Chapter 54 Fight Night
The sound of the door creaking open was near deafening against the silence of the underground cave as its defenders waited in silence. There was a great deal of MPs there, waiting with guns in hands or Ki blasts at the ready from atop their perches around several crystal pillars. Nobody moved or said a word, the pounding of their hearts as they waited being the only noise they heard as the open door came to a halt.
"I give you one chance." Gohan's voice came booming out from the hallway as he waited out of view. "I granted my knowledge so that you could help the people, not oppress them. Surrender now, and you can have your lives. If we fight… I give you one chance."
Hands shook nervously. Some were confident, proud of their now superhuman abilities, but most knew how deadly serious the situation was. Gohan was a symbol of hope to so many, but he was also a symbol of something more, something greater than human. He was the strongest and most powerful person in existence. Facing him in battle would be a challenge greater than any of them could win.
But they were not alone. The cavern was filled with the best MPs they had, each one of them was now among the strongest people in the country, likely even the planet. With their queen to their back, and allies to their sides, none would surrender.
It did not mean they weren't afraid.
A single eye peaked around the corner as it surveyed the area, darting back inside as three panicked shots hit the glowing crystals around him.
"It seems I have my answer."
Gohan hurled a glowing orb out towards them, one that broke apart into dozens of small balls that blasted into the tops of the pillars. Panicked shouts broke out as people scattered, their platforms shaking as debris fell from the rooftop and smoke clouded their vision.
"There!" One man managed to stay focused enough to catch sight as Gohan darted out into the cavern. His guns raised and fired both barrels towards him, bullets missing by a wide margin as the half Saiyan moved too fast to be hit.
As Gohan moved he leapt high into the air, eyes confirming everything he had suspected about the layout of the area, and energy senses pinpointing each of his opponents. His distraction hadn't lasted long, the MPs were swift to recover and begin aiming their weapons and blasts back towards him. He struck back as they fired, another splay of Ki blasts flying across the cavern, these ones directed far closer to his enemies.
Most dodged but a small number smacked them away, their power being weak from being so spread out. One man was struck directly, too busy throwing a Ki blast straight towards Gohan to react in time. He wasn't dead, or knocked out, but it had hurt him a lot more than he had expected.
Gohan zipped over the blast, soaring towards his target as he struck one of the crystal pillars with a spin kick. The shaft broke away thanks to his previous blasts against the tips, as the whole structure slid and toppled over towards the ground and the hapless MPs in the way. Each dove away for cover with a panicked yelp, as their allies tried to counterattack against Gohan.
"Gotcha." One of the MPs dropped into a familiar stance as they placed their hands together before them. "Ka-me-ha-me-huh!?"
The MPs blast was cut premature as Gohan appeared in front of them, driving a fist directly into their jaw and crashing into the crystal wall. Their brain snapped back inside of their breaking skull, the MP dropping dead to the floor in a pile of crystalline shards.
The MPs did a complete double take at the sight of a second Gohan, snapped out of their shock as he dove towards them and began to lay into them with blows that snapped bones and cracked ribs.
The Gohan riding the toppling pillar paused to reflect. He had initially thought not being able to teach the multiform technique had been a missed opportunity, especially for the Scouts. Now, it seemed so very fortunate for him. The technique may have split Gohan's power with each copy, but he was too outnumbered to risk their full attention, and more than skilled enough to afford the power loss.
A series of blasts rained down towards the first Gohan, who dove away and retaliated with a series of his own. He flew around one pillar, another MP swinging round from the other side and raising his gun towards Gohan. The bullet bounced off harmlessly as Gohan descended on the man, a series of punches battering the man before he was struck with an open palm to the chest. The MPs heart beat one last weak time, before it fell silent and the man hung limply.
Gohan took a moment to concentrate his senses and held up his hand, palm flat. A crackle of energy sparked into life followed by a Ki disc that buzzed dangerously as it hovered. With energies locked into his mind, Gohan flung the disc around the corner and directed it around.
