Dragonball M, Chapter 5: Clarion’s Call! The Signal! The Fate of the Universes!

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

On the Galloping, Held sat down in the ships cockpit, rubbing his temple as in took in the sudden change in fortune.

Things happened so quickly, he scarcely had time to think.

He had felt a familiar--yet distinct-- energy as the moon erupted around them, a voice just as familiar heralding something transcendent.

Is that Inan....No....



He stared, dumbfounded as he saw this new power flow into his being, melding with it as it strengthened his body and honed his mind to a razors edge.

There was an awkward tingling behind his eyes. Not painful or unwelcome. Merely unusual.




It was dizzing, disorienting. The Nevadian felt uneasy as he surveyed the world around him. Something was...off. Different. It was as if he had one drink too many, altering his insight just slightly.

The shift was so complete, so sudden, that he realized it belatedly. It was as if one was so focused on a singular object that the shift in scenery went unnoticed.

Now that his focus was undivided, the night and day difference loomed large. It was as if he had fallen into an entirely different spectrum of insight. It was if the Nevadian had been been seeing in primary colors, only for secondary colors to come into existence. It was as bewildering as it was mesmerizing.

This is….My Shingan...?

Your perception has grown so acute, distance and obscurantism means nothing. With this level of Shingan, what Held wishes to see, he sees.

Looking at the Foresworn World, you can easily see the thousand foot tall Remnant and the much smaller forms of Genesis, Efrideet, and hiding behind an unusual glamour not far away………Sakin.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Sarada’s vision was still blurry and had been slow about clearing up. Still, despite that, the large red splotches that stained the parts of the sheet covering her newly reformed body were as visible as they were recognizable. She had seen more than her fair share of blood and grievous injuries. Still, it was her blood... No matter how many times she found herself in that position, it was still surreal. She found her stomach turning as the smell of slightly old copper hit her nose.

When Ochazuke forced her to lay down and stay down, she didn’t offer any resistance, verbal or otherwise. And as he began speaking, bringing her up to speed with regards to how the others were faring in the most important battle of any of their lives, she remained silent and listened.

Parsley, Lantro, and Avoca had also been saved. That was good. She hadn’t realized they had been caught up in the blast or how injured they were as a result, but they were as much on the mend as she was. Or maybe they were about to reenter the fray. Even better, Efrideet already had. Whether it was because of what Ochazuke had said got through to her or simply out of survival didn’t matter. They were all fighting for survival. Trivialities like right and wrong were immaterial. She had come to realize that at last. She was probably the last one to, but better late than never. Coming to that realization meant that there was nothing off the table. As long as they won and the universe survived to see tomorrow, that was all that mattered.

Who would have guessed that a near-death experience would have made her introspective. Then again, meeting the end was reason to reflect and all that.

Sarada remained quiet long after Ochazuke turned his attention to other matters. She could feel the battles raging outside - the godly battle between Efrideet and Remnant, as well as the battle of god and man between Cancer and Zaofan. She felt how Cancer kept coming back after suffering what should have been killing blows. She wasn’t sure what kind of bullshit she was capable of, but it was allowing her to stay in the fight long past her welcome.

Then, suddenly, Zaofan’s ki flared to an extreme height. The next instant, Cancer’s vanished. One second ticked by, then another and another. Sarada kept waiting for it to return, but it never did. She smiled to herself and closed her eyes. Great job, Zaofan.

She flexed her hand into a fist. She had barely gotten to fight her, but that was fine. There were at least four other gods and god-like beings for her to tussle with. Beyond that, there were four more enemies to kill before they were finally safe. She wasn’t sure which out of the four of them would be the toughest, but there was no enemy they couldn’t kill when they worked together.

“Then it’s on us,” she said after a very lengthy silence. True, it would have always fell on them, but there wouldn’t be an army of the universe’s most powerful warriors behind them. With everyone back home, all that had was their moral support. That was assuming the tangible representation of that support could even get through Sakin’s barrier thing.

“How much longer?”

Moments.

Mere moments you are sure.

You also feel a terrible amount of power from Remnant.

Oddly, you cannot sense Sakin, Eldfen, or Genesis.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Moments.

Mere moments you are sure.

You also feel a terrible amount of power from Remnant.

Oddly, you cannot sense Sakin, Eldfen, or Genesis.

Sarada flexed her hand into a fist again. She could feel that she was just about ready to jump back in. Whether Ochazuke let her was another story, but they could deal with that when it came up.

