Towa was annoyed.
Frustrated more like.
Even with the loss of her staff and having to activate another Mira test clone, she had remained focused on her goal and intended to see it through. The change in history provided her with the ample energy she needed, which was more than enough to make up for her previous losses. But that cursed Supreme Kai still saw the need to interfere and it pissed Towa off.
"I should intervene," Mira said, watching the battle with keen interest in his eyes. Battle seemed to be the only thing that interested her creation and that small notion vexed her as well.
"No, don't bother," Towa said, flinging her hand out to stop him. "It's not worth it."
"You'd have us cower from our enemies?"
All she wanted was to prevent her brother's death and even with the massive change to this timeline, that dream was to be denied. It frustrated Towa, frustrated her that her plans were all for nothing. The loss of Mira was a miniscule setback, given she had copies to spare, but even with a perfect opportunity to harvest energy and change time for her own purposes, it was still out of reach for her. As she watched the powered-up Dabura become overwhelmed by the combined forces of Gohan, Trunks and the Konatsian, Towa began to wonder if there was someone else at play; someone else seizing the energy and using it for their own without her knowledge. Whoever it was, they would get their comeuppance sure enough, but she would survive to fight another day.
"It's not cowardice; it's a tactical retreat," Towa said. "Perhaps we need to rethink our strategy, fry some bigger fish. The Supreme Kai is onto us and fortune does not favour us right now. If we plan bigger and better and return when the time is right for us, we will succeed."
"Hmph. I don't like it," Mira growled.
"Patience, Mira. We have seen their strength and you are not ready for it. But that doesn't mean there's no room for improvement. When that happens, we won't even need Dabura, sad as that is. But we will return and you can have your fun then. Once we open the Demon Realm, nothing can stop us."
Mira growled reluctantly. "Fine."
"I knew you'd see it my way," Towa smirked and in a flash, they were gone.
Dabura bellowed as he was consumed by the combined Kamehameha and Masenko, his body shattering under the force. Gohan sighed in relief as he lowered his hands, one robotic, and he turned to thank Tapion, but the Konatsian was gone. Then, the half-Saiyan wondered why he had turned around in the first place, his mind puzzled. Instead, he shook it off, thankful that he had managed to stop a massive threat to the world in time. Now it was time to return home to Videl and Pan.
-X-
"It's done," Tapion reported as soon as he returned to the Time Nest. "I see you finally made your decision in regards-"
"Tapion, we have a problem," Chronoa interrupted.
Despite her calm appearance, he read the panic and worry in her eyes. "What's wrong, Supreme Kai?"
"It's Trunks. You need to help him right now."
Before Tapion could ask more, he was whisked away from the Time Nest and appeared on Earth. Instantly, he sensed the intense dark energy that swarmed the beachside. The Crack was split wide open, aided by the possessed Trunks and the entire planet rumbled as the Crack groaned, a flash of red light sweeping the area. Tapion shaded his eyes against the brightness, his body feeling repulsed by the energy and there was a boom, like an explosion of fireworks and Demigra materialised out of the Crack with a flourish of his hand. Trunks panted in exhaustion and he received a condescending pat on the head from the Demon Wizard, as if he'd been a dog who'd obeyed his master and nothing more.
"Demigra!" Tapion cried and drew his sword. "What have you done to Trunks?"
"I thought that was obvious," Demigra replied. "He is my pet and I'll treat him better than Chronoa ever did. I'll look out for his needs and wants; after all, it's not every day you get a chance to change the fate of a good friend. In any case, that moment certainly helped my cause."
Tapion growled and shot forth, his sword sweeping around to meet its target – Trunks' sword intercepted, a shower of sparks from the impact. Demigra smirked as the half-Saiyan snarled at his opponent.
"Well, I'll leave you two to it; I have other matters to attend to. Trunks, you can kill him if you like."
