Blue hair?
Golden Frieza stood frozen in disbelief.
He'd witnessed Super Saiyans before—always with that distinctive golden mane. How had this changed? More unsettling still, Frieza felt unprecedented pressure radiating from Goku's form. That sacred azure flame seemed to burn with inexhaustible, divine energy.
"Hey, don't forget about me." Vegeta's voice cut through the tension from the side. He stood with arms folded across his chest, his expression like a steel mask carved with contempt. His hair also blazed with that same celestial blue, hovering silently in the air—a second shock that sent ice through Frieza's veins.
"You..." Frieza's face contorted, fierce light igniting in his eyes.
Impossible!
Even Vegeta possessed blue hair—what had they done to achieve this?! Frieza's pupils trembled as his entire body tensed with sudden wariness. The successive appearances felt coordinated, calculated. Raditz and his allies had clearly prepared for this confrontation.
They weren't merely unafraid of fighting—they appeared genuinely eager for it.
At that moment, another voice pierced the atmosphere—one that sent chills down every spine present.
"I traveled all this distance just to spectate? This better be worth my time. If there's no delicious food afterward, I'll be extremely bored."
"Oh, Lord Beerus, I'm certain they'll prepare something exquisite once the battle concludes. Until then, let's observe carefully. Frieza has become quite powerful as well."
"Hmph..." A soft snort of disdain preceded Beerus slowly descending to alight upon a large boulder. Beside him stood Whis, staff in hand, expression serene.
The God of Destruction and his Angel attendant—here as well?!
Frieza's heart lurched like a roller coaster plummeting from its peak. His face drained of color, eyes widening to impossible dimensions as disbelief warred with terror. "L-Lord Beerus?!"
"Don't concern yourself—I won't intervene. Fight however you please!" Beerus announced his position with cold detachment.
As a deity maintaining cosmic balance, he refused to take sides overtly. Life and death, destruction and rebirth—all followed natural law. That said, Beerus secretly rooted for Raditz. He genuinely couldn't stand Frieza's arrogant personality, and his friendship with the Saiyan leader ran deeper than he'd openly admit.
Hearing Beerus' promise of non-interference brought Frieza marginal relief. No matter his confidence, the God of Destruction represented a power that transcended mortal comprehension. Years ago, he'd glimpsed a fraction of Beerus' capabilities—invincible, overwhelming strength that existed in an entirely different dimension. If Beerus wouldn't intervene, then his new Golden transformation should prove sufficient.
What Frieza didn't realize was that Raditz had specifically invited Beerus to witness this battle. The tyrant assumed his own energy signature had simply attracted divine attention.
His gaze locked onto Goku and Vegeta, golden aura radiating pure killing intent.
"Hmph! Son Goku, Vegeta—I see you've acquired some new power. However, it will prove absolutely useless against me! Come at me together if you dare!"
"No. I'm enough." Goku stepped forward alone, his voice carrying quiet confidence.
During their training in the Destruction God Realm, Goku had won their rock-paper-scissors match, earning the right to face Frieza first.
In the span of a heartbeat, Goku materialized less than a meter from Frieza's position. The two warriors locked eyes, the space between them crackling with tension so thick it felt like reality might ignite from their combined pressure.
"Kakarot, don't embarrass us." Vegeta's cold declaration carried equal parts warning and faith. He withdrew to the sidelines, crossing his arms with apparent disinterest that fooled no one.
Raditz distributed Senzu Beans to all the wounded defenders, their injuries healing instantly as they regained full strength. Everyone—including Gohan—gathered together to witness the approaching clash, holding their breath in collective anticipation, unwilling to blink and miss even a microsecond.
"Dad's going to fight Frieza at this level? Even the Super Saiyan God form might not guarantee victory..." Gohan had experienced that overwhelming horror firsthand. Simply remembering Golden Frieza's power made fresh sweat bead across his forehead.
"Goku and Vegeta don't look the same as before," Piccolo observed, his eyes gleaming with analytical intensity. "They've improved substantially—reached a level that even we can't properly detect anymore."
