Chapter 99: That Man Isn't Dead!
Tien couldn't hold back any longer. A terrifying force burst out from the triangle formation, instantly engulfing Yamcha.
A fully-powered Ki Blast Cannon wasn't just 180 power level. Just like Goku with a power level of 416 could unleash a Kamehameha at 910, the Ki Blast Cannon, which was superior to the Kamehameha, could easily deliver a destructive force of at least 400.
BOOM!
A deafening roar erupted. Stones rained from the ceiling like there was no tomorrow, and a thick cloud of dust filled the palace.
In that moment, the heavens changed color. The earth quaked and mountains trembled. Everyone in the kingdom felt the disturbance.
When people came to their senses, half of the palace was gone. What remained was a giant, bottomless crater.
Looking around—there was no sign of Yamcha.
Did he fail to dodge?
Had he turned to dust?
"It's over… Everything's over..."
General Blue stared blankly at the crater, unable to utter a full sentence. He collapsed on the ground, completely drained of strength.
He just couldn't understand—how could someone be so powerful?
Was this really an attack a human could unleash?
Tien's chest was heaving, his entire body drenched in sweat. His lips trembled and had gone pale, and his hands wouldn't stop shaking. He clearly looked like he was on the verge of collapse.
He didn't even have the strength to stand anymore.
"Why... You clearly had the speed to dodge!"
Tien's voice was filled with confusion. He didn't understand why, despite his repeated warnings, Yamcha had chosen to take the hit head-on.
"Hahaha! He didn't dodge! He's dead for sure!"
Master Shen laughed wildly, his voice dripping with vengeance and mockery.
"What an idiot, standing there and taking a Ki Blast Cannon head-on!"
"Well then..."
Master Shen's sinister eyes turned toward the young king.
At this point, he figured he might as well go all in and stage a full-blown coup. Later, he could just blame everything on that guy—Yamcha, was it?
"Stop… Master, please stop!"
Tien begged weakly, but he didn't even have the strength to get up.
"You useless disciple! You don't deserve to call me Master!"
Master Shen glared fiercely at Tien, clearly angry at his earlier attitude.
"Kill this worthless little king. You're next."
To Master Shen, loyalty meant nothing compared to seizing power.
At least, in his world, that's how it worked.
"Your Majesty, don't worry. As long as I live, no one will touch you."
Realizing Master Shen's malicious intent, General Blue struggled to his feet and stood protectively in front of the young king.
He was a loyal and devoted general—just not a strong one.
"And if you die?"
A voice like a nightmare whispered in his ear.
General Blue felt like he'd fallen into an ice pit. His whole body went cold.
Tao Pai Pai—he wasn't dead!
Though still alive, Tao Pai Pai was severely wounded.
He was only slightly better off than Tien after launching the Ki Blast Cannon. Half of his body was soaked in blood, and he was in rough shape.
But even in that condition, Tao Pai Pai was far stronger than General Blue.
Back then, he could kill him with just a flick of his tongue. Now wouldn't take much more.
If Blue's psychic powers worked, he might have lasted a few moves. But Tao Pai Pai was immune to them, which left Blue with zero chance.
A terrifying energy gathered at Tao Pai Pai's fingertip as he aimed it at General Blue.
"Dodon Ray!"
The beam flashed—
But it wasn't Blue who fell. It was Tao Pai Pai.
His chest was pierced through. The world's deadliest assassin had fallen—by his own signature move.
Someone moved faster than him.
"I gave you a chance."
A voice echoed through the palace.
Tao Pai Pai's eyes went wide with shock. He recognized that voice—without a doubt!
That man isn't dead!
The Ki Blast Cannon was indeed a powerful move. If Yamcha had been caught off-guard, unaware of the attack's danger, he would've surely died.
But Yamcha was also a student of the Crane School.
He was very familiar with the Ki Blast Cannon.
Even if he weren't, he had seen it in action before.
"A bag of senzu beans and a pack of smokes can keep Cell at bay all day long."
That's how powerful the Ki Blast Cannon was.
Tien, despite being far weaker, once held back Cell's second form with it. This technique truly was a top-tier move.
The move had no upper limit—but Tien did.
At his current strength, unless he sacrificed his life, the maximum output of his Ki Blast Cannon could be calculated.
Yamcha could tank it.
And he did.
But while no one else noticed, Yamcha had secretly gone all in, revealing every trump card he had.
"Tao Pai Pai!!!"
Master Shen watched his brother fall before his eyes. He lost all composure. Even knowing he was no match for Yamcha, he charged in without hesitation.
Whatever else he was, Master Shen truly cared about his brother.
And then Yamcha took him down without mercy.
A mere 30-point power gap was enough to decide the battle—let alone the 60-point difference between Master Shen and Tien.
"Tao Pai Pai isn't dead."
Just that one sentence from Yamcha was enough to break Master Shen's will to fight.
As for Tien… after that one Ki Blast Cannon, he was totally spent. No one expected him to keep fighting. Forcing Yamcha to reveal everything he had was already impressive enough.
Yamcha had no intention of killing anyone.
Even though he knew this Master Shen wasn't his old teacher, Yamcha never planned to kill them.
He was just here to test his strength—not to commit murder. Even if they really were trying to stage a coup, that wasn't his problem.
He left the judgment to the people of Rice Kingdom.
As it always goes, reinforcements arrived late. Only now did General Blue's troops show up.
From here, the palace guards took command.
The young king's fiancée, Princess Huang Huang, was unsurprisingly found in Master Shen's bedroom.
If you're imagining some breathtaking beauty hidden away like an old pervert's secret treasure, think again.
Princess Huang Huang was… a ragdoll.
A plain, not-at-all-fancy, handmade ragdoll.
Yamcha could only silently think, what a unique taste.
Master Shen and Tao Pai Pai were both imprisoned for treason. As for Tien, the young king didn't punish him. General Blue had witnessed Tien's struggles and figured he must've had his reasons (read: he was just too weak to win), so Tien remained as the king's personal guard.
Yamcha, for his efforts in averting chaos, was honored as a national guest.
But he had no interest in staying. After successfully establishing diplomatic relations, he politely took his leave—accepting many lavish gifts from the young king as he exited this world.
Back in his original world, Yamcha pulled out a little notebook he always carried.
He crossed out Tien's name from the spot marked with "180."
Just before that entry was one labeled "Great Ape – 100."
Next on the list: "Piccolo Daimao – 260."
Everything was proceeding exactly as the notebook planned.
(End of Chapter)