A/N: Swift update, not that I'm complaining. Been really looking forward to this arc and it's pleasing to finally write it. Thank you for the reviews.
Once they were outside, Pan led Azure a short distance away from the tree house and set her aside. "You need to let it out."
"What do you mean?" the child asked, her eyes watery.
"You're upset and you need to cry, scream, whatever, just let loose with your emotions and get it out of your system," Pan told her. "I know you're sad, but I don't want to be looking after a cry-baby."
"I'm not a cry-baby!" Azure snapped at her, anger replacing her anguish.
"Really? Evidence before me says otherwise."
Any other time, Azure would know that the older quarter-Saiyan was teasing her; but with her emotions in a flux after Bulma's death, the child couldn't help but scream at the taunting, her misery and anger combining together into a potential cocktail. Bulma flashed in Azure's mind and she nearly broke down into sobs, but the anger towards Black burned inside her.
"That's it," Pan coached. "Let it out, Azure. Remember what he's done to you. Use it, use that rage, show me that you want to make him suffer."
Azure continued to scream, Black and Bulma filling her mind, a golden aura sprouting up around her. Sensing her daughter's rising energy level, Lazuli rushed outside in time to see an eruption of energy burst from Azure's small body and when the light cleared, Azure had ascended into her Super Saiyan form. Her eyes emerald and her hair long golden spikes, very much in the same style as her father. A small smile came to Lazuli's face, proud of her daughter, although a small part of her was concerned about Azure's emotional state and the turmoil she must be going through. Pan also wore a smile and when Azure dropped the transformation and fell to her knees in her base form, the teenager was quick to catch her, stabilising her and brushing her lilac hair from her face tenderly.
"It's okay," Pan spoke softly as she rubbed Azure's back soothingly. "I've got you; everything's going to be okay."
-X-
Trunks held his hands out to the side, charging as much energy as he could before he brought them together and unleashed the Final Flash. The powerful beam hurtled towards Wu-kon, who simply held his hand out and stopped the Final Flash in its tracks. With barely a flick of his hand, he dispersed the beam and a split-second later, he appeared behind Trunks and smacked him down with a twitch of his tail. The half-Saiyan ate dirt and the back of his head throbbed from the hit.
"That's enough," Wu-kon said and in response, Trunks resumed his base form. "You have fought well."
"Hard to tell when you can avoid or blockade everything I throw at you," Trunks muttered as he pushed himself to his feet, his own tail waving behind him. Kami, he needed to get used to that. Kami, how the hell was he going to explain his tail to Lazuli?! "But I'm honoured, I guess."
"Don't worry about my power. From what I've witnessed, I believe you are ready for the ritual?"
"Ritual? You're not…going to…sacrifice me, are you?"
Wu-kon smirked. "No. this is a ritual to become a Saiyan God."
Trunks' eyes widened at that. "A Saiyan God? You mean I'll become like you?"
"No, not exactly, but you will take on and harness the power of a god, becoming like one yourself. I have only ever gifted this kind of power to one other person before, but the ritual I will do for you will be different to the one Yamoshi performed. Where his strength as a Saiyan God only lasted for a very short time, this ritual I will perform with you will allow you to tap into that power at will. I have to warn you, however; this is very powerful energy I will be bestowing upon you. There is a chance your body cannot handle the power and you will be torn apart by it."
"I'll do it," Trunks accepted fiercely. "I'll do whatever it takes to defeat Black. I'll do this ritual and I will survive it."
"Good. That is what I like to hear. Now, come with me."
Wu-kon grabbed Trunks and launched towards the atmosphere at break-neck speed. Realising they were headed towards space, Trunks started to panic, knowing that he wouldn't survive, but with Wu-kon's blinding speed, they left Sadal and reached the surface of the moon without any harmful effects to the half-Saiyan. Landing on the moon, Trunks shivered from the cold, barren wasteland and he was surprised to find that he could breathe without concern.
"For this ritual, I need you to keep a calm mind," Wu-kon explained. "Assume a meditating position and when you are ready, we will begin. Keep in mind that the power will be immense, but as long as you are calm and focused, you will survive and ascend to my world."
