Frieza's distorted body hovered in midair.
The elongated back of his head gleamed under the dim light, glossy and unsettling, like something not meant for this world.
With a light tap of his three-toed foot against empty space, his figure vanished like a ghost.
Piccolo's vision blurred.
Even after fusing with Nail, even with his power pushed to 1.2 million, the dynamic vision he once relied on could no longer keep up with Frieza's full-powered third form.
"Where is he?!"
Piccolo expanded his energy sensing to the limit, trying to track Frieza's movement.
"Above? No… behind!"
He spun sharply, arms crossed in front of his chest in defense.
But the expected impact never came.
"Heh… heh heh… where are you looking?"
The sharp laughter echoed from all directions, as if a dozen Friezas were speaking at once.
Then Piccolo felt it.
Not a punch. Not a kick.
A killing intent, condensed to an edge.
Frieza hovered ten meters ahead, body slightly leaning forward. His slender right hand lifted, index and middle fingers aligned, pointing straight at Piccolo.
Tap tap tap tap tap!
No charge-up, no warning.
Purple beams poured from his fingertips like anti-air gunfire.
Too fast.
So fast even the sound lagged behind.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Piccolo didn't even have time to dodge. The arms guarding his chest burst into sprays of blood.
The beams punched through muscle and bone with terrifying ease, continuing past him to shred the stone pillars behind, turning a towering formation into something like Swiss cheese.
"Ugh!"
Piccolo groaned as the force drove him backward again and again.
But that was only the beginning.
Frieza's grin widened, growing more unhinged. His fingers moved so fast they blurred.
"Die! Die! Die! This is what happens when you defy your emperor!"
The beams fell like rain.
Shoulder. Thigh. Abdomen.
Hit after hit.
Green blood splattered across the pale ground, vivid and brutal.
"Damn it…"
Piccolo gritted his teeth and tried to counterattack, gathering energy in his mouth for a Special Beam Cannon.
But the moment he opened his mouth, a beam sliced past his cheek, interrupting his charge.
He was completely suppressed.
This was not a fight.
This was a one-sided execution.
"Piccolo!"
A streak of orange cut into the battlefield.
Goku moved.
No Kaioken. No overwhelming surge of energy.
Just pure physical speed.
In an instant, he appeared in front of Piccolo.
"Hah!"
With a shout, his hands blurred into afterimages, swatting away every incoming beam.
Bang bang bang bang!
The purple blasts were deflected in all directions, erupting across the landscape in bursts of fire.
"Goku…"
Piccolo clutched his bleeding arm, breathing heavily.
"Be careful. His speed… it's not normal."
"I've got it."
Goku didn't turn around. His eyes remained locked on Frieza in the sky.
His orange gi snapped in the wind, and in those black eyes burned nothing but pure fighting spirit.
"Oh?"
Frieza halted his attack, narrowing his crimson eyes as he examined this new opponent.
Until now, his attention had been on the bald human and the Namekian.
He had barely noticed the man in orange.
But now…
That hairstyle.
That stubborn, infuriating gaze.
And that aura. The tail was gone, yet there was still something wild about it.
Something unmistakable.
A memory surfaced.
Long ago, on the day he destroyed Planet Vegeta.
Amid the blazing explosion, there had been a Saiyan warrior, drenched in blood, still struggling against his energy attack until the very last moment.
That face slowly overlapped with the one before him.
"Heh… heh heh…"
Frieza covered his forehead, letting out a manic laugh.
"I remember now."
"You're that Saiyan's son, aren't you? You look exactly like him."
He lowered his hand, eyes filled with contempt.
"I thought all Saiyans were wiped out. Turns out, besides that useless Vegeta, one more survived."
"So what? Are you here to avenge your people?"
"Or do you want to end up like your foolish father, exploding into dust in the void of space?"
Goku tilted his head, confused.
"Who are you talking about?"
"I'm Son Goku. I grew up on Earth."
He clenched his fists, his energy beginning to rise steadily. It felt heavy, like a mountain pressing down.
"I don't know who that Saiyan was."
"But you've killed too many people."
"I'm going to send you flying!"
"Send me flying? You, a monkey?"
Frieza laughed as if he had heard the greatest joke in the universe, his body shaking.
"I am the emperor of the universe! I rule over everything! Creatures like Saiyans were born to be beneath me!"
"If you want to die that badly, I'll grant your wish."
"Go join your father!"
Whoosh!
Frieza vanished again.
This time, even faster than before.
He aimed to crush this arrogant Saiyan's throat in an instant.
But then…
Smack.
A dull impact echoed.
Not the sound of bones breaking.
Goku stood exactly where he was, his right hand slightly raised.
His palm had caught Frieza's ankle mid-kick.
"What?!"
Shock spread across Frieza's alien face.
He tried to pull back, but Goku's grip held firm like iron.
[System Data Monitor]
[Target: Son Goku]
[Status: Base Form, Full Potential Unlocked]
[Power Level: 3,000,000]
[Evaluation: Overwhelming baseline superiority. Frieza's 2.4 million is nothing more than a larger punching bag.]
Not far away, Krillin watched with a satisfied nod.
"As expected. With the Grand Elder's unlock and King Kai's training, Goku's base form has already surpassed where he was before turning Super Saiyan in the original timeline."
"Got you."
Goku looked up and grinned.
To Frieza, that smile was more terrifying than any monster.
"My turn."
Boom!
Goku clenched his left fist and drove a clean uppercut straight into Frieza's elongated chin.
No tricks. No flair.
Just raw power.
The hit landed solid.
Frieza's mind went blank for a split second as the force sent him rocketing upward like a missile.
But Goku wasn't done.
He bent his knees, the ground cracking beneath him, and vanished.
A moment later, he appeared above Frieza, arriving first despite moving second.
"This one's for the Namekians!"
Thud!
Both fists slammed down like a hammer onto Frieza's back.
Frieza screamed as he was driven downward even faster than he had risen, crashing deep into the earth.
Dust and debris erupted into the air.
Goku landed lightly, brushing off his hands.
"Guess the so-called emperor of the universe isn't that tough after all."
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