Roshi and the armored demon continued to battle, each blow sending waves of pressurized air screaming towards the surroundings, some of which smashed into the encircling demon soldiers and sent them flying.
However, despite Roshi's best efforts, the armored demon's body continued to heal from every damaging blow, every broken bone, every shattered organ reforming from the ambient demonic energy that seemed to permeate the dimension of Limbo.
Roshi breathed in and out heavily, his aged body while still strong, no longer held a vast reservoir of stamina like he did in his youth.
He clutched one of his thick arms, which was pocked with deep purple bruises and leaking blood from several gashes, both deep and shallow.
"You are hard to put down for an old man, but we should probably end this." The armored demon sneered as one of his broken fingers snapped back into place with a sickening crunch.
Roshi's body trembled, not from fear, but from sheer exhaustion.
"Heh... You are right, I cannot last much longer, so let's put it all on the line, right here and right now."
Roshi let out a tired breath and placed his hands at his sides, palms facing each other.
"Ka..." A small orb of blue and white light erupted into existence between his palms.
Seeing that Roshi was putting everything in this single attack the armored demon placed his hands in front of his body with his index fingers and thumbs forming a diamond shape.
WENG...
A red and purple orb of energy crackled into existence between his fingers, lightning snapping around the orb as it slowly increased in size.
"Meeee..."
The orb in Roshi's hand grew from the size of a grape to that of a melon.
"Haaa... Meeeee..."
The melon sized orb of ki expanded once more, now threatening to squeeze out from Roshi's fingers.
The armored demon's eyes blazed with demonic light, and he smiled evilly, showing off his incredibly sharp fangs.
"Taste the power granted to me by the dark Lord Belasco filthy human."
The armored demon thrust his hands forwards an enormous pillar of crimson and purple light shooting towards Roshi.
Roshi's sunglasses reflected the light from the incoming attack but the old masters face remained perfectly composed.
As the demonic light reached half of the distance towards Roshi the old master suddenly pressed his palms forward and shouted.
"HAAAAAAAAA..."
A thin but undoubtedly powerful blue and white beam shot out from Roshi's palms and within moments collided with the armored demons attack.
FWOOOOOSH...
The beams smashed into one another, blue and red lightning forming around the point of collision and waves of intense pressure sweeping through the surroundings.
Demons who did not back away in time suddenly burst into bloody mist as lightning struck their bodies; others were crushed under the mountainous pressure, unable to flee as their bones were shattered and organs crushed.
Turtle who was still in a defensive pose in front of the house took this opportunity to slip into the enemies lines and began to slaughter them as they struggled, bathing the ground in nearly black, demonic blood.
Stronger demons amidst the soldiers charged, stepping over their comrades without care as they swung their curved blades at Turtle.
CLANG...
CLANG...
CLANG...
The blades struck Turtles shell, sparking as the impact heated the blades but leaving thin and shallow marks on the shell.
Turtle grabbed a demon soldier by his arm and swung him into the others, sending them flying backwards and tearing the demon's arm off in the process.
Before Turtle could continue his slaughter, he was struck by a sudden surge in pressure, the ground beneath his feet cracking around him as if gravity suddenly increased.
Turtle managed to lift his head in the direction the pressure descended from and felt an instinctive terror at what he saw.
The beam clash between the armored demon and Roshi had escalated far beyond what was happening previously; the two beams seemed four times as large, with the collision point collapsing the ground beneath it.
"Is this all you have left in your decrepit old body? I thought you were supposed to be strong." The armored demon laughed maniacally before sending even more of his energy into the beam, causing it to nearly double in size and begin to overwhelm Roshi's Kamehameha beam.
"Uungh, such strength, yet you choose to enslave yourself to an evil master."
Roshi gritted his teeth and let out a defiant roar. "HAAAAAA!" Roshi pumped every last drop of his remaining ki into his Kamehameha wave, causing it to suddenly burst forth like an unstoppable tsunami, overwhelming the armored demon's energy wave and smashing directly into the demon.
FWOOOOOSH...
The Kamehameha wave burst through the armored demon's chest, causing his upper body to disintegrate, passing through him and smashing a bloody opening into the line of demons behind him.
Turtle struggled to hold his ground while holding his arm in front of his eyes to shield his eyes from the intense blue and white light.
"R... Roshi..." Turtle let out a startled cry as the ground beneath him gave way, lifting him off the ground and sending him flying into the house.
BOOM...
The wall collapsed inward, and the falling rubble struck Turtle, rendering him unconscious.
Roshi allowed the ki wave to dissipate, with the residual energy drifting upward in dissolving motes of light.
His arms and legs shook, thick beads of sweat pouring from his body onto the ground, leaving a large puddle before his muscles began to fade, his body returning to its previous scrawny, almost skeletal appearance before he lost consciousness and fell forwards, face-first onto the ground.
Across from Roshi, the armored demon's flesh began to ripple above his waist, like coagulated oil, before his upper body emerged in a bloody spectacle, revealing a body that went beyond simply muscular, each muscle bearing a pulsating runic tattoo that faded into shadowy motes shortly after emerging.
The demon breathed heavily, still reeling from the pain of his body being destroyed.
He walked over to the unconscious Roshi and kicked him in the ribs before lifting his body onto his shoulder.
Looking around the demon was shocked by how few of his demon soldiers remained, a once formidable small army now reduced to a mere handful of demons, each one struggling to rise to their feet, some using their swords as crutches.
"So many dead..." The demon let out a tired sigh before his expression shifted to a maniacal grin. "Oh well, they were weaklings.
Lifting a hand into the air, the demon gestured for the remaining demons to follow his lead, walking back towards the direction they came, leaving an empty field of blood and rubble in their wake.
