The sky over Namek changed.
The absolute darkness brought by Porunga's summoning shattered in an instant, as if it had never existed.
The once chaotic battlefield fell eerily quiet, leaving nothing but the sound of the wind.
Frieza remained frozen mid-charge, his clawed hand, sharp enough to pierce steel, hanging in the air just half a meter from where Dende had been standing.
He missed.
Everything was gone.
No Dragon, no healing child, no Dragon Balls, not even the elderly Namekian he despised.
Frieza slowly turned his eyes, scanning the empty land, until his gaze locked onto a bald figure in the distance.
Krillin casually brushed dust off his pants, while Piccolo stood beside him with his arms crossed, a clear look of mockery on his face.
"It's over, Frieza."
"Has your dream of immortality finally woken you up?"
Silence.
A dead, suffocating silence lasted for three seconds.
Then Frieza's body began to tremble violently.
It was not fear.
It was rage so intense it became physical.
"Gone…?"
His voice was low and chilling, like glass grinding against itself.
"My wish… my eternal life… taken away by insects like you?"
How long had he planned for this moment?
For this wish, he had nearly wiped out the Namekians, even taking matters into his own hands.
He endured insult after insult from these inferior beings, all for that final moment.
And now it was all for nothing.
"Unforgivable…"
Frieza slowly lifted his head. The last traces of reason in his crimson eyes were fading fast.
In their place rose something pure.
A killing intent without restraint.
"Absolutely unforgivable!"
Boom!
The ground beneath him exploded outward, shockwaves flattening everything within a kilometer.
Purple energy surged like a reactor out of control, flooding the battlefield.
"I'll break every bone in your bodies, one by one!"
"I'll make you regret ever being born, begging for death that will never come!"
Frieza abandoned all pretense of elegance. His posture hunched, his throat releasing a beast-like growl.
Piccolo frowned, his aura surging as he stepped in front of Krillin.
"Stay sharp. He's lost it. His power is still rising!"
"Yeah, I can see that."
In Krillin's augmented vision, red warning boxes flashed nonstop.
[Warning: Target emotional state extremely unstable.]
[Biological energy mutation detected. Transformation sequence initiated.]
[Current Target: Frieza, Second Form, Berserk]
[Power Level: 1,300,000 and rising]
"But losing your mind won't be enough to beat me."
Piccolo let out a cold snort and vanished, taking the initiative.
Bang!
His fist slammed into Frieza's face with enough force to shatter mountains.
Yet Frieza's head only tilted slightly.
He endured the blow and smiled, his expression twisted and unsettling.
"Not enough…"
Crack.
Frieza seized Piccolo's wrist and twisted it. Piccolo's expression changed instantly, his other hand slicing toward Frieza's throat to force him to release.
In the blink of an eye, the two exchanged hundreds of blows in midair, shockwaves bursting like white explosions all around them.
Piccolo still held the advantage in strength and speed.
But something was wrong.
Frieza's body was changing.
"GRAAAAH!"
With a violent burst, Frieza forced Piccolo back and hovered in the air.
He clutched his shoulders and curled inward.
Creak… crack…
The sound of grinding bones echoed from within his body.
"What's he doing?" Goku asked, eyes full of curiosity.
"He's transforming. Looks like his second form isn't enough for him anymore. He wants something more suited for killing," Krillin replied.
"Getting… stronger?"
A spark of excitement flashed in Goku's eyes.
Above them, Frieza's scream grew sharper, almost piercing.
His already massive body began to convulse violently.
His back bulged outward as if inflated, thick bone spikes tearing through his skin, slick with purple fluid.
Rip. Rip.
Muscles stretched beyond their limits.
His skull elongated backward, his once smooth head becoming flat and grotesquely enlarged, like something alien and unnatural.
His mouth split wider, revealing rows of jagged teeth.
The armor-like exoskeleton on his shoulders extended outward, his limbs becoming longer, leaner, yet packed with explosive strength.
The once raging purple aura compressed inward.
Not weaker.
Denser.
Colder.
A suffocating, serpentine presence coiled around everyone present, raising instinctive fear.
If his second form was a brute beast, then this form was a nightmare designed purely for slaughter.
[System Scan Complete]
[Target: Frieza, Third Form]
[Power Level: 2,400,000, stable]
[Evaluation: Hideous beyond reason, deadly beyond measure. Reduced defense, massively enhanced speed and piercing power. Built for efficient killing.]
[Advice: Do not let him point at you.]
"Ha… ha…"
Frieza slowly straightened his body. His elongated head tilted slightly with a series of unsettling cracks.
He looked down, saying nothing at first.
His gaze swept across the three of them like they were already dead.
"Thank you for waiting."
His voice had changed. No longer deep, it now carried a sharp metallic rasp.
"As a token of appreciation for ruining my wish, I've taken on a form that even I find disgusting."
"As repayment…"
He raised a finger, a strange purple light flickering at its tip.
"I'll turn your bodies into sieves. Then I'll pull your insides out piece by piece."
Piccolo stared at the grotesque figure, a chill creeping through him.
It was instinct.
The kind that warned prey of a predator.
"So this is… his third form?"
"His energy feels completely different. Like a blade that's been sharpened."
A bead of sweat slid down Piccolo's forehead.
"Don't underestimate him, Piccolo."
"His speed might already surpass yours."
Krillin's voice echoed in his mind.
"Hmph. Being ugly doesn't make you stronger."
"No matter what you turn into, the result won't change."
Piccolo forced down his unease and took his stance.
"Is that so?"
Frieza's voice suddenly sounded right beside his ear.
Too fast.
Piccolo's pupils shrank. He couldn't even turn in time, only reacting on instinct by shifting sideways.
Slash!
A purple beam grazed his cheek and tore through the ground behind him, carving a bottomless trench into Namek's surface.
Before Piccolo could steady himself, Frieza vanished again.
"Too slow. Far too slow."
"Namekian, is this all your eyes can keep up with?"
Frieza's mocking laughter echoed from above.
"Don't get carried away!"
Piccolo roared as his green aura exploded outward, his full 1.2 million power unleashed.
He unleashed a storm of punches at the afterimages in the sky, each strike breaking the sound barrier.
Every single one missed.
Frieza moved like a phantom weaving through a storm. No matter how dense the attack, he slipped through with perfect precision.
"There!"
Piccolo spun and kicked behind him.
Tap.
Frieza stopped the full-force kick with a single finger.
That elongated head leaned in close, his smile cruel and merciless.
"This is your full strength? How disappointing."
His voice was soft.
Cold.
"Then you can die now."
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