Warning!

"Damn it... this guy... he's just toying with us!!"

Piccolo watched Betkas's contemptuous expression with a pounding heart, fury and anxiety boiling inside him.

"You lot... are far too weak... With strength like this, how can you ever hope to defeat Vegeta? You might not even be able to handle Raditz!"

Betkas thought to himself. For this chance visit to Earth, he had come with a certain expectation—especially upon seeing Son Goku in person. He felt not a shred of excitement. Perhaps at first he might have, but for someone who had "killed without mercy" for years, excitement was something long discarded.

"Piccolo!"

Son Goku slowly descended from the air to land beside Piccolo. With a serious expression, he muttered something quietly to Piccolo. Then he whispered a few more words, causing Piccolo's face to shift abruptly... before he broke into a confident smile. Goku also grinned at Betkas. Both of them assumed a ready stance. Compared to before, they seemed far more assured and prepared.

"Oh... have you thought of a way to deal with me? Let me see... just how futile the struggles of ants can be!"

Betkas observed the two with interest, then mused to himself.

The next moment, Goku and Piccolo both vanished from Betkas's sight with a pair of swift whooshes. Betkas watched their movements, still nonchalant.

"Bam!"

"Bam!"

"Too slow!"

Betkas suddenly raised both arms to form an inverted L-shape on either side, blocking the punches that came from his left and right—Goku and Piccolo attacking simultaneously. He spoke lightly.

At the same time, the impact produced a faint clatter. But Piccolo and Goku's expressions remained unchanged; they both swung their right legs up in unison, kicking toward Betkas.

Betkas closed his eyes, swaying backward and forward in a simple cross-step, dodging their pincer attack with ease. It looked utterly effortless.

"Ka... me... ha... me... HAA!!!"

In the next instant, Goku leaped backward and rapidly fired a Kamehameha straight at Betkas, who was right in front of him.

"I told you... is this a toy?!"

Betkas sneered at Goku's attack. With a casual flick of his left hand, he deflected the blast, sending it veering off course to explode with a distant rumble.

"Heh heh... take this! Special Beam Cannon!!"

The next moment, Piccolo's distinctive voice rang out from Betkas's right. A spiraling energy beam, coiled with all of Piccolo's power, hurtled toward Betkas.

"To think you'd dare use such a pathetic technique!"

Betkas glanced at the Special Beam Cannon charging in from the right, a smirk curling at the corner of his mouth. With a contemptuous flick of his right hand, he deflected the attack just as it arrived.

"Got him!!"

In that same second, Goku appeared behind Betkas, reaching out to grab the tail at his waist. Seeing his hand about to close in, Goku's face lit up with triumph.

"Tch... a Saiyan's greatest weakness is indeed the tail. But not every Saiyan's weakness is the tail!"

Betkas saw through Goku's intent and sneered coldly. His tail suddenly loosened like a living serpent, whipping around in a "Dragon Tail Swing" that struck Goku's abdomen and sent him flying.

"Bam!"

Goku crashed into a large tree and slumped to the ground.

"Tch... failed, huh!"

Piccolo watched from a distance, his expression shifting as he muttered. He was breathing heavily, a little agitated. Using the Special Beam Cannon had drained a significant amount of his energy, leaving him much weaker for a while.

"Damn it!!"

Goku struggled to his feet, staring at Betkas, whose expression remained unchanged. His face was full of frustration. He had been so close to succeeding.

He didn't know who Betkas was, but the tail at Betkas's waist was exactly like the one he had as a child. That reminded him that grabbing a Saiyan's tail rendered them powerless—a fleeting chance at victory. But Betkas's reaction was far faster than expected; he could even knock Goku away with just his tail.

"Now it's my turn to attack. Are you ready?"

Just as Goku stood up, Betkas's cold voice rang out, putting both Piccolo and Goku on high alert. But in the next blink, Betkas vanished from their sight.

"Where are you looking?!"

Goku and Piccolo scanned their surroundings frantically, wary of a sneak attack. But Betkas appeared behind Piccolo, sneering.

"Damn it!!"

"Piccolo!!"

"Smack!"

Betkas swept his tail across Piccolo's abdomen, sending him flying backward with ease. The sheer force of the blow caused Piccolo immense pain.

Goku reacted instantly and lunged forward, but Betkas teleported behind him in a flash. A single kick to Goku's back sent him hurtling forward. The intense force left a searing pain across Goku's back, making him grit his teeth even as he flew.

"Boom!"

The next moment, as Goku and Piccolo's trajectories drew close, Betkas appeared between them in an instant. He grabbed the backs of both their heads and slammed them into the ground with all his might!

Their heads were driven deep into the earth. Betkas spoke:

"Kakarot... you are far too weak. This level of power is not what a Saiyan should possess. Remember this—you are a Saiyan. A Saiyan must be strong! Weakness is not a Saiyan's trait!"

As Goku and Piccolo struggled to turn over, Betkas added:

"In one year, another Saiyan—far weaker than me—will come to Earth. His target is you, Kakarot. Or, by Earth's name, Son Goku. Remember this: if you are still this weak in a year, it may spell the end of Earth."

Betkas finished speaking slowly, then rose into the air. Without another glance at the battered Goku and Piccolo as they flipped over, he boarded his spaceship and departed immediately.