Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty
By Feraligreater328
Chapter 45: The Empire Falls
Hovering above the ruins of Planet Cold...
"Hard to starboard! Hard to starboard!"
Faline Phars screamed in fear as their captive pilot swerved the ship in the middle of the air. The four of them were in some deep trouble as massive columns of lightning shot through the sky around them. Across the skyline, Phars and Salam watched with horror as escape ship after escape ship was struck by the wicked, dark lighting and sent crashing to the ground in flames.
On the ground below, Salam had her Camera Scouter trained directly on King Cold. The wicked monarch had become an actual monster. A massive, hydra-like being that seemed to be lashing out at random towards whatever he saw.
Another rail of lightning shot by the ship and caused it to wildly rattle about. This rumbling caused everyone in the ship to topple over. Phars and Salam smashed into the window and fell over. Genoa went flying across the ship and smashed her back against a console.
Their pilot gasped, and then he immediately rushed from his seat. He sprinted over to the fallen Genoa, retrieved his stolen blaster, and then booted Genoa in Salam and Phars. He levied his blaster at them and laughed out loud. "Oh my, how the tables have turned! Prepare to die, you ra-"
A massive Gravity Bolt ripped through the center of the ship, incinerating the pilot into nothing but ash. The three women all breathed a sigh of relief...until they realized that their ship was ruined and the only person who knew how to pilot it was dead.
Genoa and Salam both gripped each other tight, tears in their eyes, and screamed. Faline, meanwhile, grabbed away Salam's Camera Scouter and pointed it right at Cold. As their ship crashed towards the ground, she desperately reported everything that she could. "You've seen it here, folks! King Cold is little more than a monster! A savage monster that would kill anything and everything to maintain his public image! Do not let this information not be acted upon! Rise up! Fight the oppression! Even if the Saiyans cannot combat this reign of terror, we as a people can still-"
The ship crashed into the ground with an explosive crunch and the broadcast cut off.
The Ruins of the Cold Capital City...
Cold's three heads shrieked in unison as they continued their rampage through the ruined hellscape that Planet Cold had become. In his less restrained "Pleasure" Form, Cold's bloodlust was truly unchecked. He was running wild throughout what was once his kingdom, smashing and destroying all in his sights.
Goku and Vegeta were dodging with some difficulty. Their Super Saiyan power enhanced their speed, strength, and reflexes, allowing them to avoid the massive, swinging strikes from the serpentine head they had chosen to fight. They might have lost their Oozaru forms, but the Saiyans weren't out of this fight just yet!
Bardock, however, was facing his own troubles unique to his younger counterparts. Rubble came flying at him from all directions and the older Saiyan was dodging or destroying it fairly handily. However, distraction was plaguing Bardock. One unusual detail weighed on Bardock's mind whenever he saw it out of the corner of his eye: Raditz. Bardock looked towards his distressed son every chance he could and each time the same question ran through his mind. Why in the hell was Raditz still in his Oozaru form?!
Cold had eaten the Power Ball and, as a result, Bardock, Goku, and Vegeta had all lost their Oozaru forms. So why did Raditz still have his? What the hell was going on?!
On the Eastern side of the Capital City...
Vegeta was getting annoyed at all of this nonsense. He refused to stand for the insult that this battle was to himself and his Super Saiyan power. King Cold was large. King Cold had a stock of strange powers and abilities. But, from what Vegeta could sense, Cold's power was not any higher than 250,000,000! That power level, after all of the training he and Kakarot had done, was no insurmountable task. It was simply a challenge! A challenge to be overcome!
Vegeta roared. "You'll die if you continue to act as if you're invincible, freak!"
The Prince's power was not quite at the lofty height of 250,000,000. He was close, but not quite there. However, he could easily produce blasts that could match that power. Vegeta slammed his wrists together and charged a purple beam between his fingers. "SUPER FINAL CRASH!"
The attack screamed from Vegeta's hands, barreling towards the right head of King Cold. It crashed right into the hissing serpent's face and, in a flash, it reduced the sentient extremity to little more than gibs and burnt flesh. The bleeding nub of a neck crashed about, spurting purple blood everywhere and thrashing like a dying fish.
Vegeta smirked. "How does that feel, fool?!"
Unfortunately, Vegeta's boost in confidence was quickly dashed. The neck stopped thrashing and swelled at the end...and then two new heads grew in its place and both roared in Vegeta's face. Vegeta snarled. "Goddammit!"
Both heads on the right side launched at Vegeta simultaneously. The Prince growled in frustration as he now had to avoid two sets of snapping jaws. And, in addition to that annoyance, both of them began to fire off blasts of frozen air. Vegeta launched blasts at the frozen energy and dispelled it before landing on a nearby rooftop. Both of the heads glared down at Vegeta and seethed at the Prince. And then the newer head smirked.
It opened its mouth again and summoned more frozen energy in its throat. And then, instead of spitting a massive wave, the head focused all of the attack into a single, quick beam. Vegeta leapt out of the way, but watched in shock at the building he had been standing on was split completely in half, like a knife through butter. Vegeta's brief distraction was enough time for the other head to get the jump on him. The serpentine appendage cracked into Vegeta like a massive whip and ruined the Prince's sense of orientation. The other head took advantage of this, firing its ice ribbon beam again. Vegeta managed to regain enough of his senses in time to see the deadly attack barreling right towards him. He was barely able to move in time, avoiding a mortal blow but suffering a debilitating slash through his left shoulder.
Vegeta gripped his injured shoulder with his opposite hand, cursing to himself before launching a blast from his left hand to propel himself out of the thick of it.
With some space between himself and the snapping beasts, Vegeta was able to take stock of his new injury. His chest was warm and wet from the geyser of blood pouring down his chest, but the gash itself was ice cold. Vegeta snarled and cringed at the pain, feeling his entire upper left side become pins-and-needles numb. "This is insane. Damned monster..."
