The Tournament Continues
Vyrian stared down the two Astackians as his aura dispersed after relaxing his body. He seemed calm and focus, as if his mind was completely cleared from any negative thoughts. He began taking steps forward, causing the two Astackians from universe 7 to stay on guard and hold their ground. Zugo could feel the sweat trickle down his neck from the mere anticipation of battle. The now inverted hair Astack waited for any sudden movement, hoping to see the first attack coming. After what seemed to be an eternity, Vyrian scrunched his eyebrows, alerting Zugo of his intent, "Here he comes!". After Zugo's warning, Vyrian charged at the two with speeds that made it seem as if he teleported. Hudo quickly crossed his arms and block the punch that was hurling his way, though the blow was more than he had anticipated since he pushed quite far from his previous position. Zugo didn't have time to stop Vyrian from chasing after his friend, in fact, The Lion of The Black Sun was already behind Hudo who was sliding across the ground. Hudo looked back with shock before he was delivered a powerful elbow in his spine, causing him to skip several times before crashing into a ice pillar that Zugo created in order to prevent him from falling out of bounce. Vyrian looked up with a blank expression at the ability that had just been displayed and mumbled to himself, "I see, so the white haired one apparently is able to manipulate the temperature of his surroundings to the point where it's freezing and enhance his creations with his own Ki. The fact he was able to create a large pillar out of nowhere was because he manipulated the moisture in the air as well.". Just as he said that, Vyrian felt his feet begin to sink a bit before realizing that the ground below him was turned to sand. He attempted to pull his leg out but struggled to do so before looking up at Zugo who was ready to strike him down. The universe 4 Astack merely smirked and applied more energy to his legs, so much that he dash right out of the quicksand and landed a devastating gut punch that would cause Zugo to keel over before getting rocketed away with a reverse roundhouse to the face. Zugo flipped himself over and touched the ground with his feet, creating a large wall of ice to stop himself. He tried to straighten himself up but that kick made him dazed a bit to where his vision went blurry but he could still see Vyrian standing between them.
"Damn, his speed is off the charts! He managed to get out of Hudo's quicksand that was composed of this stages durable rock with such ease," Zugo grumbled. Vyrian looked back at the quicksand and analyzed the substance.
"So the other one is a rare type of manipulation. He can change anything that is related to the ground, whether it's minerals or the strongest rock in existence, he can freely manipulate it to his liking. Impressive, universe 7," Vyrian noted to himself. 21, who was currently fight Ganos, was currently observing the fight from her peripherals. This sort of annoyed Ganos a bit and caused him to charge at her in anger.
"You shouldn't look away from your opponent! My teammate will take care of your's quickly!" Ganos roared. 21 turned around to continue her fight until she saw Kuzuku come out of nowhere and kick Ganos through several rocks.
"Miss me?" Kuzuku teased, earning him a playful laugh from his wife.
"What type of question is that? I always will miss you," 21 replied. Kuzuku chuckled a bit before suddenly turning serious after catching a glimpse of the power he sensed. He looked over at Vyrian and couldn't help but feel the urge to fight him but he knew Zugo wouldn't have wanted that. Speaking of said Astack, Zugo dashed back into the area and stopped just several feet towards Vyrian. Hudo soon followed suite as he stood from the opposite side. The two nodded at each other before dashing straight at Vyrian with immense speeds. Vyrian looked both ways before making his move. He was ready to dash straight at Hudo until he felt his foot slip against the ground, shocking him and causing him to panic a little. With little time to think, all he could do was block the two punches before he felt a foot from each Astack implant themselves firming in his gut, sending him flying a bit. Vyrian flipped himself onto his feet and examined the ground below him. He realized it was completely frozen with ice.
