Nail's face drained of color. He hurriedly crossed both arms over his head.
"Bang!"
A dull impact rang out. Nail dropped from the sky like a cannonball, slammed into the ground below, and blasted out a crater.
"Hmph. Pathetic." Vegeta smirked, pleased.
Right after that, Vegeta threw his head back and howled with laughter, bright and unrestrained.
"Makankosappo!"
A spiraling blaze of light shot straight up and roared toward the artificial moon overhead.
"Rip!"
The Makankosappo pierced through the artificial moon on the spot.
"Rumble!"
With a thunderous crack, the artificial moon shattered high in the sky.
And the instant it vanished, Vegeta's body rapidly shrank and warped, returning to normal.
Vegeta: "..."
Vegeta shot an angry glance toward Piccolo.
"A Namekian isn't yours to bully whenever you feel like it," Piccolo snorted.
"Damn it, you meddling creep!" Vegeta huffed and charged at Piccolo in a blur.
"Bang!"
Vegeta drove a heavy punch at Piccolo.
Piccolo lifted one hand and caught the incoming fist.
"Bang!"
Then Piccolo's knee snapped up, slamming into Vegeta's stomach.
"Guh—"
Vegeta spewed a mouthful of sour bile, his whole body pitching.
How is this possible?
Losing to Nail is one thing.
But now I can't even beat this Namekian who's been living on Earth?
During this time, Piccolo had been training with Goku in the gravity training room, and his strength had jumped massively.
His battle power wasn't at Nail's level, but it was at least around 35,000.
At 35,000, Piccolo wasn't far off from Vegeta.
But there was a catch: Piccolo was in peak condition. Vegeta had already fought Frieza for a bit, gotten brutalized by Nail, and even created an artificial moon—he'd burned a lot of energy. His battle power had already dipped, and there was no way he could take Piccolo like this.
"Bang bang bang!"
Piccolo pressed Vegeta with a ruthless barrage. Vegeta stumbled into a scramble, and more than once he started gathering destruction energy.
Piccolo didn't dare relax for even a second. The moment Vegeta began to form that energy, Piccolo immediately broke his rhythm and cut him off.
Vegeta was driven back step by step, unable to mount a real defense.
"AAAAAAAA!"
Furious, Vegeta roared again and again, forcing his ki to surge to its limit.
"Whoosh!"
Vegeta shot straight up.
Piccolo chased him instantly, landed a heavy blow, and hammered Vegeta back down from the sky.
"Rumble!"
Vegeta crashed into the ground, carving out another crater.
He lay there in a daze, staring up at the green sky, his eyes stinging.
I lost again!
Vegeta's chest tightened, and he could barely stand it.
Out of everyone here… I can only beat that Earthling and Kakarot's kid, right?
I'm Vegeta!
I'm the prince of the Saiyans—the most gifted warrior!
How can I lose?
"Hmph." Piccolo snorted as he drifted down beside Vegeta and said evenly, "Namekians aren't that easy to push around."
Vegeta didn't answer. He just stared at the sky, thinking the green looked even greener today.
"I'm going to find the Dragon Balls. Don't cause trouble again." Piccolo turned and walked off as he spoke.
A moment later, Piccolo was already at Nail's side.
Nail gave him a smile, then sucked in a sharp breath from the pain.
Earlier, when Vegeta became a Great Ape and landed that heavy hit, Nail had nearly been killed.
Luckily, Namekians had tough life force. He wasn't about to die on the spot.
"Whoosh!"
Dende rushed over. Healing light flared in his hands as he treated Nail.
Before long, Nail's injuries were completely gone.
"Thank you, Dende," Nail said.
Piccolo held out a hand in a rare gesture of friendliness.
Nail smiled and clasped it.
Piccolo pulled him up.
"Piccolo, you look cold on the outside, but you're pretty gentle underneath, huh?" Nail said with a grin.
"Hmph. Mind your own business! I just don't like watching him bully Namekians, that's all!" Piccolo snorted, hit straight in the soft spot, and refused to take the compliment.
