(Meanwhile)
Far across the stars, millions of light years away from earth, in the region of space surrounding Centaurus A, everything was quiet. This uninhabited area of space, made up of nothing but the most vibrant and breathtaking of celestial clusters, drifted seamlessly across the cosmos as just another amateur astronomy target of the many thousands in existence. No matter where you looked, not a single planet in that region of space contained any life whatsoever…
Except for one.
On a large grey planet orbiting the outer rim of a nearby star system, lying in the middle of the sprawling desert, the burnt and battered form of the red-furred goddess of storms Set was on her back, with her face turned towards the sky above. On first glance it looked as though she was dead and long gone from this world. But when her body suddenly jerked and a cough left her lips, the vixen slowly started to come around.
Her eyes fluttering open, the darkness that once clouded her vision disappeared and was quickly replaced by the glittering veil of space. Seeing countless suns stretched out before her, the dazed and wounded goddess coughed several more times and, after shaking her head clear of the rest of her drunken haze, resumed staring at the endless canvas around her.
She was in pain. Every nerve ending in her body was literally screaming bloody murder at her after the hell she'd been put through. If the bruises she'd suffered weren't enough, then the swelling, the burns, the cuts, the torn muscles, the minor hemorrhaging, and the cracked bones definitely played their part. But thanks to her training, the woman was gradually and painfully able to suppress them all, and little by little, the pain started to vanish.
Everyday feeling soon regained control and, once she felt her vitals stabilize, the woman was able to move her fingers.
In part she was relieved to be still alive. After being rammed into a sun traveling at Kai knew how fast she was going, in the state she'd been in when it happened, there was no possible way she could've survived. It had to be some kind of bloody miracle.
However, Set was no fool. She knew exactly why she was still alive and there was only one person she had to blame for her continued existence.
"He beat me," the fox woman whispered, her eyes narrowing on the starry foreground as images of that infuriating Saiyan's face appeared in front of her. "That man… actually beat me." His perfect nose, his snake-charmer's smile, his spiky black hair, and the fury of a warrior burning deep in those mesmerizing eyes… the sight of him captivated and infuriated her at the same time. Fist clenching tightly, the woman brought it up and rubbed it against her bottom lip. Upon removing it, she saw the telltale stain of blood smeared against it.
Analyzing the damage, the humanoid dog snarled as her knuckles popped and cracked, "But he didn't kill me. That son of a bitch!" Slamming her fist into the ground, splitting the rock as a result, the woman rolled over and began forcing herself to her feet. Despite her body protesting at her actions, Set ignored the warning bells and shakily began to rise. "He spared me…"
For whatever reason, some small, insignificant part of that powerful warrior had found it in his heart to hold back that one little bit to keep her from being disintegrated. In spite of all that rage and hatred that'd been coursing through his veins, he still held back a tiny amount of energy to make sure she wasn't destroyed.
But why?
"Did I get lucky?" Set thought, wondering for a moment whether this was merely an act of fate. After thinking over it for several seconds, the vixen shook her head. "No. No way. There's not a person in the universe that is this lucky. That bastard held back!"
Even if he did experience a split instant of hesitation, he sure as hell gave her one heck of a pounding to make extra certain she had second thoughts about coming back for revenge.
Arrogant prick. Did he really think he could scare her off that easily?
Growling painfully as she rose up, the woman stumbled a bit before turning to glare towards the horizon of the planet she was on. Sizing up the vast empty landscape as well as the sparkling heavens above her, the God of Storms took several moments to catch her breath, before rising up to full height and stretching. Her muscles and bones creaked with every movement, signifying her return to full motion.
It only took a few moments before all of her pains melted away, leaving her feeling rejuvenated… or as rejuvenated as one could feel after just regaining consciousness from the ass-kicking of a lifetime.
