~Raze's Journey;Director's Cut Chapter 15~
~Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey Flashy Backy~
Roarin: Yeah, we did that. Multiverse theory is a bitch. Also, enjoy the chapter. This took longer than I wanted it to due to it being a bit tougher to plan for. If I ever have the opportunity, I would probably redo it. Still, I'll keep having fun with my work until the end of days whenever that is.
Raze looked around the spacious pad, intrigued by items that were either on the walls or just strange artifacts he'd never known nor had heard of. A box of extremely old capsules on the wall even had an emblem he'd made as a kid just sitting there. Now this was just spooky to the man considering how he'd just happen to bump into this guy and him having this.
'What is he about? This is crazy.' Raze considered himself lucky that he was alone and not actually having to interact with Time-Turner, he might go insane.
'I'll have to keep an eye on him, this is just too…' He was going to finish that thought, but the sound of the old man's cane had hit the floor just behind him, making a loud rapping noise.
"Ah, I see you found that old case. Yes, it was given to me by an old friend who didn't want it at a certain point." Time Turner said while hobbling over, "Of course, you wouldn't have any idea who it was." He reached out for the case, holding it in his trembling hands.
"I have an idea of what that emblem is. It's like the one I made when hanging out with my friends all those years ago." Raze said while Time-Turner chuckled.
Time-Turner coughed a bit before finally saying, "History often rhymes. This must be the case here." Raze was unsettled by this remark.
"Okay, you gotta let me know what's going on here. Either you know me or…" Time-Turner shook his head.
"No, Whippersnapper! Hold yourself for a moment, it's not like anything urgent is going on. The food is almost done and we can speak on these matters later." He said to Raze who backed up a bit, "Besides… I'm happy you managed to get them back. Those Kids are pretty important. Fate is something else…" He trailed off leaving Raze even more confused.
"Well, come along. Let's eat." Time-Turner said to the Saiyan who followed, trying to ignore his overwhelming amount of questions.
~Karmel's Base of Operations~
Karmel had just emptied out the room after making a grandiose speech about the new number one target. He made many promises of how the capture or even death of Raze would bring glory to whoever managed to do it while knowing in his mind that these soldiers wouldn't be prepared for such a task. Though, he'd be damned if any of them died. No, he wouldn't allow that bastard to touch anyone else.
He was stumped on one thing though, 'Why? The reasoning doesn't make any sense.' Karmel wondered just how someone could kill soldiers so easily, especially people who had nothing to do with him.
His phone began to go off. Looking down, Karmel saw that it was, "Kronos! Why are you calling me right now? I'm trying to figure out what to do about this mess!" He shouted a bit louder than anticipated as several soldiers looked away awkwardly. Karmel's raw untapped anger in this moment was overshadowing his usually calm demeanor as Kronos responded.
"Chill out! I know what you're thinking already. I was just too drunk last night to have a coherent thought about it." Kronos stated nonchalantly as Karmel gritted his teeth which made Kronos grin, "I missed that look. Heh, reminds me of the battlefield. Still, I think you should listen to me for a minute."
Karmel looked at the hologram projection with abject frustration building on his shoulders, but relented, "Sure… But it better be good." Kronos smirked in response.
"Oh, this'll be perfect. What you need to do is rather simple." Kronos said while Karmel listened on, "It's easy. Send as many soldiers to Guerdon as possible. If the first message before the latest one is even remotely true… He's coming here soon." Kronos finished as Karmel began to nod along.
He knew that much already. Of course Raze had to get paid if he stopped a high profile person with a bounty. Still, none of the information added up. The first transmission had implied that Raze had left before they would have shown up unless it was a trap set by him to kill his men. But why? Raze had done something bad in the past, but before even that, the man had saved them all in a last ditch attack. The why just still wouldn't fit.
It was literally hurting Karmel just thinking about the sudden switch up, "Somethings just not right about this."
Kronos nodded, "I understand what you're saying. Raze's usual MO is not this. Of course, the incident that got him his bounty beforehand was… Strange." Kronos scratched his beard while continuing, "If I should see him first… I'm going to knock some sense into him and try to figure this mess out." He finished, clenching his fist off the hologram screen.
Karmel nodded, "Yeah, do what you have to do, but if I see him before you... I don't know if I'll be able to hold back." His thoughts wandered back to the men he'd already lost and the rage would intensify again.
"In any case, you just sit right there in Guerdon, Kronos. I'll be accompanying a battalion of soldiers to fortify the area." Karmel said while pondering on other thoughts that suddenly hit him as he added, "We'll more than likely be camouflaging the fleet just above the atmosphere. We've gotta keep the ruse up so Raze won't just try and escape. I'll be seeing you soon Lieutenant." Karmel's hologram disappeared as Kronos set it down.
