The Three Legendary Saiyans.
Chapter 81: Origin of Evil Part 2.
Frieza Force Flagship.
"It's been a long wait… one full Earth Year, I mean really; 365 days of waiting" Frieza spoke with annoyance in his voice; the long wait of an entire Earth Year having taken its toll of his already-thin patience as he sat in his Floating Throne with Earth in the distance of the Flagship leading the occupation fleet.
"I know it's a long wait but the rewards will be more than worth the time spent" Cress spoke calmly and cooly; stepping out from the shadows of Frieza's Chamber, dressed in the black armour he'd always wanted and the same cut-off bodysuit he typically wore with white gloves and boots.
"Cress; I'm curious… why did you spare the defenders of this world when they were weak and feeble? Someone of your calibre could have wiped them out by merely blowing on them" Frieza sat silent while gazing at Earth; asking his question about the state of the last time Cress visited this particular world but had chosen to leave instead of taking it over with his vast might.
"It's really quite simple… I'm a Saiyan, we live for the challenge of facing the strongest foes, and Earth's Defenders were too weak and tired after battling Raditz, Nappa and Vegeta, there would have been no challenge so I gave them a year to train so they might be worthy of a battle with me" Cress repeated the common knowledge about his race; using those factoids to describe his previous unwillingness to fight and defeat weakened opponents when his own strength was so overwhelming to weaker adversaries.
"It's that mindset that makes you so strong Cress" Raditz spoke up; standing alongside the likes of Zarbon and Captain Ginyu as some of the highest ranked soldiers within The Frieza Force though his Power Level was still considerably lower than that of his peers.
"Thank you Raditz; I'm glad you survived the battle last year" Cress gave an appreciative nod towards Raditz; having ensured his survival by forcing Vegeta to recover him and place him back into a Saiyan Pod, and also having appointed Raditz as his personal second akin to Himself, Zarbon and Ginyu were to their leader.
"One more question, how exactly did you become so much stronger without Vegeta nor myself discovering your strength?" Frieza spoke; his questioning tone of voice hanging in the air like a blade over Cress' neck waiting to strike.
"That's a closely guarded secret" Cress spoke with a devious smirk that wasn't lost on Frieza nor Zarbon; raising a gloved finger to his lips to ensure his point of keeping his training methods secret, his truth being that a disembodied voice had long ago asked him what he'd desired and had given him his greatest wish: Power.
"Fine; keep it to yourself… but if you fail to make the immortality wish then it'll be your life as payment" Zarbon cut in; speaking in a vile tone of voice as he crossed the room and got in close to Cress' face, ensuring that the threat of death was certainly about to come true if Cress were to fail in making Frieza immortal.
"That'll be an acceptable cost to pay if I fail" Cress merely smirked as he confirmed the punishment for failure; though he was stronger than Vegeta he knew he could not defeat Frieza nor did he want to challenge the tyrant.
"Lord Frieza… why did you not as Lord Cooler to pledge his forces to assist us?" Ginyu asked his own question; though he shared the views of Zarbon he did recognise the powerful warrior that Cress was and planned to steal that powerful body for his own use before killing Cress.
"Because I do not require that lout's forces; we are more than enough to conquer this planet" Frieza shouted; being insulted that he might be suggested towards asking his brother for support and reinforcements, pointing a single finger in Ginyu's face as it glowed with the Death Beam, Ginyu falling backwards onto his backside in fear of losing his life and begging for mercy before Frieza retracted his threat while the fleet began breaking through the atmosphere.
Earth: Landing Point.
Waiting until the Flagship broke through the atmosphere; the dusk skies radiating an orange glow to those watching in Frieza's Ship, the room standing in silence as The Flagship alongside the fleet lowered over the major cities of the planet with each being met with a siziable military force waiting on ground-level.
"Did this happen last time you were here?" Ginyu questioned; standing only slightly taller than Cress but his ruby eyes leered holes through Cress as The Saiyan turned to meet the stare of the body-stealing elite.
"Strangely no… I assume the government made preparations after we wiped an entire city off the map" Cress responded cooly; the ship rumbling slightly as the tank-fire began, the soldiers on street-level firing shots from cannons, tanks, and missile launchers.
"Rather primitive weaponry" Zarbon smirked; as the artillery strikes did little to damage the ships, one of the frigates going down in flames after taking a missile to the cockpit, a number of lives lost though the only ones reacting to the loss were the grunt soldiers sweating cold sweats of an impending fate as they rushed to join their fellows to enter the skies of a new planet.
"Show them how outmatched they are… release the fodder" Frieza spoke; leaning back in his throne, his tail flicking from side to side as Zarbon and Ginyu gave the order, the doors on either side and roof of the Flagship opening as hundreds of soldiers flew out and began the onslaught on the human soldiers below only for a series of energy beams to suddenly tear through the soldiers and leave them as merely piles of ash being cast to the winds.
"Who dares to attack?" Frieza scoffed; rising from his throne and floating out through the roof hatch with Zarbon, Ginyu, Cress and Raditz in tow; a second legion of soldiers pouring out from the ships with the members of The Ginyu Force amongst them.
Blind-sided by the assault; a second barrage of beams tore through legions of Frieza Force Soldiers, the dying cries of multiple soldiers fading into voiceless yells as many soldiers including Guido of The Ginyu Force fell to the beam attacks.
"Who dares to attack us?!" Ginyu screamed; enraged by the death of one of his own comrades though the regular soldiers barely occurred to him, turning to meet the source of the beam assault just as a second volley of beams tore through the soldiers and ending even more lives.
"At last…" Cress smirked to himself; throwing up a hand as he touched one of the beams headed towards him and Raditz as soon as the beam touched his hand the beam vanished: negated by Cress' own energy.
"You were expecting this?" Zarbon questioned with an accusing tone; with Ginyu by his side also casting an irritated expression towards The Saiyan.
"In a sense; these beams are coming from the very people that killed Nappa but also defeated Raditz and Vegeta" Cress spoke as he flexed the fingers in his blocking hand; smoke smouldering off his palm as the energy fired had been much stronger than it was a year ago.
"So; it's the people that forced you to flee" Zarbon attempted to mock Cress for his retreat a year ago; insinuating cowardice when he already knew that Cress chose to leave due to a lack of challenge.
"Don't make me kill you Zarbon… we both know I am stronger than you" Cress spoke coldly; letting the cold threat in his words sink in as Zarbon shuddered at the concept of fighting the Saiyan.
Zarbon stood silent while Raditz, Ginyu and Frieza laughed at his expense, Zarbon blushing out of embarrassment and shame for threatening a stronger and superior warrior.
"Lord Frieza; please leave them to me while you and these interlopers to me… we have unfinished business" Cress requested his Lord for independent action; letting the battle-hungry look in his eyes flash.
"Very well; I expect you to crush them into subjugation or just kill them all, do as you see fit" Frieza left out a breath of amusement by the paltry efforts of an technologically obsolete Military; allowing Cress to dispatch The Z Fighters himself due to having an unresolved conflict of interest, though he could like to see the battle himself but he also wished to toy with the soldiers and their weapons.
"Cress; what should I do?" Raditz cut in; approaching Cress as he floated away from the scowling followers of Frieza as the tanks and missiles began firing behind him.
"Find out where The Dragon Balls are; keep your communications open for any information I might be able to glean from those defenders" Cress spoke carefully; not to let Zarbon or Ginyu overhear the discussion, his piercing eyes letting Raditz know they he expected success from his protégé.
"Yes Cress; I will do as you order" Raditz spoke quickly; keeping his voice low as he gave Cress a bow, always grateful that Cress had kept him alive when Nappa had died and even he didn't know what had happened to Vegeta after Cress had broken The Prince's spine, Vegeta had just vanished and not a single soul knew where he'd been placed.
"And Raditz… stay alive this time" Cress spoke solemnly; treating the one person he considered a friend with concern before flying off to meet with the defenders of the planet of Earth for the second time leaving Raditz behind in his dust.
The Z Fighters.
Standing atop the domed roof of The Capsule Corp Building; The Z Fighters fired beam after beam to take out as much of the invading force as they could before the one foe they knew they'd face could arrive at any time judging by the unmistakable life sign closing in on them.
"Yes! The number of enemy troopers drops with every beam attack he fire, it's only a matter of time before He shows up to face us" Piccolo spoke; the volley of blasts having put a drain on their energy levels but the number of troops likely killed may or may not have an effect of the battle the Military had to fight.