The Demon Wizard vanished and Trunks shoved Tapion back, hurling a series of energy blasts at him. The Konatsian sliced through each and every blast, explosions rocking the beachside, and he fired off several energy slices. Trunks weaved through them with ease and swung his sword down overhead – Tapion blocked, but the force ricocheted him into the sand. Tapion cried out when his body impacted into the ground, pain flaring inside, but he couldn't quit now – he had to find a way to stop Demigra's evil from infecting Trunks.
Tapion kicked off from the sand, narrowly avoiding the blade stabbing the ground and Trunks snarled, frustrated, and he flew after his prey. The Konatsian was deeply concerned on how he should handle this situation, but he didn't have the time or luxury to plan anything – it was all running on instinct as he deflected the half-Saiyan's blade as best he could; Trunks started to increase the strength of his blows, trying to savagely break through Tapion's defence and kill him.
The sword swept wide and Tapion was open to the next blow – his mind raced in panic as the sword speared towards his heart –
Trunks growled, his body frozen in mid-strike, strands of barely-visible purple energy constricting him and Tapion searched for his saviour.
"Hi there, cutie," Zangya shot a playful smirk at him. "What's your name?"
"I could ask you the same question," Tapion shot back, having sensed the lingering evil nature in her energy signature. "Why are you here?"
"Yeah, hang onto that thought," the Hera replied, focusing her efforts on Trunks as he snarled and struggled to fight free of her Psycho Threads. "This guy isn't making our first meeting any pleasant."
"Trunks, enough," the Konatsian spoke to his friend. "Fight his influence. You can do it. Fight him."
"Trunks?" The half-Saiyan paused as Lazuli appeared in his view, a concerned look on her face. "I need you to fight him. I need you to come back to me…to us. Please, for our baby's sake."
Somewhere deep in Trunks' infected mind, the real him heard her words and tried to fight against the darkness to reach out to her – Demigra's magic clamped down on him and the half-Saiyan roared, his power flaring and he shattered the Threads – he moved for Lazuli and Tapion intercepted. Trunks smacked him aside and Zangya fired a blast as Lazuli moved out of the way. Trunks took the hit and the distraction allowed Ocarin, arm regrown, to grab him in a rear-naked choke hold, as Pan joined Lazuli, hovering protectively beside the Android.
"Enough!" Ocarin barked as he applied pressure to the struggling Trunks, hoping he could put him to sleep in time. He winced when his stomach was stabbed by Trunks' elbow and a repeated blow knocked the wind out of the Namekian and he was forced to release his hold.
"Okay, play time is over," Zangya said and she transformed into her Super state, powering up the Galactic Buster.
She fired the green beam and Trunks stopped it with one hand, although the power of the attack threatened to overwhelm him and he growled as he fought to push it back. Ocarin took on his Red-Eye form and gathered energy in his fingertips, then pressed his pointers and thumbs together to form a triangular space between his hands, releasing a powerful beam of golden energy. The corrupted half-Saiyan growled under the combined assault, using both hands to resist the beams.
"Don't hurt him," Pan cried.
"They have to," Lazuli said, watching Tapion fire a Full-Power Energy Wave.
Trunks roared as he was consumed by the trifecta, a raging inferno exploding with him at the centre and lighting up the sky. When the fireball died down, a smoking Trunks spiralled towards the ocean – Tapion caught him and brought him to the sandy shores. Lazuli quickly joined him, as Trunks opened his blazing red eyes, booted Tapion away and – received a punch from Lazuli.
"I will beat him out of you if I must," the Android said, holding her emotions at bay as best she could. "You are coming back to me."
He growled and scored another blow. Deep in the crevices of his mind, Trunks railed against the Demon Wizard's magic, aided by Lazuli's attack. His body tried to fight against her, but with the loss of energy sustained by the triple beam blitz and her determination to save him, his body was struggling to mount a counterattack. Each move he made was swiftly parried and countered with precise ferocity. She refused to let Demigra win, refused to let her child grow up without its father and this drove her to continue her onslaught, despite that she didn't really want to do this, but she had no other choice.