On the Western side of the Capital City...
Goku was faring no better than his rival while facing the left head of King Cold. The Saiyan from Earth was truly feeling the heat as he raced around in the air, avoiding massive jets of red-hot flames that would surely cook him alive if he took them unprepared. The throbbing pain from his shattered leg was doing Goku absolutely no favors as he avoided the attacks of Cold's flame-spewing appendage. Every agonizing pulse of pain sent an electric shock throughout his entire body and impaired Goku's concentration.
With one particularly harsh pulse, Goku couldn't help but stop moving. And that was the opening the head needed. It opened its mouth wide and spewed a cloud of intense fire. Goku's eyes widened and, not having enough time to dodge, the Saiyan shouted and flared his power as hard as he could. The resulting energy created a pseudo-cocoon that enveloped Goku. It did not protect him from the full effects of the flames, but it did allow him to keep his skin.
The flames dispersed and Goku was left standing there. The last remnants of his shirt were totally gone and Goku glared down at Cold. The head he was facing started to snicker. Goku cocked his head. "What are you laughing at?!"
Suddenly, to Goku's shock, he smelt a somewhat familiar smell: burning...hair?
Goku looked up at, to his surprise and horror, he saw the source of the smell. "Agh! Oh jeez!"
The Saiyan from Earth began to panic, thrashing around in the sky and desperately patting out the flames that were raging on the top of his head. The left head wickedly chuckled at Goku's plight, watching as he thrashed about in the sky with good humor. But then, instead of attacking the Saiyan, the left head was distracted.
Feeling a sense of hunger, the serpent monstrosity glanced down to the city below, watching as fleeing citizens attempted to escape from the war between Cold and the Saiyans. The head hissed, and then it struck down to the streets below. Racing through the wide-open street like a train, the head opened its jaw wide and began to scoop various terrified people into its open maw. Once enough confused and horrified citizens were scooped up, the left head snapped its mouth shut. Blood burst through its teeth like a fountain and the left head chewed and swallowed.
And then it went back for seconds.
Having patted out the flames, Goku observed this horrific display and was instantly enraged. "Hey! Stop that right now!"
The head paid no heed, biting down and swallow another mouthful of confused poor folk. Goku sneered, and then he launched a volley of ki blasts into the serpent's eye. The beast hissed in frustration and rose into the air. But then, once it had recovered, it launched itself directly at Goku.
Goku feinted back, avoiding several snaps of the hungry jaws. But the beast was unwilling to let him escape. As quick as lightning, the monster snaked around behind Goku and tried to wrap around him. Unwilling to let his bones be crushed like that for second time in his life, Goku acted quickly. He turned and lined up his sight with the auditory canal on the beast. And then, charging a lot of ki into his lungs, Goku screamed as loud as he could.
The beast recoiled in pain and Goku took advantage. He drew his hand to his side and summoned an incredibly useful, borrowed attack. "Thanks, Krillin~"
Goku levied his fresh Destructo-Disc above his head, and then he reared back and tossed it as hard as he could. The attack did its job, slicing halfway through the neck of the left head. Not wasting any time, Goku pulled his arms to his sides and charged his signature move. "Kamehameha!"
The beam shot forward from Goku's hands and crashed into the neck injury, flowing into the open wound and then exploded, blowing the head clean off. Goku pumped his fist. "Yes!"
And then, two heads grew in the place of the original one. Goku's eyes widened. "Crap!"
Both heads tried to lunge at Goku, but he was able to dodge back. The Saiyan from Earth watched as the two heads headbutted into one another and growled to himself. Being perfectly honest, Goku was shocked to see the two heads grow in place of the first, but he was not surprised. This development actually served to prove a little theory he had. "I knew it! Those things are nowhere near as smart as Cold actually is. They...they aren't really heads! They're just kind of intelligent limbs!"
Goku flipped away from the snapping jaws of one of the new heads. "This is just like Tien's Shiryoken!"
As he thought to himself, Goku watched the two heads in front of him begin to formulate a plan. They both looked towards one another, hissing and roaring, and then they smiled and nodded. One of them darted for the ground. Goku watched with curiosity as it moved towards the dead, severed head on the ground. And then, he watched as that severed head was lit aflame and grabbed into the living head's mouth.
Goku observed. "Oh, I see! That head is dead...but it's still covered in razor-sharp scales and spikes...so, that means..."
Lightning fast, the head shot forward towards Goku and tried to use its new burning club to bat Goku out of the sky. Goku dodged and flew towards the ground. "I gotta put some distance between me and that thing..."
The burning club head smashed into a close-by section of town and utterly flattened the entirety of it. Goku shielded his face from the ensuing rush of hot wind and embers. Once he was able to put his arms down, the Saiyan from Earth looked to the sky and saw the other head looming above him, a practical sea of flames raging in its mouth. Realizing what was about to happen, Goku thought on his feet. Seeing a nearby sewer grate, Goku blasted it away and then leapt into the sewers once more as the flames came raining down upon him.
At the crumbled remains of Castle Cold...
At the ruins of Cold's former mighty castle, Bardock was trying his best to find a way to contend with Cold's center head. The older Saiyan glanced over to Goku's side of the fight, and then to Vegeta's side of the fight, and then back at the center head...and something seemed very off.
The other heads were displaying some form of focus, for sure. But this center one seemed especially focused on its task. Unlike the other heads, this was not savagely attacking and attempting to kill Bardock. Other than the occasional stray Gravity Bolt crashing down towards him, Bardock was not even sure if Cold realized he was there.
Bardock looked into the air and saw Cold's attacks strike into various ships, blowing them out of the sky and sending them crashing and burning to the ground below. Bardock nodded. If Cold was distracted blowing those things to Hell, then Bardock could get in a surprise hit on the beast.
