Freshly having entered her Benijuzu state, Erasa stared off against the effigy of her father-in-law. Her slim hand was wrapped around his bulkier one, and he registered no emotion. Erasa, however, saw so much of her husband in the Clone-Gokū's face, causing her to hesitate slightly. The Clone-Gokū took his chance, wrenching his fist from her's; in seconds, he formed and released a blast of ki. Erasa pooled the orbs that formed her halo — taking three of them — and spread them out in front of her, creating a triangular barrier. Clone-Gokū's kikōha collided with her shield and exploded, denting the ground but leaving the red-headed woman otherwise untouched.
Countering immediately, Erasa pulled two orbs back, concentrating on the singular strength of only one. Gripping it in her hands, Erasa thrust it forward; it collided with Clone-Gokū's stomach, drilling into flesh and cloth. Exploding, the blast forced Clone-Gokū backwards, a decent ways away from Chi-Chi's home. Leaping wide, Erasa followed the arc of his movement, landing neatly where he crashed. Her dark black eyes blinked, taking in the sight of the Gokū-effigy rising from the dirt.
"Truth be told, I've wanted to fight you for some time, Father," Erasa said conversationally. "But this isn't quite what I had in mind. Never a fight to the death." She could rationalise that it wasn't Son Gokū who stood before her. That much was easy. No matter how he looked like him in the face, the Son Gokū radiated a certain energy that attracted everyone in a room to him. He had the kind of presence that made you feel at home, even when you barely knew him. This fake was nothing like that. But the fact that he wore Son Gokū's face perturbed Erasa a little. Gohan's father was family, and she didn't take well to the idea of having to harm her family.
The Clone-Gokū, having regained its composure, immediately rushed to move forward. Erasa readied her guard, only to be surprised when the clone flew right past her. Turning on her heel, Erasa saw Clone-Gokū heading back in the direction she'd sent him away from; the East Mountain District 439. With speed surpassing anything Erasa had shown to this point, her body moved without thinking; throwing herself in front of the Clone-Gokū's path, her hesitation had vanished, and she brought a black-clad knee crashing into the false Saiyan's chest. Unfaltering, Erasa flipped in the air, her heel crashing down Clone-Gokū's skull. He rocketed into the ground like a meteor, only to flip like a cat and land on all fours.
Erasa descended to the ground, the windy mountain air whipping her crimson locks viciously. "I'm going to have to ignore my own heart then. My precious daughter and her grandmothers are resting over there, Father. I won't be letting you past me." The Clone-Gokū, while it didn't seem to register her words, did register her willingness to fight. Crouching, it adopted a stance unlike that of a martial artist; hands clenched like claws, hanging low to the ground, and a face flickered with the expression of anticipation.
"Cell created you to be a monster, didn't he?" asked Erasa, though she knew better than to expect an answer. "To rile up my husband, I assume." Both hands were brought up to her sides, her crimson ki flaring to life. "Did Cell count on the fact that he's angered me as well?!" A vacuum of ki burst forth from Erasa's arm, which she'd thrust forward; the standard Demon School manoeuvre, a crushing Shockwave.
Clone-Gokū withstood the wave, bracing himself against its force and parting it with his bare hands. His eyes darted from Erasa to the horizon behind her, clearly intent on slipping past her and making his way back towards the East Mountain District 439 at the earliest opportunity. This didn't slip past Erasa's notice, her black eyes tracking his strange movements to the best of her ability. Warily, Erasa continued to eye the duplicate of her father-in-law. She had the sneaking suspicion that it was capable of more than basic ki attacks. After all, this was an effigy of the Son Gokū.
As if the creature that wore Gokū's face could read her thoughts, it began to cup its hands at its sides. No words escaped its lips, but the Clone-Gokū didn't need to speak. Erasa could hear every word, as she used the technique herself. What bothered her most wasn't the fact that the duplicate Gokū was using the Kamehameha, however.
"He's too close to the surface!" Erasa yelled, leaping upwards to lure the Clone-Gokū's strike. It worked, and the Clone-Gokū thrust its arms into the air. A Super Kamehameha barreled towards her, brilliant in its blue hue, and the woman knew she had moments. The blast impacted her, lighting up the sky with its vivid colours. Lowering his arms, the Clone-Gokū disregarded whether or not his move had made contact; it began to make a mad dash towards the East District, following its single directive.
Kill them all.
His progress was stopped by the thundering of collisions; two red spheres crashed down, expanding and spiraling outwards. Clone-Gokū was overwhelmed by the violently rotating spheres, disappearing into the eerie red glow. Above him, Erasa floated, encased in a partial barrier she'd erected using four orbs; the square barrier had held well, staggeringly sturdy, yet the woman was trying to catch her breath. The effigy's Super Kamehameha had nearly overwhelmed her, only quick reflexes managing to save her.