"Do we heal him?" Dende asked.
"Let that guy lie there for a while. If you patch him up, he'll just start acting up again." Piccolo shook his head. "Wait until we've gathered the Dragon Balls."
Dende nodded hard, showing he understood.
Piccolo and the others were just about to head out again to search for the Dragon Balls.
That was when Ken and the Grand Elder appeared on the scene.
Merus followed behind them, bringing Kale along.
Notably, Merus was still dressed like a Galactic Patrolman and hadn't put on any angel attire.
As long as his training hadn't ended, Merus rarely showed his angel form.
"Huh? Ken, you're here!" Goku hurried forward to greet him.
Vegeta immediately perked up and looked over.
Hurry up and heal me.
You're not just going to watch a Saiyan get beaten up, are you?
"This guy is…?" Goku hadn't seen Merus before.
"He's Merus, from the Galactic Patrol," Ken said, keeping it simple.
"Hi, I'm Goku." Goku offered his hand openly.
Everyone's eyes shifted to the Grand Elder at Ken's side.
Especially Nail. The moment he saw the Grand Elder, he looked completely lost.
This Namekian looks so familiar… like I've seen him somewhere before.
"Who are you? A Namekian who came back from another planet?" Nail asked the Grand Elder.
"I am Gast Carcolh." The Grand Elder smiled.
"Gast Carcolh…" Nail's eyes went wide, his expression flickering through shock after shock.
Ken: "..."
That's some top-tier showing off. Full marks.
You just said your name out loud.
Ken hadn't actually known the Grand Elder's name.
He'd only heard it straight from the Grand Elder today.
And the name… it rang a bell.
Ken thought about it carefully. It sounded like someone from Dragon Ball Multiverse.
Back when he was a Dragon Ball fan in his previous life, Ken had read Dragon Ball Multiverse, but the updates were so slow that he eventually stopped.
In one parallel timeline of that manga, Planet Namek was also invaded by Frieza.
But the Namekians there made preparations ahead of time.
Under the Grand Elder's arrangement, all Namekians assimilated into each other with the Grand Elder as the core.
In the end, the Namekian formed by that assimilation was named Gast Carcolh.
Put simply, it was the Grand Elder's name.
And after the assimilation, Gast Carcolh had terrifying strength and wiped out Frieza's group with ease.
But because of that, Namek's Dragon Balls vanished along with the rest.
Now, the Grand Elder had regained his youth and brought that name back out.
To Nail, the name was both familiar and unfamiliar.
It sounded like something he'd heard before, but he couldn't grab the memory.
"Y-you… you're the Grand Elder?" Nail's eyes sharpened as realization hit. He stared without blinking.
"Huh? Grand Elder?" Dende froze too.
"Hahaha, that's right. I'm the Grand Elder." The Grand Elder laughed loudly.
Maybe because he'd regained his youth, the Grand Elder no longer carried that old, steady air. He looked more like someone with a boyish spark.
"Grand Elder, what's going on with your body?" Nail asked, stunned. "Did you regain your youth?"
"Not bad, right?" The Grand Elder smiled and nodded. "Yes, I did."
"How did you do it? We haven't even gathered the Dragon Balls yet," Nail asked, curiosity spilling out.
"Ken helped me regain my youth," the Grand Elder said warmly.
Everyone immediately looked at Ken.
But Goku and the others already knew Ken had the ability to restore youth, so the surprise passed quickly.
A Namekian who'd been on the verge of dying from old age had been restored by Ken, turned into a young man just like that.
Even thinking about it made the ability sound absurd.
Ken didn't explain further. He walked straight up to Vegeta.
Vegeta stared at Ken, his nose burning, tears hovering at the edge.
"Ken, teach me! I want to get stronger!" Vegeta grit out.
I'm practically the weakest one in this group now.
Am I only stronger than that little bald guy and Kakarot's kid?
That Namekian called Dende isn't a fighter type, so I can't count that.
And this Grand Elder who just showed up… he doesn't look like a fighter-type Namekian either.
I can't count them.
