I wish I owned DBZ, but I don't. I own DVD's and tapes, but it just isn't the same. I also don't own the rights to any of the music pieces you see selected, just copies of merchandise, such a shame. The artists that created them are geniuses and we all must bow to them.
Chapter 110: Rift Battle 2: Guardian Protocol
Verto couldn't help but tremble a bit in sight of the newcomer that he had only met once before. It was less out of fear than it was surprise considering the situation. Vang's reaction was kept to a mild growl of frustration after the initial flashy entrance. The rest of the Z fighters save for Piccolo were all clueless, but also amazed at the power that Etarb Erec was emitting.
"Well, at least I can sense this guy's energy, now who is he?" Krillin asked.
Piccolo grimaced slightly, "I'm not sure we can call him a friend just yet given our last meeting, but I doubt he's here to fight us."
"Whoever he is, he can use the same transformation that Verto and Gohan can. But he's clearly not a Saiyan," Tien pointed out.
Near the center of the battle field, Etarb turned just slightly, "I suggest you get your friend out of here. He's in no condition to help in this battle anymore, and he needs to stay alive."
Verto nodded and helped Gohan get to his feet, "Can you fly on your own?"
Gohan grunted painfully, "I'll be alright, but you won't if you plan to stay. Your power drained away when you broke through his shield. It looks like this guy has everything under control anyway."
Verto stared at Etarb's glowing form and then gave Vang another intense glare, "I don't think so."
Etarb nodded slightly, "You're probably right. One on one, I'm likely not a match for him in a conventional battle of strength on strength. But neither Vang nor I are conventional warriors. Get Son Gohan to safety before you worry about me. I promise you I'll last at least that long."
Gohan turned his head slightly, "How did you know my name?"
Etarb grinned, "I hear stories, and I'm a very good listener."
"Never mind that, we need to go," Verto said before bracing Gohan's shoulder and taking off into the air.
Vang let them go as he locked eyes with Etarb, "So, it seems my plan to keep you Guardians in the dark was foiled. Pity."
Etarb's sword glowed with white energy, "Vang, even you cannot hide from us, especially when you have taken on such a powerful form in the mortal realm. Did you think we could not notice even when you erected such a strong barrier? Even if you had been able to shield your presence completely, it is very hard to ignore the breaking down of a temporal rift. Breaking its seal instantly alerted us. That was a very foolish move on a world that is already under close observation."
Vang grinned, "Technically I didn't break it. But if you think coming here will scare me back into hiding, you are mistaken. I have broken past the punishment you Guardian fools set upon me. You and your kind thought to imprison me in that hellish void after destroying my body. Did you honestly think I couldn't escape at some point? I am a patient demon and all I had to do was wait for the opportunity to grab a host. Once I have a host, all it takes is a little time. Time in which I have built my power back up to where it used to be. After that, I confess it gets a little complicated in regaining my demon body. Now that I have, I will take my revenge. No better place to start than here, where I was given life again. This world and many others will be swallowed into the darkness!"
Etarb pointed at Vang with his glowing sword, "I won't allow that to happen, demon."
Vang folded his gray arms, "You won't be able to stop me, Guardian. My powers exceed yours. Your best effort won't be able to hurt me and you know it!"
Etarb's purple eyes flashed with intensity, "We'll see."
Vang's part of the conversation ended then once he begin charging what appeared to be a larger version of his Shadow Bolt to fire. From the side, the confused Z fighters gathered quickly due to the new distraction. Goku helped Gohan stay on his feet while Verto pondered what he should do next.
"Just who is that, boy? You obviously know him," Vegeta pointed out.
"He visited and fought with me before that ordeal with Frost. He has Super Mystic powers just like Gohan and I do, but other than that I really don't know him at all. He used similar techniques that I learned, but he also has his own set. He didn't exactly stick around that day to spill the beans, but I know he's a colleague of Leira's," Verto explained briefly.
Piccolo nodded, "Yes, his presence was a mystery. But I know that we shouldn't underestimate him."
Vegeta snorted slightly, "Judging by his power level, Vang will wipe the floor with him. He's weaker than most of us, aside from the humans." Krillin and Tien scowled at this direct insult but said nothing.
Verto shook his head, "No, he's stronger than he was last time I saw him."
Vang finished charging his attack and flashed his toothy grin, "Since you're going to arrest me, I'm afraid I'll have to resist! Shadow Bomber!"
Vang launched a ball of purple energy larger than most mansions, targeting Etarb who had yet to move. Etarb pulled his sword back for a moment before hurling it towards the large ball of death bearing down on him. The blade continued to glow with white energy as it spun directly into the darker energy ball of Vang's. On contact, the ball was split in half by Etarb's sword and appeared to be falling apart. Instead, the two halves suddenly bubbled up with more energy and burst apart. Out of each, hundreds of smaller Shadow Bolts rained down towards Etarb at varied distances. Etarb was quick to begin dodging them as he fled from the target area. Each Shadow Bolt shot into the dirt all around him, missing his body by inches and turning the ground into a field of holes. Etarb turned just as the last Shadow Bolt struck near his trailing foot, taking note of all the small smoking holes Vang's attack had left behind. Above, Vang had his hands raised to charge another attack, but there wasn't much energy coming into view. Etarb's eyes narrowed as he tried to figure out what Vang was up to. His answer came in the form of realization when he sensed that Vang wasn't charging energy as much as he was pulling it towards him. Each hole before him suddenly spewed out columns of flames into the skies at Vang's command, combining into a ball above him. Vang's own energy pulsed to life and helped create a black and orange flaming ball above him that spun with evil intent.
Etarb managed a grin, "Going to your full arsenal already? You flatter me."
Vang returned the expression, "This is merely overkill for a piece of Guardian scum. You won't feel flattered when you fall."
Etarb chuckled, "If that's my destiny then so be it. But I don't think you'll be able to make good on your word."
"Then stop me!" Vang dared. Verto grimaced as he watched Vang charge up the Shadow and Flame attack that he had faced before.
