Dragon Ball Z: Wicked Rebirth
By: Steve9021
During the story of a different future – the one from which Future Trunks came to warn the Z Fighters about the Androids, the Demon God of ancient Namekian folklore seeks to rewrite history, but by doing so, he garners the attention of yet another largely forgotten by time.
Dark Demon Realm Saga - Part 1: Resolution
Future Timeline. Age 764, six months after the defeat of Garlic Jr,
Capsule Corporation had proven to be a comfortable enough place for training, but Vegeta hadn’t the past few nights. He had been unable to sleep a wink. The feeling of anticipation, of hardly being able to wait another day, drove him to get up in the middle of the night and fly out into space. As a boy, he had feared the emptiness of space – it was one of the few environments where his strength meant nothing. He was glad to have overcome such a feeble limitation.
A year had passed. It was the evening before that date burned into his consciousness – the date on which he had agreed to fight Goku in a rematch. Leaving Capsule Corporation, he took off into space using his Super Saiyan breathing technique. As usual, he watched and waited, scanning for any possible sign of Kakarot’s return. This night, he was particularly anxious.
The weightlessness of the starry void also gave him a chance to practice his balance in space. The problem he had found while fighting Cooler was that because gravity was absent, one could easily be thrown off course or sent flying in a random direction. Stopping and countering attacks were both more difficult. To account for this, Vegeta practiced creating invisible walls of Ki in front of him that he could spring off of. It wasn’t the easiest thing to do while being attacked, but he found his attacks much stronger and more effective when he launched off one of his walls than when he simply propelled himself forward with his energy.
As the Prince waited eagerly, moments turning into hours, he began to try to reach out further than ever before with his senses. “Surely I should be able to sense him by now…” The Prince relaxed his mind and stilled his body, allowing the freedom to really listen to the Universe around him. When at last he had, the Prince was in awe at how much of the Solar System he was able to sense all at once. It was as if nothing could hide from him, that anything and everything were responding in subtle waves that he could feel.
“Ah, there you are, Kakarot. Right on schedule, and a good thing too…lucky for your planet, at least.” Within mere minutes, the Super Saiyan was able to spot Goku’s Attack Pod, which sped past Jupiter, through the Asteroid Belt, crossing the orbit of Mars, and plummeted directly towards the Earth.
The ship’s speed was far faster than Vegeta was capable of flying, but because he had been closely watching the vessel there was enough time for him to move directly into it’s trajectory. Boldly, the hardened Saiyan warrior crossed his arms and smirked. As expected, Kakarot’s ship passed him with a gap of mere feet between them; the Earth-raised Saiyan within looked curiously outside and took notice of the grinning Super Saiyan. As their gazes met, each warrior experienced an entirely different sensation. While both were excited to face one another, Goku had hoped that he would at least have a few moments to see his family and friends before the battle. Vegeta, however, would wait not a second longer than he already had. The pod finally broke free from the Prince’s stare, which seemed to have slowed time down to a tiny crawl, and ripped through the atmosphere below.
THUUDD! The ship landed in the middle of West City, forming a larger crater on top of a now-destroyed movie theater. Luckily, it was still early in the morning and the place was closed. Goku immediately climbed out of his ship, glad that his inability to steer the pod hadn’t cost any lives. As he had come to expect, the ship had survived the landing completely intact.
Before Goku could even take a step, the Prince was upon him. Goku looked up, seeing the last of Saiyan royalty hovering between two skyscrapers about 50 feet above the ground. Vegeta’s Super Saiyan aura flooded the area with excess energy, causing short circuits in traffic lights, televisions, and even electronic vehicles below. The smile worn by the Prince issued a clear challenge.
Immediately Goku began to worry about fighting in the middle of a city. The casualties would be staggering. “Gosh, it looks like Vegeta means business…right now. I have to get away from West City at least, so nobody gets hurt…surely he will agree to that.”
“Hey, Vegeta,” he said. “What’s say you and me take our battle to a more open spot? Somewhere significant, perhaps?”
“You’re so predictable, Kakarot.” Vegeta smiled, having anticipated the request. Besides, the Prince didn’t want his own ship, nestled in a hangar at the nearby Capsule Corporation, to be caught in any crossfire.
“To tell you the truth, Kakarot, for once I think I agree with you. Unlike me, you’d be held back by the presence of these Humans. You wouldn’t fight at your best, and we can’t have that. I plan to destroy you when you’re at your peak, with nothing holding you back. Then and only then will I consider your debt satisfied.” Vegeta suddenly blasted off, leading the way out of the metropolitan area. “Follow me, clown,” he yelled derisively.
Goku struggled to keep up with Vegeta’s speed from the start, but he wasn’t quite ready to reveal that he too could become a Super Saiyan. He didn’t want to expend all his energy just getting to the battlefield.
Elsewhere on the planet, the other Z Fighters took to the air. Piccolo left from the Lookout, where he had been the first to sense Goku’s energy approaching from space. The rest took flight from their respective locations across the world. Those who knew of the upcoming clash had been dreading this day, worried that their hero might not return from space in time—if that happened, Vegeta might hold true on his threat to destroy the Earth.
Even if Goku did return in time, would he be able to defeat Vegeta? This was something that Piccolo had great doubts about – from what he had seen, Earth’s great protector didn’t have the same anger that Vegeta had shown when he became a Super Saiyan.
“This is it, then. If Goku doesn’t have the strength to challenge Vegeta, then we are likely all going to die today.” His former rival had shown time and time again that mercy and fairness in battle were the characteristics he had mastered. On the other hand, unleashing pure and directed rage was not Goku’s strong point, and Piccolo was sure that would be necessary for him to ascend, as Vegeta had. “Goku, I hope you’ve taken this seriously. Because you can bet that Vegeta has put every ounce of effort he has into preparing to face you. If you aren’t a Super Saiyan too…well, humph,” he grunted. The Namek’s thoughts trailed off as he increased his speed.
Gohan, too, was very apprehensive about his dad fighting. He knew that when it came to matters of pride, Vegeta was dead serious. “Oh dad,” the boy thought as he flew towards the energy he was sensing, “I just know you can win. You can do anything, I’m sure of it! And you’re the only one who could possibly take on Vegeta.” Despite his uncertainty, the thought that he might lose his father forever hadn’t crossed his mind. Ever true to his unwavering faith, the young half-Saiyan’s belief in his father was stronger than anything else.
TAC. Vegeta landed on the ridge of a deep canyon. The Prince exhaled slowly, reverting out of his Super Saiyan form.
Goku landed on the opposite side, setting his mind to battle. The gap between them was half a football field and several lengths deep, but the torrent of energy between them made the distance seem like only a few feet. Angry winds violently began whipping around them, sucking dust from the bottom of the deep canyon and spraying it into the sky. Vegeta could barely contain himself, his heart rate climbing by the second from excitement, but he forced himself to pause and savor the moment.
“So, Kakarot, we finally have a chance to settle the score between us.” Vegeta tilted his chin upwards, recalling their first battle, and smiled eagerly. It had only been about a year and a half since he and Nappa had first arrived on Earth. So much had been accomplished since then…he had achieved so many of his goals. His lifelong dream of defeating Frieza had finally been fulfilled, and he had arisen to claim the title of Super Saiyan. All that remained was for him to regain his honor by defeating Kakarot in single combat: his final act of reclaiming his full Saiyan honor.
“Yeah, Vegeta, this is the day…just like we agreed. You know this is pretty close to the same spot where we fought for the very first time?” Goku’s words rang with hope, but deep down he knew just how serious things were. Vegeta’s face showed the same seriousness as when he defeated Frieza – the same unwavering, focused determination.
“Of course…you said somewhere of significance, and it just so happened that I had this place in mind already. This time, things are going to end quite differently…I guarantee it!” Vegeta smiled through his teeth, a harsh breeze sweeping through his hair. His stare could overpower whatever elements came between him and Goku. A new hostility entered his voice. “You know, I haven’t forgotten what you did to me. But I do wonder…are your Saiyan instincts attuned enough that you realize why this battle must take place? Do you understand what it is exactly that you have done to steal my honor?”
Goku hadn’t really thought much about the real reason for the confrontation; he had been more worried about the battle itself. He did remember what happened on Namek, though. “Well, isn’t it because I interfered in your fight with Frieza, which allowed him to survive and kill you with a sneak attack?”
Angered by the memory, Vegeta frowned. “Only in part…” The Prince then mumbled to himself “...you oblivious classless trash.” Vegeta suddenly raised his voice. “That’s barely the tip of the iceberg! Do you honestly think that was your FIRST assault on my honor?” Fury resounded in his voice. “I didn’t think anyone was capable of being so thick! No, Kakarot, that is not the main reason; not by a long shot. Reflect back on our history and tell me if you even have a clue what this is about!”
As Goku pondered, recalling the Saiyans’ first arrival on Earth, he remembered just how intense that first battle was. “Well, I know Vegeta was pretty ticked because my Kaioken x3 allowed me to get stronger than him, if only momentarily. But I think he was even madder when my Kamehameha with Kaioken x4 overpowered his Galick Gun. Was that it? I remember him saying something about how he was a Saiyan Elite, of royal blood…oh, that must be what this is about. Yeah, I’m just a Low Class and I surpassed him, the strongest Saiyan alive…until me. That must be a bad thing.”
“That idiotic look on your face tells me you’re stumped, clown. Tell me, are you really SO clueless as to your offense?”
“No, I’m not. I just don’t see how I could possibly agree with it, Vegeta. You’re mad because I surpassed your strength, because I was so low at birth but somehow became even stronger than you. That’s not my fault, though…I just trained really hard. Come on, Vegeta. Besides, if I hadn’t, I doubt you would have become as strong as you are now. You wouldn’t have been challenged!”
“WRONG, KAKAROT!” Vegeta shouted. “You think that your offense was becoming stronger than me? IDIOT! Sure, I was mad about it, but it was not your strength alone that robbed me of my pride! I’ll give you one last guess.”
“Huh?” Goku wondered. “I really thought that’s all there was to it.” He continued thinking through the clash. “Oh wait, now I remember. It’s because we cut off his tail!” The Saiyan from Earth opened his mouth to speak again, but paused. “On second thought, it might not be his tail, though I’m sure that’s part of it. If all this was about something that simple I doubt he would be so angry.”
Goku also didn’t want to say the wrong thing again, so he continued thinking. Finally, it dawned on him – the truth, the real offense against Vegeta’s honor. “Vegeta, I believe I know the real reason,” he said, his voice calm and composed.
The Prince was obviously tired of waiting, eager not just for battle but also for revenge. Even so, he felt it was of utmost importance that Kakarot recognize the severity of his offense.
“Fine, then let’s hear it.”
“It was when I asked Krillin to spare your life.” Goku’s words were slow and measured; he was trying his best to not draw any more of Vegeta’s wrath. He knew better than to speak with uncertainty too; his rival clearly wouldn’t have appreciated another guess. For some reason, it was very important to the Prince that he realize his transgressions. Goku continued. “Then, on Namek, I saved you from the Ginyu Force. Plus, I helped you again, against Frieza’s planet buster.” Goku paused, knowing this was indeed his crime, still wary of what the Prince would say next. The good-hearted warrior held his principles as dearly as Vegeta held his pride. However, this day, one’s would win out over the others.
“So, are you finally seeing the truth, Kakarot?!” The Prince shouted, flaring his blue aura around him in anger. “It wasn’t your strength, though it did plague me. It wasn’t your techniques, though you may have momentarily surpassed me. It wasn’t even that you defeated me in battle, because in fact YOU didn’t…that was done by all of you Earthlings together! NO, YOU SAVED MY LIFE!”
Vegeta was now yelling at the top of his lungs, the veins in his forehead bulging. “You showed ME mercy, as if I was a little helpless child! ME, the Prince of ALL Saiyans! The last member of an honorable race! You treated the most proud warrior in the entire Universe as if he were just an insignificant boy, unfit to even be on the battlefield! By sparing my life, not just once but on several occasions, you insulted my honor more than you EVER could have by surpassing my strength or cutting off my tail!”
Goku could sense that the discussion, if it even qualified as one, was rapidly deteriorating, the Prince’s anger was about to explode. But Vegeta’s words made him angry as well. The war of ideals was only moments away from making the leap from a verbal clash to a physical battle.
“You know, I did what I believed to be right, Vegeta. I stand by my actions. I believed that deep down, you were a person worth saving, and you still are! Showing mercy isn’t a weakness. No, it’s my greatest strength!” Goku flexed his wild red aura, preparing to initiate the Kaioken at any instant. His nerves were already tense, but not because of the impending battle. The battle was unavoidable – he was eager to embrace combat. More than anything else, though, he genuinely wanted Vegeta to at least re-evaluate his beliefs and consider the argument. Surely even the Prince could see that everyone needs to be shown mercy from time to time, him included.
“I’VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR BULLSHIT, YOU DAMN CLOWN! I don’t want your sympathy! I never asked for your compassion! You may believe that what you did was right, but I don’t give a damn about your stupid sense of morality! All I care is that you STOLE MY HONOR! And now, now that you have FINALLY realized what you have done to me, just how deeply you’ve insulted me again and again, I WILL DESTROY YOU!”
Unable to hold back his fury any longer, Vegeta exploded away from the ground toward his sworn enemy. “Here goes,” thought Goku. He, too, tensed his muscles and blasted off toward Vegeta.
There would be no warm-up. No cautious sparring. No holding back. Though both warriors began fighting in their normal state, neither was giving it less than their all.
This time, Goku had the higher ground. He was coming in from above, so he braced himself to block an attack from below. But the Prince of Saiyans pulled back at the last second, darting upward and swinging a powerful double fist toward Goku.
CRAKK! Even as the blow sent Goku plummeting toward the ground, he twisted in place and launched a fierce flurry of energy blasts back at Vegeta. The Prince dodged easily and dove after him, but the diversion had given him time to recover. Goku flared his aura and dashed upward, firing a spinning kick that Vegeta narrowly avoided.
“It has begun.” Piccolo’s arms were folded.
The Earth’s Special Forces were gathered at the top of a nearby peninsula overlooking the canyon—the last of them had arrived only moments earlier. Though the Namekian had chosen the spot for the view, believing it was a safe distance away, a few of the others were wary of being so close to the battle. Already, the shockwaves were intense.
“Just look at them go!” Gohan said in awe. “Vegeta isn’t even a Super Saiyan yet, but he’s still so strong!”
Tien, who had specifically instructed Chiaotzu to stay with Master Roshi, Puar, and Oolong at the Kame House, already looked concerned. He spoke up, being the first among the group bold enough to voice his fears to the rest.
“Guys, I know it’s much too soon to give up hope, but just what are we going to do if Goku can’t win? I mean, Vegeta is already stronger than any of us without even becoming a Super Saiyan. What can we do against a power like that?” Inwardly he already knew the answer, but he wanted to hear what the others thought.
Piccolo answered without turning his head from the battle. “We’ll have to try, Tien. I know we’re all outmatched, even together…but if Vegeta intends on destroying the planet, then I intend to at least go out fighting.”
“But, what if we joined Goku in the fight right now?” Krillin asked. “It might be the only way we—”
“No, Krillin.” Piccolo sternly replied. “The rest of you haven’t heard all that’s been going on, but this fight, more than anything, is a battle of beliefs. We can’t interfere without compromising Goku even further in Vegeta’s eyes. And on the off chance that Vegeta intends to actually keep his word, I don’t want to ruin it for all of us.”
Gohan spoke up next. “What do you mean, 'keep his word', Mr. Piccolo?”
“Well, kid, as you know, Vegeta and your father agreed to a rematch one year ago today. Vegeta said that if Goku didn’t show he would destroy the Earth, but since he DID show it’s possible he won’t.”
“So, you mean maybe he just wants to fight my dad and then he’ll go away?” The boy asked hopefully.
“Perhaps. I’ve never trusted the Saiyans, though. It’s unlikely he would leave any of us unharmed.” Piccolo’s words did little to comfort the others, but at least Goku appeared to be doing well for the moment.
THUMM! Vegeta’s fist connected solidly with his enemy’s jaw. THUD! A return kick from Goku sent the Saiyan Prince reeling. The two warriors traded blows furiously, the shockwaves from their attacks resounding across the landscape.
“I’LL KILL YOU, KAKAROT!” Vegeta rushed Goku again. Earth’s hero readied himself to block, but Vegeta wasn’t slowing down. He plowed into Goku with a full tackle, both of them tumbling end over end through rocky outcroppings.
They both sprang to their feet instantly, their arms locking together in a fierce struggle. Muscles strained and shook as each Saiyan willed himself to overpower the other. Slowly, Vegeta’s strength and stamina started pushing Goku back.
“Damn!” Thought Goku. “I didn’t want to have to do this – it will probably make him even more mad.” He felt his arms giving way. “Kaioken!”
An explosion of red energy erupted around the duo, and Vegeta suddenly found his arms flung back. A powerful kick, accelerated by Goku’s technique, smashed into his jaw. Goku’s fist struck him in the gut, doubling him over, and a rapid blast of Ki from Goku’s other hand sent him flying back, dazed.
“If I can just follow up my advantage now, maybe I can weaken him.” Goku blasted off again, his red aura shining brilliantly. Just as Vegeta regained his footing, Goku landed another burst of kicks far too fast for the Prince to follow.
Vegeta spat. “So, you’re still relying on the same technique you were using in your first battle? Pathetic. I had hoped for more of a challenge.” Grinning through bloodied teeth, he flung his arms out and raised his head. “NOW WITNESS THE POWER OF A TRUE SUPER SAIYAN!”
Immediately the ground began to tremble, stones rising around the Prince. He could transform in an instant if he wanted, but bringing out his power bit by bit seemed more appropriate. A battle such as this deserved a grand performance.
A few of the clouds hovering above were pulled in by Vegeta’s aura and began to swirl around his energy from their lofty view. Lightning jolted between them, striking the ground all around the Prince.
“Have you forgotten already, what I truly am, Kakarot?” Golden energy began to envelop Vegeta from head to toe. “I am not just the Prince of all Saiyans…I am the living legend! I am the one true Super Saiyan, your worst nightmare! I am death…brought to life!”
With a final cry, the transformation was complete. Vegeta stood before the hero, smirking, emitting the most powerful energy he had ever felt by far—much greater now than he had been on Namek.
“This is going to be even tougher than I thought,” Goku realized.
“So, do you wish to power up your Kaioken to some absurd number now, or shall I simply finish this and save you the humiliation?”
The Saiyan from Earth simply smiled, peaking the Prince’s curiosity. “Nah, I think I’ve outgrown that particular technique.”