"By He I assume you mean that one Saiyan who didn't fight last year? The guy with the impossible technique?" Tien spoke up; with Yamcha by his side instead of Chiaotzu, the pair having been killed by Nappa and then revived a few days later once Goku and Piccolo had healed from their injuries; but had been fully informed about Cress and his Aura-Form.
"That's right, and we all better partake of the Senzu before he gets here" Krillin spoke; lowering his hands from the beam firing posture and lifting a small brown pouch from his gi, lifting out six green beans to be passed around as each of his fellows consumed the bean.
"That's a good idea; replenish our stamina before the fight" Gohan spoke honestly; having met Cress previously and been witness to the effortless beatdown of Krillin a year ago lead him to make the assumption that battling Cress at anything less than full strength would spell certain defeat.
"And we're just luring him to us? Right here on top of Capsule Corp?! the exact pace we're hiding The…" Yamcha stammered; unable to hide his nervousness about facing Cress directly, almost spilling the hiding place of the very set of seven orbs that Cress might be searching for.
"Shut up! Don't say anything about that… he's coming" Piccolo yelled just after swallowing a Senzu himself; his keen senses for energy signatures picking up on the one powerful energy they knew and it was closing in on them fast, Krillin and Yamcha both shutting up as they waited.
A deathly silence hung over the air over Capsule Corp as The Z Fighter's stood in wait atop the roof; the surveillance camera's keeping an eye on them while Bulma Briefs sat inside of a bunker with a large black case large enough to contain some kind of weapon but stood on standby as she watched the camera footage on a large screen, only the lights of energy attacks and gunfire illuminating the darkened horizon as a single flying figure approached indicating that Cress had arrived and reunited with Earth's Defenders.
With a collective held breath; The Z Fighters stood gathered atop The Capsule Corp Building with their energy and stamina fully replenished thanks to The Senzu Beans, a cold silence hung in the air as the flying figure grew closer and closer until finally arriving.
"Hello again and how pleasant it is to see you all gathered here to meet me, especially you two…" Cress spoke clearly while standing in the air over the defenders of Earth; letting his presence be known though all members of The Z Fighters were glaring up at him, his eyes locking on to the presence of Tien and Yamcha who'd died in the battle a year ago but now stood alive and well, Piccolo and Gohan still dressed in similar gi's whilst Goku and Krillin stood at the back of the group as the two felt the most wary of Cress and the unknown limits of his own powers.
"Death didn't stick as much as you thought it would" Yamcha announced bravely; though having been dead at the time of when his fellows had confronted Cress before he'd been made fully aware that Cress would be a far more challenging adversary than any they'd ever faced.
"As much as I appreciate you all welcoming me with your beams… shall we get down to business!" Cress spoke; his energy rising as a blazing pale-white flame burst into life, the Skull-Form Aura manifesting from the flames but vanishing instantly as Goku raised his hands to speak.
"I don't particularly want to see another city be levelled by a Saiyan's mighty strength; would you accept a battle site of our choosing?" Goku spoke carefully so he didn't trigger Cress into decimating an entire city, proposing a different site of battle where he might have an advantage due to his familiarity with the site he had in-mind.
Cress turned his line of sight to Goku as he spoke; listening as Goku made his proposition of a different battleground for them and their inevitable battle after making it clear that he didn't want this particular City levelled into ruins like before leading him to believe that The Dragon Bals were present as he secretly conveyed that information to Raditz via his communication feature in the Scouters, "An understandable request; your planet so it is your rules… lead the way".
"Thank you; you might not be so bad, follow me" Goku spoke with a friendly expression; lifting off from the Capsule Corp Roof alongside Piccolo with Cress following after them, the likes of Krillin, Gohan, Tien and Yamcha following suit in a formation during their transit to another site for the battle.
Though Tien and Yamcha felt uneasy about Cress flying with them to Goku's chosen battle site; the pair stuck to a fair distance from the unknown enemy, with Krillin and Gohan flying at the rear but Cress merely smiled to himself as he flew alongside Earth's true defenders and leaving the gunfire and explosions of the planet military fighting a losing battle.
Capsule Corp.
Watching through a series of screens displaying security camera's as Cress had not only arrived and conversed with her friends, Bulma watched as the plan to move Cress to another site for their fight had proven a success, turning to a pedestal behind her camera display to observe the seven Dragon Balls they'd quickly gathered and stored in a specially built Saferoom to keep Saiyans out then Goku had personally tested by striking the door with his Power-Multiplier only for the door to withstand the blow and would only open with a black cardkey Bulma carried on her person at all times.
Knowing full well she'd have to defend The Saferoom herself as Soldier's swarmed the skies as Earth's Military took up arms and heavy artillery in the streets to combat the alien invasion, Bulma glanced at a small black case that would normally contain Capsule's but she knew it only contained a single Capsule, picking the case up as she left The Saferoom; as soon as Bulma left the door automatically shut and locked behind her.
Moments after the loud clack of the locks securing themselves; Bulma twisted on her heels as she heard footsteps behind her followed by a snide voice, "Well… appears we didn't have to search for long to discover our quarry".
Cress vs The Z Fighters.
After flying over the vast green fields, a large dessert and the rebuilt East City which made Cress grin at how much could be done in one year but left him wondering why The Z Fighter's didn't choose the fields or the dessert for a battleground, the group of seven flying over the ocean to another city where a large arena had been built, each one of the seven descending down until each fighter set foot within the boundaries of the square-shaped arena.
"The World Martial Arts Tournament Arena? You really know how to pick a battle site" Piccolo smirked as he alongside Goku, Gohan, Krillin, Tien and Yamcha all dropped out of the skies and landed within the tiled floor of the rebuilt World Marial Arts Tournament Arena, with Cress coming to a landing close behind them with an amused expression as they stood within an arena.
"I trust you find this place suitable for our battle? We all have fought some of our toughest battles within this squared-circle" Piccolo spoke; lifting his cloak off and dropping it outside the boundaries of the arena, lifting his turban off and tossing it aside too but his eyes remained locked on Cress as his fighting abilities remained an unknown.
"Very much so… I personally think it to be a fine place for a fight" Cress spoke carefully; panning his sight over the Z Fighters as each stood around him, his smirk never dropping from his lips as his eyes gave away a glare.
I'm happy that you approve; I've been dying to fight you since you left, after all you are much stronger then you were letting on, claiming that Vegeta was stronger than you!" Goku answered as Cress and Goku himself locked away; having opted to not use his weighted clothing for better mobility against this particular opponent, speaking on how Cress' had lied about his power which made Cress smirk grow slightly wider as his glare became fixed on Goku.
"I appreciate your words Kaka… Goku, I too have been eager to engage in battle with you after watching the defeat of Vegeta" Cress answered politely taking The Z Fighter's off-guard; almost calling Goku by his Saiyan Name but correcting himself after recalling that Goku didn't particularly enjoy being called by such a name, his eyes widening slightly as his lips curled wider upon hearing how they'd figured out at least one of his secrets, "Would you mind telling me how you came to that conclusion?".
"It's the aura you give off; that Skull-Form Aura, something like that is a technique that's impossible for somebody who'd claimed to be weaker than Vegeta" Piccolo spoke judgingly; speaking as a tactician and utilising his great mind to deduce the true ability Cress held as he and Goku too had attempted The Aura Form Technique in the past year but failed, the technique was incredibly difficult to maintain a form of shimmering energy and mould it into a construct matching the individual's true nature.
"Impressive that you deduced my true abilities, Remind me… you all can suppress your true powers to surprise your opponents" Cress spoke slowly to Piccolo; his tone sombre as he cast his eyes to the six fighters gathered around him, recounting how The Z Fighters could not only supress their true powers but explosively increase their powers to shock and overcome an adversary.
"Yes; that's true but you already know that!" Goku confirmed Cress' question; narrowing his eyes when he along with Piccolo and Krillin could sense that Cress' energies were low but still higher than that of Vegeta from a year ago but he could also sense that that same energy was rising.
"Indeed; you are right, but what you've clearly figured out proves that I can do the same!" Cress smirked widely as he confirmed his prior knowledge; curling his hands into fists as dust and grit from the arena lifted into the air as his powers rose to the point that Goku, Krillin and Piccolo were first to raise their guard with Tien, Yamcha and Gohan reacting slightly slower as a blast of wind was expelled from Cress' body as he too revealed his true abilities as the blast of air and wind took the less prepared Z Fighter's off their feet.
