"Damn it! My Scouter! Vegeta, you shameless bastard! I wasn't ready!" Cui roared furiously, clutching his swollen cheek as he quickly regained his footing.
But Vegeta gave him no chance to strike back. He charged forward and unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks.
Fists blurred and the wind howled around their feet as his attacks poured down like a torrential storm.
Caught off guard, Cui could do nothing but take a beating.
He covered his head with both hands and desperately tried to defend himself, but he couldn't block Vegeta's swift attacks.
After several exchanges, Vegeta kicked him again, landing a direct hit to his stomach.
"Thud!"
The kick struck with tremendous force. Cui's stomach caved in, his eyes bulged, and he spat up a mouthful of bile.
Cui slid backward, his feet scraping against the ground and leaving two long tracks that carved deep furrows in the earth.
"Great Explosion Attack!"
Vegeta hovered in the air and aimed his outstretched hand at Cui. Light gathered in his palm.
"Whoosh!"
A powerful blast of energy shot from Vegeta's hand. Its golden-yellow light illuminated the surrounding fog as it raced toward Cui's position.
Cui's face went deathly pale with shock, and he hurriedly dodged with all his might.
"Rumble—"
With a world-shaking boom, the Great Explosion Attack engulfed the spot where Cui stood, raising an enormous mushroom cloud.
Orange-red flames shot into the sky, lighting up the entire expanse.
The shock wave spread wildly in every direction, flattening everything in its path. Rocks shattered, the earth split apart, and the thick fog was blown away in an instant.
Once everything had settled, the smoke slowly cleared, revealing Cui's battered form.
His battle armor had been smashed to pieces. The armor on his left shoulder was completely destroyed, and cracks covered the plate on his chest.
Blood covered his body. His face was bruised in several places, and a thin trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth.
He knelt on one knee, gasping for breath, utterly beaten.
"Hmph, you deserved that!" Vegeta smiled smugly, folding his arms as he hovered above Cui.
"I'll make you pay!" Cui roared furiously, murderous intent in his eyes as energy surged wildly around him.
Pink energy flared from his body, and his power climbed steadily.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The two raced toward each other and resumed their fierce battle.
This time, Cui was clearly prepared. On top of that, his Combat Power was 1,000 higher than Vegeta's.
In an instant, Vegeta went from having the upper hand to being at a disadvantage.
Their fists and feet clashed with a series of thuds.
The two darted through the air, leaving afterimages in their wake.
After several more exchanges—
"Thud!"
Cui drove an elbow into Vegeta's chest with tremendous force.
Vegeta grunted, pain flaring in his chest.
Cui followed with an uppercut, striking Vegeta on the chin.
"Smack!"
A sharp crack rang out. Vegeta's head snapped back, his teeth cutting the tip of his tongue as blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
The blow sent Vegeta tumbling through the air. He had only just managed to steady himself when—
"Thud!"
Cui delivered a stylish side kick to Vegeta's stomach.
Vegeta dropped from the sky like a cannonball, whistling toward the ground before crashing hard into the earth below.
"Boom!"
The ground caved into a large crater, and dust billowed everywhere.
Vegeta lay at the bottom of the crater, limbs spread out as he gasped for breath.
"Hmph, you're not so impressive after all, little Prince Vegeta!" Cui smiled smugly as he hovered in the air, looking down at Vegeta in the crater.
He pointed at Reiz nearby, his face full of provocation.
"Hey, you're Reiz, right? I hear you're Vegeta's teacher."
Reiz didn't answer. He couldn't be bothered with Cui.
He stood some distance away with his hands in his pockets, wearing a calm expression.
"Why don't you join in, too?" Cui beckoned to Reiz, looking at him provocatively with a contemptuous smile.
"Oh, right, Linoshi." Reiz suddenly thought of something and quickly turned to ask her, completely ignoring Cui's taunts.
"Hm?" Linoshi paused, her blue eyes turning toward Reiz.
"Do you know the Healing Technique?" Reiz asked, curiosity in his eyes.
"Huh? Well... I can learn it, I think," Linoshi replied awkwardly, her cheeks turning faintly red.
Reiz: "..."
What did she mean, she thought she could learn it?
She could clearly already do it, couldn't she?
"Is the Healing Technique easy to learn? I wonder if I can use it." Reiz grew interested at once, his eyes lighting up.
"It's not hard... Actually, Ultra Instinct itself has the ability to heal," Linoshi explained softly, rubbing the hem of her Battle Suit between her fingers again. "Once you get the hang of it, it's easy."
"Then teach me." Reiz grinned, his eyes full of anticipation.
"Al... all right." Linoshi nodded gently, a faint blush spreading across her face.
"Whoosh!"
As soon as Reiz finished speaking, he vanished and reappeared beside Vegeta.
He moved so quickly that Cui's eyes widened in astonishment.
What?
How had that guy moved?
How had he gotten beside Vegeta in an instant?
I didn't see a thing!
Can you do that again so I can see?
Cui rubbed his eyes and stared at Reiz in amazement, his mouth hanging open.
"Vegeta, can you keep going?" Reiz asked with a smile, looking at Vegeta in the crater.
"Of course! This little injury is nothing!" Vegeta grunted and forced himself to leap to his feet.
But the movement pulled at his wounds. Pain contorted his face, and he sucked in a sharp breath.
"Thud!"
Reiz suddenly smacked him with a slap.
With a muffled thump, Vegeta was slapped straight into the ground. He was driven into the earth like a nail, with only his head left sticking out.
Vegeta was completely dumbfounded. He didn't know what to do; he just stared at Reiz with wide eyes, unable to react.
"Pfft—"
The next moment, Vegeta spat out a large mouthful of blood, splattering the dirt in front of him. He felt utterly awful.
His face was pale, and his energy was fading.
"Reiz! What the hell are you doing?" Vegeta's eyes were bloodshot. He was furious, his voice trembling.
"Huh?" Cui was also a little bewildered. He looked over thoughtfully, then quickly caught on and said with a laugh, "I get it. You're planning to betray him while you have the chance, aren't you? That works for me. I'll put in a good word for you with Frieza and spare your worthless life!"
He was feeling pleased with himself, convinced he'd figured out the truth.
"Reiz... are you joking?" Vegeta was horrified. His expression shifted again and again, disbelief filling his eyes.
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