Having finished their meal, Beerus and Whis followed Bulma's instructions, and headed towards the lift. Like many things on Earth now, it was made of the solid-light MatterWaves, and once the duo stepped onto the platform, lifted through through a tube — which was made of solid reinforced glass, a rarity on Earth nowadays, and led them to the top floor. As Bulma told them, there was a well-dressed usher waiting to take them to their seats. Beerus and Whis were, all things considered, impressed with the showmanship of the event.
"For a human contest. it's exquisitely constructed," said Whis, looking down at the gigantic arena, the barrier that covered it, and the floating stands confined above them. "That Bulma really put hard work into this."
"I didn't expect to be quite so well received," said Beerus as the usher showed them into their row of seats. "A lot of planets in this Universe seem to lack basic humility, after all."
"Would the Universe not reflect the God?" replied Whis sardonically, earning a grimace from the Hakaishin.
As the two found their seats, the woman sitting on their immediate left was a black haired woman, with a young, blonde haired child sitting on her lap. It was Chi-Chi and Pen. The two were chatting as well as an adult and child could, with the little girl excitedly pointing towards the ring, asking when the next match was going to start. The black haired woman had to assure the child it would be 'soon', with the vagueness of trying to avoid a question they couldn't answer. She looked over at the duo, as if just realising they'd arrived.
"Hm...? You two are new here, aren't you?" inquired the black-haired woman. "And a bit late, we've already gone through several rounds."
"We're special guests," replied Whis cheerfully.
"Friends of Vegeta," replied Beerus offhandedly. "Mrs. Vegeta let us into the Tournament despite our tardiness, you see. My name is Beerus, and this here is my attendant, Whis."
"Attendant?" repeated Chi-Chi. "So you're someone real important?"
"Very much so," said Whis. "So, what is this Tournament? We've never see an Earth competition like this."
"Aliens? I should have known, you don't look like any Earthlings I've seen," Chi-Chi noted. "This is the Tenka'ichi Budōkai, and it's an annual tournament held here on Earth. Bulma — Mrs. Vegeta? — is the organiser. My sons are competing in the Budōkai, so when it's their turn in the fina; round, you'll really see a show!"
"Oh?" Beerus' ears twitched. "Are your sons powerful by any chance?"
"My oldest is the strongest man on the planet!" replied Chi-Chi proudly. "No, I bet he's the strongest man in the Universe! I didn't want him fighting at first, but it seems we couldn't help it in the end...but he's my son, and I used to be a martial artist myself. I'm proud of him."
Beerus' eye twitched slightly, but having been so well-fed, and the fact that the woman wasn't speaking out directly against him, he reigned himself in. "The strongest in the Universe you say? That's a bold claim, woman. There aren't many with enough pride to make that foolish announcement...beyond a Saiyan."
"Well, both my boys are Saiyans," said Chi-Chi as if it was obvious. She patted the head of her granddaughter, ruffling an already unruly head of blonde hair. "So's this one. My youngest son ain't a slouch either, you know. He takes after his Dad." She smiled, and said almost to herself, "Gokū really would be proud of how they turned out."
"Saiyans?" Beerus turned his head fully, interest finally crossing his face. "And 'Gokū', did you say? All of that is very suspicious."
Chi-Chi returned to stare in confusion. "You know my husband too?"
"Only by reputation, I assure you," said Beerus. "But tell me...for someone who has married a Saiyan, and even conceived progeny with them...did he ever once mention a 'Super Saiyan God'?"
"Not really," said the widow. "To be honest, I didn't care much for Super Saiyans — still don't — so I barely know anythin' about a Super Saiyan, let alone a 'god'. Though Vegeta always did seem to think he was one, but I don't think that's the answer you're after."
Beerus slumped in visible disappointment, heaving a sigh.
Whis leaned over. "It's starting to look more and more like your premonition was a bit off base, isn't it Lord Beerus?"
"Shut it, Whis!"
"Beerus and Whis," repeated Chi-Chi. "It's a pleasure to meet you both. I'm Chi-Chi, and this is Pen."
"Heya!" Pen chirped, waving with a bright smile on her face. Her casual manner was so like her grandfather, but on someone so small, it rolled back over into being endearing, rather than rude. The Hakaishin and attendant smiled back, acknowledging the eagerness of the young child.