"I'll show that little bastard," Set stated, her fists tightening even more as she locked onto the distant valley of stars. "You think because you let me live and showed me mercy that I will do the same? I'll show you! After I'm done beating you into a bloody pulp, I'm going to…"
"To do what?" a deep, gargling voice suddenly spoke up, causing the goddess to freeze instantly.
Her body stiffening and her eyes widening in horror, Set gaped ahead of her for several moments before steadily swiveling around to look over her shoulder. The instant she did, her eyes landed on an enormous, hulking figure standing in front of a miniature black hole, which closed up behind him and left him standing in the desert a few yards away from her.
Despite the distance laid out between the two individuals, the newcomer still managed to easily tower over the vixen as her eyes trailed up his colossal frame.
Eyes moving over two metallic legs to an armored torso and chest, followed immediately by two muscular arms and an iron-clad upper body, Set's eyes then landed upon the person's face. To those who didn't know this figure by name, the sight of his form alone would've sent any person running in fear. But to those who could identify his voice or could at least recognize his image, it not only sent a paralyzing current of fear shooting through their bodies, it also had their faces pale and their sweat run cold. Hell, even Set, allegedly the most powerful goddess in existence, felt her blood chill at the sight of the stranger.
Looking over the metallic implants and cybernetic enhancements jacked into his frame, including the large bars sticking out of his muscles and back, the vixen then started inspecting his face. Spotting both the respirator covering his mouth and nose, the scar on his head and his blood red eyes glaring back at her, the fighter's brain needed a few seconds to process his image before any words could be spoken.
Seeing the terrified look in the goddess's eyes, the grey-skinned alien smirked. "Oh, don't stop on my account. Please… continue." Even with most of his face being covered, from the intensity in his eyes you could tell he was thoroughly amused. Hands placed comfortably behind his back, the alien Korgoth chuckled, "You were saying something about… beating somebody up?"
Merely being on the very precipice of his shadow was overwhelming.
Finding her nerve, Set quickly shook herself out of her daze and, faster than a spring-loaded bolt, spun around to face him completely. "Varax."
"You recognize me? I'm flattered," the hulking alien exclaimed while beginning to amble towards the beaten and bruised fox. His legs making mechanical whirring sounds and loud, echoing clunks with every step, the tyrant approached the goddess. "I suppose Whis and the other Gods told you all about me and our previous encounters. No doubt you learned a great deal about my terrifying exploits over your many years of service as a guardian in this universe."
Set, sweat dripping down her face, glared back at the man furiously as he coasted to a stop in front of her. "Yeah. I also heard that you were a mass murderer and a psychopath… the worst kind of scum to ever exist in this world."
Eyes crinkling in delight, Varax brought up one of his clawed, gauntlet arms and rested its palm over his chest. "Be still, my heart." He then lowered it and bowed towards the woman, who took a cautious step back when he got a little too close for comfort. While staring each other down, the Korgoth's brow lifted in realization, "Oh. My apologies. I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting yet. Judging from your state of dress and your enormous power level, you must be the God of Storms, Set; the master of deserts and squalls. It's an honor to finally meet you in person."
Narrowing her eyes, the woman's tail wagged threateningly behind her, "I'm sure it is."
Straightening up, the cybernetic tyrant continued to speak, "I've heard a great many things about you… especially the various accounts of how you were imprisoned inside the Nexus following your failed coup against your fellow deities. Your story is quite the poetic one."
Growing both nervous and annoyed at the way this seemingly pleasant conversation was going, the Dio-jin huffed while taking another step away. Her movements didn't go unnoticed by the Korgoth, who continued to stand before her with his guard down and his hands behind his back.
"What the hell do you want?" Set asked. Her face scrunched up, at the same time the man standing opposite her leered.
Blinking at her question, Varax lifted his head and, taking a deep breath through his respirator, began to indulge the flustered woman even further. "The same as you, I imagine; power and control over everything in existence. When I sensed your ki signature appear on the radar, I knew instantly that one of the greatest calamities the universe had ever faced had returned to the land of the living. Almost immediately after your revival, you then attempted to destroy our reality by opening a rift in space to suck everything into the void." This then prompted the man to narrow his eyes upon her. "That is something I'm afraid I cannot allow." At the drop of a hat, the titan's tone changed from casual to downright menacing.