Kronos sighed, thinking about how he might spend the next while, 'Going to be a lot of long nights here… Hurry up, Raze. We're waiting.' He heard his holophone go off again.
Picking it back up Kronos was greeted by his Private, "Oh! You guys finally made it eh?!" He questioned as the hologram nodded back.
"Yeah! We captured a few people from that mission you sent us on. Bounty Hunters that overstepped their boundaries and tried to rule a planet." The private shook his head in disbelief, "Bunch of dumbarses, I'd say." He finished as Kronos chuckled.
"Lemme come greet them and maybe let them off their leash. Might be a good exercise for them to get hunted a second time." Kronos said as the Private saluted him and the hologram ceased its existence.
He pushed off the bed with his arms and got up. Walking to the door and shutting it behind himself unceremoniously. With a wide grin on his face, Kronos left the hotel.
~Time-Turner's Place~
The food had been plentiful and every child in the building was satisfied with their take. Cloud snoozed away on the floor while Kiryu sat against the wall. He seemed to be bored out of his mind. Kira was messing around with her empty bowl, contemplating on getting more or not. Ken sat by himself on the opposite side of the room from everyone else.
Ken looked around, he was agitated. Something was amiss. He wondered just what it was exactly though. Kira was moving some of Turner's things around, trying to see if anything would happen. She seemed a bit off herself.
Turning to her brother, Kira spoke up, "Brother?" She asked him.
Ken, being so lost in his thoughts, didn't notice at first, 'I'm not sure what to do… I feel like she should be here right now.'
Kira arched an eye at him. That was also strange. Ken wasn't one to be thinking so hard that he wouldn't hear her at the very least. This intrigued the little sister to no end. So, she tiptoed over to her big brother. Even as she moved, Kira could hear Cloud and Kiryu moving in the background.
Kiryu walked up to the scene, "What are you doing, Kira?" He asked as she froze up instantly.
"Nothin! Just tryin ta make bro feel better!" Kira said as Kiryu smirked.
"That is, "doing something"." Kiryu said, which snapped Ken out of his thoughts.
Kira blew a raspberry at her friend as Ken looked up, "Oh, what's up, Kira? Did you say something earlier?" He asked his Sister who nodded.
"Bro, you was lost! You okay?!" She asked in a somewhat worried and yet curious inflection.
Ken shook his head, "I was wondering about where Aunt Lyral is. She should be coming round here any moment now." Ken said, prompting Kiryu to speak up.
Kiryu shrugged his shoulders, "Who is this "Lyral" anyway?" He asked to which Ken was about to reply before Kira hopped up.
"She's tha bestest Auntie in tha world!" Kira exclaimed, causing Kiryu to put his hands on his sides.
"I get that, but what does that mean? She's gotta be somebody special if Raze knows her too." Which made Ken wonder how exactly the two had even met.
~In the kitchen~
Time-Turner looked over the leftover food, a pensive sigh graced the room, "Raze… You came here looking for Lyral, not?" He asked the man who stood behind him.
Raze nodded, "It's all I've asked about. I know you've been dodging me most of the day, but can you really keep doing that?" Raze crossed his arms, trying to conceal his emotions, "You've got me wondering if something happened to her that you won't tell me. Please, stop yanking me around." He sternly said to the old man.
The energy with which Time-Turner had carried himself seemed to dissipate entirely. His shoulders sagged and the atmosphere of the room seemed to darken ever so slightly. Turning ever so slightly, Time-Turner looked at Raze from the corner of his eye. It seemed to sparkle with something menacing. Raze noticed the old man's hands trembling more and more.
"It's hard to say…" Time-Turner trailed off as Raze leaned in, ready for anything, "In fact, it's awful. Those bastards." Time-Turner's voice turned to a sudden gravelly sound.
As he fully turned to face Raze, he could see tears rushing down the older man's face, "They killed her yesterday, Raze… So easily… She escaped their leader, but was run down." A sob shook the old man and Raze rushed to his side as he began to fall forward.
Catching him, Raze gritted his teeth, "Who? I'll get them! Just tell me!" He whispered loudly enough, but Time-Turner shook his head.
"You can't do anything about it now. At least, currently. They've already left the planet with her body in tow." He said shakily, leaning on the support given by Raze.
