Fairy Tail S

by ZenkaiPower

For two years after that fateful battle over Magnolia, the heroes of Earth resumed their daily lives as they await Gohan's return; while on Earthland, Fairy Tail and its allies struggled to survive against the greatest foes they will ever face. And with Gohan's training nearing it's end, forces both good and evil are preparing for the ultimate fate that awaits them. A Sequel to FTZ

11. Chapter 10

Chapter X: The Old Game

Barely minutes ago, inside Kami's Lookout…

An exhausted, lavender-haired demi-Saiyan slumped against the door of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber after slamming it shut; and he took a deep, relaxing sigh before quickly catching his bearings and starting to hurry for the nearest stairwell, thinking he had to get clear of his friend's home before his battle could resume. He could sense his cut-in-half attacker's power growing as he ducked out of that time-bending room, and he knew he was operating under borrowed time.

Jogging through the halls without much regard for his surroundings, Trunks quickly apologized to a very disoriented Dende as he barged passed him near the main entrance; and then he gave Mr. Popo a brief farewell as the genie incidentally opened the door for him. But if he had noticed the second and third person he just walked past, he would have halted in his place instantly.

"Whoa! Hang on a minute, Trunks!" He heard Gohan calling to him; and he spun around to see the halo-adorned demi-Saiyan and his wife standing right beside Mr. Popo, who was apparently just about to lead them inside, "Where's the fire?"

"Wherever it wants to be." Trunks answered vaguely before stepping towards the couple and speaking rather desperately, "Guys, we've got to get away from here, before Casus puts himself together and comes after me again. I don't want this place to get damaged once we go all out."

"My, how considerate…" Popo mumbled while Gohan and Videl mainly ignored the observation.

"Casus is chasing you?" Videl questioned the younger Saiyan quickly, who nodded in response before giving more info.

"Yeah, and Cosmos took Goten and Natsu somewhere else."

"They're somewhere near the north pole, if I had to guess." Gohan informed his friend, "But I just lost track of Goten's energy, so Cosmos might've brought him somewhere else by now…"

"Really?" Trunks asked before starting to lead the two away from the building, "Then, we've got to hurry and deal with Casus, in case Goten needs our help."

"Okay, but wait a second, Trunks…" Videl began to agree before barely managing to grab Trunks by the back of his jacket and forcing him to halt in place, "Before we go anywhere, you're probably going to want one of these."

Trunks spun slowly to see Videl was holding out a Senzu bean for him with her right hand; and he nearly sighed in relief at the sight.

"Yeah, you have no idea…" He said gratefully as he readily accepted the healing item from her, "Thanks, Videl."

"How many of those do we have left?" Gohan asked Videl while Trunks quickly ate.

"That was the seventh." She answered promptly before taking the lead by starting to float int the air, "Now, we should start heading north. Even if Goten and Cosmos went somewhere else, we should check to see if they left Natsu behind."

"Good idea," Trunks agreed before he and Gohan began to follow Videl into the air, and he decided to inform them about their enemy some more as they started to fly, "But if you guys are going to help me take out Casus, you need to know a few things."

"Like what?" Gohan questioned him curiously, having to raise his voice slightly over the wind blowing between them.

"Well," Trunks said thoughtfully as he briefly prioritized the bits of info, just in case he would be interrupted, "The first thing is that Casus is a shapeshifter, and there's only three people on our side that could track him: Goten and I know what his ki feels like, and Natsu probably knows his scent."

"So in other words," Videl chimed in front the head of their small formation, "If Casus doesn't come after you again, then, we're probably going to need Natsu's help with hunting him down."

"Pretty much," Trunks replied with a nod, "Now, the second thing is that he's not going to hold any of his magic back when he fights us; he's not honorable like Cerberus or Cosmos claim to be. When he fights us, he's going to use every trick he can think of to win; and I mean, every trick. If we want to beat him, we'll have to be as imaginative as he is."

Oh, if only you could… The three suddenly heard a man's voice inside their heads; and they instantly halted their flight as they started to scan their surroundings, You might have caught me off-guard once, Trunks, but now I'm going to kill you all; and then no one will ever speak of this again!

The last part of Casus' telepathic yelling made Trunks and Videl wince from its intensity, but Gohan was quick enough to focus his thoughts and brace himself mentally; and though the internal noise was still rather bothersome, it did not prevent Gohan from scanning his surroundings with every sense at his disposal.

"Rgh… where the hell are you hiding, you coward?!" Trunks grunted in pain as he demanded a reply from the Keeper; and he joined Videl and Gohan on searching the area as the Keeper replied only by mocking them further.

Hehehe… Oh, you're petty insult wounds me so… Perhaps I should retaliate by torturing your friends here…

"Hey, Trunks…" Videl groaned with pained and grim amusement, "I think I get why you don't like this guy."

Laugh this off if you wish, Casus replied to her in annoyance, But I'm about to break your tiny little mind, mortal!

For a brief instant, the pain in Videl's head began to intensify until she suddenly heard her husband's voice ringing in her head as well.

Sorry, Casus; but you're not hurting anyone else, anymore!

As soon as Gohan began to speak, all the pain in Trunks' and Videl's heads faded; and the sensation was replaced by this warm and emboldening feeling, like Gohan was shielding and strengthening their minds somehow.

Without another word, Gohan snapped two fingers to his forehead before disappearing in the blink of an eye; and though she was slightly surprised by her husband's sudden disappearance, Videl was even more shocked to see him reappear the next second with his hand around the neck of a near-exact copy of Trunks.

"What the-" Was all Videl could say before watching Gohan hurtle the second Trunks downward; and she watched with the real Trunks as his doppelganger was shot deep into the ocean far below them, until all three saw the massive shockwave that originated from the seafloor.

Not yet satisfied with the result of his attack, Gohan quickly vanished once again; but this time he did not reappear. Instead, Videl and Trunks heard what sounded like explosions emanating from far below them; and they could only watch as a series of six shockwaves burst through the water's surface in a diagonal line leading away from them.

Before Videl could watch anymore, her all her attention turned to listening to her husband's voice, which she suddenly heard inside her head once again.

Videl, quick! You and Trunks have got to find Natsu, while I've got Casus distracted!

The next instant, Gohan and Casus reappeared in the sky a few dozen yards ahead of Trunks and Videl; and the Keeper scoffed at his current attacker as soon as they had appeared.

"Well, if that wasn't exciting… I must admit, I've been waiting for a chance to play with you, Son Gohan."

"You have, huh?" The demi-Saiyan remarked with a knowing and dismissive tone, "Well, I'd say I've be looking forward to this too; but then I'd be lying."

"Heh," The Keeper chuckled with semi-sarcasm, "Yes, I suppose all this is just an inconvenience for someone such as yourself…"

Gohan gave Casus as piercing glare as the faux-Trunks continued his snide remark.

"I mean, you are a cut above the rest, no? Your father and Vegeta may be the strongest mortals around; but you've gone ahead and taken yourself off that list, haven't you?"

Trunks and Videl blinked at the Keeper's words as they tried to understand what he was implying, and the fact that Gohan was not contesting the statement only amplified their surprise.

"Oh? So you haven't told them, have you?" the false demi-Saiyan observed with a sly grin, but Gohan grimaced slightly at the rhetorical question.

"H-hey, Gohan?" Trunks stuttered to ask his elder, "Casus isn't lying here, is he? Because he's making it sound like your not human or something; and you're not really saying anything…"

Videl watched the exchange intently, and she glanced between all three of them as she waited for her husband to say something.

"Ha! That's because there's no need; the cat's already out of the bag!" Casus laughed aloud before looking at Videl and speaking directly to her, "And by that look on your face, I'd say you're only just realizing how privileged you are… Why, the fact that someone like you gets to lay with someone as rare and unique him, it's absurd! The fact that such an insignificant creature like yourself-"

Before Casus could insult her anymore, Gohan suddenly rushed the Keeper in an instant and punched him square on the left side of his jaw, shoving the Keeper hard and far to his right in the process; and the fake Saiyan only recovered from the jarring impact after fully halting his couple-dozen-yard flight.

"You can say whatever you want about me, Casus," Gohan finally spoke as the Keeper righted himself and faced the slightly angered Saiyan, grinning and rubbing his jaw with one hand as he listened, "But you are wrong about my wife; and I won't hear any more of your ignorant nonsense."

Trunks watched Gohan's attack with vague surprise before glancing to Videl as her husband spoke. He really wished that she could have sensed what he just did, as Gohan had just bolstered one punch with more divine energy than he had ever felt before; and the way he directed such a massive amount of ki with such precise control, even when he was agitated, was something that actually made the younger Saiyan feel a bit intimidated. But before he could think any more on his observations, Trunks heard Gohan's voice in his head.

Trunks, you need to take Videl and get out of here, now! I can keep him from following you, but I need to use a lot more power; and I can't do that unless you two are at a safe distance.

At first, the younger demi-Saiyan blinked a few times in surprise at hearing Gohan's voice in his head again; but then he could not help but wonder if he should insist on helping Gohan or not, until his elder surprisingly got angry with him.

Dammit, Trunks, get a move on! Natsu needs you!

R-right, sorry! Trunks quickly apologized while doing his best not to speak aloud.

"Rrr… What are you telling your little sidekick over there, you damn telepath?" A frustrated Keeper demanded menacingly, "And how are you keeping me out of their heads?"

The only response Gohan gave the Keeper was a wry smirk and a dismissive insult.

"Now, I know that this might sound rude; but you've grown too accustomed to invading people's privacy. And if I'm being honest, I think your time as Casus has turned you into a bit of a creep."

Gohan's smirk grew into a grin as the Keeper scowled angrily at his response; and while the Keeper started to argue with the elder Saiyan, Trunks slowly turned to Videl, hoping he would be able to discreetly convince her to leave.

"You may call me whatever you wish, Gohan," Casus remarked with a poor attempt to conceal his disgust at the demi-Saiyan's name, "But my job entails battling some very powerful people, doesn't it? If you honestly think I'd jump blindly into battle without thoroughly studying any of my targets, then you're more foolish than you look.

"Oh, and Trunks…" The Keeper added as he noticed the demi-Saiyan moving in the background; and the young man quietly swore to himself as soon as he was caught, "It doesn't matter how far you run, or who you fight beside. So go, fly to your friends, try and save them; hopefully Cosmos won't have killed you before I can deal with your dead friend here."

Deciding his best option was to ignore the taunts and keep moving, Trunks moved next to Videl before carefully grabbing her nearest arm and leading her away.

"Come on, Videl, you heard the man." He said pleadingly, and he lightly tugged on her arm as she began to resist, "Gohan doesn't need our help; but Natsu does, okay?"

After a brief moment where Trunks and Videl exchanged stubborn glares, the Son woman finally gave in.

"Oh, fine…" She sighed in defeat before pulling out another Senzu bean as she spoke to her husband next, "But the next time I see you, Son Gohan, you're gonna have a lot of explaining to do. You hear me?"

Afraid to look at her as she scolded him, Gohan cringed defensively and nodded while the fake and real Trunks wore eerily similar smirks, but the real Saiyan was the first to get over his amusement; and he released Videl as soon as she finally turned to leave with him. By the next second, Trunks and Videl were flying north as fast as they could; and they started talking to each other as soon as Gohan and Casus were out of sight.

"Hey, Trunks?" Videl asked with her voice raised slightly over the wind, "That guy pretending to be you, did you understand anything he was saying about Gohan?"

"A bit, yeah…" The young Saiyan replied thoughtfully as he double-checked their heading before he would be distracted by the conversation, "From what it sounded like, Casus might have been saying that Gohan isn't just Gohan anymore, like he's changed somehow."

"And? Do you believe him?" She questioned him tentatively, "Do you think Gohan's actually changed, or what? He hasn't been acting weird, or anything like that; but I can't sense god powers that you Saiyans can…"

"Hm… I guess I kinda believe him," Trunks began with a ponderous tone, "Casus sounds like the kinda guy to stretch the truth, and he does that to harm and bait his targets. He might not have been lying, but I don't think he was being honest either."

"Okay…" Videl replied, trying to not show she was annoyed at the non-answer, "Then, what do you think happened to Gohan? Does his ki feel any different?"

"Well, he has definitely gotten way stronger since he died," Trunks said with a shrug, "But besides that, his energy doesn't feel any different."

"Really?" The Son woman remarked curiously, "Then, what could that Keeper have been talking about?"

"I don't know… Maybe he was lying, just to-" Trunks began to answer, until another thought struck him, "No wait, there actually is one thing that might explain some of this… Have you ever sensed Gohan's ki since he came back home?"

Videl went quiet for a moment as she jogged her memory, and her eyes slightly widened as she realized the answer.

"Actually, no, I haven't. He's rarely left my side since he's been back, and I never needed to check on him when he did; but now that I think about it, I never felt his energy, even when he was right next to me… But if that's true, then he was either hiding his energy the whole time…"

"Which he wasn't," Trunks briefly interjected, "He was powered down, for sure; but I could easily find his ki any time I looked for it."

"So then," Videl concluded, "Gohan must have been using his god powers this whole time, right? But I never saw him transform or anything…"

"Maybe he doesn't need to," Trunks suggested, "You said that he was training with the Supreme Kai again, right? Well, from what I know about the first time; Gohan became so powerful that all the Super Saiyan forms meant pretty much nothing to him. But if that's happened again, with the powers of a Super Saiyan god, I don't even wanna imagine how powerful he's become now…"

"You sound scared of him," Videl noticed with a hint of concern.

"Honestly, I kinda am," Trunks admitted with a weak smirk, "And you might be too, if you could sense his energy…"

Videl gave him a curious glance before replying, "Is he really that strong?"

"He is, but that's not the only thing," He answered plainly, "Goten and I just tried living in our god forms while were training, and we started to get the hang of it; but that's not what's happening with Gohan. Somehow, your husband has been casually walking around with god powers for who knows how long; and he's never transformed to activate them.

"I might be jumping to conclusions here," He concluded with a thoughtful look, "But it seems to me that, somehow, that training has actually turned Gohan into a Super Saiyan god…"

"But he's not just Saiyan, he's half-human like you." She reminded him before wondering, "Wouldn't that make him something else?"

"I'm not sure, his Saiyan side might de a dominant trait, like it is for most of us; but whatever he is," Trunks thought aloud, "I just hope he's strong enough to win."

Meanwhile, outside the Son family homes…

Goku easily side-stepped his granddaughter as she tried to attack him for the umpteenth time since they had stepped out after lunch, but her innumerable repeated failure at catching her grandfather had not dimmed Pan's fervor in the slightest; and Chi Chi, who was off to the side finishing the latest batch of laundry, could not stop herself from watching with some amusement as the two darted around the front lawn of her house. The pair had been playing their game of cat-and-mouse for quite some time now, and they had provided her with quite a bit of entertainment as she worked; but as the Son matriarch finished hanging clothes up to dry, she noticed that her husband's playful demeanor had all but nearly vanished. It was clear to her Goku was now putting on a casual act for their granddaughter's sake; but Chi Chi easily read her husband's body language -and she noticed when his teasing and advising of Pan became less frequent, as if he was thinking of something else while trying to keep her occupied.

Chi Chi supposed he was worried about the rest of their family, much like she was, but Goku had shown plenty of optimism so far; so she was beginning to wonder what else could have him worrying now.

"Oh Pan," she said after deciding she had to question her husband; and she waited for her granddaughter to stop and respond before continuing.

"Yes, grandma?" Pan replied with polite curiosity as soon as she finished her latest attempt to hit her grandfather, and Chi Chi promptly delivered her request.

"Would you be a good girl and go inside to get your grandmother a glass of water? Sitting out here under the sun has made me rather thirsty."

For a brief instant, Pan looked to her grandfather as if planning to try sending him in her stead; but she quickly thought better of it.

"Yes, ma'am…" She sighed with some disappointment as she turned to fly back inside, but she was briefly interrupted by her grandmother again.

"And Pan, flying is fine; but don't rush through the place and destroy my kitchen again, understand? You're more than old enough to remember your table manners by now."

"Yes, Grandma…" Pan replied with timid politeness before slowly floating towards the front door; and as soon as she closed it behind her, Chi Chi looked away from her before looking to Goku.

"Thanks for that, Chi," The Saiyan told her gratefully just before they made eye-contact, and he took a deep, relaxing breath as he added, "I kinda needed a break."

"Oh, you're welcome, Goku," His wife replied knowingly before questioning him, "It looked like you needed it. You were thinking about Gohan and Goten, weren't you? Has something bad happened?"

"Honestly, I don't know." Goku answered her as he started to focus his ki sense, "I think Gohan and Videl can handle things on their own just fine, but I lost track of Goten's energy a while back; and I can't sense him anywhere on Earth.

"But, I think I can sense him fighting somewhere else." He quickly added as his wife started to give him a concerned and demanding glare, "He's somewhere far though, and I couldn't stop and track him while I was keeping Pan busy…"

"Well, you better get to searching," Chi Chi suggested with a hint of impatience, "Because you've probably only got another minute to spare…"

"I'm already looking, Chi." Goku informed her patiently before closing his eyes, going quiet for a few seconds, and then speaking to his wife once again with his eyes still closed,

"Okay, I can actually sense him… Man, he is putting out a lot of energy… You know, you'd be pretty proud of him if you could feel what I'm feeling…"

"Stay focused, Goku, where is our son at?"

"Right, sorry…" The Saiyan rubbed the back of his head apologetically before continuing, "Well, he's still in this universe, but he's also pretty far from here; and I can only sense what planet he's on, for some reason…"

Chi Chi was about to demand more information from her husband as his voice trailed off, but he was quick to continue his observations.

"Actually, I kinda do know that area… Goten's not too far from Broly's old place."

"You know, it's funny you mention him… My wife and I were just talking about that big, loveable lug." the two heard a familiar voice chime in from just above them; and they both quickly recognized the red-haired shirtless man sitting crossing-legged atop the rounded archway of their home's front door.

"Oh hey, Igneel. Man, is it good to see you…" Goku greeted the light god amiably before questioning his guest curiously, "But uh, why are you sitting on the roof?"

"Whaddaya mean?" The immortal replied playfully, "Where else would I sit?"

Chi Chi blinked at the god disbelievingly; but before she could respond to his question with a lecture, the three were interrupted by the sound of the front door creaking open.

"Hey Grandma, you didn't tell me all the glasses were dirty…" they all heard Pan whine as she floated back outside with a glass of water in hand, "You tricked me into doing chores ag-

The young Saiyan stopped talking as soon as she noticed her grandparents were focused on someone talking above her; and it did not take her long to figure out who it was.

"Oh hey, Pan," Iga greeted her with a lazy wave of his right hand, "Mind if I borrow your grandpa for a bit? 'Cause I could sure use his help right now..."

"Really?" she asked with interest, "Are you going to help Mama and Papa fight the bad guys?"

"I sure am," the redhead answered honestly before looking back to Chi Chi, "And um, you don't mind either, do you?"

"Me? Of course not." She answered with vaguely relieved amusement, "I'll let you take my husband anywhere if it means he'll do something productive for a change."

