Rachel's POV
Pain lanced through my soul with every beat of my wings.
"It hurts… dammit… it hurts so much…"
"But I can't stop… Not when… I've finally found his weakness."
As I maintained my Raven form, I quickly assessed the situation.
Minutes earlier
I separated from the battle while Mom held the line. Direct confrontation was failing—this Emperor-level soul had centuries of combat experience and even participated in the first great war of the Higher Realms.
Even manipulating the Primordial Laws, we'd only managed to stall him.
"There has to be a weakness. Think, Rachel, think."
I closed my eyes, replaying everything I'd observed. His King Realm cultivation and his battle-honed combat instincts were above us. But then, after a moment, it clicked, and I opened my eyes.
"He's a foreign soul in a borrowed body, and it's from another realm altogether. The fusion can't possibly be complete yet."
A soul that powerful would need time to fully integrate with a foreign body. Until then, his greatest strength would become his weakness—his Emperor-level soul would be vulnerable to soul attacks while trapped in an incompatible vessel.
I looked up at the rift, watching it continue to shrink. Higher Realm energies still bled into our atmosphere.
"This… could work." A thought crystallized as soon as the words left my lips.
My dark flames—evolved hellfire—could damage souls directly. But an Emperor-level soul? My current power wouldn't even scratch it. I needed something stronger, a way to amplify them beyond their natural limits. The problem was, processing energies this potent normally required time I didn't have.
Unless…
What if I bypassed my inner world entirely? Use Dad's soul shard as a direct conduit for the Higher Realm energy, then route that refined power back through my inner world to merge it with my own Ki.
I steadied my breath and tested the theory on a small scale—just a thread of Higher Realm energy channeled through the shard. When it worked without tearing me apart, I knew the concept was sound.
But scaling it up? That was different. To hurt Citro, I'd need to channel exponentially more energy. One slip in control, even for a second, and my soul would shatter. I wouldn't just die—I'd cease to exist. Everything that made me me would fracture into raw energy and scatter across the realm. No afterlife. No reincarnation. Just… gone.
Just then, a thunderous crash attracted my attention downward. Citro had Mom pinned beneath his foot.
"How dare he!"
My decision crystallized instantly.
"To hell with the risk. No one hurts my mom!"
I closed my eyes and sank into complete stillness, my consciousness descending into my inner world. Ki flowed freely as I manifested my soul body fully—my complete Raven form. This was the Integration Realm's true nature, soul and body united as one. Three rings of dark crimson flame ignited around me.
In this state, I was at my most powerful—and my most vulnerable.
Dad's soul shard trembled in my inner realm as I began drawing Higher Realm energy through it. The shard blazed brighter and brighter, illuminating my inner world's sky like a star as raw power flooded my manifestation—untamed, almost too much to contain. My wings erupted with dark crimson light, the power's intensity rivaling the moment I'd first entered Zeta's cockpit, when its God Ki had filled me with this same invincible feeling.
Cracks formed along my ethereal body almost immediately, but the energy was coalescing, ready to unleash. I opened my eyes, feeling the power surge through me, and locked onto my enemy below.
Citro raised his leg for another strike against Mom.
Seeing this, I didn't hesitate.
With a thought, I willed space to ripple directly beneath him. The distortion caught him mid-attack, yanking him upward through warped space until he materialized in the air before me, surprise flashing across his features.
"What—" he started.
ROAR!
I didn't let him finish. Drawing on every ounce of channeled power, I released a roar that shook the alien sky. My beak opened wide as dark crimson flames erupted forth—empowered by both Dad's God Ki and the raw Higher Realm energy flowing through the shard.
The intensity was unlike anything I'd achieved before.
The moment my flames struck his hastily erected shield, that section of sky ignited in blazing crimson. The inferno raged so fiercely it seemed nothing could survive beneath it.
"Work, dammit, work!"
The strain began mounting instantly, becoming excruciating. Hairline fractures spread like spiderwebs across my ethereal form, but I refused to let go, pouring everything into maintaining the assault.
But soon, for one brief moment through the inferno, I caught a glimpse of his expression—it changed, becoming solemn.
"I was right!"
He was being pushed back. This arrogant bastard was actually on the defensive—truly on the defensive.
"It's working. My hypothesis was correct."
His Emperor-level soul was his greatest strength, but newly revived and still adjusting to its borrowed body, the incomplete fusion made it vulnerable. The very vessel that enabled his resurrection had become his prison.
But as he pushed back against my flames, I felt mounting pressure. We were reaching a standstill.
"…Stop now… face permanent destruction…" His voice cut through the roaring flames in fragments.
"Tell me, little demon… how long before your soul shatters completely?"
ROAR!
Ignoring his words, I pressed harder. The crimson flames intensified as more cracks spread across my manifestation.
"Very well." The chill in his tone was unmistakable. "If you're so eager to destroy yourself, I'll oblige."
Everything changed in that instant.
He dissolved his barrier. For a split second, feeling no resistance, I thought my flames would engulf him—but then dozens of grey energy spears materialized before him, piercing through the fire toward me.
"Let's see how long your desperation lasts against true power!"
ROAR!
I channeled more energy, reinforcing my attack to meet the incoming spears head-on. The pain was becoming unbearable, but I couldn't stop—not now.
Even as I poured more power into my attack, the spears tore through my flames with alarming speed, closing the distance in moments. Just as they were about to pierce me—mere inches from impact—a streak of light blazed through the air.
The streak of light intercepted the spears mid-flight, shattering them on contact. The light continued its path, circling my massive form in a protective arc before materializing into the gleaming broadsword form of the Lunar Edge, positioning itself between me and Citro.
Shocked by the sudden intervention, I flapped my wings and pulled back. When my gaze finally fell on the Lunar Edge hovering protectively ahead of me, relief washed over me—bringing me back to the present moment as I quickly reassessed the situation.