Raze shook his head, remembering the time he met her. The world shifted and Raze's brief memory would take precedence. The world was filled with many large trees, but the battle had scarred them. There were barren lands wiped of life by the many attacks from each side. Bodies littered the ground and blood stained the fields. The planet's name was, "Arastaug". It had been a prominent depot for the rebels, supplying them with cover and also being a strategic place with many different cities which wouldn't allow a simple blast from the sky to be a way to solve the problem.
Raze and his crew of six were heading toward the planet as fast as possible. Raze had been given the debriefing just hours before. Still remembering it clearly as he had played it through his mind over and over again for the last two hours.
~Main Battalion Ship;Two Hours Ago~
Pacing back and forth before Raze, a man looked like he was losing his sanity, "Raze! You've gotta understand! I can't ask for anyone else! Kronos's battalion is in the south part of the West Galaxy trying to take care of the issues surrounding that area. Karmel is on the opposite side and King Vestal has sent most of his own guard to free worlds close by from the Rebel influence!" He gave a grave look to Raze, "With everyone being spread thin like this, you're one of the only other elites we've got." He said just a bit quieter than his first outburst.
Raze nodded, listening to the General, "I can offer as much support as you'll need. I've got my usual people with me and they're good even on their own." Raze finished as the General nodded, wiping his forehead of sweat.
"Yes, I've heard of your exploits and their own. I would love to offer you more support for this mission personally, but everyone I've already sent has been either killed or taken as slaves." He said, turning away in shame from the warrior standing opposite of him, "All of my men that are inside their base and survived need only to know that someone is coming. You'll be their rallying call! Can you do this for me?!" Raze nodded, saluting the General who gave him one in turn.
"Then move out at once! Godspeed!" Raze bowed, leaving the area and now, looking out his ship's window as a massive sprawling field came into view. Arastaug's nature was second to none. But Raze wasn't here for the sights and neither were his comrades.
The last bit of the conversation with the General flashed through his mind, "The only reason we know for sure the location of this place is because one of my men gave his life to get that info out. For anyone else, it looks like a field with forests surrounding the area. However, we know better. Take out the shield generator, Raze. Then you'll have no trouble doing the rest."
One of his own spoke up, "We've got company!" Raze smacked his chest with a device and a suit formed around him.
"I'm going out first to take out the missiles, you guys find shelter and regroup with me!" Opening the door hatch, Raze leapt out of the capsule corp ship, releasing his aura and flying straight into the first line of attacks. Letting loose a barrage of ki blasts, Raze's own chi took apart the missiles, causing a massive explosion in the sky and orange light to pierce the heavens. The clouds were torn apart by the flaming waves burning the skylight.
"HAAAAAAGGGHH!" Raze roared as multiple soldiers poured out of the shield generator, ready to meet him head on.
A swift kick to the side was the first of many soldier's fate as they were sent slamming into several of their own. Raze turned his attention to the rest, a grin under his mask as he tore through the air after them. He fired several ki blasts at them in a row and they met them with their own waves of chi, but this was merely a diversion for Raze who ripped straight through the cover created by those ferocious attacks.
Raze was surprised as he was met on the other side by more soldiers, "Shit!" Raze yelled as he was swarmed by all of them at once. Getting slammed in the gut by one that actually made him lose breath for just a moment, "YAGH!" He yelled, feeling hell being rained down on him by multiple soldiers.
"Let's kick his ass! Don't let him have even a moment!" Raze heard through the crowd, feeling that maybe he had taken too much on at once. Then, his thoughts were answered as time itself began to stop, everything around Raze was completely paused. Like clockwork, every soldier in the sky began to take multiple hits before time resumed. Raze found himself face to face with none other than Strife.
"Heh! Looks like you were struggling there!" Strife yelled as Raze grinned.
"Thanks for the backup, let's take out that barrier!" Raze exclaimed, when Strife joined him, as they both intertwined their attacks.
"Flashing!" Raze yelled as Strife added, "Distortion!" The blast rippled a brilliant blue and red, combining into a massive purple chi that hit the outer barrier surrounding the compound that lay beneath. Sparks of lightning shot into the sky, upsetting the very balance of nature, uprooting and sending trees high into the sky with massive boulders. Raze and Strife pushed down more, forcing their combination attack to finally take down the barrier. The attack would continue beyond even that, destroying the outer wall with nothing to stop it.
The resulting impact would send debris flying throughout the area, surprising every person inside. The smoke cloud that was pushing through the area was impossible to ignore as one person appeared to be walking briskly through it. A black suit covered the person's body as he was joined by six other silhouettes making their appearance.
