The Long Road

by Drakthul

AU: Abducted at the age of three and a half, taken through thirteen years of bloodshed and strife, Gohan finds his way back to Earth... to finish a backlogged contract. On Earth, he will either overcome what he is, or be destroyed by it. Rated M.

64. Chapter 64: Brothers

Disclaimer, in case it wasn't obvious. I don't own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, or really any other property. Thank you.

THIS CHAPTER IS EXTREMELY LONG, AND MAY TAKE SEVERAL SIT DOWNS TO READ THROUGH. I APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVIENCE, BUT YOU GET THIS PART ALL AT ONCE.

The Long Road

Chapter 64: Brothers

Goten:

Adrenaline was pumping harshly through his veins while he looked over the creatures in front of him. They were looking at him like he was prey, and he could already sense just the edges of how dangerous all three of these things were. Power was shaded over by reservation, but he could see the edges of it in his mind's eye. The Girl was stronger than he was, by a fair margin, and the tanned one was even stronger than her. It was the long haired one in the middle of them, the one with the most sinister look in his eyes of all of them that made Goten almost squirm. Just being looked at by him was enough to make him want to crawl out of his skin and escape. But that would mean leaving his little sister and mother to these things. He needed to buy time.

Dad is going to get here soon. I know it.

Two of them were beginning to stalk towards him, though the girl seemed to be more standoffish. It wasn't hard to imagine these people trying to determine just how powerful he was. He already knew right away that they were in the superior position of strength, and could sense in both cases it was by a fair bit. The one in the middle, with that sinister look across his face, the one just standing there staring at him like he wasn't even there... that one was definitely stronger. Slowly, he backed up himself, keeping his eyes shifting between the two primary attackers. Dark enemies were tainting the ki all around him, and he could sense the less than friendly intentions of his guests.

"He really doesn't look like he's in the mood to play," the black haired male remarked, his Saiyan armour glinting in the sunlight for the briefest of moments. The sound of his voice being uttered again almost made Goten turn his full attention, but he knew better.

"Don't you ever shut up?" the female responded in turn. "This boy is more powerful than your usual brothers. He might even be strong enough to be a speedbump."

The tone of her voice was almost teasing, despite her clear aggravation. It was designed to goad the other one into action, and the instance her last words escaped her lips, Goten knew exactly what was going to happen. The air around him gave off a distinct vibration as mass travelled through it faster than sight. He could sense the ki shifting all around them like a disruptive gust of air blowing through a chilled room. One thing was true for Goten, ever since he'd fought Broly, and then fought against Salt, and that was that he was most definitely his father's son.

Shifting his footing in a lightning quick motion, and thrusting his arms up, discomfort blasted through his forearms as his entire body shoot, along with the air around them, as ki blasted out from the fist that slammed into him. The ground beneath him buckled, catering briefly before he finally heard the 'boom' from the impact.

Raising his head up from his guard, he stared into the cold black eyes of his attacker. The two were left standing there motionless for several seconds, before a confident smirk emerged from his would-be killer.

"Well, brother, you're definitely a lot tougher than I thought you'd be," he observed, the familiarity of his features were striking.

It was like looking at a dark vision of himself, not a perfect 'copy' by any means, but there was so much in common it was shocking.

"I'm not your brother," Goten responded. "I don't even know you. You're just some monster who my dad is going to beat."

That sparked an amused laugh not from the man in front of him, but from the so far relatively silent one who'd kept his distance so far.

"Kill him or absorb him and be done with it, Brass. I have very important business to take care of."

"Disgusting," the female remarked, rolling her eyes before he sensed her power start to climb. "Do you really need to bother? Just kill him."

In front of him, he could sense power rising as well as the taller fighter started to draw in his power, pulling his arm back from his forearms as he did. Neither of them were transforming, but he could sense everything beginning to tremble around him. The ground shook as a purple aura burned from the edges of "Brass"'s skin, and a blue aura burned around the female. The soil around his home began to crack and break as the entirety of the house slid to one side, the sound of the Earth waxing and waning due to the stress of the power was a familiar sound. It wasn't about winning, because Goten had already written that off.

I just need to buy time.

The Saiyan teenager hopped back as trees began to topple as the clouds above began to swirl violently. Several backflips through the air passed before his feet hit the ground, skidding. They weren't transforming, and that was great. They really seemed to think they could conserve their own energies and efforts in beating him, and that was just fine. He wasn't about to argue that they should ramp things up to as high as they could, but that meant he needed to conserve his own transformation for the right time. The two glowing auras across from him now contained two monsters who were already looking after him hungrily again. It was time to at the very least make them get sloppy.

Closing his fists, Goten started to bring his power forward, but not all of his power. The oxygen around him caught fire for the briefest of moments before it was blasted outwards, scattering the dying flames around him and suffocating them almost in the exact same moment. A white aura burst around his skin before the ground started to rumble once more. He almost winced when his tilted home collapsed into a growing sinkhole.

Oh man. Mom is going to be furious.

As a dust cloud of debris rose from where his home once was, the younger Saiyan roared out as his muscles flexed outwards at the increase in strength. It was obvious that he wasn't as strong as they were... but as long as he kept up the deception that he was even weaker than he appeared, it gave him options. Options could always evolve into opportunities. Any fight could be won off of an opportunity, even when powers were mismatched. Even if that didn't work, which he was expecting, at least it'd fill in the time he needed. Years of training with his father, and having fought in two terrible battles, had taught Goten a great deal.

"I said no games," the long haired Saiyan reiterated. "Junia, leave this for Brass. Brass, finish the boy quickly. A dead body is always a good incentive for interesting encounters when our familiar foes arrive."

The blue aura flickered violently for a moment as "Junia" sneered back at the other Saiyan for a moment, before her aura faded away, leaving her to cross her arms bitterly.

"Don't pout, you'll get to kill Vegeta again soon anyway," the clear leader of all of this commented, sounding amused. "Now then, Brass. Make it quick. We only have a few minutes..."

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Brass:

It was the a residual murmur still throbbing in the back of his mind that made the Saiyan almost spit. That was the soft whisper of an echo, of unsaid words trying to get him to stop. It was an inhibition he'd never felt before. A sensation of "wrong" never came about from hunting down and killing any targets he'd ever had. But truthfully, he was angry because of it, it fuelled his aggression, ironically enough. Putting his arms up, he imagined himself crushing the life out of the young teenager in front of him. How many times had he killed this kid, and never been bothered in the slightest? His brother most definitely died and he watched. This kid wasn't his brother anyway.

Mockingly stating that he was his brother was one thing, believing it was another.

The fact Taro was telling him to make it quick, meant he needed to stop thinking about killing the boy, and go ahead and actually kill him.

Narrowing his eyes, Brass smirked a moment later, seeing a dozen paths of attack. This kid was stronger than any other Goten's he'd killed, but he was most certainly not the most powerful warrior he'd ever met by any means, and of course most importantly he was just a boy. The world focused and bent to his will as he manipulated his ki around himself, beginning to bend the very forces of nature to allow his body to be propelled through the air at a speed that even the most trained eyes, could not see. In a flash he appeared behind the boy, having faked several paths towards him before arriving at his destination, trying to offset the other Saiyan's guard once again. When his elbow shot down violently, his entire body moving into it, he felt it make a solid connection in the back of the boy's shoulder. Vibrations rumbled out from the impact before the kid took off violently forward, blasting past Taro and Junia as he was helpless to stop the wave of energy that was released from the impact.

Pointing his hand up after him on the path, Brass felt the mumble from the back of his head die down as he focused his energy towards his palm. Purple light emitted from his fingertips and palm before merging into a single orb, fitting perfectly against the contours of his hand. A familiar hum filled the air as he focused the blast after the direction of his inferior opponent. This would be enough to finish this fight, promptly, and then he could move in to finish it. Releasing the orb, it sucked all the light in around it, leaving a darkened space around them save for the violet light which filled the space in turn. The orb bolted past Junia and Taro, who were both standing there with their arms crossed now. He made brief contact with Junia's eyes, smiling directly at her. The unimpressed gaze she gave him in turn made his lips pull back into a thin line, rather than his smile, just as light exploded in the distance.

As the flash faded in the distance, a rumbling brown and black tower of fire and smoke rumbled in the air above the detonation site. Walking ahead, he just cracked his neck to one side before stretching his shoulders.

"Was that fast enough, brother?"

Turning his head, Taro looked towards the shattered woods and burning ruin that was left behind by the blast, before turning back towards him, raising a black eyebrow and looking irritated.

"Clearly not, because you didn't finish the job."

Well of course I didn't kill him. I'm going to steal his... power...-

Thoughts trailed off as Brass stared ahead. At the centre of the fiery ruin, the crater at the centre of where the blast had detonated, a figure was rising in the slowly clearing smoke. That was surprising. It was extremely surprising in fact. The last time he checked, Goten was significantly inferior to him, even before he'd ripped the power from the Gohan of the previous reality they'd been in. Even the memories of the other reality Gohan, never remembered his brother having this kind of resolve or spirit. He expected the kid to be out of power and capitulating to his fate, or being unconscious. So many times in the past it was really this kid who fell first amongst the Saiyans.

"Tougher than I thought," he commented. "I commend you kid, but its not going to last a whole lot longer. Do you know how many other mimics of you I've killed? Its a lot, by the way. Do you really think you can keep this up? Be realistic, little brother."

Even if the chances were small, demoralizing the kid into surrendering, or into nervousness was absolutely a better way to play it if he wanted to get the most out of him before the others arrived. He'd need to deal with another annoying, distant, trapped whisper in his mind, but power was always his objective.

The serious look on the boy's face gave him something he'd not seen from his "sibling" before. It wasn't a goofy look, or panicked like he'd always expected from Goten. There was something he'd only seen once in his life before. It was the same look that Gohan had before he'd challenged Turles, and it raised the hair on the back of his neck when he saw how dead set he was. It was remarkable. He wasn't grovelling, or trying to escape, or anything he expected. He was standing there, defiantly. He didn't even respond to him in words.

Pointing both his hands forward, they trembled for a second before they steadied.

"KAA-"

Blinking, Brass smirked.

"Alright kid, you wanna prove a point? Fine, go ahead and-"

"Stop wasting time," Taro scolded again. "Or my patience is going to run out."

That was enough to make Brass almost forget that Goten was preparing an attack.

"Meeee"

A blue light began to wash out over the area around them as Brass turned to his brother.

"What difference does it make if I take a bit of time? By the time they get here, I'll have already finished him off. Its not a problem. You're always such a kill-joy."

"Are you arguing with me, brother?" Taro asked dangerously.

"Haaaaa"

That was enough to make Brass freeze, before shaking his head. Alright, it was time to take the situation in hand and...

When he turned his head back towards the blue light, he blinked again, sensing the ki in the air. It was impressive. It was nowhere near his own power, but it was most definitely an impressive amount of ki. It was going to be much better spent once he was using it, not the boy.

"Meeeee..."

Blue energy surged around the boy's hands a second later and Brass felt his lip curl.

"You really think I'd let a blast that pitiful really do anything? You're as dense as your father if you think-"

"HAAAAAA!"

It was no longer just a blue light emanating out from the hellish centre of the crater he'd made. All around him, light flashed blue before a white-blue beam of power roared out from where Goten stood. Taro and Junia both turned their heads towards it briefly before disappearing from it. It was time to finish this, as far as Brass was concerned. Flicking his hands up, he let the wave come straight into him. His feet slid back against the muddy ground, as earth piled up behind him. The beam itself fractured into two as he tore his arms around, capturing the energy into his hands. The blue orbs formed into his hands as he sneered briefly.

Before he could throw the energy back however, he looked ahead of him to see a blur of motion passing through the light in front of him. Two kneels slammed into his gut at high speed, blasting into his advanced Saiyan armour and ignoring any protection it fofered. It was enough to make spit spurt from his lips when he lurched forward. His grip on the energy he'd captured around his hands slipped as the ki was left to the environment around them. Snarling he prepared to strike back, only to feel a foot shoot straight up from his stomach, unexpectedly catching him in the jaw and the side of his mouth. The kneels had hurt, if only, but he felt his lip tear into his teeth at high speed, and his head twisted. When he got control of his movement once more he shifted his weight and struck back. His fist cracked into the side of Goten's ribs as the boy was sent flying. Brass watched as the Saiyan bounced along the ground several time as his body skidded for almost a kilometre. But it was the look of confidence before he struck Son Goten that really got to him.

"Little shit," he spat, just as he heard the pulsing noise around the blue ki to his sides as the two out of control balls of ki finally touched the surface of the Earth. "Huh? Damn!"

Turning his head at the last second, he blinked before looking into the light, and feeling the two shock waves that immediately followed. He felt his body tumble through the blast as he was sent in a spiral of chaos as debris ripped past him in all directions. The energy burned against his uniform and skin, and the light was almost blinding.

When his vision cleared, Brass began to shift from the surface of the crater he found himself laying in.

I look absolutely pathetic.

Anger rushed even further to the surface as the scowl he wore before became permanently fixed to his face. Rising, he brushed his gloved hand past his lips, wiping away some dirt. Looking at the back of his glove however, he saw an unfamiliar crimson of his own blood. It was then and there, that his purple energy aura, which appeared briefly, turned golden as he felt his hair shoot straight up. A familiar Super Saiyan hum came over him, before electricity bounced around his form. He tapped even into the surface of his captured and consumed power.

He didn't even have any words for this little shit. He made him look like an idiot in front of Junia and Taro. It was going to be time to pay the price for being so dedicated to survival.

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Goten:

A split second.

For a split second Goten thought he'd accomplished something. It was stupid, he knew, but the second that this guy got up and just changed it threw that all away. Any illusions that he could outflank his enemy were dashed. The amount of pure strength that he was sensing in the ki was overwhelming. It was bigger than Broly's, or Gohan's. Even if he hadn't thrown it all out to its fullest limit, he knew what he was sensing. Beneath all of that power, he could almost sense a second source of the power within, and he couldn't place where he knew it.

Either way, Goten breathed in, before looking back towards his soon to be killer. Strangely, he didn't think back to his father's battles or the stories he'd heard. His mind shifted back to when he was strangled and killed by Broly's gigantic hand. He could remember being helpless, and remembered his father being helpless. He remembered the demons attacking his family at the behest of Garlic Junior as well, and it was strange that he understood that he was the one left behind again. He was always the one who had to make his stand first, to defend the people close to him, like his sister and mother.

It didn't matter if this monster was stronger than him by a thousand fold, and it didn't matter if he was the first one to the front. All that mattered was that he wasn't going to just sit back and be a victim of some thing wanted to kill him? Alright, he'd been there before... he remembered it. The only thing that was important to him now, if he couldn't hold this beast back before his father and the others arrived, was that he paid a price to finish him off.

With the full understanding of his position, Goten let power surge through his body as his own aura turned from white, to gold. As if to match his adversary, electricity then sparked across his frame as his hair turned even more sharply upwards. In the distance, he could sense multiple powers approaching from the other side of the world, more than he'd ever sensed in one place, at one time.

Time stalled around him as he felt ki flowing past him being disrupted by movement. It was faster than anything he'd ever experienced, but this time he knew exactly where it came from. Shifting his form to the side, he raised his arm to block. When the fist landed against his forearm, he winced as his muscles almost buckled from the sheer force of the attack. When he felt the kick coming next, he stepped to the side, feeling it sweep past him. It was only then that he saw the lightning quick form of Brass ripping at him against with a quick strike from his arm. It was impossible to deflect, and impossible to dodge. When the hit landed on his cheek, Goten's entire head shot back before he felt another punch land squarely in the centre of his mass.

Before his body could be sent flying, he already felt two hands grab his head. He coughed violently as his only response before a knee came straight up, crashing into his face. Immediately blood rushed through his nose. The only response he could have was to reach out, grasping the top of the knee to try and get some leverage. Twisting and pulling his head, he felt the two hands holding firm, even as his aura exploded around him with a full exertion of his ascended power. Finally, his head slipped through the grip, before he slipped under Brass's form, before rising up and kicking back, hitting the other Saiyan in the back of his standing knee, dropping him down. Twisting and launching his other leg out, he swept in towards Brass's head from behind, only to watch the other Saiyan vanish just before his foot could connect.

It took less than a microsecond for Brass's frame to appear beside his extended leg, from where it'd just swept through. He couldn't make another move in time before Brass kicked his standing leg out, and then stepping into his side just as he was pulled off his feet, and backhanding him straight down into the ground. The earth beneath him shattered from the force of the impact, as fissures were sent out for dozens of metres around him.

The impact had made his body feel like it'd been pulverized into paste. A choking gasp for air escaped him while his arms came down to his chest and stomach, leaving him to roll to one side in the crater. Coughing violently several times, he spat up phlegm, seeing it mixed with blood. Carefully, he placed his hand on the ground, before feeling the overbearing shadow of Brass above him.

Last chance to buy time. Anything left that I've got, I've gotta do it now.

There seemed to be something causing the other Saiyan to pause, and the entire time he was sneering. Opening his palm, a crackling, black energy began to rise.

"It only hurts for a second, kid."

Immediately Goten's heart started to race as he looked at the strange energy emitting from the other Saiyan's hand. Closing his right fist into the dirt as he prepared to pull himself up. A dozen desperate plans spun through his mind, each one increasingly far fetched as he saw the hand looming towards him. Focusing all of his power into one point, Goten snarled before he shot up in a burst of pure speed. An image of his body continued well past him, before he shot straight back down, sending another after-image of himself dashing to the side. The passive look of the other Saiyan to the left was enough, and the younger Saiyan stayed put, waiting for Brass to move.

Only he didn't give chase to either after image.

"Do I look dumb, kid? I've won a hundred battles against you-"

"Not a kid."

With his energy gathered into the same point he'd had before, Goten opened his palm just as Brass's hand reached out for him. Pointing his hand towards the Saiyan's stomach, a wave of golden light emerged in a stunning splash of light. The sound of thrumming energy filled his own ears as he looked past the light itself, sensing with his ki what lay beyond. A sense of tremendous force suddenly pushed through his wave, and the light shattered. The beam shooting from his arm fragmented and split into a thousand fragments before disappearing in a wisp of air seemingly. Standing there, only having moved back a few metres, his right arm no longer crackling with dark energies, was Brass.

The Super Saiyan looked furious.

"I lost my concentration thanks to that. I was trying to make this easy on you. But if you don't want me to treat you like a kid? Then fine. I'll treat you like a man."

The world seemed to slow down for Goten in the follow seconding. Even with that being the case, even with his senses focused on Brass keenly, he saw him blur from view. It was impossible to even follow him, all he could do was sense the ki's trail seemingly eons after it'd already passed by him. Turning and looking up, Goten only saw a briefly flash of motion and light, before feeling energy cut across his face. It was blinding, turning the world white in the same brilliant but painful display of movement and light.

His own voice screamed out into the forest, echoing out across the mountains as he felt himself rolling back. His face felt warm, very warm. Slowly the world focused and came back into view. The right side of his vision slowly started to stain red as he felt the warmth around his forehead and nose leaking down his face. Blinking harm, the blood slipped from his eye.

This is it.

The games were over, and he knew exactly what he was up against. He didn't stand a chance, not one chance in Hell of stopping this guy. Worse, holding out was all but impossible as well. Something painful shifted through his chest, superseding the pain slowly emerging across his face. It was the pain of failure, knowing that he hadn't been able to buy time, and knowing that he was going to die again, and soon. It wasn't alright, and he wasn't at peace with the idea. His life would end, and he would be left with what?

Trying to rise fully to his feet, Goten shivered briefly before he found his footing.

"Now then, I want you to hold still, kid, we can only do this once," Brass remarked, smirking before his right hand began to glow with purple energy again. "Hell, I'll give you first class accommodations in my brain for being the Goten who stood up the longest."

Another blur came, and this time Goten kept his eyes peeled ahead, wanting to see his fate coming. Bracing himself, he looked for any signs of motion, trying to defend himself.

I'm not going to lose.

When a thundering boom exploded out in front of him, the young Saiyan felt the waves of force blast him back. Raising his arms to shield himself, he felt something familiar appear just before the explosion. The sound of debris crackling against the surface of the planet as it showered down from above rumbled across the terrain in front of him. A familiar orange and blue figure was hovering there, with a just as familiar golden glow around him. The sound of another figure bouncing and scraping against the top of the ground briefly sounded out, followed by an angry and annoyed series of snarls.

Dad.

Immediately, Goten's shoulders slumped as he fell back down to his kneels, breaking out with a sense of relief he didn't know he could experience.

In the distance, he could see Brass slowly getting up, brushing blood from his lip as he started to sneer.

"Why don't you try fighting someone you're own power?" his father's voice commented. "Or can you only pick on those weaker than yourself?"

"You bastard," he breathed furiously. "You'll die screaming for that you-"

"Brass, it seems you've failed our little test. You were having too much fun on a time limit," the powerful other male commented. "I'm very disappointed... but then again, I must have imagined you'd have fallen short."

It was clear that Brass seemed to stiffen immediately at the comment, turning in a combination of fear and concern towards the other brother.

"I apologize, brother, it won't happen again," Brass was quick to remark.

"Oh? I wonder how I can put that to the test..."

While they spoke, Goten felt his hair shift back to normal, before seeing his father turn his head towards him, just as Vegeta floated down next, then Piccolo and Trunks. More surprisingly, a series of other figures emerged after them even.

"Everything's going to be fine now, Goten, we'll take it from here. I'm proud of you for holding on like that," his father told him, before giving him a broad smile. "Though hopefully next time you won't have to hold them off that long, hey?"

Goten felt himself fall back onto the grass and just breath out with relief.

Everything was going to work out, he knew it.

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Goku:

Finally he had the chance to see the monsters they'd been warned about by Trunks and the Supreme Kai of Time. He'd gotten here just in time too, because if he'd been any longer they'd have already killed his son. That was already enough to make the anger in his chest boil. These things had no conscience. They were going to kill his son, and his wife, without any real reason beyond their own amusement? When was Goten going to be a challenge for the Saiyan he'd just struck? Right now, that was inconceivable. Staring down the golden Saiyan he'd interrupted with a strike from his flank, Goku felt himself stiffen in his resolve to keep a hard look as soon as he'd made contact with them again.

It was hard to keep his look so intense when he spied the three of them together, even as the lesser Saiyan, Brass was it? Stood up and began to try and explain himself to the truly dark power among the three. Certainly the energies from the girl, Junia, and Brass were dark, but they were nothing compared to the pit of darkness at their head. The sinister look in the long haired one's eyes was more terrifying than anything he'd ever seen. When he faced King Piccolo, and almost every other monster he'd fought before, even Broly, there was always something more behind their eyes. They had souls, even if they were cruel. The look he saw inside this Taro's eyes... were that of a soulless monster. Even Frieza looked more compassionate.

"They've brought a lot more than the usual crew," Junia observed with boredom edging on her words. "The Supreme Kai, Kibito, another... Kai, I suppose? Bringing the Gods of creation here seems to be a bold move. If you want to leave your reality directionless."

A small curve then appeared on her lips as she crossed her arms.

"The Kais can leave. We're not interested in you right now," she followed up. "You can go be important somewhere else."

"We know you'll track us down and destroy us later," Kibito remarked. "We've been told the full breadth of your cruelty and depravity."

