"At this level, I don't think my current form is going to be enough to beat you."
Goku took a slow, deep breath and tightened his fists.
"Oh? My, my — you actually know your limits, Goku!" Frieza rubbed his nose and laughed softly. "I just love that look on your face — that pathetic mix of hating me and not being able to do a single thing about it!"
"Well then, I guess I'll have to power up a little myself!" Goku cracked a grin, then couldn't help adding, "But honestly, Frieza — you're pretty incredible. I didn't think I'd actually need to go this far just to fight you!"
Frieza: "????"
A beat later, Frieza suddenly caught on. His pupils shrank ever so slightly, and the colour drained from his face.
Don't tell me... Goku can already transform into Super Saiyan Blue?
You've got to be kidding me...
That's cheating!
If you can already go Super Saiyan Blue, then I, Frieza, am done playing this game!
I quit!
Golden light erupted from Goku's body. His hair stood up even higher than before.
Crackle... crackle...
Bolts of lightning coiled around Goku's frame, snapping and popping with raw energy.
An immense power surged outward from his body.
Super Saiyan 2.
The moment Frieza saw the transformation, the tension in his chest finally eased.
Here I was thinking this guy was about to go Super Saiyan Blue.
Gave me a scare!
Good thing it's not that.
So what, he's got a little lightning around him?
Does he think that makes him special?
"And here I was wondering what you were going to do," Frieza said with a cool smile, the corner of his mouth curling up slightly. "All you did was add a little lightning."
"It's not just 'a little lightning' — this is my Super Saiyan 2 transformation!" Goku answered plainly.
"Ho ho ho ho!" Frieza let out his signature cackle. "Oh, is that all! Super Saiyan 2! This just keeps getting more interesting!"
The words had barely left his mouth before Frieza spun around in a dramatic flourish, launching a massive ball of energy from his hand.
The energy blast spread wide, surging toward Goku's position.
Then, as if he had an endless supply, Frieza unleashed a torrent of blasts straight at Goku.
When the smoke finally cleared, Goku stood completely unharmed on the opposite side.
Frieza: "..."
Frieza's pupils contracted. His expression shifted — and then shifted again.
This can't be right.
Why has Goku gotten this strong?
I'm the one who was supposed to be the main character here!
I, Frieza, came back from the dead!
How did it come to this?
A wave of bitter despair washed over Frieza. It didn't sit well with him at all.
"Daddy... did Daddy transform again?" Gohan asked curiously.
"That's right. This transformation is even stronger than his previous Super Saiyan form," Old Kai said with a calm nod.
"Th-This... how is this possible?!" Supreme Kai's eye twitched violently, and his face went pale.
"Supreme Kai, sir... am I imagining things, or does Goku's power right now already surpass ours?" Kibito leaned in and whispered quietly.
"I feel the same way," Supreme Kai nodded, his expression grave.
"He's just a human — how can a human's power reach this level?" Kibito was genuinely floored.
"Now I finally understand why Old Kai said... Majin Buu is nothing to fear," Supreme Kai said with a relieved smile. "At the rate Goku is growing, maybe one day he really can beat Majin Buu."
"His power level right now... Supreme Kai, how far off do you think he is from Majin Buu?" Kibito asked quietly.
"Judging by his energy output... I'd say the gap is already quite small. He might even be slightly stronger than Majin Buu," Supreme Kai said, thinking it over. "But that doesn't necessarily mean he can defeat Majin Buu. The Grand Supreme Kai was stronger than Majin Buu in his prime, and even he ended up getting absorbed in the end."
"True enough..." Kibito lowered his head.
The two of them turned their gazes back to the crystal ball, watching the battle between Goku and Frieza unfold.
Goku slowly raised his hand and spread all five fingers.
"BOOM!"
A Ki Blast Cannon erupted from Goku's palm and slammed into Frieza at full force.
"The Dodon Ray! Tien!" Chiaotzu shouted excitedly.
"We both use Ki Blast Cannons... but the power difference between Goku's and mine is unimaginable," Tien muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow.
Under the force of Goku's Ki Blast Cannon, Frieza's body flipped end over end hundreds of times through the air.
By the time Frieza finally stopped spinning, his head was ringing, and the whole world was going in circles.
The corner of Goku's mouth turned up.
Frieza gnashed his teeth in fury.
Damn you, Goku!
Why can't I beat him even after coming back from the dead?!
Do I really have to activate my Golden form?
The problem is... I can only hold Golden form for thirty seconds.
That's my biggest trump card.
But if I don't go Golden, there's no way I'm beating Goku right now.
I'm the main character of this world!
Because I, Frieza, have been reborn!
Whoosh!
Goku shot forward in a flash of gold and vanished from his spot.
What made it truly terrifying was that even after Goku disappeared, bolts of lightning still hung in the air where he had been standing.
In the blink of an eye, Goku reappeared directly in front of Frieza and drove a crushing elbow straight into his head.
Frieza tumbled through the air from the blow. The moment he righted himself, Goku was already there with a rising uppercut, sending him flying backwards.
THUD!
Goku shot forward and rammed headfirst into Frieza's side.
"ARGH—!"
Frieza let out a pained howl. Gritting his teeth, he surged back at Goku and launched a furious flurry of punches and kicks.
Goku raised his arms and blocked every single one.
"You little—!" Frieza snapped, stumbling back in frustration. He thrust out his hand, and a streak of blazing red light shot from his palm.
"Frieza, you're using that trick again?" Goku said flatly, slapping the incoming streak of red light away with one hand.
Frieza fell silent.
In that moment, Frieza knew — no matter how hard he tried in his current state, there was simply no way he could beat Goku.
"Ho ho ho... ho ho ho..." Frieza kept letting out cold, taunting laughs.
Goku looked at him steadily, studying him for a moment.
"Not bad, Goku! Your strength really has caught me off guard," Frieza said with a light chuckle. "But your luck ends here. From this point on, I'll show you what Frieza is truly capable of!"
To be continued…
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