High above the battlefield.
Beerus folded his arms and glanced sideways at Gran.
"Even though their power levels are still pretty low, this fight is surprisingly entertaining. What do you think, Gran?"
Gran pressed his lips together and feigned calmness.
"It really is interesting."
In truth, even his emotions were stirring.
This was one of the most hot-blooded arcs in the anime. Watching it unfold live before his eyes made it difficult for even him to stay composed.
Beside them, Tights turned toward her younger sister.
"Bulma, do you think Vegeta will win?"
Bulma answered instinctively:
"How could he possibly beat Goku? Goku's the strongest—"
Halfway through, she suddenly covered her mouth and cautiously peeked at Gran.
"S-Sorry, Gran-sama. You're the strongest."
Gran: "..."
Tights: "..."
At that moment.
Whis narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Vegeta's reaching his limit."
On Goku's battlefield.
BOOM!!
Violent auras clashed wildly. The magnetic field had become chaotic, and furious storms ravaged the surroundings. The entire battlefield was already in ruins.
"This is amazing! This is incredible!"
Son Goku's eyes blazed with excitement. His blood had long since begun boiling from the thrill of battle.
"AAAAARGH! How can you possibly possess this kind of power?! I refuse to believe it!"
Vegeta's eyes were bloodshot as the muscles throughout his body suddenly swelled.
With another furious shove of both hands—
BOOM!!
The power of his Galick Gun surged again, climbing to the terrifying might of six million battle power.
The purple beam descended even further toward Goku.
And then...
"[Kaioken x2!!!]"
Goku roared.
In an instant, a crimson aura exploded around his body.
His power level skyrocketed from five million straight to ten million!!!
At that very moment, the Z Fighters on the other side of the battlefield were once again left utterly stunned by Goku's power.
None of them could understand what he had done.
How had his aura suddenly doubled again?!
"N-No… impossible! What did you do?!"
Vegeta watched in horror as Goku's Kamehameha instantly forced the Galick Gun backward.
His pupils contracted violently.
And this time—
He could no longer hold it back.
The Kamehameha surged straight toward him.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"
Vegeta was blasted out of sight.
Soon, only his desperate screams echoed across the battlefield, while his figure disappeared completely.
Seeing this, Krillin shouted excitedly:
"We won! We actually won! Goku's technique is incredible!"
Yamcha burst into laughter.
"Goku's still amazing as ever! I knew he could do it!"
Tien Shinhan sighed deeply.
"In the end, the hero always ends up being Goku. Once this is over, I'll have to train even harder."
Perched weakly on Krillin's back, Son Gohan glanced toward Piccolo's battlefield.
"Now all that's left… is Uncle Piccolo's side."
On the other battlefield.
Nappa had been stomped beneath Piccolo's foot.
He had witnessed Vegeta's apparent death with his own eyes.
His mind had gone completely blank.
The prince of the Saiyans… had actually died just like that?
"You dared hurt Gohan. Now I'll send you to hell."
Piccolo lifted his foot and aimed one hand directly at Nappa's head. A sphere of energy gathered in his palm.
"N-No… DON'T!!"
Nappa instantly snapped back to reality.
He hurriedly turned toward Raditz, who still hadn't made a move.
"Raditz, save me! I don't want to die! Please save me!!!"
Raditz had also been shaken by Vegeta's death.
Hearing Nappa's plea, he instinctively stepped forward.
"Since you never made a move, I'll advise you not to interfere. Otherwise, your end will be—"
Piccolo coldly stared at Raditz.
But before he could finish—
SHHK!
A beam of light pierced straight through Piccolo's body.
His heart was instantly shredded apart.
Piccolo's pupils shrank violently as he slowly looked down at the gaping hole in his chest.
Who…?
THUD!
Piccolo collapsed onto the ground.
Everything had happened far too quickly.
The Z Fighters hadn't even had time to react.
By the time they finally understood what happened—
Krillin's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Piccolo's energy… disappeared?! How is that possible?!"
Yamcha hurriedly turned around.
"Who the hell kil—"
But the moment he saw the attacker—
He froze.
Tien's face turned pale with terror.
"It's that short guy… He's still alive!!!"
Lying on the ground, Nappa also saw Vegeta's figure.
Ecstasy instantly filled his face.
"Vegeta! You're alive! Hahaha! I knew you wouldn't die that easily!"
As for Raditz—
He felt both shock and joy.
Joy because the Saiyan prince had survived.
Shock because… his younger brother Kakarot was definitely doomed now.
High above the battlefield.
Beerus clicked his tongue.
"I already said it before. Goku clearly had the strength to defeat Vegeta from the start, but he kept hiding his true power. That habit was bound to cost him eventually."
"And now look—the Namekian's dead."
Whis shook his head lightly.
"Vegeta's power had already reached three million years ago. Yet under the pressure of death, he actually broke through…"
"And in one leap, he reached ten million battle power."
Even Gran found himself speechless.
According to the original storyline, Piccolo was supposed to die at Nappa's hands.
He had thought that after history had changed so much, Piccolo might survive this time.
Yet in the end, Piccolo still died—
Only now, he had died by Vegeta's hand instead.
Was this… the corrective force of history?
"Even though Vegeta's reached ten million battle power, he still isn't Kakarot's opponent," Gran said calmly.
"Oh?"
Beerus narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
"You mean that technique… Kaioken?"
Gran nodded.
"Yeah. It's North Kaiō's signature technique. He taught it to Kakarot a year ago."
"As long as his body can endure the strain, Kakarot can actually use three times, four times… even twenty times Kaioken."
Gran smirked faintly.
"In that case, unless Vegeta suddenly breaks through into a Super Saiyan…"
"He's dead for sure."
"Hearing you say that, that little dwarf North Kaiō is actually pretty impressive."
Beerus hadn't expected Kaioken to have been created by North Kaiō.
Still, he shook his head afterward.
"What a shame. That technique has a fatal flaw—it places an enormous burden on the body."
Whis nodded in agreement.
Seeing their expressions, Gran already knew what they were thinking.
That it was another "flawed path."
Helplessly, he replied:
"They aren't training right now. This is a battle to the death."
"As long as you survive, I think any method is valid."
The moment those words were spoken, Beerus and Whis exchanged glances.
Neither of them could refute him.
Gran smiled faintly when he saw both of them fall silent, and he turned his attention back toward the battle.
However—
"Gran, all the Dragon Balls have turned to stone!"
Bulma hurriedly pulled seven round white stones out from the small pouch at her waist.