The Tournament of Power 8/27

Jayr POV - Dragon Ball Universe, Null Realm - Age 780

Watching the mayhem caused by Ribrianne, Kakunsa, and Roasie's Light of Love, I can't help but comment, "An attack that causes people to become infatuated and drop their guard, leaving them vulnerable to enemy attacks is quite a nasty idea..."

Saori also hums in agreement and comments, "Indeed, in the right hand, love, infatuation, and desire are truly dreadful weapons. My own elder sister Aphrodite is a true master of them. This is one of the reasons why she is considered one of the strongest among my siblings."

Hearing that, my son, Galen, looks at his mother and asks with genuine curiosity in his tone, "Is Aunty Dite really so powerful?"

Saori smiles sweetly at our son and explains, "It is indeed so, Galen. It is undeniable that many seem to underestimate her because Aphrodite doesn't like to fight all that much and favors more peaceful solutions. However, my sister is also a very fierce and fearsome warrior if forced to; in fact, there is a good reason why in ancient Sparta she was even worshipped as a war and warrior Goddess. She can control and bend to her will any man, woman, or creature because she knows their deepest and darkest desires. The damage she could cause if she ever decides to let loose is outright frightening to even think about, to the point that even Father is wary of her powers. It is truly a fortune that Aphrodite is mostly friendly, kind, benevolent, and even generous most of the time."

(AN: While writing this, I did a quick research about Aphrodite, and to my surprise, I did indeed realize that she is among the better members of the Greek Pantheon. I mean, she does have the usual series of vengeful myths, however, from what I briefly saw most of them were caused by people challenging and scorning Aphrodite or what she rapresent first rather than her actively going against them without rhyme or reason which is pretty mild considering what most of the Greek Deities did. I don't exactly know why I was under the impression that she was one of the most evil Deities; maybe some novel or fanfiction I read in the past painted her in such a light, and it stuck with me. Was I the only one?)

While Saori is explaining that to our son, I hear Beerus comment, "The 2nd Universe was hiding a real nuisance of a power," followed by his brother Champa, who also says, "They look bizarre, but they've shaken up the tournament."

The God of Destruction of the 2nd Universe, Heles, also heard what they said and proudly stated, "Precisely! The true strength hidden by their lovely presence... Let it burn into your eyes!"

At this point, I focus back on what is happening on the fighting stage and, most importantly, on the state of the members of my team.

With a quick look, I see that Rigel, Juan, Algol, Isaak, Orphèe, and Kiki are completely fine making me smirk while thinking, 'As expected of my fellow Saints. There is no way that such a crude manipulation of their emotion would work on them. Not only are their mind fully focused and trained to resist this kind of attack, but their Cosmo will also protect them from such effects. On top of that, in the case of Algol, Isaak, and Orphèe, they are so devoted to their lovers that there is no way for them to fall for someone else, while Juan actually fears Katja's reaction too much to even be tempted. Rigel is very stoic and determined to the point that it is impossible for such an attack to work even without the protection of his Cosmo. There is nothing to say about Kiki, the fact that he is the current Aries Gold Saint is everything that it needs to be said.'

Then my gaze moves to my Digimon Partners and sees that XV-mon, Stingmon, and Angemon also have no issue with the ensnaring effect of the Light of Love, which is quite a relief as I was a bit worried about them as they don't have a natural immunity against this kind of attack luckily their mind are firm enough to suppress them.

Suddenly, Vegeta fires a blast that blows away the pink-colored gas shading the entire fighting stage before he comments in a disappointed tone, "That's a stupid attack, 2nd Universe. Don't tell me this is your full power after making us wait so long."

In response, Ribrianne says, "You are impatient. That was just a little greeting. The real fight starts now." before she yells in an excited tone, "2nd Universe! Good luck!"

Shortly after that, Ribrianne and Vegeta start to fight, and the battle is mostly equal, making Vegeta comment in an impressed tone, "I see. That transformation wasn't just for show."

At this point, Ribrianne does an attack where she turns into a ball and launches herself at Vegeta, and Vegeta prepares to punch her, but instinctively dodges the attack due to her gross face.

At the same time, Piccolo prepares to fight Xiangca, a warrior from the 4th Universe.

