Vegeta's glare intensified, but this time, it wasn't just confusion—it was pure wariness. I could see the calculations running through his mind. A man who had faced countless threats throughout his life wasn't rattled easily, but he was sensing something... beyond the ordinary.
I could feel it too.
The air was thick with tension. Even as my senses buzzed with the kind of awareness I'd never had before, I felt the subtle difference in the way the universe itself responded to my presence. It was as though reality bent ever so slightly around me. I wasn't supposed to be here. This wasn't my world. And yet…
No, you belong here, the voice inside my head whispered. This is your world now. You can bend it, shape it, however you choose.
The words were comforting, but they came with an underlying pressure. The weight of power, of responsibility.
"So, you're telling me," Vegeta said, his voice dripping with skepticism, "you just woke up and decided to mess with me, the Prince of the Saiyans?"
I took a step forward, a small smirk curling at the corner of my lips. The confidence—no, certainty—that flooded me felt like an anchor in the storm of unfamiliarity.
"I didn't decide anything. It's just who I am now." I raised my hand, palm facing him. No need to get violent... yet.
I could sense the pulse of his ki—raw, intense, primal. A powerful warrior, no doubt. But this wasn't just ki. No. It was energy, pure and untamed, a force that rippled through the very fabric of the world. And as Rimuru, I could feel the endless potential inside of me to not only match it—but surpass it.
The difference was clear: Vegeta, powerful as he was, was shackled by his own limits. But me? I was limitless.
"You think you can just throw your weight around and I won't stop you?" Vegeta growled, his fists clenching. His ki flared violently, surrounding him in a crackling aura of golden light. "You want a fight? You've got one."
I sensed it. The shift in the atmosphere. Vegeta's power was climbing, rapidly, dangerously. It reminded me of the times I'd seen Goku and Vegeta going toe-to-toe in their Super Saiyan forms, but there was something different here. Something more raw.
But I wasn't about to let him dictate the rules.
"Stop," I said, my voice cold. The command wasn't directed at him—it was for the universe itself.
Vegeta's body froze. His aura flickered, faltering as the air around us seemed to pause for just a moment. His entire form was suspended in time, mid-action, the tension in his muscles still palpable but in a state of stasis.
It was effortless.
I felt the surge of power surge through me. Thought Acceleration, Spatial Movement, Time Manipulation—all of it working in perfect harmony. My mind whirred, analyzing the best way to diffuse this situation without causing unnecessary conflict.
I didn't need to fight him. Not yet. Not unless I chose to.
"That's enough, Vegeta," I said, as the world slowly returned to its normal pace.
He blinked a few times, disoriented. "What… the hell did you do to me?"
I smiled, though it wasn't mocking. "Just... gave you some time to think."
Vegeta gritted his teeth, his pride stinging from the humiliation. "I'm not going to let some... whoever you are control me like that. Not again."
"Again?" I raised an eyebrow. "Have you been controlled before?"
Vegeta's eyes narrowed, but he didn't answer. Instead, he just let out a frustrated sigh and powered down, his ki returning to a manageable level. "You're lucky I don't feel like tearing you apart today, whoever you are."
I didn't take offense. I understood. Vegeta's pride was as much a part of him as his battle aura. He would need time to process the fact that someone—someone who didn't even belong in his world—had just casually neutralized his most dangerous attack. I was a threat, and I would remain one until I could prove my intentions.
"So," I began, deciding to change the subject, "what happens now? Do I just stand around, or is there some grand tour of the world you want to give me?"
Vegeta shot me a look that mixed irritation with a hint of curiosity. "Don't push your luck. You don't belong here. If you're smart, you'll leave before things get ugly."
But I wasn't about to leave. Not yet. There was something else pulling me toward this world. Something more than just power. And that's when I felt it—another presence, far stronger than Vegeta, approaching us at a rapid pace.
The ground beneath my feet trembled. A sudden, overwhelming sense of energy made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It was him.
I turned toward the source of the disturbance, and sure enough, there he was.
A man with lavender skin, his spiky white hair shining under the strange sky. His presence radiated an aura of authority and fear—framed by a calm, amused smile.
"Vegeta," the figure said in a voice that carried far beyond the space between us. "I hope I'm not interrupting something."
Vegeta's face drained of color. "You're…" His voice was tight with respect. "Lord Beerus."
The lavender-skinned figure—Beerus, the God of Destruction—glanced over at me, his eyes narrowing, scanning my every movement with unnerving precision.
"Hmm…" Beerus murmured, cocking his head to the side. "You. I feel… something unusual from you. Not quite like anything I've encountered before."
I stood taller. I'm not a threat to you, I thought, but even as the words formed, I knew that was a lie. I was a threat. And this god—whoever he was—wasn't someone I could afford to ignore.
Beerus' eyes glinted with interest. "This could be fun."