Frieza laughed until he almost choked.
Only then did he slowly raise his chin, looking down on everyone with the posture of a victor.
He did not answer anyone's questions. His gaze merely locked onto Cooler, and the corner of his mouth curled upward.
"My foolish brother, five months from now, you will forever live in this king's shadow!"
With that, he ignored everyone else and focused all his attention on the shining redemption button on the panel.
Come!
The moment to witness a miracle had arrived!
With overwhelming excitement, Frieza pressed the button with his mind.
However, the expected height redemption success did not appear.
The text on the panel refreshed.
Redemption permission confirmed!
Final Ritual: Please collect seven Dragon Balls, virtual version, summon Shenron, virtual version, and make your wish!
The smile on Frieza's face froze instantly.
His mind went blank.
Final ritual?
He had to collect Dragon Balls inside this height panel, then summon Shenron and make a wish?
Frieza rubbed his eyes hard, suspecting that he had seen it wrong.
He hurriedly looked again.
There was no mistake. Every word on the panel was displayed clearly.
Current Dragon Balls held: 0/7
Dragon Ball Acquisition Method 1: Successfully invite one powerful warrior to join Earth citizenship to obtain Dragon Ball x1.
Dragon Ball Acquisition Method 2: Dragon Ball fragments may be obtained through lottery draws. Ten Dragon Ball fragments can be combined into one Dragon Ball.
"…"
Silence.
Long silence.
Frieza's expression shifted from wild joy to blankness, then to distortion, and finally into the ashen despair of someone who had lost all will to live.
"Shenron Odebyo! You are not human!"
Pfft!
His old injuries from the new Broly flared up, and Frieza spat out a mouthful of blood.
The double blow to his body and mind made his vision go black, and he collapsed stiffly to the ground.
When Frieza opened his eyes again, his vision was filled with a dense crowd of heads.
"Lord Frieza, you're awake?"
The Earth warriors looked at him with concern.
"Levos already healed your injuries."
"Do you still feel uncomfortable anywhere?"
Frieza gritted his back teeth and climbed up from the ground.
"Mr. Levos…"
His eyes were bloodshot as he glared at Levos not far away, looking as if he wanted to swallow him alive.
Being toyed with again and again had finally pushed him beyond endurance!
Levos spread his hands with an innocent look and sent a telepathic message.
"Don't misunderstand, Lord Frieza. This has nothing to do with me."
"I'll let Shenron Odebyo explain it to you directly."
Immediately afterward, a dignified voice tinged with helplessness sounded in Frieza's mind. It was Odebyo's voice.
"Lord Frieza, a wish to increase your height by 15 centimeters out of thin air clearly violates the basic laws of the universe. Naturally, it requires the power of the Dragon Balls to fulfill."
"Moreover, within my authority, saving you the trouble of searching the world for physical Dragon Balls is already an enormous privilege."
"You only need to collect virtual Dragon Balls to realize your wish. The difficulty is far lower than the original method."
"Sigh…"
"This divine dragon is ultimately only a wish-granting tool. My authority and abilities are limited. Reaching this step is already the result of Lord Levos repeatedly asking me to do my best. Please do not make things difficult for me…"
"So, please continue working hard."
After hearing this explanation, Frieza was completely numb.
He wanted to refute it, but found that the logic seemed strangely sound.
After all, he had truly obtained ten centimeters of height from Odebyo.
This extra fifteen centimeters seemed more like a half-purchased, half-gifted bonus. All he had spent were some Spirit Tree fruits that were of little use to him.
In that case…
If he had to blame someone, he could only blame himself for sinking too deep. If he had not wanted those fifteen centimeters from the beginning, his mental state would be perfectly stable right now!
But…
But why had they not told him earlier that the entire process of obtaining those fifteen centimeters would be so full of twists and turns?
When exactly had he started sinking deeper and deeper?
Frieza fell into thought.
After a long while, he shuddered.
That was it!
It started from the moment this height panel acknowledged his merits in protecting Earth and defending Planet Sadala!
That had subtly made him feel that he had already given so much, so obtaining those fifteen centimeters was only natural. Step by step, he had fallen into the trap and become unable to pull himself out…
Damn it!
Odebyo and Levos, those two fellows, were even better at manipulating people's hearts than that arrogant Emperor Vegeta!
