Bringer of Death

Cold Saga - Part 2: Immortal

Cold Saga - Part 2: Immortal 

High above the planet, a battle raged between Krillin, Gohan, Piccolo, and the demon known as Garlic Jr. Despite the Z fighter's best efforts, they were tottering on the edge of failure. Gohan, though beaten and exhausted, was giving his all against the demon, but it wasn't going well. The other two warriors, each out of energy, were collapsed on the battlefield. Piccolo had held his own against their immortal opponent for a time, but had been weakened when Kami fell under attack from the Earth's former guardians. His strength was now gone, and Krillin never had much chance to begin with. Gohan, truly furious, was still dishing out as much damage as he could. 

"I won't let you hurt any more people!" Gohan screamed. His small fists rammed into the demon's thickly armored torso, but the impacts did minimal damage at best. His foe was nearly ten feet tall, his skin dark blue and bulging with muscle. 

This fight was personal. Garlic Jr., a weak and scrawny demon who had had managed to successfully wish for immortality several years before, had been defeated by Gohan when the half-Saiyan was only an infant. Garlic Jr.'s one trump card was his ability to open the Dead Zone, an utterly empty parallel dimension that could trap occupants for eternity. But the technique had been his downfall; the infant Gohan's burst of hidden rage had forced the demon into his own trap, sealing him away. 

Today, however, the demon had escaped. The Makyo Star, a dark and clouded homeworld for all demons, was nearing perihelion in its orbit around the sun. It was the closest to Earth that it had been in 12,000 years, and its power gave Garlic the chance to escape confinement and exact his revenge on Gohan and the Z Fighters. As the Star had come even closer, its power had caused Garlic to undergo a transformation, enhancing his already-immortal power. 

"Is that all you can dish out, little boy? Too bad your daddy isn't here to save you!" The bumbling blue giant was not one for well-spoken words. As an opponent, he wasn't even a respectable fighter, but his wish for immortality had given him certain advantages. 

"Stop talking!" yelled Gohan as he fired a full power energy wave at his opponent. The blast grazed Garlic's shoulder, leaving an ugly wound. But he only smiled as his regenerative powers kicked in and restored his body back to normal in moments. 

"You can never defeat me, boy! Or have you already forgotten that I'm immortal?" The giant laughed as he fired a series of energy waves back at Gohan. 

The young Saiyan didn't know what to do next. He was trying his hardest to get angry and tap into his strength, but it just wasn't good enough. 'If only my dad was here,' Gohan thought. 'He would put this guy in his place, and then he would leave us all alone!' 

Just then, Gohan felt it. He shivered in fear, recalling in an instant the death of Frieza and all the other events on Namek. The energy of the Prince of Saiyans was overwhelming, too obvious for him to miss. 

Standing up straight, Gohan shook a finger at his towering foe. "Now you're gonna get it, Garlic Jr! Just you wait!" 

"Oh, I'm not scared. You are all insignificant little - little maggots - compared to me! I will destroy every one of you and then I will rule this world forev-BLEUGH!" 

Garlic gasped in pain as he felt a punch to his ribs hurl him across the lookout. As he tried to catch himself, he turned to look for the new opponent who had so brazenly hit him. He was sure he knew who it must be. "So, the mighty Goku has finally decided to come out of hiding and fight me? Tired of watching me pound your worthless son to death? Go ahead, bring it on!" 

With a mirthless grin, Vegeta teleported behind him, driving his knee hard into Garlic's back. The blow caused the demon to smash face-first into the stony tiles of the lookout.