I Am Raditz

Planet Namek teetered on the verge of collapse, every moment of fierce battle accelerating its destruction. Nearby, a towering dense jungle grew rapidly, greedily absorbing the planet's essence.

The Tree of Might had regenerated.

Turles leaned against Lord Slug's massive spaceship at the tree's base, a Dragon Ball beside him and Namekian corpses scattered throughout the area. Tien and Nappa stood opposite him, panting heavily and covered in bruises.

While Frieza, Raditz, and the others had been fighting elsewhere, another fierce battle had unfolded here.

Turles's long-planned operation had finally reached its conclusion.

Initially, he'd learned that Raditz and his companions had seized a Dragon Ball after fighting Slug, prompting his decision to escape Slug's surveillance. During his escape, he hadn't taken Slug's three Dragon Balls—they were too large to carry easily. Instead, his plan was to lure Slug into battle, then claim his spaceship.

Between the ones he'd stolen from under Frieza's nose and the one he'd acquired himself, Turles now possessed five Dragon Balls!

With all of Frieza's Forces' scouters destroyed, Turles alone retained one. He had detected the weak energy signatures of the remaining Namekians early on, and after securing Frieza's Dragon Balls, had come prepared to fight for the two kept here.

When Turles arrived to seize the Dragon Balls, Tien and Nappa, who had remained behind, rose to oppose him.

After escaping Earth and consuming numerous Tree of Might fruits, Turles's strength had increased dramatically. However, after training in the gravity room and having their potential unlocked by the Grand Elder, Tien and Nappa's power had also risen rapidly. The two sides fought to a stalemate.

What Turles had expected to be a quick battle had unexpectedly turned into a grueling struggle.

Turles himself had sustained several injuries—especially from Tien's Tri-Beam cannon, which still made his back ache. However, his two opponents had suffered even worse injuries, their energy severely depleted.

"How has your strength improved so much?" Turles asked, a fine layer of sweat on his brow as he studied Tien and Nappa with a serious expression.

"No comment!" Tien snorted coldly.

"Really? That's quite an attitude. Do you think landing a few hits on me is some great achievement?"

Enraged by Tien's demeanor, Turles clenched his fists and shook them threateningly.

"I still have techniques you can't possibly avoid!"

"Don't make me laugh. If Nappa weren't helping you, a weakling like you would have died a thousand times over! Earthling, you talk too much!"

"Then let me show you how powerful Earth's fighters truly are!" Tien suddenly launched forward, hands positioned at his forehead as he charged directly at Turles. He realized that if they continued fighting conventionally, they would eventually lose. His only option was to risk everything on his new technique.

Seeing this, Nappa hurriedly followed, though a step behind.

Solar Flare? Hmph, I saw through that trick long ago! When Turles noticed Tien's gesture, he was already mentally prepared.

Sure enough, Tien shouted "Solar Flare!" as a dazzling golden light flashed. Turles leapt upward, evading the light's range. He snorted disdainfully, turning to deliver a whip-like kick.

Power surged through his leg as he struck Tien in the waist. To his surprise, the Tien on the ground seemed unfazed.

"The Multi-Form technique is also an old routine!" Turles grinned smugly, as if he'd seen through everything.

He had noticed Tien's strategy from the beginning. The Earthling's bold solo charge meant he must have prepared something. When the Solar Flare struck, Turles had spotted a shadow behind him waiting for an opening.

But why only one shadow?

In the next second, the answer revealed itself. Two more Tiens appeared, forming a triangle formation with the original on the ground. Each copy extended four arms in the "Four Witches Technique" stance.

Each hand had charged a "Neo Tri-Beam" blast!

Twelve energy cannons formed a triangular array—an attack with no blind spots! This was what Tien called his absolutely inescapable move!

"Damn it!" Turles frantically looked left and right for an escape route, propelling himself with energy, but the blasts were already firing.

"BOOM-BOOM! BOOM-BOOM! BOOM-BOOM!..."

Twelve consecutive blasts filled the sky with smoke and dust. The air reeked with an acrid smell as the surrounding ground shook violently, echoing the distant beam of light that pierced the heavens.

Nappa couldn't help grinning: "This kid... he's got something special."

However, using Multi-Form, the Four Witches Technique, and the Neo Tri-Beam in succession had drained more than half of Tien's energy. His copies immediately returned to the main body, figures overlapping one after another until finally merging into one.

"BASTARD!" Behind the thick smoke, Turles's roar erupted! Immediately afterward, a white energy glow broke through the smoke cloud, rushing toward Tien and smashing the weakened warrior into a rocky mountain.

