Goku surged forward, charging into the rain of mountains. Vakgar understood his role; this was no longer a stage for him. His only contribution now was to distract Furfur while Goku dealt with the catastrophe falling from the sky.

With one swing of the Rujakpalo Mace, Goku pulverized a dozen mountains into fine powder. This was the true power of The Werkudara—whatever this mace touched would be reduced to nothingness, regardless of its hardness. Although the mace in Goku’s hand was merely an energy manifestation with power approaching the original, its Dragon Prana consumption was horrific. But for Goku, it was a price well worth paying to shatter the apocalypse Furfur had created.

Meanwhile, Vakgar, moving at full throttle, continued to rain down a relentless barrage of strikes upon Furfur. He no longer cared for the wounds riddling his body from impact after impact. His mind was locked onto a single objective: to buy time for Goku until his comrade successfully pulverized every single mountain falling from the heavens.

Even though Furfur does not care about the lives and deaths of the demons under him, he still needs them to besiege the Wilwatikta Kingdom. Therefore, he does not relinquish control of the Dance of Volcano and continues to divide his focus to make the volcanic rain assault concentrated in the area where Goku is. This is the only reason why Vakgar has been able to survive until now; otherwise, the Volcanic Blade would have long since severed his head.

However, it is not that Vakgar’s actions are useless. By not giving Furfur the opportunity to focus on Goku, the destructive power of the Dance of Volcano is less than usual. Otherwise, even if Goku had used all of Bhima’s power, he would not have come out of this attack without losing one or two of his arms.

The battle had escalated beyond the comprehension of mortal beings. The mountains hovering in the sky continued to plunge like raindrops from a somber, dark cloud. In the midst of this miniature apocalypse, an Asura with a gargantuan mace in his hands continued to repel the massive rock formations, as if warding off rain with an umbrella.

The three combatants had lost all concept of time. However, the crushing fatigue beginning to crawl through Goku and Vakgar’s bodies made every passing second feel like a torturous eternity. Finally, the last mountain crumbled into dust, and once again, Vakgar was hurled backward by Furfur’s strike.

The condition of the two Asuras no longer resembled that of majestic warriors. Their bodies were tattered, shredded like cloth forced through a grinding machine.

"Goku... huff... huff... I don’t think I can... fight much longer... huff... looks like this is my limit... how about you?"

Vakgar spoke with a hoarse, rattling voice. His state was horrific; half of his face was gone, revealing a cracked skull with blood gushing incessantly. One arm was scorched black, while the other was reduced to white bone, stripped of both skin and flesh. His abdomen was torn open, exposing internal organs that were nearly spilling out. It was a sight so visceral and brutal it would force even the bravest warrior to turn away.

"I... I can still fight... huff... huff... huff..."

Goku might not have suffered physical wounds that horrific as Vakgar’s, but the exhaustion radiating from his eyes indicated that his Dragon Prana reserves had reached their nadir. He had only minutes remaining before his Bhima form collapsed and he lost the ability to resist.

"Good, then." Vakgar paused. He ignored his remaining energy, refusing to heal his fatal wounds. He looked at Goku long and hard. "Goku, you know none of us are making it out of here alive, right?"

Goku remained silent. Even before the drums of war had been struck, he had realized that even with Vakgar’s help, toppling Furfur was an impossibility. Yet, Goku chose to say nothing. Beyond honoring the dignity of a warrior who chooses to die on the field of battle, a small part of his heart felt relieved that he did not have to face death alone.

As the old proverb goes, everything feels lighter when done with a friend—even meeting one’s end.

"Heh... don’t blame yourself, Goku. We all knew the risks when we decided to follow you on this suicide mission. Not a single one of us regrets it." Vakgar coughed up blood before continuing, "Goku, absorb me! Take the remaining Dragon Prana in my body. Let me continue to fight by your side until the very end!"

"You... Vakgar..." Goku gasped.

But before he could refuse, other auras began to emerge and draw near. Goku recognized them; his childhood friends had arrived after finishing their respective battles. Yagnar, Xago, Viggu, and Cloc appeared from behind the haze of dust. Three other Asuras were nowhere to be seen, and Goku’s heart sank as he realized those three friends had already fallen.

They approached Goku and Vakgar in a majestic silence. Their bodies were covered in open gashes, yet not one of them used their Dragon Prana to recover. They were saving it—all of it—solely for Goku.

With his last ounce of strength, Vakgar pushed himself to his feet and placed a hand on Goku’s shoulder. The four other comrades followed suit. There was no verbal communication; it was as if this plan had been silently agreed upon from the very beginning.

A massive surge of Dragon Prana flooded into Goku’s body, refilling the energy wells that were nearly bone-dry. Goku could only stand frozen, watching his brothers begin to shrivel and wither, like flowers having their water sucked away.

"Forgive us, Goku. We can only accompany you this far. We will wait for you in The One’s Heaven. We shall fight together again soon. Now... finish your task!" Yagnar spoke faintly, before his body crumbled into dust that drifted into the sky.

The four other Asuras smiled, nodding firmly as if handing the weight of the world onto Goku’s shoulders, before they too followed, becoming fading dust in the dark sky.

Now, the Dragon Prana within Goku’s body overflowed beyond its capacity. He could even feel the vibrations of the Sixth Evolution Gate nearing its breaking point. However, Goku did not use the energy given by his friends to evolve. This energy was not for power; it was to stay alive longer.

Goku gripped the Rujakpalo Mace, the veins in his hands bulging. His gaze shifted to Furfur, who stood calmly in the air, waiting patiently. The Demon had not interrupted the energy transfer, as if paying a final mark of respect. He also paid no mind to the presence of the four Asuras, which signaled that his own subordinates were either dead or defeated.

Goku’s body drifted upward, leveling with Furfur. He didn’t need to ask why Furfur had allowed this to happen. His instinct told him that Furfur was the same breed as he: a battle addict who craved only a worthy opponent.

"Forgive me for keeping you waiting," Goku said coldly.

"It matters not. I had no intention of disturbing the final reunion of such formidable warriors," Furfur replied.

"Oh?" Goku was slightly surprised. "You finally acknowledge us?"

"To be my subordinate requires the strength and courage to die without a single step back. When I saw your friends arrive, I knew all my subordinates had perished. They outnumbered you two-to-one, yet they could only kill three of yours. If that is not proof of strength, then what is?"

Goku smiled bitterly. "That is true. My friends are very strong. Though born weak, they were capable of punching the world with their small hands." A flash of childhood memories—of being small Orcs surviving the savage Bog Forest—crossed Goku’s mind.

"Hmm... is that so? Yet I stand by my conviction: the strong are born strong. There is no place in this world for the weak to become powerful!"

Goku only gave a thin smile, then lunged with every ounce of his remaining strength. The battle erupted once more; he had no desire to waste time on rhetoric. Furfur’s respect for their farewell was enough for Goku to return the same respect in the form of his most lethal strike.

This time, Goku unleashed the full form of Bhima. The Dragon Prana of his fallen brothers flowed through every inch of his cells, giving him the sensation that they were all fighting alongside him. Perhaps this was the true manifestation of The One’s Heaven that Moku often spoke of. If heaven was truly like this, then Goku could not wait to be there and fight by their side again.

The Rujakpalo Mace and the Volcanic Blade collided once more, triggering explosions like two giant planets crashing together. The air fractured, the sky tore, and the earth seemed to turn upside down.

Their duel entered its final act; neither combatant cared for strategy or technique anymore. This was a pure struggle to determine who would still be drawing breath in the next second.