Frieza finally saw the truth!
"These fifteen centimeters are not worth it…"
"…As if!"
"This king has already endured so much suffering. Why would I fear the tricks still to come?"
"I am the Emperor of the Universe. I am not someone who retreats before difficulty!"
"If you have more tricks, then use them. This king will fight this height panel to the end today!"
Frieza was filled with fighting spirit once again.
Was it not just collecting seven Dragon Balls?
He had two channels to obtain Spirit Tree fruits, so his lottery draw chances were more or less guaranteed.
Frieza rolled his eyes, thinking about how to get more Spirit Tree fruits from other people.
The first person he thought of was his foolish brother.
For Cooler, even these enhanced and improved Spirit Tree fruits would not grant much of a power boost anymore.
That channel could not be missed.
As for others…
Frieza's gaze landed on the new Broly.
With his prior agreement with Paragus, this fellow was also a decent channel.
As for the Gods of Destruction…
Frieza disdained doing business with them, but Champa looked somewhat unintelligent.
He could try tempting him a little…
However, lottery chances were only a minor path.
They were affected by drawing luck and were not particularly stable.
Recruiting helpers was the real key.
As long as he convinced one person to join Earth citizenship, he could not only obtain one virtual Dragon Ball, but also receive dividends based on that person's contributions.
This kind of richly rewarding channel could not be ignored.
Then…
Where was he supposed to find seven powerful warriors willing to join Earth citizenship?
His foolish brother Cooler probably would not agree.
Surely he could not go and beg him?
His father, King Cold, also seemed unlikely. He would probably even ask endless questions about the reason.
Hmph! Growing taller was Frieza's greatest secret. How could he let anyone else know?
After roughly counting, Frieza suddenly realized that he could not gather even one helper!
No!
This king's path to growing taller absolutely cannot end here!
Frieza racked his brain desperately, but still found no clue.
In the end, he could only swallow his pride and ask Levos for help.
"Mr. Levos, this helper recruitment is too difficult. This king normally does not like making friends. Can it be changed to something else…"
"For example, if you want to rule the major star regions, I can conquer them for you."
Levos was speechless.
At his current level, if he truly wanted to rule the universe, would he need someone else to do it for him?
After thinking for a moment, he sent a telepathic reply.
"Sure. Then… Lord Frieza, go overthrow Zeno."
Huh?
Me?
Frieza's pupils shook, his mouth forming an O shape as he pointed a finger at himself.
After a long while, he replied with the corner of his mouth twitching.
"Mr. Levos, please do not joke. This king is not yet arrogant to that degree."
Frieza sighed heavily.
Just as he was about to give up on the idea of recruiting people, Levos's voice drifted over again.
"Lord Frieza, try thinking about it from another angle. Who said the other party must join voluntarily?"
Frieza froze.
The support system's rules indeed had not stated that the invitation had to be equal and willing.
"If you subdue powerful warriors with your strength and then order them to sincerely join Earth, the effect is the same."
Levos's words instantly ignited a spark in Frieza's heart.
Subdue powerful warriors?
That was something this king was good at!
Far more satisfying than making friends or begging family members!
So this was the correct way to recruit helpers!
Frieza's eyes gradually sharpened.
His gaze slowly swept over everyone present.
Those two Brolys…
Their potential was endless. Though their brains were not very useful, their strength was absolutely qualified.
If he could get both of them, that would be two Dragon Balls.
That ancient Saiyan called Cumber…
He was also very strong, and he seemed to be a lone wolf without much backing. A fine target.
And Emperor Vegeta's two guards…
Kakarot and Beast…
Although they were detestable, if he could succeed, the returns would be enormous.
Even his foolish brother Cooler and his father King Cold could be forced into Earth citizenship through this method.
Besides…
The universe had more powerful non-Earth forces than just these.
He had heard that the Heeters, who betrayed him years ago, had developed quite well. There were four siblings over there.
And Frost from Universe 6. Could his side have some stronger family members?
Frieza's breathing gradually grew heavy.
A brand-new road had opened before him.
What he had to do was only one thing.
Keep getting stronger!
Then use the method he was best at to beat those people into submission and drag them into Earth!
Was it not just seven powerful warriors?
For the sake of growing taller, he would risk everything!
