Damn Wild Monkeys!

Smack!

Barros grabbed the grotesque tip of Frieza's tail. Golden light surged in his palm, and a sphere of energy, compressed to the utmost, took shape!

A terrifying pressure swept in every direction. Frieza's pupils contracted, and he screamed, "Stop!! Wait—"

Barros's expression didn't change. He yanked Frieza in front of him with his left hand, then detonated the golden energy sphere right against his deathly pale face!

A thunderous blast tore through the sky, and both sides, locked in battle, froze for a moment.

But when everyone looked up, all they saw on the faces of Frieza's soldiers was utter despair.

He... their King Frieza...

Had... really...

A blazing shockwave shot through the sky like a meteor and struck Frieza square in the chest—but Barros showed no hint of joy. Instead, his expression darkened like a storm cloud hanging over the world.

Frieza's power far exceeded what his body could bear, making it impossible for him to maintain his full form steadily,

but even in a partially awakened state, he was no prey that could be easily taken down!

Sure enough, the smoke rolled away like a receding tide, revealing Frieza, his face covered in blood.

His body was riddled with gaping wounds, his flesh torn and hanging loose. His energy wavered like a guttering candle, yet he stood firm on the scorched earth, eyes blazing, his killing intent undiminished.

Barros furrowed his brow. He'd known Frieza wouldn't die so easily, but seeing him standing there, drenched in blood, was still a problem.

"You piece of trash... damn wild monkey!" Frieza roared hoarsely, his voice grating like a tear in the air. His eyes burned red as hot iron, and his hatred was almost tangible.

In all the centuries he'd lived, this was the first time he'd been pushed to the brink of death—and the first time he'd wanted to chew someone alive and grind them to dust.

He'd come so close... just a hair's breadth away!

For one instant, he'd truly thought he was going to die ignominiously on this desolate planet, without even completing his transformation. The mighty emperor of the universe, a once-in-a-millennium prodigy of the Frieza Race, dying so carelessly? Even if his soul descended into the underworld, he'd be so furious that all three spiritual souls would leave his body and all seven spirits would explode!

He glared at Barros and said no more. A strange purple glow suddenly burst from his palm, and his transformation began!

The instant his battle power surged, every battle scouter on Planet Vegeta blared an alarm. Their lenses shattered one after another, popping like rain.

Purple light swelled, and a vicious, violent aura of destruction crushed the world around them. It was as if even the air were wailing and convulsing.

Barros folded his arms over his chest, the corner of his mouth lifting as he waited for Frieza to change.

In truth, he could have interrupted Frieza as soon as he started;

even now, before his energy had fully coalesced, Barros was still completely confident he could stop the transformation.

But he didn't move.

His blood was already surging and roaring through his veins. Frieza, with a battle power of 530,000, was no more than a puppet to toy with in his hands. How could that possibly satisfy him?

He had indeed considered changing Frieza's fate of destroying Planet Vegeta;

but his desire to fight with all his might had never wavered.

Feeling Frieza's terrifying presence rise by the moment, Barros slowly clenched his right fist. The energy within him surged, building layer upon layer.

That's right. He'd been holding back, not yet unleashing all his potential.

Besides, in addition to the berserker technique that burned away reason, he had another trump card familiar to every Dragon Ball warrior, yet utterly domineering—

Power up!!

Just as his aura gathered like a volcano on the verge of eruption, Frieza shattered his outer shell and officially entered the first stage of his transformation.

With a million in battle power, crushing that brat would be as easy as squashing an ant!

He bent forward, head lowered, every muscle taut like a steel bowstring. His fists clenched until his knuckles cracked, and a distorted, tortured howl rumbled from deep in his throat—

In an instant, his muscles swelled like living things, knotting, tearing, and growing anew!

An even more concentrated aura of evil burst forth. Purple-red flames curled around him like living snakes, and wherever they passed, the air twisted into ripples visible to the naked eye.

Crack! Crack! Creak—!

His bones stretched, shifted out of place, and grew, producing brittle pops that set teeth on edge.

"Ah—!!!"

He threw back his head and roared. The muscles across his shoulders and back surged like erupting lava, bulging and writhing until they were grotesquely huge;

then his legs suddenly swelled, muscles knotting like the roots of ancient trees as they instantly lifted a hulking body more than twice its previous size!

Every bulging muscle exuded power, and every inch of his growing bones shattered his old limits—

If a giant Scouter swept over him now, the numbers would go berserk: 750,000 → 900,000 → 1,000,000!

Through the surging purple flames, the straight horns on his forehead gradually tilted upward, bent, and hardened, becoming a pair of vicious bull horns that gleamed with a cold light.

His final, piercing howl split the sky. The first-stage transformation was complete!

When he raised his head again, Frieza stood like a mountain, his body more than twice as large as before. His powerful aura cracked the ground beneath him in utter silence.

By comparison, the thin figure he'd been before looked like a child who hadn't yet lost his baby fat.

Now his muscles were as knotted as forged steel, and his battle power had broken through the million mark—more than double his normal 530,000!

