Ancient Veins Awaken, War Envelops

The roar of thunder tore through the clouds as dozens of massive warships charged their weapons in unison, illuminating the entire firmament. Blinding white light cascaded down in overlapping layers, staining the sky above the mountain range with a grim, silvery sheen.

The roar of the Frieza force's lead commander still echoed across the heavens, his cold, overbearing killing intent spreading through the atmosphere. Every inch of the land felt as if it were being gripped tightly by this brutal power. The gravel beneath their feet trembled, the leaves and branches of the forest shook violently, and the battlefield situation—which had barely been held in check—was pushed into an inescapable encirclement as the main army fully arrived.

Gilos hovered in mid-air, gazing at the vast, majestic fleet formation behind him, his tense expression finally relaxing. The frustration of being suppressed by the Full Power Super Saiyan earlier was swept away; his 9,500-level battle power spread out once more without restraint, and a chilling murderous intent flickered in his eyes.

He had felt wary when facing a top-tier powerhouse alone, but now that his legion was fully assembled, their combined force and firepower formed an absolute crushing weight. No matter how formidable the opponent was, there was no way he could protect everyone in the mountain forest below.

"All forces, take formation! Seal the airspace over the entire mountain range. No one is allowed to escape!"

Gilos issued the order in a deep voice, his cold command spreading rapidly through the fleet's communication system. Ship after ship shifted formation, acting like a giant metal cage, slowly tightening the perimeter from all directions and completely cutting off all escape routes for Lin Chen and his group.

At the edge of the dense forest, Bulma gripped her detector tightly. The screen continuously refreshed with dense data on the enemy's battle power; a sea of red dots covered the entire airspace, making her heart turn cold. With such massive armed forces, let alone Earth's local defenses, even a mid-tier civilization in the universe would struggle to withstand such a ferocious offensive.

Little Goku stood by Lin Chen's side, his round face filled with gravity, his once naive curiosity long since faded. The constant appearance of powerful enemies, the sky-blocking warships, and the pervasive malice in the air made the boy instinctively feel the threat of death, causing him to lean closer to Lin Chen.

Lin Chen slowly exhaled the foul air from his lungs. The blood seeping from his skin gradually stopped as his Near-Death Repair talent continued to activate, mending and stabilizing his damaged body bit by bit. The white aura of his Super Saiyan Prototype form rose and fell steadily, maintaining a burst battle power of 5,200. Yet, facing the sky full of enemy forces, this strength still appeared thin and insignificant.

He instinctively focused his mind inward, deep into his bloodline. The ancient consciousness that had faintly awakened moments ago had not dissipated; like a giant beast that had slumbered for eons, it was disturbed by the external war, slowly writhing and churning between his veins and meridians. A vast, heavy power, far exceeding the style of modern Saiyans, continued to rise, intertwining and colliding with his own wild, condensed aura, bringing about an inexplicable tremor in his heart and mind.

The golden-haired Full Power Super Saiyan remained standing amidst the clouds, his golden aura unmoved. Despite the fleet's layers of encirclement below, he showed no intention of striking first. His emerald eyes swept over the enemy formations with indifference. He appeared to be watching idly, but in reality, every wisp of his aura concealed a sharp edge; the moment the war truly ignited, he would be able to strike instantly to pin down the strong enemies.

"Senior, Frieza's army is determined to wipe us out. If we remain in this stalemate, the moment their artillery pours down, this entire forest will be reduced to scorched earth." Lin Chen looked up at the high altitude, his tone steady.

The man had promised to hold off the legion temporarily, but now that the enemy had completed their encirclement, there was no room for a buffer, and a full-scale battle could erupt at any moment.

The golden-haired Saiyan nodded slightly, his golden hair swaying in the gale. "I will hold back the fleet's high command and their main powerhouses. You must handle the remaining cannon fodder and their offensive yourself. The opportunity for your bloodline to awaken lies within the flames of war. Whether you can seize this chance to break your shackles depends entirely on your own fortune."

