"Transformation of a god? You mean, understanding and harnessing divine power?"
Piccolo tilted his head, genuinely curious. "So Goku, does Krillin's new transformation have anything to do with that Super Saiyan God form you turned into before?"
Goku nodded. "Actually, yeah! Krillin's transformation is a Super Saiyan form that builds upon the foundation of Super Saiyan God. We call it Super Saiyan Blue—or Super Blue for short."
"Super Saiyan transformation based on Super Saiyan God… Super Blue…" Piccolo repeated with a sigh.
He was speechless.
Saiyan transformations had always been flashy, but this—this felt like a gimmick. The appearance was nearly identical to the regular Super Saiyan, except the hair had turned blue instead of golden yellow.
Of course, Piccolo wasn't naive. He knew there had to be more to it than just a color change. The transformation must involve immense internal energy control and mastery of divine ki. But still—he couldn't help it.
He had to complain.
"Saiyans are ridiculous," he muttered under his breath. "All they have to do is change their hair color, and they become exponentially stronger. It's like they're collecting a rainbow."
His gaze fell back to Krillin, now glowing with that fierce blue aura. He didn't have hair, of course, but the energy swirling around him still looked magnificent—like a blazing blue fire. Despite the lack of a spiky hairstyle, Krillin exuded a powerful presence.
And that power…
Piccolo's jealousy deepened. He couldn't help but desire a bit of that Saiyan blood himself. Just imagine if a Namekian could stack transformations like the Saiyans…
Meanwhile, he couldn't help but notice something else.
Frieza's transformation to his Golden form also amounted to a color change—purple and white turned into gold and polished silver. Was this a trend now? Change your color, gain a massive boost in strength?
It was so absurd that it actually made sense in the world of Saiyans and galactic tyrants.
"I wonder," Piccolo mused. "Will there be a Super Saiyan Rainbow one day?"
He turned to Tien, who stood beside him, arms crossed. "Tien, since you fused with Saiyan blood too… can you transform like Krillin now?"
Tien shook his head. "Not yet. Krillin fused with Saiyan blood before I did, so he's ahead of me."
"But I can already transform into a regular Super Saiyan," Tien added with determination in his eyes. "And soon… I'll achieve Super Blue too."
His tone was filled with pride—but also quiet envy. Watching Krillin take on Frieza in that glorious form only made him more eager to unlock his next transformation.
Piccolo gave a resigned sigh. "I swear, you're all evolving like Pokémon. Meanwhile, I'm stuck in the same body I've had since forever."
"Don't worry, Piccolo," Goku chimed in with a grin. "You'll get Saiyan blood someday."
Piccolo smirked sarcastically. "Thanks for the hopeful nonsense."
"But back to the real issue—now that Krillin's Super Blue, can he take on Golden Frieza?" Piccolo asked.
Goku shook his head. "No… not yet. Krillin's strong, but Frieza's still a bit stronger in terms of raw power. That said, beating Krillin won't be easy for Frieza anymore."
Everyone turned their attention back to the battle unfolding before them.
In the distance, Golden Frieza was frowning, visibly puzzled.
He had just witnessed Krillin undergo a transformation he hadn't seen before—a transformation that looked deceptively simple. The aura had changed. The color had changed. But that was it.
And yet…
Frieza found himself hesitating.
"What's going on?" he muttered. "This shouldn't bother me. It's just a color shift! His power shouldn't have changed that much!"
But it had.
And Frieza could feel it. Deep down, a part of him was unsettled.
He tried to convince himself otherwise.
"No," he growled. "This is just a trick of perception. My mind is playing games with me because his transformation looked different from Super Saiyan. That's all!"
The irony, of course, was lost on him—his own golden transformation was just as much a color change, albeit one he took immense pride in.
Hoping to prove a point, Frieza surged forward without another thought. His form shimmered gold as he launched himself at Krillin.
And Krillin didn't flinch.
Despite knowing he was still outmatched, Krillin didn't underestimate his enemy. Becoming Super Blue had significantly increased his power, but Frieza's reputation and might were still formidable.
Krillin wasn't here to win.
He was here to show that he was no longer the bug under Frieza's boot. He was here to leave a scar on Frieza's pride.
He braced himself as Frieza's punch came at him, faster than light.
Frieza had poured most of his power into that single strike. Though he refused to use his full strength against Krillin—whom he still viewed as beneath him—he wasn't taking the Earthling lightly anymore either.
Krillin raised his arms just in time, blocking the punch. A thunderous boom rang out as their powers collided.
The impact launched Krillin backward, skidding across the rocky terrain.
Frieza grinned. "Not bad… but let's see how long you last."
He launched after him, unleashing a rapid barrage of energy blasts.
Krillin recovered mid-air and began swatting at the incoming orbs, redirecting or detonating them before they hit him. His arms blurred with speed, trying to keep up.
But it wasn't enough.
Frieza's energy balls outnumbered his defense, and several slipped through, detonating around Krillin in a series of violent explosions. A cloud of smoke swallowed him whole.
"Uncle Krillin!" Gohan cried out from the sidelines.
He clenched his fists, trying to sense Krillin's ki, but the explosions and energy interference made it nearly impossible to detect.
"His energy…" Gohan murmured. "I can't feel it."
"Relax," Goku said calmly, though his eyes remained sharp. "Krillin's tougher than he looks. Frieza didn't hit him with killing intent—just enough to hurt."
"Hmph," Vegeta added from beside him, arms crossed. "He might not be seriously injured… but he's definitely taken some damage. This fight's over for him."
The battlefield grew quiet for a moment as the smoke cleared.
Krillin's silhouette finally became visible, still standing—but barely. His body trembled, bruises forming across his chest and arms, but the blue aura still flickered faintly around him.
He took a shaky breath, wiped the blood from his lip, and grinned.
"Still… standing…" he whispered.
Vegeta turned to Goku, his tone firm. "It's time to rotate. We're not letting Frieza build momentum."
Goku nodded.
Their brief exchange was simple, but the energy between them was electric.
Back in the distance, Frieza was frowning again. Krillin's resilience irritated him.
"I should've ended this already," he muttered. "Why is this Earthling still alive?"
He glanced around—at the spectators watching him, at the expressions of confidence they wore—and something inside him cracked.
"Fine then," he snarled. "Let's see how long your friends can last once I get serious!"
As Frieza charged toward Krillin once more, a new notification appeared in the group chat for the "Thugs of Justice."
> Jack: "@All Members – Incoming alert. Next mission coming soon. Stay sharp."
Though the message was brief, the energy shifted again. Everyone felt it.
The air grew heavier, as if the next phase of this confrontation was only moments away.
And with Krillin barely standing and Frieza growing more frustrated by the second… the real battle was just about to begin.