Zero stood tall in the clearing, his aura radiating a calm yet commanding presence. He reached out to Oracle once more as he prepared for the inevitable confrontation.
"What is my total power level in my final form now?" he asked, his voice low and steady.
[258 million,] Oracle responded without hesitation.
Zero smirked faintly. "That should be enough to keep me from dying."
The ship behind him roared to life, its engines glowing as it began its slow ascension into the sky. Zero cast a quick glance toward the approaching figures. Six Saiyans emerged from the dense forest, their presence unmistakable even from a distance. They were fierce and wild, their physiques sculpted by the harsh environment of Planet Sadala. Four men and two women, all clad in crude garments made from the hides of beasts—likely hunted in the very jungle they now stood in. Zero's mind quickly connected the dots: their attire matched that of the hunters he had encountered earlier. These Saiyans were primitive in their appearance, but their power was anything but.
One of the women stepped forward, clearly the leader of the group. She had a commanding presence, her long black hair tied back in a loose braid, and her eyes burned with a mix of curiosity and suspicion.
Her voice cut through the air, sharp and demanding. "What are your intentions on Sadala?"
Zero maintained his composure, keeping his tone neutral and even as he responded. Good, he thought. All I have to do is stall for time.
"I was simply curious," he said, his words carefully chosen to avoid provocation. "As I was traveling back to my homeworld, I noticed this planet and decided to take a closer look. I was surprised to find life thriving here, especially given the gravity. It took me some time to adjust to it myself."
The Saiyan woman's sharp eyes scanned Zero, as if trying to gauge his truthfulness or perhaps assess his strength. After a tense pause, her expression hardened. Without warning, she raised her hand and launched a glowing orb of ki directly at him.
Zero's instincts kicked in instantly. With a flick of his wrist, he deflected the ki blast with ease, the energy dissipating briefly before he caught it midair. In a seamless motion, he added his own power to the attack, intensifying its energy tenfold, and then hurled it back toward her.
The woman's eyes widened in shock, caught off guard by the sheer speed and precision of Zero's counter. Before she could react, the enhanced ki blast struck her directly, sending her flying backward and crashing into a nearby tree. The impact splintered the trunk, sending leaves and debris cascading to the ground.
The other Saiyans tensed, their auras flaring as they prepared to attack. But their leader, though bruised and clearly stunned, raised a hand to stop them. Slowly, she rose to her feet, her expression a mixture of anger and reluctant admiration.
"You're stronger than you look," she admitted, wiping a streak of blood from the corner of her mouth. "But that was a mistake."
Zero smirked faintly, standing firm as the tension thickened. His goal was clear: stall long enough for the ship to ascend beyond their reach. The Saiyans didn't know it yet, but he wasn't here to fight them—at least not yet.
"Strength isn't something I take lightly," he said, his voice calm but laced with authority. "But if you're here to test me, you'll find I'm not so easily defeated."
The Saiyans exchanged wary glances, their initial confidence shaken. They had no idea what they were truly dealing with—a High Frost Demon whose power had been pushed beyond natural limits. Zero's mind raced, calculating every move, every word, ensuring he held the upper hand as time ticked on.
Without warning, the Saiyan woman launched herself forward, her speed blurring as she closed the gap between them in an instant. Her fist, aimed directly at Zero's chest, carried tremendous force, but Zero reacted with precision born of experience. His tail lashed out like a whip, intercepting her attack effortlessly. The collision of her strike against his tail echoed like a thunderclap, but Zero didn't even flinch. He remained calm, his sky-blue eyes narrowing as he regarded her with cold amusement.
"A race of warriors, I see," he said, his tone carrying a faint edge of mockery. "How interesting. I too enjoy a good fight."
But his thoughts betrayed his calm exterior. Damn it! I forgot that these psychos don't care about threats. They actually want enemies to fight—just so they can push themselves harder!
Before she could recover, Zero coiled his tail slightly and snapped it upward with immense force, striking the Saiyan in the midsection. The blow sent her hurtling backward like a rag doll, her body crashing through the dense forest. The impact felled several massive trees in her path, their trunks splintering and collapsing as her momentum carved a swath of destruction.
