Shin and Kibito's legs trembled as the combined power of the two Saiyans surpassed imagination. To think a mortal could wield the Z-Sword and reach a state where the relic was handled as easily as a child's toy... It was something beyond tales of legend.
"You two might want to get back if you know what's good for you," Gohan roared, his eyes piercing through deity souls. As if commanded to do so, Shin and Kibito rushed backward, giving the two fighters more than enough room to battle.
Without exchanging a word, the two Saiyans vanished and reappeared with a clashing of forearms, testing each other's strength a few dozen feet in the air. Gohan's arm was trembling under the might of a Super Saiyan 3; the raw power of this transformation was so intense, that Gohan was certain that it alone could defeat Majin Buu.
Feeling his arm ready to snap, Gohan flashed and reappeared behind his father, testing the speed of this new form. The moment he appeared again, the third-tier Super Saiyan's eyes were already concentrated on that spot and his fist crushed Gohan's mid-section the moment it materialized.
Gohan's mouth spewed fluid as he folded over Goku's fist; despite not breaking the skin, this punch felt like it had burst a hole through the young Saiyan's system. He could barely hold onto the Z-Sword, feeling it slipping from between his fingers until he clenched it again. His hair and the aura around his body began to flicker like a light running out of battery but he refused to let this fight end in a single blow.
'Come on, body! Don't give up now! This is your one chance to show Dad how strong you really are!'
Faster than light, Goku's leg cut through the air and nearly collided with Gohan's face. With just his forearm, Gohan blocked the attack; though this saved him from being knocked senseless, his arm suffered severe damage. A blood-curdling scream was forced out of the young Saiyan as he continued to hold his father's leg in place with a quivering arm.
"Can't handle a Super Saiyan 3? I can't blame you if you want to tap out, just say the word," Goku taunted.
"No!" Gohan roared. His arm felt as if it was ready to pop at first; after a few seconds passed, it had completely gone numb. "I refuse to let this fight end quickly!"
Gohan vanished before reappearing behind his father with his right fist reeled backward. Again, Goku predicted where his son would reappear and threw a punch the moment his body materialized. On the other hand, Gohan anticipated his father's foresight and vanished, this time appearing above his father.
Goku, finding himself in the middle of throwing a full-fledge punch, followed his son with his eyes as Gohan raised the Z-Sword over his head with a single arm.
"Impossible! How could one wield the sword with a single hand!?" Shin exclaimed, still with his backside on the grass.
"It's unbelievable..." Kibito added.
The Z-Sword cut through the air with such ferociousness, that yet another gust of pressure expanded outward, causing winds to flutter the leaves of trees on the other side of the planet. Once it connected with its target, there was a resounding metallic clash, compelling the Kais to cover their ears with their hands. As the blade's metal reverberated, they opened their eyes widely at the sight they beheld.
Goku grinned as he held the Z-Sword in place with his thumb and pointer finger. Gohan grimaced, struggling to break his father's guard with the supposed almighty blade.
'This is ridiculous... how did he get so strong while being dead!? And isn't this sword supposed to cut through anything!?'
Without thinking, Goku snapped the Z-Sword in half as if it were a twig before kicking Gohan in his injured arm. Gohan yelled as he was sent flying into a mountain, disappearing behind dust and debris. Meanwhile, Goku held onto the blade of the Z-Sword, inspecting it like it was some cheap toy before tossing it over his head.
Shin and Kibito's jaws were on the floor. "The... Z-Sword..." Kibito mumbled.
"They... Broke it..." Shin added, watching as the handle landed right in front of them. "We're doomed!"
Gohan burst from behind the dust, blowing it away as he flew toward his father with his weak arm dangling beside him. Using his remaining three limbs, Gohan unleashed a flurry of attacks, each one failing to hit their mark as Goku cockily bobbed and weaved.
"Don't tell me that's all you've got, Gohan!" Goku roared while sneaking in some punches and kicks of his own.
Gohan growled and began throwing attacks with much more force and speed than before, his Ki surging with each whiffed attack.
"Good, that's right. Get angry, Gohan. Use that short temper of yours! Pretend I'm that Majin Buu fellow and beat me!" Goku encouraged his son's tantrum, feeling himself slowly becoming overwhelmed by his attacks. Not only was Gohan getting more powerful by the second, but Goku was feeling the side effects of spending just a few moments as a Super Saiyan 3.
'Our forms... I think they're opposites. As I spend more energy, my body feels drained. But for Gohan, the more punches he throws and the more worked up he gets, the more his power surges!'
