Instinctive Premonition of Death

Barros's strength was something he had long anticipated;

but this overwhelming terror far exceeded all his projections.

With his current power, if Barros were to harbor evil intentions, he would become a second Majin Buu—even harder to restrain than that immortal, indestructible monster of old.

After all, Buu's strength had stagnated, while Super Saiyans ascended level after level, with no end in sight.

If Barros ran rampant, Kaises like them, even Grand Kais, would be utterly unable to stop him.

Yet if they stood by and did nothing, they would be failing in their duty to uphold the order of the universe.

After pondering for a long while, the Grand Kai's figure suddenly vanished as he rushed straight toward the underworld's hell—he intended to seek out that "old friend" hidden in the netherworld, to ask for advice and a solution.

At that moment, North Kai, on North King Kai's Planet, was drenched in cold sweat.

Though Barros had only destroyed a small star system in the South Galaxy today, he was a Saiyan from the North Galaxy, and Divine Martial Battle Star happened to hang deep within the North Galaxy!

Previously, Frieza, King Cold, and their ilk had already descended upon the lower realms to wreak havoc everywhere, throwing the universe's order into chaos and leaving North Kai utterly overwhelmed;

and now there was Super Saiyan Barros, along with the unfathomably powerful Divine Martial Battle Star...

He no longer even had the strength to sigh.

Perhaps there truly was such a thing as the pull of fate.

Or perhaps, at the instant Barros successfully transformed into a Super Saiyan, he had stirred some resonance within an ancient bloodline.

At the very moment he completed his transformation, on an unremarkable planet in the East Galaxy, another Saiyan likewise shattered his shackles and transformed, golden hair blazing like furious flames—

It was Broly.

If the four Kais and the Grand Kai had not all been completely focused on Barros, the earth-shaking aura Broly unleashed upon awakening would surely have made them all turn pale.

After all, Super Saiyans already defied heaven itself, and their power was nothing short of shocking;

let alone that he was the legendary "natural-born Super Saiyan," one who appeared only once every thousand years.

Broly's transformation was not as cataclysmic as Barros's, with mountains collapsing and seas churning as heaven and earth lost their color;

but from his initial form, he directly leaped into the "Legendary Super Saiyan" state. His power instantly climbed to the pinnacle of the current universe, faintly matching Barros, who was likewise a Super Saiyan.

His battle power, originally already at 16 million, surged to 1.6 billion upon transforming into his legendary form, far surpassing the limit of an ordinary Super Saiyan's full-power eruption—an utterly terrifying figure!

However, the greatest hidden danger of Broly's legendary form erupted completely as his transformation finished—

His power went out of control, and a single strike blasted an entire small star system to pieces.

Barros threw back his head and let out a long howl, heroic fervor surging within his chest as a feeling of looking down upon the cosmos and reigning supreme over all arose in him.

Having already grasped the limits of his own power, he no longer had any interest in continuing to ravage the South Galaxy. He immediately pressed two fingers to his forehead, intending to search for Divine Martial Battle Star, lock onto Xuesaiya and the others' auras, and instantly teleport back.

But just as he swept his senses toward the North Galaxy, probing the location of Divine Martial Battle Star, a strange sensation suddenly flashed through his mind—beyond the edge of the East Galaxy, there lurked an incomparably violent and overwhelmingly powerful aura!

That aura was as dense as a blade and as fierce as fire. The pre-transformation Barros would likely have been less than an ant before it.

After spending so many years together day and night, Broly's aura had long since been etched into his bones.

So, the instant that most violent and primal aura he had ever encountered slammed into his consciousness, Barros's mind flashed—

His fingers still pressed against his forehead, but before he could think, his body had already torn through space and vanished from the South Galaxy in an instant.

Whether it was as he suspected or not, so long as it involved Broly, he had to go investigate in person.

And if it truly was as he thought...

Broly, in his legendary form, would be so berserk that no one could restrain him!

Several years still remained before the story of the Dragon Balls officially began. Apart from Barros and Broly, there was not a single other Super Saiyan in the universe.

With Broly's current might, if Barros did not intervene, then in this era that had yet to see an explosion of powerful fighters, there was likely not a single person who could truly withstand even one of his attacks!

In a starfield of the East Galaxy bordering the North Galaxy, Barros's figure stepped out of the void without warning above a devastated living planet.

"Ha—ha—ha—ha—!"

A burst of crazed laughter tore through the dead silence, echoing over and over across the ruined earth.

Barros had only just appeared and had not yet had time to locate Broly, when his brow suddenly furrowed. He abruptly raised his head, his gaze sharp as a blade—

An enormous Death Annihilation Bomb blotted out the sky like a falling miniature sun, carrying an aura of destruction and finality as it crashed toward the planet!

Standing at the center of the earth, Barros was directly beneath its trajectory and would bear the brunt of the attack.

As the Death Annihilation Bomb came shrieking down, the corners of Barros's lips curled upward. He stood still, calmly facing this killing blow capable of crushing the entire planet into dust.

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—!

Before the Death Annihilation Bomb even fell, blade-sharp hurricanes had already crashed down. The ground was forcibly pressed more than ten meters deep, rocks shattered, strata overturned, and the violent airflow continued to savagely tear apart everything directly beneath the sphere.

