The Reality Vortex: Red Reputations

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The Hive

Cayde froze once Bernkastel mentioned she would come along, his eyes widening a bit in a panic. His head turned a bit, hearing Spina chime in with his questioning of the idea as well. It was all the android needed, immediately seeking to roll off of the pitched skepticism to further turn Bernkastel away from following him.

"Right...no need to go it alone. You should stay here with the other Breakers and crack this mystery."

However, Cayde froze in place again, realizing he talked himself into a hole by backing Bage and Spina's point that going alone was too dangerous. He cleared his mechanical throat audibly, hurriedly making his point and blissfully unaware of the charging Xy'pher and Nia's loud warning.

"And before you say it...no...I wouldn't be alone because I'd find those two quicker than anyone here. So don't worry, I'll be right back with Clark and-"

Cayde yelped loudly as the Xy'pher Broly smashed through the wall, socking Spina across the floor and standing before the Breakers. He barely had time to unholster his weapon before the floor collapsed in under the team, the android yelling out as he tumbling down towards the bottom of the hive. He struggled to get up from his feet, groaning as he reached for his gun and still laid on the floor while the others spoke.

"When you say...acting like himself...please tell me you mean he's secretly a pacifist and doesn't want to hurt us. He's a rational, sane guy...right?"

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The Snowy Mountains of Rogue City

Vegetto's eyes darted to Clark once the old name was mentioned; recognizing it as well. It took only seconds for the Potara fusion to piece the information together: he remembered the massive duel between the Blue Devils and Ultraman in Reality Metropolis that led to such chaos. Beginning first with Gogeta's simplistic attempt to destroy Ultraman and Hart at their first meeting to solve Hart's threat, and evolving into the changed man standing before him now.

Vegetto thought to himself for a moment, and suddenly, stifled a small amused chuckle as his lips rose into a smirk.

I hope you can see this, brother...how ironic, isn't it? Back then, you were ready to wipe him out when he was already battered and beaten before you. All because he wanted to protect his friend from you.

Vegetto spaced his legs slowly, panting lightly as he lowered Clark to the ground. The Potara fusion winced a bit; the damaging toll on his body prevelant from the intense battle just moments ago. While his stamina and energy began to naturally return on its own thanks to the conversion of his body into pure energy, it still would be insignificant in another all out battle with Vortex Man unless Vegetto dug deep into whatever was left.

Now he's here, with that same look in his eyes that you had. While I stand here, beaten and battered....ready to protect my friend...from him.

Vegetto clenched his fists, the cocky smirk still strong as he stared Vortex Man down and moved up between the two Kryptonians.

Don't worry...I'm not mad. I think this will help...for both our sakes...

The Potara fusion then reached up, lightly pushing up one of his two bangs into his massive spiky hairline to match his counterpart's hairstyle. With only Gogeta's widowspeak as a defining trait difference between the two left, Vegetto waved Vortex Man on with his right gloved hand; the cocky smirk never once wavering.

"Then bring it. Protecting Clark against you will be a piece of cake!"
 
Bage braced himself, turning and looking around the trembling room while ready to fight. Unfortunately, the detective was nearly knocked back by the sheer force of Xy'pher Broly's fist as it slammed forward at Spina. Everything had happened in an instant and all he could do was cover his ears at the blood-curdling war cry as they had suddenly been dropped down into the depth of the hive. There wasn't a moment of quiet as Bage rose from the fall and he scanned the area for the others, particularly looking for Spina since the weakened older Saiyan had taken the brunt of Broly's assault. As Spina had been kicked toward the wall, Bage's attention quickly turned to the crystalized stadium, seeing the millions of Xy'phers piling into the area, but not taking a single step into the ring.

"They're watching...!" Bage was almost in disbelief at seeing these Xy'phers settling themselves into their seats as if ready to watch a gladiator battle. He let his head slowly turn to look at Broly, his expression turning to one of distress. Broly may not be as strong as Goku... but he was a beast in a league of his own, at least from what he had heard. The Senior detective had hoped he wouldn't have to face this juggernaut in a fight to the death. But it was clear fortune was not on their side. They were trapped in this cage with the only option being to fight. At May's comment about focusing on the fight, his nerves subsided for the moment.

"The Red King is so close. We can't fail here." Bage stated as his ki began wirling around his body before flashing red and transforming the head detective into a super saiyan god. He locked eyes with the Xy'pher detective and readied himself into a fighting stance.

"Let's rescue Broly."
 
Bernkastel, who had stood between Cayde and Spina with a confused expression on her face as the android's rambling became difficult to parse. Opening her mouth to question him again and contest that he would still be going alone, the barrier had shattered from a sudden attacker. The Witch's proximity to the shockwave sent her hitting the other side of Nia's barrier, it shattering upon contact; she had little time to right herself as Broly sent them all tumbling down to the very bottom.

On the way down, Berserk knocked aside debris with her sword and landed on her feet albeit with a hard impact landing. "Captain?" she echoed Spawn. "So he's above even Goku? Well that's great." The PowerPunk looked around what looked to be an arena. "Looks like we're here to give 'em a show instead of blowing their asses to smithereens."

