Azrael snarled in frustration. The incarnation of death clutched his two pale hands tightly.
"How did you gain this power?" Azrael yelled, demanding an answer from Vegeta, who stood silently opposite him.
Vegeta's new form gave the Saiyan Prince the appearance of power itself. His skin of blue metal, his eyes of blue energy, his white ethereal hair and his angelic-like aura all made apparent to all that gazed upon him that Vegeta had transcended fully the realm of mortal power.
Vegeta smiled before answering Azrael's question.
"Water, wind and solar panels." Vegeta said with his trademark smirk.
"You insolent little..you will pay for mocking me." Azrael said, clutching his scythe tightly, rage apparent on his face.
Vegeta wasted no more time. Even as Goku gazed onward in awe, Vegeta flew forward at Azrael so quickly he left after images in the air behind him. With a single punch Vegeta struck Azrael, a thunder shaking the entire world the moment of impact.
Azrael's face had a look of shock and pain as he dropped his weapon. Forced to his knees from the sheer power of Vegeta's single attack, Azrael clutched his chest in pain.
Goku smiled.
"Vegeta..how did you ascend? This is amazing!" Goku said.
"Kakorot..It looks like this time..I beat you to a new level." Vegeta said with a smile.
"Impossible..this..can't be happening! I am the strongest in my domain..you should all be insects compared to me!" Azrael said
"Kakorot I will handle this fight from here. Go to the others." Vegeta said.
The skies above raged with a thunderstorm. The very air of the world itself was energized by Vegeta's new power.
"You sure you don't need me?" Goku asked.
"Trust me Kakorot..as a Super Saiyan Six this will be over quickly." Vegeta said.
Goku suddenly reverted to his normal form, his blue and orange gi ripped and in tatters.
"I'll leave everything to you then. Good luck my friend." Goku said before flying away into the distance.
"You think you can just fly away?" Azrael said, pointing his right hand at Goku.
"I don't think so." Vegeta said as he brought his right foot down hard on Azrael's hand, the sound of bones crunching as he did so.
Azrael yelled out in pain as his hand was rendered useless.
"Whats wrong? A mere five minutes ago you had all the answers. You claimed to be the strongest out of us all...now you crawl on the ground in pain like an injured animal. You enjoy killing others and inflicting pain on them..but you can't take pain yourself well can you?" Vegeta said, suddenly bringing his left leg around and slamming it with the force of a supernova into Azrael's face.
Azrael was sent staggering backwards. Azrael quickly recovered, then charged at Vegeta.
Vegeta easily blocked a thousand or so punches that the incarnation of death sent his way.
"Why don't my attacks effect you?" Azrael said with a frustrated tone.
Azrael flew back a small distance, then fired hundreds of rapid-fire energy attacks at the prince of all saiyans.
Vegeta calmly walked forward, allowing the energy Azrael sent his way to harmlessly strike him. Suddenly Vegeta vanished and reappeared directly in front of the angel of death, quickly slamming his left fist into Azrael's chest.
Azrael coughed up some spittle, then held his neck with his left hand.
"You can't be doing this to me! Your supposed to be the righteous one now!" Azrael yelled.
The angel of death's nose was bleeding. His right hand was broken. Azrael's chest was in a great deal of pain.
"You don't torture your enemies!" Azrael yelled as he fired a sphere of red electrical energy towards Vegeta, who was completely unaffected by the attack when it struck him in the chest.
"I fight for what is right yes..but you are forgetting something very important." Vegeta said as he slowly walked towards Azrael.
"And what would that be?" Azrael said as he slowly backed away from Vegeta.
"I'm not Kakorot" Vegeta said, then disappeared from Azrael's view, reappearing not even a second later a hair's breathe away with his right fist planted in Azrael's chest.
Azrael was sent flying backwards, stopping only when he slammed into his throne.
"How do you like it Azrael? Do you feel afraid? Do you sense your end is near? Your always going on and on about how absolute death is. How does death look to you now that its staring right at you?" Vegeta said, then reappeared over Azrael, who was lying on the ground in front of his broken throne.
"I am the king of all demons!" Azrael yelled, firing two beams of red energy at Vegeta. His attacks once again were completely un effective as they struck Vegeta and had absolutely no effect.
"Your the king of nothing." Vegeta replied with his trademark smirk as he pointed both palms towards Azrael.
In a valley nearby the rest of the Z-Fighters stood, seeing the ongoing battle with not their eyes, but their spiritual senses.
"This is end of Azrael for sure." Trunks said, his lavender hair moving in the world-wide breeze.
"I don't like it." Bardock said suddenly, causing everyone except Kohryu, who was standing nearby apart from the rest of the group, to turn towards him.
