The shrill alarm and flashing red lights filled the entire hall.
The King of Planet Soph paced anxiously through the palace, its splendor now tinged with panic. When a minister enlarged the image of the approaching spacecraft on the screen, the king's face instantly turned deathly pale.
"F-Frieza Force! It really is them!" The minister's voice trembled with despair.
"Quick!" the king screamed. "All ground forces! The robot legion! Maximum alert! Shoot them down! At any cost!"
When Vitelli's spacecraft pierced the clouds and landed in the designated clearing, he was greeted by Planet Soph's army, already arrayed for battle, and a robot legion gleaming with cold metal. Dense energy beams poured down like a torrential rain!
Pew pew pew pew...
The beams struck Vitelli's powerful body like raindrops pattering against rock. They raised nothing but faint ripples, leaving not even a trace.
"Tch. Is that supposed to tickle?"
Vitelli pursed his lips, his gaze calm and steady. He couldn't even be bothered to use any complicated moves. He simply raised one hand and spread his fingers.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
A stream of white Ki Blasts, each the size of a ping-pong ball, burst from his fingertips like machine-gun fire! Precise and efficient! Every blast seemed to have eyes, striking the core of a robot with perfect accuracy!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions merged into a single blaze, clearing everything within dozens of meters in an instant! Wreckage and charred components flew everywhere.
He turned to look at the trio not far away. They were also surrounded, but were bombarding their foes with Prince Tactics and laughing arrogantly, clearly relishing the thrill of crushing their enemies. Vitelli spoke calmly, his voice carrying clearly through the roar of explosions:
"Vegeta, splitting up will be more efficient. I'll handle these tin cans. You go clear out the resistance in the other areas."
Before his words had even faded, he raised his hand again and fired another dense barrage of Ki Blasts at a much larger group of robots in the distance, drawing a great deal of their fire.
At the same time, he pushed off the ground and shot away in a streak of blue light, heading without a backward glance in the opposite direction from Vegeta and the others. A long trail of robots pursued him.
After confirming that he had drawn most of the pursuing robots away from the main battlefield and lured them deep into a complex area full of abandoned factories, Vitelli stopped abruptly.
He reached up and briskly removed the latest Scouter issued by the Frieza Force from his ear. With a squeeze of his hand, he turned it into a ball of flame.
"Now... let the plan begin!"
Vitelli narrowed his eyes and slowly spread his hands before his chest, taking the classic stance for gathering energy!
The "ki" within him ignited like a dormant volcano erupting! A powerful aura burst forth, whipping up dust from the ground! He deliberately controlled his energy output, keeping his power level steady at around 5,000 on the Scouter—the full-power state his cover identity was supposed to reach.
"Ha—!!!"
With a low roar, an enormous beam of golden light burst from between his palms, dazzlingly bright! Like a golden flood, it swept through every robot pursuing him in sight with the force to destroy all in its path!
Rumble—!!!
Deafening explosions roared one after another, and the dazzling golden light swallowed everything! Thick alloy armor and delicate electronic components alike were as fragile as paper against the force of that pure energy!
Only seconds later, when the golden light faded, all that remained was a huge, smoking crater, along with pieces of metal scattered everywhere, completely melted and misshapen.
Hundreds of robots and the abandoned factories in that area had all been utterly erased—not a scrap remained.
Vitelli nodded in satisfaction, pleased with his control over his energy.
He turned and fixed his sharp gaze on the grandest cluster of buildings in the distance: the royal palace of Planet Soph.
His keen senses told him that some of the few beings on this planet with energy readings above a thousand were gathered there.
"Time to take care of business."
His body rose slightly into the air, then shot toward the palace like a blue lightning bolt tearing through the air, accompanied by a thunderous sonic boom!
Vitelli descended like a demon onto the plaza outside the palace, casually flicking away the captain of the guards as if shooing a fly.
The shrill alarm rang through the heavens. The last of the palace's resistance forces—the so-called "experts," whose power levels barely approached two thousand—rushed at him like moths to a flame.
Vitelli couldn't even be bothered to move his feet. He simply raised a hand and spread his fingers.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh—!
Countless tiny Ki Blasts swarmed toward every attacker like a living hive, striking each one with pinpoint accuracy!