"Not that one again. Get ready to move guys," Piccolo suggested.
"I hope this Etarb guy has a plan for that," Krillin prayed. Etarb stood very calm in the face of danger and raised only one palm to the sky, in which his fingertips glowed bright white. Vang's eyes narrowed slightly as he shifted higher into the air in preparation to fire. He suddenly sensed something coming from behind and turned to see what it was. Etarb's glowing sword came screeching towards him at an extreme speed, barely missing Vang's head when he sidestepped. The blade flipped back around as it returned to Etarb's hand, where he held it at the ready. The side of Vang's face suddenly peeled open, revealing a slight cut that had been made.
Vang growled at this, "So, that's how bad you want to die? Very well, I will oblige! Shadow and Flame!" Etarb's sword glowed with more intense white energy as he held it behind him for a moment. Vang's Shadow and Flame ball was about halfway to him when Etarb suddenly swung and fired an arcing blast from his sword.
As soon as he fired, Verto jumped into the sky, "Get off the ground!" The Z fighters quickly followed him into the air, even if a few of them weren't exactly sure what was about to happen. Etarb's white arc-blast sliced through Vang's ball of fire and caused it to split like before. When it did, even more blasts came launching out in all directions, each aflame like a meteor. Because of the altitude of the sudden burst, the range of each flaming shadow bolt had expanded to nearly a half mile away, which was just below where the Z fighters now hovered. The grounds became soaked in mini-explosions that covered the lands in fire briefly before fading. The Z fighters collectively sighed with relief.
"I'm glad you warned us," Krillin said.
"You'll have to stay on guard at all times. Vang's attacks don't react in a way we're used to," Piccolo advised.
"How many times can he use something that powerful?" Tien asked.
"Any number of times. Vang can draw additional energy from the shadows, and manipulate them in whatever way he wants. This is just the tip of the iceberg," Verto explained.
"Man, this Etarb weirdo better have some good tricks up his sleeve," Trunks muttered aloud.
"Trust me, he does," Verto replied.
Goku's fist shook slightly, "It should be me out there."
"I know how you feel Dad," Gohan said solemnly. Vegeta growled slightly and said nothing as they all looked on to the next move either warrior made. Vang floated in mid-air, a bit dismayed at how much damage his Shadow and Flame ball hadn't done.
"It appears that you've come prepared to face me. Either that, or you're just a lucky fool," Vang remarked.
Etarb smirked, "It could be a little of both. Fortunately I was trained to handle Shadow Realm demons as well as many others that employ unusual tactics. None of your tricks will work on me Vang. My, unusual experiences, allow me the courtesy of handling many different foes, even those stronger than myself."
Vang folded his arms briefly, "It isn't just techniques or trickery that I now have, Guardian. You're not the only one who has gained from unusual situations. But you do bring up a good point, so from here on I will not use any techniques, including my Shadow Teleportation. I will crush you head on!"
Etarb sheathed his sword, "Somehow I doubt your sincerity."
"You'll soon see that I need no tricks to beat the likes of you!" Vang shouted as his dark aura sprang to life. Vang turned and dove head first towards Etarb, who jumped out of the way just as Vang would have landed, kicking up a large dust cloud. As he was gliding backwards, Etarb clasped his hands together, fully intertwining his fingers onto his knuckles. A brief burst of white-blue energy came up around him before he landed and thrust his hands into the ground below him. Nothing appeared to happen right away, except for Vang charging at him again with a claw extended.
"I'm going to rip off your stinking head Guardian!" Vang declared. Etarb froze in surprise just before Vang's large hand wrapped around his throat. Etarb attempted to fight him off, but there was no escape. He squeezed until he heard a loud snap and Etarb's head bent to the side.
Vang's evil grin grew by several times, "Disappointing, but I still enjoyed it."
"Oh no!" Krillin gasped. Goku was trembling in anger as he prepared to launch into the battle, but Verto was the one to grab his wrist.
He promptly shook his head when Goku glanced at him, "Not yet."
Vang began to laugh with the corpse in his grasp, "You don't know how good this feels to kill one of you again!"
Etarb's eyes blinked and his head turned towards Vang, "Too bad you haven't done it yet."
"What the?!" Vang's grin faded as Etarb's body suddenly turned brown and mushy before it slid away, as if his body were made of mud. The muddy fluid fell into the ground and vanished before springing up twenty feet away. It shifted colors back into Etarb's previous form, unharmed.
Vang growled slightly, "An Earth clone, how clever. You're more prepared than I gave you credit for."
Etarb brushed a few specs of dirt that had appeared on his uniform, "It's not that complicated. I believe that you once employed the same type of technique. I've honed mine to an art over the years. Would you care to try?"
Vang's hand charged with a furious burst of purple energy, "Would you care to die?!" Vang threw the blast and hit his target dead on, causing a small explosion before it sailed off into the distance. The only thing remaining of this Etarb was a muddy pair of stumps were his calves were supposed to be, which then fell away into the ground again. Another Etarb clone shot out of the ground next to Vang, but was punched so hard by Vang that he exploded into a cloud of brown mist. Three more Etarbs came up shortly thereafter, each in a position to charge a powerful energy attack.
Vang eyed each one as green Chi beams formed between their palms, "Come now Guardian, you know this won't work." The three Etarbs responded by firing from near point-blank range, filling the skies with a huge green explosion.
"Wow, he got him good!" Krillin celebrated. Only Goten and Trunks felt well enough to cheer with him.
"No, that was too weak to finish Vang," Verto said.
Gohan nodded, "It probably didn't even scratch him." Both appeared to be right when the smoke cleared and Vang was standing in a crater by himself. Around him was the same dim, solid shield that Verto had punched through before, only this time it was still whole. The Etarb clones were gone, but Vang still looked to be ready for the next attack.
"Guardian, I know your time is limited. Once that rift explodes, this realm will likely fall apart from the hole in time and space. If they're lucky, it will only destroy this planet and its duplicate. So come out and finish this," Vang ordered.
