The devil-faced Trooper's spin faltered under Vincent's kick. Terror flashed across his features as the momentum died. Vincent's foot drove straight through the dwindling whirlwind and caught him clean.
Boom.
He ricocheted across the tiles like a rubber ball, bouncing end over end, then skidded off the edge before his teammates even processed what had happened.
"Universe 11's Trist has fallen and is disqualified."
The Grand Minister's calm announcement rolled over the arena. Fighters who had paused to gawk snapped back to the same life-or-death scramble as before.
On the other side of the stage, Caulifla was being run ragged.
"Let's see how far you think you can run."
A catfish-looking Trooper from Universe 11 peppered the ground with violet-blue blasts, showing no mercy as he herded Caulifla with explosions.
Boom boom boom.
Exhausted, Caulifla dared not meet that rain head-on. She juked and slid, teeth gritted, breath ragged.
"Told you. You aren't getting away."
A second Trooper, a woman, lifted one hand. Purple light unfurled from her fingertips. Caulifla's retreat blurred, then stopped. A spherical barrier sealed around her like a second sky.
"This is my subspace. Once you are inside, there is no escape."
The violet globe spread wider and, with a soft hum, swallowed Kale as she sprinted in to help.
"Kale, why are you here? I told you to bail."
"I... I saw you in trouble so I..."
Caulifla's eyes softened, just a little. "Then keep yourself safe."
Kale's face lit with relief. She nodded so hard her bangs bobbed. "Okay."
"Worry about yourself first."
The subspace shimmer thinned. The catfish gunner and the barrier user stepped through its veil. A third fighter appeared with them, the blade captain that Vincent had kicked across the stage minutes earlier.
They had gotten the message that a teammate had been eliminated. If Goku and Vincent were too hard to corner, they would start by removing these two.
All three struck at once. Blasts flooded the little world.
Boom boom boom.
Inside a sphere the size of a hall, there was nowhere to run. Caulifla threw up blasts of her own, but three against one was a tide. Each impact drove her backward. Each breath came shorter. The trio pressed their advantage, clinical and cruel.
Explosions wrapped her in light. When the glare cleared, her arms and torso were streaked with burns and dust.
"Big sis."
Kale's eyes streamed. She lunged, only for Caulifla to shove her away.
"Big sis..."
Kale fell hard, helpless, watching another volley descend toward Caulifla like a collapsing sky.
"Big sis."
Her scream tore her throat. She clawed broken tiles aside with both hands until Caulifla's limp body slid into view.
"Ahh."
Kale's roar shook the subspace. Power slammed outward. The purple dome fractured like glass and burst.
"Kale," Caulifla gasped, jolted awake by the surge. She blinked up at the girl cradling her. In the next heartbeat she understood and wrapped both arms tight around Kale's shoulders. "Listen to me. Wake up. Do not lose control again."
The storm guttered. The bloat vanished from Kale's frame. Power settled into a narrow channel, threading strength and reason together.
Her hair flashed green. Her eyes opened. This time there were pupils staring back.
"Big sis."
"You remember me? You still remember me?"
Kale nodded hard and dragged her sleeve across wet lashes. "Yeah."
"Good."
Caulifla pushed to her feet, joy snapping back into her grin. "Then let's show them what we can do."
Kale stepped to her side and squared up.
"That is the green one from before," one Trooper muttered. Doubt rippled through the trio. She was not raving anymore. She had shattered their subspace in a breath. None of it fit cleanly with the thing they had just seen.
"Doesn't matter. Fire first."
Kahseral's voice cut it off. He had commanded armies. He had seen worlds fall. Even so, unease crawled under his skin.
"Combine beams."
The other two slid into position without a word. Light gathered along three pointing fingers and braided into a single lance.
"Girls, this is our strongest technique. If you die under it, the three of us die with you."
Kahseral spoke flatly, then roared the signal.
Their beam thundered forward.
Across from them, Caulifla and Kale finished their own count.
"Kale."
"Mm."
Two syllables, perfect timing. Red and green flared from their hands, twining mid-flight, swelling with every turn.
Boom.
The beams met and howled. For an instant the arena vanished in white.
Then the fusion of red and green shoved the braided lance back the way it had come, inch by inch, then all at once.
Boom.
The blast tore open. A pressure wave bulged outward and ran to the edges of the world.
Boom.
When the wind died, three silhouettes pinwheeled off the rim like scraps in a gale.
"Universe 11's Cocotte has fallen and is disqualified."
"Universe 11's Kahseral has fallen and is disqualified."
"Universe 11's Kettle has fallen and is disqualified."
The Grand Minister's three-part verdict echoed. Silence fell like a curtain over the shattered tiles.
----------------------------------------------------
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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