Bernkastel was in shock as she propped herself up with her arms. "You mean that's really him and not the mind control?! This is insane!" Her tone was of disbelief; she had met Broly in person and he was mild mannered and sensible. But now? It was like night and day, this demeanor seeming to be too genuine for Xy'pher brainwashing. It was unlike the demeanors of every Saiyan she had met so far actually-- Broly made even the most combative ones look like saints in comparison. The hairs on her neck stood on end and her tail bristled at the sight before her.

This was her first time going up against a Saiyan who was an enemy-- and this one sounded like there would be a bloodbath. She struggled hard against Ultraman and barely got by with underhanded tactics; and now Spina was practically knocked aside like a fly.

"Spina!" she shouted, making a step to teleport over to where he lay before hesitating at the sound of Berserk's voice.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you... I've seen you fight; you barely scraped by against Ultraman 'cause you came up with some underhanded tricks last-second," said the Powerpunk. "This Broly guy doesn't look the type to pass up on easy pickings... and I have no idea if we'd even be able to hold him off long enough to buy you some time. But I know Grandpa isn't gonna sit this out either."

"Don't remind me. But there has to be some way of fixing him..." Bernkastel's eyes suddenly lit up and she turned towards Zenta. "Hey, you're nimble enough to evade most attacks, right?" Her voice was hesitant at first, unsure if this was the right thing to ask after what had just happened. "Could you... hold onto Spina and keep him out of Broly's reach long enough? He's not recovering like usual, and if I or Bara can't get close enough to heal him, Broly might finish him off."

"Hey, that ain't a bad idea. Avalon, stay close to me," Berserk said as she brandished her sword. "That nifty mimic trick of yours might come in handy-- let's see if we can throw this guy off and confuse him with some good old mind games!" Despite sweat beading up on her face from the pressure Xy'pher Broly was exerting over them, she started to get excited from the adrenaline flaring up. "Brawn versus brain, let's see which one wins out!"
 
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Avalon and Zenta quickly turned their heads to Nia's warning, but failed to react in time to Broly's massive punch. While the entire group fell into the arena, Avalon was quick to rise to his feet and notice the situation they were in. With hundreds of Xy'phers watching the upcoming fight, there was something dire that Avalon realized.

They are gonna view this as a game? This is a fight to the death! Avalon scanned the area, looking for someone. And the main Xy'pher ain't here yet... This ain't good.

Zenta pushed some rubble off of him and shook his fur clean of debris before realizing the situation they were in. As more and more Xy'phers came forward to take a seat, he sighed at the cynical way Xy'phers viewed entertainment. His ears perked, however, upon hearing Bernkastel's voice and the order she gave him. The beast was hesitant given how he nearly ripped off Spina's arm, he mostly wondered if Spina would be okay with Zenta touching him. Regardless, this was not the time to ask questions. With a quick nod, Zenta rushed to Spina and hoisted the Saiyan over his shoulder, making sure his two tails wrapped around Spina's waist to secure him.

“Yes, my Lady.” Zenta smiled. “Let us make haste in healing Spina. I will do my best to deflect attacks from hitting us. Use my body as your shield, Lady Bernkastel and Bara.”

Nia coughed from the dust and debris before using her psychic powers to lift herself out of the rubble. Upon landing eyes on Broly, her expression changed.

“He's acting against all Xy'pher behavior... but how?” Nia questioned herself. “What the hell is going on?”

“Let's save the questions for later, we're gonna need all the help we can get. Be on your toes!” Avalon chimed in before taking a stance next to Berserk.

Oddly enough, his goofy persona turned serious, particularly because of how he examined the arena they were in. Every piece of information, every aspect of the environment, Avalon absorbed to keep in the back of his head. His head lowered as his eyes were rapidly taking in information, almost as if he was trying to think of every possible idea and every possible outcome, both good and bad. Despite being a complete goofball, the ninja was quick to think on his feet and create strategies on a whim. Once he was done thinking, he lifted his head and nodded to himself before tossing his scroll in the air and catching it.

His hand slipped into his pocket before pulling out three smoke balls, which he held between his fingers.

“Brain over Brawn, eh? I was never much into hand-to-hand combat, so I like this a lot better.” Avalon held a confident smirk. “Alright Berserk, distracting Detective Broly should be easy; the hard part is making sure that he doesn't target Boss, Zenta, Bara, or Bernkastel. You ready to knock some Xy'pher heads off, Berserk?”
 
Majin Bara was rather quick to recover now that she was getting serious, using the falling debris to keep herself steady duing the fall and landing on her feet on the ground below, taking note of the Xy'phers watching, making her narrow her eyes, before overhearing Bernkastel talk, at which she nodded, making sure she remained out of direct sight of Broly as she shrank a bit in size and split up thanks to her Majin genetics, knowing she could reassemble at will whenever things got too rough, using the smaller pieces of herself to act as decoys whenever possible while she moved up to reach Spina, using debris for cover.
 
May says flatly "If you know of the concept of cursed or sapient items then it makes sense; despite that that hardly matters now." May thinks "the black crystals are able to wipe a sense of self or suppress it; then it may become easier to control the Xy'pherfie people on top of other benefits."

