(Author note: Near 9000 FUCKING WORDS!
OH
My
GOD!
Did this take a fucking while to write!
I geniunely hope you guys like the long chapter and don't find it tedious.
Bye, I gotta go eat or something.)
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Toji Fushiguro fell through darkness.
The tear in reality he'd created hung far above him like a distant red star, the only source of light in the absolute blackness of Hell's uppermost layer. Wind rushed past his Vader suit as he plummeted headfirst, his cape billowing violently behind him.
He had been falling for minutes now, the endless void swallowing him as he descended deeper into the afterlife's most feared realm.
In the living world, such a fall would have been trivial - a moment's inconvenience before he engaged his ki for flight. But here, in Hell, that option was denied to him. The moment he'd crossed the threshold, he'd felt it - a fundamental law of this realm that negated his ability to fly.
And so he fell, watching the tear in reality grow smaller and smaller above him, until it was merely a pinprick of crimson in the infinite darkness.
The unexpected downtime gave his racing mind a moment to settle. To think. To question.
'Was this the only option?' he wondered as he continued his headlong plunge. 'Did I make the right choice?'
He had considered other possibilities, of course.
The Dragon Balls had been his first thought - somehow forcing their activation before the year had passed.
But even if he'd succeeded, they wouldn't have helped.
Whis had confirmed what Toji already suspected: destruction energy damage couldn't be healed by conventional means.
The Dragon Balls, for all their power, couldn't undo what had been fundamentally unmade.
'What about contacting Whis directly?' The thought had crossed his mind repeatedly during those terrible moments in the medical chamber.
But Whis had given him no means of communication, no way to summon him in an emergency.
And even if he could, would Whis help? The angel was Beerus's attendant, bound to serve the God of Destruction's will, not the desperate pleas of a mortal father.
Whis had made his terms clear: divine ki or nothing.
Toji's mechanical breathing remained steady despite the turmoil of his thoughts. The sound echoed strangely in the void around him, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.
'And if Megumi dies...'
The thought was almost too painful to complete, but Toji forced himself to face it.
If his son died, the Dragon Balls would be useless.
Megumi was an infant - his soul would be immediately cleansed and reincarnated, no longer the child of Toji and Freeza, no longer their son in any meaningful way.
He would become someone else's child, all memory of his parents erased.
The Super Dragon Balls might have the power to restore him completely, but they were scattered across two universes.
Accessing them would mean traveling to Universe 6, breaking divine laws, and potentially drawing the attention of Champa, Beerus's brother.
The consequences could be catastrophic, possibly even attracting the notice of the Grand Priest or Zeno himself.
Who knows with how different this world is if they have more of an eye on the Super Dragon Balls- Wish Orbs capable of reversing the might of Zeno- The King of All.
No.
This was the only way forward. The afterlife contained secrets, knowledge, and possibly cures that the living world did not. If there was any chance of saving Megumi, it lay in the realm of the dead.
As Toji continued his descent, a strange calm settled over him. The initial panic and rage that had driven him to tear open reality had subsided, replaced by cold, calm determination.
He would find what he needed.
He would save his son.
Nothing in Hell or beyond would stop him.
The darkness below began to lighten, taking on a faint reddish hue. Toji adjusted his posture, orienting himself feet-first as the ground finally became visible thousands of feet below - a vast, barren plain of rust-colored rock stretching to the horizon.
He braced himself for impact, channeling more ki into his legs to absorb the tremendous force of his landing.
When he struck, the ground cratered beneath him, rock shattering in a fifty-foot radius. The impact sent a shockwave rippling across the hellish landscape, kicking up clouds of crimson dust.
As the dust settled, Toji straightened, his mechanical breathing cutting through the eerie silence of Hell's first layer. He scanned his surroundings, the helmet's visual processors enhancing the dim, reddish light.
The sound came without warning - a cacophony of howls, shrieks, and roars from all directions.
The barren plain wasn't empty after all.
Hundreds of figures emerged from behind rock formations and from cracks in the ground - souls of the damned and demons of all descriptions, drawn by the unprecedented arrival of a living being.
They converged on him like a wave, a writhing mass of corrupted forms and twisted faces. Some appeared almost human, while others were monstrosities of fang, claw, and tentacle.
All shared the same hungry expression as they charged toward the intruder in their realm.
Toji didn't hesitate.
His black lightsaber ignited with a distinctive hiss, its energy blade absorbing light rather than emitting it - a slice of absolute darkness that can cut through virtually anything.
The first wave reached him, and Hell witnessed something it had never seen before - a living being who brought death to the dead.
Toji pivoted sharply, his lightsaber tracing a horizontal arc that bisected three demons simultaneously.
Their bodies disintegrated into ash rather than merely falling apart - destruction energy unmade them on a fundamental level.
He followed through with the momentum, transitioning into a reverse grip as he drove the blade backward into the chest of a soul that had attempted to flank him.
A hulking demon with six arms lunged forward, each limb wielding a crude weapon. Toji dropped into a low stance, compensating for his damaged right leg with telekinesis, then exploded upward.
His lightsaber carved a diagonal path from hip to shoulder, splitting the creature in two before it could bring any of its weapons to bear.
His movements were economical, precise - nothing like the playful, showy combat style he'd employed before his injuries.
Each strike was calculated for maximum efficiency, each step carefully placed to maintain perfect balance despite his limitations.
When a group of smaller, faster demons attempted to overwhelm him with numbers, Toji extended his prosthetic hand. With a pulse of telekinesis, he sent them flying backward, their bodies crashing into the horde behind them.
"The living one brings true death!" screamed one of the souls, its face a mask of terror. "Flee! FLEE!"
But there was nowhere to run.
His lightsaber moved in continuous, fluid patterns - slashes, and precise thrusts that turned each attacker to ash.
When a particularly massive demon attempted to crush him with a boulder, Toji didn't bother dodging.
He simply looked at the projectile, his telekinesis shattering it mid-air into thousands of fragments that he then reversed direction, turning them into deadly shrapnel that tore through dozens of enemies.
A winged horror swooped down from above, talons extended.
Toji tracked its approach without turning, then at the last possible moment, he pivoted and thrust his lightsaber upward, impaling the creature through its chest.
