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

[MrSandman]

Etrina takes a deep breath and holds it.
Above her the sounds of combat fade to a low hum in her mind, save the scream of rage uttered from her beloved as he ascended to the sky to face Inanna. All other sound was meaningless, all other concerns like dust under the weight of what was to come. The surge of God Ki she had been blessed with lingered over her being, and slowly begain to spiral to a focus deep inside....mingling with something she had kept for a very long time.

True Magic.

The flames of ruin glinted in her eyes as she turned them skyward...

*A Lifetime Ago*

The fire crackled, light reflecting off Etrinas eyes as she stared out through a crack in the window. Beyond the walls, silence reigned save for the occasion strike of something in the distance.

".....Its useless."

Her words were ice cold, and for a moment the fire dimmed in response. The shadow next to the fire stirred the embers in response, letting out a sigh.

"....I had pegged you for someone with a modicum of foresight, but a lack of understanding. Its one thing to think you know the future and entirely another to act on it." Etrina turned away from the window, her eyes resting on the shadow by the fire. "Fate is a cunning beast, and time a forest dark. If you don't know the paths, it will find you no matter where you hide."

A dark chuckle escaped the mans lips. "I've made my peace with fate....If I must rest here til the end of my days, if would be a just trade to see the universe safe."

"....You know she'll never give up on escape...Long after the both of us are dead....long after whatever vestiges of what you call sanity are stripped away from her in isolation....the will to be free will endure. What you've done in your oh so genius plan of desperation, is condense a near infinite cosmos of possibilities down to a coin flip...." Etrina reaches into her pocket, and immediately frowns when she realizes she has no coin for emphasis, but continues none the less. "....one where she escapes now, or one where a monster escapes later. if anything you've managed the exact opposite of what your set out.....and believe me, with a universe composed almost exclusively by the three of us and a run down shack I literally tell you the probibility of the latter down to the decimal point and you will ABSOLUTELY not like what you hear."

With her point made, silence reigned in the small shack again for several moment....the ping of something in the distance, like a pick striking crystal, was the only distraction.

Turning back to the table, the man sipped some tea in thought. "...So you'd leave it up to fate then....the end of the universe."

"No, fate doesn't get to make that decision and neither do you. If nothing else...Inanna deserves the right to deny that fate herself, right up until the very end. It'll be she who decides what path she'll take in the end....."regardless you no longer have the strength to make that call." Etrina stepped up to where the may sat in quiet contemplation. "So let us go..."

"Let you go? After all I've done...what madness...."

"Madness is what will remain here when all is said and done...."

Setting his tea aside, the first of the Uthan rose to his feet. "....and you propose what as an alternative?"

"Let us go." Etrina said slowly. "Convince her you realized the folly what your wasted exercise.....show her the way out and accept that you could not contain her here. I can at least offer you the chance that you'll survive that way. Give her the chance she deserves to right her own story....."

"....and if she becomes the destroyer, If everything I've seen comes to pass?" Banespell eyes flash wide.

"....it won't...." Etrina eyes met his, ice cold embers shining in the slowly darkening room.



"Because I'll kill her myself..."



-------

Some distance from where she stood, a hollow whistle fell through the air and struck the ground. Zaofan's staff, Bojack, dripping with fresh blood illustrated the severity of the fight currently taking place before the fractured sky above.

A slender hand slowly reaches down and gripped the staff, blood slicking her white fingers a deep crimson. Around her, a thousand possibilities were slowly collapsing. A thousand fates and a thousand endings. True Magic, God Ki and the endless flow of time in a shattered universe....

Just a bit more to reach that final truth....






-----



Far away, a shadow speed through the blasted ruins. A primal Id, separated from her friends in the chaos....trying desperately to reach the new source of conflict. Even from the distance she could feel they were being attacked by an overwhelming force....

..and yet...she could not tell what was attacking them, only the flare and fall of powers.

....but Sarada was there, and she could feel Inanna as well...

Surely they would keep the team safe until she arrived.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

With the gift of god ki at his fingertips for all but a flickering moment, Blizzar's brain raced on just what to do with it. He eventually settled upon something perhaps nonconventional but ultimately necessary....at least for his own purposes. After he had left the GP, he'd divided focus between starting up his new Private Investigations office, working on future investments, and most pertinent to this current moment, training. Blizzar had once thought he was reaching his limits as a fighter, a pugilist. But one event after another had made it clear that he had no time to sit on his laurels. He would have to continue to improve.

Training unfortunately cut short once the universe began tearing itself awry. But with god ki in hand....Needless to say, on a battlefield such as this is normally no time to train, lest one had access to a room of spirit in time. But, once again, with god ki in hand....it would only take the most insignificant fraction of a second to get to where he needed.

And so, Blizzar began to shadowbox in the scattered remnants of reality, moving so fast he was a mere flicker darting across the sky...

There is….a tingle. A moment where, between punches, something thrums in Blizzar’s body. With the god-Ki in hand, with his martial prowess, something deep and ancient stirs in his body and wishes to be free.

Does he free it?

[Miburo]

A blinding light appeared in the center of the earthen bowl, as power manifested and coalesced into a single point.

"I'm a genius!" Held exclaimed, "It's working! I knew I could---"

It took a split second for Held to noticed that the light seemed to be emitting an immense gravitational force, sucking both Crazy Horn and himself towards it.

"HELD." Crazy Horn bellowed, clearly unimpressed.

"Yeah, Yeah. I know." Held muttered to himself, striking his spear into the ground once more. The counter measures were activated, and the spell began to fade away.

Which, perhaps is what occurred in another dimension. As things were, this merely caused the spell to increase in intensity, somehow.

"Oh." The Nevadian's eyes widened, as a miscalculation made itself evident, "Oh. Oh ****."

"HELD." Crazy Horn shouted, obviously alarmed as the white light enveloped the entire room in a blinding flash, both Nevadian and Unicorn were dragged into the epicenter of the spell.

"IT'S FINE." Held shouted back, his calm masking his utter bewilderment, "I just need to make an adjustment. Have I ever let you down?"

...Oh...It probably thinks we're part of the spear, or belong in it since.....Huh. Well. Okay...

"CONSTANTLY."

"That attitude is not making the situation better!"

The searing light lasted for several moments before it slowly began to fade, replaced by a shimmering vermilion aura that gently lingered, radiating from the center of the room.

