With the tournament officially concluded, staff began to usher the eliminated contestants and spectators off the island. The crowd, still buzzing with the day's events, filtered toward the waiting aircraft in organized streams.
Xu Shang Chi and Xu Xialing, their faces set in grim silence, boarded a plane bound for Hong Kong, their Golden Daggers fighters following quietly behind them. Bruce Banner and Betty Ross, looking exhausted, headed straight for a transport destined for New York, still processing everything they had witnessed.
On the summit, Tony straightened his rumpled suit jacket and strode onto the main stage, the picture of casual confidence. "So when does the finale start? The actual wish-granting part?"
His eyes scanned the area. "I'm dying to see this dragon in person."
Selene turned toward Smith as well, her battered body held rigid, her expression intent. She'd fought through pain and debilitating exhaustion for this single moment. Everything had been building to this wish.
Smith snapped his fingers. The sharp sound cut through the air. Bulma emerged from backstage, accompanied by the robot Friday. The mechanical assistant glided forward, carrying a black velvet-lined tray. On it sat seven glowing orange spheres, each marked with a precise number of red stars.
"Selene." Smith's voice carried across the stage. "I need to confirm your wish one final time."
Selene's eyes locked onto the Dragon Balls, a fierce hunger in her gaze. "My wish is for vampires to walk in sunlight without harm. To live as normal people do, free from our curse."
"No changes to that wish?"
Selene's gaze didn't waver. "None."
Smith smiled, a brief, satisfied expression. Her conviction ran deep. Good.
The last of the general spectators disappeared as their aircraft took off. Only the champion, the runner-up, their guests, and the Fraternity's core leadership remained on the quiet island. Smith bent down and arranged all seven Dragon Balls on the ground in front of him, forming a perfect circle. The crowd leaned forward, the air thick with anticipation.
Smith raised his voice, his tone deep and resonant. "Come forth, Shenron!"
Golden light erupted from the Dragon Balls. It wasn't just a glow, it was a sound, a high-pitched, vibrating hum that seemed to fill the air. Seven distinct beams lanced into the sky.
The clear afternoon darkened as if someone had thrown a massive switch. In seconds, the island plunged into an unnatural night. But this wasn't just local darkness. Smith's growing power had amplified Shenron's manifestation. The shadow spread, rushing across the surface of the planet, swallowing half the Earth in an artificial, terrifying night.
The golden beams twisted together high in the atmosphere, coiling and expanding. They formed scales, then claws, then a vast, serpentine body that seemed to stretch for miles. The dragon's form solidified, its scales glowing a deep, eerie green against the oppressive darkness. Its eyes opened, two massive points of light burning crimson.
Even the Fraternity's leadership, who had seen this before, stared in awe. Tony's usual smirk faltered, then slid completely from his face. "Holy shit," he whispered. "It's actually a dragon."
Halfway around the world, panic erupted. Daylight vanished in an instant, replaced by an unnatural, starless dark. Morning commuters in dozens of cities looked up, their cars slowing, their faces filled with confusion and fear.
Bruce and Betty had just touched down in New York when the sky went black. They stood on the tarmac, necks craned, trying to understand what they were seeing.
Inside the Triskelion, Nick Fury pressed his palm flat against the reinforced window, his single eye narrowing. He didn't know what this meant, but it couldn't be good. Whatever was happening, S.H.I.E.L.D needed answers. Now.
The sudden darkness caught everyone's attention. This include also forces that operated in deeper shadows. The Skrulls hiding among Earth's population looked up in alarm. Asgardian berserkers stationed on Midgard reached for their weapons. The Eternals, in their long observation, stirred. In Wakanda, sensors lit up across the capital. And in Kamar-Taj, every sorcerer felt the sudden, massive shift in reality.
The Masters of the three Sanctums immediately checked their protective wards, ensuring this wasn't a dimensional breach. The barriers held firm. Whatever this was, it wasn't Dormammu or his ilk.
