~ 2 Days Remaining Before Ginyu's Arrival ~
A day later, without warning, a fourth sun suddenly manifested over the skies above Namek. This massive star, brighter and larger than any of the planet's natural suns, appeared as if conjured from thin air. Its glow bathed the landscape in an eerie, ominous red.
Within ten seconds of its sudden appearance, the colossal star erupted into a supernova with cataclysmic force. The explosion unleashed a shockwave of unimaginable power that surged through the atmosphere and reverberated across the entire planet. The thunderous roar alone was deafening, echoing through valleys and mountains, shaking the very core of Namek.
As the supernova exploded, the skies above Namek turned a blood-red hue, casting an unsettling pall over the land below. Hot, blistering winds swept across the planet, carrying the acrid scent of ozone and the taste of ash. The oceans churned violently, waves surging and crashing against the shores.
Metallic debris of varying sizes rained down from the heavens, hurtling toward the surface like a meteor shower. They collided with Namek's terrain, igniting fires and spreading chaos in their wake.
It was as if hell had descended.
However, even with that cataclysmic opening, unbelievably, the sky above did not calm. Explosions continued to thunder as an enormous struggle between two great forces took place above the atmosphere.
Down below, every observer gazed skyward, each person having a unique response.
Guru squinted at the crimson sky, his eyes glinting with unknown thoughts.
Piccolo, Gohan, and Krillin gazed upwards at the turbulent sky, understanding that the threat above would soon become their enemy. Within each of them, a fierce determination blazed like an unquenchable fire.
Mushin gazed upward, eyes wide with fear. The apocalyptic display of power in the skies above had shaken him to his core.
Beside Mushin, Ajax looked up, fully aware that the moment he had been preparing for years was drawing ever closer. Without a word, he resumed his training, with Mushin aiding him to the best of his ability.
Nail, standing on a random hill on Namek, scowled at the unfamiliar sky. His mind was singularly focused on his mission: to locate Elder Tsuno and retrieve the Dragon Ball entrusted to him. There was no time to waste.
Zarbon looked skyward with frustration. For whatever reason, their attempt to swiftly conclude the battle above had failed. While his Lord battled in the skies above, Zarbon redirected his focus to the battlefield down on Namek, issuing authoritative commands over his communications device.
~ At the Same Time: Plains of Namek ~
Escagor swallowed nervously, his throat dry as he concentrated on gathering his power to its fullest extent.
Things had been going… not smoothly, to say the least, but they also hadn't spiraled into disaster either. Alongside a small group of fellow warriors, Escagor was undertaking the critical mission of returning the Dragon Ball entrusted to him to Elder Guru when they were detected by the enemy.
From the start, the encounter had been chaos. Waves of Frieza Force soldiers descended upon them like a horde, trying to overwhelm them with sheer numbers, even as the sky above blazed with torrential flames.
Though they were horribly outnumbered, each brave Namekian warrior was worth more than ten of their foes. Blood was spilled on both sides, but Escagor made sure to avenge his fallen comrades with a torrent of their enemy's blood. As the strongest of the group, Escagor was long soaked in the blood of his enemies and had lost count of how many he had killed.
So, while the battle had been challenging, Escagor and his group had held their own.
Until that monster appeared on the battlefield.
Escagor hadn't noticed when this dreadful being decided to join the fray. It was the screams piercing through the cacophony of combat that first alerted him to the abnormality.
His attention snapped to the source of the disturbance, his senses heightened by an instinctive sense of dread. What he witnessed was a series of swift, brutal executions unfolding in rapid succession. Blood sprayed into the air like macabre fountains, countless crimson arcs blooming like blood lilies all at once.
Then, Escagor saw it. Well, not really. He didn't truly see it per se, the being was simply too fast for him to catch a clear glimpse. All he perceived was a flash and a streak of lightning that left behind a trail of carnage and corpses in its wake. Limbs were severed, armor torn asunder, and lifeless bodies crumpled grotesquely on the ground.
Fear gripped Escagor's heart as he watched the figure vanish among the Frieza Force soldiers once more. In less than half a minute, the battlefield had transformed into a graveyard of fallen warriors, with the platoon of Frieza Force soldiers almost completely decimated.
The once-uneasy equilibrium on the battlefield had been completely shattered.
Escagor's nerves were on taut as he mustered every ounce of his power, his eyes scanning the chaotic scene for any sign of the lightning that was gradually drawing closer.
Tension crackled in the air as Escagor braced himself for the imminent confrontation. He tightened his muscles and gritted his teeth in grim determination.
But, despite his heightened senses and readiness, he never saw it coming.
In a blur of motion, a massive fist wreathed in crackling lightning smashed into Escagor's abdomen with brutal force. The impact was devastating, driving the air from his lungs and nearly folding him in half. For a fleeting moment, time seemed to slow as Escagor tasted the metallic tang of blood as it welled up in his mouth, the droplets of blood appearing to be suspended mid-air due to inertia.