And so, he did. The older Saiyan waited until Cold's latest electric attack ceased and then he leapt from behind cover. Bardock charged a truly massive amount of ki into his hand and then he tossed it as hard as he could towards Cold. "RIOT JAVELIN!"
The bolt of ki shot towards Cold's center head like a missile, eventually crashing into the wicked King's lower jaw and exploding upon impact. Bardock landed, looking up to survey the damage he had done. But, once the smoke cleared, Bardock was left to despair. Nothing. Barely even a scratch.
The center serpent took a small respite from firing its attacks as ships and glowered down at Bardock on the pathway below. "Oh, you. I forgot about you..."
A vein bulged from Bardock's forehead. "Forgot about me?! How dare you, you overgrown garden snake!"
Cold chuckled as that insult, taking Bardock's harsh words in good humor. "Forgive me, sir. I simply have more important matters at the moment than attempting to wash away a single speck of bacteria."
Cold took a deep breath and fired another Gravity Bolt towards a cluster of fleeing ships. The bolt hit the closest ship and then branched through it to several others. All of them blew up in unison and their wreckage crashed to the ground below. Bardock watched this grizzly display and then turned back to Cold. "What...What the hell are you even doing, you psychotic bastard?!"
The King cackled with a twisted, grim glee. "My dear Saiyan. I know you have not evolved much farther than painting pictures on the wall with your own feces. But surely you much understand the concept of maintaining a powerful image, yes? How can I maintain my stranglehold on the galaxy if any of those foolish people were to run their mouths?"
Cold fired another Gravity Bolt and another score of ships exploded and crashed. "Everyone on this planet dies! That is the only way to ensure my image remains intact! And then, I will execute all four of you scum that caused this mess in the first place!"
Cold hissed and spread a toothy grin at Bardock. "And then...darkness shall descend upon the Earth. A darkness that shall never be lifted~"
Bardock snarled at Cold. "Like Hell!"
The older Saiyan wrapped himself in a thick aura of energy and shot towards Cold like a missile. "Tyrant Lancer!"
As Bardock flew towards Cold, going fast enough to make the sound barrier tremble, he thought to everything that was on Earth. He thought of Gohan and Chi-Chi, all of Kakarot's comrades, and... he thought of her. Gine's smiled flashed through Bardock's mind. He remembered her desire for peace, for happiness. He knew that she was alive again at this point. After so long, she had probably already been on the Earth for a good while.
She was waiting, waiting for them to return. Raditz and Kakarot, her two beloved sons. Vegeta, a person that she chose to never give up on, even until the very end. And...
Bardock gripped his fists tight. Gine needed them to be there to live the life she had wanted.
As he barreled closer to the monster, Cold responded by charging a Gravity Bolt in his mouth. Meanwhile, Bardock regressed deeper into his own mind. He thought about the epiphany he had had so long ago. He just...wanted to do something right in his life. That was why he and Gine worked together to make sure that Kakarot and Raditz would live on, even if they didn't. Bardock thought to everything and everyone he had lost in the process of trying to do something right: Toma, Fasha, Totepo, Panbukin, Leek, all of his former, longtime peers...and her.
One of the things that Bardock was always secretly thankful for the first-time death came to him was that he didn't have to watch Gine die as well. His attempts to kill Frieza rendered him too far away to have to see that. But with everything that had happened on Namek, that changed. She was so cold...pale...after everything he had said to her, all of his big talk and promises and guarantees...she died anyway.
And he wasn't there to help her. In the back of Bardock's mind, a small, wicked laugh began to echo out.
And now, to make matters worse, everything both he and her had given their lives to protect was currently in jeopardy. Kakarot and Raditz and even Vegeta, their third "son" to some extent, were fighting for their lives. Struggling to be able to make it away from all of this. Struggling to live free of this madness. The laugh began to get louder and clearer.
As Bardock continued to barrel towards Cold, he was suddenly overtaken. His head felt hot, like it was going to explode, and a vision of a certain future came to him. The Earth was burning. Everything was eerily silent. And, in the distance, Cold's monstrous form hovered above it all, raining down elemental death upon the already ruined hellscape. The laugh became even louder and it was finally given a form. Frieza, in his First Form, appeared in front of Bardock and laughed right in his face. Even from beyond the grave, Frieza mocked him. The Saiyans, the Earth, they all died painful deaths. And everything that Bardock and Gine had tried to do was rendered meaningless.
Bardock's eyes snapped open to a deadly silent world. Directly in front of him, he saw Cold's Gravity Bolt. The attack threatened to overtake him and kill him right there. Bardock clenched his teeth. He felt anger and rage overcome him. His hair stood on end and his eyes went blank. He refused to let it end like this...
As the Gravity Bolt shredded into the ground below, Cold began to chuckle. But then a massive energy attack struck him in the back of the head. Cold snarled and turned to see that Bardock was still alive!
The older Saiyan hovered above Cold with an angry glower in his eyes. As Cold observed him closer, he appeared to be glowing. Glowing with a harsh light. A harsh, red light!
In his rage and with a desire to survive into the future, Bardock had reached deep within and pulled out a power that had once seemed beyond him. He could feel his muscles straining under the pressure, but he didn't care. He needed this. Bardock sneered. "Kaioken Times 10."
Cold sneered. "Kaio? A technique of the Gods? Where and how did a simpleton like you learn that?!"
Bardock gripped his fist. "I learned this technique when I died. I spent years in Hell just to get the chance to learn this technique..."
Cold cocked his head. "Pardon me?!"
Bardock roared at the top of his lungs. "Maybe if I send you to Hell you'll luck out and learn it too!"
And then, before Cold could react, Bardock summoned a new blast in his hand. A combination of his energy and his burning aura focused into a single point. Bardock splayed his hand out wide and fired it directly at Cold. "BLAZING SAIYAN HEAT!"
The attack barreled directly at Cold's face. The King hissed and tried to move out of the way, but Bardock was too quick on the draw. The attack crashed into the side of Cold's face and the King let out a mighty, pained shriek.
