In Dragon Ball: A brutal beating of Frieza at the start

Page 167

Chapter 372: The Final Battle

The spaceship from Universe 6, like a gnawed meteorite, lay askew in the docking bay of the Earth space station "Ark." Solidified lava still clung to the edge of the metal hatch. When Califla kicked the hatch open, sparks from the hem of her red combat suit splattered onto Lin Ye's combat boots, leaving several charred spots.

"Hey! You scum from Universe 7!" She ripped off her helmet and slammed it to the ground, her blonde hair gleaming defiantly under the emergency lights. "What was supposed to be a real combat training exercise? Your people actually used magic to trap Kale inside a volcano?"

Kel followed behind, carrying a charred metal box. The downy hair on the tips of his ears was singed and curled, and his knuckles were white from the strain. The purple scales peeking out from the seams of the box trembled. They were "Star Rock," a specialty of Namek, which secretes a paralyzing toxin when exposed to high temperatures. At that moment, it was seeping out along the seams of the box, etching fine pits into the ground.

Lin Ye had just finished his 1000x gravity training, his black training suit still dripping wet. He stared at the box in Kale's arms when a red light suddenly popped up on the system interface on his retina: [Abnormal emotional fluctuations detected in the Saiyans of Universe 6. Caulifla's anger level is 89% (attack speed increases by 12% for every 10% increase), and Kale's fear level is 63% (passive skill "Cowardice Burst" triggered, potential combat power temporarily increased by 300%)].

“That’s a tactical simulation pod.” Piccolo emerged from the shadows, his green skin gleaming metallically in the cold light. He twirled a two-star Dragon Ball between his fingers—the one he had borrowed from Universe 6 for research. “You trespassed into an unopened training area and triggered Namek’s defensive magic.”

Suddenly, Kale cried out, and the box in her arms made a soft "click." Lin Ye's pupils contracted sharply; the sound perfectly matched the sound of Cell's core spinning before his self-destruction three years ago. He instantly teleported in front of Kale, and the air blade formed at his fingertips precisely sliced ​​open the box's latch. What rolled out wasn't a bomb, but a palm-sized holographic projector.

The moment the blue light exploded, the face of the Supreme Kai of Universe 6, Fuwa, twisted in mid-air: "Califla! Bring the 'Time Anchor' back! Hit has been injured by that bastard in the black robe..." The scene was suddenly swallowed by snowflakes. In the last frame, a black spear wrapped with runes was stuck in Hit's chest, and dark purple mist was seeping from the tip of the spear.

Califla's face turned deathly pale. She snatched the projector and pounded on it frantically, the red flames exploding into a circular shockwave within the space station: "That old bastard clearly said it was just a regular energy regulator!"

Lin Ye suddenly pressed down on her shoulder, feeling the tension in her muscles through his palm. The system was analyzing the residual energy patterns on the projector; those black runes were 70% similar to Babidi's magic circle, only the lines were more twisted, like crumpled snake skin. "The 'Seed of Time' inside Cell three years ago," he suddenly looked up, his gaze sweeping over the tear in Caulifla's combat suit, "is of the same origin as the runes on these."

Piccolo's arm suddenly extended, and the veins beneath his green skin glowed fluorescently: "Ancient Namekian texts record that the 'time anchor' was a device used by the ancient Namekians to stabilize spacetime rifts." He lightly tapped his fingertip on the star rock scales, and the purple toxin instantly solidified into crystals, "but after being contaminated by dark magic, it becomes a poison that devours spacetime."

The space station's alarm suddenly blared, and the red warning lights smeared everyone's faces like blood. On the central screen, the star map of Universe Six was turning red at a visible speed, and each colony was marked with a "spacetime disorder" warning. Lin Ye retrieved the Power Tournament data stored in the system. In the Universe Six participant list, a new line of small print appeared next to Hit's name: [Missing for 72 hours, last signal from the abandoned Namek colony].

"We have to get to Universe 6." Lin Ye turned and rushed towards the landing pad, sparks flying from the metal floor beneath his boots. Android 18 and Vegeta were already at the hatch; the former was carrying a repaired projector, while the latter's combat suit was still stained with oil from the training pod, clearly indicating he had just emerged from the gravity chamber.