Erasa didn't know if these false versions of fighters could feel emotion. As her orbs returned to their placement beside her back, however, she felt like Gokū's copy was beginning to feel the approximations of annoyance. Cell had most likely given it a directive, and she was proud to say that she was interfering rather completely with its ability to get anything done. "I'm going to demand every bit of your attention, so you may as well keep all of your senses on me," she said tersely.
The duplicate Saiyan titled his head so that it rested on his shoulder, quizzically staring at Erasa. She longed to know what was going on in its head; no opponent she'd ever fought had been this unpredictable, and Erasa had no idea how to cope. Even Whis had a method to his madness, she just never quite understood it. Erasa couldn't help but chuckle at her enigmatic teacher, remembering his mannerisms, even in the middle of the battle.
Whis...
That was right. Her lessons hadn't completely finished. He'd only so recently told Erasa precisely where she needed to improve her fighting style. Go no sen...Sen no sen...Sen sen no sen... She mulled the terms and what they signified over in her head, allowing her tongue to form the sounds as well. It didn't ease her enemies' apparent confusion, yet Erasa didn't care. She would need to focus; changing habits was far more difficult than one gave it credit for. Gokū's copy began to make its move, but Erasa was too fast for it.
Lunging forward, the crimson-haired, purple-clad woman struck Clone-Gokū first, her palm slamming his torso at full force. His eyes bulged, the air was forced from his lungs; Erasa had successfully stunned Clone-Gokū. Reaching for an orb, Erasa thrust it into the duplicate's shoulder. Pressing it, she expanded the size of the sphere into a swirling storm. Launching it forward, it ripped off the effigy's arm entirely. It wasn't the first time Erasa had seen an arm go flying, so she wasn't surprised by that.
No, she was surprised by the fact that when Clone-Gokū's arm had been ripped off, it wasn't normal blood that spurted from the wound. Purple ichor splurted from, painting the ground its hue. Erasa leapt back on instinct, suppressing revulsion with little success.
I've managed to cripple him, she thought, ignoring the pain that told her she was hurting Son Gokū. That's a first step, now if I can just land the finis—
SQUELCH!
That sickening sound tore through Erasa's thoughts. The Clone-Gokū yelled, a distorted, hair-raising scream; the purple ichor gave way to a pale liquid, preceding the eruption of an entirely new limb where the missing appendage had been. The Clone-Gokū flexed the arm, evidently testing it.
Erasa scowled. "He can regenerate. Of course he can." She was surprised to see that she wasn't surprised; regeneration wasn't common, and besides Piccolo, only Majin Bū had showcased a regeneration ability. At least out of the opponent she'd fought. But given what Gohan had told her of Cell, he had been created through gene splicing to create the ultimate hybrid, so he possessed the regenerative capabilities of Piccolo, only refined. So you don't just look like Father and have his abilities...but you've got something extra too.
She'd wanted to end it in a two-step strike, but evidently, she was still too green. And now her adversary was re-armed, with more than a chance to respond. And it took it. Gliding along the ground, more like a wild animal than a human, Clone-Gokū approached Erasa in one fluid movement. His fist struck her hard in the face, sending her reeling. What followed was a barrage of blows, Erasa bombarded by strikes of various kinds, pressuring her back. It lacked the refinement she expected from Son Gokū, but packed every bit of the power and then some, she was sure. The Clone-Gokū's eyes glowed vividly. Thin lines of ki erupted forth, narrowly missing Erasa, the woman leaning backwards to allow the beams to rush past.
Flight made many things easier, and counterattacking was certainly one. Erasa flipped, using her ability to levitate rather than making a leap, the toe of her black shoes colliding with Clone-Gokū's chin. His body lurched, Erasa's form circling to an upright position in less than the time it took for him to regain the lost breath her strike had forced out. Crushingly powerful, Erasa's forearm struck her opponent face first. Gripping him by the scruff of his gi, Erasa pulled and the body followed; her enemy soared over her body and, when she released him, well into the horizon. Flaring her crimson ki, Erasa followed.
Scenery blended together in Erasa's eyes, partially due to the sheer speed at which she moved, and also in part due to the single focus on the duplicate's ki. Her summation seemed to be spot on; she could feel a mixture of ki within this 'Gokū', from Vegeta, to Piccolo, to two ki signatures she didn't recognise, and then finally, more prominent than the rest, that of Son Gokū. This made it easier, allowed her to separate the enemy before her from her beloved's father. Steeling her face, Erasa cocked her fist back, coating it in ki. The incoming blow was parried by her quarry, who had spun around mid-air to receive it, and the ensuing sound was like a thunderclap.