The second Gohan was doing a good job of re-drawing attention. He had snuck up on a small number of them before he struck, leaving a half dozen broken bodies on the floor, some dead or dying whilst the lucky ones were merely unconscious. But as soon as he had been free of MPs to use as cover, others had struck back in vengeance.
"Eat this!"
Three men sent a combined beam of energy towards him, it crashed into his hand as Gohan bent with the attack and braced. Power was pouring around him, crystals breaking apart under the immense pressure as Gohan held back the attack and built up a blast of his own. His beam pushed against theirs, slowly at first before it suddenly soared with the Ki the he poured into it. The combination of Gohan's and the MPs energy blasts crashed into the three men, incinerating the trio and detonating into a violent, roaring blaze.
Brief screams of terror were all that escaped their lips before the boom of thunder muted them all.
One man backed away terrified, cowering behind a crystalline pillar until he heard a sharp hum moments before an energy disc cut through the shaft and his body. He fell in half, eyes wide open as they seemingly watched the disc continue to soar upwards towards other targets.
MPs screamed as they tried to flee, another two were cut down before an energy blast hit the disc and blew it up.
Breathing hard, Caven watched with horror as beams continued to be shot out everywhere, and yet Gohan was utterly failed to be stopped. Her comrades were dwindling, dying in droves without so much as a scratch against either Gohan. She needed to fix that.
"With me! Concentrate on one!"
She waved her hand and rallied almost a half dozen soldiers, each of them terrified but following her as discipline compelled them. They swarmed down on the first Gohan they could reach, guns or blasts raining down to pin him in place.
As they landed, their guns were dropped and fists raised as they struck. The first to dive in was backhanded away, the second receiving a kick to the throat. The third managed to briefly wrap himself around Gohan's arm before being flung away, however it was enough time for two others to try the same.
"Grab his arms! Pin him!"
Two men grabbed hold of his arms, trying to hold him in place as a third prepared a Kamehameha in front of him. Something that Gohan had not taught them, was that Ki blasts with sufficient control could be fired from almost any part of the body. Twin beams fired from Gohan's eyes and exploded into the chest of the man in front of him, before Gohan turned his attention on the men trying to grapple him.
His foot kicked out and snapped the knee of one man, he fell away screaming in agony. Gohan lifted the other man, spinning him over in the air and slamming him back down to the ground with such force that the ground became a crater beneath him. Several follow up punches to the face ensured he was dealt with before Gohan spun to backhand away a Ki blast that had been fired at him.
His eyes locked on Caven, terrified as she was she snarled at him. The blast he'd knocked away soared high into the air until it exploded against the roof, dropping a large chunk of crystal debris down towards them. Gohan kicked the man with the broken knee, sliding him across the floor and into its path as it crashed into the ground.
Two other MPs were with Caven, recovering from their injuries as Gohan dropped into his demon fighting style pose. Piccolo's method of teaching Gohan how to fight had been brutal, but its effectiveness would show just as well against his opponents.
He darted forwards, dropping an after image as he dashed around his first opponent and roundhouse kicked them in the back. The man went flying into his comrade, Gohan followed up with a Masenko blast the exploded the both of them before he blocked an attack from Caven.
He focused his full attention on her, and she fell back in hesitation.
"You betrayed my trust Caven."
"I'm loyal to my Queen." She spat at his feet. "You think you're above her? You're the damn traitor!"
She threw a punch towards him. He caught the blow easily, squeezing her fist tightly as bones cracked and popped. With a scream of pain she summoned up a Ki blast in her other hand and thrust it towards him. He caught that too, pushing back as the power built and built. When it finally exploded, the two were flung apart, but Cavens hand was incinerated in the blast.