"We've been getting ready for you," Goku said. "We know what kind of beasts you are, and you're not going to get away with the horrors you've inflicted across time. This ends here."

It was then that an amused laugh emerged from Taro, who brought his hands up and began to clap, if only for a few seconds.

"Bravo, I couldn't have made you more entertaining if I tried. I envisioned this world in my mind's eye as being the most stunningly arrogant. Foolish, overconfident, and feeling prepared. When your spirits are crushed, your demise in the final chapter is... exquisite."

It was strange, but he was talking like this was somehow all apart of a plan. Immediately Goku looked towards Vegeta, and then towards Piccolo and Trunks, who both quietly shook their heads.

"This madness is going to stop, Taro," Trunks cut in. "One way or another, you'll pay for all the lives you've destroyed."

"All the lives I've destroyed? That is amusing, isn't it? This from you, of all people? I know your sins, Trunks... You've not just wrong me... you've wronged so many others. Every world you jump to, how many more splinter from that one? And you criticize me for it. I know once I bring you back to where your origin has been, once you're back where you belong... You'll finally know peace."

"You're sick," Goku finally remarked.

"And you're Goku, I fail to see the difference," Taro remarked, before turning his head to Brass. "I suppose we're going to have to make a division of labour to solve our current quandary, wouldn't you say brother?"

The only golden haired one among them cracked his neck from one side to the other.

"I've already had my warmup. I wouldn't mind trying to utilize my new power," the Super Saiyan commented. "Give me Kakarot. If he thinks he's so strong, I want to be the one who takes that delusion away from him-"

"No," Goku said firmly. "I want to fight you."

Pointing his finger out, Goku locked straight on to Taro. It was hardly impossible to figure out where he was needed. If anyone was going to even slow down that monster, is was going to be him. When he locked eyes with the soulless beast in front of him, Goku felt something cold run through him, but he didn't shirk away. This was it.

Come on. Don't try to dodge me, I can't buy enough time if I have to deal with the weaker ones first. He'll kill Trunks and then go completely off the rails.

"Kakarot, you surprise me. I never decided for you to be this forward. I enjoy the surprise," Taro remarked simply, before raising his head up. "If I allow you to fight me, however, you'll have to let me dictate terms. I decide who among you, will fight me, and who will fight my incredible brother, and my dear Junia."

The two other Saiyans sniffed at the final comments, but Goku looked towards the others first before turning back towards Taro. Right now he knew if anyone had a chance of stopping this monster, it was him. Given the fact that this thing rampaged across time and space killing copies of them as well, that meant it was all the more likely that he'd end up in an early grave. But that didn't matter, what mattered was not letting history repeat itself. If they could stop them, then it was going to make sure that these things didn't assault anyone's dimensions of timelines, and even if it didn't stop the problems the Kais laid out in terms of the damage they'd done across the universes, it would at least provide something that they'd yet to come across.

Justice.

Lowering his head forward, keeping his eyes locked, Goku nodded.

"We accept," he declared.

The lip curled upward on the edge of Taro's lip, revealing some of his mother's features more than anything. It was the same look Bulma had when she'd just gotten what she'd wanted, and that made his heart skip a beat when he saw it.

"What wonderful news," the Saiyan remarked. "So you will have an opportunity to fight me, along with say... Trunks... just to keep things interesting."

Of course he picked Trunks. If he could have avoided fighting him as well, likely in fear of making a mistake or allowing things to get too messy, he would have. It was easy for Goku to scope out the remaining combatants. Vegeta and either the Kais or Piccolo would squad off against Junia, and the rest against Brass.

"Junia?" Taro turned his head. "I'll give you the gift, of being able to slaughter another Vegeta. One versus one, I think is only fair."

What? That's weird.

The look on Brass's face lifted up briefly, his eyes lit with concern before he turned his head towards Taro.

"What? You mean I have to fight all these Kais and Piccolo? I don't even get a Saiyan? Are you serious?" he sneered. "Where is Gohan? Pitch him into the fight and I'll-"

"Gohan's dead," Piccolo interrupted bluntly, trying to conceal his concern. "We're what you'll get."

"Gohan's dead? Are you kidding? Who did him in? Cell? Buu?"

"Majin Buu? You've seen him before?" Shin asked in almost shock. "Who released him in what time? He would be-"

"Gohan got killed by Garlic Junior," Piccolo answered bluntly.

The three figures paused for a few seconds before staring at each other in bewilderment. It was hard to decipher the looks they were giving, before Junia started to smile broadly, trying to contain... laughter?

"He got killed by Garlic Junior? What was he? Five?" she barely managed. "No wait! He would have been four."

After several seconds of laughter from the other two, Taro smiled.

"You don't need to lie to us. Either that, or this Gohan was pathetic, and not worth fighting anyway."

Closing his fists, Goku felt something strike a nerve as he felt his face turn inward, trying to prevent himself from sneering.

"Brass, you get the rest, and no complaints."

"But they're so weak," Brass complained.

"Oh? And you handled that child so well, didn't you? Prove yourself, and maybe next time I'll give you a more substantial bout," was the immediate response from Taro. "Now, let's make this happen, shall we?"

It was impossible to not sense. Dark, black energies began to slowly materialize across the fabric of reality around them. Tendrils of this strange essence, each one with almost a shrieking howl of agony behind it hissed through the air as they bent and flowed through the air, slowly revealing their point of origin. A black aura began to swirl around Taro's entire body, his armour glinting with it momentarily as his hair began to move along with the pulse of deep energy. When his black cape kicked up seconds later, flowing in the "wind", Goku felt his insides lock together while the work around him almost shattered. Fragments of reality broke away as if they were nothing, and suddenly he found himself standing only next to Trunks.

Where did the others go?

All there was in the background was the ruins of his house, and the forest around them.

"Where is everyone else?" Trunks demanded first, narrowing his eyes.

"I relocated them to a far more appropriate series of battlefields across this planet. That was a first for me... To change my dreams in the midst of them," Taro remarked, looking down at his hands before staring up at them again, his eyes beginning to play with a kind of maliciousness Goku had seen far too often before. "I've envisioned you two beginning for your lives next."

Here we go.

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Piccolo:

That's very bad. He's gotten to the point where he can begin manipulating time and space.

Looking around him briefly, Piccolo's eyes set over the busy intersection they'd just appeared in. Turning his head, he looked straight over to Shin and Kibito, before sharpening his gaze back on to Brass himself.

*Piccolo, these Saiyans are more powerful than even I expected,* Shin's mental voice rolled through his mind. *I am going to request King Yemma sends a warrior from the afterlife to help us. If we can defeat this one, then we can move to assist Vegeta, and then move on to stop the last one of these monsters.*

That was a very neat and clean way of thinking of how this battle was about to go. Observing Brass already throwing test jabs into the air whilst hopping from one foot to the other with an amused look on his face, the Namekian sized up the amount of power Brass was willing to show them so far. Already he was stronger than Kibito and Shin, and he knew full well that as soon as this fight even got remotely serious, he'd be outclassed too. Given that they'd fought before, likely over a hundred times, Brass already knew about techniques like the Special Beam Cannon, which meant that he wasn't going to be given the opportunity to just gather enough power to win that way.

"What's wrong, Namekian? Afraid to meet your maker at the hands of Saiyan nobility?" Brass questioned, stopping his charade of hops and punches, before taking a bow.

Angry horns suddenly burst into reality all around them as they stood in the midst of what appeared to be East City. This place had terrible luck.

"Get out of the road you freaks!" one voice shouted. "Do you know where I need to be right now?!"

"What's their problem? Why doesn't someone do something about this!"

"Why is that one glowing yellow?"

"Its the same kind of monster from before! The Broly Monster!"

This situation was bad, very bad.

"Meet us outside the city," Piccolo urged. "Fighting inside here will do nothing but kill innocent people, and-"

"That will make the three of you actually bother to put up a fight. I don't want to be so bored that you just roll over and die, so allow me to get things started," Brass said calmly, his smile creeping up mischievously.

I've got to find a way to lure him away from the city before-

Pointing his hand behind him, Brass's hand glowed with purple energy briefly while he stared back at them.

"Let's get started," he said simply.

"What the hell?" one voice uttered in a mixture of shock and horror, before the bolt was released.

"No! NO! Please!" one woman shouted before terrified screams began emerging.

Behind Brass the world turned into a ray of bright, purple light. A dome of energy emerged in the blastwave's past, sending rumbling blastwaves out for dozens of kilometres. Almost instantaneously the force of it rolled over Piccolo like a tidal wave. Arms shot up to protect him as his cloak shot back behind him. The Kais themselves were forced into the same situation as the destruction reigned down on the city. Looking past the light as it faded, Piccolo could see the smoke beginning to rise from the absolutely scorched street. Buildings lay in ruins, felled upon their foundations. The street itself was gone, turned into burnt, depressed mud with only a few fragments of cars which hadn't been totally vaporized. All of the people were gone except for a few dull, pained moans coming from some of the ruins. Those people were already dead, they were just going to unfortunately suffer before they died.

"You're sick," Piccolo growled, grabbing his cloak and pulling it from his shoulders, before tossing it behind him. Next he grabbed his turban, before slipping it from his smooth bald head, and dropping it to the ground next to him. "Those are innocent people."

"No, I'm just bored already," Brass remarked. "Are you're too little multi coloured friends going to come fight too? Purple, Green, and Red coming together in a collage of pathetic power?"

"If you're so sure of yourself, why don't you prove how pathetic we are?" Kibito asked. "Destroying these mortals is hardly an impressive feat of power."

The golden haired warrior leaned forward from where he stood, crossing his arms as he did.

"Well, I can't just leave that unchallenged, now can I? I think you're the first one to die, my red friend."

That was the cue that the talking portion of this was over. The thundering clap of Brass's boot slamming into Kibito's head sundered out across the city, sending cracks through the foundations of the buildings nearby. The noise of thousands of windows shattering crackled all around them as well before Kibito's frame went hurtling back.

A green aura immediately surged around Piccolo as he drew some of his power forward, just to even get the ball moving. Twisting as he took off into the air, he instinctively knew to follow Kibito's path through several buildings. In a blurred motion he saw Shin racing with him as both looked for any sign of Brass. An office building imploded once Kibito's body slammed into it, burying himself to the bottom level in the tower of twisted steel and crushed glass. The noise of the bending metal screaming out across the empty air around them, mixed with human horror, sent something unnatural into Piccolo's stomach.

Scanning with his eyes, the Namekian saw the grim image of the Saiyan appear above the ruin, pointing his hand down.

This is bad.

Gathering his strength so far, Piccolo felt ki surge around him before he immediately dove down. Shin was at his side before he overtook him, desperate to intervene on behalf of his friend no doubt.

"Saiyan! I am the Supreme Kai! Fight me!" he shouted before gathering red energy in his right hand.

In mid air, the Kai threw himself into Brass's form. The energy in his hand was released, and without even seeing it, Piccolo knew Brass had moved. Shin's eyes saw it all as they bulged in shock, before Brass reappeared where he once floated, driving his knee into the Kai's stomach, causing him to gag and move up in the air.

"From behind? Tsk tsk," Brass mocked, before rounding the house, and dropping a kick into the Kai's back, sending him violently twisting through the air and down into the shattered ruins of the office building. The familiar sound of the energy being gathered in his hand hummed out before one sentence was uttered. "Two gods for the price of one."

Before he could, Piccolo quickly opened his palm, and formed a splintering ki ball. Firing it down towards Brass, several golden orbs zipped through the air, homing in on their target. Brass seemingly didn't move as the bolts passed straight through him. Growling, Piccolo let his ki rise further for a brief moment, before blasting off towards the figure. Striking out with a right as soon as he closed entirely, he found his arm hitting empty air, and Brass being next to where he once was.

"You're not very strong, Piccolo," Brass observed idly. "But you know, I think you've been cheating... you might have more power than those Kais, stored away."

Chopping towards his head, Piccolo found his hand passing over the Saiyan without any effort on his adversaries part. Several jabbing kicks followed, and a series of punches, each one landing nowhere. He needed to get an opportunity to raise his power, but for now he needed to buy time for Kibito and Shin to get out of the rubble before they were killed. They needed to raise their powers as well. With a final lunging swing, Piccolo's hand passed through Brass again, but this time he found himself unable to even see him. Shifting from left to right, he observed nothing, until he sensed something behind him. As soon as he turned around, he saw Brass's back facing him.

His back?

Anger swelled up as he realized the level of disrespect he was being shown. Snarling, he prepared to strike again only to find the back of Brass's right hand slamming into his nose. Purple blood spat out from the impact as his head reeled back in pain. An elbow from the same arm then dropped into his abdomen, causing him to cough, but also feeling his ki almost dispersed from the power of the blow.

"Every version of you I meet, Piccolo, is always a disappointment, even when you cheat. You have no idea what it is to approach freedom."

With that, Piccolo felt a kick slam into his head from the side, sending him spiralling through the air, before he skid across a rooftop.

But just as he hit, he sensed two great powers emerging, and knew that this was only the beginning.

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Brass:

Annoying Namekian-

Huge chunks of rubble, as well as millions of fragments of splintered glass began to rise into the air from the ruin below. The entire Earth seemingly began to shake as well, leaving Brass to blink as he realized its source. The Kais were letting their real power out, and that was admittedly, more impressive than he'd originally anticipated. While the debris ascended into the air, two bright white glowing orbs slowly began to emerge as well. Wrapping his tail more tightly around his waist, Brass felt his lip curl into a small frown of annoyance.

Looks like they're going to eat up more time than I'd originally thought. Well this is disappointing. I was hoping to get a chance to test myself against Son Goku. I still have time, maybe if I make this quick...

The two glowing spheres slowly bled away, revealing the two Kais within, their white aura's blazing. It was annoying because he'd assumed he wouldn't have had to tapped into the full total of his original power, not even slightly, and now here he was using perfectly good energy, against perfectly inferior opponents.

"Nice showing," Brass remarked. "Allow me to say that you'll get a high grade for effort, but unfortunately I'm still going to need to fail you. You're just meeting class expectations."

"We'll see," The Supreme Kai replied with a biting tone before the pair of them vanished from sight.

Immediately Brass's senses heightened as he locked on to the two of them attempting to outflank him. Shifting back several metres in the air in a blink of an eye, the three of them appeared together in one still motion as a thundering boom exploded above the city, his knee blocking Kibito's kick and his arm blocking Shin's strike. In a flurry of motions that followed, Brass's body shifted between strikes and blocking blows aimed to deliver deadly damage. Seconds in the air felt like minutes of battle as he evaded attack after attack. Each attack was presenting him with an opportunity to respond, but when was it appropriate to exercise that opportunity? It was waiting for the right moment, to maximize damage and achieve an overwhelming advantage.

It was a sloppy motion however, shifting left around one of Kibito's punches, that he felt the Supreme Kai's knee come crashing into his ribs. His armour flexed around the blow, but offered him little protection. In truth, the blow was hardly the most painful thing he'd experienced, but that wasn't the problem. The force carried through him, knocking him out of the sync of combat he'd made for himself. He should have struck earlier, and now he was going to pay for it. A solid fist cashed into his stomach from Kibito, before a boot came striking up against the side of his head from Shin. The force to the blows launched him off and to the right, before he regained his posture in the air.

"I guess no one can be a complete failure in their life," Brass observed, feeling the mild discomfort the two hits had caused him.

Looking up at the last second, feeling the disturbance in the air, Brass felt the axe handle come crashing down on his back, cracking the back of his armour before he was sent straight down towards the city. The velocity he was moving at made him almost hit the ground.

Almost.

He stopped himself, his features turning towards a quiet fury as he stared ahead for a microsecond. The whoosh of air around him gave a whump through the air at his sudden stop. Turning around violently Brass prepared to launch himself back up towards the red skinned Kai who'd just actually hurt him, only to find something already waiting for him in the air. Straight above him, a glowing red orb of impressive proportions was gathering itself, red energies crackling around it. He could sense both Kai's behind it.

They're not ruthless enough to shoot that down into this city-

The two of them suddenly gave a brief cry of exertion, and the orb expanded yet further, before it launched. It was surprisingly fast. The ki it was giving off disrupted the air around him even, almost locking him in place, forcing him to take the shot head on. Instinctively, Brass threw his arms up before the blast impacted him. The burning in the air caused by the hot energy scorched his gloves immediately before he grasped it.

I'm going to throw this right back at you, you pitiful little 'gods', and then I'm going to enjoy breaking some bones-

Before he could even think to just toss the orb back into the air, he sensed it reach its critical mass. It began humming, very, very loudly, before it expanded once more on his hands.

"Shit," he growled, before the world turned white.

When the world turned white, he felt himself thrown back with the force of thousands of tons of explosives. His chest armour shattered with the force of the blast, sending it cascading back from him with all the other debris before his body's ki naturally shielded him. The heat was intense, and it was draining on him as he felt himself almost falling into nothingness, before golden energy emerged from him at the last moments.

If this was the best those two idiots and the Namekian had, they were about to get what was coming to them, because daring to fight back like that meant they wanted him to turn things up. The sound of splitting and crumbling concrete echoed around him, mixing with the hellishly loud explosion. The ground beneath him had been annihilated, adding metres worth of depth, and he found himself laying in the centre of the new crater. With a certain lack of haste he sat up, looking over himself as he observed all that was left of his Saiyan armour was his black jumpsuit, gloves, and boots. He'd not lost his armour since they'd left home all of those months ago.

Dusting himself off while looking around him, he observed how another chunk of the city had been devastated. Fires burned in the rubble of buildings around him, and he smirked. That was the best part about fighting in a city, it dirtied everyone's hands. It was hard to really narrow it down, but it reinforced a certain narrative that he liked to imagine. Simply put, the enemies he killed were no better than him at the end of the day. Especially after several realities of fighting these morally principled fighters. How quickly those principals were sacrificed to save the 'greater' societies. They always scrambled to keep themselves alive first.

When he looked up, once the smoke cleared, save for the blackened smoke caused by the growing building fires around the shattered remains of the street, Brass gazed directly at the Kai's who'd just managed to not only lay their hands on him, but also fire a significant ki blast. The Supreme Kai himself clearly looked concerned, and Kibito looked more than concerned. It meant that the red one was more aware of their situation, because he was going to repay them with quite a lot of interest.

"I'm not going to lie, that was one of the more impressive exploits I've seen of a mistake in a while. I guess that comes with wisdom of the Gods, am I right?" Brass asked almost lightheartedly, before his glare reemerged. "Let's see how well wisdom does against this."

Bracing himself, Brass grit his teeth as his golden aura flashed back into existence. This time however, it violently began to flow over his body before the aura grew in size, blue bolts of lightning rippling over his frame while it felt like the entire Earth began to quake. The already destroyed ground began to give way around him, fissures and cracks ripped open around him, as the damaged frame of buildings began to be pushed over the edge, causing already damaged buildings to begin to collapse, while others shook, their very frames edging towards buckling as people desperately ran to escape the city, or at the very least their offices.

"You see, the only thing that you did that wasn't very wise," Brass snarled through grit teeth while he felt his power coming more and more to the fore. "Was that you actually hurt me, which means I'm not going to be playing with you anymore. We Saiyans are the most powerful beings in the universe, and you're about to discover why."

Before the world even stopped rumbling, Brass measured up his method of attack, already planning ten steps ahead. It was going to be easy to really make this happen as it were. Even as the two Gods prepared their defences with different stances, he'd already taken their impotent defence into account.

Focusing his ki, Brass leaped through the air, straight up towards them, moving past the world around him with his ki, moving around the light seemingly before he appeared in front of Kibito and Shin. The Red one swung at him, which he dodged just as before, only this time he grabbed the giant Kai's hand, pulling him into a knee of his own. The Kai spat violently and gagged in both agony and shock, before Brass simply caught the Supreme Kai's knee with his spare hand.

"Really?" he asked, smirking.

In a spin of fury, Brass threw them both away, directly opposite of one another, firing a ki wave in the direction of the Supreme Kai, before blasting off after Kibito. The assault was vicious as soon as he closed. The Kai swung at him immediately, missing as he blurred under him as the two travelled at incredible speed through the air. He drove his elbow into his back, causing the Kai to flinch and twist in the air, before he swung his leg around, crashing it into his ribs. Ramping up his speed as the Kai's defences crumbled, he began his assault. His fists bore down on the God, each one hitting his face, chest, and abdomen in a vicious assault. Blood spat from the Kai's nose and mouth, with each passing shot as he laid dozens of attacks on him. Finally Kibito tried to just raise his arms in defence of his head, and Brass grimly smiled yet again. Gathering his strength into his right fist and pulling back, Brass prepared to dive in for the killing blow.

I told you, you were first-

In front of him, much to his surprise however, a haggard looking Supreme Kai appeared, his face twisted into anger and mixed with something akin to fear. It was impressive that he ignored his own survival instincts like this, especially for a being so important. It was only at the last second that Brass noticed the Kai's hands come together and point up at him. A faint pinkish glow appeared, before much more than a faint glow made itself known. With widened eyes, Brass looked on as a narrative ran through his mind.

Well. That wasn't in the plan.

It took him only a second to realize the threat that was appearing as the power expanded a dozen times over. They'd purposely not fired their most dangerous attack into the city it seemed, and that made Brass scowl when he raised his arms to defend himself in a brilliantly quick motion. The entire world turned pink-red as the attack was unleashed. Pink fire seemingly trailed over the sky as the attack broke against him like a wave against a shore. It challenged his defence much more than the orb he'd deflected before. His forearms trembled as the pink light dispersed. That consumed a share of energy to deflect, and his chest heaved angrily.

"You," he snarled, pulling his arms down, ignoring Kibito's frame as it trailed off ahead of them, falling towards the city.

There was a look of disbelief on the Supreme Kai's face before it was replaced with some measured level of fear driven resolve.

The energy he'd gathered to finish Kibito was redirected as he swung his fist down towards the Supreme Kai himself. The blow landed before Shin could prepare his defence, smashing into the side of his face. Immediately the Kai's head contorted, his cheek smooshing into his head as his head tried to leave his entire body, only held on by the bonds of his ki. A gagged noise escaped him before he plummeted towards the city below. Watching him for a few seconds, Brass observed as the Kai's body crashed through the side of one already damaged office tower, before emerging out of it, dust, debris and soot following him as the sound of the concrete and drywall shattering vibrated out over the city along with the impact. When his body hit the next building along his path, it broke through with a similarly satisfying blow.

It took him under a second to catch up, appearing next to the Kai as he slapped against the last building, having lost enough momentum to only hit it hard. Before he could fall from the side, Brass blurred into his range, hitting him with a jab in the chest, bouncing him back and against the hard side of the older office building. A gagged noise escaped the god just as Brass hit him again, jabbing him back into it harder, causing him to bounce further. This time he let him fall further from the side of the building before he came in from behind, throwing his heel down into his back. A pained cry escaped the purple skinned creature before he was sent directly into the pavement below, slamming into it was a satisfied clap. He bounced, just enough for Brass to appear next to him. Jumping into the air in a lightning quick motion, Brass let his right leg shift out into a swing as his leg caught the Kai in the head with a violent kick. This time the God's body broke through the front entrance of the ageing building, breaking through the lobby's front desk, before ripping through several walls and supports on the bottom level.

When he emerged out the other side, Brass caught him by the head, having 'beat him there' as it were.

