Hit disappeared into the vast curtain of swirling sand, the wild desert winds gradually obscuring his silhouette until only an empty gray-yellow wasteland of rocks and dunes remained.
"He just... left?" Renso asked in bewilderment as he approached Raditz, still processing what had transpired.
The assassin had attacked them without warning, then departed without explanation or ceremony. What had Hit been thinking? It was no wonder Renso couldn't comprehend such behavior—only someone at Hit's level could truly understand the mindset of warriors who had reached such heights. They transcended conventional logic, following their own code, acting entirely as they pleased.
The fight with Raditz had been born from pure whim. When Raditz's focus wavered and he could no longer perform at his peak, Hit lost interest and saw no point in continuing a compromised battle.
Both warriors had found the fierce exchange exhilarating and deeply satisfying, but the better the contest, the more important it was to preserve it—to save the conclusion for when they could both fight in perfect condition and determine a true victor.
"Don't concern yourself with him. We'll meet again," Raditz said, his expression hardening with sudden gravity. "Something has happened on your homeworld. Zangya just contacted me telepathically—Planet Sadala is under attack."
"What?!" Renso's eyes widened with alarm.
Raditz didn't waste time with further explanation. He grabbed Renso's arm and locked onto Zangya's ki signature, teleporting them instantly back to Planet Sadala via Instant Transmission.
They materialized on the Saiyan homeworld to find Zangya already present, accompanied by Android 18 and the four Tuffles who had been in their custody. Ramso stood nearby as well, his expression tense.
At first glance, the scene appeared deceptively peaceful. The sky stretched overhead in brilliant blue, the warm sun casting golden light across the landscape as azure birds glided through wispy clouds. Cities nestled in valleys and across sprawling plains, distant mountains verdant with forests meeting the shimmering waves of crystalline lakes on the horizon.
But scattered throughout several population centers, pillars of black smoke rose into the pristine sky, flames licking at buildings and structures. Energy blasts streaked through the air like miniature suns, leaving trails of destruction in their wake.
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion accompanied by billowing smoke erupted from one district, and several figures were sent flying from the impact. Raditz's eyes narrowed as he focused on the attackers.
Each one appeared as a solid-colored, glowing humanoid warrior. Their muscular bodies were well-defined with sharp, angular lines, but they possessed no vitality—no ki signature, no life force. They resembled golems fashioned from clay and given animation through artificial means. Several members of the Lace Defense Force who had remained behind on Sadala fought desperately against the invaders, each clash shaking the ground with thunderous impacts.
"What the hell are those things?!" Renso shouted, his voice sharp with alarm and confusion.
"Hatchiyack Soldiers," one of the Tuffles answered, his voice trembling. The four aliens huddled together, their expressions panicked, faces pale with fear and anxiety. "Weapons created by the scientist Dr. Lychee using a Grudge Amplification Device. They're specifically designed to exterminate Saiyans."
Raditz had already gleaned most of the situation through Zangya's telepathic briefing during his flight with Hit, but hearing it confirmed sent cold fury through his veins.
The Tuffles had orchestrated an elaborate two-pronged plan. On one front, they'd tracked down leads about the Black Star Dragon Ball auction, sending agents to acquire the cursed artifacts and make a wish to destroy Saiyan civilization entirely. Simultaneously, they'd prepared a military backup plan using technology specifically engineered to annihilate the Saiyan race—their revenge for ancient grievances.
The Tuffle civilization had truly risen to prominence only after Planet Sadala fell and the original Saiyans faced extinction. Their prosperity had been built on the ashes of their enemies.
"What?! That's absolutely insane!" Renso's face drained of color as the full scope of the Tuffle plot became clear.
If not for Raditz and his team intercepting and neutralizing the Black Star Dragon Balls, the Tuffles would have already enacted their genocidal wish. Renso wiped cold sweat from his brow and exhaled heavily, the weight of how close they'd come to annihilation settling over him.
"Dr. Lychee is an exceptionally brilliant scientist who has devoted his entire life to research," Rasin explained from the side, his voice carrying conflicted emotions. "The energy generation devices he invented brought tremendous resources to our people, allowing us to acquire numerous planets and accumulate vast wealth. But his ultimate objective was always to create a weapon capable of defeating—no, destroying—the Saiyan race. Now that weapon is complete."
The Tuffle scientist paused, swallowing hard before continuing. "These are the ultimate weapons, forged from the collective hatred and resentment of our entire civilization. Their power is beyond anything you can imagine."
"We already defeated Frost—the true culprit behind everything! We promised to restore Planet Tuffle for your people!" Renso's hands clenched into trembling fists, his voice rising with desperate anger. "Why attack Planet Sadala now? In that ancient war, we Saiyans were victims of Frost's manipulation too!"
