Ethan rubbed his nose, not taking Frieza's words seriously at all, but that look of pity for a fool still made Frieza very angry.
"Hmph, I hope you can still smile in a bit, Saiyan!"
"My name is Ethan!"
As for being mistaken for a Saiyan or whatever, Ethan was not going to bother explaining. Frieza would find out the truth soon enough anyway.
Without waiting too long, Frieza first shattered the battle armor he was wearing, then began to release the power within his body.
While transforming, Frieza did not forget to explain.
"There are many races in the universe with the ability to transform, but those transformations are all done to gain greater battle power, just like you Saiyans transforming into Great Apes." Frieza's body trembled slightly as immense power was released from his short frame. "But my transformation is different from theirs. It is because my power is too immense, and I have to use this method to suppress it."
"..."
Frieza had also said these words in the original story, meaning that for Frieza, the final form was his true body, and the previous forms were merely reverse transformations used to suppress his power. For some reason, Ethan was reminded of compressed files.
Frieza finally stopped his incessant chatter. His body suddenly swelled and grew much larger, followed by his limbs, and finally his head enlarged as well, with the two straight horns lengthening and curving.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. It has been too long since I've shown this form..." As he said this, he did not forget to mock the Saiyans. "Even when I attacked Planet Vegeta back then, I did not need to transform. You should feel proud to see this form of mine."
"Are you done?"
Ethan remained standing with his arms crossed, shifting his weight onto one leg, looking completely unguarded, as if this moment were the perfect opportunity for a sneak attack.
However, none of Frieza's subordinates dared to make a move, because Lord Frieza had already said he would personally deal with this guy. If they attacked now, it would be an insult to Lord Frieza.
Ethan was waiting patiently like this mainly because of the mission. Otherwise, with his personality, Frieza would have been beaten to death before he even had a chance to transform.
"Oh? Your reaction is quite interesting..."
Frieza had originally been anticipating the other party's reaction. No matter how many times he saw it, that look of despair, fear, and panic always seemed so amusing.
However, Ethan remained very calm, as if he could not see how terrifying Frieza's current strength had become.
Could it be that the scouter this guy was wearing could not measure battle power? That should not be the case, right?
Ethan could, of course, see the changes in Frieza's battle power. Not only did the scouter on his face show a number over one million, but he could also judge Frieza's current strength by sensing it directly.
But with just this much power, it would be impossible to defeat him.
"Frieza is finished!"
Vegeta, who seemed unaware that Frieza could transform multiple times, even made such a judgment.
"He only increased his battle power by a little more than double. Frieza's transformation is completely a joke!"
Not to mention the Super Saiyan form, which could increase power fiftyfold, even the Great Ape transformation far surpassed Frieza's so-called transformation.
Over a million was still a terrifying level of power, but it was nothing compared to Son Goku and that guy named Ethan.
And that was indeed the case. While Frieza was still wondering, Ethan, who was not far away, suddenly disappeared and reappeared right in front of him.
Ethan did not use any fancy moves. He simply dashed straight to Frieza and kicked him away.
The heavy blow, as if his stomach had been pierced through, sent Frieza flying sideways and even killed several of his subordinates who were standing far behind him.
Thanks to these human shields, when Frieza crashed into his own spaceship, he only left a dent in the outer wall instead of destroying the ship.
While Frieza clutched his stomach and struggled not to vomit, Ethan still maintained the posture of having his arms crossed and having just kicked out, slowly retracting his leg.
"Sorry, was that too hard?"
"..."
Frieza stood up clutching his stomach, ignored the stunned looks of his subordinates, and stared intently at Ethan in the distance. However, the next second, he smiled again.
"It seems I underestimated you. You're stronger than I expected. I should be able to have a lot of fun this time."
"Heh heh!"
Just as Ethan chuckled, Frieza had already closed the distance and attacked. His speed and agility did not seem to be affected at all by becoming taller and more muscular.
He launched a barrage of attacks with both fists and legs, and even his tail occasionally struck from unexpected angles. An ordinary person facing such an onslaught would surely become flustered. Frieza had thought he had only been caught off guard by the earlier strike because he was too careless, and now that he was going all out, he would definitely be able to easily defeat this guy.
What he did not expect was that his attacks were completely ineffective against his opponent. Since both sides were engaged in close combat, Frieza could easily see the expression on Ethan's face.
