A/N: These chapters have been getting a little long so I'm going to try and shorten them. Simply because it makes for faster updates. 10k words per chapter is way to much. Takes too long to write. So I'm going to try and chop it in half, go with 3-5k words a chapter. That's how I started anyways.
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Unknown reader – Yes, I have decided to speed up the tournament. I realized something. This tournament serves no TRUE purpose in my story, it's more of a 'power up' for the saiyans than anything so I'm just going to do the first and last battle for each person.
Limar – Sapphire is an elf, pure elven. As for why Gohan is acting like that... heh... There's a reason and I got a couple of them kicking around, just gottawait and see how the story unfolds myself and choose the one that fits in the best.
SSGohanStrife – The answer to your question will be revealed in this chapter.
Inuyasha142 – Ah, that's what you meant. Bardock wasn't giving off the true positions, not really. Vegeta and Trunks weren't supposed to come originally, hence why they're the 'outside pieces' Kinda a helper, a buffer, to keep the main ones alive. Bardock's is the untouchable piece, yes, and Gohan the King, but that's all that has been finalized. The Queen will be whoever Gohan chooses, the knights will be Vegeta and Trunks' mates (yes they both get one.) And the bishops will be the extra pieces. And for the most part the bishops will be paired together as well. But it's more complex than a regular game of chess so describing it as chess is making it loose much of its meaning. It just makes it easier to understand.
Samurai Demon-God Sekikage– Oh boy... I wanna respond to you. First off, let's start out with this. DO NOT TELL ME WHAT TO DO! This is MY story and it will unfold how 'I' want it. NOT YOU. You don't like it, read something else. I'm not demanding reviews, I'm not demanding you even read it, if you don't fucking like how it turns out, then LEAVE. Suggestions I'll take, yes, critics, yes. I'll even incorporate them if I feel they enhance the story. But do not think for one moment that you can try and boss me around. And as for whom each person will end up with. I've had that pretty much decided from the start and I wouldn't change it if you had a gun pointed to my head. Now, onto the rest of what you reviewed. That may be the most widely used description of Vegeta-sei, but simply because it IS the true description. Ever watch Bardock Special? You get a nice view at a dusty red planet, much like mars, and we all know the soil consistency of mars. Not very much vegetation. As for the next review, you're twisted, but I doubt you did that. And Gohan is scared because it's a foreign feeling to him. I know if I suddenly acted completely out of character I'd be worried. Hmmm... the rest of them are pretty much you ranting at me trying to get the two together. Not even worth a response besides what I've already given.
Lunas Meow – Ya, school sucks the big one. Hopefully next semester will be easier, but I highly doubt it. Will probably have even less time.
SereneStorm – The time period of the planet they are currently visiting is about late medieval age, before electricity and magnetism were discovered. That's the technological level, the magical level though is far beyond that though making them capable of constructing things that surpass anything technology could. The time in general is set a few months after the destruction of planet Vegeta. Although it wasn't actually destroyed in this story. And it's a multi-verse. It's explained in the prologue. Think of a solar system, with 4 planets circling the sun. It's the same with this, 4 universes circling a shattered orb. And the quest is to fix the orb. They are related in as much as mars is related to earth.
Majinslick – Hey, thanks for the support, hehe. I really don't know how he has the audacity to think he has any right to tell me how to write MY story. He should just enjoy the story. It's not like it's costing him anything to read it, aside from maybe 10 or 20 minutes to read a chapter.
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Chapter 12: Humility
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"Those three have been doing great." Sapphire said in admiration.
Gohan smirked, "Yes, their greatest challenge will probably come from fighting each other, although there are one or two here that could give them a run for their money." He replied.
The four of them, Gohan, Sapphire, Trunks and Emerald, were all seated in their usual spots high in the audience with Trunks and Sapphire on either side of Gohan and Emerald beside her daughter. Nearly two weeks had come and gone since the beginning of the tournament. The entire competition went on for three months. There were simply that many people, with that many different combat areas. There were, of course, multiple arenas. It would have taken over a year to complete the tournament otherwise. Thankfully the hand-to-hand combat, sword mastery, and spell-casting combat areas were all scheduled at different times, each a week after the previous finished. This allowed the others to sit back and enjoy the fights as they came without worry or indecision that came with having to choose one match over another. The hand-to-hand combat was one of the smaller combat areas, which is why it was going first along with several other areas like all the long-ranged combat styles.
