Chapter 8: Transform and Roll Out

Kami ga Fukki! Oyako yo, Yami wo Uchinuke!

Recommended music for this week: Perseverance by Miracle Of Sound.

Ah-durr! Should've mentioned this last week: Thanks to Super Vegetarott for letting me name my chapter something vaguely similar to his story (his story's title hasn't got a 'the' in it is the only difference, which I added since I was referencing the actual phrase as much as his story). He's a cool guy, by the way. Read his stuff maybe if you want to I'm not gonna make you do anything I'll just get on with the chapter now shall I.

Thanks also to Ryu no Ohi, who made some edits to a fight scene in this chapter, as well as, as always, correcting my largely-Internet-translator-site informed (and therefore usually atrocious) grasp of Japanese.

FINALLY: KIND OF IMPORTANT. There's a bit in this first scene that might look like I didn't format it right, or something. Nope, it's meant to look like that. My best attempt to portray someone being temporarily driven out of their mind by something they can't comprehend. So...yeah, no need to correct me on it.

Where…

…am I…I'm…

…alive? Huh.

Slowly, Gohan opened his eyes. It didn't help; there was no light, no space for light to exist in. No air for sound and smell to travel in, either. He was 'seeing' only through his ki sense.

Then this must be…he realised. Outside the universe—it worked! I followed Alpha's rupture in the timestream…I was gonna fix it…damn, how long was I out?

I feel different…oh! My ki returned to a fully divine level! Must have been a defence mechanism…now I think about it, mortals probably can't survive out here…

Well, anyway. He did a sweep of his surroundings. The border of the universe was close, but it felt wrong somehow. He propelled himself in the direction of this 'wrongness', figuring it to be the disruption Alpha Shenron had caused. Yeah, this feels like the energy signature her attack gave out, it must be the breach she made. Better see if I can close it…it'll make it much easier for the Eternal to get in…

He placed both hands on the centerpoint of the tear, tapping into his Shifting powers to try and bring the disparate edges of spacetime together and seal the breach. He experienced strong resistance, though, straining even his divine strength to move it even the slightest distance.

Agh…He felt a slight ripple in the protective aura surrounding him as the feedback washed over him. She put a lot of power into this…can't overcome it! He turned Super Saiyan, pulling all the harder, but remained deadlocked. This doesn't bode well…as much power's in this, it's only residual…her full power must be a lot higher…!

But…it's not about 'I can' or 'I can't'…it's 'I will'! Shaking with combined mental and physical exertion, he gave one final pull—and found himself at the point of failing, the point of breaking until—

Something familiar burned to life inside of him, rushing to the surface and filling him with new strength. A beacon of energy filled the void around him, and the newly reawakened Super Saiyan God fell back, 'looking' on with satisfaction at his work. The breach was sealed; the Eternal held at bay for a little longer, though it'd still arrive eventually if Alpha remained alive.

He paused to recover his energy, exhilarated with his success. Guess I need to get back to— Now that he wasn't focused on his task, something else was beginning to catch his attention. What is that…?

He'd almost mistaken the energy for another universe, like the dozen or so he could vaguely sense around him, but on close examination it was different. He focused his ki sense on it—

—and wished he hadn't.

He saw it.

'Big' couldn't describe it, no human classification of size was adequate for something as incomprehensible as this; 'evil' could not hope to match up to the monstrous, unstoppable waves of aggression that exuded from it, sheer ill-will that could crush stars; 'hunger' couldn't scratch the surface of the vast, unthinkable depths of voracious desire that burned in those eyes those eyes those eyes those eyes

and it saw him

it saw him

Rational thoughts gone, Gohan scrambled to get away, Instant Transmission, Shifting, to get away from the terrible presence; but not home, not the universe he'd come from, for that was where it was approaching, looming over the Seventh Universe like a hunter crouching over speared game, so he latched on to the next-closest place he could find, any place, and fled to it, crossing dimensions with the speed only absolute fear could bring.

He sat up, shivering all over, finally starting to collect his thoughts after who knew how long. Standing slowly, he took in his surroundings; a light-coloured stone path flanked by sunny fields on either side. One end of the path snaked off into the horizon; another lead up to an enormous palace. "Hey…" Am I imagining things, or…no, it is him…Bills is in there! And there's a bunch more people around as strong as he is! What is this place?