She hit the ground with a gasp, staring down at her devastated limb in horror. The wound had been cauterised from the heat, and she could feel similar such burns across her body. She struggled to her feet, more in mute numbness than true resistance. She didn't even notice when Gohan appeared behind her and threw a powerful punch into her back.
She felt a snap up her spine, like the breaking of a string as she fell limp onto the ground, gasping as she failed to move her body.
"You… what did you…" Her words were weak, too horrified to do anything other than mutter as she stared at her limbs that refused to move.
"I gave you all the chance to surrender." Gohan stood over her, looking down at her with disappointment more than anger. "I've been through this. Had my neck snapped when I was just a child… but I was trying to help people, to save lives. You took this power and used it to make others suffer. For that, you'll die here alone, when I was saved instead."
He crouched down, his eyes locking with hers as he gave her one last look. "Goodbye Caven. This could have all been different, if only you had chosen to help people instead."
Standing up straight, he walked away and out of vision. Leaving Caven with a feeling of complete loneliness as she lay by the dead bodies of her comrades, the sounds of combat dying in the distance as the rest of her men were felled one by one. It had been hopeless after all it seemed. Such a waste… of a stand against him, and of a life.
She remembered her first day in the Military Police, the sense of pride she had felt. She was no fool, she had not joined out of any sense of desire to serve the nobility or keep the peace, but she had still felt proud of that moment. She had proven herself to be better than the rest of her comrades in the cadets.
The day she had been promoted into the First Interior Squad had been one of her happiest in her life. Unlike so many others in the Military Police, she had never once relaxed on her training. She had put aside all distractions, ended relationships, done everything in her power to advance and prove herself as better than the rest, until one day it had finally been recognised.
A chance to serve with some of the Military Police's best. Proof that she was better than all others.
A fate, which had left her broken and frozen on the floor of a crystal cavern, surrounded by the dead comrades she had once thought of as equals. What a disappointing end to her life… but not one she could find it within herself to regret.
'I did it, achieved everything I wanted. If it wasn't for Gohan, I would be among the best there ever was… I don't regret a moment of it.'
On the far side of the cavern, the second form of Gohan threw a punch that smashed a man's head into the crystal wall. The wall fractured as he was embedded into it, shards of debris showering those around it as Gohan and the MPs continued to fight. He waved between punches, kicks, and Ki blasts, striking out at all he could reach.
He dodged a bullet shot towards him, the round striking one of their comrades who's body was too weak to stop it as they fell back with a spray of blood. Gohan grabbed the woman who had fired, hurling her into one of her comrades before throwing a punch that crushed the nose of a nearby MP. He reached out and snatched one of the bullet barrels from the mans ammo sleeves, hurling the tube into the palm of a man holding out a Ki blast.
The combination of powder and bullet in the barrel combusted as it hit the Ki ball, both of them exploding outwards as the man lost control of the energy. An MP tried to stand, only to receive a combination of punches that dazed him before one final haymaker flipped him through the air until his head hit the ground, neck snapping as he slumped to the floor.
From the floor, another tried to reload their guns to shoot him. With eyes watching elsewhere, Gohan raised a palm and blasted them away with ease. Gohan walked away from the carnage, heading towards the other Gohan waiting in the centre.
The two Gohan's reconvened as they watched the surviving handful of MPs fleeing further into the cavern. From almost three dozen down to almost a half dozen left, the dead and dying filled the cavern in various states. Some had been clean, others had not.
Gohan had not relished the killing. Each life he'd taken felt like a stain on his soul. Unlike his father or Vegeta, he hadn't enjoyed the fighting itself either. He felt no joy from using his strength, there was no pride in being more powerful than others. But he felt… a responsibility. He fought with the strength and brutality that he had been taught by Piccolo and his father, for the reasons that they had taught him too.
He had to protect people, and that meant stopping everyone here for good.
Clasping hands, the second Gohan faded as they rejoined together. He felt his power return, doubling back up to its now familiar level. With his increased power came a naturally increased Ki sense, as he picked out the remaining figures in the cave. The remaining MPs had flocked around one figure that was slowly walking towards him.