Trunks did as he was told, sitting cross-legged on the moon, trying to relax his body as much as possible. He didn't know how long he'd been here or how long the ritual would take, but he was worried that he would be whipped back to Earth by the wish before the ritual could be complete.
"How long is this going to take?" the hybrid asked.
"I'm not sure…I've never done this before," Wu-kon admitted. "At an educated guess, I'd say maybe an hour…or two."
"Oh, because I made a wish to be sent to Sadal and returned to Earth in one hour, so if we could make the ritual go faster, I'm all for it."
"You have been here for more than one hour already and yet you are still here."
Trunks frowned and then his face shifted into horror at the implication. If he hadn't been transported back to Earth already…that could really mean one thing: the Dragonballs were inactive and for that to happen…he clenched his fists, the anger rising.
"You need to close your eyes and remain calm for this to work," Wu-kon ordered and Trunks shut his eyes, doing his best to stay relaxed despite the revelation. "Clear your mind. Now, we will begin the ritual to make you a Saiyan God."
Still in his transformed state, the God of Saiyans raised a fist and clenched it, using his power to bring light to the moon, like a global-sized Power Ball. Immediately, Blutz Waves slammed into Trunks, flooding him with its power and he felt like he was on a ship in a hurricane, his stomach lurching as he fought against the overwhelming power. His tail had gone rigid as it absorbed the Blutz Waves, hair sticking out everywhere like an angry cat. His body tensed and twisted as he struggled to remain calm against the flood and he had to resist the urge to open his eyes.
"Don't open your eyes," Wu-kon commanded and Trunks kept them squeezed shut. The God of Saiyans raised his hands towards the hybrid, expanding his own godly ki. "Now, let's see if we can awaken a Saiyan God inside you."
-X-
Not everyone had been able to make it to the heavily-protected emergency bunkers. Not everyone had been able to evacuate their homes and escape the city. Any defence the military tried to project was annihilated by Black and once they were disposed, he turned his attention to the rest of the city. It had been a long and nightmarish day, the world turned upside down in the wake of Black's attack. The people of Earth had finally escaped the horror of the Androids, only to be plunged back into another nightmare as they struggled to survive. But Black efficiently cut his way through the population, reducing the numbers and destroying everything else he could to bring misery and suffering to the world.
Chances of survival were getting slimmer as the day wore on and the future looked bleak, with no sign of hope.
People that had not been able to escape were doing their best to flee for their lives as Black fired energy blasts, vaporising anyone who crossed his path. South City was not on fire, but it was only a matter of time before it was 'purified' from the face of the planet, as Black grinned at the sight of a fallen child, his mother desperately trying to get him up and running. Black launched an energy ball and it made impact…just not with his target. He frowned, as Lazuli used her barrier to fire the blast away, giving mother and son the time they needed to escape.
"So, you've returned," Black commented as Lazuli dropped her barrier. "Where's Trunks?"
"What, are you afraid of fighting a woman?" the Android smirked devilishly.
"Last I recall, I nearly killed you, so don't get smart with me, you artificial junk."
"Oh, now there's a nickname I haven't heard from you in a long time, Gohan. Tell me, what's with the edgy, emo look? It was a phase about twenty years ago, so now, it just looks out-dated."
Black smirked. "I'm simply doing what must be done. To bring paradise to the universe, I must correct the mistakes of the gods: the mortal race. Violent and corrupt creatures that have been allowed to live because of the gods' arrogance. I am fixing that mistake."
"Yawn, get some better material," Lazuli snarked. "You know, I didn't need a reason to kill humans; I did it just for fun. I ended up killing you because you bored the crap out of me."
"Yes, until that particular event was changed and Gohan was allowed to live," Black said. "It's one thing for the gods to be arrogance; it's completely another when mortals become so arrogant that they believe they have the right to change time and history! That was when I knew the actions of the mortals could no longer be tolerated and if the gods weren't going to do anything, then I must."
"What the hell is all this talk about gods and mortals? If I knew that killing you would make you absolutely crazy, then I might not have done it," Lazuli said. "On second thoughts, it's making me want to kill you now."
