Frieza

Frieza floated above the wasteland, purple flames flowing around him like liquid. The bones of his Third Form crackled sharply inside his body. His gaze passed over Talos and settled on Goku and Vegeta, who had just returned from Planet Yardrat. The numbers on his scouter lens flickered madly, but he did not look again—he no longer cared about the readings.

"Interesting. Three Saiyans, one Namekian, one of the Three-Eyed People, one Earthling, and one mid-class Saiyan warrior. And this ragtag bunch thinks it can challenge me?" His voice remained elegant and composed, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. There were far more Saiyans on this planet than he had expected, and he hated Saiyans. He hated even more the refusal to submit in their eyes.

Talos stood in the middle of the wasteland, his orange battle robe snapping in the waves of qi. He turned his head toward Goku and Vegeta. "Can what you learned on Planet Yardrat be used in actual combat?"

"No problem." Goku knocked his fists together before his chest, his trademark grin on his face.

"One step ahead of you." Vegeta rolled his wrists, his cold smile carrying barely restrained excitement.

"Nappa, fall back and hold the line. Krillin—Qi Resonance." Talos's orders were brief and clear.

"Coming!" Krillin formed a hand seal, and dozens of golden qi threads shot from his fingertips at once, precisely linking to everyone's wrists. Their qi began flowing through the threads, shared and layered together. Goku's strength flowed into Vegeta's meridians, while Tien Shinhan's precision merged with Piccolo's arms. As the central hub of the Qi Net, Talos gathered, amplified, and redistributed all their qi, turning the entire team into a single entity with countless pairs of eyes and arms.

As Frieza watched the golden qi threads linking them all, his elegant smile cracked for the first time.

Goku made the first move. Instant Transmission left a ring of pale blue ripples in the air as his figure vanished from where he stood and appeared directly behind Frieza. He unleashed a point-blank Kamehameha. Frieza twisted aside, his purple aura hardening into a shield. The Kamehameha exploded against it—but the aftershock still traveled through the shield and struck his back. Goku's base power level was over 30,000, and a onefold Kaioken directly pushed that attack to the 60,000 range.

Before Frieza could counterattack, Piccolo's arm had already stretched from the flank and wrapped around his left leg. At the same time, Tien Shinhan's third eye snapped open, and a pale golden beam grazed past Piccolo's arm and struck Frieza's left wrist with perfect accuracy—the hand he had just raised to fire an energy blast. Third Eye Link, the tactical coordination the two had refined again and again at The Lookout, disrupted Frieza's attack rhythm the very first time it was used in battle.

Frieza grunted as his purple aura exploded outward and blasted Piccolo's arm away. But his pause lasted less than a second—and that was enough. Vegeta seized the opening and charged in from the front, his right fist slamming into Frieza's crossed forearms with all his strength, forcing Frieza back several steps. Almost simultaneously, Goku used Instant Transmission again, appearing along Frieza's retreat path before the aftershock of Vegeta's blow had even faded. A second Kamehameha sealed off his escape.

Frieza's back crashed into the Kamehameha's shockwave, drawing another muffled groan from him. Then Talos's finishing blow arrived—triple Kaioken stacked with the Out-of-Control State, pushing his power close to 90,000. His right fist, carrying all its momentum, smashed straight into Frieza's chest. That punch contained everyone's strength from the Qi Resonance network—Goku's speed perception, Vegeta's breakthrough power, Tien Shinhan's precision, Piccolo's flexible control, Krillin's qi distribution—all gathered at Talos's knuckles. Frieza shot backward like a cannonball, smashing through an entire rocky mountain behind him as rubble and lava burst into dark red fireworks in midair.

Nappa stood behind the formation, gathering all his qi into his right fist, ready to reinforce the line at any moment. He had not joined the combo—but his presence itself was an insurance measure on Talos's tactical board. If Frieza broke through the front and tried to circle around them, he would unleash a full-force strike without hesitation to hold the line.

The wasteland fell silent for a moment. Only the sound of stones rolling down and lava cooling with a hiss remained.

"Is it... over?" Krillin panted, sweat covering his forehead. Maintaining the Qi Resonance network had cost him far more than any training session before.

"No." Talos's senses remained locked onto the depths of the mountain ruins. That qi had not weakened—it was growing stronger.

Sharp cracks of dislocating joints came from deep within the ruins, one after another, increasing in frequency. Frieza rose from the rubble, his Third Form shell peeling away to reveal the sleeker Final Form beneath. His purple-and-white skin was smooth as a mirror, crimson eyes burning with no longer concealed killing intent, and his aura surged exponentially.