May says "Some of us should make shore the underlings are unable to backup Broly." May don't trust the fact that the Xy'phers here will not interfere or run once Broly is defeated.
 
The Hive Arena

“Tch… I know!” Detective Spawn agreed with May’s contention to concentrate all efforts towards the battle. Grabbing the cloak, it wrapped around the Detective’s upper torso. As a result, the cloak had increased the body mass, including bigger muscles and bigger hands, with spikes on the knuckles. His mask formed a mouth, bearing his razor-sharp teeth; his body emitting intense greenish aura. Knowing that the battle won’t be an easy one and cursing himself for not participating in the battle against his senior in Reflection City, Spawn was more than ready to face the Xy’pher beast.

Saiyan Buster

Doing a few stretches, Detective Spawn stood next to Detective Bage, while taking a battle stance. “Let’s dance, Starch.”

“Good…” Broly praised the Breakers that will fight him. “… I was flung to the space in between worlds… and fought plenty of scums in my wake. Only for me to appear in this world and crashed to this manor… along with that pathetic worm, Vegeta.” Tightening his fists. “But things had been a blur since… memories disappeared in an instant and my mind locked away to become Captain. Only when I came back here… that I remembered who I was…”

A sudden rush of energy billowed around the Xy’pher, increasingly rapidly by the second. “A savage warrior bound to battle!! You scum better give me your all, or I’ll destroy this forsaken place!!! Hahahahaha!”

Xy’pher Broly rushed in like a roaring hurricane, closing in the distance between the Breakers and himself instantly. Bumping his chest against Spawn, a green energy ball form in between, resulting an explosion that flung Spawn and anyone near him away.

Spawn’s feet burrowed against the ground before coming to a full stop. He dashed forward in blazing speeds; circling around the Xy’pher before leaping into the air and delivered a kick against his head. The force of the kick was enough to shatter the ground beneath the Xy’pher.

Unsurprisingly, Xy’pher Broly formed a ball of energy in the palm of his right hand and lunged towards the Detective. Spawn responded with striking of his own; both their fists collided and releasing shockwaves; neither party moving from their position.

----

“Hrmm….” Spina mumbled as Zenta hoisted him up with his tails. He was all bloodied, cracks easily apparent across his body. Barely opening his eyes, the first he commanded: “You damn… dog… let me down… I can take him.” He tried to move, but to no avail.

“My, this is quite a show. He’s a bit unhinged, but that’s something you get accustomed too at this point. I’ll be rooting for you, Breakers!” Lucifer cheered as he clap, uquite devilishly, from the stands as he sat comfortably in between the Xy’phers cheering on.



Snowy Mountains of Rogue City

“Vegetto…?” Clark coughed in confusion. When Vegetto proclaimed himself as Gogeta, it’d completely baffled him. “Is he trying to get Kal-ll angry?” Clark was too worn out to think properly at the moment to understand Vegetto’s motives. “I have to stop this before this gets out of hand…”

Vortex Man’s eyes never wavered when Vegetto taunted him. “Don’t worry, Kal-El. This’ll be over soon.” Across the landscape, whether the snow, the vegetation, the scorched terrain, even any signs of life, particles of their energy were drawn around the Kryptonian; they were quickly absorbed into his body.

Like a vortex, a mass amount of energy whirling around Vortex Man and readied himself into battle. “Goodbye, Gogeta.” Raising his right hand towards Vegetto and formed a powerful energy that coated his right hand. “Hero’s Vortex—”

Clark, mustering all the strength he had, jumped up in between Vortex Man and Vegetto. “Wait! Just hold on for a second!!” He coughed.

“Please step aside, Kal-El. Some people ain’t worth it.” Vortex Man didn’t lower his hand. Clenching his fist, he focused the gathered energy into a singular point. “I won’t let him drag you down to his level.”
 
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The Hive Arena

Cayde furrowed his brow in confusion a bit at Broly's proclamation of his memories having been wiped, the nature of the Xy'pher's words without any context in the android's mind causing his perplexion. Yet at the massive Saiyan's charge, Cayde broke out into a sprint toward the new enemy but cried out as he was flung around into the air from the shockwave in his collision with Detective Spawn.

The android quickly pushed himself up off the ground with a rough shake of his head, soon narrowing his mechanical eyes and jolting forward into another sprint. The cape connected to his hood whipped around behind the android in his sprint as Broly and Spawn's fists clashed together in a locked position; Cayde reaching the edge of the small crater. He dropped down into a small slide down the crevice, reaching the bottom and sliding in between Broly and Spawn's legs.

He popped up to his feet with his cape covering his arms; draping it around the Xy'pher's legs. The android suddenly pulled the cape away in a swift flick of his wrists, revealing two large metal cylinders stuck to Broly's thighs with green lights illuminating from all around the devices.

Cayde pulled the cape back in with a proud posture, his gracious stance complete with his left hand held out in presenting a detonator to Broly with his thumb on the button.

"Olé!"