The boulder cracked, sending countless fragments flying as dust rose to create a hazy gray veil.

Through the smoke and debris emerged a blood-covered figure—Turles!

His combat uniform was torn and tattered, his forehead stained with blood. A piece of armor on his chest had shattered, and the black bodysuit on his back emitted a burnt odor.

Despite his battered appearance, his eyes blazed with fierce hostility.

He had been the one to send Tien flying with that powerful punch, smashing him into the boulder.

"Huff... huff..." Turles gritted his teeth, sucking in cold air as he panted heavily. "How dare a mere Earthling use such a trick against me! cough cough!"

Tien's body lay amid the rubble, splayed out and motionless.

The impact of Turles's attack had nearly torn him apart. He hadn't expected that even his ultimate technique wouldn't be enough to defeat Turles... He managed to raise his upper body slightly, his eyes burning with determination: "Nappa, it's up to you now."

Tien and Nappa weren't close friends, and their fighting styles differed greatly, but they shared a powerful compatibility in their pursuit of strength. Witnessing Tien's ultimate technique, Nappa felt a surge of respect.

"Nappa? You two could barely counter my attacks together! Don't think you can challenge me one-on-one!" Turles sneered, abnormally licking his own blood.

Though injured, he remained confident. He flew forward, colliding with Nappa's powerful body. The two energy streams crashed together, creating rippling shockwaves as air currents blew outward like a storm.

A moment later, Nappa, teeth clenched tightly, was forced backward. His arms made a sickening crack, followed by a cry of pain. Turles seized the opportunity to kick him away.

Without hesitation, Turles launched forward and punched Nappa in the abdomen. Desperate, Nappa swung a heavy counterpunch that only managed to strike Turles's arm. Though Turles winced in pain, he immediately counterattacked, landing another solid hit.

BANG! BANG! BANG! After several exchanges, Turles gained the upper hand. His final hammer blow knocked Nappa to the ground, creating a crater several meters deep with cracks spreading outward.

"Can you still stand?"

Turles watched with contempt as Nappa struggled to rise.

Within seconds, his expression changed to a frown as he witnessed Nappa slowly standing again.

Nappa rose from the ground, his legs trembling but somehow supporting him.

"Hmm, quite stubborn. Don't you understand, low-class Saiyan? Why can't you accept defeat?" A terrifying cold light flashed in Turles's eyes.

"YOU are low-class!" Nappa's face quivered as he positioned his thick arms before him, crossing them to protect his head while glaring at Turles's ugly face.

Nappa's previous self-confidence had been completely shattered after his first defeat on Earth, but Raditz hadn't humiliated him. Instead, he'd guided Nappa to train, allowing him to reclaim his Saiyan pride. His daily training regimen matched or even exceeded Vegeta's!

Because Raditz had told him that with his natural aptitude, he could become incredibly powerful. He was the toughest warrior among the Saiyans.

He wanted to be stronger—he was the fortress of the Saiyan race!

"Turles, stop your pathetic boasting and come at me!"

Nappa tensed his body, energy surging outward as if creating an impenetrable wall around him.

The corner of Turles's eye twitched as he charged toward Nappa.

His hand transformed into a claw, swinging with lightning speed to tear through Nappa's defense. The barrier shattered as Nappa was knocked skyward with a sickening sound.

In an instant, Nappa crashed back down, three bloody gashes on his forearm gushing blood...

"Weren't you so proud? Stand up and show me! Get up..." Turles's taunt died with his mouth half open as Nappa indeed rose again.

The massive body trembled as he slowly stood. His legs might have lost all strength long ago, yet somehow he found the will to stand before Turles once more.

"I'm not down yet!"

"HMPH!" Turles's expression changed dramatically, rage burning within him. "Then DIE!" With a sinister smile, he launched upward, channeling all his remaining strength into one hand before striking viciously at Nappa's chest.

Nappa summoned his last reserves of energy, extending his hands to block as he closed his eyes.

He knew he couldn't withstand this blow, but he had to resist with everything he had, leaving the rest to fate.

BANG!

A tremendous impact echoed, like a meteorite crashing from the sky.

But in the next instant, it was Turles who flew backward, his combat suit exploding as blood scattered everywhere!

"It seems someone was about to hurt my comrade. How convenient—I just crawled out from the gates of hell, and I'm feeling very, very angry..." Raditz stood before Nappa, his eyes gleaming with cold determination.