Bardock rampaged forward, his body wreathed in a fierce, pale blue Ki Aura. He let out constant roars as he struck down every alien blocking his path, sending them plummeting from the sky.
Several aliens lunged at him, locking their arms around his body in a desperate attempt to stop him. Bardock glanced up at the spaceship looming overhead; it was already within reach. Just one more push and he would be right above it.
He began to condense a terrifying, brilliant energy wave in his hand. With a great shout, the light burst from his palm in a scattering array, and beams of light pierced right through the aliens holding him. They fell from the sky like shattered pottery.
Bardock broke free of the restraints, only to be grabbed again by several more soldiers. Left with no choice, he dragged them along as he flew toward the top of Frieza's spaceship. Looking at the hull so close at hand,
Bardock knew that Frieza must be watching his every move through the viewing window. He roared at the hemispherical porthole, "Frieza! Get out here right now! I know you're in there, and I'm not letting you off!"
On the ground, Qin Yan's lip twitched as he listened to Bardock's arrogant declarations. The man had clearly forgotten his own limitations. Saiyans truly were nothing but reckless brutes; they seemed to do all their fighting with their lungs.
With a mechanical click, the hatch at the top of the massive, disc-shaped ship slowly slid open.
Bardock and the two aliens clutching him froze, their eyes fixed on the opening door.
As the hatch opened completely, Frieza rose slowly from the dark interior of the ship, seated in his hoverchair under the terrified gazes of everyone present. His arms rested naturally on the sides of the pod, his palms pressed together in front of his chest.
His purple lips were thin and pressed shut, and his crimson eyes cold and cruel as a demon's from hell were locked onto Bardock with an overwhelming gloom. To Frieza, Bardock was already a dead man.
Frieza's powerful presence and terrifying imperial majesty immediately terrified the soldiers holding Bardock. They scrambled to let go, trembling as they bowed and cried out, "Lord Frieza!"
"L-Lord Frieza!"
Every alien on the scene was drenched in cold sweat, their voices shaking. A wave of horror swept through the battlefield; they had never expected Lord Frieza to make a personal appearance.
"Hahaha! Now, everything will change! The fate of Planet Vegeta... my fate... and the fate of Kakarot!" Bardock stared intently at the terrifying figure before him and chuckled.
His breathing was ragged, and his body trembled slightly. It was clear that the charge through the blockade had exhausted much of his energy and left him with several injuries.
Seeing Bardock rambling while Lord Frieza's expression turned darker, the surrounding aliens couldn't help but swallow nervously.
Frieza ignored Bardock's strange words, his gaze remaining cold and silent. He slowly raised his right hand, extending a single index finger from his partially closed fist. A sun-like orb of energy, no larger than the tip of his finger, condensed there. The crimson energy flickered with a dazzling halo, and though it appeared small, it contained a terrifying, unparalleled power.
"And your fate as well, you bastard Frieza..." Bardock continued to mutter to himself. At the same time, a high-speed, spinning pale blue energy wave condensed in his own hand, emitting a sharp crackling sound.
The energy grew brighter, more solid, and more powerful by the second. When it reached its peak, Bardock suddenly let out a furious scream. "I'll settle this once and for all with this move!"
He pulled his arm back and hurled the light of his hope toward Frieza. The energy wave streaked across the dark sky like a brilliant, fast-moving star.
Bardock's heart raced. This was his full-power strike, an attack loaded with all his hopes. He gritted his teeth and stared at the shining light, praying for success.
However, as Frieza watched the furious strike hurtling toward him, his calm expression shifted into a cruel smirk. Then, he threw his head back and laughed. "Ho... Hahaha!"
As Frieza laughed, the miniature sun on his fingertip expanded rapidly. It grew from the size of a bowl to a basketball, then to a massive iron pot. As the energy ball continued to swell, it began to swallow the surrounding space.
Soon, the energy mass was larger than dozens of basketball courts combined, yet its expansion did not stop. Bardock's white energy wave was instantly consumed. Before Frieza's massive, sun-like crimson sphere, Bardock's attack was like a single drop of water falling into the ocean, failing to stir even a single ripple.
"Wha... What? How is this possible!"
Bardock was stunned. He couldn't accept that his attack had done absolutely nothing.
The surrounding aliens also cried out in shock.
The crimson energy mass in Frieza's hand continued to swell until it was even larger than his own spaceship. Only then did the expansion stop.
"Hahaha... Hahohoho..."
Frieza laughed with wild, unchecked arrogance. Looking at the massive sphere he had gathered, he threw it without a second thought toward Bardock, his own subordinates, and Planet Vegeta.
