~ Baby's Pov ~
.
.
.
Talmos' faint chuckle faded, replaced by a stern, cold gaze that sent a chill down my spine.
"You want me to call off the match?" he repeated, this time with no trace of amusement in his voice. "No, Michael. This isn't over."
Before I could react, his fist drove into my stomach like a battering ram.
"Gah—!" The wind was knocked out of me, my body folding under the sheer force of the blow.
"Strength isn't just about power," Talmos growled, his voice sharp and commanding. "It's about endurance. Resolve. The will to stand even when the odds are against you. And I don't see that in you yet."
His words barely registered as I staggered backward, clutching my abdomen. But he didn't give me a chance to recover. He was on me in an instant, his next blow connecting with my jaw.
CRACK!
I hit the floor hard, the impact rattling through my entire body. Pain shot through me like a lightning bolt, but there was no time to dwell on it. Talmos grabbed me by the collar, hauling me to my feet with an almost casual ease.
"You asked to stop the fight," he said, his voice dangerously low. "You don't get to quit just because you've hit your limit."
His knee slammed into my ribs, the force of it sending me flying. My back collided with one of the massive pillars, the stone shattering under the impact.
"Grhh—!" I groaned, trying to push myself up, but my body was refusing to cooperate with my demands...
Talmos didn't stop either. He advanced like a predator, each step heavy with purpose. "Is this all you have, Michael?" he demanded, his voice echoing through the ruined throne room. "This 'potential' of yours—it's meaningless if you can't use it!"
He grabbed me again, this time tossing me toward the massive double doors. I crashed through them, the splintering wood and metal sending a deafening crack through the air.
The next thing I knew, I was outside, lying sprawled in the middle of the palace courtyard.
The sun was blinding, the light harsh against my battered body. I tried to move, but everything ached. My vision blurred, the voices of onlookers faint in my ears.
"What's going on?" someone mumbled.
"Is that the guy the king's been talking about?" another whispered.
I struggled to push myself up, but a shadow fell over me.
"You're not done yet." Talmos said, his voice like a hammer.
Before I could react, his foot connected with my side, sending me skidding across the courtyard. The ground tore at my skin, and I tasted blood in my mouth.
"Get up, Michael!" Talmos roared. "Show me the strength you claim to have!"
But I couldn't. My body screamed in protest, every nerve alight with pain. The world spun around me as I lay there, struggling to catch my breath.
And then... it started.
A sharp, stabbing pain erupted in my head, spreading like wildfire. I clutched my temples, groaning as the pressure built.
"Nngh... What the... What is this?!" I gasped, my voice far rawer than I knew it to be.
The pain grew worse, like a dam breaking inside me. And with it came something else.
Rage.
.
.
.
This... It wasn't just anger—it was deeper, darker, and far more consuming. It burned through me like an endless inferno, drowning out everything else around me...
I slammed my fist into the ground, the stone cracking beneath it. My breaths were starting to become ragged with gasps... The pain and and the anger I was feeling wasn't normal, It felt like my head was about to literally pop-off... Both were feeding off each other in a vicious cycle...
I need to calm myself down... I breathed in slowly, but it was only getting worse. I felt bitter, I had to get him back for this...
"Damn! T-This feeling..." I cursed through gritted teeth. "I've never felt anything like this before... It's... It's just pure wrath!" A wrath I couldn't contain, I had to let it out.
I staggered to my feet, my vision tinted with red. The world around me was starting to blur, the jeering whispers of the crowd fading into useless noise. All I could see was him, Talmos.
His stood there, his arms crossed, watching me with that same infuriating calm. I didn't know why, but I wanted to seem him writhe and hurling in pain...
~ Omniscient Pov ~
.
.
.
Talmos' eyes narrowed as he observed the transformation taking place before him. Michael's power was climbing at an alarming rate—so fast it was hard to believe what he was sensing.
'His power practically tripled in an instant... No, it's still rising.' The king thought.
The Saiyan king's stance shifted slightly, his arms uncrossing as he began to take Michael's sudden outburst more seriously. He could see the younger Saiyan clutching his head, trembling as if in agony. But it wasn't weakness...