"Be careful what you wish for demon, for you just might get it," Etarb's voice said as it echoed around Vang.
"Come on coward, you won't even bruise me!" Vang challenged. There was not response right away, until the crater Vang was standing in suddenly shifted slightly. Cracks appeared all around it and it seemed to drop deeper into the ground while Vang lost his footing at the center. Just as he regained his balance, a pair of dirty hands reached up and grabbed his feet. Vang kicked the hands away, only to have another pair latch on from behind his heels. Six more sets of hands popped out of the ground and held Vang firmly in place before they suddenly drug him downwards. Vang started firing blasts at his feet while he sunk into the crater, but it was no use. Before his head was submerged, the hands and forearms all wrapped around his upper body and began to glow white.
Vang's eyes went wide, "Nooo…" The crater also glowed with intense and blinding energy before it detonated. The Z fighters were forced to duck down for cover as the explosion blinded them. The wind it created as equally intense, but none of them were sent flying. When the bright blast faded, several acres of land had been blown off the map around ground zero. Only a deep, dark hole existed where Vang and the battlefield used to be.
"Stay here, I'll check it out," Verto said as he floated off the ground.
Goku nodded, "I'll go with you just in case." The pair quickly flew over the devastated land, taking note of the crater that had been left behind.
"Wow," Goku exclaimed when they stopped over it. Verto was just as amazed, but wasn't ready to throw up the victory flag yet. They weren't overhead for more than a minute before they saw a white flash from below. The flash turned into an aura surrounding Etarb as he flew out of the darkness and into the sunlight once again. On his shoulder was Vang, who wasn't moving. Etarb motioned Goku and Verto to the nearest topside ground and landed there, promptly dumping Vang's body into the dirt. Vang was covered in darkened bruises and scrapes, some that bled black while he remained unconscious. Verto and Goku cautiously lowered to the ground next to a dirtied Etarb, who had a distinct scowl on his face.
"Is he…" Goku started to ask.
Etarb shook his head, "No, but I doubt he'll wake up for some time. He was holding back on what he could have done to me and I caught him unaware. That was my strongest Earth Element technique and without his shield, even he couldn't avoid damage at that range. I was fortunate that he fell into my trap like that." Verto bent a little closer, carefully examining Vang's head, which was slightly battered and both of his horns were broken off.
"Earth Element huh? Well he obviously uses Shadow. Are there any other ones to know?" Verto asked as he stood up straight.
Etarb smiled, "Someday, I think you'll know them all, or at least some of them. A great many of these techniques came from a different realm in which they wouldn't appear to be all that powerful, but when used by beings such as us, they pack a much meaner punch. It's more about deception than it is power though, remember that."
Verto's eyebrow went up, "I take it that these techniques come from the same place that weird sealing scroll of Leira's came from?"
Etarb nodded, "The very same. I admit that I developed several of my techniques from there just like you have from here, but enough about that. I really must finish things now before Vang wakes up. He won't fall for that trap a second time and I won't have enough power to put him down again." Etarb drew his sword again and held it firmly over Vang's motionless body as it glowed bright white. Goku grimaced slightly at the sight, drawing Verto's gaze.
"He has to Goku. You remember what he did to us before, to you?" Verto pointed out.
Etarb glanced at Goku briefly, "That's right, you have a moral complex about killing. I share the same conviction, but this must be done. In this form, Vang can be killed more conventionally but we have to act while we can."
Goku sighed heavily, "Yes, I know. Just get on with it." Etarb nodded slightly and lifted his sword up a bit. Vang's eyes snapped open just before a burst of purple energy forced all three of them back. Goku and Verto were knocked to the ground on Vang's left as he got back to his feet. The way he had bounced back was as if nothing had happened, aside from the evidence nearby. Etarb remained standing on his right, but Vang had shifted his gaze towards the two Saiyans.
"Quite clever Guardian, though I put most of the blame in my own arrogance. Rest assured, it won't happen again. As for you two, you'll die now!" Vang proclaimed as his power increased. He charged at Goku and Verto as his claw filled with bright purple energy. Verto backed up a step and into a stance, to which Vang moved towards him first. Goku jumped to Verto's side and grabbed his shoulder. Vang swung his claw at the pair, but only hit air when they phased out. Vang grunted slightly as he landed with his attack still ready. Upon a brief search, he found Verto and Goku had teleported back to their group of friends, which was much further away.
"No matter, I'll deal with them soon enough," Vang muttered as he turned around.
Etarb's sword swung at him from just a few feet away, "Not before you defeat me!" Vang sidestepped so quickly that Etarb's sword swing looked like it was coming in at a snail's pace. Vang wasted no time and buried his shin into Etarb's stomach, sending him tumbling off the dirt for several bounces. Etarb had somehow managed to hold onto his sword and had to use it to help himself up. Blood leaked out of his mouth as he coughed hard from the blow and struggled to stay upright.
Vang chuckled slightly, "Looks like that time is near, Guardian. I will honor you by not holding back any longer." Vang's claw full of purple energy increased momentarily before he fired a vivid beam from it. Etarb dug his feet into the ground and held up his white-glowing sword to defend himself. He swung into the beam, attempting to carve it in half like before. The intense purple light bent just slightly as Etarb's blade sliced into it, but it also began to shove him backwards. Etarb gritted his teeth and stepped forward to shove as much effort as he could into it. His aura came to life as he poured more energy into the effort, making the metal turn white as a result. Vang's beam showed no signs of letting up and Etarb felt himself slipping. At the very last moment he turned his sword around and drove it into the bottom side of the blast, sending it upwards and into space instead. Once it was gone, Etarb dropped to one knee as he heaved in and out for air. His sword clattered to the ground and the metal's glow promptly faded before turning into silver dust, leaving only the hilt.
"Ah hell," Etarb said between breaths.
Vang grinned as he slowly stepped towards his enemy, "Now that's a problem isn't it Guardian? You needed that sword to not only travel here, but also to reseal the rift. A shame that you won't be able to now! I guess you'll have to die with the rest of these vermin!" Etarb didn't answer him while he continued to gather his breath.
