Brian's knees trembled.
Not from fear.
His body simply hadn't caught up with what his mind was asking of it.
Blood ran from the corner of his mouth and dropped onto the cracked stone beneath him.
So that's the difference.
Across the battlefield, Frieza hovered several dozen meters away.
His final form looked almost untouched.
Brian stared at him.
Then he smiled.
"You're ridiculous."
Frieza's red eyes narrowed.
"Excuse me?"
Brian wiped the blood from his lip with his thumb.
"I've been getting stronger this entire fight."
His eyes sharpened.
"And you're still getting farther ahead."
Frieza's expression twisted into a smug smile.
"How perceptive."
Brian rolled his shoulders.
The bones inside his chest had already knitted themselves back together.
Majin regeneration.
Useful.
But not unlimited.
He could regenerate damage.
He couldn't erase exhaustion.
He couldn't erase pain.
And, most importantly—
He couldn't regenerate stamina.
That's the problem.
Brian lowered his stance.
I'm adapting to him.
His eyes followed Frieza.
But he's adapting to me too.
For the first time since the battle began, Brian didn't immediately attack.
He waited.
Frieza noticed.
"Oh?"
The wind moved between them.
Dust floated through the air.
Neither warrior moved.
Brian's eyes tracked Frieza's posture.
Not his face.
Not his hands.
His entire body.
His weight is centered.
No.
Brian's pupils contracted.
He's deliberately keeping it centered.
Frieza vanished.
Brian immediately jumped.
A thin red beam tore through the stone where his head had been.
But Brian didn't retreat.
He twisted in midair.
Another beam passed beneath his ribs.
A third came from behind.
Brian folded his body sideways.
The beam barely grazed his shirt.
He landed.
Then stopped.
His eyes widened.
"That was different."
Frieza appeared behind him.
Brian turned.
Frieza's finger was already touching his forehead.
"Yes."
BOOM!
Brian disappeared into the ground.
The impact carved a crater through the stone.
Frieza floated above it.
"Did you truly believe I would continue using the same attack patterns?"
Brian's fingers twitched beneath the rubble.
A quiet laugh escaped him.
"Heh."
Frieza frowned.
Brian pushed himself out.
"Actually..."
He spat out a small piece of stone.
"...I was hoping you would."
Frieza's smile vanished.
Brian's expression became serious.
"Because I learned something."
The ground beneath his feet cracked.
"You've been watching me too."
Frieza's eyes narrowed.
Brian suddenly rushed forward.
Not toward Frieza.
Past him.
Frieza's head turned.
Brian planted one foot against a cliff face.
BOOM!
He launched himself sideways.
The trajectory was completely wrong.
Frieza instinctively fired.
Brian twisted around the beam.
The attack struck the cliff instead.
Brian rebounded again.
Then again.
The battlefield became a web of shattered stone and changing angles.
Frieza fired another beam.
Brian didn't dodge.
He accelerated directly toward it.
At the last instant, he turned his body ninety degrees.
The beam passed beside him.
Brian's hand swept through the air.
A thin ki blade formed across his palm.
He didn't slash Frieza.
Instead, he cut through the ground.
The entire cliff face collapsed.
Thousands of tons of stone crashed between them.
Frieza looked through the falling debris.
Brian was gone.
"Where..."
A flicker of movement.
Frieza spun.
Nothing.
Another flicker.
Still nothing.
Frieza's eyes narrowed.
Then he looked upward.
Brian was standing on a floating piece of rubble.
"Found you."
Frieza fired.
Brian jumped.
The rubble beneath him exploded.
But Brian had already anticipated it.
He used the explosion itself.
The blast launched him higher.
Brian rotated through the smoke and suddenly dropped.
His fist descended.
Frieza raised one arm.
The impact sent a shockwave across the battlefield.
Brian's feet touched Frieza's forearm.
He didn't continue the attack.
Instead, he stared directly into Frieza's eyes.
Frieza stared back.
Brian smiled.
"Got it."
"What?"
Brian pushed away.
"You're not faster than me."
Frieza's expression changed.
Brian landed several meters away.
"You're just better at deciding when to move."
Silence.
Brian's smile widened.
"That's way more interesting."
Frieza's eye twitched.
"You irritating little—"
Brian disappeared.
Frieza's tail snapped through the space where Brian had been.
Nothing.
Frieza turned.
Brian wasn't attacking.
He was circling.
One step.
Two.
Three.
Frieza tracked him.
Brian changed direction.
Frieza followed.
Brian changed again.
Frieza adjusted.
Brian suddenly stopped.
Frieza's eyes narrowed.
There.
Brian had seen it.
A tiny shift in Frieza's shoulder.
Not an attack.
A preparation.
Brian ducked.
Frieza's tail swept over his head.
Brian's hand caught it.
For half a second, neither moved.
Brian looked at the tail.
Then at Frieza.
"...You really do use that thing for everything."
Frieza's face darkened.
He yanked.
Brian released immediately.
The sudden lack of resistance caused Frieza to stumble forward by half a step.
Brian took advantage.
Not with a punch.
His palm touched Frieza's chest.
A compressed sphere of ki formed between them.
Frieza's eyes widened.
"Wait—"
KRAKOOOM!
The explosion occurred at point-blank range.
Brian was thrown backward.
Frieza disappeared inside the blast.
The entire valley shook.
Brian landed on one knee.
His breathing became heavier.
That cost too much.
Smoke covered the battlefield.
Brian waited.
Nothing.
His smile slowly faded.
Did I actually—
A purple-white blur erupted from the smoke.
Brian's eyes widened.
Frieza emerged.
