"The Gods of Destruction are pitiful, aren't they?" Jaki told this to Bulma. "They have given up everything in their mortal lives just to gain the power of destruction, forever giving themselves into an eternity where they must always kill and destroy, and be cursed, feared, and hated by everyone. They aren't allowed to feel anything aside from their own anger, and are expected to be bound to their duties in order to keep the balance of their given Universe no matter what. I feel pity for them, and I'm sure that you feel the same way towards him. You feel bad about him, don't you? That's why you chose to love him, even though you know perfectly well that he cannot reciprocate your feelings."
His words caused something within Bulma to stir, making her question why she chose to love the God of Destruction. She deeply pondered about it and realized that Jaki was somehow correct about that. Bulma has indeed pitied Vegeta after realizing that he was forced to live this cursed life where he was bounded to his duties of being the harbinger of death and destruction in the Universe for eternity. She wanted to show him that there was more to life than destroying things and all. She wanted to change him, so she could save her sister and her world–even Vegeta himself, from destruction.
But she was painfully aware of how powerless she was to stop him. All she could do was always depend on him to come and save her. Her helplessness, knowing that she was probably being a deadweight to him instead, frustrated her. How she wished she could have the power to change everything so she could save her Vegeta from his cursed fate?
"Hmph! I don't remember choosing this path just to be pitied by the likes of you!"
Bulma and Jaki turned their heads to where that comment with a deep, ice-cold tone came from. There they found Vegeta standing on the top of a rock formation. His ablazed magenta irises peering down on them with a menacing and piercing gaze.
It was only then that the both of them finally noticed the black cloak of clouds surrounding the sky above them and that the grass, plants and trees that surrounded them had succumb to lifelessness all due to the quiet, bristling indignation of an apoplectic God of Destruction.
"And for your information, I am different from the other Gods of Destruction," Vegeta continued, turning his profile to face them entirely so they could see his lividness more clearly. "There is a reason why I chose this path and I don't need pity coming from someone who wouldn't even understand."
Then Vegeta's lips stretched into a sinister smirk. His mauvish-crimson irises seemed to blaze even more as he allowed his mind to delve deep into his rage and his desire to destroy this bastard who dared to harm and endanger his chosen beloved's life. The power brought forth by the Secret of Self-Indulgence technique flowed through him as his body became inflamed with his menacing God of Destruction aura.
"But don't worry though, you are about to find out why soon enough."
The air that surrounded him began to vibrate even more as he let his suppressed wrath and nature as this Universe's feared destroyer deity emerge to the surface of his being.
Chapter 43: The Birth of a Savior
The air vibrated with an intense energy as the once lush field of grass rapidly withered and decayed. The meadow filled with green grass wilted almost instantaneously, turning them a sickly orange and dried brown before reducing into an ashen gray dust, which the chilling wind would blow away.
The small plants and flowers surrounding them shriveled and disintegrated into fine, powdery dust, turning this once beautiful forest into a barren wasteland. The earth below their feet seem to tremble and crack, unable to sustain life under the crushing weight of the seething wrath and power of the God of Destruction. The sky above them darkened as if to mirror the doom happening below as Vegeta's aura pulsed with his uncontrollable rage.
Bulma felt something within her chest jolt powerfully, her core of existence reacting to Vegeta's anger. His sheer presence, powerful and formidable, sent chills up her spine. The invisible, fearsome, and ominous aura which emanated from him disrupted the natural order of things, leading them all to an inevitable destruction. A fearsome testament to the devastating effects of his boundless anger and destructive power as this Universe's destroyer deity.
Terrified at what he was about to do, Bulma cried out, "Vegeta! Stop!", in her hopes of calming him down.
Hearing her frightened scream and sensing her core of existence reacting to his divine destructive power, Vegeta instinctively pulled his energy back, controlling his powers. He closed his eyes and concentrated within himself to contain his rage, letting out a calming breath.
Jaki snap his head towards Bulma, his eyes wide out of his awe and disbelief at how a God of Destruction stopped himself for her. How this mere human was able to do that remained a mystery to him but he knew that it must be true that the God of Destruction held her quite meaningful to him.
When Vegeta finally snapped his burning amaranth-colored eyes open, a fierce gust of wind blew around him, causing Jaki and Bulma to shield themselves from the excess energy he was letting out. The wind messed up the formation of the pentagram made of powdered incense Jaki created for the summoning ceremony.
Then Vegeta's frightening stare creepily shifted until his gaze fell on Jaki, peering right through his very soul.
Ba-bump!
Jaki felt a shiver ran up across his spine as his core of existence react to those intimidating and piercing eyes. He wasn't sure if it was due to his own terror or if it was just an effect of the God of Destruction's formidable presence.
Vegeta's head tilted upwards and then he smiled in a sinister way, knowing that Jaki was clearly intimidated by him now.
"Oh… Look at that. It seems that you have finally decided to show me your true colors, Freya Ike–no, Jaki…" he said with his deep and wintry tone.
Jaki tried his best to snap out of his terror and forced himself to remain as calm and composed as he could.
"I'm quite surprised. How did you know who and what I am?" Jaki asked, his tone betrayed a tiny hint of his fear.
Vegeta seemed to notice this because his lips had stretched further into a terrifying diabolic smile.
"Hmph! You should never underestimate a God of Destruction's senses of discernment." Vegeta replied haughtily with a snort. "Since that time you fetched us by the port, I already knew that you were not the same person who summoned me. But because I wanted to have some little fun for a while, I decided to play along your stupid game. I intentionally fell right into your trap so I could learn more about this island and why it was calling out to me. You may have threatened and manipulated the minds of the foolish people on this island about that savior, but in the end, you have failed to save yourselves from me."
Jaki blinked. The island was calling out to him? What does he even mean by that?
"You have no power over this island, Vegeta! This is a place that's beyond the laws and the boundaries of this Universe! You won't be able to destroy us!" Jaki shouted.
Vegeta's smile quickly turned into a ferocious snarl.
"How dare you address me by my first name without the proper honorific, you piece of trash?!" he growled dangerously, causing Jaki to shudder once again, although the demon did his best to ignore that.
