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18.
The mysterious wanderer
Kyui arrives sooner than I expected, bringing the news with him.
«Lord Frieza, there's a warrior asking for you.»
«Who is it?»
«He didn't tell us, he only said he wants to talk to you.»
An unappealing premise, but I decide to go along with it.
«Let him in.»
They bring him to me in a few minutes. I remember as soon as I see him: he's one of the few daredevils who came alone during the auction, representing not a planet but themselves. An attitude that means pride but is not very different from that of Zarbon, who took my trust and my admiration by force.
He arrives in front of me, advancing with wide strides. I observe him: his reptilian face is smiling and he seems not to be afraid. The scaled skin is black as night, and his round eyes are dark enough to blend in with the rest of his face except for the light they reflect. Little by little I also remember his fight, the real motivation that made me notice him. He managed to hit Dodoria several times, taking him by surprise with great speed.
He stops in front of me, back straight, arms crossed, looking as proud as such an inferior being can be.
«Who are you supposed to be?»
His thin tongue flickers from right to left, leaving a thick trail of drool on his leathery lips.
«Does it really matter what my name is? I didn't come for this. I have come to challenge you, mighty Frieza.»
Does he really believe he is allowed to say something this arrogant so lightly?
«And why is that?»
He shrugs.
«I heard what they say about you. I participated in the auction because I want a planet and you are looking for good warriors. Mutual interest. You didn't choose me, but maybe if I show you that I deserve it, you'll give it to me anyway.»
«You may at least tell me where you're from.»
«I stopped remembering the name of that planet a long time ago. Let's say, I like to change.»
Maybe he wants to be funny but he doesn't succeed at all. Irritating, that's what he is.
«You have no name nor race. Tell me, how should I address you?»
«A wanderer, that's what you might call me.»
«An insolent one.»
I observe him. He looks strong; the muscles that emerge under his dark skin are supplied by a dense network of veins. However, he doesn't appear to be even vaguely a threat.
«Did you really hear everything they say about me? I'm not sure, considering your confidence.»
«You shouldn't underestimate me» he smiles. Insolent, yes, and haughty as well: too much for my tastes.
«I've seen you fight and I know you're no match for me.»
«I will prove otherwise.»
«And so be it. If you dare enough to challenge me, you'll get what you want. However, be aware that it comes with terms, and unfortunately they are not always convenient for you.»
He listens, intrigued. After all, if he turned out to be a great warrior as he claims, it would be unintelligent to let him go after his defeat.
«If you win, you will have a planet all to yourself.»
«If I win I will have much more than a planet to myself.»
He dared to interrupt me while I was speaking. Did he really do it? Anger inflames me, the desire to destroy this damned lizard becomes uncontrollable.
«Maybe you don't quite understand who you're dealing with. Don't ever dare speak again unless asked, and I hope I have been clear.»
He remains silent, but I clearly sense that he's also humoring me with a certain arrogance. I clench my fists.
«Let's begin.»
«You didn't tell me what I get should I lose.»
«You get to be torn to shreds. Let's begin.»
I descend from my throne placing my feet on the floor, which vibrates in contact with me, following the fury that flows away from my body. I head towards a more suitable place to fight: I would undoubtedly destroy the throne room with the slightest attack.
I step into the gym looking around, followed by my élite and the mysterious wanderer. I notice that Gichamu did a really good job: I asked him to isolate the gym as much as possible so that the walls could absorb the energy blows without being damaged. In any case, they wouldn't be enough for mine and I'm aware of this: unfortunately I won't be able to transform or give my best, but I really think it won't be a problem. My first mutation will suffice.
I cross the gym with a leap, positioning myself on the opposite side. My challenger remains where I was until a moment before. I get into position: the anger has died down and the adrenaline of the challenge is taking its place.
All those who were around training, duly notified of the show that is about to take place, took their places on the sides and sat down on the stands that I had positioned for the occasion. I have entrusted the management of the gyms to Dalion, my former élite member and trainer of the entire army who, in fact, observes my entrance with curiosity. I see him position himself on the top step of the stands, making himself comfortable with his legs crossed and surrounded by his men.
