Chapter 9
Zeno´s Palace
"If you could not destroy him, how exactly did you defeat Demigra then?" Goku asked.
The High Priest answered with a sober expression.
"Since he could not longer erase him, Zeno-sama instead banished him out of all known realities into a rift in space and time, a void between the worlds. Afterwards his followers retreated from the known space. Many - the most powerful and important ones - joined their leader in the rift. Others fled to the furthest corners of the twelve universes to hide there.
Demigra was not completely gone. His influence over our realities however had been drastically limited. Other the time however, there were sometimes beings who had been trying to prepare his return. None had ever succeeded.
Now however something had hanged. The seal that Zeno-sama had errected had been weakened."
"And how?" Beerus asked.
The High Priest was now looking at them sternly.
"The greatest factor is multiple disruptions in the timeflow and the creation of more and more alternate timelines. In first line the activities of the rogue god Zamasu and also the time-machine one of you had created."
"Ah - so this is all Bulma´s fault?" Beerus exclaimed.
"Hey," Vegeta cut in.
"Only to a small part," High Priest continued. "Like I said, Zamasu is far more to blame. Also Bulma Briefs was not the first to invent time-travel. As you have probably been told it was an ancient Alien civilization that had created the first time-travel device and first cut the timeline into two.
And you are not completely blameless here either Beerus."
"Me?"
"When you erased Zamasu, you have also accidentally created a new present and future-timeline as well."
Beerus gritted his teeth as he was reminded of that.
"Which was of course ultimately Zamasu´s fault as well, since he caused that entire situation. So we should better not point with fingers at anyone."
"Yes - don´t point with fingers," one of the Zeno´s said.
"You all should work together," the other continued.
xxxxxxx
Universe 2
"What do you want?" 18 asked.
The two Androids from Universe 7 were standing side by side, with the group of the 4 Universe 2 warriors Ribrianne, Kakunsa, Rohsie and Jemeze in a close next to them.
"Our Master was interested in the beings who had won this so called Tournament of Power," Towa replied. "And to see if they are truly living up to what we heard of them."
"One moment - We are the protectors of this realm and Seventeen and Eighteen are our guests," Ribrianne stated. "If you want them, you will have to deal with us as well."
"If you say so. That is easy," Towa responded. "Mira," she said to the being beside her.
He moved forward with incredible speed. His targets could barely see him move.
But 17 was able to intercept him. He was holding Mira´s fist with his own, just as he had been about to attack the three female fighters.
"You are not the same race as her, aren´t you?" Seventeen stated. "You are some kind of artificial lifeform. Like us."
"Not like you," he replied. "I was created by higher beings… I..."
Before he could end the sentence, Seventeen´s fist had already burried itself into his stomach and let him stumbling backwards.
"Really? We will see how much it helps you," 17 said calmly.
"You will not defeat our love," Ribrianne exclaimed. But before she even said it, she knew it were empty words. They had no chance against these two.
Before anyone could do something about it, Towa had appeared right before her and placed a kick right into her gut, that send Ribrianne flying and crashing through the outer walls of the castle.
"Your love maybe not," she commented. "But your bodies will break just like everyone else. Maybe I should thank you for giving us such a big wide target."
Ribrianne however just pushed the rubble off her and stood up again. It was clear that the hit had not been too hard and not aimed too kill.
"Maybe your transformation isn´t so great after all," 18 remarked. "It seems to have a few drawbacks."
"Yes - it might be beautiful, but it is also easy to hit," Ribrianne admitted.
"Lady Ribrianne!" Jemeze called out.
"You!" Kakunsa growled angrily. She could not longer control her rage. "You will pay for this."
"Wait," Rohsie shouted. But Kakunsa had already leaped herself at Towa and attacked her.
Despite Kakunsa´s speed however, she was able to easily evade all her attacks. And then just backhanded her aside.
17 jumped in and caught the cat-girl out of the air.
"You should leave this to us," he told her. "This two are just too dangerous."