"Do you feel that?" she said before remembering who she was talking to. "Of course you do."

She knew that he was a combination of Indar'en and Asha'rah. She also knew that he had been created by Night for some nightmarish reason. When she and Parsley fused into Parlada, they were one in mind, body, and soul. It took them ages to get to that point. A mish-mash combination like Remnant had no such harmony. She could only imagine how intense the pain both parties felt after having their pieces smashed and glued together like some kind of modern art exhibit.

"Is there any way to separate Indar'en from Asha'rah?" she asked Ochazuke.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

The blade punches through to the hilt, burying itself feet deep into their heel.

A moment, Thena roar that shakes the world as Remnant reels backward, seething as the form shifts. The blue auras sharpens, their power growing as they stare at you, than at the blade older then themselves.

“Where…..”

They trail off, then cock their head to the side and nod. With blood dripping from their now useless foot and missing hand, the merged behind rises up, opens their arms wide and grows.

And grows.

And grows.

Remnant towers over everything, over a thousand feet tall in a near moment. Hovering, it raises its one hand, bigger than the plateau you are on, and drops a massive ball of Hakai down towards you.

Efrideet grimaced, as she was released.

Only to swear under her breath as she was immediately crushed beneath the weight of a massive sphere of Hakai. Hands coming up quickly as she attempts to brace against an energy that's soul purpose was to annihilate her.

The one thing she believed herself free of fear from, by anyone remaining in the Universe.

How arrogant.

Wreathing herself in True Magic, to fight back the surging Hakai sphere, Efrideet would shift the Sword of Damocles into her left hand to help brace against the Hakai; as she focused what energy she could muster into her right. A spear of True Magic manifesting briefly before she roared and thrust up with all her strength seeking to pierce the Hakai Death Ball.

[grampagen]

In a swell of power, Cancer and her last remaining child are engulfed in the crisp blue beam of Zaofan’s Legacy technique, the Kamehameha Wave. It washes over both and engulfs them, incinerating the god and her child in one massive display of power. No fanfare, no last dying words, merely the end to a twisted entity long passed her death date.

And thankfully, the two other bodies she could have inhabited are not currently within this reality (the Saiyan children she turned).

When the light dies, nothing remains of the two. The Beat God looks at Zaofan and salutes him with his blade.

Hands outstretched, Zaofan's palms felt light as air under the gloves of his space suit, and despite the torrent of light and sound, he found that they felt quite cool. In the aftermath, Cancer's presence had been excised, and with it a portion of the danger.

So this is how the Kamehameha executes, huh? Not bad! Not bad at all!

With the threats before them eliminated, Zaofan let his view drift over the Forsworn World past the cracked moon. Spying the Beast King across the way, he threw him a thumbs up in return. Hastily, he pointed to the Gotengo to communicate his next move, but when he glanced in its direction the single-minded flow state began to thaw, and his head began to fill with a rush of thoughts that shook his composure.

Looks like things are starting to ramp up. Not just the invocation of Heka, but the spiritual pressure of that Genki Dama... His aura kicked up, and the Martial Chef took off.

Sasheem, barely able to speak let alone move or even heal, gurgles screams of anguish. The only thing on his mind is that he doesn't want it to end. Not here. Not on this stoopid world. Fumbling around, barely able to even see, he almost instinctively zaps his antennae across the ground, in an attempt to turn whatever was left into some sort of food or sustenance. Water, fruit, meat. Nothing fancy. Just whatever would give him energy to survive further.

You manage to get just enough to survive when the rest of the moon fragment you were by disintegrates under Koorimaru’s AOE attack.

You are alive, but not nearly at perfect health and free floating in space now.

But you are alive.

Yet though the battle had concluded, at the dredges of the Dark Moon, Zaofan detected a presence there. It was familiar, in a sense, though there was a current of anguish within it.

So much for that confidence, eh? Where's that smirk now? Did you bite off more than you could chew-

Fractions of seconds passed by. The planetoid fragments passed by his vision. Creation and Destruction danced at the planet's edge in a violent surge. At these speeds, he'd be at the Gotengo in an instant then they'd regroup and they could figure out the next move, and time was of the essence. Besides, Mr. Greater Annihilator always had a way of showing up at just the worst times anyways, why not just let him figure himself out?

The so-called Snake Master would never do the same for him.

...Right?

...eeeerrrrrgh...I guess...

Banking left slightly, Zaofan tilt with a muffled groan. Wrapping his arms around the half-melted blue and gold form, he grabbed what remained of Sasheem and carried him along on his way back to the ship.

