Just How Strong Are They

What kind of strength could a body tempered by a Star Core truly possess? He had no point of reference yet.

But the surging blood and vitality within him now lay coiled like enraged dragons, ready to burst from the abyss at any moment. That savage, overwhelming sense of power made him clearly realize—

The body he had once been so proud of was now as flimsy as a sheet of water-soaked paper, ready to tear at the slightest poke.

Let's see just how strong he had become over these past two years!

The thought had barely arisen when a blaze of searing white aura erupted at his feet!

"Ahhh—!!!"

A long howl tore through the sky, and the clouds burst apart like sheets of paper, shredding into countless wisps of white.

The next instant, a hurricane exploded from within him. His blood and vitality shot into the heavens like beacon smoke piercing the sun, while a monstrous pressure swept across all directions. The entire planet began to tremble faintly.

Crack! Bang! Snap—

The ground of the Forest of Despair, as hard as dark iron and as cold as frozen steel, collapsed beneath the berserk power erupting from Barros. Spiderweb-like cracks spread madly, tearing open the entire surface in an instant.

83000!

92100!

Boom—!!!

The latest combat power scanner, personally calibrated by Barros's lover, had not even finished displaying the final string of numbers before it exploded with a pop into a shower of metal fragments the instant his aura surged.

As his pressure rose layer by layer, all of Dosajieluo Star seemed to be clenched by an invisible giant hand—the sky rapidly darkened, storm clouds churned like boiling water, pale lightning serpents split the air, the scorched earth cracked, and mountains trembled!

The scene before them was like the apocalypse had lifted the lid of its coffin and was baring its teeth at all living things.

The island's tens of millions of natives had long since collapsed to the ground, teeth chattering and backs turning cold. Even their breaths caught in their throats, and none dared let out the slightest sound.

"Urrrghhh—!!!"

Barros threw back his head and roared, the sound waves making the air buzz and explode. His knotted muscles swelled wildly, veins bulging like living snakes winding around him, like countless furious dragons coiling beneath his skin. A single glance was enough to make one's scalp go numb and shatter one's mind.

"Roar—!!!"

A roar split metal and pierced stone, like a fierce tiger stamping upon mountains, like a true dragon howling from the abyss.

The blazing white aura steaming around him and the river-like torrent of blood and vitality finally slowly receded into his body, falling silent.

He slowly clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking sharply. Then, with a casual straight punch, he ferociously blasted into the empty space before him—

Rumble!!!

The Forest of Despair, stretching for tens of thousands of miles, was forcibly plowed open by that single punch into a vacuum wasteland that ran across heaven and earth!

He had not used a shred of ki, stirred even the slightest palm force, or layered the explosive power of the Dragon-Subduing Palm.

With nothing but his flesh and blood, one punch had shattered mountains and rivers for dozens of miles! The corner of Barros's lips lifted slightly, and a scorching smile flashed through his eyes.

Though he still did not know the true upper limit of his combat power, the most honest feedback from his body had already thundered through his mind: things were no longer as they had been. His combat power had steadily crossed the 200,000 mark!

As for the exact number? He would have to test it with his own hands to know.

He suddenly raised his head, his blade-like gaze piercing toward the far reaches of deep space. A chilling light gleamed in the depths of his pupils.

The time... was about right.

Frieza, I'll use you to weigh my current strength!

The sneer had not yet faded from his lips when he vanished without a trace—leaving only an afterimage tearing through the air as he flashed into the spherical spacecraft. The hatch shut with a click.

The galaxy flowed on, starlight cascading like a waterfall.

The silver-white sphere carrying Barros sped through the vast sea of stars, then suddenly made a sharp turn, carving a cold arc through space.

Kanaron Planet!

An inconspicuous gray-blue speck in a corner of the universe, so insignificant that it was often omitted even from star charts.

Yet when it quietly appeared on the spacecraft's navigation screen, Barros's eyes abruptly lit up, sharp light bursting forth like a blade leaving its sheath.

What had truly kicked off the Dragon Ball world was neither Broly's birth nor Planet Vegeta's destruction—it was this dust-like planet.

This forbidden land was the only place in all of Dragon Ball, apart from Earth's Time Chamber and Guldo of Namek, that had truly displayed the "power of time."

A secret technique recorded in the Dragon Elephant Prison Suppression Sutra flashed through his mind: sacrifice living beings, seize their origins, refine their Dao Fruits, and absorb them for one's own use...

The spacecraft that should have headed straight for Planet Vegeta abruptly changed course without warning, diving at full speed toward the dark-blue planet deep within the silver-white galaxy—Kanaron Planet.

Kanaron Planet!

Bardock, Xuelise, Toma, and the other two had just finished wiping out the last batch of natives on the planet and were leaning against broken walls to catch their breath.

Who would have expected a Kanaron native who had feigned death and hidden himself to suddenly launch a sneak attack, thrusting a poisonous claw straight at the back of Bardock's neck!

"You're courting death!"

Caught off guard, Bardock staggered half a step. But Toma had already shot forward with a lightning-fast flying kick, sending the man flying several yards away. He immediately flung out a crimson energy blast, which slammed into the man's chest with a thunderous boom!

