At the very instant the hatch was about to close, Krillin and the others shoved their way onto the ship in a panic.
A moment later, a thunderous boom erupted. A gale swept through, and the spacecraft turned into a streak of light, shooting toward a distant star system.
"The Saiyan Empire, huh…"
Watching the fading trail in the sky, everyone felt a weight settle in their chests.
"We're too weak right now," Tien sighed. "Even if we want to help, we'll just become dead weight."
"Yeah," Yamcha agreed. "Once Levos gets back, I'm definitely asking if there's a way to boost everyone's strength."
"The challenges Earth faces from now on will only get harder," Android 16 joined in. "We can't keep relying on Levos for everything…"
Bulma stayed silent.
There were ways to get stronger fast. She knew that better than anyone.
But she also understood why everyone resisted it. After being killed by androids once, none of them wanted to be "rebuilt" into that kind of existence. Even she had gone through a brutal mental struggle before finally agreeing, back when there was no other hope and Levos had persuaded her.
Just as they were about to disperse, everyone froze.
"There are a lot of powerful ki signatures speeding toward Earth!"
These days, ki in the tens or even hundreds of thousands barely registered to them.
But what was coming now made their skin crawl.
Each individual carried strength at an absurd level.
"So terrifying… Who the hell is coming?" Yamcha's eyes went wide.
"Whoever it is, we need to prepare to fight," Tien said, frowning hard. "Those auras are extremely evil!"
At that, everyone tensed.
Second by second, the pressure grew worse. The closer the intruders got, the more suffocating their presence became, crushing down until it was hard to breathe.
Not long after, a massive spherical spaceship, trailing fire, dropped beyond the horizon and crashed down.
"Saviza, Neiz, Dore move!" Gohan took the lead, racing toward the target with the Ginyu Force members right behind him.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Before they even arrived, silhouettes shot skyward in the distance and split off, scattering in every direction.
"Damn it…"
Gohan frowned and immediately dispatched his teammates to intercept. He continued alone toward the landing site.
There was an even stronger ki there.
More than one, too.
Gohan's expression tightened. He stopped at a distance.
That terrifying aura belonged to a dark-skinned man. His armor was more advanced than what those earlier mixed-blood Saiyans wore, and a tail was wrapped around his waist.
He stood with his back to Gohan, studying the ground ahead where a bottomless fissure yawned open.
"Why are you Saiyans back on Earth?" Gohan asked cautiously.
"Earth?" the dark-skinned man said slowly. "So this really is the planet Kakarot was sent to… It wasn't destroyed?"
His tone turned cold.
"So Kakarot really did fail…"
A figure wrapped in a black robe spoke from the side. His face was buried in the shadow of his hood as he leaned against a dormant pod, radiating something eerie and dangerous.
"Still, this planet is beautiful," he said. "And the soil really is perfect for cultivating a Tree of Might."
Beside him, a short, purple-skinned alien looked thrilled. "Just a little longer and it'll bear fruit."
"As soon as we eat those fruits," he added, "after they've absorbed Earth's energy, our power will rise again."
At that, the dark-skinned man turned around.
Gohan went rigid.
"D-Dad…?"
"Oh?" The Saiyan curled his lips, amused. "Dad? And that tail… I see. Kakarot's son, huh?"
"You're not my dad!" Gohan snapped back instantly, raising his guard.
"I really do look like Kakarot," the man chuckled. "Even his son mistook me at first glance."
Then his smile sharpened into something nasty.
"I didn't expect Kakarot to survive not just survive, but breed with the natives and produce a half-blood mongrel."
He paused, letting the insult sink in.
"Listen carefully, brat. My name is Turles."
By then, the other Earth fighters arrived one after another.
"I don't care what your name is," someone barked. "Stop what you're doing to Earth, right now!"
The short purple alien sneered. "The universe's number one destroyer legion Lord Turles' army has never lost. We do whatever we want. Since when do you get a say?"
"Your Saiyan Empire higher-ups just reached an agreement with Earth not long ago!"
Turles' grin widened, wicked and unapologetic. "Sorry. Once the Tree of Might seed is planted, there's no stopping it."
"The Tree of Might?"
"I'll be honest with you," Turles said, voice smooth with cruelty. "Once it takes root, it feeds to bear fruit. It will drain this planet of every last ounce of nourishment."
"Drain it?"
"Exactly. Plants will wither. Water will dry up. The land will turn to desert. Before long, Earth will become a dead world one that won't recover even after centuries."
"Why would you do this to Earth?!" someone shouted.
"For the Tree of Might's fruit, of course," Turles said, laughing softly. "That fruit was something only gods were allowed to eat. One bite, and your battle power skyrockets."
"Hahaha!" A modified, half-mechanical brute roared with laughter. "Once we eat enough fruit, even that Frieza clown won't be worth mentioning! Lord Turles will become the new emperor of the universe far more glorious than the puppet sitting on the throne now!"
Rumble !
As they spoke, thick roots burst up through the ground and shot outward in every direction.
"It's growing this fast?! Damn it!" Gohan and the others' faces changed. They shot up into the sky.
The green of the earth below was visibly fading desertification spreading at a horrifying speed.
They couldn't even see where the roots ended. Every tendril was expanding too fast to track, and even the sky and cities were being swallowed up.
In only moments, the Tree of Might blanketed the entire planet, greedily draining it of life.
A canopy that blotted out the sun surged upward, almost piercing the heavens.
"This…"
The Earth warriors stared down at the endless web of roots and felt a deep, bone-chilling dread.
Gohan clenched his fists until they trembled. "We have to destroy that tree immediately, or Earth really will be wiped out again!"
He gathered ki and fired a blast straight into the crown.
Boom !
Turles flashed in front of it and casually slapped the beam away with one hand.
"Don't waste your effort," he said, shaking his head as if pitying them. "A mortal's power can't destroy it."
His gaze sharpened.
"But I also won't let you run wild."
"Then I'll take you down first!" Gohan roared, unleashing his full power.
Beep-beep-beep-beep!
The scouters across Turles' group screamed in unison.
"This kid's battle power is this high?!"
The numbers were still climbing. Several of Turles' subordinates couldn't sit still anymore.
"Lord Turles his battle power has already far surpassed the one we detected earlier!"
"A half-breed mongrel from a low-class warrior… and his power is actually beyond a Super Saiyan…"
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