Gone Native: Clash (ch. 17) (Patreon)

My fist slammed into Wonder Woman's face with a thunderous crack, sending her flying through the wall of the ship and blasting through the forest that surrounded us. The moment I punched her, the bitter and unfamiliar taste of defeat entered my mouth, and I was unable to feel any anticipation for the coming clash. It felt like we had tipped over the point of no return, the conflict that we had pushed back with each compromise was suddenly here.

Wonder Woman would do her duty to Earth. She would fight on their behalf. As would Superman. As would the rest of the Justice League and whatever else they had planned for my arrival. Regardless of personal feelings, there was only one thing we could do now, because I couldn't let this go. I couldn't accept this.

I didn't care if they tried to kill me. I didn't care what they said. But no matter what, I couldn't accept this.

Soldiers weren't supposed to die at peace. A peace I paid for with oceans of blood that could drown planets.

My foot dug into the soft metal plating of the ship before I blasted forward with a thunderous crack, the sonic boom that followed felled trees when it struck them. I saw Wonder Woman digging her heels into the dirt to help slow her down, a single drop of blood dribbling from her lips. She was comparable to Superman in terms of strength, but she lacked his durability. Not surprising, I suppose. Kryptonian durability was incredible, and what made it so incredible was that most couldn't compare.

"You grieve-" Wonder Woman began, catching my kick with her shield. The ground buckled under her feet, but she resisted getting kicked into a crater with her own flight. "But this is a mistake, King Tarble! You're playing into the hands of the enemy."

Our eyes met over the rim of her shield, and her gaze was almost pleading. Begging, even. To just swallow it. To accept it. Like I had so many times before. They were not the first of my soldiers to die. Nor were they the first to die on orders I gave. People said I killed billions, and they were right. But I wondered how high that number would be if they included how many of my soldiers' deaths I was responsible for. How many I had accepted as the cost for a successful mission, or had decided to trade to push the front line forward?

I couldn't. That bitter pill wasn't one I could swallow again. It wouldn't make it past my throat. My stomach was already full to bursting. So I spat it out.

"Wonder Woman," I spoke, my ki spears forming in my hands -- one longer than the other. Fasha's signature technique that I had shamelessly stolen. Who I killed before she could chew me out for it. "I kill my enemies."

And with that, the pleading look was replaced with one of resolve. Because, guilty or not, she wouldn't accept my retribution on those responsible. She couldn't accept that death would be brought to those that had attacked my soldiers, because if she did, then Earth would be mine without any need of a summit. It would be tantamount to doing nothing as I took over the world.

And for all the Justice League's faults, I couldn't say that doing nothing when the balance of their world was at stake was among them.

I flipped off her shield, before I flung the long spear at her, the dark blue spear slamming into her shield with explosive force. Wonder Woman flew at me through the ensuing explosion, her shield up and her sword in hand. "I won't kill you, King Tarble,” she declared as if she had any control over that.

Another long spear formed in my hand as we clashed, and I caught her sword by in between my two spears. My muscles strained to hold her at bay, but even Stage Twenty of the Wrath State couldn't do it. The Heroes of Earth really were something. I met her dark blue eyes, "I can't say the same. All of you are so strong that I can't afford to hold back if I want to win," I replied, slashing with both spears, pushing her away, before I thrust up with the long spear, only for it to be batted to the side with the rim of her shield. "I'll do my best not to kill you. You aren't the one that has to die."

As I said the words, I diverted a slash with the short spear, kicking out with a foot that she caught on her shield. She yanked her sword back before it shot back out in a blur, nearly skewering me, only to be diverted by my short spear. She followed the thrust up with a high kick that I nearly missed until it was too late. Ducking underneath, I lashed out, my short spear growing as it slashed across her knee, opening up a shallow cut before her sword came down in an arc and forced me to back off. We both skidded a few steps back to get away from each other, and I saw the injury I had given her was superficial at best. Barely enough to draw out a drop of blood ,even if you squeezed the wound.

But, I was able to cut her. I could fight her. I wonder how much of that was because she was holding back?

