To Freeza, a 43% match was still just that—43%. It didn't seem like anything significant. Besides… deep down, he had long assumed that the person he once hated with every fiber of his being had already died of old age. Freeza had mentally prepared for that outcome.
The old alien scientist who had rushed over was gasping for breath at the spaceship's entrance. Regaining his composure, he stated with certainty, "It's… on Planet Vegeta!" He spoke each word firmly, then turned to look outside. Only then did he realize that the planet's destruction, a spectacle as breathtaking as a miracle, had left him momentarily dazed.
"Planet… Vegeta?" Freeza repeated the name, his cold, ruthless eyes turning even icier.
The sheer chill emanating from him made both Dodoria and Zarbon instinctively want to flee. The aura Freeza was exuding at this moment was terrifying beyond measure. Neither Dodoria nor Zarbon had the ability to sense ki, but even they could feel the sheer malice, the killing intent, and the immense pressure emanating from him. It was so overwhelming that their limbs trembled uncontrollably.
"Report! A spacecraft managed to escape from Planet Vegeta at the moment of the explosion!"
Before Freeza could say anything, another soldier came running from inside the ship, shouting in panic.
"There's still a filthy monkey trying to escape?! What the hell are you waiting for? Lock onto it and destroy it!" Dodoria snapped, furious at the incompetence of the soldiers.
Zarbon, ever the composed one, folded his arms and turned his gaze toward another part of space where the explosion had occurred. His sharp eyes seemed to catch a faint, thin white streak of light. As one of Freeza's elite warriors, he knew that any high-speed spacecraft in flight would leave behind a distinct energy trail.
Freeza slowly turned, his presence shifting like a moving mountain, a tidal wave crashing down. The overwhelming aura made the soldier who had just reported collapse to his knees at the spaceship's entrance. His face turned ghostly pale, drenched in cold sweat, his limbs weak. Even Zarbon and Dodoria were paralyzed with fear. Though they had fought countless battles, the sheer weight of Freeza's pressure left them unable to move.
The terrifying might of the Galactic Emperor.
"We… we already fired at it… b-but…" The kneeling soldier trembled, barely able to speak. "A-all of our attacks just… vanished! As if the target had some kind of defensive mechanism!"
"A single-pilot escape pod… with that kind of technology?" The old scientist frowned in disbelief.
"Useless fools!" Dodoria cursed, raising his fist, ready to strike the kneeling soldier.
"Stop, Dodoria!" Zarbon suddenly barked. His arms fell to his sides, his eyes wide with shock, locked onto something behind Freeza. At the same time, the old scientist and the terrified soldier by the spaceship's entrance did the same. Their gazes all converged on one point.
"Hm?"
Freeza immediately sensed the anomaly. Floating slightly, he turned around to look behind him.
What met his eyes was the sight of his hundreds of elite warriors, stationed outside the ship, exploding into showers of flesh and blood.
In the vacuum of space, their remains scattered in radial patterns, blooming like grotesque fireworks. With the backdrop of the planet's silent annihilation, it was like a cruel yet strangely beautiful painting—one where red specks of blood shimmered against the infernal blaze of planetary destruction.
And from within this grotesque spectacle, a lone figure with ashen-gray hair emerged, striding forward.
Freeza's entire body trembled. Compared to this, the deaths of his subordinates were meaningless.
"It's been a hundred and seventy-nine years… You really made me search for you, you damn piece of trash!!"
Freeza's voice was laced with pure, unfiltered hatred. His crimson eyes locked onto the figure approaching through the void of space. The man's hair color had changed. His presence felt different. But Freeza knew—without a doubt—it was him. Even that revolting smirk was exactly as he remembered!
Taro floated forward from the abyss of space, an immense pressure radiating from his body. The sheer force of his energy sent the shredded remains of Freeza's soldiers spiraling backward, swallowed by the planetary explosion behind him—casually swept away like dust.
Observing Freeza's uncharacteristic loss of composure, Taro smiled faintly and spoke. "It has been a long time, Freeza."
Dodoria instinctively wanted to act, his usual impulse to punish anyone who dared disrespect Freeza kicking in. But when he glanced at Zarbon and saw his cautious expression, he hesitated. Something wasn't right.
The old scientist and the soldier at the spaceship's entrance stood frozen in disbelief. Since joining Freeza's forces, they had never seen anyone dare to speak to him like this. Was this man insane?
"You've improved," Taro mused, observing Freeza. Though his lips moved, his voice did not pass through the vacuum. Instead, it resonated directly within the minds of those present, carried by his mental energy. Though attacking Freeza's mind would be difficult due to his sheer power, transmitting thoughts was effortless.
His gaze scrutinized Freeza's transformed state, deep in thought.
In an instant, Taro understood—Freeza had grown even stronger. If given the right martial training, could he… reach something akin to Goku's Full-Power Super Saiyan state?
Taro's eyes lingered on Freeza's mechanical right arm for a moment. The brief glance made Freeza's expression darken further.
"You're just as irritating as ever…"
Freeza raised his mechanical hand, fingers splayed open like claws. At the same time, his icy gaze flicked toward the spaceship. The old scientist at the entrance trembled and discreetly reached for a concealed remote device, pressing a switch.
And within Taro's senses—Freeza's energy was rapidly rising, his dark purple aura intensifying. Then—
Freeza's mechanical fingers clenched into a fist.