But the next second, everyone froze—

The figure that should have been blown to dust suddenly rippled with faint golden light the instant the energy blast reached him, forcibly dispersing the impact across the surface of his body. He was completely unharmed!

"What?!" Xuelise's delicate brows drew tightly together.

Toma's power level was as high as 11,360, while this man had barely over 5,000—yet he had caught that killing blow with his bare hands?!

"I was too careless!" Bardock's eyes blazed with fury. His fists clenched with cracking sounds as he raised a hand, ready to crush this insect into pulp.

At that moment, the Kanaron Planet native threw back his head and laughed, his voice as harsh as sandpaper scraping iron. "Listen! Just now... I dragged you into the 'Future Echo'!"

"Precognition?!" Bardock's pupils contracted sharply, and the others' expressions changed as well.

"I saw the end of you Saiyans long ago—just like us, cursed and nailed down by fate, with only one path left: extinction! Open your eyes and take a good look at the hell that is destined to come! Kiehehehe—!!!"

Before the piercing laughter had faded, Bardock erupted forward with a punch. A blazing energy blast whistled out and blew him into a cloud of bloody mist on the spot.

But before he could breathe a sigh of relief, the scouter over his left eye began flashing madly and shrieking an alarm!

Almost at the same time, the other four all looked up at the sky—

"Bardock!"

He gritted his teeth and forced his swaying body steady, his voice hoarse yet heavy. "Power level... 13,590!"

Four pairs of eyes stared fixedly at the sky—the silver-white sphere was wreathed in flames, falling like a meteor!

BOOM—!!!

The ground exploded into a crater a hundred meters deep, and smoke and dust shot into the sky.

The hatch popped open with a hiss. Barros stepped out, releasing his aura without restraint. Like an arrow loosed from the bowstring, he shot toward the Saiyan squad to his front right, whose average power levels ranged from 9,000 to 12,000!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Before Bardock and the others could rise to meet the enemy, the scouters over their right eyes exploded one after another, fragments scattering across the ground.

"C-Could it be...?"

"Retreat!" Sweet blood rose in Bardock's throat, but he forcibly suppressed it and roared, "Xuelise! Artificial Moon! Turn into Great Apes immediately!"

Honed by countless battles, his instincts had judged life and death in an instant—this was their only way to survive!

Yet before his words had even ended, Barros stood before the five like a ghost. Not even the hem of his clothes stirred, but his aura alone pressed down so heavily that they could barely breathe.

"Saiyans?"

Bardock and the others stiffened all over, exchanging looks as monstrous waves crashed through their hearts.

Barros's gaze swept over the charred ruins before finally settling on the still-warm pile of dark-red flesh behind them.

Too late.

He gently shook his head, a trace of genuine regret flashing through his eyes.

Of all powers, time was the most terrifying—and the most impossible to resist.

If he could seize it for himself, his future pursuit of the supreme realm would surely become much easier.

As Barros inwardly lamented having missed his chance, Xuelise's brows lowered slightly. She stepped forward several paces and stared straight at him. "Hey—you're Barros?"

He raised his eyes and gave a slight nod. His gaze passed over the contours between her brows, so strikingly similar to his mother's, before falling on the Saiyan with an old cross-shaped scar across his face and blade-sharp eyes.

That face was carved into the depths of his bloodline—Barros blurted out, "Bardock!"

"You know me?" Bardock's pupils shrank. He had never expected this young Saiyan before him to call out his name at once.

Barros gave a cold laugh, his voice icy. "You were hit by the Kanaron Planet native's precognitive ability, weren't you?"

"How did you—"

Without waiting for him to finish, Barros merely swept a cold glance over the three of them. His aura suddenly erupted, and he turned and flew into the sky.

He had arrived one step too late. There was no need to remain on this barren little planet any longer.

Long after Barros's figure had completely disappeared into the sky, a stocky Saiyan spat and shouted indignantly, "Pah! That brat really thinks he's some peerless genius, daring to trample all over us!"

Bardock glanced sideways at him, his expression grave, and slowly shook his head. "He has the right."

Toma nodded in agreement, his voice deep. "Our scouters cap out at 24,000—but when he passed by, every single one of them exploded..."

Xuelise pursed her lips and continued, her voice low and solemn. "That means Barros's true power level has at least surpassed 24,000!"

"Gulp!" The stocky Saiyan swallowed, drawing in a sharp breath. "No way..."

"We all underestimated him." Bardock gazed toward the direction Barros had departed, a blazing fire igniting in his eyes, mingled with surging curiosity and fighting spirit. He murmured that name, "Barros..."

Planet Vegeta.

After two years away, Barros returned to his homeland without any grand fanfare or crowds welcoming him.

Yet completing a high-class planetary mission alone had already caused quite a stir among the Saiyans.

Two years!

When Xuesaiya and Xuesaili, training in the gravity chamber at home, suddenly sensed that familiar yet sharp aura streaking through Planet Vegeta's atmosphere—

The two, whose longing had never faded, immediately shut down the training room's energy, burst into the sky, and raced toward the source of that aura.

