Chương 54: Chapter 54 – Exploiting Said Weakness
~Moments Before: Gizard Wasteland ~
With a monstrous swing, Vegeta forcefully hurled Kakarot downward, sending him crashing through the entire vertical length of a rock pillar, one of many that dotted the landscape. Vegeta's triumphant laughter echoed after his dominating attack as he stooped down to clear away the debris with a single, massive finger.
Upon clearing the rubble, Vegeta spotted Kakarot, lying motionless on his back amongst the rubble. One of Kakarot's eyes was swollen tightly shut, and he breathed laboriously. Finally, Kakarot was lying vulnerable beneath him while he stood triumphant and victorious— exactly how it always should have been.
"Do you see the difference between us now, Kakarot?" Vegeta's sneer contorted his massive simian features as he savored the taste of his triumph. "You admonish me for fighting with those weaker than myself, yet you overlook the fact that you, too, fall into that category. Unlike what you might think, I face lesser opponents not out of insecurity or some need for self-affirmation. I do so to amass the strength necessary to kill specifically a single individual whose power surpasses my own."
Vegeta observed Kakarot struggling to rise amidst the rubble. With a glint of malevolence in his eyes, Vegeta parted his massive jaws and began to charge a powerful energy blast within. Somehow, despite the swirling energy in his mouth, his ability to speak remained unaffected.
"You were a traitor and a renegade, son of Bardock, but I shall bury you if there is anything left of you. So, stand proud, Kakarot. You were strong."
This would be the final show of respect Vegeta would afford Kakarot. Under different circumstances, at a different time, Kakarot might even have stood as his right-hand man. But Vegeta never cared much for hypotheticals. The energy ball within his mouth began to crackle with crimson electricity as he completed the charging of his devastating attack.
The tension heightened as Goku, still persistently attempting to evade the lethal attack, clenched his teeth, acutely aware that precious time was slipping away.
Just as Vegeta was about to unleash the devastating energy beam, an unexpected shift disrupted the anticipated course of events. A blurring figure, moving with incredible speed, dashed toward Vegeta's head.
Vegeta's instincts kicked into high gear as he detected an imminent threat, impelling him to swiftly turn his head towards the origin of the disturbance. In that critical moment, before Vegeta could completely turn his head, a flash of eye-piercing light engulfed the battlefield. Temporarily blinded, Vegeta instinctively released his energy beam haphazardly, stumbling backward in an attempt to regain his bearings.
As the luminance dimmed, the figure emerged, revealing himself to be, of course, Ajax. Having executed a well-timed Solar Flare, Ajax narrowly dodged Vegeta's indiscriminately fired, very girthy attack. Despite avoiding direct impact, the intense heat from Vegeta's Ki attack had scorched Ajax's chest, leaving him wincing.
Capitalizing on Vegeta's momentary disorientation, Ajax swiftly closed the distance between them and let loose a full-body flying punch that slammed into Vegeta's huge jaws.
"Pinpoint Impact!"
The collision sent shockwaves of displaced air in all directions, forming a dome of energy that rippled into the distance. Vegeta slid backward and then staggered under the formidable force of the blow. However, the force proved overwhelming, causing the Saiyan prince to lose his footing and crash onto his back. The sheer weight of his fall generated a small earthquake that can be felt throughout the wasteland.
Almost immediately, a Destructo Disc and a Special Beam Cannon streaked across the battlefield. The glowing disc of energy, razor-sharp and deadly, sliced through the air alongside the focused beam of energy.
Credit to Vegeta, he reacted with remarkable speed despite being caught off guard. Slapping both hands onto the ground, he harnessed the force to propel himself slightly into the air, just high enough for both the Destructo-Disk and the Special Beam Cannon to pass harmlessly beneath him. Demonstrating impressive dexterity, Vegeta proceeded to execute three front flips in mid-air before landing gracefully on his feet.
As Vegeta regained his footing, he scanned the battlefield, only to discover that Kakarot had already been whisked away by his brat. He growled in displeasure, irritated at both the unwarranted interference and the thievery of what should have been his rightful triumph over Kakarot. These insects are thwarting his plans! How dare they! He'll kill them!
"How dare you all meddle in this battle! This is between Kakarot and me! I shouldn't have expected anything from this wretched excuse for a planet!"