"Don't even think about leaving me." Vegeta's tail suddenly wrapped around Lin Ye's waist with such force that it almost broke his bones. Deep blue flames condensed into a ball of light in his palm, and the crackling energy flow blew up the surrounding tools. "That guy named Hit, he dared to glare at me at the conference last time."

Number 18 tossed over a metal bracelet, its inside engraved with Namekian runes, gleaming coldly under the light: "Bulma just modified this spatial locator; it can maintain communication in areas of spatial distortion." She suddenly stood on tiptoe, her mechanical arm hooking around Lin Ye's neck, planting a cool kiss on his cheek. "Don't die over there; your system still owes me a strawberry cake, from the bet we made last time."

As the spaceship traversed the cosmic barrier, Lin Ye stared at the fluctuating coordinates on his wristband. The Namek colony in Universe Six had vanished, replaced by a collapsing nebula, its edges still bearing the remnants of a planetary explosion. Kale pointed to the dark purple dot in the center of the nebula, her voice trembling like a leaf: "That's where we found the box. The ground was covered... covered in petrified Namekians."

[High-intensity spacetime tearing energy detected. It is recommended to activate the "Divine Resonance" module.] The system notification sound was accompanied by a piercing electrical noise. [Warning! This module is not fully unlocked. Forced activation may result in gene chain breakage. Survival rate: 11%]

Golden patterns appeared on Lin Ye's fingertips. He recalled what Whis had said on Destroyer Star: "The true meaning of ultimate skill is not to avoid fear, but to coexist with fear." The moment the spaceship plunged into the nebula, he pressed the confirmation button. Rather than be swallowed by the unknown, he would gamble with all his ties.

"boom!"

Dark purple energy surged into the cockpit like a tidal wave. Lin Ye's body began to turn transparent, and the blood vessels beneath his skin glowed with a silver-gold light, like countless luminous snakes writhing within. He watched as Vegeta and Android 18's figures twisted and overlapped in spacetime, and suddenly realized that this was no ordinary spacetime disorder; someone was deliberately weaving a trap, and the bait was none other than these powerful beings with intercosmic abilities.

"Hold on tight!" Lin Ye roared, activating the spaceship's emergency shield. The energy barrier turned blood red the instant it came into contact with dark matter. A splitting pain shot through his shoulder blade, yet he gritted his teeth and refused to let go. In the final moment before his consciousness was torn apart, he saw a gigantic face emerge from the depths of the nebula, its purple pupils reflecting countless struggling souls—it was the phantom of Babidi's master, the dark mage Dapra.

"Divine Resonance Module forcibly activated, gene chain stability 37%..."

A smile tugged at the corners of Lin Ye's lips. The system was calculating the probability of survival again, but it could never foresee that those emotions, considered a "burden," were now transforming into the strongest armor.

The spaceship tumbled and burst forth with energy, crashing heavily onto a volcano-covered planet. When Lin Ye climbed out of the cockpit, his left hand was completely transparent, allowing him to see Vegeta's face directly across from him. Caulifla was grabbing Kale by the collar and roaring, her red aura sending splattering magma around them: "What are you crying for! When have Saiyans ever been afraid of dark magic?"

“She’s not afraid.” Suddenly, twelve energy threads shot out from the robotic arm of Number 18, precisely piercing the nearest volcano crater. The scalding magma solidified the moment it touched the threads, revealing the black runes coiled within. “It’s the residual energy of the ‘Time Anchor’ influencing her emotions.”

Vegeta suddenly slammed his fist into the ground, the shockwave from the deep blue flames pushing back the magma: "Enough nonsense, where is Hit?" His tail lashed out at the rocks in frustration, plowing a deep trench in the ground. "If I can't find him, I'll blow this damn planet up."

Lin Ye crouched down, his fingertips pressing against the still-wriggling black runes. Suddenly, a memory fragment from Chapter 198 of Volume 3 popped up on the system interface—similar patterns had appeared on the walls when he and Vegeta broke through in the 10000x gravity chamber. "These runes are absorbing the Saiyans' rage." He abruptly looked up, his gaze sweeping over Caulifla's burning flames. "The angrier you are, the stronger the 'Time Anchor' becomes."

