To the Pinnacle of This World!

He slowly raised his eyes, sweeping them over faces filled with shock and yearning. At last, beneath countless burning gazes, he gave a nod—so slight, yet carrying immense weight.

"Lord Barros, why are you abandoning Planet Vegeta?"

"Please stay! We are willing to follow you with our lives!"

"My lord... don't go!"

The strongest warriors were in an uproar. Some questioned anxiously, some pleaded desperately, and some choked back sobs—but without exception, none of them wanted to see him turn and leave!

Xuesaiya and Xuesaili silently lowered their eyes, while Palanti lightly pinched the bridge of her nose and stood without a word.

They understood better than anyone that leaving was not cowardice. It was their only path to survival.

Even though Barros held the Legend of the Condor Heroes World as his trump card and could flee into it to evade disaster in a crisis...

That was only if he had a moment to breathe, a moment to raise his hand!

If a powerful enemy descended upon them and unleashed everything from the very first exchange, sealing off every retreat and cutting off all hope of survival...

Then even the most miraculous escape route would be nothing more than a painted feast to satisfy hunger.

During their long talk last night, Barros had already laid out the stakes with absolute clarity.

In fact, before even entering the Saiyan Battle Core, he had quietly prepared luggage and contingencies with Xuesaiya, Xuesaili, and Palanti.

After a long silence, Barros looked at the warriors before him, each blessed with exceptional talent and blazing bloodlines. His heart churned with conflict—should he tell them?

Every one of them was among the Saiyans' finest, with astonishing natural gifts and potential as vast as the sea.

Though not everyone might reach the realm beyond Super Saiyan,

as long as they trained diligently and dared to fight and struggle, becoming Super Saiyans was almost guaranteed.

And in the current universe, although the might of Super Saiyans was gradually being overshadowed by even greater powers,

aside from the few endlessly monstrous fighters on Earth, such power was already enough to sweep through the stars and command countless worlds!

If he could command an army of Super Saiyans...

Wouldn't Barros's path to the pinnacle become far easier?

At that thought, his desire to cherish talent, gather talent, and protect talent grew hotter and more urgent!

"I'm leaving..." His voice was low, but allowed no doubt. "Because if I stay another day, I will certainly die."

"Absurd!"

"Even Frieza fell at your hands. Who could possibly force you to flee for your life?"

"That's right! Frieza, the so-called Emperor of the Universe, had a power level exceeding five hundred and thirty thousand. His first transformation surpassed one million, his second broke through two million, and his final forced transformation neared three million—we all saw it with our own eyes! You could crush even him. Who else could make you bow your head and leave?"

The crowd erupted, their doubts surging like a tide.

And it was no wonder—in their minds, Frieza was the ceiling of power.

In that earth-shattering bloody battle, Frieza had transformed twice and erupted once at the brink of death. The spectacle alone had made their souls tremble!

Now they were hearing that Barros, whose power level exceeded ten million, claimed his life was in danger...

It was as absurd as hearing that the stars had fallen from the sky.

Barros exchanged glances with Xuesaiya and Xuesaili, and all three sighed soundlessly.

Sometimes, knowing nothing was a kind of blessing.

Barros felt a faint bitterness in his heart. If he revealed the entire truth, would these people lose all hope on the spot and collapse completely?

Perhaps... they really would. He pondered it in silence, but ultimately gritted his teeth and made his decision—this could not be hidden, nor could it be delayed.

Just then, Bardock suddenly furrowed his brow and stepped forward. "Barros, I don't believe you would spread empty alarmist words.

Tell me—what exactly has forced you to leave your homeland?"

Leave one's homeland—

The moment those words left Bardock's lips, Xuesaiya's and Xuesaili's fingertips trembled, and their brows twitched sharply.

Barros's face darkened as well, the veins at his temples faintly pulsing.

Unfortunately, reality was cruel as a blade. If they did not leave, they would die; if they wanted to live, they had to go.

There was no second path to survival.

The other Saiyans all held their breaths, their eyes blazing as they fixed them firmly on Barros's face—

They too desperately wanted to know what kind of existence, what kind of storm, could make the invincible strongest warrior before them willingly abandon his home planet and travel far away?

Barros let out a long breath, his voice carrying an indescribable exhaustion. "Do you think... Frieza is strong?"

Strong?

Of course he was!

Bardock nodded silently, and the others nodded in agreement.

The title Emperor of the Universe was no empty boast.

Had Barros not appeared out of nowhere, they would still have believed Frieza was the ultimate answer in this starry sky.

Only after everyone had responded did Barros speak in an icy voice. "What if I told you that, in the battle three days ago, Frieza used less than five percent of his power?"

"N-No way!"

"F-Five percent?!"

"Was he really that terrifying?"

"Lord Barros, are you making fun of us?"