Vyrian scrunched his eyebrows at his predicament, "So they limited my speed output by freezing the ground.". After that thought had passed, Vyrian was immediately put on the defensive as Hudo went in with a onslaught of punches that pushed him back step by step. He couldn't fight back due to the ground restricting him from his usual speeds, leaving him to eventually be kicked in the gut. He winced in pain before getting a punch across his face and chest. Hudo felt he had the momentum as he kicked Vyrian to the special spot that they planned to finish him off at. As soon as Vyrian stopped himself, he was prepared to counterattack until he felt himself become completely restraint. He look around to see several spikes of ice surround his arms and legs. He glanced over at Zugo who was smirking slyly at him before hearing him say, "NOW, FINISH HUDO!". With that said, Hudo dash at him at full speed by creating a more non-slippery surface beneath him and raised his fist in the air, generating a dark green spiral of energy in his hand. Hudo watched as Vyrian expression was hidden by his bangs, as though he has given up on this fight.
"Tch, VORTEX RAVE!" Hudo roared as he was near approaching his target. He was ready to strike until he sensed something...heat up. The air around him seemed to have grown hotter and hotter by the second. He was confused as to what was happening. Was it someone from his team coming to his aid? Or was someone from another universe trying to kill two birds with one stone? The answer was neither as Zugo heard Vyrian speak after seeing him reveal his expression.
"I must admit, you two are unique. I've never really trained in my life and was born with this absurd strength. Not once I had to use my ability in battle...until now," Vyrian praised, scorching hot fire that was a more darker color close to brown began to surround him. The ice that was restricting him was beginning to melt away along with the frozen floor beneath them. The answer was simple, if Hudo can manipulate any ground based substance and Zugo can manipulate ice and the temperature in the air to freezing, then Vyrian is what someone could say a direct counter to Zugo.
"He can manipulate heat! HUDO GET OUT OF THERE!" Zugo panicked but was too late.
"Now, be punished by my brilliant, apocalyptic hellfire, Black Flare!" Vyrian roared, signaling for his attack to ignite. Hudo crossed his arms to defend as a brownish flame erupted and melted the ground beneath them before bursting into a eruption of heat. The Arena shook from the force of the attack as Hudo was somewhat engulfed by the explosion before is settle down. The Omni King let out an exciting squeal as Beerus was worried for his fighter's well being. Zugo could only look at the large pillar of smoke that was created. He waited for a sign, something that would reveal Hudo's status. Then suddenly, a figure flew out of the smoke and revealed itself to be a scorching hot Hudo with burn marks on his arms. He crashed into a ice wall before falling onto his feet. He seemed to be gasping for air as Zugo came to his aid.
"Hudo, are you alright?" Zugo concerned.
Hudo didn't respond and merely watched the universe 4 Astackian walk out of the smoke. His glove seemed heated as he looked menacing as he walked. Hudo couldn't believe he survived that attack, even going as far to say it was one of the strongest attacks he's taken, "Yeah, I'm fine but we better be on our...ugh!...toes.". Hudo tried to stand up, his legs wobbling from the strain he was putting on them. He managed to put somewhat of a guard up and catch his breath. Zugo glared at Vyrian who was waiting for their next move and gave him a snarl. In a mere instant, Zugo transformed quickly into Solus, shocking Vyrian a bit.
"Another transformation? How odd? He must be...," Vyrian awed with interest. Hudo looked over at his friend, questioning his intentions a bit as he knew that form was his best trump card. Despite gaining true mastery over the form, Zugo still loses stamina with each use, thus making it quite risky.
Universe 7's audience were now intently watching this fight unfold, especially Beerus who was a bit anxious, "Tch, that universe 4 fighter is definitely someone we must eliminate early. I didn't think that little rat over there could have such a strong fighter on their team".
"What'd you say, Beerus? I think I can hear you whimpering with your tail caught between your legs!" Quitela mocked.