Goku couldn’t risk wearing himself out with the Kaioken, not when he already knew it would fail. Since achieving the Super Saiyan transformation, he still used Kaioken from time to time—he had even tried using it against King Cold–but his growing base strength now made it less useful than before. Even low multipliers had begun to wear him out quickly; his body was growing more accustomed to the Super Saiyan state.
The truth was, he wouldn’t be able to match Vegeta with Kaioken now, no matter how hard he tried. Thankfully, he had something much better.
“Outgrown? Don’t tell me you think you can defeat me without it. That’s absurd!”
“Think so, Vegeta?”
“I think you’re terrified, Kakarot, deluded and panicked. You may not have enough pride to fully understand the meaning of my power, but your senses alone should at least tell you that this battle is hopeless for you. You cannot challenge the power of a Super Saiyan, Kakarot—for the same reason you could never become one! You have never possessed TRUE SAIYAN PRIDE!”
Goku slowly raised his head, his eyes no longer black but deep green. “You’re wrong, Vegeta.” The time to conceal his secret was over. Suddenly, his power level began to skyrocket, but without his typical red aura. Instead the space around him was filled with shimmering golden spires of pure power which coalesced just above his head.
Vegeta was unsure of what was taking place, but he remained confident. “Humph. Let’s see this new strength of yours.” The lightshow, though impressive to the Z Fighters watching nearby, did nothing to impress the Prince. However, that was all about to change.
“This is for you, Gohan and Chi-Chi. All of my friends here on Earth, give me strength now!”
Suddenly Goku’s hair began to ripple as though a strong wind was rushing through it. Then, the first wave of yellow flowed through his hair, from his scalp out to the tips.
“What? Tell me this is NOT happening!” Though outwardly calm, the Prince couldn’t believe his eyes.
The hero took a deep breath and then cried out. “AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!” Goku’s form completely disappeared, consumed by unapproachable golden light. The Super Saiyan inside of him was fully awake, released in a burst of fury.
“NO! No, it can’t be! It’s not possible!” Vegeta was beside himself with rage and disbelief. “You’re a low-class clown! You can’t be a Super Saiyan!”
Goku stood calm, now, his golden aura flaring around him. “I have the same Saiyan blood as you do, Vegeta. Being a Super Saiyan isn’t about the class you were born in or your pride – it’s about a need. And I needed to become a Super Saiyan to fight you.”
“NOO!” Roared Vegeta, completely infuriated, who released his anger into the aura surrounding his body. Lightning flashed around him in an explosion of Super Saiyan rage as the earth beneath him was incinerated by his aura. Lifting both his hands into the air, Vegeta blasted a stream of golden energy from his entire body towards Kakarot.
Goku dodged quickly, blasting off to one side and flying around in a wide arc to build up speed. Despite the seriousness of the situation, he found himself grinning. Not even King Cold had given him a true challenge in his Super Saiyan state. Finally, he could truly test his new strength.
Goku’s fists smashed into Vegeta, knocking him off the rocky outcrop. His momentum carried Vegeta forward along with him as the Prince blocked and parried. The shockwaves from each powerful blow caused the rocks below them to shatter.
As they rocketed toward a nearby cliff, Vegeta began charging a blast in one hand. He would wait till the last second to fire it, using the explosion as cover to disappear again.
Sensing an opening, which he probably wouldn’t have noticed if he was relying entirely on his vision, Goku grabbed his opponent’s shoulders, pivoted his entire body, and put all his momentum into one powerful kick.
The Prince saw it a moment too late, his face revealing that he had been outmaneuvered. THUUUUM! The kick slipped neatly under Vegeta’s defenses and slammed right into the Prince’s face, snapping his cheek to the right. Goku had used the impact to push himself back, decreasing his own speed while sending Vegeta flying even faster. CRAAK! Vegeta’s body smashed into the side of the cliff, forming a deep hole in the Earth.
“Super enough for you, Vegeta?” Goku could sense that while it had been an effective maneuver, Vegeta was far from injured. “He’s concealed his energy…I can’t let him surprise me.” The hero of Earth hung in midair, panting but filled with excitement. This was a real fight! He was holding nothing back, putting his strength up against another true warrior. For the moment, he forgot that it was a fight to the death; his Super Saiyan instincts thrilled at the pure glory of combat. Any second, Vegeta could appear from out of nowhere with a sneak attack. Goku reached out with his senses, ready to react at the slightest tingle.
The bluff into which Vegeta had disappeared was silent for a few seconds, the Prince waiting patiently for the right moment. “Let’s see how your senses handle this, Kakarot.” Vegeta reached out with the smallest wave of energy, causing a small pebble to fall behind Goku. The diversion worked perfectly; Goku was so on edge that he spun around immediately.
Suddenly, beams of golden light pierced the rock face, as light reaching through the sky in streams on a cloudy day, in a brilliant firework display. “YAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!”
A golden Explosive Wave vaporized most of the bluff and everything in a 100-meter radius, a few sharp rocks blasting towards Goku. The bulky, jagged chunks of stone slammed into Goku’s back at lightning speed. Though not very damaging, they served as a highly effective diversion. He immediately curled up in a defensive reaction, expecting Vegeta to plow into him.
Instead, nothing happened. Rather, the Prince simply levitated up in front of him, crossing his arms and frowning. The Prince of Saiyans then goaded him, his hair shining brilliantly and his green eyes dark.
“So, Kakarot, it seems you really have ascended.” Vegeta uncrossed his arms and held out his open palm in front of his face. “I’m still going to kill you, fool. You are a dishonor to the title AND to our ancestors!” The Prince clenched his fist tightly, shaking it at Goku. “There isn’t a shred of Saiyan pride in you, and the fact that you can somehow transform is a personal insult to the power that only I should have ever obtained!”
Rather than trying to justify himself, the hero of Earth simply smiled. “Bring it on, Vegeta! I’m ready.” Goku didn’t know why he felt so at ease with the situation. His mind felt somehow clearer, unhindered. No matter what Vegeta said, he was a true Saiyan, and this was his fight. Whether he lived or died would be destiny’s choice.
Goku again made the first move, charging a blue orb of energy in each hand as he flew straight up. Just as he expected, Vegeta followed, his golden aura trailing behind him like the exhaust from a rocket. Grinning, Goku slowed his ascent and flung both spheres straight down.
Vegeta didn’t even pause, expertly backhanding the first ball toward the horizon and dodging the second one...just in time to look up and see Goku hovering with both hands held together at his side. “Super Kamehame-HAAAA!”
Distracting Vegeta hadn’t given Goku enough time to fully charge his attack, but it did give him just enough time to successfully release it before the Prince could react. The vengeful Super Saiyan could only cross his arms in front of his face and grit his teeth.
As the wave smashed into him, sending him spinning downward, he cursed Kakarot’s name. Bracing against the wave, now coalesced into an azure sphere of destruction, Vegeta’s defenses began to slip. Finally, after a desperate struggle, it pushed him all the way to the ground and detonated in a violent fireball. The explosion lit the entire horizon, momentarily outshining the Sun.
“He appears to be doing well. I must admit, though…as a Super Saiyan, Goku is much more ruthless,” the Namekian observed. “It’s a little unnerving.”
“Yeah, I can’t believe he actually did it!” Gohan smiled. “My dad is a Super Saiyan!”
Krillin was also quite thrilled by the sight of Goku’s transformation. “Do you think he can win, Piccolo?”
“He might. From what I can feel, their powers are very close. The edge in pure strength still goes to Vegeta. He’s had more time to train his Super Saiyan state, and he also seems more determined than I’ve ever seen him.” Piccolo responded. It clearly wasn’t the answer any of them had hoped for, but it was the truth. “Then again, numbers alone do not win a battle.”
“But I bet they help,” said Tien. “Vegeta won’t be finished by that blast. It’s not over yet, not by a long shot.”
Right in the middle of the blast epicenter, Vegeta had quickly pushed himself back up and regained his footing. But then had crouched, panting. Though Vegeta’s aura deflected most of the attack, the fireball still had taken a substantial portion of his energy, greatly cracked his armor and left exposed portions of his skin smoking, with the concussive shockwave that followed weakening him even further and sending him in a daze. “Well, Kakarot, it looks like becoming a Super Saiyan has finally unlocked your Saiyan instincts for good.” Though bruised from the attack, Vegeta’s body had taken a bit worse. “This will be...interesting.”
The 'true' Super Saiyan spotted his opponent’s aura, still hovering in the sky above the crater made by the blast. Loudly announcing himself, he approached. “I’m still here, Kakarot!”
Both flew toward each other, picking up speed quickly. They clashed again, but this time it was Vegeta who went on the offensive, dealing out heavy blows that pounded relentlessly on Goku’s defenses. He only had a slight edge in strength, and Goku’s form was flawless – more refined than his own - so he had to make the most of his advantage. This wasn’t like any battle he had ever fought. For all intents and purposes, the two were almost evenly matched.
“This is it, Kakarot. I will not allow you to defeat me. Not now, not when I am so close to my victory.” Throughout the battle the Prince had taken Goku’s strongest attacks and toughest blows, yet his own endurance as a Super Saiyan continued to win out.
Try as he might, Goku couldn’t catch a break. He was fighting at maximum speed, pushing every muscle to the limits of it’s performance. Each block was firm; each counterattack was precise. But there was an unprecedented tenacity in Vegeta’s ability to shrug off attacks that he couldn’t match. And Vegeta was slightly stronger; that much was clear. If only that were it, perhaps he would have a chance.
Earth’s greatest hero parried one of the Prince’s punches and used it to launch himself upwards, flipping backward and catching his opponent in the jaw with a solid kick. Yet Vegeta rolled in midair and fired a massive energy blast from both hands, completely taking Goku by surprise. The wave of energy tore what remained of his shirt away and left his torso smoking.
“Agh! How does he have this much strength left?” Goku wondered. “It’s like he’s not tired at all!”
“This is for your insolence, fool! For sparing my life as if I were helpless!” Vegeta landed a hard fist in Goku’s face, bloodying his nose. It was the first blow that had been really genuinely damaging.
Dazed and off balance, Goku began falling to the ground. Before he was allowed to hit, Vegeta caught up and grabbed him by the neck.
“UUCCHHH!” The hero cried out, choking on the blood in his throat.
“This is for saving me from that buffoon Recoome.” The Prince kneed Goku hard in the gut, causing him to spit blood. Then, his hand still gripping his enemy’s neck, he hurled him into the air.
“Darn it, Vegeta!” Goku had begun to feel more panicked. The Prince was relentless. Somehow, his stamina was much much higher than Goku’s. In spite of all the damage he had inflicted, he found himself tiring out much quicker than the Prince. It had to be that Vegeta had so much more time to train his Super Saiyan form, that he had learned to regulate himself.
Just before Goku’s upward momentum slowed, Vegeta teleported into his trajectory. The Prince raised his fists above his head, readying a downward pummel.
“This…is for your stunt against Frieza!” Vegeta hammered both fists hard into Goku’s back, sending his form towards the Earth in a blurry streak.
Again, the Super Saiyan Prince zipped in front of Goku, this time much faster. Appearing below him in the nick of time, the Prince kicked Goku across the landscape.
Goku barely had time to cry out in pain; the blows were coming in too quickly for him to react. Before he could defend or pull out of his fall, Vegeta would attack again, harder than before. He was being knocked around the battlefield like a volleyball, and it would all be over soon if he didn’t think of something quickly.
“And this…” Vegeta wildly yelled, “…THIS is for every other second your existence has plagued me!” The Prince suddenly appeared right in his path, his right hand crackling with yellow energy.
“NOW…DISAPPEAR!” The wrath-consumed Prince threw his arm forward and cried out. “HAAAA!”
In that brief instant, almost as if responding to Vegeta’s taunt, Goku miraculously vanished right before the blast struck him. He hadn’t been sure if he would have enough focus to use Instant Transmission during battle, but he had somehow grabbed hold of Vegeta’s energy signal, locked on, and disappeared. The Prince’s energy beam passed right through his Afterimage just as he appeared suddenly behind his vengeful enemy and kicked Vegeta in the head.
Neither of the two warriors noticed the immediate destruction of Gero’s Lab by the same Maximum Flasher that nearly killed Goku.
The Prince lurched forward, catching himself with his hands against the ground, and turned around with a furious growl. But the other Super Saiyan placed a hand an inch from his heart with both the index and middle finger outstretched. In the next instant, they folded back into a punch and rammed into the Prince of Death’s chest. With a gasp of pain, Vegeta felt the One-Inch Punch destroy both his aura and his armor. Clutching his crushed chest and coughing up blood from his mouth, Vegeta took one last look at Goku before being knocked a few feet away just beyond everyone’s field of vision by the following shockwave from his foe’s still closed fist, but it was a distance which Vegeta quickly closed; he then landed in front of Goku and flared his aura around him once more. “What the hell was that? There is no way he could have dodged that attack, I’m sure of it!”
“What did you just do, Kakarot? You piece of shit! I demand to know how you evaded that!”
Trying hard to catch his breath, the Saiyan from Earth calmed himself and answered. “A new technique I learned in space…the Instant Transmission.”
“Damn! So he doesn’t have to rely on his speed or trajectory, he can just dodge me whenever the hell he wants!” The Prince was even more furious than before. “How can I get around the clown’s Magic tricks? If I don’t somehow anticipate it, I’ll just be wasting my energy.”
Northern Mountains
What remained of the laboratory basement had been buried under tons of debris from the secret laboratory above. A column of smoke and ash rose high into the upper atmosphere, forming a mushroom cloud as large as a small bus. Yet the winds that came from the clash of the Super Saiyans sent air currents that already started to dissipate the ash cloud from the explosion. The cloud rose so high and so quickly that it rapidly reached the edge of space; it’s boiling-hot gases escaping into the void harmlessly.
But just above the ground, in the center of the roiling column of smoke, a spark of life remained. A tiny little cell, the only surviving fragment of the Bio-Android’s nervous system, floated in midair. A part of Cell was still alive.
The flow of Ki through the cell was minuscule, too faint to be detected even by the most sensitive of creatures. Yet it was there, adding energy and mass to the tiny fragment as it began to split and multiply and grow. As it grew, going from a single cell to a small lump to a rudimentary body, consciousness and memories began to emerge.
The blue, spherical cocoon continued to float just inches off the ground.
At least, that’s what it did for the first few seconds. Soon, though, it began to stir. Membranes split; limbs and wings and exoskeleton twisted and expanded out.
The creature had the same blue-tinged skin and the same stiff black wings as a Cell Junior, and bore the mottled markings of Cell. But only had these features present in him for the moment.
The Dark Avenger straightened up, rolling to his feet more quickly than the Guardian of Earth could follow and taking note of his surroundings before he watched on as his Saiyan brothers did battle, though he seemed a little different than when he was born as he no longer had the blue skin, black wings, and markings of his original self he was born with. He now had the same light peach complexion as Gohan, but with an otherwise taller figure and lengthened, wild cut black hair that was reminiscent of Goku’s. Also unlike before, he had the same brown tail as the Saiyans, but it was hidden underneath his clothes. He wore black Namekian clothing with a pronounced red obi around his waist, a red wrist band on both arms, and a pair of brown Namekian-style shoes. His physique made him look like if he was at least five years older than Gohan, despite his source material being at the time nowhere near as developed. His eyes revealed his blood-red irises being the very same shade of red as his obi and wristbands as the clone of the son of Piccolo Daimao, Goku, and King Cold then coldly stared down the heartless Super Saiyan responsible for his birth and cause for his home’s approaching destruction.
Using context clues, the Twilight Warrior was able to figure the situation out even before his highly tuned senses had begun to explain to him that he was being watched by an elderly individual high in Earth’s upper atmosphere. But without removing his stony gaze from the one immediately choosing the risk of destroying the entire Solar System simply to defeat Goku, the Shadow Walker reached out with his energy, feeling the life force of each living thing on the planet. Most of them were oblivious to his existence, as only Kami knew of him from the Namekian having followed where the blast that strayed from the battle between Super Saiyan Goku and Super Saiyan Vegeta had went to, yet he was too overwhelmed by what had transpired and what was still going on in the Gizard Wasteland to try in warning Goku and the others. Truthfully, though, the reborn Cell had almost no memory of who he was before and only had the faintest inklings of who Piccolo, Gohan, and Frieza were. He then threw his hands out at his sides, blue crackles of electricity spinning around his form now. Before he had put two fingers on his forehead and aimed himself for a battle far, far away.
Goku was still panting. He had narrowly escaped Vegeta’s finishing move, but the Prince’s momentary advantage had cost him dearly. Though he was glad to still be alive, he ached horribly. Worse, Vegeta was immediately chasing after him yet again, allowing him no time to recover.
THUMM! THUD! Goku blocked Vegeta’s initial punch, but the second one blew past his defenses and caught him in the jaw. Before he could clear his head, a powerful kick sent him flying upward again.
Narrowing his brow, Vegeta created an invisible wall of Ki below him and bounded off it, landing a solid upward kick to the center of Goku’s chest. The Prince darted above him and slammed down with a powerful elbow, sending Goku plummeting yet again.
Accelerating quickly, Vegeta flew past Goku and gathered his energy. “NOW TAKE THIS!” He released a blinding golden beam from his chest straight up toward his opponent.
“Uh oh,” Goku said. “If I take a blast like that head-on I’m done for!”
With no time to spare, Goku put two fingers to his forehead and locked onto Vegeta’s energy signature. Instant Transmission had already saved him once; could it save him again? The energy blast was blindingly bright as it zoomed into view...could he remain focused enough for the technique to work again?
“Here goes nothing!” He said, bringing his hands to his side even as he began pulling his body into hyperspace.
CRUNCH…PHOOOM! Goku had appeared immediately behind Vegeta, only to feel a powerful blow smash into his chest, breaking one of his ribs. “GAAHH!” The pain was excruciating. But even as the angry Prince was about to give out a snarky response, Goku had already recovered and fired an Instant Kamehameha at the evil Super Saiyan from the front. With this time around, his Super Kamehameha did enough damage to cover Vegeta in blood and bruises, nearly melt his armor off his torso from the sheer speed of the blast wave alone, and left his entire body dark with fury and filth.
'The blast detonated upon impact, a large explosion enshrouding Vegeta and taking another large chunk of his energy. 'When the smoke cleared, though, the merciless warrior from the Homeworld of the Saiyans was revealed to still be battle-worthy. His clothes were charred and nearly gone, and what left of his skin was covered with nothing but bruises, yet he did not wear the look of a defeated warrior.
“You fool.” Vegeta stood over Goku now, his fist raised. “Pathetic! Haven’t you learned already by now, Kakarot? No matter how much you improve it, you simply can’t beat me with your favorite move. But your predictability alone does the dishonors to both yourself and the entire Saiyan race. Did you honestly think that I wouldn’t be able to anticipate your Instant Whatever-it-is? You appeared in exactly the same position behind me as before, clown! Do you think I’m an idiot, that I have no fighting sense?”
