The once-bustling streets of West City were unrecognizable. Buildings lay in ruins, flames devoured skyscrapers, and the air was thick with the stench of smoke and blood. Screams of terrified civilians echoed, cut short by the merciless blasters of Frieza's soldiers.
Dozens of alien troops marched through the shattered avenues, laughing as they gunned down fleeing humans. Their scouters beeped rhythmically, tracking power levels far too weak to resist them.
"Hahaha! Look at these worms run!" one soldier sneered, vaporizing a family with a casual flick of his wrist.
"Lord Frieza will be pleased. By nightfall, this city will be nothing but ash!" another jeered.
---
The Old Master Arrives
Just as another squad prepared to level what remained of a hospital, a voice rang out—firm, commanding, and filled with righteous fury.
"That's enough."
The soldiers turned. Standing in the middle of the smoke-filled street was an old man in a simple gi, a cane strapped to his back. His sunglasses glinted in the firelight.
"An… old human?" one alien scoffed. "Hahaha! Pathetic. This is who dares to oppose the Frieza Force?"
But Master Roshi didn't move. His aura was calm, yet his eyes—hidden beneath the glasses—burned with fury. He could feel the ki of countless innocents already gone. He clenched his fists.
"You animals… I should have trained harder, prepared better. Because of that, too many lives have been lost. But this massacre… ends now."
---
Hundreds of soldiers suddenly gathered, their scouters chirping wildly. The old man's power level had begun to spike. His thin frame trembled as he bent his knees and clenched his fists, his muscles swelling, veins bulging.
The frail master transformed before their eyes into the legendary Max Power Roshi, towering with muscle, his aura burning blue-white.
Gasps erupted among the alien ranks.
"W-What is this?!"
"His power—it just shot up! It's… it's impossible!"
Roshi's voice bellowed like thunder.
"Kaaa…meee…haaa…meee…"
Before the soldiers could reach him, a colossal beam of energy erupted from his palms.
"HAAAAA!!!"
The wave of azure light roared across the battlefield like a tidal wave, consuming the first ranks of soldiers instantly. Hundreds of them screamed as their bodies were vaporized, the blast tearing through buildings and carving a glowing scar across the cityscape.
When the light faded, more than half of Frieza's army lay in ashes.
---
The surviving soldiers froze in terror. Then rage overtook them.
"All units—fire everything!!"
Thousands of beams lit the sky, a storm of crimson and violet energy converging on Roshi. The barrage engulfed him, detonating in a massive explosion that leveled three city blocks.
The soldiers cheered.
"We got him! The old man's dust!"
But as the smoke cleared, a voice echoed behind them.
"Too slow."
Roshi stood behind their formation, his gi torn, his chest heaving. His eyes were hidden behind cracked sunglasses, but his aura blazed with unshakable will.
Before they could react, Roshi unleashed a barrage of precise ki blasts. Each orb of light pierced through soldiers like arrows of judgment, detonating on impact. The screams of Frieza's army filled the air until silence returned.
---
Roshi landed on a pile of rubble, his chest rising and falling heavily. Sweat dripped down his brow, his body trembling from exhaustion. His Max Power form flickered as his muscles slowly shrank back to normal.
He looked around at the destruction—burning buildings, smoldering corpses, the faint cries of survivors trapped beneath rubble.
His heart ached. "Too many… too many lives lost before I could act." He clenched his fists.
"But at least West City still stands. That much, I've protected."
He staggered, nearly falling, but steadied himself with his cane. His body was drained, yet his spirit remained sharp.
Then he closed his eyes, reaching out with his senses.
---
Far in the distance, beyond the ruined city, Roshi felt it—multiple familiar energies. Goku's aura, bright and fierce. Vegeta's, sharp and fiery. Raditz and Nappa's, rough yet burning with resolve.
But overshadowing them all was something monstrous. A ki so suffocating, so cruel, it felt like death itself. It loomed like a black sun against the horizon.
Roshi gasped, sweat running down his face.
"That power… it can only be Frieza."
He sensed Vegeta's ki moving toward it, unflinching.
"Vegeta… you intend to face that monster head-on?"
Roshi's grip on his cane tightened. He muttered to himself, his voice heavy with both fear and admiration.
"Can you… can you really defeat him? Or will even the proud Saiyan Prince fall before such evil?"
---
The old master stood among the ruins, watching the smoke rise into the dawn sky. Though exhausted, he knew the real battle was only beginning. He whispered quietly, almost like a prayer.
"Goku… ! the Earth now rests on your shoulder. Do not fail us."
Far above the city, Frieza's laughter echoed faintly through the skies. The clash of gods and monsters was about to begin.