"Why? The sooner this is over the better." Goten said. Goten wore only the bottom part of his white gi, the rest had been destroyed by battles and demon world itself.
"I think this is all too easy that is why. Remember the wraith-like being you told me about who was responsible for giving you your power as Toran Trunks?" Bardock asked.
Trunks thought back to the events involving Gentech and Krysis..
Words and images from not long ago flashed across Trunks' mind.
"Trunks...my friend. You have been manipulated into working with the forces of evil. These swords can set you free, if you will them. You and the other Trunks are halves of the same whole." Tapion's voice spoke
"There is so much..darkness. Tapion I don't know if I can overcome it." Trunks said. He felt surrounded by a sea of infinite darkness, his head above the dark waters, but only barely.
"The friend I know would never give up. I believe in you Trunks, I believe that in the end, you will do the right thing. I know you will fight for justice, not revenge." Tapion's voice said
Trunks felt his body rise a bit. The darkness seemed to be slowly losing its hold on him. He was nearly free from the ocean of darkness, when he felt a powerful, and very evil, presence nearby.
"Why do you cling to that which is meaningless?" The voice said.
"My love of family and friends is not meaningless" Trunks said in response.
"Everything is meaningless except for that which is the only absolute. Only death is meaningful. Why not end the futility that is mortality?" The voice answered.
Trunks ignored the dark presence and accepted the swords conditions. In his mind the sea of darkness seemed to retreat as a pillar of light engulfed Trunks.
Trunks looked at Bardock, realization setting in.
"Whatever that being was had great power...it gave me power threw a well of emptiness of pure evil." Trunks said.
"What are you guys saying?" Goten asked, a look of confusion on his face.
"Azrael was the being you met on that day Trunks. He gave me power as well, in order to defeat Krysis. I know not the purpose in his actions, only that whatever Vegeta is fighting is only a shadow of the real thing." Bardock said.
"If that is true why hasn't he used his true power? Why allow himself to be humiliated?" Ultimo asked, his golden arms crossed over his chest, which held all seven of Earth's dragonballs.
Goku suddenly remembered the ominous poem that had repeated itself in his mind after he had touched that strange orange goo in the third demon world.
"The 10th is the 11th. In order for true evil to rise, death, yes even death itself must die." Goku said.
Everyone turned towards Goku, including Kohryu.
"That is a part of the forbidden prophecy. Goku...where did you hear that?" Kohryu asked, a worried look on his face.
"I touched some strange orange slime while we were in the third demon world. When I did, all sorts of horrible images entered my mind, along with that poem." Goku said, scratching his head.
"I remember Azrael using orange slime to bring back Toran while we were in the fifth demon world. He called it the blood of evil..or something like it." Trunks said.
The sound of thunder could be heard above suddenly.
"There is a prophecy that was made long ago..it is said that the kings of the demon world are part of an ancient seal..and with each king's defeat..part of that seal is destroyed. Wait wait wait..oh no.." Kohryu said, suddenly clutching his hands tightly, a troubled look on his face.
"Kohryu..what is wrong?" Goku asked.
"How could I not have seen it? " Kohryu said.
Back at the battlefield Vegeta gathered energy in his hands for his next attack. Azrael continued to act like a pitiful, wretched coward. Vegeta had decided to end the fight..even though every saiyan cell in his body wanted to drag things out as long as possible.
"Go ahead..finish it. Save your universe." Azrael said with a slight smile.
Back in the nearby valley..
"You coming here was no accident. Goku...have you ever wondered why each foe you have faced over the years is stronger than the one before it?" Kohryu asked.
"Not really..honestly I never gave it much thought." Goku said, his hand on the back of his head.
"Someone has sensed..or predicted the power you and your comrades would acquire...and made sure to place opponents in your path over the years to bring that power out." Kohryu said, his gaze on Goku.
"Is that why you wanted to eliminate us orginally?" Goten asked, remembering back to the events that lead up to the entire affair with Tlama.
"Yes. Remember Byakko said that mortals with enough power would attract the attention of evil beings who exist outside the normal universe. At the time I assumed Tlama was that being...however I forgot the forbidden prophecy." Kohryu said, pausing before speaking again.
"In the depths of demon world it is said a will exists which orginally wrote the prophecy. This will has placed evil after evil in front of you..so that eventually it could bring you to demon world itself..where you would defeat all the kings and in so doing..forfill the prophecy." Kohryu stated.
"In order for true evil to rise..death, yes even death itself must die. What does it mean?" Goku asked.
Before an answer could be given to that question, three lights appeared in the skie. At first Bardock and the others assumed they were stars, but as they got closer it was apparent they were anything but.
"The Seraphim...why would they be here?" Kohryu asked as the three lights headed towards Vegeta.