Goku looked up through the pain to see nothing but unabated anger on Vegeta’s face. “You’re right, Vegeta.” The Earth-raised Saiyan lowered his head submissively. He knew he was beaten, now. Vegeta was simply too much. At the beginning Goku had felt some hope of victory; he had even seemed to inflict a lot of damage on his Saiyan rival. But before he had even fully realized it, things had gotten out of control. His punches didn’t even seem to faze the Prince anymore, all the while he was getting pummeled and losing more and more power.
“You’ve...beaten me. It was a good fight, but there’s no denying it...you win this round, Vegeta.”
Vegeta stared down at him, confused. “Does he honestly think there will be another round? This is the end, surely he knows this!”
Goku continued, trying to be optimistic. “I’m still not sorry for saving your life before – it’s because of you that we were able to defeat Frieza at all – but today you beat me fair and square.” Goku’s tone was almost happy, as if he had enjoyed every second of the fight.
But the Prince’s anger still burned hot. “Is this fool actually suggesting that I show him mercy?” He growled, his aura flaring brightly.
“I don’t know what your deluded brain is thinking, Kakarot, but a true Saiyan would fight to the death before acknowledging defeat.” Vegeta expanded his energy out in a blinding golden flash. “And today, like it or not, that’s what you’re going to do! I demand that my satisfaction be given!” He levitated into the air and flew back a few dozen meters. “You knew deep down there was only way this could end, Kakarot! And now that time has come! Prepare yourself, pray to whatever God you believe in, Kakarot. It is time to oppose my strongest attack...if you CAN!”
He lifted his arms, the rocks around him crumbling from the energy. Lightning began to coalesce around his form and his muscles bulged.
Goku stood, one hand still grabbing at his shattered ribs. “Please, Vegeta! Don’t do this!” But his pleas fell on deaf ears. There was no turning back, the Prince had set his mind and nothing could change it. In his time on Earth, he had shown great potential for change. Vegeta had grown, matured, and seemingly learned much from his experiences. Yet all that was behind him now, thrown to the wayside as he prepared to sacrifice it for his revenge. Goku’s countenance fell.
“I just don’t have enough energy to fight back! But...I have to try. I guess I just didn’t think he’d actually do it...that it could end like this.” He winced as he pulled both his hands behind his right hip. “Ka….me….ha….me….”
Unable to hold back any longer, Vegeta pulled both his hands together. “It is time to take back what is mine!” The concentration of energy between his hands continued to grow. “I will not live my life as your second; that time is long past! Every breath you take is an assault to my honor!” Veins swelled in Vegeta’s forehead as wrath and energy bubbled to the surface. “But no more, Kakarot. By my hand, you will be cut down…the way you have cut down my pride!”
Staring daggers at his sworn enemy, the Prince cried out. “FINAL FLASH! YAAAAAAAA!”
“—HA, SUPER STYLE!” Goku released his own charged Super Kamehameha, hoping desperately that it would be enough to match Vegeta’s attack.
The two beams, one golden white and one pulsing blue, met with a massive flash halfway between the pair of Super Saiyans. For a brief moment, the cataclysmic struggle was frozen as the concentrated power of Vegeta’s attack met the earnest determination of Goku’s. But the density of the Final Flash was too pure and too directed; Goku’s Super Kamehameha began flowing around the edges. Slowly, inexorably, the maelstrom of power moved toward Earth’s hero.
Blinded by his rage, Vegeta continued to release all of his hatred and fury. Overcharging the beam in his hands, and making his Final Flash swallow up more than just Goku. Since releasing the attack early was a gamble, Vegeta wasn’t taking any chances; if Kakarot was able to sustain his efforts, Vegeta would be unable to block the blast on it’s way back.
But unknown to the Prince of Death, the noble Saiyan-turned-Earthling was just about to be saved from his wrath. As Goku’s hands faltered and fell. He felt his own attack fade, and felt Vegeta’s blast about to overcome him, and the entire Solar System. He felt no pain, no terror – only sadness. “Goodbye, Gohan…Chi-Chi. I’m sorr—”
FROOOM!
A shockwave shot out from Goku’s corner of the battlefield. The blazing column of golden fire suddenly looked dim as a blinding column of light shot through the planet. Vegeta’s eyes widened in shock; the God of the Realm of Darkness and Demons looking through a crystal inside the Crack of Time showing Shadow Walker Gohan saving Goku gave a fierce grin. Goku and the others merely gaped. The mighty Super Final Flash had parted like mere smoke, swallowed up by the brilliant form of the shadow-like figure flying through the flames toward Vegeta.
“Gahhhh…?” Was the trembling gurgle that came out of Vegeta’s mouth. His jaw had dropped; his eyes were wide and shaking…he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “This…power…it’s unreal…”
“Wow! …Who in the world is that?” The Earth-raised Saiyan couldn’t believe it. Someone who looked just like his son, but with an energy signature completely Alien to him, had been able to save him from certain doom and was pushing through Vegeta’s ultimate move like it was nothing. “His power’s more amazing than Vegeta’s...! But he’s like if he was between light and dark, with no ties to either side.”
Steven’s form utterly eclipsed the power of Vegeta’s attack. Each moment brought him closer to the source, until he finally reached out and grabbed both of the short Alien’s fists, snuffing the Super Final Flash like a candle. Vegeta gulped audibly.
“Who’s that!?” Gohan blurted, echoing the thoughts of the other Z Fighters. Just seconds before, Piccolo had been holding him back from the battle, but now they both stood in utter amazement. Silently, the Namekian realized that the boy he was now sensing was somehow related to him, Gohan, and even Frieza. The energy signatures matched, though what he was sensing was like if they had amalgamated into one. Whoever this boy was, he had to have been pulling from both the light and dark side to have such immeasurable power.
“Another Saiyan?” Tien was skeptical. Though he had long since come to terms with Goku’s greater strength, he had no love for his friend’s race. “I don’t trust the Saiyans, but I guess it’s good that he’s saved Goku and is about to finish off Vegeta for us.”
Piccolo grunted. “Yes, he’s going to finish Vegeta; that’s all that matters. I don’t trust the Saiyans either, but the one who has stopped Vegeta from killing us all should be trusted as he is nothing like most of the Saiyans we know.” He glanced over at Gohan, placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder; now not the only Saiyan he truly cared about. “Be ready, Gohan.”
“Where do you think he could have come from, guys?” Asked Krillin. No one replied. “I mean, first Goku appears from thin air and then this guy does the same thing. What? Is it Big Damn Heroes Discount Day or something?” No one else laughed. Krillin knew that the Earth’s chances for survival were still slim as long as Vegeta was around.
Steven stood nearly as tall as Vegeta, his hair standing sharper on top with only three locks still falling down over his forehead. It’s color was a deeper black than Gohan’s and shimmered with energy, jagged arcs of blue electricity swirled around them both. His jaw was set, serious and somber.
“What…what is this?” Vegeta grunted as he tried to wrench his fists free from the Slayer of Darkness’ grip. After a few moments, Steven released his hold and his opponent fell backward, wringing his hands in pain as he stared at the Bio-Android before him. Steven stood motionless, his face having absolutely no emotion.
Reacting quickly, Vegeta blasted skyward in a blinding flash, looking to put some distance between Steven and himself until he could figure out what to do next.
ZIP!
Steven’s form, as if omnipresent, appeared directly in his path. Vegeta’s jaw dropped once more, aghast at the Twilight Warrior’s speed. He quickly took off in the opposite direction as fast as he could. Effortlessly, it seemed, Shadow Walker Gohan made another jump and intercepted him.
Flames of gold and orange lightning erupted around Vegeta’s body and he charged, smashing into Steven with a barrage of powerful kicks and punches. The Z Warriors could just hear a deep rumble; only Goku and Demon God Démigra could even make out the individual blows.
But to Steven, they were coming in slow motion. His hands whizzed and whirred through the air, effortlessly blocking each strike with crackles of electricity. After a few moments of this, he simply dropped his hands and let the blows make contact. Vegeta might as well have been a tiny little Ant smashing it’s feet against the side of a building.
“NO! The Prince of Saiyans…will not be humiliated by a nothing like YOU!”
The Prince of Death began to charge a Big Bang Attack, but Steven dashed forward the remaining distance, still not a shred of emotion on his face. As Vegeta pulled forward one fist, the Twilight Warrior simply reached out and caught it in a viselike grip.
Steven’s eyes narrowed. This Saiyan had not only threatened his home, but also the people and animals dear to him, which he valued more than anything. He would take out this monster right now and leave nothing behind. The Dark Avenger frowned deeply, then flexed the bulging muscles in his arm. There was a loud crunch as Vegeta’s bones splintered and collapsed, causing the Prince to scream in pain. Dropping the now-useless arm, Dark Gohan whirled around with a spinning back kick to Vegeta’s torso, crushing it.
The Super Saiyan started to fall backward, but Steven reached out and caught him by the neck with his left hand. “Do you really think me stopping you from killing Mr. Son Goku and destroying the entire Solar System was just to humiliate you?! Get it through your thick skull, you ruthless, heartless bastard! I did so because you outright murdered almost my whole family! And for that you are going to suffer…ALL...MY...WRATH!” He released a massive blast from his right hand at point-blank range. Vegeta tried to twist away, but the attack still caught him in the side of the torso, completely blowing away his left arm. Crimson blood gushed from the gaping wound.
Not yet satisfied, Steven gripped Vegeta’s neck with both hands and slammed his head forward against the warrior of evil, cracking the skull of Vegeta. The physical embodiment of evil stumbled backward, barely able to stand.
The ruthless Super Saiyan looked all around him, desperately searching for his foe’s family or friends. But the Twilight Warrior moved faster than his eyes could follow and caught his rippling neck in a stranglehold.
“Not this time, you Frieza wannabe.”
The Bringer of Death was screaming as he was yanked up, Steven’s cold stare the last thing he saw before the fingers tightened, before a warm and living rope coiled around his waist. The hand and rope pulled in opposite directions, and Vegeta felt his bones crack, skin and muscle stretching as blood filled his mouth, screaming…until he was torn in half, and was no more. The Prince’s hair faded to black as did his eyes before the Super Saiyan fire of his aura disappeared almost as fast. He now looked how Vegeta normally did.
As a river of blood poured over him, splashing to the floor, he uncoiled his tail through the steaming red gush and snapped Vegeta’s neck. In the next instant the reborn Cell released his grip and both halves of Vegeta’s corpse dropped at the same time, only for Dark Gohan to raise both hands above his head. “MASENKO…HAAAA!”
FOOOOM! A massive explosion of energy erupted from the crater-filled area, creating a brilliant firestorm that immediately engulfed all that remained of Vegeta’s bloody and cleaved cadaver.
As the cloud of dust dissipated slowly, there was absolutely nothing left of Vegeta. The Slayer of Darkness once again paused for a brief moment, checking up on Goku and the rest of those on Earth before turning to the righteous Super Saiyan and lifting his eyes to meet those of Earth’s greatest champion.
Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, a black aura shot towards him. Having come from the cold void of space and bearing a great resemblance to Goku, but with a somewhat skinnier physique and slightly darker skin, Black’s spear-like elbow decked him square in the chest, knocking him through empty air as he glided across the edge of space. Flipping over and coming to a complete stop, Steven had instantly shifted into his fighting stance. Just as the penultimate of the Phantom Saiyans’ next punch grazed the first few strands of hair on his head, Steven’s aura of a light blue had at long last flamed to life all around him as he exploded downwards, flying backwards in an arc.
“Damn you, double of Mr. Son Goku! You waited until the last minute for me to drop my guard so you could attack!” Steven yelled, rapidly firing a barrage of golden energy blasts crackling with his own electricity as he streaked through the air. Grinning evilly, the personification of despair cut through them, his arms braced defensively out front as he emerged from the brown cloud of debris.
“Well now, let’s just say that today is the day that your life comes to an end!” He laughed madly, his single gold and green Potara earring on his left ear flapping wildly in the wind. “Utterly imperfect and full of flaws, everything like hunger and lack of sleep slows you down unlike a truly higher being on par with the Gods like me, even frailness of old age comes too quick for a mortal like you…Saiyan!”
Irritated by Black’s ruthless and sadistic nature, Steven blasted forward toward Black with an explosion of speed that left a deafening shockwave behind him. The clone of the son of Goku’s punch was aimed for the center of Black’s chest, the Phantom Saiyan bringing up his arms in a cross pattern to block. The Twilight Warrior’s fist struck soundly against the block, neither fighter flinching as they tested one another’s strength.
Black then quickly pushed his arms forward, in between Steven’s fists, and spread them wide. Now with a wide opening to attack, Black kicked upwards into the Dark Avenger’s gut. But Steven brought up his knees to meet Black’s at just the last instant. Their thick, muscular hips absorbed all the impact of the blow as the two pounded their knees into each other. Intent, they grabbed onto one another’s shoulders; Steven smashed his head forward in an attempt to daze Black. The fighters strained, pitting all their strength against each other. The two were completely even so far.
Only a few miles away, those on the ground were all motionless, watching the other fighters with awe and wonder.
Grunting, Steven detonated a ball of energy in each hand while he was still gripping Black’s shoulders, blasting him away. Using the momentary advantage, he plowed forward head first, sending the doppelganger of Goku tumbling out of Earth’s atmosphere and straight into the Sun 92.96 million miles away.
Abruptly, he felt the familiar thrilling rush of a large energy signature. A Legendary Super Saiyan was nearing the planet; Broly from the same parallel world as Black had a high enough power level to be felt from a Universe away. “So yet another challenger from beyond this Universe I have to deal with, someone must really not like me.” Murmured Steven as he watched Broly dashing forward with a mighty chop aimed for his neck. He turned just in time to see Broly arriving via a menacing eldritch portal ablaze in Dragonfire, and dodged the chop by ducking below it. Grabbing the Demon of Fear and Death’s arm, the Shadow Walker spun in midair and pulled, spinning him in a circle. With all his strength, Dark Gohan hurled Broly into the ground. But the Legendary Super Saiyan flipped over and braced himself before impact in order to minimize damage. Though the Saiyan equivalent to the God of Destruction Beerus was a little weaker than the Bio-Android, he was still very much a threat.
Then, in a single zip, Steven vanished. With a loud snap, the muscular child reappeared in front of Broly with a snarl. “Hello, Broly, the Legendary Saiyan of the Universe next to this one. I am Steven Bloodriver, the Shadow Walker.”
The blank-eyed warrior’s look quickly turned from shock back to anger. Whether or not he was in his right mind or not, he still clearly believed Black was his and his alone to defeat. Broly’s bulky right arm quickly swung at Dark Gohan, trying to brush him aside. But the youth stopped it in midair with one hand, still continuing to fearlessly show his harsh eyes directly into the empty pupils of the Legendary Warrior.
At the last instant, Black’s white boots gained purchase on the very surface of the burning star. His aura more than powerful enough to shield him from the Sun. But the Black Demon had caught up already to both the Saiyan Messiah and Twilight Warrior, darting in with a fully charged Black Kamehameha to end it all.
“So you are just like the one called Vegeta, aren’t you Broly? Willing to kill even you’re own family and friends, just for your twisted delusions of honor to be satisfied—”
A powerful energy blast suddenly smashed into the pair, Black taking every advantage. Steven had taken the brunt of the attack straight in his back, too. The opportunistic personification of despair hovered in closer to the smokescreen, howling with laughter.
“Fwahahaha! What a pathetic end to such a proud warrior race—ACCK!”
Steven’s body was suddenly launched out of the debris cloud, smashing directly into Black’s gut. The Neo Perfect Bio-Android had braced himself against Broly’s irritated charge, but had still been sent airborne. Black quickly kicked the Twilight Warrior aside before noticing Broly dashing towards him angrily from below. He hurriedly launched his Black Blaze at the Saiyan of Legend—who naturally moved in and out of the energy wave volley like if it was nothing. Which instantly bothered the double of Goku enough for him to throw his hands forward with the Kaioshin Telekinesis technique. The Psychic energy latched onto Broly with all the force he could muster, and it seemed to barely catch him in time. But having seen the Demon God of ancient Namekian folklore break through this attack before, the personification of despair knew better than to trust it for more than a moment. He quickly pulled back his right hand for a point-blank energy blast... But suddenly Dark Gohan dashed back onto the scene, grabbing both monsters by the back of the heads and banging their skulls together.
The youth then dove and landed a gut punch to Broly before quickly spinning and kicking Black off into the distance.
Above the plummeting Phantom Saiyan, Steven extended his index and middle finger. Piccolo taught the true son of Goku the attack before the battle against the Saiyans, but he rarely used it. “MAKANKOSAPPO!” The golden spiral crackled with Super Saiyan 2-like lightning, shooting downward like a bullet.
It struck the doppelganger of Goku’s side and tore through his ribs and chest instantly.
Black gave an involuntary gasp of pain and leaned to one side, favoring the wound. Seeing his opening, the Shadow Walker brought his hands out to his sides and charged an energy sphere in each of them as he turned to face the dying Black Demon. He then cupped his hands together and pulled them to his side. “From the legends of Earth to you, Ka-me...”
Dust slowly cleared from around the still falling Phantom Saiyan, revealing what looked like a stick figure within. Black had his attire, skin, muscle tissue, and a good deal of organs blown off. Waving slightly from side to side, his warped and toothy face frozen in a state of evil joy, he was utterly exposed. His eye sockets, now nothing but voids, furthered the look of his gruesome state. Small bits of cauterized, charred flesh flaked off of his form revoltingly.
How had he gambled, only to lose to just a random Saiyan child! And if he didn’t think of something quickly, he’d provided Dark Gohan a perfect shot at him. Somehow, amidst his pathetic state, Black was still consciously aware of himself. Even as he tried to take in his surroundings, he could sense Steven begin to collect enough energy in front of him.
“—HA ME HA!” Screamed the Slayer of Darkness. The brilliant blue beam completely engulfed the Black Demon, it’s searing energy pulsing with Neo Perfect Android power.
As Black was instantly reduced to nothing by the Kamehameha, the Time Ring he had used to get to this dimension dropped to the ground with a clatter. And yet Neo Perfect Cell gave no smile of satisfaction. Turning, he faced the Galactic Warrior and moved into his main genetic template’s stance, preparing for the inevitable.
“Shadow Walker Gohan is absolutely incredible,” Piccolo said, watching on. “He is much stronger than anyone that had appeared so far, and even an evil monster as powerful as that Imposter Goku was outmatched by my protégé’s clone. This seemingly older incarnation of Gohan is even capable of fighting both Broly and Black at the same time with hardly any trouble too. Yet if it wasn’t for him being perfectly neutral, he might have had a harder time in being able to win against those two monsters.”