The metal box in Kale's arms suddenly vibrated violently, and all the star rock scales stood up, forming a complete Namekian rune. Piccolo's voice came through the communicator, crackling with static: "That means 'sacrifice'... Hit might be using his own energy to seal the spacetime anchor."

"Where?" Lin Ye's voice was as cold as ice, and the transparency of his left hand was spreading. "Tell me the exact location."

“Based on the resonance frequency of the Star Rock,” Piccolo’s voice suddenly rose, “it’s deep within the volcano beneath your feet! The ‘Time Graveyard’ recorded by the Namekians!”

The ground suddenly cracked open, and scalding magma gushed out like a fountain. Without a second thought, Califra rushed in, her red flames blasting a path through the magma: "If Hit dies, who will spar with me?" Kale followed behind, gritting her teeth. The box in her arms suddenly opened automatically, revealing the core of a black spear wrapped around it—Hit's weapon.

Lin Ye and Vegeta exchanged a glance, then simultaneously unleashed their power and charged towards the crack. Deep blue and golden flames intertwined in mid-air, forming a spiral—the trajectory of their combined attack, which they had practiced thousands of times in the gravity chamber. Android 18's mechanical arm transformed into a shield protecting their backs, while the hum of the Eternal Energy Furnace, operating at overclocked speed, sounded like a battle song about to break free from its cocoon.

Deep within the volcano, there was no lava, only floating black rocks. Hitt knelt on the largest rock, the black spear embedded in his chest merging into his body, dark purple lines spreading from the wound to his cheeks, staining his usually indifferent eyes bloodshot.

“You’ve arrived.” Hit’s voice was soft, as if it might dissipate at any moment. “Dapura wants to use the spacetime anchor to open the ‘chaos gate’ and turn the sixth universe into nourishment for dark magic.”

Califla's fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and her red aura almost ignited the air: "Where is that bastard in the black robe? I'm going to tear him apart!"

"Don't be impulsive." Hit suddenly raised his hand, the flashing energy at his fingertips drawing an arc in the air. "He's waiting for your anger... anger is the best sacrifice."

Lin Ye suddenly noticed the rock beneath Hit's feet, which was covered with runes identical to those on the metal box. The system interface frantically issued an alert: [Hit's vital signs have been detected to be synchronized with the spacetime anchor; releasing the seal will result in mutual destruction.]

"What are you doing?" Lin Ye's voice trembled, his left hand so transparent that you could see his bones. "This is suicide!"

Hit's lips curled into a rare smile: "At the Tournament of Power, you said, 'A true warrior is not one who is not afraid of death, but one who knows why he dies.'" His body began to turn transparent, gradually merging with the surrounding black rocks. "The Saiyans of Universe Six, I entrust this to you."

Caulifla suddenly lunged forward to pull out the spear, but Hit dodged it with Time Travel. "This is an order, Saiyan," Hit's voice carried an unquestionable authority, "Take the core of the Time Anchor and leave to find the Omni-King... Only he can completely purify dark magic."

The core in Kale's arms suddenly flew out and hovered among the crowd. The black spear automatically detached, transforming into pure time-lapse energy that flowed into Kale's body. The little girl suddenly stopped crying, and silver-gray flames exploded around her, even more dazzling than Kalifla's.

“I understand.” Kale clenched her fist, and starstone scales formed new runes in her palm, meaning “protection.” “We will protect Universe Six.”

Hit's body completely merged into the rock, and the entire space began to tremble violently. Lin Ye dragged Caulifla and Kale towards the crevice, while Vegeta brought up the rear, his deep blue flames creating a barrier behind them. Android 18's mechanical arm emitted a piercing alarm, and on the screen of the spatial locator, Dabura's phantom image gradually became clear, its purple eyes reflecting four glowing Super Dragon Balls.

"System notification: The countdown to the collapse of the Time-Space Graveyard is 10 seconds."

"Hold on tight!" Lin Ye's left hand suddenly regained its physical form, and the Origin Core in his palm erupted with blinding light. This was a side effect of the Divine Resonance Module, granting him temporary control over the laws of spacetime at the cost of his life force.

As they burst out of the crater, a deafening explosion erupted behind them. Lin Ye looked back and saw the black rock that Hit had transformed into explode into countless stars in the air, like the gentlest farewell in the sixth universe.