Reality cruelly snapped back into focus. The force of the blow catapulted Escagor across the battlefield like a rag doll, his body hurtling through the air like a bullet until it slammed violently into the unforgiving surface of a nearby cliff. Rocks and debris exploded outward upon impact, echoing the thunderous violence of his landing.
Agony seared through every fiber of Escagor's body as he lay sprawled amidst the debris. Lights danced before his swimming vision, blood's bitter taste filled his mouth, and the screams of his comrades rang in his ears.
With gritted teeth and trembling limbs, Escagor struggled to push himself upright, his body protesting against the pain as he forced himself to ignore the searing ache in his abdomen. His fellow Namekians still needed him, and every passing moment meant more of his family would die!
With a fierce roar of pain and determination, Escagor drew upon every last ounce of his hard-earned willpower and energy. His muscles coiled, veins bulging with exertion as he unleashed a surge of raw power. The cliffside that had imprisoned him moments ago exploded outward in a flurry of rocks and debris, hurtling away by the force of his erupting energy.
Escagor's gaze immediately locked onto the streak of lightning that had infiltrated the Namekian's ranks and had resumed its slaughtering.
Despite the formidable individual prowess of the Namekian warriors, it had made no difference against the enemy. One by one, they were slaughtered just as easily as the Frieza Force grunts, their bodies ripped apart by devastating blows that showed no mercy.
Escagor's vision narrowed to a tunnel of red as fury surged through him, blending with the raw power he summoned from deep within. Desperation and rage-fueled his every motion, pushing his energy beyond any limit he had dared to test before. With a primal roar, he launched himself forward at his top speed, intent on closing the gap with the lightning.
But no matter how fast Escagor moved, the lightning moved faster. It continued to blitz ahead, killing faster than he could pursue.
Frustration and anguish pounded in Escagor's heart at his inadequacy. His entire being was consumed by a singular obsession—to kill this enemy and avenge his fallen comrades. The desire burned fiercely within him, consuming every other thought until it was all that remained.
The only thing left to focus on.
Good! Excellent! Escagor knew exactly what was coming next.
Escagor's world sharpened to a razor edge, time slowing down as his concentration intensified. He felt small tendrils of lightning snake out of the corner of his eyes, a sign that the Zone's blessings were descending upon him.
In the Zone, his perception expanded well beyond its usual limits. His muscles, energy, and even his body's position were adjusted under his absolute control–all aimed at maximizing his speed.
This time, within the Zone, Escagor managed to clearly see the lightning for the first time. There, before him, was his living nightmare—a bald man in standard-issue Frieza Force armor. Miraculously, their eyes met for a fleeting moment.
Within that split second, Escagor saw shock flash across the man's face before he swiftly pivoted on his heels and charged back to confront his new enemy.
Good! Come! He will tear this bald bastard to pieces!
Their fists met in a thunderous impact, shattering the ground below them.
Escagor barely had the time to wince at the lightning flowing into his arm before he had to desperately position his other arm in a barely timely block. The impact rattled his bones.
Then came the third punch, and Escagor's hand couldn't move into position swiftly enough. He missed the block by a hair's breadth, the punch sailing past and crashing into his chest. The air rushed out of his lungs, leaving him gasping for breath as he stumbled backward.
Electricity continued to surge through his body, slowing his reflexes to a crawl. After that, he simply couldn't keep up anymore. Each attempted block was too slow to intercept the attack, and the next strike came before his previous block could be aborted.
In the distorted perception of the Zone, Escagor could only watch helplessly as his opponent systematically dismantled him. His mind raced, sharp and aware, perceiving each incoming strike with painful clarity. Yet, his body failed him, too sluggish and unresponsive to react in time.
Soon, the final strike arrived—a fingertip thrust instead of a fist. The attack pierced through his abdomen, the force driving the arm through and out the other side.
The arm ripped itself from his gut without hesitation or slowing down.
Escagor collapsed to his knees, his strength waning as he wearily raised his head. Through blurry vision, he witnessed the lightning streak away from him. His heart sank as he realized the inevitable conclusion.
It only took a scant few seconds.
In his fading sight, Escagor saw the last of his brave warriors hurl the Dragon Ball as far away as possible in a final act of defiance.
The lightning man burst past the last defender without stopping.
Escagor's heart clenched as he witnessed the warrior's head cruelly severed, blood spraying as the head tumbled from his shoulders. Before the warrior's body had even hit the ground, the man of lightning had returned, clutching the Dragon Ball triumphantly in his hand.
Escagor's heart dropped in despair. He had failed, utterly failed.
Locking eyes with the man of lightning, Escagor sensed a fleeting flicker of something in the bald man's gaze—a grudging respect, perhaps, for the valiant effort put forth, or acknowledgment of being the last man alive. But Escagor had no desire for the beast's acknowledgment. His mission had ended in ruin, and there was no solace to be found in his enemy's respect.
