WHAM!
Tavor felt a sudden, searing pain rip through his abdomen, sending him stumbling backward before he rolled deftly to his feet in a bid to recover his stance.
His gaze locked on the towering orange demon as it readied itself for another strike.
With deliberate composure, he brushed a thin trail of blood from the corner of his mouth, which seemed to be stuck in a permanent grin, then suddenly opened his mouth to unleash a fierce, resonant howl.
As the sound reverberated through the air, his once-dark eyes began to blaze with an intense, otherworldly blue glow.
The orange demon advanced toward Tavor, its sinister gaze locked firmly upon his face, intent on wielding its lethal, razor-sharp claws to tear through the young Saiyan's vulnerable flesh and harvest the delicate meat within, driven solely by the insatiable urge to satisfy its ravenous, demonic hunger.
As the orange demon drew closer to the young Saiyan, he caught sight of a faint, ethereal blue glow flickering and scattering just beyond the reach of his claws, its light dancing in the air like shards of pure energy.
In that same instant, an icy shiver surged down his spine, a chilling sensation that gripped him with both awe and foreboding.
The orange demon's claws were mere inches away from touching Tavor's face, mere inches from permanently scarring his young, supple flesh, but before they could reach him a sound akin to the crackle of thunder echoed out.
"AAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHH!" Tavor bellowed with a ferocity that seemed to tear through the very fabric of the air, the deep, primal resonance of a great ape's guttural roar rumbling beneath his voice. His eyes burned with wild, unbridled energy, every fragment of his pent-up power exploding in that single, cataclysmic cry, unleashing a towering pillar of blinding blue-white energy that surged forwards with unstoppable force.
WOOOSH!
The orange demon's entire arm up to his elbow was instantly reduced to fine particles under the blue beam's power before he managed to slam his remaining hand against the beam along with the bloody stub of his arm.
"AAAGGGGG!" the orange demon roared, clenching its eyes shut as it hurtled backward at breakneck speed.
The veins in its arms bulged so violently that any onlooker might believe they were about to burst, while its muscles surged to their absolute limit, swelling to nearly twice their size.
Every fiber of its being strained with ferocious determination as it fought desperately against the overwhelming force threatening to erase it from existence.
The orange demon's feet gouged deep trenches into the earth as it continued to resist the relentless blue-white beam.
"RRRRAAAAAAGH!"
Its lone remaining hand quivered uncontrollably under the overwhelming force of the assault, claws raking against the torrent of energy as if sheer will alone could rend the beam asunder.
Yet it was futile.
Regardless of the immense strength the demon channeled into its straining form, the relentless beam would not relent.
Muscles swelled to their limits, sinews straining and veins protruding sharply along its arms and neck, as it fought with every ounce of power left in its being.
"YOU... LITTLE... BRAT!"
The orange demon's voice erupted in a strained, guttural roar, its jaws locked with such force that several teeth splintered under the immense pressure.
Yet, undeterred by the monstrous display, Tavor's own howl intensified, rising in pitch and volume until it reverberated through the air like a relentless, unyielding challenge.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The blue-white pillar surged with greater intensity, its radiance casting stark contrasts across the fractured earth.
Beneath Tavor's feet, the ground split outward in jagged lines as an overwhelming torrent of energy burst forth from his small frame, his luminous blue eyes blazing with raw, primal fury.
The orange demon was abruptly lifted from the ground, its eyes widening in sudden shock and fear.
"What?!"
Its massive body was sent hurtling backward.
"No!"
It struck the beam once more with its remaining hand, a futile attempt to arrest its relentless momentum, yet the effort yielded no result.
The demon was forced steadily backward, its claws raking ineffectively across the ground as shards of stone exploded beneath its heels.
Fragments of earth tore free, flung violently into the air, while its massive frame slid inexorably toward the sheer cliff rising behind it.
"STOP!"
The orange demon roared.
"STOP!"
Its voice broke with desperation, yet despite the demon's most determined efforts, Tavor's beam pressed relentlessly onward.
The space between the demon and the cliff disappeared in an instant.
The orange-skinned demon contorted violently, striving to alter its trajectory, but the beam struck its torso with intensified force, driving the impact deeper.
Its eyes flared wide in shock. And then, the collision came.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The demon's body slammed into the cliff face with such tremendous force that the surrounding terrain trembled violently.
A vast crater burst across the stone, the fractured rock radiating outward from the point of impact.
For a fleeting moment, the orange demon remained visible at the heart of the devastation, its sole remaining arm straining with desperate resolve against the relentless beam.
Then, in an instant, the searing blue-white energy engulfed it entirely.
FWOOM!
