Dragon Ball: Ascension

(A/N: Hey everyone! Hope you're enjoying this bonus chapter! Just a quick heads-up: over on my Patreon, the number of chapters ahead has been boosted to 80, and the price has been lowered to make it easier to join. We're also aiming for a new goal, if we reach 70 Patrons (we're currently at 56), I'll do double uploads for a full week here on Webnovel.Also, there will be exclusives chapters on Patreon! These will be part of the main timeline and could explore fun ideas like a possible pairing between Karnel and Android 18, or other surprises decided through polls. If you're curious, come take a look, and as always, enjoy the Bonus chapter chapter!)

Karnel watched with cold satisfaction as Thorne's body crumpled to the ground, the smoking hole in his chest testament to the Kaimo commander's fatal miscalculation. But even as life faded from Thorne's eyes, something unexpected happened.

Three of the struggling Bargonian warriors suddenly convulsed and collapsed, their life force visibly draining away in shimmering streams of energy that flowed directly into Thorne's wounds. The commander's eyes snapped open, blazing with renewed vitality as his injuries healed at an alarming rate.

"What the hell?" Karnel stepped back, genuinely surprised for the first time in the battle.

Thorne rose to his feet with fluid grace, rolling his shoulders as if working out minor kinks. The gaping wound in his chest had sealed completely, leaving only a faint scar. "Did you really think killing me would be that simple?" he asked with a satisfied smirk. "We Kaimo don't need months of tedious training like you primitives. We simply take what we need."

The three drained Bargonians lay motionless on the battlefield, their bodies withered husks. The remaining fighters stared in horror at their fallen comrades, finally understanding the true nature of their enemy.

"Now you see how we strengthen ourselves," Thorne continued, savoring the shocked expressions around him. "No exhausting drills, no painful conditioning, just a quick snack from the local livestock." He gestured dismissively at the survivors. "Though I only managed three before you interrupted. Five more would have triggered my evolution to the next tier. My standing in the clan would have improved considerably."

Karnel's jaw tightened as rage built within him. "So all those lives sent as 'tribute' over the years..."

"Delicious meals, every one of them," Thorne laughed, his face twisting into something grotesque. "You should have heard their screams as I drained them dry. Music to my ears!" His expression grew more serious, almost philosophical. "Really, it's quite efficient. A planetary ruler sacrifices a few thousand lives every few decades, and in return, we don't exterminate their entire population. Everyone benefits, well, except for the snacks."

The casual cruelty in Thorne's words ignited something primal in Karnel. He'd always known he wasn't exactly a saint, but this casual genocide disguised as cosmic order made his blood boil.

"Enough talking," Karnel growled, his power level spiking as fury overtook calculation.

The two warriors collided in a thunderous exchange of blows. Thorne's newfound strength had indeed brought him to Karnel's level, and their battle created shockwaves that shattered nearby rock formations. They moved so fast they became mere blurs, visible only when their impacts sent flashes of energy across the battlefield.

"How does it feel, you arrogant savage?" Thorne taunted between lightning-fast strikes. "Lucky for you I stopped at three natives. Five more and I could have crushed you with my pinky finger!"

Karnel caught Thorne's next punch and used the momentum to flip him overhead, slamming the Kaimo warrior into the ground with bone-crushing force. "Lucky? There's nothing lucky about this," he replied coldly, standing over the crater he'd created. "Your strength may match mine now, but I've noticed something interesting. You have a fatal flaw."

Thorne extracted himself from the rubble, spitting purple blood. "Impossible! The Kaimo are the perfect warrior race. We have no weaknesses!"

"We'll see about that."

The words had barely left Karnel's lips when his Saiyan battle instincts fully awakened. His blood sang with the thrill of facing a worthy opponent, and that rush of combat euphoria pushed his power beyond its normal limits. Every technique he'd learned, every hard-won skill from countless battles, focused into devastating precision.

Karnel became a whirlwind of controlled violence. He slipped past Thorne's guard like smoke, grabbed both his arms, and drove his knee into the commander's spine with enough force to shatter mountains. Before Thorne could react, Karnel spun him around and pile-drove him into a grove of ancient trees.

The impact created a crater over a hundred meters wide. Massive trees on the rim were uprooted and sent flying by the shockwave. Karnel hovered at the edge, staring down at his buried opponent.

Thorne emerged from the wreckage looking considerably worse for wear. His stolen vitality had sustained heavy damage, purple blood leaked from numerous wounds, and his earlier confidence had evaporated.

"Your flaw might not be obvious against weaker opponents," Karnel explained as Thorne struggled to stand. "But against someone at your level or above? It's going to get you killed. You rely entirely on raw power without any real combat experience. Strength means nothing without the skill to use it properly."

"Damn you!" Thorne wiped blood from his mouth, eyes wild with frustration. "I refuse to believe the perfect Kaimo could lose to some backwater primitive!"

But even as he spoke, Thorne's gaze drifted toward the remaining Bargonian fighters. His desperation was showing.

Karnel didn't give him the chance. A casual elbow blocked Thorne's punch, followed by a devastating uppercut to his solar plexus that lifted him off his feet. A spinning kick sent the Kaimo commander skidding across the battlefield.

"Still thinking about a snack?" Karnel asked, positioning himself between Thorne and the survivors. "Sorry, but the buffet is closed. I know your little trick now, you won't catch me off guard twice."

In desperation, Thorne launched himself skyward and began charging a massive energy attack. A sphere of crackling violet energy grew in his hands, expanding to the size of a small building.

"Die, you insufferable pest!" Thorne hurled the planet-threatening attack downward.

But instead of dodging, Karnel did something unexpected. He grabbed the battered Thorne by the throat as the commander tried to swoop down toward the Bargonians during the chaos.

"Where do you think you're going?" Karnel asked pleasantly.

"The energy blast, you have to stop it, or—" Thorne's eyes went wide with horror as he realized Karnel's plan.

"Oh, I'll stop it alright. But first, let me return this to sender." With casual strength, Karnel hurled Thorne directly into the path of his own attack.

"NO! WAIT!" Thorne's scream was cut short as he collided with the energy sphere.

"And here's a little extra for the road," Karnel added cheerfully, cupping his hands at his side. Blue energy began to gather between his palms. "Ka... me... ha... me... HAAA!"

The massive energy wave struck both Thorne and his own attack, driving the combined mass of destruction high into the atmosphere. Moments later, a brilliant explosion lit up the sky like a second sun, visible from orbit.

Karnel dusted off his hands and turned to check on the surviving Bargonians. "Well, that was educational. Anyone else want to discuss the superiority of the Kaimo race?"

The silence that followed was answer enough.

(A/N: Patreon Goal 56/70: Double upload for a week)