A single question exploded beside Lin Chen's ear like thunder. The surging aura around him abruptly stalled, and his mind shuddered.
He stood in the middle of a battlefield strewn with wreckage. His unhealed wounds still ached faintly, and the immense power granted by his Super Saiyan Prototype form continued to flow through his limbs. But the words echoing in his ears now shook everything he had ever believed about his own bloodline.
He had crossed over into the Dragon Ball world, been born on Planet Vegeta as it teetered on the brink of destruction, and drifted from place to place before finally settling on Earth. He had always known he was a Half-Saiyan, with the fundamental qualities of an Earthling in his soul and a strangely mutated bloodline that gave him far greater potential than his kin. But he had never imagined that buried deep within his bloodline were long-sealed secrets tied to the fate of the entire Saiyan race.
Above the clouds, the golden-haired, green-eyed Full Power Super Saiyan silently looked down. His golden hair fluttered gently in the high-altitude currents. His green eyes revealed nothing of his feelings; only his unfathomable gaze remained fixed on Lin Chen, as if it could pierce flesh and bone and see the ancient source of the blood flowing through his veins.
Gilos was also taken aback by the words, and his tense, ready stance unconsciously slackened. As one of Frieza's trusted bodyguards, he knew more about the ancient secrets of the Saiyan Clan than ordinary warriors of the universe. This race was born fierce and bloodthirsty, with a tangled web of bloodline branches. It had once produced supreme warriors capable of shaking the order of the universe, but as time passed, most of its secrets had vanished amid the fires of interstellar war.
On the distant horizon, countless silver points of light from the fleet continued to draw closer. The chill of cold metal pressed down through the atmosphere, layer by layer, and the air over the entire forest grew heavier. The reinforcements were racing here at full speed. It wouldn't be long before Frieza's battleships completely sealed off the land.
Goku, hiding off to one side, blinked in confusion. He couldn't understand the hidden meaning behind their words, but instinctively sensed the atmosphere growing heavier. Bulma, too, put aside her lingering hopes. She gripped her portable detector tightly, her gaze darting between the three forces in the sky, her nerves stretched taut.
"What do you mean by that, senior?" Lin Chen suppressed his surging astonishment, steadied his scattered thoughts, and asked in a low voice.
He didn't dare blindly trust the other's words. The Full Power Super Saiyan before him had appeared from nowhere, and his allegiance was still unclear. Earlier, he had merely watched the fighting with cold indifference and offered no help. Now he had suddenly brought up secrets of Lin Chen's bloodline, and his motives were impossible to discern. Was he offering a kind warning, deliberately testing Lin Chen, or hiding some other scheme? There was no way to tell.
The Full Power Super Saiyan slowly descended, most of his golden aura drawing in as he stopped in midair several dozen meters above the ground, facing Lin Chen from a distance. His immense but controlled presence spread outward. He showed neither hostility nor warmth, his manner detached yet appraising.
"Countless Saiyans were born on Planet Vegeta. Pure-blooded warriors were born to love battle and fight. They lived to wage war and kill, and their bloodline had long since settled into a fixed course."
His cool voice drifted down slowly, each word clear to everyone present.
"But you're different. Your soul inhabits a body of another kind, and your bloodline kept mutating as you fled through one crisis after another, breaking free of the limits inherent to your race. Ordinary Saiyans know only to train desperately and die on the battlefield. They don't know that the source of their bloodline was never meant to make them tools for slaughter across the universe."
These words overturned the beliefs passed down through generations of Saiyans. Gilos's expression immediately darkened. Frieza had controlled the Saiyan race for years, exploiting their love of battle to drive them across the universe to conquer and plunder, thereby consolidating his position as its overlord. If the Saiyans learned the truth about their bloodline, it would inevitably unsettle the race and threaten the emperor's rule.
