Chapter 8

He was half awake by this time, sitting upright in the Womb of Evil that surrounded him. He glared at the featureless void of black in front of him, the immense power level and destruction he could sense increasing the anxiety in his heart. If he had reached his full hibernation cycle, he would have fled the womb to destroy what was causing all this commotion.

However, considering he was not fully rested, his body could barely move. Essentially a butterfly in its chrysalis stage, emerging before he was ready could destroy him. And if that happened, he would revert back to his original state and the cycle would start over. Leaving now would not just mean he wouldn’t be fighting at full power, but he’d be back at square one.

I’m not fully awake yet…He realized in the middle of his dream of the odd looking Saiyan destroying planet after planet. Yet…yet I could be…if I really wanted to…

Goku watched as Cooler scrambled across the deck of his spaceship to its control station. He wasn’t watching with his normal vision, but the supernatural sight the Trampled Innocence afforded him. Goku was through the spacious, silvery hallway of Cooler’s ship while he had killed all the men in the space palace.

The Trampled Innocence led Goku to Cooler’s spaceship that was essentially a luxurious palace the size of a planet. While Goku had wiped out the races of tens of thousands of planets’ already with the increased speed and power of the Trampled Innocence, this one had to be done personally. Freeza, King Cold and Cooler needed to be personally dealt with considering how many people that not only they personally killed but their men did as well.

We wish to see the terror in Cooler’s face once he witnesses how outmatched he is. The billions of souls within him said. Freeza’s lineage must know true pain.

Goku’s talon-like feet crunched against the metal of the floor as he walked past the corpses of Cooler’s men. The dead littered the hallway, their ashes and blood staining a once spotless room. The Super Saiyan walked over his most recent victim, Salza, who died trying to prevent Goku from entering any further.

Within seconds, Goku had killed the entirety of the space palace save Cooler. He was honestly impressed with himself. Obliterating hundreds of thousands with a single qi blast felt cathartic, as it was the last thing that the souls killed by Cooler’s men felt in their last seconds of life. With the Trampled Innocence’s supernatural sight, Goku could lock onto any qi within thousands of miles and send a blast of energy directly towards them.

I’m no longer feeling my own emotions. He realized. It’s not even my own anger propelling me. But…

The image of Freeza killing Piccolo, blowing Krillin to ash and obliterating Gohan was seared into his mind.

I honestly don’t mind. Goku thought. Let them use me. I’m glad to be of service to annihilating these monsters.

Goku reached the door at the end of the hallway before ripping it open. It revealed Cooler at one of the control stations, his nimble, purple fingers pressing glowing buttons in a hurry. After Goku entered, he turned around to scream in terror.

“Did you really think you could run, Cooler?” Goku asked. “Trying to launch an escape pod before I get to you? Do you really think you could hide from judgment?”

The frost demon was too scared to speak, shaking his head in disbelief as the Super Saiyan drew closer to him.

“We both know how this is going to end,” he said. “So convinced you’ll lose you didn’t even fight. You merely fled…now, let me ask?”

The faces swimming across the surface of Goku’s body began yelling in anger, these particular souls the ones Cooler personally killed.

“When those who posed no threat to you fled…” the Saiyan asked. “Did you spare them, any?”

“Get away from you filthy monkey!” Cooler shouted.

He shot a sphere of purple qi at Goku from his finger, only for the gold qi flaring around him to disintegrate it upon nearing him. Cooler attempted to punch Goku but the Super Saiyan swatted him away like a fly, breaking the control system the frost demon was knocked into. He attempted to stand up before the Saiyan held out his talon and willed Cooler’s body toward him.

The suctioning force slammed the frost demon in front of Goku before Cooler levitated in front of him. Unable to move even an inch, the Super Saiyan clamped his talons onto the frost demon’s arms and sent qi into the fiend. Cooler screamed as a rush of alien emotions filled him.

Goku willed the terror of every person Cooler had killed to fill his mind, causing his soul to brew with chaos. His pupils rolled into the back of his head while his entire body violently vibrated. Cooler’s mental agony caused him to lose all physical control before Goku pulled at his arms.

“Don’t kill me!” the frost demon shouted. “Don’t kill me! Please don’t-!”

