PART TWENTY-THREE: ETERNAL ENEMIES

Chapter 111

Translated by npberryhill

As repairs to the ring were concluding, one of the more energetic Vargas made an announcement.

“And now, we’re on to the 15th match of the second round!! For this bout, Vegeta of Universe 13 will go head to head with Raichi of the 3rd Universe! Let me hear you cheer as they make their way to the ring!!!”

The two flew onto the battle arena without hesitation. As the prince did so, he was heralded with words of affirmation from Nappa and Raditz. “Trample that Tsuful Vermin”. “Yeah, rip him to shreds!” Kakarotto, sneering, merely remarked at what an inter-universal humiliation it would be were he to somehow lose to an old man.

Both fighters faced one another, the Saiyan noticing that Raichi had yet to actually touch the arena. He would’ve liked to attack immediately and without mercy, but he knew the rules. Until the old man touched the ring, to touch him would be pointless. Instead, he prepared insults, beginning a banter between them.

“So, you’re the Tsuful that annihilated all the Saiyans in his universe.”

“Does that anger you?” the Tsuful replied. “You know, your hatred is nothing compared to mine, to the rest of the Tsufuls who...”

“You’re mistaken, old man!” Vegeta interrupted, a grin on his face. “The Tsufuls were weak, unable to defend themselves, they didn’t deserve to live. If you, being one of them, were able to destroy the Saiyans, that means they were pitiful — good riddance!”

Raichi trembled in anger.

“The universe belongs to the strong, those without power have no right to exist,” Vegeta concluded.

The old man’s last nerve had been pressed. How dare this wretched monkey denigrate innocent life, justifying the extermination of countless millions under the simple pretext that they were weak?

Among the Kaioshins, the same sentiment was felt. Their very role was to protect the lives of inferior beings, helping guide them towards peace, growth, and prosperity. But this kind of thinking was tyrannical, genocidal, placing Vegeta in the same company as Freeza.

“This is exactly why your race should be exterminated, you’re all monsters!” Raichi yelled at the top of his lungs. “I’ve put my own house in order, and now it seems it’s time for me to sweep up the remaining filth. I hope you all rot! When you’re finally burning in Hell, perhaps the souls of my people will finally be able to rest in peace!”

“You’re in over your head, old fool,” Vegeta smiled, moving into a fighting stance. “I personally slaughtered the monster who annihilated my Universe’s Saiyans. What makes you think you’ll do any better?”

Raichi lifted his hands by his sides. “I suppose you’re referring to this creature and his little family?”

At his words, three silhouettes appeared standing before him. Everyone in the arena was shocked as they soon took the shapes of Freeza, Coola, and King Cold from Universe 8. Each was in their original form, and stared down Vegeta with a carnivorous hatred. Their live counterparts of Universe 8 were speechless, looking to one another to determine what was going on. Even the Varga’s were quite shocked.

“But... aren’t those the competitors from Universe 8?”

“What’s happening?”

“Calm down,” the Varga in charge said. “These apparitions seem to be a creation of Dr. Raichi. Energy scans indicate the projections originated from the spherical ball on which he is seated. I’m certain they didn’t exist a moment ago, and moreover, the computer doesn’t register them as actual lifeforms. In short, Raichi did in fact enter the ring alone, thus, they are legal participants in this fight. Also, it seems they, being an extension of him, touched the ring. That means the fight is now officially on.”

“Wait, so Raichi never touched the ring himself?”

“No. You should pay closer attention.”

Below, Vegeta of Universe 13 grinned. Officially, the fight had just begun. Upon seeing his opponent’s face, Raichi fumed, ordering the Frost Demons to attack.

“Avenge yourselves! But take your time, make him suffer!”

Freeza, Coola, and Cold, at least their ghouls, dashed towards the Saiyan in a unified attack. Vegeta, cackling, immediately transformed into Super Saiyan 2.

“Is this a joke!? I surpassed these fools years ago!”

Without hesitation, he charged the patriarch with blinding speed, landing an incredible blow on his cheek. Then, driving the King down into the ground, he drove his fist deep into the Frost Demon’s chest, causing the emperor to spew blood. It all happened with such speed that Cold didn’t even have time to cry out in pain, he simply vanished, leaving no trace. The Saiyan turned to the others, licking his lips sadistically.

“Funny. I never expected I’d get the chance to kill you a second time.”