The android's thumb pressed down on the red button, and two electrical blasts of energy erupted forth in a volatile explosion that sent at least Cayde tumbling backwards across the ground in a less than proper display that he put on moments before. He jabbed a knife down into the ground to slow himself to a halt, his eyes lifting up to see if the bombs did any result to Broly's intense defenses.




The Snowy Mountains of Rogue City

Vegetto panted heavily, Clark's brief question having been missed entirely with how focused the Potara fusion was on the potential threat at hand. The sensation of energy mounting all around them, and life energy being pulled prompted Vegetto to quickly pull his arms behind his back. In his weakened state, he couldn't hope to challenge Vortex Man in a melee rush like he preferred; even a brief output of the attack forming at the Kryptonian's wrist would be enough to end him by Vegetto's estimations.

Instead, Vegetto only had the one hope of mounting whatever power he could in an energy attack against what was coming; at least he had a little time to prepare for that scenario, even if he likely could not meet the output needed. His legs trembled as blue energy pooled together into a medium sized sphere; the energy itself resisting the pull from Vortex Man's own charging while the Potara fusion recounted the old name.

"Ka...me....ha....me..."

Yet as soon as Clark jumped in between the two, Vegetto's eyes widened to the brim in shock and disbelief. The Potara fusion dropped his arms and energy in an instant, quickly stepping forward and pulling Clark back behind him.

"Clark no!!"

Vegetto panicked once Clark was behind him, having pushed Clark to the ground. Vegetto glanced back briefly, sensing Vortex Man's attack nearly complete and without any attack or power to counter the impending energy, Vegetto simply threw himself onto Clark as if protecting the other from a grenade in preparation for whatever attack was to come.
 
Bage's face twisted in confusion at hearing Broly talking about his mind being locked away. He had been to the manor before now? Everything the captain had been saying seemed very different from his normal angry bouts of "enacting justice". Bage jumped back slightly ad Xy'pher Broly charged and attacked Detective Spawn observing the massive amount of power they both unleashed relentlessly. The force of their clashes nearly blew him away along with Cayde. The senior detective narrowed his eyes, looking for an opening to support the other in his attack, waiting patiently for an oppertunity to catch the captain off guard. The others had Spina's safety handled, so it was up to him, Spawn, Cayde and Berserk to keep the Xy'pher at bay while they healed him.

As he calculated his next move, Bage couldn't help but turn his attention to Cayde. Watching the Android as he stratigecally strapping explosives to Broly like a magician and detonating them like a flashy bull fighter. He smiled awkwardly, but then noticed the screen of smoke filling the air around both detectives, sparking an idea in the saiyan's mind.

the cloud was thick, but Bage could still sense the massive ki from within. Without anymore hesitation, the saiyan god disappeared from sight for a second, then emerging inside of the cloud between Xy'pher Broly and detective Spawn. His right fist was encased in the shape of a sludgehammer and slammed down fast on Broly's head to crack his crystalized body.
 
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The Hive Arena

Broly, still locked in position against Detective Spawn, eyed the android slipping underneath him. He noticed explosion stuck to his thighs and laughs. “Pathetic worm… you think mere explosions can—”

Before Broly can finished his sentence, the explosion went off, engulfing him in a fiery, electrical storm. Detective Spawn crossed his arms to soften the blow of the blast after being pushed back.

Just as quickly, before Broly can emerged from the cloud of smoke, he was struck in the head by Bage’s and landed face first against the ground.

Not giving Broly any chance to recover, Spawn extended both his arms forward. “Stay down.” An enormous amount of green energy erupted from his hands and hurled towards Broly. It struck him as he was still in a daze from Bage and Cayde’s attacks, flinging Broly back until he crashed through a wall.

“Hmph… nice work.” Spawn praised both Bage and Cayde. It was the first time he seen Cayde fight, and so far, he was impressed with his maneuver. “I’ve always thought you were a fuckin’ clown, but you see decent enough to do battle.”

A moment passed as the thick clouds was still presence around them. Suddenly, Broly emerges from the wall, heading straight for Cayde. “Arghhh!!!” He roared, grabbing Cayde’s head, and dragging it against the ground until he came to a stop. Fragments of crystals peeling off from his body, Broly tossed the android towards Bage and fired a small energy ball as a followed up; it grew several times from its initial size, engulfing both of them in a violent explosion.

“Haa… think you can damage me… with that little power!?” Broly laughed. “Worms! I’ll crush all of you...!!” Broly turns to Spawn; more of his memories were coming back to him. “I’ll find Kakarot… a worthy battle!”

“Hmph.” Spawn clenched his fists. “Your body is already crumbling, punk.” The Detective pointed out that the damage dealt by Bage and Cayde destroyed several large fragments of crystals on Broly’s body. “No way in hell you can even beat Goku if we’re causing you problems.”

Broly grunted in anger and let out a mighty roar. He dashed forward to Spawn instantly, causing the Detective to put up his defenses. However, it was merely an after-image. “What--?”

Spawn’s head whipped back when Broly appeared in a different direction and struck him to the left. “Shit… this large man is pretty damn nimble.” He thought before he collapsed on the ground, with Broly on top. He let out another roar and punched the defective repeatedly.



