Continuing to punch Saitama, Vegeta saw the bald man grab his fist before hitting him in the face. Being sent back, Saitama performed various pirouettes, before managing to land on his feet. Regaining his balance, he positioned his hands back, before creating a breaking wave.

" GARLIC GUN!"

"SERIOUS PUNCH! "

Hitting the attack, Saitama had no trouble splitting it in half. However, anticipating this, Vegeta had already flown towards him, being already in SSB, he stretched his fist back before folding it with all his strength on the face of the hero. Taking the attack, Saitama felt his feet slide back, while creating long furrows in the ground.

Finally, when he managed to stop himself, the hero put on an amused smile, while Vegeta managed to hurt him somewhat.

"You are a increbible fighter, Vegeta ! Maybe I was wrong in stating that you are weaker than Goku! If you can master Ultra Instinct or whatever, maybe you can beat it."

"To surpass him is not the problem." Vegeta retorted, pointing to Saitama. "What matters is to get you out of this field! Once done, all you have to do is do the same with Jiren to win this tournament."

"Are you sure?" Wanted to know Saitama. "Sorry to scare you but, once you're exhausted, guys like Boros or Genos will be perfectly capable of taking you out."

"Genos?" Vegeta wondered, pointing at someone. "Do you want to talk about this guy who got eliminated?"

Turning his face towards the bleachers of Universe 4, Saitama was surprised to see his disciple there, while the android had had the right to a reconstruction of his body by Camperri.

"Genos? But what are you doing there?"

"Sorry, Sensei! I was eliminated."

"Are you serious? Wait, the kid too?"

"Who are you insulting as a kid?" Tatsumaki roared.

"Wait! Where is Garou? I thought he was the first to be eliminated."

"He came back to the field for a long time, asshole." Roared Quitela. "Now there are only four of you! Saitama, you better not lose! If our team doesn't win this tournament, I'll kill you."

"Impossible! You will die before you can kill me."

"Shut up and win this tournament."

Hearing the yellow mouse, Vegeta sighed.

"Apparently, your god is a bit like mine! He doesn't seem to understand that we feel immense pressure at the idea of losing this tournament."

"I admit that I had not felt this feeling at all, at the start." Saitama admitted. "Nevertheless, I ended up regaining the fear of losing a fight, fighting Goku and Jiren."

Clenching his fists, he cried out.

" Sorry, Vegeta! As normal, I would have loved to prolong our fight! But it is better that I do not lose more energy, while I still have a lot of people to fight. "

" Do not worry ! I'll eliminated you in a second. " Vegeta asserted, letting his body wrap in a blue aura.

Unfortunately, already finding himself in front of him, Saitama punched him in the face. Performing multiple rolls on the ground, Vegeta ends up planting his feet and hands in the ground to stop his race. Once stopped, he stared at where Saitama was. Unfortunately, he was gone.

" What … ? "

Immediately capturing the hero's ki, Vegeta turned to see him just behind him.

" NORMALLY PUNCH ! "

Hit in the stomach, Vegeta remained frozen. Then, coughing up blood, he fell to his knees, while resting his hands on her stomach. Eventually he lost his SSB form and his hair turned black again.

" NORMALLY PUNCH ! "

Hitting him a second time, Saitama threw him several yards away, forcing him to land two yards from the void. Falling onto his shoulder, Vegeta couldn't help but moan in pain, while Saitama had completely cornered him. Opening his eyes, he saw the hero running towards him, clenched fist.

" It's impossible. " Vegeta thought.

" SERIOUS… "

"Me, Vegeta, the prince of the saiyans… "

" … PUNCH ! "

"Am I going to be eliminated by a simple Earthman? "

Hearing the sound of impact, Beerus felt his legs shake. If Saitama had managed to eliminate Vegeta, no doubt he could do the same with Goku.

