"You have exceeded my expectations, Saiyan!" Thanos bellowed, his voice echoing with chilling authority as he strode toward the battered and bloodied Vegeta.
The Saiyan prince stood his ground, unyielding despite his injuries. His teeth were clenched, and his fiery gaze burned with defiance, locked unwaveringly onto the abyss-like depths of the Mad Titan's eyes.
A black, malevolent aura erupted around Thanos, pulsating with an overwhelming menace. Each deliberate step he took caused the ground beneath him to glow with an intense protective light as ancient sigils blazed to life.
Yet, even with these formidable defenses, spiderweb cracks splintered across the surface, straining under the oppressive force of his advance.
Vegeta summoned his own aura in a fierce display of resistance, its electrifying intensity colliding violently with the Mad Titan's ominous dark energy.
The clash unleashed a powerful shockwave, expelling air from the epicenter and generating hurricane-like winds that tore outward, battering the walls with relentless force.
In an instant, both the Saiyan Prince and Thanos vanished.
A series of violent eruptions swept through the room as their battle escalated into chaos.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
CRASH!
The explosions halted with the final clash of their blows, sending both the Mad Titan and Vegeta reeling backward. But the Saiyan Prince surged forward once more, spinning into a kick aimed at the Mad Titan's neck, only for Thanos to block it with his forearm and retaliate with a hook toward Vegeta's ribs.
FLSH!
Vegeta disappeared from sight, causing Thanos's eyes to widen as he felt a surge of danger from behind.
Thanos attempted to summon his aura in a frantic defensive effort, but the attack struck before the first tendrils of dark ki could even escape his body.
BOOM!
His eyes widened in disbelief as a devastating fist smashed into the back of his head. The sheer power of the blow sent the Mad Titan hurtling through the air before he crashed into the ground with an earth-shaking impact.
CRASH!
Vegeta stood panting, one arm hanging low, as a faint trail of smoke rose from his knuckles. His energy sputtered and faltered; this form was unfamiliar to him, and his limit was fast approaching.
Clenching his fists tightly, he began charging his ki for one final, decisive attack that would determine the outcome, although it was clear to Vegeta that killing Thanos was not an option; the Mad Titan had too many contingency measures that activated when he sustained critical damage.
The memory of their first encounter burned vividly in Vegeta's mind. He had been just a boy, returning from a mission, only to discover his entire planet obliterated by a meteor, with the survivors captured by Thanos's fleet.
As a proud and defiant youth, Vegeta had refused to accept his race's subjugation and challenged the Mad Titan.
However, he was mercilessly beaten down by a colossal alien warrior later known to him as Cull Obsidian.
The young Saiyan was dragged before Thanos and forced to swear loyalty, as all Saiyan's before him had done. From that day forward, Vegeta had served as Thanos's subordinate, his pride battered but never broken.
Emerging from his memories, Thanos casually brushed the dust from his chest, his gaze locked on Vegeta with a taunting smirk.
The Saiyan Prince's forehead vein pulsed dangerously in response, his fury palpable. Without hesitation, Vegeta slammed his white-gloved hands together in a precise motion.
BZZZZT... WHOOSH!
Vegeta channeled the full force of his Super Saiyan 3 energy into a crackling, intensely dense orb of ki between his palms.
His aura exploded outward as he continued to pour more energy into the sphere, causing it to swell larger and larger with each passing second.
His once-lengthy golden hair began to shrink, reverting to a shorter form as sweat and blood trickled down his face.
CRACK!
The ground beneath him shattered, chunks of debris levitating around him as if he were generating his own gravitational field.
Throughout this escalating display of power, the Mad Titan stood unmoving, watching intently.
Within himself, Thanos channeled the vast reserves of ki at his disposal, forming a protective energy shell just beneath his skin, giving him a shadowy, almost ethereal shimmer.
"This will serve as an excellent test of my newfound abilities. I commend you, Prince Vegeta!" Thanos mused silently, spreading his arms to his sides in a defiant gesture, as though inviting the attack. For most, such an assault would be devastating, if not fatal.