"It's pointless to argue with us," Rasin said, his voice heavy with resignation and something that might have been regret. "We're not the only ones consumed by the need for revenge. Dr. Lychee is the most fanatical among us, the most determined. And... many aspects of this plan were conceived and directed by him personally..."
"Then I'll stop him myself!" Renso declared. Without waiting for further discussion, he exploded into action, golden aura erupting around him as he rocketed toward the nearest combat zone to join the counterattack. As a Saiyan born on Planet Sadala, he could not tolerate these abominations rampaging across his homeworld.
"Captain Renso has arrived!" Several defenders shouted with renewed hope. Though Renso had officially retired from active duty, most people still used his former title—a sign of deep respect for his accomplishments and leadership.
"Excellent! Begin the counteroffensive!"
"Let these artificial monsters witness the true power of Saiyans!"
The moment the Super Saiyan joined the battle, the entire dynamic shifted dramatically. The Hatchiyack Soldiers couldn't withstand even a single blow from Renso's enhanced strength and were systematically destroyed. The clay-like warriors of various colors continued dropping from the sky like defective weapon bombs being disposed of in bulk.
It was obvious that warships remained hidden above the cloud layer, coordinating the assault and deploying reinforcements.
"Those are the Hatchiyack Soldiers you mentioned? They seem... remarkably weak," Raditz observed, watching one of the clay-like constructs tumbling through the air. It was covered entirely in red coloring, possessing only a vague humanoid shape with no detailed features—no face, no individual characteristics, just a crude approximation of a warrior.
This didn't match Raditz's expectations at all. Based on the Tuffles' description, these should have been weapons that even Super Saiyans struggled against at full power. Yet Renso was dispatching them with single punches. "Yes, these are them. But we—" Rasin trailed off, unable to complete his thought. He hadn't anticipated the Saiyans would be this overwhelmingly powerful. The ultimate warrior created by Dr. Lychee's genius was being torn apart like paper!
It's not that the Hatchiyack Soldiers are weak, Rasin realized with dawning horror. You're all impossibly strong!
The golden-haired warrior was devastatingly effective. Originally, the Hatchiyack Soldiers had been designed to match one or two standard Saiyan fighters through superior physical capabilities. But the instant Renso entered the battlefield, everything changed.
One golden-flamed warrior could fight ten opponents simultaneously—and win.
Rasin could clearly observe that Renso deferred to Raditz on every decision, constantly glancing his way for approval or guidance. In terms of presence, authority, and sheer commanding aura, Raditz far surpassed even the formidable Renso.
"If you were facing the Saiyans of the past—the primitive warriors from the old days—these Hatchiyack Soldiers might have achieved victory through numbers and coordination," Raditz said, shaking his head with a mixture of disappointment and grim assessment. "But against the current generation of Saiyans? They're hopelessly inadequate."
The Tuffles found themselves caught in moral ambiguity, unable to determine whose side they truly supported. The source of all their suffering had been Frost. The Saiyans weren't merely their ancestral enemies—they had also been victims of Frost's manipulations and schemes, pawns in the tyrant's strategy of conquest.
Now that Frost had been defeated and justice served, they could potentially resolve the ancient misunderstanding. Raditz had even promised to restore Planet Tuffle for them, returning what they'd lost.
Just moments ago, Zangya had explained their recent experiences and accomplishments to the Tuffle prisoners, causing them to fall into deep contemplation and self-doubt. The revelation had shaken their convictions enough that they'd revealed Dr. Lychee's plan in detail.
What did they truly want? Some Tuffles craved pure, simple revenge. Others yearned for their original homeworld and the restoration of their civilization to its former glory. Rasin himself didn't know which path he desired anymore.
As for Dr. Lychee's grand vision of expanding Tuffle civilization across the entire universe through conquest? Thinking about it made Rasin break out in cold sweat. That ambition seemed to represent another dangerous extreme—merely replacing one tyranny with another.
High above the clouds, concealed within his command battleship, Dr. Lychee watched the battle unfold with mounting frustration. His patience finally snapped.
"How many Hatchiyack Soldiers remain in reserve? Deploy them all!" he barked at his tactical officer.
"Less than two hundred, Doctor. That golden warrior's elimination rate is too fast—we can't maintain numerical superiority!"
"It doesn't matter," Dr. Lychee said, his expression twisting into a cruel smile as his finger hovered over a special control. "Grudges do not dissipate. When you gather them together, they form something far greater than the sum of their parts. Watch as hatred itself takes physical form."
He slammed his palm down on the activation button.
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