“It’s practically an all-you-can-eat carnage buffet up there,” Krillin added. “As if you were to count both Vegeta and that fake Goku, all of those challenging Dark Gohan have more than enough energy within their bodies to blow up this entire Solar System thirty-one times over, but the total control over movement and Ki Dark Gohan has have so far prevented any of us from experiencing what the end of the world would literally feel like.”
“Yeah, this has been the freakiest day ever.” Gohan was nodding in agreement. “Even so, it almost feels like we are watching a future version of myself instead of a person somehow related to Mr. Piccolo, me, and even Frieza succeeding even my daddy as a Super Saiyan in strength and being the one to defeat foe after deadly foe from beyond space and time.”
“Agreed, but it also seems in that the wormhole Broly used to get here is having trouble staying open,” Tien observed, noticing the occasional spasms and uncontrolled surges in the Hell Gate above them and the rest of the battlefield. “It must somehow be connected to the evil Saiyan brute with the slightly greenish-yellow hair.”
Broly grabbed his stomach from the pain, but quickly had to move to block as Shadow Walker Gohan continued attacking. Keeping one eye behind him to watch for any signs of another threat to the Earth, the clone of the son of Goku began spinning through a series of practiced sweep kicks and dives.
“Ghrr, my patience for this absurdly strong Saiyan child is wearing thin...but as soon as I destroy him and his damn father, this entire world will be next!”
“Not on your life, Broly!” Steven screamed, forcing his way through the evil Saiyan’s defenses and landing a series of punches across his body. “You are through in spreading petty destruction wherever you go!” Steven slammed a gut punch into Broly’s solar plexus after he had knocked him higher into the air from his earlier barrage before continuing to yell at him. “As I will make you suffer for all of the stupidity you have forced upon the people of your Universe and of this one!” The Twilight Warrior pounded Broly with a barrage of punches to his face and kicks to his abdomen. “You hear me Legendary Super Saiyan, I will avenge everyone and everything you have hurt and killed!” With a hard chop to the Saiyan’s neck, he sent Broly across the horizon, swiftly chasing after him. “For you don’t deserve to be living for the centillion of deaths you and your bloodline are responsible for!” The Dark Avenger caught up with the Saiyan of Legend, then slammed him in the back with an elbow, and watched him fall to the rocky ground pocketed with lava that now completely surrounded them and the Z-Team.
“As even being exiled by that King Cold wannabe and thrown away like the trash that you are was just too good for you!” Shouted Steven, with the wrath in his red Frost Demon-like eyes and perfectly white Namekian teeth clenched making him look like a Shinso Vampire.
The Neo Perfect Bio-Android watched the Legendary Destroyer struggle to lift himself to hands and knees. Scorched by the fury of the Meteor Crash, Broly lifted his head to speak, pushing through the pain as he stood up, completely furious.
“Why won’t you just SHUT UP already!?” The Legendary Saiyan replied, his voice tense. “Destroying everything in the cosmos is what I was born for!” Broly yelled, throwing out his arm and firing a spherical blast directly at Steven.
But the Shadow Walker was completely prepared for the massive emerald-green energy sphere. He bent low, turning his left shoulder into the attack. “Wrong!” He roared, flinging his arm ahead to meet the blast. With a single swipe, he deflected the green sphere of energy over his shoulder. The Legendary Super Saiyan’s Eraser Cannon exploded just outside the Solar System behind the Twilight Warrior, immediately forming a large dome of deadly green energy as it vaporized everything within the blast radius. “As I know for a fact in that you had a choice just like Vegeta,” the Slayer of Darkness corrected Broly. “But just like him, you simply chose to follow in the footsteps of an even greater monster, and to add further insult to your injured fatal flaws of having cold-blooded pride and a sick obsession to fill in something that doesn’t even exist, it is only a matter of time before all of your heinous crimes have caught up with you.”
Inasmuch as the intended result was to further provoke Broly, Steven completely succeeded. With his eyes becoming a bloodshot red, the Demon of Fear and Death began to growl angrily, forming two more green orbs in his hands. He immediately hurled them both, then began creating more and throwing them as rapidly as he could. There was now a flurry of green energy balls flying at the Walker of Shadow, too numerous to count for even their user.
A note of excitement appeared on Steven’s face. “Well, isn’t that bizarre? I thought I was fighting an actual warrior with the form spoken of in ancient Saiyan folklore as it looks like I am instead facing the Vegeta equal to one,” he muttered. He extended his left and right arm out beside him in opposite directions, his fingers spread out. “Dragon Claw Dance!”
Pure emerald green energy erupted around his arms from the elbow out to a few feet beyond the fingertips. They formed a pair of broad, claws shimmering brilliantly, the same attack he’d seen used on a special episode of Pokémon by a Mega evolved Pokémon to attack another Mega evolved one in a forest during a Trainer battle.
The first two Eraser Cannons were mere inches from Steven’s face when he swung his arms up and around, slicing them in half. The green balls of Ki split down the middle, each half flying past his head on each side only to explode furiously behind him. In front of him, a seeming wall of energy balls bore down on him.
But Steven didn’t wait around. Immediately, he sprang forward off from where he was, diving straight into the mass of attacks. The next two blasts he clove in four with a downward strike; a side-swing took care of the next two. Still flying straight forward, he sliced and slashed his way through the entire mass of attacks, sending speeding fragments of energy in every direction and reducing the Eraser Shot Volley to shambles. To the shocked Legendary Warrior watching, it was nothing but a whirling, flashing arc of emerald light effortlessly carving it’s way through a dense cloud of his legendary energy.
Before until Shadow Walker Gohan cleaved his way through the last of his opponent’s energy barrage and ascended into the sky, he spun in a backwards loop after reaching the edge of the atmosphere and made his way down like a comet, Broly only noticed too late that Steven had done this to build up momentum as the clone of the son of Goku then met him and slashed the evil Saiyan with one of his claws made of Ki.
SSSHHINNNGG! The Dragon Claw Dance finished with Steven slicing straight through the Legendary Saiyan in a single swipe, but the Dragon Claw caught in Broly’s ribcage, so he whirled with an elbow strike, smashing the Dark Messiah of the Saiyans across the planet Earth and freeing his other hand; Broly caught himself in midair and looked at himself to see the right side of his upper body severely slashed and torn open. The son of Paragus then turned to Steven with enraged eyes and gave an animalistic scream as he charged before vanishing with super speed.
Teleporting above Steven, the massive Legendary Super Saiyan swung down to meet the Warrior of Twilight with a double fist, but the Bio-Android spun out of the way without losing momentum and scored a firm kick across the Legendary Warrior’s shoulders.
Having recovered quickly, Broly appeared directly in front of Steven with one palm forward and fired a green energy wave.
“GIGANTIC ERASER!”
But even as the blast erupted from the Saiyan Messiah’s hand, the reborn son of Goku chopped his arm to the side and whirled into a spinning backfist. The accompanying half-twist led straight into a thrust kick to Broly’s ribs which sent the insane warrior of Super Saiyan legend tumbling away while Steven launched himself back toward Broly.
The Legendary Super Saiyan had already recovered and was flying back into the fray, yet his opponent reached him first and gave him a spinning kick to the face before unleashing a burst of equally blazing-fast punches that Broly managed to block in time. Meanwhile, the ground below them suddenly began to rumble. Rocks began rising into the air all around them, causing both to turn towards the black light off in the distance.
“The Phantom Saiyan…He just regenerated himself back in one piece and his power almost doubled...” Steven muttered aloud. Broly quickly tried to take the opportunity to attack the distracted Slayer of Darkness with a right hook. But Dark Gohan dodged beside, grabbed the arm, and swung the Legendary Saiyan towards the ground.
Instantly, Black was on them again—and this time he bore a whole new level of viciousness. Rather than seek out Broly, the Black Demon flew blindly at Steven, who hung alone in the air, and unleashed an all-out assault. The last living Demon Clansman quickly raised his guard, but he was barely able to block the Phantom’s brutal blows, Black then paused as he tried to smash a hammerfist onto his head. But Steven caught the punch with one hand, sent Black diving into the Earth with a vicious chop to the Demon’s neck, and teleported to Black before blasting the personification of despair’s entire body to a catatonic state with an Earth Breaker. He then turned his eyes onto Broly.
“Damn, you...” Black mumbled, groaning in pain. “Pulling...a Frieza...on me. You lowly—”
Suddenly, a new and sharper pain shot through his entire nervous system, piercing his consciousness. The agony reverberated through his body from his right leg. Looking down, he saw that Steven’s tail had pierced his thigh. As he and Broly watched in horror, Steven began sucking the life out of the former, reducing his entire body to nothing in only the smallest split of a second and leaving behind the sleeveless dark grey jacket, a long-sleeved black undershirt, a red sash, black pants and white boots.
With the threat of the Phantom Saiyan now gone, the hair of Steven spiked out more rigidly and darkened in hue, the change was also accompanied by a stretching sound as an immediate expansion of his muscle mass was needed for his body to adjust to the new rush of strength that was permanently and without consequence added to his own, and with the addition of even more blue lightning to his aura, peals of thunder could be heard just from the crackling of lightning given off from the reborn Bio-Android’s aura even as he pulled the stinger out of Black’s shriveled clothes and sent them hurtling toward the lava pit behind him with a single flick.
“GAHHHH!” The beaten and bloodied Legendary Warrior screamed angrily. “Kakarot was mine! MINE! MIIIIINE!” Broly, the massive Legendary Super Saiyan, raised his right hand and formed a Trap Shooter. “YAAHH!”
He threw out his hand, firing several emerald-green energy sphere bullets, which immediately began homing in on Shadow Walker Gohan. The Twilight Warrior, unfazed by the cloud of Broly’s Trap Shooter rushing toward him, pulled back his tail and filled it with clear silver light.
Steven’s Iron Tail, late as it was, intercepted the incoming Gigantic Cluster and caused it to disperse harmlessly over him—while the clone of Gohan had pulled back both hands and filled them with gold energy. Broly opened his mouth wide and roared, letting his ethereal aura explode around him. Though the instantaneous Explosion Wave struck him dead on, it’s effects seemed completely swallowed up by Steven’s might. Broly, on the other hand, brought his hands forward to deflect the first few of the Neo Perfect Android’s Renzoku Makōhō, before blocking and being struck by the remaining trillions of blasts. Now shrouded in another smokescreen, the tiring Legendary Warrior could no longer ignore the facts. Both of the fighters, much as he hated it, seemed to be in the same league of power as himself, as well as this Steven being able to shake off damage like droplets of water. If he had any chance to win, it wouldn’t be by wearing down his foes, it would be by decisive action. But he was dozens of years old, practically a legend in his own right. It had taken the Saiyan he hated the most and his sons to stop him the last time, and this time not even they would get the better of him! It didn’t matter that he was alone. The Messiah felt no fear, not even the slightest—he wasn’t going to lose.
Broly emerged out from the debris cloud, streaks of blood covered his still crossed arms. His gold arm and wristbands were melded into his flesh, one of his massive legs and an eye had been blasted away, and both of Broly’s shoulders were showing only veins and scorched patches of skin holding his arms together. The enraged Legendary Super Saiyan son of Paragus uncrossed his arms and started to raise them both over his head, charging yet another emerald-green ball of energy.
“It is now time for you to atone for all of what you have done from the first moment you allowed your heart to be corrupted by darkness to when you heartlessly killed your own flesh and blood. Too many of your choices in life mirror those of what Frieza and Vegeta had done in their youth,” Steven said to the Demon of Fear and Death. He then cupped his hands by his side, forming a small blue orb in them. “Kaaaa…”
Broly was trembling-no, quaking-with unbridled fury. The look in his eye, bloodshot anger, only fueled the crackling Combined Eraser Cannon in his hands.
“Meeee…” He continued.
The Legendary Saiyan’s Ultimate Eraser grew to the size of Earth’s Moon with Broly letting out a strangled scream…as the warrior Saiyan stared down Steven with a mask of pure hate and made his Ultimate Eraser even bigger than the Earth.
“Haaaa…” Shadow Walker Gohan said undaunted even as Legendary Super Saiyan Broly released an unbridled roar, almost more animal than man, and increased the size of his Ultimate Eraser enough for it to be seen from the Sacred World of the Supreme Kais.
“Meeee…” Without warning, Broly forged a grin and vanished from sight with the help of the Hell Gate summoned by Majcnavn having instantly burst forward and swallowed him up. Steven quickly followed the son of Paragus with his Instant Transmission technique in the same instant, already knowing exactly where Broly was going.
Unknown Timeline…
Age 796, mere moments before Bra became eighteen years old…
High in the exosphere of Earth…
“HYAA!” The psychotic and deranged Broly released his powerful ball of energy, but Steven Bloodriver arrived just in time to stop him.
“Haaaa!” The Kamehameha wave, undoubtedly the most powerful Steven had ever produced, swelled at the tip to nearly twice the height of the Ultimate Eraser. It’s humming blue light energy slammed into the Combined Eraser Cannon like a freight train, digging itself deep into the Sun-like sphere and coming straight out from the other side instantly, Steven’s Kamehameha arced around Broly’s body like an engulfing sphere. The blast exploded violently against it’s target, spraying dust everywhere that enshrouded his enemy…and a moment of silence and stillness followed as the Z Warrior waited.
After the moment, the debris cloud that filled the sky cleared away to reveal nothing of Broly had survived.
“Enjoy your time in oblivion, Broly. For an evil bastard like you had it coming since you were born.” Steven said, then just when he was about to use Instant Transmission to make his way back to his own dimension, he sensed a young woman with the blood of Vegeta and Bulma in distress, and rushed off to help her.
Ruins of West City…
The evil Black wore the same ominous clothing and white boots as his alternate self did during his scuffles with Steven Bloodriver, but with his physical structure bearing almost twice the amount of muscle mass than even his alternate counterpart. Even so, the battle with the fusions of Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, and Trunks mere moments before had nearly finished him, leaving him at only a fraction of his actual strength.
Black was now floating in midair and lifted his arms, lightning coalesced around his form. He was preparing to end Vegeta’s daughter with his Black Kamehameha, a move favorited by the avatar of despair and personalized from the original to be more of his own.
The teenager wearing a lavender, sports bra, sporting a hair binder on her head to tie her purple hair in a ponytail, black gym shorts revealing much of her hips, white gloves and boots much like her father had worn in his youth, looked on above her, too frightened to move, as the one who so brazenly slaughtered all of her friends and family from the world looked down at her with a psychotic smirk.
Pulling both his hands together, Black released all of his hatred and fury. Right before, he and Bra had suddenly, felt an incredible power. “STOP IT!” Yelled a furious voice, unidentifiable and distant. THUDD! A powerful boot smashed into the Black Demon’s arms, cutting off the beam completely and dissipating the Black Kamehameha before it even touched Bra. Black started to turn, but the other boot caught him in the chin, sending him flying in an arc. He braced in midair and flipped, skidding a few feet on his landing, the blow had been strong enough to both arrest his attack and even knock off one of Black’s teeth. “…Cell?!” Black asked, stunned.
The young warrior from the past was hovering just in front of Black, his face furious. A red bruise, the exact shape of his boot, was forming on the older clone’s cheek. Still smoking from the fierce kick he had received from Shadow Walker Gohan. “Well hello, you heartless freak of Nature. Did you seriously believe I would just stand by and watch as you try to kill another innocent life?! Well think again, as I have come to end your reign of terror across time and space.” Steven’s stern voice was frightening even to the Bringer of Despair - he sounded much older when he was filled with righteous fury. The Phantom Saiyan was now shaking uncontrollably, unable to believe his eyes and ears. His final enemy had just been in front of him, and yet now here stood the reborn version of one of the true Goku’s greatest rivals - Cell, a fighter recognized by everyone to have the highest dormant power. The anger and vengeance on Steven Bloodriver’s face tore at his heart, cutting deeper than words ever could have. Steven’s eyes shone with righteous indignation…indignation directed on him.
The young boy clad in his variation of Piccolo’s Gi still hovered before the evil Black, wreathed in God-like Neo Perfect light. To Black’s distress and amazement, it was perfectly clear that Steven had not only become a Shadow Walker. The boy had even ascended beyond the farthest limitations of any true Super Namek, Super Saiyan, and Fourth-Form Frost Demon he had ever known. “No, no, no…NO! It can’t be!” The Supreme Kai and Saiyan hybrid said in shock. Bra looked on in awe. “Wow! I don’t know who you are but thank you for saving me!” Bra shouted, her voice sweet and innocent. Her savior had appeared completely out of nowhere; the half-Saiyan hadn’t sensed his energy until he appeared on the battlefield as if from thin air. It was a miracle, really, but the crisis was not yet over. Black was still as dangerous as ever.
“Your welcome, fellow defender of justice. My name is Steven Bloodriver, the Shadow Walker.” Steven said Telepathically. “Hello, I’m Bra, but are you really Cell? Your Ki feels more like if you were a neutral relative of Mr. Piccolo, Mr. Gohan, and Frieza, with you even looking nothing like how Cell did many years ago.” “Nice to meet you Lady Bra, and I could have been almost like my original self if I had not been struck by a stray Maximum Flasher from my world’s version of your father while I was still developing in my stasis tank.” The boy responded back inwardly. The inheritor of Kaioshin and Saiyan blood’s expression had rapidly turned from shock to denial, and from denial to unbridled fury.
This young, black-haired badass incarnate of a warrior was treating him like a common and lowly criminal, a nobody! His mind flashed back to when he was still in his feeble Kaioshin body, having been forced to watch over inferior lifeforms just to get to Gowasu. He’d taken his revenge on the old Kaioshin and most of the flawed creations of the Gods, and he’d do the same to this newcomer as well. But the muscular boy wasn’t done. “I may not be very old, but I’ve seen enough evil in my life to know that you aren’t willing to change. It’s written on your face: you only care about yourself and you’ll destroy anyone who gets in your way. Even if I gave you another chance, tried to help you, you’d only betray me and everyone else. You’re no threat to me, but I can’t run the risk of you hurting another innocent life, so you have to die.”
