Chapter 75 – Ultra Instinct! Just Kidding…

From her elevated vantage point, Dodoria gazed at the destruction below with grim satisfaction. She was certain that no one could have survived the terrifying power of that attack, not even the likes of Vegeta or Zarbon.

She gingerly probed the area where her eye had once been, feeling only an empty void. It was inconceivable that someone with a power level barely half of hers could inflict such a wound. It was humiliating. A disgrace.

After a brief assessment, Dodoria began to deactivate her glowing pink energy–Morningstar, still dripping with water, and swiftly turned to leave. She was no doctor, but even she understood the importance of reaching a rejuvenation pod promptly. Her eye depended on it.

She suddenly froze.

Wait a second…

Dodoria scrutinized the not-yet dismissed Morningstar with her one good eye, narrowing it in suspicion.

No crimson? ...she missed?

Rage erupted from her like a volcano, releasing from her throat as a primal roar. She dismissed the Morningstar entirely and began unleashing an endless barrage of energy blasts.

Explosions blossomed like deadly flowers as Dodoria tried to flush out her hated enemy. Soon enough, she spotted a figure weaving through the destruction like an elusive shadow.

It was Ajax, of course, blurring as he danced between the explosions.

Despite Dodoria's efforts, Ajax effortlessly slipped through the gaps in her assault, evading her attacks with infuriating ease. Realizing the futility of her indiscriminate bombardment, Dodoria halted her attack, her chest heaving with exertion as she glared hatefully at her adversary.

Ajax stopped as well.

Amidst the smoldering ruins of their battlefield, the two combatants locked eyes in a silent standoff, each silently assessing the other with wariness.

Time passed slowly and tensely.

***

Down below, Ajax realized that Dodoria seemed to be biding his–oh, her time. During this reprieve, he hastily adjusted what remained of his battered Gi, concealing his injuries beneath its tattered fabric and ensuring the fragile connection between himself and the sinuous strand of ki remained intact.

It turned out he had been mistaken all along. The strand of ki wasn't some novel space parasite as he had presumed. It was a technique. As it burrowed into his ki reserves, he felt it pump a surge of revitalizing energy into him, slowly replenishing his strength and healing his wounds.

Given the healing, Ajax was fairly confident the source was either Dende, the other child, or perhaps both. Considering that Dende had not demonstrated the ability to heal remotely in the canon, he suspected the other child was involved somehow.

Regardless, its timely appearance had healed him just enough to dodge Dodoria's finishing attack.

Now that the pain was no longer clouding his mind, could somebody please tell him why the fuck he didn't ask Dende to heal him while fleeing from Dodoria? It would have spared him from having to face Dodoria altogether! Ajax could only pin the blame on the pain because not doing that had been stupid as hell.

A quick glance indicated that Dodoria was still reluctant to attack, so Ajax swiftly assessed his body. The steady influx of healing energy from Dende had already mended some of the damage caused by Dodoria's spikes. Though he was still some distance from full recovery, he was getting closer, perhaps five minutes away.

That being said, Ajax didn't need to be fully healed before engaging Dodoria again. For his purposes, he figured he just needed another 60 seconds.

This time, however, the tide of the battle was unequivocally in his favor. Not only was Dodoria's scouter out of commission but one of her eyes was also destroyed. Meanwhile, Ajax had access to continuous healing, meaning all that remained was to buy some precious time.

And he was good at buying time.

60 seconds left.

Dodoria's frustration reached a boiling point as she realized Ajax would not take the initiative. With a roar of rage, she burst forward with great speed and even greater anger.

But Ajax did not move. Instead, almost tauntingly, he calmly lifted his right arm. In his palm, a glow began to gather, manifesting into the deadly form of another Kienzan, its serrated edges spinning with an angry hum.

Dodoria slammed on the brakes, practically skidding across the air cartoonishly before coming to a halt. Having learned from their previous exchange, she swiftly reversed her course, scrambling backward to create some distance from the lethal blade. Her eye was fixed warily on the attack.

But the anticipated attack never came.

