Chapter 3
Gohan - powered up into Super Saiyan, Tapion and Trunks were now moving to face the monster that had just appeared in West City, while the Androids staid at some distance, observing what was happening.
Like they had agreed to do it.
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But while this meant at least one less danger, right now it made little difference to Gohan and the others.
The monster they were now facing was already was already far more powerful than anything they could have ever hoped to deal with - more powerful than they could have imagined.
... And it was still just one half of the creature. The sight was just as bizarre as it was terrifying. The cut-off legs and lower body were still able to move and walk regulary like no normal being would... and to fight.
Right now Hildegarn moved his tail and cut with it through the walls of another building, causing them to break and let large boulders fall down on the people already running in panic below it. Hitting a young, an old woman and a child. While the child and the man survived with some injuries, they sensed the life-energy of the woman dissappearing. She had died.
"We need to stop him," Gohan shouted angrily.
Another person he had not managed to save, he thought.
But they realized that the situation was even worse, when Tapion saw the small being standing right next to the half body of the monster.
"Hoy," he said, recognizing him.
"You know him?" Trunks asked.
"He was one of the Kasvash Wizards that had created Hildegarn," Tapion said.
"What? That means..." Gohan responded.
"Yes - it was not a coincidence that I was freed," Tapion stated. "And my brother is most likely dead."
"Indeed he is," Hoy called out to them. "You would be proud of your brother. He did everything to hold Hildegarn´s lower half inside his body, but it was in vain," the dark wizard gloated.
"How did you do it?" Tapion asked, forcing down his anger. "The seals on the objects should have been nearly impossible to break with your magic alone."
While he was talking, he at the same time was struggling to keep the upper half of Hildegarn inside himself, that was with all his power trying to break out.
"I admit that is true," Hoy stated. "It cost me all my power to just break the one on Hildegarn´s lower half. But I knew the one on you and that damned music-box was stronger. To my luck however I came in this galaxy across information about a species who could help me - the race called the Namekians."
"You used the Dragon Balls?" Gohan exclaimed shocked.
"Yes. It seems you knew about them as well," Hoy replied. "I did not even need to lie. I just told them that a monster was threatening their planet and the entire galaxy and that they needed to free the hero Tapion, who is the only one with a way to stop it."
"Bastard," Tapion growled.
"What happened with the Namekians?" Gohan asked angrily.
"Ah - after the Dragon Balls served their purpose, they were just another worthless species that should not exist. So I let Hildegarn destroy them," Hoy said.
"You did what?" Gohan shouted.
That meant they were all dead. Piccolo´s entire race.
Worse - it meant that the other set of Dragon Balls was also gone. And that they would never be able to bring any of all the people who had died back.
Gohan could now not longer hold back his rage.
And at the same time under his anger, his power grew even higher than it ever had before. Ironically, had it been against the Androids, this boost in power might have made a difference, but here...?
Gohan did not even bother with a Kamehameha or another advanced technique. He just charged up a couple of blasts in his hand to shoot them at the small alien wizard.
But before the attacks hit, Hildegarn just formed a barrier between them and him and his master Hoy and the two blasts were just stopped without any effect.
Gohan´s power had increased... but not nearly enough to make a difference.
After his blast did nothing, Gohan was nearly ready to throw himself directly at Hoy and the monster and attack them with his bare hands. All hope he had still left for the future, lost because of them.
But tried to hold Gohan back and make him see reason.
"No - he will kill you," he called out. "I will..." It was in this moment that a devastating pain suddenly went through Tapion´s body, that nearly caused him to pass out.
He fell to his knees.
"Tapion!" Trunks called out in worry.
Hildegarn was now suddenly breaking out with a force Tapion had never felt before. The sinister energy manifested everywhere around him.
Gohan realized the reason. The upper half was accessing the power of the lower one that was standing right before them.
Damn it, Gohan thought. Tapion was right. They should have kept greater distance and let him use his flute.
And before they could even do anything about it, the upper half materialized itself right on top of the lower one and they reunited.
Hildegarn was complete again. And Hoy was only laughing manically.
Gohan and Trunks did the only thing they could, drawing back. With Gohan carrying the half-conscious Tapion with him.
The first thing Hildegarn did was releasing a burst of energy, not much by his standards, but enough to cause dozens of buildings around him to collapse... and killing at least hundreds of people.
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In Earth´s orbit - at the same time
"We are too late," Agent Meerus stated. "Hildegarn is free. All of him."
"What?" Jaco said. "Then this planet is doomed. We should better turn back and return."
