Chapter 21 Dragon Universe

Goku, Vegeta, Beerus, and Sting had meet up with the rest of the group and without further delays, everyone agreed to head back to the ship. With the route they've taken, the group should arrive at the ship in about 20 minutes. Yet the group has found themselves walking for a full hour, and no ship could be seen in the horizon. Right now, the group has entered a surviving forest, where the tree's leaves have somehow turned red, as if it was trying to match the miserable state of the planet. It provided cover from potential enemies, to Beerus, heading into a forest just meant staying longer on this Earth.

"Whis, what's going on?" Beerus then asked. "You said that we'd be back by the ship in 20 minutes. How is it that we've been walking for an hour and we still don't have any glimpse of the vessel?" Beerus then demanded, growing ever more impatient and anxious.

"That does seem strange." Whis replied. "Why don't you and I head towards the sky and scout out the area ahead? I can use my staff to render our physical bodies and energies invisible to our enemies." Beerus then began to ponder on the suggestion. He turned to glance at the group behind him, and noticed that some in the group were slightly fatigued. But only slightly. Then Beerus looked at the wounded swordsman they were still carrying. If they delayed any further, their chances of gaining vital information could be lost, and there's no telling when an opportunity like this would arise again. Beerus then turned to Whis.

"Alright." Was all Beerus said, before focusing his attention back to the group. "Is everyone accounted for?" Beerus then asked. In response, everyone simply nodded and waited to hear what Beerus had to say. "Very well, then you are all to remain right here until we come back." This time, Beerus was given looks of confusion, and concern.

"Wait, but we agreed to stick together!" Lucy stated. "We don't know what'll happen if we split up!"

"It won't be long," Whis chimed in, "Lord Beerus and I simply intend to hover above the tree line and scout out the surrounding areas. I can use my staff to render everyone invisible, though only for a short period of time."

"And just how long do you intend to scout ahead?" Mystogan then asked.

"Until we find the ship or when the invisibility runs out. Whichever comes first." Beerus answered. "Though we can't rule out the possibility that the ship has been destroyed, a risk that I warned you about, if you can't remember." Beerus finished his last sentence with a hint of a smugness in his voice.

"My lord, did you honestly believe I would land the ship in a place where could be easily spotted?" Whis then asked. "I'll also have you know, that ship is coated in an alloy called Kachi Katchin, a stronger variant on the Katchin mined from Universe 7 and is possibly the most durable metal in our multiverse. Even if our enemies manage to find our vessel, chances are, they won't be able to put a single crack on the hull."

"Well, if that's the case then what the hell are we waiting for?" Beerus asked, his voice sounded calm but there was a clear hint of impatience. "Work up your damn tricks and let's get this over with." Beerus then ordered. No reply was need from Whis, as he immediately began spinning his staff while the orb began to glow as well. Then Whis abruptly stopped, pointed his staff towards the group, and a green, bubble-like aura started to surround everyone. And then, the green bubble vanished, and everyone stood around, waiting for something to happen. But nothing did happen, at least, not yet.

"Hold on a second, I though you said that you would make us invisible." Goku then asked, almost sounding disappointed at the lack of anything impressive.

"That was only the first step, Goku." Whis replied. "I've just made all your energies invisible to everyone and everything. So if you were to power up, you wouldn't have to worry about some hidden foe catching your scent."

"Really? Wait a second, doesn't this mean I can't lock on to anybodies' Ki, so what do I do if someone gets lost?" Goku then asked.

"And why would someone get lost when everyone's huddled together?" Beerus retorted. "The only way for anyone to get lost is to leave the group, hypothetically speaking of course. I doubt any of you can be as dimwitted as Goku here."

"Hey!" Goku exclaimed.

"And if you do get lost, this smoke screen of ours will only last for a short period of time. Emphasize on 'short'." Whis then stated. "Now, before we are delayed any longer, I shall begin the second part of the procedure." Whis then tapped the bottom of his staff on the ground twice, and just like before, the orb glowed green. This time, a large, green bubble-shield was formed, surrounding the whole group. Then as soon as it appeared, it too slowly disappeared.

"And we're done." Whis then said. "Now you just wait right here." Then, he and Beerus then walked out away. Just as it seemed like they would simply walk away, Beerus could be seen walking through the bubble-shield, and once he got through, Beerus vanished completely.

"Whoa, it actually worked!" Natsu exclaimed.

"He's completely invisible." Lucy said. The group then noticed Whis had in fact stopped in front of where Beerus had vanished. It looked as if Whis was thinking about something.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Whis then said, still sounding very casual about the whole situation. "I'm the only one who can find you through these shields. So don't worry about us misplacing you. Be sure to take care of our swordsman while were away." Whis said, waving like he was a parent who was about to leave their child at school, which the group found slightly unsettling considering their surroundings. But before this feeling could linger on, Whis walked through the bubble-shield and vanished as well.

Outside the bubble-shield, Beerus and Whis began to float, as Whis's staff glowed again. A small green bubble formed around the two, rendering them invisible to whatever could be lurking beyond their sight.

"Alright, Whis. Which direction did you say that ship was again?" Beerus then asked.

"The ship should be towards the east, my lord." Whis answered. He then used the orb of his staff as a compass, as a small triangular shape formed inside the staff and pointed east, which Beerus and Whis instantly shifted their attention towards that direction.

"Uh, Whis?" Beerus then asked.

"Yes, my lord?"

"You said the ship is east of us, right?" Beerus then pointed towards the east.

"Yes, why do you ask?" Whis asked, more concerned than confused.

