The next day, Tien Shinhan reached King Piccolo's palace first, his figure looking insignificant before the magnificent building.
The palace gatehouse towered overhead. Standing before the gates, Tien Shinhan took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, then shouted, "King Piccolo, come out and face me!"
King Piccolo emerged from the shadows, his tall frame and green skin looking all the more sinister in the sunlight. He looked at Tien Shinhan, disdain and contempt flashing in his eyes. "I don't feel like fighting today. I'll let Drum face you."
With that, King Piccolo opened his mouth. An enormous egg emerged from it and landed on the ground, then cracked open, and a towering figure stepped out-Drum.
This creature born of King Piccolo had bulging muscles and a vicious gaze; one look told anyone he was no harmless sort. At his appearance, even the air seemed to congeal.
The battle erupted swiftly. Drum's movements were fast and brutal, every blow whistling through the air. Though Tien Shinhan was highly skilled, he was clearly at a disadvantage in strength. He tried to compensate with agile footwork, yet Drum still kept him suppressed.
The constant dodging and counterattacking gradually left Tien Shinhan feeling unable to keep up. Every time he dodged, he grumbled inwardly, Why is this guy so hard to deal with?
At last, in a moment of carelessness, Drum's fist struck Tien Shinhan, sending him crashing heavily to the ground amid flying dust. Watching this, King Piccolo gave a cold sneer and turned to leave.
Tien Shinhan struggled to rise from the ground, a trace of unwillingness to concede flashing in his eyes. He hurriedly pulled a Hoi-Poi Capsule from his pocket and threw it onto the ground. The capsule instantly transformed into a rice cooker.
Gritting his teeth, Tien Shinhan unleashed the ultimate technique he had been practicing lately-the Evil Containment Wave. But with his stamina severely depleted, his Evil Containment Wave failed, and its backlash instead left him gravely injured.
He collapsed, his heart filled with defeat. I actually... failed?
Lying on the dust-filled battlefield, Tien Shinhan could not move, his eyes fixed on the approaching enemy. Drum, a towering figure, swung his boulder-like fist down heavily toward him.
At that critical instant, a dazzling light streaked across the sky. Drum was abruptly sent flying and slammed into the palace wall with an enormous crash.
"Goku!" Tien Shinhan raised his head with difficulty and saw Son Goku standing there, resolve and determination shining in his eyes. Son Goku looked at Tien Shinhan, the corners of his mouth lifting in a reassuring smile. "Looks like I got here just in time."
Son Goku stood like an immovable mountain, his sharp gaze fixed unwaveringly on King Piccolo ahead. Drum slowly rose, an even fiercer light flashing in his eyes. Seeing this, Tien Shinhan hurriedly shouted to Goku, "Watch out, Goku!"
But Goku seemed to have anticipated it. Just as Drum's fist was about to fall, he kicked backward without even turning his head. The kick was so powerful that it sent Drum flying straight into the palace wall, leaving an enormous dent.
Tien Shinhan gaped, grumbling inwardly, When did this guy get so strong?
Seeing this, King Piccolo sneered disdainfully, his voice dripping with mockery. "I never thought you'd come to throw your life away again, Son Goku."
King Piccolo charged at Goku without hesitation, launching a ferocious attack. Goku easily blocked every blow, and as their fists and feet crossed, the palace echoed with repeated explosions of air.
During the battle, Goku seized an opening and punched King Piccolo away, but the Demon King quickly rose, fury on his face.
King Piccolo went all out, engaging Goku in a fierce showdown. He repeatedly attacked with Ki Blasts, but Goku deftly blocked every attack.
The battle grew ever fiercer. Piccolo was knocked away again and crashed into the crow-man nearby, knocking him unconscious.
King Piccolo clambered up from the ground in a sorry state, his face furious as his aura abruptly surged. He roared, "Son Goku, I'm going to unleash my full strength!" His voice echoed across the battlefield, filled with boundless rage.
Their battle erupted once more. This time, Son Goku clearly held the upper hand, every attack forcing King Piccolo back step by step.
During one fierce exchange, Son Goku deftly evaded King Piccolo's attack, then landed a backhand punch in his abdomen, sending him flying.
