"Die!" Cooler's figure vanished from everyone's sight, but Meruem knew it was only the illusion created by ultra–high-speed movement.
"Interesting! But I can still take attacks at this level." Meruem chuckled, and his figure likewise blinked out of view.
Bang. Bang. Bang. The sounds of bodies colliding and fists and feet crashing rang out again and again, yet neither combatant could be seen. Not even the elite Chimera Ants present were an exception.
Even Musashi, with eyes evolved to the Rinnegan, could only barely catch a trace of afterimages.
"I didn't expect the gap between me and the main body to keep widening. Tch, even if he is the main body, it really ticks me off. A few million in battle power only gets you relegated to background extra status in late Dragon Ball, and here I'd been smug about my strength." Musashi clenched the katana in his hand, unwilling to accept it.
"But… he is the main body. Still, it's really frustrating. If this were another world, I could stomp everything. In Dragon Ball, the top-end power scale is just too terrifying. A mere 'not-strong-by-late-DB' Cooler is already this powerful. Cell, Buu, Broly, Janemba, Beerus, Golden Frieza—those guys are the ones standing at the very peak."
"C'mon, Boss—do your thing."
"Ha!" The two finally reappeared in everyone's sight, their fists slamming into each other in perfect unison.
For the moment, it was evenly matched.
"Not bad." Meruem wiped a smear of blood from the corner of his mouth and smiled at Cooler.
"Your strength is stronger than I expected. No wonder you dared challenge me—you've got some skill." Cooler likewise wiped a thread of blood from his lip.
Though they had seemed evenly matched just now, each had roughly felt out the other's strength. The real fight was only beginning.
"But did you think my battle power was only at this level? Heh-heh-heh. I'll let you in on a secret—this isn't my complete form. You know there are many races in the universe that can transform. Once they transform, their battle power multiplies."
"You're saying you can transform?" Meruem asked, though he already knew.
To be honest, Cooler was a good opponent. As Meruem's strength soared, it had become hard to find a close match for a proper bout.
Whether it was the three Royal Guards or his clone Musashi, the gap to Meruem was too big. And as his power grew, the Saiyan factor in his body made his thirst for battle grow as well.
Cooler's final battle power was 470 million, a figure actually above Meruem's current level.
Yes—though Meruem had been rising fast, he still hadn't reached 470 million.
But the bigger the gap you overcome, the more satisfying the victory.
Battle power is just a number. A higher number doesn't guarantee total suppression. Meruem's battle power might be a bit lower than Cooler's fourth form, but he had plenty of powerful techniques.
"So you're not surprised I can transform? Maybe you've never experienced true despair. Then feast your eyes—my final form! Everyone who's seen this form is dead." Cooler's voice grew more arrogant, as if the victory were already his.
"All dead? Frieza's seen it, right? He's still alive and kicking, isn't he?" Meruem tossed fuel on the fire.
That name was a pressure point for the Cooler of this world.
"AAAAH! I'll crush you into paste!" As expected, the moment Frieza was mentioned, Cooler's fury flared again.
His body kept changing shape, and an aura twice as strong as before erupted skyward.
Four hundred seventy million weighed on the hearts of the Chimera Ant elites like a shadow.
"So that's him… terrifying. The King was fighting this kind of monster just now?" Every Chimera Ant present was elite, and all could use ki.
But in front of Cooler, their ki was like a drop of water before a river—no, an ocean.
"Impossible. If I fought this kind of monster, I'd have no chance at all." The Chimera Ants each ran the numbers in their heads.
The result: no matter the method, there wasn't the faintest chance of victory.
This was an absolute power gap. In the face of absolute strength, schemes and tricks held no hope.
"As much as I hate to admit it, with the physiology of Frieza's race, poison doesn't seem to work on them. If it's assassination—at this battle tier, even I don't like my odds." After weighing it, Musashi reached the same conclusion.
The dome of Cooler's head swelled from the former smooth shape, horn-like structures emerging; barbs jutted from his elbows.
He looked increasingly like Frieza's second form, though without the long back-of-head.
"Thanks for waiting." Cooler's complete form arrived.
"Begone, insect." Cooler leveled a finger at Meruem, and a massive beam lanced from his fingertip.
"Opening with a finger beam? Too bad it's useless on me. Tsk, tsk." Meruem swatted the incoming beam away with a palm.
This time the finger beam was stronger than he'd expected, the recoil shock numbing Meruem's right hand. That was beyond Cooler's earlier strength. It seemed not only his ki and battle power had increased.
"Heh-heh. You can bat away one shot—but what about a relentless barrage? Lightning Beam Barrage!" Countless rapid purple beams spat from Cooler's fingers, weaving a vast net of light in the air.
"No way to dodge—have to take it head-on. Let's see if that move can deflect attacks of this magnitude." From any angle, evasion would be met by hits.
"Miniature: Super Shinra Tensei!" A colossal repulsive force burst from Meruem's body. For all the finger beams' power, they still lost to that overwhelming push and were physically blasted aside.
"Oh? Interesting. Then let's try my fists." Cooler vanished again in ultra–high-speed movement.
"Damn—Shinra Tensei can't be used in succession. I'll have to meet him!" Meruem likewise flashed forward.
A purple beam and a green beam streaked and collided through the sky as Cooler and Meruem traded ferocious blows.
Meruem's fist smashed into Cooler's face; at the same time, Cooler hammered Meruem's midsection with rapid combinations.
"Damn you!" Cooler swore nonstop. His strength and speed clearly outstripped the other's, yet every time the opponent somehow redirected his power with strange means—and Cooler was the one who kept getting the short end.
Damn it—my battle power outstrips his! He's only a bit over 300 million; I'm more than a full 100 million higher! Why can't I gain the advantage? Why do I keep losing each exchange?
"Hah… hah…" Meruem was breathing hard. Though it looked like he had the upper hand each time, Cooler's punches were no joke. No wonder this race once dominated the universe.
Whether raw physical power or ki, it was top-tier. Far tougher than Abe no Seimei's body, by a long shot. Good thing he'd swung through the Nura world first—if he'd come straight from Naruto, even with Ultra Divine Water and the Tree of Might fruit he might not match Cooler.
"Rrrraaaagh! Die!" Cooler was edging into frenzy, hurling energy blasts at Meruem like ki cost nothing.
It was the prince's fighting style, and Meruem could only parry for a time, aiming to smash Cooler when his ki ebbed.
Sometimes, combat is a contest of stamina and patience.
"Heh—dream on! Death Explosion!" For all his mania, Cooler wasn't stupid. Among the mutated elites of Frieza's race, not one was a fool. Bringing his hands together, he flung a massive black sphere at Meruem and detonated it just as it reached him.
The tremendous shockwave sent even Meruem flying.
"Got you." Meruem felt a hard constriction at his waist—a huge deep-purple tail had wrapped him tight at some point.
He couldn't break free in an instant. This truly was a super race that had ruled the cosmos.
"Weren't you cocky? Die!" Cooler seized the opening and hammered heavy blows into Meruem again and again, each punch landing clean.
"Guh—" At last, even Meruem couldn't help spitting a mouthful of blood.
Getting beaten bloody—aside from his final clash with Mephistopheles Chama in the Hunter world, this was a first.
Heh—me, known for hand-to-hand, actually losing the physical exchange.
But I can feel it. Even while I'm being pushed this far, I'm the one who'll be standing at the end.
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