Time passed by, and the shockwaves of the explosion had already dissipated.
In the sky, the thick smoke was slowly dispersing. Within Ki Sense, Frieza's aura had disappeared; his life or death unknown.
On the ground, Vegeta's arms hung limply at his sides, panting heavily. His aura had plummeted dramatically, and even his breathing had become unbearably heavy.
"Huff, huff, hufff… Hahahahaha!!!!" Vegeta let out a wild, unrestrained laugh, venting all the negative emotions he had accumulated over the years.
In Vegeta's view, he had won this battle. No one could survive an energy attack of that magnitude, not even himself.
Frieza must have been blown to pieces in the explosion.
Only, he seemed to be celebrating a little too early.
Frieza's strength was far beyond what he had seen.
Having laughed enough, Vegeta wore a faint smile as he gazed toward the thick smoke in midair.
But soon, the scene before him froze the smile on his face, replacing it with deep shock.
Most of the smoke and dust had cleared, revealing Frieza. The explosion just now had merely left him looking a little disheveled. It hadn't caused any real damage.
"That move just now was truly surprising. Even my Death Ball at fifty percent power was neutralized by you. Little Vegeta, you really have grown quite strong," Frieza's smile grew even wider as the icy blue killing intent around him became heavier and more menacing.
Feeling Frieza's aura not only undiminished but actually rising, Vegeta realized something, his pupils trembling violently.
"Damn you, Frieza… your power… how can you be this strong?! How… did you do it?!" Vegeta's spirit faltered for a moment under the impact of Frieza's aura.
In that instant, he understood how vast the gap in their strength truly was.
Frieza's terror was something he could not face at his current level.
This scene was just like in the original work. Thinking himself capable of matching Frieza's final form, only to be ruthlessly slapped down.
"Hohohoho~~!! Yes, that's the expression. When you face me, this is exactly how you should look." Frieza sneered coldly and casually fired a Death Beam.
Vegeta instinctively raised his arm to block it, but Death Beam's destructive power was far beyond anything he could withstand.
With a loud "Boom!!!!" Vegeta was blown backward without the slightest ability to resist.
His defense was completely shattered, and his battle armor was destroyed in the blast, leaving him even more battered.
Forcing himself to endure the pain of shattered bones, Vegeta struggled to his feet.
"Pfff!!" A stream of blood spurted from Vegeta's mouth. At that moment, his aura plummeted, and even his Super Saiyan transformation began flickering unsteadily.
"How can this be? The power of a Super Saiyan… isn't it supposed to be unmatched in the universe… Why is there still such a huge difference in strength?" Vegeta refused to accept this cruel reality.
After mastering the Super Saiyan transformation, he had confidently challenged Frieza, determined to take his revenge, only to end up with this outcome…
"You becoming a Super Saiyan truly surprised me. If it were the old me, perhaps I would have had to transform into my final form to deal with you. But now, the so-called invincible legend of the Super Saiyan is nothing but a boring joke before me. Hohohoho~~!!!" Frieza mercilessly mocked Vegeta's powerlessness as a Death Beam shot once again from the tip of his right index finger, which was enough to take Vegeta's life.
Just as Vegeta's life hung by a thread, an energy sphere quickly flew in and deflected the Death Beam.
This scene caused both Vegeta and Frieza to turn around in surprise.
The one who had saved Vegeta was not Talot, but Raditz.
"Once you're done fighting, hurry up and get out of the way. Stop making a fool of yourself, Vegeta." Raditz spoke to Vegeta with an impatient expression.
It looked like he was insulting Vegeta, but in truth he was provoking him, and at the same time, he had saved Vegeta's life.
"Y-You… damn it! Raditz… don't think I'll be grateful to you…" Vegeta would never accept such a favor, especially since Raditz's words stung him badly.
But defeat was defeat. He could only retreat unwillingly.
In his eyes, however, Raditz losing to Frieza was inevitable.
He himself had lost as a Super Saiyan; what could Raditz possibly win with?
"Then don't interrupt my fight. Go watch from the sidelines." Raditz raised an eyebrow, giving Vegeta no face at all.
"Hmph!!" Vegeta snorted coldly, dragging his battered body as he flew out of the battlefield.
Seeing Vegeta leave in such a sorry state, Frieza didn't care in the slightest.
Because even if Vegeta had mastered the Super Saiyan form, he was still just an insignificant little character.
"Yet another overconfident monkey." Frieza didn't spare Raditz a glance, unleashing his first form's full power, his overwhelming aura making earth tremble.
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