Blood Battle at Island Seven Breaks the Stalemate, Dark Figures in the Deep Cave Set Up a Chess Game

As dawn spread over the horizon, the sound of fists and kicks tearing through the air had already risen from the beach of Turtle Hermit Island.

Son Goku stood barefoot amid the waves, letting the tide wash over his ankles. His hands slowly gathered energy as the pale blue sphere in his palms shrank smaller and smaller, condensing until it became almost solid. This was the technique he had realized after three months of grueling training—compressing the Kamehameha to its absolute limit, multiplying its power severalfold.

Meanwhile, Krillin and Yamcha were breaking down combination attacks among the reefs. One attacked while the other defended, their movements so fast that only afterimages remained. After their previous battle against the androids, the two understood the importance of coordination more deeply than ever. Their moves flowed seamlessly into one another, and their shifts between offense and defense were nearly flawless.

Qi Tian, seated by the cliff, suddenly opened his eyes. His black-gold divine essence instantly tensed.

From the western sky, a powerful mechanical energy was cutting through the air at astonishing speed. Its aura was far more concentrated than that of the previous three scout androids—several times stronger, in fact.

"It's here."

At those two words, the training on the beach stopped at once. Son Goku leaped ashore, while Krillin and Yamcha hurried over as well. Their expressions were grave, but there was not a trace of panic. Three months of harsh training had long since stripped away their youthful naivety and given them the confidence to face powerful foes.

Bulma rushed over with the detector in her arms. The red dot on its screen was glaringly bright. "It's Android 7! Its energy reading is off the charts—stronger than the previous three combined! It's heading straight for the center of the island!"

Before she finished speaking, a piercing mechanical roar came from high above. A tall silver-and-black figure burst through the clouds and came to a stop over Turtle Hermit Island. It stood nearly two meters tall, with sharp, angular armor and a deep-blue energy core embedded in its chest. Its mechanical eyes swept across the people below as an icy electronic voice echoed over the island.

"Targets confirmed: Son Goku, Krillin, Yamcha, Master Roshi, Qi Tian. Commencing highest-priority combat data collection and elimination operation."

Android 7 raised a hand, and the energy cannon in its palm charged instantly. A thick blue beam crashed down, aimed straight at the crowded beach. Before it even arrived, the scorching airwave had already sent sand and stones flying.

"Scatter!"

Son Goku barked out the warning and shot into the sky. His fists were wrapped in dense qi as he smashed toward the beam. With a deafening boom, his qi collided with the blast in midair. Son Goku was knocked back several meters, only steadying himself after flipping through the air. His arms tingled faintly from the impact.

"What powerful energy!" There was no fear in his eyes. Instead, blazing fighting spirit ignited within them.

Krillin and Yamcha charged from opposite sides, closing in on Android 7 from the left and right.

"Wolf Fang Fist: Rend!"

Qi blades several inches long formed around Yamcha's fists. His punches came like a gale, crashing down in wave after wave against Android 7's energy shield. A shrill scraping sound rang out as ripples spread across the shield's surface, but it did not break.

Krillin, meanwhile, circled behind Android 7. He pressed his palms together and poured all his qi into his fingertips.

"Qi Blade Piercing Hand!"

Blade-sharp qi shot straight toward the core at Android 7's neck. Yet Android 7 seemed to have eyes in the back of its head. Its mechanical arm swept backward with terrifying force, slamming toward Krillin. He had no time to evade and could only cross his arms to block. He was sent flying, crashing heavily onto the beach and skidding several meters across the sand.

"Krillin!" Son Goku shouted anxiously.

"I'm fine!" Krillin pushed himself up from the sand and wiped the dust from the corner of his mouth. "This guy's reaction speed and shield are way stronger than those previous androids!"

Android 7 hovered in the air, its mechanical eyes flashing continuously. Its cold voice sounded again. "Combat data collection in progress... Move analysis complete."

The moment it spoke, it suddenly clenched its fist and took the exact same opening stance Yamcha had used moments ago. As its fists howled through the air, it unleashed an improved version of the Wolf Fang Fist!

"What?!" Yamcha's pupils contracted sharply.

It was the exact same technique, but in the android's hands, it was far more ferocious and overpowering. The barrage of punches carried immense mechanical force as it smashed into Yamcha's hastily raised guard. Yamcha grunted and staggered backward again and again, his blood and qi churning in his chest.

"It can copy techniques?" Krillin exclaimed.

"More than that." Master Roshi had somehow moved in front of them. With his pipe clenched between his teeth, he spoke gravely. "It's analyzing your force trajectories and simulating them with mechanical power. Its strength is no less than yours—probably greater. If this keeps up, it'll learn every one of your techniques inside out."

