The sword in Krillin's hands was still trembling.
The blade was only a few centimeters from Vegeta's throat. If he brought it down, every nightmare would end.
The arrogant Saiyan prince was sprawled on the ground like a dead dog. With a single thought from Krillin, this man would be gone for good.
"Krillin… please…" Goku's voice sounded again—weak, but unusually firm.
Krillin clenched his teeth.
"Goku! Are you insane?! Letting the tiger return to the mountain will only bring disaster later! If he recovers, Earth is finished for real!"
"I know…" Goku struggled to roll over, lying on his back and staring up at the dark sky.
Every bone in his body was screaming. Every inch of muscle felt like it was tearing apart.
"But I have a feeling… if we kill him this time, I'll regret it for the rest of my life. I want to defeat him again—by my own strength—fair and square…"
The reason was ridiculous.
Krillin couldn't understand.
This was gambling all of humanity's lives just to satisfy a battle maniac's selfish obsession.
"Don't mess with me!"
Krillin roared, lifting the sword high with both hands.
Cold light flashed along the edge.
"For Earth! For everyone! Die, Vegeta!"
The blade came down with a vicious howl.
Vegeta shut his eyes, his face full of humiliation and unwillingness.
To die by the hand of a bald, short little man like this…
He was the Saiyan prince, the strongest warrior in the universe—dying like this was the ultimate disgrace.
Clang!
A crisp metal impact rang out.
The pain he expected didn't come.
Vegeta's eyes snapped open.
A long, slender hand had caught the blade—using only two fingers.
The sword edge was only millimeters from Vegeta's throat, but it couldn't move forward even the slightest bit.
Krillin froze.
He pushed with all his strength, but his sword was pinned like it was caught in iron tongs—he couldn't budge it at all.
Shinju stood there, his eyes completely calm.
"You are stopping me too?" Krillin asked, emotional and confused.
Everyone knew Goku was a battle addict with a screw loose.
But this mysterious powerhouse—who had just cut off the Great Ape's tail without hesitation, who had pinned Vegeta down with terrifying sealing techniques
Why was he stopping the finishing blow now?
Shinju's fingers tightened slightly.
The steel sword snapped in half.
Krillin stumbled back two steps, staring blankly at the broken blade in his hands.
"What's the rush? Killing him is easy—it's a one-finger job for me," Shinju said.
"But this monkey is still useful."
Monkey?
Vegeta's face twisted with fury. Even though he couldn't stand, he was furious enough to explode.
That word was the greatest insult.
"Bastard—are you humiliating me?!" Vegeta roared.
Shinju looked down at him.
That gaze wasn't hatred.
It was the look someone gave a tool—or a signpost.
Shinju crouched.
That single motion made both Krillin and Goku tense up.
Vegeta's whole body went rigid too, but he couldn't even move a finger anymore.
Shinju reached out and pressed a hand onto Vegeta's shoulder.
"What are you doing…" Vegeta tried to dodge, but his body didn't listen.
"The weak don't get to bargain."
As Shinju spoke, a faint, almost undetectable chakra seeped into Vegeta's body.
A mark—Hiraishin no Jutsu.
It directly infiltrated Vegeta's internal pathways and fused completely with his ki.
Unless Vegeta could control chakra with the same precision as a ninja—something that didn't exist in this world—and strip it away, this mark would follow him for life.
No matter where he fled in the universe.
No matter how thick the hull of his spaceship was.
To Shinju, Vegeta would be nothing more than a moving icon.
After finishing, Shinju stood up and dusted off his hands, as if he'd only brushed away dirt.
"Get lost."
Two simple words.
Vegeta was stunned.
He was really being let go?
Were all these Earthlings sick in the head?
Kakarot was doing it for the thrill of fighting—so what was this blond kid doing it for? Humiliation?
Or did he truly not care about him at all?
Either way, surviving came first.
As long as he lived, he could take revenge.
Vegeta's hand trembled as he pulled a remote from his waist device.
He pressed the button.
A whistling sound cut through the air—his spherical space pod.
It landed in an open patch not far away, the hatch opening.
Vegeta struggled to roll over, propping himself up with his elbows, inch by inch crawling toward the pod.
That short distance of a few dozen meters felt like light-years.
Every crawl dragged a bloody streak across the ground.
Krillin gripped the broken blade, watching the butcher crawl away, his logic and emotion tearing each other apart.
Was he really just going to watch him leave?
"Let him go," Shinju said again.
Krillin's fingers loosened.
The broken sword dropped to the ground.
He collapsed to his knees, panting hard.
Vegeta finally reached the pod.
With the last of his strength, he tumbled into the cockpit.
The hatch slowly closed.
Through the window, Vegeta's face looked especially vicious.
"You'll regret this…"
"Kakarot… and you…"
"Next time we meet, I'll kill all of you. Not one will be left alive!"
The pod blasted out a jet of air, kicking up dust everywhere.
Then it became a streak of light, shooting into the sky and disappearing into the clouds.
Earth was safe—for now.
The battlefield fell into a dead silence.
Goku let out a breath, that signature foolish grin appearing on his face.
"That's great… thanks! What was your name again?"
"Shinju. Nice to meet you, Goku," Shinju replied with a faint smile.
But Krillin suddenly stood up and rushed right in front of Shinju.
He tilted his head up, eyes red.
"Why?!"
"It's one thing if Goku's being stubborn—but why are you doing this too?!"
"That guy's a devil! He killed so many people! What if he comes back? What if he brings even more people?!"
Krillin finally broke.
To him, letting a tiger go back into the mountain was basically suicide.
Shinju looked at the furious Krillin.
He didn't get angry.
That reaction was normal.
For the weak, wiping out the roots was survival instinct.
But for a hunter…
Sometimes you let the prey run back—so you can find the pack.
"Krillin, calm down."
Shinju's voice carried an odd force, piercing straight through. Krillin's chaotic emotions eased a little.
"Do you think Vegeta is strong?"
Krillin froze.
"Of course he's strong! He's a monster!"
"Then do you think… there's someone even stronger behind Vegeta?"
(End of Chapter)
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