"That's the spirit, Chi Chi," Iga replied jovially while Goku chuckled awkwardly; and the immortal soon began to stand up as he quickly addressed the Saiyan's wife one more time,

"Now, here's what's happening: I've finished collecting six of the Dragon Balls, Gohan's about to take on one Keeper, and Goten's keeping the guy with the seventh Dragon Ball busy. I don't think you'll have to worry about someone targeting you as long as all three of us are in play; but I'm not taking any chances either. I asked a friend to keep an eye on you and Pan until things settled down."

"Well, thank you, Igneel," Chi Chi told him politely as he nimbly hopped off the roof, "That was very considerate of you."

"Eh, I try to be," He replied dismissively before looking her husband next, "Anyway, we should get a move on. I don't know how long it'll take Goten to tire out, and we've got one more stop to make before we can actually help him."

"Okay then, where are we headed?" Goku asked curiously; and Iga shrugged awkwardly before answering, slowly scratching his head curiously as he did,

"Didn't I tell you? I thought I mentioned it… I need you to introduce me to your friend Broly, because I don't want things to be awkward when I ask him for a favor or two."

Meanwhile, about a few miles north of Yunzabit Heights…

Son Gohan held back a smirk as he spiked the Keeper of Sound back into the sea below with another satisfyingly large splash, and he briefly scolded himself for enjoying his strength while aiming his right palm downward and firing a yellow, volleyball-sized ki blast as a follow-up attack. In the next instant, the area of unsettled water below doubled as Gohan's energy hit its mark, creating a large shockwave that jetted water at least fifty yards into the air; and from his position a hundred yards above the ocean, the Saiyan watched the raining water and mist for a moment before scanning the rest of the slow-to-settle waterline, looking for any sign of movement from his opponent as he did.

A few seconds after the water settled, however, Gohan realized that nothing was moving underwater; so he heightened his guard in case Casus retaliated while focusing every sense into a search for the Keeper. Another couple seconds of silence passed before a small gust of wind whistled past the small invisible aura surrounding Gohan, but the Saiyan soon noticed that the whistling noise seemed to vanish; and he turned around to watch as an apparition of the fake-Trunks appeared with the wind before it quickly became solid and spoke to him.

"Oh, Gohan, I know I can be quite vexing to most; but you really shouldn't be so offended by my words. They are true, after all…"

"About me? Maybe." Gohan replied calmly as he slightly relaxed his stance, "But you're wrong to think that strength and status are what decides someone's worth. For instance, look at yourself. You have all these amazing talents and abilities; and yet, here we are. You might call yourself a keeper of universal balance and order, but all I see is a sick and twisted murderer hiding behind an antiquated set of rules that let him do whatever he wants. The laws of the Keepers might've been something that was necessary at one point, but that's not the case any longer."

"Oh?" Casus questioned him coyly, "Is that so?"

"It is." Gohan continued, undaunted by his foe's dismissive attitude, "You should know this, but I'll remind you that it was the Omni-King himself that brought my friends and family into contact with people from other universes; and every fight or event put on to entertain the two Zeno's was a great opportunity to make new friends and rivals. Do you think we'd simply forget those bonds we made? Just pretend they never existed? That sounds excessively cruel, in my opinion."

"And while we're listing complaints," He added thoughtfully, "I should probably point out how many systems are already in place, in each universe, that maintain this 'order' and 'stability' you're so fond of. Governments, police forces of all kinds, the kais, the gods of destruction… I could go on."

"The point is," Gohan concluded, "If the Omni-King doesn't seem to care, and… if your job is as redundant as it seems… then, there must be something else. Something you haven't told us about."

Quietly eyeing his foe with amused curiosity, the Trunks doppelganger gave Gohan a slightly sinister chuckle before speaking again.

"Well, I must say: out of the whole lot of Saiyans, you must be the most perceptive one I've ever heard of."

"Yeah? Well, tell that to my wife…" Gohan joked dejectedly before continuing with a serious tone, "But no, it's not just my perception in play here. I had a good bit of time to do my homework on you. In the world of the kais, despite the fact that your powers are actually greater than theirs, only the very old kais know anything about you; and to be honest, most of their tales sounded more like the scary bedtime stories you tell a kid to make them behave. Igneel managed to scrape together a few images from the ages past, rare points when gods used to speak about you openly; but that happened about once every million years or so, according to Igneel anyway. And I imagine we never found direct images of you because Claris' power erased those. All in all, the only useful piece of info we got came from a trip Igneel took to New Namek."

"Tch, Namekians…" Casus suddenly interjected, "The lucky fools granted a portion of the Super Dragon Balls and their limitless power… To this day, that damned Zalama still manages to plague us!"

"Actually, the Namekians had a possible answer for that, too." Gohan explained next, "Igneel showed me one of Bulma's memories, when she went looking for the Super Dragon Balls herself. Just before the tournament between universe six and seven, she asked this fortuneteller Zuno about them; and he happened to mention that name, 'Zalama', in passing.

"Now, none of the Namekians recognized the name; but the elders guessed that this Zalama, the original creator of the Dragon Balls, could easily be the ancestor of their Dragon clan. And if that's true, then it would only make sense that his powers and possessions passed down to them."

"Hm," Casus replied with some interest, "Sure, that would explain how some Nameks can create other Dragon Balls, even if they are inferior…"

"But here's where things got interesting," The Saiyan recalled, "When Igneel was there on Namek, only one elder knew anything about the Keepers or Zalama; and once again, what he knew was more fable than fact… But when it was Porunga's time for questioning, he got nervous and refused to answer. Even when we tried to use the three wishes to get an answer, he still refused."

"And your point is?" Casus hinted that his patience was waning.

"The point," Gohan explained, "Is that someone or something stopped Porunga from answering; and I plan to find out why.

"And fortunately for me," He added, smirking slightly as he took a more readied stance, "I've got a treasure trove of info hovering right in front of me, this very moment."

"Thinking you can beat the answers out of me, are you?" Casus matched his opponent's smirk, "Well, I respect your confidence; but you'll get nothing from me. That much, I promise."

"Really?" Gohan remarked humorously, "Because I feel like I got a lot from you already."

"Eh?" The Keeper questioned him, "What makes you say that?"

"You'll see soon enough." He answered cryptically, "And since you made your intentions pretty clear earlier, I know I don't have to hold back here…"

Before the Trunks copy could fully brace himself, Gohan instantly spiked his energy; and the resulting force actually shoved the Keeper, pushing him a few feet back as he winced from the recoil. But Gohan was not finished. Scaling his power higher and higher, he made the entire sky shift as the intense heat and pressure distorted the air. In a radius of almost a hundred yards above, below, and around, the heat became so fierce that the cold air it met quickly formed into a sphere of storm clouds; but still Gohan was not finished.

"And now," He declared over the booming crackle of lightning and thunder, "To put some effort into it…"

Yelling primally as he pushed the limits, Gohan paid no mind to the storm intensifying. In the next moment, another insane surge of heat and pressure followed -one that instantly accelerated the storm's development; and before Casus could realize it, he and Gohan were now in the eye of a miniature, man-made hurricane with swirling black clouds and lightning completely surrounding them. A couple seconds later, Gohan finally leveled out his ki; and the Keeper of Sound had to stifle his sigh of relief once his foe finally let up.

Such power… The Keeper said to himself, This one's no longer human or Saiyan, and that's for certain…

"It doesn't matter what you think I am, Casus," Gohan suddenly replied, surprising the Keeper in multiple stages, "Actually, it doesn't matter what I am at all. God, mortal, Saiyan, human, hybrid, I don't care about any of that. The only things I care about are my family and my friends; and the only thing I want from people like you, who prey on the weaker… Is that you remember my name in fear!

"And now Casus, it's your turn!" He concluded as he prepared to fire a Kamehameha right off the bat, "For all those times you've enjoyed terrorizing others, you're about to know exactly how they felt, ten times over!"

Meanwhile, on the Northern Ice Continent…

Natsu was panting heavily as he held his left forearm, massaging it in an attempt to reduce soreness induced by the last exchange of attacks; and with her back to him, Wendy was showing similar signs of battle fatigue. Their tactic of using wide sweeping attacks and precision strikesto keep the enemy at bay was working; but still, neither of the dragon slayers were satisfied with the current results. Of the ten people attacking them, they only managed to dispatch three. The pink-skinned jackal, the grey-skinned warrior, and the six foot blue man were currently lying unconscious in various poses that formed a roughly triangular shape around the wizards. The cost of defeating just these three, however, was almost too much for the Salamander and Sky Maiden.

Almost as soon as the fight broke out, Wendy was quick to realize just how far Natsu's training had brought him, as she constantly struggled to keep up with his speed and agility; and on top of that, having to expend large amounts of magic just to keep her attackers at bay was not helping her stamina either. Quite often, she found herself being shielded by Natsu; and though she did have enough strength to hurt a few of their attackers, Wendy knew deep down that she was lagging in terms of physical strength as well. And to make matters worse, she had just realized the Earth's air had no ethernano to recharge with; and her magic was certainly not as plentiful as she needed it to be. The sole major advantage she and Natsu had at the moment, was that their coordination was immensely better than the ten people that had ambushed them.

"Damn, this is getting annoying!" The orange man with the mohawk whined, clenching a fist and shaking it at Natsu as he did, "You brats might think you're crafty, but all you're doing is putting off the inevitable!"

"My friend speaks the truth," the three-eyed woman chimed in coolly as she locked eyes with Wendy, "If you had any dignity at all, you'd end this pointless delay and accept your fate."

"Heh, 'dignity'…" Natsu chuckled, "That's funny, coming from a gang like you… You guys had us ten to two, and you still had to rely on that fancy magic armor of yours."

"Tch!" His orange opponent grunted angrily; but Natsu was not done taunting the man just yet.

"And you know what? I bet all your complaining just means that we're finally wearing you down."

"That's a bold claim," the leopard woman joined in from Natsu's right, "Considering the state your in."

"Heh, no kidding." The orange man heartily agreed, "We could say just the same about you two, kid."

"What? You think we're getting tired?" The Salamander quipped rhetorically, "We're just trying to get you to drop your guard."

"Natsu's right," Wendy finally spoke up as well, "We've been through much worse than this."

"Exactly. You can say whatever you want, big guy," Natsu added with some finality, "But there's nothing you can do that'll stop us from kickin' your ass and saving our friends!

"Ready, Wendy?" He quickly asked her.

"You bet." She replied with sound nod; and moving in perfect harmony, the two dragon slayers reared their heads back and began to chant.

"Fire Dragon's-"

"Sky Dragon's-"

"ROAR!"

Spinning counter-clockwise in a semi-circle as they fired their magic, the two managed to force most of their attackers back, save the two of their targets -the orangutan man and the insectoid- that simply wrapped themselves in a ki barrier. Undaunted by the partial success, the pair quickly decided to target one of the closer attackers while they finished the spin; and the decision was made simply by Natsu launching at the simian humanoid so fast he left an afterimage behind.

Aiming an orange and gold flaming fist at his opponent's unarmored hands, which were still up from guarding against the blasts of fire and air. Natsu grinned faintly when his attack connected, noticing the brief wince of pain from the ape-man; but he had not much time to read the expression as Wendy was quick to follow-up with her own rushing attack.

Seeing exactly where Natsu was aiming, Wendy targeted the exact spot he struck; and as soon as the ape-man was a few feet from Natsu, she immediately sliced the back of his hands with a spinning kick coated in claws of air and ki.

Not bothering to grin this time as the ape-man showed more symptoms of pain, Natsu quickly unleased another roar while Wendy spun left and out the way; but as the other six fighters were now rushing over to aid their comrade, Wendy maintained her spinning motion while grabbing Natsu by the arm along the way. The result was another spinning wave of fire that caught four people in the process. Aside from the ape-man, who was simply shoved further backwards, the leopard woman was the closest to the inferno, though she was also quick enough to shield herself; and the insectoid, the second closest, seemed simply unphased by the attack. The third person, the orange-skinned man, was not so fortunate, however. Having been caught slightly by surprise, he was too slow to stop and leap away; and his face and hands were singed by the time he did.

Not finished with their newest assault just yet, Wendy only ceased spinning once she had thrown Natsu right back at the ape-man, who once again found himself having to block another fiery punch from the Salamander; but while Natsu attacked him, Wendy put her focus on everyone else.

"Sky Dragon's Wave Wind!" She shouted with a swing of her hand, creating a large tornado atop the leopard woman and insectoid that kept the others briefly at bay while those two had to endure the torrential magical barrage.

Natsu followed up his punch with two spinning kicks before landing and letting off a rapid volley of punches and jabs, hoping to force and opening in the ape-man's guard; and though he might have succeeded had he more time, Natsu quickly noticed two people -the green-skinned man and three-eyed woman- in both of his peripherals that were now hurrying around the tornado and closing in. Meanwhile, the two inside the vortex spiked their ki to break through and cancel it out, meaning that everyone except for the ape-man was now on the offensive; and the Fairy Tail duo knew instinctively they had to do something.

Not skipping a beat, Natsu let out a short burst of flames around himself, briefly forcing the ape-man to keep guarding and retreating, after which he performed a backflip that brought him closer to Wendy, who had leapt back towards him as soon as she made the tornado; and once again in perfect synchronization, the two were back-to-back and unleashing another similar set of spells that this time resulted in a Unison Raid.

"Fire Dragon's-"

"Sky Dragon's-"

"Wing Attack!"

Swirling gusts of glittering blue-green air fed and mixed into golden fire that rushed simultaneously forwards and backwards to engulf all seven of Cosmos' henchmen; and this time, even the insectoid seemed to be bothered by the heat and force of this attack. Various grunts of pain and effort could just barely be heard over the roar of the fiery gale; but after a few seconds, once the spell began to subside, it was revealed that all seven of its victims were still standing.

"Damn," Natsu said with a huff, "I really thought that one'd get some of them."

"We'll get them, Natsu," Wendy reassured him confidently, despite the fact she was breathing rather heavily as she spoke, "Don't worry."

"How you holding up?" He quickly asked her, knowing they would not have much longer to chat.

"I'm good," She said plainly before adding, "Although, I do wish I had one of those weapons from Edolas right about now. The lack of ether in the air, it… it takes some getting used to."

"It does; but Wendy, I can't believe you've gotten this strong since Edo kidnapped me," Natsu remarked honestly, "There's gotta be a lotta people in the guild that look up to you now, am I right? I can already tell that you've really stepped up for them; and I'm damn proud of you for it."

Wendy was about to turn and thank Natsu for his praises until she realized he was still speaking.

"Now," He called out to their enemy, "Which one of you chumps are gonna come rushing at us? Is it gonna be you, kitten lady? Or is it gonna be the loud-mouth with the burnt mohawk?"

"Oh, don't worry human," the green man answered with a strained casual tone, "You'll get yours in good time, we promise."

"Yeah?" A new voice was suddenly heard from above, "Not if I have anything to say about it!"

Looking almost directly upward, Wendy and Natsu could see a Super Saiyan Blue Trunks Briefs was hovering a couple dozen yards above them with the Brave Sword already in hand.

"Trunks!" The wizard pair exclaimed with surprised relief; but before they could say more, Son Videl had finally arrived as well.

"And Videl!" Natsu observed happily, "This means that-"

"Gohan is handling Casus as we speak, yes." Trunks confirmed his friend's assumption, "But-"

"Wait a minute, Wendy? Is that you?" Videl quickly interrupted them, "Gods, you've grown up! How did you get here?"

"I, well… it's a long story…" The Sky Maiden replied with a hint of bashfulness.

"Really?" the Son woman took her word for it, "Well, however it worked out, I'm glad you're here."

The two women exchanged smiles for an instant before Natsu spoke up again.

"Hey Trunks, you got any more of those X-Balls? Wendy could really use one of those right now."

"Hm? Oh, right." Trunks said before reaching into one of his jacket's pockets and pulling out the glass bottle containing the current item of interest; and not wasting a single second, the Saiyan nimbly retrieved one of the red pills and tossed it Wendy's way.

"And here," Videl chipped in, "You both should take these as well."

Taking her turn to toss them an item, Videl was soon questioned by a curious air mage.

"Is this… a Senzu Bean?" Wendy thought aloud as she examined the contents of her hand, "I remember Goten telling me about these…"

Munching on the quick snack for a couple seconds, Wendy then popped the X-Pill into her mouth and swallowed both items together.

"Hm… I thought they'd taste better…" She remarked honestly before looking back up, "But Goten wasn't lying, those things work amazingly fast. Thank you, Videl, I feel so much better now."

"Yeah," Natsu chipped in, "And to you too, Trunks. You two just saved the day!"

Trunks shrugged shyly as he responded.

"Well, you are welcome and all; but let's not get too carried away. Can you guys tell me what happened to Goten?"

"Yeah, we can." Natsu promptly informed him, "He's off fighting these guys' boss on some other planet or something."

"You mean Cosmos, the guy we saw in the Time Chamber?"

"Yeah, that was him. We'd have tried to find a way to go after them, but the big guy dumped all these goons in weird magic armor on us almost as soon as he had left with Goten."

"Damn," Trunks swore, "Well, we'll figure how to get to them next; but we can't go anywhere until these guys are dealt with."

"'Dealt with'?" The orange man repeated the words irritably, "What a joke! Listen hear, runt: you and your little pals here are gonna die, you hear me!?"

As he finished shouting, the man shot a yellow ball of ki right for Trunks' face.

"Heh." The demi-Saiyan chuckled before suddenly flicking the Brave Sword downward at such a precise angle that he managed to redirect the man's attack right back at him with thrice the speed, "You first."

Before the man could even finish his surprised shout, his own energy exploded against his face. Everyone else could only watch with varying degrees of surprise as this occurred; and after a few seconds later, once the resulting cloud of gray and brown smoke dissipated, the spectators could finally see that the man inside was still standing tall. His only problem, however: every part of him from the neck up had been obliterated and reduced to ash.

Casually sliding the Brave Sword back into its scabbard, Trunks landed beside his friends and quickly made eye-contact with four of Cosmos' goons. Each one of them -the bug-man, the ape-man, the tri-clops, and the leopard woman- needed not more than a moment's glance to read the killing intent inside their newest opponent's eyes.

"You four," The Blue demi-Saiyan instructed them while Videl quickly descended to stand between the dragon slayers, "I'll take you all on at once; so come at me with everything you got."

"Natsu," Trunks said next, still keeping his eyes on the enemy as he did, "Do you think you guys can handle the other two? I'm sure I could take them all on, but we can't afford to start taking unnecessary risks just yet."

"Are you kiddin' me?" The fire mage replied with playful impatience, "Now that we got our full strength back, these green goons are goners!"

Slowly rising off the ground again, Trunks nodded to his friend before he and his four opponents calmly flew away from the other five, ascending skyward until they were out of sight behind the clouds. While that was happening, the bald green man and his much shorter ally, the red-haired green woman, mirrored their foe by stepping away from each other and taking a readied stance as soon as they felt comfortable with the gap between them.

"So," Natsu spoke first, glancing between both of his enemies as he did,

"You guys remember all that talk about dignity, yeah? Well, if you guys won't back down even now, you're gonna have to learn the meaning of dignity the hard way: by having it beaten into your skulls!"