Laying upon the altar that once housed the energy of creation, a luminous spear of glistening gold could be seen.

It had worked. Not quite as smoothly as Held would have preferred, but successful nevertheless.

"See? I told you, nothing to worry about." Held replied with a relieved grin from behind the large pylons of ki that had erupted from the earth, serving as a bulwark to shield the two warriors from the side effects of the spell.

Rising to his feet, he gingerly looked towards the reborn weapon, checking to ensure that the spell had fully dissipated.

All Clear....?

"Your voice betrays your words." Crazy Horn replied, snorting derisively.

Held paid him no mind, walking towards the alter where his spear lay. He examined it quietly, before reverently picking it up from its resting place.

It was both the same, and yet different. There was the slightest difference in weight, unnoticeable to less experienced hands. Likewise, the runes that adorned it had become even more elaborate, covering the weapon from point to hilt. It was golden still, but with the luster of a newly forged weapon at the peak of its luminescence. What it once was might has well have been a shade of bronze by comparison.

He gripped the spear, before entering a fighting stance, thrusting delicately upwards into the ceiling, before twirling it overhead.

"My satisfaction at this moment far outdoes any concern I may have had a few moments ago." Held replied with a smile, the weapon lashing out all around him at a blistering velocity, from a multitude of angles.

"I'll admit, I didn't expect that weirdness at the end, but it seemed to have worked itself out. There were a lot of moving parts. Unmaking something isn't exactly my field."

His laugh deepened, his jubilation unable to be contained, "I think we actually did it. It's even better than it was. I didn't even think that was truly possible."

He turned towards his companion of what seemed like a lifetime. "Thanks, Crazy Horn. I couldn't have done it without you."

The Lord Of The Sunlit Planes nodded in affirmation. "I know."

The face of the Nevadian soured. "You really know how to ruin a moment, you know that?"

"I merely agreed with you." the majestic beast retorted, clearly amused, "I did not say that you were unwelcome, or even that I found such a thing to be a burden unworthy of my tolerance."

Held nodded slightly in understanding. Crazy Horn was hardly the sentimental type. The fact that he had even humored the Nevadian was a blessing in and of itself.

"So...Should we...Hug or something?" Held asked with a teasing smile.

"I will still gore you." Crazy Horn replied curtly, shifting uncomfortably, "But not before you remove us from this location. Being confined to such a cramped mundane space is unbecoming for a being meant to roam free across the great planes of Nevada."

Held barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his comrade, "Alright, Alright. I guess it's time to wow Zao and Sarada with the 2.0, huh?"

The Nevadian turned away from Crazy Horn, raising his hand towards his mouth, "Hey, Neva! I'm all good here!"

Man, I bet Zao is gonna be so impressed. Maybe I'll try and upgrade his staff one of these days now that I think about it.....I mean, he's not really a mage, but I'm sure we'll figure something out...

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Zaofan's last strike was stopped cold, and when she struck him, his head snapped back. Even the considerable defenses of the Sheep's Fortitude aligned with the martial lineage of ten thousand years resulted in him barely hanging onto consciousness as a line of blood sprayed from his face, and would have been sent flying away were her grip not fastened to his seized wrist. His grip on his staff was blown wide open till the blood-slick katchin of slipped from his hand, and he fell limp.

His voice sputtered through the red streaming down his face.

"-yes...even now..."

Whatever emotion coloured Inanna's stare, he would not know it, for already his own watering eyes began to mottle and swell.

"...because I know...you didn't want...this...please..."

Shakily his free hand began to reach to meet the other, as if pawing blindly at Inanna's claws would somehow move through them, until he fastened his grip on her wrist.

"...nother...way..." he murmured.

OOC: Fist of the Altered Beast: 1 post remains!

For a moment, after she had deigned to grace the Saiyans with her attention, Zaofan's words seemed to reach her... and Inanna's shoulders, slumped, even as the net bound her where she stood. "Another... way..." Before this moment could crystallize however, it was shattered; a final push that made her realize that what she'd come here looking for- deep down- was perhaps beyond them... and what Lampton had hoped for her was perhaps, not something that could be found here... or anywhere.

The two sisters nodded in unison and moved in unison. Two woman of one spirit...

“FUUUUUUU...”

Of one mind...

“...SION!”

Of one body.

“HA!!!”

The woman was dressed in a ~snip~ but she was rather unbothered by it. She look at her hands, clenching and unclenching them as she measured the power she possessed.

An ability that remained so long as there was a meaningful relationship between two parties, Aka Manah, was severed the moment the fusion took hold. No reason now to keep that line open, when it was obvious now- to Inanna, and everyone- that it was not even a thing Sarada cared to 'hear'; as she had opted to fuse with someone who had planned to kill her. Tacit approval.. and it meant that regardless of what was to come, going forward. There would be no way back.

Still holding onto Zaofan, Inanna lifted him up to meet his gaze, her tone mocking, as she threw the Chef's words back in his face. "... she doesn't want it to be me. Hah..."

Her emerald eyes drifted upward toward the mad goddess and narrowed.

Observational Focus took stock of both Inanna and the battlefield as a whole.

Her emerald eyes would see nothing that had not already been put on display, or relayed to her by Ochazuke.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Praxat takes out her sword and infuses it with electromagnetic energy. Then forms a plasma shield and gets in a counter stance. Tasure, Neva, and Jack, as I said, it's time we go on the offensive. I'm done playing defense," Praxat said.

" Sure, a energy I temporary had left me ( referring to the temporary god ki). Sure, I used it all on defense, but even with it gone, I'm still going to fight," Praxat said.

" Now, do you three think I should go Overclock or should I risk my sanity and accumulate and store ambient electromagnetic energy and add it to my own? Praxat said.

sword style: Thunder Dragon Sword Style


Tesla Strike: Shield Formation

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

That arm...

With every pull of the Nunchaku scattering hyper-gravity magic into the tears in fractured space, as the breaks in reality forcefully mended into stented streamlines he found his position reeled forward.

The make of the runes he'd seen, arraigned in circles where they once fed into the Gate of Auroc on Reshlan and Baradur to cast flesh to forge the morbid designs of the fallen Majin. In addition to her own formidable powers she brought to bear, Inanna was able to absorb and disperse it through this device as well.

Is that why... As the nunchacku swat the last of the gravity field away, as it passed from hand to hand he knew with but a thought, he could bring the hammer to bear. No...not yet.

