After Zeltron's reminder, Son Goku immediately took a fighting stance, clenching his fists tightly.
HUM—
Within the next moment, an overwhelming aura burst forth from Son Goku's body.
The ground beneath his feet instantly sank as if crushed by a tremendous weight.
At the same time, a powerful wave of energy radiated outward in all directions like ripples across a pond.
At first, the wave was gentle, scattering small stones only.
But as Son Goku released more ki, the tidal energy grew fiercer and fiercer.
Even Recoome's massive body beneath him was pushed slowly backward by the mounting force.
[DIDIDI—]
The data on Rapp's scouter steadily climbed:
60,000
70,000
...
Within mere breaths, Son Goku's power level skyrocketed from 5,000 to 110,000.
Everyone present—except Zeltron—watched in shock.
"Terrifying!"
"Is this really Goku?"
"And his rage is still building!"
Using their Ki sensing abilities, Krillin and Son Gohan could feel the overwhelming power emanating from Goku's body.
They were both shocked and thrilled:
Shocked that Goku rose to such a level in so short a time,
And thrilled because the stronger Goku was, the safer their chance of victory.
Though Krillin and Son Gohan were excited, Vegeta's face turned an unhealthy green and then pale with jealousy and resentment.
"Damn it, Kakarot…"
"What method did he use to grow this strong?"
Vegeta clenched his teeth, unwilling to show defeat.
"KAAIOO-KEN!"
At that moment, Son Goku released the full force of his ki, shouting loudly.
Suddenly, the white aura above his body blazed scarlet red.
His power level surged explosively upward.
HUM—
A violent wind swept through the area, lifting Recoome's prone form off the ground instantly.
Jeice, standing closest to Goku, was forced to take a defensive step back under the air blast's impact.
BOOM—
At the same moment, Rapp's scouter exploded from overload as Son Goku activated Kaio-ken.
"Finally... Kaio-ken appears!"
Zeltron's eyes gleamed sharply as he watched the scarlet radiance enveloping Son Goku.
However, Zeltron's interest was not in Goku himself but in the Kaio-ken technique.
While Zeltron waited eagerly for the system to drop the Kaio-ken attribute, time ticked by without any sign.
His anxiety grew.
"You won't drop the attribute at a crucial moment, will you?"
He whispered, barely audible.
There was only a one-fifth chance the system would release the attribute when a skill like Kaio-ken was used.
When Guldo cast [Time Pause] before, the system immediately granted that attribute—pure luck for Zeltron.
But this time, luck seemed against him; no Kaio-ken attribute dropped after Goku's activation.
Looks like Goku will have to use Kaio-ken again after a short rest, Zeltron thought with a helpless shrug.
While Zeltron complained silently, Goku looked back and called out confidently:
"Is that all? If it doesn't work, I can use Triple Kaio-ken, though the physical strain will be intense!"
"That's fine, that's fine!"
Zeltron nodded, showing little interest in the unfolding fight after that.
Vegeta's expression twisted with frustration when he overheard.
"Kakarot, do you have more power?"
In Vegeta's eyes, Goku's ki now exceeded his own.
Yet Goku claimed he could still push further.
It felt like an arrow stabbing into Vegeta's heart.
"Yo, Goku, if that's how it is, then I'll attack!"
After Zeltron gave his approval, Goku's face lit up with excitement.
He shifted his gaze from Zeltron to Jeice standing before him.
Son Goku aimed to prove himself by first fighting Jeice.
THUM—
Son Goku's feet slammed into the ground, causing the earth beneath to collapse instantly under the immense force.
Using that recoil, his body twisted like a cannonball, becoming a streak of scarlet light hurtling directly at Jeice.
Son Goku's speed was already extraordinary, but after activating [Kaio-ken], it grew to near-exaggerated levels.
Except for Zeltron, no one could track his movement clearly.
Vegeta and the others could barely catch fleeting shadows as Goku streaked past.
By the time they reacted, Goku had already closed in.
His fist pressed against Jeice's nose—yet the punch did not stop there.
[DING—]
[Congratulations, host, Kaio-ken Attribute Acquired!]
Just as Zeltron contemplated how to make Goku use Kaio-ken again to collect more attributes, the mechanical beep of the system sounded sharply in his mind.
"Eh?"
Zeltron looked dumbfounded.
"System, what's happening?"
"Why did the Kaio-ken attribute drop now?"
The system responded immediately:
[Kaio-ken is a continuous technique.
After activation, there is a certain probability that the Kaio-ken attribute will continue to drop intermittently.]
Before Zeltron processed the meaning fully, the system prompted:
["Host, do you accept the Kaio-ken attribute?"]
"Yes!"
Though Zeltron didn't fully understand, sensing the power, he ordered the absorption.
The glowing [Kaio-ken] attribute near Son Goku's feet flew straight toward Zeltron and merged into his body.
Soon, Zeltron saw the Kaio-ken skill icon appear on his system screen.