"Nobody was talking to you so shut up!" Beerus shouted before turning his attention back to the fight. Zugo slide his feet forward, waiting for the perfect time to strike. Hudo was ready to follow up with support as they take on Vyrian in this two versus one situation. The anticipation in the air grew thicker and thicker by the second until Vyrian noticed something was off. Instantly, he turned around and extended his heated hand out to melt the ice shards that were hurling at him. Steam clouded the area and blocked his vision but he could hear his two opponents charging at him by the sound of their footsteps. Vyrian stayed calm and searched aimlessly for the first one to strike until he sensed one of them approaching from behind. The universe 4 Astack quickly turned around to strike whoever he sensed down, only to find out that it was nothing more but a pillar of rock that he so happened to melt with a touch. His eyes widened before he felt a punch across the face. He stumbled a little and searched relentlessly for whoever struck him, only to see nothing was there. Not too long after, another blow to the black nearly made him lunge over before feeling a uppercut to the chin.
Vyrian rubbed his chin as he caught on to their plan, "Using the smoke to hide your visual presence while distorting my senses with your creation that are enhanced by your Ki...clever, very clever. However..." . Vyrian crossed his arms with his palms open and focused for a moment. Zugo and Hudo who were constantly moving around in the smoke, came to be curious as to what he was planning. Vyrian smirked before muttering, "Flickering Sol Bombs!".
Zugo's couldn't help but wonder what he said until he saw sparks began to flicker. His eyes widened as those weren't ordinary sparks. They were caused by Vyrian Ki and the fact they were becoming more rapid could only mean...
"Damn it, jump bac...!" Zugo couldn't finish his sentence various yet sudden explosions spontaneously happen all at once before blow the two Astacks away. Zugo became slightly damaged as he leaped out of the smoke but Hudo was seen tumble across the ground, gaining scrapes all over his body before coming to a complete stop at the edge of the ring. Zugo panicked and tried to fly over to his friend's side but was quickly kicked down by Vyrian who flushed them out. Zugo grunted a bit before flipping himself up right to land on his feet. He quickly blocked the follow up punch that was sent his way, the shockwaves causing the ground to break beneath them as bio-electricity raged around. The two stared each other down before breaking out into a clash of blows. Zugo managed to duck under a punch and slip in a right hook to the face before jumping in the air to land a roundhouse kick to the head. Vyrian stumbled back a bit before getting a barrage of punches. Vyrian gritted his teeth, tripping and disrupting Zugo's balance with a low sweep. The universe 7 Astack couldn't help but mumble a curse as his feet slid way to the side. He looked up to see a punch coming straight for him and ducked right under it before delivering a high knee to the chin off of just leaping off one foot. Zugo smirked as he was gaining the upper hand and kicked Vyrian in the cheek, rocketing him away. The lion-like Astack didn't give in though and stopped himself by using his claw like hands against the ground.
"That form...it contains way more power than what I am used to," Vyrian muttered.
Zugo relaxed his muscles through inhaling and exhaling deeply, "So far, so good. Despite him being born with tremendous power, my Solus form is still far stronger than his current strength."
"Tell me, that must be your final stage isn't it? How did you achieve it?" Vyrian asked.
Zugo looked curiously at his sudden demeanor change, "So you know about this state as well? Why do you want to know?"
"I will tell you if you would explain yourself first," Vyrian immediately replied. Zugo was starting to become suspicious. He seemed to be a rather knowledgeable man, learning to counter their abilities and seeing through their combo attacks.
"I achieved it a while back, almost a year ago. I had to overcome some rough times and this form was the result of my success," Zugo said.
Vyrian smirked, "I see, so you are the one.". Zugo raised an eyebrow from his comment. What could he possibly mean by that?
"How rude of me to not further explain that notation. You are the same as me. A Astackian that appears every ten thousand years for your universe. You just haven't noticed it yet," Vyrian said.
"The hell do you mean by that? I can't be as our power difference in stage 2 was too huge to be true," Zugo snapped. He hated being seemingly read like a book. He was agitated by how this guy speaks and how he acts.