Moreover, both of his martial brothers were in peril. For all the ground they covered, in this moment more than ever that had something to prove.

Kaigan*

The Nunchaku pivot on its chain, spinning as it gathered energy that passed between Ochazuke's gauntleted hands*, before they struck out at range; a glimpse, a flicker at first.

It was at this moment that Zaofan held fast and bound Inanna's position upon the Woven Path of the Spider School as he held on for dear life as a the shockwave of Zanshin Touki struck the Oni that Was to keep her there as Ochazuke closed in and struck at her directly.

The flailing ends snaked out, bit their edges in, and retracted, each strike followed by a phantom blow that redoubled the echoing power of the Forger's Hammer sealed into weapon's form as on and on the battered strikes continued.

Those scars that were rendered from the past year, it was demons that had set the mortar to stent the wound, he thought, observing the energy interactions that ebbed between fury and aching within her very soul. Yet if that is the substance, then why does it not grant subsistence?

While he indeed struck to keep Inanna pinned down, Ochazuke had become increasingly aware of the disparate elements that Inanna had adjoined to herself, and with so long in demonic company, by all appearances it seemed that malevolent nature was intrinsic by now. But despite her words, she had come to them for deliverance.

A task that would surely take nothing short of a miracle.

OOC: The Gauntlets of Zxu'ro! Actioning upon The Wolf's Prowl and The Bear's Strength have increased Ochazuke's speed and strength 5x!

Kaigan! The heightened state of battle-awareness within waking meditation!

• Shoshin Hiei ++ Evasion!
• Mushin Nehan ++ Execution!
• Daigo-Tettei ++Defensive Insights, keyed into the nature of God Ki!

???: 4/5

Before she could turn on the Fusion, the nunchaku connected with devastating force, the first flurry of blows drawing blood and breaking bone as she was driven backwards from the force of them... and yet she held Zaofan firmly in her talons, unwilling to let go of the boy even as she began to power up in response to Ochazuke's interjection. Yet, the more he rained down punishment upon her, the less and less punishment she took; until the blows that landed failed to break her rapidly regenerating bones, and failed to force her backwards. It was about this moment, blood dripping from the corners of her mouth, she deigned to speak.

"Do you... understand, Ochazuke."

Pieces falling into place, perhaps he'd see it now, close as he was to Inanna, as long as he had been parsing her movements, and energy. For all her hate, and pain, and rage... none of what'd she brought to bear, had been the totality of her might. Even after the blow that had nearly killed her, when she could've simply killed Lantro, and Sasheem, and everyone else; she let them land their blows, draw blood from a 'God'. Only responding with enough force to maintain her position, and repair the damage they'd done to her. Even Reshlan burning, her fault in part, had been the result of pooling her energy into a single point... and throwing her into it. But with the Fusion, and the tacit approval of a permanent death...

"Better... hurry."

The Queen Awakens - FFXIV: Shadowbringers OST

Locked in place, with Zaofan clutched firmly in her talons. Inanna finally bared her fangs.

[grampagen]

For a moment, after she had deigned to grace the Saiyans with her attention, Zaofan's words seemed to reach her... and Inanna's shoulders, slumped, even as the net bound her where she stood. "Another... way..." Before this moment could crystallize however, it was shattered; a final push that made her realize that what she'd come here looking for- deep down- was perhaps beyond them... and what Lampton had hoped for her was perhaps, not something that could be found here... or anywhere.



An ability that remained so long as there was a meaningful relationship between two parties, Aka Manah, was severed the moment the fusion took hold. No reason now to keep that line open, when it was obvious now- to Inanna, and everyone- that it was not even a thing Sarada cared to 'hear'; as she had opted to fuse with someone who had planned to kill her. Tacit approval.. and it meant that regardless of what was to come, going forward. There would be no way back.

Still holding onto Zaofan, Inanna lifted him up to meet his gaze, her tone mocking, as she threw the Chef's words back in his face. "... she doesn't want it to be me. Hah..."



Her emerald eyes would see nothing that had not already been put on display, or relayed to her by Ochazuke.

"*KAFF*" Slumped over to one shoulder, Zaofan's initial response was a bloody gurgle as he loosed a choking clot from his mouth. His air intake was narrowing, his world a halo of ringing noise as congestion filled the chambers behind his broken nose, and his bruised lips twitched with a soundless word.

His features were distorted from injury, but even now it seemed his face might bear the vestiges of a smile through all the pain. The spiritual silk-reel he'd spun from the planet held her in place, and for a moment there may have even been a delirious hope that he'd reached her; that for a moment, she glimpsed part of what she was looking for, and even though he could see nothing through his bruised eyelids, he'd help her find it.

But when she pulled him in close, and he felt her words slither by his face, the weight of the broken promise only added to the heavy, throbbing pain coursing through him. The shock of power coursing from the emergent fusion reached him, of course, that presence was unmistakable, he could scarcely ignore it, yet the corners of his eyes only stung as tears fell.

"...hrrkkhh...not...like this..." A blood slick hand passed over hers, trembling for a moment, thin fingers seeming to wander aimleslsy between the digits, the tendons beneath the hardened, scarred skin.

Whatever could have been going on in the martial chef's mind could scarcely be articulated. But once he'd set his mind to it, he'd see it through to the end.

She wouldn't let go of him, and he knew he'd never escape if she didn't want it to happen. None of them would, so why were they still here?

Perhaps foolishly, he bound his other hand and locked their wrists together. Bear School grappling fundamentals, elementary, even, he knew it was easier to shape the hold than release it.

"...I'm...not going to...to... **KAFF!!**" The words sputtered out, but Zaofan's ante raised as he gambled with his life, all to prove a point even he wasn't completely sure he could articulate. If only he could speak the words, but time was running out...

OOC:
Fist of the Altered Beast: 1 last action remaining!

[Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki]

While this action was undertaken in good faith, a great deal had transpired since Totoma's death... So when he made contact with Inanna telepathically, the woman would recoil...as opened up as Totoma had made himself, he had left himself venerable in a way he'd perhaps not intended.