All the standing Z Fighter's raised their arms to protect their eyes from the dust and dirt being whipped up by the explosive increase in Cress' powers; the pale white Skull-Form Aura manifesting before the eyes of everybody present, Tien and Yamcha staring in shock upon seeing an actual Aura Form with their own eyes when the technique was supposedly impossible to master but somebody who'd accomplished the skill stood before them as their enemy.
"I told you… this guy is insanely dangerous!" Krillin yelled; lowering his guard to catch sight of Cress, his slicked black hair moving ever so slightly while the horn-like spikes in his hair stood on end making him look even more devilish as his eyes met Krillin's, his only response being a look of acknowledgement in the monk.
"Duly noted! He's far stronger than Nappa and Raditz combined!" Tien countered; having fought against two of the previous Saiyans and felt their full powers but Cress' was dwarfing the pair entirely, a cold sweat dripping down his brow at the concept of fighting such a foe.
"I knock you down with a love-tap and you think you know my power? That's funny" Cress stared at Krillin out the corner of his eye once he'd removed his Green-lens Scouter and tossing it to the grass where the lens snapped off after landing at an awkward angle thus proving that he didn't need any support from Comrades nor a detection of Power Levels.
"Enough talking! We are warriors!" Tien yelled at the top of his lungs; his muscles tensing so hard that his veins popped under his skin, with Yamcha by his side as the tag team rushed from their corners of the square arena and making a bee-line for Cress.
With Tien and Yamcha rushing Cress from either side; Cress felt excited to finally face The Z Fighters all together at full strength, white flames bursting out from Cress' body as leapt into action; taking the double fist blow that had floored Raditz a year prior but countering with a reverse elbow strike to both fighters.
Stepping backwards as Cress' elbows that struck from Tien and Yamcha in the nose and giving them nosebleeds; the fight not losing pace as Piccolo, Krillin and Goku rushed in to face Cress with Gohan waiting for an opportunity to launch a kill shot with his Masenko, Cress enjoyed himself as they fought; striking away at Krillin with a neck to the monk's neck and engaging in a flurry of punches from both Piccolo and Goku while Cress went on the defensive.
Cress tensed as he endured the punches from Goku and Piccolo; pushing both fearsome warriors back with a pulse of air and energy from his own body but failing to realise the other foes gathered around, spotting as Tien, Yamcha, Krillin and Gohan stood in the four corners of the arena floor charging energy attacks as Goku and Piccolo both quickly charged their own in the push-back of Cress's Pulse Wave.
Digging their feet into the tiled floor as Goku and Piccolo both slid to a half after Cress' Pulse Wave; both firing off some energy from their open right palms to prevent themselves from falling out of the arena, both in the mindset of this fight being a championship match as they alongside Krillin, Tien and Yamcha all charged, each launching a volley of punches or kicks at Cress as he easily dodged each fighter and striking back with a well-placed punch to their guts.
Smirking as Tien, Yamcha and Krillin crumbled under the striking blows from Cress' own two fists; turning his attention to Goku and Piccolo whilst Gohan observed the battle from afar, meeting the two stronger fighters in a head-on clash of fists as Cress, Goku and Piccolo exchanged blows, blocks and counters until Cress struck Piccolo hard in the jaw and sent The Namekian sprawling to the floor while Krillin rose back up and re-joined the fight in Piccolo's place, annoyed by the lack of giving up in The Z Fighter's when he was so much stronger than them though he was impressed by their tenacity.
Flinching as a blast of hot energy struck Cress in the back; The Saiyan glancing behind him to spot Tien grinning at him as his moment of distraction allowed Goku to activate his Power Multiplier and strike Cress hard in the face in return for how he struck Piccolo, Cress spiralled in the air before sliding on his feet to regain his stance; barely catching Goku's crimson enflamed body rushing him with another hard punch to Cress' face.
Cress found his heels against the edge of the arena; slipping into the formal match mindset himself as Goku rushed him to secure the ring-out but Cress was ready; waiting until Goku attacked as Cress ducked and landed an uppercut straight to Goku's stomach, the blow knocking the enhancer from Goku's body as he let out a voiceless shout as Cress hammered Goku's stomach with a series of punches only stopping to generate a pair of pale-white energy blades from his hands, Krillin quickly rushing in and pulling Goku back from the lethal attack.
Goku and Krillin both ran away from Cress as he swiped at them both with the strange blade-like energy form around his hands, both bringing their hands together and forming unspoken energy attacks, Cress glanced around him at the others and spotted that each of his six opponents were charging energy attacks.
With a brief look of panic in his eyes; Cress crossed his arms and raised his knees to cover his vitals against the multi-pronged assault, taking the Destructive Wave, three Kamehameha's, the Masenko and a Kikouko Blast in a fierce explosion.
"Krillin; throw us a Senzu each!" Yamcha shouted at the blast cloud hung in the air; though obscured they all could still sense Cress' energy inside the cloud, getting Krillin's attention as he pulled a brown pouch from the inside of his gi.
"Here' I got Senzu!" Krillin yelled; lifting a small brown bag from his outfit but before he could hand a bean to Goku, Tien and Yamcha the bag burst into flames and fell to the floor in a smouldering heap.
"I don't think so… I'm not healing between fights so this makes us on more fair ground" Cress smirked as he spoke upon emerging from the smoke with his gloves and sleeves burnt off; figuring out that the Senzu they'd talked about were a food that recovered energy and stamina after having witnessed the child and monk consume something that allowed them to assist in the defeat of Vegeta a year ago.
"You bastard…" Tien remarked; ignoring the presence of Gohan and using profanity to describe Cess who just shrugged his shoulders at the insult much to Tien's irritation as he and Yamcha both took charge and recklessly attacked with their strongest skills.
"Kikouho!" Tien called out; holding his hands together as he charged his signature attack, taking the time to put as much energy as he could into the blast before finally firing as Cress stood still waiting for him to attack.
"Spirit Ball Attack!" Yamcha called out; generating his yellow energy orb that followed wherever his fingers indicated, casting his fingers in an overly complicated manner as his Energy Orb sped and span around the entire Arena before following Tien's energy attack upon firing.
"Oh you want to play with energy attacks do you? Well then; Dark Shine" Cress spoke in amusement as Tien and Yamcha desperately attacked with their signature energy techniques; opening his right hand and firing his Dark Shine: a black and yellow beam that shot out from his whole hand, Cress' beam striking and exploding on contact with Tien's Kikouho and Yamcha's Spirit Ball.
The explosion from the trio of energy techniques clashing cast a large black cloud of smoke and dust from the collision of so much concentrated energy; the smoke cloud masking any and all movement within as Tien and Yamcha stumbled out in coughing fits and standing on the edge of the arena's boundaries, both grinning as the explosion had taken place very close to Cress himself and assumed that he'd been taken out but their celebration came far too soon as Cress came flying out from the cloud above them with a pale white blade-like construct of energy wrapped around his left hand.
"You won't hit us!" Yamcha yelled; rushing to get to Tien's side before Cress did, joined by Tien as the tag team swept their legs in a duel scythe kick that Cress effortlessly lowered and slid under the two sweeping kicks.
With his energy-blade presently sharpened around his left hand; Cress grinned maliciously as he ducked under the incoming attack from the Tien/Yamcha Tag Team, waiting until the duo's attack passed him by before striking both Z Fighter's in the spot of the back there the waist muscles met the spine with an energy-charged punch.
"Pale Dagger" Cress smirked; the blade-like form of energy around his hand vanishing after striking Tien and Yamcha, letting those witness to the attack react as the two victims suddenly bled from their mouths.
Tien and Yamcha both gasped for breath as blood spilled from their mouths; the two travelling through the air until crashing into the seating blocks built around the arena, both laying in the dust unable to move their lower bodies but alive.
"What did you do?" Goku yelled with a tone of urgency; rushing to the sides of his defeated friends within his blazing red flame aura, quickly realising the extent of their injuries upon seeing setting a hand on their lower backs.
"It's simple really; you all are martial artists… and what is the lifeline of a martial artist?" Cress spoke slowly as Goku passed him by to get to his fallen friends; never dropping his knowing smile as he waited for the answer from his opponents.
