45)Perfection? Not For Me: Ch.45

“This place is a lot more technologically advanced than I was expecting,” Glorio muttered as we entered the Capsule Corps HQ and I nodded as I looked around.

“It is, but then again, Bulma and her father Dr. Briefs are considered super-geniuses amongst the common populace of Terra so it would make sense that they are far more advanced in terms of technology compared to the rest of their species.”

“I thank you for the compliment, good sir, but I have to say that I do not recognize either of you. Are you perhaps friends of my Bulma?”, Both Glorio and I looked to the side to see a smiling Dr. Briefs walking towards us, dressed in his usual lab coat like always with his black cat on his shoulder and his hands behind his back.

“I would not exactly say that. I am Cuu, Supreme Kai and god of Creation of our universe, and this is my stepson Glorio.”

“Pleased to meet you, sir,” Glorio spoke with a bow and I had to admit the scientist surprised me as he simply nodded before speaking.

“The same to you two. A god, eh? So, are you like the God or what?”

“Oh no, sir. If anything, I'm more of a minor deity that only oversees one universe and makes sure it works perfectly. The being you're thinking of is far more powerful than I am as he is the creator of all the universes.”

“Oh right. Bulma told me about this. The…Omni King, right?”

'Huh, I guess she did tell him.'

“Yes, that is correct. Speaking of Bulma, do you know where she is?”, I asked before raising an eyebrow as the woman in question walked into the front lobby, blinking in confusion as I waved while Glorio nodded.

“Hey, Glorio. How are the guns doing?”, She began, holding a curious little Trunks that was looking at us with wide eyes while Glorio smiled as he patted the pistols at his side.

“They are working as intended.”

“Glad to hear that and I'm guessing that you've found a new hobby and status, huh Cuu?”, She asked, to which I shrugged with a smile as Vegeta walked into the room as well while having a sleeping Bulla in his arms.

“One could say that.”

“Who would have thought that the monster that traumatized us would no be a god?”

“You make it sound like you were expecting me to be a nothing,” I said with a deadpan stare, rolling my eyes as she giggled before I looked to Vegeta who softly handed Bulla to her grandpa.

“So, you ready to go or do you two need a few more minutes?”, I asked, smirking as Bulma narrowed her eyes while Vegeta scoffed.

“Unlike you, a Saiyan Elite needs more than a few minutes to finish the deed.”

“He isn't boasting, though. Half-an-hour is a minimum.”

“I did not need to know that,” Glorio muttered with a disgusted frown and I nodded in agreement as Bulma giggled while Vegeta looked smug.

“Anyway, it was lovely seeing you again and it was lovely meeting you, Dr. Briefs. Perhaps, when I come back, I will bring with me some knowledge as a gift for you.”

“I would love that. Now, come Bulla~ It's time to hang out with Grampy~”

“Gwanpy~”, Trunks whined when he heard that and Bulma just rolled her eyes as she waved at us, stifling my snicker at Vegeta's blush when she kissed him goodbye before he turned his glare to Glorio and I.

“Not a single word.”

“Hey, I'm not going to say anything. Now, let's go and maybe we can catch Goku trying to beg to come with,” I said, shaking my head as he immediately looked happy at that as both he and Glorio placed a hand on my shoulder before we vanished.

The world around us shifted instantaneously as the three of us appeared outside of the Son residence just as Gohan was walking out of the house, looking surprised as Glorio waved while I smiled.

“Uh, hey, Glorio, Mr. Vegeta and…Cuu?”

“That's me. Your dad still begging to your mom that he wants to come with?”

“Uh, kind of? They were talking and then Mom told me to go and play with my friends while Goten sleeps so that the two of them can talk,” He said as he closed the door behind him and I didn't need more explanation as I felt the couple's energies fluctuating.

“Okay~ Well, have fu-Wait, you have friends?”, I asked as his words clicked and Gohan smiled as he nodded.

“Yeah, Videl, Sharpner and Erasa. I'm actually a member of Videl's Dad's training camp since Mom and Dad wanted me to make new friends. Actually, I'm really late right now so…”

“Ah, right. Apologies for keeping you up,” I spoke with a smile and Gohan nodded before he shot into the sky, both Vegeta and Glorio grimacing as muffled moans and grunts came from the house while I sighed.

“You two want to spar while we wait for him?”, I asked and Vegeta's face immediately shifted to excitement as he smirked and nodded.

“Let's do that.”

