The battle between Raditz and Hit raged with controlled ferocity, each clash precise and devastating despite the absence of widespread destruction. Their power was focused, refined—every strike concentrated into pinpoint accuracy with surgical efficiency. This was the hallmark of warriors who had transcended raw power.
At the level of Super Saiyan God, neither fighter sought the superficial spectacle of planet-shattering explosions. Instead, they pursued the highest form of combat efficiency: minimal energy expenditure for maximum effect. Each movement was deliberate, each counter-attack calculated. Beyond even this refinement lay true mastery—the complete integration of oneself with nature, where every cell and nerve fiber responded with instinctive perfection.
After Hit's Time-Skip proved ineffective, the assassin's fists and kicks collided with Raditz in a symphony of violence. His speed accelerated, his assault patterns growing increasingly complex and unpredictable—no weaker than when he'd possessed his temporal advantage. Yet Raditz parried every strike with fluid grace, his counterattacks flowing seamlessly from his defense.
The speed of their exchange had long since surpassed Lian Suo's ability to perceive. From his position far below, he could only catch occasional afterimages flickering through the air like crimson and violet lightning, the actual movements of the combatants completely invisible to his mortal eyes.
"This is... terrifying," Lian Suo whispered, his voice trembling with awe and barely contained fear.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Thunderous explosions echoed from the heavens as their attacks connected, each impact sending ripples of distorted air cascading outward in concentric waves that warped the very atmosphere.
Raditz launched a new offensive, releasing a barrage of energy spheres that blazed toward Hit like falling stars. The brilliant orbs obscured Hit's line of sight, and hidden within their luminous contrails, Raditz surged forward at maximum velocity. The energy detonations erupted in clouds of roiling smoke and flame, and when the light cleared, Raditz had closed the distance to less than five meters.
Flash Time!
Hit's eyes gleamed with purple light as he activated his signature technique once more.
But Raditz had anticipated exactly this response. His hand was already positioned along Hit's projected trajectory, energy gathering in his palm before Hit even moved. The assassin's first strike through frozen time missed entirely—and Raditz's counter caught Hit squarely with pinpoint precision.
However, the 0.1-second time limit seemed to impose little restriction on someone wielding the boundless energy of Super Saiyan God. Hit's Time-Skip wasn't his only tool.
Time-Lag!
The air itself seemed to compress as Hit's power surged. A gorgeous bloom of light exploded across the sky, brilliant flames streaking through the atmosphere as a figure plummeted earthward like a falling meteor.
Lian Suo's eyes went wide with shock. The falling warrior was... Raditz?
High above, Hit hovered in the sky, his breathing slightly labored. One hand remained extended, his slender fingers splayed wide as though encompassing the entire battlefield. That same hand had generated the devastating energy blast that had just sent Raditz crashing downward.
"That wasn't Time-Skip!" Raditz called out as he arrested his fall, flipping upright in mid-air. A scorched impact mark seared across his chest, wisps of smoke rising from the burnt fabric and skin.
The divine energy of Super Saiyan God immediately began repairing the damage, radiant flames dancing around his body like living aurora. The crimson aura pulsed with renewed intensity.
"This is a higher application of time," Hit replied, his tall, slender frame perfectly still. His face remained impassive as iron, his voice resonating like a struck bell.
A higher level of Time-Skip? Raditz's mind raced through the implications. Time-Skip Cage! Hit must have evolved his technique—storing his own temporal manipulation within a pocket dimension where he could move freely while leaving only phantom afterimages in the normal flow of time.
Raditz had predicted the standard Time-Skip and positioned himself accordingly, but he hadn't anticipated this advancement. Hit's attack had been perfectly executed from within his temporal sanctuary, phasing through Raditz's guard to strike with devastating effect.
"Impressive," Raditz acknowledged, his crimson hair blazing like living flame. The divine radiance surrounding him intensified, motes of brilliant light drifting from his aura like luminous dust descended from celestial realms. "But I won't fall for the same technique twice."
WHOOSH!
Raditz exploded forward, his speed redoubled as he launched his next assault.
Hit's expression hardened with determination. He didn't believe Raditz was merely boasting, but he also possessed absolute confidence in his abilities. Come then, he thought, muscles coiling. I'll knock you down again!
Raditz's attack came like a crimson thunderbolt. Hit activated Time-Skip, but at 0.07 seconds into the frozen moment, Raditz broke through the temporal barrier and surpassed Hit's position! He had finally exceeded Hit's 0.1-second advantage and turned it against him.
Now!
But Hit was no ordinary opponent. He rapidly calculated Raditz's trajectory, drawing on his analytical observations from their entire battle. He couldn't sense Raditz's ki in his godly state, but he understood the Saiyan's combat psychology perfectly—Raditz favored attacking from blind spots, particularly from behind.