She transformed into her Super Android form; Black activated the Aura Slide, but frowned as his body was suddenly constricted. He snarled and saw the Psycho Threads ensnaring his body; he looked back and saw Super Zangya, as Tapion flew at him, sword drawn. Summoning his strength, Black just barely managed to dodge the Konatsian's Brave Sword Attack and twisted his body to yank Zangya through the air. Meanwhile, Lazuli was bombarded with a Kamehameha and Galick Gun from Pan and Azure respectively, the two in their transformed states. Black deflected Tapion's sword and backhanded him with his left fist; the Konatsian slammed into several cars, creating a huge metal pile with his body. Zangya fired her Trap Shooter and Black avoided the emerald blasts to kick the Hera in the gut. Just as he did that, Pan kicked him in the back of the neck. Black barely flinched and he struck Pan with a powerful kick that blasted her through several buildings. He prepared an energy ball and Lazuli socked him in the jaw.
That got his attention.
"My, my, someone has been working out," Black smirked as he rubbed his jaw. "Your efforts are futile, however-"
"Just shut the hell up," Lazuli said as she blasted him with two beams of pink energy. "Gohan never used to talk so much; mostly grunts of pain."
Black slammed into the side of a building from the force and he cackled. He launched off and swiped at Lazuli – she dodged and punched him, but he punched her back. She lashed out in return and he dodged, pressing an energy ball to her back. Lazuli crashed into the road, as Tapion and Zangya came at Black at the same time. He blocked their fists and shoved them aside, as Pan and Azure launched a Double Masenko together. The two beams combined into one and slammed into Black. Once the attack was finished, Black was revealed to be unharmed and he laughed, before flying at the girls. He belted them both aside with a single strike each and Lazuli flew up from underneath to plant her fist into his gut. She proceeded to pulverise his stomach with machine-gun like punches, just hammering blow after blow after blow into his body. And all the while, Black grinned; infuriated, Lazuli slammed an uppercut into his jaw.
"Quite a work out," Black grinned as he rubbed his jaw, the pain evaporating. "I suspect that this could be quite fun. Care for another dance?"
"Have a dance with this!" Lazuli said as she zoomed in and struck him with the Dance Macabre.
When the final kick landed, the resulting explosion blasted Black towards the road, but he landed on his feet and had the audacity to smirk as he dusted his tunic off. He flared his black aura and launched up to continue the fight – and was ensnared by the Psycho Threads once more.
"Curse you," Black snarled at Zangya, as Lazuli landed a few blows, before unleashing her Full Power High-Pressure Energy Wave at point-blank range. A building crumbled from the impact of Black's body, as Azure flew up beside her mother.
"Is it over?" she asked as she watched the dust settle around the ruins.
"Not by a long shot," Lazuli replied. Sure enough, the demolished foundations burst up violently, as Black roared while flaring his aura. "Here we go."
"Oh boy," Tapion murmured and he readied himself, while Zangya shot him a worried look that he caught and he knew she was thinking of their son, both wondering if they would see him again.
Black flew at the Konatsian first, slashing ferociously with the Aura Slide. Tapion defended against the savage strikes, as Zangya cast her Psycho Threads – Black caught them, reeled the Hera in and kicked her away. In the same move, he kicked Tapion aside, as Lazuli intercepted, planting both feet into Black's stomach. He swiped at her with the Aura Slide, she dodged and lashed out with a kick. He blocked. Pan charged in from the side, while Azure came down from overhead; Black punched Lazuli, grabbed Pan's leg when she kicked and slammed her into Azure, hurling them away.
Lazuli threw her Lightning Hell Cutters and Black weaved around them, flying onto the other side of a cracked building. The Android fired energy blasts through the empty construct, trying to nail her opponent and he returned fire, the building crashing down from the energy blasts exploding within. Flying over the cloud of dust, Lazuli threw a Murder Blitz; Black avoided them, shot in close and socked the Android. A large green sphere of energy zoomed at Black and slammed into him; he emerged unscathed and flew at Zangya; Tapion covered her and blocked Black's Aura Slide with his sword. He pushed the imposter back and fired arcs of energy off his blade, Zangya using Trap Shooter at the same time. Black grinned as the dual attacks crashed against his body and Lazuli joined in with the Infinity Flash. Seeing an opportunity, the two quarter-Saiyans unleashed an energy beam each, all hoping they could overwhelm Black and destroy him with the energy output.
