DB Multiverse

The champion ran away as fast as he could...

Now he was running until he was out of breath, as if Death was on his heels... Or rather, the Demon of fear at his ass!

He was finally free to show his fear, free to let panic's rush of adrenaline energize his legs so that he was able to run over the rubble covered pavement... Only the echoes of this mad romp rang out through the cliffs made of shaken cement all around him.

All of a sudden, a whistling pierced through the air... just a second before an explosion... A chasm opened suddenly before him... He hardly had the time to tense and stop his momentum... To stop before falling into this trap as surprising as it was unexpected!

The fugitive's heart was fiercely beating into his chest... And that wasn't due to the rush that this trained athlete had forced on it.

His complexion suddenly became paler and had the grey color of cement dust that was covering everything around him as a cold wave ran down his brow, his temples, his nape and his wide back...

At the other side of the still steaming crater that had opened in front of his feet... There were two shadows... They were slowly getting down from the sky, effortlessly floating in the air in the middle of the deserted avenue.

That really was them... They were here, a few feet away!

The girl and the boy... As he could have seen them on the rare imagesthe TV journalists had managed to take... Back when the broadcasting networks still worked.

Two young people, they seemed so common, they looked frail actually... Absolutely no comparison with the terrible opponents he had to defeat one by one in order to deserve his numerous titles!

But his opponents were made of flesh and bones... They fought with their human being's strength, their fists, their feet... Nothing to do with these... things!

Panic could be seen in his eyes, they travelled in every directions to find a way out... potential help...

But nothing... There was nothing, not a damned loop-hole!

He was well and truly trapped in the middle of this sordid avenue!

All alone with jeans and sneakers wearing Death right in front of him.

Silently, and without even speaking to each other, the two mechanical monsters rose up in the sky to silently go to him, they didn't even do a single move... It was as if they were on a kind of invisible moving walkway.

The champion would have wanted to swallow the burning saliva that had invaded his mouth, even though it was furry because of the fear... But there was no way he could make his throat work: it was painfully frozen because of panic... Even standing required intense effort and he couldn't suppress the compulsive shiver that ran through him from head to toes.

In one second, the two vipers were at both sides of him, starring at him with their big amused eyes, a small smirk on their lips.

The small blond-head bent forwards and Satan gave a start when she put the tip of her finger on his stomach, on the notorious golden trophy.

“What have we here?...” She slowly stood straight to question the poor guy with her pupils that were so pure and so blue. “Wouldn't it be a championship belt?”

How stupid!

What kind of idea was it to keep this belt on him?!... It'd have been so easy to find a reason to let him with the soldiers until he came back!

Quick! He had to find a phoney excuse...

“That?” he blabbered with a stupid smile plastered on his face. “It's nothing... It's only for showing off... I was going at a friend's birthday and it's a fancy dress party so...”

The boy bent forwards too.

“A copy? Quite well done...” Then he stood straight and tousled the thick black curly hair. “And the perm, it's very well done too... It looks like the original!”

Mr Satan went white! Those two walking atomic bombs had recognised him!...

He cursed himself and the big advertising campaign he had demanded after his last victory... Those numerous effigies of himself posted everywhere in the world, those many bills of himself posted for whatever reason everywhere in the world. Those numerous advertising campaigns that made his fortune, were now likely to cost him dearly!

The devilish blond-head moved to stand right in front of him, at the vertical of the crater's side. Her feet weren't on the ground, yet she didn't seem to be floating...

“I'm curious... What strength level does a World Champion have?”

Satan felt as if his blood just left his body... Even his brain seemed to be a piece of rotten meat... Unable to do anything sensible, he merely stammered.

“B... B.... bubu... Bububut...”

“Nobody asked you do bleat...” 17 laughed. Then he shoved him with a small pat on the shoulder. “Strike, you idiot!” The cyborg was now authoritative.

The touch of that being whose proximity frightened him had the same result as if the frozen Satan had received electroshock...