Xiangca is a small, chubby blue alien creature who has red circles on his cheeks and body, and wears some rings on his feet.

He has three horns on his head and has some holes on his back that allow him to float through the air.

(Image Here - Xiangca)

However, just as they are about to fight, an out-of-control Ribrianne ends up knocking him out of the ring as collateral damage, making Quitela scold him while the Grand Minister calmly announces, "The 4th Universe's Xiangca-san has dropped out."

At the same time, Ribrianne regains control and, after landing on top of a nearby rubble, she announces with her usual flair, "Acceptable results! A maiden's great victory... number one!"

As usual, the Zenos also mark the warrior's elimination while cheerfully commenting.

"Xiangca... Tap!"

"What an amazing maiden!"

"That maiden is amazing!"

At this point, the God of Destruction, Heles, haughtily and proudly comments as she continues to introduce her warriors, "Did you see the strike of love, the maiden's explosion? Next..."

In response to her words, everyone's gaze focuses on the ongoing exchange between Goku and Roasie, where the yellow colored magical girl is attacking the Saiyan with a rush of apparently regular punches.

At first, Goku was casually blocking every punch, but the more punches Roasie delivered, the faster the next ones became, and slowly but surely, Goku in his base form is starting to be pushed back by them, much to the surprise and astonishment of those who are watching.

At the same time, the God of Destruction, Heles, proudly explains, "The fighting style Roasie has mastered, the Yacchaina Fist. Her punches become sharper, stronger, and more powerful the more she attacks!"

As soon as she finishes her explanations, Roasie's attacks become so fast that they are starting to create enough friction and heat to actually form Ki Blasts, something that Goku also takes notice of and warily backs with a leap.

Roasie quickly finish forming the Ki Blast and immediately fires them off toward Goku, who still in mid-air, is forged to block and deflect them with a quick series of punches and kicks, however, suddenly one of the Ki Blast stops before it could touch Goku's fist stunning Goku for a moment who only watch as the Ki Blast floats out of his fist path before it quickly accelerates and painfully impacts on his face.

Following this scene, the God of Destruction of the 2nd Universe theatrically continues with the introductions of the warriors of her universe, "Gentle and at times intense. They're flexible attacks, like the heart of a maiden." before she elegantly point in another direction with her hand and says, "And..."

We all look at where she is pointing and see Android 17 effortlessly dodging all of Kakunsa's attacks with his hands in his pockets until he pulls out his left one to attack her with a punch, however she dodges and bites his arm showing her own wild animal instincts while Heles comments, "Kakunsa is a beast warrior with the instincts of a wild animal. A hunter who graciously takes down any prey she sets her eyes on."

Shortly after, Android 17 kicks away Kakunsa, however, she doesn't give up and quickly begins using the ruined fighting stage to her advantage, increasing her speed by jumping off the walls and rubble all around them to relentlessly attack Android 17, making the group from the 7th Universe comment.

"Continuous attacks using the rubble as footing."

"She's making good use of the ruined fighting stage."

"Scratching, biting, leaping around... She's truly wild."

Hearing that, the God of Destruction, Heles, proudly comments, "Indeed. This field of rubble is the perfect stage for Kakunsa to showcase her true power. There's no escaping her relentless attacks from all directions. Simply continuing to dodge is futile. Beast warriors have unparalleled stamina and never cease their assault. Not until their prey falls."

Just as Krillin is starting to get worried about his brother-in-law, who seems about to be overwhelmed by his opponent, Kakunsa's attack is suddenly blocked by Android 17's Android Barrier, much to her shock and that of the confident spectators of the 2nd Universe.

Android 17 calmly glances at his opponent and asks in a mocking tone, "Too bad. Did you think you had a chance?" which makes Kakunas asks in an enraged tone as she realizes what happened, "You pretended to be weak!?"

In response to her question, Android 17 calmly says, "I've got some confidence in my stamina. I can't believe you fell for it, though," which makes the struggling Kakunsa exclaim, "You're nothing but prey!"

At this point, Android 17 softly states, "The prey is you," before he starts to make his barrier spin with faster and faster speed until Kakunsa is launched up in the air, then he chases after her and delivers a vicious kick that blasts Kakunsa off.

