Zarbon's bulging yellow eyes locked onto Krillin, thick saliva dripping from the corners of his mouth.
After transforming, not only had his power skyrocketed, but his personality had grown far more savage and bloodthirsty.
"A bald guy? You want to die too?"
Zarbon pressed his foot down harder. Vegeta let out a muffled groan as his proud Saiyan head was forced deeper into the dirt.
"I was planning to finish off this traitor first, then deal with the rest of you."
He lifted his foot and turned toward Krillin, his massive body casting a looming shadow.
"But since you're in such a hurry to die, I'll grant your wish."
Boom!
The ground beneath Zarbon exploded as he launched forward, using the recoil to propel his huge body at terrifying speed. The air itself shrieked from the force.
In the blink of an eye, a massive, knotted green fist appeared right in front of Krillin's face.
"Die!"
Zarbon roared, pouring all his transformed power into that punch. It was strong enough to pulverize a mountain.
"Krillin!" Bulma cried out from the distance.
Trillin just clicked his tongue and kept chatting with Gohan about their game, completely unconcerned.
Facing that world-shattering blow, Krillin didn't even blink.
He simply tilted his head slightly forward, offering up his smooth, shining scalp.
Bang!
A dull, heavy impact rang out.
Time seemed to freeze.
The savage grin on Zarbon's face stiffened.
He felt it instantly.
His punch hadn't hit flesh. It was like striking an indestructible mass forged from the core of a neutron star.
Then came the sound.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
A series of sickening fractures echoed in rapid succession.
His knuckles, wrist, even his forearm bones shattered under the overwhelming recoil.
"Aaaaaargh!"
Zarbon screamed like a slaughtered animal, clutching his twisted, mangled arm as he staggered backward. His eyes were filled with disbelief and terror.
"This… this is impossible! My arm… my arm!"
Krillin casually rubbed his head, even brushing it with his sleeve as if wiping away nonexistent dust.
"That's it?"
He sighed, looking almost disappointed.
"I thought turning into a toad would at least make you tougher. Turns out you're just ugly and fragile."
"Low on calcium or something? Want Aki to prescribe you some supplements?"
From the crater, Vegeta forced himself up, one eye swollen nearly shut.
He stared at Krillin, completely unharmed, and felt his will crack.
This monster… he's gotten even stronger.
Zarbon's entire body trembled from the pain, but as a seasoned fighter, fear quickly gave way to madness.
"Damn you! I'll kill you! I'll tear you apart!"
He opened his mouth wide, gathering a dense sphere of purple energy.
The surrounding space began to distort under the pressure. The waters of Namek churned violently.
"Take this! Ultimate Destruction Cannon!"
Zarbon unleashed the attack in a furious roar.
Facing a blast powerful enough to wipe out half a continent, Krillin finally looked just a little more serious.
"If you're going to try this hard, I guess I should take you a bit seriously too."
He drew his right fist back to his waist.
No dramatic aura. No flashy effects.
Just a simple punch.
[Serious Punch]
Boom!
The punch was thrown.
The wind followed.
A terrifying pressure exploded forward, beyond anything words could describe.
Zarbon's massive energy blast vanished the instant it touched the force of the punch, like a soap bubble meeting a needle. It didn't even have time to explode.
The shockwave continued forward without slowing.
It passed straight through Zarbon's body.
He didn't even feel pain.
Behind him, the ocean split apart.
The sea was forced aside, revealing the muddy seabed thousands of meters below.
Even the clouds in the sky were cut cleanly in half, exposing the dark vastness of space.
Then everything went still.
Zarbon stood frozen.
He looked down at his chest.
There was nothing there.
His entire upper body had been erased.
Only his legs remained.
Thud.
They collapsed.
Zarbon was dead.
System Notification: Elite Boss Zarbon defeated.
Mission Complete: Namek Encounter.
Experience Gained: Massive.
Saitama Template Sync Rate: 43%
Special Reward: Transformation mechanism analyzed.
New Skill Acquired: Stage One Transformation
Generating Skill… Complete.
Congratulations. New Form Unlocked: Super Bald Form, Stage One
"Super Bald Form?"
Krillin stared at the system panel, his lips twitching.
"Who came up with that name? System, show yourself. I promise I won't hit you."
The name was ridiculous.
But the description wasn't.
Super Bald Form, Stage One:
By compressing muscle density and internal energy to an extreme level, physical defense and explosive power increase by fifty times.
Unlike Super Saiyan, this form contains all energy within the body. No energy leakage, no side effects.
Hair loss does not occur. In fact, your bald head becomes even shinier.
"Fifty times… across the board."
Krillin took a slow breath.
"Let's try it."
With a thought, he activated the form.
There was no golden aura. No storm of energy.
Only a faint creaking sound.
His muscles began to vibrate and compress at a visible rate.
His already lean physique tightened further, every line of his body sharpened like carved steel.
The biggest change was his skin.
It took on a faint metallic sheen, a subtle dark gold glow.
And his head…
It shone like a miniature sun, radiating a sacred, untouchable brilliance.
A strange pressure spread outward from him.
There was no killing intent in it.
Only weight.
Like a black hole had appeared.
Vegeta, just crawling out of the crater, witnessed everything.
He stared at Krillin's glowing golden form, his bloodshot eyes trembling.
"Gold… golden…"
His voice shook.
"The legendary… Super Saiyan?"
"No… impossible! He's human! He's bald! How could he be a Super Saiyan?!"
In that moment, everything Vegeta believed shattered.
The legendary form he had chased his entire life…
had been reached by a bald human.
And it looked even stronger than the legend.
"Monsters… they're all monsters…"
Vegeta couldn't take it anymore.
Clutching his chest, he staggered back, then suddenly burst into the air and fled without looking back.
He had to get the Dragon Balls.
Before Frieza noticed. Before that bald monster turned on him.
He needed immortality.
Only immortality could defeat monsters like this.
Krillin watched him go but made no move to chase.
"He ran just like that? Weak mentality."
He released the transformation, the golden glow fading away.
"I wasn't even trying yet."
Turning back toward Bulma and Trillin, he clapped his hands lightly.
"All done."
"Let's head back. I'm starving after that."
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