"Have you finished discussing? Are you coming together, or one by one?"
After dealing with Trunks, the obstacle in his way, Vegeta folded his arms across his chest and looked arrogantly at Eriri and the others once again.
His attention, however, was mainly fixed on Eriri. Although Trunks had mentioned that the androids were Lazuli and Seventeen, anyone with half an eye could tell that Eriri was the one in charge.
Combined with the way Piccolo and the others reacted when they first saw her, Vegeta concluded that Eriri must be the strongest among them.
He didn't care whether Eriri was an android or not. As long as someone could fight him, it made no difference who they were.
Seeing Vegeta staring at her so intently, Eriri smirked in disdain.
"You really are arrogant. I seriously don't understand what Bulma saw in you."
Eriri shook her head with mock pity, as if feeling sorry for Bulma.
"You're not even qualified to make me move. Let Lazuli and the others play with you first~"
Eriri's dismissive tone made the veins on Vegeta's forehead bulge in anger, an uncontrollable fury welling up from deep inside him.
"You bastard! How dare you look down on me!"
Without waiting any longer, Vegeta thrust his hand forward, firing a ki blast straight toward Eriri.
However, before the blast could even reach her, Lazuli stepped in front of it and blocked it effortlessly.
"You insolent fool. Since you're so eager to die, I'll gladly oblige!"
Lazuli glared coldly at Vegeta. If he had attacked her directly, she might not have cared. But daring to target Eriri—that was something she absolutely couldn't tolerate.
In a flash, Lazuli appeared before Vegeta and slammed her fist into his abdomen, not giving him even a moment to react.
The blow folded Vegeta's body like a shrimp, sending him hurtling backward. A spray of blood escaped his mouth as he crashed violently into a nearby mountain, shaking the landscape with a deafening explosion.
"Mr. Vegeta! Are you alright!?"
Trunks, who had just emerged from the rubble where he'd been thrown earlier, turned to see his father embedded in the mountain. Panic filled his face as he flew toward the impact site.
But before he could reach him, the pile of debris exploded apart, and a dazzling golden light burst forth. From within it emerged Vegeta, surrounded by a golden aura, his black hair now shining gold.
He had transformed into a Super Saiyan.
Ignoring Trunks' concern, Vegeta launched himself at Lazuli, and the two immediately engaged in a fierce close-quarters battle.
Though it was purely hand-to-hand combat, the intensity was astonishing. Their speed was so great that no ordinary person could follow them with the naked eye.
Their figures flickered rapidly through the air, each impact sending invisible shockwaves rippling outward with every punch and kick.
However, Lazuli's combat power far exceeded Vegeta's. His every attack was either blocked or effortlessly dodged, while her counterattacks landed again and again, pounding Vegeta mercilessly.
In less than a few minutes, Vegeta's face was bruised and swollen. If not for his durable Saiyan physique, Lazuli's blows might have already reduced him to pulp.
And this was Lazuli holding back, only fighting seriously enough to make the battle less boring. Had she gone all out, Vegeta wouldn't have had a chance to fight back at all.
As time passed, Vegeta's aura weakened, and his face darkened with frustration.
"Damn you! Enough already!"
The proud Saiyan prince could not accept that he, Vegeta, had no strength to resist before a mere android.
If close combat didn't work, then he'd attack from range.
Vegeta suddenly widened the distance between them, bringing his hands together as golden energy gathered in his palms.
"Final Flash!"
With a thunderous roar, Vegeta unleashed his ultimate attack. The massive golden energy beam, condensed with all his power, shot forward at blinding speed straight toward Lazuli.
However, faced with an attack powerful enough to kill across ranks, Lazuli's face remained perfectly calm, showing no sign of emotion.
She calmly raised her right hand, and a beam of ki burst from her palm, colliding head-on with Vegeta's golden energy wave. The two forces clashed violently, yet Vegeta's Final Flash couldn't advance even a single inch further. In fact, it began to be pushed back at a speed visible to the naked eye.
This seemingly casual ki blast from Lazuli was far beyond what Vegeta could withstand, no matter how much energy he poured into maintaining his attack.
To make the battle look more dramatic, Lazuli didn't immediately end the beam struggle. Instead, she deliberately pushed forward little by little, letting the tension build.
After several minutes of this fierce clash, Lazuli's ki beam had already forced Vegeta's Final Flash back to within five meters of him, ready to engulf him completely.
By now, most of Vegeta's ki was exhausted, and he was holding on purely through stubborn willpower.
"Mr. Vegeta, I'll help you!"
Unable to bear it any longer, Trunks, who had been watching from the sidelines, finally took action. Even if it meant being scolded later, he couldn't just stand by and watch his father die before his eyes.
With a roar, Trunks transformed into a Super Saiyan and flew to Vegeta's side. A powerful golden beam of ki burst from his palms, merging with Vegeta's Final Flash.
Vegeta didn't have the time or energy to object. In fact, part of him secretly felt relieved at Trunks' intervention.
The combined power of father and son managed to regain a bit of ground—the beam that had been forced within five meters of Vegeta slowly pushed back, though only slightly.
Seeing this, everyone watching—Piccolo and the others, as well as Vegeta and Trunks themselves—felt a brief sense of relief.
But their relief didn't last long.
Lazuli suddenly increased her output just a little. Instantly, her beam surged forward again, overpowering the combined energy of father and son. In an instant, the golden explosion engulfed both Vegeta and Trunks amid the horrified cries of the onlookers.