The long-ranged combat included slings, crossbows, bows, and oddly enough, siege weapons like mangonels and ballistae. The latter two were team competitions as it was rather impossible to fire one by yourself. These combat styles were done differently than the rest, hence why they were first. One, they generally didn't mess up the arena as much, and two, it wasn't one on one, or team vs team. Each competitor/team was given a target at a set distance and they advanced depending on how well they hit it in comparison to the rest. The top half go on and so on and so forth. This way only the best move on, but even if you make a slight mistake and one you still have a chance of correcting it in the next and come out on top.
The rest of the combat styles were all enacted through a one on one contest, much like how the hand-to-hand combat has been conducted. Hand-to-hand was first since it was the smallest of the styles, smallest as in there were only several thousand competitors, and not the usual tens or even hundreds of thousands that competed in the larger, more often practiced, styles like spell-casting, sword mastery, and staves.
"I wonder..." Emerald said in contemplation. Drawing the attention of the other three, "A couple competitors, not your friends, have been holding back. Especially the former champion. She seems to be fighting at the level of her opponent instead of instantly overwhelming them like she did a decade ago. It's also as if she knows she's strong and is now just trying to enjoy the fights as opposed to winning."
"Which one is that?" Gohan asked curiously as he leaned forward.
Emerald didn't respond, she just kept her eyes focused on the battle below. With a sigh Gohan sat back and Sapphire gave him a sympathetic look.
There was a particular bright explosion in the arena below and when the light died down a body fell to the floor and laid still. "WOW! These fights are becoming more and more intense! Just look at the techniques, the power, and the skill that's being put into these fights! THIS is how one fights with everything on the line. With that final attack Bardock moves on to the semi-finals! It's truly amazing how such a rookie could advance so far. It just shows that the newcomers are becoming stronger with each competition."
Gohan smiled at this, "Bardock, he sure has improved since coming here. Two weeks of intense battles like this have not only honed his instincts, but also his tactics and strategy. He hasn't really made much progress in the strength department, not like the other two, but he's made up for it in spades in the others." Gohan said.
The others gave him curious looks, "What?" Gohan asked in surprise, "Isn't it obvious? His entire life he's only fought others of his kind, or people that fight similar to them. He had developed tactics and abilities to counter anything and everything that could be thrown at him. But here, he's encountering creatures he's never seen before with fighting styles and techniques that he never knew existed. It's a great environment for tactical growth. He's much better at thinking on his feet than he was before all of this."
"NOW! Time for the next match! In this one we have yet another rookie that's made it far. Let's give it up for Vegeta! He needs no real introduction by now. His glowing yellow hair and teal eyes shows us that he doesn't intend on taking this match lightly! He may not be the youngest competitor to ever fight in this tournament, but he's by far the strongest. Never before has someone this young made it this far or showed so much strength and potential." The announcer yelled, quite excited about this match. The saiyans had been putting on the greatest shows having the widest range of abilities seen thus far. Most of the matches had been just fast punch fests. "And his opponent is yet another rookie. It seems this year is abundant with powerful rookies. The past few decades have seen a decline in quality of new entrants, but perhaps it's all been in build-up for this year! Let's give it up for Blight! Don't let his blind-fold confuse you, he's shown in the past battles that he can not only see as good as his opponents, but better!"
"Finally, an opponent worthy of my time." Blight said with a smile as he eyed Vegeta up and down.
"Heh, fighting a blind man... Tsk." Vegeta shook his head with a smirk. There was no way he was going to lose this fight.
"Overconfidence will be your downfall little one." Blight said with a smile. "Try not to fall too soon. Let's give these people a fight worth their money."
"Pah, you don't need to tell me that! I'll stand triumphant on your back by the end of this match."
"Enough talk."
"Finally."