What was with that relaxed look? Could it be that his attacks really were not a threat to this guy?
In a fit of rage, Frieza suddenly took half a step back and extended his right hand, unleashing a powerful energy wave. This kind of area attack, like a shotgun blast covering everything in front of him, launched suddenly during close combat, basically left no chance of dodging.
But Ethan's reaction and speed far surpassed Frieza's. The moment Frieza took that half step back and made the motion to extend his hand, Ethan had already figured out what he was about to do.
Although taking the hit head-on would not injure him, Ethan did not want to get covered in dust. So, using his superior speed, he flashed above and behind Frieza and delivered a downward chop from above, smashing Frieza heavily into the ground.
"..."
Even Frieza's group, who could not sense power levels, could now see that Lord Frieza was at a complete disadvantage. Although Frieza's attack speed just now was astonishing, Ethan's reaction speed was also far too fast for them to see clearly.
But there was one thing everyone noticed.
From beginning to end, Ethan's hands remained in the same position. Even when Frieza unleashed his frantic onslaught, Ethan's hands did not move. He only used his legs to deal with it.
"How about it? Can you still continue?"
Ethan's greeting sounded like concern, but saying it in this situation gave off a strong sense of mockery, especially since he was standing next to Frieza, who was half-buried in the ground, and his condescending gaze from above only amplified that feeling.
"You damn Saiyan!"
Frieza had never been so humiliated in all his life. Although the Frieza who leaped up was not injured, he was covered in dirt, and with his face twisted in anger, he looked extremely pathetic.
"How dare you mock me!"
"Mock you?" Ethan finally moved his hands, but he still maintained the posture of having his arms crossed. He simply extended his right index finger and lightly wagged it twice. "I warned you from the very beginning to show your true strength."
Frieza's face darkened. Although he was reluctant to admit it, the truth was that he had been too overconfident. Perhaps he should have realized something was wrong from the beginning, when the other party completed his transformation, or when he wore a scouter yet showed no change in expression.
"Hmph, you're right!"
As the Emperor of the Universe, Frieza was quite magnanimous, especially when he still believed he held the advantage, or so he thought.
"I underestimated you, but do not get too cocky, Saiyan!"
"..." Ethan knew Frieza was about to start talking again.
"Since you wish to see my true power, then I shall grant your wish!" Frieza began his speech once more. "As I said just now, my transformations are actually meant to suppress my immense power. What I did not mention is that I can transform three times."
"What?"
Ethan was not surprised, but Vegeta and Frieza's subordinates in the distance were all shocked. Even Zarbon and Dodoria, Frieza's two closest henchmen, did not know that Lord Frieza could transform three times.
The people who had originally been a bit panicked after seeing their lord beaten down regained their confidence in him and quietly continued watching his performance.
Son Goku, on the other hand, remained very calm. Although Frieza still had two more transformations, Ethan also had trump cards he had not used yet. In other words, so far, the fight between the two could not even be called a warm-up.
After Frieza finished explaining, he immediately began his second transformation.
Compared to his first transformed appearance, the look of the second transformation was... it reminded Ethan of the Alien. He remembered that the original author seemed to be a fan of Alien...
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Almost no one has seen this form of mine. You can feel proud of that."
Ethan's scouter had already given an accurate number. Frieza's battle power had surpassed two million and was still slowly increasing. He estimated that Frieza's maximum battle power in this form would not exceed three million.
"Looks like I need to get a little serious." Ethan stretched his arms and neck and struck a slight pose. "However, I sincerely advise you, it would be better to just complete your final transformation directly."
"..."
Frieza had originally wanted to say that he did not need to use his full power against someone like him, but looking at the other party's relaxed demeanor, and then at his companions, who all seemed very calm except for Vegeta, who looked startled by his power...
"That's a very good suggestion. I've decided to accept it!"
Frieza did not attack. Instead, he proceeded directly to his third transformation. He had decided to use his full power to fight Ethan.
What had just happened was simply too humiliating. He was Frieza, the Emperor of the Universe. How could he be so pathetic? He needed to recover the prestige he had lost, and the best way was to unleash his immense power and kill all these guys. Of course, the subordinates who had seen him lose face could not be allowed to leave this planet alive either.
"Now, let me show you the true power of the Emperor of the Universe!"
(To be continued.)