"Since that's how it is, then let's all die together! Planet-Destroying Bomb!" Driven to a dead end, Frieza finally chose to stake everything on one throw. After all, he was a creature who could survive in outer space.
Granted, detonating Planet Namek at such close range might leave even him grievously injured or drowned, but at least there was a sliver of hope. If he kept fighting Meruem, he'd likely be worn down and killed alive.
Rather than be beaten in such a humiliating way, better to go for broke.
"I've been waiting for exactly this moment!" Seeing Frieza's all-or-nothing move, Meruem didn't panic in the least. He even flashed a strange smile.
The reason Frieza would opt for this mutual-destruction gamble was precisely because Meruem had guided him there. You could call it a powerful psychological suggestion, produced by another Rinnegan ability Meruem used—the effect of Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Infinite Tsukuyomi is said to trap the opponent in an endless world of illusion, but the effect depends on the target. If Meruem cast it on Earthlings, naturally all humans on Earth would fall into that endless dream.
But used on Frieza, its power would be greatly diminished—almost negligible. Not because the genjutsu wasn't potent, but because top fighters in the Dragon Ball world are innately highly resistant to illusions and mental attacks.
Even a genjutsu of Infinite Tsukuyomi's caliber couldn't achieve the expected effect. So Meruem took another path: abandoning the "endless illusion" aspect of Infinite Tsukuyomi and using a powerful suggestion to stir the opponent's mind and achieve his goal.
Yes, it was hard for Frieza to defeat Meruem. With Flying Thunder God and Sage Mode, Meruem was extremely formidable. But by the same token, it was also hard for Meruem to finish Frieza head-on. The two could only drag it out. It's true that once Frieza used one hundred percent power, his stamina would steadily drop; over time he wouldn't be Meruem's match.
But what about Meruem? Don't forget, he was in Sage Mode. Sage Mode isn't unlimited. Even Naruto—the chosen child of destiny in the Naruto world—could only maintain it for three minutes at first; later it lasted longer, but it was still very limited.
Though Meruem could balance natural energy and chakra more easily, that didn't mean he could keep Sage Mode up forever.
His duration was long, but if he truly traded attrition with Frieza, he might not outlast him. Once Meruem couldn't maintain Sage Mode, the one to lose could very well be Meruem.
Granted, Meruem still had some cards unplayed, such as one-hundred-percent Nen-enhanced close combat in his Chimera Ant state. But in that form, fighting Frieza could easily end in mutual destruction—a bad bargain. So after weighing it carefully, Meruem arranged this setup.
All to make Frieza reveal an opening—an instant when he chose to go down together. There would only be one chance.
"Truth-Seeking Orbs! Black Rod: Human Body Control!" A black sphere surfaced behind Frieza in that fleeting opening, then turned into a black rod and stabbed into Frieza's body.
This was the very medium Nagato once used to control the Six Paths of Pain and to command bodies. It could only control Frieza for a few seconds, but that was enough for Meruem to do what he needed.
"Impossible—" Frieza hadn't expected Meruem's move at all. He'd been soundly outplayed.
"All-Killing Ash Bones!" In Meruem's mind, there were three super-ninjutsu that could finish Frieza. One was Chibaku Tensei, but it has a somewhat long prep time—a lengthy casting windup. Next was the maximized Truth-Seeking Orbs, the "black orbs that seal all phenomena and summon chaos," with the power to devour everything—but like Chibaku Tensei, its casting windup, its cooldown, was too long.
Though both moves are immensely powerful—especially in Meruem's hands—there wasn't time.
The black rods that control the body could only stall Frieza for a very short window.
So that left the relatively less powerful but near-instant super-ninjutsu: All-Killing Ash Bones. It's the ultimate technique Kaguya once used, a terrifying move that makes the target's body collapse outright. It was also what Meruem judged most suitable against Frieza.
Gray bones nailed deep into Frieza's body, and just as Meruem expected, even someone as strong as Frieza began to fall apart.
The pity was that the moment the first gray bone pierced his right hand, Frieza broke free of the rod's control. Of the subsequent gray bones, only one pierced his waist. If they'd all landed, Frieza would have already crumbled to ash.
He wasn't one-shotted, but Frieza's right hand was completely ruined—and it continued to show a corrosive trend. Still, perhaps due to Frieza's genetic fortitude, the corrosion was extremely slow, nearly imperceptible.
The waist strike, though it landed, was likewise held at bay—perhaps thanks to that strength of bloodline. The black-and-white signs of collapse spread, bulging blood vessels stood out, but Frieza barely suppressed the injury.
Even so, after this exchange, Frieza had completely lost the capital to keep fighting Meruem. He backed off from one hundred percent power and forced himself to suppress his wounds with everything he had.
Clinging to life is the instinct of everyone—especially a villain boss's specialty. No one really wants to die—or go looking for it.
"Incredible monster—you didn't die even to that." Meruem had intended to absorb him once Frieza fully collapsed. He hadn't expected Frieza to still be alive.
His vitality was astonishing—like a cockroach that just won't die.
"Save me. I don't want the Dragon Balls anymore—save me! Save me." With his body continuing to collapse, Frieza had crumpled to the ground. It was hard to imagine the emperor of the universe choosing life over dignity.
"I'm begging you, please—spare me!" Frieza groaned on the ground, pleading endlessly with Meruem.
But Meruem wasn't Son Goku; he felt no pity for a thoroughgoing villain like Frieza. Meruem did have compassion, but it was reserved for cute girls.
Frieza? That was an enemy.
If you don't pull the weeds out by the roots, the spring winds make them grow again.
And Meruem had planned to take everything from him anyway.
Why would he save him?
"I'll take you with me!" Seeing only mockery in Meruem's eyes and no intent to help, Frieza made a last-ditch move while Meruem turned his head, launching a technique similar to a Destructo Disc. It was the last bit of strength he had.
But Meruem had been ready. He knew what kind of creature Frieza was—not just evil, but an ungrateful cur without any of the bearing of an emperor.
Goku had spared him multiple times, and every time he tried to sneak-attack Goku with dirty tricks.
Meruem wasn't Goku. He didn't have that much kindness, nor was he one to avoid killing unless forced.
And if Meruem wanted to leave this world, Frieza had to be eliminated.
So Frieza's future held only one possibility—
Death.
"Confirming the host has completed this plane's mission target."
"The host may proceed to the next world."
"The next world…"
"A world where the myths of ancient Greece and the beings of gods and demons exist—Saint Seiya."
"The world of the Saints, huh? Gods? Demons? What will I be in the Saint Seiya world as I am now?"
"Whatever it is… Yoma, you're dead! Even if you're the younger brother of Kronos, the final primordial god of time and chaos in the Saints' world, I'm going to tear you to pieces."
"I, Meruem, mean what I say!"
"Touch my woman—die! I'll settle the debt for nearly killing Pitou sooner or later."
This world is full of myths, with gods of every kind.
The strongest pantheon among them is called the Olympian gods.
With overwhelming strength, they outstripped the other pantheons and seized most of this world's dominion, occupying its richest sub-plane—the Heavens.
Beyond those mythic gods, there's another legend from humanity.
Their fists can tear the sky, their feet can crack the earth. They fight with bare hands, without weapons.
They possess strength beyond ordinary men, and some can move at the speed of light.
They share a common name—the Saints.
There is a legendary place in Greece said to be the Saints' stronghold, home to hundreds of Saints beyond common men.
It holds the highest place in the Saints' hearts.
It bears a resounding name—the Sanctuary.
Legend says it's where Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war who guards mankind, once dwelled.
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