Clover Kingdom's Champion
"Well, it looks like you folks are having quite a get together." Vetto said, clearing the dust as he approached Magna, after having knocked out the Temple Mage wearing the hammer head shark mask. "How about, you guys let me in the mix?"
"Who the hell is this bozo?" Magna questioned. "What's he think he's doing, crashing our battle, and why's he so hairy?"
"I don't know who he is, but he seems really powerful." Luck smiled. "Perfect. He seems like he'd be a whole lot of fun to fight."
"DON'T FIGHT HIM." Kaen's voice echoed around the chamber.
"Eh, Kaen is that you?" Magna asked. "Why shouldn't we fight him?"
"That's Vetto the Despair. The strongest member of the Midnight Sun's three elite, the Third Eye." Kaen stated. "I know I'm probably gonna get punched for saying this, but he's strong enough to best even Captain Yami. *PUNCH* Ow. Sorry Captain, but it's the truth."
"I don't care." Yami said.
"The point is you two, you can't win, if you fight against him." Kaen continued. "Even working together, you won't be able to beat him."
"Then what do you suggest we do?" Magna asked, now sweating in fear of Vetto, while Luck just looked excited as hell.
"Try to survive until either Kali, Asura, or myself can get…" Kaen began, before he was cut off.
"Before you can what?" Magna questioned. "Kaen?"
~Observation Room~
"The hell? We just lost all means of communication with them." Kaen hissed.
"I think I know why." Asura said, looking out the window.
Looking outside, Kaen, Yami, and Kali all saw the observation room was surrounded by some sort of interdimensional bubble. The cause of this disturbance, were several Midnight Sun mages.
"Well that's just great." Yami tsked. "They got us trapped, and we can't go out and help the others."
"I wouldn't say that exactly." Kali said.
"What do you mean?" Asura asked.
"Well… I have a mental connection with Niji. This bubble might cause minor interference, but it shouldn't have cut us off completely." Kali stated.
"Alright, then you can have Niji tell the Anti-Magic kid, to come to our location, and free us with his big ass sword." Yami smirked.
"I wouldn't count on it." The High Priest said, pointing to the monitor. "The kid you speak of, just joined in the battle against Vetto with my grandson. He's got his hands full, just trying to stay alive right now."
"An' it looks like they're not alone." Kaen said. "Luck and Magna are fighting."
"This isn't good." Kali said. "They're all bloodied, and their magic's running low."
"But they're still fighting." Yami said, before the monitor lit up with a bright, and powerful light. "Is that a combo attack?"
"A pretty powerful one to. They're putting their hearts and souls into this attack." Kaen said.
When the blinding light from the combo attack died down, everyone's eyes widened when they saw that Vetto had blocked it with his hands, covered in his magic, and was still standing without a scratch on him.
"No way." Kali gasped.
"That combo spell was extremely powerful, and he came out of it without a scratch." The High Priest said.
"This is bad." Yami said. "Those two gave everything they had, and still couldn't win."
"Then what are we gonna do now?" Asura asked. "With Asta there, we're stuck here."
"Asta might not be able to come to us, but with Niji, we can go to him." Kali said. "I can summon Niji to my location through my Grimoire, and if Niji focuses enough, she can pull someone through my Grimoire to her."
"Meaning she acts as an anchor for a transportation spell." Kaen said.
"Problem is, I don't know how this bubble will affect that, or if it will even work." Kali said. "Plus the downside is, I'm the only one she can't summon to her location. It doesn't work both ways for me, only for someone else, since my Grimoire acts as the doorway."
"Then what the hell are ya waiting for Kali?" Yami asked. "Get to contacting that little fairy of yours."
"Traitorous monkey from another world." Vetto's voice came through the monitor. "It was quite a surprise hearing your voice. I guess the Magic Knights are really scraping the bottom of the barrel, if they let a weak peon like you into their ranks."
"What's he talking about Kaen?" Asura asked.
"During my time in the Midnight Sun, I was his sparring partner." Kaen stated. "Or rather, it'd be better so say his punching bag."
"So you couldn't beat him, in a fight?" Yami asked.
