Raid on the Red Ribbon Army! Topple the Tyrant, Goku!
Officer Black walked through the halls of the headquarters of the Red Ribbon Army towards Commander Red's office, reflecting on the strange relationship he had with the man. It was true that through the Army, Dudley Slate could rise to a higher station than he would have achieved in service to King Furry. He was the Commander's Right Hand Man. If they were successful, it would make Officer Black the second most powerful man on the planet.
Only… why should he be the second most powerful? He knew he was smarter than the Commander. Less prone to impulsive actions and childish blunderings. He knew he lacked Cyril's charisma but he was taller. On top of that, Black was bothered by the fact that Commander Red refused to tell him what they were gathering the Dragon Balls for. It couldn't be world domination, otherwise why build up an entire army. That would just be redundant.
"Perhaps," Black mused as he stood in front of the door to his Commander's office, "When all this is done, it should be Emperor Black who rules the world…" He shrugged before he pushed open the door and stepped inside. Even though Commander Red wasn't looking at him, that eye was. It unnerved Black how it seemed to have a mind of its own.
"Yes, I see," Commander Red was speaking into a headset, no doubt in contact with some of his other forces elsewhere in the world, "And there's still no sign of this last Dragon Ball? That's a shame." He drummed his fingers on the desk before speaking again. "The usual, then. Conscript the men, shoot those who won't fall in line, put the children to work in those mines you told me about. Report back to me in twelve hours." He switched off the headset and turned his attention to Officer Black with a sigh. "That was Admiral Copper. Still no sign of that last Ball." He slammed his fists on the table in frustration. "I've got half my army turning over half the continent for this damn thing. Where is it?" He sighed again before he looked up at Officer Black. "I trust you have some good news, though?" Officer Black nodded.
"This is another printout from our Radar," He said as he passed the sheet of paper across the desk to Commander Red. Where once there had been three, now there were four dots. "It appears that Mercenary Tao was good on his word." Commander Red smiled and sighed with relief as he leaned back in his enormous chair.
"That's good," he said with a nod, "That's very good. The girl is dead and nearly all of the Dragon Balls are mine. Things are looking up again." It was a strange thing to have so jubilant a conversation about the murder of children and stranger still that the Commander only referred to them as his Dragon Balls. Still, he was right. Son Goku's death could only be a good thing. Things were looking up. Perhaps more for certain people then Commander Red suspected.
OoOoOoO
The Nimbus soared through the sky faster than ever before. According to the Dragon Radar, the last two Dragon Balls were approximately 2,300 kilometers to the southwest and, at the rate they were moving, they'd make it there in a little under fifteen minutes. In all honesty, Suno was fairly certain that she had taken the wrong turn at the fork between "Sanity" and "Here There Be Sea Monsters" but she found herself not caring. What she had sensed from Goku in her room had been astounding but it was nothing compared to what she felt from her after she finished training on Korin's Tower. The rate at which Goku was improving was staggering and there seemed to be no upper to her strength. At the level she was at, a direct assault against the Red Ribbon Army seemed like something she could easily accomplish.
Of course, Goku's seemingly endless strength and rapid gains just made Suno's comparative weakness all the more clear. At this point, she was starting to feel more like dead weight than anything else. She wasn't too concerned about what she was about to do- at least, not as much as she probably should have been- but it did make her wonder what the point of her coming along was. At the very least, she was keeping Goku company so it's not like she was feeling completely useless but she still wondered.
Putting those thoughts aside, Suno couldn't help but notice that they were starting to pass what appeared fortifications inside the mountains. It was a bit difficult to see them due to the speed at which they were moving but she was certain that she saw more than a few turrets that might have been anti-air guns. "Hmm. No one's shooting at us trying to stop us. I wonder what's going on."
"Maybe they all ran away?" Goku suggested.
