"Dad…" Gohan looked worried.
"Don't worry. He's fine." Piccolo smiled faintly. "Look there."
"Huh?" Krillin froze.
They all turned at once and immediately spotted Goku standing behind them.
"Gohan's dad, you're amazing! Beat him!" Kale pumped her fists.
"That was close… I didn't catch his attack." After saying that, Goku shot up into the sky and returned to Frieza's side.
Frieza looked at him in surprise, a hint of shock on his face.
Vegeta: "…"
Vegeta took another brutal hit to his pride.
This time, Ken didn't say anything to Vegeta.
You could lecture someone all day and it would go in one ear and out the other. If they experienced it themselves, though, they might slowly start to understand.
Ken planned to let Vegeta watch for himself, let what he saw and heard sink in.
"Stop wrecking other people's planets. That's what a God of Destruction is supposed to do." Goku spoke calmly.
"Oh? You know quite a bit." Frieza snorted.
"I know a little." Goku nodded.
"Then do you know I work for a God of Destruction? I can destroy this planet without hesitation." Frieza smiled.
"Huh? You work for a God of Destruction?" Goku blinked.
"You didn't have the right to know any of this, but you're about to die anyway, so it doesn't matter." Frieza let out a cold chuckle. "Don't think name-dropping a God of Destruction makes you impressive. I know far more than you do. The first time I ever saw you, you were just a brat still drinking milk!"
Goku: "…"
Goku had nothing to say.
"Alright. Warm-up's over. Let's start the real fight." Frieza sneered.
"I was thinking the same." Goku nodded.
"Are you better in the air, or on the ground?" Frieza asked.
"How about ground?" Goku answered.
Frieza turned toward the small islands behind him and pointed at a slightly larger one.
In the next moment, both of them dropped at high speed and landed on that larger island.
Goku took off his outer shirt and loosened up.
"I'll give you special treatment. How about I fight you without using my hands?" Frieza rolled his wrists.
"You won't use your hands? That's generous." Goku clenched his fists. "Then I'll go first, okay?"
"Of course." Frieza smirked and folded his arms.
Goku didn't hesitate, sprinting straight at him.
As Goku closed in, Frieza hopped lightly and snapped a brutal kick forward.
Goku leaned back and slipped past it.
He planted his left hand on the ground, then whipped his right leg up at Frieza.
Frieza dodged with ease, and his tail lashed out like a whip, cracking across Goku's face.
The instant Goku touched down, he kicked off the ground and surged in, grabbing Frieza's tail in one hand.
With a roar, Goku spun in place, swinging Frieza around by the tail.
"Whoosh!"
Goku let go, hurling Frieza away.
"Boom!"
Frieza slammed into a nearby hill.
The hill collapsed, rocks clattering down in a noisy cascade.
But the next second, Frieza burst out of the rubble and came in with a flying kick.
Goku met him with fists and feet in a relentless barrage.
For a moment, Frieza couldn't quite keep up with the rhythm.
"Pow!"
After several exchanges, Goku drove a kick into Frieza's stomach, making Frieza howl in pain.
Gritting through it, Frieza hooked his tail and wrapped it around Goku's neck.
A smug grin spread across Frieza's face.
But the moment that smile formed, Goku opened his mouth and bit down on Frieza's tail.
"Gah—!"
Frieza's smile froze. His whole body tensed, and he yanked his tail back fast, blowing hard on it as if that would help.
"Pow!"
Goku took the opening, kicking Frieza in the head and following with an uppercut into his chest.
Frieza finally snapped. He threw a punch straight into Goku's face, knocking him flat.
The instant his fist landed, Frieza realized he'd broken his own rule.
"Weren't you the one who said no hands?" Goku got back up with a small smile.
"Heh heh… Special treatment's over." Frieza snorted.
"Tch!" Vegeta trembled with rage.
Kakarot had gotten a lot stronger again.
How is he training?
And he didn't even use Ultra Instinct this time.
He's this strong without Ultra Instinct?
"You really are strong. Vegeta used to brag about being a genius warrior." Frieza smiled. "If Saiyans truly have 'genius warriors,' then aside from Broly, you're probably the most talented one."
Vegeta's teeth ground together.
You bastard, Frieza!
I'm already dead, and you're still running your mouth behind my back.
"Broly?" Goku frowned.
"What? You don't know him?" Frieza chuckled.
"Shouldn't the most talented one be Ken?" Goku corrected.
"No. He doesn't count as a warrior. He's trying to train into an angel!" Frieza shook his head.
"I don't understand what you're talking about, but it doesn't matter. My main goal is beating you." Goku answered firmly.
