Destati (AT - CONQUEST)

Nero blinked at Dosu in some mild bewilderment. Was Nero really that convincing? Or was Dosu just more reasonable than he seemed to let on? In any case, Nero appreciated that there was yet another person that understood the worth in truth of self, for whatever reason it was that they did. Even though Nero heard what Dosu was about to say about the shrine, and as much as Nero wasn’t going to let that happen, he understood what Dosu was meaning, he wanted to ensure someone’s freedom regardless of the cost. A bit extreme, but not foul-hearted.

“Yeah, I’ve developed a lot of techniques that can get through that sort of foul shit.” Nero tracked the others leaving to fight Gandigan just as Dosu did. “One of the guys that went off to fight over there let me know what kinda parasite it is, we’ll have to count on them to bring it back or me having the time to get to it, unless you wanna make sure it goes smoothly?”

Further out in the fight, the main assailant seemed to double over in pain, which Nero heard clearly amongst the chaos too, there was something else at work here, something else present it looked like. Was the manipulator being manipulated themselves, in a cruel twist of fate? Were they possessed as well? Was... Was there another deep within this nesting doll of malice, under both of these beings? The fact that it could even be possible made Nero sick to his stomach.

Nero felt the power that radiated from this one, true, but he felt no fear. No, he felt... Sadness, pity, anger at what this power represented in his eyes. He couldn’t bring himself to feel like the enemy before this one deserved a fate like that. Steeling himself to face the odds, Nero was once again pulled away, his attention going to Erebos.

That madman, that idiot! After all the talk he gave Nero about the risk of pulling that leech out, all the danger presented by crushing that crystalized power and using it— Erebos did it himself! He risked his life, put himself in danger, wholeheartedly and willingly for Namek. That feeling from earlier, that which stirred from deep within him began to grow more and more.

With a quick scan of the battlefield, taking in a quick bit of what was happening here and there, he got a sense of where everyone was. That Majin’s creepy smile was off-putting, Nero narrowed his eyes in their direction, finding it suspicious.

Nero’s attention was brought back to Dosu, who had suddenly gotten in the way between him and Zhalla, who had tried to drop a huge rock on Nero. “Wwwwwhaat the—” Something was definitely up here, Dosu wasn’t some weakling, that little power he gave off wasn’t right at all, Nero could tell that much with the feat he just pulled off. “Woah there, you don’t need to worry about that, I can help her focus if I get a second to do it.” Nero didn’t want Dosu to get his ass kicked for no reason, especially if it could be avoided, and Nero knew Zhalla would feel guilty if she smashed someone’s bones to dust while out of control.

It became worse than that though, and quickly. Nero’s eyes widened in total shock, that sinking feeling, he knew it all too well, he had been on this side of it before. He knew precisely what possession looked like and this was no different. His heart began racing, beating faster and faster. It was happening again. To someone close to him. Not again, he thought. Not again, he begged. Not again, he prayed.

To Nero, everything slowed to a crawl, then to a stop, his gaze transfixed on Zhalla’s pained expression, that cursed mark on her forehead. He knew immediately who was responsible— that creepy Majin... A pang of fury bubbled up within him, all of the attacks on Namek, all of the pain caused to its people and those he cared for, he hated it and now he was on the verge of exploding.

In fact, he almost would have, had he been almost any other man, but he was Nero. Nero was not a man built on hatred or rage. He remembered every time he let that sort of emotion be his weapon, nothing went right. It was how his birth parents were lost to him, it was how he got most of his scars, it was why he couldn’t save Pankaa from his curse fast enough, and that every time he used such feelings it pained him afterward, as if they made him physically ill and weak.

So he had to toss aside those emotions, use something far stronger, to forge his truth into a new weapon, refine his spirit as his perfect armour; go with the feelings he was really built with. Love and compassion. He knew every time those emotions were the source of his power, everything felt right. It was how he connected with Namek and kept his birth parents in his heart while making room for his adoptive family, it was how he earned the iconic scar on the side of his head, how he ultimately saved Pankaa from his curse at all, and how he reached out to Zhalla when she was hurting, it was how he came to be capable of amazing feats like blessing the Outer Plait. Each and every time these feelings emboldened Nero, opened him up to himself, his truth.

The dormant power that had been brewing within him now had the chance to rise, and it was as if the planet below his feet responded to Nero’s heart, there was a soft glow within the grass— nigh imperceptible— that seemed to rush in from all directions, leading straight into the man, and the eyes on Porunga’s statue... They were glowing too, gold, like Nero’s eyes.

At a speed only a few present could hope to track, Nero had gotten between Dosu and Zhalla, and with the flip of his hair there was a flash of light... All of the strength behind Zhalla’s attack was just gone.

Now standing there, facing Zhalla, Nero looked different to what he did before. His scars were glowing blue, his fangs had become far more pronounced, as well as his nails now looking a lot more like claws. His hair had become even more wild, to the point that facial hair had sporadically grown out in sideburns and on his chin and it was now all a shimmering white. This change in strength and visage had not come after anything bombastic, it was quiet, calm and graceful. To top it all off, two glowing marks faded into existence, a glowing blue crescent moon had now burned onto Nero’s forehead, and a similar blue glow had formed a symbol upon his chest— the Ajissa symbol of Namek, and around him a vague light blue image in the likeness of Porunga could barely be seen.

Nero had ascended, and in more ways than one.

Glancing over his shoulder at Dosu, he gave the Heran a smile. “Yo, Dosu. I’m Sorry, I trust you, but I gotta handle this. She’s my girlfriend— the absolutely stellar love of my life, so it’s gotta be me who brings her back to her senses. I’ll prove to you I’ve got what it takes to save your friend by doing this.” That said, Nero had something he could ask Dosu to do for him. “But, I got a job for you, still. How would the strongest Heran like to karmically beat the shit outta some nasty freedom stealing hag? That’d be the one over there!” Nero had a strong gut feeling as to who pulled this mind control stunt on Zhalla, so he pointed to the Majin that gave off that creepy smile earlier. “It’d be one hell of a story, I’m sure.”

Nero’s smile sparkled almost, even as Zhalla charged at him, trying to get him to move elsewhere. With his new strength, Nero held Zhalla back for a moment as they skidded closer to Ward. “Ward! You gotta wake up, man! I need you to focus! You’re supposed to be stern, solid and balanced out right?! Hold onto your truth, let it give you strength!” Nero attempted to embolden Ward with his words, and with the current strength of his, he tried to reach out to the Shinjin with some deep magic brought on by his ascension. Whether or not that did anything remained to be seen. “And hey, don’t worry about us. We won’t need a box this time.”

He wasn’t going to hold back Zhalla for much longer, but he had one last gift to give to those that were here. “Oh, and before I go~!” Nero summoned a bunch of duplications of himself, sending them out around the field. Upon any reaching Cambia, Rho, Erebos, Dosu or Ward, they would attempt to bless the warriors with protection against wills and forces not of their own before disappearing once their task was done. “Nobody is getting their will taken from them. Not ever again.”

Now, Nero faced Zhalla, a grin forming on his face as his eyes let off streams of sparkling energy. “It won’t be long Zhalla. I’ll set you right, I promise.” With that, he followed Zhalla’s charging path, allowing them to hopefully battle elsewhere.