Two Paths Ahead

In the region of space where Planet Vegeta had once been, Frieza panted heavily, his face dark as his gaze swept up, down, left, right, and in every direction. Yet he still could not find the two Saiyan Monkeys.

Whoosh!

At that moment, a figure suddenly appeared out of thin air not far away. It was Rhode.

"You wild monkey, you actually dared to come back!"

The moment he saw Rhode, Frieza wanted nothing more than to kill him. His Aura blazed as his body flickered, instantly arriving before him and striking to kill.

However, the instant Frieza's ki changed, Rhode willed it and used Instant Transmission to move elsewhere, opening a huge distance between them.

Rhode glanced at Frieza in the distance, then looked toward where Planet Vegeta had once been. His heart was remarkably calm. There was no anger, only the natural inevitability of Karma.

At most, he felt somewhat sentimental and melancholy.

Thinking of Aila's furious state, Rhode smacked his lips and silently thought, Was I simply too cold-hearted to feel anything, or did being a Transmigrator give me an inherently detached mindset?

Either way, it would not be easy to make his emotions fluctuate violently.

Transforming into Super Saiyan required sufficient Power Level, an increase in S Cells gained in a peaceful environment, and finally, intense emotional stimulation as the trigger.

If Aila's Power Level had been high enough and she had accumulated enough S Cells, then Planet Vegeta's destruction would have been the trigger for her to Transform into Super Saiyan.

Unfortunately, while the trigger was there, the two most crucial factors did not meet the standard, so she could not succeed.

But as time passed, her Power Level would increase. Living in a peaceful environment would also increase her S Cells. As long as she found a suitable trigger, Aila could still transform successfully.

For Rhode, however, objective factors such as Power Level and S Cells were easy enough to deal with. The final trigger of intense emotion was the difficult part.

After all, he knew the villains of the Dragon Ball World extremely well. If he could defeat them, he would finish them instantly. If he could not defeat them, he would run.

At most, he would take a few risks when he had an absolute advantage. But he would always prepare a backup plan and never allow himself to fail.

Just like this time, when he had ambushed Frieza in his initial form, he had made thorough preparations.

During their exchange, Rhode had already anticipated the King's way of acting. He had determined that Frieza would not use his full strength right from the start.

Secondly, even if Frieza had used his full strength immediately, Rhode had prepared for it.

Before coming here, Rhode had kept a Senzu Bean in his mouth in case of an emergency. More than that, the Healing Tank aboard the spaceship stored inside the Time Chamber had long been prepared as well.

Thus, with Instant Transmission at his disposal, even if Frieza had severely injured him the moment they met, he would not die.

As someone reincarnated with past life memories, even when attempting to ambush Frieza in his initial form, Rhode had made sufficient preparations.

It was precisely because of this that, after exchanging blows and realizing he was no match for Frieza, Rhode decided not to fight Frieza again until his strength had increased enough.

Yet it was also this mentality of always being fully prepared that made it difficult for Rhode to experience intense emotional changes. It was determined by his personality.

If he wanted to Transform into Super Saiyan, this subjective factor of personality might be even harder to fulfill than objective factors like Power Level and S Cells.

At that thought, Rhode frowned.

He wondered whether, once his strength was sufficiently high—far beyond the Power Level required for transformation—and his S Cells far exceeded the minimum needed, he could Transform into Super Saiyan even without an emotional trigger.

Rhode remembered that in the Dragon Ball Super anime, Saiyans from Universe 6 could transform by concentrating their power on their backs. However, there had been no such description in the manga.

Still, whether it worked or not, it was a path worth considering.

Yet even with that example, the Saiyans of Universe 6 who had successfully transformed possessed extremely powerful Power Levels even in their normal state. On top of that, they were naturally peace-loving, and the amount of S Cells in their bodies was far beyond anything Rhode could currently compare to.

So even if that path was viable, he was still far, far from reaching it.

Realizing his situation, Rhode found two paths for himself as he considered it. Once he met the basic requirements, he could either seek out a trigger for transformation or endlessly raise the two objective factors.

With that thought, everything suddenly became clear to him, and the knot in his heart loosened.

At the same time, Rhode realized that his emotional stability was not without its advantages. Though it was unfavorable for Transforming into Super Saiyan, it was more conducive to comprehending Ultra Instinct.

"Phew..."

Rhode let out a deep breath. He had been thinking too far ahead.

While Rhode was considering his own problems, Frieza, now in his Final Form, arrived before him. Yet he did not attack again. He knew this Saiyan Monkey possessed a method similar to teleportation. If Rhode truly wanted to flee, Frieza could not catch him at all.

"Kid, what is your name?"

Frieza was deeply displeased. He possessed immense power, yet he had no way of dealing with this wild monkey before him.

It looks like I need to study how to counter this kind of technique!

As Frieza thought this, he fixed his gaze on Rhode and asked.

"Rhode."

Facing Frieza, whose expression was displeased yet who remained calm and elegant, Rhode thought for a moment and did not hide it. This was the Dragon Ball World, after all. Revealing his name was not much of a problem.

"Rhode, is it? I hope next time you will not keep acting like a rat, hiding everywhere!"

Knowing he could do nothing to Rhode, Frieza did not attack further. But he was certain this guy would come looking for him again sooner or later, so he mocked him with his words.

"Don't worry, King Frieza. The next time we meet, I will definitely send you to hell! No, I'll send you to Heaven. For someone like you, Heaven is where you truly belong!"

Frieza was mocking him, but Rhode did not care. He was simply inferior in skill.

"Hohohohoho~"

Hearing Rhode say he would send him to Heaven, Frieza found it rather amusing. Even he himself did not believe he would go to Heaven after death. "Then I'll take that as a blessing!"

Seeing Frieza say that, Rhode smiled meaningfully and did not reply. His figure then vanished from where he stood.

After Rhode left, confusion flashed across Frieza's intrigued face. He could not tell what method Rhode had used to leave.

There was another point as well. As far as he knew, Saiyans were a race unable to survive in the vacuum of space, but this monkey was an exception.

No, it seemed that the monkey who had transformed into a Great Ape earlier had been the same.

As the many abnormalities of those two Saiyans flashed through his mind, countless doubts arose in Frieza's heart.

It seems I need to investigate this!

With that thought, Frieza returned to his warship and continued his boring life as the Galactic Emperor.

Leaving aside what Frieza would do afterward, Rhode was now on a lifeless planet he had chosen at random. With a raised hand, he opened the door to the Time Chamber.

The moment the door opened, Aila, who had regained her senses, rushed out.

However, Rhode reacted extremely quickly. He lifted his leg and kicked her back inside, then followed after her and shut the door.

"Aila, calm down!"

Appearing in the Time Chamber with her, Rhode's voice roared beside Aila's ear.

But Aila clearly could not take it in. Seeing this, Rhode said no more. His figure flashed, appearing before her, and he immediately made his move.

If she would not listen, then a beating would do. Once she had no strength left, she would naturally be able to listen properly.