Captive Souls

Chapter 8

Up to this point in time, Raizen had been lenient on Dusk and even more so on Chi-chi the moment he had her in his possession. Now, they had both betrayed him and joined forces against him. He no longer desired Chi-chi's presence for she had committed adultery by aiding the rebellious masked soldier that followed his heart.

Dusk did not greet Raizen in his normal manner or deny what had happened. Due to what transpired, he had been resting upon the ground gathering his bearings. The former Nightingale Hunter had been currently been affected by the wishes that Shenron granted. The eternal dragon had granted them selflessly before he met his untimely demise at the hands of Raizen.

Now, it was time to see how the wishes will affect Dusk's personality. Would he remain loyal to Raizen or would he protect what's left of the world he stands on along with the last Earthling? Whoever he choose to ally with, he would surely betray the other's trust now. Chi-chi wondered if Dusk would remain by her side after the wish changed him. Of course, she knew that it was only a foolish wish that not even Shenron could grant after his destruction. He was a man who made his own choices and can do whatever he pleased.

"Any last requests before I destroy you both for your incompetence?" Raizen yelled at them with fury in his voice. Dusk recovered moments after Raizen's first words left his mouth and stood up on his feet. For a warrior of his caliber, it would take a lot more for the masked warrior to hit the ground. Dusting himself off rather casually, he looked bitterly towards the Daza-jin warlord while straightening the cloak he wore.

"You have committed malicious crimes on this planet. Why have you come to take all life away for greed?" Dusk shouted at the Daza-jin warlord; accusing him for atrocities that had come and passed.

Something within the warrior had changed and Raizen hated it with a passion. Yet, he desired a battle since it had been far too long since he fought anyone. His last fight had been with Son Goku; the same warrior that Chi-chi considered to have died at the hands of this madman. Now, her last line of defense was this stranger that had been empowered by the wishes granted and would not stand to let them all go to waste.

"You of all people should know that I take what I desire: minerals, water, food and a rare pleasure slave." Raizen grinned maliciously with lust in his eyes. "Besides, I find these essentials nice jewels to my empire."

"So you were going to take Chi-chi as well and make her into one of your jewels?" Dusk asked. Chi-chi did not hear the jealous undertones of which the masked warrior spoke towards Raizen in. "To make her your 'partner' and keep her from Death's hands?"

"That was the plan until you spirited her away and summoned the dragon." Raizen replied. "No matter at this moment. I can always go to Namek and have the dragon there revive her so she's nothing but a living doll under my complete control. Of course, you will not be resurrected with her since you have taken what you have desired already."

"You're heartless and have no sense of honor!" Dusk growled throughout the mysterious and noticeable raise in chi. He refused to allow such violation; especially to the woman who had changed his heart. Ever since the wishes were granted, he learned what he needed to do in order to protect what's left of Earth. Now, all of her hopes fell upon his shoulders and he could not fail to carry them or her life would be at forfeit.

Lunging at Raizen, Dusk punched the Daza-jin so hard that he went flying back. Chi-chi saw something flying from Dusk's side and careened her head for a better look. Before she could identify what it was, Raizen had recovered and Dusk vanished into thin air. Chi-chi had lost track of the masked fighter that had protected her before she heard a sharp crack and noticed Raizen hit the ground.

"Damn you!" Raizen yelled. Chi-chi felt the Daza-jin's power rise and shuttered. No wonder her husband did not survive against him. This man was indeed a force to be reckoned with and she shuttered at the thought of how Raizen murdered her husband.

'You still haven't figured it out yet?'

"What?" Chi-chi gasped. She felt utterly confused. Did she imagine it or did Dusk speak to her telepathically?

"I'll make you pay for taunting me!" Raizen roared before he finished powering up. The power Chi-chi felt was much higher than what she felt when Goku went Super Saiya-jin 3. That level of Super Saiya-jin stood barely a fourth of what she felt and that made her wonder if Dusk could defeat Raizen or not. So far, his power level did not seem to spike at all and she wondered if he was holding back or not.

"Is that a challenge?" Dusk boasted to the alien; almost in a challenging manner. He seemed to be luring the Daza-jin warlord into an unexpected trap. That or he was just angering him in utter rage so his movements would be considered sloppy.

"You dare mock me?" Raizen growled before lunging at Dusk again. The masked warrior easily maneuvered around the Daza-jin with little effort. With each blow exchanged, it seemed that Raizen was getting hurt. Dusk on the other hand was totally unscathed by the alien's hand due to the agile movement he had.

'Dusk can do this… I know he can…' Chi-chi thought silently while tears were in her eyes. She watched with awe how Raizen had finally met his match in one of the soldiers he had.

The two pulled away and landed. Dusk did not look winded in the slightest whereas Raizen looked like he was going to either faint or puke. This did not look good at all for the Daza-jin warlord for he had never fought a losing battle. He was starting to grow irritated at the idea that the former Nightingale Hunter, the masked warrior, was stronger than he was. It was though he was living a nightmare far worse than he could ever imagine.