Hoisting his head back as the God gasped in pain, blood trailing from his lower and upper lip, his teeth stained with purple, Brass looked at the Kai and sneered.

"Some God you are," he remarked coldly. "But certainly noble, wanting to die instead of your friend back there. Don't worry, he'll join you shortly."

Gathering energy in his right hand, the one holding the Kai's head, Brass prepared to 'finish' things in a very messy way, only to pause when he felt something nearby. It was very powerful. Dropping Shin a second later, letting the Kai crawl a few feet before placing his foot on his back, forcing him into the ground, Brass's eyes looked about for the power.

Whoever it was, it wasn't natural. It was like... four or five powers, all wrapped together. A fusion? But it wasn't Saiyan, that ruled out Gotenks or...

Down the street, Brass eyed a familiar green figure staring back at him.

"Piccolo," he growled. "Took a breather? The Kai's really could have used some help. Its shameful that you left them to enjoy all the fun on their own."

It took him several seconds, but Brass started to narrow down the power to its familiar components. His teal eyes stared at Piccolo as he sensed something deeper than he'd sensed before. His own breathing caught while he stared back at the Namekian. There was almost a growl in his chest as he realized who the power was. Had the Namek been holding out? Or had he been waiting for the right time?

Or gathering energy. Piccolo always tries to gather energy.

The thought just made Brass reassess his enemy more closely as Piccolo stood down street of him.

"If you're looking for a challenge, fight me," Piccolo remarked. "After all, it wouldn't be the first time we've fought."

What?

That caused Brass to take notice, his head stiffening. The energy levels were all off, it wasn't just his senses playing tricks on him. Piccolo normally fused with the one known as Nail, and combined himself with Kami. This was almost always the case, but right now? Right now it felt like he was dealing with two, or even three combinations of that. How did that even work? Different elements of the power even felt slightly different, and the words... something was wrong.

He's fought me before? So is this another traveller, like Trunks?

"So, you've fought me before?" he asked, letting his smile creep up. "That seems unlikely. I tend to kill all the Piccolo's I've ever fought. I make sure I get the job done too, vaporizing that head of..."

A smirk emerged on the Namek's face, as he stared him down, bracing himself.

"The first time we met, it was when I was trying to kill your father," the Namek revealed. "I know you were there."

My father... that means...

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Utopai: Age 780 - Brass

"Aren't you supposed to be dead, Namek?" his father's words rang out over the hall as he slowly rose to his feet, looking over their newest arrival.

"Namekians aren't killed so easily, Turles," the green skinned alien retorted quickly. "You're reign of terror is over."

Looking on from the side, near several pillars, Brass simply watched the exchange with some interest. The Namekian was in the records as being a powerful foe to have fought both Frieza and his father, but how was he possibly going to rise to fight his father now? Piccolo died before he was born, when his father was significantly weaker. Still, this was apparently the man who'd raised his eldest brother, Son Gohan, and that was something to keep his eyes on.

"My reign of terror is over? Please, you sound as ridiculous as Kakarot did. I'll tell you what, Namek, if you decide to create some Dragon Balls for me, I'll let you live," his father remarked darkly. "Otherwise, I'm afraid to say that you're really not all that interesting. Which means that your time in this world is again, quite limited."

"All of the people you've destroyed Turles are going to be avenged." Piccolo's voice rumbled back. "You may be more powerful than me, but you're finished."

"What a stupid remark to make. I'm stronger but I'm finished? Clearly you must be-"

It was in an instant that the Namekian charged his father, who grabbed the Namek out of the air before any blow could land, grasping him by the throat and clenching immediately.

"You rotten slug. Do I look like a fool to you? You think you can get away with attacking me in my own palace? That boy you wanted to avenge died right over there. I'll be sure to throw your corpse on the same spot!"

Kicking several times, Piccolo then smiled at Turles from behind his pain filled grimace. It made Brass stop and think while he looked at the alien. It was strange how they would fight back, these people of resolve, despite not having the strength to do so on their own. They would throw themselves at them until the end, and engage in hopeless situations. It was as if they were foolish or-

"Smiling? Care to share?" Turles mocked, forming energy in his left hand. "Goodbye Picc...o..."

Looking at the Namek for a moment, Turles's eyes slowly began to widen, and Brass sensed it a moment later. Piccolo's power was rising, surging... internally. It was as if he was going to unleash an attack, but there was no direction. It was all of his energy, life energy, ki, everything, it was all reaching a critical mass and-

"Goodbye," Piccolo sneered.

A moment later, Brass's world turned to white as he raised his shield at the last moment, and threw his arms up. When the wave hit, it threw him back violently, sending him in a spiral, helplessly flailing through the air as he was carried for dozens of kilometres.

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Brass:

"Are you claiming to be that idiot who suicide attacked my father and only managed to do a bit of real-estate damage?" Brass laughed. "Since when is dying in front of some preteen kid, the same as fighting them?"

It was a bold claim, one that he didn't believe for a second. This was clearly someone who was different than he expected, but this was by no means the Piccolo who was killed by his own stupidity for little gain. Things being off by only a bit was hardly a reason to panic.

"I know a lot more about you, Namek, than you could ever dream to know about me," Brass then chuckled. "So please, if you're so strong, why don't you come at me?"

It was a mirroring of the words his father had said all those years ago, before he snatched the Piccolo of his world out of the air and began crushing his neck. This was hardly anything of any concern to him at all. Even if this Namek was stronger than any he'd fought before, he was still far and away more powerful. He doubted he'd even fully tap into his own power, let alone the first Gohan he'd absorbed. There was a scratch at the back of his mind as soon as he thought of it however, an impotent impulse to somehow try and find a peaceful solution to all this.

Shut up.

That voice was getting more and more irritating. Worse, it reminded him of phrases that his brother had told him while he was growing up. The lies built out of weakness didn't have a place on the battlefield.

"Still not moving, Namek? Nothing to say? I wish that I'd gotten Goku, rather than being saddled with you. Here, let me finish these Kai's off before I-"

"I didn't just fight Turles, Brass. Here, let me remind you of who I am."

The air began to swirl as dust lifted up off the ground, swooshing through the street as something electric seemed to tap into the air. Brass's eyes began searching, looking through different veins of ki he felt being tapped into, before staring ahead at Piccolo once again, slowly beginning to see the rise of the power in front of him. A growling noise began to emerge from the green figure before a white aura burst out over his skin. As soon as the aura hit, the dust went from rising and blowing, to exploding into complete chaos as force waves blasted out from the Namek. The power emerging was very substantial. Waves of soot and dust blasted around him and his own golden aura as his blue-green stare hardened on the Namek.

So you're powerful. I'm not recognizing anything that I've not seen before.

When the Namekian's voice began to roar, that was when the ki rose to its peak, hitting its perfect point before the white aura turned green. It turned green and his ki changed, and it was something very familiar indeed.

"Demon-Ken!"

"You're him," Brass sneered, his own aura burning while he confirmed something he didn't want to be true.

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Alternate Timeline 631: Brass

Oh shit.

Another blow came up and slipped under his defence, slamming into his ribs. A gag escaped him before he was sent flipping back, hitting his feet against the ground while holding his side. They'd been at this for a half hour, and both of them were starting to get haggard. This was the Seventieth Piccolo he'd fought, and without wanting to make a pun, he had to admit, he fought like a demon. Every blow was precise, but his power level was extra ordinary as far as the Namekians went.

"Having trouble, brother? It looks as though this Namekian I've made for you, is putting up quite the fight," Taro's voice echoed out.

If he was here, that meant Trunks was dead.

"It's fine. He's just stronger than expected," Brass was quick to fire back. "How long have you been watching?"

"Long enough to see that he's been scouting you," Taro commented. "You're being sloppy. Every moment you don't win, you give the Namek ammunition to finish you off."

"I'll be fine," Brass snapped. "He's much weaker, even with his little buffs."

"Are you going to fight, or talk?" Piccolo's voice picked up. "I don't have time to do both, and I don't want to do one."

Taro chuckled, before turning his attention to the Namek.

"You see, Piccolo, I dare say that I have better things to do than watch you continue to fight my brother."

"I'll fight you too if I have-"

"Collapsing Blaster!"

The Namekian's attention immediately shifted from Taro, back to him as he unleashed his blastwave. The battle would be decided, now.

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Piccolo:

Dying at Brass's hands all those years ago, dying the third death, had taught Piccolo more about how these Saiyan's fought than anything. Being here, now, and united with a newer and stronger self, meant that this time it would be different. He'd lived three different lives, in three different times, and everything was now culminating into this. This was his last, best chance to stop these monsters once and for all, and even if he didn't stop all of them, he was going to at least stop this one. Already he knew how Brass's defence was going to operate. The Saiyan instinctively always blocked high when attacked at high speed, it meant he needed to go for the midsection as soon as they closed. The fact that Brass's alternative to blocking was to strike out with a quick punch, also left the midsection open if he dodged around it, further enhancing the idea.

Green electricity crackled around him as Piccolo let the soot and debris settle between them, both of their aura's flaring.

The two of them were waiting for something, for the right moment of power to shift between the two of them, for any kind of tick that might give away to a weakness.

"You're no better than Taro or me, given all the other Nameks you've been snacking on there, Picc-"

That was the tick. Light bent around Piccolo as he blasting forward, seeing the Saiyan already adjusting himself rather than finishing his sentence. Just as Piccolo predicted, Taro launched a punch straight at him, and it gave him time to switch up his motion, sweeping in under it and landing his knuckles directly into Brass's ribs, just like he did the last time they fought. With a stiff motion, the Saiyan backed up, making a small noise as he did. Without giving him a chance to react, Piccolo stepped into the ground with one foot before swinging about with the other, extending his leg out cleanly as it snapped out and caught Brass in the head.

The thundering clap it made echoed out over the half ruined city as Brass's head shot back violently, his entire body launching off before breaking through a half destroyed wall of a once prominent building. In quick response, Piccolo blasted off after him, his green aura trailing behind him before he intercepted the still flying body of Brass, diving down with an elbow ready to catch the Saiyan. The plot was intercepted at the last moment as Brass shifted in the air, catching Piccolo by the gi with one hand before pulling his other one back to strike.

Instinctively, Piccolo grabbed Brass by his jumpsuit as both of their auras erupted with power as they prepared to strike at one another. Instead of exchanging blows however, Brass seemed to think on his feet, using his other arm to grab him and swing them about and down from the air. The spiral got only worse for the microseconds they spun and fell, as Piccolo grabbed the Saiyan, trying to control their motion downward. The two crashed into the ground, Namekian first, leaving Piccolo shaking his head as his body finished cratering into the shattered asphalt and dirt. Looking up, he only had time to see the sun behind Brass's head for a split second as it died in the distance, before a hardened blow came crashing down onto his head.

Each uncle from the Saiyan's hand smashed into his cheek, almost making the bone buckle under the force.

"I'm not going to play with you this time, Namek, I'm going to win and win quickly," he spat, landing another hardened blow on Piccolo's skull.

It was Piccolo's turn however, to think on his feet. His head shot to the side, smashing back into the hardened dirt as it scattered with the force his head left when it impacted it. Quickly turning up, almost into the next fist, Piccolo focused his ki and formed it in his eyes. Two red bolts quickly formed, before they were launched out, aiming straight into Brass's face. The searing noise of the beams meeting aura and flesh were heard, and before Brass could strike back, he leaped off Piccolo's body, landing back with both hands holding his face.

"My face!"

Capitalizing with as much haste as Piccolo could gather, he jumped to his feet and took off in a swoosh of motion. Pouncing off the ground at the last possible moment, Piccolo shot his knee forward, slamming it into Brass's abdomen. The entire body of the Saiyan flexed, his hands pulling from his face as his body kicked up into the air, his legs going free as he gasped in shocked pain. Launching a right fist to follow up, Piccolo was surprised to see the pained Saiyan dodged to one side, landing an incredibly quick fist into his own stomach. Piccolo gasped in pain before he zipped out of motion, appearing above the Saiyan with both fists coming down straight onto the other combatant's back. Another clap escaped the two of them as Brass's body slammed into the parking lot they'd turned into a battlefield.

Before his body could even finish making a crater however, Brass himself had disappeared and Piccolo could only trace half of his moment. By the time he came back into view, it was too late. From the side, Piccolo felt and saw the familiar purple glow of an energy wave, and only managed to turn at the last second to meet it as the immense energy was unleashed. Behind him, going back kilometres, buildings were bathed in a purple light right along with him. They stood for several seconds, before smoke emerged from their shattered windowframes, and they collapsed in on themselves, before the blastwave that followed simply swept them, and Piccolo away.

His body was shielded by his ki, and his defence, only at the last seconds. Using the smoke and fading ki as cover, Piccolo quickly recovered and shifted into the light, preparing his next move.

Breathing in and out heavily, Brass landed on his feet, breathing in and out angrily.

"I know you're still there," he breathed.

In a flash of motion, Piccolo and Brass collided where Brass stood. Piccolo's arm slammed into Brass's forearm as he pulled up his guard, the two of them staring each other down angrily.

"I refuse to believe that a Namekian can surpass me. I refuse to believe three Namekians can surpass me, or six, or NINE!" power swirled around the Saiyan in ever increasing amounts as his golden aura intensified. "I am not going back to Taro empty handed because of some green bastard!"

As if on cue, Piccolo's own aura lit up, raging in equal measures to Brass's as the two stood there.

"I'm going to disappoint you, Brass. Because if this is as good as you get, then I've already won."

That wasn't entirely true, but it wasn't about what was true. It was about forcing someone to make mistakes.

In a flurry of motion, both figures disappeared in a blue. Booms echoed out across the city in a series of quick flashes. Knees met knees, elbows met elbows, and punches hit guards. Frantically their bodies shifted past a kicks and punches as well while green and gold flashed in and out of view across the city.

Every Battle Piccolo experienced in this world, from Raditz, to Nappa, to Frieza, Cell, Turles, and Garlic Junior, all culminated in this battle. Every battle he experienced in the other worlds, from their incarnations of Turles, to Brass himself, also fuelled his battle effort. How many billions had this beast consumed in his quest for more power? How many had he consumed in his own world?

The two of them came together in another violent clash, this time their elbows striking. The two came out of their blur as they immediately exchanged punches, each one dodging in a fantastic motion, barely moving around their aggressor, while barely missing their target. Finally the two gambled, sweeping forward in the air with one solid punch, each aimed high. Fists met chins, as both stopped abruptly, before staggering back, breathing heavily from the rapid fired exchanges.

I remember what he tried last time he had a lull in the fighting, and he couldn't overwhelm me so easily.

"Still wishing you were fighting, Goku?" Piccolo asked, finding some amusement as Brass's eyebrows knit together in annoyance.

"Collapsing Blaster!"

It was expected, Piccolo felt himself rise up above the blast, forming one of his own, concentrating his power between his hands. It was going to be time to punish Brass for thinking he could get away with using the same tactic in two separate battles. The only problem was that despite the fading ki wave which had been launched, Brass wasn't in sight. Looking up sharply, Piccolo felt a stinging pain in his neck as a chop came into him from behind. He gasped, feeling his concentration breaking before a kick swept into his lower back, sending him him straight down into a shattered ruin of a building back first from a turn he managed to pull back the crash. Concrete cracked before it shattered behind him, leaving him sitting against an empty space.

Landing in front of him, Brass cracked his neck from side to side. Pointing one hand out towards him, he started to gather energy.

"It's so easy to distract people who think they're prepared. Goodbye Piccolo-"

Pointing his hands forward, Piccolo massed the energy he'd gathered before, having not dispersed it. His green aura flashed before it disappeared, golden light appearing between his arms before forming in his palms.

"Light Grenade!"

The last thing Piccolo saw before the light overwhelmed his gaze, was a shocked look reflecting back to him from Brass's features. The change was immediate, and Piccolo could admit, satisfying.

To anyone who dies in this, I'm sorry, the Dragon Balls will need to fix this later.

A dome of golden energy emerged out, before cascading over the city behind them. Rubble was immediately annihilated, as buildings were crushed into rubble first, and then annihilated. Burnt and smouldering bits of rock and dirt started to rain down from the sky as the light faded, leading to a symphony of clattering rock being heard for countless kilometres.

Slowly rising to his feet, Piccolo breathed out as he looked at the immense crater which moved out over a huge portion of the city, seeing black and brown smoke billowing out of it. He already knew it wasn't enough.

Smoke in the middle of the crater separated as a faint golden glow came from within, revealing a lone figure standing there, his forearms still crossed in a guard. The black uniform he'd been wearing, was further destroyed, with his left arm's covering and glove burned away to the shoulder, and his right arm in burnt tatters.

Slowly lowering his guard, the Saiyan spat off to the side, dropping saliva into the burnt crater.

"I'm not about to start going on about what I'm going to do to you for that, Namek. I'm just going to get straight to showing you," the Saiyan shouted, his golden aura intensifying.

After their fight so far, after the exchange of ki both aggressively and defensively, Piccolo knew he was going to start making inroads soon. The golden energy ahead of him however, was suddenly dimmed and overshadowed by a new light. Pink-red energy illuminated the entire area as Brass's head turned and looked to his up and left. Piccolo followed Brass's gaze and sensed the two powers working in tandem. A massive red-pink orb hung in the air, behind it the two haggard looking Kais.

The orb was launched within a second, crackling with red energy all around it. The world in front of him turned red for a brief second as Brass's form disappeared in the light, before the catastrophic blast exploded outward from the middle of the already substantial crater. When the shockwave hit, Piccolo stood against it, his ki senses looking within it for any signs of the enemy. Two impressive ki attacks weren't going to bring this guy down, not a chance.

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Brass:

Clever.

The attack from the Kai's had burned an even deeper layer into the crater, and it'd taken a significant portion of his strength to resist it. This was the price you paid for being lazy and underestimating your adversaries. That was something he really should have known by now. Every world he came across, even if the battles were hard, he'd never really run into a roadblock before. Battles were always dictated on his terms, but right now he felt the initiative slip from his grasp. The Namekian was matching him blow for blow, and the Kais were an ever irritating pair to confront as well. Junia would have chastised him more than Taro for this mess, and this definitely was a mess.

Smoke would have filled his lungs were it not for his aura pushing the foul airborne substances away. One thing his father had always instilled in him, was that he was a Saiyan Warrior, and that meant that others were simply beneath him, at least without Saiyan Blood. Now here he was, fighting this amalgamated Piccolo, and these two pitiful gods, and he was beginning to be pushed back. It was excessively disappointing. How many times had he defeated the likes of Gohan, Piccolo, Vegeta, and even Kakarot? Certainly there were versions of them, and other creatures, which outclassed him... but this? This was pitiful. All of his own power was being brought to the fore, and it wasn't enough to finish the job.

Which meant, much to his own dissatisfaction, he was going to need to start tapping into his new supply. It was strange when he looked down at himself, looking over his torn uniform and armour, and for the briefest of seconds didn't recognize himself. It was almost like being outside of his own body, and having the last shadow of someone else in it. The voice in the back of his mind gained only a barest grasp of strength, before it died behind his ears and eyes again, as he felt something beyond just new power. He felt memories, experiences, techniques, and emotions rush over him as his blood pumped through his veins intensely.

If this was what Brass felt for everyone he took, it was no wonder he'd been losing his mind.

Looking at his hands Brass felt his own body come back into his grips, and not only that, felt the power now lurking beneath the surface. A dark, knowing smile slowly crept over his lips while he looked up towards the air, where the two Kais dwelt, currently obscured by rising billows of dust.

I understand now what I was missing all this time.

It was having his eyes opened to something beyond his own mind, his own perspective. But best of all, it was the power that he knew had been eluding him.

Slowly, he rose into the air his smile unmoving as he carefully drifted above the clouds of destruction left in the wake of the last two attacks to challenge him. It was time to see just how far he'd come.

"You're starting to slow down," the Supreme Kai observed. "If you surrender now, we'll be merciful to you, and allow you to live so long as you-"

Raising his hand to silence the Kai, Brass didn't verbally respond until Piccolo's frame ascended into the air as well.

"I'll admit, Namekian, I'd not wanted to try out my new abilities until I came across a more worthy adversary. But you've certainly proved me wrong," he stated aloud. "But I suspect that this challenge has just become significantly easier to overcome."

All three fighters across from him took up fighting stances.

"If we work together, we can stop him," the purple Kaio said.

"Careful," Piccolo observed. "He's going to try something."

Something off happened when Brass opened his arms up to the heavens and just posed himself in front of the three for a few brief seconds. Moving his head from side to side for a brief second as his entire body seemed to snake in the air, his arms still extended out to the heavens, Brass then brought his arms over his head, pointing down in a bizarre pose, shifting his legs at the same time to move to the side.

"Glorious victory awaits me! I will defend my honour by dominating the three of you foul villains! Prepare to be vanquished!"

What the. HELL. is wrong with me?

Reasserting control, Brass shifted out of the pose, before cracking his knuckles, looking at the three of them staring at him. Well, the intimidation factor just went out the god damn window thanks to whatever strange impulse just overtook him there. The whisper in the back of his head was almost silent, before he breathed in once, gathering his strength.

"I won't give in until victorious!" he blurted out again, further confusing Brass as he felt himself tapping further into Gohan's reserve of strength.

A Super Saiyan aura suddenly burst from his skin. The clouds above them started to pull across the skies at an accelerated rate. Black lightning rippled over him instead of blue for the briefest of moments, striking against the passing clouds and scouring over the grounds around them. Street lamps which had survived the battle so far, shattered as natural gas-lines caught fire in regions of the city so far left undamaged. It didn't matter if he was saying strange things, or being a total jackass, what mattered was he had the power he needed at his fingertips.

"Never fear! The Great Saiyaman is here!"

... What?...

Panic bombarded the Saiyan warrior as he was awashed in memories of someone who was dead already. Visions of him wearing a stupid helmet, and a cape, sent shivers down his spine as he realized he was looking through the lens of the Gohan he'd killed.

A goofy smile slowly replaced his devious one as he felt his power surge upwards, cresting at its new peak. The entire planet began to shake with the pure ki and energy which began to swirl about him. Cascading waves of golden light burst out from his aura, blanketing the city around them as he felt himself cry out.

No, nonono you're not in charge, I am!

Closing his eyes tightly, Brass felt something trying to push past him, as if trying to assume control over his entire body. Focusing himself inward, Brass opened his eyes, and it was his eyes that opened. Breathing out, Brass felt control come firmly back into his grip. He couldn't help but smirk himself however, cracking his neck to one side, feeling energy disperse through his muscles, causing the air to spark near him just from doing so.

"This is going to be glorious," Brass cheekily remarked, staring over the three of them.

The two gods looked frightful, and he was happy to see that. After all, he was about to send both of them into the afterlife, and very, very soon. It was when he looked towards the Namekian, that he knew victory was assured. The looks they exchanged were certainly the stories of a turn in fortune. The Namekian had been at least outwardly confident before, and now was quite the opposite. The Namek wasn't half his strength now, and that was being generous.

"Th-that power," the Supreme Kai whispered. "Y-You're a monster."

With one more crack of the neck, Brass slowly assumed a fighting pose.

"I'm glad you finally noticed."

