Some time earlier, on Bardock's side.
When Bardock landed on Bursa, his pod was instantly surrounded by Bursarians. They were small, hairy green aliens with long torsos and narrow limbs. The pod had landed in a city — not due to some dirty tactics used by someone, it was simply bad luck. From light-years away, it was impossible to aim a pod precisely.
Bardock calmly picked up his short sword, secured it at his belt, and then wrapped his tail around it, hiding the weapon completely. Only then did he open the pod.
He stepped out slowly and raised his hands — the universal gesture of surrender, a sign of no immediate threat.
The Bursarians wasted no time. They surrounded him, chained him, and confiscated his pod. They searched him roughly, but his tail refused to move from around his belt. Assuming it was only a strange limb, they ignored it.
Soon, two Bursarians dragged him across rough, uneven paths toward one of the larger structures in their settlement. Bardock showed no emotion at this disrespect. No anger. No pride. No resistance.
Everything was proceeding according to his plan.
They arrived at their destination. Inside waited another Bursarian who looked ordinary compared to the others. Bardock, still chained and covered in mud from landing, was forced forward.
The ordinary one escorted him into a larger room. There, seated on a wide sofa-like structure, was a taller Bursarian. His presence commanded attention.
The ordinary Bursarian spoke in his native language. The taller one responded in the same tongue. After a short exchange, the ordinary alien turned to Bardock and began speaking in the universal language.
"We know of your race and its actions across the universe. But we do not understand something. Why would a warrior of your kind surrender without a fight?"
Bardock did not answer.
Instead, he asked calmly, looking directly at the taller one:
"Is he the king?"
The ordinary Bursarian frowned, irritated at being ignored. He stepped forward and slapped Bardock across the face.
"Answer the question!"
Bardock slowly turned his head back and repeated the same words.
"Is he the king?"
This continued for several exchanges. The ordinary one grew more frustrated. The taller Bursarian finally raised a hand and said something in his native language. The slapping stopped.
Bardock repeated his question once more.
The taller Bursarian asked something in confusion.
"My lord, he keeps asking if you are the king," the ordinary one translated.
The taller alien leaned back slightly.
"Tell him I am not the king. I am one of his mighty hands that controls this planet."
The ordinary Bursarian translated:
"Our lord is not the king. He is one of the king's hands that controls this planet."
Bardock nodded slightly.
"I have something important. I need to meet your king."
The ordinary Bursarian translated again.
"He claims he knows something important that must be told to the king."
The taller one narrowed his eyes.
"Why would someone like him know something our king must hear? Ask him."
The ordinary Bursarian obeyed.
"What do you know that our king must hear?"
Bardock answered evenly, without a single hint of deception in his voice.
"It is not for everyone's ears."
The words were translated. The taller Bursarian fell silent, thinking deeply.
Finally, he spoke coldly.
"I order you to discover what he is hiding. By any means necessary. Even torture."
"I understand, my lord," the ordinary one responded immediately.
Several Bursarians were called. Bardock was dragged away into a dungeon chamber beneath the structure. There, they prepared to extract whatever information he supposedly possessed.
If Bardock wished, he could have killed everyone inside that villa without much effort.
But that would ruin his plan.
He would not repeat the mistake he had made on his previous mission.
Torture instruments were being arranged when a Bursarian suddenly rushed into the dark chamber.
"Stop! Bring him to the interrogation room immediately!"
News had reached the King himself: an intruder had arrived — one who matched the description of a Saiyan, a race infamous for destroying civilizations.
The rumors alone were enough to throw Bursa into panic. The Bursarians knew little of the universe beyond their planet, except what traders occasionally whispered. The idea of a Saiyan walking freely among them caused fear to spread rapidly.
The King decided to act quickly.
He would execute the Saiyan publicly, in front of as many citizens as possible, to calm the unrest.
The torturers were forced to halt their work. Bardock was dragged once more, this time to the interrogation chamber located beside the villa.
When they entered, the atmosphere changed instantly.
Standing in the room was a Bursarian far larger than the others — massive in comparison to the ordinary guards. His torso was embedded with diamond-like piercings that reflected the torchlight in sharp fragments. They were likely symbols of authority — perhaps even their version of a crown.
This was the King.
Bardock's eyes sharpened.
His breathing remained calm.
His posture did not change.
But internally, he adjusted his calculations.
Distance to the King.Number of guards.Exits.Light sources.Reaction time.