[grampagen]

Koorimaru, slowly the arm floats to you and you manage to drain it of its power.

Now to return to where it all began.

Once it came into reach, Koorimaru caressed the severed limb. He seized it by the blackened wrist and squeezed across the fingers until they snapped.

Look at this, he marveled at the markings carved into his left hand where the Hakai and Creation Synthesis had scarred it. The sublime symmetry it's just as it was before...!

A deep, wheezing laughter shook his body as he took its power for his own. While it would not heal him from either Cancer's mark or the injury she had inflicted on him, the searing of his nerves were only an impediment, these last coils clouding the perception of the flesh.

You think you are to be the executioner of the universe, these cast off parts, bound in servitude? Perhaps I was a fool to let you under my skin.

The blade punches through to the hilt, burying itself feet deep into their heel.

A moment, Thena roar that shakes the world as Remnant reels backward, seething as the form shifts. The blue auras sharpens, their power growing as they stare at you, than at the blade older then themselves.

“Where…..”

They trail off, then cock their head to the side and nod. With blood dripping from their now useless foot and missing hand, the merged behind rises up, opens their arms wide and grows.

And grows.

And grows.

Remnant towers over everything, over a thousand feet tall in a near moment. Hovering, it raises its one hand, bigger than the plateau you are on, and drops a massive ball of Hakai down towards you.

Floating in space, Koorimaru moved at range.

That's right...pay no attention to me. I only know precisely what you are made of, after all.

With a thought, he sent one of his remaining drones off towards the Gotengo.

The other five flew in formation, glowing at his back as they began to rotate in a circumference behind him until the shapes lost themselves to a ringed aura.

If this cruelty is your penance, allow me to detach you from all of this and return you to impermanence!

The attack upon Cancer had been a desperate trial; this time he channeled it through his Capsule Drones. He'd stolen Asha'rah's body to study how to affect the eternal, but now that the Last Daughter had revealed it was the Heart that was indeed the source of godly incarnation, concentrating five God Slayer Death Beams, Koorimaru loosed the orbital bombardment upon the enlarged Remnant to disrupt the stability of this creature's very soul.

[grampagen]

Parsley, Lantro, and Avoca had also been saved. That was good. She hadnÂ’t realized they had been caught up in the blast or how injured they were as a result, but they were as much on the mend as she was. Or maybe they were about to reenter the fray. Even better, Efrideet already had. Whether it was because of what Ochazuke had said got through to her or simply out of survival didnÂ’t matter. They were all fighting for survival. Trivialities like right and wrong were immaterial. She had come to realize that at last. She was probably the last one to, but better late than never. Coming to that realization meant that there was nothing off the table. As long as they won and the universe survived to see tomorrow, that was all that mattered.

Who would have guessed that a near-death experience would have made her introspective. Then again, meeting the end was reason to reflect and all that.

Sarada remained quiet long after Ochazuke turned his attention to other matters. She could feel the battles raging outside - the godly battle between Efrideet and Remnant, as well as the battle of god and man between Cancer and Zaofan. She felt how Cancer kept coming back after suffering what should have been killing blows. She wasnÂ’t sure what kind of bullshit she was capable of, but it was allowing her to stay in the fight long past her welcome.

Then, suddenly, ZaofanÂ’s ki flared to an extreme height. The next instant, CancerÂ’s vanished. One second ticked by, then another and another. Sarada kept waiting for it to return, but it never did. She smiled to herself and closed her eyes. Great job, Zaofan.

She flexed her hand into a fist. She had barely gotten to fight her, but that was fine. There were at least four other gods and god-like beings for her to tussle with. Beyond that, there were four more enemies to kill before they were finally safe. She wasnÂ’t sure which out of the four of them would be the toughest, but there was no enemy they couldnÂ’t kill when they worked together.

“Then it’s on us,” she said after a very lengthy silence. True, it would have always fell on them, but there wouldn’t be an army of the universe’s most powerful warriors behind them. With everyone back home, all that had was their moral support. That was assuming the tangible representation of that support could even get through Sakin’s barrier thing.

“How much longer?”

Sarada flexed her hand into a fist again. She could feel that she was just about ready to jump back in. Whether Ochazuke let her was another story, but they could deal with that when it came up.

"Do you feel that?" she said before remembering who she was talking to. "Of course you do."

