Saiyan Seal

"Boom!!"

"Ah...!!"

He dreamed that a sphere of destructive energy was hurtling toward him. He was powerless to stop it. Betkas jolted awake, gasping rapidly.

He turned his head to look around and found himself sitting beneath a shady tree. His body was completely unharmed.

"I remember... I think Bardock hit me with his ultimate move... and then..."

Betkas lay back on the ground and recalled what had happened. He remembered feeling as if he were about to die in that moment. But whether through good luck or bad, he had somehow survived once again, and had fallen into the Mira Liquid Lake, where he was healed again.

As for what had happened before that, he knew nothing...

"Well, you woke up quickly."

A cheerful, amused voice suddenly rang out.

Betkas immediately turned his head and saw Salah ir standing there, still wearing the same smiling expression as when he had first guided him. He looked as if he had only just arrived.

"What about Mr. Bardock?!"

Betkas pondered for a moment before asking.

"Oh, Mr. Bardock has gone to rest. He's getting on in years, after all. Too much activity isn't good for him."

Salahir replied with a mischievous grin. It seemed his expression never changed.

"By the way, first see how you feel now."

Without waiting for Betkas to speak, Salahir continued.

"How I feel?"

Betkas was taken aback. Then he suddenly realized that his body was brimming with power—more than a hundred times stronger than before he had come to this planet.

Clenching his fists, he sprang to his feet, excitedly feeling out the changes in himself. Unable to hold back, he tried firing a golden Ki Blast into the sky and shouted,

"Ha!!"

The golden Ki Blast exploded in the air. An immensely powerful force of destruction swept across the sky, dispersing every cloud in an instant. A fierce wind surged through the forest.

The refreshing sensation made Betkas keenly feel the power in his grasp. With strength this overwhelming, he even felt as if he had surpassed Broly back when Broly had only been a Pseudo Super Saiyan.

"Sure enough... a Great Explosion!"

Betkas calmed his excitement, took a deep breath, and murmured.

"Hehe... according to Mr. Bardock, your strength is currently somewhere between five and six million. That makes you a significant force in the universe, but in front of those truly powerful guys... you're still weak."

Salahir explained, still smiling.

"Heh heh... between five and six million, huh? That's enough. Once I can become a Super Saiyan, there'll be no need to fear Frieza. But it looks like I can't go back to Frieza's spaceship for now, or I'll definitely expose my strength."

Betkas tried to calm his heart, which was pounding again, and spoke with some concern. His strength had indeed grown far too quickly. If Frieza found out, he'd be done for.

"Ho-na-yo!"

"Hm? What's that?"

Suddenly, as if he had anticipated this, Salahir pulled something resembling a design from his old pocket.

Betkas quickly reached out and caught it. Staring at the design in his hand, he realized it was a pentagram.

"Just place this anywhere on your body and leave it there for a second. Anywhere you like. Hehe... you'll get a surprise. Oh, and by the way, Mr. Bardock specifically told me to give it to you."

Salahir seemed to watch him with great anticipation before speaking.

"Hm? So mysterious... and a surprise, huh?"

Betkas curled his lip dismissively, but still did as he was told. The pentagram was only a few centimeters across, so he naturally placed it at the center of his forehead and said,

"Like this?"

"That's right."

Salahir answered with a smile.

"Nothing's happening... Huh?! What is this?!"

After waiting five seconds, Betkas was about to speak impatiently when he suddenly saw the design shatter. He was confused.

"Go look at yourself by the lake. Take a look and see what you think."

Salahir continued. Betkas immediately went to the golden waters of the Mira Liquid Lake and crouched down to look.

"Hm? I'm still as handsome and charming as ever. Nothing seems to have changed... Wait!!"

Betkas was busy admiring himself when he noticed something was off. He immediately swept his bangs aside and saw a pentagram imprinted on his forehead, like a tattoo. It was blood red, giving it an eerie, sinister look.

"Mr. Bardock said that your strength is powerful now, but you still can't beat Frieza. If your current strength is discovered, Frieza will surely eliminate you. So he gave you this Saiyan Seal to seal away your power..."

Salahir explained leisurely.

"The Saiyan Seal? What's that?"

Betkas had already noticed that his strength had suddenly become weak. Compared to the power he'd had before, he now felt like an ant. Confused, he asked,

"Well... Mr. Bardock said it works only on Saiyans. Anyone marked by it can't break free unless they reach Super Saiyan. Until then, most of their strength will be sealed, which is why it's called the Saiyan Seal. According to Mr. Bardock, only a Saiyan in the Fifth Form can create one..."

Salahir's words left Betkas stunned all over again.

"Damn it! Where did this 'Saiyan Seal' come from? It wasn't mentioned at all in the original story. Oh, right, Super Saiyan 5 doesn't even exist in the original, so its abilities are unknown... That means Gogeta was the strongest Saiyan in the original. Still, for me right now, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks."

Betkas stared at the bright red pentagram on his forehead, reflected in the lake, and muttered to himself.

"As for your strength, you'll have to work hard on your own. The day you become a Super Saiyan, your strength will rise accordingly. Right now, by my estimate, your power level is only around twelve thousand... What a weakling... Hehe."

Salahir smiled as he delivered words that nearly made Betkas spit blood.

One moment, his power level had been between five and six million. The next, it was probably around twelve thousand...

Betkas truly felt as if he'd been sent back to square one...