Part 30, Chapter 147.

PART THIRTY: BUDOKAI ROYALE 2 - SUPERSONIC BLAST

Chapter 147

Translated by npberryhill

Meanwhile, in the apartments of Universe 9, a strange scene had unfolded. In the center of the room stood a rather puzzled Raditz, the shirtless Saiyan wearing a questioning expression. Old Kaioshin had ultimately decided to grant his request, which had satisfied him at first. But it had been several hours since the Elder Kai had begun his strange dance — honestly, he was starting to wonder if this was all a big joke. Though, it was not like he had a choice at this point. Not only his own life, but Kakarotto’s was depending on this. And his nephew’s strength was proof enough that the power-up was real, no matter how long the odd procedure took.

Around them, the Earthlings watched the scene with curiosity. Their own thoughts mirrored the Saiyans, wondering if such a ritual could succeed in unlocking reserves of hidden potential within a warrior. They recalled Videl’s fight, when he had claimed he could boost her power — and seemed quite serious. Still, they weren’t yet fully convinced, especially of the sincerity of the Saiyan.

“♪ Hmm hum! Ha! ♩ Yeah !! ♬” the old god chanted.

Yamcha had returned as well, having delivered #18’s body back to her apartment — where he’d left her safely on the bed, next to her brother. The human-cyborg planned to talk to the Kaioshin once he’d finished the ritual, particularly about this XXI. The old wizard was intriguing, but more than that made him feel uncomfortable. The deity had been startled by the name XXI earlier, and though he said it was a case of mistaken identity, Yamcha still wanted to ask for details about the XXI to which Old Kai had been thinking.

In the meantime, a horrible screaming noise had passed through their walls and entered their minds with full force. All present, except the Saiyan, had been floored by the agony of what felt like millions of people. The Kaioshin had forbidden them to leave the room, but the distress and pain in their hearts had been inescapable.

Yamcha had recovered rather quickly, and was again waiting patiently for the divine dance to end. He was puzzling over what could’ve caused those screams. By now, he estimated, the third round of the competition would’ve been completed and the fourth round was about to begin. That meant Son Goku would soon be fighting Uub, both of universe 18, a student vs. pupil confrontation. He was particularly interested in watching.

“I’m gonna check on the tournament, guys,” he said, heading out do the door and down the hall.

The second he opened the door, his senses were flooded with multiple huge power levels all clashing in the arena. Stunned, he hurried to see who it might be, at first mistaking it for only two fighters. But it was dozens, more or less, as complete indescribable chaos swept through the entire ring. He ran for the corridor, finally seeing the scene unfold for himself.

Warriors and spectators alike were fighting for their lives like animals, while Cell of Universe 17 and a Saiyan clashed ferociously in the air above. The perfect android seemed to be dominating the fight, while nearby a Namekian faced down with Freeza and Coola — their father (the one who’d defeated Videl) was nearby, struggling against a seemingly invisible opponent in front of the Kaioshins of Universe 1. Everywhere he looked, fighting was taking place. Yamcha was most horrified by #17 and the mountain of spectator corpses he’d piled up, the twin’s face covered in blood spatter. That only served to ominously highlight the strange M-shape upon his forehead.

Without wasting a second, Yamcha rushed back inside, flinging open the door.

“What’s wrong, Yamcha?” Tenshinhan quickly asked. “What are all those energies I feel all of a sudden?”

“There’s a hell of a lot wrong, that’s what!” Yamcha gasped, catching his breath. “It’s an all-out free-for-all brawl!”

“What?” Kulilin straightened up. “What do you mean?”

“It’s nuts! As if everyone’s been turned against each other! Freeza, Cell, #17, the gods — even the spectators!”

“How could that happen?” Videl piped up, looking serious. “There’s been no signs of any such hostility so far, unless this is another of Buu’s plots?”

“I don’t know, but most of the competitors have vanished — everyone that’s left seems to have the same mark on their foreheads as Dabra of Universe 11...”

“It’s Babidi’s signature, ♪ Hum yeah!”

Everyone turned towards the Old Kaioshin, who’d made the flippant statement while continuing his ritualistic dance. Apparently, he was quite unperturbed.

“My guess is that sorcerer must’ve corrupted the impure hearts at the tournament with his magic, then launched a — Hum ♪ ha- a general offensive,” he concluded. “As for those with pure hearts, I can’t say what fate might’ve befallen them.”

