Moori and the Namekians arrive at the ship. Not all had made the journey alive. The smoke that still rises from the ship gives Moori the doubt he desperately wishes wasn't there. The gas distracts him long enough to nearly bump into the Namekian coming down the steps.
"Huh? Nail!? Thank goodness you're alright. Is the grand elder with you? What about Elder Tsuno?"
The silent and stern expression doesn't allow an answer. The dried tears on his cheeks inform Moori that no good news would be said anyway. Coming just behind Nail at a sluggish pace is Dende, the lifeless body of Cargo still cradled in his hands.
Moori nearly falls backward. The shock nearly stops his heart.
"Move it, old man!"
A slug-jin shoves Moori aside and rushes into the ship. Moments later a massive explosion tears the ship in two. While Namekians and slug-jin alike panic, Nail remains motionless. Quakes and tendrils continue to burst around them.
"You will find no salvation here." Nail finally responds.
Moori continues to stumble. "Th-Then where?"
Nail sets his eyes on the demonic spire in the distance. "The dragon balls are the only hope that remains to us." He takes several steps toward Slug's tower before transitioning to a run.
After several seconds of remaining stunned, Moori joins him. The Namekian populace follows behind in a hasty jog. Not far ahead of them is none other than the demon king who brought this apocalypse upon them.
Slug continues his losing struggle. The planet bears down on him more fiercely than with any other. Energy sapping bites cover his body, and the burn he'd suffered earlier is yet to completely heal. Every force he applies is absorbed and returned to him two fold. He knows the next attack will be beyond his power to defend against.
"Damn it all! Damn this calamity! For kami's sake I'm a Super Namekian Demon King!"
The planet bursts forth a massive spire, several times the thickness of the others before it. This time the draconic nature of its shape becomes undeniably clear. Its shriek pierces the farthest reaches of the planet. Slug bellows a retaliatory roar, unwilling to accept death. The snake-like appendage of the planet shoots toward the Namekian like a knife.
"Satan Beam Cannon!"
Piccolo's laser crashes into the dragon's head just in time. The menacing face explodes upon contact. Piccolo grabs Slug just as he collapses and swings the old Namekian over his shoulder. Without the slightest hesitation, he vanishes from the spot.
Piccolo reappears in front of the Namekian people. Having witnessed the impressive feat, they recoil in fear.
"Come on! Let's go! Hury!" Piccolo waves them on.
Their brief confusion is quickly ignored in favor of survival. As they rush toward the tower, Piccolo beats back the planet's hungry heads. Within a minute they reach the tower's gates.
"Elder Moori, are the dragon balls safe?" Nail asks a sudden question.
"Y-Yes, of course!" Moori responds as quickly as he can.
"Good, take care of everyone for me."
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to take back every dragon ball these demons have taken from us."
Moori nods as he crosses the entryway. Nail shoots up with Dende on his back. The remaining Namekians and several slug-jin pour into the building. As soon as the people stop coming, Moori shuts the gates. He's not a second too soon. The arms of the planet batter at the door.
Piccolo returns to the throne room where Guru waits for him. He delicately places the unconscious Slug onto the floor beside his throne.
"You've done good work, young one." Guru compliments Piccolo's efforts with a cough.
"He's hurt real bad. Can you heal him?"
A quick look is all Guru needs to see before he shakes his head. "I am sorry, these wounds are beyond my capabilities."
Fear and uncertainty resurface on Piccolo. "I can't lose him… The slug-jin will only listen to his commands. I know if I could just bring him back, I could help him understand. He must understand, for everyone's sake."
Guru Shares Piccolo's worry. "This is troubling indeed. There is one who can save him. The young prodigy, Dende."
A glimmer of hope emerges through Piccolo's burdened exterior. "I'll go find him right now! I won't let Namek down!"
Guru grows troubled. He knows the hardship ahead, because he himself had lived it. "Pray you may succeed where I could not."
Piccolo nods with empathy. Without another word he makes his way.
He doesn't make it far. Stepping onto the great balcony of the throne room is Nail, Dende attached to his back.
"It's you!"
Nail ignores Piccolo, his eyes focused on what rests between the giant boy and the grand elder. The dying body of Slug, and just above him, seated on the throne of evil, the dragon balls.
