"I don't get it. Was that a joke?" Goku whispered to Piccolo, who rolled his eyes at the silly question. But he knew his friend wasn't really that dumb. He was just trying to help Goku shake off the terrible feeling they'd both had a moment ago.
Just as Garlic Jr. appeared, his presence shifted suddenly as he scanned them. Coupled with the fact that his presence triggered changes in the spells within the floating fortress, he was a far more menacing figure than they had anticipated.
"Why are a Saiyan and a Namekian approaching my territory? Are you Kami-Sama's minions?" Garlic Jr. began to float slowly, positioning himself slightly higher than Piccolo.
"Because you sent people to attack us!" Goku replied, regaining his serious expression. His attention was fixed on the demon, and his muscles were tense, ready to fight.
"Oh? So you were in their way and eliminated them, right?" But that doesn't answer my other question. What is your relationship with the current Kami-Sama, Namekian?" Garlic Jr. asked again in an authoritative tone as he felt completely in control of the situation.
"Nothing that concerns you, demon. What are you looking for here? This planet does not welcome you!" As Piccolo declared this, a translucent aura flecked with orange specks gradually emanated from the Namekian's body, pressing in on Garlic Jr.
"Looks like you're not as hospitable as the legends say!" Garlic Jr. joked, narrowing his eyes slightly as he felt the power unleashed by the man. He wore an arrogant smile, knowing he had everything under control.
"After all, didn't you say you wanted to burn this world?" Goku blurted out. A thick red aura began to emerge from him, gently intertwining over his skin. The combination of the two warriors caused the demon's smile to gradually fade until his expression turned stern.
"So you know why I'm here, don't you? You pried that information out of one of my minions. Well, why don't we skip this worthless chatter and get straight to the action?" After saying that, a purple, nearly black aura surged from his body, fighting against the pressure emitted by the fighters.
Garlic Jr.'s aura was unexpectedly pure, without any traces of blemishes like resentment or evil. Aside from its somewhat ominous color, it was simply the manifestation of his energy.
This surprised Goku and Piccolo. Based on their impressions of the two minions they had defeated, they had expected Garlic Jr.'s ki to be filled with malice or other negative energy. However, it seemed that wasn't the case this time.
"I see surprised faces, but I understand. Demons don't exactly have a great reputation. At least the weaker ones tend to be unnecessarily cruel or evil." Garlic Jr. quickly deduced why, seeing the expressions on those two's faces, since he had received many similar looks in the past from low-ranking demons.
"But being a demon isn't about being evil. It's about going your own way, seeking true freedom, and breaking free from what chains us. However, it's very difficult. There will always be things that bind us, whether we like it or not or know it or not," said Garlic Jr., thinking of his own situation. His father's legacy weighed heavily on him, and his responsibilities and self-imposed destiny were chains on his true heart.
He had recently made a slight mental breakthrough, but that wouldn't change his current state. Even though he was impressed by the power emanating from the Saiyan and the Namekian, he felt he was still in control and could win.
Self-confidence is a crucial factor in a fight! Without further ado, Garlic Jr. turned into an indistinguishable blur, suddenly appearing in front of Goku and landing a punch squarely in his abdomen.
Fortunately, Goku's reflexes were quick, and he raised his knee and threw his body backward, shielding himself from the attack. The collision sent shockwaves rippling across the sky.
At that moment, Piccolo fired a beam of energy, taking advantage of the brief pause that inevitably followed the exchange of blows. However, a purple dome materialized around Garlic Jr., protecting him from the attack as he flew backward.
"Well, at least you'll be able to entertain me," the demon muttered before making several hand gestures. Several dark spheres appeared around him and began spinning in his vicinity.
He dodged several Ki blasts fired by Goku and Piccolo, who were flying toward him at high speed to prevent his spellcasting. However, as an experienced sorcerer, Garlic Jr. was able to complete the process with relative ease.
When they were close to him, the black spheres spinning around the demon reacted specially. One of them transformed into a bolt of lightning that took Goku by surprise due to its incredible speed.
The lightning bolt hit the Saiyan squarely in the chest, sending him flying backward. Luckily, he had an energy shield that protected him from most of the damage, but wisps of black smoke rose from his martial arts gi, which had been singed.
Another sphere turned into a dark mist, blocking Piccolo's path. He reacted quickly, using his mental power to disperse it because he didn't want to stop flying. However, when his psychic energy touched the mist, he felt a terrible headache.
The mist attacked his mind, using his psychic energy as a conduit! Garlic Jr. took advantage of the pause caused by Piccolo's discomfort. With a gesture, he magically teleported above the Namekian's head. His hands clasped and pointed downward as he charged a massive amount of ki.
"Dark Star," the demon whispered, firing a stream of purple energy that struck Piccolo squarely, propelling him skyward from their great height.
