Crisis Approaches!

The final 4-to-2 match was delayed for a while.

The reason was that the beam clash in the previous match had been too intense, blowing away part of the arena's floor tiles. Repairs were currently underway.

Inside the waiting room, they were practically all friends, so the atmosphere was relaxed and cheerful.

About an hour later, the staff informed them that the match could continue, and everyone headed to the spectator seats.

Goku sprang onto the arena with a grin and bowed to Nam.

"Please teach me, Mr. Nam!"

Nam likewise pressed his palms together and gave a slight bow. "I'll give it everything I have, Goku."

On the arena stage, going all out was the greatest respect one could show an opponent.

The referee waved his hand. "Match—begin!"

Goku's figure flickered, and he vanished in an instant!

Nam's pupils contracted as he immediately assumed a defensive stance, but the next second—

"Over here!"

Goku's voice came from the side as a fierce roundhouse kick swept toward him!

Nam barely twisted aside to evade it, but the force of the wind still lashed his cheeks with pain. He was secretly startled.

Goku has gotten stronger again!

Nam began to counterattack.

He stomped forward hard, making the ground tremble slightly, and threw a powerful straight punch at Goku!

Goku neither dodged nor retreated, simply raising a hand to block it.

Bang! With a dull thud, Nam's punch was firmly caught!

Then Goku lowered his body and forced Nam back with a sweeping kick, immediately following up with a barrage of rapid punches that rained down like droplets!

Nam gritted his teeth and blocked, but every punch left his arms numb, forcing him to retreat step by step.

This can't go on.

Nam suddenly gave a low shout and stomped the ground fiercely!

Boom! The arena shook, and Goku's movements stalled for an instant.

Nam seized the chance and launched a heavy uppercut straight at Goku's chin!

Bang! The punch landed squarely, but...

Goku merely threw his head back and bared his teeth. "Ow, ow, ow, ow!"

While Goku rubbed his chin, Nam took a deep breath. He suddenly pressed his palms together, every muscle in his body tightening as his aura surged sharply!

Seeing Nam's aura soar, Goku immediately tensed as well.

Nam said in a deep voice, "Goku, this is the strongest move I can use. Please witness it!"

Nam slowly parted his palms, his fingers slightly spread before gradually curling inward. A white energy wave gathered between his hands.

"Intent Cannon!!"

Nam thrust both palms forward, unleashing a blazing energy wave that roared toward Goku!

Goku crossed his arms and assumed a defensive stance.

Boom—!!

The explosive shockwave swept across the entire arena, and smoke filled the air!

The audience below cried out in alarm.

"Did it hit?!"

Bulma and the others watched the stage with worried expressions.

As the smoke cleared, Goku was still standing. His clothes were only slightly damaged. He shook his numb arms and smiled.

"Wow! That was close! I almost couldn't block it!"

Nam sighed and shook his head.

"Goku, you're too strong. I'm no match for you. Good luck in the finals."

With that, Nam jumped down from the arena. Goku won.

Lin Yuan was quite satisfied with this result. Half a year ago, he had already taught Nam the Intent Cannon. However, what Nam had used was a weakened version; its full name should have been—the Super Extreme Intent Cannon.

Its principle was roughly the same as other energy waves: continuously compressing ki. Lin Yuan had merely added a few other techniques into it. Nam was unable to accomplish that, so he could only use the lower-spec version—the Intent Cannon.

Now his school had its own signature technique as well. Later, he would also rename the lower-spec version of Comet Big Bang and teach it to the powerful, trustworthy disciples in the martial arts school.

Before long, it was time for the finals. Tien Shinhan vs. Goku.

In the original story, Tien had only narrowly won the final match through luck. This time, it was hard to say who would win or lose.

However, Lin Yuan was more inclined to favor Tien Shinhan.

The match began very quickly.

Right from the start, the two of them launched into an intense close-quarters battle.

The more Goku fought, the more excited he became. His figure flickered like a phantom, appearing at Tien Shinhan's left one moment and circling behind him the next. Punches, kicks, and elbow strikes came one after another without pause!

Tien Shinhan refused to be outdone. When Goku threw a punch, he threw one too; when Goku kicked, he kicked as well. The same went for elbow strikes. Every move collided head-on—the contest was purely one of strength!