"I almost did, once." Kaen said. "But it wasn't enough. I ended up with several broken bones, and a punctured lung for my efforts. I'm only alive now, thanks to the Senzu Beans, Mina's able to produce."
"I see." Yami said, taking a puff of his cigarette. "Kali, get in contact with Niji, and hurry."
~Asta and Niji~
"You, pathetic weaklings." Vetto tsked. "I gave you a chance, and that was all you could do? Accept your despair." He said, reaching to grab them, only to be stopped by Asta's blade, right before it dispersed the magic energy. "Ah, the puny knight, with the Anti-Magic sword. It's a pleasure to meet you, brat."
"It's one of them, the Eye of the Midnight Sun." The High Priest's grandson, Kiato, said.
"This is a stroke of luck. You'll wind up just like these insects at my feet." Vetto said, referring to Magna and Luck.
"They're not, insects." Asta growled, grabbing his second sword. "They're, my superiors." He stated, slashing at Vetto, forcing him to jump back as Asta's attack actually hit. "Listen, their job was to take you down. An' now that job has passed to me."
"So this scratch, is the result of a blow from an Anti-Magic sword." Vetto said, looking at the injury Asta's blade caused. "To be fair, if it had been anybody else, it would have sliced right through. An' it accomplished more then those other mage's special combo move."
"Yeah? Well that's just the beginning. Now let's talk about those magic stones you people want so bad." Asta stated. "Do they have anything to do with the tablet that awakens sleeping reincarnations?"
"How do you know about that?" Vetto asked, sounding surprised.
"Kali told me. She stumbled across the dungeon that holds the knowledge of that tablet, and what it's capable of." Asta said. "Tell me, were you planning on using Kaen and his family as the sacrifices to activate it?"
"You know too much." Vetto said, before he smiled. "But that's okay. You were gonna die anyways, so this changes nothing."
"Be careful Asta." Niji called out, as she tried, and failed, to pull the two unconscious Black Bulls away from the fight.
"Niji, can you hear me?" Kali asked, her voice ringing in Niji's head.
"Kali? Where are you?" Niji asked.
"I'm in the observation room with the Captain, Asura, and the High Priest." Kali said. "Listen, we need you to focus on our location and pull the others free through my Grimoire. We're trapped in an interdimensional bubble surrounding the observation room."
"But, I can't do that." Niji said. "With something like that trap surrounding your location, the most I'd be able to do, is pull one of you through to my location."
"Then pull one of us through. Give us a second to decide on who it's gonna be." Kali replied, before going silent.
"Please hurry Kali, I don't know if Asta's gonna be able to last." Niji said, as Asta was in battle against Vetto.
"Ready Kiato?" Asta questioned, as the blue haired young man pulled out his blades.
"Yeah." Kiato said, before they went running at Vetto.
Kiato was the first to attack as he lunged at Vetto, striking with his blades, before quickly jumping back, and evading a swing from Vetto's claw like hands, giving Asta an opening to attack with. Unfortunately for the magicless boy, the Elite Midnight Sun Mage, was able to block his blade, with the toughness of his skin alone. Kiato came up from Vetto's other side, but missed as the Beast Mage grabbed the blade and with a swing of his fist, send Kiato flying, along with bricks of stone from the ground.
"Please hurry Kali." Niji said, not liking the look of things.
~Observation Room~
"Well?" Yami asked.
"She says she'd only be able to bring one of us through my Grimoire, due to the barrier surrounding us. An' that's best case scenario." Kali said.
"Only one of us huh?" Asura asked. "Then I'll go."
"What? No way, you're a prince, you should stay here." Kali said.
"My royal status means nothing to me. I can't just sit here on the sidelines and do nothing." Asura stated.
"Both of you shut it." Yami sighed, letting out a puff of smoke. "The final say is mine. So listen up."
The room grew intensely silent, as they waited in anticipation, for what Yami had to say.
"Kaen, you go." Yami stated.
"What?" Kaen, Kali, and Asura questioned.
"But Captain, I've never won a fight against Vetto once." Kaen stated.
"Exactly, so why choose him?" Asura asked.
