~ What Feels Like a LONG Time Later: Ajax ~
This was bullshit.
Ajax literally couldn't think of any other way to describe this battle. Jeice was possibly the single most aggravating and restricting opponent he'd ever had the misfortune of facing. Every time he tried to gain any sort of advantage, Jeice rained hellfire on him, thwarting every attempt.
It's a never-ending cycle, and Ajax feels trapped in a defensive game he can't seem to win.
In a desperate bid to create some breathing room, Ajax fired five precisely aimed Dodon Beams from his fingertips. Each beam selectively slammed into the extremely powerful blasts Jeice sent his way, causing them to detonate prematurely. The resulting explosions carved out temporary pockets of safety, clearing just enough room for Ajax to maneuver through.
However, this momentary reprieve was short-lived. Jeice's overwhelming onslaught quickly resumed in full force, and Ajax was soon surrounded once more by a barrage of hundreds of weaker homing energy blasts from every direction. With no time to counter, Ajax curled in on himself, steeling his defenses for the incoming barrage.
Fortunately, despite the sheer volume of attacks, Ajax's past adaptations enabled him to endure the fusillade with surprisingly little damage.
Without it, he would've lost long ago.
Shortly after, Ajax managed to blast himself out of his precarious position, simultaneously making sure to keep himself well clear of Jeice.
He had to admit that Jeice's mutation had granted him an extraordinary advantage in energy control. The disparity between their control was so stark that Ajax had long since abandoned any hope of competing with Jeice for dominance over the environment.
However, relinquishing control over the environment came with its own set of drawbacks. Not long ago, Jeice had unveiled a game-changing ability: the power to manipulate the concentration of ambient energy left behind by residual energy blasts—essentially, any Ki that wasn't converted into heat and light.
Now, that doesn't sound all that impressive.
That's because, under normal circumstances, something like this could only be used as a training exercise. Residual Ki dissipates almost instantly into the surroundings, and trying to prevent it from doing so was a fool's errand—about as effective as trying to hold back flowing water with a sieve. It was theoretically possible, but it required intense concentration for minimal benefit, utterly useless for battle.
But Jeice had somehow pulled it off.
He prevented the Ki from dissipating across the entire area, then his Meteor Storm drastically increased the concentration of residual Ki in the air. Coupled that with Jeice's ungodly mastery over energy control?
Jeice had taken what was a worthless skill and transformed it into his personal fucking domain.
Now, Ajax doesn't say this often, but this ability was completely, utterly broken.
Jeice could use this ambient energy to fuel additional attacks, establishing a vicious cycle where each new attack fed off the residual energy of the previous ones. This effectively created an endless loop of recycled energy, allowing Mr. Android-wannabe to sustain his bombardment almost indefinitely within his domain.
Let's not even get started on how Jeice's external Ki manipulation had become significantly stronger due to the increased ambient Ki available to manipulate. To make matters worse, the entire battlefield had essentially transformed into a treacherous minefield. Under Jeice's control, Ki attacks could spontaneously spawn into existence anywhere, at any time, without warning.
What was truly outrageous was that every Ki attack Ajax launched was either hijacked by Jeice or, at the very least, was recycled into Jeice's domain for him to use.
Like he had said, it was complete bullshit.
Ajax flinched as a glowing orb suddenly appeared mere inches from his face. It shimmered an ominous azure for just a split second before unleashing a Kamehameha wave that slammed into him.
Ajax grumbled to himself as the Kamehameha wave engulfed him. Oh, and he forgot to mention that Jeice had also mastered the Kamehameha after seeing it just once. It had taken him months of training just to attempt the technique, and here was Jeice just picking it up effortlessly. It was absolute bullshit!
The Kamehameha wave suddenly changed directions mid-air and began pushing Ajax closer to Jeice. And...that's when Ajax panicked. He scrambled to free himself from the beam, preventing himself from getting any closer to Jeice.
