I held the vial in my hands, scrutinizing it for a moment. The Tear of Extinction. It certainly had an impressive name. However, there were a lot of other things I could learn about and train in, but I wasn't going to let Bruce's gift go to waste without having a look. With the Mobius Chair and whatever data he was sifting through, he must have seen how it might benefit me or at least knew of its extraordinary power.
Even if I didn't notice him spying on me, I was sure if someone could find a way to stalk someone without them knowing then it would be Bruce that paranoid bat. The vial drifted away, suspended in the air by my telekinetic grasp. I twisted the cap and with a hiss, it opened.
My muscles tensed slightly and my ki roused, forming a protective coat over my body. I lifted the cap off and took a deep breath. There was no spectacular phenomenon happening after I opened it, but a shiver ran down my spine as I sensed it. I raised my finger toward it and shot a beam, instantly it hit the Tear of Extinction.
Instead of shattering the tear, the glowing of the beam instantly vanished as it impacted it. It was like a black hole, absorbing or eradicating all the Life Force it touched. Bruce certainly didn't play around. This could be said to be a heavy counter for me... or it was just something completely opposite to Life Force. Bruce mentioned that it was created out of Life Force, but it was evidently warped and changed to something completely different.
I held up my palm and let it float above it, spinning and rotating it slightly to get a better look as my ki sense observed any and every detail I could get from it. There was something about it. I couldn't quite sense it as if it was a ghost, tangible but not really present.
It was like it was the antithesis to Life Force given form. My ki sense was specialized to sense life force and even divine life force, which was why I could feel its presence as it was the opposite. Opposites were usually easily discernible if one knew the other side.
There was something about it. I created a ki sphere and let it hover to it, slowly and carefully I let it collide with this Tear of Extinction. It utterly destroyed it, tore it apart bit by bit, and even after removing contact, it ate away the ki.
"Fascinating," I muttered, getting a feel for it. It was divine or even primordial in nature, modified by magic. It was condensed to the utmost and from this condensed nature, it gained its lethality. Of course, while trying to glean from it what I could, I couldn't help but make the connection to Hakai.
I didn't really have a comparison as I hadn't come in contact with Hakai energy before, but something that was designed to kill gods and felt like it was the opposite of Life Force, it should be pretty close to the destruction energy used in the Dragon Ball reality. My mind wandered as I thought about the benefits it would give me if I learned its secret.
I still had so much to learn. Saiyan God bloodline, Evil Aura, ki control, ki techniques, physical strength, new transformations, Ultra Ego, Ultra Instinct, and now Hakai...
There was too much to learn and so little time. My bloodline was an arduous process as seen with the little progress my brother made despite having years on me. Ki control was also something I could only grind as was physical strength. The sparring would train me more than enough in those things, so I shouldn't focus on it.
Evil Aura was good but it wasn't really a game changer. I might be able to incorporate it into my legendary ki but then it would disrupt the perfect mixture I used for Primal Saiyan Limit Breaker, which would rob me of the most powerful transformation I currently had.
New transformations, specifically Super Saiyan God, Vegeta's evolved version, and/or coupled with Kaioken, which was pretty much the only ki techniques I would add to my arsenal at this point. Improving my teleportation and my other techniques to become more effective would be the best to direct my time to something that would improve my strength rapidly.
Then there was UE and UI or MUI, both were things I didn't have a mentor for and were techniques of the gods that took the most talented fighters years to learn.
Kakarot could learn it quickly in the tournament, but he was bullshit and driven there by external pressure, something I couldn't easily replicate. Even though I had some sparring partners, it wouldn't be the same as having an entire universe as a casualty if I lost a battle...
The same could be said for Hakai. There was no god to teach me and even though I had this Tear of Extinction, who knew if I could gain anything from it? It was fundamentally something different. It wasn't Hakai condensed, but something of this reality that was only close to something I knew. It was basically impossible to learn it easily.
