"Stop talking nonsense," Karnel said, extending his hand in a dismissive gesture. "If you want the Dragon Balls, come and take them!"
Frieza paused, then suddenly began to laugh, a sound like breaking glass that sent chills through the void. "You succeeded in irritating me, Saiyan. I am different from the trash you defeated earlier. I possess a combat power of 530,000!"
"Stop bragging and try to knock me down if you can." Karnel's voice carried bored amusement. As if 530,000 was impressive, he'd killed countless minions with power levels in the millions.
A flash of murderous intent crossed Frieza's eyes, and his aura suddenly exploded outward, leaving only a shadow where he'd been floating.
Finally getting serious, are we?
Karnel sensed the unique cold energy signature of Frieza's race behind him and spun around with a devastating kick.
CLANG!
The kick connected with Frieza's confident killing punch, and the emperor was sent hurtling backward hundreds of meters through space.
"This Saiyan monkey is actually this powerful..." Frieza stared at his numbed arm in shock. One kick had completely overpowered his attack.
Karnel wouldn't give him time to recover. In a flash of light, he materialized directly in front of Frieza and unleashed a barrage of punches, thousands of strikes in a single second.
Frieza had no choice but to desperately block with both hands, his eyes wide with panic at the ferocious assault.
Since you want to block, I'll let you block to your heart's content!
Karnel's expression turned cold as he systematically pummeled Frieza's arms and fists, treating the so-called emperor like a living punching bag. Each blow contained enough force to shatter planets, and Frieza found himself completely unable to counterattack.
"Damn it! I, King Frieza, being suppressed by a mere monkey... Unforgivable!" Frieza gritted his teeth as the dense barrage of fists continued to rain down on him. His arms were going numb, and exhaustion was setting in fast.
"Frieza, this is exciting, isn't it?" Karnel had grown bored of the one-sided beatdown. With a final punch containing just a bit more force, he sent the tyrant spinning through space. "I was expecting more from the 'Emperor of the Universe.'"
"Damn you!" Frieza screamed as he stabilized himself in the distance. His hands were swollen and numb, both arms visibly bruised and battered.
"You dared to humiliate me so thoroughly! I, Frieza, will never forgive you, Saiyan monkey!" The emperor's rage boiled over as he began his transformation.
Second form!
Frieza's body stretched and grew taller, his horns curving backward as he took on an appearance reminiscent of his father, King Cold. With his combat power now at one million, confidence returned to his features.
"Saiyan monkey, this is the unique transformation ability of my race! This is my second form, my combat power has reached one million! Are you trembling in fear?"
Frieza moved faster than before, appearing in front of Karnel with eyes full of fury. However, Karnel's expression wasn't one of fear, but rather... disappointment.
"Is this your transformation skill? Aside from some cosmetic changes, there's nothing impressive here. Your strength is still that of a weak chicken."
"Saiyan monkey! How dare you look down on me! You should be honored to die under King Frieza's second form!" Frieza's eyes flashed with cold light, his doubled strength filling him with renewed confidence.
In the eternal silence of space, two streaks of light collided repeatedly, dancing through the void like violent meteors.
Although Frieza's strength and speed had increased significantly, in Karnel's opinion, he was still no different from a turtle. Karnel easily caught every punch and kick, returning them to Frieza at twice the speed.
Grabbing Frieza's ankle, Karnel's eyes flashed with predatory intent. With effortless strength, he hurled the emperor directly into a massive asteroid. The impact created a crater in the iron-hard surface.
Karnel followed up instantly, giving Frieza no chance to react as he drove his knee into the tyrant's chest. The entire asteroid was displaced hundreds of meters by the tremendous force.
CRACK!
Frieza's chest caved inward as he spat up a mouthful of blood, his hands trembling as he struggled to stand.
"Damn it! I, the Emperor of the Universe, will not lose to you!" Frieza's face was covered in blood, his eyes bulging with hatred.
"AHHHHH!"
Frieza transformed again, this time directly into his final form. The asteroid beneath his feet cracked and shattered from the terrifying energy radiating from his body.
His physique streamlined, the horns on his head disappeared, and his muscles became more defined. This was Frieza's true form, sleek, deadly, and radiating immense power.
"This is my final form, with a combat power of 60 million," Frieza said, his voice now carrying a cruel, cold certainty. "Saiyan monkey, I will peel off your flesh and blood inch by inch."
Karnel crossed his arms casually and chuckled. "Wow! What a terrifying aura, I'm so scared! Frieza, you've become so powerful. I'll give you a handicap and fight with just one hand!"
Qi!
Frieza's blood vessels bulged with rage as he clenched his fists so hard that thick tendons stood out like cables. He thrust both hands forward in fury.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Thousands of death beams spanning kilometers erupted from his fingertips. From a distance, it looked like a meteor shower crossing the starry sky, colorful, brilliant, and utterly deadly.
"I know that move too." Seeing Frieza's signature beam barrage, Karnel didn't lag behind. He fired thousands of thicker, light-blue energy beams from his own fingers, meeting the incoming death rays head-on.
The collision was spectacular, but Karnel's beams were clearly superior. After a brief struggle, they overwhelmed Frieza's special technique entirely, continuing toward the emperor in an unstoppable torrent.
"Impossible! How could a Saiyan monkey know the techniques of my Ice Clan?" Frieza's teeth ground together in frustration as he desperately weaved through the thousands of energy streams.
"Here's an even bigger one," Karnel said with dark amusement.
Pointing his finger skyward, he condensed a 10-meter-wide supernova death bomb in less than a second. The miniature star pulsed with enough energy to vaporize entire solar systems.
"Let's see how you handle this, Emperor."