Chapter 20 Dragon Universe
The unconscious man had not moved a single muscle, he was completely still. So still, in fact, that it was difficult to tell if the man was even breathing. If not for the two Saiyans' ability to sense Ki, it wouldn't be too absurd to assume that the man was dead. Not to mention the tattered and bloodied clothing and copious amounts of injuries didn't give the man a flattering look.
"He's alive, but he's in a real bad shape." Goku stated.
"It looks like his bodies too injured to breathe properly." Vegeta then added. "If we don't treat him now, he'll die of suffocation and blood loss." Goku then stood up, shifting his attention towards Whis. Whis then immediately pointed his staff at the mystery man. And instantly, a bright, green circle formed around the man, before lifting up and disappearing. The moment the circle lifted past the man, all of his bruises and cuts vanished and his clothing became good as new.
"Move back, he'll need the space and air when he wakes up." Vegeta then said. Everyone complied and moved back at least a meter and a half from where the man was laying. Suddenly, the man's eyes shot open, as he inhaled a very deep breath and sat right up. He was panting heavily and his heart was pounding fiercely under his chest, almost threatening to burst out. He was sweating profusely as he grasped his chest. Then the man started to slow his breathing, as he felt himself calming down. That's when he finally noticed a group of people surrounding him. He was somewhat confused by the style of clothing the group was wearing. But he then caught a glimpse of Goku, and the man then grew enraged!
The man then reached for something, but quickly released that it wasn't nearby. It didn't take long for the group to notice the man's actions.
"Hey, buddy, are you alright?" Goku then asked. Before suddenly, the man instantly shot to his feet and ran off. "What the-?" Goku blurted out.
"Well, don't just stand there, go after him!" Beerus then ordered. "We've spent far too much time searching for survivors so we're not letting this one get away!"
"Okay, Lord Beerus!" Goku responded, before immediately flying off in the direction where the man ran off.
"Dammit, Kakarot, slow down!" Vegeta growled, before quickly following his rival.
It took a while, but Goku managed to locate the mystery man. But this time, the mystery man now held something in his hand. In his left hand, the mystery man held a black saya, with a katana still sheathed. The man then places the scabbard under his obi at his left hip. Despite the fact that the man is now armed, Goku then decides to land nearby, kicking up quite a bit of dust when his feet hit the ground. The man is surprised by the sudden appearance, but then quickly enters a defensive stance. "Hey, why did you just run off like that?" Goku then asked. Then, without warning, the man zipped past Goku with shocking speed.
Whoa, for a normal looking guy, he sure is fast. Goku thought. He then turned around to see the mystery man with his right hand holding onto the handle of the katana and his left hand holding onto the saya. He then lowered his body, preparing for another sprint. Goku began to back up. "Listen, buddy. I don't wanna hurt you or anything." Goku said, stuttering nervously, placing his hands in front of him. The man didn't listen, as he then charged at Goku with blazing speed. His katana was still sheathed, as the man then zipped from side to side, in an effort to confuse the Saiyan.
Once the man was close enough, he quickly unsheathed his sword, with a slash aimed at Goku's stomach. Goku then immediately blocks the attack with his right palm, but then notices something off about the weapon. What the- This sword's completely dull. Goku thought, as he lightly pushed the man away. The mystery man lost his balance, but still remain on his feet, with his sword still in hand.
"I will only ask you this once." The man then said, surprising Goku. "Where have you taken my friends?" Goku scratched his head in response.
"Uh, sorry, can I ask you something? Who are your friends?" Goku then asked, trying his best not to sound overly suspicious. The swordsman didn't answer, as he then leaped into the air, readying a strike aimed for Goku's head.
"Don't mock me!" The swordsman growled, just before swinging his katana down towards Goku's head. Goku then used his fingers to block the strike. "You should very well know, you and your ally took them!"
"Could we please stop with the fighting and just talk this out?" Goku exclaimed. "I really don't know who you're talking about!" Goku then dodged another attack from the man. "And what's with this guy that looks like me?"
"If you are trying to fool me, don't." The swordsman stated. "You will divulged whatever information you have on your allies and then I shall spare you. Even if you don't deserve it!"
"Hey! STOP!" A familiar voice yelled. The two men then turned to see Sting running towards them.
"Oh, this is great! Sting, could help me talk to this guy!" Goku blurted out.
"Who are you?" The swordsman asked, pointing his katana at Sting.
"Woah, woah. Cool it!" Sting said. "Look, I don't know what you're going on about, or what you think Goku is, but you got it all wrong!"
"What are saying?" The swordsman then asked. He then turned his attention towards Goku, still pointing his katana at Sting. "Who is he? Your disciple?" Goku then began to shake his hands infront of him.