Two years was neither long nor short, yet it was enough for longing to settle into instinct.

Xuesaiya, Xuesaili, and Palanti had not missed Barros any less with each passing day.

Sensing their auras, Barros suddenly accelerated. His figure tore through the sky, carving a blazing white trail across Planet Vegeta's heavens like a falling meteor.

In an instant, he landed steadily before the three of them.

Looking at the mother and aunt of this life, Barros's lips curved quietly into a warm smile.

After two years apart, Palanti had shed her childishness and blossomed into a graceful young girl.

Having spent the past two years roaming the stars with the Xuesaiya sisters and conquering alien planets, she was no longer the ignorant child she had once been—though she could no longer reclaim her astonishing talent of old, the tempering of real combat had made her strength vastly different from before.

Barros smiled softly, while the three of them remained silent.

The four figures turned in unspoken understanding and sped home.

The moment he crossed the threshold, Xuesaiya pulled him tightly into her arms. "Barros... for two whole years, I missed you until my heart ached!"

He lowered his gaze with a faint smile, allowing that warmth to envelop him as he peacefully immersed himself in this brief moment of tranquility without saying a word.

After a while, Xuesaiya released him, her expression turning serious. "With your strength, how could a mere high-level planet mission take an entire two years?"

She was not the only one confused; Xuesaili was equally full of doubts.

They knew Barros's abilities too well—without exaggeration, crushing a high-level planet should have taken no more than a month.

Yet this time, he had vanished on the same mission for over seven hundred days and nights.

Before Barros could speak, Xuesaili furrowed her brow and pressed him, "Did you encounter an opponent far beyond the mission's level?"

In truth, Frieza's elite forces had repeatedly appeared during the mission to hunt him down; the sisters themselves had also been ambushed several times and narrowly escaped disaster.

Had they not deliberately concealed their true strength, they might have long since been reduced to corpses in some unfamiliar starfield!

"I only ran into a few small fry along the way.

"I stayed on that alien planet for two years because my training had reached a critical point. It wasn't suitable for traveling."

Before his closest family, he did not hide anything, but neither did he explain in detail.

Xuesaiya and Xuesaili nodded in sudden understanding.

Then, Xuesaiya looked at her handsome, upright son, her eyes shining as she asked with a smile, "Barros, after two years apart, just how strong have you become?"

Before her words had even faded, Xuesaili and Palanti were already staring at him, their eyes gleaming with eagerness.

Barros had always been the benchmark they pursued with everything they had.

Over the past two years, their strength had soared, and they had long since left their fellow clansmen on Planet Vegeta far behind.

But had they caught up to Barros? None of them dared say for certain.

Barros lowered his head, slowly clenched his fist, and said softly, "I don't know."

He didn't know?

The three looked at one another, momentarily stunned.

Xuesaiya's eyes suddenly lit up. She grabbed Barros's wrist and flashed into the combat room deep within the residence.

The moment the door shut, she pointed at the sleek giant detector on the wall. "Xuesaili and I had the universe's top scientists refit it. Its maximum detection value is three hundred thousand.

"Barros, release your aura and let me see it for myself!"

Xuesaili and Palanti, who had entered almost at the same time, held their breaths and stared intently.

Three hundred thousand?

Barros's gaze sharpened, and he gave a slight nod.

"HAAAH!!!"

A thunderous roar exploded through the air as a pure white aura erupted from beneath his feet, instantly filling the entire combat room with violent, overwhelming pressure!

Beep! Beep! Beep!

The instrument screen flashed wildly, its numbers surging like thunder—within the blink of an eye, they froze at one hundred twenty thousand!

Then Xuesaiya, Xuesaili, and Palanti's pupils abruptly contracted, their breathing catching—the value on the combat power detector mounted on the wall began skyrocketing madly, like a wild horse breaking free of its reins!

Bzzzt—Bzzzt—Bzzzt!!!

A piercing electrical shriek suddenly rang out. The screen jolted violently, and the number stopped dead, nailed at "300000" in glaring scarlet.

Yet Barros's aura continued to surge, showing no sign of weakening, like a bottomless volcano endlessly spewing molten lava.

He slowly raised his eyes, glanced at that blazing red number, and gently exhaled. The battle intent flooding through his body like a tidal wave gradually sank, withdrew, and returned to calm.

This detector that claimed to be at its "limit" had ultimately failed to reach his true bottom line.

Barros shook his head with slight regret, a nearly imperceptible trace of disappointment passing through his brow.

After a long while, Xuesaiya finally cried out in shock, her voice trembling. "Heavens... three hundred thousand? Barros... you... just what..."

But Xuesaili immediately shook her head, her expression grave as waves of disbelief churned in her eyes. "No, Sister, that's wrong! Three hundred thousand? That was only the aftereffect after he held back!"

"Cousin!" Palanti lifted her little face, her eyes sparkling with undisguised admiration and fervor.

Barros brushed away that faint disappointment and looked warmly at the two sisters, who stood frozen with their hands over their mouths. In a relaxed tone, he said, "It's been over two years. Mother, have you been well? You three... have improved quite a bit too, haven't you?"