Trunks stood in the vast field of grass with his sword in hand. As he practiced with the ancient sword, he felt his mastery and skill of the weapon increase, as though the weapon were becoming one with him.
Vegeta stood nearby. As always he watched with his arms crossed.
"Are you going to have me undergo another Zenkai father?" Trunks asked as he swung his sword around, slicing the air.
"Not yet. As I said I want your strength to be at its maximum. If your still weakened from the last zenkai you won't survive." Vegeta said.
Nearby the rest of the Z-Fighters stood, some watching Trunks train, and others such as Nouva Shenron choosing to take the chance to rest.
Goten sat against a tree, his father and brother to his right and left respectively.
Goku broke the silence.
"Wow look at Trunks wield that sword. He is almost as good as future Trunks now don't you think?" Goku said with an excited tone.
"He might have picked up some of the other Trunks' skills when the two were fused. Also consider that Trunks is using Tapion's sword, which is magical." Gohan said
"Goten what do you think?" Goku asked his younger son.
Goten stared at the ground, only reluctantly answering his father.
"Trunks shouldn't even bother. If we are being realistic it will take him years to catch up to everyone else. I don't know what Vegeta is thinking." Goten said bluntly.
"Whats with the attitude Goten? You can't fault Trunks for trying. I mean look at how much you've improved." Gohan said.
"So Trunks sees how much better I am than him now and wants to catch up I get it. But this isn't the time or the place for him to train. You made Pan stay home for good reason, Trunks should not have come with us." Goten said.
Goku continued to watch Vegeta and Trunks train, ignoring his sons for the moment.
"Are you forgetting that without Trunks you likely would have been killed by Malastar? He came because he knew that fusion would still be useful despite how much different you and Trunks are in terms of power." Gohan said.
"And despite that I was still forced to kill the woman I love." Goten said
Goku decided to chime in.
"I thought you had gotten past your grief after you became a Super Saiyan Four Goten?" Goku asked.
A shrill wind blew threw the area, causing every green leaf and blade of grass to sway gently.
"Are you over Mom's death yet?" Goten asked.
The question hit Goku like a knife to the gut. Goten seemed to see the pain he caused just by asking the question.
"I didn't think so." Goten said, a serious expression on his face.
Suddenly another gust of wind blew threw the area. This time though the wind was nearly hurricane strength. The calm blue sky overhead darkened to a dull grey, exactly like the sky before an oncoming storm.
Like a falling meteor a being landed with great force, knocking anyone standing nearby to the ground. As one each of the Z-Fighters gathered around the mysterious being, each getting into a fighting pose.
The figure resembled a dark knight. His body was surrounded by a dull red aura. The being wore black plate armor over his entire body as well as a violet cape over his back. On the being's head was a grey helmet which resembled a dead cow's skull, with long curved horns protruded on either side.
Vegeta shook his right fist at the intruder.
"I don't like being interrupted when I'm in the middle of training." Vegeta said with an annoyed tone.
"Whoever this guy is, his power is amazing. He is just a little bit stronger than Malastar was in his transformed state. I have a bad feeling about this." Trunks thought.
The armored warrior stared with two glowing red eyes at Vegeta before answering.
"Yes how utterly inconsiderate of me. Perhaps next time I decide to engage in battle with a mortal enemy I should ask them politely first if it is convenient for them if I show up." The dark warrior said with a tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Who are you and what do you want with us?" Gohan asked
"I am Hadeon, fifth King of the Demon World and ruler of the dead. As for what I want with your pitiful group, I want to destroy you." Hadeon said
"That won't happen you freak." Vegeta said
"Vegeta I believe it would be unwise to anger this one. His power is much greater than the previous demon kings." Nouva said with a concerned tone.
"I will give you all ten seconds to choose whom among you will fight me. Starting now." Hadeon said.
"I'll fight you." Trunks said, courageously stepping forward, sword in hand.
Hadeon suddenly erupted in a fit of laughter.
"You? Your the weakest out of this pitiful group. What are you trying to prove?" Hadeon said.
Trunks did not smile nor show any sign that he was acting in jest. Instead he powered up to his Super Saiyan Two state and held his sword in hand, ready for whatever Hadeon sent his way.
