"Of course I achieved it through hard training!" Raditz proudly raised his chin, his long hair fluttering in the wind like a banner of victory.
He gave no detailed explanation.
Nor did he need to.
The results already spoke for themselves.
The heavily injured Nappa lying in that crater was the clearest proof possible.
"You…" Vegeta clenched his teeth before finally forcing out the question he least wanted to ask.
Every word felt humiliating.
"What's your current power level?"
The instant the words left his mouth, Vegeta felt unprecedented shame.
As the prince.
As the leader.
As the universally acknowledged strongest Saiyan.
He had never once cared about Raditz's exact power level.
After all, it had always been far beneath his own.
So low it was insignificant.
But now…
He had to ask.
He needed to know.
Needed to understand just how large the gap between himself and this suddenly risen subordinate had become.
Was it a difference that effort could overcome?
Or…
An insurmountable abyss?
Raditz sighed again.
This sigh was filled with exaggerated helplessness, as though gaining power were some unavoidable inconvenience.
"It's actually not that much."
He paused deliberately.
As if carefully considering his wording.
Or perhaps simply enjoying Vegeta's agony while waiting for the answer.
Several seconds later, he finally continued casually:
"My power level is only a little over 100,000."
Time seemed to freeze.
The wind stopped.
Smoke ceased drifting.
Even Nappa's faint groans from the crater seemed to disappear.
The entire world was left with only Raditz's words echoing endlessly inside Vegeta's mind.
100,000?
Over 100,000?
Vegeta's pupils contracted violently into pinpoints.
His mouth opened slightly, trying to speak—
But no sound emerged.
That number exploded inside his head like a star going supernova.
The blinding light destroyed all his understanding.
The scorching shockwave shattered every fragment of his pride.
Raditz's power level was more than five times his own.
Five times.
In the world of battle powers, that wasn't merely a difference in numbers.
It was the gap between heaven and earth.
The divide between mortals and gods.
18,000 against 100,000 was like a blade of grass facing a towering tree.
Like a drop of water facing the entire ocean.
"W-What did you say?" Vegeta finally shouted.
His voice sounded strange even to himself—sharp, hoarse, filled with disbelief and the collapse of everything he knew.
"100,000?!"
"Tsk tsk, I'm really sorry, Prince Vegeta," Raditz said with an even brighter smile.
He even spread his hands and shrugged dramatically.
"My power level accidentally surpassed yours."
"Honestly, I didn't expect it either."
His casual tone.
His smug expression.
His arrogant posture.
Everything combined perfectly into the image of a petty villain finally getting his moment of triumph.
He had waited too long.
Endured too much.
And today—
He could finally throw it all back into Vegeta's face.
Watching the proud Saiyan Prince lose composure like this gave Raditz a thrill so intense it nearly made him shiver.
"100,000…" Vegeta repeated blankly.
His body began trembling uncontrollably.
Not from fear.
But from something deeper.
Something more devastating.
"This is impossible!" Vegeta roared.
"You may have once been an elite Saiyan, but I, Vegeta, am the true genius warrior!"
"My power level hasn't even reached that!"
"How did you… HOW?!"
His furious roar echoed across the ruins.
It wasn't fair.
It wasn't logical.
He was the Saiyan Prince.
The greatest prodigy of the race.
And yet Raditz—
That mediocre, cowardly failure who always followed at the rear of the group—
Had surpassed him by such a ridiculous margin?
"And you know what? I thought it was impossible too at first," Raditz nodded with an infuriatingly sincere expression.
"But facts are facts."
"Earth is… well, kind of magical."
As he spoke, Raditz's figure suddenly blurred.
Not the kind caused by high-speed movement.
Even extreme speed still left afterimages or motion trails.
This was different.
Stranger.
Like instant spatial displacement.
One second he stood there smiling smugly.
The next second—
Only drifting dust remained where he had been.
Vegeta's face changed instantly.
His combat instincts exploded into action.
He spun around violently, eyes scanning the surroundings at the absolute limit of his perception.
But there was nothing.
No movement.
No energy trail.
Not even disturbed air currents.
Raditz had vanished completely.
As though erased from existence itself.
Vegeta froze in place.
Cold sweat slid down his temples and dripped into the dirt below.
His heart pounded heavily inside his chest.
His gaze swept wildly through every direction.
His ears strained for the slightest sound.
Every muscle tightened to the point of cramping.
Yet—
He found nothing.
Only now did Vegeta truly understand what a 100,000 power level meant.
It wasn't just numbers.
Not merely a reading on a scouter.
It was a leap in existence itself.
A completely different dimension of power.
Before such overwhelming superiority, all of Vegeta's pride, calculations, trump cards, and royal dignity suddenly felt absurdly small.
Pathetic even.
The wind rose once more.
Dust and ash spiraled through the air.
Far away, Nappa's groans became weaker and weaker.
And somewhere unseen—
Raditz quietly watched everything unfold.
Then—
A voice spoke from directly behind Vegeta.