Pacing several steps in retreat, the nervous goddess of storms gritted her teeth. "Oh yeah? And what makes you think you can stop me?" Smirking, she then poked a thumb into her ample chest and shot a look at her intimidating adversary. "Do you think I'm afraid of you, Varax? Don't make me laugh! I am Set; the most powerful and evil being in the universe!" Despite her spirited declaration, the Korgoth didn't even flinch. "I have enough darkness swirling in my heart to drown empires and enough hatred to corrupt entire civilizations! Why should I be afraid of you? An immoral dictator from a long forgotten planet?!"
Remaining silent following the girl's outburst, the tyrant allowed her words to sink in before giving an exasperated sigh. He then shook his head sadly.
"It seems that you have yet to understand what true terror really means."
Set then recoiled in shock. And with good reason.
Without even blinking, the woman saw her adversary vanish into thin air, only to then feel his shadow reappear directly behind her.
"Looking for someone?" Varax asked, seeing the girl's eyes snap over her shoulder with a start.
Almost instantly the vixen's hand shot up and, with a yell of rage, the goddess fired a powerful orange blast straight into the alien at pointblank range. The attack was so fast and immense that it swallowed up the hulking alien instantly, and shot off of the planet's surface. The blast itself traveled across the entire system, wiping out a moon and a planet along its path. Moments later the laser faded, leaving a wide trench behind the canine warrior and a wall of smoke hanging in front of her face.
Panting from the effort she exerted, Set grinned, "See? Just a pathetic mor-" Her confidence was short-lived. As soon as she saw the cloud part, her eyes widened in bewilderment when she watched Varax emerge from the fumes, still standing in the same place with his hands behind his back and not a single speck of dust on him.
Varax was unfazed.
"Is that all?"
Trembling in fear, it took a couple of seconds for Set to regain her composure. Once her body stopped shaking, the girl let out a fierce battle cry and leapt straight up at the alien. With a roar, the goddess threw a left hook across the alien's face, which connected with a deafening 'crack', followed instantly by a second one when her right crashed into his other cheek. The two blows shook the planet under their force, causing the tyrant to grunt and stumble away after the last hit. From the way his legs crumpled, it almost looked as though Set's combo had shaken him.
But after he staggered away for several yards, the hulking figure stopped, rubbed his chin on the back of his hand, and smirked sinisterly in the vixen's direction.
Set, stunned when she saw that her blows had done no damage whatsoever, cried out in pain and shakily brought her hands up. "A-Augh! What-?" Her arms were completely numb.
Wanting to find out what was causing this, the goddess quickly looked down at her knuckles to see what the problem was. She soon discovered that not only was her hands covered in black bruises, but her knuckles had also been torn open and were bleeding. From the look on her face, it was easy to tell that this was something that had never happened to her before.
"N-No way." Stammering, the deity looked up to see Varax rise to his feet and begin strolling towards her with his hands at his sides.
Cracking his neck from the combo, the Korgoth smirked down at his stricken foe. "The most powerful and evil being in the universe? Please…" Stopping just a couple of meters away from the woman, he watched his opponent step away. "You're just a speck… a child throwing a tantrum because she didn't get what she wanted. There is no real darkness in your heart… just a lot of anger and bitterness towards a world that has failed her."
Not willing to give up yet, Set prepared for another attack. But just as she was rising up to full height, a strange feeling suddenly came over her that had her vision blur. Swaying on the spot, the vixen groaned when a sickly, dizzy feeling struck her, and she stumbled. Trying to regain her balance soon resulted in her dropping to her knee, which then prompted her to reach up and grip the side of her head.