Dodoria stared in disbelief at the spinning sawblade that remained hovering in Ajax's hand. The sawblade was never launched, leaving Dodoria to grapple with the bitter sting of humiliation that gnawed at her pride. Her hands clenched into fists, trembling with a mix of rage and humiliation even as blood dripped from her ruined left eye.

Once again, the two foes stared at each other, Ajax smirking at her ungraceful retreat, while Dodoria grew increasingly infuriated by falling for such a simple yet embarrassing trap. Seconds ticked by one after another.

40 seconds left.

Seeking to buy some time, Ajax decided to engage in some trash talk.

"What's the matter?" he taunted, deliberately drawing out his words by articulating them as slowly as possible. "No more grand declarations of conquest? I thought you wanted to see me on my knees, begging for mercy!"

Dodoria fumed as she snapped, "I'd derive more pleasure from defecating on your corpse!"

"Wow, defecating! Such big words for someone with such a tiny brain!" Ajax quipped back, his voice saturated with mocking sarcasm.

"You—!" Dodoria sputtered, her words choking off as rage turned her almost purple. "You little fuck! I'll tear you apart, and then I'll vent my anger on the rest of the slugs on this damned planet! Especially those two brats—I'll make them suffer in your place!"

Thanks for the reminder, Ajax had almost forgotten why he despised Dodoria.

20 seconds.

With a look of utter disdain, Ajax hurled the Kienzan towards Dodoria. Well, "hurl" was a rather strong word. In reality, the disc drifted somewhat lazily toward Dodoria, moving at a less-than-impressive speed for fighters of their caliber.

Of course, Dodoria effortlessly dodged the blade, sidestepping it with ease. However, unsure if it was another trap, the Frieza Force elite remained cautious, vigilantly tracking the spinning blade until it scattered into motes of light behind her.

15 seconds.

As the countdown pressed on towards zero, Ajax was struck by a burst of inspiration. As Dodoria turned back, Ajax extended his right hand with deliberate slowness and defiantly gave her the middle finger, flipping her off.

Ajax noticed Dodoria squinting with her one remaining eye. For a fleeting moment, it seemed as though she didn't grasp the meaning of the gesture, but Ajax did witness the instant the spiky asshole deduced the meaning from contextual clues.

5 seconds.

Dodoria erupted, finally reaching the limits of her patience. She bellowed into the sky, expelling her pent-up fury before charging ahead with reckless abandon, uncaring of consequences.

This time, Ajax reciprocated, moving forward to meet his adversary head-on.

The two collided in midair with a resounding boom, their forearms crashing together in a violent echo of their very first exchange earlier in the battle.

0 seconds.

Time's up, Dodoria.

Dodoria enveloped her arms with an aura of energy, the signature spiky vambraces re-forming around her forearms. With a savage ferocity that bordered on madness, she lunged forward, swinging her arms at Ajax wildly.

The vambrace slammed into Ajax's side, sending him skidding several feet to the side.

Without wasting any time, Dodoria lunged after him again, letting out a savage war cry as she soared upwards, preparing to deliver a merciless double-handed hammer strike.

However, in the split second before Dodoria could unleash her attack, her eyes widened in a moment of déjà vu. Ajax levitated beneath her with his arms spread wide in a gesture of welcome, mirroring her stance against him at the battle's outset. There was no intent of putting up a defense, no attempt to evade or deflect the impending blow.

Dodoria's nostrils flared with rage. This brat was mocking her in the most brazen manner possible!

Her muscles bulged with raw power as she unleashed the full force of her fury. Like thunder, the enlarged spiky vambrace came crashing down upon Ajax's chest with a bone-shattering boom. At the moment of impact, Dodoria twisted her arms in a way that she knew would drive the spikes in even deeper.

Ajax was sent hurtling like a ragdoll into the unforgiving earth below. A colossal plume of rubble erupted into the air in his wake, the ground trembling from the impact as Ajax's form vanished amidst the swirling maelstrom of dust and debris.

So formidable was the power behind Dodoria's strike that even Vegeta, at the peak of his strength during his time on Earth, would not have survived it!

Before Dodoria could regain her bearings, the dust below was suddenly blasted away, revealing the figure of Ajax–

–completely unharmed.

Dodoria's jaws dropped.

