"Hmph, is that all you've got?" Vegeta scoffed.
"Ken? The former genius warrior, with a power level of only 100 now? Truly impressive. The more you train, the weaker you get—what a genius," Zadoria mocked with disdain.
Ken ignored him, not even bothering to lift a finger. Having a battle-hungry little prince to do the fighting for him? That was ideal.
"Why don't you both come at me together?" Zadoria sneered, beckoning to both Ken and Vegeta.
"No need. To deal with someone like you, I'm more than enough on my own," Vegeta growled coldly. His energy flared with a bright light that surged across his body.
Then, like a streak of light, Vegeta shot toward Zadoria.
Whoosh!
In a flash, Vegeta vanished—and reappeared directly behind him.
Bam!
Vegeta's fist slammed into Zadoria's kidney, launching him forward. Without missing a beat, Vegeta chased him down and drove a powerful kick into his back, sending him flying into the air.
Zoom!
Soaring upward, Vegeta quickly appeared above Zadoria.
Bam!
With a powerful axe kick, Vegeta smashed his heel into Zadoria's chest, sending him hurtling toward the ground like a cannonball. He crashed down with tremendous force, leaving a crater in the shape of his body.
Vegeta descended like a meteor, landing with a harsh stomp on Zadoria's head.
Crunch!
The scouter on Zadoria's face shattered beneath Vegeta's foot.
Vegeta leapt up again and launched a barrage of energy blasts downward.
Boom boom boom!
Explosions rocked the area as smoke and dust filled the air.
Snap!
Vegeta landed across from the impact zone, panting heavily.
"Huff… Huff…" He was gasping for breath, clearly exhausted.
He had poured every ounce of energy into that attack. But as the smoke cleared, Zadoria's figure emerged—dirty and bruised, armor in tatters, but otherwise unharmed.
Well… not entirely unharmed. His face was dusty, and his armor was cracked, but his body was still functional.
A 2,000-point power gap wasn't something that could be overcome so easily.
"Not bad, Vegeta. You had a nice rhythm going there," Zadoria smirked with contempt as he dusted himself off.
"What?!" Vegeta's face twisted in disbelief.
"Feeling discouraged? Looks like your attacks didn't do much, huh?" Zadoria taunted, stepping closer.
"Damn it!" Vegeta growled, firing another energy blast from his palm.
Boom!
Zadoria slapped it away with one hand like swatting a fly.
Vegeta's pupils contracted. His expression grew even darker.
"My turn now, Vegeta!" Zadoria laughed and stepped forward.
"Not good!" Vegeta rushed in, throwing a desperate punch at Zadoria's face.
Smack!
Zadoria simply raised a hand and caught the punch midair.
"What's the matter, Vegeta? That's all you've got? A 2,000-point gap isn't small, after all!" he cackled.
Vegeta's face went pale.
Bang!
Zadoria slammed his forehead into Vegeta's head.
"Argh—!"
Vegeta screamed as blood streamed down from his forehead.
Wham!
Zadoria kicked him skyward, then quickly followed, appearing above Vegeta.
"Ahahahaha!"
Zadoria laughed maniacally and kicked Vegeta hard in the waist.
"GRAAAAH—!"
Vegeta screamed again, tumbling through the sky like a meteor before slamming into the planet's surface, shaking the ground and carving out a massive crater.
Thud!
Zadoria landed at the edge of the crater, stomping hard on the ground.
The impact jolted Vegeta from the pit and hurled him upward.
Snatch!
Zadoria caught him by the tail, lifting him like a ragdoll.
"Hey, don't die on me, little prince. Lord Frieza wants you alive," Zadoria said, then casually slapped Vegeta twice across the face—not too hard, afraid he might kill him by accident.
After all, Frieza hadn't ordered Vegeta's death—just that he be brought back along with Ken.
"Ugh…" Vegeta coughed up blood, feeling like death was moments away.
But then he remembered—he had Ken. A powerful healer.
He wasn't done yet.
"Heh!"
Vegeta opened his mouth and bit down hard on Zadoria's hand.
"AAAAAARGH!" Zadoria howled, hurling Vegeta to the ground.
Beaten and broken, Vegeta crawled toward Ken.
"Hah! What are you, a dog?" Zadoria clutched his bitten hand, seething with pain and fury. "Still have the strength to run, huh? But you think you can escape me?"
As he spoke, Zadoria turned his gaze to Ken with a grin.
"Hey, Ken—the once-famous prodigy. Are you coming willingly? Or do I have to beat you into Vegeta's condition and drag you to Lord Frieza?"
Ken smiled. "Mm, give me a second."
He raised his hand, and a cluster of murky Divine ki appeared in his palm.
Brilliant star-like light burst forth, quickly enveloping Vegeta's battered body.
Vegeta's wounds began healing visibly before their eyes.
"What… are you doing?" Zadoria blinked, sensing something was off.
"Just give me a moment. Almost done." Ken grinned.
"You… you're healing Vegeta?!" Zadoria finally realized what was happening.
(End of Chapter)