Sacred Fruit

Bang! Bang! Rumble—

The giant Sacred Tree grew madly, its shade blocking the faint light. Under the gloomy shadows, explosions erupted one after another. Everyone darted through the gray-black dust and shadows, their swift figures constantly flashing and turning.

Dez wore a necklace and sparkling earrings. Though he appeared lazy on normal days, he was absolutely ruthless in battle. The light in his hands gathered into a ball of light and shot out like a machine gun. Fighting him were Krillin and Yamcha. Both had extensive combat experience, and their abilities had greatly improved after training. Ki blasts from both sides crisscrossed and poured out, neither gaining an advantage.

A short distance away, Turles' subordinate, Kakao, was dealing with Tien Shinhan. He was originally a cosmic bounty hunter with considerable strength. His body was covered in metal armor, and energy vents allowed him to move at high speeds.

Tien Shinhan, however, had three eyes and excellent observation skills. While others might not have been able to see the high-speed movements of Kakao, Tien Shinhan could. Both were very strong, and after several exchanges, neither could find an opening, bringing the battle to a stalemate.

The Reiz and Lakasei brothers were extremely fast and coordinated perfectly. They moved one in front of the other, confronting Gohan and Tien. The four small figures zipped through the sky, colliding with each other, creating numerous afterimages.

"You two brats dare to oppose us!" Reiz and Lakasei revealed smug smiles. "We'll make you suffer even more."

Below them, Gohan and Tien were already covered in wounds. After all, Gohan had too little combat experience, and the enemies he faced were much stronger than the Saibamen. Fortunately, Gohan was a Saiyan, and he quickly learned combat methods during the fight, gradually unleashing his potential.

Even so, Tien and Gohan struggled to turn the tide and could only resist with all their might.

"What's with that look? How dare you stare at me with such ferocity, you brat!"

"It's not over yet!" Gohan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and assumed a fighting stance again. Though his limbs were short and stout, he was like a hard, unyielding short sword, pointing directly at Reiz and Lakasei.

"If you want it to be over, then die!"

The two attacked again, energy balls whistling through the air…

Meanwhile, Turles was also in a tough fight.

Raditz, Goku, and Vegeta, the three of them were ganging up on Turles! Vegeta hadn't wanted to fight three against one. If it were Frieza, it would be one thing, but just a low-class warrior? Hmph!

But Turles targeted him, making him the weakest of the three at the moment.

So Raditz and Goku had no choice but to come to his aid, creating the situation of a joint confrontation.

Countless phantom punches and kicks collided and intertwined, emitting powerful Ki wave fluctuations. Goku alone could already fight Turles to a standstill, and with the interference of the other two, Turles was hit repeatedly, his Battle Suit getting damaged in many places.

Becoming agitated, he took a kick from Vegeta head-on and then grabbed Vegeta, throwing him to the ground. Raditz seized the opportunity to land an uppercut, forcing blood from his teeth, but Turles immediately kicked Raditz away.

"It's no use for you to hinder me. The Sacred Tree has already been planted. Unless you uproot it and destroy the Earth, it's impossible to make it disappear!" Turles glared at Goku, who was fighting him the fiercest, and punched Goku's face, causing the skin to wrinkle and his neck to twist to the side.

"That's because you don't know about the Dragon Balls! They can grant any wish, including saving the Earth!" As he spoke, Goku forcefully pressed his cheek against Turles' fist, straightening his neck with astonishing strength.

Dragon Balls?

The immense counterforce from his hand?

Turles' heart suddenly skipped a beat.

The red aura clinging to Goku intensified, like a soaring crimson fire, burning astonishingly. X4 Kaio-ken! Goku's ultimate multiplier, one less than Raditz, but still capable of unleashing his power to the extreme in a short period.

It was just very risky; Goku's own body might collapse!

The floating red light quickly grazed Turles' body, only passing through an afterimage left by Turles. The afterimages in the air dissipated, and Goku was exposed within the attack range. Raditz shouted a warning, but it was too late for Turles. The figure had already appeared behind Goku.

A palm strike descended, missing!

Goku was also an afterimage.

The real Goku appeared behind Turles and hammered down with his elbow! The solid blow landed squarely on the top of Turles' head, unleashing its dangerous power and leaving Turles dazed and confused.

Enduring such a heavy blow, Turles plummeted down, crashing onto the thick branches of the Sacred Tree. But the attack wasn't over. Goku followed closely, kicking him away, then grabbing his ankle and spinning like a top with himself as the axis. After an unknown number of rotations, Turles was flung out, crashing through several root systems and creating a giant dent in the thick trunk.

"Battle Power... over 40,000!" Turles gasped.

During their earlier fight, he had already felt Goku's extraordinary strength, and they had been evenly matched, with Goku even having a slight edge. If it weren't for Goku's gradually declining stamina, his situation would have been quite perilous.

Now trapped in the tree trunk, spread out like a "big" character, his back burned fiercely.

"Boom!"

Just as Turles was preparing to get up, the shockwave reached him first, mercilessly striking his body. The light expanded into a sphere, engulfing Turles' figure before being gradually covered by the spreading explosion.

As the smoke and dust cleared, Turles had vanished.

He had already hidden behind some rocks, clutching his profusely bleeding, limp left hand, cold sweat streaming down his face.

"Damn it, suddenly Kakarot's strength surpassed my expectations. These guys..." Turles gritted his teeth in anger, then glanced at the growing Sacred Tree and smiled, "Hehehe, the Sacred Fruit will be ready soon. The Earth's soil is indeed suitable for planting; I unexpectedly found a treasure."

"Ha!" Just as Turles was gloating to himself, Goku kicked through the rocks and hit him directly in the back.

Impossible! Turles flew out violently, feeling as if his body was about to split in half. What made it even more unbelievable was how Kakarot, without a Scouter, could detect his position! He didn't know that Earth had methods to sense Ki.

This kick sent Turles flying to the side of a branch.

He looked up and saw Goku, who had already appeared before him.

"Turles, surrender," Goku deactivated the Kaio-ken, his body already unable to bear the strain.

For him, the burst could only last a few seconds. That last kick was his final bit of strength.

"Shut up!" Turles roared in anger. Without time to charge, he directly unleashed a large Ki blast.

Goku gritted his teeth and leaped away.

A beam of light blasted off a significant portion of the Sacred Tree's branches, and Turles' eyes lit up. He paid no mind to Goku; his eyes were fixed on only one thing – the fruit!

There was a ripe fruit not far in front of him!

Oh no! Raditz exclaimed in alarm, activating x3 Kaio-ken and flying towards him desperately, "You must stop him!"