Chapter 9 (Part 1)

"You're an Angel? The same as the one I saw before?" Enchantress asked. Merno nodded.

"I am. You must have seen my younger brother, Vermont," Merno replied, eyeing her. "Now, how did you manage to escape from him? Nothing you can do should be capable of resisting him."

Enchantress was now unsure of how to answer. She didn't want to reveal her hand, but she had only prepared for Trigon. Immediately, she felt the connection start to really stress her body and magic, as she began coughing up blood.

"Seems you took quite the risk," Merno mentioned as his staff glowed. He turned to Trigon. "Don't worry about the specifics. Whatever she planned on achieving with you, I will assist her. It seems she wants to help you gain access to the 21st in exchange for something," Merno asked.

Trigon was now angry nearly erupting with red power, straining all of Enchantress's strength, Merno could tell the Demon god was close to blowing his top.

"For now, I will commandeer this channel. I believe I can handle the backlash from Trigon. You relax," Merno explained with a smile, stunning Enchantress as she felt instant relief from the strain. She collapsed, catching her breath.

"This form of rudimentary magic synchronization is, well, third rate at best. My apologies if that offends you, but even with Kai Magic, you'd be at Trigon's mercy after he wears down your mind," Merno explained.

Turning to face the Demon god who was fuming, he continued, "Oh, don't look at me like that. I just always look out for my own interests, and in this case, it aligns with yours." The demon seemed to calm down at that.

"Even so, this sorcerer would have made a great slave," Trigon rebutted as Merno slowly nodded.

"I suppose, but pawns capable of making their own decisions without any mind control would be best. That way, even if she does get caught, your enemies won't know it's in relation to you or me." Enchantress couldn't help but feel she had made yet another terrible mistake.

Both Merno and Trigon turned and looked at her as Merno spun his staff in his hand and tapped her forehead. "Unfortunately, I cannot fix your appearance, but I can heal you internally and restore your magic to a degree where you can recover on your own. Like I said, we wouldn't want our enemies to know we are all colluding, very few beings can reverse Mar Novu's blight."

The pain vanished from her body, and she could finally stop feeling that intense burning sensation across her body. However, her skin was still charred, and her face had been half burned away.

"Aren't you an Angel? Why are you helping me?" She suddenly asked Merno, who just chuckled.

"My goals are beyond your understanding. You are not my ally; far from it, mortal. Always remember, to me, you are a tool. Should you lose your usefulness, you will have to depend on Trigon, and putting your life in the hands of demon is well..." Merno explained, getting his point across.

"However, should you betray me, you'll wish you hadn't for all eternity."

The ominous warning, with a kind smile plastered on his face, was disorientating, but she didn't doubt his words. At least she still had her trump card that not even the two previous Angels could overcome with their time ability.

Merno noticed that she seemed to relax slightly. He shrugged internally; if she believed she could do something to mislead him, she had another thing coming. He wasn't Vermont. 'My little brother always had imperfections in his abilities that he just couldn't seem to overcome.'

"For the moment, I require you to assist Trigon. This arrangement is convenient, as it means I no longer need to aid him in entering the 21st. However, I have a task for you in return, given that I have granted you the ability to rest peacefully once more, free from Mar Novu's blight."

Enchantress couldn't argue with his logic. Hopefully his task wasn't impossible to accomplish. "I need you to lure the God of Destruction of the 21st universe out into the Abyss," he explained.

"The 21st universe? I understand that there are multiple dimensions, but I haven't the faintest clue which one is which," she explained. Merno tapped her forehead with his staff.

"There, now you know the structure of the reality you reside in," Merno explained. Enchantress was frozen for a few seconds as she absorbed the information.

"This is all of reality?" she asked, stunned for a few seconds. There were 18 universes? She had only come across one extra one after she absorbed the creation god's magic.

"All? That is merely one multiverse, but a tiny fraction of existence. I need you to lure the destroyer beyond the bounds of his multiverse. He needs to cross the Source Wall and enter the Abyss. How you do that is up to your discretion. But I wouldn't fail if I were you. You'd either face that destroyer's wrath or my disappointment. Choose wisely."

"Oh, not to mention that Trigon will be expecting a resounding success as well," Merno reminded her.

Enchantress was now grappling with an internal struggle. Was all this really worth it for the creation god's magic? The risks were now starting to completely outweigh the benefits the more she learned and interacted with the higher-tier gods. Unlike before, where she stood at the apex of magic and life, her position was shaky at best, she still sat atop the apex of Sorcerers, but her new strength introduced her to an entirely new domain of power and politics she wasn't ready for. She felt as if she had just begun at the bottom of the pyramid again.

Gohan exited the time chamber. He was covered in scrapes and bruises; his body was at its limit. He had really put himself through hell and was beyond exhausted. 'I never want to go that deep into the time chamber ever again,' he thought to himself. He was greeted by Mr. Popo and Dende.

"Gohan!" Dende called out.

A few moments before, he and Mr. Popo had felt the door open and were hit with the most intense Ki sensation they'd ever felt. The entire planet was rattling from his mere presence alone.

"Please lower your Ki! You're shaking the planet," Dende explained in a hurry. Gohan looked surprised before he chuckled.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize. I was so tired I thought this would be low enought," Gohan explained as he closed his eyes and attempted to suppress his Ki even further. Slowly, the shaking dulled to a stop, but the pressure was still so intense it created a visual distortion around him.

"I think my idea of suppressed became a little outdated after the fifth year," Gohan explained. It had been a while since he felt the natural laws of the universe instead of the artificial space in the chamber.

All the fighters on Earth were stunned by the incredible Ki source generated on the lookout.

"Is Gohan fighting anyone?" Karen asked as Goku blocked her punch, the force of the impact leveling a mountain.

"It doesn't feel like it..." Goku answered back. "It doesn't feel like he's transformed either, but he feels stronger than ever before."

"I really want to fight him now, but if I lost before, I don't think I'd stand a chance at all now," Goku speculated, as the Ki source seemingly increased tenfold before lowering again.

"Woah...thanks, Mr. Korin!" Gohan said as he ate a senzu bean, healing him and restoring his stamina while giving him a sizable zenkai boost.