"Kamehameha!" Ajax literally could not have cared any less for Vegeta's grievances.
Vegeta raised a single hand to intercept Ajax's energy beam. The Kamehameha, a mere third of Vegeta's palm, ground itself almost harmlessly against his outstretched hand. With blurring speed, Vegeta forcefully slapped his hand against the energy beam with his full strength, almost as if it had not been there at all.
The colossal hand slammed into Ajax like Buddha had slapped Wukong. The strike sent Ajax careening backward with tremendous force, skidding and crashing across the battlefield through an uncountable number of rock pillars.
'Ajax!' Krillin's mental cry resonated in Ajax's mind.
Sent sprawling nearly halfway across the battlefield, Ajax found himself lying amidst the debris, feeling the sharp edges of the surrounding rubble pressing into his skin. Wow, how humbling. Right after a victory over Nappa, he had almost been sent to the brink of defeat with a single devastating blow, reminiscent of his disastrous "fight" with Raditz.
'I'm okay, I think.' he quickly relayed in the mental group chat. Best not to distract them with concerns about his well-being at this critical juncture.
He coughed wetly, tasting metal in his mouth. He had most likely broken a few ribs given how wet and labored his breathing sounded. It brought back memories of when he had just arrived, a young boy with a terminal disease, coughing his lungs out. But already, the pain was waning, thanks to his ability working furiously to adapt to the inflicted damage.
Despite the urge to just lie there, Ajax couldn't afford to stay down for too long. He raised his head from his position, taking note of Krillin and Piccolo strategically maintaining their distance while launching a barrage of ki blasts toward Vegeta. Gritting his teeth against pain, Ajax sat up and formed a sawblade of energy within his hands. With a determined grunt, he hurled the energy sawblade at his distant target.
"Trash! Pitiful attacks like these can't–!" Vegeta's taunt to Piccolo abruptly halted as he caught sight of Ajax out of the corner of his eye flinging a disc of energy directly upwards at the Power Ball in the sky.
The ki blade struck head-on with the Power Ball without any interference from Vegeta, but to the shock of everyone present, the attack passed through the bright ball as if it were a mere illusion.
"What the f*ck?" Ajax mumbled under his breath. This was uncharted territory, something canon had not provided any information on, and the unexpected outcome had surprised him just as much as it did the others.
"HA! Nice strategy, but you're not the first one to think of that, fool. We've taken that into consideration long ago," Vegeta declared smugly, laughing at their attempt. "It's physically permeable too, so it can't be punched away either. You can thank Kakarot's father for that!"
Ajax wasn't inclined to simply accept Vegeta's words at face value. Determined, he flew towards the Power Ball and directed a punch at the glowing sphere. To his dismay, his hand, followed by his entire body, passed through the Power Ball harmlessly. The intense light emanating from the sphere and the low hum it produced gave him a headache, but the Power Ball was indeed intangible.
Ajax descended from the Power Ball with a sour expression, feeling slightly frustrated. Vegeta laughing his head off some distance away was certainly of no help. Frowning, Ajax established a mental connection that encompassed everyone, Goku included.
'Well, I was wrong, that was not a weakness. Let's stick to the normal plan,' Ajax conveyed through the telepathic link. 'Piccolo, keep charging your Special Beam Cannon if possible. Krillin, focus on creating a distraction. I'll follow suit.'
Though no words were transmitted back, a wave of affirmation flowed through the mental link, assuring Ajax that his message had been received by everyone.
'Oh, and for the love of God, do everything in your power to avoid being hit by him. Ki beams are ineffective defenses, as you've seen from my example. I survived due to my ability, but none of you have that luxury.' Having invested considerable time and effort dragging everyone to this stage of the boss fight, Ajax did not want his efforts to go to waste by losing a team member now.
In an instant, everyone scattered, each member strategically positioning themselves to evade the impending threat. Well, everyone except Gohan, who was still burdened with the task of carrying his incapacitated father to a safer location.
At the fight, Krillin nimbly weaved around Vegeta, trying to be the best distraction he could be. His efforts manifested in screaming a literal cacophony of bizarre and random noises at the giant monkey. In the midst of his vocal theatrics, he unleashed a volley of ki attacks at Vegeta. The blasts, though spirited, proved to be little more than minor irritations for the Saiyan prince, as they merely singed his fur without inflicting any substantial damage.