Barros laughed loudly and threw both arms upward. His palms flashed like lightning as they steadily caught the Death Annihilation Bomb Broly had fired, forcibly holding it aloft in midair without the slightest tremor.

"Huh?!" Broly, who had just raised a protective energy barrier, suddenly changed expression. For the first time, astonishment appeared in those hollow, pupil-less eyes—the Death Annihilation Bomb, which should have struck the ground and detonated instantly, had actually stopped in midair!

Barros, supporting the sphere with his hands, withdrew his left foot half a step. The corner of his lips curled up as his arms suddenly tensed, and he forcefully shoved the Death Annihilation Bomb back along its original path!

Broly had only just dispelled his barrier when he looked up and saw that mass of destructive energy screaming straight toward him. His expression instantly darkened.

"Haah—!!" Dark green flames erupted from Broly's body. The instant the Death Annihilation Bomb reached him, he flicked his wrist and swept his fingers aside, then clamped both hands tightly around the sphere. Twisting at the waist, he hurled it upward with all his strength—straight into the vast sea of stars overhead!

The moment the sphere tore through the sky, Broly finally saw who had deflected it back at him.

Barros!!

The two Super Saiyans, who had completed their transformations almost simultaneously, faced each other across the void—one high, one low—their blade-sharp gazes locked together.

Rumble—!!

A blinding flash exploded across the starry sky, and a deafening blast swept in all directions. The Death Annihilation Bomb detonated at the edge of the galaxy. Violent energy surged like a tidal wave, instantly grinding a planet into dust without leaving even a trace behind.

Looking up at others had never been Barros's habit. Before the explosion's aftershock had even subsided, he had already flashed like a phantom to directly before Broly.

The two stared at each other in silence. Neither made the first move.

Boiling killing intent and primal rage churned within Broly, yet he had not lost his reason—he recognized this man.

That dazzling golden hair, those emerald eyes as cold as a deep pool, and that striking streak of crimson at the edge of his brow...

Even though he had entered the realm of the Legendary Super Saiyan, a chill still ran down Broly's spine.

He knew all too well what that trembling meant—it was the instinctive premonition of death born when facing an absolute powerhouse far beyond oneself, one capable of crushing everything.

He had only experienced it twice in his life.

The first time was when he had just been born on Planet Vegeta, looking up at Frieza in his final form as Frieza gazed down at him with indifference.

The second time was with the Divine Martial Emperor before him—Barros.

That suffocating pressure felt as though the Grim Reaper's blade had already pressed against his throat, making even breathing several times heavier. Despite the destructive impulse filling his heart, he could only remain still.

He was waiting—for an opening, for one thunderous surprise attack that would utterly shatter the man before him who filled him with dread.

Meanwhile, Barros was studying him with great interest.

Short grass-green hair, empty and lifeless eyes. Though his body had not swollen into the terrifying knot of muscles seen in Super Saiyan Third Grade, his aura, features, and energy pulses were exactly identical to the Legendary form in Barros's memories.

As for his battle power...

Barros silently sensed the boiling power surging through Broly's body. Though there was no exact figure, a rough estimate put it at around half of his own!

He knew his own strength perfectly—roughly three billion, to be exact.

Then didn't that mean Broly had... 1.5 billion?

1.5 billion battle power!

Even though Barros completely suppressed Broly in strength at the moment, his heart still trembled slightly.

One had to know that during the battle against Cell several years later, even Goku's full-power Super Saiyan form had only barely reached 1.5 billion.

And now, there were still a full four years before the curtain rose on Dragon Ball Z!

His shock vanished in an instant, replaced by overwhelming ecstasy.

Wasn't the one he had sought for so many years this very Broly—one who had awakened the Legendary form and was utterly loyal to him?

As long as he could subdue the rampaging Broly before him, he would possess the sharpest blade and the most loyal shield.

Then North Galaxy, East Galaxy, the entire universe, and even worlds in other dimensions would all crawl beneath the iron hooves of the Divine Martial Battle Star.

At that thought, Barros's lips slowly curved upward.

Since Broly was unwilling to make the first move, Barros would open this duel himself!

With a thought, his right fist was already wrapped in a piercing shriek as it shot straight toward Broly's face!

But the punch was so fast it was almost uncanny—the heavens and earth seemed to compress. Broly did not even have time to think of blocking before the fist was already before him, slamming heavily into his chest!

Bang!!

His entire body flew backward like a cannonball leaving its barrel. Even with killing intent burning in his heart, he could not help but feel a chill.

He had clearly seen Barros throw the punch, yet his body had been completely unable to keep up—the speed seemed to have broken free from the restraints of space itself. Before his consciousness could react, the fist had already torn through the void and struck him squarely!

How was he supposed to defend? How could he block it? What could he possibly use to fight back?

What surprised him even more was that Barros did not pursue. He merely stood where he was, coldly watching Broly bleed away the force of his flight and steady himself.

When a hint of astonishment flashed over Broly's face, Barros smiled calmly. "Broly, are you ready?"

"Die—!"

His rage erupted like a volcano. Raising his hand, Broly fired a barrage of dark green ki blasts, dense as rain, straight at Barros!

"Hmph, a clumsy trick." Barros snorted, and his figure abruptly vanished. Having lost their target, the ki blasts all slammed into the ground behind where he had been standing, instantly blasting open a savage, bottomless crater.