About two minutes ago, on Earthland…

It was around lunchtime when Lucy Heartfilia and her blue Exceed companion had finally entered the Fairy Tail guild hall; but hunger was not the reason they were dropping by -at least for Lucy, it wasn't. Splitting up almost immediately, Happy zipped into the main hall towards the bar and eagerly greeted Mirajane while Lucy waved a hello as she headed for the data storage room.

Taking only a moment to reach the door, the celestial mage started to greet the person she expected to see, only to interrupt herself as she saw how much of a mess the data room had become.

"Hey Levy, how's the research go- Oh my god, what happened in here?!"

"I'd talk at a whisper if I were you," Lucy heard a muted and slightly terrified Mavis Vermillion's voice come from behind her, "I came in here hoping to run some ideas by her, about maybe using Fairy Heart to get to Universe Seven somehow; but she's been scrambling through so many books and papers like she's in some kind of trance…

"The only time she's addressed me, was when she asked if I could help her move some of this mess around." She continued while Lucy turned to see the defeated look on the Fairy Tail founder's pouty face, "But when I reminded her that I'm incorporeal, she replied by asking me what I was good for; and then she told me to sit in the corner and wait until she was done.

"Hmph! I'm not some helpless little girl, I'm the proud Fairy Tactician! What does she know?"

Although Lucy felt for the first master, she still could not keep herself from rubbing her head awkwardly as she remarked,

"And yet there you are, pouting in the corner… like a little kid…"

"You're not helping, Lucy!"

"Sorry, First Master."

"It's okay, you weren't wrong." Mavis sighed dejectedly, "Not having my physical body here has been something of a sore topic for me lately.

"Anyway," she quickly shook off the meek persona as she changed the subject, "How are you doing, Lucy? I'd say good morning, but I think it's somewhere around noon by now…"

"I'm doing alright now," The summoner replied honestly, "I'm a lot happier that we've actually got something to do besides just going through the motions while we wait for the war to start up again; but when I stop to think about how many obstacles and enemies we have, I get kinda nervous, you know?"

"I do," Mavis agreed sympathetically, "And I'm sure Natsu's at the back of your mind quite often as well. It's the same for me. I can't stand the thought of anything bad happening to any one of my guildmates; and since I don't exactly know what's happened to him, it bothers me that much more…"

Lucy had faintly started to blush when Natsu was brought up; but that shy sensation quickly faded as she listened, having agreed with everything she was hearing so far.

"But hey, on the bright side," the celestial wizard offered, "At least we've got that weird god guy helping us now, right? Happy told me about everything that happened with Zancrow; and that this new guy is Lisanna's friend somehow?"

"It would seem that way," The first Fairy answered pointedly, "But if that god happens to be a friend of Ankhseram's too, then he's certainly no friend of mine… As reassuring as it would be to have him on our side, we should also be careful that we don't end up on his side in the process. I'll more than eagerly accept a temporary alliance to eliminate Edo; but Fairy Tail is our guild, and Fiore is our home. It's our job to protect it, not some old god that's only showed up after his petty rivalry had spilled over into the human world and made a mess of things around here."

"Right…" Lucy sighed, "So much for being optimistic, then…"

"You know, First Master, if you really think him being around could be a problem later on…" Both blondes were slightly startled to hear Levy finally acknowledging their presence, "I'm sure once we figure out how to kill Edo, we should be able to figure out how to kill this Iga guy as well..."

"K-kill the guy?" Lucy said with clear surprise, "I mean, I get killing Edo. He's the that evil type of guy that won't stop until he's gone for good; but Iga too? From everything I heard, this guy sounded pretty decent to me."

"I wasn't saying we should actually try to kill him, Lulu," Levy clarified flatly while tossing a book aside haphazardly and grabbing one from a stack of ten more beside her, "I was just pointing out what all our options were. Personally, I feel kind of optimistic about the recent turn of events, threats of the world's end aside…

"Also, I feel I should point it out, with no offense meant to the First," the script mage concluded as she cracked open the next book, never having looked even once towards her friends as she spoke, "But you can't forget about our alien guildmates. From everything Lisanna, Wendy, and Mirajane have told us, Gohan, Trunks, and their families have quite a few friends that are gods of all sorts. We might not have realized it when we stamped our guild mark on them; but that simple act is going to lead to some drastic change in our world."

"That's the understatement of the century," A new and familiar young woman's voice chimed in playfully; and the two women not busy reading turned to see Lisanna's almost-completely-concealed look of shock at the current state of the data room, "Um… what happened in here?"

"Levy happened," Lucy explained succinctly while briefly shrugging towards the script mage.

"Levy did this?" Lisanna briefly doubted her, "The same Levy that always takes care of her books and would quite often give us a lecture for even leaving one stray magazine on a table? That Levy?"

"Yeah, I didn't believe it even though I just saw it." The celestial mage admitted with vague amusement, "But haven't you noticed? We haven't been whispering this whole time, and we've not gotten one single shushing."

"I might not be looking at you two; but I am still listening, you know." Levy defended herself as she finished thumbing through the current book in front of her, "If either of you want to keep talking about me like I'm some kind of nagging mom, I'm going to start throwing these things at you instead of the ground. Understand?"

"Yes ma'am," Lucy spoke for the group, which Levy found acceptable.

"Good." Levy concluded as she gently pushed her current book off the table and moved to grab another from the stack, "And for what it's worth, Master Mavis, I had hoped to find what I'm looking for before Lulu got here; so I'm sorry I'm making you two wait like this."

"Oh, it's fine," the first master assured her, "I mean… if Zeref doesn't get to me, I'll probably outlive all three of you; so, you know…"

"We know." Lucy spoke for the group again, this time including Levy; but it was Lisanna that spoke next.

"Well, since it sounds like you three might be here for a bit, it sounds like now's the perfect time to get you guys up to speed. Actually, I planned to round you three up and chat before I went back to Earth; so finding you all together like this is kinda lucky."

"Why's that?" The bluenette inquired as she still skimmed through another book.

"Because you three are exactly the people I needed to speak to, of course!" the takeover mage replied playfully before resuming with a more sincere and optimistic tone, "I've got some very good news for you, but I also have some possibly bad news as well."

"Okay," Lucy replied with hesitant curiosity, "So, I guess we should start with the good news, if its 'very good'… am I right?"

"It's fine by me," Lisanna replied while stepping closer to the summoner as she began the info dump, "You know, Mira told me about all that money you've been saving up. It's Natsu's share from you and Happy's jobs, right?"

"Yeah, but why-?"

"I'm bringing it up because I hope you know where you stashed it. There's a strong chance you'll be spending it with him real soon."

"W-What?" Lucy did not seem to process Lisanna's words properly, "What do you mean?"

"What I mean, Lucy, is that Natsu's alive and well; and that he's on Earth, at this very moment."

Seeing that her friend's reaction was initially nothing but a blank stare, Lisanna instinctively put a hand on her friend's shoulder as she continued the revelation.

"Actually, he's been on Earth the past couple months training for a big fight that's happening on Earth right now. If we win the fight there, everyone on Earth will be able to come back here."

"And now I see why you said there was potentially bad news as well." Mavis observed aloud, "If this fight is happening today, you're about to tell us how unimaginably powerful your enemies on Earth are, and that there's a good chance Natsu could get killed during it."

"Yes, but-" Lisanna began until Lucy finally came out of her brief trance, slowly reaching for the hand atop her shoulder as she spoke.

"Lisanna, do you… do you know what happened to him? I want to know what happened to him after the fight with Zeref's army, and how he got to Earth."

"If anything bad happened to him, you'd have to ask him yourself. He seemed perfectly okay to me, when he got to Earth -except for the fact that Edo had brought him there, anyway…"

"Edo?" Mavis repeated his name curiously, "He was on Earth as well? Then he must be able to travel in a manner similar to Iga's…"

"That's correct," Lisanna continued, "Master Iga and Edo are twin dragon gods that are bound together in an eternal conflict. Master Iga is the Dragon God of Light, and Edo is the Dragon God of Shadow. Actually, their situation is not unalike to you own, Master Mavis."

"Oh?"

"You see, Master Iga and Edo were both normal humans once. It was an incredibly long time ago, but its true. At one point, both of them happily identified by their given names: Igneel and Acnologia."

Even Levy paused her search upon hearing those two names.

"Did you just say Acnologia?" Mavis questioned with some surprise, "And Igneel?"

"Uh huh. They're the Igneel and Acnologia of Edolas, from a time when magic still existed there."

"Wow." Levy remarked after a few seconds of silence passed, "You know, that actually explains a lot about all this craziness…"

"So, um," Mavis was slow to carry the conversation forward, but she did it nonetheless, "How is their story similar to mine, Lisanna?"

"Well, while you and Zeref had fallen in love; the Igneel and Acnologia of Edolas were originally friends that formed a deep, brotherly bond as time went by. In fact, Acnologia was the kind and responsible one back then; and Master Iga was, kinda ironically, quite the shady guy. They were both good guys deep down, though; and they were polar opposites that kept each other in check. And in a way, I guess they still did, until recently…

"You see, Acnologia was a runaway from a noble family. A good-hearted child prodigy in almost every sense, the only thing he was never any good at was pretending that he was comfortable in the life he'd been born and pressured into. At sixteen he finally decided to run away; and that's where he ran into Igneel, camped out on the edge of town. Unlike Acnologia, Master Iga had never known any of the comforts that Edo so disliked… His whole village was destroyed during a war between two cults, and he had been orphaned since the age of five. By the time Acnologia ran into him, Igneel had spent his whole life just trying to get by. He was always breaking into places and robbing them, as most people wouldn't hire a ruffian like him; and when he did have money, he spent most of it on eating and drinking, chasing girls, or running from bounty hunters. So when a naïve, wealthy noble of the same age as him suddenly stumbled into his camp, Igneel couldn't help but see an opportunity there…

"Things happened, but with some convincing… Acnologia ended up actually robbing his whole family blind before he skipped town with his new companion; and then, for years after, the two went pretty much wherever the wind took them. That is, until their last great misadventure… I'm sure they both feel regret for the choices they made that day; but only one of them is actually able to show it now.

"Acnologia had managed to 'acquire' a ridiculously old map from a place of worship, I forget the town's name; but… This map led them to an even older temple of some kind that was hidden nearly a mile underground; and though Acnologia had deciphered writing on the map that warned of an ancient curse, they ultimately ignored that warning -and well, here we all are now. Also, we kinda helped bring both of them into this world when we left Edolas. I guess the silver lining there is that all our friends in Edolas won't have to deal with Edo because of that."

"No kidding." Lucy remarked honestly before Lisanna continued.

"But, across the millennia that they've apparently lived, those two have always been locked in a life or death struggle; but their 'curse' turned out to be something more complex than a god's punishment. The reason they're always in conflict is that the spirits of the Light and Dark Dragon God were sealed inside them, changing their very personalities and desires at their very core."

"I see," Levy began to speculate, "So, much like the elements themselves, these two gods are always exchanging victories and defeats. Most of those scars on Iga's body are a testament to this cycle their trapped in…"

"And speaking of wounds, he bears a bunch of emotional ones too, I'm sure..." Lisanna added with a sad tone, "That whole time I was off looking for a way to get to Earth, I spent most of it living with him and training under him, until-"

"Wait a minute," Lucy interrupted with a wide-eyed look, "By 'living with him', do you mean that you two were, um… like an-"

"Ha! No, Lucy… you perv," Lisanna interrupted her right back with an amused matter-of-factly tone, "I did not do anything like that with Master Iga. He's got eyes for only one person, according to him. But, since you asked, I do like to do that kinda stuff with my boyfriend, thank you very much."

"Boyfriend?" Lucy just barely avoided stuttering as a red tint began to rise across her face, "And, well… um, who is he?"

"Huh, didn't you guys already know?" The youngest Strauss wondered aloud, "I kinda hoped Mira would've at least explained that once some of the secrets started coming out, but oh well…

"So, according to Master Iga, he told me that way back around the time that Gohan and his family were about to leave here through that gateway of theirs; Trunks had actually decided to stay behind and help us with figuring out how Edo's Heart worked. He met up with Gray, and they were just starting to do exactly that when they were interrupted by Edo himself. You know, I'm still a little surprised none of you heard about this already…"

"Actually, we did." Mavis corrected, "We knew that Gray at some point met with Edo that day, he told us that much; but we just never knew any of the specific events that led up to the deal he struck to save Juvia."

"So what happened to Trunks?" Lucy asked next, "Edo did something to him, didn't he?"

"He did." Lisanna confirmed with a nod, "Edo split up him and Gray by casting a curse that trapped him inside a time anomaly. And I guess that's when Edo offered that whole deal to save Juvia, but Trunks wasn't saved until a week later by Master Iga. He searched and searched for Trunks in multiple dimensions until he finally found him and fished him out; but by the time that had happened, Trunks was already a middle-aged man."

"Interesting," Mavis remarked ponderously while holding an index finger against her lower lip, "In the span of a week, Trunks had actually lived out decades on his own."

"That's awful." Lucy commented with pure sadness.

"He said it was, at first." The takeover mage recalled, "But everything would work out in the end. He got tossed into the place with some of his family's tech on him, and those capsules of theirs can store a ridiculous amount of pretty much anything. He had a house with food and water rationed to last for ages, and he eventually considered his time there to be nothing more than training."

"So Trunks is now actually older than us three, huh?" Levy chipped in curiously.

"Not at all." Lisanna replied again, "He's still got all the life-experience of a fifty-year-old hermit, but Master Iga de-aged him. And now, Trunks is just as old as me and Lucy."

"It's Lucy and I, but whatever…" Levy mumbled, but they paid her no mind as the first master resumed the conversation.

"So then, is Trunks the reason we now have this alliance with Igneel?"

"That's right; but Master Iga wanted to recruit someone from this world too, so he took me under his wing as well."

"And then?" Lucy asked, "You went and trained with them, right? Where did you go?"

"Well, it's kinda hard to explain. Master Iga's, and even Edo's, magic has three natures: there's the god's essence that keeps them from dying, there's the fire magic they were born with as humans; and then, since these gods inside them were also dragon gods, there's the dragons' powers of light and shadow.

"Master Iga's power of light is actually pretty similar to the White Dragon Magic of Sting from Sabertooth, just like Edo's is to Rogue. You might not know this yet, but that's why Sting and Rogue are now training where me and Trunks did, Levy…"

The bluenette quietly smirked in amusement while she pretended to be reading, and she allowed the conversation to carry on without interruption despite her desire to debate the importance of proper grammar.

"So he's taken a liking to them as well? That's good to know." Mavis remarked thoughtfully, "All this explains why Sting's power was disruptive to Zancrow and Orga's connection with Edo; and if Igneel training the Twin Dragons means they'll have a better understanding of both of the gods' powers, I'm all for it. I just have one question: where is all of this training taking place? We know Edo and Iga can go pretty much anywhere they want, so what kind of place is this, to be so secure that not even someone like Edo could reach you?"

"Well, the short answer is that Master Iga calls it his 'Sanctuary'." Lisanna revealed, "But the long answer is that Iga's had so much time to develop his magic that he can manipulate fire and light in ways you can barely imagine. The Sanctuary, for instance… accessing it is only possible with Iga's magic; and that's because the place is actually another dimension that exists inside all light. Conversely, Edo has a place he calls his 'Shadow', which exists wherever light isn't. That was the place we rescued everyone from last night."

"Yeah, thanks again for that, by the way." Levy told Lisanna gratefully.

"Don't mention it," She replied modestly before carrying on, "Anyway, Master is where I've been up until a few months back. Now, I'm living with Trunks and his family on Earth, like Zancrow mentioned."

"'Living with-'?" A surprised Lucy repeated the words before interrupting herself, "So does that mean that this boyfriend you mentioned doing… um, stuff… with… is Trunks?"

Smirking at the wide-eyed, red-faced look Lucy was currently wearing, Lisanna calmly answered her with a firm nod.

"That's right. We started dating about three months after we started training together; but, um… Actually, never mind… I should probably explain why I needed to talk to Levy now."

Noticing that Lisanna's casual attitude briefly wavered as she tried to change the subject, Lucy and Mavis were quick to give her inquisitive looks; but Levy decided to humor her anyway.

"Oh, it's my turn now? How exciting."

"Yeah, if you're saying that now, just wait a second." the takeover informed her, "I came here because I first wanted to give you these."

By the time Levy had set her book aside and turned around, Lisanna had already withdrawn a Hoi Poi capsule, which she activated with a click before tossing it at the stack of books beside the solid script mage. In an instant smoke covered it before clearing a second later to reveal a much larger stack of books had appeared beside it.

"Wait a minute," Levy said with intense intrigue, "Are these… books from Earth?"

"That's right." The white haired wizard affirmed, "I brought you three fictional ones, but the rest are all educational or useful in some manner. There's textbooks on college-level mathematics, physics, engineering, psychology, history, environmental science; it's all there. There's also a dictionary, thesaurus, and encyclopedia; and I topped it all off with a few maps and magazines too, just so you could get a taste of the current culture."

Well before Lisanna finished speaking, Levy had started to drool; and all she could do was listen in quiet anticipation as she tried to figure out where to even begin.

"Also," Lisanna added with some frustration, "I was going to introduce you to Trunks' mom, Bulma. She's arguably one of the smartest scientists Earth has to offer; and I know she'd love to exchange info with you… But just before I could go to meet with Bulma and arrange the whole thing, Wendy ran off to Earth with my only way to get there."

"Wendy did what?!" Lucy and Mavis both shouted.

"Was it that white lacrima you were carrying last night?" Levy deduced keenly, "She stole it from you?"

"Well, no." Lisanna clarified, "Carla stole it at Romeo's request, he gave it to her, and then she used it to go to Earth. At least, I hope she did… Anyway, I gave her two accomplices over to Master Makarov; so all that's handled for now. All we can do is hope that she didn't get caught up in the fighting on Earth. The bad guys we're dealing with over there are like you said earlier, First Master; and actually, I'm really worried about Trunks right now… He's got a pretty big target on his back at the moment…"

"Lisanna, you don't have talk about this stuff if it bothers you," Lucy chimed in helpfully, "Seriously, if you don't want to, don't. Okay?"

"I know, and I'm alright, I promise. I'm just annoyed that there's nothing I can do to help at the moment, you know? And on top of that, I can't even really be angry with Wendy, because she did exactly what I'd have done, if I was in her shoes."

"So all the cats are out their bags, huh?" Levy remarked with a morbid humor, "I guess that means our little skirmishes with Edo's God Slayers are about to escalate, doesn't it?"

"His most recent threat certainly suggested that." Lucy replied first.

"We'll be ready." Mavis assured them confidently.

"Also," Lisanna added, "There's something else you should know: it's the reason why Zeref ordered the ceasefire. Zeref wants to get to Fairy Heart for sure; but he also wants to test himself, and his fate. Edo knew this, so he kidnapped the one person that Zeref believes is actually capable of killing him; and when Zeref found out about it, he had no choice but to delay the war."

"Hang on," Lucy interrupted again, "Are you saying that Natsu might be the only person that could defeat Zeref? But what about Edo? Can't that guy control people with darkness inside them? Surely, he could kill Zeref too."

"Maybe," Mavis conceded before adding a thought, "But Ankhseram's power is already present inside those he cursed… It's possible that Edo couldn't manipulate Zeref because that divine presence somehow prevents him from doing so."

