"Yow—!"
Champa took the hit and howled.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Ken didn't hold back. Angelic power poured from the staff in his hands without pause.
Magnified by the staff, that power sharpened into pure offense.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The blasts hammered Champa, making him yelp nonstop.
"Bind."
Ken flared angelic power again, funneled it through the staff—Shff!
A spell-like aura wrapped Champa and froze him in midair.
Champa strained to break free—Whoosh!
Broly seized the opening, rocketing up and closing the distance in a blink.
Smack!
His small hand planted on Champa's face, and he drove the cat god toward the sky.
Rrrrumble!
Seconds later they rammed a decorative planetoid; Broly punched through and burst out the far side.
The planetoid split to rubble.
Broly grabbed Champa by the tail and whipped him like a flail.
Thud-thud-thud!
That red "star" shattered to chunks under the savage strikes.
Broly spun Champa by the tail in wide circles—Fwoop!
He let go. Champa plummeted, a meteor screaming toward the God of Destruction Realm's turf.
Vados slipped far away at once. "My, my…"
Just as Champa was about to crater—Pop!
He braked less than a meter off the ground.
KR-THOOM!
The wind-pressure alone gouged a massive bowl in the earth beneath him.
"Kid, you're really asking for it." Champa glared upward.
"Hey—your opponent is me." Ken, staff in hand and clad in the iron suit, floated behind him.
Champa snapped around at the voice.
"You think that armor means you can beat a God of Destruction?" he sneered.
"Bind."
Ken flicked his staff and loosed another locking wave.
Shff!
Champa sidestepped and slipped past it.
"Hmph. Same trick won't work twice. You think I won't dodge?"
He'd barely finished when something felt wrong.
Out the corner of his eye: an emerald blur dropping from above.
"Not good." Color drained from Champa's face.
Ken's strike had skewed his balance—no room to evade—Crack!
Broly slammed his forehead into Champa's chest.
Rrrrumble!
They punched a fresh pit into the God of Destruction Realm's ground.
This soil was far tougher than Earth's, yet the hole ran five or six meters deep.
Champa felt awful.
Worse—he couldn't move. Ken had frozen him again without him noticing.
Pow-pow-pow!
Broly straddled Champa and pounded his face with both fists.
"Enough!" Champa barked.
Whack!
Broly socked him in the nose.
"I said, enough!" Champa thundered—BOOM!
Purple-red divine light erupted off him.
Now he was mad.
Pinned down and pummeled by a mortal? Time to show them a Destroyer's power.
Pop!
That surging aura tore apart Ken's bind like paper.
Champa snatched Broly's next punch out of the air.
"Done yet?" He yanked Broly's head and drove it into the ground.
Then he hauled the Saiyan out of the pit—Thud-thud-thud!—and rag-dolled him into the floor.
"Gah—"
Blood gushed from Broly's mouth.
Champa planted a foot on Broly's face.
Broly was wrecked.
The gap was enormous. Broly might edge out Majin Buu now, but against Champa? Worlds apart.
"Kid, I gave you face and you threw it away. You think a human can beat me?" Champa scoffed, then eyed Ken and chuckled coldly. "You're next."
Crunch.
He pressed harder; Broly's head sank into the earth.
Broly twitched, then his green aura fizzled out. His hair fell black again.
"Oh? The green glow's gone. Cute trick," Champa smiled thinly. "Change color and you think you can strut in front of me?"
He looked back at Ken.
"What's wrong? Scared silent? Even with that goofy armor and Vados's staff, you're not my match," he taunted.
Ken said nothing—just swung the staff and sent another angelic wave at him.
"Still trying to bind me? Pointless." Champa slapped the incoming radiance aside.
Thump!
The deflected light splashed… right onto Broly.
"Ugh—"
Broly groaned, body shuddering.
"How's that? How do you think your pal feels when your move lands on him instead?" Champa jeered.
Ken kept quiet.
"Cat got your tongue?" Champa grinned wider—Rrrrumble!
Emerald power roared up from Broly again, surging like a tide.
"What?" Champa blanched.
Whoosh!
Ken sent another wave—and this time it hit Champa.
"Bind."
Caught off guard, Champa froze again.
"…"
Damn it.
"That earlier wave—healing?" he realized at last. No wonder the near-dead Saiyan was suddenly restored.
"Correct," Ken nodded.
"Hmph. Heal him all you like," Champa snorted. "It won't change a thing. That punk can't hurt me."
Broly's pupils had vanished to white. In his world, there was only one target: the fat cat.
Snap!
He grabbed Champa's ankles—left hand on right, right on left—and yanked.
"YOW—!"
No, he didn't rip Champa in half. But the angle tugged… places.
Some pains only men understand.
Even Ken winced at the sight.
"Thud!"
After a long, futile pull, Broly failed to tear him apart and only grew angrier.
"RAAAH!"
His aura exploded, emerald sheets washing over sky and ground until the whole realm looked green.