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Gohan: Hell

It was hard to judge just what the Hell was going on. The air was as foul as ever, and the soil beneath him was as lifeless and grey as always, but he was trying to imagine himself in the midst of the raging energies on the Earth. The ground was rich and covered in brown soil. Plants thrived and buildings rose in the distance. The entire planet would be rumbling with different powers unleashing terrible energies at every chance. It would turn this rich, life filled home into a warzone.

And even knowing that, Gohan craved to be back. He craved to be anywhere but here, of course, but even with that said he'd go straight into a warzone if needed. The fact his friends and family were at risk, only further increased his uneasiness and urgency. What hope did he have to make any kind of difference at all? He was down here. He was down here and there wasn't a god-damn chance he was getting out. All he could do was sense these Saiyans above. It was obvious they were Saiyan as well, their ki was a tell right off the bat.

It was bewildering that there was a power out there that so overshadowed everyone's. Where did that much ki come from? And it seemed utterly calm, serene almost. There was no stress seemingly behind it, which meant that it wasn't even ramped up yet. That was the one that concerned him the most. Right now he could sense his father locked in combat with it, and he knew that Goku could win. The only problem was he didn't have a damn clue as to how anyone could win.

It was when one of the other powers began to ramp up, much higher than before, that Gohan began to realize things were even more grim than they appeared, and they were already beyond bleak save for his faith that his father could overcome unbeatable odds. Even then, that faith was quickly fading with every passing moment of the battles raging across the Earth.

And I'm stuck down here.

Dying the way he did was going to be in vain because everyone he cared about was going to be dead, and soon. Everyone was going to be dead and buried. No Dragon Balls, no getting out of this terrible place. Worse, his friends were going to be dead. Even worse, his family, including his daughter, were all going to be dead too.

It was more than just angering. Sensing these battles happening were making him anxiety riddled, but more than that, it was infuriating him. He couldn't do a thing to help any of them. Looking up towards the yellow clouds above, Gohan felt his aura begin to slowly emerge from his body. Purple flickered around his frame as he felt his jaw tighten.

I should be up there right now.

It was everything. The stress of being in this miserable pit of an existence, Bardock's annoying prattling, Turles's expectations, and now the fear that everyone he cared about was about to be liquidated. If he could just do something, anything, then he could at least 'live' with himself. But this place shackled him here. It was torment knowing that more than anything. All of his options were forfeit. This was all he could do, be impotent and lash out against dust and vanquished monsters.

Before his form could transform, Gohan breathed out, his shoulder slumping in defeat as he descended back to the grey soil below, his eyes remaining locked on the yellow clouds about, the things which locked him away in this cage.

"If you don't have the power to stop them," Bardock's voice cut in from behind, his new body standing there. "Then dare to believe that you can win."

Turning his head, Gohan sneered at his grandfather before turning his attention ahead again.

"You don't take hints very well. I killed you," Gohan remarked. "Think that maybe I was trying to tell you something?"

He sensed Bardock wanting to say something, however the older Saiyan slowly started to step back instead. The sound of his boots walking away made enough noise for Gohan to track, knowing he was being left in peace.

Dare to believe I can win? I'm not even going to get to fight them. Crazy old man with his crazed visions. He can see the future like I can feel my heart beat.

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Brass:

When a gust of natural air brushed past them, Brass felt the moment was right. In a blur of motion, he appeared behind the Supreme Kai, arching a kick to his side, slamming into Kibito's undefended ribs. The giant red Kai gagged in agony before his body was sent hurtling towards the city below. The air behind him was disrupted when Shin turned to strike him. Without any effort, Brass simply raised his right arm up, his knuckles finding Shin's nose as the sound of the god's nose crunching echoed out. It stopped the counterattack dead in the air, before Brass reached over, grasping the Kai by the arm, hoisting him over his head in a brilliant sweeping motion, before tossing him straight down into the ruins of the city below. The crash his body made as he broke through several levels of a structure was extremely satisfying.

As if on command, Brass shifted his head to the side, dodging the punch that was destined for his face from Piccolo.

"That is very courageous of you Piccolo," Brass remarked. "But I think its time you took a break from trying to beat me. You can try again in a minute."

The Namek blinked, still unable to get over what had just happened.

"You're getting a little slow, by the way-" another blow, this time a kick, went sailing through where he'd just been. It was as if he'd not floated there to begin with, now floating next to where the foot resided.

There was a nagging whine in the back of his head telling him not to slaughter the Namek, but it was quickly quashed.

"Is it my turn yet-"

Looking down, Brass saw only an orb of golden energy hitting his chest as Piccolo unleashed an immense energy wave. An explosive demon wave? That was impressive.

The blast impacted his aura first, burning into the golden field of energy, before hitting his shoulder and chest. It hurt, and it certainly burned away some of his ki... but all that was left that it'd ever been fired, shortly after the orange-gold smoke and energy dispersed from the blast, was a small mark on his shoulder. Keeping his eyes peeled on the Namek, the Saiyan sniffed with disapproval, before tilting his head slightly forward.

"I hope that wasn't your best shot. Is it going to be the Masenko next? The Special Beam Cannon? Please. Your fight here is ov-"

Before he could finish, two huge arms came wrapping around him from behind.

"Piccolo! Gather your strength and stop him!" Kibito pleaded.

You're very rude.

Throwing his head back, Brass felt his head bash into the front of the God's face. A satisfying crunch rung in his ears as Brass only rolled his eyes. For a god, this brute was certainly an amateur. The arms went loose, and Saiyan warrior struck out. His elbow shot back immediately, planting itself in the sternum of the red skinned warrior. A cough of discomfort gagged out of Kibito himself, followed by the noise of choking pain.

"You know, I think the coughing, pained look fits you. It's very you," Brass remarked, sensing Piccolo gathering up more energy and ignoring it for now. "It's too bad its temporary-"

When he turned to face Kibito, preparing to finish their little engagement, his eyes widened when he only saw red light. It washed over him as he sensed the air around him burning with pure energy. His golden aura flickered in the heart of the wave. Behind him he knew it seared through the sky, burning through vapour clouds before the wave continued into space for a limited journey.

That was bright. My eyes sting.

When the light faded, a heaving Kibito was floating across from him, his entire body exhausted from his exertion.

"That was meant to stop me, right?" Brass asked simply. "You did it all wrong. I thought you Gods would be better at fighting."

A pained glance looked away from him from Kibito. They both knew his failure was complete.

"It works like this," Turles's son commented, openly his palm as purple light was emitted immediately. The air around them was immediately tainted by the energy.

When he pushed his arm forward, the world in front of him turned bright purple. The white light blasted out across the sky. The city below rumbled with the passing of the energy through the air. It was as if the sky caught fire, and turned purple. The light from the dimming sun was challenged and defeated. Inside the blast, trained eyes spotted the form of Kibito caught up in the wave. His power disappeared at the same moment as his body, as it was vaporized in the heart of the beam. The beam carried through, passing on an angle out of the Earth's atmosphere, and into orbit, before passing into the stars.

"See?" Brass asked the burning ash of what had once been a God.

"Ki-Kibito!" A voice shouted from below. "Kibito no!"

Glancing over to Piccolo, Brass smirked, before looking down.

"So, after I kill the little pest down below... It would be a shame if I got to you after that. Look at you, vulnerably gathering energy. Its a familiar tactic on your front, isn't it Namek? But I really don't look much like Raditz, do I?" Brass asked. "Do you think I'll just sit still and let you hit me? I know your moves, even your little demon ken."

A zipping sound echoed through the empty space around them as Brass descended to the mauled road below, his feet landed on the cracked cement of what was once a sidewalk. Buildings were ablaze all around him, and helpless eyes peered out from every building. The humans were so pitiful, the idea that true Saiyan Warriors could even be related to them was always something which irked him. The passive observation was made while his eyes scanned for the ki he was sensing from below, before he spotted the rather shabby looking Supreme Kai, stumbling from his temporary dwelling. The temporary dwelling was of course, the shattered remains of a small office building.

"You know, I've actually never killed any Kai's before now. Any time any of you were a problem before, Taro always called dibs. I can see why, given how pathetic the display has been so far," he remarked bluntly. "I sincerely doubt it'll take much more to kill you, than it did to kill that big-jawed moron you dragged around with you."

It was easy to analyze this one. He was distressed and dishevelled, and now he was getting angry. That was perfect, he could already sense his energy rising and that was honestly of little to no concern. This being was significantly weaker than Piccolo, which meant that he was hardly even a threat any longer. With golden energy crackling around his right arm, Brass stared down the barrel towards Shin, who was gathering his own energy.

"Kibito was a great friend of mine, and you discarded his life without a second though. You're as monstrous as we were warned. Don't you care about anything but your own amusement and destruction?"

That's a good question.

The list was short. In a way, he probably stilled cared for his mother. His mother, not these other shells that he came across. Even that was tempered by a rationality that she hadn't spoken to him in years, even on his own planet. Who else did that leave? His father? Hardly. Perhaps Raditz, despite being an old weakling, he might have cared a bit. Taro? Taro had lost his mind... and had always been distant. It was actually a question he struggled to answer. But why did he even care? Why was this question troubling him, or slowing down his thought process at all? The spectre of his thoughts slowly emerged whilst something cold stabbed into his chest.

Junia.

Any cocky expression he was wearing turned utterly cold before he began gathering energy.

Even after she'd rejected him, he still cared about Junia. Hell, he knew she'd kill him if she had the chance, but it didn't change anything. Always it was the idea that if he somehow proved himself strong enough, he'd be worthy. Increasingly he understood it was the opposite of what she wanted, which created a resentment inside himself. But he did care, hell... he even loved her.

"Yes," Brass answered simply. "Now you can die."

Before he fired, the Supreme Kai threw his hands forward, unleashing a wave of crimson red energy. The ground in front of them immediately split, and then shattered outwards as earth was churned up and melted, before being vaporized by the oncoming wave of destruction. Before it even reached him, Brass unleashed his own attack. Were people to compare, it would be as if watching a small coastal wave, crash into a tsunami. The waves collided, before the red was simply washed away by the Purple. A terrified little Kai was on the other side, and Brass knew that he was about to add another God to his tally.

When the wave rolled over where the short warrior was however, he sensed something else before his adversary was burned from the surface of existence.

As the light cleared, and the rumbling of a few more shattered structures rolled over the now utterly ruined city, the Saiyan warrior stared ahead at something else standing there, in front of the purple Kai. It was another Kai, this time blue? The thin figure appeared to be much taller than the other Kai, but there was something darker about him. Narrowing his vision critically, all Brass could do was try to identify him.

"Saiyan brute," the voice whispered back with a deadly edge, labouring heavily from the exertion of protecting himself and Shin from the blast.

This one is most certainly stronger than the Supreme Kai. But how is that?

"Another Kai? How dull."

"I am no simple Kai, I am the Grand Supreme Kai. Daiokaioshin," he answered, giving his full honorific. "I will not allow you to ruin this world. Your kind has ruined enough worlds, and permanently scarred this one."

Well, this was interesting now, wasn't it?

"Grand Supreme Kai," Shin managed from behind, barely standing even after being protected by his master. "His power-"

"I can sense, thank you," the Kai answered bluntly, before turning a hateful gaze towards him. It was really unexpected to be honest. It was enough even to make Brass raise a brow. "I will stop you by any means that I can, and then I will stop that foul brother of yours."

Well, he's making this personal, now isn't he?

Taking one step forward, and then prepping his arms aggressively, Brass struck a new fighting pose, clearly as his main answer for this Kai. The pair of them looked on nervously, but the Grand one seemed to be putting himself forward with his own aggressive style. This was another one no stronger than Piccolo, so he was doubtful that any big difference was about to be made.

Speaking of Piccolo, I should-

The thought was left unfinished as soon as the blue god dashed towards him. When their blows met, the world itself seemed to quake for several seconds as the city shook violently. Concrete fragments reigned down across multiple streets, chattering against the ground in a humongous shower of noise. The only problem was of course, that the God's arm was trembling against his chest, and his fist was firmly planted in the god's abdomen. The look of absolute shocked pain was written across the face, which made Brass just give a patient comment.

"If you're going to lay down such animosity, you really ought to know how to back it up."

Stepping into the Kai, he spun back, throwing his left arm out and hardening his open hand into a rock hard fist. The back of his hand snapped into the side of the Kai's head. His mohawk flailed behind his head before he was launched into the foundations of a ruin only a few dozen metres away. Crossing his arms a moment later, Brass just admired his own work for a few moments.

Time to finish him off. Wait... The Namek. I've got to go disrupt the- Another power?... Are you kidding me?!

Something BIG had just arrived.

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Mira:

They were here. The Saiyans had arrived on this planet, just as expected. And just as Towa had predicted, the defenders were melting away without their further assistance. It was always pure calculation. Their plans were disrupted by these time altering Saiyans. Their own plans involved the conquest of the universe, and the stealing of energy from every lifeform they could to achieve those ends.

But in truth, it was Towa who believed that they needed help to crush these creatures. The only one that would truly pose a problem was the mad one on the other side of the planet. Dealing with these pests, or trying to make crude deals with the likes of Vegeta, would hardly help them achieve their vision. That wasn't relevant however, as Towa set their course, he simply followed. Right now, it was a matter of dealing with this Saiyan.

"Mira," Towa's voice cut through his thoughts, leaving the large construct to turn his head towards his creator. "Kill the Saiyan."

The tone she used was different than normal. It was straight to the point, and avoiding the usual softness she preferred to use whenever she referred to him for almost anything. It was more than just a recommendation, or a fancy of hers. She was commanding him to kill this Saiyan. Nodding his head slowly, the constructed demon felt power beneath his outer shell gathering up. Red energies tore through his frame moments later. The crimson power burned like fuel in an intense inferno.

I will destroy this Saiyan.

"And Mira? Don't fail."

In a movement of wind that made a hurricane's full force look pitiful, the blue skinned devil seemingly teleported to the surface of the Earth, only metres from the Saiyan in question. Staring back at him was a figure covered in golden energy, with eyes that almost matched his in their nefariousness. He was surprised that he'd been aware enough to trace his movements so perfectly to be waiting for him. It didn't show on his impassive features, instead, Mira just shifted his body into a new stance, preparing for battle. The blood red energies licking up from his frame surged briefly as the ground cracked beneath him.

"'You're a big one, aren't you?" Brass enquired. "Another one I've not met before. Are you another God?"

That was a strange question, wasn't it? Was he a God? One day, perhaps, but for now?

"No," Mira answered coldly. "I am death."

That was enough to let the expression he was staring into flash with some surprise before Mira blasted forward in a burst of intense motion. Pulling his arm in during the midst of his charge, closing his blue hand into a solid fist. When the strike was launched at the last possible moment, a sharp collision was heard after the flash of movement. The blow was aimed for the Saiyan's face before it was caught in the air by his enemy's hand. Immediate reaction was to throw another punch, which too was caught. Golden energy mingled and mixed with red as the ground beneath them was already cracking. Pebbles and rocks slowly slid into the air as bits of the gravel tore up from beneath and around them further. Opening his fists, Mira immediately coupled them with the open hands of the Saiyans, letting their hands come together in a test of strength.

Red and black lightning arced through the air, cutting past one another as the two were locked in a battle of strength and will. Stepping forward, both sides pressed against one another in seconds following it. A low growl of exertion escaped Mira, and seconds later one escaped the Saiyan as well. The auras around their bodies burned brighter and brighter with every passing second. The already desolated city, was caught up in yet more destruction as it rumbled once more, and ruins became yet deeper ruins. But the destruction of this miserable city was irrelevant. Not only was it already destroyed, but it was filled with meaningless, pitiful, and weak creatures. The problem for Mira was, as he looked into the eyes of this beast was something much more profound.

He's... stronger.

And when his own wrists slowly started to bend back, the realization was clearly made on the other side of the struggle.

"Another notch in the belt, then?" Brass asked. "Because the only one whose going to experience death here is you, blue boy."

Breaking his hands free from the lock, the Saiyan swept into him with a thunderous blow to the gut. The demon's eyes expanded in pain from the hit, before another strike caught him across the face, sending him flying back down the street. Cars flipped and smashed from the disturbance of energy as his body sailed past them, before he finally rebuffed the power which had sent him back. The blurring motion of the Time Traveller could already be seen coming towards him. Overconfidence, despite having more power, may still be his undoing. Tilting his body to the side and enhancing his own velocity, Mira dodged past the flying kick that had been destined for him. With the full force of his own power, Mira then swung his fist into the middle of Brass's back. Bones shifted and muscle contorted beneath his fist as his target gagged briefly, before he was sent hurtling into the already collapsed building next to them. The sound of concrete shattering and rebar giving away in the midst of it whined out of the structure. A gust of wind blasted through the plum of smoke, and Mira knew the fight had continued already.

Before any kind of defence could be mustered, Mira felt the kick land this time, square in the centre of his chest. His armour immediately cracked before giving away. Focusing all his energies forward, he wasn't sent hurtling back, and tried his best to regain his posture, even as his body flailed briefly. Instead he felt blows land on all sides. An elbow in the ribs, a knee in the back, two punches to the face, and finally a kick to the back of his legs, sending him flipping up and backwards, before another violent elbow came from above, this time his attacker coming into view. When it landed he felt his insides briefly pulverize before he slapped into the pavement below, leaving small fissures in the hardened surface. Falling back towards the ground, instead of meeting pavement, he body contorted inwards towards his stomach as a ruthless knee rose to meet him.

A gag came look before he was finally kicked into the ground.

This was exceptionally bad. The Saiyan's power had been rising throughout the fight, even from the first moment their hands met. It was easy to tell with every blow that was exchanged. In only a few moments of fighting, his own reserves were in the descendant, and his enemy's in the ascendant.

An unexpected turn.

"I'm definitely getting a workout today," the Saiyan breathed. "First the kid, then a couple gods, then a time travelling Namekian, and now you. Well, I think its time to take you off the board, whoever you are."

"Mira! Move!" Towa shouted.

"Mira? I've never heard that one before," the Saiyan observed, before his eyebrows knit together more critically in thought.

Both of them looked up towards the glowing red-purple ball in the air, above her. Mira recognized it immediately, and calculated exactly where he needed to be to avoid the blast. Leaping to the side, he twisted in the air just as he started to fly, firing a ki blast as he moved. The orb flew into the target, who blocked with both hands, just as Towa unleashed the attack from above. A stream of liquid red energy-fire flowed down from the sky. Unable to block both, Brass's body disappeared in the red fire as it washed over them.

Watching with both his eyes, Mira looked on as he processed what had just taken place. This mammal was expected to have a high volume of strength, but nothing like what they'd seen. He'd been designed to be the strongest fighter in the universe, and here he was, struggling to fight one of the weaker travellers. The entire order of time and history of thousands of timelines were disrupted by these primitives. They manipulated events to best serve their objectives, it was all apart of a clever means to manipulate time and space to bring about their final goals. For Towa, it was to restore their world, and for him it was to acquire more and more power and technique. These brutes simply transplanted themselves into timeline after timeline, splinter whole time streams and killing warriors in a brutal fashion.

The killing was the only acceptable part of their actions.

But how is it that they've become so strong?

Toxic smoke was rising from where the Saiyan had been before Towa had melted only seconds ago. The pavement and asphalt had been liquified by the attack. Molten metal from the wrecks of several cards mixed into the hellish inferno in front of him, leaving the demon-engine to begin scanning for any signs of the Saiyan himself. Only the faintest of energies could be sensed of what had been his Saiyan opponent.

Turning his eyes up towards his creator, Mira looked at Towa hanging in the air, holding her staff delicately. The look of smug satisfaction across her face was telling. The Saiyan was eliminated. Even with its unexpectedly high power level,

"Excellent work, Mira," Towa complimented. "With one down, we can now go to Vegeta and-"

From above, Mira heard something. Turning his gaze up towards the Namekian, the one still gathering energy pointlessly, Mira listened.

"He's not dead!"

By the time Mira heard the words however, he only briefly sensed the energy, his eyes scanned to a moment seemingly in the past. The path they followed was back to Towa, to his creator. She was floating there, frozen in terror and pain. His own eyes widened as he looked upon the scene before him. Blood flowed freely from her chest, trailing down her already red garb, dripping off of her. In the core of her being, an outstretched arm, with a flat hand, pierced through her chest from behind, as if it were a sword thrust clean through her form. Her mouth was opening and closing, looking for some means of speaking, but being unable to do so.

It was instinctual, at the very core of his being, to have listened to and protected Towa and her commands. And now, she was dying, in front of him.

The Saiyan had a scowl written on his face as he turned his head towards her back, before letting one edge of his mouth turn up.

"If you're going to celebrate killing someone, make sure that they are dead, witch."

When he pulled his arm from her body, it was enough to let Mira launch himself forward. What had he allowed to happen? Every fibre of his essence was in complete chaos as he tried to best understand what he'd allowed to occur.

The body hit the ground with a dull thud, which the demonic construct immediately zipped to, blurring his motion as he did. Kneeling down, he could only see blood, blood everywhere. He assessed that her chances of survival were exceptionally low. The look in her eyes, still in a frantic state, made something Mira had never felt before tinge. He didn't understand the emotion, and didn't need to. He wasn't built to feel, he was built to fight.

"M-Mira," she wheezed. "K-...kill... that... Saiyan."

When the light faded from her eyes, just as he swept in to grab her, Mira stared intently towards her as he twisted his frame in the air.

"Towa?" he asked, his voice firm.

No acknowledgement was given on the other side. There was no blinking, or breathing. They were common signs of a deceased target. The way his mind had been constructed however, he needed orders from Towa. His purpose was to serve her, and obtain more strength and diverse sources of power. A core portion of his begin was just gone in a violent instance, from an impudent Saiyan. Stopping in the street, his feet skid along the ground briefly before he looked back in the direction where the tragedy had taken place. He looked back towards the moment his existence lost all meaning but one thing.

Kill the Saiyan.

Clutching her shoulder briefly, he placed his creator's body carefully on the ground. Why carefully, he didn't understand. The body was meat and little else now. It held some strange value to him all the same. Turning his attention back towards the ruins around him, now that the body was... taken care of, Mira sensed the Saiyan, and knew his destiny.

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Brass:

The look on the Namek's face was priceless.

Even as his form rose in the air at a gingerly rate, Brass couldn't keep the confident smirk from his face. That made two down so far. The Kais were still cowering somewhere below the city, and the Namekian was up here, gathering energy, just as he knew he would.

"That's quite a bit of energy you've gathered there Piccolo. So you've not answered my question. Hellzone Grenade? Special Beam Cannon? Light Grenade? Which attack are you going to try?" he mocked. "Because you've run out of time in your little gathering. The Kais aren't going to come to the rescue, and if they do, they're dead. I've dealt with whatever those two things were, considering the only one left has run off. So that leaves just you... And me."

This was fantastic. It was incredible to feel all this power at his fingertips. It was incredible to be a god among these pitiful creatures. No wonder Taro was willing to pay such a high price, he could barely even think past the idea of gaining even more strength. The longer he fought in this state, the more he understood how to control his power. It was unimaginable to him that he just had access to another him worth of power. Power begets more power as well. It wasn't just fuel, it increased everything. His enemies felt slow, their attacks felt weak, and their attempts were becoming increasingly pathetic.

