Cado collapsed on the ground, his massive Oozaru form shrinking as his body reverted to normal. His breathing was ragged, his vision blurry. Blood poured from his wounds, staining the rocky battlefield beneath him. He barely had the strength to move.
Frieza hovered above him, arms crossed, watching with amusement. "Ah, so the beast turns back into a cub when wounded enough," he mused, tilting his head. "How fascinating."
Cado coughed violently, his body trembling. He could feel his life slipping away. Damn it... is this really how it ends?
Frieza floated down, landing gracefully beside Cado's broken form. He crouched slightly, looking the battered Saiyan in the eyes. "Tell me, did you truly think a mindless rampage would be enough to defeat me?" He let out a cruel chuckle. "You Saiyans really are hopeless."
He raised a single finger, a crimson light forming at the tip. "But don't worry—I'll make sure your corpse is unrecognizable."
Cado gritted his teeth, trying to move, trying to fight, but his body refused to respond. The energy at Frieza's fingertip flared to life. This is it…
Then, out of nowhere—
BAM!
A blur of motion, a shockwave of force—
Frieza was sent flying across the battlefield, crashing through a jagged rock formation before flipping mid-air and regaining his footing. His eyes widened in surprise before narrowing in irritation.
"Who dares—?"
His answer came in the form of a familiar voice.
"You talk too much."
Vegeta hovered in front of Cado, battle-worn yet revitalized, his arms crossed and an arrogant smirk on his face. His armor, though damaged, gleamed under the Namekian sun. His entire body radiated power.
Frieza dusted himself off, his lips curling into a smirk. "Oh? And here I thought you were dead."
Vegeta's smirk widened. "Not even close." He cracked his knuckles. "You should be worried, I'm stronger than ever." His eyes glowed with renewed determination. "And now, Frieza—you're going to regret underestimating me."
Dende rushed over to Cado while Vegeta and Frieza were talking and began healing him. Frieza glanced over and narrowed his eyes. "So, this is how you pathetic roaches have been clinging to life," he sneered.
Before anyone could do anything, a blindingly fast death beam shot from Frieza's fingertip, piercing straight through Dende's chest. The young Namekian froze, his eyes wide in shock, before collapsing lifelessly onto the ground, his body landing right next to Cado.
Cado's breath caught in his throat as he stared at Dende's unmoving form. His mind struggled to process it. That was too fast… He barely even saw the attack before it was over.
Gohan, Krillin, and Piccolo stood frozen, their eyes locked on Dende's lifeless body lying next to Cado. The reality of the young Namekian's death hit them like a ton of bricks.
"D-Dende… no…" Gohan whispered, his voice trembling with disbelief.
Krillin's fists clenched at his sides, his body shaking. "He didn't even hesitate… He just killed him…"
Piccolo's jaw tightened, his anger boiling just beneath the surface. "That monster…"
Then, in an instant—Frieza vanished.
Before they could react, the tyrant reappeared right next to them, his cold smirk only deepening as he leaned slightly forward. "Don't look so sad," he said mockingly. "I'll be sure to give the rest of you a fate far worse than hell."
The words barely left Frieza's mouth before Gohan, driven by pure rage, roared and charged at him, throwing a wild, straight right aimed for Frieza's face.
But Frieza simply tilted his head, the punch whiffing past his cheek with ease.
"Pathetic," Frieza muttered.
Piccolo and Krillin sprang into action, flanking Frieza from both sides. Piccolo unleashed a flurry of kicks while Krillin followed with a series of rapid punches, both attacking with everything they had.
Yet, Frieza effortlessly evaded each strike, his body moving like a shadow, slipping through every attack without breaking a sweat. His expression remained cold, unbothered, as if he were simply toying with them.
"Is this really the best you have to offer?" Frieza chuckled, weaving past another of Piccolo's kicks. "I expected a bit more... resistance."
The three of them kept pushing forward, but with every missed blow, it became more and more apparent—Frieza wasn't even trying.
Cado sat there, his body still aching despite being healed, his mind clouded with doubt. I've thrown everything I can at him… Is the gap between us really that huge? He clenched his fists, frustration bubbling up inside him. The Ozaru form multiplied my power tenfold, and yet… I don't even feel that much stronger after the Namekian healed me. What should we do?
As that thought plagued his mind, Frieza finally seemed to grow tired of the so-called "insects" swarming around him. With a smirk, the tyrant vanished, moving with such unimaginable speed that only Vegeta's trained eyes could follow.
Before anyone could react, Frieza reappeared behind them, his fingers glowing with deadly precision.
Two sharp ZING sounds cut through the air as Frieza fired a pair of death beams, their targets set on Gohan's heart.
Gohan barely had time to register what was happening before—
"IDIOT!" Vegeta's voice boomed.
A powerful kick slammed into Gohan's side, sending him tumbling out of the beams' path just in time. The deadly blasts whizzed past and struck an island in the distance, which evaporated in an instant, leaving behind only the boiling ocean where it once stood.
The sheer force of it made the others freeze in terror.
Gohan, clutching his side from Vegeta's kick, looked up in shock. "V-Vegeta…?"
Vegeta scoffed. "Stay out of my fight. All of you are useless and will only get in my way."
He then stepped forward, eyes locked on Frieza, and pointed to himself with his thumb. A cocky smirk spread across his face.