Black was too livid to speak; his veins were bulging and his arms were trembling. He was going to rip this boy apart limb from limb…no, he would make the boy watch while he tortured everyone else to death. Even that wouldn’t slake the anger he now felt. “I WILL TURN THIS REALM INTO A DESOLATE WASTELAND FILLED WITH THE CORPSES OF YOU AND THE REST OF THE MULTIVERSE’S INHABITANTS FOR ALL OF WHAT YOU HAVE SAID AND DONE TO A GOD LIKE ME! I WILL—”
“Will you just SHUT UP!” Blurted Steven, his aura pulsing brighter. “You think I care about what you say?! It is all because of you and Vegeta this world has suffered so much! Willing to kill even you’re own family and friends, just for your twisted delusions of honor to be satisfied!” The boy exclaimed. The electricity arcing around Neo Perfect Cell flashed brilliantly, as they lit up the skies of Earth. The jagged blue aura flowing around him, nearly white-hot from the purity of the energy. His eyes were fiercely locked in a death stare that had Black genuinely trembling. Steven did not smile. Then, he decided, it was time. Steven took an aggressive step toward Black, immediately powering up in order to challenge this ultimate incarnate of death.
Steven’s ascension reverberated through the entire Galaxy with piercing clarity, overawing everyone within the Milky Way. Black, Bra, the one still spectating outside of the space and time continuum—all were stunned, frozen in place.
“...Steven...” Mumbled Bra, utterly amazed. For a moment, her pain of having witnessed every last one of her beloved family and friends’ die at the hands of the evil and imperfect clone of the true Goku was forgotten, she could only gape at her savior’s magnificent aura.
The Earth and everything beyond it’s atmosphere were rumbling violently. On the planet, islands and whole continents were beginning to break free, lifting off the surface into the air. While the star within the center of the Solar System of Earth and the Gas Giants beyond the Asteroid Belt were nearly put out by the fierce shockwaves reaching even them. The veins brought out from the intense concentration and rage that had marked his face evaporated instantly in the jagged waves of energy now surging up around him.
This was no longer Steven, the boy—this was Steven, the warrior of legend. Three golden locks of hair hung down just above his eyes, the rest of it stiff and angled straighter up than before. His features were harder, sharper; he had the same menacing expression as Vegeta. The harshness in his face, made even more fearsome by his brightened blood-red irises and further enlarged fangs, showed the visage of a true Saiyan warrior.
But his eyes, more than any other feature, showed the greatest change. The former innocence was gone; in it’s place was resolve and maturity. The normal blood-red irises that surrounded his black pupils that had once shown mercy and gentleness now burned with greater fury, intent on swift, vengeful destruction. The living embodiment of destruction and fear had ascended—no, transcended. He was far more than an ordinary clone of the Saiyans, Namekians, and Frieza’s race.
This transformation was not a mere shift in his power, a temporary powerup born of careful technique. This new energy was a complete replacement of his normal Saiyan power, a fundamental shift in his very being. It felt as though every prior transformation had taken place underwater, holding his breath, and he was only now reaching the surface and breathing freely for the first time.
He took a deep breath. This new energy felt like life itself, flowing around and through his body, perfecting his defenses. Blue plasma in the form of deadly arcs no longer crackled within his aura, the previous one of ethereal blue had been washed away by the resonance of power. Because of the Bio-Android essentially being the result of a catharsis of when his original self had finally accepted with some help that not using his power to follow in the footsteps of his fellow Androids was the right thing to do. Upon recognizing that sometimes seeking vengeance required sacrifice, that he would have to let go of his fears in order to avenge the people he cared about. Steven had gained access to the Neo Perfect form from birth. Which is why unlike the Android’s predecessor, Steven would never be restrained by both doubt and ignorance. Almost nothing the original Cell could be infected or weakened by can affect Steven, as he is what Cell had foolishly believed to be an extremely dangerous side of himself, instead of realizing Steven was exactly what he needed to truly realize the potential to become a perfect being. Steven’s new Ki zipped through his veins at incredible speed, faster and cleaner than ever before.
His senses were heightened, perfected. Everything around him moved as if in slow motion; he was able to take it all in at once without even trying. Even a single speck of rock hovering just in front of him was intricate and beautiful and awe-inspiring.
Steven looked across the battle-worn ground at the Phantom Saiyan. The Immortal’s eyes were narrowed—all from surprise, fear, and excitement, the boy could tell with ease. And he could see the tiniest beads of sweat welling up on Black’s palms, telltale signs of weakness he could also tell effortlessly. Steven could even hear Black’s heartbeat more clearly...it was quickening almost too imperceptibly. As exhausted as he felt, Black was completely failing in hiding the fact that was unprepared, amazed, even overwhelmed. Though everyone else were too busy to notice, it was completely obvious to the young Super Saiyan.
“...Impossible...” Black shivered, his body suddenly trembling uncontrollably before the mere sight of the newest legendary warrior of the Saiyan race. The energy he felt, the power...it was impossibly strong, like an endless sea as deep and broad as the Cosmos itself. “You…you…what are you?!” Black asked.
“You know, if you want my personal opinion, asking a question you already know the answer to is a pretty sad choice of last words. But to be fair, it’s far from the worst decision you’ve made today,” the Destroyer of Worlds reborn as a Shadow Walker said—his voice suddenly void of all emotion. “Especially given the fact this had all started simply because of rejection, isn’t that right Zamasu? For whoever you had once loved had pushed you away as your love in question had eyes for another.”
Those were the first words that the Demon known as Black heard that he had ever truly feared before his pupils shrunk and began to shake, before his face turned completely blue as he began to unwittingly stumble backwards. “N-no,” he stuttered, before even losing his balance and falling flat on his back. He now knew how from firsthand experience that this particular Super Saiyan was nothing like the others, that when it came down to finishing the job with merciless efficiency, there was now one even better than Gogeta. That cold knowledge further ignited the icy flames of his fear even as he began to back away on all fours from the spot where he had fallen.
'But when that moment passed, sudden anger caused the massively built Phantom Saiyan to punch the ground in fury, angry that someone so beneath him was actually reducing him to his true self by just lecturing him. He then angrily pushed himself back up and regained his footing before he steadied himself and grit his teeth as he looked Steven dead in the eyes as threatening as possible. “That’s quite enough of your mouth!” He yelled, turning back into his unique Super Saiyan 'Rosé transformation once again in a blinding flash. “For I am sick and tired of you speaking such blasphemous lies to your unstoppable Lord! And I will NOT let myself be defeated by such a twisted perversion like yourself of a true warrior of Saiyan legend!” He leapt into the air and charged toward the other Super Saiyan, Black’s massive arms outstretched as he formed two razor-sharp disks of energy in his palms. Each looked even deadlier than Krillin’s Destructo Disk and were arcing with electricity.
BLAM! A powerful kick caught the Super Saiyan Rosé in the back of his neck, sending him smashing face-first into the ground with a most satisfying collision. The fierce Hell Lightning Cutter dissipated immediately after coming in contact with the combat aura of the younger Super Saiyan. Steven hovered directly above Black, fists clenched. “You’re one to talk, aren’t you Black, for didn’t you almost lose to the Dragon Soldiers almost right away and had to resort to trickery and deception in order to really win against any of them, and even before you had killed your mentor, aren’t you the one who sought out of a way to turn yourself into an imperfect clone of your most hated enemy?”
“Steven! Awesome, you are doing it!” The other young Z Fighter shouted excitedly. The power she felt from the boy was now very near equal to Gohan’s own when the son of Goku had shown his true power when attempting to finally kill Goku Black, which far outclassed even what she had felt from Steven and Goku Black earlier. This time, it was Steven—not Goku, that would rise to the occasion and save the day. Bra couldn’t have been more turned on to his words and actions, though she immediately remembered her savior of the Saiyan legend was probably much younger than her and so continued to just barely will herself back from joining in the battle.
“Huh, I wonder how old he is really though and if he is single,” Bra wondered, giggling. “Because he sure is cute to look at even when not as a Super Saiyan.”
Black, the Demon of Despair could hardly move a muscle – that one blow he had received damaged him far more than anything Steven had given him only moments before. Clearly, the boy seemed to have grown as strong as or even stronger than a Super Saiyan 3. Black had been at enough of his full power even with his worn out and wounded body to still transform, but the simple kick from Steven had reduced his power further down to less than half of what he started off with in the beginning of their fight. But the living definition of evil found the strength to continue either way, jumping to his feet and glaring up at the reborn Gohan. Without warning, he fired a series of quick blasts from his eyes directly at the youngest Super Saiyan to have ever lived.
POW! All sixty of the Invisible Eye Blasts struck Steven in the middle of his forehead one after another in an instant, knocking him end over end.
“HA!” Black’s laugh was almost chilling in tone and unusually terrifying. “That didn’t take much. I guess that-HURK!”
Steven appeared behind the one who had tried to penetrate his skull, driving his fist deep into Black’s thick torso. He felt bones crunching and a lung collapsing under the blow and smiled as only a Super Saiyan can. “Oh, I beg to differ, Zamasu. For what you have done just in the smallest fraction of a second ago had completely failed to hurt me at all.”
Enraged, the Super Saiyan Rosé spun around and swung a double fist toward the young Super Saiyan, but it met empty air. Steven was already behind him, delivering a precise flurry of kicks and punches that put more broken bones and ruptured organs under his already heavily bleeding torso.
Black stumbled forward before righting himself and turned to face his opponent, confused. “How?! How could a mere mortal, even an evolved member of Cell’s race with the DNA of only 1% of Piccolo, 98.6% of Future Gohan’s Saiyan half, and 0.4% of even that despicable Frieza obtain such an insane level of power?”
Steven stood confidently. “I’ve always been so much more than an ordinary Bio-Android ever since I was reborn into a Shadow Walker, but unlike those before me you had already faced, I am not held back by anything...” He raised his voice, “…as I take after the best of what I was given from my rebirth as a being of neither righteousness nor wickedness!” He dashed toward the Super Saiyan Rosé again.
The evil Black shook his head and growled, intent on meeting this new challenge. He parried Steven’s first blow and counterattacked with a kick that flipped the reborn Bio-Android over. Before the Demon could follow up his advantage, Steven recovered and punched the Bringer of Despair solidly in the jaw, sending a spray of blood arcing through the air with teeth shattering and being sent down to be lodged in Black’s throat as well.
The two warriors continued battling furiously. Within moments it became apparent that the cold-blooded Black, still imbued with the sinister power of Super Saiyan Rosé, was little by little losing the strength his transformation was giving him due to Steven’s smaller size and agility, not to mention his new determination, more than evened the odds now that Super Saiyan energy flowed through him.
Pausing his exchange of blows with Steven, Black backflipped away before pulling both his hands to one side of his head. “Fwahahaha! This is the end, Cell! For you will no longer be a thorn on my side after this!” A ball of pinkish-black energy appeared in his hands, wrath growing in his eyes. “BLACK KAMEHAMEHA!”
The beam crackling with lightning of the brightest shade of white only charged for an instant in midair before being unleashed towards the Super Saiyan below. Steven didn’t even have to see it to realize it was too strong to simply block. Black meant business, and for some reason had targeted him specifically with an attack meant to destabilize right after being fired. “He wasn’t kidding, his over-charged version of Mr. Son Goku’s Kamehameha has more than enough power to dwarf anything he had thrown at me so far. But I have to counter the Kamehameha right away before it becomes unstable and destroys everything!” The Super Saiyan quickly thought. Without hesitation, Steven pulled his hands to the side of his waist. “KAMEHAMEHA!”
Just as they had so long before, the blue beam of Earth’s defender met the pinkish-black attack of Earth’s would-be conqueror. For a moment, the ball of blue and bright pink hung transfixed, seeming to freeze in one place. But that didn’t last long. Slowly and steadily, the Kamehameha pushed the Demon of Despair’s attack back toward him. The Super Saiyan hadn’t held back.
WHOOSH! Black only narrowly dodged the beam as it roared past.
Then Steven, in a sudden resurgence of speed, dashed at Black. “What’s wrong, Zamasu? Has your ego been bruised as much as you are?” He announced. The Demon immediately blocked, only to find himself defending against an Afterimage. The real one was just above him, and, thanks to the deception, delivered an axe kick that sent Black tumbling back into the scorched Earth—or what was left of it.
But even as the Super Saiyan Rosé fell from above like a meteor and almost crashed into the ground, Steven put two fingers to his head for Instant Transmission, and pulled his body into hyperspace. Appearing to position himself right in Black’s trajectory in the nick of time, the Super Saiyan then suddenly rocketed into the monster, his brown moccasin colliding violently with the side of Black’s jaw. The Demon went flying, bouncing over the debris all across the battlefield and skidding to a halt in a crater of rubble. This time, Black was quick trying to get back on his feet, but not fast enough.
“I’ll show you why you should never cross me, monster!” Steven yelled, hitting Black in the face with a flurry of jabs and punches. His speed was incredible, too quick for the Demon of Despair to block any of the powerful blows. Pausing at the end of his barrage, Steven swung a hard upwards kick into Black’s stomach and sent the Phantom Saiyan flying.
His aura burst out around him further than ever before, harsh golden light, and he chased after the Phantom Saiyan. Black didn’t even have a chance to recover. Because before he knew it, Steven Bloodriver kicked him hard in the back, sending him flying even higher into the air. The Twilight Warrior then shot straight up into the sky, passing Black and positioning himself right in his trajectory.
“Not smiling now, are you Zamasu?” Steven noted. “Beginning to feel terrified aren’t you? Well, let me help in making you feel true despair with my EXPLOSIVE DEMON WAVE!”
The wave of power came gushing out of Steven’s left hand that was braced perpendicularly behind his right, it’s width great enough to swallow four or five dozen Goku Blacks whole. The Black Demon’s eyes bulged, showing yet another look of true fear on his face. He was barely able to move his hands in front of his face for a block.
KABOOOM! The massive beam exploded in midair, sending golden rings of energy out perpendicular to the beam. From the brown smoke, Black plummeted like a rocket to the ground below, his body smoking the entire way. Steven landed first. Just before impact, the Super Saiyan lifted his leg and did a spin kick, sending Black bouncing even further before his Super Saiyan foe spun around one more time, with both palms extended straight out in front of him. “DOUBLE MASENKO!” Two yellow beams struck the surprised monster at nearly point-blank range, cutting him off in mid-flight. The Angel of Death’s right arm was instantly blown away at the elbow; the entire left side of his torso was obliterated from his shoulder to his waist. Before finally, the Demon of Despair could rest, as he immediately crashed into the barren ground and doubled over, gasping in pain and shock as the series of impacts had left him with bruises all over his mind and body. With purple blood also continuing to drip from his scorched frame by the gallon.
“GAH!” The monster gasped, coughing a wad of blood onto the ground in front of him.
“That’s it!” Shouted Bra. “That Combat Sadomasochist is down! Finish him, Steven!”
But even before Steven could have lifted both his hands up, just above his forehead to prepare a Masenko, Black had picked himself up, shook his head for a bit before he began grinning sadistically. SLURCK! Black then regenerated both his arms in a burst of wraithlike pinkish-black slime, but from the effort he was forced to not just breathe heavily, but to pant briefly to recover his breath and energy. What little black remained of his shirt wasn’t doing any good, so he ripped it away, now wearing only black pants and white boots drenched in his own purple blood. Wiping the blood mixed with sweat from his forehead, the Demon of Despair then lowered his eyes back to meet those of his enemy. There was still fury burning in them, the electric energy of his transformation was still crackling around him. He wasn’t done yet.
“You worthless arrogant mortal, fear the invincible power of Super Saiyan Rosé!” Roared the Demon of Black Despair, as he then instantly channeled his entire battle aura that was still erupting around him in almost the same shade of pink as his hair into both his hands to form a pair of deadly energy blades able to pierce the flesh of even a Legendary Super Saiyan 3. THUUMM! Black smashed both of his Rosé Bladefists into Steven’s jaw, sending the reborn Super Saiyan son of Goku stumbling backwards. “You’ve have got to be freakin kidding me! I didn’t even so much as scratch you with the same attack I used to cut Gogeta and his blasted son?!” A powerful uppercut from the Black Demon doubled Steven over before Black twisted his body all the way around and slammed both Rosé Bladefists again in double fist fashion against the back of the Twilight Warrior’s head. Sure enough, the glancing blows shot Steven downward to the ground at lightning speed. A split-second later, he penetrated the planet’s crust and pierced to the core.
Seeing how even his best move failed to inflict any damage upon his Super Saiyan foe, Black instantly retracted his Super Saiyan Rosé aura from his fists back into only letting it flow around him before lifting both his hands hastily above his head, Black’s palms began building a yellowish-black spark of Ki, growing rapidly into an ever-burgeoning sphere. “NOW YOU’VE GONE AND DONE IT! FORCING ME TO USE SUCH A SACRED TECHNIQUE AGAINST ONE WHO IS NOT EVEN A GOD!”
A geyser of molten magma shot up from Earth’s core at the same time Black had fired his Godly Spirit Bomb, the hellish flames fell away to reveal Steven Bloodriver’s form, his aura was blazing wildly around him. The energy had served to vaporize the magma before it reached him, but the heat didn’t really bother him at all; the Super Saiyan’s face was untouched by any kind of dehydration.
“Don’t mistake me for any regular person to which you have met before, Zamasu. Because I am going to beat you black and blue with all of the vengeance needed to be dealt upon you for all the innocent you sadistically killed from your own mother to those that were once here on this Earth, you snide asshole with the same evil blackheart as that freaking demented Demon known as 'Prince' Vegeta! Now let’s see if your poorly done version of Mr. Son Goku’s Large Spirit Bomb can even hold a candle to this!” Dark Gohan extended his right arm toward the Godly Spirit Bomb approaching him and began to charge up a crackling blue energy ball in his palm. “My own take of a move I inherited from the undisputed son of the legendary Z-Fighter, Mr. Son Goku! Draco…Masendaaaaaan!”
The evil Black had no time to think, Steven had fired his sphere at the far larger Godly Spirit Bomb, and it was never even a contest, as the Super Saiyan’s attack split through Black’s, hardly losing any of it’s potency whatsoever, all Black could do was brace himself as he was subjected to yet another overwhelming energy attack. He could literally feel the sinews of his flesh being roasted, fried with plasma burns. Then, flinching as he gasped for breath, the antithesis of all life and hope had his guard broken by a rushing Steven, the punch from the boy literally broke it’s way through both his forearms before striking Black full in the face.
BLAM! POW! THUUMM! The young Super Saiyan from another world’s past followed with a series of blows to the Demon’s head and neck that sent him staggering backward, Black could feel his Super Saiyan Rosé strength beginning to leave him again. He was running through hundreds of past experiences per second, desperately trying to come up with a strategy. None of Black’s recollection from previous fights had prepared him for dealing with Steven as a Super Saiyan - not even the Super Saiyan Blue versions of Gogeta and Gohanks had fought with this kind of ferocity.