There would be a brief moment of 'resistance', as his offer was rebuffed; the woman outright ignoring his proffered 'hand', but he he would sense quite clearly that she was absolutely ravenous, and thanks to what he'd done, she now had an unfettered pathway to what he'd left briefly undefended, himself. Something she capitalized on swiftly, latching onto him like a leech, his Ki beginning to slowly bleed away as she began to 'eat' him. Which had the unfortunate side effect of accelerating the rate at which she purged Sasheem's Three Cups toxin. The damage the group had managed beginning to undo itself, even as she turned her attention to the Saiyan duo standing off to the side.



And through her still broken jaw, she spat one word.

"Cowards."

Tasure had joined her son in fending off stray attacks to the planet. She wasn't as effective as he had been, since she lacked those Void Tunnels or whatever they were called, but she managed. She stopped when her boy started doing... whatever, using Sarada's gift as a catalyst. Soon enough, she recognize it as a Kizuna... a massive, complex one. Hoho, now that was impressive. What was he planning to do with it?

She, of course, had a 'bond' with him, and through it she could somewhat sense his intent... the Kizuna was aimed at... Inanna?

Tch.

Tasure didn't have much time to ponder on the specifics, as after all those theatrics, that... pomp, her boy... simply collapsed face-first, his energy dropping a... not a significant amount, but it was enough, fast enough that he faceplanted.



That ridiculous lightshow dissipated and all that was left in their neck of the battlefield were, well, the sounds of semi-distant fighting and the sound of an almost-too-perfectly-timed gust of wind whistling over the blasted landscape. She rubbed her eyes and walked over to his body, nudging him with her boot.

"Are ya' winnin' son?"

No answer.

"Son?"

"Mmmphhph," mumbled Totoma. His tail twitched and he sat up. "...what the heck? Jeez, I was sort of expecting to be rebuffed, but she didn't have to... do whatever that was."

Well, good, he was still alive... as expected. His energy had dropped quite rapidly and, clearly, unexpectedly, which is why he had collapsed. "What in the hell were you even trying to do?"

Totoma stood up, dusting himself off. "...was just trying to talk to her, one-on-one."

The veteran saiyaness blinked. '...all that, wasting Sarada's gift... to talk? What, is talking normally not dramatic enough for you anymore?"

"I, uh, thought she'd be more likely to listen," replied Totoma, scratching the back of his head. "I was trying to have a heart-to-heart or... something."

Tasure was taken aback. He had... literally just tried to directly connect with a... thing of unknown nature and capabilities, to have a 'heart-to-heart'. Not that she couldn't fault his intentions--knowing him, he probably wanted to help her--but the sheer..... by the gods-she-didn't-believe-in-except-as-punching-bags, she needed to take parenting lessons so Cado didn't end up so accidentally suicidal.

Now was certainly not the time to dwell on her admittedly terrible parenting abilities. "Okay, you just rest here and recover your energy."

A voice spoke up from behind them "If you are so inclined, might I be able to offer a suggestion?" It was Nevanlinna, who had returned from Vaikuntha.

"You're back."

"But of course... I simply had to ensure that everyone was accounted for," said the princess. "What's the situation."

Tasure glanced over at the battle proper and sighed. "Bad, and getting worse. What was that suggestion?"

"I... witnessed that Kizuna, in a sense, from Vaikuntha. Most impressive, though it seems it was all for naught. Totoma, do you think you could pull off something like that again?"

Totoma shook his head. "No, I used Sarada's god ki gift to do that. Emptied my... mind or self, connected with... everything? Everything on reshlan, and let it flow through me. Kinda by accident, but... no, I couldn't do that again."

Nevanlinna remained silent for a moment. "Hm... not entirely true. Are you still Kizuna'd with the others?"

"Yeah, of course. It's a reflex at this point"

"Then go to Vaikuntha and repeat what you did just now," she said. "But do avoid trying to 'connect' with Inanna again, as it is quite clear any attempts will be rebuffed and a toll paid."

Totoma blinked. As always, this threshling had a somewhat weird way of phrasing things, but he understood the point. "Okay, so go to your, uh, realm, and... Kizuna with it? And then... channel what I connect with through myself, through the Kizuna, to... the others?"

"Correct. This is a battle of attrition, and I have confidence this will even the odds, to some extent," said the princess as she opened a portal to vaikuntha.

Taking one last look at the others, Totoma stepped inside.

"You sure you want him in there? The last time he was in there, he got possessed multiple times, and once he woke up, screamed a hole out of it."

Nevanlinna sighed as she recalled... all that. "He will be more useful in there than out here. Now then, what were you planning to do?"

"Tch, not sure. She's incredibly strong and hard to put down, as far as I can see, and my boy's attempt to help... did help, but in the worst possible way," said Tasure. "I do have one idea, but I'm not sure if I can pull it off. After that, figure I can at least run interference."

"Interesting. I look forward to seeing what you have in mind. In the meantime, I shall prepare my part in this... team effort with your son."

With that, Nevanlinna willed Vaikuntha to awaken, so that the half-saiyan could more readily 'bond' with it, leaving Tasure to her own devices.

[KingofPie]

There is….a tingle. A moment where, between punches, something thrums in Blizzar’s body. With the god-Ki in hand, with his martial prowess, something deep and ancient stirs in his body and wishes to be free.

Does he free it?

He does.

A golden light overtakes Blizzar's body, washing his carapace in a similar shining hue. He stood still in the air for moment, glaring into his hand to admire his newfound power, before returning to the task at hand.

Before she could turn on the Fusion, the nunchaku connected with devastating force, the first flurry of blows drawing blood and breaking bone as she was driven backwards from the force of them... and yet she held Zaofan firmly in her talons, unwilling to let go of the boy even as she began to power up in response to Ochazuke's interjection. Yet, the more he rained down punishment upon her, the less and less punishment she took; until the blows that landed failed to break her rapidly regenerating bones, and failed to force her backwards. It was about this moment, blood dripping from the corners of her mouth, she deigned to speak.

"Do you... understand, Ochazuke."

Pieces falling into place, perhaps he'd see it now, close as he was to Inanna, as long as he had been parsing her movements, and energy. For all her hate, and pain, and rage... none of what'd she brought to bear, had been the totality of her might. Even after the blow that had nearly killed her, when she could've simply killed Lantro, and Sasheem, and everyone else; she let them land their blows, draw blood from a 'God'. Only responding with enough force to maintain her position, and repair the damage they'd done to her. Even Reshlan burning, her fault in part, had been the result of pooling her energy into a single point... and throwing her into it. But with the Fusion, and the tacit approval of a permanent death...

