"Heh heh heh~~! 530,000 battle power—is that impressive?"
Looking at Frieza's smug expression, Vegeta sneered and dismissed the figure.
At that, Frieza's face fell. He furrowed his brow and glared at Vegeta.
After all, his battle power wasn't something just anyone deserved to know. For as long as he could remember, Zarbon had been the only one by his side who knew it.
He'd only revealed it now to force Vegeta to submit, then put the wild monkey in his place once more.
But not only had Vegeta refused to be intimidated, he clearly already knew.
After a brief flare of anger, Frieza quickly recovered, then let a mocking smile spread across his face. "Looks like Zarbon told you my battle power before he died. But I'm curious: what makes you think you can say something like that? Oh, right. Your battle power may have exceeded 50,000, so you think that after turning into a Great Ape, you can defeat me..."
Having spelled out what he thought Vegeta was relying on, Frieza began laughing smugly again.
He could rack his brains all day and still never figure out how strong Vegeta really was, much less how he'd grown so powerful in an instant.
"You really are as conceited as ever. Too bad you guessed wrong. Go on, take another guess—why am I no longer afraid of you?" Vegeta's grin grew more pronounced, his expression full of mockery.
At those words, Frieza's expression changed at once, turning terrifyingly grim.
Being bitten by a little dog he'd once kept as a pet was already enough to make him furious.
Vegeta was already on his death list. All Frieza wanted was for him to hand over the Dragon Balls, so he wouldn't have to waste any more time.
"Little Vegeta, I don't have the time to play guessing games. But since Zarbon told you my battle power is 530,000, he must have told you I can transform, too. Are you really so confident you can face me head-on?" Frieza's voice was icy.
"Some things don't need spelling out. You can transform, and so can I. So don't act like you're all that!" As he spoke, Vegeta raised a hand and pointed his thumb at himself. "And another thing: I'm Super Vegeta now!"
"Super... Vegeta? Ho ho ho ho~~! You really are a funny one, little Vegeta." Frieza let out another mocking laugh.
Vegeta didn't intend to keep arguing. Frieza was just that kind of person.
Frieza furrowed his brow again at Vegeta's dismissive attitude.
"I'll say this one last time: hand over the two Dragon Balls you're holding! I may still let bygones be bygones!"
"Then I'll say this, too: give me the five Dragon Balls you have, and maybe I'll leave your corpse intact."
The atmosphere grew tense. The lackeys surrounding Frieza were so frightened that they couldn't help edging backward, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.
If they hadn't moved, nothing would have happened to them. But now that they'd backed down, Frieza's twisted habit of tormenting his subordinates for fun meant he would inevitably use them as cannon fodder.
"If that's how it is, then prepare to die. Even if I kill you, the Ginyu Force will arrive in three days and find the two Dragon Balls you've hidden anyway." As he spoke, Frieza glanced at the men on either side of him. "Do I really need to repeat myself? I have no use for cowardly deserters."
At those words, the faces of the dozen or so soldiers changed.
They knew how powerful Vegeta was, of course, but facing him was still better than facing Frieza.
In their minds, even if Vegeta was strong, they still had a chance of surviving. But Frieza could kill them as easily as playing a game.
Once one man dared to step forward, the others found their courage, too.
With more than a dozen of them attacking together, they at least felt they had a chance.
Of course, they had no idea that their meager strength was no more than an ant's to Vegeta.
Their battle power was only a thousand or two. Even if they were stronger than Raditz, they still fell short of Nappa.
Vegeta watched the lackey soldiers advance to their deaths with a sneer, a look of disdain flashing in his eyes.
He gave them no chance at all. He waited for them to draw near one by one, then, the instant they launched their energy attacks, he unleashed his ki and swept out a terrifying wave of energy with a flick of his hand. It not only erased every one of their attacks but swallowed the soldiers whole, turning them to ash.
Watching from a distance, Frieza stared in astonishment. He'd gained a whole new understanding of Vegeta's strength.
He'd thought there might at least be an entertaining spectacle. He hadn't expected Vegeta to wipe them all out with a mere wave of his hand.
"Oh my, oh my~! You really have surprised me. So this is the strength you have now? No wonder you dared stand before me." Frieza's gaze shifted as he looked at Vegeta.
Vegeta kept his arms folded across his chest and met Frieza's eyes.
"I cleared away some trash for you. Shouldn't you thank me?"
"Ho ho ho~~ Indeed. Those useless fools couldn't even handle one traitor. They deserved to die."
"So, are you going to keep sitting in that baby carriage?"
"Baby carriage?"
"Sitting in that Hover Pod like a baby all the time. What else would you call it?" Vegeta sneered, his face full of contempt.
"Crack!!" Frieza clenched his fist, killing intent filling his eyes.
How could he not understand what Vegeta was implying? He was calling him a baby!
"Fine! Very well! Vegeta, you've truly angered me this time." Frieza's face darkened as he slowly raised one hand.
He aimed at Vegeta, and a purplish-red beam shot from his hand, streaking straight toward him.
Vegeta had no intention of dodging an attack like that.
"Bang!!!" A dull thud rang out.
The energy beam exploded against Vegeta's forehead, but all it did was make him lift his head slightly.
Frieza looked incredulous. His Death Beam had failed to pierce Vegeta's skull.
Completely unharmed, Vegeta gave a derisive chuckle. "So that's all 530,000 battle power gets you?"
"You!" Frieza was at a loss for words. Just as he was about to move, Vegeta suddenly vanished from sight.
Tension surged through Frieza, stirring a trace of unease in someone who had remained unflustered for years.
Only after some time did Frieza hear a sound behind him. He hurriedly turned and backed away.
Vegeta stood behind him with his arms folded. Frieza had no idea how long he'd been there.
Vegeta could have attacked him just then, and Frieza wouldn't have noticed at all.
Frieza was filled with apprehension. He could hardly imagine that Vegeta had reached such a level of strength.
No, no! I must have let my guard down! How could Vegeta possibly have more than 530,000 battle power? He must be bluffing! That's it—he's just a wild monkey! Frieza searched for an explanation in his mind, trying to convince himself.