"It's a pleasure to meet you as well," said Whis, before turning back to the arena. "Now then...I do hope this Tenka'ichi Budōkai can hold our interest."
"So it's my turn next?" Trunks muttered. With the intermission lasting longer than one had expected, he'd had plenty of time to wind down and try and assess his own battle from every perspective. And he had to admit he'd come up blank. Goten had an advantage having gone into the battle against Rayo, as he'd competed in the previous Tenka'ichi Budōkai, but Mifune was a total unknown. Trunks cast a glance towards the woman, and realised just how odd she looked. It wasn't her near vampiric appearance — the pale skin and stark black hair — that clashed with her odd traditional method of dress that made her feel so out of place.
It was the fact that he felt nothing but confidence exuding from this woman. His blue eyes narrowed. She didn't feel like she would lose at all. He could sense that completely. And such self-confidence was...bothersome. As Trunks was lost in thought, Videl walked over to him.
"Nervous?" inquired the woman.
"About dozens of things, honestly," Trunks replied. "This entire Gohan situation is bothering all of us, and he isn't back yet. Then there's the fact that I should be overseeing the development of the elevator, but I agreed to come to the Tenka'ichi Budōkai at Mother's insistent. And my actual opponent is also an issue—"
Cutting directly across Trunks' ramblings, Videl placed both arms around his shoulders, looking up at him with a smile that she could never have worn ten years ago. Her headband hadn't been picked back up, so the 'M' on her forehead was shining brightly, but it did nothing to detract from the beauty that her smile added to her face. "Well, you can start by calming down, hm? Focus on one thing at a time. We're at the Budōkai, right? So keep your mind on your opponent. Gohan's an adult. He can handle himself. Your grandfather will handle the company while you're away. Right now, you're not my strapping businessman. You're Trunks, the Saiyan Prince. Right?"
Trunks was stunned into silence, and placed his hands on Videl's hips, pulling her in slightly. "You're right. I'll keep my mind on the target."
Their sweet moment, however, was otherwise interrupted when Piccolo emerged from the lounge room, looking thoroughly stressed. Videl looked from her boyfriend to her teacher when an expression of concern, and Piccolo quickly motioned for the members of the Dragon Team to flock to him. With a mixture of curiosity and anxiety on their faces, they heeded. Goten, Trunks, Videl, Tenshinhan, Yamcha, and No. 18 — the latter albeit reluctantly — followed. The only ones who were not present were Gohan and Erasa, who were at the Kaiōshin Realm, and Quirka, who had most likely fled to her mistress after her battle.
"Piccolo, what's up?" asked Yamcha. "You look bothered."
"I'll be blunt," replied Piccolo. "We have a problem, and it isn't a small one. The Hakaishin Beerus has arrived on Earth."
The reaction was as would be expected. Earthlings were generally unfamiliar with the expanded Universe, even now. Out of the entire group, only Piccolo knew what the Hakaishin was, and had any grasp of what the situation meant. So to see everyone staring at him blankly was, to be honest, expected, so he wasn't frustrated. It would be, however, time for a short explanation. "I'm going to be as quick as I can; the Hakaishin, as the name implies, a god who governs destruction. They're the opposite of the Sōzōshin, the Kaiōshin, who govern creation."
"Duality," muttered Tenshinhan. "A concept present in all things, it makes sense that it would manifest itself within the gods as well."
"Yes," continued Piccolo. "The issue is that Gohan tried to fight the Hakaishin, Lord Beerus, and was completely defeated."
Following this statement, the reaction from Piccolo's comrades was far more satisfying. It was a mixture of gasps and statements of disbelief. To the likes of Yamcha and Tenshinhan, they'd met 'gods' before, but they had surpassed each and every god in strength; Gokū had achieved the same feat at a younger age. For Gohan — by far the strongest out of all of them — to be utterly defeated by a god was hard to wrap their heads around.
"You would think Gohan would have had more sense," said No. 18. "I thought I had the measure of him, but to rashly fight someone like that..."
"What about Erasa?" interjected Videl. "She was with Gohan, is she alright?"
"Is my brother dead?! What happened, Piccolo?!" shouted Goten.
