At this moment, the battle had completely turned around.
Vegeta's once-proud speed now seemed sluggish against the Triple Kaioken.
His fists were effortlessly caught by Goku, followed immediately by a brutal knee smashing into his abdomen.
"Ugh…!"
Vegeta spat out bitter air, his body curling like a shrimp.
Goku didn't pause. Bringing his hands together, he slammed a powerful blow onto Vegeta's back, sending him hurtling toward the ground like a meteor.
Boom!
The earth cracked beneath the impact, a deep crater forming where Vegeta landed.
Struggling to his feet, covered in dust and blood dripping from his lips, Vegeta's pride lay in ruins.
To be completely dominated in a face-to-face brawl by a lower-class warrior that was unbearable.
"Unforgivable… unforgivable!"
Vegeta let out a beastly roar.
He shot into the sky, arms thrown back as purple energy coalesced violently in his palms.
The planet's atmosphere trembled. The purple glow illuminated half the Earth.
"If I can't beat you… then I'll destroy you, and this cursed planet along with you!"
Reason abandoned him entirely.
"Move, Kakarot! If you dodge, Earth is finished!"
On Krillin's system panel, the energy reading from Vegeta's attack skyrocketed. If left unchecked, it could pierce through the planet's core.
"Dad, should we step in?"
Trunks asked nervously.
"No," Krillin said, shaking his head. A spark of determination lit his eyes.
"This is Goku's fight. Trust him."
On the ground, Goku stared at the apocalyptic purple light in the sky, his expression heavier than ever.
He knew he could not dodge.
"Hoo…"
He crouched, hands at his sides in the familiar stance all Z-Fighters knew.
"If you're going all out, then so am I!"
Blue energy began to gather in his palms, meeting the purple in a battle of equals.
"Kame hame ha!"
"Die, Galick Gun!"
Boom!
Two terrifying pillars of energy collided one descending from the sky, one rising from the ground.
The world seemed to fade around them.
The purple and blue energies clashed violently, devouring and compressing each other at the impact point, forming a massive glowing sphere, as if a second sun had risen in midair.
The energy storm swept across the ruined East City.
Gales tore through the area like knives. Even Piccolo and the others, watching from kilometers away, had to summon their ki to brace against the shockwave.
"Is… this what a fight between Saiyans looks like?"
Tien raised his arm to shield his eyes, peeking through his fingers at the suffocating clash.
"At this level, a direct hit could erase us completely."
"Dad… you have to win!"
Gohan clenched his fists, trembling with anxiety.
High above, Vegeta's face twisted with rage, veins nearly bursting.
He poured every ounce of ki into trying to push back Goku's blue beam.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
Inside, Vegeta raged.
"I am Vegeta, the Saiyan prince destined to rule the universe! How could I lose to a low-class warrior like you? Disappear!"
The Galick Gun flared violently. The purple pillar thickened, gradually forcing Goku's Kamehameha toward the ground.
On the surface, Goku's feet were sunk deep into rock, muscles trembling from the strain.
The red aura of Kaioken blazed brightly, but under Vegeta's relentless suppression, it wavered.
"Damn… such powerful ki…"
Goku gritted his teeth, sweat dripping from his face, instantly vaporized by the heat.
"Triple Kaioken… already at my limit… if I push further, my body might collapse…"
Krillin's system vision flagged Goku's condition as critical red.
[Warning: Son Goku's muscle fiber rupture at 30%, skeletal pressure near critical threshold. Forcing higher multiplier carries a 60% chance of permanent injury.]
"Still…"
Krillin's lips curved into a small smile as he watched the unwavering figure.
"This is Goku. Limits are made to be broken."
At the moment when Goku's Kamehameha seemed about to be crushed, he opened his eyes wide and let out a roar that shook the heavens.
"Body, hold on! Even for just an instant!"
"Quadruple… Kaioken!"
Boom!
The blue beam, previously on the back foot, suddenly exploded with unprecedented brilliance.
The crimson Kaioken flame was now as thick and vivid as flowing blood.
Goku's body became a red-black vortex, violently drawing in every ounce of surrounding energy.
Battle Power: 32,000
"Wh-what?!"
Vegeta, high above, felt an irresistible force surging from below.
Horrified, he watched the blue beam he had suppressed swell to several times its size.
It was like a sleeping dragon awakening, mouth wide, swallowing his Galick Gun whole.
"No… this is impossible!"
Vegeta screamed in despair.
The next moment, the blue torrent completely engulfed the purple light, smashing down on Vegeta with unstoppable force and flinging him into the upper atmosphere.
Boom!
The explosion lit up the night sky like daylight across the entire hemisphere.
"W… we won?!"
Yamcha pumped his fists in excitement.
"Nice work, Dad!"
Gohan leaped with joy.
On the ground, Goku remained in a pushing stance, gasping for air.
As the Kaioken faded, excruciating pain swept through him like a tidal wave.
"Ugh so painful…"
He collapsed onto the ground, his body feeling like it had been run over by a truck. Even moving a finger was agony.
Yet a satisfied smile lingered on his face.
"Heh… looks like I won after all."
Krillin and Trunks instant-transferred to his side.
"Nice work, Goku," Krillin said, patting his shoulder. "Quadruple Kaioken… you really pushed yourself to the limit, almost wrecked your own body."
He channeled a gentle stream of ki into Goku, easing the muscle spasms. He knew this fight was far from over. Healing beans or divine techniques weren't appropriate yet.
"Heh, no choice. Vegeta was too strong," Goku grinned, teeth clenched.
"But Krillin, you were sneaky. You could've handled him yourself, yet you let me go all out."
"That's called strategy. Ever hear of it?"
Krillin shrugged, speaking casually but with purpose.
"And a fight this evenly matched? That's how you grow. Look, hasn't your battle limit loosened again?"
Just as everyone thought the fight was over and began to celebrate, Krillin looked up.
"Not done yet."
"What?!" Everyone gasped.
High above, a battered figure plummeted rapidly.
Vegeta.
He was still alive.
Though his battle suit was shredded, bloodied, and his left arm twisted unnaturally, his ki had not diminished. If anything, it had grown even wilder and more ferocious.