"Now then," were the only words the Sorceress heard before a hand grabbed her by the neck, lifting her effortlessly off the ground. Her feet dangled as she struggled to breathe. "You will speak, or suffer the consequences of your actions," Ramton stated with chilling calmness.
The Enchantress's vision swam, her eyes fluttering open as the blurry image of a terrifying figure with razor-sharp teeth came into focus. A dark and oppressive presence emanated from him, sending ripples of dread across the dimension, leaving Gohan stunned by the sheer malice pouring from the Grand Destroyer.
'This... presence... it's shaking me to the core,' Diana thought, her legs buckling beneath her. She could hardly stand, and Gohan, noticing her distress, stepped in front of her, shielding her from the overwhelming pressure.
Strix, meanwhile, was already on her knees, fighting to remain conscious. Her hands shook uncontrollably, her breath coming in ragged gasps as Vermont calmly raised his staff to ease her burden.
'I'm... alright, Master Vermont,' Strix sent her message telepathically to the angel, though it was clear she was anything but alright. Vermont paused, his expression softening, giving a slow nod in return.
'As you wish.'
Circe, who had taken cover behind Vermont with a sly grin, watched the Enchantress's suffering with something close to glee. 'This is why I'm alive, and you're subjected to... whatever that is,' Circe mused, her eyes glinting with wicked satisfaction. The centuries of rivalry between them had finally culminated in this moment, and Circe could barely contain her excitement. The eons-long feud was coming to an end. 'Oh, how sweet it is to see you finally fall...' she thought, waving her hand lazily to summon a bucket of popcorn and a large soda.
Vermont's sharp eyes noticed the conjured treats, and in a swift motion, he plucked the popcorn bucket from her grasp before she even realized what had happened. Circe blinked, surprised to find herself grasping at thin air where her salty snack had been.
She shrugged and conjured another popcorn bucket. 'We've got front-row seats to the Enchantress's demise, I can easily share my snacks,' she thought, stuffing a handful of popcorn into her mouth as she savored the scene unfolding before her.
She stole a quick glance at Vermont before turning her attention back to the Enchantress, who was now choking on her own saliva. 'Agonizing, isn't it? That reminds me—' Circe's train of thought halted as she noticed the Enchantress's lifeless eyes staring back at her. A cruel smile curled her lips.
'I know you're still in there... somewhere... watching this all unfold,' Circe mouthed silently to the Enchantress. 'Remember what you told me? That there's nowhere left to run, Enchantress.'
They locked eyes for a fleeting moment, and Circe's grin widened. 'Well, darling, your time is at an end. That's right, I know you can lip-read. We both can.'
Elsewhere, Merno phased silently through the chambers, his mind preoccupied with thoughts of his imminent triumph. 'Surely those fools have already fallen into my trap—' His smug contemplation was abruptly interrupted as Ramton and Chronoa appeared before him in an instant, weapons drawn and ready to strike. Without missing a beat, Merno dodged their simultaneous attacks, weaving through their blows with the grace of a seasoned dancer. His movements were fluid, precise, and almost too fast to follow.
"That wasn't very nice. I thought the Lords of Time and Destruction would at least have some modicum of manners," Merno quipped with a mocking smirk, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Chronoa's face twisted in anger.
"Cut the act, Merno! You're lucky to still be breathing after trespassing in the sacred land of Time!" she snapped, her hands glowing with energy as she prepared to attack again. Merno's grin only widened.
"Aren't all angelic beings granted access to every realm?" he asked with feigned innocence. Ramton, who had been silently observing, stepped forward, raising his power to its absolute peak. The air crackled with energy as his aura surged, but Merno's confidence never wavered.
Suddenly, without warning, a young man with fiery red hair and a sword appeared, his presence adding weight to the tense confrontation.
"Trunks! Be careful," Chronoa cautioned, her voice urgent. "He isn't just any Angel—he's one of the few who might be able to challenge the Grand Priest himself in battle."
"Got it," Trunks replied curtly, his body glowing as his hair shifted to a dark blue hue. In an instant, the entire battlefield shifted. The sacred ground began to tear itself apart under the immense pressure of the escalating power.