“Good, you and Glorio can fight each other then and don't give me that look. Despite how young he looks, Glorio is actually a very strong fighter,” I said with a shrug, to which Vegeta frowned as he turned to the boy who had already taken his pistols out.

“You're going to fight me with those?”, The Saiyan asked and I smirked as Glorio casually aimed his left pistol at a nearby tree and fired. The ki bullet shot from the barrel and pierced right through the tree, travelling onwards until it completely erased a rocky outcropping with a pillar of light.

“Like I said, it would be best not to underestimate him,” Vegeta just hummed as both he and Glorio walked off far away from the house, crossing my arms with a smirk.

Once they stopped, Vegeta shifted into his signature stance as Glorio crouched slightly, guns angled towards the ground while a serious look appeared in his eyes.

With no warning, Vegeta vanished with a sharp snap and Glorio spun, blocking a punch with the flat of his left pistol before leaning back to dodge the follow-up kick.

With precise aim, the boy shot at Vegeta with both pistols, unleashing a flurry of blasts that forced the Saiyan back before Glorio stopped and spun his pistols with a smirk.

“Not bad there, boy,” The Saiyan growled, lowering his arms and frowning Glorio rushed to the side, shooting twin blasts that curved midair and turned into a spiral of smoke.

“Predictable!”, Vegeta grunted as he shot through the smoke, delivering a punch that Glorio dodged with a graceful spin while kicking outwards.

'And here I thought he was going to keep underestimating him,' I thought with a smirk as Vegeta grabbed Glorio's foot, spinning and throwing the kid into the distance before shooting after him.

The Saiyan prince was unrelenting as the two clashed, delivering brutal and crushing blows that the demon parried with a frown, landing a glancing blow to Vegeta's ribs and being rewarded with a powerful roundhouse that sent him flying towards the ground.

Vegeta let out a battle cry as he shot a small energy blast at Glorio's falling form, the teen shooting out a flurry of blasts that curved and pushed it to the side.

However, the boy's eyes widened as Vegeta shot through the smoke and appeared in front of him, a wince escaping my lips as the Saiyan landed a high kick that sent Glorio ragdolling through the air.

To his credit, he managed to flip midair and landed in a crouch, blood trickling down the side of his temple as Vegeta floated down with his arms crossed.

“That was…pretty fast.”

“Most warriors your age would be unconscious by now so I shall give you some credit,” Vegeta spoke as he uncrossed his arms and cracked his knuckles. Glorio responded by rising back to his feet and slamming the butts of his pistols together, his improved cannon forming around his left arm.

“”Okay! I'm ready!”, Unfortunately, the tense atmosphere vanished as the front door to the Son house burst open, making me raise an eyebrow at the sight of Goku walking out in just his gi pants and a very dark hickey on his left shoulder.

“Goku, where's your shirt?”, I asked, watching as the Saiyan looked down before I sighed as he gave a sheepish chuckle and walked back in, turning back to the others to see Vegeta and Glorio walking towards me.

While Glorio's disappointment was not as visible as Vegeta's, I could still see it thanks to the amount of times the two of us have hung out, smirking as he saw me looking and rolled his eyes.

“Wanted to fight a bit more, huh?”

“His versatility and ranged combat style is a stark contrast to Kakarot who likes to get up close. It was a good battle.”

“I can see that considering you enjoyed the fight when you thought you wouldn't,” I said, chuckling as he just scoffed before looking as Goku emerged from his house once more, this time fully stretched and rolling his shoulders with an excited smile.

“Hehehe~ Sorry about that. Chichi was…uh…trying to convince me to stay.”

“Uh-huh, and I'm sure it involved the kitchen in some way?”, Vegeta asked, shaking his head as Goku gave a sheepish smirk before he turned to me with an excited smile.

“Anyway! You guys ready to head out?! We talked it over and as long as I'm not gone for more than a week, it's okay.”

“A week? Wow, she really mellowed out, huh?”

“Kind of. She also kind of made me promise to help Gohan study when I get back.”

“…Do you even understand the work that he's doing?”, Vegeta asked, both the Saiyan prince and I shaking our heads as Goku just shook his head with a smile.

“I know it's something to do with science and maths, but to be honest, I just think she wants me to be home because I don't understand half of the stuff he's struggling with.”

“I will ask the woman to help him when we get back,” Vegeta spoke with a sigh and Goku looked ecstatic before I cleared my throat to get their attention.