"You" Punch "Are" Punch "Coming" Punch "Back" Punch "To" Punch "Me!" Punch "To" Punch "Us!" The emotions were threatening to overwhelm Lazuli as she refused to let up from her assault, no matter how much it actually hurt her to do this to him, to inflict the pain upon him. "I" Wham "Need" Wham "You" Wham "We" Wham "Both" Wham "Do!" Wham "You hear me?"
The tears were visible in her eyes now as Trunks finally collapsed wearily to his knees. She cocked her fist, taking in his bruised and bloodied appearance, the damage that only she would be willing to deal, and just to make sure she was getting through to him, she threw the punch – he caught her fist and her eyes widened in shock and panic.
"Laz," Trunks spoke softly, his voice fatigued. "Can you please stop hitting me? I appreciate the effort though."
Unable to help herself, Lazuli threw herself into his arms, constricting her arms tightly around him as she let the tears fall upon his shoulder and he clutched her just as tight, like he never wanted to let her go; neither one was willing to release the other, savouring the moment to ground themselves in the embrace, reminding them of what they'd come close to losing.
"I was so worried I'd lost you," she sobbed, not caring that she was shedding tears, just thankful that he was back with her. "You had me so scared."
"I'm sorry," Trunks apologised solemnly. "Thank you…for bringing me back…no matter how painful it was…for both of us."
"I'm sorry, but I had no other choice."
"Don't be. It was necessary; Demigra made it so."
Lazuli didn't care if everyone was watching; she kissed him, full of desperation and fervour, one he returned equally. They soon broke apart and he tenderly rested his forehead against hers.
"Trunks?" Tapion asked, not wanting to disrupt this tender moment, but they had pressing matters. "Are you okay?"
"Nothing a sensu bean can't fix," Trunks replied and he groaned as he stood up, aided by Lazuli. He then caught sight of Zangya, back in her normal form, and he frowned. "I thought you left."
"I did," she replied, flicking her bulbous hair flirtatiously, purposely ignoring Lazuli's deadly glare. "Then someone turned evil. And now I'm leaving again."
"Why did you help us? What do you have to gain?"
"Oh, I don't know, maybe it's the fact that you now owe me for my assistance that keeps me going," the Hera playfully replied. "You're welcome, by the way."
"Wait," Tapion called as she started to leave. "We could still use your help."
"Haven't I helped enough?" Zangya frowned. "If you're referring to the guy who escaped, the answer's no. I've done enough for today and this…goody two-shoes thing…it's making me feel filthy."
She shot off into the sky and quickly vanished. Trunks lurched against Lazuli's side, his body exhausted. She held him up, refusing to let him fall and he was thankful for her.
"We need to move," he said. "Chronoa is in danger."
-X-
Tokitoki screeched in panic as the Time Nest continued to quake around them. Chronoa tried to steel herself for the inevitable battle, because as strong as she knew the defences to be, Demigra exceeded them and it was only a matter of time before he finally broke through them. She knew she was no match for him now, unlike when she first sealed him away, and she had no one to blame but herself. Seventy-five million years proved her faith in her sealing spells and allowed her to become complacent in the meantime; now, it was going to come crashing down around her.
"Chronoa!" echoed Demigra's voice. "It's been a long time. We need to catch up."
Tokitoki continued to screech and Chronoa tried to come up with a plan. She never had one in case the Time Nest came under assault, thinking something like that would never happen and now she was stuck without a countermeasure of any kind. She didn't know if Tapion was successful in freeing Trunks, so she had no-one to rely on except for herself and Tokitoki, neither one a match for Demigra.
The Time Nest gave one final shudder and the barriers collapsed. Tokitoki went into full panic mode, screeching at the top of his lungs as Demigra stepped inside, a wide grin on his face. Chronoa glared at him, prepared to make her final stand any way she could. As Demigra approached, she ignited a ki ball in both hands and launched them. Demigra's sceptre glowed and the ki blasts dissipated. A shriek from above and Tokitoki swooped down, talons reaching for Demigra's eyes – the Demon Wizard snatched the Bird of Time and pinned the creature against his body.