The urgency of Ajax's retreat was due to the fact that, up close, his situation became significantly worse. Jeice's exceptionally powerful external Ki manipulation became overwhelmingly effective at short range, causing Ajax to slow down as if he were a rusted puppet or an insect ensnared in resin. The closer he got, the more vulnerable he became.
From a greater distance, the situation was somewhat more manageable. Jeice's control over the battlefield weakened just enough to allow Ajax a small but limited area of influence around himself where he was free from external influence.
However, keeping his distance came with its own set of challenges, as Ajax's most reliable attacks depended on being close to his opponent.
Attacking from afar, you see...
Ajax unleashed a series of Dodon Rays. The energy beams streaked toward their target but faltered as they entered Jeice's range of influence. They slowed down dramatically, curved inexplicably, and began heading back in the direction they came from.
– are freaking useless!
Once they returned, they were immediately recycled by Jeice's ability, becoming part of the endless cycle of energy that Jeice controlled.
As a result, Ajax found himself trapped in a cat-and-mouse game where his attempts to attack Jeice were ineffective, and none of Jeice's attacks could land a mortal blow. They'd been stuck in this dull stalemate for God knows how long.
The countless swirling crimson ripples in the air shifted like mirrors, tracking Ajax's every move. As the bombardment of Ki blasts continued, Ajax was forced into a frantic dance, dodging and weaving as if in a nightmarish game of dodgeball—only this time, the "balls" were homing in on him and they hurt a lot.
Ajax grunted as several Ki blasts struck him in the back, but then, to his surprise, the relentless bombardment suddenly stopped. He looked up, bewildered, to see Jeice standing across the battlefield with a frustrated expression.
Jeice's voice rang out with anger as he held his good arm above his head.
"If a couple of blunt blasts don't do the trick, then I'll skewer ya right through!"
Ajax's eyes widened as he scanned the battlefield, his heart skipping a beat at the sight. Not far above him, massive concentric energy rings were forming—resembling some epic railgun or massive spell straight out of a movie or anime. The rings began large and gradually shrank, aligning perfectly to create a tunnel-like visual effect.
Wait, did Jeice say this was a piercing attack?
Moments later, a brilliant beam of energy shot from the coils and crashed into Ajax's chest with explosive force.
The energy beam sustained its blistering intensity for several seconds. Ajax grunted as he bore the full brunt of the attack, but just as suddenly as it began, the beam sputtered out, its energy dissipating into the air.
Ajax glanced down to assess the damage. The railgun-like attack had burned through his clothes, leaving smoldering holes in his already ragged attire. However, miraculously, his chest remained intact—there was no penetration, only a deep, singed scorch.
Ajax never imagined there'd be a day where he was grateful to Frieza, but here he was.
He lifted his eyes to meet Jeice's incredulous stare. Jeice's eyes twitched, and his face contorted, looking as if he were on the brink of an aneurysm—or severe constipation.
Jeice was so irritated that Ajax could practically taste it.
"GAH! DAMN IT!! You bugger! Why are ya tougher to kill than a cockroach?! Even Recoome ain't this tough! Fightin' you is like tryin' to dig through solid rock with a bloody pencil!" Jeice's voice cracked as he shrieked his grievances.
Ajax couldn't help but laugh at the crack in Jeice's voice. The combination of Jeice's sheer frustration and the absurdity that all that overwhelming firepower had failed to harm him was comical.
It seemed that Ajax's strategy of injuring himself with his own max-powered attacks had finally paid off, even if it had earned him some strange looks from everyone else.
He had stuck to that strategy ever since he got access to a reliable source of healing—thanks, Dende—and as a result, as long as the power level gap between him and his opponents wasn't too vast, he could survive nearly anything they threw at him.
Admittedly, frequent stalemates like this weren't exactly what he envisioned when he made his wish to Shenron, but he certainly wasn't complaining!
Some distance away, Jeice clenched his jaw as he glared at Ajax. The sight of Ajax laughing in the midst of their intense battle had clearly pissed him off. Jeice slapped himself across the face and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, they were calm.
"Alright then! I've got all soddin' day! If I can't knock ya out in one go, I'll chip away at ya bit by bloody bit. Even the toughest rocks can get eroded by water!"
