"Hey, Kale! Take the other one—Frieza's mine!" Goku shouted.
Kale didn't react. Whether she heard him or not, she just kept slamming Frieza into the ground.
"My little brother's only allowed to be bullied by me!" Cooler charged in. "You savage monkeys don't get to run wild!" He drove a heavy punch into Kale's face again.
Kale's head tilted to the side.
This time she finally noticed who hit her. Anger flashed across her eyes.
With a flick of her arm, she hurled Frieza away.
Then she grabbed Cooler by the head and ground his face into the dirt over and over.
Cooler was still in his fourth form. He hadn't shown his fifth yet.
He was a bit stronger than Frieza, but in front of a Legendary Super Saiyan, he might as well have been a kid.
As she kept scraping Cooler across the ground, something seemed to cross Kale's mind—Gohan.
She burst into loud sobs, crying harder as she put even more force into it.
"Damn you! I'll kill you!" Cooler roared and whipped a furious slap across her face.
Kale barely flinched. She stepped in and grabbed his tail.
Cooler seemed to know exactly what was coming. The color drained from his face.
He twisted his body and hammered a punch into her chest.
Kale answered with a backhand that snapped his head aside and warped his features.
The worst part was that she was still crying as she beat him down. It was painful to watch.
Cooler screamed through clenched teeth.
In that split-second of desperation, he let out a roar and transformed on the spot—fifth form.
"Filthy monkey!" Cooler sneered, killing intent flickering in his eyes. "Now I'm serious. I'll make you wish you were dead!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Kale drove a brutal kick straight into him.
Cooler went spinning up into the sky, wobbling higher and higher until he vanished.
"AAAAAAAH!" Kale threw her head back and screamed, like she was trying to tear the grief out of her chest.
Then she clutched her head again, trembling in obvious pain.
Goku just stared, speechless.
That guy who looked like Frieza had rushed in to stop her, and all he did was volunteer to get beaten instead.
Tragic.
Then Goku sensed something—Frieza and Cooler had regrouped far away, and a massive energy was gathering beside them.
Goku's expression changed.
Are they trying to destroy Namek?
Not happening.
He shot off as a streak of golden light, racing toward them.
"Hmph. That shameless Frieza—can't win, so he's going to blow up the planet," Vegeta said, scowling.
Ken nodded. "That's the biggest weakness we Saiyans have. Frieza's actually one of the 'honorable' ones. If you run into someone with no limits, they just destroy the planet you live on. Even if your power's higher, it won't matter."
Vegeta fell silent. Ken was right.
Damn it… I should've asked for the ability to survive in space.
"So aside from Kakarot's son, everyone else dies, right?" Vegeta asked.
"Yes." Ken nodded.
Merus looked a little too tense.
No… I don't want Kale to die.
"Since the winner's decided, I'll interfere a bit," Merus said. He pulled out a handgun and aimed at the energy ball forming in Frieza's hand.
Vegeta stared.
That gun can shoot down an energy ball?
…No. That thing's definitely not what it looks like.
I heard him call Whis "Whis-niisan."
So he's an Angel too?
So that's what he is…
…
Far away, Frieza and Cooler hovered together. Both looked miserable, their expressions twisted with humiliation.
Even combined, they couldn't touch that Legendary Super Saiyan.
It was beyond embarrassing.
"I've decided," Frieza snapped, right hand lifting high. "I'm done playing. I'm destroying this planet with my own hands!"
"I want to destroy it too," Cooler growled through clenched teeth, "but if I don't personally kill that Legendary Super Saiyan, I won't be satisfied!"
"And can you beat her?" Frieza said coldly.
"Her power is incredible, but she's completely out of her mind," Cooler said grimly. "Watch her movements—she's not fast."
Frieza thought back. He had panicked when he saw that girl become a Legendary Super Saiyan, then chose to brute-force it instead of thinking.
Now, with Cooler's words in mind, Frieza felt like speed was something he could use.
"Doesn't matter. I'm bored," Frieza said, veins bulging at his temple. "I'll just destroy the planet!" As he spoke, an even larger planet-destroying ball swelled in his palm.
The sphere kept growing, painting the sky a deep red.
Cooler sighed and didn't stop him.
Maybe Frieza was right.
