The battlefield was broken, split into endless scars across Namek's green surface. Mountains had collapsed, lakes boiled away, and the sky was painted with lingering streaks of gold and lightning.
Goku stood firm, his golden aura flaring wildly, lightning cracking around him as his chest heaved with each breath. His fists were clenched, his gaze locked on Cooler's battered figure. The tyrant's armor was shattered, his body bruised, yet his cruel smile still lingered.
Cooler chuckled darkly, his voice low and mocking.
"You're stronger than Frieza ever dreamed… stronger than I expected. But tell me, Saiyan—" his eyes narrowed, glowing like molten gold, "—did you truly think this was my full power?"
Goku's eyes sharpened, lightning flashing in his aura.
"You're bluffing. You can barely stand."
Cooler's grin widened.
"Oh, I can stand, monkey. I can rise higher than you can even imagine."
His golden aura suddenly tightened around his body, glowing more brilliantly than before. The ground trembled, not from sheer force—but from something else, something alien. His energy no longer raged outward. Instead, it condensed, refined, almost invisible, yet suffocating.
Goku's brow furrowed. His senses reached out instinctively… and found nothing. His eyes widened.
"What…? Where did your ki go?"
Cooler raised a clawed finger and wagged it mockingly.
"Not gone. Transcended. What you feel slipping away is what you insects call 'mortal ki.' But this…" His golden form pulsed, burning with a godlike glow. "…this is divine ki. Beyond the reach of you monkeys. Beyond the grasp of mortals."
Goku's stomach sank. He couldn't sense Cooler at all now. His instincts screamed danger, but his mind was blind.
"Divine ki…?!"
Cooler smirked.
"Yes. A power your feeble warrior race cannot comprehend. And now… I will show you what true despair feels like."
He vanished.
A fist slammed into Goku's gut before he could react, spitting blood from his mouth. Lightning flared around him, but he couldn't track Cooler. Another strike crashed against his jaw, then his ribs, then his back. Each blow landed faster than his reflexes, sharper than his instincts.
"W-where is he?!" Goku gasped, stumbling, swinging wildly into empty air.
Cooler appeared behind him, whispering into his ear like a phantom.
"Can't find me, can you?"
A devastating kick sent Goku soaring across the battlefield, smashing through what remained of a mountain. The debris collapsed, burying him for only a moment before he exploded out, panting heavily, aura flickering.
Goku growled, forcing himself to focus.
"Calm down… trust your instincts… I don't need to sense him… I can feel his movements!"
He braced himself, fists raised. Lightning surged through his body, every muscle primed.
Cooler's voice echoed mockingly through the dust-filled air.
"Brave words… let's test that theory."
Suddenly, he was in front of Goku again, claws swinging down. Goku barely blocked with crossed arms, but the force alone drove him into the dirt, carving a crater beneath him.
Cooler didn't let up. He struck again and again, each blow invisible to Goku's senses, his divine ki masking his presence completely. Goku fought desperately, blocking what he could, countering blindly, but his strikes whiffed through empty air.
Every counterattack failed. Every attempt left him open.
Cooler's laughter cut through the chaos, cruel and amused.
"Look at you, warrior of legend. Flailing like a child!"
Another strike to the ribs.
Another strike to the jaw.
Another to the spine.
Blood sprayed from Goku's lips as his body was thrown across the battlefield once more. His aura dimmed for a moment, lightning fading, before he forced it back with sheer willpower.
"Damn it… this divine ki… I can't—" Goku's thoughts broke as another clawed fist buried itself in his stomach, winding him completely.
Cooler leaned close, his voice dripping with venom.
"You cannot sense me. You cannot strike me. You cannot stop me. Do you finally understand your place?"
Goku groaned, spitting blood, but his glare remained unbroken.
"I'll never… give up… no matter what kind of ki you use."
Cooler's smirk twisted into a sneer. His aura exploded, the ground around him cracking under pressure.
"You still don't understand. You have not yet seen even eighty percent of my true strength."
He raised his hand slowly. Golden energy began to gather—tighter, sharper, more refined than before. But this time, it didn't flare wildly. It compressed into a perfect sphere, silent yet terrifying.
Goku's eyes widened. He couldn't even feel the energy. His instincts screamed louder than ever, but without sensing, he was fighting blind.
Cooler chuckled, savoring Goku's horror.
"This is divine ki at eighty percent capacity. The power that makes gods tremble. The power that erases mortals like insects."
He hurled the sphere.
It struck Goku directly, exploding in a silent flash. The ground evaporated beneath him, a crater miles wide forming instantly. The explosion didn't even roar—it was too refined, too divine. It simply consumed, leaving nothing behind but emptiness.
As the smoke cleared, Goku staggered on one knee, blood dripping from his mouth, his body trembling. His aura flickered weakly, lightning crackling irregularly.
Cooler walked toward him casually, golden form radiating with divine authority. His footsteps echoed with absolute dominance.
"Struggle all you like, monkey. In the face of my true power, you are nothing. You are beneath nothing."
Goku forced himself to stand, his body screaming in pain, his aura sparking violently as he roared in defiance.
"I… won't… let you win!"
Cooler only smirked, his crimson eyes glinting with cruel delight.
"Then come, Saiyan. Show me how much longer your pride will carry you… before I crush it beneath my heel."
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