The semi-repressed memories of the moments before suddenly intruded back into his mind, reminding him of the terror that had brought him here. Was that…thing…the Eternal?! I can't even…fit the idea of it into my mind…

Just what the hell are we up against here…?

Inferno Gauntlet…

Hephaestus Shenron found himself tumbling out of control, desperately trying to regain his bearings after being struck by an attack beyond his ability to detect or defend against. Her power…isn't equal to mine anymore…she's surpassed me already?! I should have killed her when I had the chance… Well, he knew that wasn't true—he had tried his hardest, but she'd taken everything he had and stood up to it long enough to overtake his power.

He never got the chance to get his balance back—something of hers, probably an elbow, took him in the stomach mid-flight, bringing him back to earth with a mighty impact. "Graah…!"

He half-sat up while still skidding over a lava stream, letting fly a barrage of eye-beams that peppered the entire area Pan hovered over—but they hit nothing but rock, and in the same instant he was struck again, from behind this time, flipping him over and landing him flat on his face. H-How could she move that fast?!

He jumped up, summoning up all his strength. "Will you stand still and face me?!" He managed to remain composed as she blinked into view directly in front of him.

"All right," she replied. "You want a hand-to-hand battle…fine. Though you do probably have more of an advantage here than if I keep doing hit-and-run attacks…well, I'll humour you."

"Don't talk down to me, you…!" Hephaestus closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. This was no way to fight. Calm! He looked back up at Pan, whose aura burned as bright as ever. "Begin," he hissed, and she nodded, sliding her back leg into a fighting stance.

He struck first, making an explosive lunge and leading with a high kick, pumping as much ki as he could into each movement to increase its speed and force; she advanced simultaneously, kicking one foot against the ground to propel herself, spinning around his attack and striking his flank—exposed from his all-out attack—with the back of her fist, cracking his armour again and dragging him back with her arm's movement.

He flipped away, weathering the hard hit by spinning forward out of her reach. From his now upside-down position, he aimed a ki blast for her head. She barely got her leg out in time to kick his hand out of the way, causing his beam to miss by inches, its blast wave uncomfortably hot on the side of her face.

The impact of her kick on his arm spun his whole body sideways, righting him again, and he wasted no time in resuming his attack—he feinted with his right arm, and she almost fell for it, just barely noticing his rising left knee fast enough to change her blocking arm's course and shove his leg back down; this distracted her long enough for him to throw a punch with his left hand, but he underestimated her reaction time; her own free hand shot up, intercepting his fist with her own and jarring the bones in his hand with her greater strength.

In this tiny moment when both of Pan's arms were fully committed to a movement, Hephaestus took advantage of the situation and seized both wrists, leaping over her head to twist her arms into a full hold. Wasting no time, she swung backwards for a headbutt, but he tilted his own head forwards and let her bruise herself on his helmet. I've got to break at least one arm before she— Something wrapped itself around his left forearm and tugged it away. Her tail! I overlooked it! Her free arm shot back in a knife-hand, and he let go, backing away and only sustaining a shallow cut to the shoulder, slicing straight through his pauldron. His attention was diverted by this, though, and he failed to notice her foot scything out as well, tripping him and sending him stumbling backwards, defences down.

Taking this chance, Pan laid into him with both arms, rapid-fire punches driving him down into the dust and completely shattering much of his armour. A final kick rolled him over several times, bringing him to rest on his back, on the verge of blacking out.

Gasping for breath, he turned his head to look over at his formidable foe. Very impressive…yes, she's more powerful than I am now, but…that's not what won her this exchange just now. It was skill…she outplayed me at every turn. What a fighter…

"Save us both some time and give up," Pan said as she relaxed. "There's no joy in finishing you now."

"S-Sorry…" Hephaestus pulled himself up, swaying into an upright position and placing himself between her and the door. "It is…my duty…to guard this level. You would not consider surrendering after the loss of your father and the others…but I am in the same situation." His eyes narrowed. "Gaia and Hades were my comrades, and they too have fallen this day…it would shame their memory to let you pass."

"Then I guess that's it." Pan tensed up, then jumped at Hephaestus, arm drawn back to deliver the final blow. "As long as you live, you can't let me through…and as long as I live, I can't stop…so there's only one way this can end!" Hephaestus began to move for a counterattack, but was too slow; Pan's was set to impact first, aimed at his throat to finish him quickly.

