Turles stood at the very center of the surging air.
The churning blast whipped up the hem of his Battle Suit. Strands of hair streamed back.
But that was all.
His arms were still crossed over his chest.
Watching Vegeta fall apart like this, he felt a subtle, indescribable emotion.
In his previous life, this proud, complicated Saiyan Prince had existed only as a secondary character in a fictional work.
From the arrogant, cold-blooded figure who had first appeared, he had gradually gained the "humanity" he had once lacked, bit by bit. He had gone from a foil for the protagonist to someone who gradually began to shine in his own unique way.
He was also one of the most successfully developed characters in Dragon Ball.
And a character Turles was quite fond of.
But!
That was then, and this was now!
The Turles of the past had been a viewer watching from outside the screen, free to fully experience and appreciate the so-called character arc. Now, however, Turles was standing before the real, flesh-and-blood Vegeta.
No matter what kind of person he would become in the future, there was no denying that the Vegeta of the present was a thoroughly cold-blooded creature.
If the current Vegeta possessed power as great as Frieza's, there was no doubt about it.
He would absolutely be an extra-evil version of the "Emperor of the Universe"!
Turles did not consider himself a paragon of virtue, but he was, after all, an Earthling who had been educated in the civilization of another world's Earth.
He could ignore the existence of evil as long as his own interests came first, but he could not bring himself to approve of such behavior.
That was also why, despite seemingly having earned the regard of Frieza, the "Emperor of the Universe," he was still secretly planning to leave once he achieved his true goal.
Besides not wanting to bargain with a tiger for its skin, the evil at the heart of the Frieza Force was one of the reasons he felt repulsed.
Now, watching a villain come undone before him, Turles felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
Since arriving in the danger-filled world of Dragon Ball, almost everyone he had met had been a villain guilty of countless evils in the original story.
But these guys were either his own subordinates or his superiors, and they were all part of his power base.
Naturally, he couldn't use them as outlets for his emotions.
But now, Vegeta was like an outlet.
He allowed Turles to release the emotions he had bottled up until now.
He tilted his head.
His lips curled into another mocking smile.
"What's wrong, Your Highness? What's with that ugly look on your face? Are you scared?"
"Let me remind you, your scouter isn't broken!"
At those intensely provocative words, Vegeta's pupils abruptly contracted.
His breakdown reached its absolute limit, and his emotions exploded out of control.
He moved.
His right fist shot up from his waist. The muscles in his entire arm twisted together in an instant, channeling all his strength into his fist.
He threw the punch in an instant, aiming straight for Turles's face.
Turles raised his right hand from his chest.
He opened his palm and caught Vegeta's entire fist in it.
The fist was gripped in his palm.
Vegeta's forward momentum slammed to a complete stop against Turles's arm, and his body swayed. But Turles's feet did not budge an inch.
The corridor was quiet enough to hear air flowing through the overhead ventilation ducts.
Nappa's mouth hung open, as though he couldn't close it.
Raditz looked just as stunned.
Neither of them had even realized what had happened.
Turles tightened his fingers a little.
Crack.
Vegeta's knuckles made a sound.
Pain shot up from his finger bones, raced along his wrist, and reached his elbow.
Vegeta's face grew even more ferocious.
The corner of his eye twitched slightly.
But he kept his teeth clenched, still trying to wrench himself free of Turles's hand, which gripped him like an iron clamp.
Turles leaned half a step closer.
Their faces were so close that only the two of them could hear each other clearly.
"Your Highness."
Turles spoke softly.
"Your punch doesn't even seem worthy of making me get serious."
Vegeta's eyes instantly turned bloodshot.
His lips trembled violently, and an indistinct sound came from his throat. It was impossible to tell whether he was cursing or shouting.
Turles let go.
Vegeta's fist slipped free of his palm.
All five fingers were red and swollen, and his knuckles were already somewhat misshapen.
Before Vegeta could react,
A rush of wind swept in from the side.
It was Turles's tail.
The furry thing wrapped around his waist as a belt unwound in an instant, whipping out in an arc and striking Vegeta squarely in the abdomen.
A dull thud.
Vegeta was lifted clean off the ground.
He flew sideways, his back crashing into the wall at the end of the corridor.
Cracks burst across the alloy wall panel from the point of impact, and fragments pattered down.
Vegeta slid down the wall.
One knee hit the floor, and his other hand braced against the ground.
A trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
From Vegeta's sudden attack on Turles to the moment he was nearly embedded in the wall, it had all happened in an extremely short time.
That much was clear from the dazed looks still on Nappa's and Raditz's faces.
Nappa looked at Vegeta, half-kneeling on the floor, and felt as though his worldview was crumbling.
What had he just seen?
The mighty Vegeta had been sent flying in a single exchange.
And what he found most unbelievable was that the guy who had sent Vegeta flying!
Was a Saiyan too!
Once Nappa came to his senses, a wave of fear washed over him.
Had he just been mouthing off to this terrifying guy in front of him?
He suddenly wished he could lose his memory!
Raditz was no better off. The back pressed against the wall was already soaked in cold sweat.
Turles's tail curled back around his waist, wrapping itself neatly in place.
He glanced at Vegeta, who was kneeling on the ground.
Vegeta was trembling.
He was looking at his right hand, still red and swollen.
Then he wiped the scarlet blood from the corner of his mouth.
And brought it before his eyes.
It was real!
This Turles!
Was stronger than him!
Vegeta raised his head.
A streak of blood trailed from the corner of his mouth to his chin.
His eyes held a mixture of hatred, resentment, humiliation, and an emotion he himself was unwilling to admit.
Turles met his gaze for a moment.
Then he turned and walked toward the barracks.
He didn't say another unnecessary word.
Only three Saiyans remained in the corridor.
Nappa could finally move again.
He rushed over to Vegeta, crouched down, and reached out to help him up.
"Vegeta! Are you all right?"
Vegeta slapped Nappa's hand away.
"Don't touch me!"
Nappa's hand froze in midair.
Vegeta pushed himself up against the wall.
His left hand pressed against his abdomen, where there must have been a bruise by now.
His knees were still weak, but he forced himself to take a step.
He walked in the opposite direction, one step at a time.
Raditz glanced at Nappa, seemingly asking what they should do.
In the end, the two could only follow in silence.
The sounds of their footsteps overlapped in the metal corridor.