"And what has made you think that just because you don't originally exist in my Universe would mean I cannot destroy you? Look around you and see that my powers of destruction can clearly affect the natural order of this place."
Jaki gritted his teeth together. He didn't expect the God of Destruction to see through his bluff.
Vegeta smirked once again, holding his right hand up and a blazing blue flame appeared levitating above his palm.
"And I can also manipulate the cores of existence of those who existed on this island," he continued.
The sight of the collected souls Jaki and his cohorts failed to accumulate made the enemy extremely livid.
"Damn you! Give that back! Those souls belong to me! They were meant to be an offering for our savior! How could you ruin our plans?!" Jaki roared.
"Have you forgotten? You summoned me here," Vegeta reminded him. "You brainwashed Freya Ike to do the God of Destruction's summoning ritual before you slowly devoured her soul and took over her existence by possessing her empty shell. I told you, didn't I? That I will be investigating this place. And look, I even gave you an extra fish to catch as bait for me to confirm what I've been suspecting you were trying to do all along.
"This island and its people aren't supposed to exist in this Universe as this place is simply nothing but a myth to humans. So in order for this place and its inhabitants to exist, you used a forbidden spell to allow them to replace some mortals as their substitutes, masking their existence with those mortals you sacrificed. It's kind of similar to one of my techniques and I found out that it must be the reason why the people of this island were able to see through my disguise and why their Cores of Existence stopped moving when I created my closed space. You may have thought that I won't take notice and I could say you did your best, but I'm not an idiot, Jaki…
"Aside from that, you made another mistake when you didn't realize that as replacements, their Cores of Existence would eventually burn out since the souls and the physical bodies don't match. So in order for your creations to continue existing in this world, they must have a source of energy of existence, and that could only be obtained from those who are originally existing in this Universe. That's why you lured foolish and curious humans to come into this island so they could slowly siphon off their life force and continue existing as they pleased.
"You were aware that these people cannot exist without using the natural denizens of the original world as their source of energy, so you sent those four fishermen as a sacrifice to gain attention and pique the interest of the stupid Earthlings about the supernatural and lure them into this place. You commanded them to go out beyond the territory in which they were only allowed to exist, and once they were out of that space, their life force immediately disintegrated. That's why when the humans on Lacco Island discovered their cadavers, they looked as if they were dried fruits because they were immediately drained of their life force and their souls.
"Since Hikari Ishida lived in the natural world, their life force got siphoned by the bastard inside her, thus the reason for her accelerated pregnancy. That was how Hikari got her calling to this island since the bastard within her womb was chosen to hear the wishes of the people of this island for a savior from me.
"You may all wanted to continue existing in this world, but you know I will never allow such a thing as it could create an imbalance in this Universe and cause a distortion. It's only natural that I will make a move and do my job as the God of Destruction once I find out this nasty plan of yours and how it could endanger my Universe. That is the reason why I have the authority over this place and how my powers can now affect this island."
Jaki stared back at him, out of words to say. How could this be? He never thought that Vegeta could see through all that. He must be some sort of genius. Now, all of his plans have been revealed and the God of Destruction is here to thwart the birth of his master.
"It's just as I said, you should never underestimate a God of Destruction's senses of discernment."
"Hehehe... Aren't you quite a cocky bastard, Vegeta?" Jaki asked him, giving off a sinister chuckle as he pulled something out from his pocket and showed it to the God of Destruction, who was visibly displeased and insulted by the sound of his screeching laughter.
At the sight of the amethyst pendant Bulma should be wearing, Vegeta's smirk faded.
"This is a Shinpogu of protection you bestowed upon this human girl, right? I wonder if she's going to be alright without it," Jaki continued in an almost sing-sang tone.
Realizing that Bulma lost the Larumes Chahbi to this monster, Vegeta scowled and his eyes narrowed.
Jaki cocked his head to the side and grinned at the God of Destruction wickedly, "And since it's now in my possession. You won't be able to do anything to me! Hahahahaha!"
Jaki's crazy laughter echoed across the field.
Vegeta lifted his right hand on his side, his thumb, index and middle fingers outstretched as he collected his energy to the tips of his fingers, forming a small orb of destruction energy. Then it burst outward, engulfing his hand completely, turning into a flaring and whirring energy sword that's almost as long as his legs.
He levitated off the rock where he stood, it immediately crumbled to dust at even the slightest force of his energy.
Suddenly, he disappeared, leaving behind a static afterimage of himself and a streak of purple fire and light.
Vegeta instantly appeared about five feet behind Jaki.
Jaki, who wasn't able to see the speed of Vegeta's movement, blinked his eyes in wonder. What the hell just happened?
Bulma stared up at Vegeta in awe, who suddenly materialized in front of her. He was gazing down at her with his cold eyes. As soon as Vegeta made a single step closer towards Bulma, a series of invisible and lightning fast attacks instantly bashed Jaki, beating his small body with heavy blows.
Jaki dropped to the ground, spewing out blood from his beak.
The Destroyer deity turned his head over his shoulders to gaze down at the beaten demon.
"You were saying?" Vegeta asked in a displeased tone, raising his left fist and showing Jaki the Larumes Chahbi he snatched back from his opponent's grasp.
"Wha–?!" Jaki gaped in incredulity, instinctively running his clawed hand around his neck to find the necklace missing.
Then he gritted his teeth in anger and glared at the God of Destruction. It was then he realized that it was definitely a wrong move to hold the human girl hostage. The God of Destruction wasn't giving in to his demands like he was expecting him to do.
This can't be happening. They only wanted to continue existing in this world, eliminating the filth and replacing it with what would be deemed as perfect beings. What was so wrong about that? They only wanted a perfect world. He couldn't understand why the God of Destruction must always keep on destroying even the most precious things? Why can't he just let them be?
The God of Destruction needed to be stopped. There must be some kind of way for them to continue existing in this world. There must be something they could do so that this Universe could become the perfect place for everyone to exist without any fear of being killed or destroyed one day.
That's right… His master… His master will fulfill that dream! He will save them all from this ruthless, destructive monster who probably didn't know anything about their desires for the perfect life and world!
