Inside a skyscraper of metal, countless robots hustled along the corridors.
In one room, rows of robots stood at attention. A burly man sat in the main chair, eyeing them coolly. "Out with it—what's the situation?"
"General Rilldo, just now an unidentified ship landed on our M2 homeworld… and there's a strong reading of four Dragon Balls on board."
"Oh? Four Dragon Balls? You're certain?" Rilldo's eyes lit up; his tone betrayed a flicker of excitement.
"Absolutely. Please look." A hatch opened on the robot's chest, and it produced a remote. With a click, a hologram sprang to life: a round space pod touched down; Goku stepped out slowly. At his waist hung a pouch—inside it, four Dragon Balls gleamed.
"They really are the seven Dragon Balls. Heh… how fortunate. Four delivered to our doorstep! Add the two we already hold, and that makes six. Dr. Myuu's ambition may soon be realized." Rilldo turned to the two orbs beside him, face alight.
One ball bore five black stars; the other, seven—clearly the Five-Star and Seven-Star Balls. With Goku's four, only the One-Star remained.
"Go. Have the M2 Assault Corps seize the Dragon Balls from him. As for the man—kill him." Rilldo issued the order without emotion, eyes still on the hologram.
"Understood, General Rilldo."
Out on a metal avenue, Goku surveyed his surroundings with a slight frown.
'Not a trace of natural life. A planet ruled entirely by machines? In the original story, only M2 fits that bill.'
Thinking of M2, he naturally thought of Dr. Myuu… and the terrifying mutant machine Baby.
'Baby, huh? Is he the source of that pressure I'm feeling? Unlikely… In this world, Vegeta no longer exists. What would he use to fight me?'
While Goku pondered, three shadows of differing size slid out across the walls around him, forming a triangle to box him in.
"Hand over the Dragon Balls now, and we may spare your life." The mechanical voices from the wall-bound silhouettes were cold and flat.
"So they're here." Goku gave the three a calm glance. With a thought, he stored both the Dragon Balls at his waist and the ship into his inner world.
He had already placed Saeko and the others in that world the moment they landed; the auras he sensed on this planet were unusual and strong. He'd also worn the Dragon Balls openly to draw attention—he was hoping for a proper fight.
But the three shapes disappointed him. "Machines, huh? Decent power, but you're not what I'm looking for. Get lost."
"Oh? Mouthy little brat."
"Hmph. Not bad—you sensed us even with our ki hidden?"
"Captain, leave this one to me. I'll give him a warm welcome." One shadow slid free of the wall: a short robot whose body seemed to pass through metal as if it weren't there—downright eerie.
"Big talk," Goku snapped. "In that case, none of you are leaving."
He flared. In a blur he smashed a fist into the wall where the shadow clung—boom. The façade exploded; an entire tower collapsed in a cloud of dust.
With a scream, one robot pinwheeled out, punching through several buildings before it finally stopped, sparking and smoking—systems dead.
"He's too strong—together!" The remaining two popped out of the walls, bodies disassembling into swarms of metallic bubbles that rained down toward Goku.
Every bubble that struck the ground morphed into a razor-sharp spike. In seconds, the street became a forest of steel. Goku weaved among the lances, but there were too many; in moments he was swallowed by a thousand blades.
A chorus of clang, clang rang out—metal striking metal.
"His body's too hard—we can't pierce him!"
The two were stunned. Their spikes could punch through steel slabs dozens of meters thick—yet they couldn't penetrate this man's flesh?
They had no idea what Goku's body had become. Since surpassing Super Saiyan God, his physique had undergone a rebirth; he'd focused deeply on bodily defense, and in the "Battle Through the Heavens" world had cultivated multiple body-forging arts. "Monstrous" barely described his current durability. They were never going to hurt him.
"If we can't break him, we'll restrain him!"
The steel spikes liquefied, then solidified again, their bodies merging until only two robotic heads protruded—Goku was locked tight within their mass, only his own head exposed.
"Heh. Now you're helpless," they said smugly in a single voice.
"Trash like you think you can bind me?" Goku snorted.
"—Haa!"
With a roar his aura surged, a savage wave of ki blasting outward.
"N—no—stop—sto— Aaaah!"
Bang! With a final shriek, the fused shell shattered under the violent burst, scattering parts across the street.
"You idiots were asking for it." Goku brushed off the dust, pulled out the radar for a glance, then lifted his gaze toward a distant tower. "There, is it?" He vanished in a snap.
"He's strong… interesting. Very interesting." Watching Goku arrow toward them on the monitor, Rilldo's lips curved. "It seems I'll have to handle this one myself."
---
"Rilldo! You said you had two Dragon Balls. Why haven't you transmitted them yet?"
An old man flickered into being beside Rilldo via holo—short, gaunt, face creased like old bark, whiskers bristling. One look told you he wasn't a good man. This was Dr. Myuu, who dreamed of conquering the entire galaxy.
"Yes, Lord Dr. Myuu. Transmitting now," Rilldo said respectfully. He gestured; a robot picked up the two Dragon Balls and placed them on the transmitter. Moments later, they were sent.
"I also have good news, Lord Myuu," Rilldo added.
"Speak. Have you located more Dragon Balls?"
"Yes. On our M2 homeworld itself. The target holds four Dragon Balls. I'm about to take them for you."
"Four?" Dr. Myuu's voice shook with excitement. "Then we'd have six! My wish is close at hand. Go—this time you may not fail."
"Yes, Lord Myuu. Expect good news."
Goku, racing toward the radar's signal, suddenly halted and frowned at the screen. "Weird. The Dragon Ball reading vanished. Hidden—or transmitted off-world?"
A moment's thought brought the answer. "So they beamed them to Dr. Myuu's planet? Tch. Annoying."
"Hm? A strong ki is closing in… Rilldo?" He stowed the radar and peered into the distance. "Good. In the original, even Super Saiyan Goku struggled with you. Let's see how you fare today."
He shot forward at full speed.
In moments they met in midair, stopping opposite each other.
"My strongest unit, the Sigma Force—wiped out in an instant. Impressive," Rilldo said coolly, arrogance still etched on his face.
"Your energy's not bad… You're General Rilldo, right? So you're next. Enough talk—let's go." Goku's aura spiked to the peak of his base state.
"Correct. I am General Rilldo, supreme commander of Planet M2. With a ki like that, no wonder Sigma fell," Rilldo replied, composed and proud. "Nevertheless, hand over the Dragon Balls. They are essential to Lord Dr. Myuu's plan to conquer the galaxy."
"Conquer the galaxy? Ridiculous." Goku's lip curled.
"Of course a foolish human wouldn't grasp our greatness. We, the mutant machines, will rule the galaxy and replace imbeciles like you. The most advanced race in the universe—is us."
"Arrogant and delusional. Fine—let me show you just how laughable your 'supremacy' really is."
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T/N:
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