The control room fell silent. Babidi stared speechlessly at Pui Pui's shattered remains. That was a fighter he'd carefully selected—while not on Dabura's level, he shouldn't have been defeated in a single blow, should he? Something must have gone wrong! He turned to Dabura. "Do you think I underestimated the Kaioshin's group? Coming in such numbers with such aggression—they must be prepared. Send Yakon for the second level."
"Only the second fighter?"
"Don't be careless. I have a bad feeling about this." Babidi's premonition was strong, and the closer he got to his goal, the more cautious he became.
Dabura possessed extreme self-confidence and arrogance. In his opinion, Babidi was completely overreacting—sending the beast Yakon was total overkill. But since Babidi had given the order, he carried it out firmly and dispatched someone to summon Yakon for battle.
Meanwhile, the group had already descended to the second level.
"What, there's no difference at all."
"Will another one come out of that room? I hope it's stronger than last time."
Everyone discussed casually, looking forward to the next opponent's appearance.
The environment was identical to the level above—a complete replica. However, the space suddenly became pitch black, without a trace of light. A cold wind howled, and the temperature plummeted, raising goosebumps across everyone's skin.
Those who sensed the shift in atmosphere immediately went on alert, switching from casual laughter to combat mode! "Be careful! Babidi can alter the environment through magic. The current conditions are probably the most familiar environment for your opponent!" the Kaioshin warned helpfully.
Just as he finished speaking, monstrous screams erupted from the darkness.
"Agh!" "Urgh!" "It hurts!" "Damn you... argh!"
The sound of heavy impacts echoed shockingly, accompanied by the creature's body hitting the ground. Nothing was visible in the darkness, but from the sounds alone, it was clear the monster was getting pummeled.
"No, impossible! How can you see me?"
The blood-vomiting monster frantically questioned them. He'd grown up on a dark planet—these people couldn't possibly be familiar with such an environment. How could they see him, and move so much faster than him?
Raditz answered his question.
In the darkness, Raditz transformed into a Super Saiyan, and golden light blazed forth, illuminating the entire space. Seeing Raditz's example, the others followed suit. Suddenly, explosive golden flames lit up the world, leaving nothing hidden. The hideous Yakon was bathed in countless golden auras, his appearance completely exposed.
The monster stared dumbfounded, overwhelmed by the ocean of light.
"It's easy to see you. Though we don't actually need sight to know where you are." Raditz said calmly, raising one hand. "This one's mine."
"Don't get cocky! Watch me devour you!"
The beast fed on light, and Super Saiyan energy was his ideal food. Though surprised by the Saiyan transformation, he still had a trump card hidden. Facing Raditz, he opened his maw wide, narrowed his eyes, and inhaled violently!
"Seeking death." Raditz stood motionless as the energy in his hand shot forth instantly.
His flame didn't waver in the slightest. Protected by his psychic power, the monster couldn't swallow even a fragment of golden light. It was like trying to drink through a straw full of holes—no matter how hard you tried, nothing worked.
Instead, Raditz's energy blast struck Yakon dead-on, immediately exploding him into a shower of blood. Protected by his telekinetic barrier, the blood splatter was kept at bay, suspended against the invisible shield like crimson pearls.
"Raditz, you can't interfere with the enemies below." Seeing that both Raditz and Android 17 had already taken action, Vegeta was secretly pleased. This meant Majin Buu belonged to him.
Raditz smiled faintly. "You handle the remaining opponents, and I promise not to intervene. Lord Kaioshin, are you satisfied with our performance?"
"Ah? But... you could..." The Kaioshin stammered in a daze.
On the other side, Babidi shrieked sharply, "This can't go on! Dabura, stop sending them one at a time—dispatch them in groups! As long as those bastards get injured, their energy becomes mine!"
"Yes!" Dabura arranged it immediately. He'd never seen Babidi so agitated. Over a few mere humans—why bother? Or better yet, he should just deal with them himself.
Babidi was thinking the same thing.
"Dabura, go guard the final floor yourself. You must defeat them." Babidi's bulbous eyes were bloodshot, revealing his sinister nature.
A wicked smile appeared at the corner of Dabura's mouth as he accepted the order and departed. Finally, it was his turn to act. This time he could show them the true power of the Demon King. Though he'd said Pui Pui and Yakon were formidable, in his heart these second-rate fighters were only worthy of carrying his shoes.
He was the strongest!
His cloak trembled slightly as Dabura strode forward, his gaze sharp as a sword.
The other fighters Babidi sent were all pathetically weak. Even when dispatched in groups, a single Saiyan could handle them without even transforming. The effortless victories made the enemies doubt their own existence and turned Babidi's expression progressively uglier.
Finally, it was Dabura's turn—Babidi's trump card and the only opponent who could interest anyone here.
"The big guy's the only one left, and he seems like the only one worth fighting. The King of the Demon Realm—not a bad title!" Pepara said with a smile, crossing her arms.
"I'd say he's around Cell's level," Goku mused.
Raditz nodded, thinking that in terms of raw strength, Cell might actually be stronger. After all, the Cell they'd faced had reached Super Saiyan 2 levels and still had room to improve. Dabura had greatly enhanced his power through Babidi to barely reach the Super Saiyan 2 threshold.
For the current full-power Super Saiyans, Dabura still presented a challenge, but Piccolo was up next, and against him, Dabura had no chance of victory whatsoever.
The matte gray-white hatch slowly parted, and Dabura stepped through, his very presence exuding a distinctive aura. Supremely confident, supremely arrogant, with the majesty of one who dominated the Demon Realm.
"It's impressive you made it this far, but I'm sorry to tell you—the game ends here." Dabura displayed an elegant yet cruel smile, murderous intent gleaming in his eyes!
Then Piccolo stood up and positioned himself before Dabura. They both wore capes, both had the same cold, murderous eyes, and Piccolo himself used to be called demon king. The two shared many similarities.
"Are you my opponent?" Dabura raised an eyebrow, his expression darkening.
"More than enough." Piccolo's answer was even more concise and forceful than Dabura's question.
Behind Piccolo, Raditz and Nappa started making bets. "Do you think Piccolo will take off his weighted clothing?"
"I doubt it. Dabura doesn't have that level of strength, does he?"
"Then you think he'll..."
Their discussion drew everyone else in, and everyone except Piccolo began making their own predictions.
Dabura's face alternated between blue and pale, and if his heart couldn't bear the strain, he might have fainted from rage.
Because these lunatics were actually discussing how much effort Piccolo would need to use. Dabura wanted to curse them all out.
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