Raditz's movements in the Mystic state were smooth and fluid, his fighting as coherent and flexible as dancing. Every movement had tremendous impact yet could be completely controlled within appropriate range.
However, Champa was a step above.
No matter how fast Raditz was, or even when changing his rhythm to fight against him, Champa could always dodge Raditz's attacks perfectly. His body was extremely flexible, and he always maintained being one step faster than Raditz.
"This won't work—your speed is far from enough!" Champa gained the upper hand and began taunting.
Words in battle weren't all nonsense—they could often boost one's confidence and suppress the opponent's morale, and sometimes they could bluff, sow doubts, and even directly crush the opponent's mind.
However, Champa's taunts had no effect on Raditz. The ki around him still didn't overflow, and his energy remained well controlled. The only reason he couldn't hit Champa was that the real strength gap between them was too great. Even if he exerted himself to the extreme, he was still like a person waving his fist at the sky from the ground—it wouldn't help at all.
The two entangled in mid-air for a long time, their rounds of exchanges bringing up long winds and rippling waves. The fish in the lake jumped up and down, as if wanting to watch this contest. Raditz's physical strength declined during continuous attacks. While the Mystic state's consumption was small, it didn't mean no consumption at all, and he felt tired after fighting for so long.
"Hah!"
A cloud of ki dissipated as Raditz finally gave up the struggle.
"I lost. How could I possibly hit Lord God of Destruction?" Raditz took the initiative to admit defeat while praising Champa. This God of Destruction had a relatively simple heart and didn't hold grudges. With such flattery, Champa would surely be pleased immediately.
"Hehe, good that you know!" Sure enough, Champa smiled smugly with arms akimbo. "Vados, did you see that? If he wants to catch up with me, he'll have to practice for ten thousand years!"
Vados, standing on the grass, smiled slightly but said nothing. She waved her staff with one hand, and milky white rays of light covered the vegetation around the lake, instantly reviving the plants bent by their battle fluctuations with original vitality.
Even though both fighters had controlled their power, some damage was unavoidable.
"Mr. Raditz, you've mastered this level of state very well, but..." Vados suddenly changed her tone. "You still seem to have power that hasn't exploded."
"There's another power?"
"Hmm... In addition to this introverted ki state, try spreading your energy from inside out, and use your comprehension to transform into a Super Saiyan!"
Super Saiyan? Didn't that just increase the body's burden?
Raditz didn't know what Vados wanted, but he hadn't transformed for nearly three years and felt somewhat uncomfortable changing at her request.
"Alright!" Raditz took a deep breath, his muscles tensing slightly. With just a thought, dazzling golden flames shot up around his entire body. Different from his previous Super Saiyan form, this ki appeared calm and orderly—like a stone thrown onto a calm water surface, filling the entire space with energy fluctuations.
"Nothing special?" Champa returned to Vados and said lazily with hands behind his head.
"It has changed." Vados smiled mysteriously. "Continue."
Raditz clenched his fists and continued raising his ki. Continuous energy from deep within helped him sublimate again. With a "crack," silver-white lightning suddenly flew, and the dazzling golden brilliance became even more magnificent.
But it wasn't over yet. Raditz felt the energy in his body ready to move—he could still improve!
The explosive ki broke through his body's shackles. Lightning galloped like silver serpents, flying at high speed, and the golden light was as dazzling as the scorching sun in the sky. The God of Destruction Realm actually trembled slightly. The lake water was stirred by violent energy this time, forming a huge vortex.
Not only here, but even distant planets were affected. Standing at the apex of the universe, the god realm could spread its power throughout the entire universe!
The majestic ki made the Saiyans on Planet Sadala aware of the phenomenon. They looked toward the sky one after another, not knowing where the ki came from, but it was absolutely certain—it was Raditz's ki!
So vast and boundless, it could even shake the stars.
"This..." Raditz looked at his palm in disbelief, feeling a qualitative leap in his strength. Super Saiyan 2's energy shouldn't be so huge, but now his power had surpassed what Super Saiyan 2 should be!
Just like Trunks during the Goku Black period and Vegeta when enraged by Beerus—they were both in Super Saiyan 2 form, but their power had reached Super Saiyan 3 levels. This leap-like improvement couldn't be explained by reason. For a moment, he suspected he'd transformed into Super Saiyan 3.
But when he touched his eyebrows, there was no change.
"I understand now. You're using the new state to reverse-engineer Super Saiyan, and you can increase your strength limit."
"It seems... it seems my hair is longer." Raditz looked around and found the hair on both sides extending forward, appearing more dense.
"That's not the point!"
"I understand. This is one of my new powers. But this state isn't as good as before. At least with the same power, the Mystic state consumes less stamina." Raditz said with a frown.
Champa also nodded solemnly. He could see the gap between the two states—the Mystic state returned to nature, and with more experience, was very similar to a god. However, the Super Saiyan 2 explosion only increased combat power slightly, was less balanced, and consumed more physical strength.
"Beyond this, you should be able to become stronger again—perhaps another transformation." Vados said in a speculative tone. "If you can break through to that point, your strength will be even greater... However, your body might not be able to handle long fights then."
Raditz was taken aback. What Vados said was right—Saiyans did have a further transformation: Super Saiyan 3.
Super Saiyan 3 was already a pinnacle of energy growth. Its burden on the body wasn't reflected in gravity or physical pain, but in energy carrying capacity. A body could only bear so much energy—excess would break it.
In the case where Super Saiyan 2's power had leaped to original Super Saiyan 3 levels, if he could transform into Super Saiyan 3, wouldn't he be even stronger? Raditz wanted to turn the original Super Saiyan 3's limit into his baseline! This way, Super Saiyan 3 would no longer be a useless transformation, but a powerful enough finishing move!
As for the stamina shortage problem caused by Super Saiyan 3, it could be compensated by the Mystic state. One could be used as an explosive output transformation, and the other as a normal combat form—they complemented each other!
Thinking of this, Raditz smiled excitedly and joyfully.
Vados knew he'd realized it and nodded. "There's still one month left, so let's slow down your training and relax your body and mind for a while."
"Alright." Raditz replied.
Indeed, high-intensity training put tremendous pressure on body and mind that couldn't be recovered by healing alone. Combining work with rest was the best way to practice.
A new goal—here I come!
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