"Dende."
The boy on Nail's back nods, understanding the order. He leaps off the warrior and takes a step back.
"Dende? You're the one grand elder was talking about! Thank goodness!"
"Grand elder Guru?" Dende reacts with anxious curiosity.
Before he can approach, Nail motions his hand to stop him.
"What exactly do you want Dende to do?" Nail stares down Piccolo with eyes devoid of trust.
"Mr. Lord Slug! He's hurt real bad and we need to save him!"
Both Dende and Nail tense at the command. Nail looks closely at the mortally wounded Namekian on the ground.
"Save him?" Nail's demeanor becomes cold and unforgiving. "That demon. The one responsible for all this suffering. Right now you have the opportunity to end this madness, and instead you wish to undo it all?"
Nail's fists clench.
"You don't understand! We need to make peace, or we'll all die!"
"Peace. The only way to make peace with a demon, is by ending their existence. Utterly and completely. Haah!"
Nail is through with words. He rushes the downed king of evil with the intent to kill. Piccolo has no trouble protecting Slug. The moment Nail gets close, Piccolo swats his hand away. With a speed too fast for Nail to react to, Piccolo clasps his other wrist to hold him in place.
Guru attempts to reason with the mad warrior. "Nail, I beg of you. You must do as he says."
"Grand Elder, I'm sorry, but for your sake I must do this. Even if I must disobey you, I will protect you at all costs!"
With a ferocious intensity, Nail breaks his own hand from his body. With a mighty roar, he attempts to charge past Piccolo.
"Don't!" Piccolo calls out, though he knows words will not reach him.
With a swift kick, Nail is hurled across the floor.
"N-Nail!" Dende rushes over to the warrior's side.
Within moments, All of Nail's injuries are healed. Without hesitation, he rushes for Slug once more.
At the base of the tower, the situation grows grim.
"Elder Moori, the door will be breached soon!"
Sweat pours down Moori's face. Everyone stares at him for instruction, even the slug-jin. The sound of the gate cracking almost breaks his nerves. With little time to act, he rushes to the stairway.
"Forget the door, we must seek higher ground!" He commands his flock, and they follow.
He gets about halfway up before he notices the shadow moving along the wall. When he stops, the crowd does too. Slow footsteps make their way toward them from around the curved steps. Terror creeps over Moori when the figure comes into view.
Standing not far from him is a mighty demon slug-jin commander. He wears very little clothing, allowing his orange skin to shine. His red flowing hair and pronounced jaw almost mask the wide emotionless eyes in his skull. The two lock eyes like a predator and prey. The gathering of energy in commander Zeeun makes his intent undeniable.
"Weaklings, your time has come, none shall be granted mercy this day."
The Namekian and slug-jin cries of misery ring out as the slaughter begins.
Several levels above, Videl rushes onward. She cradles the dragon ball in her arms like it's the most precious thing imaginable. When the screams stop she halts. Her ears twitch, listening closely for what follows. Only a deafening silence remains. Neither the wind nor the quaking planet are able to penetrate the thick walls.
The quiet finally allows her mind to wander. She realizes that beside her is a massive metal machine. It's ancient and shaped like the face of a very vile demon. Outward from it are hundreds of pipes. They seem to travel in every possible direction, each likely ending in a different room of the tower. Within the machine is without a doubt an evil of an unspeakable nature. She examines it long enough to keep her there for several seconds. It's the sound of running feet that take her back to reality.
Her eyes focus intently on the stairway the sound ascends from. A moment later, the battered and bleeding Moori bolts into the room. Three dragon balls sit snug in his arms. His dread and misery are all that remains on his face.
As soon as he notices Videl he comes to an abrupt stop. All he can let out are frightened gasps. Her emotionless eyes pierce through her bloody face. It's an image identical to the one he'd just run from. The girl doesn't even flinch. She stands completely still, daring him to come closer.
With trembling legs, he takes a few steps back. The moment he hears the encroaching feet behind him, he stops in his tracks. After several seconds, the demon finally emerges. He only glaces at Moori for a moment before having his attention stolen by the girl across the room.
"Little one, we meet again."