As the spaceship passed through the cosmic barrier again, Kale suddenly pointed at the screen and screamed. Next to Dabura's phantom, a familiar figure in a black robe appeared, playing with a Super Dragon Ball in his hand—the four-star Dragon Ball that should have been in the Earth's temple.

"It seems there are my 'followers' in Universe Seven too." Dabura's laughter pierced the screen, carrying a metallic, grating quality. "Who will be the next sacrifice?"

Lin Ye clenched his fist, the Origin Core in his palm still burning hot. He looked at Android 18, whose mechanical arm was quietly repairing the spatial locator; Vegeta was adjusting his weapon, but his tail unconsciously wrapped around Kale's wrist; Caulifla was gazing at the stars outside the window, her golden hair still stained with volcanic ash from Universe 6.

"System notification: Super Dragon Ball energy fluctuation detected, location... Universe 7, Earth."

A cold smile curled at the corner of Lin Ye's lips. Regardless of who betrayed them, this game had only just begun.

Chapter 373: Dapula's Gallery

Lin Ye awoke in a thick darkness, his throat filled with a rusty-tasting liquid. He struggled to lift his head, a piercing pain shooting through his cervical spine, only to find himself suspended upside down on a crystallized bone spur. Thick, dark red fluid trickled down his spine, forming small puddles on the ground that reflected the bloodshot veins in his eyes.

"Awake?" A mocking voice crept out from the shadows, like a viper flicking its tongue. Dabura's purple robes trailed across the ground, leaving a trail of burning footprints. The flames landed but didn't spread, stubbornly shining, casting flickering light on his purple face. "He held on for three hours longer than expected. Looks like the Saiyans of Universe 7 are more durable than those crybaby Namekians."

On Lin Ye's retina, the system interface was flashing garbled text wildly. The area that should have displayed combat power values ​​now only showed a constantly repeating warning: [Unknown curse energy detected, cell activity decreases by 2% per minute]. He tried to circulate his qi, but found that the familiar golden aura had turned into a dark green, wrapping around his arms like rotting seaweed, making his bones tingle with the slightest movement.

“Don’t waste your energy.” Dapura waved his finger, and ripples suddenly appeared on the stone wall beside him, revealing Hit’s figure. The gray warrior was frozen in a translucent crystal, his eyes still wide with astonishment, the black spear embedded in his chest slowly oozing venom, spreading into puffs of black mist on the crystal’s inner wall. “This is ‘Time Amber’,” Dapura’s voice smugly smug, “capturing the prey’s last fear forever within the crystal. Guess what your friend’s expression will be? Will he stare like Hit, or will he have that ridiculous stubbornness, like your companion?”

Lin Ye abruptly turned his head, and fine cracks appeared on the crystals on his neck. Vegeta and Android 18 were hanging on adjacent bone spikes. Vegeta's deep blue aura was now as weak as a candle flame in the wind, each flicker accompanied by a muffled groan from him; Android 18's mechanical arm flashed red, and amidst the crackling of electricity, he could hear her gritting her teeth. What suffocated him most was that on Android 18's cheek, there was still the faint red mark of his kiss before he left, now slightly white from the chill of the crystals.

[Host's emotional value has exceeded the threshold, matching the 'rage' trait. Activate temporary enhancement?]

"Activate your mother!" Lin Ye roared, his teeth grinding against his gums, the taste of blood mixed with the metallic tang of metal filling his throat. He stared intently at the blood beads clotted on Number 18's eyelashes, the marks from when she tried to break free, cut by crystalline fragments. The system had previously labeled these as "meaningless details," but now they felt like red-hot irons, searing his retina.

Dabura suddenly burst into laughter, causing the entire cave to crumble and splinter. The rubble above him struck the crystals with a crisp cracking sound. "Interesting! Piccolo's son has indeed inherited his stubbornness. But..." He suddenly pointed at Vegeta, his purple fingernails gleaming coldly, "Your Saiyan companion is about to give up. Do you want me to do you a favor? Give him a quick death, so you don't have to see him get annoyed."