Wonder Woman kept her shield up, just enough so that her eyes were barely over the rim. Her sword was poised near the top of her shield, ready to shoot out like a bullet should I dare to close the distance again. Her eyes were narrowed in concentration and I could only guess at what expression she was wearing. I spun my ki spears, my foot digging into the ground as I reinforced it with ki. In my own mind, as I stretched my ki sense across the planet, I could feel the Justice League mobilizing.

Meaning that I had to finish her quickly.

I launched myself forward, moving in a blur, and only slowed enough to lash out with one of my spears when I rounded her flank. However, Wonder Woman's eyes tracked me the entire time, and when I struck out, she was ready. We traded a flurry of blows that seemed to shake the planet beneath us, our clashes stripping the dirt from the barren rock around us. Sparks flew with each blow, my spears flashing out in blurs, prodding her defenses, and finding that her shield was a near impervious fortress, and where it failed to cover her, her sword flashed out to cover it's weaknesses.

Wonder Woman's sword flashed out towards my neck, another move to force me to disengage, and I could tell that she expected me to dodge back and avoid the blow. I pressed the attack instead, my short spear slamming into her shoulder just as I felt a sharp sting in my neck. Her eyes widened, faltering as she nearly took my head off. That was a mistake that I made her pay in blood for. As my spear struck her shoulder, I felt it sink into her flesh, my hyperdense ki managing to penetrate her skin, but the muscle underneath it was a different story.

I stepped forward even as I yanked my short spear to the side, drawing a bloody line across her skin and catching Wonder Woman in the temple with the haft and making her head snap to the side. Planting my leg between hers, I let go of my spears to grab hold of her shield. It was unyielding in my hands, and I felt the faint sensation of magic emanating from it. It was enchanted, probably for fortitude and resilience. However, the strap she used to keep hold of it was less so, and with a harsh yank, I ripped it from her hand. She countered with a slash of her sword, and I was lucky I was able to get her own shield up in time to catch it, because it sent me flying a good few hundred feet.

I felt the impact rattle my bones, and my forearms went a bit numb. Hot blood dripped down my neck from the cut she had inflicted there, soaking into my undersuit, but it was a superficial wound. Wonder Woman didn't give me any breathing room now that her shield was gone, and I didn't expect any. She seemed to appear before me, moving at speeds that were hard to track, her sword lashing out. I blocked it with her shield again, before I felt something wrap around my ankle. My gaze darted down to see a golden lasso wrapped itself around my ankle a split second before I felt myself yanked off my feet and sent flying through the air.

I slammed through half of the forest grounds before I managed to right myself with my flight. No sooner than I did, Wonder Woman tugged sharply on her lasso, reeling me in. I allowed the action, allowing her to pull me towards her. I raced forward at high speeds and lashed out with my bound foot just as she took a swing with her sword.

I had the reach on her, and my foot slammed into her stomach before her blade reached me, hard enough I felt the bones in my foot bruise. It was well worth the pain, because this time it was her turn to be sent hurtling back.

The lasso connected us, and I used that fact. I flung the shield into the air with one of my hands, using as much strength as I could muster and likely sending it through into space, while I grabbed hold of the lasso with the other and heaved. Predictably, Wonder Woman either wouldn't or couldn't let go of it, even as I slammed her into the ground that I had previously reinforced with Ki.

It still buckled under the explosive force, and I heard her gasp out in pain when the force of the impact was more than what she was expecting. In that split second of surprise, I raced towards her again. Her guard came up immediately, gold cuffed arms at the ready, but she wasn't expecting me to fly over her instead of launching into another series of attacks, and was caught by surprise when the slack rope trailing behind me caught her by the throat.

With a twist and a pull, I made myself a makeshift noose. Acting like I was going to use it to slam her into the ground, Wonder Woman allowed the action to slip the noose, only to find that I had flipped with her when she found the back of my foot against her neck. She sensed the cage closing in on her and her hands went to her neck as as the noose tightened.

