A shaken and wounded group of Namekians make their way across the freezing and dark plateau. Sensing the presence of another just beyond their view, the elder motions to stop his people. "Who goes there?" he calls out to the darkness.
Stepping out of the shadows is a familiar face. "Elder Moori, I'm glad you're safe. I feared the worst when I found the ruins of your village." He says calmly.
Moori returns with only concern. "Elder Tsuno! There's so much blood, you must be gravely wounded!"
Just as Moori moves in to assist him, Tsuno raises his hand to halt the worried elder. "You need not be concerned with me, this blood is not mine."
Moori's stomach drops at the sound of the words, unsure of how to feel. It is then that he notices the multiple decapitated slug-jin heads strung around his belt, heightening his horror. The only relief he feels comes from the dragon ball tightly strapped to the back of Tsuno's hips.
"Thank goodness, you were able to save your dragon ball. It shames me that I was unable to guard mine as you have."
Tsuno shakes his head. "Be troubled not, young Moori. Your people have been spared due to your leadership. It is I who should be ashamed."
Moori lowers his head in grief. "These are terrible times. So much has already been lost."
"Not all is lost, my brother. I've been able to evacuate some villages before the demons had reached them. I'd traveled here in hopes of warning yours as well. The survivors are gathered in a safe haven to the south."
Moori's mood lightens. "You've done a great deed today. I shall join with them. Will you be accompanying us?"
Tsuno shakes his head. "Nay, My mission is yet unfinished. I must make way to the grand elder, before it is too late." He once again disappears into the darkness before Moori can inquire further.
Far off, down the howling wind, the confrontation at Guru's begins.
Nail stands as the solitude defender on the battlefield. The slug-jin' ring around the estate, eager for bloodshed. The demon leader squares up with Nail, a sickening stench of Namekian hard on his breath.
"Only one huh? Doesn't matter to me. I'll just have to make your screams worth a whole village." Wings bears down with sinister laughter.
Nail is unphased, his body and mind sturdy with the concentration of a master warrior. He takes one quick glance back up above to the building he defends. Nervously peeking back at him is little Videl. With a nod she signals her intent to defend.
"Eyes over here antenna head." Wings commands his attention.
Nail slowly rolls his head back around to his opponent. "I've heard enough out of you, demon. Stay quiet while I put you down." He spits on the ground near Wings' feet out of disrespect.
"Tough guy, huh? I've seen a few of those today." He tilts his shoulder so that Nail can get a good look at the head mounted upon it.
Nail scowls hatefully. His narrowed eyes dart toward Wings, practically screaming I'll kill you.
"Ohhh? I bet he was a friend of yours, wasn't he! Don't worry, you'll be joining him soon. Your pretty little head will make a great belt buckle."
Nail swiftly swings his body into a fighter's pose.
"Heheheh. Let's see what you can-" Wings' is cut off before he can taunt further. Nail's elbow has already impacted his chest.
Blood spews from the open wound. The slug-jin commander's hands twitch unresponsively. Nail lets the red fluid soak him, knowing the paralized state of his enemy. Or at least he should have been. Nail realizes too late that he shouldn't have underestimated his opponent. A full mouth of teeth bare down on the Namekian's upper arm.
"Gyahhhhh!" Nail screams out as he attempts to withdraw. The slug-jin's blood mixes with his own. He wrestles for control of his preyed upon appendage, but it only sinks the teeth deeper. Then, with a loud snap the arm is torn from his body.
Nail's warrior intuition tells him not to remain where he'd stood. After leaping a good ten meters away, he regenerates his destroyed limb. Wings does not take advantage of the retreat, instead he raises Nail's arm into the air to signal his troops.
"Have at it men! Leave nobody alive! I want this place turned into a hellhole!" With Wings' decree the worst case scenario unfolds. The whole horde swarms the home of the grand elder.
Nail attempts to impede their march, but finds himself slapped by his own arm, now being used as a weapon by his foe.
Up atop the mighty column of dirt that suspends the grand elder's home, Videl prepares her defense.
"Don't worry about these guys, they're pushovers." Videl brushes off the incoming slug-jin.
The two Namekian children don't protest, but their faces don't make any effort to hide their doubtful concern.
To put their fears at ease, she charges up a ball of energy. "Watch and see." With a "Super-duper Satan Kickflip!" she pelts the sphere into the oncoming mass.