Vang's slow movement suddenly became a dead sprint, "Not feeling talkative eh? Well choose your next words wisely, they will be your last!" Etarb got up to block Vang's charging knee, but took a hard punch to his face instead. Vang followed that up with another knee into Etarb's torso, sending spit and blood flying.
Vang's head turned slightly at this before he grabbed Etarb up by his robes, "You're weakening, Guardian, you can't even protect yourself now. You put too much power into your little Earth Bomb in hopes that it would destroy me and now you're on fumes. But your agony is not going to end yet. Oh no, not without a receipt!" Vang then head-butted Etarb hard enough to draw blood from his forehead before throwing him aside and into the dirt, dozens of feet away. Etarb's robes tore off his upper body in the process, which Vang tossed aside as he slowly chased his target on foot.
"Uh oh," Trunks muttered from afar.
"That guy is in trouble, we need to help him!" Gohan claimed.
"How? He was stronger than all of us!" Krillin pointed out.
"Well thank you for pointing out the obvious baldy. Maybe while you're at it you can come up with a sure plan to beat Vang? What's that, you can't? Thought so," Vegeta grumbled as he held his injured shoulder. Verto glanced at his friends and then the struggle before him before sighing heavily.
He held out his hand to Gohan, "I need your energy Gohan."
Gohan didn't even balk at him and took his hand, "You got it."
"Wait, what's going on? You can't," Piccolo claimed. Goku and Vegeta both looked over in tune with the others, completely perplexed.
Verto's eyes shifted towards him, "Look, we're all too weakened now to fight him directly. That's probably why he summoned all those demons to separate us to begin with. Gohan's hurt, but he still has enough energy to charge my power back up to normal. Etarb needs our help now, you can clearly see that. And I would prefer to do something about it rather than just sitting here, waiting to die again."
"You won't beat him by yourself boy, even with Gohan's power giving you a boost," Vegeta claimed.
"Vegeta's right, let me help you," Goku said.
Verto grimaced, "As much as I would like to, your power alone won't help me much at this point. Hell I don't think my power is going to be much more than normal after I broke that shield. When I used Kaio-ken, it drained off incredibly fast, and I'm still not sure what exactly happened. And after fighting off those demons you probably can't go Super Saiyan Three, right?"
Goku smiled, "Yeah, but it's not like the others can't give me their energy to compensate, right guys?"
"Yeah!" Goten, Trunks, Krillin and Tien shouted in unison.
"We'd be better off if you and Vegeta could fuse…" Piccolo started to say.
"Don't even think about it Namek!" Vegeta retorted quickly.
Goku merely grinned at his rival, "Vegeta's too hurt right now to try it anyway."
Vegeta resisted the urge to attack him right then, "Watch it Kakarot, I can still tear you limb from limb."
Goku ignored him, "I just need a minute or two to gather the energy and power up. Full Power Super Saiyan Three will be much more help than you think, just stay clear when I step in. Can you hold him off for that long Verto?"
Verto's aura sprang to life as he transformed to Super Mystic and released Gohan's hand, "I'll think of something."
Goku nodded, "Good, I'll see you out there." Goku's power increased as he concentrated, and Verto took off into the air.
Back on the battlefield, Vang had closed to within ten feet of Etarb, who was struggling to get to his knees. He spotted the demon coming long before but was trying to muster any sort of energy he could use to do something about it.
"Poor Guardian, you've always been a one hit wonder. Once you put all your effort into something, it just falls apart upon failure. A shame such talent is wasted, but I suppose for the strong to survive, they must suffer these little indignities. Oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean for you to have any hope. You're not the one that's going to survive here after all," Vang said with an evil laugh.
Etarb spat blood at Vang's feet, "Spare me your useless play on words, demon. I have no time for it." Vang's foot suddenly found Etarb's jaw, sending him flying up into the air. Vang phased out and appeared above Etarb, prepared to drive both fists into his body. A green blast smashed into Vang from the side, which allowed Etarb to fall back to the ground unhindered, where he was able to land safely and take a knee. Vang glanced over as the smoke faded, looking quite annoyed at Verto's sudden arrival.
"Well, look who's feeling up to another round. I was beginning to wonder where you were boy. I would invite you to take your best shot, but I'm fairly certain you've already wasted it. You and the Guardian seem to have that in common, which makes complete sense now that I think about it. It's ironic really. Too bad for him that he's not as durable as you Saiyans," Vang chuckled.
Verto's green energy sword appeared in his right hand, "I don't see how trying to destroy you the moment a chance arrives is a waste. If it works, the battle is over."
Vang grinned, "You make a good point, but that only applies if you are strong enough to take down your enemy with such a gamble. You're not."
Verto's eyes shifted briefly to his left when he felt Goku's power rising rapidly, "Maybe, maybe not. We'll see soon."
"Is that supposed to be a threat? Remind me to quiver in fear," Vang mocked.
Verto frowned as his sword brightened, "My only threat is that I'm going to take your fucking head off!" Verto charged in with his sword held back across his body, intent to swing it forward. Vang saw through this easily and phased out to a position above Verto as he plowed through. Verto's aura turned back on as he quickly moved through the sky like a meteor, arcing around to stab at Vang from his right. Vang frowned at this and held one forearm up just before the blade made contact. It stopped off a partial shield just above Vang's darkened arm. Verto's aura maintained its intensity as he pulled back and swung forward at a different angle, only to hit the same arm shield again. He slashed many more times only to see Vang lazily block each attempt with the same arm. Verto's eyes narrowed at his lack of progress and he pulled back for one last swipe. Vang yawned in response, and Verto suddenly changed tactics as his sword formed into a ball of energy in his hand, which he threw forward.
"Final Shine!" Vang grimaced slightly as his vision filled with green light that engulfed him. Verto glided backwards as he shielded himself from the close proximity explosion. The smoke hadn't even cleared before Verto literally bumped into Vang behind him. Verto quickly realized this and reformed his sword just as he turned to swing, only hitting air.