However, something burst up through the floor, a flood of dark liquid that quickly solidified into a winged humanoid lizard, dull grey all over as if made out of some ethereal clay. It lunged upwards, intercepting Pan's attack and knocking it to the side; she jumped back, cautious of this new arrival.

"Damn it, Hephaestus…" it growled. "Don't you die on us too."

The armoured Shadow Dragon breathed a sigh of relief. "Prometheus! I thought you'd never get here." He turned to Pan. "Allow me to introduce Prometheus Shenron. He is not one of the seven Shadow Dragons originally sent to this universe. But he and I are old friends, and I sent out a mental distress signal to him as soon as you began to exceed my power."

"Like Gaia, I am a scout that enters universes before the main force to prepare them for our arrival. Traversing dimensions is child's play to me, usually…it was breaking through the sealing spell the Sixth Universe's Hakaishin placed on me that took me so long," Prometheus explained in his totally flat, expressionless voice.

"So, what, you're gonna take over?" Pan guessed. "Or you're double-teaming me?"

"In a way…" Hephaestus stepped up next to Prometheus. "You may be aware that the stronger a Shadow Dragon is, the higher in the tower they are placed. However, I have been fighting you with everything I have, and I haven't put out any more power than the previous two dragons…"

"I'm not here to play games," Pan grumbled. "Whoever's gonna fight me, come at me."

Hephaestus inclined his head. "I assure you, the answer is simple—our true power only shows itself when we work as one! Prometheus?"

"Ready!" Prometheus' body began to melt back into its liquid state, flowing onto Hephaestus' outstretched right arm. What remained of his armour also dissolved and was subsumed into the shifting mass. When it settled, his arm was sheathed in gleaming silver, etched all over in a pattern not unlike a circuit board gone mad. Most noticeably, projecting from his wrist over the top of his hand was something alarmingly like a gun barrel.

Pan kept her guard up, circling slowly and trying to gauge his power level—it had certainly increased drastically after merging with Prometheus. This was also the first time she'd seen the face beneath the helmet, since that had gone too—with that attitude, I never figured him for a pretty-boy. And where was he keeping all that hair?

"The stakes haven't changed," Hephaestus declared. "Neither of us can back down…so let's continue."

Wordlessly, Pan attacked, ducking right to try and catch him off-guard, but he matched her movement, kicking low; she brought her shin up to block it, their limbs colliding with equal force and coming to a halt. He swung his left arm, and she dodged back out of the way, firing a quick ki blast as she moved, which he sidestepped. Our speed and strength…are equal now! She realised. And I think I've raised my power about as high as it's gonna go…

She stepped back in towards him, punching for his face, but he blocked with his metallic right arm, injuring her forearm with the force of his defence. "Agh…!" What is that thing made of?!

He brought the arm around before she could follow up, a pale light appearing within the barrel, rapidly growing—Pan threw herself down and left the instant before a great tongue of flame leapt out of the weapon, accompanied by an immense burst of energy. Seeing that he'd missed, Hephaestus lowered his weapon as Pan stood, sweating from the heat generated by his blast. "That is our Forge Cannon," he told her. "Beware, Super Saiyan."

"Y…Yeah…"

Hakaishin Council…

"This is getting nowhere!" Bills yelled, pacing around the circular chamber. "How long have we been talking in circles?" And I have no idea where Whis has slipped off to…

"At least let me go with him," the Hunter pleaded. "And whoever else volunteers. It can be of our own volition."

The Red King, Cadmus, bowed his head. "While I do not doubt that this Eternal represents a serious threat, I do not believe that there is any being capable of devouring an entire universe in such a short timespan. We can afford to wait for the Sorcerer; his counsel may prove invaluable."

The Warrior shifted in its seat, beginning its odd manner of speech again. "One here finds tempted," it admitted. "Shadow Dragons…challenging foes? Possibility—distinct. Eagerness some felt."

"Whether you want to fight them is irrelevant," the Scholar countered, one hand flicking up a hovering datascreen and tapping out several commands in response to a beep from her electronic visor. "We know barely anything about them. Rushing in unawares out of a desire for 'honour' or 'glory' is what lesser beings do. We should know better."

The Pilot shrugged. "I could scout it out, you know…"

"Silence!" Mercury the Knight stood abruptly. "The Red King has made his decision and we will abide by it! Or do any of you doubt his wisdom?"