Raze, standing just in front of his comrades, would be the first to speak using the loudspeaker in his helmet to amplify his voice, "IF YOU CAN HEAR ME! WE'RE HERE TO FREE YOU! MAKE YOUR VOICES KNOWN!" With that, the six silhouettes disappeared, rushing throughout the area taking many different soldiers down along the way.
Raze felt like this was too easy and he may have been right, "I don't know who you are, BUT! You're going to die!" Raze turned just barely fast enough to block a fist to the gut. He slid back a few feet, kicking up more rock.
"Yeesh! You're pretty fast!" Raze exclaimed as the person he'd only seen for a few moments on a screen had appeared in the flesh.
He wore a bright orange jumpsuit and was absolutely chiseled, "You must already have an idea of who I am!" The man said, stepping toward Raze who didn't back down, choosing to move in the direction of said man.
"Yeah, Commander Oren, right? I'm here to put a stop to you. What do you think of my team's work?" Raze asked while finally meeting him face to face and an inch apart, causing Oren to grit his teeth in abject anger.
"My soldiers are not all weak. Surely you realize that your six soldiers are having trouble, or do you not care?" Oren asked Raze, who shook his head.
Raze hunkered down slightly, moving his hands into position as he replied, "I care, but I know that if I put you down. That should be enough for them to get through whatever pain they're going through." Raze said as Oren began to laugh.
"You, you're something else. Haha… Heh… Maybe you'll make a good slave once I break your spirit." Oren said while spitting on Raze's boot and settling into his own fighting pose.
"You know… If that was your first attack…" Raze trailed off to Oren who gave his own toothy grin as the world spun around Raze.
An audible crack could be heard as Raze was sent flying straight through a large building in the background. Lowering his leg, Oren was now smiling, "It wasn't." But he stopped smiling once he felt energy beginning to rise.
Oren even sweated a little as any trace of overconfidence began to fade entirely, 'Who is this kid?' He started wondering once the energy began to rise rapidly.
Shrapnel flew out as Raze darted out of the rubble toward his foe. Oren fired a large ki blast which Raze deflected just in the nick of time, trying to catch Oren with a swift kick to the jaw. Oren stopped it with a tight grip on Raze's leg and then swung him around, slamming Raze into the floor making a large imprint on the concrete. Raze felt several of his ribs snapping and his lungs compressing which took his breath away cutting off his scream of pain.
Raze felt himself being lifted again, but he couldn't allow another hit like that. Almost breathlessly, he could barely let out the words, "Kai O!" He said as red aura enveloped his body, stopping his movement completely as he cracked Oren in the skull with his free leg which loosened Oren's grip on him. Raze did a backflip in midair before finally landing a bit away, gripping his chest as the pain set in.
"Hah… Hah…" His breathing was a bit more erratic and he looked far more desperate than before.
Oren spit up some blood while trying to brush the blood trailing from his skull away, "You're definitely something interesting. I expected to have less trouble!" He exclaimed at Raze who was still trying to recover his breath.
Raze looked over at Oren, blood beginning to trail down from a cut he suffered to the head just beneath his hair, "Ugh, I… This is going to be tougher… Than I thought." He wished he had the namekian ability of regeneration at this point.
Oren was already walking in his direction, "After doing this much, we must continue. Also, I'd like to know your name, boy." He was getting closer, Raze needed to stall this confrontation a little bit longer so he would indulge Oren.
"Names *gasp* Raze. Raze Vestal." He said, causing Oren to stop.
"Huh? Really? You're him? I've heard of you. You're the king's brat. Strange how he ended up sending you into battle. But I'm not one to complain." Oren grinned, turning to look over his base hearing multiple explosions and war cries loudly declaring their freedom, "Now that I know who you are… The best plan is to beat you within an inch of your life and then put down this silly rebellion." He said, moving once more toward Raze who was trying to calm himself.
"Not that it wasn't the plan, but you see what I'll be dealing with soon." Oren said as he rushed Raze without preamble, smashing into the saiyans skull with his own. The immediate rush of pain was only matched by how fast Raze was sent sprawling backwards.
Oren was already behind him and reaching for his leg, but Raze stopped himself midair, "Kai O!" He was struggling to form the words fully, but the intention was clear as the rush of energy gave him newfound purpose. Oren watched Raze go around him in circles at such a blistering pace that even made him lose his mind for a second.
Raze needed him to be confused or even completely misdirected. Oren's power was far greater than he'd been led to believe, 'If I disappear in plain sight, I can maintain the lead!' Raze was pushing his body that much further at this point as he slammed Oren right in the jaw with his fist.