When we both landed, I pulled up on the lasso in my hands while also stepping down with all of my strength and using my ability to fly to counter hers. Wonder Woman made a choking sound as I began to strangle her. Her fingers carved deep grooves in her neck in her attempts to get her fingers under the lasso, desperately pulling at it to get in a breath.

"It's nothing personal," I told her, wrapping the lasso around my forearms as I pulled harder, trying to keep her pinned. She had the edge in strength, but leverage mattered just as much as raw power. And even then, I heard her suck in a rugged gasp, telling me she was still overpowering me. In response, I pulled at the Wrath State, pushing it to give me all that it could. My power swelled and I felt the lasso jerk in my direction as I pressed down even harder with my foot. I couldn't tell what Stage I was at, but it really didn't matter.

It wasn't enough.

I had enough forewarning to look in the direction of the Flash as he arrived with a punch to my cheek. I had underestimated him, I realized as I flew to the side, carving a long line in the Earth from the sheer inertia he had built up. The taste of blood was heavy on my tongue, and I knew he had loosened up some of my teeth. The Flash was the first to arrive. As expected of the fastest human alive.

I didn't even have time to suck in a breath before I felt another blow land -- where, I wasn't even sure because in that same instant, I felt another six blows hit me. The Flash was invisible to my eyes. The only person I could compare him to was Burter from the Ginyu Force, who could circle a planet in seconds.

However, unfortunately for the Flash, I also had years to think about how I would fight Burter if there was ever the need.

I weathered the blows before I flexed my power, kicking up the wind and pushing everything back. He must have landed a hundred blows in that split second, and I caught him on his way to deliver the hundred and first. I blasted him upward while also compacting the ground with the force of my Ki to give me a few inches of extra space. And while he was one of the fastest men alive, it was worthless without traction.

I formed and flung a Destructo disk from my hand at the red blur that was sent blasting away from me. The spiraling disk expanded by a half dozen feet in the air, to ensure that he didn't somehow escape. The jagged edge caught him at the knees and I heard him scream in pain before he hit the ground, rolling uncontrollably. His legs did the same, tumbling across the ground in a slightly different direction as the rest of his body. The Flash came to a stop in a heap a hundred yards from me, clutching his bleeding stumps and screaming in pain.

I felt my respect for him lessen. It was just a few missing limbs. I had done worse to myself in training.

"Flash!" Wonder Woman shouted, arriving nearby, and her face twisted into a furious snarl as she planted herself between me and him. She didn't look so calm and collected now. I got the impression that she wouldn't be holding back anymore.

"You can bring him to safety, if you like," I offered, my tone flat even as I strode forward. Not to Wonder Woman, but to the next challenger. "Though, this is the last time I can afford to be merciful."

As if in response to my words, a golden ankh appeared in the air nearby, before a man wearing a golden helmet stepped out of it. His gaze met mine, and the moment he raised a hand, I moved. I flung my spear at him, the weapon caught by another ankh that materialized in front of his hand, killing its momentum. I arrived at his flank and I lashed out with a fist.

Another golden ankh appeared between us, but my fist shattered it like glass. In the fading golden shards of light, I saw the man's eyes widen dramatically. Though, that could be because I punched my fist through his gut before I reached up and grabbed hold of the helmet he was wearing.

I felt a wave of magic wash over me -- spells to cause pain, to teleport me somewhere else, but my engraving protected me from the worst of it. Ripping the helmet free from his head, I made eye contact with its empty eyeholes before I crushed it in my hands. I didn't have a choice. Because it was my last chance to thin out the Justice League before the rest of them joined the fight. A moment later, they arrived.

Superman was at the helm, touching down just in time to see me crush the helmet. Trailing behind was Cyborg, and what felt like Batman in a large Mecha suit.

The red bat emblem emblazoned on it gave it away too.

Captain Marvel landed next to Superman, while Aquaman stepped through the portal with Cyborg.

There was pain in Superman's eyes as he looked at me. "Tarble-"

"No, I have had enough. The time for words is over. The humans you're protecting killed nearly a hundred of my soldiers," I interrupted, ki spears forming in my hands. "I won't accept any compromise other than their heads as retribution. I've given Earth enough slack. It is no fault of mine they chose to hang themselves with it."

