Kaio-ken!

The instant Piccolo fell, Gohan rushed forward, with Lin Yiqi close behind.

As he ran, Lin Yiqi rummaged through his pockets for Senzu Beans, all the while trying to comfort Gohan.

"Gohan, it's okay. I still have Senzu Beans. Uncle Piccolo will be fine."

Vegeta flashed in front of the two kids and sent Gohan and Lin Yiqi flying with a punch each.

Did they think they could save him with those beans? Vegeta wasn't stupid.

"Krillin! Take the two kids and get out of here! Otherwise, I won't be able to explain this to Lin Yuan!"

As he spoke, Nam had already stepped in front of Vegeta, with Tien Shinhan and Yamcha at his side.

"Go! Krillin, we'll hold him here," Yamcha said as well.

Tien Shinhan wore an expression of utter resolve. He had made up his mind long ago—if he couldn't avenge Chiaotzu today, then he would join Chiaotzu below!

Seeing this, Krillin stopped hesitating. He picked up Gohan and Lin Yiqi, then turned and ran.

"Hmph! None of you are getting away today!"

Vegeta said coldly.

"Super... Extreme Intent Cannon!!"

"Tri-Beam!!"

"Kamehameha!"

The moment Vegeta finished speaking, three energy blasts struck him, buying Krillin a little time to escape.

When the smoke cleared, Vegeta emerged completely unharmed, his gaze fixed coldly on the three before him.

"Since you want to die first, I'll kill you first. Those two won't get far anyway!"

Vegeta suddenly fired a purple energy blast carrying destructive force at the three of them. Just as they all thought it was over, a silver-white energy bullet flew in and knocked the purple blast away.

"Oh, reinforcements?" Vegeta narrowed his eyes as he examined the two figures in the distance.

Lin Yuan ignored Vegeta. He first gave each of the three a Senzu Bean, then asked, "Are Lin Yiqi and Gohan badly hurt?"

Nam swallowed the Senzu Bean and answered, "They're fine. They were probably just frightened and suffered some minor injuries. But... Piccolo and Chiaotzu... are dead."

Lin Yuan nodded and looked toward Piccolo's body on the ground. It seemed he couldn't be saved. There was a huge hole in his abdomen; even if he ate a Senzu Bean, he probably wouldn't be able to convert its energy. Besides, the injury was too severe. If it had only been a small hole, they might have been able to try.

"Nam, Tien Shinhan, Yamcha, take Piccolo's body to Kame House Island. Leave this place to Goku and me."

The three nodded, understanding that they would only be a burden if they stayed.

"Be careful, Lin Yuan, Goku. This Saiyan is far stronger than we imagined."

With that, the three of them carried Piccolo's body away.

This time, Vegeta did not stop them. He knew these two would not let him pass, so he spoke.

"You two must be the ones who killed Raditz last time. Kakarot, and you... your voice sounds very familiar."

"That's right. I killed Raditz," Lin Yuan admitted openly.

Seeing him admit it so readily, Vegeta sneered and pressed the button on his scouter.

"Power level 4,300... power level... 5. Looks like you have a way to control your ki freely. Otherwise, you're just bluffing."

"Oh~~ Where's your companion? Don't tell me he's already dead?" Rather than answer Vegeta, Lin Yuan changed the subject.

"I killed that useless trash myself. Worthless piece of garbage!"

"Lin Yuan, stop wasting words on him. Let me take him on!" Goku stepped in front of Vegeta.

"Kakarot, I didn't expect a low-class warrior like you to dare challenge me on your own." Vegeta crossed his arms, a contemptuous smile on his lips.

"Even low-class warriors can become strong through hard training!"

Goku took up a fighting stance, and his ki began to rise steadily.

The numbers on Vegeta's scouter jumped wildly: 5,000... 6,000... 7,000!

"Hmph, a mere power level of 7,000." Vegeta snorted disdainfully. "Let me show you what real power is!"

Before he finished speaking, Vegeta appeared before Goku like a ghost and drove a heavy punch into his abdomen. Goku barely raised his arms to block, but was still blasted hundreds of meters away.

"Pfft—" Goku spat out a mouthful of blood and dropped to one knee. He looked up at Vegeta as he slowly approached, his eyes full of the contempt of a cat toying with a mouse.

"Too slow, too weak. With that little strength, you think you can defeat me?"