"No. I still sense a few energies fighting against him. Tapion is probably under them," Meerus told him. "We still have a chance to stop Hildegarn. Let us go down."
"Are you crazy?" Jaco exclaimed.
"Trust me," Meerus replied. "I believe if things come hard to hard... " Meerus suddenly seem to hesitate for some reason, "then I might be able to stop Hildegarn," he finished.
"You are serious? This monster is even miles stronger than Freeza had been." Jaco had his doubts. Meerus was the strongest Agent the Galactic Patrol ever had. But he doubted that even he could stop Hildegarn.
"I know. But I have a way. Besides - where would you go anyway? We know that this Hoy plans to wipe out all life in the universe anyway. So Hildegarn will come after us sooner or later anyway.
Look, I don´t expect you to go close to the monster and risk your life needlessly. Just bring me to the ground."
"I guess you are right," Jaco stated.
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West City
Gohan, Trunks and Tapion arrived back at the Capsule Corp Building, where Bulma was already waiting for them.
"Are you alright?" Bulma asked them.
"We are mom," Trunks replied. "Only Tapion is hurt."
"I have failed," Tapion said. "I could no longer hold him."
"That was not your fault," Trunks told him.
"No it was mine," Gohan said. "I got careless because I was angry."
In the same moment they sensed something.
"Gohan - this...?"
"Tapion is absorbing the life-energy from his victims," Tapion explained. "He did the same back on my planet."
"We need to do something," Trunks said.
They had all expected something like this to happen someday, West City being attacked. But they had expected it to be the Androids, not this.
It was then, when they were all completely taken by surprise, as suddenly a space-ship lowered down from the sky above them.
"Aliens?" Trunks said surprised.
"More aliens, you mean?" Bulma commented with a look at Tapion.
"I have never seen a ship like this before," he stated.
"But I have," Bulma said.
The lock of the ship was suddenly opened and two obviously alien stranger were looking down at them, one of them however was a known face to Bulma, one she had not seen in decades.
"Bulma," he called out to her.
"J-Jaco?" she said in surprise.
"I am happy to see you again. I just wish it were under other circumstances," he told her.
"You know this guy?" Gohan asked.
"Yes - I met him many years ago, even before I met your father," she said. "He is a member of the Galactic Patrol. Kind of a cosmic police-force."
"Cosmic police-force?" Trunks repeated.
"What are you doing here?" Bulma asked Jaco and his partner.
In this moment said partner just jumped off the space-ship and landed slowly before them.
Jaco himself lowered the ship a bit more.
"We were looking for a dangerous interstellar criminal," Meerus stated. "We found out that he was responsible for the complete destruction of the Namekians and followed him here."
"Hoy," Gohan said grimply.
"Yes," he replied. "As the last of the Kashvar he is still following their old agenda to destroy all intelligent life beside themselves with the help of this creature. We intend to stop him. I am Agent Meerus," he introduced himself.
"Son Gohan," Gohan responded, "This are Bulma and her son Trunks and Tapion, the one who sacrified himself to stop the monster in the first place."
"I am glad to meet you," Meerus told them. "Do I sense this right that you and Trunks are part saiyan?"
"S-saiyans? On Earth?" Jaco called out in surprise as he heard this.
"Yes," Bulma said, "my husband and Gohan´s father were both saiyans."
"Bulma - what happened to Tights... and your parents?" Jaco asked her.
"Sorry - they are all dead," Bulma said. "Only Trunks and I are left of my family."
"These Androids?" he asked.
"Yes."
For a few moments Jaco looked visibly distraught by hearing that his old friend, Bulma´s sister and her parents were dead.
"Maybe I could help you deal with them?" he suggested.
"They are stronger than Freeza had been," Gohan pointed out.
Jaco froze visibly as he heard this.
"Then... sorry, I can not help you," he said more than a bit awkwardly.
"We have no time for this," Meerus interrupted them.
The others sensed it as well.
"Hildegarn is coming," he said.
The monster was indeed heading right to them.
By now he had devastated at least an entire town district.
"Remember - he is a phantom, he only turns fully solid when he attacks. But even then we are too weak to actually harm him. Our only chance is the influence my flute has on him."
"Bring the ship higher into the atmosphere again Jaco," Meerus called upwards to him. "If it gets damaged we will be stranded here."
"Okay," Jaco replied and flew the space-ship higher again.
Gohan powered up once more.
And so did Meerus.
"I will try to bring Hildegarn under the flute´s influence and to banish him again," Tapion told them.
He was lifting his flute and ready to play it again.
"Please stay back Trunks," Gohan said to him. "You are not ready for this."
"O-of course Gohan," he replied.
