Thanos stumbled back, his stoic confidence shaken as Vegeta's electrifying aura surged forward, hitting him with a force far greater than anticipated.
"HAAAH!"
With a guttural roar brimming with fury and unrelenting determination, Thanos unleashed a colossal wave of power, propelling himself toward Vegeta just as the Saiyan Prince launched his own headlong charge.
Vegeta's lips twitched into a subtle, knowing smirk, veiled by his icy, unwavering demeanor.
Their auras collided in a cataclysmic explosion of energy, the impact igniting the battlefield in a blinding display of raw might.
BOOM!
The moment their fists met, the air erupted with thunderous shockwaves, tearing through the surrounding terrain.
Ancient runes flickered to life, straining to contain the overwhelming energy unleashed by their epic confrontation.
Seizing the moment, Vegeta drove a relentless punch toward Thanos's face, only to have his fist captured in the Titan's unyielding grasp.
With a single, brutal motion, Thanos wrenched Vegeta downward, preparing to unleash a devastating knee strike.
But in a flash of brilliance, Vegeta disappeared, reappearing behind Thanos mid-spin to deliver a bone-rattling kick.
BOOM!
Thrown off balance, Thanos spiraled through the air, his massive form twisting uncontrollably from the impact. Yet Vegeta's assault was far from over.
WHOOSH!
Vegeta's aura blazed with electrifying intensity as he ascended higher, channeling an immense surge of ki into his hand.
Brilliant blue bioelectricity crackled ferociously around his clenched fist, radiating raw power.
Thanos steadied himself, swiftly summoning a dense, dark ki barrier for protection. Yet before he could even react, the barrier shattered into countless fragments as Vegeta's ki-charged fist tore through it with devastating ease.
CRASH!
Vegeta's gloved hand punched through the barrier and slammed into Thanos's abdomen with incredible force, sending a thick spray of saliva flying from the Mad Titan's mouth as his body rocketed backward like a comet.
SMASH!
The collision left a massive crater in the wall where Thanos struck, embedding him deeply within the structure from the sheer impact.
Thanos lifted his head, his eyes locking fiercely onto Vegeta's with a defiant gleam.
A twisted, maddened grin spread across his face, his unyielding resolve shining through.
WHOOSH... BOOM!
With an earth-shaking roar, Thanos's aura exploded in a violent eruption, obliterating the wall behind him into a perfectly compacted void.
In an instant, he surged forward at blistering speed, his sudden ferocity catching Vegeta completely off guard.
KABOOM!
Thanos grabbed Vegeta by the head, spinning him violently in the air before slamming him face-first into the ground with an explosion of force.
He hurled Vegeta across the terrain, the Saiyan prince carving a deep trench into the ground with his head before skidding to a halt.[1]
Vegeta rose slowly from his prone position, determination radiating from his every movement.
BANG!
His white-gloved fist struck the ground with immense force, sending thick spiderweb cracks sprawling across the floor as he pushed himself to his feet.
A thin trail of blood trickled from a fresh wound on the Saiyan Prince's forehead, and with a swift motion, he wiped it away from his brow.
His expression hardened, and in an instant, the air and aura surrounding him transformed.
RUMBLE...
The entire room trembled violently. Rubble from the shattered walls and floor began to rise, defying gravity under the overwhelming force of Vegeta's energy.
The sheer power he emitted was palpable, almost suffocating.
"HAAAAAAAA!"
Vegeta unleashed a primal roar, his aura erupting into a brilliant inferno interwoven with arcs of bioelectricity.
The flames intensified, growing into a violent, massive blaze wrapped in constant streams of electric energy.
As his power surged to unprecedented levels, his already spiky hair began to extend, reaching past his thighs.
His eyes snapped open, revealing a predatory glint within their once purely green hue.
Watching this incredible transformation, Thanos stood with a satisfied grin. The sheer depths of his subordinate's power, being slowly but surely revealed, filled him with glee.
Soon, through this rigorous training, that power would become his.
Vegeta's aura erupted like a raging inferno, golden flames swirling wildly around him, electrifying the atmosphere with raw power.
His flowing Super Saiyan 3 hair streamed behind him like a warrior's banner, each strand gleaming with energy that seemed to defy reality.
The sheer intensity of his presence bore down like an unstoppable force.
The walls and floor groaned under the oppressive weight of his transformation.
Even Thanos, ever stoic and unyielding, narrowed his eyes with a glimmer of intrigue.
And then, Vegeta vanished.