"The rotation of the waist muscles…" Gohan muttered just loudly enough for Cress to hear; the child sinking to his knees in the realisation that Cress wasn't just going to defeat them as he intended to destroy all of them without killing.
"Give the child an award; he got it in one!" Cress clapped for Gohan's sake after being given the correct answer; his smile widening as the knowledge set into the minds of all Z Fighter's present for he'd taken away Tien's and Yamcha's use of their legs forever.
"You're a monster!" Krillin spoke; crouching down and tensing up so he would catch up to the incredible speed that Goku and Piccolo held, all three warriors rushing towards Cress with the same strategy that defeated Vegeta; combo attack the target until an opportunity to make a kill-shot appeared that Gohan would execute instead of Krillin.
"We've faced tons of monster's and we've beaten every one of them!" Goku yelled angrily; rushing Cress with Krillin and Piccolo flanking him, the trio of fighter's pincer-attacking him from three angles; each firing a beam of energy while Cress stood at the epicentre as the beams only leaping out of the path before the beams struck masking his escape by the smoke cloud from the explosion.
"Above!" Piccolo yelled; sensing Cress' aura high above them; Krillin backstepping alongside Goku as the two fired a second beam attack: both firing unspoken Kamehameha's from the ground into the air, Cress smirked as the beams rushed towards him; firing his Dark Shine into the beams causing another explosion that masked his movements.
"He's clever; attacking him with beams will only cause more explosive clouds for him to move about in, no more beams unless we can blindside him" Piccolo spoke quickly and analytically; his tactical mind realising that attacking with beams would only waste energy and help Cress as he was fighting more carefully than any of the previous Saiyans.
"Duck!" roared Goku's voice just as Cress emerged from the cloud of smoke and dust with his Energy-Cloaked Fist primed to strike Krillin down next, Cress grinned widely as he went to strike Krillin's lower back and destroy his waist muscles next as a flash of red entered his vision as Goku interrupted the assault with his heightened speed and strength due to his power multiplier technique.
"Very impressive; you've further developed that skill into a weapon" Cress spoke with a small smirk upon seeing Goku's Power Multiplier being more consistent than it was than during the Vegeta battle, rubbing a bruise on his cheek from the powered-up blow he'd taken earlier.
"I trained even harder than I've ever trained before just so I could defeat you! And now I'll do so for the sake of Tien and Yamcha!" Goku yelled through the crimson flames burst into life as Goku entered his Three-Times state; ignoring the repercussions that it would take on his body but victory demanded that he take the risk though reaching Ten-Times was too dangerous to use reliably.
"And so you should! I want you to fight me at your best so I can crush you! But I still don't know something… how exactly did you know we were coming a year ago?" Cress sent a respectable look Goku's way; lowering his fists as he posed his question.
"A god named King Kai communicated with us telepathically; he gave us a warning about the threat that you Saiyans present and that I am one myself, even gave me the basic idea for my Power Multiplier" Goku confessed; being open and honest when asked a question was part of his personality but he still drew incredulous looks from Piccolo, Krillin, Tien and Yamcha for revealing that information, taking the time to draw on his energy despite the burning he felt in his skin as he entered Four-Times.
Cress stood silent for a full minute but between the two Saiyans that minute felt like an eternity though he was fascinated by the growing power Goku was exhibiting; Cress' lips curling into a smile as he finally spoke, "You seriously expect me to believe a God told you we were coming and still you couldn't stop us from wiping a city off the map… and killing your friends".
"As absurd as the truth is… it is still the truth" Piccolo grunted; the concept of such information appearing absurd and the possibility of it being a blatant lie would be a given but Cress stood against them smirking, standing back while Goku kept climbing higher with his strength while tossing aside his orange gi and standing in his orange pants and blue shirt; entering a Five-Times state indicated by the burning crimson flames radiating with a brighter shade of crimson.
Cress smirked slightly wider; the truth being that he did believe their story of King Kai communicating with them, letting out a deep breath as the tiles under his feet shook under the force generated between himself and Goku; the pale-white Skull-Form Aura manifesting in a much larger form as Cress stood at the apex of his power, even The Z Fighter's felt a touch of fear as they sensed Cress' strength was still far higher than any of them had assumed.
"Get ready… he's powering up!" Piccolo yelled; getting his defence ready as he stood in front of Gohan while Krillin joined him to defend the child from what was to be a dangerous adversary, crossing his arms to block his chest and vitals just in time as Cress vanished from view only to strike at Piccolo's guarded arms.
Piccolo grunted as the energy cloaking Cress' hand felt like blades slicing at his flesh; Cress only backing away as a red-cloaked Goku rushed him, Cress coughing as Goku's knee pressed into his abdomen; unable to defend himself in time as Goku's fists struck Cress' face and body with such speed that he barely had an opening to counter.
For just a brief moment; Goku's red aura flared wildly as he engaged his Ten-Times Multiplier, wanting to only use it for a single moment for a single blow technique; Goku wrapped energy around his right fist as he marked the blow for Cress.
"Dragon Fist!" Goku roared; as the face of Shenron appeared around his right fist, the blazing crimson energy construction striking Cress' armoured chest with enough force that the black armour cracked and splintered under the fearsome blow so much so that Cress spat blood from between his clenched teeth.
Cress grit his teeth as blood escaped his lips; taking external and internal damage from a Ten-Times-Multiplied Goku's Dragon Fist, his calm and collected face fading as his emotions of hatred towards The Z Fighters emerged, Cress winding back a fist and punching Goku hard in the face as Goku drove another fist into the cracks of Cress' armour and shattering the chest-plate entirely; grunting from a second blow and the breaking of his new armour as Cress covered his left hand with an all-too-familiar Energy Blade to take a swipe at Goku, Goku catching Cress by the wrist; his blank white eyes glared out through his reddened face as Goku headbutted Cress hard enough to leave a nasty bruise on his own forehead.
Not willing to let Goku fight alone; Piccolo placed his fingers to his forehead to charge his Special Beam Cannon, his eyes watching carefully for a moment to fire and ensure a kill-shot against Cress; the battle between Goku and Cress raging as the two Saiyans attacked each other with punch after punch but Piccolo knew that the Ten-Times Multiplier was too risky and could not be maintained for too long.
With an expression of frightful delight; Cress' eyes flashed as his energy continued to grow larger; his full might revealing itself as the clouds above warped into a vortex high above their heads, taking a direct punch from Goku to his jaw but countered with a kick to Goku's ribs that caused Goku to flinch as he felt a rib close to his lungs snap, his pain so great that The Multiplier faded.
Grinning wider as Goku flinched from the pain; Cress wound back his right fist to punch Goku again in the same spot, his punch colliding with Goku's ribs as Goku cried out from the damage, blindsided by a sudden blast of air as Cress turned to find the source and found Gohan glaring at him with angry eyes; delivering another kick to Goku's ribs before throwing the Saiyan aside and rushing towards Gohan.
Gohan knew he couldn't show any sign of fear or weakness tonight; he had to fight even though he greatly disliked the act of punching somebody or being struck but he had to put those feelings aside for this day, Gohan crossed his arms just in time to block a punch from Cress; his vast power greatly higher than Gohan's at this moment but Gohan opened his hands to deliver his close-range energy flash that took Cress by surprise as Krillin wrapped his arms around Cress' waist and pulled him back only to slam the Saiyan headfirst into the tiled arena floor.
"How do you like that?!" Krillin yelled triumphantly; allowing himself a victory cry before he felt a stabbing pain in his chest, looking down and spotting the same pale-white Energy Blade that had been used against Tien and Yamcha but was now stuck in his gut.
With the piercing blow; Krillin gasped as Cress' White Energy Blade pierced his body, spitting out blood that stained Cress' black armour, Cress smirking widely as Krillin hung bleeding and no longer able to fight right in front of his eyes but in his moment of relishing Krillin's pain caused him to never see a high-powered punch coming as he was struck hard in the face.
"I didn't want to do this a second time but you've pushed me to do it! Times Ten!" Goku cried out; the red flames engulfing his body turning into a deep crimson fire as his very skin seems to be burning from the extreme energy output, each and every muscle screaming in agony as Goku struck Cress with such speeds that The Saiyan never saw Goku coming.
The force of Goku's punch forcing Cress backwards as well as releasing Krillin from his grip and from that blade; The Saiyan crashing into the building that would house the competing fighters during the World Martial Arts Tournament, rising from the broken wood and plaster with a furious expression; Cress barely saw Goku coming except for a crimson flash before another punch to the face sent him flying backwards again and threw another wall and back out into the air over the arena.