It was clear now that Erasa had this Gokū's full attention. His eyes were locked on her, and this she had been hoping for. It'd be easier to concentrate on fighting him if she wasn't constantly trying to intercept him. The two continued to clash, the air exploding around them from the force of their blows. Neither would give, and neither seemed to tire, each having power to spare. Erasa felt her body knocked back by the clone, spiraling through the air. Consciously, the leader of the was taking the battle higher into the air, away from their precious blue planet's surface.
She broke through the clouds, avoiding an incoming strike from a pursuing Saiyan as she did so. High above the clouds, where the sunshine was brightest, it threw this Gokū's face into even greater relief; a blank stare, with the underlying desire to kill only barely visible. Erasa pulled an orb from behind her back, cupping it between her hands. My turn. The sphere began to glow, flashing vibrantly. "Ka...Me...Ha...Me..."
Recognizing the stance, Clone-Gokū moved to intercept Erasa.
He was too late.
"HA!" Thrusting both arms forward, a crimson blast of ki erupted from Erasa's palm. It was gargantuan in size, dwarfing the Super Kamehameha that the Clone-Gokū had used on her — released without restraint, power unabated, due to how high above the planet she'd taken them — yet it still impacted the surface below. The ground quaked and crumbled, rivers and lakes roared, and trees strained against their roots.
Both hands fought against the roar of energy, the Clone-Gokū keeping the crimson wave at bay as best he could. Stray energy streamed around his body, petering out as it got too far, and his vision was obscured by the crimson Kamehameha; he couldn't see his enemy. His own ki surged, rippling aroind his body. In a blinding, his hair stood on end, glowing gold, and his eyes lightened from onyx to emerald.
A Super Saiyan.
With the strength one expected from a Super Saiyan, Clone-Gokū pulled the blast away, curving it to arc upwards towards the heavens. Erasa eased up on the attack, allowing it to dissipate entirely rather than waste effort. Floating across from her was the shimmering form of the Super Saiyan. It took her only a moment to appreciate the fact that she'd never had a serious battle with one; any sparring match she'd had with Gohan never put either of them at risk, and she could handle the boys in a fight without worrying too much.
The duo began to clash once more; Erasa's fist was blocked by the palm of the Super Saiyan, only for her to strike him in the chin with an elbow blow. It repeated like this at multiple points, with Erasa and the mindless image that took on the form of Son Gokū bringing themselves back in to crash limbs into one another. The Clone-Gokū thrust one of his arms forward, stretching it forward. Like a peach-coloured snake, it extended, catching Erasa entirely off-guard; she knew it could regenerate like Piccolo, but to stretch its arms like he could?
Seems he's full of all sorts of surprises! Erasa didn't like to admit it, even as the arm grabbed her by the throat and carried her ever higher. The demented Super Saiyan moved with it, before returning it to its proper length — and bringing Erasa with it. He brought his free arm up at the side, releasing a potent blast of yellow ki at point blank range, exploding directly in Erasa's face. Coughing and spluttering in the face of the ensuing smoke, Erasa couldn't respond in time to block the solid hook to her jaw.
Raising an arm upwards, Erasa discharged a ki blast in self-defence, blasting the Clone-Gokū back. Settling into a stance once more, she prepared to resume combat. Her adversary had already recovered, bringing down a two-armed strike...which passed through Erasa harmlessly, revealing a flickering illusion in the image of the red-haired woman. Erasa, making stellar use of the Zanzōken, snuck around the clone, striking him hard in the back with her elbow. She threw all of her weight into bringing her knee into the Super Saiyan's back not once, not twice, but thrice, spinning backwards to bring her foot down.
One of the orbs poised at her back shifted to her palm, expanding and magnifying in size. Rotating violently, it gained a sharpened edge, becoming more of a spinning razor with a sphere at its centre. Erasa let the sphere loose, keeping her own distance as it smashed into the Clone-Gokū. The explosion was instant, a bomb that ignited the entirely sky with fire. Erasa was hoping this had done the damage needed to finish him off, only to be sorely disappointing when a flare of golden light proved her wrong. The planet began to shake, the entire globe quaking, even though neither one of the two was touching the ground.