There were no screams, only a series of muffled explosions and the sizzling sound of flesh vaporizing in an instant. In the space of a single breath, the palace plaza had fallen silent. Only the stench of blood and scorched flesh remained, along with a few scattered flames.
"Prince Tactics sure come in handy."
He muttered to himself as he strode calmly across the wreckage toward the closed door deep within the palace, the one that symbolized supreme authority.
Meanwhile, on another scorched battlefield on Planet Soph...
"Ha ha ha ha!!!"
Vegeta hovered in midair, looking down at the Planet Soph army he had bombarded into disarray, wailing and fleeing in terror. All his pent-up frustration and displeasure had vanished.
This feeling of utterly crushing his enemies was the treatment befitting Prince Vegeta!
Nappa and Raditz followed behind him, their faces full of admiration as they watched the prince display his might.
"His Highness the Prince is really enjoying himself! These weak troops can't even fight back!" Raditz couldn't help saying.
Beep beep beep—!
Just as Vegeta basked in his triumph, the Scouter beside his ear suddenly blared an urgent alarm!
"Hm?"
Vegeta's arrogant smile froze, and his expression changed dramatically!
A bright red number on the Scouter lens began to jump wildly, climbing higher and higher!
15,000... 18,000... 21,000... 23,300!
At last, the number stopped at the glaring figure of 23,300!
"A power level of 23,000?! Who is it?!"
Vegeta jerked his head up, his crimson eyes locked on the sky! An aura far more powerful than the Planet Soph army's—and laced with malice—was hurtling down at astonishing speed!
In the sky, a fireball tore through Planet Soph's pale yellow atmosphere with a piercing whistle, plunging straight toward Vegeta! Its shape was unmistakable... a standard Frieza Force single-person spherical spacecraft!
"Someone from Frieza's forces?"
Vegeta knitted his brows. He stopped slaughtering the troops below for the moment, folded his arms, and hovered in place, watching the approaching spacecraft coldly.
Nappa and Raditz immediately grew wary as well, taking up defensive stances.
Hiss—!
With a release of compressed gas, the spacecraft's hatch slid open.
A huge, obese figure with revolting pink skin emerged awkwardly, wearing an arrogant smile.
It was Frieza's trusted subordinate—Dodoria!
Dodoria landed with enough force to make the ground tremble slightly.
His beady little eyes swept over the three of them, pausing especially on Vegeta. He let out a shrill "Heh heh heh," his tone full of condescending arrogance:
"Oh ho ho, if it isn't our esteemed Saiyan Prince! We meet at last. I'm Dodoria, the most capable, most loyal, and also the strongest of King Frieza's assistants!"
He paused and thrust out his enormous belly. "I've come especially at King Frieza's command to help you complete this mission."
Vegeta's face immediately filled with undisguised revulsion and contempt. He snorted.
"Hmph! Help? Do I, Vegeta, need help from a lapdog of Frieza's? Get back to your spaceship! I'll spare your life this time for Frieza's sake, so don't get in my way!"
Dodoria's smile remained unchanged, but a cold glint flashed in his beady eyes. He casually adjusted the Scouter lens by his ear and glanced at Raditz and Nappa.
"Oh, a useless weakling with a power level of barely 1,500." He looked at Raditz with scorn. Raditz went pale and involuntarily took half a step back. "And one... at 4,300? Not bad, I suppose."
His gaze finally settled on Vegeta, and the Scouter let out an even sharper buzz.
"Heh heh heh. As for you, Prince Vegeta..." The fake smile on Dodoria's face stiffened, then vanished. Sheer shock and disbelief took its place, and his voice rose eight octaves. "A power level of 20,000?! That's impossible! The intelligence reports said you were only a little over 3,000! How could this be?!"
"Heh!"
Vegeta lifted his chin even higher, his face full of a genius's arrogance. "What could you possibly know about me, the prince? A mere 20,000 is just the starting point for me! Frieza's intelligence is outdated! Go back and tell Frieza that the Legendary Super Saiyan has appeared! It's me! I'm Super Vegeta!!!"
At the sight of Vegeta's signature arrogant pose and boastful declaration, Dodoria's shock quickly turned to fury!
What King Frieza hated most was the Saiyans' legend of the Super Saiyan!
And this ignorant, insolent monkey dared to provoke him like that?!
"Heh heh heh... stupid Saiyan monkey!"