Barely having time to react to Goku's incredible boost; Cress felt he had to switch from attacking and crushing The Z Fighters one by one and focus of his defence, barely getting a cross-arm block up as Goku swept in with a crimson-flashing kick across Cress' defence; Cress flinching as he felt something in his forearms snapping when connecting with Goku's kick.
A second kick breaking Cress' defence as a series of punches slammed into Cress' chest; his armour protecting his body and vitals from the impact but Cress still felt like each blow was cracking and threatening to shatter the bones within his body, unable to block the speedy and powerful punches to his chest but Cress could see Goku himself: his eyes blank-white as his crimson-dyed body struck him with all the power and speed his body could muster; every blow steadily cracking his armour until it shattered as his black bodysuit was quickly shredded by the flurry of blows that hammered against his bare chest.
As Goku's final blow landed against Cress' bare chest; torrents of pain ran up every inch of his right arm and quickly spread to his whole body, screaming in agony as the backlash of The Power-Multiplier finally came after using the risky Ten-Times; Goku fell from the sky leaving Cress standing in the air with a stunned expression as Goku fell to a defeat his own making.
Cress stared down at Goku as he writhed in pain from his dangerous multiplications; being taken by surprise as a tackle struck him from behind, twisting around to strike his attacker with an elbow drop to find Krillin before his eyes, glancing at the blade wound in his chest still bleeding but the monk continued to fight on despite the pain he still felt judging by the sweat dripping down his face.
With Krillin striking Cress again with a series of fists in the moment of stunned surprise; Gohan flew up and joining Krillin with a series of punches to Cress' back, Cress gritting his teeth as he blasted out a forceful wall of energy in all directions and repelling the two attackers though Gohan and Krillin both used the gained momentum from the energy push to direct their fall into the seating blocks so they might use the seats to kick-off and counterattack.
With Goku on the tiled floor and in writhing pain from overusing his enhanced power; Krillin leapt from the seating blocks to Goku alongside Gohan, both rushing to Goku's side as Cress stood over him and tackling the enemy to the ground then rising to the air with his Dark Shine preparing to blast Gohan and Krillin both to death; Piccolo launching the Special Beam Cannon as Cress stood distracted to the point that the Beam connected with Cress's armoured shoulder by taking him by surprise leaving the explosion to consume their foe.
"Did we win?" Gohan stuttered; watching as Piccolo's Special Beam Cannon had made contact with Cress but the explosive black clouds hung in the air masking any sign of Cress whether he be alive or dead.
"I hope so; I'm not sure how much longer we can hold out until Goku's able to get on his feet again" Krillin stated; placing a hand on Goku's back and recoiling from the searing heat radiating from Goku's body while the Saiyan lay on the tiled floor writhing in pain.
A long silence hung over the arena as The Z Fighters as the smoke cloud hung in the air; waiting with bated breath for any sign that Cress was either alive or dead until a spine-chilling voice spoke out from the smoke.
"If you want to finish a fight… make sure your opponent is laying dead in the dirt first!".
With horrified expressions; Goku, Piccolo, Krillin and Gohan stared in horror as a pulse of energy swept the smoke away revealing Cress once again, staring down at The Z Fighters with widened eyes, his chest bruised and battered but his left shoulder had suffered a major wound with severely burnt flesh and a bleeding gash torn into his muscle by Piccolo's beam.
Drawing on his Rage-Boosted powers; Gohan threw himself straight back at Cress with Krillin following, both warriors lunging at Cress with flying kicks but Cress merely grabbed the pair with each hand and tossed them back to the ground but Krillin and Gohan both fired beams into the air, Cress backstepping to get away from the beams but failing to realise that Piccolo had flown up behind him and wrapping his arms around Cress' upper body.
"You made a grave mistake Cress!" Piccolo spoke into Cress' ear; holding him in place as Gohan and Krillin's feet were planted back into the floor of the arena, kicking off the tiled floor and launching themselves back at Cress; the child and monk striking a bound Cress in the bruised abdomen with a double-teamed elbow strike.
Recoiling from the blows he'd taken; Cress finally felt his own anger boil over, letting out an animalistic roar that forced Piccolo to undo his grip and cover his ears from the beastly roar Cress had yelled, Cress grabbing both Gohan and Krillin by their gi's and dragging them down into the arena floor and slamming the child and monk into the hard floor.
Yelling in pain as Piccolo's clawed hand extended out from his arm and cut across his wounded shoulder forcing him to release Gohan, the child crawling away from the fight in fear of Cress killing him but Krillin remained within his grip.
Enraged by the constant attacks; Cress released his grip on Krillin so he could counter Piccolo by blasting him with his own Dark Shine beam; the energy beam striking a temporally disabling Piccolo and stalling The Namekian after burning off his left leg, Cress' eyes locking with Yajirobe's Sword which he'd taken a year ago but dropped during the battle; rushing to seize the weapon and drawing the blade free from the sheath but spied that Krillin was up on his feet again with both his hands prepped for his own Kamehameha.
Rushing towards Krillin; thrusting an open palm into the monk's face as he gasped in fear now that Cress had a deadly weapon in-hand, Krillin's eyes meeting the cold eyes of Cress in what he thought might be his final moments of life.
"You've impressed me time and time again; I shall offer you a place as my underling?" Cress spoke down to Krillin with a cold tone; the blood dripped down from his forehead to his smiling face presenting a terrifying visage, offering the monk his hand as he presented his offer for the second time.
"Never!" Krillin yelled; drawing on what little power he still held and fired am energy blast against Cress, the beam blasting the Saiyan backwards and crashing into the empty seating zones of the arena; where if this had been a tournament then Krillin would have won the fight but Cress stood back up with a beaming smile of amusement.
Checking the damage to his flesh; Cress ensured that his muscular abdomen may have been exposed from Goku's furious attacks but his flesh had suffered burns from Krillin's desperate energy beam, "Well… if that had been your Disk-thing then you would have killed me and won this battle".
Krillin cursed under his breath; he'd made the wrong choice by blasting him instead of firing a Destructo Disk, his train of thought halted as Cress raised the sword he's stolen: the very weapon he'd lifted from Yajirobe's corpse and use the weapon to end Krillin's life with one quick slash across Krillin's throat.
"NO!" Goku and Piccolo yelled with grief as they watched Cress slice Krillin's throat open; grief overcoming them both as their friend and ally fell to the ground as the green grass was dyed red with blood, Gohan sank to his knees as he watched Krillin die.
Trembling from his rage as Krillin's life was taken, Goku felt his anger bursting out from his mind and body, his black hair standing on end while the dark skies flashing with lightning high above their heads; feeling as if a strange new power was about to awaken from deep within before a double-knee strike struck him in the lower back as Cress attacked Goku but raised the sword high above his head in preparation to strike.
With a wicked smile etched into his face; Cress plunged the stolen sword down into Goku's back, relishing in the crimson splash of blood as the steel blade pierced flesh, muscle and bone; the light of life in Goku's eyes fading to a pair of blank staring eyes locked onto Gohan who sank to his knees with fear after watching a single man defeat and kill so many people the child held dear to his heart.
Only three words having managed to escaped Goku's lips before he died; a last message to his son, "Gohan… run… away".
"GOKU!" Piccolo yelled as his leg regenerated back; rising back to his feet despite still missing an arm and rushing to Cress, winding back his remaining arm to attack only for Cress' white skull-like aura to shift to an eerie golden yellow for only a single moment as Cress took the blow from Piccolo; his claws carved a series of five gashes into the right side of his face deep enough to leave scars, Cress countering by delivering an energy-charged chop to Piccolo's remaining arm and severing the limb causing Piccolo to howl in pain but headbutted Cress so hard that his antenna poked Cress in the eye and staggering him; Cress grabbing Piccolo by his clothes and throwing him into the ground before opening a hand as his own energy beam: Dark Shine charged in an open palm.
"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you too?" Cress posed his question in a cold tone; pausing his imminent execution of Piccolo to question The Namekian for a reason to spare him.
"Because if you kill me then The Dragon Balls will disappear; no more wishes, and Frieza will have no use for you anymore" Piccolo spoke with a grunt; struggling to get back onto his feet while lacking both his arms.