"I'm sick of this. Let's settle it." Frieza's expression turned cold. "I'll give you one last chance. Work under me. It'd be a waste to erase you. You could do better than Captain Ginyu."
"Ginyu?" Goku paused.
"Oh, he's on his way to Namek right now. He'll probably arrive a bit late." Frieza spoke casually. "So? You could form another squad and do whatever you want in this universe. And your biggest backer, besides me, would be a God of Destruction!"
"No interest." Goku refused without hesitation.
"I knew you'd say that. Saiyans are all stubborn to the bone." Frieza snorted. "Then I'll just kill you!"
"That won't be so easy." Goku took a deep breath.
"Heh heh heh! You're confident, aren't you?" Frieza laughed coldly. "I noticed a while ago. You're fighting seriously, but you still haven't shown your full power."
"So you saw through it." Goku smiled, sweat sliding down his face.
"I already did the math. If I use about fifty percent of my energy, you'll be dust in this universe." Frieza held up five fingers.
"Y-You said what?" Goku's face changed. He forced a dry laugh. "Stop trying to scare me…"
"I'm glad I ran into an opponent like you." Frieza looked at Goku with an easy smile and slowly spread his hands. "It's been a long time since I fought like this. The last time I fought seriously was twenty-seven years ago, at the God of Destruction selection tournament in Universe 18!"
"A God of Destruction selection tournament? What's that?" Goku asked, curious.
"You don't need to know." Frieza's voice dropped, and his energy began to surge.
"My, my… Frieza-san is finally going to show his real strength." Whis sighed.
"Whis-nii, that's not really his 'real strength,' is it? He's only using about half." Merus corrected him seriously.
Whis: "…"
Merus had been completely led into Ken's way of thinking.
He was getting more and more picky about details.
Ken patted Merus on the shoulder.
What a good brother.
You're really getting somewhere.
Huh?
Why does this feel like I'm patting my kid?
Sorry, Grand Priest. I accidentally started thinking of him as my son.
Just a thought in my head. You wouldn't know, right?
"Is this… Frieza's true strength?" Vegeta's expression twisted again and again, his spirit form shaking violently.
He could feel it clearly too—the crushing pressure Frieza brought with him.
"By Frieza-san's way of calculating battle power, he's at least sixty million right now." Whis said with a smile.
"What? So his true battle power really is one hundred and twenty million?" Vegeta shuddered.
"Yes." Whis nodded.
Vegeta went silent.
Ken had known Frieza's numbers a long time ago.
So it was all real.
Back then, I thought he was just bluffing.
Turns out the real clown was me.
"As for Goku-san…" Whis sighed softly. "Even using Kaioken, he's only at thirty million. He's still very, very far away."
"What did you say? Kakarot's at thirty million?" Vegeta stared, eyes wide, his face full of disbelief.
"Yes. At the moment, Goku-san's battle power really has reached thirty million." Whis answered.
"H-How is that possible? We both took the same heavy blow, then healed and came back… I only climbed to a little over two million. Why is he at thirty million? Even if there's a gap, it can't be this huge!" Vegeta demanded, furious.
"Goku-san's base battle power is only three million. He's using Kaioken to raise it to thirty million." Whis explained in detail.
"Kaioken can multiply battle power tenfold?" Vegeta was stunned again.
"That's correct." Whis nodded.
Vegeta felt like his soul got stabbed again.
How many special techniques has that bastard Kakarot learned?
But it's still only thirty million.
He's not even close to half of Frieza's power.
Wait… something's off.
Why is it that after we both got hurt and recovered, I only rose to two million, but he shot up that much higher?
Why does a low-class warrior get to be this much stronger than me, a genius warrior?
Goku's face kept tightening.
He could sense just how terrifying Frieza's ki was.
This guy isn't bluffing.
"Whoosh!"
Frieza struck first, driving a savage elbow straight into Goku's nose.
Goku nearly collapsed. He staggered back several steps before he could steady himself.
Blood was already spilling from his nostrils.
Frieza turned sideways toward him, acting like Goku wasn't even worth looking at.
Then he glanced over with a smile full of contempt.
"Pow!"
A sweeping leg kick took Goku off his feet on the spot.
Goku instinctively braced himself with a hand on the ground.
But Frieza's tail was already hooked around Goku's neck, and an elbow smashed into his chest.
Goku dropped to one knee, pain ripping through him.
"Hey!"
Goku kicked out hard.
Frieza hopped lightly, avoided the kick, and landed ahead of him, offering his back on purpose.
A deep crimson aura flared around Goku as he charged.
"Pow!"
Frieza spun and snapped a flashy flying kick, slamming Goku back to the ground again.