Kakunsa frowned angrily. Just like the rest of her team. These two were attacking their town and they were not happy about having to let others fight to defend it. But they all realized that 17 was probably right.
"We will stand back," Ribrianne said. Since the tournament she had become stronger, but here she was outmatched and she knew it.
"You can take that guy Eighteen, right?" 17 asked her.
"We will see," she replied, stepping forward.
"Then I will deal with the woman."
"Really?" Towa said, "you think so?" She smiled. "You know - you are actually quite handsome… for a mortal. Even if you look a bit young for my taste."
"Too bad I am married," he replied, giving her a smile in return.
"Now - I have an offer to give you. Why don´t you join our side?
"Sorry - but I principally don´t join people who attack others before they even start to talk with you and my sister sees it the same way. And beside that, I already have a very good job."
"Really too bad," Towa replied.
She formed a large globe of dark shimmering energy in her hand and fired it directly at the two Androids. But 17 just formed a barrier around both of them, that stopped Towa´s attack.
"Really impressive," she commented.
She and Mira begann to lift up into the air and Towa made a gesture for 17 and 18 to follow them. All four rose up until they were far above the City.
Their fight continued without any other word. Eighteen and Mira started to exchange blows while Seventeen and Towa were still watching each other predatorely.
Until 17 finally send a ki blast in her direction. Which Towa however blocked with her stuff, that she had augmented with her energy.
Seventeen however used the small distraction to move behind her and took a shot at her from the other side. Then he let himself clash with his feet first against a barrier that he had errected in mid-air and let himself ricochet into yet another direction...
… where he had already errected another barrier.
As Towa realized a few moments later, he had created an entire line of barriers in every direction around her, which he now used as footing to let himself rebounce completely unpredictably around her... and he became faster and faster in the process.
It was practically impossible for her to catch him or even take aim at him.
"You!" Towa cried out angrily to 17.
xxx
"Hey - that is my technique," Kakunsa said, as she and the others were watching from the ground. "He had actually learned it during our fight. Incredible"
"He seems to be even faster than you," Rohsie commented.
Vikal meanwhile just returned from the burning building.
"We have brought everyone to safety," she said to them.
"Good," Ribrianne replied. "I hope our new friends teach this loveless fiends a lesson. Or at least keep them busy until Lady Heles appears."
xxx
"You think this helps you?" Towa shouted to the still moving 17. "You might be good in evading, but you still have no chance against me."
A wicked smile formed on her face.
"If you don´t come a bit closer to me soon my handsome friend," she said smirking, "then I fear your sister and your friends here will be the ones getting into trouble."
She turned her gaze around to 18 and then to Ribrianne and the others.
"Well - don´t let us just leave you guys out completely," Towa said in the direction of the Universe 2 fighters.
The cristal on top of the staff in her hand started to glow. All while 17 continued his movements around her.
"Powers of Darkness," she whispered, "- I call on you. See their greatest fears… and let them take shape."
In the next moment some kind of fog was rising up from the ground all around the Universe 2 fighters.
And then this fog started to become thicker and taking the shape of a line of figures.
They all, including 17 and 18, recognized the first figure instantly, who appeared in front of Jimeze - Freeza.
"How nice to see you again," the phantom said as he looked at the shocked Universe 2 Warriors. "Why don´t we play another game together?"
He lifted his finger and started to charge up a blast.
All of them were shocked, but Jemeze was literally frozen at seeing his tormentor again.
At the same time another figure had appeared very close to Vikal and Kakunsa. It was a pale - actually completelly white - skinned humanoid being with silver colored hair and orange eyes, wearing black armor and a hooded cape.
17 and 18 had never seen this being before. But all of the Universe 2 fighters recognized him instantly.
"L-Lord Veal," Vikal and Kakunsa called out nearly at the same time.
"You traitor," the being said to Vikal, "I have trusted you and you betrayed me. Now you will pay for what you have done."
Like Freeza, he started to power up an attack.