Lin Chen furrowed his brow slightly, rapidly recalling the many strange experiences he'd had along the way. Near-death injuries healed quickly. He was especially prone to breaking through in desperate situations, and could even unlock the Super Saiyan seal that ordinary people could barely touch. At first, he had attributed these traits that set him apart from his kin to mutations caused by the transformation of his soul. Now, it seemed the truth was far more complicated than he'd imagined.
"In the ancient past, the Saiyan Clan produced more than one peak warrior, each unrivaled across the sea of stars." The golden-haired Saiyan spoke calmly of a long-sealed history. "The race flourished then, with a vast territory. It would never have submitted to another's rule, much less become a weapon of war for others to wield."
"But their strength drew envy. Brutal wars broke out among the clans, and then powerful enemies from beyond joined forces to hunt them down. Their glory fell. The surviving bloodlines continued to branch off and weaken, passed down from one generation to the next until their former glory vanished completely. Only the instinct to fight remained, imprinted deep in their blood."
Lin Chen listened in silence, his thoughts roiling.
He had witnessed the destruction of Planet Vegeta, watched his fellow Saiyan warriors resist to the bitter end only to meet their doom, and seen Frieza lord it over them, arbitrarily deciding whether they lived or died. If the race truly had such a glorious past, its current decline was a lamentable sight.
"The mutated Half-Saiyan blood within you happens to match the fundamental traits of your ancient ancestors." The Full Power Super Saiyan's eyes blazed as he looked at Lin Chen. "That's the real reason you've repeatedly broken through your limits in desperate situations and so easily touched the threshold of Super Saiyan. Your potential goes far beyond your current power level of 5,200."
His words struck at the heart of Lin Chen's greatest secret, but Lin Chen's vigilance did not ease in the slightest. The other man could see through the foundations of his battle power and the nature of his bloodline at a glance. His strength and insight far surpassed Lin Chen's. A warrior like him would never reveal such secrets without wanting something in return.
"May I ask why you've appeared here, senior, and why you've gone out of your way to tell me about these old secrets?" Lin Chen stopped beating around the bush and asked directly.
The situation was fraught with danger. The enemy fleet in the distance was closing in, and Gilos and the surviving warriors stood nearby, watching like predators. There was no time to waste discussing the past. Rather than guess blindly, Lin Chen would get to the bottom of the other man's intentions.
Gilos could no longer hold back. He stepped forward, Nether power stirring faintly around him, and spoke in a low voice. "Whatever secrets the Saiyan Clan may possess, our mission must be completed today. This man has killed several of our soldiers and offended Emperor Frieza's authority. We cannot simply let him leave."
He knew that if he let them continue talking, there was no telling whether the powerful Full Power Super Saiyan would throw his support behind Lin Chen completely. If that happened, even with reinforcements arriving, capturing their target would become far more difficult. Better to cut the conversation short and steer the situation back onto its original course.
The two surviving Frieza Force elite warriors immediately moved closer. Their armor clinked softly as they fixed Lin Chen with vicious stares, ready to attack as soon as their captain gave the order. The tension in the forest tightened again, and the flames of battle seemed ready to flare up at any moment.
The golden-haired Full Power Super Saiyan glanced at Gilos. That single look was enough to weaken Gilos's aura despite himself, and even the Nether Killing Art he had been building up briefly faltered.
"Frieza rules over one corner of the universe and thinks he can control the lives of every other race. That's sheer arrogance."
His voice carried undisguised disdain. Then his gaze returned to Lin Chen, and his tone grew more serious. "I came to this remote planet for two reasons. First, I sensed the awakening of an ancient Saiyan bloodline here and came to confirm it. Second, I knew that Frieza's army was moving in force to exterminate you, and this planet was about to face total destruction."
Lin Chen's heart stirred. "Are you planning to protect Earth, senior?"
"I wouldn't call it protection." The other man shook his head gently, his short golden hair shifting in the air currents. "A race must ultimately fight for its own fate. Others can offer guidance, but they can't escort you all the way. I won't sweep away every enemy for you, but I can hold Frieza's forces at bay for now and buy you time to grow stronger and change."