It shrieked as destruction energy coursed through its body, reducing it to nothing before it could even complete its death cry.
Despite his injuries, despite the limitations of Hell's laws, Toji was still the apex predator.
His Ki sense extended in all directions, allowing him to counter attacks from any angle.
His telekinesis compensated for his physical limitations, creating a fighting style that was perhaps less flashy than before but far more lethal.
He had learned from his arrogance.
He won't play with his food any longer so long there was no true necessary purpose.
As the battle continued, Toji began to notice something strange. The souls and demons he destroyed weren't reforming.
In the living world, his destruction energy had destroyed, but not erased things. But here, in Hell, where everything was already dead, his power seemed to have a more permanent effect.
This realization spread through the horde like wildfire- having not believed the first one who spoke.
Not having been as smart as him.
Their initial bloodlust turned to terror as they witnessed companions being erased from existence rather than simply damaged or dispersed.
"He brings oblivion!" wailed a soul that had once been human. "The end of all ends!"
The mob's assault faltered, then broke entirely. They scattered in all directions, fleeing from the black-armored figure and his weapon of true death.
Within moments, Toji stood alone in the crater, surrounded by nothing but the crimson dust of Hell's plain.
He deactivated his lightsaber, clipping it to his belt as he surveyed the now-empty landscape.
Toji turned his gaze to the horizon, where distant mountains cut jagged lines against the blood-red sky.
Somewhere in this realm was a way to the knowledge he sought - a cure for his son, a way to counter and heal from his own power.
Without flight, the journey would be long and arduous.
But time worked differently in Hell - he'd sensed his being move differently than when in the living world, his perception feeling different than it was in the living universe.
Sometimes faster, sometimes slower than the living world.
He needed to move quickly.
He needed to find a way into Heaven from here.
He couldn't reach it when he cut from the living world- the energy there far weaker to lock onto than in Hell, where far more powerful Ki signatures existed,
Toji began walking across the barren plain, his mechanical breathing keeping rhythm with his steps.
The journey through Hell had begun.
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Days or perhaps weeks later - time was difficult to track in the ever-twilight of Hell - Toji stood at the edge of a vast chasm.
Behind him stretched the Crimson Wastes he had traversed, a desolate expanse where the weakest souls and lesser demons roamed. Before him lay the second layer of Hell, visible as a sprawling landscape far below.
Unlike the barren plain of the first layer, this region teemed with twisted life - gnarled trees with bark like flayed skin, rivers of what appeared to be blood, and structures that resembled cities but with weird architecture.
The chasm separating the layers was miles wide and seemingly bottomless, with no visible means of crossing.
In the living world, Toji would have simply flown across. Here, he was forced to seek alternatives.
He couldn't just jump, the laws in Hell were far too unpredictable.
Who knows what was below for him to simply jump down.
He scanned the edge of the cliff, looking for a path downward. Finding none he began to think more.
Reaching out with his telekinesis, Toji tore a massive boulder from the cliff face. Carefully he shaped it into a rough platform, then stepped onto it.
Using his telekinesis not on himself - which Hell's laws prevented - but on the platform beneath him, he began to lower himself into the chasm.
The descent was slow, but it was safe.
His control over his Ki was still far too difficult compared to before when telekineses was second nature.
Halfway down, a sudden screech from above broke his focus.
A flock of Dread Hawks - massive birds with multiple eyes and shadow-like wings - had spotted him.
They circled above, their wing beats creating an unsettling rhythm as they prepared to attack.
Toji maintained his focus on the platform, knowing that any lapse would send him plummeting into the abyss. When the first Dread Hawk dove toward him, he was forced to make a split-second decision.
He released his telekinetic hold on the platform with one hand, using that portion of his power to seize the attacking hawk midair.
With a violent twist of his prosthetic hand, he snapped the creature's neck, then flung its body at another diving hawk, disrupting its attack run.
The platform wobbled dangerously as his divided attention weakened his telekinetic grip. Toji quickly refocused, stabilizing his descent as the remaining hawks circled more cautiously, assessing this unusual prey.
One hawk, larger than the others and with distinctive markings like a skull across its face, broke from the pattern. Instead of attacking directly, it hovered nearby, studying Toji with an intelligence that seemed out of place even in this twisted realm.
"You're an odd morsel," the hawk spoke, its voice a harsh, metallic rasp. "LIVING flesh in the dead realm! Skrik hasn't tasted living meat in... oh, what is time anyway? A MILLION years? A BILLION? Who keeps COUNT in this place?"
Toji kept his focus on the platform, not dignifying the creature with a response. His silence seemed to amuse the hawk.
"The silent type! Skrik LIKES that. Most souls won't SHUT UP - always begging, pleading, bargaining. But YOU... you're DIFFERENT."
Another hawk dove toward Toji, ignoring the larger one's interest in conversation. Without breaking his concentration on the platform, Toji ignited his lightsaber with his prosthetic hand, the black blade slicing through the attacker's wing.
The hawk shrieked as destruction energy spread through its body, reducing it to nothing before it could complete its dive.
The skull-faced hawk - Skrik - watched with six eyes that widened in something like delight. "TRUE DEATH! You bring TRUE DEATH! Oh, this is FASCINATING! Skrik hasn't seen anything this interesting since... well, EVER!"
Toji continued his descent, now just a few hundred feet from the bottom. The remaining hawks, seeing the fate of their companion, had retreated to a safe distance, all except Skrik, who continued to circle and chatter.
"Where are you GOING, living one? The Palace? The Axis? The VOID? Skrik knows ALL the paths, ALL the secrets! Seventeen thousand years of flying these CURSED skies! Or was it seventeen MILLION? Time is FUNNY here!"
As Toji's platform finally reached the bottom of the chasm, he stepped off onto solid ground. Only then did he acknowledge the persistent hawk.
"If you have information, share it," he said, his modulated voice echoing in the narrow space at the chasm's base. "Otherwise, leave."
Skrik landed on a nearby rock, folding his shadow-like wings. "DIRECT! I LIKE that! Most visitors waste time with PLEASANTRIES or SCREAMING! What do you seek, living one? Skrik knows EVERYTHING worth knowing!"
