The number frozen on the scouter made every sound around them pause for a moment.
But the gloom on Vegeta's face lasted less than half a second.
The next moment, he grinned.
"Ten trillion?"
He raised a hand, removed the scouter from his left eye, and crushed it casually.
Crack.
The fragments fell from between his fingers.
"Good. Very good." Vegeta stared at Son Gohan, the golden aura around him blazing hotter and hotter in his Super Saiyan 3 form. "I'm genuinely surprised this time."
Son Gohan didn't answer.
He was assessing the situation.
Vegeta's power was around four trillion now, still nowhere near his Super Saiyan level. Under normal circumstances, the fight was already over.
One punch.
Two at most.
He could smash this Vegeta's body, then use Hakai Energy to erase the Miracle Power inside him.
But Son Gohan didn't attack right away.
He was thinking.
Vegeta was facing an opponent far stronger than himself without the slightest sign of panic. Could he still have something up his sleeve?
"Gohan, be careful." Trunks retreated, his voice low.
Son Gohan nodded.
"Keep your distance. Something's off about him."
At those words, Vegeta's smile widened.
"Are you discussing how to escape?"
Boom!
The ground beneath his feet exploded. He became a golden blur and charged straight at Son Gohan.
He was fast.
At least, faster than when he'd fought Trunks earlier.
But not fast enough for Son Gohan.
Son Gohan raised his one remaining right hand and spread his fingers.
Thump!
He caught Vegeta's fist with ease.
A shockwave burst from beneath them. The nearby Defense Force soldiers, who had been kneeling, were swept off their feet, while the steel wreckage flipped away like scraps of paper.
Vegeta's face stiffened.
Son Gohan tightened his grip.
Crack.
Vegeta's knuckles broke on the spot.
"You're too weak!"
Son Gohan looked up at him.
"Is this really all you've got?"
As he spoke, Son Gohan drove his knee into Vegeta's stomach.
Thump!
Vegeta's body doubled over. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and his Super Saiyan 3 aura flickered violently.
Before he could fly away, Son Gohan grabbed his wrist and yanked him back, then slammed his right fist into Vegeta's face.
Boom!
Vegeta flew sideways, smashed through seven towers in a row, and finally crashed into the base's outer wall in the distance.
The entire battlefield fell silent.
The Defense Force soldiers, who had been shouting Vegeta's name moments ago, stood frozen in place.
Trunks clenched his fists, too.
When would he be able to wield power like Gohan's?
He'd faced the same man, and even after giving everything he had, he hadn't been able to budge Vegeta. In front of Gohan, though, Vegeta was like a punching bag, tossed around at will.
But Son Gohan didn't relax at all.
His eyes stayed fixed on the energy in the wreckage.
It hadn't dropped.
In fact, it was still rising.
"Just as I thought. It's the same as with the other Saiyans empowered by Miracle Power."
Unless their Miracle Power was completely depleted, they wouldn't die. They would only grow stronger.
Rumble!
The rubble exploded.
Vegeta emerged from the smoke, half his face caved in and his right arm twisted at an unnatural angle.
But his laughter only grew louder.
"Hahahaha... That hurts. It really hurts."
White light seeped from his body.
His collapsed face healed, his broken bones knit back together, and his twisted arm straightened.
His power kept climbing.
From four trillion, it surged past five trillion.
"Hahahaha! This is exhilarating." Vegeta rolled his neck, his eyes alight with fervor. "This is King Kakarot's gift. As long as my body still wants to fight, the power answers me."
Son Gohan furrowed his brow.
It was like making a wish and using it to reshape reality according to one's desire.
That was the most infuriating thing about Miracle Power. It simply didn't play by the rules.
As long as the user's wish was clear enough and they had enough power to draw on, they could turn a thought like "I want to get stronger" directly into reality.
But that still didn't explain his confidence. He knew full well that the two of them had a way to neutralize Miracle Power.
Son Gohan quickly pushed aside his stray thoughts.
Forget it. He'd fight first and think later.
Whoosh!
Son Gohan vanished from where he stood.
Vegeta's eyes lit up, and he charged too.
Thump!
Their fists collided again.
This time, Vegeta was still knocked back.
Son Gohan teleported after him and threw a punch at his temple.
Vegeta raised an arm to block. It exploded halfway up on the spot.
Son Gohan followed through, pressing his right hand against Vegeta's chest.
A purple-red light flared.
"Destruction."
The purple-red energy burrowed straight into Vegeta's chest, beginning to erase the white light.
Ssssss—
The white light was eaten away, and the flesh on Vegeta's chest began to vanish bit by bit.
"Heh. Is that all you've got?"
Vegeta gritted his teeth. The pain on his face lasted only a moment before turning to frenzy.
Boom!
The white light inside him erupted, forcibly pushing back the Destruction Energy.
Purple-red and white light tangled together.
The golden Bracer on Son Gohan's wrist began to grow hot.
He could clearly feel that his Hakai Energy wasn't enough.