Ultimately, Piccolo's extensive combat experience allowed him to perceive Goku's extraordinary transformation. He quietly observed the slight smile playing at the corner of Raditz's mouth, which confirmed his hypothesis. Goku and Vegeta had achieved an even stronger state through their training. Several days ago, the three Saiyans had visited the Lookout to access the Hyperbolic Time Chamber—had that been specifically for this preparation?
Piccolo craned his neck upward, studying every detail of the impending battle with scholarly focus, unwilling to miss even the smallest technique.
Frieza floated in the air, his sneer dripping with contempt. "Son Goku, if you insist on facing me alone, don't blame me for what happens next—"
Before the final syllable left his lips, he exploded forward with devastating velocity.
The battle erupted.
Both figures vanished from normal perception, replaced by scattered sparks and lightning that crackled across impossible distances. CRACK-BOOM-BANG! From sky to ground, visible shockwaves detonated in expanding circles. The earth beneath their clash cratered instantly—a depression over a hundred meters in diameter where soil and stone were simply erased by concentrated energy.
Human eyes couldn't track their movements. Even ki-sensing couldn't follow Frieza's transfer speed properly. One microsecond he hovered in the upper atmosphere, the next he'd crossed thousands of miles to fight above distant oceans, then shattered through cloud layers in an instant, trailing frozen condensation.
The two titans collided with such force that the earthquake threatened total planetary collapse—there was nowhere stable left to stand. Fortunately, Whis intervened with timely divine reinforcement. Under his protective blessing, Earth's structural integrity increased exponentially. The catastrophic collapse halted, reduced to mere trembling beneath the continuing shockwaves.
"AAAHHHH!" Frieza roared with wild frustration, unleashing a furious barrage of strikes. He couldn't maintain advantage after several exchanges—his impatience growing with each failed attempt at dominance. He'd evolved into his Golden state specifically for this! How could he still fail to overcome these hateful Saiyans?! He refused to believe it, couldn't understand it, wouldn't accept it!
CRACK!
Among the desperate flurry, one punch connected solidly with Goku's face. The tremendous impact created visible deformation in his cheek, blood vessels bursting in his eye.
Goku careened backward, his momentum partially arrested but the residual force still making his skull ring like a bell. "What incredible power! Golden Frieza lives up to his reputation—Brother was right to warn me against carelessness!"
Despite taking the hit, Goku smiled. He'd found his rhythm in the fierce exchange, his eyes growing sharper, his body responding with increasing precision.
"Again, Frieza!"
A single exchange couldn't determine victory. Goku had always been a late-stage fighter who tested opponents early before unleashing his full potential. The time for maximum effort remained distant!
Goku rocketed forward like a meteor trailing azure fire. Frieza rallied his focus, charging to meet him head-on. The two luminous forms collided violently at the interface—fists and feet clashing with impacts that generated THUNDEROUS DETONATIONS that shook the very fabric of existence.
"Wha—?!" Yamcha and the weaker fighters gasped collectively.
Not everyone present could witness the complete battle sequence, but this collision frame registered clearly to mortal sight. They saw a massive circle of light spiral outward from the point of contact like a dimensional blade, as if physically dividing the world into two separate halves.
The colossal airflow's aftermath sent warriors with insufficient power careening backward violently, their chests and bodies suffering indescribable shock trauma despite the distance.
"Too... too powerful..."
"They're both absolute monsters!"
Hearing these awed whispers, Raditz stood motionless within the raging winds, his long hair whipping dramatically, that same knowing smile fixed on his features. For three months, the trio had conducted intensive assault training. Goku and Vegeta had grown explosively from Super Saiyan Blue's initial stage—now reaching far deeper mastery of the form. Yet Frieza's Golden transformation proved equally formidable, matching Goku blow for blow.
This battle grew more fascinating by the moment. Raditz couldn't help focusing intently, absorbing lessons from their techniques and strategies.
Sometimes, observing masters clash provided cultivation wisdom equal to personal training.
"Lord Beerus, they're both performing admirably."
"Indeed. Barely approaching my minimum standards, but better than I anticipated." Beerus studied Raditz with calculating interest. "This one managed to elevate Son Goku so dramatically in merely three months. How far has Raditz himself progressed...?" His voice trailed into thoughtful muttering, eyes uncertain with speculative analysis.
Above them, the aerial combat intensified without mercy.