If I start comparing myself to two non-combat Namekians, I might as well smash my head into a wall and be done with it.
Vegeta's gut twisted.
"Vegeta, you've got it wrong." Ken shook his head.
Vegeta: "????"
"What do you mean?" Vegeta didn't understand the line at all.
"In this group, if we set the two non-combat Namekians aside, you're only stronger than Krillin," Ken said flatly, showing no mercy.
Ken knew exactly what kind of person Vegeta was. Someone like that only grew fast after getting dragged through enough misery.
Otherwise, that arrogant nature of his would never change.
That attitude was carved into his bones.
After all, Vegeta had been a prodigy from birth—one of the very best among the Saiyans.
The moment he was born, his battle power had already reached 800, stronger than Goku after more than twenty years of training.
A "chosen one" like that having pride to the point of arrogance was normal.
That was also why Ken had ditched Vegeta back then and kept Broly close instead.
Broly was easier to handle.
A guy like Vegeta wasn't worth getting mad over.
If Ken weren't a reincarnator—and if he didn't have even a little goodwill toward Vegeta—he would've slapped him dead a long time ago.
"Y-you… what did you say?" Vegeta's face twisted as he looked toward Gohan standing nearby.
Then Vegeta clenched his teeth, forced himself up from the ground, and dropped to one knee in front of Ken again.
"No need for a grand salute," Ken said calmly.
Vegeta: "..."
"I'm not kneeling because I want to—my injuries are just that bad…" Vegeta huffed, struggling to straighten. Then he pointed at Gohan and snapped at Ken, "Are you saying I can't even beat that little runt?"
Ken nodded lightly.
Vegeta took another hit straight to the heart.
"I don't buy it!" Vegeta shouted. "Heal me! I don't buy that I'd lose to some little runt!"
"Gohan's battle power is at least 60,000 right now. What's yours?" Ken shook his head with a smile. "Don't go looking for another beating."
Vegeta fell silent.
That little runt's battle power is 60,000?
Don't mess with me. How can it be that high?
"Vegeta, everything I can teach, I already wrote clearly in that book." Ken stepped closer. "Your fight with Frieza isn't over. When he comes back, give it everything you've got."
"Frieza… that guy is still alive?" Vegeta blurted, stunned.
"He got lucky. He's alive." Ken nodded. "A few minutes ago, a nearby army unit happened to pass by, picked him up into a spaceship, and put him in a healing tank. So you don't have much time—ten minutes at most, and Frieza will be back. This is your battlefield. I'm not joining in. Good luck."
With that, Ken rose into the air and vanished from the spot in an instant.
Merus: "..."
Could you at least wait for me?
You're just leaving me here like this?
You want me to stay and fight too?
That would be wildly inappropriate.
"Kale, you do your best too. Believe in yourself." Merus patted Kale's head and encouraged her.
"Huh? Merus, are you leaving?" Kale asked timidly.
"I'll be watching your brave performance from up there," Merus said with a smile.
"I… I understand. I'm just a little scared…" Kale's young face tightened, her eyes full of nervousness.
"See that kid over there?" Merus pointed at Gohan. "He's one year older than you. Look at him—he's not scared at all."
Kale immediately turned to look at Gohan.
In truth, Kale had noticed Gohan a long time ago.
To kids, other kids stand out the most.
Gohan and Kale were close in age, and to a little girl like her, he looked like a reliable big brother.
"Goku-san, Kale will stay and fight with you. Please look after her," Merus said politely to Goku.
"Huh? She's going to fight Frieza with us too?" Goku scratched his head. "But… can she do it?"
"She'll try her best." Merus nodded, saying no more.
"Whoosh!"
Flames burst from Merus's boots as he shot into the sky, quickly reaching Ken.
The two hovered in the starry void, looking down at the planet below.
"You specifically installed thrusters on your boots?" Ken glanced over and asked with a grin.
"Yeah. It's part of the disguise. Most of the time I'm still a Galactic Patrolman," Merus replied.
"We're this high up, and you're still blasting flames?" Ken smiled.
