Although their GI was slightly different and seriously battered, it was still recognizable to me. The orange GI he wore was iconic, as was the blue body suit and the white-chest armor the prince was associated with. The symbol they had on their chest wasn't the one from Whis. No, it looked like an infinity symbol.
Either way, these two were the Saiyans that symbolized the peak that a Saiyan could train towards with the pure will and grit to go to lengths no other Saiyan had before them. Considering their appearance, it must be from somewhere after Dragon Ball Super, or perhaps another timeline?
I wondered how strong these two were, especially considering that I could feel pressure from the two even though their life force was almost non-existent, or did they use divine ki...?
As the thought arose, I could sense their divine ki somewhat, but like their normal ki, it was hidden, too hard to detect. Although their ki was almost unnoticeable, I could feel it. The threat to my life. As I probed them with my ki sense, Vegeta rose an eyebrow at me before snorting. Did he detect me sensing their strength?
... No wonder I previously felt threatened by their pitiful life force. Their strength had probably gone beyond something easily detectable as life force. It was my instincts telling me I was in the presence of greatness.
Just them gazing at me this intently, without even flexing their strength at me, made me realize the gap between us. Their strength had probably reached multiversal levels. At the very least. They were most likely even stronger. There was no doubt in my mind that they could slap me to death if they wanted to.
Perhaps it was a bad move considering the thin ice I was on with the Justice League, but I couldn't help it any longer. I stepped forward with my fist clenched as I walked past Superman and Wonder Woman.
I didn't know what it was, but my focus was razor sharp as I looked at the two and the closer I got, the higher the pressure became. Even the Justice League was able to recognize the two's strength as they shouted some warnings at me, telling me to stop advancing toward the two Saiyans. However, the warnings I got from them were pushed to the back of my mind as I stared at them.
They intensely watched my approach before I stood just two arm-lengths away from them. We glared at each other and I could feel the tension in my body like it knew I stood in front of two beasts. It was when we stood directly in front of each other, when I watched them both, that I imagined myself clashing against them. My blood was boiling and I could feel certain muscles contract instinctively in a way that allowed me to punch as quickly as possible.
The two's muscles contracted in response, dodging the punch or blocking it while standing still. Then ki build up in certain parts of my body and they reacted instantly to this action as well. My ki aura rose out of my body and theirs' rose in response, clashing against each other almost immediately. Two sides of ki flames fighting each other for dominance.
We didn't exchange any words, and we didn't move at all, but I could see it. I developed tunnel vision as I immersed myself at this moment. An expanse of darkness surrounded us as they stood side-by-side in front of me. It was then that our battle started. I jumped at them and they fearlessly welcomed me.
My fist flew over Kakarot's head. He twisted low to the ground, only for him to deliver a heel to my face out of a blind spot. My head buzzed as the view changed. I spun around with momentum, only to clash against Vegeta. He blocked the punch with his forearm. Unbothered by my strength. He only returned the attack tenfold.
My sternum felt like it was about to collapse. I was immediately sent flying, skipping over the ground. However, there was no time spent on thinking. I just moved. I got up and directly charged at the two waiting for me as they watched me like they were judging my worth as a warrior.
The speed I traveled at could be called instantaneously, but they still reacted with ease to my arrival. My attacks were fast and precise. Each punch was easily able to obliterate any planet it landed on. However, my power seemed to be a joke.
I would like to say we fought, but we didn't. I charged at them only to be beaten without mercy. In a single exchange, they would completely dismantle me, my style, and all my techniques.
However, I stood up each time, charging at them, trying to fight them head-on, as a warrior, as their equal. This continued for a while until Vegeta had enough of this farce. His aura changed. It didn't get stronger, but more violent. Explosive. Fast and precise.
A hook to my jaw burst it into smithereens. My world spun as I fell to the ground. Kakarot watched from the side, battle-ready, earnest, judging, anticipating as I collapsed. I could tell from this punch alone I would die if another punch like that landed in a vital area.
A familiar prideful strength empowered me, allowing me to stand up again, to fight again. Vegeta tsked and Kakarot only rose an eyebrow. They hardly looked surprised. They just responded in kind. Their ki changed. Growing stronger until it, too, turned golden.