Suno hummed and closed her eyes, "No, there's definitely still people there. They just seem to be ignoring us for some reason. I don't like this. We should be careful, Goku. It might be a trap." Goku nodded… and rolled off the side of Nimbus, angling her body to plummet towards the ground like a skydiver. Suno sighed and shook her head. "Not quite the entrance I had in mind," she muttered before giving the cloud a pat on its… side? "Come on, Nimbus!" The cloud angled down suddenly and followed after Goku.
OoOoOoO
The reserved forces stationed at the Red Ribbon Army's Headquarters was going about a relatively routine day. With the majority of the forces out searching for the Dragon Balls or engaging with the Royal Army, the relatively bare-boned staff was left behind to defend the base itself. It was a force of maybe 500 soldiers with automatic and ballistic weapons at their disposal, as well as a handful of tanks and fighter jets.
It would not be enough.
There was a sudden "thunk" as something hit one of the hangars. A muffled voice and the hangar suddenly burst into flames. The soldiers scrambled for their weapons and circled around the wreckage of the hangar. They were the best soldiers in the world. The hungriest. The most relentless. They were ready for anything. Until they saw her walk out of the flames. It had been less than two weeks, but the entire army had heard the stories of the Super Girl. Indestructible, unstoppable. A monster girl who seemed solely dedicated to ripping the army to pieces. The soldiers screamed as they surrounded her with a spray of bullets. They lobbed grenades and ran for flamethrowers and hoped against hope. Maybe it was exaggerated. Maybe she was just really lucky.
But as she walked through fire and shrugged off bullets and kicked grenades out of the air to send them back, they realized that everything was true. When she caught missiles fired from rocket launchers and threw them into barracks, and as she looked at them with cold, loathing eyes, they knew that they were all going to die.
OoOoOoO
"What the hell is going on out there?" Commander Red muttered. Officer Black said nothing as he was still focusing heavily on the chessboard between the two of them. His fingers drifted back and forth between the pawn and the knight. Each could be useful, but neither was quite… right. Suddenly Red was pulled out of the moment when a light on his desk began flashing. Someone was calling him. With a sigh he put his headset on and flipped a switch. "What the hell is it?" he asked.
"She's here!" the voice on the other end screamed. Commander Red heard screaming and explosions and gunfire in the background. "The girl is here! She is on the base!" It took all of Commander Red's control not to scream.
"Get those tanks moving!" he ordered, "I want the jets in the air, covering her with suppressive fire! That other brat has to be around, fill the skies with anti-air artillery! We will not be beaten, damn it!" He flicked one switch to turn that channel off and then flicked on every single switch on his table, broadcasting his signal to every soldier in the field. "This is Commander Red to all fronts! Fall back, I repeat, fall back immediately and return to base! We are under attack, I repeat, we are under attack! Son Goku is here! Son Goku is at the base!"
OoOoOoO
"I reject my humanity!" bellowed the blonde-haired, power-mad young man. He raised his knife high and then… it changed to the news. Launch groaned and flopped back into the couch off its edge in disappointment. How could they cut to the news during something like this?! What was more important?
"We interrupt this broadcast," the anchorwoman was saying, "With a special news bulletin. Reports are flooding in from all over the world that the Red Ribbon Army's forces are retreating from outposts and battlefields en masse, even in situations where they were winning or had already won the conflict." The wheels slowly began to turn in Launch's head when she heard the words "Red Ribbon Army" and she flung open the window to call for Yamcha and Krillin, who were sparring on the shore while Master Roshi watched.
"Hey!" she called, "You guys are gonna wanna see this! Get yer butts in here!" The three quickly entered the Kame House as the anchorwoman continued her report.
"Like many things with the Red Ribbon Army we have no idea why they are doing this but we will do our best to keep you posted." The news cut back to Launch's show but they weren't paying attention to that.
"You don't think…" Krillin started to ask slowly. Roshi just chuckled.
"Of course she is," he said with a grin. How could he expect anything else from Son Goku? Yamcha sighed and went to get the phone.
"I'll call Bulma so she can help us track Goku's Dragon Balls and figure out where she is. We've gotta help her!" Even if Goku was stronger than all of them, she was still only one girl. Okay, two with this Suno kid. But those still weren't the best odds. It's not like he could just sit around and do nothing like an asshole, right?