Everything.
The true phase of his plan was about to begin.
The true phase of his plan was about to begin.
Bardock was forced to his knees before the King of the Bursalians. The King spoke the universal language fluently, so there was no need for a translator. He had already been informed that the Saiyan claimed to possess important information.
"So," the King said calmly, studying him, "I hear you have something important to tell me."
"Yes," Bardock replied evenly. "But not everyone should hear it. If this information spreads, it will cause havoc."
The King raised his hand.
Almost everyone left the room, except two individuals. One was the Bursalian Bardock had first mistaken for the King. The other looked nearly identical to him, except for a long scar cutting across his mouth.
"Speak," the King said, remaining seated at a safe distance.
Bardock lowered his gaze, appearing submissive.
"The strongest Saiyans will soon come to this planet. Including my brother — one of the most powerful warriors in Saiyan history."
The King remained silent.
"Perhaps you have heard of the Oozaru: the Great Ape special troops," Bardock continued. "He is the one who commands them."
He lied through his teeth.
But he mixed truth into the lie.
If the Bursalians had someone skilled in detecting deception, the fragments of truth would blur the whole story.
"The reason for this invasion," Bardock continued, "is that King Cold learned of a rumor. A rumor about an immortal stone hidden on this planet — a stone capable of granting eternal life."
When the King heard this, suspicion did not fall on Bardock.
Instead, his thoughts turned elsewhere.
Who would benefit from spreading such a rumor?
An image formed instantly in his mind — a race with long limbs, short torsos, and red skin.
"Kremits…" the King muttered aloud.
Agitation overtook him. He began pacing across the chamber.
Then he stopped.
"How strong are they exactly?"
"I am not certain," Bardock answered carefully. "But my brother alone could clear this planet. And if, by some miracle, you survived… Cold's forces would come to finish what was left undone."
While speaking, Bardock appeared to be staring at the ground.
In reality, he was analyzing everything.
The King's posture.
The distance between them.
The angle of the guards.
The rhythm of their breathing.
Then the King spoke decisively.
"It is decided. We evacuate. Immediately."
He turned slightly, switching to his native language.
"But first… execute this Saiyan."
Bardock felt it.
The moment had finally come.
His tail moved with impossible speed, slicing through the chains that bound him. Before the broken metal even hit the floor, he had already launched forward.
The King turned at the sound — too late.
Bardock's dagger flashed into his hand, instantly enveloped in crimson energy that multiplied its cutting force. He slashed with full intent to split the King in half.
The two elite Bursalians reacted instantly. Even before the chains finished falling, they were already moving.
But it was meaningless.
Their power levels were around 10,000.
Bardock and the King were nearly forty percent stronger.
The blade connected.
The King was decapitated in a single motion.
Blue blood sprayed across the chamber walls.
Bardock's entire plan had paid off.
Last time, he had made a mistake — announcing himself, becoming the enemy of the entire race at once. They had organized. They had adapted. They had prepared counters specifically for him.
This time, he attacked the pyramid from the top.
Remove leadership.
Collapse structure.
Exterminate downward.
It was faster.
More efficient.
More brutal.
The King's body hit the ground with a heavy thud.
Warriors flooded into the chamber, frozen in shock at the sight of their fallen ruler.
Bardock engaged the two elite Bursalians immediately. But now they were fully alert. He found no clear openings, no exploitable weaknesses.
So he changed tactics.
He began cutting down the ordinary warriors instead.
Confusion spread.
Panic followed.
But more and more warriors kept arriving.
This was no longer efficient.
Bardock decided to withdraw — not out of fear, but calculation.
First: survival.
Second: locate his pod.
He sensed the faint ki signature he had intentionally left within it.
Destroying part of the white institute building in his path, he located the pod and grabbed it.
The Bursalians caught up to him, landing scratches and shallow wounds. Only weak attacks connected — he remained extremely careful to avoid the two elite warriors.
Then Bardock formed a massive sphere of energy above the city.
Crimson.
Enormous.
To the Bursalians, it looked like a second sun rising.
But it was something far deadlier.
Every warrior was forced to stop attacking him. They redirected all efforts toward containing the sphere of destructive power threatening their entire city.
That was the opening.
Bardock disappeared cleanly.
He would rest.
Recover.
Then return.
First the stronger warriors.
Then the remaining elites.
Lastly — the civilians.
The conquest of Bursa had only just begun.