As he spoke, a boundless golden wave of energy surged into the sky. There was no violent explosion, yet it carried the crushing pressure of an army-sweeping force, bearing down directly toward the fleet's flagship. A single pulse of his aura caused several nearby small warships to jolt violently, their internal energy systems stuttering and glitching instantly.

Inside the flagship, the commanding officer's face darkened. Feeling the overwhelming pressure rushing toward them, he barked a sharp order: "Stabilize the ships! It is just one Super Saiyan; gather all collective firepower and annihilate him!"

The soldiers under Frieza had fought across the star seas for years and had seen countless powerful enemies. Even if they feared the reputation of a Super Saiyan, with the full army gathered, they remained fearless of death.

Seeing this, Gilos did not hesitate. He flicked his wrist and shouted, "The remaining two warriors, follow me to intercept the target! Kill this Earth-born half-breed Saiyan first, then we shall join forces to deal with the outsider!"

Before the words faded, three figures broke through the air at high speed. Wrapped in pitch-black Nether energy and carrying a bone-chilling, cold killing intent, they lunged at Lin Chen from three different angles.

Two elite warriors with 5,000 battle power flanked him from the left and right, their fists and kicks imbued with sharp energy, sealing off Lin Chen's lateral escape. Gilos positioned himself in the center, unleashing his peak 9,500 battle power without reservation. He secretly charged his Nether Killing Art, moving silently and preparing to launch a lethal, instantaneous strike at any moment.

The three-pronged offensive complemented each other perfectly, instantly sealing off all of Lin Chen's retreat paths.

"Goku, use the techniques we practiced to maneuver and distract them. Do not fight head-on," Lin Chen whispered to the boy beside him.

"Understood!" Goku replied instantly. His energy surged, and with a light leap, he transformed into a blur, taking the initiative to meet one of the enemy warriors on the flank. The boy did not greedily seek an attack, relying only on his extreme speed and tough physique to pull and circle the opponent, pinning him down so he could not easily assist his captain.

Lin Chen stomped the ground, shattering it as cracks spread through the soil. His white aura erupted, and golden sparks crackled on its surface. He did not dodge or retreat; facing Gilos, who charged head-on, he gathered all his condensed energy into his fists and collided violently with the cold, murderous punch.

BOOM!

The sound of the violent collision made their eardrums ring. A visible shockwave of energy exploded from the point of impact, instantly snapping and scattering the surrounding trees, while dust and gravel swept through the air.

Lin Chen stumbled back several steps, his arm numb with intense pain, his bones and meridians suffering further damage from the overwhelming impact. The gap between 5,200 and 9,500 battle power was laid bare; a single head-on collision was enough to put him at a disadvantage.

Gilos stopped steadily in place, cold light flashing in his slit pupils as he curled his lips into a chilling arc. "A half-baked Super Saiyan Prototype, and you dare to clash with me head-on? The outsider's protection allowed you to live a few moments longer, but today, there will be no chance for a comeback."

As he spoke, his figure blurred and vanished. Pushing his Nether Killing Art to the limit, he wove through the swirling dust, his black energy attacks striking like a ghost from all directions, each move aimed at a vital point.

Lin Chen gritted his teeth, his mind highly focused, his instincts honed by countless life-and-death battles operating at full capacity. He dodged and weaved, his fists and legs parrying and blocking, keeping the cold, lethal strikes at bay.

The continuous impacts caused his blood to churn, and his injuries, which had only just begun to heal, worsened. His breathing grew rapid and heavy. The energy consumption of his Super Saiyan Prototype form accelerated, and the white aura around him dimmed visibly.

On the other side of the battlefield, Goku continued to fight tenaciously. Though the boy's strength was far inferior to his opponent's, his physical resilience was beyond imagination. He withstood energy impacts time and again, his footwork becoming increasingly agile and tricky. He always managed to avoid fatal attacks at the critical moment, instead tying the enemy warrior down and making it difficult for him to break away to support his captain.

Above the forest, the clash between the Full Power Super Saiyan and the fleet's main force had officially begun. The golden figure wove freely between the dense warships; a casual wave of his energy could flip a ship's defensive shield. His formidable strength intimidated the entire field, pinning down the fleet's high-ranking powerhouses and preventing the massive artillery from firing at will.

