Back on Planet Cold No. 1.
After King Cold was killed, everything returned to calm.
Salari and Raditz, who had witnessed everything, came forward.
"That guy's finally taken care of. Lord Kai was right after all. The potential of their race is even more terrifying than us Saiyans."
"Good thing we took him out! First Cooler, then King Cold, both of them managed to reach such terrifying power levels in such a short time. It's just unbelievable."
Raditz and Salari spoke one after another, sighing in awe.
Through the battle with King Cold, they had come to understand many things indirectly.
One of which was that a Super Saiyan wasn't invincible. Only by constantly training, growing stronger, and breaking through limits could one maintain their power.
It was hard to imagine that if King Cold had been given more time to train, just how powerful would he have become?
"Now that both Cooler and King Cold have been eliminated by you, Brother Talot, that just leaves Frieza. Brother Talot, should we head straight to their home planet and eliminate them completely?" Salari was somewhat afraid as she suggested.
She feared Frieza might become even more powerful.
King Cold's growth had been just too outrageous.
Raditz didn't speak, waiting for Talot's answer.
Even though he knew his strength wasn't even a match for King Cold, let alone Frieza…
As long as Talot needed him to go, he would face life and death without hesitation.
Talot exchanged glances with Salari and Raditz, and Frieza's figure appeared in his mind.
He understood the worries in their hearts.
But he also had his own plans.
"There's no rush," Talot replied.
This response confused Raditz and Salari, but they didn't press him, choosing to follow Talot's lead.
"Actually, for us, Frieza's existence is more of a driving force that motivates us to grow stronger! All along, we've trained and pushed ourselves to defeat Frieza. And today, we've already surpassed the strength Frieza once possessed! But as time moves on, we grow stronger, and so do our enemies. After this battle with King Cold, I've come to some realizations, and I'm sure you two have as well."
"So, my plan is to wait for Frieza to grow strong enough before reemerging. I don't think that day is far off. Meanwhile, I'll do everything I can to help both of you reach Full Power Super Saiyan 1, maybe even help you break through to Super Saiyan 2."
"Lastly, I actually want to take you both to the Sacred World of the Kai beforehand to unlock your potential. Old Supreme Kai's ability is truly extraordinary..."
With those words, Talot gathered his thoughts.
Raditz and Salari looked at each other and nodded in agreement.
After all, they also wanted to grow stronger and wash away the shame of defeat.
Since Talot had already made these arrangements, protesting would only be embarassing.
Besides, they didn't have the strength to challenge a more powerful Frieza anyway.
The only dissatisfaction they held was that just as they were about to take the final step toward revenge, they had to stop halfway.
After this discussion, Planet Cold No. 1 was completely destroyed by the power of the three.
Everyone on the planet was annihilated along with it.
It wasn't cruelty on their part, the planet belonged to the enemy. If these people were left alive, they would only become a future threat.
It might significantly lower Universe 7's mortal level, but in the end, that so-called mortal level was just a number.
...
On North Kai's Planet.
The space suddenly rippled.
Talot, Salari, and Raditz returned.
Seeing this, North Kai stepped forward to speak with them.
He first praised the three briefly, then got straight to the point, asking whether they would head to Frieza's home planet to eliminate him, or continue to rest and build strength.
North Kai knew Talot well. As they spent more time together and their bond became deeper, he came to realize that Talot had always been searching for goals to put pressure on himself.
The reason he hadn't taken out Frieza and King Cold for so long was because he used the pressure they created to push himself to become stronger.
Otherwise, with Talot's power, King Cold and Frieza were nothing.
He could've wiped them out long ago.
If King Cold hadn't made such a big move this time upon officially resurfacing, Talot probably wouldn't have made such a serious decision to eliminate him first.
He trusted Talot, but still worried that Talot might be making a mistake.
After all, letting Frieza grow stronger now was no different from how the old Frieza once allowed the surviving Saiyans to grow unchecked.
Some things, when said too much, lose their meaning.
After several rounds of discussion, North Kai could only focus on doing what he was supposed to, monitoring those unstable factors.
As for Talot and the other two, they chose to remain on North Kai's Planet to absorb the insights gained from this battle.
...
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a month had passed.
During this month, news of King Cold's death couldn't be hidden and quickly spread. It not only triggered upheaval among many forces but also plunged the region into extreme chaos.
At the very least, the North Area had completely fallen into chaos. The massive New Cold Force and the Frieza Force, both became leaderless due to King Cold's death.
Undercurrents surged, and various forces began to take action.
Many former captain-level individuals with ambition chose to carve out their own territories and bide their time, waiting for Frieza, whose whereabouts were unknown, to reappear.
One reason was that they didn't have the strength to suppress the entire force. Another was the fear that Frieza might have been aware of their movements all along, so they dared not act recklessly.
In short, this happened too suddenly. Even if it was clearly real, with Frieza's life or death still unknown, everything required extreme caution.
To put it more simply, anyone who could rise to the level of a captain wasn't stupid. They all know how to develop in a low-profile way and avoid unnecessary risks.
Of course, while the majority behaved this way, a small number who, due to pent-up grievances from the past, choose to explode into action and carve out their own territory, no longer heeding military orders.
In fact, the current situation was somewhat similar to the later stages of the Frieza Force in the original work.
It existed in name only.
...
In a certain star system within the North Area.
On a technologically advanced planet called Hott.
As far as the eye could see, endless ruins and smoke billowed into the sky.
The cities, once packed and brimming with a technological aura, were completely wiped out. Almost all living beings on the planet had been exterminated.
Just a few days ago, Vegeta's squad from the Frieza Force had set their sights on this highly advanced planet and launched an invasion.
Everything visible now was the handiwork of Nappa, the member of Vegeta's squad.
In the center of a ruined city.
Vegeta and Nappa sat cross-legged as usual around a bonfire.
This was their way of celebrating victory.
On the fire, a strange humanoid creature sizzled in the flames, oil dripping and giving off a mouth-watering aroma of roasted meat.
This creature was none other than a native of this planet, a Hottian.
And also Vegeta and Nappa's food supply for the day.
Seeing that the food was nearly done, Nappa casually tore off a piece and handed it to Vegeta, then ripped off another for himself and began chewing.
"Heh heh~! Never would've guessed, these Hottians look weird, but their meat's not bad. It's been ages since I tasted something this tender," Nappa grinned wickedly, then yanked off a leg and began feasting.
By contrast, Vegeta chewed the food in his mouth absentmindedly, finding it bland, while also paying attention to the scouter's incoming data.
The invasion of Planet Hott was initiated by him, not by any command from above.
His purpose was clear, to test whether anyone among the current Frieza Force leadership still had time to control him.
After all, this planet had been sold to the Hottians by the army decades ago, along with a protection pact lasting a hundred years.
Their sudden attack had already unilaterally violated that pact.
Vegeta had now confirmed one thing. News of King Cold's death at the hands of a Super Saiyan a month ago was indeed true, and Frieza's whereabouts remained unknown, his fate uncertain.
The most crucial point, no disciplinary message had been sent from the higher-ups until now.
The force was fractured, and each division was busy with its own affairs.
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