"Everyone calm down!" said the Nameccian, now finally irate. "Gohan is alive. Erasa should be fine. I heard this information directly from Lord Kaiō. If they were dead, he would have told me. We have our own problems now. I don't know where Beerus is, I merely know he's here, on Earth." He groaned. "You'll know if you meet him; mortals can't sense the ki of a deity. Lord Kaiōshin was the same way. If you encounter someone strange, and you cannot feel their ki, do not act rashly and do not treat them with disrespect. Lord Beerus will leave our planet in peace so long as he is treated with the respect worthy of a Hakaishin."
It was absurd.
The group had woken up today expecting to compete in Bulma's Tenka'ichi Budōkai. They had not expected the arrival of a temperamental god. Much less, the fact that Gohan had challenged this god and lost was even more absurd.
"It should be simple enough," said Trunks. "We're reasonable people, the lot of us. To treat this Beerus with respect might probably be the easiest thing we've ever done to keep Earth safe."
As the group continued to speak to each other, off in the corner of the room, the cloaked Kisuka glanced at their discussion, his expression and face otherwise obscured beneath his attire. He said nothing, but was unnaturally fixing his attention on the Dragon Team as a whole. Yet this went unnoticed by any of them.
The intermission finally came to a conclusion, and the announcer stepped back into the air, microphone aloft. "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE! After that intermission, we assume everyone has had a good meal, taken care of possible restroom issues, and otherwise done their best to formulate a strategy! With the help of Ms. Bulma, the barrier that covers the stage has been reinforced, and we are free to continue the matches! So let's start the fifth round! Mifune vs. Trunks!"
With their names called by the announcer, Mifune and Trunks made their way towards the MatterWave lift which led to the arena. The two pairs of feet clattered to the MatterWave tiles with differing weights, and the opponents took their stations at opposite ends of the arena. Trunks clenched his gloved fists, ready for the call to action. Mifune, meanwhile, made no motion whatsoever.
"Trunks competed in the previous Tenka'ichi Budōka as a boy, and won the Youth Division! The son of Bulma, our proprietor, he is also the current president of Capsule Corporation! It isn't every day you see brains and brawn in one body!"
Trunks grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.
"Mifune, however, is a complete enigma! She isn't an Earthling, but she's deliberately kept her origins a secret! What surprises will she give us?!"
The announcer picked up his mike, and spun it around before snapping his fingers. "Fighting fans, the competitors have made it into the arena! LET'S GO AHEAD!"
Mifune inclined her head backwards and took in a deep breath. "I suppose I was lucky to have been selected for competition after so many strong opponents made showing before me," she said, her body giving off a faint glow that quickly diffused. "I can feel it...the living, flowing aura contained within this barrier have only been strengthened." She continued to breathe in deeply, causing Trunks to cast her a look of concern mixed with trepidation. Mifune then placed her hand onto the hilt of the bokutō tied to her waist, and pulled it free of the sash. "Let us dance then, Earthling."
Trunks could tell that something was off about this woman. Not merely here mannerisms — which could be chalked up to a cultural divide between two planets — but her aura. From the moment she took her first breath in this arena, her aura had begun to fluctuate and quickly shift. One moment, it was normal, but then it would suddenly spike, before completely resetting its 'values'. She's the sort of opponent I'd rather have fought in the semi-finals, after having watched at least once, he thought, but then quickly chastised himself for those very same thoughts.
Battle isn't always so clean-cut. It isn't easy. The opponent is almost always an unknown variable, and the times to plan out a method to incapacitate an opponent whose moves are well-known don't always present themselves. Firmly, the Saiyan-half nodded. "Yeah. Let's battle!"
A battle cry with an oddly cute accent escaped Mifune's mouth, and she launched herself forward for the first strike. Her movements oddly ethereal, she seemed to cross the surface of the arena with the grace of a figure skater. Bokutō kept in a firm grip, she thrust forward with the obvious intent to impale Trunks' head through. Reacting instinctively, Trunks' leaned to the right, raising his arm and pushing the blade away with his wrist. Mifune wasn't perturbed, and slipped the wooden substitute sword back, following-up with a single downward stroke onto Trunks' crown.
The half-Saiyan's eyes widened, and he flung himself into the air, practically flipping to avoid the strike. His eyes widened when he skidded backwards and saw that it was a very good thing his body was afraid. On impact with the MatterWave surface, the flooring practically exploded, sending the holographic tiling flying into the air. It shattered and crumbled to nothingness, but the damage was done. Beneath Mifune's strike was a massive crater, and MatterWave particles still rose from it like dust.