OoOoOoO
Goku grabbed a tank by its barrel and spun it around and around, smashing it into the soldiers before she hurled it high into the air to hit an airplane that made both explode. She heard Suno coming towards her from the sound of her deft strikes and the cries of pain from Red Ribbon soldiers. Suno came to Goku and they stood back to back as they deflected and struck down charging Red Ribbon soldiers. Goku's hands blurred through the air to grab bullets as they were being fired at Suno and hurled them back at their firers.
"More people are coming in!" Suno called over the gunfire and explosions, "I think the Commander called in everyone who was in the field. We're gonna get surrounded!" Goku grinned.
"Then we'll just beat him up!" That made sense to Goku. After all, once the guy in charge got beat up then the rest of them would give up and go home, right? Goku took out her Power Pole and held one end to Suno. She grabbed it and let out a surprised yelp when Goku started swinging the Power Pole around in a wide circle. "Power Pole extend!" Suno stuck out her legs and pumped them, running against the faces of the Red Ribbon soldiers that attacked them in an ever-widening spiral. She tossed the Power Pole up into the air, leaving it in Suno's hands while she flew into the air. Goku smiled up as Suno smacked anti-air missiles away with the staff and used that momentum to send herself into jets with flying kicks. Then she looked at the ever-growing swarm of Red Ribbon Soldiers, some trampling over their fallen comrades to come at her. It was a lot of people. Which was okay with Goku. They needed all the help they could get. She charged with a flying kick towards the nearest soldier. She'd beat them all up. She'd get the Dragon Balls and help everyone that the Army had hurt!
OoOoOoO
Commander Red and Officer Black were holed up in his office with the door locked and barricaded with anything they could find. Except for the desk, of course. Just because Goku had interrupted their chess game didn't mean that they were going to stop playing. Not that Commander Red was in any shape to focus on the game now. He was sweating nervously, and every thump or explosion outside sent a fresh bolt of panic through his body. Red moved one of his Knights and swore under his breath as soon as he realized that he'd moved it directly into the path of Black's bishop. God, he was a nervous wreck! And his condition was not helped by the sudden "Thunk!" of one of his soldiers slamming into one of his office windows and noisily sliding down the bulletproof substance.
"That's it, damn it!" he declared as he grabbed his headset, "I'm calling Gero!" He drummed his fingers impatiently on the table and chewed his lip when Black took his Knight while he waited for the other line to pick up.
"This is Archimedes–"
"Oh, thank God!" Commander Red blurted out before composing himself. "Gero, listen to me, Goku is here and I need–"
"I'm terribly sorry I can't come to the phone right now. I'm either working on one of my androids which requires dealing with very delicate machines and horrendous levels of radiation and heat, or I have drank myself to sleep. Please leave a message after the tone." Commander Red could only stare into space in slack–jawed, wide–eyed horror as the voicemail beeped. He let out a wordless scream of terror and fury before flinging the headset against the wall. He slammed his head into the desk and continued to let out a muffled scream into the wood for a good thirty seconds. Finally, he stopped, and Officer Black spoke.
"It's your move." Commander Red let out a single sob.
OoOoOoO
Suno was weaving up and down between the sky and the ground forces on the Nimbus, ducking and rolling in and between the attempted attacks. As she and the Nimbus took another sweep up into the sky to catch her breath, Suno realized that she was beginning to feel weary. From up above, she could see the swathe of destruction Goku was cutting as she stormed her way towards the main building like a force of nature and it made her feel like they were really doing something. However, while Goku's energy seemed infinite, Suno could feel herself starting to slow down. The soldiers were slower than them and couldn't really hurt them but they just kept coming. It was only now that she was actually fighting them that Suno began to understand just how huge the Red Ribbon Army truly was. There must have been thousands of soldiers, each and every one answering the call to swarm the two of them. This was insane! They should have had more of a plan. They should have had any plan at all!