With my revived strength, I clashed against Vegeta again. A powerful punch that could obliterate stars was blocked with ease, just like before. Pushed aside with a backhanded slap. He stepped into my guard. A simple One-Two combination in my face sent me stumbling backward. It left me hazy and disorientated.
I shook my head, but the dizziness remained. I needed to heal! Or I will die! My thoughts quieted and my instinct to survive slowly took over. With a jump, I dodged Kakarot's stomp. I backed away as fast as I could as I was pursued by the two. They didn't take turns or gave me a breather. They attacked me at the same time.
It was shameful to say, but I was retreating to save my life. Fleeing with my tail between my legs. It was when I almost lost my head did the situation change. Only when a kick scraped against my nose did something click. I felt my ki responding to my need to heal.
Something I had worked on for quite some time, now resolved centimeters away from my perceived death. My senses grew sharp as the dizziness disappeared and my movements were flowing smoothly again. Without hesitation, I jumped at the two again.
The beatdown turned into a blur of punches, kicks, and even ki blasts, but I could continue to resist. Even when they tag-teamed me, I tried to retaliate. My wounds healed as they broke me apart with each hit they landed.
A ruthless and painful experience. However, I gained insight into how much they outclassed me and how much they differed in their style. Kakarot's movements could only be described as elegant and ingenious. The way he moved was an art, unpredictable, ever-changing, perfect for the situation, and, most importantly, untouchable.
I couldn't even touch a hair, as he dodged my attacks with ease and he punished me severely for every attempt. It didn't stop there. He found gaps in my defenses that I didn't know I had. Despite the brutal beatdown, it still felt like he was playing. It was an elaborate and elegant play as he continued to push every area of skill I had.
I quickly realized that I wouldn't get far if I continued this way, so I changed tactics. Using everything, I had to get an edge. Elaborate ki minefields, shooting ki beams from the mouth or eyes, ki swords, you name it. I got creative with it, trying to outplay him, but everything I threw at him was countered.
He used my techniques against me, making them better, and finding new ways to strengthen their effectiveness. He was better at the things I trained with a glance. A monster. A talented monster that could do everything better than I could.
Vegeta, on the other hand, was direct, straightforward, and deadly. Straight punches, hooks, kicks. Textbook perfect, precise, and absolutely overwhelming. The power behind his attacks was not easily defendable, even if I could have seen them coming. Where Kakarot found gaps in my defenses, Vegeta broke them down. He shattered everything I put up against him.
When I tried to match him in strength, I instantly knew it was a lost cause. Our fists clashed, but my knuckles broke before my forearm splintered. When I kicked at his head, my shin broke at the impact of his elbow block. Despite the seeming difference, I could sense they were using the same amount of strength.
They were matching my ki's strength. Yet I still lost in every exchange. Where my power dispersed to the side, theirs' drove right into my hand and arm, into my body, tearing apart the muscles and shattering the bones underneath.
At first, I got technical with Vegeta, responding to his hook with a weave underneath it, only to realize it was a faint and be punished for it. He was a way better technical fighter, and that was a bitter pill to swallow.
In my past life, I had conquered a prison as a human and fought against dozens with my fists alone. As a Saiyan, I trained from the greatest human fighter, Lady Shiva, and observed the likes of Batman and Wonder Woman. I learned their styles and with every insight, I improved my combat skills. I honed and used them to clash against ancient foes like Darkseid and Trigon, only to come out on top.
However, these two were better at everything I threw at them. They knew everything I knew and could replicate anything I could throw at them. It was clear they were in this game for far longer and they, too, were Saiyans. We were natural experts with ki, and those two were the Crème de la crème.
When I realized I couldn't match them with their own expertise, I changed tactics. Using elaborate ki attacks to fight against the direct Vegeta, trying to get technical and overwhelming with the untouchable Kakarot.
A foolish plan as the two agreed. Vegeta snorted and beat me more viciously than before. Showing me my error through inflicted pain. They had fought against each other, after all. How could they lose against someone that was worse than their rival?
It wasn't just Vegeta that got more vicious, but Kakarot too, just differently. Mocking. Riling. More playful. Words to distract me, to break down my psyche. At that point, the battle wasn't only brutal, but insulting, too.