"I admit, the coordination of you rabble has surprised me. So I've decided not to hold back any longer." His voice was still elegant, but an icy madness seeped through that elegance. He raised his right hand, and a purple energy sphere formed at the tip of his index finger. It was no larger than a fingernail, yet its energy density was so high that the air around it began to ionize. Death Beam—Frieza's signature killing move, incredibly fast and immensely penetrating. He flicked his finger, and the purple beam shot out.

Its target was Krillin.

He intended to sever the network first.

The Qi Resonance network emitted a piercing warning. Every strand of qi linked within the network sensed the Death Beam streaking toward Krillin. Krillin had no time to dodge—his hands were still locked in the seal maintaining the Qi Net. Talos and Goku moved almost at the same time, but they were too far away. Vegeta charged out from the flank, crossing his right arm in front of Krillin to block the shot—but just before striking his arm, the Death Beam suddenly curved. Frieza's finger twitched, and the beam drew an unbelievable arc through the air, bypassed Vegeta's guard, and pierced Krillin's left shoulder from the side.

The Qi Resonance network shuddered violently. Krillin groaned as blood burst from his left shoulder, but his hands did not loosen their seal. The Qi Net stabilized again amid the tremors, every golden qi thread stained with a faint layer of red—Krillin's qi, mixed with blood, was still stubbornly maintaining the connection.

"Krillin!" Goku shouted.

"Forget about me! The network's still up!" Krillin gritted his teeth as blood dripped from his left arm onto the wasteland.

"Touching." Frieza tilted his head. "Your Qi Net is indeed annoying—so I'll cut it down first. Who's next?"

Blue flames erupted around Goku as he activated triple Kaioken. His power rose from 30,000 to over 90,000. Instant Transmission activated again, placing him directly above Frieza's head as he charged a Kamehameha to its limit. Frieza raised his hand, and the purple beam collided with the blue pillar of light in midair. The impact of the two energies exploded into a shockwave that shaved the surrounding hills flat. Under triple Kaioken, Goku's strength had neared the power range of Frieza's Fourth Form, but it still was not enough. Frieza's aura continued climbing—his Final Form power was being fully released, soaring from one million, to two million, and higher still.

The Kamehameha was suppressed. Frieza's beam pushed it steadily downward, closing in on Goku.

"Vegeta—now!" Talos charged into the center of the battlefield as the power of everyone in the Qi Resonance network converged upon him. Goku's speed perception, Tien Shinhan's precision, Piccolo's flexible control, Nappa's frontal destructive force, and Vegeta's unique ability brought back from Planet Yardrat—Battle Simulation. In Vegeta's mind, every one of Frieza's attack trajectories had already been predicted and simulated, the counterattack route calculated down to every joint.

Triple Kaioken stacked with the Out-of-Control State pushed his power beyond 90,000. The Qi Resonance network's amplification raised his actual combat power beyond 150,000. The counterattack route calculated by Vegeta guided Talos's final punch precisely into Frieza's chest—into the exact spot where Goku's Kamehameha had previously cracked the armor.

Frieza's Death Beam stopped abruptly. He lowered his head and looked at the dented fist mark in his chest, purple blood spilling from the corner of his mouth—he had been beaten badly enough to vomit blood for the first time in his life. Slowly, he raised his head, crimson eyes fixed on Talos. His expression changed from elegance to savagery, then from savagery to madness.

"You Saiyan monkeys—do you think this is enough to defeat me?!"

Frieza spread his arms, and purple flames surged into the sky like an erupting volcano. The entire wasteland trembled beneath his power. With his power fully unleashed, his complete combat strength exceeded one hundred million. Everyone was crushed by the pressure until they could barely breathe. The Qi Resonance network shook violently, blood flowed ever faster from Krillin's left shoulder, and the golden qi threads began snapping.

At the instant the first qi thread broke, Tien Shinhan and Piccolo rushed in from both sides. Tien Shinhan attacked head-on with an improved Volleyball Fist barrage, every strike precisely locking onto Frieza's weakest joints. Piccolo attacked from the flank, his arm stretching out to coil around Frieza's right arm as it gathered power. Third Eye Beam shot from Tien Shinhan's forehead and struck Frieza's left eye with pinpoint accuracy. Frieza shut his eye on instinct.

"Now!" Tien Shinhan shouted.

Goku used Instant Transmission to appear behind Frieza, unleashing a point-blank Kamehameha. Vegeta burst in from the front, driving a full-force punch toward the fist mark on Frieza's chest—striking the same spot for the second time. Talos descended vertically from above, triple Kaioken stacked with the Out-of-Control State and the combined power of everyone in the Qi Resonance network, his strongest attack.

All three attacks landed at once. The perfect combo smashed Frieza straight down from midair and into the earth. The ground exploded into a massive crater a hundred meters wide, while dust surged skyward and blotted out the sun. Planet Namek's third moon appeared and vanished amid the dust, its pale golden light spilling across the crater's edge.

