"Tzzzt… tzzzt…"
Krillin's Kienzan scraped across Frieza's barrier, spitting out a harsh, grating noise.
It didn't matter. The barrier blocked it with ease.
The disc skimmed the barrier and shot off into the distance, vanishing in seconds.
Krillin: "…"
Are you kidding me?
You've got a barrier up too?!
Nope. Not doing this!
I need to bail—now!
Krillin took the opening and bolted from the battlefield.
I've gotta figure out a Kienzan that can cut through a barrier.
Frieza's eyes finished recovering, and he immediately started searching around in a fury.
That little brat!
I was that close to getting killed just now.
If some weak Earthling killed me, the emperor of the universe would be a cosmic joke.
Frieza spotted Krillin in a blink.
"Whoosh!"
He tore after him at top speed.
"Flash!"
Someone moved faster, appearing right in front of Frieza and blocking his path.
"A Namekian? You came to avenge that companion from earlier?" Frieza snorted.
"Not just him," Piccolo said coldly. "Every innocent Namekian you slaughtered."
"Oh?" Frieza's expression tightened a notch as he studied him. "You're not like the other Namekians… but you're still not my match."
"Next, I'm taking him one-on-one. Don't interfere," Piccolo called to everyone. "This is between Namekians and him. I'm settling the score here!"
Krillin finally breathed again. "So this is the assimilation Ken talked about… If Ken said it works, then Piccolo can definitely beat Frieza."
Gohan lowered his voice. "Ken said Piccolo should merge with all the Namekians… but Piccolo only did with the Grand Elder and Nail."
"You're right," Krillin said, nodding. "Let's watch first."
"Piccolo's energy jumped a lot," Goku said, impressed.
Vegeta: "…"
He only absorbed two of his people, and his power climbed this far?
What kind of species boosts strength like that?
Wait.
What about my regeneration?
Why hasn't my body reacted yet?
This delay is way too long.
"Let's go down," Piccolo said with a faint smile at Frieza, dropping from the sky first.
Frieza followed at an unhurried pace, landing opposite him with a mocking grin.
"You idiot," Frieza scoffed. "You think you can avenge your companions?"
"Ha!"
Piccolo exploded forward and drove a fist into Frieza's face.
Frieza flew backward.
Piccolo chased, appearing above him and bringing both fists down in a heavy smash.
Frieza reacted instantly, slipping sideways and letting the blow rip past.
"Bang!"
Frieza's kick caught Piccolo clean, punting him down from midair.
The moment Piccolo touched down, he stamped off the ground and launched back up.
"Thud!"
He slammed his head up into Frieza's chin.
Frieza bared his teeth in pain and snapped his half-length tail across Piccolo's face.
Piccolo fell again.
Frieza pressed a hand down, firing a ki blast that roared toward Piccolo from above.
Piccolo grit his teeth, whipped an arm through, and shoved the descending blast away with a forceful swing.
Frieza's eyes widened. He hadn't expected a Namekian to be this relentless.
"Hey!"
Piccolo threw out his hand, unleashing a massive surge of energy that swallowed Frieza whole.
Frieza's expression twisted—too late to dodge. The energy engulfed him in an instant.
When the smoke cleared, Frieza was steaming.
Goku and Vegeta both froze at the sight.
"So strong… That's Piccolo after the merge?" Goku kept marveling.
"This is insane," Krillin said, stunned. "He's going toe-to-toe with Frieza."
"Damn it… not just that—he even pushed Frieza into—" Vegeta's jaw tightened.
What is this?
He fused with two Namekians and jumped to this level?
One of them had a battle power around forty thousand. The other wasn't even a fighter—if you forced a number on him, maybe a thousand at most.
And just like that, Piccolo's at a million?
Unbelievable.
"Awesome, Piccolo-san!" Gohan clenched his fists, shaking with excitement.
Kale kept nodding beside him.
That green guy really is strong.
He's beating that monster up bad.
"Too bad," Merus murmured, watching. "He's only got the advantage for a moment."
"You're right," Ken said, nodding.
As soon as the words left him, he suddenly sensed a familiar presence far away, in a distant region of space.
Angel power.
An angel—somewhere within tens of thousands of light-years.
"Feels like Whis-niisan," Merus said as well, tracking it. "He's coming this way."
…
Far out in the starry void.
Whis streaked through space with the Oracle Fish.
He'd been planning to take the Oracle Fish back to the God of Destruction Realm. After all, Broly had already left with the other Gods of Destruction.
And this time, the ones who suffered were the Gods of Destruction other than Broly—Beerus had beaten them senseless in his sleep.