Vegeta casually swiped at the bald warrior, displaying only half-hearted interest in Krillin's antics. Vegeta knew this was nothing more than a distraction and he remained steadfast in his focus on Ajax, recognizing him as the most significant threat among the group.
Sensing Vegeta's focus on him, Ajax positioned his hands beside his eyes, preparing for the Solar Flare technique.
Oh, ho, ho, ho, to hell with this kid and his flashbang bullshit. Vegeta was not about to fall for the same shit again. Vegeta decisively shut his eyes and delivered a slap to where he estimated Ajax to be. The absence of impact tipped him that he had failed to catch the young warrior off guard, and the absence of blinding light through his eyelids indicated that it had been a feint.
Recognizing the peril of remaining a stationary target, Vegeta swiftly leaped onto a nearby rock pillar. With the agility of an actual monkey, he immediately backflipped off the pillar, effortlessly evading a barrage of incoming ki attacks directed at him.
'How in the world is he so agile? Just look at the size of this guy!' Krillin shouted into the mental group chat, his amazement being vividly transmitted through the connection.
Unknowing of his enemies' disbelief at his hard-earned acrobatic skills, Vegeta landed gracefully on the ground. As he touched down, the Saiyan prince seized the opportunity to unleash a colossal blast of energy towards the general direction of his opponents. The sheer magnitude of the attack sent the Z Fighters scrambling in panic, each one seeking cover from the overwhelming energy beam.
The energy projectile soared across the battlefield, then beyond it, until it collided with the distant landscape, almost disappearing beyond the horizon. The ensuing impact was cataclysmic, sending shockwaves through the very ground beneath the Z Fighters' feet, even across the vast distance.
Undeterred, Ajax and Krillin re-engaged, determined to apply pressure on Vegeta. However, it did not go well. Ajax froze in astonishment as Vegeta demonstrated lightning-fast reflexes and delivered a powerful backhand into Krillin.
Ajax hoped to Kami that Krillin was still alive. However, in that fleeting moment of concern, he failed to see Vegeta's tail coming at him. The Saiyan prince's tail slammed into Ajax forcefully, sending him flying into the ground, creating a substantial crater upon impact with the ground.
Vegeta's laughter echoed as he effortlessly flipped through the air, basking in the glory of his supremacy. "You will all die alongside Kakarot, natives! Even he can do nothing but tremble before me, and you lot dare to you can even touch me?"
"Yes, we can!" Krillin shouted, clinging to Vegeta's arm. Contrary to Ajax's recommendations, Krillin had intentionally braved Vegeta's hit. Swiftly darting backward just as Vegeta's hand closed in, Krillin had successfully decreased the relative speed between them to such a degree that he had not taken any significant damage. It had still hurt like hell though.
Before Vegeta could discern who had said what from where, Krillin began a daring ascent up the Saiyan prince's towering form, deftly scaling his arm. In a matter of moments, Krillin had positioned himself on Vegeta's shoulder before vanishing in a blur. Vegeta had just realized that someone was on him before Krillin made a sudden appearance as he landed on the Saiyan prince's snout, right before his eyes.
Vegeta, taken aback by Krillin's audacity, swiftly raised his hands to swat the persistent Z Fighter away, shutting his eyes tightly in the process.
Despite Vegeta's hands rapidly approaching, Krillin, positioned so close to the Saiyan prince, felt as if time itself had slowed down, allowing him all the time in the world to do what he wanted. A dark smile graced Krillin's face as he scoffed at Vegeta's reaction. As if mere eyelids could protect Vegeta from him.
"Nice try, bitch!" With a triumphant roar, Krillin plunged both fists directly at Vegeta's eyelids—one for each eye—and dashed away before the Saiyan prince could retaliate.
Vegeta howled in pain as he clutched his injured eyes, bellowing, "MY EYES!!"
'Go, go, go! Hit him in the balls!' Krillin shouted urgently into the telepathic channel.
Ajax did not need to be told twice. This was the biggest and cleanest opening he could hope for. With an explosive burst of energy, Ajax liberated himself from the ground, blitzing from his crater and shattering it with the sheer force of his acceleration.
Time to follow the plan~!
"Pinpoint Impact!"
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