The two brothers unleashed their auras around them in response to the provocation. The originals of universe 8 were dumbfounded that a monkey had just destroyed their papa in a single blow... this the same King Cold that had just crushed a Super Saiyan in the previous round! Indeed, their father also began to feel nervous. He had, after all, deliberately provoked the Saiyans after his victory over Baddack. Now, having seen the power of Vegeta, he realized he might’ve been better off to hold his tongue rather than give in to the rush of adrenaline. He was further uneased as he remembered that his next opponent was the daughter of Vegetto, a man whose power was undisputed and unrivaled. Baddack had predicted his defeat after all, and if it were to come true, she might very well be the one to deliver the beating. And yet, he reassured himself. When the time came, he would reveal the full extent of his abilities and prove yet again which was the most powerful race in all the Universes.

Meanwhile, his two sons were speechless as they watched on. Up in the arena, Coola had undergone another transformation beyond the original form, one many of the participants knew of already... but this time his little brother was following his example. With swollen muscles, and long pikes sticking out of his back, Freeza had also reached the fifth form — granting him a power rivaling his brothers.

“Oooh, so I can do it too?” the real Freeza observed.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Coola snapped, irritated. “It’s just an illusion!”

The elder brother was perturbed at the realization that his brother might also train up to the fifth form. That would certainly put a hold on his plans to challenge his father and gain the title of number one in the universe.

Over in the Universe 18 area, Goku and Vegeta nodded to each other in excitement.

“Well, Goku began, “if he had just taken my advice and trained, he might have come to Earth more prepared. It could’ve been an awesome battle, too bad...”

“At the very least, it wouldn’t have been so pathetic,” Vegeta added, who for the moment seemed to forget he had been killed by Freeza back then. “Even so, Trunks would still have crushed him — they’ll never be a match for a Super Saiyan of royal blood. Honestly, I’m surprised their reign lasted as long as it did, seeing how weak they are now.”

In the area beside them Cell chuckled. He, the perfect being, possessing cells of both Freeza and Cold, had long known of the Frost Demon potential for further evolution. It might take years of effort and drive, but perhaps even further transformations could be unlocked. He himself had no need of these levels, for he was already at the height of perfection in his current body. But the potential within the Frost Demons, as well as the Saiyans, had largely contributed to his own strength as well as the progress he’d been able to make over the years through training.

Under the watching gaze of all in attendance, Freeza and Coola charged Vegeta at full speed in tandem, one on each side of the Saiyan from Universe 13. Each threw their most powerful strike at the Saiyan, who managed to stop the two attacks with a single finger each.

“Pathetic, they’re barely as strong as the originals. What a waste of time.”

Still mocking them, the Saiyan grabbed both ghosts by the arm and slammed them into one another, before hurling them away, leaving a long skid in the ring. The two brothers stood back to their feet, trying to recover.

“My ghosts are more powerful than the originals ever were. And under my command, not only do they possess superior control of their power but they can attack seamlessly as a team. You will not stand up to them so easily.”

Each of the two demons raised a hand, creating a Tsuibi Kienzan, the same honing energy discs that Son Goku had faced against Freeza on Namek, as well as against Cell in the tournament. The brothers launched their discs simultaneously at Vegeta, who skilfully dodged the deadly circles with his arms crossed all the while. The attacks arced, following the Saiyan as he moved, but he once again avoided them both effortlessly, stepping on each disc with a foot as if to mock his opponents. He then darted at Coola and planted a kick into his left cheek. The demon collapsed onto the ground, but was somehow able to wrap his tail around Vegeta’s leg, hoping to pull him off balance. Either the Saiyan hadn’t reacted quickly enough, or he’d allowed himself to be caught by the appendage. Coola didn’t waste his opportunity, immediately hurling Vegeta towards his brother who landed a powerful elbow in the prince’s face. That knocked the Saiyan back into the path of the two Kienzan, which were once again looping around towards him.

“It’s all over,” the Tsuful laughed. “You’ll be grinded into a pile of meat, Saiyan!”

But the Saiyan flashed a grin. He immediately halted himself in midair, surprising his adversaries, and released an explosion wave that completely dissipated both of the energy discs. The wave of ki continued towards the two ghosts, both having to retreat backwards to avoid it. Even the Tsuful was struck by the wave, though he threw up an energy shield around himself, which took the blast without taking a single crack.

“What a surprise!” Vegeta sarcastically said. “A Tsuful hiding behind his energy shield. Coward!”