A sudden growing hum snapped Suno out of her introspection and she looked up to see two fighter jets approaching her. She steeled herself and grabbed the Power Pole in both hands and charged the jets like a knight with a lance when suddenly a brilliant beam of white-blue light burst up from the ground below and smashed the jets apart. For a moment, Suno assumed it had to be Goku until she realized that this beam was… different. It had a certain swirl to it, an impurity where Goku's had been straight and true. Suno flew down lower to get a closer look at what was going on. What she saw surprised her.
Down on the ground were Yamcha and Krillin and that Launch girl and, yes, even Bulma. They were coming in from the rear and doing their best to cut off any Red Ribbon forces that were trying to get onto the base to attack the two of them, so that made things a little easier. Krillin was jumping and twisting through the air, punching and kicking and using his new Kamehameha. Yamcha was slicing apart guns and tanks and the occasional soldier with such speed that it didn't even look like he had a sword, just a shimmering silver haze that surrounded him. Launch was supplanting her martial arts inexperience with a machine gun in her other hand and was, for some reason, wearing a dust mask over her mouth and nose. Bulma, who Suno knew had no combat experience, was attacking the enemy with a wide variety of Capsule Corp gadgets.
But then Suno saw him.
She had never seen Muten Roshi in action before. She had only heard stories of stories that Master Frost had told her. She'd never imagined that she would actually get to see Roshi fight. There he was though, down on the ground, slicing through the Red Ribbon forces almost as easily as Goku had. His sheer mastery of the martial arts was a sight to behold. It was like an artist watching a master paint, a musician hearing a perfect composition. Master Roshi was a living masterpiece of the martial arts. Every strike was impeccably precise, delivered with blistering speed and incredible power. Suno was so in awe of the spectacle that it took Master Roshi himself looking up at her and gesturing to remind her what she should be doing.
"We'll take care of these fools!" he called up to her. "You go find Goku!" Suno nodded and zoomed down towards the main complex, holding out the Power Pole and smacking soldiers with it on either side of her as she looked for Goku. It was a good thing, she reflected, that Goku had so many friends.
OoOoOoO
While the rest of the Red Ribbons soldiers flooded the halls towards the battlefield, the recently-promoted General Violet ran in the opposite direction. She'd barely even had time to enjoy her promotion after General Blue's death or the fact that she was the highest-ranking female officer in the Army when everything had gone to shit. With all of the commotion and the sheer number of bodies filling the halls, no one would notice General Violet making her way anywhere else. These were good men and women. Brave and loyal who believed in the cause of the Red Ribbon Army and were willing to throw their lives away against an impossible opponent because it was their duty and responsibility. But General Violet was not like them.
She wasn't a fucking idiot.
What, was she just supposed to charge the invincible Super Girl with her standard issue revolver and determination and hope for the best? The hell with that. Violet could see the writing on the wall. She knew that the Red Ribbon Army was hosed. That it was all about to go down in flames and it was time to get out while the getting was good. She was thankful that as someone who worked primarily in espionage for the RRA, she had never been caught on film. It was time for General Violet to die and for Iris Bellerose to come back to life. But first, she would get what was hers.
It was a stroke of good luck that every able-bodied soldier with a gun and not as many brain cells as Violet… as Iris herself had gone to the battlefield, because that meant no one was guarding the treasury. With a duffle bag over each shoulder, she slapped some C4 charges onto the vault and ducked behind a potted plant as the door was reduced to rubble. Then she sprinted into the vault and took a moment to drink it all in. Gold and jewels from sunken ships, valuables stolen from conquered cities and lands and plundered from ancient castles and tombs. Anything that could be used to fund the war efforts. And now she was going to take as much as she could carry. She wouldn't keep all of it for herself, Iris wasn't a fool. That would attract too much attention. Some would be sold on the black market and some would be returned to their ancestral homes to prove that she was a good citizen and an intrepid treasure hunter, not connected to the Red Ribbon Army or anything bad in any way, shape, or form. There was, however, an enormous gold necklace that had belonged to some queen or another in centuries past, supposedly back before the Demon King had nearly wiped out the human race. It was calling to her, and she had to have it. She gleefully ran into the room and started shoving fistfuls of illicit goods into her bags.