A searing explosion erupted from the cliffside, unleashing a torrent of blue-white radiance that swept across the battlefield.
The earth convulsed under the immense force of the blast as colossal fragments of stone were hurled skyward, descending like the shattered remnants of a mountain peak.
The deafening thunder of the detonation gradually subsided, giving way to a heavy, suffocating silence.
The purple demon remained rigid, its gaze fixed upon the gaping crater carved deep into the cliff.
At its side, the brown demon lowered its arms with measured deliberation.
Neither moved nor spoke.
Their expressions had transformed; moments before, they had viewed Tavor as little more than quarry, yet now a shadow of doubt flickered in their eyes.
The brown demon's throat tightened as it swallowed with visible effort.
"...He did that?"
The purple demon's fingers curled slowly into fists as its narrowed gaze locked on Tavor.
The young Saiyan stood unmoving at the spot where he had unleashed his attack, smoke and dust swirling around his small frame as his chest rose and fell with heavy, deliberate breaths.
The blue-white aura encasing him gradually began to fade, yet the strange, unyielding light in his eyes persisted.
The demon cast a glance toward the vast crater, then back to Tavor; for the first time since the battle commenced, neither demon advanced.
They simply observed.
The leader, however, remained motionless, his massive form positioned several dozen feet away, arms hanging loosely at his sides.
Unlike his subordinates, there was no trace of shock upon his features.
Instead, his eyes lit with genuine, unmistakable interest, and a slow, deliberate grin began to spread across his face.
"So..."
His voice emerged scarcely louder than a whisper.
"…that is what you have been concealing."
Tavor's ears gave a subtle twitch.
Deliberately, he turned his head toward the demon leader, observing as the creature's grin broadened in deliberate provocation.
The sight ignited within Tavor a sudden surge of searing, white-hot anger that threatened to overwhelm him.
"How fascinating."
Behind him, the remains of the cliff continued to crumble.
CRACK...
A colossal slab of stone detached from its position and plummeted to the ground, striking with immense force and generating a towering column of dust that surged outward in all directions.
As the dust gradually began to settle, the fractured remains of the cliff were all that could be seen.
Then, a faint movement disrupted the stillness, followed by a low, guttural groan emanating from deep within the crater.
Tavor's glowing eyes narrowed in focus as the rubble shifted, stones tumbling down the cliffside.
Through the thick haze, a battered figure emerged, the orange demon, or what was left of it. Its once-mighty arms were gone, its legs reduced to smoldering, blackened stumps.
The wings had suffered the same grim fate; their vast membranes were obliterated, leaving only twisted, smoking remnants protruding from its back.
Even its tail had been reduced to a charred, truncated form.
The demon's torso bore severe burns, its scales cracked and blackened, with half its body still glowing faintly from residual blue-white energy.
Yet, against all odds, its head remained almost wholly intact.
Its expression contorted in a mixture of pain and disbelief as it cast its gaze downward toward the ravaged remains of its own body.
"…Impossible…"
The word was scarcely more than a whisper, forced past trembling lips.
Never before had it endured such agony, never had it been brought to such a pitiful state, stripped so completely of power and pride.
And yet, against all expectation, life still clung to it.
Slowly, the demon's eyes rose to meet Tavor's.
The young Saiyan stood several dozen feet away, his posture resolute.
The orange demon no longer perceived the carefree youth who had so boldly confronted it moments earlier; now, before its gaze stood not a child, but an undeniable threat.
Its form trembled with instability, quivering under the weight of pain and exhaustion, until at last its final reserves of strength ebbed away, leaving it utterly devoid of power.
THUD!
The demon lurched forward, its torso slamming into the ground with such force that a network of fractures splintered outward beneath its weight.
A cloud of dust billowed around its head, hanging in the still air, and for several moments, an oppressive silence reigned.
Tavor stood frozen, his chest heaving with labored breaths.
"Haa…"
The sound escaped him in a ragged exhalation.
"Haa…"
The unnatural blue radiance in his eyes wavered, then dulled. His arms hung at his sides, trembling faintly.
Tavor glanced down at his trembling hands, watching his fingers curl and uncurl as if they no longer belonged to him.
There was a hollowness inside, not the kind that hunger brings, but something deeper, more unsettling, like the blast had reached into his very core and stolen a piece of his strength.
His muscles felt leaden, every movement slow and uncooperative, and even the simple act of standing seemed to demand too much energy.
Confusion swirled in his mind.
"What has happened to me? Why do I feel this way?" he wondered, swallowing with difficulty as the questions reverberated through the hollow void within him, a persistent emptiness from which he could not seem to escape.