Android 7 slowly descended, its metal feet sinking deep into the sand. The energy core in its chest shone brilliantly, and the shield around its body grew even more solid. Step by step, it advanced toward them like an unstoppable killing machine.

Son Goku gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and brought his hands together at his waist.

"Kamehameha—"

A pale blue energy sphere rapidly swelled between his palms. Air currents surged wildly, blowing his hair back. This time, he did not fire immediately. Instead, he continuously compressed the energy. The sphere grew smaller and smaller, yet its color deepened ever further.

Android 7 raised its palm as well, gathering a blue energy cannon identical to Son Goku's Kamehameha. The two attacks faced each other in silent confrontation.

"Goku, don't use a standard technique!" Krillin shouted.

But before he could finish, both energy attacks fired at the same time. The blue pillars collided, and the earth-shaking explosion made the entire island tremble. Son Goku's compressed Kamehameha held for several seconds before being forced back by the android's amplified energy. The residual blast struck the beach and blew a massive crater into the sand.

Son Goku dropped to one knee at the edge of the crater, breathing heavily with a deep frown. In a direct clash of power, he had actually been overwhelmed.

Just as Android 7 prepared to press its advantage, two figures charged out from opposite sides again. This time, Krillin and Yamcha did not use their signature techniques. Instead, they relied on the most basic punches and kicks, combined with agile footwork, targeting Android 7's joints and circuitry ports.

Basic techniques left no pattern to trace, and Android 7's copying ability immediately became useless. Its mechanical arm swept out repeatedly, but it kept missing. Instead, Krillin's short-range strikes repeatedly hit weak points at its elbows and waist, denting several sections of its armor.

"It's working!" Son Goku's eyes lit up, and he immediately joined the fight. The three abandoned flashy techniques and entangled Android 7 with nothing but pure hand-to-hand combat and footwork. At times they split apart to harass it, and at others they struck together, forcing Android 7 back step by step.

"Not bad. They know how to adapt." Master Roshi stroked his beard and nodded, approval in his eyes.

Android 7 seemed to have been enraged. The energy core in its chest abruptly turned crimson. It threw its head back, and energy erupted violently from its body. The savage shockwave sent all three of them flying.

"Emergency mode activated. Full-power output."

Its body vanished from where it stood, moving so fast that only an afterimage remained. The next instant, it appeared behind Son Goku, its mechanical fist smashing down with a shriek through the air. Son Goku had no time to turn around. He could only twist at the waist and force himself sideways, taking the punch squarely on the shoulder. His whole body flew away and slammed into a reef, sending shattered rocks tumbling everywhere.

"Goku!" Krillin and Yamcha cried out at the same time.

Android 7 did not pause for even a moment. It turned and lunged at Krillin. Its mechanical arm transformed into a gleaming blade, stabbing straight toward his heart. Krillin had nowhere to evade. Just as he was about to be struck, a streak of black-gold light suddenly crossed in front of him.

Qi Tian raised a hand and casually caught the sharp mechanical blade between two fingers.

Clang—

The screech of metal against metal rang out. Android 7 pushed forward with all its strength, yet the tip of its blade could not advance even a fraction.

"Is that all you've got?" Qi Tian asked calmly, applying the slightest pressure with his fingers.

With a crisp crack, he snapped the mechanical blade forged from high-strength alloy between his fingers. Android 7's mechanical eye flashed, and its other hand gathered an energy cannon before firing it point-blank at Qi Tian's chest.

The close-range energy blast engulfed the figure by the cliff in flames. Krillin's pupils contracted sharply, and just as he was about to rush forward, Qi Tian's calm voice emerged from the smoke and dust. "Stand back."

Black-gold energy erupted, scattering the smoke. Qi Tian stood where he was, his black robe utterly unmoved. The energy cannon that could have shattered a massive boulder had not even damaged the corner of his clothes.

At the third level of the Divine-tier Body Tempering Art, being able to withstand ordinary energy blasts with one's body without injury was no empty claim.

"Target Qi Tian detected. Combat power value... unable to calculate." Fluctuation appeared in Android 7's mechanical voice for the first time. "Executing highest-priority retreat. Data transmitted."

It turned to take off, but Qi Tian moved. With a flash, he was already above Android 7's head. His right hand formed a palm, black-gold divine essence gathering along its edge as he chopped down through the air.

"Subtle Force: Metal Severance."

A thread-thin streak of black-gold light flashed and vanished. Android 7's ascending motion abruptly froze. A smooth cut slowly appeared, running from its shoulder and neck down to its waist and abdomen. Its energy core emitted a rapid hum before going completely dark. The massive mechanical body crashed to the ground, making the beach tremble.

The battle ended, and the sea breeze carried away the scent of gunpowder.