Merus: "..."
Merus thought for a second, then immediately shut off the flames.
"If you can spray fire, find someone who can spray water and go save your grandpa together," Ken said with a cryptic grin.
Merus: "????"
What are you even talking about?
Why does none of that make sense?
"My grandpa?" Merus blinked.
"You don't have a grandpa?" Ken asked, eyes sparkling with gossip.
"I don't know… the Grand Priest never said," Merus answered, shaking his head slightly.
"Then where did the Grand Priest come from? Forged from cosmic essence?" Ken leaned in, even more curious.
"Yes," Merus said, nodding once.
Ken waited for the rest.
Merus didn't continue.
"Did you lag?" Ken waved a hand in front of Merus's face.
Merus: "..."
"Talking about the Grand Priest behind his back is impolite," Merus said quickly, his expression turning serious.
"Even if the Grand Priest were here, I'd ask him to his face." Ken smiled.
Merus didn't know what to say.
You really don't care at all.
A brief silence hung between them.
"The Grand Priest is—" Merus started.
"Forget it, I don't want to hear it." Ken cut him off.
Merus stared at him.
You told me to talk, and now you don't want to listen.
Ken really didn't want to hear Merus talk about the Grand Priest anymore.
He had an even bigger gossip in his body.
Why not just ask her?
"Amarella, you there?" Ken asked.
Amarella: "..."
I'm inside your body. If I'm not here, who is?
"I mean, you weren't asleep, right?" Ken asked again.
"I just fell asleep, and you woke me up," Amarella shot back, puffing her cheeks.
"Look at you." Ken scolded her without warning. "You're an angel. Keep your heart calm. You're sitting there puffed up like that—does that look like an angel?"
Amarella: "..."
"No wonder you're so weak." Ken sighed.
"I'm weak because I vanished along with my beloved Universe 18…" Amarella muttered, defending herself without energy.
"Quick gossip question: does Merus have a grandpa?" Ken asked with a grin.
"Why don't you just ask whether the Grand Priest has a dad?" Amarella said, deadpan.
"So you're saying… Merus isn't even his biological kid?" Ken murmured, thoughtful.
Amarella went quiet.
Why does your brain always jump that far?
You're making my head short out.
"No. The Grand Priest was forged from cosmic essence," Amarella answered.
"Then why is he that strong?" Ken still didn't get it. "What level was he at when he was first born?"
"Level 80." Amarella answered honestly. "After several hundred million years of training, he reached Level 95."
"Born at Level 80? That's straight-up cheating…" Ken sucked in a sharp breath.
"Careful… careful…" Amarella was genuinely speechless, wiping sweat in silence.
You just called the Grand Priest "that guy."
Do you have any manners?
"He can't hear this, right?" Ken chuckled.
"The Grand Priest is Level 95 now. You think he can't hear?" Amarella raised a brow, then sighed quietly. "That's Level 95. What are you—Level 59? In a world where being one level higher can crush someone, do you understand what Level 95 means? If the Grand Priest wants to listen, there's nothing he can't hear. Or you could say: in the entire universe, there's nothing the Grand Priest doesn't know."
"He doesn't have a habit of eavesdropping, does he?" Ken asked.
"Who knows? Maybe he's listening right now," Amarella replied.
"Then I take it back." Ken's face turned serious. "From now on, I'll use proper respect when I talk about the Grand Priest."
"That's more like it." Amarella nodded, adding, "Even the Space-Time God of Destruction gives the Grand Priest face."
"Leaving the Space-Time God of Destruction aside, I just want to know why the Grand Priest is so powerful," Ken said.
"It's simple." Amarella explained. "The Grand Priest was forged from the essence of the entire universe. Back then there were eighteen universes, and the cosmic essence of all eighteen was condensed into the Grand Priest."
"Forged from the cosmic essence of the entire universe…" Ken murmured, overwhelmed.
No wonder the Grand Priest is that strong.
He was condensed from the cosmic essence of the entire universe.
A god like that… when will I ever surpass him?