WHOOM!
In a heartbeat, he reappeared above Thanos, launching a devastating overhead punch. The Mad Titan raised his arms in defense.
BOOM!
The impact shattered the air, sending Thanos skidding backward, his heels carving deep grooves into the stone floor.
Before Thanos could regain his footing, Vegeta was upon him once more.
CRACK!
A lightning-quick roundhouse kick slammed into Thanos's side, the resulting shockwave tearing chunks from the surrounding walls.
CRASH!
Without hesitation, Vegeta followed with a thunderous double-fisted hammer strike to Thanos's back, cratering the ground beneath them.
Stone fragments exploded into the air, dust clouding the battlefield.
Thanos grunted, his armor bending slightly under the relentless assault, but Vegeta refused to relent.
With a primal roar that shook the chamber, Vegeta unleashed a relentless barrage of punches.
His fists blurred, each strike detonating with explosive force, lighting up the room like a chaotic storm.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Each blow chipped away at Thanos's defenses, his dark energy aura flickering under the onslaught.
The Mad Titan staggered, struggling to withstand the relentless pressure. Vegeta's muscles surged, veins bulging with ki as his entire body thrummed with unstoppable power.
He roared, his next strike sending Thanos hurtling across the chamber. The Mad Titan's body crashed through several thick pillars as if they were nothing before slamming into the far wall.
KRAKOOM!
A violent eruption of stone and energy scattered in all directions.
Vegeta didn't wait for the dust to settle. In a flash, he surged forward, his fist glowing white-hot with condensed ki, the air around him crackling with power.
"Let's see you withstand this!" he bellowed.
Thanos staggered from the rubble just in time to take the full force of Vegeta's punch directly to his jaw.
BOOOOOM!
The impact sent shockwaves ripping through the chamber, obliterating the wall and hurling Thanos upward.
The ceiling above disintegrated in a fiery explosion, raining molten debris like a storm of destruction.
Hovering mid-air, Vegeta fixed his piercing gaze on the Mad Titan below.
His palms blazed as golden ki spiraled between them, coalescing into a miniature sun that radiated an almost unbearable intensity.
The entire structure trembled under the sheer force of his power.
"Final... Flash!!"
With a thunderous roar, he unleashed it.
FSSSSHHHAAAAAH!!!
The beam tore upward, a divine lance of pure energy ripping through the air, surging toward the Mad Titan with unstoppable ferocity.
BOOOOOM!
As the golden light faded, Vegeta hovered in the aftermath, his breath ragged, the air around him crackling with the remnants of his attack.
Smoke curled from the obliterated chamber, and the ground below liquefied into molten slag.
Craters smoldered, and shattered pillars lay in ruins.
His aura flared to life once more, an inferno of power wrapping around him like a living flame.
"This is the pinnacle of Saiyan might…" he growled, his voice deeper, guttural, brimming with raw strength. "You're not facing the same warrior as before."
His untamed, thigh-length hair whipped wildly in the electric wind.
Sparks of ki crackled around his body, dancing like furious spirits.
"You face a Super Saiyan… Three."
Vegeta hovered above the devastated chamber, his chest heaving with ragged, thunderous breaths. The fiery aura of his Super Saiyan 3 form roared like a tempest, wild golden energy spiraling around him in chaotic flames. Rubble floated in the air, trapped in the swirling cyclone of his power, and each beat of his heart seemed to reverberate through the shattered atmosphere.
From the depths of a massive crater, Thanos slowly emerged, his armor fractured and splintered, his jaw bruised and swollen from the Saiyan's relentless assault.
Thin tendrils of smoke wafted off his battered form, his breaths measured yet steady, defiant despite the punishment he endured.
Vegeta sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. "Had enough yet?"
Thanos's gaze rose to meet him, a quiet smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. "You mistake survival for weakness."
Vegeta didn't bother with a response. In a flash of golden brilliance, he surged forward, reappearing mid-spin as his elbow crashed against Thanos's face.
CRACK!
The Mad Titan's head snapped violently to the side, a spray of blood arcing through the air.
Wasting no time, Vegeta pressed his advantage. His fists became a blur of motion, striking with the speed and precision of lightning as he pummeled Thanos's ribs, gut, and jaw in an unrelenting barrage.
Each thunderous blow sent Thanos reeling backward, smashing through shattered columns one after another, until his massive frame skidded across the broken ground, crashing into a stone slab that gave way with a deafening boom.
