c28: VS Vegeta
Almost instantly, Vegeta disappeared from sight, his movement so fast that the air cracked with a sharp sonic boom. He reappeared in front of Lin Hao, his right fist clenched tightly, driving forward with terrifying force aimed directly at Lin Hao's face.
The sheer speed and power of the punch created shockwaves, but Lin Hao twisted his body at the last moment, narrowly dodging the blow.
However, Vegeta's battle instincts, honed from countless life-and-death struggles, had already predicted Lin Hao's movement. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Aha!" Vegeta roared, instantly raising his left hand. A brilliant sphere of golden ki condensed in his palm the signature Big Bang Attack's compact variant, a devastating palm cannon. Without hesitation, he fired it point-blank at Lin Hao.
Lin Hao, unfazed, thrust out his own hand. A concentrated qigong blast erupted, intercepting Vegeta's attack in midair.
"Boom!!!"
The collision sent shockwaves tearing through the battlefield. The redirected energy bomb hurtled toward the nearby mountainside, striking with apocalyptic force. The towering peak disintegrated into rubble, collapsing into a massive crater.
"Che!" Vegeta clicked his tongue in frustration. Even though he had anticipated Lin Hao's dodge, Lin Hao's calm defense had neutralized the counter.
Without wasting another breath, Vegeta's aura flared, his golden lightning-wreathed ki exploding outward. He lunged again with ferocious speed, his movements even sharper and faster than before. His intent was clear: crush Lin Hao with sheer pressure.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
In the blink of an eye, the two warriors clashed violently. Shockwaves split the ground, mountains cracked, and the sky rippled from their exchange. Punches, elbows, knees, and kicks were traded at inhuman speeds. Energy blasts detonated around them as they fought from sky to ground and back again, neither giving an inch.
"Damn, Vegeta's Super Saiyan 2 speed is… overwhelming!" Lin Hao thought as he deflected a kick and skidded back across the ground, leaving deep trenches in the dirt. His breathing quickened, though his expression remained steady.
The two separated, floating in the air a short distance apart, their golden auras clashing violently like colliding storms.
"Hmph!" Vegeta folded his arms, his piercing eyes locked onto Lin Hao. "You're slowing down already. If this is all you've got, then you'll die here! Don't think you can toy with the Prince of all Saiyans!"
Lin Hao's expression hardened. "He's right. At this level, I can't match him for long… Looks like I'll have to stop holding back."
He clenched his fists, his entire body trembling as he drew out deeper reserves of power.
"Aha!!"
The golden aura around Lin Hao exploded outward, his hair spiking even higher. A strand of his bangs swayed across his forehead as electricity crackled around his body. The ground beneath him fractured under the sheer force of his energy.
"Crack! Crack! Crack!"
Silver-white lightning snaked around his form clear signs of the Super Saiyan 2 transformation.
Vegeta's eyes widened, his expression caught between shock and pride. "What?! This ki… he actually broke into Super Saiyan 2?!" The prince clenched his fists tighter, his pride ignited. "Hmph… damn it, his aura is almost on par with mine, even though he just transformed!"
From the distance, Son Gohan watched the clash with a heavy expression, his brow furrowed. "That guy… his power spiked again. If this keeps up, Uncle Vegeta might really be in danger."
The battlefield trembled as the two warriors' auras collided, silver lightning and golden firestorm intertwining in a storm of power. The next exchange would decide whose pride would burn brighter.
"Uh-huh!!" Vegeta growled, powering up once more as both fighters prepared to unleash their full might.
At this moment, Piccolo flew swiftly from the Temple of Heaven, his cape fluttering in the rushing wind. Descending from the sky, he landed beside Son Gohan, his sharp eyes locked onto the battlefield above.
"Hm? Uncle Piccolo, why are you here!?"
Gohan looked up, surprised, but also relieved at his mentor's arrival.