Goku slid across the ground, then sprang up in a kip-up. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, gulped air in ragged breaths, and the fatigue hit him in waves.
"You're finally panting. Lucky you didn't die." Frieza gave a light laugh.
"A…" Krillin was terrified into silence.
Gohan was completely stunned.
Kale had already let go of Gohan's arm, but seeing Gohan's dad getting bullied like this scared her again. She hurriedly grabbed his arm, clinging to him like that was the only safe place left.
Piccolo's expression kept changing. He knew Goku was about to lose.
"Pow!"
Frieza punched Goku down again.
Then he followed right in.
Seeing it was bad, Goku sprang up, slipped past Frieza's next strike, and landed on a nearby hill, pain tightening his face even more.
Frieza laughed coldly, slowly raised his arm, and held up two fingers.
Goku blinked.
"Shkrrt!"
Frieza slashed his hand down. A lightning-like streak of energy cut past Goku's front.
Goku flinched and crossed his arms over his head.
When everything settled, Goku stared down at the ground with widened eyes.
A deep trench had been carved into the surface, plunging out of sight and stretching tens of thousands of kilometers, too long to see the end.
That single slash had nearly cut Namek in half.
Frieza had controlled it precisely, leaving the planet's core untouched.
If the core had been damaged, the whole planet would have exploded.
Frieza's anger still wasn't gone. He wasn't about to let them off that easily.
Everything that rat God of Destruction did to me, I'm going to pay back in full—with you people.
"That energy… it's insane." Goku's face went ugly.
"It's over. Kakarot's going to lose!" Vegeta didn't know whether to enjoy it or pity him.
"I told you. I've seen far more than you ever have. Over twenty years ago, I took part in Universe 18's God of Destruction selection tournament, and I saw countless powerful opponents there." Frieza sneered, looking at Goku with open mockery. "With my power, I could erase this planet easily. And the one who wiped out the people of Planet Vegeta was me!"
Goku stayed silent, weakness creeping into his limbs.
I can't win.
"What did Frieza do?" Gohan asked.
"Looks like he… cut the planet in half." Krillin said heavily.
"Scary… it's too scary!" Kale trembled, her small heart taking a crushing blow.
"What's Goku thinking? Frieza's already taken the upper hand!" Krillin asked.
"He isn't thinking about anything. Frieza has strength we can't even imagine—Goku included." Piccolo's voice was low.
Frieza rose slowly into the air, floated down in front of Goku, and smiled. "Don't worry. I'm not killing you yet. My anger isn't gone. When that God of Destruction knocked me out, you should've left this planet immediately. Instead, you stayed to die!"
Goku drew a deep breath.
Then there's no other choice. I have to use Kaioken times twenty!
If he really is only using fifty percent, then even with Kaioken times twenty, I might still not be enough.
Still… I have to try.
It's a shame I don't have any of that Ultra Instinct energy left.
If I did, I might be able to hold out a little.
But my current energy intensity isn't that far from Ultra Instinct's.
And if Ultra Instinct energy recovers, it can heal me.
Kaioken times twenty first.
"You regret it now? Too late. You were the one who challenged me!" Frieza snorted.
"Boom!"
Goku didn't hesitate anymore. Red, crackling energy surged around him.
Frieza blinked.
Vegeta's eyes went wide in shock.
What is that?
What is Kakarot doing? Why did his energy jump so much?
"My, my… Goku-san is using Kaioken times twenty. This technique is already far beyond what his body can handle." Whis said with a sigh. "For a short time, he can raise his battle power to sixty million—just enough to match Frieza-san at half power!"
"Y-You said what? Sixty million!" Vegeta trembled all over, his spirit form shaking violently again.
Ken watched it all calmly, like he was remembering the days he used to read the manga and watch the anime in his past life.
Only now, it was happening right in front of him.
"Ken, this isn't good." Merus said quietly. "You're probably going to lose… but losing to Whis-nii isn't a big deal. Whis-nii is a real angel, and his insight is far stronger than ours."
"Merus, what did I tell you before?" Ken said with a smile.
"Never give up until the last moment?" Merus smiled back.
"That's the one." Ken nodded.
Merus: "…"
We're basically at the last moment already.
You're still not giving up?
No matter how you look at it, Goku can't win.
And it's not like he's a Legendary Super Saiyan who can suddenly transform.
The only Legendary Super Saiyans are Broly and Kale.
And Kale can't transform now. She's scared out of her mind.
"Yeah, yeah. Ken, you're probably going to lose." Amarella didn't think much of his chances either. "But one hundred meals shouldn't be hard to scrape together on Earth. That's why you dared to bet with Whis, right?"
"Amarella, even you think I'll lose?" Ken shook his head.
