Castle Secret Room Wish Unfulfilled, Full Moon Approaches Great Ape Anomalous

Hodgepodge lay unconscious beneath a pillar, while only Pilaf and Mai remained in the hall, trembling in fear. Mai swayed and tried to break through the side door, flinging her dagger backward as several poisoned needles shot through the dim light toward Bulma. She wanted to seize a hostage and escape.

"Your little tricks are useless."

Qi Tian flicked his fingertips, sending several grains of sand whistling through the air. They accurately knocked down every flying needle without losing momentum, then struck Mai's wrist. Her dagger fell from her hand. Crying out in pain, Mai staggered, only for Yamcha to step forward and pin her to the ground with a backhand, leaving her unable to move.

Pilaf sat alone on his throne, his triangular eyes filled with madness. He suddenly pulled three Dragon Balls from his robes and slammed them onto the stone table before him. "You think you've won? I set up a magic array in the secret chamber beneath the castle long ago. The moment I flip the switch, this entire castle and everyone in it will be blasted to ashes! If you want the Dragon Balls, then you'll be buried with me!"

Bulma's heart tightened as she hurriedly pulled out the Dragon Radar to compare the coordinates. "The secret chamber is directly beneath the throne. The last Dragon Ball should be in there too—Pilaf hid it in advance!"

Qi Tian activated his ki concealment, completely suppressing his battle power as he walked toward the throne. "There's no need to blow up the castle. I'll go down and get it myself." His fingertips touched an inconspicuous groove at the side of the throne. The knowledge of dismantling mechanisms in his mind immediately sprang into action, and he gently twisted the hidden latch.

With several clacking sounds of turning gears, the throne slowly slid to one side, revealing a spiraling stone staircase leading downward. A chill rushed out from the entrance to the secret chamber, faintly accompanied by wisps of dark magical mist.

"You're not allowed to go down!" Pilaf lunged at him in a rage, but Goku lightly tripped him with his foot, sending him sprawling miserably across the carpet.

Puar bounced down the stone stairs first to scout ahead. A moment later, he scampered back up, meowing to signal that it was safe below. There was only a mechanical guard watching the passage.

The group filed into the underground chamber. Glowing crystals embedded in the vaulted stone ceiling illuminated the room, while the sixth Dragon Ball rested on a stone platform in the center, its black markings drifting quietly across its orange surface. Beside it stood a human-height metal robot soldier. Its infrared eyes suddenly lit up, and its steel gauntlet smashed toward the intruders.

The mechanical fist struck the ground, blasting stone fragments everywhere. Goku was just about to raise his Power Pole when Qi Tian stepped forward and caught the rapidly swinging steel fist in one hand.

A screech of compressed, twisting metal rang out as the mechanical soldier's entire arm was bent by brute force. With a casual twist, Qi Tian shattered its internal wiring, sending sparks flying everywhere. The entire guard crashed to the ground, completely disabled.

Bulma hurried forward and collected the sixth Dragon Ball. The six Dragon Balls gleamed against one another inside the capsule case, while only one final point of light remained on the radar. It was in a barren mountain dozens of kilometers from the castle, precisely in the direction where the full moon would rise that night.

"Just one more! Once we have them all, we can summon Shenron and make a wish!" Bulma could barely contain her excitement.

Yamcha escorted Pilaf into the secret chamber. Watching the Dragon Balls he had obtained change hands entirely, Pilaf's face turned ashen, yet he still refused to give up. "So what if you gather the Dragon Balls? You only get one wish! I've planned this for years—I'll never let you have everything your way!"

Qi Tian glanced at the sky outside. The horizon had already taken on a dark orange hue, and a perfectly round full moon was slowly climbing over the mountains. Strands of peculiar light waves spread through the air. The tail covered in short fur at his lower back involuntarily tensed, while the Great Ape fragments within him churned restlessly. The Saiyan instinct hidden deep in his bloodline began to stir.

[Ding! Full-moon Blutz Waves detected. Great Ape fragments have resonated, triggering a temporary sign-in option: Pilaf Castle Secret Chamber Finale Sign-In]

[Sign in?]

"Sign in."

