Above the ruins of the arena, an eerie silence returned.
Only the faint wind stirred the dust.
"So, Broly…" Krillin, being the most lively among them, was the first to break the silence.
He stepped closer, his face showing a mixture of respect and curiosity.
Lowering his voice, he gently nudged Broly with his elbow.
"When you fought Piccolo just now… how much of your power did you actually use?"
This question echoed the doubt in everyone's mind.
"Hard to say…" Broly replied.
He scratched his always slightly messy hair and looked somewhat troubled, as if calculating something.
"Why is it hard to say?" Yamcha quickly asked, unable to hold back his curiosity.
He also wanted to know just how big the gap was between himself and this monster.
"Well…" Broly frowned, trying to organize his thoughts.
"In numbers… it's hard to calculate. The number is too big."
"When I fought the old Demon King Piccolo, I used about one ten-millionth of my power."
"But this time…"
He paused, sensing his own strength.
Then he gave an uncertain answer.
"Probably… not even one hundred-millionth of my power."
"Something like that."
Everyone: "..."
Every single person froze.
Their mouths hung open and their eyes widened.
No one could speak for a long moment.
Previously it had been one ten-millionth of his power…
And now it might not even be one hundred-millionth?
That level of power was completely beyond their imagination.
Their minds simply couldn't process numbers of that scale.
"S-so… does that mean…" Krillin finally managed to speak again.
His voice sounded dry.
"Your power has actually been increasing this whole time?"
"You never stopped getting stronger?"
"Didn't I say that before?" Broly replied with a simple smile.
"Every time I wake up from sleep, my power increases a lot."
"I can't even control it."
"It's actually pretty annoying."
He even shrugged as if it were some kind of burden.
Krillin: "..."
Krillin fell silent.
For the first time in his life, he began questioning the meaning of all his hard training.
They trained desperately just to gain a tiny bit of strength.
But Broly…
Just sleeping made him stronger.
Where was the justice in that?!
Everyone once again fell into collective silence.
Before, they had thought Broly was just bragging—or making excuses for being lazy.
But now…
Everything he said seemed to be true.
Every word.
This realization was even harder to accept than watching Broly casually crush Piccolo earlier.
"I really can't imagine… just how strong you'll become someday…" Krillin sighed deeply while staring at the blue sky.
It was the sigh of someone facing something completely beyond understanding.
"Even a monster like Piccolo couldn't last a second against you," Yamcha muttered nervously.
"Which probably means… Goku wouldn't fare much better."
"Goku!" Broly suddenly said with a cheerful grin.
Yamcha's words had clearly reminded him of something.
He turned toward Son Goku, who had just relaxed a little.
"Since we have some time…"
"How about we spar?"
"You're the champion after all. You said you'd fight me."
Goku: "..."
The smile on Goku's face instantly froze.
Sweat began forming on his forehead.
Without even thinking—
He suddenly threw his head back and shouted at the sky.
"Flying Nimbus!"
"WHOOSH!"
As if it had been waiting for the call, the golden cloud streaked across the sky like lightning and stopped in front of him.
Goku moved so fast that it looked like a blur.
He grabbed Chi-Chi, who was still a bit confused, and jumped onto the Nimbus Cloud.
"E-everyone! Goodbye!" Goku shouted hurriedly while waving.
"Chi-Chi and I are going back to get married!"
His smile looked awkward and rushed.
"Don't forget to gather the Dragon Balls for me!" Broly shouted up at him.
"Don't worry! In ten days!" Goku called back without turning around.
"I'll collect them and bring them to Master Roshi!"
"Good," Broly nodded with satisfaction.
"WHOOSH—!"
The Flying Nimbus suddenly accelerated at incredible speed.
It shot away like someone escaping a disaster.
In seconds, Goku and Chi-Chi disappeared into the distance.
Everyone stood there blankly, staring at the empty sky.
Then slowly—
They turned their heads toward Broly.
It was obvious to everyone.
Goku hadn't rushed off to get married.
He had clearly been scared off by Broly.
Completely scared away by that simple invitation to spar.
But thinking about it—
Even Piccolo, who was about as strong as Goku, had been crushed effortlessly by Broly.
Goku wasn't stupid.
Why would he challenge a monster whose limits couldn't even be seen?
Running away was the smart choice.
Not running would have been foolish.
"Tien!"
At that moment, a familiar voice called out.
Everyone looked over.
Chiaotzu, whose complexion had recovered, was slowly flying back.
He landed next to Tien Shinhan.
The two immediately embraced.
"Chiaotzu! Are you alright? Are your injuries healed?" Tien asked anxiously.
"Yes! After treatment at the hospital, I felt much better, so I rushed back here!" Chiaotzu said happily.
Then he looked confusedly toward the direction Goku had left.
"Huh? Why did Goku leave so suddenly?"
"He looked like he was in a big hurry."
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