In an instant, the crowd exploded again.

Barros pressed both arms down, his voice cracking through the air like splitting ice. "Silence!"

His blade-like gaze swept coldly over every face.

Within moments, the clamor vanished, and the entire hall became so quiet that a needle could have been heard falling.

Only then did he speak, one word at a time. "Frieza's power level in his normal state is five hundred and thirty thousand. His first transformation is one million and sixty thousand. His second doubles that, to two million one hundred and twenty thousand. His complete form has a normal power level of two million eight hundred thousand. At fifty percent power—sixty million. At seventy percent—eighty-four million. At full power... one hundred and twenty million."

The moment his words fell, the entire hall went dead silent.

Even Bardock froze in place, his pupils shrinking violently.

One hundred and twenty million...

Just counting the string of zeros was enough to make their heads buzz and their legs go weak.

At last, they understood why Barros had said that Frieza had not truly used even one-fifth of his power that day.

One hundred and twenty million compared to three million was not even three and a half percent!

But...

Was Frieza truly that horrifying?

The Saiyans all frowned deeply, their eyes full of suspicion and disbelief as they stared at Barros.

At that moment, a sudden stabbing pain tore through Bardock's mind, and a chain of fragmented images exploded from the depths of his consciousness—

A verdant planet appeared at the edge of his awareness.

There, his son Kakarot stood upon scorched earth, facing Frieza, who had long since died yet had been revived once more.

Frieza had completed his third transformation. Dark radiance coursed over his body, and a single glance from him was like an abyss opening its jaws, devouring the soul, crushing the will, and condemning one to eternal nothingness with no chance of recovery.

Barros shot Bardock a sidelong glance, the corner of his lips curling up as his cold sneer cut like a blade. "You doubt me? You have no idea how terrifying Frieza truly is! That day, if I hadn't gone all out and forcibly interrupted his third transformation just before it was complete, Planet Vegeta would have become cosmic dust, and all of you would already be ashes!"

He had said "all of you," not "all of us"—Xuesaiya, Xuesaili, and even he himself were not included among those who would have been exterminated.

The truth was that Barros insisted on leaving Planet Vegeta not because he feared battle, but because he was clearheaded to the point of cruelty. Staying would only add a few more corpses; he could not stop destruction, save his people, or protect this home planet.

His fists suddenly clenched, his knuckles turning white as frost filled his eyes. For the first time, he craved power with such burning intensity—not to dominate, but to hold up the sky that was about to collapse.

No one had expected every detail of that moment to be seen by all.

That unmistakable sense of powerlessness, those fists tightened until they trembled, fell like heavy stones into the heart of every Saiyan.

Their expressions turned solemn. Their confusion deepened, and unease quietly spread.

Xuesaiya and Xuesaili silently bit their lower lips, their nails digging deep into their palms. There was no hesitation in their eyes, only blazing fighting spirit—they had glimpsed the outline of the coming storm earlier than the others, and understood better than anyone what layers upon layers of powerful enemies awaited them ahead, enemies capable of crushing the galaxy itself.

Bardock looked at Barros's tense profile and could not help asking, "Barros, even if Frieza truly is as powerful as you say... he is already dead.

So why must you..."

Before he could finish, his entire body stiffened and his pupils contracted—at that instant, he understood everything!

Barros drew in a deep breath, slowly loosening his fists. His gaze passed over Bardock before turning toward the silent Saiyans. "Frieza is the Emperor of the Universe, but above an emperor, there is still a king."

A king!

Those two words struck like thunder. Every Saiyan straightened, drawing sharp breaths as they stared at Barros in disbelief.

He gently shook his head, his low voice piercing their hearts word by word. "Frieza's peak power level is one hundred and twenty million, but because his body is frail, he normally only displays five hundred and thirty thousand. Only at the brink of life and death does he use transformations to force out his limits.

But his father..."

He paused, his Adam's apple moving slightly. "Frieza's father, King Cold.

His normal power level—one hundred and thirty million.

No one knows his true limit."

One hundred and thirty million!

That number did not sound like a power level. It sounded more like a verdict, crushing the air into stillness and stopping their hearts.

These Saiyans, born warlike and contemptuous of death, all shuddered. Their pupils violently contracted, and cold sweat silently slid down their faces—not because they feared death, but because their souls instinctively trembled before an absolute, immeasurable gulf.

The gap in power was too vast, so vast that even the pride embedded in their bones quietly diminished before that insurmountable mountain.

Barros looked at them without surprise.

If he had not come from another world, any native Saiyan in his position would likely have been left standing there in a daze as well.

Of course, he would not allow fear to take root.

It was simply not yet time to lay certain truths bare.

"One last time—" Liu Tian's voice was not loud, yet it carried clearly through the entire hall. His gaze swept over the tense faces before settling on Bardock. "Is anyone willing to temporarily leave Planet Vegeta with me?"

