His declaration was met with silence.
Undeterred, Knox stepped into the room and looked around with casual interest. His visor lit up as he focused on the weaker two of the siblings.
| Name: Macki
| Threat Level: B-Class
| Name: Elec
| Threat Level: C-Cla-
"Eww!" Knox cut his visor off. "A C-Class?! Seriously? You're such a fucking wimp, Elec. Stop relying on your brother and do some damn training for once in your worthless life."
Elec, completely unamused, rested his chin in his fist. "Macki, would you kindly subdue... whoever this is? And get up already, Oil. You're making us look pathetic."
"Gladly," Macki stepped forward, her hands crackling with Ki claws. "You must be crazy to think you can just walk in here like-"
Knox stomped on Oil's head, knocking him out with an audible thud.
Then he glanced at Marzette. "Deal with her."
As quickly as the words left his mouth, Marzette had already started moving. She closed the distance between herself and Macki in a heartbeat, slashing at her with razor-sharp claws of her own.
"Woah!" Macki leaned out of the way, startled, but the onslaught had just begun.
Within moments it became clear who was the superior fighter. While their power was roughly the same, Marzette's raw speed and sheer skill quickly became overwhelming for the Heeter.
Macki was managing to avoid getting hurt too badly, but it was obvious by the strain on her face that it wasn't easy.
Panning his gaze back to Elec, Knox noticed the coward's expression slowly grow more and more into something else. It was an odd mix of realization and fear; an emotion Knox couldn't put a name to.
Then the Heeter sighed, all tension suddenly leaving his body as he raised his hands. "Alright, alright... there's no need to continue this any further. Tell me what you came here for and-"
"Nope," Knox interrupted. "This isn't a negotiation or an arrest or anything like that. You'll be coming with me and the rest of you will die. End of story."
To punctuate that statement, Knox let his Ki boil under the surface, the malice within flowing out of him in waves of black and red hate.
Every look in the room, besides his own and Marzette's, became more intense with those words.
Then Knox's gaze slid downward. To the Heeter who was still asleep, slumped on the ground.
He cocked his head. "Speaking of which..."
Before anyone could react, Knox's eyes lit up momentarily, and a thin beam of Ki pierced straight through Oil's head, ending his life mercilessly.
"Oil!" Macki's horrified shriek filled the room, the other two only reacting with gasps.
Taking advantage of her momentary lapse in concentration, Marzette didn't hesitate.
"A foolish mistake."
With ruthless precision, she slashed downward in a clean arc, severing Macki's arm from her body.
"AAaagH!" Blood sprayed as Macki stumbled backward, clutching at her wound and screaming in agonized disbelief.
"You... you...!" Her gaze shifted back to Marzette, bloodshot eyes full of hatred. Her purple lips bled as she bit down, clearly trying to hold back her own screams.
Then she glanced at Elec out of the corner of her eye.
'What is she...?'
Before Knox could figure out what she was thinking, Elec seemingly had already anticipated her actions, as he screamed out a demand. "Macki, do not-!"
She didn't listen.
Her breathing was ragged as her trembling hand reached for the bone necklace around her neck.
"Ggraaagh!" With a guttural scream, she ignored Elec and tore the necklace off, the cord snapping in her grip.
The moment it broke, an overwhelming burst of energy erupted from her body.
Knox didn't hesitate to send a beam of energy from his eyes straight at her, trying to halt the transformation. But the sheer amount of power in her aura reflected the beam back at him.
He moved his head out of the way at the last second.
'I didn't know they could all do that. I thought it was a Gas only thing...' He looked down at Oil's corpse. 'Maybe I should've kept him alive a little longer? I'm not sure if he would've given me a level up if he transformed.'
As Macki's roar reached a crescendo, her body visibly changed. Her muscles swelled with power, veins pulsating under her skin, and her energy quickly became erratic. Her pupilless eyes radiated bloodlust, pure hatred in her gaze as she glared at Marzette.
Elec cursed under his breath, his calculated demeanor slipping. "Damn it," he muttered, standing from his throne.
"Gas!" the eldest sibling barked, snapping the youngest out of his dazed state. "Get revenge for Oil. Now."
Gas's cold eyes turned to Knox, then he nodded once. Elec, meanwhile, stepped back, retreating toward the far side of the room.
"And just where do you think you're going?" Knox called him out, taking a step to follow-
Gas appeared in front of him a blur of speed, throwing a punch straight at his face.
Knox dodged with a single step back, grabbing Gas' arm mid-strike to throw him like he did Oil.
But before he could twist, Gas sent a burst of Ki throughout his body, repulsing Knox's grip loose and making him stumble.
'I guess that's why there's not many grapplers in Dragonball.'
Using the momentum of his punch, Gas pivoted smoothly and threw a roundhouse kick aimed at Knox's head.
Knox managed to raise his arm to block. But the sheer force sent him rocketing back out the door he came through.
Skill [Blocking] Rank increased!
+1 BODY multiplier for increasing from E to D.
Sliding to a stop on the platform, Knox stared at his trembling arm. With just that hit...
Gas casually walked up to him, stopping a few feet away.
'Stronger... and far more skilled than I expected.'
He'd gotten so distracted from Elec's low power level, that he'd forgotten to scan the main fighter himself.
| Name: Gas
| Affiliation: Heeter Force
| Threat Level: A-Class
| Bounty:
--Capture: 2,250,000 Credits
--Termination: 1,400,000 Credits
| Profile: Despite being the shortest of the Heeter Force, Gas is considered their most powerful combatant. He demonstrates overwhelming battle skill and mastery of conjuration-based energy techniques. Known for extreme loyalty to the Heeter family, he shows little hesitation in using lethal force. Standard officers are advised to avoid engagement altogether.
