Raditz's ease made Crutes's face change suddenly, and it also surprised the audience.
Crutes hadn't held back at all, and his blow with full strength couldn't inflict any damage on Raditz—wasn't that completely unreasonable? What he didn't know was that the hit just now hadn't directly connected with Raditz, but had been blocked by a psychic barrier.
The tremendous force had indeed caused Raditz to fall to the ground, but the actual effect wasn't significant.
"Fine, since you want to see secret arts, I won't be polite." Crutes's eyes flickered, and his figure instantly flew away as several afterimages appeared simultaneously.
"High-speed movement? Is this considered a secret technique?" Raditz frowned in confusion.
His eyes wandered left and right, trying to distinguish Crutes's real body among the afterimages. The speed was too fast to mask the aura—only a real body would have such tremendous energy.
When detecting Crutes, Raditz was surprised to find that all the afterimages actually felt real, not just high-speed movement, but like genuine clones.
"Hah!" Several voices sounded around Raditz instantly, coming from different angles simultaneously.
Raditz's eyes sharpened as he gritted his teeth and spread his arms, bursting with energy!
The torrent-like impact spread outward, collapsing the platform and shaking the entire dojo as people were knocked over.
The burst of energy formed a hemispherical shield, resisting attacks from all directions, and Crutes's afterimages completely disappeared.
But strangely, all the figures had vanished—where was the real body?
Raditz frowned in confusion, then his body was suddenly struck hard, as if hit by a sledgehammer that nearly caved in his entire chest. This time he was unprepared—he staggered and almost fell.
"What's going on?" Raditz's eyes widened as he saw Crutes's figure before him. The one who had disappeared just now had reappeared!
"This is the secret art you wanted to see. How about it?"
"It's truly powerful. I can't even tell what's real or not." Raditz became serious and looked down at his chest.
The traces of the blow were still there, and his clothes were blown to shreds, but Raditz hadn't sensed any aura at that moment. It was clear that his opponent's attack had also been incredibly fast. With the trick of suddenly disappearing, anyone would be caught off guard, right?
Raditz stared at Crutes seriously. One more time—as long as he could see it again, he believed he could solve this secret technique!
"Can you use that secret technique again?"
"You won't be able to break it no matter how many times you see it."
"That's not necessarily true." Raditz mobilized all his mental power and concentrated completely.
Crutes pursed his lips and rushed again, his figure turning into many afterimages, each still possessing a distinct aura, making them difficult to distinguish.
Raditz struck out, attacking all the afterimages at extreme speed, and these figures suddenly disappeared. At that moment, Crutes was completely gone! The next second, Raditz was hit on the back again, and Crutes had appeared behind him.
It wasn't instant transmission, but seemed to travel through space itself.
"How about it? Can't crack it?"
"Heh, I've already seen through this trick." Raditz's slightly bent legs suddenly straightened as he shook his long hair, his eyes projecting confident light.
"Hmph, don't boast."
Crutes had absolute confidence. Not many people knew this technique on Planet Metamor. Moreover, he was a master at controlling secret arts and never made mistakes when using them. The two strikes just now had both hit Raditz—how could it possibly be seen through?
Dust was flying, and people in the audience whispered among themselves, though many were simply dumbfounded.
Raditz faced Crutes and spread his hands. "You use your ki to create clones to interfere with my judgment. The real attack is hidden at the moment of disappearance. You transform yourself into a spirit body, and only materialize at the moment of attack. Right?"
Crutes stared, his mouth agape, unable to speak.
Because Raditz was exactly right—the ki clones were one technique, and the spirit body was another. When he rushed toward Raditz, he transformed himself into a spirit body and passed directly through space. This was how he'd been able to pass through Raditz's energy shield and even through Raditz's body, launching unexpected attacks.
By all logic, such a technique couldn't be seen through!
"You figured it out?"
"Then I'll break it down for you to see." Raditz's eyes flickered, and instantly, powerful ki covered the entire arena. The masonry shook, the walls trembled, and the entire space was under tremendous pressure.
It was a coercion like the sky falling and earth collapsing, as if the entire planet was crumbling around them, and they were standing in the middle!
Just this ki alone made Crutes's eyes tremble and his face turn pale. In the blink of an eye, Raditz had already taken the initiative to attack, and Crutes immediately cast his secret technique, transforming himself into a spirit body. Silently, without any trace, he passed through Raditz's body again, moving to attack from behind!
"Hah!"
Several ki blasts exploded behind Raditz, hitting Crutes dead center!
The audience could see clearly that when Raditz had charged toward Crutes, he'd released several ki waves in front of him, but somehow they had instantly shifted behind him.
Crutes, struck by the explosion, flew backward, and Raditz appeared before him in an instant, striking again.
With a thunderous bang, Crutes was knocked to the ground, sinking into a huge crater.
The secret technique was broken, and Crutes was slightly inferior to Raditz in combat skills—it seemed the outcome was already decided.
Crutes struggled to rise, his breathing unsteady and his body marked with scuffs from the intense clash. Before he could fully stand, Raditz stepped forward and calmly extended a hand.
"That's enough for our sparring match," Raditz said with a small grin. "it's a draw."
Crutes froze for a moment, surprised—not just by the gesture, but by the humility behind it. Around them, the crowd burst into applause, thrilled by the high-level duel they had just witnessed.
The match had been fierce. Crutes had managed to knock Raditz down once, and Raditz had returned the favor. To the onlookers, it was a well-earned draw between two elite fighters.
But Crutes knew better.
His strongest technique—one he believed nearly unbeatable—had been broken. And worse, he had felt it: Raditz wasn't even fighting at full power. There was something deeper, something monstrous, lying in wait beneath his calm surface.
He drew in a shaky breath, then released it slowly.
"...I lost," he admitted quietly, accepting Raditz's hand.
This admission was buried in the crowd's cheers, and Raditz didn't deliberately pursue victory. In the eyes of the Metamorans, these two fighters held extraordinary status, and a draw was already respectable—why bother making them lose face?
So, amid the people's voices, they walked back to the inner dojo. Although this battle had been brief, the people's enthusiasm hadn't diminished. How fortunate they were to witness the fusion battle between Crude and Fontes! From this experience alone, they could brag about it for a year.
When they came before their teacher, the separated Crude and Fontes seemed to understand their master's intentions, and they were respectful and well-behaved.
The old man stood before a portrait with his hands behind his back, saying calmly: "Crude, Fontes, ever since you became among the best fighters on Planet Metamor, you've gradually become complacent, which has caused your progress to fall far behind what it once was. You always ask me why, and I've reminded you many times that it's a matter of mindset. Do you understand now? You must know that there is no end to martial arts."
"Understood, Master." The two lowered their heads and restrained their energy.
"Then you can exchange secret techniques for Mr. Raditz's martial arts guidance. I believe Mr. Raditz won't refuse?" The old man looked at Raditz with an expectant expression.
He had not only witnessed Raditz's strength but also educated his apprentices—truly killing two birds with one stone. The Metamorans were happy to exchange martial arts, and mutual learning was what they excelled at, so even the old man himself could benefit.
To teach his apprentices, the old man had really put in tremendous effort. Raditz thought of Master Roshi teaching Kakarot and Krillin—they probably had the same thoughts.
This was a trivial matter for Raditz, so he readily agreed.
In the next ten days, Raditz, Crude, and Fontes communicated with each other. The two taught Raditz the fusion technique, ki clones, and spirit body transformation, while also receiving Raditz's guidance in martial arts. They learned the Solar Flare, Destructo Disc, and other special techniques.