Piccolo, slightly relaxing his stance after the attack, looked at Goten and asked in a calm yet cautious voice:
"Are you alright, Goten?"
"Huh? Yeah... I'm fine," Goten replied, breathing heavily but nodding with conviction.
Piccolo furrowed his brow slightly and turned his gaze to the sky.
"Good. But don't let your guard down—he's coming back. Goku, you be ready too."
Goku, currently in the body of a Kai, nodded. His face was focused. He stepped forward and took up a familiar fighting stance.
"This body is too weak... I haven't gotten used to it yet. I can't properly access my power, and I definitely can't transform into a Super Saiyan. So right now... there's a lot I just can't do."
Clenching his fists, he took a deep breath and settled into his signature combat posture, preparing for the next strike.
And then, once again, a familiar voice rang out—laced with mockery and malicious satisfaction:
"Now that... hurt."
Everyone looked up into the sky. There, floating in midair, was Goku Black. A thin stream of blood ran down his cheek, but his face bore a twisted smirk. He licked his lips, tasting his own blood, and muttered quietly:
"That attack was impressive... for someone who isn't a Saiyan."
And in the very next instant, he vanished.
"He disappeared!" Goten shouted.
A fraction of a second later, Goku Black reappeared directly in front of Piccolo. His fist glinted—and before anyone could react, he delivered a devastating blow. With a sickening sound, his arm pierced through Piccolo's chest, leaving a gaping hole and sending him hurtling backward.
"But... that won't be enough," he added coldly.
"Piccolo!!" Goten and Goku screamed in unison.
Goku, who was nearby, reacted instantly. He launched forward and slammed his fist into Goku Black's face. The impact sent Black flying dozens of meters, carving a trail through the sky. But as if the pain meant nothing, he quickly regained his balance and hovered again, still smirking with cruel delight.
On the ground, Piccolo clutched his chest, struggling to suppress a cry of pain. He dropped to one knee as green blood dripped onto the earth.
"Kh... I-It's fine... I'm still alive. But I can't fight anymore. I need time to regenerate... Goku... Do you have any Senzu Beans?"
Still in his battle stance, Goku responded without turning:
"Unfortunately, no. I didn't bring any..."
From above, that mocking laugh echoed once more:
"Ha ha ha! I'm impressed... For a mortal, you're remarkably durable," Goku Black said, floating slowly above them. "But I won't miss the second time."
He was readying his next attack when suddenly, he stopped mid-air. He sensed something—something powerful. From below, near Goten, a surge of Ki was rising. Goku Black turned his head slightly, eyes narrowing.
"What...?" he whispered.
Goten stood with a tense expression. Sparks of energy began to crackle around him, the air itself trembling. His hair rose upward as if on the verge of transforming into Super Saiyan 2. But instead of transforming, he began gathering energy in his palms.
"Hmph... I'd expect that from Goku. But from you, a mere mortal...? Do you actually think you can accomplish anything?" Goku Black sneered. "Very well... I'll give you the chance to witness your own helplessness before a god."
Goten took a deep breath, spread his legs wide, and thrust his hands back. A bright blue sphere began to form between his palms. The ground beneath him quaked. Stones lifted into the air as the winds howled around him.
He began shouting the words of his attack:
"Kaaaaa!!!"
A powerful surge of Ki began to build.
"Meeeeee!!!"
The energy sphere grew larger, illuminating everything around him in brilliant light.
"Haaaaaa!!!"
The stream of power began coiling into a concentrated wave, trembling with raw energy.
"Meeeeee!!!"
Goku Black watched carefully, unmoving. His lips curled into a cold smirk.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"
Goten hurled his hands forward, and a massive wave of Kamehameha energy burst from his palms, roaring as it hurtled toward Goku Black.
The blast shook the air, lighting up the sky with a blinding glow, and the earth trembled under its sheer force. Goten's Kamehameha, pulsing with wild, untamed power, shot straight at Goku Black, painting the battlefield in a glowing blue radiance.
Though the technique lacked the precision, stability, and mastery of his father's execution—Goku's—Goten made up for it with something else: he poured every ounce of himself into this blast. Every drop of Ki. Every shred of will. Every last breath in his lungs. It was an attack pushed to the very edge of what he could endure.
At first, Goku Black watched the incoming blast with a faint, mocking amusement. He didn't take the threat seriously—just a child, after all, even if he was Goku's son. But as the wave drew near, he felt its true strength. His eyes widened, and the smirk vanished from his face.
"What...?"
He instinctively raised his hands, trying to form a barrier of dark Ki to defend himself. But it was too late.
"Khh!!" he roared as the Kamehameha struck him with overwhelming force, sweeping him away from the sky like a storm.
Goku Black tried to stabilize himself, but the energy wave kept pushing, hammering him back. His hands began to burn from the contact with the pure, blinding energy. His face twisted in pain as he struggled not to scream, his teeth clenched tight.
And then—behind him—a mountain rose.
With a deafening crash, as if the heavens themselves were collapsing, Goku Black's body slammed into the cliffside. It tore through layers of solid rock, carving a smoking trail, and a moment later, a thunderous explosion erupted, scattering stone fragments and sending a massive cloud of dust into the air.
Silence fell over the sky, broken only by the distant echo of the blast.
"Wow... That was... Goten did that?" Goku whispered, staring in awe toward the burning horizon.
He turned to his son and smiled with deep respect.
"Nice work, Goten... You really pulled it off."
But before he could step closer, Goten suddenly wavered. His knees buckled, his eyes began to close, and he collapsed to the ground, completely drained. His breathing was ragged, his body trembling from the strain. He had given everything—down to his last drop of energy.