"I felt Vegeta's ki flare up violently," Piccolo answered grimly, never taking his eyes off the two fighters clashing in midair. His gaze narrowed on Lin Hao. "That guy… is he an enemy?"
Gohan shook his head. "No, he doesn't give off any evil aura at all. He's definitely not like Babidi's soldiers or the androids. And… you should recognize it too, Uncle Piccolo. He's a Saiyan. A pure-blooded Saiyan!"
Piccolo's eyes sharpened further. "Tch… Vegeta swore that he and Kakarot were the only pure Saiyans left alive. Yet here comes another, out of nowhere… and his power is enough to push Vegeta into a serious fight."
"Yeah… I don't understand it either." Gohan clenched his fists, watching anxiously as sparks filled the sky.
---
Back in the sky, Vegeta's furious voice thundered.
"Is this all you've got?! You said you'd make me suffer, yet you're holding back this much? Pathetic!"
"Aaah!"
With a burst of ki, Vegeta unleashed a barrage of punishing blows, his fists and feet striking like lightning. His energy blasts pelted Lin Hao relentlessly as he shouted, his pride overflowing.
But Lin Hao's expression didn't falter. His body absorbed and deflected the blows, his mind elsewhere. That feeling… the bottleneck. I'm right on the edge… I can break through now.
Finally, Lin Hao's playful smirk hardened into focus. "Fine. If you're so eager to be defeated, I won't waste any more time. I've got things I need to deal with."
He threw back his head with a roar.
"Aaaahhh!"
The golden aura surrounding him erupted, whipping the ground below into a storm. Rocks levitated, lightning tore through the sky, and the earth itself cracked beneath the sheer weight of his energy.
"Wh-what an aura…!" Piccolo gasped, his eyes widening. He had felt countless transformations, but this was on another level.
Gohan, too, stared in disbelief.
Lin Hao's hair lengthened rapidly, flowing down his back until it reached his waist. His brow ridges thickened, his eyes sharpened, and his golden aura exploded with silver lightning arcs.
"No way…" Vegeta's eyes went wide, his pride stung by what he saw. "That hair… that power… This form… Super Saiyan 3?!"
Lin Hao's gaze cut coldly toward him. "This is my first time using it. I'll finish you quickly, Vegeta, and then I'll move on."
"Damn you!! You think you can look down on me?!" Vegeta's veins bulged as his pride burned hotter. He clenched his fists, roaring with all his might. "I am Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyans!!"
His aura flared to its absolute limit, his Super Saiyan 2 form crackling with enough electricity to split the air. The ground below exploded into shards under the pressure.
"Come on then! Show me your TRUE strength!" Vegeta bellowed, stomping down and launching himself upward with such force that the earth cratered beneath his feet.
But Lin Hao was faster. Before Vegeta could land his first punch, Lin Hao's fist buried itself into his abdomen.
"Boom!"
"Guuhhh!!" Vegeta's face twisted in agony, spittle flying as he was sent careening backward.
Yet his fighting spirit didn't fade. With a guttural snarl, he steadied himself in midair and countered with a flurry of ki blasts. Dozens of glowing spheres screamed across the battlefield, raining toward Lin Hao.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
But Lin Hao batted them aside with contemptuous ease, swatting left and right, scattering the blasts like fireworks before charging again. His fists blurred, hammering into Vegeta at terrifying speed.
The sky became a storm of golden light. Their silhouettes clashed too fast for the human eye to follow. Each impact shook the heavens, the earth ripping apart beneath them. Craters erupted across the plains in rapid succession, hundreds forming within seconds. Mountains collapsed, shockwaves turned forests into wastelands, and the horizon itself quaked.
"A-astonishing…" Piccolo muttered, shielding his face from the violent winds. "Their speed and power… they're tearing the planet apart with their fight!"
"Unbelievable… I can't even see their movements anymore," Gohan whispered, awe and worry written across his face. "This… this is beyond even what I imagined…"
The golden storm raged on, two Saiyans pushing their pride and power to the very brink.
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