The remnants of her attack was pushed away in all directions, striking shades of yellow ki bursting out in all directions. Erasa saw with her own eyes the transformation that the cloned Saiyan had undergone. An increase in muscle-mass, long, flowing golden hair, and a pronounced eyebrow ridge that lacked the eyebrows themselves. Stern, green eyes glared at her from the distance. It was the same Super Saiyan form that Son Gokū had used against Majin Bū: Super Saiyan 3.
"His power is incredible," Erasa was awed in spite of herself. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say this was Father in the flesh."
The Super Saiyan 3 silently raised a finger, pointing it in Erasa's direction. The glow of pink began to make itself apparent, a sphere of ki forming at his fingertips. It discharged, crossing the sky towards Erasa, who quickly pulled four orbs to the front, connecting each of them to form a square barrier. Clone-Gokū's Fingertip Kikōha exploded against the barrier, which held firm and true against its force. Annoyed — could it be? Erasa didn't know, but she thought a different expression flickered across the clone's face — the Clone-Gokū unleashed multiple shots of the same pink beam. Erasa kept her barrier up, resisting the strikes with no effort. The Clone-Gokū began to fire wildly, and many of them missed Erasa...only for one to strike one of the crimson orbs holding the barrier together.
An explosion immediately followed, forcing Erasa to brace herself against a blast that could level a forest at its weakest. Her barrier, which had been square, was now triangular and cracked. Shit! Erasa pulled the orbs backwards, releasing the barrier entirely; in this instant, the Clone-Gokū pulled his hand back, coating it in ki. Bringing it forward, the Super Saiyan 3 let loose a blast of ki which was flame-like in nature, yet no less powerful.
Shoving her hand skyward, Erasa altered the flow of the blast just barely using a kiai. In the confusion, the clone had materialised before Erasa, bringing all of his strength to bear in a crushing kick to her side. She spun wildly, out of control, before righting herself in mid-air by expelling ki. A long, slow exhaled escaped her throat.
This was the point where Erasa knew that conserving energy would only lead to her defeat.
Digging both feet into the ground, she clenched her fists, tightened her muscles, and reached inward for the vast well of ki she'd only recently learned how to control. It was still so difficult, to view this new, vast power as part of her, and yet it was. With this thought, new power flooded Erasa, and she was bathed in ki. Her entire form glowed crimson, making her appear as nothing more than energy in a humanoid shape. The ground beneath her cracked, but did not give; this was a different sort of power, more subtle than the rough and tumble ki thrown around by humans.
Erasa's form gradually became more solid and defined. The red encasing faded away, lingering only around her clothing, hair, and eyebrows. Erasa's hair was glowing a brilliant red, matched by her eyebrows and this glow did not cease, even when her flesh lost its lustre. Her clothing, shades of purple and black, shared the same crimson glow, making it appear as if Erasa was wearing her ki, and truth be told, she may have been. Erasa's halo of orbs, normally adorning her back, had shifted, floating above her shoulders and around her neck, making it appear closer to a rosary now than a halo. The most striking feature Erasa had gained, however, were her eyes; no longer were they black. Instead, the eyes had shifted, glowing, much like her hair and clothes, a vivid crimson; however, they had adopted a ripple pattern that spread throughout the eyeball itself, giving Erasa's eyes a haunting look.
But the sensation. Erasa gasped sightly, feeling the overwhelming strength that flowed through her now. She had very little experience with this form, having developed it by combining the godly ki she acquired through training with Whis with the original transformation acquired from the Chōshinsui. The second stage of her power, only acquirable because she could now cast the aura of a god herself. Clone-Gokū balked at more than simply the change in appearance. She was exuding massive of amounts of pressure, which those below the god threshold could feel, even if they could not sense her power.
One of the orbs from around Erasa's neck gravitated towards her hand. Deftly, elegantly, she lengthened the orb until it no longer resembled a sphere; in her hand, she held a glowing bō. Sublime ki control, able to shape it however she wished.
I could get used to this, Erasa thought, unable to keep a hint of smugness out of it. It was a euphoric power, and the feeling was something she rarely experienced. Was this what Gohan felt, when he became a Super Saiyan God to fight Lord Beerus? Or was it more like during training, when he... Her thoughts trailed off, remembering Gohan's various accomplishments during their training. The Clone-Gokū eyed her warily, before crouching; evidently, it was getting ready to attack.
He never got the chance.
Erasa's fist crushed into his stomach, the woman having moved faster than the duplicate could actually see, and he certainly couldn't feel her. The force of the blow staggered the cloned Super Saiyan easily. Erasa grounded her feet, gripping the bō with both hands. She thrust forward, before swinging the bō lengthwise over her head, bringing it down hard on the duplicate's skull. Releasing the form of the staff, the weapon returned to orb form, hovering in front of a hand Erasa extended.