I've trained for so many years and only barely reached Level 59.
Level 95 is still impossibly far away.
"Most other angels are forged from the cosmic essence condensed by a single universe," Amarella continued. "As for Whis and Vados, they were formed from cosmic essence condensed together by the Grand Priest and the Grand Priestess. I've told you that before, so I won't go into it here."
"Then what about the Grand Priestess? Was she forged from the essence of the entire universe too?" Ken asked.
"No idea." Amarella shook her head cleanly.
"That's weird. There's something even you don't know?" Ken blinked.
"Why is that weird?" Amarella replied. "But the Grand Priestess probably wasn't forged from the cosmic essence of the entire universe. The Grand Priest should be a one-and-only existence."
Ken didn't speak again, sinking into thought.
"Ken, did you lag too?" Merus waved a hand in front of Ken's face.
Ken: "..."
You learn fast.
…
Vast stars. Endless space.
An oval, disk-shaped spaceship hovered within the star system where Planet Namek lay.
Inside the ship, Frieza was inside a healing tank.
And in the ship's main control room, someone who looked a lot like Frieza wore a grim expression.
"Cooler-sama, Frieza-sama will complete his recovery in three minutes," Salza stepped forward and bowed.
Behind Salza stood two aliens with very different builds: Dore and Neiz.
Salza, Dore, and Neiz were known as Cooler's Armored Squadron.
And the person in front of them, who looked so similar to Frieza, was Frieza's older brother—Cooler.
"Who did this to Frieza?" Cooler snorted, eyes cold. "I'm curious. Was it a Super Saiyan?"
"Based on our investigation, Frieza-sama was on Planet Namek earlier, collecting something called the Dragon Balls," Salza reported respectfully, bowing again.
"Dragon Balls? What are they for?" Cooler narrowed his eyes.
"They say if you gather all seven Dragon Balls, you can make any wish come true!" Dore blurted out, eager to answer first.
Salza: "..."
Are you seriously butting in to answer?
Is that how we're doing this?
"Cooler-sama, it looks like Frieza-sama was beaten by someone on Planet Namek," Neiz guessed. "Should we go help?"
"Don't be stupid, Neiz. If someone can defeat Frieza-sama, dealing with the three of us would be nothing," Salza said, shaking his head.
"But we've got Cooler-sama," Dore said with a grin. "Cooler-sama is even stronger than Frieza-sama!"
"This is Frieza's problem. Let him handle it himself." Cooler spoke lightly. "He'll be fully healed soon anyway."
"Yes, Cooler-sama!"
All three bowed together.
Three minutes passed in a flash.
Beep-beep!
A signal flashed on the healing tank, indicating the recovery was complete.
Frieza stepped out with a dark expression. He tested his body and found it completely fine.
The injury from that God of Destruction was fully healed.
That damned God of Destruction!
All I did was glare at you once, over twenty years ago!
You held a grudge over a look for that long?
Gods of Destruction really are petty!
Frieza glanced around and suddenly realized these underlings were unfamiliar faces.
"You're Cooler's men?" Frieza asked, quickly putting it together, a smile spreading as he looked at the kneeling troops.
Just then, Salza walked in from the adjacent room and bowed to Frieza.
"Oh? Salza, long time no see… is Cooler here?" Frieza asked, smiling.
"Cooler-sama is waiting for you, Frieza-sama," Salza replied.
Frieza walked into Cooler's room and came face to face with him.
"Hmph, Cooler, why are you poking around this territory? Always sticking your nose in!" Frieza snorted, clearly annoyed.
"If it weren't for me, you'd probably be dead in space," Cooler sneered. "If we'd left you alone, you'd be dead within an hour."
"I, Frieza, won't die!" Frieza shouted.
"Who hit you so hard?" Cooler asked, curiosity mixed with caution. "A Super Saiyan?"
So Super Saiyans really do exist?
"Hmph. Of course not!" Frieza shook his head. After a few seconds of silence, he finally answered honestly. "It was a God of Destruction from some universe. A meddling bastard!"
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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