"Goku..." Tights, standing at about the same height as Yamiru, could see the fight clearly. "He's completely outmatched. Maybe he should just give up."
"If it comes to that, he will," Yamiru replied. "That kid isn't stupid. Unless he's forced into a corner with no other option, he wouldn't risk his life recklessly. He's not an arrogant loner who doesn't trust his companions. But at the same time, we need to trust him. He's still got more fight in him."
Sure enough, though battered and bruised, Goku slowly began to mount a counterattack.
He quickly familiarized himself with the battleground made up of the two demon statues' tongues and began to use the terrain to his advantage. Compared to the mummy's towering frame, Goku's small stature became a clear advantage. In the blink of an eye, Goku vanished from the mummy's sight.
The next moment, the mummy staggered as pain shot through his ankle. He lost his balance and fell toward the "Demon Sewage Pit" below — a bubbling, corrosive pool of molten demon sludge that spelled certain doom for anyone who fell in.
"Yes! He won!" Tights cheered.
"Damn brat!" Just as the mummy was about to fall, he lashed out with the bandages wrapped around his body, anchoring them to one of the demon statue tongues. Using the leverage, he stopped his fall, pushed off the wall, and leaped back up, landing right in front of a now-relaxed Goku.
"Ha! Gotcha, fool! This is the end for you!" the mummy roared.
Caught off guard, Goku was kicked into the air and sent hurtling toward the pit below.
"Goku!!" Tights screamed. She turned anxiously toward Yamiru, who was staring wide-eyed, his golden irises glowing intensely. His clenched jaw and tightly crossed arms betrayed his tension, his fingers digging into his arms with visible force.
Suddenly, Yamiru exhaled in relief, muttering to himself with a smile, "Heh, this feels just like that filler arc with the Terror and plague Brothers in the anime."
"Huh?" Tights was confused, but before she could ask, she heard Goku's voice faintly echoing from the Demon Restroom.
"Power Pole, extend!"
A thin red light streaked through the air above the pit. With a loud clang, the Power Pole extended and wedged itself horizontally between the walls.
Standing atop the pole with perfect balance, Goku crouched and grabbed hold of it, his swollen, bruised face lifted in defiance. His eyes burned with determination.
"I'm not done yet!"
With a push of his legs, Goku launched himself back into the fray, just as the mummy had done earlier.
The mummy was shocked. Before he could react, Goku retaliated with a punch, sending him stumbling backward.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, the mummy smirked nervously. "Hmph. You're a persistent little human brat, aren't you?"
"Hehe, same to you. You're a tough monster!" Goku grinned, his head covered in lumps from the fight.
There was an odd sense of mutual respect between the two.
"Ha!"
"Hyaa!"
The two clashed again, their battle becoming more intense by the second.
From the sidelines, Baba wiped the sweat from her brow as she watched. "These battle maniacs from the underworld... they really don't know when to stop. But it's about time this ended."
In the arena, the two fighters were evenly matched, exchanging blow for blow.
"Alright, Goku, that's enough! Surrender!" Yamiru shouted from the window.
The mummy threw a punch, but it missed. He looked down to find Goku hanging upside down from his massive arm using his tail.
"Yeah..." Goku swung his tail and flipped onto the ground. "I give up."
The mummy looked surprised. "Why?"
Goku replied, "I feel like I'm getting stronger as we fight, but you... it feels like you're holding back on purpose! That's no fun! I quit." He stuck out his tongue, pulled down his eyelid in a mocking gesture, and walked nonchalantly toward the demon statue's snarling mouth.
"..." The mummy suddenly felt as though he had lost. Watching the carefree boy walk away, he thought to himself: Is that what a true warrior is...?
"Well then," Baba announced loudly, "shall we begin the next match?"
"Coming right up!"
Yamiru bumped fists with Goku as they crossed paths at the demon's mouth. Yamiru stepped onto the long tongue, ready to fight.