"That's just reckless to do Captain." Kali said.
"Just listen to me will ya?" Yami asked. "Look, Kaen knows this Vetto guys moves, better then any one of us, which puts him at an advantage."
"But every fight I fought against him, was a struggle for survival." Kaen said.
"It doesn't matter. You're going." Yami said. "Push past your limits, and win this."
"Right. Yes sir." Kaen sighed.
"Kali."
"I'm on it." She sighed.
~Battle~
"Such power, and he barely touched us." Kiato stated, he and Asta breathing heavily as they were in the middle of the fight.
'The way he's attacking, is he reading our Ki, did he force Kaen to teach him how to read Ki? He's so fast, reading his is almost pointless.' Asta thought.
"Asta, Kiato." Niji said, coming to their sides. "Help is coming."
"It is?" Kiato asked.
Niji nodded, before she closed her eyes, and clasped her hands together like she was praying. As she focused her energy, a magic circle formed on the ground, in front of the mages, and out of it, Kaen reached his hand, and pulled himself to the battlefield.
"Damn, Kali never said anything about it tingling." Kaen groaned, as he stood up. Quickly reaching behind him, Kaen grabbed Niji as she began to fall, having used up most of her power.
"Niji." Asta gasped.
"She'll be fine." Kaen said, putting Niji with Magna and Luck, after wrapping him in her robe, like it was a blanket. "She's just tired. She used up practically all her magic to bring me out of the trap we were stuck in."
"So, it's you. The traitorous vermin who left our ranks as soon as he stole his daughter back." Vetto said.
"I still haven't forgotten about that Vetto." Kaen growled, turning around to look straight at the Elite Warrior, with an intent for murder in his eyes. "You used my daughter as leverage against me and my wife, forcing us to work under you and Licht. I am gonna make you pay."
"Come and try it." Vetto smirked.
Kaen's aura flared up, and he charged at Vetto, instantly taking on his Wukong form, before they locked hands with one another.
"This is new. Been hiding this away in our sparring sessions?" Vetto asked.
"I swore to only use this on you, and the rest of the Midnight Sun, as soon as I got my daughter back." Kaen exclaimed with a growl. "Now let me show you a little trick I learned I could do with the gem in my chest."
The Wukong gem in Kaen's chest, began to light up, before it began sapping away Vetto's magic.
"The hell?" Vetto questioned, before he released his grasp on Kaen's hands, and jumped back. "My magic… it feels like a piece of my soul is missing."
"The Wukong Gem in my chest, is an artifact that acted as a prison for Sun Wukong, the Monkey King." Kaen stated. "With Wukong vacant, it needed something to fill that void. Thanks for the Beast Magic."
Vetto's eyes widened, before Kaen was right in his face, and hit him with a sucker punch to the underside of his jaw, and sent him flying back to the other side of the chamber.
"Incredible." Kiato gasped.
"I wasn't away Kaen could do this." Asta said.
"You think you're strong enough to take me on now?" Vetto smirked, picking himself, and wiping the blood from his nose. "You're still nothing more then a weakling."
"You may have been beating me up to the brink of death in the past, but that stops now." Kaen stated. "I have a wife and child to return to, so I don't have the luxury of dying here."
"Oh?" Vetto smiled. "I wouldn't be so sure about that, if I were you."
Kaen's eyes widened, before they sharpened, and he was glaring daggers at Vetto.
"What, do you mean by that?" Kaen questioned.
Vetto just remained silent, as he reached into a pouch on his Grimoire case, and pulled something out, before throwing it to Kaen, who caught it instantly in his fist. Turning his fist over, Kaen opened his hand, and his eyes widened, when he saw he was holding a familiar looking flower, stained with blood, and a piece of what looked like a white tigers ear, skewered by the pin of the flower.
"No…" Kaen gasped, falling to his knees, his Wukong form vanishing as he returned to normal, the life slowly draining from his eyes, as he began to shut down.
~Observation Room~
"Mina. Eri." Kali gasped, her eyes wide in disbelief as tears threatened to fall from the corners of her eyes, as she saw what Kaen was holding.