Steven was angry—angry at the Super Saiyan Rosé for attacking and killing both his friends and family, angry at Mira for creating monsters like Black, and angry at himself for not being able to stop them before any innocent lives were sacrificed to use as fuel for Zamasu’s evolution. This was the third time in all his life, he had been too late to save the others he cared for with all of his heart and soul, first it was when he couldn’t save his own family from the wrath of the Prince of Death, the second being with the most evil Saiyan he had ever known who looked more like a Mad Bodybuilder than one of the actual warriors of legend spoken of even until this day having followed the same path of destruction and mayhem of ravaging the entire Universe as the incarnation of Black he was currently fighting, and now a damn and twisted perversion of one of the Universe’s greatest heroes had murdered an untold number of innocents just because he was rejected by the Kaioshin of Time. So many times, he had failed even with all his power, but for the first time in his life, his anger had an outlet. The power of the Super Saiyan transformation flowed effortlessly, a perfect complement to his emotion. He was just getting started in dealing his vengeance.
“YAAHH!” The Phantom Saiyan swung both fists down on top of Steven angrily, but the boy blocked them with only one arm and kicked the Black Demon in the stomach, as hard as he could. Vomit mixed with blood and everything making up his stomach flew from his mouth as his eyes bulged from the pain.
“Steven is absolutely incredible!” Said Bra, standing only a few feet away from the fury of the battle. “He is taking everything Goku Black throws at him and none of it is doing any damage! All the while from start to finish he is utterly outmatching the evil counterpart of Uncle Goku with power even greater than both of my elder brothers’ and Uncle Goten before they all trained to obtain God power!”
Bra’s observations were right. Though Black was still in his Super Saiyan Rosé form, his body was completely unable to recover any of his lost power and pride from failing to absorb any of the damage Steven was dishing out against him and all of the energy he had absorbed from the heroes before Steven had been almost used up completely and he was now even vulnerable to being defeated by the very first incarnation of Majin Buu to ever exist. Black had never anticipated that he wouldn’t be able to absorb the energy of his latest challenge, it was a revelation that he had considered impossible, but as he had no real idea what a Shadow Walker like Steven really was, he was forced to admit to himself that the Super Saiyan was capable of achieving the impossible. To make matters worse for the monster, he lost energy and health much faster than normal from Steven, almost like if the boy was born to be his bringer of destruction.
Steven took full advantage of his new power. He flew around the ponderous Demon at incredible speed, hitting him over and over again. His rage was unchecked and his fury was awe-inspiring. The battle’s only spectator could only watch as the golden stream of light wreathed the once thought invincible Destroyer of Life and Hope in destruction.
“How...how can you damage me so much?” Groaned the Demon of Black Despair. “I am of the Lords of Creation, part of an all-powerful race of Gods of unparalleled intelligence and power! My fully evolved self is superior—your feeble efforts to oppose me should be nothing!” His body was in tatters, all of his enlarged muscles having been burst open with the rest of his unnatural flesh ripped to pieces and falling before him. Purple blood, accompanied by his exposed innards, were leaking out of his head and left shoulder where he had taken the most severe damage. Steven had even smashed his entire face off—whatever resemblance the Demon had once possessed to Goku was now gone.
The youngest Super Saiyan slammed his fist hard into the Demon’s chest, splintering the last of Black’s visage of looking like a Saiyan and ripping out the heart of his enemy with his left hand. “Haven’t you realized it yet, villain? You say you monsters are superior—but I am NOT convinced. Those with evil hearts and meaningless reasons to harm others will never give up their stubbornness to achieve their full potential! While as for me, once I am done with you…and possibly your insidious creator…I am going to master my new body and mind by training with my family and extended family—TO MAKE SURE THOSE AFTER YOU WILL NOT CAUSE US SO MUCH PAIN AND SUFFERING!” Crushing the still beating heart as he said so. The flames of Steven’s Super Saiyan aura incinerating the blood and the remainder of the organ right after he did so. Only inches away from Black, he pulled both hands to his side. “Now it is time for you beat it, and take all of your bitterness with you to the grave, Ka-me...”
With his dying strength, the Lord of Death, Destruction, and the Underworld lunged forward and seized Steven’s wrists. “As if, lowly mortal! As I would rather take your body for myself to send you straight back into the depths of whatever hellish pit you had the gall to crawl out of than having to be killed by a worthless no-count such as yourself before I go on ahead to finish what I had started! For when compared to me, you are absolutely noth-”
Grinning, Steven planted both his feet on the Super Saiyan Rosé’s shattered chest. “No thank you, I prefer in only you going there to my version of Earth’s Hell to meet up with Vegeta, the other Goku Black, and Broly, as you can think of this as my farewell present. -HA ME HA!”
A brilliant explosion of blue energy tinged with the golden light of his Super Saiyan transformation erupted from his feet, blowing through and inside the Phantom Saiyan’s body. The ruthless Black’s stare and already cracked open cranium glowed brightly for an instant, then shattered as the pure light tore through them. Black fell to the ground, burned from the inside out, nothing but an ashen shell remaining.
Dragon Ball Online Timeline…
Unknown Age, several years after the capture of the last Drakoshin…
Demon Realm…
Mira had just begun exchanging more words with Drakoshin Majcnavn when he felt the sudden surge of energy from afar. He paused and turned just in time to see Steven execute one of his fellow Time Breakers in one swift, powerful blow.
A twinge of disappointment—was it regret?—tingled in the back of his mind. His most powerful creation, a being made in his nemesis’ own image, had been dispatched with disturbing ease. He’d never accounted for anyone, much less a mere Saiyan child, being victorious in his estimations, but the sudden display of power the Super Saiyan youth showed just now was an intriguing surprise.
But he cared little for the well-being of his fellow Demon, even now, and pushed such thoughts out of his mind immediately. Black had served his purpose well, forcing Steven, the only real threat to him and his plans, to reveal his presence and techniques ahead of time.
“Well, at least he gave me one last gift before his usefulness came to an end,” thought the clone comprised of DNA from all of the villains defeated by Goku before Majin Buu’s destruction and rebirth as Uub. “Though it seems now I’ll be forced in cleaning up his mess myself, but it will be wise for me to learn more about this boy and where he hails from before paying this so-called Super Saiyan a visit.”
Unknown Timeline…
“Is it really over? Or is he going to come back again?” Bra asked, her jaw hanging open.
Without a trace of emotion on his face, Steven watched the charred skeleton of Black lay motionless on the ground. Steven Bloodriver then stared angrily at the remnants of the Black Demon. His red eyes were piercing; fierce enough to frighten a grown man, but his power was no longer needed. The Phantom Saiyan was dead. Breathing a sigh of relief, Steven watched as his aura quickly incinerated what was left of Black, the antithesis of what the true Goku represented was finally dead and gone forever. But he had the sick feeling something else might appear soon, so he stayed on full-alert and at full strength in case his premonition turned out to be true. Then one of the only two living things left in the completely scorched, bare Earth that had been the last place in the Universe to fall before the hand of the snide asshole known as Black had said. “It’s finally over,” as he released his Super Saiyan aura and his gold tail snaked back under his clothes and wrapped around his waist before his friend had even noticed. He then continued. “Both Black and who he was before as Zamasu had perished in the explosion of my Kamehameha Boost, and there is nothing either of them can do to escape the fate they now share with the Bringer of Death, their counterparts from another world, and the Legendary Super Saiyan that tried to destroy this one. With whatever little sanity they had left will soon leave them in a few moments from now as they experience what a place far worse than what King Yemma could ever give them can do with all of their deep-rooted fears being made a reality by my own power.”
“Steven, great job!” Shouted Bra before she flew over to Steven.
“You were so awesome! Goku Black couldn’t do a thing against you!” Continued the daughter of Vegeta as she landed beside him.
“Thanks, milady for your support. But I have got to admit that you are as strong as you are beautiful.” Responded Steven.
Suddenly, Bra’s face went from bright red to pale white. At the same time, Steven did the same, unable to believe what they were sensing.
They spun around, only to see a massive bright crimson fireball even bigger than the Sun and crackling with the thickest bolts of electricity they had ever seen filling their vision. His aura burst to life instinctively as Steven caught Bra and blasted off the ground just as the Negative Karma Ball impacted, immediately incinerating and destroying the Earth beneath them with a blinding flash before moving on to destroy the rest of the Universe and even the Other World.
Future Timeline of Bringer of Death…
Age 764, following the destruction of the Legendary Super Saiyan, the Evil Twin of Goku, and of an entire Universe of a parallel world…
Earth…
At the instant Mira had arrived through time travel, the reborn Perfect Android had also arrived, darting in with his Instant Transmission to step in front of Goku just as the rest of Earth’s warriors reached him, beginning to help him up. An action that grabbed the attention of the Z Fighters behind him, especially when they saw to their great surprise that Steven was now a Super Saiyan and was carrying a young woman in the safety of his arms that bore a striking resemblance to Bulma. But even as the young Shadow Walker helped his friend down to the ground safely, he saw Mira’s scowl growing more and more pointed, a trait he inherited from Vegeta no less, forcing him to then lower his arms to his sides and relax his aura, returning to his base form and only having thick bolts of lightning snaking through the air around him. Before the reborn God of Fear and Destruction, clad in the Namekian clothing he was born in, looked into the sky, as all of a sudden, trillions of energy waves were being fired at him and the others, but with a modest wave of his hand, he redirected them harmlessly into space.
BLAM! BLAM! A massive, Legendary Super Saiyan 3 with a Herculean physique was hovering in midair, holding both arms out and bombarding those present below him with his Burst Eraser. But he was frowning deeply as his every attempt to pick off the Earth’s Special Forces all at once ended in failure.
“Well, it seems I won our little bet, Broly.” Shouted his companion, a large, Prince of Destruction Super Saiyan 3, with the same Saiyan Royal Family armor he had worn during his fight with Goku, but with the cold jade gems on his face now showing an even greater hostility than they ever had before. “Or do you want to keep wasting our time on these pathetic little insects? For you know as well as I we are only here to get rid of Kakarot, his wife, and both of his blasted brats. I don’t know why you wagered you could get the job done by using your version of my Big Bang Storm on these stupid little weaklings before Kakarot and the others would have noticed us.”
His brother in arms blew smoke off the tip of his fingers. “I just wanted to make sure our creator, the Demon God of ancient Namekian folklore, wasn’t over exaggerating about this fellow cloned version of Son Gohan Junior, Piccolo Junior, and Gekishin Frieza. But seeing his ability to deflect my Burst Eraser effortlessly with his mind alone at least tells me he should be able to give us a decent battle before we kill him.”
PHOOM! Without warning, a massive ball of energy exploded from Majin Vegeta’s palm. Dark Gohan barely had time to raise his arms to shield himself and those around him from the blast, his Neo Perfect aura instantly roaring to life and turning into an energy shield. The energy wasn’t enough to injure him, but he knew that everything in the Northern Quadrant of the Universe would have been instantly destroyed by the ruthless Super Saiyan 3’s reckless Super Big Bang Flash.
“Leave my loved ones and everyone else in the Galaxies making up the Northern Quadrant of this Universe out of this, Majcnavn’s Majin Vegeta and Majin Broly!” Shouted the clone of the son of Goku at the top of his lungs, glowering at the two monsters that floated above him. “Only direct your undivided attention towards me you dastardly fiends spawned by the ancient evil of Majcnavn, the Dragonspawn!”
“Now that is a surprise. You already seem to know about the three of us.” Majin Broly said. “I wonder if the members of the Time Patrol tipped you off before you came here?”
Majin Vegeta was equally amused. “It seems we would need to visit them next. I’d say in about ten seconds we will be done with this annoying little boy and his equally pathetic homeworld before moving on to the Time Nest.”
Steven rose higher, his glare growing angrier and angrier by the second. “No one told me about you two. I knew you were cold-hearted, cruel, and ruthless, that you delighted in causing senseless death and destruction. I knew this from sensing your energy signatures, as I can tell your identity and past from simply doing so. But I won’t let either one of you get away with killing for the fun of it! You hear me!?”
“Hah! I always thought you Saiyans were full of it, but you really are that ignorant, aren’t you?” Laughed the Legendary Saiyan. “Just like your dear old dad I suppose? He and the others will turn out to only be all talk when I face them. You won’t be any different than they will be, especially since I am so much stronger than the Broly you had fought before.”
The Twilight Warrior clenched his fists. “Go ahead, Majin Broly. Keep on boasting about being invincible and ridiculing my family. But remember this you fusion of hate and malice who looks suspiciously like a Mad Bodybuilder, for I am indeed going to butcher both you and the dirty coward beside you without even a hint of remorse in my conscious to show for it as an example for those like you in that I should never be crossed!”
A frown appeared on the Lord of Death, Destruction, and the Underworld’s face. “That is quite enough of your mouth, boy. For unlike my loyal companion, I was content to kill you and a quarter of this Universe instantly, but hearing you mock me and my friend here has changed that permanently and without consequence. We will now proceed to prolong your suffering for several days as we slowly send you to Other World.”
“I know, my dear sweet Prince. We can right away finish the mission our dear old Lord Majcnavn originally created us for after that,” grinned the heartless Majin clone of Broly.
Dark Gohan interrupted. “Actually, you two monsters will be the ones to experience pain beyond imagination once we duel. Neither one of you will even be able to escape too, I can traverse any dimension in an instant, making it pointless to run from me.”
Majin Broly crossed his arms. “Yeah, right. I bet we will be going through this once again with all your friends and family, Shadow Walker Gohan. As the only thing that ends here is your life as well as theirs’ ten seconds from now.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” snapped the clone of the son of Goku. “You don’t stand a chance against me. I’m a true Super Saiyan like those raised on this Earth before me, and I won’t hold back. But unlike them, I won’t care if you try to repent. I will just kill you.”
Majin Vegeta laughed coldly. “A 'true' Super Saiyan my ass. I’m afraid you’re in for a bit of an unpleasant surprise. You see, we’ve been powered up to be able to kill all and every kind of Super Saiyan there is and ever will be. From the level you just barely reached to the transformation both Future Kakarot and that fake future version of me used against Goku Black in their final battle, so you can pretty much call it a right answer in our power being just that overwhelming. And also once we are done with mopping the floor with you, both me and Broly will take our sweet time in having to deal with your future wife to be and you’re already dead sister who is still waiting in line at the Check-In Station, too – their names are Bra and Lazuli respectively, right?”
“That’s ENOUGH!” Roared the Twilight Warrior, immediately his form exploded with new power as he ascended into the legendary warrior of the Saiyan race. His aura shot straight up into the clouds above - the flow of intensely hot energy blinding both his enemies in golden light, the rigid hair on his head spiked up and grew farther out, three single golden locks of hair hung down just above both his right and left eye. The muscles on the young boy’s body caused his clothes to tighten against his skin as they grew farther out than ever before. Peals of thunder could be heard just from the crackling of lightning given off of Dark Gohan’s aura, before they gave away to roars even more intimidating than that came from the blazing firestorm surrounding the Super Saiyan. His blood-red eyes stared down his two opponents, showing nothing but anger. Without even pausing, he launched himself toward the evil monster responsible for his ascension.
“How ironic I knew you would react that waaaa-” THUMM! Majin Vegeta suddenly, found himself spinning uncontrollably through the air from Steven’s kick. He barely had time to look up before a powerful fist slammed into his jaw, smashing him down in an arc against the ground. Above him, the Super Saiyan hung in midair, shaking with rage.
Stunned, Majin Broly moved to attack, coming behind Dark Gohan with his leg pulled back for a kick. It never connected. Instead, Steven snapped his elbow back, catching the Time Breaker in the ribs, and then twisted around with his own spinning kick. With the momentum of a full rotation behind it, the kick caught Majin Broly hard in the gut, as he almost vomited from the blow, Majin Broly found himself being launched in a nearly flat trajectory for almost a hundred miles out of the battlefield.
Majin Broly straightened up. “But...how?” He was already injured and breathing very, very heavily. He hadn’t felt pain since...his creator and Towa had him test himself against his Saiyan brother who defeated him just mere seconds ago. His stomach was ripped open and bleeding heavily, soaking his hair and clothes in red blood.
His equally vicious, wolf-like comrade with the same characteristic mark on his forehead as him and so many others enslaved by their own lust for power pulled himself out of the rubble on the ground, nursing his bruised jaw. He, too, was stunned by these developments. Broly had been a challenge for him, just ninety seconds before...but he had won out fairly easily in their friendly sparring match. This was unexpected.
“Please stay out the way, Prince Vegeta,” the Legendary Saiyan ordered. “I’ll handle this brat myself for assaulting royalty such as you.”
“Not before I pay him back, Broly.” After wagging his finger at the boy in a reprimanding gesture, Majin Vegeta raised the pointer finger at him and fired a golden Finger Beam at the Super Saiyan. Dark Gohan gave Majin Vegeta a death glare before catching the beam in one hand and unleashing an invisible Kiai from the other. The reborn Prince of Death braced himself for a blunt impact, but the wave exploded on contact. The heat from the Explosive Kiai scorched his skin to the bone. But even before he could have regenerated, Majin Vegeta heard the voice of his enemy shout from above him. “Right back atcha, you so-called 'Prince of Destruction'! FINGER GALICK GUN!”
The Golden Warrior returned his foe’s previously used attack right back at him in the same fashion the Demon had fired the beam, but with it being the positive counterpart of the original from the reborn Gohan adding in his own power to deliver a greater punch. Majin Vegeta merely saw a glimpse of energy flashing from Steven’s right index finger before his own attack ripped entirely through his massive torso. The Super Saiyan 3’s frame immediately imploded, then detonated like a bomb as the force of the impact sent a spherical shockwave reverberating through the sky. Majin Vegeta was reduced to almost nothing, a single shard of a Galaxy Sphere of a yellowish-golden color landing where he once stood was all that remained of him.
“Congratulations on having yourself blown up by a newborn. But please hurry and pull yourself back together, my Prince.” Majin Broly said, as he dusted himself off before pulling back his long hair behind his head. The clone of the Legendary Super Saiyan with icy white eyes effortlessly kicked off the ground and reached the celestial dome in the next instant. Meanwhile, the shard of the Galaxy Sphere of another time on the ground nearby began to glow. The evil and Demonic energy corrupting it released once more into the world the Demon in the form of a Saiyan inside.
Majin Broly, the Super Warrior of Destruction, flew higher, but never took his eyes off of Shadow Walker Gohan. The angry Super Saiyan maintained his stance.
“HYAA!” The Demon of Fear and Death charged, firing a rapid burst of energy blasts directly at the clone of Goku’s son. But the Super Saiyan never moved, deflecting each of the energy attacks in turn with one hand. He could tell the cloned Saiyan of Legend was fast, but not as fast as either him or Majin Vegeta. His hatred for the Demon flared up inside him as Majin Broly got closer, and he scowled. He was going to make this twisted creation writhe in agony.