Cress stood silent for several seconds but between Cress and Piccolo those few seconds felt like an hour had passed, the silence broken as he felt a pang of danger in the back on his mind; twisting on the spot as a small fist struck him hard in the face as Gohan: enraged by the deaths he'd witnessed had flung himself at his enemy, Cress cursed himself for forgetting about the child and his Rage-Boost abilities but was alarmed by the golden fire illuminating Gohan's body as the child's black hair remained black but the child's eyes gave a piercing turquoise stare.
With a loud violent scream; Gohan raised both his hands above his head and fired his Rage-Boosted Masenko directly at Cress, the yellow beam colliding with Cress and sending The Saiyan crashing backwards into the main building, the beam carrying on beyond striking the target as the building itself began crumbling down on top of Cress himself and burying him in debris.
"Well done Gohan; we'll kill him for what he's done! Then we'll wish back Krillin and Goku!" Piccolo spoke to Gohan; also enraged by Goku's death but having enough sense to not chase the villain into a collapsing building when it was likely that Cress would rise back up at any moment, the strength of his fury accelerating his regeneration and allowing both his arms to return at once.
"Yeah; I want this bastard dead!" Gohan roared with a bloodthirsty glint in his young eyes; high on his rage-induced power as his own black hair stood on end with every edge sharp and distinct like Goku's black hair had before he died.
The rubble and debris from the collapsed building lifted into the air as a burning pale-white Skull-Form Aura radiated as Cress rose back up from the destruction; grinning widely as blood spilled down both sides of his face from Piccolo's claw-wounds and the scrapes he'd taken from a collapsing building making appear like a horrific fiend, the glaring red eyes from the Skull emanating as Cress walked towards the last two Z Fighter's standing with chucks of the building's walls hanging in the air around him.
Gohan and Piccolo stood fast against Cress's fiendish visage; watching as the Skull-Form Aura flickered between pale-white to that eerie golden yellow again, Piccolo's yelled as his forced his arms to regrow once again but each regeneration took a toll of his stamina and he knew he wouldn't be able to keep up much longer now that they'd witnessed Cress at Full Power, even though Goku's Ten Times Multiplier was more than enough to defeat Cress but the final blow had not been landed and they had to suffer for it, both dodging and dropping out from the arena's elevated platform as Cress' Pulse Wave forced the chucks of rubble away from him only to crash into the seating blocks and shatter into dust, rocks and small splinters of plaster and wood.
Charging forwards and seizing back the sword buried in Goku's back; lifting the weapon free just as Piccolo and Gohan both struck with their beams in a pincer attack, cloaked in a dust cloud as Cress fired a beam of his own that knocked Gohan down while rushing out the opposite side in a charge towards Piccolo.
"Remember! Kill me and no Dragon Balls!" Piccolo spoke through a grimace; trying to use his and Kami's Bond to the existence of The Dragon Balls to prevent Cress from taking any action he'd regret if he wished to use The Balls.
"I recall; but I just don't need to kill you… just wound you" Cress countered; twirling the sword from one hand to another as Piccolo roared in pain as the blade slashed through both his arms before driving the blade through Piccolo's abdomen in the exact place where not to pierce a vital organ nor kill The Namekian.
Grunting in pain with his arms severed and a cold steel blade buried in his belly; recalling that if he could make headway towards The Lookout and fuse with Kami then he could make The Dragon Balls inert but then they'd never be able to wish back Goku or Krillin without traveling the cosmos, a difficult decision when making a start on the journey would include having to sacrifice Gohan's life; with a heavy heart Piccolo stayed put upon hearing an angry roar of rage.
With another angry roar; Gohan launched himself at Cress as Piccolo fell, firing Masenko after Masenko from each hand in continuous blasts as Cress leapt off the tiled arena surface as the blasts followed him into the air, Gohan kicked off the ground and followed after Cress with Masenko's charging in each hand; pushing the two beams into a singular blast that tore through the air and clouds until finding Cress himself leading him to be consumed by a fiery explosion.
A long moment of silence passed as Gohan's own Hyper Masenko vanished leaving only a dense smoking trail in its wake; a deathly silence hung over the battlefield as Young Gohan stood alone facing an enemy who'd not only made good on the promise that he'd return but had taken the lives of Gohan's Father and Goku's closest friend, a beam shot out from the smoke that struck Gohan in his left arm.
Gohan cried out in pain as his left arm hung lifeless and broken; unable to be used any longer unless he got immediate treatment or a Senzu Bean which had been incinerated earlier in the battle, looking to meet the concerned eyes from Piccolo and then the dead unseeing eyes of Goku and Krillin while Tien and Yamcha both lay still in the stands; only staring up at the smoke cloud when a chilling laugh emanating from the same smoke.
"I didn't expect such a strong energy attack from a child; though I should have known better after bearing witness to the fact you stood up against Nappa and Vegeta; and then myself" Spoke the unmistakable voice of Cress; the man himself emerging from the smoke with a noticeable burn on his right shoulder and his neck, Piccolo noted that Cress was now only just capable of standing; though his own stamina and energy was depleted he assumed that Gohan could win this fight if he could just stand up one more time but watching as Gohan sank let Piccolo know that Gohan was just as drained after such an injury.
Gohan sank to his knees with his dead arm held in his right hand; a cold fear of defeat and death setting in where anger and rage had once been after Cress survived his strongest possible attack with only a second-degree burn, with a disabled arm and his energy drastically depleted after his Hyper Masenko leaving him to almost nothing left to fight with while Cress also appeared worse for wear but still capable of fighting on if only for another few minutes.
"Just give up the fight kid… otherwise you'll be seeing your father sooner than you thought" Cress spoke as he descended from the sky to land back within the arena's boundaries; casting a cold and emotionless glare towards Gohan, leaving the sword buried in Piccolo's body but lifting the torn orange gi that Goku himself had removed when their fight had gotten serious out from the broken tiles of the arena as his next trophy of war.
Gohan could do nothing but shiver in his fear of Cress as he watched Cress soar through the skies; the white ghosts of his trail fading into the night sky, Piccolo remained silent; his blood dripping from his wounds but that pain was nothing to his shock at the brutal murder of Goku had halted his regeneration process leaving him to sit in the grass feeling powerless to stop what had just transpired.
Piccolo remained sat in the grass and armless; in pain but alive while Gohan sank to his knees in tears at his failure and weakness, crying out as Goku and Krillin lay dead, Tien and Yamcha laying with injuries they'd might never recover from; both glaring at Cress with their hatred.
Cress floated up into the air with his new trophy in his grasp; speaking loudly as the golden skull radiated around making his voice sound larger than before, "From this moment forth the world you knew shall be changed forever… Welcome to your worst nightmare!".
With those words spoken; Cress flew off in a golden trail of flames, the sound of his laughter echoing into the night as Piccolo and Gohan lowered their heads in painful and bitter defeat.
Capsule Corp.
With The Seven Dragon Balls locked behind a Saiyan-Proof Door that Goku himself had tested; Bulma stood in wait for Cress to arrive, she'd felt a cold shiver down her spine as if somebody she cared for had just departed the living world but she didn't want to believe that her friends could lose but had armed herself with her father's Experimental Pulse Rifle in case Cress returned to West City but she believed in Goku and her Friends wholeheartedly.
The eerie silence only being disturbed by Bulma's footsteps; glancing down at the black case containing the Rifle, her father had developed the weapon though against his morals to use Capsule Corp Resources to develop weapons but the threat of Cress was too great to ignore, Bulma cracked open the case to reveal a pitch-black capsule; slipping the capsule into her hand and dropping the case just as she heard footsteps marching down the hallway.
Turning the hallway's corner with several Foot-Soldier's was the only other Saiyan that Bulma could recognise form the damaged cctv camera footage from the ruins of East City; believing his name was along the lines of Radish when speaking, "Why are you here Radish?!".
Raditz felt insulted by the slur against his name; his accompanying trooper's laughing at Raditz's expense before correcting the woman, "The name is Raditz!".
"Well I'm not sorry! Get out of my building right now and I won't have to shoot you where you stand!" Bulma barked back without any hesitation; priming her thumb on the activation lever for the Black Capsule she held in her hand.
"Shoot me? With what? I don't see so much as a single weapon on you!" Raditz chuckled alongside the Foot Soldier's he had gathered around him; the group chuckling at what they perceived as an empty threat from a woman.
