Unknown Race!

"() They're getting closer! Looks like these guys really can sense ki..."

Betkas stared intently at the approaching readings on the scouter's screen, his expression grave.

Since no fewer than eight of them were closing in, and every one had a power level above ten thousand, Betkas couldn't help feeling a little "flattered." He'd barely arrived before running into a situation this serious. Even Betkas, as he was now, had to think carefully about how to handle it.

"Still, something feels strange. It's not as if there are no planets with fighters over ten thousand, but having so many guys above that level is definitely unusual!"

Betkas stopped flying and slowly descended onto a nearby rock. Then he crossed his arms over his chest and watched his surroundings, a little puzzled.

At first, he'd simply set the spaceship to find him a planet with powerful fighters, so he hadn't paid much attention to the details. But he hadn't expected this planet to have so many powerful fighters. Betkas guessed that even Dodoria or Zarbon might have a hard time if either of them came here.

After all, being swarmed by so many guys with power levels over ten thousand was no joke...

Just then, eight people wearing small vests and trousers appeared.

"Oh... so these guys look human. Well, that's..."

Betkas watched the eight people suddenly surround him, his expression unmoved as he thought to himself.

"Was that ki I sensed coming from you?"

A handsome man with pale blue hair looked at Betkas coldly and demanded an answer.

"Heh... your planet really is interesting. Everyone's power level is so high. I've never heard of anything like it."

Betkas couldn't be bothered to answer. He merely made a rather cool-headed remark.

"Stop joking around... What exactly are you after? That tail around your waist... it proves you're a Saiyan, doesn't it?!"

A red-haired woman spoke with a cold expression.

Seriously... are Saiyans that famous? Why does everyone know about them?

Betkas was speechless. It seemed like every alien he met knew about Saiyans. In theory, the Saiyans had been extinct for a long time, and this was the South Galaxy, on the opposite side of the universe from the North Galaxy. No one here should know about them. But whether he was cursed or what, Betkas kept running into people who did.

He didn't let any of his surprise show, leaving all eight of them looking a little uneasy.

"What else would a Saiyan be doing on someone else's planet? Obviously, we kill the natives, then sell the planet at a high price to customers looking for one. Your planet's pretty nice, after all. I'm sure it'll fetch a good price."

Betkas gave a faint, cruel smile and spoke casually.

"You bastard!! Don't get cocky!"

As soon as Betkas finished speaking, a black-haired boy rushed at him from behind and swung his right fist at the back of his head.

Betkas didn't even turn around. He simply bent his right arm and thrust it backward. The black-haired boy seemed to anticipate his movement and changed direction at once, causing Betkas's strike to miss. Then the boy instantly appeared above Betkas and shot down at him.

"My, my... being able to sense ki really is a blessing. I'm jealous. And for a kid barely into his teens to have this much fighting power... I'm curious. Just what kind of race are you?"

Betkas didn't move, as if he intended to let the boy attack. He spoke in a leisurely tone, loud enough for all eight of them to hear.

"Pfft!!"

"Beep beep beep!!!"

"Thud!"

In the next instant, while everyone else watched in shock, Betkas moved like a phantom. He raised his left hand, extended one finger, and fired a golden beam. It pierced the heart of the boy, who hadn't even had time to react.

The recoil sent the boy's body flying backward. Even as he died, his eyes remained wide open, as though he couldn't accept what had happened. Bright red blood scattered through the air, filling it with the stench of blood.

"Asar!!"

The whole thing had happened in the blink of an eye. The other seven seemed unable to react in time. By the time they came to their senses, the boy's bloodied body had already crashed onto the rocky ground with a thud, jolting them back to reality.

Just as I thought... These guys may have power levels above ten thousand, but some of them have very little combat experience. What's going on? Do they have some secret way to raise their strength?

Betkas looked at the seven people shouting around the dying boy and thought to himself.

With that last attack, Betkas had only wanted to test them. The technique he'd just used was something he'd developed after learning from Piccolo's Special Beam Cannon. It was a simple move: gather ki at the tip of a finger, hold it steady, and fire.

What Betkas wanted to test was whether his opponent was truly a skilled fighter. But the boy's performance had proven otherwise. If he'd been an experienced fighter who'd faced life-or-death battles, he would surely have reacted somehow. Even if he couldn't dodge completely, he shouldn't have been killed.

That was partly because Betkas had chosen the perfect moment to strike. His own speed had also been too great. Otherwise, it might not have been so easy to kill his opponent.

"Hey, hey... This tragic little make-believe story has gone on long enough."

Betkas looked at the seven grieving people in front of him and spoke in a stiff, cold tone.

"You bastard!!! I'll never forgive you!"

The seven seemed to react to Betkas's words. They all stood up and glared at him with righteous fury, as though they wanted to eat him alive. Their power erupted all at once, ki enveloping their bodies as a powerful pressure surged toward Betkas.

"Tch! This pathetic aura isn't even one ten-thousandth of Bardock's!"

Betkas curled his lip in disdain. He clenched his fists and released the full force of his current power. Ki enveloped his body as well. The two forces formed opposing waves that clashed in the space between them, stirring up a gale that swept across the surroundings. The heavens and earth changed color!

The real battle had only just begun...

A little preview: In the next chapter, the battle between Betkas and the seven would reach a stalemate. But when the seven joined forces and used a certain technique—

"What?! This move... impossible!!"