Super Saiyan 4 Descends

"Damn—this hurts like hell!"

Chen Hao bared his teeth and rubbed his swollen left cheek. But then he smiled, forcibly swallowing the pain and turning it into a hearty laugh that echoed through the silent mountain forest.

He sucked in a breath, his entire body stiffening as though he had been electrocuted. His hand trembled constantly. The instant his fingertips touched that burning patch of skin, the pain felt like needles stabbing him. It was a hot, numbing ache, flowing across his face like lava and spreading to his ears and cheekbones.

He rubbed his face, his features twisted into a knot, his teeth chattering audibly.

"It hurts this much... so this definitely isn't a dream, right?"

He muttered under his breath and pinched his thigh hard with his right hand. The pain made him grimace, finally confirming that this was no illusion. The sound of wind, the gravel, the dry scent of earth—all of it was real.

Suddenly, amid the deathly silence, that familiar electronic chime tore through the air again, like a cold blade thrusting into his mind.

"Ding—"

It was completely emotionless, yet overwhelmingly oppressive, as if the sky were collapsing. The voice was more urgent than before, its final note rising as though invisible eyes were forcing him to decide quickly.

"You have one minute to choose an identity. Otherwise, it will be considered forfeited. At that time, you can only live in the Dragon Ball World as an ordinary person."

Chen Hao's pupils suddenly contracted, as if pricked by a needle. His gaze immediately focused on the four options appearing in his mind—East Kai, Baby, Dabura, Super Saiyan 4.

Those names struck his heart like iron balls, each carrying the weight of a different fate.

East Kai possessed divine power, but came with many restrictions;

Baby could parasitize and control others, cold and evil;

Dabura had the pressure of a Demon King, but was unfortunately controlled by others;

And lastly—Super Saiyan 4, with its crimson fur, golden pupils, wildness, and purity.

Chen Hao barely hesitated. His lips trembled slightly, and his voice was dry but resolute, like a stone splashing into water. "I want Super Saiyan 4!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the system responded at once.

The electronic voice instantly became solemn, like the tolling of a bell echoing through the void.

"Congratulations, selection successful. You have obtained the Super Saiyan 4 transformation and form!"

Immediately afterward, it rattled off another sentence like a machine gun. "Additional rewards: ki control, Sky Dance, Tenfold Kamehameha Wave..."

Before the final words could fade, an indescribable power erupted from every part of his body.

Chen Hao's body jolted, as if it had been filled by an invisible torrent. The force was scorching hot, racing through his veins as every muscle trembled wildly.

He could hear his own body changing—his bones creaked as if they were being twisted and stretched; his muscles swelled, his body hair stood on end before rapidly receding, and new crimson fur sprouted beneath his skin like flames.

Heat surged through his back. His spine cracked, and a tail snapped out like a spring, its red fur vivid and bright.

Chen Hao took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the scent of earth and smoke.

His chest swelled, and he slowly exhaled a cloud of white mist. He opened his eyes—the world before him suddenly became unbelievably clear.

The paths of the wind, dust in the air, cracks in the rock walls—every detail had been magnified tenfold.

He scanned the ground and spotted a fragment of stone by his feet, smooth as a mirror. He bent down, brushed aside the sand and gravel, and picked it up, raising it before his eyes.

The stone reflected a blurry image, making him catch his breath slightly—his red eye sockets resembled smoldering embers, while his golden pupils shone brilliantly like two melted gold coins, sharp and intimidating.

Long black hair hung over his shoulders, the tips swaying faintly. Looking down at his chest, he saw crimson fur gleaming with a metallic sheen under the sunlight.

He raised a hand, spread his fingers, then clenched them into a fist. His joints cracked loudly.

His tail swayed from side to side behind him, its tip stirring a gust of wind. "Holy shit... I really turned into Super Saiyan 4?"

Chen Hao muttered to himself in a low, hoarse voice, trembling with disbelief.

He rose to his feet and planted both feet heavily on the gravel-covered ground, producing a dull thud.

His shadow blanketed the area around him—his whole body had grown larger, with broad shoulders and thick arms, like a wild beast.

He looked around, his gaze passing over barren rocks, withered grass, and the hazy gray horizon in the distance. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

That smile was cold and crazed, like a fuse lit in silence.

Chen Hao stood atop the barren ridge, with gravel and dust beneath his feet.

He lowered his head to look at his hands. His fingers were long and strong, and a warm current surged through his palms.

He stood there blankly for several seconds before suddenly grinning and laughing aloud. His laughter echoed through the valley, startling several birds into flight.

"...Isn't this way too cool?"

Unable to resist, he touched his face. His fingers brushed against a cold, glass-like shard of stone—the fragment he had just picked up, reflecting an unfamiliar face.

With a crack, the shard was lightly pinched between his fingertips and shattered into pieces, clattering to the ground.

"This... is insanely cool, isn't it?"

Chen Hao looked at the scattered fragments and twitched the corner of his mouth helplessly. He bent down again and pinched up another piece, which crumbled into powder that sifted down between his fingers. "Is my face seriously that hard? I wasn't touching glass—the glass broke first?"

He dusted off his hands, rose, and looked around.

The wilderness wind howled, withered grass swayed, and ancient trees in the distance twisted grotesquely, their trunks covered in cracks.

He took another deep breath. The air was filled with the dry scent of soil and stone, along with a trace of unfamiliar energy fluctuations.

For the next half hour, Chen Hao remained where he was, inspecting his body.

First, he jumped straight up. The rock beneath his feet cracked with a crunch, and his entire body shot two meters into the air. When he landed, his legs remained steady, while two shallow pits appeared in the ground beneath his feet.

Then he threw a punch. The force of his fist howled, striking the air with a sharp sound. His punch met resistance, and the impact made his arm go numb.

He turned and kicked. His right leg swept sideways, unleashing a fierce gale that swept up gravel and dust from the ground into a small whirlwind and flung it far away.