"Yes, Piccolo Uncle!"
Gohan clenched his tiny fists tightly.
Despite his young age, a fierce fighting spirit burst from his small body.
He took a deep breath, his expression becoming much more serious as he looked toward the final remaining Saibaman.
The Saibaman immediately panicked.
It had personally witnessed its companions getting slaughtered by Piccolo.
That kind of death was even worse than self-destruction.
There was no dignity at all.
Without the slightest hesitation—
The Saibaman turned around and ran.
Its short legs exploded with astonishing speed, stomping shallow craters into the ground while shattered rocks scattered backward.
Its body transformed into a green blur as it fled deeper into the ruins.
Within moments, it had already escaped over a thousand meters away and was still accelerating.
Gohan: "..."
Gohan completely froze.
He blinked his big eyes in confusion.
Why did it run away?
This was completely different from the battle he imagined.
Everything Piccolo taught him focused on direct combat—
Dodging.
Blocking.
Counterattacking.
Finishing moves.
But he never taught him what to do if the enemy simply ran away.
"Don't let it escape, Gohan!" Piccolo shouted sternly.
"Battle isn't just about frontal combat! Pursuit, interception, forcing the enemy into disadvantageous terrain—those are all parts of fighting too! Chase it down and finish it!"
"Ah... okay!"
Gohan inhaled deeply.
His tiny chest puffed up slightly.
His feet lifted from the ground as his body floated half a meter into the air.
Then—
WHOOSH!
He transformed into a streak of white light and rapidly chased after the fleeing Saibaman.
His speed far exceeded the creature's.
The distance between them shrank rapidly.
Piccolo glanced toward Gohan with slight concern.
Although Gohan's strength vastly surpassed a Saibaman's, this was still the boy's first real battle.
Real combat was completely different from training.
During training, nobody truly wanted to kill you.
Nobody would self-destruct while grabbing you.
Nobody would use every dirty trick possible just to survive.
After a brief hesitation—
Piccolo also flew after them.
This was Gohan's first true battle after all.
His lack of experience could easily cause fatal mistakes.
And if the Saibaman tried dragging Gohan into a self-destruct...
Piccolo didn't dare continue that thought.
Just imagining it made his heart tighten painfully.
Gohan was the disciple he personally trained for an entire year.
His greatest effort.
If something happened to Gohan, Piccolo would never forgive himself.
Nor would he know how to explain things to Goku or Broly.
Better to follow behind.
If danger appeared, he could still step in.
With that thought, Piccolo's body shot forward like a beam of light.
His speed was even faster.
Within several breaths, he had already caught up to Gohan, though he intentionally kept some distance to allow the boy to handle things himself.
Seeing Piccolo leave—
The corner of Nappa's mouth slowly lifted.
"I'll kill these three little trash first!"
Nappa grinned viciously while licking his cracked lips.
"Even though I suffered serious injuries earlier, dealing with these weaklings should still be easy!"
His gaze swept across Krillin, Tien Shinhan, and Chiaotzu like a predator selecting prey.
Vegeta said nothing.
Because he believed talking to an idiot only made himself look stupid.
He had already given up communicating with Nappa.
Instead, he silently watched everything while calculating his own plans.
"HAHAHAHA!"
Nappa burst into wild laughter.
Golden energy erupted from his body.
Though not nearly as powerful as his peak condition, it still radiated terrifying pressure.
His aura whipped dust into a miniature tornado around him.
Krillin, Tien, and Chiaotzu all froze briefly in surprise.
Their attention had been focused on Piccolo and Gohan.
None of them expected Nappa to suddenly attack.
But by the time they reacted—
Nappa had already moved.
"DIE!"
Nappa charged directly toward Tien.
Even with one broken arm and an injured leg, his remaining limbs still unleashed monstrous power.
Tien's pupils shrank.
Instinctively, he raised his remaining arm to block.
BANG!
A heavy impact echoed like a hammer striking wood.
Nappa's fist smashed directly into Tien's arm.
Although weakened, the punch still carried nearly 2,000 power level worth of force.
CRACK!
A horrifying sound of bone snapping rang out.
SPLAT!
Tien's arm was blown completely off.
The severed limb spun through the air before landing over ten meters away among the ruins.
Its fingers twitched several times before becoming still.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
Tien released a scream so painful it barely sounded human.
Blood exploded outward from the severed shoulder like a burst fire hydrant.
Scarlet mist sprayed across the battlefield, staining the scorched earth dark red.
Krillin and Chiaotzu were horrified.
Krillin's face instantly turned deathly pale.
His lips trembled.
He wanted to rush forward to help, but his legs felt impossibly heavy.
Chiaotzu shook violently in midair while tears poured from his eyes.
"Heh heh... when my arm broke earlier, I didn't scream nearly as loudly as you!"
Nappa sneered viciously while shaking his fist.
Even his own knuckles cracked slightly from that blow, but he endured the pain.
