Qi Sword

"Kakarot," Vegeta's voice was hoarse, carrying a trace of a tremor, "you aren't going to kill me?"

Son Goku tilted his head. "Why would I kill you? You can't beat me right now, so killing you would be pointless."

He stood up and brushed the dust off his pants. "I have no interest in the weak."

"You--!!"

Vegeta felt a surge of hot blood rush to his head; the wound at the base of his tail seemed to stop aching. He lunged to his feet, but staggered from the blood loss, forced to steady himself against a nearby rock.

"Damn it!!" He slammed his fist into the rock, sending stone shards flying, his knuckles raw and bloodied. "Kakarot! Stop putting on this act! Do you think this cheap mercy will make me grateful to you?!"

Son Goku crossed his arms and watched him quietly.

"You just wait!" Vegeta's voice was distorted by rage, his eyes fierce, his teeth grinding together. "One day I will surpass you! I will become stronger! Strong enough to make you regret it! Regret not killing me here today!"

Watching his frantic, desperate appearance, Son Goku smiled and said with confidence, "That day will never come."

"You...!"

Vegeta trembled with fury, his lips quivering, but he could no longer utter a coherent sentence. He understood now that continuing to act tough was only inviting further humiliation. In his current state, even standing was a struggle.

Damn it... damn it! This humiliation... I, Vegeta, have tasted it for the first time in my life...

He glared fiercely at Son Goku, as if to carve his image into his mind. Then, he turned away unsteadily, dragging his injured body as he slowly made his way toward the distant spacecraft.

Vegeta's figure gradually faded into the distance.

The others gathered around Son Goku, their expressions varied.

Krillin crossed his arms, his brow furrowed. He watched Vegeta's retreating back and scratched his bald head uneasily. "Goku... are you really going to let him go? That guy is the Saiyan prince. What if his combat power surpasses ours one day?"

Son Goku turned around, a bright smile on his face. "That day will never come."

"You're certainly confident..." Krillin rolled his eyes, but seeing Son Goku's air of absolute certainty, he sighed. "Fine, you've got the strength, so you call the shots. Besides, if something really happens, you'll be the one on the front lines anyway."

Piccolo had been standing silently to the side, a thoughtful look on his green face. He spoke up suddenly, his voice low. "Son Goku, how did you sever Vegeta's tail just now?"

He raised his hand, a cluster of green energy flickering at his fingertips as he gestured. "I only saw a flash of golden light, and then Vegeta's tail was gone. That speed... and that density—it's not something a standard energy blast could achieve. What was that?"

Everyone's eyes turned toward him.

Son Goku smiled and extended his right index finger. A wisp of golden energy rose slowly from his fingertip. Then, to the astonishment of the onlookers, the energy began to compress and solidify rapidly—

Hum!

A golden sword, only three inches long, hovered above Son Goku's fingertip. The blade was translucent yet radiated a heart-stopping sharpness. Sunlight hit it, refracting a blinding glare.

"This is a special technique I've been practicing lately," Son Goku explained. "I call it the 'Qi Sword'."

"Qi Sword?" Krillin leaned in, surprised. "Condensing qi into the shape of a sword? This... this is a bit like my 'Destructo Disc', where I condense qi into a disc shape!"

Son Goku nodded, then shook his head. "They look similar, but the reality is quite different."

He flicked his finger, and the small golden sword shot out, leaving a bottomless hole in a distant rock face with a clean, smooth cut.

"Many fighters can condense qi into a fixed shape," Son Goku said, pulling his hand back and speaking earnestly. "But the key to the Qi Sword isn't the 'form', it's the 'spirit'—you need to use mental energy, or telekinesis, to precisely control every thread of the qi's flow. A formless Qi Sword will dissipate in the blink of an eye without the constant restraint of mental energy."

He looked at Krillin. "Your Destructo Disc relies on the centrifugal force of its rotation to maintain its shape after you throw it, right?"

Krillin nodded. "Yeah, once I throw it, I don't have to worry about it; it just spins and cuts through things on its own."

"But the Qi Sword is different," Son Goku held up two fingers. "It requires your mental energy to guide it the entire time. From the condensation and the launch to the flight and the cutting, every step requires precise control. Even a moment of distraction will cause the Qi Sword to collapse."

Piccolo frowned. "Mental energy... telekinetic control? An ordinary person couldn't possibly achieve that level of mental strength."

"Exactly," Son Goku laughed. "I'm hoping to summarize a method for cultivating mental energy so I can teach it to you all, and then you can improve your mental strength through training. I haven't finished refining it yet, but once I have a breakthrough, it will be ready."

Son Goku thought to himself:

In reality, the difficulty of using the Qi Sword in combat is far greater than what I described.

Condensing qi into a sword shape isn't hard, but the intensity of mental energy required to control such a sharp yet intangible blade is staggering. In the original story, when I was lying in the hospital, even lifting a cup of water with telekinesis was a struggle, let alone controlling a Qi Blade of this caliber.

Fortunately... I have the Divine Power Cultivation Method. Ever since I wished for it from the Namekian Shenron, I haven't slacked off for a single day in these past few years. Although my life level hasn't truly reached the realm of a 'god', my mental energy has been tempered to a level far beyond that of an ordinary person.

Still, I am the pioneer, walking the hardest path. If I can organize the method, those who come after won't have to suffer as much.

This will give them a chance to move beyond being cannon fodder or mere cheerleaders.

Piccolo looked at the golden sparks lingering at Son Goku's fingertip and nodded thoughtfully. "I see... a fusion of qi and mental energy. Interesting."

In the distance, Vegeta was almost out of sight.

Son Goku suddenly remembered something and turned to shout at Vegeta, "Hey! Vegeta! Don't you want your lackey?"

In the distance, Vegeta's figure paused.

He didn't look back, merely tossing out a cold remark: "What use is such useless trash? Do as you please with him."

As his voice faded, his flight speed increased.

Nappa was still lying on the ground not far away; though he was unconscious, Vegeta's voice had clearly reached everyone's ears.

Raditz's expression grew complex. He looked down at the comrade he had once fought alongside, a trace of sorrow flashing in his eyes.

"Kakarot," Raditz looked at Son Goku, "what should we do with Nappa?"

Son Goku shrugged. "Since Vegeta doesn't want him anymore... Nappa is yours, Raditz. Once he wakes up, explain the rules of Earth to him."

Raditz flexed his wrists, his knuckles popping with a crisp sound as a grin spread across his face. "No problem! I'll be sure to... teach him well."

Son Goku glanced at him, offered a small smile, and said nothing more.

A moment later, the spherical ship's engines roared, blue flames erupting from its base. The craft rose slowly before surging with sudden acceleration, piercing the sky and vanishing into the clouds in the blink of an eye.

In the final instant before the ship fully cleared the atmosphere, Vegeta looked through the porthole, casting a distant gaze down at the blue planet below.

[Kakarot... Earth...]

He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms, blood dripping down between his fingers.

[Just you wait. I will return. And when I do, I'll crush all of you beneath my feet! Especially you, Kakarot!!]