An explosion erupted, but Black descended from the chaos unharmed and Lazuli growled. "What is going to take to put this guy down?"
Black smirked. "Such power, much pain. All fuel for my own strength. Have you realised it now? You are no match for a god and I will show you why."
He dropped the Senko Ki Blast, creating a burst of light that blinded everyone save for Lazuli, who managed to close her eyes in time. Black punched Pan away and blasted her with the Black Kamehameha Wave – she screamed as she was blasted through the sky, smashing into a building, which then crumbled around her, burying her in the rubble where she remained, unconscious.
Lazuli opened her eyes in time to see Pan disappear within the Wave and the Android immediately fired energy waves at Black. They slammed into him and he was driven back several metres, before he banked away and aimed for Zangya next. She saw him coming and quickly fired off her Galactic Buster – Black avoided it and slashed at her, but Tapion intercepted once more. Black grinned and sliced again and Tapion screamed, his severed left arm dropping to the ground.
"Tapion!" Zangya cried out for him, horror-struck and Black punched the Konatsian aside. He crash-landed, doing his best to try and stem the blood flow and Zangya tried to move to his aid, but Black stabbed her in the stomach, pressed an energy ball to the wound and blasted her away. Another building collapsed.
"Zangya!" Tapion shouted, despite his own agony, blood pumping between his fingers.
"Azure, get a senzu bean to Tapion and Zangya," Lazuli ordered and her daughter nodded.
Black grinned sadistically and flew at Azure, but her mother threw up a huge barrier that expanded across the entire street, completely cutting Black off from the young girl. He growled and punched it with all his strength, cracking the barrier. Azure landed beside Tapion and dug in the satchel, as Black shattered the barrier with another punch. It caught Azure's action and she yelped as the ki blast flew at her – Lazuli recovered and kicked the blast aside in time, but then Black was upon her and struck her with a powerful right hook.
"Mom!" Azure cried and she was torn between helping Tapion and helping her mother.
Lazuli caught Black's fist, her face twisted in fury and she threw a punch, but Black caught it, the two entering a power struggle. Azure gave a bean to Tapion, then pulled her hands to the side and launched the Galick Gun. It slammed into Black and he growled in response, as Lazuli kicked him, breaking free and allowing the Galick Gun to drive him away. Black flared his aura and dispersed the beam, then faster than Lazuli could react, he shot at Azure and kicked her so hard, her eyes went wide as all the air in her lungs were forced out. Tears formed in her eyes and she immediately reverted to her base form as she swiftly fell unconscious.
"Bastard!" Lazuli yelled upon seeing her daughter get knocked out and she flew at Black, pummelling every inch of him she could reach.
The barrage was fierce, carrying the pair away from the battlefield as Lazuli drove Black into the side of a building with the intensity of her blows, still hammering away. All the while, Black allowed her, smiling in delight as she unleashed her fury upon him. A powerful kick punched him through the collapsing building and Lazuli chased after him, intent on destroying him. A swift double-axe-handle blow smashed Black into the road and Lazuli flew into the sky, a ball of energy in both hands.
This was the exact same move she had used to kill him over a decade ago and this time, she hoped it was permanent and she unleashed the Dead End Rain. Bullet-like energy blasts rained down, slamming into Black with sheer force and intensity, pulverising his body. As the assault continued, he actually began to wonder if it could end up killing him, given that Lazuli was not letting up – the rain continued to pour. It was like an airstrike had delivered an immense payload, explosion after explosion building up atop the other as the ground beneath Black cracked and blistered.
"I hope you die," Lazuli thought. "Crawl back to whatever hellhole you came from and never darken this world and my family again!"
She finally stopped the Dead End Rain and waited for the explosions to settle down and the dust to clear. Twin pink energy balls ignited in her palms, just in case he managed to survive – he shouldn't have; the Dead End Rain had been produced with much more force than last time, even though she was by herself – but her breath caught when the dust finally cleared and Black was buried in the rubble…still alive, but at least there was blood on his forehead…but he wasn't alone.
