Restored Face, A Bug?

Amond and the others had been hiding in the shadows, ready to ambush the intruder at a moment's notice upon receiving orders from Turles.

However, before Turles could even give the command, they watched in shock as he flew out from his conversation with the child, half of his face completely blown away.

This was entirely beyond their expectations.

They had followed Turles through countless major campaigns.

From the moment they defected from King Frieza's army to their subsequent travels across the universe, using countless planets as fertilizer to cultivate the Tree of Might...

Everything had gone smoothly until now; Turles's strength and intellect had always suppressed any opposition.

Yet, no one could have imagined he would suffer such a setback at the hands of a mere child.

Even though the brat belonged to the same race as Turles, he was clearly young; how could he possibly be capable of such a feat?

Before they could process these thoughts further, they saw the streak of light that was Son Gohan slam violently into the mountainside.

Brilliant radiance erupted from within, tearing the valley apart right down the middle as thick smoke billowed out into the night sky.

"Bastard!"

A voice, hoarse and demonic, echoed from the rubble.

As men who had campaigned across the universe with Turles, Amond and his comrades recognized the voice as their leader's, though it lacked his usual confidence and was instead laced with agony.

The group acted instantly, transforming into streaks of light as they surged toward the distance.

Several beams of light shot from various directions into the shattered valley.

The broken landscape was illuminated in a kaleidoscope of colors, appearing strangely magnificent under the night sky.

By now, Son Gohan had sensed the gathering of ki around him.

He remained calm, retreating while charging his power, a spherical energy orb rapidly coalescing in his right hand.

BOOM!

The orb of concentrated energy plummeted directly onto the spot where Turles lay.

Son Gohan turned away instantly; he didn't even bother to watch the explosion, instead launching an immediate assault on the surrounding streaks of light.

When the four subordinates of Turles had moved to attack, he had already gauged the strength of their ki.

Even the weakest among them was far stronger than Raditz.

It had to be said that the Tree of Might was truly formidable, allowing a low-class warrior like Turles to lead a squad with an average power level of ten thousand.

One had to remember that even Vegeta, hailed by King Vegeta as the greatest genius in Saiyan history, didn't have a single subordinate with a power level exceeding ten thousand!

Even so.

Gohan could handle them all by himself!

Pop, pop, pop, pop!

Before the charging men could reach their intended positions, the readings on their scouters spiked rapidly, instantly exceeding the devices' limits and causing them to shatter.

"What?"

A surge of intense fear flashed through their minds.

But before they could react, they felt as if they had been struck by a mountain, sent flying backward in an instant.

They felt an indescribable pain radiating throughout their bodies.

Clearly, the opponent's speed was so great that they hadn't even had a chance to respond.

"Damn it, how is this guy so strong?"

Amond and the others were filled with disbelief.

They had roamed the universe with Turles for a long time, yet they had never encountered an opponent like this.

Despite their bodies being enhanced by the Tree of Might, they couldn't even exchange a single blow; they couldn't even track his movements, and they were already severely wounded.

Whoosh!

As they tumbled away into the distance, Son Gohan came to a halt. A blazing white aura surged around him, the light becoming intensely scorching.

The high-density ki coalesced into a flame that felt almost tangible.

He seemed to have become a sun himself, illuminating the entire valley.

Icarus, watching from a great distance, tilted its head. As Son Gohan's good friend, it had never seen him in this state before.

Had he turned into a sun?

Before it could ponder further, it saw streaks of light radiating outward from Son Gohan as the center.

It looked just like fireworks blooming in the sky.

Only, unlike ordinary fireworks, these beams of light contained terrifying power.

The light struck every one of Turles's subordinates.

The immense energy crushed everything in its path, obliterating the figures in the distance in a mere instant.

Son Gohan quickly suppressed his own ki. Although this was a matched world, it felt far too real; to avoid attracting any other powerhouses, it was better not to be so conspicuous.

He then narrowed his eyes, turning his gaze toward the shattered valley.

He could feel an aura rising rapidly.

According to his calculations, what he had just unleashed should have been enough to eliminate Turles.

It seems he really does have some tricks up his sleeve.

Electric arcs flickered in Son Gohan's eyes. His muscles tensed once more, and a faint glow began to coat the surface of his body.

He clearly realized that Turles still had other means at his disposal.

Crash!

The aura in the distance turned violent, and countless shards of rock were swept up by a gale, shooting wildly in every direction.

The debris slammed fiercely into the forest, which had already been scorched by flames.

The entire forest looked even more devastated, as if it had been subjected to a continuous meteor shower.

Son Gohan stood in mid-air, his expression unchanging.

No matter how fierce the incoming debris was, it could never get within three feet of him.

Just then, a dark streak of light rushed toward him from the distance at incredible speed.

The figure within was still Turles, but he was moving much faster than before—fast enough that even Son Gohan felt the pressure.

Boom!

The air was compressed to its limit, triggering a violent explosion.

Terrifying flames rippled through the void.

The shockwave continued to ripple outward, reaching even the areas beyond the forest.

So much so that the warriors guarding this planet were already rushing toward the scene.

"How is this possible? You didn't have this kind of power last time!"

Turles's voice rang out from within the flames. Though it still carried shock and anger, he sounded much better than before!

"Last time?"

Son Gohan feigned confusion.

"Hmph, it seems something has changed!"

Seeing that he didn't know either, Turles sneered, "But the outcome was decided long ago. The one who will claim this universe is ultimately me... Turles!"

As he spoke, the two auras expanded rapidly.

Purple and white flames surged, seemingly splitting the night sky in two.

"Didn't I just smash your face in?"

Son Gohan's thoughts raced. He unleashed the Kaioken he had just learned in an instant, immediately overpowering Turles's aura.

Then, he slammed another punch hard into Turles's face.

To be honest, since this face looked just like his father's, he felt a twinge of guilt every time he struck it.

This time, Turles was only knocked back a few dozen meters before he managed to force his body to a halt in mid-air.

He glared at Son Gohan with evil intent, pulled something resembling a bug from his pocket, and said, "Hmph, I, Turles, am the fated emperor of the universe. Do you really think the son of a low-class warrior can defeat me?"