[center][h3]Archipelago[/h3]
[@Genon][@Chev][@Weird Tales][@mattmanganon][/center]

After glancing around, Negi noticed that one of his new allies was no longer present. He managed to spot her form in the distance, having apparently decided to save herself. That was alright, Negi had told her himself that no one would hold it against. He'd also promised not to let any of his enemies give chase, and Negi was nothing if not a man of his word. He wasn't the only one that exploded at Korun, no sooner than his own barrage ended than Tabaga let loose with one of her own.

[i]"I say we knock him out. He may be weaker now but that doesn't mean he still can't be a threat later on."[/i]

"You may be right..." Negi admitted, "...but not yet. It's about time I faced part of my past. And I need him awake and alive for that." as for what he actually meant by that, well Negi didn't get the chance to elaborate. Jagen and the Saiyan kid arrived at that time. The kid, Po, went off on what was clearly threats but at times seemed more like a rant or rave of sorts. Negi stayed quiet and let Hunter address him in his place.

[i]"Flame Sphere!"[/i]

Juze launched a ball of fiery Ki right at Jagen. For a split moment Jagen appeared to do nothing, but at the last possible moment he made a gesture and then held up his right in a defensive stance as if there were shield strapped to it. The ball of Ki appeared to hit its mark and created a searing explosion that seemed to envelop Jagen's body. There was a cloud of smoke cloaking the Saiyan from sight, but anyone there who had the ability would still be able to sense his immense battle power. And then... the smoke cleared and there floated Jagen, seemingly unharmed and unfazed by the fiery blast. Only now there appeared to be a large, round shield of pure Ki energy emanating from the arm he held up, having clearly taken the brunt of the attack and rendering it ineffective against the man's defenses.

"Hmph." Jagen remarked as he let his Ki shield vanish, and then he himself vanished, only to suddenly reappear directly behind Juze in order to bring his closed fists down over the human's head in a sledgehammer blow, "Wasting your energy by blowing your load at the start? Such a rookie move."

"Jagen! You don't have to do this! None of you do!" Negi shouted, still apparently wishing to convince the Saiyans to stand down.

"And what makes you say that?" And then Jagen suddenly fired a Ki blast, though not at Juze but instead at Hunter. More specifically he was aiming for the man's gun. It was obvious to seasoned soldier like Jagen that the man relied on the weapon for his fighting style, so destroying the weapon would likely render him far less effective and thus less of a threat, "If you rely only on a weapon then how do you expect to survive if your enemy destroys it?"

That gave Negi some pause. If he didn't know any better it almost sounded like Jagen was... instructing them? They were supposed to be enemies, right? Perhaps it was his Saiyan pride and arrogance, but... one could never tell with Jagen's stoic personality.

"Po, forget about the Prince for now. Cut him off from his allies, focus on the Saiyan renegade who sided with him!" Jagen ordered, obviously referring to Tabaga, "And Korun... you just sit there and watch how a battle is properly fought!"

That definitely stung Korun in the pride. But he could do nothing for now except wince and scowl at everyone around him. Negi decided to trust the battle to his allies for now, and instead knelt beside the downed Saiyan warrior, who fought through his pain enough to spit on the ground by Negi's feet, "So what, you're going to gloat now too?" he said through gritted teeth, "I got nothing to say you you damn bastard!"

"Fine, but as long as you're just laying there then pay attention!" said Negi, sounding like he'd had enough of all this, "Every Saiyan alive is guilty of attacking and conquering innocent worlds. Every last one of us will have a mountain of things to answer for when we die and meet whatever Gods rule over this universe. That includes the two of us, even me, especially me." Jagen and Po would no doubt have begun their battles with their chosen opponents by now as Negi spoke, "But don't sit there and act like you're the only one who lost loved ones that day, because you're not. We all did. You. Jagen. Tabaga, and yes, even me. There isn't a single night that I don't remember at least one of the many people who have died by my hand or because of my decisions... and that includes [i]her[/i]."

Korun could only glare, not having much to say in response. But he did finally say something after a moment's pause, "She was supposed to fight in your squad... been with the elites, fight beside the Prince himself. But then you left without her... if you'd taken her with you like you were [i]supposed[/i] to..." his eyes looked a bit watery, as if he were holding back tears, "...I hated you. I hated you for all these years..."

"I meant what I said." Negi responded, "None of you are my enemy, not really. Only [i]he[/i] is."

Jagen, meanwhile, in the midst of his battle against Hunter and Juze took note of Negi's words. He said nothing, but then all of a sudden unleashed an attack, the first he would have done since the battle started. He fired a powerful blast of Ki from his mouth but not in the direction of either of his opponents. Instead it screamed across the sky in the direction of a certain nearby cottage that Po would find familiar. Their inhabitants had sensed the battle and had been watching from a distance, but now were about to be dragged into the crossfire.

"NO!" Negi screamed and flew as fast he was able to. He exerted as much as his battle power would allow him to intercept the attack. He was indeed able to intercept, but not fast enough to deflect it or get the old lady and her student out of the way. So instead he was left with no other choice. The blast hit Negi and sent him careening into the ground. And unlike the other Saiyans, he wore no armor to help reduce the severity of the blow. His shirt and jacket had burnt to shreds and he now lay on the ground, injured and not getting up.