Vegeta's hair stopped receding, his anger surging to new heights as a second vein bulged prominently on his forehead.
The insult of being treated as a mere experiment enraged him further, and in his sudden, uncontrollable fury, subtle transformations began to take hold. His canines extended slightly, and the fine hairs on his arms began to bristle.
Yet, neither Vegeta nor Thanos noticed these changes; their focus was locked entirely on the impending clash.
CRACKLE... Whoosh!
Vegeta's ki blast swelled to an unimaginable size, its density so immense that the once-floating debris surrounding him now orbited the energy orb, spinning like planets around a fiery star. His arms trembled under the strain, veins bulging as the colossal power he channeled stretched even his Saiyan endurance to its absolute limit.
With a final, defiant surge of effort, Vegeta brought the swirling energy into flawless balance. Planting his dominant foot firmly forward, he unleashed a guttural roar, thrusting his hands outward with unwavering determination.
"FINAAAAALL FLAAAAAAAASSHHHH!!!"
WHOOOOSH!
A titanic beam erupted from the orb, crackling with raw, unbridled energy. It tore through the training room, carving a path of blinding destruction as it surged directly toward the exhilarated Mad Titan. The sheer force of the attack illuminated the landscape, a radiant beacon of annihilation.
"YES!" Thanos roared, his entire being trembling with ecstasy. His mind raced with the thrill of absorbing this monumental power as the blazing energy hurtled toward him.
RUMBLE..!
The ground and sky convulsed under the relentless onslaught of the colossal blast. As the overwhelming torrent of ki closed in, Thanos stood resolute, raising his hands to confront the beam head-on, his indomitable might unwavering.
Defensive barriers and intricate runes disintegrated into nothingness as the chaotic blast consumed everything in its path. As the beam neared the Mad Titan himself, his grin widened, stretching to his eyes, which burned with a fiery intensity akin to coals from the deepest abyss.
Time seemed to freeze as the beam zeroed in on the Mad Titan's form, capturing this pivotal moment for eternity. But even such an intense pause could not last.
BOOOOOOOOOM!
Thanos roared in defiance, his cries swallowed by the deafening thunder of the beam he fought to resist.
CRACK!
The ground beneath the Mad Titan began to fracture and collapse, unable to endure the overwhelming force. Though he held his stance for a fleeting moment, the terrain beneath him lacked his legendary resilience. With a cataclysmic blast, the beam struck his abdomen, propelling him backward until he collided violently with the far wall.
BOOM!
A massive cloud of dust and smoke engulfed Thanos's position, forming a dense veil punctuated by the erratic flashes of Ki lightning.
Vegeta, drenched in sweat as though he were creating an ocean beneath him, dropped to one knee, his breaths ragged and strained. His transformation faded swiftly from Super Saiyan 3 to his base form, and now it was not energy, but sheer Saiyan willpower and pride that kept him from collapsing entirely.
Suddenly—
FOOM.
A powerful gust of wind surged outward as the smoke peeled back like curtains parting for a deity.
Through the swirling haze of dust and Ki-static, Thanos emerged, his towering figure battered and scorched, his armor shredded and smoldering. One gauntlet dangled by a hinge, his breastplate fractured clean through, and his cape reduced to mere tatters.
Yet that smile, that infuriating, unyielding smile, remained etched upon his face as though it had never faltered.
Step by thunderous step, he advanced toward Vegeta, the broken floor groaning under his weight. The Saiyan looked up, still on one knee, his breathing labored, his pride refusing to let him fall. His eyes burned with exhaustion and defiance in equal measure.
Then—
CLAP.
Thanos's colossal hand descended onto Vegeta's back in what was supposed to be a friendly pat.
The impact, however, was more like a tectonic event.
Vegeta's eyes widened in sheer disbelief as his body folded under the crushing force, collapsing to the ground like a toppled statue of pride and arrogance. Resistance was futile; he was utterly outmatched.
