Zeltron and Frieza hovered in the air above Namek, locked in a tense, silent standoff.
"There's no choice. Before Krillin and Vegeta arrive, I'll have to stall Frieza myself," Zeltron murmured under his breath, glancing briefly at Son Goku, still gasping for air below.
With intent focus, Zeltron settled into a fighting stance.
As Frieza watched, uncertain of Zeltron's next move, Son Goku's face changed the moment he recognized the posture.
"Wait... Could it be...?" Son Goku whispered, realisation dawning in his eyes.
Suddenly, a tremendous surge of energy erupted from Zeltron.
HUM—
A scarlet shockwave burst outward, centering on Zeltron's location and rolling across the battlefield.
Below, the ocean churned with monstrous waves; above, storm clouds gathered, and the earth trembled with raw power.
Even Frieza was forced to brace himself, his expression slipping from confidence to alarm as Zeltron's aura crashed over him.
Not only Frieza, but far away, Vegeta, Krillin, and Son Gohan felt the sudden, overwhelming surge.
"This aura...!"
The trio froze, their energy vanishing instantly as they stared toward the horizon, shock written on their faces.
"It's that Saiyan! There's no mistaking it!" Krillin choked out, his voice trembling.
Vegeta's eyes went wide, disbelief giving way to a bitter smile.
"Don't tell me... He's become a Super Saiyan before me?"
As the scarlet aura intensified, Vegeta's jealousy turned to frustration. He burst forward, streaking through the air toward the confrontation, leaving Son Gohan and Krillin to rush after him.
"Gohan!" Krillin called. Son Gohan nodded, and together they followed, concern etched in their faces—not only for Zeltron and Vegeta but also for Son Goku, whose ki seemed dangerously weak.
Back on the field, Zeltron's Kaio-ken blaze shrouded him in fire-red light.
"It can't be... That's Kaio-ken!" Son Goku recognized instantly.
The shock faded, and a proud smile spread across Goku's face.
"It's unbelievable. I spent nearly half a year learning Kaio-ken from King Kai, but Zeltron can use it too!"
On King Kai's distant planet, the deity himself watched in astonishment.
"That's impossible! How did that guy learn Kaio-ken? I never taught him!"
For a moment, King Kai suspected Zeltron must have stolen the technique when Son Goku exhibited it before the Ginyu Force.
He wasn't far from the truth. Zeltron hadn't trained for Kaio-ken; he'd simply... picked up the power.
Scarlet energy surged around Zeltron; raw strength coursed through his body, fists clenched tight in satisfaction.
Even at just double Kaio-ken, his power leaped from 51.34 million to over 100 million—enough to keep Frieza in check.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. This is my first time using this form, so it took a moment," Zeltron said with a gentle smile.
But to Frieza, that harmless expression only stoked his fury. His jaw tightened; for the first time, Frieza sensed real danger.
"Wretched monkey... Don't get cocky!" Frieza snarled and lunged for Zeltron.
Zeltron met him head-on, their energies colliding in a radiant shockwave.
Rapp, watching from afar, was awestruck. "Incredible... Is this Master Zeltron's real strength?"
Beside him, Toss gripped his fists with wide-eyed admiration, his respect for Zeltron only deepening.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
High above Namek's sky, Zeltron and Frieza were locked in a ferocious battle. Their speed was so extreme that, for Rapp and Toss watching from afar, only the violent sounds of impacts echoed through the sky—their figures were completely invisible to the naked eye.
"Damn…"
Frieza, suddenly reappearing midair, wore a face twisted with fury and bloodlust. He'd felt supremely confident fighting Son Goku just moments before, but against Zeltron, he had the distinct—and accurate—sense that he was being suppressed.
Zeltron's base power was 51.34 million.
With double Kaio-ken active, his fighting power soared beyond 100 million. While Frieza's full power could reach 120 million, he was only using 50% of his strength—putting him at around 60 million.
Against Zeltron's 100 million, Frieza was clearly outmatched.
"Aren't you going to attack? If you can't, then I'll come to you!" Zeltron taunted, mouth curling into a sly grin.
"What a joke… Just a filthy monkey daring to belittle me, Frieza!"
With a snarl, Frieza released a powerful surge of energy and shot straight at Zeltron. He fired a punch, but Zeltron effortlessly slipped to the side, letting the fist miss by a hair.
"Tch…"
Frieza growled, baring his teeth, and launched a relentless series of punches so swift they left afterimages in the sky, looking like a barrage from a machine gun.
But Zeltron's movements were as graceful as a feather—a flutter here, a gentle step there. No matter how aggressively Frieza struck, Zeltron danced around his attacks with infuriating ease.
"Incredible… He's dodging everything Frieza throws at him!"
Below, Son Goku—catching his breath and recovering—watched the duel with awe.
He knew just how blindingly fast Frieza was, having struggled to keep up even at Kaio-ken x10. But Zeltron's speed now easily outpaced Frieza's.
Rapp and Toss were equally stunned in the distance.
"Amazing… Zeltron-sama can go toe-to-toe with Emperor Frieza!" Rapp marveled.
He remembered how, before coming to Namek, he'd thought following Zeltron to challenge Frieza was suicide. Now, he saw firsthand: his lord was even stronger than the Universe Emperor.
What Rapp didn't realize was that Zeltron's power hadn't always rivaled Frieza's; it was the crucible of Namek that had brought him to this level.
"What's wrong, Frieza? Is this all you've got?"
Zeltron smiled teasingly while continuing to evade Frieza's furious attacks.
Frieza's rage flared once more. "Don't speak to me with that tone, damned monkey!"
Frieza stopped momentarily, then slammed his palms together—
Hum—
An invisible blast wave exploded from his hands, sending Zeltron flying back through the air. Yet the attack lacked real force; Zeltron quickly stabilized himself just ten meters away.
Frieza pressed his assault.
[Ki Bomb]
A bright flame condensed over his fist and, with a sweeping motion, he hurled it like a massive Ki blast towards where Zeltron floated.
He didn't stop there. One by one, he launched a flurry of these fiery bombs—like a hailstorm of artillery—engulfing Zeltron in a raging sea of fire.
"Die, you filthy monkey!"
Frieza finished his barrage with a final jet bomb, detonating the inferno in a thunderous explosion.
Boom!
A powerful shockwave roaring with scarlet flame swept outward, raising the temperature in the air still higher. The ocean below sizzled as seawater evaporated, sending dense steam rising skyward. Soon, thick mist completely shrouded Zeltron's position.
Breathing heavily after his frenzied assault, Frieza glared into the fog.
"Stubborn monkey. This is what happens when you oppose the Emperor!"
He smirked, catching his breath.
At that moment, a violent gust swept from within the mist.
WHOOSH—
The vaporized water vanished instantly, blown away to reveal Zeltron, virtually unscathed apart from a few scorched patches on his armor.
Frieza's arrogant smile faded, replaced with dark malice. "Impossible…"
Snarling, he lunged at Zeltron once more.
But this time, Zeltron didn't dodge—instead, he stood his ground and met Frieza's assault head-on.
He knew Frieza's rage was near its peak; if he pushed any harder, Frieza might get desperate enough to destroy Namek altogether.
"Finally, the others have arrived…"
Out of the corner of his eye, Zeltron sensed the ki of Krillin, Vegeta, and Son Gohan approaching fast.
Joy flickered on his face. "Perfect. My job here is done."