"I need to reach the highest point in Hell," Toji stated flatly. "The place closest to Heaven."
Skrik's multiple eyes blinked asynchronously, and what might have been laughter escaped his beak. "The Palace! The AXIS MUNDI! You aim HIGH, living one! But the path is LONG and DEADLY, even for one who brings true death!"
"I didn't ask for commentary," Toji replied, his patience wearing thin. "I asked for directions."
"DIRECTIONS? Through NINE layers of Hell? Past the OGRES and the HOLLOW ONES and the CRIMSON COURT? Past the SEALED ANCIENT ONES whose very DREAMS can drive souls mad?" Skrik hopped from one foot to another in apparent excitement. "No, no, no! Directions aren't ENOUGH! You need a GUIDE!"
Toji studied the strange hawk. Despite its manic energy and disjointed speech, it clearly possessed knowledge that could be valuable. And in a realm where he couldn't fly, having a guide with wings offered distinct advantages.
"And you're volunteering?" Toji asked skeptically.
"For a PRICE!" Skrik declared, spreading his wings dramatically. "Everything has a PRICE in Hell!"
"Name it."
"FREEDOM!" Skrik replied immediately. "When you leave this place - IF you leave this place - take Skrik with you! Skrik has been in Hell for... for... TOO LONG! Skrik wants to see STARS again! REAL stars, not these blood-red MOCKERIES!"
Toji considered the request. Taking a creature from Hell back to the living world would have unknown consequences. But he needed information, and time was of the essence.
"If your information proves useful, I'll consider it," he finally said.
"CONSIDER?" Skrik's feathers ruffled in indignation. "Skrik needs more than CONSIDERATION! Skrik needs a PROMISE!"
"You'll get no promises from me," Toji replied coldly. "Only this - betray me, and I'll ensure your end is permanent."
To emphasize his point, he ignited his lightsaber briefly, the black energy blade humming.
Skrik stared at the weapon, then at Toji's masked face. After a moment, the hawk bobbed its head in what appeared to be resignation.
"FAIR enough! The living one drives a HARD bargain! But Skrik accepts! Better POTENTIAL freedom than CERTAIN oblivion!"
Toji deactivated his lightsaber. "Then we have an arrangement. Now, which way?"
Skrik launched from his perch, flying a short distance before landing again, looking back expectantly. "THIS way! Through the Forest of Flayed Souls! Try to keep UP, living one!"
As Toji followed the erratic hawk deeper into Hell's second layer, he remained alert for threats.
The twisted trees around them seemed to whisper as they passed, their bark pulsing like living flesh.
Occasionally, faces formed in the trunks, mouths opening in silent screams before subsiding back into the wood.
"This forest," Toji said as they walked, "what is it?"
"Souls!" Skrik replied cheerfully. "Souls who tried to HIDE from punishment! The OGRES found them, turned them into TREES! They feel EVERYTHING - every insect that burrows, every bird that nests, every FLAME that burns! PERFECT punishment for the COWARDS!"
Toji absorbed this information silently. The cruelty of Hell was expected, but its creativity was surprising- especially for the Dragon Ball world.
This was nothing like the Hell in Super, GT came closer but still nowhere near this.
As they progressed deeper into the forest, he noticed movement in his peripheral vision - shadowy figures flitting between trees, watching but not approaching.
"We're being followed," he noted.
"ALWAYS!" Skrik confirmed. "The HOLLOW ONES! Soul Devourers! They WANT you, living one! Fresh soul, fresh MEMORIES! But they FEAR your death-blade! Smart of them! VERY smart!"
As if summoned by the mention, a gaunt, emaciated figure with translucent skin stepped into their path. Where organs should have been visible through its clear flesh, only swirling darkness could be seen. Its face was featureless except for a circular, gaping maw.
Toji ignited his lightsaber immediately. The blade allowed him to not use excess Ki, and harm his body by using too much. He needed to keep as much stamina as possible- especially with his injuries.
"WAIT!" Skrik screeched, flapping his wings agitatedly. "Not ALL Hollow Ones are ENEMIES! This one is... DIFFERENT!"
The Hollow One made no aggressive moves. Instead, it raised a hand in what might have been a greeting.
"It wants to SPEAK!" Skrik explained. "RARE! Very RARE! They usually just DEVOUR!"
The Hollow One's mouth began to move, but instead of words, images projected into Toji's mind - a path through the forest, a safe route past dangers, a warning about something massive that hunted in the deeper woods.
"It's... helping us?" Toji asked, surprised but not lowering his weapon.
"CURIOUS!" Skrik remarked, hopping from one foot to another. "Perhaps it SENSES your purpose? Some Hollow Ones were once HEALERS in life! Perhaps it KNOWS something about what you seek!"
The creature projected more images - a towering tree at the forest's center, ancient and massive, with roots that reached into every layer of Hell.
The Axis Mundi, though not yet the true one that reached to Heaven. This was merely its reflection, its shadow in the lower realms.
"The FALSE Axis!" Skrik confirmed, reading the images alongside Toji. "A WAYPOINT on the journey upward! YES! This Hollow One DOES help us!"
Toji studied the creature carefully before deactivating his lightsaber. "Lead on, then," he said to both his guides.
The Hollow One drifted forward, moving between trees silently. Toji followed, with Skrik alternating between flying short distances ahead and returning to land on nearby branches.
As they traveled deeper into the forest, the trees grew larger and more grotesque, their faces more defined and their whispers more coherent.
Occasionally, Toji could make out words - pleas for mercy, offers of bargains, promises of secrets if only he would release them.
He ignored them all, focused solely on his mission.
The journey through the forest took what felt like days, though time's flow remained inconsistent.
Sometimes the red sky above would darken to near-black, then lighten again in what seemed like minutes. Other times, a single hour of walking felt stretched into weeks.
Throughout it all, Toji maintained his relentless pace, his damaged body supported by telekinesis when necessary.
The mechanical breathing of his suit became a constant companion to their journey, something he internally counted, something to mark their progress through Hell's second layer.
Finally, they reached a clearing where the trees parted to reveal their destination - a tree so massive it dwarfed all others, its trunk wider than a city block, its branches disappearing into the blood-red clouds above.