"What—his power climbed again?" Champa's face tightened.
Broly seized Champa by the back of the head—Crack!
—and slammed foreheads with him.
It was like headbutting steel; Broly reeled, blood beading on his brow.
"Hahaha! Idiot. I'm a God of Destruction. My head's harder than yours," Champa cackled.
Thunk-thunk-thunk!
Broly didn't care. Left hand on the nape, he kept headbutting Champa's face.
Even Champa blinked at the sheer stupidity.
Every impact left Broly woozy.
But he wouldn't stop until there was a winner.
After four or five hits—Thud.
Broly toppled over, green aura collapsing to normal.
He stared up at the sky, dazed.
"Hard head for a monkey. Now you know who you picked a fight with." Champa shrugged off the bind again, kicked Broly twice for good measure, then looked up at Ken—and froze. Ken was gone.
Where did he—?
"No need to look. I'm behind you," Ken's voice came from his rear.
Thunk!
He jabbed the staff straight into Champa's side.
A dull, kidney-shot thud.
"YOOOOW—!"
Champa shrieked, suddenly seeing stars.
Angel staff hurts like hell…
Smack!
Ken punted him across the face, then swept the staff and bathed Broly in light.
Healing power surged.
Shff!
In a blink, Broly was fully healed.
As expected of an angel's staff—its recovery is absurd.
Without it, healing Broly back to peak would take seconds of focused power—and a chunk of Ken's reserves. With it, everything was easy.
Ken darted in and pressed the attack.
Champa, stunned by the kidney shot, slipped to the back foot for a moment—
But he adjusted quickly and met Ken head-on.
A few exchanges—Crack!
Champa's fist sank into Ken's chest.
Rrrrumble!
Ken cratered into the ground, leaving a man-shaped dent.
"Oh? What's with that armor—tough stuff," Champa mused. "Took my punch without cracking."
No one answered.
"Hey, Vados, answer me," he called, looking around.
Vados had prudently drifted far away and pretended not to hear.
"Whatever. I'll teach you properly now. You think a trainee angel can stand up to a God of Destruction? You're worse than Merus!" Champa scoffed and dove.
Ken flickered out of the crater, reappearing high above.
"Fast, I'll give you that," Champa laughed as he closed. "But your Ultra Instinct is half-baked!"
"Don't bully Ken!"
A furious shout rose from below—Rrrrumble!
A green pillar tore the sky. Broly transformed again.
BOOM!
He lanced upward and headbutted Champa mid-charge.
Champa caught it, but his eyes widened.
"What?! His power just shot up again—impossible!"
Why is his power still climbing?
He's several times stronger than before!
"RAAAAH!"
Broly came at him in a whirlwind.
Ken joined in.
For a minute, Champa was on the back foot.
Then—Thud!
One heavy kick sent Broly flying.
CRASH!
He gouged another pit and spat blood.
Shff.
The aura died; he was a wreck once more.
Ken calmly leveled the staff at him—Zing!
A radiant beam swept toward Broly.
"Like hell!" Champa flashed over Broly and spread his arms, laughing. "Perfect timing. I've burned some energy—heal me instead."
Zap.
Ken's light washed over Champa.
"Didn't see that coming, did you?" Champa crowed——and froze.
"You—what did you just hit me with? That wasn't angelic power?" His face twisted in pain.
"You didn't know? Angelic power can become anything. I turned it into insects," Ken smiled. "Feels like a hundred thousand bugs crawling inside you right now."
"W-what?" Champa's mouth twitched; agony contorted his features.
"You insisted on taking it. Not my fault," Ken said mildly.
"Kid… you're ruthless," Champa hissed through his teeth—Rrrrumble!
Purple-red divinity surged and burned away the invasive power from within.
The pain ebbed.
"Boy, I won't forgive you," Champa snarled. He jabbed a finger at Broly. "From the start, I had it backwards. I should've knocked you out first—then slowly dealt with him. Heal him all you want. He can't hurt me."
He blurred toward Ken.
"Hold up," Ken said.
Champa paused midair with an irritable grunt.
"Apologize now, and maybe I go easy," he sniffed. "Otherwise, don't blame me."
"No—I mean, give me a sec to transform," Ken's voice echoed from the helmet.
"Transform?" Champa blinked.
"Just a moment. Please wait," Ken said, calm again.
"Hmph. Let's see what you've got," Champa scoffed.
Pop!
Starlike brilliance exploded off Ken.
It flowed across the armor—Shff!
—and the red suit darkened, its hue shedding to black and gunmetal, gleaming with a metallic sheen.
"Color swap? You think that boosts your strength?" Champa chuckled.
Whoosh!
Vados suddenly appeared beside him.
Champa glanced over.
"My, my… that's Ultra Instinct Sign," Vados said, genuinely surprised, lashes fluttering.
"What? Ultra Instinct… what?" Champa frowned; the term was new to him.
"In short, once Ultra Instinct reaches a threshold, you unlock a reinforced state," Vados explained. "If we forced a tiering, this would be Grade 1."
