On Distant Stars - [Challenge] - Lottus

    The damage to Gandigan was somewhat more than Lottus had figured would happen - but the Namekian did take the energy blast straight to his face. Seeing that a full layer of skin had been seared away, and one of Gandigan's eyes had been destroyed, Lottus threw his head back and laughed profusely.

    "KAHAHAHAAA!! I'll take your whole miserable head next!" Lottus cackles. He settles into a combat ready stance - or rather, back into a predatory crouch, fingers curled like talons. The ground fell away beneath his feet though, momentarily distracting Lottus. Thusly, Gandigan's kick landed squarely, sending Lottus crashing into a wall of stone that had broken away from the ground and shifted up on top of another slab of ground as the continent continued to tear itself apart.

    Lottus, laughing as the world fell to pieces around the two, flew back into the air, high over Gandigan. He drew his hands back, and began thrusting them forth and back, forth and back, over and over. Hundreds of Ki blast balls rain down upon the shattered, molten landscape. Again, Lottus was not bothering to be accurate, only to deal as much damage to the dying world, and to Gandigan, as he could while enjoying the chaos of it all.

    "Can you see it, Gandigan! The end is out of your control!" he laughs. "You should have stayed on Namek, ruling over your meager Kingdom. Instead, here you are - to die alone on a dying planet! You left your people vulnerable! And after this arrogant little stunt, I'll make sure to destroy your precious home world next!"

---

    Lottus smiles at Gandigan's desperate, furious declaration - he had lost his temper. Exactly what he needed the Namekian to do. Lottus meets Gandigan's charge - and allows the Namekian to chomp down on his shoulder. Lottus belts out a pained bark, but doesn't make an effort to escape Gandigan's grasp.

    Instead, Lottus groans against the pain - and looks sideways at Gandigan.

    "My blood... must taste good... keheheh!" Lottus says, still maintaining a mocking tone, though now laced with his growing exhaustion and pain. He grabs hold of Gandigan's shirt, and begins gathering energy within. "But you've taken my blood twice now... How about I take some of yours now?"

    With a sudden, violent surge of power, Lottus' right hand flattens and a blade of crimson energy bursts forth! Lottus drives the blade tip first towards Gandigan's stomach, intending to rip through muscle, bone, and sinew, to push the blade and his arm past the elbow clear through Gandigan's body!

    "You know, the biggest danger in fighting me, is how... personal I like to be. How close I like to get." Lottus, whether Gandigan was still biting or not, would lean into the Namekian. "Are you sure you want to go through this a thousand time? Because I will - and I'll relish every moment you give me in blood and death."

---

    Gandigan fell. Lottus watched the Mazoku King all the way until he vanished into the pits, and smiled. It had take quite a bit out of him to do that attack; forcing energy like that expended his strength faster than he'd like. But the results could not be argued with. Wordlessly, Lottus flew down after Gandigan, and is overtaken by the pitch black of darkness. Becoming his own light, Lottus' Super Saiyan aura flares to life, bathing the underground cavern in a golden glow.

    Lottus' feet slam into the ground as he lands, and the Saiyan straightens his posture, casting his gaze out. The sight made him smile. Gandigan, prostrate and crawling; bleeding heavily on the cavern floor.

    "King of the Mazoku Tribe of Namek, crawling on his split belly and slathering the ground with his blood. It's a good look for you, Gandigan." Lottus says. He starts after Gandigan, but walks at a casual pace, keeping his guard up. There had been a number of times where he'd used injuries to lure an enemy into walking into a trap - and he didn't intend to fall for the same trick he used on others. At any moment, Gandigan could get a spur of desperate power, and blast the living hell out of Lottus. But, he had his own tricks still. "They say hubris and pride comes before the fall - I should know. It happens to me fairly often, ha!"

    Lottus grins an evil grin.

    "You said you had surpassed me - and now look at you. Not feeling particularly mighty now, eh?" he laughs. Truth be told, Lottus was acting stronger than he was feeling. The loss of blood had made his head swim more than once. He needed to finish the Namekian off before the planet could explode. If he left now, there was a chance Gandigan would find a way to survive. "Surely you can still regenerate from this little injury. After all, I haven't seen the depths of your regenerative power, remember? But, I think I like this look for you - it's a wonderful sight. One I will see a lot, once I get to Namek and do to your home, what I've done here."

    With that, Lottus raises a hand, and begins pelting Gandigan with weak Ki blasts!

