The air was thick with killing intent and the unknown. Super Broly had just finished a fierce, life-or-death battle. His chest rose and fell heavily as sweat ran down his determined face, dripping onto the shattered ground below and kicking up tiny clouds of dust.
His eyes immediately locked onto the unfamiliar man who had appeared out of nowhere. Every muscle in his body tensed on instinct, and Super Broly raised his guard to the highest level.
"A Saiyan from Universe 6?!" His voice was full of caution. "Are you with that guy?"
As he spoke, he shifted his body slightly, pointing behind him without taking his eyes off the newcomer.
In his mind, the Black Z Broly behind him had to be from Universe 6. There was no mistaking that familiar yet unfamiliar Saiyan aura they had exchanged moments ago. But when he quickly turned around, his eyes widened in shock.
There was no one there.
Black Z Broly wasn't an idiot. The moment he sensed something was wrong, he took advantage of Super Broly being distracted by the conversation and started making his escape.
Unfortunately for him, he was in terrible shape. Super Broly had beaten him so badly that several ribs were broken and his internal organs were seriously injured. His "escape" was barely faster than a snail's crawl, his steps unsteady as he staggered with every move.
There was no way Super Broly was going to let him get away. A sharp glint flashed through his eyes, and with a light push off the ground, he shot forward like a ghost, appearing beside Black Z Broly in an instant. His large hand shot out, iron-like fingers grabbing Black Z Broly by the collar.
"Why are you running?! Are you and that guy working together or not?!"
Black Z Broly was both furious and helpless, his face turning green and purple with frustration. He looked miserable, his clothes were in tatters, his body covered in bruises, and blood was dripping from the corner of his mouth.
Sure, that Saiyan claiming to be from Universe 6 had spoken up for him just now. At first glance, it sounded like he was backing him up, but Black Z Broly wasn't fooled.
Thinking back to the chaotic battle just moments earlier, energy blasts had been flying everywhere while dust filled the sky. Right when he had been doing everything he could to block Super Broly's relentless attacks, an energy blast had suddenly struck him from the back without warning.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
'What kind of teammate stabs his own ally in the back like that?'
This situation couldn't be any worse.
Super Broly stood in front of him, glaring like a tiger watching its prey, the pressure pouring off him as sharp as countless blades. Black Z Broly was already badly wounded, his ribs broken, and every step feeling as though his crushed organs were being pounded by a hammer.
If his body hadn't reached its limit, if he still had the strength to fight... When had a proud Saiyan ever suffered such humiliation? Why else would he be sneaking away like this?
He clenched his fists, his eyes turning red with frustration as he cursed inwardly.
'Idiot! Can't you use your brain?! If I were really on his side, would he have ambushed me? You muscle-brained moron!'
But no matter how unwilling he was, staying alive came first, so he swallowed his anger and kept every word to himself, cursing silently in his heart.
Just then, a chilling gust of wind brushed across his back, making every hair on his neck stand on end. Startled, he spun around.
There was nothing. Beyond the ruins, everything was quiet. When he turned back again, the self-proclaimed Saiyan from Universe 6 was already standing directly in front of him.
"You..." Black Z Broly had barely managed a single word before he was cut off. A fist carrying overwhelming force roared toward him like a cannonball.
'Bang!'
Followed immediately by,
'Crack!'
The punch landed squarely on the bridge of his nose, and blood sprayed everywhere. Black Z Broly howled in pain, his eyes watering as his face twisted into a grimace.
Before he could recover, another uppercut exploded upward with unstoppable force, smashing straight into his chin.
The tremendous impact sent his entire body spinning a full three hundred and sixty degrees before he crashed to the ground like a kite with its string cut, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
After finishing all that, the Universe 6 Saiyan's expression remained completely calm, as though he had merely swatted away a fly. He turned around leisurely and looked at Super Broly with deep, steady eyes.
"Your strength surprised me. As expected... the older brother really is stronger than the younger one."
As he spoke, he slowly walked forward, each step pressing directly against Super Broly's heart and bringing with it an invisible, heavy pressure.