Bardock was different from Goku. His loyalty to Saiyan blood ran deep in his bones.

Once he acknowledged a master, he would follow through life and death, never betraying them.

Moreover, though he was a low-class warrior, his potential was like buried subterranean fire. Among those present, aside from Barros and Xuesaili, even Xuesaiya and Palanti, who were currently second only to Barros, might not be able to surpass him steadily in terms of growth potential.

For the vast majority, Super Saiyan was a legendary dream, something they could never touch even after exhausting an entire lifetime.

But Barros was certain of one thing: for Bardock, breaking through was merely a matter of time.

Under Barros's gaze, Bardock's brows drew together slightly as he asked in a deep voice, "'Temporarily leave'... You mean we will come back?"

"That's right." Barros nodded decisively.

A glimmer flashed through Bardock's eyes, as though sparks were scattering in their dark depths.

A moment later, he strode forward and dropped heavily to one knee!

There was no need for an oath, no need for speeches—the lowered head and rigid spine were already the most solemn promise of a Saiyan.

After a long silence, the other top warriors suddenly bent one knee in unison. Their armor rang as it struck the floor, and they knelt before Barros like a tidal wave.

To kneel on one knee was to pledge loyalty.

Barros laughed heartily, paying no attention to the two or three figures who still remained standing. "Good! Since you are willing to come with me, Barros will never fail your trust—I will lead you to the pinnacle of this world!"

"To that realm... which you have climbed toward again and again in bloody dreams, yet have always found beyond your reach!" He smiled meaningfully, keeping the words "Super Saiyan" firmly on his tongue without speaking them.

"Loyal unto death!"

"We are willing to die for Lord Barros!"

"For this life, we will follow only Lord Barros!"

The Saiyans' pride had once made them rather break than bend. Even before Frieza, few had lowered their heads.

But today, before Barros, a fellow Saiyan, they knelt without hesitation and swore their oaths without the slightest doubt.

"Very good!" Barros's smile did not fade, but his gaze suddenly sharpened as it swept toward the four top warriors in the distance, their expressions wavering—

Four energy blasts tore through the air, swift as lightning and fierce as thunder!

They did not even have time to raise their hands or blink.

The four warriors, each with a power level above ten thousand and once capable of running rampant across Planet Vegeta, were vaporized in an instant. Not even ashes remained.

Establishing authority had never relied on words.

Even Barros had not expected that there would truly be four fools reckless enough to refuse to bow their heads after he had publicly crushed space, shattered the gravity barrier with a punch, and personally revealed the true power levels of Frieza and King Cold.

He had already needed a display of force to cow the masses, so naturally he gave those four no mercy—no rebuke, no warning, not the slightest hesitation. With a casual gesture, he erased them from existence.

And this clean, decisive slaughter was also a performance he had deliberately staged before Bardock and the others.

This universe had never cared for sentiment. It recognized only strength; even a weak person's right to breathe depended on a stronger person's expression. So-called mercy was a luxury for the strong and poison for the weak.

Iron-blooded resolve was not a choice, but the bottom line of survival. Strength was not a goal, but the only proof that one deserved to live.

Just look—the bodies of those four elite Saiyans had barely gone cold, yet Bardock and the veterans who had once fought beside them did not so much as frown. No one spoke, and no one questioned it.

The path was one they had walked themselves, and one they had cut off themselves.

When the tide of the times came crashing in, those who insisted on swimming against it and smashing into the reefs could not blame others for standing aside when they sank without even making a splash.

At this moment, Saiyans covered Planet Vegeta as densely as ants. The corpses of a few top warriors were not worth even one extra second of Barros's attention.

He turned around, his gaze sweeping across the followers before him, all bent at the waist with lowered heads and burning eyes. His voice was as cold as a glacier splitting apart. "I do not know when King Cold will descend upon Planet Vegeta, but I will give you only half a day—after half a day, bring the people most important to you and the things you cannot leave behind. Board the ship with me, and leave this planet."

Half a day was already the absolute limit of his leniency.

The Saiyans did not ask a single extra question or exchange a single extra glance. They merely gave Barros deep nods before turning and striding away, their figures quickly vanishing into the depths of the battle hall's shadowed corridors.

Planet Vegeta was vast, but to top warriors capable of tearing apart the atmosphere and crushing mountains beneath their feet, it was no more than a single step away.

Not long after they left, the intelligent terminal on Xuesaiya's wrist gave three soft beeps.

Her delicate brows knit slightly, then the corners of her eyes lifted, and a spark of barely restrained excitement appeared—could it be...?

Seeing Barros, Xuesaili, and Palanti all turn toward her, she lowered her head to glance at the flashing message on the display. She smiled with pursed lips, tapped it lightly with a fingertip, and accepted the call.