Popo had only given him a seed.
He'd spent the past few days experimenting with it, but he was still far from fully understanding it. He could deal with small traces of Miracle Power, but he hadn't expected Vegeta to have such an absurd amount inside him. His own Hakai Energy clearly wasn't enough.
Son Gohan's gaze turned cold. He pushed harder.
The purple-red light pressed further in.
A huge chunk of Vegeta's chest disappeared completely, revealing the torn Battle Suit behind it.
But the next second, white light filled the gap again.
Flesh grew back.
His power rose once more.
Six trillion.
Seven trillion.
Vegeta grabbed Son Gohan's wrist. His mouth was full of blood, yet he grinned even more excitedly.
"You can't kill me! Hahahaha!"
Son Gohan kicked him under the chin.
Thump!
Vegeta shot upward.
Son Gohan pursued him and unleashed a flurry of punches.
Thump, thump, thump, thump!
Every punch shattered Vegeta's bones, and every punch made his aura collapse.
But after each grievous injury, the white light surged back.
Healing.
Strengthening.
Healing again.
Growing stronger again.
Son Gohan's expression grew increasingly grim.
Even Vegeta had this much Miracle Power inside him. What about Kakarot?
Vegeta was only the second-in-command.
If Kakarot, the true source of it all, could give Vegeta this much Miracle Power—
How much Miracle Power from the Original Dragon Balls had he accumulated within himself?
Trunks watched from a distance, his palms growing clammy.
He wanted to rush in and help.
But he knew he couldn't act recklessly.
This battle was already beyond his level. Even one mistake could hold Gohan back.
He clenched his fists and stared at Vegeta's disgusting, grinning face.
"Hahaha! You cripple, I'm very pleased with how you're doing!"
Son Gohan punched Vegeta into the ground, but Vegeta shot right back out.
His power was already approaching eight trillion.
Without hesitation, Son Gohan expanded his Super Saiyan aura again. Golden energy compressed to its limit gathered in his right fist, and he unleashed it head-on.
Vegeta crossed his arms and took the blow.
Boom!
His arms were blown apart, his body was blasted through, and the energy swept the land for dozens of miles behind him.
But white light immediately surged in.
New arms grew back.
Nine trillion.
Vegeta raised his head, his face filled with the arrogance of a victor.
"Feel despair! You're destined to lose, while I'll only keep getting stronger!"
He lunged straight at Son Gohan.
This time, his fist actually grazed the side of Son Gohan's face.
Son Gohan tilted his head to dodge and countered with an elbow strike.
Vegeta took the hit head-on. His shoulder caved in, but he struck Son Gohan in the chest with a counterpunch.
Thump!
Son Gohan took half a step back.
Only half a step.
But that was enough to excite Vegeta even more.
"Hahahaha! Is that all it takes to stop you?"
He charged again, his punches and kicks several times faster than before.
Thump, thump, thump, thump!
Their figures flashed back and forth through the air above the ruins.
Golden shockwaves rippled outward in rings, and the Defense Force on the ground kept retreating in fear.
They couldn't see the fight.
All they could see were explosions that seemed to keep splitting the sky apart.
"Crackle, crackle—"
"Crackle, crackle—"
Son Gohan parried, counterattacked, and kept his opponent suppressed, his face expressionless.
But Vegeta's power kept rising.
9.5 trillion.
9.8 trillion.
10 trillion.
Boom!
Vegeta slammed a punch straight at him.
Son Gohan raised an arm to block, but the blow drove him back dozens of meters.
Vegeta finally stopped in midair, spreading his arms as golden flames of energy surged around him.
"So the tables have turned?"
He panted heavily, yet laughed without restraint.
"You're Son Gohan, right? I know this is nowhere near your limit."
"Come on, hurry up and show me more of your power! I can't wait. I want to become even stronger! Hahaha!"
Son Gohan shook out his right hand.
It was a little numb.
His opponent's ability to grow stronger without limit was incredibly annoying. If they kept fighting like this, Vegeta would only grow stronger and stronger.
Son Gohan thought quickly.
A moment later, he grinned. Grow stronger without limit? He could probably do that too!
"What are you laughing at?" Vegeta frowned and barked.
Son Gohan raised his head, his gaze so calm that it unsettled Vegeta.
"You want me to bring out more power? No problem. I'll give you what you want!"
As the words fell, the golden aura around Son Gohan suddenly contracted.
It didn't disappear.
Instead, some heavier, more violent force was pressing it down.
Trunks' expression changed.
"Here it comes! That transformation!"
Though he had seen Son Gohan transform like this more than once, it shook him to the core every time!
Unlike the display of invincible power that came with Super Saiyan 4,
this transformation brought a greater sense of bloodline suppression.
Vegeta's grin widened again.
"Yes, yes, just like that! Come on! Come on! Unleash more of your power!"
Boom.
As Son Gohan began drawing on the Legendary Super Energy Pool, wisps of dark green energy began to rise and spread from beneath his feet.
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