Oren staggered backward, but then another strike would collide with his jaw on the opposite side. He could feel the cracking on both sides, but Oren could see it more clearly than the last. If he could wait out Raze, this match would get easier. Kaioken wasn't efficient and was straining the saiyan's body. Grinning, Oren felt the wind on the next punch, but much to Raze's surprise. He caught the next one with no problem. The force of the blow had still continued beyond that hand causing the floor beneath them to break ever so slightly.
Raze wasn't going to stop there at least until his world shattered around him. Oren twisted his right arm, breaking it in the process, "AGH!" He yelled out despite his former injuries. Oren took the opportunity to form a ball of ki in his right hand. The light emanated and Raze was stunned as Oren pulled him around, pressing the ball of ki into his stomach sending him flying through the air toward the prison area at a breakneck speed.
Oren would send another ki blast to follow, as Raze slammed into the wall of the prison. An explosion of chi erupted outward breaking the wall of the exterior portion of the prison chamber. Raze, still barely conscious, lay in the middle of a cell. As he tried to move his head to see what was going on. Raze found that to be nearly impossible. Burnt to a crisp and in so much pain, Raze gave up trying to move.
Oren, who was just outside, was completely disappointed with his quarry, "That was fun, if only for a moment." He turned to set his sights on the rest of the invaders, disappearing in a huff.
Strife leapt backward, disappearing entirely as the warrior battling him found to be a nuisance, "You can't hide all day little Demon! Come and face me!" Strife's opponent yelled out to his would-be adversary.
Strife, using Time-Skip to escape for just a moment, was surprised to feel Raze's energy dropping rapidly. The other team members were losing their engagement as well.
Raze could feel the will waning in his comrade's just from him dropping out of the fight. Using his unbroken arm, Raze tried to pick himself up. But to no avail, he was being too reckless as usual. He looked to the side, seeing a woman with green skin and golden eyes looking him over. Raze reached out, hoping to maybe receive help. Everyone else in the cell had been ignoring the hole in the wall and the saiyan currently on the floor.
But she seemed more curious than them. Slowly, she made her way over to Raze. She was timid to him and Raze looked up at the ceiling. He readied himself for whatever may come. These prisoners could already be broken. She might even kill him for Oren to escape this life. Raze couldn't blame her if she decided to do just that.
This woman bent down to his side, brushing her hands to his chest. Raze felt her press down on his ribs and he twitched in barely silent agony, 'Is this how I die?' Raze grunted as she continued over to his mangled arm.
"Hey! That's painful, you know?" Raze asked her as she removed her hand, backing up ever so slightly before ignoring his words to continue doing what she wanted.
Beckoning for him to be silent, she spoke up, "Just wait a moment, I'm trying to give you thanks for opening a way out." She said plainly, making Raze loosen up if just a little, hoping to believe this potential enemy.
"W- Who are you?" He asked the woman who seemed to start chanting something in a light whisper.
She didn't respond right away. That's pretty natural considering what she was currently doing. Raze tensed up as her hands moved down his stomach, "H- HEy! What are you doing?!" He questioned, but he realized that his lungs didn't feel so heavy. In fact, he was speaking much better than before.
She seemed to be moving down both his legs and then she stopped chanting to finally back off, "Should be fine now." She said to Raze who was still well off his thoughts.
"What does that mean? Why can I breathe so well?" He questioned her as something went off in his mind.
Raze coughed as he felt something shifting inside, his arm snapped back together. Twisting into shape until it was perfect once again. His ribs ripped back into place, almost too perfectly. Raze began to feel an incredible burst of health. He got up quickly, completely surprised by this sudden turn of events.
She was smiling as she said, "What do you think of that?" She asked him.
Raze clenched his arm and started flexing it, "Huh, that's pretty cool. How'd you do that?!" He exclaimed as she silenced him with a finger to his lips.
"You'll scare the others. By the way, I'm Lyral because you asked so nicely." She said to the Saiyan who was still intrigued.
"Lyral huh? That's a nice name." Raze said as he heard several blasts going off outside the prison. Oren was clearly taking out his group one by one. They were still alive, that much he could feel, but barely.
"And yours?" She asked him which he indulged her.
"It's Raze. Raze Vestal." He said as she gave him another look over.
"I like it. Now, I know you have some business to attend to. Can you save us, Hero?" She asked which made Raze balk.
"S- Sure, we'll talk later." Raze said as he then remembered what else they were here to do anyway, "Since you can do all this… Can you help free the other prisoners? They could be some really good help right about now." He asked the stranger who cocked her head to the side, then nodded.
"I have other things I can do. So, I'll do what I can. I thought for sure we were going to die." She said to him with a hopeful look on her face as she continued, "Thanks for giving us a second chance!" She exclaimed, as Raze shook his head.