How long until he surpassed his father? Hell, how long until he passed Taro? He was going to eat this World's Gohan, maybe Goku, and most definitely Goten. He didn't care about just one person. Hell, if he could, he'd eat the Namekian as well. He didn't care what the source was. Speaking of the Namekian, he could see the alien's mind running a thousand kilometres a second.

It was fascinating watching him try to determine what to do.

"Well? You're certainly not saying much. Is that my go ahead to finish this?"

There were most certainly aches and pains across his body, along with a share of scrapes. But the truth is, this was going to be a very, very quick fight. After all of this fighting, he was most definitely looking forward to a bath in a healing chamber, or better yet, a senzu bean. This was the price he paid for not tapping into these new found abilities so quickly.

"Let me in fact, finish this with a familiar one to you, Namek. I think..." delving into Gohan's memories, he began to collect power into his palms before he raised both hands above his hand, locking them together. "MAKSENK-AH!"

Pain exploded in the right side of his head as he felt knuckles press into his cheek. His balance almost collapsed around him as he felt his entire sinus go into a swing. The dizziness carried through to his head. Spit shot from his mouth as well while the ki was dropped from his hands, dispersing in the air before he was sent rocketing back. The power of the hit was enough to make him take a moment to realize just what had happened.

Before he could fully realize what had just taken place, two hands came down in an axe-handle, smashing him in the side of his back and ribs before he was sent careening into the ruins of a small office building. The top floor broke like dried soil, before he ripped through a layer of insulation and drywall, before plunging through another layer, this time snapping through wooden flooring. Fragments of plaster followed as well, as a trail of ruined, dusty debris followed him floor after floor. His body broke through office furnishing as well. The sound of a desk exploding from his body blasting through the glass surface of its top left a shattering noise following him before he finally found the bottom floor, his body blasting into the marble floor. Sitting up, he grunted before a pile of soot, glass, wood, plaster, and building insulation poured over his form, mirroring his descent in slower motion.

That. Bastard.

The energy which had hit him was very clearly from the blue skinned freak he'd been fighting only seconds earlier. The one who grabbed his dying lady-friend and fled.

Rising from the ashes of his descent, Brass stood to his full height and just concentrated his power. This was the kind of miscalculation that Taro always accused him of back home. Being brash and arrogant enough to think that the thing that had fled was out of the fight. Well fine. He was going to finish it off this time, and then move back on to Piccolo.

Piccolo.

It gave him a window of a second to realize that if this thing held him off too long, than Piccolo might actually gain enough power to stop him.

Energy crackled in the air brief moments later before the entire building began to rumble all around him. Without even rising in the air, he let his golden aura burst around him as he gathered his strength once again. The entire structure surrounding him waxed and waned whilst it tried to hold itself together. As if it were a house of cards, it slowly began to fold in. Walls plunged down into waves of dust and debris. Noise filled the space around him as if the world itself was collapsing. Tons of construction material crumbled and the noise of electrical lines snapping and causing sparks echoed through his ears. When the building itself disappeared into rubble around him, his aura finally burst to its fullest. Huge chunks of concentrate and thousands of shards of wood and glass scattered across the area in a gigantic golden explosion. Other buildings were peppered by fragments, piercing through their walls and laying waste to what remained of the streets. Glass knives plunged into softer materials, or shattered against concrete, creating what sounded like a rain of chattering glass syncing with the blast.

No more games. I am going to-

The golden light around him swept away the humongous smoke cloud around him, leaving only him floating in the midst of the crater of where the building had once been. The only problem was the light. Instead of the fading sun in the distance, showering the world in its normal glow, the gold around him was muted by another star in the sky. When he looked up, all Brass could see was Red. The orb in the sky pulsed with black and red energies, and even he felt his own jaw come ajar at its sight.

What is... what is that?

Below the huge ball of energy, Brass only saw the white haired devil holding it, his one arm in the air as his body was poised to throw it violently.

"Kill the Saiyan," it said bluntly, before launching the orb down.

His eye flinched before he began focusing his own power. The velocity of the ball was impressive, and the energy would normally be very slow move. That could be a planet killer. Even if it missed it might kill him.

Pointing both his hands forward, Brass gathered all his power to the best of his abilities.

"Cosmic Cannon!"

The wave of purple appeared in the air. Two buildings collapsed under pressure from the released force before it pierced through the red glow, hitting the orb on its approach. The world seemed to slow, and so did the blast. Gritting his teeth, Brass breathed evenly as he focused his power. The only problem was, even as his blast widened and power was bolstered, even as chunks of the city were torn up beneath the exchange of power... his blastwave was getting shorter and shorter. Every second of struggle felt like it was draining him.

And the orb was growing. Not because it was gaining power, but because it was getting closer. The purple light, his shield from the attack, was shrinking with the passage of seconds.

So much power. He put everything into this. I can't... I can't!

Purple light faded into darkness and crimson before the orb touched his hands. Red energy crackled around his fingers as his hands almost sunk into the orb. Golden energy wrapped around him, trying to protect him, even as his hands caught fire. He grit his teeth, snarling against the back of his throat. All of this new power was being thrown to his fore, and he could even sense Gohan's hands moving through his own, pushing back against this orb, if only because of what it represented. It was the final nail in the coffin for this planet.

A flood of memories he'd never experienced slowly moved through his mind. Memories of a girl... a woman, named Videl? Memories of his mother as he'd never personally known her. Certainly he'd seen her in her existence across the worlds he'd destroyed, but he'd never seen her happy. Memories of Kakarot... of Piccolo? They were bombarding him as something beyond the power he'd already tapped into started to well up inside of him.

I can't fail them.

Fail who? Why?

His own thoughts of failure came to mind. The idea of Junia sneering down at him for being weak was the first thing he came to think of. That would be his legacy. These false memories and emotions from Gohan meant nothing... not in the long run. The only thing that mattered outside of his own power, and his own pride and prestige, was the acceptance he'd craved since she'd turned her back on him. It was the most unbearable thing of his existence now, but there was always the idea that he would just fix it. If he died here... there was no fixing anything.

All there would be was shame.

The burns on his hands grew more intense as red electricity rolled up his arms as the orb pushed into him further. The ground beneath him was slowly pushing down, compressing further and further whilst his feet cracked into the ground itself. Staring directly into the crimson and black light, Brass roared as he pushed himself forward, taking one step ahead into the blast. The boiling hot air around him seemed to cool for the briefest of seconds as he did, before he sensed something change inside the orb. It reached critical mass.

And then the world went from crimson and black, to simply crimson and a burning hot white.

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Mira:

Half the city disappeared in a massive explosion of red light. The entire planet rumbled just as the light crested at its highest point. His entire energy core had been drained. His body was approaching the point of breakdown from the attack. It had a high chance of fulfilling his final purpose, of destroying the Saiyan. Even now, his own energy was so dominating he couldn't sense past it. Landing atop a building which had yet to collapse, one of the greater skyscrapers of the once thriving human settlement, all Mira could do was watch and wait.

The scale of destruction was total, it was complete. Turning his red eyes to scan the air, he found no escape vector for the Saiyan. There was no energy trail to follow, because he'd not escaped the blast. Hopping from the top of the building, Brass landed at the edge of the crater. It was immense. There were no signs of buildings, save for several foundations which hadn't been entirely annihilated. Burning smoke rose in the air all around, and water from the piping below the city were slowly filling the burnt hole.

My mission is complete.

Stopping his motion as he came to the centre of the blast, he was left with no purpose. The sole reason for his existence was to fight, and to fight the beings which Towa told him to. His objectives were always her objectives. He was built for this very purpose. He had achieved her final directive... and was now here. Standing where his final enemy had once stood.

But then there was something striking which was in the ki around him in a fragment of a microsecond. His eyes widened before he turned his head at supersonic speeds. Standing there, only feet away from him, was the Saiyan. Immediately his priorities shifted back into his fighting state. Preparing to lash out, he instead felt a hardened blow land on the side of his head, dropping him to the ground and sending him sprawling through the hardened, burnt soil.

Turning his head, he appraised the damage. The Saiyan's garb was almost all but destroyed, save for what remained of his form fitting suit around his upper legs and lower torso. What shreds remained otherwise barely hung anywhere on his frame, or simply were tattered shreds on the remaining whole. His hands were clearly burnt, as were his forearms, and fresh blood trailed down his forehead, and arms. There were always oozing wounds on his chest, and scattered burns about his body. He looked utterly torn, but was still highly functional.

Rising to his feet, Mira felt the last bits of his power barely coming forward.

"Tell me, creature, what is your name?" The Saiyan asked him openly. "I want to know your name for the next time I kill you."

"I am Mira."

With his energy so depleted, and unable to recuperate, Brass couldn't even follow the Saiyan's next move when he disappeared, appearing at his side and kicking upwards. The blow landed. Hard. It was enough to diminish what was left of his active reserve. He couldn't even stop himself in the air by resisting the ki that had sent him helplessly back.

"I learned this one recently. When you get to Hell, you can join the others it sent there..."

Putting his hands together at his side, a familiar blue light emerged from below. The familiar noise that followed as well, left Mira with a rational conclusion for how this was about to end. It was strange how tranquil it actually felt. Defeat had always been something he never understood, until this moment. There was no more fighting any longer, and there was no more purpose to any of this. The only thing he understood in this bizarre new sensation, mixed in its very core, was guilt over the failure to protect the only thing which mattered.

...Towa...

"Kamehameha!"

The world flashed blue from beneath him, and Mira just closed his eyes. His struggle was over.

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King Kai: The Way Station

Oh no...

His shoulder's hunched over, King Kai felt sweat beading at the edge of his forehead. It was just another drop to descend from his antenna region since this had all begun.

This was terrible. It wasn't just terrible across one front either. It was terrible everywhere. What was worse, King Kai had no idea what would happen to all of them once they're fighters... lost. Because right now, it looked like Goku and his friends were all doomed. These devils that had come from these broken timelines were intent on slaughtering the greatest defenders of the universe. What was worse, there was no better actions than the one's they'd taken. Every single battle currently taking place was more than hopeless.

Goku and Trunks were utterly hopeless against Taro.

Vegeta was so far, losing to Junia, and things looked as if they were going poorly.

But the only battle he had been convinced they could actually win, just turned decisively against them. Turning his glasses towards the huge red demon sitting behind the desk, King Kai cleared his throat. So far, the plan had been to send back one fighter to help the living overcome this new challenge. The problem was, the only warrior of this calibre was Pikkon, The main fear that King Kai had however, was that Pikkon wasn't... well, he wasn't as strong as some of the fighters they already had on Earth. He would need help, just as much as anyone-

"Pikkon, you're the best we have," King Yemma's voice boomed over them.

"King Yemma," The Kai's voice cut through the noise. "Pikkon is an incredible warrior, but he won't be enough to stop Brass or Taro. We'll need his help to save the Supreme Kai, but it may not be enough. There is at least one other fighter I can think of who can assist us with this."

"Oh? Pikkon is the strongest fighter in the other world-"

"That's not entirely true. There are several Saiyans in Hell-"

"Absolutely not!" King Yemma declared. "It was already hard enough justifying sending Pikkon to the living world, even with Baba's help! Now you can try to tell me another fighter is worth sending, but sending one of those monster's from Hell back to the living realm is out of the question."

Quietly, King Kai placed his hands behind his back and just frowned, his antenna bobbing back and forth as he oversaw the monstrous battles taking place over the Earth. The green warrior nodded to King Yemma a few moments later.

"I won't disappoint you. I'll take care of these thugs."

Hopefully it'll be enough.

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Piccolo:

The ray of blue energy in the distance spelled doom for Mira, and Piccolo knew it. The last shreds of power disappeared in the light, and left Piccolo being the last fighter nearby. It was very grim to realize that the Kai's weren't in a position to help him further, and that their latest two allies died after a brutal confrontation. All he had left was all the power he'd gathered. The only thing about that was of course that this power might actually be enough. His entire body was glowing with golden light of continuously stored ki. The power at his fingertips was incredible, immense, and feeling futile. It wasn't futile because he didn't have the heart to use it, but because he only had one attack to try, before it was for not. There was no sustainability for this power, it couldn't be used in a fight for more than a few seconds, before it simply went back to being air and rumour.

He knows all our-my moves.

Before the open mockery of his ability to project a meaningful attack weighed on him. This world was his last chance perhaps to stop these three, and he couldn't even stop Brass at this rate.

Less whining, more thinking. We need to make this count. One shot. We can do this.

The inner voice in his head commanded him forward, commanded his confidence, and put everything together as it needed to be. This was it. It was going to be either victory or defeat, and it was coming now.

It wasn't hard to way the golden bolt flying towards him in the distance, before it it zipped into the space in front of him. Golden hair standing upright, Piccolo stared directly at the one who'd killed Kibito, and the two newer arrivals. He'd driven off the Grand Supreme Kai, and the Supreme Kai. He was the last one left to do this. It all came down to him.

It was impossible to not seen how badly wounded Brass was however. The burns across much of his body, open wounds, and a look of mild fatigue at least built up Piccolo's confidence.

"You've seen better days," Piccolo commented. "I think that you drew this out too long, Brass. Even with all that power your body is going to give out before you do-"

"If you think that some attack is going to finish me off, especially after that last thing. Well... that's for you to believe. I can sense all that power welled up inside of you Namek. If you've got the balls, hit me with it."

It was a dare, trying to get him to shoot and miss. Piccolo could see that immediately, but the plan had already been formulated. It wasn't going to be just one attack. Pointing his hand out, a bolt of energy was fired, which Brass moved past, his smile returning as his head swayed back before going forward as his motion stopped.

"Really? You're going to try this one? Isn't it getting a bit tired?"

Orbs of glowing energy then appeared in both of the Namek's hands before he started his barrage. Swinging back in the air, Piccolo launched attack after attack. Dozens of bolts of energy shot straight past his target, who did him the gesture of moving around them. The bolts would have missed either way, but it was the thought that counted.

"We'll see how tired it is once you're dead," Piccolo fired back, landing atop another building and generating enough power to deploy even more shots.

Throwing his hands upward, dozens of bolts began firing. Each orb shot straight past Brass as the Saiyan just crossed his arms in the midst of his dodging.

"You always were supposed to be the master tactician. Tell me, do you always telegraph your plans? You could just shoot all this power into the sky, and it would as effective. I'm humouring you, you know that right?" Brass asked. "Because once this little display is over, I'm going to decapitate you, and hand your head over to Kakarot, just to see how angry that makes him before its my turn to fight him."

You're not going to get a chance to fight anyone.

The final bolts left his hands as Piccolo was left standing there, breathing from her exertion, before relaxing his hands. Brass had just let him do it. He could have intervened and stopped the attack, but it was all to prove how futile it was. If it was futile, Piccolo would find out for himself. Even if they couldn't stop Taro, maybe a modicum of justice would be dealt out to one of these monsters. A monster who looked like the sons of one of his best friends. This creature wore the mask and features of two good people, but carried with him the foul intent of another. He remembered when he met Turles for the first time on Namek.

Brass had the look of Turles in him.

Hundreds of energy orbs now hung in the air, as if all on delicate wires. At their very centre was the Saiyan.

"You realize how easy it is to deflect small attacks like ki blasts? I'll be impressed if this even tickles, Piccolo. Did you choose this one because the Beam Cannon would just miss?" he asked, before letting his smile slip back into place. "Or were you worried that the Light Grenade would kill what's left of the useless humans hiding inside this warzone? Please, be honest with me. You chose the Hellzone attack because you didn't have the confidence to-"

"That isn't the Hellzone Grenade," Piccolo said bluntly.

And it was true. This wasn't the Hellzone Grenade. The orbs in the air were giving off a faint orange glow, which slowly gained a purplish tint. Just as he said the words too, Piccolo observed the Saiyan quickly looking over the bolts of glowing energy with a passive, but questioning stare. The confident display he once had, slowly shrunk as he continued to scan them.

"You're bluffing," Brass commented, his voice steady. "I've been attacked by the Hellzone Grenade a hundred times. I know what one looks like. Gohan has no recollection of-"

"That Gohan you killed doesn't know my techniques, not all of them," Piccolo said sternly. "You walked right into this, because you're overconfident. Something you nearly paid for a few minutes ago when Mira nearly killed you."

Now the sweat began to appear as Brass looked over the orbs again, trying to determine what energies were in them. Piccolo had only a few seconds to respond, seeing the common tells. Reaching up with both hands, he closed his fists, giving his orbs the signal to act.

"Hellzone Beam Cannons!"

A shocked expression was displayed on the Saiyan's face as he twisted and turned his body, looking all around him as the orbs were held in place.

"Ridiculous, there is... ther... Shit!"

They didn't dive on him as the Hellzone Grenade would have, instead all of them thrumming before their energies focused in towards him, like gravity focusing towards the core of a planet. Each one, simultaneously, let loose a moment later. Beams fired from each orb as they cannibalized their own energy sources. Hundreds of Beam Cannons descended all at once. Each beam had its intended target, before they collided with the centre. It was so bright Piccolo couldn't even look, turning his head away as he raised his right arm to shield his face.

"AHHHHHHHH!"

That scream was something out of a nightmare. It was something Piccolo knew he would remember for the rest of his life. It was the sound of someone being drilled into on all sides. The energies themselves began reaching a critical mass. As the orbs depleted to nothing, all the energy pooled in the middle, like a liquid hot essence of starstuff mixed with ki. The light was so intense Piccolo could almost swear he could see it through the arm shielding his face, as if it flashed through his arm as though it weren't even there.

When the explosion rolled out, with all of his power invested in the blast, Piccolo had nothing with which to defend himself. The sheer force of the explosion sent him flying back, bouncing against the edge of the building as it crumbled into dust beneath him, and sending him flying back through the air.

When Piccolo finally hit the ground, the blast finished. The explosion was a spectacle to see in the air, purple flashes of brilliance mixed with yellow and orange.

Its over.

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Supreme Kai:

They couldn't afford to intervene further. Their role in the universe was too great, to risk their lives further in this would be a tragic mistake. They could only watch in bewilderment and amazement as the Saiyan confronted Piccolo in a dramatic battle. It was even more surprising than when after defeating Piccolo, Brass proceeded to eliminate both Towa and Mira. The last hope they had was a victory by Piccolo using his stored technique. What a marvel that technique was. All of these mortal beings were highly impressive in their ability to create new techniques. Their power was even more impressive.

"Unnatural," Shin heard from his side. When he looked at Abaddon as he'd been going by, he just was left there dumfounded.

"Unnatural? He just stopped that Saiyan-"

Rolling his eyes, the blue skinned kai turned his head back towards him, his glance penetrating and deep.

"The Saiyan in particular, was very unnatural. The Namekian himself is unnatural. He is a fusion of multiple beings, made one. Such creatures are not only aberrant, but dangerous," he explained. "Of course, the Namekian is our friend. But do not make the mistake of trusting them."

Rising, he smiled.

"However, we must congratulate him on a job well done."

It looked as though he had more to say, but stopped himself.

"Come along, Supreme Kai. We really must see to our victorious friend's needs. There are still two more... Saiyans... to deal with."

Before Shin even had time to question him, he'd disappeared. Pulling himself up, Shin walked out of the annihilated ruins of the building he'd found himself in. All seemed calm and quiet now, save for the soft, fearful noises of the survivors of the battle so far. It was shocking that Mira and Towa had died in the battle. Kibito's death weighed on him as well. Even now as he took a moment to just reflect, he realized his oldest and dearest friend was gone. The empty hole that he filled when the other Kai's had died reopened, and it left him feeling isolated.

Because whoever this Abaddon was, even though he knew him to be the Grand Supreme Kai... he didn't fit what he knew to be the demeanour of one.

Taking off into the air, Shin was quick to move past the burning remnants of several streets before he landed next to Abaddon, who was standing over the form of Piccolo, who was laying back against a wall as he looked up at them.

"I'm completely drained," the Namek admitted. "And I can sense the others fading. We need to get to them."

"I'm in complete agreement, Piccolo. Whatever assistance we can offer, we must. We must help Ve... Vege..." Shin slowly trailed off as he looked down the street.

Ruined buildings were scattered down the city block. Destroyed cars and infrastructure were scattered across the road itself, but there was one thing that caught his eye. Hobbling down the road, he saw Brass.

There was a clear limp in his gait, the Saiyan almost stumbled as he walked around a burning wreck. Blood oozed down his right, flowing like a freed river. The look of pure hatred that was fixed into his expression left Shin frozen. This thing couldn't just be some Saiyan, not even two Saiyans. This... this monster was relentless. What kind of world created such beasts? The monster Broly from before was supposed to be an anomaly, but was this the norm? Could this thing even truly be killed?

"Get out of here now," Piccolo breathed, carefully starting to pick himself up. "I'll buy you whatever time I can. This world will need you to recover. Now go."

"Piccolo!" Brass shouted furiously down the street.

Quickly preparing to flee, Shin turned to see Abaddon scoff.

"This thing just needs to be put down," he observed. "Allow me."

Opening his hand, the blue skinned Kai gathered energy into his palm.

"Go back into the abyss which you belong in," he spat, before unleashing the wave of golden light.

When Brass batted it aside, with his injured arm, Shin froze in shock. Abaddon himself breathed in sharply, his composure breaking for a moment. Several more shots were fired in rapid success, each one being knocked aside. Stray blasts flew into the sides of buildings, sending rubble into the streets as fires broke out in the already badly damaged buildings.

Before Shin had a chance to grab the other Kai, Brass had already appeared in front of them, injured or not. Purple blood spat into the air as Abaddon's head snapped back and his frame slapped into the paved road. A struggling arm reached out as the Kai gasped for air.

"How can... how can he be so powerful?"

I need to get us out of here.

A strike hit the Saiyan in the head, barely moving it as Piccolo stood from the side, before he turned to them.

"Go now!" Piccolo's voice desperately boomed.

Kneeling down, Shin grabbed Abaddon only to look up to see Piccolo's head slam into the side of the building he'd been resting against. An arm held it in place as the Saiyan almost spat fire at him. It was cringeworthy to hear bone buckling beneath fingers, knowing Brass aimed to crush people's head in his hands.

"You're going to pay for that, Namek," he hissed before turning his attention towards them. "And you can be gods of the Afterlife."

Shin watched, frozen in fear as Brass's hand opened, revealing violet energies gathering in his hand. Inside that energy, Shin saw his own death forming along with the energy. It would hit him, and Abaddon, and vaporize them. His throat clenched tightly as he tried to find any rebuttal, or even to think to use his instant transmission to escape. But it was all empty, all that filled his thoughts were the purple energy being gathered in his hand.

The energy was never released however. A crack echoed out over the open space around them before Brass's form was sent sprawling back, before collapsing in a heap next to a burning vehicle metres away. The Saiyan struggled to rise, his arms trembling as he did.

"What... what now?" Shin heard him whisper to himself.

All Shin could do was remain in shock, falling back onto his rear end before blinking several times. Their savior blurred into vision as a singular figure's feet landed in front of them.

"Get these two out of here," Pikkon's said. "I will deal with this thug."

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Brass:

Was this whole god-damned universe interlinked or something? Who the fuck just hit him? Whoever did he was going to rip them apart limb from limb, and then blast them into a pile of scattered atoms. Fury was his name, and anger swelled to the top once again.

How many of these fucking problems do I need to get saddled with? Who is this? Opponent number six?