Gohan finally landed a punch, smashing Goku in the center of his nose. Goku reeled back, holding onto his face and feeling the wetness of blood staining his hands. He retaliated with a punch of his own, screaming as he sliced through the air around his fist. However, Gohan smacked the fist away and aimed a finger at his father.
"Frenzied Beam!" he proclaimed, coming up with the name of this attack on the spot. It was a modified version of his Great Saiyaman Beam, a quick, tiny ball of energy he'd fire at simple bank robbers.
This new version of the attack would obliterate any bank robber, leaving nothing but a steaming pile of flesh. Frenzied Beam was a purple erratic orb of unstable Ki energy growing at his fingertips until it was the size of a human head. Once released, it collided with Goku's chest and sent him swirling toward the ground.
Goku crashed, creating a Goku-shaped hole in the ground that was visible once the dust settled. However, the battle was far from over as the Super Saiyan 3 could be seen climbing out of the crater, laughing while doing so.
"We're showing new special moves now, are we?" he said, still chuckling to himself. "Alright then, check this out!"
Goku started charging energy in his right fist, emitting a blinding light that forced Gohan to shield his eyes with his hand. He knew his father was flying toward him once he heard his yells closing in on him and when he opened his eyes, he saw Goku's fist pointed at him as a golden dragon swirled around his arm.
Gohan's eyes widened in the fraction of a second he had to react before the dragon collided with his chest.
"Dragon Fist!" Goku proclaimed, punching Gohan so hard that he reverted to his natural state and flew so far into the distance, that he was nothing more than a speck.
Goku was seen breathing heavily, having put almost all his energy into that attack. "Looks like... I've finally caught back up with you, Son..." Goku laughed as he caught his breath, only for his smile to fade once he noticed Gohan's energy beginning to swell.
Though Gohan was a fleck in the distance, Goku could see that he had transformed once more and was flying toward him. Goku's body began to shiver, not from fear, but from excitement.
"I'm going to put everything I have into this last attack, Gohan! I hope you're ready!"
As Gohan b-lined for his father, the Super Saiyan 3 placed his hands to his side and began conjuring Ki between his palms. "Kame..." Goku's voice and energy caused the entire planet to tremble. Oceans generated sporadic waves, leaves were blown from their branches, and the clouds began to swirl around the Saiyan from above.
"He's going to kill us all!" Shin exclaimed, still sitting on the ground. "The whole planet is going to be destroyed if they keep this up!"
"Hame..." Goku continued to charge his attack, and in the distance, he could see Gohan doing the same thing.
Using just a single hand, Gohan charged a ball of energy and started chanting its name alongside his father. "Kame..."
He too caused oceans to roar, trees to tremble, and clouds to storm as she flew toward his father like a rocket. "Hame..." he said, as the orb reached its maximum size.
Simultaneously, the father and son released their attacks as a resounding, "Ha!" parted from their lips.
Two blue beams the size of skyscrapers were fired and clashed just above the Supreme Kai, who looked on with trembling pupils. Both he and Kibito finally had the sense to teleport away, choosing to watch the fight from a distance.
Even from miles away, it blinded them and they could feel its heat.
At first, the beams were equal in strength until Goku's started to consume Gohan's. Gohan grimaced as his beam struggled to hold back his father's and he failed to continue flying forward but he wasn't going to give up so easily. With crazed eyes and an unhinged jaw, Gohan released yet another bellow.
"HAAAA!" he yelled. It was a drawn-out scream, its length matching the amount of power he put into this last-ditch effort to beat his father. No longer was Goku's attack consuming Gohans; no, the roles had reversed. Gohan was seen flying forward and like an animal consuming prey beneath it in the food chain, Gohan's one-handed Kamehameha beam swelled and consumed Goku's, far quicker than Goku's did to Gohan's.
Goku yelled once more, hoping he could pull off the same feat as his son, but there wasn't anything left in the tank. His Super Saiyan 3 form had expended too much of his energy. Before long, Goku's blast was swallowed hole and his body followed suit.
Once Gohan's blast struck his father, the light show ended. Goku was seen in his normal state with a soft smile on his face as he started falling toward the ground. However, Gohan's hand clasped his and caught him before he could fall.
Weakly, Goku opened his eyes and looked up at his son, still smiling as he lifted his hand and gave him a thumbs up. Goku's hand went limp and he passed out from exhaustion.
Just like that, it was settled.
Tempered Super Saiyan was the superior form.