"Boom!"

He casually clenched his fist, and the air burst apart in his grasp. The muffled thunderclap made rocks in the distance hop and rattle.

This body, this power... he was very pleased with it. A cold smile slowly spread across his lips.

The sensation of power filling every limb, the exhilarating feeling that he could tear apart a planet with his bare hands, sent his arrogance soaring once more.

He slowly raised his head, his gaze like a blade as it fixed on the small, slender Saiyan in the distance—

That wretched mongrel who'd dared to offend an emperor's dignity.

Barros had already pushed his aura to its peak, yet even so, he could clearly sense that

in terms of raw energy, Frieza now surpassed him.

But numbers were nothing more than lifeless things, and Barros had never cared for them.

Besides—could his battle power really be measured by the cold figures flickering across an instrument?

Seeing that Barros's smile hadn't faded, Frieza's expression turned icy. His figure blurred, and in the next instant, he appeared behind Barros like a ghost!

His sneer still on his face, his hand became a blade meant to decapitate. With a shriek that tore through the sound barrier, he slashed at the back of Barros's neck!

He held nothing back in this attack. He meant to end the fight with one strike!

In the distance, Xuesaiya and Xuesaili's pupils contracted. Their faces went pale as paper.

But they were too far away. Even at full speed, they couldn't get there in time—by the time they reached him, Barros would likely already be headless.

Watching that hand chop down like a blade, their fingertips turned cold, and their hearts sank into despair.

Frieza stared at the motionless figure in front of him, his lips curling into a cruel smile.

Barros couldn't see Frieza's face.

But Frieza had vanished in a flash and reappeared behind him—and Barros had already burned every inch of that lightning-fast movement into his bones.

Just as Frieza was congratulating himself on his successful sneak attack, a mocking smile quietly appeared on Barros's lips, cold as a frozen blade.

Boom!!

The chopping hand came down, but Barros caught it firmly in his left hand. His fingers closed around it like iron tongs, holding it perfectly still.

But at that very moment, his right fist shot out like a cannonball. With a shriek that tore through the air, it slammed into Frieza's lower abdomen!

Barros had seen Frieza's ambush coming from a mile away;

Frieza hadn't even seen Barros's counterattack coming.

Caught off guard, Frieza was rocked by the punch despite his million-plus battle power. His throat tightened, and he spat out a mouthful of thick purple blood.

A million in battle power should have meant overwhelming superiority—but all it did now was leave his insides churning and his ribs throbbing. His injuries were still minor, but the humiliation was already complete.

Even worse, he'd just transformed, only to be punched until he vomited blood in front of everyone.

Fury blazed in Frieza's eyes, filling them with blood-red veins. It was as if his rage could turn all of Planet Vegeta to ash.

His gaze turned vicious, and his body snapped taut like a drawn bow before exploding into action. His left fist shot toward Barros's face with the force of wind and thunder, while his tail swept sideways. The shockwave made space itself hum before the tail even arrived!

Barros had one hand gripping Frieza's wrist, leaving him with only one arm free. With a double attack bearing down on him, he had no choice but to let go and retreat. He shot backward dozens of meters, narrowly avoiding the two deadly strikes.

Frieza's attack missed, but he didn't hesitate for a moment. He planted his foot and rushed forward like a pale streak!

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

The two of them were locked together completely, meeting every strike head-on. There was no artifice, only a bloody, brutal clash of strength.

Frieza relied on his million-plus battle power to charge straight at his opponent, while Barros met him with a body of iron, refusing to yield a single step. Blows carrying a million units of force only made his shoulders sway, and punches swept across his skin without leaving so much as a white mark.

They were evenly matched, neither gaining the upper hand, as stardust scattered and the air howled.

After transforming, each of Frieza's punches weighed more than a hundred thousand pounds. With the speed of his charge behind them, they struck with a force of three or four hundred thousand pounds!

Anyone else, even someone with a battle power around 500,000, would have their bones shattered one by one and their flesh reduced to pulp after fewer than thirty exchanges against him.

Unfortunately, Frieza wasn't fighting an ordinary body.

Barros had perfected the first level of Dragon Elephant Prison Suppression. His acupoints were scattered like stars, and the stellar cores had been refined into his sinews and marrow. His battle power was only half of Frieza's, but the weight of his fists and the ferocity of his blows were enough to make even Frieza's heart pound with alarm.

If he hadn't wrapped his fists in layers upon layers of energy, Frieza's finger bones would have been ground to dust beneath Barros's fists before they'd exchanged ten blows.

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—

Their figures flickered like illusions and lightning. They crossed thousands of meters in the blink of an eye, colliding in outer space above Planet Vegeta amid a series of sonic booms and streaks of light. The battle was so evenly matched it was suffocating.

On the other side, the fighting had already ended.

Xuesaiya and Xuesaili both charged into the enemy ranks. Each had broken through 100,000 in battle power, and Frieza's army crumbled in an instant. The elite soldiers with battle powers above 10,000 were all wiped out by the two of them working together, leaving not a single bone behind.