“Now that we've sorted this out, everyone gather around,” I spoke as I held a hand out, Glorio and Goku grabbing onto my arm before I raised an eyebrow at Vegeta as the Saiyan walked around and placed a hand on my shoulder.

“I would rather die than grab your arm.”

“Sure thing, bud. Kai-Kai,” With a thought, we vanished and warped through the vacuum of space, reappearing on Beerus' planet with a thought and in front of Whis who smiled as Goku blinked.

“That was a whole lot faster and farther than Instant Transmission.”

“That's because I used a more powerful technique called Kai Kai. It lets me teleport to whatever point in the universe that I can see and since I can see every bit of life in the universe, I can teleport to where I wish.”

“Ooh~ Can I learn it?”, He asked before blinking as I chuckled while Whis shook his head.

“I'm afraid Kai-Kai is exclusive to Supreme Kais and their successors though I must say that your arrival was very punctual. Lord Beerus is currently napping so I'd say you have about a month before he wakes up for his next snack.”

“Of course, he is. Well, we're at your command, Whis. What training have you prepared for us?”

“For the two of them, it is quite simple as they will be sparring inside of my sceptre. For you and Glorio here on the other hand, I have devised a different training plan.”

“Different, how?”, I asked, raising an eyebrow as Whis simply smirked while Glorio looked intrigued as well.

“Wait, what do you mean sparring inside of your sceptre?”, Goku asked and Whis chuckled as he tapped his sceptre against the ground.

“Allow me to show you,” The angel spoke and I raised an eyebrow as a singularity appeared above his sceptre, both Goku and Vegeta looking surprised and wary as a white aura surrounded their forms.

“We'll see you both when you are either unconscious or finished with your training.”

“Wait, wh-”, Goku was cut off as the singularity absorbed both of them, the sceptre floating on its own as the angel turned to us.

“Now, as for you Lord Cuu, your training might not be as easy. You must face your own past in its purest and most unforgiving form, not through some abstract reflection but through the very people you've absorbed.”

“People I've absorbed?”, I asked, raising an eyebrow as Whis smiled and nodded.

“Indeed. Each will manifest as a clone, drawn from the depths of your divine soul and energy. They are all a part of you, but these pieces do not make you all. They only serve as obstacles in your path. To achieve true mastery over oneself, you must face them all and defeat them both physically and mentally. However, above all, do not absorb them back.”

“So, you want me to beat them, but I should not absorb them back into me. Is that correct?”, I asked, wanting to make sure before nodding as Whis nodded and created another singularity.

“Make sure you come back. Otherwise, Mother might try and come fetch you herself,” Glorio spoke up and I smiled as the white aura surrounded me.

“I'll try my best, Glorio. Wish me luck,” With that said, I felt myself being pulled into the void, reappearing on what appeared to be a copy of Beerus' planet except I could not feel anyone around me.

I was not given much more time to look around as I heard the air behind me crackle, turning around to see a swirling vortex of energy before I frowned at the first figure that walked through.

“Well~ If it isn't the perfected one,” I stared at what was supposed to be my Imperfect Cell Form, but it was a lot more grotesque as it was hunched over with lanky mutated limbs.

“Of course you'd be the first one.”

“So, you've come to face me, eh? Why listen to that angel? Just devour and absorb as you please. Besides, with the wishes, everyone's power is your power so why not keep that power?”, It asked and I raised an eyebrow at its words before shaking my head.

“Your words may be tempting, believe me when I say that I'd rather not go down that path of ravenous hunger again. That's just empty growth.”

“Don't tell me you've changed because you want to look good in front of Towa? You of all people should understand that we always take power when it's available.”

“Oh, I understand perfectly, but power without purpose is hollow, power without understanding is fleeting and what will I have at the end when all the power I take leaves me nothing but weak?”, The creature just snarled before it rushed at me, but a ki blade formed around my hand as I dodged to the side and sliced through its neck.

“Unlike you, I do not let my hunger consume my mind. Now, begone,” With a wave of my hand a surge of divine ki shot outwards, impacting the Cell's body and obscuring it with a brilliant white explosion.

As I stood there, I raised an eyebrow as I could see his power stretching it towards me, but I sighed as I raised a hand and pushed it back.

“Not this time. Go away,” I spoke, smiling as the ki faded away before the swirling portal sparked again. This time, the figure that stepped through made me raise an eyebrow as his tail smacked against the ground, Frieza giving me a haughty look as he stood with an elegant look of disgust.

