After a brief silence, the entire venue erupted in thunderous cheers. Although most of the audience couldn't even fully capture the afterimages of the battle, just seeing those countless afterimages made the trip worthwhile.
Vegeta stared fixedly at the stage, his teeth clenched: "Why? Why can both Setsuna and Kakarot transform into that silver combat mode? Damn it! Those two bastards must have secretly trained in some new power behind my back!"
Just then, the referee announced loudly that, according to tournament tradition, the champion would receive the honor of personal guidance from the Grand Kai.
Under the gaze of the crowd, the Grand Kai on the high platform seemed somewhat... stiff. The strength Setsuna had displayed was far beyond what he could guide.
Suddenly, the Grand Kai burst into laughter: "Well done, Fighter Setsuna! Your performance has far exceeded expectations. I want to reward you handsomely!"
He paused, then declared emphatically under everyone's expectant gaze: "I have decided to recommend you to meet with the Supreme Kai, who will personally guide your training!"
"The Supreme Kai!"
"The legendary creator god?"
A clamor rose from the entire venue, exclamations everywhere. All the fighters, including the other Kaio, cast extremely envious, even jealous, looks at Setsuna.
After all, to receive guidance from the Supreme Kai was an opportunity even the Kaio dreamed of.
However, standing at the center of the stage, a peculiar expression surfaced on Setsuna's face.
'The Supreme Kai? That incompetent Eastern Supreme Kai Shin who was scared of the Demon Realm King Dabura?' Setsuna mused inwardly. 'If it were the Grand Supreme Kai who was absorbed by Buu, that might be somewhat interesting...'
The Grand Kai cleared his throat and added: "Ahem, of course, the Supreme Kai's whereabouts are uncertain, so it may take some time to arrange. Fighter Setsuna, you can go back first and wait for notification."
"Yes." Setsuna nodded calmly. He hadn't expected to gain much of real value from that particular Supreme Kai anyway.
...
Soon, half a year passed like flowing water.
One day, King Kai's communication came through, his tone somewhat grave: "Goku, Vegeta, and everyone on Earth, there's an emergency! Frieza's brother, Cooler, is heading towards Earth!"
"What's with Frieza's family? They just keep coming one after another." Despite their complaints, everyone quickly assembled.
With the experience of King Cold's attack last time, everyone appeared quite composed. They figured Cooler's strength was probably similar to Frieza's and King Cold's.
They had Trunks, who could kill King Cold with one blow, and Goku and Vegeta, who could transform into Super Saiyans. There was no way they could lose.
Soon, in the same wilderness where King Cold had been killed, they spotted another spaceship of similar design but even larger and more sinister. The hatch opened, and a cold figure slowly walked out.
He was taller than Frieza, his carapace had a metallic sheen, and he had four long, curved horns on his head.
"Are you the Earthlings who killed my father and younger brother?" Cooler's voice was icy, his gaze sweeping over the group before finally settling on Vegeta.
"You're my foolish younger brother's subordinate, Vegeta, aren't you?"
"That's right!" Vegeta stepped forward, golden Ki igniting instantly. He pointed proudly at himself with his thumb, his voice full of power: "But now, I am Super Vegeta!"
"Super Saiyan..." Cooler's eyes flickered, but quickly returned to cold indifference. "Frieza was a fool. If he had completely exterminated you Saiyans back then instead of keeping you as lackeys, he might not have ended up like this today."
"What did you say?" Vegeta flew into a rage, his pride as a Saiyan prince deeply wounded. He wasted no more words, turning into a golden meteor and charging at Cooler with lightning speed.
However, facing this furious assault, Cooler merely raised his right hand slightly. A seemingly casual swipe.
Bang!
Vegeta flew back even faster than he had charged, crashing heavily into a distant mountain wall. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, his eyes filled with stunned disbelief.
"How is this possible?" Vegeta struggled to his feet, his voice hoarse. "Isn't Frieza called the Emperor of the Universe? Why are you so much stronger than him?"
Cooler lowered his hand, a cold sneer curling at the corner of his mouth: "I'm just not as fond of showing off as he is."
He released his aura slightly. A terrifying pressure, far greater and deeper than Frieza's prime, enveloped the entire area. The ground cracked inch by inch, and dark clouds churned in the sky.
"470 million!" Trunks caught the number on his scouter, his face instantly paling. He knew well what this number mean… it far exceeded the current Super Saiyan power levels his father and Goku could achieve.
"Goku-san! Vegeta-san!" Trunks shouted urgently, drawing the sword on his back. "His strength is beyond imagination! We'll need to work together, all of us, to have a chance at defeating him!"
"Work together?" Vegeta struggled up from the rubble, wiping the blood from his mouth, fury practically blazing from his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous! Who do you think I am? Why would I, Vegeta, need to team up with anyone to fight? You, what happened to your Saiyan pride?"
Goku slowly rose into the air, golden Ki reigniting around him, his expression utterly serious: "Trunks, I appreciate the offer. But against such a strong opponent, I want to try it myself!"
"Huh?" Trunks was dumbfounded.
He suddenly recalled what Setsuna had said about Saiyans after a certain battle… 'foolhardy'. He had somewhat dismissed it at the time, but now he felt Setsuna had seen them far too clearly.
'This wasn't a sparring match... their lives were on the line. Why wouldn't they work together?'
The battle erupted again.
Goku fought with all his might, pushing the power of a Super Saiyan and his combat skills to their limits. The intense clash shattered the earth and darkened the sky.
Yet the chasm in strength was ultimately too vast to cross. In the past six months, although Goku's strength had improved significantly, his base power level had only increased from 4 million to 6 million. After a direct clash, Goku took a heavy blow to the abdomen from Cooler. His golden aura scattered, and he crashed to the ground like a meteor, creating a massive crater.
Cooler hovered in mid-air, looking down, his voice still cold: "I have to admit, you are strong. After transforming, your power level is about 300 million. For a Saiyan, a low-class warrior, to grow to this level is truly remarkable."
He shifted his tone: "But my power level is 470 million!"