Back to my challenger. Seen in the light of the gyms, his body seems to shine, the muscles clearly outlined under his skin. I stretch my neck.
«Only one rule: no mercy» I smile. A rule which will obviously be to my total advantage.
He nods, then his body moves, assuming a strange position: his arms bend, his legs spring, it seems that he is ready to pounce but he remains still. I wait for him to attack until I realize that this is simply a dramatic pose.
When he notices that I'm not moving he mockingly signals me to make the first move and I don't keep him waiting. Adrenaline washes over me like a wave. I launch myself towards him with a scream, throwing a punch that would shatter into his stomach if he didn't avoid it with a less than graceful leap.
Leveraging my tail, I waste no time, throwing myself at him again; This time he barely manages to avoid me, letting out a groan of effort.
«Running away, you coward?»
My tail sticks to the ground, my muscles contract, stopping my run and throwing me again at him. This time, however, he won't avoid the blow: my palm lights up with condensed energy ready to follow any warm body moving nearby.
As expected he tries to dodge, but the energy starts chasing him, forcing him to close in a curl to let it crash on his forearms in order to attenuate its power. He immediately understood that he had no way to escape it.
A curtain of white smoke rises all around him, blocking my view. I stop, tearing the cloud with my gaze to try to find it again. When it thins out, however, I realize that he's no longer there.
I look up just in time to catch a glimpse of his attack. My reflexes react with incredible speed, causing me to leap to the side before I even realize I've done so. The energy beam he fired at me crashes into the floor, leaving a large burn on the marble. A murmur of surprise rises from my audience.
«You ruined my floor» I growl. «Now you'll have to pay me back!»
I would throw myself at him again if I didn't see him so focused. So far he isn't doing anything more than I expected, in fact, he isn't proving to be up to even the fight with Dodoria. However, I notice that he's planning something, even if he doesn't want to show it. I can't help but notice that his hands vibrate and are surrounded by a faint, very faint glow.
«Are you preparing an attack? Do you think I'm so blind that I don't notice?»
He doesn't answer. It's clear that he's trying to divert my attention, in fact he seems to be waiting for a new assault from me. Which he won't be waiting for much longer.
If the energy sphere was so easy to parry, it won't be the same for a blade. I shape it into my palm making it razor-sharp, rolling it a short distance from my palm. He doesn't move, but the glow around his hands is slowly fading.
«You challenge me and then you don't fight. I would think you were kidding me if you didn't know what this entailed. Because you do, don't you?»
«Of course I do.»
«Then fight and deserve to keep living!»
My scream echoes through the entire gym returning to my ears as does the hiss of the blade coming towards him. I watch it split the air in two, get closer and closer, and… he doesn't seem to have any intention of avoiding it. He doesn't move, on the contrary, his hands shoot upwards. I'm fascinated by him, wondering what the hell he's going to do, until my attack crashes into his body, penetrating deep into the right side of his trunk and emerging on the opposite. The blood, incredibly milky, spurts out from a wound that seems too deep, too irrecoverable.
But what is he doing?
I'm dumbfounded to the point of letting my guard down. Once again it is my body that reacts for me: I feel the muscles snap and I see myself jumping away before I even perceive yet another beam of golden energy that was about to hit me at an incredible speed, a speed I had never imagined before.
Only then do I come to my senses: I remain with my eyes open when I notice that that attack originates from the open jaws of my opponent. The darting tongue caresses the light, surrounding it, while something else is happening that I only notice after a few moments in which everything remains still, as if suspended in a cold stasis. The energy is not extinguished, it seems to be fueled by something... or someone. Nothing moves until I turn my head towards the end of the beam and finally see.
