After forcefully driving Vegeta back, Goku refused to let up. He burst forward again, pressing the advantage.
The flying Vegeta executed a perfect backflip, completely dispelling the remaining force on his body. Landing on both feet, he used the momentum to charge forward, and the two collided once more.
This fated duel resumed yet again.
The battle had reached an unprecedented level of intensity. Endless destructive lightning now engulfed everything within a radius of more than five kilometres. Anyone lacking sufficient strength who came even slightly close risked being blasted into dust by the overwhelming destructive power of those lightning bolts.
The earth split apart, atmospheric pressure changed, and massive boulders were torn from the ground. After floating in midair for a brief moment, they exploded with a bang, turning into grains of sand and powder.
Bang!! Boom!!
After another fierce exchange, Goku and Vegeta locked their fingers together, each continuously exerting force against the other in a pure contest of strength.
Veins bulged across their foreheads, every muscle in their bodies taut. Both appeared to be pushing themselves to their absolute limits.
As their power erupted, their auras transformed into raging torrents that swept out in all directions, tearing apart the earth and distorting space itself, as though they were on the verge of shattering reality.
“Is this all you’ve got? I remember you could use the Kaio-ken. Use it already, Kakarot!!” Vegeta grinned as he taunted Goku.
Back in that battle years ago, he had lost to Goku’s Kaio-ken. Now that their strength was evenly matched, Kaio-ken was the key that could tip the scales.
If Goku used Kaio-ken, he would undoubtedly lose. But what Vegeta needed was tremendous pressure and external stimulation. If Goku unleashed Kaio-ken, it would greatly assist his breakthrough into Super Saiyan 3.
“Kaio-ken, huh? I didn’t expect you to still remember that technique. I’d like to use it too, but my body probably can’t handle it.” Goku gave a bitter smile and explained helplessly.
Ever since mastering the Super Saiyan transformation, he had practically abandoned that bug-like technique.
During his training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, he had tried stacking Kaio-ken on top of Super Saiyan. The result, however, had been disastrous—he had nearly gotten himself killed!
Transforming into a Super Saiyan already placed an enormous burden on his body. Adding the strain of Kaio-ken on top of that caused the energy and blood flow within him to become chaotic. One mistake, and his body could explode on the spot.
Not to mention that he was currently at the peak of Super Saiyan 2. If he used Kaio-ken now, the best-case scenario would be permanent crippling injuries. The worst-case scenario would be being blown into pieces scattered across the ground.
“Hmph? What a shame. Since you can’t use Kaio-ken, then I won’t hold back…!!” A wicked grin appeared on Vegeta’s face. In an instant, the aura around him erupted with even greater intensity.
With the pressure brought by Goku, the barrier that had been troubling him finally began to loosen. He… had taken another step forward!
The change left Goku stunned. He shouted in disbelief, “You… you’ve broken through again?! Damn it!”
“That’s right!!” Vegeta roared. With a sudden burst of force from both arms, he flung Goku away.
Swept away by the overwhelming power, Goku flew a considerable distance before executing a magnificent backflip and landing steadily on the ground.
But before he could even catch his breath, Vegeta had already rushed before him again, unleashing his overwhelmingly aggressive Prince’s fighting style.
Faced with Vegeta’s relentless assault, Goku could only meet him head-on.
But this time, Vegeta had broken past his limits. His attacks were noticeably faster and more ruthless than before. Every strike carried terrifying ferocity.
Under Vegeta’s fierce offensive, Goku’s defense began to falter, showing clear signs of collapse.
“Heh heh heh… This time, I’m the one ahead, Kakarot!!” Vegeta shouted with surging fighting intent.
At the same time, he unleashed a fist carrying the power of his entire body.
Yet the instant he threw that punch, an astonishing change also occurred within Goku’s body.
Because of Vegeta’s relentless pressure, the barrier that had been holding Goku back finally shattered at that very moment.
Bang!!
At the critical instant, Goku raised a hand and blocked Vegeta’s ruthless punch, perfectly neutralizing all of its power.
“What?! You’ve broken through too?!” Vegeta immediately sensed the change in Goku and revealed a look of shock.
The fact that Goku had completed his breakthrough so quickly and directly caught up to him only made Vegeta even more angry.
“You became happy too early, Vegeta.” Goku swung his arm and forced Vegeta back. Entering an aura eruption state, he began relentlessly pressing Vegeta.
Faced with Goku’s fierce offensive, Vegeta fell into a disadvantageous position and could only defend passively. Unfortunately, his mastery of defense was just a little inferior to Goku’s. After blocking dozens of punches and kicks in succession, Goku finally seized an opening.
BOOM~~!!!!
A powerful uppercut from Goku struck Vegeta squarely in the jaw. The tremendous force blasted Vegeta over a thousand meters into the sky.
Enduring the pain radiating from his jaw, Vegeta gritted his teeth and erupted with energy to stabilize himself. Lightning crackled around his body, and his eyes were bloodshot.
“If you’ve got the ability, then neutralize this attack again just like you did back then!!” Vegeta completely threw caution to the wind and assumed the stance for a finishing move.
The scene, the altitude—it perfectly recreated the scene of their very first battle.
“Galick Gun? Then bring it on!” Goku immediately recognized Vegeta’s finishing move.
Understanding Vegeta’s intent, he likewise assumed the stance for the Kamehameha. Energy continuously gathered between his hands.
This was going to decide the winner in a single move!
As the energy they released grew stronger and stronger, darkness spread across the sky, and the atmosphere became unimaginably heavy and oppressive.
The scene resembled the arrival of the doomsday itself, terrifying beyond words.
Crackle~!!!!
Within the darkness, lightning exploded, illuminating Goku and Vegeta, looking like gods.
“Dad and Uncle Vegeta… they’re going to decide this with a single move…” Watching from outside the battlefield, Son Gohan couldn’t help but break out in a sweat.
At this moment, Goku’s and Vegeta’s auras had expanded to astonishing levels. The finishing moves they were preparing would undoubtedly possess power far beyond imagination.
If left unchecked, not only would the Earth struggle to withstand it, but even if the planet didn’t explode, everything within thousands of kilometres would be reduced to ruin.
“Gohan, watch carefully. If nothing unexpected happens, their breakthrough should occur right now. Observe their transformation process closely. I believe that before long, you’ll be able to reach Super Saiyan 3 as well, and perhaps even achieve Super Saiyan 4 before either of them.” Talot instructed Son Gohan beside him.
From his words, it was clear just how much expectation he placed on Gohan.
If Gohan didn’t study, even Jiren would cry!
Although in the original work, Son Gohan ultimately followed the path of the Beast Mode, Talot felt that Super Saiyan 4 was also a viable possibility.
“Mm…” Son Gohan nodded solemnly and focused all of his attention on his father and Vegeta, not missing even the slightest change.
…..
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