The battle had changed from a one-sided slaughter into a brutal, relentless beating.
Goku's vision was already starting to blur. He could barely see clearly anymore.
Two or three of his ribs were probably broken. Every breath sounded like a broken bellows struggling to pull in air, and sharp pain spread through his entire body whenever he moved.
Yet he clung to Raditz like an indestructible piece of chewing gum that refused to be spat out, using his body and sheer willpower to bridge the massive gap in strength.
"You annoying pest! Get off me!"
Raditz roared in fury and drove a heavy punch into Goku's stomach.
"Urgh…"
Goku's body folded like a shrimp. Bile mixed with blood sprayed from his mouth.
But as he was sent flying backward, he twisted his body in midair and grabbed Raditz's ankle with both hands.
"You're… not getting… past me…"
Blood filled Goku's mouth, but his eyes shone fiercely. It was the unwavering determination of someone protecting his friends.
"You're asking for death!"
Raditz lifted his foot and stomped down on Goku's fingers. The cracking sound of bones breaking was enough to make anyone's teeth ache.
Each stomp shook the sand beneath them, but Goku refused to let go, as if those fingers did not belong to him.
At the same time, hundreds of meters away, Piccolo stood surrounded by spiraling golden arcs of electricity.
The light gathered at his fingertips had already changed from bright white to a piercing dark gold.
That destructive energy had been compressed to its limit. Even the surrounding air twisted from the heat, and the humming vibration in the air made ears throb with pain.
"Are you ready yet, Piccolo!" Goku shouted hoarsely.
"I'm ready! Move, Goku!"
Piccolo's eyes widened and veins bulged on his forehead as he released the attack he had been charging.
"Special Beam Cannon!"
A razor-thin spiral beam burst forward, incredibly condensed and carrying the power to pierce anything. It tore through the air with a sharp screech and shot straight toward Raditz.
This attack contained every ounce of Piccolo's strength and focus. It was powerful enough to drill through anything in its path.
It was also unbelievably fast.
So fast that Raditz's scouter barely had time to scream out a warning.
"What?!"
A chill of death shot straight through Raditz's spine. It was the instinctive fear of prey facing a predator.
He tried to dodge, but Goku was still gripping his leg.
"Let go!"
At the last moment, Raditz unleashed every bit of his strength. He kicked Goku in the face and used the recoil to force his body sideways.
Szzzt!
The beam grazed Raditz's right shoulder.
A spray of blood exploded into the air. His shoulder armor and a chunk of flesh instantly evaporated, leaving behind the sharp smell of burnt meat.
But the beam did not stop there.
It continued flying into the distance until it struck a towering mountain several kilometers away.
There was no explosion.
Instead, the several-hundred-meter-tall mountain was pierced cleanly, like butter sliced by a hot knife.
For a few seconds, the world fell silent.
Then the mountain peak collapsed with a thunderous crash, turning into a landslide of shattered rock that rolled down the slope as a cloud of dust swallowed half the sky.
"Gulp…"
Trin swallowed hard. The potato chips in his hand fell to the ground and crumbled.
"Th… that was from the green uncle? That's… amazing…"
Krillin nodded slightly, his eyes narrowing.
"The piercing power of that technique is terrifying. It's designed purely for penetration."
He paused.
"Too bad he missed. Piccolo still needs to work on his aim."
Raditz clutched his bleeding shoulder. His face was pale, and his expression showed the lingering terror of someone who had just brushed against death.
For a moment earlier, he had truly seen the gates of hell opening before him.
"You bastards! You filthy insects actually injured me!"
His fear quickly transformed into blazing rage.
Raditz no longer bothered with playing around. He raised his uninjured left hand and aimed his palm at Piccolo, who was still frozen in place after releasing his attack.
"Die! All of you worthless worms!"
Piccolo had just fired his ultimate move. His energy was completely drained, leaving him in a moment of weakness. All he could do was watch death approaching, his eyes filled with unwillingness.
Then suddenly, a blur flashed past.
At some point, Goku had moved behind Raditz. Using the last bit of strength in his body, he grabbed the furry tail swaying behind Raditz's waist.
"Ahhh!"
Raditz, who had been brimming with power a second ago, suddenly collapsed to the ground as if his spine had been pulled out.
The overwhelming strength vanished instantly, replaced by complete weakness throughout his body.