Garlic Jr. then turned around and raised his hand to project an energy shield in the shape of a wall, protecting himself from a stream of bluish-white energy fired at him by the Saiyan.
"I've always had my eye on you, Saiyan. I know the threat your species poses," said the demon as he looked up slightly and gazed at the imposing full moon in the sky.
"While the Namekian is returning, how about I take you out?" As he spoke, the spheres he had summoned emitted a blinding glow, forcing Goku to close his eyes. However, his senses were already on high alert, fixed on his enemy.
The demon didn't move, though. Instead, he smiled as he watched the Saiyan's body begin to tremble from muscle spasms. Despite this, neither his technique nor the red aura enveloping Goku faltered, a detail Garlic Jr. failed to notice.
"With my detection magic, I can't sense any evil in you. You're one of those rare people with a naturally pure heart, so I can't attack you from that angle. But even you would be unable to contain the true nature of your genes," Garlic Jr. said, floating confidently in front of Goku and keeping a short distance between them.
"Did you know that Saiyans were once mistaken for demons? Whether or not they come from the Demon Realm, like the Namekians, is beyond me. But I'm referring to their inherently cruel nature, something even you cannot overcome. Let me see what a pure heart looks like when corrupted by your evil blood." The demon's words echoed, but Goku couldn't hear them because he was lost in his own mental turmoil, fighting against something he didn't know existed within him.
It was a mad, savage, cruel influence, brimming with rage yet strangely indifferent. This was different from the power of Ozaru that he had managed to control over time. It was something more primal and ancient. Under Garlic Jr.'s magical glow, it resurfaced from the depths of the Saiyan's body. It sought to assert itself, shatter his mind, and turn his being into a vessel for it.
'Was there something so terrible in my genes? What were the Saiyans in the past? Encountering this is quite revealing, though very dangerous,' thought Goku as he found himself surrounded by a peculiar golden glow. This was the influence he was fighting against.
Though it looked neat and beautiful, the Saiyan felt this glow was the most threatening thing he had ever encountered. It was trying to penetrate him through every possible opening or open new paths.
Goku had to fortify his mind with everything he could; he even began to draw on the power of the Ozaru within him. A bestial roar erupted in his mind when the image of a giant monkey appeared behind him.
Then, something seemed to activate. The golden glow broke free from Goku's body and leaped toward Ozaru, intent on acting upon him. Surprisingly, the creature caught it with its enormous hands, halting its advance.
Ozaru pulled away whatever was covering the golden glow, revealing a twisted black light bearing Garlic Jr.'s signature. The monkey clenched the darkness tightly and shattered it completely. Then, he examined the golden glow with a scrutinizing gaze.
The glow remained as before, but it no longer acted wildly. Instead, it emitted its light peacefully. Although Goku could see that its nature hadn't changed, he sensed that it had always been his, but had been under the demon's dark magic.
'Is this, then, a hidden power of the Saiyan race? Will I be able to access this power in the future? But it seems I need to strengthen my will further since its nature is too terrifying. Maybe I can purify it slowly?' Goku thought before approaching Ozaru and looking at him carefully.
'Will you help me? Come on. Let's unleash our power. We can't let that demon get away with it,' Goku said to his other self. The other self growled and used his free hand to pound his chest, making Goku laugh.
In the mental world, time passes differently from the real world. When only a little less than a second had passed in the real world, an intense red glow surged from Goku. His blurry eyes cleared up and turned completely white.
"What!? How can you use energy when your mind and body are at odds?"
Garlic Jr. exclaimed. He used a teleportation spell to move away from the Saiyan. However, the latter just had a mischievous smile on his face and gently wagged his tail.
"Hey, my energy is rarely affected by external factors. Didn't you notice? Well, never mind. Now, let me beat the crap out of you, you bastard!" One thing I hate is when people try to mess with my head!" Goku's body looked slightly more muscular, though he retained his flexibility. He wasn't seeking exaggerated muscles when using the power of Ozaru.
His figure flew swiftly toward Garlic Jr., who was constantly blinking and evading the Saiyan's pursuit. At one point, however, his teleportation spell failed. This caused him to receive a powerful kick to the neck, sending him flying miles away.
"I've blocked the space, you idiot!" All that blinking made it easy for me to figure out the spatial frequency you use. Have you never fought another mage of your level?" Piccolo's voice rang out in the ears of everyone in the airspace.
The Namekian appeared without the hood and turban he always wore. There were a few scratches on his skin, but he smiled as the transparent aura around his body burned with greater intensity.
"Son, let's show this guy what 'hospitality' means on Earth," Piccolo said as he brought two fingers to his forehead and channeled a massive amount of energy into them.
"Okay!" the Saiyan replied briefly before bringing his palms together and channeling energy between them. A soft blue glow formed and transformed into a rapidly spinning sphere.
"Kame!"