"It seems like these two competitors are ready! Let the match.... BEGIN!" The announcer roared a roar that was drowned out by twin sonic booms as Blight and Vegeta shot towards each other at blinding speeds.
Most of the audience didn't have a clue as to what happened. One moment the announcer screamed begin and the next Vegeta and Blight were flying away from each other, each with a large red welt in the left cheek. Before either landed they disappeared, and once more they were seen flying apart, with the other cheek sporting a large red welt.
This time it was only Vegeta who disappeared before he landed. Blight landed harshly and skidded for a moment before he twisted and pushed off the ground with his hands, just moments before Vegeta's fist slammed into the spot he had once been. Vegeta's eyes widened in surprise when he realized he'd hit nothing but dirt and a moment later he was eating it.
Vegeta literally bounced after he slammed into the ground, only to be kicked away and sent careening into the arena wall as Blight finished his attack. Just as Vegeta's fist had slammed into the ground Blight had twisted into the air and slammed his feet into Vegeta's back slamming him into the ground. Using the momentum caused by the blow he had flipped off the back and had launched Vegeta through the air with a well placed kick.
The young saiyan picked himself from the wall and shook his head as he glared at Blight. The sight of the small smile creasing the other's face served only to infuriate Vegeta. With a snarl of anger Vegeta shot towards Blight who did the same. The two met in the middle and began to exchange blows at a fast and furious pace. Vegeta had totally disregarded all technique and was trying to throw as many punches as fast and hard as he could. At first Blight simply dodged them, throwing a few of his own until he caught onto the pattern, or lack thereof, of Vegeta's punches and began to meet them head on. Miniature shockwaves erupted from each clashing fist creating a cascading sound of booms.
All the while Blight still had that small smile of his face.
Suddenly the tempo changed and Blight knew something was up, and sure enough an energy blast was blasting at him from point blank range. With a slight widening of his eyes he quickly distanced himself from Vegeta and stopped.
Vegeta smirked as the blast rippled over his opponent and continued on. With a frown Vegeta stopped causing the wave to slam into the far wall and explode harmlessly. When the blast completely dissipated there, before him, stood Blight, that small smile once again on his face, completely unharmed.
"What the hell!?" Vegeta yelled.
"Infuriating isn't it? To know your two major forms of attack are completely useless against me. You're too young to beat me in hand-to-hand combat, and your energy attacks are useless against me." Blight said lightly.
"Damn you! I'll defeat you!" Vegeta yelled.
"Perhaps, if you had a couple decades more experience behind your belt. But as you are now, you have no hope." Blight responded.
"Don't give me that shit! I'll tear you apart!" Vegeta yelled.
With a roar that ripped the ground apart around him Vegeta powered up to his absolute maximum. With a yell he shot forward, tearing the ground apart as he came. Blight met him head on and once again they exchanged fast and furious punches and kicks. And then the two began to dance, or rather that's what it looked like to the inexperienced. To anyone else it was a dance so deadly that a single misstep would spell disaster for the other.
Each punch, every spin and twirl, every kick and knee, each were countered by the other doing the same. The duo danced around the stadium, kicking up dirt and dust as they spun, kicked, twisted, punched and jumped at and around each other. Sonic booms echoed through the stadium with each block and every hit. Whenever Vegeta would score a blow, Blight would score the same blow upon Vegeta. Each dodge would be perfectly emulated by the other and the force of the blow would send waves of force shooting across the arena. The fight had become a dance of death whose sole winner would be the one with the greater stamina.
The two kept up the furious pace for nearly ten minutes before the mistake occurred. During the entire time the crowd was captivated. It wasn't flashy, it wasn't sparkly, but it was captivating never-the-less. Just the way the two seemed to flow from attack to attack pulled at ones heart. The waves of force that shot out from dodged attacks only served to heighten the fight as it almost seemed as if there was some form of symmetry to it all. But like all things, it must come to an end.
And Vegeta was the cause.
In the end it was his impatience.
As the fight drew on, his patience grew short.
And that is how his fall began.
