King Piccolo: Hahaha?!

"Nonsense!"

Hearing this, Master Roshi's face darkened. "Do I not know your strength? You were trained by me, after all."

"Even if you have made significant progress over these past two years, it is impossible for you to be stronger than King Piccolo!"

With that, he sighed and stood beside Raditz.

Opportunities are fleeting; he could no longer seal King Piccolo using the Evil Containment Wave again.

There was only one option left...

"In a moment, I will use that technique again to scare him off. You take the chance and... run as far as you can!" Master Roshi instructed with a grave expression.

Raditz: "..."

High above in the sky, the green figure that had fled to a great height, now almost a mere black dot, suddenly stopped.

King Piccolo hovered in the air, his chest heaving violently, a few beads of cold sweat trickling down his forehead.

In that instant just now, the sense of loneliness from being imprisoned once more had been so vivid; the fear originating from the depths of his soul had nearly consumed him.

He looked down with lingering fear. The rice cooker that had terrified him so was still sitting safely on the ground, and the old man who had nearly sealed him away again was being held back by a black-haired youth, the two seemingly locked in an argument.

"Ha... haha... hahahaha!!!"

King Piccolo let out a hideous laugh.

Then, the relief of surviving a brush with death was quickly replaced by a monstrous rage at being toyed with by ants, his dignity having suffered a heavy blow.

He stopped fleeing and, wearing a murderous look, slowly descended.

Returning to the ground and standing not far in front of Master Roshi and Raditz, King Piccolo stared fixedly at the rice cooker, two streaks of red light flashing from his eyes at blinding speed.

Boom!

The rice cooker, still bearing the talisman, was instantly blasted into smithereens.

Having destroyed this thorn in his side, King Piccolo seemed to calm his violent emotions slightly. He cast his gaze toward Master Roshi, his face revealing undisguised mockery.

"Old man!" his voice was icy. "It seems your 'Evil Containment Wave' isn't quite mastered yet. At the critical moment, even your own disciple was blocking you."

"Or perhaps, that dead man Mutaito's ultimate technique has become a joke in your hands?"

Master Roshi's face turned livid, yet he could not refute it. Failure was failure; any explanation was pale and powerless in front of an enemy.

Seeing his silence, King Piccolo became even more smug.

His gaze swept over Raditz, who stood to the side, and he paused. "It's you!"

He had seen this brat before, in that recording.

"Brat, Tambourine must have been killed by you, right?"

Raditz did not answer, his brows slightly furrowed.

It was happening again; the plot had already deviated.

However, since they were now face-to-face, it didn't matter anymore.

He stepped forward, meeting King Piccolo's gaze without a hint of fear.

Surveying this Demon King who had regained his youth and possessed such a formidable aura, a curve suddenly appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"How does it feel to regain your youth, Piccolo?" Raditz's voice was clear. "Though, it looks like that's all there is to it. Relying on Shenron to grant a wish to restore your power, and yet..."

"Is that it?"

As soon as these words left his lips, not only did Master Roshi's expression change, but even Tien Shinhan, who was paralyzed in the cave and watching anxiously, gasped.

Directly provoking King Piccolo at his peak? Had Raditz lost his mind?!

The smile on King Piccolo's face froze instantly, and murderous intent surged within his crimson eyes like a physical force.

"You reckless little brat." His voice was terrifyingly low, his tone filled with contempt. "I only need five seconds to finish you off completely!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than King Piccolo's figure vanished!

So fast! Master Roshi's pupils constricted; he couldn't track the opponent's movement at all!

The next moment, King Piccolo appeared beside Raditz like a phantom, his fist, corded with veins, slamming toward Raditz's temple without any flair! The seemingly simple punch contained terrifying power.

Raditz seemed to react a beat "too slow."

"Bang!"

A heavy impact resounded across the rocky terrain. Raditz's body flew sideways, carving a deep trench into the ground before finally slamming into the rock wall with a "boom."

The entire process happened in the blink of an eye! From the moment King Piccolo disappeared to Raditz being sent flying and embedded in the rock wall, it took no more than a heartbeat!

"Raditz!" Master Roshi cried out, his heart sinking to the bottom of his chest. He hadn't even seen how King Piccolo had struck!

Such power—was this the true strength of the rejuvenated King Piccolo?

The gap was too vast...

If only that Evil Containment Wave had succeeded...

