When he saw his energy blast had no effect, Zarbon grit his teeth and charged in. His fists and feet became a storm of afterimages—so fast you could only hear the strikes—but not a single hit landed.
Vegeta looked like he was standing right in front of him without even moving. No matter how Zarbon attacked or how much he forced his speed higher, he still couldn't touch Vegeta.
"What's wrong?" Vegeta mocked as he dodged. "Our mighty Lord Zarbon—why have you gotten so slow?"
The barrage was useless and only drained stamina. Zarbon was about to pull back when a sharp pain exploded in his shoulder—
Vegeta's raised leg slammed into him.
Zarbon didn't even see where the kick came from. His body dropped like a cannonball from the sky, smashing a deep crater into the ground.
Vegeta landed as well, but didn't immediately press the attack. Instead, he laughed loudly. "That's all it takes to leave you unable to fight back?"
Zarbon climbed out of the crater, panting. There was no frustration on his face—instead, he wore a strange smile.
That reaction made Vegeta pause. For a moment, he even thought the guy had been beaten stupid.
But Zarbon wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said, "You've exceeded my expectations. Yes—your improvement is real. But because of that… you've awakened the potential I've kept sleeping for years."
"What?" Vegeta frowned slightly. "You're saying I've drawn out the true potential you've never used in years? What a joke."
Zarbon didn't care about the ridicule. He calmly wiped his mouth again and said, "Why do you think I hide my true strength? Fine—I'll tell you before I kill you."
"Before I can use my real power, I have to become… ugly. That goes against my sense of aesthetics. I hate ugly things. But at a life-or-death moment… I'll transform."
"Transform?" Vegeta burst out laughing. "You think you're a Saiyan too? A dog driven into a corner really will start spouting nonsense."
Zarbon didn't answer. He brushed back his hair.
In an instant, a fierce gale swept through, carrying a heavy killing intent.
The next moment, his body swelled. His arms and legs thickened grotesquely, and his face twisted into something feral—like a humanoid beast. Even his voice turned hoarse.
The sudden change left Vegeta completely stunned.
"Don't think I'm only changing my appearance," Zarbon snarled. "When you see my power, don't be too shocked!"
Before Vegeta could even react, transformed Zarbon was already in front of him.
A knee drove into Vegeta's stomach.
Vegeta spat blood—and immediately got slammed into the ground by a heavy palm.
Zarbon didn't let up. Like he was kicking a ball, he launched Vegeta's body up again, seized his leg, and then hurled him down hard.
Pain ripped through Vegeta's body, and his opponent's relentless pressure gave him no room to respond. He couldn't even properly defend himself.
In just a few seconds, he was completely battered and dazed.
At the same time, to reach the Grand Elder as quickly as possible, Creed was flying while holding onto Dende, with Goku following close behind.
But even after nearly two hours of flying, they still hadn't seen a single village.
Goku suddenly said, "We've been on this planet for a while… so why haven't we seen the sun set yet?"
Dende replied, "Our sun doesn't set. There are three suns in the sky—they take turns rising."
Creed shrugged. That completely went against common sense. The universe only had one sun—where would three come from? Maybe Namek had its own special suns.
Either way, this planet never got dark, which wasn't a bad thing. Even as they flew farther and farther, Creed could feel Vegeta's ki growing weaker and weaker.
He couldn't help thinking: That guy… isn't he about to die?
Right then, Vegeta really was like a punching bag, pinned to the ground and beaten senseless by Zarbon. No one knew how long it lasted. When Zarbon finally seemed to get tired, he grabbed Vegeta by the head and tossed him into the sky, finally giving Vegeta a brief chance to breathe.
Even knowing the gap in strength, Vegeta's Saiyan pride wouldn't allow him to run.
He roared and dove back down.
Zarbon rushed up to meet him head-on.
Their bodies collided.
Zarbon was faster than before, and his strikes were far heavier. Vegeta threw only two punches before it turned into a one-sided beating again.
Lightning-fast fists and feet crashed into him, every hit producing a dull, explosive thud.
Gradually, an intense white light flared where their bodies clashed. Zarbon's strikes grew more and more brutal, and ripples formed at the center of the light, spreading outward.
The sea below churned violently. Wherever the ripples passed, mountains slowly collapsed.
Finally, Zarbon interlaced his fingers and hammered Vegeta's back with a crushing blow.
Vegeta screamed and plummeted from the sky, slamming into the ground. The agony left him unable to stand.
His battle armor was nearly shredded, his face covered in blood—yet sheer will forced him to rise anyway.
But before he could steady himself, Zarbon charged again and pummeled him like a sandbag all over.
It was as if Zarbon was deliberately tormenting him. Even though he suppressed Vegeta completely, he never dealt a finishing blow.
When he finally had his fill, Zarbon wrapped his arms around Vegeta, rocketed into the sky, then dove straight down headfirst.
Vegeta struggled desperately, but Zarbon's arms were like iron clamps. Vegeta couldn't move at all. As the ground rushed closer and closer, he let out a despairing roar.
Boom!
It was like a missile strike. The moment they hit, a deafening blast erupted. Fire scattered outward like a net, and the surrounding mountains shattered into countless fragments that flew in all directions.
As the dust cleared, Zarbon looked down into the crater. Water from the surrounding lake surged in and instantly filled it.
Zarbon smirked. "Vegeta… you should be dead now. You didn't even float up—guess you drowned down there."
With that, he reverted to his original form and flew southeast—toward where Frieza's spaceship was located.
Sensing Vegeta's ki vanish completely, Creed frowned.
He'd thought Zarbon and Dodoria were about the same level, but Zarbon had actually beaten Vegeta.
And Vegeta, after returning from Earth, might have already surpassed Goku in some respects.
Creed couldn't help feeling puzzled.
Was this Zarbon really that strong?
(End of Chapter)
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