The roar tore through the clouds. The light from dozens of colossal warships charging their weapons illuminated the entire sky. Layer upon layer of blinding white light pressed down, bathing the heavens above the forest in a cold, silver glow.
The Frieza Force reinforcements' commander was still roaring, his cold, domineering killing intent spreading through the atmosphere. It felt as though every inch of land was gripped tight by that overwhelming power. The stones beneath their feet trembled, branches and leaves thrashed wildly, and with the arrival of the full army, the battle's precarious balance had been pushed into an inescapable encirclement.
Gilos hovered in midair, gazing at the vast fleet arrayed behind him. At last, his tense expression eased. The frustration of being suppressed by a Full Power Super Saiyan vanished, and his 9,500 battle power spread unchecked once more. A fierce killing intent gleamed in his eyes.
Facing a top-tier fighter alone had made him wary. But now his entire legion had assembled, bringing overwhelming numbers and firepower. No matter how powerful his opponent was, he couldn't protect everyone in the forest below.
"Form ranks! Seal off the airspace above the entire mountain range. Don't let a single person escape!"
Gilos issued the order in a low voice. His icy command raced through the fleet's communications network. One warship after another swiftly changed formation, becoming a colossal metal cage as they slowly closed in from every direction, cutting off every route of retreat for Lin Chen and the others.
At the edge of the dense forest, Bulma gripped her scouter tightly. Enemy battle-power readings kept refreshing across the screen, and red dots filled the entire airspace. A chill ran through her. Not even Earth's native forces could withstand such a massive military force, and even a mid-level civilization in the universe would struggle to fend off an assault this fierce.
Little Goku stood beside Lin Chen, his round face grave. His earlier curiosity had long since faded. The relentless appearance of powerful enemies, the warships blotting out the sky, and the malice that filled the air all made the boy instinctively sense the threat of death. Without thinking, he edged closer to Lin Chen.
Lin Chen slowly exhaled the stale air in his lungs. The blood seeping from his body gradually stopped as his Near-Death Repair talent continued working, steadily mending and stabilizing his damaged flesh. The white aura of his Super Saiyan Prototype form rose and fell steadily, maintaining an explosive battle power of 5,200. Yet against the countless enemies overhead, that strength still seemed meager and insignificant.
He instinctively focused inward, toward the depths of his bloodline. The ancient consciousness that had stirred moments earlier had not faded. Like a beast that had slept for countless ages, disturbed by the flames of war, it slowly stirred and surged through his veins. A vast, weighty power—far removed from the style of modern Saiyans—continued to rise within him, intertwining and clashing with his own now-raging, concentrated energy, stirring an inexplicable tremor in his heart.
The blond Full Power Super Saiyan still stood motionless among the clouds, his golden aura utterly steady. Despite the fleet's encirclement below, he made no move to strike first. His emerald eyes swept indifferently over the enemy formations in every direction. He seemed to be watching at ease, but every wisp of energy around him concealed a keen edge. The moment the fighting truly began, he could move in an instant to hold off the strongest foes.
"Senior, Frieza's army is determined to wipe us out. If this stalemate continues and they unleash their firepower, the whole forest will be reduced to scorched earth." Lin Chen looked up at the sky and spoke in a steady voice.
The other man had promised to hold the legion at bay for a while, but the enemy had now completed its encirclement. There was no room left to stall; a full-scale battle could erupt at any moment.
The blond Saiyan gave a slight nod, his golden hair stirring in the gale. "I'll hold off the fleet's command and its main fighting force. You'll have to deal with the remaining troops and attacks yourself. The chance to awaken your bloodline lies in the flames of battle. Whether you can seize this opportunity and break through your limits depends entirely on your own fortune."
As he spoke, an immense golden wave of energy suddenly surged into the sky. There was no deafening explosion, yet its pressure swept forward like an army crushing all before it, bearing down directly on the fleet's flagship. The force of his aura alone sent several nearby small warships lurching violently, their energy systems faltering and jamming in an instant.
