An Easy One-Shot Kill!

()(The cover is finally done!! All right! What do you guys think, fellow readers?!)

"This ki... It's Piccolo! He really came, too... But those other ki signatures seem to belong to Yamcha, Tien Shinhan... Chiaotzu and Krillin... What are they doing here?! At this rate, all of them will run into each other on the way."

Son Goku flew through the air with a grave look on his face. His brows furrowed slightly as he sensed several ki signatures heading in the same direction, and he murmured to himself...

This time, Son Goku was also surprised—even shocked—by the powerful ki that had appeared out of nowhere. It was far beyond his own... And what made it worse was how evil it felt. It was far more sinister than even Piccolo's, the "little demon king" of Earth... That was why he was heading over to see who it was.

As for fear... Son Goku didn't feel any. If anything, he was a little worried...

"So Son Goku really did come, too! And a few other nobodies... But..."

Piccolo was also flying rapidly toward a certain place. When he suddenly sensed several familiar ki signatures, his expression darkened...

This was the first time Piccolo had ever felt so defeated. Just sensing that astonishing ki from afar had almost made him lose the will to resist... After all, their battle power had barely reached around 300. Compared to Betkas, who was currently fighting at full strength with a battle power of 110,000, they weren't merely a hundred times weaker!

...A few minutes later...

"So it really is Goku!! Hey!! Hey, Goku!"

Yamcha, Tien Shinhan, Chiaotzu, and Krillin were also heading toward the place where Betkas was. Suddenly, along the way, they spotted a familiar and reassuring figure. Krillin shouted excitedly...

"So it is you guys, Krillin... What are you doing here, too?!"

Son Goku, flying ahead of them, turned his head slightly. When he saw Yamcha, Tien Shinhan, Chiaotzu, and Krillin, he smiled and slowed down a little. As they drew closer, he asked them...

"To be honest, I'm ashamed to say it, but... if I could, I really wouldn't want to come!"

Yamcha said in a low voice that trembled slightly... Son Goku could understand how he felt. When someone that powerful appeared, just having the courage to face him was impressive. Even Piccolo had almost lost the will to fight... Let alone people as weak as Yamcha and the others...

"But... if our opponent plans to destroy the world, hiding won't help... We might as well join forces. Maybe..."

Tien Shinhan suddenly cut in, but before he could finish, a cold laugh interrupted him...

"Hmph... Maybe there's still a sliver of hope! You weaklings wouldn't even count as foot soldiers if you went there."

Yamcha, Tien Shinhan, Krillin, and Chiaotzu were startled. They turned toward the source of the voice, while a slight smile touched Son Goku's lips as he glanced sideways at the newly arrived Piccolo...

"Piccolo!! What are you doing here?!"

Krillin stared at Piccolo in shock and asked in alarm... The other three were just as wary...

"Piccolo... This time, Earth is facing a great crisis."

Son Goku didn't react much. He simply spoke with an inscrutable air...

"Hmph! Son Goku, I don't need you to tell me that. If our opponent really does intend to destroy the world, I can't hide from him either. So I might as well stay and fight... What's wrong with teaming up with you lot for once?!"

Piccolo pursed his lips and spoke arrogantly...

"That makes me feel a lot more confident!"

Son Goku suddenly said something that left everyone confused...

"How confident?!"

Piccolo looked at Son Goku in surprise and asked... The other four were just as baffled...

"Fighting together is still better than going alone. After all, with my strength, I don't have much confidence against our opponent this time... If you join us, Piccolo, there'll at least be a chance."

Son Goku said seriously...

"Hmph. So you're saying our odds only go up by 0.0001%? What a load of nonsense!"

Piccolo's mouth twitched slightly, and he replied helplessly... Son Goku just smiled without answering, while the other four stared at him blankly. Even so, all six of them continued flying at speed...

A few minutes later... A vast forest appeared before them...

"It's right here. Hurry and suppress your ki! Don't let him sense us!"

Piccolo gauged the distance, then led the way down to the ground alongside Son Goku and gave the order...

Everyone nodded gravely and suppressed their ki... Then they slowly walked forward...

"Gulp!"

The silence of the forest sent a shiver down their spines... Krillin swallowed nervously and looked around, while Son Goku and Piccolo led the way, their faces stern and alert... Tien Shinhan, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu followed, drenched in cold sweat...

When they reached a strange crater, they all suddenly stopped...

"The ki was left here... What's that thing?"

Son Goku peered at the round spaceship in the crater, staring at it in puzzlement...

"Could it be a spaceship?"

Yamcha's voice trembled...

"Does that mean... this really is an alien?!"

Tien Shinhan said, looking uneasy...

The others fell silent... But a sudden voice made them all tense up...

"It's been a long time, Kakarot!"

A voice as cold as the grave reached everyone's ears. They turned in alarm to look at the sky behind them and saw a handsome man with pale-yellow hair hovering in the air, watching them with an indifferent expression... It was Betkas.

"Who are you?!"

Son Goku and the others took up fighting stances and asked sternly...

"My name? Heh heh... You want to know..."

Betkas sneered and began to speak slowly... But in the very next instant, he vanished from before them...

"Thud!"

"Wah!"

"Thud!"

"Pfft!"

"Thud!"

"Ah!"

"Thud!"

"Yah!"

Suddenly, by the time Son Goku and Piccolo reacted, Betkas had appeared right in front of them. In that brief moment, Yamcha, Krillin, Tien Shinhan, and Chiaotzu all cried out in pain as they were struck and sent flying...

"Yamcha... Tien Shinhan, Krillin, Chiaotzu!!"

Son Goku reacted with a start and shouted...

"You bastard!! Haaah!!"

Piccolo was also shocked. He hadn't even been able to catch his opponent's movements... The terrifying speed sent a chill through him. But in the next instant, he fired a pale-golden Ki Blast from his right hand at Betkas...

"Is that supposed to be a toy?"

Betkas watched Piccolo's attack with disdain. Then, somehow, a small pebble appeared in his left hand. He held his middle finger back with his thumb and flicked it forward...

"Whoosh!!"

"Boom!!!"

The pebble shot straight through Piccolo's Ki Blast and triggered its explosion. It flew so fast that it even grazed Piccolo's cheek...

The explosion of the Ki Blast filled the air with smoke and dust. Son Goku immediately retreated several steps through the air, watching with a grim expression, while Piccolo stared ahead with trembling hands...

When the smoke had completely cleared, Betkas still looked completely unharmed. But the pressure he put on the two of them was overwhelming...

"Just as I thought... no good, huh!"

Betkas held up his right hand and wagged his index finger, looking disdainful...