Ajax tensed at Jeice's ominous declaration. He watched as the gates of Meteor Storm turned themselves toward him, and a multitude of energy orbs—a chaotic mix of Kamehameha waves, Dodon Rays, and other attacks of Jeice's own creation—appeared around him.
The battlefield lapsed into a brief, tense silence as both fighters took stock of their positions. In this fleeting moment of calm before the next wave of violence, both fighters' heightened awareness was diverted by an intriguing phenomenon.
An orange string of energy had appeared in the air some distance away, wriggling slowly like a worm. It crawled forward and undulated with an almost hypnotic rhythm, contrasting sharply against the environment.
For several seconds, both fighters stared at the orange string with their Ki sense.
The battlefield erupted into a flurry of activity as countless ripples in the air angled themselves to the mysterious orange string. Almost every gate simultaneously released its payload, aiming at the energy strand with lethal intent.
At the exact same time, Ajax exploded into action, instinctively blurring toward the spot where he suspected Mushin, that reckless dumbass of a kid, was hiding. Just his luck—of course, he was up against the one enemy from the Frieza Force capable of detecting energy!
But Ajax didn't have the time to dwell on his misgivings, for he knew that Mushin would be in mortal danger if the blasts arrived before he did.
Sure enough, he spotted Mushin huddled behind a boulder, visibly terrified by being locked on by the incoming attacks. Without hesitation, Ajax appeared in front of the frightened youth and backhanded the first of the powerful energy blasts aimed at Mushin.
Ajax's eyes darted around as he took control of the situation. He unleashed a barrage of Dodon Rays, sending them out like a meteor shower. The rays arced through the air, intercepting and disrupting many of the incoming blasts. Explosions roared as the Dodon Rays detonated the attacks before they could reach their target.
An azure orb flickered into existence directly above him. Without even looking, a Dodon Ray streaked upward, piercing the core of the orb and causing it to explode into a brilliant flash of blue light.
But Ajax knew this was only the beginning.
Seven more blasts converged on them from all directions, and seven Dodon Rays met each one head-on. The beams collided mid-air, neutralizing each other in a stunning display of energy.
Meanwhile, behind Ajax, the orange string had silently connected with him, its energy subtly merging with his own.
Even though Ajax managed to momentarily fend off the bombardment with counterattacks, he knew he was fighting a losing battle. Jeice's signature attack had already multiplied in scale around him, growing from one hundred rippling gates to nearly a thousand.
He couldn't maintain this defense for much longer, and unfortunately, Mushin wasn't as sturdy as he was.
But in spite of the intense pressure, Ajax felt an unexpected calm. The world around him seemed to recede while also becoming increasingly clear.
The truth was, five days was just far too brief of a time to master what the Namekians took decades to achieve—if they ever did at all. After five days, he was still no closer to attaining that state at will.
Despite knowing this, he had still planned to leave Mushin behind to keep him safe—because Ajax didn't want to see the young boy killed. But the stubborn little chatterbox had ventured into the fray on his own regardless, risking his life to come to Ajax's aid. The boy had even left Nail, his hero, behind.
Well, as a big brother, Ajax simply couldn't betray that trust.
And he did promise they'd win, hadn't he?
Ajax closed his eyes, letting his arms fall loosely by his sides as the countless energy blasts continued to rain down on him. The orange energy strand connected to him pulsed rhythmically, its glow intensifying in response to his serenity.
He hadn't lied when he said he couldn't enter the Zone at will, but at the same time, that wasn't entirely accurate either. It would be more precise to say he couldn't enter the Zone at will on his own.
But this time, he wasn't alone.
A moment later, Ajax's eyes snapped open, silver lightning crackling fiercely from them.
As if sensing the presence of a higher being, every single blast headed for Ajax came to an immediate stop—without exception. Thousands of glittering energy projectiles hung suspended in mid-air around him, motionless and frozen in place.
Ajax gazed calmly at Jeice in the distance.
The battle was over. Time to dust this bitch.