"So then that would leave us with Natsu as our best chance to win," Lucy resumed her line of inquiry, "But why? What makes Natsu so important?"

"Well…" Lisanna seemed like she was about to reveal that very reason, but at the very last second she decided against it, "Ah, no… I shouldn't say… Actually, you guys just need to ask Natsu about all this when he gets back, alright? I feel kinda bad talking about him like he's some sorta weapon or something…"

Feeling more curious than ever, the trio also easily registered how uncomfortable Lisanna genuinely seemed to be with the topic; so they all silently agreed to move on before Mavis ended the silence.

"And that I understand more than you think," Mavis admitted to the takeover mage, "As a tactician, I always did tend to see people as a resource, especially in war. But the people I befriended, the people of this guild… they're the ones that helped me remember just how dangerous that way of thinking can be."

"And now you've got us." Lucy pointed the fact out with an amiable smile that Mavis was quick to match, "Whether you like it or not."

"Well, now that I think all the important stuff's been brought up," Lisanna spoke after another brief moment of quiet, "I guess I should leave you all to your work…"

"Actually, Lisanna, you said you were stuck here for a while, right?" Levy interjected, "Well, if you don't feel like killing the time by sitting here and telling me what Earth is like, I do have an errand you could run for me, if you wouldn't mind."

"Sure, what is it?"

"I need books."

"You always say that!" Lucy sighed teasingly.

"I know, but this time I need some really old books, Lulu. Everything in here that covers ancient gods and religions is way too new, which means it's all crap as far as I'm concerned! Only the library in Crocus would have old enough texts or manuscripts that could possibly be helpful; but I still have no idea where to start if I even found some. But Lisanna, on the other hand…"

"If I'm doing the research," Lisanna concluded for her, "There's a better chance that I might stumble across something that sounds familiar… Levy, you're a genius!"

"Hey, save the praises until we actually find something helpful." The bluenette shrugged off the compliment, "I know the chances are very slim since Edo and Iga aren't even from Earthland; but if we could manage to learn even just one thing about a god that's similar to them in any way, there's a chance it could come in handy."

"Happy and I can come along too, if you'd like." Lucy offered as she looked to Lisanna, "I visited that library quite a bit back when I worked for Sorcerer Weekly; so I could help you get around there no problem."

"Thanks Lucy, I'm sure I'll need the help." Her friend readily accepted, "And besides, it'll a be a good chance for us to catch up."

"Totally." The celestial mage agreed before starting to leave the room as she spoke, "I'm gonna grab a quick bite to eat and tell Happy where we're going; so just come and get us when you're ready."

"You got it!" Lisanna called back before turning to Mavis, "And just a heads-up, if something happens and they need me back on Earth, Master Iga or Trunks will probably come directly to me and take me back; if that happens, I'm sorry… But you will get your info on Earth and everything that's happening there, I promise. I still plan to talk to Bulma when I get back, so if I'm not the one giving out the details later, it'll be her."

"Thank you, Lisanna." The First Master replied gratefully before Lisanna looked to Levy.

"No problem. And um, before I head out, is there anything specific I should look for in Crocus?"

"Hm… No," the bluenette answered with some deliberation, "Like I said, you know how old Igneel is; so you should know how old the documents we need would be. Other than that, just remember to take note of anything that seems relevant. You know, like… maybe Iga mentioned a story when he ran into people on Earthland, or things that he's said about his powers, or his and Edo's past, anything really. If something you read makes you think of anything like that, jot it down or see if you can borrow it."

"Then that's what I'll do," the takeover mage concluded before taking her turn to leave, "Wish me luck!"

Waving a goodbye to the two, Lisanna stepped out the data storage room the next moment; and she casually strolled to the bar while she enjoyed the nostalgic feel of being inside the guild hall once again, occasionally waving to a few guildmates that happened to meet her gaze as she did.

"Hey, Lisanna!" She heard Happy greet her as soon as she was near her destination.

"Hi, Happy," She returned the greeting before sitting beside Lucy at the bar and greeting the bartender as well, "Sis."

"Lisanna." Mirajane said amiably before her sister spoke again.

"Did Master Makarov finish his chat with those two thieves of ours?"

"He sure did." Mira answered with a nod, "But you won't find them here anymore. They hurried out on a job about a minute ago, seemed kinda important to them I think… But then again, they might've just been in a hurry to get out of here and avoid another taste of your wrath…"

"Hmph, that's a shame." Lisanna pouted aggressively, "I was gonna make at least Romeo come along and do any heavy lifting for us; but I guess that's all gonna be Happy's job now."

"Huh?" The feline whined, "Why do I gotta be the pack mule? I'm always the pack mule!"

"Don't complain, you!" Lucy scolded him, "You still have to pay for stealing that pervy book Erza made me write!"

"Pervy... book?" Lisanna wondered aloud, "Did you just say that Erza made you write a smut novel?"

"Yeah, she did…" The celestial wizard sighed dejectedly while lowering her face until her nose was practically in the food she was eating, "But don't make me relive this again… please? My pride and reputation in the guild have already been damaged enough…"

"O-of course, Lucy…" Lisanna obeyed out of pity, but it was Mirajane who spoke next.

"So, Lisanna… I heard you're going to the Flower Capitol once these two are done eating."

"That's right."

"How do you plan on getting there? Because I doubt any fight Gohan's in would last much longer. That Iga or Trunks could show up looking for you any minute…"

"We're going to fly there, of course."

"Fly?!" Happy spat out his fish, "Whaddaya mean 'fly'?! I am not carrying both of you all the way to Crocus, no way!"

"Why not?" Lisanna questioned him with a mischievous tone, "I can turn into any tiny little animal I want, remember? It'd just be Lucy you're carrying, really."

"Still, to Crocus?! That's not happening!"

"I'm okay with it." Lucy chipped in.

"You are not helping!"

"Haha…" Lisanna couldn't withhold her amusement anymore, "Relax, Happy, we're not gonna make you fly anyone that far."

"Aww," Lucy whined, "We're not?"

"Nah." Lisanna explained while retrieving the Hoi Poi Capsule case she had briefly shown earlier, "Why waste magic, when we've got these?"

Showing Lucy the case's contents, Lisanna pointed to the capsule inside that was numbered as eight.

"This one here has a jet-copter inside. It's kinda like a flying car, but it's built more like a plane for speed. And I mean a lot of speed… With this puppy here, we'll get to Crocus before Mira can finish pouring Cana her next drink."

"I doubt it!" They both heard the card mage's voice shout from the background, and the whole group stopped to smirk or giggle at the comment before their conversation continued.

"So how does this 'jet-copter' thing work?" Happy asked curiously, "You fly it just like the Christina? What does it use to fly if you aren't using magic?"

"It runs on jet fuel," Lisanna recalled, "But don't ask me what that is exactly, all I know is its some kind of liquid that people made from natural resources on Earth. Honestly, you should save those questions for Trunks when he gets here. He loves getting to explain stuff like that."

"Really?" Lucy asked with a mouthful of food, "Why's that?"

"Because Trunks' family makes hundreds of these jet-copters a day." The takeover mage said with hint of pride, "That's kinda their thing on Earth, making stuff. And they make all kinds of things. Houses, planes, boats, cars, robots, weapons… Pretty much anything the people on Earth need, Trunks' family sells it."

"Whoa." Happy sighed in awe before turning to his blonde companion and questioning her with a hint of annoyance, "Hey, does that mean Natsu's been living like a prince the whole time he's been on Earth? And he didn't even bother to share that with us?"

"What? Pfft, no way!" Lisanna told them with clear amusement, "You are talking about Natsu, right? That guy got one taste of life and luxury in the big city, and he immediately decided to stay in the boonies with Goten and his family."

"Yeah, that makes a lot more sense…" Lucy agreed thoughtfully while she played with the last bits of her meal.

"But," Lisanna added with the faintest of devilish smirks on her face, "I do know that Natsu mentioned something about sharing that life with you guys. He was thinking mostly about you when he said it though, Lucy…"

"M-M-Me?" the celestial mage stuttered while almost dropping her chopsticks, "Why mostly me? Wasn't Happy mentioned?"

"Sure, he was. Once. Natsu said he'd like the view from his place in the mountains, or something." Lisanna clarified while her grin remained, "But I think you know what I meant, Lucy. Judging by the fact that your face is redder than some of those beans in your rice, anyway…"

"R-Really?" Lucy asked before interrupting her own thoughts, "N-no… you're probably just reading into his words too much…"

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that, Lucy." Lisanna continued to explain, "You see… I don't really know what caused it… if it was Edo capturing him or if it was the time he's spent around Gohan and Goten's families, or me and Trunks… But one thing is for sure: that clumsy and oblivious Natsu you knew is almost a man of the past. He still needs work on his manners, but yeah… I can easily tell, he's a lot more… self-aware. Actually, I'd be so bold as to say he's prime boyfriend material by this point…"

"Lisanna, I think you should let up now." Mirajane finally intervened, though she actually regretted doing so, "You can't see her face, but she's probably gonna pass out if anymore blood goes to her head…"

"Yeah… Thank you, Mira…" Lucy panted in a strained tone.

"Jeez, Lucy… What got you so worked up?" Happy inquired nonchalantly, "All she really said was that Natsu wants to live with you, right? So what's the big deal?"

"That!" Lucy answered swiftly, "That's a big deal!"

"Why?" the blue tomcat questioned again, "You and Natsu've slept together tons of times already. So what's so bad about you guys doing it all the time?"

Several people doing spit-takes could be heard in the background while the Strauss sisters almost collapsed out of delightful shock. Lucy, however, had finally snapped; and she raised her chopsticks in one hand like a knife as she immediately leapt at her feline friend.

"That's it, cat! Prepare to die!"

"W-Wha?! No, Lucy! Wait!"

Before anyone else could react, the two were out the guild hall, with Happy bashing the door open in full retreat while Lucy almost broke the door in pursuit.

"Well, there they went…" Mirajane observed slowly before recovering from her surprise and making her signature giggle, "Heheh… But that was rather fun, wasn't it? You pulled off all that teasing rather well, you know."

"Thanks, sis. I learned from the best." Lisanna replied graciously, "But honestly though, I wasn't kidding. Natsu really has grown up a bit; and he's so much stronger than the last time you've seen him, too."

"That's good to hear." Her big sister remarked honestly as well, "Because those two are one of my top five pairings, and Natsu being a dense idiot was really the only thing getting in the way there…"

"Top five, huh?" Lisanna asked jokingly, "Who else is on the list?"

"Well, my personal favorite is Erza and Jellal." The She-Devil began to answer, "I don't like to admit my rival's got me beat in the romantic department; but I can't deny how cute those two are together, either. And it just might be my imagination, but I could swear something happened between them. I saw them eating together this morning, and they were a lot more relaxed than they usually are…"

"Earth to Mira…"

"Oh, right, the others… Let's see… There's Natsu and Lucy, of course… then there's Gajeel and Levy, but there might be trouble in paradise there -I think Levy's hiding something from Gajeel… and then, after them, there's Gray and Juvia. I have a sixth as well, but it's rather a scandalous thought if anything… Highly unlikely to actually happen…"

"Oh yeah?" The younger Strauss questioned, "Enlighten me anyway."

"As you wish. You see, my honorable mention goes to a pairing that would instantly jump to the top spot if it happened; but like I said… well… it's not gonna…"

Leaning over to whisper into her little sister's ear, Mirajane spoke again.

"And that pairing is: Romeo and Wendy, and Goten…"

Finally causing Lisanna to have her turn at blushing from a mental image, she could only giggle as her sister responded to her words.

"Yeah, that's definitely not happening."

"Why not?" Mira commented with quiet disappointment, "The love triangle's already there, all it would really need to happen is-"

"Yeah, you've read too many dirty books, sis." Lisanna interrupted as she stood up and prepared to leave, "But then again, some of your advice has come in handy with Trunks, so I can't complain. Anyway, just in case I head to Earth before I come back here, come give me a hug, you big perv."

Smiling and happily moving around the bar to meet Lisanna halfway, the two shared a warm embrace for a few seconds before parting.

"Okay," Lisanna said decidedly as she made her way for the door, "It's time to go round up those two clowns and head to Crocus to do some research! I'll call or write you later, okay, sis?"

"That's fine by me." Mirajane replied before adding, "Good luck!"

Lisanna thanked her sister for the well-wishing before opening the front door and exiting without another word.

Meanwhile, at the Son family homes…

Son Pan and her grandmother were still resting outside the latter's house when a familiar man garbed in purple and white landed casually on the front lawn.

"Mr. Piccolo!" Pan cheered with some excitement, although her grandmother was less so excited.

"Piccolo?" She greeted the green man with her classic skepticism, "What are you doing here?"

"Whatever I want, Chi Chi." He answered pointedly.

"Is that so? Well… whatever you're up to, Gohan and Goku aren't here." She informed him next, planning to promptly shoo him off until he interrupted her, "So-"

"I'm not here for those two; and I know what they're busy with, so I don't need an update either.

"Actually," He revealed while glancing demonstratively towards the little Saiyan, "I'm here for her."

Pan's eyes lit up eagerly, as she knew there was only one reason Piccolo would be interested in speaking with her.

"Pan?!" Chi Chi, however, was completely surprised, "What business would you have with her?"

"What else?" Piccolo quipped honestly, "I'm here to train her, as her parents requested."

"Not here, you're not." She replied flatly.

"Of course not," Piccolo agreed, "I can't very well teach her how to fend for herself if she stays here with mommy and daddy spoiling her every night."

"Well that's certainly true," Chi Chi conceded, "But I'm afraid that her training's gonna have to wait until her parents get back. Gohan and Videl might be totally fine with letting you throw their daughter to the wilds and wolves like you did with her father; but I, however, am not all too excited by the concept."

"I see." Piccolo seemed to sound considerate until he kept speaking, "And that matters, why?"

"Because I am her grandmother, first of all!" Chi Chi reminded him with wide-eyed shock and hands on her hips, "And second, is that I promised my son and daughter-in-law that I would keep an eye on their child until they got back.

"Now," She added with stubborn finality, "Do you see Gohan or Videl anywhere? No, I didn't think so."

Piccolo sighed in exasperation while Pan quietly struggled to decide if she should be excited or disappointed.

"Tch… and just what do you think you could do, if one of these Keepers decided to take you or her as a hostage? Do you plan on fending them off with a frying pan?"

"That is beside the point!" Chi Chi insisted, "The point is that I made a promise, and I plan on keeping it!"

"But Grandma, I wanna go!" Pan could not contain herself any longer, "Training with Mr. Piccolo means I'll get stronger like Papa did!"

"And smarter and more disciplined…" Piccolo supplemented helpfully, "We all know these Saiyans could do with more of that."

"Hehehe…" The little Saiyan chittered devilishly, hoping to emphasize his point; but her grandmother was still not having it.

"I'm sorry, Piccolo; but as solid as your reasoning is, logic's got nothing to do with it. I said I would watch Pan, and that's exactly what I'm going to do."

There was a brief moment of silence that followed as either side seemed to be choosing their next words carefully; but then Piccolo finally spoke while stepping towards the pair.

"Man, I'm getting déjà vu… Come here, ya little runt."

Reaching down and grabbing Pan by the back of her orange dogi as soon as he was close enough, the Saiyan showed no sign of resistance as he started to lift her.

"Wha- Piccolo, what are you doing?!" Chi Chi demanded in protest.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" He quipped while lifting Pan up to eye-level, just so she could see similar grins on both the martial artists' faces, "I'm kidnapping your granddaughter."

"Now, you listen here, mister-" She began until Piccolo suddenly rocketed into the air; and the last she heard from the pair was Pan cheering and shouting an apologetic goodbye.

About two minutes later, the pair were landing at the massive waterfall just north of Grandpa Gohan's old home.

"What are we doing here, Mr. Piccolo?" Pan wondered curiously as he finally released her collar, "I thought you trained Papa somewhere to the west…"

"It is, but we're not going there just yet." He responded informatively, "I might have told your grandmother I will train you; but the truth is, you still have to earn that right."

"I do?" She asked him curiously, "But you already know how strong I am, Mr. Piccolo…"

"Do I?" He asked her seriously, "True strength isn't just about having power, you know. True strength lies in having control of that power, and attaining mastery of it. You might be physically strong because of your Saiyan blood, but is your mind as strong as your muscle?"

"I think it is." Pan admitted flatly.

"So you say," Piccolo conceded before pointing out, "But you weren't smart enough to figure out why we're here yet, were you?"

A brief silence hung over them as Pan tried to come up with any clever sort of guess, but no such moment ever occurred.

"That's what I thought." The Namekian said pointedly before leading her closer to the base of the waterfall.

"Now, do you know how much a ton weighs?" He asked her a leading question, to which she promptly nodded.

"Well, this waterfall drops about three thousand tons of water every second. Only someone with strength and balance could properly stand under such force, but with your…"

"Do you want me to stop the waterfall?" Pan guessed excitedly, "Because I can do that! Lemme give it a try-"

"Not so fast, little missy." He grabbed her by the collar again as soon as she started to rush ahead, "I wasn't finished speaking."

"Oh." She replied apologetically as he released her, "Sorry, Mr. Piccolo…"

"Whatever." He said dismissively before moving on, "What I was trying to say is: I know you have more than enough energy to halt the flow of that water. Hell, you fly multiple times around the world as a routine warm-up exercise; and you were doing that at the age of four! Do you know what your father was doing, when he was that age?"

"I don't think so." She replied curiously, "What did Papa do?"

"Nothing!" Piccolo informed her harshly, "For the first night I trained him, your father spent it crying himself to sleep, all curled up in a little ball like an infant! The only reason I ever put up with training him was because I had no other option!

"But right now, I do have the luxury of other options; and you're older and much stronger than he was, which means I'm going to have higher expectations for you." He concluded without giving her time to process or ask any more questions, "So if you don't pass any of these tests I give you, your training with me will never come to pass as well."

Seeing that Pan's face finally had a serious expression on it, Piccolo decided it was time to give her the first test.

"Now, the first thing I want you to do, is to live inside this waterfall for, let's say… a week, at least."

"A week?!" Pan asked with some surprise, "But I'll definitely get pneumonia like that!"

"Well, it's a good thing my test accounts for that." He retorted, "Because I don't want you to just stand under this thing, I want you to live in it, like I said. Protecting yourself with ki, you are to keep your clothes dry for the entire time. The only time you're allowed to leave the water is to find food; and you can only eat, sleep, or drink inside that waterfall. Not completing the task or failure to follow any of these rules will result in me taking you right back to your grandmother. Understand?"

"I do, but…"

"Is there a problem, little missy?"

"No, but… Do I really have to be in the waterfall when I'm sleeping, too? And to keep my clothes dry, too?"

"I did say that," Piccolo replied bluntly, "But that doesn't mean you'll be able to. Only someone with the utmost control of their ki could maintain an automatic defense like that; and I highly doubt you've got the mental fortitude to pull off a technique of that caliber."

By this point, Pan was itching to prove him wrong, as she had taken way too many hits to her ego in one conversation; but she held firm and patiently waited for him to signal the start, talking tough as she did.

"Whatever you say, Mr. Piccolo; but I'll pass your test, just wait and see!"

