"Boom!" Vegeta had no habit of waiting for his opponent to get ready before fighting. The instant Buu let his guard down, Vegeta shot forward like a drawn blade. He moved so fast it was as if he'd crossed space itself, leaving Buu unable to react.
Vegeta slammed a fist into Buu. Buu hurriedly raised his arms to block, but the terrifying force sent him flying once again...
"What incredible speed!" Son Goku stared blankly at Vegeta, whose movements were like instant transmission. Even Goku hadn't reacted in time.
"Boom."
"Boom."
"Boom."
Once he recovered, Buu fought Vegeta with all his might. Every collision sounded as if it could rupture their eardrums, and the air rippled wherever their blows met.
Vegeta's new power was indeed formidable. For a moment, even Buu was forced onto the defensive.
"Wham!"
"Twang."
Seizing his chance, Vegeta kicked Buu flying. Energy rapidly gathered inside him. He spread his arms wide, hands curled into claws as golden energy compressed furiously. Electricity crackled around him. He brought his clawed hands together in front of his chest, forming a shape like a flower calyx. It looked like a Kamehameha released horizontally.
"Final... Flash!"
Vegeta roared as a golden beam shot forth, streaking across the sky and slamming into Buu.
"Boom."
"Gwaaaah!"
Buu screamed as the golden energy struck him. Vegeta's Final Flash engulfed his entire body. For a moment, it seemed the world had been swallowed by golden light. Before their eyes, Buu disappeared into a cloud of black smoke.
"Buu... has been destroyed?"
Son Gohan asked in astonishment. He couldn't sense Buu's ki at all. He smacked his lips. Uncle Vegeta was incredible! Even the Son Gohan from seven years ago would've been on his knees against Vegeta now!
The smoke gradually cleared. There really wasn't a trace of Buu left—not even a single cell, it seemed. Son Goten and Son Goku exchanged a glance, then used the Flight Technique to reach the place where Buu had vanished and investigate.
Could Buu really be dead just like that? Impossible! If he could be killed so easily, the original story wouldn't have dragged on for so long, and they wouldn't have needed the final Spirit Bomb to finish him off. Son Goten didn't believe Buu could have died so easily, and neither did Son Goku. Even if Buu was weaker than Vegeta, he couldn't have been taken out that simply.
"Haah, haah, haah." Vegeta panted. That Final Flash had drained too much of his stamina, so he descended to the ground to recover.
Even as he caught his breath, Vegeta couldn't help laughing. "Hahaha! That's what you get for underestimating me, Buu."
"Kakarot, once I've recovered, we'll fight again. Our last match wasn't finished," Vegeta said with a loud laugh.
They searched for a long time but couldn't find the slightest trace of Buu. Even Son Goten began to waver. Had Buu really been taken out?
"Supreme Kai, could Buu really be dead?" Son Gohan asked in disbelief.
"He probably... maybe... is dead!" Supreme Kai was stunned too. Hell, how would he know? He'd never seen Buu die before.
"Phew."
"Twang."
Vegeta let out a breath. His ki surged like boiling water, and he felt his power rise a little more.
"Kakarot, Majin Buu is dead. Now let's fight again... huh?" Before Vegeta could finish, a mass of pink, sticky liquid shot out of a crack in the earth beneath his feet, moving faster than the eye could follow.
"Vegeta!" Son Goku shouted.
"Damn it!" Vegeta twisted and shook his body, trying to break free of the mass, but the liquid enveloped him all the same.
The pink slime gradually formed a human shape. It was Majin Buu—the one everyone had thought was dead. This version of Buu looked much more human than before. His hands now had five fingers like an ordinary person's, and his facial features were more clearly defined. The short antenna atop his head had grown down to his buttocks, and he now wore a blue sleeveless top like Vegeta's.
"This guy... absorbed Vegeta!" Son Goku stared in stunned silence. How had Majin Buu moved over there without him noticing at all?
"Hahaha!" Having absorbed Vegeta, Buu threw his head back and laughed. He looked himself over with satisfaction. After absorbing Vegeta, he'd gained not only his power but also the ability to use his techniques.
"Excellent, excellent! This is the power befitting the universe's number-one Majin Buu! Ahahaha!"
"Whoosh."
Buu laughed arrogantly, releasing his energy without restraint. The whole world seemed to be caught in an earthquake; Buu's terrifying power made even the planet tremble.
"His power... it's increased so much. This is bad," Son Goku said through gritted teeth.
Damn, he'd gotten this strong! This was bad. At this rate, the grass on my grave might be a meter tall by next year. Cold sweat ran down Son Goten's forehead. With Vegeta, the second male lead, absorbed, there'd be no chance for the wildly cool Vegito to appear. This was a total disaster.
Son Goten steeled himself and shouted to Son Goku, "Dad, can you make an Artificial Moon?"
"What?" Son Goku froze. His eyes fell on the brown tail wrapped around Son Goten's waist, and he immediately understood what he meant. "No, Goten! If you turn into a Great Ape, you'll lose control!"
"But Buu's already this strong! Unless I turn into a Great Ape, I won't even stand a chance!"
Son Goten knew that with his Saiyan blood, he could transform into a Great Ape. If he evolved into a Golden Great Ape, he might at least be able to fight Buu with Vegeta's power. But he didn't know whether he'd regain his humanity the way GT Goku had. Otherwise, he would've used his tail to transform into Super Saiyan 4 long ago.
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