The battlefield was in ruins. Namek's skies were darkened by smoke and fractured clouds, thunder rolling unnaturally as if the heavens themselves were protesting the carnage. The once lush green plains were cratered, scorched, and split apart from the relentless fight.
Rudra's body lay battered and bloodied against a broken cliffside. His breathing was shallow, chest barely rising. His once radiant chakra glow had completely faded, like a flame snuffed out in the wind.
A few feet away, Cooler hovered effortlessly in his golden form. His body shimmered like molten sunlight, each movement radiating arrogance and authority. His crimson eyes glowed with cruel delight as he tilted his head.
"Pathetic," Cooler sneered. "That little trick of yours burned you out. No chakra left, no resistance left. You humans… always so fragile."
He floated closer, casting a long shadow over Rudra's limp form. Raising one finger, he charged a small golden sphere of energy. "I'll erase you like the insect you are. Nothing more than wasted effort."
But before he could fire, a low groan echoed from the ground. Goku's hand twitched. His eyelids slowly lifted, pupils focusing on the scene before him. His vision was blurry, his head throbbing from the devastating strike Cooler had landed earlier. But as his sight cleared, the first thing he saw was Rudra's broken body.
"Rudra…" Goku whispered, forcing himself upright. His voice trembled, not from weakness but from the heavy weight pressing on his chest. He staggered forward, kneeling beside his friend.
He placed his palm on Rudra's chest. Cold. Too cold. He searched desperately, focusing on ki—yet there was nothing. No spark, no faint rhythm of energy. Only emptiness.
His heart sank.
"No…" Goku's hands clenched against the dirt. His teeth ground together as his vision blurred with rage and grief. "Rudra… don't you dare… You're not gone… you can't be!"
Cooler chuckled, amused by Goku's shaking frame. "Oh, how touching. Do you Saiyans always cry for their little pets? He's finished. Accept it."
Goku's head slowly lifted. His face was shadowed, but his eyes—once warm and calm—now burned with something far more dangerous. The world around him grew still, as though holding its breath.
"You…" Goku's voice was low, almost too quiet to hear. "You'll pay for this."
Cooler smirked and crossed his arms. "Oh? Another tantrum? Spare me. You've already shown your limits. Do you really think rage alone will save you?"
The ground beneath Goku began to tremble. Small pebbles vibrated and lifted into the air. His golden aura flickered, then roared violently outward like a storm breaking free.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Goku screamed, the sound raw and primal. His power erupted in waves, shattering the ground beneath him. Lightning cracked across the blackened sky, drawn to his growing energy. His golden hair whipped upward violently, sparks dancing through it as if electricity itself was woven into every strand.
Cooler's smirk faded slightly. His crimson eyes narrowed. "This… this ki…"
The aura around Goku became unbearable, a cyclone of pure fury. His muscles tightened, his breathing sharpened, and the sheer intensity of his power pushed the air into shockwaves.
His hair stood taller, sharper, glowing with an even fiercer golden light. Electricity crackled wildly around his body, wrapping him in arcs of violent energy. His pupils sharpened, glowing with relentless fury.
The transformation was complete.
Super Saiyan 2.
Goku stood tall, every inch of him radiating uncontrollable wrath. The earth groaned beneath his boots, unable to withstand the pressure of his ki. Lightning struck repeatedly in the distance, illuminating the battlefield in flashes of white-blue brilliance.
Cooler hovered silently, for once without a smug grin. His golden aura flared instinctively, as though his body was bracing for what his pride refused to admit—fear.
"This energy…" Cooler whispered, his voice breaking for just a moment. His smirk twitched back, though weaker. "Impressive. I didn't expect you had more to show me, Saiyan. But don't think a flashy light show is enough to frighten me."
Goku didn't reply. His silence was more terrifying than any threat. His eyes, burning with pure fury, were locked only on Cooler.
"Rudra…" Goku whispered again, almost to himself. His fists tightened until blood seeped from his palms. "I'll avenge you. No matter what it takes."
Without warning, Goku vanished.
Cooler's eyes widened. "What—?!"
A fist slammed into his gut before he could react. The golden tyrant's body folded, air exploding from his lungs as he was sent crashing into a distant mountain. The impact obliterated the entire peak, sending rubble scattering for miles.
Dust billowed, but Goku was already there, appearing above Cooler mid-fall. His leg swung down in a brutal axe kick, slamming Cooler further into the ground. The crater deepened, shockwaves rattling across the planet.
Cooler roared in fury, his golden aura flaring as he burst upward. "YOU INSOLENT—"
But another punch cracked across his jaw, sending him spinning mid-air. Goku's aura flared brighter, his lightning dancing wildly as he pursued with relentless strikes.
Every blow landed with bone-shattering force. Cooler blocked some, dodged others, but each strike he took rattled his body. His smirk was gone, replaced with grit and anger.
"Impossible!" Cooler shouted, catching Goku's fist with both hands. "How can your power increase so drastically?!"
Goku snarled, his eyes blazing. "Because you made me lose something I swore I'd protect!"
He kneed Cooler in the chest, the crack echoing through the air as blood sprayed from the tyrant's mouth.
Cooler staggered back, panting, his golden armor-like body scorched and bruised. For the first time, the proud emperor of terror felt something alien crawling in his chest.
Fear.
His crimson eyes locked onto Goku's furious glare, and a chill spread through him. The Saiyan's aura was wild, unstable, yet overwhelming—like a storm threatening to swallow everything in its path.
Cooler growled, forcing his pride to mask his dread. "Don't think this changes anything. I am the Emperor of the Universe! You are just a Saiyan… a monkey drunk on grief!"
Goku's aura flared violently, lightning splitting the ground beneath them. His voice thundered, sharp and cold:
"Then this monkey is about to tear your empire apart!"
The clash was inevitable.
Cooler launched forward, golden fists blazing. Goku met him head-on, their collision shaking the skies with cataclysmic force. Each strike cracked the air like thunder, each impact tearing the land asunder.
But for the first time, it was Cooler who struggled to keep pace. Goku's fury-driven power was unrelenting, each attack carrying the weight of vengeance.
Blow after blow landed, forcing Cooler backward, his confidence wavering with every strike.
And then, as dust and lightning consumed the battlefield, Goku's voice cut through like a blade:
"You should have never touched him!"
His punch landed square on Cooler's chest. The tyrant's body shot backward, crashing through mountains and into the horizon.
Goku stood panting, lightning crackling around him, his golden hair shimmering in the storm. His aura roared, shaking the broken land beneath his feet.
His glare burned hotter than fire, colder than death.
Cooler, for the first time in his life, felt powerless.
And that realization froze his soul.
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Super Saiyan 2 Goku towers in wrath, his eyes locked on the trembling form of Golden Cooler—who has, for the first time, tasted fear.
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