The Dreamer's rainbow-wheel eyes flicked open, her mouth moving unnaturally quickly. She always unnerved Bills—she never seemed entirely real and material; her eyes seemed to emit light instead of absorbing it, it was difficult to tell where her hair ended and her toga began, and she very rarely touched the floor. "This is the tale of the blind and the far-seeing," she said loudly, looking from Cadmus to Bills and back. "But which is which I cannot say…what a story this day will make…" She smirked. "If I survive to tell it."

Cadmus frowned. "You cannot seriously tell me you fear that—" He froze. "Someone has entered the citadel. Someone…yes, with divine ki."

"The Sorcerer?" the Hunter asked, then shook his head. "No, I sense it now too—it's not him."

They all waited in tense silence as the new arrival made its way towards the council chamber. Finally, a figure appeared in the doorway—a messy-haired man completely aglow with a gentle red light.

"Uh…hi," Gohan said nervously, giving an awkward wave. "Gonna be honest, I don't know where I am right now, but your power is all pretty intense—Bills?!"

Bills blinked, then snapped his fingers in recognition. "Ah! The Super Saiyan God! Yes, I remember you…how did you get here?"

"Uh…probably a stupid question, but do you know about the Shadow Dragons?"

One rushed but comprehensive explanation later and Gohan had recounted events on Earth up until his jump outside the universe, and his subsequent experiences up to this point, followed by Bills giving brief introductions.

"Hmm…a corroborating, independent source…" the Scholar said evenly. "This does strengthen the Priest's argument somewhat."

The Red King nodded. "Indeed, and I cannot deny that he has the power to do what he claims…this is a difficult decision…"

"It is not!" A strident voice declared, and a second later a flash of light illuminated the materialisation of a bird-like individual, cloaked and hooded in ornate gold and purple, clutching a gnarled wooden walking-stick in one hand.

Bills rolled his eyes, sighing. The Sorcerer always did like to make grand entrances, and happened to have a spell that changed the location of his portal to anywhere throughout the Council complex, rather than fixed entry points like the others, allowing him to pull off ridiculous stunts like this.

Shoving Bills out of the centre of the room, the Sorcerer leaned on his staff, fixing the Red King with a beady stare. "Don't bother explaining everything to me, by the way, I read your minds on the way here, I know everything and believe me, the Priest and his little friend are telling the truth—every word."

Bills felt slightly nervous at this mental intrusion, but knew that the Sorcerer's mind-reading spell had limits—it only examined recent memories and relevant matters prominent in their minds, so could not learn closely guarded secrets like the gods' true names or Whis' true nature.

"As for my lateness, I've just been scrying for a being called Prometheus Shenron—I caught it 'scouting' my Sixth Universe a couple decades back, and have been keeping it locked up since, to see if any of its kind would arrive to look for it…just now, it escaped, and I finally located it after quite some searching—it's in the Seventh Universe."

"There's an eighth Shadow Dragon there now?" Gohan asked with a start. "This just keeps getting worse…!"

"I will say it plainly, Cadmus," the Sorcerer continued. "We must act now, and decisively, or the Seventh Universe will be destroyed—and it will not be the last."

Cadmus took this in, his coldly logical mind processing all available information and quickly reaching a conclusion. "Very well. We shall assemble a strike team and attack the Shadow Dragons head-on! I will head this force—volunteers, step forth now."

"I'll go, obviously," Bills said cockily. "It's my universe to look after, isn't it?"

"Me too," Gohan declared. "It's my home, after all."

The Knight stepped up to his ruler. "Where you go, I go, my lord."

"As said in previous," the Warrior muttered, standing, "intrigued. Shadow Dragons…this volunteers also."

The Hunter gave a lopsided grin. "Ah, hell, Priest; can't let you steal all the glory, eh?" He jumped up, slapping Bills on the shoulder. "Count me in."

"I'm not missing this," the Pilot concurred.

Finally, the Sorcerer straightened up, the hunch vanishing and the age falling away from its once-mottled features, walking-stick transformed into an ornate metallic staff, carved with arcane sigils from end to end. "I have witnessed the threat these Shadow Dragons pose, albeit second-hand. I will go."