“Well, well, if it isn't the little lord of the universe gracing us with his presence,” Frieza sneered, his energy flickering as he gazed at me. “It seems like you're getting quite cozy with that angel. You were always one to seek validation from others.”

“Cell was Gluttony so I'm guessing this test is supposed to be centered around the Seven Deadly Sins. Also, I've learned to look beyond the illusions of grandeur. Power is just a tool and nothing more.”

“You say that, but you forget that I have been alive in your psyche. You are still the same pathetic fool scraping for power, but you are just too afraid to admit it.”

“And that's the difference between us two. I understand that power is not about dominating others to make myself feel better. It's about controlling myself and not falling victim to my pride, something you should have learned before I devoured you.”

“Is that so? Then let me show you the truth, mongrel. One can't escape who they are!”, He snarled as he shot a ki blast at me and I deflected it to the side, rushing in as he prepared himself.

I quickly closed the gap between us and parried his hurried jab, delivering a precise blow to his solar plexus that knocked the wind out of him. I was not done as I began to block and parry his strike, wincing as I still felt pain before I countered each one with a precise attack to the same spot I had attacked him in.

“I'm not here to show my power to you, Frieza,” I said as I caught his wrists, pulling him in before he gasped as I stabbed a ki blade through his chest. “I do not need your validation, your approval and I most certainly do not need your power.”

“You've deluded yourself into thinking you can become something more than what your stolen power has made you. How…pathetic!”, The emperor snarled as he vanished, but I spun around and caught him by the throat with a soft smile.

“No, I've simply decided that power without control is nothing but devastating to everything around it, a lesson I'm sure you'll never understand,” As I spoke, ki gathered at my hand and Frieza's eyes widened as I let go of his throat while pulling my fist back.

“Goodbye, Frieza. Let your pride drag you to the depths of death once again,” With that, I threw my final blow at the spot that I was attacking, watching as my energy enveloped the Colarctian before he along with his energy was erased from my mind.

Exhaling softly, I took a deep breath before sighing as the portal crackled, turning around only to be surprised by the sight of three figures walking through.

Cooler's gaze was cold and sharp as he looked at me, Baby's scarlet eyes gleaming with scorn while Majin Buu was in his Kid Buu form with a smile that was wide and filled with chaotic glee.

“So, this is what you've become. Pretending you're some enlightened warrior. Disappointing,” Cooler spoke as he stepped forward and I shook my head as Baby's laughter echoed in the air.

“Turning your back on control and the absolute certainty of owning everything you touch. Ha! And here I thought Vegeta and that other idiot Saiyan were fools,” Buu didn't have to say anything as he vanished with a maniacal cackle, appearing behind me and then in front of me again as if he couldn't sit still.

“The envious son that was shunned by the family, the wrathful parasite that wants vengeance and while you're not him at this moment, Majin Buu is Sloth incarnate. So, I really am facing the seven deadly sins. Wonder what Mechikabura and Demigra are supposed to be.”

“Are you ignoring us?”, Cooler asked with a frown and I blinked before giving a smile.

“Oh, apologies. Allow me to explain. Cooler, you are Envy because in your life, you were envious of your younger brother receiving all the power and influence even though you were the older of the two. Baby, you do not need an explanation considering your thing is all about your hatred for the Saiyans.”

“Buu-Buu?!”, Buu exclaimed as the two other glared at me and I smiled before nodding to the pink menace.

“As for you, Buu, you are Sloth. You kill not from hate but from apathy because nothing matters to you. You are what remains when all feeling is burned out and one doesn't feel like doing anything anymore: Pure, empty chaos,” Not surprisingly, the bubblegum monster appeared flattered by my words as his grin widened and I turned my gaze to Cooler as he spoke.

“Let's see if your little philosophy holds up when you're torn apart,” He hissed and the trio struck in unison. Cooler came from the left with punches with ki while Baby came from the right with tendrils of ki extending from his back and trying to wrap around me.

Baby? Oh, he just appeared above me with a mad cackle and a gargantuan ki bomb in his palm, already reeling back to throw it.

However, I simply stepped forward and caught Cooler's punch, twisting and using his own moment to throw him into Baby's path. The tendrils latched onto the Colarctian and I ignored Baby's frustrated hiss as I vanished, reappearing behind Kid Buu right as his energy bomb impacted the ground.

A bright pink column of energy obscured the planet from view as I landed a palm strike to his back, dispersing the energy around us and revealing the planet still in perfect condition as Buu slammed into the other two.