Superman worked his jaw for a moment, his hands clenching into fists. "It doesn't have to be this way," he implored even as he readied himself for a fight.

"It does," I refuted. If the Justice League did nothing, then it would break the fragile trust the humans had in them. And at that point, whatever resistance Earth could make would be fractured. They understood that they only stood a chance as a united force, with the Justice League serving as the front line.

They were fighting to protect the world, and in doing so, they were protecting the men that had killed my soldiers. I didn't blame them for it. I would do the same thing in their shoes. There was more at stake than the lives of a few guilty men and women. But, just because I understood their point of view didn't mean I was willing to compromise.

Those that killed my soldiers would die. The ones that gave the order, and those that executed the orders. Whoever they might be.

Earth would learn the hard way what I did to my enemies.

I flung my short spear at the shielded S in the middle of his chest, and in little more than a blur, I saw Superman move. He stopped the spear with a single hand, letting the ki break over his bare skin. It was a show of force. He was showing me that there wasn't a point in fighting anymore, because he was so much stronger. We both knew it. Even now, he was trying to de-escalate. He had my respect for it, but he severely underestimated me and it showed.

As the ki washed over his hand, the broken shards flew out around him, near the rest of the League. Clenching my fist, I made those shards detonate in an explosion of power -- each shard was packed full of my hyperdense ki, and was able to wipe a city off the face of the planet. The wind generated by the simultaneous detonations slammed into me as I flew up into the sky, escaping the blast range as the multiple explosions fused into one growing explosion that only grew by the second. I felt for the League's presence -- some of them vanished, only to reappear elsewhere. Teleportation.

I also felt Superman move. He blasted through the worst of the explosion, looking no worse for wear after taking what amounted to several nuclear bombs of force to the face. The only sign of damage was some scuff marks on his suit. It wasn't quite as sturdy as he was. His face was twisted into a grim mask that didn't suit him at all. There was anger in his eyes as he raced towards me in the blink of an eye. I formed another ki set of spears as I lunged at him, only to find a fist in my gut before I could cross the distance as he folded me over his fist.

As soon as we made contact, I felt him dragging us up into the sky, away from the planet -- heat gathered at my back as we broke through the atmosphere, taking us into space. That was my warning. And it was a mixed message. If Superman was intent on killing me, then I'd have a hole in my stomach instead of just getting the wind knocked out of me. He was avoiding fatal shots. Just as I had expected he would.

It must be easy being a pacifist when you were so much stronger than everyone else.

I met Superman's gaze before I thrust out with my spears, slamming the head of one into the shielded S spread across his chest, only to have the tip of the spear break. Superman frowned, withdrawing his hand as he wound up another punch -- I briefly noted that his stance was much better than Kara’s. But better than hers didn't mean it was better than mine.

His fist moved forward in a blur, and the fact that I could see it at all told me he was still holding back. I caught the blow in my jaw, and I'm certain he knocked out those teeth that the Flash had loosened for him, but I managed to move quick enough that I made him strike me at an angle. Spinning sharply, the bottom of my spear lined up, the tip just as sharp as the other side, and I lunged back with it. The spear caught him in the eye, snapping his head back from the force of my-

No. He had flinched back, and I felt too much resistance from the strike. Even his eyes were durable. Superman batted the spear away and I saw him clench the eye shut, but there was no trace of blood or leaking eye fluids. He took my spear to one of the weakest spots a living being had, and all it did was irritate his eye. Not exactly a good sign, but it gave him a blind spot.

Sucking in a sharp breath, I lunged at Superman. He caught my jab in his hand, grabbing hold of my wrist with his other, and I used that to yank myself forward to deliver a high knee to his temple, next to his clenched eye. His head leaned to the side ever so slightly, and based on how his dark blue eye shifted to me, I knew he did that to spare me a shattered knee.

I don't think he was as strong as Frieza. Part of that was because Frieza threw planets around like they were marbles, and Superman was still holding back, but I think the power of his presence came from his durability. As I was right now, I'd break my fists on him without ever coming close to actually injuring him.