" It's a joke ? Vegeta cannot lose against this puppet. "

" This puppet, as you say, yet has a force much greater than Vegeta. " Assured Whis. " Except Goku with Ultra Instinct, the only warrior who surpasses his might is Jiren. "

" HAHAHAHA. " Giggles Quitela. " Saitama, you really are the only guy I can count on. "

However, when he stared at Saitama again, he was surprised to see her stop as her fist was held in the palm of Vegeta's hand. Grimacing in pain, as it felt like her arm was breaking, the saiyan had her feet firmly planted on the ground, refusing to step back a millimeter.

" What ? "

As surprised as his god, Saitama stared into the saiyan's gaze, which was twisted in pain. The hero's power far surpassed his own. Yet Vegeta refused to give up.

" I would not lose…"

Thinking back to Bulma, he managed to transform back into SSB.

" Do you hear? I wouldn't lose. "

Thinking about his children, he cried out in rage, before pushing Saitama's arm back. Seeing this, Saitama closed his second fist and attempted to punch Vegeta, who also stopped this attack, grabbing him in his palm. Applying tremendous pressure to the muscles in his arms, he managed to push Saitama back, so he could take a step forward.

" Because I don't have the right. "

However, hearing creaks in his arm, he finally felt Saitama's arms push back his.

'' Because you think I can let my world get destroyed? Only the guy with the strongest will can win! AHHHHHHHH. "

Using more power, he forced Vegeta's arms to bend backwards. On the side of his feet, Vegeta exerted such a force there that the ground shattered, forcing his feet to slide back, bringing him dangerously close to the void.

" Vegeta ! " Several people from his team feared.

" I'm Saitama, the bald cape! Sorry for your universe and for your family! But I have to save my world. "

Feeling his body lean back, Vegeta found himself in a truly desperate situation. Feeling like he felt the muscles in his arms and legs explode, he could only groan in pain as the coloring in his hair faded. The saiyan was losing all of its power.

Gritting his teeth, he suddenly coughed up blood, before finally losing consciousness. The blows Saitama had given him had ultimately caused too much internal damage for him to continue fighting. Feeling no more resistance from Vegeta, Saitama had no trouble pushing him back into the void.

" Thank you for this fight, Vegeta. "

Plunged into unconsciousness, the Saiyan only saw darkness around him. Having lost consciousness, he would begin to plunge into the void, without realizing his elimination.

Letting his body lean back like this, he did nothing, contenting himself with hearing a long silence that accompanied the dark atmosphere that surrounded him. Yet, while all was calm, he finally saw, Bulma's figure standing in front of him, arm outstretched and tears in her eyes. Then, seeing the two Zenos appear behind his wife, he could see them make her disappear in an instant.

" VEGETA ! "

Immediately opening his eyes, Vegeta stretched his arm forward and managed to grab Saitama by his yellow jumpsuit.

" But that … ? "

" I WOULD NOT LOSE ! "

Suddenly surrounded by a new blue aura, Vegeta released a veritable energy shock wave that hit Saitama hard. However, it was nothing compared to the punch that hit him in the jaw.

No one understood what was going on. All everyone was sure was seeing Vegeta punch Saitama in the face. Then the hero was gone. A hundredth of a second later, a deafening shock could be heard at the center post. Being stuck there, a body could be seen, unconscious.

Recognizing this trapped body, Quitela had stopped smiling and began to stutter.

" Sai… Sai… SAITAMA ? "

As surprised as he was, Genos and the rest of the team recognized their comrade who had literally been knocked out in one fell swoop. His opponent had made him flutter until he found himself in this situation. Not even seeming to realize this, Vegeta had to pay much more attention to gripping the edge of the field to keep from falling.

Seeing him do this, his companions noticed that he was again in his SSB form. Still, they noticed a slight change. Even though it was blue, his hair was a different color than usual, as were the laughs in his eyes.

Also, the biggest difference was in his aura. It seemed overpowered and yet no one could feel it.

