On a distant planet, Vegeta and Nappa exchanged glances—each seeing the same shock reflected in the other's eyes.
Nappa casually tossed aside the corpse of an alien and muttered,
"There's actually someone on Earth with a Power Level of twenty-one thousand? How could such a low-level planet have that kind of fighter?"
Vegeta's expression darkened. He slowly shook his head and replied,
"I'm not sure. But Raditz's scouter was an older model—the maximum it can read is around twenty thousand. That means the opponent he's facing… has power beyond that."
Nappa swallowed hard. His own limit was about eight thousand, and facing an enemy with a Power Level of twenty-one thousand could mean being obliterated in an instant if he wasn't careful.
Still, Saiyans could transform into Great Apes, multiplying their power tenfold—so it wasn't like they had no chance at all.
Vegeta let out a cold snort.
"That useless fool isn't worth saving. You know as well as I do what it means to have power above twenty thousand. Even I…"
He trailed off without finishing. His current Power Level was roughly eighteen thousand—without tricks or transforming into a Great Ape, defeating such an enemy was impossible.
Raditz simply wasn't worth the risk for the Saiyan Prince.
Hearing that, Nappa actually sighed in relief instead of pitying Raditz. Clearly, he had been thinking the same thing.
...
Back on Earth, all the Z Fighters were utterly shaken. The strongest among them—Goku and Piccolo—were completely stunned when they sensed Kaito.
It was a power far beyond anything they could comprehend. For the two of them, who had barely taken their first steps out of the beginner's zone, it was an overwhelming revelation.
In comparison, Raditz's ki felt pathetically weak.
Piccolo went straight to Kame House to find Goku. Goku wasn't surprised when he arrived—today, he had brought Gohan there for a small gathering.
Piccolo's green face made little Gohan shrink back in fear.
Bulma quickly scooped Gohan into her arms and stood protectively behind Goku, shouting,
"Hey, hey! You're scaring the kid! Get out of here—we don't want you here!"
Piccolo ignored her completely. His sharp gaze fixed on Goku.
"You felt it too, didn't you? That ki… it's terrifying!"
Goku nodded, a fine layer of sweat forming on his forehead.
"It's strange. That person just appeared out of nowhere. If he's an enemy, then Earth might be in serious danger."
"So, do you want to go check it out with me?"
"Oh? You're not scared? If he decides to fight, even together, we might not stand a chance."
"Heh! I've never felt ki this strong before. It'd be a shame not to see it for myself. And besides—if he really is an enemy, running won't help us anyway."
"Hahaha! You're right. Then I'll come with you."
Goku turned and ruffled Gohan's hair. Bulma looked worried.
"Goku, is there another enemy? Even you can't beat him?"
Goku gave a helpless smile and nodded. He had to admit it—judging by that ki, he was nowhere near that level.
Then he turned to Krillin.
"Krillin, stay here and protect everyone. If something happens to me and Piccolo, take them and run. Don't come looking for us, no matter what."
Krillin understood his own limits and nodded firmly.
"Got it, Goku. Be careful."
"Yeah."
With that, Goku summoned the Nimbus Cloud and leapt onto it, while Piccolo took to the skies. The two soared toward where Kaito and Raditz were.
...
Back on Kaito's side, Raditz was trembling all over, fear written plainly on his face as he staggered backward.
Kaito glanced down at the broken scouter on the ground and sighed.
"Man, the quality on this thing is garbage."
Then his eyes shifted toward Raditz. A Saiyan with a Power Level of just fifteen hundred—hardly worth his attention.
Kaito opened his hand, and the scouter on the ground floated up into his palm. He muttered,
"Still, this thing might come in handy. At least it could lure Vegeta here. Otherwise, this wouldn't be any fun."
Raditz looked utterly miserable. He'd only come to Earth to find his brother—never expecting to run into a being like this.
He couldn't fight. He couldn't run. As he stood there frozen between panic and despair, Goku and Piccolo arrived.
Raditz immediately recognized Goku as his brother. He couldn't help it—the resemblance to their father, Bardock, was unmistakable.
But family was the last thing on his mind right now. All he wanted was for Kaito to be in a good mood—maybe then he could survive.
Kaito turned to look at the newcomers. His golden reincarnation eyes swept over them, making both Goku and Piccolo shudder under the crushing pressure of his presence.
Fortunately, his gaze didn't linger long.
He lowered his head, and a gray vortex appeared in his palm. The scouter instantly repaired itself, good as new.
He placed it back on his ear, then suddenly reached out a hand toward Raditz.
"Universal Pull!"
Whoom!
Kaito's control over gravitational force had reached perfection. Raditz struggled desperately in midair, but no matter how hard he tried, he was helplessly dragged toward Kaito.
Gripping Raditz by the throat, Kaito said casually,
"So, you're after the Dragon Balls too, huh? That won't do. There's only room for one immortal—and that's me."
"D-Dragon Balls?"
Raditz was completely confused. He had no idea what Kaito was talking about—but when his eyes shifted to Piccolo, he suddenly froze.
"A Namekian?!"
Kaito's lips curved into a faint smile. Those few words contained all the information Vegeta would need later.
Before Raditz could react, two golden beams pierced straight through his eyes.
Saiyan physique or not, a wound like that was fatal. His arms went limp, and his body fell lifeless to the ground—straight to hell.
Goku and Piccolo's nerves tensed immediately. They now saw Kaito as a deadly threat.
Kaito casually tossed Raditz's corpse aside and switched off the scouter. Then, smiling faintly, he looked at the two and said,
"Relax. I'm not your enemy. That guy was here to invade Earth. What you should be worried about… are others like him who'll be coming next."
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