Duel of the Colossi

    Lottus' eyes snap open - he felt something strong in the distance; and it was a familiar feeling. It took a bit of memory searching, but the Saiyan realizes soon enough what this energy was; and who it belonged to. The name of this particular being escaped Lottus for the moment, but he was always better with faces than names.

    It was one of those Mazoku - the fools who thought to ambush him and collect him as a trophy. It was a grave insult, and he had no intention of letting the offense fly without consequence. How convenient that one of them was here. A bit too convenient, perhaps. This power had flared - like a signal beacon.

    They wanted to be found.

    "Far be it for me to refuse an invitation." Lottus growls. It was an opportunity to eliminate one of them - but the odds are that this was another ambush. If it was, then that meant they were tracking him. Lottus sits up from the training room floor, and walks through the ship towards the quarters he knew Jagaimo was sleeping. He presses a button on the panel by the door, causing it to open with a soft swish as it slides open.

    Looking inside, he finds Jagaimo resting, and presses the switch again to close the door. With any luck, they didn't know about her, but he couldn't bet on that. It was far more likely that they were just after him, but he couldn't take that chance. Jagaimo would be angry with him for this, but he much preferred her being angry, than worse. If they didn't know about her, it had to stay that way. And fortunately, Jagaimo's innate ability to passively hide her power meant that it was extremely unlikely they were aware she was here.

    A swell of something burned in Lottus' chest, and his adrenaline began to course through his veins as his body began to prepare itself for battle. Lottus heads to the store room, and retrieves his battle armor...

---

    After having ensured there was no one even remotely resembling the Mazoku near their ship in the star port, Lottus took off into the sky, flying fast. His flight took him to the sickly looking grassy plains, and Lottus kept both his own senses keen, as well as wearing his Scouter.

    But he needed neither - this close, it was Lottus' keen nose that caught a familiar scent, verifying that his energy senses had been correct. Lottus stops in the air, and drops - he makes no attempts to slow his fall, and focuses energy in his feet and legs, and slams them against the ground as he reached it.

    A strong wind brushes his long mane, and his coal-black hateful eyes settle on the visage of Maxsuz Argin. At first, he says nothing to the man, only gazing at him for a few moments, and then sniffing at the air. There was no signs of an ambush... but that didn't mean one wasn't there. Yangcong had his armies of zealots, after all. He hadn't noticed them then - and he wasn't about to be caught off guard by them now.

    Without a word to Maxsuz, Lottus opens his right hand, crackling with crimson energy; with a whip of his hand from right to left and sweeping behind, Lottus sets the Saffron Plains - or at least this area - ablaze. There were no screams of shock or pain, so perhaps they were alone this time. As the flames grow, Lottus feels the death of small things, and of the burning plants, and begins pulling the energy released from Death into himself.

    "...Waiting for me, are you?" Lottus says, finally satisfied that Maxsuz was most likely alone. "How did you know I was here?"

---

    "Aw, you know my name so well. A shame I can't seem to remember yours. You must not have made much of an impression, HA!!" Lottus smarmily replies after Maxsuz had said his piece. "Destroyer of Worlds, overwhelming might, yada yada yada. Just garbage spoken by weaklings that don't have enough drive to become something themselves. Same with your remarks - being called a primitive monkey might throw off some weaklings, but all I see right now is a no name wanna be flapping his yap, here to try and get some noteriety off of me because you have no clout of your own."

    Lottus throws his head back in a loud cackle, then crosses his arms, looking down his nose at Maxsuz. The warrior didn't know how accurate his presumptions were - or perhaps he knew full well, and was just trying to toy with him to throw off Lottus' focus. But between his dozens of battles against foes that themselves could destroy planets if they so wished, and Vale's training between realities and the edge beyond the universe, verbal slights meant little to the Saiyan.

    "If you must know - I'm hunting. And it seems that one of my prey has decided to come to me personally. Saves me the trouble of hunting you down myself. So sure, let's call it a vacation from Plant." he says, smirking at Maxsuz. "I have a fun list - you and the Mazoku, Yangcong once he's back from the dead - and we both know that's a matter of time, or at least I do - and those Earthling heroes who kept getting in my way. Killing Salvo will be their last act."

    Lottus brings his chin down, still smirking. Behind that, Lottus' mind was racing - he needed to either kill this Mazoku, or drive him off. He could not allow them to discover Jagaimo, and he would NOT.

