Dragon Ball: Ascension

"Come on then!" Karnel beckoned with one finger, his golden aura flaring brighter. "Enough talk. Let's see if this confidence of yours is backed by actual strength."

The response was immediate and devastating. Hagas launched himself forward with explosive force, the sheer violence of his movement creating a shockwave that carved hundreds of slash marks into the nearby terrain. Trees were uprooted, rocks shattered, and the very air seemed to scream in protest.

Karnel didn't underestimate this opponent. He vanished from his position just as Hagas reached him, and the two collided in midair with enough force to twist the atmosphere around them.

They disappeared entirely from ground level, becoming nothing more than two streaks of light dancing through the sky. The sound of their impacts echoed like thunder as they exchanged hundreds of blows per second, moving so fast that the air itself began to heat from friction.

Sonic booms erupted wherever they clashed, creating visible shockwaves that rippled outward in expanding rings. The sky above their battlefield became a maze of white contrails, as if a squadron of supersonic jets had engaged in aerial combat.

The prolonged intensity of their battle began to affect the very weather. The heat generated by their collisions caused the moisture in the air to condense rapidly, forming dark storm clouds that gathered with unnatural speed. Lightning began to fork between the clouds, and thunder rolled across the alien landscape like the drumbeat of approaching apocalypse.

CRACK!

A final, devastating exchange sent both fighters hurtling apart. They came to a stop several hundred meters from each other, hovering in the charged air as electricity danced around them.

Karnel floated there as if he'd just finished a light stretching routine, breathing steady, posture relaxed, not even a bead of sweat visible on his brow. His golden aura pulsed rhythmically, as controlled as a heartbeat.

Hagas, by contrast, was clearly feeling the strain. His chest heaved as he gasped for air, purple sweat streaming down his face. The veins in his neck bulged prominently, and his breath came out in visible puffs of steam. Every muscle in his body showed the tension of someone who had been fighting at maximum capacity.

"Well, Hagas," Karnel called out casually, arms crossed as if he were commenting on the weather. "I thought you fourth-tier types were supposed to be impressive. Are you already winded? That was barely a warm-up for me."

The casual dismissal hit Hagas like a physical blow, but something about the taunt seemed... forced. Too deliberate. His eyes narrowed as he studied his opponent more carefully.

"You know something, monkey?" Hagas said slowly, his breathing beginning to steady. "Your calm act is very convincing, but I'm starting to see through it. You're not as unaffected as you pretend to be."

Karnel raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? And what brilliant deduction led you to that conclusion?"

"You've mentioned twice now that this is just a 'warm-up' for you," Hagas replied, a calculating gleam entering his eyes. "That's exactly the kind of thing someone says when they're trying too hard to convince their opponent, and themselves, that they're not in trouble. You're buying time to recover, aren't you?"

For just a moment, so brief it was almost imperceptible, genuine surprise flickered across Karnel's features.

"Impossible," he muttered, and this time the shock in his voice seemed entirely real. "How could you possibly... I'm supposed to be one of the best actors back home..."

Hagas felt a surge of triumph as his suspicions were confirmed. The monkey's facade was cracking at last. "I was almost fooled by your performance. But repeating the same psychological tactic twice? That's what gave you away. You wanted to intimidate me into retreating so you could escape."

"Damn," Karnel said, his voice heavy with what sounded like genuine defeat. "You caught details I didn't even notice myself. Yes, that was the original plan, scare you off, then steal a ship and get out of here before your reinforcements arrived. But if you've figured it out..."

The despair in his voice, the slump of his shoulders, the way his golden aura seemed to dim slightly, it all painted a picture of someone whose last hope had just been crushed. Hagas felt his confidence surge back like a tide.

"Your strategy wasn't terrible," Hagas said magnanimously, floating closer with predatory satisfaction. "But you made two critical mistakes. First, you were too obvious with your psychological manipulation. Second, you gave me time to recover."

He gestured to himself, and indeed, his breathing had returned to normal and the exhaustion seemed to have melted away from his features.

"Kaimo physiology allows for rapid regeneration of stamina. While you were trying to play mind games, I was getting back to peak condition. Now you face me at full strength while you're still depleted from our battle."

Karnel stared at him with what appeared to be mounting horror, one hand covering his mouth as if to stifle a cry of dismay.

Inside his head, however, a very different conversation was taking place: Holy shit, this guy's imagination is incredible. I made two casual comments and he's constructed an entire psychological profile and battle strategy. This is better than watching a soap opera.

"Your massive life force will make an excellent meal," Hagas continued, advancing with the slow, deliberate pace of a predator who knew his prey was cornered. "After I drain you dry, my power will definitely increase by an entire tier."

Oh good, Karnel thought, still maintaining his expression of dawning terror. He's monologuing now. They always monologue when they think they've won. This is actually kind of adorable.