Forward Unto Death (Judgment)

He blinked once, then twice. His initial shock was met with a lack of expression, too focused on analyzing his surroundings to actually move. Not too long ago he was fighting Kalabas and the bug person…then things got hazy. Now he was there, standing in a waiting line of some sort, surrounded by red and blue persons while others kept a good distance from him. He was being escorted somewhere. This huge office stood at the end of the waiting line as they were gradually making their way over there. So, that was it, huh? He was dead.

There was nothing too shocking about that revelation, but he felt a sting in his heart still. What would he find here? Was that man there? Did he leave anything behind? Question after question as doubt settled in his mind. No, better not think too much about it. He chose to draw his attention to something else. The scenery around was one he had never seen before, those golden clouds underneath. Then, there was this halo above his head. He tried touching it, but it phased through his hand. And, what the hell? When did his hair get so long? How much time had passed? Actually…hold on a minute. His body…it…it felt great! He hadn’t felt this good in such a long time. His body was now devoid of scars, his muscles…well-defined and firm. Did he get a bit taller? He felt stronger than ever! Decades younger, even! Overcome with joy, he got agitated, inspecting every inch of his body. Around him, the ogres were getting a bit anxious, telling him to calm down.

“Please…sir? Keep still…”

“Shut the fuck up, idiot” he said, not even looking in his direction. “I’m having a moment, here! If you don’t wanna end in this waiting line, you better keep quiet…Haha, I had almost forgotten how great I looked back then!”

There was this weird duality he failed to realize in its fullest. Although he did pass away, his wish did somehow come true. He couldn’t feel the burden of sickness weighing down on him and in this state, he felt at the top of his strength. Maybe he wasn’t granted the youth he sought, but if this was to be his true form at the peak of his health, then he felt he could make do with it.

With this, he felt he could put his plan into motion. Although at the brink of despair in his past fight, what he thought and what he swore to do was still very much real and sincere. While he desired peace, he had to come to terms with the fact this wasn’t a possible outcome for him. He had wasted too much energy in hoping for something that will never be, had lost his life trying to be proven wrong. Even though he had told Mumbo not to help him, deep down he had wished that he wouldn’t have listened to him and jumped in anyway. He would show them. Gather his strength, be smart about it. And to all these bastards living in peace now, he would make sure that in their hour of greatest need, he’d be there to make them realize the futility of their struggle. Just as he experienced.

He finally got into the office, standing before him was this giant desk and the even bigger man standing behind it, gavel in hand. The ogre escorting him said.

“This is the Great King Yemma. He shall judge you and send you to where you belong. Please, tell him your best and worst deed.”

His look got more serious all of a sudden. Yet another jailor, huh? He knew full well where he was going, what was the point of this?

‘What the hell do you expect of me, you giant fuck? Good deeds? Yeah, my best deed is probably not blowing this damn place up. What the hell do you want me to say? That I was raised to kill for money, to further the agenda of dictators and corrupted people. That after being abandoned, I followed in that path, gathered a band of people just as fucked as I was, and we set out to do whatever we wanted in the galaxy? Pillaging, destroying, killing. I have sent thousands of people your way. Even after breaking out of my jail, I went to Earth, left teenagers to the verge of death only for sport, aspired to blow up cities and kill for my own sake? Or maybe because I failed at doing it, it doesn’t count? I would’ve killed far more if not for these damn heroes. West City, Central City, hell, why not the whole planet! Yeah, I was too weak to carry out my plans. But that’s gonna change. Is that what you want me to say?’

His internal monologue went on for a bit. There was no point in arguing with someone who probably knew all of it, was there? His shoulders dropped as he let out a sigh. He began hovering up to the desk and slammed both hands on the surface as he looked up to King Yemma.

“Fuck you…!”

He let silence fall once again before continuing.

“You know as I do what I did, and you know what? I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat. Except this time, there would be no hesitation. No afterthought.”

Yes, this was his destiny, after all.

“So instead of dwelling on the past, why don’t we talk about the future? You’re gonna send me at your worst place and call it a day. Eventually, I’ll get out of there of my own strength, as myself. Not as a stupid ghost-like that Saiyan fuck. When I reclaim my life, I’ll tear apart everything they ever loved until the universe is a chaotic, shapeless mess. Hah! Yes, this sounds like a plan, doesn’t it? So, go ahead, say what you want. Wish me luck, break a leg out there! I don’t need it. I don’t mean to be provocative. I’m just telling you how it’s gonna go down. So, whatever you’re about to say, here’s my answer: Just watch me.”

He flew back a few meters, standing at face height with the Ogre King.

“What’s wrong? Let’s get this over with, shall we? I got stuff to do.”