Desperately Blocking Dodoria, Frieza's Grunts Charge Towards the Royal City

Gou Kong wiped the trace of blood from the corner of his mouth, raised his head, and glared at the two of them, roaring until his voice cracked. "I told you to get out of here! What are you still dawdling for? Staying here is suicide! We can't beat this pink-skinned toad at all!"

"You want us to abandon you?" Bardock gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead.

"Yes! Even leaving now is dangerous! And it's not just this beast!" Gou Kong pointed into the distance, his voice urgent. "More than a dozen of Frieza's grunts will be here any minute. Once they hit us from inside and out, none of us will get away! If I have to protect you, you're dead weight—never mind Gine still being here! You want to watch her die here? You've fought a hundred battles. Don't tell me you don't know what to do right now!"

"Damn it..."

Bardock's fists clenched until his knuckles cracked. How could he not know everything Gou Kong said was true? But asking him to abandon a comrade and flee alone felt worse than killing him.

He looked back at Gine, who was trembling all over, and finally gritted his teeth and made his choice. He scooped Gine up in his arms and rapidly retreated.

"Bardock! Mr. Gou Kong, he..." Gine lay in Bardock's arms, staring anxiously toward Gou Kong.

"Don't worry! That guy's strong as hell! He'll definitely survive!" Gou Kong grinned at her, showing a mouthful of bloodstained teeth. Only after watching the two retreat to a safe distance did he abruptly turn to Dodoria, his gaze going completely cold.

"Where do you think you're running? I told you, all of you are dying here today!"

Seeing the two try to flee, Dodoria immediately gave up attacking Gou Kong. He spread both arms, and an even more terrifying purple energy sphere than before gathered in his palms, its fluctuations shaking the surrounding rocks until they cracked apart one after another.

But just as he was about to fire, Gou Kong shot in front of him like a cannonball!

"You think I'll let you get what you want?"

Gou Kong unleashed every bit of his 19,000 battle power without reservation. Waves of aura spread outward with him at the center, forcibly blocking Dodoria's energy cannon!

A violent hot wind swept up shattered stone, tearing the ground around them to pieces. Gou Kong's feet sank deep into the bedrock, and the hem of his battle suit curled from the searing heat, but his body stood steady as a boulder, forcibly withstanding this killing blow!

"I can't hold out long! Go!"

Gou Kong roared, veins bulging at his temples, enduring the terrifying energy impact every single second.

Bardock gave him one last look, then gritted his teeth, turned with Gine in his arms, and sprinted away.

Only when the two of them vanished at the edge of his vision did Gou Kong finally let out a breath.

At last, he didn't have anyone to protect!

Just now, he had been constrained at every turn, terrified of hurting Bardock and Gine. Now that he was the only one left, his fighting style instantly changed!

He let out a low shout, and the waves of aura around him surged. He forcibly squeezed out the slightest gap amid the impact of the energy cannon, then flashed sideways, dodging the blast by a hair.

The energy cannon slammed into the ground, blasting out a crater dozens of meters deep as a mushroom cloud soared into the sky.

Amid the swirling smoke and dust, Gou Kong closed his eyes and sensed Dodoria's position through his ki.

Dust at this level couldn't block his perception at all.

The next second, he leapt upward, his fist carrying the force of a mountain as it smashed toward empty space!

Bang!

His fist slammed solidly into Dodoria's face just as he was about to launch a sneak attack!

The pink-skinned toad had clearly never expected Gou Kong to pinpoint his location so accurately. Caught off guard, he was smashed backward, and his nasal bone let out a clear crack.

"You bastard! You dare trick me!" Dodoria covered his caved-in nose and roared furiously, his face covered in blood.

Gou Kong didn't give him a chance to catch his breath. The instant he landed, he charged again, his fists falling like rain!

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Every punch carried a sharp whistling sound as it struck Dodoria's body with dull, heavy booms.

Gou Kong could clearly feel that after activating the Energy Body-Forging Technique, his physical strength truly was no weaker than Dodoria's. Under his violent offensive, the other man's defenses seemed utterly unable to withstand a single blow.

Dodoria had clearly been beaten senseless too. His previously arrogant momentum was instantly snuffed out by more than half, leaving him only able to block passively.

Gou Kong seized the chance, rushed forward in one stride, and slammed his forehead viciously into Dodoria's nose bridge!

Crack!

A clear sound of bone splitting rang out. Dodoria screamed in agony, and his arms dropped uncontrollably.

Gou Kong showed no mercy. A combination of punches hammered viciously into the other man's solar plexus, followed immediately by a knee to his chin. Finally, he spun and kicked, sending Dodoria flying!

Boom!

Dodoria smashed heavily into the ground, forming a deep pit. Gou Kong rushed over and unleashed another barrage of punches and kicks at the figure inside the crater, sending explosive dust dozens of meters into the air.

"Is it over?"

Gou Kong panted heavily, standing on the scorching rock as he looked down into the deep crater.

Logically speaking, with attacks of that level, even an elite-class Frieza officer should have been gravely wounded and on the verge of death.

But the next second, the center of the crater suddenly exploded open, and Dodoria staggered to his feet. Though his face was charred black and his nose was still streaming blood, his eyes were still vicious.

"Damn, he's tough."

Gou Kong cursed inwardly, but a mocking smile appeared on his face.

This pink-skinned toad's recovery was stronger than he had expected, but that combo just now hadn't been useless either.

Dodoria's aura had clearly weakened quite a bit. He had obviously suffered serious internal injuries.

"Ha... You're something, Saiyan. To think there's a hard case like you among them." Dodoria wiped the blood from his face and grinned, though the smile looked especially twisted because of his swollen cheeks. "You're qualified to make me get serious."

"Serious? As if you're worthy?" Gou Kong scoffed, and the waves of aura around him surged again. "I couldn't go all out while I was protecting people just now. Now there's no one holding me back. How many punches can a toad like you take?"

"Arrogant!" Dodoria roared, charging at him again.

The two grappled once more, the sounds of fists slamming into flesh ringing out without end.

The longer Gou Kong fought, the smoother it became. The suffocating pressure from earlier vanished completely, and he pushed his 19,000 battle power to its limit.

But as the fight went on, his heart suddenly lurched. Something was wrong.

Before, he had been focused entirely on the battle and had not paid attention to what was happening around him. Now that he calmed down, he finally realized that the dozens of Frieza grunts he had detected earlier had all vanished!

"Wait... those grunts?" Gou Kong forced Dodoria back with a sudden strike, his gaze turning cold. "Where did you send them?"

Dodoria looked at his abruptly changed expression and suddenly grinned, his smile full of malice. "You thought I was the only one watching you? Those grunts went after that filthy couple long ago. Oh, no—by now, they should already have reached King Vegeta's city, right?"

"What?"

Gou Kong's scalp prickled instantly, and he snapped his head toward the direction Bardock and his wife had fled.

The next second, his pupils constricted sharply. In the distance, toward King Vegeta's city, flames were already shooting into the sky, dyeing the gray heavens crimson. He could even faintly hear the rumble of energy weapons exploding!

Those Frieza grunts had not gone after Bardock at all. They had headed straight for the royal city!