Struggle

"Attack?" King Piccolo revealed a trace of fury, as if he had heard some colossal joke. "You say you are going to attack me, King Piccolo?"

Raditz ignored him, leaning his body forward with his palms pulled back to his waist.

"How laughable!" Seeing the other party completely disregard his warning, King Piccolo clenched his fists and said, "Then I shall let you witness my true pow..."

Before the word "er" could leave his lips, Raditz moved.

In a flash, his figure vanished, and a fist carrying invisible energy slammed heavily into King Piccolo's face.

"Urgh!"

King Piccolo's unfinished words were drowned out by a pained grunt, his face severely distorted by the impact.

"Boom!"

His tall frame was sent flying backward like a baseball struck by a bat. He shattered rocks along the way, finally embedding himself deep into a distant cliff face.

The speed was even faster than when Raditz had flown out earlier—more ferocious! More violent!

Dead silence.

Master Roshi froze completely, dumbfounded.

Was the script flipped?

Is the person I trained really this strong?

"Cough... cough, cough..."

King Piccolo stumbled as he landed. He clutched his face, green blood seeping from his fingertips. His face was twisted with pain and rage, his scarlet eyes locked onto Raditz.

Yet, his fury gradually subsided, transforming into an abyss-like calm.

"A good hit," King Piccolo said in a cold voice, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. "You are the first person to wound my pride like this."

"You aren't going to say something like you haven't used your full strength yet, are you?" Raditz asked in a light tone, teasing him. "How about it? Let me see it?"

"Heh, heh, heh..."

King Piccolo ignored the mockery. "If possible, I did not wish to exert my full strength. Fighting at full power shortens my lifespan."

As he spoke, he clenched his fists and hunched over slightly. His aura began to climb, causing even the pebbles at his feet to tremble.

"But now... I have no choice!"

Master Roshi felt the increasingly oppressive pressure, his breathing becoming somewhat rapid.

Seeing Raditz standing there indifferent, he couldn't help but remind him with a serious expression: "Raditz, I don't know how strong your full power is, but you cannot let him continue like this!"

Raditz felt a bit guilty upon hearing this.

In truth, after gaining this level of strength, his ego had indeed inflated.

Encountering a major early-game enemy like King Piccolo, he had actually felt like toying with him.

He nodded slightly,收敛 the smile on his face, and said to Master Roshi: "Master Mutten, I understand. I will deal with him with my full strength now."

"You go hide in the distance first to prevent him from launching a sneak attack."

After Master Roshi had moved far away, Raditz's expression turned solemn.

"He's risen to about 310..."

He stared at the violently surging King Piccolo, pondering to himself, "My energy level is around 500, quite a bit higher than his, but I cannot be careless."

At this moment, King Piccolo's aura stabilized. "Are you ready? Brat, I am going to tear you to shreds."

With that, he transformed into a green afterimage, his fists raining down upon Raditz like a storm.

Raditz's figure was elusive, weaving freely through the flurry of punches and occasionally parrying to easily neutralize the offensive.

"Damn it!" Unable to land a hit after a long assault, King Piccolo grew even more impatient. He roared, bringing his fists together in front of his chest, and the violent energy suddenly coalesced into a massive energy sphere.

"Go to hell! Special Beam Cannon!!"

The massive energy wave whistled out, lunging straight at Raditz.

This time, Raditz did not take it head-on, nor did he dodge completely. His eyes narrowed slightly, his palms pressed together, and a highly condensed golden energy wave shot out like a sharp blade.

"Boom!!"

The massive energy exploded the moment the two waves collided, kicking up a thick cloud of dust.

However, just as King Piccolo tried to locate his opponent, another golden energy wave pierced through the dust and shot straight toward his chest.

"What?!" His heart went cold. He tried his best to twist his body and dodge, but he was a fraction of a second too slow.

"Boom!" The energy wave missed the center but still struck his left shoulder.

"Argh!!" King Piccolo let out a miserable scream as his entire left arm was blown clean off by the explosive energy! Green blood sprayed out.

He stumbled backward, clutching the stump of his left arm as blood poured out like a fountain. His face was filled with pain and shock, his eyes fixed on the still-composed Raditz. "What kind of monster are you?!"

Raditz did not answer; he merely tilted his head slightly, gesturing toward the severed arm on the ground.

King Piccolo followed his gaze, his expression turning even uglier.

He took a deep breath, his muscles tensing as the flesh at the stump began to writhe violently, green energy gathering at the site.

With an unsettling sound, a brand-new, perfectly intact left arm sprouted rapidly from the severed limb!

"..."

Raditz watched this scene in silence; in terms of regenerative ability, his opponent was more of a "monster" in every sense of the word.

However, another problem weighed more heavily on him at the moment.

If I actually kill him, Kami will die as well, the Dragon Balls will never be restored, and Krillin will truly be beyond saving.

The outcome of the battle was no longer in doubt, but steering this fight toward the "correct" ending had become a difficult puzzle.

Raditz needed to create an opportunity for King Piccolo to spit out that egg—the vessel representing his hope for rebirth and vengeance—before letting him meet a "glorious" defeat.

"It's useless! No matter how many times you wound me, I can recover!" King Piccolo swung his newly grown arm, his voice harsh but lacking conviction.

Yet, the flicker of unease deep in his eyes betrayed him. Regeneration was not without a cost; it drained a massive amount of his stamina and energy.

"Is that so?" Raditz spoke, his voice flat. "Then let's test whether your regeneration is faster, or my attacks are."

With that, Raditz's aura shifted abruptly! His figure vanished once more!

In the next instant, sharp, agonizing pain erupted simultaneously from King Piccolo's abdomen, chest, and limbs!

Every one of Raditz's strikes was as heavy as a mountain, landing with pinpoint precision on his vitals and joints!

King Piccolo could not keep up with this speed at all, forced to rely on the Demon Clan's resilient body to endure the onslaught, but blood sprayed continuously from his mouth, and the sound of shattering bones was clearly audible.

He attempted to counterattack, but he couldn't even touch the hem of Raditz's clothes.

"Too slow."

"Utterly powerless."

"Full of openings."

Raditz's voice accompanied every heavy blow, serving not just as a physical assault, but as a crushing psychological one.

"Arghhh!! I'll take you down with me!!" Driven to desperation, King Piccolo frantically channeled all the energy within his body, unleashing it in a reckless explosion!

A golden aura soared into the sky, enveloping him in a massive fireball of energy as he attempted to force Raditz back with an indiscriminate, wide-range energy burst.

However, Raditz merely raised a hand slightly.

A blue energy wave blasted out, slamming into the fireball!

The stalemate lasted less than a second.

With absolute dominance, the blue beam pierced through King Piccolo's energy explosion like a red-hot iron rod thrust into snow, slamming fiercely into his chest!

"Pfft!!"

King Piccolo was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, his chest charred black, the bones beneath clearly visible.

His aura had withered to its lowest point; he struggled, but for the moment, he could not rise.

He stared at Raditz, who was walking toward him at a measured pace.

"I never imagined that in the hundreds of years I was sealed away, a master like you would appear."

His tone was self-deprecating, yet his eyes were filled with rage, resentment, and a trace of fear.