Unlike the other trees, this one showed no faces, no signs of torment.
It simply existed, ancient and implacable.
"The FALSE Axis!" Skrik announced. "Not the TRUE path to Heaven, but a step UPWARD! From here, we can reach the THIRD layer!"
The Hollow One drifted toward the massive tree, gesturing for them to follow. At the base of the trunk was an opening, a passage leading inward and, presumably, upward.
Before they could approach, however, a new sound reached them - a rhythmic thumping that shook the ground beneath their feet, accompanied by a strange, lilting voice that seemed to be... rhyming?
"Who dares approach the sacred fucking tree?
Identify yourselves immediately.
This realm is mine to guard with iron fist,
So speak your purpose or you won't be missed."
From between the trees emerged a massive figure - at least fifteen feet tall with moss-green skin covered in glowing runic scars.
Four muscular arms ended in hands tipped with obsidian claws, and a single massive eye dominated the center of its forehead.
Its mouth, when it opened to speak again, revealed three rows of serrated teeth.
"A Green Ogre," Skrik whispered, his usual manic energy subdued by genuine fear. "An ARBITER! The HIGHEST rank! We are in DEEP trouble, living one!"
The Ogre's massive eye fixed on Toji, narrowing with recognition.
"A living soul within the realm of dead?
This violation fills my heart with dread.
State your purpose, mortal, quick and true,
Or I'll tear your fucking body into two."
Toji stepped forward, undaunted by the massive creature. "I seek passage upward," he stated simply, not bothering to match the Ogre's rhymes.
'What is it with these high position people and their rhymes? First the Collector and now this guy?' Thought Toji to himself.
The Ogre's eye widened with indignation at the response.
"You dare address me without proper verse?
Your disrespect could not be any worse.
In Hell, the Ogres' word is fucking law,
Now rhyme your words or face my deadly claw."
Toji's patience, already thin, snapped completely. He ignited his lightsaber, the black blade humming with destructive energy.
"I have no time for games," he said, his modulated voice cold with menace. "Step aside or be destroyed."
The Ogre's runic scars flared brighter with rage.
"A threat from mortal lips? How fucking bold!
Your arrogance is truly to behold.
But you shall learn respect the hardest way,
As I rip your goddamn spine out where you stay!"
With surprising speed for its size, the Ogre charged forward, all four arms reaching for Toji. But Toji was already moving.
He ducked under the first sweeping arm, his lightsaber slicing upward to sever it at the elbow. The Ogre roared in pain as destruction energy spread from the wound, preventing regeneration.
"IMPOSSIBLE!" the Ogre bellowed, abandoning its rhyming speech in shock. "No weapon can cause permanent damage in Hell! What fucking sorcery is this?!"
Toji didn't waste breath on explanations. He pivoted on his good leg, using telekinesis to enhance his stability as he drove his lightsaber through the Ogre's knee. The joint disintegrated, sending the massive creature crashing to the ground.
The Ogre lashed out with its remaining arms, catching Toji with a glancing blow that sent him flying into a nearby tree. The impact would have killed almost anyone else in Hell, but Toji merely rose to his feet, his mechanical breathing uninterrupted.
"Last chance," Toji warned, advancing on the fallen Ogre. "Grant us passage."
The Ogre's eye darted between Toji and his black lightsaber, genuine fear replacing its earlier rage.
"The path you seek leads only to your doom,
No mortal climbs beyond their fucking tomb.
But if you must ascend against all sense,
I grant you passage with this one defense:
The higher realms hold horrors worse than me,
Their ancient rage will be your enemy."
With those words, the Ogre dragged itself aside, clearing the path to the massive tree's opening.
Toji deactivated his lightsaber, studying the Ogre for a moment before turning toward their destination.
Skrik fluttered nervously beside him, all six eyes wide with disbelief. "You DEFEATED an ARBITER! A GREEN OGRE! IMPOSSIBLE! Skrik has NEVER seen such a thing in all his ETERNAL existence!"
The Hollow One had already drifted toward the opening in the tree, seemingly unimpressed by the confrontation. Toji followed, with Skrik still chattering in amazement as they entered the passage that would lead them to Hell's third layer.
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The journey upward through Hell's layers became a blur of horrors and challenges. Each realm presented new obstacles, new enemies, and new landscapes of torment.
In the third layer - the Boiling Plains - lakes of molten metal stretched to the horizon, occasionally erupting in geysers that rained liquid fire upon the damned.
Here, Toji encountered the Flayed Lords, massive beings of exposed muscle and sinew who shaped living flesh like clay.
Their leader, a towering horror adorned with bone armor, sought to add Toji to his "collection."
The battle lasted what felt like days, with Toji finally emerging victorious but with new scars across his already damaged body.
'Damn this place. It's like the entire realm is rejecting me and trying to make me weaker,' Toji thought to himself as he looked at the damage.
The fourth layer - the Whispering Darkness - was a realm of perpetual night where sound was the only reliable sense.
Here, the Whispering Hive dwelled - collectives of insectoid creatures that formed humanoid shapes and stole memories from their victims.
Toji lost three days of his journey when one such collective invaded his dreams, forcing him to battle through nightmares of Megumi dying in countless ways while he stood helpless.
Luckily for him, his body and armour were simply too strong to be harmed during those days.
The fifth layer - the Fractured Realms - defied conventional physics.
Gravity shifted unpredictably, landmasses floated, and reality itself seemed to bend and twist.
Here, the Void Walkers ruled - tall, unnaturally thin beings whose bodies were tears in reality itself.
They sought to trap Toji in their domains for eternity, but his power proved capable of tearing through their prisons.
Throughout these trials, Skrik remained his guide, the manic hawk's knowledge proving invaluable despite his erratic behavior.
The Hollow One accompanied them until the fourth layer, where it finally succumbed to a pack of Marrow Hounds that had been stalking them for days.
Time continued its inconsistent flow, sometimes accelerating to where a single step seemed to span weeks in the living world, other times slowing to where an hour's journey might take only seconds elsewhere.
Toji could only hope that enough time remained to save Megumi when he returned.
Now, as they approached the boundary between the seventh and eighth layers, Toji stood at the edge of a vast darkness - a region so completely devoid of light that even his helmet's visual processors could detect nothing within.