Burn marks covered his chest.
His expression was no longer amused.
Brian stood.
Frieza looked down at himself.
Then back at Brian.
"You..."
His voice was quiet.
"...are beginning to become troublesome."
Brian grinned.
"Thanks."
"I wasn't complimenting you."
"I know."
Frieza vanished.
Brian barely registered the movement.
His instincts screamed.
He threw himself backward.
A fist stopped inches from his face.
Brian's hair moved from the pressure.
Too fast.
Frieza's fist suddenly changed direction.
Brian twisted.
The strike caught his shoulder.
CRACK.
His arm bent unnaturally.
Brian was launched across the battlefield.
He crashed through three rock formations before stopping.
He stared at his arm.
The bone was already moving back into place.
Brian flexed his fingers.
Then he looked toward Frieza.
His smile returned.
"Okay."
His hair began to rise.
Golden energy exploded around him.
The ground shook.
Brian's aura expanded violently.
Ikari.
His muscles tightened.
His breathing became deeper.
The pain in his body faded beneath a surge of primal strength.
Frieza watched.
Brian disappeared.
This time—
Frieza's eyes widened.
Brian's fist slammed into his abdomen.
The impact folded Frieza forward.
But Brian didn't follow with another attack.
He grabbed Frieza by the shoulder and redirected his momentum.
Frieza flew sideways.
Brian kicked the ground.
He pursued.
Frieza recovered in midair.
Brian was already waiting.
Frieza's eyes widened.
Brian drove both hands forward.
A concentrated blast erupted.
Frieza crossed his arms.
The blast pushed him backward for kilometers.
He finally stopped himself.
Brian stood in the distance.
His chest rose and fell.
Faster.
Stronger.
But still not enough.
Frieza slowly lowered his arms.
A small smile appeared.
"So you've found another level."
Brian's eyes narrowed.
"No."
Frieza paused.
Brian clenched his fists.
"I found another question."
His aura suddenly intensified.
The golden energy compressed.
Then exploded outward.
Brian's muscles swelled.
His presence became monstrous.
Max Power.
The surrounding landscape buckled beneath his ki.
Frieza stared.
For the first time—
There was no amusement in his expression.
Brian raised his head.
His eyes were calm.
"How much stronger can I become before my body breaks?"
Frieza smiled.
"Why don't we find out?"
He raised one finger.
The sky darkened.
Hundreds of red beams appeared overhead.
Brian looked up.
His expression became almost excited.
"Okay."
The beams descended.
Brian didn't run.
He stepped forward.
One beam.
He tilted his head.
Another.
He rotated his shoulder.
Three more.
He stepped between them.
Then another dozen appeared.
Brian's eyes moved constantly.
Left.
Right.
Above.
Behind.
His body followed his thoughts.
Not perfectly.
Not effortlessly.
But faster each time.
A beam grazed his cheek.
Brian didn't react.
Another tore through his thigh.
He stumbled.
Regeneration immediately began.
Brian gritted his teeth.
Too many.
He looked upward.
Frieza wasn't controlling the beams randomly.
He was closing paths.
Brian suddenly understood.
"You're herding me."
Frieza smiled.
Brian stopped.
Every beam converged.
The entire area disappeared inside a storm of red light.
Frieza lowered his hand.
The battlefield was silent.
Then—
A golden streak shot through the center of the explosion.
Brian emerged.
His clothes were nearly destroyed.
Blood covered his body.
But he was smiling.
Frieza's expression hardened.
Brian raised one hand.
His ki blade appeared.
But this time—
It wasn't a sword.
It was a tiny point of energy wrapped around two fingers.
Frieza stared.
Brian grinned.
"Let's see if this works."
He vanished.
Frieza's eyes tracked him.
Brian appeared directly beside him.
The tiny blade touched Frieza's arm.
Brian didn't slash.
He pushed.
The blade expanded instantly.
A razor-thin wave of ki traveled along Frieza's arm.
Frieza recoiled.
Brian was already gone.
He appeared beneath him.
Then above.
Then behind.
Not attacking.
Testing.
Every movement was designed to force Frieza to reveal something.
Frieza finally understood.
"You aren't trying to defeat me."
Brian's eyes gleamed.
"Not yet."
"You are studying me."
Brian smiled.
"Exactly."
Frieza's expression became cold.
"Then study this."
His aura exploded.
Brian's smile disappeared.
The pressure alone forced him backward.
Frieza vanished.
Brian's instincts screamed.
He turned—
Too late.
Frieza's fist struck his stomach.
The force lifted Brian from the ground.
Before he could recover, Frieza appeared above him.
One kick.
Brian was driven downward.
The earth swallowed him.
Frieza raised his hand.
A massive sphere of energy formed above his palm.
Brian stared upward from inside the crater.
His body was barely moving.
His breathing was ragged.
For the first time—
He couldn't immediately find an answer.
Frieza smiled.
"Have you finally reached your limit?"
Brian stared at the energy overhead.
His fingers slowly curled.
"No."
He pushed himself upright.
His legs shook.
"But..."
Brian looked at Frieza.
"...I think I've found yours."
Frieza's smile disappeared.
Brian's aura erupted once more.
Not larger.
Not louder.
Different.
His energy became tighter.
More controlled.
Brian lowered his stance.
The enormous sphere descended.
Brian stared directly at it.
Then—
He stepped forward.
The battlefield vanished beneath white light.
And inside that light, Brian moved.
Not faster.
Not stronger.
Smarter.
For the first time in the battle, he wasn't reacting to Frieza.
He was anticipating him.
And Frieza realized—
Brian had finally started catching up.