"Tokitoki, no!" Chronoa cried.
"Tsk-tsk," Demigra smirked. "You had one job, my dear. Protect the flow of history and more importantly, protect Tokitoki and you have more than failed both tasks. It seems you are not fit for the role of Supreme Kai of Time."
"That's not up to you," Chronoa said, her focus on the Bird – his safety meant more to her than her own. "You'd have to take it up with Zeno and I don't think he'd be so accommodating to you."
Demigra tossed his head back as he barked with laughter. "You honestly think Zeno takes notice of what happens around here? That fool sits in his palace and takes no notice of anything! Once I assume your position, I can wipe him from history and take his place as well. Time will bend to my will and no-one can stop me, not even Zeno himself!"
"You're an arrogant fool, Demigra. You really think you're that all-powerful?"
"Well, thanks to you, my dear Chronoa, I can now achieve that possibility. You've raised Tokitoki into adulthood, to his full potential, which means I have all the power I need. Trunks changing the timeline to save Gohan was simply an added bonus to free me."
"I'm glad I could be useful."
Demigra frowned and turned around. Trunks stood at the entrance of the Time Nest, flanked by Ocarin, Tapion and Pan. The half-Saiyan was fully healed, his eyes burning with fierce determination.
"Ah, I see you've broken free of my control," Demigra smirked. "Must have hurt."
"No more than this will," Trunks replied and he powered up to Super Saiyan 2.
He drew his sword and shot at Demigra – the Demo Wizard smirked and deflected the blade with his staff. His hand suddenly felt empty and he frowned, turning around to see Lazuli by Chronoa, Tokitoki in her arms and he growled internally; after all, the Android's energy couldn't be sensed, allowing her to sneak up and steal the Bird from his arm.
"Why you-" Demigra started, but Ocarin landed a kick on his jaw.
"Pay attention!" the Namekian snarled. "Your evil is coming to an end!"
Demigra thumped him to the ground. "I beg to differ. After all, I'm not evil." He deflected Tapion's sword and dodged Pan's Masenko, striking her with the Bloody Sauce in return. "I'm simply doing what is necessary: removing the unworthy."
Trunks dived and brought his sword down overhead; Demigra blocked and smacked the weapon from the half-Saiyan's hands, then belted him in the opposite direction with his staff. Lazuli gave Tokitoki to Chronoa, formed a Hell Cutter and launched it. Demigra batted it aside and the energy disc was inches from slicing into Pan – she avoided it when Ocarin knocked her out of the way. Trunks fired the Burning Attack and Demigra leapt into the air to avoid it – Tapion suddenly appeared, his sword swinging down towards its target – Demigra vanished, reappeared behind the Konatsian and blasted him in the back.
"We need to go," Chronoa told Lazuli. "We need to send Demigra back to the Crack."
"How are we going to do that?" the Android asked.
"I know how, but we need time; I can only hope they can occupy him for long enough. Come on."
The Supreme Kai raced for the Time Vault, Lazuli close behind her; Demigra saw them flee and fired a blast from his staff at them; Trunks took the hit and crash-landed in the pond. Lazuli saw him fall and had to fight the instinct to rush to his aid; she had to protect the Supreme Kai. That was her role in this fight, as much as she hated it, but she had no other choice if she wanted to assist.
"Flee if you wish," Demigra smirked as he elbowed Ocarin into the ground. "It matters not. Savour your freedom while it lasts; nothing can stop me from claiming what I rightfully deserve."
With a grand sweeping gesture of his staff, he clocked Trunks in the temple and instantly dropped the half-Saiyan as he stalked towards the Time Nest. Pan unleashed a salvo of energy blasts, raining them upon the Demon Wizard – the staff's orb glowed and a barrier formed, stopping the barrage. He then tapped the staff's end on the ground, creating a shockwave of energy that downed everyone in the immediate vicinity. His path unhindered, Demigra savoured his walk to the Time Nest, relishing the prospect of his plan coming to fruition.