"Hmm. If you truly wish to challenge me, than to be fair I will allow all of your companions to fight me as well. This should be amusing." Hadeon said, then arrogantly crossed his armored arms over his chest.
"You want to fight all of us? You got it!" Majuub yelled, then fired a pink hued beam of energy Hadeon's way.
Gohan powered up to his Super Saiyan Five state, Vegeta and Goku did the same.
"Masenko of Justice!" Gohan yelled, firing what looked like a yellow sun at Hadeon
"Grand Kamehameha!" Goku yelled, firing a violet beam of incredible power.
"Hyper Nova!" Vegeta roared, sending a flaming blue beam at Hadeon.
All four attacks stopped in midair in front of Hadeon, then disappeared.
"What? No way." Gohan said in surprise.
Goten transformed into his new Super Saiyan Four form.
"Double Kamehameha!" Goten yelled, firing twin red beams of energy Hadeon's way.
"Nouva Death Ray!" Nouva yelled, firing his own fiery attack at Hadeon.
As before both attacks fizzled away harmlessly before they could strike their target.
"Buster Cannon!" Trunks yelled as he gathered yellow energy in each of his hands, forming it into a large ball, which he then pulled back and fired at Hadeon.
Trunks attack also fizzled away harmlessly before it could strike its target.
"Is that the best all of you are capable of? Let me show you how its done." Hadeon said as he held out his metal-covered hands towards the Z-Fighters.
Suddenly a dark blue electricity emerged from Hadeon's fingertips and collided with each of the Z-Fighters, who cried out in pain as the attack struck them.
Hadeon's dim red aura then flared outwards, the force of which threw the Z-Fighters a short distance away.
Majuub forced himself off the ground, as did the other Z-Fighters.
"Hes so powerful." Majuub said, weeryness in his tone.
"That does not matter..we have no choice, we must find a way to defeat him." Gohan said as he forced himself onto one knee.
"I can assure you half-saiyan. That will not happen." Hadeon said, teleporting directing in front of Gohan. Before anyone could blink Hadeon held Gohan by the neck in the air with his right hand.
"I expected a challenge from you so called Z-Fighters. What I got was a joke. I might as well put you all out of your misery now and spare you the illusion of hope." Hadeon said.
Trunks clutched his hands tightly together.
"Maybe if I had followed father's advice all those years ago and trained, we wouldn't be in this situation right now. Then again, look how easily this guy is beating everyone. There must be something..anything I can do to even the odds." Trunks thought.
Without thinking Trunks flew into the air with his sword in hand and yelled out a battlecry as he charged Hadeon.
Hadeon casually tossed Gohan towards Trunks and the two half-saiyans collided in mid-air, falling to the ground afterwards.
"How in the name of hell did you sorry fools defeat the first four kings?" Hadeon said
"With courage and honor..the same way we are going to be beat you." Vegeta yelled as he flew towards Hadeon.
Vegeta slammed Hadeon with his right fist, and continued pummeling the fifth king.
After a minute of this, Vegeta flew backwards a short distance.
"I am the Prince of all Saiyans. There is no way I'd allow someone like you, a puppet of evil, to defeat me." Vegeta said.
Hadeon turned towards Vegeta.
"A Prince you may be. But are you a Prince of Saiyans? Or simply a prince of fools?" Hadeon said.
"What did you say?" Vegeta asked.
"Ending Effect" Hadeon said flatly, then fired twin beams of red energy from his eyes in Vegeta's direction.
Vegeta was able to dodge the beams, but to his horror they continued to follow him.
"Heads up horn head!" Trunks yelled, slamming his sword on top of Hadeon's helmut.
While Trunks did no real damage, the attack was enough to distract him and thus canceled out his Ending Effect attack.
"Insects deserved to be squashed." Hadeon said, reaching up and grabbing Trunks.
"You let him go!" Vegeta roared, slamming the hardest punch he could into Hadeon's armored chest.
Hadeon was forced several inches backwards, but was otherwise unaffected.
Goku watched from nearby.
"There has to be a way to lessen the power difference between us." Goku said.
Uub walked up next to his teacher.
"Well, there is always fusion, I doubt Gotenks would be able to do much against this guy..but maybe Gogeta could." Uub suggested.