However, before she can actually be eliminated, Jimizu uses Instant Transmission to teleport behind her and launches her back towards Android 17 with a well-controlled Ki Blast, knocking him down before he teleports back to the fighting stage.

At this point, Android 18 walks up to her brother, who is lying in a crater, and asks if he needs any help, but Android 17 casually stands up and says he'll get serious, immensely increasing his speed, resuming his battle with Kakunsa, and fights an even battle with her.

After a few high-speed exchanges, Android 17 shows off a new attack, creating an energy blast that he stands on in mid-air as footing, which makes Champa ask if it is a legal move, and both Zenos and the Grand Minister confirm that this is allowed and is not in violation of the rules.

Then, with a powerful energy beam, Android 17 knocks off Kakunsa, impressing Goku, as he notes that Android 17 was hiding some powers when they fought on the island.

While the Zenos mark Kakunsa's elimination from the Tournament of Power, Android 17 confronts Ribrianne, who is enraged that her comrade was knocked off by the one who also interrupted their transformation.

At the same time, I notice that the warriors of the 2nd Universe, Zirloin, Rabanra, and Zarbuto, are now surrounding someone from my team.

Zirloin is a very large and muscular humanoid male with blue skin and red eyes.

Attached to his gold shoulder plates, he sports a long dark purple tabard that drapes over his bare chest and covers his white undergarments, he also wears a pair of gold bracers and thigh-high boots, and a tall, pointed gold helm.

(Image Here - Zirloin)

Rabanra is a Frieza Race-like humanoid whose top part of his body is a dark orange, with his lower arms and legs being dark blue. He also has pointed ears and a green dome on his forehead, while his eyes are simply light blue sclera with no pupils or irises.

(Image Here - Rabanra)

Zarbuto is a humanoid old man with a white mustache and is clad in a red suit and white cap.

(Image Here - Zarbuto)

Unfortunately for them, the target they chose to encircle is none other than Rigel, the Saint whose all of his techniques are based on the fire element, thus even if he tones down their usual lethality being hit by any single one of them is surely going to be a very painful and likely traumatizing experience.

Without wasting any time in useless banter, the three warriors of the 2nd Universe start their assault on Rigel delivering a quick seriers of attacks, however, despite their numarical advantages not one of them is able to land a single effective blow as Rigel easily dodges most of them and those that he isn't able to bodge he blocks making perfect use of the defensive propieties of his Orion Cloth causing the warriors to curse out loud.

"Damn it! He is so slippery!"

"Why can't I land a solid hit!?"

"What the hell is wrong with this armor!? Why is it so tough!?"

At the same time, I also notice that the spectators from the 7th Universe are also focusing their attention on the battle between Rigel and the trio from the 2nd Universe while commenting.

"I didn't give too much attention to the honored guest's team until now... But it seems that each one of them is indeed a formidable warrior. It seems that they only lost a single warrior until now."

"Damn... He is good. As expected from a warrior of Jayr's Universe... This may be quite bad for us."

"He should be one of those Saints that Jayr told us about... When I was in the fighting, I did notice that many of them seemed to take it easy and mostly restrained themselves by observing the situation and simply repelling those that attacked them."

"Each single one of his moves is masterfully executed... Such a praiseworthy warrior is truly a fascinating sight. What is even more impressive is that I clearly remember that Jayr-sama spoke of an even higher rank of Saint, which should be even stronger than that warrior. I'm truly excited to see the Gold Saint in action. Maybe not even Goku-san and Vegeta-san may be his match."

While they are talking about him, Rigel decides that it is time to counterattack and with three swift, decisive strikes he pushes back the three warriors of the 2nd Universe sending them crashing against the nearby rubbles with enough force the the rubble crumble on top of them, burying the three warriors in a heap of fragments.

Shortly after that, Zirloin, Rabanra, and Zarbuto jump out of the ruins, and with great coordination, they unleash a barrage of Ki Blast with the clear intent of overwhelming Rigel with sheer numbers.