Whis was genuinely pleased. Beerus-sama really was powerful.
Even sleeping, he did it with style.
"I have to say, Beerus-sama's Ultra Instinct has improved by a large margin," Whis said with a smile to the Oracle Fish.
"Whis, how is Beerus's Ultra Instinct different from Ken's Ultra Instinct?" the Oracle Fish asked curiously.
"Beerus-sama's Ultra Instinct focuses on the evasion aspect," Whis explained. "Ken's Ultra Instinct grasps the core. Think of it like this: what Beerus-sama realized is the surface, while what Ken realized is the inside."
"So that's why he can develop angel power, right?" the Oracle Fish said, understanding.
"Exactly," Whis replied, then glanced at the orb on his staff. "Ken and Merus are near Planet Namek right now. There's a fierce battle happening there. Shall we go have a look?"
"Let's go," the Oracle Fish said, nodding hard. "I like watching people fight. That planet earlier was boring—no need to rush back to the God of Destruction Realm, right?"
"You're not wrong," Whis said with a gentle smile.
Whis accelerated toward Planet Namek with the Oracle Fish.
For an angel, tens of thousands of light-years wasn't much—just a few minutes.
"Whoosh!"
Whis appeared beside Ken and Merus with the Oracle Fish.
"Whis-niisan!" Merus bowed immediately.
"Whis, huh," Ken greeted politely. "If you're coming, then come—why bring a gift?"
Whis: "????"
I didn't bring a gift.
"I mean, the fish you brought is kinda small," Ken continued. "Not much to eat."
As he spoke, Ken grabbed the Oracle Fish and dunked him in the fishbowl, swishing him around.
Oracle Fish: "…"
The Oracle Fish nearly broke down on the spot.
What are you doing?!
He choked on several mouthfuls of water.
Whis: "…"
Merus: "…"
Both of them were at a loss.
This poor Oracle Fish.
"Small but complete, right? I'll make it work," Ken said, reaching for the scales. "It's a gift from Whis, after all."
"Cough—cough—cough!" The Oracle Fish hacked hard and blurted out, "Wait! I'm not for eating! I'm the Oracle Fish!"
"Oh? You can talk?" Ken said. "Don't think talking gets you out of being eaten!"
He raised his hand like he was about to keep scaling.
"Whis, say something!" the Oracle Fish yelled, panicking. "Are you just going to stand there?!"
"Dear me… dear me… Ken is only joking with you," Whis said, smiling.
"So you figured it out," Ken sighed. "Not bad, Whis."
"Nothing special," Whis said with a confident grin. "If you pay attention to subtle shifts in expression, it's easy to see what's going on."
"Merus, learn from your brother," Ken said, turning to him. "You didn't think I actually wanted to eat that fish, did you? I've eaten every kind of fish there is. This tiny little thing? One look and you know it tastes bad."
Oracle Fish: "…"
The Oracle Fish wanted to start cursing.
Who jokes like that?
I almost scared myself stupid.
And you called me 'tiny' like I'm nothing.
"Cough—cough—cough!" The Oracle Fish flapped his fins furiously. "What is wrong with you?! That kind of joke can scare a fish to death!"
"Why are you coughing?" Ken asked. "Still choking?"
"Even a fish can choke if you throw it into water without warning!" the Oracle Fish protested.
"Really? I don't buy it," Ken said, then looked at Merus. "Do you buy it?"
"I…" Merus hesitated, not sure how to answer.
"There are plenty of fish on Planet Namek," Ken said. "Grab one and test whether it can choke."
Merus: "…"
Oracle Fish: "…"
"Am I the same as a normal fish?!" the Oracle Fish shouted.
"Joke aside, I did offend you. My sincere apologies," Ken said, bowing politely.
"…Fine," the Oracle Fish said, unsure what else to do. "You apologized."
"Whis, what brings you here?" Ken asked.
"Just came to take a look," Whis replied, then sighed with mild amazement. "Dear me… isn't that Frieza-san? He really has a lot of opponents today."
Down below, Frieza drifted into place directly across from Piccolo, the corner of his mouth lifting into a darker, uglier smile.
Deep blue blood ran from the edge of his lips.
Piccolo saw that smile and froze for a fraction of a second. A bad feeling hit him.
"Hey!"
Frieza drove a vicious elbow into Piccolo's face.
Piccolo's features twisted under the impact.
"Bang!"
Frieza followed with an open-handed slap, smashing Piccolo to the ground.
Goku and the others stared, shaken.
Frieza still hadn't shown his real strength?
Frieza punched down again.