She's...insanely strong! Trunks thought in a panic. There's no way she's Earthling, but what sort of alien does that with a bokutō?
In the stands, Beerus and Whis were watching the battle with vested interest. The Hakaishin, perhaps, enjoying watching Trunks dance away from the woman who flung her blade with such grace, but Whis was genuinely interested in the goings on below. A smile crept upon his face, and in his airy tone, he spoke. "It would appear the young prince is having trouble against this woman. Though I suppose that's to be expected. The Aarenians of planet Edo aren't to be underestimated. I didn't think we'd see one fighting here."
"Aarenian?" inquired Chi-Chi, looking at the two with confusion. "Planet Edo? So you're sayin' she's an alien?"
"That's precisely what I'm implying," replied Whis. "And if you watch her closely, you'll be in for a treat. The Aarenians have a unique fighting style among the races in this Universe."
Mifune rushed Trunks once more, casually treating the crater she'd formed as an everyday occurrence. The Saiyan-half formed a sphere of ki within his palm, and flung the blast forward. Mifune sliced it apart with ease, resulting in two separate explosions that fizzled quickly. All things considered, the match had barely started but Trunks was at a disadvantage. He wasn't versed in swordplay, and unlike Videl and Erasa, couldn't conjure a ki sabre; it wasn't a technique suited to his style.
Ruefully, he thought that Gotenks most likely could do that sort of thing easily, but this was hardly the time to dwell on what-ifs. Instead, he cupped his hands at his sides, and an orange sphere began to form within the spaces between his palms. It flowed like flames, and emanated the same light and heat that one would expect from a roaring conflagration, yet it was contained by Trunks' will. The showcase was enough to make Mifune halt, and the woman stared at him with curiousity.
"This is my own special variation of Muten Rōshi's signature!" He thrust his cupped hands forward, and the burning orb exploded into a blaze that engulfed Mifune. "Burning Kamehameha!" The inferno flashed, attempting to torch opponent and ring alike. The crowd gasped let out a gasp.
"Elemental control through ki," mused Whis. "Certainly a rare talent. The humans of the lower realm never do cease to come up with ingenious ways to utilise their ki."
"It would be more impressive if it had worked," replied Beerus lazily, gesturing towards the arena. The blaze which had ignited the whole arena had just been sliced in half by a powerful compressed blast of wind. At the head of this blast was Mifune, who was untouched by the Burning Kamehameha. Even her sword, which seemed to have been made of wood, shone after slicing apart flames, rather than having been harmed.
"You...took the blast without damage," muttered Trunks, blinking in surprise. "And you cut fire with a wooden sword. I'm starting to lose the ability to maintain my suspension of disbelief with you."
"You need not be surprised," said Mifune. "This bokutō in my possession is known as 'Amaotoshi' on my home planet of Edo. It is carved from the tree with special bark, bathed in the holy waters of the Yūbu no Aragami." She brought the wooden blade up to eye level, and turned it flat so that it faced Trunks. "It is set apart from the wooden swords used by the small children. The very will of Edo's gods are imprinted onto this weapon; it will not chip so easily."
The Saiyan-half took it all in without ignoring a single word. It wasn't out of respect, at least not entirely. He'd seen enough strange things as a child to know that whatever Mifune said certainly held water. The way that sword shone, despite being made of wood. Its strange properties and her proficiency when wielding it. There was no doubt that the sword had at least one god working for it. He clenched his fists, and veins appeared on the sides of his forehead. His irises contracted, and the Saiyan-half let out a violent shout. There was an explosion of golden ki, his lavender-tresses lengthening as they stood on end, dying the lavender a brilliant gold. His blue eyes flashed green, burning with their new emerald hue. The golden flames of his aura licked at his body, rising high.
Mifune gasped, shocked. "This transformation...I have seen it before. What is it?"
"I'm a chicken," replied Trunks, his smile betraying the sarcasm. "This is my too-chicken transformation state."