Only now did Super Broly finally get a clear look at the man's true appearance. He had a sharp, handsome face with a heroic look in his eyes and long black hair that flowed freely in the wind.
The Saiyan aura surrounding him was pure and unmistakable; there was no doubt he was a full-blooded Saiyan.
'Stay on your guard,' Super Broly reminded himself, quietly gathering his strength as blazing energy flared around him, ready to fight at a moment's notice.
Seeing this, the Saiyan claiming to be from Universe 6 smiled warmly. It was an innocent, friendly smile, like the spring sun, easing some of the tension in Super Broly's heart. Super Broly relaxed slightly and couldn't help asking,
"Are you saying... my little brother wasn't killed?"
The Universe 6 Saiyan nodded firmly.
"That's right. Lord Champa brought him to Universe 6. This Tournament of Power is extremely important to Lord Champa. He sees it as a battle that will decide Universe 6's fate, so your brother is fighting alongside us. You'll probably see him soon."
Super Broly frowned in confusion. Pointing at the unconscious Black Z Broly lying nearby, he asked, "Then what about him? He said he killed my brother and stole his body."
The Universe 6 Saiyan smiled knowingly.
"I figured you and your brother are both battle fanatics. Did you notice the announcements earlier? They said Son Goku and Vegeta had been eliminated."
Super Broly froze as if struck by lightning. "What?! They were eliminated?! That's impossible!"
The Universe 6 Saiyan blinked in surprise.
"...You didn't hear the announcements?"
He found it hard to believe. On a battlefield where every bit of information could decide life or death, someone had actually become so absorbed in fighting that they'd missed the announcements entirely.
Scratching the back of his head awkwardly, Super Broly gave an embarrassed smile. "Sorry. I was too focused on the fight. And what you said... is it really true?"
The Universe 6 Saiyan sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah. It's true."
Super Broly's brow tightened. His fists clenched so hard his knuckles turned white as anxiety and panic flooded his heart; he simply couldn't believe it. Seeing his unease, the Universe 6 Saiyan quickly reassured him, "Relax. They aren't the Son Goku and Vegeta from your universe."
He pointed at Black Z Broly again.
"Just like him, they're from Universe 10. They stole the bodies of Son Goku, Vegeta... and your brother from other parallel worlds."
Super Broly looked completely lost.
"Parallel worlds...? How do you know all that?"
The Universe 6 Saiyan hesitated for a moment, his eyes shifting away before he let out an awkward laugh. "I guessed."
Super Broly narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Something about this man felt strange. His story mostly made sense, but it still felt like he was hiding something.
Then, without warning, the man suddenly took several steps back, his expression changing instantly. His energy surged upward, the calm atmosphere around him vanishing as it was replaced by an overwhelming fighting spirit. With a bold laugh, he shouted:
"Come on! Let me see what the Saiyans of Universe 7 can do! You're Broly's older brother, so you should be strong too, right? As Broly's closest friend, I've always wanted to see what kind of person his older brother really is. I wanted to know why he hated you so much. To be honest, he hated you so deeply that I assumed you had to be some kind of villain."
"But after meeting you today... you're nothing like the person he described. I never expected you to care so much about your little brother. In that way, you're actually a lot like me. Looking at it now... maybe your brother was the unreasonable one. Oh, one more thing, what's your name?"
Super Broly couldn't sense even the slightest hostility from him. Even though the man's attitude had suddenly changed, it didn't make him feel particularly threatened.
After thinking for a moment, he answered, "My name is Broly."
The Universe 6 Saiyan scratched his head in disbelief. "Wait... both of you brothers have the same name?"
Super Broly nodded seriously. "It's a long story. I can't explain it all right now. So the people in my universe came up with a way to tell us apart. They added prefixes to our names. I'm Super Broly. My little brother is Z Broly."
The Universe 6 Saiyan muttered under his breath, "...That naming scheme sounds kind of weird." Even so, the fighting spirit radiating from him only grew stronger.
"Forget about that. Show me your full strength. Forget everything we just talked about. This is a battlefield. This fight will decide the fate of Universe 6. And just the same... it'll decide the fate of your universe too."
Super Broly nodded. The man had a point.
(End Of This Chapter)
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