Smoke billowed from the side of Cold's face and Bardock smirked. "How does that feel, bastard?!"
It took a moment, but then Cold responded. "How does it feel? H-Honestly..."
Cold whipped his head around, dispelling the smoke. Bardock flinched back. That attack...at his currently level, that attack was the best he could muster. And all it did was blow out one of Cold's eyes?!
Cold hissed and lapped his tongue over the trickle of purple blood leaking from his damaged eye socket. "I am quite upset to have lost my eye. But it is fully replaceable. I think I am going to kill all three of you now."
Bardock gasped and, in a flash, the end of Cold's left tail struck him from behind. Bardock was sent tumbling forward and the right tail smashed into him from the front. Stunned and badly damaged midair, Bardock was helpless as Cold gave a mighty flap of his wings. The wind pressure sent Cold, alongside Raditz's carcass, propelling into the air and smashed Bardock hard into the crumbling base of Castle Cold. Bardock coughed up a jet of blood as he settled into the rubble, but he was given no time to rest. Cold shrieked at the top of his lungs and then fired off a massive Gravity Bolt, striking Bardock dead center and scorching him into the ground. Smoke rose as Bardock laid there, motionless. And then Cold turned his attention to his right side.
On the Eastern Side of the Capital City...
As Vegeta struggled with his injured shoulder and his two, ice-spewing opponents, the Prince was caught off-guard by a sudden attack from behind. A Gravity Bolt struck Vegeta directly in the back, causing the already haggard Prince even more grief. He turned to see the center head shooting right towards him and barely dodged. "Damn it! Now there are three of them?!"
Vegeta snarled and summoned another ki blast into his right hand. He aimed it at the center head, ready to blow it to pieces, but was caught unprepared by another attack from the side. A blast of frozen energy washed over Vegeta's entire right side, freezing it solid and cancelling out his attack. Vegeta turned his eyes bloodshot, and saw one of the right most heads glowering at him.
A shadow suddenly overtook Vegeta and he looked up to find the sight of the other right head coming down right at him. Barely able to move, Vegeta was forced to watch as the massive, serpentine head slammed down on him, smashing him harshly into the ground. Vegeta laid crippled in the impact crater that Cold had forced him into and all three of the serpentine heads hissed at him. Vegeta shakily attempted to push himself up, but the three Cold heads responded with force. Two blasts of frozen power and one blast of lightning hammered into Vegeta over and over, blasting the Prince until they felt his life energy reduce to nearly nothing. Vegeta's was buried deep in the crater, beneath a massive block of ice. And, with him taken care of, these three heads of Cold were now free to join the other two.
On the Western Side of the City...
Goku was rushing through the various nooks and crannies of the city, desperately trying to avoid being roasted alive. The Saiyan from Earth was so busy, he had failed to notice what had become of Vegeta and Bardock. Goku leapt into an alleyway as a massive column came shooting down the abandoned street. He heard a breathy chuckle from the two Cold head and couldn't help but chuckle himself. "At least they're having fun..."
But, Goku didn't have a single moment to breathe. The second head came crashing into the side of the buildings that formed the alleyway he was in. Goku and the beast glared at one another for a moment, and then the head turned and charged a fireball into its mouth.
Goku went running from the alleyway with a massive stream of fire right on his tail. Goku ran across the street and wrapped his tail around a streetlight, using his momentum to swing himself away from the flames and down the street. Both heads were on his tail in an instant, but Goku was counting on that. He turned around midair and winked at the two stupid beasts, and then he fanned his fingers in front of his face and shouted. "SOLAR FLARE!"
Both heads screeched in pain as they were blinded and Goku took the chance to put some distance between himself and them. He got onto the rooftop and charged an energy blast into his hand. "Maybe slicing those heads away isn't an option, but I bet I could damage them pretty well!"
Goku launched his first massive ki blast and then threw a second one immediately after. Both of the heads were still stunned and Goku looked confident, but then a bolt of lightning came shooting in from the side. The Saiyan from Earth turned and glared towards the source of the attack. Cold center head, alongside two right heads apparently, came slithering up. And they had brought their entire body with them!
The massive creature loomed over Goku, all five of Cold's heads curled up their massive, long necks up and all five of them stared at Goku. Goku stood there, finally have a free moment to feel the situation out. Vegeta was down. His father was down. And Raditz, still as an Oozaru, was hanging limp in Cold's grip. Goku was all alone, and all five of King Cold's heads were bearing down upon him. Goku enjoyed another chuckle. "Well...that's just great..."
And then Goku took a fighting stance and his Super Saiyan power flared. "Alright then! Bring it!"
And bring it the Cold heads did. With a massive, shrieking roar, all five of them were suddenly bearing down on top of him, ready to kill. Goku, for his part, knew that trying to dodge all five of them would be pointless, so he jumped headfirst into the action. Needing to deal some damage to his foe, Goku immediately started throwing every technique he could think to throw. Tien's Tri-Beam, Yamcha's Spirit Ball, the Kamehameha, and even the Turtle School Last Resort. And while each attack managed to repel Cold back, none of them did much in the way of actual damage.
As he leapt back to prepare another attack, Goku was struck from the left by Cold's tail and knocked a few streets over. He leapt back to his feet and immediately cringed, his broken leg sending jolts up his entire body. "D-Damn..."
Goku chuckled. "Well, this is...this is something all right. He's really strong and really skilled. Might not win this one...heh heh..."
He pulled his hands to his side and began to charge a Super Kamehameha. "Ka! Me! Ha! Me!"
Cold came flying in and with an almighty roar. He glared down at Goku with a sinister grin. "Such spirit! I must admit, you are my favorite out of all of you! That look on your face..."
