"You…!"
Bang!
"These…!"
Bang!
"Savage…!"
Bang!
"Gorillas!"
Frieza barely finished a single sentence before being struck three times under the combined assault of Toma and the other four Saiyans.
"Oh? You can still talk while facing the Royal Guard?" Toma shouted as he attacked relentlessly. "Brothers, put in more effort!"
"Captain, this Frieza bastard is tough! Don't let him breathe!" one of them yelled.
"Concentrate your fire! Hit him hard!" Toma responded.
The Saiyans' attacks grew sharper and more coordinated. Frieza was forced entirely onto the defensive, his body already marked with multiple injuries.
Minutes passed.
Frieza began panting heavily.
"Wait… stop fighting!" he suddenly shouted. "I'm willing to hand over the Saiyan traitor!"
The Saiyans slowed slightly but did not lower their guard.
"Hmph. You think we'd believe that?" Toma said coldly.
"I'm serious," Frieza panted. "Just give me a moment to catch my breath."
"Don't even think about playing tricks," Toma warned.
"How would I dare?" Frieza forced out. "I simply want peace."
In reality, he was buying time.
If he could just regain control for a moment, he could initiate his Third Form transformation—then slaughter these gorillas in one sweep.
As Toma and the others hesitated, Frieza's body began to emit a strange, swelling aura.
"Oh no—he's transforming!" Toma shouted.
Frieza's form twisted grotesquely.
His already hideous face elongated into something even more monstrous. Horns stretched, muscles bulged, bones cracked and shifted. A terrifying energy surged outward.
Through gritted teeth, he hissed:
"Foolish gorillas… your doomsday has arrived!"
"I, Frieza—the Emperor of the Universe—will now show you true terror. You will vanish in despair!"
His Third Form battle power surged to three million.
The pressure alone made Toma and the others stiffen.
"Run!" Toma suddenly shouted. "I'll hold him off!"
Garna roared back angrily, "If anyone's running, it's you! I, Garna, will never flee! Saiyan blood does not allow retreat!"
"Stop arguing!" another teammate shouted anxiously.
Toma yelled, "His Majesty's transmission said the Royal Spaceship will arrive in a few minutes!"
"I just need to hold him that long. Go!"
Frieza floated with arms crossed, watching mockingly.
"Ho ho ho… how touching. But none of you are escaping. You will all become offerings to the Emperor of the Universe."
"You arrogant bastard!" Garna growled, preparing to charge.
Toma grabbed him and kicked him hard in the backside, sending him flying back.
"Get the hell out! Don't ruin my chance to be a hero!"
Frieza uncrossed his arms and shot forward.
"You think you can stop me? Don't overestimate yourself."
He punched toward Toma.
Toma dodged and countered with a kick—but Frieza caught his ankle and hurled him violently through space.
"Hmph. Too weak. Far too weak," Frieza mocked as he pressed the attack.
Toma fought stubbornly, his body quickly accumulating fresh wounds.
"What happened to your earlier confidence?" Frieza sneered.
Toma gritted his teeth and charged again.
Just as Frieza prepared to end him—
A black cape embroidered with a roaring Great Ape suddenly blocked his path.
Toma's eyes widened.
"Your Majesty!"
Bardock stood there calmly.
"You're in rough shape, Toma," he said with a faint smile. "The Royal Spaceship was too slow. I flew here myself."
Frieza stared at the tail wrapped around Bardock's waist.
He remembered King Vegeta inside the ship.
He pointed at Bardock.
"You're a Saiyan?"
Then at Toma and the others.
"They are Saiyans too?"
Until today, Frieza had never personally encountered Saiyans. He had no idea they could transform into Great Apes.
He had assumed they were some unknown gorilla species.
"Damn Vegeta… he didn't even mention that Saiyans could transform," Frieza thought bitterly. "Damn it. Everyone should die."
Bardock crossed his arms and looked directly at him.
"Hand over Vegeta. The Saiyan traitor."
Despite the hatred boiling inside him, Frieza forced an elegant laugh.
"Ho ho ho… I'm afraid I can't. Vegeta will remain my guest for a while."
Bardock laughed openly.
"Hahaha! Frieza, you clearly hate us to death, yet you insist on pretending to be refined. It's ugly."
"You damned Saiyan monkey!" Frieza roared, finally snapping.
He lunged.
Bardock met him head-on.
Their fists collided.
The impact sent violent shockwaves rippling through space itself.
"Hmph. Frieza, your strength is nothing special," Bardock said as he countered smoothly.
"Don't get cocky!" Frieza snarled. "This is only the beginning!"
Their figures blurred.
Punches cracked like thunder. Kicks tore through vacuum. Every exchange carried devastating force and precise skill.
Neither gave ground.
Their offense was like a raging storm. Their defense, impenetrable steel.
For a time, neither side held the advantage.
Toma and the others watched in stunned silence, barely daring to breathe.
In the center of the battlefield, Bardock and Frieza fought with escalating intensity, unleashing every ounce of power.
"Come on, Your Majesty!" Toma shouted. "Defeat him!"
Garna roared, "Frieza! Today you fall to our King!"
"Shut up, you small fry!" Frieza snapped.
In that instant of distraction—
Bardock drove a brutal kick into Frieza's abdomen.
Frieza cried out, staggering back several steps. His eyes burned with fury.
"Good… Saiyan… you've angered me!"
Bardock smiled faintly.
"Then show me your true power."
The battle surged to an even higher level.
Neither side held back.
And the real fight… had only just begun.