"Gogeta would destroy this guy..but if we use him now..that would mean we wouldn't have access to him later." Goku said
Goten flew over and slammed Hadeon in the back of the head with a fierce right kick. The kick did no real damage to the armored demon king, but it did give Trunks the distraction needed to break free.
"Trunks while we still have the time, lets fuse." Goten said quickly.
"But if we" Trunks started, but was stopped by his friend.
"I'd rather survive than wonder about some rules that may or may nor exist." Goten said.
"Fine." Trunks said as he and Goten began the poses needed to execute the metamorian fusion dance.
Hadeon tossed Vegeta off him directing into an incoming Goku. The two Super Saiyan Fives collided painfully than fell to the ground.
Gohan began firing hundreds of orange energy blasts at Hadeon from behind. The armored king turned and let his gaze fall upon the first son of Goku.
"If your trying to be a nuisance..your succeeding." Hadeon said, then held out his right hand and fired a blast of crimson energy which Gohan was narrowly able to dodge.
The blast flew into the distance, colliding with, and destroying a nearby mountain.
"HA!" Goten and Trunks yelled together. A brief, but bright flash of light illuminated the area.
Hadeon turned his attention towards the light, only to see Gotenks in his base form standing where he had sensed two separate powers moments earlier.
Gotenks held his hand up and gave the victory sign, then yelled and powered up to his Super Saiyan Three form.
"Not a bad trick. But even like that you still wouldn't last long against me." Hadeon said.
"Oh really? Well in that case how about I take things up a notch?" Gotenks asked, then began to yell. Everyone nearby could sense Gotenks' power increasing yet further.
Gotenks hair shortened somewhat and darkened to black. Down the middle of Gotenk's hair was a streak of lavender, a reminder that Trunks was a component to Gotenks' existence. Gotenks muscles grew somewhat, and red fur covered his arms and outer chest. A red tail appeared. Gotenks eyebrows reappeared, along with a red ring around both eyes, which were red and had cat-like pupils.
"Maybe I'll be a challenge now that I'm a Super Saiyan Four?" Gotenks asked with a very Vegeta-like smirk.
Goku was not happy.
"What were they thinking? Gotenks has already defeated one of the demon kings. We don't know what breaking the rules will do yet. It is too risky." Goku said with alarm in his voice.
Vegeta was silent. There was no point in arguing about this latest development, considering Gotenks just may have saved their lives.
"Ultra Ghost Kamikaze Attack!" Gotenks yelled, then spit out eight ghosts with heads that resembled his own.
"Go ghosts, make me proud!" Gotenks yelled, pointing at Hadeon.
Hadeon was silent as the ghosts approached. His suddenly glowing eyes were the only sign he was aware of what was going on.
"Ending Effect." Hadeon said, then fired two red beams from his eyes at the incoming ghosts, which exploded on impact.
"Hey no fair!" Gotenks said
"Ending Effect." Hadeon repeated, this time firing his beams of death at Gotenks, who flew into the air, only to see the beams follow him as though they had minds of their own.
"Why is Gotenks acting childish again?" Gohan asked as he walked over to Vegeta, Nouva, and Goku.
"My guess is either its the effect of the Super Saiyan Four transformation on the fusion, or Gotenks is acting like himself again because the feelings he had last time he was formed aren't as intense." Vegeta said.
Gotenks stopped flying and fired two blasts of his own at the incoming beams. A tremendous mid-air explosion occurred that sent Gotenks high into the sky.
Bardock appeared from behind the armored king and slammed his fists into Hadeon's back as hard as his Super Saiyan Three body would allow.
The impact merely shook Hadeon abit.
"I'm growing tired of these games. It is apparent that all of you together are not capable of giving me a decent fight." Hadeon said
"So its time to end this charade." Hadeon said as his eyes began to glow.
Suddenly two small red spheres of energy slammed into Hadeon's chest with explosive force, causing Hadeon to nearby fall over. Hadeon clutched his chest in pain. Someone had actually managed to hurt him!
"Still picking on those weaker than yourself I see." A male and somewhat metallic voice said from nearby.
Everyone present looked upwards to see a figure floating in the sky.
The mysterious newcomer had a black leather jacket over a black and red cloth shirt. The figure had two red wings which he used to float in the sky. On the figure's head was a black helmut with a red jewel on the forehead section of the helmut, as well as red eyes. The figure also wore a red leather belt, black leather pants and two metal boots.