"I'm still not completely sure that I can pull this off, but I'm going to try." He said, preparing to fly off.
One of the other prisoners, which Raze heard speak up, "You'll doom us all! If Oren doesn't already know what you did, he'll find out!" The man yelled at Lyral, causing Raze to stop.
Raze turned to him, "So, you've given up hope? Then why are we here?! Grab your pride and fight back for your freedom! Don't stand down!" He gave those words as if they were orders and the man backed up a little, "Thanks Lyral! Don't let me down!" With that, Raze left and Lyral, despite her demeanor at first, was determined now. She wouldn't, no. She couldn't let down this valiant hero!
Strife jumped away from Oren, but it wasn't that simple. Oren grinned as he closed the gap, slamming Strife with his fist or at least he thought he did. Gritting his teeth as Strife disappeared, reappearing just behind Oren. Strife landed three heavy blows straight to the commander's back. Yet, it didn't hit nearly as hard as Strife had hoped. Oren struck just as Strife was vulnerable, gripping Strife's neck tightly.
"That Time Skip won't save you any longer." Oren said while beginning to crush the life out of the only other fighter brought by Raze to give him even a slight bit of trouble, "You should be honored, your leader gave me a little trouble after all and you're the next best thing." Kicking and gripping the hand that was binding his throat, Strife desperately clung to life that was slipping away second by second.
Oren lifted his left hand, making a stabbing motion, "It's alright. You all should have known how this would go. You weren't the first and you won't be the last." Oren's eyes widened as the hand gripping Strife was crushed from the side with a heavy kick from Raze Vestal.
"AGH! YOU MOTHER-! GAGH!" Oren didn't have time to get his own breath in because five hits rang true up the side of his body. Light shone from them as he seemed to seize up in epileptic shock. Strife, breathing hard and enjoying the oxygen that he'd been deprived of for just too long in his book was very cathartic.
"*Huff* How's! *Hah* That!" Strife huffed out as Raze landed beside him.
"Nice, you put him through some hell, Strife." Raze said as Strife snorted at him.
"Where the hell were you?! I thought you were taking him on!" Strife yelled, trying to act strong and not breathe so hard now.
"I got held up and pretty lucky! That's all. To be honest, Oren should have killed me." Raze said as Strife shook his head in frustration.
"I don't understand why you two act like I'm done or something." They both turned to see Oren had recovered slightly from Strife's attack earlier and he focused in on Raze, "I don't know how you got back up and look better than ever in such a short amount of time, but it's time we finish this then." Raze nodded, giving a silent order to Strife who nodded back to him and left the area to help the others.
"Right, I guess I'm stronger this time." Raze said while putting a fist down onto the cement below. He then started to power up, "Kaioken Times 10!" His body sparked a menacing red aura that showed his opponent that he wouldn't be holding back.
Oren spread his arms out, letting his energy spread across the area, "HRAHHHH!" He roared loudly as his aura passed over even Raze's own. For just a moment, Raze had a lingering doubt in his mind that he might fail. That was until both Oren and Raze turned to see the entirety of the front side of the prison quaking, cracking and then falling apart entirely to the ground below. Even as the debris gathered up on the ground below and the two combatants had to cover their eyes. Raze would peek just over his defenses.
Raze's eyes widened in disbelief upon seeing many shadows walking through the black smoke. Raze could see one leading the pack, it was Lyral indeed. He grinned, focusing back in on Oren who looked far more angry than anything else.
Raze then cooled it and gave a neutral frown, "You know, when we finish this! The only ending that either of us will have is death!" Raze exclaimed, letting that sink into Oren's head. Raze was more confident than he had been before thanks to seeing their efforts.
Oren meanwhile, was sweating profusely and trying to ignore this feeling that he should have finished him when he had the chance. It was only ten minutes, but this man's luck must be… He didn't want to think of that possibility. Luck shouldn't be a deciding factor in a fight, but here Raze was. Challenging the very notion of that idea.
"Don't think this is the end!" Oren roared as he ran toward Raze, smashing the concrete below with rage overflowing. As his left foot embedded itself into said concrete, he swung his right leg using that concrete as an anchor to amplify the attack. Raze answered almost immediately by flipping his own legs up and grabbing the monstrous leg of Oren's to use as a secondary point to flip backwards over the attack. Landing on his feet, Raze was shocked to find that a blast of ki was flung his way.
Catching it, Raze yelled out loud, throwing the blast all the way into the sky where it exploded unceremoniously. No time to rest, Oren took a swing at Raze with his left hook only for the saiyan to dodge just barely to the right. He had hardly enough time to see the second swing coming off the right fist which made him decide to fall down onto the concrete entirely avoiding the attack.
