While Vegeta and Jeice were locked in a fierce battle, Zeltron and Son Goku now stood facing one another on the open ground.
Son Goku, whose lips often curled with confident smiles, now wore a serious expression. Even though Zeltron's immense ki was suppressed, Goku could still sense a crushing, invisible pressure emanating from him.
Time seemed to slow as Goku measured his opponent, searching for an opening—but Zeltron stood like a statue, betraying nothing.
Goku's gaze flickered to the sidelines, where Krillin and Son Gohan hovered, tense and uncertain. Without a word, Krillin shot into the sky, calling back, "Gohan!"
The name snapped Gohan out of his trance.
"Hurry, we need to get out of here—this is no place for us!"
"But Dad—"
"Don't worry," Krillin reassured him, pulling Gohan along.
"Goku's just sparring with that Saiyan. With Goku's strength, he's not going to lose so easily!"
Both shot away, putting distance between themselves and the brewing storm. Krillin knew well: with the kind of power Goku and Zeltron could unleash, even the shockwaves would be lethal for them.
"Father…" Gohan whispered anxiously as they retreated, sparing a final glance over his shoulder.
Rapp and Toss, seeing Krillin and Gohan depart, also exchanged worried looks and quietly withdrew, leaving the true battle to the warriors.
Now only Goku and Zeltron remained in the silent heart of the battlefield.
Zeltron broke the silence first, his tone sharp and "kind":
"You'd best go all out right from the start. If you hold back, you won't even land a single blow."
Goku grinned, his eyes burning with excitement.
"That's exactly what I was thinking!"
He snapped into a battle stance.
"Kaio-ken!"
With a yell, a wild blast of energy erupted from Goku's body, flinging sand and rocks everywhere as the wind howled. His aura shifted from glaring white to the distinctive scarlet glow of Kaio-ken.
"It's on!" Goku declared.
In an instant, he vanished, reappearing as an afterimage streaking across the sky toward Zeltron, launching a fierce punch.
For most—Son Gohan and Krillin included—Goku practically vanished. But to Zeltron, his speed was nothing special.
As Goku's punch hurtled forward, Zeltron's body twisted with calm precision; he sidestepped the blow with ease.
But Goku was relentless. His fists flew with machine-gun rapidity, filling the air with afterimages and waves of pressure. Yet every strike was effortlessly dodged by Zeltron.
BOOM—
Suddenly, after dozens of dodges, Zeltron countered; his fist caught Goku off-guard and landed a clean blow to his cheek.
"Nani?!"
Surprised, Goku felt Zeltron's punch hit before his body could even react, launching him like a missile into a distant hill, shattering it to rubble.
"Goku!" Krillin cried from afar, his face draining of hope.
He had believed Goku could at least survive for a few rounds against Zeltron, but already Goku had been launched like a ragdoll.
"As expected, Zeltron—you're on another level!" Rapp murmured in awe, eyes shining.
HUM—
Suddenly, scarlet light exploded from the rubble. A gale swept the rocks away, and Goku's battered form once more stood at the center of the wasteland, face battered but eyes sharp.
"It's just as King Kai said… Incredible! I already used 2x Kaio-ken, and I still couldn't touch him…"
Goku wiped the blood from his lips, eyes blazing with renewed fighting spirit.
"Goku, is that seriously all you've got?" Zeltron shot back.
"If this is your full power, you'll only disappoint me."
He couldn't help but think: Am I really playing the villain's script now? But all that mattered was helping Goku reach Super Saiyan.
"No choice…"
Goku, stung by those words, managed a sheepish smile. Flattening his stance, he gritted his teeth, blue veins popping on his forehead.
"Kaio-ken… TIMES FOURR!"
With another shout, Goku's power burst again; the scarlet aura doubling in size as a more savage force roared from within.
If someone measured him with a scouter now, it would register a staggering 360,000 power level.
"Goku still had more left in him?"
Krillin's jaw dropped at the doubling of Goku's strength, a mixture of excitement and disbelief on his face.
Meanwhile, amidst his fight with Jeice, Vegeta felt Goku's explosive surge and broke away, staring at the red-clad warrior with shock.
"Kakarot—this guy..."
On Earth, Goku had once strained himself to death using four times Kaio-ken in a desperate bid to match Vegeta. But back then, he barely had the physical strength to survive the technique.
Now, with a base power level over 90,000, his body could handle the quadruple boost.
"Quadruple Kaio-ken?"
Zeltron smiled with interest—and without waiting, surged forward to attack Goku himself.