Defeating Vegeta

Son Goku's figure appeared before Piccolo before anyone realized it.

He stood before the Great Ape, head tilted back to gaze at that towering frame, a smile still lingering on his face.

"Piccolo," Son Goku said, turning his head, "leave the rest to me. You should fall back."

Piccolo froze for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Son Goku, be careful. Both his speed and strength have increased several times over."

Son Goku chuckled, turned around, and stared straight into the scarlet eyes of Great Ape Vegeta:

"Don't worry. His combat power... it's nothing to me."

Piccolo gave him a long, deep look, said nothing more, and flew back to join the others.

Great Ape Vegeta looked down at the tiny human before him, a flicker of confusion flashing through his scarlet eyes, only to be replaced by rage:

"Kakarot... are you so eager to die?"

Son Goku shoved his hands into his pockets and tilted his head: "Who's the one dying is yet to be seen."

"Damn you, Kakarot!!"

Great Ape Vegeta roared, his massive palm slamming down with such force that the gale it kicked up sent the rocks on the ground flying!

However—

Son Goku's figure flickered slightly and vanished from the spot.

Bang!

A dull thud echoed out.

Great Ape Vegeta's movements suddenly stiffened. He felt a sharp, searing pain in his left eye, and his massive body involuntarily lurched backward.

"Agh—!"

He clutched his left eye, letting out a roar of agony. When he pulled his hand away, that enormous left eye was already swollen shut, the area around it bruised a deep, dark purple.

"You... when did you hit my eye?!" Vegeta's voice was filled with incredulous fury, "Why didn't I see it?!"

Son Goku appeared not far to his side, dusting off his hands with a bright smile:

"My speed is too fast... of course you couldn't see it."

[Combat power increases tenfold after transforming into a Great Ape, but a larger size means larger blind spots in reaction time. Besides... the eyes are always a weakness.]

"You—!!"

Great Ape Vegeta flew into a rage, his other palm sweeping out with a speed that triggered a piercing sonic boom!

But Son Goku vanished once again.

Bang!

Another dull thud.

Great Ape Vegeta's right eye took a punch as well. Both eyes were now symmetrically swollen, the dark bruises contrasting with his golden fur, making him look rather comical.

"Aghhh—! Kakarot! Can you pick somewhere else to hit?!" Vegeta was trembling with rage, his two massive hands covering his eyes, "Stop hitting my eyes!!"

Son Goku stood not far away, tilting his head as he sized him up:

"Don't you think... you look kind of cute like this?"

"Cute?!" Vegeta dropped his hands, his two bruised eyes wide with shock, "You actually called me cute?!"

"Kakarot!!"

Vegeta completely lost it. He roared at the sky, pounding his chest frantically with both fists, producing a rhythmic, thudding sound:

"Don't think a sneak attack like that can defeat me! I am the Prince of the Saiyans! How could I be defeated by a low-class warrior like you!!"

Son Goku's smile faded, his expression turning serious. He rolled his wrists, and the aura around him began to rise steadily:

"Alright... I'm done playing with you."

A white flame of energy rose around him as he prepared to test a skill he was just beginning to master with his Godly Power.

[After training with Godly Qi for so many years, while I haven't had a breakthrough, I've gained quite a bit. At my current level, not only has my mental energy increased significantly, but the sharpness of the Qi Blade I form far exceeds that of ordinary energy blades. And... the weakness of a Saiyan's Great Ape form will always be the tail.]

"I'm coming for you. Are you... ready?"

Vegeta was just about to spit out a threat when he suddenly felt a sharp, excruciating pain behind him—

"What?!"

He whipped his head around, only to see his thick, golden-furred tail severed clean at the base by a Qi Blade that had appeared and vanished in an instant! Blood gushed from the stump, staining the ground red.

[Now. His attention is entirely focused on the front, leaving his tail at its most vulnerable.]

"No—!!"

Vegeta let out a shrill, piercing scream. Deprived of the tail's energy supply, his massive body began to shrink rapidly. The golden fur receded, his bones contracted, and his muscles withered... In just a few seconds, the ten-meter-tall Great Ape shrank back into his original, smaller form.

He collapsed to the ground, clutching the bleeding stump of his tail, his face deathly pale and his body shaking uncontrollably.

"You... when did you cut off my tail?!" Vegeta shouted in despair, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Son Goku stood before him, a faint glimmer of golden energy still lingering on his hand. He smiled:

"While you were busy talking big."

"You... you..."

Vegeta trembled with rage, his lips quivering, unable to form a complete sentence. He pointed at Son Goku, his eyes burning with the flames of humiliation and fury:

"Damn you... Kakarot! You trash! You fight dirty! You ambushed me!!"

Son Goku crouched down to look Vegeta in the eye, his smile remaining gentle:

"A fight... is supposed to involve using your head. You were too busy talking, so of course you didn't notice."

He stood up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and turned to the others:

"Alright, this guy has no strength left. Now... how should we handle him?"

On the wasteland, the gale continued to howl.

Vegeta slumped on the ground, clutching the bleeding stump of his tail, fear appearing in his eyes for the first time.

Damn it... damn it!

He could feel the ki within him fading rapidly.

The backlash from being forcibly pulled out of his Great Ape form, combined with the trauma of having his tail severed, caused his combat power to plummet. It was likely below thirteen thousand now.

Thirteen thousand... no, maybe even lower. With this level of ki, forget that monster Kakarot; I couldn't even beat Raditz or Piccolo.

Vegeta gritted his teeth, cold sweat beading on his forehead, yet he stubbornly refused to look up. The pride of the Saiyan Prince was crushed to pieces at this moment. This humiliation stung worse than any wound.

How could I... be pushed to this point by a bunch of low-class warriors?!

He stole a glance at Son Goku not far away. The black-haired man had his back turned, talking to his companions with a relaxed posture, as if he had just done a few push-ups.

This nonchalant attitude was more humiliating to Vegeta than any mockery.

Son Goku turned around and walked over slowly.

Vegeta instinctively tensed his body, one hand quietly reaching for the Scouter at his waist. He widened his eyes, staring at Son Goku vigilantly: "You... what do you want?"

Son Goku stopped in front of him and crouched down to look him in the eye.

The sunlight shone on his face, still wearing that same smile.

"You can go," Son Goku said.

Vegeta froze.

He suspected he had misheard. This guy... what was he saying?