One of them was already beating me to a bloody pulp, but together, they were slaughtering me. A pure massacre, both mentally as well as physically, caused by the two greatest warriors with perfect synergy. I was already pushing my limits, but it wasn't enough. However, this was what I had asked for.
After all, I had challenged them at the same time.
The greatest warriors and I wanted to take them both head-on. The height of foolishness rarely seen, and it was reflected in our fight. I wasn't sure how many times I had fallen to the ground, but I continued to get up. Healed with my ki, I tried again and again. However, there was this creeping feeling of helplessness.
Something I had experienced before. It felt like I was back in prison where all my accumulated strength had been useless, with only death welcoming me at the end. Or when I clashed against Trigon and everything just bounced off of him, only to have survived because Raven was there to pick up my slack.
I hated that feeling. Perhaps that was why I had gone out of my way to kill all those demons in Hell in the other universe. The gains had been marginal, and despite this, I had spent hours accompanying Raven there. I reveled in the fact I could crush them. To feel vastly superior, but that feeling wasn't the same as the one someone would feel when defeating a stronger foe. After all, it was boring to crush them if there was no struggle beforehand.
I wanted to overcome every enemy I encountered. I wanted to earn the right to crush them. So, despite being unable to fight back against these two, I continued to stand up again with a wave of primal anger rising at this helpless situation.
At least, until Vegeta spoke up. "Is this all you amount to? You aren't worth my time." He said before raising his arm to point his palm at me. A ki blast was created and Kakarot, who had watched him, wordlessly imitated his movement.
They fired a merged attack, and I caught it with my hands. The momentum was clearly too much, and I slipped over the ground until I almost took a knee. I went to my limits, but I could feel the combined ki blast slowly overwhelming me. This would be the end. I would lose miserably. My pride in my skills was completely shattered by the sheer gap they had shown me.
My pitiful pride was smoldering as I still believed I could overcome anything before anger surrounded the little golden flame in my heart. A primal wrath showed its face. Something I had witnessed during my fight against Trigon and Darkseid. Back then, it was just a brief burst that almost ruined my body afterward. It revealed itself again.
My golden ki spread out of my core and dragged the power of Ikari with it to empower me beyond my limits. Something I knew would only last for a couple of minutes. Just as I was about to push away the combined ki blast of the two opposing Super Saiyans, the pressure suddenly increased several folds. Of course, they could sense me getting stronger!
Despite the massive leap in power, I was forced into a corner once more. Desperate, I pulled out more strength, more power. Forcefully combining my two ki sources into a united front.
I needed more!
I dug further and deeper than I would have ever dared to and in the process; the power grew more erratic. Destructive. An uncontrollable force.
It ripped apart my body's insides, but it was still not enough! The blast was strengthened again and pushed me away. I couldn't stop it! So, I raised my strength far beyond what my body could handle. The sheer weight of the ki ripped me apart. Simultaneously, I forced it to heal at the same time.
My body broke down and healed simultaneously. A temporary balance was created. And for a moment, I could hold the blast at bay. I grew stronger with every minute, but I still couldn't push back! A balance outside had been established, resembling the balance inside my body.
I wasn't sure what happened afterward, but the ki of Ikari, Super Saiyan, and my will to heal forcefully meshed. Mixed together to create something new. They grew indistinguishable from one another. Turning into a singular power. My body stopped breaking down. It just absorbed the new power. My strength soared continuously to the point it felt like it was overflowing.
Filled with unbelievable power, my body continuously grew stronger. I pulled one hand away from the blast and turned it in the fist before I slammed the blast upward with an uppercut. The blast deformed before its trajectory changed and blew up in the sky of this blackness, illuminating it with an explosion that could wipe out entire solar systems with ridiculous ease.
I ignored all this as my mind was filled with just the will to crush them, so I just jumped at them again. A fist slammed into the crossed arms of Kakarot. The first time he had been forced to block my attack. Not to mention, reveling in the accomplishment, I didn't register it as one. Suddenly, my view tilted to the side. A flying kick by Vegeta had tilted my head.
I used the momentum to turn and try to backhand him, only for him to dodge out of the way. The first dodge by him. I could feel it. I was getting closer. They had been earnest before, but they clearly hadn't seen me as a threat. Now, they took me seriously.
