A heavy atmosphere enveloped the world as Piccolo's pupils shifted slightly, shining brightly.
He'd originally wanted to snatch Broly's sealed bottle to add leverage for himself, but his surprise attack had failed and exposed him instead.
Before him stood three menacing Super Saiyans, all of whom had undergone earth-shaking changes in combat effectiveness. Piccolo had witnessed the battle between Raditz's group and Broly—he knew he wasn't their match.
But he wasn't afraid. What was there to fear with an immortal body?
Suddenly, Vegeta rushed forward. "Stop talking!" With a violent shout, Vegeta swung his leg in a devastating kick. The whistling wind sounded like screeching metal—sharp and brief—instantly cutting through air as it slammed toward Piccolo.
This blow contained tremendous power, seeming able to split earth and shatter void. Piccolo lost momentum and had to block with his arms.
Covering his guard with one hand, white aura erupted as confrontational energy surged.
Piccolo wasn't Broly. Having seen Broly easily block their various attacks, the moment he actually endured one, Piccolo realized Broly's power was far beyond his imagination!
What a heavy kick!
The moment this thought flashed through his mind, Piccolo flew backward, sliding across the ground for dozens of meters. He scattered soil and gravel across the ruins as purple blood from his severed arm splattered everywhere.
"Hmph! You dare sneak attack with this little ability—you really don't know your place!" Vegeta snorted coldly. "I didn't expect that after so long, you made no progress at all. I thought you might be stronger. What a disappointment—let me send you to hell!"
"HAHAHAHAHA!" Piccolo laughed as he got up from the ground. He moved his feet slightly, and his broken arm suddenly recovered like a lizard's tail. The regenerated limb was sticky with bodily fluids and looked disgusting.
Vegeta frowned: "What are you laughing at?"
"Just reminding you—I'm immortal now."
Immortal? Right, when he was on Namek, Piccolo had made a wish to the Namek Dragon for immortality. Even piercing his heart and destroying his head couldn't kill him.
Vegeta snorted angrily, his face full of rage. A powerful Broly had already made him furious, and now there was an undead Piccolo—suddenly it felt like the whole world was against him.
The enraged Vegeta was about to attack again, but Raditz stopped him and walked toward Piccolo.
"Yes, yes—not only can't we kill you, but the Mafuba may not work on you either." Raditz waved his hand, looking indifferent. "But you should also be clear that our power is above yours now. Combat-type Namekians aren't as strong as Saiyans after all!"
"I'm not as strong as you, but you can't stop me!" Piccolo retorted.
Having said that, Piccolo was somewhat afraid of Raditz, secretly vigilant. Before assimilating with Slug, he'd experienced Raditz's shrewdness. In Piccolo's eyes, Raditz seemed to know everything and was always one step ahead, which made him both admire and fear him.
Raditz ignored his words completely and took the initiative to ask: "Did you find the giant Dragon Ball?"
"No one is more familiar with Dragon Balls than Namekians. I never expected there would be such large Dragon Balls in the Southern Galaxy—I was shocked when I saw them."
Of course you couldn't expect it—these are Super Dragon Balls! Raditz complained inwardly.
"Although you don't know what these Dragon Balls are, you know Dragon Balls are meaningless unless you collect all seven, so you're collecting them, right?" Raditz seemed to see through Piccolo's mind, his tone firm.
Piccolo didn't answer, only showing a gloomy smile.
"After you survived the explosion, Slug's universal overlord ambitions overlapped with your original demon king nature, making your desire to conquer the universe stronger. Because you didn't want to fight the Frieza Force head-on, you chose the Southern Galaxy as your foundation. I heard people say Bodo Planet's prosperity began over a year ago—I think that coincides with when you arrived in the Southern Galaxy.
"You also used the fighting arena and the wish-granting promise to deceive powerful fighters, develop your own forces, and achieve your goal of universal conquest. Am I right? Oh, I almost forgot—you found Broly, didn't you? But you miscalculated his power, leading to Bodo Planet's destruction and your foundation being ruined. How unexpected."
Raditz spoke in a series, each sentence as if he'd witnessed it himself.
The more Piccolo heard, the more frightened he became, as if eyes were staring at him from behind. Chills pierced from his back and surged to his head, followed by tingling scalp.
"I know you..."
"No, you know nothing!" Raditz didn't give Piccolo a chance to speak, fixing his eyes on him and immediately interrupting. "Do you know that Frieza wasn't killed by you and survived? Do you know the Frieza Force came back for revenge and we eliminated them? Do you know how strong Super Saiyans are?"
After that, Raditz stepped forward and pressed his palm against Piccolo's chest. The overwhelming force made Piccolo suddenly breathless. "Then try my technique."
Before finishing his words, a yellow beam pierced Piccolo's chest like a sharp sword. The massive energy exploded instantly—except for his chest, the left half of his body was suddenly shattered and engulfed by light.
An ordinary person would have died long ago, but Piccolo's tenacious life force commanded rapid regeneration.
At this moment, Raditz teleported behind Piccolo again and severed his head with a palm strike, staining it with purple blood. Sure enough, Piccolo was resurrected again, but his mentality was completely different—just like Goku and the others facing Broly.
"My brother is so strong," Goku couldn't help sighing.
"There's nothing strong about it—Piccolo's just too weak. His strength is at King Cold's level. All of us are stronger than him now! He's just putting on airs..." Vegeta forgot the word Raditz usually used.
"I think it's called 'bluffing,'" Goku reminded.
"Hmph, just bluffing."
Vegeta folded his arms and faded from Super Saiyan state, his expression bored.
In the sky, Piccolo was beaten helplessly by Raditz like a moving punching bag, constantly being ravaged by heavy blows. The sound of shocking impacts could be heard endlessly as the entire planet shook.
Raditz's final powerful blow landed on Piccolo's abdomen, piercing straight through and causing blood and flesh to splatter horribly.
Raditz's voice floated in the air: "Your failure is that you inherited the Great Demon King's arrogance and Slug's short-sightedness. Wake up, Piccolo."
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