"You are nothing but a tool of destruction, used by the higher gods to do their dirty bidding! Even if you destroy us now, you won't be able to stop our savior's birth!" Jaki coughed.
Vegeta scowled deeply at first. Jaki's initial words about him being only a tool of destruction that the higher gods use greatly insulted him. The fire in his eyes seemed to become ablazed due to that momentary surge of fury that ran through him.
Then he let out a wide, evil smirk, finally turning around entirely to face Jaki, "Heh! I told you, didn't I? That I am different from the other Gods of Destruction. I don't meekly obey the higher gods like I'm some sort of puppet. So what has made you think that I'm here to stop your pathetic savior's birth? No, I came all the way here to witness it. After all, I got invited to this special event, right?"
Jaki blinked back. What was he talking about?
"That's right," Vegeta continued. "If it is true that the bastard will become my greatest enemy, then I am here to check him out!"
He must be bluffing, Jaki thought to himself. He's indeed one cocky, crazy astard. Has he lost his mind?! Or was he a fool?! Why would a God of Destruction halt his divine punishment for the sake of waiting for an enemy to appear? Wasn't Vegeta supposed to be doing his proper duty to 'protect' the balance of this Universe? He did say that he was doing his duty a few moments earlier, that's why Jaki couldn't believe that Vegeta was actually allowing the birth of his enemy who would stop him was ridiculous.
Jaki scowled. He's not believing Vegeta's bluff at all.
"You'll learn soon enough whether I'm bluffing or not," the God of Destruction stated.
"I wouldn't be too complacent if I were you," Jaki warned him. "You won't be smirking like that once our great savior is born. Our savior… Our master… he will bring us a perfect world where you are no longer needed. A world where we will never fear you, your powers, or any thought of ceasing to exist. You are a filth that must be eliminated from this world, Vegeta. You are the one who must be erased. You are a threat to us all! You're the one who is going to disappear from this world!"
Vegeta laughed sarcastically, "Hahaha! Ooh, I'm terrified but also curious, does he really live up to your expectations? Now I feel more excited to meet him. I'm looking forward to it."
Jaki shrugged in disgust. What the hell is with this guy?! he thought. Damn it! Given the urgent situation, I don't have any other choice but to fight back if it meant buying time for the master to be born. This is not the time to be holding back!
Those were Jaki's frustrated thoughts as he rose up from the ground and began charging his ki. Vegeta's eyes narrowed in alert as he watched his foe power-up and unleash several copies of himself similarly to how Vegeta does when using Spirit Control: Proliferation. Jaki's clones raised their hands up in the air altogether and the wind around them began to vibrate, dust immediately start to combine and form into long, massive, snake-like creatures made from the mass of energy, wind, and dust Jaki was manipulating.
Vegeta braced himself for battle. His energy sword, which still zapped around his right hand, continuously buzzed as he prepared for the incoming onslaught.
With a cocky smile, Jaki and his clones swept their right arms forward as if to command the creatures to attack the God of Destruction.
Vegeta released the ki sword off his fingers, lifting his right hand in the air as if hurling it upwards. The energy blade spun in the air, forming its own handle and cross-guard from the God of Destruction's excess energy. He grabbed the handle, whirled the sword between his hands and the blade burst into a huge blaze of purple flame and light just as about fifty of Jaki's body doubles immediately charged at him with a powerful leap.
From then on, the Hakaishin busily engaged himself on a fierce battle against the demon's clones while the real Jaki slowly moved towards the cot where Hikari lay unconscious, his eyes kept cautious on Vegeta as the God of Destruction enjoyed himself fighting and annihilating his body doubles.
He grabbed Bulma by her hair and dragged her backwards. The blue-haired human girl yelped and screeched in pain, trying to pull away from Jaki's grasp and struggled to let herself go. She realized that this petite creature had immense strength despite its small size.
Hearing Bulma's cries for help and her pain, Vegeta growled indignantly when he realized he didn't have enough time to play around with his foes. He hurled his energy sword upwards to the air, crossed his arms in front of him in an X and forcefully pushed them back to his sides, creating a mighty explosion of energy shockwave which completely annihilated all of Jaki's clones in an instant.
However, Jaki molded more of his ki to create several more and much stronger clones of himself to keep the God of Destruction distracted.
"Tch! You're becoming such a nuisance, you persistent vermin!" Vegeta growled as he grabbed the ki sword he threw in the air earlier and took a step closer to both Jaki and Bulma. The clones would get in his way, attacking him.
"Get out of my way, you damn bastards! Begone!" the God of Destruction yelled, slashing through the annoying copies of his enemy.
Jaki harshly pushed Bulma next to Hikari, and slammed her down, face-first, against the cot.
"Master, my deepest apologies. The God of Destruction has thwarted my plans for a special gift to welcome you into this world. To compensate for my foolish mistake, please take this woman and let her be the offering of sacrifice instead. She can become an important tool for you to use against the evil God of Destruction," Jaki was saying.
Bulma kept on fighting back, screaming, scratching her nails against Jaki's hardened skin, hitting him with her tiny fists, and demanding him to let her go.
"Argh! Why is this stupid girl this feisty?! Is this why the fiery God of Destruction has taken a liking to you?! Stop it, woman!" Jaki commented, slapping Bulma across the face, which caused her to fall back to the cot with a yelp.
Vegeta stopped moving after that. He simply stared as Bulma was thrown back to where Hikari was. He saw how Jaki slapped her pretty face and how the fiend pulled her back and grabbed her head before smashing it down on the cot between Hikari's legs. The sight of that caused a burst of anger within his chest, which spread all throughout his entire body.
Jaki took the Sor Eita and shook it in the air, the sound of tambourine filled the air and the Shinpogu began to glow a golden light. Bulma gasped, feeling her energy being drained rapidly. Was that thing absorbing her life force? Or was it Hikari's unborn child?
"Out of my way!" Vegeta roared, slashing through his foes with his energy sword.
"Take her, my master! I offer this woman's body and soul to you! Take her and save us all from destruction!" Jaki declared as he shook the Sor Eita in the air with his free hand.