Once more, we clashed. I discarded the too-complicated ki attacks and my close combat turned more violent. Taking a hit to return it a hundredfold. Relying upon my overflowing ki to block all lethal damage or heal any injuries. My style grew more overwhelming and more daring as my mind was only occupied with one thing. To fight!
The two Saiyans grew more careful, especially once I traded heavy blows to return even the simplest hit. Tanking a ki-sword to the chest was worth it if only I could hit my opponent in the face.
Oh, I could still feel that they were holding back. They were still only matching me in strength, but I didn't spend any effort on thinking about it. The only thing in my eyes and in my mind were these two and how I could crush them.
However, it wasn't enough. Not by a long shot. My strength was soaring, but they had more than enough to spare and continued to match me with ease. The sudden bursts had initially taken them off-guard, but after the first few times, they predicted my increase to gain an upper hand once more.
It wasn't until I learned to imitate their ki control I bridged the gap. My fist flew and crashed against Vegeta's. Our fists clashed, and no one gained supremacy. The force didn't create a shockwave and my arm didn't feel like breaking. Our attacks had perfectly canceled each other out. I turned around and raised my leg. I successfully blocked Kakarot's kick.
The two started smiling. Kakarot jumped backward and Vegeta side-stepped my punch. His aura suddenly shot up to a degree where I couldn't sense it any longer. It seemed like I took it to where they wanted to take it up a notch.
Super Saiyan God.
Vegeta's fist encapsulated in a red aura slammed into my stomach and sent me flying for a few meters. I stopped in the air. It was still not enough. So, pulled out everything I got. My ki burst out of my body. My aura rose into the sky like a pillar, trying to illuminate the darkness before my fist shot out with all the ki I could gather. Vegeta was approaching, and I went for this moment.
Fearlessly, and with a smirk on his face, he met my fist. Our auras clashed at our contact, intertwining and trying to suppress the other. My green aura against his red. Too occupied with Vegeta, I couldn't react when a red-encased Kakarot suddenly appeared in my vision. A kick to my face sent me stumbling a few feet backward.
My mind was buzzing. It was but a moment of negligence. However, it was a gap that these two wouldn't ignore. Not at this point in the fight. They attacked me together and thrashed me, not unlike the beginning of the fight.
The only difference, they didn't play around anymore. They dodged to avoid damage and attacked to kill. There was nothing more about it. I continued to grow both in skill and might, but it wasn't long before I became fatigued.
It was abrupt. Every cell in my body, telling me. This was it. I couldn't keep up. No more.
My strength stopped increasing rapidly, and my retaliations grew fewer. They grew accustomed to my strength, to my fighting style, and continued to beat the ever-living shit out of me. My mind was already on the verge of collapsing with all the hits I took to the face.
They suddenly stopped hitting me, only for me to realize that Vegeta stood in front of me with his arm cocked. A majestic blue aura surrounded him before his arm shot out like a bullet, directly piercing my chest. As quickly as it shot out, his arm retracted. The many hits to the head left me dizzy, but I knew I looked at my heart when I saw it in his hands before he crushed it.
The sight of my sudden death snapped me back to the moment. I spat out some blood, looking down at my body. Fortunately, I didn't see a gaping hole in my chest. The only thing I saw was that I stood inside a larger crater of the floor in the meeting room of the watchtower.
My mind turned as I remembered what had happened. I had challenged them to an image fight, and the two accepted. I turned to look at Kakarot and Vegeta, who were looking at me in surprise.
"I didn't expect that," Vegeta said as he crossed his arms.
"Yeah, truly impressive. To combine a healing factor, Ikari, and Super Saiyan. Really, a brilliant idea." Kakarot praised with some admiration in his eyes.
"Brilliant? Hmph. More like suicidal. He's lucky he didn't die with that move."
"Oh, come one Vegeta. Wasn't like we expected that! Here I thought we were helping to polish his style and ki control-" Goku defended before Vegeta interrupted him.
Now with a smirk, he looked at me. "-Instead, we also helped him create this... an artificial Legendary Super Saiyan? Not bad."
Truthfully, I was a bit stunned, especially as I felt the ki in my body. It was like they said. Although I had reached a bottleneck for the moment, I achieved something I didn't think was possible. Of course, there were some fantasies where I mixed Ikari and Super Saiyan without a problem, but I knew it was impossible at one point.