"Better... hurry."

The Queen Awakens - FFXIV: Shadowbringers OST

Locked in place, with Zaofan clutched firmly in her talons. Inanna finally bared her fangs.

Something suddenly hit Inanna with the force of hundreds of strikes at once upon the back of her head...or so it would appear. In the aftermath of the technique, there would be no indication of such an attack and any pain or force of impact felt from these strikes would vanish.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Tasure had joined her son in fending off stray attacks to the planet. She wasn't as effective as he had been, since she lacked those Void Tunnels or whatever they were called, but she managed. She stopped when her boy started doing... whatever, using Sarada's gift as a catalyst. Soon enough, she recognize it as a Kizuna... a massive, complex one. Hoho, now that was impressive. What was he planning to do with it?

She, of course, had a 'bond' with him, and through it she could somewhat sense his intent... the Kizuna was aimed at... Inanna?

Tch.

Tasure didn't have much time to ponder on the specifics, as after all those theatrics, that... pomp, her boy... simply collapsed face-first, his energy dropping a... not a significant amount, but it was enough, fast enough that he faceplanted.



That ridiculous lightshow dissipated and all that was left in their neck of the battlefield were, well, the sounds of semi-distant fighting and the sound of an almost-too-perfectly-timed gust of wind whistling over the blasted landscape. She rubbed her eyes and walked over to his body, nudging him with her boot.

"Are ya' winnin' son?"

No answer.

"Son?"

"Mmmphhph," mumbled Totoma. His tail twitched and he sat up. "...what the heck? Jeez, I was sort of expecting to be rebuffed, but she didn't have to... do whatever that was."

Well, good, he was still alive... as expected. His energy had dropped quite rapidly and, clearly, unexpectedly, which is why he had collapsed. "What in the hell were you even trying to do?"

Totoma stood up, dusting himself off. "...was just trying to talk to her, one-on-one."

The veteran saiyaness blinked. '...all that, wasting Sarada's gift... to talk? What, is talking normally not dramatic enough for you anymore?"

"I, uh, thought she'd be more likely to listen," replied Totoma, scratching the back of his head. "I was trying to have a heart-to-heart or... something."

Tasure was taken aback. He had... literally just tried to directly connect with a... thing of unknown nature and capabilities, to have a 'heart-to-heart'. Not that she couldn't fault his intentions--knowing him, he probably wanted to help her--but the sheer..... by the gods-she-didn't-believe-in-except-as-punching-bags, she needed to take parenting lessons so Cado didn't end up so accidentally suicidal.

Now was certainly not the time to dwell on her admittedly terrible parenting abilities. "Okay, you just rest here and recover your energy."

A voice spoke up from behind them "If you are so inclined, might I be able to offer a suggestion?" It was Nevanlinna, who had returned from Vaikuntha.

"You're back."

"But of course... I simply had to ensure that everyone was accounted for," said the princess. "What's the situation."

Tasure glanced over at the battle proper and sighed. "Bad, and getting worse. What was that suggestion?"

"I... witnessed that Kizuna, in a sense, from Vaikuntha. Most impressive, though it seems it was all for naught. Totoma, do you think you could pull off something like that again?"

Totoma shook his head. "No, I used Sarada's god ki gift to do that. Emptied my... mind or self, connected with... everything? Everything on reshlan, and let it flow through me. Kinda by accident, but... no, I couldn't do that again."

Nevanlinna remained silent for a moment. "Hm... not entirely true. Are you still Kizuna'd with the others?"

"Yeah, of course. It's a reflex at this point"

"Then go to Vaikuntha and repeat what you did just now," she said. "But do avoid trying to 'connect' with Inanna again, as it is quite clear any attempts will be rebuffed and a toll paid."

Totoma blinked. As always, this threshling had a somewhat weird way of phrasing things, but he understood the point. "Okay, so go to your, uh, realm, and... Kizuna with it? And then... channel what I connect with through myself, through the Kizuna, to... the others?"

"Correct. This is a battle of attrition, and I have confidence this will even the odds, to some extent," said the princess as she opened a portal to vaikuntha.

Taking one last look at the others, Totoma stepped inside.

"You sure you want him in there? The last time he was in there, he got possessed multiple times, and once he woke up, screamed a hole out of it."

Nevanlinna sighed as she recalled... all that. "He will be more useful in there than out here. Now then, what were you planning to do?"

"Tch, not sure. She's incredibly strong and hard to put down, as far as I can see, and my boy's attempt to help... did help, but in the worst possible way," said Tasure. "I do have one idea, but I'm not sure if I can pull it off. After that, figure I can at least run interference."

"Interesting. I look forward to seeing what you have in mind. In the meantime, I shall prepare my part in this... team effort with your son."

With that, Nevanlinna willed Vaikuntha to awaken, so that the half-saiyan could more readily 'bond' with it, leaving Tasure to her own devices.

Praxat overhears this. ( So, that temporary energy I had was God Ki that was temporarily given to me by Sarada,) Praxat thought. Praxat turns towards Tasure." Tasure, I overheard Totoma mentioning Sarada's god ki gift," Praxat said.

" I used it too, used it to boost my effort into increase the air friction to make a barrier for Reshlen to defending off stray attacks. Sure it's not like those tunnels he uses, but it works. Friction opposes the motion of objects. Friction can cause objects to slow down," Praxat said.

"Enough friction can stop an object's movement. With enough air friction it's possible to walk on air," Praxat said.

[grampagen]

Before she could turn on the Fusion, the nunchaku connected with devastating force, the first flurry of blows drawing blood and breaking bone as she was driven backwards from the force of them... and yet she held Zaofan firmly in her talons, unwilling to let go of the boy even as she began to power up in response to Ochazuke's interjection. Yet, the more he rained down punishment upon her, the less and less punishment she took; until the blows that landed failed to break her rapidly regenerating bones, and failed to force her backwards. It was about this moment, blood dripping from the corners of her mouth, she deigned to speak.

"Do you... understand, Ochazuke."

Again and again the nunchaku snapped out, crashed into Inanna, the lacquerware kobudo wood concealing the essence of True Magic it carried. For a time it served him well...too well, as bringing his full force to bear snapped bones and broke the flesh and Inanna's black blood stained the white of his dougi.