End of POV
Citro's eyes narrowed as he studied the hovering broadsword, sensing the faint trace of its true power. "That weapon…"
"Even without my full strength behind that attack, no ordinary artifact should have countered it." Confusion flickered across his face, deepening into unease. "What kind of artifact is this? The Saiyans never possessed technology of this caliber." His jaw clenched. "Have they truly evolved so much in the Tuffles' absence?"
The question gnawed at him for only a moment before he forced it aside. "It matters little. The weapon remains sealed and now separated from its master." A cold smile touched his lips. "Without sustained God Ki, the spirit inside can't maintain this protection much longer—it will be forced into slumber soon enough." His gaze drifted to Diana below, still recovering. "One hybrid protecting another. How touching."
His gaze lifted to the rift above, killing intent surging. "I'm done playing."
Grey energy coalesced in his raised palm, drawn from his core and compressed into a single, devastating point. The sphere grew with each passing second, its gravitational pull distorting the surrounding air. Reality itself began to buckle.
"Let's see if your precious weapon can withstand this." He then hurled the sphere directly at Lunar Edge.
Rachel, having just managed to stabilize herself, felt the overwhelming might bearing down. Her eyes widened as she sensed the space laws buckling. 'He still can't manipulate the primordial laws directly—otherwise we'd already be dead. But to achieve the same result through raw power…' Horror and awe warred within her. "This madman will destroy everything."
Lunar Edge responded with a resonant hum. Divine light erupted from its blade as the weapon expanded to massive proportions, plunging into the ground to form a massive barrier of light between the attack and Rachel. The sphere continued expanding as it closed in, feeding on the Higher Realm energies saturating the air. Debris below trembled and rose, drawn into its orbit. Soon even light itself bent toward its gravitational pull.
Citro watched with cold detachment, as if the potential annihilation of this world meant nothing. "Once these pests are eliminated, I'll enter the rift and ascend. This Lower Realm will fade to distant memory as I prepare for the Tuffle race's return and our revenge against the Higher Realms."
As the attack struck, Lunar Edge's divine shield buckled. Cracks formed and spider-webbed across the barrier as the weapon's spirit poured everything it had into protecting its master's daughter.
But the sword spirit knew its limits. Diana hadn't reached King Realm yet, so its seals remained locked—only a quarter of its true power accessible in its current state. In the hands of a powerhouse, the unsealed blade could cut down Emperors and draw God Ki directly from the realms themselves. But now, sealed and separated from Diana, sustained only by dwindling reserves, it was running out of time.
The shield fractured further. A few more seconds of this, and it would shatter.
Yet the sword's pride wouldn't allow failure. Forged by the Saiyan God himself, it had promised Diana it would protect Rachel. It would keep that promise—no matter the cost.
In that instant, it made its decision.
"I'm sorry, master," the sword spirit's voice echoed across the distance to Diana's mind. "I won't be able to follow you for a while. Please… take care of yourself and grow stronger until… we meet again."
Diana's eyes snapped open mid-recovery. Her gaze lifted to the sky where light and darkness clashed. Her breath caught.
"Lunar…" The word came out broken. She understood immediately what her partner intended to do. "Thank you."
A single tear traced down her cheek as she closed her eyes.
On the battlefield, the shield finally shattered. In that instant, Lunar Edge redirected every ounce of remaining God Ki and its own essence toward a single target—one of its seven seals.
"OPEN FOR ME!" the sword spirit roared.
The chains binding the seven orange orbs pulsed in unison. One chain trembled, then fell away with a resonant hum. The freed orb blazed—raw divine energy flooding the sword's inner world in a torrent of light.
On the battlefield, Lunar Edge erupted. Brilliant light exploded outward in a blinding cascade, consuming Citro's attack entirely before expanding without restraint. Within moments, a massive pillar of divine power pierced the atmosphere and shot into space.
The devastation that followed was absolute. Meteors vaporized on contact. Debris fields burned to nothing. Planets caught in the pillar's path suffered catastrophic damage—some pierced clean through exploding, others merely grazed yet triggering massive explosions. The pillar carved through the void like a divine blade, leaving only destruction in its wake.
Aboard the Prometheus Javelin, the crew watched in stunned silence. In the distance, the Hegemony fleet—racing toward their homeworld from outer rim border patrol—never saw it coming. The pillar of light tore through their formation without warning.
Dozens of ships disintegrated instantly. The survivors owed their lives to sheer luck—secondary explosions knocking them clear of the pillar's path, or captains reacting with split-second decisions to throw their ships into desperate evasive maneuvers. They watched in horror as their formation tore apart, cold reptilian blood running colder still. Surviving captains traced the trajectory back to its origin, eyes widening in dread. The attack had come from their own homeworld. They couldn't help but wonder, just what kind of enemy were they facing?
From neighboring and distant sectors, the devastation looked as if a pulsar had torn through space itself—drawing the attention of far-off observers who sensed the disturbing power that had suddenly erupted.
Back on the battlefield, the pillar began to compress—condensing into a massive blade of pure energy that descended with apocalyptic force. Having already consumed Citro's attack in its initial surge, it now seized control of all residual destructive forces, redirecting them toward the far side of the planet with Citro directly in its path.
"WHAT?!" Citro's expression twisted in disbelief as he witnessed the reversal. "How is this possible?! WHAT KIND OF WEAPON IS THIS?!"
His shock lasted only a heartbeat before survival instinct took over. He tried to flee, but the attack was already upon him—too fast, too vast to outrun.
"I refuse to believe those primitive savages mastered such power!" he snarled, glancing back at the approaching annihilation. His eyes widened with fury and desperation. "Not like this—I will NOT meet my end mere moments after my revival!"
Gritting his teeth, he pushed his newly acquired body beyond its limits. He drew deeper from the Tuffle genes' reserves, forcing every ounce of power he could muster from this vessel. In a final, desperate gamble to defend himself, he even tapped into a thread of his Emperor Realm soul's true power—a dangerous act that risked destabilizing his incomplete resurrection.