Because of impatience Vegeta tried to end the fight, putting too much power, too much speed, behind his blows; slowly but surely he had fallen out of sync and Blight took advantage of that. Vegeta had dodged his attack, and he had dodged Vegeta's, but Vegeta had put too much power behind it, too much speed, causing his arm to be just slightly over-extended. And that was all it took for Blight to trap it. With a surprised shout Vegeta found himself being hammered with punches as he lost his balance and fell forward. With a shout of pain Vegeta was launched across the arena to slam roughly into the ground and skid across the ground for several meters before he came to a halt.
"WOW! That must have been the most intense hand-to-hand fight I've seen in a long time! It's not often that mere punches and kicks could captivate an audience like these two did. What a great match!" The announcer yelled in excitement
Blight slowly began to make his way over to his opponent, not wanting to end the match, allowing Vegeta time to recover from the vicious assault and stand up. From the short time he had fought Vegeta he had come to understand him enough to know he wouldn't give up. The smile returned to Blight's face as Vegeta slowly rose to his feet, albeit unsteadily.
"If I can't beat my win out of you! I'll BLAST IT OUT!" Vegeta roared as he slowly rose into the air.
Blight's smile vanished to be replaced by a small frown as he pondered what Vegeta was doing. He had a vague idea but it never hurt to be cautious.
When he deemed he'd flown up high enough Vegeta spread-eagled and hovered where he was. He began to yell, there were no words, just pure undulated noise as a chaotic aura wrapped itself around him forming to the contours of his body.
"He's not going to use that technique is he?" Gohan said worriedly.
"I think he is..." Trunks replied.
"What's going on?" Sapphire asked, Emerald too was looking at them curiously.
"Oh nothing, just if it gets out of hand I'll be forced to go down there and block it." Gohan said with a smile as he turned to face Sapphire.
"What?" Sapphire asked in confusion.
Gohan turned back to Vegeta. "That attack... If used incorrectly, and at this point I believe it is as he's aiming directly towards the ground, is capable of destroying entire worlds. All of our blasts are piercing blasts. If he doesn't control that blast you'll find it ripping through the city and deep into the planet."
The two of them stared at Gohan in shock, as did everyone around him. "Y-You're joking right." Sapphire asked, suddenly panicked.
"He's not." Trunks replied, there was a frown creasing his face, "We all have attacks capable of destroying planets. Some specifically designed for just such a thing."
Down in the stadium Vegeta brought his hands out in front of him and began to gather all the energy into that single spot. As the aura and power began to build up the entire stadium began to shake as the powerful vibrations and winds that were wiping out from Vegeta began to affect not only the immediate area, but the entire arena complex and the city itself. For the first time since its creation the city began to tremble.
"I WILL NOT LOSE! ME! THE PRINCE OF ALL SAIYANS WILL NOT LOSE TO A PEON LIKE YOU!" Vegeta roared out in rage.
"FINAL..."Vegeta paused, still not acquiring the amount of power he desired.
"Well SHIT! Big blast, failing shield, lots of shaking and blowing, I haven't even gotten laid yet! THIS SUCKS!" The announcer shouted, barely audible over the din created by the energy in the arena.
The ball of energy in Vegeta's hands solidified and began to grow at an alarming pace. The shaking grew more intense and fear began to spread throughout the audience. The shield protecting them would, they knew it would, or at least they hoped it would. Suddenly the shield began to flicker violently as the energy grew more intense. Fear wasn't spreading through the crowd, panic and terror was.
...FLASH!" He roared as he unleashed the greatest energy wave the planet had seen to date.
'THAT IDIOT!" Gohan roared in anger.
With blinding speed the energy wave shot towards Blight whose eyes had widened in surprise. He knew he could survive that blast, but he seriously doubted if the audience would. The energy wave expanded and grew as Vegeta poured more and more energy into it with each passing moment. It was nearly ten meters in diameter when it finally reached Blight.
Blight activated his ability and the blast flew right through him as if he wasn't there. He couldn't stop it, but he could avoid it. The attack slammed into the ground of the arena, and kept going. The energy ripped through the ground completely decimating the arena floor as the outer layers of the attack exploded on contact with the solid material but the majority of it kept going, right through the arena. The shield around arena flickered violently as it tried to contain the blast but it wouldn't be long before it gave out.
