The battlefield trembled under the chaos. Smoke and debris rose into the air as Goku and Vegeta stood back-to-back, surrounded by what remained of Frieza's soldiers. Their scouters beeped frantically, warning of their inevitable doom.
Vegeta's crimson aura flared, burning like a cruel inferno. His voice cut through the screams of the soldiers.
"You dared challenge the Prince of all Saiyans? Pathetic worms!"
With a thunderous roar, Vegeta blasted two soldiers into ash. His movements were vicious, efficient—each strike a reminder of his ruthless heritage.
Beside him, Goku powered up with a fiery Kaio-Ken aura. His attacks were precise, but unlike Vegeta's merciless blows, Goku's strikes only incapacitated when possible. Still, his speed and power overwhelmed the panicked soldiers.
"We can't let even one of them regroup! Vegeta, cover my left!" Goku shouted.
"Hmph! Don't order me around, Kakarot!" Vegeta barked, even as he lunged forward, tearing through the flank Goku had warned about. Energy blasts and screams filled the air until the battlefield was painted with destruction.
---
Meanwhile, at the center of it all, Rudra held Dodoria like a rag doll. His shadow-bound grip twisted the bulky brute's limbs, slamming him again and again into the rocky ground. Each impact cracked the earth, leaving deep craters beneath Dodoria's helpless body.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Blood sprayed from Dodoria's mouth as he tried to scream, but every time he opened his mouth, another slam silenced him. His pride, once as massive as his bulk, was now in shreds.
Krillin and Piccolo watched from the distance, their eyes wide.
"That… that's insane," Krillin whispered.
"He's not human," Piccolo muttered, his tone half-admiration, half-worry.
Even Goku, busy with soldiers, kept stealing glances. He's draining Dodoria's power with every slam… but how? He doesn't even look tired.
---
Desperation clawed at Dodoria. With trembling hands, he activated his communicator, sending out a direct transmission.
"L-Lord Frieza! Help! There's… there's someone here! Someone even worse than the Saiyan prince—"
The signal shot into space. Rudra immediately stopped, his hand still pinning Dodoria by the neck.
Dodoria's chest heaved. He mistook Rudra's silence as fear. A twisted grin spread across his bloodied face.
"Heh… What's the matter? Scared? You should be. Frieza will come… He'll make this planet crumble to dust. Even if you kill me, you've doomed yourself. None of you can escape him."
Rudra's eyes narrowed but he said nothing. His silence only encouraged Dodoria further.
"And you, Vegeta!" Dodoria turned his swollen face toward the prince, spitting venom. "You think you've become strong? You're nothing but a failure—just like your father, King Vegeta. He groveled before Frieza like a dog. He couldn't protect your people, your planet, or even himself!"
Vegeta froze mid-strike, his breath catching in his throat. Dodoria's words echoed in his ears like poison.
"You wear the title of Prince," Dodoria sneered, "but you're the prince of ashes. A Saiyan royal without a throne, without a people… without honor."
That was the breaking point.
Vegeta's aura erupted, a blinding pillar of rage. The ground beneath him cracked, his power surging far beyond what the soldiers had seen moments before.
"DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK HIS NAME!!" Vegeta roared, his voice shaking the battlefield.
He blurred forward, faster than Dodoria's bruised eyes could follow. With a single hand, Vegeta grabbed Dodoria by the head. Energy flared violently, consuming his palm.
"You insult my heritage… you insult my father… YOU INSULT ME! For that—there is only one punishment!"
Before Dodoria could beg, Vegeta's hand crushed down. His energy beam detonated point-blank, ripping through Dodoria's skull. The bulky brute's body convulsed for a moment before disintegrating into ashes.
Silence fell. Even the distant screams of Frieza's soldiers ceased for a heartbeat.
Vegeta stood there, chest heaving, his face shadowed with fury.
Rudra didn't move, didn't stop him. He only observed with calm, unreadable eyes.
This was Vegeta's fight. His wound to heal.
---
"Dodoria's gone," Krillin whispered. "Vegeta… actually—killed him."
Piccolo crossed his arms, his sharp eyes narrowing. "No. Rudra allowed it. He held back. He could've finished Dodoria anytime, but… he let Vegeta take the final blow."
Goku finally dropped his stance, glancing toward Rudra. A question burned in his mind but he kept it silent. There were more urgent matters.
---
Rudra raised his hand again. The battlefield darkened as his shadows stretched, wrapping around the remaining Frieza Force soldiers. Their screams pierced the air as they were dragged down, slammed, crushed, one after another. No hesitation, no mercy.
Vegeta joined in, unleashing blasts that vaporized entire groups.
"These insects dare scatter after Dodoria's fall? I'll make sure none live to tell the tale!"
But fate had other plans.
Amid the chaos, a group of soldiers managed to slip away. They sprinted toward Frieza's ship, their scouters beeping in panic. With trembling hands, they activated the controls, launching the ship into the skies.
The engines roared, flames bursting from its thrusters as it shot upward, piercing through the clouds.
Goku spun around, his eyes widening. "Wait! They're escaping!"
He leapt into the air, energy charging in his palms. But the ship was already too far, its speed unmatched. Vegeta fired a barrage of blasts, snarling curses, but none struck true.
Even Rudra hurled shadows that reached far into the sky, but they dissipated just short of the vessel.
The three warriors landed back on the battlefield, frustration heavy in the air.
Vegeta clenched his fists, teeth grinding. "Damn it! They'll warn Frieza… He'll know we're here."
Goku's face hardened. "Then we'll just have to be ready for him."
Rudra lowered his hand slowly, his expression unreadable. But deep in his eyes, a storm was brewing.
The silence after the chaos was suffocating. The ashes of Dodoria still lingered in the wind, but now the shadow of something far worse loomed over them.
Frieza knew.
And he was coming.