Someone was with him, their hands above Black's body, using the same healing technique that Ocarin used to use. With a snarl, Lazuli fired the energy beams and they smashed into the ground, but Black and the newcomer were gone. Now, they were across from her and she finally got a good look at the newcomer: he had light green skin, grey eyes and a white Mohawk, while he wore the same style of clothing as Chronoa, although like Black, he too had a single earring in his left ear.
"Who the hell are you?" Lazuli demanded. The last thing she needed was another player on the field, especially one on Black's side.
"I am Zamasu," he replied, clearly self-important. "The Supreme Kai of Universe 10."
"Oh, cool. Are you Gohan's boyfriend?"
Zamasu's lip twitched slightly. "Actually, you could say we are kindred spirits."
Black smirked at Lazuli. "That was quite an impressive show. You nearly had me worried there, but thanks to you, I have grown even stronger than before. Play time is over; it's time for bed."
"Oh please, Losers 'R Us, you'll be the ones going to bed," Lazuli replied. "Sleeping six feet under once I'm through with you."
Black laughed and Zamasu snickered. "Do you not understand what you are up against, mortal? You are facing gods," the Supreme Kai said matter-of-factly. "The sheer arrogance that you think you can challenge us? This is one of the reasons why we've enacted our plan, to erase the mortal scum that pollute the beautiful universe."
"Blah, blah, blah," Lazuli rolled her eyes. "All I know is you come here on my turf, threaten my family and therefore are just begging for me to kill you. To cap it off, Gohan is back from the dead and killing people, but hey, I've killed him before."
"What makes you think I really am Gohan?" the doppelganger questioned with a smirk.
"I actually don't really care. You killed my mother-in-law and hurt my daughter. You're dead."
"You first."
Black flew at Lazuli and she blocked his punch, but she noted the increase in strength. Zamasu smirked as the pair traded blows. Concerned about Black's strength, Lazuli broke away and fired a Photon Flash – Black dispersed it with his palm. She quickly wiped the surprise from her face, twisting it into determination, as Zamasu came at her from the side, God Split Cut at the ready. She blocked his arm and Black kicked her in the stomach, belting her away.
"This is not going to go well," Lazuli thought as she quickly worked through tactics in this two-on-one. "It was bad enough with Gohan and his upgraded refusal to die; now I have his buddy helping him out…and I'm all by myself. Well, time to give it everything I've got."
-X-
It was like the Androids all over again, but at least this time, they were prepared, Videl thought. That said, trying to direct panicked people was a hell of a chore in itself, even with the help of emergency services, especially as news of cities being destroyed were filtering through the air waves. The chaos didn't make it an easy job, but Videl shouldered the responsibility as best as she could, trying to save as many lives as possible: bringing the world back from near the point of extinction had not been an easy road to travel, but the humans had succeeded so much in that time and Videl did not want to see everyone's efforts go to waste. She could only hope that this horrible day would be over and they can go back to their normal lives…she once thought that as a child growing up during the Android threat and that horrible day continued for nearly twenty years…she didn't want a repeat of history.
At least she had 16 with her, helping her where he could. When Lazuli and Zangya stopped by briefly to drop off Minotia, the large Android had opted to stay behind, citing his huge chest wound as a reason that was preventing him from helping them and that he'd be a better help to Videl. It was a huge relief to the daughter of Hercule, as it took some weight off her shoulders, but when she had asked Lazuli who the threat, the blonde Android remained tight-lipped. Even Pan (who had disobeyed Videl's orders, but at least she was still alive) wouldn't tell her and Videl hated the conflicted look on her daughter's face. Knowing there was no other option, she kissed and hugged her daughter, hoping that she would see her again and told her to be strong and fight hard, just like her father. That twisted the confliction on Pan's face even more, but Videl had no choice but to say goodbye to her daughter before she flew off with Lazuli and Zangya to face whatever the threat was.
"Gohan, if you're up there, please watch over our daughter," Videl prayed, even though she wasn't the praying type, but this was desperate times. "Please let her come home to me. I lost you…I don't want to lose her either."
-X-
Lazuli flew backwards as she fired the Infinity Flash, blasting the sky with multitudes of pink energy and brining colour to the dark sky. Black grinned as he weaved around and through the blasts, while Zamasu dodged as best he could, but still found himself on the receiving end of several blasts. In the short time the fight had been raging, Lazuli learned one thing: Zamasu wasn't a strong fighter, but for some damn reason, he seemed resilient to everything she threw at him, just like Black.
