Everyone knew one truth only the living could enjoy the taste of victory.
And death... no one truly wished to die.
So even though the people of Earth were all fellow humans, when faced with the very edge of life and death, they transformed into savage beasts, willing to kill without hesitation just to survive.
Under such brutal circumstances, the World Martial Arts Tournament had become nothing more than a merciless contest of survival.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion echoed in the distance.
A towering skyscraper was blown dozens of meters into the air, shattering into pieces that rained down like a storm.
In the very next moment, several more skyscrapers were leveled to the ground in succession.
BOOM!
Another massive shockwave followed, rumbling the ground beneath them.
Levos gazed toward the battlefield far ahead, his eyes dark and deep like a bottomless well.
This was the most terrifying tournament he had ever witnessed, and by far the bloodiest.
Even with his steady nerves, he couldn't help but feel a faint discomfort creep into his chest.
But he quickly regained his composure, his gaze sharpening with conviction.
As long as he could collect all seven Dragon Balls, he could change everything.
He glanced up at the sky. Floating above Central West City was a massive translucent sphere.
On its surface flowed hundreds of team names in varying sizes.
[Frieza Squad 7], [Cooler's Armored Strike Team], [Halo Unit], [Red Ribbon Blue Division], [Team Demonized 3]...
The names differed in size, likely indicating how many opponents each team had eliminated.
At the same time, some names flickered and gradually faded away, signaling the complete elimination of those teams.
Eventually, Levos found his own team's name: [Team Hope].
The text was small but still solid, not transparent.
When he spotted [Cooler's Armored Strike Team], a deep sigh escaped him.
As he'd feared, Cooler had arrived on Earth earlier than expected, silently lying in wait.
Which meant Frieza's faction would be even harder to deal with.
Just then, Android 16's voice broke his train of thought.
"Those soldiers are they part of Frieza's army?"
Levos turned his head.
Sure enough, a squad of soldiers clad in black and green combat armor was flying their way.
Even from a distance, the murderous pressure radiating off them was overwhelming.
They flew in tight formation, brandishing all sorts of alien weaponry, firing wildly in every direction.
Zzzzt! Zzzzt! Zzzzt!
Energy blasts streaked through the air, exploding across the city streets in waves of destruction.
Their chosen targets could only flee in panic.
Levos glanced down at the Dragon Radar. The last two Dragon Balls were located near Frieza's mothership.
So close.
But the skies were crawling with Frieza's sentries.
Should he charge through head-on? Or continue pretending to be part of Frieza's forces?
Bulma and 16 both looked at him, awaiting his decision.
Either option carried risk.
Levos made the call. "Avoid direct conflict with Frieza's army for now. Securing the Dragon Balls is the top priority."
They weren't far from the target. If they flew at full speed, they'd arrive quickly, but doing so would almost certainly attract attention.
After all, Frieza's troops likely had already circulated their identities across the internal communication network.
"Let's go this way." Levos pointed diagonally ahead.
There was another patrol unit in that direction.
But Levos wanted to confirm a hunch.
"Get ready for combat."
Bulma and 16 nodded and followed him.
Levos led the way, Bulma close behind, and 16 remained hidden, ready to act at a moment's notice.
BOOM!
Suddenly, an energy blast detonated in midair.
Levos immediately turned toward the explosion. It had struck the very squad of Frieza's men that had been hunting down prey.
In a flash of light, they were obliterated, scattered in the wind.
The energy blast had come from the opposite direction of Levos's path.
"Who was that?" Bulma asked curiously.
"I don't know. The energy only flared for a moment. I couldn't lock onto it."
Levos frowned.
"Could be Goku and the others. But if it is, they're hiding their ki extremely well. I can't locate them."
According to Levos's original plan, the top priority was to find Babidi and eliminate him before he could unseal Majin Buu.
He had already warned everyone: unless absolutely necessary, do not engage in battle.
If Frieza discovered Goku was alive, the tyrant might abandon his plans for Majin Buu and the Dragon Balls entirely, choosing instead to unleash his wrath.
And if that happened, he'd unleash hell just to erase the humiliation Goku had brought him. Twice.
The safest strategy was to eliminate Babidi's faction first, then gather the Dragon Balls, and use Shenron to flip the chessboard.
Right now, regrouping wasn't an option.
So the trio pressed on.
Before long, they entered the field of vision of another Frieza patrol squad.
"Who are you?" barked a purple-gray alien as he floated toward them.
Levos's pupils constricted the moment he saw him. His body instinctively tensed.
Tagoma.
According to what Levos knew, Tagoma was one of the strongest beings in the Frieza Force, second only to Frieza and King Cold.
From the sheer pressure he gave off, Tagoma had already surpassed him in power.
He had trained directly under Frieza during the latter's evolution into his Golden Form, enduring grueling torture to climb to where he was now.
And in the Dragon Ball world, raw ki wasn't everything. Transformations and explosive power-ups could tip the scales instantly.
Levos stopped, careful not to provoke him.
"I'm Levos. A newly recruited member of the Frieza Force," he replied calmly.
Tagoma crossed his arms, staring him down.
"So you're one of the androids Lord Frieza picked up on Earth?"
He tapped his scouter, then sneered. "Just as I thought. Even the scouter can't detect your true power."
Levos narrowed his eyes. The hostility in Tagoma's voice was crystal clear.
Tagoma raised his gaze, hawk-like eyes glinting. "I heard you've got something to do with that monster Frieza brought back."
He meant Cell Max.
Levos nodded slightly. "That's correct."
Tagoma scoffed. "Disgusting. You androids actually had the gall to use Frieza's cells to create that freak."
Levos's brow furrowed. "What exactly are you trying to say?"
Tagoma curled his lip in disdain. "I can't stand freaks who rely on weird science to suddenly gain strength."
"You know how much pain I endured to get this power?" he snarled, voice trembling with fury. "You wouldn't understand!"
"If it weren't for the fact we're in the same force, I'd kill you right now."
"But instead…" Tagoma's eyes gleamed coldly, "I'll give you a chance to fight me, one-on-one."
Levos's tone darkened. "I'm in the middle of a mission. I don't have time to fight you."
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