Bulma found her body glowing a mystical white light and that light, her ki, gradually seeped out of her towards Hikari's pregnant belly. She began to weaken as more of her ki was siphoned by the upcoming enemy. Her blue eyes helplessly stared at Vegeta as he fought Jaki's body doubles, whispering his mighty name in her hopes of him saving her from the clutches of this demon.
"Save me... Vegeta..." she pleaded.
Vegeta's rage burned at those words he heard from her, causing another shockwave of energy and a bright purple light to explode from him. It was when Jaki realized that the God of Destruction had completely incinerated all of his body doubles using only his pulsing, ominous aura. Jaki gritted his teeth and created another batch to keep him busy, but this time, the clones weren't able to make their first step before Vegeta's swirling flame of aura destroyed them all as he marched forward.
Feeling the air vibrate due to the God of Destruction's intense fury and finding the dark and cold expression on Vegeta's face, Jaki was greatly terrified. The sight of Bulma being offered as a sacrifice to this demon's master and her pretty face slapped pushed Vegeta's anger even further. The earth trembled once more, and with even greater intensity with each step he took forward, causing the soil beneath his brown boots to crack. Aside from that, an invisible force seemed to push everything down to the ground, like some heavy gravity pull. The pressure Vegeta was emitting was so intense it made Jaki stumble and fall to the quaking ground along with Bulma.
The frightened demon shrieked to himself out of pure terror, thinking desperately, Wha–What's with this guy?! Is he getting stronger the more he gets angrier?! If this keeps up, I won't be able to buy much time any longer! Come on, Master. Please come and save me from the God of Destruction's wrath!
Then Jaki realized one thing... A gnawing pain of sadness, disappointment, regret, and betrayal. A doubt that his master probably won't do anything to save him here. A lack of faith out of desperation to survive. Was he being such a fool to put his hopes on an unborn child?
Or am I going to be the sacrifice instead?
Finally freaking out upon this realization, Jaki made his move to run away despite the force pushing him down, he shoved Bulma away from him before he scampered away like a frightened rat.
"Hmph! What a coward," Vegeta snorted, watching his enemy try to escape from him.
The God of Destruction hurled the ki blade he was holding towards Jaki. It pierced through the enemy's back with its end hitting the ground, causing the demon to forcefully stumble and lurch forward, preventing it from escaping. The Sor Eita dropped to the ground, it's golden glow fading.
Jaki let out a frightened shriek and coughed lots of blood out of his beak. A horrified screech and a whine of pure agony resounded from his throat as he remained skewered like some roasted kebab by Vegeta's energy blade.
The pain it brought him was extremely agonizing. It felt like whatever energy Vegeta used on the ki blade didn't simply penetrate through that part of him. It was slowly tearing him apart from the inside, sluggishly torturing him as well. It caused Jaki to go into a state of shock and helplessly shook into a series of uncontrollable seizures, causing him to cry out in pain.
With a menacing and delighted chuckle, Vegeta stepped towards Jaki, circling him like a predator slowly observing his prey with such joy and sadism. His eyes seemed to grow more ablazed than earlier despite the dark and bone-chilling expression he had on his intimidating visage.
"Where do you think you're going? Didn't you initialize this game in the first place? And now that you finally realized your foolishness after incurring my wrath, you don't want to play with me anymore?" Vegeta told him with a cold smile.
Jaki was visibly shaking. He was so terror-stricken every sinew of his being was quivering. Vegeta giggled at the sight of that, he could even smell his target's fear from where he was circling him, and it made his heart pound with such satisfaction.
Yes, this was what he would like to see from Jaki. The hopelessness of his targets, a much needed requirement so that the power of destruction could devour them down to their very core.
But for Vegeta, it wasn't enough. This damn monster wanted to sacrifice the woman he chose to decide the fate of this world to that master of his. While Vegeta was eager to meet this savior, he will never foolishly trade his beloved Bulma's precious existence for that.
Jaki has to pay dearly with his blood for what he had done.
The pulsing rage. The intense anger. The boiling bloodlust. All these feelings building up uncontrollably within his chest were making his heart pound with extreme excitement, burning his fighting spirit ceaselessly… These are making the power of the Secret of Self-Indulgence technique run wild through his veins!
"You're not going anywhere, Jaki. I still want to play with you. You see, I could have killed you in an instant, but I was enjoying myself far too much," Vegeta told him in an icy tone before his lips curled into a ferocious snarl. "Fool! How dare you lay your filthy hands on my Bulma?! I will make sure that I will enjoy making your upcoming destruction the most agonizing you'll ever feel!"
"Eeeek!" Jaki screeched back in his fright.
Jaki whimpered, already imagining what the ruthless God of Destruction was planning to do with him in his cruel mind. So it was true, indeed, that amongst the Gods of Destruction, Vegeta held the title of being the bloodthirstiest and most merciless of all. He doesn't show any mercy nor does he hold back his divine punishments to those who defy or anger him.
"Earlier, you have such strong faith thinking this master of yours would come to save you from me. Isn't that right?" Vegeta asked, still with his cold smile, finally stopping his pacing in front of Jaki as if to show his cruel smile to him. He suddenly grew more intimidating as his expression became more menacing. "Let's try that theory, shall we?"
Vegeta grabbed the handle of the ki sword and pulled it off the ground. He dragged it along with the still skewered Jaki, and forcefully smashed the blade down next to the cot where Hikari still lay unconscious until Jaki's face and body were forcefully pushed against the space of the bonk between her legs, just as how Jaki tried with Bulma earlier.
"Call for this master of yours to save you, Jaki! Tell him to come out and show me what he is capable of!" Vegeta ordered.
Jaki could only whimper back in either pain or fear, so Vegeta proceeded to torture his target even greater. This made Jaki scream once again, more intense, spine-chilling and ear-piercing than earlier, as his body quivered against the stone cot and around the blazing energy blade.
"What's the matter? Done already? I'm still playing around. Come on, let's do this some more," The God of Destruction told him with a laugh. His lips stretching into a cruel and sadistic grin while his eyes glowed even more ablazed. "Don't disappoint me now, Jaki. Entertain me more with your screams of agony!"
Jaki began to cry out for help. "Masteeeeeeerr! Help meeeee! Save me! Aaaaaaah!"