"You sure about that spiky-hair? Goku has always been able to defeat any foe he's faced before and he himself suggested that we: his closest friends be prepared to fight back too!" Bulma spoke back to Raditz; pressing the switch on the black capsule and watching as instead of the explosive expansion of the majority of capsules, the black capsule expanded within Bulma's hands into a Rifle weapon; its barrel pointing directly at a stunned Raditz, the appearance of the weapon causing the Foot Soldier's to run in fear of getting shot.
"I wasn't expecting that" Raditz spoke with an air of nervousness; but remaining calm even when a weapon was pointed at his face in an attempt to emulate Cress' demeanour.
"Oh this is the least of the surprises Earth has in store, that Saiyan named Cress is doomed to be defeated!" Bulma answered back; her tone sharp and cutting as she now held the weapon that Doctor Briefs had given up his morals to create.
"You know… I cannot see Cress losing" Raditz spoke; continuing communication between himself and Bulma while Foot-Soldiers continued to search the facility, "He took down Vegeta with a single blow and it took Kakarot and The Namekian all they had to defeat him".
"He's got Goku, Piccolo, Krillin, Gohan, Tien and Yamcha to fight off! That's six against one!" Bulma answered; her belief in her friends would claim victory over Cress, her raising her Rifle against Raditz.
"Impressive odds; but none of you know how powerful he actually is and knowledge is power" Raditz spoke with a conniving tone; proving that he'd known that Cress was stronger than Vegeta all along and it had taken a team-effort just to bring The Prince down, his own faith put into Cress' ability to destroy anyone who stood against him.
"On that I would agree; I have known all the fighters facing your friend for years and I can't see all of them being beaten by a single man!" Bulma agreed with Raditz when it came to the notion that knowledge is power; the Rifle never budging as the crosshairs were trained on Raditz.
An hour passed with not a single word being exchanged between Bulma and Raditz; only the sounds of Earth's Military fighting a losing battle against The Frieza Force in the city streets, the echoing sounds being heard through the walls and windows.
"Your pitiful army can't do much" Raditz spoke snidely; glancing out a window as several Tanks and Surface-To-Air Missile Launchers were destroyed by a squadron of Troops led by Jeice and Burter; the two members of The Ginyu Force laughing hard as they tore through the battlements in a haze of red and blue.
Bulma caught sight of the trails of red and blue energy from where she stood; hearing the explosions as military weapons and vehicles were destroyed, "That may be true; but once my friends beat up your friend, they'll come for the head honcho!".
Raditz stayed silent for a few minutes until his Green-Lens Scouter broke the silence; his left eye glanced at the numbers and letters on the lens before finally speaking, "I don't think that's going to happen".
Just after Raditz spoke to a confused Bulma; the wall further down the corridor exploded inwards, chucks of the wall fell across the floor and shards of glass impaled the floor, wall and a returning Foot Soldier leaving him laying dead on the floor as a large shard of glass stuck out from his throat; the dust fading in the cold night air as a heavily wounded Cress stepped through the gaping hole in the wall and into the sight of a grinning Raditz and a shocked Bulma.
"You! Goku and everyone should have defeated you by now! They promised me!" Bulma shouted angrily showing visible signs of distress as tears budded under her eyes; pointing the Pulse Rifle at Cress and Raditz, "You can't possibly have beaten them all!".
Cress tilted his head for a moment as he stared at the gun and then to the woman; raising his hand and holding out the tattered remains of Goku's Gi for Bulma to see for herself, "See for yourself, the proof of my victory".
Bulma's eyes widened as she saw the torn orange fabric in Cress' hand; she realised the truth about the cold feeling she'd felt, sinking to her knees in a sudden burst of tears as the cardkey for the lock dropped from her hands as she clasped her face unable to stop the tears from falling.
Lifting the cardkey from the floor; Raditz strides past a broken and crying Bulma, turning the cardkey onto a scanner as a loud hiss sounded from the door as it slid open revealing a large dark hall with a single beam of light descending down onto a pedestal where the Seven Dragon Balls sat in wait.
"Finally… Lord Frieza's wish shall be granted" Cress spoke with a bloodstained smile as his bottom lip had been burst by the fighting; his closed eye opening to be bloodshot but the sight of the seven orbs waiting for him filled The Saiyan with a sense of accomplishment that even his injuries couldn't supress.
"Cress, are we actually going to make Frieza immortal?" Raditz questioned after laying his eyes on the seven orbs gathered and presented before them; where any wish they desired could be granted.
"Yes; this will ensure that we survive until my own plan comes to fruition" Cress answered; stepping towards the seven orbs and touching the sphere's with his hand, waiting for a reaction but nothing happened.
"Your plan? You haven't told me anything about that" Raditz stopped and paused for a moment; having had no idea that Cress had had a plan for everything but had not told him a word nor stage of this plan.
"Trust me Raditz; it's better that you stay in the dark for now" Cress answered while Raditz bore a shunned expression as Cress wanted to hide his own machinations; withdrawing his hand upon hearing Bulma laugh to herself as he'd failed to utilise the orbs much less make a wish.
Withdrawing his hand to the seven orbs; retreating back to where Bulma sat as Cress loomed over her before speaking, "Woman… the orbs won't summon The Dragon; that clearly indicates that there must be an incantation or password, tell me what it is and you might live to see tomorrow".
"Never" Bulma answered quickly; barely getting the word out through her sobbing tears.
"Woman… summon The Dragon" Cress spoke again with an irritated tone; turning to Bulma with a thunderous expression, seemingly moving from the pedestal to Bulma within the blink of an eye.
"I'll do no such thing! You murdered my friends!" Bulma shouted in a mixture of sadness, mourning and anger; unfazed by Cress' rapid movement much less being intimidated by him or his tone.
"Fair point, but if you want to keep living… you will summon The Dragon" Cress answered once again; opening his left hand as his energy charged in his palm, allowing the threat via his Dark Shine of a quick death be the incentive for Bulma to summon Shenron.
Bulma stood with a look of defiance against Cress; unwilling to help the monster standing before her, she lifted the Pulse Rifle up; a high frequency chime buzzed as the weapon primed before firing, a beam of photons fired out from the barrel of the weapon.
Cress stared blankly as Raditz had dived between the gun's laser and Cress himself; taking the shot that pierced his armour and his body, crashing to the ground in severe pain as Bulma stood shocked that the other Saiyan would take the shot; her moment of shock short-lived as a blast of air swept her off her feet and slamming into a wall.
Cress' eyes stared with a cruel and vindictive glare as he stamped on the rifle and damaged the barrel so it would not fire but would explode if fired again, casting his sight back to Raditz who shivered in fear of the state his friend was in, reaching out and sieving Bulma by her dress and throwing her across the floor and into the chamber where The Dragon Balls sat in wait.
Bulma slid across the floor; only stopping as her back collided with the pedestal, crying out from not only her physical pain but also her emotional pain as Cress kept walking towards her, grabbing her by her clothes and lifting her to her feet.
"Summon The Dragon!" Cress barked violently; lifting his right hand as his energy charged, the threat on Bulma's life now present if she continued to resist, "This is the same hand I used to cripple the three-eyes guy and the guy with the long black hair… I have no qualms about doing the same to you!"
Bulma stared up at Cress; knowing that if she kept resisting his demands then she'd be either disabled forever or killed, swallowing her pride, uttering a silent prayer for forgiveness and accepting the new reality as Bulma finally spoke, "I summon you forth: Shenron".
As soon as Bulma spoke the words; The Dragon Balls began to glow as the roof of the chamber opened on voice command, the metallic ceiling opened to an even darker night sky as the balls fired off a dazzling beam of light up into the skies as the snaking body of Shenron emerged from the black clouds.
Cress grinned widely as the legend of the wish orbs was fulfilled right before his eyes; dropping Bulma back onto the floor with little regard for her safety, even Raditz watched from where he lay on the watched while struggling to stay conscious.
"You just… tell him your wish, and he'll tell you if he can grant it" Bulma spoke; her voice cracking with emotion and regret as she felt mortally torn after betraying her friends and family by giving that monster what he wants.
"You've earned your life, and now business shall be conducted! Dragon! I wish that you make my lord and ruler: Frieza… into an immortal being!" Cress cast up his hands to the dark skies as he spoke his wish; grinning from ear to ear as his goal had been realised.
