Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the match between the martial artist Lager and the boxer Zaki began with the blonde-haired referee's announcement.
The two fighters were evenly matched, neither able to gain the upper hand in a short amount of time.
Although the fight wasn't earth-shattering, this level of battle was exactly the kind that ordinary people could enjoy.
A fight between two regular people could still be very exciting.
At first, both sides were evenly matched, but as the fight wore on, the gap between them gradually started to show.
Lager had greater raw fighting power, but when faced with Zaki's boxing skills, he was lacking in technique.
After taking a powerful combo from Zaki, Lager was seriously injured.
Zaki seized the opportunity and landed a punch square on Lager's face.
Bang!!! A muffled thud sounded out.
Under that heavy blow, Lager's mind went blank. His vision went dark, and he collapsed in the arena, unconscious.
The blonde-haired referee immediately announced the result.
With that, the match came to an end.
To be honest, Zaki had never even dreamed that he could make it into the Top 8.
Next up was the showdown between Salari and Raditz.
...
Backstage rest area.
Salari and Raditz locked eyes, both radiating an impressive aura.
Even though the fight hadn't started yet, a fierce fighting spirit was already blazing in their eyes. They clearly couldn't wait any longer.
The clash between these two powerful auras was so intense it caused a noticeable distortion in the space around them.
All the other fighters present took a step back, worried about getting caught up in it.
The collision of Salari and Raditz's auras put a huge psychological pressure on everyone there.
"Speaking of which, Raditz, it's been years since we last fought, hasn't it?" Salari suddenly asked, cleverly breaking the tense atmosphere.
"Yeah. The last time we had a real fight was in the Sacred World of the Kai, if I remember right," Raditz replied, drawing back his own aura.
In that moment, both of them understood exactly what was on the other's mind.
"Make sure you don't hold back, Raditz! And don't underestimate me either. Although I stopped for two years, I've fully recovered over this past year or so." Salari said, brimming with fighting spirit.
Ever since Talora was born six months ago, she'd gradually resumed training and improving her strength.
This battle was the perfect opportunity to test her strength thoroughly.
And Raditz was undoubtedly the best opponent for that.
"Is that so? Well, I look forward to seeing your progress. But let me warn you in advance: in all our previous fights, we were always neck and neck, but this time it'll be different. I'm going to win!" Raditz said confidently, the corners of his mouth curling up.
"Hmph… Don't get too cocky," Salari shot back, not backing down in the slightest.
At that moment, Talot walked up between them and patted both their shoulders: "Alright, enough talk. Settle things in the arena."
Talot gave Raditz a look. It was obvious he was warning him not to be too ruthless, or he wouldn't hold back either.
Raditz clearly got the message and glanced at Salari a bit helplessly.
The two of them left the backstage area, one after the other.
Everyone present was now focused, fully alert.
This match promised to be even more exciting than any that had come before.
...
In the audience stands.
"Ancestor, next up is the match between Salari and Raditz. After all this time, I wonder how much their strength has improved?" East Supreme Kai reminisced about the past, unable to stop himself from sighing with emotion.
"At last, it's finally about to begin. I've been looking forward to this match for a long time," Old Supreme Kai said, snapping to full attention.
The earlier fights, in his eyes, had just been child's play.
Now, the battle between Raditz and Salari was the real highlight.
Off to the side, Attendant Kibito also recalled witnessing their fight back in the Sacred World of the Kai.
Back then, the fierce clash between Raditz and Salari had shaken the entire Sacred World of the Kai. The huge spectacle and terrifying shockwaves were things he remembered vividly even now.
...
Meanwhile, on the opposite side—
Angel Vados and God of Destruction Champa also became attentive.
"Lord Champa, the upcoming match is between Talot's wife and that Saiyan named Raditz," Vados reminded him.
"I remember, that male Saiyan left an impression on me. When I first showed up, he was the rudest of the bunch. I had to give him a little lesson myself," Champa recalled the minor scuffle he'd had with Raditz when he first arrived on Earth.
Though, in his eyes, Raditz and Salari's power was nothing worth mentioning, compared to the earlier matches, this fight at least promised to be a bit more interesting.
It was just barely enough to catch the God of Destruction's interest.
Of course, the main point was to see, after these two years, just how much had they improved?
And how would they stack up against the Saiyans from his own universe?
...
Inside the VIP viewing room.
"It's finally starting, the fight between Salari and Raditz. I just hope Raditz knows his limits, otherwise…" Gine warned sternly.
If Salari got hurt in this match, she'd definitely have to give Raditz a lesson of her own.
Raditz and Salari were both her kids. When they were younger, their little scuffles didn't matter, but now, they were both grown up and parents themselves. It couldn't be like before.
"Auntie Gine, don't worry. Sister Salari has been training like crazy for more than a year now. Raditz won't be able to hurt her so easily," Bulma chimed in.
Because she was pregnant, even the tone of her voice sounded different.
"Mama…will win?" Talora asked from Gine's lap.
The little one could already talk, though she couldn't speak in long sentences yet.
Most people wouldn't know how to answer such a question.
But Gine was good at comforting kids. "Does little Saila really want Mama to win?"
"Mhm!" Talora nodded hard.
The little one was quite the character.
"Then let's cheer for Mama together," Gine said with a bright smile.
Nearby, Launch sat quietly holding her son, Turnip.
Turnip was still young and didn't understand much yet.
Launch wasn't bothered by Gine supporting Salari and teasing Talora. After so many years together, she knew her mother-in-law well.
As Raditz's wife, she naturally wanted Raditz to win.
But since she got along well with Salari, she didn't really have a side to pick.
In the end, she only had one thought in her heart: she just hoped that in this match, both of them could go all out, and that a winner would be decided without either suffering a serious injury.
...
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