Ajax's face broke into a shit-eating grin as he examined his injury, or rather, lack thereof. Nonchalantly, he brushed the dust off his shoulders tauntingly with his left hand.

His stalling had paid off. Why had he stalled for 60 seconds? Not just to regain the use of his arm! No, his true intent had been far more strategic. He had been biding his time, waiting for one specific wound to heal: the gaping hole left by Frieza's deadly death beam.

Ajax knew that the moment he recovered from Frieza's catastrophic attack, his body would begin to adapt to the piercing nature of the attack, albeit partially.

Though this adaptation wouldn't allow him to shrug off any future death beams, it would provide him with some degree of resistance. Thanks to Frieza's overwhelming power, even a fraction of that resistance would render him nigh-invulnerable to weaker attacks of a similar nature, certainly far surpassing anything that Dodoria could muster.

What does this mean? In terms of sheer physical strength, Dodoria was leagues behind Great Ape Vegeta. When it came to Ki attacks, Goku's awe-inspiring Spirit Bomb, the one he shared with Vegeta, held the undisputed crown. In terms of piercing attacks, Dodoria's spikes could only shiver in the shadow of Frieza's death beam. Ajax had faced all of those and lived to tell the tale.

In short, Dodoria's attempts to harm him were essentially pointless!

Lo and behold, Dodoria's initial attack before her full-power hammer strike had confirmed to Ajax everything he needed to know.

As Ajax beheld Dodoria's utterly gobsmacked expression, he knew with certainty that if he were to flee at that very moment, Dodoria would not give chase.

But Ajax doesn't want to retreat anymore.

The alluring spark of hope, irresistible in its promise like the dawn after a dark night, had ignited a desire within him.

The desire to win!

Hovering in the sky above Ajax, Dodoria too sensed the shift in the battle's momentum. The twerp was somehow healing, her attacks were growing ineffective, and she herself was severely wounded. Dodoria, however, was no fool. She had not survived this long by relying on brute strength alone. Without hesitation, she pivoted on her heel and prepared to flee the battlefield, knowing that retreat was now her only viable option.

Instantly, the airspace around Dodoria solidified like stone, halting her in her tracks. Surprised by this sudden turn of events, Dodoria exerted more energy, using the burst of strength in a desperate attempt to break free from the confines of her prison. However, the momentary delay had cost her.

"Where do you think you're going?" A taunting voice echoed beside her.

In a breathtaking display of speed, Ajax blurred into existence before Dodoria, his fist coated in a shimmering aura of silver energy hurtling toward her injured eye.

Dodoria's instincts kicked into overdrive, and she managed to block the strike, the force of the Pinpoint Impact dispersing harmlessly over the layers of fat on her arm.

After delivering his greeting, Ajax dragged Dodoria into an endless slog of close-quarters combat, liberally employing external Ki manipulation to lock down Dodoria's movements and thwart her every attempt to escape.

Ajax's strategy was simple: since neither party could inflict significant damage on the other, the battle had devolved into a contest of stamina and endurance. And in this regard, Ajax knew with utter certainty that he was unrivaled!

As time wore on, Dodoria's stamina waned, her movements growing sluggish and desperate as exhaustion crept in. In a moment of despairing realization, Dodoria realized that while she became increasingly weary, her opponent seemed to only become more energetic.

And indeed, Ajax was faring far better compared to the battle's outset. His wounds had healed long ago, and any damage Dodoria had managed to inflict was insignificant, quickly recovered by Dende.

Unbeknownst to Ajax, the string of Ki connecting him to his hidden allies transformed, gradually shifting from its original blend of green and orange hues to a more pronounced shade of orange.

But Ajax remained oblivious to these changes. He was fully engrossed in the intricate dance of combat before him. Duck, sidestep, punch, block with forearm, kick, spin, block, punch. The ebb and flow of the battle between him and Dodoria continued onward endlessly.

The rhythm of the melee was strangely invigorating, drawing Ajax deeper and deeper into the fray. As the blows continued to rain down upon him, Ajax felt himself sinking into a trance, almost as if he had entered a meditative state.

