Raditz's Death!

()...Earth...

After the Z Fighters arrived at Raditz's location one after another, and Raditz had finished explaining what Saiyans were with a long-winded speech, Son Goku and the others had come to understand the Saiyans. Son Goku himself, however, vehemently denied that his identity was Kakarot and firmly insisted that his name was Son Goku.

The battle unfolded... and finally...

"You bastards!!"

Raditz glared furiously at Son Goku and the others, who were panting around him. His expression had changed from carefree to savage.

He hadn't expected that on Earth, a planet he considered inferior, he, a Saiyan warrior, would be pushed to this point.

His Battle Armor was in tatters after Son Goku and the others had ganged up on him. He had also sustained a few wounds. But most importantly, the effort hadn't been in vain. Though he was in a sorry state, Son Goku and the others were hardly any better.

Some were injured, others badly wounded... Now only Son Goku and Piccolo could still struggle to their feet and fight. Krillin and the others had been beaten so badly by Raditz that they were sprawled on the ground, unable to move.

In the original story, Son Goku and Piccolo had faced Raditz alone. The difference in their strength was enormous, which was why they had ultimately needed to grab Raditz by the tail so Piccolo could land a killing blow.

But now... the situation was much the same. The only difference was that Raditz had been hurt far more than he had in the original story.

So Raditz was furious. He was a proud Saiyan, yet these weaklings had forced him into such a wretched state. It was a blow to his pride, and now he was going to let loose.

"Damn you, Kakarot... and the rest of you! You're all going to hell!"

Raditz spread his arms, his face contorted with rage and the veins standing out across his body. A powerful wave of ki burst from him...

"Heh... Piccolo, can you still fight?!"

Son Goku struggled to his feet and looked at Raditz ahead of them. He turned to Piccolo, who was panting heavily, and asked.

"Hmph... This little exertion won't stop me!"

Piccolo replied emphatically. His expression was grave as he straightened up.

"That guy's much weaker than the one from a year ago, but he's still incredibly strong... Piccolo, can you fire the Special Beam Cannon one more time?"

Son Goku took a few breaths, then steadied himself and kept his eyes on Raditz as he spoke.

"One shot? With the ki I have left, I can just barely manage it."

Piccolo seemed a little puzzled, but answered honestly.

"He's taken a lot of damage, but we still can't underestimate him. Right now, only your Special Beam Cannon and Krillin's Destructo Disc can threaten him. But Krillin can't even stand anymore, so it's all up to you! I'll find a way to hold him off. You have to find an opening."

Son Goku took a deep breath as he watched Raditz, who was already poised to attack. He crouched slightly and continued speaking. Piccolo silently nodded, then fixed his gaze on Raditz. He pressed his right index and middle fingers together against his forehead, gathering a tremendous amount of ki as a light began to glow.

The next moment, Son Goku charged forward...

"Kakarot... you bastard! Die!"

Seeing Son Goku charging at him, Raditz roared and brought his hands together. A fierce Ki Blast burst from them.

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

Son Goku watched the Ki Blast hurtling toward him. His expression serious, he halted and held his hands out together at his right hip, gathering his ki... A blue energy wave gradually formed.

"Ha!!!"

In the next instant, he fired it... and it collided with Raditz's Ki Blast.

A fierce clash followed. Their energies remained locked in a stalemate, neither able to overpower the other.

But when it came to endurance, Son Goku's side was clearly at a disadvantage.

...On some unknown planet in the universe...

"That useless Raditz... He can't even handle an inferior planet like Earth."

Vegeta sat on a pile of rocks, his face dark as he listened closely to the sounds coming through his scouter. Then he spoke in a chilling tone.

"It's just some inferior planet. It's strange that Raditz is struggling so badly. With a battle power over two thousand, he shouldn't be having such a hard time..."

Nappa stood nearby, sounding puzzled.

"Hmph... A useless fool is a useless fool. Someone like him doesn't deserve to be a Saiyan!"

Vegeta muttered darkly and stood up. Nappa silently nodded beside him.

"Hm? Wait... It sounds like that Raditz guy really is about to be killed."

Nappa suddenly heard a scream coming through the scouter and exclaimed in surprise.

Vegeta still wore the same impassive expression, but his eyes were full of murderous intent.

"You... you bastards... My... com...rades... will... de...finitely... come... and avenge me... Heh... That bald brat talked about... Dragon Balls... They'll... definitely... come... They're much stronger than me... Just wait a year... They'll definitely come. They heard... everything... that just happened... through this scouter... You'd better pray that Vegeta and Nappa don't come... Otherwise... you're all dead."

Raditz lay collapsed on the ground in agony, speaking with furious indignation.

Piccolo knelt on one knee and watched Raditz continue muttering. His face twisted with anger. "A dead man, and you still won't shut up!" He struggled to his feet, walked over to Raditz, and easily put an end to his last breath.

"Hey... Son Goku... You're not dead yet, are you?"

Piccolo looked at Son Goku, who lay nearby looking like a bloodied mess, and called to him.

"Heh... Not yet..."

Son Goku managed to lift his head. Despite the terrible pain, he still forced a smile. He had taken Raditz's Ki Blast head-on to give Piccolo a chance to attack. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been in such a sorry state.

"Hey, bald guy, hurry up and get the Senzu Beans out! Son Goku's going to die if this keeps up!"

Piccolo looked toward Krillin, who was slowly finding the strength to stand.

"Uh... oh..."

Krillin froze at Piccolo's words, then took the pouch from his waistband and pulled out a Senzu Bean. He immediately ran over to Son Goku, ready to feed it to him. They had realized how weak they were and hadn't wanted to waste the Senzu Beans, saving them for Piccolo and Son Goku. So at this point, Krillin, Tien Shinhan, Chiaotzu, and Yamcha were still covered in wounds and terribly weak.

"Wait!"

But just then... someone suddenly appeared before them.

"It's you!!!"

Piccolo's pupils shrank when he saw who had arrived, and he cried out in shock.