As King Piccolo's aura surged sharply, the pressure in the air increased with it. His gaze was sharp as a blade as he gathered a suffocatingly powerful Ki Bullet in his hand. Blue light flickered in his palm before shooting violently toward Son Goku.
The Ki Bullet tore across the sky, whipping up a fierce wind. Chaos filled the scene as immense clouds of dust scattered in every direction, as though the entire battlefield had been swallowed by its power.
After the dust cleared, Son Goku was nowhere to be seen where he had stood. He had already leaped into midair, powerful golden energy gathering between his hands. Facing Piccolo, his brows were knitted tightly, determination shining in his eyes.
Then, with a mighty shout, he unleashed his signature Kamehameha.
The blue energy wave surged toward Piccolo like raging ocean waves, driving him back several steps. Amid the flying dust, Piccolo's expression was shocked and incredulous. He asked in a trembling voice, "Are you a monster?"
Afterward, the battle erupted again, Son Goku and Piccolo exchanging punches and kicks with extreme ferocity. Every collision came with an explosion of air. Though Son Goku was wounded, an unyielding will to fight burned in his eyes.
During one fierce exchange, two piercing laser beams suddenly shot from King Piccolo's eyes, striking Son Goku directly in the right knee.
Son Goku cried out in pain and fell to the ground. Piccolo sneered, "You've only got one leg left."
But Son Goku replied optimistically, "Don't I still have one leg?" With that, he drew the Power Pole from his back and used it to support himself as he struggled to stand.
At that moment, golden light blazed all over Piccolo's body, and Ki Blasts fired from all ten fingers. One struck the Power Pole, sending it flying, while another hit Goku squarely, knocking him to the ground again.
Then Piccolo seized the chance to unleash a deadly, massive Ki Blast. Seeing this, Tien Shinhan mustered every ounce of strength to flash over and carry Son Goku away, avoiding the lethal strike.
An enormous mushroom-cloud explosion followed there. The blast's shock wave laid waste to the entire area; nothing within a radius of over a dozen li was destroyed, leaving only deathly silence and the wreckage of devastation.
Having forced himself to rescue Son Goku, Tien Shinhan was utterly exhausted and lay helplessly on the dusty ground. Flames of vengeance flickering in his eyes, Piccolo roughly grabbed Tien Shinhan by the head and held him hostage, threatening Son Goku.
His voice was low and hoarse, filled with unquestionable resolve. "Goku, take one more step and he dies!"
Son Goku's brows knitted tightly. As he faced Piccolo's threat, a rapidly spinning stone suddenly struck his left hand, followed by another blow to his left leg. The pain brought him to one knee.
Seeing this, Piccolo curled his lips into a cruel smile. Believing Son Goku could no longer fight back, he tossed Tien Shinhan aside and used the Flight Technique, shooting into the sky like an arrow loosed from its bow, preparing to deliver the killing blow.
Though Son Goku was gravely injured, an unyielding fighting spirit still burned in his eyes. He moved his right hand with difficulty and began gathering blue light, which formed a dazzling ball of energy around him.
He placed the energy ball beneath himself and abruptly fired a powerful blast of Ki, using its force to propel himself into the sky. In midair, Son Goku unleashed the Heaven-and-Earth Piercing Fist, punching straight through Piccolo's chest.
Disbelief spread across Piccolo's face. Feeling his life rapidly draining away, he knew he would not survive. In the final moment of his life, Piccolo used every last bit of his strength to spit out an egg containing all his hopes of vengeance and hurl it into the distance. That was Piccolo Jr., the continuation of his vengeance and hope.
Then Piccolo chose to self-destruct. The explosion's tremendous force battered the entire battlefield, causing Son Goku to plummet even faster.
At that critical instant, a rescue no one could have foreseen arrived. Yajirobe sped over in a hovering car, rushed out of it, and caught the rapidly falling Son Goku just in time.
Just then, Tien Shinhan also dragged his exhausted body over, a relieved smile appearing on his face.
Tien Shinhan proposed another showdown with Son Goku at the next World Martial Arts Tournament to test how much they had each grown. Seeing this, Yajirobe smiled and drove Son Goku away from the battlefield.
With King Piccolo's demise, this land that had once been shrouded in fear would finally welcome new hope and peace.