At the sight of such a fierce clash, the audience below first stood dumbfounded before gradually erupting into excitement.

"That's it! Fight! Fight! Keep fighting!"

"That was incredible! This is what the World Martial Arts Tournament is all about!"

"Who do you think will win? I feel like both of them are insanely strong!"

The spectators cried out incessantly, while Goku on the stage was slowly forced toward the edge of the ring by Tien Shinhan.

The two exchanged a punch, then seized each other's hands. Their other hands grabbed one another as well, and they began a test of strength.

Goku was clearly slightly weaker in terms of raw power. Before long, he was pushed to the edge, with half his feet hanging over it.

Seeing things turn bad, Goku suddenly twisted away and released his strength. His agile body darted to one side, and Tien Shinhan, carried by inertia, charged straight off the stage.

Goku followed up by firing an energy blast at Tien Shinhan's back.

Just as it was about to hit Tien Shinhan, he shot into the air and dodged the attack.

"Ah, I forgot you could fly!" Goku said with an embarrassed grin.

Tien Shinhan, hovering in the air, laughed as well.

"Haha, if I didn't know the Sky Dance Technique, I would've gone out of bounds just now. You're really strong, Goku."

After a brief pause, Tien Shinhan's smile disappeared.

"But you've already lost!"

With that, Tien Shinhan pressed his palms together, then arched them slightly while keeping his fingers closed. A hollow opening formed between them, aimed at the ring. A massive amount of energy immediately gathered in his hands.

Lin Yuan instantly sensed that something was wrong. That stance... Don't tell me he was about to use the Tri-Beam! He himself might not even be able to withstand a single Tri-Beam!

Goku had no idea what Tien Shinhan was planning, only that a sense of danger had descended upon him. He stared at Tien Shinhan without blinking.

Tien Shinhan locked onto Goku with both hands, his eyes wide with fury as he shouted.

"TRI-BEAM!!!"

In an instant, a brilliant flash erupted, followed by an unimaginably terrifying force smashing violently into the ring.

As the light faded, everyone slowly saw the scene before them clearly—and their jaws dropped.

The entire ring had vanished without a trace, leaving behind only a pitch-black crater.

"I... holy crap... the ring... the ring is gone!"

"W-What... what exactly happened?"

"It's over. Contestant Goku is dead for sure."

Chattering voices erupted from the audience below.

Lin Yuan and the others, however, looked toward the sky.

Tien Shinhan had deliberately slowed that attack down somewhat, intending to force Goku into the air. That way, Goku, who could not use the Sky Dance Technique, would be guaranteed to lose.

And Goku really was in the air now, repeatedly pawing at the air with his little hands as he tried to fly.

"T-This is bad... I'm going to fall." Unable to fly, Goku spoke helplessly.

And just like that, Goku fell to the ground, while Tien Shinhan successfully claimed victory in the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament.

(In the original story, Goku used a reverse Kamehameha in midair and knocked Tien Shinhan unconscious. But here, Tien Shinhan still had plenty of energy left after using the Tri-Beam, and Goku saw that too. Knowing he couldn't hit him, he didn't use that move.)

After the tournament ended, Tien Shinhan took out his prize money and offered to treat everyone to a meal, so the group headed to a restaurant together.

Lin Yuan bid everyone farewell, saying that he still had wedding matters to take care of with Launch. After leaving Goku a Senzu Bean, he departed.

Lin Yuan knew what was about to happen, but he did not interfere. He merely gave Goku a Senzu Bean.

At the restaurant, Goku, Tien Shinhan, and the others were already seated, waiting for the food to be served.

But Goku, who normally had absolutely no resistance to food, seemed restless and distracted.

Krillin, who had gone to retrieve the Dragon Ball for him, still had not returned, and Goku could not help feeling worried.

Suddenly! It was as though Goku sensed something. Every hair on his body stood on end, and his unease reached its peak.

His instincts told him that Krillin was in danger!

Elsewhere, Krillin had just retrieved the Dragon Ball and was preparing to return.

He suddenly sensed a terrifying presence behind him. Turning around, he saw a green monster rushing toward him. It was so fast that he had no time to resist. Then everything went black, and he lost consciousness...