His arms tried to collapse on him, but he willed them to work, allowing him to shakily rise to his feet. His back was sluggish for a moment, unable to stand his full height. Focusing his ki inward, he felt his body lighten, and his back straightened. His leg was a dull ache, always in his mind. One of Piccolo's little beam cannons had badly wounded it. He had an hour or two before he bled out from it, he gathered, when factoring in the mess of wounds and burns around his right arm and shoulder. So far this battle had been an absolute mess.

When he managed to turn about, he was caught with the sight of the Supreme Kai trying to pull two of his wounded enemies together. If they were expecting to Instant Transmission out of here, he already knew that it was highly unlikely. He could sense Taro's energies all over this place, expanding over the globe. That chaotic power always seemed to disrupt it. What was left to him though, was to see something he'd never seen before, just like that "Mira" creature.

Green skinned and glad in strange clothing, Brass looked at this... noseless thing. It's power was impressive, and its form was serious already. Even as it tossed aside its extra clothing material, which thud against the ground, Brass felt his body trying to ramp itself back up. It was hard to urge himself forward, save for the thought of getting revenge on this bastard for interfering.

"Can no one mind their own business anymore?" Brass asked, trying not to sound winded.

The golden aura around his body managed to rekindle around him while he started to walk forward. Injured, drained, and winded, he knew he was still in the superior. Fatigue definitely mattered, ware definitely mattered too, but power was always power, and he'd not spent so much that he was weaker than this green freak. Whoever this green freak was.

"I'm making this my business," the alien responded, his white aura already starting to burn outside his body. "I'm here to stop your reign of terror."

Well, at least this guy fit the bill of some good-doing piece of garbage. Cracking his neck to one side and wincing as he felt his bones protest and his muscle flinch, Brass pulled himself together before cracking the other side of his neck. If this was apart of the price he needed to pay for more power, then so be it.

"Well then, whoever you are-"

"I am Pikkon."

"Well then Pikkon, I've got some bad news for you. Which is that the dead can't stop a reign of terror," Brass said bluntly. "And you're going to be dead very soon."

"If only you knew," Pikkon chuckled darkly, before edging towards him with his right foot leading his advance, and his arms in a defensive stance. "You'd be surprised what the dead can do."

There must be some kind of thing he wasn't getting if that wasn't the response, but it didn't really matter. Instead, Brass raised his own guard, preparing himself. A gentle breeze brushed past them, sending the smell of burning toxic structures over them. It was a familiar scent, the smell of all that burning wood, insulation, and other particle matter was never particularly healthy. Of course, it didn't matter given after he killed these idiots he was going to just take a Senzu bean from Korin's dead paws and-

His thought wasn't allowed to be completed as he suddenly found Pikkon in his range. Their forearms locked together immediately, and at face to face range, all Brass did was stare into this 'dead' man's eyes. The sun had finished setting in the background, leaving nothing but the bleakest night to descend on them. In a blur of motion, the two disappeared before a series of booms broke out in their wake. Each one pounded through the air, sending shockwaves out in all directions. A brief image of the two appeared, only to a trained eye, with each connection.

It was hard, very hard to keep up. Even with his ki propelling him, Brass felt drained by all of the fighting so far. Opponent after opponent had challenged him, and now he was left fighting another. The list of people coming to kill him seemed unending. Who was going to be next? Who could be next? Could he even get past this?

When he felt Pikkon's fist slam into his ribs in mid flight, he felt his entire body almost hiccup before he fellt out of high speed, only to feel another right coming in, cracking into his jaw from a higher angle. His eye winced before he felt himself plummet straight down, smashing through the edge of a concrete building, before smashing into the roof of an older, worn out car. The car exploded almost instantly, leaving only him in a heap of slagged metal.

Sitting up and wincing, he saw the green warrior diving in on him. Raising his arms quickly, he felt the kick crack into his guard, sending the entire metal wreck of a car skidding across the ground, sparks chasing after it along with the horrible scraping noise. When he dropped his guard to move back into battle, he already saw three ki blasts descending on him. Like a bolt of lightning, he zipped upward while the car exploded beneath him. There was no time for breathing room, as he already found Pikkon's fists flying towards his face. The flurry of punches caused him to dramatically increase his speed, trying to keep any further blows off of him. Right now, his body couldn't take much more.

Beyond the thoughts of winning the battle, his brain trailed off into something he remember hearing from Vegeta... years ago.

None of you know what it is to be challenged in a real battle. For all of you this is nothing but picking and choosing your targets. You purge worlds which are set to certain levels for you. You win token battles, and train. You've never had a real battle in your life.

Up until now, Brass had always wanted to believe that wasn't true. Every world he went to, he fought hard, especially after leaving his own time. How many times had he faced down death?... Well, not as often as he'd care to admit. Certainly he had taxing battles, but never like this. Never had he been pushed so close to the edge by opponent after opponent. Never before was he tired and hurt to the point where he couldn't fight. Certainly he'd been hurt, often by his father for misbehaving, or not following the rules. But that wasn't the same as this.

Ironically, even now... he was drawing off the memories of Gohan to give him reference to where he was in this battle. Images of Gohan's battle with Cell, his right arm limp and useless, were the first to come to mind.

When his head dodged to one side again, Brass saw an opening, landing his fist into Pikkon's gut a second later. Before he could follow through, he already felt a knee hit his sternum. The two were hanging in the air, gagging for a second. As if on cue, both broke through their brief paralysis, before darting towards one another's right sides. The half circle them moved in a blink of an eye lead to both men colliding fists directly at one another. The burns in Brass's hands left him wincing hatefully before he reached down, grasping Pikkon's foot.

"Gotcha!"

Before any reaction could take place, the Saiyan successor to his father had already taken off to the ground, hurling Pikkon towards the ground with all his might. Before Pikkon could even hit the ground, he threw one hand down, focusing his energy.

"Catastrophe Gun!"

In rapid succession, dozens of bolts fired out. Each one that pelted the surface of the Earth sent a purple and black blast upwards, each one directed towards the energy of his adversary. When the last one impacted, its tail of energy disappearing and leaving only a hole bleeding a billow cloud, Brass just breathed in and out, finally having obtained the reprieve he'd been looking for.

Only as the cloud cleared below, Brass saw Pikkon... dancing? What the Hell was dancing supposed to do? It didn't matter, every moment this alien made a fool of itself, he had a chance to restore some of his own energy.

"Thunder Flash!"

When the dance stopped, his eyes widened as a torrent of fire and energy warped up towards him. Locking his arms together in a guard, Brass could only wait before the torrent crashed into him, washing over him like a massive wave crashing against the shore. The fire seared his wounds, cauterizing his right shoulder in the intensity of the flame before he was sent helplessly flailing through the air, before impacting into the side of a ruined building, his body imbedded in the concrete.

A white-blue light was coming straight towards him, and Brass knew full well what to do. The hardened cement around him shattered before his golden aura reemerged, and in seconds the two were clashing once more in the air. Kicks and punches from both warriors looked to connect in a furious dance of battle across the city.

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King Kai: The Way Station

How much more could this Saiyan take? Of all the fights he was watching, the one he felt teetering on the edge most, was the battle taking place in what was once the rebuilt East City. He could see Pikkon and Brass now exchanging vicious blows in the air, and he could sense Pikkon expending much more power than he would have otherwise. If Brass could survive much longer, it meant he would overwhelm Pikkon next. The greatest warrior of the Afterlife, despite appearing strong in that moment, was potentially heading towards disaster.

"What is it going to take to turn this around? We need to free up others to help Goku and Trunks fight Taro. He's been toying with them this whole time and they're completely helpless!" King Kai shouted, before turning his head towards King Yemma. "We need to send someone else."

"And who else would you elect from the Other World Fighters? Pikkon is by far and away the best fighter. The others would be highly fortunate to even last a few moments, even Olibu. So unless you have... not this again. The Saiyans in Hell are not to be released for any reason."

"One of them isn't a monster, but a reformed warrior who defended the Earth on numerous occasions, and even sent the next two most powerful Saiyans in Hell, into Hell," King Kai said. "He died saving the Earth. Surely we can make an exception. Twenty Four hours, just like any other warrior, and then he goes back. Even if Brass is defeated by Pikkon, we're going to need his help."

Stroking his beard, King Yemma considered what he'd been given, and intenrally King Kai prayed that Yemma would see reason.

"Is this Son Gohan? Son Goku's son? He died fighting against a demon named... what was his name again?"

"I believe that was Garlic Junior, Lord Yemma," an orderly piped up.

"He was that boy that lied to me!" Yemma finally realized, his voice bellowing furiously. "No! Not a chance! We wasted a tremendous amount of time simply on the word that he was related to Son Goku! He tried everything he could to avoid the responsibility he has on his shoulders-!"

"But we need him. There isn't anyone else left to send, unless you want to send Mira and Towa out of the line to avoid coming back here through time travel. He's our best option to send reinforcements."

It wasn't a hard choice to make. There were no good choices, but he was sure they could trust Gohan. His glasses were pointed directly at Yemma's face as the giant reconsidered a second time, a critical glance coming back in his own direction.

"Well, I would normally say that you are biased in your opinions because you know Son Goku and want to help him. It would look extremely bad if-"

"It will look much worse if the Supreme Kai is killed!" King Kai squawked back. "Think about it King Yemma. We've come this far, please just give him one more chance."

With a heavy sigh, the ogre lowered his eyes before just breathing out.

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Gohan: Hell

They were totally screwed. That was something he knew right now, just from sensing those powers active on the planet. He already sensed three powers disappear, and two were immense. His father's power was flagging, as was Vegeta's. Who was going to be left? Piccolo's energy felt empty and hollow, as did the Supreme Kai's. All that was really left was Pikkon, and just from sensing the energies in the battle, he knew that Pikkon only had a short window for victory in the battle's current state. That window was closing rapidly, right now.

And he was still down here, just like he was when the fighting started.

Right now his anger was boiling to the point where he wanted to just start killing the other denizens of this miserable, bleak fucking wreck of a dimension. But that wouldn't change anything. What would it serve? It wouldn't save his family and friends from dying a miserable death. By dying to Garlic Junior, he'd condemned them all, or at the very least condemned himself. Even if they were going to lose, if he'd lived through that fight... he could have died along side them now, rather than having to just listen with his ki senses, hoping for a god damn miracle. But there was one thing Gohan had come to realize over the course of his life and death.

There are no miracles.

Sitting down against the side of a gigantic spiked ball, Gohan looked up at the yellow clouds above him and just reflected. What kind of price would he be willing to pay to be there, right now?

"Hey! I think it's him!" one voice shouted from behind.

Really? More of you idiots wanna fight me? How many times do I need to prove that I'm not to be fucked with.

Right now he wasn't even in the mood to deal with it. Were they more Planet Trade members looking for revenge for him screwing them over? It didn't sound like Frieza or any of those idiots. It most definitely didn't sound like Garlic or any of his ghouls either. They could probably just be ignored.

A hand grabbed his shoulder.

"I found him! He's over here!" the hurried voice shouted.

Turning his head to the side, the half Saiyan almost broke the arm holding him. The red flash was certainly something new.

"Let go of my shoulder, or lose the arm," he warned.

The hand immediately let go, and the sound of several backtracking footsteps could be heard. Sighing, Gohan rose to his full height before turning his attention to the figure. It was an Ogre. One of the local Ogres had taken to looking for him? When he scanned past the initial one, he saw dozens more approaching, all of them running.

"This is him? Are you serious?" a Red Ogre with glasses asked. "King Yemma would be furious if we messed up."

King Yemma?

Scanning over the fifteen or so ogres, Gohan tried to keep a balanced mind about all of this. What the Hell did Yemma want? He was already down here for an eternal sentence.

"Are you Son Gohan?"

"Yea, I'm Son Gohan," Gohan replied quickly, before looking at the head Ogre. "What exactly did you want?"

"You're to come with us to see King Yemma immediately," the head Ogre commented. "Just take this pass."

Grabbing the pass, Gohan blinked several times looking at it. Was this some kind of bus pass? Really? This looked like a stupid piece of paper with a few basic markings on it, followed by "express" being written at the bottom.

"And what does this pass- AHHH!"

White light blasted out around him as Gohan felt his body moving at a velocity he couldn't understand. The world broke down into its basic elements for him. Different colours across the light spectrum rolled past him, leaving him with only the faintest idea of what had just happened, or where he was. At the end of this moving colour spectrum, pure white light appeared, but he was frozen, unable to move to stop himself from being blinded by it.

And then he was standing in an office.

Looking to his left, and then to his right, he felt himself frantically breathing.

What just happened?

"Gohan," a familiar voice in his head turned familiar voice in the physical chirped up. "Gohan we're going to need your help, that's why we called you here."

King Kai.

Addressing the blue little man, Gohan stepped to one side to face him. They called him for help? It had to be related to the battle. They felt it going badly as well. It also would explain why Pikkon was on the Earth right now. It all made sense to him right away. But what else made sense to him was that this was a great opportunity not just to save his friends... but to get the Hell out of Hell. If they were calling him up here, he was one of their last choices. They didn't trust anyone else down there to obey them, he suspected. It was just contract negotiation, just like when he renewed his contract with Cooler every eighteen months. You knew you were going to sign, but how much could you get for signing.

The idea wasn't without merit.

"You need me to fight those crazy things on the Earth, don't you?" he asked bluntly. "And how exactly am I going to get there? I'm dead-"

"Fortune Teller Baba will transport you close to the fighting, and from there you will need to fight Brass first in order to save the Supreme Kai-"

The Supreme Kai was one of the Fighters, fascinating.

"What's in it for me?"

The Red skinned giant behind the desk looked dumsbtruck for a brief second, before sneering furiously.

"We're giving you a chance to save your home world, and your family, and you ask what's in it for you? Are you crazy?! I should send you back down to that miserable Abyss we just pulled you from!"

"King Yemma, I'm sure Gohan just meant!-"

"I want my sentence reduced," Gohan demanded. "Then I'll kill any of these newcomers you need me to. It's that simple."

"That's not how it works," King Kai urged him from the side. "Saving the world doesn't change-"

"I don't think its an unreasonable request. Save the Supreme Kai, save the world, save my family, not spend an eternity in a bleak, lifeless hole with a yellow ceiling and firestorms which burn you to a crisp every few days. Yea, I'm really not down with staying down there."

His eyes traced between King Kai, to King Yemma several times as he waited for them to say something, say anything.

But then something on Earth, changed. Another power disappeared. Gohan froze himself in place as he realized what that meant. This was time sensitive.

"We're running out of time, Gohan. We need you to go now. One full day on the Earth, that's the deal. Then you'll be back, and sent back to your sentence."

Any bravado he'd drummed up managed to slink back below the surface as he thought to himself. One full day, huh? That was one full day, minus fighting for his life. One full day to see his mom, dad, brother, and daughter. One full day to see how the world had changed since he was gone.

Golden light flickered around him as he started to draw up his strength. The room began to quake as King Yemma's desk jarred uncontrollably, until his gigantic coffee mug fell from the side, shattering on the ground.

"What is he-"

"Quiet!" Gohan shouted, before beginning to almost roar as he felt his power fully coming to the surface.

Streaks of golden energy continued to wrap around him until electricity bounced between his biceps. His entire frame briefly bulged before his muscles tightened back in. Veins appeared on his exposed muscular structure while his hair arched up higher, already having turned to a golden colour. The resulting gust of wind coming from his being, produced by the exertion of ki, sent ogres flying back against walls as pictures adoring the walls and statures were toppled, coming to the ground. The tile flooring beneath him cracked, going straight through King Yemma's desk and sending cracks up the walls itself.

King Kai took several steps back when Gohan stepped again to face him.

"I didn't want to waste time powering up on site," he explained. "I need to get as close as possible. Right next to him."

The little woman on a crystal ball looked uncomfortable.

"Given the strange energies all over the place, no ki transmission of matter seems possible. I have to use my magic, and I'm not sure that I want to get close to one of those-"

"No portal, huh?"

"Portal? Oh kiddo, I've got to take you the old fashioned way..."

Scanning the battle with his mind again. Gohan just breathed in and out as he began running over how the battle could go in his mind.

"Well... Instead of teleporting you, I could create a small rift between here and there. But it would be extremely difficult to get it where you wanted it," Baba warned. "And if he came through to this side of the portal-"

"Than we've already taken him out of the fight. I'd just throw him off Snake way," Gohan reasoned. "I need a running start..."

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Supreme Kai:

The battle between Pikkon and Brass was a sight to behold. In the night now surrounding them, golden and white flashes of energy dominated the ruins of the human settlement. The thundering sounds of impacts sent chills up the Supreme Kai's spine with every passing moment. There was a gnawing pit in his stomach all the same however, when he saw several gigantic blasts being tossed between the two. Rays of golden energy then cut through the sky, and several buildings in the midst of the chaotic battle. It wasn't until Pikkon was caught out in the open a few seconds later that the decisive moment of the engagement was caught in his view.

Elbowing Pikkon down to the road once more, the green alien hit the street, landing on his hands and kneels, before quickly dodging to the side, avoiding a deadly knee drop from above, which shattered into the asphalt.

If only my Instant Transmission was working. The energies here are disrupting any means of using the technique. That's Taro's doing.

The two were left there breathing heavily.

"You can't keep this up," Pikkon breathed. "Your body is breaking down, and you'll make a mistake."

"You'll make a mistake first," Brass almost wheezed. "Just watch. You'll be the second to know."

Smiling, Pikkon just slowly raised his arms forward.

"I know exactly how to put you away, for good."

And that was when the Supreme Kai knew the battle was over. Massive amounts of energy began to pool around Pikkon again, just as it had before for his Thunder Flash. How many more devastating attacks could Brass just survive? This was surely going to be it, there was no way he could just continue.

"No," Piccolo gasped. "He's telegraphed it. He's throwing this battle away."

Turning towards the injured Namekian, Shin blinked before turning back to the battle.

"Thunder Flash!"

The wave of fire and energy was unleashed in a torrent once again. A scorching path of destruction rolled into Brass's form, who disappeared in the flames. The Thunder Flash attack was easily one of the most devastating that Shin had ever observed. He could only watch and hope that it was enough.

Above Pikkon however, a blur of motion appeared as Brass came back into view, with the fire stream still actively being fired beneath him.

"See?" was the only word Brass said.

Putting both his hands above his head, he gathered energy into a single point before thrusting his hands forward.

"Masenko!"

A brilliant orange energy with a fiery edge flashed outward, consuming the area where Pikkon stood. Inside the light, Shin could see Pikkon's form, helpless in the energy as he began to scream. It filled the empty streets like a siren while his form slowly but surely, evaporated into nothing but mist in the midst of the energy. When the light faded, their Green savior was just... gone.

It seemed impossible that he was gone, but he was.

When Brass landed, it was with a thud. Immediately the Saiyan fell to one hand and one knee, trying to even stay standing.

"Do you see that?" he shouted to the world around him. "Do you see that?! ME! I'm the one who did it! I am the warrior! I take on the challenges!"

After the outburst, Shin watched as the Saiyan tried to rise at first, and almost fell forward, stopping himself with his other hand. His power level had started to decline in the last battle, but was still immense. The problem for the Saiyan clearly wasn't that, it was that he was beginning to just run out of body. He'd been bleeding badly for some time, and had clearly suffered severe injuries so far. It was remarkable what kind of damage these Saiyans were willing to take in order to continue a fight. It was almost through sheer willpower that he kept on going.

It was when he finally pulled himself up, though quite carefully, that Shin's observations turned back into fear. With his left eye almost swollen shut, and a smirk across his face, the warrior began to limp forward.

"Didn't think I'd forget about you three, did you? We're not done yet."

Abaddon was still completely out, and Piccolo was still almost entirely drained of power, along with a serious head injury. He was the only one who could do anything, and his own energy reserves were very low. Rising to his feet, Shin felt the weight of the world trying to push him back down as the Saiyan approached. Focusing his energy into his hands, the shorter warrior tried to stare down the Saiyan.

"The only one done here is you," Shin warned.

"I'm really getting tired of the righteous lines-"

Before he could drone on further, Shin already put his hands together, unleashing his power. A wave of crimson energy washed over the world in front of him, shredding the already damaged road quite badly. It only took seconds before the blast concentrated in on its target, focusing the beam. It was then that it was deflected upwards, before it exploded in the air. Shin could only look up as his power was batted away, even by the wounded Saiyan.

When he looked forward again, all he saw was a fist. When it collided with his face, his body went limp almost instinctively before he flopped to the ground, landing hard between Piccolo and Abaddon, before skidding several metres further, ending up laying on his front after it scraped along the hard pavement.

"I'm done playing around."

Looking up, Shin just saw Brass step forward, still labouring heavily as he wiped the blood from his lip.

"Thanks for coming out. Now, it has been fun, but I really do need to get going... And so do you-"

"Dodon Ray!"

The Saiyan's head moved up in surprise before a golden bolt of energy struck him in the back. He didn't even move before the cloud of ash covered his body from the small explosion.

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Brass:

Another.

Was this world fucking kidding him? Was this all some kind of joke? Another one, and what was it going to be this time? Some Super Female-Tien?

With a methodical and calm motion, Brass turned his head and addressed his newest attacker. And it was a joke, wasn't it? How many times had he seen this face staring at him in terror, or determination? Well this time he was getting the look of a sharpened, hateful glare. And clearly from a source which he never expected a complicated ki attack.

"Dodon Ray? That's one of Tien's moves-"

"Do you know how many people you've murdered here?" Videl spat.

"Please, Videl, can we be adults here? They don't matter and you know it. I have felled a god, and a series of aliens so far. I've defeated this green piece of garbage, and another two gods as well, and was about to murder them before you so rudely interrupted. Do you really think I care if I kill some slaves?" he asked. "You're a pitiful joke. You're the most pitiful thing to even try to get in my way so far."

Her charge was 'slow', by the standards of anyone he'd seen all day. He let her move her full speed towards him however. When she closed in, she struck out, landing a kick on his side, even where his ribs were injured. It felt like a fly landed on his skin. Only when the leg connected did her demeanour shift from aggressive and angry, to shocked and concerned.

"I look injured, because I am. But I'd be more worried about someone relevant harming me, rather than some stupid bitch with delusions of importance."

Raising one hand, he hooked his fingers into a circle, before flicking Video in the chest. The sound of a guest of air whooshing past them accompanied the noise as her body was sent flailing back, sliding against the hardened ground. A pained shriek escaped his typical sister-in-law. With his business with the human concluded, he turned back towards his real targets.

"Sorry for that," he commented, seeing Shin trying to rise up to his feet, a look of renewed determination written across his features. "I was preoccupied with..."

There was a flash of pain which moved past his eyes. It was the pain of something inside of him. He felt... Gohan... clawing inside his chest, inside his head, desperately wanting to go to her aid. His own power felt like it was burning on the inside until he cleared it with his own anger.

I am in no more mood for rebellion.

Taking in a gulp of smoke-laden air, Brass exhaled a second later.

"Family troubles. They're sorted out now however."

The Kai had no power left, and only now was he getting prepared to fight him seriously. It was almost amusing. His own head felt like it was swimming for a second, and a sensation of lightheadedness overshadowed his thoughts. He blinked several times, knowing he was feeling the effects of blood loss at this point. He needed to resolve this quickly.

Pointing his hand up, he prepared to gather energy, even as Shin stared him down.