"What? Oh, no! He's just a friend that tagged along with us. He's not that bad of a guy once you get to know him! Please put the sword down!" Goku then exclaimed. Then, the swordsman began to shake his head, as if he was poisoned or dazed by something. At first it was just a small amount of movement, but the swordsman then grasped his head as if he was dealing with immense pain.
"H-hey, are you...?" Sting then asked, but before he could finish, the swordsman began to scream in agony. He was grasping his head, as if there was something invading his skull. Goku and Sting attempted to step forward, but their steps made a very minimal distance. The swordsman couldn't stop himself from screaming as the pain only grew worse. But pain wasn't the only thing he was feeling. Soon, he began to feel a deep, burning rage boiling within him. And a sinister, malicious, and cruel evil began to consume his freedom. The screaming stopped, only to be replaced by a low growling noise.
"What the...?" Goku exclaimed. He and Sting could hear the growling, and they both knew it was coming from the swordsman. The swordsman then began to shake, which was already concerning for the two. Then, the swordsman emitted a sinister, dark purple aura. At this point, neither Goku or Sting could see the man's face, that is until he lifted his head, allowing the two to take a good look. The swordsman's eyes were closed, but then his eyes shot open with ferocious speed, and they glowed a solid red color.
"What the hell?" Sting exclaimed, backing up slowly. "What the hell happened to your eyes?" The swordsman didn't give an answer, instead opting for a swift charge. The two barely managed to dodge.
Whoa, whatever happening to this guy, it's made him alot faster than before. Goku thought. He then landed to the right of the swordsman, who then jumped into the air, readying a strike aimed for Goku's neck. Goku then entered a defensive stance, when Sting slid from the side and managed to grab the sword. But Sting's grip on the sword didn't stop the swordsman from kicking Sting's stomach, sending Sting back, while knocking down Goku behind him. The two began to get back on their feet, but not before Sting started to have a little coughing fit while grabbing his stomach in pain.
"Damn, this guy just got real tough." Sting remarked.
"Yeah, and a whole lot more angrier than before." Goku added. "Something's defiantly wrong."
"You don't say." Sting responded. He was now fully on his feet and prepared a fighting stance. "So how should we help him?" Sting then asked.
"Try and keep this guy away from his sword." Goku said, "Once you've done that, try to hold him still from behind."
"What about you?" Sting asked, still not taking his eyes off the slowly approaching swordsman.
"I'm gonna knock the sword out of his hands. And once you've got him pinned, we'll knock him out!" Goku stated. Sting then smirked.
"Sounds like a solid plan to me." Sting then remarked, before suddenly, both Sting and Goku dashed to the side of the swordsman. Goku on the man's right, and Sting on the man's left. Goku then zipped towards the swordsman, aiming for the sword. But the swordsman immediately moved out of the way and tried to slash at the back of Goku's neck. Goku quickly stops himself before using his right leg to push himself away. The sword misses, striking the ground below and causing it to crack.
Sting dashed forward, moving in a zig-zag pattern. The swordsman catches on quickly before lifting his sword in the air, and then slashes downwards. A fast, but strong force shoots towards Sting's position, which Sting barely manages to dodge. He then takes a moment to see where the attack would eventually land, before seeing it clear a clean pathway through a massive pile of rubble.
That was a close one! Sting remarked in his head. He then landed on the ground, but when he looked up, he saw the swordsman charging towards him with his sword ready to cut open his chest! Luckily for Sting, Goku managed to grab the sword, before attempting to toss it aside. But the swordsman's grip was a lot tighter than Goku anticipated. Goku notices that the man preparing a kick aimed for Goku's right leg. With his arms locked onto the weapon, Goku uses his legs to counter the kick.
Then Sting appears behind the swordsman, before grabbing the man's arms and pulling back. This action causes the swordsman's grip to loosen up, giving Goku the opportunity to flip backwards, using his feet and momentum to kick the sword out of the man's hands before landed elsewhere. The swordsman struggles to free himself from Sting's grasp, but unfortunately for the Dragon Slayer, the swordsman simply had more brute strength than he did. The swordsman then slams the back of his head onto Sting's nose, with enough force to knock the Dragon Slayer to the ground.
"Ah, dammit!" Sting exclaimed, before immediately jumping back to his feet. The swordsman was already half-way towards his sword. But then Goku slides in front of the swordsman. He then jumps up and uses his legs to kick the swordsman back. The swordsman manages to block the kicks, but leaves his stomach wide open for a hard hook from Goku's left hand. The swordsman reels back, grasping his stomach in pain, all the while Sting manages to nab the sword off the ground before making his way back to Goku.
Huh, that's weird. I don't think I hit him that hard. Goku then thought.
