Piccolo Charges Special Beam Cannon, Goku Fights to the Death to Hold Raditz

Thick purple blood gushed from the severed stump of Piccolo's arm, splattering onto the parched ground and bursting into eerie blossoms of blood. A sickly sweet stench instantly spread through the air.

Veins bulged at Son Goku's temples. His face had already gone pale from the repeated heavy blows, but now it looked worse than ever.

"Heh heh, stop putting on that bitter, vengeful look. What's losing one arm supposed to matter? I can still beat the two of you so badly even your mothers wouldn't recognize you!"

Raditz sneered and shook the beads of blood from his hand, then sauntered up to Son Goku with a mocking face, looking down on both of them as his voice dripped with contempt. "Pathetic. Truly pathetic! I thought a Namek and a Saiyan teaming up might actually make some waves, but this is it? You're as soft as Earth tofu! Especially you, Kakarot! You're a disgrace to the Saiyans! As a member of the strongest warrior race in the universe, how can you be this weak? If Father Bardock knew about this in the afterlife, you'd piss him off so badly he'd come back to life!"

"I don't care about some Bardock! But you bastard, you're right..." Son Goku gritted his teeth so hard blood seeped from his gums. The heavy blows Raditz had landed just now had nearly shattered his internal organs, and even his breathing tasted of blood. "I'm no match for him at all! Damn it! I'm really this useless..."

Piccolo never took his eyes off Raditz for even a second. Looking at Son Goku, who had been pressed so hard he could barely breathe, he lowered his voice and asked in a breath only the two of them could hear, "Son Goku, I have one last killing move."

"What? A killing move?" Son Goku froze for a moment, then gritted his teeth and nodded. "Fine! As long as it can take this bastard down, I'll put my life on the line! But can you use that move with one hand?"

Piccolo tested his remaining arm, his knuckles cracking as he clenched his fingers, and said in a low voice, "No problem. The only trouble is that charging it takes a lot of time. Son Goku, while I'm charging, you'll have to hold this beast off alone. Can you manage it?"

"We're dead either way. If we don't fight, we're just waiting to die! You just charge it. Even if I have to risk my life, I'll buy you time!" Son Goku's gaze sharpened, and a wave of aura suddenly exploded around him. "But you have to make it work! Otherwise we're all finished here!"

"Naturally! If this move misses, none of us are getting out alive! I just hope the attack works, and we don't die for nothing!"

"Good! Then let's do it! Let this Saiyan see what we're made of!"

"Well said!"

Piccolo bared his pale teeth in a grin, then suddenly raised his remaining arm. He pressed his index and middle fingers together hard against the center of his forehead, shut his eyes, and the aura around him began to gather wildly at an extremely dangerous frequency.

Fortunately, a brute like Raditz didn't notice anything unusual at all.

He had never learned the technique of sensing energy, nor could he understand the little scheme the two of them had whispered about. Right now, all his attention was on Son Goku, who was closing in on him step by step, a cruel smile like a cat toying with a mouse hanging at the corner of his mouth. "What? Done discussing tactics? No matter what tricks you play, the result will be the same! You'll never be my match! Lie down and die obediently. Quit your damn useless struggling!"

"How would we know without trying?"

Son Goku roared, waves of aura surging around him as he charged first.

"Hmph. Refusing a toast just to drink a forfeit? Then I'll grant your wish!"

Raditz sneered, not taking the charging Son Goku seriously at all, and casually raised an arm to meet him.

The next second, fists ripped through the air, and the two of them instantly clashed together.

Son Goku threw everything he had into it. Fists, elbows, knees, even his head—every part of him that could be used smashed forward. Every strike carried the ferocity of mutual destruction, all to buy Piccolo even one more second to charge.

By contrast, Raditz looked leisurely from beginning to end. With one hand, he blocked all of Son Goku's frenzied attacks, and sometimes he could even flick Son Goku's fist away with a single finger!