"You are a funny man," replied Mifune. She gripped her bokutō, and settled into a partial crouch, bending both of her knees. She drew back her left arm, and extended the right limb forward. With her left hand, Mifune gripped the end of the bokuto's hilt. The tips of her fingers just barely resting near the end of the blade, the wooden blade glinted. "But I cannot be distracted by mere attempts at humour." Her face set, expression stony and her eyes glazed over. There was but a brief silence, followed by a complete explosion — the result of Mifune having moved.
Despite his Super Saiyan form, Trunks realised one thing; he could only barely see the woman's movements. She was lunging for him in a straight line, and when she neared him, her arm shot forward in a powerful thrusting blow. He leapt aside with great haste, and the woman's slim form just barely passed him by. He turned to see where she had shot forward from, and was astonished to see that Mifune had carved a small trench in the MatterWave arena.
Sliding to a stop, Mifune stood up and turned, looking at Trunks with bemused approval. "You avoided the certain-killing Issen strike." She looked at her sword, and then back at him. "What is the phrase you Earthlings have? The milk that is spilt does not cry out afterwards?"
Trunks blinked rapidly, and stifled a chuckle. She had such difficulty stringing their language together, and yet could kill him if she landed a blow correctly. "That's...almost correct."
"This is amazing, fight fans!" crowed the announcer. "We're seeing another Super Saiyan so soon, but Mifune has Trunks on the run! Is his transformation pointless?!"
In the stands, Beerus inclined his head with a jerking motion. "Another Super Saiyan, yet no God..." he muttered to himself. "It seems you weren't off the mark, Whis. The adult Saiyans can use this transformation."
"Indeed," replied Whis airily. "Though the announcer may be off his mark to judge the transformation as useless. The 'Issen' technique is incredibly lethal, when used in the correct application. Had the young Prince not transformed when he did, that would have been the end of this match. Now...will those enhanced senses let him see the opening in Ms. Mifune's 'certain-kill' technique?"
She's incredibly fast...! Trunks thought, eyeing Mifune carefully as she adopted her stance again, reducing herself from her less-than-impressive full height to the combat stance of the 'Issen' technique. I've already been pushed so far as a Super Saiyan, and yet I can just barely read her movements. Isn't the Super Saiyan supposed to be stronger than this?!
"—don't get complacent just because we're Saiyans."
Gohan's words from Erasa and Videl's match rang out in Trunks' head. He was slipping up. Just because he was a Saiyan did not guarantee a victory. Did he believe he could simply rest on his laurels because of his heritage? The image of Vegeta flashed through his mind; his father, the former Prince of the Saiyans. The man had carried himself with pride, but he was also arrogant. As a child, Trunks had idolised Vegeta, and he couldn't bring himself to this realisation: that his father had been a flawed man. Time and time again, he had been confident in the fact that, because he was a Saiyan, he couldn't lose.
But fate had proven his father wrong, and Trunks had come to see Vegeta's flaws as he grew older, and yet now, he was seeing them in himself. If he looked into a mirror, he may very well have seen his father. From his fights onward, he would have to be different. He was the current Prince of the Saiyans. He would carry the torch of the line of Vegeta in his own way. Trunks' clenched his fists, and his aura began to rise and crackle. The emerald eyes he possessed shone bright, and he watched Mifune carefully.
"Come, Mifune! Let me show you how a Saiyan fights!"
"Very well," she replied. "Then I will be showing you the style of Edo." With the force of a mighty explosion, she rocketed towards Trunks, her blade held aloft. His eyes working overtime, Trunks observed her as closely as he could whilst avoiding the technique. Her blade rushed past him, cutting the air with immense strength. He could feel a trickle of fear even as he tried to piece together how to stop this technique. Mifune slid, barely halting herself and turning towards Trunks once more.
His gi slit in the torso section, and he realised just how closely he had come to losing the match right then and there.
But...I think I'm starting to see what her weakness is... He stole a glance at her through the flames of his aura. Each time, she adopted the same stance, identical down to the simplest placement of the fingers. It was a methodical straight jab of the blade performed with her left arm. Which meant that her weakness would be... I've got it! This time, I'll turn the tables! Trunks stood still, and waited. He neither adopted a stance nor changed posture. If this counter was to go off correctly, he needed the timing to be correct.
"Is this your resolve?" inquired Mifune. "Or is this a surrender?"
"Did that ever come out of my mouth?" replied the Super Saiyan. "Come on. I've got your number now." He grinned.