It then exploded into tendrils, serpentine rays of energy, crimson in hue, erupting forth and bombarding the cloned Saiyan. A plume of smoke erupted from the repeated arrows of ki, yet it clouded no vision. Erasa did not need her eyes. Feeling for his ki, Erasa moved like the wind. High in the air, even without the ground to pivot on, she struck with graceful precision; her arms crossed through air like water, swimming over each other to land crushing, bare palm-strikes.
Coughing up blood and spittle, Clone-Gokū thrust an arm forward, stretching it out in an attempt to grab Erasa and force her away.
Casually using the backside of her hand, Erasa deflected the rampaging limb, her ringed eyes focusing solely on the man in front of her. With the incredible strength of her palm, the stretching limb was forced downward, and Clone-Gokū's body rushed to follow. Steadying himself, the clone raised a hand skyward. An explosion of light rocked the sky, lighting it up in a vivid yellow shine. Erasa extended her own hand in kind, bracing herself for the incoming ki blast. With only a single hand, Erasa stopped it dead, resisting the force of the attack entirely. Light streamed around her, yet she stood strong against it, and with the slightest flex of her fingers, disrupted the blast entirely, causing it to rupture and explode.
Erasa pulled one of the orbs from around her neck, lengthening it to the shape of a lance. It crackled with power, letting off a crimson aura. Carefully, Erasa took aim, focusing on the clone's ki — no need to aim with the eyes — and lobbed it forward. The lance pierced Clone-Gokū, who tried to no avail to block it, erupting from the other side of his torso and flying into the distance.
He's already regenerating...! Erasa could feel it, the shift in ki from his entire body to focusing on his torso. "I won't let you!" Bursting forth, Erasa grabbed one of the orbs around her neck, and moulded it around the arm she cocked backwards. The energy slipped into a spiral, twisting and turning, a corkscrew of ki encircling her arm. The blow collided with explosive force, thunderous noise accompanying the blow. The ki that encased her arm drilled into the already wounded body of Clone-Gokū, wrapping his body in its twisted flow. A roar of pain escaped his throat, mingling with the rough shakes caused by the blow.
Now! Erasa added an extra twist to her arm, forcing the energy to be expelled. The Clone-Gokū, wrapped in the spiraling, whirling storm, rocketed in the opposite direction. Erasa, however, was determined to finish it. Holding another orb between her hands, she flew forth.
"Ka..."
"Me..."
The orb grew brighter, more vibrant, fueled by her god ki.
"Ha..."
"Me..."
Closing in, Erasa could see with perfect clarity the figure of Clone-Gokū, falling to Earth. It became larger and larger, until she knew she was within perfect range. Aiming high, arms above her head, she uttered the final syllables that would the battle.
"HA!"
Light. Deep, red, and strong, shot across the sky in an arc. The Kamehameha, enhanced by Erasa's newfound god-power, crashed into the Gokū-alike, enveloping him in moments. His regeneration meant nothing in the face of Erasa's assault, and it took merely a final push of ki for her opponent to begin to break down at the cellular level. Her Kamehameha petered out, thinning to nothing well before it struck the nearest inhabited planet. Descending to the ground, Erasa exhaled slowly.
"He's gone," she muttered. "I can't feel his ki anymore." What she could feel, however, were the ki clashing variously at various points around the planet. In all of the cardinal directions, ki exploded. Erasa closed her eyes, focusing on the ki that meant more to her than anything else. Son Gohan and Cell were violently facing off. Returning to base state, Erasa's knees buckled.
"It seems...I still can't use this form properly yet," said Erasa. Staring off into the distance, where she knew her husband was, the blonde woman could think of her husband. "I know you can do it, Gohan!"
A/N: Well well well! Heya, everyone! So it has been AWHILE! Not going to lie, I love Erased, but I really needed a break. Writing battle scenes is...exhausting. It really is. Also, my friend and I have started a new fanfic, Tale of the Sky Maiden. If you like Fairy Tail, go check it out! And originally, I was going to save Erasa's battle for last, much like I did when we had the multiple fights in the "Prince of Destruction" Arc. However, to get myself motivated, I decided to start with Erasa instead, and honestly, I am pleased with the result. I have yet to name the form, or any of the moves, but this is Erasa's god form after she acquired god ki by training with Whis. I don't have much to comment on for this chapter, though anyone who knows me by now knows that I love Naruto parallels and Erasa's form is one giant Naruto parallel. I hope you all enjoy the first coming fight of many! I'll be back with a new chapter very soon! As always, thank Demod20 for proofing! I'll see you all soon in the next chapter of the Erased Chronicles!