Deep within the cold emptiness of space,
King Cold's enormous starship tore through the void at maximum speed on its direct course for Planet Namek.
Inside the ship, the atmosphere had turned suffocating.
No one spoke.
No one dared to move.
The soldiers barely allowed themselves to breathe.
All because of the horrifying message that had arrived only moments ago.
Lord Frieza…
killed by the Saiyan monkey Vegeta…
in his Great Ape form.
Those exact words had come through Captain Ginyu's scouter.
At first, no one believed it.
But scouters did not fabricate power readings.
They did not create false battle signatures.
And above all else, Ginyu had never once lied about combat data.
For a long, icy stretch of time, King Cold remained silent.
Until—
CRACK.
The wine glass shattered in his hand.
Purple wine streaked across his wrist and ran down his fingers.
He did not even bother wiping it away.
Instead, he slowly covered his face with one large hand…
…and began to laugh.
A soft, trembling sound at first.
Then louder.
And louder.
"Hmmhmmhmm… my son Frieza…
killed…
killed by a wild monkey…
Hahahahahahahahaha!"
His laughter filled the entire chamber.
It rang with madness, bitterness…
…and unmistakable joy.
Every soldier trembled.
Only one man understood.
Mozart, King Cold's most trusted lieutenant.
He knew this ruler too well.
He could read every shift of expression.
That laughter held no grief.
No sorrow.
It was excitement.
Relief.
Vindication.
When the laughter finally died, King Cold lowered his hand.
His voice dropped to a cold, venomous whisper.
"I warned you, did I not, my foolish little Frieza?
You were always too arrogant.
If you had taken the time to master your full strength…
instead of hiding behind so many incomplete transformations…"
His expression twisted.
"…you would not have died to a Saiyan ape."
Cold exhaled slowly and almost fondly.
"In comparison, your brother Cooler is far superior to you."
Frieza was spoiled, impulsive, and reckless.
Cooler was cold, disciplined, methodical.
Almost amusing, the contrast between them.
"Well then. It seems you were never destined for immortality," Cold murmured.
"When I reach Namek, I will avenge you.
I will send that Saiyan monkey to Hell to keep you company.
Then you can resolve your family dispute properly."
Of course—
He did not know the truth.
Vegeta had never said how he killed Frieza.
The theory about a Great Ape transformation was nothing more than Ginyu's personal assumption.
But King Cold was the same as his son.
Arrogant.
Self assured.
Convinced his knowledge of the world could not be wrong.
The same arrogance that destroyed Frieza…
…would soon destroy him.
After a long silence, King Cold finally spoke again.
"How long until we reach Namek?"
Mozart stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, our estimate is approximately two days."
Cold narrowed his eyes.
"I want precision."
"Fifty two hours, Your Majesty."
Cold nodded.
"Bring me a new set of wine glasses."
"Yes, King Cold."
The attendant bowed and hurried away without lifting his gaze.
Meanwhile—
Far out in the endless expanse of space…
Cooler's starship had also received Ginyu's transmission.
The news of Frieza's death rippled through the entire Cold Force.
But Cooler… did not panic.
Did not rage.
He simply leaned back in his floating throne and chuckled.
"I told him, did I not?
If you plan to wipe out a race, you eradicate them completely.
You burn the roots as well as the weeds."
His voice remained calm.
Mocking.
Utterly unbothered.
"But my naive little brother insisted on treating the monkeys as toys."
Salza stepped forward with a deep frown.
"Cooler-sama… are we certain the report is accurate? Even with a battle strength of one hundred eighty thousand, even with a Great Ape multiplier, Vegeta should not be able to kill Lord Frieza. Even his first form is five hundred thirty thousand."
Neiz nodded vigorously.
"It makes no sense at all. I still cannot believe Vegeta even reached one hundred eighty thousand."
Dore added with disbelief,
"And even then… defeating Frieza? How is that possible?"
Cooler slowly closed his eyes.
Then a thin smile curled across his lips.
"We shall find out the truth ourselves soon enough."
~~~~~~
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