At that precise moment, Vegeta, the proud Prince of all Saiyans, had completely cast aside his royal pride and his dignity as a warrior.
The Prince retained none of his usual arrogance. His eyes held only abject terror, and his body trembled uncontrollably.
"Impossible. We cannot win. We are all going to die. We will all be slaughtered by him," Vegeta said, kneeling on the ground in utter panic.
"What is wrong with you, Vegeta? Damn it! And you, what did you do to him?" Son Goku leaped forward, glaring warily at Axis.
At this moment, Axis emanated a different sensation than before. However, Goku could not fully perceive the crushing depth of Axis's Legendary Super Saiyan aura.
"It is useless to struggle, Kakarot. We are doomed. He is the Legendary Super Saiyan, the warrior born once every thousand years amongst our people. He is the most ferocious combatant in the entire universe," Vegeta said.
"Damn it, Vegeta! Pull yourself together! Are you even the Vegeta I know?" Goku roared, grabbing the Prince by the collar and demanding an answer.
What is going on? It was just the initial clash, yet Vegeta is already paralyzed by fear! Is the opponent really that horrifying?
In the previous exchange, Vegeta was indeed at a disadvantage, but after turning Super Saiyan Blue, the opponent also transformed into a state I have never seen before. I thought there would be an earth-shattering battle, a chance to understand the enemy, but Vegeta is frozen stiff.
"I knew it would come to this. Kakarot, is it? Or perhaps I should call you Son Goku. You were originally a low-class warrior, which is why you cannot perceive my true power," Axis said.
"You cannot sense my energy signature, but Vegeta is different. He possesses royal blood, arguably the purest lineage currently in existence amongst Saiyans. Therefore, he can clearly sense my aura and clearly perceive the horror of the Super Saiyan."
"So, Vegeta is this scared because he sensed your Ki?" Goku asked, looking at Axis with surprise.
"Exactly. If he cannot overcome his own fear, he will achieve nothing in this life," Axis replied.
Axis had assumed that after experiencing the Majin Buu saga and the baptism of the Destroyer God, a Vegeta capable of Super Saiyan Blue would be able to withstand his pressure. Unexpectedly, his performance was identical to that in the original records of Broly.
However, Axis knew his strength far exceeded that of Broly from the records. His base form alone could crush a Super Saiyan 2 Vegeta, and after transforming into the Legendary state, his combat potency surged to an inconceivable level.
It was no wonder Vegeta was terrified. If the Broly could thrash Super Saiyan Blue using only his berserk state, Axis was vastly superior.
"Vegeta, did you hear me? Snap out of it! What are you afraid of? We have faced so many terrifying opponents before, and you... you have never been afraid!" Goku lifted Vegeta off the ground, shouting in his face.
"You don't understand, Kakarot. You simply don't understand. We cannot defeat him. We will be killed. All of us will be slaughtered by him," Vegeta muttered, looking utterly desolate.
"Please, I already said this is merely a spar. What are you doing over there? Muttering about being killed, about how I am going to slaughter you... did I ever say such things? Stop putting words in my mouth." Axis could no longer tolerate the whining; he approached Vegeta and lifted him up like a small chick.
Vegeta remained silent.
"You heard him, Vegeta! Why are you acting crazy? It is just a spar! Damn it! I will handle this myself then!" Goku shook his head helplessly, preparing to face Axis alone.
"You can step up, Goku. It will give this guy some time to grovel on the ground. His legs are too soft. Pah! And he calls himself the Prince of Saiyans," Axis spat in disdain, then retrieved a Fruit of the Tree of Might from his dimensional storage and handed it to Goku.
Goku had just engaged in a fierce battle with Lord Frieza; he was injured and his Ki was depleted. Axis had no interest in taking advantage of a weakened opponent, so he decided to let him recover first.
"Uh, what is this? Are you buying me dinner? But one fruit isn't really enough for me," Goku said, scratching his head.
"Don't misunderstand. This is not an ordinary fruit. Consuming it will significantly increase your power in your base state, heal all your injuries, and fully restore your Ki," Axis explained.
"Oh! So it works like a Senzu Bean! Thanks!" Goku nodded, took the fruit from Axis, and bit into it.
Upon swallowing the fruit, Goku immediately felt a terrifying surge of vital energy rampaging through his body. The depleted Ki, the fatigue, and his injuries were swept away in an instant. Furthermore, his actual strength had marginally increased.
"Amazing! The efficacy of this thing seems even better than a Senzu Bean," Goku remarked.
"Of course it is. It is far more potent than those beans of yours," Axis said.
Those beans were merely cultivated by a planetary hermit cat, whereas this was a fruit cultivated by him, using a planet's vitality. Senzu Beans could not restore the stamina of Super Saiyan Blue, but the Tree of Might fruit could.
"This appears to be a Divine Fruit, typically cultivated by the Supreme Kais on their sacred world. However, the one you produced appears to be a defective variant, grown on a mortal planet," Whis said, drifting over to Axis. "I hope you will not plant such defective fruits in the future. They drain the life force of entire worlds."
As an Angel, Whis naturally recognized the object Axis produced, though it was strange, as their universe did not possess the Tree of Might. Did this Saiyan named Axis come from another universe?
"The planting sites were carefully selected. And who told you it consumes the entire planet? This type of fruit merely causes desertification in a specific area, which can recover in a few decades or centuries," Axis retorted.
The second generation of the Tree of Might fruit was quite effective; it could be grown on ordinary worlds without destroying the planet entirely.
"Is that so? We can have a proper chat after your battle," Whis said. He had analyzed the fruit Axis produced; it was indeed a lower-grade variant, one that evidently did not consume the planetary core.