Vegeta kicked at Goku's head, but Goku barely managed to tilt his head aside and evade it. Goku then kicked back at him, only for Vegeta to firmly grab his leg. With a violent swing, he flung Goku away.

Goku constantly adjusted his body in midair, then planted both feet against the ground, barely managing to steady himself.

"No, the gap in strength is too great. In that case... Kaio-ken times two!"

Goku let out a low roar. Instantly, violent red ki flared around his entire body. His muscles swelled in an instant, veins writhing beneath his skin like earthworms.

"What?"

Vegeta's pupils contracted. Before he could react, Goku's fist had already slammed heavily into his face, drawing a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Interesting." Vegeta licked his lips, and the mockery in his eyes finally turned solemn. "Now this is starting to feel like something!"

Then the two figures burst forward at the same time, clashing fiercely in midair. Every exchange triggered deafening sonic booms. For a while, the two were evenly matched, neither able to gain the upper hand.

After a long while, they separated. Goku stared fixedly at Vegeta and said, "I know you still haven't used your full strength. Show me everything you've got."

"Hmph. The warm-up is over. Now I'll show you the difference between a low-class warrior and an elite warrior!"

With that, Vegeta clenched both fists, and a purple aura erupted from within him.

In an instant, heaven and earth changed color. Dark clouds gathered above Vegeta's head like a vortex, and the ground trembled violently. Vegeta's power level rose at a terrifying rate.

Under Lin Yuan's observation, Vegeta's power level finally stopped at 19,000!

Vegeta floated in the air, looking down at Goku below. "Do you see it, Kakarot? This is the gap between us!"

"S-so oppressive... Is this his full strength?" Cold sweat streamed down Goku's face. "Looks like I can only force myself to use the threefold Kaio-ken. I just hope my body can withstand it!"

Goku took a deep breath. "Threefold... Kaio-ken!!"

At once, Goku's aura surged again, doubling in strength. At the same time, the strain on his body increased even further.

"W-what?" Vegeta stared in utter disbelief. How could this be possible? This guy could actually keep getting stronger! Judging by this, he was even a bit stronger than Vegeta at full power. "Impossible!"

The next second, Goku vanished from where he stood. A heavy blow struck Vegeta in the back, sending him crashing into the ground like a cannonball. Before he could rise, Goku descended from the sky and drove his knee viciously into Vegeta's chest.

"Pwah!" Vegeta spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes full of disbelief.

"I'm the prince of the Saiyans! What kind of joke is this? I'm actually losing to a low-class warrior like you!!"

Ignoring Vegeta, Goku fired an energy blast straight at him. Vegeta scrambled into the air, narrowly avoiding the attack.

In the air, Vegeta looked at the blood on his hand and instantly flew into a rage.

"Damn it!! I'll make the entire Earth perish with you, Kakarot!!"

Vegeta overlapped his hands, gathering immense purple energy in his palms.

"Galick Gun!" Vegeta thrust both hands downward, firing an energy wave powerful enough to destroy the entire Earth at Goku.

"Hahaha! Turn to ashes along with the Earth!"

Facing this terrifying attack, Goku knew he could not dodge!

Goku brought his hands together at his waist, then unleashed an equally powerful blue beam of light!

"Kamehameha!!"

The blue-white energy beam collided with the purple energy wave in midair. The two destructive forces struggled against each other, shaking the earth as countless trees were uprooted and rocks soared into the air.

"AAAAAH!"

Vegeta's face twisted savagely as he unleashed all his power at once. Goku's Kamehameha began to be pushed back little by little.

"I won't... let you... succeed!"

"Kaio-ken—Fourfold!"

Goku suddenly roared. Veins bulged all over his body, and the aura around him surged wildly. The Kamehameha beam abruptly thickened, crushing Vegeta's Galick Gun with overwhelming force.

"No—!"

Vegeta's scream rang out high in the sky as the Kamehameha drove him above the clouds.

After doing all this, Goku fell straight down. He truly had no strength left at all.

At that moment, Lin Yuan flashed to Goku's side.

Seeing Lin Yuan, Goku spoke to him in a hoarse voice. "Lin... Yuan... Be careful, he's... not... dead yet!"

Lin Yuan nodded and fed Goku a Senzu Bean.

"I know. Leave the rest to me."