A purple energy ball condensed in Dabura's palm, and the crystal on Vegeta's back suddenly glowed red. Lin Ye watched helplessly as Vegeta's hair turned white at a visible speed, and the deep blue aura dissipated like a extinguished cigarette butt, revealing a face as pale as paper. The system popped up a cold notification: [Vegeta's life force loss has been detected to be accelerating; estimated time remaining is 17 minutes].

"Stop!" Lin Ye's roar shattered the crystal on his wrist, and fragments pierced his palm, but he was completely unaware. The dark green flames suddenly surged, and from the rotten energy, several stubborn golden streams of light emerged. These were the remnants of the ultimate essence that he had comprehended after being struck thousands of times by Weiss's cane in the 300 times gravity chamber.

Dabura's pupils contracted sharply, and he took a half step back: "Impossible! The 'Petrification Curse' can even trap a God of Destruction, and your pathetic skills are nothing..."

"Enough with the nonsense." Lin Ye's voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping. He didn't attack Dapra, but instead used the surge of his anger to twist his body sharply. This move completely defied common sense in combat, yet it precisely avoided the venomous spit that Dapra instinctively flung out. It was something Number 18 had taught him. After a training session, she leaned against the wall drinking water and casually remarked, "Women never follow the rules when they fight. Sometimes a sidestep is more effective than a straight punch."

[Compatibility with the "Freedom to Master" mode has been increased to 68%]

"Roar!"

Within the golden aura, silver streaks of light spread like a spiderweb. Lin Ye watched as his fist pierced through Dapra's defenses. The residue at his fingertips wasn't destructive energy, but a warm green light—the talisman Dandy had given him before parting, now burning hot like a branding iron. "This is Namekian healing magic," the little Namek had said, standing on tiptoe as he slipped the talisman into his palm. "Grandpa said that if you have someone in your heart that you want to protect, it will burn."

"You can actually fuse three energies?" Dabura staggered back, black blood seeping from the wound on his chest, dripping onto the ground and corroding small, sizzling holes. "Namekian magic, Saiyan ki, and... the aura of a god? What kind of monster are you?"

Lin Ye ignored him and flashed to Vegeta's side. Golden energy flowed into Vegeta's body like a warm current. As the crystals began to peel away, Vegeta suddenly coughed up blood, weakly cursing as he spat out blood and saliva: "Idiot...save Android 18 first...I can still hold on..."

"Shut up." Lin Ye didn't even look up, increasing the pressure on his hand. "If you die, who will compete with me for first place?"

Vegeta was stunned for a moment, then chuckled, the laughter aggravating his wounds, causing him to cough up another mouthful of blood: "You?

Android 18 suddenly laughed. The moment the mechanical arm broke free of the crystal, the energy wave it fired precisely struck Dabura's wing. Amidst the fluttering purple feathers, her voice, with a metallic quality, remained unusually calm: "You don't need to worry about it." A stream of data flashed in her blue eyes, "We just scanned that his curse core is in his throat, similar to the location of Cell's energy reactor. Hit there."

A silver glint appeared in Lin Ye's pupils. Dabura's attack trajectory slowed on his retina; those cunning venomous spittle and sharp spears were riddled with flaws in his vision. He recalled Whis's words: "Instinct is simply letting all experiences blossom and bear fruit in the body." Android 18's fighting skills, Vegeta's stubbornness, Dende's magic, even Piccolo's teachings of composure... all boiled in his blood at this moment.

"Try this!" Lin Ye's fist condensed three-colored energy: golden Saiyan flames enveloped green healing magic, and at its core was a silver ultimate light. When this fusion punch slammed into Dapura's throat, he clearly saw that what flashed in the other's eyes was not fear, but a strange sense of relief.

“The Lord… is finally coming…” Dabura’s body began to crystallize, the fragments falling to the ground with a crisp sound. Before dissipating, a strange grin spread across his lips. “You think you’ve won? This is just… an appetizer… Universe Seven, Universe Six… will soon be nourishment for the ’gears’…”

The cave began to tremble violently, and the hanging crystals fell one after another. Lin Ye hugged the exhausted No. 18, whose mechanical arm was still hot. The screen kept playing a video: the star map of the sixth universe was swallowed by the black tide, and a constantly rotating gear-shaped symbol appeared in the center, with fine, spell-like patterns engraved on the edges.

