The Namekian skies were still trembling from Goku's golden transformation. The trees swayed violently, rivers thrashed against their banks, and the very ground quivered beneath his feet. The air burned with his golden aura as his hair blazed upward like a torch of defiance.
Cooler smirked, shadows curling across his armored face as he flexed his fingers. His body pulsed, muscles straining as he began to ascend into his fifth transformation. The sleek lines of his earlier form warped into something far more menacing: spikes extended from his shoulders, his frame thickened with raw muscle, and his head elongated into a terrifying crown of power. His aura was darker, sharper, almost suffocating.
Rudra, watching from the distant island, clenched his fists.
"So this is Cooler's final form… no wonder even Frieza seemed like a child compared to him."
Cooler cracked his neck and pointed at Goku with casual arrogance.
"Impressive, Saiyan. You embody the legend itself. But legends… are only stories until they're crushed under reality. And I am that reality."
Goku dropped into his fighting stance, golden aura crackling around him.
"Then stop talking and let's see it!"
---
The First Exchange
In an instant, the two blurred forward. The clash created a shockwave that flattened the landscape around them. Their fists met, the impact exploding in a flash of blinding light. The ground beneath them cratered, fissures racing outward like spiderwebs.
Cooler swung a vicious hook—Goku ducked, countered with an uppercut that smashed into Cooler's chin, sending him soaring into the air. But Cooler spun midair and fired a barrage of death beams from his fingertips.
Zzzzttt! Zzzzttt!
The red bolts lanced toward Goku at blinding speed. Goku weaved through them, but one grazed his shoulder, scorching his skin.
"Tch—fast!" Goku muttered, then charged after him.
Cooler smirked, flipping backward as Goku came in close. With one brutal knee strike, he slammed Goku's ribs, sending the Saiyan crashing into a mountain below. The peak shattered instantly, rubble raining down like meteors.
Rudra clenched his teeth.
"He's holding nothing back now. Goku, don't get careless!"
---
Rising Intensity
Dust swirled, but before Cooler could gloat, Goku blasted out of the rubble, fist blazing with golden energy.
"Kaaaah!"
The punch slammed into Cooler's stomach, folding him in half for an instant. Cooler growled, but before he could react, Goku unleashed a barrage of kicks and punches, each one landing clean, forcing the tyrant backward.
"You've got strength, Cooler—but your arrogance will cost you!"
Cooler's lips curled into a sinister smile even as he blocked the flurry.
"Arrogance? No, Saiyan… I'm simply enjoying myself."
With that, he slammed both hands together and clapped around Goku's head, stunning him. In that split second, Cooler drove his elbow down into Goku's spine, sending him plummeting.
Goku gritted his teeth, flipping mid-fall, and cupped his hands.
"Ka…me…ha…me—HAAA!"
The blue beam roared upward, engulfing Cooler. The tyrant vanished in the explosion, the beam piercing through the sky until it disappeared into space.
For a moment, silence.
Then—
"Hmph. Not bad."
Cooler walked out of the smoke, his armor cracked in places but his aura fiercer than ever. His power spiked, shaking the entire planet.
---
Cooler Unleashes
Cooler spread his arms wide, his aura flaring like a storm.
"You wanted serious, Saiyan? Then watch closely—because this is where your legend ends!"
He appeared before Goku in less than a blink, driving his knee into Goku's gut. The air exploded from Goku's lungs as he was launched skyward. Cooler followed, hammering him with fists faster than the eye could follow. Each blow cracked through the atmosphere, each strike forcing Goku to his limit.
Rudra's eyes widened as he felt the ki tremors across the island.
"This power… it's beyond even Frieza's. If Goku slips for even a second—he's done."
Goku, battered but not broken, roared and blocked a heavy strike, grabbing Cooler's wrist and spinning him before launching him into the ocean below. The water erupted like a volcano, waves towering high enough to swallow islands.
Cooler emerged from the ocean, dripping and furious.
"You dare throw me around, Saiyan?!"
He lifted his hand, forming a massive orange sphere of condensed ki—ten times larger than the one Frieza had ever summoned. Its glow painted the entire Namekian sky in fire.
"This world… will be your grave!"
---
The Tide Turns
Goku's eyes widened.
"If that hits, the whole planet—!"
He powered up, aura blazing brighter.
"No choice—Kaioken times twenty!!"
Golden and crimson energies merged as Goku unleashed his full might. He fired a colossal Kamehameha, the beam crashing into Cooler's death ball midair.
The two energies warred, creating a vortex of destructive light that lit up half the planet. The ground cracked open, rivers boiled, and Namek's atmosphere shook violently.
"RAAAAHHHHH!" Goku screamed, pushing with every ounce of power.
Cooler snarled, veins bulging as he forced his sphere downward.
"Fall, monkey!!"
The clash raged for seconds that felt like eternity—until finally, with one last roar, Goku's beam overpowered Cooler's attack, sending the massive sphere hurtling into space where it detonated like a second sun.
The shockwave nearly toppled Goku midair, but he held firm, panting heavily.
Cooler floated above him, unharmed but visibly impressed.
"You've actually pushed me this far… Son Goku. Truly… you are worthy prey."
---
The Climactic Clash
Without warning, Cooler blurred forward, his fist colliding with Goku's at the same instant Goku lunged to strike. The two forces met with such intensity that the ocean below split apart, exposing the seabed for miles.
Punch after punch, kick after kick, their battle raged across Namek—mountains shattered, craters spread like scars, lightning sparked from their auras. Neither gave an inch.
Goku roared, driving his fist across Cooler's jaw.
Cooler countered, slamming his knee into Goku's chest.
The Saiyan spat blood but grinned, his spirit unbroken.
"This fight… is amazing!"
Cooler laughed, a chilling echo across the battlefield.
"Yes! Struggle harder! Show me the true power of a Saiyan!!"
Their fists collided one last time, a thunderclap so violent that even Rudra shielded his face from the blast.
And as the dust cleared, both warriors floated apart, breathing heavily, their eyes locked with equal parts respect and defiance.
The battle was far from over.