Zod POV
Confirmation to return came through within minutes—but the tone was clear. King Vegeta didn't appreciate the direct relay. The intel was important, sure, but apparently, it could've been passed through command first.
'Typical royalty—less mad about frost demons, more mad about the chain of command.'
Didn't matter since we were leaving now.
I climbed back into my pod. Just me and the low hum of engines warming up. Outside the viewport, the others were getting ready to launch too. Suddenly explosions start going off near a hill the squad was just at. Ki blasts. Screaming through the air towards our direction.
I leaned forward. "What the hell—"
The ship jolted forward—automatic takeoff engaged. No manual override. I slammed my fist into the side panel. Nothing.
"Are you serious?" I growled.
'Whoever designed these pods deserves to be stationed on a rock with no atmosphere and nothing but boredom for company.'
I broke the pod since it would not stop otherwise.
With a burst of physical strength, I punched through the side and blasted out, leaving the smoking remains of my ride spiraling toward the ground. The wind hit hard, gravity pulling me fast. I shifted direction mid-air, locked in on the squad's coordinates.
Scouter on. Multiple readings, but I focused on one in the back first.
An alien a bit shorter than me, wearing somewhat outdated armor, a blue body with a single eye, at his waist is a blaster. Power Level: 2,930.
I exhaled in relief. "Alright. You're not going to be a problem for me."
Still cautious, I activated Ki Sense. I stretched my awareness, searching for any possible enemies out of sight possibly hiding behind rocks with blasters and such.
'No major signatures nearby so far. Just the one I am headed towards. The ones fighting the squad I will help with after.'
I tightened my flight path, ki charging in my palm as I prepped for a first strike. This bastard made a mistake. Attacking a squad of Saiyans, even low-class ones, was a death sentence for someone below 3000 Power Level since it seemed that with the difficulty bumped up, the minimum for mid-class Saiyans was 12,000.
And our little friend here was about to feel the punch of a quick burst of 7000+ power level.
As I close the distance, my aura a violent spike of light. From 4,034 to over 7,000 in a split second.
The alien doesn't even react fast enough.
CRACK
My fist slams straight into his face. The force caves in his cheekbone and sends a ripple through his skull. Blood explodes from his nose as he spins mid-air, eyes rolling, jaw hanging broken. His scouter flies off, vaporized by the pressure wave. He crashes into the rocky ground below like a ragdoll.
I land on the ground next to him.
"That's one."
I glance up my scouter is still active. A few more power levels are coming from the distance, but none too far above mine. The squad is holding on with the current ones. Barely. That meant some of the idiots who are attacking us are at least decently strong since one is surviving well enough with Bardock. But Ki Sense is telling another story. Bardock is likely saving some energy for any stronger opponent that might arrive.
'Good. They bought me time.'
I walk towards the guy I had just knocked down. His body twitches, trying to lift itself, blood pouring from his mouth. I grab his head and slam it once into the dirt. The loose bones stabbed into his head.
Thud.
"Stay down."
I raise my head, eyes locked on the next nearest threat closing in on Tora.
I crack my knuckles.
'Since Tora and the rest are already busy with their fights, I will take care of some of the weaker reinforcements for the time being.'
I tap the side of the scouter and raise my voice. "They have backup coming in. I'll handle the fodder. If this escalates, I'll pull back. I don't have a pod anymore, but I'll make my ride off this rock by removing a few pilots."
Bardock spoke up, "If you get injured, fall back."
I dart forward—first target dead center. A bulky, green lizard-like alien, also wearing the somewhat outdated battle armor. Power level: 1,200. He doesn't even see me before I slam my hand through his chest and rip out his spine with a wet, crunching tear. I pull out my arm. His body folds and hits the ground like a broken sack.
The second alien, seemingly similar to the one missing a spine, lunges with a scream. I catch his arm, snap it backward at the elbow—he shrieks—and I silence him by twisting his neck with a sharp jerk. Power level: 2150.
Two down.
Then—ping—a new power level pings in. 5,200. Using Ki Sense, I realize a blast is headed towards me.
I pivot and slap the blast aside, letting it explode harmlessly behind me. Dust flies. The new guy floats above the wreckage, cocky, probably thinking he has the upper hand. He was an alien that seemed to be from the fishman race. How he is willingly on a dry planet like this is beyond me.
'5,200. Did he not just see me slap his blast aside, or is he blind? Dangerous for my previous Power Level but easy for my new Power Level. Most of my power is from Ki right now. He used a Ki Blast, so he might be more focused on that. Should I try a physical approach?'