The mystery man held two black and red guns, one in each hand. Both were pointed at Hadeon.
"What who are you?" Hadeon asked, seeing the newcomer.
"I see you don't remember me..well along we to interduce myself." The being said, then began firing red spheres of energy rapidly into Hadeon's form, causing the armored king to yell out in pain.
"Agony, Pain..Sorrow..that is who I am." The figure said.
"Hey I was fighting him." Gotenks protested
The figure turned his head towards Gotenks, then aimed his weapon and fired it at the fusion.
Gotenks yelled out in surprise and pain as the blast struck him, then promptly defused into base form Trunks and Goten, who fell to the ground, and were quickly caught by Bardock.
"Does that remind you of anyone Hadeon?" The flying figure said.
"No? Is it supposed to?" Hadeon asked.
"You wiped my entire race from existence, you killed my only son. You warped my body into the abomination it is today." The figure said.
"Ah..Elidan. So you've finally come to try to exact your revenge?" Hadeon asked as he stared upwards at the flying figure in leather.
"Elidan" ignored Hadeon's words, and pointed his weapons at the armored king once more, firing a series of red blasts at the fifth king.
Hadeon's body was wracked with pain as the blasts struck him.
"You feel the pain? The helplessness? Maybe now you feel just abit of what my family felt as you mercilessly slaughtered them." Elidan said
"You call that pain? I will show you pain." Hadeon yelled as his eyes began to glow.
Nearby the Z-Fighters had gathered.
"Who is this guy?" Gohan asked.
"I don't know, but he is out of control." Goten said.
"Yeah." Trunks said.
"Ending Effect." Hadeon yelled as he once again fired his twin red eye-beams, this time at the flying form of Elidan.
"Always with that same boring attack." Elidan said as he pressed a button on both his guns. Instantly a curved red blade appeared from each of Elidan's guns. Elidan then flew to everyone's surprise directly towards the incoming Ending Effect beams.
Elidan held his weapons in front of himself as he dived down towards Hadeon, slicing Hadeon's attacks into nothingness as he did so.
Elidan then brought his weapons down on the armored king. Hadeon however, was prepared, and with a wave of his right hand, flung Elidan away from him with force alone.
"You win this round, but assure you things will not transpire the same way next time." Hadeon said as he rose into the air.
"Hes retreating?" Goten said.
"Your not getting away that easily!" Elidan yelled
"Oh but I am." Hadeon said, then held his right hand towards Trunks.
Immediately Trunks found himself lifted into the sky.
"Guys whats happening?" Trunks yelled in alarm.
Before anyone could make sense of what was going on, Hadeon flew off at amazing speeds, Trunks following him.
Elidan landed on the ground near the Z-Fighters, on top a field of green grass.
Elidan inspected his weapons, which were once again in gun form.
Goku walked over to the mystery man.
"I don't know who you think you are but you were out of control. You could have hurt my son." Goku said with a hint of anger in his voice.
"What happens to your son doesn't matter to me. I live only for revenge now. If anyone gets hurt in the process its their fault for getting in my way." Elidan said coldly.
Goku clutched his teeth in anger.
"If you live for revenge all you will find is pain in the end." Vegeta said, speaking from experience.
"I disagree..besides..I never asked you." Elidan said.
Meanwhile..inside Hadeon's dark place.
Hadeon sat on his throne of bone, two torches the only source of light in the room. Trunks was chained by his hands and feet to the left wall of the room. Beneath Trunks was a pool of orange slime. The same substance lay at the right side of the chamber.
"What are you going to do to me?" Trunks yelled, demanding to know his fate.
Hadeon ignored Trunks, focusing instead on the figure which suddenly appeared before Hadeon and his dark throne.
The figure looked human. His skin was as pale white as bone. He wore dark armor decorated with white skulls on the shoulder and chest area. The figure's face could be described as handsome. Six black bird-like wings lay on the figure's back. In the figure's hands was a scythe.
"Azrael my master...it is an honor to be graced by your presence." Hadeon said with reverence.
"And it is a honor to know I have such devoted and loyal followers." Azrael said with a smile on his pale face.
"What brings you to my realm master?" Hadeon asked.
"Your Azrael? The one behind all this?" Trunks asked loudly from the wall nearby.
