"Bastard!" Frieza spat.
Piccolo's last strike had clearly hurt him.
Krillin swallowed hard. "That's insane… he's actually fighting Frieza evenly…"
Tien nodded as well. "Yeah… I didn't think he'd grow this fast either."
From his hiding spot, sweat beaded on Vegeta's forehead.
Damn it… this Namekian's power is actually edging past Frieza. How is that even possible?
Vegeta glanced back at Krillin and the others behind cover—at the Dragon Ball in their hands.
Snatching a Dragon Ball from them like this… that's not realistic at all.
He forced the thought down and focused on the fight.
Frieza wiped his mouth.
Only then did Vegeta notice—Frieza had wiped away a thin streak of blue blood.
Meaning Piccolo had actually made him bleed.
At that moment, Frieza's rage vanished, replaced by a slight upward curl of his lips.
The next instant, he vanished—then drove an elbow into Piccolo.
Piccolo was caught off guard and blasted away.
Frieza pressed the advantage, sweeping a kick at him.
But Piccolo wasn't helpless.
The moment he hit the ground, he stomped and shot up into the sky, dodging the sweep.
Frieza roared, golden light flashing around him as he surged upward even faster, appearing above Piccolo.
Piccolo's eyes widened—
and Frieza hammered him down with a brutal smash.
CRACK!!
A violent boom followed as Piccolo vanished into shattered rock and thick dust.
Frieza hovered above the smoke, wearing an easy, relaxed expression.
Krillin stared in shock. "He's smiling… has he seriously not been trying this whole time?"
A moment later, Piccolo climbed out of the rubble, scraped up and looking rough.
Frieza watched him rise again and laughed.
"What a tough one.
Hehehe… sorry about that. I underestimated you.
In that case… I'll have to show you my real strength."
"What?"
"More strength?"
Vegeta sucked in a cold breath. "Does this monster's power never end…?"
Sensing Frieza still had something hidden, Piccolo yanked off his cape and hat.
The heavy cloak slammed into the ground with a deep thud.
Frieza glanced at it, stunned.
He couldn't believe the Namekian had been fighting him with weights on.
Piccolo said coldly, "Then I'll get serious too."
Frieza blinked. "What? You weren't serious just now?"
Piccolo grinned. "You'll see in a second, Frieza.
I'm going to make you feel the rage of every Namekian you killed!"
Frieza snorted. "Hmph. Namekian, stop bragging.
So you threw off a little weight—how much stronger do you think you can get?
And I'm not the same.
When I said I'd show you my power, do you think I meant I'd just 'raise it a bit' for show?"
Piccolo's eyes narrowed. "What…?"
Frieza's smile turned razor-thin.
"My transformations don't stop here.
The next one will make you helpless.
It will make you despair."
He roared—
and his aura surged again.
In the next heartbeat, spikes erupted across his body. His head extended sideways, warping into a bizarre, terrifying shape.
And his ki… became even vaster.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Frieza said lightly. "Round two."
Piccolo swallowed, cursing under his breath.
Monster…
Even Vegeta was shaken to the core.
He could feel the storm of power rolling off Frieza—far beyond anything he could understand.
"Frieza… he can transform again…
I actually thought I could defeat him before—what a joke… he's a monster…"
Cold sweat poured down Tien's forehead.
"I can feel it… his power is several times greater than before…"
Krillin wiped his own sweat. "So that's his trump card…"
Bulma curled her lips in disgust. "So what? He's just getting uglier.
Once Goku turns Super Saiyan, he'll beat him until he's crawling!"
Krillin nodded firmly. "Yeah. Goku will win."
Frieza shot toward Piccolo.
Piccolo's speed increased after dropping the weights—
but he still couldn't match Frieza.
He didn't even see the movement before an elbow sent him flying.
Just that single elbow drove Piccolo through a mountain before he finally stopped.
Frieza stared down at the smoke below.
"What's wrong? Come out already."
Piccolo stepped out of the dust slowly.
But his aura was no longer steady. A thin line of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth.
His arms trembled slightly—Frieza's power had finally sunk in.
Frieza's mouth split into a grin.
"What, is that it?
I thought you might actually make me try."
Piccolo wiped away the blood and snarled, "Don't get cocky, Frieza!"
He vanished—
and in the next instant, appeared behind Frieza, fist gathering power as he slammed it into Frieza's back.
BAM!
Piccolo hadn't expected it to land so cleanly.
But Frieza didn't move.
He didn't even turn his head.
"Too weak," Frieza said flatly.
Piccolo's pupils tightened. "What…?"
In the next heartbeat, Frieza spun. His tail snapped like a steel whip—
WHIP!
Blood burst from Piccolo's mouth as his body shot away like a cut kite, slamming into a distant cliff. Rocks collapsed. Dust exploded.
Frieza slowly drew his tail back and chuckled.
"Hehehe… Namekian.
Forcing me to transform twice is already impressive."
But from within the smoke, Piccolo's voice suddenly roared out:
"Special Beam Cannon!!"
A spiraling beam of destructive energy burst from the dust, tearing toward Frieza with terrifying piercing power.
Frieza narrowed his eyes. He could sense how lethal that attack was.
This time, he didn't tank it.
He flickered—vanishing instantly.
Piccolo's beam missed, and the distant mountain range was erased in a deafening roar.
The dust around Piccolo cleared, revealing him again.
But even his trump card had failed.
His will sank.
More importantly, his stamina was nearly gone—he had no strength left to keep fighting.
Frieza smiled. "Looks like you're done."
Then Frieza's eyes turned cold with anger.
"Then die."
He lifted a finger.
A Death Beam shot toward Piccolo.
At the last possible instant, Goku flashed in front of Piccolo and slapped the Death Beam aside.
The moment Frieza saw Goku, his gaze sharpened.
"You are…"
In an instant, memories from decades ago surfaced—
the day he destroyed Planet Vegeta, and the Saiyan who resisted him the hardest.
Bardock.
Frieza's lips curled.
"I know who you are, Saiyan."
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