It collides with the chest of the forward slug-jin and thrusts him into the whole of his troop before blasting the lot of them to oblivion.
"W-Wow Videl! You're so cool!" Cargo's tearful admiration causes her to blush a little.
"Okay Cargo I think we've seen enough." Dende grabs his still fawning brother's arm and drags him indoors. "We'll stay out your way, miss."
Videl gives the little green men a thumbs up without turning her back. She can't help but snicker to herself as soon as they depart. "Whatever that old creepy geezer did to me, it's incredible! I bet I could pound fish-lips into a pulp with this power!" Her snicker becomes more sinister as she enjoys her grossly unearned boost in strength.
"Hehehehe-huh?" Several lights spark over the hill, accompanied by a booming sound. In quick succession the projectiles impact the rocky spire that homes Guru. The final one hits Videl square in the chest.
"W-What the heck!" Her eyes follow the crumpling slug-jin that had been fired at her. His bursting and exploding body staggers her briefly, sending her to the ground.
"Artillery! Another volley!" A slug-jin commands. Several soldiers take their place as live ammunition for the mechanical weapons.
This time the flying slug-jin are blasted mid-air by Videl's defensive blasts. As the dust clears another tactic emerges. Stacked shoulder to foot, several ladders of slug-jin ascend into the sky.
"These guys are crazy!"
Videl launches herself just over the nearest stack of enemies. She grips the hands of the top most link and forces the whole mass to bend with her momentum. The ladder of men nearly reaches the limits of its flexibility by the time the girl comes to a stop. Then, like a catapult the stack snaps back. The elastic force directs Videl's feet directly into a second ladder of men, toppling both.
Nail is too distracted with his fight to pay much notice of Videl's successes. His opponent Wings now wields a slug-jin by the feet in one hand, and Nail's arm in the other.
"Heh, hey greenie! Hope you're not planning on dying yet, cus I haven't had my fill of you!"
The sinister and tubby demon squeezes Nail's severed arm as if commanding it. It responds by latching onto a nearby slug-jin soldier, converting it into a warhammer. The unwavered Nail grabs a slug-jin for himself, wielding them like a double handed sword.
He does so just in time. Wings starts the round with a powerful pummel from the slug-j-hammer. Nail blocks it just in time with his own slug-jin, then hastily evades the followup from Wings' free arm. After rolling over the demon's shoulder, Nail lands a strike to the back of the monster's head. A mighty crack solidifies the impact.
The two separate after the exchange. They quickly face each other, ready for the next bout. The orange glow of exploding slug-jin illuminate their faces. One face is that of the proud and honorable warrior, the other of the brutal and savage barbarian.
Sparks fly as their live weapons collide. The two move swiftly, keeping the pressure on one another for as long as they can. Neither is able to hold a significant advantage over the other. Each slash rattles the slug-jin in their hands. Eventually the round comes to an end. They back up to create distance between each other.
"Heheheh. I've got something fun I wanna try. Stay put for a second, will you."
Wings drops his weapons, then flings both arms into the air with spread legs. A mighty roar erupts from his bloody mouth. Suddenly the slug-jin forces come to a halt. Understanding the order, they swarm their commander.
Nail watches with terrified uncertainty as they drown their leader in a sea of slug-jin. Taking notice of the changing situation, Videl comes to his side.
"What are they doing now?" Her voice is too calm for Nail.
"I-I don't know!" He finds the situation much more troubling than the child beside him.
The mass grows and grows as more slug-jin pile on. After it absorbs half of the slug-jin army it begins to take shape. Before their eyes grows a humanoid giant of hundreds of interlocked slug-jin, each one linked arm and leg with a neighbor.
"Hahahaha!" Wings' voice echoes through the mass. "This is my ultimate form, Slug-Jiganticus!"
The remaining unfused slug-jin cheer in praise of their awesome commander, who now stands 50 meters tall.
Videl remains unimpressed. With a rebellious attitude she taunts the monstrosity. "You could have a million of those dopes and I still wouldn't take you seriously."
"Hey…" Wings' head pops out of the chest of the slug-mass. "You're that little brat from Cui's squad. Didn't take long for you to turn traitor." His wide eyes invoke a mixture of insanity and intrigue.
"Tch! I'm no traitor!" She trembles in frustration. "I've always been on the good side!"
"Good huh. That's not the vibe I was gettin. Kid, you're more devil than half of us. Heh."
