Taro's cultivation was rooted in the purest form of natural energy, devoid of the life energy found in intelligent beings. However, this did not hinder his mastery over energy manipulation.
Though the life energy of sentient beings lacked the purity of natural energy, it had already been delivered to him. Using it as he pleased was an effortless task.
By forming a vortex with his own natural energy, he fused all the incoming attacks into one, refining them in a single sweep. Then, he amplified them fiftyfold with the divine essence of the Martial Immortal Fist.
The result: the energy waves launched by the enraged Saiyans—filled with their fury and savagery—were purified, condensed, and sent back at them, fifty times stronger than before.
And in Taro's hands, this retaliatory force took shape—a towering figure reminiscent of a Great Ape in its berserk state.
His mastery over energy had reached a divine level, beyond the comprehension of mortals or gods alike. The title of "God of Martial Arts" or "Muten Roshi" was no longer limited to the small planet called Earth. Even in the vast universe, he lived up to his name.
The Saiyans, of course, did not understand the intricacies behind this terrifying display.
They stood in stunned silence, staring at the sky.
There, as if emerging from a vortex of nothingness, a colossal divine ape—wreathed in white, blazing flames—roared and descended upon them with an earth-shaking impact.
Today, Planet Vegeta had no full moon.
No full moon…
Yet an apocalyptic Great Ape had appeared.
Rampaging across the land, slaughtering indiscriminately.
Slaughtering people.
Slaughtering apes.
Slaughtering beasts wearing human faces.
"What is that monster?!"
"Damn it!!"
"What the hell is happening?!"
These Saiyans—who had once destroyed homes, trampled planets, and massacred entire species using similar means—never imagined they would meet such an end themselves.
To be slaughtered by a Great Ape that seemed like one of their own.
To die in such a ridiculous, helpless manner, reduced to cosmic dust.
Little did they know.
It wasn't just them who were about to become dust.
Soon, the Saiyan race itself would be erased from existence.
Without even sparing them a final glance, Taro's divine jade-like eyes glowed with a brilliant radiance as he ascended into the air, drifting away toward the battle command center.
---
Beep!
Beep!
Beep!
Inside Freeza's spaceship, an aged alien jolted awake, startled by the shrill alarm.
He stared at the display screen in horror.
The waveform analysis showed an unprecedented match percentage of 43%.
It was an eyesore. A number too shocking to ignore.
"My god…"
"A 43% match rate?!"
"This is the highest one yet, isn't it?"
"The last recorded peak was only… what, 1.024%?"
The other aliens stationed at the monitoring console reacted instantly, eyes glued to the massive 43% on the screen.
Such a high match rate—could it be?
Had the individual Freeza had been searching for all this time… finally appeared?
"We must inform Lord Freeza immediately!"
The old alien shot to his feet.
It had been decades—almost a century—since that incident…
Ever since Freeza was found wounded amidst planetary ruins, he had issued an ironclad order: a device must be developed to distinguish biological energy signatures with precision.
Failure was not an option.
This command had taken absolute priority.
The research staff had abandoned nearly all other projects, pouring every ounce of effort into fulfilling Freeza's directive.
Their goal was to perfect an energy detection system capable of differentiating lifeforms with minimal margin of error.
It had taken twenty-two years, but at last, an additional module had been successfully integrated into the ship's original energy detection system.
Countless scientists had devoted their lives to its creation.
Countless others had been executed in Freeza's fits of rage.
Since his return from that fateful battle, Freeza's temperament had worsened drastically.
The old Freeza had always been temperamental, but at least he had maintained an air of refinement. He had exercised restraint, mindful of his status and decorum.
But after losing his arm that day…
Everything changed.
His form had altered.
His demeanor had darkened.
Now, at the slightest provocation, he would slaughter without hesitation.
The headquarters had been rebuilt more times than anyone could count.
And once the new energy detection device was operational, Freeza had issued only one directive:
Find the owner of that energy signature.
The signature recorded during that fateful battle against the Twin Star Squadron.
That individual's energy data… had been preserved all this time.
Once the new energy detection device was completed, retrieving all the original recorded data allowed for an in-depth analysis. The once chaotic biological energy signature could now be systematically dissected, analyzed, and categorized, stripping away the noise to extract its unique signature parameters.
Then came the full-scale search!
Across the entire galaxy!
At any cost!
Day and night, without rest!
"I will personally… slaughter you!!!"
At that time, Freeza's dark and frenzied voice echoed through his chamber. No one dared to approach. The aura seeping through the door's crevices alone was enough to send shivers down their spines—a coldness that pierced straight into the soul.
Decades had passed, and this seemingly endless task had finally… shown a glimmer of hope.
---
The place resembled an assembly line, where the chilling metallic atmosphere was the only form of decoration. It felt as though those placed here were not the offspring of a species, but defective goods waiting to be discarded.
Taro walked through the wide corridor, casually surveying the four-tiered rows of specialized infant pods on either side.
Naturally, not all the pods were occupied.
Saiyans were not a species that idly spent their time producing offspring. Given their culture, the number of times a couple engaged in barehanded combat likely far exceeded the number of times they engaged in reproduction. As a result, Saiyan birth rates were not particularly high—though still sufficient to prevent a population decline.
Exiting this "infant pod display room," Taro proceeded deeper into the corridor, pushing open a door and stepping into the chamber where combat spacecraft were prepared for launch.
There were not many spacecraft here.
These were the vessels already set to transport newborns. With a quick scan, Taro estimated there were about eight in total.
However, it seemed that due to Freeza's recent orders, these infants had ultimately been stopped from leaving.
"It was an order from Freeza's forces—every planned launch of newborns has been forcibly canceled. Kakarot's deployment has been halted as well."
Jarvis's voice came through Taro's earpiece, still the same mechanical, synthesized male tone.
Taro nodded knowingly. Before him, two aliens—neither of them Saiyan—were retrieving a spherical spacecraft from outside.