"I sure hope so, otherwise I'd have wasted my time arguing with your grandmother back there… Just remember the rules, and know that I'll be watching your every move carefully. The moment even one drop of water touches that gi of yours, the test is failed."

"I get it, Mr. Piccolo." She assured him with vague impatience, "Now, can I get started?"

"In a second," He replied while noting the sun's position in the sky, "See where the sun is now?"

"Huh uh." She confirmed with a nod,.

"That's your stop-clock." He informed her quickly, "On the seventh day, when the sun reaches that exact spot in the sky, is when I'll consider your test a pass. If you haven't drowned like a rat before then, that is…

"Anyway…" He changed the subject, "Are you ready for this?"

"Uh huh." She affirmed with another confident nod.

"Well then, you better get under there." He told her with a shrug toward the water, "Because as of now, your first step to becoming a student of the Great Demon King Piccolo, begins!"

Meanwhile, on the Ice Continent to the far north…

Natsu, Wendy, and Videl were stood panting over a group of five naked, unconscious aliens that were tied up with their backs together in a circle, while the still Blue Super Saiyan Trunks was stood over a pile of five still-armored corpses. Having just finished rounding all their enemies up, the three humans were catching their breath while Trunks was now taking the time to consider their current situation.

"Man, that was a workout…" Videl sighed humorously, which resulted in both wizards' chuckling at her.

"Yeah, no kidding." Wendy readily agreed, "Goten had told me how much stronger the bad people here were than back home, but to experience it first-hand like I just did…"

"Yeah, well, they mighta been tough, but we still won, didn't we?" Natsu could not help but state the obvious, "They had me and you outnumbered so badly, and yet we still beat 'em!"

"True," The Sky Maiden conceded, "But we only survived that because of you and the training you've done here, Natsu…"

"What're you talking about, Wendy? I just did my part. Heck, me and Goten might already have died if you didn't show up when you did…"

"And that would mean Videl and I would've lost to Cosmos then, too; since we'd have had to fight him alone." Trunks agreed to join in on the conversation, "I might not like how you got here, or what happened to my girlfriend's lacrima… But you really did save the day, Wendy. Thank you for that.

"And um, for what's it worth…" He added with a much more apologetic tone, even going so far as to bow to her towards the end of his statement, "I'm very sorry about, well… all the lying and stuff… I was the one that talked Goten into not going back to Earthland until all this drama was settled, you see… But I never imagined that-"

"It's okay, Trunks, seriously." Wendy reassured him as she accepted his apologies, "There's only one person that I blame for all of that; and you are certainly not that man."

"Thank you, Wendy…" Trunks replied with immense gratitude as he raised his head, "Whatever happens next, I swear I'll do whatever it takes to help Goten and keep him alive."

"Yeah, about that…" Natsu chimed in curiously, "What are we gonna do about that? Do we even have a way of knowing where they went?"

"Of course we do." Trunks responded informatively, "I can sense his ki if I focus and do some searching for it; and I've been trying to do just that for the past few minutes -ah! That's it!"

"Wait, you found him already?!" Wendy questioned him skeptically.

"Oh yeah, that's him alright." The demi-Saiyan confirmed resoundingly, "With the amount of power he's putting out right now, there's no way I'd miss it! Cosmos really did take him pretty far though… They're out in another corner of the galaxy."

"Damn." Natsu replied first, "So how do we plan on getting there? Gohan's busy fighting that Casus dude, and you said his dad's energy disappeared; so we can't use that Instant Transmersion thing, can we?"

"Sure can't." Trunks confirmed, "My dad might know the skill though, but we don't have time to fly all the way to back to my place; and I doubt he'd help in this case anyway."

"Why not?" Wendy asked curiously.

"Because he hates using the same tricks as Goku. An on top of that, my father refused to teach me any of the techniques he learned on the Yardrat homeworld… He said that I either had to pick them up from surviving fights against him, or that I had to go to their planet myself and go through the training like he did."

"So like you said, we've got none of those guys around," Natsu concluded with some trepidation, "So what the heck are we gonna do? You don't happen to have a rocket ship on you, do you?"

"I do, actually." Trunks answered matter-of-factly, "But that won't help us either. We'd never get to Goten in time with something like that."

"So then what are we going to do?" Videl wondered aloud, "'Cause right now, it's looking like we'll be waiting until Gohan, Igneel, or Vesta shows up."

"Well, that's not entirely the case…" Trunks began to explain as he picked out a clear, flat patch of ice and began to walk over to it, "I can try tapping into more of Master Igneel's power to use his portal technique, but there's a huge risk in doing that."

"What's that?" Natsu inquired.

"The short answer:" He replied promptly, "Is that the spirit inside my master could reject me, and bad things would happen if that occurred… Master Igneel's power is originally meant only for one person, but whatever created the spirit never accounted for lacrima implant technology; and the spirit itself can be convinced to split its essence, in a manner of speaking…"

"Okay, well…" The Salamander continued his inquiry, "What happens if you get rejected?"

"Best case scenario: I get drained of all my physical energy and magic until I pass out."

"And the worst case scenario?" Videl asked him hesitantly.

"In the worst case, the spirit will consume my life essence, instead of sharing its own."

"And that would kill you, wouldn't it?" Wendy deduced grimly.

"My body would die, yes. But the worst part is that my soul wouldn't go to Otherworld, like everyone else when they die. If I die trying to do this, my mortal spirit will be consumed by Master Igneel's divine essence; and that'll be the end of that."

"Sounds like you better not mess it up." Natsu noted bluntly, which made Trunks chuckle grimly.

"Heh… Well, you aren't wrong… Okay, everyone, stand back. To avoid taking any bigger risk than necessary, I'm only going to make a portal big enough for myself to get through, and then I'm closing it right behind me."

"That's understandable. We'd only get in your way over there anyway." Videl replied intelligently, "But before you do that, take these."

Tossing him two Senzu beans, she continued speaking.

"One's for Goten when you get to him, and you can split the second one after you two kick that Keeper's ass."

"Thanks, Videl." The Saiyan thanked her before taking a few deep breathes and speaking again.

"…Okay… Let's do this."

About two minutes ago, on a red planet at the outer rim of the Milky Way…

Son Goten skipped roughly across red sand and orange rock as another one of Cosmos' attacks had sent him reeling. Hitting his back, left elbow, right knee, and slightly spraining his left ankle on trying to stop his tumbling momentum, the Blue demi-Saiyan could only wince in pain each time he hit the ground until he finally came to a halt some seventy yards from where the Keeper of Space had blasted him.

"Ow." He complained to himself over the faint sizzling noise of his freshly-singed clothes; and though he had endured the last few times Cosmos had knocked him down rather well, this was the first time he was slow to get back up.

"What's the matter, Saiyan?" The Keeper appeared over him in a flash just to taunt him, "Are you getting tired already?"

"Heh…" Goten chuckled as he finished standing up, "Is it that obvious?"

"It would seem that way." The large purple man noted easily.

"Don't worry, though..." His opponent added considerately, "This tank's not outta gas just yet…"

"That may be true," Cosmos conceded thoughtfully, "But I'm pretty sure you've shown me all your ticks by now."

"Yeah?" The demi-Saiyan asked curiously while making eye-contact with the Keeper, "Well, how 'bout this one?

"Solar Flare!"

Goten managed to raise his hands and activate the blinding technique, but Cosmos was surprisingly unaffected. So as soon as Goten made a move to get around the Keeper and attempt to find a weak point, he was easily caught off-guard by the Keeper. Tracking Goten rather easily, Cosmos quickly spun to face the Saiyan before using an open left palm to slam him back into the ground, with the resulting impact cracking the ground a few feet in all directions.

"Gah!" Goten gasped as he hit the ground face and arms first.

"Disappointing." Cosmos remarked flatly before deciding to punt the Saiyan away as he finished speaking, "You thought a light-based trick would work on me? One of my rivals is the Keeper of Light, you fool!"

Goten only landed from the kick because he crashed into a large sixty foot tall stone tower that had formed from thousands of years of wind erosion. And despite everything that tower may have endured over the ages, it all came crumbling down in a matter of seconds once Goten had collided with it.

Once again appearing nearby in a snap, Cosmos quietly watched as the rock formation collapsed inward; and he ended up waiting for quite a long minute before the dirt, rock, and sand finally began to settle. But after a few seconds, there was no sign of movement inside the pile of rubble; so Cosmos decided to clear the wreckage.

Snapping his fingers once, a tiny singularity formed a few feet above the rock pile; and for a brief moment, everything began to be pulled into it until Cosmos thought enough of the debris had been consumed. With another snap of his fingers, the singularity had vanished along with everything it had swallowed; but the only sight Cosmos cared for was the one of his prey laying in a heap. However, that sight had yet to become a reality; as Goten was nowhere to be seen inside the freshly-excavated rubble.

"Hm?" Cosmos grunted curiously, trying to recall when Goten might have moved; but he barely finished the thought when the Blue Super Saiyan came rocketing towards him from the right. Cosmos managed to block a kick from Goten's right foot with ease; but he was not able to block the follow-up strike, which came from Goten using both hands to swing the Nyoibo directly across the Keeper's forehead. There was a sickening crack as Cosmos head lolled back while Goten followed through with the momentum of his swing before landing and hopping backwards to inspect the results of his attack.

Feeling optimistic since Cosmos had seemed to actually recoil from this assault, Goten was quickly disappointed when the Keeper was just as quick to raise his head and reveal there was not even one single slight scratch on his face.

"Hm… that one wasn't so bad." Cosmos remarked with a casual grin; but Goten however, was not feeling as casual.

"Man, what is he made of?" He muttered to himself before asking the Keeper a question related to that thought, "Hey Cosmos, on a scale of one to ten, how much did that hurt?"

"About zero point two." The Keeper answered honestly.

"Really?" The Saiyan sighed sadly, "Are you rounding up or down? Actually, don't bother…"

"Talking isn't going to keep you alive, mortal." Cosmos cut to the chase while tightening and loosening his right fist in a show of force and impatience, "Only fighting will do that."

"I know, I know…" Goten assured him, "I'm just trying to confirm a few things, before I try anything new, anyway."

"Is that so?" The Keeper asked him with interest, "Well, would you care to enlighten me?"

"Not really." The Saiyan said flatly with a shake of his head, "Talking kinda hurts now…"

"How convenient." Cosmos replied skeptically before beginning to lift his right palm at the Saiyan. If Goten was not going to take the initiative and attack, Cosmos was going to force him to, "But tell me, Saiyan: How do you plan to survive this next attack?"

A crimson ki sphere double the size of Goten's head appeared between them; and the Saiyan was beginning to sweat internally when a sudden miracle happened.

"Yeah, this one mig-"

"That's enough, Cosmos!" Trunks Briefs' voice could suddenly be heard from behind the Keeper, "Harm him any further, and you will regret it!"

Slightly turning his head left to see the second Blue Super Saiyan in his peripheral, the Keeper still kept his ki attack readied as he scoffed at Trunks' apparent arrogance.

"Ha, he thinks to command me… Tell me Saiyan, why shouldn't I reduce your criminal friend to space dust? He's already shown me the limits of his power, so I have no use for him anymore."

"And that's where you're wrong, Cosmos." Trunks informed him pointedly, "First off, the concept of a 'limit' doesn't apply to Saiyans like us! And secondly, if you killed Goten right now, then he and I wouldn't be able to give you the honorable and entertaining fight you so desire. That is what you want, right? Otherwise, you'd have just killed us both with your space magic and gone home like nothing ever happened."

Seeing the logic in Trunks' words, the dark red ball of energy disappeared the next second.

"You better go to your friend, boy." He uttered a warning as he gestured behind himself, "Before I decide to change my mind."

"Say no more…" Goten said while already having begun to move, and he leapt over to stand beside his friend in the blink of an eye before speaking again, "Man, you took your sweet time getting here, didn't you? How's Wendy?"

"She's fine; but what kind of thanks is that, you ungrateful ass?" Trunks retorted, "Next time, how about you say something like: 'Gee, thanks Trunks! I was pathetically getting my ass beat, until you showed up!'"

"Yeah, like you'd ever hear me say something like that…" Goten dismissed him playfully before changing the subject, "Are you ready to do this, Trunks? We're not gonna beat him unless we go with that move…"

"Are you sure?" His best friend replied cautiously, "Because I gotta shut off my magic for us to do that; and we won't have an escape route when that happens…"

"We won't need an escape route if we win."

"That's a big if!"

"Yeah, well… our problems are never small, are they?"

"Fair enough…"

"Are you two done chatting over there?" The Keeper finally interrupted, "My patience wears thin."

"Just a minute!" Goten boldly requested before Trunks offered him a Senzu bean.

"You know what to do with this, so be quick about it. We need as much power as we can get, even with that move."

"Right." Goten readily agreed as he caught the food item and did as instructed, "Thanks."

Feeling all the pain and fatigue vanish from his body the next instant, the younger demi-Saiyan instinctively did a few stretches just to appreciate the feeling while Trunks decided to quickly say something to him.

"Just so you know, before we do this… You have to promise me something: if even that move doesn't work, don't do anything to protect me, understand? I swore to Wendy that you'd survive this, and that's exactly what's gonna happen."

"Trunks, I-"

"Swear it, dammit. Or we'll both die here once that guy's finally lost his patience!"

"Fine, Trunks, I promise." He conceded as they both untied the weapon cases on their backs and dropped them side-by-side, "No heroics. Now, are you ready?"

"Of course. Are you?"

"Duh!"

The now disarmed Saiyan pair matched their ki levels and slightly shuffled away from each other before taking the exact same starting poses and speaking in unison.

"I hope you're ready, Cosmos, 'cause we're about to kick your ass!

"FU-SION-HA!"

Meanwhile, above the Yunzabit coastline…

"What the hell are you?!" Casus demanded from his foe, who currently had a vice grip on the faux Trunks' neck, "How do you have so much power?!"

"Years of effort and training." Son Gohan informed him with a deadpanned expression, "And with help from my friends, of course.

"But," The Saiyan added while tightening his grip rather harshly, "That's not why I'm using this much power against you. That's only happening because you threatened my friends."

Creating a fist-sized yellow ball of ki with his free hand, Gohan brought the orb against the Keeper's gut before detonating it at the same time he loosened his grip. The result was that Casus went careening backwards until Gohan warped behind him only to slap him downwards with the back of a hand again. Then, using that same hand, Gohan swiftly filled it with another small ki sphere before lobbing the energy at the Keeper; and he once again had to risk the urge to smirk as the following explosion engulfed his foe.

Not waiting for the smoke to clear, Gohan darted into it while using his massive aura to feel out the specific location of his opponent; and within an instant he was on the Keeper again, this time catching the fake Trunks by the back of the head and delivering a rather brutal punch to the center of his spine at almost the exact same time.

"Ack!" Casus gasped with wide-eyed shock at the pain; but once again, his attacker never let up.

Grunting with a bit of effort, Gohan next hurtled the Keeper back into the water far below before quickly following it up with a one-handed Masenko. Casus, who was just starting to recover and halt his momentum, looked up to see the bright yellow beam streaking towards him like a meteorite falling from the sky; so he instinctively abandoned the attempt to halt his momentum, deciding to take advantage of it instead. Rolling his body and steering himself hard to his left with a burst of ki, the Keeper was about to celebrate his successful evasion when he noticed too late that the yellow energy was actually tracking him. As soon as the Keeper had diverted his course, the yellow ki wave bent its own trajectory and continued to give chase until it collided with Casus the next instant.

Gohan watched as the explosion shot water dozens of feet into the air before he decided to warp to his opponent again. Seeing that the Keeper had partially shielded himself from the blast, the Saiyan quickly put his hands together at his side before unleashing another large ki attack, this time it being the signature Kamehameha.

This time, having not enough time to recover from the first blast meant that Casus was completely unprepared for the point-blank attack that first struck right at the center of his back; and he could only yell in pain as the ki wave carried him out the water and back into the sky before exploding. The Keeper's explosive ascent continued for a few yards before he noticed that a large volley of yellow ki orbs were chasing him; and he only had the time to get a weak defense up before this new barrage struck him from various angles below, singing and concussing him one-by-one until sixty explosions had occurred in the span of a quarter-minute.

This time waiting until he could see his opponent, Gohan allowed the smoke to clear to learn that the Keeper was still conscious; but he was certainly weaker by this point. Casus' breathing was heavy, and tiny singed bits of flesh were still smoldering at various parts of his body; but the biggest sign of the Keeper's exhaustion was that the Trunks-copy was no longer identical to the original, as the doppelgänger's skin was now spotty in coloring.

"So you're still in one piece, huh?" Gohan observed neutrally, "Not bad, for a Keeper."

"Ngh…" Casus grunted in pained protest, "Don't you… look down… on me!"

Deciding to try his luck with another desperate attack, the faulty Trunks copy began to raise his left hand and aim it at Gohan when suddenly another Gohan appeared before him.

"Wha-?!" He began until his apparently second opponent grabbed his left wrist and squeezed it with a disarming amount of force, "A-Ah! How-"

Once again, the Keeper found himself interrupted by the arrival of yet another Gohan, with this third one appearing just to deliver one heavy punch right to Casus' gut while the second held him in place.

"Gah!" He gasped in shock as he went limp; and the second Gohan moved his grip from the Keeper's wrist to the back of his neck before he choked out another few words, "There are… three… of you?"

"There sure are." All three of them said in unison; but then the Gohan from below, the original one, took the lead.

"I know it seems unfair," He called out as he slowly ascended to join the group, "But you should feel kinda honored, actually; because this is me taking you serious…"

The Keeper chuckled in pain before Gohan continued.

"No, seriously. Igneel had told me you were the sneakiest of the Keepers, aside from Claris, anyway… And unfortunately for you, I know a certain Majin that has skin that works quite like yours does; and I know all too well the bizarre things he can do with just his body alone…"

"Keh…" Casus laughed painfully, "You've got everything accounted for, don't you?"

"Eh, not everything." The Saiyan admitted with a shrug, "But when it comes to dealing with someone like you, simple mistakes are what kills people. The moment someone shows a weakness, or they let their guard slip, that's when you strike…"

"So then…" The Keeper asked him curiously between labored breathes, "Why not do the smart thing? You should erase me… and be done with it."

"Because we have questions." The second Gohan replied while making eye contact.

"And you have answers." The third Gohan added from behind.

"If you think I'd tell you anything to betray the mistress, you're sorely mistaken."

"The mistress? You mean Chronas?" The original Gohan asked from off to the right, "Oh, I don't need any more information on her; I know the world of problems she's going to cause later… No, the person I want to know about is the Seventh, your true leader."

"I see…" The Keeper replied cautiously, "Yes, Cerberus did let that slip, didn't he? Oh, well… That's all you'll learn from us anyway… Argh!"

Just before Casus finished speaking, the second Gohan tightened his grip; and the sound of bones sliding out of place punctuated the Keeper's wincing and yelping.

"Are you sure about that, Casus?" The third Gohan asked him coolly, "Tell me, do you know what kind of immortal are you? If I erased every single cell in your body, would you magically reappear intact?"

"I would…" Casus informed him, "But it is a rather… harrowing… experience…"

"You make it sound like it's happened to you before." The second Gohan observed aloud.

