Vegeta was faster. More experienced. His techniques were refined through years of combat against powerful enemies.

But Satou was relentless. Every time Vegeta knocked him down, he got back up. Every injury just made him angrier. His Predator's Gaze intensified with each exchange, his presence becoming more oppressive, more dangerous.

They traded blows at speeds the watching goblins and orcs could barely follow. Shadow constructs formed and were destroyed. Earth rose up to block attacks and was shattered by darkness. The air crackled with energy.

Despite everything, despite all of Satou's skills and determination, Vegeta was winning.

A shadow blade opened a deep gash across Satou's chest. A kick sent him crashing through another building. Shadows wrapped around his limbs, holding him in place while Vegeta delivered a devastating punch to his face that left him seeing stars.

Satou's Regeneration skill was working overtime, but it couldn't keep up. He was accumulating damage faster than he could heal.

Vegeta stood over him, barely winded, a cruel smile on his face. "You fought well. Better than I expected. But this is the difference between us. I'm a hero. You're just a monster playing pretend."

He raised his hand, a massive shadow construct forming above it. "Time to end this."

"Big brother!" Jessica's voice cut through the chaos like a knife.

Satou's head turned, his blurred vision focusing on the siblings. Jessica and Kelvin stood together, tears streaming down their faces, surrounded by the wounded defenders who'd tried to protect them.

"I believe in you!" Jessica shouted, her voice cracking with emotion. "You saved us before! You made us strong when we were weak! You gave us a home when we had nothing!"

Tears streamed down her face, but her voice grew stronger. "You taught us that goblins don't have to be prey! That we can be something more! You showed us that we matter!"

"We all believe in you!" Kelvin added, his voice strong despite his fear. "You're the strongest person we know! The kindest! The one who never gives up on us! Don't give up now!"

Around them, wounded goblins and orcs began to stir. Lyra, barely conscious, pushed herself up on shaking arms.

"Satou," she whispered, her voice carrying across the ruins despite its weakness. "You gave us dignity. Purpose. A future. Don't let him take that away. Don't let our sacrifice be for nothing."

Urgak, still pinned by shadows but conscious, spoke in his rumbling voice. "You are our leader. Our chieftain. You united two species that hated each other. You built something beautiful from nothing. Show this human what that means. Show him what we've become because of you."

More voices joined in. Goblins he'd named. Orcs he'd allied with. The survivors of his settlement, bloodied and broken but not defeated.

"Get up!"

"We believe in you!"

"Don't give up!"

"You're our hope!"

"Show him what we've become!"

Their voices washed over Satou like a wave, cutting through the pain and exhaustion. These people had trusted him. Followed him. Built something with him. Believed in him when no one else would and this bastard had destroyed it all.

Satou felt something shifting inside him. Not just anger. Not just determination. Something deeper. A connection to everyone who'd called out to him, a bond forged through shared struggle and hope.

His Pack Leader's Instinct resonated with their belief. The skill that connected him to his allies flared with unprecedented intensity.

Vegeta felt the shift in atmosphere. His smile faded, replaced by irritation.

"Touching," he said, annoyance creeping into his voice. "But sentiment won't save you. It never does."

He looked at Jessica, at the source of the inspirational speech that had interrupted his moment of victory. His eyes narrowed with genuine irritation.

"You know what? I'm tired of hearing your voice."

Shadows gathered around his arm, condensing into a massive construct shaped like a battering ram. Dark energy crackled around it, promising devastating force.

"Let me shut you up permanently."

"No!" Satou tried to rise, tried to move, but his body wouldn't respond. Too damaged. Too exhausted.

Vegeta's arm shot forward, the shadow construct launching toward Satou with explosive force.

BOOM!

The impact caught Satou full in the chest. The world became a blur of motion and pain as his body was launched backward like a cannonball.

He crashed through one building, the earth walls exploding around him. Then another. Then a third.

Each impact sent shockwaves of agony through his broken body. Ribs shattered. His arm bent at an unnatural angle. Blood filled his mouth.

He finally slammed into a partially collapsed structure at the far edge of the settlement, the remaining walls crumbling on top of him. Debris rained down, burying him under tons of broken earth and shattered wood.

Everything went dark.

Satou lay unconscious beneath the rubble, his body broken, his consciousness fled.

Vegeta dusted off his hands, the shadow construct dissipating. "Finally. Some peace and quiet."

He turned his attention back to Jessica and Kelvin, his irritation transforming into something darker. More malicious.

"Now then," he said, starting to walk toward them with deliberate slowness. "Where were we? Oh yes. I was about to teach you monsters a lesson about reality."

Shadows gathered around him as he walked, making him look like a demon emerging from hell itself. "You know what irritates me most about you creatures? It's not that you're weak. Weakness is natural. Expected."

He paused, his cold eyes fixed on Jessica. "It's that you have hope. You actually believe things can get better. That you can be something more than monsters. It's nauseating."

His voice dropped to something almost conversational, but infinitely more menacing. "I've killed thousands of creatures like you. Monsters who thought they could be heroes. Demons who thought they deserved mercy. Bandits who thought they could change."

The shadows expanded, becoming darker, more oppressive. "They all had the same stupid hope in their eyes before I killed them. The same pathetic belief that somehow, things would work out. That someone would save them."

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