On the island, Selene's eyes went wide. She'd expected some kind of ritual, maybe a magical light effect when the Dragon Balls activated. She had not expected to summon an actual, living god. The creature above her defied comprehension. Its body stretched across the sky, blotting out the stars. Power radiated from it in palpable waves that made her skin prickle.
Pepper's hand flew to her mouth, her eyes huge. Her understanding of reality cracked and reformed around what she was seeing. Happy stood frozen beside her, his jaw hanging open.
The vampires, now free from the threat of the sun, emerged from under their tarpaulin shelter. They stared up at Shenron, their ancient faces caught in a mixture of profound wonder and primal terror.
Tony's scientific mind raced. He was desperately itching to scan the dragon with a scouter, to get a reading on its power level. But he didn't have one rated for high measurements. The first-generation model he had would probably just explode trying to calculate something this far beyond its range.
Shenron's voice rolled across the island, not just as a sound, but as a vibration that everyone felt in their chest. "Mortal who has summoned me. Speak your wish, and I shall grant it."
Smith didn't care anymore about discretion or secrecy. Let the world's hidden powers notice. Let them investigate. Once this wish went through, his own strength would surge. He'd be ready for whatever came next. Even if Xu Wenwu showed up swinging all ten rings, Smith would be prepared. Unless, of course, his luck turned catastrophically bad and all three summons from the wish pool gave him useless results.
Silence blanketed the island. Every eye turned to Smith, including Shenron's burning gaze.
Smith gestured to Selene. "Tell Shenron your wish."
Selene stepped forward, her posture rigid. She had to crane her neck back to even look at the dragon's massive face. She projected her voice, clear and strong. "Great Shenron. I wish for my people, all vampires, to walk in sunlight without harm. Let us live as humans do, free from the sun's curse."
Crimson light flared in Shenron's eyes. The dragon's consciousness reached out, examining the request, measuring it against the limits of its power.
"Your wish is simple. It is granted."
Around the world, every vampire felt the change simultaneously. It flowed through their bodies like warm water, a sudden, inexplicable click, rewriting something fundamental in their very nature. A wordless understanding bloomed in their minds. Through Selene's victory, they'd been freed. Sunlight could no longer harm them.
Shenron's massive form dissolved, breaking apart into seven golden spheres of light. The Dragon Balls shot off in seven different directions, vanishing over the horizon as they scattered across the globe.
The artificial night lifted as quickly as it had fallen. Sunlight returned, washing over the island in a sudden, brilliant flood.
The vampires flinched instinctively, hands flying up to shield their faces. Then they froze. There was no burning. No pain. Slowly, cautiously, they lowered their hands. They stood, trembling, in the direct, warm sun. Nothing happened.
A few hesitant smiles spread across their faces. Then came the laughter, sharp and disbelieving. Some wept, sinking to their knees, overwhelmed. After centuries, millennia for the oldest among them, they were finally free.
Tony watched the Dragon Balls disappear into the distance. He then looked over at the vampires, who were standing unharmed in broad daylight. "Well. That was... anticlimactic."
"I expected something more dramatic," he said to Pepper. "Explosions, magical light shows, maybe some screaming. Instead it just... happened. A genetic curse that's plagued an entire species for thousands of years, and the dragon fixed it like it was changing a lightbulb."
Smith's smile was knowing, but he didn't respond. For a being like Shenron, any wish within its power was equally effortless. The difficulty of the task didn't matter. Only the limits did.
"The champion's reward has been distributed. The wish is fulfilled." Smith's voice carried across the island. "Let's all look forward to the next Dragon Ball Tournament!"
The crowd murmured in acknowledgment. Marcus stared at the sky where the Dragon Balls had vanished, his expression thoughtful. Would he have a chance to compete next time? To make his own wish? He thought about Selene's terrifying, newly-won strength, the brutal efficiency she'd shown in her fights. His shoulders slumped slightly. Did he really stand a chance in the next tournament?
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