Many miles away inside a nearly completely sealed cave Tavor was resting his body, seemingly asleep but inside he was training in the Hyperbolic Mind Space.
He was once more in a vast circular colosseum battling with the draconic demon who had previously bested him.
Tavor sent a series of ki blasts flying towards the demon while dashing to the side, the demons arms crossed in front of him to block the attacks but finding himself blinded by the light and dust.
The draconic demon suddenly opened his mouth and roared, dispersing the cloud of dust and sending an explosive blast of demonic energy towards the direction Tavor was heading.
Tavor spotted this and dropped to his knees sliding mere inches under the blast that shot past him and smashed into the wall of the colloseum.
BOOOOM!
Tavor moved swiftly.
His feet hit the ground as he darted sideways, his tail whipping behind him to maintain his balance.
A second blast came hurtling toward him.
Tavor twisted his body, narrowly allowing the projectile to pass over his shoulder.
Its heat scorched his skin, and the force of its passage tugged at his tattered clothes, but he didn't slow down.
Closer.
Another blast streaked toward his chest.
He dropped low, planted one hand against the ground, and swung his legs around the projectile's path.
The energy exploded behind him, bathing his back in crimson light.
"Keep moving. Don't give him time to aim."
Tavor sprang upright and accelerated, his boots digging into the colosseum floor.
His opponent responded with a furious barrage, hurling one blast after another with enough power to pulverize the stone beneath Tavor's feet.
Yet the young Saiyan refused to retreat.
He dodged left, then right, occasionally throwing himself forward or skidding beneath an attack that would have blown him apart had it landed.
Each time the demon fired, Tavor studied the movement of its arms, the shifting of its shoulders, and the brief pause before energy gathered in its maw.
He was learning.
The demon had beaten him before through sheer strength and the overwhelming pressure of its attacks.
Every mistake had cost Tavor dearly, and every desperate attempt to overpower it had ended with his body battered against the ground.
But this was different.
He had gained much experience training under Master Turtle and was now able to battle somewhat evenly with the demon who had previously battered him.
He was closing the gap.
And with every passing second, he was getting closer.
The draconic demon's dark scales glimmered as its runic markings flared. It drew back one enormous arm, gathering a mass of dark crimson energy in its palm before thrusting it forward.
The resulting blast swallowed the space between them.
Tavor's eyes narrowed.
Rather than veering away, he rushed directly toward it.
At the last possible moment, he dropped onto one knee and leaned backward, the blast passing just above his face.
The heat washed over his forehead, and a few strands of his black hair fluttered in its wake.
His momentum carried him forward.
He slid beneath the fading energy, one hand skimming the stone as he shot through the opening.
For the first time, the demon's eyes widened.
Tavor was already inside its guard.
The towering creature attempted to pull its arm back, but the Saiyan had anticipated the movement.
His tail snapped behind him, stabilizing his body as he planted his feet directly in front of the demon's abdomen.
A fierce grin spread across his face.
"GOT YOU!"
Blue-white ki erupted around Tavor's right hand.
Instead of releasing the energy as a projectile, he compressed it into a dense, shimmering orb that clung to his palm.
The sphere pulsed with barely contained power, its surface rippling as Tavor forced more ki into it.
He twisted his hips and drove his hand forward.
The orb struck the demon squarely in the abdomen.
KRA-KOOOOOM!
The impact sent a shockwave ripping across the colosseum.
The demon's eyes bulged.
Its jaw dropped as the attack crushed into its midsection, forcing the air from its lungs in a harsh, strangled gasp.
"GHUOOOHH!"
Its massive body folded around Tavor's fist.
For a fraction of a second, the creature remained suspended in place, its claws twitching uselessly as the concentrated ki discharged directly against its scales.
Then the stored energy detonated.
Blue-white light engulfed the demon's abdomen, illuminating the intricate runes etched across its dark scales and hide.
Smoke billowed from the point of impact, and several scales blackened beneath the intense heat.
The demon was hurled backward.
Its feet tore furrows through the stone as it slid across the colosseum floor, struggling to regain its balance.
The creature finally slammed one clawed hand into the ground, carving a deep trench before coming to a halt.
Smoke curled from its abdomen.
For several seconds, neither combatant moved.
Tavor remained in his fighting stance, his right fist extended and wisps of blue-white energy dancing around his knuckles.
His chest rose and fell as he drew in a steady breath, his tail swaying behind him.
He had done it.
He had crossed the distance, slipped past the demon's attacks, and landed a clean hit without taking a single direct blow.
A thrill surged through his body.
"I actually hit him!"
The grin on his face widened, revealing the tips of his teeth.
But the excitement lasted only a moment.
The demon slowly straightened.
Its chest heaved as it dragged air back into its lungs.
One massive hand moved to its smoking abdomen, where several scales had cracked and peeled away, exposing dark flesh beneath.
The runes across its body flickered.
Then they began to glow brighter.
A low, guttural growl rolled from the demon's throat.
Tavor's tail stiffened.
The creature raised its head, fixing him with a pair of burning eyes and Tavor felt a chill run down his spine and into his tail.
This was nowhere near over!
(Queue DBZ narrator voice)
Tavor had finally managed to land a clean hit on the draconic demon, but would his newfound strength be enough to overcome the monster that had once crushed him so effortlessly?
Meanwhile, Roshi had been captured by the very demon army he had fought so desperately to defeat, and Turtle remained buried beneath the rubble of their destroyed home!
Will Tavor discover the terrible fate awaiting him before it's too late? And can he overcome the draconic demon standing between him and true strength?
Find out in the next exciting chapter of Reborn as a Saiyan in Marvel!