So close that warm breath brushed the back of his neck.
"Prince Vegeta… what do you think my power level is now?"
Vegeta slowly turned his head.
His neck joints creaked stiffly like rusted machinery.
Reflected in his eyes was Raditz's face—
Standing less than a meter behind him.
Smiling brightly.
Vegeta's expression changed repeatedly within mere seconds.
Shock-induced paleness.
Flushed anger.
Disbelief.
Then finally a dark, humiliating grimness.
His lips trembled slightly.
But no words came out.
"After that little display just now," Raditz continued lightly, rubbing the bridge of his nose with one finger, "wouldn't you say I'm at least 100,000?"
Vegeta remained silent.
His fists clenched so tightly his nails nearly pierced his palms.
Blood surged through his veins.
His heart hammered violently against his ribs.
His entire body trembled uncontrollably.
Not from fear—
But from the sensation of his pride being crushed into dust.
At this moment, Vegeta already believed it almost completely.
The only remaining resistance wasn't doubt.
It was refusal to accept reality.
Just Raditz's speed alone had already proven everything.
The silent disappearance.
The impossible movement.
The fact that Vegeta's eyes couldn't follow him at all.
It was like an ant trying to comprehend the perspective of a bird.
For the first time in his life, Vegeta truly experienced what absolute superiority felt like.
"Come on, Prince Vegeta!" Raditz beckoned mockingly.
"Show me how strong you really are!"
His gesture resembled someone calling over a pet dog.
His eyes sparkled with playful anticipation.
He wanted to watch the proud prince struggle desperately in despair.
"Hmph! I hope you don't regret this!" Vegeta snarled, baring his sharp teeth.
His frustration had already transformed into raging fury.
Even if the difference was overwhelming—
Even if defeat was inevitable—
Vegeta would still fight.
The pride of the Saiyan Prince would never allow surrender without battle.
The instant he finished speaking—
Vegeta moved.
The ground beneath his feet shattered instantly.
Debris exploded backward.
His body transformed into a blurred afterimage as a ring of compressed air burst around him.
Every ounce of his power gathered into his right fist.
Muscles bulged.
Veins protruded.
He aimed directly at Raditz's face and punched with full force.
There was no technique.
No tricks.
Only pure speed and raw power.
The air shrieked violently from the punch's pressure.
Even light itself seemed distorted along its path.
Vegeta's eyes remained locked onto Raditz's head.
He would prove that the dignity of a Saiyan Prince could not be trampled upon.
Raditz merely snorted.
The sound was light and casual.
Yet it felt like icy water poured onto Vegeta's burning spirit.
Then Raditz blurred once more.
BAM!
Vegeta's fist passed through empty air.
Nothing but space.
He stopped abruptly mid-motion.
His face turned pale.
Sweat covered his forehead.
Gone again.
Completely gone.
This wasn't merely speed anymore.
It was some movement technique far beyond Vegeta's understanding.
As though Raditz were erased from one location and redrawn elsewhere instantly.
Behind me again?!
Vegeta's mind raced at lightning speed.
Without hesitation, he thrust his hand backward.
"HAH!"
BOOM!
A massive blue energy sphere erupted from his palm.
Electric arcs danced around its surface.
Compressed within it was enough force to obliterate a mountain.
The blast roared backward like thunder, carving a scorched trench through the ground.
The target area was empty.
But then—
Raditz's amused voice emerged from that exact spot.
"Heh heh… Prince Vegeta, you guessed correctly."
Raditz materialized casually in the blast's path.
He stood less than ten meters away, smiling as brightly as ever.
And he made no effort to dodge.
No defense.
No caution.
He simply stood there as though the incoming attack were nothing more than a gentle breeze.
"There's nothing scary about this kind of energy attack," Raditz said casually.
Then he raised one hand lazily.
Like someone catching a tossed ball.
The energy sphere flew directly into his palm.
And then—
BOOOOOOM!!!
The explosion thundered across the ruins.
Blue light engulfed Raditz completely.
Shockwaves blasted outward.
The ground shook violently.
Debris launched high into the sky.
The explosion's center reached temperatures of thousands of degrees instantly.
Electric crackling filled the air.
Vegeta narrowed his eyes instinctively, shielding himself from the heat and force.
His heart pounded fiercely.
Part of him hoped this attack had hurt Raditz.
Another part already knew it hadn't.
The smoke slowly cleared.
Raditz still stood there.
Not even one step moved.
His hand remained raised calmly.
Bits of dissipating energy drifted around his fingertips like fading sparks.
His battle armor was completely intact.
No burns.
No wounds.
Even his hair remained perfectly undisturbed.
Absolutely unharmed.
Vegeta stared blankly.
His eyes widened completely.
His pupils shrank into tiny dots.
Something inside his mind shattered.
The last trace of denial.
The final illusion.
This guy…
Had truly reached 100,000 power level.
No—
Possibly even beyond that.
To casually catch Vegeta's full-power attack without even defending…
His durability had already reached an utterly hopeless level.