"I. WILL. SURVIVE!" he roared—though in the next moment, his voice was swallowed by the overwhelming force bearing down on him.
As the blade struck, a massive explosion erupted—blinding and all-consuming. For a heartbeat, everything fell silent.
Then the artificial planet shuddered violently. The far side—where the energy had been redirected—cracked. Massive fractures spider-webbed across its surface before entire sections blew apart, disintegrating into space. When the light finally faded, nearly half the planet was gone, reduced to debris drifting in the void.
"Oh my god…" M'gann whispered, stumbling back before collapsing into her seat. Her whole body trembled as they witnessed the devastation through the viewport.
Kara stared at the destruction, her expression grim. Her fists clenched tight. 'This is happening because I'm not strong enough,' she thought, emotions roiling inside her. 'I need to get stronger—much stronger. Rachel… Diana… please be safe.'
"Rao…" Faora breathed, her injuries momentarily forgotten as her blood ran cold. Any lingering thoughts of challenging Earth's warriors vanished completely.
"This can't be happening… this can't be real… this has to be a nightmare… yes, I'm still in the Phantom Zone, this is just another nightmare…" Jer-Em mumbled, his grip on sanity beginning to slip at the sight of such might.
Each of them reacted differently, but the shock of the scene outside reflected in every pair of eyes.
Through the viewport lay a scene of absolute horror—the planet they'd barely escaped now existed as only half its former self. The missing hemisphere had been reduced to debris drifting through space. Massive energy discharges crackled across the wound where atmosphere bled into the void. The planet's core lay partially exposed, glowing ominously against the darkness of space.
Not far away, on what remained of the shattered world, something else stirred once more—something none of them could yet perceive. The attack's impact had strained the fabric of space itself even further. The imperceptible hairline cracks that had first appeared during Diana and Citro's initial clash now deepened and spread like spiderwebs across reality itself, growing wider with each passing moment—still unnoticed amid the chaos.
"Lunar Edge… no…" Rachel's body trembled, tears welling in her eyes as she realized what the sword had done. It hovered before her, having shrunk back to its normal size. "I… I'm so—"
"Don't, Princess," a soft voice interrupted in her mind.
Rachel's breath caught. "Are you…?"
"Yes, Princess. We finally get to talk properly." Despite the strain of forcefully opening and resealing one of its seals, the voice carried a gentle warmth. "Though I would've preferred a peaceful introduction over the middle of a battlefield, hehe."
"Lunar, how can you joke right now?" Rachel's voice cracked, trembling with a mixture of grief and self-directed anger. She knew what this meant—Lunar Edge wouldn't manifest again until Diana reached King Realm. And it was her weakness that had forced this sacrifice.
"Princess, listen to me." The voice softened. "A weapon exists to protect its wielder, what they hold dear, and to slay their enemies. That is my purpose—my honor. Yes, I'll slumber for a time, but I'll awaken when your mother, my master, unlocks the seals herself. So please, don't waste your tears on me. I'm proud I could fulfill my duty."
Rachel fell silent, watching the light around Lunar Edge begin to fade.
"Now listen carefully." The sword spirit continued it's tone urgent. "You've underestimated what it means to stand above Sovereign Realm. Kings—and especially Emperors—can destroy Lower Realms on a whim. Yes, you can hurt him right now. He's freshly revived, still adjusting to his vessel. But if you corner him, he'll abandon this body entirely and manifest his soul directly. When that happens, except for your father, everyone here—you, your mother, this entire realm—will be less than insects before a late-stage Emperor."
The sword's body began turning dull grey, with only a faint layer of light lingering around it.
"I've wounded him, but he's still alive—I can feel his energy signature. It's faint, but it's still there. It's only a matter of time before he rises again." The light dimmed further. "Your friends have escaped. Now it's your turn. Take your mother and run. The rift above is closing. He'll have to choose—chase you or return to the Higher Realms before it's too late. He'll likely choose to go since his true goal lies with the Higher Realms." A sigh, and a pause later. "Your only other option is your father. He's the only one who can defeat this enemy."
The sword finally lost its light.
"It's time, Princess." The voice grew faint. "Take care of my master and yourself. We'll meet again… I know it."
The sword flashed one final time, streaking toward Diana before merging into her forehead. It traveled through her inner realm at tremendous speed, racing toward the planet at its center—Diana's inner world. Clouds parted as Lunar Edge descended to its resting place, striking the ground with a resonant impact that echoed through the spiritual landscape. But then the world fell still the next instant. The clouds settled. Silence reigned once more.
Rachel absorbed those words, recalling her soul form and returning to her adult human form. Her helmet materialized as dark red wings unfurled behind her—though they'd lost much of their luster. She understood that Lunar Edge was right. This was their chance.
They'd succeeded. While they fought Citro, the others had escaped—Mother Empress brought the Javelin down under cover of the battle, M'gann evacuating everyone as the ship lifted off toward space. According to their contingency plan, the Javelin would continue out of the sector while Rachel and Diana caught up via spatial ripple, then they'd all jump to hyperspace toward Tamaran. This was Plan Zero.
Seeing her opening while Citro was injured, Rachel shot toward Diana, suppressing the pain radiating from her overtaxed inner realm. She'd never pushed it this far before. As she flew, she sensed the planet changing beneath her—gravity wavering across entire sections of the remaining hemisphere.
Then she saw them. Cracks in space itself—nearly imperceptible even to someone with her connection to the primordial laws of space. Her eyes widened as she grasped the implications. Their battle hadn't just damaged the planet. They'd strained reality to its breaking point. The rift to the Higher Realms was closing, but if these fractures deepened… a new problem could emerge.
She sighed, knowing she couldn't deal with this now—she'd need her Dad to make a move to heal these fractures before reality here shattered. She quickly found Diana, who was circulating God Ki to heal her wounds. By the time Rachel reached her, Diana had recovered enough to stand.