Piccolo slipped the fist and sprang up into the air.
"Whoosh!"
Frieza shot after him, caught up in an instant, clasped both hands together, and hammered Piccolo down from the sky.
"Boom!"
Piccolo crashed into the small island below.
The entire island trembled violently.
Frieza smiled, pleased with himself.
When the dust cleared, Piccolo pushed himself up, teeth clenched, face tight with strain.
"Heh heh heh… about earlier, my apologies," Frieza said with a cold chuckle. "You took a bit of suffering. You're stronger than I expected. You absorbed those other two Namekians, didn't you?"
Frieza narrowed his eyes. "Namekian abilities really are something. You can raise your battle power like that."
"Spit."
Piccolo spat out bloody saliva and slowly removed his cape and turban.
"Clang!"
They hit the ground with a crisp metallic ring.
Frieza blinked, surprised, a flicker of shock crossing his face.
"I haven't used my real strength either," Piccolo said, rolling his neck, smiling at Frieza.
"You… what? You're saying you didn't show your true power?" Frieza scoffed. "Because you fought me wearing heavy clothes? You think taking off some weighted gear lets you rival me?!"
"Piccolo's amazing," Goku said, still impressed. "He's been wearing that the whole time."
"We might actually win," Krillin said, thrilled.
"Yes!" Gohan said, fists tight. "That's Piccolo-san!"
Kale nodded hard, anxious for the brave green fighter.
Vegeta, though, looked conflicted.
Fighting in clothes like that?
No—none of that matters!
The problem is this delay is ridiculous.
Why does my body still feel exactly the same?
Or… has it changed without me noticing?
So do I already have regeneration?
Do I… rip off an arm and test it?
If I tear it off and it doesn't grow back… that's a disaster.
Vegeta couldn't decide.
"I'll show you a Namekian's rage!" Piccolo shouted.
"Piccolo-san is going to win!" Gohan said, shaking with excitement.
"You're bluffing," Frieza said with a contemptuous smile. "You think that was my true strength?"
"What?" Piccolo's eyes widened.
"You saw me transform, didn't you?" Frieza said, voice turning cruel. "Then let me tell you something that'll drown you in despair. Every time I transform, my power jumps massively… and I can do it two more times. Do you understand what that means?"
"You… two more times?" Piccolo said, stunned, face going pale.
"What's he saying? They're too far—I can't hear clearly," Krillin said quickly, turning to Goku.
"This is bad," Goku said, grim. "Frieza says he can transform two more times."
Vegeta's expression shifted again and again.
Ken was right.
Is Frieza's true battle power really one hundred twenty million?
What kind of monster is that?
"Two more transformations? He's a freak…" Krillin's face drained.
"Gohan-niisan… I'm scared," Kale said, trembling harder, clinging to Gohan's arm like it might stop the fear from swallowing her.
"Watch closely," Frieza laughed loudly. "You should feel honored. Besides the gods at the Universe 12 God of Destruction selection tournament—and the humans from other universes—you'll be the first to see my true form!"
Goku and the others stood there, speechless.
"Next, I'll begin my second-stage transformation!" Frieza sneered, letting out a harsh, rising cry.
"Pop! Pop!"
Long spikes burst from his back.
His mouth stretched several times longer, and his head lengthened with it.
The shape looked like some bizarre alien creature.
This transformation looked even more monstrous than before.
Piccolo's face went white.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Frieza said, smiling at Piccolo. "Let's start round two."
"Dear me… dear me… isn't that Frieza-san third form?" Whis said, peering down with a smile. "If I'm not mistaken, that Vegeta down there is one of your people, Ken-san?"
"Yes," Ken said plainly. "I plan to train him into a God of Destruction as strong as Broly. Whis, do you think it's possible?"
Whis: "…"
"That's an enormous undertaking," Whis said with a sigh. "How many years of training would that take?"
"See that little girl down there?" Ken pointed at Kale.
Whis gave a small nod, not raising his staff to scan her.
She was a girl—scanning her body like that would be rude.
"Whis, you don't recognize her?" Ken asked.
Whis: "…"
"Want an introduction?" Whis asked with a smile.
"Sure," Ken said, nodding.
Merus pressed a hand to his forehead, wordless.
The way you two talk, I can't keep up.
"Simple version: she's Merus's new apprentice God of Destruction," Ken said, smiling, a mix of emotion and resignation in his voice. "Worth mentioning—last time, Merus lost to me in the God of Destruction pick. I won so hard it got awkward."
Merus: "…"
That's what you call 'awkward'?