"It seems I've taught you nothing," Ochazuke glowered. "Once the technique was yours, perhaps I merely brought you to a plateau, to discard everything you've learned the moment you've felt a threshold had been broken."

Doubtless, she had been feeling her strength since she had ascended to godhood, but it seemed as if Sarada had been lacking a chance to prove the quality of her station, and this eagerness was making her impatient.

"Your crown may hold them in line, but through the Heka Flow you must feel the soul of your people upon you now. Understand, then, that is not their power to take, but their will, their hopes to do right by them. And insofar as this, acting decisively and rushing to act are not the same."

She knew that he was a combination of Indar'en and Asha'rah. She also knew that he had been created by Night for some nightmarish reason. When she and Parsley fused into Parlada, they were one in mind, body, and soul. It took them ages to get to that point. A mish-mash combination like Remnant had no such harmony. She could only imagine how intense the pain both parties felt after having their pieces smashed and glued together like some kind of modern art exhibit.

"Is there any way to separate Indar'en from Asha'rah?" she asked Ochazuke.

"If there had been an attempt, it would have been the moment her body had been returned by-"

Just then the Gotengo's systems went off. A Capsule Drone had drawn near and the machine-mind of the ship began to decrypt its transmission.

"...Koorimaru."

He hadn't had a line of communication open since he'd returned. "Why now? Is he gloating?"

The visual over the Forsworn World filled the Gotengo's data feeds.

Shortly after, the airlock shook the side of the vessel. Katchin alloy shift against steel as the pressurized chambers shut. Still clad in his spacesuit with no injury upon him Zaofan had returned...dragging behind him a pile of Sasheem. Setting the melted Majin against the wall, the Martial Chef undid his helmet and took a breath.

"Ugh. If you hadn't gone binge-eating before the fight began, this'd be a lot easier..." he said, before hitting the ship's comms. "Snake School to deck B3. Your...your Master needs you."

It was dizzing, disorienting. The Nevadian felt uneasy as he surveyed the world around him. Something was...off. Different. It was as if he had one drink too many, altering his insight just slightly.

The shift was so complete, so sudden, that he realized it belatedly. It was as if one was so focused on a singular object that the shift in scenery went unnoticed.

Now that his focus was undivided, the night and day difference loomed large. It was as if he had fallen into an entirely different spectrum of insight. It was if the Nevadian had been been seeing in primary colors, only for secondary colors to come into existence. It was as bewildering as it was mesmerizing.

This is….My Shingan...?

At the same time, Ochazuke reached out across the common communication band to account for the three ships about to make a landing; from the Gotengo to the Coldlight and the Galloping.

"All wings report in," he said, "Sakin has the means to close off our support from the wider universe, and he will do it shortly. Followed by this, he will stop at nothing to imprison those gathered hear in a seal of True Magic."

"Like the Planetkiller before the EDF had eliminated it, these are projected from Two Apparatuses gleaned from the flesh and bones of Guardians over the millennia. Yet while Remnant has shown itself to combat Efrideet, Genesis, Grinthorn and Sakin himself have sequestered themselves upon the planet."

[bruceleegreyhulk]

(Here I'm on the Coldlight, improving myself. Honing my Bio-Electromagnokinesis, which includes my electroreception, and honing my swordsmanship. How much improvement will I gain?) Praxat thought.

( I'm going to need to heal after I'm done.) Praxat thought.

[KingofPie]

Yet though the battle had concluded, at the dredges of the Dark Moon, Zaofan detected a presence there. It was familiar, in a sense, though there was a current of anguish within it.

So much for that confidence, eh? Where's that smirk now? Did you bite off more than you could chew-

Fractions of seconds passed by. The planetoid fragments passed by his vision. Creation and Destruction danced at the planet's edge in a violent surge. At these speeds, he'd be at the Gotengo in an instant then they'd regroup and they could figure out the next move, and time was of the essence. Besides, Mr. Greater Annihilator always had a way of showing up at just the worst times anyways, why not just let him figure himself out?

The so-called Snake Master would never do the same for him.

...Right?

...eeeerrrrrgh...I guess...

Banking left slightly, Zaofan tilt with a muffled groan. Wrapping his arms around the half-melted blue and gold form, he grabbed what remained of Sasheem and carried him along on his way back to the ship.

Shortly after, the airlock shook the side of the vessel. Katchin alloy shift against steel as the pressurized chambers shut. Still clad in his spacesuit with no injury upon him Zaofan had returned...dragging behind him a pile of Sasheem. Setting the melted Majin against the wall, the Martial Chef undid his helmet and took a breath.