Yet, in time, the effects were less pronounced, and as expected, this too began to heal. With a swish, the handles of the weapon switched hands once more and ceased.

"Cheh. All too clearly now." In an instant, the Dragon's Fire crept over him to burn away the sanguine issue, where he stood before her before the void-chasm of fractured space, it was in comparison a rather paltry light, a fixed point among the splintering fractals. He remained on guard, but the attack ceased.

"Yet I doubt I will hear you speak it plainly."

Pieces falling into place, perhaps he'd see it now, close as he was to Inanna, as long as he had been parsing her movements, and energy. For all her hate, and pain, and rage... none of what'd she brought to bear, had been the totality of her might. Even after the blow that had nearly killed her, when she could've simply killed Lantro, and Sasheem, and everyone else; she let them land their blows, draw blood from a 'God'. Only responding with enough force to maintain her position, and repair the damage they'd done to her. Even Reshlan burning, her fault in part, had been the result of pooling her energy into a single point... and throwing her into it. But with the Fusion, and the tacit approval of a permanent death...

For a moment his eyes fell to Zaofan, steadfast in his limp struggle. Despite his condition, Ochazuke's lips lift into a half-smile. It wasn't like him to go in so hastily like this, especially since his line of sight had always served him from a distance with the suite of techniques based on the Optic Blast. He wouldn't have...unless he was desperate to get here first.

Even with his most potent weapon now taken from him, even with his eyes now sealed he'd been the only one that could see the matter plainly. Furthermore, even shackled in this manner, he wasn't idle.

Yes...you see it these, Zao...find it, set there in her pulse...

"Do not mistake this concession as something to justify your provocation. The habit of violence, for good or ill, shall not define the warriors we've become. Although we have erred, I will not make you a martyr to false pretenses, either."

For a moment, silence, then the fiery aura of Karura no Kaen ignited, the fire of purification seeking to find purchase upon the impediments that burdened her ravenous soul.

"How many of the damned? How many times did Hell pull you apart before you made their pain your own, and turn that into your strength?" He asked.

Ascertaining the effect of the spectral flame would likely yield less than a fisherman bearing a torch before the jaws of a leviathan. Yet standing in the midst of his meditation field, he stood firm despite his own trepidations as he sought to ascertain the unspoken depths of her true conflict as he ventured forth, feeding the bellows into her soul.

"And how will you find your answers with meaning when you are not at one with yourself?"

"Better... hurry."

The Queen Awakens - FFXIV: Shadowbringers OST

Locked in place, with Zaofan clutched firmly in her talons. Inanna finally bared her fangs.

Whatever the effect the fire would have, once again in response to escalation, Inanna seemed to have abandoned hope. From the sense of it, the blended energy could only mean one thing.

A Fusion. So they've finally arrived.

In any other circumstances, this would be a boon, but standing before the chasm in broken space, he could only For now, all he could do was have faith in his pupils, for with the raised plateau in power unlocked from a merged psyche came a euphoria like no other. They all knew well Saiyan penchant for conquering rivalry broke as many limiters as much as it served to create new boundaries in their stead.

United in body, mind and spirit...if the training had been worth more than the path to power, they will not lose themselves.

Inanna's aura spread, and standing before the broken sky, even from this proximity he knew this was not the full effect of it for a great deal of it shunt into the void even as the pressure wave rolled over Reshlan. Yet Ochazuke stood firm, for the disciples of Zxu'ro too had seen to their training. Overseeing the repetitions of form was tedious, teaching the method to students that were slow to listen escalated to violence. Thus, in the gaps between tutelage, he and Zaofan had sped away to Illargi into the Trials of the Elemanti, which had honed their abilities to ascertain and seize the moment even as an entire world turned against them.

Bracing in the stance of Sanchin, Ochazuke let the lash of Inanna's power sweep forward as he held the Nunchaku before him, channeling Houyokusen, the Wings of the Phoenix, into dispersing the energies to contain them and stabilize this battlefield to be. The strenuous breadth of this task was dwarfed by the urgency he felt as he saw Inanna's figure fade into the column of energy, and with her Zaofan as he refused to loosen his grip.

[Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki]

Totoma emerged inside that odd, peaceful realm, Vaikuntha, where his body had been interred during his period of, ya know, being (semi)dead. A gentle, rejuvenating wind swept over him, and he could already feel his drained energy restoring itself, bit-by-bit.

He could also sense an absolutely hilarious number of individuals nearby. Well, relatively speaking. Reshlan's denizens, most likely.

Huh, with this place's restorative effect, this'd be an awesome training place.

Too bad he didn't have time for that. In fact...

Sitting down cross-legged, he checked his Kizuna with the others--despite being in an entirely different dimension, it seemed as strong as actually being on Reshlan. Neva had probably done... something to ensure it wouldn't be snipped. Good, that made his job easy. Er, as easy as 'bonding' with an entire realm could be, anyway.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and reached out to... uh... the realm itself?

...crap, things were so much easier when he wasn't actually thinking about what he was actually doing and just did them.

Maybe that was why most of his big jumps in power came from fighting and danger, rather than training?

Damn it, you're thinking too much. Empty your head. Become a cipher.

Totoma focused his mind on the Kizuna, emptying his mind, one-by-one, of all those stray thoughts and worries. His family's predicament, the battle against Inanna, that recurrent dream involving Karine and Aleka, muffins, that recurrent dream involving Karine and Aleka... one by one, he let them pass through his mind's eye and drift away.

At last, he achieved... something. It was just him, the kizuna, his friends in the.. real world, and the realm itself. For him, that was all there was.

And then, Vaikuntha accepted his offer and the Kizuna with the realm formed in its entirety. Totoma was immediately assaulted (?) with immensity. This place itself was alive--a sapient, ancient intelligence. But not an alien one. Well, not entirely.

The swaying of the trees, the whispering of the wind, the flow of water, all events and phenomena that unfolded within Vaikuntha, without exception, were fragments of this being. And this being's nature was preservation. All those embraced by this realm were givven succor and rejuvenation, preserved in their ideal state. Through the princess and other avatars in the past, it acted according to its nature, attempting to sate a... a craving?

Odd.

It regarded him, wordlessly, waiting for the Just Saiyan to make his request. And so, Totoma made his request... his plea, with strange words that welled up from deep inside of him, phrased almost like a prayer.

Hear my plea, and grant this one wish: the world longs for peace and days that know no strife.