Vyrian couldn't help but chuckle at his denial, "Why so uppity about it? Do you know that the form you are in now is only achievable by those type of Astackians? Didn't it occur to you that your final form was different from the others? You must of seen it before, yes someone close to you, right?". Zugo thought back to when his father showed him this state once. He's right, it was completely different, not in appearance but in Ki quality. Don't get him wrong, they were blood relatives like any father and son, but the potency of demonic Ki wasn't nearly as much as when he would transform.
"Our powers in stage 2 was only because you haven't reached complete maturity yet. In fact, compared to me, you are but a infant even in your final state," Vyrian added. Zugo was trying to process the information that he was given. He couldn't help but doubt his words but a thought came to mind. What would he get out of lying to him? It just didn't seem like his personality to do so from a first impression. Could he be right? Is he truly like...?
"Hmph, now that you've decided to calm yourself down, let us continue this fight from where we left off. I will show you all my true power!" Vyrian roared, unleashing his dark orange yet fiery Ki onto the stage. His hair changed into a more dark orange color but glowed brighter, as if it were on fire. His markings seemed to stretch over his eyes and all over his body as he bared his fangs. Zugo was pushed back by the mere pressure of his transformation, fathomed by the amount of power this guy had. With in a blink of an eye, Vyrian dashed passed Zugo before kick him in his back. Zugo cried out in pain as he felt his spine nearly shatter from the attack. He flipped himself upright until he found that Vyrian had already placed his hand on Zugo's stomach before blasting him away with an explosive Ki blast. The universe 4 Astackian's feet skidded across the ground until he was nearly out of bounce. He was breathing heavily, thankful that he was quick enough to freeze his abdominal area with ice before the blast hit. Vyrian didn't waste no time and proceeded in unleashing a unrelenting amount of punches at Zugo, forcing him to defend with every ounce of strength he has left.
"What's wrong? Have you've finally realized it yet? I can understand why that you would come to deny your own being, I mean, I've already came to give in and accepted that fate a long time ago," Vyrian said, still not letting up on his attacks. Zugo knew exactly what he was talking about but didn't want to say it himself.
Vyrian narrowed his eyes, getting even more serious, "It's because it would mean that the current 'you' is not the real you. We are more prone to eventually give way to our demonic heritage and give in to our evil side, leading us to possibly kill those around us. It's a frustrating fate, I know, but I came to give up and accept that as my true fate after some unsettling events,". Zugo felt his feet slide against the ground beneath him as he drew closer and closer to falling out until someone who was completely battered, kick Vyrian away and send him several feet backwards. Zugo felt himself collapse onto one knee to only see that Hudo was still standing but barely.
"Hudo...," Zugo mumbled, remembering what Vyrian said. Hudo looked back at his friend who was hiding his face with his elongated hair.
Hudo sighed before saying his little words of encouragement, "Zugo, I managed to eavesdrop on most of what he had just said. Tell me, did you at least knew about this sooner or did you actually just found out about yourself today?". Zugo's in-immediate reply already sold him out.
"I guess I got my answer...Zugo. Don't stress yourself about what may come in the future, in matter of fact you shouldn't be worried at all!" Hudo chirped, gaining a surprise reaction from the Astackian behind him.
Hudo chuckled a bit from his reaction and smiled, "Just think about it! You've come a long way from the day you were born! You've become my best friend and made many more allies along the way! Will all that really change because of something such as giving into the darker side of our race? I think we're past that part, right? You are you and your desires will remain unchanged changed unless you want them to change! What are your desires?". Zugo thought for a moment before forming a smile. He got back up on his feet and walked next to his friend and gave him a playful smack on the back of the head.
"Ow, still hurting you know? You didn't have to hit me!" Hudo complained.
