After listening to Trunks and Son Goten's explanation, Tapion's furrowed brows relaxed somewhat, but the deep wariness in his eyes had not completely faded.
He remained silent for a long time before coldly saying, "You should leave now... This is none of your business!"
"As soon as I wake up, that guy will be here soon..."
He closed his eyes, leaning weakly against the cold cave wall, trying to deter the two with this aloof posture.
However, Trunks and Son Goten just looked at each other, unmoved, their little faces full of stubbornness.
They just stood there, staring intently at Tapion.
With an expression that said, "We can't abandon you."
Seeing this, Tapion gritted his teeth, trying to force himself to stand up and leave.
He couldn't let these two children be implicated.
But as soon as he exerted his strength, the deep, bone-revealing sword wound in his chest was suddenly pulled, and the excruciating pain made him let out a muffled groan, and he collapsed back to the ground, panting heavily.
Damn it!
The injury was too severe!
The feeling of weakness in his body agitated Tapion; he suddenly opened his eyes and shouted again:
"I told you! This is none of your business!"
"You are no match for him. You will die if you stay! Don't you understand?"
His voice echoed in the empty cave.
These two brats have no idea what they're facing.
What Hoi is plotting is enough to drag the entire universe into an abyss of no return.
And I myself am the source of that calamity.
They were just two children and shouldn't have been dragged into this fateful conflict.
Son Goten carefully picked up the huge, sizzling, and fragrant piece of dinosaur meat and moved it step by step to Tapion's mouth.
Son Goten muttered a rebuttal:
"But big brother, if you don't eat your fill, you won't even have the strength to run away."
Trunks stepped forward, his face tense, and added in a serious tone:
"Besides, we are warriors of Frieza Force, and we would never abandon the wounded and desert our posts!"
"Big brother, you're a good person!"
We will protect you!
"Our Frieza Force's reinforcements will arrive shortly!"
He puffed out his small chest, his face full of pride.
"That green-skinned monster! We're not afraid of him at all!"
Son Goten laughed and chimed in, " Trunks is right!"
Frieza Force?
Tapion looked at the two children before him, their eyes clear and their defiance unwavering, a crack finally appeared in the ice that had formed in his heart.
His hands trembled as he took the still-steaming piece of roasted meat.
Then, in silence, I took a big bite.
Inside the cave, only the soft crackling of the campfire could be heard.
Tapion swallowed the last bite of roast meat.
The warm food slid down his throat and into his stomach, dispelling the last trace of chill in his body, and finally bringing back a bit of color to his pale face.
Looking at the two children who had saved him, his defenses finally crumbled.
Can you tell me about it?
He spoke first, his voice hoarse.
" Frieza Force..."
Trunks immediately perked up upon hearing this.
He straightened his small back, like an outstanding soldier being inspected, and began to talk to Tapion incessantly.
"Of course! Frieza Force is the army of justice in the entire universe right now!"
"We will strike down those despicable space pirates on every planet, just like those villains we just saw!"
"And then! We'll also send tons of supplies to those bullied planets to help them rebuild their homes!"
Son Goten, listening intently, nodded repeatedly and eagerly added, "Yes! Yes! We'll also build a security headquarters there and deploy many Defender robots to protect everyone's safety!"
"Those Defender are amazing! No bad guys will dare to cause trouble again!"
The two little ones chatted away, their faces beaming with genuine pride and joy.
In their descriptions, Frieza Force is practically the embodiment of cosmic peace and the guardian of all good life.
Tapion listened quietly without interrupting.
A complex glint flashed in his deep eyes.
A legion dedicated to maintaining peace in the universe?
In this cruel, cold, survival-of-the-fittest universe, it sounds... quite wonderful.
It was so beautiful it felt unreal.
He hesitated for a moment, but still asked the crucial question.
"The leader of Frieza Force... is that Frieza himself?"
"Maintaining peace in the universe requires immense power, right?"
This question left Trunks and Son Goten, who had just been in high spirits, speechless.
The two looked at each other, then scratched their heads uncertainly.
"Is... is that right?"
"It seems... that's how it is."
Their tone was full of uncertainty, clearly indicating that they didn't have much of a real sense of the legendary "Cosmic Emperor".
Trunks quickly recovered, changed the subject, and his little face was once again filled with pride as he loudly emphasized:
"But! Our master is the most powerful one! Right, Goten?"
Son Goten nodded vigorously, his eyes filled with admiration.
"Yes! Master is the strongest!"
Tapion watched the seamless understanding between the two little ones, and the innocent and radiant smiles on their faces, and his eyes gradually dimmed.
once Upon a time.
He also once had a younger brother who always followed behind him, his eyes full of admiration.
They once relied on each other like this, sharing meager meals and warmth on every cold night.
Tapion closed his eyes in agony, his hands gripping the cold scabbard tightly.
now...
The younger brother, in order to protect the other half of the seal, should have already...
Trunks keenly noticed Tapion's sudden drop in mood.
Although he didn't understand why, he silently picked up a water bottle next to him and handed it over.
Big brother, what's wrong?
Tapion shook his head, took the water bottle, and then looked at Trunks and Son Goten.
The two men's striking blond hair caught Tapion's eye.
These two children, although they look very young.
However, the fact that they were able to rescue themselves from that swordsman is enough to show that their Power Level is also quite remarkable.
Their master must be no ordinary person either.
However, even so, the "powerful" descriptions heard from the two of them were not very convincing.
Or rather, in Tapion's view, no matter how powerful...
Compared to Phantom Majin Hirudegarn, he's not even worth mentioning!
Thinking of this, Tapion's original idea of seeking help from this so-called Frieza Force quietly faded away.
He shook his head.
These things are ultimately his mission, and innocent people should not be implicated.
Tapion pondered, seemingly considering a solution.
He then closed his eyes again and fell silent.
It seemed they wanted to seize the time and recover as much strength as possible before the pursuers arrived, at the very least to prevent the two children from being put in danger...