"Lord Tagoma!"
A group of Frieza Force soldiers knelt anxiously around the edge of the massive crater.
One of the lieutenants was wiping cold sweat from his forehead nonstop.
If Lord Frieza found out about infighting within the ranks, they'd all be in deep trouble. While Frieza valued powerful warriors like Tagoma and Levos, he had absolutely no mercy for useless underlings.
"…He's still alive," Levos muttered quietly as he descended to the bottom of the crater.
Tagoma's battle armor was in tatters. He lay unconscious, clearly defeated.
Lifting Tagoma with one arm, Levos flew back up to ground level.
The soldiers watching held their breath. Their hearts were in their throats.
"Lord Levos," the lieutenant ventured carefully, "Lord Tagoma is one of the fiercest warriors in the entire corps…"
"You all serve under him?" Levos asked, his tone indifferent.
That single sentence sent a visible shudder through the group. They all dropped to one knee.
"Yes! Yes, sir! We've been assigned to follow his command. But now…"
The lieutenant trailed off, not daring to continue.
Levos was silent for a moment. Then an idea flickered through his mind.
"I'll take him for treatment. As for you all…"
"…You've wasted my time. I'll just have to wipe you out."
He slowly raised a palm, aiming it at the trembling soldiers below. His expression was cold and unfeeling.
"Please, spare us, sir!"
Their faces twisted in terror. Bodies froze, pleading eyes locked on him.
Suddenly, the lieutenant blurted out, "We... we surrender! We're official contestants too! You can't kill us like this!"
"Lord Babidi! Lord Babidi! Please teleport us out of here!"
Huh?
In the next moment, the ground cracked open, revealing a circular hatch an unmistakable spaceship portal.
Levos blinked.
The entire group of Frieza soldiers, along with the hatch itself, vanished without a trace.
Staring at the now-empty ground, Levos felt a sinking sensation in his chest.
Babidi had been watching everything.
He could monitor every corner of the battlefield. And worse, he could teleport multiple people away in the blink of an eye, right in front of Levos.
If Babidi had this level of control, then the moment Levos revealed his true mission to locate Babidi and stop him the sorcerer would immediately vanish without a trace.
His plan to track Babidi just got a lot more complicated.
Looking up at the giant orb-shaped screen in the sky, Levos noticed that the [Hope Team] name had grown significantly larger. They'd officially advanced to the elimination round.
Bulma and Android 16 caught up to Levos soon after.
"Levos, were you really going to kill them back there?"
Levos had only meant to pressure them into surrendering. But Babidi's sudden interference had thrown everything off. The sorcerer's teleportation magic was terrifyingly precise. And who knew where he'd sent those soldiers?
He replied calmly, "Frieza doesn't tolerate soft-hearted subordinates."
"If necessary, yes. I would've killed them."
He glanced at the battered Tagoma in his grasp. "But now we've got a legitimate reason to enter Frieza's ship."
Bulma pouted. "Wait a second, you planned all of that from the beginning, didn't you?! I was worried for nothing!"
Levos scratched his nose sheepishly. "I actually wanted to squeeze some intel out of him… something about Frieza and his father's current strength. But oh well."
It wasn't a total loss.
At least now he knew that Frieza and King Cold had undergone six months of intense training.
That knowledge alone gave Levos a bit of peace of mind.
If he remembered correctly, it only took those two half a year to unlock their Golden Forms.
They might be the most naturally gifted warriors in the universe.
Had they trained for two or three years straight, Levos wouldn't stand a chance against them in his current state.
Right now, the only force on his side that could rival the Golden Frieza duo… was a fusion warrior.
The trio Levos, Bulma, and Android 16 made their way toward the massive spaceship in the distance.
Frieza Force soldiers stationed along the path all stood at attention and saluted as they passed. Clearly, word had spread that Levos had defeated Tagoma in a one-on-one battle.
No one dared block their path.
They landed smoothly before Frieza's flagship.
Levos had already confirmed via radar two Dragon Balls were hidden inside this ship.
The guards standing outside quickly formed two rows and bowed deeply.
"Lord Levos, Lady Bulma, Lord 16 congratulations on advancing to the elimination round!"
One after another, the soldiers offered their sycophantic praise.
Levos and Android 16 nodded calmly, while Bulma looked around in amazement.
"Lord Levos, please let us handle Lord Tagoma's treatment."
"Would you like to rest and recover? I can arrange the finest relaxation services for you."
Levos waved a hand. "No need. I'll deliver him to the medbay myself."
One soldier stepped forward to offer guidance, but Levos declined.
He took the lead, Bulma and Android 16 following close behind.
They passed through several curved corridors before arriving at the top level of the ship outside a medical chamber.
Guards stationed at the entrance opened the door and invited them in.
This was the ship's medbay.
At the center of the room stood a spherical healing pod… and inside floated a familiar figure.
King Cold.
Two medical staff were monitoring his vitals from nearby screens, clearly on edge.
Seeing the trio enter, they immediately stepped forward.
"Lord Levos, please place Lord Tagoma on the bed. We'll handle the rest."
After setting Tagoma down, Levos walked over to King Cold's healing pod.
He stood silently, gazing at the massive figure inside.
Cold's body was covered in tubes and wires. He wore an oxygen mask and floated in a nutrient-rich solution.
His eyes were closed. His breathing was steady. By all appearances, his recovery was going well.
The massive wound in his abdomen had fully healed. Only his severed tail had yet to regenerate.
Suddenly, Cold's eyes snapped open, locking directly onto Levos.
Levos instantly went on guard.
Then, King Cold… smiled.
A cold, eerie grin.
Levos instinctively took two steps back, shielding Bulma behind him.
But then, Cold's gaze shifted away from him, toward the far corner of the room.
After a moment, he gave Levos a slow nod… and then closed his eyes again.
Levos exhaled in relief.
For a second, he thought Cold had figured out that he was the one behind the ambush… and was about to retaliate.
If that had happened, the Frieza Force would've hunted him down on the spot.
But Cold's interest wasn't in him.
It was in something else entirely.
Following Cold's line of sight, Levos looked to the corner of the medbay.
There, on a table, sat an ornate tray covered with a gem-studded lid.
Though he couldn't see inside, a faint orange glow flickered from the cracks in the cover.
Two rhythmic pulses of light.
The final two Dragon Balls… were right here in this room.
And the one guarding them… was King Cold.
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