Zero exhaled, his gaze following the trail of shattered trees. Despite his outward composure, his mind was racing. He knew Saiyans were relentless, their resilience legendary, and this group was no exception. He stepped back slightly, buying himself a moment.
"Oracle," he said quietly, "give me their power levels, from weakest to strongest."
Oracle's voice responded instantly, its tone clinical and devoid of emotion.
[Power levels are as follows: 98,000; 143,000; 213,000; 243,000; 876,000; and the one you just knocked into the forest has a power level of 1.7 million.]
Zero's jaw tightened slightly, though his face remained expressionless. 1.7 million... That explains the durability, he thought grimly. The others were powerful too, far beyond the level of any average warrior he'd encountered. His mind quickly analyzed the situation, weighing his options.
"So, between two to four of them might be Super Saiyans," he muttered under his breath. "Out of the frying pan and into the fire, huh?"
The forest around him grew eerily quiet, save for the faint rustle of leaves disturbed by the earlier chaos. The Saiyans stood in tense formation, their auras beginning to flare as they processed the sight of their leader being tossed aside so easily. The raw intensity of their energy began to saturate the air, a palpable reminder of the storm he was about to face.
Zero clenched his fists, his tail flicking behind him in anticipation. He was outnumbered, and the Saiyans' notorious thirst for battle wasn't going to let this encounter end without a fight. Despite the odds, a faint smirk crossed his lips. He'd faced impossible situations before, and he wasn't about to back down now.
If they want a fight, he thought, his aura beginning to glow faintly, then I'll give them one they'll never forget.
The moment their leader was sent flying, the remaining Saiyans wasted no time. With a roar of determination, they launched a coordinated assault on Zero, their movements swift and precise. Each blow was calculated, each attack designed to overwhelm him with sheer numbers and force. However, Zero met them head-on, his body a blur as he parried their strikes using a combination of his arms and his tail.
Every punch and kick was met with a flawless counter. His tail lashed out like a living whip, catching one Saiyan by the ankle and slamming him into another. Zero's counter-attacks were fierce and unrelenting, each one aimed to disrupt their coordination. In a fluid motion, he spun, sending all four Saiyans flying backward like ragdolls, crashing into the surrounding forest with resounding thuds.
Before they could recover, Zero extended his palms and unleashed a barrage of ki blasts in all directions, targeting each Saiyan with precision. Explosions rocked the clearing as the blasts landed, sending plumes of dirt and debris into the air.
Zero straightened, his tail swaying behind him in irritation. His sharp eyes scanned the area as the dust began to settle. I underestimated them, he thought, his annoyance evident in the slight twitch of his brow. These Saiyans were more coordinated and tenacious than he had anticipated. He knew now that this fight was going to be a long one if he didn't end it decisively.
As the Saiyans began to stir, preparing to mount another attack, Zero made his decision. His aura flared, the surrounding air growing dense with his energy. Without hesitation, he transformed into his final form. His body shrank slightly, becoming more compact, but his power skyrocketed, the sheer intensity of his energy causing the ground beneath him to crack and crumble. His cyan eyes now glowed with an almost divine light, and his white bio-suit shimmered with a faint aura of frost-like brilliance.
Before the Saiyans could make their move, Zero struck. He closed the distance between them in an instant, his speed far beyond what they could track. His strikes were precise and devastating, each one landing with enough force to incapacitate. One by one, the four weakest Saiyans fell, knocked unconscious and sprawled across the battlefield. Their defeat was swift, leaving only the two strongest warriors standing.
The remaining Saiyans exchanged glances, their faces grim but determined. They had witnessed Zero's overwhelming power firsthand, and they knew they couldn't afford to hold back any longer. Without a word, they began to scream, their auras erupting in golden light. The ground trembled beneath their feet as their power surged, their hair turning a radiant blonde and their eyes shifting to a piercing blue-green. The transformation was accompanied by a deafening roar, the very air around them crackling with energy.