Two more figures stepped forward, facing Rohsie, it were their teammates Prum and Harmira (who should actually be off-world right now). But they were looking different. Their skin was completely grey and looking lifeless. There were several open wounds on their bodies.
To their horror Rohsie and Ribrianne saw that Harmira had a large hole right through his chest.
"We are dead," the phantom Prum said tonelessly.
"You have let us die," Harmira continued. "You have let us go on a mission by ourselves and we were killed. But Lord Veal brought us back like he himself returned to life. And now we will take revenge on the ones who had abandoned us."
The Phantom Warriors, beginning with Freeza, now had started to fire a Barrage of ki blasts and Death Beams at them. They were able to dodge some, but a few hit their targets. The blasts were only causing little damage however, for now at least.
It was however the last figure that caused all of them the greatest panic.
"L-Lady Heles," Ribrianne stammered, "why are you with these villains?"
"Should it not be clear even to you?" the phantom of the Goddess of Destruction responded. "Why should I want to keep such a band of useless and ugly creature like you around? You have all bitterly disappointed me at the Tournament. So I made a deal with them to get rid of you."
"No," Ribrianne said, completely distraught.
"That is not true. That is a lie," Rohsie called out as well.
"Lady Heles would never do that," Kakunsa shouted as well.
"Don´t listen to any of that," 17 shouted at them from the distance. "This are just some kind of illusions. I saw that woman use some kind of magic to create them.
"We - we knew that," Ribrianne said, sounding a bit unsure. But they were starting to fight back against the phantoms.
While Seventeen had called out this, he avoided another one of Towa´s blasts. And then he turned around and fired one of his own.
But not at Towa.
xxx
A half Minute earlier
Meanwhile Eighteen and Mira continued their own struggle. So far they had made a short exchange of blows and a few ki blasts.
Towa at the same time was still trying to follow 17´s movements, who was still using his own barriers to move around her in a speed that even a God of Destruction could hardly follow.
But his sister and the other Artificial Being were concentrating on their own fight.
"You are good, for the creation of some mortal," Mira stated. "But now I think it should start to get serious."
"I could say the same thing," Eighteen replied.
Mira unleashed a large two armed ki-blast at her, which Eighteen countered with one of her own. Their attacks clashed between them in a beam struggle.
For a few moments their blasts were holding each other in the middle between them. But after a few seconds, Mira´s blast was starting to get the upper hand.
The clashing blasts were moving closer and closer to 18.
xxx
Now
Until Mira was suddenly struck in the back... by a blast 17 had fired.
It didn´t cause much damage, was however enough for him to loose his balance and part of his footing… and enough for 18 to turn the tables and break through his blast with her own.
It was nearly the same situation as with 17 and Toppo during the Tournament.
Mira could not even react anymore as he was caught by the ki attack and for a moment completely disappeared under the bright light of the ki attack that continued it´s way to the horizon, before it dissappeared into the orbit.
As he became visible again, he was visibly damaged, with his entire body covered in scorch marks and burns.
18 however was not finished yet. She jumped forward in his direction, forming a Destructo Disc with her right hand and threw it at him.
Because Mira, with his damaged and weakened body, still managed to move a few centimeters to the left, it didn´t hit him directly. But the attack still managed to cut his arm clean off.
At the same time the Universe 2 fighters had now started to overpower the phantom warriors, who were far less strong now as they had first appeared. In fact, the more they fought back, the weaker they seemed to be.
Towa meanwhile was starring in shock and anger at what had happened to her subordinate and partner.
In the same moment however she had already been hit in the face by a kick enhanced with a small barrier by 17 and send crashing into the ground.
Towa was looking around in disbelieve for a short moment.
"You-..." she finally said. "You will pay for this!" she growled. She was standing up again. "Mira was created by Demons and Gods far beyond you. How dare two mortal creations like you to leave him in this state? You - you think you can strike me down like this? Do you actually think you can defeat me - you a mortal?