Ajax willingly immersed himself further into this heightened state of consciousness. As he did so, the world around him seemed to decelerate to a crawl as his concentration sharpened to a razor edge. It was as if time had come to a standstill, allowing him to perceive Dodoria's every move with crystalline clarity.

If Ajax didn't know any better, he would've entertained the idea that he might have stumbled upon the legendary Ultra Instinct. However, he quickly dismissed the thought as soon as it had crossed his mind. Not only was he hilariously underqualified for it, but he also lacked the telltale heat emission associated with UI Sign. And as far as he was concerned, there was no fucking way anyone could convince him he was using Mastered UI. 

What was even more telling was that his actions were not driven by primal, reactive instincts but by intense focus and concentration. Whatever this phenomenon was, it was something altogether different from instinct.

Even as he fought, Ajax marveled at the effortless control he had over his Ki. Where once manipulating his energy had felt like pushing through water, it now felt as natural and effortless as breathing. No, better than that. It was utterly effortless as if his Ki had become an extension of himself, seamlessly integrated into his very being like his own hands or feet.

In this state, Ajax sensed the barriers that had once held him back beginning to melt away. He felt like he could accomplish anything—maybe even that attack.

It was the technique that he had crafted, no–attempted to craft– with Kami in the Chamber, a technique that Kami had convinced him to temporarily abandon. It was a badass attack from his past life, one that he held in great esteem.

Despite managing to develop a rudimentary proof of concept with Kami's assistance, the Ki control necessary for the actual technique proved to be too far out of reach, even for his mentor. Over the past six months in the Chamber, he had dedicated countless hours toward it, but not once had he come close to success.

But right here, at this very moment, he bet he could do it.

The string linked to Ajax turned a full, vivid orange.

And small bolts of silver lightning began to spark from the corners of Ajax's eyes.

Effortlessly deflecting Dodoria's panicked swing, Ajax serenely pressed a fist against Dodoria's chest, almost like a friendly chest bump between friends. In that infinitesimal moment, Dodoria's desperate eye met Ajax's own.

Then, with a sudden jerk of his arm in recoil, Ajax unleashed his version of the Cipher Pols' crowning technique–

The Rokuogan.

Before Dodoria could even begin to comprehend what was happening, an enormous column of pressure erupted from Ajax's fist. It slammed into Dodoria's chest with devastating force, then began tearing through her insides like a hurricane.

In a blink, the one-directional shockwave erupted from Dodoria's back and immediately shattered her Frieza Force armor into innumerable pieces.

Dodoria's eyes widened in stunned disbelief as she staggered back from the impact, blood bursting out of her mouth in copious quantities. She stared at her chest, still in shock and confusion, raising a hand to touch where Ajax's attack had struck.

Already, the area around the wound was turning an ugly and alarming shade of pink, extremely distinct from her usual skin tone.

"How is this–cough–possible?!"

Casting a fearful glance back at Ajax, Dodoria hastily scrambled away in a desperate bid for distance. No one had ever managed to hurt her like this, not even Lord Frieza!

On the opposite side, Ajax burst into laughter, almost hysterically. It was a laughter of pure euphoria, a release of emotions that had built up within him for what seemed like an eternity. The satisfaction of finally utilizing a technique that had eluded him for so long filled him with an intoxicating sense of joy.

Whatever this state was, it allowed him a level of ki control so precise, so finely tuned, that he could scarcely even describe it. So many things that he had once deemed impossible now seemed within reach.

What else? What else could he achieve that had been previously beyond his grasp?!

With his arms outstretched towards the heavens, Ajax's joyous grin stretched wide, splitting his face in two.

'Throughout heaven and earth, I alone am the honoured one!'

Ajax didn't consider himself worthy of that iconic line just yet, but he thinks he knows what Satoru Gojo must have experienced when he mastered Reverse Cursed Technique and Hollow Purple.

Ajax's euphoric expression gradually gave way to that intoxicating sense of absolute concentration. He directed his attention to Dodoria with the gaze of an apex predator.

Time to dust this bitch.

At the sight of Ajax's predatory eyes, Dodoria was overcome with terror, a sensation she had once believed only Lord Frieza could evoke within her.