Neither of them had ever burned through this much Ki before. Even during the Thanagarian invasion, when Diana fought Orach's echo—an opponent stronger than Citro—she hadn't expended this much God Ki. But back then, she'd drawn strength from her bond with Orach. This was different. This was the most dangerous fight they'd ever faced on their own.
And they'd lost Lunar Edge.
Rachel steadied her mother. "Mom, let's go. Lunar Edge bought us time."
Diana nodded, surveying the devastated world. "Yes. Let's go."
No more words were needed. Rachel raised her hand, channeling Ki despite the agony in her soul, connecting with the primordial laws to locate the Javelin. After a moment, space rippled before them.
Phuk—
Just then, blood spurted from Rachel's mouth as her Ki flowed through her.
"Rachel!" Diana caught her as she trembled.
"I'm… fine. Just hurts to channel Ki right now. Let's go… I've connected with the Javelin—"
BOOM!
Suddenly, a bloodied figure burst out from the debris cloud. Before either could react, Citro's fist drove into Diana's side, sending her tumbling through the battlefield before she cratered into the ground hundreds of meters away.
"MOM!" Rachel's scream cut off as fingers closed around her throat, lifting her into the air.
Citro's face had withered—the youthful appearance of his new body was gone, replaced by aged, blood-covered features twisted in rage. His left arm hung broken, burns scarred half his torso, but his eyes blazed with pure fury.
"You…" His grip tightened around Rachel's neck. "You insignificant insects… you DARE?" He lifted her higher. "I am a revived Emperor! I have lived for eons! Conquered countless worlds! And you—a mere lower realm hybrid and a pathetic weapon that, despite all its power, actually chose to serve a lower realm ant—think you can wound me?!"
Rachel activated her bloodline in desperation. Her arms transformed into their demonic form, claws raking frantically at his forearm. Her wings beat furiously, razor-sharp feathers wreathed in dark flames lashing at him from every angle. But his good arm—the one choking her—pulsed with grey energy that deflected each strike. Despite her frantic assault, she couldn't break free.
"Look at you now—struggling like the insect you are." His sneer widened as he watched Rachel's desperate thrashing. His eyes blazed red, and focused heat vision lanced directly at her helmet. Layer by layer, the reinforced material buckled and melted until it shattered completely, exposing her face.
"We finally meet face to face, little girl." He paused, studying her contorting expression. "What happened to all that bravado? All those clever attacks? Nothing left to show?" His gaze then drifted toward Diana's crumpled form in the distance before returning to Rachel. His eyes narrowed. "You called her 'mom,' didn't you?"
A flicker of confusion crossed his face before understanding dawned. "That emotion in your voice…" He studied her for a moment longer. "A term of endearment for one's birth-giver, I presume? So she's your mother." His expression twisted into something darker. "To think she birthed you. Then you're not just a hybrid abomination—you're the spawn of a High Demon and a Saiyan hybrid. Oh this is rich! Hahaha." His laugh rang out, cold and cruel. "What a rich mix of bloodlines. And yet, how utterly pathetic you both are."
A distance away, Diana pushed herself up, blood trickling from her mouth. Her battlesuit had absorbed most of the impact, but her ribs still screamed in protest.
The moment she saw Rachel suspended in the enemy's grasp, her expression turned ugly.
"Rachel!"
"Ah, there's the mother." Citro's sneer widened at the shout. He tightened his grip, eliciting a choked gasp from Rachel. "Come. Save your daughter. Show me what else you're capable of."
Diana didn't hesitate. Maternal instinct overrode everything—the pain, the exhaustion, the impossibility of it all. Her daughter was in grave danger. Nothing else mattered. She pulled together every bit of God Ki she'd recovered and transformed, Cardinal Pink energy exploding around her as she launched forward with a desperate roar.
"LET HER GO!"
This time, Citro was in no mood for games. His cold eyes tracked her approach like a predator, his expression controlled and calculating.
At the last instant before her fist could connect, he pivoted. Diana shot past him, momentum carrying her forward—exposed. In one fluid motion, he swung Rachel overhead and brought her down like a hammer straight onto Diana's back.
Before she could react, Rachel's body crashed into her, and the combined force drove her face-first into the ground. The earth cratered beneath them from the sheer impact. Diana's Cardinal Pink aura flickered and dimmed as she lay there, momentarily stunned by the blow.
"M-om!" Rachel gasped, her voice strangled with pain as she clung to his iron grip. Her claws scraped desperately against his forearm, trying to break free. Citro straightened slowly, lifting her higher once more.
Diana heard Rachel's pained cry.
'Rachel…'
She refused to give up. Gritting her teeth, she planted her palms against the shattered ground and pushed herself up. But Citro's foot came down hard between her shoulder blades before she could rise. The impact drove the air from her lungs in a sharp gasp. Her battle suit groaned under the pressure, hairline cracks appeared and started spreading across its surface from the accumulated strain of the entire battle till now. Blood trickled from her nose as the force slammed her back down into the crater.
"Stay down, abomination." He ground his heel deeper, drawing another pained groan from her lips.
"Argh!"
"Much better." His contemptuous gaze bore down at her. "Did you think your transformations made you special, hybrid? That your borrowed legacy gave you an edge?" He sneered. "Your temporary power means nothing. I was conquering worlds before your entire lower realm was even born."
Diana's fingers clawed uselessly at the shattered ground, struggling against the crushing weight pinning her down. "Rachel… run…"
"How adorable—the mother still trying to save her daughter." His sneer deepened as he studied them both. "But I have to say, I never truly understood this concept. This need to protect one's progeny—it serves no logical function. As long as you survive, that's all that matters. You can always produce another." He paused, letting the cruel words sink in. "But I must admit, it's fascinating to study beings like you. Most reactions are predictable, but occasionally we observe something… unexpected. Especially when it comes to progeny." His eyes gleamed as his curious nature took over his rage. "So tell me, hybrid—how do you intend to save this little girl when you can't even protect yourself?"