More silent regard, and then a response, which almost felt like completing that prayer.

In this world where peace is lord, and mortals join hands without want or war, let me sing this: Halt, O Decay and Death, let these mortals' splendor be preserved, for they are fair beyond measure. I bestow upon you my blessing, to guide you to heights untold.

A torrent of energy, both familiar and unfamiliar, flowed through Totoma and his Kizuna with the others. It was majestic and solemn, without any elements of malice, just that all-consuming desire to preserve. Was it virtuous?

No.

As his Kizuna with this thing deepened, his initial impression of it not being too alien was proven to be mistaken. SWS had understandable, if detestable and evil, desires that a mortal could comprehend. As his consciousness touched this place, he came to know.

Narayana was not so much a being as a law, a... craving. A craving to preserve all of existence for eternity. Long ago, it had been different, more like a mortal, and before it had been consumed by this craving, this desire, it had become Vaikuntha, limiting itself to acting through avatars so that its law-as-being would not simply preserve reality as it was when its craving and desire became indistinguishable from itself. An overwhelming, merciless imposition of unchanging eternity.

Stagnation.

But as defined by its nature as it had become, it was even more defined by the rules it had set for itself before it had become craving-as-being. It was the remains of a god, craving eternal preservation and stasis, but unable to fulfill that craving except in small, incomplete ways. It was... sad. It so loved mortals, wanted to live amongst them and experience them, but to be mortal was to grow, change... and eventually decay and die.

Its craving was inimical at that. It was inimical at that.

...was this really safe?

Connected as he was, Totoma could sense that the 'best' it could do to fulfill its craving was to help at the moment. But beneath that craving, there was... another desire or wish. Perhaps the last vestige of who it had been.

It wanted to die.

Narayana had planned to do this... expend itself totally against Sakin in this manner to end its own threat to reality, however remote it was. One final, monumental defiance of its nature and craving.

What about the princess, then?

Totoma swiftly received his answer to that unvoiced question.

Free, unbound.

...

The Kizuna wavered a bit as sadness and pity bubbled up within Totoma momentarily. In doing this, he was... essentially being asked to help this being commit suicide. But given what he was experiencing, that was probably the best outcome for Narayana. It was trapped in a self-imposed hell and it wanted out... but not in a way that would endanger reality.

I... fine, I'll do it. Totoma opened himself fully, letting as much of Vaikuntha's power flow through the Kizuna to the others, empowering, restoring, and preserving them. They would find their wounds healing, their bodies more resistant to damage, and their power and stamina increasing and restoring, when expended. Fusions would find they could fight longer, harder, without risk of suddenly defusing from strain.

Thank you, Hanuman... my apoptosis.

[grampagen]

Praxat takes out her sword and infuses it with electromagnetic energy. Then forms a plasma shield and gets in a counter stance. Tasure, Neva, and Jack, as I said, it's time we go on the offensive. I'm done playing defense," Praxat said.

" Sure, a energy I temporary had left me ( referring to the temporary god ki). Sure, I used it all on defense, but even with it gone, I'm still going to fight," Praxat said.

" Now, do you three think I should go Overclock or should I risk my sanity and accumulate and store ambient electromagnetic energy and add it to my own? Praxat said.

sword style: Thunder Dragon Sword Style


Tesla Strike: Shield Formation

Link Wray: Rumble

"Normally, with odds as bad as these, I'd say fold 'em."

Jack gnawed his words as he chewed on the end of his cigarette. After the last drag burned it to the filter, he flicked it aside and flicked the dust off of his coat.

"But looking at you playing with thunder already, seems like you've already decided to go with the hand you're dealt. So...listen to your heart, go with what comes naturally, you feel me?" He shrugged his shoulders, carefree as could be.

"Besides, I don't know squat about either. I hope they taught you about whichever was better back at Frog Academy. As for myself..."

With a snap of his fingers, his shape collapsed into a puff of hot smoke, and besides the lingering, bitter smell of tobacco, he was gone.

Etrina takes a deep breath and holds it.
Above her the sounds of combat fade to a low hum in her mind, save the scream of rage uttered from her beloved as he ascended to the sky to face Inanna. All other sound was meaningless, all other concerns like dust under the weight of what was to come. The surge of God Ki she had been blessed with lingered over her being, and slowly begain to spiral to a focus deep inside....mingling with something she had kept for a very long time.

True Magic.

The flames of ruin glinted in her eyes as she turned them skyward...

Nearby, a surge of heat and sulfur erupted, and Jack stepped through a curtain of smoke to meet Etrina. Seeing as she was in the middle of some rather intricate focus, he looked around for a moment, then to the calamity in the sky, then back to her.

"Uh, hey, 'Trina?" He called out, following it with an idle whistle to get her attention. "Couldn't help but notice a bit of magic prep going on here. I'm not as learned as you, but I've got a nose for it."

It was a modest part of his skillset, he'd rather lean on his charm and swift hands, but when he came back - the first time - Nunlil had trained him in the esoteric ways of Grave Magic, and over the last year he'd put it to use trepsing the realms with her to sweep up defectors to the Cabal.

"Once you've departed, you don't ever really shake it. If you know the signs, you can learn real quick to spot others that have died...or should be dead. Looks to me it should've been us five times over and counting by now...so how're you planning to stop her?"

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Link Wray: Rumble

"Normally, with odds as bad as these, I'd say fold 'em."

Jack gnawed his words as he chewed on the end of his cigarette. After the last drag burned it to the filter, he flicked it aside and flicked the dust off of his coat.

"But looking at you playing with thunder already, seems like you've already decided to go with the hand you're dealt. So...listen to your heart, go with what comes naturally, you feel me?" He shrugged his shoulders, carefree as could be.

"Besides, I don't know squat about either. I hope they taught you about whichever was better back at Frog Academy. As for myself..."

With a snap of his fingers, his shape collapsed into a puff of hot smoke, and besides the lingering, bitter smell of tobacco, he was gone.



Nearby, a surge of heat and sulfur erupted, and Jack stepped through a curtain of smoke to meet Etrina. Seeing as she was in the middle of some rather intricate focus, he looked around for a moment, then to the calamity in the sky, then back to her.

"Uh, hey, 'Trina?" He called out, following it with an idle whistle to get her attention. "Couldn't help but notice a bit of magic prep going on here. I'm not as learned as you, but I've got a nose for it."