With decisive precision, Hit phased into his Time-Skip Cage to evade the incoming Saturday Crash that materialized exactly where he'd predicted—directly behind his previous position. Within his temporal sanctuary, Hit spun with fluid grace and thrust his fist forward, launching an invisible ripple of compressed air!
KRAAKOOOM!
The spatial fabric itself detonated, tearing open a kaleidoscopic rift into a higher dimension. The void shattered like fractured glass, cracks spider-webbing across the sky and extending toward the horizon.
Hit's eyes widened in shock. Raditz had vanished.
In that single moment of confusion, an attack materialized from behind him—a devastating shockwave amplified to ten times its normal power! Hit had no time to activate any defensive technique as the concentrated beam slammed into him, launching him skyward. The brilliant light threatened to overwhelm his vision, his heart pounding violently in his chest as he gritted his teeth and erupted with explosive energy, barely managing to deflect the searing wave of destruction.
The dazzling beam continued upward into space as Hit's breathing grew ragged, sweat streaming down his face. The back of his coat had been completely burned through, leaving a gaping hole, and the acrid smell of charred fabric filled the air. The attack had definitely landed.
Raditz had actually done it!
"How... did you accomplish that?" Hit asked, his normally stoic expression cracking with genuine surprise. He still couldn't comprehend how Raditz had cracked the Time-Skip Cage.
And with this crimson-haired transformation, Raditz's power had subtly surpassed his own.
Raditz smiled, a hint of satisfaction in his expression. "This is one of my abilities. While I can't manipulate time itself to counter your techniques, I can temporarily phase my spirit body through solid matter. When you attacked from within your Time-Skip Cage, I transformed myself into an intangible phantom and passed directly through your body and your assault."
"So you possess such power," Hit said, genuine admiration coloring his voice.
No one had ever given him such an exhilarating battle. His blood—dormant and cold for countless years—now churned with fierce excitement. When he'd first encountered Raditz, he'd sensed unlimited potential in the Saiyan, and now that intuition had been thoroughly validated.
Hit actually laughed—a rare sound. He'd already broken his personal record today with two genuine laughs.
"Come on, Raditz. Show me what else you're capable of."
Hit crossed his arms over his chest, his energy surging upward like a violet pillar connecting earth and sky. Power accumulated within his body, and it continued climbing higher! He still had reserves to draw upon.
And Hit was an assassin—he possessed specialized killing techniques that he'd never needed to employ in their bout thus far. If he unleashed those forbidden methods, what would happen?
Raditz's blood sang with battle-joy. Fighting Hit in the realm of Super Saiyan God was exactly the kind of challenge he craved. At this moment, they were perfectly matched, delivering the most satisfying and intense combat he'd experienced in ages. Since ascending to divine power, such worthy opponents had become increasingly rare.
Their eyes met across the battlefield, mutual appreciation flashing between them before they simultaneously launched toward each other. The fierce exchange resumed with renewed intensity—Raditz absorbed hits from Hit, and Hit weathered attacks from Raditz. They collided and separated in an endless dance of destruction.
"ATATATATATATATA!"
As Hit continued liberating his full power, his assault patterns accelerated even further, forcing Raditz to continuously elevate his own offensive capabilities. Though Hit hadn't achieved godly ki, his raw strength was absolutely comparable to divine levels.
Lian Suo watched in stunned silence, completely beyond words. From the few fleeting glimpses he managed to catch, he'd lost all ability to comprehend the battle's true scope. On the surface, they appeared to be exchanging primitive strikes—nothing overtly spectacular—yet the complexity hidden within each exchange occurred multiple times per second, only perceptible to those who had reached the Super Saiyan realm.
BOOM! BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
The warriors traded blows with perfect parity, their battle reaching a crescendo of intensity when suddenly, Zangya's voice pierced through Raditz's mental defenses.
A telepathic message arrived, causing Raditz to lose focus for a critical instant. Hit's strike connected solidly, sending Raditz reeling backward. Recognizing the change immediately, Hit ceased his assault.
"What's wrong?" Hit asked, his keen perception detecting that something had shifted in Raditz's demeanor.
"I apologize, Hit," Raditz said, powering down from Super Saiyan God, his expression growing grave. "I'm afraid this battle will have to be postponed. A serious situation has emerged that requires my immediate attention."
Hit remained silent for two seconds, then casually withdrew his hands and slipped them back into his coat pockets. Without ceremony or complaint, he simply turned away.
"Raditz, next time we'll settle this completely."
He departed as efficiently as he'd arrived, embodying the professionalism of a legendary assassin. Watching Hit's retreating form, Raditz couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy. The assassin possessed such natural cool, such effortless presence—even his exit radiated the aura of an untouchable master.
Well... if you ignored the burned-through hole in the back of his coat.