OoOoOoO
Commander Red was remarkably more calm now than he'd been before, even as the sounds of hell continued outside. He smiled to himself as he moved his Rook and took one of Officer Black's Pawns.
"It's going to be fine," he insisted, "She'll get tired. No one person can fight an entire army on her own. She's going to get tired and someone's going to shoot her dead." There was something in his tone that let Officer Black know that this confidence was, on some level, just a mask. "And even if she gets through all of our soldiers, all of my soldiers," he prattled on, "I have this." He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a capsule, pressing it between thumb and forefinger. "I had Gero build this special for me. I'll kill the girl myself if I have to and then we'll have all the time in the world to find that last damn Ball, and then I'll I'll get my wish!"
"And just what is your wish, Commander?" Officer Black asked suddenly. Commander Red blinked. He had always respected Black for his frank candor however the topic of his wish had never been broached before. "It can't be to be king. Why even bother raising an army? So what is it? To cure World Hunger and make everyone love you? Mind control so that none will rise up?" Commander Red chewed on the end of his mustache for a moment as he considered what to do next. It didn't matter in the end, he supposed. Black was his closest advisor and his most trusted friend. And despite his bluster, there was a very real chance that they were going to die anyway. So what did it matter?
"I want to be taller," he said finally. Black leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers but said nothing. "I know it sounds crazy but you understand, don't you? Dudley, you have to understand!" He pleaded, using Black's real name to show his sincerity, "People like you and I, the world judges us. Looks down on us. Each in our own ways. If it weren't for my father's money, I'd be no one. I'd be elves in movies or the sidekick of a circus clown. Even if I were king, they'd still laugh at me. Still mock me. Even as king! The Dragon Balls can do anything! For God's sake, Dudley, I'm a cripple! Why shouldn't I ask for a miracle, huh? Is that so wrong?"
"No," Black agreed, "It isn't." Commander Red sighed and smiled. He felt better, getting that off his chest. He should have known Dudley would understand. He looked down to see that Black's stupid Bishop had taken his Rook and moved to take it with his Queen. When he looked back up… Black was pointing his pistol at him. "But you still have to go." He squeezed the trigger and shot Red four times in the chest. Red slid out of his chair and fell to the floor with shock and betrayal frozen forever on his face. Commander Black walked around the table and sat down in the Commander's chair. He moved his Queen to Commander Red's King and smiled. "Checkmate." As if he would ever wish himself White.
OoOoOoO
Suno slammed the Power Pole into the door of what must be the Commander's Office like a baseball bat to make the door swing open. Goku was in another part of the building and dealing with most of the soldiers. That was fine with Suno. She was going to beat the Commander by herself and end this once and for all!
The chair's back was to her and it slowly turned around to face her. It was all she could do not to roll her eyes as the dark-skinned man smiled and leaned his elbows on the desk.
"Were you expecting someone else?" he asked wryly. Suno shrugged.
"Not really," she admitted. "I didn't really know who the Commander was or what he looked like." The man looked a little disappointed by that. "I guess you took over from the old guy in charge? Not that it really matters. Goku and I are beating up your whole army. It's over!" She leaped forward at the man and swung the Power Pole down on the desk to smash it in half. She would have hit the man himself but he'd pushed back in his chair towards the wall and the staff had barely missed his head.
"That was very rude!" he chided her as he took off his jacket and tie. "I am Commander Black of the Red Ribbon Army and–" Suno leaped at him again with a flying kick.
"You don't get a monologue!" she snapped at him and flew in a tight spiral towards him. Black rolled out of the way and Suno pushed off the wall where his head had been with the flat of her foot. He rolled away as she dove at him with a punch that cracked the tile and he came up with a high-powered pistol in hand. He fired at her but Suno nimbly dodged the bullets and kicked the gun away. To Suno's surprise, he jumped back and moved into a proper fighting stance. It wasn't a fighting stance she was familiar with but she'd half expected him to cut and run.
