Chapter 172: Surpassing Limits—This Is Super Saiyan 3
"Whew… Why does it feel like I'm punching a pillow?" Goku muttered, frowning as he quickly pulled his fist out of Majin Buu's indented face.
But Buu caught his hand and, just as his face snapped back into shape, made a goofy face at Goku.
"This is getting kind of boring to watch…" Lin Qi turned to the somewhat disheveled Vegeta. "You sure you don't want to fuse with Goku? Together, you could take this guy down."
"Hmph!" Vegeta snorted arrogantly and held out his hand to Lin Qi. "Give me a Senzu Bean!"
Aside from the tense Supreme Kai Shin and the clearly worried Kibito, even Gohan couldn't help but think Buu acted like a simple-minded child…
In the skies above, only afterimages flashed back and forth, punctuated by the occasional explosive energy blast.
The air lit up like fireworks.
"There's hope…" Supreme Kai Shin clenched his fists in excitement as he watched Goku dominate the fight. "Maybe there really is a chance…"
"Maybe Mr. Goku can really defeat this terrifying monster Majin Buu!"
"Are you blind?" Lin Qi shot a disdainful look at the elated Supreme Kai. "Goku's already going all out in Super Saiyan 2, and Buu is still just playing around!"
Up in the sky, Buu's body was covered in dents from Goku's blows—it looked like he was seriously injured.
But all it took was a casual breath for him to revert to normal. In fact, he hadn't even gotten angry yet…
"This guy… He's even more troublesome than Cell was back then!" Goku watched as Buu fully regenerated again, clearly done with standard melee.
"Haaa!" He raised both hands, unleashing a rapid barrage of ki blasts down at Buu—a technique clearly borrowed from Prince Vegeta's style.
Dozens of energy blasts rained down on Buu, but he just beamed with delight.
Despite his bulky build, he weaved through the barrage with shocking agility. As Buu closed in quickly, Goku halted his attack and vanished.
"I don't see how Buu's playing around…" Supreme Kai's brow furrowed as he looked back at the others. "Look at their expressions—and their energy!"
Piccolo's forehead dropped three black lines. Did Supreme Kai seriously not notice even the expressions on Goku and the others' faces?
In that moment, Goku was seen spinning Majin Buu through the air by the small antenna atop his head like a human top.
Buu was hurled down toward the ground at incredible speed. Just when everyone thought he'd leave a massive crater—
Buu bounced off the ground like a rubber ball, happily tumbling and coming to a stop at the foot of a cliff.
"That was fun… Heehee, so fun!" Buu giggled as he stood up, dusting himself off like nothing had happened, grinning from ear to ear.
"Now… it's my turn!!"
As Buu instantly appeared in front of Goku, even Supreme Kai couldn't deny it anymore—he heard it loud and clear.
"Tch…" Vegeta looked displeased, though he held back from speaking further, knowing it wasn't his place.
"This is dragging on too long…" Lin Qi frowned and cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone. "Goku! If you keep messing around, I'm stealing your opponent!"
"Whew…" Goku landed swiftly on the ground, took a moment to steady his breath, then responded with dissatisfaction.
"No way… I haven't settled this yet! Just wait a little longer… I'll use the new power I developed during my training in the Other World…"
Gohan's curiosity was instantly piqued. "New power?"
"HAAAA!!"
As Goku let out a thunderous roar, the golden aura around him transformed into a brilliant light that surged upward. The entire world seemed to tremble under the pressure.
The intense energy gusts blew away the thick clouds, the shockwaves spreading like a hurricane.
Within the blinding glow, Goku's golden hair suddenly extended all the way down to his waist, evolving from the Super Saiyan 2 form.
His eyebrows vanished, replaced by prominent brow ridges. His eyes, once a single pale green color, now contained deep blue pupils. The lightning swirling around his body grew even denser.
"What is that…" Vegeta's eyes widened in disbelief at Goku's Super Saiyan 3 transformation.
"Incredible… Mr. Goku still had this kind of power hidden…" Supreme Kai stared, dumbfounded.
Piccolo, stunned, slowly let his arms fall from his crossed posture as he gazed at the glowing figure in the sky. "This power… it's not inferior to Majin Buu…"
"Maybe he's even stronger than Buu… Dad's definitely going to win!" Gohan cheered, clenching his fists in excitement.
But Goku only looked coldly across at Buu. "This is the power that goes beyond Super Saiyan—a level beyond the beyond!"
"I call it… Super Saiyan 3!!"
"Super 3?!" Vegeta clenched his fists in frustration, grinding his molars. "Kakarot, you bastard…"
If he used this form, then Vegeta… wouldn't stand a chance!!
Damn it… Was he going to lose to this low-class Saiyan again?!
Buu examined Goku with great interest, clapping happily. "Oooh… another change! You look even meaner now!"
"But no matter how mean you look, you won't scare me!" Buu teased, making another silly face at Goku.
"I'm serious now!" Goku shouted with a stern expression and suddenly appeared beside Buu with a burst of speed.
BAM
A powerful punch landed squarely on Buu's round face, and Goku immediately grabbed his leg and slammed him into the ground.
BOOM
The force was overwhelming. This time, Buu didn't bounce back up. The impact left a massive crater in the ground.
The earth split open in cracks, the shockwaves even toppling nearby mountains—evidence of just how immense Goku's strength had become.
"I'm mad now! That hurt! I'm really mad! I'm gonna punish you! I'll kill you!!"
Buu climbed to his feet, steam jetting from the holes in his body—he had definitely been hurt this time!
With a powerful leap, Buu shot into the air. After a deep breath, his body began to inflate like a balloon.
BOOM
A powerful energy blast erupted from Buu's mouth. Goku instantly crossed his arms to block it.
Although Goku began to overpower Buu, the pink creature's learning speed was terrifying—he could instantly mimic any move Goku used.
What's more, his body was like a walking bug in the system. Even if Goku blasted him into bits, Buu would quickly pull himself together and fully regenerate.
Even if Goku reduced him to nothing but pulp… Buu would bounce back to life within three seconds!
The beatdown only provoked Buu further. The more enraged he got, the harder he fought—forcing Goku to unleash even more overwhelming power.