A burning pain spread through Raditz's entire body. Waves of soreness and spasms raced through him like electricity, and a sudden dread rose in his heart.
Eighteen thousand Battle Power really was no joke!
He had not expected Vegeta's attack to be so powerful, far stronger than any opponent he had faced before. That single punch alone had made him feel the endless energy and hatred pouring from Vegeta.
Vegeta was enraged!
As the Saiyan prince, his Battle Power had already crushed that of countless adult warriors when he was five. His talent surpassed every other Saiyan, and King Vegeta had regarded him as the hope of the Saiyans. In his own eyes, he was the strongest Saiyan. Even his father, King Vegeta, was merely older; given time, he would surpass him.
Those so-called elite warriors were all trash in his eyes! Low-class warriors like Kakarot and Raditz did not even deserve his notice. Back when Raditz had been assigned to missions with him, Raditz had not dared speak loudly and had needed permission for everything. Vegeta had only refrained from driving him away because Raditz worked tirelessly without complaint.
But now? Two low-class Saiyans dared to provoke him so brazenly, even threatening him!
Worst of all, Raditz wanted to display power beyond his own!
That was absolutely impossible!
Vegeta roared, hammering Raditz with punch after punch. The force shattered the tough Battle Suit and shook the ground into crisscrossing ravines, leaving the area in ruins.
"Raditz, where's this power you wanted to show me? Let me see it!!!" Vegeta drew back to gather strength, then swung viciously at Raditz's cheek, sending him flying.
Raditz's figure flew back dozens of meters, then skidded across the ground for a long while before finally stopping amid the billowing dust.
"Huh? Raditz was knocked down!" Tien Shinhan cried in alarm.
From their angle, they had only seen Raditz suffer Vegeta's surprise attack before being beaten to the ground. He had not even had room to resist. Was Vegeta really that strong? Everyone tensed up and clenched their fists.
Yamcha said anxiously, "Goku, I remember you said Raditz hadn't trained very seriously this past month. Could that be why?"
"No, my brother trained seriously. It's just that for every eight hours of training, half that time was spent on the most basic physical conditioning."
"Could his body have become sluggish?"
"No. Feel carefully. His Ki hasn't weakened at all!" Goku smiled confidently. "And that Ki is still expanding, reaching a height it has never reached before!"
"This..." Everyone suddenly fell silent.
They were all masters at using Ki. Once they calmed down, they immediately sensed Raditz's still-powerful Ki.
Looking again, they saw Raditz slowly brace himself against the ground and climb back to his feet.
"Hmph, you can still stand? That wasn't easy." Vegeta sneered. "Looks like you weren't completely talking nonsense. You can still stand after taking so many of my punches, which means your strength has improved greatly. If I'm not mistaken, both you and Kakarot should have Battle Power above ten thousand!"
Raditz wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and nodded. "You guessed right."
"No wonder you've become so confident! But so what?!" Vegeta shouted as he rushed forward, his body vanishing into thin air.
Raditz was startled, then immediately sensed danger behind him. Every hair on his body stood on end as he instinctively turned around. But the attack had already arrived. A vicious elbow drove toward him, and Raditz hastily crossed his arms to block it. Then Vegeta leaped in front of him and swept up with a kick. Raditz twisted his body and flipped at an unbelievable angle, narrowly evading the blow once more.
Watching Raditz do nothing but dodge, Vegeta arrogantly shouted, "No matter how much you improve, my Battle Power is still higher than yours! There's a difference in talent between us. That's an unchangeable fact, understand?!"
As he spouted his arrogant words, he gathered energy in his hand. White light flared in his palm as he unleashed a barrage of energy blasts!
Boom! Boom! Boom—
Every energy blast made the earth tremble. People thousands of miles away thought a massive earthquake had struck and fled to open ground in terror. Even Tien Shinhan and the others broke into cold sweat. Needle-sharp pressure pierced their muscles and bones, sending chills through their bodies.
The endless bombardment shattered the already cracked earth into countless pieces. A huge mushroom cloud rose between heaven and earth, and smoke and dust drifted away on the wind. Not a blade of grass remained in the surrounding area. Stone fragments lay scattered everywhere, while Raditz lay motionless in a deep crater.
"Hmph, trash is still trash. You finally can't take it anymore, can you? If you've got the guts, stand up and let me see! Stand—" Vegeta froze halfway through his taunt. Raditz had not been blasted down at all.
His sturdy body slowly emerged from the smoke. He stepped out of the crater and stood before Vegeta once more, as steady as a mountain.
"Sorry, the warm-up is over. I understand your strength now." Raditz placed his hands at his waist and gave a soft shout, erupting with bright white Ki.
"You actually...!"
Vegeta's face changed drastically. An invisible pressure surged toward him, and the numbers on his Scouter jumped wildly from just over 10,000 before finally stopping at 20,000.
This had to be a joke. Twenty thousand Battle Power!
"Impossible! Impossible! You're just a low-class warrior!" Vegeta was drenched in sweat. His body instantly turned cold, and his breathing froze.
He had imagined many possibilities for Raditz, but never that Raditz would surpass him. In Vegeta's eyes, he was someone who could not be surpassed! Besides, they had only been apart for two years. What could be accomplished in such a short time? No matter how much Raditz improved, he was still only a low-class warrior. That was talent determined at birth, something that could never be changed!
The pride of the Saiyan prince had been deeply wounded. Vegeta tore off his Scouter and crushed it viciously into fragments.
"The Scouter must be broken. Raditz, you can't possibly surpass me!"
Raditz brushed the dust from his body and rubbed his shoulders and wrists, making them crack as though he were warming up before exercise. Other than his badly damaged Battle Suit, he had no injuries. Even the blood at the corner of his mouth was nothing worth mentioning.
Vegeta's surprise assault had caught him off guard, but it had also allowed him to roughly assess Vegeta's strength, speed, and combat style. A difference of two thousand Battle Power was no small gap at this stage, but Raditz did not fear him.
"Now, it's time for me to show my true strength." Raditz assumed a fighting stance, his gaze suddenly turning sharp as blades.
Vegeta and Nappa were filled with shock, while everyone else watched in anticipation. Goku, especially, was already boiling with excitement!
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