The Mighty Sephiria

As Sephiria asked her question, the surrounding temperature seemed to drop several degrees, as if an air conditioner had been suddenly cranked up. Even though Roland lacked the ability to sense the ki of Earthlings, he could still feel the dissatisfaction radiating from her.

"Put me down first." Unaccustomed to being carried like a sack, Roland struggled a bit. Sephiria released his collar, her gaze intense and imposing as she looked down at him.

"You had better give me a satisfactory answer. Why didn't you contact me?"

Roland straightened his clothes and hovered before Sephiria, taking in her stunning, flower-like face. It's been a while, he thought, this woman is getting more beautiful by the day. Not only was she beautiful, but her presence was overwhelming; if he didn't provide a reason that satisfied her, he doubted he would get off easily.

"My communicator broke while I was on the mission," Roland said.

"If your communicator was broken, how did you manage to return to Planet Vegeta in accordance with the recall order?" Sephiria raised an eyebrow.

Roland replied, "I finished the mission on Planet Mapa, so naturally, I came back!"

"You've already wiped out Planet Mapa? Even though it's only a low-level planet, given your strength, it should have taken you years..." Her tone remained skeptical. She had personally selected his mission and estimated it would take him over two years to complete. To see him return in just over a year was unexpected.

"Oh, Sephiria, is this your younger brother?"

The surprised voice of squad leader Hertz rang out. As he spoke, he pulled out his Scouter and aimed it at Roland. "Let me see his battle power."

"Huh, 820! Your brother is an elite warrior too! Incredible, both siblings are elite warriors; that's a rare sight even among Saiyans!" Hertz was an elite warrior himself; at twenty-six, he possessed a battle power of 4,300, making him one of the elite among Saiyan fighters.

"820 battle power?"

Sephiria looked surprised, then cast a suspicious glance at Roland. Judging by his battle power at birth, Roland shouldn't have reached such a high level at his age, but she didn't reveal this in front of others.

Sephiria's silence only made Hertz marvel more at the siblings' natural talent.

"Remarkable. So young and already so outstanding. I wonder if the child Ashita and I have in the future will have such talent." Hertz's wife, Ashita, was a non-combatant with average potential who worked a desk job in the capital's childcare department.

"The captain's child will surely be an elite warrior too."

"That's right, the captain is so strong, his future child will definitely be powerful."

Hertz waved his hand with a smile. "It's not that easy. Among the newborns each year, elite warriors account for less than one percent. I'd be satisfied if my child just has the potential of a mid-level warrior."

"Alright, you lot, stop bothering Sephiria and her brother. There's a restaurant up ahead, let's go have a feast!"

"Since the captain is treating us, we'll definitely eat our fill."

"I'm afraid the commission from this mission is going to be spent right here."

"Haha, it's just some commission money, I don't care about that." Hertz waved his hand grandly. Sharp-witted as he was, he had long noticed the interest the other male warriors in the squad had in Sephiria, but since she clearly wasn't interested, he could only feel sorry for them.

Nodding at Sephiria, Hertz turned and led his teammates toward the nearby restaurant.

"Now you can tell me, how did your battle power suddenly increase so much?" Sephiria's eyes, quiet as a mountain lake, fixed on Roland.

Roland said, "It's because I have outstanding natural talent."

Sephiria scoffed, grabbed Roland's arm, and flew toward the horizon. The biting cold wind stung his cheeks, and as a streak of white light cut across the sky, the two arrived at a remote area near the capital.

"Why did you bring me here?" Roland asked, looking at Sephiria.

"To test your growth," Sephiria said flatly.

"What?" A sense of foreboding rose in Roland's heart. Memories of being mercilessly crushed by Sephiria a year ago flashed through his mind, and cold sweat began to trickle down his back.

Suddenly, a shocking amount of energy surged from Sephiria. The Scouter on her face jumped wildly. A powerful storm centered on her swept across the land, causing the ground to tremble and sending dust swirling in all directions.

3,500!

4,100!

4,600!

The numbers on the Scouter continued to climb, finally settling at 5,050. Roland couldn't help but look on in astonishment; a year ago, Sephiria's battle power had been only 4,200. To think it had risen so much in just one year.

Sephiria's talent was truly terrifying!

"Roland, let me see how much you've actually grown this past year."

Whoosh!

A fierce gale and a violent, world-shattering pressure swept toward him. In combat mode, Sephiria was exceptionally decisive and ruthless. Roland's expression changed instantly; he hurriedly raised his ki and assumed a defensive stance, a faint, invisible layer of energy wrapping around his body.

But Sephiria's attack was too fast and too strong. Even when he focused his energy into his eyes, he couldn't track her movements.

He threw a punch in one direction, but felt only empty air.

He had missed.

He twisted his body to strike again, but Sephiria had already vanished, leaving only a blurred afterimage behind. He had no idea where she was.

Still, he hadn't landed a hit!

After dozens of exchanges, he hadn't even touched the hem of her clothes, while his own stamina was rapidly depleting.

Then, her cold voice rang out: "Your energy level has indeed reached 820, but your reaction time is abysmal, and your application of energy is incredibly crude. You haven't been fighting at all during this time, have you? Your combat technique is non-existent."

"Your combat experience is severely lacking. I don't even know how you managed to complete your mission."

As a warrior race, the Saiyans were defined not just by their high energy, but by their mastery of combat skills. They were a race of warriors; even those classified as non-combatants on Planet Vegeta were formidable experts if sent to a low-level planet.

Roland offered a bitter smile. Truth be told, he hadn't really done any "missions," and his increase in energy had come solely from grueling training in the Gravity Chamber.

He had no combat experience whatsoever!

Because he had previously faced weaklings like the Mapa people or even weaker Earthlings, Roland had been able to overwhelm them with sheer power despite his lack of experience. Now, facing Sephiria, his weaknesses were fully exposed.

Roland struggled to hold his ground, his breathing becoming increasingly ragged. Seeing this, Sephiria's faint, cloud-like brows furrowed slightly, a flash of irritation crossing her face.

Clearly, she was very dissatisfied with Roland's performance in the fight.

Her figure flickered, and her graceful silhouette appeared beside Roland. With a twist of her hand, an attack as swift as a gale whistled through the air, the sheer intensity of the strike whipping up gusts of wind.

If this were on Earth, it could destroy an entire city in an instant; one must remember that Nappa, who invaded Earth in the original story, only had a base combat power of 4,000.

I'm dead!

Sephiria was playing for keeps.

Roland couldn't dodge in time and was struck by Sephiria's heavy blow. Although she pulled her strength at the critical moment, the intense pain still left Roland in agony.

"Big sister, you're being too ruthless! I came here to save you, after all!"

"What do you mean by that?"

Sephiria suddenly appeared right beside Roland, her face only a few centimeters from his; Roland could even feel the warmth of her breath.