Dalion, in the stands, is now surrounded by that golden aura, certainly hit by mistake. For this reason alone I realize that that strange blow is not explosive, on the contrary, it seems to be a technique: it expands around the victim, as if trapping him in a web that leaves no escape. My commander struggles, tries to tear it with his fingers, but the light follows whatever movement he makes.
Finally the aura begins to throb, to contort on itself into a thousand small bundles and then, suddenly, expand and disappear forever as if it had never existed. The two bodies collapse without strength: Dalion on the stands, surrounded by my men who rush to help him, and my opponent in front of me, who now seems on the verge of bleeding out in a whitish puddle.
It was all so unexpected that I wasn't convinced. That was certainly a technique, and quite powerful too, but as indispensable as it may have been for him, why would he let himself be hit in that irreparable way just to put it into action? I observe him without lifting a finger, forcing myself to remain on guard.
«What is this little game?» I ask him. The reptilian body in front of me is groaning in pain, no longer even having the strength to dab the wound with its hands.
A new hiss, a new energy low that breaks on the marble, but this time I avoid it with incredible promptness despite what I would never have expected. The attack didn't come from the body in front of me, but from behind me.
There's definitely something wrong, but I don't immediately understand what it is. Dalion is standing on the steps, unharmed, and he is stretching his neck and fingers. A suspicion begins to creep into me, but it's so incredible that I can hardly believe it.
«What does it mean?»
My Commander smiles and says nothing else. Ultimately, there is no need of words. Only now do I realize that I have escaped a much greater danger than any other attack: I put myself on guard, promising myself not to lower it for any reason. The thought of what could have happened paralyzes me.
Dalion descends from the stands with a couple of leaps and finds himself exactly in front of me. He moves slowly, testing his movements as if… as if he were settling into a new body. He doesn't fight, he doesn't get into position. I think this battle can be declared over.
«What's going on?» I say, even though I already know. I notice that his hands still vibrate with energy, albeit weakly. He shrugs.
«I told you I like to change.»
«What did you think you were doing? Did you want to steal my body?»
He doesn't answer my question but grins malevolently.
I decide not to hesitate another moment. I point my open palm towards him and direct my energy into a psychokinesis so powerful that it completely prevents him from moving. He didn't expect it; he remains still, of course, and his eyes widen in surprise.
I take a step forward. Now I'm the one smiling.
«What an arrogant idiot… how dare you even think you had a chance of trapping me in that slimy carcass?»
He tries to move, but the psychic barrier around him holds him back completely.
«How did you plan to escape in case of failure?»
«I did…n…»
«You didn't? What a shame... it would have been useful now.»
«Lord Frieza…» he whimpers. All his arrogance faded as the harsh truth of his low value emerged. «Possessing your power is the dream of every being in the Universe...» he tries to flatter me. I finally notice him starting to tremble. He has realized that, by now, his plan has irremediably failed; the only thing he can do is quickly look for a way not to make me angry. Flattery might even work if what he had in mind wasn't so incredibly unacceptable.
«I have no doubt.»
«Forgive me, Lord Frieza» he whimpers. I can feel the vibration of his terror in the aura around him. «Please, allow me to put my technique at your service. My power is now equal to that of this warrior and can grow more and more if I manage to use other bodies...»
I don't even listen, I can't tolerate the sight of him anymore. It's clear that at this moment he would say and do anything to win my forgiveness, but he won't have any. I squeeze my palm and the energy barrier tightens until it crushes him, and he falls to his knees groaning in pain.
«Take this being to the cells and leave him there to rot until further notice. And no one shall fall for his trick, or I will be forced to slaughter you all! »
The soldiers rush at him by the dozens, grabbing him and dragging him away from me. As they take him away, I hear him scream.
«Think about it! Think about how useful my technique can be! I will be at your service!»
I don't listen to him. I approach the body lying on the ground in the last spasms of agony and, without hesitation, I hit it with a lethal ray that pierces its skull. He collapses on the floor, abandoning himself to death.
«Get this stuff out of my sight.»
Next chapter:
The arrogance of the empty body