Shenron hung in the skies; his ruby-red eyes staring down at The Saiyan until his same eyes glowed a brilliant scarlet before his loud voice boomed the five words that Bulma did not wish to hear, "Your wish has been granted!".
With the single wish granted; the seven orbs rose into the night sky and shot out in seven different directions, the chamber stayed silent for a full minute before Bulma broke into tears once again out of shame and guilt.
With grunts of pain with every movement; Raditz rose back to his feet, beaming at Cress as he's successfully executed the wish to make Lord Frieza immortal; and the first step to Cress' unknown plan accomplished.
Bulma remained on the floor in tears as Cress strode past her without even glanced at her; stopping before he passed by Raditz, "Get yourself healed up; then join me".
"Of course…. But join you where?" Raditz spoke in gasps; the gunshot wound still greatly paining his body, taking up all of his strength just to be able to stand.
"Right here; with this success the second step is all but guaranteed" Cress smirked with accomplishment; the first step of his plan successfully executed, the second only a short flight and a request away, leaving Raditz and Bulma alone as he flew off as the pair stared at him in confused silence.
Even Bulma who had listened in on everything Cress had spoken; silently shifted her hand to the grip of her Rifle, though the barrel was damaged and would not fire another shot she wanted to take down at least one foe; mentally broken and angry at the deaths of her friends as she opened a compartment containing its Power Core: a cylinder glowing with photon energy, all she had to do was break it and the ensuing explosive force would not only kill her but take the life of Raditz too.
"Don't even try it… that explosion will kill you!" Raditz spoke; his eyes widening in shock that the woman before him was willing to end her own life if it meant ending his.
"I don't care anymore… This explosion won't kill Cress but I can take you down with me!" Bulma snapped; accepting her fate as she raised and smashed the Photon Cylinder against the floor, triggering an instant explosion that engulfed herself and Raditz.
Kami's Lookout.
High atop the clouds; looking out to the direction of West City, Kami stood leaning on his staff as through the bond he shared with Piccolo caused him to also feel the same pain and emotional anguish that Piccolo was feeling following Goku's death, but the sense of The Dragon Balls being used for an evil purpose pained the elderly Namekian the most.
"Kami…. You appear most troubled?" Spoke the dark-skinned Genie; his blank expressionless face and staring eyes giving away the concern he felt for Kami but maintaining a calm manner.
"What you say is true Mr Popo, Piccolo is suffering physically, mentally and emotionally, and also Shenron has been summoned… but I fear that the worst is still yet to come" Kami muttered to Popo' tears falling from his eyes as he stared out to the site of the battle, having watched as Krillin and Goku had died, Piccolo dismembered, Tien and Yamcha paralysed from the waist down, and lastly Gohan who now bore the pain of losing people precious to him but would now be destined to walk the dark path of revenge.
Frieza vs Earth's Military.
As quickly as the long and coiling Dragon had appeared; it had disappeared just as quickly, the dark skies fading into the night sky just as quickly leaving Frieza, Zarbon and all the members of The Ginyu Force minus the recently dead Guildo and Ginyu all staring out where The Dragon had emerged and disappeared with no sign of any change in their Leader.
"Do you think Cress made the wish?" Jeice spoke in his thick accent; turning to Burter with a confused look as Recoome also shared in the confusion as nothing seemed to have happened in the distance, Ginyu himself appearing distained with the apparent success of Cress' and Raditz's mission to use The Wish Orbs.
"Oh I do… I do indeed!" Frieza spoke with a gleeful smile; his entire body radiating a healthy green light as his body felt full of life and vigour, like an unending spring and gushed forth from deep within the very core of his being; the gift of immortality had been granted to him.
Floating high above the armies of The Earth, Frieza razed the infantry to nothing with a simple wave of his arm; giggling to himself how easy it was to wipe out a planet-wide military, the death of Captain Ginyu to tank-fire had annoyed him but he was easily replaceable now that he was Immortal, "Military of Earth… you've born witness to my powers, bow before me and swear allegiance to your immortal god! Or you can all die along with your planet!".
Within a single moment of hesitation; thousands upon thousands of Troops lowered their guns and bowed, soldier's exited their war machines and bowed their heads, an entire military force bowing to begin their lives of servitude under Frieza's foot.
With radiant waves of energy generated from the tyrant's hands and crashing down into the city streets; Frieza razed the military of Earth to the ground leaving barely a single soul alive except for those who laid down their weapons in surrender, the surrendering soldier's bowing down before the tyrant as they accepted subjugation.
The likes of Zarbon, Ginyu and his Cohorts broke into gleeful grins as they observed their leader be gifted with the truth of an unlimited lifespan, their mission successful and a troublesome world that even The Saiyans could not accomplish only one year ago, their attention divided as a figure clad in golden fire came rushing to the ecstatic Frieza only to reveal that figure to be Cress.
"Lord Frieza; I have returned with not only good results of my fight but have also successfully ensured the wish for Immortality had been granted though I regret to report that his personal-second had fallen" Cress reported his victory and accomplishments; feeling slightly glum about Raditz's fall but ignoring the sneering glares from Zarbon and the remaining Ginyu Force Members.
"Very good Cress; you have proven to be more than worthy of serving as my Left-Hand; come and stand by my side" Frieza spoke without ever so much as looking at Cress nor his other Loyal Soldier's, his attention fixed on his new energy as bullets harmlessly bounced off his body as the remaining soldiers unwilling to surrender continued to fire only for Frieza to kill them with a single wide-range Death Beam.
"Lord Frieza; as before when defeating Vegeta's coup you allowed me to replace Dodoria as your Left-Hand, I ask that you allow me to take over and rule this planet in your stead" Cress placed a bloodied hand over his chest; leaving a blood-red handprint in his damaged black armour; making his request moments before Zarbon could open his mouth in protest.
"And for what reason? Why do you want this world?! It's a weak mudball with no value!" Zarbon stated angrily; flying forwards and getting up in Cress' face, annoyed that he was now getting all the glory while he was being side-lined in favour of a filthy monkey, his sentiment shared by Ginyu and his Squad who also glared enviously at Cress.
"That is my business Zarbon… don't force me to decimate you like I did The Z Fighter's even they would have been able to tear you limb from limb" Cress spoke back; his Skull-Form Aura manifesting as an example of his threat though the golden flames burning around his frame as well as in the eyes of The Skull conveying that if Zarbon did challenge Cress then he would most certainly die to the Saiyan's superior might despite the condition Cress was in.
"As the newly crowned Immortal Lord Frieza… I'll allow you to take this world as your dominion, though I also do not see what you see but I'll put faith in your ability" Frieza spoke to Cress; gifting him the world of Earth as his personal domain for him to rule and oversee as a representative of The Frieza Force, and yet ignoring his other loyal followers as more of Earth's Military lay down their arms and bowed.
With Zarbon and Cress by his side; and immortality claimed, Frieza had everything he needed to become the Absolute Overlord of that entirety of The Universe and an eternity to sit upon a throne of his own making.
"Lord Frieza; the strongest warrior of this world: Son Goku is dead, he died to my hand alone" Cress spoke; speaking with pride in his actions and deeds for not only did he defeat The Z Fighters, he'd learnt a truth he'd rather keep to himself and also instilled a deep trauma in the only child who might be capable of challenging him.
"Yes, another planet under our rule… Cress; you brought me to this world though it took a year of waiting to do so, I grant this world to you as your domain" Frieza spoke as he had granted Cress his due reward; his tone of satisfaction as he was truly immortal, the greatest prize in all of the Universe was finally his own; an undying body that would never succumb to age nor a foe or even a certain God.
"You are most gracious My Lord, I give you my deepest gratitude" Cress gave a half-bow, his wounds still bleeding and bruised from his battle with The Z Fighters and Goku preventing him from giving a full bow of reverence.
"It benefits to have a Super Saiyan serving as my Left Hand; now stand beside me as we reveal in our victory" Frieza spoke with a tone of content; looking out the corner of his eye at Cress as he stood floating in the air besides his Lord, speaking the words Super Saiyan with a tone of pleasure at having a so-called myth by his side.
Cress smiled slyly with the knowledge he's kept to himself as he'd left Piccolo alive; with the knowledge of if he left Piccolo alive then this mysterious Kami would also live and thus The Dragon Balls would continue to exist and be used to grant any number of wishes, any wish he desired could be granted in only a single year's time and he planned to make full use of that in the following year.