Enraged, Raichi ordered his two ghosts back into position. This time, they interlocked their arms, standing side by side, and began charging an attack together. The two galactic princes would overcome the Saiyan prince’s arrogance with a surging energy wave. The attack formed a large concentrated beam which Vegeta met head on, holding out a single arm to defend against it.

“Bravo, that almost tickles,” he laughed, leaving his arm in place. “Now, it’s my turn.” A small orb began to form in his palm, which still held Freeza and Coola’s beam in place. “Final...Garlic...Cannon!”

Vegeta’s blast swelled out from his hand, enveloping the other beam entirely, cutting through it like tissue paper. In seconds, it had completely enveloped the Frost Demon ghouls, both evaporating into thin air. Luckily, the energy shield around the arena held fast, but not without sustaining damage.

“That blast managed to weaken the shield!” one Varga yelled. “Quickly, divert excess power to the photon barrier to compensate. If the shield keeps taking attacks of this magnitude, or dare I say even stronger, it won’t last the tournament. We must keep our spectators safe!”

Over in the area of Universe 18, Vegeta seemed almost pleased. The attack by his counterpart had been a clever combination of two of his most powerful attacks, and with one arm to boot. Of course, he was able to do much better, this was light years away from being impressive. He cocked his head towards Cell, whose arms were also crossed, looking bored. After crushing Kakarotto in the next round, he hoped he would find himself against the bio-android in the quarterfinals match. Cell would only need defeat Tapion, which seemed a foregone conclusion.

As for those in Universe 13’s dugout, it was nothing but smiles, except Kakarotto of course. While over in Universe 8’s area, the mood was rather somber. They’d just seen Vegeta destroy each of them effortlessly, more powerful versions of them even.

“Well, I must admit that was particularly satisfying! Who else do you have in that ball of yours? Can I order Ằ La Carte?” Vegeta laughed, having another idea. “Why don’t you scare up the Ginyu Commandos while you’re at it — good times, eh!?”

Raichi’s rage was only growing. “You... you have massacred so many different species, innocents, entire populations... can you do the same to your own people?”

As the old doctor raised his arms, a multitude of silhouettes began to appear throughout the arena. There were hundreds of them, Saiyan men, women, and even several gigantic Oozarus. These were not merely random Saiyans, many of them Vegeta recognized instantly. It was quite jarring. In the first row alone stood his father, the late King Vegeta, who held out his arm to him.

“My son...” the King said, his voice still with an air of royalty.

At his side stood other relatives of the prince, like his cousin, as well as Gerkin, one of the few mentors he had as a child — the man that had taught him how to create an artificial moon. The faces, the ghosts of his past, seemed to strike Vegeta like a truck. Memory flashes shot through his mind, of his father teaching him of the glories of the Saiyan race, of his first training sessions, his early battles as a child — even of his first massacre, his pride in being a prince, a feeling of greatness and a grandiose destiny that he would one day claim...

Gohan of Universe 18 suddenly had a worrying thought. “Hey, does anyone see Broly up there?”

“Oh no,” Goku said, alert. “You don’t seriously think this Raichi guy could contain the enormous power of...”

He couldn’t finish his sentence, as while he was scanning face after face in the arena, his eyes suddenly stopped. Behind the great crowd stood a tall Saiyan, a distinguished stature that couldn’t be mistaken, as he stood a full head above most of the others, even in his base form. Apparently, being a ghost had culled his natural bloodlust, keeping his power under control for the time being. All the same, everyone from Universe 18 was suddenly on guard, so far being the only ones to have spotted the menacing nightmarish brute.

Meanwhile, Vegeta of Universe 13 didn’t say a word, true to the nature of all Vegetas. For Vegeta of Universe 18, being reunited with his people again was neither joyous nor sad. He had long made peace with the loss of the Saiyan race, and certainly had never wept over it, his pride would never allow such a thing. This was at least in part due to him finding peace on Earth and making a new, true, family — the one that had allowed him to again find meaning in his existence. He no longer needed an entire planet to bear his name, just as he had told his counterpart of Universe 10. However, for Vegeta of the 13th Universe, it was another story. He didn’t say a single word either, assailed by memories from his youth. From his face alone, Raichi was jubilant.

“Well,” he spoke, “it seems you’re finally disarmed. Even against a heartless monster like yourself, nostalgia can be a powerful tool, one that...”

Smiling sadistically, Vegeta interrupted his tirade, pointing two of his fingers at the army of ghosts. With his first shot, he blew the head off his cousin, causing artificial blood to spray all over Raichi’s shield — who, shocked, didn’t know where exactly it was coming from. Taking advantage of the surprise, Vegeta dashed towards his father, grabbed him by the back of the head, and forced him to the ground.

