As both fighters finished preparing, the referee shouted loudly:
"Match—begin!"
The instant his voice fell, Krillin spread his arms wide.
In a flash, countless Krillins burst outward, surrounding Goku from every direction.
"It's the Afterimage Technique!"
Cheers erupted from the stands.
But the audience was already very familiar with this move. Seeing it again, no one was truly surprised.
Tien narrowed all three eyes, desperately trying to locate Krillin's true body.
"Incredible… Krillin's Afterimage Technique is nearly flawless. Even I can't tell which one is real…"
Just as the crowd was growing dizzy from the overlapping figures—
Three afterimages suddenly lunged forward, fists flying toward Goku.
Goku, however, remained completely still.
Confidence shone in his eyes.
At the instant Krillin's punches were about to touch him—
Goku vanished.
Piccolo's pupils shrank.
"So fast!"
Goku reappeared behind one of the central afterimages and chopped downward with a hand strike.
—but it cut through empty air.
At the same moment, a Krillin on Goku's left suddenly twisted around and launched a sweeping roundhouse kick.
Goku paused in mild surprise, but that level of speed posed no real threat to him.
"Too slow."
With a light chuckle, Goku bent backward in a smooth bridge, effortlessly avoiding the kick.
His waist snapped upright in the next instant, and his hand clamped down on Krillin's shoulder.
Krillin hurriedly retreated. Fortunately, Goku hadn't applied much force, allowing him to break free.
The first exchange ended there.
The stands erupted in thunderous applause.
"Amazing—absolutely amazing!"
"As expected of Mr. Krillin and Mr. Goku!"
The referee immediately began narrating excitedly:
"Krillin's Afterimage Technique was spectacular!
And Goku's reaction speed was equally astonishing!
Worthy disciples of Master Roshi—this clash is truly breathtaking!"
Watching the battle, Piccolo felt a flicker of surprise.
Whether it was Krillin or Goku, the level they displayed already slightly surpassed his father's strength back then.
Still, he wasn't worried.
He could tell—their fight had restraint.
Krillin's techniques were clearly probing moves, and Goku was obviously holding back as well.
To ordinary spectators, the battle looked intense.
But Piccolo sensed their breathing was steady, their ki perfectly controlled.
They were putting on a show.
Their true strength lay far beyond what they were currently displaying.
Yet Piccolo remained completely calm.
The former Piccolo Daimao had possessed immense power without any training at all, ruling the world purely through innate strength.
Piccolo Jr. shared the same talent.
Even without training, simply growing up would have made him terrifying.
But for the sake of revenge—
for the sake of defeating Goku and Krillin—
he had trained alone for three full years.
He knew their strength wouldn't remain frozen at its level from three years ago.
So when he trained, he accounted for their growth as well.
In his own judgment, despite his young age—
his power exceeded both of theirs.
Even together.
Soon, the second round of combat began.
Goku suddenly accelerated, driving a straight punch toward Krillin.
Krillin grinned and crossed his arms, blocking head-on.
Even so, the tremendous impact forced him to slide several meters backward, carving two long grooves into the arena tiles.
After stopping himself, Krillin looked up.
"Nice punch!"
Goku smiled back.
"I'm not done yet!"
He rushed forward again, fists unleashing like a machine gun.
Krillin clenched his teeth, enduring the storm of blows.
Suddenly, a sharp light flashed in his eyes.
He slammed his palms together.
"Solar Flare!"
A blinding white flash exploded outward, engulfing the entire ring.
Cries rang out from the stands as spectators instinctively covered their eyes.
"Damn it—Solar Flare again!"
"That move's too dangerous!"
"Good thing I brought sunglasses!"
The moment the light erupted, Goku shut his eyes tightly.
He halted his assault, letting his mind sink into perfect calm.
His ears caught every subtle movement—
but more importantly, he was sensing Krillin's ki.
Seizing the opening, Krillin flashed to Goku's left and drove a straight punch toward his side.
At that split second—
Goku's body swayed backward, letting the punch skim past him.
Krillin's eyes widened.
"Impossible… you can't even see!"
At that instant, Goku flipped backward, his legs scissoring toward Krillin's neck.
Krillin leapt back, performing several backflips before landing and steadying himself.
Only then did Goku grin and speak.
"Hehe, Krillin—I knew you'd attack from there."
"And besides… I know your ki too well."
"Even without my eyes, I can still tell exactly where you are!"
"So Solar Flare doesn't work on me!"
Krillin narrowed his eyes.
"Sense someone without using your eyes?"
Goku nodded.
"Yeah. I learned it from Mr. Popo—ki sensing."
Krillin couldn't help but marvel.
"Incredible… so that's how precise ki sensing can become."
The crowd erupted once more into roaring applause, cheering wildly at the spectacle.
Outsiders watched for excitement.
Experts watched for truth.
With his keen hearing, Piccolo had caught every word of their exchange.
His eyes trembled slightly as a bead of sweat slid down his temple.
"So that's it… it must be Kami."
"He even taught him techniques that originated with our kind…"
Goku and Krillin clashed again.
Fists and kicks collided as the battle swept from the ground into the sky—then crashed back down again.
The audience watched until their mouths went dry.
Even the referee sprinted after them, terrified of missing a single moment.
Before long, the battle reached its climax.
The two fighters hovered in midair—
and simultaneously assumed the exact same stance.
Kamehameha.
Brilliant white light gathered between their palms.
The referee shouted in shock:
"Incredible! Goku and Krillin are both choosing the Kamehameha to decide the winner!"
"Wow—Kamehameha versus Kamehameha!"
"Go, Mr. Krillin!"
"Go, Mr. Goku!"
"Kaaa—"
"Meee—"
"Haaa—!"
"Meee—!"
"HAAAAA—!!!"
"Here it comes!"
Both thrust their hands forward at nearly the same instant.
Two Kamehameha waves erupted—
and collided head-on.
BOOOOM!
The moment they met, a massive explosion tore through the sky.
Violent shockwaves rippled outward, sweeping across the arena as the air itself roared.
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