"Regrettably…" The Keeper admitted honestly, "But still… It beats the alternative."

"Being dead? You're probably right." The original Gohan deduced correctly, "Yeah, even now, I have this weird empty feeling, like I'm not complete."

"That's because you aren't." Casus explained, "When you die, you become a part of Otherworld. It's how the kais and their minions can normally do whatever they want with you when you die. The side effect is that a dead person will never feel whole unless they're in Otherworld, even if they'd been allowed to keep their bodies."

"Interesting," the same Gohan replied, "But, that can't be entirely accurate. I didn't feel this empty the whole time I've been here. I only felt it when my family and friends weren't around…"

"Is that so?" The Keeper asked curiously, "Well, you must be a rather rare individual indeed. It makes me less angry about my current predicament, actually…"

"How?" Gohan inquired, "What does that mean?"

"Hehe… You've not realized it yourself?" Casus wondered with honest amusement, "You haven't, have you? Well, that's to be expected, I suppose… You were originally just a mortal playing with powers beyond his station, after all…"

"What are you talking about, Casus? What haven't I realized?"

"Ha… what a laugh…" The Keeper chuckled again before looking to the Gohan to his right, "The great Keeper of Sound, beaten by a guy that doesn't even realize what he is… I tried to mention this earlier, but you just brushed it off.

"You're not mortal anymore, Son Gohan. That halo, and that empty feeling of death, even your body… It's all limits you've unconsciously placed on yourself…"

"Again, Casus, what do you mean by that?" The Saiyan repeated.

"What I mean is that you need to learn spirit control! I'm sure you remember the fight against Planet-Eater Moro, and all that he could do? Either way, your friend Vegeta could probably explain it better to you; but I will say… since you've already perfected multi-form and instant transmission… you've got a rather decent head start, at least…"

"You're referring to the training Vegeta completed on Yardrat?"

"I am; but… I've said enough. I'll not run my mouth any more like that honor-bound nitwit, Cerberus, had. Just erase me now, and send me back to the mistress… I admit my defeat here, but I will not return to her ashamed, at the very least. I'm not sure if even she had accounted for something like you to show up, and she controls all of time…"

Taking a long, considering look at the Keeper, the first Gohan debated giving the Keeper what he wanted. The third Gohan however, was still a bit suspicious of his seemingly easy victory. Deciding to start descending to inspect the area far below them, just in case the Keeper planned on secretly leaving unharmed pieces of himself somewhere nearby; the third Gohan only actually lowered himself to the Keeper's knee level when suddenly the Trunks' clone returned to his browned-silver primordial state, attempting to latch onto the second Gohan's wrist.

Realizing that his hand had already been latched onto by what used to be the faux demi-Saiyan's neck, the second Gohan tried to vent loads of energy out his body, hoping to force the Keeper off him; but when that didn't work, he did the only other thing he could think of. Using his right hand, the second Gohan chopped his own left arm off at the elbow; and he grunted in intense pain as he darted backwards until he was safe and standing beside his original self.

Slightly surprised by the desperate act, the Keeper was quickly trying to put itself back together when all three Gohan's unleased their counterattack, which came from three separate Kamehameha's converging right where the gray gooey mass was floating with Gohan's arm. The lower blast redirected their attacks upward; but the two beams that were originally fired horizontally were what did the most damage. Not having enough energy to protect itself this time, Casus was pulled into the first two beams a fraction of a second before the third joined in; and the Keeper had already begun to disintegrate from the heat and force well before it was being dragged skyward as well. In a matter of seconds, the Keeper was destroyed before it could even finish the bizarre screeching noise it made in pain; and the only noise to follow after would be Gohan's, as he decided to speak with himself once a few more seconds had passed.

"Well, so much for our fountain of information…"

"Yeah, no kidding." The second him agreed grimly, "And look what it cost me. I just had to blow my arm away…"

"You can just come back to me, you know." Gohan reminded himself.

"I know, but if did that, I wouldn't be me anymore…"

"We're all you." The other two Gohan's said pointedly.

"Ah, you know what I meant." The other quietly whined dismissively before quickly changing the subject, "But seriously, we shouldn't waste time anyway."

"He's got a point there." The third Gohan agreed, "One of us can search for Igneel, see what's taking him so long; and I can head to Bulma's. It sounded like we've got some business with Vegeta, so I figured we should get a head start on that, too."

"Okay," The second Gohan quickly decided, "Then that just leaves the task of catching up to Trunks and Videl. It looks like they reached Natsu, but why is there another ki as well? And why's it so familiar? Oh, well… Guess I'll just find out."

"H-hey, no, wait-" The original Gohan began to say until the one-armed version of himself warped away without listening, "Just… a… minute…"

"Man…" The third Gohan remarked dejectedly, "Videl is not gonna be happy when she sees him."

About seven minutes, on the world at the edge of the galaxy…

"Oh-ho…" The Keeper of Space said delightedly, feeling more than a bit surprised at the moment, "So that's their trump card… the dance of the Metamorese… This might actually be a rather interesting development…"

By the time Cosmos had finished thinking aloud, the new Blue Super Saiyan had already been revealed, and he was already doing stretches before he decided to finally speak.

"So you know what those two just did, huh?" Gotenks spoke as if someone just complimented him, "Well that's cool; but it's not really going to help you, you know. You're fighting me now."

"I sure hope so." Cosmos quipped casually before making an inviting gesture as he continued, "Now, come at me."

"Hehe, sorry, pal… That's not the way I play…" The fused Saiyan replied while idly scratching the inside of his ear with his pinky finger, playing the fool for a brief instant until he added, "But I don't think you understood what I just said. I'm already 'coming at you', dummy.

"Super-Secret Galactic Donut Assault, go!"

Realizing a moment too late that his opponent had discreetly directed a ki attack from underground, Cosmos was unable to prevent the four gold rings of ki that rose up around him from the red ground below; and he was immediately constricted by them the next instant.

"Excellent!" Gotenks cheered before hurriedly moving into action, "Now, let's see how you like a Die-Die Missile Barrage!"

Firing a volley of twenty-five white-blue beams of ki at the frozen Keeper, the Saiyan did not wait for smoke to clear before he rushed in and started punching and kicking. At least fifteen strikes connected before Gotenks began a volleyball combination.

"Ready-" He said just as he finished the barrage and delivered an uppercut strong enough to send Cosmos skyward,

"Set-" He caught up to Cosmos and redirected his flight sideways with double palm strike.

"Spike!" He said as he reappeared in front the Keeper again; and as he shouted, he slammed his fist against the Keeper's jaw before the impact blasted the purple man back down to earth.

"And for the finisher: Super Kamehame-HA!"

The light blue beam of ki shot downward was as wide as a freight train, but the force behind it was easily millions of times stronger than a train's; and the resulting explosion when it reached its destination created a crater a half-mile wide, with the shockwave even slightly shoving its creator higher into the air.

"Whew…" Gotenks whistled in surprise, "I think I might've overdone it just a bit, there…"

Waiting a couple more seconds until all the debris and dust could settle, the Saiyan was surprised to see that Cosmos seemed completely unharmed, save for the fact he was still on the ground being held in place by the Saiyan's golden ki. But after making eye-contact across the considerable gap between them, the Keeper finally began to move; and Gotenks watched with a bit more surprise as Cosmos managed to break all four ki rings with only a moment of concentrated effort.

"Damn, none of that did anything to him?" The fused Saiyan wondered with vague frustration as Cosmos slowly stood back up, "What the hell's he made of?"

"Eons of training and combat experience," Cosmos answered him, slightly surprising Gotenks when he warped before the Saiyan, "What else are we, if not our actions?"

"What does that mean, old man?" the Saiyan asked skeptically.

"Well, you can't very well judge someone by just their thoughts, can you? You can only decide someone's worth by hearing them speak and seeing the things they actually do. You might know who you are; but there's always another you, inside someone else's mind. And in some ways, that other you is more important, isn't he?"

"I guess." Gotenks replied inattentively before deciding to interrupt the Keeper, "But you know, before you do all the bad-guy monologuing like you've got the upper-hand… We should probably talk about how I'm finally gonna take this seriously."

"Oh? So you were holding back?" Cosmos said with a tone that suggested he already knew that fact.

"Oh, yeah. Quite a bit." The Saiyan confirmed with a nod, "But this actually kinda sucks… I know Blue Two isn't gonna hurt you either."

"Blue Two?" Cosmos repeated the words curiously.

"That's what the dumb half of me calls the ascended form of the Blue Super Saiyan. See?"

Easily changing into the new form as he spoke, Gotenks' spiky blue hair became a bit spikier, and the radiance of his stunning blue aura intensified as his hair changed to a deeper shade of blue. After that, sparks began to occasionally crackle around the Saiyan as he spoke again.

"Neat, right? Well, there's another form even greater than this one: a third stage of the Blue Super Saiyan."

"I see." The seven foot man replied with interest, "And judging by your hesitation to use it, I imagine there's a drawback."

"A big one." The Saiyan admitted with just a hint of bitterness before his confident tone quickly recovered, "But… it looks like I don't have many options anyway, so here goes….

"Haaaaa…" Gotenks began to yell as he raised his power at an intense rate.

Around the two warriors, a bizarre sandstorm began to rage as the Saiyan's immense output of energy warped the sky above and glassed the sand below; but the windstorm only endured for the two and a half minutes Gotenks spent raising his power level, until with one final burst and shout, he suddenly cleared the entire surrounding area of everything but the orange rock layer hidden under the red sand.

Floating over a seven-foot tall and ten-yard wide pile of molten red glass, an eyebrow-less, knee-length haired Saiyan panted heavily as his dark royal-blue aura crackled frequently with sparks and white-hot burning particles of air.

"Heh, I did it…" Gotenks celebrated as his breathing steadied; and he smirked upon seeing that his opponent was only just now lowering their guard.

"Indeed," The Keeper remarked observantly, "But I see that you were not lying about the cost as well. That was quite an amount of divine energy you just wasted, venting it all out like that… I can only imagine your stamina took a similar loss, as well…"

"Yeah, it might've…" The Saiyan reluctantly admitted before snapping back to his more confident self and taking a fighting stance as he spoke again, "But that doesn't really matter. Right now, the only thing I gotta worry about is kicking your ass!"

Not waiting for his opponent to take an opposing stance, Gotenks launched forward aggressively with the intent of punching his opponent square in the jaw with a right hook; but he was slightly surprised when the Keeper finally made his first real defensive move, countering the Saiyan's punch by meeting it head-on with his own right-fisted strike. The resulting collision created a shockwave that simply erased everything nearby, with even the very air vanishing into nothingness within a thirty yard radius. All the molten glass was now deleted from existence, and a new crater in the orange rock below was carved out; but neither of the warriors were concerned with their surroundings at the moment.

"Well, well, well," Gotenks asked his foe with a chuckle, "It looks like you're finally taking this seriously…"

"Indeed, I shall." Cosmos admitted with a similar grin on his face, "Feel honored, mortal. There aren't even many gods worthy of such an occasion."

"Gee, thanks, I guess." The Saiyan replied dismissively before adding a more eager tone to his next sentence, "You ready for this?"

"I am." Cosmos said with a nod.

The next moment, the two briefly exchanged grins before using their still-connected fists to push themselves apart; and they immediately launched back at each other, both launching volleys of punches and jabs. Over the hundreds of strikes performed, every single attack from one warrior collided with one from the other; but the two continued undaunted, with the only slow-down coming from an occasional kicking or kneeing.

The surrounding environment was not enduring as well as the warriors were, however; as the energy and force of their attacks constantly meeting spread ruin slowly across the red planet's surface. Where things had been erased in only a thirty yard radius earlier, that radius was now slowly expanding as the barrages continued. Soon it was forty yards, then fifty, then sixty and so on. Below the two combatants, the size of the crater's rim and depth continued to expand; and it kept doing so as the two showed no signs of stopping. In fact, the two fighters only began to slow after the crater below them was a half-mile wide.

Deciding the current approach was not going to work for either of them, Cosmos eventually decided to catch Gotenks' fists instead of simply stopping them; but as soon as he did so, Gotenks reflexively leapt up and head-butted the man right on the bridge of his nose. Feeling his nose crack, the Keeper slightly recoiled and loosened his grip on the Saiyan, who hastily took advantage of the moment. Using the large purple man's body as a kind of ramp, Gotenks kicked his way up Cosmos until he finished the movement up with a back-flipping kick to his opponent's jaw; and this time, the impact was enough to make the Keeper release him. Wasting no time at all, the fused Saiyan finished his flip by starting another attack and its call-out.

"Take this! Burning… Kamehameha!"

Not able to react as quickly as he desired, Cosmos was forced to block the white-blue torrent of energy; but he decided to only use one hand to hold back them attack. Still managing to hold the ki wave back at the moment, the Keeper used his free hand to hurl a large red orb of ki around the blue energy. Gotenks was caught almost completely unawares of the attack that hit him, while Cosmos' own guard faltered as well. The Keeper was shoved back a few yards before the blue ki exploded against him, while the energy Gotenks formed a last-second guard against had simply exploded upon impact. Both combatants were thrown slightly further from each other, but they both managed to recover and halt their momentum at the same instant; and it was only in another blink-of-an-eye that they collided again.

One punch, one jab, one elbow, one knee… the two continued to mirror each other's strikes; and the crater below slowly began to resume expanding, until Gotenks' next move practically jump-started it.

"You're pretty good at punching, Cosmos; but let's see just how good! Wolf Fang Fist!"

Once again, a new high-speed exchange of punches and jabs began with more than twice the intensity and speed from before; but despite that fact, neither warrior seemed to lag behind. By the time Gotenks would make his next move, the crater the two created was a mile wide.

"Tch, screw this!" The Saiyan swore with vague impatience before suddenly backing off and dashing around the Keeper the next instant, leaving after-images behind in a full circle around Cosmos as he did. The Keeper might have been fooled by the visual ploy for a moment; but when Gotenks finally launched at him from the right, Cosmos simply spun and caught the Saiyan's punch.

"Not bad, Saiyan…" The Keeper complimented him honestly before firmly latching onto his opponent's hand and throwing them the next instant, "But it's not good enough!"

Desperately trying to halt his momentum, Gotenks only had a split-second to shield himself from a new, crimson beam of ki Cosmos fired from his mouth as a follow-up attack; and the fused Saiyan could just barely be heard grunting in pain as the resulting explosion overtook him.

Waiting for the smoke to clear, Cosmos quietly watched until his opponent was revealed; and though he was a little surprised the Saiyan was still in one piece, he was even more surprised by the ten ghost-like Gotenks that flanked the Saiyan.

"Keeheehee…" The ki ghosts chuckled devilishly, with each one making similar arrogant expressions with either their faces or their posture; but the real Gotenks in the center seemed much more focused, and a bit less confident as well.

"You're pretty incredible, you know…" The Saiyan felt compelled to compliment his foe, "My arms are still stinging from that last attack."

"And my palms are still sore from that Wolf Fang technique of yours…" The Keeper matched his foe's honesty.

"Thanks, but I can't call that one 'mine'." Gotenks informed him, "It might surprise you, but I actually picked that up from one of those 'weak mortals' you're not such a fan of."

"Hmph." Cosmos almost sounded dismissive until he kept talking, "You're right that I spare no time for weaklings; but that does not mean I'm ignorant of their uses. Everything weak exists to better the strong; and everything strong exists to rule the weak. This is a core tenet of the Keepers; and we are the ones meant to maintain that balance."

"Oh, really?" Gotenks asked pointedly, "Well then, why aren't you? Why do we have to deal with all these gods and angels when you guys were here before them?"

"Because the gods became soft." The Keeper explained matter-of-factly, though he sounded faintly irritated as well, "For hundreds of thousands of years, the Keepers did reign above all; and we didn't even have this powerful magic the six of us currently rely on. The angels were once our attendants; and the gods of destruction trained solely to be our successors while we did their job for them, and enjoyed all the glory...

"But the gods, starting with the kais, grew fonder of their mortal playthings as time went on; and eventually, even some of the destroyer gods started to show compassion for them. This one simple fact proved to be our undoing…

"You see, to the Keepers, the mortals were nothing but livestock in a grand experiment. The simple fact was, the gods felt they could only understand themselves better if they studied other beings similar to themselves; so they created the perfect 'guinea pigs', as you would call them…

"Creating more life lead to more unique instances of life, and the universes were quickly filled with it. The more diverse the life became, the more discoveries were made… For the Keepers, the only practical use we ever had for studying mortals were with watching the odd 'legendary' warriors and sages -people who created new and rather creative ways to succeed in combat. Aside from the rare specimen, you mortals only ever crossed our paths when you wandered outside the pens your creators kept for you."

"Hmph," Gotenks grunted dismissively, "Some shepherd you turned out to be…"

"Indeed." Cosmos reluctantly agreed, "For all the guidance we could offer the other beings, even the angels began to stray from their original designs. And then, there were the rare breed of mortals… People like you…

"None were near as strong as you are, but their number was plenty; and not many of them valued their relatively short lives. Their tenacity and cunning made them just as dangerous as even the most powerful angel. It didn't help that by then, a handful of them had been trained as successors to angels and destroyers. And then, there was the god Zalama and his mortal Dragon Clan… They were a factor that not even our master accounted for…"

"'Zalama'?" Gotenks repeated the name curiously, "Is that the guy that made the first Dragon Balls or something? The smart half of me learned that from his mom, I think…"

"That is indeed the god I speak of," The Keeper confirmed before resuming his tale,

"Though he was not the first god to create life, he was one of the first to create mortals out of their own flesh and blood; and he loved his people far more than he loved his duties as a god. Instead of trying to maintain the peace and stability we Keepers had created, he constantly searched for ways to strengthen and protect 'his people', no matter the consequence; and like you and your wizard friends, he began gathering with and exchanging information on mortals from all the universes until he had finally mastered the one skill that gave him a power with near limitless capabilities: he learned how to create the magic wish orbs that you now call the Super Dragon Balls.

"All at once, our subjects suddenly began to defy us… Angels formed a plan with the gods to install the infant Zeno as the next Omni-King; and then they recruited mortal warriors and wizards to their cause, all while Zalama's clan concocted the diversion that ultimately led to our downfall. The kais started with a peaceful approach, the weaklings… Asked for our leader to see reason and show compassion for those lesser than us, but our master only respected the strong; and as a result, the fools had to begin their coup without the element of surprise."

"You're master?" The Saiyan interrupted curiously again, "You mean this 'mistress' Chronas you mentioned?"

"I do not." The large man answered with a prompt shake of his head, "Normally, I would not be allowed to reveal this much, but you have earned my respect as a warrior; so I will make an exception for you, whether that offends my mistress or not, is my problem. But no… Chronas is not the true master of the Keepers, though she was there from the beginning like myself and Casus.

"Our master was the most powerful being in all the universes, an Omni-King; and unlike your Grand Zeno, he could do so much more than simply erase things from existence. Those six singular powers we Keepers use now, they once all belonged to our King, and more… With merely a thought, reality would bend to my master's will. With the powers of Space he created cosmic entities in seconds, and combined with Time it rendered him nearly omniscient. With Life and Death he kept the natural order in line, applying both to whatever situation required them; and the powers of Light and Sound, though he did occasionally use them for punitive purposes like Death would be, they were mainly meant to complement Time and Space in aiding him with the supervision of his domain.

