Amid the thunderous cries of "King Bardock!", a sharp voice suddenly cut through the air.
"I disagree!"
The Saiyans stopped shouting and all turned toward the speaker.
It was a tall woman with long black hair. She ignored the hostile gazes around her and stared straight at Bardock, her eyes burning.
"It's her?"
"She dares to speak at a time like this?"
"Execute her!"
"Yes—execute her!"
Gine stepped forward and looked at the woman. "Riya, Bardock has already shown proof of the Vegeta family's betrayal. Do you still want to defend your husband, Prince Vegeta?"
That's right.
The woman who spoke out was Riya, Prince Vegeta's wife—the future queen and Vegeta's mother in the original timeline.
Riya didn't answer Gine. Instead, she turned to the surrounding Saiyans and shouted,
"My people, wake up! This is all a conspiracy fabricated by Bardock to seize the throne. Don't be fooled by him!"
The Saiyans looked at one another, hesitation flashing across their faces.
Bardock let out a slow breath. He had expected this.
"Riya," he said calmly, then his voice suddenly rose, echoing through the prison.
"You say this is my conspiracy?"
"Everyone, think carefully. Since we arrived on Planet Tuffle, how many high-level Saiyan warriors have we had? And how many are left now?"
"Every time a hero capable of turning the tide appears, the Tuffles hunt us like dogs—until that hero dies!"
"My people, think about your relatives who died fighting for the survival of our race. Should they really have died like that?"
"All of this suffering was caused by the Vegeta family eliminating dissidents!"
Bardock's voice grew hoarse, filled with burning rage.
"Our Saiyan glory! Our dignity as the strongest warrior race in the universe—are we really going to let it be trampled into the dirt by the Vegeta family's schemes?"
"Our children! Our future! Are we supposed to lose everything in this endless darkness?"
"No! Absolutely not!"
A furious roar erupted from the crowd.
"King Bardock!"
"King Bardock!"
"We've had enough—enough of this damn oppression, enough of these endless lies!" a young Saiyan shouted, fists clenched.
"King Bardock, lead us! Overthrow all of this!"
"We won't be deceived by the Vegeta family anymore—we want revenge for our fallen heroes!"
Bardock raised both hands.
"My people, unite with me! With our own strength, we will forge a new future for the Saiyans!"
"Let our blood burn! Let our fury erupt!"
"Let the entire universe tremble beneath Saiyan feet!"
"For the Saiyans! For glory!"
The roars shook the air.
Gine looked at Bardock, her eyes filled with pride and admiration.
Riya, in contrast, had collapsed into a corner of the cell, hugging her knees, her face pale.
"No… it's not true… don't believe him…" she muttered, shaking her head.
"She's an accomplice of the Vegeta family!"
"Execute her!"
"Execute her!"
Paragus stepped forward and roared, "Enough! Everyone calm down! How to deal with her will be decided by King Bardock!"
Bardock gave Paragus an approving glance.
"My people," Bardock said loudly, "every crime has its true culprit. Every debt has its true debtor."
"We will not punish the innocent for the sins of the Vegeta family."
Riya was merely a victim. Bardock knew her marriage to Prince Vegeta had been based on gratitude, not ambition.
Judging by the ruthless nature of the Vegeta bloodline, her fate in the original timeline would not have been good anyway.
"King Bardock is benevolent."
"A truly benevolent king."
Voices of approval spread through the crowd.
At that moment, a Saiyan spoke hesitantly, "King Bardock… shouldn't we escape first? If the Tuffle army arrives—"
Bardock's gaze snapped toward him, sharp as a blade.
"Are you afraid of those pieces of trash that rely on scrap metal?" his voice thundered.
The Saiyan shrank back, trembling. "I just—"
"You don't need to explain," Bardock cut him off coldly.
"If the blood of a warrior race flows in your veins, then fear like this is a disgrace."
The Saiyan's face flushed red. Veins bulged on his neck as he shouted,
"The blood of the warrior race is not disgraced! King Bardock—tell us what to do. We'll follow you!"
Another Saiyan stepped forward. "We don't fear battle, but we shouldn't throw our lives away blindly."
"That's right. Their weapons are strong—we need a solid plan."
Bardock raised his hands, silencing everyone.
"My people, Saiyans are born warriors. How can we retreat before our enemies?"
"Their weapons may be powerful—but our strength and courage are stronger!"
"We will smash their scrap metal with our fists and show them the true might of the Saiyans!"
"King Bardock is right!"
"Let's fight them!"
Bardock's eyes burned with resolve.
"As long as we stand united, there is no enemy we cannot defeat!"
He gave his orders swiftly.
"The severely injured stay behind. Those lightly injured stay to care for them. Gine, you're in charge."
Gine immediately protested, "Bardock, I want to fight with you!"
"You stay," Bardock said firmly.
Seeing his expression, Gine knew there was no room for argument. She nodded reluctantly.
More than six thousand Saiyans who could still fight marched out of the prison gates, stretching their arms and breathing in freedom for the first time in ages.
Bardock rose into the air.
"Tonight," he declared, "is the doomsday of the Tuffles."
He gathered his ki and launched an Artificial Moon high into the sky.
"My people!" Bardock roared.
"Transform into Great Apes—and unleash your fury for Saiyan glory!"
The Saiyans looked up.
Their bodies swelled, fur erupted, muscles expanded.
In mere moments, more than six thousand Great Apes roared toward the heavens.
"Charge!"
"Crush them!"
The Great Apes surged into Zivl City like a living tide.
Tuffle alarms blared.
"Open fire! Open fire now!" the commanders screamed.
But their weapons barely scratched the Great Apes.
Buildings collapsed. Skyscrapers crumbled beneath massive feet.
"Feel our power!" one Great Ape roared, flattening an armored vehicle.
"This is the price of resisting Saiyans!" another tore a flying craft in half.
Flames rose into the sky. Smoke covered the city.
"Don't let a single Tuffle escape!" Bardock commanded from above.
The city's defenses collapsed instantly.
The Tuffles fled—but there was nowhere to run.
"For our suffering!"
"For our fallen comrades!"
The roars of the Saiyans echoed endlessly.
By dawn, the once-glorious city of Zivl had been reduced to ruins—
crushed beneath the wrath of the Saiyans.