Cold's five heads began to charge their attacks. "...I will make sure to remember it. Both before and after the flesh has been roasted from it~"
As both sides charged their attacks, Goku prepared to take the brunt of it on his end. But then, as he prepared to fire, a familiar voice cried out and robbed Goku's attention. "Mr. Goku?!"
Goku turned and his eyes widened in shock. That same girl from before, Gooda, was standing in the broken window of her family's restaurant with her mother and father, Swis and Munster, desperately trying to pull her back into hiding. Time seemed to slow to a standstill. Goku glanced up as the five blasts began to leave Cold's mouths and then he glanced back to the family right in the path of the devastating blasts.
And then Goku abandoned his Kamehameha and leapt at the three of them, summoning an energy shield around all four of them as the lightning, fire, and ice came raining down.
Back at the ruins of Castle Cold...
Cold did one last joyous victory loop over the rubble that was once his castle before landing with an ear-piercing roar. The sinister hydra looked over the results of all of his efforts. The planet was on fire, most of his subjects were dead, but the ends certainly justified the means in his eyes.
To his left, Prince Vegeta laid unconscious beneath a layer of frost and ice. To his right, Son Goku was crumpled beneath a mass of rubble, a family of peasants tearfully begging him to wake up. And beneath him, still wrapped in Cold's lengthy tails, was the massive, simian form of Raditz. Cold's four lesser heads were all down there, observing the Saiyan. They were all eager to begin their next meal.
Cold let loose a mighty roar, firing out one last spate of Gravity Bolt and blowing the last of the escape ships out of the sky. As their ruined husks feel from the sky, Cold screamed at the top of his voice. The sheer volume of his shrieks made the very planet itself shake. "I AM THE GOD OF THIS ENTIRE UNIVERSE!"
The left-side heads shot fire from their mouths. "IT IS I WHO DECIDES WHO LIVES AND WHO DIES!"
The right-side heads shot ice from their mouths. "ALL LIVING THINGS IN THIS UNIVERSE ARE MERE PLAYTHINGS TO ME!"
All of the heads shot out their elemental beams. "NO MORTAL BEING CAN MATCH MY POWER AND CUNNING!"
And then, from behind, a single blast struck Cold in the back of his head. Cold's ranting was interrupted and he turned with utter venom in his voice. "What?!"
All of Cold's heads turned and saw the exact same sight. Standing there, blood leaking from his burnt body like a sieve, was Bardock. The older Saiyan was wobbly on his feet, his energy barely a flicker, and his consciousness fading in and out. Bardock took a step forward and all of Cold's heads hissed at him with utter fury. And that vision from what seemed like so long ago flashed into his mind again.
Three golden warriors stood in the darkness.
Bardock took another step, nearly capsizing merely from his own weight.
One silver beast stood across from them, opposing them from the opposite end. They all turned and started to look at him...
Bardock punched himself in the side of the head. He didn't have time for obscure visions of the future. The present was where his problem is and they were out of chances. Cold was within inches of winning this entire thing. "C-Can't die yet...have to...make it back to...G-Gine..."
Cold narrowed his eyes. "Gine...that's a Saiyan name. A feminine one, I believe."
Bardock continued to shakily walk forward, his vision foggy. "Gotta...apologize. G-Gotta...gotta...make it all up to you...gotta keep my...promise..."
Cold chuckled. "What foolishness. This Gine...is she important to you? Perhaps a sibling? Or a mate, maybe?"
Bardock stumbled forward a bit more, his foot getting caught onto a piece of rubble and tripping him to his knees. Cold's savage heads all reared back, as if they were all eager to strike at Bardock. The center head, however, ordered them all to heel. "This is my kill. Still yourselves."
Bardock glared up at Cold, his eyes half-lidded. He was running on fumes. "I... I won't let you down...Gine..."
Cold chuckled a deep, throaty chuckle. He hissed under his breath and spoke to Bardock. "This Gine that you do not wish to let down. I am afraid, sir, that you will not be keeping your 'promise' to her. But, worry not. I am a fair person!"
King Cold smiled. "I will make sure to hunt her down and kill her first. Thereby, she will not realize your failure until she is already dead. That will be my gift to you! Now then...Goodbye, Saiyan Bardock~"
The threat against her life was enough to spur Bardock awake, if just barely. He forced himself to his feet and glared at Cold. Cold chuckled. "Humorous. You seem a tad angry. How very pleasing~"
And then, Cold fired his Gravity Bolt. The attack shredded the ground as it screamed towards Bardock. The older Saiyan simply stared it down. For the umpteenth time in his existence, Bardock stared death in the face. And as the attack drew in, he had to admit that Cold wasn't wrong. Bardock was very angry. The stress of this fight, the striking down of his boys, the threats made against his gentle mate who wanted nothing more than simple peace in her life...they all piled onto Bardock's already foul mood. And at this particular moment...he was angrier than he had ever been in his entire life.
The Gravity Bolt's hit Bardock dead on. The force of the attack shredded the rubble around Bardock, burning a trench through the very ground itself. Cold was satisfied, he thought that he was finished with Bardock. What he didn't notice, however, was the golden pocket within his Gravity Bolt. Within there was the silhouette of a single person. That person raised his hand and, with a showing of brand-new power, he fired a massive blast through the center of the lightning and right down King Cold's throat.
A massive explosion rocked from the center head's throat. It recoiled in pain, screeching and thrashing about as the smoke on the ground cleared. Once all of it billowed away, a single golden figure was left standing in place. Newly made emerald eyes glared right at Cold as golden power pulsed outward. Bardock had achieved what Goku and Vegeta had achieved before. He was a Super Saiyan.
All five of the heads stared at Bardock with utter contempt. The all poised to strike, but Bardock repelled them all away with a shout and a showing of power. His energy surged across the entirety of the landscape, but Cold was still unimpressed. "Those other two Saiyans pulled this exact same trick! It will do you no better than it did them!"
