Dragon Ball: Ascension

The dark blue planet below was massive, easily twice the size of Earth, with two asteroid-sized moons orbiting in complex patterns around it. Karnel guided the stolen ship through the upper atmosphere, taking in the alien landscape through the viewport.

"Smart bastards, hiding way out here in the middle of nowhere," he muttered, scanning the surface. "If I didn't have your navigation data, I'd never have found this place."

The planet's surface was dominated by a single massive city built around an enormous palace complex. From orbit, Karnel could see that the entire Kaimo population, maybe a few thousand individuals, was concentrated in this one location. No scattered settlements, no industrial centers, just one fortified stronghold where the cosmic parasites had made their nest.

Meanwhile, in the palace throne room, a subordinate knelt before an ornate seat carved from what looked like crystallized bone.

"Lord Kairos," the messenger said nervously, "the squadron we sent to that primitive world has returned, but... our sensors indicate all the warriors aboard were eliminated over a month ago."

The figure on the throne stirred slightly. Kairos was larger than the other Kaimo, with more pronounced horns and skin that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. When he opened his eyes, they glowed with an inner fire that spoke of power beyond measure.

"How interesting," Kairos mused, his voice carrying the weight of absolute authority. "So one of the natives has stolen our ship and come here personally. How... unprecedented." A cruel smile crossed his features. "It's been ages since anyone was foolish enough to challenge us on our own world. This should be entertaining."

The messenger, Hagas, remained prostrate. "Shall I mobilize the full garrison, my lord?"

"For one primitive?" Kairos laughed, a sound like grinding stone. "Don't insult me, Hagas. Send a few third-tier warriors to collect our visitor. I want to interrogate this brave little fool personally before I drain him dry."

As Hagas hurried from the throne room, Karnel was setting his ship down in what appeared to be a landing area on the city's outskirts. The moment he stepped onto the alien soil, he took a deep breath and extended his senses.

"Just as I thought," he said to himself, feeling the power levels scattered throughout the city. "A few thousand Kaimo, all concentrated in one place. Most of them are weaklings, but there are definitely some heavy hitters mixed in." His eyes narrowed as he detected several particularly strong signatures near the palace. "This is either going to be really easy or really complicated."

His original plan had been a stealth infiltration, pick off the stronger warriors one by one while they were isolated. But before he could move, four distinct energy signatures broke away from the main group and began racing toward his position at incredible speed.

"Well, so much for the element of surprise," Karnel chuckled. "Guess they noticed their ship coming home. All right then, let's see what the locals have to offer."

Four streaks of violet light descended from the sky, resolving into humanoid forms as they landed. Hagas stepped forward, flanked by three warriors whose power levels immediately caught Karnel's attention. These weren't the bottom-feeders like Thorne's squad, these were legitimate threats.

"Well, well," Hagas sneered, looking Karnel up and down with obvious disdain. "A monkey with a tail. You're definitely not from that backwater planet we've been harvesting. So tell me, little beast, are you just incredibly stupid, or do you actually think you can take on the entire Kaimo race by yourself?"

Karnel shrugged casually. "Why would I need to take on your whole race? From what I can see, you're all gathered in one convenient location. Makes my job a lot easier." He cracked his knuckles. "Besides, I'm not here to negotiate. I'm here to exterminate every last one of you parasites."

The casual arrogance in his voice made Hagas's expression darken considerably. "You have quite the mouth for someone about to become a meal. Let's see if you can back up that big talk." He gestured to one of his companions. "Kronus, teach this monkey some manners. Try not to kill him too quickly, Lord Kairos wants to question him first."

The designated warrior stepped forward without a word. Kronus was built like a living weapon, all lean muscle and predatory grace, with the three-horned configuration that marked him as a third-tier Kaimo. When he moved, it was with speed that made Thorne look sluggish by comparison.

His first strike came so fast that even Karnel was momentarily caught off guard. The Saiyan barely got his guard up in time, absorbing the impact through his forearms. The force behind the punch sent him skidding backward several meters, his feet carving furrows in the alien soil.

"Not bad," Karnel admitted, rolling his shoulders to work out the impact. "You're definitely stronger than that Thorne character. This might actually be fun."

But even as he spoke, Karnel was analyzing his opponent's capabilities. Kronus was indeed more than twice as strong as Thorne had been, fast, technically proficient, and utterly ruthless in his attacks. This wasn't going to be the easy warm-up fight he'd hoped for.

Kronus pressed his advantage immediately, launching into a devastating combination that forced Karnel onto the defensive. The Kaimo warrior's strikes came from impossible angles, each one carrying enough force to shatter mountains. Karnel found himself giving ground steadily, barely managing to deflect or dodge each attack.

"Is that really all you've got?" Hagas called out mockingly. "I was expecting something more impressive from someone bold enough to invade our world. You're just another weak primitive who got lucky once."

But Hagas's amusement began to fade as the fight continued. While the monkey was clearly outmatched, he was adapting with disturbing speed. Every attack that should have landed was deflected by increasingly narrow margins. Every counterattack was blocked or evaded at the last possible second.

After several minutes of intense combat, Kronus finally began to show signs of frustration. Despite his clear superiority, he hadn't managed to land a single clean hit.

"Enough of this," Hagas snarled. "Vexis, Torrak, join him. I want this monkey captured now."

The other two third-tier warriors immediately moved to flank Karnel, creating a triangle formation that would make escape nearly impossible. Karnel backed away slightly, appearing to panic as the three Kaimo closed in from different angles.

"Well, shit," he muttered, loud enough for his enemies to hear. "Guess I bit off more than I could chew. Should have brought backup after all."

The three warriors exchanged satisfied glances. Their coordinated assault would end this quickly, three simultaneous strikes from different directions, each one precisely calculated to prevent any possible escape.

They attacked as one, moving with the fluid coordination of a pack of hunters. Three fists, each carrying enough destructive force to obliterate a small city, converged on Karnel's position.

And connected with nothing but empty air.

Where Karnel had been standing, only a fading afterimage remained. The three Kaimo warriors collided with each other in a tangle of limbs, their own momentum sending them crashing to the ground in an undignified heap.

"Looking for me?" Karnel's voice came from directly above them.

Hagas looked up in shock to see the monkey floating casually in midair, not even breathing hard. The expression of mild concern had been replaced by something far more dangerous, the predatory smile of a hunter who had just finished sizing up his prey.

"Thanks for the warm-up," Karnel said pleasantly. "Now that I know what you're capable of, we can get started for real."