On the arena, Vegeta's aura was immense, whipping the hair of everyone in the stands.
But AF Son Goku, standing opposite him, didn't budge. He watched Vegeta with a smile, his black hair fluttering and golden eyes almost impossible to look at directly.
Vegeta snorted. "Kakarot, I'll make you pay. I'll show you my true strength!"
As he spoke, the Destruction Sphere in his hand instantly grew tenfold, bringing the barrier the Angels had set up to the brink of collapse. Whis and Vados poured in more energy to reinforce it.
Hakai Energy was indeed powerful. Vegeta had committed himself completely, with no reservations left in his heart. All he wanted was to defeat the Kakarot before him.
Suddenly, Vegeta hurled the Destruction Sphere at AF Son Goku from midair.
Boom! The Destruction Sphere struck the spot where AF Son Goku stood, and a mushroom cloud rose in an instant. The arena was blown to pieces.
At that moment, Vegeta began to laugh. "Hahahaha! Serves you right for looking down on me, Vegeta! I'll show you what I—"
The next moment, the scene felt strangely familiar. The attack made of Hakai Energy hadn't hit AF Son Goku at all. He had dodged it with ease and appeared behind Vegeta.
Vegeta slowly turned around in shock. AF Son Goku gazed at him calmly, while everyone in the stands was so astonished they could hardly close their mouths.
Champa pinched his ear and said, "Vados, Son Goku is so fast. I almost couldn't see him."
"Oh my! Lord Champa, please stay calm. This is merely the extent of Son Goku's basic power," Vados said with a faint smile.
Beerus stood up, a bead of sweat appearing on his face. From what AF Son Goku had shown so far, his strength was already no less than Ye Ming's when he had fought Beerus as a Super Saiyan 4.
Everyone in Universe 7's stands, except Ye Ming, wore solemn expressions.
AF Son Goku said calmly, "Vegeta, that move just now was powerful. Too bad it didn't hit me."
Vegeta came back to his senses and tried to turn and attack AF Son Goku, but Son Goku immediately punched him in the face, slamming him hard into the arena.
Son Goku then swooped down from the sky and kicked Vegeta in the abdomen. The blow made Vegeta cry out in pain, his eyes wide.
AF Son Goku smiled at Vegeta. "Time's up, Vegeta. I've seen what you can do, but you're still no match for me."
As AF Son Goku spoke, he gathered a Kamehameha in his hands. Its immense power shone so brightly that it lit up the entire planet.
Vegeta tried to get up and fight back, but the pain in his abdomen was unbearable. He could only twist his rigid body with difficulty.
Boom!!! A powerful energy wave shot straight toward Vegeta's face.
"Argh!" Vegeta was blasted away by the energy wave.
There was a loud explosion—boom! Vegeta was blasted beyond the arena, tumbling dozens of times before finally coming to a stop.
By then, blood streaked Vegeta's face, and his battle armor was in tatters. He glared fiercely at AF Son Goku.
"Damn it. I can't believe the gap between us is still this huge," Vegeta said through gritted teeth.
Vegeta had thought that breaking through with his Power of Destruction would let him put up a fight against AF Son Goku. He hadn't expected the gap to remain so obvious.
Vegeta slowly got to his feet and pointed at AF Son Goku on the arena. "Kakarot, next time, I'll definitely beat you. Damn it."
With that, Vegeta clutched his arm and returned to the stands. AF Son Goku remained on the arena, smiling as he watched Vegeta walk away.
Just then, the referee suddenly appeared. "Congratulations to Son Goku of Universe 6 on his victory. All contestants, please take a short break."
Champa had already forgotten about saving face. He rushed to the edge of the arena and shouted, "Son Goku, well done! You gave that Vegeta a good beating!"
After speaking, Champa shot a smug glance at Beerus across from him and pulled a face.
Beerus clenched his fists and glared at Champa menacingly.
At that moment, Ye Ming said, "Although Vegeta lost, he still gained a lot. His strength has taken another step forward."
Vegeta snorted, clearly still stewing over his loss.
"Then Son Goku will fight for our universe in the next match." Ye Ming walked over to Son Goku and patted him on the shoulder.
Son Goku lowered his head. "I might not be able to beat him either. He's just too strong."
Hearing Son Goku say this, Vegeta was instantly displeased. He curled his lips into a sneer.
