Vegeta immediately tensed up in alarm!
Because the old man before him... felt terrifying! Especially his eyes—calmly scanning Vegeta without the slightest concern, as if he had expected him to land here from the sky. It was as if the old man had been waiting for him all along.
Or rather, he had been waiting here from the very beginning.
"You boy from space—what's your relationship with Son Goku?" asked the old man with white hair and youthful features—Tsuru. After observing Vegeta for a while and seeing the wariness in his eyes like a frightened beast, he posed the question calmly.
Vegeta said nothing, his expression cold. He silently gathered his strength, suppressing the injuries within his body.
Tsuru's eyes grew cold. His aura was suddenly released, forming a bitter, chilling wind that swept toward Vegeta. He said slowly, "You'd better answer honestly… and maybe, just maybe, this old man will spare your life."
"Oh? The way you talk… sounds like you think you can just kill me at will?" Vegeta's brow twitched in frustration, and he answered coldly.
"You're welcome to try."
Tsuru's tone was indifferent, but the pressure from his presence grew even more terrifying—like the suffocating calm before a storm.
Vegeta struggled to resist the overwhelming pressure. He clenched his fists, bent his knees, veins bulged on his forehead, muscles in his limbs swelled—shhh shhh shhh—yet under Tsuru's crushing aura, Vegeta couldn't help but step back.
Tsuru stepped forward.
Vegeta retreated again.
Tsuru's expression remained serene, his hands still clasped behind his back as he continued to walk forward.
Vegeta's chest burned with fury. Stifled and furious, he let out a roar: "Then let's try it!"
He was finally forced to strike. Even though he knew he couldn't stay on this planet for long, he had no choice. The pressure this native elder gave him was simply too great… Though from his sensing alone, the man's power level didn't seem to surpass his. But after their earlier encounter, Vegeta didn't dare underestimate him in the slightest!
Boom!
Vegeta's fist shot forth like a dragon, unleashing over 70,000 in power level. A gale howled in its wake as the fist tore through the air, blazing with searing heat, surging like a tornado straight at Tsuru.
"Other than teaming up with that old geezer Son Gohan, it's been a while since I stretched my bones… you came at the right time!" Tsuru sneered coldly. As Vegeta's full-force punch barreled toward him, he casually raised one hand from behind his back and—effortlessly—blocked it!
Again!
His power level didn't spike at all, so how did he block that punch?!
Vegeta was shocked. Frustration churned in his chest like blood ready to be vomited. What was happening broke all logic: the weak triumphing over the strong—what sense did that make?! This was absurd!
But the battle was far from over.
Bang!
Bang!
Vegeta unleashed a flurry of punches, kicks, and blasts of ki from his palms like a violent storm, erupting in a barrage of afterimages. His power level was over 70,000, and when fighting at full strength, every strike in this rapid combo carried at least 50,000 in force!
It was an impressive level of combat prowess!
One that Vegeta had always taken pride in. As a member of a warrior race, he had a natural advantage in combat. Most fighters, unless they gathered strength for a powerful strike, would only manage to put out 30–40% of their full power in a barrage like this.
But Vegeta could unleash 70%! In high-frequency combat, this was an overwhelming edge!
But… he was doomed from the moment he set foot on this Earth.
Tsuru handled Vegeta's attacks with ease. In the midst of the raging storm of blows, he remained calm and relaxed, like a man taking a stroll through a garden.
After roughly gauging Vegeta's abilities, he seemed… disappointed—
"How utterly disappointing. So this is what the so-called warriors from the universe are like? Forged in blood and fire… and this is all they amount to? This is how you use strength and ki? Your technique is terrible! Your control over energy is pitiful! Crude! Ugly! Compared to Son Goku, you're worlds apart!"
As Vegeta boiled with fury, Tsuru's expression turned cold. With a single palm strike, he smacked Vegeta away.
"What's wrong? Not convinced?" Tsuru arched his white eyebrows slightly.
"This 'Son Goku' you keep going on about… who is he?" Vegeta panted heavily. From their brief clash, he realized this old man had no real killing intent toward him. That gave him some comfort—but also more rage. He was being pitied!
Mocked and looked down upon like this by Tsuru—Vegeta couldn't bear it. That's why he asked.
Tsuru replied, "A young man with a tail just like yours… his talent, nature, and potential—everything about him is top-tier! A shame, a shame, that old Taro took him first!" Then he shook his head and sighed, "No, not a shame. Not a shame at all."
A rough gem like Son Goku was best taught by the world's greatest martial artist, the Muten Roshi. How could that be a loss?
Tsuru only called it a shame because he was jealous of Taro for getting such an outstanding student.
A tail like mine?
Could he be… a Saiyan?
Vegeta was full of doubts. He found this utterly ridiculous. When Planet Vegeta had been destroyed by a meteor, all the Saiyans had coincidentally been summoned back to their homeworld by Frieza for some reason. Other than himself, there should have been no survivors!