No further volunteers came forth; the Silent remained, well, silent and unmoving in his seat, the top half of his face shrouded by his pitch-black hood; the Pilgrim was far too peace-loving to want to participate in a violent action like this (apparently his methods as God of Destruction were…odd); the Dreamer merely laughed and hummed a haunting tune; the Scholar had no desire for front-line combat, but was more than happy to take notes afterwards; and the Fisherman was, well, the Fisherman. Bills still wasn't sure what had possessed him to choose that name…

With the strike team assembled, the Red King lead them at a brisk pace straight for the portal to the Seventh Universe. "None of us have been in that universe for some time," he reminded them. "We have no idea what awaits us…steel yourselves for anything. Have no fear, for we are the multiverse's finest—and show no mercy, for we shall receive none. Move out!"

I'm sure whatever Whis went to do is of the utmost importance… Bills thought to himself as he approached the portal, tossing his attendant's staff from one hand to the other. But why would he leave this? He never goes anywhere without it…

What have you gotten yourself into, old friend?

The sky above the Shadow Dragons' tower was still constantly lit with tongues of ethereal flame and the air reverberated with constant explosions of sound as Wistarion and Alpha Shenron clashed once again.

Rings of green lightning crashed against Wistarion's chest in rhythm with Alpha's fist; he spun away, his return kick splitting the sky as he twisted out of her reach, simultaneously knocking her back through the air, the Shadow Dragon arcing away through the atmosphere in a jet of flame. She didn't bother to fight against the momentum—accelerating past lightspeed again, she sped onwards, rocketing around the entirety of the planet to come at Wistarion from behind.

He turned just in time, catching her charge—her body wreathed in deadly energy—two-handed and stopping her dead. Her hands reached out through the shield and grappled with his, locking against each other and pushing against one another for an advantage.

"Why…this universe, Wistarion?" Alpha hissed. "You've allowed the cycle to continue so, so many times…why fight it now? What's different?"

"I allowed it…but I never liked it," Wistarion grunted back, miniature supernovas going off between them as their auras wrested for control of the surrounding space. "Always, always I vowed to myself, one day I would find the strength to resist…to stop the slaughter, to put to rest the souls of all those trillions I've failed. And this time, that feeling came to a head." He grinned wearily. "Because this one is different, yes…not hugely different, but enough."

"They're just mortal insects and little gods," she snapped. "They're nothing to you and I!"

Ignoring her, he continued. "The inhabitants of this universe are…extraordinary. They have the ability to raise their power enormously in stunningly short periods of time—progressing in barely a few years from mortal to demigod or even fully divine ki. One of them even became a rival for their Hakaishin. And as for him…whether he knows it or not, I think Bills exemplifies his universe.

"He's headstrong and acts on his emotions, but ultimately has a good heart. He's a strange one sometimes, but that uniqueness is a wonderful thing. I see all the best qualities of this universe's people reflected in him."

"Feh," Alpha spat. "Your analogy breaks down at the whole power-raising thing. He can't have the potential to grow too far…at the end of the day, he's only a god."

Wistarion's smile was unwavering, though boldness now shone in his eyes. "You'd think that, wouldn't you? But that applies to him, too…he isn't aware of it yet, but Bills has the potential to become a truly fearsome warrior. He just hasn't faced the right challenge yet—one that will elevate him beyond his limits, just like the mortals of this realm have done so many times."

"You make it sound like he's your secret weapon…where is he, then?"

"I'd rather not involve him…if I kill you now, it ends here!" Wistarion abruptly stopped pushing, pulling Alpha in towards him, leaping up and aiming both feet at her incoming face—she vanished, however, phasing into view behind him, elbow coming down and striking the top of his head. Snarling, he flung his ki outwards in a destructive burst, causing her to retreat again.

"And can you kill me?" she taunted. "I'm going to be honest…I've always hated the way you acted superior around us…I've waited a long time for this. I'm going to enjoy beating you into the dirt—but you should be fine with that; you'll finally be down on the level of those mortals you care so much for…"

"Heh…'those mortals' are getting closer, you know. Even if you beat me, they'll show you why I care for them."

Inferno Gauntlet…

The two fighters clashed again, Pan flipping away and shaking her aching hand. Damn, that metal arm is tough. And he keeps blocking with it…gotta avoid that.

Hephaestus didn't let up, pursuing her and striking quickly; she blocked his right arm on instinct as it sped towards her face, hissing as her own arm rebounded painfully off it again, but succeeded in redirecting his attack; she exploited the opening, jumping and landing a kick to the side of his head, staggering him back. He didn't let her press the advantage, though, grabbing her by the ankle with his left and pulling her in to land a solid blow to her body with his steely right.

