Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Dragon Ball: Chaotic Future ❯ Chapter 19: A Desperate Struggle ( Chapter 19 )

I DO NOT OWN DRAGON BALL Z OR ANY RACES, PLANETS, OR CHARACTERS RELATED TO IT. GALDRIA, HEVA, TIRIS, IQUELA, MIURA, ZELLIS, SETH, CLEF, HANZO, TWILIGHT AND ALL RELATED CHARACTERS, RACES, OR PLANETS WERE ALL CREATED BY ME.

 

 

Dragon Ball:

Chaotic Future

 

CHAPTER 19

 

Mad God Saga, Part VIII

“A Desperate Struggle.”

 

 

 

-I understand now…-

 

Gabriel stood silently in the void, eyes closed, arms resting lightly at his sides. He was vaguely aware of his father, who stood before him, letting his own diminished energy flow easily into his child. The young half-Galdrian gave the briefest hint of a smile as he felt the Power beginning to course through his veins, filling his body with a warmth that was strangely comforting after spending the last several months within the cold, abysmal nothingness that was the Time Chamber.

 

To think, that barely more than seventeen or eighteen hours have passed in the outside world, Gabriel thought to himself, wincing slightly as he felt his father's disapproval flow into him along with the old Prince's knowledge and strength. Right, I have to focus, he silently reminded himself as he sensed a slight lessoning of his newfound power.

 

-Yes, I understand as well,- Dorian directed his thoughts to his son. -I understand why your Galdrian energy never left you, despite having lived most of your life here, on Earth.- What would have passed as a mental sigh of comprehension flowed through Gabriel as his father continued. -You have been chosen, my son. Chosen to wield this, our most ancient and destructive of powers. I pray that you will not abuse it…-

 

-Father!- Gabriel thought toward Dorian, filled with disbelief. -You… You don't trust me?- The energy flowing into Gabriel from his father subtly changed to a comforting infusion of parental affection. The young half-Galdrian reveled in the feeling for a moment, before inwardly cursing himself for once again losing his concentration, and allowing yet more of the Power slip away from him.

 

-Be calm, Gabriel,- Dorian told him, helping his son to gather the errant strands of Power that had slipped from his grasp. -We still have much to do, and very little time to do it, I'm afraid.- Once the wayward energy had been returned to Gabriel, Dorian once again began to add his own power to that of his son's. -You must learn to harness this Power, Gabriel. It is our only chance to defeat Tempest.-

 

-Yes, Father. Of course.-

 

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Clef and Zellis landed before the mad god.

 

“Only the two of you?” Tempest sneered, soulless black eyes flickering slightly with amusement. “Perhaps your Saiyan friends have finally realized how futile it is to oppose me…” He waved his left arm in an encompassing arc, gesturing to the surrounding terrain: a great, deep canyon bordered on all sides by impossibly high and imposing mountains. “This should be a proper place to end this foolishness, don't you agree?”

 

As always, when Tempest spoke, knives of cold pain seared through the minds of Zellis and Clef. Even after facing the supposed god twice before, it was still nearly enough to take their breath away. Noticing their discomfort, Tempest began to laugh quietly, which only increased the startling pain that had seized his opponents.

 

“To the end,” Clef whispered, almost too softly for his ally to hear. A quick glance from the corner of his eye showed him that Zellis, too, remained resolute in her decision to stall Tempest, regardless of the consequences.

 

“Yes… To the end,” she agreed, bright green eyes flashing with vengeance. A soft green shimmer slowly flickered into existence around the fair-skinned Galdrian, as she called upon all of her native power to face off against this, her most hated enemy. The pale aura suddenly sprung up all around her slight form, a writhing thing of emerald light and heat that seemed to mirror her own internal storm.

 

Clef also began to power up, gritting his teeth as a tremendous amount of raw energy flowed violently through his body, forcing his versatile musculature to expand in an attempt to gather in even more power. The nimbus of light that sprung up around the Namekian was a blinding, shifting storm of white and blue energy, engulfing his entire body and flooding the surrounding canyon in unnatural, flickering radiance.

 

“Not bad,” Tempest said, raising an eyebrow as he observed his opponents. He made no effort to strengthen himself in preparation for the battle, deciding instead to merely see what the two warriors would do. He didn't have very long to wait, however, as Clef made his first move.