Raze let out a burst of red aura as swung his legs outward, tripping Oren above who reacted with a gasp of surprise. Raze grinned, feeling his blood boiling in the thick of battle. He couldn't ignore that feeling as he jumped up, delivering several blows straight into the Commander's face. Seeing the stunned look of Oren, Raze did a spin slamming his left elbow right into his enemy's nose. Breaking it and making blood spurt out while Oren stumbled backward.
"URGGH! DAMMIT! YOU!" Oren yelled out in pain, but he wouldn't have the opportunity for Raze took this moment to deliver a monsterous kick. For a second, the onlookers swore that the imprint of Raze's boot had even shown through Oren's very back. Lyral and everyone else was in disbelief, Raze was dismantling Oren with little issue.
Raze prepared to strike him again, but Oren's arms fell to the side. Which made Raze loosen up just slightly as Oren fell forward and slammed into the floor. Raze sighed, completely losing his own will to fight. Then his own muscles began to act up despite him dropping Kaioken. Raze fell to the floor, knocked out from his bout. The last thing he could make out was Lyral stepping toward him.
~An hour passed~
Raze could feel something cold being pressed against his forehead. He also felt like he was laying on something soft. As his eyes opened, he saw Lyral looking down at him with relief filling her eyes. He couldn't help staring into those warm golden orbs for a bit longer than he should have. So, he turned to try and avoid them at all costs which had him catching the sight of something else.
Raze saw his group sitting around Oren's body. He appeared to be wearing a nice set of cuffs. Raze chuckled at them lightly, happy to see that everything had worked out. Strife and the rest of Raze's group had done their job. If any of Oren's men were awake, those were the ones spared, but still put in custody.
Raze sighed, rolling over and pushing himself up away from Lyral. He tilted forward ever slightly which made him stumble a bit to try and stay up. Lyral shook her head.
"You have to be careful. When I heal you, it takes your stamina a bit later to fully finish the healing process." Lyral clear her throat, "I'm glad you beat him quick enough, that could have ended even worse had you been any later."
Raze chuckled weakly, "Hahah… Thanks again. Wish I would have known the second half a bit sooner." He said to which she just smiled abruptly.
His smile would fade away as someone from his group approached them. It was Rezlia, a human from back on Earth. She was frowning in disdain upon seeing Lyral tending to Raze.
"Who's this broad?" She asked Raze.
"She healed me and made the biggest save out here today. If I hadn't met her, you all might be dead. Her names, Lyral." He said just fast enough, but Rezlia ignored his answer.
She gave another once over of Lyral, but Rezlia wasn't prepared for the next thing that was said, "Want to see what this broad can do without two hands?" Lyral asked Rezlia, who backed up slightly.
Now that was fiery, Raze ignored the tingling sensation in the back of his mind, "Hahah… Okay. We're all good, right? No need for hostility." When that didn't help, he narrowed his eyes at Rezlia, "Right?" He questioned more sternly to which she hunkered down a bit.
Rezlia took one last look at Lyral before turning away with a loud, "Hmmph!" of disdain. Lyral turned her head to the side as well, seeing her fellow inmates enjoying their freedom from the harsh reality within that prison. She sighed in relief, happy to know that it would be behind them for the time being.
Raze, who had just begun to regain his bearings, found that he had a tough decision to make. Oren might be subdued right now, but it would take a while for Raze's body to heal fully. He still had enough strength now to make a decision that would probably haunt him a while to come. As he stepped up to Oren, he hesitated slightly before cleaning his throat.
Oren sneered at him, cutting him off from speaking by opening his own mouth, "Get your filthy monkey self away from me. I'll kill you the moment I get the chance and you know this is temporary." His nose opened and closed rapidly as his breathing became a bit more haphazard, "I will never let you have peace! Not until I kill you, Raze!" He exclaimed at the saiyan who was cloaked in darker shadows as he looked down.
"Shut your mouth!" Strife yelled, slamming the downed Commander in the gut and having him tumble to the ground. Oren['s back facing Raze and the rest of his group as he struggled to get up.
Raze walked over to Strife, "You should hold yourself back. I'll handle this." He said to Strife with a much lower inflection than usual causing his second in command to falter and move back.
"You know, Oren… You did kill quite a few of our allies." Raze eerily pointed out as he stepped on the man's back causing the downed soldier to squirm and his hands to struggle against the gravity cuffs. The group who was led by the saiyan had tensed up, prepared for the grim reality of this horrible conflict. All the bodies haphazardly stacked around the area were already harsh reminders, but they watched as he put more pressure on Oren's spine.