"Even if you win here, one day you will pay for your crimes, Brass."

Crimes.

What crimes? The Crime of being powerful? The strong governed over the weak. That was the rule. The strongest warriors needed only listen to the authority of their own strength. That was what this life had taught him. Finishing off these idiots would be his first steps towards... Freedom. The freedom of being beneath others. The freedom to have his own will be the guide throughout his life. That was what strength meant, and this was the path of the strong.

And it's a crime. Every drop of strength you have, is born in the blood and pain of people who just wanted peaceful lives.

It was Gohan's voice, but not the one he'd absorbed. It was the Gohan of his world. The older brother who'd tried to infect him with his crazy ideas. The same ideas that got him killed.

It was enough to make him stop for a brief second, his eyes trailing down as he tried to shake the image from his mind. It was the look in his eyes as he desperately looked for air in his last pained moments. Even right now, Brass could hear the words Gohan desperately tried to say as his father loomed over them both.

I can't breathe.

There was a long pause without him even realizing it. This of all times, was the last moment he needed to be thinking about Gohan.

I won't end up like you, Brother.

Energy appeared in his palm before he sneered at the Kai.

"We're through," he snapped, before an orb of energy struck him in the back again. It was like a flea fighting a lion.

Some people just don't learn, do they?

Gathering force only into his other hand, he turned it over and pointed it at Videl, who was preparing to charge him. Opening his fist, a wave of pure kinetic power exploded out, hitting her straight on. He looked at her as her body helplessly flailed through the air, hitting a light post and bending unnaturally before slamming into a car. The car itself flipped over a second later as he flinched, not from the sight, but from the outraged scream he felt running through his entire body as Gohan flailed against his control.

Turning his attention back to the Supreme Kai, Piccolo, and the Grand Supreme Kai, he let his energy gather again. Without so much as a word, he let loose his power. A wave of violet destruction was unleashed. The three figures were seemingly left helpless in its path. But there was something of a surprise to him as Shin dashed forward, throwing his arms forward and roaring. It was like watching a mouse roar like a lion. When the wave hit, he sensed resistance on the other side. The wave broke into two, sending two streams of energy around his primary targets, leaving the two erratic waves of power to crash into the buildings around the area, ripping through the structures like they were made of wet paper.

While the buildings imploded in the background, as the light cleared, the Supreme Kai fell to his knees, breathing in and out heavily, entirely exhausted, the last fragments of the shield he'd managed to form fading with the last of his power.

He gave everything he had, if only for a few more seconds of life. Why? What point does it serve?

What point did the woman have attacking him? She had no chance.

... what point did your brother have, attacking your father?

That was the sound of the Gohan he'd killed only a short time ago. The Gohan whose power he'd been using to fuel his own. The Gohan he'd been using for guidance and techniques when needed. And he heard something unbearably true behind the words. The reason Gohan attacked his father was the same reason why they were attacking him now, and fighting back.

Pulling back, but still on his knees, the Supreme Kai stared back at him in defiance.

"Do it then! Finish it," he breathed. "Take the prize."

Intending on doing just that... there was suddenly something else. His eyes widened when he felt a rush move through his body, his senses on high alert when he began scanning for it. It was impossible that another major power was here. But that wasn't just it... it felt like something familiar. It felt almost... almost like... like...

Father.

It was chilling to sense it. In so few worlds had he ever run across his father, and whenever they did he was always a shadow of the power their father had. But this was a real serious power. But it wasn't... it wasn't identical. There was something off about it. It... It wasn't his father's power. But where was it coming from? What the Hell was even happening?

Snarling to himself, he took a step in two directions, trying to get a hold of where it was. He even looked up to see if it was directly above him.

"G-...Gohan," Piccolo's weakened voice said in astonishment. "That's... Gohan."

Gohan... What?

Why did Gohan's power feel like this? But in its core, he could... he could sense it. Most of how the ki was shaped, how it sensed, felt like it was his father's, but it wasn't. It was different, and its essence was off. It couldn't be Gohan. How would that make any sense? It didn't have a rational element to it in the slightest. It was only then when something slowly opened in the space to his right. A swirling mass of strange energy appeared, staring directly at him. He could... he could sense the energy behind it. But what was he even looking at? It was almost like staring into a mirror, reflecting back his own image at its core even as it shimmered.

The pond of strange energy, sitting there in open space shimmered again before he sensed motion, just as the swirl of reality and energy increased. Bracing himself, shifting his stance right away, Brass raised his guard in earnest as he felt tension run through his body.

Another one! They can't be serious!

It was a snapshot in time and space that his eyes locked onto, an image of Gohan moving past the visible range for most creatures. The scar over his eye was telling, with the look of someone who'd been hardened by countless battles. It was a grim reflection of the man he'd killed and stolen the memories from. It was a grim reflection even of his own Gohan. When the world was pushed back into motion, his own head snapped to the side as soon as Gohan's fist went sailing past. The force of the blow was enough to send blood spitting out of his nose and mouth as he let out a short gagging noise. When his feet lifted off, it was the strangest sensation he'd felt the entire battle. It was almost like fighting a mirror... a mirror with his father and brother in it.

When his body crashed through the lower levels of the ruined office building behind him, his body tore through several layers of wooden supports for office rooms, before ripping through drywall, feeling bits of ruined wreckage scraping against his body, before ploughing through concrete supports. When he emerged on the other side of the building, before he could obtain any kind of stability in the air, he felt the air around him move distort as it was displaced by another terrifyingly fast moving object. Gohan's arm grabbed his face by the right side. He reached out, grasping his shoulder as well, taking up his jacket's shoulder in a fist of cloth.

"You-"

They were still moving at incredible rates, before he felt them turn vertical in a harsh motion, before his face was shoved into the side of the concrete of another bleak tower. It scraped through the hardened material, causing dust and pebbles to scrape into his eye and mouth as his skin was worn raw, his body vibrating with every second as he grip on Gohan's body weakened. When they cleared the top of the building, he felt another hand grasp his arm before he felt his entire world tilt, when he was launched straight down. When his frame hit the top of the gigantic structure he'd just been scraped up, his body hit with the force of what felt to be a small atom bomb. Layer after layer of floor was annihilated with his descent.

Finally, mid floor on a level after ten levels, he halted in the air, sneering and snarling. His raw skin and sore musculature cried out for vengeance.

"Where the fuck-!?"

His ki sense went off before he turned to the side, seeing nothing but purple light. His eyes widened in shock before the wave hit him, blasting his body out the side of the building, as the entire floor he was on exploded in a purple ball of flame. When he hit the building opposite of this one, crossing the road several hundred feet up, Brass wheezed several times before he pulled himself from the hole his body made in the wall. Another distortion brought a blow to his already critical damaged ribs. It was too much for him to keep his eyes open over. Hunching forward painfully, he grabbed Gohan's arms as he trembled.

When the elbow landed on top of his back a second later, he felt himself crash into the ground before Gohan landed several metres away.

It was everything to fill his lungs with air as he rose up, grabbing the side of the building for support.

"So..." he rasped, trying to say anything at all while he tried to get himself together. The world went blurry for a second while he stared back at Gohan, letting only his survival instinct, pain, and anger fuel his body back into action. He stood straighter, and tensed himself, pushing damaged components of his body back into service with ki and fury. "You seem to be under the impression that I would allow you to beat me."

Putting his arms up, Gohan almost started to skip between his two legs, hopping from side to side as a grin came over his lips, he looked over the buildings before turning back to him.

"Do you know how incredible this is? I'm alive. I'm here. And all I've got to do to keep this is kill you. So far you're not making it hard," he remarked. "You're pretty weak for someone with that much power. I was expecting a lot more with that much ki resonating around here."

It was impossible for Brass to hide his reaction, his eyes widened slightly at the comment before he felt his anger rising.

"You have a power signature like Turles-"

"Of course I do, he trained me," Gohan answered bluntly. "I didn't survive most of my life by not knowing how to fight. You're a Saiyan, you'd know that if you had a lot more to you than being a punching bag. Not that he was a great trainer. He definitely taught me more of the basics than he taught you. Yea, I see how that energy you have is formed, I know he trained you too."

That was why this one was different than all the other one's he'd fought before. His father trained him, and likely raised him. It seemed inconceivable, really, given that Turles didn't care about anyone but himself. Was this what he'd expected Gohan to be? Was this what he'd wanted him to be? Despite being a blow hard, this Saiyan knew how to fight. Even now, faced with a stronger opponent, he was sure of himself, confident of victory.

I'm going to take that away from him first.

Focusing his energy, Brass felt almost tapped out for a brief second, having trouble keeping things harnessed.

He's been through a lot of pain. His power is tainted by it. Whatever he's been through...

It was Gohan's voice in his head, as if observing something he didn't. In truth he hadn't. Ignoring the voice all the same, Brass prepared his attack. The only thing that froze it was when he noticed how Gohan was situating his hands suddenly, and sensing his rising power. It was... it was something familiar, something he recognized. That was the attack... the attack he'd never mastered, the one his father used all those years ago to fell Dabura. It was the attack his father never taught him, and even now it was almost shocking to see.

When Gohan's hands opened up, revealing two glowing purple spheres, each one thrumming with power, he could see his father standing opposite to him.

"Cataclysm Cannon!"

The surreal nature of what he was watching washed away when the wave hit him. The rapid rampage of its strength sent him hurtling back, what was left of his defence being blasted away into the wind as he helplessly tumbled in the energies, his voice getting caught in it as he felt himself burn in the midst of the energy.

"AHHHHH!"

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Gohan:

Two towers collapsed in the wake of the blast, leaving the city with only a few standing skyscrapers. When they rumbled to their foundations, and the purple light disappeared into the distance, Gohan was left standing there, the lone warrior. This was what it was to be alive again. It wasn't the fighting that gave him a thrill, it was the same violence he saw in another life... it was the air. The air was laced with burning toxins in all honest, but it had a smell. It wasn't the stale death he believed he'd been breathing. The ground was ruined, scarred with ki and flame... but it was real. It was real soil, it was dirt, mud, pavement, it didn't matter. It wasn't the lifeless, grey soil that he'd seen for what felt like an eternity.

It was the sounds and smells all around him.

Being here, being 'alive', was so much more... but it was those small things that lifted the grey chain that had been hung around his neck. When he looked up at the night sky, he could see stars behind the few clouds that had gathered. There was no yellow ceiling staring back at him, lifelessly as a ceiling to his prison... there was an empty space, but inside of that was freedom. The freedom to see the heavens, and the freedom to be in a world worth living in.

When he looked forward again, looking down the pathway he'd cut through the Earth using the Cataclysm Cannon, a pang of guilt hit him, if only for a second. Sometimes in order to save paradise, you needed to mar it, if only a little.

The energy he'd unleashed was significant, and given the condition that this Saiyan had been in, he doubted that...

Rising from a crater in the road, an arm came up, bloodied and burned. When the other male pulled himself up in the distance, Gohan saw him struggling for several seconds, before a golden aura burned brightly around him. There was power still there. There was lots of power still there. In fact, as the aura burned, it quickly rose by the second. The city around him began to tremble as his enemy rose up. This guy was very difficult to kill. If he survived that attack, after everything else he went through... that could be very bad. No nervousness entered his system while he calculated out his next plan of attack. It was hard to ware this guy down more than he already was, which meant he needed to look for knockout blows.

His own aura burst back to life as he lifted off the air, only by a few inches, waiting for this Saiyan to make his next move.

In a blur of motion, his enemy landed in front of him, trying to shake off whatever state he was in. The sweat was real, as was the heavy breathing.

"Brother," he remarked. "Its a shame that the Gohan in my time never became what you are. When I kill you, I promise I'll take the part of you that matters most. Before I kill father, I want you to see what you could have had. You deserve that just by achieving the damage you've just done."

Being praised for being who he was felt... off, even if it was by someone he cared about. This Saiyan was apparently his brother, the only shame of it was he reminded him almost of Goten. He had a lot of Goten's features, but he was obviously Turles's kid. The skin tone gave it away, as did the look in his eyes. Whatever his mother went through in whatever bleak hellhole this thing came from, he couldn't help but feel sympathy.

"What's your name, kid?" Gohan asked, his voice almost quiet while he stared down his enemy. The enemy that would have been his brother in another world.

"Brass," he answered. "You remind me of him... of my Gohan."

"What happened to the Gohan in your time?" Gohan asked, knowing he was calling a young adult a child.

There was a moment of understanding as Brass looked back at him, a frown forming before he answered.

"He died, trying to rebel against my father," he answered. "He died in my arms... Clearly you did not make the same error."

Error...

"No," Gohan answered tightly, before preparing himself, putting his left arm forward, preparing for battle. "No Brass... I'm the one who made the error. I should have fought him. You're Gohan was a better man than I was if that's how he died. I don't want to see... dad... before he dies in whatever world you're in, and if your Gohan is anything like me, he didn't want to see that either. Even if he thought he wanted it."

For a brief moment, he almost thought the fight wouldn't happen. It looked as if somehow there was some strange common ground they were both treading on. It looked like Brass was in an internal battle of some sort, as if taking in everything he heard and measuring it against something inside himself.

"You don't need to die today, Brass," Gohan further added. "I don't want to kill you. You're supposed to be my little brother, right? Let's stop this."

As strange as it sounded, beyond just biology, he could see a reflection of part of himself in this man. He could see conflict too.

The words were empty by the time that Gohan finished speaking them however. Not because he didn't mean them, but because Brass had determined that they weren't going to have a peaceful solution.

"Power is the only family I have now," he said almost grieving for something he'd realized he'd lost only seconds ago. "Power, and shadows of the past."

It was impossible to track Brass as his body blinked out of the visual spectrum as soon as the last word was spoken. His own eyes caught only a half dozen afterimages, before the Saiyan closed with him on his right side. A knee landed on his ribs to devastating effect, causing his entire body to jump up higher into the air and twisting his body to one side. In the midst of this, a right connected with his head, sending him back.

When his body tore into the rubble of one of the downed office towers, hard edges of concrete, sticking up in the air like jagged spikes, tore across his jeans and shirt, scraping against his skin before he broke through the other side, smashing through a downed pillar on his way past. Twisting to his side when he sensed the oncoming energy, he raised his knees instinctively, blocking a vicious kick in mid air, before grabbing Brass by his bare shoulder and driving his forehead forward. When the hard point of his head struck Brass in the centre of the nose, the other warrior's head trailed back, blood following it through the air.

"Agh!"

Reaching back his own right arm to strike back, gathering his strength, Gohan didn't follow Brass's motions when he felt a fist connect with the side of his own head. Immediately his body dropped back and down, slamming into the pavement as he bore into it. He quickly passed the man-made surface, burrowing into the mud of it until his body stopped atop a waterpipe, denting into it. His back rested only for a brief second before he was pulled up.

The front of his shirt was grasped as Brass pulled him up, striking down with a hard fist. The front of his red shirt tore off as soon as the blow landed. He felt blood fill his mouth before his head snapped back, banging into the pipe, denting it further. When he turned his head back towards him, the fist came back down, this time harder and faster. The side of his cheek split open the hit landed so hard, and his eye almost felt crushed into the socket, before blood ejected from his nose, and his head broke clear into the pipe. Water immediately began flooding the hole his head had made. Pulling his head up, Gohan gasped for air before the first came down again, hitting with such an impact that water spirt twenty feet in the air as his head was plunged back underneath, striking against the metal piping once more.

Everything went fuzzy.

He'd never been hit that hard in his life. Even Broly didn't land punches which lasted like that. His left eye, which had taken two blows so far, actually felt like it was ringing as the socket began to swell around it. When he tried to pull his head up for air from the water, suddenly a hand wrapped around his throat. Immediately he gurgled for air, kicking back several times as he choked. It was strange... no matter how much he felt choked... he... he didn't feel like he was losing oxygen. It took him only a second to realize that there was still a halo above his head.

I'm still dead. I can't drown... I just like breathing I guess.

Releasing Brass's hand, no longer resisting the choke hold as it deprived him of oxygen, Gohan formed two energy bolts in his hands, before shoving them into the other Saiyan's chest. The grip on his neck released as Brass looked down, only to be launched up. Pulling his head out of the water, instinctively Gohan gasped for air, his soaked clothes slapping against his skin as he moved up with such a quick, violent motion. Breathing in and out, he felt red dribbling down his face, given it was warmer than water. Beads of water still clung to his skin as well while he managed to pull himself out of the hole his body made, just as Brass landed on his feet a few steps away from him, just as the two blasts exploded above.

Before he could raise his own guard, Gohan felt the onslaught return. A blow landed on his ribs again, but he dodged the one destined for his head, shoving the fist aside at the last second as well, spinning past Brass and aiming a kick for his back. The foot moved through a body that was no longer there. When he felt the next kick coming for him, Gohan himself blurred out of view, letting it sail past where he'd just been. Striking down where he knew Brass was from above, his elbow caught nothing but air, before a solid elbow swung back around for him. Only at the last second did Gohan disappear in time, appearing just beneath where Brass was, grabbing him by his waist from behind, catching him just at the right moment, before pulling him back into a suplex.

When Brass's back and neck slammed into the pavement, sending a fissure through the centre of the road. Gohan pulled himself up first, before twisting into a kick, aimed for the other Saiyan's back. When Brass disappeared, even from his upside down and prone position, Gohan's head looked in both directions before he felt the elbow he dodged before land square in the middle of his spine. A guttural gag escaped Gohan's chest before he stumbled forward, before he felt the hot energy of a ki blast formed against his back.

When the blast went off, his jacket and shirt were destroyed immediately, before a burn scorched across his back, just as he was sent blasting forward. Reaching his hand forward and out as he flipped upside down as he trailed forward, he skipped his body off the ground once more, landing on his feet. As he did, he stared down the barrel of an attack he'd seen before.

His arms were together, forming power and energies at his side.

"I'm finishing this, brother," he announced. "Kamehame-HA!"

When the wave blasted out, all Gohan could see was blue. It was just like when his father had fired it at him the first time. It was overwhelming, gigantic... and far outstripped his own power. He felt his jaw drop at the immensity of it. His only recourse was to raise his guard, and bring his power in one direction, hoping it was enough. The energy wave struck, it was already too late for that. His father's attack burned the air in his lungs as he found himself carried by the blast itself, surrounded by it, engulfed by it. Overwhelming force drove him on, as it reached its critical mass seconds later.

The next few moments were chaos. His body twisted violently, trying to rip itself apart, being only held together by the thinnest strands of atoms, bonded by ki energies. He cried out in agony as his second chance at life was nearly ripped from him in the violence and destruction.

And then... it was like a new day.

Something wet hit his cheek, and he dully lifted one limb to block his face.

What just happened?

Another drop landed, as he opened his eyes, seeing the clouds above had multiplied since the last time he'd looked above. Thunder rolled across the heavens as another drop of rain came down on him.

He was still here.

It's not over yet.

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Brass:

A droplet of rain hit his bare shoulder as Brass looked out at the ruin he'd brought upon the city. The last Kamehameha wave he needed to fire, a borrowed technique from his counterpart, had been launched. His energy levels were rapidly falling, and his body felt like it'd been through a wood chipper. Another opponent defeated. That made the kill count go up by one... even if it was a reluctant tick of the board.

When he scanned the remnants of the city, his eyes locked on to the final three targets, his first three targets, in fact. The three that had evaded him the longest. The Namekian's power level was still nothing, and the Kai's were both pitiful. When he fell from the sky at his own rate, Brass gracefully landed himself, hobble and all, in front of Shin as he helped Abaddon sit up, who was still clearly half there, half not.

Piccolo was standing again, and looking strained.

"You killed him," he managed. "I hope you're proud of yourself. You've done what Broly and Turles couldn't pull off."

So, Broly and Turles managed to lose to his half-brother? That was impressive as far as he was concerned. It was a shame he needed to vaporize Gohan to ensure a victory at this point. He was rapidly approaching the point where no matter how much ki he forced through his body, it was going to quite literally burn out.

You're supposed to be my little brother, right?

The phrase ran through his mind, forcing him to close his fist angrily as he breathed in, trying to repress the sensation of... guilt he was being forced into.

Stop that.

Stop what?

Trying to force those images on me. I am the one in control-

It's not me doing it. You've got me locked away I can't even-

With a violent swipe of his hand in the real world, he silenced the voice in his head, throwing it into the deepest, darkest recesses of his mind... but the sensation was still there.

"Good," Brass responded, breathing in and out once more, his chest wheezing still. "Now, let's finish this."

Another lightning bolt passed through the skies above, as thunder boomed out above them. As if timed, rain began to patter against the fractured pavement around them, landing on his form. It was strangely refreshing, even if it stung against the burns all across his arms and back. It reminded him they were even there. It was just pain though, it was just a small piece of his existence. No amount of pain was going to stop him from finally finishing his task, proving himself... and taking his final steps towards achieving the kind of power Taro had.

And when I surpass you, brother... I will be free.

It was a strange thing to even imagine, true liberty.

Only by the looks on the Kai and Piccolo's faces, did he realize something was awry, even before he sensed the energy. Unable to control his expression, he knew his eyes widened and his brow raised when he sensed the energy behind him.

Gohan.

Facing the returned threat, he stared at the bare chested warrior standing only metres away. Burns covered his body in random patches, and his face was written with anger. He survived a direct hit from his Kamehameha wave?

As if on instinct, Brass immediately began to circle Gohan as he realized the threat he was being posed. In reaction, Gohan began to circle him as well.

"I'm not going to let you win, kid," Gohan warned. "One last chance. We don't need to do this."

We don't need to do this. We don't need to do this?!

"My last chance?" Brass breathed out furiously. "My last chance? I've killed you a hundred times. I have one of you inside of my mind, right now, enhancing my strength. What makes you think I'm going to lose to you, exactly?"

"You've got a bad leg."

It was his turn to be taken back as Gohan disappeared, before the pain shot through his wounded leg. Gohan's foot stamped into the side of his knee, right where the wound was. Agony screamed through his very being as he felt his leg twist and bend inward. He yelped himself, before striking back, slamming his fist into Gohan's stomach. In turn, he felt knuckles slam into his cheek again, further damaging the swollen half of his face. Blood spat out of the swollen point, which caused Brass to spit blood angrily. Without a second's hesitation, and with his leg's pain fuelling his anger, Brass's ki burst forward in a great, final burst of strength.

They traded another set of blows, fists across their faces once more, he stepped back, as did Gohan. But when Gohan did, he saw how exposed he was. Moving in and with a rapid response, he charged ki into his hand, forming it into a glowing fist, striking Gohan again across the head, aiming for the temple. The blow dropped the other Saiyan immediately, further splitting open the left side of his head. He moved back in for the kill, grabbing Gohan's neck as soon as he fell, preparing to strike back before a kick slammed into his leg again.

"AH!" he snapped, before driving his fist down into his brother's face again.

The force of the blow sent cracks through the street. When Gohan turned up to face him again, this time trying to form an energy blast, he struck down again, and hard. When his body went limp, just as blood exploded across the left side of his head, he sensed half the struggle cease inside his sibling.

Now. Now it's over.

The struggle was still there, as Gohan's hand reached up, grasping his chin, pushing back on him.

His own right hand started to glow with a blackened energy, as he focused his power into the technique which Taro had shown him. With his free arm pinning him, he tried to push his chin down to look Gohan in the eyes.