I needed to choose one of them if I wanted to get any meaningful results in the time I had left. Although I had Vegeta and Kakarot to give me their perspective on things, they weren't the ones that had achieved Super Saiyan God or Utra Ego or Ultra Instincts. Just as my mind was weighing the options I had, a voice interrupted my thoughts.
"Hey, Nate. You ready to go?" I looked to the entrance of the training hall and saw Shayera in a baby pink-colored mini dress and a white purse in her hands. "Looks like you aren't." She drily said as she gave me a once over. She then turned around while yelling, "He was still training!"
"Tell him to get ready then!" Diana yelled back, making me stand up right away and blitz to my closet before changing into a black suit with golden accents.
"Alright, alright. I am done. Let's go." I said as I adjusted the cuffs of the suit. It was rather form-fitting and a bit too tight for my liking. I wouldn't be able to fight comfortably in these, but I wasn't expecting a fight. Then again with my luck, something would definitely interrupt our dinner.
I raised my legs slightly and found it easy to move in them, at least those wouldn't hinder me if I started kicking someone in the face. However, in a brawl, I would need to lose the vest, the jacket, and definitely the tie.
Diana stood next to the door in a black sheath dress with a black purse over her shoulder. It looked elegant, just as Shayera's dress was. Honestly, though, the two could wear literal trash bags and they would make it fashionable.
"You two look beautiful." I flattered as I put my arms around their waist and pulled them to my sides.
"We aren't going to fly there, are we?" Shayera asked, making me shake my head. In the next instance, we disappeared from our home and arrived in front of a limousine. I opened the door and let the two women in, while the driver screamed in shock as he turned to us. It was almost like he was seeing a ghost.
I just nodded at him and stepped into the limousine. The seats were comfortable, they had to be for the price I was renting this thing. The two immediately cuddled next to me, while I leaned into the seat and looked at the night sky of Gotham. Honestly, it looked like a sky from another planet or hell.
It was dark and cloudy as if this city was submerged in eternal darkness. I remembered that Gotham was cursed, which caused its special nutcases and criminals. I could probably do something about it, otherwise, Bruce would be fighting an uphill battle. Wasn't too sure if he would allow me to act, not that he could stop me or had to know about it...
That reminded me, did he know I was coming with Diana and Shayera? We just talked about having a double date and that was practically it. I only knew the venue because we had talked about it previously.
The driver didn't take long to get us to the restaurant where we would be meeting the Batman and his Catwoman. After arriving at an upscale avenue, we were driven to the entrance, where the door was opened for us.
It was some kind of exhibit that offered a dinner afterward. It was something that Selina would enjoy, which was why we had chosen this place. For Catwoman, it was probably less a double date and more a scouting session. Perhaps she would even act tonight, though I didn't really care if Bruce and Batman were fine with it.
With the two beauties in hand, we strolled in, getting some curious and astonished looks, though not for the giant wings of Shayera or the tail around my waist. Given my experience, this was just something everyone in this universe seemed to ignore, especially in Gotham where freaks ran around with all kinds of costumes... as long as they didn't think me of a villain then we should be fine.
As we were guided to the gathering by the waitress, a man approached us with some bodyguards in tow. Some criminal perhaps, a crime or mafia boss? He might also be just some random rich boy trying his luck. He walked in front of us with a smile and looked like he wanted to say something before he closed his mouth and stiffly walked away.
"Really, telekinesis? I could have just kicked him and made him a woman." Shayera said casually as we approached the table. I rolled my eyes, that wouldn't be a good start to today's exhibit... Now that I think about it, he might just be there to greet the guests.
It didn't take long until Bruce and Selina showed up. They approached us and I let go of the two to greet them. "Nice to finally meet you, Selina. I had heard a lot about you." She raised an eyebrow at that.
"And here I thought he wouldn't mention me at all." She commented, making Bruce smile wryly, which made me wonder at what point they were in their relationship. He had mentioned that they had a break, was this concerning their nightly strolls or their day-to-day appearances? Did Selina even know that Bruce was Batman?
