Draugzel
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Chapter 82: Sweet Home
🕑 Added 2023-01-09 17:20:59 +0000 UTCBatman wordlessly looked at the large circular structure with a series of intricate magical symbols etched into its surface. It stabilized the bridge between the two universes enough to support the travel of two people. In the periphery of his vision, he could see the two who were supposed to leave this universe through the gate. The young 'Saiyan warrior' and his half-demon companion were eagerly looking at the gate.
Although he still didn't know for certain that everything he said was the truth, the lasso and his subsequent actions minimized the falsity of his statements. Of course, even divine lassos could fail and be tricked. People could also act well enough to fool him, so he had been on guard during the entire time this Saiyan had roamed this world. Until now, he had shown himself to be genuine.
Despite showing no interest in working as a hero, he hadn't revealed any hostile intentions either. Obviously, this didn't calm him down completely as his threat level continued to rise with every day he remained and with every action he took.
The energy signature that was casually coming off him was already shocking enough, but when he was training, it had continuously risen. Coupled with his action of preventing Trigon's arrival, who was said to have conquered entire dimensions and universes, only to then slay Darkseid, their strongest foe to date, he was more than just a danger hazard. Batman was sure that one move of his could spell doom for the entirety of mankind.
He might have calmed down if the Saiyan had stopped after killing a new god, but he didn't stop there. It was like he couldn't go without training or fighting for just a few days. After delivering the news that his return was delayed for another two weeks, he had mentioned that it was fine since 'they killed time by having dates in Hell.'
At that time, he wasn't sure whether he was joking, but he just took his words at face value and called upon the magical contacts he had. He told them to keep their ears open for any rumors circulating in Hell.
He got a response quickly, and he wasn't ready for it. The demons of Hell were being wiped out by unrelenting darkness. A natural catastrophe, unstoppable, unyielding, and ever-expanding to the next demon's territory, while the ruler of Hell was doing nothing to prevent it.
At least, that was what the demons thought it was. It was truly a nightmare for the demons, but only the possible consequences of Hell collapsing were concerning Batman. Truthfully, both events, Darkseid's demise and the extinction of the demons weren't bad news. However, the far-reaching consequences of both actions were unpredictable and significant at the same time. Not a combination he liked to deal with.
He didn't know if Shallot and Raven were a blessing or a curse for their universe yet. One thing was for certain, though. He liked the idea of them returning to their universe. It wasn't his style to pass the risk on to another person - even another version of himself -, but he was already getting a headache to come up with countermeasures.
Even after all the time, the only countermeasures he had come up with could only be implemented with several highly unlikely scenarios or they could be trumped by brute force alone, which these two had plenty of. He internally shook his head. He had all the data he needed. It was only a matter of time until he found something and if he didn't, the threat wouldn't affect his turf...
"You know..." The Saiyan started and Batman could feel the other league members shift their attention to the young man. Despite what potential threat he represented, he had earned the goodwill of most of the heroes that knew of his deeds. Though most, just like himself, were waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Usually, especially the prideful ones that the Saiyan seemed to belong to, were revealing their true colors when victory was in sight. The other heroes knew this as well, which was partly why they had assembled. He had even called Constantine to watch the ordeal, which had been easier with his and Zatanna's relationship blossoming.
The Saiyan continued. "... I am technically not a Justice League member in my universe." He knew it. Batman narrowed his eyes at the Saiyan, who smirked at him in return, though according to his body language, it wasn't because he wanted to be provocative.
"Yeah. Well, I am a founder of our world's Justice League. However, we kind of had a falling out and I am not sure whether I can still be considered one of them. To be honest, it was probably mostly because of bad timing..." He scratched the back of his head as he sighed. No one interrupted him, so he would continue revealing more. "They had just returned from some time travel shenanigans and had been feeling the aftereffects of the changed timeline."
Batman caught sight of the Flash in the back. He knew too well how time travel might affect someone. Flash had been a close living example of it.
"I wasn't the same person they knew. So, some things that might have been resolved with a talk escalated when they figured out that I was trying to time travel. They hadn't taken it too well. Understandably, we clashed because of our difference in opinion, and because I wanted to go through with it, anyway." The Saiyan and his companion comfortingly intertwined their hands as all the symbols on the circular structure lit up as they were supplied with energy. It wasn't clear who was comforting who.
"I guess I am quite stubborn on the subject, but I can't let it go. I need to return to my original universe." Just from the sentence alone, it was easy to gather that there were a lot of nuances and information they lacked to completely understand the situation. Batman also realized why the Saiy- why Shallot was telling them this now.