"DAMN THAT BASTARD." Asura shouted, slamming his fist into the table, and destroying it.
"What's going on?" The High Priest asked.
"That flower pin stained with blood…" Yami said, his teeth gritting his teeth, biting through his cigarette. "It belonged to his wife, and that chunk of ear, matches the pattern of his daughters."
"Oh dear."
"I'LL KILL HIM." Asura shouted, slamming his fist into the wall, and destroying it.
"Calm down Asura. We can't get out of here, remember?" Yami questioned.
"That doesn't mean, I'm just gonna sit back, and watch as Kaen is facing reality on the situation." Asura exclaimed, flying towards the wall of the barrier, and slamming his fist against it, before he began hitting it with multiple strikes of relentless attacks.
~Battle~
"Kaen, c'mon man snap out of it." Asta called to him.
The Saiyan didn't even flinch, as Vetto was instantly in his face, and hit him with a palm strike to the forehead, sending the Saiyan flying back and hitting the wall behind him.
"Not good. He's too in shock." Asta exclaimed.
"Yes. That's it." Vetto smirked. "Drown in pain and suffering. Drown in the delicious taste of your anguish, and show me your despair."
"You BASTARD." Asta shouted, he and Kiato running at Vetto and slashing at him with their blades.
"How tedious." Vetto sighed, easily blocking and redirecting their attacks, before knocking them back. "Sluggish moves, and glancing blows. But what should I expect from magicless trash, and underwater scum? You're pathetic."
"Shut your face." Asta growled.
"Eh?"
"You're really asking for it now, you overgrown fur ball." Asta declared, as he and Kiato picked themselves up. "You took away, the only family Kaen had left, and then you insult and underestimate us. You're nothing but a monster."
"We'll do whatever we have to, to bring you down." Asta and Kiato declared in unison, as they went running at Vetto.
As they charged at their opponent, Asta and Kiato both continued to strike him with relentless attacks, forcing Vetto onto the defensive. As they continued to fight, their strikes became faster, and stronger, allowing for them to actually do some damage to Vetto.
"Almost there." The two swordsmen said, as Vetto jumped back and away from the reach of their blades.
Without even thinking, Asta and Kiato both jumped to their opponent, with the intent on ending this. Unfortunately, Vetto was expecting them to do this, and when they got within reach of his strikes, he slammed a fist into Asta's sternum, and the other into Kiato's face. The force of these blows, sent the two fighters flying and into the wall, before the fell to the ground, landing on either side of Kaen, as he was still shut down.
"Kaen, please you have to snap out of it and wake up." Asta said, forcing himself up.
"It's no use Asta." Kiato said. "He's completely shut down. The loss of his wife and child, was too much for his mind to handle."
"Oh, such sweet despair." Vetto smirked, as he made his way towards them, his wounds healing in shimmers of light. "Shall I regale you with how I ended the lives of his family?"
Asta growled as the glared at Vetto, before he caught sight of motion from the corner of his eyes, and looked down to see it was Kaen's fingers. They were twitching in response to Vetto's words.
"You had some hope left, but attacks like those are childs play to me." Vetto stated. "An' I was unimpressed with how this cretins wife, fought to protect their child, before I snuffed out the pitiful flame of her existence."
"You shut your damned mouth." Asta growled. "You have no right, to speak of Mina, or Eri, after you took them away from Kaen."
"Oh, but it was the least he deserved, after he betrayed us, and joined the Magic Knights." Vetto sneered. "Killing his precious family, was just the tip of the iceberg. An' the two of you, will have to do a lot better if you even want to leave a permanent scratch on me."
"Not yet." The Anti-Magic boy said. "I'm not done yet. I will beat you."
"Looking at you disgusts me." Vetto stated. "Fighting with objects, you aren't even worthy to touch. You don't even have a sliver of hope, and do you know why? One, you're weak to long distance attacks, such as throws, especially when it comes to non-magical objects." He declared, throwing a giant boulder at Asta, before it was sliced clean through, revealing Vetto only used it as a cover to get in closer, and began throwing relentless punches at him. "Two, you're physically strong, but still outmatched by one whose strength has been magically enhanced." He stated, pushing Asta back.