Gasping for air, Pan threw out an uncontrolled arc of energy, forcing him back and leaping away, catching herself and landing upright a few feet away, shoulders rising and falling quickly as she struggled to recover from a direct hit from Hephaestus' fearsome weapon.

Abruptly, though, he appeared behind her, arm raised, glow rising in the Forge Cannon's barrel as it charged up for another shot. Gritting her teeth and bracing for the impact, she spun, kicking the cannon-arm away with all her strength and causing the shot to go just slightly wide; the collision sent needles of pain shooting up her leg, and the backblast and heat from the fiery blast's near-miss floored her.

"Rrgh…" He's raised his level to about equal to mine, but…that thing's giving him an advantage…I'm taking a lot more damage than he is…well, here's a stupid idea I've been working on. Seems like the best time for it.

She stood, squaring her shoulders and facing Hephaestus again. He nodded. "Yes, I didn't think that was all you had…this could take a while."

Pan remained where she was, forming an energy sphere between her hands and gradually increasing its size. "Maybe."

He frowned. "What are you trying to do?"

"Nothing special…" She punted the attack at him, forming it into an arrow-straight yellow beam. He frowned, preparing to block it—but the shaft of light simply washed harmlessly over him with no physical force at all. "What…?"

The energy attacks we use are composed of heat, light and force…I just separated the three components…and fired them separately. Pan did not, of course, tell him this, for obvious reasons. All Hephaestus knew was that some second object had been fired at him while he'd been distracted by the light, and now the ground was immensely hot—even more so than usual for Inferno Gauntlet. Unable to bear the pain leaping up through his feet, he jumped high into the air.

Pan, however, was already there, waiting for him. Eyes widened in surprise, Hephaestus hurriedly raised his Forge Cannon. That's it, Pan thought. That's what I needed…him to try and fire that thing when I'm expecting it—on my terms, in other words…because for an instant, when he goes to fire, the barrel opens a path directly to the inside of that metal arm.

Sure enough, the glow appeared once more from deep within the weapon, and in that instant, Pan struck, now throwing the final, third component of her energy attack—the force. In other words, a kiai. It collided with the still-forming blast of flame that was building inside the cannon, sending it back where it had come from and strengthening it with Pan's own power. The external, visible effect of all of this was that Hephaestus shrieked and writhed uncontrollably, the surface of his arm rippling and tearing—until finally, the entire limb burst asunder in a fiery explosion, hurling jets of flame and boiling shards of liquid metal in all directions. Hephaestus sank to the ground, gasping and trembling all over, and Pan followed, standing in front of him with her hands on her hips.

"Your ki hasn't gone down much…so I guess you're still merged with Prometheus or whatever," she said calmly. "In which case…knowing you, this isn't gonna stop you fighting, is it?"

"We've…rrgh…been over…this…!" Hephaestus growled, forcing himself to his feet and raising his head, "Neither of us…is going…to give up. You know…how it has to end!"

"Yeah…I guess." Pan burned her aura brighter, settling into a battle-ready stance. "Let's end it."

The two fighters charged towards one another, each drawing an energy-enhanced arm back to strike. "I will never…" they said, almost in unison.

Pan brought her fist around. "…stop!"

Hephaestus swung his own punch. "…let you pass!"

I don't know when exactly I decided to have some of the Shadow Dragons not be quite so evil. Part of it was because a lot of people said Hephaestus was their favourite dragon, so I developed his character a bit more in this chapter.

By the way, how am I doing with EFB compared to GT, given the similarities? Overall, and also specifically in regards to things like the Shadow Dragons, Pan, and Uub.

I did wonder about the title this week, but eh, I've had a chapter called "Best-Laid Plans and All That". After that, anything's game.

