"Incredible!"
The blond-haired announcer shouted into the microphone with enthusiasm. "The first two matches of the World Martial Arts Tournament quarterfinals have ended in an almost identical fashion! Both Tien Shinhan and Yamiru finished their fights with a single move! Techniques too fast for the naked eye instantly decided their battles! Is this the power of former World Martial Arts Tournament champions? I'm beyond excited! I can't wait to see how their upcoming fight will unfold—surely, it will be a battle for the ages! Let's all look forward to it!"
"But for now, let's welcome our fighters for the third match: Son Goku and Raditz! Pay attention, everyone! Though Son Goku is young, he was the runner-up of the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament, only narrowly losing to Yamiru in what was one of the most thrilling battles in tournament history! So… will he also end this fight in just one move against the unknown newcomer, Raditz…?"
As the mustached announcer spoke, Raditz, who was stepping onto the ring, shot him a cold glare. A chill ran down the announcer's spine, and his voice faltered.
What a terrifying stare! His heart pounded wildly in fear.
"Raditz is Goku's older brother, right?" Behind the Martial Arts Pavilion, Krillin—having accepted his loss to Yamiru—felt relieved and was now fully focused on the next match. "Who's stronger between them?"
He directed the question toward Yamiru and Tien Shinhan. In his eyes, both of them were far more advanced in martial arts than himself, so they should be able to gauge the strength of Goku and his brother.
Unfortunately, both Yamiru and Tien Shinhan shook their heads.
"Honestly, to me, they seem like people from a completely different world," Tien Shinhan admitted, his voice tinged with a mix of humility and frustration. "The gap in strength is just too vast."
Yamiru added, "At this level, where our understanding of ki is still relatively basic, the strength of one's ki doesn't always directly correspond to overall combat ability. So, I can't say for certain who's stronger."
"Ki?" Tien Shinhan frowned, unfamiliar with the term.
In the martial arts teachings of Master Roshi and Master Shen, ki had never been explicitly explained.
It wasn't that they were deliberately hiding anything—it was simply that, in their view, whether or not one mastered ki didn't make much of a difference.
So what if you could sense ki?
At combat power levels ranging from 100 to 200, within this limited scale of battle, using ki for perception wasn't necessarily more practical than relying on one's own eyes to follow the fight.
And within the worldview of Master Roshi and Master Shen, that was already the pinnacle of martial arts.
If world-class martial artists could succeed without ki sensing, then what was the point of teaching it? If a disciple happened to figure it out on their own, great—but if they didn't, it wasn't something to be forced.
As a result, even after years of training under Master Roshi, Tien Shinhan had never been taught about ki.
This was also why Bardock had no urgency in sending Goku up Korin Tower.
Yamiru took a moment to explain the basics of ki to both Tien Shinhan and Krillin.
At the end, he added, "In the southwestern region, deep within the Indian jungle, there's a place known as the Sacred Land of Martial Arts. At its center stands Korin Tower, where a martial arts sage resides. If you ever get the chance and are interested, you should try climbing it."
Krillin found the idea a bit intimidating. A "sacred land"? That sounded way out of his league.
Tien Shinhan, on the other hand, seemed deep in thought.
As they spoke, Goku and Raditz had already begun their fight.
The moment they moved, the audience understood what it meant to witness true—no, beyond belief—martial artists in action.
That was because, once the battle started… no one could see them.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The only thing breaking the silence was the sound of impacts echoing across the arena.
Sometimes, the noises would rapidly shift from one corner of the ring to the opposite side, as if the two fighters had covered the entire battlefield in an instant.
The crowd rubbed their eyes and ears in disbelief.
What's going on?! We can hear them fighting, but we can't see them?!
The ring is huge, yet these two fighters are nowhere to be seen!
Am I dreaming? Or has the world changed overnight?
Some of the more sensitive spectators seated near the ring even felt a wave of pressure coming from the seemingly empty space before them. Every time a clash sounded, their hearts pounded in fear.
The blond announcer's jaw hung open, nearly hitting the floor. He stammered, trying to describe the battle—only to realize that he couldn't see anything!
Tien Shinhan's three eyes darted around frantically, trying to keep up, but even with his extra vision, he struggled to track the two combatants.
Sweat dampened Yamiru's temples. Even with his heightened perception, he could only make out faint flashes of ki flickering in the air.
Realizing this, he closed his eyes.
Through ki sensing, the outlines of Goku and Raditz finally became clear as they clashed at incomprehensible speeds.
Even if their movements were too fast for Yamiru's eyes to follow, they weren't faster than his mind.
"What insane speed…"
Bulma smacked her lips in mild boredom. Having spent enough time with Yamiru and the others, she was no longer easily shocked. In fact, she found the inability to see anything rather dull, so she turned to her sister and struck up a conversation about celebrity gossip.
For instance, she asked with great interest, "When brother-in-law was a Fighintg star, did he ever take advantage of his female fans? And when you were managing him, did you ever get harassed by any sleazy men?"
"Harassed? Are you serious? Have you seen your brother-in-law's fists? They're the size of a soup pot." Tights sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Master Roshi was right. You really were cuter when you were little."