Tears streaked down Rachel's face as she watched her mother pinned beneath his foot, struggling and bleeding. A strange yet eerily familiar cold fear crept into her heart. The sensation made her recall the premonition she'd had. With Citro's grip crushing her throat, she finally understood what it had foretold. 'No… I can't let this happen.' She couldn't lose her mother. Not like this. Not ever. 'I have to save her… I have to!'
She tried tapping into her inner realm, but agony immediately spread through her soul. Her inner world trembled, struggling to obey her call—it had been pushed beyond its limits throughout the battle.
'No… arrgghh… I have to… arrgh… please, give me more power!' But Rachel couldn't stop. Fighting through the pain, she pushed desperately. Blood trickled from her mouth, then her nose, then her eyes—crimson tears mixing with desperate ones. Her inner world churned violently even as cracks appeared, spreading deeper with each passing turn.
"Foolish girl!" Citro's expression turned cold as his gaze fixed on Rachel. He'd noticed her desperate attempt to summon power and now simply watched her condition deteriorate. "You want to die that badly? Fine—I'll end your suffering."
Through the haze of pain, Diana's eyes found Rachel's bloodied form. Despite her injuries, the blood, the crushing weight pinning her down—she called out to Citro. "Don't… please…"
"Begging? Really?" Citro's expression darkened with disappointment. "How pathetic. I thought you might actually show me something interesting." He glanced up at the closing rift above. "I've lost interest in you both. Time to go." His eyes gleamed coldly. "Don't worry—I'll make good use of your parts and legacies."
"DON'T YOU DARE!" Diana's roar tore from her throat as her aura exploded outward in a violent surge. Deep within her inner world, the Golden Oozaru sensed her desperation—the raw, protective rage of a mother pushed beyond her limits. Its eyes narrowed as a growl escaped its throat, resonating with Diana's fury. It answered with a primal roar that shook the foundations of her being, releasing controlled bursts of its ancient might and God Ki directly into her.
The energy triggered a partial transformation. Her body was already teetering on the verge of collapse, pushed far beyond what it could endure, but she didn't care. Her daughter's life hung in the balance, and that was all that mattered. Strands of her cardinal pink hair darkened several shades as a faint layer of Rosé God Ki flickered to life around her trembling form. The newfound power surged through her limbs.
With a surge of strength she shouldn't have possessed—not at this stage of her growth—Diana drove her body upward against the crushing weight. Citro stumbled back several steps, genuine shock flashing across his face.
"What—how?" Citro exclaimed, Rachel still trapped in his grip. His eyes widened as he stared at Diana. "What is that power?"
But the moment he looked up, Diana was gone—already materialized directly in front of him, eyes blazing with newfound power. His enhanced perception couldn't track her movement. He only registered her presence when her elbow drove deep into his chest with devastating force.
Blood erupted from Citro's mouth in a violent spray. The crimson droplets arced toward Diana, only to evaporate instantly against the crackling pink lightning dancing across her body. Without breaking momentum, her free hand shot forward like a striking serpent, targeting the forearm that gripped Rachel's throat.
Despite Diana's devastating strike, Citro's enhanced physiology absorbed the impact—his forearm barely shifted. But it was enough. For a split second, his grip loosened.
Rachel dropped. Diana caught her mid-fall, pivoting away from Citro in one fluid motion. Her boots tore through the shattered earth as she skidded backward, cradling Rachel protectively against her chest. Every movement sent fresh waves of agony through her injured body, but she pushed through the pain, refusing to stop until she'd put distance between them and their enemy.
"Mom…" Rachel's voice emerged as barely a whisper, blood still trickling from her nose and mouth.
"I've got you," Diana breathed, her arms tightening protectively. "I've got you, my raven."
Citro straightened slowly, deliberately rolling his struck forearm to assess the damage. "Impressive," he admitted, flexing his fingers. "That actually stung." He paused, studying Diana's flickering aura with interest. "But you're running on fumes now, aren't you? That transformation—it's a neat trick, I'll give you that. But it won't last much longer."
He was right. Diana could feel the Rosé God Ki flickering unstably around her, threatening to dissipate entirely. The Golden Oozaru's power—her true strength—grew harder to control with each passing second. The transformation strained her from within, pushing her body to its breaking point. Darkened strands of her hair had already begun reverting to cardinal pink.
"Rachel." Diana's voice dropped to a whisper. "Can you move?"
"I… I think so." Rachel tried to push herself up, but her arms trembled violently under her own weight. Fresh blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. "But I can't use any techniques. My inner realm…" Her voice cracked with pain and exhaustion. "Mom, it's—"
"I know, sweetheart. I know." Diana helped her daughter struggle to her feet, keeping one arm wrapped securely around Rachel's waist for support. She glanced over her shoulder. Behind them, the spatial ripple Rachel had conjured earlier was still open—but like the massive rift above, it too was steadily closing. "We need to reach that portal. Right now."
Diana's mind raced. She channeled her God Ki into her palm, compressing it into a dense sphere of crackling destructive energy, then slammed it into the ground between them and Citro. The explosion was massive—debris, dust, and pulverized earth erupted skyward in a blinding cloud, completely obscuring their position.
Not wasting another second, Diana turned and launched herself forward at maximum speed, practically dragging Rachel toward the closing portal.
"Oh, I don't think so."
Citro's voice cut through the chaos. His form blurred through the dust cloud—he understood their desperate tactic.
Diana's Ki sense screamed a warning. She reacted on pure reflex, shoving Rachel violently to the side just as Citro materialized directly between them and the ripple. His descending fist cratered the ground where they'd been a heartbeat before. Debris exploded outward in a devastating blast of shattered rock and compressed air.
"Did you really think I'd let you escape?" Citro rose from the crater, grey energy crackling ominously around his body. "Before I leave this pathetic realm, I'll make certain you both die here."
Diana positioned herself squarely between Citro and Rachel, her unstable aura flaring desperately. "Rachel," she said quietly, never taking her eyes off their enemy. "When I create an opening, run. Don't look back. Don't hesitate. Don't stop. Just run. Promise me."
