At the center of the battlefield, two figures stood battered and exhausted.
Goku's orange martial arts dress was torn, and he was gasping for breath.
"Damn it… this guy is too strong!"
Beside him, Piccolo wasn't doing any better—his arm hung limp, green blood dripping from the tips of his fingers.
Even his proud Special Beam Cannon, which consumed all his energy and concentration, had been easily dodged, grazing only Raditz's shoulder pad.
The gap between them was despair-inducing.
Standing opposite the two was Raditz, the Saiyan who claimed to be Goku's brother.
Raditz crossed his arms, long wild hair swaying as the wind howled, a cruel grin on his face.
"It's over, Kakarot."
His tone oozed arrogance.
"You trash don't even recognize your own brother. And you, Namekian—your attack was mildly interesting, but still far too slow."
Suddenly, Raditz sensed something. His expression shifted as he glanced toward the crashed space pod.
"Oh? A brat's power level is rising fast… 1307?!"
His mocking smile faded slightly.
Boom!
The pod burst open, and a small child wearing a yellow outfit and a four-star-ball hat rushed out, tears streaking his face but fury burning in his eyes.
"Don't… don't bully my dad!" Gohan roared.
But to Raditz, this power was nothing.
He casually slapped Gohan away, sending the boy crashing into a rock where he collapsed, unconscious.
"Hmph. A mongrel with some potential," Raditz had lost all patience.
He raised his hand, forming a purple energy orb aimed directly at Goku.
"Farewell, my foolish brother."
Just then—
A voice suddenly echoed across the battlefield.
"Hey."
"You guys are way too loud."
"You're disturbing my sunbath."
A figure appeared silently between Raditz and Goku.
The newcomer wore simple clothes, messy black hair, and carried a fluffy Saiyan tail swaying lazily behind him.
"You… who are you?!"
Raditz's smug expression instantly froze. He instinctively tapped his scouter.
"Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep—!!"
The alarm shrieked, the numbers skyrocketing wildly like a machine on the verge of meltdown.
Five thousand!
Ten thousand!
Eighteen thousand!
BZZT—CRACK!
Under Raditz's horrified gaze, the scouter's lens cracked, flickered, and then—
BOOM!
It exploded, sparks flying.
The scouter… exploded?!
Impossible!
Its upper limit was 20,000. That meant this guy's power level—
Exceeded it.
But that made no sense. Even Vegeta only had 18,000.
Who the hell was this monster?
"You bastard…" Raditz forced down his terror and roared, "You're a Saiyan too?! Why are you here?! Your power level—this must be a malfunction! There's no way it's that high!"
His voice trembled by the end.
"You can call me Loren," Loren yawned, looking completely uninterested.
"You're disturbing me."
"Do you know how hard it is to find a mountain with the perfect sunlight, perfect breeze, and zero idiots yelling while I'm trying to nap?"
Raditz was stunned.
Goku and Piccolo were also completely stunned.
Of all the reasons for a mysterious powerhouse to appear…
He came because his nap was disturbed?!
"What… what nonsense are you talking about?!" Raditz roared.
"I am a noble Saiyan warrior! How dare you insult me over sleep?!"
Fueled by rage, Raditz redirected his energy orb away from Goku and hurled it at Loren.
"Since you want to die, then disappear!"
Loren didn't even blink.
He just raised one finger.
And lightly tapped the incoming attack.
Pop.
The massive, destructive orb vanished like a pricked bubble.
Silently. Instantly.
"…"
Raditz's face froze, his expression twisting into raw fear.
Run.
Must run.
Raditz turned and shot into the air, abandoning all Saiyan pride and his mission.
But he was too slow.
"The score isn't settled. Why are you in such a hurry to leave?"
Loren's figure blurred—then appeared in front of him.
"You… wh-what are you…" Raditz's teeth chattered.
"So troublesome…" Loren sighed.
He raised his right hand, forming a small, ordinary-looking energy orb.
No dramatic lights. No explosive aura.
Just a simple fist-sized sphere.
It gently touched Raditz's chest.
Bang.
A clean hole opened through Raditz's body.
He fell from the sky like a lifeless doll.
He died instantly.
The battlefield fell into absolute silence.
Goku's jaw hung open, unable to process what he had just witnessed.
Piccolo's stern expression collapsed into pure shock.
Raditz…
The terrifying foe who pushed them into despair…
The Saiyan with a power level of 1,500…
Had been killed instantly?
Loren frowned.
"Seriously, he's not even tough enough to take a hit."
"With that power level, he dares invade Earth?"
He turned to Goku and Piccolo.
"Don't celebrate yet."
"Stronger guys than Raditz will be here in a year."
"Train hard. Otherwise next time, no one will clean up your mess."
Before they could react, Loren transformed into a streak of light and shot into the sky.
A long moment passed.
"G-gulp…" Goku swallowed hard and looked at Piccolo.
"Piccolo… that Loren guy… did you see him?"
Piccolo didn't answer.
He only stared at where Loren disappeared, shock still burning in his eyes.