Vincent couldn't help a laugh at the proud tilt of the Saiyan prince's chin.
That was Vegeta, through and through.
The next second, the three of them shot forward and met the charging crowd head on.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
They didn't hold back. Energy blasts poured from their hands in a blazing rain. The arena thundered with detonations. When the smoke peeled away, a swath of enemies lay scattered and sprawled.
Of course, no one here was a pushover. Even after eating that barrage, plenty of fighters stood unmarked, faces dark with fury at being pushed around without real damage.
Humiliated, they gathered power for their strongest techniques, intent on blasting the trio clean off the stage.
Seeing the surge, Goku and Vegeta stopped playing nice and transformed into Super Saiyans.
"They transformed. They transformed!"
Up on the throne, the Omni-Kings waved their arms like excited children, mimicking the poses as if transformation itself were a game. The Grand Priest watched them with a faint smile, then lowered his gaze to the fight.
As Super Saiyans, the two blurred several times faster than before. Lethal techniques grazed their edges and whistled by. Neither took a scratch.
They struck back in tandem.
"Kamehameha!"
Goku's palms lit. He hurled the beam into the densest knot of fighters.
Boom.
A chain of explosions rippled through the mob. Bodies tumbled, the front rank already tipping over the boundary.
On the other side, Vegeta's Special Beam Cannon proved no less brutal. Worse, he fired twice in rapid succession. The fighters who had just closed on him were launched like darts, space clearing around him in an instant.
Boom.
For a heartbeat, no one dared press in.
"There. Surround him!"
Someone had spotted Vincent. He hadn't transformed or rained fire like the other two. Compared to them, he looked like the soft target.
They rushed him with ugly grins.
If they couldn't crack Goku and Vegeta, they would topple Vincent instead. Any Universe 7 elimination would do.
They realized too late what they had chosen to provoke.
Vincent showed no worry at being ringed in by a dozen. If anything, his mouth tipped with an easy, taunting smile.
This lot?
Honestly, he'd fought men scarier than this in the Rain Village. These didn't even come close.
He opened the Byakugan.
Three hundred sixty degrees, no blind spots. Every ankle feint, every shoulder twitch bloomed into a readable line.
He moved.
Not back, but in.
"Conqueror's Haki."
He unleashed the king's will he had kept sheathed the entire match.
Boom.
Pressure rolled like a hammer strike. These were not born kings like Pain or Vegeta. Under that surge, their brains rang and swam. Knees buckled. Keeping their feet was a challenge, let alone mounting an attack.
Vincent alone was untouched. He went to work.
Fists. Heels. Shoulders.
Human and not quite human alike took the hits and flew. A chorus of wails filled the air. Pain snapped some of them awake, only for the Haki to drag them toward unconsciousness again. He played them between the two states like a cruel metronome.
Crack.
His kick sank into a gut. The fighter folded and sailed clean out of bounds.
Another elimination.
"So strong... What technique is that?"
Vegeta felt the pressure rolling off Vincent. Even he, a king in spirit, sensed a tug at the edges. Seeing the others drop outright made his eyes narrow.
Vincent didn't slow. Every punch made another body arc into the air. Four, five fell in the span of breaths.
"At this rate, that brat will take the lead."
Vegeta snorted. He was the Saiyan Prince. He would not be outdone by a human.
He blazed into the pack.
"Special Beam Cannon!"
Light gathered between his hands. He slammed his forearms together and fired a brilliant lance. Fighters tumbled like pins, three and four at a time.
"How's that "
Pleased with the effect, he glanced Vincent's way, chin high.
Vincent never looked over. He just kept dropping bodies with quiet precision.
"Damn it."
Heat rose to Vegeta's face. He dove back into the scrum and started hammering the half-stunned with heavy hands and sharper boots.
"What is this?"
Some poor soul snapped awake to the feel of a fist and the sight of his own body flying backward. He grabbed at air, panic flaring.
Flight was banned in this tournament. Unless you had actual wings, there was no saving a bad fall. He didn't. He could only watch the edge rush up and then find himself blinking in the spectator seats.
"Damn it."
He punched his chair, fury and shame leaking through his teeth.
"What trick did they use?"
His universe's God of Destruction, Korai, leaned in. The fighter's anger sagged into confusion.
"I don't know... For a second it felt like a hammer hit my head. When I woke up, I was already "
"Useless."
Korai's lip curled. Answers wouldn't change much. He straightened and raised his voice.
"Universe 2. All of you, clear out from Universe 7's fighters. Now. Move."
Across the way, several women from Universe 2 had been eyeing the chaos, ready to wade in. At their Hakaishin's bark, they broke off and withdrew. Others who had slumped under the Haki startled at the shout, shook themselves and ran.
In a blink, the ring around Vincent thinned to almost nothing.
"What is that supposed to be?"
Beerus surged to his feet, tail lashing.
"Cheating. That is cheating."
"Penalize them. Wipe the entire universe."
"Interfering with our fighters. Where did all your divine ethics go, the hundred and eight rules you swore you wouldn't break before becoming gods?"
----------------------------------------------------
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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