Both Sides Badly Wounded

"Really! I swear to heaven!" Raditz pleaded through tears.

"Goku! Don't listen to him! He's lying!" Piccolo roared.

But Goku's tendency to go softhearted acted up again.

"I... I can't believe you."

Even though he said that, Goku's hand slowly loosened.

The instant he let go—

"Die, you idiot!!"

Raditz's expression instantly turned savage. He slammed an elbow into Goku's face, sending him flying backward with blood all over his face.

"Ha ha ha ha! What an idiot! You actually believed that crap!"

Raditz planted a foot on Goku's chest and ground down hard. Listening to Goku's agonized screams, his face was filled with twisted pleasure.

"Weren't you pretty good at fighting just now? Huh? Fight back, then!"

"Dad!!!"

Just then—

Son Gohan, who had been held in Chi-Chi's arms and protected by Sun Wuxiu's wall of ki, saw his father being tortured like this. Tears burst from his eyes.

Rage.

Utter rage ignited the dormant half-Saiyan genes within him.

"Don't... bully my dad!!!"

Boom—!!!

A crimson wave of ki erupted from Gohan's tiny body.

Raditz's scouter began blaring madly again.

"Beep beep beep... Battle power 1407?!! How is that possible?!"

"Yaaahhh!!"

Gohan shot forward like a cannonball, ramming his head viciously into Raditz!

"What?!"

Raditz had no time to react before that terrifying force struck him squarely in the chest.

Crack!

It was the sound of ribs breaking.

Even the battle armor he had been so proud of was shattered by that headbutt!

"Pfft—"

Raditz spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying dozens of meters away, crashing heavily into the sea.

"Pant... pant..."

After that outburst, Gohan instantly lost consciousness and fell from the sky.

"Gohan!" Chi-Chi screamed.

Just as Gohan was about to hit the ground, a figure flashed past.

Sun Wuxiu steadily caught his brave little nephew.

"Well done, Gohan."

Sun Wuxiu smiled and patted Gohan's head, using the Horse Talisman's power before handing him to the terrified Chi-Chi.

"Gohan's fine. I've healed him. Take him inside. Leave the rest to us."

At that moment, a column of water exploded from the sea.

Badly injured, Raditz crawled ashore in a sorry state. Clutching his caved-in chest, he stared at the unconscious child in horror.

"Th-that was done by that little brat?!"

Before he could even catch his breath—

"Since you broke your promise, don't blame me for showing no mercy!!"

Goku, his face covered in blood, stood up again. The kindness in his eyes had vanished.

Special Beam Cannon!!

Piccolo had not been idle either. Although his last attack had been interrupted, he had continued gathering his ki.

"Die!!"

Boom!!!

The spiraling beam roared forth.

With his severe injuries, Raditz's speed and reflexes had dropped sharply. He could not completely evade it.

"No!!!"

Squelch!

The beam grazed his shoulder, tearing away a large chunk of flesh and even scorching half his body.

"Arghhhhhh!!"

Raditz let out a miserable scream, clutching the horrific wound as he staggered backward, his eyes filled with frenzied killing intent.

"Unforgivable... You actually injured me like this..."

"I'll kill you all!! Let's die together!!"

Even badly wounded, a Saiyan's ferocity still kept him standing.

With one hand, he gathered a ki blast and bombarded the area wildly.

"It's not over yet!"

Goku gritted his teeth and forced his bloodied body forward once more.

"Don't think you're getting away!"

Piccolo roared as well, dragging his heavy steps into the battle.

It was an unimaginably brutal war of attrition.

Raditz was seriously wounded, and his speed and strength had greatly diminished. But Goku and Piccolo were also at the end of their rope, held up by sheer will alone.

Bang! Bang!

The three of them grappled together. There were no techniques to speak of, only raw hand-to-hand combat.

No one knew how much time passed.

"Pant... pant..."

All three collapsed onto the beach, gasping for air amid blood and sweat.

Raditz leaned against a rock, his vision blurred. He knew he had lost today.

Just as Piccolo prepared to gather the last of his ki and deal him a fatal blow—

"Stop... Piccolo."

Goku struggled to prop himself up and stood in front of Raditz.

"Son Goku?! Are you insane?!" Piccolo stared at him in disbelief.

"Let him go."

Goku looked at his battered "brother," his expression complicated.

"I won't kill him... At least, not today."

Piccolo gritted his teeth. He looked at his trembling hand, then at Sun Wuxiu nearby, who was still completely unruffled. In the end, he dispersed the ki in his hand.

Indeed, he had no strength left either.

"Hmph... You'll regret this, Son Goku."

At those words, a flash of ecstatic relief appeared in Raditz's eyes.

"Beep beep..."

Trembling, he pressed the controller on his wrist.

Rumble—

The spherical spaceship in the distance sensed the summons and automatically flew over, landing on the beach.

Raditz crawled into the ship on all fours. Just before the hatch closed, a venomous smile appeared on his bloodstained face.

"Kakarot... and that Kaxiu..."

"Just you wait!!"

"Prince Vegeta... and Nappa... they'll definitely come!!"

"Just one year... One year from now, every last one of you will die!!"

Rumble—

The spherical spaceship blasted flames and rose into the sky amid billowing smoke, fleeing Earth as though running for its life.

Watching the ship disappear into the horizon—

Everyone finally let out a breath and collapsed completely onto the ground.

"Finally... it's gone..."

Krillin wiped away his cold sweat and dropped heavily onto the ground.

"One year from now?"

As the spherical spaceship vanished beyond the atmosphere, trailing thick black smoke, the beach in front of Kame House finally returned to peace.

The waves still lapped gently against the shore, but the stench of blood and smoke in the air reminded everyone of the terrible battle that had just taken place here.

"Hiss..."

Son Goku tried to get up from the ground, but the moment he moved, every bone in his body felt as though it had fallen apart. The pain made him suck in a sharp breath.

His face was covered in blood, his martial arts uniform was torn to shreds, and several parts of his body were fractured. Those were the severe injuries Raditz had inflicted during his final counterattack.

Piccolo was not doing much better.

One of his arms was twisted at an unnatural angle, and his body was covered in scorch marks. Those had been caused when Raditz's ki blast grazed him as he shielded Goku.

"Damn... that bastard..."

Piccolo knelt on one knee, gasping for breath. His green face was filled with unwillingness.

As the Demon King who had once sworn to conquer the world, he had actually been beaten into such a miserable state today by an alien who had appeared out of nowhere.

This humiliation was worse than death.