"Mom, no! I won't leave you—"
"That's not a request, Raven!" Diana's voice turned cold and authoritative, even as her combat-ready stance never wavered. "You're getting out of here. That's fin—"
Citro struck before she could finish. His fist buried itself in her stomach, folding her body completely in half. Before she could process the pain, his knee drove up with brutal precision to meet her descending face. The impact snapped her head back violently. Blood sprayed in an arc through the air. Diana's vision whited out from the concussive force, and her body launched backward, tumbling through the air without control.
"MOM!" Rachel's anguished scream rang across the battlefield.
Diana's body crashed into a pile of rubble. The faint rosé God Ki that had been flickering around her form sputtered twice, then faded completely. Her hair shifted back entirely to black as her exhausted body forcibly reverted to its base form.
She tried to move. To get up. To fight. To protect her daughter. But nothing happened. Her body simply wouldn't obey, her consciousness fading in and out. 'Get up… Dammit… Get up!'
"Pathetic." Citro appeared above her, looking down with pure contempt. "In the end, that's all you amount to." He raised his foot. "And now, you'll—"
"GET AWAY FROM HER!"
Rachel charged forward with everything she had left, Ki blazing desperately around her trembling fists. Blood streamed from her eyes and nose. Her inner realm felt like it was on the verge of collapsing. But in this moment, she didn't care. Her mother was in danger, and she had to act.
But Citro caught Rachel's desperate punch effortlessly. "Still struggling? Even after everything?" His grip tightened mercilessly around her fist.
Argh!
Rachel cried out as he lifted her by her captured hand, hoisting her into the air to meet his cold gaze.
"How fortunate for me." Citro's energy invaded Rachel's weakened body like poison seeping through her veins. She trembled violently, each breath a desperate struggle. "I don't just get to kill a Saiyan hybrid—I get to exterminate her spawn as well." His smile widened. "An entire bloodline ends today. A fitting beginning to my revenge."
Rachel's struggles grew weaker as his energy continued its assault, disrupting what little Ki control she had left. Her vision darkened at the edges, consciousness threatening to slip away.
"I never thought I'd care to remember this pathetic realm." His eyes glanced toward the closing rift above before he continued. "But this moment? The day I, Dr. Citro of the Tuffles, ended the bloodline of—"
Just then his words died abruptly.
Suddenly, his entire body locked up. His carefully circulating power froze, refusing to respond to his commands. And a sensation he'd almost forgotten—something he hadn't experienced since the darkest days of the Great War—washed over him.
Fear.
Primal, instinctive, absolute fear.
Minutes Earlier-Earth-Gotham City
Wayne Tech
"Breaking news from the Pacific: A massive tidal wave has engulfed Taiwan and large portions of the Philippines. The wave is now bearing down on China's eastern seaboard. Evacuations are underway, but authorities warn that Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Hong Kong face imminent danger—"
The news anchor's voice filled the laboratory. Scientists clustered around their workstations, frozen mid-task, watching aerial footage of churning waters swallow entire cities on the large wall-mounted screen.
"China has declared a national emergency," Vicky's voice next as she narrated over images of military convoys evacuating coastal cities. "Indonesia, Japan, and several other Pacific nations have gone on high alert. The scientific community remains divided on what could have caused a tidal wave of this magnitude—"
"My God," one of the researchers whispered, his face pale. "Taiwan is just... gone."
"Did you see the size of that thing?" one researcher whispered, coffee mug forgotten in his hand. "Nothing like this has ever been recorded."
"Lex Corp's early warning system gave some lead time," another replied, shaking her head. "The UN and Justice League mobilized fast, but..."
"Not fast enough," a third scientist finished grimly. "The wave had already formed when detection went off. Twenty three million... that's how many lived there. The death toll..." He trailed off, unable to finish.
Worried murmurs rippled through the lab.
"First those abnormal phenomenon in the Atlantic, now this? Something's happening in Earth's oceans. Something big."
"What about Atlantis? They just joined the UN, right? Where's their representative—that woman, Mera? Why hasn't she said anything?"
"Maybe they know what's causing—"
CLAP.
A single, sharp sound cut through the speculation making every head turn.
Orach stood in his office doorway, expression unreadable. "I highly suggest you all return to your work," he said calmly. "Leave that situation to this world's champions."
"But sir—" One scientist stepped forward, gesturing helplessly at the screen. "This is massive. The way that wave formed... it's not natural. We can't just—"
"And what?" Orach's eyebrow arched. "You plan to waste your time speculating?"
The scientist's mouth snapped shut.
Orach's gaze swept the room. "I understand this is shocking. I understand you're disturbed by what you're seeing." His tone softened slightly, though his eyes remained firm. "But right now, there's nothing you can do for those people. However, if our work here succeeds, you can ensure something like this doesn't happ—"
He stopped mid-word.
His God Ki stirred—a sharp, sudden pulse that rippled through his awareness. The soul shard he'd anchored within Rachel suddenly flared in distress, its energy signature spiking erratically as it depleted at an alarming rate. Through their connection, he felt Rachel's body being pushed beyond its limits, her life force dangerously close to exhaustion.
At that same instant, his terminal flared to life. A holographic message materialized above it—an urgent priority alert from Mother Empress's offshoot.
[Young master, you are needed. Threat level: EMPEROR]
Orach's expression went cold. A faint silver aura surrounded him. His eyes shifted—the irises transforming into those of his primordial form. One eye burned crimson while the other swirled with intertwined light and darkness.
Without a word, he stepped forward.
Space rippled like disturbed water, and then he vanished—leaving only a faint distortion in his wake.
The laboratory fell silent.
"Did he just..." someone whispered.
"Where did he go?"
No one had an answer.
Present—Battlefield
STEP
A single footfall echoed across the battlefield. That's all it was—one step. Yet it carried more weight than collapsing stars.
