"This is so fun. They keep falling one by one."
Up on the dais, the two Grand Zenos gleefully tapped at their tablets.
In a blink, a swath of Universe 11's portraits dimmed.
"Universe 11 still has four."
"Four, four, and they're going to get cleared soon."
Their sing-song chatter made the nearby Gods of Destruction sit stiff with dread.
"Cleared."
Universe 9 shuddered at that word.
Not without reason. While Universe 11 still clung to four fighters, Universe 9 had only one left on the stage.
"Roselle, you must survive. No matter what."
Supreme Kai Roh of Universe 9 stared at the row of grayed-out portraits on his spectator bench and felt his temper go white-hot. He could barely breathe.
He knew exactly how strong Roselle was. That was the problem.
Worse, he could not find him.
"Sidra, do you see Roselle?" Roh snapped at the God of Destruction at his side, panic flaring in his eyes.
Sidra shook his head. "I do not."
Roh slammed a fist into the railing. "Damn it."
If strength and rules allowed it, he would have vaulted down and cleared the board himself, then dragged Roselle back up by the ear for a beating.
On the Universe 7 side, their own heads were on a swivel.
"Where did that cursed Frieza run off to now?" Beerus hissed.
He knew Frieza's pride. That lizard would not bow even to a God of Destruction. Letting Frieza join their ten had been, in Beerus's mind, a catastrophically foolish call.
"Whis, where is he?"
Whis shaded his eyes with one hand, peered across the chaos, then pointed toward a shadowed corner of the ring. "There."
Everyone followed his finger. Two figures resolved out of dust.
"So you dare come to me, you Universe 7 vermin."
A green bat-faced fighter, Roselle, bared his fangs as Frieza walked toward him. His slime-slick wings unfurled and his aura flared. Intimidation was the plan.
Frieza chuckled. "My, how impressive."
The contempt in that voice made Roselle's blood boil. In Universe 9 he was an emperor. To be looked down upon was intolerable.
No matter that he was his universe's last piece on the board. He struck without hesitation.
"You will pay for your arrogance."
His wings snapped like whips.
Two wind drills condensed behind him and lanced for Frieza's throat and eye.
He knew vital points. He had ended kings with less.
"Not bad," Frieza said, utterly bored.
He did not step aside. He did not lift a hand. He simply stood there, arms loose at his sides, as if the idea of defending himself were tedious.
Roselle sneered. Posturing, then. Under his strikes the lizard would do one of two things.
Run.
Or die.
The next instant, his eyes went wide.
Both wind drills vanished the moment they touched Frieza's body.
"What. How is that possible?"
Roselle stared at the empty air where his attack should have been, then at Frieza, who had not a scuff on him.
Up on Universe 9's bench, Roh watched his ace's opening fail and tore at his hair. He howled until his throat scraped raw.
"Roselle, you idiot, what are you doing? Knock him off. Now."
Behind him, Sidra did not move. Sweat gathered along his brow and fell in heavy drops. He wiped his face, then let out a long, tired breath.
"This is the end for Universe 9."
"What did you say?" Roh spun, all his pent-up fury finding a target. "The end for Universe 9? Nonsense." He snatched Sidra by the collar and lifted him off his feet. "Even if you died, Universe 9 would not."
The scene was grotesque, but no one was surprised. In other universes, Gods of Destruction dwarfed Supreme Kais in both rank and might. Universe 9 was a perverse inversion. Roh was weak but conniving and treated his supposed counterpart like a fool.
"Silence."
The Grand Minister's voice cut the air.
He stood above them with a look that said his patience had limits. Roh froze, cold sweat erupting along his spine. He dropped to his knees so fast the floor rattled and pressed his forehead down.
"Spare me, Grand Minister. Spare me, Grand Zenos. I will not do it again. Mercy."
"Whether you are spared is for the Grand Zenos to decide," the Grand Minister said lightly. His eyes slid back to the arena. "Though it seems your Universe 9 will be the first to be cleared."
Roh jerked to the railing. "What?"
On the floor, the swagger had drained from Roselle. He leaned backward as if a cliff had opened at his heels, whole body trembling, eyes blown wide with fear.
"Don't. Have mercy."
"Hahaha."
Frieza stood on a boulder not far away, tail thumping a steady, lazy rhythm that cracked the rock deeper with every tap. "Weren't you just so fierce? Show me your power, Emperor of Universe 9."
Red light gathered in his right palm.
Boom.
Roselle's position erupted. A heartbeat later his silhouette reappeared among the spectators.
"Universe 9's Roselle has fallen and is disqualified."
----------------------------------------------------
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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