With this method of recruiting helpers, even if he had to collect seventy or seven hundred Dragon Balls, this king could do it!
"Ohohoho…"
His arrogant, demonic laughter once again echoed across the arena.
However, no one had the energy to pay attention to Frieza for the moment.
Because the results of the previous losers' bracket elimination round had been announced.
Dore vs Sidra, God of Destruction of Universe 9, Sidra wins
Cell Jr. vs Iwan, God of Destruction of Universe 1, Iwan wins
Neiz vs Giin, God of Destruction of Universe 12, Giin wins
Broly, Emperor Vegeta's timeline, wins vs Paragus
Master Roshi vs Tien Shinhan, Tien Shinhan wins
Yajirobe vs Son Goten, Son Goten wins
Kamin vs Piccolo, Piccolo wins
Chi-Chi vs Trunks, Trunks wins
Cell Jr. vs Liquiir, God of Destruction of Universe 8, Liquiir wins
Chiaotzu vs Cooler, Cooler wins
Son Goku wins vs Time Patrol Pan
Son Gohan wins vs Videl
Yamcha wins vs Nanaba
Time Patrol Vegito wins vs Krillin
Cell Jr. vs Belmod, God of Destruction of Universe 11, Belmod wins
Oren vs Caulifla, Caulifla wins
Cell Jr. vs Quitela, God of Destruction of Universe 4, Quitela wins
Lagss vs Kakarot, Kakarot wins
Vegetina vs Crown Prince, Crown Prince wins
Time Patrol Gohanks wins vs Sauzer
Bulma wins vs Radilitz
Cell Jr. vs Beast, Beast wins
Champa, God of Destruction of Universe 6, wins vs Cell Jr.
Arak, God of Destruction of Universe 5, wins vs Buu
Twenty-four contestants had been completely eliminated.
There were now only forty contestants left with the right to continue.
Among them, sixteen were in the winners' bracket, while twenty-four were in the losers' bracket.
Next was the second round of the winners' bracket.
After that, the eight losers would fall into the losers' bracket and join the remaining twenty-four contestants for the second round of losers' bracket eliminations.
The ruined battlefield and spectator stands began repairing and rebuilding at a visible speed.
"Next, the second round of the winners' bracket will begin."
"The matchups will be randomly drawn."
The enormous screen above the spectator stands lit up once again.
Everyone's attention was drawn over.
Frieza stared nervously at the screen, his heart shamefully speeding up.
His current mood was complicated.
On one hand, he desperately needed to win matches and obtain Spirit Tree fruits for lottery draws, so he could exchange them for Dragon Ball fragments.
On the other hand, he was afraid of drawing monsters like Fu, Hearts, or Levos, opponents he simply could not fight.
Frieza took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
Just as his thoughts were running wild, the match list on the screen finally locked in.
However, when everyone looked over, they found that a layer of mist covered the portraits and names.
"For fairness, both sides' information will only be revealed when the match begins."
"All contestants about to enter the arena, please use this time to recover."
Everyone returned to the spectator stands, discussing among themselves.
"So it's like the previous round. We can't prepare tactics in advance…"
"Either way, this round will definitely be exciting."
The victorious Earth warriors shared the Spirit Tree fruit rewards they had won this round with the others who had not yet been eliminated.
One hour of rest passed in the blink of an eye.
"The matches begin. Contestants, please enter the arena."
On the enormous screen, the mist dispersed, revealing the clear list of matchups.
As usual, eight matches would be held simultaneously.
Android 21 vs Heles, God of Destruction of Universe 2
Frieza vs Kale
Hearts vs Ginyu
Fu vs Android 18
Cumber vs Cabba
Levos vs Hit
Broly, Universe 7, vs Bardock
Puar vs Mosco, God of Destruction of Universe 3
The moment Frieza saw his opponent's information, his eyes narrowed slightly.
Back during the Zeno Expo, while he had been in Golden form, he had been beaten miserably by Kale after she lost control.
The two flew into the arena at the same time.
"Begin!"
As soon as Full-Metal Cell Max's voice fell, Frieza showed no hesitation.
He did not even bother saying a single line of trash talk.
His goal was only one thing.
Win as quickly and as safely as possible!
Then exchange the fifteen Spirit Tree fruits from the victory reward into lottery draws!
Buzz!
Frieza entered Black Gold form directly.