"I needed the information from the past, so I could build a similar portal like this to return to my own universe, and I can't let anyone get between me and my goal. So, after you sent me back..." Batman watched as Shallot's previously relaxed features hardened. His posture grew tense and battle ready.
"It will probably be rough on them and considering that I am stronger than they are, they will probably lose." He wasn't truly talking to them. He used them as a mediator between himself and his Justice League to say that he won't waver on his path, but he also wants to be understood and get their approval.
It was why he had said this before the portal opened to his universe and not afterward. He knew they could stop this process at any point in time. Perhaps not consciously, but certainly subconsciously, he was gauging his own Justice League's reaction by theirs.
"You and your Justice League had cooled down for quite some time now. They must have acclimatized to the timeline by now. Perhaps you should try to talk to them again." Batman said, causing Shallot to divert his attention away from the portal again to look at him. It was the least he could do. This man was troubled, but if he went back to his universe with that hostile energy, it would be rough on the other side.
Of course, he could try to prevent Shallot's return by destroying the portal, but he doubted he would succeed. Shallot had already made his stance clear, 'No one would stand between him and his goal'. Martian Manhunter had already clued them in that he felt a vast psychic energy wafting off the young man. If he wanted to, no one could move a single muscle.
Superman approached Shallot and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Just don't get too rough on them. You're a good kid. I am sure you can reconcile." Shallot glanced at Superman for a moment before nodding.
"I will try, but I won't promise anything." After saying that, several beams of energy shot into the center of the structure, drilling into reality, trying to connect to one another.
"Best of luck," Batman said as he watched the portal manifest. Although he saw the potential danger in him, he couldn't deny that he also saw some good in him. The potential for good might even be greater than the one for destruction.
It wasn't only because he was targeting what could be said to be pure evil, but he had also warned them about Darkseid beforehand. He could have taken him out without warning them, but he had gone out of his way to deliver that message. It was clear that it was a safeguard in case something went wrong and he couldn't deal with Darkseid himself.
Given his brash personality, this cautiousness had probably been cultivated through his experience as a hero. Batman realized they wouldn't be the ones that could completely bring out the good in him. This wasn't something he could help with, or maybe even anyone from this universe. However, Shallot's Justice League could guide him to the right path and now they could send him where he could be helped.
Whether it would end in a disaster was out of his hands, and despite how it irked him to not have control over it, he knew this young man didn't need hostility and distrust. The other league members gave him words of encouragement as well, which clearly took the young man off-guard before he quickly reined in his surprise and gave them a nod. Perhaps this positive feedback would urge him to be less hostile and ease his return a bit.
After they said their goodbyes, he hesitated for a moment before he turned to look at them again. "If you have some powerful enemy you cannot deal with, give us a call. The stronger the better… I always love a good fight."
The other Leaguers send him off with some words of agreement and positive nods, while Batman hoped it would never go that far. However, he accepted the words for what they were, Shallot's willingness to do good.
...
This was really uncomfortable, I thought as I felt my body being compressed and stretched thin before I covered us with a ki barrier that protected us from the strangeness of this wormhole between universes. It was finally time to return to our universe. We hadn't spent too much time in this one, just a couple of weeks, but I was already fed up with it.
The enemies there were too weak... Of course, not that it would be any different in my universe. I had already grown pretty powerful during the last couple of weeks. Most of it was ki control and coming up with some improvements and new techniques, but the increase was still substantial.
Kara should have her interview right now. It took some convincing for her to take it despite our potential return. She had only agreed when I told her it would probably fail again and she would have canceled for nothing.
Of course, I knew the likelihood of it failing again was rather low, but I didn't want her to drop everything just because we were returning. Who knew if there were some mishaps again? Wouldn't she be even more disappointed?
To be fair, my reasoning that this might fail again wasn't something I made up. I hadn't forgotten that guy in the chair who had watched us being dragged away by space and time.
I still wasn't sure who he was, but there was just no chance that he didn't partake in our departure. It wasn't unlikely that he would interfere with our return, and if he did, then I was going to whoop his ass. If he didn't come to stop us, then once I found who he was and where he was hiding, I would still whoop his ass. Of course, before that, I was going to look at the data that had been already gathered from Arva by Westmob.
It was the top priority after greeting Kara, but I was sure it wouldn't be the first thing that would wait for me. I could already imagine the lineup of the entire Justice League with probably a couple of extras in case we had to duke it out again.
I was four times stronger than the last time we fought. Back then, I had combated them with my clone while making sure not to kill them as I just wanted to keep them at bay. Even if I used a clone now, it would still be double as strong as I was with my full power back then...