[Ding! Sign-in successful. Rewards issued.]

[1. Permanent Battle Power +830. Current Total Battle Power: 2600]

[2. Great Ape Transformation Fragments ×5 (Total Progress: 9/100)]

[3. Passive: Blutz Wave Resistance (Slightly weakens the berserk effects of the full moon and stabilizes the mind)]

[4. Storage Capsules ×20, one set of assorted emergency modification parts]

A gentle force soothed the beastly nature churning within him, and his restless bloodline instantly calmed by more than half. Even as the full moon's light continued to envelop him, Qi Tian remained clear-headed. Goku, on the other hand, had his tail standing straight up, a faint crimson glow appearing in his pupils as his breathing grew heavy.

"Goku, hold it in. Don't stare at the moon." Bulma hurriedly blocked Goku's view.

Yamcha stared at the full moon overhead, recalling the rumors of Saiyans transforming into Great Apes under the full moon and destroying cities. His heart tightened. "We need to leave the castle and find the last Dragon Ball as soon as possible. If we stay any longer, something might happen."

They locked Pilaf and Mai inside the secret chamber, sealing the stone door with the mechanism, then packed their things and left the ancient castle. The desert evening wind grew increasingly bitter. The full moon hung high in the sky, casting Blutz Waves across the earth as the grasses and trees of the wilderness stirred without wind.

According to the radar's guidance, the final Dragon Ball was inside a cave in the bald mountain ahead. The group hurried onward without stopping. Along the way, Goku repeatedly couldn't resist looking up at the moon, his body showing faint signs of swelling. Only Qi Tian's intermittent releases of Great Ape source aura soothed him enough to barely suppress the urge to transform.

"Qi Tian, you don't seem affected by the moon at all?" Yamcha asked in surprise as they walked. He could clearly sense that Qi Tian had a Saiyan tail, yet showed no sign of going berserk.

"I have a few ways to keep it under control," Qi Tian replied casually, his gaze fixed on the pitch-black cave entrance ahead. The point of light at the top of the Dragon Radar was firmly pinned inside the cave.

Several giant desert scorpions lurked outside the cave, their pincers gleaming with poisonous green venom. Sensing strangers approaching, they raised their stingers in unison and charged to surround them.

Unable to suppress his fighting spirit, Goku extended the Power Pole and swept it across the field, knocking over two scorpions in succession. Yamcha used the Wolf Fang Fist to engage them at close range, but the scorpions' stingers forced him back again and again.

Qi Tian slowly stepped into the fight. His Indestructible Body passive was constantly active, and the poison from the stingers was instantly broken down the moment it touched his skin. He raised a hand and pushed forward. The immense force of his body swept in all directions, sending the remaining scorpions flying into the rock walls, where they fell unconscious.

Bulma quickly entered the depths of the cave. The final Seven-Star Ball lay quietly in a crack between the stones. All seven Dragon Balls had been gathered, faintly drawing one another through the air as they emitted a soft golden glow.

"We've got them all! Hurry and find an open area to summon Shenron!" Bulma excitedly took out all the Dragon Balls and arranged them on the ground.

The instant the seven Dragon Balls touched the ground, dark clouds abruptly gathered overhead and blocked out the full moon. Gale-force winds swept across the desert, thunder rumbled deep within the clouds, and the aura of heaven and earth changed dramatically.

But just one second before Shenron was about to appear, several black figures suddenly darted out from the distant desert. Dressed in standardized black uniforms and holding firearms aimed at the group, they were unmistakably Pilaf's remaining followers, who had tracked them here and launched a sneak attack while they were summoning Shenron.

"You want to make a wish? Leave your lives behind first!" The black-clad leader pulled the trigger, spraying a barrage of bullets toward the Dragon Balls.

Goku was just about to protect the Dragon Balls when Qi Tian flashed in front of them. His body took the bullets head-on, and every round that struck his skin warped and fell away. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he prepared to deal with the minor thugs, but Shenron's deep roar had already pierced through heaven and earth from within the clouds.

At the center of the swirling clouds, the massive green Shenron slowly extended his body. His enormous vertical pupils overlooked the earth, and the entire desert fell deathly silent.