Such overwhelming power!
Sorbet's heart lurched as terror gripped his chest. The scouter attached to his face erupted violently, exploding into scorched fragments and ash that scattered across his cheek.
Throughout the warship, electronic equipment detonated in rapid succession—sparks spraying in cascading showers as electrical systems overloaded from the sheer magnitude of Tarble's energy signature. The flickering emergency lights cast dancing shadows across panicked faces.
The elite fighters assembled here represented Frieza's personally selected warriors, rigorously trained and handpicked for Sorbet's command. Sorbet knew about Super Saiyans from intelligence reports, but he had no concept of the advanced transformations that existed beyond that initial legendary form. He'd convinced himself that warriors trained personally by King Frieza could overcome any Saiyan—a fantasy of victory he still desperately clung to even as reality crumbled before his eyes.
With his barked command, the tense atmosphere shattered into violent action.
Elite soldiers surged forward in a coordinated assault, each hungry for the glory of defeating a Saiyan. Such an achievement would earn tremendous recognition from their emperor. They attacked with frenzied desperation, faces twisted into savage masks of aggression and fear.
Tarble's eyes sharpened with focused intent. His aura exploded outward like a detonating star—golden energy piercing through the air like a sword blade, impaling the first wave of attackers who rushed him carelessly.
In a single instant, dozens were annihilated.
The warship shuddered violently from the shockwave! The mere burst of energy possessed such devastating force that soldiers at the rear froze mid-step, unable to advance. Though they hadn't personally experienced death's touch, the crushing pressure from those continuous waves of power had already turned their hands and feet ice-cold with primal terror.
"N-No... impossible..." Sorbet's eyelids twitched uncontrollably as he struggled to process the massacre unfolding before him. Those were King Frieza's elite warriors! He shook his head in denial, teeth grinding together, the hand gripping his laser rifle trembling violently.
Tarble stood alone in the center of the bridge, a solitary golden figure intimidating hundreds.
"Where did Frieza go?" His voice carried the calm authority of absolute confidence.
"You'll never guess King Frieza's whereabouts!" Sorbet shouted back, though his bravado rang hollow even to his own ears.
"My master taught me that the best way to deal with people like you is overwhelming force. Jaice and Burter requested I eliminate your threat completely." Tarble's expression remained neutral, almost bored. "Since Frieza isn't here, I've lost interest in prolonging this. I'll simply destroy his army and be done with it."
Sorbet could hear the cold indifference in Tarble's tone—the Saiyan genuinely didn't consider them worthy opponents at all. The dismissiveness cut deeper than any insult.
"Damn you! Everyone attack at once!" Sorbet's voice cracked with hysteria as he screamed the order, even while he himself retreated toward the rear exit. "Do you want to die?!"
Responding to their commander's directive—and understanding that failure to act meant execution anyway—several soldiers mustered what courage remained and charged forward desperately. Perhaps fighting to the death offered a slim chance of survival that cowering didn't.
Tarble tilted his head slightly, effortlessly dodging a wild haymaker. His arm swung horizontally with casual power, sending the attacker flying across the bridge with bone-shattering force. Before a second soldier's kick could connect, Tarble's counterpunch launched him through the far wall of the ship, the reinforced hull tearing like paper as the body tumbled into the void of space.
Instant kills. Complete domination.
This was no battle—it was an execution.
Sweat poured down Sorbet's face in rivulets as the nightmare scenario exceeded his worst fears. The power of a Super Saiyan had surpassed anything he'd imagined! So this is what King Frieza meant when he warned about their strength. No wonder he only assigned me to conquer the Galactic Justice League while giving Tagoma the task of handling the Saiyans directly!
But such realizations came far too late. Tarble's youthful face had transformed into a vision of the devil himself in Sorbet's terrified perception.
Left with no alternatives, Sorbet raised his laser rifle with trembling hands. He squeezed the trigger with all his remaining strength—FWOOSH!—a brilliant beam of concentrated energy lanced out, perfectly aimed. Unbelievably, it struck Tarble squarely in the back, right at the heart. A puff of scorched smoke rose from the point of impact.
I... I did it? Sorbet could barely believe what his eyes showed him. His desperation shot had actually connected with Tarble's vital point! The laser rifle's power output was sufficient to incinerate flesh and bone—the smoke proved it hit...which meant Tarble was—
"Hahaha! Stupid Saiyan, I actually—" Sorbet's triumphant declaration cut off abruptly. His eyes, locked wide with shock, would never blink again.