It was a modest part of his skillset, he'd rather lean on his charm and swift hands, but when he came back - the first time - Nunlil had trained him in the esoteric ways of Grave Magic, and over the last year he'd put it to use trepsing the realms with her to sweep up defectors to the Cabal.

"Once you've departed, you don't ever really shake it. If you know the signs, you can learn real quick to spot others that have died...or should be dead. Looks to me it should've been us five times over and counting by now...so how're you planning to stop her?"

" I Learn how to accumulate and store ambient electromagnetic energy on Amperior, but the one who taught me never told me the risk. That's something I figured out for myself. As for the risk of Overclock it too is something I figure out on my own," Praxat said.

" Never mind looks like I'm just talking to myself," Praxat said. ( Wait, did Jack, just say frog Academy, back then I would have taken offense to that, but now I find that comment a bit hilarious. Well I should be able figuring out which one is the greater risk,) Praxat thought.

Praxat thinks about it. ( Well, I guess it's better to lose five years off my lifespan than risk losing my sanity. Plus Overclock gives me a sudden tremendous boost,) Praxat thought.

Accumulating and storing ambient electromagnetic energy , and adding it to my own would just gradually make me more powerful over time. It's decided Overclock it is.

Praxat goes into Overclock and gets a sudden massive boost in power. Blue electricity is glowing through her blind fold. ( Besides the massive boost in power overclock gives me so many benefits. Of course with so many benefits there would be a great cost," Praxat thought.

( When you've been on a planet where it's nothing but survival. One learns they must do anything they can to survive. No matter the odds always keep moving forward,) Praxat thought.

( I must be like an electron and keep moving,) Praxat thought. Her thought process accelerated Praxat starts processing information at tremendous speeds. Praxat does her Reverse Polarity Counter-Strike + Tesla Strike: shield formation + Railgun System combo. However, she almost instantly follows it up with creative ways to use her bio-electromagnokinesis.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

The fusion has done more than simply combine Sarada's and Parsley's minds, bodies, and spirits into one; it restored Parsley's third eye, which had been fractured after she peered past Night's veil to discern his true being. With it mended for the time being, the Fusion was able to ascertain just what they were dealing with.

There was resistance at first, her very nature seeming to distort Ochazuke's sight as he sought to pierce the veil... but he would not be denied; and her smile would widen as he spied the truth.

He'd see them first, old scars. Born of centuries of internal conflict as the Hakai she never should have had tried so desperately to kill her, but was stifled. On top these, and perhaps the more worrying, new scars. From wounds sustained throughout the duration of her stay in Hell. Enough pain for a lifetime compressed into a single year, as she was forced into a conflict that only ended when there was no one left in Hell to stop her. More than these wounds both old and new however, he'd see just how much she was holding back. The scars had certainly left their mark, but the pool of energy her soul possessed was... stifling. The pressure wave that had shaken the planet only a portion of what she could tap into, and had tapped into, when she had burned away a planet, and the God of Blood by simply existing.

Unlike the Ishtar she knew however, the energy was calm. No two halves vying to annihilate or preserve, or hodgepodge of pilfered energies vying for control. No... Inanna was, and her Hakai, Ruination, and Ki were merely an extension.

He had been able to sense the rage that and power that bled from her scarred soul, after a year of nothing but fighting to survive, by simply focusing on her and seeing through the façade she held up; but to actually feel what it had done, and how it had changed her? Whatever had been realized down there, alone, and desperate...

To find a way forward, would be no small thing; and the time they had remaining to do so decreased with every blow she sustained.

The Fusion tore her gaze from the god and looked off to the side briefly. Things weren’t looking good. Inanna possessed a vast, immeasurable pool of power that had been simmering just below the surface. That ocean of power had been growing more and more tempestuous as each moment of the battle ticked by. And only now did she deign to unleash it on them. What was more, their options were extremely limited. The nature of the attacks they had managed to land were varied, true, but it gave Inanna the chance to grow a resistance to each type. Bruce force, energy, her own energy, even poisoning her blood, she was nigh immune to them all. And with her natural immunity to magic and psychic tampering factored in on top of it all, that left them with only one avenue.

The fusion, Parlada, returned her gaze to the battle. The end of the tumultuous tunnel was naught more than a small pinprick of light in an otherwise all-encompassing void of darkness, but it was there. The only way to reach that light was forward. The only way forward was through, through Inanna. Her components had already resolved to kill her. Parsley, for all her damnable pragmatism, came to the conclusion first. Sarada reluctantly agreed, as it would have meant the end of her wife. Even still, she agreed because it seemed like the only way to ensure her friends would survive to see the next day. Parlada acknowledged their resolution, but wasn’t particularly beholden to it. The way forward and to the next phase of their mission was through Inanna, but through didn’t have to mean her second - and permanent - death.

“I’ll decide later,” she resolved. “Let’s see what this body can really do.” Her fists clenched as she began to power up. Thin spirals of fire twirled around her, then exploded outward in a fiery crimson flame. Her hair turned from brown to scarlet, as did her eyes. Inanna’s Runic Arm allowed her to devour God Ki, so she would have to be careful. That, combined with the myriad of resistances Inanna had built up over the course of the battle and the fact that she was much more powerful than Parlada left the Saiyan fusion with very few avenues of keeping up. Despite that, she smiled grimly. “I’ll just have to get creative.”

Locked in place, with Zaofan clutched firmly in her talons. Inanna finally bared her fangs.

And there it was. The final door withhold the awesome power of a fully untethered God of Destruction was broken down, unleashing that power in its complete gargantuan breadth. Up until that point, the goddess had been content to exert just enough power to keep herself vertical and heal what damage they managed to As Parlada peered upward in the pillar of power that shattered the stability of the very sky itself, she quickly realized that the situation was far more perilous than it should have been. Zaofan was within that pillar, right at the ground zero of the explosion of power.

At that moment, it was then that Inanna made her resolve clear. They needed to confirm their own in return. While they could have been wished back with the dragonballs, that would place them in unnecessary peril when the battle with Sakin eventually came upon them.

For the battle to end, one side would have to fall.

Parlada grimaced and shot into the air, directly for the pillar of power in which both Inanna and Zaofan were held. Parsley’s ax, Piecemaker, materialized in her hand. With a single outward sweep, she hurled it deep into outer space. In its place, a white ball of ki began to form.