The entire world had turned into a battlefield. With three fronts fighting simultaneously, the deafening roars were incessant, and energy beams flashed one after another. The once-quiet wilderness was completely swallowed by the flames of war.

Lin Chen found the struggle increasingly difficult. Gilos's attacks were becoming more vicious and tricky, and the Nether energy, with its eerie property of eroding the body, seeped into his wounds with every grazing collision, disrupting his internal energy flow.

After narrowly avoiding a lethal slash, Lin Chen was struck by the residual energy, his body slamming into a thick tree trunk, which snapped and collapsed. A metallic taste of blood surged into his throat, which he forced himself to swallow.

The disadvantage was becoming more apparent; at this rate of consumption, he would be exhausted and defeated before long.

At this critical juncture, the ancient power deep within his bloodline stirred violently once more.

The ancient consciousness, stimulated by the war, became fully active. Vast, thick power flowed madly through his veins and meridians, and his previously disordered and damaged meridians began to slowly calm and repair themselves under the nourishment of this strange energy. The combat instincts of an ancient Saiyan ancestor swept through his mind, and his perspective on his opponent's moves changed instantly.

Under the perception of this ancient bloodline, the trajectories of all of Gilos's ghostly, flickering movements were laid bare.

This is... the combat talent of the ancient bloodline? Lin Chen was both shocked and delighted.

The desperate situation, bordering on defeat, had finally pried open the source power hidden in the deepest part of his bloodline. The solidified shackles of his battle power showed signs of loosening; every cell in his body craved greater strength, wanting to break through the chasm of power before him.

"Still putting up a desperate struggle? Die!"

Gilos sensed the fluctuation in Lin Chen's aura and, unwilling to drag out the fight, gathered all the black mist around him into his palms. He condensed a Nether Soul-Severing Blade even more refined and powerful than before, preparing to unleash his ultimate killing move to end the battle in one blow.

The cold, bone-chilling blade light tore through the air, carrying the terrifying momentum of annihilation, and slashed fiercely toward Lin Chen's head.

There was nowhere to hide, and it was too difficult to block.

Lin Chen's eyes narrowed sharply; he no longer relied on passive defense. He released all restraints on his power, allowing the ancient bloodline energy to fully merge and collide with his Super Saiyan aura, squeezing every ounce of potential from his body as it neared its limit.

His battle power reading jumped madly: 5,600, 5,800, 6,000!

His aura climbed step by step, his white aura erupting with renewed intensity. Faint golden light shimmered deep within the aura, and his Super Saiyan Prototype form evolved steadily toward a more perfect level.

Just as Lin Chen prepared to pour all his newfound strength into resisting the lethal blow, another distinct and formidable aura suddenly broke through the darkness from the deep reaches of space, rapidly approaching Earth.

This aura belonged neither to the Frieza Force nor to that golden-haired Perfected Saiyan; it was violent, arrogant, and carried an untamed wildness, with a bloodline fluctuation that was equally pure and potent.

The golden-haired Saiyan locked in the high-altitude battle sensed the unfamiliar aura immediately, his emerald eyes snapping toward its source as his expression shifted subtly.

Gilos's movement as he unleashed his finishing blow faltered instinctively; he felt the arrival of yet another threat, and an inexplicable sense of unease took root in his heart.

Lin Chen also caught this sudden, unfamiliar pressure, and his own surging aura stalled for a brief moment.

Before the three-way battle could reach a conclusion, another unknown powerhouse from beyond the heavens was aggressively descending upon the battlefield.

At this moment, within Lin Chen's churning, fused bloodline, fragments of ancient memories surged forth like a tide. In the fractured images, scenes of the ancient Saiyan race's brutal civil war, the fall of their ancestors, and the secrets of their bloodline's schism emerged.

He realized with a jolt that the past grievances tied to his bloodline awakening were far heavier and more complex than he had imagined, and this stranger who had suddenly arrived seemed to share an eerie, inextricable connection to this long-buried secret of his race.