Cooler's Cunning Scheme

Directly beneath the Cooler Legion.

The flying Great Apes saw the spaceships overhead suddenly come to a halt, and they stopped in midair as well.

"What happened to the enemy? Why'd they suddenly stop? Nobody's even come out yet. Are these really the enemies King Saigo told us about?"

"If you ask me, they saw how strong we are and got scared stiff. They're probably scrambling to come up with a plan right now!"

"Brother, I agree with you. I was thinking the same thing!"

"Oh, give it a rest! I didn't hear you say that a moment ago. Now you're saying 'I was thinking the same thing'? Shameless!"

"Will you two cut it out? Hurry up and ask the captains whether we're supposed to fight or not. We can't just hang around here forever! I want to get back to training!"

"What's the rush? I heard King Saigo once taught the captains, 'If the enemy doesn't move, we don't move. If they do, strike them down with thunderous force.' The enemy's scared stiff, so we shouldn't make the first move. We need a reason to fight, got it!? King Saigo said that too. Don't rush. Hold steady!"

"Brother, you're really well-informed. I hadn't heard any of that! Impressive!"

"Of course! Hey, brother, my back's a little itchy. Give me a scratch!"

"Sure..."

Saigo used Instant Transmission to appear above the Great Ape horde. Looking up at the fifteen spaceships hovering silently in the sky, he was puzzled too. "That's strange. This didn't happen in the simulation?!"

"In the simulation, Cooler chose to charge straight in. What's going on?"

As Saigo wondered what was happening, Vegeta III, in Great Ape form, flew up and asked in a hushed voice, "King Saigo, what's going on? Should we keep attacking?"

Bardock flew up alongside him. He planned to face the enemy in his normal form, so he could at least transform into a Super Saiyan if he found himself outmatched.

Bardock was just as confused. He looked at Saigo, clearly wanting to ask the same thing.

Saigo glanced up. After a moment, he said, "Suspend the attack for now, but stay alert! If anything seems wrong, attack at once! Captain Vegeta, go back down and keep the warriors calm. Tell them to hold their nerve while I see what the enemy is up to!"

"Yes, sir! Understood!"

Vegeta III, in Great Ape form, glanced at Bardock with red eyes, looking envious, then descended.

As he was going down, the central spaceship hovering above them suddenly opened its hatch. A humanoid figure, purple and white from a distance, slowly emerged, with a long white tail trailing behind him.

"That's Cooler!" Saigo recognized him at once. He quickly glanced at Bardock and said, "Captain Bardock, can you sense it? His ki is incredibly powerful. Even in Super Saiyan Form, you wouldn't be a match for him. Stand down!"

When the Cooler Legion had surrounded Planet Saiyan, Bardock had asked Saigo for a chance to fight Cooler. Saigo hadn't agreed at the time, saying they would discuss it once he had seen Cooler in person.

"So this is Cooler? He's truly powerful—powerful enough to take your breath away!" Feeling Cooler's ki, Bardock broke into a cold sweat. He clenched his fists in frustration, but his gaze remained resolute. "King Saigo, I still want to try!"

"Please let me!"

Saigo knitted his brows and studied Bardock for several seconds before finally agreeing. "Then be careful! Come on, let's see what Cooler's up to!"

Whoosh! Whoosh!

In the blink of an eye, the two flew to face Cooler. Before they could speak, Cooler chuckled and addressed them.

"Heh heh! I presume this imposing warrior is the current King of the Saiyans?"

Cooler's gaze had remained fixed on Bardock from the start. As for Saigo beside him, he looked like Bardock's son, just a little kid—not someone worth worrying about.

"I am Cooler, the Cosmic Emperor. I've come here because there's something I wish to discuss with the King of the Saiyans!"

Saigo tugged at Bardock's Battle Suit and leaned in to whisper, "Don't argue with him. Let's see what he's after!"

"Then forgive my impertinence," Bardock replied in a low voice, turning his head slightly.

He looked up at Cooler, his expression grave. "Go ahead. With all this fanfare, I thought you were going to invade Planet Saiyan!"

Cooler chuckled and replied solemnly, "You're the new King of the Saiyans, yet you're terribly rude. You don't even know the most basic etiquette. I, the Emperor, don't even know your name!"

"But never mind! I intend to conquer the Saiyans. Let's have a king-versus-king duel! The winner gets absolute authority over the loser. If you win, my entire legion will surrender to you. If I win, your Saiyans will obey my orders. What do you say, King of the Saiyans?"

Bardock sneered. "Enough talk. Let's see how strong you are!"

As he spoke, he transformed into a Super Saiyan and charged forward, driving a powerful fist straight at Cooler's face.

Cooler remained calm in the face of Bardock's attack, wearing the same smile. Only when Bardock transformed into a Super Saiyan did Cooler's expression shift to one of recognition, tinged with surprise.

Bam! Bam bam bam...

"So this is the Legendary Super Saiyan? King of the Saiyans, you've certainly become stronger in this new form!" Cooler casually blocked Bardock's repeated attacks and taunted him. "But you're still no match for me, the Cosmic Emperor!"

"Is that really your full strength, King of the Saiyans?"

Cooler fought down his disgust. Every time he said "King of the Saiyans," it made him feel sick. He wished those damned wild monkeys would drop dead on the spot.

But to minimize his legion's losses, he had no choice.

Cooler had always valued his subordinates. His standing among his legion was far beyond anything Frieza could ever hope to achieve.

"Shut up! Show me what you can do. Let me see how powerful this so-called Cosmic Emperor really is!" Bardock knocked Cooler back with a punch. Taking advantage of the brief opening, he caught his breath, then taunted him in return.

But deep down, Bardock was lost in self-doubt.

Damn it!

None of my attacks are doing a thing!

This monster!

What do Frost Demons even eat to grow this strong?

Bardock was intimidated, but he couldn't let it show.

Even if he lost, he would lose while charging forward!

"Heh heh! King of the Saiyans, if this is truly the extent of your strength, then I'll gladly accept authority over your people!" Cooler forced down the acid churning in his stomach and smiled. "I hope you'll honor your word, King of the Saiyans!"

"By the way, you haven't told your people what you've decided. Why not inform them now? Otherwise, I'm afraid that once I show my strength, you won't get the chance!"

Cooler was worried that the dozens of Saiyan Great Apes below, each with a battle power of over a million, might suddenly attack. Even with his tremendous strength, he wasn't confident he could stop them all in time with his fleet's spaceships so close.