Zeeun remains as emotionally detached as ever. His body is now covered in scars and blood. Some his, but mostly that of others. It is clear that the Namekians did not go down without a fight. Videl doesn't humor him with a response. Instead, her eyes only care for the three dragon balls in Moori's arms.
Zeeun is not bothered. Realizing which room he now stands in, he makes his way over to the mouth of the machine. Moori's terrified eyes follow every step the demon makes. Ready to fight, Videl places her dragon ball onto the ground and kicks it behind her.
The demon begins to speak again. "Do you know for what purpose this cruel construct has been crafted?"
Videl's eyes briefly glance back at the massive device of her curiosity, but remains silent.
"It is the guardian of this tower. The fire it spews burns from the heart and into the soul. Love, compassion, empathy, these are among the things it feeds on. It is a weapon to erase the foolish."
After verbalizing his admiration, he plunges his hand into its mouth. Its eyes glow a blue hue while a growl emanates from every vent and along every pipe. A flash blinds the room, within an instant it's filled in its entirety with blue flames.
Videl doesn't even move a muscle, not a single flame scorches her. Moori screams in agony, the flames eat away at every inch of his body. Nobody comes to his rescue, instead the two present for his torture wait disinterestly for him to stop moving. The endless wall of flame only bounces off of their skin, no more threatening to them than air.
As Moori's body finally topples over, both Videl and Zeeun vanish. The crashing sound struggles to catch up with them when they collide. Their hands lock just above the stack of dragon balls, tying them into a battle of strength. To Zeeun's surprise, their power is equal. It's then that he notices that her eyes mirror the deadness of his own.
"How far have you come, child?"
After several more seconds of struggle, the two separate. Their feet remain planted, ready to re engage. Zeeun's fist is the first to swing back, it's deflected away by her arm. Videl backward-kickflips the demon's jaw in retaliation. No chants of Satan escape her lips. The space between them and the dragon balls grows after the attack.
Zeeun licks up the blood that had transferred from her foot to his mouth. "This blood, it is not yours. It tastes of innocence. You have done well, little one."
Videl cracks her neck, bored of his drivel.
"I had once told you that you were not worthy to be slug-jin, the you that stands before me has corrected that error in my judgement. The Demon Flame does not lie."
Videl dashes in for the dragon balls while the monster babbles. To her irritation, he had not been as distracted as he'd appeared. The demon is swift, intercepting the girl as she jumps. Having been blocked, she bounds off of his forearm. The moment her feet touch the ground she lunges right back. Her tackle takes the demon to his back. The two lay on the ground, one on top of the other.
Zeeun looks at her, though un-emoted, he is surprised. "You no longer carry any weakness. The one you call father chains you no more."
Videl hesitates, confused by what he says.
"You've abandoned him."
Videl rises to her feet, stomping upon the demon's gut. "I, Will never abandon my father. With these dragon balls, he will return. Even if I am someone he doesn't recognize, he will return. Even if he refuses to come back, I'll make him return."
"I see, I had misunderstood. It is not his body that you have abandoned. It is his will."
The words strike a cord with her. The images of all the things that she'd done on this horrible planet race through her head. She finally asks herself if it's even right for her to see him. She asks if she would even be able to face him while the Namekian child's blood soaks her skin.
And thus, like a bomb, the girl bursts. Her mind cannot protect her from her heart any longer. The flames finally crawl up her skin. The ribbons in her hair incinerate, allowing her hair to drop into the mange of a beast. She drops to the ground, bawling in agony.
Zeeun takes to his feet. He passes the girl and begins to grab the dragon balls from the ground. "You disappoint me. To die because of such a weak, foolish, and pathetic human."
Videl climbs back to her feet. The flames pain her, but are somewhat subdued compared to their initial flare. "That man, my father, was not weak, not foolish, and not pathetic! He was the hero called Hercule Satan! And he was a world champion wrestler!"
"Wrestling, is fake-"
The second that word rolls off of his tongue, a chilling coldness comes over him. The demon looks down to see a hole in his chest the size of the girl. His eyes slowly rise to see her standing with her back to him. She's hunched over like an animal, and his heart is in her hand. The scorch marks on her skin quickly fade, the fire no longer capable of touching the child. The demon topples over lifelessly.