I will show you how wrong you are. I will destroy you here and now."
Her face now showed an expression of sheer uncontrolled rage. The entire star system was trembling under the power she realized.
17 and 18 were just looking at her with calm expressions.
"Enough!" a voice interrupted them - Heles voice. She and Sour had appeared levitating above the plaza.
"I had allowed you to perform your `test´, but only under the condition that you don´t kill anyone. And even that only because you threatened the planet otherwise. But it seems you have no intentions to keep this agreement."
"This two mortals have insulted me." Towa pointed to 17 and 18.
"What? - you wanted to fight them. And now you are complaining that you didn´t win? Don´t be pathetic."
Towa now looked even more angry than before.
"And you dared to use my image against my beloved warriors?" Heles said.
The Phantom Warriors, including the one of herself, dissolved into smoke once again.
"It seems your beauty is only skin deep. Beneath it you are as ugly as you can get," Heles stated. "Leave now - and tell your master not to return."
Towa growled.
"Shut up! You will all pay for this. When the day of my Master will come, you will regret this decision."
"It is truly enough." Another bodiless voice halled over the area. Demigra´s voice. "We have found out what we wanted. This mortals are dangerous. We already have realized the other tests. It is time for you to return. We will find ways to deal with them."
A portal was opening behind Towa and Mira... and one moment later they were gone.
Heles looked at 17 and 18 and then at the Universe 2 warriors.
Ribrianne, Kakunsa and Rohsie just transformed back into Brianne, Sanka and Su.
"I guess I owe you all a few explanations," she said, while she was letting her shoulders sank a bit, "and an apology. I am sorry that I let them attack you like this, but they asked me to let them test your powers and if I didn´t agree they threatened to come back some day when me and Sour were not here and blow up the planet."
"What!" Brianne and Sanka called out.
"I understand," 17 replied.
"They claimed to be working for an ancient evil being known as Demigra. They wanted us to join them. Lady Heles has - as you can imagine - refused."
17 and 18 exchanged a short look. They remembered this as the name Freeza had mentioned.
"Do not worry about it," Seventeen said. "In the end it might actually be a good thing for us all that we saw just how dangerous these two truly are."
"Thank you," Brianne said to him and Eighteen.
"Yes," Heles repeated, "thank you, for everything."
"Let us go inside and explain to the others what happened," 18 said.
xxxxxxx
Universe 7
Both Cooler and Piccolo were now in a direct wrestling contest, with both their fists locked into each other and both trying to overpower the other.
The earth around them was shaking and the ground beneath their feet breaking apart, leaving a crater.
Cooler´s two remaining men now showed a dark aura, similar to their leader. And they as well seemed to have become much stronger in one moment.
Salza still had trouble with Buu, but he was now putting up a much better fight. Tien however was now being overpowered by Neiz.
"What is happening? What have you done?" Piccolo asked.
But Cooler only grinned and was trying to aim another Death Beam at him.
Suddenly however something changed. A number of strange energies had appeared and were quickly approaching them. Especially strange since they all seemed practically identical. Cooler and his men had learned to sense energy a long time ago and barely used their scouters since then.
After a few moments more, an accordingly strange looking group of seven small identical creatures arrived. It were the Cell Juniors.
"What are you doing here?" Piccolo asked them.
"We sensed.. fighting," one of them answered.
"We were... curious," another one said.
Cooler took a short look at them. Interesting creatures, he thought. They were probably cloned or somehow artificially created, going by their identical energies.
Their powers were also impressive, despite their quite harmless appearance. A few years ago this creatures would have been a great problem for him and his men, probably even defeated them.
But now they were just a nuisance. Sure, they could have beaten Dore and Neil, probably even now after the power Demigra had given to them. But Salza? hardly. And he himself was so far above them that their presence barely mattered.
xxx
Cooler knew it should have been enough now.
The only reason he had even come here was to test the power of the beings who had defeated Freeza. And this Namek was part of their team. He knew the saiyans should be considerably stronger. But the Namek should still give him a vaque idea about them.