They saw Hildegarn appearing from between the now broken building. He was now just a few hundred meters away from them.
Gohan and Meerus charged at him from different directions.
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"Now this is really interesting," Seventeen commented.
"You can say that," Eighteen agreed.
They both had watched the space ship descant, that was not rising up again and the aliens join the fight.
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They were fighting Hildegarn just for less than a half minute. If you could even call it fighting. Gohan was not really doing more than keeping his distance and throwing ki attacks that were completely useless. And trying desperately not to be hit by any of Hildegarn´s counterattacks.
But it was enough for Gohan to realize one thing. This guy named Meerus was stronger than him much stronger. And that not just by a small degree. Despite that he could not realy sense meerus ki, similar like with the Androids, it took not much to notice it.
In opposite to Gohan, could at least keep up with Hildegarn´s movements somewhat and even survive a direct hit. He had proved that when he had blocked one strike that was meant to him.
At the same time, Tapion was behind them, playing his flute. The melody was playing, while the monster´s terrifying growl was halling over the place.
Hildegarn was once again affected by it´s spell. But he was just too powerful and vicious to became instantly powerless under it´s influence.
He was however slowed down, distracted, even frozen in place for a few short moments.
Gohan admitted that, aside from Meerus help, was the only reason he was still alive. He was feeling humiliated. And he was supposed to be a Super Saiyan. But here he was, absolutely helpless.
"I - I am just getting in your way," Gohan admitted.
"Just keep your distance," Meerus responded. "Tapion - continue to play and come closer. We will guard you."
Tapion did exactly that. He stepped closer as he was playing. And the play begann to influence Hildegarn even more.
They saw that for a second parts of Hildegarn´s giant body seem to dissolve and disappear. But only for a moment, before he reformed himself.
In response Hildegarn fired a huge blast from his mouth. But Meerus formed a barrier around himself and blocked it.
After the resulting explosion was over, they realized that Meerus had been thrown down and looked somewhat burned up, but he seemed to have survived this without too serious injuries.
Gohan asked himself for a moment what kind of being Meerus actually was. But he had not really time for it, because Hildegarn materialized right in front of him.
Gohan moved as fast as he could and so avoided the full force of Hildegarn´s blow. He was however gazed by his giant claw and that alone was nearly enough to break his bones... and it threw him crashing through the walls of an already mostly collapsed house close by.
Hildegarn was now visibly affected by the play of the flute, parts of his body dis- and reappearing at random.
But at the same time, Gohan and Meerus were both down. And that meant nobody was left between Hildegarn and Tapion.
Until Trunks suddenly appeared and placed himself between them.
"Don´t touch him," he called out.
Hildegarn however let out another angry growl.
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From the distance Bulma was watching in horror what her son was doing. But she had not been able to stop him.
Trunks was unable to even do anything, except maybe buying a few moments, very likely with his life.
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Tapion was once again stepping closer, in an attempt to protect Trunks, who was now shielding him.
He continued to play, as he was now only a few meters apart from Hildegarn´s giant form.
And finally the monster succumbed to the power of the flute.
Hildegarn froze in his movement, just as he was about to reach out his giant clawed hands towards Trunks.
Then his entire body disappeared.
And his malevolent energy flew into Tapion.
He however sank down in terrible pain, as he was now holding all of Hildegarn inside his body.
"Trunks!" Tapion said. "Y-you have to kill me, while Hildegarn is still inside of me."
He reached out his sword to him.
"What?"
He reluctantly took Tapion´s sword into his hands.
"This is the only way to stop him. None of us can defeat Hildegarn. Kill me while he is sealed inside me and he will die with me. It is the only way."
"I..." Trunks said horrified, looking at the weapon.
The others were down. He was the only one still standing. Tapion was his friend, aside from Gohan the only one he ever had.
But the entire world would be destroyed if the monster was not stopped.
"Please Trunks - you have to do it," Tapion said to him.
The only way, it repeated in Trunks mind.
"Wait!" Meerus they realized had stood up again and was calling out to them.
`That sword," he thought as his eyes fell on the blade.
"Don´t do it," Meerus said. "Give the sword to me. I have a way to defeat Hildegarn. Trust me."
Both Trunks and Tapion looked at him surprised. But Trunks still handed the sword to him.
And their eyes widended. The power they could sense radiating from the blade, it suddenly increased a hundred times as Meerus touched it.
"Why?" Tapion asked.
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A few hundred meters away, Hoy who had been standing in a save distance behind Hildegarn was also starring in shock at Meerus and the sword now in his hands.
"What is happening?" he questioned as he sensed the enormous divine power suddenly radiating from the weapon.