"Get to the point already." Asta shouted, landing on his feet, and lunging at Vetto, with the aim to hit him with a fatal blow.
"An' three." Vetto said, as Asta prepared to strike, before he froze, as something stopped him in pain. "You don't know when to give up." He stated, grabbing Asta's arm, and lifting him off the ground, while the magicless boy dropped one of his swords. "You think if you hang on long enough, you're bound of turning the fight someway in your favor. So you persist in your reckless attacks against foes you can't defeat, and leave yourself open to mortal wounds." He exclaimed, grip tightening on Asta's arm. "It makes me sick, seeing the Demon Slaying Sword, and Demon Dwelling Sword, in the hands of undeserving filth like you."
"Talk all you want, it won't change anything." Asta exclaimed.
"You and your worthless friends never had a chance of defeating me." Vetto said. "An' that pathetic excuse for a Saiyan, is just as weak."
"A Saiyan?" Asta questioned.
"Oh, you mean he didn't tell you?" Vetto smirked, gripping tighter on Asta's arm, before the bone chilling crunch was heard as his arm was broken, causing the boy to cry out in pain. "He's a Saiyan. A being of power not of this world. I'm surprised you were unaware, that girl from the Silver Dragon Tavern taken in by Yami Sukehiro, and the young Vermillion Prince raised by Mereoleona, are also Saiyans. Or were they not even aware of their heritage?"
"Bastard. Let Asta go." Kiato shouted, running at Vetto.
The Third Eye Warrior only turned around, and evaded the strike from the Ocean Dweller, before using his free hand like a blade, and chopped off Kiato's right foot.
"Pathetic." Vetto stated. "It's actually kinda fitting though. The Saiyan woman and the child up on the beach, gave such a pathetic showing, their deaths were a mercy."
The words spoken by Vetto, reached Kaen's ears, and actually registered with the Saiyan, as he slowly came back to his senses.
"Trash like them, would never survive in the world we plan on creating. A world where the strong are on top, and vermin like you, and nothing but toys to be disposed of."
As Vetto continued on running his mouth, Kaen clenched his fist tightly around the blood stained flower and ear fragment, his knuckles popping as he held them tight. Bringing his fist up, Kaen slammed it against the wall behind him, and used that momentum to push himself up.
"Vetto." Kaen growled.
The Midnight Sun Warrior looked over his shoulder, to see Kaen standing there, his breathing heavy, but his eyes filled with rage as he glared right at him.
"Vetto." Kaen repeated, as she entire building began to shake.
"What is this power?" Vetto questioned.
~Observation Room~
"The entire temple is shaking." The High Priest said.
"Is this Kaen's doing?" Yami questioned.
~Vanessa~
"What's going on? What is that immense power I'm feeling? It's overwhelming and consuming Vetto's power." Vanessa said, as her battle with her opponent was on pause.
~Vetto~
"No. It can't be." Vetto said, his eyes widening in disbelief as he continued to look at Kaen.
Dropping Asta, Vetto turned around entirely, as he and Kaen stared each other down. Kaen's aura was raging uncontrollably, and his hair continued to defy gravity, shifting from black and red, to gold and blue.
"Vetto." Kaen stared, before his eyes widened in anger, and he let out a battle cry. "VETTO!"
With that final cry, and a burst of power from Kaen, his body lit up with an explosion of power, blinding Vetto, Asta, and Kiato momentarily. When the light died down, they looked at Kaen, to see what he'd become, and they gasped.
Standing before them, was Kaen. He generally looked the same, but he was bigger, his muscles were more defined, and he had a golden flaming aura around him, as his hair was golden blonde with the red streak becoming a blue streak, and his irises were now a matching shade of royal blue, to the streak in his hair.
"It cannot be." Vetto said. "A weakling like you, couldn't possibly, be the living legend."
"Kaen?" Asta questioned, totally speechless and at a loss for words. "What… what happened to you?" He asked, before noticing Vetto, was actually starting to lose his cool, and was panicking a bit.
"No, you can't be. A Super Saiyan?"