"What is this?" Lin Ye pressed down on her shoulder, his voice trembling with rapid breathing.

Number 18 wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and tapped the screen with his fingertip: "What the system just forcibly backed up should be fragments of Dapra's memory. This symbol... I've seen something similar in the future database, it seems to be related to a deleted spacetime experiment."

[System emergency repair complete. Cross-dimensional energy fluctuations detected. Source: Unknown (speculated to be related to the Omni-King's Palace)]

Vegeta stood up, propping himself up on his knees. The energy Lin Ye had injected into him was still churning inside him. He spat out the blood in his mouth and suddenly pointed to the depths of the cave: "There's light over there."

Lin Ye helped Number 18 turn around and, sure enough, saw a glimmer of light at the end of the darkness, like a dying star. Hit's crystal was still embedded in the wall. Lin Ye walked over, placed his palm on the crystal, and green magic slowly seeped into it: "Can it be saved?"

“Let’s try.” Number 18 followed, his robotic arm pressed against the side of the crystal. “The energy of the Time Amber is weakening, but the venom within him…”

"Let's go outside first." Vegeta walked to the other side of Hit, and his deep blue aura reignited, though weakly, it was much more stable than before. "Dabura's words weren't nonsense, that 'Master' is definitely someone important."

Lin Ye's palms were still burning hot, and Dendy's amulet was digging into his skin. He looked at his companions supporting each other. Vegeta's brows were furrowed, but he still instinctively protected his left side; Android 18's mechanical arm was still flashing red, but it didn't forget to synchronize the analyzed star map data with him; even Hit, who was sealed in the crystal, had a tense brow that showed he was ready to strike at any moment.

The system suddenly popped up a normal notification that hadn't been heard in a long time: [The companion bond value has exceeded the threshold, and the 'Shared Energy' mode has been temporarily unlocked].

Lin Ye smiled, wiping the blood from his face. He knew that Dapura's last words weren't just empty threats; that so-called "Master" was probably more terrifying than they imagined. But at this moment, looking at the people around him, his companions marked by the system as "combat units" and "support roles," he suddenly felt no fear.

The system can calculate energy, predict lifespan, and mark victory and defeat, but it cannot calculate how hot the blood droplets on Android 18's eyelashes are, how much concern Vegeta's "idiot" hides, or the fighting spirit that Hit's eyes never extinguished even when he was sealed away.

These things called "bonds" may be the hardest armor.

"Let's go." Lin Ye gripped Number 18's hand tightly, golden flames flowing between the three of them like a warm river. "Let's see what's in that light."

The faint light deep inside the cave grew brighter, and the sound of gears turning could be faintly heard, click-clack, like a countdown.

Chapter 374: The Omni-King in the Gears

The moment he passed through the hidden door of the Dapu Cave, the blinding white light felt like countless needles piercing his eyes. Lin Ye instinctively raised his hand to shield his eyes, and through the light filtering through his fingers, countless metallic glints seemed to dance. When he slowly adjusted to the light and lowered his hand, it felt as if an invisible hand was gripping his throat, his breath suddenly stopped, and even the blood vessels behind his ears throbbed.

What we're seeing isn't an escape route at all; it's clearly a gear-like inferno suspended in mid-air.

Tens of thousands of enormous gears meshed and turned, the gaps between their teeth swirling with pale golden energy. With each rotation, ripples spread across the entire space. Most chillingly, on each gear's teeth sat a chubby, exquisitely carved little figure, identical to the Omni-King of Universe Seven.

"Wow! It's Brother Lin Ye!" The Omni-King on the front gear recognized him first, clapping his chubby little hands on the gear surface, his pink cheeks beaming like round buns. "And Uncle Vegeta, Sister Android 18! How did you find this place?"

The other Omni-King beside him remained motionless. He had the same pink hair and the same childlike figure, but his eyes were devoid of any emotion. His golden pupils were like two pools of frozen, stagnant water, and even the frequency of his blinks was eerily even.

A system alarm suddenly blared in Lin Ye's palm: [An abnormal Omni-King energy reaction detected, divine fluctuations accounting for 88%, non-divine fluctuations accounting for 12%... Warning! Mechanical disguise characteristics present!]