"Shut it!" Videl finally snaps. She bolts toward the titan without much thought. "W-Huh?"
The girl's assault is paused when the head and hands of the giant illuminate. Within an instant, thousands of blaster shots burst forth. Nail grabs her just in time. They're offered no time to breathe. Dangling the stunned Videl by her ankle, Nail sprints across the battlefield. Chasing behind them is an endless barrage of uncountable little bursts.
"Take cover kid!"
Having run out of options, Nail tosses the child violently into the direction of Guru's house. As soon as she clears, he turns around to defend. Almost instantaneously the dirt beneath his feet gives way and he's pummeled into the ground.
After several seconds of continuous fire, the barrage finally stops. No movement comes from the hole Nail fills.
"Done in so easily? I shoulda kept the slug-jin outa this." Wings turns his attention to the dirt spire of Guru's home. "Oh yeah, dragon ball." The titan marches in it's direction. The remaining slug-jin follow suit.
"Grand elder, they're coming for us!" Dende shakes the ankle of Guru.
"...Huh?" Guru snaps awake. One quick look outside his window tells him all he needs to know. "...I understand. Come children, sit upon my lap. We shall embrace our deaths with dignity and honor."
"Put those kids down!" Videl's shouting stops Guru; Cargo and Dende are already suspended in his hands. Her heavy panting stops her from saying more.
"Oh, so the young one lives. This changes things." He releases the little Namekians and pats them on the heads. "Fear not children. We shall not die today."
The exhausted Videl collapses head first onto the ground.
Guru grabs the children once more. "Fear is a natural reaction, my children."
Before he can rest them upon his thighs, Dende breaks free. Guru bemoans as the Namekian boy revitalizes Videl with his power of healing. With a couple coughs, she recovers to her feet.
"Don't you go giving up on me!" She scolds the grand elder.
Just then, the roof of the structure is torn away. It's lifted far above their heads by the goliath of slug-jin. Within moments the slug-jin pour in, surrounding the defenders. All hope had been lost. The three terrified children huddle close together in surrender as countless blasters point at them.
The wind suddenly comes to a stop, causing all sides to hesitate. The world had become silent enough that the flames of the battlefield could now be heard. Several seconds pass. The slug-jin force remains tense, sensing great danger.
The low drone ominously calls out to them. Then, the mightiest gust of wind collides with the titan. All those present swear they could hear the sound of a wolf's howl. The titan is forced backwards, blood spewing all up the arm. With a massive crack, the colossal arm separates from the main mass.
Suddenly a shadowy blur darts around Guru's home. The slug-jin soldiers drop to the ground in a bloody mess as it crosses them. It finally comes to a stop right in front of the children. His blade lines up directly with Videl's throat.
The children's eyes slowly raise until their trembling heads see the round old elder before them, just in time for the colossal severed arm to land in his outstretched palm with a thunderous boom.
"Elder Tsuno!?" Dende is the first to speak.
He doesn't respond. His furious eyes fixate on Videl with intent to kill.
Cargo's eyes follow the blade with his eyes. Realising Videl is still dressed as the enemy, he pleads for her. "W-Wait, don't hurt her! She's on our side!" He moves in between them.
He doesn't care for the boy's words. "The rancid scent of demon is heavy on her. She is undoubtedly an enemy" The elder drops the giant arm so that his full attention is on her.
It isn't until Guru steps in that Tsuno relinquishes. "I've seen within her, there is nothing to fear from that child at present. Come Tsuno, my child. Rest upon my lap, you have endured much suffering today. Allow me to comfort you."
Tsuno knocks away Guru's spaghetti arms. "Nay, the battle is not yet over." He swiftly turns around to face the besieging army.
The titan finally manages to get back to its feet. Scattered slug-jin soldiers pour in to rebuild the missing arm.
"Not so fast, demon." Tsuno latches onto the massive arm of tightly interwoven slug-jin. With a harsh tug, he commands it to open fire.
The titan only manages to get off a few defensive shots before being engulfed by the infinite volley of blaster shots.
"Hahhhhh!" Tsuno cries out as the turret-like arm he wields melts the titan away. It doesn't take long before it dissolves completely.
As soon as he finishes, he launches the arm into the air and annihilates it with a single blast of energy. The terrifying ferocity of the Namekian sends shivers down Videl's spine.