 

The Namekian appeared behind Tempest, throwing an immense amount of power into a single, bone-shattering punch meant for the mad god's head. A simple shift to the side prevented any damage on Tempest's part, but Clef wasn't so lucky, as the massive deity spun quickly around, backhanding the green-skinned fighter away from him. Clef gasped in pain as he collided with the canyon wall, a full hundred yards or more from where Tempest stood.

 

Zellis was next, and her straightforward assault nearly managed to catch Tempest off guard. A flood of pure, radiant Galdrian energy engulfed the god's body, forcing him to gasp in surprise, and even a little pain. He didn't have long to be surprised, though, as the former Hunter continued her offensive with a lightning fast combination of slashes and thrusts, courtesy of her deceased brother's energy saber.

 

Tempest grunted in frustration as he found himself on the defensive, doing everything he could to keep his distance from the glowing, flaring blade of bright green energy. He was no fool, after all, and memories of his awakening on Tiris were still fresh in his mind. Pain. That weapon had been the only thing in his entire existence that had actually caused him to feel pain! And not merely the slightly irritating pain of being struck, but the full, agonizing, crippling pain of death…

 

“Never again!” Tempest shouted, a note of desperate near-panic in his voice. The fury of his exclamation was astoundingly powerful, and it was enough to drive the young woman back, to crack the walls of the surrounding mountains, and to force the earth beneath the combatants' feet to quake violently. Taking advantage of Zellis' astonishment, the mad god thrust his right arm forward, sending out a wave of invisible power that sent the Galdrian careening backward, where she crashed painfully into the far wall of the canyon.

 

The fierce winds of discharged energy that had filled the bowl around the fighters subsided as the short struggle came to a sudden end, leaving only Tempest still standing. His thick, spiky, silver-blue hair waved gently from side to side as the unnatural wind finally came to a halt, and his heavily muscled body trembled, just barely, with a mixture of exertion and, to his unending irritation, fear. These two had fought with a startling amount of determination this time, even more than they'd shown on Namek. What could possibly be driving them now? Tempest thought, narrowing his jet-black eyes as he watched his unmoving adversaries warily. Surely killing all the Nameks couldn't have given them this much motivation…

 

Slowly, Zellis and Clef eventually rose to their feet, breathing heavily, faces streaked with dirt and sweat. They stood roughly fifty or so paces from one another, having struck different parts of the canyon wall, but Tempest still stood in the exact center, right where he'd been when the fighting had begun. The two allies moved cautiously toward each other, but the destructively powerful divinity made no move to stop them.

 

“I have to admit,” Tempest said, his cold, distant voice echoing from off the surrounding mountains, “that you have both shown an incredible amount of determination thus far…” He smiled to himself as the two warriors finally stood together once again, as if simply by being close to each other they stood a better chance of surviving this face off. “In fact, in recognition of your fine efforts, I've decided to give the both of you a fighting chance.”

 

As Clef and Zellis watched in amazement, Tempest closed his eyes and began to draw upon some internal well of power that the two warriors had never sensed from him before. Slowly, as if the action took a great amount of effort, the mad god raised both of his arms until they both stretched out directly before him. Zellis and her companion felt chills run down their spines as a faint glow surrounded each arm, red for his right arm and blue for his left. Eventually, each of Tempest's arms was completely engulfed in a small storm of red or blue energy, but still the supposed deity made no overt move to attack.

 

“Clef,” Zellis whispered to her ally, who stood quietly beside her, letting his strength return to him in preparation for Tempest's next move. “What do you think he's doing? I've never seen anything like this before…”

 

The Namekian shrugged, narrowing his eyes as he attempted to discern their opponent's motive. “I have no clue… It feels like he's… I don't know how to explain it, I guess.” His brow furrowed as he struggled to find the right words. “It's like he's splitting his energy—” His observation was interrupted when a blinding flash of red and blue light filled the bowl around them, and the sound of shattering stone echoed throughout the canyon. The ground shook, though Clef and Zellis were unsure if it was due to Tempest's display of energy, or the collision of stone as the mountains around them began to crumble away.

 

The storm of light continued unabated for several minutes, and when the dust and energy finally died down, the two courageous warriors found themselves faced with a frightening new dilemma.

 

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Trunks and Hanzo gasped in disbelief.