Vegeta landed with force, crouched low and poised. Before Thanos could recover, the Saiyan's knee rocketed into his sternum, lifting the Mad Titan clear off the ground with raw, devastating power.
BOOM!
Ascending skyward in a blur, Vegeta twisted midair to deliver a crushing axe kick, slamming Thanos back to earth with catastrophic force.
The impact shattered the chamber's floor, leaving a massive crater radiating deep fractures.
Smoke and debris filled the ruined space once more.
Vegeta stood tall above the smoldering impact zone, his fierce gaze locked below.
"You're not facing some second-rate warrior," he growled, his voice carrying the weight of his pride. "This power, my pride, is what sets me apart."
The rubble shifted as Thanos pushed himself onto one knee, coughing hoarsely.
Yet Vegeta could feel it.
Something was amiss.
Not weakness.
A suffocating pressure was rising.
Thanos rose to his full height, brushing dust and debris from his shoulder. A dark shimmer, faint at first, began to glow ominously around his body. It wasn't ki. It was something far older. Heavier. More malevolent.
A low, foreboding hum reverberated through the chamber.
"What is this trickery?" Vegeta growled.
Thanos exhaled slowly, his voice steady. "No tricks. You've simply earned… a greater version of me."
Vegeta's eyes narrowed, his brow twitching. "Tch. Don't overestimate yourself."
In an instant, the Saiyan disappeared, reappearing beside Thanos with a devastating right hook.
But Thanos caught it.
Mid-air.
The blow never landed.
Vegeta's fist stopped dead.
His eyes widened in shock.
"What?!"
Thanos looked down at the halted strike, his massive fingers closing with deliberate strength around Vegeta's wrist.
Then, with a measured turn, he faced Vegeta fully.
His pupils now glowed faintly violet, with the weight of an ancient, unyielding resolve.
"You've pushed me well, Saiyan," Thanos said.
Vegeta clenched his teeth and swung fiercely with his free hand.
CRACK!
Thanos caught that one too.
Now with both wrists trapped in the Mad Titan's unyielding grip, Vegeta struggled, but the hold was unbreakable.
Thanos leaned in, his voice calm and ominous. "You rely on instinct and rage. Admirable. But I am no mere pretender. I am inevitability."
Vegeta roared, his aura igniting in a furious blaze. He twisted his arms violently, golden energy surging around him in dense, fiery layers.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
With a deafening roar, Vegeta unleashed a raw explosion of power, sending a shockwave strong enough to force Thanos back a step.
It was all he needed.
He tore free, flipping backward and landing in a crouch. Sparks scattered as his boots skidded across the ground.
His breathing was labored now, his arms aching from the relentless grip. That strength…
It wasn't just immense.
It was absolute.
Thanos rolled his shoulders, exhaling a deep, guttural breath.
There was no rush. No mockery.
He was preparing.
Vegeta wiped blood from his mouth, glaring with fierce determination. "Alright. No more holding back."
He thrust his hands forward, unleashing a colossal wave of golden ki toward Thanos, illuminating the chamber with an intense, blinding light.
BOOOOOOOM!
Stone and debris erupted across the blast zone, and for an instant, it seemed as though Thanos had been engulfed by the radiant storm.
But as the light faded…
Thanos emerged.
Slowly.
Silhouetted in the glow.
His skin bore scorch marks, cracks webbing across his chest, yet his eyes remained steady.
Focused.
Vegeta's arms quivered. That blast had enough energy to obliterate a mountain.
Thanos had walked through it.
No shield.
No teleportation.
Just raw, unyielding resilience.
"No way…" Vegeta whispered.
Thanos advanced now, not with the blurring speed of ki-users, but with a chilling, deliberate momentum. Each step shattered the ground beneath him. He moved like an unstoppable force, measured and unrelenting.
Vegeta unleashed another barrage.
Ki blasts rained down like a golden deluge.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
Dust consumed the room once more.
But then—
A fist tore through the smoke, colliding with Vegeta's stomach.
"GUHH!"
He doubled over, spittle spraying from his mouth, eyes wide with shock.
Another punch, precise and brutal, caught his jaw, twisting him midair.
CRACK!
A third blow smashed into his back, sending him crashing violently to the ground.
KRAKOOM!
Thanos strode out of the dust cloud, his eyes glowing faintly. Not with rage. Not with chaos.
But with the calm fury of a god whose tolerance had expired.
"You have surpassed my expectations, Saiyan."
[1] The Marvel Universe excuse for that egregious hairline lol