"I thought you had something impressive. Grade 1?" Champa scoffed.
A beat.
"How many grades?" he asked.
"Only two. Train a bit more and he'll reach Grade 2," Vados said lightly.
"…"
"What kind of grading is that? At least call them Basic and Advanced," Champa groused.
"Because above that, you're basically into true trainee-angel territory," Ken smiled.
"???"
"So he isn't a trainee angel yet?" Champa's lips trembled.
"No," Vados shook her head. "Please be careful, Lord Champa… With his current power, the armor, and the staff's multiplier, he may be a tad stronger than a trainee angel."
Champa fell silent, face growing solemn.
"Shall we begin?" Ken's modulated voice asked.
"Stronger than a trainee angel? Now we're talking. Come—show me how far you can go," Champa grinned despite himself.
Zip!
Ken streaked in, a comet of light, and squared up.
Vados drifted back to give them space.
Crack!
Ken struck first.
Champa reacted fast, forearm catching the punch.
He ripped an uppercut at Ken's gut—
Ken slipped it, snapped the staff across Champa's cheek.
The God of Destruction tumbled in the air.
"What reflexes—!" Champa rubbed his stinging face; a bloody welt marked the strike.
Thunk!
Ken followed with a boot to the face, sending Champa skidding.
He shouldered the staff like a rifle, butt pointed forward—Boom!
A lance of angelic power fired, converting into a piercing round mid-flight.
It smashed into Champa's abdomen, blowing him backward.
Bang-bang-bang!
Ken "fired" in bursts. Each shot stitched another gleam across Champa's form.
In moments, the cat god looked decidedly worse for wear.
Shff!
Ken swung the staff again—healing light washed over Broly.
In an instant, Broly was whole.
He sprang up, ready to flare emerald—
Then blinked.
"Different color?" he muttered, staring at Ken's armor. He scratched his head. "Wasn't it red…?"
"Stay out for now," Ken ordered, and streaked for Champa.
Thud!
A kick sank into Champa's gut.
"Got you," Champa grinned through the pain, clamping Ken's ankle and hurling him down.
As the ground rushed up, Ken tipped the staff toward himself and tapped—
A shell of angelic power wrapped him in defense.
KR-THOOOM!
He slammed into the earth, carving another crater—unhurt, armor pristine.
With the suit intact, the feedback to his body was negligible.
"Fast reactions," Champa snarled, hauling him up by the leg to rag-doll—
Flash!
The staff's crystal flared, a burst of searing light lancing straight into Champa's eyes.
"Gah—my eyes!" He saw nothing but blazing white.
Instinctively, he covered his face—
Whip!
Ken's sweeping leg took him out; Champa plopped onto his butt.
Broly's eyes lit up; emerald fire flared.
Whoosh!
He dove in and headbutted Champa right in the crotch.
"YOOOOW—!"
Champa rolled on the ground, clutching himself, voice breaking.
At that moment, he was certain something had shattered.
"Trainee angel—you've got no honor!" he croaked inside. "Shameless!"
Broly cackled. Weakness acquired.
Ken could only stare, then let the "fight" breathe, watching Champa writhe.
"My, my… I thought I heard something crack," Vados said exactly then.
Champa's sight returned, along with blazing pain between his legs.
"You shut up!" he roared at her.
"How rude," Vados tittered.
"…"
"You bastard! I won't forgive you!" Champa spotted Broly and flushed with rage. "If I don't erase you today, I'm no God of Destruction!"
He lunged.
This time, Broly learned—no more headbutting. He streaked straight up.
That head is too hard.
Mine isn't.
"Run, will you?" Champa roared, giving chase.
"Ken, is Broly's mind fully back? He's still in Legendary mode," Vados drifted to Ken's side and whispered.
"Men are fighting. Go play," Ken scolded.
"…"
"Hey, Champa—I'm your opponent," Ken called from below.
Champa glanced down, fuming.
That Saiyan keeps stealing my aggro!
As he looked, Broly dropped like a rock and punted Champa in the skull.
Champa fell, braking just above ground again—
Thunk!
Ken floated in and kicked him in the face.
"Yoooow—"
Champa groaned.
"Care to continue, Lord Champa?" Ken smiled.
Champa rose, jaw twitching, swallowing the howl.
"You can scream if you want. I'm a man; you're a tomcat. I get it," Ken said kindly.
"Understood!" Broly laughed from afar.
Champa hated him most of all—but couldn't do much.
He couldn't kill the boy: Ken would only heal him, and every "reset" made the Saiyan stronger.
At this rate, he might surpass me…
"You've been holding back, only healing Broly—are you… exploiting a bug on me?" Champa glowered at Ken, finally seeing it.
The "trainee" angel was no pushover.
But he'd intentionally stayed hands-off to power Broly up.
Abusing a loop on me—where's your honor?
(End of Chapter)
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/BellAshelia]
[Thanks for your support!]