Palm-Thunder Shock

Jiang Che faced the ferocious attack without changing his expression.

He couldn't even be bothered to move his feet. He simply raised his right hand, spread his fingers, and aimed his palm at the deadly wave of energy.

A faint red light flickered in his palm, dancing between his fingers like a flame.

"Ha!" he cried softly, and the red light suddenly burst forth.

A scorching glow shot from his palm, forming a barrier in the blink of an eye and meeting the energy wave head-on!

A thunderous crash rang out. The energy wave struck the red light and unleashed circles of shock waves. The ground shuddered, splitting into countless cracks that spread in every direction like a spiderweb.

The energy wave seemed to have crashed into an invisible wall. It couldn't advance even an inch. It trembled and twisted before Jiang Che like a wild beast bound in chains, struggling in vain.

Jiang Che abruptly clenched his hand, curling in his fingers.

The red light in his palm contracted, holding the entire energy wave fast, as if a giant pincer had clamped down on it.

"Bang!" With a muffled thud, he crushed the energy wave in his hand!

Fragments flew everywhere, scattering like shattered stars. Each one that hit the ground left a crater. Dust billowed, and dozens of smoking holes appeared in an instant, filling the air with a choking, scorched stench.

He stood at the very center of the explosion. His robes snapped in the shock waves, yet he didn't have so much as a scratch.

Baby froze at the sight.

His pupils shrank to pinpoints, his eyes nearly bulging from their sockets. Shock replaced his fury. "Th-this is impossible!" His voice shook as he stumbled backward, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

He stared fixedly at Jiang Che. That energy wave could almost have blown an entire mountain to pieces, yet Jiang Che had crushed it as easily as an egg. It was unbelievable!

"There are plenty of impossible things," Jiang Che said mildly, his smile deepening.

The moment the words left his mouth, Jiang Che's figure flashed.

Only an afterimage remained where he'd been. The air split with a sharp crack, and he shot toward Baby like a ghost, moving too fast for the eye to follow.

Alarm bells rang in Baby's mind. He hurriedly raised his arms to block, crossing them over his chest and tensing his muscles to the limit as he braced for the attack.

But Jiang Che was too fast—he gave Baby no time to react.

His knee slammed into Baby's lower abdomen like a bolt of thunder.

"Gah—!" The force of the blow made Baby feel as if he'd been struck by a meteorite.

His eyes flew wide and he spat out a mouthful of blood, staining the front of his clothes red.

His body went flying like a kite with a severed string, crashing out of control into the ruins behind him.

Jiang Che didn't give him a moment to catch his breath.

He twisted in midair and chased after him, moving so fast that a streak of red light trailed behind him.

Clasping his hands together and interlocking his fingers, he raised his arms high and smashed them down onto Baby's back like a heavy iron hammer!

A tremendous crash rang out, as if the mountains were collapsing.

Baby's body slammed into the ground like a meteorite. Dust surged into the sky and rubble tumbled everywhere. The impact left a crater dozens of meters wide and at least five or six meters deep.

Spiderweb cracks covered the crater floor. Baby lay in the center, blood trickling from his mouth and his body twitching. A small patch of ground was stained red, and even his spine seemed to be crying out in pain.

Rubble flew everywhere, and smoke thick as fog obscured half the sky. The air was filled with a pungent smell of sulfur and scorching heat.

Cracks spread across the ground so far that their ends were nowhere in sight. Wisps of white smoke rose from the fissures, as if the earth itself were wailing.

Far away, Gohan stared with his legs trembling slightly, unable to say a word.

Baby had been eliminated from his body, and he had returned to normal. But he still remembered everything that had happened while he was under Baby's control—every movement, every attack, every anguished scream was seared into his mind.

His fists clenched. Sweat ran down his forehead and hit the ground, instantly steaming into a tiny cloud.

"How can that boy... be so strong?" Gohan murmured, stunned and awestruck.

He kept thinking back to the instant Jiang Che had thrown his punch. The air had been torn apart, erupting in a deafening sonic boom. The Saiyan instinct inside him had trembled. "Baby didn't stand a chance against him... That kind of power is almost divine..."

In the crater, Baby struggled to his feet. His whole body was covered in bloody wounds, the deepest running diagonally from his shoulder to his waist. Flesh gaped open, exposing bone.

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, the wound on his forehead, and countless cuts across his body, staining the rubble beneath his feet a dark red.

His breathing was rapid and ragged. Every time he inhaled, a rattling sound came from his throat, as if his breath might stop at any moment.

He looked up at Jiang Che, staring at him with trembling eyes full of fear and resentment.

His former arrogance was gone, leaving only apprehension and despair.

He dug his fingers desperately into the rubble. His nails split and bled, but he still tried to prop up his broken body.

"Y-you... who are you?" Baby rasped, his voice hoarse and almost a roar, like a beast making its last stand. "Saiyans can't possibly be this strong! Who are you?! Are you a god? Or a monster?!"

Jiang Che descended slowly in front of Baby, his feet kicking up a ring of fine dust when they touched the ground.

His boots crunched on the rubble.

He lowered his head slightly and looked down at Baby, his expression cold and calm, as if he were looking at an ant.

Sunlight streamed from behind him, casting a golden halo around his figure and giving him a godlike silhouette.

"My name is Jiang Che." His voice wasn't loud, but every word was perfectly clear and carried an undeniable authority.

"As for why I'm so strong—wait until you get to hell and ask the gods there. They might have an answer for you."

Jiang Che slowly raised his right hand, spread his fingers, and turned his palm upward.

An invisible pressure instantly descended on the area. The surrounding rubble crumbled into even smaller fragments, crackling rapidly.

A red Ki Blast slowly took shape in his palm. At first it was only the size of a fist, but its crimson light was blinding, pulsing like a beating heart.

The Ki Blast spun as it emitted a low hum. The air around it blurred and warped from the heat, and waves of scorching air spread outward. Even Gohan, standing dozens of meters away, could feel the burning heat.

Baby's pupils shrank to pinpoints, and his hair stood on end.

He could feel the power coiling within the Ki Blast—not only was it immense, it also carried a deadly aura that could erase all life.

He scrambled backward, stumbling and kicking rubble aside. His weakened body nearly collapsed.

"No—don't!" Baby pleaded, his voice on the verge of tears. "I still have plenty of secrets! I know where all the powerful beings in the universe are! I can help you conquer the universe! I'll be your slave! Anything, just spare me!"