However, Rigel concentrates his Cosmo and uses his signature technique Ignis Fatuus to create a flame of blue fire in his left hand, then extends both arms forward to shoot a flare of blue fire with an extremely high temperature that instantly starts to encircle his body under Rigel's control forming a spherical barrier of blue flames, one so hot that the Katchi Katchin floor starts to instantly melt.

At the same time, the barrage of Ki Blasts launched by Zirloin, Rabanra, and Zarbuto powerlessly clash and disperse against the extremely hot blue fire created by Rigel.

Seeing that their attack is ineffective, Zirloin, Rabanra, and Zarbuto stop their barrage and regroup before quickly deciding to focus their effort to overwhelm Rigel's defenses with a single powerful team attack.

They immediately extend their hands forward, charge yellow colored energy spheres in front of their hands, and fire them in energy waves.

The three energy waves then combine to create a deep orange and even larger and more powerful energy wave that quickly advances toward the spherical barrier of blue flames created by Rigel's Ignis Fatuus.

However, before the combined Energy Wave can reach Rigel's barrier, this one disperses on its own as Rigel concetrates the energy of his Cosmo in his right hand to create a flame of black fire before he extends both arms forward and shoot a stream of black flames with an astonishingly high temperature unleashing one of his most deadly and powerful techniques, Fiamma Nera.

Fiamma Nera is truly a dreadful technique, while Rigel's Ignis Fatuus is able to generate blue fire that it is hot enough to damage and melt even Gold Cloths, his Fiamma Nera is a whole other beast for the simple reason that it is able to burn and consume energy itself and they can never be put out unless Rigel himself chose to.

The only way to stop or extinguish the black flames created by Fiamma Nera is to use a stronger Cosmo or energy output than Rigel, quite a high bar to cross, considering that Rigel is very close to the Gold Saints in power.

As expected, the stream of black fire easily burns through combined Energy Wave before reaching Zirloin, Rabanra, and Zarbuto and swallowing them whole, however, instead of being turned into ashes in an instant, the three warriors of the 2nd Universe are engulfed in flames and are now rolling on the floor trying to put the flames off while screaming in pain.

Naturally, Zirloin, Rabanra, and Zarbuto aren't actually burning alive as their clothes are completely undamaged, and so is the rest of their body, thanks to Rigel's masterful control over his flames.

What is actually burning is only the Ki and the impurities within their body which while incredibily painful and a little traumatizing it has no adverse effect on their health, in fact, after this experience they will become much stronger and healthier and their Ki much more refined and firm, a great trade for sure, not that they will know about it for now.

At this point, Rigel coldly starts to scare the three warriors from the 2nd Universe by saying, "It's useless... No matter how much you struggle, these Black Flames can't be put off by any normal means. But don't worry, since it is forbidden to kill an opponent, you also won't be turned into ash by them. You will just continue to slowly burn and suffer until this tournament comes to an end."

Then, after a short pause, Rigel adds, "Or you can simply jump out of the fighting stage to get eliminated and thus relieve yourselves of meaningless pain and suffering. It's your choice."

Shortly after that, Zirloin, Rabanra, and Zarbuto, who were still rolling on the ground while screaming in pain, got so scared by Rigel's threat that they immediately got up and started to run toward the edge of the fighting stage before jumping off, eliminating themselves from the Tournament of Power.

As soon as Zirloin, Rabanra, and Zarbuto get transported on the bleachers of the spectators' stands beside the Deities and the other eliminated warriors of the 2nd Universe, the flames enveloping their bodies also disappear, making all three of them release a big sigh of relief.

Soon, I take notice of the comments from the other spectators who just witnessed this very scene.

"A fire that can consume even Ki, always burns, and can't get put off no matter what... That's something very difficult to confront."

"That guy has no mercy at all."

"Damn... That's scarily ruthless..."

"Hohoho. Jayr-sama's warriors are indeed quite formidable."

At the same time, I also hear the Grand Minister announce, "The 2nd Universe's Zirloin-san, Rabanra-san, and Zarbuto-san have dropped out," followed by the Zenos who quickly mark their elimination on their GodPads while cheerfully commenting.

"Zirloin... Tap! Rabanra... Tap!"

"Zarbuto...Tap!"

"One... Two... Three... Four... Five... Six... Six! The 2nd Universe is in trouble!"