Lazuli saw him coming, as Chronoa started work on the banishing spell, and she projected an energy shield that engulfed the Nest. Demigra stopped at its edge, a wide smirk on his face and he tapped the barrier gently with the tip of his forefinger; cracks splintered across the entirety of the barrier, which caused Lazuli to wince. Tapion rapidly slashed his sword, firing off bands of energy and they homed in on the Demon Wizard; he stopped them with a barrier of his own and nailed Tapion with a blast of dark energy. Pan was belted to the ground with ease and bands of energy wrapped around her body, pinning her down and the more she fought, the tighter they constricted.
As Demigra hampered Trunks and Ocarin's counterattack by brutalising them, Lazuli used her energy to seal the cracks in her barrier and reinforced it with a second barrier; wisps of white energy surrounded Chronoa as she furiously chanted the spell. A flash of white light appeared on Demigra's body and it refocused his attention: with a powerful blast from his staff, he shattered the barriers like glass and Lazuli was hurled by the action, her body skidding along the floor of the Vault. Her hand went protectively over her stomach, creating a tiny barrier inside herself to protect the baby as she harshly came to a stop, her mind crazy with panic at the possibility of her baby being harmed.
"Enough of this, Chronoa," Demigra growled as he stepped inside the Vault. "It's over for you; you cannot stop me. Even if you manage to banish me again, I will return."
"Next time, I'll be ready," Chronoa said. "Now, be gone!"
She clapped her hands together and dark energy swirled around Demigra's body, mixed with the white light of her spell. The Demon Wizard started to fight against the banishment, even as the Crack opened behind him, but as he was sucked towards the vortex, he simply gave the Supreme Kai a smirk – and shredded the bindings, leaving Chronoa to stare at him in horror, shocked and terrified that her spell didn't work.
"Did you really think that would work again?" Demigra asked smugly. "You've grown complacent and weak, my dear, and you are nothing compared to me."
He fired a wave of dark energy that slammed into Chronoa and smashed her into the wall of the Vault. The Crack began to shrink behind Demigra and just as he began to walk away from his former prison, Trunks grabbed him around the waist, locked his hands together and with a surge of his power, he threw himself into the Crack, taking Demigra with him. The Crack closed as they disappeared into the unknown dimension together.
"Trunks, NO!" Lazuli screamed despairingly.
-X-
Over and over they tumbled, descending further into the strange dimension. Crystalline structures hung statically in the silent air, the only objects within the realm. Trunks threw punches, but Demigra took them with ease and finally hurled the half-Saiyan into one of the crystals, shattering it with his body. Trunks winced in pain, tiny shards stabbed into his flesh.
"You were foolish to cast yourself into here with me, Trunks," Demigra stated. "This is my world, my reality. You are an intruder and there's only one way to deal with someone like you. Face it, Trunks, you've sealed your fate; you are not leaving here alive. Too bad. Lazuli will have to raise that child alone."
"It's a small price to pay for making sure you'll never threaten Earth again," Trunks said solemnly as he fixed the Demon Wizard with a fierce glare.
Demigra chuckled amusedly. "Your confidence astounds me. Why don't you join me instead, Trunks? I can guarantee that you and Lazuli will get to have your happy little family together; with the power of time under my control, I can even bring Gohan back to you. Wouldn't you like that, your best friend by your side again? Surely Pan would enjoy that and I know how much her happiness means to you. Your efforts to save him impress me; Chronoa doesn't appreciate your efforts, but what is the point of governing time if you don't sway things in your favour? Fate isn't as fixed as she seems to think it is."
"I think I'm going to have to decline," Trunks replied and he clenched his fists, widening his stance as his aura flared into appearance. "I've already changed time twice and just because I could doesn't mean I should. Desperate times call for desperate measures, but that doesn't mean I shoulder alter the fabric of history just to suit my needs and I cannot allow you to do the same."