 

The two Saiyan warriors, along with Android 16, had just stepped out of Dr. Gero's lab when they felt a strange shift in Tempest's power. The three of them had felt when the battle between Zellis, Clef, and the supposed god began, and Trunks had been forced to give 16 the condensed version of the events so far. The stoic android remained silent, only turning his gaze toward the cave mouth, sensing the slight changes in power that told him that the battle was still being fought. Now, as they were about to leave for the Lookout, Tempest's mysterious outburst of energy had everyone worried.

 

“Trunks, something is terribly wrong,” 16 stated, never taking his attention from the direction in which the battle was being waged. “Not only do I sense the energy readings of Tempest, Zellis, and Clef, but of two others also.” Trunks and Hanzo waited a moment for more information, but none was forthcoming.

 

“Maybe some of our friends finally arrived to help?” Trunks wondered hopefully, though he doubted that was true. According to the plan, Zellis and Clef should have entered the Time Chamber while the two Saiyans came here to recruit 16, though Tempest's arrival had forced a change in the original design. So, with Clef and Zellis battling the mad god, Gabriel must have been the one to enter the chamber in their stead. That left only Elysia, Rika, or Dorian to rush to their companions' aid, and Trunks was unsure if any of the three of them were strong enough to draw 16's attention as these new power levels had.

 

“No, the powers that I am sensing are far too great to belong to any of your comrades,” Android 16 responded, turning his attention to Trunks and Hanzo. “I am afraid that Tempest has somehow called upon two unknown allies, and their power is startling similar to his own.”

 

“Allies?!” Hanzo exclaimed, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. “Why the hell would he need allies? Z and Clef can't be causing him that much trouble!” The full-blooded Saiyan walked purposefully to the edge of the small cliff that led into Gero's lab, obviously intending to fly to his companions' assistance.

 

“Hanzo, wait!” Trunks said, rushing to his friend's side. “You can't go, damn it! We have to get to the Lookout, remember? If we don't use the Time Chamber, there's no way we'll be able to beat Tempest!”

 

“Trunks is right, Hanzo,” 16 interrupted in his monotone, mechanical voice. “The two of you must return to the Lookout. I will join your friends in their struggle against Tempest.”

 

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Clef and Zellis were rendered speechless.

 

After the dazzling display of light had finally died down, the two allies had found themselves face to face with a duo of warriors that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Both resembled Tempest, though they were of smaller stature, and their power signatures were much lower than the mad god's. The mysterious new fighter who stood on the left hand side of Tempest seemed to be glowing with an aura of shimmering blue energy, while the one who stood to the right exuded red. Both of them remained utterly silent as they stared down Clef and Zellis, hatred clearly evident in their cold black eyes.

 

“As I said before,” Tempest finally spoke, breaking the silence at last, “I have decided to give the two of you a fighting chance, since you've shown such determination thus far.” He smiled and crossed his massive arms over his chest, evidently pleased by Zellis and Clef's reactions to his newly spawned warriors. “This,” Tempest said, gesturing toward the glowing blue fighter, “is Castor, and his partner,” he continued, indicating the red one, “Pollux. Both warriors share my knowledge of combat techniques and abilities, though their strength is much, much weaker than my own. The two of you will battle my fighters, since you obviously have no chance against me. If you win,” Tempest said, flashing his two opponents a malicious grin, “I will consider leaving you in peace.”

 

Castor and Pollux immediately rushed their startled opponents, still remaining eerily silent. Clef and Zellis met their assault head on, clashing intensely with Tempest's warriors, who proved to be incredibly powerful. The battle was short and heated, with neither side clearly holding an advantage when Zellis and Clef disengaged themselves from their opponents, seeking to gain a moment of respite.

 

It was obvious that Castor and Pollux had each singled out one of the Earth's defenders, with the red-enshrouded being facing off against Clef while his ally chose Zellis. Sensing that this battle was going to become even more violent as it went on, Clef called upon all of his power as he launched himself toward Pollux. Deciding that her companion's approach was indeed the best option, Zellis' body exploded in a flash of blinding Galdrian energy as she rushed Castor, who looked completely unconcerned as the young noblewoman made contact.