Feeling her strength start to leave her at an alarming rate, the humanoid canine glanced up in alarm, her vision turning double as she attempted to focus. Alas, even with her insane control over her powers, she was unable to recoup her senses, and she slowly started to grow tired.
"What's… happening… to me?" Set stammered, her voice wheezy as she pushed herself to her feet, only to collapse to her knee once again. Panting exhaustedly, her brain quickly worked out who was causing this pain, and her attention soon fixed upon her opponent. "Y-You!"
The hulking, granite-skinned alien chuckled, "Did you honestly think that I would face a God in combat without possessing some kind of an edge?" Watching his foe quiver under his presence, Varax continued his little monologue. "How naïve. I'm not considered the most dangerous being in the universe because of my incredible strength and cruelty… but because I'm the smartest and the wisest of all the tyrants, with a Class 20 intellect and over a hundred million years of experience under my belt. The amount of knowledge that I've accumulated in my lifetime is insurmountable." The moment he said that, the glass plate on the center of his chest suddenly started to glow brightly and a sickly purple aura began to radiate off of his body.
Feeling another crushing weight fall upon her the moment the man's energy began to waft off of him, Set attempted to stand a second time. However, when she felt even more of her strength dissipate, the woman then perked up when she realized something was off. Her attention soon locking onto the center of Varax's chest, she quickly figured out what was going on.
"How…?"
"Beautiful, isn't it?" the tyrant exclaimed, before then speaking in a condescending tone of voice, "You see my race was born in the very heart of the universe, in a system where the planets orbited around a black sun. The negative-zero radiation emitted by this particular star has the innate and unique ability to neutralize all forms of celestial energy. Simply being in orbit of even a fragment of it is enough to render the strength and abilities of all deity warriors useless." A smirk formed on his face once again. "You could say that it is your Achilles heel."
The sensations getting worse, Set attempted to run. But the moment she stood, her body swayed before falling onto her backside. When she hit the ground, the vixen yelped, and craned her head up to see Varax take a couple of steps closer to her.
"I sliced off a piece of my planet's sun and integrated it into my body, allowing me to make use of its anti-celestial powers. Even though I lack the same strength and capabilities of you deities, thanks to my unlimited resources and experience, I've been able to level the playing field. In other words, I'm bad news for Godly ki users," stopping in front of her, the alien tyrant frowned. "Now you know why your compatriots are so afraid to cross paths with me."
"I… I…" Set groaned, trying fruitlessly to crawl away.
Staring at her for but a moment, Varax suddenly swooped down and grabbed her by the throat. As soon as his fingers wrapped around her neck, he lifted her into the air. The moment he had her dangling several feet above the ground, gasping and struggling for breath, the tyrant spoke.
"Your arrogance blinds you, God of Storms. You have no idea what true evil actually is," the Korgoth hissed, tightening his grip as the vixen clawed and kicked uselessly against his arm. Watching the woman writhe and gasp for several more seconds, the hulking tyrant leered, "Allow me to educate you. Once I've plugged you into my ship's power core, I'm going to harvest your body for everything it is worth… and then… once you've given me all that you can, I will kill you."
Unable to cry out and starved for air, the vixen punched and kicked at the warrior's enormous arm for several more seconds, before her eyes inevitably rolled back and she blacked out.
Feeling the young woman go limp and sensing her consciousness conk out, Varax smirked in success before turning heel. Carrying her as if she were just a doll, the man then looked towards the sky, watching as a huge black hole formed above him and a large warship emerged from its center. Exiting slip space, the vessel drifted into the planet's atmosphere, passing over the planet and its master's position. As soon as it stationed itself above the desert, a beam of light suddenly shot down from its hull and enveloped the warlord like a scene from a sci-fi film.
The second the light fell upon him, the tyrant was lifted off of the ground and beamed up onto the ship. Once he was safely on board, the light vanished and the ship started moving again. After gaining some distance from the planet, a second black hole opened up and swallowed the vessel whole. In a matter of seconds, it was gone…
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