"It does not matter," he whispered, "it will not be enough."
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Tapion could not longer hold Hildegarn and the monster once again manifested before them.
But this time things were different. Right when Hildegarn became solid, about to strike once more, Meerus swung the sword and cut him into half once more.
Then he moved, faster than any of them could follow or could have imagined and dealt another strike from a different angle. This one unleashed so much divine power that the monster was blown back and parts of his body literally seemed to be burned away.
The monster let out a horrible howl... this time one of pain and fear.
"Your sword is incredible," Trunks said.
"No. It could never do anything like this before," Tapion replied. "It is this Meerus. He can do things with it I never thought possible."
Gohan had come up again too and was rejoining Trunks and Tapion.
"Unbelievable," he said as they saw what was happening.
Meerus continued to move with unbelievable speed and switched between cutting Hildegarn apart again and again and the bright shining divine power radiating from the blade weakening him and damaging his body even further.
Until finally with a last terrible scream, Hildegarn sank down unmoving and his entire body seemed to turn into lifeless rock. His dark energy had fallen to a level that it had practically disappeared.
"Did he?" Tapion said disbelieving.
"He did it," Trunks called out.
Gohan smiled and let himself sink down on the ground. They were alive. This monster had truly been countless times more dangerous than the Androids. But somehow the had made it.
Meerus walked back to them and handed the sword back to Tapion.
"I don´t longer need it now that Hildegarn is gone," he replied. "Trunks - how about it? Would you like to have it?"
But in that moment... They suddenly felt Hildegarn´s ki rising up again. And with a crack the stone that his body had turned into broke open and breaking out was a new form of Hildegarn.
"What?" Gohan called out.
"No," Tapion exclaimed.
This new Hildegarn was now a completely green creature with wings on his back. And his power was even greater than before. So much that Meerus might not be able to stop him again with the divine sword.
"I don´t believe this," Gohan shouted.
The others looked all shocked, even Meerus. He had truly believed he had stopped this monster. He had failed.
Hoy´s manical laughter was halling over the place.
"I told you Hildegarn can not be defeated. You are fools for ever believing it."
"Meerus," Tapion said. "I play the flute. You strike him again."
"Yes," he replied with a nod.
Tapion played once more.
But... it had no effect.
Hildegarn shot another blast from his mouth that was aimed straight at Tapion.
Meerus moved to pull him out of the way, but it was too late. Hildegarn´s attack burned off his right arm and half of his upper body.
It was a horrible sight. But nothing that the people of this world had not seen countless times before.
"Tapion!" Trunks shouted.
"You - you have to stop him," Tapion said with his last strength.
"Believe me - I will. I promise. There is one last thing I can do," Meerus stated.
Tapion sank down lifeless.
Meerus looked around at the town. Hildegarn´s blast had continued it´s way and leveled a half dozen buildngs in the process and killing thousands, before it disappeared into the sky.
This was his fault Meerus thought. If he had just let Tapion sacrifice himself... but in his overconfidence he was sure that he could stop Hildegarn with just the sword.
Now many more people were killed and Tapion died anyway and Hoy and Hildegarn would continue to destroy worlds until the God of Destruction of this Universe would finally notice and interferre or till there would be no life left. Either way, entire civilizations would die.
Unless someone stopped them now.
"Forgive me Father," Meerus said.
He begann to power up... to truly power up.
Meerus lifted up one hand and charged up a blast.
"Come Hildegarn," he called out to goad the monster.
Then he unleashed the blast. The single attack pierced and burned through the monster like it was made of paper and completely obliterated it in one moment.
Everyone else was frozen and starring with open mouths.
"M-Meerus...?" Gohan asked.
"In truth I am an Angel," Meerus explained. "My race was created as assistants and counselors of the highest gods in the universes. We possess powers beyond anything you can imagine. But we are not allowed to interferre with the matters of the mortal realms.
But I was curious about it. So I was given permission to live in this universe and decided to join the Galactic Patrol to learn more. Under the condition that I not used more of my power than a Mortal could possess.
I was able to to channel and boost the divine power of the sword earlier, circumstancing the rule," he stated.
"But now... I have broken it. And for that a price has to be paid."
"What price?" Gohan asked.
But he and the others had their answer as they realized that Meerus form became more and more transparent, literally disappearing.
"Don´t worry yourself about this," Meerus said. "This was my decision," he told them. "Gohan, Trunks - I wish you two good luck. I hope you will be able to save your planet."
With this last words, he had disappeared.
Trunks said down on the ground in exhaustion and grief.
There was however one last thing.