 

Clef and Pollux immediately took to the air, exchanging blows as they slowly ascended higher and higher, yet still neither warrior seemed to hold a definite advantage. Fine by me, the Namekian thought, barely dodging a right hook thrown by Pollux. If the battle continues like this, Zellis and I should be able to hold them off long enough for Trunks and Hanzo to make it to the Lookout. Clef smiled as he saw an opening in his glowing-crimson opponent's apparently perfect defense, and he quickly took advantage of it. Pollux opened his mouth to scream as Clef drove his knee hard into the mysterious warrior's abdomen, though no sound escaped. The green-skinned fighter followed up with a solid back-handed blow to Pollux's jaw, which sent the scarlet entity spiraling toward the ground below, where he collided with a deafening impact.

 

Zellis was having a slightly harder time than her Namekian ally, since Castor seemed to be a match for the young noblewoman's uncanny speed. It seemed to the green-haired Galdrian that, no matter what tactic she tried, Castor was simply too fast to hit. After playing tag with Tempest's warrior for nearly an hour, Zellis finally realized what needed to be done. Each time that Castor made his lighting quick moves, he left a faint trail of wispy blue energy behind, like the tail of a comet. By following this discharge, the slight Galdrian woman was able to catch up with Castor, who looked genuinely stunned when his opponent seemingly materialized before him. A single well placed blow sent the glowing blue being careening into the wall of the surrounding canyon.

 

Clef dropped down from the sky to land lightly beside Zellis, who was panting slightly from exertion after her heated struggle against Castor. The attention of both warriors was immediately drawn to Tempest, who remained still, with his arms crossed over his chest and a stoic expression upon his frighteningly perfect features.

 

“So, perhaps I really did under estimate your resolve,” the immense deity spoke softly, uncrossing his arms. “Something has definitely got the two of you riled up though, doesn't it? Care to explain?” When his inquiry was met only with silence, Tempest's impassive expression changed to one of open hostility. “Speak, damn you! Where are the Saiyans, and what are you hiding from me?!”

 

Clef took a defiant step forward, fists clenched as he grinned humorlessly at the mad god. “Well, defeat us,” he said, obviously mocking Tempest's earlier declaration, “and we'll consider telling you.” The Namekian could tell that his blatant lack of fear annoyed and unnerved the supposed god, and it made him smile slightly. Well, it's nice to know that even if we can't keep up with him physically, at least Tempest's ego is vulnerable…

 

Castor and Pollux, having recovered from their confrontations against Zellis and Clef, came to stand beside their master once again, faces devoid of any emotion. Without taking his eyes from his opponents, Tempest merely nodded his head once, and the two summoned beings walked slowly forward. A faint nimbus of energy surrounded each warrior, red for Pollux and blue for Castor, and the canyon began to fill with the heaviness that accompanied a sudden influx of power. The sky overhead seemed to darken, and jagged bolts of unnatural lightning tore through the air around the five combatants, their accompanying thunder-cracks echoing throughout the canyon and causing the earth to tremble.

 

“Clef,” Zellis whispered, eyes wide with fear as Castor and Pollux continued to gather more and more energy to themselves, causing their already incredible power levels to sky rocket. “I think… I think this is it.” The Namekian didn't respond verbally, but the trembling noblewoman saw him nod agreement out of the corner of her eye. Okay then, she thought, clutching tightly to her Galdrian energy saber and steeling herself for the battle to come. This is for you, Miura.

 

To the end…

 

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Hanzo spun around in mid-flight.

 

“Damn it Hanzo, not now!” Trunks shouted, stopping beside his comrade. “There isn't anything we can do for them, so let's get going, it's not much further to the Lookout!” When Miura's half-brother failed to respond, Trunks grabbed him by the shoulder, spinning him around to face him. “Hanzo!”

 

“Don't touch me!” the Saiyan warrior shouted, pulling away and grabbing the front of Trunks' black shirt. “Don't ever touch me, understand?” He glared mercilessly at the purple-haired young man, eyes full of a madness that Trunks had never seen before in his friend. “You go to the Lookout it you want,” he continued, calming down just a little, “but I'll not abandon Clef and Zellis to death.”

 

“They can handle themselves,” Trunks replied, knowing how hollow those words sounded. “Besides, 16 will be there to help them soon, Hanzo. I know they can hold out until then…”

 

“You damned liar,” Hanzo hissed, releasing his grip on Trunks' shirt. “You may be willing to let them sacrifice themselves for us, but I'm not. How can they hope to win against these two new powers, huh? You know as well as I do that both of them are nearly as strong as Tempest himself!”

