"What the hell is going on..."
Vegeta's voice trembled. "Why did Shenlong suddenly disappear? Why did the sky brighten again? Why did the Dragon Balls turn to stone!?"
Dende knelt on the ground, tears streaming from his eyes as he sobbed, "The Grand Elder... he just passed away..."
Because the Grand Elder was the one who created the Dragon Balls, once he died, the Dragon Balls would vanish as well. Vegeta stomped in fury, glared at Gohan, and roared, "If you idiots hadn't hidden it from me and used the Dragon Balls behind my back, things wouldn't have turned out like this! I will never forgive you! You bastards!"
He was about to rush over and beat Gohan senseless when he suddenly stopped, stiffly lifting his head. His eyes instantly filled with terror.
Frieza was standing on the hillside, staring at them. When he saw them look over, he slowly spoke in an icy tone, "A bunch of hopeless idiots... You'd better be prepared to accept your punishment."
Vegeta took a deep breath and didn't speak. He knew how terrifying Frieza was—forget himself alone, even if he teamed up with Goku, they still wouldn't be Frieza's match.
Frieza tilted his head back and said slowly, "Why can't I find the life signs of the Ginyu Force? Did you kill them? Putting that aside... I truly didn't expect the Dragon Balls to turn to stone at the very last moment. Vegeta, you must be feeling extremely unwilling, right? But my anger is even greater than yours. I never imagined you idiots would actually dare to provoke me. This is the first time."
He began walking toward them. "I never dreamed things would turn out like this. Unforgivable. I'm going to chop you up into minced meat one by one. Not a single one of you will escape. Prepare yourselves."
He still hadn't attacked—yet just his aura alone made Gohan and Dende tremble all over. The two of them instinctively tried to run to the side, but Vegeta remained where he stood, staring at Frieza as he said slowly, "So you've finally shown your true colors. If you've got the guts, then kill me. If you think you can take me down in two or three moves, then you're dead wrong."
Frieza sneered. "I wondered what you were going to say. Looks like you've forgotten how terrifying I am. Fine—then I'll make you remember."
As he spoke, he began gathering ki. The atmosphere itself seemed to congeal. Even the shattered bones on the ground slowly started to rise. Cold sweat poured down Gohan's face. He began to regret not helping Vegeta obtain eternal life sooner. Even though he already knew Frieza was strong, he never imagined he'd be this strong. This wasn't merely a difference in battle power—it was a difference on an utterly incomparable level.
Creed also sensed Frieza's rage building, but he had no way to get over there. He had to stay here until Goku's injuries fully healed, and then take him out of the healing pod. All he could do now was pray Gohan wouldn't act rashly and clash head-on with Frieza.
At this moment, Piccolo also felt the terrifying aura in the distance and hurried over. But halfway there, he sensed a faint, weakening ki. He originally thought it was Gohan. When he landed, he realized it was a Namekian who looked almost exactly like himself, lying on the ground, already on the verge of death.
"You look a lot like me. You're a Namekian, aren't you? You're about to die, huh."
Hearing someone speak, Nail opened his eyes and struggled to talk. "Are you the Namekian the Earthlings mentioned? Then... it seems their wish has been fulfilled. That's great..."
Piccolo said, "So you know quite a lot. Then you should also know I'm on my way to save that brat. Sorry, but I have to leave you here to die."
He was about to turn and leave when Nail spoke again, "Unbelievable... I don't know how you trained, but you've grown this strong. But... it's such a shame. If you became a complete Namekian, you'd be even stronger—maybe even stronger than Frieza."
Piccolo snapped his head back, sneering. "You mean if I go back and fuse with that so-called Kami, my power will surpass Frieza? Too bad—there's no point saying that now. And I have no intention of fusing with that guy anymore."
"Correct." Nail let out a sigh. "Even though I couldn't defeat Frieza, because of that, I have a rough idea of how strong he is. Fuse with me. I'm the strongest warrior-type Namekian on this planet. I can increase your power several times over."
Piccolo hesitated, then turned his head away and gritted his teeth. "I'm not opposed to the offer... but I still want to stay as I am. I'm not interested in having my personality assimilated by you..."
Nail smiled helplessly. "You're too arrogant. Hurry, there's no time. I'm about to die. Fuse with my body, quickly. Don't worry—your personality won't disappear. Absorb me, and it'll only increase your power."
Nearby, the lake began to churn, and even the ground trembled faintly. Although it was far away, Piccolo could still feel it—Frieza's power. If it kept going like this, the entire planet might be destroyed. He looked at Nail and said, "You're not lying to me, are you?"
Nail could only reply, "If you don't believe me, then go let Frieza kill you."
Feeling Frieza's power continuing to rise, Piccolo knew he had no time left to hesitate. He walked up to Nail. "Fine. I'll try it. But if you don't suit me, I'll kick you out of my body immediately."
Nail laughed. "You really don't know gratitude. I'm doing this out of kindness, giving you a free gift. You have to promise me—you must defeat Frieza."
Piccolo placed his hand on Nail's chest. A dazzling white light shot up from the ground, completely engulfing them both. Within that light, Nail's ki steadily faded away. In the end, like he was being burned up by flames, his body was gradually swallowed by the white fire. It lasted for half a minute—until both body and ki vanished without a trace.
The fusion was complete. Rather than calling it a fusion, it was more accurate to say Piccolo absorbed Nail. Piccolo could clearly feel it—power swelling within him, so strong it was unbelievable. It was even several times greater than when Vegeta first arrived on Earth. He began to feel that no matter what kind of opponent he faced, he wouldn't lose. He had obtained ultimate power.
The water began to dry up, and mountains collapsed with a thunderous roar—this was all caused by Frieza's power. Just a casual shockwave from him had altered the planet's terrain. Gohan could only hide far away to avoid getting caught in it. He also felt Vegeta wouldn't last much longer. Gritting his teeth, he still leapt out.
(End of Chapter)
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