The air seemed to freeze.
The Kikoho in Yamcha's hand vibrated with unstable high-density energy.
Piccolo crossed his arms and watched coldly without any intention of stopping him.
To him, eliminating threats completely was only natural. Mercy was not part of a Demon Clan warrior's logic.
Nearby, Trunks squatted on the ground holding a small twig and poked Vegeta's shiny forehead curiously.
"Dad, this uncle's hairline is really high. Did he do too many bad things and go bald like you?"
Krillin's face stiffened.
"...Son, your dad shaved his head on purpose to become stronger. This is the hairstyle of the strong. Also, stop poking him. What if he has some strange alien disease?"
Just as Yamcha prepared to release the Kikoho—
"Wait... wait, Yamcha!"
Goku suddenly spoke.
His clear eyes looked directly at Krillin and Yamcha.
"Krillin... can you let him go?"
The entire group froze.
"What?!"
The Kikoho in Yamcha's hand almost dropped onto his foot.
"Goku, did you hit your head too hard? He tried to kill all of us! If we let him go now, he'll come back stronger later! Did you already forget Raditz?"
Piccolo frowned and snorted coldly.
"Goku, your naivety will get everyone killed someday. There is no reason to spare someone like him."
"I know this is selfish..."
Goku hesitated, but his eyes burned with determination.
"But we can use the Dragon Balls to revive the people who died in East City. And that battle just now... it was incredible."
He clenched his fists, smiling like a true martial artist.
"He's the strongest opponent I've ever fought besides Krillin. Fighting him at the edge of life and death helped me break my limits."
"If we kill him now, I'll lose the chance to defeat him myself one day."
"And next time we meet, I believe I can beat him with my own strength."
"Not by relying on Krillin like today."
Classic Saiyan logic.
For the sake of a fight, he was willing to gamble everything.
Yamcha stomped angrily.
"You're gambling with Earth! What if he comes back stronger later? What if Krillin isn't here next time?"
"Then I'll become stronger than Krillin!"
Goku answered immediately.
Silence returned again.
Everyone looked toward Krillin.
Only he could decide.
Krillin looked down at Vegeta beneath his foot.
Even though Vegeta was trembling in pain, after hearing Goku's words, shock flashed across his eyes before turning into deeper humiliation.
Being spared by a low-class warrior hurt more than death.
Krillin didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he looked at the System panel that appeared in his vision.
[Ding! Key story branch triggered]
[Mission: Prologue of Planet Namek]
[Condition: Vegeta must survive and escape Earth]
[Description: If the Host kills Vegeta now, the Frieza Force will lose the intelligence about Planet Namek's Dragon Balls and will instead travel directly to Earth based on the Scouter's last signal. Earth will face a full invasion, and the Planet Namek storyline will collapse.]
[Failure penalty: Storyline collapse, difficulty increases to Hell-level, possible destruction of Earth]
Krillin raised an eyebrow.
"So the System is forcing me to play the good guy now."
He had already noticed Vegeta's communicator was still active earlier and had deliberately allowed Goku to mention the Dragon Balls.
The Planet Namek storyline was extremely important.
It was the key to Goku becoming a Super Saiyan.
If Frieza came directly to Earth instead, things would become much more dangerous.
Even with the Saitama Template, fighting Frieza's final form right now would still be risky.
And the Ginyu Force arriving together would make things even worse.
More importantly, Planet Namek itself was a perfect training opportunity.
The Grand Elder's potential unlock.
Piccolo's people.
Porunga and the three wishes.
It would be a waste to skip it.
"Since Goku asked..."
Krillin sighed and loosened the pressure under his foot.
"Yamcha, put away your energy. This is Goku's request."
"You know what kind of person he is. He's a martial arts fanatic who would risk his life just for a good fight."
"But—"
Yamcha looked at Goku's pleading expression and then at Krillin's calm decision.
Finally, he dismissed the Kikoho unwillingly.
"Tch. You're lucky."
He pointed at Vegeta angrily.
"If you ever come back to Earth again, I'll beat you into a pig's head with my upgraded Wolf Fang Fist!"
The pressure on Vegeta's back disappeared.
He immediately began crawling toward his spaceship using his only working arm.
His movements were miserable.
Each step dragged a long trail of blood behind him.
Humiliation filled his mind.
But he had to survive.
As long as he could return to the Frieza Force and enter a healing pod, he could recover completely.
Even his tail would grow back.
Next time, he would kill everyone here.
Especially that bald Earthling.
Just as his fingers were about to reach the spaceship control—
"Hey. Did I say you could crawl away?"
Krillin's voice sounded behind him.
Before Vegeta could react—
Krillin kicked him.
"Off you go."
Vegeta flew through the air like a cannonball and landed directly inside his spaceship.
He slammed face-first into the control panel.
The kick even helped him board properly.
His pelvis nearly shattered again from the impact.
Krillin walked calmly to the hatch.
His expression became cold.
"Go back and tell Frieza something."
Vegeta's pupils shrank instantly.
How did this Earthling know Frieza's name?
Raditz never had time to mention it.
"Tell that space tyrant to wait for me."
Krillin smiled faintly.
"Earth belongs to me now."
"If he reaches for it, I'll break his hands."
"And tell the Ginyu Force their poses are terrible. Next time we meet, I'll show them what real posing looks like."
Vegeta trembled slightly.
He didn't know whether he felt fear, anger, or confusion.
He pressed the launch button.
The hatch closed slowly.
Through the glass window, his swollen face twisted into a hateful grin.
"Kakarot... and you, baldy... you don't understand Frieza's terror!"
"You don't understand the true power of the universe!"
"You're strong... but compared to Frieza, you're nothing!"
The spaceship shot into the sky and disappeared like a meteor.
"Whew. Finally sent him away."
Krillin dusted off his clothes and turned around.
Everyone stared at him in silence.
"Dad, you were amazing!"
Trunks ran over and hugged his leg excitedly.
"Who is Frieza? Is he stronger than that high-hairline uncle? I want to fight him too!"
Krillin smiled and patted his head.
"That's a very durable training partner I saved for you."
"But you're still too weak right now. Train harder first."
...
Author's Note:
Dragon Ball: Reborn as Krillin, One Punch to Crush Saiyan's — Part 1 & 2 is now fully completed, with more than 160+ chapters available on my Patreon!
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1. Dragon Ball: Oolong's Sex Adventure
2. Elements of Lust – ATLA & Korra Mixed Smut
3. Doraemon: Filtering with Nobi Tamako
4. The Naive Me Who Became Someone's Everyday Secret
5. High School DxD: Rias Gremory, the Phenex Bride
6. Versatile Mage: Awakening the Succubus System
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