"Yes..indeed I am. And your...Trunks are you not?" Azrael asked.
Trunks saw a smile from Azrael..but despite Azrael's well mannered demeanor, there was something about him that made him uneasy.
Trunks was silent.
"Trunks, we have met twice before now. Once while I was disguised as Nightshade, and the second and first time we met was when you became Tollan, the being that represented your resentment towards your counterpart from the other timeline." Azrael said, clutching his weapon tightly.
"Wait..your!" Trunks remembered, his eyes widening in horror.
"Yes I was the wraith-like being in your vision. The one that said death is the only absolute. I was only trying to open your eyes to the truth, yet you rejected me. Now you have a chance to remedy your earlier mistake." Azrael said.
"Master what could you possibly want with a weakling such as him? Hadeon asked.
"Patience Hadeon. Sometimes the devil is in the details." Azrael said.
"I will never again fight on the side of evil." Trunks said loudly.
"Oh? Are you sure? Perhaps you should listen to what my main goal is. Don't you wonder why everything before now seems to have lead to today?" Azrael asked.
"What are you saying?" Trunks asked.
"I am saying that Tlama's appearence, the following elimination of all timelines but one, using the threat of Krysis to convince Bardock to open the gates of demon world. All of it is leading to something. My grand design. Do you want to know what my grand design is Trunks?" Azrael asked with a grin on his bone-white face.
"No, but I bet your about to tell me anyway." Trunks said.
"The cause of all conflict. The sorrow that comes with death, all the horrible things you must endure as mortals. I intend on ending them all. I will eliminate opposites. I will make good and evil, life and death, hot and cold..I will make them all one and the same. There will be no more opinions, nothing to divide life from other life. It will be paradise..the kind the existed before opposition destroyed it." Azrael said.
"Your insane!" Trunks yelled.
"Insanity is something that plagues mortal beings. I am a Seraphim, a fallen one, but still a Seraphim nonetheless. Beings on my level do not experience madness." Azrael said.
"Seraphims..those were the celestial beings that built the time force..then dissapeared without a trace one day." Trunks said, remembering.
"Yes. You remember. They left the time fortress to mortals for various reasons. Only one of them realized the futility in protecting mortals from other mortals. That one was me. I offered a plan that would solve that problem...but nobody appreciated my genius..and I was banished to Demon World." Azrael said
"How tragic." Trunks said with a sarcastic sounding voice.
"I have waited for over a million mortal generations to set my plan into motion and finally escape from my prison. That time is nearly upon us Trunks. You said earlier you will never serve evil again? Well think of the alternative. Hadeon here has enough power to crush all of your friends in a single attack if he wishes. If you really want a chance against him..then you will accept my help." Azrael said.
"I don't make deals with devils." Trunks said.
"Master..why are you going to help him? I do not understand." Hadeon said with a confused tone.
"I have my reasons Hadeon. I think you will find them to much for your mind to comprehend." Azrael said, then pointed his scythe at Trunks.
"On a million different Earths and beyond I was known as the Grim Reaper. My appearance meant only that death had arrived. Trunks death has come for you now. You have two choices..either join me and allow me to grant you some of my power..or oppose me and perish as all mortals eventually will. The choice...is yours." Azrael said.
Trunks did not take long to answer.
"Do your worst." was all the lavender haired half-saiyan could say.
"Wrong answer. Lucky for you I was going to force you into the first option no matter what you said, although if you had gone willingly..it would have been much more pleasurable for me. I always enjoy corrupting the good and the innocent." Azrael said, then threw his scythe at Trunks.
The blade of Azrael's weapon sliced the chains restraining Trunks' hands off. Trunks body then hung by his feet over the pit of orange slime.
Azrael caught his weapon as it returned to his bone white right hand. Azrael immediately tossed his weapon again.
Trunks screamed as he fell into the orange goo. His mind was assaulted by a million horrible images at once the moment his body touched the substance. When he was completely submerged and struggled to get out of the horrible, hellish liquid, but whatever the slime was, it would not allow him to leave.
The images assaulted his mind. As time past the images were gradual less horrible, eventually Trunks came to find them amusing.
As this occurred Trunks heard two sentences constantly repeated over and over again.
The 10th is the 11th. In order for true evil to rise, death, yes even death itself must die.