"You… you wished for… for the power to… to defeat me didn't you?" Raizen cursed angrily; still breathing heavy from the fight that had transpired. His body ached from the wounds he never thought that he would receive in such a short amount of time. He had to end this or it would be all over before he knew it.

"Actually, that was Chi-chi's wish. I only wanted my memories back." Dusk admitted to Raizen rather casually.

"Then you know…" Raizen started to say before he was punched in the gut by the masked warrior. What air Raizen regained was instantly lost and he fell to his knees in utter pain.

"Yes, those that I care about are dead thanks to your soldiers. I'm surprised out of all the carnage, the one human you left alive was the one who brought forth your downfall." Dusk spoke in a bitter tone. "You should have picked a different woman that had no knowledge of the dragon balls. You're finished Raizen. Either leave now or prepare to die."

"I'm not bested yet Dusk. You haven't been fighting me at full power." Raizen snarled angrily while climbing back onto his feet. Either he was a glutton for pain and buffing to make the masked warrior yield or he was being dead serious and was about to give everything he had left into this battle.

"Oh? I thought that was your best." Dusk spoke in a mocking tone. Apparently, Dusk did not buy the bluff that Raizen issued. It seemed he was either overconfident or just prepared to prove to the Daza-jin that he would defeat him.

"The Daza-jin race possesses one skill that we use in reservation due to the nature of it. Boast while you can, for once I reach my true power, you shall regret those words that you have spoken." Raizen warned the masked warrior one final time. After this, Dusk would not receive any mercy.

Dusk did not seem phased when Raizen yelled suddenly nor did he when he felt the Daza-jin's power begin to climb dramatically. Raizen's skin began to darken and he grew black horns from his head. His once smooth and flawless skin shifted into scales and his eyes now took on a pure golden color.

The ground was hit by a sudden backlash from Raizen's aura that caused the earth to up heave violently. Chi-chi flew backwards from the backlash; however, Dusk appeared unaffected by the cyclonic winds. He easily caught the female in his arms before she ended up getting hurt or worse.

"Are you alright?" Dusk questioned while letting Chi-chi go carefully.

"I'll be fine. You should be more cautious tho… oh my god…" Chi-chi looked up in horror at the demon that took the place of Raizen.

Raizen's long hair went to the small of his back and the golden eyes fixated towards them. His armor had been long since ruined due to the horrific transformation that changed the humanoid into a demon. Shoulder-like spikes spawned and his demonic horns seemed to radiate with a ghastly power. If he were truly allowed to live, he could wreak havoc to the rest of what little life is left on Earth and rule the universe with an iron fist.

"I take it you're horrified by this transformation." Raizen spoke in such dark tones that it sent a shiver down Chi-chi's spine.

"Oh… oh my…" Chi-chi shuttered from the sheer magnitude of the demonic power she felt.

"I'm not," Dusk intoned. "I've seen worst monsters that pale in comparison of your transformation. If you think I'll run so you could hunt me down, then you're wrong."

"Dusk, you're no match for him…" Chi-chi warned Dusk in a worried tone. She did not want to lose this man that stood between Raizen for if Dusk died now, then Chi-chi would find herself tormented by this demon.

"Not like this," Dusk snapped. For the first time, he removed the gloves that confined his wrists and dropped them to the ground with a thud. Chi-chi gawked at how calloused the warrior's hands were beneath the gloves. Like what bit of his face she had seen, it had a tan-like complexion. Somehow, he seemed more humanoid than she first imagined and wondered what the man was behind the mask.

"No matter what you try, you cannot defeat me," Raizen darkly growled. Dusk removed the belt that he wore and dropped it to the ground. "Honestly, you think that removing that stuff from your body would make a difference?"

"You never know unless you try." Dusk answered. He reached up for the mask before hesitating to remove it. Raizen noticed this and decided to take advantage to the masked warrior's weakness.

"What's the matter? Are you afraid that she might not know of your little secret?" Raizen questioned. Dusk's hands went to his sides instantly. The same hands became fists the more Raizen talked and prattled over his desire not to show Chi-chi who he was beneath the mask. "She's bound to know sooner or later that you're…"

"SHUT-UP!" Dusk yelled in defiance and lunged at Raizen. He would not allow him of all people to utter who he was. This was a horrible flaw that Dusk attempted earlier and he was falling straight into Raizen's trap.

The demon easily dodged and delivered a punch to masked fighter's face. In slow motion, the mask shattered suddenly and Dusk went flying backwards from the blow. He tumbled upon the ground during the time that blood matted his hair and face. The remaining pieces of the mask covered in both dirt and blood began to fall towards the ground. This revealed Dusk's true face that had been hidden beneath the mask the whole time.

Chi-chi, who had watched this scene from afar, fell to her knees shaking uncontrollably at the scene that had unfolded. She wished now that the secret would have been kept from her.

To Be Continued…