He had no other choice... and, after all, wasn't he The World Champion? The man with an unrivalled record? He hadn't really fought for quite a while, that was true... But he had kept doggedly training to be ready for the great championship that would not fail to happen the day those two killers would be put out of harm's way.

From this close, they really didn't seem as terrible as the media suggested... They maybe were able to throw fire ball as powerful as missiles with their bare hands, but it didn't mean they were invulnerable!

Two or three strikes and it'd be over with!

Bucked up, Mr. Satan was already dreaming of the triumphant marches, he standing up in a convertible in the middle of overjoyed crowds, everybody cheering him... a stream of multicoloured confetti...

And he wouldn't be given a belt... not even a medal.. But a pedestal, made out of gold, and erected to the glory of the greatest hero of all time! And, as a bonus, he could ask for a city to be named after him.. He had always wanted it... Satancity, with a Satan fighting school, a Satan university, a Satan hospital...

Hm... Well, that was worth going to a fair amount of effort!

His eyes lighted up with a fierce determination.. he clenched his fist till his knuckles went white... Tensing his muscles that the race had quite well warmed up, he gathered up all the strength he could muster as he moved his arms backwards...

He was going to teach that slut in skirt!

Screaming to use as much energy as he could, the champion hit!

It was a technique he perfectly mastered... All of his strength concentrated in the few inches square at the top of his fist. He had aimed between the girl's eyes... His famous Dynamic Mess 'Em Up Punch that helped him win so many time... It was unstoppable!

The champion had closed his eyes when he had stricken, so that he'd add more strength to it... When he opened them... He had a look of surprise...

The blond-head hadn't flinched at all... hadn't even moved half an inch!

Impossible! That just was impossible!

Impossible that such a frail body hadn't been thrown backwards by the power of the formidable impact... Impossible that such a small young girl hadn't been knocked out, or even disfigured by such a blow... that her vertebra weren't broken, her face utterly destroyed... She should have been killed by such a strong attack!

But no!

She was still here, with her hateful smirk on her lips and that insolence in her eyes!

The surprise disappeared and was replaced by fierce rage in the humiliated champion's mind... Without thinking it through, he started beating the arrogant girl... Punches, kicks, his best sequences, his most famous techniques... An entire life dedicated to martial arts in their most efficient ways!

He eventually ran off adrenaline of this unexpected fit of anger and Mr. Satan stopped... Breathless, he let his fists hanging... They were covered in blood due to the fury of the attacks they had stricken.

Rising his head again... Satan's suddenly stopped his short-winded breathing... His amazement event erased the pain that burnt his hands, his arms, thighs, tibia and even his feet that were protected by his solid fighting shoes.

The other one was still standing in front of him... She hadn't moved at all, and actually, she calmly, and elegantly, was moving one of her blond bangs away to place it behind her head. He wasn't dreaming, she had a mischievous look in her eyes!

Fear forced itself on him with the force of a tsunami...

For the first time in his life, he, the absolute athlete, whose strength was unequalled, felt abominably small and weak... A common little insect that these two monsters certainly could crush in one movement!

To suddenly become aware of his own fragility after having believed for so long he was strong was something absolutely unbearable... The champion's leg gave way.

Yet, a grasp of steel caught him by the collar... And the next moment, Mr. Satan's feet weren't on the ground anymore... He was rising... rising between the buildings...

Then he was above grey flat roofs... And these grew smaller and smaller still until they became small square confetti below him.

Satan was shivering... Cold was mercilessly biting his skin under the thick material of his kimono that was wet with sweat... Or maybe was it fear that made his teeth chatter like this...

“I hope you're not afraid of height!” The young voice gave him a start.

His heart stopped beating for a second... If ever the guy let go of him, or if the cloth split open... He'd crash who know how many feet below... The champion strongly closed his eyes... don't move.. don't breath... don't even think... Just be light, so light... Let yourself be forgotten, become transparent, invisible... Wake up in his bed...