Zugo looked forward, his gaze unwavering with determination, "You asked what are my desires? Well, let this be one for now. Let's take this guy down!". Hudo nodded and got into a stance, ready to go back at his foe once more. The two roared with all their might, charging at Vyrian with tremendous speeds. The universe 4 Astackian was on guard the whole time as he watched them pincer attack him from both sides. He quickly caught their fists that generated enough force to create a crater below him. Zugo retracted his fist and went in for a low sweep at Vyrian's leg, effectively tripping him to lose his balance. Vyrian quickly stopped himself with one arm but wasn't fast enough to block the pillar of rock that shot up out of the ground. As soon as it slammed into his gut, he was sent hurling into the sky until Zugo came from above and kicked him straight to the ground. Vyrian hissed before flipping himself up right, only to see that Zugo was going right back at him. He prepared his Black Flare in the palm of his hands but as soon as he was about to strike, Hudo came in to kick his arm away. He cursed under his breath as he watched Hudo smugly look at him before Zugo punched him hard in the face. Vyrian was stunned for a moment before he received another kick to his gut that sent him flying towards almost to the slightest edge.
Vyrian clutched his gut as he coughed up some blood, "Are they getting stronger? Zugo, he seems to be maturing faster than I anticipated. I have to end this now...". As soon as finished that thought, the ground below him began to crumble before shattering into pieces. He looked straight into the void and back at Hudo who was smirking at him.
"You think this is another to beat me!" Vyrian roared, using Black Flare with one arm to keep him levitated. However, above him was none other than Zugo who had already prepared a energy blast to finish him off.
"NEBULA BURST!" Zugo shouted, firing his dark blue energy wave at Vyrian. The universe 4 Astackian quickly blocked the blow with his free arm by using Black Flare again. Zugo was pushing with just about everything he's got but Vyrian was pushing harder than Zugo, so much so that he was even pushing the wave back towards Zugo. Vyrian smirked as he still had the power advantage until...
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Hudo roared, dashing right at Vyrian and scaring him a bit. His fist was swirling around with green energy with bio-electricity, signaling that he was going to use Vortex Rave to deliver the finishing blow. With no other options, Vyrian had no choice but to tank the punch to the gut, their aura raging all around as all three of them were giving it their all. Hudo knew what he had to do and force himself pass his limits. He could feel his vain begin to pop as he let out a blood rushing scream. At last, Hudo manage to break through his defenses and push him straight out of bounce but he knew what the consequences were. He couldn't help but smile and look back at Zugo who was bewildered by what he had just done. In order to take down universe 4's strongest fighter, he had to sacrifice himself for the team and face elimination. In a matter of seconds, Vyrian and Hudo were teleported back to their respective team pits in defeat.
"Universe 4, Vyrian and Universe 7, Hudo have been eliminated from the tournament!" Grand Priest announced while the Omni King registered them as eliminated. Hudo let out a sigh before clutching his thigh that ached in pain.
"Sorry, that was just about my limit there...," Hudo muttered before passing out from exhaustion. Beerus didn't say a word as even he had to admit that it was commendable effort in eliminating Vyrian. Quitela was secretly trying to not let his rage boil over from Vyrian defeat which was amusing to the cat. Kuzuku had just elbowed a fighter known as Zium towards 17 who easily fired a Ki blast that rocketed him out of bounce, eliminating him from the tournament. Kuzuku paused for a moment and looked a Zugo who seemed to be lost in his thoughts. The Saiyan heard the sound of 21 and 17 walking up to him, causing him to turn around.
"We should all keep moving," 17 said blatantly.
Kuzuku smirked and nodded, "Yeah, you're right. Let's continue giving it our all.". With that, Kuzuku scattered from his two allies and continued the fight for survival as a total of five minutes of the tournament of power had just passed and something tells him that things are only going to get more intense from here.
A/N: Sorry for the delay, was busy studying for my learners permit. Now we get a closer look at Astackian origins, and trust me, more will be revealed as the story goes on but I want to savour the mystery with this OC race I created ;). Btw, I finished the first part of Jiren vs Goku chapter and now moving onto UI-Omen Goku vs Jiren. I've decided to separate the two since I want the ending of the first part of round 1 to end with suspense.