The Saiyan weakness: the tail.
"Nice work, Goku!"
Piccolo's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Hold him like that! Even bite him if you have to! I'll fire another one!"
"L… let go…"
Raditz lay trembling on the ground. His voice was filled with fear and desperation.
"Kakarot… little brother… I'm your brother…"
Goku froze for a moment. His grip loosened slightly.
Looking down at the man who shared his blood, a trace of hesitation appeared in his heart.
"We're the last brothers left in the universe. Are you really going to kill me?"
Sensing Goku's hesitation, Raditz forced a few tears from his eyes and spoke pitifully.
"I was wrong. I swear I'll leave Earth immediately and never come back."
"Please… spare your brother just this once. I only lost control because I missed my family."
"Really?" Goku hesitated.
After all, this was his only brother in the world.
"It's true! I swear it on the honor of the Saiyan race!"
"Goku! Don't believe him! He's lying!"
Piccolo shouted angrily, practically spitting with frustration.
"He just tried to kill your son! He's a monster!"
On the beach chair in the distance, Krillin sighed and tossed the last potato chip into his mouth. His expression looked complicated.
"Here it comes. This is your Uncle Goku's biggest weakness, and also his greatest strength."
He spoke to Trin with a thoughtful tone.
"His heart is too soft, even toward someone like that. It may look foolish, but that kindness is exactly what makes him Son Goku."
"But Dad, isn't being kind to bad people just hurting yourself?" Trin frowned. "The books say you should eliminate threats completely."
"You're right. And the price for that kindness is about to appear."
Krillin shook his head.
Sure enough, the moment Goku completely loosened his grip…
Raditz's tearful expression twisted into a vicious grin.
"Die, you idiot!"
Bang!
Raditz spun around and smashed his elbow into Goku's temple.
The blow was powerful and brutal. Goku cried out as his body was sent flying like a kite with its string cut, crashing heavily onto the ground.
Raditz gave him no chance to recover.
He rushed forward and stepped on Goku's chest, grinding down with cruel force.
Crack. Crack.
The sound of ribs breaking echoed clearly.
"Hahaha! What a fool! You actually believed that nonsense?"
Raditz laughed wildly while stomping harder.
"You think I keep promises? A low-class warrior is still a low-class warrior. Your soft heart is your biggest weakness!"
"Ahhhh!"
Goku screamed in pain as blood poured from his mouth, soaking the front of his orange gi.
"Dad!!!"
From behind the wreckage of the crashed space pod, Gohan had been watching through a small gap.
Seeing his father beaten so brutally, the tears in his large eyes trembled.
Then something inside him snapped.
A red aura suddenly erupted from the small body of the four-year-old child.
Beep… beep…
Raditz's scouter began screaming again as the numbers skyrocketed.
Power Level: 710… 1000… 1307!
"Wh… what?!"
Raditz turned around in disbelief, thinking the scouter had malfunctioned.
"Don't hurt my dad!"
Gohan roared as he launched forward like a red cannonball, carrying enough force to shatter stone.
The attack was sudden, fast, and filled with pure rage.
Boom!
Gohan's head slammed directly into Raditz's chest.
For a brief moment, Raditz felt as if a meteor had struck him.
His armor shattered completely. His chest caved in, and he spat out blood as he was blasted backward into a rock wall.
"Now's the chance!"
Even though his chest screamed in pain, Goku knew this was the opportunity his son had created.
Ignoring everything else, he lunged forward and wrapped his arms tightly around the heavily injured Raditz from behind.
A perfect full-nelson hold.
Goku's arms locked around him like iron clamps, completely restraining his movement.
"Piccolo! Now! Do it again!" Goku shouted, blood running down his chin. "Fire it! Even if it kills me too! This is our only chance!"
"What?"
Piccolo was startled for a moment.
Then a ruthless grin spread across his face.
"Heh. That works perfectly for me. I wanted to kill him anyway. Getting rid of you at the same time is just a bonus."
"Let go of me, you lunatic!"
Raditz struggled wildly, elbowing and head-butting Goku with everything he had.
But Goku held on like a statue.
"Piccolo! Hurry! I can't hold him much longer!"
"Special Beam Cannon!"
For the second time.
And the final time.
The beam of death lit up the battlefield once again.
This time, there was nowhere left to escape.