The alien woman frowned. It was the most basic of traps, but she decided she would call his bluff anyway. Mifune gripped her bokutō, and settled into a partial crouch, bending at the knees. She drew back her left arm, and extended the right arm forward. With her left hand, Mifune gripped the end of the bokuto's hilt. The tips of her digits just barely rested near the end of the blade, and it glimmered with the intent to strike. The ground cracked beneath her straw sandals, and she launched herself forward.
Now!
In response to Mifune's movement, Trunks reacted, and charged forward, taking flight close to the ground. She closed in with unimaginable speed, but he kept his eyes located solely on her right side. His fingers flexed, and between the digits formed a single sphere — a basic kikōha. He inclined his body towards her right side, and when she was close to passing over him, swung his arm upwards. The kikōha struck home, and it was followed by a large explosion. The two were knocked away from each other, tumbling across the arena to either sides.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I can't believe what I'm seeing! In mere moments, Trunks was able to counterattack Ms. Mifune's strike!" called out the announcer. "Either that, or the floor is laced with nitroglycerin but my Zeni isn't on it!"
The two combatants emerged from separate trailing plumes of smoke, the resulting obscuring screens trailing from their bodies. Trunks' shoulder had been lacerated, but it was shallow. Blood pooled down his arm, dripping onto the MatterWave tiles. He winced, glancing at his fresh injury. On the other side of the arena, it could be said that Mifune was faring better. The entirety of her right side had been struck with the kikōha, and it had done considerable damage to her kosode. The right sleeve was missing in its entirety, and her arm on that same side had suffered a considerable burn.
Yet Trunks, who had suffered a strike from her blade, was in danger of blood loss. She only had to contend with pain.
The Saiyan-half, however, was undettered. He ripped a portion of his gi, from his collar to his torso, and tied it around his lacerated shoulder as tightly as he could, pulling the knot together with his teeth. The pressure would keep the blood from flowing out, at least for now.
"You are tenacious," said Mifune, shaking her bokutō to the side, the blood at its edge hitting the MatterWave tiles, splashing in an arc. "I cannot say that I expected one of the Earthling blood to rendered my technique a transparency. That my vulnerability while performing the 'Issen' was my body's other side. My centre is electrified, Earthling."
Trunks stifled a snicker yet again, and forced a dignified expression. "I'm grateful, to be honest, to have fought someone like you." The smoke had completely cleared from them both, and Trunks adopted a combat stance. "My head was clouded, but you've helped me clear the skies. A new sun is shining, thanks to you. I never imagined I'd have an opponent like you here."
Mifune smiled. "The sun shines, you say? I suppose that is all well and so. Then allow me to bring down the night sky." Her smile faded as her expression turned serious. "You are a strong man. Trunks, that was your name yes? I will reveal to you my desperation technique. I am sure you felt it, did you not? The fluctuation of my spirit when I entered this battleground?"
The fluctuation of her spirit...her ki! That's right. It was so vastly adjusting itself I couldn't get a proper read on it. I'd almost forgotten, just trying to fend her off.
"We from Edo are unique. Out world is a battlefield. Individuals from clans war against each other, in the name of their families, in the name of their countries, and the land is laden with corpses," She gripped Amaotoshi, and stabbed the arena with it. The entire side of her's began to crack, dust and the like exploding into the air before fading away into MatterWave particles. "But our bodies have developed to be suited for such tragedy. We of Edo have bodies of war. We take from the battlefield that which was left behind, and make it our own."
In the stands, Whis was smiling. "This is where it comes in. The secret of those from Edo."
"I don't do much fightin' anymore, but what do you mean the 'secret'?" inquired Chi-Chi.
"All battles leave 'shadows' in their wake," explained Whis. "Ambient traces of ki that linger in the air for quite some time. Even if one does not discharge ki intentionally, it always leaks out. It is a flaw, even among some of the greatest fighters. This ki that coats the battlefield persists for some time, before becoming one with the environment as new life energy. And if one possesses the ability...it can be used as a weapon. This is the power of those from Edo."