"You missed boy." Verto nervously searched around, finding Vang waving at him from a few dozen feet away in midair. Verto's teeth showed as his lip turned upwards and quivered as an angry scowl. He poured energy into his sword and prepared to charge again. Vang's confidence didn't waver as he formed his own energy blade, made of darker, purple Chi that had embedded patches of black and pink.
"So you like to play with swords. How nice, so do I!" Vang declared as he brandished his own. Verto flew at him anyway with his sword clutched in both hands above his head. Vang easily guarded himself with a one handed block, grinning at Verto's surprised face as they came within inches of each other. Verto kicked forward, but Vang sidestepped out of the way just in time. Verto stabbed towards Vang's back in that instant, but Vang's sudden spin and parry literally knocked Verto's Chi sword out of his hands and into the air, where it vanished quickly.
Vang held his own glowing blade up to Verto's neck at arm's length, "Quite terrible, even for a novice sword wielder. Would you like to try again?" Vang allowed Verto to back away and reform his sword before he moved in to attack. Verto was quick to block against Vang's sword swing, creating a violent clash. The clash between the two swords gave off bright sparks of gold and white with occasional bursts of red and blue. Verto's teeth clenched as he felt Vang's strength washing over him like a tidal wave, and he was slowly forced down and away while Vang kept the pressure on. They descended to the ground like this, in which Verto was forced to his knees upon reaching dirt. Sweat poured off Verto's body as he became extremely tense while keeping Vang's sword at bay.
"What's wrong? I hope I'm not being too hard on you," Vang said with a cackle. Verto felt himself fading and realized he could barely move his arms without getting killed in a blink. However, his hands weren't locked, and he managed to turn the angle of his sword just slightly. The clash between swords changed completely as energy from Vang's blade suddenly poured into Verto's blade instead. Vang's black and gray eyes widened as he felt his energy being ripped away. He quickly glided backwards, ending the struggle. Verto was panting slightly from the exertion, but felt slightly renewed as well as he reabsorbed his sword and all of the energy that had followed him. He felt something was off immediately though and stared at his hands.
That was pure Chi I absorbed, no question about that. But I thought for sure I would get a taste of whatever his new energy type is called. All that did was reimburse me to where I was at the start. There's no change in his power from what I can tell. Maybe he's limited to defense only and this new energy is only used to power his regular Chi waves, or something like that. Other than his power signal, the only time I've sensed that energy again is within his hardest barriers.
Vang's expression didn't waver, "Yes, it is something like that, little worm."
Verto grimaced, "Is there no privacy around here?"
Vang folded his arms, "Not from me. As for why you're confused, you shouldn't waste a valuable resource, as I said before."
Verto hit realization, "So you're saying that when I used Kaio-ken earlier, I tapped into that type of energy and was able to break through because of it?"
Vang grinned, "You do catch on quickly once a few facts are introduced. But if you think you'll be able to do it again at this point, you're insane. As you saw before, it drained you so fast that you weren't able to do much at all with it. Only one that has experience can properly wield such a power, and know not to waste a finite source of energy. I admit there's no way for you to truly understand how limited you are, but I think the best way to put it into human terms would be this: Your car can only go so far on one gallon of fuel before it runs out. Increasing speed will only drain it faster, get it?"
Verto's sword reappeared, "Oh I got it, you didn't have to dumb it down that much. Good thing I have some help to push the car if needs be."
Vang dropped his arms to his waist, "Who would that be, your pathetic friends? Please, those cretins only gave me pause while I was in Kara's body. The others only served as practice in the other timeline. Now they're just witnesses."
Verto grinned, "We'll see just how much witnessing they're actually going to do."
Vang chuckled, "You really are one hell of an optimist boy. If even one of them could land a blow, I'll…" His speech was interrupted when a golden swath of hair suddenly blocked Verto's view, before Vang was seen tumbling downwards from a single punch. Super Saiyan Three Goku stood in his place, with a wildly electric aura dancing around him. Vang flipped around and stopped down before, snarling in slight anger from the surprise blow.
"Nice timing. I thought I'd have to stall him for at least another minute though, knowing you," Verto said.
"Thanks, but it's a lot easier to get to full power when you have help. Now stay back. I'm going to go all out on him and you'll only be in the way if you try to attack. Go check on your friend down there," Goku suggested.
Verto grimaced, "Be careful, and I don't think you should rely on using energy waves too much. He uses a completely different type of energy that is stronger and more concentrated than anything we've seen before. He'll probably only use it for defense but that's not a guarantee."
Goku nodded, "I'll be alright." Verto was hesitant to leave, but he saw Vang flying up towards them and made up his mind to avoid the initial brawl at the very least. He dropped down towards Etarb, who was back on his feet but holding a stomach wound that looked ready to gush again at any time. Blood had trickled out of his mouth and down to the bottom of his neck at this point.
"You okay?" Verto asked.
Etarb smirked slightly, "Not really, I admit. I'm going to be in a bind though no matter how this turns out. Guardian protocol states that in the event of a crisis, only a Guardian can act on behalf of the world and or realm he's charged with defending. It's a do or die situation. I'm afraid I'll face the brunt of every joke when I return, if we survive that is."
Verto stared at him, "That's all you're worried about, a few insults to your pride?"
"No, I was just trying to lighten the mood," Etarb claimed.
Verto's face fell, "This isn't the time."
Above, gold clashed with dark purple as Goku and Vang stared each other down.
Vang kept a darkened glare focused on Goku, "You know, this would have been much easier on you and your friends if you would just die quietly."
Goku raised his fists, "Well I don't do things the easy way, you should know that by now."
Vang nodded, "All too well."
