War zone.
"Waaaah! Waaaah!"
Son Gohan burst into tears.
Drop! Drop! Drop!
A new combat power reading flashed on the scouter worn by Vegeta.
Gohan, crying but furious, glared at his enemy. He clenched his hands together, raised them above his head, and began to charge his energy.
"Masenko—Ha!"
He shouted and released the gathered energy in a fierce beam toward Nappa.
"Combat power 6,700? These guys are full of surprises," Vegeta muttered, startled. "Nappa, dodge it—quickly!"
(When Gohan gets angry, his power spikes.)
"What?! 6,700?!" Nappa echoed in disbelief, eyes widening as he saw the energy blast racing toward him. He dodged just in time.
Bang!
The beam veered slightly and struck a distant mountain.
Boom~!
The entire mountain exploded into rubble, the blast tearing a crater in its side. Smoke rose high into the sky.
"I didn't expect that little brat to unleash that much power..." Nappa muttered, fear creeping into his voice.
"The energy's already dropping," Vegeta said, glancing at his scouter. "He burned through everything in one go."
"I'm sorry, Uncle Piccolo... I missed... Now I don't even have the strength to run." Gohan looked at Piccolo's lifeless body, then smiled weakly.
Bang!
The young boy collapsed to his knees, completely drained.
"You monster..." Krillin gritted his teeth, barely keeping his anger in check.
Things weren't going well for Krillin and his group. They were being completely overwhelmed. Yamcha was blasted away and embedded in a stone wall, barely clinging to life. Tien Shinhan, driven by grief over Chiaotzu's death, had overused his Tri-Beam Cannon, pushing his body beyond its limits.
Vegeta turned to Nappa. "Hurry up and finish off the brat."
Bang!
Nappa lifted his heavy boot and slammed it down, aiming to crush Gohan.
But the next moment—he missed.
His foot cracked the earth instead.
"What the hell?"
"Where did he go?" Vegeta snapped, surprised.
In the distance, a tall, striking young man hovered in the air, holding Son Gohan in his arms.
It was Rayden.
"Gohan, are you alright?" he asked gently, brushing the boy's hair back.
"Uncle Rayden... I'm okay," Gohan sniffled. "But Uncle Piccolo... he died protecting me."
Though Gohan was no longer crying, his heart was heavy.
Rayden, holding Gohan close, flew toward Krillin and the others.
"Sorry I'm late," he said, handing over three remaining Senzu Beans from his pocket. "Take these. You need them more than I do."
"You're going to fight them alone?" Krillin asked.
Rayden's eyes narrowed. "Leave the rest to me."
He turned toward Nappa and shot through the air like a missile. His aura surged so intensely that Nappa froze, overwhelmed with fear.
"V-Vegeta! Help!" Nappa screamed as he stumbled backward.
But it was too late.
Rayden appeared in front of him in an instant. Without hesitation, he slammed his right fist into Nappa's head—cleanly decapitating him.
Nappa's body dropped like a rag doll.
Vegeta's scouter beeped wildly.
Beep~!
"Combat power: 12,620?!"
Vegeta sneered. "So you're the one who took out that weakling. Impressive. But you're no match for me."
He crossed his arms. "Listen carefully. My combat power is 18,000. Did you hear that? Eighteen thousand!"
Rayden didn't respond. Instead, he lunged.
Da! Da! Da!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Fists and feet collided in a furious storm of blows. The two fighters clashed at blinding speeds, trading hundreds of attacks in mere seconds.
Rayden leapt back, hands cupping at his waist in the familiar stance of the Kamehameha Wave. Energy crackled and swirled in his palms.
Vegeta, recognizing the move, flew into the air and began gathering his own energy.
"Kamehameha!" Rayden yelled, unleashing the beam.
"Galick Gun!" Vegeta roared back, firing his own.
BOOM—!
The two massive energy waves collided midair, creating an intense shockwave that shook the earth below.
Krillin and Gohan had recovered with the help of the Senzu Beans and were now watching the sky from a nearby mountain, along with Yamcha.
"This is... insane," Krillin whispered, shielding his eyes from the bright flashes.
"Uncle Rayden! Be careful!" Gohan shouted.
Rayden roared, pushing against Vegeta's power, but the gap in strength was too wide. Slowly but surely, the Galick Gun overpowered his beam.
Boom!
The explosion blasted Rayden backward. His clothes were tattered, and blood dripped from his body. He struggled to remain standing.
"Why didn't you just stay hidden on Earth?" Vegeta mocked, raising another Ki blast. "Now you're going to die for nothing."
Bang!
The blast raced toward Rayden.
Rayden looked up, calm. As death approached, the corners of his mouth curled into a faint smile.
BOOM!
The explosion engulfed him.
When the smoke cleared, only a charred arm remained on the ground.
"Ha ha ha ha!" Vegeta laughed loudly. "He's dead!"
Krillin stumbled backward in shock. "Rayden... no."
Gohan fell to his knees again, tears returning. "Uncle Rayden is gone…"
"If Rayden hadn't given us those Senzu Beans... we'd all be dead by now," Yamcha said, guilt-stricken.
---
A blinding white light flashed.
Rayden's body reformed in the light.
"Ding!"
Congratulations! Resurrection successful. Now issuing death rewards.
Ding! Solar Flare skill unlocked!
Ding! Dragon Fist skill unlocked!
Ding! Afterburner skill unlocked!
Ding! Combat Power +15,000!
Ding! Senzu Beans ×10 added to inventory!
System Scan: Personal Attributes
Name: Rayden
Age: 23
Race: Earthling
Skills: Ki Sensing, Flight, Ki Blast, Kamehameha, Dragon Fist, Solar Flare, Afterburner, God-level Combat Skills
Combat Power: 27,620
Items: Senzu Beans ×10
Rayden opened his eyes, bursting with new energy. His aura flared like a sun.
Vegeta's eyes widened. "Y-you... You died! How are you alive?!"
"Rayden!" Gohan cried out in joy.
Krillin and Yamcha stared in disbelief. "He's alive... but we didn't even use the Dragon Balls...?"
Rayden turned to Vegeta.
"You hit me pretty hard earlier, didn't you? Now it's your turn."
He vanished and reappeared right in front of Vegeta, his speed shocking even the Saiyan prince.
Boom!
Rayden's punch landed in Vegeta's gut, making him double over like a shrimp.
Before he could fall, Rayden appeared behind him and kicked him skyward.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Blow after blow rained down. Rayden pummeled Vegeta for a full minute in midair.
Crash!
Vegeta finally slammed into the ground, bloodied and gasping.
"Damn you!" he spat. "I didn't want to use this... but now I have no choice."
Vegeta backed away and began condensing a massive energy ball in his hands.
Rayden watched warily.
Vegeta's energy surged and the ball expanded rapidly. With a roar, he launched it into the sky.
Whoosh!
The glowing sphere floated high above, casting bright light over the battlefield.
"What's he doing?" Krillin asked, shielding his eyes.
Suddenly—
A full moon appeared in the sky.
"Ugh!" Vegeta groaned as his body began to shift.
Roar~!
Before their eyes, Vegeta transformed into a giant black ape over ten meters tall.
"Your end is here!" the ape bellowed.
The Great Ape Vegeta slammed his enormous fist toward Rayden.
But Rayden didn't back down.
He clenched his fists and charged forward, meeting the monster head-on.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Fist met fur over and over, but Rayden's blows did little. The giant ape swatted him away repeatedly like an insect.
Øóffer going on for diamond tier
pàtreøn (Gk31)