Everything happened so suddenly that no one had time to react. In the blink of an eye, the calm atmosphere shattered completely.
Vegeta walked forward at an unhurried pace, as if he were taking a casual stroll, approaching Black Vegito step by step. When he finally stopped in front of him, an invisible pressure radiated from his body, making it hard for anyone to meet his gaze.
Vegeta slowly raised his head, his icy, razor-sharp eyes locking onto Black Vegito like blades. At that moment, he looked like a god looking down from the heavens, silently staring from a position of absolute superiority at the defeated Black Vegito lying at his feet.
At the same time, Vegeta tightly gripped the purple energy sword in his right hand, the muscles in his arm tensing.
The tip of the blade pointed directly at the bridge of Black Vegito's nose. One tiny push forward... and Black Vegito would be dead. The sword gleamed with a dazzling violet light, its edge radiating a terrifying aura.
Faced with such a deadly threat, Black Vegito instinctively shrank backward. Though he desperately tried to appear calm, his trembling body betrayed the fear buried deep inside him.
Still, he firmly believed Vegeta wouldn't actually kill him. After all, they both knew the consequences of breaking the Tournament of Power's rules: execution by erasure.
So despite the terror consuming him, Black Vegito gritted his teeth and forced himself to put on an arrogant, fearless expression.
Lifting his chin, he sneered, "Hmph! What? You really think you've got the guts to kill me?"
Vegeta stared at the hateful face before him as an overwhelming feeling of disgust rose in his chest. The evil and deceit written across Black Vegito's face seemed to come straight from the depths of Hell; just looking at him was revolting.
Especially those narrow eyes, gleaming with malice like a venomous snake preparing to strike.
Vegeta couldn't stand looking at that face for even another second. At that moment, the disgust and hatred overflowing from his heart swallowed everything else. There was nothing left to say to someone this utterly vile.
Without hesitation, Vegeta raised the glowing energy sword high above his head. The blade erupted with brilliant violet light, illuminating everything around it like the brightest star in the night sky.
His lips remained tightly pressed together, his expression colder than ice. He didn't say another word, nor did he even spare Black Vegito another glance. Because this wasn't the first, or even the second, time Black Vegito had crossed Vegeta's bottom line.
This time... Vegeta intended to make him remember. And this time, they had actually laid a hand on his beloved daughter. That alone was enough to ignite every ounce of Vegeta's rage.
The raised energy sword reflected in Black Vegito's terrified eyes. Then... Vegeta smiled. It was a dark, sinister smile.
That single smile struck Black Vegito like a bolt of lightning. His soul nearly left his body, and all strength vanished from his legs. Unable to stand any longer, he collapsed, desperately supporting himself with both arms as his entire body shook uncontrollably.
"W-What... what are you trying to do?!" His eyes were wide with terror, his voice quivering so badly it sounded as though he might burst into tears at any moment. "Y-You're not actually going to break the rules... are you?!"
He shouted even louder, trying to intimidate Vegeta with sheer volume, but it was completely useless. The composure he had barely maintained was gone.
His face had turned as white as paper, his body trembled nonstop, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, dripping onto the ground and leaving small wet patches beneath him.
His fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his palms, nearly drawing blood. He stared in disbelief at the calm, composed Vegeta standing before him.
In response to Black Vegito's obvious panic, Vegeta simply replied, "So what?"
Just those two words carried overwhelming authority and absolute confidence. At the same time, a look of utter contempt spread across his face.
That simple reply, and that dismissive smile, pushed Black Vegito's nerves to the breaking point. His entire body trembled uncontrollably.
"You lunatic!! You're completely insane!!" Black Vegito could no longer suppress the terror in his heart and screamed hysterically, completely overwhelmed by Vegeta's crushing presence.
---
Meanwhile, far away in Universe 10's Observation Room...
Zamasu's face had twisted into something almost monstrous. His eyes shone with madness, and his mouth stretched into a wide grin, exposing his gleaming white teeth.
"Yes! Vegeta! Kill him! If you do, you'll be erased! Then we'll be rid of one of our biggest threats! That fool isn't worth keeping alive anyway! Hahahahaha!"
Zamasu threw his head back and laughed wildly. Standing beside him, Rumsshi could only stare in stunned silence. The man before him was nothing like the calm, calculating Zamasu he knew; he felt like a complete stranger.
---
Watching from the sidelines, Bulla's heart was in her throat. As she looked at Vegeta's raised energy sword, worry crept into her heart.
If her dad really lost control and killed Black Vegito... he would be erased as well. It simply wasn't worth it. She believed he wouldn't do something so reckless; after all, her dad had always been someone she could rely on.
'Shing!'
The sharp sound snapped Bulla out of her thoughts. She looked toward Vegeta. The energy sword had indeed come down, and it had been aimed directly at Black Vegito's head.
"Dad...?!" Her eyes widened.
The sword fell.
'Clang!'
Black Vegito collapsed to the ground once more. Bulla immediately ran over to Vegeta.
"Dad! Did... did you really kill him?!"
Vegeta had already returned to his normal form. Without saying a word, he casually waved his hand, signaling her to take a look herself. Following the direction he pointed, Bulla saw only a few locks of hair scattered across the ground.
Vegeta hadn't killed Black Vegito. The combination of his injuries and overwhelming fear had simply caused him to pass out.
Bulla let out a long sigh of relief. "Whew... Dad, you scared me to death."
Then her eyes drifted toward the Potara Earrings on Black Vegito's ears, and she fell into thought.
"I thought the rules didn't allow Potara Earrings. So how was he able to bring them into the arena? If Goten and I had those earlier, things would've been so much easier..."
She wasn't sure whether she was talking to herself or asking Vegeta. By then, however, Vegeta had already started walking toward Son Goten. Receiving no answer, Bulla continued staring thoughtfully at the pair of Potara Earrings.
---
Vegeta approached Son Goten with a grim expression and carefully examined his injuries. Goten's condition was horrific; compared to Black Vegito, his injuries were no better.
Even so, Goten's performance in battle had earned Vegeta's complete approval. But the moment Vegeta looked at the countless wounds covering the boy's body, a surge of hatred welled up inside him, hatred directed entirely at the one responsible: Black Vegito.
In the next instant, Vegeta flashed forward like lightning and arrived beside Bulla. She was crouching on the ground, apparently fiddling with something on Black Vegito's unconscious body.
"Bulla. Move aside for a second," Vegeta's voice was calm but firm.
Bulla immediately looked up, startled. She quickly stood and asked nervously, "Huh? What's wrong, Dad? Are you going to eliminate this jerk now?"
Vegeta didn't answer right away. Instead, he quietly looked down at the unconscious Black Vegito. After a long moment, the corner of his mouth slowly curled into an unreadable smile.
"Eliminate him? Heh... If I just knock him out of the tournament... wouldn't that be letting him off far too easily?"
A chilling light flashed across Vegeta's eyes as he spoke.
(End Of This Chapter)
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