Goku unleashed Super Kaio-ken, and Talot snapped back to attention. Seeing Goku surrounded by a surge of blood-red aura and his aura dramatically increased, Talot silently nodded.
It had to be said, at this point, Kaio-ken had become a technique that anyone could use. Among this group, except for Vegeta, everyone could use it.
"Not bad, you're already able to use Super Kaio-ken in your Super Saiyan 2 state. It seems you've put a lot of effort into aura training lately." Talot acknowledged Goku's strength.
In his view, true strength didn't depend on power level, but on how well one could control their own power and their understanding of higher states.
If you couldn't perfectly control your own strength, you weren't a true powerhouse.
If it were Vegeta, he probably couldn't do what Goku is doing now.
Currently, Vegeta was indeed several times stronger than Goku, but that was only because Vegeta was older and his body had long since matured.
Goku had only really developed in the last year or two.
In the end, Goku was still more of a prodigy.
"Brother Talot, you don't need to tease me anymore. Even with this power level, I'm afraid it's not even half of your base form. But even so, I won't give up! Let's keep going!!" Goku shouted, his fighting spirit ablaze.
The next second, he shot out in a straight line, turning into a blood-red streak of light, charging directly at Talot.
Facing Goku's renewed assault, Talot smiled calmly, deciding to send Goku out of the arena in the most dignified way.
He unleashed power equal to Goku's, once again meeting Goku head-on for a fierce battle!
'Boom!!!!' The clash of their fists exploded with a blinding white light in the sky.
White and blood-red streaks of light weaved and collided in the air, their speed increasing nonstop.
Goku went all out attacking Talot, while Talot responded with composure.
The space echoed with sharp explosions and counterblows. The shockwaves of their blows shook the surroundings, causing the earth and sky to tremble.
Both their powers kept rising, and Goku was evolving at an incredible speed during the fight.
"Yaaahhh!!!" Goku shouted, his fighting spirit reaching its peak.
"Your momentum is good. Keep up this rhythm, remember this feeling, Kakarot." Talot reminded Goku while parrying his attacks.
But at this point, Goku could no longer hear him. The intense battle had plunged him into a state of selflessness.
His fighting spirit soared, the warlike genes inside him driving him, making him forget fatigue. He attacked relentlessly, with both his body and soul enjoying the feeling of transcendence.
Unfortunately, such ferocious attacks couldn't last forever. As time passed, and Goku's aura climbed to its peak, signs of exhaustion began to show.
Still, the fact that he could trade so many rounds with Talot was already remarkable progress.
"Finally reached your limit? In that case, let's end this, Kakarot." Talot saw Goku's aura starting to weaken and knew his final burst was over.
The Saiyan trait of growing stronger in battle could greatly prolong Super Kaio-ken's duration, but the enormous drain on stamina was unavoidable.
If Goku kept fighting, it could endanger his life.
Hearing this, Goku was about to stubbornly say he could keep going, but before he knew it, Talot had silently appeared behind him.
As a karate chop fell on the back of Goku's neck....
Goku's whole body stiffened, his aura completely dispersed, and he reverted from Super Saiyan 2 back to his base form.
Darkness closed in, and he only felt his body grow heavier and heavier.
He lost control and plummeted toward the ground, finally landing outside the arena.
At this moment, the outcome was clear. Talot had defeated Goku without suspense and advanced to the finals.
The blonde-haired referee announced the result. Even though he didn't expect the reigning champion, Goku, to lose so decisively, since that was the outcome, he had to react immediately and explain it to all the spectators.
An uproar.
The commotion didn't stop.
No one expected Goku to lose, and once again a large group of people started cursing, just like when Tien Shinhan lost earlier, because they had all bet on Goku to win. Who could have guessed it would be Talot?
As for the average person, they were still fired up and excited from watching such an intense battle.
Back in the rest area, everyone saw that Goku was deeply unconscious and gathered around to check on him.
To be fair, Saiyans have an extremely powerful recovery ability. Goku had only been out for a few minutes before he woke up on his own.
Looking at the incredibly familiar environment around him and his companions by his side, a wry smile appeared on his face.
Before he could say anything, Chichi rushed over and threw herself on him as soon as she saw he was awake.
Her action was so rough that Goku let out a cry of pain, but seeing this, everyone around burst into laughter.
Before they knew it, even Goku had grown up and gotten himself a wife who came right to his door.
After Chichi was done fussing over him, Goku finally had a chance to eat a Senzu Bean and recover.
He took the initiative to approach Talot, humbly asking for guidance.
Since Goku was consciously seeking him out, looking for ways to become stronger, Talot didn't hold back. He explained even more deeply about some training methods and ways to get stronger, as well as how Goku could make up for his current shortcomings.
While the two of them were talking, the second match of the semifinals began.
Raditz and Ragar didn't say anything; they just smiled at each other and walked out together.
As for this battle, Vegeta was probably the most invested, since he had previously lost to Ragar and his pride had been shattered.
Now that Raditz was facing off against Ragar, he actually hoped both would win. He was truly conflicted.
[Damn it!! Just wait, no matter who wins, I'll surpass both of you sooner or later!] Vegeta clenched his fists, shouting inwardly.
He had absolute confidence, but still didn't even make it into the semifinals.
The most crucial thing was, he hadn't even faced the ones he most wanted to fight: Talot, Salari, and Raditz.
…
TN: Hey guys, I've picked up a new One Piece novel. You can search it: One Piece: The Undying King.
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