His voice reverberated in the vast space of the Crack of Time as he started to power up. Demigra watched him, indulging him, although he felt a sliver of worry as Trunks' power increased, his appearance transforming as he ascended to the plateau of Super Saiyan 3, the entire realm of the Crack quaking under his sheer power.
-X-
"Open it!" Lazuli cried desperately. "Get him back!"
"I'm trying!" Chronoa said as calmly as she could with an emotional Android heckling her. "It takes time to open the Crack."
"Time is something that Trunks may not have! Hurry!"
-X-
The Crack of Time trembled with every blow dealt, Trunks drawing on every drop of raw power in his Saiyan blood to enhance his blows. Demigra snarled as the fight raged on, feeling the strength behind Trunks' strikes and it was infuriating him, since it meant they were on the same level. It boggled Demigra – he was so sure he was stronger than the Super Saiyan 3 state that it simply didn't make any sense.
Had Demigra become complacent himself?
No, impossible. Nothing could stand up to him. And yet, as Trunks smashed the wind out of his lungs, Demigra had to wonder. But that didn't mean he was going down without a fight and as Trunks drew his hands to the side for the Galick Gun manoeuvre, Demigra blasted him with his staff. Another crystal shattered from the impact of the half-Saiyan's body, but unfortunately for Demigra, he was unharmed.
"Wow," Trunks smirked. "I almost felt that one."
"This is impossible," Demigra snarled through gritted teeth. "Even with your transformation, you shouldn't be a match for me!"
"Scared? You thought you were all-powerful, but now it's coming to an end for you, Demigra. You will never threaten anyone ever again once I'm through with you."
Demigra roared with laughter, trying to destroy the tiny bubble of fear growing inside himself. "And you think I should be afraid-"
"FINAL FLASH!"
The darkest depths of the Crack saw light for the first time in eons when the powerful attack sliced through the dimension; Demigra's barrier was smashed to smithereens by the force of the beam and he responded by unleashing pockets of dark energy in Trunks' vicinity. The half-Saiyan dodged the sneak explosions as best as he could, but he couldn't detect all of them in time and he winced as his body was bombarded by the eruptions. He knew it was only a matter of time before his energy was sapped by his transformation and he would be powerless to Demigra's machinations. He needed to end this fight fast and find a way back home; Lazuli was depending on him.
Demigra gripped his staff with both hands, charging dark energy into the orb until a huge ball of energy formed, roughly about the same size as him. In return, Trunks drew his sword and began focusing his ki into the blade. Seeing this, the Demon Wizard barked with laughter.
"You are foolish if you think your little dagger can defeat me."
"It's not about the size of your attack," Trunks said. "It's how you use it."
Demigra fired the Energy Jet. It blazed towards Trunks and he launched at the energy sphere; it grew further in size until it easily dwarfed the half-Saiyan – with the energy in his blade, Trunks sliced through the Energy Jet and it exploded with such force, the realm shook. Demigra gasped in horror as Trunks slashed rapidly, blades of energy flinging off the weapon. Some struck the Demon Wizard, but the rest surrounded him, hovering like deadly sentinels and Trunks spun his sword around with flourish flair, then shot towards his enemy. Demigra's eyes widened in surprised when Trunks ripped the sword straight through his abdomen, spiritually bisecting him and the blades of energy homed in on their target, cutting right through his body, creating an explosion that shredded the Demon Wizard. He let out a scream from the devastating assault of the Burning Excalibur and was no more.
Trunks sheathed his sword, the burden becoming too much for him and he slipped back into his normal form as he started to drift freely within the Crack. The fight was over. He had succeeded and now he could rest, knowing that his family and friends were safe from Demigra's evil. If he were to remain trapped in the dark dimension, it didn't matter, as long as Lazuli lived.
A flash of light and a hand reached out to him.
Exhausted, Trunks struggled to reach for it, but it gripped his hand and he surged forth.