I should have asked, otherwise, I might have leaked something that Bruce doesn't want her to know just yet... No, he should have reminded me if that was the case. I would not be in the wrong if I 'accidentally' revealed something. I saw Bruce's smile stiffen a smidgen as he looked at me, even in his day mask he was tempted to glare at me.
"You jest. He talks all the time about you, especially your nightly-"
"It seems like the exhibition is about to begin." Bruce interrupted hurriedly before putting his arm around my shoulder and dragging me to the group of people who were waiting for it to start as well. "Let's just have fun, alright?" Bruce forced out under his breath, making me raise an eyebrow at him.
"Usually you are much more confident in your charm. How about you try your luck with Shayera and Diana and I will take a shot at Selina." His grip tightened on my shoulder.
"How about we keep it civil, alright?" I couldn't help but chuckle. Considering that he stood no chance at my two women and he had some trouble with Selina. The game would be rigged from the start.
After that, we separated again and turned to the three women who seemed to have a pleasant conversation about something. Their enthusiasm was a bit subdued but expected as they met for the first time today- well at least for Selina it was the first time. The other two already had the pleasure in the other timeline.
It only took a minute before it finally started, we went around and looked at the few things that were introduced. All were extremely expensive and rare or even unique, something that had obviously piqued Catwoman's interest if I interpreted the glint in her eyes correctly.
The look reminded me that I hadn't gone to an exhibition with Felicia. She would love to scout for some rarity as well. My mood dipped slightly as I thought about her current situation, causing my stare to linger slightly, which in turn made Selina wink at me and Bruce cough in response.
I only smiled slightly before turning my attention back to the exhibition, strolling along while pulling Shayera and Diana to my side, comforting me with their presence. It was when I saw a shaman staff that I stopped for a moment. It didn't look like anything special.
It was a Native American artifact. A round head with a blue stone tied suspended in the middle and a few feathers underneath it. I stared at it for a moment as I could feel some remnant of life force coming from it.
"It's a staff that's said to have mystic healing powers." Bruce suddenly said as he subtly sent the girls ahead, while he remained next to my side. The girls were hesitant for a moment before accepting reluctantly and found something else to attract their attention.
"It's actually a replica as the original one was destroyed during the fight with Ra's al Ghul." Bruce continued to explain.
"Oh, seems like someone did a good job recreating it. There is some remnant power inside it." I said, glancing at it for another moment before turning away and walking to something else, while Batman followed by my side.
"Indeed... How are you holding up?" He asked as we inspected a golden apple called the Apple of Eden first owned or created by the Pharaoh Akhenaten.
"I'm fine. Still figuring out what I am going to improve next. There are too many options to grow in and I am not sure which will be the most optimal for the time we have left." I answered as some guide introduced its origin, which I kind of drowned out.
Fortunately, there would be dinner afterward. Initially, we thought about going to an auction afterward, but the exhibition would be boring enough, so we decided to just have dinner and talk a bit.
"Want some of my input?" He inquired as he glanced over to Selina, who was intently watching some artifact, whose ownership and origin were questionable, making it mysterious and quite expensive.
"Naw, don't think you will have much to add in terms of ki." I waved him off, while also glancing at the women we were with, who were quickly approached by some guy only to be roughly shooed away.
"You do know that I pretty much reached the peak of my body through methodical training, right?" Bruce bragged.
"Yeah, and your strength more than doubled after I taught you some ki-based training." I shot back to which he snorted and shrugged.
"I pulled everything out that was possible according to modern knowledge. If you need some advice I would be happy to give it to you. Maybe a scientific approach would be a good perspective change." I looked at him for a moment, knowing that he wanted to help me somehow.
"Thanks, but it's probably exactly the opposite of what I need," I answered as I thought about my approaches in the past. He raised an eyebrow, urging me to explain. "I am going more in-depth about ki theory and training applications than my fellow Saiyans and only reached their level of strength now. Perhaps, I'm sometimes overthinking my training. So, getting more methodical is probably not the right approach."