Even Dodoria and Zarbon, who had thrown their weight around without restraint by relying on Frieza's authority, had been gravely wounded by Palanti and were fleeing in panic when Xuesaiya vaporized them with a single blast. Not even ash remained.

The surviving Saiyan warriors quickly wiped out the remaining enemies. Wherever their blades pointed, Frieza's remnant forces fell one after another.

But Xuesaiya and Xuesaili stared fixedly at the two figures streaking across the sky, their nails digging deep into their palms.

They were waiting!

Waiting for Barros to fulfill his promise—to severely wound Frieza before he could complete his transformation and win a chance at survival for every Saiyan on Planet Vegeta!

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Fists exploded through the air, shockwaves surged, and every collision sent ripples through the void.

Xuesaiya, Xuesaili, Palanti, and the others kept retreating farther and farther.

It wasn't that they feared the shockwaves would hurt them. They were afraid Frieza might lash out in desperation and use them as targets to distract Barros—none of them dared risk even that slight possibility.

In the blink of an eye, the army Frieza had brought with him had been slaughtered to the last soldier.

The wounded Saiyan warriors looked up at the sky, their lips trembling, unable to say a word.

King Vegeta's conspiracy to ambush and assassinate Frieza had long since ceased to be a secret among the elite and high-ranking warriors.

But the Frieza before them radiated evil and brimmed with a monstrous aura. Just the energy spilling off him was enough to leave them gasping for breath. The so-called "high-ranking" and "elite" warriors could barely stay on their feet in his presence.

They couldn't even begin to imagine how powerful this monster was...

Boom!!

A thunderclap split the sky. Barros and Frieza were both sent flying hundreds of meters, their clothes snapping in the wind and their auras blazing.

Looking at Frieza's twisted, vicious face, which glowed with an eerie purple light, Barros took a deep breath and suppressed the aching pain in every limb. Then he kicked off the air again and charged like an arrow loosed from a bow!

Boom!!

Another earth-shattering collision! Fists and feet struck each other like two meteors smashing head-on, making the entire void hum.

As they fought, Frieza's face twisted and he roared, "Ah—damn wild monkey! Shatter!!"

"Heh..." Barros gave a cold laugh. His fist was already there, slamming square into the bridge of Frieza's nose and sending him spinning backward, blood spraying through the air.

Before Frieza could steady himself, Barros closed in and whipped a fierce kick in from the side, striking him squarely in the ribs—

Whoosh—!

Frieza shot away like a blazing meteor, trailing a shrill sonic boom as he hurtled into the depths of outer space!

Barros raised his head. Blazing white flames burst around him, and he flashed forward as a streak of light in pursuit!

He cut Frieza off halfway, positioning himself precisely along the path of his flight. Gathering strength in both arms, he joined his hands like a hammer and swung the Three Sovereigns Cannon Hammer down upon Frieza's crown with crushing force!

"Ugh—!!!"

Frieza let out a heart-rending scream, his body falling straight toward the ground of Planet Vegeta like a kite with its strings cut.

The corner of Barros's mouth lifted, and his figure vanished from the starry sky.

Just as Frieza was about to crash into the ground, Barros suddenly appeared above him. He raised his right foot high, then stomped down hard on Frieza's twisted face with overwhelming force—

Boom!!

The ground collapsed with a roar. Web-like cracks burst open and spread wildly in every direction.

Frieza slammed into the cracked, scorched earth, his entire face smeared with dark-red blood.

"Cough—!" He'd barely pushed himself halfway up when his knees buckled and he dropped hard to the ground again. Blood surged up his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of thick, purple-glowing blood.

One mistake, and the whole game was lost.

He'd never imagined that the Saiyan who should have been evenly matched with him could tear the battle wide open in the blink of an eye, leaving him battered and his bones on the verge of breaking!

He jerked his head up and looked at Barros, who floated in the sky. Barros gazed down at him, brow slightly furrowed, and gently shook his head.

In that instant, Frieza clenched his teeth so hard his jaw nearly cracked, pale ridges standing out along his clenched jaw!

"Stinking monkey! Filthy mongrel! You're dead—!!" He slammed both palms into the ground, shot into the air, and howled at the sky until his voice sounded like tearing silk.

Barros's gaze turned icy, and his figure vanished in a flash.

Boom—!!

As the shockwave erupted, Frieza swept his tail sideways and simultaneously fired a tightly compressed energy blast with his other hand, sending Barros flying!

After blasting his opponent away, he lowered his head and stared at the pool of purplish-black, stinking blood in his palm. His eyes brimmed with killing intent, so sharp it seemed ready to cut the air and make it tremble.

Before Barros could steady himself, Frieza resolutely began his second transformation—

If the first form couldn't suppress that wild monkey, then he'd tear through his flesh and squeeze out every last bit of his potential!

"I'll grind you to dust! Grind you to ash! Grind you into scraps the wind wouldn't even bother to carry away!!" Before his roar had faded, the agony crushed it into a hoarse wail.