THUMM! Dark Gohan met Majin Broly’s first punch with a hard block – much harder than the Demon had expected. Twisting effortlessly, the Super Saiyan caught his arm and flipped him over, swinging his enemy down and into his own knee. Majin Broly gasped for air as the wind was knocked out of him before screaming in pain as he felt his kneecap shatter after he had gotten breath back into his lungs.
He looked up at Steven, his eyes flashing with hatred. “You’ll regret this!”
The Super Saiyan punched him twice in the face in rapid succession, then kicked him up into the air. The resurrected Saiyan could barely regain his bearings before Steven appeared above him again, slamming down with a double fist. Majin Broly managed to block it, but at the cost of his arms going numb. It was a new sensation for the Immortal Demon. Not even during the battle with Majin Vegeta nearly a hundred seconds before had he felt this. Dark Gohan merely gave a low growl in return.
Grimacing, Majin Broly raised both hands and fired a series of narrow beams from his fingertips – beams that would have pierced straight through the Z Fighters and killed any ordinary Human instantly. Not surprised by the sudden flurry of attacks, Dark Gohan managed to block all of them. The boy’s raised forearm caught them all as the sickly emerald green beams detonated in a blinding flash against his skin.
“No way, what are you made of?!” Shouted the vengeful Demon. “There is no way such a pathetic louse such as you could possibly manage to challenge me!”
“Flesh and bone, you sadistic piece of shit!” Steven had yelled before lowering his arm and moving directly behind Majin Broly with super speed. Stunned, the Legendary Super Saiyan 3 spun around. Shadow Walker Gohan’s clothes and hair were continuing to ripple violently from the golden storm of his Super Saiyan aura, the beams making up Majin Broly’s Gigantic Blitzkrieg having done nothing to harm the enraged Golden Warrior.
Still completely filled with fury, Dark Gohan rushed Majin Broly. His roundhouse kick struck the ultimate warrior of Saiyan legend in the side of the face, hard enough to crack Majin Broly’s skull. His other leg, already cocked back, slammed into Majin Broly’s gut and doubled him over. The front kick completely ripped open the stomach of Majin Broly and made him heave it’s contents out of his mouth. Though furious, Steven was fighting seriously with all he had. He seemingly finished off his assault by slamming his elbow into Majin Broly’s back and kicking him away.
Majin Broly flipped end over end a few times before righting himself, but it was obvious he seemed to be quite wearied by the blows. Frowning, the Super Saiyan pulled his hands back to his side. “Kamehameha!”
The blue beam came fast – too fast for the stunned Demon to block or dodge. Panicked, he raised his arms. “Energy Shield!”
The energy wave detonated against the shield, destroying both instantly, before the shockwaves created knocked both the freshly regenerated Majin Vegeta and Majin Broly several yards back. They were amazed – how could Steven be so powerful?
The Golden Warrior was on the offensive again, pounding Majin Broly again and again with his Meteor Crash. The Legendary Super Saiyan 3 was outclassed in speed, strength, and skill – no matter what attacks he tried, he simply couldn’t damage the Super Saiyan.
THUDD! The legendary Super Saiyan’s elbow slammed into the beaten and bloodied vengeful Demon’s back, sending him spinning downward. Now livid, he clenched his fists. His eyes flashed. A ball of electrons began forming in each of his palms, compressing to a single glowing point and then suddenly, expanding outward under quantum degeneracy pressure. A crackling sickly emerald green ball of light encompassed both his hands. “FULL CHARGE GIGANTIC OMEGA!”
Sensing the release of energy and seeing the air immediately in front of the Immortal Demon suddenly, turning to plasma, Dark Gohan rolled back and fired an Explosive Demon Wave straight into the sky, pushing himself toward the ground with all of his energy. The combined relativistic electron beam tore past him mere nanometers away—too close for comfort, but nonetheless he was unaffected.
Teleporting forward, Steven Bloodriver slammed his elbow into Majin Broly’s face, crushing both the nose and jaw of his foe. A snap kick sent waves of pain through the Legendary Saiyan’s whole body as the right side of his body exploded from the blow. Dark Gohan then raised his hand, and an electric blue ball of energy caught Majin Broly full in the chest, sending him spiraling to the sky before meeting his ultimate fate.
The screaming fusion of Science and Magic rocketed to the stratosphere. His clothes and what was left of his muscle and tissue were torn away by the Draco Masendan. The blast was driving itself through his upper torso, revealing the gleaming metallic implants that he inherited from his unholy birth. His single eye was wide and bloodshot, staring at the blue energy sphere now ripping through his neck. In the next instant, Dark Gohan’s signature move reached the brain of Majin Broly and detonated. Leaving no trace of Majin Broly as the explosion looked like a mini blue Sun from just outside the atmosphere.
“So...” Dark Gohan said harshly, turning to face Majin Vegeta. “Are you ready to join your friend in a place worse than Hell or would you prefer joining up with your father, mother, and sort-of stepmother once again in Otherworld’s Hell?”
Fighting to remain composed, Majin Vegeta paused for a moment before replying. “My, what confidence you’ve suddenly, found...boy. If I were you, I wouldn’t treat our battle so haphazardly. You’ll soon find that to be a grave error.”
Steven’s jagged hair blew harshly as the blazing aura making up his Super Saiyan transformation was bright enough to be seen from the farthest reaches of space. His eyes, silent and deadly, remained fixed on his enemy. The boldness with which he stared down Majin Vegeta showed courage beyond the Demon’s understanding.
“That attitude of yours has crossed the line, runt,” the monster known as Demon Prince Vegeta grunted, speaking through his teeth. “Enough of this tiresome charade. I’m through playing games with you, child. This ends now!”
“I’m ready,” Steven Bloodriver said. “Bring it on, the grandest bastard of those who held your name for five generations already should help me warm up before I finish you off just like how I did to your only friend a moment before now.”
“TCH! Insolent—” Majin Vegeta delivered his first punch before he even finished his sentence. Casually, Dark Gohan reached up his forearm, stopping the mighty blow without moving an inch. The earthshaking THUD of the collision echoed through the mostly empty battleground, causing the mountains and plateaus to shudder in unison.
The Lord of the Planet Trade Organization, finding Steven’s block to be undeniable proof that this fight had changed entirely, quickly followed up his strike with a kick. But just as before, Steven swung his own attack, meeting Majin Vegeta’s blow and matching his force with the precise amount needed to counter it. Nonetheless, Majin Vegeta winced as he pulled back his aching fist and leg, the white glove and boot on both of them respectively having been pounded deep in his knuckles, toes, and heel. All the while, the young Super Saiyan’s eyes never left Majin Vegeta’s. He stared at the monster as if he were trying to burn holes through his head with nothing but fury. The time-traveling destroying prideful warrior of the highest order could hit him with everything he had...right now, it wouldn’t even faze him in the slightest.
Blasting into the air, Majin Vegeta and Steven rocketed across the skyline. Thunderous spherical shockwaves, countless in number, lit up the blue canopy from horizon to horizon. No physical presence could be seen from either warrior, only the blur of their outlines as they occasionally clashed low enough in the sky for the human eye to catch a glimpse of them.
Majin Vegeta’s every physical blow was met perfectly by the boy’s blocks. When Shadow Walker Gohan attacked, the same was true of Majin Vegeta’s blocks. Mira and Bra could see that no damage at all had been caused so far to either of them. Yet even so, it was one of the most one-sided affairs the warriors have ever witnessed.
Up above, Majin Vegeta’s frustration had begun to show in his technique. Although he was blocking everything Steven threw at him, dodging occasionally, he really couldn’t get any kind of attack in against the Super Saiyan child. With each missed blow, the madness and recklessness behind his attacks increased.
“Why!?” He kicked hard at Dark Gohan’s back, the blow passing through empty air just like the last dozen he had attempted. “I am the Lord and Master of all Saiyans! None can compare to me—not a member of Frieza’s species, the Namekians, the Humans...and especially not a filthy Saiyan! So how is a mere child able to evade me!?”
Off guard from all his yelling, Majin Vegeta allowed an opening. Steven landed a solid jab in his face, jolting the Prince of Destruction Super Saiyan 3’s neck upward. Majin Vegeta instantly grabbed his chin, rubbing the soreness from it and wiping away the blood. “TCHH! You’re going to regret that, bo—”
Another blow from Steven cut him off, sending sharp pain down the monster’s spine. Majin Vegeta fell forward through the air, losing his balance for a moment, and yelling all the while. “Stupid child! You have no idea what you’ve done!”
Flaring his electric golden aura wildly, the Dark Prince released a Super Explosive Wave to knock the boy away from him. The energy struck Dark Gohan just as intended, but rather than being forced back, the small fighter seemed to ride it like a gentle wave.
But then the warrior of fury, the Super Saiyan, pulled back one leg and raised two fingers to his forehead, as he used Instant Transmission to appear just above his foe. The sudden move allowed him to slam an axe kick into the back of Majin Vegeta’s head, dazing him even as his head was knocked off his shoulders. It gave Steven just enough of an opening to deliver one super-powered and blazing-fast roundhouse kick to the center of Majin Vegeta’s now headless torso to send it into oblivion in an explosion of blue smoke.
A gush of purple blood ran down the end of what was left of Majin Vegeta’s neck as he dropped like a stone. But even this wasn’t nearly enough to stop him from having retained his presence of mind as he was easily able to sprout a whole new body for himself before he had even hit the ground. The Evil Prince with his golden aura, still swarming with blue streaks of electricity cutting the air around him, then forced himself to stop in midair before he barely dodged an incoming punch from Steven, flipping backwards instead of trying to block; his foe’s strength was more than he bargained for. Steven’s fist crunched into the rocky ground, and he used the traction to launch himself towards the clone of the Prince once again. Majin Vegeta bent his knees right after landing a few miles beside Steven and launched back toward the youth, matching his approach vector.
“THUUM,” sounded both of their fists colliding. Their inertia mutually negated, their fists opened and interlocked as they began a contest of physical might. Both fighters pushed forward with all their will, each igniting their blazing auras of gold into one as energy flowed around them. Both pushed themselves to their maximum, with each increase in power they made the ground beneath their feet collapsed to form a crater. Each grew in depth and width until Majin Vegeta found that he could go no further, while much to his frustration, Steven had raised to match him effortlessly. Either way, the two’s power struggle nearly caused the destruction of the Earth.
“Your one to talk, Majin Vegeta. Invading this world and trying to kill those I care for the most in this and every other world without even realizing you’re just being used.” Steven shot back, pushing his own strength just slightly higher than the evil Saiyan once more. The Super Saiyan’s voice was much deeper thanks to his legendary transformation. He then broke the struggle with the greatest of ease, ripped both of Majin Vegeta’s arms right out of their sockets, and obliterated them with only his aura.
TTTTHRUCKK!
The Golden Warrior drove his right fist into Majin Vegeta’s gut, just below the chest plating. The sound of the cracking exoskeleton could be heard across the battlefield; not long after, a fleshy gurgle sounded as the heartless Saiyan’s internal organs were crushed. Majin Vegeta spat frothy purple blood, choking as the Super Saiyan twisted his fist. The pain was unbearable, worse than anything Majin Vegeta had ever imagined. Just as he began to regain his breath, the Twilight Warrior violently ripped his fist out, causing the Demon to crash into his knees and release the aura around him.
Steven grabbed Majin Vegeta by his shoulders with both hands, the Dark Prince continued coughing blood as his eyes grew wide at Steven’s threatening gaze and wild smile. “Let this be a lesson to you, clone of Vegeta. Messing with my family and friends is a death sentence to anyone like you and your kind…” Majin Vegeta’s broken body began to glow, then disintegrated into ash and fell to the ground. “Even if your regeneration is not tied to your biology, Majin Vegeta, you cannot come back when both the piece of Majcnavn’s Galaxy Sphere acting as your brain and physical body are vaporized to nothing.” Steven stepped over the pile of remains and made his way to his group of friends, his blazing gold aura scattering Majin Vegeta’s ashes into the inferno of Super Saiyan power around him.
The reborn God of Fear and Destruction then stopped where he had been less than a minute ago and turned to look at the ticked off Time Breaker Leader before him before checking on his loved ones both just a few feet away and in the safety of the Otherworld. But now with thanks to his battles with the Lords of Death, Destruction, and the Underworld allowing him to practice enough to be fully able to control and handle his power becoming a Super Saiyan enchanted by the aura of a Shadow Walker was now as easy and natural as getting dressed or tying a shoe. Steven didn’t even disrupt his surroundings in the slightest. That anger that was once needed, the fiery emotional inferno that had originally fueled the transformation to the legendary warrior of the Saiyan race, was now just a small torch in the back of his mind. He always kept it burning, and now it was a fire that he could fully control, purposefully. His hair of a golden fire stood further on end, turning cyan in an almost slow-motion shift. His eyes didn’t flash to a brighter blood-red quickly. Instead it was as if someone shone a light on his red irises, pouring the sparkle of seething blood into them until they lightened to the typical color. An otherworldly blue aura enveloped him upon the air swirling around him had turned the golden aura of the Super Saiyan into the ethereal cyan light. Everyone, even 'Démigra, is in awe, seeing that Steven had become a Super Saiyan with the power of light and darkness like it was nothing. His physique had changed far more for him in this form than Goku and Vegeta. Retaining the signature hairstyle of his main genetic template’s Full Power Super Saiyan state with the only notable difference being the hair color changing from gold to blue. His teeth were as sharp as his facial features and hair. The skin tone of the Twilight Warrior became paler, almost a paste white; his overall body structure was significantly older, more muscular, and even slightly taller than Goku. He looked like an actual teenager, even his clothes grew to comfortably fit him.' “Sorry to surprise all of you without any sort of warning beforehand, but I wanted to be sure I could hold my ground against this nearly insurmountable King of the Dark Demon Realm.” The Super Saiyan said to Goku and the others with his back still facing all but one of them, but his voice was no longer like that of the real Teen Gohan’s and sounded more like Future Gohan after his final transformation into a Super Saiyan.
“…Steven…no way, is that really you?” Bra gasped, looking in shock as her savior had instantly grown into a man. “You’re…really something else…”
The adolescent turned to smile cheekily at his friend, before turning around defensively towards the last remaining threat. The monster in front of them was still hovering in the air with his arms now being crossed against his chest. “Same to you, milady. I would have given up if it weren’t for you giving me something new to fight for and protect. And I promise to pay you back once I have dealt with the one who ordered Broly and the Evil Twin of Mr. Son Goku to attack your Universe. But for now it’s time for me to finish off this Demon King from the future once and for all.”
While she kept her surprised glance at him because of his voice having become much deeper and much more intimidating after his ascension, Bra had quickly let her eyes wander from just now noticing how much more muscle her hero from this world had gained before she smiled back. “Thanks, but you’re the hero.”
“You’re welcome,” the Warrior of Light and Shadow said before turning his head to Bra and looking her in the eyes. “Beautiful.”
Bra grinned, at long last she knew she had found a boy close to her age and not afraid of her incredible strength. It was all she could ever ask for. “Stop it, you’re the one who’s easy on the eyes.” She froze, covering her mouth from letting something like that slip out. She couldn’t believe she just said that out loud.
To her surprise, she noticed that Steven was smiling; she blushed, hoping that he wouldn’t provoke her any further with those bold and fearless words of his. Bra then realized she had never felt anything like this from any other boy she had met before.
Without taking his eyes off of his friend, Steven concentrated his mental energies and contacted each of the Z Fighters. “Mr. Son Goku, Mr. Piccolo, Mr. Son Gohan, Uncle Krillin, and Mr. Tien, the young woman by my side is the daughter of Vegeta and Lady Bulma from an alternate future world and is with me, as I owe her in failing to save her loved ones from Goku Black and the Demon King I had mentioned before, so you have my word as a fellow warrior of the Earth that Lady Bra is on our side and means no harm to the Earth and her people.” The boy then paused for a moment, relaying a Telepathic message to the girl of his dreams. “Lady Bra, please go with the Dragon Soldiers behind me as you will be much safer with them than with me. As for the moment, the last of the Lords of Death, Destruction, and the Underworld is just as every bit as powerful as I am and isn’t above using others to gain the advantage.”
“Steven, please be careful. I just met you and I don’t want to lose you. I really don’t want this to be the last memory I have of you. But I know you will keep your promise, no one like Goku Black, that jerk of a clone of my Papa Vegeta, and Majin Broly could ever beat you. Just don’t stay in this new form of yours when you get back from kicking whoever is about to challenge you’s butt as I can barely control myself around you when you are like this.” Bra inwardly replied, before she obediently made her way over towards the others. She almost hesitated, but Steven’s voice was just so intoxicating that she couldn’t imagine doing anything else. And as she made her way over toward the Z Fighters, the distant blood relative of the Belmont Clan that was her savior turned back to face Mira while also keeping an eye on those behind him, Bra took a seat by herself in the back—it didn’t feel right to mingle with the others as she did not want to change history for the worst. However, a brief smile from Super Saiyan Goku, as she passed by him and the others, helped set her nerves further at ease. Perhaps the Super Warriors of this era would accept her as well as they did with Steven, once this was all over.
“Woah, Dark Gohan just keeps getting stronger and stronger.” Krillin said cheerfully. “He can even move pretty much instantaneously now!”
“Right, but this time unlike before with Goku and Vegeta, we are seeing a different variation of the Super Saiyan transformation. Yet I can’t understand why the Gohan that is about to save us again had changed so much. But my best guess is that it is just because of the seemingly older Gohan having more than just Saiyan blood in him.” Tien added.
“I believe so too, Mr. Tien,” Gohan said. “As I can sense my counterpart having the powers of Mr. Piccolo if he transcended beyond even a Super Namekian warrior, me if I was in a turbo-charged version of Super Saiyan, and Frieza in a form beyond the one he claimed to be his one true form within him stronger than ever now, as well as the presence of light and darkness, but I feel something else more fueling the other me.”
“You hear that, Android? If you want to get your hands on the DNA of both Mr. Son Goku and Lady Bra, you’ll have to go through me first,” Steven announced. He had seen Mira travel through time with the Time Passport in the instant before the explosion of the villain’s Negative Karma Ball had obliterated the Dragon Ball Super Universe. Before Goku and the others could suddenly, sense the Pale Man above, watching them. The artificial Demon had baby blue skin and strange clothing from just barely coming from the fiery inferno of his dimension, and just like Vegeta, he had an angry look on his face. Having glanced up since he arrived, Steven had met the piercing red eyes and stared back boldly. The real fight was about to begin.
Mira stared down at the Twilight Saiyan, surveying the battlefield which held the remains of Saiyans he barely recognized. He had expected them to fall, but not as quickly as they had. The reborn Bio-Android had overcome them all, almost effortlessly, and without taking the slightest bit of damage. Even with their sheer might, numbering beyond the strength of any warrior Namekian, Saiyan, and Frost Demon, they would had been a formidable threat against any foe, had been rendered completely useless by the Z Warrior. Still, the scene had served it’s purpose; Mira now had a relative knowledge of the boy’s strength beyond what his senses’ could provide.