"Ugh. If you hadn't gone binge-eating before the fight began, this'd be a lot easier..." he said, before hitting the ship's comms. "Snake School to deck B3. Your...your Master needs you."

The Snake Mistress followed by the rest of the Snake School, past and present made their way to deck B3, a range of emotions crossing their face from concern to disgust to... mild amusement in the Snake Mistress' case, judging from her stifled giggles. "Uh...Snake Mistress will he be uh..." one student managed to raise a question after assessing the situation.

"Oh he'll be fine," the Snake Mistress waved him off. "It's just funny that this is what it takes to get it him to shut up!"

"Gurrggle-bbubble-splat!" came some...sort of response from the dilapidated Majin.

"What's that? Can't quite hear you!" the Snake Mistress chuckled.

"Fzzzzzzzzzzzzz, blurp!!! BLURRRRRP!" the puddle that was Sasheem fizzled at a rapid pace, smoke starting to rise from his carcass.

"Well, I suppose we'd better try and get you back in fighting form," The Snake Mistress sighed, cracking her knuckles. "I didn't learn any healing techniques per see in the afterlife, but I do know a form of chiropractic therapy that will get you back in top condition. Just a warning though...this will hurt!"

"!!!!!" Sasheem noted in alarm as the Snake Mistress dove upon him with an elbow.

***

"Uh, P-Sta to Gotengo..." P-Sta sighed, attempting to get through comms. "Message from Durive. He uh, is requesting to dock. Frankly speaking, I wouldn't-YEEEOWWCH!" P-Sta yelped as he was suddenly tossed out of his chair unexpectedly landing on the floor. Crawling back to comms, he noted whilst rubbing his back in irritation.,"Right, so about that request..."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"It seems I've taught you nothing," Ochazuke glowered. "Once the technique was yours, perhaps I merely brought you to a plateau, to discard everything you've learned the moment you've felt a threshold had been broken."

Doubtless, she had been feeling her strength since she had ascended to godhood, but it seemed as if Sarada had been lacking a chance to prove the quality of her station, and this eagerness was making her impatient.

"Your crown may hold them in line, but through the Heka Flow you must feel the soul of your people upon you now. Understand, then, that is not their power to take, but their will, their hopes to do right by them. And insofar as this, acting decisively and rushing to act are not the same."

She sighed but didn't respond immediately. She just wanted to get back out there and do something other than run around looking and get blasted from behind. If Sakin was about to strike soon, then they all needed to be ready to counter or even prevent it; though, the Gotengo was getting ready to do the latter, so that was taken care of. "Alright, alright. Fine."

I just have to remain patient, she thought. Under normal circumstances, that would have been easy. Dealing with anxious idiots all day did wonders for that. With everything on the line, it was much less so. Whatever. I'll have to try.

She let her eyes drift closed. Her breathing had been steady and strong ever since her body had been mended. She focused on that as she let her thoughts drift away. Meditation was a big part of their training with the martial brothers in Vaikuntha. It wasn't so much that she hated it, it was that she had so much on her mind that it was difficult to let all those thoughts disperse so she could properly center herself.

She took it one breath at a time to allow one thought, one worry, one anxious nerve to melt away at a time.

[Miburo]

Your perception has grown so acute, distance and obscurantism means nothing. With this level of Shingan, what Held wishes to see, he sees.

Looking at the Foresworn World, you can easily see the thousand foot tall Remnant and the much smaller forms of Genesis, Efrideet, and hiding behind an unusual glamour not far away………Sakin.

Unlimited. Untethered. This is how it felt to be the Nevadian, now blessed with such vision, such insight, that he 'saw' in the loosest sense of the term. It was called sight because that was the closest thing to what transpired in both the Earthen and Nevadian languages.

If the Shingan--the former state of his Shingan--was sight beyond sight, what was this?

With the slightest thought, nary a glance, truth revealed itself. There was no shadow that could conceal, no light that could blind. Only the truth remained.

His enemies--no, their enemies--were revealed. The man behind the army.

Sakin.

At the same time, Parsley jerked awake and suddenly shot up into a sitting position. She touched her chest and arm and found that her flesh had been made whole again. “I’m alright,” she muttered to herself. The gift of Heka Flow had once again proven its worth as an invaluable boon from Banespell.

She took a cursory look around once her vision cleared and found herself on Held’s ship, the Galloping. The very same ship Avoca once raided for every snack to be found during an inadvertent trip to Earth years ago. “Held? Thanks for bringing me aboard. ” The last thing she saw before blacking out was Cancer. “Cancer, have you had the chance to look into her?”