Tarble stood directly before him, completely unharmed.
As the scorched smoke dissipated, the truth became clear—the laser had merely grazed the edge of his golden aura, generating superficial smoke and dust. It hadn't actually damaged Tarble in the slightest. When a Super Saiyan's power increased, every physical attribute enhanced proportionally. A simple laser rifle posed about as much threat as a child's water gun.
Every technique exhausted. Every hope extinguished. Tarble remained unscathed while Frieza's army watched death's approach with mounting horror.
"No, no, no, no... King Frieza, save me!" Sorbet wailed, loyal to his emperor even in his final moments. Unfortunately, Frieza—currently stationed in another sector of the universe—had neither the ability nor the inclination to rescue a failed subordinate.
Golden energy coalesced around Tarble's raised palm, condensing into a massive disc of devastating power. The technique expanded outward in a widening circle, brilliant light almost too intense to witness directly, threatening to consume everything in its radius.
DETONATION.
The entire Frieza Legion fleet vanished within that apocalyptic energy wave. Explosions bloomed like flowers of destruction as warships tore apart at the molecular level. In the heart of those roaring flames, only Tarble emerged unscathed, like a phoenix reborn from cleansing fire.
At Galactic Justice League headquarters, Jaice and his officers waited anxiously for any news, their nerves frayed to breaking points. Suddenly, Tarble materialized before them through Instant Transmission, his battle gi pristine and his body bearing not a single scratch.
"Did you... did you succeed?" They held their breath, desperately hoping to hear that Frieza himself had been eliminated.
"I dealt with numerous soldiers, but Frieza wasn't there." Tarble's tone carried mild disappointment.
"Really?" Angila startled, processing this information quickly. "Perhaps that broadcast image was merely a psychological warning? Did Frieza only send his subordinates after all?"
"No. That doesn't fit his pattern." Jaice's expression darkened as tactical analysis overrode his initial hope. "In previous campaigns, large-scale military operations always involved his personal command. This time... the forces must have been divided into multiple attack vectors. He's pursuing another objective."
Those who'd served under Frieza for extended periods understood his strategic methodology intimately.
"Earth!" Tarble's eyes widened with sudden realization. "It has to be Earth!"
"This was a feint—a diversion." Jaice's fist clenched as the pieces fell into place. "His real target isn't the Galactic Justice League at all. He's going after the warriors on Earth directly! And possibly... the Saiyans on the Saiyan homeworld as well."
Tarble had correctly deduced Frieza's tactical thinking. Indeed, the tyrant emperor had never underestimated the Saiyan threat, which explained why he'd chosen to personally confront the primary threat. As for the Galactic Justice League? He'd calculated that no matter how much Jaice and his ilk had improved, they couldn't possibly match the elites he'd personally trained.
But Frieza had made one critical oversight—he'd forgotten that besides Raditz and Goku, other Saiyans had also learned Instant Transmission!
Sorbet's death had sent a clear signal reverberating across the cosmos: Frieza, the Emperor of the Universe, had truly returned from the grave.
"But our long-range detection arrays haven't picked up any trace of Frieza's signature. How is that possible?" One technician voiced the confusion everyone felt.
"We need to inform Master Raditz immediately." Tarble's statement hung in the air for a moment before he added, "Wait—aren't you connected with the Supreme Kai?"
The question jolted them like an electric shock—Jaice and the others suddenly understood.
During implementation of Raditz's five-year development plan, Jaice had maintained regular contact with Kibito as the project coordinator, establishing communication channels that remained active. If they couldn't reach Raditz directly through normal means, they could simply go through the Supreme Kai!
Frieza was advancing with overwhelming force and clear hostile intent. Though Earth now boasted numerous powerful defenders—Gohan, Broly, Piccolo, Super 17, and others capable of fighting independently, plus fusion techniques and Super Saiyan transformations—it still wasn't enough to guarantee victory against someone of Frieza's caliber.
"We'll notify Lord Raditz through the Supreme Kai while simultaneously intensifying our search for Frieza's exact location." Jaice made the executive decision with newfound confidence. "That's our best course of action."
Tarble nodded his agreement, settling in to wait at headquarters for further developments. Whatever was coming, they would face it together—and this time, Frieza would discover the Saiyans were no longer the victims he remembered.