Nicky couldn't understand how things had gone so wildly off track in such a short amount of time. All he was supposed to do was find the Dragon Balls! Now, however, he was facing a brat with power far beyond his years, which made him feel uneasy.
It wasn't that he thought he'd be defeated by a child; rather, it was the fact that he'd ended up in this situation that bothered him. Besides, if the son was like this, what would the parents be like? Although a child's power usually has nothing to do with a parent's, talent is often inherited.
Where did the boy inherit the talent to unleash such power at such a young age? His parents must be monsters! The boy's power level wasn't on his level. But what if his parents surpassed him in strength? That would be terrifying!
This thought kept Nicky on high alert as he looked around, trying to sense someone hidden nearby. But he could only feel the boy's presence growing stronger by the moment.
"Brat, that's enough. Give me the Dragon Ball, and I'll leave. I'm not interested in this," the demon declared, but his words fell on deaf ears and prompted Gohan to act preemptively.
Today was the first day the boy had seriously studied martial arts, but violence was ingrained in the genes of Saiyans and Earthlings alike. Even without training, Gohan had some primitive fighting methods etched into his DNA.
Like a puppy, the boy ran on all fours toward Nicky, picking up considerable speed. The crimson aura surrounding his body flared wildly, mirroring his emotions in that moment.
Nicky narrowed his eyes. He wasn't going to show mercy to a child. He placed his hand on his waist, crouched down, and gathered energy in his body, especially in his arm. He was preparing for one of his best techniques: the quick draw.
The quick draw. He was accustomed to fighting demons, people with training and wisdom, not someone who relied on wild, haphazard methods.
When Nicky swiftly and precisely drew his sword, Gohan simply dropped to the ground, sliding along the floor to dodge the metallic flash left by the demon's weapon.
Then, taking advantage of his short stature, the boy lunged at Nicky's leg, which was stiff from the failed attack. Instead of punching or kicking, Gohan did something else; he bit into the demon's exposed skin.
Born of rage and fueled by the energy coursing through the boy's body, his attack was deep, drawing purple blood from Nicky. Nicky kicked out, trying to shake off the brat who had wounded him.
However, Gohan's jaw clamped down tightly around the limb. People don't normally use the full strength of their jaw muscles when chewing, but when they do, tools are needed to pry the jaw open.
So, what would it take to pry open the jaw of an enraged young Saiyan, enhanced by the latent power boiling within his body? Much more than a simple shake! Nicky instinctively swung his sword at Gohan's head.
Luckily for the boy, the difference in their strength wasn't significant. Although Gohan's power was unbridled and misdirected, the energy shield around his body protected him from Nicky's barely prepared attack. Nicky didn't use Ki to enhance the blade of his sword or the strength of his arm.
However, Gohan was left with a cut on his forehead, which caused him to scream in pain. It was the first time he had suffered such an injury. He opened his mouth out of sheer instinct, releasing Nicky's leg. Nicky quickly stepped back, his face contorted with rage.
"You insolent brat! What kind of wild beast are you?" Nicky complained, limping slightly. The injury he suffered was more than just a bite; the force of the attack had affected the bone, making it uncomfortable for him to put weight on his leg.
For a swordsman, being ambushed was bad enough, but allowing his enemy to throw him off balance was far worse. Nicky's anger didn't stem solely from being wounded by a child, though that was part of it. Rather, he was angry because he'd been too trusting, allowing himself to be hurt so easily.
He had been too trusting because he was an adult and his attacker was a child. The Demon Realm might be a wild place with many conflict zones, but no one lets children fight. It's an unspoken rule.
"But you're not a normal child, are you? You're more like a beast," Nicky said, looking at Gohan. Gohan was still on all fours, surrounded by crimson ki, roaring like a wild animal, with the hair on his head and tail standing on end.
"I can act seriously. It doesn't go against my principles." At that moment, the demon's face grew serious, and he began to unleash his aura for the first time.
Mists of dark purple energy surged from his body and enveloped him like a cloak. With a single movement, his sword was covered by this sinister ki, which carried a coldness unlike anything natural.
The night wind stopped abruptly before blowing with force and speed, bringing sounds resembling screams of pain from all directions. The faint moonlight filtering through the tall trees disappeared.
Nicky's presence mirrored how many people perceive demons: as malicious, dark, dangerous, resentful, and murderous. Gohan's body trembled slightly at the danger he sensed, but the most brutal side of his being was gradually overtaking his mind.
'Danger... Dad... Mom! I won't let them be in danger!' Without realizing it, Nicky provoked an even stronger reaction from Gohan's hidden power. This caused an extra burst of energy to cover his body, turning his skin a shade darker.
The demon observed his crimson eyes tinged by an unbridled aura and the level of danger the child represented rose in his mind. He didn't give Gohan the chance to strike first. Instead, he swung his sword, unleashing arcs of energy that flew toward the Saiyan, slicing through the air in their wake.