Goku jumped out from behind a reef and brushed the dust from himself. Though he had taken a punch, he was still brimming with energy. "Qi Tian, you finished it way too fast! I wanted to fight a little longer."

Krillin and Yamcha came over as well, their hearts still trembling as they looked at the android wreckage on the ground. Android 7 had been far stronger than expected. If Qi Tian had not ended things so decisively, the three of them might have had to pay a considerable price even if they joined forces.

Bulma crouched beside the wreckage and quickly dismantled its core components, her expression growing increasingly grave. "This is bad. This android isn't purely mechanical anymore. Biological tissue has been fused into its skeletal frame and neural circuits. It's a half-mechanical, half-biological modified organism. Dr. Gero's technology has advanced far too quickly."

She looked up at the others. "It also had a real-time transmission module inside. All of our combat data and fighting styles have probably already been sent to Dr. Gero. Whatever comes next will only be stronger."

Everyone fell silent. The enemy was evolving, so they had to move faster as well.

In a demonic cavern deep within the mountains, hundreds of miles away.

Piccolo slowly withdrew his divine sense, complicated emotions churning in his crimson eyes.

He had sensed Android 7's strength clearly. His former self from the martial arts tournament would have needed to put in some effort to deal with it. Yet now, Goku and the other two could keep it occupied for a long time by joining forces, while Qi Tian had slain it with a mere gesture.

"Humanity's rate of growth truly cannot be underestimated."

He muttered to himself as the black aura around him surged ever more violently. His plan to sit back and reap the benefits seemed to be drifting away from his expectations. If he waited any longer, Goku and the others would only grow stronger.

"I can't wait any longer."

Piccolo abruptly opened his eyes, and demonic energy shot into the sky, shaking loose fragments of stone from the cave ceiling. He was going to make a move himself. Not to confront Qi Tian head-on, but to seek out that mad scientist in the depths of the desert.

If android technology could be used for his own purposes...

A cold and sinister plan quietly took shape in his heart. He would use Dr. Gero's technology to further temper his demonic body, using human science to accelerate the evolution of the demon race.

Meanwhile, in the underground laboratory beneath the desert.

Dr. Gero looked at the complete combat data on the screen, along with the notification that Android 7 had been destroyed. Rather than being discouraged, he burst into loud laughter.

"Perfect! Absolutely perfect!"

His fingertips traced the energy curve from when Qi Tian had attacked, his eyes filled with greed and fanaticism. "Unfathomable energy, exquisitely precise control... With this data, Android 8's core can finally be completed!"

He turned to look at the larger incubation chamber behind him. Inside floated a more slender body. Its surface was no longer cold metal, but human-like synthetic skin. There was no exposed energy core on its chest, and its aura was restrained, like a martial artist in slumber.

"With another advancement in biological modification technology, combined with the combat data of every powerful fighter... Android 8 will be my most perfect creation."

Dr. Gero let out a shrill cackle, his voice echoing through the empty laboratory, cold and obsessive.

Dusk fell once more over Turtle Hermit Island.

A bonfire burned on the beach, and everyone sat around it, but none of them had their usual ease.

Qi Tian gazed at the night sky, his divine essence perception piercing through the atmosphere toward the depths of space. Those two Saiyan auras had already entered the edge of the solar system. At this rate, they would reach Earth in ten months at most.

"There isn't much time left," he suddenly said.

Everyone looked over.

"Starting tomorrow, training intensity will double." Qi Tian's tone was calm but left no room for doubt. "Dr. Gero's androids will only become stronger, and even more terrifying enemies are coming from the universe. We don't have time to improve slowly."

Goku's eyes lit up. "Even more terrifying enemies? Are they strong?"

"Very strong." Qi Tian nodded. "Strong enough that even all of us together couldn't stop them as we are now."

The atmosphere instantly froze. Krillin swallowed, while Yamcha clenched his fists.

Master Roshi knocked his pipe against something and said gravely, "Qi Tian is right. Comfort is the great enemy of cultivation. Since a storm is coming, then let it come even fiercer. Starting tomorrow, this old man will personally supervise your training."

Goku stood up, clenched his fist toward the stars, and flashed a brilliant smile. "What's there to be afraid of? The stronger, the better! That just means I'll have an even better fight!"

The youth's burning blood and fighting spirit drifted into the distance on the evening breeze.

By the cliff, Qi Tian watched his back as black-gold divine essence slowly flowed around his fingertips.

Ten months.

It was enough. Enough for Goku to break into a new realm, enough for the Divine-tier Body Tempering Art to advance another step.

Every crisis and every powerful enemy would become a stone step on the path to the summit.

The bonfire flickered, illuminating everyone's resolute faces.

The path of cultivation had never ceased. Greater challenges were quietly waiting ahead.