The forest clearing was still thick with the smell of ozone and ash from Cymbal's destruction. Goku sat on a rock, sharpening a stick with a small knife, his face unusually grim. Yajirobe was busy roasting the remains of a boar he had caught, muttering about "scary green guys" and "eating demons."
I stood atop the highest tree, a silent sentinel. My new power—boosted to a staggering 1,000 by consuming Cymbal—pulsed rhythmically in my chest.
"They're coming," I announced, my voice carrying down to the camp.
A high-pitched engine whine cut through the air. A Capsule Corp airship descended, hovering over the clearing before landing with a soft hiss.
The hatch opened. Bulma, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu rushed out.
"Goku!" Bulma screamed, running toward him. "You're alive! The Dragon Radar stopped moving, and we thought—"
She stopped. She saw me.
I dropped from the tree, landing silently between her and Goku. I was fully armored, my fused mask gleaming in the sunlight, the green Chaos veins throbbing on my exposed torso.
"Who... who is that?" Yamcha asked, stepping back and raising his fists. "Another demon?"
"He's okay," Goku said, not looking up from his stick. "That's Noob Saibot. He's... helping."
"Helping?" Tien narrowed his three eyes. "He feels like death incarnate. I sensed him at the tournament. He was the one watching from the shadows."
"I am the one who ate the monster that was hunting you," I rasped, pointing a claw at Tien. "You were on Tambourine's list, Three-Eyes. You should thank me."
"Tambourine?" Bulma asked, trembling. "Is that the one who killed Krillin?"
"Yes," I said. "And he is returning."
As if on cue, a dark shape appeared in the sky.
Tambourine.
He descended slowly, his wings beating the air. He looked confused. He looked at the pile of ash that used to be Cymbal.
"Cymbal?" Tambourine called out. "Where are you? I sensed your signal vanish."
He looked at us. He saw Yajirobe holding the One-Star Ball.
"Ah," Tambourine sneered. "I see. You humans killed him? Impossible. Cymbal was a warrior of the Demon Clan."
"I killed him," I said, stepping forward. "He tasted like chicken."
Tambourine froze. He stared at me. "You... you are not human. What are you?"
"I am your replacement," I said.
Tambourine roared. "I will peel the flesh from your bones!"
He charged.
"Goku," I said calmly. "He is yours."
Goku stood up. He didn't scream. He didn't power up. He just vanished.
BAM.
Tambourine was knocked out of the air by a kick he didn't even see. He crashed into the dirt, skidding to a halt at Tien's feet.
"Impossible!" Tambourine scrambled up, bleeding. "You... you were weak before! I killed you!"
"I was hungry," Goku said, walking toward him. "Now I'm full."
Tambourine fired a mouth blast. Goku slapped it away like it was a fly.
"Power Pole extend!"
The red staff shot out, hitting Tambourine in the stomach. The demon doubled over, vomiting purple blood.
"Kame... Hame..."
"NO!" Tambourine shrieked, trying to fly away. "I can't die! King Piccolo will—"
"HA!"
The blue beam engulfed him. Tambourine was vaporized instantly. There was no body left to eat.
Goku stood there, the beam fading. "For Krillin."
The Z-Fighters stared in awe. Goku had grown exponentially in just a few days.
But I wasn't looking at Goku. I was looking at the sky.
The air pressure dropped. The birds stopped singing. A shadow fell over the forest—not a natural shadow, but a psychic weight that made it hard to breathe.
"He felt it," I whispered.
"Who?" Yamcha asked, sweating.
" The King."
A massive airship appeared above the treeline. It had the symbol of the Demon Clan painted on the side.
The hatch opened. A throne floated out.
Sitting on it was an elderly Namekian. His skin was wrinkled, his muscles atrophied, but his eyes... his eyes were pure malice.
King Piccolo.
He descended, flanked by his minion, Piano.
"Who did it?" Piccolo's voice was a dry rasp, ancient and terrible. "Who killed my sons?"
Goku stepped forward. "I did."
Piccolo looked at Goku. Then he looked at me. His eyes lingered on my chest—on the green Chaos energy.
"And you," Piccolo pointed a bony finger at me. "You reek of my own magic. Did you consume Cymbal?"