Vang darted forward through the swath of gold around Goku, attempting to slam his own head into Goku, horns and all. Goku managed to catch Vang by the horns and keep them away from his vital points, but he was still forced back. Vang grinned as his thin tail sprang forward, moving underneath to wrap around Goku's leg, pulling him down suddenly. Goku was forced to let go of the horns, only to see a vivid blast forming inches from his face. Just as Vang's beam fired, Goku phased out instantly, burying his feet into Vang's back. Vang's beam sailed into the distance at an angle, detonating with bright purple covering the lands. The Z fighters guarded themselves from the blast, but the fight above didn't stop to watch. Vang grabbed a hold of Goku's long golden hair and pulled him backwards. Just as he was about to drop an elbow into Goku's stomach, Goku fired a small blue blast to counter it. Vang let go of Goku to avoid it, paying for it when Goku suddenly slammed his fist into Vang's face. Vang appeared to be stunned from the fierce blow, and Goku didn't allow him to recover from it. He was all over Vang with a barrage of punches and kicks, none of which were blocked or avoided.
Verto's eyes narrowed as he watched on from the ground, "Something's wrong."
Etarb coughed slightly as a brief burst of blood come out of his mouth, "You're right." Vang almost looked out of it as Goku buried one last fist into his torso, sending him spiraling towards the ground. Goku phased out and sped ahead of Vang, reappearing in his path to kick him back into the air.
Goku's palms glowed as he cupped them together to charge his signature attack, "Ka….me…ha…me…" Despite his eyes being closed, Vang grinned slightly as he continued to fly out of control.
Goku fired, "HAAA!" The Kamehameha he fired was larger than any he had ever made before, complimenting the power that was likely behind it. As it neared Vang, the demon suddenly stopped in mid air and thrust out of palms as they glowed purple.
"You fell for it, stupid Saiyan!" Vang shouted as the beam slammed into a distortion and vanished into it. On the ground, a similar distortion opened up directly behind Goku, to which his beam came barreling through from only a few feet away. The ground exploded violently and Goku vanished in the light as it filled the field with wind, fire and ash. The heat dome that was formed swelled to a ridiculous size as Verto helped Etarb into the air to avoid it. When it finally fell apart, another abyss was laying in place, one that likely drove at least a mile into the Earth's crust.
Vang chuckled as he brushed himself off, "So much for him."
A burst of gold erupted behind him, "So much for who?" Vang's jaw dropped just before Goku's punch leveled his head and hurled him back to the ground with equal force. Goku hovered in the air afterwards, showing no effects of the blast that had just engulfed him.
Vang shrugged off the blow and set an evil glare upon Goku as he rose back to his position, "How did you survive that, there's no way you had time to teleport!"
Goku rubbed the back of his head and grinned slightly, "Well, it's called Instant for a reason, isn't it?"
Vang snorted, "That was pretty clever for someone as brainless as you."
Goku put his hands firmly on his waist, "Maybe, but I could tell that you weren't trying. I figured you might be up to something, so I fooled you into thinking you had fooled me. My Kamehameha blast was big, but I really didn't put that much power into it. You probably couldn't tell because you're so strong now."
"Nevertheless, you wasted some of your energy in a vain effort to damage me. Perhaps you didn't make the same mistake as that Guardian fool, but it will still cost you. For every blow you landed, I will repay you three times over before you die!" Vang declared.
Goku slipped back into his stance, "Do your…" He couldn't finish the phrase before Vang rushed toward him, catching Goku in the jaw with a stiff kick. Goku flew upwards from the sudden impact, where Vang chased him. Just as Vang was about to strike from the side, Goku phased out instantly again. Vang spun just in time to catch his opponent's golden fist, an inch from his dark face. He did not catch the power kick that found his side a moment later. Demon and Saiyan separated for the moment, until Vang's dark aura crackled to life as he turned around and made a beeline for Goku.
"You think you can handle even a fraction of my power?!" Vang roared as he shot towards Goku, who could barely react. Vang's knee slammed into Goku's face, causing blood to spew out of his head and nose. Goku didn't move as he floated in midair from the attack, giving Vang all the time in the world to act on it. He did so by grabbing Goku by the throat and applying severe pressure in order to choke him out. Goku gagged initially and clutched at Vang's forearm as he struggled to get loose. Once he had his wits about him again, he fired a point-blank blast at Vang's head, but missed when Vang bent backwards to avoid it. Vang hoisted Goku up and kicked into the back of his neck as his hand let go, sending Goku flying through the air.
On the ground, Verto's fists clenched tight enough to draw blood, "Damn it all. He can't do it alone, I have to help him."
Etarb had managed to stand on his own at this point, though he looked quite concerned, "I agree, but you won't be able to do it alone either. I still have enough energy to provide some assistance, but it won't be much. The key to victory will be making sure you can get through Vang's shield. Neither of you have the power to do that directly because of the difference in your energy, and I'm not speaking of just pure strength in this case. You and Goku will have to act fast while he can maintain his current power. You know from before that he's susceptible to multiple pronged attacks, so I suggest you concentrate on that. Break off any attempt if he conjures his energy shield, you'll know when that is if you keep a close watch on his energy. And be careful about communicating with telepathy, Vang is more likely to overhear."
Verto scowled at the long-winded chatter, "Yeah, I got it. No need to explain every detail."
Etarb gave a light-hearted shrug, "Just making sure." He then clasped his hands together in the same pose that he had used earlier, "Go! Try and lure him to the ground if you can. Use any measure you have to get him out of the air. When you see the opening, don't dare to hesitate."
Verto nodded and took off towards the brightened orb of light above. Vang and Goku were slugging it out inside, and Vang was quickly gaining the upper hand as Goku struggled to block or counter his fast attacks. They only split off long enough for Goku to get in a breath of air before Vang was on him again. Both were covered in bruises and scrapes, but the damage to Goku was far more apparent. Verto stopped flying towards them once he was within decent blasting range, but he remained behind Vang and did his best to hide his presence. As he watched the melee go on, it was increasingly obvious that despite Goku's extreme power, he wasn't going to last against the demon. His hand turned upwards as he focused blue Chi into it that formed into a sparkling ball with a white core.
