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Broly lifted his gaze, staring past the sky at the dark red planet that was dangerously close to Earth, and beyond it, the land that had turned an eerie, withered yellow.
At that moment, from the very center of that scorched land—where the Spirit Tree had taken root—ripples of energy shook the air, punctuated by the shockwaves of combat.
Thinking it through, Broly realized what had happened. Goku and the others must have noticed the strange disturbances on Earth and, following the damage left behind, tracked down Turles and his group.
But Broly had a feeling. Even though these Dragon Ball warriors had grown stronger since their last encounter, no amount of training could make much difference against Turles' team. They might last a few extra minutes—maybe—but that was it.
Everyone except Goku and Piccolo would end up getting crushed.
"Huh? No way… those two can't really be that crazy, right?"
Suddenly, Broly sensed another familiar energy signature nearby—stronger than anyone except Goku himself.
Broly's face twisted in confusion. He had no idea how Goku had managed to get this guy here. True friendship… it really lasts a lifetime.
That person, of course, was Vegeta. Back when Goku had convinced everyone not to kill him, he even went so far as to get a Senzu Bean from Krillin for Vegeta, hoping he'd one day be strong enough to take on Vegeta on his own.
Vegeta, naturally, had his pride. After being saved, he left a parting threat behind before storming off.
By the time Broly arrived, only Goku and Vegeta were still fighting. The rest had long been incapacitated.
On the other side, Turles' group had also suffered losses. Out of his five original fighters, only three remained—the twin brothers had fallen.
Broly scanned the battlefield. Goku's power level hovered around 53,000, while Vegeta's was dangerously close to 70,000.
Broly understood Vegeta's strength—it made sense—but Goku's had skyrocketed unnaturally fast. Seeing the occasional red flare of energy around Goku's body, Broly figured out why.
No doubt Goku had requested the gods to send him to King Yemma, then trained under the North Kai, pushing his power to these heights. Not enough to match Broly yet, but still formidable.
Moments later, Turles' remaining fighters were either knocked out or killed. Goku and Vegeta approached the massive, strange tree before them. Its trunk was dotted with bizarre, apple-like fruits covered in odd bumps.
As Vegeta frowned, arms crossed, contemplating their next move, Goku reached out to pluck a fruit.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!" Two beams of energy shot toward them. A furious voice barked, "Hands off! Don't touch my stuff!"
"Watch out, dodge!"
The two barely dodged, then turned to see who had attacked. Emerging from the shadows was a hulking figure in battle armor. A tail wrapped around his waist, a red scouter covered his left eye—and his face… looked almost exactly like Goku's.
Goku froze like he'd seen a ghost. Vegeta was equally stunned.
"W-w-who are you? Why do you look just like me? Wait—you're a Saiyan too? No matter… whoever messed up Earth like this, I won't forgive you!"
Goku exploded with full power, swinging a fist straight at Turles' face.
"Impossible… his power level's over 50,000 and still rising! How… how can someone be this strong?!" Turles was shocked. A low-tier warrior reaching this level? Outrageous.
Even though Turles' power far exceeded Goku's at the moment, most of it came from the Spirit Tree's fruits. Goku had none of that, yet he'd still reached this level. Jealousy—and even murderous intent—flared inside Turles' already massive frame swelled with muscle.
Initially, Turles could dominate against Goku and Vegeta thanks to his overwhelming strength. But with Goku's Kaioken in play, the fight shifted instantly whenever he activated it, punishing Turles in a matter of moments.
Sensing danger, Turles made a hasty retreat. Goku and Vegeta chased him through a mountain cave, but he slipped away. Soon after, he reappeared—holding one of the strange fruits from the Spirit Tree.
Three bites later, Turles chuckled darkly, muttering something that left the two Saiyans confused:
"Heh heh… you're finished!"
In an instant, Turles' already massive frame swelled with muscle. He appeared behind them, swinging his iron-like arms into their backs and sending them flying.
Goku fared better, immediately activating Kaioken and reducing the damage. Vegeta was less fortunate—though still conscious, he was seriously hurt by the blow.
From that point, Goku ended up getting beaten down despite using his 10x Kaioken, pushed to his limits and still no match.
Meanwhile, Vegeta lost his composure completely.
"Damn it! How is this possible?! How are these low-tier fighters all surpassing me?!" He slammed the ground in frustration, pride shattered, near madness.
Turles' already massive frame swelled with muscle, empowered by the Spirit Tree fruit, now outmatched Vegeta to the point where he felt more threatening than Frieza ever had.
"Heh… your heart's still so fragile, Vegeta," a teasing voice cut through. The familiar sound only added fuel to Vegeta's fire.
"....."