"Hahaha!" King Piccolo pulled back his fist, looking at the human-shaped indentation in the rock wall, and let out a hearty laugh, as if he had swatted a bothersome fly. "The annoying little minion is dead, so, old man..."

He turned slowly, his gaze locking once more onto the pale-faced Master Roshi before him.

"How should I deal with you, old man, for daring to humiliate me with that technique again?"

Master Roshi gritted his teeth and assumed the Turtle School's starting stance. Despite the despair filling his heart, the dignity of a martial arts master would not allow him to sit and wait for death; he had to fight to the end.

Just as Master Roshi gathered his remaining ki, preparing for a desperate final stand, A calm, youthful voice sounded abruptly not far behind King Piccolo.

"Hey, five seconds are up."

This voice?!

Master Roshi snapped his head up, staring at the source of the sound in disbelief.

King Piccolo's wild grin froze instantly on his face.

He spun around sharply!

There stood the black-haired youth who should have been embedded in the stone wall, dead or alive—now standing leisurely beside a pile of rubble, brushing the dust off his clothes.

He looked completely unscathed, his ki not even showing signs of turbulence.

How is this possible? King Piccolo frowned. That punch just now, while not his full strength, was certainly not something an ordinary martial artist could withstand!

"It seems I was too 'gentle' just now," he said, his face turning a dark, sickly green, his voice icy. "This time, I will turn you into nothing but dust!"

He stopped wasting words, splayed the four fingers of his right hand, made a grasping motion in the air toward Raditz, and then shoved his hand forward!

BOOM—!!

A massive, thick beam of golden ki, brimming with destructive energy, swept outward. Wherever the blast passed, the ground was scorched by the searing energy, leaving a fan-shaped trail of charred earth.

"Raditz! Get out of the way!!" Master Roshi shouted urgently. He could feel that this attack was something no physical body could withstand.

However, Raditz stood rooted to the spot as if paralyzed by fear, making no move to dodge or defend.

"It's over!" Master Roshi felt his heart sink.

The next instant.

BOOM—!!

A heaven-shaking roar erupted, accompanied by a blinding light! It kicked up a sky full of dust and debris, completely swallowing the area.

Master Roshi had to raise his arms to shield himself from the incoming gale and flying rocks.

As the dust settled slightly, he saw a charred crater over dozens of meters in diameter, wisps of black smoke rising from it.

Raditz's figure was nowhere to be seen.

"Hahaha!" King Piccolo laughed wildly again, his voice filled with satisfaction. "Now, not even your bones remain!"

Master Roshi stared blankly at the scorched earth, the sliver of hope that had just risen instantly extinguished by the cruel reality.

Raditz... gone without a trace...

Lying stiffly in the stone cave, having witnessed the entire scene, Tien Shinhan felt his hands and feet go cold.

Too strong! King Piccolo's attack was simply too strong.

Raditz was already far stronger than him, yet he couldn't withstand that blow.

Could such an enemy truly be defeated?

Perhaps Master Roshi was right; only by sacrificing one's life to use the Evil Containment Wave could there be a glimmer of hope.

Just as despair drowned Master Roshi and Tien Shinhan, That familiar, calm voice reached everyone's ears once more.

"Tsk! That one was slightly more impressive than the last."

"But, it only upgraded from a 'breeze on the face' to a 'tickle'."

What?!

King Piccolo's laughter cut off abruptly, his eyes fixed on the center of the crater where the dust had yet to fully settle.

A tall, upright figure gradually became clear.

Raditz was still standing in the same spot, one hand raised, a wisp of black smoke still lingering on his palm. His expression was as calm as ever, as if that terrifying strike had truly just "tickled" him!

"Th-this is impossible!" Master Roshi's jaw dropped.

He had watched Raditz grow, knowing he was a prodigy whose strength progressed rapidly, but this was completely beyond his comprehension!

Even if Goku were here, he couldn't have withstood that attack.

And yet, he...

He took King Piccolo's attack head-on and remained unscathed? Was this still the same Raditz he knew?

Tien Shinhan was also completely stunned, his mind blank. He caught that attack with his bare hands?

King Piccolo's face turned dark, like the silence before a storm, and for the first time, a look of gravity and disbelief appeared in his eyes. This brat was no ordinary person!

"It seems I underestimated you," he said slowly, his tone low. "Kid, you do have some skill."

Raditz lowered his hand, brushed off some dust, and flashed a sunny yet incredibly oppressive smile at King Piccolo.

"Well then, the warm-up is over. Now, is it my turn to attack?"