"I did," I said, meeting his gaze. "And I'm still hungry."
Piccolo chuckled. It was a dry, rattling sound. "Amusing. A scavenger wraith and a monkey boy. You think because you defeated my children, you can challenge the King?"
He stood up from his throne. He tossed his cape aside.
"I am old," Piccolo admitted. "My power is not what it was. But even in my twilight..."
He vanished.
He reappeared in front of Goku. He didn't punch; he flicked his finger.
Thwack.
Goku was sent flying through three trees.
"GOKU!" Bulma screamed.
Tien rushed in. "Tri-Beam!"
Piccolo backhanded Tien before he could form the triangle. Tien crashed into Yamcha.
"Weak," Piccolo scoffed. He turned to me.
"Now, scavenger. Let us see if you digest death as well as you deal it."
He fired an eye laser.
I crossed my arms. Shadow Shield.
The lasers hit my armguards. The impact pushed me back, digging furrows in the dirt. My arms smoked.
"Power Level 260," I analyzed. "Even old, he is stronger than Goku right now. But I am 1,000."
I should have been able to crush him.
But Piccolo smiled. He raised his hand. "Explosive Demon Wave."
It wasn't just energy. It was magic.
The blast hit me. It didn't burn; it disrupted. The green energy in my veins seized up. My body locked.
"You run on stolen fuel," Piccolo diagnosed, walking toward me while I struggled to move. "Your vessel is flawed. My magic commands the dark arts. You are merely a tourist."
He punched me in the stomach.
CRACK.
My ribcage shattered. The Chaos Reactor flickered. I fell to my knees, vomiting black ichor mixed with green sparks.
"I could kill you," Piccolo said, grabbing my head. "But you are interesting. A corrupted soul. Perhaps I will make you my new general once I regain my youth."
He threw me aside like trash.
He walked over to the Dragon Ball Yajirobe had dropped. He picked it up.
"One down," Piccolo grinned. "Now, where are the others?"
He looked at Bulma. He saw the Dragon Radar in her hand.
"Give me that."
"No!" Yamcha tried to stand.
Piccolo blasted Yamcha with a casual wave, knocking him unconscious. Bulma, terrified, threw the radar to him.
"Wise choice."
Piccolo swallowed the Dragon Ball. "I will keep this safe inside me. Now, I will go gather the rest. And then... eternal youth."
He floated back to his throne.
"Do not follow me," Piccolo commanded. "Or next time, I will not be so merciful."
His ship flew off.
Silence returned to the clearing.
Goku crawled out of the debris. He was battered, but alive.
"He's... he's strong," Goku wheezed.
I lay on the ground, my chest trying to knit itself back together. The green glow was dim. Piccolo was right. My power was high, but my control against true demon magic was lacking. He had overridden my system with a simple hex.
"He held back," I rasped.
Tien sat up, clutching his head. "We can't beat him. Not like this."
"Korin," Goku said, standing up shakily. "I need to go to Korin Tower. There's... there's something there. A water."
"The Ultra Divine Water," I said. "It's poison. It will kill you."
"If I don't drink it, Piccolo kills everyone," Goku said. "I have to try."
He looked at Yajirobe. "Take me there."
Yajirobe sighed. "Fine. But you owe me so much food."
Goku looked at me. "Mr. Saibot? Are you coming?"
I struggled to my feet. My mask was cracked, revealing one human eye—Bi-Han's eye—staring out from the ruin.
"No," I said. "You go get your power up. I have a different mission."
"What mission?" Bulma asked, tending to Yamcha.
"Piccolo swallowed the Dragon Ball," I said. "He thinks it is safe."
I summoned a Sickle. It flickered, unstable.
"He is going to summon Shenron. When he does... he will be distracted. I cannot beat him in a fair fight. But I am not a martial artist."
I looked at the direction the ship had flown.
"I am a ninja. And I am going to crash his party."
I dissolved into smoke, leaving the Z-Fighters to tend to their wounds. I needed to recharge. I needed to go back to Muscle Tower and drain the last dregs of the backup generators.
And then... I would show King Piccolo what real darkness looked like.