[23]. The Death of King Vegeta

Back then, not even his elder brother Cooler had dared to be so insolent toward him—yet now, Frieza had taken a punch from a mere brat. He was absolutely furious.

Frieza cast a cold glance at Dodoria.

Frieza's ruthlessness was no secret—he would stop at nothing to achieve his goals, and he especially valued his own appearance and poise. If anyone saw him lose composure, that person was practically guaranteed to die.

That deathly stare locked onto him, and Dodoria felt as if the deadliest viper in the universe had fixed its gaze upon him. He trembled uncontrollably. He was doomed.

Frieza raised one finger and pointed it straight at Dodoria.

Murderous intent flooded the sky, and in that instant, it felt like even the air had frozen.

...

"Hahaha! You think you weaklings can take down Planet Vegeta?"

In his Great Ape form, King Vegeta roared with laughter.

Though Frieza's men were numerous, they couldn't land any fatal blows on the Great Apes. On the contrary, they were being picked off one by one under the Saiyans' massive fists.

"Hahaha! Is that the best your men can do, Frieza?"

King Vegeta lifted his foot and crushed another alien beneath it as if stomping on an ant. Then, turning to his subordinates, he shouted, "Come! Let's go take down Frieza together!"

Having eliminated a good portion of the enemy, King Vegeta had grown cocky in his transformed state. He thought Frieza wouldn't be able to match him.

Five colossal figures surged upward in a blaze of white aura, flying high into the atmosphere, blocking out the light with their enormous bodies. The sky darkened.

All five Great Apes blazed with energy as they streaked through the sky like comets, white energy slicing the heavens. King Vegeta scanned the skies for Frieza.

"There!"

He spotted the largest ship—Frieza hovered just in front of it.

Boom!

The five apes accelerated, massive forms tearing toward Frieza at full speed.

At that moment, Frieza still had his finger pointed at Dodoria, who was practically wetting himself in fear. But upon seeing King Vegeta and the others charge up, it was as if he had seen salvation.

Sure enough, Frieza lowered his finger.

"King Vegeta."

Frieza's eyes gleamed sharply. That brat who punched him had looked very much like a Saiyan. Fine, he thought. I'll take it all out on your race.

"Frieza! Looks like all your men are nearly wiped out! What, too scared to fight us yourself? Hahahaha!"

King Vegeta glanced at his subordinates. With their current strength, he felt invincible. Frieza daring to trespass on Planet Vegeta was unforgivable.

"You're quite confident, King Vegeta," Frieza said, his sharp eyes fixed on the king, his voice calm.

Those who knew Frieza well would recognize the danger in that tone—he was angry, and he was about to get serious.

After all, he had just been sucker-punched by a random brat. Even the emperor of the universe had his limits.

"Let's see if your confidence is justified."

Frieza activated his scouter.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

80,000...

95,000...

120,000...

Each of the apes had a power level of at least 80,000, with King Vegeta at the highest—120,000.

Clap, clap, clap.

Frieza slowly applauded. "I must admit, you Saiyans do have some ability."

"Regret coming here yet?" King Vegeta sneered. "Too late now!"

He turned and signaled his subordinates.

The other four Great Apes immediately charged at Frieza, launching a ferocious assault.

Trying to take on Frieza head-on? They were asking for death.

Sure enough—

"You're courting death."

Frieza's calm vanished. He exploded in rage.

A terrifying aura erupted from his body, like the core of a star going supernova.

The overwhelming pressure surged through every corner of Planet Vegeta. Waves crashed wildly, winds howled, and a typhoon of apocalyptic proportions swept the land.

And this was just his aura.

"What the hell...?"

The shockwaves were so intense that even the massive bodies of the Great Apes were blown backward, struggling to stay upright.

"No way!"

After tumbling through the air, the five managed to stabilize themselves. But the storm continued to batter them, their fur stinging as if being torn from their flesh.

They looked at one another in shock. The fear in their blood-red eyes was plain to see.

How was Frieza this powerful?

If he was this strong, why had he tolerated the Saiyans for so long?

He could've wiped them out at any time!

Frieza's terrifying aura made King Vegeta's heart sink. He trembled, his spirit all but shattered.

"No... it can't be!"

King Vegeta shook his head violently. He refused to believe Frieza was this powerful.

"Surprised, King Vegeta?"

A flash of lightning crackled around Frieza as he appeared before the Saiyan king. His lips curled into a cruel smirk. He was back to his usual calm, graceful demeanor.

The Great Apes trembled. Their massive forms quivered with fear—it was palpable.

They had never seen Frieza fight seriously. They assumed his power was only slightly above theirs in ape form. They thought five of them together might stand a chance.

"How naive."

"We were too naive."

Regret filled their hearts. How could they forget? A galactic emperor obviously had overwhelming power.

But now it was too late.

"Hahahaha! Didn't you seem so confident just now?"

Frieza sat calmly in his hover pod. Despite unleashing wave after wave of power, his pod was completely unharmed.

"Take a guess—what's my power level?"

He looked at them with amusement. He loved this part—the fear before death.

King Vegeta and the others stepped back, eyes wide in horror. Their mouths opened, but no words came under the crushing pressure of Frieza's aura.

"530,000. My battle power is 530,000."

"Hahahaha!"

"Well?"

"Surprised?"

"Hahahaha!"

Frieza laughed wildly. Seeing the terror on their faces, his rage melted away.

King Vegeta and his men stumbled backward, overwhelmed. Could the Frost Demon race really be this powerful?

This wasn't power a living being should have.

To have 100,000 power as a Saiyan required transformation. That wasn't their base form. But Frieza—he was at 530,000 naturally.

"All right, enough fun."

Still seated in his pod, Frieza raised one finger.

That scene—

The infamous Planet Vegeta destruction scene was about to begin.

At his fingertip, an orange energy sphere the size of a marble began to form.

As energy poured into it, the surrounding atmosphere cracked. Pop! Pop! Space itself distorted. In a moment, the marble expanded into a glowing 50-meter-wide death ball.

Planet Destroyer.

"Hahahaha!"

With a flick of his finger, Frieza hurled the massive death ball down toward the planet.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Though massive, the orb plummeted fast.

"No!!"

King Vegeta snapped out of his daze—but the death ball was already right in front of them.

With no time to spare, he and his subordinates combined their powers, each firing a blast to try and stop it.

Five beams met the death ball—but they were as ants pushing a boulder.

Huff! Huff!

The pressure surged. Air currents blasted in all directions. Even their fur was blown straight back.

"Aaaagh!"

"GAAAAH!"

The overwhelming energy tore at their bodies. Their fur ignited under the heat. The pain was unbearable.

"AAAAAH!"

The death ball descended.

"No...!"

King Vegeta stared helplessly at the ball of destruction. No matter how much power he poured in, it did nothing. He glanced at his subordinates—their fur ablaze, screaming in agony.

In his final moments, King Vegeta's unwilling eyes gradually faded into resignation. He slowly closed them, as if accepting the inevitable.

"Vegeta..."

And then silence.

The cries ceased.

The five Great Apes—including King Vegeta—were vaporized.

And just like that, the king of the Saiyan race was gone.

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