Bulma could see that Vegeta was going too far this time. What the hell was going on with him? This ruthless side of his began to scare and worry her now. It felt like he suddenly turned into a completely different person than the man she saw loneliness and gentleness in his eyes. Who was this guy? Was he still the same man she chose to love? Or was this his true nature as the formidable and merciless God of Destruction, the one Vegeta always tried to warn her about?
It went on and on until Jaki couldn't scream or move anymore. But Vegeta wasn't stopping. His mind was too clouded by his own bloodlust and his desire to satiate his sadistic urges and quenchless thirst for blood.
Bulma gasped as she felt Vegeta's energy begin to rise even higher. The entire meadow had already been turned into a barren wasteland since he arrived a few minutes ago. She cannot sense ki, but she could feel that the intensity of the pressure around her grew more perilous, chilling, and shaky. It felt like there's a powerful, terrifying and invisible force trying to push her away from him.
This pressure was strong enough to create vibrations in the chilling air and tremors from all around her. She could even hear a rumbling sound similar to an animalistic growl and that terrified her down to her bone.
She wasn't sure if she was even seeing things right or if she was hallucinating when she found a massive hologram-like figure seemingly hovering above Vegeta. It was a giant demonic monkey with glowing red eyes and sharp teeth, the same form of the avatar he created while he battled against Ramies earlier. It was snarling in its thirst for blood and destruction, the sound brought chills up Bulma's spine.
What... What is that monster?! Bulma asked herself. Her jaw dropped while her huge, blue eyes were wide in pure terror. She was visibly quivering in horror at the sight of that fearsome beast.
She couldn't find an answer to that question. Perhaps, this monster was some kind of demonic spirit possessing Vegeta right now? Or was it his true form, considering the monkey tail he had? She remembered Vegeta's story about how his tail was supposed to be the source of his Saiyan power. Was this the Oozaru form he was talking about in his stories about his mortal life?
Whatever it was, the way it materialized before her eyes through his energy alone was enough for her to tell that if he doesn't stop this, he would lose control of himself and would start destroying everything, not just on this mountain or this island, but even the entire Earth!
She quickly rose from her position on the ground and grabbed Vegeta's arm in her hopes of getting his attention and calm him down a bit. He quickly turned his head to face her. His eyebrowless features, his wild, glowing eyes, his dark demeanor and deranged countenance frightened her at that moment, making her want to immediately jump back in fear, but she swallowed the forming lump of terror on her throat, mustered up her courage, and stood her ground.
"That's enough, Vegeta." she told him like a mother ordering her unruly son to stop misbehaving.
Vegeta simply stared back at her. His face looked blank and cold, but she could see his eyes were dilated and shaking, his muscles were quivering under her touch, as if he was trying to recognize her or to control himself from lashing out his rage on her. He was doing his best to get back to reality and regain control over himself.
The ominous glow of Vegeta's irises and his frightening transformation faded as he finally got a hold of himself and calmed down. He grunted in annoyance, more on himself rather than being thwarted in the middle of his indulgence. He pulled his arm off Bulma's grasp and turned away from her, telling her not to get too close to him right now as his energy of destruction was still overflowing his body and that he was a danger to her right now. Who knows what he could have done to her if he wasn't able to stop himself from his Self-Indulgent state?
Not far away from them, Jaki was whimpering in fear but he was thankful for Bulma's interruption, even if it was only for a very brief moment before Vegeta returned his murderous focus to him.
Jaki felt the ki sword that was still piercing his body buzzed and shrink in size, causing Jaki's blood to spurt out of the gaping hole it left behind. The energy was now a tiny orb of destruction inside of him.
"You have incurred the wrath of a destroyer deity and therefore, you must suffer divine punishment. This is the judgment of the God of Destruction..." Jaki heard Vegeta say in a low but icy tone, feeling his soul pulsed within his chest.
Vegeta suddenly raised his voice in an imperious way, which could have made anyone scampering to save their precious existences from his divine punishment.
"I condemn your entire existence from this Universe! Begone!"
With his fingers crackling with his excess, residual energy, Vegeta snapped his fingers. His face was a mask of cruelty and remorselessness. The air around him vibrated with the lingering effects of his raw power as Jaki's body instantly disintegrated into fine, powdery, black dust.
The battlefield went silent after that, only the echoes of death and destruction remained in the air, a testament to the devastating power of the God of Destruction's boundless wrath and the grim fate that befalls those who dare to cross him.
The black dust, or the 'energy of recreation', which Jaki turned into, swirled in the air and made its way towards Hikari Ishida instead of being dispersed all around until it completely vanished. This odd phenomena caught Vegeta's attention and he observed in silence as it entered through the pores of her swollen stomach.
Hikari's brows furrowed and she let out a long, uncomfortable groan. In her deep sleep, she heard that same deep, demonic voice in her head that haunted her nightmarish visions.
"Jaki… Hakaishin… Vegeta… At long last… I've finally found you… Seiten Taisei…"
Ba-bump!
Hikari's brown eyes flew open and she began to scream in agony as her belly expanded rapidly.
Bulma asked Vegeta as she watched in horror and disbelief at what was happening to the woman. She has never seen something like this before. "What's happening?! Is she about to give birth?!"
"It seems that way. Heh, this is getting interesting," Vegeta said with a deranged smile.
His words caused Bulma to look at him as if asking if he had truly lost his mind and was going insane.
What's so interesting about this? she wondered to herself.
They watched as Hikari's body contorted, shuddered, twisted, and trembled against the stone cot. Her eyes widened when it looked like Hikari's water just broke. Yeah, that could be a sign. Bulma's helpful nature instinctively made her approach Hikari, wanting to assist her in giving birth. Vegeta grabbed her arm, stopping her. She turned to him and found his disapproval.
"I can do this, Vegeta. I'll be fine. I have medical experience, remember?" she assured him.
Bulma gently pushed his hand away. Vegeta pulled her back, shaking his head in disapproval. She pulled away from him.
"What's wrong with helping her out? You want the baby out and alive, right? Don't worry," she asked.