"The VOID of SORROWS!" Skrik announced, perched on a jagged rock formation beside him. "The EIGHTH layer! No light, no smell, no taste - only SOUND and TOUCH remain! Many souls go MAD here, lost in eternal DARKNESS!"
Toji studied the impenetrable blackness before him. "How do we navigate?"
"CAREFULLY!" Skrik cackled, his manic energy undiminished despite their arduous journey. "The ground is TREACHEROUS! Pits that drop to the NINTH layer! Creatures that hunt by SOUND alone! And worst of all - the MEMORIES!"
"Memories?" Toji questioned.
"The darkness FEEDS on regret!" Skrik explained, wings flapping nervously. "Shows you your WORST moments! Makes you RELIVE them! Over and OVER and OVER!"
Toji considered this information. His soul was strong, but he had regrets like any being. Would the darkness force him to relive his failure against Dragon Slug? The moment he realized his ki was killing his son?
"Is there an alternative path?" he asked.
Skrik's multiple eyes blinked in sequence. "NONE! The Palace lies BEYOND the Void! The TRUE Axis Mundi! Your only path UPWARD!"
Toji nodded, resigned to the challenge ahead. "Then we proceed."
"WE?" Skrik's feathers ruffled anxiously. "Skrik cannot enter the VOID! Death Hawks NEED light to exist! Skrik would DISSOLVE!"
"Then wait here," Toji commanded. "I'll return once I've found a path through."
"IF you return!" Skrik corrected. "The Void has claimed TRILLIONS! Even beings of GREAT power!"
"I'm not concerned," Toji replied, stepping toward the darkness. "Remember our arrangement. Betray me, and your end will be permanent."
With those words, he crossed the threshold into absolute darkness. Immediately, all visual input ceased.
His helmet's processors, designed to enhance low light, found nothing to amplify.
Toji extended his other senses. Touch confirmed solid ground beneath his feet, though the texture was strange - stone and soil constantly shifting beneath him.
Sound revealed a deathly silence broken only by his mechanical breathing and the subtle movements of his armor.
He took a careful step forward, then another, maintaining his direction through sheer force of will. As Skrik had warned, the ground was treacherous - sometimes sloping unexpectedly, other times giving way to sudden drops that he could only detect at the last moment.
After what might have been hours of careful progress, the first memory hit him.
It wasn't gradual or subtle. One moment he was navigating the darkness, the next he was standing in his apartment bathroom, staring at the original Toji Fushiguro as he swallowed a handful of sleeping pills.
"Stop," Toji commanded, recognizing the illusion for what it was- it seems at least Hell didn't know who he truly was and thought him the original Toji.
But the memory continued, forcing him to witness the moment when this body had died- or in Hell's eyes, nearly died.
The scene shifted. Now he stood on the jungle planet, watching Freeza fly away from him and their newborn son without a backward glance.
"These aren't even my worst memories," he said aloud, his voice echoing strangely in the darkness. "You'll have to do better than that."
As if accepting his challenge, the darkness shifted again. This time, he saw Megumi coughing blood, his tiny body wracked with pain as destruction energy unmade him from within. But this wasn't a memory - this was a fear, a possible future.
"Enough," Toji growled, his voice carrying a dangerous edge. "These tricks won't stop me."
He continued forward, forcing one foot in front of the other despite the visions that assailed him.
The darkness seemed to respond to his defiance, intensifying its assault. Images of Megumi dying in increasingly horrific ways flashed before him, each more detailed and believable than the last.
Toji's pace never faltered.
His determination burned through the illusions like his lightsaber through flesh. Nothing the Void showed him could match the real horror that drove him - his son dying while he wandered through Hell.
After what felt like days of relentless progress, Toji sensed something ahead - a presence, powerful but contained. He slowed his approach, hand moving to his lightsaber.
"Who's there?" a voice called out - male, wary, with an edge of defiance that reminded Toji of someone, though he couldn't immediately place it.
"Identify yourself," Toji commanded, igniting his lightsaber. The black blade provided no illumination in the absolute darkness, but he could feel its destructive energy humming through the hilt.
"I should be asking you that," the voice replied. "You're the one trespassing in my prison."
Toji detected movement - someone circling him, keeping a cautious distance. He tracked the sound, turning to face it.
"Your prison?" he questioned.
"For my 'crimes' against Freeza," the voice spat bitterly. "Refusing to bow to that tyrant was apparently worthy of eternal darkness. Fucked up place that it is sees his rulership as necessary or something."
The name caught Toji's attention immediately. "You know Freeza?"
A harsh laugh answered him "Know him? I fought in his armies for years. Watched him destroy my people. My planet."
The voice was closer now, more confident. "But you're different. You're not dead. I can sense it. How did a living being enter Hell?"
"That's not your concern," Toji replied coldly. "If you know the way through this darkness, tell me. Otherwise, our conversation is over."
"Straight to the point, aren't you?" The voice held a note of amusement now. "I like that. But why should I help you?"
"Because the alternative is oblivion," Toji stated, raising his lightsaber slightly. "I don't have time for games."
A moment of silence followed, then: "You can destroy souls permanently. I can feel it in your weapon. That's... impossible."
"And yet, here I stand," Toji replied. "Your knowledge or your existence. Choose."
Another silence, longer this time. Finally, the voice sighed. "Fine. The exit is approximately two miles north from here. There's a path of slightly smoother stone - you can feel it underfoot if you pay attention."
"Show me," Toji demanded.
"I can't leave this area," the voice explained. "Part of my punishment. But I can guide you with my voice."
Toji considered his options. The stranger could be lying, leading him deeper into the Void or into a trap. But his ki sense, while limited in this place, detected no immediate deception.
"Lead on," he finally said. "But remember - I can find you again if necessary."
"Charming," the voice muttered. "This way. Follow the sound of my voice."
They proceeded through the darkness, the stranger occasionally calling out directions or warnings about treacherous ground ahead.
Despite his initial suspicion, Toji found the information accurate. The path did indeed grow smoother underfoot, suggesting they were on a deliberate trail rather than the random terrain he'd navigated earlier.
