The Planet Was Split Open!

Is the gap in our strength really this vast? If this is truly only fifty percent of his power, then just how strong is he at full capacity?!

This is the power of the Emperor of the Universe, Frieza. I overestimated myself far too much...

No matter. If I don't unleash a higher multiplier of the Kaioken now, he's going to kill me!

Facing the terrifying, overwhelming pressure radiating from Frieza, Son Goku finally made his final decision after a brief internal struggle.

Even if he were to die, he refused to place his life and death in the hands of another.

Even if forcing a twenty-fold Kaioken would cause irreversible damage, and even if he might still lose, at least he would have tried to break the status quo himself.

"Oh ho ho! Looking at you, it seems you are still quite unconvinced." Frieza kept one hand behind his back while slightly raising the other.

Under Son Goku's watchful gaze, a deep, intense crimson light condensed at the tip of Frieza's right index finger.

"Very well, I do love a stubborn bone like you. In consideration of the fact that your performance has been somewhat satisfying, I shall let you witness my absolute power; I only hope that after you see it, you still have the courage to stand."

With that, Frieza gave Son Goku plenty of time to react.

As he swung his right hand—now brimming with terrifying energy—down toward Son Goku, a beam of deep crimson energy, horrifying to the extreme, erupted forth in an instant.

This strike was so fast that there was no time to dodge.

Feeling a fatal threat, Son Goku could only manage to cross his arms in front of his chest to form a defense, his body instinctively retreating a few paces.

The terrifying energy beam slashed into the earth in a heartbeat.

The entire island was cleaved in two in an instant!

No!

It wasn't just the island; it seemed as if the entire planet had been split open.

The chasm, stretching over ten thousand kilometers, was enough to chill one's soul at a single glance.

This was the power of a casual strike from Frieza.

It meant that if he wanted to destroy Namek, it would be effortless.

"Oh ho ho ho! How is it? This strike of mine was merely fifty percent of my power." Frieza spoke to Son Goku as if showing off his masterpiece of destruction.

At this moment, Son Goku was truly terrified.

Deep down, he felt only one thing toward Frieza: the man was a complete madman.

He unleashed such attacks at the drop of a hat; if he had used just a little more force, the entire planet's crust would have been completely cleaved open.

At that point, the planet would genuinely explode.

Covered in cold sweat, Son Goku's body trembled slightly.

Landing slowly, Son Goku stared at Frieza, unable to find the words to express his feelings.

For now, there was nothing to do but exhaust every ounce of his strength to attempt the twenty-fold Kaioken!

He hoped that with the twenty-fold Kaioken, he could deal a heavy blow to Frieza.

On a cliffside on a distant island.

Piccolo, Krillin, and Son Gohan were all stunned by Frieza's strike, cold sweat breaking out all over their bodies.

If that energy wave had been aimed in their direction, they would already be dead.

"Th-this is Frieza's true power!" Son Gohan said, his body trembling.

"Under that beam of light, it looked as if the whole planet had been split in two," Krillin said in a panic.

Though Piccolo appeared calm on the surface, his heart was in turmoil. Fear was spreading; Frieza's terror had once again exceeded his imagination.

He knew that if things continued this way, Son Goku would likely lose.

At this thought, Piccolo suddenly snapped to his senses and spoke to Son Gohan and Krillin: "You two, while there is still time, leave here at once! Go find that woman, Bulma; she should be able to pilot the spaceship Son Goku arrived in! You must leave Namek immediately!"

"What? Piccolo, what do you mean by that?" Krillin asked, his mouth agape.

"No time to explain. Son Goku is likely going to lose. He is already at the end of his rope, and I must be ready to step in at any moment," Piccolo said, gritting his teeth.

Upon hearing this, Krillin's expression turned ghastly.

Son Gohan felt the same, but with his father here, he had no intention of deserting.

"No! I'm staying. Even if I die, I will fight to the end alongside my father!" Son Gohan now had his own conviction for battle.

He would not abandon his father to save his own skin.

Hearing Son Gohan's words, Piccolo felt a wave of emotion.

Although he was pleased with this answer—as it showed Gohan had grown—he absolutely would not watch Son Gohan die on Namek.

"Fool! What do you think you can do by staying? Aside from being a burden, you won't be of any help at all!"

Piccolo's cold reprimand caused Son Gohan to look like a scolded, aggrieved child.

"But..."

"No buts! Either you leave now, or I kill you right here to save us from being dragged down later!" Piccolo retorted with a cold, angry shout.

This left Son Gohan so aggrieved that his eyes welled up with tears.

"Uncle Piccolo, I won't drag you down..."

"Yeah, Piccolo, there's no need to be like this," Krillin added immediately after.

"Enough talk! I am the Great Demon King Piccolo! I don't have time to waste on you! Krillin, you'd better take this brat and leave immediately, or I'll kill you along with him!" Krillin naturally understood the reason behind Piccolo's actions.

Caught in a dilemma, he looked toward the battlefield in the distance.

Finally, he made up his mind and said to Son Gohan, "Piccolo is right. Let's go, Gohan. Our strength is truly too weak; staying here won't help at all."

As the words fell, Son Gohan realized that insisting on staying was no longer an option.

He understood Uncle Piccolo, and he knew that Uncle Piccolo was only telling him to leave quickly for the sake of his own safety.

If he refused to accept it, he would be letting down Uncle Piccolo's good intentions.

"I understand, Uncle Piccolo. I'll do as you say," Son Gohan replied, his voice thick with tears.

Krillin sighed, about to say something.

Just then, a "tsk-tsk" sound came from behind the three of them.

Immediately following it, a mocking voice rang out.

"What a touching scene of fatherly love and filial piety; it really makes one marvel at the greatness of family bonds. Anyone who didn't know better would think a father was just pretending to be cold and heartless for the sake of his son."

Upon hearing this, all three of them tensed up and immediately turned around to look.

What met their eyes was a human standing one meter eighty-eight tall with a nearly perfect physique.

However, his attire was in a sorry state.

It was clearly a combat uniform from the Frieza Force.

It was just so worn out that it looked like it had been worn for many years, and the size did not fit him well at all.

"Who are you?!" Piccolo shouted sternly, his body already blocking the path in front of Krillin and Son Gohan.

This person was too strange, and his appearance had been too sudden; he could not be sensed through ki, yet he radiated an incredibly powerful sense of oppression.