There was no need to grind it out against a Legendary Super Saiyan.
Blowing up the planet was easier.
Merus was just about to act.
Then Goku came flying in from the distance.
"Stop, Frieza!" Goku shouted.
"Hmph." Frieza sneered and slammed the planet-destroying ball down toward Namek without hesitation.
"Kamehameha!"
Goku thrust both hands forward, energy surging out in a roaring beam.
With a thunderous blast, his Kamehameha struck the planet-destroying ball and knocked it off course.
The sphere scraped along Namek's surface, rolling fast across the ground until it disappeared from sight.
Goku finally let out the breath he'd been holding.
Merus slid the handgun back at his waist.
Vegeta's eyes narrowed.
Kakarot actually knocked Frieza's planet-destroying ball away.
Did he really "just" become a normal Super Saiyan?
Goku flashed forward and appeared right in front of Frieza, gripping his wrist and squeezing down.
Frieza struggled to break free.
"That's enough, Frieza!" Goku barked. "You shameless creep—you're trying to destroy Namek again! And you've hurt innocent people one after another… you didn't even spare Krillin!"
"Let him go!" Cooler shouted.
Goku snapped a kick into Cooler's face.
Cooler's head jerked back, a clear boot print stamped across his features.
Cooler froze.
…I got careless. Didn't dodge.
Frieza used the moment to slip free and retreat, pulling distance between them.
Ken stared down at the scene, thinking. "Wait—Krillin's soul hasn't checked in at the Other World yet, right? We should pull him back now. Otherwise we'll have to go fishing for him, and that's annoying."
Ken swung his staff. Space rippled as if a section of the void had been covered by an unseen screen.
At the edge of the Other World, Krillin's soul hovered wide-eyed, staring at the long line of spirits.
"After all these years…" Krillin sighed. "I'm back here again."
I've died twice already.
Earth's dragon can't bring me back.
What bad luck… I didn't even get a girlfriend yet!
And Frieza just killed me like that.
Namek was supposed to be my stage…
How did it end up like this?
Whatever. Time to line up.
He started to drift down toward the queue.
Then, all at once, an invisible divine force clamped onto him.
"Huh? Huh? Huh?!" Krillin blinked as his soul stopped responding.
In an instant, Ken used Angel power to yank Krillin's soul straight off the edge of the Other World and back.
King Yemma, buried in paperwork, looked up in confusion.
What was that?
…Forget it.
I'm busy.
Krillin's soul snapped into place beside Ken. Ken flicked a finger.
Krillin shook his head and came to.
"Huh? Ken? It's you!" Krillin stared, startled.
"Yeah." Ken nodded.
"So I'm really dead?" Krillin looked at his soul-form and groaned.
Then he noticed Vegeta nearby.
"Wait—Vegeta?!" Krillin gaped. "You're a soul too!"
Vegeta kept a stony expression and refused to answer.
"And you're… a Galactic Patrolman?" Krillin greeted Merus.
Merus smiled politely.
"Oh… so you've been watching from here the whole time…" Krillin said, finally spotting the projection below.
No one answered.
Krillin went quiet too.
Then he turned back to Ken. "Ken… can I come back to life?"
"You can. I'll revive you in a bit," Ken said with a smile.
"In a bit? You'll revive me?" Krillin blinked, completely lost. "Are you a dragon?"
Ken didn't answer.
"Is that Goku?" Krillin pointed. "Why is he glowing gold?"
Vegeta exhaled through his nose. "Baldy, your death has a lot to do with that."
"My death?" Krillin scratched his head. "How does that—"
"Simple," Vegeta said, fists clenched tight. "After you got killed, Kakarot's son got killed too. Kakarot snapped and became a Super Saiyan."
"Gohan died too?!" Krillin blurted.
"He's fine," Vegeta said, voice sharp. "That Namekian gave the regeneration wish to Kakarot's son. He recovered."
Vegeta's jaw tightened.
Unforgivable.
Piccolo… just you wait.
Once I become a Super Saiyan, I'm going to make you regret it.
Krillin slapped his own head as realization hit.
"Ken… so when you said Namek would be my stage… you meant I'd die, and that would be the reason Goku transforms?" Krillin said, not sure whether to laugh or cry.