Cooler recovered fast as he was already charging a Death Beam, but I grabbed Baby's tendrils as he tried to latch them onto me and swung him into the Colarctian, sending them both to the side as Buu rushed in.

It was really easy to block and dodge his attack, my mind calm and my movements fluid as I blocked a punch to my side and delivered my own stomp to his chest that sent him flying down.

With a smile, I bound Cooler in a ki construct before crushing it, finishing him off first. Feeling Baby's tendrils latching onto the back of my head, I simply sent divine ki flowing through the link and watched as his body bulged obscenely before exploding in a gory mess.

Buu on the other hand was a chaotic mass of bubblegum and energy blasts, his attacks scarring the landscape of the planet as I kept him at bay until I caught his hands and pulled us face to face.

“You represent what I could become if I stop caring and I care far too much to let that happen,” I whispered before wrapping my arms around him, the world around us lighting up as a beautiful pillar of divine light shone around us and erased the little demon from my mind.

Easily dispersing their energies and letting it vanish, I floated down to the ground and took a deep breath, turning around as the portal crackled and let out the two final figures.

A storm of black and red lightning crackled in the sky and the ground trembled beneath my feet as the air grew heavy, both Mechikabura and Demigra staying afloat in the air as the two stared at me in silence.

“You saved us for last,” Demigra began, Mechikabura smirking as I shrugged. “A smart yet foolish decision.”

“You believe you are ascending, but you forget that your growth comes from us. You may have reached this point in the years to come, but you used our ambition, our cunning and our will to get this far.”

“You called us sins, yes? Then let us name ourselves for you. We are-!”

“Lust and Greed and you are wrong,” I spoke as I cut Demigra off, the demon frowning as I continued. “You are not the sins I overcame. You are the sins I feared I'd become. Demigra- the Lust for power, control and dominion over others.”

“That…is true,” Demigra spoke with a nod and I rolled my eyes before turning my gaze to the amused Mechikabura.

“And Mechikabura, the Greed to be the only one in existence to have absolute power over every aspect of reality.”

“And yet, you wanted those same things, did you not?”, Mechikabura spoke and I smirked as he continued without giving me a moment to respond. “You were the one who took power from others and absorbed us because you wanted to become stronger than the Omni-King himself.”

“I did and I won't deny that, but I won't run from myself anymore. You all are a part of my journey and as one continues on your journey, you need to say goodbye to the tools that got you that far.”

“Hmm,” Demigra hummed as he snapped his fingers, warping the sky into a kaleidoscope of vibrant colours while Mechikabura manifested a scythe forged from time itself.

“That sounds quite mature of you, but this is the unfortunate end of your ascension. We shall unravel your mind until you beg to be whole again.”

“Then, let us see you try,” I spoke and Demigra didn't answer as he warped reality around me, thousands of copies of me shouting doubt and madness at me, but I stayed grounded and flared my ki.

“You think I suffer from doubt? I know who I am, Demigra. I don't need to be the smartest or the strongest,” I spoke as I pierced through the illusion, puling myself through space until I grabbed him by the collar and drove a ki blade through his skull.

“I just need to be sure,” I whispered as he exploded into fragments of shattered light before I spun around right as Mechikabura swung his scythe down.

Time fractured around us and my arm aged and regrew dozens of times within the span of a second, making my body scream in confusion as he scoffed.

“You cannot fight time. Even the gods kneel to it.”

“Heh, I'm not fighting,” I spoke as I stood tall, stopping myself from resisting time and instead flowing with it as I spread my senses across the universe.

It was as empty as Beerus' planet, but I didn't need it to be inhabit as the sensation of time killing me vanished from my mind, Mechikabura's eyes widening as I cut off my own head with a grin.

A new arm grew out from my old body and stabbed through his chest as I created a new one, creating a ki blade around each hand and stabbing through his lungs with a grunt.

“I will not be ruled by fear of loss and I will not keep looking to the future at the cost of the present. Now, vanish,” I whispered as I ripped my arms out, the world calming as his scythe and body shattered.

“Seven sins faced, seven fears left behind. …This training was a lot more exhausting than I was expecting.”

A/N: I did not know that I had chosen seven characters for him to absorb, but then I counted them and I have a love for powerful characters working through their seven deadly sins to get stronger so it was to be expected.

Also, this was more of an introspective and philosophical chapter if anything. At least, I hope it was but next chapter is going to be the start of the next arc.

Next chapter: The Brother and the Father

As always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one…

Ba-Bye~!!