My heart was beating calmly. Normally, I would feel excited about the prospect of a fight-
Raven's fingers, which were intertwined with mine, squeezed a little to center me and bring my thoughts to a less hostile place. Perhaps I truly didn't need to fight them. From what Kara had said, they seemed rather approachable and even looked forward to my return. Some more than others, but I take what I could.
My thoughts stopped wandering when we exited the portal with a hump. We landed on the clinical floor of a familiar and obviously rebuilt lab, while the portal behind us closed. I looked around and found the scientists cheering. Dr. Wakati greeted me with a nod before he walked away. He was probably returning to his research.
He certainly wasn't interested that his boss had returned, huh? Despite the potential future trouble, I couldn't help but smile. Oh, home sweet home. The first thing on my agenda was visiting Kara, so she wouldn't be mad at me for 'ignoring' her.
I should probably check my training hall as soon as possible as well. I was sure it was probably infested with countless bugs. Perhaps even the system was compromised, but it wasn't like I had much to hide anymore. My criminal acts were exposed as well as my plans, but if they think they could prevent me from walking toward my goal, then they truly didn't know me.
I dismissed the thoughts about what might happen in the future, as I couldn't change it. Just let it come. I spread my senses to see where Kara was. Perhaps she was already back home again.
As I spread my senses, I could feel the ease with which my senses spread out. The sudden sensation made me realize how much I had been suppressed in that other universe. Even my senses had been worse off. After a moment of contemplation, I roused my ki, powering up slightly. I felt the ki rush through my body at 30 times the speed as it should have normally. I finally realized what had truly happened, what was different.
A few days ago, I thought I was able to unlock more of my power… I didn't unlock more power, but my control increased tremendously. My power had been suppressed to 1 percent of my full capacity, but I had increased the efficiency of my ki usage to where I was at 30 percent of my original full capacity. This realization made me also realize why my ki control had increased this rapidly.
I got used to emptying all of my ki before absorbing it all with minimal loss only to redo it over and over again. It wasn't my body adapting. It was me improving my ki control by moving such a large amount of ki all at the same time while being under the suppression of the universe. Considering that the amount of ki didn't change, meant that I was moving the equivalent of 30 times what I would normally move.
The only reason I didn't realize this before was that when I was targeting to improve my ki control, I usually use it in tandem with my techniques. Of course, I would notice that I was improving quickly with my clones since I was using at least half of my ki to create them.
It wasn't the act of my ki being outside of my body before being reabsorbed, that increased my control. This was also the reason that not all the ki I released 'adapted to the suppression of the universe', otherwise, it would have allowed me to reach my full power temporarily. It wasn't my ki that changed, it was how efficiently I used it under these circumstances!
I was like a fish out of the clear water, which unknowingly learned to swim inside a swamp, thinking it should be as fast as before. Now that I was back inside the clear water, my movements were much more efficient than how I swam before. Over there I thought I had unlocked 30 percent of my full power, but in truth, I was able to use my ki better.
In other words, my ki control was now around 30 times better than it was before!
When that realization hit, I thought back on the feeling I got when I thought about going to the limits of Super Saiyan after training to have over 30 percent 'unlocked' of my full power. After all, I could adjust to the increase of strength I gained when I was a Super Saiyan.
Considering that my power wasn't truly 'locked', it meant that I couldn't have unlocked more of it, so why did I get a bad feeling when I thought about continuing that training to increase my power?
Since it wasn't because I unlocked more of my 'locked' power, but an increase of ki control. An increase of how efficiently my ki, my Super Saiyan power flowed through my body... What did it mean for me to reach a point where I thought that it would be a bad idea to train my strength even further?
There shouldn't be a bad thing about better ki control and a bit more training, right? As I thought back to how I almost punctured a hole into that reality, I realized something. The only reason I felt like going to the limits of Super Saiyan was a bad idea with my highly increased control was if any increase would be too high for that universe to handle. An increase I couldn't immediately control!
An increase as a Super Saiyan that I couldn't immediately adjust. There was only one scenario where that would happen... I would have turned into an Ascended Super Saiyan!
My blood was boiling as I thought about it. My fist clenched in anticipation. Super Saiyan had been pushed to the limit, and I now realized I could already step into the next level.
"… te- Nathan, you good??" Raven asked with a worried and weirded-out look. I looked around and saw that even the scientists were staring. Oh, I was laughing like a maniac. Considering that I had just entered this universe, and stood around for a moment before laughing, they probably were getting nervous.
"Sorry. Was just excited to have returned." I answered while coughing into my fist. I shook my head. It hadn't been a few minutes since my return, and I was already thinking about training again. Kara would probably be livid if I wanted to train to reach Super Saiyan 2, right?