With a growl, Gohan lunged forward much faster than before, leaving afterimages and a red trail in his wake. His red eyes darted from side to side, searching instinctively for the best way to close in on his enemy.
He dodged the energy blasts, though some struck the ki shield around his body, shattering it and reaching his flesh. Instead of stopping, however, he kept advancing.
Nicky was no longer the man who could be caught off guard, though. He quickly changed his attack, extending his free hand toward Gohan and firing an energy blast that engulfed the boy's body and hurled him deep into the forest.
Then, the demon clenched his hand, causing his ki attack to explode. The sound of the explosion, along with the intense flash, the dust kicked up, and the resulting smoke, stood out in the distance.
Nicky floated close to the ground, following the line of the energy blast, which had created a fissure in the earth ending in a crater where Gohan lay. His clothes were in tatters, his energy shield flickered constantly, and he had several wounds caused by the explosion.
"You're a pretty tough little beast!" the demon growled, impressed by the young Saiyan's resilience. However, he kept his guard up because he sensed danger from Gohan.
He was wise to do so because a stream of energy shot from the boy's mouth. This was the most basic attack he could perform; it was hardwired directly into his DNA. If there were an enemy of the Saiyans here, they would already be expecting a similar reaction.
With his full attention focused on his perceived enemy, Nicky swung his energy-coated sword, slicing the burst of ki in two. The two resulting streams of energy passed right through his body without harming him.
The demon's figure blurred and appeared behind Gohan. It stomped down hard on Gohan's body, causing his head to slam against the hard stone and crack it. The energy shield around his body protected him from serious injury, but the impact still jolted his brain.
"You have so much power at your disposal just by screaming wildly. If you had grown up in the demonic world, perhaps you could have become a figure worthy of respect. But little beast, you are my enemy right now. You are nothing but that...a little beast." Tired of the young man's instinctive defense, Nicky pressed Gohan's body hard into the ground as he raised his sword high.
The mist of energy representing his power gathered at the blade's edge in greater quantity, condensing enough to take on a solid consistency. A hum of energy emanated from it, and a chill ran through the demon's body.
He was a swordsman and, though he lacked complicated techniques, he had his own methods for overcoming troublesome defenses. He wanted to end this absurd fight, this nonsense, so he decided to behead his enemy.
Just as he was about to swing his sword downward, a hand gently rested on his shoulder, causing his body to stiffen. In that moment, a terrible sense of dread washed over Nicky.
How could someone have approached him so easily without him noticing? This level of stealth terrified him! He didn't dare turn around or lower his sword. He didn't even dare say a word.
"When you fight with, how do you say it? little beast? Yes, that. When you fight a little beast, shouldn't you worry that a bigger one is nearby?" A cold voice rang out, and Nicky felt a fierce killing intent descend upon him.
The hand on his shoulder slowly slid toward his neck. Soon, a dense mass of red energy gathered in the palm, making the atmosphere unbearably heavy.
"Hehe... Lord Garlic Jr. will avenge me." Nicky didn't try to justify himself or beg for his life. He was a swordsman and a demon who had emerged from hellish battles and wars.
Die? He was ready for it, so he didn't care much when he found himself at death's door. However, the man behind him didn't seem eager to kill him at that moment. Instead, he placed his other hand on Nicky's head.
"All right, I need to find out who sent you, don't I? Let me take a look at your most recent memories." After saying this, a surge of ki erupted from his hand and invaded Nicky's brain, abruptly extracting the last three hours of the demon's memory.
"Oh, they're after the Dragon Balls, burning the Earth, demons, evil, and all that stuff. I was just hoping to enjoy a little peace, but it looks like others are coming to cause trouble over the four-star Dragon Ball. So please, reincarnate as a good person in the future, okay?" As he finished speaking, he fired the energy accumulated in his hand, which was pressed against Nicky's neck.
The concentrated burst of ki devastated the demon's head, leaving an incomplete corpse. However, before the corpse could fall, another burst of energy struck it from behind, completely obliterating it and leaving no trace.
Goku had done this to prevent his son from witnessing such a brutal death up close. He didn't want to expose Gohan to such things so soon; perhaps he hoped that he would never have to.
Speaking of Gohan, when he sensed the force pushing him to the ground had vanished, he quickly spun around and lunged at his father with claw-like hands. The ki in his hands had already molded into sharp spikes.
However, the hand that had slain a demon now rested gently on the young Saiyan, instilling a sense of security in the boy. He soon realized that he was no longer facing his enemy but his father.
"It's all right, Gohan. You held on for a long time, but I'm here. I'm fine. Thank you for protecting me," Goku said as he crouched down to his son's height. Those words calmed the boy's energy, and he cried as he hugged his father.
"There, there. The danger has passed," Goku said, patting his son's back to comfort him. The boy couldn't stop crying. There was no trace of his earlier savagery or sign of the beastly side that had emerged during his outburst.
He was just a crying child, and that was okay.