"Huh," Knox smirked as he read the important parts. "I suppose this gives me a few hints on when I am in the timeline, at least. You're not exactly strong, but you're way stronger than the Saiyan era..."
Gas raised an eyebrow slightly, his expression still stoic.
"This might actually be harder than I thought." Knox clenched his fist, his aura flickering to life.
For a moment, the two faced each other in silence.
The distant stars and swirling debris in the open expanse of the asteroid made for a rather beautiful yet grim backdrop.
Then, at the exact same instant--
Gas conjured a morning star, gleaming with violet energy.
Knox blurred forward, fist cocked back and aura roaring like a wildfire.
The clash that followed lit up the stars.
__________
Elec flew through the twists and turns of the hallways, uncharacteristically frantic as he retreated deeper into the castle.
The sound of the distant battle, the concussive booms and explosions of energy, was muffled this deep in. His mind, usually a calm sea of calculated schemes, churned as he moved.
'An unknown variable.' Elec grit his teeth. 'After all this time, it's an unknown variable that ruins everything.'
He came to a stop in front of a seemingly normal wall, before he slammed his palm against the hidden panel to his right. The section of the wall hissed open, revealing a dimly lit room flickering with holographic displays.
This was his sanctum, the brain of his operation.
Technology in this age was flawless. The old days of hackers, faceless figures cracking code from the dark of their room, was a relic of the past. There were no more loopholes to exploit, no software bugs to slip through.
If you wanted access to a system now, you didn't break in. You convinced someone to open the door for you.
And Elec? Elec thrived on social engineering.
He walked in the room, approaching his computer. His fingers flew across the console, pulling up data streams he wasn't supposed to have access to.
First, the Galactic Patrol database. The visor… that distinctive design was GP-issue advanced tech, not something a common pirate would have. His eyes scanned rapidly, searching for a visual match.
Eventually, he found it. An entry in their systems that was extremely recent.
As he read it over, Elec's lips curled into a snarl.
"An A-Class bounty hunter?" he spat. "This... All of this trouble just for some upstart? Two of my siblings killed by a GP-sponsored thug trying to play hero?"
The Galactic Patrol had connections and information, but as far as military might went, they were a joke. To immediately send out an extremely valuable A-Class meant the idiot was doing all of this of his own accord.
This was just a freelancer chasing credits.
Fury boiled in his veins, threatening to burn away his reason.
Elec forced himself to take a slow, measured breath. 'No. There has to be more.'
He cross-referenced the name, digging into a far more dangerous network: the Frieza Force's internal personnel files.
They might've been business associates, but there wasn't a chance in hell they would've given him this information willingly. But with enough time and effort, he managed to get a hold of their threats list.
What he didn't expect was for them to already know his name.
| Designation: Creed
| Threat Level: Low (Inconsequential)
| Notes: Displays an exploitable...
'Of course...'
His eyes twitched upon reading the threat level.
It hadn't even been that long, and this "inconsequential" nobody had risen from a power level under ten to an A-Class bounty hunter capable of fighting Gas. It reminded him far too much of Frieza's little collection of freaks.
Elec's fists tightened against the console.
This was Frieza's fault. His sloppy, arrogant, planet-trashing carelessness had let this… this abomination loose upon the universe, and now Elec was the one who had to deal with it.
Clearly, the former slave was after revenge on the Frieza Force. How he had discovered their alliance didn't matter.
What mattered was that he had a connection Elec could use.
His fingers danced across the comms panel, opening channels. Not just to the Frieza Force, but to every single one of their allies.
His voice was ice-cold, each word dripping with venomous professionalism.
"This is Elec of the Heeter Force. There is currently an 'inconsequential' escaped slave, one Knox Creed, who is dismantling my entire operation as I speak. He has terminated two of my executives and is currently engaged in combat with a third. The collateral damage to our joint ventures will be.... substantial.
"After looking through the information you sent me about me, I suggest you revise your internal classification system. Immediately."
He sent the message, and as he did, the heat of his rage cooled, replaced by the cold satisfaction of strategy.
It did not matter that they didn't send him anything about Knox beforehand.
What mattered was that it this would appear to be a leaked message, a calculated embarrassment for Frieza. The emperor was ruthless, and while most of his allies may not even care, a few would. And there was one man who would deeply care, someone even Frieza wouldn't want to look bad in front of.
His father.
And his brother, if he cared to come out from his shadow, may even attempt to seize the chance to undermine him.
Even in defeat, Elec was winning.
'And this Creed won't be able to win against Gas.' The Galactic Patrol had listed him as human, whatever that was, which meant he wasn't a Saiyan despite his similar appearance.
If Gas had to unleash his full power, Creed would be no match.
Losing the other two was a setback, for sure, but this would soon all fall back into his favor.
But Elec was a man who never left things to chance.
He crossed the room, opening a reinforced locker. Inside sat a golden ray gun, a weapon powerful enough to put even Gas down, should Elec take him by surprise.
Gas might be his strongest piece, but even the strongest piece was expendable if sacrificing it won the game.
Elec smirked coldly, sliding the gun into his coat.
__________
A/N: Thanks for the kind words, everyone! There were way more people replying than I expected, tbh. I'm glad none of you really overreacted to the brief hiatus.
I've added everyone's ideas to my notes, and while I won't include... some of them, a good portion of said ideas will be included (or explained why they're impossible). A lot of them were already planned, honestly.