The Heart of Might (Zucceta/DE SPLIT)

Bing's scowl from earlier is swapped for his cocky smile. As the Warhead attempts to impact on Bing, his body simply phases away as if it were never there. The attack continues to travel, but Bing can feel something is a bit... Off. It felt nowhere near as powerful as it should have been. Bing contemplates for a moment as he travels at light speed, before deciding to make his move.

He re-appears directly in front of the Queen, letting out a fearsome yell as he rushes forwards. He attempts to tackle her to the ground, pinning her there with all his godly might. Should he have a good grip, he'd stare directly at her with a mixture of respect and anger.

"Don't think I don't know what's up with that blast. Re-direct it. I DARE you."

---

As the blast slowly encroaches, Bing can only wonder what the Queen's plan is. At this angle, it'd surely hit both of them, dealing more damage to her than it would him. He increases the amount of force he has on the Super Saiyan, hoping to stop whatever schemes she might have if it involved the After-Image technique. Each passing moment felt like years to the young Warrior, and only in the last few seconds did he realize what was about to occur. 

"YOU COULDN'T POSSIBLY BE THAT STUPID!"

Oh how wrong he was.

The beam ripped through Zucceta first, but it quickly continued to travel upwards. It shot straight through Bing's jaw, vaporizing it entirely as it passed through to the other side. Bing's grip on Zucceta was lost, as was about every other major function he could possibly muster. He was once again flung through the air, though this time nowhere near as far. He landed on the cold bark unceremoniously, laying there as he bled out.

"So this is what it feels like to die? ... Sorry I put you through this, Father..."

Though it was time to finally move on to the next world, he had one last act. Using the last of his Ki, he sent out three telepathic messages:

To his allies, Nicolas Mclendon and Zexama , he relayed the following: "Looks like my luck's run out, guys... Get home before you end up like me. The Earth might get attacked someday soon; they'll need to know I've gone kaput..."

To Vi-Poi , the Android across space, he sent this: "Hey buddy... I'm really sorry, but I messed up this time... I guess my luck finally ran out. Keep Earth safe until I make it out of Heaven, okay? It's probably better in your hands than it is in mine anyways..."

Perhaps the oddest of all, Bing also sent a message to the Saiyan Commander, Queen Habana : "How's it going, Mega Super Saiyan? Listen, my time has come and gone, so I have a request for you... Could you please tell Maeve that I've uh... Y'know... Croaked? I don't have the heart to tell her myself..."

And finally, he turned to Zucceta. The woman was bleeding out as well; she'd most likely die in a few moments... Or she would, if it wasn't for the Senzu Bean he presumed she had. He let out a telepathic chuckle, before speaking to her weary mind. "By the Saiyan Rite of Combat, you have defended your claim on the Tree of Might... I can't say I don't respect your bravery. Do me a favor, will you? Don't be too hard on my friends outside. Lady Death's only a silly title, after all..."

With his energy spent, he finally closed his eyes. If he still had a mouth, he'd smile. Alas, he was missing half of it, so no smirks or smiles would appear any time soon.

If he had to admit it, he'd say this was probably a good thing. It might have come a bit too late, but a lesson in humility was something the Guardian seemed to need. Perhaps when he returned, he'd make sure his allies weren't unaware of his leaving, so they wouldn't worry so much... If they worried at all, that is.

With what little of an airway he had left, he let out one last breath, before falling to unconsciousness, and soon after...

Death.

---

Zucceta wasn't being stupid, per se--she knew exactly the risks of her attack. It was reckless for sure, but she had a confidence in herself to retain consciousness long enough to shove a senzu bean down her throat and undo the damage; and give herself a well-deserved zenkai in the process.

She feels Bing's ascended energy rapidly fading, first dropping to his regular level and then further, plummeting, plummeting as blood spills across the soil of Kanassa. His grip loosens and the queen of all saiyan makes herself sit up. She gargles a moan as she dives into a pouch just below the plate at her hip. A small green bean sits in her bloody palm as she pops it into her throat. She claps a hand at the wound at the back of her neck, attempting to hold it together as she squints. Her own life-force, too, was fading... until she manages to chew.

She breathes a deep sigh of relief as a comforting wave of healing energy washes over her body. She had been so right to hold onto the senzu bean as long. It had been risky, especially given how her body had been screaming at her to stop even as her ascended super saiyan power flooded through her system, but her physical fortitude against pain had once again proven her success.

In addition to her newly-healed body, blood-stained but fresh, she felt her own energy reserves expand with the zenkai her beating had awarded. She grins to herself as her body sparks with a renewed gold-and-lightning vigor, electricity darting about herself.

A voice invades her mind--the voice of the dying god. Zucceta turns to him, a frown on her lips. "I'm not done with you yet, Bing, and I'm no longer Lady Death--shall I tell you why?"

She bends down to the paling human and places a hand on his remaining arm. With little effort she hoists him up over her shoulders. "There are some things worse than death."

With the human secure on her back, the queen shoots out of the Tree of Might through the hole the fighters had made. She takes a deep breath and then spits out a huge, luminescent emerald blast that shimmers in the air. Within a half-minute, the Imperator was floating beside the queen of all saiyans and her cold corpse. The ramp descends in mid-air and Ochus appears, holding on to a rail at the side.

"Another trophy, majesty?" He muses, eyeing Bing's fresh corpse.

"Of a sort, Ochus. Prepare the operating table."

---

A minute later, the queen would depart the Imperator and head back to the main battle, her electric eyes filled with something close to the idea of divinity as the sounds of sharp blades spinning in the heart of the ship fills her ears.

[wow.
okay, so a zenkai is in order I think.]