"Fine! At least take this with you!" Vegeta told her as he handed the Larumes Chahbi back to her. Bulma took the necklace from him and put it in her pocket since the chain was broken by Jaki earlier.
Vegeta turned his back away, feeling uncomfortable and not wanting to see how human women give birth to their bastards. He could hear Hikari's ceaseless screams and Bulma encouraging her to push. He could smell the mouthwatering scent of Hikari's human blood lingering in the air. It was triggering his bloodlust and he could feel the power being brought forth by the Secret of Self-Indulgence technique threatening to take over once more. He clenched his hands into shaking fists as if trying to restrain himself from losing control again. He took notice of the swirling clouds above them but dismissed it as perhaps an effect of his own presence and God of Destruction powers.
A tense minute or two passed and Hikari let out the loudest, most blood-curdling anguished scream she could have mustered her entire life.
Finally, Hikari's cries ceased completely. Vegeta heard Bulma gasp in terror and then she let out a short yelp, causing him to turn around and appear beside her instantly.
"Are you alright?" he asked in concern.
Bulma opened her flinching eyes and turned to look back at him with widened eyes, seemingly shaken by what she just saw or whatever happened to her. She was grasping her right wrist with her left hand as she nodded slowly.
"I'm fine. It's just a small scratch," she told him.
She reached out her hands to the bloodied newborn that was still attached to its umbilical cord. Bulma took a blade she was bringing with her inside her bag to cut the cord off the baby.
Vegeta frowned, grabbing her right wrist and observed the two small, punctured and arcing wounds on the side of her hand.
"Did you just get bitten by a snake?" he asked her.
Bulma pulled her arm away, "It's just a scratch, Vegeta. I'm fine," she assured.
"That doesn't look like a mere scratch to me, at least for a human like you," Vegeta told her.
"Whis!" he harshly called his guide angel.
Whis immediately appeared behind Vegeta. "Yes, milord?" he asked.
Vegeta showed the angel Bulma's wrist, "Look at this. Is this the Orochi's doing?"
"Hmm… I'm not sure. Where did you get that?"
"I have no idea. I just felt it right now. I was thinking I might have gotten it earlier though," Bulma responded.
Vegeta turned his eyes to the newborn child and back to its mother. He flinched in disgust at the gruesome sight he found between her legs and he turned his eyes to Hikari's chest where he should be sensing her Core of Existence, then realized that the new and unexpected mother was dead, her soul and life force were clearly extinguished and devoured. He fumed in fury and he grabbed the now wailing newborn by its chubby legs and disappeared. He heard Bulma calling out to him to stop.
Bulma turned to Whis, pleading him to stop the God of Destruction on whatever he was planning to do with the newborn child. She noticed him looking up somewhere so she followed his gaze to find Vegeta standing at the edge of a cliff about 70 meters away from where she stood, grabbing the wailing baby boy by his foot in the air.
"So you are the bastard who will become my greatest enemy, huh?" he told the newborn. "Hmm… I don't sense any power from you right now. Perhaps you are hiding it from me or maybe it still hasn't awoken yet."
He looked down on the cliff below him. "Hmm… Let's see… Why don't we take that power of yours to a test? If you manage to survive falling from this height and return to me here, then I will give you a chance to live and reach your full power. If you are nothing but a mere human child, then I guess you will simply die and join your mother who died because of you in the otherworld. You will have no other choice but to unleash that power, if not, I will destroy you here."
Bulma and Whis appeared behind the God of Destruction, "Vegeta! What the hell are you doing?! Are you seriously going to throw that baby off the cliff? Are you crazy?! Have you had enough?!" she yelled at him.
Vegeta turned to her, a crazed look upon his pinkish-red eyes. "You have witnessed how this child was born, and you still think it's human?"
"Human or not, that is still a newborn baby, Vegeta! He doesn't know how to fight or to use his power, if there was really any power within him! Are you really going to kill someone who is powerless and innocent?" Bulma reasoned.
Vegeta turned his glowing magenta eyes to stare down at her, laughing coldly, "Powerless and innocent? I don't think so. I will not let this bastard get away with what it did to you just now."
Vegeta pulled his arm and hurled the wailing baby boy off the cliff, much to Bulma's astonishment at how cruel he was acting right now. She flinched and shut her eyes to avoid witnessing such a ruthless murder scene.
The God of Destruction watched closely as the baby dropped into the ground. However, before it could hit the land, the baby was impaled by a purple-colored energy sword that the destroyer deity created from his hand. It pierced right between its upper left chest and right shoulder. It somehow stopped its momentum before falling into the ground, but it was still brutal.
The baby's cry of pain resonated and Bulma opened her eyes when she heard it. She was terrified by what she saw Vegeta just did.
Vegeta ascended to the air and descended on the ground where the baby was pinned down by his energy sword. It shrunk in length as he drew closer to the crying, helpless child.
He scowled, displeased. "Hmph! What a waste of time. Is this really the brat the higher gods are so afraid of?! I was told you're supposed to be someone who possesses power that could bring me trouble. They say you were to become my greatest opponent, a threat to my existence! But what kind of pathetic display is this?! That stupid prophecy must be a fluke! How disappointing!" he spat bitterly, spitting on the ground in disgust.
Whis stared down at the baby being skewered by Vegeta's energy sword, and then looked back to his master in silence.
"Hmph! You underestimate me, shameless fool. I can see right through you. Now, quit the powerless and innocent act and show me your true form! This is a command from the God of Destruction of this Universe!" Vegeta ordered in an imperious tone.
Nothing happened.
Now getting impatient and angry, Vegeta's powerful voice reverberated across the Magus Island. "You abominable bastard! Do you think I'm a fool?!" he roared, thrusting the sword deeper into the child, causing it to cry louder.
Bulma opened her eyes and gasped at the gruesome sight she found, "How cruel, stupid Vegeta! Just what do you think you're doing?! Are you crazy?!"
Bulma was about to come forward to stop Vegeta from harming the child even further, but Whis grabbed her arm. She turned her head to give the guide angel a glare, and Whis shook his head at her.
"Bulma-san, I don't think you understand what's happening here. I guess it's because you are a human, that's why you cannot see through it and was easily fooled by its look. Vegeta-sama knows what he's doing. His sense of discernment is quite a strong one. He can see right through the enemy," Whis told her.
