Anomaly

The tournament ended, and the group gathered together.

"What a shame!" Krillin said with regret.

Goku, however, remained incredibly optimistic. "It can't be helped; a loss is a loss."

"Are you sure you don't want half the prize money? I only won because of luck," Tien Shinhan said earnestly. "The regrettable part is that I lost in terms of pure skill."

"Luck is a part of skill, too. Besides, Goku learned a great deal by facing a strong opponent like you," Master Roshi comforted them.

"Hehehe, that's right!" Goku chuckled, then turned his head to look at Raditz, who was standing silently to the side. "Raditz, you guy, you're too cunning. You forfeited early; I still wanted to spar with you."

"There will be other opportunities," Raditz said with a smile.

"It's a deal, then," Goku said happily. He patted himself down, then cried out in alarm, "Ah! Oh no! The Power Pole Grandpa gave me is gone."

Hearing this, Raditz felt a jolt. Before Krillin could speak, he stepped in first. "It might have been left in the contestant lounge. I'll go get it for you."

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Raditz replied, turning and walking quickly toward the lounge.

His footsteps appeared steady, but in reality, he had pushed his perception to the limit, remaining vigilant for any abnormal energy signatures.

The lounge was located on the side of the arena, in a relatively secluded spot.

Pushing open the ajar door, Raditz swept his gaze across the room and immediately noticed something wrong. The room was filled with a faint, extremely unsettling aura, and there were signs of a struggle, with things tossed about in disarray.

Raditz's heart sank. He walked quickly to the spot where Goku had left his luggage. Sure enough, the bag that originally contained the Four-Star Ball was empty.

Just then, the curtain leading to the storage room in the back was ripped open, and a demon with wings on its back, oily green skin, and a hideous, lizard-like appearance crawled out.

In its left hand, it clutched a stack of papers, and in its right, it held a man wearing sunglasses—the tournament referee.

Tambourine froze when he saw Raditz, then his expression turned vicious. He tossed the man aside carelessly and let out a hoarse, mocking laugh.

"Kehehehe, there's a straggler here. Looking at your getup, you're clearly a martial artist from the tournament."

It looked Raditz over, then suddenly wore a look of realization. "I think I've seen your face somewhere before... That's right! You're the one who fought that three-eyed human who smashed the ring!"

Raditz's expression changed drastically upon hearing this.

How does it know about my match with Tien Shinhan?

"Companions... it has companions..." the referee, who had been tossed at Raditz's feet, suddenly warned.

It has companions? Why is there an extra one? The plot has changed...

Raditz sensed the area silently. Indeed, one energy signature was moving away; the two similar signatures had been mixed together earlier, making them difficult to distinguish.

"Don't worry, Cymbal has already taken that glowing orb and returned to report," the demon sneered. "I thought you'd be someone impressive, but you're just a kid. Lord Demon King was too cautious, sending both of us."

"Now, you only have to deal with me, Lord Tambourine."

Sure enough, the Dragon Ball had already been taken by the other demon. No wonder he couldn't sense the Dragon Ball on this one.

Raditz didn't hesitate. He had to finish this quickly and then give chase! He focused his energy, preparing to strike.

However, "Ughhh!!"

A sharp, desperate scream suddenly rang out from the distance!

It was Krillin's voice!

Raditz froze. How is that possible?! Krillin should have been with Goku and the others!

Could it be?

Did he notice I hadn't returned for a long time, worry that I couldn't find the item, and come looking for me on his own? And that Cymbal, who left with the Dragon Ball, might not have gone far at all—perhaps it was waiting nearby for its companion and ran right into Krillin!

"Damn you!" Fury surged in Raditz's eyes. No longer caring about the demon in front of him, he exploded into motion, rushing toward the door.

Save him first!

"You want to get past me? Not so easy!" Tambourine flashed in front of the door, screeching as it clawed at him. "You'd better worry about yourself first."

Raditz's eyes were cold as he met the attack.

Striking in a fit of rage, his speed and power were far beyond what this demon could handle.

Raditz moved like a ghost, dodging the claws, and delivered a precise hand-chop infused with his full strength directly into Tambourine's neck.

Slash! Thud!

Blood sprayed, and the sound of a head hitting the floor echoed.

Tambourine's eyes bulged; it didn't even have time to scream before its massive, headless body collapsed to the ground, leaking green fluid.

Raditz didn't even look back. He shot out of the lounge like an arrow from a bow, sprinting toward the source of the scream.

At the corner of the hallway, the tragic scene came into view.

Krillin lay in a pool of blood, his eyes wide open, his face still frozen in shock and pain.

His chest had been completely pierced through, and his life force was utterly extinguished.

Master Roshi, Bulma, Tien Shinhan, and the others had already arrived and were gathered around Krillin.

Seeing Raditz sprint toward them, Bulma covered her mouth, her entire body trembling. "Are you alright? Krillin, he..."

Raditz looked down at Krillin's corpse with a heavy expression, a Senzu Bean clutched tightly in his hand.

Suddenly, his gaze swept the area. "Where is Goku?!"

"Goku heard the noise and was the first to rush over," Bulma said, her voice thick with tears. "After Krillin was killed, he grabbed the radar and went after the murderer."

Raditz's heart sank to the bottom of a well.

He was a step too late! No, it might be even worse than the original story! Goku was already severely exhausted, and chasing after the killer in a state of complete emotional collapse was reckless. Furthermore, the situation with King Piccolo seemed to have deviated from the plot, multiplying the danger!

"Master Mutten, Bulma!" Raditz spoke with rapid-fire urgency. "I will definitely use the Dragon Balls to revive Krillin! But Goku is in danger right now; if he chases after him like this, he'll surely die! I'm going after him!"

With that, he had Bulma point him in the right direction and prepared to take off.

"Wait!" Master Roshi shouted, his tone stern. "I order you to stop."

Seeing that Raditz remained unmoved, Master Roshi flashed forward, blocking his path.

"If Goku dies and you go off to throw your life away, there will be no one left to stop that monster!"

Seeing Master Roshi gripping him tightly, refusing to let him leave, Raditz had no choice but to explain, "Master Mutten, rest assured, he will be no match for me."

"No, you still don't realize who the true enemy is!"

"No, it is you, Master Mutten, who hasn't seen the extent of my strength!"

Having said that, Raditz forcibly broke free from his restraint and sprinted wildly in the direction he had been given.

His Flight Technique was not yet proficient, and it couldn't even keep up with his running speed.

"Damn it, one after the other, they've all gone lawless! They treat my words like they're nothing!" Master Roshi was left behind, shouting in helpless rage. "That is King Piccolo! You're all going to die!"

"Master Mutten, is King Piccolo really that terrifying?" Yamcha asked from the side.

Based on his understanding of Raditz, there were very few opponents who could challenge him; even Tien Shinhan, who had just won the tournament, didn't possess Raditz's strength in his eyes.

"You don't understand. He once turned the world into a terrifying hell; no one could stand against him."

"My master, Mutaito, paid with his life just to seal him away."