It was definitely something else.
The ground beneath Michael cracked and splintered, his aura flaring wildly as it expanded in sharp, jagged bursts. The air grew heavy with energy, an oppressive force that even Talmos could feel pressing against him... Not just that, he could see the Michael's veins bulging, his teeth, rather his canines had gotten slightly larger too...
'Is he is some sort of pseudo Oozaru state?' He thought about it, but it didn't exactly feel like it... Nor should it be possible.
Still, for the first time in years, the king felt a twinge of caution. He didn't move, but his posture shifted ever so slightly—subtle, but enough to tell the watching Saiyans that he was no longer dismissing Michael as an opponent...
Talmos planted his feet firmly, his expression calm but focused. The ground beneath Michael shattered further as his aura erupted violently, the energy swirling around him like a living storm.
"If you're done screaming," Talmos said, his voice steady, "Then show me what you can do with all that rage."
Michael didn't reply. With a burst of speed, he launched himself at Talmos, his movements wild but incredibly powerful. The force of his first strike sent a shockwave rippling through the arena as both their fists collided, Talmos blocking it with relative ease.
"You're quite strong..." Talmos admitted, shoving Michael back with a single hand. "But strength alone won't win you this fight."
Michael snarled, the veins in his neck bulging as he charged again. His attacks came faster, each one more ferocious than the last. Talmos deflected them with precision, but the effort was evident in his movements. With every clash, Michael's strikes grew sharper, his movements more refined.
He's adapting, Talmos thought, his brow furrowing slightly. This growth rate... It's insane. He's learning with every hit.
The longer they fought, the more apparent it became. Michael's blows began to push Talmos back—not by much, but enough to be noticeable. The king countered with swift, punishing strikes of his own, landing solid blows to Michael's ribs and shoulders. But even as Michael staggered, his power kept rising, his aura flaring brighter with each exchange.
"You're still too green," Talmos said, landing a crushing knee to Michael's stomach. The younger Saiyan doubled over, coughing up blood, but the king noticed something troubling: the fire in Michael's eyes didn't waver. If anything, it burned hotter.
Michael grinned through the pain, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. "Is that all you've got?"
Talmos growled under his breath, throwing Michael back with a powerful kick. The younger Saiyan skidded across the ground but caught himself, already back on his feet...
'This is getting dangerous...' Talmos thought briefly, a small bead of sweat forming on his brow... 'His power isn't just rising—it's adjusting. He's figuring me out.'
He clenched his fists, his own aura surging as he decided to end the fight. Michael might have been growing stronger, but Talmos still held the upper hand. And he wasn't about to let this escalate any further.
"Impressive." Talmos admitted, his voice carrying a hint of respect. "But you're not ready to face me—not yet."
Before Michael could even remotely respond, Talmos vanished from his sight, reappearing behind him in an instant, "Damn!" Michael barely turned in time to block, but the force of Talmos' blow sent him crashing into the ground, leaving a massive crater in his wake.
Talmos didn't even let up. He descended with relentless speed, delivering a flurry of devastating strikes that shook the earth. Michael tried to keep up, his movements growing faster and more precise, but the gap was still there.
"Stay down!" Talmos roared, channeling his full power into one final strike. His fist connected with Michael's chest, the sheer force creating a shockwave that rippled through the arena.
Michael's body went limp, his aura flickering before fading entirely. He collapsed into the rubble, unconscious but still breathing.
Talmos stood over him, his chest heaving as he surveyed the damage... The arena was in ruins, the ground torn apart by their battle... He glanced down at Michael, his expression unreadable.
"You've got potential..." Talmos muttered, almost to himself. "But you're still far from my level."
With that, the king turned and walked away, leaving the younger Saiyan sprawled in the crater. With his aura, eyes and body quickly returning to normal...
"Guards! Pick him up quickly, and put him in one of the enhanced healing pods, any longer and he might bleed out..." Talmos calmly returned back to his castle...
.
.
.
.
.
END