"So," the voice said after they'd been walking for some time, "what brings a living being to Hell? It's not exactly a tourist destination."
"My son is dying," Toji answered bluntly, seeing no reason to hide his purpose. "I need information that can only be found here."
"Your son?" The voice sounded surprised. "And you thought Hell would have healing knowledge? This is a place of punishment, not medicine."
"The Palace of Hell connects to the Axis Mundi," Toji replied. "And the Axis leads to Heaven, where the healing I seek might exist."
A low whistle cut through the darkness. "Ambitious. The Palace is guarded by the most powerful Ogres in Hell. And even if you reach the Axis, the boundary between Hell and Heaven is impenetrable."
"We'll see," Toji said simply.
They continued in silence for a while longer before the stranger spoke again, his voice hesitant.
"This son of yours... who's his mother?"
The question seemed oddly specific, but Toji saw no harm in answering. "Freeza."
The silence that followed was profound. When the voice finally returned, it was tight with shock.
"You... and Freeza? She's a woma- No, beyond that- That's- that's fucking impossible!"
"Evidently not," Toji replied dryly.
"But she's a monster! A genocidal tyrant! She's destroyed entire civilizations without remorse!"
Toji didn't disagree with the assessment. "Yes."
"And you... what? Decided to lay with her? Dare I ask l- love that freaking lizard bitc-"
"I'd choose my next words carefully." Toji interrupted, causing the voice to fall silent, sensing the dangerous territory he stepped on. "My relationship with Freeza is complicated," Toji said, his patience wearing thin. "And none of your business. Focus on guiding me out of here."
The stranger fell silent again, though Toji could hear his breathing - faster now, agitated. Finally, he spoke again.
"We're nearly at the boundary. Another quarter mile ahead."
As they continued forward, Toji sensed the stranger moving closer, his footsteps more deliberate. His hand tightened on his lightsaber hilt, ready for treachery.
"One last question," the voice said, now just a few feet away. "This son - what's his name?"
"Megumi," Toji answered, tensing for an attack.
Instead, a heavy sigh came from the darkness. "A human word... Blessing. At least you gave him a good name."
Suddenly, light appeared ahead - a faint glow marking the edge of the Void.
The illumination, dim as it was, revealed his guide for the first time.
A man stood before him, muscular and battle-scarred, wearing damaged armor that might once have been white.
His hair was wild and spiky, and an X-shaped scar marked his left cheek. But most striking was his face - a face that bore an uncanny resemblance to Goku's.
Toji immediately recognized him from Dragon Ball history. "Goku- no...."
Bardock's eyes widened in confusion. "Who?"
Before Toji could respond, Bardock's expression hardened as he fully processed Toji's appearance - the black armor, the mechanical breathing, the obvious technological life support.
"What happened to you?" he asked.
"Battle damage," Toji replied simply. "Now, are you coming with me or staying in your prison?"
Bardock looked back at the darkness behind them, then toward the light ahead. "I can't leave. I've tried. The boundary repels me."
Toji reached out with his telekinesis, probing the invisible barrier that kept Bardock confined.
It was powerful, ancient magic rather than physical restraint. But magic, like everything else, had structure. And structure could be broken.
"Stand still," he commanded, extending his prosthetic hand toward Bardock.
The Saiyan tensed but complied, watching warily as Toji's telekinesis enveloped him. With pure power, Toji began to unravel the magical tethers binding Bardock to this place.
The spell resisted, tightening like constricting snakes around the Saiyan, but Toji's power was unstoppable.
With a sound like glass shattering, the binding spell broke. Bardock stumbled forward, nearly falling as the force that had held him for so long suddenly vanished.
"How did you..." he began, looking at his hands in disbelief.
"Like I do everything. I just do," Toji answered with a shrug.
Bardock hesitated only briefly before following, leaving the darkness of his prison behind. As they stepped beyond the boundary of the Void, light - real light, not the blood-red gloom of Hell's upper layers but actual golden illumination - greeted them.
They stood at the edge of what appeared to be a massive courtyard paved with obsidian tiles that reflected the golden light from above.
At its center rose a structure so vast it defied comprehension - the Palace of Hell, a monument to suffering and punishment that stretched upward beyond sight.
And there, at the palace's heart, visible through massive open doors, stood a tree of impossible proportions - the true Axis Mundi, its trunk wider than a mountain, its branches disappearing into clouds far above.
"The path to Heaven," Toji breathed, his mechanical voice carrying a rare note of wonder.
Bardock stared at the palace with undisguised hatred. "And the seat of Hell's power. The Ogres will never let you reach the Axis."
As if summoned by his words, massive figures appeared at the palace entrance - three Green Ogres, their runic scars glowing with power, their single eyes fixed on the intruders with obvious malice.
"INTRUDERS APPROACH WITH FOOLISH STRIDE, THINKING HEAVEN'S GATE OPENS WIDE. BUT NONE MAY PASS THE SACRED TREE, ESPECIALLY FUCKING MORTALS SUCH AS THEE."
Toji ignited his lightsaber. Beside him, Bardock dropped into a fighting stance, his Saiyan battle instincts overriding any fear he might have felt.
"I've come too far to be stopped now," Toji declared, his mechanical breathing steady and ominous in the sudden silence. "My son will not die while I stand."
The central Ogre stepped forward, towering over them at nearly twenty feet tall.
"YOUR OFFSPRING'S FATE CONCERNS US NOT, THE RULES OF HELL CANNOT BE FOUGHT. THE LIVING AND THE DEAD APART MUST STAY, NOW FACE YOUR DOOM WITHOUT DELAY."
With those words, the Ogres charged forward, the ground shaking beneath their massive feet. Toji and Bardock braced themselves, ready for what might be their final battle in Hell.
But before the Ogres could reach them, a familiar screech split the air. Skrik descended from above, his shadow-wings spread wide as he circled the courtyard.
"LIVING ONE! YOU MADE IT THROUGH! Skrik KNEW you would! Well, Skrik HOPED you would! Skrik may have DOUBTED a little! But LOOK! The Palace! The AXIS! We're ALMOST there!"
The Ogres halted their charge, momentarily distracted by the hawk's unexpected appearance. Skrik landed beside Toji, his skull-like face somehow managing to look smug.