“Why’s this Saiyan not affected then?” Tenshinhan remarked, eyeing Raditz, ready to attack.

“Eh, I would’ve noticed that kind of witchcraft at work,” the elder answered, continuing his complicated movements. ♪ Yeah, ha ho! ♬ “Babidi probably knew better than to try something right in front of my nose.”

“Then we’ve got to help everyone and try to restore order!” Kulilin said, grabbing his staff.

“Agreed!” Yamcha exclaimed. “The situation’s deteriorating rapidly, they need us!” He reached for the door handle.

“Absolutely not!” an old but authoritative voice ordered. “All of you stay put!”

Everyone had stopped, shocked by the senseless directive. Even Raditz turned to the god with surprise. In return, the elder Kaioshin merely sped up the pace of his dance.

“If the ritual were to be interrupted, Raditz and I might die! I’m relying on all of you to protect us from an attack, ♪, Yeah!”

“Huh?” Raditz grunted aloud. Only now did the old man decide to warn him — he hadn’t signed on for something this dangerous! What had he been thinking? The Saiyan was distraught as he turned to the Earthlings, who seemed just as helpless as he.

“I suppose we must honor your request then, venerable Kaioshin,” Tenshinhan conceded. “No one will pass through this door.”

“Whew,” the long-haired Saiyan sighed. “You know, you could’ve said something before we started, Master Kaioshin. Although, I’m not pure hearted like you all — I suppose I could become a liability if I was exposed to the wizard now, huh?”

“Don’t concern yourself with that, laddie,” the Kaioshin replied. “Just be patient, and don’t you budge one inch.”

The brother of Kakarotto paused patiently, shutting his eyes. Meanwhile, the Elder grinned inwardly. ‘Hah! He actually bought that ridiculous jibber jabber! No way he’s moving now, he’ll be on his best behaviour!’

Suddenly, the door of the apartment was flung wide and two of Freeza’s soldiers burst through, exclaiming:

“See, I told you I had captured a bunch of them! You all thought you could hide from us? Ha ha h—”

His words were cut off brutally as Videl’s elbow crushed in his neck. The other grunt was similarly eliminated by Tenshinhan’s attack. Their bodies fell to the floor in a thud, Kulilin checking on their condition while Yamcha hurriedly shut the door once again.

“They’re dead,” the turtle master confirmed. “It really is anarchy out there.”

“They probably found us with their scouters back when I opened the door to check on things,” Yamcha said, rubbing his hair. “And I bet once these two don’t come back, we’ll be getting a visit from several more — let’s just hope it’s no one too tough.”

Back in the bleachers, several more high-ranking soldiers had been surveying the situation.

“We’ve just located another pocket of resistance,” Jeece said, his hand cycling through the information relayed by his scouter. “Seems they’re hiding out in the apartments of Universe 9.”

“It must be that miserable Earthling and his friends,” Sauza surmised, clenching his fists. “Let’s go, it’s time I get my revenge on that midget!”

The two commandos flew towards Universe 9, fully confident that with their new powers they’d be able to completely squash the humans like insects.

Meanwhile, Piccolo was in quite the difficult situation. Fighting all three Frost Demons had almost entirely drained his stamina, particularly due to King Cold’s attacks. He’d held his own quite well against the two brothers, but their resilience had been vastly improved thanks to Babidi’s magic. If things drug on, even against just those two, he was going to lose the fight. He had to find a way to finish them now, in one direct attack.

He glanced quickly to his side. West Kaioshin was on the retreat, her magic barely managing to hold the Frost Demon Emperor at bay. He remained paralyzed, unable to break free, at least momentarily.

‘Good,’ Piccolo thought. ‘If she can just keep him contained a few more seconds... I’ll be able to finish off Freeza and Coola. I just need a little time, and concentration...’

But Freeza had no intention of allowing such a luxury. He was already exasperated by the Namek’s resilience, and planned to eliminate him right away. It would be one less enemy, and he could focus his attention elsewhere on bigger threats. The Ice prince launched his fist forward, into the Namekian’s chest... who suddenly disappeared.

“What...?”

“There!” Coola exclaimed, motioning a few feet away.