-X-
Ocarin heaved with all his strength, dragging Lazuli and Trunks out of the Crack, allowing his arms to retract once they were safe and Chronoa closed the portal. Lazuli hauled Trunks to his knees, holding him close and he gripped onto her.
"Thank you," he said. "Thanks for bringing me back."
"It was tempting to leave you in there," Lazuli smirked playfully. "But I need someone for diaper duty."
Trunks chuckled and he was helped to his feet by the Android. "It's over. We don't have to worry about Demigra anymore."
"Thank goodness for that," Chronoa cried happily. "And on that note, why did it take you guys so long to get here? A minute later and history would have been destroyed completely."
"Sorry, but I went into the Time Chamber for an hour," Trunks said sheepishly. "Those couple of weeks were enough to give me a chance against him."
"Well, if this ever happens again, don't be so late next time," the Supreme Kai said. "But thank you for your help, Trunks. Everyone here, thank you. You fought hard to protect the fabric of history and I greatly appreciate that. I think, as a reward, I will leave the change you made to Gohan's fate."
"Really?" Trunks perked up. "I don't know what to say, but thank you, Supreme Kai."
She gave a casual shrug. "Really, it's too much effort for me to restore it and so far, there haven't been any terrible repercussions, so we'll leave it. Although, you still have to work for me. Just because Demigra is gone doesn't mean that Towa is either. She's still a threat."
"Oh, of course. I will gladly assist."
"Not yet. You get to go home and rest; you deserve it. I do need to improve the defences around here, so I will call you when I need you."
"Perhaps I can assist," Ocarin offered. "I feel like I need to make amends."
"You weren't the only one who was possessed by Demigra," Trunks said. "My actions allowed him to escape. If anyone needs to make amends, I do."
"Don't worry about it," Chronoa said. "I understand completely and we'll work together to make the Time Nest better. Perhaps we could even recruit other warriors to help us? For now, go home and rest."
"All the same, I wish to stay," Ocarin said.
The Supreme Kai nodded. "Alright then, you can. Later, we'll start working on some plans."
Beams of light surrounded Trunks, Lazuli, Pan and Tapion, whisking them away from the Time Nest and transporting them back to Capsule Corporation. Trunks sagged against Lazuli's side and she was swift to keep him upright.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Yeah," he replied. "I just can't believe it's finally over. All this time preparing myself for the confrontation and now I can rest easily knowing that Demigra has finally been dealt with."
"I know; it brings a great deal of relief to me as well. Now without him hanging over our heads, perhaps we can focus on something more important?"
He rested a hand against her stomach, feeling the energy within her womb and a smile broke out on his face. "I'm looking forward to it."
-X-
Deep within the Crack of Time, a low noise reverberated throughout the dimension. Laughter erupted from the dark confines, twisted and wretched in its cacophony. Demigra, wounded as he was, cackled with laughter. It was not what he had planned and surely, he could've exercised his full power to actually win the fight; Trunks' power did catch the Demon Wizard off-guard, but by letting the half-Saiyan think he had won, it gave Demigra the opportunity to carry out his plans with no further interruptions. Let Trunks live his life with his Android harlot; Demigra knew he would get his chance and truly turn the tables on the half-Saiyan, let him know that he only won because Demigra allowed him and the Demon Wizard couldn't wait until that day when he would completely and utterly crush any hope Trunks had left. Already, he was savouring his brilliant return and his overwhelming victory. In his mind, it was set in stone: nothing could change it.
And he was perfectly willing to wait until that day came.
"Celebrate your little victory while you can, Trunks," Demigra thought savagely. "For when I return, only then will you understand that you truly have no chance against me and that you never did. It will make my victory all the more sweeter."
A/N: According to the DB wiki, prior to absorbing Tokitoki, Demigra was weaker than Ultimate Gohan, to which I assume means physical weakness. His magic is strong, yes, but I imagine Demigra to be similar to Towa: powerful in magic, but not so much in physical strength. Then again, power levels are finicky to work out. Therefore, I've had Demigra survive to hopefully avoid pointless arguments.