"Skrik found ANOTHER way around the Void! Much FASTER! Skrik is CLEVER like that! But you found a FRIEND! A SAIYAN! How INTERESTING!"
Toji didn't take his eyes off the Ogres as he addressed the hawk. "Skrik, what do you know about accessing the Axis Mundi?"
"The TREE? It's SIMPLE! Well, not SIMPLE-simple! But POSSIBLE! The Ogres guard it, but they follow RULES! Ancient RULES! They must accept a CHALLENGE if properly issued!"
The central Ogre's eye narrowed at Skrik's words.
"THE HAWK SPEAKS TRUE, THOUGH MUCH TOO LOUD, HIS KNOWLEDGE MAKES THE BASTARD PROUD. A CHALLENGE PROPERLY DECLARED, MUST BE ACCEPTED, COMBAT SHARED."
Toji stepped forward, his black armor gleaming in the golden light. "Then I challenge you. If I win, I gain passage to the Axis Mundi."
The Ogre considered this, its massive head tilting slightly.
"AND IF YOU LOSE, YOUR SOUL REMAINS, ETERNALLY IN HELL'S DOMAINS. YOUR LIVING STATUS FORFEIT TOO, YOUR QUEST AND LIFE FOREVER THROUGH."
"Agreed," Toji said without hesitation.
Bardock grabbed his arm. "Are you insane? These are Green Ogres - the most powerful beings in Hell! Even if you somehow defeat one, there are three of them!"
Toji for a moment was surprised by the concern in the Saiyan's voice. That was unlike the traditional way Saiyans were. Either Hell had made Bardock far more sympathetic, or this was not the Z one, but the Super one.
"I don't have time for caution," Toji replied, shaking off the Saiyan's grip. "My son is dying with every moment I delay."
He turned back to the Ogres. "I accept your terms. Now, shall we begin?"
The central Ogre stepped forward, its four massive arms spreading wide as it towered over Toji.
"THE CHALLENGE IS ACCEPTED, MORTAL FOOL, PREPARE TO DIE BY ANCIENT RULE. YOUR WEAPON BRINGS TRUE DEATH, 'TIS TRUE, BUT SPEED AND STRENGTH BELONG TO YOU?"
Without warning, the Ogre moved. One enormous fist crashed down where Toji had been standing a split second earlier, creating a crater in the obsidian tiles.
Toji had barely managed to dodge, now closer to the Axis Mundi, Hell limiting his power more than before, making his damaged body even more of a hurdle.
He compensated with putting more focus on his telekinesis, using it to enhance his movements as he circled the massive opponent.
The Ogre pressed its advantage, all four arms attacking in ways that left no obvious openings. Toji was forced on the defensive, his lightsaber a blur of black energy as he parried and deflected the massive fists.
"IMPRESSIVE SKILL FOR ONE SO SMALL, BUT STRENGTH ALONE WON'T MAKE ME FALL. THE OGRES' POWER IS OLD AS SHIT, BEYOND WHAT MORTALS CAN WITHSTAND OR FIT."
"That rhyme doesn't even make sense," Toji muttered.
"SILENCE BITCH!"
"I'm not a female dog, fool." Toji countered annoyed.
A glancing blow caught Toji's right side, sending him skidding across the courtyard. His damaged leg nearly gave out, but he stabilized himself with telekinesis, using the momentum to circle behind the Ogre.
The massive creature turned, but not before Toji managed to score a hit with his lightsaber, slicing through one of its lower arms. The limb disintegrated as destruction energy spread from the wound.
The Ogre roared in pain and rage, its rhyming speech temporarily abandoned.
"MY ARM! WHAT BITCH ASS FUCKING SORCERY IS THIS?!"
It redoubled its attack, the remaining three arms moving in a blur of motion. Toji found himself being driven back, unable to find an opening through the relentless assault.
From the sidelines, Bardock watched with growing concern. The black-armored warrior was clearly powerful, but his movements betrayed injury and limitation.
Against one Green Ogre, he might eventually prevail.
But three? Impossible.
Making a sudden decision, Bardock launched himself toward the second Ogre, catching it by surprise with a powerful kick to its single eye. The massive creature stumbled backward, momentarily blinded.
"WHAT TREACHERY IS THIS?" the third Ogre bellowed. "THE CHALLENGE WAS ONE TO ONE!"
"I never agreed to those terms," Bardock shot back with a fierce grin. "And I've got a score to settle with you bastards after centuries in that darkness!"
The second and third Ogres turned their attention to Bardock, who darted between them. Though long dead, his fighting spirit remained undiminished.
Meanwhile, Toji continued his duel with the first Ogre. With only three arms now, the creature's defense had weakened slightly, allowing Toji to press his own attack. His lightsaber traced deadly arcs through the air, forcing the Ogre to give ground.
"YOUR FRIEND HAS DOOMED YOU BOTH," the Ogre snarled, abandoning its rhyming speech entirely in its rage. "THE CHALLENGE IS VOID! YOUR SOUL IS FORFEIT!"
"The challenge stands," Toji replied calmly, his mechanical breathing steady despite the exertion. "And I intend to win."
With those words, he launched a new offensive. Instead of trying to match the Ogre's strength directly, he targeted its joints and vulnerable points, his lightsaber leaving trails of destruction wherever it touched.
The Ogre, realizing the danger, became more cautious, its movements more defensive. This played into Toji's strategy - he didn't need to defeat the creature through raw power, only to reach the Axis Mundi behind it.
Across the courtyard, Bardock was holding his own against the other two Ogres, his combat experience allowing him to stay just ahead of their massive fists. He couldn't harm them significantly, but he could keep them occupied.
Skrik circled overhead, occasionally diving to distract one Ogre or another with his sharp talons, then retreating before they could retaliate.
"THE TREE! THE TREE!" the hawk screeched. "REACH THE TREE, LIVING ONE! THAT'S ALL THAT MATTERS!"
Toji knew that.
He didn't need to defeat all three Ogres - he just needed to reach the Axis Mundi. Putting in more effort he began maneuvering the battle toward the palace entrance, where the massive tree stood.
The first Ogre, sensing his intention, moved to block his path.