He walked over to Son Goku, grabbed him by the collar, and said, "Kakarot, give him a good thrashing. Don't forget you're a Saiyan."
Son Goku looked at Vegeta and understood what he was trying to say.
Ye Ming said, "Son Goku, you've always believed that fighting powerful opponents will make you stronger. A great opportunity like this is right in front of you, so make the most of it."
Son Goku nodded at Ye Ming's words. "I'll do my best."
Beerus didn't expect much of Son Goku's chances against the other Son Goku, but he still felt hopeful. There was something unusual about Son Goku that he could sense.
Whis smiled. "The Son Goku from another universe is quite different from the one in ours."
Everyone turned to look at Whis as he spoke.
"As far as I know, his home was destroyed by an unknown being, and that changed his personality."
"After losing his family and friends, he became increasingly lonely inside, and his desire for strength grew."
"I can't sense the same innocence and kindness in him that our universe's Son Goku has. Perhaps the destruction of his parallel timeline changed him," Whis explained.
Everyone fell silent at Whis's words. Son Goku thought: The other me must have trained so hard to get revenge. He must be in a lot of pain right now, too.
Just then, the referee appeared in the center of the arena. Everyone knew the next match was about to begin.
The referee took the microphone and called out, "The break is over. Both contestants, please come to the arena."
In Universe 6's stands, AF Son Goku slowly rose and flashed to the center of the arena.
Seeing how fast AF Son Goku was, Son Goku frowned.
Just as Son Goku was about to jump down from the stands, Vegeta said coolly, "Kakarot, don't lose too badly."
Vegeta looked at Son Goku with complete seriousness. Son Goku turned to him, smiled, and nodded.
This was the bond that had grown between Vegeta and Son Goku over the years. Only the two of them understood what it meant.
Son Goku stepped onto the arena and faced AF Son Goku.
Rubbing the back of his head, Son Goku said to his other self, "Hey, other me. I'm glad you came to our universe. It let me see that there's another me out there who's this strong."
AF Son Goku smiled and nodded. "You too. But I carry too much on my shoulders. You could say I'm you, and yet I'm not."
Son Goku grew serious at those words. "Yeah, I heard a little about your situation from Whis. I hope you won't let hatred blind you. Remember the reason you first wanted to become stronger."
AF Son Goku was momentarily stunned by what the other Son Goku said. Happy memories flooded into his mind.
Suddenly, he looked sharply at Son Goku. "You're right, other me. Thanks for reminding me."
Son Goku nodded and held out his right fist. AF Son Goku understood and immediately bumped it with his left.
And so, the sixth match began!
Son Goku immediately leaped back. He didn't start by fighting AF Son Goku as a Super Saiyan at the first stage, because he knew that would be a pointless probe.
Son Goku let out a roar, and a deep blue light burst from him as he transformed into Super Saiyan Blue Evolved.
AF Son Goku looked at his other self, brimming with fighting spirit, and felt eager himself.
A flash of light suddenly passed over AF Son Goku as he transformed into a Super Saiyan Third Stage, taking up the same fighting stance as Son Goku.
Seeing his other self, Son Goku smiled. Just as I thought. Even our fighting stances are exactly alike.
Son Goku suddenly charged at AF Son Goku, his fist wreathed in deep blue flames and flying straight at him.
AF Son Goku saw the fist coming and dodged sideways. He ducked low, then counterattacked with a punch aimed at Son Goku.
They darted around the arena at high speed, trading blows. Suddenly, Son Goku spotted an opening and punched AF Son Goku hard into the arena floor.
To everyone's surprise, Son Goku used a clever trick. Just like Gohan, he used the Solar Flare. AF Son Goku was momentarily startled and thought: I let my guard down.
AF Son Goku quickly lost his sight. Son Goku grinned and let out a fierce shout. As he moved at high speed, his right fist clenched tight. The next moment, it struck AF Son Goku in the face.
A fist-sized mark appeared on AF Son Goku's face. He cried out in pain and flew away.
In Universe 7's stands, Vegeta suddenly stood up and clenched his right fist. "That was a beautiful punch, Kakarot! Keep it up!"
Ye Ming and the others looked at Vegeta, surprised by his excitement. AF Son Goku had just beaten him badly, so he was clearly still holding a grudge.
AF Son Goku wiped the corner of his mouth and got to his feet. "That punch packed quite a wallop!"
Son Goku smiled in reply. "Haha, too bad it didn't hurt you much."
Before you continue