Joined Forces

Turles knew his talent was nothing special, yet his ambitions were far from small. After obtaining the Sacred Tree Seed, he treasured it like a priceless gem, constantly searching for suitable planets to plant it on, then drawing power from the planets' nutrients.

His Battle Power of thirty-five thousand had been eaten up bit by bit!

From another perspective, it was quite an inspiring story. But in Raditz's eyes, he was merely a lucky clown.

Turles gathered his strength and hurled a heavy punch at Goku. It was so fast that the fist's shadow was nearly invisible, but its rapidly moving Ki could be felt! Goku's expression instantly tightened as he activated x3 Kaio-ken and stepped forward without yielding, meeting the blow head-on!

Their fists collided, bursting the air and unleashing powerful force that drove them both back.

Under x3 Kaio-ken, Goku's strength matched Turles's evenly. They were both thrown back roughly the same distance, staring at each other from afar, their withdrawn hands trembling slightly.

Just as Turles was about to speak, a sharp gleam flashed through his eyes, and his expression changed drastically. Raditz was gone from his sight. In other words, Raditz had disappeared!

Instinctively, Turles whirled around.

Meanwhile, Raditz had taken advantage of the moment they clashed to flash behind Turles. His sweeping roundhouse kick lashed out like lightning, aimed at Turles's waist. If it landed, it would be enough to send him flying and seriously injure him!

But at the critical moment, Turles abruptly turned around, twisted half his body aside, and quickly raised an arm to block. It looked casual, yet he firmly stopped Raditz's attack. Both their expressions changed at once, and they froze briefly, their limbs pressed together as though they had forgotten to pull back.

Raditz was shocked by how powerful his opponent was—far beyond what he had expected. When his leg struck, his bones felt as if they were cracking, like an ordinary person smashing a leg straight into a solid block of iron. Though his strength had fallen considerably, such a massive gap still alarmed him.

Turles, meanwhile, had been numbed through the arm by the force of Raditz's kick. He was secretly astonished that Raditz still had strength left! He had watched the fierce battle earlier; although Raditz had held the overall advantage, his stamina had been greatly depleted. Yet Raditz could still launch such a powerful attack now. That had truly caught him off guard.

The stir in their hearts lasted only an instant. Both came to their senses at the same time and immediately separated.

"Beep, beep, beep!" The Scouter sounded its alarm half a second late.

Fury rose in Turles. He spun in a blur, suddenly appearing beside Raditz, then drove a knee into him. The blow sent Raditz floating into the air, pain nearly making him convulse.

Another attack came immediately after. Enduring the agony, Raditz used Kaio-ken! He flipped through the air several times, landed grazing the ground, and slid for a long distance.

Seeing Raditz under attack, Goku hurried over and fought Turles. Their strength and speed were nearly identical, making it difficult to determine a winner for the moment. But Goku was under enormous strain and could not sustain a prolonged battle!

Raditz seized an opportunity to support Goku, firing several Kikoho blasts at Turles's back and cutting off his retreat.

"Get lost!" Turles roared. He fired a barrage of energy waves at Raditz while unleashing a massive Kikoho at Goku. Both hands moved at once, power bursting in every direction.

The ground was blasted through with one pitch-black crater after another, and even large parts of the Sacred Tree were destroyed. The pouring energy waves were stronger than Raditz's, swallowing him whole.

Goku resisted the massive Kikoho and had no chance to focus on anything else. It took him quite a while to knock it away.

"Heh heh, one of you confronts me from the front while the other ambushes me from behind. Not a bad tactic." Turles sneered, locking his gaze on Goku while catching sight of Raditz from the corner of his eye. "Unfortunately, you're still no match for me. Kakarot, your stamina is gradually failing you, isn't it? Since we're all Saiyans, I can consider letting you become my subordinates. What do you say?"

"Become your subordinates?"

"I have Sacred Tree Seeds. As long as I find suitable soil, I can plant them without limit. These are fruits fit for gods to consume. The reason I am this powerful is because of them. Earth's soil also meets the conditions. Look! The tree behind me has already grown so lush. Once Earth's nutrients have been drained dry, those who follow me will be rewarded, and their strength will grow even greater!"

"Prince Vegeta, I saw Raditz humiliate you. Don't you want revenge? And Raditz, don't you want to stop being Vegeta's lackey? Only one side of you can join my legion. If you want to prove your loyalty, then let me see it! Whoever kills the other first will qualify to join me!"

Turles wore the expression of someone enjoying a show, sinister light piercing from his eyes. "Kakarot, who do you think will win?"

Was he using Sacred Fruit to tempt one side into joining him? Turles's original aim had been to invade and grow stronger without end, and encountering Vegeta had been pure coincidence! But he had already seized control of the situation. His subordinates were fighting Krillin, Tien Shinhan, and the others fiercely, while defeating him here would not be a quick matter either.

Raditz knew that his current body could no longer withstand Kaio-ken beyond x3. His strength had also fallen to less than half. Even if he went all out, he could not defeat Turles. Taking just one hit earlier had nearly broken him.

Roots spread endlessly across the land, and these trees had completely destroyed the surrounding ecosystem. Everything was steeped in deathly stillness, gradually turning Earth into a dead planet. Even the sky had darkened, despairing clouds blending the world's colors into a bleak, leaden gray. Even each breath carried a suffocating heaviness.

Even if they stalled for time, Turles could still achieve his goal. They did not have much time left.

Suddenly, Vegeta burst out laughing. "Hahahaha, Turles, that really is a fine proposal! I just need to kill Raditz, right?"

"That's right. How rare for the prince to be so sensible. Heh heh."

"I have no choice." Vegeta revealed a wicked smile. "I hope you keep your word."

"I won't lie to you." Turles loudly promised, his eyes brimming with smug delight. He would be happy no matter who died.

"Vegeta, stop!" Goku flashed in front of Vegeta.

How could Turles allow Goku to interfere with his plan? He rushed to Goku's side and kicked him away, clearing the path for Vegeta.

Watching Vegeta walk toward him step by step, Raditz did not say a word. A glint flashed through his eyes.

At the same time, Turles and Goku became entangled in battle, while energy had already gathered in Vegeta's hand. He thrust his hand forward from his side, and Raditz was ready as well, firing Shining Impact Wave head-on!

Long shadows stretched behind them both as blazing pillars of light erupted!

Just as they were about to collide, both of them suddenly twisted their arms. The two shockwaves curved at once, turning toward Turles!

Boom—

The tremendous explosion was deafening. Turles staggered forward and collapsed against the Sacred Tree, his back scorched black.

"Why?!"

"Hmph, you don't understand Vegeta at all. How could the proud prince of Vegeta ever become your subordinate?" Raditz said disdainfully.

Vegeta looked coldly at Turles. "That is only one reason. More importantly, your appearance and your disgusting methods of gaining strength make me furious. Compared with Raditz and Kakarot, you disgust me far more!"