 

“They made this decision,” Trunks responded hotly, wishing to continue his journey to the Time Chamber. “If we don't get to the Lookout, then their deaths will be for nothing! If they're going to be brave enough to hold Tempest off until our training is finished, then for God's sake let them!” It was a long time before Hanzo spoke again, and when he did, his tone sent chills down Trunks' spine.

 

“Fine. But Tempest will burn in hell for this, mark my words. And I'll be the one to send him there.”

 

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The battle intensified.

 

Castor and Pollux attacked their opponents with complete disregard for their own lives. Both warriors seemed to gladly take blows that would have crippled any other fighter, all for the sake of landing their own crushing attacks against their weakening opponents. Nothing that Clef or Zellis did seemed to matter, and the battle was slowly shifting to Pollux and Castor's favor.

 

The hours passed by in a blur as the two exhausted defenders went blow for blow with Tempest's pets, and they found themselves on the losing side. Not only did the red and blue warriors possess a seemingly unending amount of power and stamina, but their speed bordered on the impossible, which filled Clef and Zellis with a deep feeling of hopelessness. And all the while, Tempest merely looked on impassively.

 

Zellis eventually found herself separated completely from her ally, and fighting with blind rage against Castor, who seemed to be in no worse condition than he had been when the fight began, hours and hours ago. The shining green energy saber felt heavy to her exhausted arms, and she found herself almost unable to make any moves against her glowing blue opponent. I tried, she thought to herself, surprised to find her mind just as fatigued as her body. It's all up to you guys now…

 

As the warrior from Galdria prepared herself for the inevitable, a small spark of power seemed to spring up within her, causing a newfound strength to flow through her weary body, and a quiet voice seemed to speak to her silently. No, this can't be the end, the voice, which she soon realized was her own, spoke. I made a vow, on Galdria, to avenge Miura's death! Me, not anyone else!

 

With a savage scream of rage, Zellis launched herself toward Castor, no longer bothering to defend herself from the entity's brutal attacks. Every blow from the glowing blue creature that struck her small body seemed to cause Zellis no harm as the fountain of vengeance-driven strength continued to empower her. Suddenly, the young noblewoman saw her chance, and she took it.

 

The aura of blinding Galdrian power that engulfed Zellis suddenly increased tenfold as she dashed inside of Castor's defenses and thrust upward with her saber, the blow meant for her opponent's throat. Castor saw the attack at the last moment and managed to shift his body to the left, just enough to foul Zellis' attack slightly. The flaring blade of searing green energy tore easily through Castor's torso, traveling upward in a crooked path and eventually slicing cleaning through his right shoulder, causing half of the mysterious fighter's body to simple explode into a thousand shards of light.

 

Both Clef and Pollux halted their battle when they felt Zellis' outburst of power, and they could only look on in awe as Castor was ostensibly obliterated. It wasn't until the blinding flash caused by Zellis' attack had cleared that Clef realized what was about to happen.

 

“Zellis!” he screamed, rushing quickly toward his companion, Pollux only a step or two behind. “Zellis, get down!” But his warning came too late, as what was left of Castor lashed out with all of his remaining power, which was surprisingly incredible even after taking a mortal wound. With his remaining arm, Castor delivered a thunderous backhanded blow to the side of Zellis' head, filling the canyon with an audible crack before sending the now-limp noblewoman crashing into the distant wall of rock. Clef was immediately upon Castor, throwing an amazing amount of ki into one single attack that completely removed any trace of the blue-enshrouded warrior from existence.

 

Clef breathed a sigh of relief when Castor was killed, having nearly forgotten about his own opponent. Pollux came up from behind like a blur, wrapping his arms tightly around the Namekian and seeking to crush the life from him. The green-skinned bodyguard cried out in pain as he felt his bones being compressed to their breaking point, and he was able to cast one final glance toward the motionless form of Zellis before pain and exhaustion caused him to black out.

 

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Gabriel and Dorian exited the chamber.

 

Elysia, Rika, Popo, and Bulma awaited them outside, but both Galdrians seemed not to notice them, instead turning their attention outside, beyond the Lookout. The energy radiated by Tempest and his remaining lacking was beyond belief, but it was the fading power signatures of Zellis and Clef grabbed Gabriel and Dorian's attention the most.