"Eh?! What do you mean?"
Vegeta pushed the energy sword deeper into the newborn child's body. The baby screamed with a high-pitched cry of agony. Bulma flinched at the sound.
"Please, Vegeta! Stop this already!" Bulma pleaded with him. Vegeta turned his eyes to her and saw her kneeling on the ground, her hands covering her terrified face. Her eyes were squinting and full of tears and she was trembling from her fear.
The sight of that clearly broke Vegeta's hardened heart and he turned back to the child, "Hmph! Fine. This isn't enough to kill you, but you shall receive this divine punishment for the rest of your pathetic life," he declared with a deep, cold tone. The baby's body began to glow with Vegeta's energy of destruction, its core of existence pulsed as a reaction to his presence.
"You have incurred the wrath of the God of Destruction, and therefore, receive this curse I shall bestow upon you. This shall make your pathetic life on this Earth miserable. You will remember this pain, remember Vegeta Yonsei, the God of Destruction who inflicted this upon you. You shall never forget my face, my name, who I am, what I did to you, and this agony in which I have bestowed upon you tonight. These will become your greatest nightmare, it will haunt you wherever you go, and it shall fuel your hatred of me. And that hatred you must use against me one day. You will find me and you will want to destroy me, just as any pitiful being born in this Universe does. And I shall await the day when you reach your full potential and seek to destroy me. You will appear before me, granting me the fight which I long for, and only then, I will destroy you completely. This is the God of Destruction's command! Now let it be done!"
Vegeta harshly pulled the energy sword off the child and it dropped to the ground, bleeding and still wailing. He dissipated the ki blade, and stabbed a finger at the sky and released six spirits to be returned to their original bodies.
Seeing what Vegeta just did, Bulma thought that he must have revived Rocky, Vanilla, Mint, Leiri, Mocha and Braun. She felt glad and relieved to know that.
Vegeta levitated off the ground and ordered his guide angel, "Whis, go and take this brat, Bulma, Miho, and the other humans we brought with us here away. I will bestow my divine punishment and destroy this doomed island."
"As you wish, Vegeta-sama," Whis nodded in obedience.
Whis put his hand over Bulma's left shoulder before he teleported to the whining and bleeding child. Bulma flinched at the grotesque sight and looked away, feeling herself shudder. She turned to see Vegeta picking up the tambourine that Jaki was using earlier and the board, the holographic light that seemed to make up a map over it earlier was now gone. She frowned at him, and looked away to the other direction with a silent huff and a frown.
Vegeta's eyebrows furrowed when he heard her angry thoughts. He could tell that she was furious at him for what he just did. She was also uncomfortable and shaken after witnessing how ruthlessly he does his job as a God of Destruction. He wanted to discuss about it with her but he knew that this wasn't the right time for that. He had to finish his work here first, plus, he could tell that she was tired after a lot of things happened today for her.
Meanwhile, Whis magically healed the boy's injuries with his angelic powers, ignoring the silent tension between Vegeta and Bulma.
After that, Whis, Bulma, and the baby disappeared to thin air, teleporting towards wherever Hikari, Vanilla, and the others were probably laying unconscious. Once Whis was able to gather the humans Vegeta commanded him to save, he proceeded to instantly transport themselves to the shores of Lacco Island.
When Vegeta finally sensed that Whis and the others were away from Magus Island, he decided it was finally time.
He levitated in the air, flaring his God of Destruction aura around his body as he begins to power up. He flexed his arms on his sides, clenching his hands into fists as he manipulated the essence of existence of Magus Island.
The thunderclouds rolled across the skies as a blackish-purple dome, the God of Destruction's energy, encapsulate the entire Magus Island. The waters that surrounded it began to part away from it as if it feared the destroyer deity's rising power. Ferocious lightning bolts exploded from the sky while the ground rumbled as if a high-intensity earthquake shook the island to its core. Massive cracks began to swallow the Minka houses, crumbling the Five Pillar Mountains down.
"This island's existence has incurred the wrath of the God of Destruction and therefore, it and everything that exists within it shall receive this divine punishment! I am going to return it to nothingness where it originally belonged! Now perish! Be turned to dust! Destruction!"
The entire Magus Island got engulfed by a highly-destructive energy, an intense purple light, which completely obliterated it in a massive explosion.
Bulma gasped in terror as she watched Vegeta erase Magus Island from the shores of Lacco Island. She was feeling the pressure caused by the shockwaves coming from the devastating explosion the mighty force the God of Destruction just unleashed.
Then she suddenly fell to her knees, panting and heaving for breath. Whis turned to her, squatted next to her, grabbed her shoulders and asked, "Are you alright, Bulma-san?"
Bulma felt like she was growing weak so she leaned forward on Whis' shoulder and mumbled weakly, "It hurts… I feel… so hot…"
Then she fainted on the guide angel. Whis caught her in his slender arms. He touched her forehead and found that she was indeed burning hot. It must be the effect of the bite she got earlier while assisting Hikari during childbirth.
Vegeta seemed to sense what was happening to his beloved and he was there in the blink of an eye, pulling Bulma towards him. "Bulma! Hey, Bulma! Get a hold of yourself. What's the matter?" he asked in genuine concern and worry, gently caressing her face and felt her body temperature was hotter than usual. He raised his ebony eyes to his guide angel and asked, "Whis, what's happening to her?"
"I believe she was having what humans call a fever, milord," Whis informed him.
Vegeta silently nodded as if understanding what that was. He had no idea what human sickness was nor what having a fever even meant for Earthlings, but he was aware that Bulma was not well, probably due to how some of her ki was siphoned by that damned brat earlier.
He ordered Whis to take care of the other humans who were with them for him and to put the closed space down. Whis agreed and tapped the end of his staff, completely erasing the memories of the humans who were with them about whatever happened between them and the events since they were all together, replacing the missing memories with something else, and then magically put them all to their beds in their own homes to make it look like they were sleeping all this time and put the closed space down.