    "It's funny - Gandigan came to me looking to spill my blood, just as you are. Regeneration didn't save him, keheheh!!" Lottus raises his left hand, flattening it, and crimson and black energy burns to life, forming a long blade. His right hand clenches into a tight fist, and Lottus mirrors Maxsuz' posture. "Let's play this game of yours, then! Gandigan once boasted that he surpassed me, right before I killed him. Let's see if your words ring true, or are a fool's brag like his had been!"

    With that said, Lottus lunges towards Maxsuz! He brings the Ki Blade over head, and slashing down first at Maxsuz' right shoulder and towards his left hip, and then slashes with it left to right and back again, aiming to gore Maxsuz from the stomach to his chest!

---

    As Lottus had figured, his opponent was able to easily parry his Ki Blade slashes - which gave Lottus an estimated gauge of this warrior's current level of skill and power. He was keeping up, at least, with Lottus being relatively not serious quite yet. Maxsuz's counter offensive would have certainly broken through his Ki Blade - had Lottus been unprepared for it. Instead, Lottus continues through, matching Maxsuz's precise thrusts and slashes with a fast paced parrying of his own.

    Not once did Maxsuz's sword find flesh to bite into, and would leave the blade's bloodlust unsated. On the final swipe, Lottus locks his Ki Blade against Maxsuz's sword, and grins at the alien swordsman.

    "Unremarkable? I didn't say that - I said I forgot your name, and you left little impression. If unremarkable comes to mind, perhaps that is just what you think you are, HA!!" Lottus barks a laugh, leaning into the blade lock. Lottus had NO idea what Maxsuz was talking about when he brought up spacetube and influencers. It sounded like gibberish to him, not that it mattered, ultimately. "But you really aren't all that special. You're one of a fair few dozen who's energy would catch my interest - I only care about testing my own power, and burning worlds. Your coming here and presenting yourself like a beacon to call me here - and we both know you did - is something I can use for some fun."

    Lottus' coal black eyes remain locked with Maxsuz's eyes as he chuckles to himself.

    "It's nice to know you aren't with the Mazoku for whatever reasons - that just makes slaughtering them that much more of an amusing venture than a chore. I hope you didn't make any friends in that busted rotten landscape." Lottus adds, sneering. "Or mabe it would be more amusing if you did have a few - but either way, Namek will soon enough be soaked in their blood for pissing me off!"

    Lottus shoves hard against Maxsuz's blade, and steps back, putting a few paces between them. He was redirecting Maxsuz's dialogue easily enough. He could keep that up without any particular trouble.

    "We agree on one thing so far - it's not much fun to go all out immediately, there's more fun in building up to the big time." Lottus says, crimson and black Ki bubbling up from his right shoulder, and snaking down to coalesce around his clenched fist and forearm. "Keheheh! I'm game for turning this planet into a playground - but don't act all surprised when the Nova Corps. come running in to check things out. They own this rock, after all. Though if the do, that just means more playmates to bleed out! So  let's play rough, and see if you can earn my respect, Ambusher!"

    Satisfied with his intentional rhetoric, Lottus rushes at Maxsuz, moving inside his sword's range and bringing his energy clad fist up to deliver a harsh uppercut to Maxsuz's chin!

---

    The swordsman was quick, this much Lottus would give the alien. The Saiyan catches sight of the maneuver just as his arm came up, knocked at the elbow by the pommel - an act that held not nearly the power needed to stop the swing, but just enough to send his fist whiffing past his intended target.

    But Maxsuz would not find Lottus lacking.

    Even as Maxsuz's blade began to turn, Lottus' free hand was already bending at the wrist. When Maxsuz's blade cut through the air on his way rushing past Lottus, it would once again find no flesh or armor to rend, instead sliding along the Ki Blade extending from the Saiyan's flattened hand. Lottus turns with the motion, his new stance setting him to stand sideways to Maxsuz as the latter flickers to his new location.

    Lottus lets his arms hang at his sides, but the Ki Blade energy covering his hand does not dissipate.

    "You? Force ME?" Lottus hisses. "You're an arrogant little bug, aren't you? There is no forcing me to do anything."

    Lottus turns fully to Maxsuz, brandishing his Ki Blade. He tilts his head from left to right, his neck audibly popping.

    "I do not walk to the beat of any other. No one forces, nor commands me, not Kings, not Gods, and certainly not a rodent like you." he spits venomously, a snarl appearing on his face. "And I sure as the Kai's bleed have no intention of being your pitiful little stepping stone. You aren't even that to me - just another overconfident insect with more power than sense; stepping up to me alone is proof enough of that."