He rubbed his chin as he heard that. "Then how did the other Saiyans achieve their current power?"
"Through anger, some muscle, ki, and spirit training." There wasn't much to the training they had undergone. Most of Kakarot's and Vegeta's training was pretty straight forward in terms of ki training and martial arts training, but they just achieved it all to a very high level. Their skills coupled with their transformations made them absolute beasts.
Shallot's and Cumber's training was even more basic and primal or spiritual, depending on who you asked.
"How do you train with anger? Through the emotional electromagnetic spectrum?" He inquired, making me shake my head.
"I didn't mean they had anger training- Wait, what did you say, emotional spectrum?"
"You know, the thing the Green Lanterns use or at least one aspect of it, Will. There is also the Red Lantern Corp that uses rage and anger to harness power. So, I am guessing you aren't using anger as a form of energy?"
I completely forgot about that. The DC universe had some weird powers and fundamental energies like the emotional spectrum. I didn't know much about it, but I knew that for most they had power rings to control this energy.
"No, for us anger isn't a form of energy, but it boosts our capabilities massively. However, it might be worth to look in that direction." If I could get my hands on a Red Ring, I might be able to reach new heights with it as a stimulus.
"Sure, I will look into it." He answered just before we returned to the sides of our partners. Great now I had one more thing on my plate.
"Did you have your men's talk?" Selina asked as she stepped to Bruce's side and hugged his arm.
"You could say that." He answered casually.
"Did you find something interesting?" I asked as I looked at Diana and Shayera. Diana seemed to have found it interesting enough. She always had a soft spot for historical things. Shayera on the other hand was bored out of her mind with only one or two historic weapons attracting her attention, which I could understand.
After finishing our tour, while being approached by some rich folks who wanted to talk with the prince of Gotham, we were eager for some food.
"So, you two. Are you already thinking about moving together?" Bruce gave me a deadpanned glare, while Selina smiled as she shook her head.
"We are still fresh and are still figuring each other out. To be honest, I am rather surprised that he would already mention me in front of his friends. He didn't even mention to me that he was friends with the hero, Shallot, Justice League's mightiest warrior. Didn't hear about you being active in Gotham though."
Was that why she gave me some curious looks? Was she nervous that I would get onto her thieving business? What really surprised me was that I apparently was considered Justice League mightiest... well it was true, but I wasn't aware that the public knew that.
"Sometimes I would visit Batman, spending a day or two in Gotham, which caused me to make some friends here. What was that with Justice League mightiest warrior, is that what the media calls me?" I asked as I rarely watch the news or read the paper. If I did it was only for disaster monitoring.
"The mightiest and most aloof warrior. At least, for the rest of the world. Opinions are starkly different in your home city from what I've heard." She added with a smile. "Now that I have met you in person, I can see you sweep through a city and deal with every criminal in one go."
I snorted at that. "That would be too much work. Crime never sleeps, but I do. 8 hours a day."
She chuckled, which made Bruce's glare even worse as if to say 'Since when are you a comedian?!' We continued to talk, where I teased Bruce a bit, riling him up, while Shayera and Diana only seemed to enjoy the show.
It was a slow evening and despite it being Gotham, nothing happened during our dinner. It was rather refreshing to just talk and tease Bruce, which Selina happily cooperated with. Shayera and Diana joined in on the conversation later on when it came to our work, which seemed to fascinate the cat.
I felt a bit embarrassed when they talked about how reliable they thought I was, though anyone that said I blushed was a damn liar. After we ate and talked a bit longer, we walked outside of the venue with our cars waiting for us.
"Was good to meet you again, Bruce. Selina, it was a pleasure." I said as I patted Bruce on the shoulder and then gave Selina a kiss on the hand.
"Was nice to see you relax. I had missed these evenings." Bruce said with a light smile, which made me look over to Selina, who winked at me.
"Take care Shallot. Everything will be fine." She encouragingly squeezed my arm. Her words made it clear that she was at least somewhat aware of what was going on. She said before stepping into Bruce's car.