"Then why can't I see our ship?" Beerus then asked.

"Well, perhaps at the angle we find ourselves, the ship may be hidden from our view." Whis replied. "Like I said, I made the concealment of our vessel a high priority while landing."

"Well, knowing you, you probably added a way to track the ship, so why don't we use it now?" Beerus demanded.

"My lord, I've been using that tracker this entire time, and it is still saying that it's to our east, so I'm not sure why we haven't reached the ship 40 minutes ago." Whis responded, now beginning to sound frustrated and concerned. "I'm starting to believe that something is very wrong." Whis then looked down, right where he left the group. "My lord, I believe that we should meet up with the group, before something goes horribly wrong."

The two divine beings hit the ground, nearby the position of the bubble-shield. Once in position, Whis then pointed the top of his staff at the direction where he placed the bubble-shield, and the orb glowed once more. But this time, nothing happened. Whis tried again, pointed his staff at the general direction, and the orb glowed a bright, green color. But again, nothing happened. A small drop of sweat began to slid down Beerus's cheek, as he slowly walked closer towards where the bubble-shield should be. He walked past the radius of the bubble-shield, and no-one appeared. At this point, both beings knew something was very wrong.

"They've been up there for a long time, haven't they?" Wendy asked.

"They've been up there for too long, that's for sure!" Said Gajeel, "Something's gone wrong and I don't feel like waiting for something to get us!"

"Slow down, Gajeel." Laxus then said. "I don't think we should do anything crazy. Let's give them at least a few more minutes." Gajeel then crossed his arms and groaned, growing ever more impatient. Vegeta was also waiting, but then, his expression lit up and he was immediately on edge. Something was out there.

"Hey, Kakarot." Vegeta calls out.

"What is it?" Goku asks.

"Did you not feel that?" Vegeta asked. Suddenly, Goku is put on edge as he then senses two strong Ki sources heading their way, and whatever they were, they were moving fast!

"Everyone, be on your guard!" Goku then yelled. Everyone in the group looked at him with confusion and shock. "Something's coming this way, and it's gonna be hear real soon! Be on your guard!"

"What?" Lucy exclaimed.

"How fast are they heading?" Natsu then asked.

"Where's that damn purple cat?!" Gajeel barked, before preparing his Iron Dragon Sword.

"Wait, Whis stated that his spell cloaks our energy, so we will just have to wait for them to pass by." Erza then stated. Just as she finished speaking, two cloaked figures appeared right above where the bubble-shield was positioned! Everyone stood still, trying as best as they could to remain silent, for they were unsure if their voices could be heard beyond the bubble-shield.

"Is this really the place?" The larger of the two asked. Everyone's hearts froze that moment. "Looks like a really dull place to hide something."

Hide? Do they mean us?! Sting thought.

"Well, we've been looking around for a while, and I trust the boss's judgment a slight bit more than I trust yours." The second figure said. The other growled, before raising his right arm, revealing dark green skin covered in pale patches.

"You know what, something about seeing this forest is really starting to piss me off." The figure then said. "Like how we didn't flatten it when we were last here." The a bright, red and yellow ball of light formed from his hand, and began to grow bigger and bigger.

"Everyone! Hold on to me!" Goku yelled. "I'll use Instant Transmission to get us out of here!" But before anyone could move, the figure then threw the energy sphere, shooting it towards where the group was hidden! Goku tried to place his fingers on his forehead, but he couldn't track any Ki sources, and the attack was about to hit! But then, the attack bursts into an explosion, wiping out all the surrounding trees in the forest and scorching the soil around it. But the group was still intact. The energy ball had only struck the bubble-shield, and everyone inside was protected. But then, the sound of something cracking could be heard. Goku looked up to see a small web of cracks right at the top of the glass-like barrier. Again, a cracking noise was heard, and the small web soon expanded, growing wider and wider.

"Oh no, the shield!" Sting then exclaimed. The shield was soon encompassed by larges cracks. Then, it shattered completely, bursting into small glassy particles that filled the air, before disappearing completely. The two cloaked figures simply began to laugh. Goku and Vegeta quickly took battle positions, keeping their eyes locked onto their new enemies.

"Well, look what we have here." The smaller figure said. "Good job, partner. I guess I'll have to retract my earlier statement"

"How 'bout you worry about that crap later," The larger figure replied. "I think it's time we have some more fun on this planet." In an instant, the two figures grabbed their cloaks, before tearing off the ugly pieces of cloth, revealing themselves in full.

"Wha- no, that's impossible!" Vegeta then exclaimed, completely stunned at the smaller figure, who had an uncannily similar appearance to Goku, only with pale grey skin. And at his waist, a brown, furry tail was wrapped around. "That's Saiyan armor?!"

"Hold on, you're a Namekian!" Goku yelled, pointing at the large, green figure. His head was elongated with two antenna on his forehead, and a large scar slicing through his left eye.

"Oh, and look who it is. Another Goku for me to crush!" The Namekian said, his voice gleaming with some sort of morbid anticipation.

"And I found Vegeta, Prince of nobody." The Saiyan stated. The two enemies then raised their hands into the air, aiming their palms to the sky. Dark, violet energy began to form at their hands.

"What are they doing?" Goku then asked, locking his eyes on the strange, yet sinister Ki.

"I wonder, do you think you can save everyone in your cute, little group, and survive this, Kakarot?" The Saiyan then asked, all the while, keeping a sinister grin stretched on his face. "Well I'd like to see you try! Cursed traitor!"

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