"Krillin, you're sharp," Ken said, giving him a thumbs-up.
"So it really was that…" Krillin groaned.
Ken looked thoughtful. "Are you smart because you don't have a nose?"
Krillin stared at him.
You don't have to bully me like that.
…
The fight on Namek kept going.
For a while, Frieza couldn't fight back at all.
Goku kicked Frieza hard, sending him flying.
Frieza flipped twice midair, then stopped himself and hovered steadily.
"How are you glowing too…?" Frieza asked, eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me you're a Legendary Super Saiyan as well."
"I don't know what I am," Goku said, surging forward. "I just know I'm going to avenge Krillin."
His fist crashed into Frieza's face, launching him back.
Goku chased him down, appeared above him with both hands clenched, and drove a heavy blow straight down.
Frieza plummeted and slammed into the ground.
He pushed himself up immediately, flaring his energy and shattering nearby rocks into fragments.
Stones sprayed up and pelted Goku.
Goku didn't bother moving. The rocks thudded off him, and his expression barely changed.
Frieza rose into the sky again, facing him head-on.
Cooler flew in from the side and stopped next to Frieza.
"Frieza. Who is this guy?" Cooler asked, eyes narrowed.
"He's just a low-class Saiyan warrior," Frieza said with a snort.
"Don't tell me he's the low-class brat you let go—the one with a power level of two?" Cooler's eyes widened as the image of a three-year-old child flashed through his mind.
Back then, Cooler had seen Goku's spaceship too.
He just hadn't shot it down.
He let the kid go, saying it was Frieza's problem—Frieza's mistake to fix.
"Frieza, you never should've let him escape," Cooler said.
"You saw him too," Frieza shot back. "Why didn't you shoot him down? And now you're blaming me?"
Cooler went quiet.
After a moment—
"I'll deal with him. Don't interfere," Frieza said through gritted teeth.
"Fine," Cooler replied. "Five minutes is enough, right?"
"Of course," Frieza said, nodding. "If I use 100% of my power, five minutes is more than enough to erase him."
"Then I'll make a planet-destroying ball," Cooler said, lifting his right hand. A crimson sphere formed instantly. "This planet will be gone in five minutes."
Goku's eyes sharpened.
"Not a chance!" He shot toward Cooler.
"Too late, Saiyan," Cooler said with a contemptuous smile, tossing the planet-destroying ball off in another direction.
The sphere streaked away toward the distance.
"No… I can't catch it!" Goku's expression tightened.
Five minutes… Gohan and Piccolo might not even find the spaceship.
If they can't leave, I can't fight without holding back.
He didn't hesitate.
His aura flared like flame as he switched into Super Saiyan God.
In the next instant, he easily caught up to the planet-destroying ball.
He drove a kick into it and launched it into the sky.
The sphere detonated in the stars with a violent boom.
"...That was close." Goku exhaled, tension finally draining from his shoulders.
Frieza went rigid.
Cooler stared, stunned.
The two brothers looked at each other, eyes full of shock and confusion.
"What is this? Why is he burning with flames now?" Cooler demanded.
"Why are you asking me?" Frieza snarled. "His speed just increased again!"
"Damn it… how does something like this even happen?" Cooler muttered, brows drawn tight.
Goku locked his gaze on Cooler in the distance. Sensing that pressure, his expression only got heavier.
That guy… Frieza's brother?
His energy is even stronger than Frieza's.
At this rate—glowing gold, the power they call Super Saiyan—I'm not beating him.
If I want to win, I need to be in this state.
But this transformation… it feels like it could vanish at any moment.
No. I have to take him down first.
Otherwise, it's dangerous.
With his mind made up, Goku turned into a red streak and shot straight for Cooler.
"What, you're coming for me?" Cooler sneered. "Fine. I'll block it and send you back!"
He crossed both arms, bracing to stop Goku's punch.
Goku closed in at terrifying speed.
The moment Cooler saw that flame-wreathed charge, a bad feeling hit him.
"Move!" Frieza shouted.
Too late.
Goku slammed in, right in front of Cooler, and drove a punch forward.
The blow tore through Cooler's guard and struck his chest cleanly.
Cooler spat blood as a hole opened through his torso.
The impact sent him skidding backward through the air, sliding fast and far.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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