Black threw out a sweep that Suno jumped over but, to his credit, it was a feint and he threw a high kick to shove her painfully up into the ceiling. She dropped down from the ceiling and in perfect lineup with a jab from Black however Suno was able to grab his wrist and, with gravity's help, flip him overhead and slam him into the ground. Commander Black rolled up onto a knee as Suno landed and threw a lariat at Suno that she was able block with both arms and skidded across the tile. Black got to his feet and charged with a knee. Suno threw out a punch that caught him right in the knee. Black howled in pain and hopped away on one foot, clutching his knee. Suno was so surprised that she was almost going to laugh. Black stepped away, gingerly putting pressure on his back foot and frowning at her.
"Clearly," he said reluctantly, "I have underestimated you." He reached into pocket and Suno charged at him and was blinded by a bright light as Black pulled a flashlight out of his pocket and flashed it in her eyes. He laughed and Suno heard the hiss and felt the puff of air of a capsule opening. Suno blinked the spots out of her eyes just in time to see an enormous purple fist filling her entire field of vision. It slammed into her and she hit the wall painfully. Her vision finally cleared and she looked up and up and up to see Commander Black in a purple suit of power armor. He grinned and laughed like a maniac. "Hahahaha! I win! I win! The Rule of Commander Black will–" And then Goku came down through the ceiling. Officer Black stared at her and Goku jumped and flip-rolled to dropkick the power armor in the chest and send him staggering with a craterous dent where her feet had hit.
"Don't worry, Suno!" Goku assured Suno, "I've got this!" Suno nodded appreciatively as Officer Black charged Goku and opened the tip of his fingers to unleash a hail of bullets at Goku. She weaved and dashed her way between all of them to deliver a ferocious series of jabs that dotted the armor with dents and finished with a furious chop that turned the power armor's right arm into smithereens. Black stared at where the arm had been in disbelief and Goku lunged again. Black brought up his other arm and a rocket flew out of his open palm and hit Goku squarely in the chest. Goku slammed into a wall and charged him again while the smoke was still rolling off her body. Black opened a panel in his stomach and a jet of fire enveloped Goku. She leaped into the air through the fire and as the flames hung off Goku like torn ropes with a savage look on her face, Suno saw a depth of fear in Commander Black's eyes that she had never known humans to be capable of. Goku slammed into the super strong polymer and cracked the bubble that Black was looking out of. She landed on the floor and then it was Commander Black's turn to surprise them yet again.
Commander Black popped open the hatch of the bubble and held up… an eye. It was a mechanical eye, clearly, but there were wires dangling from it that looked like nerve endings and it was dripping with blood. Commander Black squeezed the eye in his fist and a bright red beam shot out of where the pupil would be and struck Goku square in the face, stunning her and sending her sprawling. He punched a hole in the ceiling and flew out through the hole with a rocket that came out of the armor's back. Then he pointed his fist down at the compound and laughed.
"This armor is equipped with a thermonuclear warhead!" he bellowed, voice broadcast loud over a built-in speaker. "Let's see how you tough you are when I blow you all straight to hell!" he laughed again as Goku still staggered on her hands and knees.
Suno stared up into the sky at Commander Black as he prepared the warhead. This was so far beyond anything she could have possibly imagined that she went past panic and looped around to perfectly calm.
It was simple, really. Commander Black was going to launch an attack that would almost certainly kill them all. There was no way to block such an attack so the only option was to prevent that attack from launching in the first place.
Of course, that was easier said than done. Goku was still stunned and likely wouldn't recover soon enough. Muten Roshi and the others were still off at another part of the base likely unaware of what was happening. The Power Pole would also fail here since there wasn't enough room to build up a proper swing at that height. Even kiai was out of the question since, even if Suno could perform a full powered one, there's no way it'd do anything noteworthy.
That left only one option.
It didn't matter that Suno had never successfully performed it. It didn't matter that she hadn't tried it since her time spent training. It didn't matter that, realistically speaking, there's no way Suno could perform it. It was no longer about could or could not. Suno had no choice but to do it. If she didn't then everyone would surely die.
