Cui rubbed his eyes, then instinctively glanced behind him.
The moment he looked, his eyes widened in shock.
Among the shattered ice, Cui saw one of Dodoria's large pink hands.
The hand floated in space, its severed end a bloody mess, with more fragments scattered around it.
An arm, a leg, a torso, a head...
What had happened?
Was that Dodoria?
Cold sweat broke out on Cui's forehead, and a chill ran down his spine.
He quickly stopped the spaceship, turned it around, and flew toward the area filled with ice fragments.
When he saw Dodoria's body smashed to pieces, Cui felt numb all over.
The severed limbs drifted slowly through space. Dodoria's face still held the grimace he'd worn in his final moments, frozen forever in the vacuum.
"Th-this... Dodoria's dead?" Cui's eye twitched. His expression changed again and again, and his lips trembled.
Forcing himself to calm down, Cui immediately contacted Frieza through his Scouter.
"Beep! Beep!"
After a few tones, the call connected.
"What is it? You've found something already, Cui?" Frieza's voice came through the Scouter, tinged with surprise.
"Lord Frieza... I... I found Dodoria." Cui managed a strained smile, his voice trembling.
"Oh? How is he?" Frieza asked with interest.
"He... he seems to have accidentally entered outer space. He's frozen into a block of ice." Cui stammered.
"Is that so?" Frieza froze.
"My spaceship hit him, and he's been smashed to pieces." Cui gave a bitter smile and asked quietly, "I wonder if he could still recover if we put him in a healing pod?"
Frieza fell silent.
Frieza's face darkened.
He'd been smashed to pieces. What the hell was there to recover?
"Make sure you check carefully. Are you certain it's Dodoria?" Frieza asked, his brows knitting tightly as his voice turned cold.
"Yes, Lord Frieza." Cui nodded and replied respectfully.
He maneuvered the spaceship closer to the fragments and examined them carefully.
Although the head was frozen, it was unmistakably Dodoria's face. His signature sneer had been frozen in place forever.
Three minutes later.
"I've confirmed it, Lord Frieza!" Cui replied, his voice full of fear. "It really is Dodoria!"
There was a moment of silence on the other end.
"That idiot must have fallen for some trick by Vegeta or Reiz and been lured into outer space!" Frieza snorted, his voice full of anger.
"Th-then should I keep pursuing them?" Cui asked cautiously.
"Keep pursuing them!" Frieza replied coldly. "When you find the target, report back at once. Don't make a move on your own."
"Yes, Lord Frieza!" Cui answered hurriedly.
The call ended.
Cui drew a deep breath, looked at the fragments floating outside the window, and shuddered.
He set a new course and continued the pursuit.
Two days later.
Reiz came out of his meditative state and abruptly opened his eyes.
The Training Room was quiet, with only the distant, low hum of the spaceship's engines.
Soft light spilled through the room, illuminating the entire space.
Linoshi was still standing nearby, quietly watching over him.
Her blue eyes reflected Reiz's figure, gentle as water.
"Congratulations, Reiz! You've finally taken your first step toward mastering Ultra Instinct!" Linoshi was sincerely happy for him, her face breaking into a radiant smile.
"Really? I've taken my first step?" Reiz asked in a low voice.
"Yes, I can tell. You've truly taken your first step toward mastering Ultra Instinct!" Linoshi nodded emphatically, her eyes sparkling with joy.
"I'll try it!" Reiz drew a deep breath, closed his eyes, and entered that mysterious state again.
"Pop!"
The next instant, Starlight burst forth from Reiz's body.
Its dazzling glow illuminated the entire Training Room.
It wasn't an ordinary aura, but a silvery-white radiance, like starlight, spreading from within Reiz and swirling around him.
The light wasn't blinding, yet it carried a sacred, profound presence, as if the entire starry sky had gathered around him.
Reiz's appearance hadn't changed much.
But his whole body was now covered in brilliant Starlight.
His hair was still black, but every strand seemed coated in a silvery sheen. His eyes had grown deeper, and faint light shimmered within his pupils.
"Wow... he's so handsome!" Linoshi's cheeks flushed as she murmured, gazing at Reiz with adoration.
She cupped her face in both hands, her blue eyes full of stars, completely lost in his dazzling radiance.
Reiz quietly examined the changes to his body.
This seemed to be Ultra Instinct Omen!
So taking the first step toward mastering Ultra Instinct meant unlocking the Ultra Instinct Omen form.
This was already incredibly powerful!
What did Ultra Instinct Omen represent?
Power almost on par with Jiren's.
And Reiz had only been training for a few days.
It had been a short time since he first encountered Ultra Instinct, yet he had already crossed a threshold countless people could never reach in their lifetimes.
Still, Reiz believed that even if he faced Jiren now, he probably wouldn't be able to defeat him.
After all, Reiz's foundation was too weak!
Ultra Instinct only let the body react instinctively. His strength itself still needed to be built up.
It was like wielding a peerless sword: he'd learned the sword technique, but his inner power wasn't deep enough.
If he continued to raise his Divine Power over the coming days, surpassing Jiren wouldn't be a problem.
Besides, now that Reiz had begun training in Ultra Instinct, he no longer considered Jiren his ultimate goal.
Reiz wanted to surpass the God of Destruction.
And perhaps... even more.
Just as Reiz was quietly observing the changes in his body—
"Bang!"
Vegeta kicked open the Training Room door.
The hatch slammed into the wall with a loud crash.
Vegeta stormed in furiously, glaring at Reiz as he shouted, "Reiz, you've got some nerve! You dared to knock me out!"
But as soon as the words left Vegeta's mouth, he sensed something was off about Reiz.
His gaze settled on Reiz. He saw the Starlight swirling around him and sensed that faint aura. He froze.
Vegeta's eyes widened as he looked Reiz up and down in astonishment. His mouth hung open wide enough to fit a fist.
"Reiz... what happened to you? Why are you glowing with such a strange light?" Vegeta asked hurriedly, instantly forgetting that Reiz had knocked him out.
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