That and what they wanted to test out the new powers this Demigra had promised him.
But exactly here was a problem. He did not longer want to stop. The longer they fought, the more was rising up in him the anger and the sheer wish to destroy.
Was it possible that Demigra´s powers not only affected his strength, but also his mind? The thought came to him for a moment. But then it was over-shadowed by the desire to fight.
xxx
But the seven creatures were not the only newcomers who suddenly appeared on the battlefield. As they all were still looking at the just arrived Cell Juniors, someone else was coming in from the opposite direction.
It was... a Super Saiyan?
"Who?... Goten?" he said as he recognized the ki unbelievingly. Just great, he thought - another time-traveller.
"Yes Piccolo - nice to see you again," he answered.
"A saiyan," Cooler said. "You are not Son Goku, aren´t you?"
"No - I am Son Goten, his second son," he replied.
"I thought so. I have never heard of you young saiyan."
"Believe me - you will soon," Goten stated.
"Not if you die here."
"Cooler wait," he called out. "I know why you are here. I know that it was not really about attacking this planet. You wanted to test us… and yourself. But the powers that Demigra has given you are influencing your mind."
"So this is it," Piccolo stated. "This guy was truly only here for a test?"
"Yes. But now it is different. The powers that had been given to them are manipulating them."
"Yes I -..." Cooler himself hesitated for a moment, before he fired another volley of Death Beams at both of them.
"Do you really think I fall for a trick like this?" he shouted.
"This is no trick," Goten responded.
But Cooler had already moved and backhanded him aside.
"Say that again after I have destroyed you," he exclaimed.
But Piccolo was already on the offensive again. Once again he stretched out his arms and wrapped them around Cooler´s body, holding him in place, at least for a few minutes.
"Goten," he called out.
"I have another idea Piccolo. Can you distract him for a few moments? I will take his soldiers out first."
"Okay - but hurry up."
The half-saiyan nodded. Goten knew, if he had truly wanted, Cooler could have easily killed him with the last blow. Maybe that he didn´t meant that he still resisted Demigra´s control.
It was nearly funny. In their time Cooler was one of their allies. He, Piccolo and the others had just fought each other to a standstill, before Cooler had announced that he got what he wanted and left. Later however hecame back and assisted them against Android 21´s `super-weapon´.
And now all that was in jeopardy.
Maybe getting hinself involved here was not such a good idea after all. It didn´t matter right now. For now they had to win.
Goten appeared next to Cooler´s warrior Neiz, who was still fighting Tien and Yamcha. With one karate chop, he knocked the corrupted Elite Warrior out.
"Hey - good work... ahm Goten," Yamcha said.
"Thanks," he replied.
"Buu-" Tien called out, "you should really take this serious now."
"Oeh - well, okay," the demon said. He suddenly flew forward and slapped Salza straight into the face.
Goten finished what he started by moving right in front of him and punching him out.
They all now turned around to Cooler.
One by one Future Goten, Tien, Yamcha and Buu powered up their blasts and fired them at Cooler, who was still being held in place by Piccolo. And it wasn´t until everyone of them had hit that he released his opponent. At the same time the Namek was also charging up an attack of his own.
But then something happened that took everyone by surprise.
The black aura around Cooler suddenly disappeared.
"What?" he said in confusion, looking as if he was not quite sure what he was doing… and why.
Piccolo on his part did the most logical and rational thing to do in this situation.
He punched the disoriented Cooler hard in the face and knocked him out.
xxxxxxx
West City
Marron was floating in the air above the town. She had nearly arrived at Capsule Corp. But she could not sense the energies of either Vegeta and Bulma or the younger version of Trunks. Quite obviously nobody was home.
She thought for a few moment about going to the battlefield herself to help Goten, Piccolo and the others. Marron was quite strong, however not a match for someone like Cooler, Piccolo or Buu.