The elder brother made a wide sweep with his backhand, trying to decapitate Piccolo, who merely vanished once again.

“It’s an afterimage.... clever trick for a mere slug,” Freeza mused.

He could sense the Namekian moving all around them, but the green-skinned warrior was always one step ahead. Coola’s eyes darted side to side, anticipating his foe’s next location — turning quickly and firing an energy wave at Piccolo’s new position. But it too fell prey to the remnant image of the Super Namek. For about thirty seconds, the two frost princes pursued Piccolo relentlessly as he abused the afterimage technique. It was an ability simple enough that he’d used it years ago at the Tenkaichi Budokai, and yet it was still quite effective. With its help, he might actually gain the few seconds needed for his last attack.

Frustrated by the endless dodging, Coola relented his attack pattern, waving off Freeza as well.

“I grow bored of this game of tag. Our efforts would be better spent helping Father than chasing this cowardly Namek.”

“Papa? You mean...”

“Oh, right... I say we let him go. Instead, we could be taking down that annoying goddess.”

As they turned their backs on Piccolo, the fatal error was made. He’d accumulated enough ki to finally fire his attack, focusing it between his fingers and his forehead. He would show these fowl demons — his power might not have increased all that much in twenty years, but he remained a clever tactician and an expert in combat.

“Seconds gained,” he announced with a smile, panting heavily.

Piccolo uttered a fierce battle-cry, and launched two simultaneous Makenkosappo beams against the pair of demons. They spun in shock, frightened by the amount of energy moving towards them. But as they rays neared them, they skirted aside easily.

“Namekian fool! What kind of warrior announces himself before a surprise attack!”

“Uh, Coola...?” Freeza interrupted, trepidation in his voice.

“What, what is it?”

His voice was muffled suddenly, cut short by pure amazement. The special beam had deviated from its path in sharp hexagonal angles, enclosing the Frost Demons as it constantly changed directions around each of them — forming a cage of sorts. Piccolo chuckled at their frightened looks. This technique had been a long time coming, its inspiration having drawn heavily from Goku’s controlled Kamehameha, which had been used on Piccolo Daimao in the past. It was a way of honoring his friend and formal rival, and he would use it to eliminate two of their common enemies. He’d focused all his remaining energy into this attack, he couldn’t afford to miss.

“Yaaah!” Piccolo exclaimed, sending an impulse into his fingers, which then spread through the energy attack. The tips of each special beam suddenly and sharply turned towards Freeza and Coola — who had no time to react, already caged and unsure what was about to happen.

Freeza, the less agile of the two, was the first to be caught by the labyrinth of lasers. His body was pierced through on all sides, being destroyed one small chunk at a time. His blood spurted through the air as his limbs were violently ripped apart and disintegrated, the remains of his flesh falling into the void, completely vaporized. As for Coola, he was struck on the tail, leg, and shoulder. His right arm had been amputated by the Makankosappo, provoking a roar of pain.

“Gaaah!”

“Hah, hah...” Piccolo uttered, panting between his dry taunt.

The Namekian’s energy had fallen like a stone, and though a smile adorned his face he had ultimately failed in the end. It had taken all he could muster and more to just destroy Freeza, and in the face of overwhelming odds. He could only smirk with pride, glad to have finished with his honorary trump card, though he now despaired for his own life.

“Son of a whore!” Coola roared through his bloody mask — proceeding to rush his foe.

Piccolo couldn’t even budge, but he’d accepted his fate. The Frost Prince’s fist slammed into his unguarded cheek, and he felt the true force behind just a single unblocked attack. The Super Namek careened backwards, toppling into the bleachers, hitting his head and torso against aluminum benches as he crashed. His body had cut a swath right between Gohan and Cell, who had briefly paused, surprised by the interruption. Coola chased after, evoking Gohan’s protective nature instantly.

“Piccolo!” exclaimed Gohan, turning, fully aware of how close to death his former teacher was.

“Too bad,” Cell chuckled slowly. “But I’ll warn you, if you don’t keep your focus on me, you’ll certainly join him soon!”

The warrior-turned-professor grimaced. He’d hoped Piccolo would be able to handle the Frost Demons, but hadn’t accounted for King Cold’s overwhelming force. Then again, there hadn’t been much time to even make a plan.

Cell suddenly charged, catching the half-Saiyan slightly off-guard. “You’re mine, Son Gohan! Nothing else should concern you!”

