. As for the site's HTML standards... I am annoyed that they choose this cumbersome method, so I will utilize your suggestion.
In regard to a number of issues (the child, a "small act," what went wrong, etc), remember to think less literally and more symbolically. Beyond that I will say nothing more, and allow you to reach your own conclusions. My story is not necessarily something that should be entirely explained in specific terms, but I trust that intelligent readers such as yourself are capable of handling it.
Regarding the number of chapters... there are no longer fifty two. Due to a number of unexpected issues with the plot, there are fifty four episodes. All four of these will be rewritten.
Our unnamed human and Namekiian are both simply unnamed, unimportant characters. Hercule is alive and well, as you will see relatively soon. Neither of them will have any impact on the story, nor did they have any true impact. However, I thought that it would be reasonable that humanity would develop more than one hero (considering that they consider Goku and 18 to be monsters).
A final note of clarification regarding Kais, Kioshins, Kaioshins, Kaeioushins, etc: There is no quality reason for the change outside of being an indicator of the fact that my system is different. There are a great many Kais (as it is now a race), though only four serve as the cardinal directions. I apologize for not having a more interesting explanation.
However, it will be much more enjoyable to answer the question about Buu. In my worldset there is no Virtuous Buu, nor even Fat Buu. The original Buu fought in the prolog was another effect by Darkness to alter reality. In this chapter Buu explains that he differs from the various forms of Darkness manifest we have seen (Shade, Eclipse, etc). The primary difference is that he has a physical body and mind: these can operate without Darkness. With Darkness in control, however, Buu is much more powerful. What we see as Fat Buu is merely Buu bound by magic that reduces his power and malevolence.
To the person reviewing chapter two: I am uncertain when you will see this, but you demanded an explanation, and in this situation such is quite simple. The question, for any others who may be reading, was why I stated that Vegita created the Oozaru moon sphere when Vegita explains in one episode that Bardock did so. My reason is quite simple: this was added needlessly in the anime as a nod to the Bardock Special. In the original, Vegita had developed the technique, and the character of Bardock never existed.
My thanks to the other new reviewer leaving a rather detailed review. I am glad that you find my fanfiction as deep as you do, but I am afraid you are overthinking in regard to your first question. What you ask is not unreasonable, but cannot be effective answered. When I wrote this I was a great deal younger than I currently am: while throwing around philosophy was simple for me at the time, I was not so proficient at putting together a completely coherent plot. In this case, I must beg the thirty-first amendment (suspension of disbelief).
As for challenges... here I wish to needlessly disagree. Goku's need to be challenged is actually sufficiently sated by fighting with 18, but that is beside the point. He was severely challenged several times throughout the story. The mere fact that he overcame all challenges does not decrease their difficulty. I will admit, however, that he generally does better than his canon counterpart, as he is usually one step ahead in power.
Frieza was annihilated when Goku reached Super Saiyan, so if you wish to argue that it was not a challenge, you are justified. King Cold and company were likewise inferior. The androids did provide a serious challenge, as evidenced by Goku's major loss. Upon returning from the soul-destroying "heart" disease, he was actually heavily challenged in the battle between Cell and the new wave of androids. He very nearly died during the conflict.
I will give you that because Cell granted Goku time to train, he was no longer really a challenge to the ascended saiyan. Had Goku not reached Super Saiyan 2, he would have been severely tested by the returned Cell, but it is by large a moot point. Again, I would agree that Goku had the entire Android World Saga in hand. His power might have been lower, but he was still capable of matching what came his way.
Total Eclipse, though, very nearly killed him. But for a last minute transformation into Light Super Saiyan (courtesy of Piccolo and 18), Goku would have been finished. Even without the links to good and evil, Goku in Super Saiyan 2 would have had a difficult time defeating Eclipse in his final form. All the tournament, of course, was effortless.
However, let me assure you that Goku will be challenged more in this last saga than he has been his entire life. There is a great deal of power being thrown about in the finale of my story, and a great deal of it eclipses his own. More is yet to come, on a great many different fronts. There should be no more "ho hum" chapters, even using such broad definitions.