It was a strong power, stronger than any of the other MPs, which was bizarre as to why they hadn't fought. The answer as to why became a little clearer as they came walking into view.
The six surviving MPs had taken to flanking the newcomer, each of them visibly failing to swallow their dread as they came closer. The woman they guarded however, didn't look frightened at all. Instead she seemed… resigned. It didn't matter though, as Gohan was instantly on guard as he recognised her from Kuno's memories.
"You're the queen, aren't you?"
She may not have been dressed in full royal regalia, but her clothes marked her instantly as one of incredible wealth.
"I am her majesty Queen Frieda, the true and rightful ruler of the Eldian people, and of Paradis Island. You… are Gohan Son. An alien to this world." She snarled the words at him, glaring at him with a rather sudden level of hatred.
His eyes narrowed at her words. How the hell had she known that he was an alien? Had Historia or Ymir told her? It seemed unlikely, but he couldn't figure out an alternative off the top of his head. He dismissed it as something to find out later but was on high alert as he watched her carefully.
"You know who I am, and you know the truth about the outside world. Yet you hid the truth anyway… why?"
She chuckled, apparently amused at being questioned so brazenly in spite of her title.
"It is the will of our nations founder. This nation as you know it had existed this way for a hundred years, ever since the 145th Eldian king, his majesty Karl Fritz decreed the Titans to be a mistake. One the world was better off without. You see only we Eldians can become Titans, and before you came along there wasn't any power in existence that could match it. Our ancestors used the Titan power to forge an empire that spanned the world, subjugating all who dared oppose us. Until it fell, that is. As our empire fell we were forced away onto our island, our new home. As penance for the horrors we had unleashed upon the world, our people were to fade away. We were to remain in these walls until our time finally came to an end. But you… you've changed things. Your Ki, your alien ways, you've upset the balance of power so much already, and you did it all by accident. You've made people stronger, strong enough to reclaim the walls and all the lands beyond if they wanted to. If I don't do something, you'll undo a hundred years of penance. You'll drive these people right back to their conquering ways, bring ruin on the rest of the world. I can't allow the evil of our past to be repeated. If you were truly a good man, you would understand that what has to happen is necessary, it is owed for all the suffering we caused in our past. I could offer you a chance to bend the knee, to swear your fealty to the rightful Queen of these lands and allow my people to repay the debt they owe. But I already know you'll say no."
She certainly knew him well enough for that, he didn't even bother to acknowledge it. Instead, he studied her as he spoke.
"I've killed a lot of people today already. I did that to protect the people of this land. I hate it, but I'll do it again if I have to. You may know me, but I don't know you, so this is me giving you a chance. If you're truly a queen, then you must care for these people. I give you one last chance to surrender. Do the right thing."
"The right thing? Ha!" Her laughter quickly turned into a snarl. "You don't truly know our people, you don't truly know our history. We are doing the right thing. Our people deserve this fate, we are the sinners who must repay the centuries of blood and conquest we wrought during our empire. It is not you, who decides what is right, and what is deserved. I am Queen. I am the rightful leader of these people, the one chosen by the true god and charged with this duty from beyond the grave. You are nobody, a lost wanderer who has charged himself with controlling their fates. It is I, who decides the fate of our people. Just as our king in the past willed it, as was his everlasting verdict, I will our people to perish. My will is absolute, and it shall not be stopped by the likes of you. A foreigner. An alien. You trespass on my lands."
She sneered at him, a madness behind her eyes that roared in anger at his very presence. Whatever had made her believe this to be true, Gohan knew he could not convince her otherwise. With great sadness, he took a deep breath in preparation for the fight that now seemed inevitable.
"You can't stop me."
"Can't I?" Her eyes held a mix of both curiosity and amusement as she beheld him. Gohan's brow furrowed in confusion. Many had underestimated him already, but she did not seem to be so foolish as to do the same so soon after her guards had utterly failed to stop him.
