Useless! The word burned in Rhode's mind as Kuganbo's fusion unraveled. Aira's rising power, her soaring battle lust, the golden flicker at the edge of her aura—all of it crashed and receded like a wave denied the shore.
She had been right there. One more minute, one more exchange, and she would have broken through. And this incompetent fusion had failed her.
Rhode knew, with cold certainty, that even if King Cold and Zarbon attempted to fuse again, the moment would not return. The rhythm was broken. The fire had dimmed.
Fine. If the spark won't come from them, I'll provide it myself.
In a flash, he was gone from Aira's side, his form shifting, twisting, reshaping into something familiar and hated. When he reappeared, he wore the skin of the universe's greatest monster.
Aira watched the fusion dissolve, her battle-high fading into cold frustration. King Cold and Zarbon lay separated, vulnerable. She raised her hand to obliterate them—and froze.
*PFFT. *
An energy blade erupted from King Cold's chest, slick with his own blood. Behind him, a figure materialized—sleek, white and purple, horned, smiling with cruel satisfaction.
"Dear Father," the voice purred, "defeated by a Saiyan monkey? How disgraceful."
"F-Frieza?!" King Cold's voice was a gurgle of disbelief. "You... you're not..."
"Those who shame our race do not deserve to live."
An energy ball formed in Frieza's palm. In an instant, King Cold was consumed, erased from existence. Zarbon, watching in horror, met the same fate moments later—cut down, then vaporized without a trace.
Frieza turned to Aira, his cold smile widening. "You Saiyan monkeys... your power is impressive. But your race is an abomination. It should have been erased long ago."
An energy ball condensed at his fingertip—and Aira's eyes widened. The power radiating from it was immense. Nearly four billion. As strong as Kuganbo at his peak.
When did Frieza become this strong?!
Her own power, cooled from the battle's heat, barely reached two billion with Great Ape Power and her burst technique. She was outmatched. Hopelessly outmatched.
The energy ball flew.
*POP. *
The energy ball streaked toward Aira—a sphere of annihilation carrying nearly four billion units of power. She had milliseconds to react. Her hand raised, ready to trigger Super Instant Transmission and escape—
Whoosh.
Space rippled. A figure materialized before her, blocking her view of the incoming death.
"Rhode!" The name tore from her throat, a mixture of joy and terror. He was back! But he was too weak—his normal power hadn't even reached one hundred million. He couldn't possibly—
Her body moved on instinct, Great Ape Power flaring, her burst technique engaging, her form flickering as she tried to teleport in front of him, to shield him with her own body.
But Rhode was faster.
His hair blazed gold. A Super Saiyan's aura erupted, dwarfing anything she had ever felt from him. In one motion, he intercepted the energy ball and kicked it skyward.
**BOOM! **
The explosion shook the planet to its core. And through the fading light, Frieza's cold smile emerged.
"It's you."
"Yes." Rhode's voice was steady, but his eyes were wary. This Frieza was far stronger than expected—nearly his equal even in Super Saiyan.
"Hmph." Frieza's form shifted, expanded, transformed into something larger, masked, more terrible. His power surged—seven, eight billion, still climbing.
Then he moved.
Instant Transmission.
Rhode's eyes widened. He shoved Aira away, a desperate shout tearing from his throat: "RUN!"
*PFFT. *
Frieza's hand punched through Rhode's chest, slick with blood, emerging from his back. Rhode's golden aura flickered, died.
Aira watched, frozen, as the man who had just returned, who had saved her, crumpled. Her mind refused to process the image. Her heart refused to accept it.
"No..."
The word was a whisper, then a scream that tore through the shattered sky.
"RHODE!!!"