Citro's eyes widened as his body began trembling uncontrollably. An overwhelming presence had materialized directly behind him—impossibly vast, incomprehensibly heavy—warping reality itself under its weight. His legs buckled as the pressure descended. The air thickened until even breathing became a struggle, as if existence itself strained to accommodate this newcomer.
In the next instant, Rachel simply… vanished from his grasp.
Citro's shock overrode his fear for a brief moment. His fury surged as he resisted the pressure. "How dare—"
Both his emotions and words died the instant he saw the figure standing meters away.
A man stood before him—tall, powerfully built, clad in armor similar in design to what his ancient enemies once wore.
Rachel lay cradled in his arms, unconscious but breathing, wrapped in a protective layer of green energy. Yet it wasn't the armor, the impossible presence, or even how effortlessly he'd stolen the child from an Emperor's grasp that made Citro's blood run cold.
It was the tail.
A brown tail wrapped protectively around Diana's waist, gently lifting her upright. Green energy enveloped her battered form, stabilizing both her body and damaged battle suit. A cape draped over her form.
'Saiyan.' The moment Citro recognized what stood before him, his eyes turned red. Hatred born from the flames of a great war, pure and absolute, surged within him. He channeled his soul power without hesitation, disregarding the damage it would inflict on his new body, and forced himself upright against the crushing pressure that threatened to drive him to his knees.
He would meet the figure's gaze directly. He would not bow before his ancient enemy.
"How dare you, you sava—"
The man turned his head—just slightly, just enough for Citro to catch a glimpse.
The instant their eyes met, Citro's words died.
One eye of the man burned crimson. But the other… the other was something else entirely. A swirling mix of light and darkness intertwined in impossible harmony, locked in eternal dance. Beautiful yet terrifying in equal measure. Citro felt as though he was gazing into something wrong, something that defied comprehension.
In the next instant, Citro's world shifted.
He found himself cast into a void where darkness consumed everything. This darkness felt pure, terrifyingly cold and empty. It was as if he'd been thrown into the primordial void itself, that infinite nothingness before creation. Cold. Unfeeling. A domain of absolute darkness where only silence reigned.
Citro tried to scream. His throat wouldn't work. He tried to move, to flee, to do anything—but his body wouldn't respond. Or rather, couldn't respond. Because in this place, he soon realized, he had no body. He desperately reached for his vast power, his Emperor Realm soul strength. But nothing manifested. He felt completely cut off. No power. No strength. No way to resist this domain. His mental fortitude and soul power were being systematically overwhelmed by incomprehensible terror pressing in from all sides, crushing him slowly, inexorably…
Then, as abruptly as it began, it ended.
Vision returned in a violent rush. Citro found himself on his knees, gasping desperately for air like a drowning man breaking the surface.
'When did I fall?'
His entire body trembled, drenched in cold sweat despite the battlefield's heat. He looked up frantically.
But the man was gone—vanished as silently as he'd appeared, taking both Diana and Rachel with him. The overwhelming pressure had vanished too.
"What… what was that?" Sweat beaded on Citro's forehead as he gasped, hands shaking against the cracked earth. The memory of that overwhelming terror still echoed through his very soul. "What was he?"
Slowly, his rational mind reasserted itself. Anger flooded back—he felt enraged at being reduced to such a state. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. With a roar of frustration, he slammed both fists into the ground, creating a fresh crater that spider-webbed outward for dozens of meters.
"How dare a savage Saiyan make me feel that way!" His voice shook with barely controlled fury. "How dare he make an Emperor tremble like… like…" He couldn't finish the thought. His pride lay wounded by what had just transpired.
But beneath the rage, soon cold logic took root.
'That power. That presence. If a mere glance could reduce me—an ancient Emperor Realm being who faced countless powerhouses during the Great War—to such a state…'
"He's dangerous," Citro admitted quietly, his expression deadly serious. His eyes looked up to the spatial rift above, now more than three-quarters closed. "Far more dangerous than these two insects. I need to leave. Now."
He launched himself skyward, shooting toward the rapidly closing rift. As he flew, one final thought crystallized—a solemn promise.
"I will remember this. I will remember him. And when I return…" His eyes burned with killing intent. "I'll repay this humiliation a thousandfold."
Prometheus Javelin—Medical Bay—Around the time Citro fell into his trance
Space rippled in the chamber. In the next instant, Orach stepped through—Rachel cradled in his arms, Diana supported by his tail. Green Life Ki flowed from his hands, wrapping around both women—stabilizing their inner worlds, mending severe internal damage, and feeding energy into his soul shard within Rachel.
Two med pods stood ready, their chambers open under Mother Empress's direction.
He laid Rachel gently in the first pod, then moved to the second. His tail unwrapped from Diana's waist as he took her in his arms, positioned her carefully inside, and removed his cape from around her body.
The pods sealed with soft hisses. Healing fluid flooded in, surrounding the two. Their vitals materialized on holographic displays beside the pods.
Just as Orach proceeded to scan the data, examining the detailed injury reports the medical bay doors hissed open.
"Orach!" Kara rushed in but soon froze.
The moment she entered Orach turned his head slightly and their eyes met.
A chill ran down her spine. Those eyes—one crimson, the other swirling with light and darkness—held a cold emptiness that terrified her, despite knowing him better than most outside his family. That blank expression brought back memories of when she'd first met him, when his mere presence had paralyzed her with fear. She'd grown past that over time, learned he was kind beneath the power. But now, feeling that oppressive dread again after so long, she was momentarily frozen.
After a moment, she forced herself to breathe and steady herself as he turned back to the pods.
Her gaze traveled over him. His armor was in its true form rather than the civilian disguise he wore on Earth. His tail wrapped around his waist. Recalling that blank look and those cold eyes, she understood—this was Orach prepared for battle.
Then following his actions, she saw Rachel and Diana suspended in the med pods.
