Dust still lingered in the night sky, glowing faintly from the devastating clash of the Kaioken x20 Kamehameha and Vegeta's Galick Gun. The ground shook with aftershocks, leaving wide scars across the battlefield. Rocks crumbled, and a cold silence briefly replaced the roaring chaos.
On the far edge of the crater, Goku lay collapsed, his chest heaving heavily. The Kaioken x20 had pushed his body beyond its limits. His arms trembled, and his breath came in ragged gasps.
Rudra appeared beside him, his aura dim but steady, having only partially recovered from the Senzu Bean earlier. His chakra reserves were still blocked, but at least his Ki had returned. Kneeling, Rudra supported Goku's shoulder.
"Goku…" Rudra's tone carried both relief and worry. "That was insane… you really thought your body could hold against twenty times the Kaioken?"
Goku forced a smirk, though sweat drenched his forehead. "Heh… it was the only way to push him back… but I didn't think… my body would feel like it's tearing apart. and how do you know about my technique?.
Rudra gets serious and says. " Because I know about King Kai and His Techniques."
Piccolo walked closer, his cape fluttering from the residual shockwaves. His sharp eyes studied Goku's condition. "He can't stand. His muscles are shredded from the strain. Tell me we still have another Senzu left."
Goku searched quickly, checking the pouch. His expression darkened. "No… that was the last one."
Piccolo cursed under his breath. "Tch. So we're on our own now."
Goku's smile weakened, but his voice carried resolve. "Listen… don't waste energy worrying about me. The real fight isn't over. Vegeta… he's still there."
Rudra clenched his fists. "I knew it, this isn't enough to Defeat a monster like him, we need to work together and to be precise, we need to stall time."
Piccolo nodded. "We'll stall. But when Vegeta recovers… it'll be a nightmare."
Across the battlefield, Vegeta rose slowly from the dust, battered but alive. His armor was cracked, and his body showed burns from the massive energy struggle. His lips curled into a smirk, blood dripping at the corner of his mouth.
"So… Kakarot, you actually pushed me… That power… twenty times your limit. Hmph… impressive for a low-class warrior. But it ends here."
He tapped the side of his broken Scouter, sparks flickering. It shattered from overload earlier. But Vegeta, ever cautious, had a backup clipped on his belt. He raised it, attaching it swiftly to his ear.
The lens glowed, and data readings began to scroll in.
BEEP. BEEP.
A faint signal connected. Suddenly, Dodoria's voice cracked through.
"Vegeta! Can you hear me? Report back! We've got intel—Frieza demands the Dragon Balls immediately!"
Vegeta's brow twitched. He snarled under his breath. "Tch. That fat fool again… Always barking orders." He muted the line for a moment, eyes narrowing as he surveyed the field.
His Scouter locked onto a signal — faint but familiar. Off in the distance, lying broken on the rocky plains, was Nappa, unconscious but alive. Vegeta's scouter confirmed it.
"So… Nappa survived… worthless as he is." Vegeta spat. His gaze then drifted beyond, catching sight of a cluster of energies — Piccolo, Rudra, Krillin, Gohan, Yamcha… all together, and recovering.
His smirk faded into something colder. "Damn them… I've wasted too much strength fighting Kakarot. Now the rest of these insects think they can oppose me? I won't allow it."
Vegeta stood tall, his aura sparking violently. His voice echoed across the broken wasteland.
"If brute strength isn't enough… then I'll crush them all with the might of the Saiyan race!"
He raised his hands toward the sky, energy surging violently around him. The atmosphere trembled as he began to form a massive sphere of condensed Blutz Waves. His palm glowed like a miniature sun.
Rudra's eyes widened. He recognized the technique immediately.
"He's… creating an artificial moon!"
Piccolo's head snapped toward him. "Artificial… moon? What are you talking about?"
Krillin's jaw tightened. "The Saiyans… under the full moon, they transform into Oozaru — Great Apes. A ten-fold increase in power. Vegeta's trying to replicate that using his own Ki!"
Goku struggled to lift his head, his voice faint but urgent. "No… don't let him finish it… If he transforms now… no one will stop him."
Rudra's fists tightened. "Damn it… without chakra, I can't even cut through that energy!"
The sphere above Vegeta's hand grew brighter, swelling into a massive glowing orb, its silver light piercing through the battlefield. The artificial moon began to float upward into the sky, illuminating the wasteland with a pale, deadly radiance.
Vegeta's laughter echoed madly.
"Witness the true form of a Saiyan elite!"
But just as he prepared to raise his head to absorb the Blutz Waves, his Scouter beeped again — an urgent signal.
BEEP. BEEP.
Dodoria's voice boomed, louder and more impatient than before.
"Vegeta! Stop whatever you're doing. Frieza's orders: return with the Dragon Balls at once! Do not waste more time!"
Vegeta froze mid-chant, his teeth grinding. He glared at the artificial moon, glowing ominously above. Then his eyes narrowed toward his enemies.
"Tch… Dodoria… you always pick the worst timing. But fine. I'll deal with Kakarot and his pathetic allies later. First, I'll secure the Dragon Balls. Then nothing will stop me."
With a frustrated roar, Vegeta lowered his arms, the artificial moon still hanging above like a curse. His aura burned angrily, but his mind was torn — battle, or orders?
And in that moment of hesitation, the battlefield's tension rose again…