Videl crushes the heart and rises to a more proper posture. She stands alone, surrounded by the dragon balls at her feet. The endless flames continue to engulf her, nestling her like a blanket. It's as if they mean to welcome her as one of their own.
Inside the throne room, Nail and Piccolo continue their repetitive struggle. Neither side shows any intent of giving in. Each time Nail is repulsed by Piccolo, he is healed by Dende. Lord Slug's life continues to slip. The shrieks and unnatural volcanic activity outside continues to ravage the planet as they battle. Dozens of snaking dragon heads climb the tower, searching for prey to consume.
Fearing the worst, Guru turns his pleas to Dende. "Please, Dende! You must hear me! Save this life! Save Namek!"
"Don't listen to him, Dende! He's lost his mind!" Nail tries his best to keep his brother from being swayed.
The boy quivers, wholly conflicted. "N-Nail! What if Grand Elder is right!?"
"What if he's not!"
Dende turns his gaze to the tearful Piccolo. "It's not right Nail! That boy wouldn't be crying if he was protecting the wrong person!"
Nail hesitates for the first time. "Dende, that monster. You can't be serious! If that demon gets back up, there's no stopping him! Whatever this guy and Grand Elder think will happen, it just won't!"
"I can't do nothing! This fighting is getting us nowhere! If Grand Elder believes in this, then so will I!"
A tearful Dende rushes past Nail.
"Stop! Dende, no!"
Both Piccolo's and Guru's extended arms wrap around Nail, keeping him from pursuing his brother. Dende finally makes it to Slug. His breathing is faint, but still steady. Dende presses his palms against the king of demons.
Slug's eyes meet only darkness. His feet touch solid stone as he walks. The silence and emptiness goes beyond unnatural. Soon a dim light begins to glow. Before long, Slug realizes he's standing in his throne room. Keeping his eyes on the ground, he makes his way over to where the throne itself sits. When he finally reaches it he nearly jumps. A pair of legs wearing rugged brown shoes already occupy the seat. His eyes jump to meet the stranger who steals his domain.
A menacing Namekian face stares back at him. Their body is massive, towering over even him.
"Who the hell are you, and what are you doing in my chair!" Slug growls at the intruder viciously.
"Who am I? Don't you recognize your own boy?"
"My boy? You mean Piccolo? Nice try, but my eyes haven't gone so bad that I'd mistake a jackass like you for the fellow."
The massive Namekian rises from the seat. His dominant presence puts Slug in a defensive state. He now sees the person clearly. He wears a thick robe with the symbol demon marking the chest as an emblem.
"I asked you, who the hell are you? I don't want to hear any more games."
"I've answered you truthfully, I am Piccolo. Though it seems the boy doesn't want to see it that way."
Slug starts to understand. He'd felt the presence in front of him before. He knows what the Piccolo in front of him says is true. It was the whole reason he'd even considered the boy as a successor. That evil nature, trapped away, hidden, forgotten.
"So why are you here?"
"I'm here to shame you."
"Shame me!? I'll snap you like a twig!"
"Hahahaha! The way you are now, I doubt that very much."
Slug growls in protest. "What's that supposed to mean!"
"Just look at your chest." The wicked Piccolo raises his finger to the wound from the Demon Fire. "You're no longer fit to lead a demon clan. Your affection for the boy has tainted you."
Slug's face becomes serious. He puts his hand on the wound. No fighting words mutter from his mug. He hates that wound. He hates it more than anything. It's despicable to him. It makes him sick. The flame that burns imposters. The flame... that consumed his father.
"If you want to be worthy of leading the boy, you must cast him aside. Kill your weakness, or I'll kill you."
Piccolo will kill you. That's what Slug understands, and he's not about to let that happen.
Outside, Dende continues to heal the demon king.
"This scar, it's not going away."
"Worry not, young Dende. It would be more concerning if it did."
"Uh!"
"What is it, child?"
"It… It's gone!"
Guru's gut drops. He feels the impending danger. He cannot react in time, nobody can. Slug's arm moves far too swift. In a single swipe the little Namekian is taken by the throat. In the same motion, the hand crumples in. Piccolo, Nail, and Guru are frozen by the same horrible image. Without any warning, Dende's little head separates from his body.