‘Damn!’ Gohan grumbled inwardly. ‘How does Cell have this much energy left? This fight is far from over...”

While the two sworn enemies resumed their clash, Piccolo finally rolled to a stop up in the grandstands, causing a portion of them to collapse in a huge mess of steel beams and rubble. The Namek winced in pain, fingers too tired to tremble, his throat clotted with blood and his eyes hazed over by sweat. But he still saw as Coola descended, ready to provide the coup de grace. Resigned, the Namek shut his eyes.

“Go ahead and end it. I have no regrets, I gave everything. I’m tired now...”

“I’m not!” exclaimed a familiar voice from nearby.

A sudden shockwave caused his eyes to spring open, the pair being greeted by the sight of Coola bent in half — by none of than a kick from the Universe 16 Piccolo.

“Gargh!” Coola gasped, spitting a wad of blood.

The other Super Namek had barely expended any of his strength, having only faced a few low-level soldiers and corrupted spectators. In other words, he was just as strong as his counterpart had been when starting the fight with Cold, Freeza, and Coola all at once. Against a single weakened Frost Demon, he didn’t have anything to worry about.

Piccolo wasted no time in forming a powerful energy ball in his palm. Coola, trapped and wounded, had no recourse. The ki attack was pinned against his belly, his eyes widening in horror at his fate — Coola’s cry melted away as the explosion vaporized what was left of his body. The two princes were no more, only the warrior posing as King Cold remained.

“Piccolo, are you gonna be okay?” Videl of the 16th hurried to kneel at his side.

“Not so much,” the exhausted Namek replied. “But, thank you...” He offered a smile.

The Earthling replied with a hopeful smile before spinning quickly and attacking a mazinized spectator with a powerful kick to the face. Meanwhile, Piccolo of the 16th reached out a hand to his counterpart. Piccolo almost laughed through the pain, knowing he couldn’t stand even with help — only to then notice that there was a Senzu bean between his fingers.

“Take it, we’ve got plenty.”

“Thanks,” the Namek of the 18th replied, swallowing the bean with a huge relief. “So, how are we faring?”

“Most of the corrupted spectators have been crushed. However, I saw a few of Freeza’s men entering the apartment corridors one by one, clearing them out. As for Gohan, I honestly can’t say — defeating Cell will take all he’s got though, maybe more.”

“We’re no help in that kind of fight,” the other Piccolo begrudgingly admitted. “We’d be spectators at best. Cell’s become unbelievably strong...”

“What about your Gohan?” the 16th Piccolo asked. “With both of them working together, Cell wouldn’t have a chance.”

“True, but he’s focused on finding Babidi. If he can take out the source of all this, everything will crumble.”

“Good. We should try and help where we can out here, then.”

“Agreed. We can start by sweeping the arena for any remaining Frost Demon Soldiers.”

The two flew off in mutual agreement, not without casting a worried look back at Videl, who fought bravely in the stands. Apparently, she was handling herself quite well though. Piccolo of the 18th was just as worried about Bra and Videl of his universe. He couldn’t sense their energy anymore, and hoped they were just inside hiding...

A soldier cautiously approached the door leading to the Universe 5 apartments...

Babidi watched carefully from his crystal ball, quite concerned with the other wizard — who momentarily was hidden within the refuge. Though there’d been no sign of the old magician for quite some time, he was no doubt still inside, and dangerous. Babidi definitely didn’t want XXI casting any spells that might go against his own.

The soldier, suspicious and hesitant, was nonetheless compelled by his master to investigate. But the instant his hand touched the door-handle the majin was seized by violent tremors. A wave of pain bolted through him, but he was unable to cry out — his very skin became scarlet as if set aflame by purple sparks. Then, in a second, he disintegrated to a pile of ash.

Babidi’s already yellow face turned quite pale, impressed and a bit intimidated by the spell guarding the entryway. The mysterious wizard had indeed made it impossible for anyone to enter his apartment. After a moment of waiting to see if XXI would show himself, Babidi used his better judgment and decided to leave well enough alone. The threat presented by a possibly superior magician was far too great a risk to his plans. And besides, he still had plenty of fighters left that were resisting him as it was — he needed to take control of all the Universes before some disruptive element came along and put a stop to all his efforts.