---

    Gandigan's attempt at self preservation was a admirable one - but no words of defiance were going to save the Namekian now. The mouth of the cave wasn't far, and falling rocks were never going to be fast enough to bury the Super Saiyan. Lottus, cackling, flew backwards, blasting the nearest boulders that fell, and flew back through the opening and out of the pits. He rose high into the air, gazing down as the landscape imploded below.

    "Well, that was anti-climactic." Lottus snorts. "...Ahhh... I still sense his energy... Where will you pop up, I wonder?"

    Lottus closes his eyes, focusing in on the faint presence he could feel. Gandigan was still alive alright, and Lottus knew better by now than to count someone as dead until he saw the body. After a few moments, Lottus opens his eyes again, and crosses his arms over his chest. Even as the world fell all around him, priming itself for an incredible explosion the Saiyan stayed. He wanted to see what made Gandigan so sure of his victory.

    Others and their possibilities came to mind, of course. Lottus had witnessed, and been struck by, extremely powerful acts and powers. Whether Gandigan would add to that list remained to be seen."

---

    As Lottus suspected, Gandigan appeared and was rushing towards him, making one last desperate push. It would be in vain, Lottus decided. He had seen this technique before - it was a Ki Blade, not disimilar to his own. More powerful, certainly. But he had survived Gandigan's last attempt with this attack, and he would survive it again now. Lottus raises both hands, forming crimson Ki Blades from both!

    Cackling, Lottus met Gandigan's charge, and engaged with the Namekian in their brutal dance of blades. Lottus was able to parry many, but not all of the slashes; his clothing tearing to reveal split skin weeping blood, adding to his already considerable collection of scars. By the end of it, Gandigan fell from the sky, exhausted. Lottus, for his part, also fell - equally spent, and now terribly injured. Lottus lands on his feet, but his legs buckle at the knees, and he collapses to the ground, cursing loudly as his glances his head off a stone. Lottus groans, and rolls onto his front, pushing against the ground to rise to his knees, holding himself up on wobbly arms.

    He spots Gandigan a short distance away.

    *HUFF* *WHEEZE* "...Gan...digan..." Lottus rasps. A plume of lava bursts through the ground in the distance. It was almost time for the planet to rip itself into cosmic dust. "...I'm... still... alive!"

    With that declaration, Lottus' Super Saiyan aura explodes! The Saiyan warrior rises to his feet shakily, driven by pure adrenaline and the desire to kill this Namekian!

    "YOU HAVE FAILED!! GANDIGAAAAAN!!!" Lottus cackles manically.

---

    Lottus throws his head back in a monstrous howl as he draws ever more power forward, forcing his body to obey his will. The ground around Lottus shatters and dips, forming a wide crater with his wild power driving ever higher. The Super Saiyan rises to his feet, his face twisted with a mixture of rage, battle fervor, and deadly anticipation. Gandigan - it appeared - was in a bad way. And the only word that slipped from the Namekian's mouth, was Lottus.

    As it should be. Lottus stalks towards Gandigan, oblivious to the erupting landscape around them. The entire world had become an inferno - and they the only living things left. Lottus stops as he nears Gandigan, looming over his opponent with triumph in his eyes. Blood drenched his clothes; both his own blood, and Gandigan's blood. He gazes down at Gandigan - and sees that the Namekian had seemingly begun to accept his fate.

    "...Stand up, Gandigan..." Lottus rasps. "Don't lay there... like an injured pup... Stand... and face your death... with some dignity..!"

    Lottus' expression becomes a snarl as he waits for Gandigan to choose what to do.

    "...Give me the satisfaction... of killing you... as warriors!" he implores the Namekian. "...Or... is this all... your title and vows... mean to you? To die laying... in the dirt? Die on your feet!!"

---

    Lottus leered down at Gandigan.

    "Heh... fine. If you want to die like a mongrel... then that's fine... too." Lottus says, shaking his head. It was a disappointing end to things, certainly. He had been hoping that the Namekian would at least put one last struggle into this. But if Gandigan was at peace with his coming death, then so be it.

    Lottus straightens his posture, and cracks his neck before raise in a hand. His fingers splay wide, and a ball of energy begins to form in his palm. The battle had been thrilling. Twice now, he had fought Gandigan - and twice now he has brought the Namekian low. It really was a shame that Gandigan chose to play with an inferno, rather than maintain the deal he had made with Lottus. But, as they say - that is that.

    "Well then - you die today. But, if you have even a tenth of my own tenacity, we'll meet again." Lottus says, his sadistic grin returning to his bloody face. "I would be pretty pissed off if you just got recycled in Hell. Make sure that when you figure out a way back here, that you come back much stronger. I'll be waiting, Gandigan."

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