"Can we start now, Axis?" Son Goku loosened up his limbs and approached Axis, a look of excitement on his face.
"Of course. But use your full power. Don't test my strength incrementally like Vegeta did. You have already witnessed my combat capabilities. If anyone should be testing anyone, it is I who should test you.
"A reminder: although this is the Legendary Super Saiyan form, it is not my strongest transformation. I can also transform into Super Saiyan Blue... that is, if you have the skill to force me to use it."
"Is that so? Then I won't hold back! HAA!"
With a thunderous shout, Goku erupted in blue light, transforming directly into his strongest form. Having witnessed Axis's power, he naturally would not waste time probing with Super Saiyan 1 or 2. His goal now was to force Axis to exert his full strength.
"Come then," Axis said. Facing the surging aura of Son Goku in Super Saiyan Blue, Axis wore a playful smile, simply beckoning with his finger.
"Hah!" Goku hesitated no longer. In his Blue state, his speed and power reached astonishing heights.
He vanished from his spot instantly. Almost simultaneously, a punch infused with his full might hammered toward Axis's chest, the air screaming from the compression.
BANG!
The fist connected solidly, erupting with a dull, drum-like boom. The shockwave blasted outward in a ring, depressing the ground beneath them into a massive crater.
However, Axis's towering frame did not move a millimeter. Even the golden-green bio-electric aura surrounding him did not flicker. He looked down at the fist resting against his chest, the smile on his lips widening.
"Good strength. Fast speed. But... not enough."
Goku's eyes flashed with shock, quickly replaced by intense battle lust.
"You really are strong! Then try this!" Goku retracted his fist and spun his body at high velocity. His right leg slashed toward Axis's neck like a battle-axe capable of tearing the earth asunder.
Axis casually raised his left arm to block.
CLANG!
A sound like metal striking metal rang out. Goku felt his shin bone scream in protest as the immense recoil sent him flying backward instantly.
"Kakarot! Bring out the spirit you showed when you defeated Frieza and fought the God of Destruction! Show me your limit!"
"As you wish!"
Goku stabilized himself in mid-air and took a deep breath. He cupped his hands at his waist. Azure Ki gathered frantically, compressing and emitting a high-pitched drone, the light illuminating half the sky.
"KA-ME-HA-ME-HA!!!"
A Super Saiyan Blue-tier Kamehameha! Its intensity far exceeded Vegeta's previous barrage, launching straight for Axis.
"Interesting!"
This was a genuine Kamehameha. Axis huffed coldly.
He did not dodge. Instead, he punched straight forward. His fist, wrapped in golden-green flames, smashed directly into the beam, shattering the azure energy wave upon impact.
"What!" Goku maintained the firing posture, his pupils constricting violently, sweat beading on his forehead. His full-power Kamehameha had been blocked single-handedly and dispersed.
Axis let out a cold laugh. With his arms crossed, he vanished and reappeared behind Goku. A sharp side kick sent Goku flying. Axis then moved at high speed, intercepting Goku and launching another assault.
Using only his legs, Axis thrashed the Super Saiyan Blue Goku until he began to doubt his own life. He's so strong!
Goku struggled to open his eyes, trying to track Axis's movements and trajectory. After enduring countless strikes, Son Goku finally caught Axis's leg with his hands.
"Haha, I caught it."
"Not bad. Have a punch as a reward," Axis smiled, delivering a straight jab that sent Goku flying once more.
Goku lifted his head with difficulty, a helpless smile on his face. The gap in power was too significant. Nevertheless, Son Goku stood up unsteadily, his body swaying as he looked toward Axis.
"Kakarot! What the hell are you doing! Stand firm! We will take him down together!"
A roar filled with humiliation and rage, like the bellow of a wounded beast, exploded from the ruins.
"Vegeta!"
"Get up. My battle isn't over yet. This isn't the Kakarot I know."
Vegeta had been effortlessly suppressed. Sensing the bloodline of the Legendary Super Saiyan, that primal terror engraved into his very marrow, he had completely lost his will to fight.
But now, seeing Kakarot, the low-class warrior he had chased his entire life, the rival he disdained yet was forced to acknowledge, charging at that legend again and again, refusing to retreat despite being beaten so ruthlessly, a fierce flame detonated within his chest.
The pride of Royalty! The dignity of a warrior! Was it to be trampled so lightly underfoot?
"AAAAAAHHH!!!"
Vegeta's eyes turned crimson as he let out a roar that shook the skies. He forced himself to ignore the fear in his blood, using pure rage and humiliation to ignite his power.
Azure flames erupted into the sky once more, more violent and condensed than before! He had forcibly broken the shackles of fear imposed by the Legendary Super Saiyan and re-transformed into Super Saiyan Blue.
"Axis! You bastard! Don't get too arrogant! I am the Prince of all Saiyans—Vegeta!!!"
Axis chuckled.
He didn't speak but tossed two more Second Generation Tree of Might fruits to the duo. In truth, these two were a little weak. But at least they hadn't disappointed him completely; the Saiyan pride remained intact.
After eating the fruit and stabilizing his form, Goku's Super Blue aura flared up again. His figure flashed, appearing on Axis's flank, gathering his strongest energy to form a pincer attack with Vegeta.
"Warm-up is over. Now... I'm starting to feel it. Hah!"
Axis punched out with both fists simultaneously to either side. There were no flashy techniques, only the release of pure, tyrannical force.
BOOM!!!
Axis caught both warriors by the neck, initiating a brutal beatdown. Goku and Vegeta could only struggle desperately to resist.
In the distance, Whis clapped his hands gently, a smile full of deep meaning on his face.
"Truly astonishing power. It seems the Seventh Universe has welcomed quite an incredible guest."
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ps?