I don't know if this will work or not, but I have to try. It's still one of my best techniques. Once the small Spirit Bomb was formed, Verto watched intently for an opening while Vang was still focusing on Goku. Goku managed to fire off a string of blasts under duress, all of which Vang dodged easily before hammering Goku with another round of blows. Verto launched the Spirit Bomb in response, but kept a hold of it with his hand just in case. Just as it was about to hit, Vang's eyes shifted to the side, hinting that he had sensed something. Goku saw what was happening and attempted to attack Vang to keep his attention. His hard punch was caught blindly even while Vang had his head turned.
"Ah, it seems one of you understands at least," Vang said as he phased out.
Verto grimaced, Shit! His fingers closed together halfway and the Spirit Bomb stopped inches from Goku before taking off towards Vang above. Vang arced through the air before turning to face the potent technique with one palm raised.
He concentrated a black sphere of energy with a slight hint of purple at its core before letting it fly, "Obliterate!"
Verto's eyes widened, What the hell is that? Upon sensing the energy involved, he could tell that it was the same energy that Vang had been emitting for awhile. But the evil intent behind it was incredibly vivid. Vang's orb of black smashed into Verto's Spirit Bomb and wiped it out in an instant.
Vang grinned maliciously as his power orb flew back to his hand and vanished, "I'm sure you didn't expect something like that you little rodent. You wisely held that trump card back from me before, but as you can see, I had an answer for it this time. It's a similar technique to yours, but far more advanced at this stage. However it works in an opposite way, and is aptly named, Obliterate. Instead of disabling those with extremely negative intentions like your Spirit Bomb, it takes down those with any nature of energy. That obviously includes other sources of energy, good or bad. If you want to know for sure, you can try and take it head on, but I wouldn't advise it. Even if I never use it again, you're doomed. Face it child, you and your pathetic friends can't win!"
Goku suddenly phased in at Verto's side and put a hand to his shoulder, "We can win! The odds have been against us before and we've found a way. We will find a way to beat you too!"
Vang folded his arms, "Ever the optimist aren't you Goku? I've seen your greatest fears, and I will soon make them a reality. I broke the other Goku, I can certainly break you before this place is ripped apart. Your power level has already dropped significantly just with a few skirmishes. Pretty soon you won't be able to keep up with me."
Verto gave Vang a hardened glare as his silver aura snapped to life, "Then I guess we better beat you before then!"
Vang waved him on, "By all means boy." Verto charged towards Vang with both arms drawn back at his sides. Vang grinned as he glided backwards a few feet for defense. Verto stopped in midair and fired a quick burst of green Chi blasts that exploded before getting they reached Vang, a result of part of his energy shield appearing there. As the smoke faded, Vang was unharmed behind part of his barrier. Goku suddenly phased in behind him and caught Vang behind the shoulders in a strangle hold, locking his hands together to maintain it. Vang cringed and struggled to get free, but Goku managed to keep a hold of him. Ahead, Verto flew around the barrier and came at him with his glowing green fist charging up.
Vang bared his teeth, "Damn you!"
Verto reached Vang and began punching forward, "Super Galic…"
Vang grinned before the fist made contact, "Enough of this!" Black and purple energy erupted from him as if there was a huge electric surge within the demon's body, sending Verto flying backwards before he could land his attack. Goku struggled to hold onto the demon that had been completely enshrouded in the erratic dark energy. He could feel this energy burning his own Ki away at a rapid pace. Vang facial features could be seen smiling under the energy shroud as he suddenly arched his head back and met Goku's own head. Goku's hold was broken as he fell away, but Vang didn't let him go without a receipt. He phased out to bury both fists into Goku's abdomen and send him back to the ground, where he landed painfully. When he managed to get out of his own crater, his golden hair had shortened.
Goku's breath came short as he stared at his hands, "Not already, it's too soon!" Vang phased in and smashed Goku's face again with a backhand, sending him sprawling away.
The black and purple energy faded from around Vang as his body came into full view again, "Yes, it has been a bit fast for the amount of power you had. But bearing in mind that you were past your limits and fool enough to hold onto me for far too long, it's simple to see how your power faded so fast. Whatever was left of it must have protected you from my power. Anything less would have disintegrated almost instantly," Vang explained briefly. Two columns of dirt suddenly sprang up next to Vang in the forms of Etarb Earth clones. Vang's new aura flashed to life for a brief second and both clones exploded into clouds of dust, causing Goku's jaw to slip open in surprise when he saw it.
"I think you see my point. I suppose that it's more of a compliment to the toughness of a Saiyan, but it doesn't matter at this point," Vang said. A large green blast launched from behind Vang, to which he frowned slightly.
"Don't you ever give up?" Vang shouted as he turned and fired another black orb. His orb collided with Verto's Final Shine and spun its way through the beam, shredding it like paper. Verto lit up with surprise as the black orb sailed at him with blinding speed. A pair of dirty hands grabbed Verto by the legs and drug him down just before the orb arrived, causing it to sail into the distance. The resulting explosion and resulting black mushroom cloud made most bombs seem like a bottle rocket detonation. Verto cast an eye at Etarb, who still had his hands clasped, but he was clearly struggling with whatever energy he had left. His hair had shifted back to its normal blue color as he panted slightly.
"Hmph, a minor inconvenience, Guardian. I suggest you come up with better," Vang said as he shifted his attention back to Goku. Goku was back on his feet but was now at the first level of Super Saiyan, which was nowhere near where he needed to be.
"As much trouble as the boy is, I have this itch to get rid of you first," Vang claimed. A sudden spark of energy entered their sensing range as Vegeta suddenly flew in and landed at Goku's side. His shoulder was still red and covered in dried blood from earlier, but he was no longer favoring it.
Vang snorted, "Look, it's alive. Would you two monkeys like to share a banana as a gift for surviving this long? I'm sure you have enough time to find one before this place goes under."
"I will not stand by any longer demon, prepare to feel my wrath!" Vegeta roared.
Vang folded his arms in confidence, "Stop, you're making me quiver in fear."
Vegeta sidestepped a few paces to Goku's left, "You should be afraid demon. You won't know what hit you until you realize why you're in Hell!"