She took a step forwards, and Gohan felt his knees dropping into a fighting stance on reflex. She smiled at his seeming flinch as she approached. Despite all of her words, there was a large part of her that respected Gohan. He was by everything she had been told and witnessed, a good man, only misguided. But misguided did not mean fool, and he was not going to underestimate her.
Her feet slid apart, taking a wide stance as she threw off the long coat she had been wearing. Taking in a deep breath, she began to concentrate as her power began to rise. It started small, rising slowly as she brought out more and more of the power that dwelled within her. Wind began to billow, her guards slowly losing their grips as they struggled to keep standing against the waves of power that was washing off of her body.
Gohan watched in surprise as her power level rose quickly, without any slowing or wavering in control. The crystal beneath her cracked, whisps of a royal purple aura blooming into existence around her form. The cavern began to vibrate, a slow roar escaping her lips as she powered up, energy spiking higher and higher. Gohan's eyes widened as her energy came closer and closer to his level.
An instant later and she rocketed towards him, her Ki exploding as she powered up. He blocked her blow against his arm, wincing in pain at the shocking amount of power behind the attack. She should not have been this strong, not after such a brief amount of training.
She threw blow after blow against him, each one was quick as a flash as he struggled to dodge them. He kicked her away for some breathing room, eyes widening again as she fell back into a very familiar stance, the same one that Annie had been trained in.
He struck back, dashing forwards to throw a combo that she blocked against her arms. One of his kicks hit her hard in the ribs, and her guard dipped. As he threw a punch to her face, she moved and raised up her guard again, grappling his arm and twisting to throw him over her shoulder.
He crashed into the ground as he recognised the move, one he'd seen Annie use against others in Cadet training. He spun around and kicked out her feet, following up with a blast before she hit the ground that sent her flying upwards into the ceiling. She gasped from the impact, but aside from some brief whisps of steam she showed no signs of caring. Instead, she flew straight towards him again, twin balls of Ki in her hands as she hurled them towards him.
He batted them both away towards her guards, catching the majority of them in the explosion just as she reached him. He ducked and sidestepped her punches, blocking one against his arm that shook the ground. She tried to grapple him again, but he slipped out of it and chopped into her neck as her hands were down.
He felt her windpipe collapse beneath his fingertips as he struck and darted away as she fell back clutching her neck. There was a spark of electricity and steam from around her throat as it reformed back into shape with a sickening crunch of moving bones and the squelch of flesh and muscle.
"What the hell are you?" Gohan questioned as she cleared her throat with a cough and took her fighting stance once more. "You may have a Titan form, but that should not make you this powerful."
She began to chuckle, smirking as she rolled her neck and stretched her muscles.
"I'm not just the Queen because of my lineage. I am the one in possession of the Founding Titan, I am the link to the god of all Titans, to Ymir herself. With the Founding Titan and the Ki control I've learned, there's nothing I can't do. No limit to what I can become."
Her aura flared as she began powering up once more, her Titan electricity crackling as her body suddenly bulked up. She was taller, her muscles bigger and more defined, and her power level spiking even further.
"RAAAAGH! I am the God Queen of these lands! These lands are mine! These people are mine! If you won't bow Son Gohan, DIE!"
The ground around her exploded as she rocketed towards him. Fist raised and shaking with power. He struck back as she came towards him, their fists striking each other and unleashing a shockwave that rocked the cavern.
REFLEXIONES DE LOS CREADORES 
Trusty_McGoodGuy
Trusty_McGoodGuy AN: Ladies and gentlemen, the time you have all been waiting for. In the red corner, a Saiyan hybrid from another world. In the blue corner, a queen with Titan powers connecting her to a god. Who will win? We shall find out, as it's time so... LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLEEEEEEEE!
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Next chapter due: 17/07/23
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