Rachel's body was covered in blood—but what made Kara's eyes widen was the palm print circling her throat. Her fist clenched, expression darkening as she noted the cruelty of the enemy. When her gaze shifted to Diana, she found her mentor's face bloodied as well, the supposedly indestructible battle suit cracked in several places, though already self-repairing as the med pod worked to heal her.
Kara's eyes turned red. She lowered her head, her hair fell forward hiding her face.
A memory flashed suddenly in her mind—her parents sealing her into her ship. Their smiles. The hope in their eyes. Krypton exploding as she screamed and pounded against the glass, helpless as her world died in fire and debris.
Now Rachel—her first real friend after coming back—and Diana—her mentor—lay broken before her. Both had welcomed her when she felt lost in this new age. Both had guided her when she needed direction. Both had given her a place to belong, a chance to overcome the shadow of her failure and become stronger. Both in many ways had become more family to her than even Kal-El, her only living blood relative.
The despair she'd fought so hard to overcome threatened to consume her again.
'Weak.'
'I'm still too weak.'
'Too weak to stand beside them when it mattered. Too weak to protect the people I love.'
'Am I going to lose them too?'
'Why does this keep happening?'
'Am I cursed to keep losing my home again and again?'
Drip
'I got comfortable. Too comfortable.'
Drip
'I should have pushed harder in training. Should have asked for more time on the Void Sentinel instead of settling into Earth's quiet daily life.'
Drip
'If I'd been stronger—if I'd trained harder—I could have been there with them. Could have helped. Could have—'
"Kara."
Orach's calm voice pulled her back from her spiral. Startled, she looked up to find him standing right in front of her. His eyes—the same ones that had terrified her moments before—now strangely gave her a sense of calm as they met hers.
"Orach, I—"
"They'll be fine. They just need time," he said, his tone calm and certain.
He raised his hand and took her left hand in his, sending Life Ki flowing through her. "Don't let your thoughts run wild. Stay here and monitor their recovery."
The warmth of his Life Ki made her break away from his gaze and glance down. She blinked twice. Blood trailed beneath the glow—her own blood. Only then did she realize how far she'd spiraled. She'd been so lost in despair that she hadn't even felt her nails dig into her palms hard enough to break skin.
In the next moment, he released her hand and turned toward the med pods.
Space rippled before him.
"Mother Empress, take the Javelin out of this sector. Rendezvous with the Titans in Tamaran space, then escort them back to Earth."
"Understood, young master. But what if they insist on staying to fight the Citadel?"
Orach paused mid-step. When he spoke again, his voice had turned cold. "Leave those who want to stay. Take Diana and Rachel home with whoever chooses to return." He stepped toward the ripple. "If the others want to die here, that's their choice."
He stepped through and vanished.
"Wait! What do you—"
Kara reached out, but she was too late. The ripple in space closed before the words left her mouth and she stared at empty air.
"Dammit. This isn't good."
She looked back at Rachel and Diana floating in their pods.
"Of course he's angry. If I'm this angry, I can only imagine his rage…"
She understood—he was returning to the battlefield to face whatever had done this to his family. But those words… that chill in his voice… that expression… Rachel had once warned her that when Orach wore that blank, unreadable expression, that was when he was most dangerous. Anyone who provoked that state would face a fate worse than death.
The ship hummed as the repulsor engines increased output. Mother Empress began preparations for the hyperspace jump toward Tamaran space. Twenty-five seconds until they jumped to safety.
'No.'
Her expression hardened with determination.
She turned and bolted from the medical bay, towards the shuttle bay.
She was weak—far too weak for the battle about to unfold.
But she could still do something.
She wouldn't run. Not this time.
Present Time—The Rift
Citro soared through the sky, eyes locked on the rift overhead. It had shrunk to just a few meters across, but he could still feel Higher Realm energy washing over him, calling him home.
Finally. After countless cycles trapped in this inferior realm, freedom was within reach.
His vessel was failing—both from channeling Emperor-level soul power and from his earlier injuries. But it didn't matter. Once through the threshold, he could reach the Tuffles' outpost and heal. Reconstitute himself in a form befitting his true station.
He extended his hand toward the rift's shimmering edge. Rich energy caressed his palm, recognizing his Emperor-level soul signature.
Suddenly, his vision flipped.
Everything inverted. Sky became ground. Up became down. The rift he was just about to enter vanished from view.
Before he could react, he was falling—plummeting toward the planet below. One moment he'd been reaching for escape. The next—
BOOM!
He slammed into the surface. The resulting impact carved a crater nearly a kilometer wide. The shockwave exploded outward, flattening everything in its path.
Citro lay at the crater's center, his vessel half-buried in pulverized rock and still-smoking ground.
'What… what just happened? How did I— Arrggh!'
He forced himself upright, coughing blood. His vision swam for a moment as he struggled to orient himself, then looked up. The rift was still there, but barely ten meters across and continuing to shrink.
"No… No, no, no—I was right there! I was so close!" He couldn't help but grit his teeth.
Then he sensed it.
A massive presence descended from above.
Citro's head snapped toward it. There what he saw stunned him.
The figure hovered above, golden hair crackling with energy. Cold teal eyes locked onto him. A blazing golden aura surrounded him, blue lightning arcing across his body.
Citro's memories stirred, recognizing the form this man was displaying. Super Saiyan 2—a form achieved by only the most exceptional mortal branch Saiyan warriors. He'd killed three at this level during the war.
But something was wrong.
The face was the same, yet everything else had changed about this figure. The crushing, reality-warping pressure was gone. In its place—an energy signature he recognized, yet didn't. It felt massive, compressed and refined beyond any mortal transformation he remembered. Closer to King Realm than anything he'd encountered.
But as far as he could recall, mortal Saiyan transformations never reached King Realm. Only the God Branch accessed those heights.
And the eyes, they were not the haunting mismatched pair from before.
Different eyes. Different aura. Different essence.
But the same face.
"What are you?" Citro breathed.
This existence confused him. But one thing was clear.
The Saiyan had returned.