Noting her younger sister's playful, raised-brow expression, Tights knew that Bulma wasn't actually filled with dirty thoughts—she was just going through adolescence, where her mind jumped around rapidly, and her curiosity extended exponentially beyond science. And in this world, there was practically no one who could rein in Miss Bulma's curiosity. As for their parents? They loved a good spectacle and wouldn't discourage her in the slightest.
Bardock and Gine's gazes shifted toward a corner of the ring.
Bang!
The two brothers finally appeared, simultaneously landing punches on each other's faces.
At some point, they had both ended up bruised and swollen.
This time, Raditz, with his slightly longer reach, managed to land a heavier blow.
Goku's nose spurted blood.
Raditz lost a tooth.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh… The two separated, flipping midair before landing on opposite sides.
"Pfft." Raditz spat out a mouthful of blood.
Goku rubbed his neck, his eyes filled with the exhilaration of combat. Though he had the pure heart of a martial artist, he was still, at the core, a Saiyan.
"Incredible!..."
The blond-haired referee, finally able to catch a glimpse of the fighters, seized the moment to heap praises on the newcomer, Raditz.
Unfortunately, before he could finish, the brothers were at it again.
This time, however, instead of their previous high-speed exchanges, they opted for a close-quarters brawl with minimal footwork.
Smack! Crack! Pow! Bang!
Although they were locked in melee combat, no one in the audience could actually see their hands or feet. It was as if their limbs had vanished—or multiplied into dozens, if not hundreds.
To make matters worse, Goku had an extra advantage: his tail was no longer a weak point. This essentially gave him an extra limb over Raditz.
Two fists, two feet, and a tail striking his opponent's face—his defense, offense, dodging, and counterattacks flowed seamlessly, as if he and Raditz had choreographed the entire fight beforehand.
Master Roshi, sitting in the front row, couldn't help but tap his staff against the ground in admiration.
Watching Goku fight was like grading the test of the most brilliant student in class. Every move he made was precisely what a teacher would hope for, and sometimes, even beyond that—completely dazzling to behold!
"Damn it!"
Raditz took a whip-like strike to the face and began to feel the pressure.
He wanted to grab Goku's tail, but the relentless assault from Goku's fists and feet forced him to abandon the idea every time.
It seemed that Kakarot's so-called Earth-style martial arts were far more refined than he had anticipated!
For someone accustomed to brawling his way through the universe, Raditz found himself struggling. Ever since arriving on Earth, his father Bardock had only been taking him around to experience life—never actually training him in combat.
But a Saiyan was still a Saiyan, and their reputation as a warrior race wasn't mere bravado. Raditz slowly began adapting to this new style of fighting…
He blocked Goku's attack and, in an instant, spotted an opening, swinging a powerful punch—
It hit nothing!
"What?!"
Raditz's eyes widened as he realized his fist had passed straight through Goku's body, but there was no impact.
"It's Afterimage Technique!"
Both Master Roshi and Tien, watching from behind the Martial Arts Tournament sign, shouted in unison.
The timing of Goku's Afterimage Technique was absolutely impeccable—so precise that Raditz, despite being evenly matched, had fallen for the trick!
"Kame…"
Behind him, Goku's voice rang out.
Yamiru folded his arms, while Krillin gasped, "It's Master Roshi's Kamehameha!"
Raditz lashed out behind him with both hands and feet, but the Goku standing there was still an afterimage!
Multi-Afterimage Technique.
The key to this move was the very first afterimage—if it successfully deceived the opponent, then a sequence of illusions would naturally follow, effectively concealing the real body.
"Ha…"
Goku's voice echoed from another direction.
Raditz, unable to take it anymore, fired off a hastily-formed energy blast—one without much destructive power—toward the source of the voice.
Predictably, the energy blast passed right through. Another afterimage!
"Where is he now?!"
Raditz broke into a sweat, his expression more focused than ever.
Then, Goku's final syllable rang out in an all-too-familiar spot:
"Ha!"
What!?
Raditz whipped his head around toward where his energy blast had just passed through—only to see the "afterimage" moving!
It raised its hands, glowing with energy, and fired a blast right at him!
"He hid inside his own afterimage…"
Even Master Roshi broke into a cold sweat. Had Goku come up with this strategy in the blink of an eye?
So this… was genius?
Tien, watching in awe, didn't even blink his third eye.
Boom!
A cunning grin spread across Goku's face as his Kamehameha erupted, sending a blue-white energy column straight toward Raditz.
"Too naive!"
Raditz was enraged—being toyed with like this was infuriating. He crossed his arms, roaring as he gathered energy to defend himself. The Kamehameha struck, but deflected slightly as it scraped past his arms.
Sizzle… His forearms, now burned, smoked from the friction.
Bloodshot eyes locked onto Goku. Raditz lunged forward—only for Goku to smirk and yank his hands back.
"What?!"
Raditz spun around just in time to see the Kamehameha reversing course—heading straight back at him!
"Not bad!"
Behind the tournament sign, Yamiru beamed with pride. To have such an outstanding little brother—what an honor.
Boom!
With a resounding explosion, Raditz was blasted off the ring. Though he struggled to stand, he had lost by the tournament's rules. Furious, he threw his head back and roared. Just as he was about to kick the referee out of his way and re-enter the ring, a calm voice hummed from behind him.
Standing there was a blond-haired, blue-eyed man, watching him with an expressionless gaze.
"Hm?"