" Oye! What does it mean ? " Wanted to know Beerus. " What just happened? It's ... It's ultra instinct ? "

" No. " Whis asserted, looking at Vegeta curiously. " I don't really know what it is but, I have the impression that it managed to surpass Saitama-san's power. "

At that moment, losing his coloring, Vegeta dropped to one knee, while he was exhausted. He himself did not understand what was going on. But, at least he was still on the ground. Raising his gaze, he suddenly saw Saitama's body lift off the pole and fall to the arena floor.

Running up to him, Blast came out of his hiding place and managed to grab him in those arms, saving him from a painful fall. Hearing Saitama moan, he saw him start to come to his senses.

"It's unthinkable. " Blast remarked, staring at Vegeta. " Goku and Jiren aren't the only people on Saitama's level! This guy also managed to reach this level. "

Knowing the healing powers that Blast had stolen from Wendy, Vegeta forced himself to stand, before flying towards him. He had to stop him before he could heal Saitama.

However, a ki-blast passed in front of him, forcing him to stop.

" What ? "

" You will not go further. "

Standing on a cliff, Saena stared at the saiyan.

" I have revenge to take on you, Vegeta. "

" Grrr! I don't have time to take care of you! Get out of my way. "

" Out of the question. " Roared the namek as he created a new ki-blast.

Dodging the magma balls that Akainu threw at him, Tatsumi tried to flee. Nevertheless, causing a torrent of lava to appear right in front of him, the admiral had no trouble stopping it, as he walked quietly towards him.

"You have nowhere to run! Instead of continuing to ridicule your world, I would advise you to give up right away! I would have no pleasure in crushing a gnat like you."

"Grrr." Tatsumi growled, deciding to face him. "Do you think you impress me? When I was a rebel, Esdeath looked a lot more threatening than you."

"A rebel? And you dare to pretend to be here to save your universe?"

"Of course! I decided to join Night Raid years ago in order to save my country! Today the gods have entrusted me with their hopes and hope to see me win to save our universe! No matter what happens to me, I will save it at the risk of my life. "

Staring at him silently, Akainu finally cried out.

"I must have misunderstood! Why are you doing this?"

"What?" Tatsumi asked him.

"You are nothing but a member of the revolutionary army of your world and yet you talk and act as if you are a hero! Frankly, you are pathetic! To achieve your ends, I'm sure you've killed quite a few people , haven't you? Frankly, you are not a vigilante! Guys like you, I've seen and fought hundreds! You have no moral and you are in no way people who deserve to believe themselves stronger than others. "

"Indeed." Tatsumi approved. "Because I am not a hero."

"What?" Akainu wondered.

"From the first time I killed someone, I never saw myself as a hero! Nevertheless, I continued to do it! And why? To be able to save the world in which I live! And for that, I have nothing to regret! And if I ever had to do it again, I would do it again. "

"Tsss, pathetic! So if your world has a chance to be saved, what are you hoping to do with these Dragons Balls?"

"Resuscitate my fallen friends."

Squeezing his sword tighter then, he asserted.

"Yes, I will resuscitate Sheele and Aniki! And Chelsea! And Lubbock! And Leone! Ieyasu and Sayo! And even the members of the Jaegers, who are my old enemies! That is Run, Bols and even Seryu and Budo. "

"Hmm? Resurrect your enemies? Why that? The team in your universe seems to be made up of two very distinct teams, right? Why do you want to resuscitate your old enemies?"

"I had a hard time realizing it before, but we were all puppets! Yes, the Empire puppets! There was just Esdeath and maybe Budo who really knew what was going on but did nothing to stop the carnage! From now on, we must fight hand in hand and, now that our real enemy is dead, we can return all together on our planet, without being afraid of having to fight against each other again. "

"Tsss! Nice words from a waste like you? You make me want to throw up."

