Sacred Fruit

Bang! Bang! Rumble—

The enormous Sacred Tree grew wildly, its shade blocking out the faint light. Beneath its grim shadows, explosions erupted one after another as everyone darted through the gray-black smoke and darkness, their swift figures constantly weaving and shifting.

Dez wore a necklace and glittering earrings. He usually looked lazy, but he was anything but careless in battle. Light gathered in his hands into spheres that he fired like a machine gun. Krillin and Yamcha were fighting him. Both had extensive combat experience, and their abilities had improved greatly through training. Their Ki blasts crisscrossed in a relentless barrage, neither side gaining the upper hand.

A short distance away, Turles's subordinate Kakao was dealing with Tien Shinhan. He had once been a cosmic bounty hunter and possessed considerable strength. Metal armor covered his body, and the jets all over it allowed him to move at high speed when they ignited.

Tien Shinhan, however, had three eyes and exceptional powers of observation. Others might not have been able to see Kakao moving at high speed, but Tien Shinhan could. Both were powerful, and after several exchanges, neither could find an opening. Their battle had reached a stalemate.

The brothers Reiz and Lakasei were incredibly fast and worked together seamlessly. One in front and one behind, they fought Gohan and Chiaotzu. The four small figures streaked through the sky, crashing into one another as countless afterimages flickered and shifted.

"You two little brats dare oppose us?" Reiz and Lakasei wore smug smiles. "We'll make you suffer a little more."

Below them, Gohan and Chiaotzu were already covered in injuries. After all, Gohan had too little combat experience, and the enemies he faced were far stronger than Saibamen. Luckily, Gohan was a Saiyan. He rapidly learned fighting techniques in battle, and his potential gradually began to emerge.

Even so, Chiaotzu and Gohan found it difficult to turn the tide. They could only do their best to hold on. Facing their powerful enemies, neither of them showed the slightest weakness in spirit.

"What kind of look is that? You dare glare at me like that, you damned little brat!"

"It's not over yet!" Gohan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and assumed his stance again. Though his limbs were short and compact, he was like a hard, unbreakable dagger pointed straight at Reiz and Lakasei.

"If you want it to end, then die!"

The two attacked once more, energy spheres whistling through the air...

Elsewhere, Turles had also fallen into a hard battle.

Raditz had joined forces with Goku and Vegeta, the three of them surrounding Turles! Vegeta had not wanted to fight three against one. If it had been Frieza, that would have been one thing, but just a low-class warrior? Pah!

But Turles had chosen to focus on him. After all, Vegeta was currently the weakest of the three.

So Raditz and Goku had no choice but to come to his aid, creating the current situation where they fought together.

Countless phantom fists and kicks collided and intertwined, sending powerful ripples of Ki through the air. Goku alone could already trade blows with Turles, and with the other two interfering, Turles was struck repeatedly. His Battle Suit had been shattered in many places.

Growing impatient, he viciously took a kick from Vegeta head-on, then seized Vegeta and hurled him to the ground. Raditz took the opportunity to land an uppercut that squeezed blood from between Turles's teeth, but Turles immediately swept Raditz away with a kick.

"It's useless for you to stop me. The Sacred Tree has already been planted. Unless you pull it out by its roots and destroy Earth along with it, there's no way to make it disappear!" Turles glared at Goku, who was fighting him most fiercely, and drove a fist into Goku's face, wrinkling his skin and knocking his neck crooked to one side.

"That's because you don't know about the Dragon Balls! They can grant any wish, including saving Earth!" As he spoke, Goku forcibly pressed his cheek against Turles's fist and straightened his neck. The sheer strength of it was terrifying.

Dragon Balls?

Such tremendous resistance from his fist?

Turles's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

The red aura surrounding Goku intensified further, burning fiercely like crimson flames reaching for the sky. X4 Kaio-ken! This was Goku's limit, one multiplier lower than Raditz's, yet it could still push his strength to its peak for a short time.

But it was extremely risky. If things went wrong, Goku's own body could collapse!

The shifting red light rapidly swept past Turles's body, catching only an afterimage he had left behind. The afterimage in the air faded, leaving Goku exposed to attack. Raditz shouted a warning, but Turles was faster. That figure had already appeared behind Goku.

A chopping palm came down and missed!

Goku was an afterimage too.

The real Goku had already appeared behind Turles, bringing down a vicious elbow strike from above! The solid blow smashed into the top of Turles's head, unleashing its brutal power completely and leaving Turles dazed.

After taking such a heavy blow, Turles plummeted and crashed onto a thick branch of the Sacred Tree. But the attack was not over. Goku followed close behind, kicked him flying, then grabbed his ankle and spun at high speed like a top around his own body. After an unknown number of rotations, Turles was flung away, crashing through several clusters of roots and smashing a deep crater into the massive trunk.

"Battle Power... over forty thousand!" Turles sucked in a cold breath.

He had already sensed during their earlier battle that Goku was formidable. Even when they had fought evenly, Goku had held a slight advantage. If Goku's stamina had not gradually declined, Turles would have been in serious danger.

Now he was embedded in the trunk in the shape of a spread-eagle, his back burning with pain.

"Boom!"

Just as Turles prepared to rise, a shockwave arrived first and mercilessly blasted into him. The light expanded into a sphere, swallowing Turles's figure before the spreading explosion engulfed him.

When the smoke and dust cleared, Turles was nowhere to be seen.

He had already hidden behind a rock, clutching his limp, bleeding left hand as cold sweat streamed down his face.

"Damn it. Kakarot's strength suddenly exceeded my expectations. These guys..." Turles gritted his teeth in anger. Then he caught sight of the growing Sacred Tree and smiled. "Heh heh heh, the Sacred Fruit will be ready soon. Earth's soil really is suited for planting. I unexpectedly stumbled upon a treasure."

"Ha!" Just as Turles was rejoicing alone, Goku flew in with a kick that shattered the rock and struck him directly in the back.

Impossible! Turles shot forward, feeling as if his body were about to snap in two. What he found even harder to believe was that Kakarot had no Scouter, so how had he detected his location? He did not know that Earth had methods for sensing Ki.

That kick sent Turles to the edge of a branch.

When he looked up, he saw Goku already standing before him.

"Turles, surrender." Goku dispelled the Kaio-ken. His body could no longer bear the strain.

For him, that burst of power could only last a few seconds. That last kick had already used up the remainder of his strength.

"Shut up!" Turles roared. Without even gathering Ki, he directly fired a massive Kikoho.

Goku gritted his teeth and leaped aside.

A beam blasted away a large section of the Sacred Tree's branches, and Turles's eyes lit up. He no longer cared about Goku at all. There was only one thing in his eyes—the fruit!

A ripe fruit was right ahead of him!

Oh no! Raditz's face changed drastically. Activating x3 Kaio-ken, he flew forward desperately. "We have to stop him!"