 

“Father, I have to help them,” Gabriel said firmly, squeezing the handle of his energy saber tightly. “It's time for me to end this.” Before Gabriel could leave to assist his dying friends, however, Dorian put a restraining hand on his shoulder.

 

“No, Gabriel,” the silver-haired Galdrian Prince replied, eyes narrowing as he stared his son down. “You still aren't as strong as you need to be to kill Tempest, and you'd only be throwing your life away now, do you understand?” Gabriel was about to protest when Hanzo and Trunks landed on the Lookout and rushed in toward the Time Chamber.

 

The two Saiyans, ignoring the questions about their absence that were asked by their friends and family, moved quickly toward the chamber, stopping only long enough to open the large, vault-like door. Before entering, however, Trunks flashed his mother a reassuring smile.

 

“Don't worry,” he said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible, considering the current situation. “This will all be over soon, I promise.” With that, the Time Chamber door was closed, sealing the two Saiyan warriors inside for what would be to them a long year of intense training.

 

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Suddenly Clef could breathe again.

 

The stunned Namekian, who found himself lying on the ground, looked up to see a towering stranger dressed in green and black standing quietly above him. Propping himself up on his elbows, Clef was surprised to see Pollux lying several yards away, apparently as stunned as he was. The orange-haired stranger offered his hand to Clef, who remained unsure of what to do.

 

“I mean you no harm,” the black-and-green-clad giant said in a cold, monotone voice. “I was sent here by Trunks to assist you in this battle, and my name is Android 16.” The proffered hand remained, and Clef took it, relieved to find a new ally amid all of this chaos. “I am glad I made it in time, before that creature was able to kill you.”

 

“Not as glad as I am,” Clef muttered, rubbing the back of his neck as Pollux rose slowly to his feet. “Oh no, Zellis!” he gasped, suddenly remembering what had happened to his friend. He attempted to run to her, where she still laid unmoving on the ground several yards away, but was restrained by 16.

 

“The girl lives, though she is unconscious and her life readings are very faint,” the android said without emotion. “I fear that nothing can be done for her.” Clef looked up into 16's face, noticing that throughout his entire speech, the android had never taken his eyes off from his opponents, Tempest and Pollux. “Clef, if you are unfit to continue this battle, then please stand aside.”

 

“No, I'm alright,” Clef said, fueled now by rage and a desire to avenge Zellis. “But I should warn you, 16. Even if we somehow manage to beat Pollux, Tempest will tear us to shreds.”

 

“I am aware of this,” 16 replied, readying himself for the coming fight as Pollux began walking menacingly toward them. “Good luck, Clef.” Suddenly the large android was off, dashing silently toward Tempest's summoned ally, fist pulled back and ready to strike. If Pollux was surprised to find himself facing off against a new opponent, he showed no sign of it, merely meeting 16's assault head on. The sounds of battle once again filled the canyon as the two silent warriors did everything in their power to kill each other.

 

Clef was only a moment or two behind 16, and he entered the fray immediately, finding to his surprise that Pollux now seemed much weaker than before. Realization struck the Namek like a physical blow: Castor and Pollux must have fed off of each other's energy, so when his partner was killed, the red-enshrouded warrior's power must have suffered also. I don't believe it! Clef thought, narrowly avoiding a poorly-thrown punch from Pollux. Maybe we do have a chance now!

 

Sure enough, Pollux was forced back by the combined strength of Clef and 16, who were relentless in their attempt to destroy the summoned warrior. Yet even with their united power, it took several hours to finally overwhelm Pollux, who was destroyed in a flash of power discharged by 16. The android had removed his own hands from his arms, revealing the two powerful cannons that were skillfully hidden there. After placing them against the ground, 16 fired a stunning amount of energy into the earth, which then exploded upward around Pollux, engulfing him and eradicating him completely. Clef, exhausted from his earlier struggle against the glowing-crimson being, could only look on in satisfaction.

 

Tempest's black eyes twitched slightly as he watched his last creation disappear within the massive column of energy that had sprung up from the ground beneath him. As the display of power died down, the mad god turned his attention to Clef and 16, calm rage spreading slowly across his pale face. Tempest flexed his fingers in anticipation of the battle to come.