"It's you who can't understand what I'm feeling." Tatsumi retorted. "You may be the leader of your world's army and have the power of magma, your heart is as cold as ice! You have no compassion that can make you a real righteous man! That's why I refuse to lose to someone like you! Someone who dares to treat his people like pawns! Earlier, at the start of the tournament, you bombarded the arena with your magma meteorites, endangering the lives of your teammates, who also want to save your universe! "

"None! Kizaru was able to avoid this kind of attack! And if he had been unable to do so, that meant that he in no way deserved his place in the Navy! In my view of the world, only the strongest deserve to survive to achieve justice! The others, I crush them. "

Hearing this, Tatsumi began to growl.

"Even if you are supposed to be the leader of the army of your planet, you are worse than Esdeath! Even though she is sadistic and ruthless, she took care of those she considered her companions."

Running then, he let out a real cry of pain, as it felt like his body was breaking. However, using all his willpower, he recovered himself again with Incursio and rushed straight towards Akainu, his fist forward.

"Very good, as you wish! The admiral assured, while his body was covered with a suffocating layer of magma! If you want it that bad, I'll show you the real hell! And never… never will you be able to get up. "

"Try just to see." Tatsumi roared and prepared to punch him in the face.

Slapping him in the face with all her might, Tatsumi saw his fist go through his head without meeting any resistance. Instead, it was his armor that was damaged enough by the magma to melt. Feeling the molten metal touch his skin, the boy could only give a cry of pain, before falling backwards, while his arm was completely charred.

"AHHHHHHH!"

"Tatsumi." Esdeath horrified.

Hearing the boy's cry, the Ice Queen saw him fight the admiral. Preparing to run to his rescue, she was blocked by a sudden appearance of Toppo's tall figure, which prevented her from going any further.

"I'm your opponent! For the justice, I will beat you."

"Get out of the way." Esdeath ordered him, creating several ice spears.

" JUSTICE FLASH! "

Creating red ki-blasts, Toppo had no trouble stopping Esdeath's projectiles, detonating them, with great ease.

"What…?" Esdeath wondered.

"The strength that justice grants me is greater than that of the darkness which encompasses your heart." Affirmed the warrior. "Compared to me, you are just an arrogant and sadistic weak woman who has no reason to go on living."

Having stopped smiling long ago, Esdeath lowered her cap in front of her eyes, to prevent the warrior from seeing her anger.

"Very good! Will this fight oppose your justice against mine? I accept the challenge! And I promise you that you will never dare to say these kinds of sentences again at the end of our fight."

Seeing Tatsumi writhing in pain at his feet, Akainu made more lava appear around him, while asserting.

" It's over for you. "

" NEVER. " Tatsumi roared, kicking her foot into Akainu's ankle.

Still crossing the soldier's body, Tatsumi's foot was, in turn, charred, from Incursio's armor, melting. However, surprising Akainu, he had managed to make part of the admiral's leg disappear, causing him to lose his balance.

Seeing him fall forward, Tatsumi stood up with his only good leg, before thrusting his uninjured fist towards Akainu's chest. Crossing the admiral's chest, he let his arm inside, despite the blazing fire that destroyed his arm in an instant.

" I will show you the power of a ferocious beast. " Tatsumi roared, despite the pain.

Simply rebuilding his leg, Akainu only showed annoyance in his gaze, while Tatsumi persisted in giving him unnecessary punches.

" You will have wanted it. "

Appearing behind him, Akainu's puddle formed a silhouette resembling that of a dog.

" RED DOG BITING ! "

In an instant, the two fighters disappeared as the lava heap completely covered them.

" Tatsumi. "Cried Leone and Wave, from the bleachers.

" Tat… sumi ? " Mine wondered, seeing him disappear into the lava.

Eventually disappearing, the red liquid was sucked into Akainu's body, which appeared to be completely unharmed. On the contrary, Tatsumi's didn't show the slightest sign of life. Lying on the ground, he had his body completely blackened while his armor had completely dissolved in the magma. At that time, no one could tell if he was alive or dead.

