In the center of the battlefield—
Just a fraction of a second before Dodoria's fist could land, a figure appeared silently between him and Gohan.
Loren stood there with his hands in his pockets, expression lazy, as if he were just a bored traveler passing through.
Dodoria's fist—just inches from Loren's back—froze in midair.
The sneer on his face collapsed into shock as his pupils shrank.
This guy… when did he appear?!
Loren didn't even bother turning around.
He simply flicked his hand, as if shooing away a buzzing fly.
Bang!
A dull, heavy impact.
Dodoria's massive body folded like a boiled shrimp, a look of pure disbelief plastered on his face.
A moment later, he became a pink cannonball shooting backward ten times faster than he came, slamming into a distant hill and throwing up a cloud of dust.
Facing Loren—whose combat power now exceeded 100,000—Dodoria's 22,000 was nothing but a bug under a boot.
Silence took over.
Krillin and Gohan could only stare at Loren with wide-open mouths.
So strong!
A single casual slap had sent Dodoria flying like trash.
Hidden behind a rock formation not far away, a figure in Saiyan armor was watching the scene, expression shifting from shock to pure horror.
Vegeta.
"It's… it's him!"
His fists tightened involuntarily.
Unwillingness, frustration, and helplessness churned in his chest.
The gap between him and Loren was absurd.
On Earth, Loren had stomped on his Great Ape form as if it were a toy.
The proud Saiyan Prince's dignity had been shattered by this man named Loren.
He had come to Namek hoping to profit from the chaos, manipulate both Frieza and the Namekians, and climb his way up.
But Loren's appearance instantly crushed all those dreams.
Boom!
The destroyed hill erupted as Dodoria shot out, screaming.
"BASTARD! YOU DAMN INSECT!"
Covered in blood, armor cracked, he stared at Loren with crazed killing intent.
"You actually dared lay a hand on Lord Dodoria!"
Dodoria's aura surged like a pink wildfire, splitting the ground beneath him.
"I'll tear you apart! I'll make you regret ever crossing me!"
His rage completely drowned his common sense.
Instead of running for his life, he chose to attack again.
"DIE!"
Dodoria pointed both hands forward, firing a massive energy ball packed with everything he had.
Loren finally reacted.
He slowly turned around, looking at the incoming attack with nothing but disdain.
"So noisy." He lazily stretched his wrists.
"Perfect. I'll test out my new skill."
He brought his hands to his waist, palms facing.
A faint blue light gathered between them.
"Ka…"
Loren's voice dropped.
"Me…"
The light rapidly intensified.
"Ha!"
BOOM—!
A massive blue energy beam erupted from his palms.
It met Dodoria's attack in midair.
There was no violent explosion—
Dodoria's full-power blast simply dissolved and vanished the moment it touched the beam.
"No… impossible!"
Dodoria's madness flipped into terror.
He tried to flee, but Loren's energy pressure locked him in place.
A heartbeat later, the blue beam engulfed him completely.
He didn't even scream.
He simply vanished—vaporized.
Dodoria, dead.
Inside Frieza's spaceship—
Frieza was swirling a glass of red liquid with a satisfied smirk.
Then—
On the monitor, Dodoria's life signal winked out instantly.
Frieza froze.
Crack.
The wine glass in his hand turned to powder.
The temperature in the ship plummeted.
His elegant smile twisted into a killing coldness.
His tail lashed the air, producing sharp cracks.
An aura of murderous intent shook the room.
"Do… do… Do… dor… ia…"
The whisper was like a voice from hell.
"Who… killed him?"
A notification tone beeped.
Zarbon appeared on the screen, handsome face tense.
"Lord Frieza, Dodoria's combat signal… it's gone."
Even Zarbon couldn't completely hide his disbelief.
A being strong enough to instantly kill Dodoria was no trivial threat.
"I know."
Frieza's voice was quiet—too quiet.
Zarbon felt the pressure radiating even through the screen.
"Shall I investigate immediately?"
"No."
Frieza rose from his hovering chair, feet tapping the cold floor.
"Continue with the plan. Gather the Dragon Balls."
"A mere Dodoria is not worth interrupting my wish."
"But Lord Frieza, if someone strong enough to kill Dod—"
Zarbon stopped.
Frieza's eyes had sharpened.
"Zarbon."
The tone was soft.
Dangerously soft.
"Are you questioning my judgment?"
"This subordinate wouldn't dare!"
Cold sweat soaked Zarbon's forehead.
"Good."
"Carry out my orders."
"As for those insects… ignore them. Once I gather the Dragon Balls and make my wish, I'll turn them all into cosmic dust."
"Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho…"
Frieza laughed, already imagining Namek disintegrating under his Planet Destroyer.