Zamasu shot in and slashed, but Lazuli dodged and punched him in the gut, opened her hand and fired an energy blast into his stomach. It tore straight through him, a kill shot and a move she'd used on countless victims – Zamasu simply floated back, no worse for wear, and boy, did that piss her off. Black zoomed in and threw a punch; Lazuli blocked and threw her own, but he parried – and slammed a punch right into her kidney. Lazuli gasped, agonising pain blasting through her body from the blow. Spots appeared before her eyes and she tried to react quickly, tried to –
Black smashed her into the ground with a feral grin, Zamasu hovering beside him. Lazuli groaned, trying to will herself to get back up – she had to get up, she couldn't fall, she was the last line of defence – she had to fight, for her daughter and the world she had come to care for. Pushing up onto her feet, Lazuli winced at the lingering pain, but she steeled herself, doing her best to ignore it and focus on her foes.
"Where is Trunks?" Zamasu asked.
"Sorry, but he's not your type," Lazuli replied.
"Very well, you insolent mortal, perhaps we shall extract the answer out of you."
As if they were one being, Zamasu and Black moved, the former in front. Lazuli dodged him, blocked Black's fist and fired an energy blast to force him back, then grabbed Zamasu by the face when he tried to slice her. She slammed him head-first into the ground and unleashed an energy blast.
"Die, damn you!" Lazuli yelled, smashing Zamasu's head with energy. If it had been any other person, their head would've been obliterated, but to her fury, Zamasu was intact. "What the hell are you?"
"I'm one of a kind," Zamasu smirked as he shrugged.
Lazuli whirled around to avoid Black's Aura Slide and she kicked at him – he parried and ripped the Aura Slide upwards – a single lock of blonde hair floated towards the ground. Lazuli lashed out, Zamasu grabbed her from behind and Black punched her. She grabbed Zamasu by his hair and slammed him onto Black and she hopped back, shooting twin beams of pink energy. Zamasu took the full brunt of the attack and Black lunged at Lazuli, punching her to the ground. He slammed a kick into her ribs and she slid along the debris-covered ground.
"Tell us where Trunks is and the pain ends," Black said.
"I hope you know that I will never tire out," Lazuli said as she stood. "Throw everything you've got at me; I'll withstand it and sooner or later, you'll eventually break down."
Black smirked. "That's quite a hopeful thought for you, but your stamina will not outlast my power."
He slung two energy blasts and Lazuli shot past them, blasting the High-Pressure Energy Wave at Zamasu. He smashed into the side of a building and Lazuli started trading powerful blows with Black. She fought as hard as she could, her desire to protect Azure driving her and she feinted a swing, but Black was faster and his fist clocked her in the jaw. He landed another blow and she tried to fight back, only to get pummelled from the side by Zamasu's Heavenly Arrow. They were relentless and they reminded her of herself and 17, how they fought and now she knew how Gohan felt in that final battle. She shoved that aside, smashed Zamasu in the face with her elbow; her attack allowed Black to unleash a powerful physical assault and Lazuli tried to fight back, but he countered everything she threw at him, slamming strong blows into her body, punishing her.
"No, no, no! I can't go down!" Lazuli thought desperately. "I can't!"
Black hit her with a backhand, Zamasu kicked her in the back and Black struck her with a double-axe-handle blow that cratered the ground from her body's impact. Lazuli winced, forcing any and all pain to the background as best she could – she needed to keep going, she couldn't let them win, not after everything, she refused to let them win – Black and Zamasu had an energy blast each and combined them together into a huge ball of energy. Lazuli managed to get to her knees and finally stand up, albeit shakily.
A flash of light appeared on the battlefield, surprising everyone involved and when it faded, Trunks stood there, a look of fierce determination on his face – Lazuli had never been so relieved to see him and a smile of delight came to her face. That said, there was something different about her husband, something she couldn't quite explain: she could see him, but she couldn't quite sense him, like there was an aura of pressure surrounding him…not unlike Black.
Wait…since when did Trunks have a tail?
"Black!" Trunks shouted. "Your end is here."