The gap between them was so wide it drove a man to despair.

If Raditz's power was a vast, boundless ocean, then the waves Son Goku raised with all his strength did not even amount to a tiny puddle!

Cold sweat poured from Piccolo's temples. Watching the two fight, his heart almost leaped into his throat. All he could do was pour every ounce of energy in his body toward his forehead with all his might, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

His heart churned, full of anxiety.

This move, the [Special Beam Cannon], was the killing move he had spent more than ten years painstakingly training after being defeated by Son Goku. It had originally been meant to seize back control of Earth, a trump card he had kept in reserve as his last resort.

But right now, he had no confidence at all.

Even if this move hit, could it really kill Raditz?

He even had a faint premonition that the moment this move fired, Raditz would easily dodge it!

The more he thought, the more chaotic his mind became. His heart pounded so wildly it felt ready to burst. Piccolo gritted his teeth, forcibly suppressed the distracting thoughts in his head, and continued madly pouring energy into the technique:

I can't worry about that now!

If we don't try, everyone dies!

As long as I can fire it, there's still hope!

But Son Goku's body had reached its limit after all.

The repeated heavy blows had long since drained his strength. His muscles were spasming uncontrollably, and he did not even have the strength to lift his arms anymore.

Raditz saw through at a glance that he was at the end of his rope. He casually slapped aside the last punch Son Goku swung at him, then drove a backhanded fist into Goku's face, blasting him onto his back on the ground.

Immediately after, Raditz strode forward and stomped his right foot heavily onto Son Goku's spine, pressing down with his full weight.

Crack—

The teeth-aching sound of bone breaking rang out clearly. Son Goku's entire face twisted in pain, his teeth clenched and chattering, and a scream forced its way out of his throat beyond his control.

"Ahhh—!"

Raditz looked down from above at Son Goku struggling beneath his foot, his voice full of mockery. "I told you long ago that you're no match for me. And you still had the nerve to say you'd only know after trying? Idiot. You can tell without trying! With your pathetic little skill, what are you supposed to use to fight me?"

After he finished speaking, his gaze, which had been fixed on Son Goku, suddenly shifted and landed on Piccolo, who was not far away with his eyes closed, charging energy.

Piccolo sensed that icy stare. His body shrank back uncontrollably, and even the motion of gathering energy faltered for a moment.

"I don't know what little trick you're trying to pull, but you'd better hurry." Raditz increased the force under his foot by several degrees, and Son Goku's scream instantly rose a pitch. "If you don't mind Kakarot getting crushed to death under my foot, then by all means, take your time."

Piccolo gritted his teeth so hard veins stood out along his jaw.

His energy had already charged to the critical point. As long as he stabilized it for one more instant, he could fire. But Raditz kept provoking him, leaving him no way to calm down and adjust.

The energy of the Special Beam Cannon was highly concentrated, and its attack range was pitifully narrow. If the other party was intent on dodging, they could avoid it one hundred percent.

That was also the move's greatest weakness. He had not told Son Goku about this flaw at all. He had originally counted on Goku being able to pin Raditz down, but now Goku was being trampled underfoot without the slightest ability to resist. If this move fired, it would most likely miss...

"Damn it!"

Piccolo cursed inwardly, his heart filled with a sense of powerlessness.

He had clearly made every preparation, yet he could only watch helplessly as the situation developed in the worst possible direction!

When Raditz saw that Piccolo had not moved for a long while, he took it as a pointless struggle. He was in no hurry to act; instead, he stared at him with interest. Seeing that Piccolo still made no move, he found it boring and turned back to look at Son Goku beneath his feet, pressing down harder with his sole again.

"Aaaargh—!"

Son Goku convulsed from the pain, struggling as he roared.

"Well? Still planning to keep that stubborn mouth of yours shut?"

Raditz sneered, grinding his sole into Son Goku's back, his tone full of mockery.

"Shut up!"