Snowy Mountains of Rogue City

“Whoa!” Clark said when Vegetto pulled him back. Landing on his butt, Clark looked up to see Vegetto using himself as a shield to block Vortex Man’s incoming attack. He was at the lost of words: mainly because he used up all the energy, he had to stand in between the both of them, and it was an action he never thought Vegetto would do in any circumstances.

Likewise, Vortex Man was caught off guard by Vegetto’s behavior. Vegetto could’ve very easily fired off his attack: even if he couldn’t, at the very least, he assumed that Vegetto will simply run away. But the fusion did neither of those things.

Vortex Man lowered his hand and the attack prematurely without an issue. It was an example of how in-tune he was in controlling his power since the days as Ultraman. He approached the two with no intention of provocation, but there was notable distance between the two to avoid sudden moves from either side.

“Get up.” Vortex Man said. “I’m not going to put Kal-El’s life in danger.” He stared at Vegetto for a bit. “You’re not Gogeta…” He observed his attire, despite mimicking Gogeta’s hair style. “Gogeta would’ve never done anything like that. So why did you?” He asked.
 
Bernkastel met Bara's eyes, looking anxious at first with what could go down in the next few minutes but gave her a firm nod. Once Zenta returned with Spina on his back, the Witch pulled her hand deep into her ruffled sleeve, whispering an incantation to herself.

"Come forth, what has come undone... I see in my eye..." Eyes closed, she slowly pulled her hand out with a tiny, gleaming white needle between her fingers. The thread in its eyelet was thin and weblike at first but sloely became visible to the naked eye. "Strong ligature and sinew, binding bones together to build a mighty warrior. Come, remember your form."

Flicking her wrist in the beast's direction, her needle flew out and wove its way around the others to find its target. Once it found a gash on Spina's arm, the magic needle started to stitch through and hold the open wound shut before moving to the next wound. The cracks were going to take much more effort to heal than the mauling Zenta left on him.

"The stitches should keep the cracks at bay and control the bleeding, but it won't regenerate much tissue without extra help. That's where you come in; your healing has far greater range than mine," she told Bara while hovering her hands over Spina's arm to jumpstart the healing process. "Now I'm just waiting for when Broly decides to go after us..."

======

"For a lughead he's pretty speedy," Berserk didn't make any move yet, although she was fairly confident Broly's abilities weren't discernibly different than what the other Saiyans can do. Now that Cayde unleashed a chain of explosives on him, she knew the Xy'pher would be on high alert for similar tricks. She noticed, however, that Broly reacted poorly to Spawn's taunting. Her eyes narrowed as she gave a mischievous smirk.

"Okay Avalon, I'm goin' in to get him offa Spawn-- might be a little crazy but it oughta help you pull the rug out from under him. Wish me luck!"

Dashing off without a second thought, Berserk swung her sword to extend outward and knock Broly upside the head.

"D'aww, what's the matter? Goku a sore spot for ya? Does that mean you can't square up with him and win? Hahaha! Looks like we outclass you since we just pummeled him into the ground the other day!" The PowerPunk cackled before yanking the sword back to its default form, quickly flying in a circle around Broly and Spawn fast enough to be a blur of afterimages with each one sporting a mocking grin. "Does that make you maaaad?" With each question Berserk taunted him with, a fist or foot lit up with red lightning would appear from the swirling mirage without warning to strike Broly directly at any angle. "Gonna cry? Throw another tantrum, maybe?"

Come on, take the bait...
 
Bara on her turn simply pointed her head tentacle towards Spina and fired her healing beam onto him, doing what she can to assist in healing Spina as best as she could. At the same moment she also detached pieces of herself and sent them swirling around her and Bernkastel after 'solidifying' them as a form of a crude barrier meant to intercept any stray blast that could be sent their way as long as the others kept Broly occupied.
 
May thinks as she evades any blasts as well takes out the shield to block those, she can't block "just in case" as she takes out a couple orbs as she makes shore that the brakers have the room to fight Broly with the other xy'phers form interfearing.

May thinks "I should take in to account that king may added a bit more self-privation to Broly." May has killed Broly a number of times wend he attempted to fight her.
 
The Hive Arena

Detective Spawn managed to block the Xy’pher’s mighty blows, but his body was getting further embedded into the ground. “I knew Broly was strong, but this is crazy. As if without his memories, his strength was more or less in check. Now…”

“What’s wrong?! Don’t tell me you’ve given up already!” Broly cocked his right hand back as a twirl of green energy clumped together in the center of his palm. Before striking him, he was struck on the head once again, this time by Berserk.

Catching his full attention, Broly ignored the Detective and focus on tracking down the Powerpunk, who spun around him so fast that she left behind afterimages. He was being attacked from all directions, dealing heavy blows against his crystal body that more fragmented pieces came flying off. To add insult to injury, Berserk was taunting him by using Goku as the main topic, adding onto Broly’s seething mind.

“Arghh!!!” Broly shouted as a burst of energy erupted out of his body, sending hundreds of destructive blasts across the arena like rain. Suddenly the scenery had change; from a cool atmosphere to more diluted one void of vivid colors. He arched forward and dashed as his aura blaze around him like lightning. In that moment, Broly timed his attack to catch Berserk by crashing onto her. Both of them burrowed against the ground as the roaring applause of Xy’phers muffled the sounds of explosions.