Bardock snarled at Cold. The King was overconfident. He thought that Bardock was showing off his new power, unaware of the real reason for that particular flair. At various points across the Captial City, Goku, Vegeta, and Raditz all snapped back into consciousness.
Vegeta's Super Saiyan power exploded outward and melted away the ice entrapping him. He picked himself up, rage in his eyes, and snarled. "Now, we bring this foolishness to an end!"
Goku got to his feet and gave Gooda a gentle pat on the head. "Thanks for takin' care of me. But it looks like I'm not quite done yet..."
Back at the palace, Cold roared down at Bardock. Once the hate-filled shriek was done, Cold seethed at his foe. "This is pointless! Don't you realize?! What can one 'Super' Saiyan do against my imposing might?!"
Luckily for Bardock, that question did not require an answer. Two more golden warriors fell from the sky and landed at either side of Bardock. Goku and Vegeta were both awake and alert and were ready to rejoin the fight. Cold glared down at Goku, Vegeta, and Bardock. The three of them shot back glares so cutting that they were almost damaging in their own right. Bardock clenched his fists tight and spoke one blunt order. "Let's kill this ugly son of a bitch!"
Cold didn't take that statement lightly. All five of his heads immediately charged attacks into their mouths and fired them at the Saiyans. But, the Saiyans fired back. Goku, Vegeta, and Bardock's beams crashed into Cold's five attacks and a massive beam struggle ensued. The sheer pressure from the two sides sent shockwaves rushing across the planet. This beam struggle, however, didn't last long. Cold was strong in his own right, Cold was creative, but the three Super Saiyans with their combined efforts were much stronger.
Cold was overcome with fear as their beams pushed him back, forcing him into the air. Cold tried to sustain himself with his wings, regather his footing in some way or another. But then, the three Super Saiyans all turned and nodded to one another. And then, they gave another burst of energy to their attacks. The force of the beams pushed both Cold and the Raditz he was carrying back even farther, toppling the King backwards into the wreckage of his own city.
Cold was quick to recover. He sat up with a screeching roar and hissed at the three Saiyans. With a flap of his massive wings, the King attempted to take flight once more. However, two massive energy blasts blew holes through his wings. Cold crashed back to the ground with a quaking thud. He glared up at the sky with pure rage and saw the three Super Saiyans hovering above him, Vegeta and Bardock with their hands extended towards him. Cold roared in frustration. "Cocky bastards!"
The five heads darted right at the three Super Saiyans. Each one of them worked in tandem with the others, blasting or biting in an attempt to kill the Saiyans. However, none of the three of them were willing to fall for the chaos this time around. Vegeta, Bardock, and Goku watched each other's back throughout the entire fight. One of the right-side heads attempted to blast Goku from behind, but Vegeta shot an energy beam into its left eye and through its right eye. Another fire breathing head, on the left side, tried to spit flames at Bardock, but Goku came rushing in to intercept. Using his PENETRATE! attack, Goku piercing through the bottom side of that head's jaw and through the top its skull. The other left head tried to strike at Goku, but Vegeta came rushing in and fired a Galick Gun into the beast's nostril.
The remaining right head lunged towards Bardock, but Bardock deflected it away with a kick. He didn't have time for that idiotic lesser serpent. He was focused on the center head directly in front of him. The real King Cold!
This center head fired Gravity Bolt after Gravity Bolt at Bardock. A few of his lightning breath attacks managed to hit, but Bardock didn't seem to notice. Or, more likely, didn't seem to care. Bardock raced high into the sky and shouted at the top of his lungs. "SUPER TYRANT LANCER!"
Bardock enveloped his body in energy, this time Super Saiyan energy, and raced down towards Cold's face. He slammed into it with all of his weight and sent the center head whipping back, several of its fangs flying out in the process.
As Cold recoiled, Bardock, Vegeta, and Goku regrouped. And then all three of them charged forward, slamming into the body of the wicked King and forcing him back again. King Cold went sliding, Raditz still motionless and held tight in his grip, coming to a stop upon crashing into a pile of felled buildings.
The three Super Saiyans flew high into the air. They were ready to finish this. Goku pulled his arms to the side and began to charge a Super Kamehameha. Vegeta pulled his to the side and began to charge a Super Galick Gun. Bardock held up his right hand and summoned his trusty Riot Javelin. This was where this fight would end!
Cold was panicking on the ground. He could feel it, the power behind those attacks. They were genuinely about to kill him! "N-No! This...This can't be how it all ends!"
The cowering King frantically looked around for anything that he could use to assist in saving his life. But there was nothing. The Super Saiyans could blast through any building he threw; his wings were destroyed. What could he...King Cold glanced down beneath his legs and smiled. He had almost forgotten that he was still holding onto that. With a wicked laugh, Cold's tails lifted their captive high up, into the path the blasts would take. Cold seethed. "Now, you wouldn't want to hurt this. Would you, dear Super Saiyans?"
Raditz was hanging limp in the air, his back to his Super Saiyan comrades. All three of them cringed at the sight of this. Their attacks were ready, they could kill Cold off for good. But...none of them could bring themselves to possibly kill Raditz alongside him. Not even Vegeta. The Saiyans did not dispel their attacks, but they were visibly cowed. And that was all that Cold needed. "Sentimental fools~"
Cold got back onto his feet and sneered at the Saiyans. "The sheer indignity of it all. To think that Frieza would allow himself to fall to emotional dolts such as yourselves! The more I deal with the lot of you the more I come to realize that Frieza wasn't the perfect successor! If he was unable to kill you lot, then he amounted to little more than dumb mus-"
Suddenly, Cold began to gurgle in pain. All three Super Saiyans flinched back. They had no idea what was going on. From their perspective, nothing had changed whatsoever. Luckily, Cold was quick to provide them with some insight. All five of his heads turned their attention to one person: Raditz. The seethed at the Saiyan currently in their grasp and the center head snarled. "H-How dare you?!"