    Lottus was pissed at the gall of this alien - thinking they could force him to respect the alien. HIM!

    "Oh you've really pissed me off now." Lottus snarls. "A means to an end, a tool for your machinations, was it? Well, you'll soon learn that I AM THE END!!"

    So far, so good. Now the conversation had been pulled in such a way that feigning this rage would keep the alien occupied. This is where slip ups would be made by many of his enemies - thinking that his rage and wrath meant a lack of focus. But his time in that darkness and dealing with the unseen horrors within it had taught him how to harness all of his fury and focus it like a spear to be driven into his foes. The explosive, mindless rage that was Lottus' typical style of combat was gone, replaced by harnessed power fueled by his hate and anger.

    Lottus was a Hammer, and soon, this proud nail would be beaten down. He already knew the next tactic his foe would most likely use - a counter offensive. Let Lottus make the next move first, perhaps a more tiring blast; and when it looked like the attack would hit, he'd do that thing - stab himself in the chest with that blade, and transform into that dragon like he had during the ambush with Yangcong. A standard bait and overwhelm tactic.

    He'd seen it too often to fall for it anymore. Ki Blade still extending from his right hand, Lottus launches towards Maxsuz! Knowing the blade would likely be parried, Lottus brings the blade overhead - but suddenly kicks out at Maxsuz's right foot with his left foot, and then brings the blade slicing down towards Maxsuz's shoulder.

    Only it would never finish its arc - instead, Lottus would suddenly lash out with his other fist, draped in dark energies, attempting to drive it into Maxsuz's abdomen with enough force to send the alien hurtling towards the distant mountains if it struck true!

---

    The impact was immaculate - Lottus had felt ribs cracking against his fist, and watched Maxsuz hurtled away to crash against the landscape. It wouldn't be too long before the alien would rise again and make his way back to Lottus. The praise from Maxsuz makes Lottus snort derisively in response.

    "If that little tap impressed you, then you're in over your head." Lottus warns. "That was my weakest hit - but if that's impressive to you, far be it for me to convince you otherwise, keheh!"

    Lottus tilts his head left to right, regarding Maxsuz.

    "You'll need whatever power you have in mind if you want any chance to survive past today." he snidely remarks. "But even then, that might not be enough. You'll never be able to make use of me; to even think you could is a delusion. But get stronger? I know I will."

    Lottus starts walking towards Maxsuz, a sadistic sneer stretching across his features.

    "Like I said - you're one of a few. If Yangcong doesn't come back again from death, I'll go rip him apart in Hell. And I'll find your rotund King Marimba soon enough. I cut him in half once before - maybe cutting him in half vertically this time will actually last." a shimmering red glow begins to form around the Saiyan as he continues towards the alien swordsman. "Then I'll get started on those Earthlings that kept sticking their noses in my business. I've got a long hunt ahead of me, and you won't find yourself at the front of that list for very long."

    Lottus stops in front of Maxsuz, leering at the alien.

    "Now... are we done flapping our yaps?" Lottus says, his lip curling. "Or are you going to try and make good on your boasting?"

    Lottus opens his arms wide, inviting Maxsuz to attack him.

    "Don't be shy - I can't regenerate like Gandigan could, after all!"

---

    Lottus smirks at Maxsuz during the alien's explanation his blade.

    "So, it's like the soul blades I've seen some demons walking around with." Lottus chortles. "Zuqetta has weapons similar to that - with the whole supremely heavy if I'm not holding it thing. I've fought a great many different kinds, Ambusher."

    And indeed - he had. He'd held weapons that were similarly tied to the spirit, making them virtually impossible to hold, never mind use, by others. It usually had something to do with magics - soul binding, curses, or blessings, so what Maxsuz was explaining was something Lottus was familiar with.

    And now, Lottus knew the name of Maxsuz' species, and their planet. Now, it would only be a matter of time before he found them too. Maxsuz's explanation had a conclusion that DID go beyond what those others had achieved though! A dome of dark flames and power enshrouds Maxsuz - killing the plains off grass around them, along with the millions of unseen insects and small animals within the grass.