"Damn, you two played me."
Bruce shrugged at the accusation, while Selina leaned out of the car and rawred at me, "Not everything was act. I did enjoy my time with you."
"Next time it will be just a men's night. Can't have you flirt with my kitten." Bruce interjected. I shivered at the nickname, imagining Bruce one of the manliest man talking about his 'kitten'.
"Never refer to her as kitten. Oh, fuck that's cringe." He raised an eyebrow in good humor.
"Is that some kind of reference I am not getting?"
"Don't worry about it. Either way, everything is a-"
"JoJo reference." He interrupted with a wave of his hands. Seemed like I said this before. "Whatever JoJo is. Nathan, take care and call more often."
I nodded. "We will be in contact." Bruce stepped into his vehicle and drove off, while we drove off as well. As I reclined in the seat, Shayera and Diana looked at me with a gentle smile on their face. I just shook my head with a smile creeping onto my face.
...
The next day, I teleported back to the mountain. Sensing them there and crossing dimensions was child's play at my current skill level even without an anchor point. If I was in that dark place again, I would have been able to use it at the very least when the gap opened. I could also use it during fighting now and quite proficiently at that.
When I appeared on the flat peak of the mountain, the pressure assaulted my entire being, though it didn't bother me one bit. I had already gotten used to it during the last month I had been training with the others. Even without my Super Saiyan transformation, I had no problems living here.
Not a second after I appeared, a loud boom sounded above my head. I looked up and saw the stormy clouds dissipate due to the clash of Shallot and Cumber. Lightning and heavy rain tried to envelope the two, but with every clash, everything around them was pushed away.
Even heaven tribulations were nothing compared to the clash of two Saiyans in base. I ignored them and headed for the hut, finding Kakarot and Vegeta eating their fill. When they saw me, their eating speed only accelerated. They made no stop to greet me and were just afraid I was going to steal their food.
Ridiculous, regardless of how well-guarded their food was, I would always be able to steal something. They whined as I stole some chicken legs and tried to kick me away, which I deftly dodged.
It didn't take long until everything was devoured. Even though the entire table was covered with food, it didn't survive long under the assault of three Saiyans. The two leaned back into their seat with their stomach bulging like they were pregnant.
"Yo, Nathan. You back already?" Kakarot asked as he raised his hand.
"Yeah, no good news regarding our enemy or my girlfriends, though the rest seemed to be doing fine," I answered easily before grabbing the vial in my pocket and placing it on the table.
"What did you bring this time?" Vegeta asked as he scrutinized the tear.
"The Tear of extinction, made out of the Life Force of this reality. A friend gave it to me, suggesting that I might be able to gain something out of it."
Vegeta looked at me with a frown on his face. "Weren't you already complaining about having too much on your plate? Shallot, it doesn't seem to be wise to add more to your schedule."
"Yeah, probably. I am still thinking whether to take a look at it, though it might be useful for you."
"Maybe not right now," Kakarot said as he put his arms behind his head. "I am almost figuring out how to use my ki to break my body down without reducing my gains like Kaioken would." He admitted, taking only a glance at the Tear of Extinction before yawning.
Vegeta, on the other hand, looked at it for a bit longer. "My counterpart has something called Ultra Ego, which signifies his use of the power of destruction. Is that why you contemplate studying it?"
"Yep, right on the money," I answered casually as I rotated the vial in the air.
"Did I already tell you that you are crazy? You are too ambitious and impatient for your own good." He said solemnly before glaring at me as a smile appeared on his face. "Such a mindset makes me look forward to what kind of monster you will become."
I just snorted. "The kind that makes you look up to me." He raised an eyebrow and even Kakarot looked surprised at my proclamation.
"Truly insane." Vegeta spat out with a laugh.
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A/N: Thanks for reading. Wanted to inform you that this book has officially ended on my patrêón. If you want to you can check it out there, otherwise it will be regular uploads until Christmas.