"Now die!"
Another punch came crashing toward Tien's head.
If it landed—
His skull would explode like a watermelon.
Tien's eyes squeezed shut from agony.
The pain from losing his arm burned through his nerves like fire.
Blood loss made his consciousness blurry.
But his third eye still saw everything.
The fist approaching.
Every detail of its movement.
SLAP!
Using his last strength, Tien kicked off the ground and narrowly dodged.
Nappa's fist barely grazed his clothes, tearing fabric apart with the wind pressure alone.
"You bastard!"
Despite his pale face and heavy bleeding, Tien's fury burned even hotter.
He floated into the air while gathering energy with his remaining hand.
"Hmph!"
Nappa immediately flew upward too.
Though his movements were stiff from injuries, he remained incredibly fast.
He rose above Tien—
Then delivered a devastating axe kick downward.
BOOM!
Tien was blasted from the sky like a meteor.
The impact created a crater over three meters wide.
Dust exploded upward violently.
Tien struggled to rise—
But collapsed again while coughing massive amounts of blood.
"Damn it! Raditz injured me too badly earlier! I wasted too much energy! Why can't I even instantly kill one Earthling?!"
Nappa snarled irritably.
He floated above the crater while glaring at the still-moving Tien.
His third eye was troublesome.
It kept predicting attack trajectories ahead of time.
"Tien!"
Krillin finally snapped out of his fear.
He rushed toward the crater desperately.
"Annoying pest!"
Nappa casually waved his hand.
A condensed energy blast instantly formed and shot toward Krillin.
Krillin panicked and dove sideways.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The blast exploded where he had stood moments earlier.
A massive crater appeared instantly.
The shockwave hurled Krillin across the ruins.
He crashed hard into broken stone.
Coughing blood, Krillin slowly lifted his head.
Cold sweat covered his body.
If he'd reacted even half a second slower—
He would've been vaporized.
"Huh? Where's Chiaotzu?"
Krillin suddenly noticed something wrong.
He quickly looked around.
No sign of Chiaotzu.
"Where did he go...?"
His voice trembled violently.
"Don't tell me... he got caught in the explosion..."
"What... what did you say?!"
Tien's pupils shrank.
Then—
SMACK!
Chiaotzu suddenly appeared.
The tiny fighter had already flown behind Nappa without anyone noticing.
He directly latched onto Nappa's back.
"CHIAOTZU!"
Krillin screamed in horror.
Tien's expression instantly twisted into despair.
He already knew what Chiaotzu intended to do.
"Damn little runt!"
Nappa immediately reached backward frantically.
But his huge body and bulky arms couldn't reach Chiaotzu clinging tightly to the center of his back.
He twisted left and right desperately.
But failed completely.
"Get away from him, Chiaotzu!"
Tien screamed desperately.
"Goodbye, Tien... live on."
Chiaotzu's telepathic voice echoed gently inside Tien's mind.
Soft.
Calm.
Even carrying a tiny smile.
Just like always.
Tien's eyes instantly turned red.
Tears burst from them uncontrollably.
"NOOOOOOO!!!"
But it was already too late.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Chiaotzu self-destructed without hesitation.
His tiny body erupted into blinding white light like a newborn star exploding.
The light instantly swallowed Nappa.
A gigantic sphere of destruction expanded outward.
The explosion was even stronger than the Saibaman's self-destruction.
Shockwaves tore across the battlefield.
The earth itself rose in massive waves.
Everything nearby was launched skyward.
Krillin and Tien instinctively shielded themselves from the heat and light.
Even the air crackled violently from the energy discharge.
The explosion lasted several seconds before slowly fading.
Nappa remained hidden inside the smoke.
Vegeta: "..."
For once—
Even Vegeta was stunned.
These Earthlings truly weren't afraid of death.
They were weak.
Far weaker than Saiyans.
Yet one after another—
They willingly sacrificed their lives in battle.
That foolish courage confused Vegeta.
And strangely—
It unsettled him.
Great.
Another one died.
I'm definitely not taking responsibility for this.
Vegeta's thoughts raced rapidly.
Raditz had fled because he feared blame.
Now another Earthling was dead.
If Broly or that child Blanch arrived—
How would they react?
Why shouldn't I leave too?
I can't stay here anymore.
Raditz made the correct choice.
Better run immediately.
Otherwise I'll become the scapegoat.
Without hesitation—
Vegeta slowly crouched.
Then silently shot into the sky.
He deliberately avoided causing energy explosions or loud sounds.
Like a feather drifting upward.
Within seconds, he disappeared completely.
First I'll find food somewhere.
Then wait until these Earthlings calm down.
Eventually they'll realize none of this had anything to do with Vegeta.
Meanwhile—
Krillin and Tien focused entirely on the fading smoke.
Neither noticed Vegeta's escape at all.
"CHIAOTZUUUU!!!"
Tien screamed in grief.
