Peace!

The second semifinal was Demon King Piccolo Jr. (Piccolo Jr.; from now on, simply Piccolo) versus Shen (Kami possessing a human body).

This battle ended far more quickly than expected.

Shen had intended to use the Evil Containment Wave to seal Piccolo away again, but to his surprise, Piccolo had learned how to reflect the Evil Containment Wave. He sealed Kami into the small jar instead, then swallowed the jar whole.

Lin Yuan watched with a look of disgust. Wasn't that uncomfortable?

Just like that, the tournament swiftly entered the finals once more!

Son Goku versus Piccolo.

One orange and one green figure stood facing each other on the arena.

Piccolo's green skin gleamed strangely beneath the sunlight, and a cold smile curled across his lips. "Are you ready to face death, Son Goku? This time, I'll reclaim every bit of the humiliation I suffered before."

"Is that so? I don't think I'll lose." Goku assumed a fighting stance, his face brimming with confidence.

The referee's raised arm swung down sharply. "Begin!"

Goku vanished from where he stood in an instant, leaving only an afterimage in the air. Piccolo's pupils contracted as he instinctively threw his head back. A fierce kick swept past the tip of his nose, the wind it generated lashing his cheeks with pain.

He's this fast?! Piccolo thought in alarm. He crossed his arms before his chest and forcibly blocked Goku's follow-up elbow strike. The immense impact sent him skidding back several meters, his shoes scraping harshly against the stone tiles.

Goku gave his opponent no chance to catch his breath. He suddenly flashed before Piccolo and drove an uppercut straight at his jaw.

Piccolo dodged in haste, but the blow still grazed his shoulder, making him grunt in pain. Goku seized the opening, unleashing a barrage of kicks like a raging storm. Piccolo could only defend passively as he was steadily forced back.

"Nice one, Goku! Keep it up! Beat the hell out of that guy!"

Chi-Chi waved her flag and shouted desperately from below the stage. She believed the man she had set her sights on would never lose.

Beside Chi-Chi, Master Roshi, Krillin, Yamcha, Nam, and the others all wore stunned expressions. None of them had expected Goku to hold such a firm advantage.

Piccolo endured more than a dozen of Goku's strikes without any room to retaliate. Knowing this couldn't continue, he let out a furious roar, and the energy throughout his body erupted, forcing Goku back.

"I never expected you to be so much stronger than I imagined! In that case..."

Before he could finish, Piccolo revealed a savage grin. His body then began expanding grotesquely, his muscles swelling as if inflated, the veins beneath his skin becoming clearly visible.

"What?!" Goku took two surprised steps back as he watched his opponent rapidly grow larger. In the blink of an eye, Piccolo had become a green giant the size of a small mountain.

"Hahaha! Do you feel despair now, Son Goku? I only need one foot to crush an ant like you!"

Piccolo's voice rumbled like thunder. He raised his enormous foot and stomped down at Goku with a howling gust of wind. Goku hurriedly dodged, and the spot where he had been standing was crushed into a deep crater several meters wide.

Afraid of being caught in the attack, the surrounding spectators screamed and scattered in all directions. Soon, only the Z Fighters remained in the arena—along with the referee.

After growing giant, Piccolo's strength surged dramatically, every strike carrying devastating force. Goku constantly darted and weaved around the arena, searching for an opportunity to counterattack.

"Hahaha, Son Goku, can you do nothing but scurry around like a rat?"

Piccolo's fist, as large as a hill, repeatedly hammered the ground as he continued to taunt him.

"Now!" Goku concentrated all his energy into the soles of his feet, turning into a streak of white light as he shot toward Piccolo's—mouth. He plunged straight inside.

"Ugh—! Aaaaargh!" Piccolo retched, then roared.

Before long, Goku crawled out of Piccolo's mouth with a small bottle in his hand—the very bottle that had sealed Kami.

"Catch, Tien Shinhan! Let Kami out!"

Goku tossed the bottle to Tien Shinhan. After catching it, Tien Shinhan quickly opened the cap and released the weakened Kami.

Piccolo gradually returned to his original size as well.

"Oh? Why aren't you turning giant again?" Goku teased.

Piccolo's eyes burned with fury. He had no desire to experience that disgusting feeling ever again.

"Damn you, you're asking to die!" Piccolo stomped the ground and charged at Goku.

"Whew, now I can finally attack with everything I've got!" Goku shook out his arms. Facing the charging Piccolo, he remained utterly calm and vanished from the spot.

"Damn it, where did he go?!" Piccolo stopped in place and frantically searched for Goku.

"I'm here!" Goku appeared directly behind Piccolo. With one elbow strike, he smashed Piccolo straight into the ground. Goku then swiftly soared into the air, gathering power in both hands.

"Super Kamehameha!"

A blue blast, far thicker than an ordinary Kamehameha, slammed viciously into the ground.

"Boom!!"

A massive mushroom cloud rose into the sky. The shockwaves from the explosion continuously swept through the surrounding buildings and trees, reducing the area to ruins in no time.

Lin Yuan stood in front of Tien Shinhan and the others, shielding them from the lingering force of the shockwave.

When the smoke cleared, an oval-shaped crater had appeared in the ground. At its center lay a green body with no trace of life left in it.

"He won! Goku won! Goku is the strongest under heaven!" Seeing Piccolo defeated, Krillin and Chi-Chi shouted excitedly.

Kami, however, wore a grave expression. Looking at the figure in the crater, he knew Piccolo had not truly died. Otherwise, there was no way he himself could still be standing here unharmed.

Kami slowly raised his palm, energy gathering within it.

"Kami, stop! You'll die too if you do that!" Goku grabbed Kami's arm and shouted.

Kami's expression was complicated as he slowly opened his mouth.

"Perhaps I should never have become the Guardian in the first place. I was the one who caused Piccolo's birth and brought disaster upon the world. Now it's time for me to clean up this mess."

Lin Yuan, who had remained silent beside them, stepped forward. "You're wrong, Lord Guardian. If you hadn't created the Dragon Balls, none of us would have gathered because of them and gradually grown stronger together."

Hearing that, the Guardian slowly lowered his raised hand.

"Besides, even if Piccolo hadn't appeared, there would have been even more powerful enemies in the future. Thanks to the Dragon Balls, Earth has produced so many powerful warriors to fight them! So, Lord Guardian, you did nothing wrong!" Lin Yuan continued.

"Ah..." The Guardian sighed and said nothing more.

Goku then did something that shocked everyone except Lin Yuan. He took out a Senzu Bean, slowly walked over to Piccolo, and fed it into his mouth.

After Piccolo recovered, he left behind a threat that he would one day return to take Goku's life, then flew away.

"Haha, Lord Guardian, trust me. Even if Piccolo tries to cause trouble again, I'll defeat him once more!"

Goku patted the Guardian on the shoulder and comforted him.

"And if that doesn't work, there's still Lin Yuan. That guy's even stronger than I am."

The Guardian stopped dwelling on the matter and instead asked Goku whether he was willing to become Earth's new Guardian.

Goku shook his head and refused. He took Chi-Chi's hand, climbed onto the Flying Nimbus, and bid everyone farewell.

"See you all later!"

And so, Earth entered a brief period of peace.