“Little worm….!!!!” Broly grabbed Berserk by the throat and lifted her off the ground. “Die!!” He punched the Powerpunk in the stomach before slamming her against the ground. “Die hard, will you!?” Green aura burst from his right hand before coming down to a singular point, launching it towards Berserk as it grew exponentially into a large blast.

-----

“I’m…” Spina grunted as the healing process had started. “Fine… let me down… already…. I … I can take him.” Thanks to the combination of Bernkastel and Bara, his body was slowly healing, although at a slower rate than usual. At least, Spina was able to open his eyes as he seen the battle unfolding in front of him. “I’m tired…”
 
The Hive Arena
"You can't!" Bernkastel's insistent tone came out harsher than she intended. A pause followed, looking almost fearful as several of Broly's energy blasts narrowly missed them to explode across the arena. The eruption of sounds around them didn't deter her gaze on Spina until she hunched her shoulders together with downcast eyes. "I know what'll happen if I let you... just like when you went alone to fight Gogeta."

Her voice was shaky, the vivid memory of Gogeta's conflict with Spina and his death that had followed. She didn't believe Lucifer that Spina had died since he never reverted to a Coin, but after Guardian showed what really was brewing behind the scenes, she felt like a fool for mistaking the risk of the situation.

"Besides, look around you. These bastards want a show out of us; if we're entertaining enough, we will be given acknowledgement-- that's how the King thinks of even his own subjects. Don't waste what you've recovered on the first round; we're gonna take down that Dark Xy'pher together and get Cuki's coin." Steeling herself against the tense atmosphere around them, Bern tried to steer his Saiyan's pride elsewhere. "So just rest for a little while longer, okay? If you want a truly worthy battle, the one running this place is your target. Then the King."

. . .

As Berserk didn't need air to breathe, her expression was one of surprise rather than fear, looking like she was getting a laugh out of provoking him. "Heh... Got-em," she managed to squeeze out before Broly landed a swift punch into her stomach. The force of it made her body practically bend around his massive fist, hacking up quite a bit of blood before an impact with the ground made her skid several feet to a stop.

"Ow... that's gonna leave a mark..." she rolled over onto her belly, the sword still grasped tightly by one arm tucked under her body. Spitting out more blood, Berserk glanced up at the sight of a blinding green light. It was gaining momentum along with size, looking like a small moon was closing in. Her eyes were wide, yet she couldn't get up and fly out of the way with its mass.

Instead, she gave a grin of blood-tinged teeth before laughing to herself. Berserk swung back her arm to let the sword extend its reach to eight feet, each segment glowing bright red. With a grunt the Powerpunk Girl pulled the sword upwards just in time to slam into Broly's energy blast; slab by slab, the sword unleashed a bright red web of lightning as it dug into the green orb. The edge jutting out of the last segment finished slicing Broly's attack clean in two. With two green-tinged explosions into the bench section billowing out behind her, she stared him down with glowing eyes and a mean grin twisting otherwise cute features.

"That all ya got, meathead?"
 
The Hive Arena

Propping himself up to his feet, Cayde smiled widely at Spawn's backhanded compliment; the android proudly placing his hands on his hips.

"Aww! That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me-"

The android suddenly yelped, caught offguard by the berserker Saiyan grasping onto his head and slamming him into the ground. Cayde's body whipped around under Broly's grip as he collided through the ground, his mechanical voice strained and barely ringing out over the terrain slamming into him.

"Ackk!...Broly...we...argh....were....ackkk...having a moment!"

The android went flying once he was tossed towards Bage, but gracefully flipped through the air. Cayde managed to right himself midflight enough to land feet first on Bage's chest, an uneasy grin on his face.

"Sorry!"

Using the detective as a springboard, Cayde launched forward back towards Broly in a new flight; the gunslinger confidently pulling his hand cannon from its holster with a confident smirk at the sight of the small energy blast flying his way. Just a small blast? Easy to deflect and-

The energy sphere suddenly expanding out as large as it did immediately washed away Cayde's confident expression, and the android flailed in a panicked frenzy as he flew directly towards the massive blast.

"Oh shit no no no no!"

The intense explosion erupted with the android disappearing inside, the massive smoke cloud hanging over the arena. After a second, Cayde flopped down into the ground and slid to a halt with a heavy groan; little trails of smoke billowing up from the slightly ripped cape and hood he wore.

"Unngh...yep....that hurt..."

Cayde shook his head from side to side like a wild dog, rolling his shoulders and groaning as he stood up. His eyes briefly scanned the immediate fight, seeing Spawn fending off Broly as best he could and in realizing he was no longer being pursued, Cayde turned around and faced towards the audience. He threw up his arms, waving the potentially bored and disinterested crowd of Xy'phers on with a boisterous tone.

"Are you not entertained?!"

The android didn't wait for a reply, chuckling to himself.

"Ah...I love my job."