Behind him, two sets of footsteps scraped against the fractured earth, drawing ever closer.
Tavor's ears twitched at the sound.
The purple demon advanced, followed closely by the brown one.
Their eyes fixed first on the battered orange demon sprawled several dozen feet away, then shifted toward Tavor.
Determination replaced any trace of hesitation as their expressions hardened.
Both crouched low, muscles coiling, claws biting into the ground while their tails lashed in anticipation.
Tavor's eyes widened slightly.
"They were coming."
His breath quickened, chest heaving.
He fought to raise his fists, but his arms shook uncontrollably.
"Move…" he urged himself, yet his body refused to respond.
Without warning, the purple demon lunged, the brown demon surging forward in perfect unison.
BOOM!
The ground erupted violently beneath their feet, sending debris scattering as both demons lunged forward with lethal intent.
Tavor clenched his jaw, forcing his trembling arms to rise in defiance.
Then, between them, a single hand emerged.
"Stop."
The word was not shouted, yet it carried an unshakable weight. Instantly, the purple and brown demons halted, frozen mid-stride.
Their bodies remained taut, muscles coiled for attack, but neither dared advance further.
Tavor's gaze shifted past them to the towering demon leader, unmoved from his original position.
Its dark, formidable scales were adorned with intricate golden-green runes, twisting like ancient sigils etched into living armor.
The markings glimmered faintly under the ambient light, exuding an unmistakable presence.
It was more than raw power; it was authority, the kind that compelled lesser beings to recognize, without question, their place in the hierarchy.
The purple demon's eyes darted toward their leader, glimmering with an unmistakable trace of fear.
The brown demon's pupils tightened to slits, fear again, but layered beneath that terror pulsed something far more dangerous: anticipation.
They yearned to know the will of their leader, to see what decision would fall upon them all.
With deliberate slowness, the demon leader lowered its raised hand, every movement steeped in quiet authority.
Its unblinking gaze stayed locked on Tavor.
The young Saiyan stood his ground, though his body teetered on the brink of collapse, chest rising and falling in ragged breaths, arms trembling uncontrollably.
In his eyes, the final shreds of that strange, ethereal blue light flickered like fading embers.
The leader observed him without a word, the silence stretching taut between them, until at last, a sharp curl of its lips revealed the beginnings of a smile.
The demon leader's smile stretched wider, a chilling promise in the curve of his lips, then, in an instant, it was gone.
Tavor's ears twitched, his eyes snapping wide in alarm.
"What…?"
The question barely formed before the world betrayed him.
No warning.
No movement.
No sound.
One heartbeat the towering demon loomed before him, then it was as if the monster had been erased from existence.
Every instinct in Tavor's body screamed in panic.
He spun, muscles coiling in desperate reaction.
Too late.
WHAM!
A crushing force exploded into his abdomen, stealing the breath from his lungs in a violent rush.
His eyes bulged, pain and shock flaring as his small frame folded around the demon leader's fist.
The immense force of the blow sent him hurtling through the air like a ragdoll swept up in a raging hurricane, his body crashing through tree after tree until, without warning, the ground vanished beneath him and reappeared seven hundred feet below.
Tavor flailed wildly, a defiant cry tearing from his throat as gravity seized him, dragging him down toward what seemed like his inevitable doom.
"AAAAGGGGGGHHHHHH....." Tavor's scream faded until the demons above could no longer hear it, his body disappearing into a strange mist below.
"It is highly improbable that he survived the fall. We must proceed immediately, as our mission remains underway and the time available to accomplish it is severely limited."
The golden-green demon leader crossed his arms and gave a measured nod, his wings unfurling with a resonant twang of displaced air as he lifted himself from the ground.
His gaze locked firmly onto the unconscious orange demon, and with an expression steeped in condescension and disdain, he spat upon the ground in the fallen figure's direction.
"Leave the failure behind; he has done a disservice to the demonic kind by losing to a mere child!"
The two subordinate demons exchanged a glance, as if holding an unspoken conversation, before nodding in silent accord.
With deliberate precision, they unfurled their wings and ascended into the air.
Neither spared a backward glance at their former comrade; instead, the pair, joined by the demonic leader, took flight in unison, veering away from the fierce clash between the two demonic titans and vanishing from view.
As the three demons left the fray and disappeared to complete the task they were charged with, down below, Tavor was floating in a slow-moving river when a bald old man with distinctive facial hair, who appeared to be fishing in the river caught sight of him.
"Hrmmm, is that a child? A human child? Here, of all places?" The bald old man pondered briefly before retracting his fishing pole and casting the bone hook forward, which, as though guided by fate itself, became ensnared upon the waistband of the child's trousers.