Gohan turned to Trunks, his eyes enraged. "Trunks! Set up a shield around the arena, I going to stop that fucking blast. It'll rip this city apart if it's not stopped here and now!"
"Right!" Trunks replied. In truth he was wondering what took Gohan so long to act.
Blight turned to look into the stadiums as he saw two massive energies of frightening proportions erupt into being. The energies being given out by these beings dwarfed anything he had seen before.
Trunks shot towards the stadium, flashing into super saiyan one, and then the second stage as he ripped through the shield protecting the audience like it was nothing more than paper. Gohan shot forward as well, and penetrated the shield like it wasn't even there. With a snarl of anger Gohan shot down past Blight so fast he wasn't able to detect him and burrowed through the shield once again before he shot back into the arena, now directly in the path of the final flash. Trunks on the other hand blasted towards the top of the arena and spread eagled as he began to yell. His torso bent backwards as everything on him became more defined and vibrant. A new shield sprung up around the old just as the old one collapsed.
The audience didn't know what was happening all they knew was that they saw the magical shield collapse and then nothing. The shaking stopped, the wind no longer affected them. It was as if the shield had returned in full force, and in essence it did.
Gohan on the other hand grabbed the final flash and used his energy to squeeze it back together, causing it to detonate. A massive and violent explosion ripped through the arena destroying everything within the shield save the three saiyans and Blight. With the smoke cleared people began to gasp in surprise. There were two new people in the stadium, one with a sword strapped to his back with the same golden hair as Vegeta and another with black hair down at the very bottom of the arena's floor.
"VEGETA! YOU FUCKING IDIOT!" Gohan roared snapping Vegeta out of his rage induced state. He was now staring at a very pissed off Gohan and he didn't like it one bit. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU WERE ABOUT TO DO!" Gohan screamed out in rage as he floated up to face Vegeta.
"W-Well... I... ah..." He didn't have anything to say. Words wouldn't come to him.
"That blast..." Gohan stated, his voice now at a regular volume but no less scary. "...would have torn through this entire city and impact with the ground below. You very well could have just destroyed this entire planet!"
"NO! I-I would have..."
"What? Stopped it in time? You were too fucking pissed off to even know HOW to stop it!" Gohan snarled and grabbed Vegeta by the throat and brought him within inches of his face. "I swear, if I ever see you lose control like that and pull off such a stupid stunt again I will make you wish you were never born!" Gohan snarled and turned away.
"Come Trunks, let's go." Gohan said as he flew back to his seat in the audience.
Silently Trunks followed him, letting the shield drop. As it dropped a new one sprang up as the magical enchantments were restored. A moment later the floor of the arena was fixed and the filled in. Gohan stopped and looked around in surprise.
Suddenly two beings appeared before him, and he knew they were gods from the power they gave off. They had a mixture of emotions flickering across their face.
"You two know it's against the rules to interfere with a match right?" The first god asked.
Trunks floated over beside Gohan and faced the two Gods, "Yes we know, but we figured that you'd have preferred that to a dead world." Trunks replied flatly.
"Yes, we preferred it as well." The second god said. "Which is why we also wish to thank you for halting the attack and protecting the audience. It appears as if we'll need to keep a closer eye on these matches in the future."
"Yes, that would probably be a smart move." Gohan said as he jerked a finger towards Trunks. "Especially when he starts fighting."
The gods turned to regard Trunks and then Gohan. "Yes, I suppose so and what about yourself? If you were capable of stopping such a blast you'd have easily been able to make it at least this far. Why not compete?"
Gohan laughed, "Because there's no challenge in beating weaklings. When the supreme beings of this universe, you gods, are weaker than me how am I supposed to get a challenge from these competitors? No, I'm letting the others fight. Help build their strength and skills. There's nothing for me to gain by fighting here." Gohan replied smugly.