"YOU SHALL NOT PASS, MORTAL FOOL! THE AXIS MUNDI'S NOT FOR YOU!"
Toji feinted left, then dashed right, using telekinesis to enhance his speed beyond the maximum he could with his Ki being limited by the laws of Hell.
(A law made so strong since the slumbering First Saiyan of Legend's Prison was close.)
The Ogre's massive hand swept through empty air as Toji slipped past its guard, racing toward the palace entrance.
The other two Ogres, seeing their companion's failure, broke off their engagement with Bardock and moved to intercept Toji.
But the Saiyan warrior was ready, launching himself at the closest Ogre's legs in a tackle that wouldn't harm the creature but would delay it crucial seconds.
"GO!" Bardock shouted to Toji. "I'll hold them as long as I can!"
Toji didn't waste the opportunity. With a burst of speed that pushed his damaged body to its limits, he raced across the remaining distance to the palace entrance. The first Ogre pursued him, gaining ground with each massive stride.
Just as Toji reached the threshold, the Ogre's hand closed around his cape, yanking him backward. Toji released the clasp at his neck, the cape tearing free as he tumbled through the entrance and into the palace itself.
He rolled to his feet, ignoring the pain from his damaged leg, and found himself standing before the Axis Mundi.
Up close, the tree was even more impressive - its bark seemed to shift and flow like liquid, patterns forming and dissolving in endless cycles.
Its roots spread across the palace floor, disappearing into the walls as if the entire structure had been built around the tree rather than the other way around.
The Ogres roared in fury but stopped at the entrance, unable or unwilling to pursue him further into the sacred space.
"YOU HAVE ENTERED THE HOLY GROUND, WHERE ONLY DEATH AND GODS ARE FOUND. THE TREE WILL JUDGE YOUR MORTAL WORTH, DECIDE IF YOU RETURN TO EARTH."
Toji approached the massive trunk, his lightsaber still humming in his hand. Now that he had reached his goal, he faced a new question - how to use the Axis Mundi to reach Heaven?
Skrik swooped in through a high window, landing on a nearby root. "YOU DID IT! Skrik is IMPRESSED! VERY impressed! No living being has EVER reached the Axis before!"
"How do I ascend?" Toji demanded, his focus unwavering.
"The BARK! Touch the BARK!" Skrik advised, hopping excitedly from foot to foot. "The Tree knows your INTENT! It will JUDGE you! If worthy, it shows the WAY!"
Toji deactivated his lightsaber, returning it to his belt. With his organic hand, he reached out toward the shifting surface of the trunk.
As his fingers made contact, a shock ran through his system - not painful, but intense, as if every cell in his body had been suddenly awakened.
Images flooded his mind - not memories this time, but knowledge. Ancient, profound understanding of the universe's structure, the relationship between life and death, the nature of souls and bodies, the balance between creation and destruction.
And there, buried within this torrent of information, he found what he sought - the knowledge to heal destruction energy damage.
A fruit- that of Might.
It being processed in a way that made it the Drink of the 'Gods.'
It's seed- the mutated version of it being what the Axis Mundi is grown from.
Toji absorbed this knowledge greedily, committing every detail to memory.
With this, he could save Megumi. He could heal his son.
As the flow of information subsided, Toji became aware of a new presence - a sensation of being observed by something vast and ancient. The Axis Mundi itself was conscious, in its way, and it had judged him.
A voice that wasn't quite a voice resonated, more words that his own mental voice attached itself to, like when reading a book, appeared in his mind: "YOUR PURPOSE IS WORTHY. YOUR METHODS ARE NOT. BUT A FATHER'S LOVE THREATENED BY THE DIVINE DESTRUCTION TRANSCENDS JUDGMENT."
"ASCEND TO LIFE."
The bark beneath his hand parted like water, revealing a passageway into the trunk itself. Within, a spiral staircase of living wood wound upward, disappearing into golden light above.
"So I don't need to tear my way out of Heaven," Toji breathed, relief washing over him for the first time since he'd entered Hell.
He turned to Skrik, who was watching with all six eyes wide in amazement. "You've fulfilled your part of our arrangement," Toji acknowledged. "You may accompany me if you wish."
"TRULY?" Skrik's feathers ruffled with excitement. "Skrik can LEAVE this place? See REAL stars again? Feel REAL wind?"
"If you continue to prove useful," Toji qualified. "Now, what of the Saiyan?"
As if on cue, Bardock tumbled through the entrance, battered but unbowed. The Ogres remained at the threshold, glaring but making no move to enter.
"THE SAIYAN WARRIOR FOUGHT WITH PRIDE, HIS CHALLENGE TOO MUST BE DECIDED. HE AIDED YOU AGAINST THE RULES, NOW BOTH YOUR FATES ARE HEAVEN'S TO CHOOSE."
Bardock approached cautiously, eyeing the massive tree with a mixture of awe and suspicion. "So this is the Axis Mundi," he said quietly. "I never thought I'd see it."
"Touch the trunk," Toji instructed. "It will judge you as it judged me."
Bardock hesitated, then placed his hand against the shifting bark. His expression changed instantly - shock, then wonder, then a deep, profound sadness that seemed to age him years in moments.
When he finally stepped back, tears streaked his battle-scarred face. "I saw... everything," he whispered. "My son. Kakarot. His life. His battles. His... goodness."
Toji watched silently, understanding that the Axis had shown Bardock something deeply personal, just as it had shown him the knowledge he sought.
The bark parted again, the passageway widening to accommodate both of them.
"Huh, It seems we're both judged worthy. Redemption it seems is real in this place." Toji observed. "Are you coming?"
Bardock looked at the staircase leading upward, then back at the Ogres still watching from the entrance. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded firmly.
"Yes. I've spent enough time in darkness."
Together, they entered the Axis Mundi, the living wood closing behind them as they began their ascent toward life.
Skrik fluttered after them, somehow managing to squeeze through the narrowing opening before it sealed completely.
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Deep beneath the Axis Mundi, within a hollow part of it, stood a Green Crystal within it a Giant Golden Oozaru.
It's eyes opened.
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(Author note: I hope you all enjoyed the chapter,
See you all later,
Bye!)