Grinning as though he hadn't just obliterated someone's spinal integrity, Thanos glanced at the crumpled Saiyan prince and remarked with a calm, almost playful tone:
"Fantastic sparring session, Prince Vegeta. Absolutely… invigorating."
As events unfolded, William hovered in the vast expanse of space outside his spaceship, seated cross-legged and radiating a brilliant bronze glow. To distant observers, he resembled a newborn sun blazing majestically in the void.
His suit had undergone an extraordinary transformation, now gleaming with a metallic bronze luster and featuring the emblem of the newly established lantern order prominently on his chest.
On his finger rested a ring, a unique fusion of the ones he had previously wielded, emanating an otherworldly brilliance that dazzled the surrounding emptiness.
WHOOSH!
With a simple gesture, William extended his hand, and from the ring emerged an astonishing array of objects, weapons, and figures, seamlessly morphing into entirely new creations shaped by his imagination. He ultimately channeled his ki into the construct, which gradually took the form of a legendary dragon, a figure instantly recognizable to devoted fans as the majestic bronze Shenron.
Shenron soared through the infinite void like a curious newborn, momentarily pausing before unleashing a primal draconic roar that echoed through the surrounding emptiness, only to dissipate moments later.
Turning his focus inward, William began experimenting with creating barriers and armor that fit seamlessly around his body.
He raised his hand, palm upward, concentrating with intense focus. Light gathered at his fingertips, forming a tiny sphere no larger than a marble. Within the orb, entire microcosms churned, star systems, tidal forces, and tectonic shifts compressed into a radiant ember of creation, pulsating with latent energy.
"A thought made real," he murmured softly.
With a decisive motion, he closed his hand, and the sphere vanished instantly.
William's eyes shone, not with malice, but with a crystalline sharpness that exuded clarity and purpose.
He extended both hands, palms forward, as bronze light surged forth, molding itself into twin constructs: one an elegant sword, gleaming and sleek like the tail of a comet; the other a gauntlet, layered with intricate geometric armor that seemed to blend the ancient with the futuristic. Every flicker and hum of the light reflected his intent, responding seamlessly to the core of his being.
In the void, he wielded a colossal bronze greatsword, each sweeping arc releasing bursts of energy that tore through the darkness, obliterating everything in their path before disintegrating into nothingness.
With a deft movement of his fingers, the sword dissolved into grains of sand, each grain morphing into the shape of a phoenix feather before vanishing. The gauntlet followed, unfolding like a blooming flower and collapsing into a small bronze cube that hovered weightlessly above his palm.
Then, with a deliberate gesture, he crushed it.
Bronze javelins, razor-sharp and missile-like, streaked through the vacuum of space, orbiting William in a swirling cloud of dagger-like projectiles. In a final display of mastery over his newfound powers, William raised his hand once more, drawing the bronze light back into himself and reshaping it into a colossal, intricate model of Earth.
The women aboard the ship, along with Peter, watched in awe, their eyes shimmering with wonder. They had never witnessed such an extraordinary display of power, and even the two infants seemed entranced by the spectacle.
Suddenly, the view outside shifted, and they held their breath as William constructed what could only be described as a laser turret mounted on a battleship. Once complete, it began to radiate an intense internal light as William drew immense amounts of energy from various sources into the firing chamber, shaping it into a massive projectile.
With meticulous precision, William aimed at a nearby dead planet, a lifeless celestial body drifting in the void without even a sun to provide warmth. He focused entirely on charging the construct within the firing chamber, pouring every ounce of energy he could summon into it.
The void quaked under the strain of the immense power being harnessed, but William remained undeterred and activated the firing mechanism.
BOOOOM.... WHOOOOOSH!
A perfectly straight beam of pure energy shot toward the distant planet, reaching it almost instantaneously.
BOOOOOM...!
The planet's surface appeared to implode at first, followed by a violent eruption of fire and rock that left the spectators on the ship equally exhilarated and terrified.