I keep my power low. Why, one might ask? Easy bait. The alien shoots a few more ki blasts which I avoid narrowly on purpose.
The alien smirks. "You're fast... for trash."
I close the distance before he finishes his smug breath, delivering a gut punch hard enough to send bile out of his mouth. He flies back, falling to the ground, coughing and stunned.
Not letting this alien recover anytime soon. I will not waste any more stamina dodging Ki blasts the whole time.
'Five more are on the way.'
Instead of wasting energy punching this guy over and over. I take a Blaster from the first alien I killed. Tho some of the blood that dropped from his broken jaw is on the ki blaster. So I don't intend on using it any more than I need to. Since I hit this guy off guard, he clearly can't do much. I aim the blaster at him, knowing his guard is down enough for this to affect him.
I pull the trigger, blasting his head open.
'Although I am confused as to why I almost don't feel much when killing, this situation still makes me want to throw up.'
I was more focused on the fact that my instincts were likely replaced by the Saiyan instincts, but of course, one can't forget how crazy Viltrumites can be. I mean, look at Conquest of All People. Enough said. Saiyan instincts mixed with Viltrumite Instincts is just asking for Azidoazide Azide as a personality.
That aside, I think it is about time I made ki blasts.
My hands raise, fingers angled slightly apart as I let my breathing slow.
'Let's see if I can shape it… even a basic one. Doesn't need to look good. Just needs to fly and explode.'
I gather ki in my palm—messy. It flickers erratically, unstable at first. Too much pressure and it risks blowing early; too little and it's a puff of smoke. I tighten control, using the Ki Control I'd trained in during the two-week pod ride. I picture a sphere, light but dense, held together by focus alone.
The energy solidifies. Dim glow, faint hum. It's a quite unstable-looking ki blast, but stable enough not to blow up in my hand.
"Alright... that'll do."
I thrust my palm out, and the blast rockets forward, slamming into the opponent fighting Fasha. Quickly after, I shoot a blast in the back of the opponent also fighting Bardock.
Allowing them both to end their opponent.
System beeps—New technique learned: Ki Blast (Lv 1)
Ki +1 (29)
I smirk. 'Good. Something to build on now at least.'
Down below, Bardock goes off to help the others. Fasha wipes blood from her cheek, tossing a glare in my direction.
"Took you long enough."
Tora chuckled after Bardock helped him, cracking his neck. "Yeah, but he's still standing. Didn't expect that."
Bardock eyes me for a second longer than the others.
"We're not done yet," Bardock said, eyes fixed on me. "Scanners still picking up more. Let's finish what we started. You stay in the back."
I nodded, half-focused. Another ki sphere glowed in my palm—more potent this time. The skill was helping more than. I let it fizzle for now, saving the energy.
'If Chilled shows up, yeah—I'm in the back immediately. That's a 300,000 power level right there. Maybe more, thanks to the dumb difficulty modifier from my wish. Guess I wanted spice… forgot spice burns.'
Bardock's power… it didn't add up. The pad had listed him around 10,000. But watching him fight? He was holding back for sure.
'No way someone at 10K drops enemies like he did. His opponent was 9600+ Power Level. His instincts were sharper than he let on. He's been through shit.'
'But Chilled. Why is he here? He's supposed to be from generations back… Unless this isn't the squad going back in time. But Chilled likely came forward in time. Otherwise, contact with the royal palace would not have worked.'
We found a small ridge after sweeping the area—hidden enough to buy time. While the others regrouped and watched the horizon, I stayed low, letting my ki flicker out completely with suppression.
'A ship… just need one ship. Let Bardock take the lead, Maybe he might even go Super Saiyan if things go bad. And if he does? Maybe Planet Vegeta doesn't get wiped if Bardock trains after getting Super Saiyan. However, I feel like that place is better off destroyed.'
I found a ship not too far off, and it seemed no one was around it. But instead of sharing the find, I let my bad habit win. I moved alone and without Ki Sense active. Going to a low altitude, gliding over the terrain. No one from the squad saw me peel away.
'Just grab it and get back. Fast. No biggie.'
I almost made it halfway. Then—
WHAM.
A sudden shock cracked through my spine as something slammed me across the zone, hurling my body like a comet into a rocky hillside and into view from the squad's position. The impact split the stone. I hit the ground hard enough to black out for half a second.
Pain spread through my back like fire. My scouter fell off and is now broken. Blood trickled from my mouth. My vision spun.
Floating near the spot I was slingshot from was a cloaked figure—tail swaying lazily, thick armor, familiar cold presence.