"Trouble! Trouble!"

"Will the maiden save them?"

"They will?"

At this point, I focus back on the confrontation between Ribrianne and Android 17, where the knock-off magical girl is sending the android a seething glare while muttering, "How dare you make my friend... Kakunsa... drop out like that! You heinous, cold-blooded man, turning against a delicate maiden! You, warrior of darkness, are out to destroy our 2nd Universe! You can start by stating your name!"

Hearing that, Android 17 mutters in an amused tone, "Hmph, I see. I'm the villain. Very well." before he announces in a theatrical manner, "My name is Artificial Human No. 17!" which makes Beerus comment, "He's starting up about something." followed by Krillin, his brother-in-law, who says, "Android 17 seems to like kidding around, surprisingly."

Android 17 then continues, "Warrior of Love, Ribrianne, for the sake of the 7th Universe's survival, I will remove you from the fighting stage!" which makes Ribrianne shout back with vigor, "I won't let you do that! As long as my love still remains, I will defend the happiness of the 2nd Universe!"

At this point, Android 17 says with fervor and an evil smirk on his face, "In that case, we'll have to settle the question... of whether my wish or your love is stronger!"

Full of fighting spirit, Ribrianne shouts back, "That's just what I was hoping for! Let me show you the power of Ribrianne!"

Ribrianne and Android 17 start to fiercely attack each other, exchanging a quick series of blows, but neither gains any advantage over the other.

At the same time, Roasie begins to overwhelm Goku's defenses thanks to the might and flexibility of her Yacchaina Fist while screaming, "How dare you eliminate Kakunsa! The 7th Universe will pay for that!"

After yelling that, she strikes a pose and yells, "Yacchia! Yacchiana-Ken Style!" before she quickly launches a very fast series of punches that quickly become so fast that it creates friction and heat enough to create a great number of Ki Blasts that she launches toward Goku, surrounding him with Ki Balls.

Then Roasie confidently states, "You now have no escape route! Now is the moment when I take revenge for Kakunsa! Whoatooo!"

She attempts to blow him up, but Android 17 notices that, and quickly disengages his opponent and rushes over to protect him with an Android Barrier before asking, "Looks like you're having trouble. Need a hand?" which makes Goku calmly answer, "No need. I'm fine."

Soon, the battle resumes with Ribrianne attacking and breaking the barrier before once again exchanging blows with Android 17 while complaining about the fact that he ignored her to save his teammate, making him sarcastically comment that he was wrong about doing that.

At the same time, Roasie once again resumes her assaults on Goku using her Yacchaina Fist to unleash a barrage of Ki Blasts, however, Goku, who has studied Roasie's techniques until now, comments that he is getting an hang on her techniques before he calmly dodges all her attack before he suddenly uses Instant Transmission to teleport behind her and start to pin her down by encircleing her with Ki Balls similar to the ones used by Roasie and then he hits her with a powerful Ki Blast that sends her crashing close to the edge of the fighting stage.

Seeing her friend and teammate in trouble, Ribrianne immediately moves to her side to support her, and Android 17 also joins Goku in cornering them while saying, "If you'll go over the edge on your own, it will save us some trouble."

Just as the situation is about to become very grim for Roasie and Ribrianne, Jimizu arrives and rescues them with Instant Transmission, making Goku and Android 17 decide that it is better to search for other targets than chase after them.

Elsewhere, Botamo challenges Gohan on Champa's orders while Piccolo observes by the side on Gohan's request, and as Gohan attacks Botamo with a series of punches, Goku also arrives and joins Piccolo in observing Gohan's battle.

Gohan attacks with a flurry of blows, which apparently have no effect; however, Gohan's attacks begin to lift Botamo off the ground and render him unable to defend himself, allowing Gohan to slowly push him toward the edge of the fighting stage with a continuous barrage of punches.

Botamo panics and tries everything he can to escape, however, his feet are unable to touch the ground, making it impossible to jump away, and his Ki Blast fired from his mouth can't hit Gohan, who is way too close to his body.

In the end, Gohan knocks him off the stage with a decisive Kamehameha, making the Grand Minister announce his elimination and the Zenos mark it on their GodPads.