Suno felt her ki circulating at an ever growing pace. What she was doing was, by most accounts, impossible but she wouldn't let something as minor as that stop her. In the end, everything came down to her and this one moment. Everything had been set up for this. Everything had been building up to this. Now all that was left was for her to step forward and fulfill her role.
Suno's body was burning. Her ki was building at such a rate that it felt as if she could explode if it continued.
She didn't stop it.
She pushed it to grow even more.
What she was doing was so far beyond her that, even as a fantasy, it was ridiculous. If she were to look back on this moment later, she was certain that she would see herself as another person entirely. If she could look back on this moment later, she was certain that she would be another person entirely.
No more regrets. No more anger. No more revenge. No more hate. No more sadness. No more suffering. No more thinking. Only that power that was burning within her and the target she was intent on destroying were important.
Suno felt her power erupting from her body. If she had been less focused, she would have noticed an aura surrounding her that caused her hair to rise.
Suno brought her hands to her side and focused. If this was going to work, she would have to pour everything she had into this one attack. No, even that wouldn't be enough. She had to push herself even farther than that if this was going to work.
"Kaaaaaaa…."
Suno forced her raging power between her hands. It was like trying to direct the flow of the ocean with a broom but she did it anyway. She could feel her ki starting to condense and take shape but it wasn't enough. Not yet. If she had the time to do this carefully, she could probably do it safely but she didn't have time. The missile was almost fully deployed and would surely be launched soon.
"Meeeeeee…."
She forced every bit of her power that she could spare into the space between her hands but it still wasn't enough. She could certainly launch it now and it may very well hit her target but it wouldn't be enough to stop the attack. She needed more.
"Haaaaaaa…."
Ignoring the scream of her body, Suno began drawing even more power into the attack. Using this much of her life energy was certainly dangerous but it didn't matter. If she continued down this route, she would certainly die the moment the attack was launched but it didn't matter. What mattered was the strange but wonderful girl still staggering to her feet. What mattered were the people that were valiantly fighting against an army without any knowledge as to what was about to happen.
Goku. Bulma. Krillin. Yamcha. Launch. Muten Roshi. They mattered. Suno didn't.
"Meeeeeee…."
She was so far beyond her limit that her body was breaking. Her hearing was gone. She couldn't feel anything. The scent of blood was gone. Even her vision was tunneled to the point that she could only see her target. Her heart felt as if it would burst, breathing was becoming a Herculean task, and it took every ounce of her willpower to remaining standing.
This didn't worry her at all.
There was no more time. The attack was going to be launched any moment now. There was no more energy to pull. If she pulled any more, she would certainly die before she could launch her own attack and then this would all be meaningless.
Was it enough? Could she do this? Would this work?
She didn't know the answer to those questions but she didn't need to know. One way or another, this ended now.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Suno thrusted her arms toward her target and a brilliant blue beam erupted from her hands. This wasn't the the pure beam that Goku had used. This wasn't even the tornado-like beam that Krillin had used. This beam contained her very essence and sparkled like sunlight over freshly fallen snow.
The beam that contained everything that was Suno collided with her target. Her target was forced high into the air by the impact as the beam contended with its armor. For a painful eternity, it seemed like it wouldn't be enough but, in the end, the human spirit is indomitable while machines are everything but. The beam tore through the armor, it tore through the man inside, it tore through the missile. There was a great explosion as her target was destroyed and then the light faded.
It was certainly impossible but she had done it anyway. If this was where her story ended then she was content. With a faint smile, Suno collapsed as her body gave out.
SSVC/N: Merry Christmas to all our fans! Your favorites, follows, and reviews have meant so much. We'll see where Son Goku and friends go next in the new year!
Z/N: If you want the full effect, I highly suggest you reread the bit where Suno performs the Kamehameha (starting at "Suno stared up into the sky") while listening to flowery/finality from the Mahoyo OST.
See you next year!