Inside the flagship, the commander's expression darkened as he felt the crushing pressure closing in. He immediately barked, "Stabilize the ship! He's just one Super Saiyan! Concentrate the fleet's firepower and destroy him!"
Frieza's soldiers had spent years fighting across the stars and had faced countless powerful enemies. Even if they feared the Super Saiyan's reputation, they would still fight to the death with their army gathered around them.
Seeing this, Gilos no longer hesitated. He swept his hand sharply through the air and shouted, "The other two warriors, come with me and intercept the target! Kill that Half-Saiyan from Earth first, then we'll join forces against the outsider!"
Before the words had even left his mouth, three figures shot forward. Black Nether energy coiled around them, carrying a bone-chilling killing intent as they rushed at Lin Chen from three different directions.
Two elite warriors with 5,000 battle power each flanked him, their fists and kicks wrapped in fierce energy as they blocked Lin Chen's room to dodge sideways. Gilos advanced down the middle, unleashing his peak battle power of 9,500 without reserve. He readied the Nether Killing Art in secret, moving soundlessly and poised to strike with a deadly blow at any moment.
Their three coordinated attacks worked in perfect tandem, sealing off every one of Lin Chen's escape routes in an instant.
"Goku, use the techniques we practiced and keep moving to tie them down. Don't try to trade blows." Lin Chen quietly reminded the boy beside him.
"Got it!" Goku answered at once. His energy surged, and he sprang lightly into the air, turning into a blur as he charged the enemy warrior on the flank. The boy didn't try to land a decisive blow. Relying on his incredible speed and tough body, he kept circling and harrying his opponent, holding him fast and preventing him from joining the others.
Lin Chen stomped, shattering the ground beneath his feet. Cracks spread through the soil in every direction. His white aura burst upward, golden sparks crackling across its surface. He neither dodged nor retreated, meeting Gilos head-on as he charged. Gathering all his concentrated energy into his fists, he clashed head-on with the cold, murderous punch.
Boom!
The clash of their power rang in his ears. A visible shockwave erupted from the point where they met, snapping nearby tree trunks and sending them flying as dust and stones swept through the air.
Lin Chen staggered backward several steps. His arms throbbed with numb pain, and the tremendous force shook his bones and meridians, injuring them again. The gap between his 5,200 battle power and Gilos's 9,500 was laid bare. After just one head-on clash, he had fallen behind.
Gilos came to a steady halt, a cold glint flashing in his vertical pupils as a frosty smile curled his lips. "A half-finished Super Saiyan Prototype dares to face me head-on? That outsider protected you before, so you were lucky enough to live a little longer. You have no chance of turning this around today."
As he spoke, his body blurred and disappeared once more. He drove the Nether Killing Art to its limits, flickering and darting through the billowing dust as black energy attacks came at Lin Chen like ghosts from every direction, each aimed at a vital spot.
Lin Chen gritted his teeth, concentrating completely as the instincts forged through countless life-and-death battles surged into action. He dodged and weaved, rapidly blocking with his fists and legs, keeping each icy killing strike at bay.
The nonstop clashes made his blood and energy churn. The injuries that had just begun to heal worsened again, and his breathing grew increasingly ragged. The energy of his Super Saiyan Prototype form drained faster and faster, and his white aura visibly dimmed.
On the other side, Goku continued to fight tenaciously. The boy was far weaker than his opponent, but his body was astonishingly resilient. He withstood one blast of energy after another, and his movements grew ever more nimble and unpredictable. He always managed to evade a lethal strike at the last moment, keeping the enemy warrior tangled up and unable to break away and aid his captain.
High above the forest, the clash between the Full Power Super Saiyan and the fleet's main force began in earnest. The golden figure darted freely among the densely packed warships. A casual sweep of his energy could overturn a warship's defensive shield. His overwhelming strength shook the entire battlefield, pinning down the fleet's strongest fighters and preventing them from unleashing their full barrage.