Cayde sighed to himself contently, his eyes watching the battle once again. The Breakers shielding Bernkastel and Spina were doing their job well, while Berserk had just entered the fray and taunted Broly into fighting her. He exhaled deeply as he flipped his hand cannon up, the magazine cartridge in the center flipping open.

If the little one is keeping him busy, then I can wind up this move. It'll take a minute...maybe they'll already have finished him...or maybe I'll miss...but what the hell, why not get a little practice in.

Cayde fiddled with the cartridge, and one by one, metal bullet casings dropped down onto the floor. Bouncing around on their own, the entire cartridge was emptied until only one remained in the chamber, and Cayde promptly flipped the magazine back into the gun as he pointed the weapon forward; lining up the iron sights onto the moving target of Broly.

"Just let me get that one...perfect...shot."

Standing completely still, Cayde stood with his arm outstretched and the gun pointed forward in following the fight. At first, nothing seemed to be happening; just the android standing there and aiming the hand cannon. But after a few seconds, smoke slowly billowed up from the barrel of the gun itself and a familiar heat emitted from around the android while his arm's shaking began to steady.

The eyes staring down through the iron sights narrowed slightly, sharpening in a laser, unmoving focus on the target. The gun moved on its own with the hand, following Broly as he weaved from side to side, battling with the Powerpunk. Yet the Saiyan Berserker came to a halt and erupted into a tumultuous scream; even more blasts of energy blasted outward in every direction. The blasts rained down and slammed into everything in an indiscriminate rampage.

A stray green blast struck down perfectly into Cayde in his stance. Yet even as explosions erupted all around where he stood, the energy that slammed into the android strangely vanished like water vaporizing into the air. Blast after blast struck into Cayde, but the android stood completely still with an intense glare trained on the fighters across the way. The mechanical eyes narrowed only slightly, a golden gleam encasing his pupils.

In a sudden flourish of a familiar heat and fire, Cayde's gun ignited with fire around the metal. However instead of the steely silver that the pressure normally radiated, a golden gleam radiated in a brilliant flash of energy now swirling around the android. Particles of golden energy spiraled up from underneath the android's boots; the firey aura encasing his body entirely.

The growing heat and pressure only mounted further and further, Cayde's outstretched arm completely still without any shaking. The gun and hand moved in perfect sync with Broly's movements in slamming Berserk into the ground; almost predicting the movement before Broly even made them. The ominous whirl of fire continued to billow outward as Cayde's finger began to curl, inching closer to the trigger.




The Snowy Mountains of Rogue City

Vegetto kept his brace throughout the threatening display, clenching his teeth and shutting his eyes tightly in hopes of bracing against the incoming attack. Yet once the energy diminished into nothing, Vegetto blinked with wide eyes, turning his gaze towards Vortex Man.

He slowly rose to his feet, keeping the narrowed glare trained on Vortex Man even through the proclamation that he meant no harm to Clark. The Potara fusion looked over Vortex Man, recalling the entire debacle Gogeta and Ultraman once had and realizing the level of distaste this Kryptonian must have for his brother.

At the final question posed, Vegetto kept his glare strong, his dual voice curt.

"You didn't know him like I did. Believe it or not, we actually care about our friends."

Vegetto glanced down towards Clark, his expression softening a bit.

"We just...forgot what it means to fight for someone else for a long time."
 
Avalon watched in awe as Spawn and Broly went toe-to-toe against each other, followed by Bage's massive attack on Broly. Cayde impressed him as well, and thanks to the dazzling display with his explosives, there was smoke and dust rising up. Berserk's taunting and belittling of Broly gave him an idea, and he noticed how Broly reacted to taunting. Thanks to the smoke caused from Cayde's attack, Avalon quickly tossed down the smoke balls he held to nearly engulf the entire dome with smoke.

The Xy'pher crowd watching the fight began to boo, the smoke clouding their vision of the fight.

"If my hypothesis is correct, Xy'phers can't sense energy..." Avalon said to himself as he performed hand signs, summoning several clones of himself. "If they can't sense energy, then Broly won't know the difference between a clone and the real thing..."

The clones that were created quickly scattered all over the place and performed hand signs to turn into Berserk. As the smoke began to disappear, there were numerous Berserk-Clones all over the arena, each one taunting Xy'pher-Broly one by one.

"Is that all you got?!"

"You gonna cry some more?"

"Hahaha! Goku punched waaaay harder than you!"

"You're such a loser!"

"You look like an overcooked celery stick, dweeb!"

Meanwhile, the real Avalon hid in the remaining smoke next to Berserk. He leaned closer to Berserk's ear.

"I got an idea, and I'm gonna need some of your strength, Berserk." Avalon whispered. "My clone is gonna distract Broly while we sneak around and catch him off guard."

Near Bernkastel, Zenta, Spina, and Bara, the group felt a growing gravitational pull to the walls of the dome. Only these four felt the growing force. It grew stronger and stronger as the seconds went by. Zenta grunted under the growing pressure, standing firm near Bernkastel and Bara. His grip on Spina tighten.

"Something is coming..."