Merno's smirk deepened as he deflected Trunks' attacks with nothing but his fingers, each strike expertly countered. "Not bad," he said, his voice tinged with amusement. "Given a few thousand more years, you might even stand a chance." Without warning, Trunks lunged to the side, but his arm was caught—severed cleanly from the elbow down.
Trunks screamed in pain, retreating instantly, but Chronoa was quick to act. She appeared by his side and, with a single motion, regrew his missing limb. "Thanks... Lady Chronoa," he muttered through gritted teeth.
"Don't mention it. But like I said, you can't just rush in without a plan," she replied, her tone grave.
Merno chuckled darkly. "It's amusing that you managed to evade me, Trunks. My intention was to take the whole arm."
"What's so funny?" Ramton growled, stepping closer, his aura blazing. But Merno remained unfazed.
"You've already fallen for my trap," Merno replied, his voice calm and collected, a knowing smirk still plastered across his face.
A few moments earlier, back with Gohan and the others: "We've got who we came for," Gohan said, his tone flat. "Let's finish this and leave." He turned, walking toward the Enchantress, who now lay foaming at the mouth, her eyes rolled back in her head.
"You've been a real pain," Gohan muttered, raising his hand to deliver the final blow. "Ha—"
"Stop right there, Destroyer," came a voice from behind him. Gohan froze mid-motion, slowly turning to face the source.
There, standing casually amidst his allies, was Merno. Somehow, in the blink of an eye, he had positioned himself beside Diana, Strix, Circe, and Vermont. Before anyone could react, Merno moved faster than comprehension, his hand clamping around Diana's throat as he effortlessly evaded Vermont's attack and knocked the angel aside with a single palm strike, then backhanded Strix and flicked Circe away with a casual finger.
"You all are so predictable." Merno's voice oozed smug confidence. His grin widened as he looked down on them, almost as if he were enjoying some kind of cosmic joke. "I knew you'd catch us in the Time Nest. Honestly, it was all part of the plan. I mean, not even I can completely evade Chronoa in her own domain. I don't think anyone can."
He paused, letting that thought sink in, while a dark chuckle escaped his lips. "So," he continued, "I told the Enchantress just enough to mislead you all—give you a little chase, keep you on your toes. Had I made the seal too strong, she would've never survived. But hey, that wasn't the point, was it?"
Merno's eyes flickered toward Gohan, a sinister gleam flashing in them. "No, you were my goal, Lord Gohan," he stated with a flourish, his voice dripping with theatrics as if this had all been some grand performance.
Gohan's expression hardened, his gaze locked on Merno as the weight of the revelation hit him. All the battles, the pursuit—it wasn't about the Enchantress. It had been a distraction. And he had fallen for it.
'Anyone who can, 'will' back you into a corner.' Vermont's words echoed relentlessly in his mind, like a drumbeat he couldn't shake. Gritting his teeth, Gohan felt the weight of those words settle in. It wasn't just a warning—it was a fact. A cold, harsh truth that had followed him through every battle, every struggle.
In the heat of the moment, with the pressure mounting, Gohan clenched his fists tighter, his knuckles turning white. 'That's just how it is,' he thought. 'No matter how strong you are, no matter how far you've come... there's always someone waiting to test you, to push you until you've got nowhere left to run. Right...Dad?'
Merno leaned in slightly, savoring the moment like a cat toying with its prey. "So, I crafted a plan," he continued, his voice taking on a mocking sing-song tone, "to isolate you here. Just you and me. Like the previous destroyers I slain." His grin widened further, stretching into something almost unnatural. "And look at that, you even brought your lover along for the ride. How thoughtful."
Gohan's fists clenched, his jaw tightening. Diana, meanwhile, struggled against Merno's grasp, her hands clawing at his arm as he tightened his grip around her neck. Her face twisted in pain, but her resolve never wavered.
"Thank you for that," Merno sneered, his grin unwavering as Diana gasped for air.
Gohan instantly powered up, his Beast form roared to the surface. "Don't. You. Dare."