Demon King Piccolo the Second?
The name echoed in Garlic Jr.'s mind as he stared at the newcomer. The resemblance to the Guardian was uncanny, yet this individual was younger, brimming with a fierce energy that reminded him of the Guardian in his prime. And he called himself Piccolo's successor.
Could he truly be the descendant of another demon? More importantly, how did he possess a power that so completely eclipsed his own?
Garlic Jr.'s confidence shattered. "Impossible! How can he be this strong?!"
Lady Towa had assured him there were no warriors of this caliber left on Earth. So how could this stranger appear, radiating a ki so immense it struck terror deep in his soul? It was clear from his stance, from the cold glare in his eyes, that he was an enemy.
Under Piccolo's suffocating aura, the other demons began to tremble. It felt as if mountains were crashing down upon them, and a cold sweat drenched their bodies. Their legs gave out, and they collapsed to the pristine tiles of the Lookout.
So much for being the second generation. It seemed Piccolo was a cut above.
"Getting careless in your old age," Piccolo said, his voice a low reprimand as he walked toward the Guardian. He completely ignored Garlic Jr. and his minions cowering behind him. "What would I do if you actually died?"
Having already sensed their power levels, Piccolo knew that Garlic Jr. and his clan were no threat. Before his journey to Namek, they might have been formidable opponents. Now, they weren't even worth a warm-up.
The Guardian let out a ragged sigh of relief. "You finally made it. I knew you would come."
"I just don't want you to die," Piccolo retorted flatly.
"Garlic has a history with both of us," the Guardian explained, keeping the children safely behind him. "Or rather, with your father. His father once competed with me for the title of Guardian of Earth. But Garlic Jr. is not like you. He is pure, unadulterated evil."
A wry smile touched Piccolo's lips. "To think someone would actually covet this position." In his heart, he held nothing but disdain for the title of "God," scoffing at such a short-sighted ambition.
"You can laugh at me later. Just get rid of him first," the Guardian urged, wiping sweat from his brow.
Piccolo turned, his expression turning to ice as he finally faced the demonic host. His gaze swept over them, a panoramic view that stopped on no one yet saw everyone. A chilling pressure, sharp as a blade, descended upon the Lookout, causing the divine sanctuary to tremble once more.
The moment the dark barrier had vanished, Piccolo's power had locked onto them all. In a heartbeat, they realized they were paralyzed, unable to move a muscle. A terrifying, invisible energy crashed down from the heavens, clamping onto their limbs like colossal shackles.
"You—" Garlic Jr. snarled, but the word died in his throat.
A majestic beam of light erupted from Piccolo's palm, rushing toward him. The searing heat of the blast incinerated the demons around him, turning them to bone and then to ash. The turbulent light swallowed Garlic Jr. whole, the sheer energy silencing his voice and tearing his body to pieces.
The smoke cleared, mingling with the white clouds and drifting away on the wind. Not a trace of flesh or blood remained; Garlic Jr. and his followers had been utterly annihilated. The shockwave still roiled through the heavens, and the Lookout shook so violently that the Guardian and the children gasped, their eyes wide with shock.
One overwhelmingly powerful attack had erased them all with contemptuous ease.
"Hmph. Pathetic," Piccolo scoffed, turning his back on the ugly explosion.
As the smoke settled, Dende and Cargo's eyes shone with admiration. "He's amazing!" they cheered.
Their praise brought a faint, smug smile to Piccolo's face. He folded his arms across his chest, his signature pose of cool confidence, letting his white cape flutter in the wind.
But his satisfaction lasted only a moment.
Piccolo's smile vanished. He whipped his head around, his gaze shooting toward the upper atmosphere. A colossal, dark planet now hung ominously in the sky, orbiting perilously close to Earth. From the dissipating smoke of the explosion, a familiar demonic power began to swell, far greater than before.
Garlic Jr.'s silhouette reappeared within the smoke. The once-short demon now stood tall and monstrous, his body swollen with corded muscle and overwhelming power. He dwarfed Piccolo, his form radiating an indescribable strength. The shadowy orb of the Demon Star framed his head like a dark halo, continuously pouring its explosive energy into his body, making him stronger by the second
"Hahahaha! Did you really think you could kill me?" Garlic Jr. roared, his voice a torrent of fury and madness. "I am IMMORTAL! A gift from the great Shenron himself! And this power... this is a gift from Lady Towa!"
He spread his arms wide, a mad god addressing his new world. "I will transform you all into demons, and you will bow to my will!"
Empowered by the Demon Star, Garlic Jr.'s ego swelled even faster than his body. He reveled in his own invincibility, his words dripping with condescending arrogance as he taunted Piccolo and the Guardian. For a fleeting moment, Piccolo saw a reflection of his former self in the creature's hubris.
His face an iron mask, Piccolo began to walk slowly toward the transformed demon. Seeing this, Garlic Jr.'s pride inflated further.
"That was just a moment of carelessness," he bellowed with a wild laugh. "Now that I've unleashed my true strength, you're finished! Come, let me turn you into my servant—a puppet of the demon clan!"
As he spoke, Garlic Jr. launched a sphere of energy. It pulsed with the strange, otherworldly light of the Demon Star, radiating a bizarre magical power capable of twisting any living creature into a demon under his control. The purple energy bubble enveloped the steadily advancing Piccolo, and Garlic Jr. erupted in maniacal laughter, certain of his victory.
In the next second, with a casual wave of his hand, Piccolo shattered it.
The shimmering purple light cracked like glass and disintegrated into a shower of harmless, firefly-like sparks. Garlic Jr. froze, his laughter caught in his throat.
"How is that possible?!" he shrieked. "You have the ki of a demon! You should be susceptible to my magic!"
He couldn't believe it. This defied all logic. No one, especially not one with demonic energy, could resist that attack.
Just then, Piccolo's pace quickened, and he closed the distance in a blur of motion. "It's nothing special," he said, his voice dangerously low. "Your power is just too weak."
His palm shot forward, piercing straight through Garlic Jr.'s chest. Sticky, dark blood dripped down Piccolo's arm as the demon stared down in disbelief.
Garlic Jr. had made a critical mistake. The look on Piccolo's face hadn't been fear; it had been pure surprise. He was merely surprised that another immortal being existed in the universe.
However, Piccolo's strategy was simple: if you can't kill him once, kill him twice. Or ten times. Or a hundred.
He still had techniques like the Mafūba at his disposal, though he currently lacked a suitable container...
Or, he could use Raditz's method and simply toss him into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to be trapped for eternity...
Thanks to Raditz's unconventional thinking, Piccolo knew there were plenty of ways to deal with someone who couldn't die. A cold, determined glint entered his eyes.
"Hmph…. You are not the only one with Immortality"
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