The Nevadian seemed to be in a trance as the Saiyan Princess spoke to him. He was staring off into the distance, and yet at Parsley at the same time. Or through her rather. Whatever it was, clearly had his attention.

If she were paying attention, she would notice something strange with the Nevadian. Gone was the Ruby Red of his Shingan, replaced with a hue of Emerald Green.

"Sakin, you bastard...."

Held muttered to himself, gripping the ships Yoke tightly. "You won't be able to hide from me any...."

He vaguely became aware of the fact that Parsley was addressing him, as his mind still struggled to adapt and sort through the neigh boundless sensory information it now took in. He replayed her words in his mind. Seeing was the easy part, at the moment.

"Huh? Oh. Think nothing of it. We're hardly best friends, but I would never be so crass as to leave a comrade behind." Parsely came into focus, as he managed to tear his gaze away from everything else. "Besides, I don't need Sarada trying to stick her boot up my---HUH?!"

It seemed choosing what *not* to see was a skill on it's own. By focusing on Parsley, the Nevadian had inadvertently excluded anything that wasn't Parsely from his gaze.

Including her clothes.

Held glanced away uncomfortably as he attempted to undo what had been done. "I mean, it's fine. Let's just say we're even!"

Good Grief....I guess even it's to be expected I would struggle with this gift a little... I can't really apologize to her. She'd probably flay me for looking upon her royal body or something.

"In any case, I'm not interested in Cancer." He continued, "The others seem to have figured out how to deal with her well enough."

The Nevadian refocused his gaze on their angelic nemesis, and the illusion he had managed to put up, protecting him thus far.

"I'd prefer to try to get the jump on Sakin, before he realizes I've found him....Who knows what trick he has up his sleeves."

Whatever spell he's using...He must really have a lot of faith in it to be *this* close to us....Or he's really got his head up his own ass.

At the same time, Ochazuke reached out across the common communication band to account for the three ships about to make a landing; from the Gotengo to the Coldlight and the Galloping.

"All wings report in," he said, "Sakin has the means to close off our support from the wider universe, and he will do it shortly. Followed by this, he will stop at nothing to imprison those gathered hear in a seal of True Magic."

"Like the Planetkiller before the EDF had eliminated it, these are projected from Two Apparatuses gleaned from the flesh and bones of Guardians over the millennia. Yet while Remnant has shown itself to combat Efrideet, Genesis, Grinthorn and Sakin himself have sequestered themselves upon the planet."

Ah, duty calls. Ochazuke did always have a gift with timing...

A button was pressed on the ships control panel, patching in a reply message to The Gotengo.

"This is The Galloping, calling in. We're all in one piece and accounted for. I've even picked up a few guests and a new trick or two." Held reported, keeping his gaze towards the cause of all their woes.

....Time really is of the essence then, huh. I don't know if anyone here has what it takes to undo that kind of seal...

"If you're saying it's time to go, commander." Held continued, "Give the order, and I'll lead you right to Sakin's front door."

[grampagen]

She sighed but didn't respond immediately. She just wanted to get back out there and do something other than run around looking and get blasted from behind. If Sakin was about to strike soon, then they all needed to be ready to counter or even prevent it; though, the Gotengo was getting ready to do the latter, so that was taken care of. "Alright, alright. Fine."

I just have to remain patient, she thought. Under normal circumstances, that would have been easy. Dealing with anxious idiots all day did wonders for that. With everything on the line, it was much less so. Whatever. I'll have to try.

She let her eyes drift closed. Her breathing had been steady and strong ever since her body had been mended. She focused on that as she let her thoughts drift away. Meditation was a big part of their training with the martial brothers in Vaikuntha. It wasn't so much that she hated it, it was that she had so much on her mind that it was difficult to let all those thoughts disperse so she could properly center herself.

She took it one breath at a time to allow one thought, one worry, one anxious nerve to melt away at a time.

"...what are you doing?"

Ochazuke sighed. Were he not currently occupied with folding the Universe's Heka behind them while balancing the Genki Dama that held their fighting spirit aloft, he'd have continued to refresh her memory, but for the rapidly passing moments to act before them.

Instead, he set one of the Capsule Floater Drones servicing the ship to the side of the gurney carrying Sarada, where it attached a tether and began to tow her away to a supply room.

"After all that has transpired, do we continue to perceive only what we wish?"