Complete list of divine beings and their power:

Bills: 10

Whis/Wistarion: 15

Gohan (Super Saiyan God, fighting Bills 18 years ago): 6

Gohan (Super Saiyan God, now): 9

Janemba/the Fallen: 10

Cadmus/the Red King: 12

The Dreamer: 12

Mercury/the Knight: 11

The Warrior: 11 (also exceptionally skilled)

The Silent: 11

The Hunter: 10

The Pilot: 9 (speed more like an 11)

The Sorcerer: 9 (but very dangerous due to magical abilities)

The Pilgrim: 9

The Fisherman: 8 (he would be…)

The Scholar: 8

Q: Janemba! All of a sudden it all makes sense, so the supposed 'mad god' was just an extreme pragmatist willing to do whatever it takes to save his universe, go figure, my question is if he was able to destroy the Shadow Dragons does that mean the incarnations of them in his universe were weaker then those currently in universe seven or that he is as strong or stronger then Whis and Alpha? And while I'm asking questions is the fact that Pan has such a high power threshold (well above ssj3 from what we saw) due to to the fact that Gohan obtained divine ki?

A: I'll explain this later, in-story, but they were weaker than the ones currently in the Seventh Universe, yeah—well, actually more like they were similar, but didn't have anybody like Alpha to lead them. After Janemba killed those ones, the Eternal started heading them with Alpha, who can take care of Hakaishin and the like. As for Pan, well, Gohan got that after she was born, but the unique way her power is structured makes it easier for her to access the demigod potential that's in all Super Saiyans (seen in canon when Vegeta gets his second wind against Bills).

Q: Janemba is the Hakashin of 13th universe, Great! Janemba didn't tell the other Hakashin about the Eternal ? Or did they call him mad for suggesting something like Eternal ?And is Janemba the strongest Hakashin out of the 13 ? I guess i ask too many questions lol

A: He didn't really get time to tell them. They were like, "Uh, Janemba just killed most of his universe. Seal it, seal it, seal it!" And no, he isn't the strongest.

Q: Will Break ever use he LSS form again? Would that help her in achieving demigod ki in anyway?

A: Probably not, since she has stronger forms, and it is, as she said, "simply getting mad", lacking the true depth of feeling required.

Q: Does gohan's divine ki, has anything to do with this 13th universe and its god of distruction? or the eternal?Because i suspect gohan is a reseruction of either eternal or some other powerful being and the rest of our heroes will have to fight gohan. I mean the way he sliped through space and possibly went to another universe, he has to be the god of distruction of the 13th universe . I hope my speculations will be answered in a few chapters.

A: …what?

Okay, that twist is probably beyond even this story to pull out.

Q: Ok- first, this is the best DBZ story I've read, your Shadow Dragons and the Whis/Eternal thing are my new Canon.
Second, I was wondering about Demi-God Ki. A reviewer asked you last chapter, but I think I have something useful to add. You have explained demi-gods as beings that are ridiculously powerful, have no special place in the universal order like True Gods, and they cannot break the natural laws of the universe. However, this doesn't quite make sense yet. In the fights between the Z-fighters & the Shadow Dragons Demi-Gods seem to be a level beyond mortals, not merely really powerful mortals, there is a clear barrier between the two. Wouldn't it work better if the Demi-God level is the point where a mortal becomes so powerful the laws of the universe (like light speed) cease to hold them back? However Gods would still be superior because of efficiency. A Demi-God is powerful enough to break the natural laws but has to expend a large fraction of it's power to do so. True Gods do not need to waste energy overcoming the laws of the universe, because they are the laws of the universe. This would mean that even though a demigod could become just as strong as a God or stronger, since they can only bring a fraction of their strength to bear, the demigod will probably loose. I just think this would explain why demigod are clearly a level beyond mortals, but still weaker than Gods. Feel free to ignore my ramblings though.

A: That does make sense. I'm not sure how much of my (and readers') rambling in these authors notes about this whole concept is canon…what's definitely canon is "a level between mortal and divine ki", at least, the rest is still sort of changing in my mind as reviews like this offer useful advice and ideas.

Q: Despite the fact that BTtL Future Gohan is alive and have survived the ambush of the evil Androids, Captain Space tell me how is it that BTtL Future Chi-Chi and BTtL Future Ox-King were not in the celebration of the Androids' defeat Party at Capsule Corps. Are they still alive and survived the ambush of the Androids. And can you guess what happened to Canon Future Chi-Chi after losing Gohan. And since that BTtL Future Broly is trained by Break and how to control his powers, is Broly is now a reformed and good guy saiyan and not wanting to kill Future Break.

A: I don't know...they never showed up in the canon future timeline, so I assumed they were dead by then.

I like to leave the future timeline, Gohan, Bulma, Broly, Break, etc., open to interpretation. I like the 'ending' I gave them, it's open-ended, it's hopeful.