The dust settled after the devastating battle that had just taken place. Nappa lay face down on the ground, motionless, while Ridlay stood a few meters away, his gaze fixed on the Saiyan on the ground, his expression sharp and observant.
From their positions, Krillin, Gohan, Ruby, and Weiss were stunned by what they had just seen. Krillin and Gohan began to regain the hope they thought they had lost, the hope that they would finally succeed in saving Earth and defeating the Saiyans.
For her part, Weiss couldn't shake this feeling inside her, the feeling that this was just the first act of this fight and that the storm hadn't passed yet.
*rumble*
After remaining motionless for over a minute, Nappa's hand moved, his fingers digging into the ground, gripping the dirt in the palm of his hand. He finally got up with difficulty, his body trembling under the stunned gaze of the four spectators.
"I knew it..." Weiss snarled.
"But... how! How can he still get up?" Krillin couldn't believe what he was seeing. After all the blows he'd received, how could he still get up?
Nappa exhaled heavily, steam escaping from his mouth with each breath. He turned heavily towards Ridlay, who hadn't moved from where he was, his gaze locked with Nappa's.
"How... how is it that you can hurt me so much?!? I'm an elite warrior! I shouldn't be struggling against a second-rate Saiyan like you!"
Ridlay didn't even react to Nappa's clear insult and simply replied coldly.
"Skill issue... maybe..."
Nappa's face contorted with rage after Ridlay's response.
"You little... you think you're the most powerful here? Keep dreaming!"
Ridlay didn't respond immediately. During his fight with Nappa, he could feel the different power surges of Vegeta and Goku despite the distance between them, and these two were true powerhouses. Even though he was far from weak, they were clearly a level above.
"The difference between you and me is that I don't pretend to be what I'm not..." Ridlay retorted, his defiant gaze.
"That's enough! I'll shut you up once and for all!!!"
Nappa clenched his fists, his muscles tensing all over, a low growl escaping his mouth. Gusts of wind emanated from him as his power level skyrocketed. The ground began to tremble, the surrounding rocks began to levitate, and lightning crackled around Nappa's body.
The four spectators did everything they could to stay standing, despite all the tremors caused by the Saiyan's dazzling surge of power.
"RAAAAAAHHHHHHH"
With a titanic roar, a colossal wave of energy erupted from Nappa, sweeping away everything in its path. Krillin and Gohan resisted with all their might to avoid being swept away by the energy storm, while Ruby and Weiss both drew their weapons and dug their blades into the ground to desperately hold on and avoid being blown away like dead leaves.
In contrast, Ridlay took the wave of energy head-on without flinching, his mind more focused than ever.
When the storm subsided, Nappa wore a wicked grin on his face, lightning cracking all around him.
"Now here is my full power! Your moment of demise has arrived!"
For the first time in the fight, Ridlay took a fighting stance, ready for what was to come.
Without wasting any time, Nappa charged forward at breathtaking speed. When they were face to face, Ridlay prepared to counterattack when Nappa disappeared completely.
Taken by surprise, Ridlay barely turned around when Nappa's foot crashed into his stomach, sending the young Saiyan flying, but Nappa continued his assault and closed the gap between them.
Ridlay threw a right hook, but Nappa caught his fist mid-air.
"I don't think so!" he said mockingly, his grin widening even more.
He headbutted Ridlay right in the face, then grabbed the young man with both hands before smashing him to the ground with all his might. Nappa didn't stop there, he raised his foot before bringing it down on Ridlay's back, then did it again and again, driving the young Saiyan deeper into the ground with each blow.
"HAHAHA!!! What's wrong? Not so cocky anymore, huh?!?" Nappa's expression was a mixture of satisfaction and sadistic pleasure.
After delivering one last kick, he grabbed Ridlay by the back of his outfit and pulled him out of the hole that had taken the shape of his body. He swung the young Saiyan with all his might against a hill, creating a crater on impact.
Before Ridlay could retaliate, Nappa charged at him and unleashed a barrage of devastating, relentless punches. Each blow drove Ridlay deeper and deeper into the hill, the crater widening with each attack.
Under the barrage of blows, Ridlay's gaze, which was obscured by his hair, suddenly awoke, his eye piercing through Nappa's very soul, causing the Saiyan to jump back, creating a gap of several meters between him and Ridlay.
His smile had completely disappeared, giving way to an expression of fear, a drop of sweat running down his head, a shiver running through his entire body.
"What...what in the hell was that...what was that feeling?!?"
Krillin, Gohan, Ruby, and Weiss couldn't believe what they had just seen. Just when they thought they'd just gained the advantage with Ridlay, now the latter had just been beaten up by Nappa. Was he even still alive?
"Do you... do you think he is..." Gohan asked in a shaky voice.
"Why... why does this monster still have such strength?!?" Krillin complained.
"Wait! Look!" Ruby exclaimed, pointing at the crater in the hill.
They all turned their heads in the direction Ruby was pointing when they saw Ridlay walking out of the crater. He took a few steps before stopping. He then looked down to see his clothes covered in dust. With a few slaps of his right hand, he dusted off his clothes before turning his gaze to Nappa, who hadn't moved an inch, beads of sweat dripping from his forehead.
"He looks perfectly fine!" Ruby pointed out.
"But... how?" Weiss asked, unable to believe he could be intact after all the blows he had received.
Ridlay took a step forward. When his foot hit the ground, he instantly disappeared like a ghost before reappearing in front of Nappa. His foot crashed into the colossus's stomach, which spat out a spray of saliva from the force of the blow, propelling him like a rocket into a pillar.
The force of the impact destroyed the pillar, which crashed to the ground with a dull rumble.
"What... I didn't even see him move!" said Krillin.
"Me neither!" added Gohan.
When the dust cleared, Nappa was on the ground clutching his stomach in pain, a trickle of drool running down his mouth.
"How...how is that even possible?!?" *cough* *cough*
"Now I have a good idea of your limits."
Nappa looked up at Ridlay when he heard those words.
"...Since you've decided to go all out...I guess it's time for me to step it up a gear..."
"What?!?"
Ridlay raised his head to the sky, his eyes closed. He inhaled deeply, then exhaled. The moment he opened his eyes again, a burst of energy sounded. A dome of white energy erupted from Ridlay and rose into the sky. The ground beneath his feet was completely destroyed, rock formations completely swept away by the blast of energy. Everyone in the area had to shield their eyes with their arms to avoid being blinded by the dome's bright glare.
Suddenly, without warning, the dome disappeared completely, revealing Ridlay standing in the middle of a crater created by the dome, an immaculate white aura covering his body.
He then raised his hand and pressed a small metal device placed behind his ear. Suddenly, a mechanism activated, and a combat mask unfolded, covering his mouth and both ears. The mask appeared to break on the left, revealing Rilay's scar on his cheek.
"Now... time to get down to business!"