Vegeta carried Bulma in his muscular arms and instantly teleported himself to Chichi's home back at West City, almost giving Chichi a heart attack once again as he appeared before her out of nowhere just like last time.
"Seriously, Vegeta-sama! I don't know how you manage to appear from thin air like that but please, stop doing that!" Chichi berated him, but when she found her friend passed out on his arms, she quickly panicked.
"Bulma-san! What happened to her?" she asked in concern.
"She is burning with a fever whatever that is and it seems she was bitten by a snake too. Could you take care of her for me?" Vegeta asked Chichi, surprisingly in a softer tone than his usually imperious one.
Chichi knew she didn't have any time to think about that strange occurrence and simply nodded, leading him to her room where she told him to lay Bulma on her bed.
"Do you know on which part she was bitten? Was it a venomous snake?" she asked.
"Whether it was venomous or not, I have no idea. But she was bitten on her right hand. Here–"
Vegeta's words were cut off when he found that the bite was fully healed.
"–What the hell?" he uttered in confusion.
"What?" Chichi blinked.
Vegeta frowned. He was sure he saw the bite marks on her hand a few minutes ago.
"I… I guess I was wrong about the bite. Still, she's burning up. Take care of her for me. I will be back to you later. I have something to take care of," Vegeta told Chichi.
Vegeta disappeared right before Chichi's eyes as if he was some ghostly apparition.
"What the hell is that guy?" Chichi wondered to herself.
Miho Lim shot her eyes open when she instinctively sensed that someone was watching her. It was dark in her room and she was lying on her bed, wondering if she was dreaming all along. She sat down on her bed and stared at the mirror that was pinned behind her bedroom door across her.
She felt a chill run up her spine, she could tell that there was someone there behind her.
A terrifying presence.
"Who's there?" she asked dreadfully.
A flash of lightning abruptly lit the room, and Miho found two figures standing silently behind her. It caused her to screech in her fright, making Vegeta chuckle as it reminded him of her initial reaction when he showed himself to her after her summoning.
Hearing that dark giggle, Miho swirled around to face them.
"Who are you?!" she asked breathlessly.
Still chuckling, he answered. "I am Vegeta Yonsei, the God of Destruction who is responsible for the death and devastation of all that exists in this Universe."
"You are the God of Destruction? You really do exist?"
Vegeta snorted with a laugh. Even the same stupid questions.
"I wouldn't be here if I don't, idiot," he told her.
"What are you doing here? I don't remember summoning you."
"You already did. The night before the Dark Destroyers' concert, you summoned me to help save your best friend, Hikari Ishida."
"Contract?"
"Of course, you won't remember it. I erased that part of your memory. I'm here to tell you that the contract has finished. Hikari Ishida has met her deadly fate which was even worse than what I originally planned for her."
"What do you mean by that?! Don't tell me Hikari-chan is–!" Miho gasped in disbelief.
"She's dead. She has already faced the consequences of the contract you made with me not too long ago," Vegeta told her emotionlessly.
The shock was evident on Miho Lim's face.
"Don't be afraid of me. I'm not here to take your existence yet. You can still serve me well by raising the child she and Yami left for me."
Whis stepped forward to hand over the now sleeping baby on his arms, wrapped in a white sheet of cloth and covered with talisman seals. Hikari shrugged away in disgust.
"But that's a demon child! No human child can develop and be born as fast as he did! That brat killed Hikari-chan, didn't it?! Take that demon away from me! I don't want anything to do with such a demon child!" she shrieked.
"Hmm… I originally planned to leave this child to the care of his grandmother, Chitose Ishida, but then I thought that because you have already associated yourself with me, I thought it would be better if you take the child instead. You don't have any other choice, Miho. Take the child and take good care of it for me."
"But I don't have anything to support a child! I'm just a teenager! What would people think of me if I come out of there taking care of a baby?!"
"And what makes you think that's any of my problem? You have associated yourself to me, the God of Destruction, so you have no other choice but to obey what I tell you to do unless you wish for me to destroy you here and now," Vegeta told her icily. "Do you really want to abandon your best friend's child? Or perhaps, since you are refusing to follow my orders, maybe I should end our contract and destroy you here?"
Fearing for her own existence, Miho eventually agreed, though still reluctantly. She hesitantly took the baby off Whis' hands and held the baby on her arms for the first time. She stared down at it, the child opened his eyes. He has black hair and brown eyes like that of his mother, but his facial features reminded her of Yami. The child was very beautiful, but she knew it's beauty held a deadly edge to it.
Miho felt entranced by the child, forgetting her earlier opinion of it. Tears welled up on her eyes as she grieved Hikari Ishida's death and the child's sad future being parentless and all.
"Alright, Vegeta-sama. I will take good care of him," Miho finally agreed.
"That's good to hear then."
"What are you naming him, Lim-san?" Whis asked.
Hikari stared at the child's eyes and found his brown eyes flashed a golden light for a very brief moment. Vegeta and Whis noticed this, but didn't took any heed about it.
"Chioro… Chioro Ishida," Miho answered in a low tone as if she was hypnotized to say so.
Chioro, huh? Definitely Orochi's name equivalent in the language of the gods. And it was obvious he chose that name himself. This brat… So he indeed has some kind of power within him. I can't wait to fight him! Vegeta thought to himself, grinning excitedly.
"That's all we're here for, Miho. Take good care of him and yourself," Vegeta told Miho with a genuine smile. He looked down at the baby on her arms and said, "And Chioro, I will be waiting for you when you grow up. I have given you both a chance to extend your existences in my Universe, be grateful for it."
With that, Vegeta and Whis disappeared into the darkness. Light broke out from the closed space as it slowly dissipated.
Chioro's gaze fell back on Miho's eyes, which had tears flowing freely down her cheeks while she was crying at the loss of Hikari Ishida. He reached out his small chubby hands towards her and touched her cheek softly.
In Hikari's mind, she heard a deep voice tell her, "Fear not, woman. I will save you from the fate that's awaiting you by the hands of the God of Destruction."
Who was that? Miho's eyes widened and blinked in wonder, looking down at the baby in her arms who was smiling back at her. She heard that same voice telling her what name she would bestow the child earlier, was it coming from this little boy?
What the hell was this child?