The soldiers behind Bardock were paralyzed with fear. They screamed in terror, "Lord Frieza! Aaaah!"
"Aaaah!!!" The terrifying energy ball, vast as a sun, bore down on Bardock. The pressure of the air currents howling around it was so intense that his hair whipped violently against his head. Despite this, Bardock showed no fear. He spread his limbs and glared with wide eyes, roaring as he prepared to use his own body to block the sun-like mass.
Boom!
The massive crimson sphere struck Bardock squarely, dragging him along as it slammed toward Planet Vegeta. It swallowed the vast crowd of aliens as it went. The weaker soldiers couldn't even begin to endure the scorching, horrific heat; they were torn apart and vaporized instantly, reduced to ash.
The crimson sphere tore through everything in its path, hurtling toward the planet like a miniature sun on a collision course.
As the sphere descended, the massive crimson energy wave pierced through the atmosphere.
Inside the spaceship, Zarbon watched through a porthole as the giant fireball plummeted toward Planet Vegeta. His handsome face was trembling with uncontrollable excitement.
In all the time he had served Lord Frieza, every instance of the emperor destroying a planet felt like watching a display of magnificent fireworks. Zarbon's blood boiled with thrill.
The scorching Ki Aura tore at Bardock's battle armor, piece by piece, turning the scraps to ash. Bardock's mouth hung open, his eyes dull. Such overwhelming power filled him with despair; he was powerless to resist.
Amidst the endless flames, Bardock caught a vision of Kakarot as a grown man. In a beautiful and strange environment, he saw Kakarot dressed in a red martial arts gi, standing in defiance against Frieza. A smile tugged at the corner of Bardock's mouth, and he shouted, "Kakarot!"
It was a scene of utter tragedy.
"Bardock!"
From a high platform, Gine screamed in despair, her face drenched in tears of anxiety and heartbreak.
By now, the massive crimson energy mass was so close that its pressure made the entire Planet Vegeta tremble and shake.
Qin Yan's parents and the others watched the world-ending spectacle with terror. They squeezed their eyes shut, not daring to watch the horror that was about to unfold.
"That's enough!"
Seeing that Bardock could no longer hold on, Qin Yan prepared to step in.
"Liya, take care of them," Qin Yan said to the young girl beside him.
"Okay, Brother Qin Yan," Liya replied with a nod.
Before she could finish her sentence, Qin Yan vanished with a shush. He reappeared instantly in front of the massive, scorching crimson energy ball. Faced with the terrifying mass that threatened to destroy everything,
Qin Yan remained completely unaffected. His expression was as calm as ever a true picture of composure in the face of a collapsing mountain.
Seeing that Bardock had already slipped into unconsciousness, Qin Yan grabbed him and hurled him back toward Liya and the others. He shouted, "Liya, give him a Senzu Bean!"
After saving Bardock, Qin Yan slowly raised his right hand and opened his palm. He channeled his power and let out a soft grunt.
Instantly, the massive, hurtling fireball came to a dead stop. The world, which had been trembling moments before, fell into a sudden, eerie silence.
The scene was frozen in time.
"Nani?"
Frieza's face twisted in shock and confusion. He had expected to see his energy wave sink into Planet Vegeta and trigger an explosion. Instead, he saw his attack frozen in mid-air. He lost his composure entirely, unable to comprehend what was happening.
"Wha... What is this?"
Inside the ship, Zarbon stared through the porthole at the bizarre turn of events. He screamed in terror, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. He stood frozen in place, as if he were staring at something utterly impossible.
The remaining aliens in the air and inside the ship were similarly paralyzed with shock.
Down on the surface of Planet Vegeta, the people were finally beginning to react. They hadn't known what was happening, but as they rushed outside to investigate, they saw a giant fireball poised to end the world.
Just as they thought their lives were over, the ball stopped. They stared up at the sky in a daze, their minds completely blank before the terrifying sight.
Back on the roof of the building, a heavy thud echoed as a figure crashed onto the balcony. Seeing the injured Bardock, Liya hurriedly pulled a Senzu Bean from her pocket and fed it to him.
Hearing the noise, Qin Yan's parents and the others snapped their eyes open. They had expected to be dead, but instead, they saw the heavily wounded, unconscious Bardock.
"Bardock!" Gine cried out, her eyes full of endless concern and worry as she rushed over to check on him.
Qin Yan's parents and the others looked at the peaceful surroundings. Planet Vegeta had not been destroyed. They turned their gazes toward the distance, and there, they saw a sight that they would never forget for as long as they lived.
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