The far side of Planet Namek was a place abandoned by light.
Here, the three relentless suns no longer took turns scorching the land. Instead, an eternal twilight reigned.
Towering ring-shaped mountain ranges formed a circle like black jagged teeth, crushing the light from the outside world and spitting out only faint, desolate gray.
The air was thick and heavy, like a failed potion left to rot, filled with a nauseating mix of sulfur and decaying plant matter.
Krillin hovered in midair. Beneath him, the swamp bubbled with purple-black toxic blisters. Each burst released a foul stench that made the air itself feel poisonous.
"System, are you sure that so-called Guardian lives in a place like this? This is even worse than Snake Princess's nest."
He frowned in disgust, using ki to isolate himself from the air. The Dragon Ball radar in his hand was completely useless, its screen filled with static.
System alert: Coordinates are correct. This location is the ancient "Hidden Sanctuary" of Namek.
Detected ahead: spatial folding phenomenon within 300 meters. This technique uses natural magnetic fields and light refraction to create perfect sensory and visual concealment.
Warning: Although invisible to the eye, an extremely dense and pure life energy is present.
"So it really is hiding in plain sight?"
Krillin slowly descended.
His boots landed on slippery moss with a soft squelch.
Ahead was a field of scattered stones. Dead trees reached toward the sky like the arms of dried corpses. Nothing else was visible.
But in his perception, nothing about this place was empty.
In fact, it was overflowing.
He walked to what looked like empty air and reached out.
His fingertip did not touch air, but something like thick, solidified oil resisting his movement.
"Interesting."
Krillin smiled slightly.
A golden-red ki flared at his fingertip.
"Open sesame."
Buzz.
The air emitted a strained, agonized groan.
The invisible barrier, maintained for thousands of years, shattered under absolute force like a mirror breaking apart.
Reality peeled away like a curtain.
Krillin held his breath.
Before him unfolded an ancient temple made of flawless white jade.
Though weathered by time, it still emitted a soft sacred glow.
At its center stood a gigantic mutated hydrangea tree, so large it was almost suffocating.
Its canopy spread like a purple cloud, covering the entire sky.
Countless glowing violet vines hung from its branches, swaying gently in the wind and scattering shimmering light. The entire space felt like a dream.
And beneath that tree stood a figure.
When Krillin saw her clearly, even he, someone who had seen countless beauties, felt his heartbeat skip.
A Namekian?
No.
Not at all.
Her skin was white and flawless, like the finest jade, glowing softly under the purple light like porcelain.
Her long violet hair cascaded down like a waterfall, reaching all the way to her ankles.
Her face was delicate, with a sharp oval shape, and her eyes were a clear green.
She wore a white priestess robe woven from unknown flower petals.
The robe clung to her body perfectly, outlining her slender waist and full curves with breathtaking precision.
"Who are you?"
The goddess spoke.
Her voice was clear and ethereal, like spring water striking stone, yet carried a chilling edge.
Her green eyes locked onto Krillin. Her violet hair floated behind her without wind, like an enraged cat's fur standing on end.
System Vision Activated.
Name: Aki (Ajisa)
Race: Namekian Hydrangea Tree Saintess (Ancient Mutated Entity)
Power Level: 48,000
Appearance Rating: SSS+ (Galactic Grade, Divine Purity)
Status: Extreme vigilance, territorial awakening
"Intruder… or a thief here for the Sacred Tree?!"
Aki could feel the suffocating, unfamiliar energy coming from Krillin.
It was nothing like the peaceful aura of the Namekians. It was domineering, predatory.
She instinctively assumed he was one of Frieza's demons.
"Whatever you are, for the sake of protecting the Aki Temple and the Sacred Tree… you must die!"
With a sharp cry, the peaceful vines around her erupted.
BOOM.
Dozens of glowing vines shot up from the ground, transforming into violet serpents that lunged at Krillin from every direction.
"Hey now, no need to be so aggressive, beautiful."
Krillin did not even take his hands out of his pockets.
He simply tilted his body slightly, as if strolling through his own backyard.
Swish. Swish. Swish.
The vines sliced past his cheeks, waist, and shoulders, but did not even touch his clothes.
His figure flickered through the dense attacks like a ghost, each movement perfectly slipping through the gaps.
"Even though you are stunning, isn't this greeting a bit too enthusiastic?"
He stepped lightly and rose into the air, arriving directly in front of Aki at eye level.
"You…"
Aki's eyes widened in disbelief.
"This is impossible! The Thorn Dance has no blind spots! How did you see through all the trajectories?!"
She bit her lip and formed a hand seal. Her violet hair whipped violently as massive life energy gathered in her palms.
"Hydrangea Wrath!"
BOOM.
The ground around the temple exploded. Countless wooden spikes and violet petals shot toward Krillin like a storm of blades.
Each petal was as sharp as a knife. Each spike could pierce steel.
Krillin sighed.
"If I don't show you a little something, you're not going to listen, huh."
He took a single step forward.
That step seemed to transcend space itself, ignoring the laws of physics.
All the incoming attacks shattered into glowing dust the moment they reached three feet from him, as if striking an invisible wall.
Within the violet rain of destruction, Krillin walked forward like a descending god.
He ignored her defensive aura completely, reached out gently, and passed through it as if it did not exist.
He lifted her chin with two fingers.
"Look into my eyes."
His voice was low, magnetic, and carried a pressure that struck the soul itself.
Aki trembled.
In that instant, she felt as if she were being stared down by an ancient beast.
The energy in her hands dispersed instantly.
Her heart, which had never once wavered in centuries, began pounding violently as if it would break free from her chest.
"You… what are you going to do…"
Her voice shook.
The killing intent on her beautiful face faded rapidly, replaced by an uncontrollable flush of red.