In response, Superman flung me to the side and I went flying. I spared a glance at my fleets, which is when I saw an explosion light up in the void near them. They too were under attack. All of them seemed intact, but… more of my soldiers were in danger of dying.

"Disengage and set up a perimeter. Call for reinforcements," I ordered the admiral, but I didn't get a response as I slammed into the Earth's moon. I reinforced it with my ki to not destroy it, but with how hard I was thrown, I'm pretty sure my landing changed its orbit trajectory. Superman was upon me a split second later, hovering above me, his hands at his side.

He couldn't say anything because he lacked some kind of transmitter for communication in space. I did notice that his chest wasn't rising or falling. He was holding his breath? Or was he like Frieza, who didn't need to breathe at all?

Regardless, it seems that my fleet was under attack and my communications with them was being jammed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the planet Earth begin to glow. I turned towards it as a planetary barrier was put up around it. Blue planes of energy, each inscribed with esoteric runes. Technology and magic. It seems that I wasn't the only one to come up with that idea. It was inconvenient, but I actually started to respect the Earthlings a little more.

"Don't really have a choice, huh?" I muttered to myself. I was dragging my feet about it. I probably would have kept dragging them if they were focusing their efforts solely on me. But, I couldn't accept them attacking my fleet. My hands clenched into fists as I sucked in a deep breath and braced myself. Not physically, but mentally.

I let the Wrath State drop as I pulled on a different power source. My muscles bulged, the moon dust started to rise around me, before chunks of it started to rise up from the moon's surface, only to be destroyed by the intensity of the power that shimmered around me. There was no air to stir, but my strength seemed to generate its own gravitational field that shifted the moon under my feet, but I ignored it.

An aura of shimmering gold began to bleed up from inside me, my hair shifting in color to match it as I was assaulted by hellish memories. The wounds were still fresh, and it felt like I was being forced to relive the events that had caused them all over again. The rage, the despair, the betrayal of realizing that my brother was planning to kill me, only to try to sacrifice himself for me and our people. A sacrifice that meant nothing, because he was murdered before he could make it. Of slamming through the roof of a ruined ancient building to find my brother's murderers and discovering that they were my team. That moment of absolute mental devastation, when it felt like I was going to go insane with grief.

It was just as intense. Just as raw. It was as if I could still feel Vegeta's blood on my hands, the dead weight of his corpse as I held him. I could still feel the grief, disbelief, and all-consuming rage as I murdered my team in retribution. I could feel the reverberation of the blows I gave Bardock and the blows I received from him in return as we fought, both of us Super Saiyans from our loss.

It would never get any easier. Time would never make that wound less painful. And every time I tapped into the awesome power that flowed through my veins, whatever bandage I put over it, would be ripped away. Leaving it just as red and raw as the moment I received it.

I only realized I was screaming when I became aware that my lungs were burning with the need for air, the moon shaking underneath me as larger chunks ripped themselves from its surface. A golden light flickered on the moon's face, and for a brief moment, I wondered if it would be visible from Earth. When it was done I unclenched my hands, my transformation complete, but the chunks of the moon hovered nearby, the gravity not strong enough to bring them back down.

I looked at Superman and his face was a mixture of concern and resolve. His own hands clenched into fists as our eyes met, knowing that the fight would resume.

He was right, too.

I cupped my hands at my side, and he moved, but he wasn't fast enough. "Kamehameha!" I shouted, thrusting my hands out just as he neared and enveloping him with dark blue ki. I felt it wash over him as he was blasted back with enough energy to lay waste to an entire planet twice over. I felt him fly away, how injured he was seemed impossible to tell, but it said a great deal about him that getting knocked back seemed to be the worst of it from a distance.

Cutting the ki attack, I turned around and blasted off of the moon in the direction of my fleet. I saw them in their combat formation, their guns firing, but it was at small targets. Machines. Droids. A great number of them, but I had dealt with more. Ki swirled in my hands as I shaped a technique -- thrusting my hands out, thousands of bead-sized ki blasts raced towards the drone ships attacking my fleet, and more joined them every second.