He pounded the ground repeatedly with his remaining hand.
Blood burst from his wounds with every strike.
But he no longer cared.
Finally—
The smoke cleared.
Nappa floated there completely unharmed.
"Heh heh heh... what a waste of effort."
Nappa sneered mockingly.
He casually brushed off his shoulder armor.
Not even scratched.
Tien's pupils contracted violently.
Chiaotzu sacrificed his life—
And still failed to kill this monster?
Krillin's face instantly became pale with despair.
"I'll kill that three-eyed brat first. Then I'll kill you too, little bald runt!"
Nappa sneered while stretching his body.
Though injured, he remained overwhelmingly stronger than the surviving Earthlings.
Then he turned toward where Vegeta had been standing.
"Vegeta-sama, you don't object, right?"
Suddenly—
Nappa froze.
Where was Vegeta?
Just moments ago, Vegeta had been standing there with folded arms.
Now—
Nothing remained except drifting dust.
Nappa: "..."
Wait.
What does this mean?
An awful feeling suddenly rose inside him.
He immediately turned toward Vegeta's spaceship.
The silver spherical pod still sat where it had landed.
Its hatch remained closed.
Nappa instantly relaxed.
The spaceship was still there.
That meant Vegeta hadn't abandoned him and escaped Earth alone.
Good.
Good...
For a moment, Nappa truly feared Vegeta might have left him behind.
Then suddenly—
Nappa's eyes lit up.
He found a logical explanation.
Vegeta-sama must've gone after the Namekian and that little brat!
That child was Kakarot's son, wasn't he?
Cutting weeds meant removing roots.
Vegeta-sama was probably eliminating future threats!
The more Nappa thought about it—
The more reasonable it sounded.
Vegeta clearly believed these weaklings were enough for Nappa to handle alone.
That Namekian looked fairly strong too.
And Kakarot's son couldn't be left alive.
I'll kill these three first.
Then I'll use the spaceship to reunite with Vegeta-sama.
Perfect plan!
Nappa's vicious grin returned.
He stared toward Tien and Krillin with murderous intent.
"Chiaotzu is dead! I'll never forgive you!"
Tien roared furiously.
Despite standing at death's door, he forced himself upright again.
With his remaining hand—
He gathered energy.
Tri-Beam!
This was Tien's ultimate technique.
A move consuming enormous life force in exchange for devastating power.
Even heavily wounded—
His final attack remained terrifying.
"Die, three-eyed freak!"
Nappa dove downward like a missile.
"TRI-BEAM!!!"
A massive beam erupted directly into Nappa.
"AAAAAAAHHH!!!"
Nappa screamed as the beam engulfed him entirely.
After several seconds—
The attack faded.
Tien stood trembling violently.
The technique had drained everything from him.
Then—
As the smoke cleared—
Nappa emerged almost unharmed.
Complete despair appeared in Tien's eyes.
THUD.
Tien collapsed dead onto the ground.
His eyes remained open—
Filled with rage and unwillingness.
"That scared me for a second."
Nappa rubbed his scorched cheek while grinning cruelly.
"T-Tien..."
Krillin's voice shook.
Yamcha was dead.
Chiaotzu was dead.
Now Tien was dead too.
Only he remained.
"Heh... now you're the last one, little bald runt."
Nappa limped toward Krillin slowly.
Every step left bloody footprints behind.
But his murderous intent remained overwhelming.
"Damn you! Broly and Goku won't forgive this!"
Krillin clenched his fists tightly.
"Oh? Really? Then where are they now?"
Nappa sneered.
"Before they arrive, I'll kill you first!"
He instantly charged toward Krillin.
Even injured, his speed remained terrifying.
Krillin gritted his teeth.
Then raised his right hand.
A razor-thin circular energy blade formed above his palm.
Its edges rotated at incredible speed while emitting sharp buzzing sounds.
Destructo Disc!
Krillin's personal technique.
A move capable of cutting through almost anything.
Nappa had already reached him.
His fist swung toward Krillin's head.
Krillin's eyes sharpened.
Then—
He hurled the Destructo Disc forward.
SHIIIIING!!!
The golden disc sliced through the air with a terrifying metallic shriek.
Its razor-sharp edge spun rapidly while carving a perfect arc through the sky.
The attack itself didn't look particularly powerful.
"Hmph! Cheap tricks!"
Nappa laughed mockingly.
He looked at the thin energy disc with complete disdain.
Even Tien's Tri-Beam failed to seriously hurt him.
How could this tiny attack matter?
Nappa didn't even bother dodging.
He directly prepared to tank it with his body.
He puffed out his chest confidently while surrounding himself with energy.
He trusted his own durability.
Trusted the body forged through endless battles.
The Destructo Disc reached him.
Then—
PUCHI.
A soft sound echoed.
Not an explosion.
Not a collision.
But something far more terrifying.
Like a blade slicing through ripe fruit.
Like a hot knife cutting butter.
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