[51]. Princess Philiya

High above Planet Sadala, a large spacecraft broke through the atmosphere with incredible speed.

Its hull was made from an extremely rare cosmic alloy known as Zero Metal—a material both invaluable and nearly indestructible. If not for the scarring from battle damage across its outer plating, the ship would've appeared nothing short of magnificent.

The ship itself was egg-shaped, with black metal bands coiled around its circumference, and windows spaced out every few meters. Through those windows, several figures could be seen clustered together.

In the center of the group stood a woman who looked strikingly similar to the Elven race. Draped in flowing sapphire-blue hair and a sheer white veil, her elegant figure and cold, ethereal beauty made her resemble a divine maiden untouched by mortal dust.

Ice-cold yet alluring—such women were often the most fatal temptations to men.

However, the paleness in her face betrayed her condition—she was clearly severely wounded.

"The gravity on this planet is so intense! Everyone, activate your gravity modulation bracelets!"

At that command, everyone immediately switched on the devices worn around their wrists.

Once activated, each person shivered slightly before regaining their composure—the crushing pressure of gravity lightened back to tolerable levels.

"Princess Philiya! Are you alright?"

"Princess, hold on just a little longer!"

"Stay strong, Your Highness!"

The women around her cried out anxiously. Their tone made it clear—these people were desperate and deeply concerned for her.

"Elder… Yuna… when did a planet appear here?" Philiya frowned through the pain, her voice barely a whisper.

Their Zero-Class ship had been drifting through deep space for half a day before breaking into this planet's atmosphere. And yet, according to every star chart they possessed, no such celestial body existed in this region.

"Who knows? But never mind that! Once we land, we'll take the fight to those damn space pirates!" Elder Yuna clenched her teeth, her eyes filled with grim determination.

Philiya's expression remained pained and tightly drawn—her injuries and mental strain had nearly rendered her speechless.

She was the princess of the Lolita Race, a long-standing and highly intelligent species rumored to have ancient ties with the Saiyan bloodline. The Lolita Race had only about 200 members left—fewer than the post-destruction Saiyan survivors—but every single one of them was a scientific prodigy. In terms of technological prowess, they ranked among the best in the entire universe.

The Zero-Class ship they were on was built using the pinnacle of her people's technology and rarest materials.

However, during an expedition to collect key materials, their ship had been ambushed by space pirates. One of the engines was critically damaged by an energy cannon during takeoff. Philiya had fought off the canine-faced pirate leader in a fierce duel but was ultimately overpowered and forced to flee with severe injuries.

Fortunately, the secondary engine remained functional. With the aid of Lolita tech, they barely managed to escape.

But the pirates were hot on their tail. With dwindling power reserves, their only choice was to crash-land on this uncharted planet.

Meanwhile, aboard the pursuing vessel...

"Big bro, we're gonna strike it rich this time!"

"That whole ship's made from Zero Metal! Selling even one part could feed us for a month!"

A frog-faced alien was so excited that his grey-green skin began to glow red—an unsettling sight that made him look like he'd just taken a hit of cosmic Viagra.

"Shut up and focus!" the dog-headed pirate captain growled. "We'll talk riches after we catch them. Full speed ahead!"

"Roger!"

...

The skies darkened with storm clouds as two ships descended one after the other into Planet Sadala.

Nearby Saiyans, having sensed the disturbance, began flying toward the area en masse.

"They're landing!" Ausbi'er, already at the scene, said solemnly.

Bardock narrowed his eyes, locking onto the two ships.

After years of serving under Frieza, the Saiyans knew every model in his fleet by heart. And these ships? They weren't his.

That knowledge eased Bardock's anxiety—slightly.

As Ausbi'er's words faded, both ships opened their hatches simultaneously.

"Princess Philiya, we must get out now!"

With Yuna supporting her, the Lolita women rushed out of the Zero-Class ship, energy rifles at the ready.

Meanwhile…

"Ahahaha! Everyone, move out!" the dog-faced pirate captain laughed wickedly.

But something was off—his minions had fallen silent.

He turned to look.

Every single lackey had collapsed to the ground.

"Useless trash!" he snarled. His own power level was higher, so the planet's gravity didn't bother him too much. He grabbed a few henchmen who could still stand and led the way outside.

Both sides reached the ground around the same time.

Philiya looked even paler than before, her skin ghostly white from her injuries.

"Princess, hold on! We'll take them down and get you medical attention!" Yuna was frantic.

The female guards, too, watched Philiya with deep concern.

Philiya shook her head. She knew there was no escaping. Their enemy had fighters with power levels of 5000—far beyond what their energy rifles could deal with.

"Ahahahaha! Just surrender already!" the dog-faced captain called out mockingly.

"Protect the princess at all costs!" Yuna commanded.

Tension filled the air. A battle was about to ignite.

But then—whoosh!

Dozens of figures descended from the sky.

"These idiots…" Bardock muttered under his breath.

If the Saiyans had approached quietly, they might've gone unnoticed. But now that they'd made a flashy entrance, they'd definitely raise suspicion.

And if these newcomers reported the Saiyans' location?

Disaster.

Sure enough, both fleeing Lolita women and pursuing space pirates tightened formation, wary of this unexpected third party.

"They're… the native species of this planet?" Yuna muttered, helping Philiya to her feet.

In the chaos of the chase, they hadn't taken time to study the planet they'd landed on.

The dog-faced pirate leader also furrowed his brow. He hadn't expected this planet to have natives either.

"Natives"?!

Thank the heavens Prince Vegeta wasn't present. If he had heard someone refer to his proud Saiyan kin as natives, these two factions would've already been vaporized on the spot.

Back behind the ridge, Bardock sighed. "Ausbi'er, no point hiding anymore. Let's go."

Just then, two more figures appeared in the sky.

Bardock and Ausbi'er landed in front of the other Saiyans. Bardock shot the squad leader, Kast, a fierce glare.

"We'll deal with you later."

"...Huh?"

Kast had been about to report, but now he was just confused.

What'd I do? I didn't mess anything up... did I?

Bardock ignored him and quickly descended toward the surface, followed by the other Saiyans—leaving Kast floating awkwardly in the air.

Kast: "..."

On the ground, a tense standoff had formed—three factions, three sides, no one daring to make a move.

Eventually…

The dog-faced pirate stepped forward and sneered,

"Listen, natives—this has nothing to do with you. Get lost."

He clearly didn't want complications. All he wanted was to grab his loot and disappear.

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