Light filled the space between my ships as thousands upon thousands of drones were wiped out in an instant. My gaze searched for the source of the drones to find the WatchTower. It was outside of the barrier of Earth, but it had a barrier of its own. The drones flowed through the barrier like it was nothing, but I'm guessing that it would be much more difficult to get in.

With the pressure taken off of my ships, I tossed a ki ball that I shaped into a message. "Withdraw. Call for Reinforcements." I ordered just as I felt Superman approach. This time as I faced him, I saw that he was a little worse for wear, but even that seemed to be mostly limited to his suit and cape. He flew at me with his arms outstretched, winding up a punch as he neared. I took in a quick breath before I lunged to meet him.

He lashed out with his fists, it was even faster than the blows before, but I was able to track it with my eyes. Reaching out, I diverted the blow before I delivered a high knee to his diaphragm. His face tightened, telling me he at least felt the attack, but it still wasn't quite enough. Not enough to stop him from throwing another punch that I was forced to block -- I felt the bones in my forearm creak under the strain, coming dangerously close to breaking.

I returned the blow, delivering a roundhouse kick to his ribs with thunderous force, and I was rewarded with a bruised shin and a slight bend in his back. Rather than feel dismayed at the still blatant disparity in power, I was emboldened. The fact I could make him feel my blows was all that I needed. With that thought in mind, I rushed in, delivering a new barrage of blows as I moved into the offensive.

Much like Kara, Superman's style of fighting was lacking in defense, making full use of his natural durability. My fists lashed out, one delivering a solid blow to his face, my knuckles coming back bloodied and broken, but his head inched back, emboldening me to follow the blow up with an elbow to the throat while I accepted a punch to the gut in exchange. That punch would have ripped right through me in the Wrath State, but as Super Saiyan, the air was just knocked from my lungs.

Grabbing Superman by the front of his suit, right over the big shielded S, I slammed my head against his nose, and I think I felt it shift under the impact. He seemed stunned for the briefest of moments, allowing me to haul him over my shoulder and fling him in the direction of the Watchtower. He slammed into its shield hard enough that it knocked it a few hundred feet closer to Earth. He righted himself, just a moment too late.

"Ka… me… ha… me...Ha!" I shouted, building the technique in my palms unlike the quick shot from before. The technique raced towards the Watchtower, and Superman leaped up to catch the blow, but he was forced back by inches u until he was standing on the barrier. He held the Kamehameha at bay. At least until I flew forward, shortening the distance between. He didn't notice me coming, too preoccupied with his task of keeping the devastating attack from destroying the Watchtower and anyone inside, but the closer I neared, the more the blast warped around him.

Then it struck the barrier of the watchtower, forcing his footing to start to fly back from the force. I grit my teeth as I continued to advance. Taking in a slow breath, I shaped the technique.

"Times… two!" I added, a second Kamehameha taking shape. It was weaker than the former, but it was still more than enough to punch through a planet. The second Kamehameha raced down, striking the Watchtower with full force. I saw a bright flash of energy as the Watchtower struck the barrier around the Earth.

The glow brightened and brightened as more energy was consumed to keep everything at bay. My hands trembled as I put more of myself into the techniques, both Kamehamehas surging in power.

Then it happened.

I saw a glimmer on the planet's surface, a bright red glow, and instantly, I put up a shield around myself as I darted down. In a split second, the red energy slammed into me, and to my faint surprise, I saw it chip away at my shield. Though, not fast enough to destroy it. The Earthlings had planet-busting weaponry of their own at their disposal.

And they still used fossil fuels. The backwardness of it was absolutely ludicrous.

I slammed through the atmosphere, using the beam of energy as a point of entry through their shield. Once I was back in Earth's atmosphere, I expanded my shield, surging it forward as red energy washed over its edges. It slammed into a mountaintop, impacting the output of the energy with an explosion that would have devastated the entire mountain range if I didn't reach out and use a ki bubble to contain the blast wave.

Looking up into the sky, I looked back, where I saw Superman on the other side of the barrier.

"You couldn't keep me off Earth. I do hope you have a Plan B."