"I told you before, when I kill Turles, you're going to get to be there," he managed to growl into Gohan's hand, his breathing still laboured.

He managed to push his chin down just in time to look his brother in the eyes, and he saw the realization of defeat appear, even for the slimmest of moments. A dark smile played across his own lips as he realized he'd won. This was the beginning of his final victory. Nothing else was left to intervene, there were no powers left, and with this Gohan's strength and knowledge added to his own-

"HEY!"

There was something that had been moving under the radar, a power that only revealed itself now, but it was significant. Who? WHO!?

The energy came from up the street, and only a golden glow emanated from its direction. It was approached more rapidly with every passing second, picking up to blurring speeds. The smaller frame of it left him struck only enough to realize who he was sensing...

Goten?

Two feet drop kicked into his chest, the air was immediately knocked out of him as he staggered back, stumbling violently as he did, his bag leg nearly causing him to fall, unable to put even his own weight on it at this point. Before he could even get a handle on him, the boy was in his face again, striking him across his damaged cheek with a harsh right. It was dull compared to the strength their brother used, but the already open wound felt the pain all the same. When he reached out to grab his alternate brother, he was met only with air as the boy darted out of the way, instead trying to grab his arm in turn, trying to pull him off balance towards the ground.

"Leave us alone!" Goten shouted, before looking down towards his wounded leg.

Before he could stop him, the Super Saiyan teenager sent a jagged kick straight into the wound Gohan had further damaged prior.

"AHHH!"

A furiously roar escaped him.

Why?! WHY?! Why is there always something! Is this whole fucking universe conspiring against me!?

Breaking his hand free from the boy, Brass prepared to lung into him, only to realize Gohan was no longer at his feet on the ground. Looking forward, he realized ki and air were blasting around him as Gohan flew into him at full speed, shoulder first. The air was knocked out of him again as he gagged on his own blood this time. When he felt Gohan grab his shoulders, digging his fingers into his flesh, they took off together, breaking the sound barrier in seconds before he felt his back rake up against concrete as his body smashed through the surface of an office building. Scapes tore open his burns as he gasped, before they blasted out the other side of the building, now on another street even.

Pulling an arm free, Brass slammed his right elbow into the back of Gohan's neck and shoulder, breaking his hold on him as the two fell back in the open air. He took command of his power, immediately, his aura faded but still burning brightly. Before he could however, he felt Gohan's hands grab his head from both sides. In the high velocity they were both travelling, Gohan had pulled him into a swinging motion. Before Brass even knew what was happening, his body was sent sprawling down the side of another building. The force he was thrown at sent fragments of hardened cement into his skin, stabbing him with a thousand shards as his ki barely kept the rest at bay. His skin all along his right side, shredded open by the time he slapped against the concrete side walk.

When he bounced to his feet, Brass closed his eyes in sheer pain, trying to keep himself together, before anticipating his counterpart's next move. Side stepping and popping his arm out, he caught Gohan in a brutal lariat, before stepping past him while he was in mid flip from the blow, and driving his elbow back into Gohan's chest, causing him to thud against the ground.

Pointing his hand out, Brass immediately went to form a ki blast, knowing he couldn't keep this up much longer. The world grew even hazier now, and his wounds seemed to bleed less than before... because there was less blood to bleed. Just as the sound of the energy forming could be heard, he felt a pair of feet dive into his back. His head shot up in pain as Brass gasped, the energy dissipating from his grasp. Turning around immediately, he struck out, catching his younger sibling in the side of the head as he spun several times through the air, before shattering through the side of an already collapsed building.

He's not eve on my level damn it!

Turning back, he found Gohan had already risen again.

I hit him with my strongest blows. He can't just keep getting up. His power is lower than mine.

"Come on then!" Gohan shouted. "You wanted it this way! Fight!"

With a bitter taste in his mouth, Brass snarled before stepping in towards Gohan, striking high, aiming for the head he'd damaged so badly. Sidestepping the blow, Gohan came back in towards him, kicking low, trying to catch his leg again. They knew where to hit. Energizing his leg, he swept it away just in time. As soon as Gohan exposed himself, he drove his fist into his gut, causing the other Saiyan to gag. Snarling himself now, barring his teeth, his brother grabbed him by the shoulders once more, before driving his forehead into his own for a second time. This time he felt his nose crack, even with his ki providing protection. Both of them stumbled back for a split second before Gohan lunged forward into him, grabbing him again by the shoulders and swinging him about, hurling him into the side of another building.

Raw and ruined skin slapped into the hardened building, shattering cement. Without any recourse, he felt his brother grasp him once more, before throwing him up, while he was still imbedded in the building, higher through the cement. His body shredded through dozens of tons more concrete, ripping at the edges of his skin as it fell away, scattering below him once he'd torn through it. Grabbing him by the head again, Gohan then violently ripped him from his embedded position in the wall, tossing him down hundreds of feet before his body slapped once again into the ruined fragments of what had once been a road. When he bounced off of it, he barely landed on his feet, even as he skid.

His right arm, damaged beyond belief, almost beyond repair, trembled as he tried to keep himself even standing. A piece of ribar was sticking out of his shoulder, part of the reinforced concrete he'd just been driven through. His energy was beginning to wane, it couldn't protect him as it had before. When he looked over to it, all Brass could doe was try to keep calm. Everything was falling apart. With his right arm trembling, he felt something bubbling up from inside him.

"DAMN IT!"

By the time he finished shouting, his younger sibling was already on him. Two sharp punches connected with his face, causing him to slide back further. From the side Gohan's knee slammed into his ribs, and finally ribs gave way. Several broke on the spot, causing Brass to freeze in place, his eyes widening. The floating fragments of bone stabbed into his muscle and skin, causing him to almost vomit immediately. Instead, blood dribbled from his lip for all of two seconds as his eyes hollowed out from the sheer ware his body was under. Blood started to barely fill his chest cavity around where the damage had been done, but increasingly there was no blood to give, even for a Saiyan.

The smaller of the two attackers came in with a roundhouse kick, and only at the last moment did he respond, grabbing the leg and twisting Goten to the ground, before whipping him into the cement on the other side of the fight.

"You little shi-"

When he turned to face Gohan, the force of a bull blown kick to his head silenced him. He felt a tooth crack in the side of his head, and knew that the side of his eyesocket had fractured. His already broken nose twisted again before he was sent skidding down the road. Bloody hands dug into the asphalt, stopping him only after he'd been scraped along for over fifteen metres.

Get up.

Everything seemed to stop working. His blood was all over him... and he couldn't move.

Just... just one more try. I'm not... I'm not finished.

As if on command... the body that had never betrayed him, the powerful one he'd been blessed with by his parents, managed to start to move. His right eye barely turned when he tried to look up as he started to barely rise to his hands and knees. He coughed several times, seeing only blood come up. It was getting so hard to... so hard to just... breathe.

His leg slipped as he tried to move from his knees to his foot, almost causing him to fall. In front of him, he could see Gohan and Goten just standing there, both of them looking haggard... both of them just looking down at him with... with pity. They were vultures... preying on him. When he looked up at the night sky, he couldn't help but think, even as the rain poured down from above, covering his face in precipitation, that it was oddly... oddly beautiful.

"Brass, it's over."

He didn't know if the voice was in his head... or outside of it anymore.

I just need to... I just need to catch my breath.

Finally, his foot found itself on hard pavement, and with the greatest effort of his life, Brass managed to pull himself up from the ground. Even when he first found his feet, he almost slipped and fell back down. Staggering for several seconds longer, he blinked, trying to bring his world into focus. Instead, it was all... it was all blurred. Only one part of it focused for him.

"It's not over," Brass said, almost mumbling it as he felt his ki slowly rising back to the surface.

The ocean of power he drank deeply from had become a sea. It was vast... but it was spent. He'd used so much of it. First to defeat the Kais, then Piccolo, then the two strangers, and then the Green Mystery Warrior, and finally now. It was enough to bring his golden aura to life all around him.

Gohan and Goten standing there made him see something in his own life.

As strange as it sounded... he could see himself, standing next to the big brother he cared about more than anything in the world growing up. The big brother who was always there for him, and had tried his best to... teach him.

You're Gohan was a better man than I was.

It was the first time in his life he heard that from anyone. Raditz never spoke of Gohan in any meaningful way after he'd died. His father used him only as an example of what happened to those who were weak. His mother just stared off into space, her soul sucked from her the day he died... and Taro simply said he miscalculated and failed.

It somehow made it all feel... undeserving. Not just the treatment, but everything.

We all make our choices.

"It's... It's not over," he repeated, his voice becoming harder. "You cannot beat me, because I am strong. I have broken my chains. I am free."

This was his final test. After this, he would know his fate, and right now his heart and gut told him what it was. He would go on to absorb who he needed, and he would go on to break free from Taro. Then he could have the fight he always wanted... the one against his father himself.

The power around him fluctuated violently before he lifted himself in the air, if only just. The rain around them swirled around him in a miniature cyclone as the power flowed through him. This was his final chance... a final push for victory. He was out of time. Energies wrapped around his hands as they gathered all around him. Two orbs appeared, one golden, the other purple. The thrumming energies around him caused the air around him to pulse so loudly it almost drowned out everything else.

They've won.

It was Gohan's voice again.

Give up. Help them stop Taro. Find some redemption for all the wrongs you've done. This is your last chance.

It is my last chance. You're right. It's my last chance to be what I was always meant to be what I am destined to be.

Across from him, two golden auras burned as his brothers gathered their own energies. They were inferior to his own for now, he could sense it.

"Devil's Calamity Blaster!"

Putting the two orb's together, Brass united his knowledge from Gohan, and his own fighting technique. The Gold-Violet orb in his hands drowned out all the light around them in the middle of this perfect night. As soon as it was launched, he felt something change in the air around them.

Blue light emerged from Goten's hands, as a darker blue-purple light emerged from Gohan's. Their energy level's spiked at a rate much higher than he expected... both of them. In that second, a realization came over Brass as he looked on.

"Cataclysmic Kamehameha!"

"Kamehameha!"

When the waves were unleashed, Brass felt the world slow down as his right knee gave out, causing him to fall to his other knee. It was impossible to hide his pain any longer. It wasn't the pain in his body. It was the pain of total defeat. When the beams collided with his attack ahead of him, he sensed the balance of power shift even before they met. Together, they had more power than he had alone, and that was more profound than he had known. At one time, he had those he could rely on... Gohan, Junia, Taro, his mother...

Now here he was. Alone... alone and... defeated. His fate changed in the blink of an eye.

Hundreds of worlds had burned without a problem, World's with incredible warriors unseen, world's where Son Goku and his friends had been the greatest warriors, and other worlds where monsters such as Cell or Frieza had dominated the universe. Inside of the light he saw, he only saw his fate.

The light in front of him was so bright from the struggle, but he turned most of it out as he simply looked past it, seeing the two brothers he never knew, locked together in struggle against him. In that moment, his chains were broken... the chains he used to bind himself. He could see what he always knew in his heart was true, but he'd been too afraid to believe. He saw himself, standing next to his brother Gohan, in opposition to his father. That was the fate he'd run from when he was a boy, because he'd been too afraid to do what Gohan had taught him was right.

All the strength in the world couldn't free you, if you were afraid to use it. Weaker men than him had freed themselves.

His attack was shattered seconds later, and the world went entirely black, save for the pulsing lights approaching him. There was a whoosh louder than anything he'd ever heard as fragments of his energy wave were torn asunder, and the twin beams ripped towards him.

When it collided with him, he felt his body become lighter. The haze that had filled his vision seemed to lift. He could see himself in perfect clarity. There was strangely... no physical pain, not like he imagined. All there was, was the pain of the life he could have had. He could see himself in his mind's eyes, standing side by side with his brother. He could see himself holding Junia's hand, staring into her eyes like they used to. He could see himself being a father, and someone who truly had broken the chains that bound him.

That was far worse than any pain he could experience in this moment.

Looking down at his hand, he saw fragments of his skin and bone just starting to erode away, before disappearing into the light.

I can't breathe.

There was no air, he couldn't breathe. There was nothing more to take in. His chest couldn't even heave for oxygen. The wave took that away from him. The last thing he saw, was the look on Gohan's face before he'd died in his own world... with the expression he knew carried the same meaning.

And then there was darkness.

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Gohan:

Was it over? Was this part of it all, over? As the beam faded into the distance, and Brass's power faded along with it, Gohan just watched after it with a strange sense of guilt. It was something which hadn't happened since... since he'd killed Turles. It wasn't killing some monster, or perhaps because he was one of the monsters of the universe, he could understand the monsters better than anyone else cared to. He'd just killed a misguided soul, one not so dissimilar to his own. Worse... he'd killed his brother, even if it was only a half brother. What kind of life had he endured to become who he had just been? What kind of life had he endured to have felt so desperate as to jump between realities and murder alternate versions of his family?

The rain fell from above, and it was the most natural thing he'd experienced in almost a year. Reaching his hand out, now free from battle, Gohan just watched as the droplets fell into his hand. This wasn't over yet... there were still things to take care of. They also needed to meet back up with Piccolo and the others, and they'd need Sensu Beans, or Dende.

"Hey," Gohan finally uttered, turning his head towards the little brother he often barely knew. The little brother he still had here, the one he still had time to know. "You did great out there, Goten. Really, you saved the day."

There was a real, full smile from his brother as he nodded to him.

"You didn't do too badly either. I think a lot more of the damage we landed came from your end than mine," Goten admitted. "I was just more in the right places, at the right times. Besides, he needed to pay for ruining mom's house."

They broke mom's house? I'm almost glad I'll be dead again for a little while before I have to deal with that.

The rain was the only thing he could hear after the last remark. A silence filled the void between the two of them before Gohan finally turned his head again towards Goten.

"Hey Goten, come here"

"Huh?"

"Just do it."

Several steps were taken before Gohan reached out with one arm, grasping his younger brother by the shoulder and pulling him towards him. It was awkward for all of two seconds before Goten realized what was happening. It was a hug. Something Gohan himself never would admit to alter if anyone asked any questions.

After all of what just happened, after having met this Brass, part of Gohan was just thankful that Goten was here at all. After learning what kind of horrible fate befell the world that Turles had been placed in charge of as well, and having learned his own fate, and his brother in that worlds, it just felt... right.

"I know I've not always been the best brother, if much of one at all," Gohan admitted aloud. "That's on me... but I'm proud of you Goten."

The figure he held onto stiffened for a second as they stood there together, looking over where there beams had overwhelmed a nightmare from another world.

"We're not done yet thought. Let's find the others."

Because I'm not going to go back to Hell until this is done.

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Author's Notes:

Well. This took a long time to write. ... Yep. It's a lot better right now than it was a few days ago. At first this thing was kind of a mess. I've been working overtime at work since August, which just utterly killed my time to write. I normally like to get a lot written all at once, it keeps everything even and consistent, and keeps me in the right mood. I couldn't do that in this case.

I was originally going to start work on this Chapter in August, but I didn't get a chance to start until mid September due to personal problems. My Friend AJ died, prematurely by several decades, in late August. I had to work overtime so I couldn't visit him while he was passing, but it kinda fucked me up a bit. I was depressed, and really not in the right space to write anything. AJ was a blast to talk to, built miniatures better than I could, and knew a shit ton more about anime than I did. I remember when I met him at an anime conference in my local province years ago, we'd already known each other before that through a mutual friend, but I had no idea he was as deep into anime as he was. He literally put me to shame at the time. I'd be lying if I said he died well, liver failure is... is super shitty.

So, I generally don't like doing these kinds of things, but I'm going to dedicate this one to AJ. Life is short, and your pain is over my friend. :\

Onto other stuff, less relating to delays and people dying in real life, and onto the proper Author's notes.

I've tried giving updates on my User Profile over the last few weeks about how things are going. If there is a big delay past 1 month in the future, check my user profile and I should be giving some update as to why.

Strangely enough, Gohan vs. The Hell Fighters was actually kind of a warmup for this chapter in a lot of respects, because it dealt with so many fighters. I tried to use that as an experiment to hope that I got enough experience to handle this multi-fighter cluster fuck in the same way or better.

I spent a lot of time writing this one. I've edited it several times to make it fit closer together. It's more Brass's chapter than anything else. I like the idea that he grows throughout it, really as the fight goes on. At first its not a big deal, then its a challenge, then its desperate and reflection, and finally its the conclusion, the end.

On a fun note, I find it amusing that Gohan has no idea that Videl is even there right now. lol

I listened to a lot of different music at different points.

When Gohan first comes back to Earth, I imagined it almost like the beginning of an old boss fight from the Sega Genesis days when I was playing Streets of Rage II. I actually listened to the remixed version of "Never Return Alive" when it first started up. I wanted it to feel violent from the getgo, and I think I managed that.

The main song that stuck with me while writing the last segment of it, was another Nine Inch Nail's Song, when Brass is basically defeated, I was listening to A Minute to Breathe.

But yea. I had this chapter plotted out since... forever. Fuck I was planning this thing out since about November of Last Year, at the very least Brass's ending and death that is. A lot of stuff was up in the air between then. Who was going to be involved, who was going to go down, and who was going over. I really wanted Mira and Towa's death to happen either at Brass's hands, or Taro's, and felt Brass's role in the story addressed it best. The idea that he actually won this battle, multiple times... but then fate just kept tossing more in his path.

Brass died, stronger than his adversaries. No one enemy overwhelmed him. He was overwhelmed by attrition, and by his Brothers, fighting side by side. I love the imagery of Gohan and Goten coming together and working together to stop someone who really beat both of them independently.

Now that the long part of the Author's notes are done, if I can make a request? I'd love it if the story managed to hit 1900 reviews after this chapter. I put a fuck ton of time into this one, so I know it's asking a lot for reviews, especially after exhausting all of you with a 78 page battle... but, its all I ask for in my attempt to entertain you all. :)

Again, sorry for leaving such a big gap. I'll try to get Chapter 65 up sooner, and it won't be as long. Chapter 65 is going to address another segment of this...

Junia, and Vegeta.

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Reviewers:

Ronden Kiagre: Yea, this chapter didn't have as much in flashbacks as I thought, but part of that was the absorbed Gohan really speaking to Brass as he fought through his own thoughts. It solved a lot of what needed to be brought to the table. I supect Junia's chapter will be having a lot more flashbacks.

Leo the Zodiak: I think this chapter answers that question. Mira, Towa, Kibito, and Pikkon are all testaments to Brass's strength...

Pyromania101: I agree with you. It's just all about time.

Cosmic Horror: Yea, Goku's a nightmare to write. But I am excited to get to Chapter 66. I've got a pretty big idea for Goku this time around. The finale for this Saga is one that I'm really proud of when I get to it.

ADHD: Goku is stronger in The Long Road when he's SS3, than his canon counterpart at a similar point in time. But everyone knows Goku never goes all out until he's fully educated on his counterparts. The Tree of Might isn't a multiplier at all, of course. It gives a pretty set amount of strength. But its industrialized Tree of Might farming that's going on. They've got fruit, all the time. It's fucked up. And yea, Vegeta's gonna lose his shit in that world.

MaxPain32: Attack is imminent? No no no good sir. The attack has happened! :D

Drewba12: Yea, he changed his mind and rebelled against the system. He was a better man than this world's Gohan. He would have been a teenager when it happened, 17ish.

Blades of Fury: I dunno what other Catalyst characters would fit other than Piccolo. We already had one of the Catalysts show up too, not that he can do a whole lot anymore.

Guest1: They've got a bunch of inter dimensional, evil Saiyans coming to the universe to kill them, and two want to eat the memories and powers of their counterparts.

Guest2: Yep. Rarely do people turn themselves into beasts. They become those beasts by circumstance. Taro, Junia, and Brass are all a result of their environment, and its sad.

Guest3: Aw shucks, well, I guess I'll just need to write Vegeta next chapter as the great hero then.

Guest4: It's all part of the plan, as the Joker would say.

Matt: Yep, I figured that was important to put in. :)

Luke: Had to. I really only think its fair. There is really only one other Saga with "original" villains in it, so I want them to be fleshed out. I prefer canon characters, but I like to experiment and add layers if I can. Why else write at all?

Maesde: I can't wait to write Junia's fight with Vegeta. I really wanna see the growth both of them get throughout their engagement. I think its really going to be a big moment of growth fro Vegeta as well. I know I take flak for my portrayal of Vegeta, and likely still will, but I think its authentic so I've really wanted to give him a stage of his own to perform on for some time. Expect a good thing.

G: Sorry for the delays :(

FireFnBrimstone: Taro's power is terrifying. His chapter coming up, Chapter 66, is going to be incredible hard to write as a result. How do you deal with someone whose that far beyond...

RaijuBlue: I *think* I answered this one by PM. I think. It's been a few months though.

SuperMysticGohan: I can't wait for next time either :)

Cabio9f: Sorry if I gave you a scare. No, I'm not intending on discontinuing TLR until its done. I just wanna make sure what gets posted, is the correct content. Only if there is a major disruption in my life is this story going down. It's something I really wanna finish. And as I've said before, if I do end up having a disruption, I would release my author's notes for it at some point to tell everyone how the remains of the story goes.

Dbzfanthefirst: Thanks!

Saul of Romulus: Raditz is the man left behind. He's the man left to manage a system that is being torn apart by two men's egos. If anyone comes out on top in Utopia, it won't be Vegeta or Turles... it'll be Raditz. Not even kidding. He's sadly, the most mature of the Saiyans not just in age, but in mindset, at this point.

HekUnnSkipper: Beerus is a Nazi eh? Kidding, lol. That's complicated, hadn't thought that far ahead, but there is a chance that eventually the Saiyans would just be destroyed, yes.

A: Od eh?

T.I.: He killed her because of her betrayal. I don't think he was completely without feeling at that point. :\

Static: Broly is gone for all intensive purposes. Cooler's got his own stuff, be patient. Grand SK still has that Namekian Dragon Ball. Everything else is confidential.

Tomorrow4eva: Yea, TLR Gohan is the result of being a child soldier, effectively. Catalyst and Canon Gohan, even by the point this would have happened, would have been too developed to really become monsters like TLR Gohan did. I really do imagine TLR Gohan is at his core, still Gohan, he's just seen and been involved in too much. You'll notice, even after being in Hell, after all he's been through since coming back to Earth, he tried to spare Brass. A lot more of who he was meant to be is still there.

Ki Ai Sky: I think Videl's pretty checked out right now. But there is still a lot of road to cover for Videl's part in all this.

ShadowFFD: Goten was totally the right guy for the job, He fuckin' buried Brass! All on his own (with help from Gohan) lol

Guest5: Ah yes, the angry guest reviewer. Hello chum! I'm glad to see that you were mad enough to read all 650,000 words of it to have gotten this far!

AfanAddict: I try my best. I've had editors before and its always an awkward position for me to be in. I guess how I write feels very personal to me, so its hard to really give something over to an editor, and even then its got other problems for release times and ect. There are only a few people I'd really trust to do it, and most of them are too busy for this kinda stuff anymore.

Ardee: I hope it was epic enough :\

ShadowSaiyan316: I don't think they stole it. It was likely to be one of the baddies they came up with, as its one that could be easily explored, and was kinda obvious for them to go for. Ain't no one stole any of my ideas. At least not for that. :)

Sterre: Hope this didn't disappoint!