Vegeta's pupils suddenly constricted.
For the first time, true horror appeared on his arrogant face.
Nappa—an elite warrior with a combat power of four thousand, someone capable of tearing through a planet's defenses—had been sent flying in an instant.
No… not sent flying.
Instantly killed.
What Vegeta found even more unacceptable was this.
He, the proud Saiyan Prince Vegeta, couldn't even track the movement of the man who did it.
How was that possible?!
Absolutely impossible!
I must have been seeing things!
I was the prince of the strongest fighting race in the universe—a born warrior.
How could I fail to see the movements of some unknown nobody from a low-level planet?
"Who are you?!"
"Your tail… could you be Kakarot?!"
Loren heard him, glanced lazily at Vegeta out of the corner of his eye, and yawned.
"Just a passerby who got woken up by you guys. I just want to take a damn nap."
A passerby?
"Oh, right. Let me correct you."
Loren added, "My name isn't Kakarot. You can call me Loren."
"Could it be… him?!"
Krillin suddenly thought of the mysterious and terrifying Loren that Goku had mentioned a year ago.
A year ago, this same man appeared out of nowhere and one-shot Raditz like it was nothing.
And now, he had obliterated the monstrous Saiyan Nappa with the same effortless ease.
"We're saved…" Krillin's tense nerves loosened instantly, and he nearly collapsed from relief.
Gohan stared at Loren with wide, grateful eyes.
Loren summoned his system panel.
[Name: Loren]
[Combat Power: 30,520 (A first-class warrior capable of dominating most planets)]
[Skills: Flight Mastery]
[Description: To live a peaceful, idle life, you must remove all obstacles that disturb your peace.]
Seeing his combat power rise past thirty thousand, Loren felt relieved. Beating Vegeta shouldn't be hard.
Of course, if Vegeta transformed into a Great Ape, things would get troublesome—but luckily, Loren knew the weakness: The Tail.
Still, "annoying" was not the same as "dangerous."
And besides, Goku was about to show up.
With the protagonist's halo + Loren standing by, defeating Vegeta was basically guaranteed.
Just then, a streak of golden light shot across the sky.
Goku, riding the Flying Nimbus, finally arrived at the battlefield.
When he saw the devastated Earth, the lifeless bodies of Tien Shinhan and Piccolo, Krillin and Gohan's battered forms—
A surge of uncontrollable rage exploded in his heart.
Goku's eyes swept over Nappa's corpse, then Vegeta, then finally Loren.
Loren had saved Krillin and Gohan.
Goku didn't hesitate. He jumped off Nimbus, sprinted to Loren, and bowed deeply.
"Mr. Loren! Thank you for saving Gohan and Krillin!"
Loren lazily waved a hand, "It was nothing. Don't mention it."
Goku straightened, his gaze turning toward Vegeta.
Then he looked back at Loren, eyes filled with determination.
"Mr. Loren… that guy is my enemy," Goku pointed directly at Vegeta.
"I want to fight him myself! Please let me."
Loren glanced at half-dead Nappa, then at the furious Saiyan prince.
He sighed—long and dramatic.
"Fine. Whatever."
"You want to fight? Go ahead. Saves me the trouble."
"Show this so-called Saiyan Prince what you've got."
Loren casually stepped back, even widening the distance between himself and Goku.
This—
Enraged Vegeta.
This Saiyan named Loren ignored him—ignored Prince Vegeta.
He and Kakarot were treating him like prey to be assigned.
And Kakarot—a low-class warrior from a backwater rock—dared to "request" the right to fight him?
And Loren actually agreed?!
Was Prince Vegeta truly that insignificant?
This was humiliation.
The greatest Vegeta had ever suffered.
His gaze shifted to Nappa's body—barely hanging onto life.
Pathetic. Worthless. A Saiyan who couldn't fight. A Saiyan defeated on a low-level planet.
Nappa had no value.
He was not a comrade.
Vegeta snorted. Cold. Merciless.
He raised a hand. A purple ki blast formed instantly at his fingertips.
"Useless trash."
He fired without hesitation.
Nappa's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Why, Vegeta?! I was your most loyal—"
BOOM!
The blast swallowed Nappa whole, erasing him from existence.
Silence fell over the battlefield.
"You… bastard!" Goku shouted, furious.
"Why would you kill your own comrade?!"
Vegeta lowered his hand, sneering.
"Useless trash has no right to live."
His gaze locked onto Goku like one looks at an insect.
"And you're the same, low-class warrior Kakarot."
"Your end will be just like Nappa's."
Krillin and Gohan trembled; they couldn't comprehend such cruelty.
Goku clenched his fists so hard they cracked. Rage surged around him like a rising storm.
"Finally, I can watch the show in peace… Please don't wreck the whole planet," Loren muttered lazily.
Goku's ki flared violently. His combat power skyrocketed.
A white aura erupted around him like a blazing inferno, and the ground beneath him shattered.
Vegeta pressed his scouter.
Beep—beep—beep—
"Combat power… eight thousand?!"
"Trash!"
"Trash with only eight thousand dares act tough in front of me?!"
"My combat power is eighteen thousand!"
Goku's expression stiffened.
Eighteen thousand…
His pressure doubled in an instant.
He'd have to use Kaio-ken x3.
Vegeta was too strong. Only Kaio-ken x3 would give him a chance.
Their ki collided in the air, whipping up violent winds and pressure waves.
Vegeta smirked, arrogance restored.
"Kakarot!"
"I'll show you the difference between a low-class warrior and an elite prince!"
"Later, I'll press your head into the ground and rub it in!"
Goku took his Turtle School stance.
"For my friends… I won't let you win!"
No more talking.
Both Saiyans vanished.
BANG!
Two afterimages collided mid-air—fists and feet clashing with terrifying force.
Shockwaves ripped through the battlefield. Dust clouds exploded upward.
Krillin and Gohan could barely see anything—only flashes and blurs cutting through the sky.
Thunderous booms echoed. Ki waves exploded everywhere.
Goku and Vegeta crashed into each other again and again, shattering rocks around them with every blow.
The fateful battle of Saiyan vs. Saiyan had finally begun.