Back at the battlefield Vegeta was ready to unleash his attack and end Azrael's threat once and for all.
"Empyrean Crusher!" Vegeta yelled as his hands glowed brighter and brighter.
Vegeta fired a sphere the size of a small car composed of white-blue energy from his hands at Azrael, who strangely had a grin on his pale face.
"Secret Art: Renzoken!" An unfamiliar voice said from above. Suddenly a field of invisible energy deflected Vegeta's attack, sending it flying into the void above the 10th demon world.
"What the heck?" Vegeta asked with a confused tone as three celestial beings floated down and stood in front of him, blocking his sight of Azrael.
While all three of the figures had six white angelic wings, they each had a very different appearence from each other.
One of the figures was a tall, muscular man with a dark brown skintone. The man carried a large ivory hued sword with writing in some unknown langauge on its blade. He wore golden armor on his chest, legs, and feet. A gold helmut with a red crest reminscient of a roman legionary protected the figure's head.
The second of the beings was more slender in build. He had a light skin tone, eyes of gold, and a violet robe. At this being's side was a katana, currently inside a scabbard.
The third of the Seraphim was about as muscle-bound as the first. He had blonde hair and wore white plate armor everywhere except his head. This one carried a white trianglar shaped shield and a short sword.
"What is going on? Why did you stop me?" Vegeta asked
The first of the beings, the one in gold armor, decided to speak.
"Azrael must not die." The first of the three said in a deep voice.
"Unless he is defeated the Earth and the universe will be destroyed. I can't let that happen." Vegeta said.
"Your world and universe will not die. The danger you think grips your world is an illusion. If you kill Azrael however...the danger that will occur will be anything but an illusion." The second of the three, the robed seraphim, stated in a youthful sounding male voice.
"What are you talking about?" Vegeta asked, utterly confused.
Vegeta suddenly saw the Earth. A dark black cloud covered the entire world. Vegeta heard the cries of his wife and daughter..then he heard both scream..then nothing.
Vegeta clutched his hands, then suddenly flew past the three before any of them could reacte.
"It is over Azrael!" Vegeta roared as he brought both his fists down upon the incarnation of death..who only smiled.
A huge explosion engulfed Vegeta and Azrael as the prince of saiyans unleashed his attack.
The three Seraphim flew a safe distance away.
"He knows not what he has done." The seraphim in white plate armor said with a rugged sounding male voice.
Vegeta saw the figure that had granted him his new power.
"Thankyou Vegeta..for being such a fool." The figure said.
As the smoke and light from Vegeta's attack dimmed, Vegeta's eyes widened as realization struck him.
Whatever had given him his new form was not a being of goodness. It wanted him to destroy Azrael..even as Vegeta had missed the obvious...that Azrael welcomed death.
On Earth, Bulma sat at a circular table in the kitchen of Bulma's new home with Krillin, Yamcha, Bulla and Tien. The old crew had decided to meet up again following the news of this latest crisis.
"So how do you think Goku and the others are doing?" Yamcha said. Yamcha had his hair short. While still in shape, much like Bulma, Yamcha had the look of a middle-aged man, with a hint of grey in his hair. Yamcha and Krillin both wore their old orange gis, for old times sake.
While Yamcha had aged relatively well, Krillin had not been so lucky, as the former monk now had a grey head of hair and equally grey mustache, giving him the oldest appearence in the room.
"Well you know Goku...there isn't a challenge he can't overcome. I just wish I could still fight. Its been years since we've been useful..I miss the old days." Krillin said.
Tien nodded. The tri-clops looked not a day older than he had years ago, his mysterious heritage granted him the same youth that the Saiyans possessed, but unfortunately none of the power.
Tien wore his blue gi, the same one he had taken to wearing years ago shortly before the entire affair with Maijin Buu.
"Power just doesn't come as easily to us humans as it does to Saiyans like Goku. I wish things were different." Tien said.
Suddenly a droning sound could be heard outside.
"What is that noise?" Bulla asked.
"I'll go check." Bulma said as she walked over to the window.
Bulma swiftly opened the window..but as soon as she did..she wished she hadn't.
All over the city people stood up, all looking at the sky chanting the same thing over and over. The faint humming of what sounded like bees in the distance accompanied the chanting. The sky was blood red.
Bulma grew more worried..and quickly ran over to the television on the far right wall, turning it on.
"What is wrong Bulma?" Krillin asked.
Bulma turned the television on, only to find static on the visual of every channel...but the same chanting on every station's audio.
"The 10th is the 11th. In order for true evil to rise, death, yes even death itself must die." A deep, sinister sounding voice said.
In the depths of demon world a single voice spoke three words.
"I am awake."