The instant Whis dismissed him, Rudra's body vanished in a flash of blue light. A heartbeat later, his feet touched familiar soil.
Earth.
The calm breeze of Capsule Corporation's garden swept past him. The scent of fresh grass and humming machinery filled the air. Yet, inside Rudra's mind, the storm was anything but calm.
Whis's words echoed like a haunting bell.
He suspects me. He knows I'm hiding something. How long before he uncovers the truth?
Questions, doubts, and fears threatened to crush his focus. For a moment, he clenched his fists tightly, jaw tense.
But then Rudra inhaled deeply, exhaled slowly.
"No," he whispered to himself. "Not now. I can't afford distractions. Focus on the next step."
With that, he pressed two fingers to his forehead. In a blink of light, his Instantaneous Movement Technique carried him across the city—straight into the private training chamber where Vegeta was currently sharpening his edge.
---
Inside Bulma's estate, the gravity room buzzed like a living beast. Metal plates groaned under multiplied force. The air shimmered with heat from Vegeta's relentless training. He was drenched in sweat, his body flexed in perfect rhythm as he delivered blow after blow into the air.
Suddenly, Rudra appeared right in front of him, standing calm and collected.
Vegeta's eyes widened for half a second before narrowing in irritation.
"You again?" His tone was sharp, dripping with annoyance. "What do you want this time?"
Rudra's lips curved into a light, teasing smile.
"Relax, Prince. I just brought something useful. Scouters. Let's check your power level."
Vegeta paused, wiping the sweat off his forehead. His brows furrowed in suspicion.
"Two hours ago, you mentioned scouters… and now you suddenly have one? Where did you get it?"
Rudra leaned casually against the wall, smirk tugging at his lips.
"From Frieza's headquarters."
The words struck Vegeta like lightning. His body stiffened, eyes flashing with disbelief.
"What? Don't tell me… you infiltrated his base? You… escaped their alarms using that instant movement technique of yours?"
Rudra walked calmly to a chair in the corner, lowering himself with ease. He leaned back, stretching out, and replied coolly—
"Did I ever say I avoided the alarms?"
That only made Vegeta's glare sharpen. His fists clenched.
"Don't play smart with me, Rudra! Be honest. How in the hell did you survive in a place crawling with the Ginyu Force?"
Rudra chuckled, reclining further. His legs swung onto the table in front of him, crossing casually. His eyes glinted with arrogance.
"Ohh… you mean those clowns?"
Vegeta's breath hitched.
"You… don't tell me—"
Rudra tilted his head, grinning wider.
"I killed them. Every last one. And while I was at it… I burned Frieza's entire force to ashes."
Vegeta's heart stopped. For a moment, he just stood frozen, trying to process the words. Then, his voice erupted with shock.
"What? Impossible! You expect me to believe that you, alone, defeated the Ginyu Force?!"
He stepped forward, snarling.
"One of them has the ability to freeze time itself! There's no way you could have escaped his grasp. You're lying!"
But Rudra only laughed harder, throwing his head back. His voice filled the chamber.
"If you don't believe me… you can always ask Frieza yourself—when he comes to Earth!"
The color drained from Vegeta's face. His anger twisted into dread.
(If it's true… if Frieza's base was destroyed… then he'll come here furious. And if he's enraged, he won't spare a single soul on this planet!)
Vegeta suddenly grabbed Rudra by the collar, pulling him forward with burning rage in his eyes.
"Do you even realize what you've done? You've provoked a monster unlike any other! You've doomed us all!"
But Rudra remained unfazed. Calmly, he pried Vegeta's hand off his shirt and slipped the scouter over his eye. The device beeped, scanning Vegeta's energy.
"Hmm…" Rudra's voice was even. "Your base power level is… 300,000."
Vegeta blinked.
"What? My power level… 300,000?"
The number brought a proud smirk to Vegeta's face. His chest swelled with confidence. But then he stepped back, folding his arms.
"Hmph. Check again. That's not even my real power."
Rudra raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? Show me then."
With a sharp inhale, Vegeta's body began to tremble. His aura exploded outward, blue-white energy flooding the room as his Ki surged to its peak. The scouter beeped rapidly, its display climbing higher and higher.
400,000… 450,000… 500,000… until finally it stopped at 531,030.
Rudra nodded.
"Your maximum right now is… 531,030."
Vegeta's lips curled into a proud smirk.
"Maximum? Heh. Don't make me laugh. I haven't even gotten serious yet."
His eyes flared with battle lust. He clenched his fists, roaring out—
"Kaioken… TIMES THIRTY!"
Rudra's jaw dropped.
"Times… thirty?!"
The chamber shook violently as Vegeta's aura flared into a raging storm of crimson energy. The scouter's display skyrocketed so fast it strained against its limit.
600,000… 800,000… 1,000,000…
And then—CRACK! The scouter shattered into pieces, unable to measure any further.
Rudra lowered the broken device, stunned.
"More than a million…"
Vegeta threw back his head and laughed triumphantly.
"Hahahaha! Did you see that? Over a million! Frieza… his forms, his tricks, none of them matter anymore. He can't stop me now! I'll crush him!"
Rudra, however, sat in silence. Confusion gnawed at him.
(This doesn't add up… In the original timeline, Frieza's final form power was just over one million. And Goku surpassed it with Super Saiyan. But if Vegeta already surpassed a million with Kaioken x30… then what does this mean? Has the timeline shifted? Will Frieza reveal an even greater power?)
The thought unsettled him.
Breaking the silence, Rudra spoke softly.
"I think Frieza will come soon. With all his forces. Straight to Earth. Which means… you'd better be ready to defend it."
He stood up, dusting off his clothes, his voice firm.
"As for me, I'll make use of the chamber. One year's worth of training—compressed. That's what I need now."
Before Vegeta could reply, Rudra pressed his fingers to his forehead and vanished into thin air.
Vegeta stood alone in the trembling chamber, scouter shards still scattered across the floor. His prideful smirk returned as he clenched his fists tighter.
"Frieza… if you're coming, then come. This time… the Prince of all Saiyans will crush you with his own hands."