The Super Saiyan ripped the arms from the sockets as easily as snapping kindling. Goku allowed the frost demon to fall to the floor as screaming increased in volume, the silvery surface now dyed red with blood. Tired of hearing his screams, Goku pressed a taloned foot onto his face. While this muffled the sound, it certainly didn’t suppress them altogether so he squeezed hard and popped Cooler’s skull like a balloon.

Now that the Saiyan was the only remaining thing left alive in the space station, he flew through the roof above. After crashing through the metal surface like it was styrofoam, the Super Saiyan turned his attention to the remainder of the space palace. No more evil qi flowed from it. With a simple blast of golden qi from his mouth, the space palace was blown to smithereens. Pieces of scrap metal were jettisoned in the resulting shockwave, traveling hundreds of miles in an instant from such great force. Goku smiled at the sight.

“I made King Cold a promise I would destroy his empire,” Goku said. “And I made good on my promise. I don’t think anything remains of his empire.”

Yes. The Trampled Innocence said. But there is so much more to do. More revenge to take.

“You are right,” he said. “Blood must be paid in blood.”

“What do you mean Goku is no longer in control of himself?!” Krillin asked.

“What else could that mean?” King Kai asked. “Goku has been taken control of by another being…or should I say, culmination of beings, known as the Trampled Innocence!”

“I’m afraid I don’t know who you are,” Master Roshi said. “Mind filling me in on that little detail?”

The rest of them sighed at Roshi’s comment as they were too busy listening to King Kai. Krillin could tell Tein, Piccolo, Yamcha and Chiaotzu were listening as they wore anxious expressions. Even Piccolo looked disturbed, his normally stoic, somewhat angered glare painted with shock.

“I am King Kai,” he answered. “The one who trained Goku during his time in Otherworld after being killed by Raditz. I taught him the Kaio-Ken and Spirit Bomb as well as took those who died fighting Nappa under my wing.”

“Oh,” Muten Roshi said. “Well, thank you for doing that. You really helped save the Earth. By the way…could you use this little telepathy power to give me the scoop on what attracts the ladies these days? I’m afraid I’ve failed to learn how to catch any fine broads in my time as an elder.”

“I’m afraid I have more important things to discuss,” King Kai replied. “I’m sure you’re all looking for an explanation as to how Goku defeated Freeza so quickly, what you’re doing alive and what Goku currently…is now.”

“Wait…” Master Roshi said. “Goku defeated Freeza?! Quickly?!”

“Of course,” Piccolo answered. “As much of a monster as Freeza was…there’s no one who could have defeated Goku in his current form. Not a single person alive.”

“But that’s just the problem,” King Kai said. “Goku has become something far more dangerous than Freeza. There is no tyrant or monster quite like a Super Saiyan.”

“Tyrant?” Teinshinhan asked. “Monster? Goku would never become such a thing! There’s no way he’d ever do something to make him comparable to Freeza!”

“Yeah!” Yamcha said. “You have to be out of your mind if you want us to believe that!”

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“I agree,” Krillin replied. “Goku’s the best there is! He’d never become a villain!”

“Oh really?” King Kai asked. “I think the hundreds of billions he’s killed in less than an hour would disagree.”

After saying that, Krillin’s mind was filled with images of utter terror. Faces he’d never known shrieking in terror as they were slaughtered by what appeared to be green ghosts. Some only looked at a beam of qi for a moment before being obliterated. Blood and entrails of various aliens killed littered the ground, tainting it in a canvas of gore.

And in front of all of it was a smiling Goku. While his body may have been different, his face was laughing at the destruction. His bloodthirsty bellows of joy echoed in Krillin’s mind. The visions he witnessed were so potent that Krillin almost felt himself stop breathing.

“N-No…” Teinshinhan said. “G-Goku-”

“This is unreal…” Piccolo said. “It can’t be. I mean…it just can’t.”

“Why would Goku do this?!” Yamcha shouted. “I mean, just…! Why?!”

Tears welled up in and stung Krillin’s eyes.

“G-Goku…” he said. “Y-You were…you were amongst the best of us…how…?”

He shook his head in disbelief at what he just saw.

“How could you do this?!” he shouted.

“I-I-can’t believe it!” Teinshinhan said. “Goku–killing that many people? Including innocent lives?! That’s insane!”

“What made him do this?!” Master Roshi shouted. “Goku doesn’t even like to kill his sworn enemies, much less people he’s never met before!”