Raditz spoke for the first time since Cold transformed. "You...should...have...killed me...before..."
Cold twisted to his side, coughing up blood from his center mouth, and the others finally got a full view of what had happened. Raditz had used his free arm to cripple Cold, ramming his fist into the monster's gut. His focus ruined, Raditz was able to take advantage and tear his way from Cold's grip. As the rended chunks of tail fell to the ground, Raditz snarled. "You got...cocky. Never...underestimate...the Saiyans!"
Raditz reared back his other fist, coating it in energy, and plunged it into Cold's gut. The beast shrieked in pain and Raditz lifted him up high. "Should have...destroyed Power Ball...not ate it!"
As Raditz lifted Cold into the air, Goku was confused. "Wh-What's going on?!"
Vegeta chimed in. "Cold ate the Power Ball! That's why Raditz didn't lose his Oozaru form! He must have been right next to it this entire time!"
Finally, Bardock spoke. "Who gives a damn?! Get ready to attack!"
Cold snarled. "Y-You dirty, little Saiyan!"
All at once, all four of Cold's lesser heads bit into Raditz. The Saiyan screamed in pain as blood oozed from his bitten flesh, but he did not let that deter him. Raditz felt around in Cold's guts until he found what he was looking for. The older brother smirked and shouted. "We not die here today! That your duty!"
And then, firing a Mouth Cannon right into the center of Cold's torso and yanking his arms to the side with all of his might, Raditz ripped the mighty King Cold into three pieces. One half of his torso with two head, the other half of the torso with two others, and the center head all by itself. With Cold's body out of the way, the Power Ball was back in view. But, only for a moment as Raditz crushed it like a bug between his two massive hands.
As Raditz began to rapidly shrink, the three Super Saiyans saw their opportunity. And the all too happily took it. Goku unleashed his attack first. "Kamehameha!"
As his attack obliterated the left side, Vegeta fired off his own attack towards the right. "Super! Galick! Gun!"
With his other heads and his entire body gone, Cold's center head began to experience true terror. He refused to accept it. He refused to die like this! Not on his own planet! Not to the Saiyans! Cold glared at Bardock and he roared at the top of his lungs, firing a Gravity Bolt directly at the newest Super Saiyan.
As the attack barreled towards him, Bardock closed his eyes and thought back one last time. He thought back to everything Gine had ever said. Her hopes, her dreams, her aspirations, all of his promises to her that she would get to live a peaceful life one day, and the promise that he might even join her. He thought back to that conversation that they had once had so long ago, the hopes in her eyes, and Bardock knew that he had finally reached that moment he had discussed. The older Saiyan reared back his arm and shouted with all of his might. "FINAL! RIOT! JAVELIN!"
The attack was truly massive, blue in the center but wreathed in gold. It crashed into Cold's Gravity Bolt and shredded right through it. Cold's eyes widened and his pupils shrank and the attack crashed right into him. Cold contorted and screamed as Bardock's ultimate attack ate away at him. "No! No! No! This...this can't be real!"
And then, the last bit of King Cold burned away into nothing. A final explosion rocked Planet Cold...and then all fell silent.
The three Super Saiyans all descended to the ground together and lost their golden forms the moment they touched the ground. Goku and Vegeta collapsed and Bardock fell to his knees. They all sat there in silence, for a moment, and caught their breath. And nothing happened. No twists, no turns, no surprises. Where there had been a war less than a minute ago was now calm and still.
After a while, Goku shakily got to his feet. "H-Hey, Vegeta..."
Vegeta groaned. "What?"
Goku chuckled. "Will you help me look for Raditz? He must have landed somewhere around here, right?"
Vegeta sighed and shakily sat up. "Fine...but I'm not doing anything else after that."
As those two hobbled off in search of Raditz, Bardock took a moment to reflect. He looked up at the clear sky and at the stars above and sighed. "It's over. The nightmare of the Frieza Force and the Cold Empire is finally over..."
Bardock looked around the still battlefield. He observed the destroyed building and the various corpses that littered the land and sighed. Listening to the sounds of Vegeta and Goku shifting rubble in the background, Bardock continued to look until he came upon the sight of a set of armor with Cold's crest on it. He walked over to the armor and picked it up, finding it to be the remnants of the armor that Cold had worn earlier. "How in the hell did this survive all of that?"
The older Saiyan flipped the armor over and found a small strip of cloth, from Cold's cape, still attached to the shoulder paldron. It was just a single strip, frayed and blood-red in color. Bardock mused to himself. "Hmm..."
Meanwhile, Goku and Vegeta finally managed to locate Raditz. Together, the two of them pulled their third brother-in-arms from the rubble and helped him get back on his feet. Raditz groaned as he held the massive gash in his neck. "I-Is is all over? Is Cold really dead? Can we finally...go back to the Earth?"
Raditz's questions were quickly answered by Bardock. "Yeah, I think we're done..."
Goku, Vegeta, and Raditz turned their attention to the top of a nearby pile of rubble, seeing Bardock standing atop it with a confident smirk and a newly acquired red bandana. Vegeta snorted. "Okay then...what now?"
Bardock took a deep breath and sighed out. "Well...you don't have to if you don't want to Vegeta...but I say we do like Raditz suggested, get the hell outta here, and head back to the Earth!"
Planet Cold, a few days later...
Faline Phars cringed as she accidentally moved her broken arm. Carefully she reached around, avoiding touching her sling, and grabbed her coffee. As she sipped it, Gooda stood next to her with a hopeful look on her face. "Th-That's my first time making the coffee. Was it good, pretty lady?"
Phars sighed and smiled. "It's delicious, sweetie."
As Gooda ran back into the kitchen to tell her parents about the compliment she had just received, Faline turned to Genoa and Salam. "Are you guys sure that you don't just wanna come with me? I'd love to have you as my camera crew. Especially seeing as the Cold Force killed the old one..."