"NOOOO!!"

With a desperate cry, Dodoria turned to flee, her composure shattered and her resolve crumbling. She cared not for honor or glory at that moment—all she wanted was to escape with her life.

Ajax's gaze remained cold as he tracked Dodoria's movements. So now she was afraid, only when her life was in danger? What a joke.

Ajax extended his Ki into the surroundings, his energy swirling in the air like ethereal tentacles. He raised one hand with authority, reminiscent of a conductor leading an orchestra.

You see, there was a reason why he never employed external ki manipulation over a wide area. It was just too difficult, demanding an unparalleled level of precision and control that few could hope to reach. As the area to be controlled increased, so too did the difficulty, the sheer magnitude of the task growing exponentially.

To counteract that, Ajax had refined his skill to solidify only a thin band of airspace around his foes like a makeshift coffin. This was why his opponents could still breach the barrier and "breakthrough" with strength. Despite the limitations, the technique had served him well, allowing him to gain the upper hand countless times. Hence, there was no shame in acknowledging that this thin layer had also been the limit of his capabilities.

Even Kami, his mentor, could only average an 8-10-meter diameter sphere of solidified air around his enemy—a feat regarded as extremely impressive.

But that was in the past. Now? Ajax thinks he can do better.

Ajax brought his hands down, electricity crackling at the corners of his eyes, and the airspace for hundreds of meters around Dodoria fell under his dominion.

Encapsulated within Ajax's domain, Dodoria suddenly felt as though she were flying through thick sediment, her every movement becoming sluggish and cumbersome. The air around her seemed to press in from all sides, suffocating her with its oppressive weight. The terror in her eyes grew more pronounced at the unexplained circumstances of her situation.

"Stay away!"

With a cry of fear, Dodoria gathered all her remaining energy and unleashed a desperate yet powerful beam back toward the advancing Ajax.

Ajax didn't even stop. As the energy beam closed in, it abruptly curved and then diffracted, ricocheting off at an unexpected angle as if striking a mirror. Ajax continued blurring forward, his domain parting like water before him.

Dodoria's eyes widened in terror as she turned to flee sluggishly, but it was too late. In mere moments, Ajax had caught up, positioning himself above Dodoria. Flying at the same lethargic speed, he lightly pressed one fist against Dodoria's back.

Soon after, another powerful shockwave crashed into and through Dodoria's body.

Dodoria's eyes rolled back into her head as she plummeted like a ragdoll, finally crashing into the ground with a low boom.

Ajax descended softly. 

Lying on the soil of Namek, Dodoria regained consciousness abruptly, shocked awake by the impact. She gasped wetly, choking on the blood filling her lungs.

Dodoria made eye contact with Ajax.

"M-mercy! I'll turn a new leaf! Or we can team up– cough–against Frieza!" Dodoria rasped desperately as blood spilled from her lips. "You look... like a Saiyan! I know a se–secret about the demise of your r-race! I'll tell you e-everything—as long as you let me live!"

Ajax crouched beside Dodoria, regarding his fallen enemy with silent disdain. It was a scene straight out of a cheesy, clichéd action movie, and he couldn't help but feel a twinge of irritation at the predictability of it all.

At this point, Ajax knew he was to say some stereotypical witty one-liners like, "Did you offer mercy to those you killed?" Or something witty like "Sorry, all out of mercy." Or even something iconic like "You're too stupid to see I made up my mind ten minutes ago." But to be honest, he just couldn't be bothered. Not for someone like Dodoria at least.

"Save your lip service for someone who gives a damn."

"W-wait, wait, I'll pledge my allegiance to you–no, I'll be your slave! Just wai–!"

Ajax lightly pressed his knuckles against Dodoria's forehead, silencing his enemy's pleas with a final gesture.

"Have some fucking dignity, why don't you."

A shockwave shattered the ground where Dodoria's head lay and her life signature scattered like ashes to the wind.

Taking a deep breath, Ajax stood up and stepped back, his gaze drifting upward to the sky. He stood in silence for what felt like an eternity, feeling the adrenaline and pure concentration drain from his body.

With one final exhale, Ajax released all his tension. The battle was finally over.