She was pretty confident that she could beat any of Cooler´s regular soldiers and maybe even one or two of his Elites.
It was not as if she was afraid, but originally they had not even planned to get involved into this fight at all. But she feared against someone of that kaliber, she would be no help and only be getting in the way. Beside that, she had to admit she secretly feared that Goten´s involvement would only make things more complicated instead to help.
As daughter of the strongest human, it was no surprise that Marron was much stronger than a normal girl. But it was not only that. As they had found out some time ago, she had also inherited some remnants of her mothers augmentations. Or better said the nano devices that were flowing through the Cyborg´s blood and a few of the genetic manipulations.
Vegeta, Bulma and Trunks were not there, so much was clear. But a few other people were.
Marron decided to just ring on the front door. As it turned out however it were not Bulma´s parents who opened the door… but the Pilaf Gang.
"Yes?" the small blue-skinned Pilaf said.
"Aehm," Marron responded, "it is nice too see you three again. Well..."
"Do we know you?" Shu asked.
"How should I say?… I am a time-traveller."
For a few moments the three were just starring at her with open mouths at the bolt statement.
"You mean… like Trunks?" Mai finally asked.
"Yes - I am Marron," she said. "Krillin´s and Eighteen´s daughter. "You know - it is kind of strange to see you three so small, especially you Mai. Normally it was always the other way around."
"Ah - do we have a visitor?" Bulma´s father called from his lab. Her mother was currently at the other side of the house.
"Yes - you better see for yourself," Pilaf replied a bit awkwardly.
xxxxxxx
A few hours afterwards
It was not much later that the group around Son Goku and Vegeta, that had visited planet Sadalah, returned. They were however not alone.
Champa and Vados and also the fighters Cabba, Caulifla, Kale and Hit from Universe 6 were also with them.
It had been a journey full of shocking surprises for all of them… and they were faced with even more now.
The were dumbfounded to see the grown up versions of Goten an Marron.
Lord Beerus was maybe expressing it in the best way.
"Not more time-travellers. I thought this was over."
"So you are Goten grown up," Goku said. "Nice to see you son."
"You are me?" Young Goten asked.
"Now you see how that is," Trunks stated.
"It is good to see you again too Dad and you Gohan," Goten replied. He put his arms first around his Father, then his brother.
"You act as if we are gone in your time Goten," Gohan said.
His words were met with a few moments of heavy silence from both Goten and Marron.
"The truth is," Goten said, "we are not sure what happened to you. We have not seen you in years."
"You have time-travellers in your universe brother?" Champa commented, interrupting them. "Maybe you should do your job more thouroughly. You remember the laws of the gods, right?"
"Shut up Champa. This is not your business. And you are the last person to tell me how to do my job," he said with a side-glance to Vados.
They all knew that Beerus brother had the habbit to let his Angel do most of the actual work.
"And you two," he turned to Goten and Marron, "tell me one reason why I should not simply erase you two."
"Well - you see Lord Beerus-" Goten begann, "we have important information - things you need to know…"
"Especially about Demigra," Marron added.
"Okay - thats good enough for me," Beerus stated. "Bulma - when can we have dinner?"
"In a half hour," she said with her arms crossed, visibly annoyed. "I have already called the kitchen. But honestly, I am more concerned about the future this two come from."
"You are not from the same timeline as Trunks, so much is clear," Vegeta stated, "simply because you two exist. Tell us - why are you here?"
"In our time," Goten said, "you all have disappeared. You, Dad, Gohan, Piccolo, Seventeen, Eighteen - you had all left to fight Demigra.. and you never returned."
"And in your absence a very dangerous Android called Number 21 had taken over the planet," Marron continued.
"Not that again," Bulma commented.
"But for the rest of the story, we should maybe better wait until Mom, Dad, Uncle 17 and the others have returned," Marron stated.
In fact it were only a few minutes until the group of the two Androids and their families arrived.
This is now finally the ending of the Arc and the actual start of the new one.