An Unclassifiable Ultimate Move

Boom...!

The Arena let out another groan of strain, as if it could barely hold itself together.

Though Krillin had held back ninety-nine percent of his strength in that "serious punch," the sheer pressure of his fist still erupted like a storm.

Goku, charging down with ki from his feet, found himself halted midair by the blast of wind—like a waterfall crashing against a boulder swimming upstream.

"HAAAAH!"

Goku gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, his signature crab-hair blown flat backward.

He could sense that Krillin's fist carried little ki, but the raw physical force behind it was absurdly immense.

"Get... down!"

Krillin growled, adding another ounce of power to his punch.

Bam!

Goku shot backward into the sky faster than he'd come, like a fly swatted by a flyswatter, piercing the clouds and shrinking to a tiny dot in seconds.

"F-Flew out?"

The announcer craned his neck, even pulling out binoculars.

"Goku has been launched into the clouds! Will he fall out of bounds?"

The entire audience held their breath.

Seconds later, that tiny dot swelled rapidly.

"Flying Nimbus!"

A shout rang out from high above.

A golden cloud emerged from nowhere, catching the falling Goku steadily.

"Foul! Foul!"

Crane Hermit, who had returned at some point, hopped and yelled from below.

"No using items in the match!"

The announcer looked troubled.

"Well..."

"It's fine. Let him use it."

Krillin waved a hand, his voice carrying through ki across the arena.

"Flying Nimbus is part of his power. Not a tool."

Goku stood on the Nimbus but didn't come down right away.

He rubbed his arm, which had clashed with Krillin's fist—already red and swollen.

"Ow ow ow..."

Goku blew on it.

"Krillin, are you really not made of iron? Or did you sneak steel plates under your clothes?"

"This is muscle. Pure, all-natural muscle."

Krillin thumped his chest, producing a dull thud thud.

"So, still want to fight? Your hand's shaking, isn't it?"

Krillin opened his System Panel and glanced at Goku's status.

Code
[Goku]
[HP: 65% (rapidly decreasing)]
[Status: Minor bone fracture (right arm), extreme hunger (stomach cramping)]

"Grrrrrrr..."

Just then, a massive rumble echoed through the arena via the speakers.

The sound was so loud it drowned out even the crashing waves.

Everyone froze.

Goku awkwardly clutched his stomach, his serious expression crumbling into a grimace.

"Ah... I'm hungry. That last move took too much energy. Guess the morning grilled fish is all digested."

Krillin's mouth twitched.

Was this how shonen protagonists worked?

In the middle of a life-or-death battle, he was falling apart because he was hungry?

"Well... how about we pause for a meal?"

Krillin asked tentatively.

"Really?!"

Goku's eyes instantly turned into stars, and he was practically drooling.

"I want roast whole lamb! And those really, really big steamed buns!"

"Denied!"

The announcer roared with a face full of exasperation.

"This is the finals of the World Martial Arts Tournament! It's being broadcast live worldwide! Can you two be serious for a moment?"

Goku drooped his head in disappointment.

"Tch, cheapskate."

But he quickly lifted his head, his gaze sharpening again, though this time with an added urgency.

"Fine, if I can't eat, then let's just end this fast! If I win, I can go eat!"

"Getting fired up just for food..."

Krillin shook his head helplessly.

"Such a simple motivation, but I can't help being envious."

"Take this! It's a new move I just thought of!"

Goku leaped down from the Flying Nimbus.

This time, instead of charging straight in, he began circling Krillin at high speed.

Faster and faster, until gradually, dozens of Goku's figures appeared on the Arena, forming a massive tornado that trapped Krillin in the center.

"Afterimage Fist again?"

Krillin frowned.

"No, it's more than just afterimages!"

All dozens of Gokus spoke at once, their voices overlapping to create a strange echoing effect.

Then, every single afterimage struck the opening stance of the Kamehameha.

"Multi... Kamehameha!"

Dozens of blue beams shot simultaneously toward Krillin at the center.

"Fake."

With his [Genius Intellect] and [Beast Sense], Krillin instantly judged that only one of them was real, the rest mere visual deceptions left by afterimages.

But just as he prepared to block that real beam, something bizarre happened.

The other dozens of "fake" beams actually curved mid-flight!

They converged together, merging into the real beam.

What had been a beam as thick as a rice bowl instantly swelled to the size of a water bucket, its color shifting from deep blue to a blinding, harsh white.

"What?"

Krillin showed surprise for the first time.

That didn't make sense!

How could afterimages have energy?

[System Notification: Detected Goku's use of the "Ki Residue" technique. During high-speed movement, he left traces of ki at each afterimage's position, then detonated and converged them all at once. This is the ultimate expression of ki control.]

[Talent "Goku's Combat Instinct" analysis progress: 80%.]

"So that's it... leaving ki in the afterimages, huh?"