Vegeta had been watching the chaos with arms folded, his sharp eyes darting between the Z Fighters, the Saibamen, and Rudra's skirmish with Nappa. At first, it was amusing—watching his creations wreak havoc, testing the strength of Earth's defenders. But as minutes passed, his smirk slowly faded.
The excitement he felt… had dulled.
"Tch… this is pathetic," Vegeta muttered under his breath, his tail twitching behind him. His lips curled into a cold grin. "If I let this drag on any longer, I'll die of boredom."
Without warning, Vegeta leapt high into the air and shot like a missile toward the battlefield. His aura crackled around him as he set his sights—not on Rudra, not on Nappa—but directly on Piccolo, who was still fending off the last of the Saibamen.
Piccolo's sharp Namekian eyes widened the moment he sensed Vegeta closing in. He spun away from a Saibaman's claws and immediately snapped into a defensive stance, teeth clenched.
"Why are you interfering, Vegeta?!" Piccolo roared, his arms raising to guard.
Vegeta stopped midair, his smirk widening. "Did I say I wouldn't?" His voice dripped with arrogance.
The sudden tension made everyone freeze. Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, and even Gohan turned their heads, their bodies trembling as the reality hit them. Vegeta himself had decided to step in.
"Vegeta…" Krillin whispered, sweat dripping down his forehead. "This isn't good…"
Even Rudra, still catching his breath from his earlier bout, turned sharply toward the Saiyan prince. His eyes narrowed, voice sharp with irritation.
"What the f**k, Vegeta? Who told you to join the fight?" Rudra shouted.
Vegeta didn't even spare him a glance.
Nappa, however, did. His thick brows furrowed as he barked, "Yeah, Vegeta! You don't need to fight these insects. Leave them to me."
But Vegeta ignored both of them. He calmly rose higher into the air, his palm lifting upward as a sphere of golden-white energy began to flicker and grow. The sky darkened, lightning snaking through the clouds.
Rudra's face twisted in alarm. His instincts screamed danger.
"What are you doing?!" Rudra shouted. "That kind of attack… it'll destroy the entire Earth!"
Vegeta let out a low chuckle that slowly built into a mad laugh. His voice boomed across the battlefield.
"Oops… seems I miscalculated. But now that I've already charged it—" his smirk turned cruel, "—I'll have to send it somewhere!"
The ground shook as the energy sphere swelled into a monstrous orb, its glow drowning out the sunlight.
"Everyone, get back!!" Krillin screamed, his voice cracking.
Nappa's eyes widened. "Vegeta, wait! You'll wipe out everything, even us!"
But Vegeta's gaze didn't waver. He angled his hand downward—directly at the Z Fighters.
"Move aside, Nappa!" Vegeta snapped. "If they're reduced to ash, then so be it."
The massive attack roared to life, descending like a miniature sun.
"Damn it!" Piccolo spat, his body tightening. He whipped his head toward Rudra, desperation flashing in his eyes. "Rudra! Can you absorb it?!"
Rudra grit his teeth, his fists trembling. He knew what was coming, and he had no choice.
"I'll try," he muttered. Then louder, with a sudden roar:
"Everyone, BACK OFF!!"
He stepped forward, planting his feet firmly into the cracked earth. He stretched both hands out, palms wide open, and shouted:
"Chakra Kavach!! "(CHAKRA SHIELD).
A shimmering shield of crimson energy burst forth in front of him, etched with swirling patterns. The ground beneath him fractured as his aura exploded outward.
But it wasn't enough. He needed more.
Rudra clenched his jaw, sweat dripping, and bellowed:
"First Stage of Chakra—OPEN!!"
His entire body glowed red. His muscles tensed as his hair lengthened in a fiery wave, eyes blazing with a piercing blue light. His aura flared violently, shaking the battlefield like a storm.
"Root Chakra—MULADHARA!!"
The symbol of the Mooladhar burned bright upon his stomach, glowing like molten fire.
Everyone—Z Fighters, Nappa, even Vegeta—paused in shock at the sudden transformation.
The colossal energy sphere finally collided with Rudra's shield.
BOOOOM!
A deafening shockwave ripped across the battlefield. The sky split open as if the heavens themselves were cracking. Earthquakes shook the ground, tossing rocks and debris into the air.
The sheer force nearly blew everyone away, forcing Tien and Yamcha to brace themselves, arms shielding their eyes.
"W-what power…!" Krillin gasped, nearly falling to his knees.
Gohan held onto Piccolo's cape, terror filling his small face.
Rudra roared, his voice echoing like thunder. His crimson shield strained under the pressure, cracks of light spreading across it as if it would shatter.
"I… never thought… I'd have to take this form!" he bellowed, his chest heaving.
The attack pressed harder… but then, suddenly, it dimmed.
Vegeta's eyes widened. His attack, the massive sphere that could level continents, was being swallowed—pulled into Rudra's chakra shield.
Within seconds, the energy that threatened the Earth simply… vanished.
Gone.
The battlefield fell into a stunned silence.
Even Vegeta couldn't hide his disbelief. "W-what… what did you just do?!"
Rudra lowered his arms slowly, his breath heavy but his smirk returning. His long crimson hair whipped in the fading winds as he chuckled darkly.
"Vegeta…" Rudra sneered. "…keep your gift."
Before Vegeta could respond, Rudra's aura flared again—ten times fiercer. He thrust his hands forward and released an enormous surge of energy.
The attack screamed across the battlefield, far larger and brighter than Vegeta's had been. Its sheer size dwarfed mountains, glowing with destructive intent.
"That power—! It could destroy the planet seven times over!!" Piccolo's mind screamed in disbelief.
Vegeta's heart skipped. His pride cracked for just a moment as he stammered, "Impossible…!"
Desperate, he charged his own counterattack, blasting energy to meet Rudra's strike. But compared to Rudra's wave, Vegeta's blast was nothing more than a sparkler before a raging inferno.
"Damn it—!!" Vegeta's eyes widened as the attack closed in.
At the last second, Nappa lunged, grabbing Vegeta's arm. "Prince, MOVE!!"
The two Saiyans shot sideways as Rudra's beam tore past them, slicing through the clouds and rocketing into space.
BOOOOOOOOM!
The blast erupted far above Earth's atmosphere, exploding with a force so terrifying that even from the ground, they could feel the impact. The sky lit up like a second sun, and the shockwaves rattled every corner of the planet.
The ground quaked, oceans trembled, and mountains cracked.
When it was finally over, silence hung heavy.
Rudra's transformation flickered. His hair shortened back, his aura dimming as he slowly descended to the ground. His feet touched the cracked earth with a dull thud.
He exhaled deeply, sweat glistening down his face. Then, with a faint smirk, he raised his gaze to Vegeta.
"See, Vegeta…" Rudra said calmly. "…you're not the only one who can pull that off."
Vegeta's fists clenched, his pride bruised, his smirk forced. But his eyes… burned with rage.
Everyone else? They were left in awe—and fear—of the power they had just witnessed.