Dodoria let out an angry, shrill laugh, his obese body suddenly moving with astonishing speed that belied his size!
"You dare challenge King Frieza's authority with a mere power level of 20,000?! It seems King Frieza was incredibly wise to send me to teach you a lesson! Today, I'll show you that there are plenty of people under King Frieza who are stronger than you!"
Before his words had even faded, his fat, white-gloved fist shot out like a cannonball, tearing through the air with a piercing whistle as it slammed toward Vegeta's arrogant little face!
Thud—!!!
A heavy impact rang out, enough to make the heart tremble!
Vegeta hadn't expected Dodoria to attack so suddenly and so brutally! He only had time to turn his head slightly before the heavy fist connected squarely with his cheek!
The terrifying force erupted, sending Vegeta's small body flying like a kite with its strings cut. He screamed as he crashed into a half-ruined building in the distance, raising a cloud of dust!
"His Highness Vegeta!!!"
Nappa and Raditz cried out in shock, their faces ashen! But when they saw the glaring 23,000 on the Scouter lens, their feet seemed nailed to the ground. They didn't dare go forward! The gap between them was too great!
"Cough, cough... urgh!"
Vegeta struggled up from the rubble and spat out a mouthful of bloodied saliva. One side of his face was already swollen high. The searing pain and unprecedented humiliation ignited all his fury in an instant! Flames seemed ready to burst from his crimson eyes!
"You... you... bastard!!!!" Vegeta's voice twisted with unbearable rage. "You dared to... sneak up on me, Vegeta, just like Vitelli!!!!"
"Haaaaaah!!!!"
With a beastlike roar, Vegeta completely lost control! Under the unbearable humiliation and fury, his Saiyan blood burned wildly! His hands flew about, unleashing countless energy-packed Ki Blasts as if they cost nothing. A devastating barrage instantly engulfed Dodoria!
"Hmph! Pathetic tricks!"
Dodoria was surprised by Vegeta's sudden burst of power, but confident in his superior power level, he darted his hands back and forth, batting or blocking most of the Ki Blasts out of the air! Explosions and shock waves raged around him, but couldn't truly harm him!
"A power gap is a power gap! A monkey's still a monkey!"
Dodoria sneered. His obese body surged forward at astonishing speed, closing in on Vegeta in an instant. A powerful side kick slammed into Vegeta's chest like a battering ram!
Crack!
The clear sound of bones breaking rang out!
"Gah—!" Vegeta screamed as he was sent flying once again. The pain in his chest made his vision darken, and he felt as if his internal organs had been displaced!
"Your Highness!" Nappa and Raditz watched in anguish, but still didn't dare go forward.
"See?! That's the difference!" Dodoria hovered in the air, looking down at Vegeta as he struggled below. His voice brimmed with cruel delight. "In the face of absolute power, your ridiculous dream of becoming a Super Saiyan is nothing but..."
His words abruptly stopped!
From the rubble below, an energy far more violent than before, scorching and brimming with an aura of destruction, erupted like a long-suppressed volcano!
Boom—!!!
White energy flared up from Vegeta's tiny body like tangible flames, shooting into the sky! His hair stood on end in the raging energy, and turbulent currents visibly swirled around him!
A heart-chilling pressure instantly engulfed the entire area!
"Ahhhhhhh—!!!!" Vegeta slowly rose through the white aura, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at Dodoria in the sky. His voice was hoarse, like a demon from hell:
"You... you... bastard!!!!!"
On the Scouter lens, Vegeta's power level shot up like a runaway rocket!
21,000... 23,000... 24,000... 25,000!!!
"W-what?!"
The sneer on Dodoria's face froze completely, replaced by boundless shock! "25,000?! That's impossible!!!"
"Die—!!!" With his power unleashed, Vegeta's speed, strength, and reflexes all rose to a new level!
He became a streak of lightning and appeared in front of the stunned Dodoria in an instant!
Thud! A heavy punch carrying a power level of 25,000 slammed into Dodoria's enormous belly!
"Urgh!" Dodoria's eyes bulged as stomach acid mixed with blood spewed from his mouth! The intense pain doubled him over instantly!
Vegeta's assault didn't let up! Using his momentum, he spun at high speed and unleashed a full-force roundhouse kick. Like a battle-axe, it tore through the air with a piercing whistle and slammed into Dodoria's horrified, pudgy face!
Boom—!!!