Vegeta grew more and more alarmed as the fight went on.
Although he hadn't used his full strength at first, only fighting at half power,
as time passed, he had already ramped up to eighty percent.
Yet Android 17 was still handling his attacks as effortlessly as he had from the beginning.
Could he be stronger than me?
Impossible! I'm the universe's strongest Super Saiyan!
I absolutely cannot lose to a puppet like this!
"Aah!!!"
With Vegeta's furious roar, his muscles tensed and his aura instantly surged to its maximum.
He grabbed one of Android 17's hands and yanked hard. Then he clasped his hands together like a hammer and slammed them down onto Android 17's back.
"Boom!"
Android 17 plummeted to the ground like a meteor, smashing a huge crater into it.
Vegeta gathered Ki Blasts in both hands and unleashed a complete "Prince Tactics" barrage toward the spot where Android 17 had landed.
In an instant, a series of deafening explosions rang out.
The trees around Android 17 were blown to pieces, while those farther away snapped in half from the shock waves.
A barren patch appeared in the middle of the lush forest.
Forest: Thanks, Mr. Tony Vegeta, for giving me a Mediterranean haircut. I'm so grateful to your whole family! ಥ_ಥ
Trunks and the others, who had arrived at some point, stared at the scene in stunned silence.
Was it over?
Trunks sensed the powerful energy radiating from Vegeta and was deeply shocked.
If he were as strong as Vegeta, he could definitely fight the Androids 17 and 18 in the Future Timeline.
Since he couldn't sense the Androids' energy, he had no way of knowing whether Android 17 had been destroyed.
However.
Trunks noticed Android 18's expression. She wasn't afraid—instead, the corner of her mouth curled into a mocking smile.
Trunks' heart lurched, and he shouted to Vegeta:
"Dad, watch out!"
The instant the words left his mouth,
Vegeta saw a shadow flicker through the smoke.
"Ugh... cough, cough."
Android 17 emerged from the smoke completely unharmed. Using High-Speed Movement, he appeared in front of Vegeta and drove a hard knee into his stomach.
The heavy blow made Vegeta feel as if his internal organs had been mashed into a lump of pulp. He couldn't stop himself from spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Clutching his stomach, Vegeta doubled over like a shrimp. The golden aura around him flickered, and he could barely maintain Flight Technique.
He wavered in midair, on the verge of falling.
Seeing that Vegeta was about to drop, Android 17 grabbed him by the hair.
"Heh!"
Android 17 said nothing. He merely gave a quiet chuckle.
But to Vegeta, that chuckle sounded worse than any insult.
It was as if Android 17 had trampled all over his pride and self-respect, then ground them into the dirt.
"Unforgivable!"
The humiliation in Vegeta's heart turned to rage, and he felt one of the shackles inside him begin to loosen.
A wave of heat surged through his back. The golden aura that had nearly gone out blazed to life again, even more powerful than before.
The burst of energy instantly shoved Android 17 away. Once free, Vegeta charged at him.
He had already forgotten his wounds and ignored the pain. He had only one goal now: kill Android 17!
His fists, feet, knees, and elbows became weapons as he unleashed a storm of attacks against Android 17.
Vegeta's base battle power had originally been ten million. After becoming a Super Saiyan, his power increased fiftyfold, bringing his battle power to five hundred million.
Now, although Vegeta's base battle power hadn't changed, his Super Saiyan transformation had grown from a fiftyfold boost to a fifty-fivefold one.
His battle power had therefore risen to 550 million.
"Oh? Looks like you got a little stronger."
Android 17 felt the strength behind Vegeta's punches and kicks and was slightly surprised.
But he didn't pay it much mind. That little bit of strength still couldn't hurt him.
Converted into battle power, Android 17's strength reached a full 700 million.
Vegeta and Android 17 clashed head-on. Although Vegeta's battle power had increased, he was still far weaker than Android 17, who effortlessly parried every attack.
Damn it, he's actually this strong!
Vegeta was already giving it everything he had, but every attack still came to nothing.
He knew perfectly well that he was still no match for Android 17.
But a Saiyan's pride wouldn't let him admit defeat—not even if he had to die fighting!
Android 17 had lost interest in playing with Vegeta and began fighting at full strength.
With infinite stamina and energy, Android 17 was still in peak condition.
Under Android 17's full-force assault, Vegeta was driven back step by step.
Before long, Vegeta was covered in injuries, and his Battle Suit was in tatters. (His pants were still intact, though.)
Trunks stared, dumbfounded.
He had never imagined the Androids in this world could be so terrifyingly powerful. With the strength Vegeta had shown later in the fight, he should have been more than capable of killing the Androids in the Future Timeline.
Yet in this timeline, he was being beaten by an Android without the slightest ability to fight back.
"Can we really stand against Androids this powerful?" Trunks murmured. A hint of fear flashed in his eyes as he began to doubt his own abilities.
The battle changed in an instant. Krillin and the others had never expected that Vegeta, who had been so full of confidence just moments ago, would now be beaten like a dog.
Trunks was afraid, but seeing Vegeta beaten so badly, he couldn't stand by any longer.
Trunks drew the long sword from his back and instantly transformed into a Super Saiyan.
He charged at Android 17 with his sword raised, intending to save Vegeta.
"Sister, aren't you going to help?"
Android 18 thought for a moment, then looked at Android 16.
But Android 16 remained completely unmoved.
Android 18 knew there was no way she could get Android 16 to act. She sighed to herself and reluctantly handed Mo Yuan over to him.
"Keep him safe."
Mo Yuan was a little confused.
He'd thought Android 18 found him annoying. Why did it feel like she didn't want to let go of him now?
"Sister, be careful!" Mo Yuan called after Android 18.
At his words, Android 18 paused mid-stride. Her usually cold face broke into a radiant smile, like a flower blooming in the snow—so dazzling that no one could look away.
Krillin, who had been secretly watching Android 18 from across the way, felt his shiny bald head turn red. His heart raced, and only one thought filled his mind.
How could such a cute girl possibly be a bad person? Trunks must have gotten it wrong, right?
After Android 18 left, Mo Yuan flew over and sat on Android 16's shoulder.
It was strange. Although Android 16 was a fully mechanical being, his exterior wasn't cold. In fact, he had a body temperature just like a human's.
Mo Yuan knew Android 16 quite well.
This big guy, who looked so intimidating, was actually very gentle.
If Dr. Gero hadn't programmed him to kill Son Goku, he might never have even thought of killing anyone in his life.
Android 16 didn't mind Mo Yuan sitting on his shoulder. He gazed gently at the birds in the distance, a kind smile spreading across his rugged face.
And so, one of them watched the birds in the distance, while the other watched the battle in the sky.
The atmosphere was remarkably peaceful.
The battle was too far away, beyond the range of Mo Yuan's Mind's Eye, so he could only sense it from a distance through energy and sight.
The battle didn't last long. Android 17 had already beaten Vegeta until he was covered in injuries. Being able to fight at half his strength would have been a lot.
Trunks was even worse off. His battle power was only 400 million, and against Android 18, who had 500 million battle power as well as infinite stamina and energy, he was no match at all.
In less than five minutes, Vegeta and Trunks had put on a show for everyone as Super Vegetas.
Piccolo on the ground was so scared his face turned green. But despite his fear, seeing Vegeta and Trunks knocked down, he and Tien Shinhan immediately rushed in to rescue them.
Only Krillin remained where he was, too frightened to even find the courage to attack.
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