“It’s a bit complicated to explain,” King Kai said. “But in honesty…this is what I was trying to prevent from happening.”

“What?!” Piccolo asked. “How…how did you know this would happen?”

“It…” King Kia said. “It is something I deeply regret…to inform you I failed at.”

“Failed at what?” Yamcha said. “Are you saying you could have stopped this?”

“Maybe,” King Kai answered. “I don’t know if I could. But I did my best. There are things you mortals don’t understand…it’s too complicated for mere denizens of the universe to comprehend.”

“That still doesn’t explain what happened to Goku,” Piccolo said. “Don’t give me your high and mighty speech like you’re above us. If Goku is doing something this horrendous…it can’t be because he’s in control of himself.”

“Well, Piccolo…” King Kia said. “To be honest…you’re completely right. Goku isn’t in control of himself.”

“Then who's controlling him?” Yamcha asked. “Is it Freeza? Or Vegeta?”

“Did Ginyu somehow switch bodies with Goku again?” Krillin asked. “That’s the only explanation I can think of!”

“No,” King Kai answered. “No one being is controlling him. More like, several trillion are.”

“What?” Krillin asked. “Trillions?”

“What you humans know as qi is really spiritual energy that is drawn from the souls of the dead,” King Kai said. “All beings that are dead exist in a realm of reality known as the Soul Room or the Realm of Souls. It has existed as long as time itself, accumulating trillions upon trillions of individuals who have passed away. No matter who you are, once you die, your energy exists within it.”

“But…?” Teinshinhan said. “How can that be? We’ve been dead but never saw anything like that.”

“I’m afraid it is not a place that you can access,” King Kai replied. “Not even us Kais can transport ourselves to it. It is a place that is only available to the dead…and certain chosen beings.”

“Chosen beings?” Yamcha asked. “Was…was Goku chosen?”

“I’m afraid he was,” King Kai said. “You see, the Soul Room recycles the life force of those who have died into currently living beings. When a person trains to gather a stronger qi force, or power level, they are really taking more spiritual energy from the Realm of Souls into their body.”

“That-” Krillin said. “Sounds unreal. I’ve been training for most of my life and I’ve never known something like that.”

“Yeah, I know,” Yamcha said. “To think my power is just…just some dead person’s life. It’s so weird.”

“Well there’s more to it than that,” King Kai said. “Over the millennia of constant wars and brutal genocides, a certain collection of souls formed in the Realm of Souls. Within it, every individual that had been unjustly killed was drawn towards another, their mutual pain being a magnet for each other’s life force.”

“Drawn together by pain?” Yamcha asked. “Like…like a magnet for sorrow? Why is there so much evil in the galaxy?”

“For the same reason there is on Earth,” King Kai said. “It is everywhere.”

“What does this have to do with Goku?” Teinshinhan asked. “Are you telling us they were trapped in this realm forever and got angrier and angrier as time went on? Did Goku become one of these souls?”

“I was just getting to that,” King Kai answered. “You see, you’re not trapped in the Realm of Souls. No one is. Well…except for Yamoshi, but that’s beside the point. Basically, whether dead or alive, you simultaneously exist in the Realm of Souls and Otherworld or the land of the living. And the trillions of souls murdered by tyrants and monsters across time did not have an easy time crossing over into Otherworld.”

“Why not?” Krillin asked.

“Because their hearts were weighed down by malice and desire for revenge,” King Kai answered. “In the Otherworld, we try to rehabilitate souls by either cleansing them of evil or punishing them in the lower realms of the afterlife. This way they may have a chance to start over. However…the innocent souls killed by Saiyans, Freeza, the space pirate Bojack or whoever else did not think it was fair that they also had to be cleansed of evil at the same time their killers did.”

“Hmm,” Piccolo said. “I agree…doesn’t seem very fair to me. Why should the murderers and their victims be treated the same?”

“They should be because everyone has evil within them!” King Kai said. “You mortals have such a limited view of reality that us Kais have to run the galaxy and afterlife for you!”

“What about tyrants like Vegeta and Freeza?” Teinshinhan asked. “Do they get a chance to start over?”

“Of course,” King Kai said. “Us Kais like to give everyone a chance to go to heaven…and if not, they wind up in hell. However, we like to save the latter as a last resort if they refuse purification.”