The dust belonging to many of his unknowing pawns remained and were still slowly swirling, refusing to settle due to the small breeze passing over them. Steven Bloodriver, though surrounded by debris and pools of lava and blood, had not a speck of the sort on him; his visible aura kept him clean as well as protected. Mira lowered himself slowly until he was even with the Super Saiyan, frowning.
“Indeed, I did hear you loud and clear. I also take it you’re the one who so casually wiped out my men and plan. What you just did was a costly mistake, as I will eliminate you here and now.” The tall, muscular Demonic Android was emotionless and spoke in a violent tone. He then uncrossed his arms in a rage with his aura, a blood red, flaring around him like if a red Sun had just rose a second later.
Mira grit his teeth and charged the reborn son of Goku, preparing a right cross for the boy’s face. Steven’s blue aura ignited once more, growing stronger by the second, deflecting the attack with his left arm and responding with a hard right kick. His blow missed as Mira vanished and re-appeared behind him with a knee to the back. The Twilight Saiyan was knocked forward a few steps, but turned around and quickly fired dual energy blasts from each hand, forcing the Demon to dodge by flying up. From above, Mira fired a Full Power Death Beam at Steven, but he merely smiled at the attack. Clenching his fist, he punched the beam dead on, sending it straight back at Mira. Surprised, the Demon King prepared to flick his attack aside, but Steven teleported behind him. He hammered him forward with both elbows, causing him to collide with the Perfect Death Beam and burn the Time Breaker armor over his chest.
The Demon in blue skin scowled in frustration. “How dare you, Saiyan! AHHRGG!” He charged the reborn Android, but this time with an uppercut filled with dark energy striking Steven square in the jaw, knocking him back slightly. Before Mira had blasted upward to be above the boy, and released his Serious Bomb at a safe distance toward Steven. The Twilight Saiyan was overwhelmed as he tried to block and was soon sent flying across the planet until he crashed, forming a massive crater. Mira zipped over and hovered above, frowning down at his enemy. “I know that attack wasn’t strong enough to finish you, so stop playing dead, son of Goku. Or am I wrong? As even a Super Saiyan like yourself would barely even put up a fight against me.”
The rubble began to glow and Steven released a wave of Telekinetic energy that lifted the rocks off of him. The Super Saiyan stood, his clothes still not even slightly disheveled, and his aura brushing the dust off him. He then set the rocks floating above him and Mira down to the ground. As he did so, he smiled. “Not really, fellow Android,” he thought to himself. “You just can’t seem to comprehend that we are both equals now. But I just can’t wait to see what I can really do as a fully realized Twilight Super Saiyan.”
Mira dashed forward again, this time kneeing Steven in the stomach, causing him to double over. “I will make sure you suffer for ruining my plan in conquering the past! As you don’t know how difficult it was to capture a Drakoshin!” Mira kicked the Twilight Saiyan into the air, speeding past him to position himself for a hammering attack towards the ground. Just as he was about to strike, Steven pulled himself out of the fall by spinning around and facing Mira. He was cunning. The youth had allowed himself to be struck in order to get a clear open shot at his opponent when he wasn’t blocking. As he turned, the young brother of Piccolo quickly placed his hands forward.
The Masenko energy was usually gold, but this attack was a variation of his technique, the one which would have destroyed Super Saiyan Vegeta even if he wasn’t battle worn. The color of the energy was initially purple, but crackled with blue lightning which melded with the attack, turning it midnight blue.
“HYPER MASENKO WAVE!” Steven shouted, launching his intense beam at Mira from point blank range.
“What?” Mira moved to block, but there wasn’t time. He took the full explosive force of the Twilight Saiyan’s blast, arcing backward to the ground below. Steven smiled. He loved the fact that he could battle on even grounds with Mira like this, without even the need to transform further into the true ultimate battle form of the Saiyan race that unifies Super Saiyan and the primal Oozaru form. He had wondered how he would fare in the fight if he had been limited to his newly increased Super Saiyan strength. Despite the Demon Android having a power level easily ten times his base’s own, Steven continued to prove that his tactical skills in battle were not to be underestimated. He stared down, mocking Mira with a better choice of words than the Demon had used toward him just moments before.
“I really don’t care, Mira. The previous Lords of Death, Destruction, and the Underworld were as evil as you are. The seven of you were planning on committing Universal genocide by trying to follow in the footsteps of the Scourge of the Universe and his master.” The ground beneath began to shake as Mira angrily blasted the rubble off his body. His figure, which was light blue with a red bodysuit, black sleeves on his arms, a long skirt of the same color, and red shoes all showed obvious signs of wear from the blast.
“How in the hell do you even know who I am? I never once told you who I was even before we started our duel.” The Demon with the same eyes as Steven told the young boy above him. “You didn’t have to, you inbred monster. For I can see what you are just by sensing your Ki.” The Saiyan replied with a smirk.
Angered, Mira shouted, his Kiai knocking Steven back slightly. The Demon King lifted his arms above his head, then thrust them forward, releasing a bright beam of purple, black, red, and pink Demonic energy. “GALICK BEAM CANNON!” Uncowed, Steven simply showed a wild grin on his face as he twisted in midair to avoid the Galick Gun before he pushed both arms out in front of him, wrists together. “KAMEHAMEHA!” Mira had only barely stopped his attack when Steven’s slammed into him, blasting him straight up to the edge of space. The beam detonated a split-second later, sending the ruthless Demon of a King spinning toward the ground like a whirling comet.
The genetic monstrosity quickly got up to his feet, crouching into a fighting stance. “After I kill you, Steven Belmont, the monster with power beyond legend. I will take your DNA and energy to put it to better use, as you are simply wasting the strength that is perhaps greater than even that of Gohan when he had defeated the one called Broly just before the three Hell Gates my Queen had opened during one of her thankfully short hissy fits were sealed back up once again on downright ignoring your true destiny.”
“You do realize the addition of either my Ki or genetic material would act like a poison to evil beings like yourself, don’t you?” Replied the Twilight Super Saiyan as he immediately charged, reaching Mira in a flash. Rushing the nephew of Dabura with a high approach, he fired off a series of rapid kicks aimed at the monster’s head. Mira blocked them easily, but Steven spun away before his opponent could counterattack, landing and firing a golden blast from nearly point-blank range. Mira batted it away quickly.
“I don’t believe you, as you are nothing special,” Mira mocked. He knew this was a life or death battle, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have fun.
“Well, I have to disagree with you on that. As what I am saying to you is the truth,” Steven replied, smiling. “Since I am a Shadow Walker; my heart, mind, and soul are completely incorruptible and react violently to those who would want to assimilate either me or a part of me. Meaning, you can’t integrate a sample of my DNA like how you did with Frieza and Vegeta, no matter what methods you could use.”
“Just because you are an evolved member of the Bio-Android race and the strongest opponent I had ever faced,” laughed the pale Demon, “doesn’t make you better than me!”
Quick to make good on his boast, Mira charged at Steven with a hard right, but it passed cleanly through the Twilight Saiyan’s Afterimage. The clone of the son of Goku immediately appeared behind him, swinging a wide kick, but it, too, flew harmlessly through empty air. Both increased their speed incrementally as they continued the back-and-forth, each swing followed by a narrow dodge. The two warriors began rising into the air as they sparred, neither able to touch the other.
On the sidelines, Goku watched closely. He was quite impressed with what he had seen so far. “My son’s clone really is a chip off the old block, he actually learned how to keep the power he had unleashed through absorbing the fake me in his base form. Which in turn helped him in awakening to his version of Super Saiyan, with his power now exactly equal to Mira. But I feel like I’m missing something about this fight.”
“I noticed it too, Goku,” Piccolo answered. “One thing is clear already, though. Shadow Walker Gohan is already about to win once more. Question is, will it be because of his new Super Saiyan form or something more?”
“I still can’t believe the same Gohan can fight against Mira so fearlessly,” Tien said, voicing his thoughts. “Mira’s even more powerful than Majin Vegeta and eviler than Broly, but Gohan is not bothered at all by anything Mira says or does to him!”
“I second that! As unless I’m mistaken, I’d say Dark Gohan looks like he’s totally at ease. But, this fight is already at a level way higher than what the other Goku could do! How could the Gohan fighting Mira have gotten so much stronger after drinking Black and then just achieve Super Saiyan without a day of training under his belt? If I had not already seen what Saiyans were capable of, I’d say Dark Gohan is the one setting the pace for a total hax.” The other Human Z Fighter replied.
Everyone followed the battle as closely as they could, but already the speed was so extraordinary that it took their full concentration just to catch a glimpse of the fight...and they could forget any possibility of keeping up with each individual blow. Finally, with an intensely focused effort, Mira landed a double fist that caught Steven in the shoulder, flipping him back end-over-end. But the Twilight Saiyan righted himself easily and grinned, causing Mira’s satisfied smirk to twist into a snarl.
“Damn you, shrugging off my attacks like if they were nothing!” Roared Mira, throwing a haymaker at his young foe. “It isn’t my fault you know, Pale Man. My durability always stays at it’s peak, only someone far eclipsing me can deal me any real damage.” Replied Steven, before he spun out of the way with a burst of speed as soon as his opponent had committed to the punch. Placing a hand on Mira’s back, Steven fired an Explosive Kiai an instant before the Demon Android noticed him.
PHOOM! The blast caught Mira full in the back and knocked him to the ground. He snarled and fired an energy wave at full power at his enemy, but Steven somersaulted out of the path of the red beam and whirled around, both hands already raised. Fierce lightning in the shade of red blood crackled around Steven, his grin adding to the disturbing amount of power and viciousness he was about to unleash. “Let me guess, this technique has given you a strange sense of déjà vu hasn’t it? Nappa was able to deflect it, at the cost of his arm going numb for a few minutes. But this time, I had completely mastered and honed the Masenko like if it was my own. So unlike your source material, you cannot escape from my MASENKO…HAH!”
The Demon King had pushed himself to one knee and immediately crossed his arms to block, but the energy wave still bowled him over and scorched him. The fury of the attack scorching his white hair to cinders, before doing the same to the black sleeves on his arms, and making him look more like the deceased Saiyan General.
Mira somersaulted to his feet and whirled around defensively. Still airborne, Steven landed in front of the Demon. “We both know you will lose this fight, Mira. Nothing you have done has damaged me in the least, while I have done the exact opposite to you. Only a few more blows from me will cause your power to plummet drastically.”
“Well, then. Time to end this little duel of ours.” Above his head, Mira raised a finger. Almost immediately he formed a Supernova of tremendous size, more than large enough to destroy the entire Northern Quadrant. “Nice for you to tell me everything I needed to know, but I cannot allow you to live. For you are the real abomination!” Mira hurled his sphere of energy towards Steven, eager to see if he would dodge it and try to escape or if he would foolishly try to block it. If he ran, Mira knew he would still have enough time to execute the Saiyan and leave the Galaxy Filament’s blast radius before his Super Big Nova exploded. Besides, his ticket to reviving his pawns was only a Universe away.
Just as Mira released the ball, laughing in his triumph, he caught a glimpse of the Twilight Saiyan’s face. It was not at all what he expected. Rather than showing fear or panic, the reborn son of Goku was glowing with anticipation. The unnerving smile upon Steven’s face turned into laughter just as the crackling orange energy ball reached him.
“THUUUM,” the energy ball crashed into the hands of Steven, driving him down into the dirt. Suddenly, the attack halted. From behind it, a blue glow followed by a light of the same shade of blue burst onto the horizon, illuminating the entire landscape as far as the eye could see. Abruptly, lightning began to crackle across the empty skyline, the planet trembling under the influence of some unbelievable power. “That son of a bitch! He tricked me!” Mira exclaimed. Then he heard a loud shout, the voice of one of the chosen few to ever claim the transformation to the legendary Saiyan warrior in over a thousand years.
“Hey, Mr. Pale Man – is this yours?” The reborn Perfect Android roared.
With only one hand blocking the Super Big Nova, Steven cocked his right leg and punted the giant Supernova straight at the Demon, far faster than Mira had originally launched it. The Demon King had no time whatsoever to react; he could only act on instinct. Firing a Full Power Death Beam straight into the blast, he caused it to detonate only a few meters from both him and Steven.
“KABOOM,” came the rumble of the explosion as it rippled across Earth’s surface, silent shockwaves being carried off into space.
The explosion ripped Mira and Steven from their trajectories, hurling both backwards. However, Steven had not gone ten feet when he regained his balance in midair and blocked the remaining incoming waves of energy. Mira was not so lucky. He was flung across the landscape, crashing through cliffs and ground, skidding through painful, jagged rocks for miles. Steven gave a brief smile for those watching, sensing the huge drop in his foe’s power level, and streaked across the horizon in a light blue trail.
Mira staggered as he tried to pick himself up. He had narrowly survived the blast that he himself had created. If not for his quick thinking he would have certainly died, yet there was a price for his survival. He felt weak; his energy had been cut nearly in half. He stood, still frustrated at how Steven had been able to catch his Super Big Nova. As he thought, a voice interrupted him above.
“Well, Mira. I can answer that for you.” Steven’s blue glow shimmered around him, his fiery blood-red eyes gleaming with excitement. “I have gone beyond the form and power I was born with now, thanks to our battle. You can also think of me as now having become a Twilight Super Saiyan, a Super Saiyan with the power of the purest light and darkest shadow.”
Mira’s eyes trembled as he tried to understand what he was hearing and looking at. Steven was something else entirely, and it was painfully unsettling. He grit his teeth and charged the Twilight Super Saiyan, determined to overwhelm this pale youth with his might.
Steven was ecstatic, and waited until the very last fraction of a yoctosecond to dodge Mira’s right hook. The King of the Demon Realm’s fist swung blindly through the air, the expertly placed punch missing the far faster Twilight Saiyan, catching only the Afterimage that his form left behind. He growled in anger. No one dodged his punches, ever. Seemingly due to his near blind rage or extensive cranial damage, he had forgotten about Steven having been capable of dodging his punches from before in their battle and the amount of extra energy lost when swinging a blow that didn’t connect.
Steven quickly reappeared behind him, no longer content to let Mira tire himself out on his own. So far, the newly ascended warrior had done nothing but block and dodge. Now, the Twilight Saiyan was finally about to display his new Super Saiyan might for all to see.
“THUUUM,” the Twilight Super Saiyan kicked Mira in the side of the head, completely snapping the Demon’s neck. He crashed violently into the ground below, grasping at anything to try and slow his path through the hard rocks. He had never before experienced agony anywhere close to this. Having fought both his mother and uncle, he knew what pain felt like and had some limited experience fighting opponents slightly stronger than himself. This was completely different.
“CRUNCH.” Mira had barely picked himself up when he felt the fist of a Super Saiyan shattering all the ribs on the right side of his body. He was totally helpless against the might of Steven. The Demon coughed blood, trying his hardest to get his breath back. Although he didn’t need air to survive, it was an important part of recovering energy after injuries.
“No…” huff huff, “I won’t lose to you!” The Demon King could barely form a sentence, but he somehow found the strength to stand, ignoring the blood trickling down his side. He looked back at Steven, fire in his eyes.
“You hear me, Saiyan of Light and Shadow.” Mira stared at the Twilight Saiyan. “Because I am the best, and you are not!” He shouted.
Mira was screaming now, his words filled with defiance. “Only I can be the strongest! It is not possible for a weakling like you to comprehend that I am! Go ahead and run away, like the sissy you are from my overwhelming power!”
Steven rushed Mira again, crippling his foe with a powerful uppercut, completely shattering Mira’s burned and bloodied armor before speaking to the crazed Demon. “Do I look scared to you?” But before he could reply, Mira had his entire jaw shattered and forced down his throat from another powerful uppercut that hit him square in the jaw. Just as he staggered back, Steven raised one hand between him and Mira, only inches from the Demon’s face. “This is for trying to destroy my family and home, Mira.” Just before Steven’s Draco Masendan erupted from his palm, covering the distance between him and Earth’s Sun in an instant. Mira didn’t even have the time to scream before he was warped and melted by the electric blue ball of energy; all four of his limbs being blown off and his face contorting before he was burned away right to the last microscopic particle. Before in a flash, the Z Warrior lowered his hand and took off to meet with the others.
Power Levels:
Goku: 20 million
Goku (4X Kaioken): 80 million
Super Saiyan Goku: 165 million
Piccolo (With Weights): 10 million
Gohan: 8 million
Krillin: 100,000
Tien: 2.5 million
Larval Cell: 165 million
Steven Bloodriver: 3.1 billion
Steven Bloodriver (Plus Bio Extract from Goku Black): 9.2 billion
Super Saiyan Steven Bloodriver: 9.345 billion
Twilight Super Saiyan Steven Bloodriver: 92 billion
Bra: 41 billion
Vegeta: 25 million
Super Vegeta: 170 million
Super Vegeta’s Final Flash: 243 million
Super Vegeta’s Super Final Flash: 720 million
Majcnavn’s Majin Vegeta: 9.2 billion
Majcnavn’s Majin Vegeta (Super Saiyan Rosé; not seen): 10.304 billion
Goku Black: 3.1 billion
Goku Black (Zenkai’d): 6.1 billion
Legendary Super Saiyan Broly: 2.9 billion
Majcnavn’s Majin Broly: 8.9 billion
Suppressed Goku Black: 110% of Beerus’ full power
Goku Black maximum: 142% of Beerus’ full power
Goku Black vs Gogeta and Gohanks: 590% of Beerus’ full power
Super Saiyan Rosé Goku Black: 602% of Beerus’ full power
Goku Black (After being worn down by Gogeta and Gohanks): 9.3 billion
Super Saiyan Rosé Goku Black (After being worn down even further by Steven): 10.416 billion
Mira (Base Form): 92 billion
Mira (Base Form, after barely surviving his own Super Big Nova): 47 billion
Credits: Inspired by the original metaseries, themselves, of Rosario+Vampire, Power Rangers, Pokémon, Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball Super, and Dragon Ball GT, the Arcade series, Dragon Ball Heroes, the Webcomic, Dragon Ball Multiverse, the Fanmangas of both Dragon Ball New Age and Dragon Ball After The Future, and as well as the Fanfictions of Bringer of Death and The Fall Of Lord Frieza, also to the Resident Evil, Metroid, Castlevania, and Dead Space series of videogames and books.
Disclaimer: The Dragon Ball and every other mentioned franchise aforementioned and also within the story are the property of their respective creators and the other entities that have co-created or broadcast or otherwise disseminated official content for the franchises.