"Aghh! Mercy! Please!" He yelled, but Raze didn't let up. Raze's frown deepened.
"Really?! Mercy huh?! How many of those corpses asked you for the same thing?!" He roared at Oren, hearing something snap in half under his boot. Oren screamed in agony as his spine snapped in half. Raze was furious at the man beneath him, but he backed off and began to charge energy in his left palm. The glow saturated the area in light as he lifted his hand up.
"I'm not one for torture, but you brought this on yourself. Go to hell." He fired the blast and Oren's body vaporized as the concrete below was dug up by the blast. When the attack hit a mountain, a massive explosion was seen that took out a massive stretch of the mountainside as well. Raze's hand trembled as he slowly let it fall to the side. Lyral held a hand to her mouth in shock, but when Raze looked her way, Lyral let it fall to the wayside and chose to turn away.
Rezlia was reminded about just who her Leader was. She humbled herself as Raze turned back to them, "We need to help everyone around here to find a ship. The sooner the better. Nobody is to be left behind. IS THAT CLEAR?!" He yelled to which they answered with a resounding.
"SIR! YES SIR!" His group moved to help every man, woman, and child to escape this place while simultaneously moving the prisoners of war into several bottle ships.
As Raze rode back on his ship, he wondered what his future would hold. The world shifted, changing back to the kitchen. The old man's shaking and tears seemed abated. Raze let go of the man and he saw a look of determination had adorned the man's wrinkled face.
He turned to Raze, "Raze, I have one way to fix this matter. It was a last resort should something happen that I cannot control." The older man said a coughing fit shook him. Raze moved to help him once more, but he raised his left hand to stop the younger saiyan.
The fit having gotten under control, Time-Turner looked down, "I have a time machine." Raze was shocked at this revelation.
"A time machine?! Really?! But how's that possible?!" Raze said a bit louder than he had intended.
~In the kitchen~
Every child that was awake in the vicinity had heard this proclamation. Ken, Kira, Kiryu, and Cloud being the only ones actually awake were truly shocked too. Well, maybe not Kira exactly. She did think it sounded cool though.
"Bro, what is time machine?" She asked him as he looked to the side.
"It's a thing that can move forward and backward in time, but I've only heard about them in stories." Ken said as Kiryu spoke up.
"That's cool. We should go get it and use it to stop Athena in the past." Kiryu finished as Ken shook his head.
"No, that would probably be a bad idea. It could cause so many issues in the timeline." Ken said as Kiryu huffed.
"You're no fun, we could have saved everyone though!" Kiryu said a bit too loudly, so he slapped a hand over his mouth, but nobody came.
Kira was still just as confused as before, "Forward? Back in time? Does it drive?" She questioned, but Cloud jumped in.
"Best not to think too hard about it, Kira." He turned to Kiryu, "Let's stay quiet for a bit and maybe listen in a bit closer. We could hear some more info." Cloud said as Ken nodded in agreement. The group of four got closer to the living room from the location of the kitchen. Hoping to eavesdrop undiscovered.
~In the Living Room~
"Be quiet, you'll wake the children. But yes, this is exactly what you think it is. However, this one is from outside the universe." Time-Turner said plainly as Raze scratched his chin.
"Uh… So? What does that mean exactly?" He asked the old man.
"In a simpler way… It means that it doesn't operate on the rules made in this universe. However, it only has one charge left. I can only send one person back and once your purpose is done, you'll be here once more." Time-Turner paused to let that info sink in before adding, "It grants you the ability to change a timeline without creating a new one by destroying the causality of you created by going back in time in the first place so the changes stay in effect." Time-Turner explained which went over Raze's head completely.
"In layman's terms?" He asked as the old man gave him a blank stare.
Sighing, Time-Turner smacked Raze's knee with his cane causing the man to wince in pain, "You go back in time and come back here when the mission is done. You have thirty minutes to change Lyral's life expectancy. Do you accept it?" He asked the saiyan who let go of his knee to nod.
Time-Turner smiled, "Good. Off we go then." Raze followed him as they left the room in the opposite direction of where four children had listened.
Ken was shaking, "Lyral is…" He was already starting to break down, but Kira was the one to pat him on the shoulder.
"Raze saved us, he save her too!" Kira said as Ken shakily nodded, trying to wipe his budding tears.
"He has to." Ken said firmly.
~End of Chapter~
Roarin: Thanks for reading. If you want, tell me what you thought and I'll see you in the next one. Peace!