Testing and the Showdown

In the air, Gohan and Vegeta's auras silently clashed. The rubble on the ground began to bounce around, knocking against one another with a series of crisp, sharp sounds.

Birds within dozens of meters fled as if terrified, and panicked cries and hurried footsteps echoed from deep in the woods.

To put it plainly, the fight was about to begin.

It was as if the earth had been struck hard. Cracks spread wildly like a spiderweb, seeming bottomless, while rubble flew everywhere in the shockwaves and landed with dull thuds.

Dust billowed up at once, swallowing the entire view.

The shockwave shoved Gohan back several steps, and the ground beneath his feet cracked again.

He barely managed to steady himself. His brows knitted tightly, his eyes filled with nothing but anxiety and worry.

He raised both hands and shouted at the golden figure ahead, "Uncle Vegeta, don't be rash! Mr. Jiang Che means no harm. There's really no need to fight!"

Vegeta didn't even look back. His voice was cold and resolute. "We'll find out whether he means harm after we fight!"

He ignored Gohan's words and kicked off the ground, blasting a huge crater beneath his feet and sending rubble flying like cannonballs.

He became a streak of golden light, tearing through the air with a shrill boom as he lunged at Jiang Che like a meteor.

Vegeta clenched both fists, white energy crackling around them.

He dove down, his fist splitting the air as the pressure warped everything around it, heading straight for Jiang Che's face.

The punch was immensely powerful, like a landslide or a tidal wave. The space around them shook violently before it even landed, and rubble was swept up into the air.

Jiang Che's pupils contracted sharply. He caught almost every detail of the air around him.

He immediately sensed the force behind the punch. It was powerful, but Vegeta wasn't using his full strength. He was testing him, trying to gauge his abilities.

Vegeta's eyes were filled with fighting spirit and curiosity, as if he were waiting for Jiang Che to reveal an opening.

If you want to test me, then I don't need to hold back either.

At the thought, a dormant flame seemed to ignite inside Jiang Che.

His ki suddenly erupted, and golden flames surged up like an erupting volcano, reaching the clouds.

The flames churned, scorching and distorting the air. The shockwave tore apart the ground beneath him, leaving a charred crater.

His hair stood on end, and a fierce light flashed in his eyes. His aura surged to its peak.

"W-what?" Gohan's eyes widened, his pupils still trembling. His mouth fell open, and his voice cracked.

He staggered back a step, cold sweat forming on his forehead.

He could clearly feel Jiang Che's ki: deep, domineering, and razor-sharp, like an ancient beast suddenly awakened from slumber.

This ki collided violently in the air with Vegeta's blazing aura. The air boomed, and transparent shockwaves swept up the dust and rubble around them, scattering everything.

On the ground, two golden lights faced off like two dragons about to tear into each other.

Boom!

Their fists slammed together in midair like two meteors colliding.

Vegeta's pupils narrowed to pinpoints. The muscles in his outstretched arm bulged, veins standing out, while the air around his fist warped the light.

But he couldn't stop now—his fist had already been thrown, like a horse that had bolted from its reins.

The instant their fists met, the world seemed to fall silent for a second.

The next moment, an explosion like the sky tearing apart rang out, its shockwave sweeping in every direction.

Rumble!

!

The ground between the two of them heaved as if struck by a giant hammer, then immediately fractured into a spiderweb of cracks.

The fissures spread wildly, and in an instant, the area within dozens of meters was a sea of rubble.

Dirt, rocks, and grass shot more than ten meters into the air before the shockwave tore them to pieces.

The shockwave rolled outward, and a sheet of white light spread in a ring.

The surrounding trees were uprooted as if by a giant hand. Their trunks snapped and spun through the air, while their leaves and branches rained down.

Rubble flew in every direction, pitting the cliff face with countless small craters.

Dust filled the sky, obscuring half of it.

Gohan crossed his arms in front of himself and braced his feet against the ground, but the shockwave still pushed him back more than ten meters. His shoes carved two deep furrows in the earth.

He gritted his teeth and steadied himself, his eyes fixed on the center of the dust cloud, sweat beading on his forehead.

After that blow, both men retreated.

Jiang Che left seven or eight deep craters beneath his feet, the ground trembling with every step. Vegeta went even farther back, his heels carving two long furrows before he finally stopped.

Vegeta slowly straightened and flexed his numb right arm. For the first time, his face turned serious.

His sharp gaze stayed fixed on Jiang Che. His voice was low, and edged with disbelief. "Super Saiyan... So you really can transform."

Jiang Che didn't answer. He only slowly rolled his wrist as his blood and ki surged inside him like magma.

The numbness in his arm gradually gave way to a strange excitement. His blood raced, his heart pounded like a drum, and every muscle quivered slightly—not with fear, but with an excitement that came from deep within his soul.

The corners of his mouth lifted unconsciously into an indescribable smile.

So this is what fighting feels like?

Before he'd crossed over, he'd been an ordinary man sitting in a cubicle, typing away at a keyboard. He'd never imagined he would one day stand on a battlefield like this, trading blows with the legendary Saiyan Prince.

The feeling of blood boiling and his whole body trembling was like a flame kindling in his chest and spreading through his veins to every limb.

That punch had numbed his arm, hurt the web of his thumb, and left his bones buzzing. Yet the exhilaration made him more excited than ever—as if a beast sealed away for years had finally broken free of its chains.

"Interesting," Jiang Che said softly, his voice hoarse and quivering slightly.

His eyes narrowed, and fighting spirit blazed deep in his pupils like a spark suddenly flaring to life in the night.

Vegeta heard him and his expression darkened. He snorted through his nose. "Kid, don't get too pleased with yourself. I wasn't even using half my strength in that punch."

As he spoke, he folded his arms across his chest and raised his chin, radiating the arrogance and disdain of Saiyan royalty.

But the slight twitch at the corner of his eye still betrayed his unease.

"Funny," Jiang Che said, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. His smile looked both dangerous and composed amid the dust and light. "I was just throwing a casual punch too."

As soon as he finished speaking, the air between them grew heavy, as if another great storm were gathering.

A faint golden glow now covered the streets of West City. The neon lights in the distance had yet to come on, and the sky was streaked with deep blue and orange-red.

A few pedestrians hurried along the streets now and then, but no one noticed the abandoned industrial district—or the ki that had just erupted there with enough force to shake the earth.

"You—" Vegeta's voice sounded like steel grinding as he forced the word out through his throat.

The veins on his forehead stood out, the blood vessels at his temples bulged, and his knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists. His aura erupted, blasting the rubble and dust off the ground and raising a cloud of gray smoke.