"Just-just a little bit more!" The swordsman then said. Surprised, Goku and Sting reel back. They then saw that the man's eyes were starting to lose its sinister red glow.
"Uhh, what?" Goku blurted out.
"It's like a hand is crushing my head everytime I try to speak!" The swordsman said, his voice sounded strained. "But when I got injured, I felt a small part of this evil influence leave me!" The man then grabs his head, as if trying to quell whatever was in his head. "I'm trying my hardest to resist, but this power is too..." He didn't finish his sentence as he then silenced himself as his eyes regain its crimson glow. Goku and Sting prepared themselves for an attack.
The swordsman then made a mad dash towards Sting, who was still holding on to the sword, before attempting a overhead strike with his left hand. Sting managed to dodge the attack but quickly noticed that the swordsman was now slower than he was before. Sting then used his right leg to kick the man's back, causing him to stumble forward and lose his footing. The man managed to return to his feet, but he barely had time to block an oncoming punch from Goku. Goku then shot a powerful left hook to the stomach.
For a moment, the man's eyes returned to their deep violet color, but again flashed back to red. With that, the swordsman then charged at the two fighters, much slower than before, but still fast enough to attack. The swordsman first went for Sting, but none of his attacks could connect. He was then stuck at the back of his neck by a chop from Goku. It came close to knocking the man down, but whatever held control over the poor man had refused to let go. The swordsman then spun around and attempted to use his own fingers to slice Goku's neck. A move that proves to be foolhardy against the Saiyan. Goku manages to grab the hand before pulling the swordsman closer. Goku then fires a hard uppercut to the man's chin, sending him flying back.
When the man finally lands, he didn't come back up. The two fighters still remained cautions around the man until they saw the strange, purple aura disperse from the body of the swordsman. Both fighters drop their fighting stances before approaching said swordsman. They breathe a loud sigh of relief when they could see that the man was still breathing, and he no longer appeared to be in any agonizing pain.
Suddenly, Goku's senses alerts him to a familiar presence. He looks up and sees Vegeta flying at high speeds straight towards him and Sting.
"Well, now you show up." Goku said in a mildly annoyed voice. "Where were you?"
"Where were you, Kakarot?" Vegeta then demanded.
"Uh, what are you talking about?" Goku then asked, "Couldn't you at least sense us fighting?"
"No, once I lost sight of you, I lost track of your energy. It's like you just vanished off the face of this planet." Vegeta stated.
"Well, did you try hard enough?" Goku asked.
"Of course I tried! Did you really assume that I wouldn't, Kakarot!" Vegeta yelled. "And what's this thing about 'fighting' who did you fight?"
"That guy we found earlier, in fact, he's right over there." Goku answered, while pointed at the swordsman. "But it wasn't just a simple match, this guy was like, controlled by something."
"Wait, hold up. What do you mean by 'controlled'?" Vegeta then asked.
"By controlled, he means like he was under some sort of magic that made him go nuts." Sting then added. "If I had to guess, whoever put that spell on him is either really powerful with his magic, or is real close by."
"All the more reason to book it off this planet." Beerus then stated. All three of them looked up, seeing Beerus floating down slowly. Beerus then focuses his attention towards the swordsman. "I see you've found our survivor. Care to explain why he's on the ground, out cold again, Goku?" Beerus asked, shooting a mean look that caused Goku to sweat a little.
"It wasn't my fault, Lord Beerus! He wanted us to knock him out, it was the only way as far as we could tell!" Goku frantically tried to explain.
"Is that so?" Beerus asked, before heading over to inspect the downed man. He then looks straight into Goku's eyes, causing the Saiyan to yelp in surprise. "Goku, pick this man up and teleport us back to Whis." Beerus ordered. Goku immediately complied as he comically dashes towards the swordsman before picking him up and placing him behind his back like a backpack.
"Okay, everyone, huddle around me." Goku then said. Everyone complied, but Sting was a little unsure of what he was supposed to do. Then, Vegeta approaches him and places Sting's hand on Goku's left shoulder.
"Don't let go until we're there, you got it?" Vegeta asked. Sting nodded in response. Soon, Vegeta had placed his hand on Goku's right shoulder, and Beerus had placed his hand on Goku's left shoulder as well.
"Alright." Goku then places two fingers on his forehead, and it takes a while for Goku to get a read on Whis's energy. But soon enough, Goku yells, "I got it!" And as the name, Instant Transmission implies, the four of them were instantly teleported away. Just as something hiding behind a piece of rubble, looks on, as a sinister grin stretch across both their faces. One of them then places a finger on his ear, before pressing a button on a contraption.
"Looks like your idea has some merit after all. If only our brave swordsman could've held out a little more."
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