"I can't let you get away. At this distance, I can intercept you."
As he spoke, Vegeta narrowed his eyes and slowly rose into the sky.
"Boom~!!!"
His aura erupted around him. In an instant, he shot forward, transforming into a streak of pale purple light with a long tail, heading toward the direction he had locked onto.
He was moving so fast it was hard to imagine. Even ten times the speed of sound couldn't describe it.
And this wasn't even Vegeta's full speed. If he flew at full power, he could reach several times that speed at least.
In the blink of an eye, he had crossed a hundred miles. In the next, he was already hundreds of miles away.
The aura of Zarbon drew closer and closer, until Zarbon appeared ahead. He was just a speck in the distance, but with Vegeta's vision now, he could see him clearly.
At that moment, Zarbon, who had been flying in a fixed direction, finally sensed something.
Flying at top speed, he looked back and saw a dark figure rapidly closing in. It soon entered his field of vision, the air currents in its wake churning like a raging sea.
"V-Vegeta?!" Zarbon cried in alarm, cold sweat immediately beading on his face.
A powerful sense of danger surged through him, making him suck in a sharp breath.
He couldn't fight him.
Vegeta was no longer the same as before.
Zarbon poured all his strength into flying faster, hoping to shake Vegeta off.
To his horror, even at full speed, he couldn't escape.
Instead, the distance between them shrank rapidly, and before long, Vegeta was right behind him.
"Would the great Mr. Zarbon really be so afraid that he'd run away?" The cold words reached Zarbon through the air.
Knowing he couldn't get away, Zarbon stopped fleeing and abruptly halted in midair.
He was decisive, at least.
Vegeta sneered at the sight and quickly steadied himself in front of Zarbon.
Their eyes met. Vegeta's gaze was full of mockery, while Zarbon kept a stern expression, struggling to hide his fear.
"Vegeta, what do you want?" Zarbon asked, steadying his breathing.
"Nothing much. I'm just here to take your life, so you can go keep Dodoria company. It gets awfully lonely on the road to Yellow Springs." Vegeta narrowed his eyes, his aura razor-sharp.
It seemed to scrape against Zarbon like a blade.
"What did you say? You killed Dodoria? No, impossible! I only parted ways with him a little while ago. How could you have done that?" Zarbon furrowed his brow. He already knew the answer, but still wanted to hear Vegeta say it.
"I didn't think you were a fool, Zarbon. Someone like Dodoria is nothing to me now. I could wipe him out with a flick of my finger." Vegeta smiled and raised a hand. "You're no different."
"W-Wait, listen to me first." Zarbon tensed all over at the sight.
"What? Are you going to tell me a secret, just like Dodoria? Don't waste your time. I already know everything you know, so there's no need to keep talking." Vegeta scoffed, a ball of energy already gathering in his hand, ready to fire at any moment.
"No, no! You killed Dodoria, and he deserved it, but I'm different. I don't have to be your enemy. I hate Frieza just as much as you do. I can help you take him down! You know how strong Frieza is and how many men he has. The Frieza Force has so many soldiers—you'll need someone to help manage them, won't you, Vegeta?"
As he spoke, Zarbon saw that Vegeta still hadn't attacked. His expression changed in an instant.
His aura flared for a split second, and he fired a terrifying blast of energy, swallowing Vegeta at close range.
"Ha ha ha ha~! You're too full of yourself, Vegeta! Who do you think you are? Die!" Zarbon kept pouring energy from his body into the blast, firing again and again. It took nearly twenty seconds before the attack finally faded.
He had unleashed this burst beyond his limits, with his life in absolute danger.
Thick smoke billowed before him. Zarbon was certain that his full-power attack had killed Vegeta.
But his laughter soon died in his throat.
"I knew it. People like you can sometimes be even worse than someone like Dodoria." Vegeta's voice came from behind Zarbon.
How could a trick like that possibly work on him?
It wouldn't have worked on him now, or even on the original Vegeta. Zarbon was simply too full of himself.
"H-How is that possible?" Zarbon cried in terror. He quickly turned and retreated, putting distance between them.
Cold sweat poured down his body. Zarbon had never imagined that Vegeta, of all people, could frighten him this badly.
At the same time, resentment swelled in his heart. His face twisted into a snarl, and his beastly nature showed through.
"Go on, use whatever power you have left while you can. Don't wait until you're dying to regret it. By then, it'll be too late." Vegeta watched him with amusement, knowing that Zarbon seemed ready to transform.
"You forced me to do this, Vegeta! You might think you're strong now, but let me tell you: what if your battle power is over 23,000? Once I transform, you won't stand a chance against me!" As he spoke, Zarbon's body suddenly swelled and warped. He had once looked fairly normal, tall and imposing, but now he became a frog-like monster with a beast's face.
A bloodthirsty aura poured from him. His changed body also gave off a foul stench, almost unbearable.
"Hmph! That's it? You call that a transformation? It's more like you're returning to your original appearance. What an ugly sight." Vegeta continued to mock him, then folded his arms across his chest. "I don't even need to use my hands to deal with you."
"Arrogant fool! Do you know what my battle power is now? A full 28,000! And I don't mind telling you a secret: King Frieza's battle power is 530,000, and he can transform too." Zarbon didn't believe Vegeta. He simply took him for a fool.
Vegeta looked at him as if he were an idiot. "All right, all right. You talk too much. I'm done wasting my time."
As soon as he finished speaking, Vegeta vanished and reappeared in an instant.
"Thud!!!!" A meaty impact rang out.
Zarbon's eyes flew wide, and blood poured from his mouth.
Vegeta had appeared right in front of him and kicked him in the stomach.
The force of the blow left Zarbon unable to fight. It was as if his body were made of glass, shattered into countless pieces by Vegeta's kick.
"Tsk, tsk~~! Is that all? You're so weak." Vegeta pulled back his right leg, then kicked Zarbon in the neck.
"I said I wouldn't use my hands, so I won't." A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. The next second, Vegeta powered up and chased after Zarbon as he flew away.
He kicked again, this time with his aura coating his foot, making it razor-sharp like a blade.