"I am now a Super Saiyan, Frieza, your worst nightmare has been realized."
The declaration echoed through the battlefield.
Silence followed.
Then—Frieza burst into a fit of laughter, clutching his stomach as he doubled over in amusement. "A Super Saiyan?! You monkeys really don't know when to quit!" His laughter rang through the air like a death knell. "Do you honestly expect me to believe in that ridiculous fairytale? Some legendary warrior destined to surpass all others?" He straightened himself, his crimson eyes gleaming with cruel amusement. "No, Vegeta, by the time we're done here, I'll make sure you understand—the Super Saiyan is nothing more than a fantasy."
Vegeta grit his teeth, anger flaring in his eyes as he dropped into his stance. "We'll see about that, Frieza."
The two warriors squared off, the air between them crackling with energy.
The battle was about to begin.
Vegeta wasted no time, launching forward with a furious flurry of kicks and punches, each one aimed to crush Frieza where he stood. But the tyrant barely moved, effortlessly weaving around each strike as if Vegeta's attacks were nothing more than an inconvenience.
Rather than be discouraged, Vegeta sneered. "What's the matter, Frieza? Running away with your tail between your legs?" He shot forward again, his confidence unwavering. This time, Frieza actually moved—just enough to avoid the kick Vegeta was about to throw.
Vegeta's eyes widened.
Frieza was gone.
Frantically, Vegeta whipped his head around, searching for his opponent. "Where—?"
Then, a familiar, chilling laugh echoed from above.
Vegeta snapped his head up to see Frieza floating a good distance away, arms crossed, a smug grin plastered on his face. "This? This is the mighty Super Saiyan? This is the warrior that was supposed to strike fear into my heart?" Frieza chuckled darkly. "Vegeta, you can't be serious."
Vegeta's fists trembled. His veins bulged. "I am a Super Saiyan!" he roared. His aura exploded around him as he shot high into the sky. His hands stretched forward, power surging into a massive ball of energy. The force of it warped the air, and the ground below cracked under the pressure.
Cado's eyes widened in horror. "Father, don't!" he yelled. "You could destroy the planet with that!"
But his words fell on deaf ears.
Vegeta let out a guttural scream as he unleashed the full force of his attack at Frieza. The massive energy blast roared through the sky, its sheer size enough to turn Namek into space dust.
Yet Frieza remained completely still.
Then, with absolute nonchalance, he lifted one leg—
And front-kicked the blast into space like a discarded toy.
A chilling silence followed.
Vegeta's breath hitched. His hands dropped to his sides. His entire body began to tremble.
True, raw terror settled into his face.
His lips quivered, his pupils shrank, and before he could stop them—tears spilled from his eyes.
He had lost the will to fight.
Cado stood frozen, his stomach twisting in disbelief. Vegeta the strongest Saiyan—his father, the proud Saiyan warrior, the Prince of all Saiyans. But now, he watched as that same man—whom he had held so much respect for—stood paralyzed in fear, utterly broken.
Piccolo, Gohan, and Krillin watched in silent horror, their bodies refusing to move.
They had all seen it.
Frieza had kicked Vegeta's most powerful attack away like it was nothing.
And now, Vegeta was about to face a nightmare far worse than death.
Frieza smirked as he slowly lifted off the ground, his tail swaying behind him. Then, with terrifying speed, he shot upward and slammed his head into Vegeta's skull. The impact sent the Saiyan prince rocketing toward the ground like a meteor, the earth beneath him shattering upon impact.
Before Vegeta could even groan in pain, Frieza landed gracefully beside him, his crimson eyes filled with sadistic amusement. His tail lashed out, wrapping tightly around Vegeta's throat, hoisting him up like a broken puppet.
"Come now, Vegeta," Frieza chuckled darkly, spinning the Saiyan around so his back was exposed. "Let's not give up just yet. The fun is only beginning."
Then—CRACK!
Frieza drove a devastating punch into Vegeta's spine.
Then another.
And another.
Each blow sent shockwaves through Vegeta's body, forcing choked gasps of pain from his lips. Frieza, however, remained eerily calm. Then, mid-beating, he suddenly stopped.
His head turned slowly toward the others—Cado, Piccolo, Gohan, and Krillin—all of whom stood stiff, paralyzed in terror.
"You know," Frieza mused, his voice smooth and casual, "you could help him at any moment."
No one moved.
Frieza smirked.
WHAM!
Another brutal punch.
WHAM!
And another.
Finally, with a flick of his tail, Frieza whipped Vegeta through the air, sending him careening into a massive rock formation. The prince bounced off the jagged surface before crashing limply onto the ground, his body motionless.
Frieza exhaled contently, taking slow, deliberate steps toward the broken warrior. With each step, the sound of crunching debris filled the dead silence. He reached down, grabbed Vegeta by the hem of his torn battle armor, and lifted him effortlessly.
"It's been fun, Vegeta," Frieza murmured, drawing back his fist for the final blow. "But this is where your pathetic struggle—"
WHOOSH!
A sudden blur of orange streaked through the battlefield.
Frieza's eyes flickered toward the source, his hand pausing mid-strike.
The figure landed not far from Cado and the others, his presence sending a shiver down everyone's spine—except for one.
Cado's eyes widened in disbelief.
It was him.