"The one you call Son Goku—where is he?" Vegeta asked in a low voice.
Tsuru let out a mocking laugh. "Why? You want to find him? Head in that direction…" He pointed, "Keep flying straight, past the continent, out over the sea. There's an island there. You'll find him on it."
If you're lucky enough to make it there alive… you won't come back.
Did he even know what kind of people lived on Muten Island? This reckless little guy from outer space probably couldn't even defeat that bird! He might end up roasted and eaten by that bad-tempered, gluttonous, mangy fowl!
Vegeta could hear the mockery in the man's tone. His fury only grew stronger. He gritted his teeth and asked again, "You must be the strongest person on this planet, right?"
Tsuru's face darkened. "You looking for a beating?"
Vegeta was stunned, but Tsuru was already upon him. A wave of intense pain surged through him. Without another word, Tsuru had attacked! And—
"I don't know how you people from other universes train, but let me tell you something: on this planet, unleashing your full power in battle at any time, in any place, is the most basic skill!" Tsuru said coldly, all while pummeling Vegeta with a flurry of strikes.
Damn it…
Vegeta felt pain coursing through his entire body from blows he couldn't even track. He had no idea how to retaliate. Shock and fury filled his mind—was this old man toying with him?
"This technique art is called Muken."
"If you manage to survive, you can come back and challenge me again. But for now… scram!"
After thoroughly beating Vegeta from head to toe, Tsuru finished with a final kick that sent him flying out of the forest and into the open sky.
Vegeta soared through the air in pain and confusion. Blood almost spilled from how hard he clenched his teeth. He turned to look back, but the white-haired old man had already vanished into the woods. Vegeta had memorized his ki—but now, when he released his senses to search for it, there wasn't even a trace.
After a long silence, the Saiyan prince turned toward the direction Tsuru had pointed. With a cold expression, he flew off.
---
The aliens were all wiped out!
There was nothing to discuss with such people. The only path was one of mutual destruction. The ruthless and cold-blooded nature of the Frieza Force was something Earthlings had experienced firsthand in the Earth Defense Battle Game… At this point, they fully believed everything the warriors had told them.
The online communities were filled with celebratory voices.
But just then, Jarvis appeared within the virtual Earth network—and even on every internet-connected screen across the globe. In front of the entire world, he broadcast a countdown—
30 days!
Countdown to the arrival of Frieza's army on Earth!
The internet collectively fell silent for a moment… People suddenly remembered the horror of being mercilessly crushed by the final boss Frieza in the game. That shadow cast by overwhelming power—utterly terrifying!
"Frieza had a combat power of two hundred million… How the hell do we fight that?" someone despaired online.
"That was just in the game… probably… maybe…"
"Don't forget, the power levels in the game mode and the martial arts mode were exactly the same! Why would it suddenly be different for Frieza?"
Everyone silently avoided saying the concern that weighed on all their minds: against a final boss like this… did the Muten warriors stand a chance?
---
The Arctic.
A frozen wasteland.
Fabeli walked alone. He was a cyborg enhanced with Frieza's cells, and in terms of power, he was terrifying. When he arrived at the five massive craters where the Ginyu Force had landed, the place was already deserted.
He wore a special device on his ear. He walked around the five craters, observing each one, then pulled out a black box-like mechanical device from his body. Casually tossing it into one of the craters, he said, "Jarvis, take control of this. Report the data to me in real time."
"Understood," came Jarvis' voice from the device.
Click click…
The black mechanical box shifted shape midair, transforming into something like a mechanical crawler. It landed in the center of the crater. One of its claws effortlessly pierced the shell of a spherical pod, flung it out of the pit, and revealed a small hole in the icy layer beneath.
The crawler slithered inside.
Beep!… Beep!…
On the display projected from the device on Fabeli's face, detailed footage appeared.
---
Vegeta, suppressing his energy, flew along an uninhabited route in the direction Tsuru had indicated. He crossed forests and grasslands, mountains and valleys, and eventually left the mainland, flying over the ocean's blue waves.
He didn't know how long it had been when he finally spotted an island in the distance.
"That must be it…" Vegeta murmured, gazing ahead. He was seriously injured, and flying this far while keeping his power level hidden had exhausted him completely. Now that he had arrived, he suddenly found himself hesitating.
Originally, he'd planned to head to the Arctic to find the Ginyu Force.
But a short while ago, he'd completely lost any trace of the five members of the Ginyu Force. That had sent a chill down his spine… This planet was deeper than he'd imagined. As deep as the ocean. That bastard Frieza had clearly sent them here to die!
Now, Vegeta was stuck in a dead end, unsure where else to go.
Cautiously approaching the island, he landed on an empty beach and, dragging his injuries, walked into the forest that ringed the island. He found a tree, sat down, and decided to rest a bit and recover some stamina.
Son Goku… That name echoed in his mind.
"Caw?"
A sound came from above his head.
---
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