"So this time Merus decided to break the pattern and brought in another Legendary Super Saiyan," Ken said with a sigh.
Merus went quiet, guilt creeping in.
The way he says it makes it sound like I'm winning by cheating.
"Dear me… so it's her," Whis said, realization dawning. "I've heard about this. Merus's newest apprentice God of Destruction is also a Legendary Super Saiyan."
"Yes, Whis-niisan," Merus said, nodding.
"Compared to Broly, she's more timid," Whis said honestly. "But that can be solved through experience. Her future achievements should end up close to Broly's."
"Thank you, Whis-niisan," Merus said.
"So you're saying her potential is even higher than Vegeta's?" Ken asked with a grin.
"If she's guided well, at least in talent, she's a bit more outstanding than Vegeta-san," Whis said after a moment.
Merus let out a small breath.
If Whis-niisan says that, then it's fine.
That puts me at ease.
If it goes like this, then at least this time, in picking a God of Destruction, I shouldn't lose to Ken.
And the Supreme Kai might not lose either!
You're raising an angel, not a Supreme Kai.
So I still win!
Even if it's not exactly honorable.
…Wait, why does that sound shameless?
Who did I learn that from?
Did I learn it from the Grand Priest?
Merus immediately shook that thought away.
Ken rubbed off on me. That's the answer.
"But putting that aside," Whis said, returning his gaze to the battlefield, "with that many people challenging Frieza-san, they're likely to get wiped out."
Whis paused, weighing the gap. "That is, if we don't intervene."
"You think Vegeta and the others get wiped out?" Ken asked.
"At least with the situation as it stands," Whis said, nodding.
"Whis, want to make a bet?" Ken said, grinning.
"About what?" Whis asked.
"I think the one who ends up winning might be Goku," Ken said, pointing down at him.
Whis looked toward Goku and, by habit, started to raise his staff to scan.
"This Goku-san really is impressive," Merus added. "He's already developed angel power, though it's not the same as Ken's."
Whis showed a flicker of surprise and immediately scanned Goku carefully with his staff.
"Truly impressive," Whis said. "Is it becoming easier for humans to develop angel power?"
He shook his head lightly. "But he started too late. Right now, even though Goku has developed it, the amount is extremely faint. Compared to Frieza-san at this moment, he's still far behind."
"So?" Ken said. "Want to gamble? I will take the challenge."
"I'm in," Whis said with a small nod.
"Whis…" the Oracle Fish started to speak.
"Shut it. I know you can prophesize," Ken snapped.
Oracle Fish: "…"
"What is Ken-san betting?" Whis asked with a smile.
"Tell me your terms first," Ken said.
"Nothing difficult," Whis said thoughtfully. "Prepare ten lavish meals for me, and every single one has to make me genuinely happy. If I'm not happy, it doesn't count."
"Easy," Ken said, agreeing without hesitation.
Merus wanted to speak, then held it back.
Whis-niisan, have you not been to Earth?
Earth food is incredible.
…Never mind. Not my moment.
"And what does Ken-san want?" Whis asked.
"My request isn't much either," Ken said after a pause. "Have your sister marry me."
Whis: "…"
That's not "not much."
Whis suddenly felt like he was getting the short end.
Merus didn't know what to say.
"Dear me… dear me…" Whis said at last. "I can propose on your behalf, but whether my sister agrees is her decision."
"Fine," Ken said. "You propose. I'll handle the rest."
"Deal," Whis said, offering his hand.
Ken shook it, sealing the bet.
"By the way," Whis asked, curious, "which sister are you proposing to?"
"Kusu, Vados, Marcarita," Ken answered.
Whis: "????"
"Dear me… dear me… you mean all three at once?" Whis said, wiping his forehead.
Ken nodded firmly.
"That depends on whether the Grand Priest approves," Whis said with a smile.
"No," Ken said, shaking his head. "This is between you and me."
"Then ten meals isn't enough," Whis said, suddenly feeling like trading three sisters for ten meals was a terrible deal.
"Then one hundred," Ken said, multiplying it by ten without blinking.
"Agreed!" Whis said immediately, nodding.
Merus could only laugh helplessly.
Whis-niisan… you just traded Vados and the others' marriage for a hundred meals?
If the Grand Priest finds out, is he going to beat you up?
"As agreed, if Frieza-san wins, I get one hundred lavish meals," Whis said, smacking his lips. "Not a single meal missing."
Having someone else hunt down great food for him felt like an excellent trade.
And Ken's food choices were likely to be outstanding.
"And if Goku wins," Ken said seriously, "then as their little brother, you'll give me your three sisters."
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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