"Confident are you?" The first god said, obviously upset. The audience however had gone completely silent. The thought of Gohan being stronger than the gods was a ludicrous thought, at least to those who couldn't sense energy levels. Blight however, knew Gohan wasn't lying. He couldn't see the full extent, but he could feel it. That endless pit of energy was so dark and frightening that he almost didn't want to look.
"Confidence has nothing to do with it. It comes from the fact that I can sense the depth of your power, despite how different it may be from my own. And it's from that that I am able to tell that I'm stronger." Gohan said evenly.
The first god was about to retort but the second touched his arm silencing him. "Shall we let the match continue?" The second god asked.
Gohan smiled, "Yes of course, I was just about to see Vegeta lose." Gohan replied. He turned down to Blight. "Make sure to beat him to an inch of his life! Trust me; it's what he wants if he isn't able to win." Gohan yelled, shocking Blight.
With that Gohan turned and flew over to his seat, quickly followed by Trunks. As they settled back into their respective places Gohan sighed in relief. "That was close. Had I waited much longer that blast would have escaped into the main portion of this complex." Gohan said to himself.
"Thank you Gohan." Sapphire said. Gohan turned his head and saw her eyes sparkle in happiness. "Despite all your rough talk and act, you're heart is still that of pure gold." She said happily and bent forward to kiss Gohan on the cheek.
Gohan blushed softly and Emerald smiled softly as Trunks laughed heartily. Gohan glared at his friend but couldn't stop blushing. "A-Ah... it's nothing. Have to do at least one good deed a day right?" Gohan mumbled to himself.
Sapphire simply smiled wider and hugged him. "Right!" She said with a little laugh and let him go.
By this time there was a full blown grin on Emeralds face and Trunks was dieing from laughter. Karreth now has some competition and Gohan is still to naïve to realize this. Trunks thought.
"Ah... ok... where were we?" The announcer said. "One moment I was seeing my life flash before my eyes and the next we're being saved by two unknown people with powers substantially greater than those in the tournament... ok screw this, I'm not going to understand it, and neither are you! Let's just get back to what we do! The match shall now continue!" The announcer yelled.
Vegeta floated slowly back down to the floor of the arena and got into a fighting stance across from Blight. His eyes holding a haunted look. Despite acting as tough as he did, he was still a child at heart, and the sudden thought that the blood of billions of people, innocent people, were almost on his hands had shook him, perhaps more-so than the look Gohan gave him and his threat.
"I take it you fear him?" Blight asked Vegeta.
Vegeta shook, "You have no idea the kind of power he holds. The more enraged he becomes... the stronger he becomes. I've yet to see him max out. He's never had to, not against anything I've ever seen." Vegeta whispered, audible only to Blight. "He's always bossing me around, telling me what to do, I want to defy him but he's just so..." he paused. He didn't know why he was saying this; it was as if his mouth was moving before his mind could stop it.
The other nodded solemnly, "A truly frightening person to have as an opponent, to be against, but incredibly heartening to have on ones side." Blight said in response causing Vegeta's head to whip up.
"What..." Vegeta started.
"You are young, you have much to learn. That man has a good heart; if he's willing to go out of his way to protect those he doesn't know, think of how much he would do for those that he actually cares for?" Blight said causing Vegeta's mind to start working. "I heard you say you were a prince. I don't know prince of what or where, but it doesn't matter. Everyone needs someone. To be alone is the worst possible torture anyone can endure." He said sadly as he looked towards the ground, pain evident in his eyes. He had plenty of experience with that pain. "Perhaps you should stop fighting him and listen, open your mind. He bosses you around because he knows you're not capable of taking care of yourself." Vegeta was about to snap but Blight held up a hand to halt him, "You're not capable, because you won't listen. Everyone starts where you are. But everyone eventually grows, but only if they open themselves up, admits when they are wrong, and most important, learn from their mistakes. Sure, you may hate being wrong, being told what to do, but if you never smarten up, listen, and understand what those around you are saying, you'll forever be like that. They've been through what you are currently going through, they have wisdom you do not. Attain that wisdom, use it, and become wiser than them. Listen, learn, grow, and soon they won't need to tell you what to do, you'll be already doing it. Everything starts at the bottom. If you can't force your way to the top through power, slip and slide through the cracks instead, using wisdom, slyness and intelligence. But also remember, the closer to the top you are, the more alone you become. You'll understand that in time."