But Vegeta couldn't accept it.
The resentment gnawed at him like poison.
This failure.
This weakling Nappa used to bully casually.
This pathetic Saiyan who always stood at the back of the group.
How could he possibly become this strong?!
"Raditz, I admit you've become powerful," Vegeta finally said after taking a deep breath.
He struggled to suppress the storm raging within him.
Though his voice remained steady, bitterness seeped from every word.
"Even if I don't know how you did it."
"To receive praise from Prince Vegeta is truly my honor," Raditz replied with an even wider grin.
Then he casually dusted off his palm as though attending a formal banquet.
"So what now?" Vegeta asked cautiously.
"Are you going to kill me?"
His body lowered instinctively into a defensive stance.
Even though he understood how meaningless defense was against absolute superiority.
"Why would I kill you?" Raditz chuckled.
"There's no rush."
"The game isn't over yet."
"My little brother Kakarot still hasn't arrived."
"You… what do you mean?" Vegeta frowned deeply.
His mind analyzed every word and expression at maximum speed.
What exactly was Raditz planning?
Humiliation?
Showing off?
Or something deeper?
"Kakarot went somewhere special to train specifically so he could defeat you," Raditz explained casually.
"Wait until he gets back."
"Then you two can have a proper match."
"That low-class Saiyan Kakarot?" Vegeta scoffed furiously.
"Who exactly are you insulting here?"
"You expect me, Vegeta, to fight a low-class warrior?"
Being surpassed by Raditz was already humiliating enough.
Now this former failure wanted another low-class Saiyan to challenge him too?
It was utter humiliation.
A complete trampling of the Saiyan Prince's dignity.
"Oh, don't say that," Raditz replied cheerfully while rubbing his nose again.
"You used to think I was trash too, remember?"
"But now that same 'trash' has far surpassed you."
"How does that feel?"
Vegeta's heart felt stabbed instantly.
Those words struck precisely where it hurt most.
Yes.
He had always mocked Raditz.
Always viewed him with contempt.
Always believed Raditz would spend eternity beneath him.
And now?
Now that same "trash" stood above him with mocking eyes.
SWISH!
Raditz vanished again.
No warning.
No buildup.
Not even air disturbance.
Simply erased.
In less than the blink of an eye—
He appeared directly in front of Vegeta.
Less than half a meter away.
Their faces nearly touched.
Vegeta could even see his own horrified reflection inside Raditz's pupils.
Vegeta's body reacted instinctively.
His muscles tightened.
His arms crossed before his chest.
Energy surged outward into a defensive barrier.
Even though he knew it was meaningless.
Against absolute power—
All defense was decoration.
BAM!!!
Raditz attacked.
No fancy technique.
No complex martial arts.
Just a simple uppercut.
His fist drove upward directly into Vegeta's stomach.
But the power behind it was terrifying beyond imagination.
"GUH—!!!"
Vegeta's eyes bulged violently.
Blood and stomach acid sprayed from his mouth.
His body bent upward unnaturally like a smashed ragdoll.
His armor caved inward around the abdomen.
Fabric tore apart instantly.
Muscles visibly distorted under the impact.
At that moment—
Vegeta clearly understood the terrifying strength contained in Raditz's fist.
His organs churned violently.
His ribs groaned under the strain.
His spine felt close to snapping apart completely.
Before this overwhelming power—
Vegeta felt like a leaf in a hurricane.
An ant beneath thunder.
A grain of sand before a tidal wave.
All his pride.
All his dignity.
All his fighting spirit—
Crushed utterly beneath a single punch.
"Hahahahaha!!!"
Raditz burst into wild laughter.
His triumphant voice echoed across the ruins.
Then he vanished again.
Appearing directly above Vegeta's airborne body.
Upside down in midair.
Golden aura swirling around him.
His long hair floated upward like a black flag.
Then—
A devastating axe kick.
BAM!!!
His heel slammed directly into Vegeta's back.
Vegeta's body halted briefly midair before hurtling downward even faster than before.
A sickening crack echoed from his spine.
His back armor exploded apart.
A clear footprint appeared across his skin.
Vegeta became a human cannonball streaking toward the enormous crater below—
The very same crater where Nappa had been blasted earlier.
Meanwhile—
At the bottom of that crater—
Nappa struggled painfully through the rubble.
His shattered arm hung uselessly.
Dried blood coated his skin.
Every movement caused unbearable pain.
"Damn it…" Nappa muttered weakly.
His face was covered in blood and dirt.
The arrogance in his eyes had long disappeared.
Only pain and fear remained.
He still couldn't understand how Raditz had become so powerful.
This had to be a nightmare.
A horrible dream that would disappear once he woke up.
Then—
As Nappa finally climbed to the crater's edge—
His pupils shrank violently.
He saw a familiar figure falling from the sky at terrifying speed.
Prince Vegeta.
And he was crashing directly toward him.
Nappa's expression froze instantly.
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