The answer surprised Lin Chen. The man wasn't hostile, but neither was he offering to handle everything. Instead, he had chosen to hold the enemy at bay while handing the responsibility for resistance and breakthrough back to Lin Chen.
At these words, Bulma's anxious heart eased a little. As long as this top-tier warrior didn't side with the enemy, Earth would have a powerful safeguard and wouldn't be slaughtered in an instant. Little Goku's eyes lit up, too. Instinctively, he felt that this powerful Saiyan senior was as trustworthy as Lin Chen.
Gilos's expression darkened further. The other man had made it clear that he intended to shelter Lin Chen, and killing him today would be incredibly difficult. But the reinforcements would arrive any moment now. Their numbers would surge, giving them the strength to fight even a Full Power Super Saiyan head-on.
"If you insist on standing in our way, then we'll settle this on the battlefield," Gilos said through gritted teeth. Black mist thickened around him, and his killing intent was now fully exposed.
Just as the standoff between them grew taut once more, the silver fleet at the edge of the horizon came clearly into view. Huge, sharply contoured battleships formed a neat assault formation, crowding together to blot out a patch of sky. Their cold gun barrels all aimed at the forest below, and their menacing pressure blanketed the land.
The fleet was far larger than the earlier squad. At a rough glance, it numbered dozens of ships, carrying countless warriors. Frieza had clearly made up his mind: he was willing to commit a massive force to wipe out every Saiyan remnant hiding on Earth.
"The reinforcements are here!" A hint of confidence flashed in Gilos's eyes as his tense body gradually relaxed.
With the main force in place, the situation shifted in an instant. Even with a Full Power Super Saiyan on the opposing side, it would be difficult for him to protect the entire area while facing a fleet of this size.
Lin Chen looked up at the battleships blotting out the sky, and the weight on his heart suddenly grew heavier. His wounds had yet to heal completely, his Super Saiyan Prototype form had limited stamina, and he still had to protect Goku and Bulma. Now that the enemy's main force had arrived, the situation had become perilous.
He silently activated the remnants of his Near-Death Repair talent, speeding the healing of his surface wounds. At the same time, he focused on sorting through the channels of his power, slowly steadying his turbulent bloodline aura. Whether he had to fight alongside the others or face the enemy alone, he would have to meet the crisis in peak condition.
The golden-haired Full Power Super Saiyan looked up at the fleet spreading across the sky, his green eyes calm and entirely untroubled. His immense golden aura slowly rose, and tiny bolts of lightning crackled around him. His powerful presence held firm against the pressure bearing down from the fleet, giving no ground at all.
"With such a large force on the way, it seems Frieza is determined to flatten this place."
He murmured to himself, then turned to Lin Chen. His words carried a deeper meaning. "Heir to the mutated bloodline, today's battle is both a trial and an opportunity for you. The fire of war will awaken more of your hidden bloodline power. But once it awakens, you'll face more than just the pursuing force before you."
Lin Chen's heart sank, and he keenly caught the implication in those words.
The enemy before him was only the surface-level crisis. After his bloodline awakened, it seemed to bring even more distant and terrifying troubles.
Before he could consider what the man meant, the doors of the lead battleship's main cabin boomed open. A cold voice, full of violent authority, rang out across the land through massive loudspeakers.
"You two Saiyan remnants dare defy the Empire time and again. Today, all of Earth will become your grave!"
As the roar faded, the energy cannons on dozens of battleships flared with blinding light, their countless barrels trained on the ground.
At that moment, Lin Chen suddenly sensed an ancient consciousness, dormant for ten thousand years deep within his bloodline, slowly awakening under the pressure of the cannon fire. A vast power, both unfamiliar and familiar, was about to break through the shackles of his bloodline. Yet bound to that power, it seemed, was an ancient feud of fate capable of turning everything upside down...
Before you continue