A Restored Face, a Bug?

Amond and the others had been hiding in the shadows, ready to ambush the newcomers as soon as Lord Turles gave the order.

But before they could hear Lord Turles give the command, they saw him fly straight back after going to speak with the child. Half his face had even been blasted away.

This was completely beyond their expectations.

After all, they had followed Lord Turles through many great deeds.

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

Everything had gone smoothly until now. Lord Turles's strength and intelligence had been more than enough to crush any opposition.

But no one had expected him to fall to a child.

The brat was of the same race as Lord Turles, but anyone could tell from his age that he was young. How could he possibly have done something like that?

Before they could think any further,

they saw Son Gohan, transformed into a streak of light, hurtle straight into the mountainside.

A dazzling light exploded within, tearing the valley apart down the middle as rolling clouds of smoke spread beneath the night sky.

"Damn you!"

A hoarse voice, like that of a vengeful spirit, rang out from within the mountainside.

Having followed Turles in his conquests across the universe, Amond and the others immediately recognized their lord's voice. But unlike his usual confidence, it now carried a note of anguish.

The group sprang into action, each turning into a streak of light and hurtling toward the mountainside.

Several streaks of light shot into the shattered valley from different directions.

The already-ruined valley was now filled with flashes of color, making it look almost dazzling beneath the night sky.

Son Gohan naturally sensed the surrounding ki gathering.

But he remained calm. As he retreated, he gathered his strength, and a round ball of energy quickly formed in his right hand.

Boom!

The spherical mass of energy slammed down where Turles was.

Son Gohan quickly spun around. He didn't even look at the ball's explosion before immediately launching an attack at the streaks of light around him.

By the time Turles's four underlings had attacked, he had already sensed the strength of their ki.

Even the weakest among them was far stronger than Raditz.

The Tree of Might really was formidable. It had allowed Turles, a Low-Class Warrior, to assemble a force whose average battle power was ten thousand.

Even Vegeta, whom King Vegeta had called the greatest Saiyan prodigy in history, had never had a subordinate with a battle power above ten thousand!

Even so,

Gohan could handle them on his own!

Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!

Before the attackers could reach their intended positions, the readings on their Scouters began to climb rapidly. In an instant, they exceeded the devices' limits, causing them to explode.

"What?"

A surge of terror flashed through their minds.

Before they could think another thing, they felt as if a mountain had slammed into them, and they were sent flying.

Every part of their bodies throbbed with unspeakable pain.

Their opponent had clearly moved too fast for them to react at all.

"Damn it! How can this guy be so strong?"

Amond and the others couldn't believe it.

They had traveled the universe with Lord Turles for a long time, but they had never encountered an opponent like this.

Even with their bodies enhanced by the Tree of Might, they couldn't land a single blow. They couldn't even see their opponent, yet they were already gravely injured.

Whoosh!

As they tumbled into the distance,

Son Gohan hovered in place, his body wreathed in blazing white energy. The light was intensely radiant.

His powerful ki gathered into flames so tangible they seemed almost solid.

He looked like the sun itself, illuminating the entire valley.

Watching from far away, Icarus tilted his head slightly. As Son Gohan's good friend, he had never seen him like this.

Had he turned into the sun?

Before he could think further, streaks of light began to spread outward in every direction, with Son Gohan at their center.

They looked like fireworks blooming across the sky.

But unlike ordinary fireworks, each flash contained terrifying power.

The lights struck every one of Turles's underlings.

The overwhelming energy swept through them, destroying the men in the distance in an instant.

Son Gohan quickly suppressed his ki. Although this was a matched world, it felt all too real. He didn't want to draw any more powerful fighters here, so it was better not to show off.

Then his brows furrowed slightly as he looked toward the shattered valley.

He could sense a ki rapidly growing stronger there.

By his calculations, the attack should have been enough to kill Turles.

"Looks like you do have a few tricks."

Son Gohan's eyes flickered like arcs of electricity. His muscles tensed again, and a faint glow spread over his body.

He had clearly realized that Turles had another trick up his sleeve.

Whoosh!

Turles's ki in the distance quickly grew more intense. Countless broken rocks were swept up by the raging wind and shot wildly in every direction.

The rocks battered the forest that had been scorched by the flames.

The whole forest looked even more devastated now, as if it had been struck by a steady barrage of meteorites.

Son Gohan remained expressionless as he hovered in midair.

No matter how fiercely the rocks flew, not one came within three feet of him.

At that moment,

a dark streak of light came hurtling toward him from the distance at incredible speed.

The figure was still Turles, but he was much faster than before. Even Son Gohan could feel the pressure.

Boom!

The air was compressed to the limit, then erupted in a violent explosion.

Terrifying flames surged through the air.

The shockwaves kept spreading into the distance, reaching even areas beyond the forest.

The warriors guarding the planet were already rushing over.

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

Turles's voice rang out amid the flames. Though it still held anger and shock, he sounded much better than before.

"Last time?"

Son Gohan pretended to look confused.

"Hmph. Looks like something changed!"

Seeing that Son Gohan had no idea what he meant, Turles sneered. "But the outcome was decided long ago. I, Turles, will be the one to rule this universe..."

As he spoke, the two ki auras rapidly swelled.

Purple and white flames expanded, seeming to split the night sky in two.

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

Son Gohan's thoughts raced. The Kaioken he had just learned flared to life in an instant, overwhelming Turles's ki.

Then he punched Turles hard in the face again.

Honestly, Turles's face looked just like his father's, which made him feel a little guilty every time he hit him.

This time, Turles was knocked back only a few dozen meters before he abruptly stopped himself in midair.

He gave Son Gohan a sinister look, then took something that looked like an insect from his pocket. "Hmph. I, Turles, am destined to become the Emperor of the Universe. Do you really think the son of a Low-Class Warrior like you can beat me?"