Resting her hand on the hilt of her sword, Mifune breathed in deeply. Raising her left hand, she placed it above her head ever so slightly resting away from her forehead. "This is the secret technique of those from Edo, Trunks. You shall be the first of another world to lay eyes on this technique: Isō." What was previously invisible — ki that permeated the air around them — became visible as it seemed to all be siphoned by Mifune's very presence. The ki glowed a stellar white, and it coalesced around the woman's face and shoulders. The ki began to take shape, that of a semi-solid, utterly daemonic mask-like feature covering the entirely of Mifune's visage. The trails of ki spread from her face downward, covering her shoulders in the strange shroud. Her eyes were now a glowing, vivid red, part of the mask of ki she now wore.
What...what is this?! Trunks' eyes widened like saucers, and the Saiyan-half could only stand in astonishment at the change that had occurred in Mifune. Her ki isn't fluctuating now...it's stabilised, and her signature is utterly enormous.
The black-clothed woman moved, and when she did, Trunks saw nothing. He only felt the hilt of her weapon touch his stomach, and he was sent flying. He crashed into the barrier that protected the audience, and fell down towards the ground on the outside of the ring. His golden aura trailed like a comet's tail, yet before the Prince of the Saiyans made contact, he released a kiai that stopped him short. His aura flaring, Trunks dashed back into the arena to face Mifune.
Her expression behind the mask was unknown, but when Trunks landed, one could imagine she was surprised. "You survived, you did? I was not mistaken; your body stepped back on instinct when I struck you with my sword. Had the attack made contact with you directly, you would have been sleeping peacefully. Come, Trunks. Our true battle begins now."
A/N: So this chapter wound up taking longer than I intended, but I eventually did manage to cobble it together. Not gonna lie, I got distracted this month. I'm 90% sure I am the last person on Earth with internet access to have discovered Boku no Hero Academia and fallen in love with it, but yeah, that's been like one been distraction lol. Anyway, I hope you all like this chapter. The arc is going to be coming to a head very soon, it's already longer than my past arcs and I am surprised. So let's get into the nitty gritty, eh? Aarenian is a pun on nagare (流れ, flow) referencing how Mifune's power is determined by controlling the flow of ambient ki within the area. 'Edo' is more self-explanatory; her attire resembles the culture of ancient Japan, and the planet she comes from has this culture as well.
"Amaotoshi" (天堕) means "Heavenly Fall". Yūbu no Aragami (勇武の荒神) means "Tempestuous God of Valour". Both of these are Naruto references, specifically to one of Sasuke's techniques from the game and another name for the Susanoo. Now a really fun fact? Her shroud is meant to be similar to a Hollow mask...so IMAGINE MY SURPRISE in Boku no Hero Academia when Tokoyami displayed a NEAR IDENTICAL ABILITY. I swear, I had not gotten to that part yet.
Trunks' Burning Kamehameha (烈火かめはめ波, Rekka Kamehameha; lit. Raging Fire Kamehameha) is based on the Kamehameha from Buu's Fury, that Kid Trunks could use. Sort of a nod to how the hell this story got started in the first place, as I came up with the idea while playing that game.
So, with my author's notes, I'll be introducing a new section that'll appear about as frequently as I can manage it until I exhaust all options. I'm calling it the Character Bios. Section. So, this chapter's entry for the Character Bios. section:
Name: Videl
Age: 27
Blood-type: O
Birthdate: Age 757
Height: 157 cm (5'2")
Weight: 47 Kg (103 lbs)
Zodiac Sign: Aries/Tiger
Favorite Foods: Okonomiyaki & Caesar Salad
Marital Status: Unmarried; dating the Trunks of the present
Martial Arts School: Demon School
Master: Piccolo
Likes: Martial Arts Training, fighting strong opponents
Dislikes: Son Gohan (originally), losing in battle.
Basic Trivia:
*Has known Erasa since they were children. Professionally trained in martial arts from a young age, and thus had a natural proficiency when she trained to learn how to harness her own skills.
*Her mother, Miguel, died when she was young, leaving her to be raised primarily by Mr. Satan's various household staff.
*Originally, she was meant to be killed off in earlier portions of the story, but the author had so much fun writing her that he kept her in. He now considers her to be his favorite character to write.
*Ranking her strength among the individual members of the Dragon Team — discounting characters such as Beerus or Whis — the author places Videl as the fourth strongest.
*Videl wants to fight Erasa and Son Gokū.
As always, a big thanks to Demod20 for proofing the chapter. I will see you all soon in the next exciting episode of the Erased Chronicles.