Chapter 5 – The Moon's Wrath, the Prince's Will (Part 2)
The air trembled with the weight of a slumbering god.
Great Ape Raiku stood unmoving on the cracked plateau. The ground beneath him smoked from his earlier blasts, and trees in a half-mile radius were reduced to charred stumps. Yet now, he loomed in stillness—like a volcano holding its breath.
Roshi stared from behind the boulder, heart pounding.
"Is… is he fighting it?" he whispered.
The ape's fists trembled.
His muscles spasmed, tail coiling tight.
And then, with a sudden roar—he raised his hands to his own head and screamed.
---
Inside the mindscape, the battle had entered its final stage.
Raiku stood battered but unyielding, facing the towering image of his Great Ape form. The golden storm around them surged with every heartbeat, flickering between fire and memory.
> [System Notice – Override Protocol Activated]
Mental Resistance Surged: 17% → 34%
You are gaining ground.
"You're not just power," Raiku snarled. "You're me. And I will not be ruled!"
The beast lunged, but Raiku didn't dodge this time. He charged into the impact, fist to jaw, fury to fury.
The shockwave split the mental field in half.
They clashed again—Raiku's smaller frame weaving between the massive swipes of his primal self. He ducked, spun, leapt—using every trick Roshi had drilled into him. His training wasn't wasted. His mind was sharp now.
Not a beast.
A blade.
"You're wild," he shouted mid-flip, "but I'm the one with a name! You're instinct—I'm legacy!"
His fist glowed—not with destructive Ki, but focused intent. He drove it straight into the Great Ape's chest—through the storm, through the noise, into the core of what it meant to be Saiyan.
The world cracked.
The beast roared—and crumbled.
Its body scattered into golden shards, swirling into Raiku's chest.
He stood alone, eyes shining silver.
And for the first time… he breathed in the moonlight without losing himself.
> [Ōzaru Control Module: 51% Synch Achieved]
New Passive Skill Unlocked: Lunar Pulse – Enables momentary control of transformed state (1-minute burst).
Buffs:
– Ki Output x10 maintained
– Combat Instincts: Heightened
– Memory Access: Retained
Drawbacks:
– Severe exhaustion after control window ends
– Higher emotional drain
Progress Saved.
---
Back in the real world, the giant ape blinked slowly.
Then… it knelt.
It bowed its head—not to the moon—but to its own strength.
Roshi emerged from cover, mouth agape. "Sweet kami…"
The beast didn't rage. It sat, cross-legged, mimicking Raiku's usual meditation posture. Steam curled off its body like mist from a calming spring.
Then… the transformation began to reverse.
Not violently.
Gracefully.
Fur retreated. Muscles shrank. Light dimmed.
And within seconds, a boy stood in the dust—scuffed, shirtless, panting, but alive.
Raiku.
He collapsed to his knees, tail swaying lazily in the wind.
"…I won," he said softly.
Roshi approached him slowly, staff tapping on the stone. "You… controlled it."
Raiku looked up, eyes dull with exhaustion but proud. "Not all the way. But enough."
Roshi crouched beside him and gave a dry laugh. "I've met plenty of monsters in my day. Never seen one bow its head to a kid."
Raiku smiled faintly. "That wasn't a monster. That was me… unshaped."
---
Later, in the still of night, Raiku sat near the cliff's edge, sipping broth from a wooden bowl. Roshi sat beside him, nursing a bruised rib.
"Still think I'm insane?" Raiku asked.
"Oh definitely," Roshi said. "But I've gotta admit, that was the most impressive thing I've ever seen from a pupil. And I once trained a guy who punched a bear so hard it forgot math."
Raiku chuckled.
"I've been thinking," he said, lifting his hand. "That form… it's power without thought. But if I can take the raw force from that… distill it… without growing twenty feet tall..."
"You'd have the strength of a god without becoming a giant monkey," Roshi said, raising an eyebrow. "Sounds ridiculous. I like it."
Raiku's fingers curled into a loose fist. "I'll make it real. That'll be one of the foundations of my Heavenpiercer style."
> [System Update – Technique Tree Added: Heavenpiercer Style]
Branch: Beast Core Flow – Inspired by Ōzaru Form
Entry Module Unlocked:
– Ki Reinforcement Amplification
– Primal Strike Enhancer
Technique Slot Reserved for: "Beast Core: Iron Pulse" (Locked – Training Required)
Roshi glanced at the boy, then at the moon above.
"You sure you're only nine?"
Raiku smirked. "Pretty sure. But if I wasn't born for more than this, I wouldn't have made it this far."
---
The waves rolled quietly below.
Somewhere in the distance, thunder cracked behind the clouds—ominous, and not from the storm.
Roshi stared into the dark.
"There's something coming. I don't know what yet. But you're not just training for fun anymore, kid. This world might need you sooner than you think."
Raiku stood, silhouetted against the moonlight, tail flicking with royal poise.
"Then let it come," he said, calm and cold. "I won't be caught sleeping again."