Yes, that was it!

All of it was nothing but a terrifying nightmare and he was going to wake up... To happily stretch before taking a nicely warm shower and then, he'd go and enjoy the delicious breakfast that his cooks would have prepared. All this waiting for the morning hug full of love from his dear Videl...

Videl!

The poor girl... It was impossible for him to imagine her growing up all alone, without him, in that world filled with bullies!

This thought gave some guts to the poor man who found the strength in him to blabber.

“Pl... Please... Le... Let... Let go of me, please... I'll do whatever you want... But please, let go of me... I have a little girl waiting for me...”

“OK!” 17 replied with a broad smile on his lips.

Right before he widely opened the two fingers that were holding his burden by the collar.

A loud scream of terror accompanied the fall of poor Mr. Satan who was gesticulating as an animal running through the air to try and go back up...

His fall was abruptly interrupted!

18 just had caught him by his champion belt.

“Ooh... Thank you! Thank you ver...”

But he hadn't time to finish his sentence that she had unfastened the famous belt...

And it was in a succession of yell, each more piercing than the previous one that the cyborg played and let their new toy fell from place to place.

A few feet above the ground, 18 suddenly caught the end of the belt that was tied around the champion's waist... The woollen strip uncoiled at top speed, the man becoming a true human top... The other end eventually getting at the end of the lengthy cloth.. Satan roughly fell on the ground, screaming for the last 6 feet.

Alive! He was alive! He couldn't believe it... He'd never have thought that the brutal contact of the ground against his face could be so sweet... If he could, he'd have kissed the acrid smelling tar against which his face had crushed!

But there was a problem: he hadn't the strength left in him to do it anymore... He was tired... exhausted because of this succession of falls, of hopes and fear that he had felt was endless...

Two impacts near his head...

The nightmare wasn't over yet... His two torturers had landed right beside him.

He found himself on his feet without his wanting to... Four hands started dusting his fighting suit as his pants, which had lost the support of the belt, had felt on his ankles.

Fear was biting at his heart, devastating his mind and freezing the blood his any vessels... He felt even more powerless than a child facing his worst nightmare!

And, as a child, big tears slowly ran down his adult cheeks and got caught at the tips of his moustache. They eventually bounced to the ground as a warm liquid started wetting the small rabbits of his underwear and then dirtied his legs to his pants with a long yellowish stain.

It was over..

He just had hit the bottom... He was nothing anymore... Even less than nothing... At this precise moment... not only he didn't care if he died, but he even wished for death... He was deeply revolted by his own cowardice.

The acrid smell of urine caught the attention of the two cyborgs as Satan had lowered his head, expecting the coup de grace that he didn't dread anymore.

The puddle that was slowly widening under their feet made them take hurriedly take flight... As they were bursting out laughing.

Satan's head rose, he was a bit surprised to be still alive... Surprised and disappointed... Angry, frustrated to bear another humiliation.

“Kill me!” he fiercely shouted. “What are you waiting for? Get it over with, you bastard!”

A fire rain suddenly fell all around him, as an answer to his provocation...

Even if he had decided to be killed, the champion couldn't help but rise his arms to protect himself... Then he threw himself on the ground, rolling from side to side to avoid the burning shot that brushed past him at incredible speed, as they smashed the asphalt.

The bombing stopped as suddenly as it has started!

Mr. Satan waited for a long time before he shyly dared to look up from his flesh shelter...

Fearful, he scanned the sky and the surrounding... But there was nothing left but rubble, silence, and him.

Weakened and shivering, his body stiff from his having shivered too much... His clothes, his face, his hand and even his hair dirty with his own urine... He eventually got up.

How long remained he here, utterly motionless, his head lowered and his eyes so full of tears, with his wet pants down his legs... He wouldn't be able to say... But it was at nightfall that an anonymous person, destitute among so many, finally started walking back home.