"Let's just go home and wait for Kara there. I hope she kept Diana out of my room." Raven muttered as she was creating a portal back to our home. We returned to our house and found it mostly the same, though there were some small trivial changes that made the overall feel of it off, somehow.
It was like a stranger had gone through your stuff. A sensible stranger that cleaned up your stuff, but still...
At that moment, my eyes shot toward the Watchtower. I had already noticed that several members of the Justice League had gathered there with Shayera and Diana flying toward it at a fast speed. At first, I hadn't thought about it too deeply, but Wonder Woman wasn't the type of hero to arrive late.
Considering the speed at which they flew, it seemed like there was an emergency gathering. It was almost nostalgic. To think that once I had returned home, a threat would appear, which caused almost the entire league to gather.
Suddenly, two life forces appeared out of nowhere, as if they had teleported there. I couldn't help but frown. They couldn't be new members of the league, right? How could they teleport inside, anyway? There was still a magical barrier around the Watchtower to prevent forceful teleportation inside. Of course, if it was a technical portal, it should bypass the magical barriers-
These thoughts were dismissed when I noticed the league seemed to have surrounded the two. Was the Watchtower under attack? I focused on the two life forces that had appeared and found them to be pitiful, but my instincts told me to not underestimate them. It was a weird feeling, almost illusory.
"I think the Justice League is under attack," I said to Raven, who had already picked up that something was wrong and had been waiting for me to clue her in.
"... Do you want to help them?" She carefully asked, and I suppose it was a good question. I conflicted with them, but that didn't mean I wanted to see them die. They were heroes I had admired since I was a child. It was just that my goals didn't align with their sense of justice and morality.
From what Kara had told me, they seem to be ready to talk it out and even help me, but could they be trusted...? They were probably thinking the same about me... After thinking about it for a moment, I nodded. "I have to talk to them, eventually. Let's get it over with." I would use this opportunity to see where we stood, but I wasn't too hopeful.
With that in mind, I searched for the League's communicator and entrance ticket to the Watchtower and found it where I would usually put it when I had gone into my training hall. It would send information to the Watchtower after all. I had always thought about it as a bug I willingly took with me.
To my surprise, it was still there in the same spot. From the looks of it, it seemed to have been upgraded. Were they hoping I would take it with me again once I returned? Be a member of the Justice League again? Although I didn't hate them and wished them the best of luck if they didn't stop me, I wasn't interested in being a member again.
Too much trouble for too little gain. Besides, with the trust broken, I wasn't sure if it would be a good idea to be part of the team again. As complicated thoughts ran through my mind, we rose to the sky.
It never took long to arrive where the Watchtower was and now that I was so much more powerful, it had been less than a blink of an eye before we arrived. To be honest, I should have let Raven stay at our home, but I didn't think of it as we had spent the last weeks at each other's side almost the entire time. Besides, I doubted she would have accepted being left behind.
The hangar door automatically opened as I approached. It seemed they hadn't locked me out of the system and even the magical alarms didn't start when Raven stepped inside. Either they had created a trap for us or integrated her magic signature into the barriers, so she could enter and exit as she pleased. A sign to show their trust?
We traversed through the halls quickly before arriving in the hallway leading to the meeting room. The doors were open, and it was deathly silent. Even though I had thought about a lot during my flight here. It had only been a couple of seconds since the two life forces had arrived here and considering that the life forces of the league were all good; it meant that they hadn't been killed instantly.
I walked through the doors, and many eyes snapped at me. The leaguers were surprised to see me. Did they not know that we were arriving today? Of course, I had told Kara not to tell them, but I figured Batman had all kinds of bugs all over my company. My brief contemplation instantly stopped when I saw the two figures in the midst of the settled dust of wood from the destroyed table.
And for the first time meeting someone, their eyes drifted to a particular trait of mine. The two figures looked at my belt-tail in surprise, while I couldn't help but stare at them in shock. Was this for real? The person on the left was smaller than I was but still taller than his companion.
They were wearing a slightly different version of the latest outfit I remembered them wearing. Although it looked familiar enough to be recognizable at a glance, there were still differences that didn't let me place from which timeline they were from.
However, there was no doubt in my mind, considering their hairstyle and demeanor. Those two were Kakarot and Vegeta.
Comments
SilasDrekken
He was getting too strong for the DC universe, guess it’s time to go full DBZ.
Yeah, I realized this one is brutal, but I don't have the energy or mental capacity to continue for now. :/
Bob
What, nooooo, you can't leave it on that cliff for two-weeks! Hope you get/ do better this week. Looking forward to where this is going