"You fought the wrong opponent." Akainu then asserted, giving him a kick, which propelled him out of the arena.

Falling into the void, Tatsumi was not even conscious enough to realize his defeat, as he reappeared moments later on the sidelines.

"Tatsumi-san is eliminated."

"Tatsumi!" Leone horrified, seeing the boy's body appear in front of her. "Answer Tatsumi, are you okay?"

"Bastard." Wave roared, in the direction of Akainu. "You weren't allowed to do that! You don't have the right to kill him."

"Tsss." Akainu said simply, turning away from him. "Anyway, given your level, your universe is already doomed, so killing it now or in ten minutes won't change anything."

"Motherfucker." Wave roared, pretending to grab Grand Chariot to fight him.

"Stop that." Rô ordered him, belting him.

"Let me go! I'll atomize it."

"You are already eliminated! If you do not respect the rules established by Zeno-sama, he will kill you as well as destroy our universe."

"You think? So why is this guy still on the field? He didn't follow the rules."

"Quite simply because he did not kill him." Mojito asserted, barely throwing at Tatsumi's body.

At that moment, spitting blackened blood out of her mouth, Tatsumi demonstrated a sign of life, as her breath was heard.

"Tatsumi."

Wincing in pain, the poor boy showed that his wounds were excruciatingly painful while all of his skin had been completely burned. Still, putting both hands on the ground in a vain attempt to get up, he mumbled.

"Fi ... Fight! I must ... go back."

"What are you doing, idiot?" Leone questioned, putting her hands on her shoulders to make her lie down. "Stay there."

"No! Everything… everyone is counting on me! I… I have to fight."

Suddenly sobbing, he cried out.

"The others are counting on me to bring them back to life."

"Tatsumi?"

Seeing him get up again, Narenda sighed then, before suddenly sitting on top of him. Crushing his wounds, she made him cry out in pain, astonishing the eliminated ones as well as Rô and Sidra.

" Tatsumi! You stay here ! Are you so stupid that you don't understand the situation? You are not even able to stand up and Incursio has just been disintegrated! What do you think you can do on the pitch other than crawl like a worm until someone kicks you out? There are still thirty competitors left! I know the situation is dire for us, but you know full well that we can count on Esdeath to perform a miracle! And then, have you forgotten that your wife is still fighting? Do you have no confidence in her? "

Despite these beautiful words, Natsu could not help but put his hand on his eyes, to hide the sobs that stung them:

" So… Sorry! I made you ashamed! I promised to bring you the dragon balls and I failed! I didn't even scratch that guy. "

" No, but you showed how relentless you were. "

Putting his hand on his head, Sidra.

" Just like Wave, you fought well, Tatsumi-kun! Thanks to your work, we may still have a chance to win!

However, looking at the arena again, Sidra took fright as he stared as Esdeath began to fight Esdeath.

"Excluding Bols and Leone, Mine and Seryu are our weakest fighters! If Esdeath ever gets knocked out, we won't have any chance of winning. "

Jumping back to dodge being struck down, Shanks then deflected a bolt of lightning with the help of his sword. Getting to safety, he saw Laxus in front of him, with his arms crossed. And on the man's back, stood Heine. Having wrapped wraps around Laxus' abdomen, she kept covering them with electricity, smashing the dragon hunter's body.

Opening his mouth, Laxus let the electricity enter his mouth, allowing his body to continually recharge itself with magic.

Seeing this, Shanks asserted.

" This ploy is fit for a child! Still, I must admit it could save you. "

" Hey, the ninja! How long do you think you can keep recharging my energy? "

" I have a name! I am Heine, Erza-sama's new maid! And to answer your question, as long as Erza-sama is able to fight, my energy will stay the same, unless I take massive damage. "

" Okay ! So as long as I protect you, we can beat this weary guy. "

" Oh ? So this is your plan? " Shanks asked. " In this case, I'll have to be serious. "

" Hum ? "

Sheathing his sword, Shanks stared at the duo while smiling. Yet in an instant he appealed to HAOSHOKU HAKI. Feeling a real shock wave hit him, Laxus could still stand on his feet.