“Heaven?” Piccolo asked. “Hell? Where were they? I never saw them when I was dead.”

“That’s because heaven and hell are outside Otherworld,” King Kai said. “With heaven above and hell below. They are the final destination of souls once they have been thoroughly tested and purification has been attempted. Most of you have not been purified because you weren’t dead long enough to receive such treatment or came straight to my planet for training.”

“Kay but what about these trillions of innocent souls killed by evil men?” Krillin said. “What did they do to Goku?”

“The Trampled Innocence,” King Kai answered. “That is what they are known as. Those trillions of innocent souls that accumulated over the course of millenia…killed by awful conquerors…they felt the entirety of the universe was unfair. That the system meant to give evildoers a chance to start anew meant their righteousness and peaceful living was not being rewarded. They had to wait for their chance to reach heaven along with their murderers. Both had to go through purification in Otherworld.”

“I can understand that anger,” Krillin said. “I don’t think I deserve to be treated the same as Freeza in my attempt to go to heaven. None of us do.”

“Well…” King Kai said. “The trillions of souls killed by evil men, the Trampled Innocence, felt the same way. Not only did they refuse to seek purification so long as people like Freeza were offered the same choice, they even sought out a champion who would not only take revenge for them but revolutionize the galaxy under their sense of justice. The Trampled Innocence’s combined anger is so overwhelming they are willing to wipe out nearly the entirety of the galaxy for each race’s crimes of destruction and violence. Destroying the universe for a better people to replace them seems to be their goal.”

“And they chose Goku for that?” Teinshinhan asked.

“Precisely,” King Kai asked.

“But how?” Piccolo asked. “How did Goku gain access to this Trampled Innocence or Realm of Souls? Was it his training with you?”

“Please,” King Kai said, mildly irritated. “Have a little more faith in me than that, Piccolo. I would never allow my students to tap into a power more destructive and chaotic than Freeza. You see, while all living beings have a connection to the Realm of Souls, some races are more in touch with it than others. The race connected to the Soul Room best were the Saiyans. They drew the most energy from the Soul Realm, at least in general.”

“So that is why they’re so strong!” Krillin said. “They can tap into an energy source beyond what their own bodies can produce!”

“Exactly, Krillin,” King Kai said. “Saiyans are the race more connected to the Soul Realm than any other race, giving them great power. They abused this power to become tyrants, becoming drunk on their own capabilities as fighters. And when they are on the brink of death or sorrow, they connect to it all the more.”

“But the Saiyans don’t seem like a race the Trampled Innocence would like to give their power to,” Teinshinhan answered. “They’re too violent and ruthless. But…but that’s why they gave Goku their strength. Because he was pure of heart and would understand their cause.”

“Right,” King Kai said. “The Trampled Innocence would not align themselves with someone as evil as most Saiyans. So that was why they chose Goku.”

“But why?” Krillin asked. “Why-Why now?! Of all times?! And didn’t you say you could have prevented this?!”

King Kai sighed, the expression of agitation filling their minds with an odd grievance.

“I tried,” he said. “To prevent their rise. I knew ever since the ascension of the first Super Saiyan that they would try again to destroy most sentient races in the universe. I did what I could to prevent the emergence of the next Super Saiyan in a way that the Trampled Innocence would not be aware of but-”

“Wait?” Yamcha asked. “The first Super Saiyan? You mean, there was another?”

“Goku is not the first,” King Kai answered. “Another Super Saiyan came before him, trying to avenge every race that had been wronged. His name was Yamoshi and he…his heart was warped by their influence on him.”

“Could you have done more to stop this?” Teinshinhan asked.

“I am sorry,” he answered. “But I’ve been trying to stop this long since before any of you were born. And I’ve taken drastic measures in an attempt to prevent another Saiyan from ascending. It was the reason I didn’t want Goku facing Freeza…I didn’t want that tyrant to push him to the brink…so that the Trampled Innocence could take control of Goku in his wrath or desperation.”

“Did you take drastic measures while training Goku against the Saiyans?” Yamcha asked. “That sounds like the best time to me.”

“Yes,” King Kai answered. “It is precisely why I didn’t train Goku to be as strong as you four that arrived on my planet to train. I wanted Goku to be an even match for Vegeta so that the two Saiyans would kill each other.”

“You did what?!” Krillin shouted.