Up on the dais, the Omni-King noticed the scuffle.
They popped to their feet, waving tiny hands. "Hey, is that Goku?"
"Yes, yes, that's Goku!"
"And who is the one next to him? He looks strong too!"
"Let me see... Vincent Fox. His name is Vincent Fox!"
"They look like they are in trouble!"
The two Omni-Kings chatted on their thrones, amused by Goku's predicament. They did not intervene. To them, this was a game to watch, nothing more. They flopped back into their seats and continued happily.
On the stage, five more fighters had rushed in to join the Trio of Danger. In an instant it became two versus eight.
Neither Vincent nor Goku showed a hint of panic. If anything, Goku looked excited.
"Goku, partner up with me," Vincent said quietly over his shoulder.
"Team up?" Goku blinked, then nodded. "Okay."
He launched first, fists flashing as he drove straight at a newcomer. The target startled, then recovered fast. Claws flashed up to meet Goku's knuckles.
The catlike fighter's talons looked hard enough to cut steel. Even Goku did not want to take them head on and gave ground a step at a time.
Seeing it, Vincent abandoned his exchange with Basil and stepped between Goku and the clawed fighter. "Switch. I will take her."
He met the catwoman's slash headlong.
Clang.
Her claws scraped Vincent's forearm and rang like metal on metal. When he lowered his arm, there was not even a pale mark on his skin. The catwoman's hand, on the other hand, throbbed to the elbow.
What kind of defense is this?
She hesitated. Vincent did not. He burst forward, speed spiking, a hand already closing.
A wall loomed up in front of him.
Vincent twisted in midair, planted a foot on the surface, and flipped to a clean landing. He did not snarl or rush. He looked up, curious at the sudden barrier.
It was not a wall at all.
A fighter of Universe 9 stood there, a dragon-shaped man sheathed in metal from head to toe, his body gleaming with a cold luster.
"Allow me," the iron dragon said to the catwoman, then faced Vincent squarely. "Come."
Vincent nodded without the slightest trace of fear. If the other man's defense was his pride, Vincent's was not lacking either.
He shot forward like a cannonball. Armament Haki wrapped his limbs as his heel crashed into the metal warrior.
Gong.
The kick sounded like a bell struck by a hammer. The note rolled across the arena, drawing eyes from every platform. The iron dragon braced, but even under that armor the impact hurt. Vincent's raw force was one thing. The density of his body was another.
Vincent barely paused. He planted and drove a straight. Then another. Then another.
Gong. Gong. Gong.
Each punch was a tolling bell. Under the steady pounding, the iron dragon slid back step by step, gouging twin trenches in the white floor as he was forced toward the edge.
"Damn it!"
The catwoman sped behind Vincent and raked down with both hands.
Clang.
Her eyes went wide. One claw snapped clean off. All Vincent showed for it were two red lines across his back.
He ignored her and kept hammering the iron dragon.
On the other side, Super Saiyan Goku was handling two wolves at once. Basil excelled at kicks, so Goku answered with kicks of his own. Bergamo slashed with clawed strikes, so Goku crowded him with tight punches. For a time, neither side could gain clean ground.
The rest of Universe 9 prowled, waiting for an opening.
Vincent made one instead.
He stepped in and drove a brutal kick across the iron dragon's chest. The metal warrior skidded over the line and vanished from the stage.
A breath later he reappeared in the stands.
"You useless lump. What do we even keep you for?"
Universe 9's Supreme Kai bellowed and swung a fist down on the metal head.
Pain shot up his own arm. He clutched his hand and muttered through tears.
On the floor, Vincent turned from the elimination and set his gaze on the catwoman again.
Her skin crawled. It felt like a god of slaughter had fixed her in his sights.
She bolted.
She did not dare look back. If she did, she feared she would already be in his hand.
It did not matter how fast she ran. Vincent was faster. He caught her within seconds, fingers closing around her collar to lift her clear.
"You bastard!"
Face flushed, she slashed at his eyes with her remaining claw.
Clang.
The last talon shattered.
A shock like a giant's hand slammed into her back. The world wheeled. She felt like laundry tossed in a drum, turning and turning until she was flung into open air.
"Do not worry!"
A voice snapped across the stage. A web-like strand snapped out and wrapped her, hauling her back into the fray. The red-skinned fighter who had cast the thread leveled his free hand at Vincent, ready to bind him too.
Through the Byakugan, everything slowed. The angle of the throw, the line of the thread, the tell in the shoulder. Vincent stepped out of the path before it even arrived.
Then the brute at the red fighter's side moved.
Ice javelins fired from his mouth in a glittering spray, streaking straight for Vincent while his feet were still skidding to a stop.
----------------------------------------------------
The deeper he goes, the more the truth unravels. Don't wait read ahead and witness Vincent's rise before the world catches up!
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