The combination had wrecked my body every time I used it with no sign of the destructiveness lessening. In fact, it was getting worse as my power increased. Yet, here I was, having created a 'new' transformation. A combination of Ikari and Super Saiyan, turning it into something akin to what the Legendary Super Saiyan used.
It came without the obscenely large muscles, though I increased a bit in size like Super Vegeta during the Cell Games. It looked more like the version of Kale's controlled Legendary Super Saiyan state. When I thought to this point, I fell out of the state. The sudden growth of my strength was too straining for my body and despite being healed, it was drained for now. I needed some rest before I could continue to push myself.
Although we just stood there, the image training couldn't be any more real for my body. It reacted as if I was fighting for my death right now, causing it to turn into overdrive. With pure instincts and the accumulation of my past training, ideas, and experience, I was able to break through my limits just like that.
I truly didn't expect this to happen when I returned from the other universe. Just a moment ago, I was happy about the prospect of turning Super Saiyan 2, but now, after meeting these two legends, I had turned into a literal legend myself.
Just as Vegeta had said, I had unexpectedly turned into an artificial Legendary Super Saiyan!
However, I still wasn't satisfied. Perhaps it was just my greed since I had just jumped a few levels, but the increase wasn't high enough. Although the two had fought against me as gods and Vegeta finished me with Super Saiyan Blue, they didn't need to do that.
No, I could sense it. Their ki was like a dark ocean, its depth unknown. They could probably beat me as regular Super Saiyans even if I went to my limits again. Perhaps, they could even do it in their base form.
It was then that I noticed a small alien woman pointing her palms at me before she lowered them after seeing me fall out of my state. "Are you three crazy?! You almost destroyed this universe! You two! What would you do if we attracted their attention again?! Idiot Saiyans!"
Vegeta clicked his tongue, annoyed at the woman's antics, while Kakarot scratched the back of his head as he laughed, slightly embarrassed at the turn of events. "Chronoa. We didn't mean to. Besides, nothing happened. Hahaha-"
"Yeah, idiot, because I separated him from time and space! What would you have done if I had arrived late?!" Chronoa stomped her leg.
As their little back and forth continued, I realized I was in the center of the crater on the floor, while Kakarot and Vegeta destroyed nothing around them. It seemed like the exchange just now was just this uncontrollable for me.
There was also another thing that came to mind when I heard this female's name and based her appearance on what I remembered. Chronoa. She was from the Xenoverse games. I didn't play much about these games, so my knowledge was limited, though I knew some concerning facts.
My mind was searching for detailed information about the Xenoverse games, but as far as I remembered, they were mostly recaps of what happened in Z and Super. However, the reason for that was explained in lore as well. The antagonists of these games... Towa, Mira, Demigra, and Fu. Considering how battered up Kakarot and Vegeta looked, meant that they fought something in the power ranges of those villains.
Even after achieving this new state, I doubted I could do much against those, especially Demigra and Fu. If I wasn't wrong, didn't Demigra's power threaten all infinite timelines of all of existence?
The power levels from the games were truly exaggerated. All the characters in the games were exceedingly powerful. Even the base Saiyans could one-shot almost all the canonical characters as they all transcended time. I doubted I would stand a chance against someone that could exist beyond time and space itself and could probably one-shot Dragon Ball Super Zeno.
The time when Raven and I fell out of the wormhole had already made me realize how powerful time and space distortions could be. Me surviving that little stunt with almost all of my power back then was laughable to these guys. They probably could stand inside the same time storm and feel nothing of it. That was how powerful these guys were, and these two Saiyans standing in front of me belonged to that insanely powerful group.
Not to mention, Kakarot and Vegeta, but I wouldn't even stand a chance against Chronoa. The Supreme Kai of time, who could merge timelines and erase them with ease. Just her casually displacing me in space and time was enough to make me question what I could do against her.
My glance landed on the last member of this group. Bulma, and probably the only one I could go against, and she was a non-combatant human. That victory certainly wouldn't do anything for my pride. Quite the opposite, really. It was for that reason I wasn't satisfied with my gains today.
I have achieved legend status, yet it meant nothing to these guys. I was far from being their equal. Not yet.