The people of Yardrat looked up at the sky where hundreds of warships hung suspended. The booming voice from the announcement system echoed across the landscape. Being naturally peace-loving, the Yardrats had never installed detection systems, alarms, or defense equipment, leaving them momentarily paralyzed with indecision.
Several elders hurried into the central meeting hall to discuss their response.
"Leader Soba, what should we do?"
"Delutha has always been like a malignant tumor in this sector. Now that Frieza is gone, he's flexing his power and showing his true ambitions!" the fiery female elder shouted.
"We are not so easily bullied. Yardrat's fighters may be able to hold their own."
"But Delutha has hundreds of warships. Their bombardment alone could devastate us. Although many of our people have learned various techniques, they remain physically vulnerable. If they start bombing, casualties would be immeasurable. I think... it might be better to surrender temporarily."
"Absolutely not! Planet Yardrat will remain free and independent forever!"
"Then you're willing to sacrifice..."
The elders argued intensely, some advocating resistance while others preferred temporary submission.
Both sides presented valid points, and the debate seemed endless. Finally, Soba, his face cold and stern, tapped slowly and deliberately on the table. His fingers struck the white porcelain surface with sharp, staccato sounds that immediately silenced everyone.
"Enough arguing. With our strength alone, even if we could resist Delutha's attack, we would suffer grievous losses. He may be a minor power in the universe, but he's still dangerous." Soba made his assessment after careful consideration.
The elder who advocated surrender suddenly looked triumphant. "Then we should preserve our strength and avoid unnecessary sacrifice."
"No! That's not what I meant," Soba replied, his gaze sharp as an arrow. "We Yardrats will never surrender. But we won't fight them ourselves, because they're about to face a far more formidable opponent." He pointed in the direction of Master Pybara's residence.
"The... Saiyan?"
The elders were stunned.
Aboard his luxurious flagship, Delutha had waited impatiently for a response that never came.
Did his threats lack sufficient impact? Or were the Yardrats preparing to resist?
His scouters indicated that the highest power level on the planet was only 20,000—conquest was guaranteed. Still, he had hoped the Yardrats would surrender immediately, as he was actually quite protective of his fleet.
These hundreds of ships represented his entire fortune—he had literally emptied his treasury for today's show of force. Too much damage would be financially devastating.
"My lord, they haven't responded. Perhaps they're paralyzed with fear," suggested his dog-headed military advisor. "Why not fire a warning shot to demonstrate our power? Then you can appear personally and intimidate them into surrendering without a fight!"
Delutha wasn't particularly bright, so he frequently relied on others' suggestions, especially when accompanied by flattery.
"An excellent plan! They've delayed too long—open fire!" Delutha commanded, rising from his chair and striding to the upper deck of the ship, a look of arrogant satisfaction on his face.
The moment he took position, hundreds of cannons fired simultaneously. Purple, white, and yellow energy beams streaked through the atmosphere, entangled with crackling lightning. The barrage was so dense it resembled a swarm of bats blotting out the sky. The intertwining energy waves and artillery fire created a deafening roar, while the blinding light sent civilians fleeing in terror.
Delutha couldn't help but laugh with delight.
His smile lasted only a second before freezing in place. The mighty barrage covering thousands of square miles appeared to have hit an invisible wall! He watched in disbelief as all his ships' energy attacks were blocked, then reflected back toward his fleet!
Raditz walked calmly through the hail of weapons fire, his coat fluttering in the howling wind like a tattered black flag. He moved forward at an unhurried pace, his eyes fixed on the battleships high above. Cold light gleamed in his pupils like the edge of a blade as the wind whipped around him.
With his power, there was no need for evasion—missiles and energy blasts had no effect on him whatsoever. Nothing could impede Raditz's advance. His emergence cut through the dense assault like a sword slicing through paper!
Simultaneously, Raditz employed his newly learned skill: psychokinesis.
The boundless energy attacks were contained outside a barrier formed by his mental power. No matter how wide the barrage or how fierce the assault, nothing could penetrate the wall Raditz had created with thought alone! With a single body, he had conjured an impenetrable shield! Against this overwhelming attack, one man simply walked upward through the air toward Delutha.
The Yardrats were astonished.
The visitor who had been delivering packages and cooking food for them possessed such incredible power!
The downpour of energy finally ceased. Delutha was shocked that someone could block his entire fleet's attack! He hurriedly shouted: "Who are you?! How dare you interfere! Do you know who stands before you?!"
His subordinates rushed to flank him, proclaiming loudly: "Stand aside! You face the Emperor of the Universe, King Delutha!"
"The universe... emperor? You?" Raditz's expression registered surprise.
"Haha, are you frightened now?" Delutha's men noticed Raditz's reaction and misinterpreted it as fear, becoming even more arrogant.
But Raditz was caught between laughter and exasperation. The Emperor of the Universe? Again? Was this title being handed out like candy these days?
The title was becoming less impressive than "Super Saiyan" would be in the future.
This creature's energy was so weak that even Jeice could defeat him easily. His arrogance was only possible because he operated in a remote sector. Ignorance truly was bliss...
Raditz wished he could contact Frieza and tell him: "Stop resting—someone's trying to take your throne."
"Honestly, the thing I hate most is people claiming to be 'Emperor of the Universe.' The galaxy is a dangerous place. You should go back to whatever hell you crawled out of."
"You... you... are you suicidal?"
Delutha still hadn't grasped the power disparity. Although Raditz had blocked their entire bombardment, which was surprising, his scouter still displayed a power level of only 10,000. He trusted the device more than his own eyes.
With his self-proclaimed power level of 30,000, he felt no fear of Raditz and even fantasized about teaching him a lesson.
Raditz snorted coldly, waved one hand, and released a blindingly gorgeous energy wave. Delutha prepared to counter-attack, but in that same instant, Raditz vanished and reappeared behind him.
The pale light streaked toward the sky, creating layers of invisible disturbances upon impact. The blazing energy engulfed hundreds of ships and detonated in a massive explosion!
Delutha turned around in shock, his face ashen.
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