Vang laughed, "I've been to much worse places than your version of Hell. Even if you could kill me, and trust me, that is a big if, you'd be well on your way yourself soon enough. As soon as that rift accelerates to Stage Two of destabilization, it'll only be a matter of minutes."
"For someone so confident in his abilities, you sure did choose a quick and easy solution to defeating us! Why so afraid demon? I thought you were the all powerful monster here to slay us all!" Vegeta said with a smirk.
Vang's expression matched Vegeta's, "Don't bluff, Saiyan Prince, I can see right through it. As for your planet, I did it because I felt like it. I wanted to see the hopeless fear in each of your eyes. I want to see the oh so strong pride melt away. Especially from you. I guess I need to do a little more work for that to happen."
Vegeta's smirk faded, "That's the funny thing about a Saiyan's pride. When it finally goes, you should run away, very fast. When a Saiyan has nothing left to lose, prepare for the worst. You never know what even the most arrogant and prideful one will do to win. Did you get that, Kakarot?"
Goku nodded as he lifted his arms to his right, "Crystal clear Vegeta."
Vegeta's arms also lifted to a mirroring pose opposite Goku, "Good, because I'm not going through this again!" Vang's gray eyes widened in surprise and he attempted to move forward to stop what was happening.
Verto landed before him with his green sword held out, "Yeah right, go ahead and try it!"
Vang bared his teeth for a moment, "I won't have to!" His energy pulsed briefly as his hand gripped into a fist at his side. When Verto realized that he didn't sense the Fusion technique working, he spun to see why. A dark purple swirl of energy had wrapped around Vegeta's body, binding his arms to his sides. Vang lifted his fist and Vegeta suddenly flew into the air out of his own control.
Verto's eyes widened along with Goku's, "No!" Vang flung his fist aside as he opened his hand, and Vegeta went flying into the far distance.
"A pity that little maneuver won't kill him, but I doubt he'll be back any time soon. Now you see that you won't be hatching any more of your usual plans to win," Vang proclaimed as he stepped towards Verto despite his green sword flowing before him. A white burst of energy flew by them, belonging to Etarb as he hovered in the air in normal form. He had the hilt of his broken sword in his hand, and was giving Vang a look of contempt.
Vang stopped to observe, "And just what do you think you'll do Guardian?"
Etarb frowned deeply, "Anything that I can. At this point I can't do much, but I can at least do this!" In a truly strange maneuver that stumped everyone present, he hurled the sword hilt straight at the pulsing rift.
"And what is that supposed to do?" Vang asked.
Etarb gave him a glimpse of confidence, "It's a last resort."
Vang's eyes shot open again, "Surely you wouldn't dare!"
"Dare to do what?" Verto asked.
Etarb gave him a knowing look, "You'll see."
Verto noted the panic in Vang's demonic eyes as the rift suddenly pulsed much brighter than before, "Tell me you didn't do what I think you did."
Vang backed away, "You, you're insane Guardian! You would purposefully destroy yourself and this entire realm to kill me?!"
Etarb closed his eyes for a moment as if to mock Vang, "No, nothing like that." The rift bubble suddenly condensed into a much finer layer of deep blue as it seemed to calm itself. At its center, the portal that they had all traveled through appeared, though it was only for a moment. A figure shot out of the portal before it faded and the rift burst back into its unstable state. Both Verto and Goku stared in surprise as the familiar figure flew towards Etarb first and handed him the sword hilt before coming down. Vang himself felt the need to feel genuine surprise as the newcomer transformed to Super Saiyan.
"You guys alright?" Alt-Goku asked.
Verto nodded nervously, "Kind of."
"So, you've come. What a waste of a last resort Guardian. Just another annoying pest for me to squash," Vang claimed.
"Oh I don't know about that. I think we're similar enough in size and power, don't you Goku?" Alt-Goku asked.
The other Goku grinned and nodded, "I don't think there's another person that's as perfectly matched to me than…me!"
Vang cracked his knuckled slightly, "If you think I'm just going to let you two fuse and cause me trouble, you had best think twice!"
Verto's green sword blew up with energy as he swung towards Vang, "Super Galic Slash!" The arcing green blast exploded around Vang's position, kicking up dirt, rock and smoke to cover his position.
Verto glanced behind, "Do it Goku!" Both Goku's nodded and assumed the Fusion pose. Verto's eyes shifted nervously as Vang shot out of the cloud of smoke and grabbed Verto by the head, forcing him into the ground. He quickly fired an intense purple beam at the Goku pair as they were halfway through the dance. Both of them stopped in time to see the blast and appeared to be frozen in place. Just before the blast reached them, both phased out. Vang growled slightly as he looked high above just before bright golden light took over the skies.
"Stinking Saiyans, such a nuisance," Vang remarked as he glanced down to see he had Verto's head buried in the dirt with just his foot. Verto's hair had returned to its normally black color and his energy appeared to have subsided. Vang kept a firm hold on him as he set his attention on the vivid golden form taking shape in the air. When the initial light faded, the distinct appearance of Super Saiyan Two Goku emerged, though wearing the Fusion Vest and pants instead of his typical uniform. He plunged towards the ground in front of Vang as if to impede his path forward.
"Now you fight me!" he said.
Vang snorted, "And just who do you think you are now? You're just a pair of monkeys that have combined into one. Zero times two is still zero."
"I am the one who will put you down for good demon! I am the one light in the darkness that will rise to overcome any obstacle before me! I will not be defeated! I am the man that comes from two worlds, two parts to the same whole! I am Gokuu!"
PL
Super Mystic Etarb Erec: 800,000,000, drops to 550,000,000 and then lower.
Super Mystic Verto (recharged by Gohan): 620,000,000
Super Saiyan 3 Goku (Full Power): 800,000,000 (drops as the battle goes on); weakened SS1: 250,000,000
Vang: 1 Billion
Super Saiyan Alt-Goku: 250,000,000
Fusion Gokuu: ?
A/n: I wanted to do something a little different for the fusion this time. Especially since everyone and their dog was expecting Gogeta.