A few minutes before the explosion…
Android 18 lay sprawled across the couch inside Razor's ship, her breathing soft and steady. The faint hum of the engines filled the silence, broken only by the occasional flicker of lights across the metallic walls. Her eyelids fluttered, a faint groan escaping her lips as consciousness slowly returned.
Her vision blurred for a moment before clarity returned — and with it, the memory of what had happened. Razor's hand striking her. The sudden blackout.
Her expression darkened. "That bastard actually knocked me out…" she muttered. "Couldn't stand me watching him lose, huh?"
Her pride burned hotter than anger. Razor's arrogance always irritated her, but this—this was a new level of insult. To think he decided she'd get in his way.
Her jaw tightened as she sat up sharply, the leather of the couch creaking under her movement. "He better hope I don't find him face-first in a crater," she hissed, smirking coldly. "I'll laugh him straight to hell."
Standing up, she brushed a few strands of hair out of her face and strode toward the exit, a mix of irritation and something faintly resembling concern buried deep beneath the scowl. But before she could step out, the sky outside lit up with a blinding crimson flash.
A few seconds later, the shockwave hit — even from thousand miles away, it was enough to shake the entire ship. She lost her balance for a second, bracing herself against the wall as the ground rumbled violently.
Her heart skipped. That explosion… it could only be one thing.
"Razor."
The name slipped out more as a curse than worry, but the knot in her chest tightened nonetheless. She shot into the sky in a streak of blue, cutting through the dust and clouds toward the direction of the blast.
When she arrived, her breath caught in her throat.
The once-distant wasteland was now a sea of ruin — molten rock, smoking craters, and in the center of it all, Razor lay unconscious, barely recognizable beneath torn armor and severe burns. The ground around him glowed faintly red from residual heat.
And crawling toward him from the shadows of the crater was the creature — grotesque, scarred, and regenerating. Its limbs twitched, bones snapping back into place as it dragged itself toward Razor like a nightmare refusing to die.
Android 18's expression hardened. "You've got to be kidding me. You really are face-first inside a giant crater."
She dropped down in front of Razor, planting herself between him and the advancing beast. "If anyone's going to beat that idiot," she muttered, cracking her knuckles, "it's me."
The monster lunged. She met it head-on, her fists colliding with its claws in a burst of force that sent ripples through the scorched air. The shockwave tore through the edges of the crater, shaking what little remained of the landscape.
For a moment, she held her ground. Every strike she landed sent tremors through the beast's massive regenerating body — but with each exchange, its wounds sealed faster. Her eyes widened as she realized the horror of it: the longer she fought, the faster it healed.
"Are you serious? You heal now?!" she growled, ducking under a swing and countering with a kick that sent the monster tumbling — only for it to recover instantly, roaring and slashing across her shoulder. Blood spattered across the ground.
Pain flared sharp and bright, but she refused to back down. She darted in again, unleashing a barrage of blows. Yet every hit seemed to lose its effect quicker than the last. The beast was learning her movements, adjusting, countering. Within minutes, it had turned the tide.
A powerful strike to her midsection sent her flying back, crashing against the crater wall. Dust and rock cascaded down as she fell to one knee, breathing hard. Her body trembled — fatigue mixing with fury.
The monster's roar echoed through the wasteland as it advanced, now fully regenerated, towering over her.
Inside the crater's center, Razor stirred. A faint sound — the clash of blows, the cry of battle — reached his ears through the haze of pain. His body ached, his lungs burned, but the moment the voice of 18 grunting in pain reached his ear — her fighting — something inside him snapped awake.
One finger twitched. Then another. His eyes opened, vision hazy but focused enough to see her — battered, bloodied, refusing to retreat.
Fighting for him.
His mind flashed back — the loneliness of his youth, the endless struggle for strength, the belief that power was all that mattered. He had never needed anyone. Never trusted anyone. Never believed anyone would stand in front of him to protect him.
And yet… there she was.
Bleeding. Struggling. Standing between him and death.
Something ignited in his chest — anger, pride, and something deeper that he didn't recognize.
Razor's hands clenched into fists. His vision cleared as rage surged through his veins. He could feel the ki building, burning through every nerve like wildfire. But his body was too broken to move — until he remembered.
The senzu bean.
With trembling fingers, he reached into his broken and torn armor and pulled one out. The small green bean glinted faintly in the dim light. He crushed it between his teeth, swallowing it whole.
The effect was instant. His wounds began to vanish, strength flooding back into every muscle. The pain evaporated as if it had never been there. His aura flared violently, sparks of golden light dancing across the crater.
The monster loomed above 18 now, one claw raised for the final strike. But before it could descend—
A deafening roar split the sky.
A blast of golden energy erupted from the crater, so intense that it forced both 18 and the beast to shield their eyes. The ground cracked apart, the air vibrated with power.
Razor stood tall, his eyes blazing with fury and renewed strength. His aura crackled violently as he stepped forward, the air around him distorting with sheer pressure.
"Get away from her," he growled, voice low but carrying the weight of thunder.
The beast froze mid-step, instincts screaming danger.
His golden aura rose higher — brighter, sharper. Lightning snapped through the air as his energy multiplied, shaking the planet's core. In seconds, he was already in his Super Saiyan 2 form. But the power didn't stop rising.
The sky darkened. Winds roared. The very planet trembled.
Razor's roar echoed through the atmosphere as his energy surged past its limits — golden light bursting outward in waves. His spiky hair grew longer, cascading down his back to his waist. His eyebrows vanished, brow bones sharpening, turning his face into something feral, wrathful. His muscles thickened, aura burning like a living inferno.
The tremors ceased as suddenly as they began. The air fell silent.
Razor stood still, eyes locked on the beast — now visibly trembling. His new form radiated a terrifying presence.
Super Saiyan 3.
Android 18 stared at him, speechless. "What the hell…" she whispered, disbelief and awe mixing in her voice.
The monster hesitated, its instincts — so sure and predatory before — now screaming in terror. It had faced many foes, adapted to all of them, but this… this was something beyond.
Razor tilted his head slightly, golden hair flowing in the energy-charged air, a cold smirk touching his lips.
"Now it's my turn."