Suddenly, there was a blinding flash of lightning, and Escagor found himself disoriented as the ground beneath him inexplicably switched places with the sky. Beneath him, the once serene sky of Namek blazed bright red with the hues of heat and blood.
Ah... he can't feel the Zone any more.
Escagor's vision faded into darkness, leaving behind only the echo of his final thoughts and the bitter taste of an unfulfilled purpose as he unwillingly sank into death's embrace.
And so, Escagor died.
***
In the wake of that intense battle, the once chaotic battlefield now lay eerily silent. The echoes of combat—vigor, battle cries, and screams—had faded into bone-chilling stillness. Amidst the desolation, the sole survivor dispersed the armor of lightning that had enveloped him.
Nappa sighed, glancing at the orange orb cradled in his palms. Within its polished surface, four crimson stars glimmered spectrally, casting a surreal glow around him. He shifted the Dragon Ball under his arm and cracked his neck.
This battle hadn't been challenging, especially not after the second Zenkai Boost he had gained from his encounter with Cui–a brutal exchange that had left him severely wounded. That had necessitated nearly a full day submerged in a med tank graciously but unwillingly donated by now-dead Frieza Force grunts stationed at a now-obliterated base.
His gaze turned involuntarily to the fallen Namekian, the last survivor among those he had faced. With a power level of approximately 11,000, this particular Namekian had been a rare exception, the only one to not only perceive but also survive his attacks.
He hadn't expected the Namekian to survive the initial attack. It was only by instinct that Nappa had sensed the Namekian's approach and made eye contact. It had been a close call, compounded by the Namekians zero energy presence, leaving Nappa more vulnerable to unexpected sneak attacks.
Nappa sighed again. To date, the only one to have truly matched him blow for blow without relying on a higher power level had been Ajax. Back then, the Earthling kid's bullshit-ass tenacity had genuinely tested Nappa's mettle. He thought this Namekian might have been the same, but the disparity became evident after a few exchanges. Although, with all the accumulation of Zenkai Boosts, Nappa knew even Ajax no longer posed any kind of threat to him.
And it's only been a month since they fought.
Zenkai was rather unfair in that regard, he could concede that much.
His gaze swept over the lifeless terrain, scanning for any signs of survivors. None remained. Nappa approached a random fallen grunt and rifled through the belongings with great efficiency, retrieving a functional scouter from the corpse. He deliberately turned the device off and stowed it away.
Nappa turned around to leave, setting a course for the agreed-upon rendezvous point—an abandoned village that he and Vegeta had commandeered as their temporary base of operations.
Reflecting on recent events, Nappa couldn't deny that Vegeta had been correct from the outset. The previous day, Vegeta had sensed Frieza's departure from the planet, prompting cautious deliberation between them. Despite the tantalizing prospect of stealing any Dragon Balls Frieza had amassed, the lack of reliable intelligence had ultimately urged them to lay low. After all, there was always the possibility that Frieza's departure was a trap to lure them in.
Vegeta had adamantly believed that Frieza wouldn't set a trap of such nature at such a crucial juncture, convinced that the tyrant wouldn't leave unless something catastrophic had occurred. Vegeta had reassured that they would soon find out if this was indeed the case.
A day later, the fierce battle high above the planet's atmosphere had all but validated Vegeta's assessment. An unknown adversary had arrived, and whoever they were, their presence had demanded Frieza's personal attention. While the emergence of a threat requiring Frieza's direct attention was very worrisome, the fact remained that Frieza was confirmed to be off-planet.
And that was an opportunity.
En route to their destination, they had inadvertently stumbled into the sensing range of this battle. It wasn't entirely coincidental; they had been strategically monitoring large-scale Frieza Force deployments for days, anticipating exactly this kind of situation.
Their vigilance had finally paid off. As if the heavens themselves were smiling upon them, they had discovered that the battle was indeed fought over possession of a Dragon Ball.
However, the Dragon Ball they had spotted was unexpectedly large, its size inconvenient enough to hinder its current holder from fully engaging in combat.
Leaving the Dragon Ball unguarded, however, was not an option. The Namekians, known for their mystical prowess, had already demonstrated those magical abilities once with the large-scale energy cloaking. Both Saiyans refused to believe that the Namekians lacked the means of detecting their own artifacts.
After careful consideration, Vegeta and Nappa had reached a decision: Nappa would join the battle, slaughter both sides and safeguard the Dragon Ball, while Vegeta pressed onward towards their designated destination. Then, they rendezvous at the agreed location.
Now, having completed his part of the mission, Nappa couldn't help but worry as he glanced in the direction Vegeta had taken. He had faith in Vegeta's strength, but Dodoria and Zarbon were not to be taken lightly, especially when faced together.