THUD! THUD! THUD!
Goku's fists rained down on Frieza's face without letting up.
In no time at all, Frieza was howling in pain, screaming with every blow.
CRACK!
Goku reached out again, and this time grabbed Frieza by the tail, spinning him around in wide, sweeping circles.
One revolution.
Two revolutions.
Three revolutions.
Faster and faster Goku spun, generating a powerful vortex of wind pressure.
WHOOSH!
Then Goku let go.
Frieza went flying, tumbling through the air over and over.
"Kamehameha!"
Goku cupped his hands and gathered energy between his palms.
In an instant, a massive beam of energy blasted from his hands and roared toward Frieza.
Frieza's pupils shrank to pinpricks. The colour drained from his face in an instant.
"AAAAAGH!"
Watching the Kamehameha screaming toward him, Frieza let out a furious scream and swatted at the beam with one arm, sending it twisting and veering off course.
WHOOSH!
The Kamehameha changed direction and slammed into the ground below, carving a long, scorched trench across the surface. The path it left behind crackled and sparked with electricity.
"Ah — oh no, Namek..." Goku rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. He hadn't expected Frieza to bat his own attack away.
"You... you little—!" In that moment, Frieza felt something close to humiliation seething inside him. The veins on his forehead bulged, and his whole body trembled with barely-contained rage.
I came here for revenge!
I am the mighty Golden Frieza — and I can't even beat Goku at this stage?!
I refuse to accept this!
"AAAAAUGH!"
Blind with fury, Frieza launched himself straight at Goku and unleashed a furious barrage of punches.
"Hah... hah... hah..."
Frieza was panting heavily. A wave of exhaustion suddenly hit him.
Goku, meanwhile, hovered calmly in the air, completely unscathed, his long hair drifting in the wind behind him. A look of quiet amusement played across his face.
"Frieza, not a bad Super Saiyan form you've got there! So you were a Saiyan this whole time!" Goku said with a smile.
"Th-That's — that's impossible, that's absolutely impossible!" Frieza felt a pain in his chest that cut deeper than any physical wound.
I went Golden, and I still can't beat one Goku?!
How did it end up like this?
"I won't lie, Frieza — you really are strong. Far beyond what I expected," Goku said quietly, a note of genuine admiration in his voice.
"Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT!" Frieza bellowed.
Goku didn't say another word. He flickered and vanished, reappearing right behind Frieza an instant later.
Frieza's pupils contracted sharply, his expression twisting — he seemed to sense Goku behind him.
"RAAAARGH!"
Frieza let out a roar, spun around in a lightning-fast pivot, and swung an uppercut straight at Goku.
CRACK!
Goku raised one hand — and effortlessly caught Frieza's fist.
"Frieza, even as Golden Frieza, you still have a long way to go before you can match me," Goku said, looking at him with a serious expression. "I told you, didn't I? Don't come back to Namek. So why are you here?"
"'Golden Frieza' — not 'Super Frieza'! My name has nothing to do with you filthy primitive monkeys!" Frieza roared.
BOOM!
Goku had heard enough. He planted a solid kick into Frieza.
"OWWWW—!"
Frieza screamed and went spinning through the air, head over heels, the world turning dizzy around him.
But before he could even react, Goku reappeared behind him and delivered another kick.
CRACK!
Frieza went flying in the opposite direction.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
In the next moment, Goku's body was a blur of motion — leaving afterimage after afterimage hanging in the air — reappearing each time only to land another precise kick squarely on Frieza.
At first, Frieza fought back.
But the longer it went on, the more helpless he felt.
CRACK!
The golden aura around Frieza's body shattered all at once, and he reverted back to his normal form.
Goku watched silently. His silhouette flickered once more, and he appeared at Frieza's side, gently lifting him with one hand before he could fall.
Goku took a good look at him — Frieza was out cold.
After a brief pause, Goku tossed Frieza off to the side without ceremony.
SPLAT!
Frieza hit the ground spread-eagle, bounced once, and then didn't move again.
Not far away, Piccolo stared at the scene with eyes as wide as dinner plates, cold sweat rolling down his face drop by drop.
Has Goku really gotten this ridiculously strong?
Everyone else on Namek fell completely silent. An absolute stillness settled over the area.
Only the sound of the wind remained.
Supreme Kai was shaken to his core, a profound awe filling him to the brim.
This man named Goku is something else.
I can clearly sense it — his power has surpassed Majin Buu.
Maybe... maybe he really can put an end to Majin Buu for good.
"Supreme Kai, sir... d-did I just see what I think I saw?" Kibito was tripping over his own words now, still struggling to believe what had just happened.
"You did. Goku truly is remarkable — this universe might finally have a chance," Supreme Kai said with a relieved, joyful laugh.
SMACK!
Old Kai swatted Supreme Kai on the back of the head — hard enough to raise a cartoon lump with little puffs of smoke rising from it.
Supreme Kai clutched his head, wincing, and looked up at Old Kai with a bewildered, pained expression.
"You fool! How many times do I have to tell you — stop fixating on Majin Buu!" Old Kai barked irritably.
Supreme Kai: "..."
Old one, please... not in front of everyone.
You're killing me here.
...
Planet Namek.
Frieza was completely out.
This time, Frieza never even got the chance to blow up the planet.
The poor guy — knocked cold by Goku's Super Saiyan 3. Just like that.
Goku walked over to where Frieza lay. His golden aura faded and he returned to his base form. He studied Frieza carefully, a complex mix of emotions on his face — a trace of sadness, a trace of pity, and a small measure of sympathy.
Against opponents weaker than himself, the Goku of today rarely chose to finish them off personally.
Even if that person had done unforgivable things.
Since his rebirth, Goku had not seen Frieza kill a single innocent person with his own hands.
Not that Frieza had been given the chance.
Goku had cut off every avenue of escape from the start.
Whoosh!
Goku used Instant Transmission. In the blink of an eye, he appeared beside Zarbon and Dodoria, and fixed them with a cold, unreadable look.
Zarbon: "..."
Dodoria: "..."
To be continued…
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