Sakin's planet loomed before them, and at this moment Efrideet stood alone.

"Take scope of the situation, Super Saiyan God, for all the lives that give that title any meaning, although if you require the time to retreat into yourself, make your preparations to do it with decency!"

The Snake Mistress followed by the rest of the Snake School, past and present made their way to deck B3, a range of emotions crossing their face from concern to disgust to... mild amusement in the Snake Mistress' case, judging from her stifled giggles. "Uh...Snake Mistress will he be uh..." one student managed to raise a question after assessing the situation.

"Oh he'll be fine," the Snake Mistress waved him off. "It's just funny that this is what it takes to get it him to shut up!"

"Gurrggle-bbubble-splat!" came some...sort of response from the dilapidated Majin.

"What's that? Can't quite hear you!" the Snake Mistress chuckled.

"Fzzzzzzzzzzzzz, blurp!!! BLURRRRRP!" the puddle that was Sasheem fizzled at a rapid pace, smoke starting to rise from his carcass.

"Well, I suppose we'd better try and get you back in fighting form," The Snake Mistress sighed, cracking her knuckles. "I didn't learn any healing techniques per see in the afterlife, but I do know a form of chiropractic therapy that will get you back in top condition. Just a warning though...this will hurt!"

"!!!!!" Sasheem noted in alarm as the Snake Mistress dove upon him with an elbow.

***

"Uh, P-Sta to Gotengo..." P-Sta sighed, attempting to get through comms. "Message from Durive. He uh, is requesting to dock. Frankly speaking, I wouldn't-YEEEOWWCH!" P-Sta yelped as he was suddenly tossed out of his chair unexpectedly landing on the floor. Crawling back to comms, he noted whilst rubbing his back in irritation.,"Right, so about that request..."

Zaofan stood there watching the Snake Mistress go to work. The writings of Zxu'ro the Founder informed the Master of Masters...but Doku seemed to have a particular sense of humor, didn't he?

After the third press of her elbow into that puddle of the Majin, Zaofan became aware of some static kicking up in his ear.

"...oh! Uh...yeah. Prepare to come aboard."

Ah, duty calls. Ochazuke did always have a gift with timing...

A button was pressed on the ships control panel, patching in a reply message to The Gotengo.

"This is The Galloping, calling in. We're all in one piece and accounted for. I've even picked up a few guests and a new trick or two." Held reported, keeping his gaze towards the cause of all their woes.

....Time really is of the essence then, huh. I don't know if anyone here has what it takes to undo that kind of seal...

"If you're saying it's time to go, commander." Held continued, "Give the order, and I'll lead you right to Sakin's front door."

"Only a moment longer if we can spare it," Ochazuke replied. "Sakin will compartmentalize the space behind us...while the fight against his thralls ensued, he'd already made his move."

Connected to the Cosmic Leyline he felt out the position of their three vessels of attack, but though he probed the surface of the Forsworn World beyond the battle of Efrideet and Remnant, it was much more difficult to piece the veil of this world.

"Cheh. It would be that way. After all, you have the fastest ship," he chuckled. "And in the pivotal moment, the battle is decided. Plot the vector if you can, and show us the way."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Efrideet grimaced, as she was released.

Only to swear under her breath as she was immediately crushed beneath the weight of a massive sphere of Hakai. Hands coming up quickly as she attempts to brace against an energy that's soul purpose was to annihilate her.

The one thing she believed herself free of fear from, by anyone remaining in the Universe.

How arrogant.

Wreathing herself in True Magic, to fight back the surging Hakai sphere, Efrideet would shift the Sword of Damocles into her left hand to help brace against the Hakai; as she focused what energy she could muster into her right. A spear of True Magic manifesting briefly before she roared and thrust up with all her strength seeking to pierce the Hakai Death Ball.

The spear punches through, Efrideet flying up with it as the pressure from the Hakai dissipates suddenly. Remnant instead slashes their hand out at the suddenly rising Efrideet and slaps her away several thousand miles back out of the atmosphere.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Now to return to where it all began.

Once it came into reach, Koorimaru caressed the severed limb. He seized it by the blackened wrist and squeezed across the fingers until they snapped.

Look at this, he marveled at the markings carved into his left hand where the Hakai and Creation Synthesis had scarred it. The sublime symmetry it's just as it was before...!

A deep, wheezing laughter shook his body as he took its power for his own. While it would not heal him from either Cancer's mark or the injury she had inflicted on him, the searing of his nerves were only an impediment, these last coils clouding the perception of the flesh.