"But putting all the powers together resulted in a seventh, nearly infinite power… Erasure and immunity from it, dimensional traversal, granting and obtaining immortality, creating planets and filling them with whole civilizations within minutes, the list goes on. But alas… although the master could create, read, and play with as many minds as he wanted, he could never control one's will directly… And after Zalama used the Dragon Balls to save the gods and their nearly failed revolt, our master was forced to remain in one time and within one physical body, rendering him vulnerable with very weakened magic as well.

"Angered upon discovering this, our master unleashed his wrath on Zalama and the Dragon Clan. He pulled Zalama's very life essence out the god's body and cast it into a random universe, deeming him unworthy of ever finding peace. But just before he did that, my master culled the Dragon Clan to near extinction and then wiped the name Zalama from the memories of the survivors. He wanted Zalama to know that his people would never honor him, despite all he'd done for them; and then he ended the traitorous fool's physical existence.

"But our master had been deceived… Zalama made it seem as if the Dragon Clan were the ones to orchestrate the whole rebellion; so we never expected that the angels, a normally neutral faction, would suddenly rally mortals and reinforce the nearly defeated gods. We Keepers began to crumble under the weight of all three factions; so our master tried desperately to erase all the rebels' memories, like he had with the Dragon Clan… And it almost worked, but the rebellion was careful in their planning.

"You see, Zalama knew his people would likely suffer for his crimes; so he laid down plans that accounted for all sorts of punishments, even with ones factoring in his own death… Just before Zalama used the Super Dragon Balls to weaken our master, his eldest 'son' took a small portion of them to create the Namekian Dragon Balls, which he then loaned to his allies with the intent they eventually be returned to their rightful inheritors in the Dragon Clan.

"And though that new set of Dragon Balls had the ability to grant three wishes, their creator's power was much weaker than his own maker, so these wish orbs could only make three people immune to our master's powers per wish. Knowing all this, the angels wished for six gods' immunity; and then they spent the last wish on doing the same for Zeno and two mortal witches.

"While we Keepers struggled to defeat the powerful angels and their crafty mortal compatriots that guarded Zeno, our master was left to battle the gods on his own; and just when we thought his attempt to make the rebels forget their grievances and abandon the conflict was successful, all nine of those immune made their move as soon as we lowered our guard and moved to secure their would-be King

"In a defensive reflex, Zeno erased every Keeper he could see around him; and the gods and witches restored their allies' memories while we recovered from the shock of our loss… The rebels not immune rushed what was left of us Keepers while their eight leaders challenged our master to one final battle. In the end, they could not defeat him with physical strength alone; so one of the two witches gave their own life to cast a binding spell on Master, planning to steal his power and give a portion of it to each of those six gods… But a few of us Keepers were close enough to notice what was happening, and we desperately raced to interfere.

"Unfortunately, we failed to stop the first witch from casting their spell; but exactly six of us, our master's finest… We attacked those six gods and managed to intercept our master's divided powers that were meant for them; and then to protect our weakened King, we made the only move we could… With all six of us working in tandem, we were able to recreate our master's infinite magics; and then we used it seal our master inside ourselves, splitting his immortal essence between us in the process.

"The woman you would know now as Chronas, she deduced the second witch was meant to cast a similar sealing spell after their comrade casted the binding spell; but the mortal hesitated when their allies' plan went awry, giving us the opportunity to do what we did. Chronas suggested her plan quickly, and the other five of us quickly acted on it. If our master was about to be locked away by anyone, it should at least be by the ones trying to keep him safe."

"And that's how you guys are immortal?" Gotenks concluded, "All six Keepers have a piece of your leader inside you? Sounds kinda creepy…"

"You may jest, but what we did saved ourselves and our master." Cosmos retorted, "Us Keepers can now only die when we consciously decide to; and as such: myself, Chronas, and the being called Casus have lived on and persevered throughout the eons, keeping in mind our one true goal and purpose: the protection of our King. Seeing they couldn't kill us, and with our King sealed away anyway, those loyal to Zeno and his new Grand Priest had not many reasons to continue the fight. We can't undo the binding spell on Master's magic, so there's no point unsealing him when he'd still be weakened; and then to us Keepers, there was still the lingering threat of Zalama's magic. Well before we'd be able to kill everyone that was a rebel, the gods or angels would be able to regather the Super Dragon Balls and use them to weaken or imprison us, too. Our only option was to make peace."

"So let me guess," The fused Saiyan stated curiously, "In return for you Keepers' surrendering, the gods let you guys do your own thing in secret, as long as you didn't bring your leader back."

"Correct." Cosmos nodded affirmatively, "In practice, though, the gods of destruction had finally stepped up; and up until the last hundred years or so, they, the kais, and the angels have all done their best to maintain the borders and laws that we Keepers had strived so hard to maintain -meaning… there simply wasn't much need to do our old jobs. But now, the gods have grown soft again; and even the rather heartless angels have befriended mortals…

"At first I felt scorn towards those that had forgotten us, and the mutual respect we shared with them." The Keeper admitted calmly, "But now, as a few powerful, mortal races like you Saiyans have begun to appear… I can not help but wonder if all this was merely the work of history repeating itself.

"It can't be coincidence that your people on Earth, some of the strongest living mortals we'd ever encountered, also happen to be fast friends with Zalama's descendants. To add to that, you've made friends among the gods and angels; and just recently, your families have brought wizards and witches back into the mix as well. The framework for the old rebellion has come together once more. But this time, the gods and angels have wisely decided to step aside and let you mortals fend for themselves for once. If you want to live freely, you'll have to free yourself."

"Then we'll do just that." Gotenks remarked decisively, "Now, is the history lesson over yet? 'Cause I'm kinda running outta time over here…"

"Oh, that is right: the fusion dance only lasts for thirty minutes, at most…" Cosmos recalled plainly before surprisingly adding, "But it doesn't matter now; this fight is over."

"Huh?" The Saiyan and his clones replied confusedly, still hesitating to lower their guard as Gotenks continued speaking for the group, "Whaddaya mean, it's over?"

"It means what you think it means." The Keeper explained casually, "Fighting you now would benefit neither of us. You won't be able to defeat me before the fusion runs out, and I need to conserve my energy if I'm to fight the other Saiyans like you. I can see now that I was foolish to give you all time to train; and here, you can even have this back."

Snapping his fingers once more, Cosmos made the four-star Dragon Ball appear in his right hand; and he promptly tossed it to the fused Saiyan as he spoke.

"Originally, I planned to let your and your friends train to your hearts' content, just to undo it all with the help of the Dragon Balls I'd also take from you. It would have been cruel, but a rather fitting way to punish criminals such as yourselves. However, the more I've learned of you, the more I've come to respect you Saiyans. And it may be rather foolish of me; but there's a part of me that wishes to fight you again, once you've perfected that new form of yours.

"So that's what I will do." Cosmos finished his explanation with clear resolve, "Mistress Chronas may not like it, but I will spare you now; and I eagerly await our reunion at the final battle."

Before Gotenks could question his opponent any further, the Keeper snapped his fingers one more time; and the fused Saiyan was instantly returned to Earth with the seventh Dragon Ball in hand.

"So," Cosmos continued talking as Gotenks' ki ghosts turned into puffs of smoke and vanished, "Who else is here, watching me?"

Looking down far into the crater below, the Keeper could sense a faint magical presence coming from it.

"Come on out, you damned coward. I know you're not Casus, and that thing is the only annoying sneaky rat I'll ever tolerate!"

"Hey, hey… Take it easy on the insults there, my friend..." A certain red-haired god called back as he quickly widened and appeared from the tiny portal he had been spying from, "I didn't end up eavesdropping on purpose, I swear."

"Hmph." The Keeper grunted dismissively as he slowly descended to meet the uninvited guest.

"No, seriously." Iga added with a more honest tone, "My new friends and I were just about to rush in and save Gotenks until you suddenly started spewing a fountain of info; but I did hear that part about fighting the rest of us too…"

"So you've finally decided to step out and face me yourself, then?" Cosmos guessed curiously before adding a remark, "It's a foolish choice you've made, but it's certainly bold as well; and that I can respect. Just tell me one thing: how is it that your magic seems to be so similar to our Claris'? That was light magic you just used, is it not? Don't tell me that lazy glutton loaned her power to you…"

"Man, you're pretty quick for a giant meathead like you, aren't you?" Iga quipped dismissively, "Yes, my magic is quite a lot like the Keeper of Light's; but Claris is not yours anymore -and if I hear you talk about her like that again, bad things'll happen to you, I promise."

"Oh? Is she someone special to you?" The Keeper observed curiously, "That's rather odd, considering how long she's been one of us…"

"Yeah, well… me and Claris go waaay back," The immortal god admitted proudly, "Actually, that ridiculous appetite of hers is something she picked up after training with me, back when she had her first life. So I kinda take offense to that word 'glutton', you get me?"

"I do, but that won't stop my saying it." Cosmos retorted stubbornly, "That woman's laziness, combined with the fact that Chronas constantly spoiled her, meant that Casus, Chaos, and myself had to pick up her slack while poor Cerberus would be left with all the grunt work we'd normally all split."

"And I believe you, pal." Iga conceded, "She did admit that she wasn't her best self at the time…"

"So you say," The Keeper remarked ignorantly once again, "But I still can't imagine there's a better version of her, either…"

For the next few seconds, a tense silence fell over the two immortals as Iga's usual grin had suddenly faded; but then he was speaking casually again the next instant.

"Okay, well… If we're gonna be like that; I'm just gonna do this then…"

Moving to face the spot he had previously appeared from, Iga continued speaking as he worked his magic.

"You see, I'm not the brave idiot you think I am; and I am certainly not suicidal enough to try and take you on all by myself… But I did however make a new acquaintance recently, and he is someone that would just love to meet you, I'm sure of it."

Wondering where this was going, Cosmos finally hovered nearly the same height as Iga was standing; and he watched as a bright white portal appeared on the rock's surface again; and he listened patiently as Iga kept talking.

"Now, I should warn you; my friend Goku and I just got him a little worked up, so he's probably gonna be a bit… energetic… when he gets here…"

"Energetic?" The Keeper repeated curiously.

"Uh huh. Yeah… let's call it that." Iga said slowly as he finished widening the portal; and he called into it the next second, "Okay, big guy, you're time is here! Hey, can't you hear me, you big dummy? I said I'm over here!"

Still wondering what was happening, Cosmos drifted slightly closer to Iga, until suddenly they both heard another man angrily yelling; and the red-headed god quickly dove out the way the next instant as a fully powered, green-auraed, blindly rampaging Legendary Super Saiyan came roaring through the portal and collided with Cosmos fist first.

Creating a shockwave that rattled Iga's teeth, the enraged Broly sent the Keeper flying right into the other side of the crater; and he immediately started to search for the source of his current ire while Cosmos was busy being buried under rock.

Before Broly could see Iga, Cosmos reappeared behind Broly in a snap; but the Saiyan was already waiting for him. As soon as the Keeper materialized, he was forced to use both arms to block another power-packed punch from the Saiyan.

"Where is he?!" Broly angrily demanded from the Keeper, "Where did the annoying man go?!"

Currently surprised with how much effort he had to put in to fend this new foe off, Cosmos was too slow to answer.

"Are you his friend?!" Broly questioned him more, "I was enjoying my fight with him and Kakarot until he insulted Cheelai, and my friend's ear! I must make him pay!"

"I have no idea what you are going on about, Saiyan; and the man is-"

"Liar!" Broly pulled one fist back only just to jab the other one forward, "Tell me what you know, or I'll crush you!"

Defying his own logic, Broly simply decided to 'crush' the man before him anyway; and before the Keeper could once again try to defend himself, the Saiyan created a large blast of green ki between his hands before crashing it against Cosmos' guard.

"Okay, well, that's it for me, folks!" Iga declared eagerly as the resulting cloud created enough cover for him to move for the portal, "You two have a wonderful time getting to know each other, okay? Buh-bye!"

Broly growled angrily and went after the man; but by the time he had reached Iga, the immortal had already slipped away, sealing his portal behind him the next instant.

Meanwhile, back on Earth…

A one-armed Son Gohan was still being scolded by Videl when their two wizard companions were suddenly startled by Gotenks' appearing directly behind them with a loud pop.

"Gah!" Natsu gasped louder while Wendy gave a slightly quieter noise of surprise, but they both quickly recognized their friend as well, "Wait… Gotenks?!"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. That's me." The Saiyan had also seemed confused at his appearance as well, but he quickly recovered as he confirmed his identity and recalled who he was speaking to, "And you guys'll be glad to know, I am okay!"

"And you've got a Dragon Ball." Gohan noted observantly, "So then, you beat Cosmos and he sent you back with it?"

For a brief instant, Gotenks placed his fists on his hips and puffed up his chest proudly before answering.

"Nope. I didn't even come close."

Almost falling backwards in shock, the whole group closed in on him with questions.

"Then why the heck did he give you that?" Videl demanded.

"And why aren't you hurt, if you didn't win?" Wendy asked caringly.

"Or better yet, who the heck is fighting him now?" Gohan chimed in, "'Cause I can feel that energy they're giving off even from here…"

"I don't know, Gohan, I-" Was all Gotenks could say before he was interrupted again.

"So what did you do, huh?" Natsu wondered while nudging the Saiyan's side roughly, "Did ya pay the guy off or something? I know one half of ya is stinkin' rich…"

"Hey, I am a proud Saiyan warrior, you know." Gotenks could not let the Salamander's teasing slide, "I would never stoop that low!

"Besides, if I did stuff like that." He added as he turned to face Wendy, boldly taking one of her hands into one of his as he spoke, "I'd never be able to impress a beautiful woman like her with some empty macho-nonsense. My lady…"

Kissing the back of her hand and releasing it the next minute, he continued addressing the Sky Maiden.

"The dumb half of me might not have the courage to say it, but the sight of you absolutely takes our breath away. Any chance you'd like to go out on a date? My fusion's about to run out, so it wouldn't cost you much time…"

"Th-thank you… Gotenks…" A beet-red Wendy sputtered her response before he could finish, "But no, let's not… I don't know how Lisanna'd feel, with me technically going on a date with her boyfriend…"

"Makes sense." Gotenks agreed neutrally before playfully turning around and swearing to show his disappointment, "Ah, damnit… If only Lisanna'd been here too, we'd have- wait a minute…"

Before the fused Saiyan could continue his whining, his while body began to glow white before Trunks and Goten suddenly emerged from the light; and the four-star Dragon Ball landed on the ground between them as they recovered from the shoving force of the fusion's undoing.

"Goten!" Wendy immediately greeted the demi-Saiyan eagerly, and she nearly tackled him with a hug, "You're back!"

"Oof!" The young man grunted as she almost knocked the wind out him; but he was quick to recover and return the hug with just as much passion, "Hehe… yeah… I'm back, Wendy..."

Letting the two have their moment, the rest of the group were quiet for a moment before Trunks picked up the Dragon Ball and walked past them to speak with Gohan and Videl.

"Here, the strongest of us should hang on this until we use them."

Tossing Gohan the wish orb, he only just noticed the fact that the older demi-Saiyan was minus an arm.

"But uh, mind if I ask how that happened?"

"Hm? Oh, you mean this." The demi-Saiyan replied with a wave of his half-arm, "I lost it to Casus; but don't worry, I'm not the real Gohan. The real me's still got both his arms, and he's probably with Igneel at the moment."

"Oh. Okay…" Trunks replied, soundly slightly put off as he did, "Well that's good to hear."

"Also, you should know:" the elder demi-Saiyan added, "There's another copy of me that's speaking with your father now. The real me needs to know about spirit manipulation, so he sent one of us to Vegeta to ask him some questions. I doubt your dad's just going to give away his knowledge though, so…"

"Don't worry," the younger demi-Saiyan assured him, "If my dad doesn't want to help at first, I'll do what I can to change his mind. And there's something you should know, too. Cosmos told us a lot about the Keepers, so much I honestly would like you're help in processing it…"

"Of course; but let's put this stuff on hold for a second." Gohan replied naturally before speaking to the whole group now, "Okay, everyone… I'm sure we don't want to be standing out in this cold any longer; so let's take this somewhere warmer, shall we?"

Letting Videl offer Trunks a hand as she grabbed onto his shoulder, Gohan signaled for the others to take Trunks and each other's hands; and after a few seconds to get ready, the whole gang left the Ice Continent behind in the blink of an eye.

Meanwhile, just a few miles northeast of the Fiore/Seven border…

"Okay, what are we all doing out here?" An irate God Serena complained not even a minute after he and his allies had all arrived.

"What does it look like, Serena?" The ever-cold Invel Yura replied with a calm sharpness, "We are here to answer our Emperor's summons, and that's all that matters."

"Tch, whatever." The dragon slayer said defiantly, "What problem could be so big that all twelve of us needed to be brought out here?

"It is a fair question, Invel," Larcade Dragneel chimed in with his calm, airy tone, "For even I can't help but wonder why Father would call us all so suddenly."

"Ah, like I care why we're here!" Ajeel Ramal spoke up next, "Hey, Irene? Don't you ever think about giving us a heads up before you teleport us? I was about to take a shit before you dragged me here!"

"Despite his inelegance, I must agree with Ajeel," Neinhart added, "We do have long-ranged communication lacrima's for a reason, after all…"

"You're reasons matter little to me." Irene Belserion retorted flatly while brushing some of her flowing red hair away from her eyes, "Just wait here until Emperor Spriggan returns, like a good little boy; and I won't have to turn you into one of your own Historia's."

"Boy, you guys sure get along great, don't you?" a voice not belonging to one of the twelve spoke up; and the whole group turned to face the center of the open field they were all stood in.

Grinning from almost ear-to-ear, the Acnologia of Edolas continued to speak as he, Cel Rhea, and the Black Wizard Zeref all emerged from the same portal.

"But then again, I guess that's to be expected… It's not like your emperor can make you all feel cozy and appreciated, can he?"

"Eh?" Ajeel immediately questioned, "Who the hell's this weirdo, your majesty?"

As he spoke, most of the other twelve bowed to their emperor before Edo chimed in again.

"Yes, please, Zeref… Introduce me…"

"Certainly," the cursed immortal replied casually, "Everyone, this is our newest ally; though ironically… he's also our oldest. Since his true name would cause us some confusion, all you will address him as Edo, just to spare us the headache. And the only thing else you should know about him: he's a literal god; and he's one that not even I can kill."

Upon hearing that, a number of the twelve started to mutter amongst themselves until Invel spoke up.

"A god? Stronger than you? S-surely you jest, your majesty…"

"I'm afraid not, my dear Invel." Zeref admitted humbly, "The moment I encountered him, we tried to kill each other; but my curse keeps me immune to him, and I can only assume it's the same vice versa. You should also know: this person is the reason we've honored the ceasefire for so long."

"Hm… if even Father's mind was changed by this god," Larcade thought aloud, "This being must be someone of relative importance, at the very least…"

"Well, my curiosity's been piqued," Bloodman concurred with an intrigued tone that was muffled by his demon mask, "That's for sure."