Nia was entirely blinded by the smoke, unable to see or sense the Breakers anywhere. She was able to feel the growing force of gravity and her eyes widen slightly, it being strongest by Bara, Bernkastel, Zenta, and Spina. She quickly floated her way towards the group and held her hands out in front of her. She seemed desperate and confused as to where the enemy might strike, thanks to the smoke covering her vision.

"There is a Xy'pher coming! A powerful one! Brace yourselves!"

Outside the dome, the Xy'pher crowd stopped boo'ing and began to chatter between each other. It grew louder and louder until it sounded like a cheer. The Xy'phers stomped their feet and clapped their hands. Eventually, the cheer started to sound like a name.

Gravita! Gravita! Gravita!
 
Bage hopped back from his attack on Xy'pher Broly to allow detective Spawn a turn to keep him from recovering. He only watched, preparing to strike again as Broly rose again, reaching for Cayde and flinging him around like a doll before launching the android his way at an alarming speed. Bage braced himself, a small shield appearing on his chest as Cayde's feet made contact. He turned looking ahead of them and then back at the android apologizing for using him as a springboard.

"Cayde wait...!" He tried to warn, but then Cayde was off, causing him to skid back slightly and watch as he slammed face first into Broly's oncoming ki blast. Bage shut his eyes at the impact, bracing himself for the explosion as it took both he and Cayde into its detonation. Afterward, he watched the android try and rile up the Xy'pher audience. He sighed and facepalmed before getting back into the fray himself, leaving Cayde to figure out whatever he was fiddling with.

As Berserk and Avalon kept the Xy'pher's attention, Bage came to detective Spawn's aid in the crater Broly had created using his body. Bage grabbed hold of Spawn's arm and lifted him out of the human-shaped indent. "Hey, you okay? The others have got his attention for now. We've all gotta overwhelm him if we want to finish this-" Bage explained, before he stopped to hear the Xy'pher audience stomping and chanting.

"Gravita...?" He turned back to Spawn. "Could that be...?
 
May says "It means that more this hive elite might be coming. We shood get remove Broly quicker before this Gravita comes." May starts to shoot at Broly to limit his movements.

May thinks as she gets a combat knife reedy "just in case I need a backup weapon."
 
The Hive Arena

“What?” Xy’pher Broly was taken aback at Berserk’s power, cutting his attack in half with ease. As the smoke of the explosions continues to cloud the arena, Broly balled his fists so tight, it nearly shattered his hands. “You’re more than scum, huh?” His energy rose in response to his anger. “I’ll make you eat those words, punk!”

Aura around the Saiyan berserker flourished like wild flames as he rushed in, solely focusing on the Powerpunk, and ignoring everything else. However, the emergence of multiple Berserks running around forced him to stop. He turned side-to-side as each Berserk Clone hurled insults at him, mocking at very direction.

“Think you can stall your death with tricks!?” Broly roared, punching one of the clones with precise force. It exploded on impact and covered the Xy’pher’s hand with water. “Huh?!” He swung his leg, kicking another. Once again, it exploded and splashed water all over him. It felt like no matter how many times he destroyed them; it appears to be more Berserk Clones. He was struck in the back by May’s gun multiple times, shattering through his crystal body. Unable to sense energy proper, he was unable to detect anyone’s whereabouts.

Nearly drench in water and riddled with wounds, Broly groaned as his energy spike dramatically in the endless stream of Berserk clones still around. “No matter how many worms you throw at me, your death will come!” Letting out a mighty roar, he remained stationary as he made an indication to transform. The aura bubbled around the Xy’pher, unleashing around round of energy blasts throughout the arena once more.

---

“I’m fine,” Spawn brushed off the dirt from his attire. Of course, he noticed the Xy’phers chanting a name. “May’s right. We need to put him down before whatever that thing arrives.” The Detective didn’t want to have two people, with unpredictable nature, to fight against. “He’s trying to transform, but he’s wide opened. Don’t waste this chance. You go high, I’ll go low.” Spawn dashed forward, seeing Cayde locking onto Broly with such precision.

---

Spina’s eyes widened when Bernkastel stood firm in her position. The witch was right to go straight for the old Saiyan’s pride of a challenge to cool him off for just a moment. “Hmph…” His eyes softened as his body, finally but slowly getting healed. The wounds were closing, then disappearing from sight. “Fine… but you owe me that much. The next one… better be a decent fight.”



Snowy Mountains of Rogue City

Vortex Man didn’t make an immediate response to Vegetto’s comment. Taking a moment to think about his answer; he had a hard time believing such. Gogeta for obvious reasons, but Vegetto was another case altogether. “You did try to risk your life to save Kal-El. I supposed that counts for something.” He rubbed a chin a little bit, before turning to Clark. “You vouch for him?”

Clark nodded once without hesitation. “Everyone deserved a second chance to self-reflect on their mistakes, and right the wrongs. I know I need too.” His eyes sharpened. “Give him the opportunity.”

Vortex Man turned to Vegetto. “Kal-El always go soft after he gets super serious. But I won’t pursue you if he thinks you can turn this around.” He paused for a moment. “I was in a similar mindset as well. Leave Kal-El to me, so I can properly heal him. Go find your “friends” if you still have them.”
 
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