When the light finally faded, what appeared before them were the broken, battered bodies of Vegeta and Trunks—barely clinging to life.
"Trunks!"
"Vegeta!"
Piccolo and the others shouted as the two unconscious Saiyans began to fall toward the ground, their ki completely depleted.
Fortunately, Piccolo and Krillin reacted quickly, rushing forward to catch them before impact. Had they hit the ground, the last of their life force might have been extinguished completely.
Seeing their near-dead state, Krillin didn't hesitate for even a moment. He reached into the pouch at his waist and pulled out two senzu beans, placing one into each of their mouths.
The powerful restorative energy of the senzu beans worked instantly, stabilizing their conditions and restoring them to full health in the blink of an eye.
Lazuli, standing several dozen meters away, simply watched without interfering as they were healed.
In truth, she had held back at the very last moment of the beam struggle. Otherwise, neither Vegeta nor Trunks would have survived. There wouldn't have even been bodies left to bury.
Although Eriri had told her to act according to her own judgment, Lazuli decided to spare Vegeta—mainly out of consideration for Eriri's potential connection with Bulma. From Eriri's earlier words, it was clear that Vegeta and Bulma had an unusual relationship.
Besides, she could easily defeat them anytime she wanted. There was no rush.
As she watched Vegeta recover, a mocking smile curved Lazuli's lips.
"With all that arrogance, I thought you'd be impressive. Turns out you're not even one-tenth my strength. How laughable."
Her taunt left Vegeta speechless.
After what had just happened, he fully understood that he wasn't even close to being her match. All he could do was stand there, trembling with rage and humiliation.
"Damn it... damn it all!!!"
Vegeta growled under his breath, his aura flaring wildly around him. His pride burned, but he didn't charge at her again.
He was battle-hungry—but not stupid.
Trunks stared at Lazuli in shock. The Android 18 from his future timeline had been powerful, but nowhere near this level.
And judging from her own words, the strength she had just displayed was only a fraction—perhaps one-tenth—of her full power.
Trunks didn't think Lazuli was exaggerating to mock Vegeta; she had no reason to lie. Which meant it was true.
He had once believed that once Goku recovered, they could face the androids together. But now, after witnessing this, Trunks realized that even if Goku returned to full health, they still wouldn't stand a chance against Android 18.
For the first time, Trunks felt completely lost.
"Hey, enough of the whining. Are we fighting or not? You can all come at me together if you want."
Lazuli interrupted Vegeta's impotent fury, her tone laced with impatience.
The group fell silent, lifting their eyes toward her but giving no reply. Piccolo glanced at Eriri, silently seeking guidance.
But Eriri ignored his look entirely. She continued whispering casually with Arifureta beside her, her eyes fixed calmly on Lazuli.
Seeing that Eriri wouldn't intervene, Piccolo sighed quietly and turned his attention back to Lazuli.
Their original goal had been to prevent Androids 17 and 18 from destroying the world by eliminating them first. But that plan was clearly impossible now.
From what he had seen so far, 17 and 18 didn't seem like bloodthirsty monsters. He couldn't even be sure whether they would really destroy the world, as Trunks had claimed.
Even if that was true, none of them had the power to stop it now.
Piccolo exhaled slowly and spoke solemnly.
"There's no need to continue. We don't have the strength to fight you—not even if we all joined forces."
"Is that so? What a pity. Then how about this—I'll let Seventeen or Sixteen fight you instead. They're not as strong as I am~"
As Lazuli spoke teasingly, Seventeen immediately flew to her side, smiling confidently at Vegeta and the others.
"Eighteen's right. Let Sixteen and me take you on instead."
He turned his head toward the large figure who remained still behind him.
"Sixteen, aren't you coming?"
Sixteen only smiled softly, giving no answer and making no move to join the fight.
As a model created in the image of Dr. Gero's deceased son, Android 16 had been built with immense strength but also a gentle heart. He loved nature and small animals, and as a result, Gero had deemed him a failed creation.
However, due to his lingering affection for his son, Gero hadn't destroyed Sixteen—he simply left him sealed away in stasis.
Even so, the base programming Gero had embedded in him remained intact: the directive to kill Son Goku, destroyer of the Red Ribbon Army.
Thus, Sixteen had no interest in fighting anyone else. To him, Eriri's and Lazuli's suggestions were irrelevant.
Seventeen sighed helplessly and spread his hands.
"Looks like I'll be the only one entertaining you, then~"
"You people really underestimate me!"
Vegeta clenched his fists, his teeth grinding audibly, glaring furiously at Seventeen. Yet he didn't charge in recklessly as before.
Trunks misread his hesitation, thinking Vegeta still intended to fight. He immediately stepped in front of him again.
"Mr. Vegeta, we can't win against them. We should retreat for now and think of another plan!"
This time, Vegeta didn't strike him. Instead, he gave Lazuli one last cold glare, then turned and flew off without another word.
Piccolo and the others, seeing that Lazuli and Seventeen made no move to stop them, quickly followed, flying away at top speed. None of them wanted to risk being caught if Lazuli changed her mind.
Only after they had put considerable distance between themselves and the Northern Mountains did they finally relax.
"Trunks... so this is what you faced in the future? They're terrifying!" Krillin said, his voice still trembling.
Yamcha patted his chest, letting out a shaky laugh. "Yeah... I really thought we were dead back there. Still, they don't seem as cruel as you described."
"No... the Android 18 I remember was never this strong," Trunks replied, shaking his head, his expression dark and uncertain.
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