"Eh," God Serena sighed with a hint of arrogance, "I suppose I can lend an ear…"

"Please, your majesty," August humbly requested, "Tell us why you've brought us all together."

Quickly making eye-contact, Zeref signaled to Edo it was okay for him to speak; and eagerly, that's what the divine immortal began to do.

"Actually, allow me to answer your questions, my friends… First of all, we're out here tonight to discuss the next phase of your war with the kingdom of Fiore, and what all your roles will be in that. And secondly, I'm here to make a few offers to you, depending on how these negotiations play out, of course…

"Shall I continue?" He added rather mockingly, "Or have I already said too much for some of you?"

No one disagreed aloud, but Edo could not help but notice the impatient looks on Irene, Ajeel, and God Serena's faces as he resumed.

"Now for the record, since we're friends now; any assault plans you may have devised for breaking the siege, they're all pointless now. With my power, I can have you sent almost anywhere in the universe in a matter of seconds; but I don't plan on sneaking you into the kingdom's cities, either."

"So what do you plan to do, mister Edo?" Ajeel questioned skeptically, "Do you plan on just making them let us in, then?"

"Actually, yes." The dark god answered emphatically, "That is exactly what I plan to do."

"And how, pray tell," Invel spoke again, "Do you plan to accomplish this?"

"It's rather simple actually," Edo explained, "I'm going to trick them into it. Care to hear more?"

"I suppose…" Zeref's attendant sighed doubtfully.

"And your supposing is good enough for me." Edo quipped playfully before continuing, "You see, over time I've laid the groundwork for this plan. I'm sure you've heard about this recent Akane Beach incident, have you not? Well, the man that wiped out Fiore's favorite hotel and resort in one shot was none other than my own student: The Flame God Slayer, Zancrow. And then the person that caused a whole company of anti-magic soldiers to go missing, that was me.

"Also, just for the record: this is my partner and other student as well: The Earth God Slayer, Cel Rhea."

Bowing gracefully to their audience, Cel did he best to ignore Ajeel's lustful ogling as she briefly greeted them.

"Hello, all."

"Now as I was saying," Edo resumed, "The groundwork I've laid is that I've got the Fairy Tail guild scared of me; and now that they'll be looking at the prospect of facing both of our factions, they'll be absolutely terrified. Unless we take too long to act, that is. Even now, my enemies -and now your enemies- are doing their damndest to rally together."

"Your enemies?" Invel picked out the two words pointedly, "This sounds as if you have other foes in mind besides Fairy Tail…"

"And that would be correct, your iciness…" Edo replied while slightly punishing the man for interrupting him, "As I was about to say, there have been two sources of concern for me personally. One is a secret member of Fairy Tail, a man from another universe that became a god of his own design; and the other is my eternal rival, a god of light. The man's name is Son Gohan, while my rival has taken to calling himself Iga. Both Gohan and Iga have strength that rivals my own; and Iga also possesses light magic that's as limitless in potential as my dark magic is. Besides these two people, the most resistance I've ever felt is when I try to get into the Fairy Tail guild hall. For some reason, the power of Fairy Heart disrupts my magic just like Iga's can.

"I bring these men up because I'm trying to warn you," Edo added while removing his grin to show them he was serious, "If you encounter them, do not anger them; and leave them to me, or one of my own students. Although some of you possess some rather unique and potent styles of magic that may catch them off-guard, none of you have the strength to endure any non-magic attacks they send your way. If you anger them, there is a good chance you'll die."

"Ha!" God Serena scoffed, "This creep's got us out here just to spout fairy tales to us! I mean, come on! Gods? Aliens from other universes? Eternal rivals? What kinda cliché crap-"

Before the traitor Wizard Saint could finish speaking, a spike of solid rock sprung from the earth below him and stretched until it was just barely scratching at his throat.

"If you say another word to insult my man and his life's work," Cel warned him vehemently, "I will kill you here and now, Dragon Slayer… You're all disposable as far as I'm concerned…"

"Now, now, Cel-dearest, let's not anger the locals," Edo cut in amusedly, "We're here to make friends, remember?

"Now where was I?" Edo wondered aloud while the stone spike quickly crumbled to bits.

"You were warning us of the people you consider threats." Invel reminded him with some impatience.

"Oh, right…" The immortal replied with a more serious tone, "So as I was saying: there's Son Gohan and Iga that could be dangerous to me; but there's also Gohan's friends and family, and Iga's students. These people pose no threat to me; but again, you'll likely be in quite some danger if you encounter them. Even my two disciples will struggle against them, I'm sure…

"But before you start to question me again, let me assure you: every factor, positive or negative, has been accounted for. Millions of scenarios, outcomes, triumphs, and failures… I've mapped them all out. One countermeasure that I've taken is to expand the number of subordinates I have under my control."

Lazily waving a hand as he spoke, hundreds of pitch-black rifts appeared in the ground all around each of the Spriggan Twelve; and as a couple of them gasped in surprise, the shadow-like Enenrae began rise from the ground, looking like something akin to a tall plot of black smoky flowers growing rapidly across the entire open field.

"Wh-What the?" God Serena sputtered first, "What the hell are these creatures?!"

"Are they demons?" Ajeel questioned, although he was asking more out of excitement than surprise like his comrade, "Tell me these are all demons!"

"They're not demons, I'd recognize that kind of power right away…" Bloodman quickly informed him, "But they're something close to it."

"They're magical creatures made by him, no doubt." Irene pointed out the obvious before adding, "And in a similar process as our lord's demons… These were all made from the souls of the dead, weren't they?"

"That's correct, Madame Belserion… and they're some pretty fresh souls at that." Edo said oddly flirtatiously, "All these Enenrae were once members of the Magic Council's army, but now their souls have been corrupted; and their minds are all one with mine. The moment I deem anything a threat, these beasts will work together to destroy it, no matter the cost."

"Perfect cannon fodder…" Wall Eehto concluded, "And they're easily replenishable when you have them killing soldiers for you."

"Exactly!" Edo agreed with him eagerly before lazily waving a hand to quickly dismiss the shadow creatures and the portals after them; and he continued speaking as his monsters slowly went away, "Now, for the second countermeasure… Lord Zeref, do you recall the members of Grimoire Heart?"

"I do. Even Zancrow." The Emperor answered plainly, "But how you brought him back is a mystery for another time, I suppose."

"Heh, that's good." Edo chuckled dismissively before continuing his line of questioning, "But do you remember that piece of magical machinery they were so proud of? The Devil's Heart? You might've only seen it after it had been destroyed, though…

"Well anyway, I went and recovered the salvage from the mess you made; and I made one or two weapons for myself out of it. Zancrow is one of them, yes; but I took the Devil's Heart and repaired it before modifying the hell out of it… And the result was something spectacular: The Dark Heart! With just one simple lacrima implantation, one can connect to a device that instantly multiplies all facets of their power a thousand times over; there is no limit to its potential, and it is always active -even right now. For my students, it gives them godlike strength, speed, and endurance; and because it's all connected to me, they share portions of my divine powers as well. Through it, they are also able to control the Enenrae; and my students shall serve as the generals to my evil army. And along with whichever one of you wishes to join my ranks as well…"

"So this is one of those offers you've previously mentioned…" Invel observed aloud, "You wish to take some of us on as more of your pupils; and then you want to connect us to this network of minds that you've designed…"

"That's right." Edo replied matter-of-factly.

"And control…" Invel added skeptically.

"Also correct." The god affirmed again.

"Then count me out." Larcade spoke for a few of the others immediately, "Our loyalties lie with no one other than my father, elsewise they would be a traitor…"

"That's very understandable," Edo conceded before rebutting, "But I'm not just some dark wizard asking you to join some new sort of guild or army… I'm a god, here to offer you divine blessings; and no matter what arguments you might have on the matter, I am the one in charge now, understand? Your war to conquer Ishgar and claim Fairy Heart was wonderfully ambitious; but it's no longer going to work with my rivals backing Fairy Tail."

"Tch, here he goes again, telling us things we can't do!" The Dragon Slayer interrupted again, "And don't think just saying you're a god and flashing a little bit of power is going to impress us! We've got gods of our own right here, you know! What makes you think we need help from anymore?"

"Heh… Very well…" Edo chuckled before turning to the Scarlet Despair, "Lady Irene, I'm aware you consider yourself a master enchanter, is that correct?"

"It is." The witch replied casually.

"Well then," Edo kindly requested, "Would you please be so kind as to create a link between myself and a few of your comrades here? I promise I don't intend to harm anyone; I just wish to give them a little taste of my power… Enough for them to understand that I'm the genuine article."

Giving Zeref a questioning look, she waited until her emperor nodded his consent before actually complying.

"Brandish, Ajeel, Bloodman, and August…" She listed them out loud as she began to work her magic, "You four shall be our little test subjects here, if you'd be so kind as to volunteer."

"Mm, if I must…" Brandish agreed with some reluctance.

"If this means I'm 'bout to feel some kinda crazy power-up," Ajeel readily agreed, "Then sign me the hell up!"

"Heh, why not?" the hooded Etherious chuckled as he gave consent, "I'm already an experiment as it is…"

"Go ahead, Irene." August told her next, "Let's humor this 'god', and see what he's worth…"

Barely a few seconds passed before all four showed varying degrees of surprise on their face. For August, it was a simple raising on an eyebrow; but his other three comrades ended up making similar faces of shock.

"I… Can't…" Ajeel sputtered as dark magic and energy flowed throughout his body, giving him one of the biggest adrenaline highs he ever had, "This power is… it's so… Sweet!"

"Indeed," Bloodman agreed as he fought the urge to lick his lips, "This power is so strong it's clearly not my own, and yet it feels almost nostalgic…"

Meanwhile, Brandish was simply looking at the black, fiery aura rising off her, specifically looking at her arms as she slowly moved them about curiously; and August had simply closed his eyes, deciding to study the connection with his magic sense before making any observations aloud.

"You see?" Edo finally chimed in to drive his point home, "If you were to become my students, not only would you gain access to this power; but your own powers will be enhanced as well."

"Guys," Ajeel turned to his comrades excitedly, "We've gotta hear this dude out, at least!"

"I'm with Ajeel on this…" Bloodman concurred with something close to a growl, "With all this power welling up, I'm finding it hard to contain my bloodlust. If I even think of all the people I could kill with this kind of power…"

"Somebody fight me!" The Desert King begged the group around him, "Right now, please!"

"Hmph," Larcade chuckled amusedly, "It seems that this power is so intense that Ajeel's actually remembered his manners…"

Jacob Lessio and Neinhart chuckled as well, but it was August that spoke next.

"Mhm… I sense nothing here that poses a direct threat to us… But there is a very malignant presence inside this man, that is for sure. You were a human being once as well, weren't you?"

"I was," Edo confirmed with playful regret, "As ashamed as I am to admit it…"

"I see," The Wizard King continued, "And so, with this being inside you… you're a victim of a god's curse, much like our own Lord Emperor…"

"In a sense." The immortal replied honestly, "The god inside me is the one that's cursed; I'm just collateral damage. A kind of hostage, if you will…"

"Heh," Dimaria laughed under her breath before speaking up, "If he's a hostage, then I'm a horse! You want to go along with whatever this god wants, don't you? I can tell that, and I don't even have to be linked to you to know it."

"I will admit, your point is accurate; but I was merely using a metaphor," Edo clarified for her, "There was a time when I rejected the power inside me; but it did not go so well for me… But I personally had enough anger toward Iga -the cause of my curse, and I needed the power to enact my revenge; so I started to play along. Eventually, I began to enjoy this life. Nothing could kill me, so it was all a game; and honestly, it still is.

"Just like your precious Emperor Spriggan, I am not able to feel love, empathy, or concern for another. The only difference between us is that people don't die around me when I feel those things; I just don't feel them at all. I said I didn't want to offend you when we started this conversation; but the point my precious pupil made earlier was absolutely valid. Every single one of you, even your Lord Zeref, are all pawns in a game so old that even your little time god Chronos couldn't fathom it."

Dimaria grimaced at the dark god, but she said nothing as August spoke for the group again.

"And so your case has been made, but you have yet to present us with your plan. Do so now, and maybe then we'll discuss our potential cooperation."

"Hang on, hang on!" God Serena demanded suddenly, "Are we seriously going to entertain this lunatic? You all did here him talking about aliens, right?"

"That's what bothers you about him?" Ajeel questioned his comrade with equal skepticism, "The fact that one of his rivals is an alien?"

"That's right," the Wizard Saint affirmed, "And I don't like his scent either… There's something else he isn't telling us…"

"And your point is, mister Hybrid Theory?" Ajeel replied teasingly, "Or are you just afraid we'll have another attention whore like you on the team? Worried you'll be replaced?"

Cel Rhea clicked her teeth in impatience while God Serena actually gasped upon being insulted.

"Gah! How dare you?! I'll have you know, this 'team' of yours is of little consequence to me, for I am the wonderful Eight Dragon God Serena; and my only purpose for ever allying with any of you is so I can find The Black Dragon Acnologia, and slay him with my own two hands!"

Chuckling in amusement, Edo now decided to interrupt.

"You know, as entertaining as all this back-and-forth truly is… I can't help but feel like you've all forgotten something. It was not I that started this conversation, but your Emperor… He has already handed me the reins. None of you have a say in this matter, and a few of you are already teetering on the brink of treason; so let's choose our next words carefully, eh?"

There was a brief moment of silence as everyone looked to see if Zeref was going to disagree with the man; but when he did not, only God Serena was still foolish enough to argue.

"Oh, whatever!" He remarked flippantly, "You weaklings might think you need his cheap tricks, but I know I'm strong enough on my own; and I do not require any aid or guidance by some creepy looking shmuck like him, no thank you!"

Once again, a tense quiet filled the air; but it only lasted for a second or so before Edo sighed with clear impatience.

"Oh, whatever indeed… Tell me, what was your name again?"

The Wizard Saint opened his mouth, but Edo quickly stopped him with more taunting.

"Oh, that's right… I don't care. Listen to me, sir… You say you wish to meet Acnologia, no? That destroying him is your sole purpose?"

"It is." The dragon slayer nodded curtly.

"Well then you sir," Edo informed him playfully, with his devilish grin finally returning to his face as he spoke, "You should be my bestest friend here. Why, I could take you to Acnologia right now, if you so desired…"

By this point, Zeref was eyeing the dark god carefully while Cel had started to smirk in anticipation of where she hoped the conversation was leading.

"Y-you… you could?" God Serena stuttered as he did not expect to hear such an offer.

"I sure can," Edo confirmed with a friendly nod, "Look, I'll even prove it."

Lazily waving his hand again as he moved closer to the Wizard Saint, Edo created a portal on the ground between them, explaining his actions as he moved.

"As I said before: with my power, I can take you anywhere in all the universes. But this measly rift here, this one will take you right to a cave in Bosco that's not too far south of here, actually. Anyway… inside this cave, you'll find another rather rude and impatient dragon king who's just waiting for a chance to meet other folks like himself. Do you want me to introduce you?"

"Well, you wouldn't need to introduce me of course…" The Wizard Saint remarked boldly.

"I wouldn't take the offer, Serena," Zeref gave his only warning, "But the choice is yours, nevertheless…"

Upon hearing the Black Wizard's words of advice, the Eight Dragon Slayer started to hesitate until Cel spoke up.

"Oh come on!" She sighed in disappointment, "You talked real tough, big man, but now you're gonna back out just because daddy Zeref tells you to? I thought finding and defeating Acnologia was your sole motivation; but it looks like the only part of you that's capable of fighting is your mouth."

"Hehehe, I like this woman…" Ajeel chimed in; but he was mostly ignored as Serena loudly responded to her.

"And you, woman! I've had enough of you!" He told her aggressively before turning to Edo and straight-up commanding him, "So Edo, or whatever your name is… I, the great Wizard Saint God Serena, an Emperor of Ishgar, hereby demand that you take me to meet the Black Dragon in person."

Exchanging a quick appreciative glance towards the Earth God Slayer, Edo then eagerly did as the man requested.

"Well, if we're gonna be so formal about it, I guess there's no way I could refuse you now… But honestly, the magic's already active… All we've gotta do is step right into there, and we'll come out the other side, talking with my old friend Acnologia in just a matter of seconds."

"Excellent." God Serena replied with eager gratitude before looking to his comrades and saying, "Now, you all just sit here and wait; and when I get back with Acnologia's head in my hands, we're giving this woman the same treatment!"

Smirking evilly as she enjoyed the man's scorn for her, Cel waved him goodbye while her leader guided the Wizard Saint into the portal; and after another moment, the two men were now walking into the depths of cave in Bosco, just as Edo had mentioned.

"Where is he?" God Serena wondered impatiently as he followed Edo through the cave.

"He's close." The god answered succinctly, "He usually stays near to the mouths of his hidey holes, that old lizard man…"

After a few seconds of walking, the Hybrid Theory slayer stopped to sniff the air.

"That smell… It's a dragon, alright… But, why doesn't he -waitaminute… he… he smells like you!"

"And I smell another dragon slayer…" A third voice joined in; and quickly turning to the sound, God Serena's gaze fixed on the only thing he could see at the moment: a shiny set of fanged teeth and a pair of cold blue eyes that glimmered with murderous intent.

"It sure is, my old friend." Edo greeted his Earthland counterpart amiably, "In fact, this one's a huge fan of yours…"

"Is that so?" the wild haired man inquired curiously as he stepped fully into view, "And why would you have brought him here? I've already had my lunch…"

"Really? That's a shame." The dark god sighed with false disappointment, "And here I was hoping to win you over with such a wonderful little meal…"

"Win me over?" The immortal dragon slayer repeated the phrase curiously before rejecting the notion completely, "Please, spare me. Leave the screeching to the bats in this cavern."

"Aw, don't be like that, my friend…" Edo pleaded humorously, "I mean honestly, I brought you an eight-element wielding dragon slayer… That's gotta be the nicest gift I've ever brought you, and you know it."

Acnologia grunted dismissively as he could not deny his Edolas other's point; but God Serena was more than fed up by this point.

"Now, I will have you know, I am not some item to be gifted or used in trading favors; I am God Serena, the number one wizard in all of Ishgar! This man Edo might be your friend here, but he turned out to be the worst friend you could ever make; for he has just brought you your death!"

Cocking his head slightly sideways as he examined the Wizard Saint, Acnologia calmly spoke the next second.

"God Serena, you say?"

Before the Wizard Saint could reply, the Dragon King darted past him, clawing a foot-deep trench in the man's side in the process.

"Never heard of him." Acnologia concluded his taunt as soon as he halted behind his prey, still holding his bloodied left hand in the shape of claws as he stood there.

"Nhg… Urgh, wha- I-" The Wizard Saint sputtered as blood poured out his mouth and left side, "How did… you…?"

Unable to say anymore, the Eight Dragon God Serena fell face forward onto the cold and damp cavern floor, where he proceeded to bleed out.

"So, how about it, old pal?" Edo asked the Dragon King inanely as he ignored the gurgling noises of God Serena drowning in his own blood, "You know I'm not going to leave until you at least hear me out, so you could at least give me that."

"Mhm… fine…" Acnologia grunted reluctantly after taking a moment to lick his victim's blood off his left hand, "But be quick; else my meal will spoil…"