I Am Raditz

With a thunderous shout, Raditz kicked Frieza away and once again channeled Kaio-ken x10. Red light shot skyward as the tips of his hair turned upward with a faint tendency to stand on end.

Frieza was shocked. How had Raditz, who was on the verge of death moments ago, suddenly appeared before him fully recovered? And he seemed even stronger than before!

Puzzled, he watched as Raditz's expression darkened, a cruel smile flickering across the corner of his mouth.

"Excellent. No one has excited me like this in years. Who would have thought a Saiyan would provide such entertainment today!"

"Really?" Raditz tensed, remaining extremely cautious.

Suddenly, Frieza's eyes changed, and his figure blurred with speed as he rushed toward Raditz. Immediately after, a flurry of fists rained down like a storm.

Raditz reacted quickly, constantly adjusting his arms to parry the dense barrage. Under the relentless assault, his defense held firm, blocking every one of Frieza's strikes.

Frieza was utterly shocked. Raditz, who clearly couldn't withstand his attack moments ago, was now parrying his high-speed punches! He needed to intensify his offense! He feinted with his left fist while channeling energy into his right, swinging upward with a powerful uppercut!

Though the left feint was weak, it successfully drew Raditz's attention, creating an opening in his defense. By the time Raditz realized the deception, Frieza's right fist was already hooking upward, about to connect before Raditz could defend. At the last possible moment, Raditz pulled back, compressing his body to make himself a smaller target. The uppercut whistled past his hair with a rush of wind.

Frieza didn't pause, however. As if anticipating the dodge, he spun with the momentum of his uppercut and violently lashed out with his tail!

"SNAP!"

"BOOM!"

Raditz was struck across his body by the tail and sent crashing straight to the ground, creating a deep crater.

The moment he hit the ground, Raditz immediately bounced back up. He kicked against the crater's edge, rocketing skyward at incredible speed toward Frieza.

"Hmph." Frieza smiled coldly. Just as Raditz was about to reach him, Frieza suddenly vanished, his form becoming an afterimage.

"What?" Raditz's strike hit nothing but air.

Instinctively, he looked behind him. Sure enough, Frieza had moved to his rear and slammed an elbow forcefully into his back. With a yell of pain, Frieza immediately gritted his teeth, swinging his tail violently to sweep Raditz's chin, knocking him backward.

Taking advantage of this opening, Frieza turned and closed the distance. He clasped Raditz's head with both hands, straightened his body forward while lowering his hands, then quickly raised his knee upward, driving it hard into Raditz's abdomen.

"Pfft!" A mouthful of saliva and stomach acid sprayed from Raditz's mouth.

His body curved like a shrimp, facial muscles twitching in agony. The blow was excruciating!

But his battle-honed instincts told him this wasn't the time to feel pain—Frieza's next attack was already coming. Raditz yelled to energize himself, gritted his teeth, and shot higher into the sky, dodging Frieza's continuous kicks.

"Try this!" From his higher position, Raditz fired an energy wave downward, but his figure instantly disappeared from that spot.

The brilliant energy blast struck Frieza directly, but the tyrant merely smiled lightly, raising a hand to intercept it. "Such a simple trick. Is this the extent of your ability?" His palm collided with the energy wave, producing nothing but a small puff of smoke.

His sharp voice cut through the smoke like a sword, but Raditz was nowhere to be found behind it.

Frieza started in surprise, then suddenly felt his tail gripped by a powerful force as his entire body began to spin. Raditz had seized his tail and spun him around a dozen times before hurling him violently toward a nearby rock formation.

The impact roared through the air as Frieza exploded with rage, bursting from the collapsing rubble and launching forward with a powerful kick. Raditz quickly raised his arms to block, and the two forces collided, leaving his arms feeling numb. Still, he gritted his teeth and countered with his left hand! Frieza also raised his hand defensively, flicking his tail to intercept Raditz's strikes as they continued their fierce exchange.

Powerful shockwaves repeatedly exploded through the air. Nearly half the surrounding islands were destroyed, countless rocks plummeting into the sea as if in tribute to the ferocious battle between the two fighters.

Frieza fought with increasing confidence, becoming more familiar with his final form, while Raditz's stamina rapidly drained. His Kaio-ken x10 couldn't be maintained much longer, and the gap in strength was slowly widening.

In a moment of carelessness, Frieza seized his opportunity, landing three consecutive punches to Raditz's face before kicking him straight upward with both legs. Frieza quickly pursued, rocketing upward to position himself above Raditz. He clasped his hands together in a hammer shape, extending his body to maximize his strength.

"WHAM!" Frieza hammered down with tremendous force, sending Raditz crashing to the ground once more.

Dust filled the air as gravel splashed outward. A crack opened in the ground, forming a deep fissure that seawater quickly flooded, slowly dividing the land into two parts. Raditz lay in the middle of the crack, about to roll into the deepening chasm.

Frieza sneered as he descended from the sky with a powerful stomp!

The impact generated energy fluctuations that formed a concentrated blast beneath his feet. As he plummeted at high speed, the air around him sparked with energy!

At that moment, Raditz's eyes flashed with determination. He sprang upward with renewed vigor, the extreme speed of Kaio-ken allowing him to dodge the attack as he shot past Frieza trailing red flames. He quickly gathered energy, crossing his hands in front of him before unleashing a brilliant energy wave.

After missing his stomp, Frieza was momentarily suspended in the air with no way to change direction. The shockwave struck him from behind, driving him into the ocean below.

"BOOM... BOOM... BOOM..."

The mountainous island sank, completely swallowed by the sea.

Raditz floated above the water's surface, his expression solemn as he fought for breath. His upper body clothing was in tatters, his pants riddled with holes, and countless wounds covered his face, shoulders, and abdomen. Dried blood caked the corner of his mouth.

"Damn it, if I pushed to Kaio-ken x20 now, I might barely be able to continue fighting..." Raditz gasped, "But would my body even survive it?"

Sweating profusely, Raditz spotted the Dragon Ball that Frieza had placed on a remaining piece of ground. Suddenly, an idea formed in his mind.

He flew over and grabbed the Dragon Ball. At that moment, Frieza slowly rose from the sea.

The water had washed away all the dust from Frieza's body—he seemed reborn, emerging without a scratch. He hovered in the air with incomparable arrogance, his scarlet eyes fixed on Raditz.

"I'm quite impressed. It's been a long time since I've had such an enjoyable fight... But I'll give you some advice: give me MY Dragon Ball!"

"Sure thing—why don't you go find it yourself!" Raditz gathered his strength, made a throwing motion, and hurled the Dragon Ball in the opposite direction. It soared through the air, becoming a mere speck in the vast sky.

"You BASTARD!!!" Frieza was furious! Forced to choose between pursuing Raditz or the Dragon Ball, he ultimately chose the latter. With a blur of movement, he shot after the Dragon Ball!

Raditz seized the opportunity to fly in the opposite direction. As he turned to check behind him, he came face to face with the evil Namekian... Lord Slug.

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