Tusno and Videl quickly descend to the battlefield to investigate. Hundreds of bloody slug-jin corpses litter the ground, illuminated by dozens of orange flames. Tsuno motions for her to stop when they approach the titan's remains. He notices movement from within the smoldering pile of the dead. Videl soon sees it too.
"Hyaaaaaaaaaaaah!" The pile explodes in every direction, briefly blinding Videl and Tsuno.
The high pitch sound of metal clashing hits Videl's ears before she sees what had happened. Tsuno had just barely been able to block Wings teeth with his sword before they tore his body in two. The Namekian does his best to struggle against the monster's might, but is quickly pushed back.
A blast of energy charges within the demon's mouth. As soon as it releases the sword is shattered. Tsuno's agonized face is all that shows through the glowing mass of exploding ki. His burnt body skids across the field back towards Guru's house.
"Hihahahahah!" Wings rolls his head over his shoulders so that his eyes can see Videl. "Hey runt, do you know what time it is?" He slurps his tongue around his lips.
Videl backflips backwards several times to increase their distance. The monster takes several steps forward. The flames of the battlefield reveal that he is now completely soaked in blood from head to toe. Accompanied by his jagged grin and piercing red eyes, he appears as a full fledged nightmare from hell.
"It's dinner time!"
"Haaaaah!" Videl launches a flurry of shots at the monster out of fear. She's barely able to hear his approaching footsteps that make no effort to evade her.
It's not till his horrible head pokes through only a meter away that she reacts. Her immediate maneuver is to kick his head as hard as she can. She instantly regrets it as his teeth bare down on her leg. After shaking her back and forth a few times, he sends her straight up into the air. His jaw hangs open, ready to devour the girl as she descends.
Videl isn't ready to die. She frantically charges the largest ball of energy she can muster. Thankfully it's enough to fill his gullet when she arrives. Wings doesn't care, he bites down on the ball anyway. The bursting of which sends Videl through the air like a bullet.
She's nearly knocked unconscious when her skull collides with the cliff face. Her blurry eyes make out the silhouette of Wings, his head still smoking from the explosion. She pats her cheeks to keep herself awake and climbs to her feet. It's then that the extent of her damage to Wings becomes apparent to her.
His head is disfigured and his jaw permanently drawn open. His lips no longer exist and at least one eye is missing. Videl takes no comfort in the sight. The bloody lump of flesh once called Wings drops to it's stomach and begins to claw its way toward her.
Videl grips her wrist and attempts to draw out another energy attack. It's to no avail. Only sparks manifest in her palm. The savage creature increases in speed, leaving a trail of red as it moves. The girl's heartbeat races and her breath becomes rapid.
"Hya Hihahahaha! Hehahahiha!" Crawling on all fours, Wings' speed accelerates to a full run.
"Ahhhhh!" The panicked child curls her head into her chest and attempts to protect herself with her arms.
She hears the monster leap from the ground to assail her, and while a spray of blood does hit her, she remains standing and unharmed. Videl quickly opens her eyes to see what had unfolded. Her eyes catch the decapitated body of Wings just as it hits the ground right in front of her. His head rolls right up to her feet, staring back at her with a horrible twisted face.
A Namekian arm is still outstretched. She follows it back to its origin to surprisingly find Nail sitting up from his supposed grave. Beside him is Dende, having just finished healing him. The boy quickly rushes over to revive Elder Tsuno.
Having become overwhelmed by her emotions, Videl begins to violently kick the demon's head with her injured leg. She pounds it into the ground until it splits open.
"Videl!" The other boy rushes over to Videl's side. "That's enough, he's dead! Your leg's about to break in half!" He wraps a cloth around her open wound.
While fumbling with her leg, the torn remains of a piece of paper drop into his hands. His attempt to make out the image imprinted on it distracts him from Videl's injury. He doesn't realize in time that he'd been pulling at her in an uncomfortable way.
"T-That hurts!" She complains with her strained voice, still barely holding it together.
"Uh! I'm so sorry! Dende, come quick!" The little Namekian grows impatient.
It isn't much longer before Dende comes to aid her. Within minutes her wounds are gone and her energy restored.
The group finally takes a moment to relax. Each of them needing to recover from their mental exhaustion.
"Hmm?" Nail gets up. His eyes scan the ridge with concentration. "That power, it's immense!"
Videl follows him to her feet. She senses it too, but she doesn't share Nail's apprehension. "Piccolo?"