"How could this be?!"
The immense difference in power made Salari's heart tense.
She couldn't even touch her opponent, let alone talk about defeating him.
Just as Salari was shocked, Raditz raised his hand and unleashed a Kiai Cannon, mercilessly blasting Salari back.
'BOOM~~!!!!'
Swept up by the powerful aura, Salari was forced back rapidly, barely coming to a stop at the edge of the arena.
"That was close!" Salari gasped, deeply astonished.
Her gaze toward Raditz became very complicated. The difference in strength was clear. In Super Saiyan 1, Raditz's power far surpassed her own.
In this situation, she could only transform into Super Saiyan 2, otherwise, she wouldn't even be qualified to fight.
'Crackle~!!!!'
Blue-white arcs of electricity exploded around Salari's body.
Her golden raging hair turned into golden upright spiky hair, her aura surged madly, and her power level underwent a qualitative change.
Peak of Super Saiyan 2!
At this moment, Salari's power level had surged to a truly terrifying level, an astonishing 18 billion, even stronger than Raditz by a margin!
"Transformed into Super Saiyan 2? Now this is what I call a real fight!" Seeing Salari bring out her true ability, Raditz put down his hands, his aura surging as he unleashed his Super Saiyan 1 Full Power.
Super Saiyan 1 against Super Saiyan 2!
Powerful waves of aura radiated in all directions, a massive pressure bearing down toward Salari.
Faced with Raditz's aura, Salari didn't flinch at all. She erupted with her full strength to resist it.
This time, in their clash of aura, Salari had the upper hand.
"It's different from before. Watch out, Raditz!!" With a loud shout, Salari took the initiative to attack.
Her figure blurred as she charged out at top speed, her right fist driving forward with tremendous force.
Seeing this, Raditz raised both arms to block.
'BANG!!!'
Salari unleashed her punch with nothing held back, forcing Raditz back.
Compared to her earlier attacks that couldn't even touch Raditz, this one was much more destructive.
After landing the hit, Salari immediately launched a relentless flurry of attacks, her fierce blows pouring down on Raditz like a torrential storm.
Faced with Salari's never-ending onslaught, Raditz focused all his attention on defending.
In just a few seconds, the two had exchanged dozens, even hundreds, of moves. Raditz quickly adapted to Salari's fighting style.
"Now's my chance!" Seizing the moment, Raditz unleashed a full-power punch straight at Salari's face.
At that instant, time seemed to stand still, but the corners of Salari's mouth curled into a triumphant smile.
"You've fallen for it, Raditz." As soon as she finished speaking, Salari turned into an afterimage, vanishing from her original spot.
Raditz's punch hit nothing but air. In that split second, Salari silently reappeared behind him.
[Not good!] Sensing the chill at his back, Raditz's expression changed. The next moment, an unstoppable force swept over his whole body, flipping him over and ruthlessly sending him flying into the sky.
Taking advantage, Salari gathered power in both hands, ready to finish Raditz in one go.
"Super Purple Light Cannon!" Salari shouted, as her ultimate technique burst from her palms, radiating devastating power as it shot toward Raditz.
Soaring into the clouds, Raditz sensed the danger behind him. Regaining control of his body, he spun around quickly, crossing his arms to defend.
'BOOM~~!!' The energy exploded, scorching flames filling the sky.
Thick smoke billowed in all directions, swallowing Raditz, his condition unknown.
But in the next second, from the center of the explosion, an incomparable storm of aura expanded, blowing away all the flames and smoke.
Raditz's figure once again appeared before everyone's eyes.
Salari's pupils shrank sharply at the sight.
"What?!" Salari was shocked. Under her all-out Super Purple Light Cannon, Raditz had taken it head-on, yet was completely unscathed?!
Up in the air.
"That was close, that was close. Good thing I managed to draw on my Super Saiyan 2 energy pool in time. If I'd taken that blast head-on, I probably would've lost a layer of skin," Raditz exclaimed in relief, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Then he seemed to come to a decision.
Since Salari had already brought out her Super Saiyan 2 transformation, he would reveal a higher transformation as well.
Defeating the opponent with the same-level transformation. This was also a show of respect for Salari!
"In that case… I'll fight you as a Super Saiyan 2 as well!" Raditz narrowed his eyes slightly. The golden aura around his body pulsed, dense golden aura flames rapidly expanding, surging like a storm in all directions.
His long golden upright hair stood even taller due to the swift flow of golden aura.
Blue-white arcs of electricity exploded around his body, swirling all over him, dazzling and eye-catching.
A powerful aura continuously erupted.
A vast, boundless power expanded rapidly, sweeping through the whole world.
Peak of Super Saiyan 2!
With a two-hundredfold increase in the base form's power level, Raditz's power level now soared to 44 billion!
A power level exceeding 40 billion filled Raditz's entire body.
This feeling of power surging through his entire body made Raditz feel incredibly joyful and wonderful.
It had been a long time since he'd felt this way.
At this moment, he was like an insurmountable mountain before Salari.
His overwhelming power level left Salari far behind.
Golden light filled every corner, and all eyes were deeply drawn to Raditz's invincible form.
In the arena, Salari gazed up at Raditz in the sky, her expression changing, and at last, a bitter smile appeared on her face.
At this moment, she fully saw the gap between her and Raditz.
Even as fellow Super Saiyan 2s, Raditz was more than twice as strong!
She still had the trump card of Super Kaio-ken left unused, but Salari knew very well. In this situation, even Super Kaio-ken was meaningless.
So what if Super Kaio-ken could increase her power level by more than twofold?
Raditz knew this move too!
Besides, no one could guarantee that Super Saiyan 2 was really Raditz's limit.
She had a feeling Raditz's strength was far greater than what was currently visible.
Perhaps… he had already surpassed Super Saiyan 2, and they just didn't know.
"Referee… I forfeit." Salari let out a long sigh, then released her Super Saiyan 2 transformation. The fighting spirit in her eyes completely faded.
There was no point in continuing the fight.
Rather than disgrace herself, it was better to admit defeat voluntarily.
At this moment, the blonde-haired referee outside the arena was clearly stunned. He'd thought the fierce battle would continue, and was even prepared to be blown up by the shockwaves. But instead, Salari directly forfeited.
"You're giving up just like that?" Raditz said with some surprise.
He'd thought Salari would go all out to fight him to the end. He'd even been ready to risk everything, even if it meant being beaten up by Talot afterward. He hadn't expected Salari to admit defeat so decisively.
Since Salari had voluntarily admitted defeat, Raditz naturally released his transformation as well and landed from the sky.
"In that case, with one side forfeiting, the winner of the final Top 8 match is Contestant Raditz!" The blonde-haired referee, having recovered, loudly announced the result of the match.
In the arena, Raditz and Salari faced each other again, both smiling.
"Forfeiting on your own… I really didn't see that coming," Raditz said.
"Even so, don't get too cocky, Raditz. Just enjoy your victory," Salari said tsundere-style, then walked toward the backstage rest area.
Making it to the Top 16 wasn't something to be ashamed of. After all, everyone knew each other, and there would be plenty of opportunities to spar.
TN: Hey guys, I've picked up a new One Piece novel. You can search it: One Piece: The Undying King.
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