" Idiot ! I know the haki! This kind of attack has no effect on me. "

Suddenly falling silent, Laxus felt his whole body shake. The haki, first forming red waves, began to create black waves. Finding himself in the middle of them, Laxus couldn't help but shiver. Then looking at Shanks, he had the unpleasant surprise to see a huge dark figure above the man.

Like a formidable creature of the underworld, the figure seemed able to frighten anyone, including Laxus. Behind his back, the dragon hunter also felt Heine start to tremble, while she had stopped electrocuting him.

" What is this overpowering aura ? "

" It's the DEMOSHUKU HAKI. " Shanks asserted, with a serious look. " A form derived from HAOSHOKU HAKI which brings fear to all those who dare to meet my gaze! They then find themselves petrified and unable to retaliate. "

Wanting to prove otherwise, Laxus wanted to take a step towards him. Still, he felt his feet were sealed to the ground.

" What ? "

" And here is the form derived from BUSOSHOKU HAKI ! Here is the RYOUSHOKU HAKI ! "

Covering his fist with a greyish protective coating, Shanks then created a purplish aura that seemed to amplify the power of his punch. Then rushing towards Laxus, he pretended to attack.

Trying to shake off his petrification, Laxus let lightning escape from his body. Then, finally, uttering a loud cry, he made a huge column of lightning appear above him.

" Hum ? "

Seeming to be able to move his upper body again, Laxus puffed out his cheeks before creating a phenomenal beam of lightning.

" KING LIGHTNING DRAGON ROAR ! "

Seeing the attack heading towards him, Shanks didn't have time to avoid it. Instead, placing its fist forward, the yonko struck the attack. Using his haki to perfection, he managed to keep moving forward, fist forward.

" What ? " Laxus wondered, seeing him destroy his attack and find himself in front of him.

" It's over. " Shanks asserted.

However, the instant he was about to strike Laxus, he saw a person push the mage, before slamming his fist against Yonko's. In an instant the collision of the two attacks created a shock wave that made Laxus retreat further.

" What … ? "

Opening his eyes, he saw Shanks facing Gildarts.

" Gildarts? "

Ignoring his comrade, the man cast a white aura around him, which shook the ground. Deciding to emulate him, Shanks used his DEMOSHOKU HAKI again, creating dark waves. Seeming to clash, the two auras faced each other.

Seeing them, Laxus couldn't help but take a step back, feeling their powers perfectly. If he took a step forward, he was sure to pass out.

" What does it mean ? "

Screaming suddenly, Heine left his back and fell to the ground, before pressing her hands to the site of her "heart".

" Hey? What's wrong ? "

" Erza… Erza-sama. " Cried Heine, who seemed to feel some of her pain.

" That…? "

Looking in the direction where Erza was fighting Kizaru, the man cried out.

" Erza? Don't tell me that…? "

1 = Universe 3 (7): Luffy, Katakuri, Kaido, Teach, Akainu, Shanks, Kizaru, Doflamingo (8)

2 = Universe 7 (9): Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, C-17, C-18, Frieza (6)

3 = Universe 10 (5): Natsu, Erza, Gray, Laxus, Gildarts (5)

4 = Universe 4 (9): Saitama, Boros, Blast, Garou (4)

5 = Universe 12 (6): Midoriya, Shoto, Bakugo, Kirishima ( 4 )

6 = Universe 6 (7): Hit, Kefla, Saena (3)

7 = Universe 9 (5): Esdeath, Seryu, Mine (3)

8 = Universe 11 (1): Jiren, Top (2)

9 = Universe 2 (3): Eliminated