Genoa shook her head with a smile. "S-Sorry ma'am. But, with the relationship that little one has with Master Goku..."
Salam chuckled. "...we feel as if it would honor him better if we were to stay here and help out where we can~"
Faline nodded and took another sip of her coffee. "What happened that those guys anyway?"
Both of the twins shrugged. Faline sighed. "Well, ain't that just dandy. It would've boosted my profile a lot if I got to get an interview but...ah well..."
She set her cup onto the table and stood. "Mind being my camera girl one more time, Salam?"
Salam smiled and stood, putting the Camera Scouter onto her ear. Faline turned to Genoa. "We ready?"
Genoa shot a thumbs up. Silently, Faline counted backwards from three and then cleared her throat. "Hello GalacTV nation! This is Faline Phars with what will be the final report for the time being."
She adopted a confident smirk. "Ladies and gentlemen, after much searching around by the remaining members of the Cold Force, the only remnant of King Cold that they were able to locate was the crumbled remains of the tyrant's broken armor. A perfect metaphor for the state of the Universe at the moment, if you asked this reporter."
Faline sipped her coffee. "The Cold Force is in shambles, people. What few soldiers remained after that monster's rampage have either deserted their posts or have gone into hiding. The reign of tyranny that King Cold and Frieza once wreaked upon all of us is over."
She looked directly into the camera. "And, as for our four, brave Saiyan rebels...?"
Phars looked into Genoa and Salam's eyes. She looked to her left and saw Gooda and her family sitting there. She took a deep breath and sighed. "I suppose...given that they are not here...and given that they never shared their names with anyone before they began their campaign of rebellion against the tyrannical Cold..."
She shook her head. "I would suppose that would mean that they prefer to remain an unknown entity in this entire matter. And more power to them for that. In this reporter's humble opinion, the four of them have earned the right to their privacy as much as they have earned a debt of gratitude from every good-natured citizen of every galaxy in the cosmos."
She nodded. "But that is the news as it stands at the moment. Let us all move forward towards a better, more peaceful tomorrow with the newfound freedom we have all just been afforded. This has been Faline Phars, signing off~"
Meanwhile, somewhere out in space...
Slowly, Raditz opened his eyes. The older brother lifted his hands through the fluid in his healing chamber and felt the spot on his neck that King Cold had ripped a chunk of flesh from. Raditz was relieved to find that the wound had been fully healed. With that matter handled, Raditz reached over and pressed the release button. Once the fluid completely drained, Raditz opened the dome and stepped out of the chamber. He cracked his neck with a sigh and exited the medical bay.
It was a short walk for the older brother from the medical bay to the bridge of the ship: King Cold's former flagship, to be specific. Raditz stepped through the door and found two comforting sights. Goku and Vegeta were happily sparring with another up in the air, and Bardock was sat in the command chair with a bored, somewhat tired expression on his face.
As Raditz got closer, he looked over Bardock's shoulder and saw some kind of movie playing. The eldest son knelt next to his father's seat and chuckled. "Watching a movie?"
Bardock shrugged. "Trying to. It's in the Language of Hera and I can't figure out how to get the damned subtitles to work..."
Shortly, Raditz and Bardock were joined by Goku and Vegeta. The three younger Saiyans all gathered around Bardock's chair and watched as stars flew by at a rapid speed. Vegeta chuckled. "Nice to see you up again, Raditz. And here I thought you were going to spend the rest of your life in that chamber."
Raditz rolled his eyes. "Go to Hell, Vegeta."
Goku chuckled as the two of them bickered like usual. Bardock pulled up the map to check their course. Once Raditz and Vegeta got done sniping at each other, Raditz turned and looked at the map. "So...it looks like...5 months until we get to Earth?"
Bardock nodded. "Just about, yeah."
Vegeta sniffled, rubbing his finger under his nose. "Do we have enough fuel in this thing for a full trip?"
Bardock shook his head. "Definitely not. We'll have to make a pitstop somewhere on the way back. Somewhere peaceful like Dionysus or Yardrat..."
Goku slammed his fists together. "That sounds fun! Maybe we could have an adventure while we're there!"
Bardock chuckled and shook his head. Vegeta quickly spoke up. "If you want to have an adventure, we should keep training to make sure that we stay in shape! The last thing we need is to land somewhere unprepared for a fight!"
Raditz smirked. "You know what...I could actually go for some sparring..."
Bardock spoke up. "Hey! If you're going to spar, go to some other room and do it. It's hard enough to listen to this movie when I can't understand it!"
Vegeta shrugged and chuckled. "Whatever. Come along, Raditz. I'll use you as a punching bag in one of the cargo holds."
Raditz snorted. "You'll try."
As the two of them walked off, and Goku began to follow, Bardock suddenly spoke up again. "Hey Kakarot! Wait a second..."
Goku turned and smiled. "Sup Dad?"
Bardock shut off his tablet and tossed it aside. "If you wouldn't mind...I mean...if you have a minute..."
Goku saw the blush on his father's face and he sat down next to his chair. "Wassup?"
Bardock sighed. "...I'd actually like to hear about this Grandpa Gohan guy, if you have a bit of time."
Goku was instantly excited. With a chuckle and a nod, the Saiyan from Earth began to speak. "Well...to tell you about Grandpa Gohan and everything he did for me; I'd have to tell you about the entire mystical adventure I went on. You think you have time for all of that?"
Bardock smiled and nodded. "We have five months, Kakarot. I've got plenty of time."
A/N: And with that, the King Cold arc is complete. It was a short little thing, but this was the first, like, big original idea I had when I started planning out this story. So, please let me know what you think. Next chapter begins a new arc, the last arc before we enter the Android Saga. I hope that you all continue to read and enjoy my work going forward. I have a ton of plans for this story and a lot left in the tank when it comes to writing it. Thank you all for reading this far along~ :)
Proofreading: StevenBodner