    Lottus felt every single death, plant and animal - and smiles. Invisible to Maxsuz - Lottus draws on the negative energies of the deaths, pulling their meager souls towards his upturned left palm. Visible only to Lottus now, a black orb forms above his palm, sucking in the negative death energies and souls like a horrible black hole. Pleased, Lottus closes his hand around the ball, absorbing it all into his body. Maxsuz's efforts were working to his advantage.

    The transformation completed, and that familiar dragon once more stood before Lottus. Only it looked dead - like those things that Sitri summoned before. It proudly pronounces itself, and begins pooling its power, with the world trembling as a result.

    "Hnhnhnnn HAHAHAHAHAAAA!!" Lottus throws his head back in an elated cackle. "GOOD!! You were a weakling the last we met; it's good that you improved - even if this form of yours reeks. But you really do think me stupid if you believe I'm about to just stand here and do nothing."

    Lottus tenses his body, and the golden flame of the Super Saiyan explodes! The ground under him shatters like glass, and caves in like a crater as his power skyrockets!! Lottus brings his hands to his left side, cupping the right hand in his left, and his golden energy changes to crimson and black, bolts of black lightning erupting in every direction!!

    "Let's see if you're brave enough to keep charging that blast - AHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!" Lottus cackles with elation. He thrusts his hands forth, and a massive crimson and black beam of energy SURGES towards Maxsuz!! "OBLITERATION CANNOOOOON!!!!"

---

    "Keheheh! Felt that one hit home..!" Lottus chuckles, as the results of the explosion showed a landscape torn asunder. But... Maxsuz's energy signature remained... When the smoke blows away, all that remains of the beast is its blackened skeleton. It was still standing, and the glow hadn't faded. Lottus' brows raise, and he straightens, gazing up at the skeletal creature, when its voice again invaded his mind.

    Lottus crosses his arms over his chest, and looks at Maxsuz with an irritably stumped expression.

    "...Huh... Well, shit." he says, more just thinking out loud than speaking to Maxsuz. At Maxsuz' psychic laughter, Lottus spits on the ground. "Ahhhh shaddap you giant sack of rotten ashes. That yap of yours is more annoying than anything... I guess this is how those Earthlings felt when I said this same kind of tripe to them! HAHAHA!!"

    Now he was excited. Anyone else. ANYONE ELSE taking his blast like that would have been, appropriate to the attack's name, completely obliterated. For all intents and purposes - he had vaporized Maxsuz's flesh and sinew, leaving only this smoking skeleton behind in the wake of the blast. That would have been the death of any other being in the universe. So, was Maxsuz immortal? Or was his true body tucked safely within those bones, and the dragon form little more than effectively a flesh suit he piloted?

    "Annoying... I'll have to think up something stronger than Obliteration Cannon. Hn? Ah, right..." Lottus could feel the rise of death stemming from the direction that the cone of his blast had destroyed - many, many lifeforms had been killed in that blast. Holding up his palm, Lottus again collects the negative energy created by the death of living things, and the meager souls of animals and insects are once again yanked away from their ascent to Otherworld, and collected in the nigh invisible black ball that forms with their gathering. He closes his hand over the ball, absorbing the negative energy wholly.

    As Maxsuz' fetid flesh finishes regenerating, Lottus looks back at the decomposed dragon.

    "And what happens if true power isn't enough to kill me either?" Lottus smarmily shoots back. "...Is this what I sound like all the time? Jeeze... I need better lines for the next time I go to that damned planet."

    Lottus raises off the ground, flying up to the head level with Maxsuz, a malicious smile cracking his features.

    "One thing I'm not, is a liar - you ARE the strongest being I've yet ever faced!" Lottus cackles. "And as for that remark about Zuqetta - if you attack Plant, you will face me again, and not because I give a damn about that planet. If the strongest beings are fighting - then I'll be there to fight! Anyone strong enough to dare attack Plant is automatically worthy of my power in turn."

    What Lottus doesn't mention, is that Zuqetta was stronger still than he is. Maxsuz would find a harder fight in Zuqetta than he seems to think - but he wasn't about to admit to her being superior, regardless. That just wasn't proper! But even still - part of Lottus' chest freezes. Yes, it was fear. But not for his own sake - never; NEVER for his own sake. The remark of family had hit home.

    "Now stop yapping!! HIT ME!!" Lottus demands, his visage cracking with a visible insanity. "Let's see this TRUE POWER - It had better be enough to kill me - or I'm knocking that big rotten head of yours into the ground!!"

    Lottus whips his arms wide, inviting Maxsuz to hit him from near point blank range!!

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