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Hoy just could and want not to believe it as he saw what happened.
"No," he said. "The great dream of my race, it is destroyed forever."
"Your dream is only a nightmare Hoy," he heard a voice telling him.
It was Gohan.
"You..." Hoy hissed.
"You know - I once knew someone," Gohan said. "He was my friend, my trainer and my mentor. He helped me my family and my friends countless times," he continued, while he was charging up a ki blast in his right hand.
"He was a Namekian." With this words he blasted Hoy without a second thought and killed the evil wizard.
Now it was over.
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After a minute the flew back to Bulma, who was still waiting at Capsule Corp.
"Trunks, Gohan," Bulma shouted and threw her arms around her son.
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At the same time far above them in the sky, Jaco´s ship was still hanging in the air, far away from the battle and so far save.
Only that now Seventeen and Eighteen were flying next to it.
And much to jaco´s bad luck, he had not bothered to close the log.
So that the two Androids just flew inside.
"Now - who do we have here?" Seventeen stated.
Jaco turned around in shock.
"Y-you are..."
"I am Android Seventeen and this is Eighteen. Maybe you have already heard of us?"
Jco said nothing.
"You know - we have not really killed an alien for a long time," Seventeen commented, "not since Piccolo and Vegeta."
"But we have given our word to Gohan," Eighteen remarked. "And I somehow don´t like the thought of breaking our promise to him. I mean it is as if we are someone who needs to use cheap tricks or something."
"We actually only promised him that we would kill no humans," Seventeen responded.
"Ah right - then it is okay," Eighteen said.
"But if I think about it, I think it is a bad idea to kill him," Seventeen replied, "after all we need him to show us how to use this ship."
"You mean?" Eighteen questioned.
"Yes - here on Earth there is a limit how much we can play before there a no humans left. But imagine, dozens of more planets for us... a neverending supply."
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Back on the ground Gohan and Trunks realized that Jaco was flying up even higher into the sky.
"Why is he leaving?" Trunks questioned. "He can not know what happened to Meerus. So why should he just leave him behind?"
"Jaco was always somewhat eccentric, but that makes no sense even for him," Bulma stated. "Why would he just leave?"
"Yes - why...?"
Gohan´s eyes were on the sky. But not where they saw the ascending space-ship, but another part. The one where Seventeen and Eighteen had been watching the fight earlier.
"Where are the Androids?" he asked.
They all realized what must have happened.
Gohan got ready to lift off the ground and go after them.
"When they are leaving, then... then we are free of them," Bulma said, but hervoice trembled when she realized that this might mean for other planets.
"And what about the rest of the galaxy?" Gohan replied. "How many races will end up like the Nameks if the Androids manage to get off Earth?"
And they would not stay away forever anyway, he thought. For that they were just too obsessed with their hatred for humanity.
xxxxxxx
"You understand the deal?" Seventeen said to Jaco, who was now sitting on the controls of the ship. "You get us to the next populated planet and show us how to fly this ship and we let you live."
"Of course," Jaco replied... and pushed a certain button.
But in the same moment something inside the consoles visibly short-circuited and the ship lost it´s course and started to spin.
"What have you done?" Eighteen shouted.
"You will get nowhere," Jaco stated with a bitter grin.
He knew this two would not let him live in the long run. If he truly showed them how to operate the ship, he would be useless to them and be done for. But he would not let them get away with it.
"You bastard!" Seventeen shouted and blasted a hole through his body.
xxxxxxx
Kilometers below them, Gohan was now following them in high speed.
As he sensed Jaco´s ki disappear, he charged up and fired a Kamehameha at the out of control gone ship.
As the blast hit it, the ship exploded in a large ball of fire.
xxxxxxx
Gohan flew back down to Earth, where Bulma and Trunks were waiting for him in front of the Capsule Corp building.
"Are they...?" Trunks asked hopefully.
But Gohan shook his head.
"There is no way this could have killed the Androids. The attack was far too weak. They will be back soon."
This was the final of the "Wraith of the Dragon" storyline.
xxc
Powerlevels:
Future Gohan: (10 years after the Android´s Arrival): 4.400.000 - SSJ: 220.000.000 - Rage Boost: 250.000.000
Future Android 17: 280.000.000
Future Android 18: 270.000.000
Hildegarn/Hirudegarn: Lower Half: 8 Billion - Upper Half 9 Billion - Form 1 complete: 17 Billion - Form 2: 20 Billion
Meerus (heavily suppressed): 5 Billion - Meerus (a bit less suppressed) with Brave Sword: 16 - 19 Billion
Meerus Beyond Mortal-Limit: 100 Billion+