Dragon Ball: Kaizen – Chapter 3 "The Awakening of the Mark"

The battlefield lay in ruins. Dust and debris floated in the air, remnants of the devastating blows exchanged between Vegeta and Kaizen.

Vegeta wiped the blood from his lip, his Super Saiyan Blue aura flickering as he glared at his opponent. Kaizen, standing amidst the destruction, barely looked hurt. If anything, he seemed stronger than before.

"Damn it… He's adapting faster than I can fight!" Vegeta thought, clenching his fists.

Kaizen lifted his hand, staring at the black mark on his palm. It pulsed faintly, reacting to the battle… as if it had a will of its own.

"I told you…" Kaizen muttered, his voice distant. "I'm not in full control yet."

Vegeta scowled. "Tch! Stop making excuses!"

In an instant, Vegeta vanished, appearing above Kaizen with a blazing Final Flash charged between his palms.

"Let's see if your damn mark can stop this!"

The golden energy beam exploded downward, swallowing Kaizen in an ocean of destruction. The force ripped through mountains, vaporizing everything in its path.

Vegeta panted, his eyes locked on the smoke-filled crater.

"That had to do it."

But then…

A deep pulse echoed through the battlefield.

The smoke was sucked inward, collapsing into a single point. And from within the destruction… Kaizen emerged.

Except now, something was wrong.

His mark was glowing violently, tendrils of black energy crackling around his body. His left eye turned completely dark, with a burning crimson symbol replacing his pupil.

Vegeta's instincts screamed at him—this was not the same Kaizen.

Kaizen's Mark Awakens

Kaizen's breathing was slow, steady, unnatural. His body seemed weightless, his aura… completely silent.

No rage.No emotion.Just pure, precise intent.

Vegeta charged forward, refusing to back down. He swung with all his might—but Kaizen didn't move.

Instead, his mark flared.

BOOM!

Vegeta was sent flying without Kaizen even lifting a finger. A force—a presence—had struck him before he could even react.

"What the hell?!" Vegeta growled, flipping mid-air to regain his balance.

Kaizen's head tilted slightly. "The mark… doesn't like being attacked."

His own hand twitched, fingers curling involuntarily. It wasn't just reacting—it was taking control.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "So you're telling me this thing fights for you?"

Kaizen clenched his jaw. "No. It fights for itself."

The moment the words left his mouth, Kaizen's body vanished—not from speed, but something else entirely.

A void-like distortion rippled in the air, and before Vegeta could react—

Kaizen appeared behind him.

A whisper of wind. A flicker of movement.

And then—

CRACK!

Vegeta coughed blood as Kaizen's knee struck his spine. The impact shattered the air, sending shockwaves that split the earth beneath them.

Vegeta was launched forward, skidding across the ruined landscape, smashing through boulders like a ragdoll.

The Battle's Turning Point

Vegeta forced himself to stand, wiping blood from his mouth. His pride burned, but his Saiyan instincts were sharper than ever.

"He's fast. Too fast. But there's something else…"

Kaizen, still standing unnaturally still, stared at his own hands—his fingers twitching like a puppet on strings.

"He's fighting himself."

Vegeta smirked, despite the pain. "So even you can't handle your own power, huh?"

Kaizen didn't respond. Instead, his mark's glow intensified, his left eye burning brighter.

And then…

A voice echoed inside Kaizen's mind.

"Let go."

Kaizen's body shuddered. His breathing became erratic. His fingers curled into a fist—against his will.

Vegeta's smirk faded. "Hey… what the hell's happening to you?"

Kaizen's body trembled, his muscles tensing unnaturally. His aura darkened, turning into something… wrong.

And then, as his voice dropped into an eerie whisper, he said—

"I don't think… this is me anymore."

To Be Continued…