Zero watched them with a mixture of intrigue and caution. Super Saiyans, he thought, his expression hardening. He had anticipated this possibility, but the raw power radiating from them was unlike anything he had faced before.
The two Saiyans now stood before him, their power levels far greater than before. The atmosphere was heavy with tension as they locked eyes with Zero, their golden auras blazing like flames.
"So," Zero said, his voice calm but carrying a weight of authority, "this is the legendary power of the Super Saiyan. Let's see if it lives up to the stories."
The two Saiyans growled, their auras flaring even brighter as they prepared to engage. The battle had only just begun, and Zero knew that what lay ahead would test him to his limits. But for the first time in a long while, a flicker of excitement stirred within him. This was a fight worthy of his power.
"It would seem," Zero said, his voice calm and measured as his icy cyan eyes studied the two golden-haired Saiyans, "that my visit to this planet has been a fruitful one. If the first inhabitants I meet are this powerful, what will the rest of them be like?"
The question, though casual in tone, was a calculated probe for information. Zero's curiosity wasn't idle; he needed to know if there were others like these two—or worse, far stronger beings. He was fishing for leads, and his line didn't go unanswered.
One of the Super Saiyans, the woman, narrowed her glowing eyes but responded, her pride evident even in her battle-ready stance. "There are beings on this planet far more powerful than us," she admitted. Her golden aura flickered as she continued. "We are just members of a lower-ranking tribe under King Sadala. His Majesty is far stronger than all of us combined."
Zero's pupils dilated slightly at her words, though his expression remained composed. So it's true, he thought. His hypothesis, a suspicion that had been forming since the moment he landed, now had confirmation. King Sadala wasn't just a powerful ruler—if these warriors were speaking truthfully, he might very well be the fabled Super Saiyan God.
But the implications didn't stop there. If King Sadala was truly a Super Saiyan God, Zero reasoned, then the story of this planet's destruction being caused by mere internal conflict doesn't hold up. There's more to the fall of Planet Sadala than simple civil war—something powerful, something dangerous enough to escape even the notice of Beerus, the God of Destruction.
The thought sent a chill through him, but it was quickly replaced by the immediate danger at hand. The Saiyans stopped speaking, their golden auras flaring violently as they charged at him in unison, their coordinated movements designed to overwhelm him.
In terms of raw strength, Zero quickly realized that the two Saiyans working together far outclassed him. Their blows landed with bone-shattering force, the ground beneath them cracking and shattering under the weight of their exchange. Zero moved with precision, using his agility and mastery of ki control to parry and evade their strikes, but it was clear that he couldn't sustain this defense indefinitely.
I need to divide them, he thought, his mind racing even as he deflected a devastating punch with his forearm. If I take them both on at once, I won't last. But if I can isolate the weaker one...
Zero pivoted, using his tail to whip the male Saiyan's legs out from under him, sending him sprawling. Before the woman could close the gap, Zero dashed forward, creating distance between the two. His strategy was simple: eliminate the weaker Saiyan first, then focus his full power on the stronger one. It was the only way he could survive, and more importantly, it was a chance to test the Zenkai boost he had inherited from the Saiyans' DNA.
The woman, sensing his intent, snarled and lunged at him, her fist glowing with concentrated energy. Zero sidestepped her attack, delivering a powerful strike to her ribs that sent her skidding backward. She recovered quickly, but her breath hitched—a sign that the damage was beginning to add up.
The male Saiyan had regained his footing and rejoined the fray, forcing Zero to intensify his efforts to keep them separated. His movements became sharper, more calculated, as he dodged their synchronized attacks and countered with devastating precision. A well-placed ki blast sent the male Saiyan flying into a cluster of trees, and Zero wasted no time in capitalizing on the opening. He charged after him, landing blow after blow to keep him off balance.
The battle was grueling, the air crackling with energy and the ground trembling beneath their feet. Despite the odds, Zero felt a strange exhilaration coursing through him. The fight wasn't just a test of survival—it was an opportunity to push his limits, to evolve, to harness the power he had stolen and make it his own.
One down, Zero thought grimly as he prepared to deliver the finishing blow to the weaker Saiyan. And then, the real test begins.