"Go, Yamiru! You've got this!" Goku cheered from the window.
"Aren't you going to tend to your injuries?" Tights asked.
"No need! These'll heal with a good night's sleep," Goku replied with a carefree grin.
"Sayans are built like that?" Bulma glanced at the boy clinging to the window in disbelief.
Baba gestured for the next match to begin.
The towering mummy glared down at Yamiru with a stern expression. Meanwhile, Yamiru stretched casually, rolling his shoulders, bending at the waist, and bouncing lightly on his feet. Finally, he looked up, the golden glow fading from his eyes, and smiled. "Alright. Let's begin!"
"I hope you're stronger than that little brat from earlier!" the mummy growled.
"You see," Yamiru said, assuming the Turtle School stance, "your inability to distinguish between strength and weakness — that's what sets you apart from Goku."
"Alright, the match begins!" Baba announced.
"Come on!" Yamiru gestured with his forward hand, taunting the mummy.
"Big words won't help you!" The mummy roared and charged forward, launching a blistering offensive with astonishing speed.
But Yamiru, far more skilled than his predecessor, saw through every attack with ease.
"Do you think Yamiru will be okay?" Tights asked nervously from the window.
"Don't worry! Yamiru is really strong!" Goku replied with a confident grin.
As Goku predicted, Yamiru's performance was entirely different. Unlike Goku's earlier struggle, Yamiru dominated from the outset. He deftly avoided the mummy's attacks, countering with strikes that continually hit their mark.
The mummy, who once prided himself on his agility, now found his movements sluggish in comparison to Yamiru's precision and speed.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Even without activating his golden eyes, Yamiru's reflexes and judgment far exceeded those of an average human.
Boom!
The mummy roared in frustration, managing to catch Yamiru's fists. Lowering his stance, he glared into Yamiru's eyes as their arms trembled with the force of their clash.
"Die!" the mummy bellowed, using his strength to hurl Yamiru downward.
Yamiru plummeted toward the ominous molten pit below.
"Yamiru!!!" Tights screamed, nearly climbing through the narrow window before Goku grabbed her arm to stop her.
"Relax," Goku reassured her with a chuckle. "Yamiru fell on purpose."
"On purpose?" Tights asked, puzzled.
Bulma, who had been silently observing, suddenly grinned. "He's going back to retrieve the Power Pole, isn't he?"
Goku gasped. "Oh yeah! I completely forgot about that!"
"Fool!" the mummy snarled from atop the demon sculpture. "This is what you get for challenging me!"
However—
As Yamiru fell, he landed perfectly on the thin red line of the Power Pole. The staff bent under his weight, its curve nearly touching the bubbling, red-green molten pool below. Bathed in the eerie glow, Yamiru gripped the pole and whispered, "Retract."
Whoosh!
The Power Pole emitted a brilliant red light, snapping back to its original size as it catapulted Yamiru upward.
Flying back into the arena, Yamiru spun the staff in one hand before clenching his other fist. Meeting the mummy's astonished gaze, he grinned. "Try this on for size... Heaven-Piercing Wave!"
Boom!
The devastating uppercut launched Yamiru skyward, his fist connecting with the mummy's jaw. Time seemed to slow as the mummy's teeth flew from his mouth, his bandages unraveling in midair. Yamiru's arm bulged with power, Baba's eyes widened in surprise, Tights's face lit up with relief, and Goku burst into laughter.
Victory belonged to Yamiru.
Grabbing the mummy's loose bandages, Yamiru ensured his unconscious opponent didn't fall into the molten pit below.
Baba waved her hand, sending the defeated warrior away.
"Well, well," she said with a chuckle. "You're quite impressive, kid. But your next opponent... might make you miss that little brat's fight."
Yamiru frowned, puzzled by her cryptic words.
With a clap of her hands, Baba called forth the final contestant.
"Come on out! Your turn, Devilman!"
———
Mummy: 110
Yamiru: 110 (max: 123)
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