Ice lances poured toward Vincent like a hailstorm.
In an instant the air around him plunged toward freezing.
"Hahaha, so much for Universe 7."
The red-skinned elder who had just webbed the catwoman to safety cackled, watching Vincent about to be locked in ice.
His laughter cut off. Terror flooded his eyes.
Where frost should have sealed the world, fire erupted.
"What? That was Severin's Absolute Zero. How did it melt so easily?"
The elder snapped his head toward the hulking brute beside him. The big man's face was just as shaken.
By now, after all his training, Severin Frost's Absolute Zero had reached a peak. He could freeze flame itself.
"What kind of fire is that..."
Severin's voice trembled. The man who almost never spoke was rattled to the core.
The blaze ebbed. Vincent stepped through the wavering heat.
His right arm had gone elemental, wrapped in a mantle of living fire. He looked like a god of flame.
For no good reason, Severin's massive frame began to shake. The spikes of ice along his body softened and ran.
Drip.
Drip.
Clear drops pattered on the tiles, like the sound of life leaking away.
Boom.
Vincent flicked a palm. A streamer of flame washed out, and the webbing racing for his ankles vanished to a smear of ash.
"At this level, you should be ready to be erased."
He let the flames roll off his arm and lunged.
The three flinched. Fear showed plain in their eyes.
"Hurry. This is it. Even if we go out, we take him with us."
The catwoman's voice shook, but her head was clear. She had tasted Vincent's power. If they fought straight, their side would be the first to fall.
She sprang, light as a blade. With her one remaining claw she raked for Vincent's eyes.
The eyes were the softest target.
Vincent smiled.
He had been running the Byakugan since the clash began. The slash looked like a snail crawling toward him. He tilted his head and let it pass. His fist crushed into her midsection.
Thud.
The meat-deep sound rang in her skull. Pain bloomed in her core and seemed to crack through her organs. She flew.
"Hope!"
The red-skinned elder barked, his right hand spitting webs to lash around her body. His left hand fired another skein and wrapped Vincent's torso tight.
"Even if I can't save her, you are coming with us."
He shouted with a wild glare. He had already accepted the worst trade: he and Hope out, Vincent dragged with them. Maybe then Universe 9 would still have a chance.
"Are you sure about that?"
Vincent's laugh was cold. He flexed. The elastic strands bulged, stretched, and snapped, thread by thread.
"What?"
The elder stared, blank. Who was this man? Why did Severin's Absolute Zero and his own webs fold like paper against him?
A wrench on the web line pulled him out of his shock. Even the residual force from Vincent's punch into Hope had heft. Strength was not the elder's field. His heels carved twin lines as he dug in and somehow managed to stop.
"Hold on, Hope. I will pull you up."
Veins stood on his neck. The elder hauled, inch by inch.
A chill climbed his spine. Sweat burst out. He twisted to look.
The world went dark.
Severin's body was coming down on him like a meteor. Vincent had met the ice brute head-on while the elder was hauling. Severin was massive, brutally strong, and a terror at close range.
He did not last a single exchange.
One punch killed his fighting spirit. One kick turned him into a cannonball, an iron weight hurtling toward his allies.
"...No..."
The elder's mouth worked, but nothing came out.
Thump.
All three went sailing off the edge together.
"Nice. Three more out."
On the main dais, the two Omni-Kings cheered and patted at their tablets with tiny hands.
"Severin Frost, Hope Clawson, Orrigan, eliminated."
Their portraits grayed out and reappeared in the spectator seats.
"You... you useless fools."
Universe 9's Supreme Kai sprang up, thin frame shaking with rage, hand raised to strike.
He froze. A prickle ran down his back. Someone was watching him.
He turned, very slowly.
The Grand Priest's eyes met his.
The figure was small and perfectly composed, but the weight in that gaze was absolute. The Supreme Kai's knees buckled. He folded to the floor and pressed his head down.
"Please... forgive me."
The Grand Priest's eyes cooled and slid past him to the stage.
There, Goku finished the Trio of Danger, blasting all three wolves from the platform.
In a breath, Universe 9 lost three more.
That left only two of their fighters on the arena. Elimination hovered over their heads.
The noise Vincent and Goku were making pulled eyes from every side. Between the two of them, they had nearly cleared Universe 9.
Realization spread. Goku was the one who had proposed this tournament. If not for him, most of them would still be living well in their own universes.
Anger flared. Fighters peeled off from their own skirmishes and surged toward the trio.
"Kakarot."
The shout dropped from above. Goku and Vincent looked up.
Vegeta.
He saw the oncoming wave, and his answer was pure royalty. Energy blasts rained from his hands in tight, punishing arcs.
A prince's way.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Explosions rolled. Smoke piled up and swallowed the charge.
Vegeta landed behind Goku. "And you were going to enjoy this all by yourself."
"Sorry, it just happened. They rushed me," Goku said, scratching his head. "How about this. Let's see who knocks out more."
Vegeta's eyes slid to Vincent at Goku's side. He snorted. "Fine. The three of us will count. The winner will, of course, be me."
----------------------------------------------------
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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