“Well, Father, do you still think yourself worthy of being called “King”? See just how much your own son has surpassed you!”

He then rammaed his fist through King Vegeta’s torso, causing him to dissipate. Without waiting, the Saiyan vanished and reappeared behind Gerkin, pressing his hand against the warrior’s armor. Feeling the sudden pressure, the former mentor didn’t dare turn around. With hands clenched and a drop of sweat running down his forehead, he began to stammer.

“V—Vegeta?”

“Ah, Gerkin,” he replied, grinning sadistically. “You know, in the past I was always so impressed with you...”

“Ah—oh—well—”

Without moving, Vegeta sent a wave of energy through Gerkin’s body, leaving a gaping conical hole in the center of his belly.

“Well, the past is the past!” he laughed, continuing his mass destruction as he charged another Saiyan. This time he feigned an almost tender, emotional smile. “You! We played together as kids, didn’t we?” He then mercilessly beheaded her with the back of his hand. “I don’t even remember your name!”

She disappeared into nothing, as did many other Saiyans by the dozens as they met their prince’s judgement. Even the might Oozaru were nothing, having their great hairy torsos skewered with casual energy blasts. Vegeta crushed the heads of warriors together, some desperate enough to attempt a wild charge at him, hoping to do any damage at all no matter how minute.

“That’s not fair,” Raditz complained. “Lucky. I’d have loved a chance to get revenge on all those guys. I’d show them now.”

“Any of us could trample them all,” Nappa added. “We survived, so now we alone are the true elite of the Saiyans!”

“Man!” Kakarotto cried. “No fair! I wanna kill me some Saiyans!”

“But, you don’t even know them,” Nappa said, perturbed.

“I don’t give a damn,” the brother of Raditz replied, drooling. “I want to, and that’s that!”

All in all, Kakarotto’s psychopathic tendencies seemed somewhat tame at the moment, compared to that of his superior anyway. Up in the arena, he continued to torture his friends and subjects of old without the slightest empathy. It didn’t matter who they were: servants, comrades, even teachers. He showed absolutely no remorse as he slaughtered them all — massacring his very own people, much to the dismay of those watching the fight.

A certain Saiyan, who had been defeated in the previous match, had made his way into the shadow of corridor #3 to witness Raichi’s battle. Seeing his former companions brought back had been an extreme shock, especially now that they were under the control of that wretched Tsuful. But his anger at seeing his enslaved comrades was nothing compared to the rage that filled him upon seeing Vegeta shamelessly slaughter the Saiyans members. The ill-licking prince was trampling all over his friends from his former commando, before he’d been given the gift of premonition, back when he still annexed planets on Freeza’s behalf. Baddack now seemed to build up a deep hatred from inside of him. He hardly realized it himself, but small flashes of blue lightning began to appear around Baddack as he watched on in anger.

Nearby, Vegetto, Goku, and Vegeta were the only three to notice the sudden surge of power emanating from Universe 3’s sole surviving Saiyan. Everyone else was too absorbed in watching the fighting above. Recognizing the beginnings of Super Saiyan 2 were being birthed in his biological “father”, Vegetto grinned silently. But, it turned to disappointment as Baddack began to calm down, turning back to the apartments and leaving. For a pure-blooded Saiyan, mad with rage, to see his friends gutted and destroyed, yet still control the rancor inside him and quell the beast...well, perhaps he could teach Bra a thing or two.

As Vegeta continued amusing himself like a madman, an imposing hand suddenly gripped his shoulder from behind. A throaty voice, which he immediately recognized, followed with a smile.

"Woah there, Vegeta...getting a little carried away, huh?”

“Hah!” the Saiyan replied, turning to them. "Look at what we have here..."

Before him stood his three comrades from Universe 13: Nappa, Raditz, and a perfectly calm and serene Kakarotto, which game him an odd impression.

The real Kakarotto of Universe 13, watching from the balcony below, didn’t understand his ghostly counterpart’s neutral reaction. Why was he waiting to attack the accursed and bossy Vegeta? Did he not feel the constant furious desire to put his arrogant prince in his place? Where was his bloodlust?

Vegeta smiled at his 'friends' while the Ghost of Nappa made one final remark.

"Hey, Vegeta. I wonder if 'your' Raditz is still as weak as 'our' Raditz."