You think you are to be the executioner of the universe, these cast off parts, bound in servitude? Perhaps I was a fool to let you under my skin.



Floating in space, Koorimaru moved at range.

That's right...pay no attention to me. I only know precisely what you are made of, after all.

With a thought, he sent one of his remaining drones off towards the Gotengo.

The other five flew in formation, glowing at his back as they began to rotate in a circumference behind him until the shapes lost themselves to a ringed aura.

If this cruelty is your penance, allow me to detach you from all of this and return you to impermanence!

The attack upon Cancer had been a desperate trial; this time he channeled it through his Capsule Drones. He'd stolen Asha'rah's body to study how to affect the eternal, but now that the Last Daughter had revealed it was the Heart that was indeed the source of godly incarnation, concentrating five God Slayer Death Beams, Koorimaru loosed the orbital bombardment upon the enlarged Remnant to disrupt the stability of this creature's very soul.

Having just slapped Efrideet back out of the atmosphere, Remnant’s power surges.

Five large mechanical hands erupt from Remnant’s back, each holding a beam of creation and destruction twinned in their hands. They release the beams upward, entering into a massive five beam struggle with Koorimaru.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Unlimited. Untethered. This is how it felt to be the Nevadian, now blessed with such vision, such insight, that he 'saw' in the loosest sense of the term. It was called sight because that was the closest thing to what transpired in both the Earthen and Nevadian languages.

If the Shingan--the former state of his Shingan--was sight beyond sight, what was this?

With the slightest thought, nary a glance, truth revealed itself. There was no shadow that could conceal, no light that could blind. Only the truth remained.

His enemies--no, their enemies--were revealed. The man behind the army.

Sakin.




The Nevadian seemed to be in a trance as the Saiyan Princess spoke to him. He was staring off into the distance, and yet at Parsley at the same time. Or through her rather. Whatever it was, clearly had his attention.

If she were paying attention, she would notice something strange with the Nevadian. Gone was the Ruby Red of his Shingan, replaced with a hue of Emerald Green.

"Sakin, you bastard...."

Held muttered to himself, gripping the ships Yoke tightly. "You won't be able to hide from me any...."

He vaguely became aware of the fact that Parsley was addressing him, as his mind still struggled to adapt and sort through the neigh boundless sensory information it now took in. He replayed her words in his mind. Seeing was the easy part, at the moment.

"Huh? Oh. Think nothing of it. We're hardly best friends, but I would never be so crass as to leave a comrade behind." Parsely came into focus, as he managed to tear his gaze away from everything else. "Besides, I don't need Sarada trying to stick her boot up my---HUH?!"

It seemed choosing what *not* to see was a skill on it's own. By focusing on Parsley, the Nevadian had inadvertently excluded anything that wasn't Parsely from his gaze.

Including her clothes.

Held glanced away uncomfortably as he attempted to undo what had been done. "I mean, it's fine. Let's just say we're even!"

Good Grief....I guess even it's to be expected I would struggle with this gift a little... I can't really apologize to her. She'd probably flay me for looking upon her royal body or something.

"In any case, I'm not interested in Cancer." He continued, "The others seem to have figured out how to deal with her well enough."

The Nevadian refocused his gaze on their angelic nemesis, and the illusion he had managed to put up, protecting him thus far.

"I'd prefer to try to get the jump on Sakin, before he realizes I've found him....Who knows what trick he has up his sleeves."

Whatever spell he's using...He must really have a lot of faith in it to be *this* close to us....Or he's really got his head up his own ass.



Ah, duty calls. Ochazuke did always have a gift with timing...

A button was pressed on the ships control panel, patching in a reply message to The Gotengo.

"This is The Galloping, calling in. We're all in one piece and accounted for. I've even picked up a few guests and a new trick or two." Held reported, keeping his gaze towards the cause of all their woes.

....Time really is of the essence then, huh. I don't know if anyone here has what it takes to undo that kind of seal...

"If you're saying it's time to go, commander." Held continued, "Give the order, and I'll lead you right to Sakin's front door."

Sakin, in Held’s gaze, seems to suddenly stop and slowly turn to look right at him.

Glowing eyes, similar to Held’s but very different, lock upon his and Sakin’s widen.

Despite the literal thousands of miles away, Held and Sakin stare at each other, divine eyes to divine eyes and Sakin looks away first.

But now he walks to one of the Apparatuses and touches it, power thrumming within it.