'No fucking way… that's Chilled.' I barely noticed him through my messed-up vision.
He slowly removed the hood, grinning under that hideous orange dome and light purple face like he already knew none of us were getting off this planet alive.
'Dragon Ball just gave me the finger. Cool. Very cool.'
Bardock quickly turns around to the squad, "Remain here and don't show yourselves."
Bardock's energy flared wildly, nothing like the composed level he had kept before. It burst outward in a flash of aura, and he rocketed across the field toward me.
In the corner of my vision, I saw the blast forming in Chilled's palm, a ki blast being shot out, making the area around my face and the crater light up as it flew towards me.
Then, Bardock's arm slammed around my chest, yanking me from the crater just as the Ki blast exploded where I'd been. The force of it lit up the sky behind us, sending molten rock and debris in all directions.
"You're not dying on your own, idiot!" Bardock growled through clenched teeth as he dragged me through the smoke.
The others didn't hesitate. Despite Bardock's earlier command to hold back, they shot out from the rocks behind us—Fasha leading with a snarl, launching a flurry of ki blasts toward Chilled to break his line of sight. Tora and Shugesh followed close behind, coordinating without a word, moving like they'd fought together for years.
I coughed, wincing. "Didn't... think he'd hit that hard."
Bardock dropped me beside a boulder, crouching low. "Exactly. You didn't think."
Fasha landed nearby, shooting me a glare while charging a blast in the direction of Chilled. Letting it shoot off as it created a smoke cloud. "Next time you go solo like that, don't drag us into your funeral, got it?"
"Copy that..." I muttered, trying to steady my breathing.
Chilled hovered above the smoke cloud, letting it fade to reveal himself arms folded, grin stretching wide.
"Well now," he said, voice smug and sharp, "this might be fun after all."
'...We're screwed. Unless Bardock pops off now. At least that burst of energy from him just now seemed to be around 30,000 power level. I should try making a skill to simply see the hidden power levels of others. If I can't make such a skill, I'll just make a wish using Dragon Balls. If I live that long. I want to see Namek or Earth one day so I can use the Dragon Ball for some wishes... Hey, it is getting darker. The pain is that bad huh?'
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(Yes. I am aware I should probably fix some plot holes. Like the fact that the royal comms did not question the fact of Chilled being there. I will fix things when I go through stuff again. For now, I'll just work on progressing the story. Sorry for those who despise plot holes.)
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Name: Zod
Race: Hybrid (Saiyan, Viltrumite)
Age: 22
Rank: Low-Class Saiyan
Stats: (Power-level = (Strength x Endurance x Ki)
Strength: 14
Endurance: 18
Ki: 29
Power level: 7,308
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Passives:
Zenkai (Near-Death Recovery Boost):
The Saiyans can become significantly stronger after recovering from near-death experiences. Each time they suffer near-fatal damage, their power and abilities are enhanced, allowing them to learn and adapt rapidly in combat situations if given the proper time to recover.
Regeneration (Vultrumite Healing):
The Vultrumites have a rapid regenerative healing factor. Injuries that would take hours or days to heal for others may take mere minutes for the Vultrumites. This allows them to recover from wounds much faster than most beings.
Vultrumite Longevity:
Just like the Saiyans, Vultrumites have an extended lifespan and age much slower than most other races. However Vultrumites remain in peak physical condition for centuries, granting them the ability to fight for long periods without suffering from physical decay. This also means they could potentially live to see the rise and fall of entire generations of warriors.
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Racial:
Oozaru (Moonlight Required) (Can be upgraded)
When exposed to the light of a full moon, the Saiyans can transform into the Oozaru, significantly increasing their size and strength. This transformation enhances physical strength exponentially, at least ten times, but can reduce cognitive control. In their Oozaru form, the Saiyans can cause widespread destruction.
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Actives:
Energy Absorption (Can be upgraded)
The ability to absorb energy through contact with the energy the user wants to absorb. The limit is 2x the user's power level.
Ki Control Lv 1 (Basic)
Allows the user to control ki. This can affect the defensive and offensive abilities that rely on Ki.
Ki Sense Lv 1 (Basic)
Allows the user to sense Ki. Leveling this up allows sensing smaller power sources, at longer distances.
Ki Blast Lv 1
Basic form of discharged Ki.
Power Suppression Lv 1
The user can suppress their power. Tho, you will struggle more to hide from those with Ki Sense.
Shadow Training (Basic)
User can create image training inside their head, allowing them to train their ki.