Raditz sat atop the base facility, alone with his thoughts as he pieced together what he remembered about Tapion's story.
Tapion had been a swordsman on the planet Konats. When the terrible phantom demon Hirudegarn emerged to destroy his world, he and his younger brother accepted the burden of becoming their civilization's saviors. Together, they devised a desperate plan—they severed the monster into two halves, then used ancient magic to seal each piece within their own bodies.
Afterward, they imprisoned themselves in enchanted music boxes and were sent to opposite ends of the universe. The younger brother drifted toward the Southern Galaxy, while the elder traveled to the edge of the Northern Galaxy.
But fate worked in mysterious ways. Even Raditz hadn't anticipated that Frieza's forces, retreating to the galaxy's fringes, would discover one of the music boxes and inadvertently release Tapion during their analysis.
Raditz knew from his knowledge of the timeline that a dark sorcerer was secretly working to resurrect Hirudegarn. By now, that villain had likely obtained the lower half and murdered Tapion's brother. The two halves of Hirudegarn were magnetically drawn to one another—the dark sorcerer was probably tracking Tapion at this very moment.
"Lord Raditz, he's awake!" Jeice's voice suddenly crackled through the communicator, interrupting his thoughts.
"Conscious after only a few hours? As expected of a legendary hero. I'm on my way."
Raditz leaped from the rooftop and headed toward the medical bay, only to hear a tremendous crash from within.
The interior was chaos. The transparent treatment pod had shattered into fragments, nutrient solution pooling across the floor in spreading puddles of green. Wooden furniture lay overturned, walls bore fresh cracks, and Tapion stood in the center—completely naked except for his legendary sword—holding Jeice and his men at bay.
Tapion's body still trembled with weakness, but he projected an insurmountable fighting spirit that kept everyone two meters back. His brow was furrowed, his green eyes burning with unyielding determination.
"What's the situation?"
"You've misunderstood—we're the ones who rescued you," Jeice explained patiently. "Your spacecraft crashed on this planet. We pulled you from the wreckage and brought you here for medical treatment."
Tapion studied his own body, then scrutinized Jeice more carefully. The combat uniforms these soldiers wore resembled those of Frieza's Legion—he'd mistaken them for enemies.
After hearing the full explanation, Tapion hesitated. These people did seem different from those who'd attacked him before. They showed no hostile intent, and given his current weakened state, there'd be no reason for them not to attack if they meant him harm.
He lowered his guard slightly.
Suddenly, Jeice and the others retreated to either side, creating a path for a long-haired man to approach.
"Tapion, eat this first." Raditz walked through the corridor they'd formed and tossed a senzu bean toward the warrior.
That holy, gentle aura emanating from the newcomer made Tapion instinctively calm down. He caught the small bean suspiciously and examined it. "You know who I am?"
Raditz smiled. "Don't be surprised. I am Raditz, Supreme Kai of the Universe. I know you, and I know that the phantom demon Hirudegarn is sealed within your body."
"Supreme Kai Raditz? You even know about Hirudegarn!" Tapion's shock was evident. He and Hirudegarn belonged to an era over five hundred years past—yet this man could recall their names immediately. That alone convinced him of Raditz's divine nature.
If he truly was a god, then anything he offered must be trustworthy. Tapion placed the senzu bean in his mouth.
The moment he swallowed, incredible power surged through his body. Wounds sealed themselves, strength flooded back into his limbs. "This... this is incredible!" Tapion marveled, having never experienced such instantaneous healing.
At the same time, he felt as though he'd grasped a lifeline.
"Lord Raditz, can you construct a new containment vessel? I need to be sealed away as quickly as possible, before Hirudegarn escapes—"
Raditz cut him off. "I cannot recreate that music box. However, I can help you destroy Hirudegarn completely and free you from this burden."
Tapion looked at Raditz and shook his head. "The Phantom is... unique. His power transcends imagination."
"Don't worry—the universe's strongest warrior stands before you. No matter what threatens you, meeting Lord Raditz means meeting their end." Jeice laughed confidently. Standing beside Raditz filled him with absolute certainty, his words carrying unshakeable conviction.
"I mean no disrespect, but I've never witnessed anyone capable of defeating Hirudegarn. That's precisely why we chose to seal him in the first place." Tapion spoke sincerely, then reflexively reached toward his waist.
His hand found nothing.
"No! My ocarina is gone!"
"Besides your sword, everything else burned in the crash. We found no musical instrument," one of Jeice's subordinates reported.
No ocarina? Tapion's heart lurched, his entire body beginning to tremble. Terror gripped him from his feet to the crown of his head, his blood running cold. The music box destroyed, the ocarina lost—how much longer could his body alone contain Hirudegarn?
"Run! Get away from me! NOW!" He suddenly screamed, panic overtaking him completely. If he truly lost control, they had to minimize casualties. Everyone on this planet needed to evacuate immediately. But even as he shouted, his emotions destabilized further. His face contorted with agony, and he cried out in pain.
Without the ocarina's suppression, Hirudegarn's essence was rioting within him, straining against the weakening seal! The violent force made containment impossible—the demon was about to break free.
A massive pressure wave erupted around him, spreading like a hurricane. The terrifying atmosphere rippled through space itself, and the fragile building groaned under the strain.
The destroyer of countless civilizations was awakening. It would manifest any moment.
"Quickly! Kill me now! Before it's too late!" Tapion collapsed, writhing in agony. His fingers curled into claws, nearly piercing the ground as he fought with everything he had to prevent Hirudegarn's resurrection. But without the ocarina's aid, it was only a matter of time before he lost control.
The others made no move to flee, nor did they attempt to strike him down. Instead, Raditz knelt and placed a hand on Tapion's shoulder. The gesture nearly broke Tapion's spirit—the hero's greatest fear was always those who refused to understand the danger, who insisted on throwing their lives away needlessly.
Then, in an instant, Tapion found himself in a completely different environment.
Raditz had teleported everyone outside. Standing amid windswept dunes, he called out, "Tapion! Release Hirudegarn here! I'll handle him—trust me!"
In truth, Tapion's combat power wasn't exceptionally high. But to protect peace, he'd willingly sacrificed himself to seal away a monster, never giving up even at the final moment, even when it meant his own death. A true hero's strength lay not in power, but in courage.
Raditz respected that. He'd decided to help Tapion eliminate both halves of the Phantom completely.
Whether Tapion consented or not, his body could no longer contain Hirudegarn. Smoke erupted from his form as the demon's upper half tore free, a massive beast-like body materializing in the air above them, already taking shape.
"ROOOAAARRR!" The deafening roar shook the entire planet. Hirudegarn, suppressed for a thousand years, unleashed his accumulated rage.
He bellowed and screamed, spraying flames across the sky, painting the world in crimson fury.
The colossal form forced everyone to retreat in alarm. Even with Raditz present, those who couldn't transform into Super Saiyans would be lying if they claimed not to feel fear.
Tapion's face had gone pale, his teeth clenched, but fighting spirit and indignation still burned in his eyes. "Damn monster!" His seal had failed, yet he had no intention of fleeing—only of stopping the creature.
Then Raditz stepped in front of him, his entire body beginning to glow with brilliant light. "Stand back. I don't want you caught in the crossfire."
Tapion's eyes widened in astonishment—this man truly intended to fight Hirudegarn!
At the same moment, Raditz's senses detected another identical ki signature approaching rapidly from a distant location. Just as he'd suspected, the two halves of Hirudegarn were drawn to each other like magnets. The seal on the lower body had already been broken, and now, drawn by its counterpart's release, it was closing in fast.