The entire region had become a battlefield. Three fronts raged at once, thunderous booms rang without pause, and bursts of energy flared one after another. The once-quiet wilderness had been swallowed by the flames of war.
Lin Chen was struggling more and more. Gilos's attacks grew fiercer and more cunning, and the Nether energy carried an uncanny power that corroded the body. Whenever it grazed him, it seeped through his wounds and disrupted the flow of his blood and energy.
After narrowly evading another deadly slash, Lin Chen was struck in the back by the blast's shockwave. He slammed hard into a thick tree trunk, which broke and crashed to the ground. A metallic taste of blood rose in his throat, but he gritted his teeth and forced it back down.
The disadvantage was becoming more and more apparent. At this rate, he would soon run out of strength and lose.
At this critical moment, the dormant ancient power deep within his bloodline stirred violently once more.
The ancient consciousness awakened by the flames of battle surged fully to life. Its vast, weighty power raced through his blood and meridians, and under its nourishment, his damaged, disordered meridians slowly began to recover. The battle instincts of his ancient Saiyan ancestors swept through his mind, utterly changing how he saw his opponent's techniques.
Under the perception of that ancient bloodline, every one of Gilos's ghostly, erratic movements became clear.
Is this... the battle talent of an ancient bloodline? Lin Chen thought, stunned and elated.
On the brink of defeat, he had instead managed to stir the source of power hidden in the deepest reaches of his bloodline. The shackles that had held his battle power in place began to loosen once more. Every cell in his body yearned for greater strength, eager to break through the gulf in power before him.
"You're still resisting? Die!"
Sensing the change in Lin Chen's aura, Gilos decided not to drag out the fight any longer. The black mist around him gathered into his palm, condensing into a more powerful and concentrated Nether Soul-Severing Blade than before. He prepared to unleash his ultimate killing technique and end the battle in a single stroke.
The icy blade-light tore through the air with a terrifying force that could extinguish life, slashing toward Lin Chen's head.
There was no way to dodge. Blocking it would be difficult.
Lin Chen's eyes narrowed. He stopped limiting himself to passive defense and released every restraint on his power, letting his ancient bloodline energy merge and clash completely with his Super Saiyan aura. He forced his body, already at its limit, to draw out every last bit of its potential.
The battle-power reading inside him surged wildly: 5,600, 5,800, 6,000!
His energy climbed steadily. His white aura burst forth with renewed intensity, and a faint golden glow emerged from deep within it. His Super Saiyan Prototype form began to transform toward a more complete state.
Just as Lin Chen prepared to withstand the killing blow with his newly awakened strength, another powerful aura—utterly unlike the others—suddenly broke through the darkness of deep space, speeding toward Earth.
This aura belonged neither to the Frieza Force nor to the blond Full Power Super Saiyan. It was savage and proud, with an untamed wildness and an equally pure, rich Saiyan bloodline.
The blond Saiyan, fighting high above, sensed the unfamiliar aura at once. His emerald eyes snapped toward its source, and his expression shifted subtly.
Gilos's killing blow faltered for an instant. Instinct told him another threat had arrived, and unease stirred within him.
Lin Chen sensed the sudden, unfamiliar pressure as well, and the aura he had just raised faltered slightly.
The three-way battle had yet to reach a victor, and now another unknown powerhouse was rushing toward the battlefield from beyond the stars.
At that moment, fragments of ancient memories kept surfacing in Lin Chen's surging, intermingled bloodline. Amid the broken images, he saw glimpses of a brutal civil war among the ancient Saiyan clans, their ancestors' deaths, and the secret behind the bloodline's division.
He suddenly realized that the old feuds tied to his bloodline awakening were far more complicated and weighty than he had imagined. The mysterious powerhouse racing toward them seemed to have a strange, tangled connection to this ancient secret of his people, buried for countless ages.
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