The collision of fists between Karnel and Majin Buu sent shockwaves rippling across the dying planet's surface. What had once been a world of green valleys and blue oceans was now a hellscape of cracked earth and boiling seas.
The battle raged with devastating intensity. Mountains crumbled to dust under the force of their exchanges, while half the planet's oceans evaporated into massive clouds of steam that rose into the darkening sky. Thunder crashed overhead as lightning split the air, and from the countless craters their battle had carved, rivers of magma began erupting skyward like volcanic geysers.
"The entire planet is coming apart!" Leila gasped, grabbing Kibito's arm as they retreated to a safer distance. "Karnel's power is incredible, but even he might not be able to stop this monster!"
Buu's fighting style was utterly unpredictable, a chaotic blend of stretchy limbs, energy blasts, and bizarre transformations that kept even Karnel on his toes. The pink giant would launch his head like a cannonball, stretch his arms across impossible distances, or suddenly compress his entire body into a ball before exploding outward with devastating force.
Both fighters moved at speeds that rendered them nearly invisible, appearing only as streaks of golden and pink light that collided with earth-shaking force thousands of times per second. Karnel's disciplined martial arts training allowed him to land precise, devastating blows, but Buu's malleable body absorbed and deflected most of the damage.
In a moment of perfect timing, Karnel drove a crushing right hook into Buu's unguarded face. The pink demon's head deformed grotesquely on impact, his neck stretching like taffy as his entire skull was launched hundreds of meters away, connected to his body by only a thin strand of pink flesh.
But like a rubber band snapping back, Buu's head rocketed back toward Karnel at twice the speed, catching the Saiyan completely off guard.
WHAM!
The improvised headbutt sent Karnel flying backward for kilometers, his arms barely managing to block the bizarre attack. Pain shot through his forearms, but he gritted his teeth and launched himself back into the fray without hesitation.
Hours passed in relentless combat. Despite Karnel's perfect energy control and years of grueling training, the constant battle against an opponent with seemingly limitless regeneration was taking its toll. His movements, while still precise, had lost a fraction of their earlier speed.
Buu's blood-red eyes gleamed with sadistic pleasure as he watched Karnel retreat several hundred meters to catch his breath. The pink monster's face twisted into what might have been a smile, clearly enjoying the sight of his opponent's growing fatigue.
"I need to recover my strength," Karnel muttered, reaching into his gi for a Senzu Bean. But as he brought the magical legume to his lips, something deep within his consciousness recoiled violently. The divine energy he'd awakened during his training seemed to rebel against the very idea of consuming the bean.
Ignoring the strange sensation, Karnel bit down hard and swallowed the Senzu Bean, carefully monitoring every change in his body. Instantly, his stamina returned to full capacity, but his enhanced awareness detected something troubling, a tiny portion of his untapped potential had been consumed in the process.
"So that's the truth," he realized grimly. "Senzu Beans don't create energy from nothing. They restore the body by burning through one's hidden potential. The stronger the healing required, the greater the cost."
The revelation was disturbing, but there was no time to dwell on it. Buu was already charging forward with renewed aggression.
Setting aside his concerns, Karnel shot forward to meet the attack. He ducked under Buu's wild haymaker and drove a knee into the creature's back, sending him crashing toward the planet's surface. Following up instantly, Karnel dove after him with both fists raised for a devastating double hammer blow.
CRASH!
His attack pulverized the ground, creating a crater deep enough to expose the planet's molten core, but Buu had vanished at the last second. The additional structural damage proved to be the final straw, the planet began its death throes.
Continental plates shifted and cracked like broken glass. Geysers of magma erupted from dozens of fissures, shooting molten rock hundreds of meters into the air. The world was literally tearing itself apart beneath their feet.
"Leila! Kibito! Get off this planet now!" Karnel shouted over the roar of destruction. "It's going to explode!"
The two surviving Supreme Kais needed no further encouragement, blasting off into space as fast as their depleted energy would carry them.
But Karnel and Buu, locked in their deadly dance, paid no attention to the apocalypse raging around them. They continued their battle even as entire continents broke free from the planet's gravity and floated away into space, leaving behind a molten core that blazed like a miniature star.
Despite landing dozens of devastating attacks, Karnel found himself growing frustrated. Every time he managed to punch a hole through Buu's body or tear off one of his limbs, the pink demon regenerated within seconds. Unless he could destroy Buu completely in a single attack, something beyond his current power level, this battle could continue indefinitely.
"This creature is incredibly strong, but he fights purely on instinct," Karnel observed, dodging another wild swing. "Maybe I can use this dying planet to my advantage."
The exposed planetary core had turned the surrounding space into a furnace, with waves of superheated air distorting everything in sight. The two warriors continued their aerial battle, trading thousands of blows before separating, only to crash together again moments later.
Growing impatient with the prolonged fight, Buu suddenly increased his speed and ferocity, pressing his attack with renewed savagery. His eyes blazed with fury as he landed a brutal kick to Karnel's chest, sending the Saiyan hurtling backward through the scorching air.
Karnel grimaced as pain lanced through his ribs, but as he flew backward, a desperate plan formed in his mind. Using his backward momentum, he brought his hands together and began charging his most powerful technique.
"KAMEHAME—" he roared, pouring tremendous energy into the brilliant blue beam.
Buu's lips curled into a confident sneer as he stretched his arms forward, clearly intending to catch or deflect the energy wave head-on. But at the last possible second, Karnel vanished through Instant Transmission, reappearing directly behind the pink demon.
"HAAAA!!!"
The fully charged Kamehameha wave slammed into Buu's back at point-blank range, driving him inexorably toward the molten planetary core below. Karnel's plan was audacious in its simplicity, use the energy wave to force Buu into the heart of the dying planet, then trigger a core detonation that would obliterate them both.
But Buu was far from helpless. Realizing the danger, he twisted his malleable body around mid-flight and fired his own pink energy beam, pushing back against Karnel's attack with surprising force.
The two energy waves met and struggled against each other, creating a sphere of crackling power suspended between the two fighters. Slowly but steadily, Buu's beam began pushing the contest back toward Karnel.
"Not yet!" Karnel snarled through gritted teeth. This was his one chance to end the battle decisively. Drawing upon every ounce of power within him, he poured his life force into the attack.
"TEN TIMES KAMEHAMEHA!"
The blue energy wave exploded in size and intensity, completely overwhelming Buu's counterattack and driving the pink demon deep into the planet's molten core.
For a moment, there was perfect silence.
Then the planet's core went supernova, unleashing destruction on a cosmic scale.