The Wrath of the Namekian

Leaving the location of Bulma, Krillin, and Son Gohan behind, Vegeta wasted no more time. He sped off, flying straight toward the location of the Great Elder of Planet Namek.

He was able to clearly sense the Great Elder's position thanks to Nail, who was by the elder's side.

Even though he had suppressed most of his power, Nail's energy signature was, in a sense, far more potent than that of an ordinary Namekian warrior.

As the only true combat-type, he stood out enough for Vegeta to distinguish him clearly.

Having spent five days training his perception of ki, even if his proficiency didn't match Kakarot's, it was at least on par with Krillin and Son Gohan.

Coupled with the boost from his current strength, his mastery over sensing ki had reached an incredibly sharp level.

"Strange. Logically, one Dragon Ball should be in the Great Elder's possession..."

While soaring through the sky, Vegeta opened the Dragon Radar to check.

He hadn't been entirely certain before, but as he drew closer, the Dragon Radar showed absolutely nothing. Even if there were a reaction from a Dragon Ball, the distance and location were wrong.

At the very least, there was no Dragon Ball reaction at the Great Elder's location.

If this were uncertain plot information, Vegeta might have been suspicious, but now he realized the truth in a flash.

"No wonder they gave me the Dragon Radar so easily. It turns out it's a fake."

Although he had received a fake Dragon Radar, Vegeta wasn't angry.

If he hadn't known that the Great Elder held a Dragon Ball, he would have been led around in circles, only realizing the radar was a fake after several failed attempts.

He didn't crush the radar in his hand; he still needed to verify it.

He tucked it back into his pocket and immediately accelerated, pushing forward in a straight line.

At this point, there was no need to hide his energy signature, especially since he was still so far away.

Frieza's energy signature hadn't moved over a large area, clearly indicating he was still continuing toward the next Namekian village, which meant he had no intention of wasting time coming after him right now.

As long as he didn't go out of his way to provoke him, this was his free time.

And he would likely have to trade blows with Nail later; unleashing his energy now to let Nail and the Great Elder know his strength would only make future interactions easier.

Meanwhile.

In the central region, atop a straight, towering stone mountain.

Nail stood guard outside the Great Elder's residence, his expression shifting abruptly as he looked toward the distant horizon.

"Have they already discovered this place? How are these guys tracking us down?"

According to the intelligence gathered so far, many villages had already suffered from the alien invasion, and countless kin had been slaughtered.

Now that someone had set their sights on this place, the fury in Nail's heart erupted.

As the strongest Namekian currently alive, he would have already lashed out if not for the need to ensure the Great Elder's safety.

[Nail, steady your emotions. Do not act rashly. First, observe the intruder's intentions.]

The Great Elder's voice suddenly echoed in his mind, causing Nail to freeze and grit his teeth.

"Great Elder, these outsiders have already gone this far. Must we continue to swallow our pride?" Nail asked with resentment.

The Great Elder sighed, his voice transmitting once more: [The Namekians are facing the greatest crisis in our history. It was my wishful thinking; had I known it would come to this, I should have summoned all our people to bring the Dragon Balls here, then wished for a new home to escape this calamity... I never expected these outsiders to resort to slaughtering the innocent at the slightest disagreement.]

"Great Elder, since you have realized this, we can no longer act as we did before! Even if we cannot strike first, now that they have come to our doorstep, we are not to be bullied." Nail's words left the Great Elder speechless for a moment.

At his age, the Great Elder was not far from his natural end.

He had never imagined he would face an existential threat before his death.

Now that things had reached this point, he could only do his best to leave a path of survival for his children.

[Very well. If the intruder also resorts to killing and seizing the Dragon Balls without a word, then you shall display your strength to deter them.] The Great Elder transmitted.

Blindly yielding would only embolden the enemy.

If Nail's strength could resolve the situation, it would serve as a form of deterrence.

However, the Great Elder was also well aware that there was an unimaginably terrifying, evil existence on Planet Namek right now.

Nail was definitely no match for him, which was why he had been retreating and waiting all this time.

In truth, the Great Elder was also waiting.

Waiting for the visitors from Earth he had seen in his visions of the future.

The glimpse of the future he had seen at the cost of his remaining lifespan told him that resolving this crisis required the help of warriors from Earth, and that the fate of the Namekians was inextricably linked to those warriors.

Having received the Great Elder's permission, Nail's spirits soared; he couldn't wait to strike and vent his frustration.

He was prepared: if the intruder showed even the slightest hostility, they would have to endure the extreme wrath of a Namekian.

Time ticked away, second by second.

Until a black dot appeared on the horizon, constantly growing larger. Nail watched the intruder with a grave expression.

By this time, Vegeta had already spotted his target. After locking onto the location, he approached rapidly, then suppressed his energy and descended, landing atop the towering mountain peak.

Standing before him was none other than Nail!

The tension was palpable, the atmosphere suffocating.

It had to be said, even with the strength Vegeta possessed now, he was still shocked to be facing Nail.

He was truly worthy of being a being with a power level of 42,000!

If not for his own strength having advanced by leaps and bounds, he would have surely been suppressed by now.

Facing Vegeta's scrutiny, Nail showed no fear; instead, he took the initiative to unleash his full power, exerting even greater pressure upon his opponent.

As Nail's aura continued to expand, Vegeta's new-model Scouter emitted a precise numerical alert.

"Remarkable power, but isn't it a bit uncalled for to treat me as an enemy without even asking my intentions?" Vegeta stared at Nail and asked.

"Hmph! You outsiders have not only invaded our Namek, but you have also slaughtered so many of my kin—how could you be anything but enemies?!" Nail shouted aggressively.

His expression was cold, his eyes brimming with fury.

It seemed that it would have been better if Vegeta hadn't said that; the moment he did, he became the outlet for Nail's rage.

"So, you're going to attack me just like that? You really don't distinguish between right and wrong." Vegeta had long since prepared himself for a fight with Nail; after all, with his strength increased, he needed combat to solidify his power.

However, it was still better to clarify things first; there would be plenty of time to fight later.