Vegeta was now totally silent. He didn't know what to think. He knew Blight was right, it all rang true, but he knew it would be some time before his stubborn nature allowed him to fully accept those words. With a slight shake of his head and a renewed resolve he replied with two simple words, "Let's go!"
Blight nodded and shot forward.
"I don't know what those two were talking about! But I don't care anymore as this fight is once more underway. Let the greater of the two move on!"
With a shout Vegeta pulled his arm back and slammed it into Blight's face. The older man rocked backwards but not before whipping his legs up to slam his feet into Vegeta's chin. There was a slight crack as Vegeta's head snapped back painfully. But Blight wasn't finished. He reached out with his arms and gripped the ground and spun his legs around at super sonic speeds. A green aura erupted around them as they slammed not once, not twice, but an innumerable amount of times into Vegeta's small body. Vegeta cried out in agony as he felt his body become reduced to jelly as the kicks slammed into his body faster and harder than even his super saiyan form could withstand. After a several seconds of brutal punishment, that even had the more hardened viewers wince in agony, Vegeta was freed from the whirlwind of kicks and sent spiraling through the air before landing with several of his limbs pointing in odd directions, like his left arm wrapped around his body. That was definitely unnatural. Neither was the way that his legs seemed to make three 360 degree twists before ending at his feet. That was definitely not a built in feature. It also probably wasn't too healthy for ones body to act like a blood filled sprinkler system.
Despite the obviously painful position Vegeta was in Blight had been careful, none of the vital organs had been seriously damaged. All of the damage had been done to the superficial things, like the limbs.
"H-How did I l-loose..." Vegeta coughed out as Blight kneeled down beside him.
"Because you didn't analyze the situation. The solution to victory would have come if you had simply used a little more brain and a little less brawn. Not everything can be won using sheer strength." Blight said softly.
"But... how could... you... see me..." He coughed.
"I may not be able to see your physical form, but I can see life energy. I know you and your friends are capable of sensing it, but I can see it. You and the others, all glow gold. While everyone else is green and the gods are blue. The brighter you glow, the stronger you are. And everything here has at least a little life force. I may not be able to textures, but I can see everything else." He replied.
"Heh..." Vegeta laughed for a moment before he started coughing, "Thank you..." He whispered as his eyes closed.
"Just wanted to save you from the same fate that...." He stopped, Vegeta was already unconscious.
"AND THAT'S IT! Blight moves on to the quarter-finals where he'll be facing that young mans companion, Bardock. Will we see a match just like the one we just witnessed or something else entirely?" The announcer roared out with happiness and more than a little relived.
The clerics converged on Vegeta and slowly lifted him up with magic and gently carried him off the field as they tended to his injures.
"Well... That was certainly interesting." Gohan said as he watched Vegeta get carted off the field.
"Yes, yes it was. Thankfully both Karreth and Bardock are more calm than Vegeta, although Karreth not by very much. But with the gods watching closely now I don't suspect we'll have to interfere again." Trunks replied.
"Yes, I know; I just want to enjoy this tournament." He replied.
There weren't very many fights left, and Karreth still had one left to fight in the quarter-finals. But those fights... are for another chapter.
To be continued...
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A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter, little longer than I wanted. Wanted to fit in all 3 but I only got 1. Ah well the next two will be in the next chapter. It's about half the size of the other, so it came out much more quickly. I accidentally started and finished this chapter so consider it as an early chapter because I really didn't expect to even start it until December.
A/N: Mangonels are larger versions of catapults. They generally toss half-ton boulders as opposed to the usual 100 pound or so.
A/N: Blight, his name, isn't what it sounds like. Split it in half, at the 'i', and try to form two words from it. Hehe, understand? Need a hint, think to a special characteristic of Blight. Also, he's not invulnerable; in fact he has one major weakness. The weakness is there, and I have shown it, just not in plain words.