 

“You should have had the decency to die by Pollux's hand,” the supposed deity said harshly, glaring at Clef. “And you,” he continued, casting a baleful glance at 16, “should have minded your own business. Now you'll share the Namek's fate.” A shimmer of multicolored energy manifested itself around Tempest, growing steadily brighter with each passing moment, until it eventually became painful to look at. “I will not be as merciful as my creations, I'm afraid. You will suffer an eternity before I finally allow you both to die!”

 

Clef stood trembling as Tempest's power reached a level that he had never thought possible. “My God,” he whispered, backing up several paces until he stood right next to 16. “How is this possible?” He cast a questioning glance upward at the android, surprised to find no sign of fear in his stoic expression.

 

“His power is beyond our ability to contest,” the android said simply. “Pray that he chooses to torment us, or else we'll be dead in a matter of seconds.” Noticing Clef's expression of surprise at his words, 16 elaborated. “If he chooses to kill us outright, we will have failed in stalling him. Should he decide to make us suffer, as he said, then perhaps Trunks and Hanzo will be able to complete their training.”

 

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Tempest was true to his word.

 

For what seemed like unending hours to Clef and 16, the mad god proceeded to toy with them, using only enough power to inflict the maximum amount of pain without actually killing either of them. It was painfully obvious that neither fighter stood even a remote chance against Tempest, though they both fought valiantly despite the overwhelming despair brought on by the divinity's frightening power. Time dragged by, each moment a lesson in pain and suffering for Clef and 16.

 

Clef crumpled to the ground after being struck in the jaw by a right hook thrown by Tempest, who then proceeded to batter 16 mercilessly into the ground. The Namekian watched in horror as the android was nearly torn to pieces by Tempest, who laughed gleefully as he continued beat upon the nearly helpless 16. Clef staggered to his feet, doing everything in his power to channel all of his remaining energy into one final blast. The energy came to him, though he was shocked at how little power he had left, and he placed his right arm out before him, gripping his wrist tightly with his left hand for support. He vision blurred for a moment, but eventually it cleared enough for him to launch the desperate attack.

 

Tempest noticed the Namek's final gambit at the last possible instant, and his massive body was completely engulfed in the ensuing explosion of blue and white ki. The canyon was illuminated eerily by the unnatural light, and Clef was able to see Zellis' motionless body before he collapsed to the ground himself.

 

16, who was damaged greatly during Tempest's last assault, struggled to his hands and knees, nearly half of his head crushed and sparking erratically. He was unsurprised to find his legs unwilling to respond to his commands, so he instead began to crawl slowly toward Clef as the explosion of energy began to die down. He collapsed at the green-skinned warrior's side as Tempest emerged unscathed from the storm of energy.

 

“Do you see how pointless your continued struggle is, Namek?” Tempest asked, voice filled with scorn. “Oh how I enjoyed massacring your people… And to think, now I can finish the job.” Clef clenched his fists as tears ran down his face, though he knew he was no match for the mad god. Soon, the Namekian race would truly be extinct.

 

“Clef, do not despair,” 16 said, his mechanical voice sounding weak and his speech slurred. “Hope is not lost. My sensors indicate that it has been nearly twenty-four hours since my arrival here upon the battlefield.”

 

Twenty-four hours! Clef thought in disbelief. Tempest had been tormenting the two of them for almost an entire day? The Namek shook his head, wondering how many times he had lapsed into unconsciousness during the nightmare battle. No wonder I can barely move… Suddenly, Clef realized the true meaning of 16's words: he hadn't been informing the Namekian of how long they had been fighting, rather he had been telling Clef that soon, Trunks and Hanzo should be finishing their training! This knowledge seemed to grant the bodyguard from Namek a new power, and he managed to stand to his feet, barely.

 

It's not over yet, he told himself with a grim smile. Just a little longer, I only have to hold on for a little longer…

 

To be continued…

 

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In the next chapter:

 

The Earth trembles as the battle against Tempest continues, and Clef and 16 find themselves greatly outmatched. Will the new power gained by Trunks and Hanzo during the Time Chamber training be enough to finally end Tempest's reign of terror?

 

Dragon Ball: Chaotic Future

Chapter 20

Mad God Saga, Part IX

“Vendetta.”

 

 

 

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