"Is there any chance to win?" Amarella murmured. "Battle power isn't the same as the 'levels' we talk about, but the gap is just too big."
"Want to make a bet with me too?" Ken suddenly asked.
"On what?" Amarella lifted her brows, brushed her hair back, and looked at the tiny figure forming inside Ken's body with clear interest.
"If I lose, I'll spend one level and inject you with angel power, so you won't be this weak anymore." Ken considered it. "How's that? I'm being generous, right?"
"That's a huge stake…" Amarella narrowed her eyes. "If you win, what do you want me to do?"
"Just wear this." Ken gave his hand a shake, and a bikini appeared in it.
Amarella: "…"
"Just that?" Amarella felt like she was getting the better deal.
"I treat you well, don't I?" Ken smiled.
"You sure?" Amarella asked again.
"Do you have the guts or not?" Ken smiled faintly.
"I won't take advantage of you. If I win, just send me a tiny bit of angel power. You don't need to burn a whole level—training isn't easy." Amarella said after a brief pause.
"Deal!" Ken agreed immediately.
Amarella: "…"
I thought you'd at least pretend to be polite.
You didn't even try.
"Hey!"
Goku launched forward.
"Pow!"
His fist slammed into Frieza's face, twisting Frieza's features.
Frieza's body flew backward.
"Kamehameha!"
Goku gathered energy in both hands and fired a massive blast straight at Frieza.
Frieza lifted a hand, trying to catch it.
But the instant his palm met the blast, a clear danger shot through him.
Frieza's eyes widened. He hurriedly raised his power further, barely stopping the blast from tearing through him.
"Rumble!"
A bright flare of energy erupted in the sky around Frieza, washing the area in golden light.
When the smoke finally cleared, Frieza was still standing there, unharmed—though steam and smoke curled off his body.
Seeing Frieza hadn't taken serious damage, Goku's expression sank again.
He wasn't bluffing.
He really was only using half his power.
Piccolo and the others were stunned stiff.
"It's unbelievable… that Kamehameha was strong, but Frieza didn't take a fatal hit at all!" Krillin's face was heavy.
"Dad's ki is clearly dropping!" Gohan said tensely.
"How can there be someone this strong in this universe?" Krillin looked like he wanted to cry.
"Scary… it's really too scary. I want to go home." Kale's face turned paper-white.
"It's over. We're done for." Piccolo forced a bitter smile. "Ken made us take part in this 'training'… it feels like he tossed us straight into a fire pit."
"Ken even said Namek would be my stage…" Krillin sniffed. "Now it feels like I got played."
With Kaioken times twenty active, Goku could feel his body screaming—violent pain, sharp strain, and his balance nearly giving out.
He still forced himself upright.
Frieza stared down at him with lingering fear.
"That was close. How does he have that much energy?" Frieza's gaze turned icy. "Other than a God of Destruction, this is the first time anyone's pushed me this far…"
He glanced at his own hand as he spoke, and the scent of scorched flesh was so strong he could practically taste it.
Damn Saiyan.
I won't forgive you.
Frieza clenched his fist, cutting off the smell.
"Whoosh!"
He dove from the air and appeared right in front of Goku.
Goku gulped air, looking even more exhausted.
"That hurt like hell!" Frieza roared, shooting up and smashing his head into Goku's.
Goku crashed to the ground and skidded across the dirt.
He rolled several times, still dragging in rough breaths, looking more and more battered.
Frieza walked up and kicked Goku under the chin.
Goku lifted off the ground, flipped once in the air—and Frieza jumped and kicked him out of the sky.
Goku hit the ground again and barely managed to push himself up.
"Where'd that spirit go? You're out of energy, aren't you?" Frieza kept sneering.
"Slash!"
With a casual wave, Frieza's invisible energy struck the ground ahead of Goku.
A bottomless crater opened instantly.
"That's all you've got. Get ready to die." Frieza snorted.
"Ken, just admit defeat to Whis-nii…" Merus couldn't bear to watch. "Go down and save Goku-san. If you keep ignoring this, the Supreme Kai and God of Destruction you just recruited will die."
"Hmph. Kakarot, you idiot." Vegeta clenched his fists, his spirit form trembling. "I thought he'd have a little more to show for himself."
Whis also watched Ken with a gentle smile.
The look on his face all but said: concede, and you can go save your Supreme Kai.
Ken didn't react.
Vegeta turned to Ken too, still silent.
Ken didn't even save me. There's no way he's saving Kakarot.
Looks like Kakarot doesn't mean that much to Ken anyway.
"Look. What's Goku doing?" Ken suddenly said, pointing down at Goku.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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