The dust slowly dispersed. Frieza lay in the center of the crater, his arms crossed over his chest, still holding his blocking stance, but his armor had completely shattered. He slowly rose to his feet, moving more slowly than before—not because his injuries were too severe, but because for the first time, he did not know how to continue fighting. He possessed combat power exceeding one hundred million, yet these Saiyans did not care about the difference in power. They used that golden network to twist all their strength into one rope. Every attack hit his weakest point, and every person was willing to take an injury for another. He did not understand this power, nor could he calculate it.

On the other side, Krillin knelt on one knee, the left side of his battle robe soaked red with blood, but his hands had not released their seal for even an instant. Despite its violent trembling, the Qi Resonance network remained intact, every golden qi thread still flowing. Tien Shinhan and Piccolo returned to their positions from either side. Goku panted, sweat covering his forehead, but he still wore a smile. Vegeta flexed his numb wrist, the corner of his mouth curling up. "Frieza, you called us a rabble just now. Let me tell you what makes us different from the planets you conquered: they were a scattered mess. We are a network."

Talos landed at the front of the group. His orange battle robe was in tatters, but he stood as steady as a rock.

Piccolo stood before Porunga deep within the canyon, reciting the oldest wish incantation in the Namekian language. Porunga soared into the sky, his enormous draconic body blanketing the entire night sky. The seven Dragon Balls lit up together in the canyon like seven suns, turning Planet Namek's third moon golden.

"First wish—revive all Namekians killed by the Frieza Force." Piccolo's voice echoed through the winds of Planet Namek.

Golden light shot from Porunga's eyes. It spread across Planet Namek, and in villages scattered everywhere, dead villagers slowly opened their eyes.

"Second wish—seal away half of Frieza's power."

Porunga's light turned toward Frieza. Frieza looked down as golden light wrapped around his body, forcibly suppressing his aura from its peak to less than half. His eyes widened, and fear appeared on his face for the first time.

"Third wish—send Frieza back to his home planet. He may never leave it again."

Frieza began to vanish within the golden light. He looked down at his gradually fading hands, his expression shifting from fear to disbelief, then from unwillingness to something he had never experienced before—humiliation. The emperor of the universe had been defeated by several Saiyans and an Earthling, judged by the dragon god of the Namekians, and exiled to his home planet, never to leave again. Before disappearing, he cast one final look at Talos.

Talos gave only one reply. "Goodbye, Frieza."

The golden light faded. Frieza's figure vanished completely from Planet Namek. The wasteland fell quiet as Porunga soared into the sky and transformed into seven Dragon Balls that scattered in every direction. Krillin finally released his hand seal and collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath. The blood on his left shoulder had already dried, but his hands were still trembling slightly.

Goku walked over and crouched beside him, glancing at the wound. "Does it hurt?"

"Obviously." Krillin panted, then grinned. "But it was worth it. Did you see the look on his face at the end?"

"I saw it." Goku grinned and reached out to pull Krillin to his feet. "I'll never forget that expression for the rest of my life."

Vegeta stood at the edge of the massive crater, staring in the direction Frieza had vanished for a long time before speaking. "You promised me I'd personally settle Planet Vegeta's debt."

"He's not dead yet." Talos walked to Vegeta's side. "You'll have another chance. Frieza was only sent back to his home planet with half his power sealed. One day, he'll return. And when that time comes, you won't be fighting alone."

Vegeta fell silent for a moment, then the corner of his mouth lifted slightly—not a cold sneer, but the smile of a Saiyan prince who had finally found where he belonged.

Piccolo flew over from the direction of the canyon and landed. "The Grand Elder said Porunga needs one hundred and thirty days to recover. Once he does, these Dragon Balls can be used again." He paused and looked at the others. "The Grand Elder also said something—'Planet Namek has repaid the debt it owed you.'"

"It wasn't a debt." Talos placed a hand on Piccolo's shoulder. "It was a choice. You chose to protect this planet, and we chose to help you. That's what a team is."

Nappa walked over, his body covered in injuries, grinning broadly. "The fights on this planet were a lot more satisfying than the ones on Planet Vegeta. Next time we fight, can I take point?"

"We'll see," Talos said.

"What do you mean, 'we'll see'?!"

"It depends on who we're fighting. If it's someone on Frieza's level, I take point. If it's just cannon fodder, knock yourself out."

Nappa's grin froze halfway again. Everyone laughed—Tien Shinhan's lips curved up faintly for once, while even Piccolo's mouth formed the slightest arc. Their laughter echoed over Planet Namek's wasteland, mingling with the golden afterglow left behind by Porunga's disappearance. Warriors who had once fought alone on different planets now stood beneath the same starry sky, truly becoming a team. Not Saiyans bound by blood, but the kind who had fought side by side and trusted one another with their backs.