NOVEL WEB Chapter 35: Second Chances, Second Deaths
The afternoon light on Namek was muted by drifting clouds — pale green skies casting long shadows over the water. Vegeta stood on a rocky bluff, arms folded, wind tugging at his battered gloves. Below him, the crater from his first fight with Zarbon still smoldered faintly.
He didn't look healed, but he felt it. The rejuvenation chamber had done its job. The Zenkai boost surged through his blood like fire.
He clenched his fists once. "I'll make you regret leaving me breathing."
Zarbon landed across from him in a graceful arc, still clad in his combat gear, his voice smooth as ever. "You're more resilient than expected. But the result will be the same."
Vegeta didn't respond. Just smiled.
Zarbon reached for his scouter, tapping it. The numbers began climbing instantly.
"Let's see how much stronger you really—"
[Power Level: 18,000… 23,000… 27,000…]
His scouter beeped harder. Then glitched.
[WARNING: MEASUREMENT ERROR—POWER LEVEL SPIKE—]
BOOM.
The device exploded in a shower of sparks.
Zarbon's eyes narrowed. "Well. That's new."
Then Vegeta was in front of him.
The punch landed clean — so fast it didn't make a sound until Zarbon's body hit the rock behind him, embedding him halfway through a cliff wall. The crack of impact echoed through the canyon.
Zarbon growled, skin shifting, and began to transform.
But Vegeta didn't wait this time.
He launched forward and kneed him in the gut mid-mutation, driving the breath from Zarbon's lungs. With a roar, Zarbon tried to backhand him, but Vegeta ducked under it and buried an elbow into his ribs.
The fight devolved into a blur of movement. Fist and knee, blast and dodge, blow after blow — but Zarbon was already too late. The power gap was massive. Vegeta was faster, meaner, and unrelenting.
"You thought you could humiliate me?" Vegeta snarled, slamming his opponent's head into the dirt. "You thought you could break me?"
Zarbon tried to spit something — blood or a response — but Vegeta's boot pinned him to the ground.
"I don't break," Vegeta said, cold as ice. "I evolve."
The final blast came without warning — an orb of energy that tore through the canyon like a lance of light. When the dust settled, Zarbon was gone. For good this time.
Vegeta stood in the smoking ruins, breathing hard. His lips curled into something not quite a smile, but close.
"Two down," he muttered. "Now where's that damn Namekian brat?"
Elsewhere, in a clearing between high cliffs and glowing blue vegetation, the Ginyu Force dropped from the sky like confetti — colorful, loud, and utterly out of place.
Five sets of boots thudded against the rock.
Recoome grinned. "Alright, time to bust some heads."
Guldo snorted. "Let's hope they're taller than me this time."
Burter checked his scouter with an exaggerated yawn.
Captain Ginyu posed, fists clenched. "This is a recon mission, not a slaughter. Get the Dragon Balls. Eliminate resistance. Pose while doing it."
They turned in unison as four figures arrived.
No fanfare. No words.
Just Piccolo, Krillin, Gohan, and Goku — stepping out of the shadow of a boulder, all calm, all stone-faced.
The Force took a half step back on instinct.
Burter raised his scouter.
[Power Level: 120,000… 135,000…]
It shrieked. Flashed red.
[ERROR. ERROR. ERROR.]
POP.
It exploded in his face.
Jeice yelped. "Oi! What the hell?!"
Guldo's scouter exploded before it could even blink.
Recoome frowned. "Okay, that's just rude."
Then Gohan moved.
One second Guldo was standing. The next he was face-first in the ground with a crater under him.
Krillin shot forward, a blur of afterimages, and roundhouse kicked Jeice into a cliff wall.
Burter went for Piccolo — only to find himself caught by the wrist, flipped mid-air, and smashed to the ground with a deafening thud.
Recoome tried to pose.
Goku hit him so hard the ground lifted in a shockwave.
Captain Ginyu backed up, shocked. "No way… no way you're this strong!"
Goku's eyes narrowed. "Still want to test it?"
Ginyu snarled and dove forward — only to be caught mid-motion by a double-palm strike from Piccolo that stopped him cold.
He coughed blood and fell limp.
Within minutes, the so-called elite had been wiped out.
Back near the ridgeline, Kai sat with his legs dangling over a cliff, the wind brushing through his hair.
He didn't look up as Bulma approached, arms crossed, eyes scanning the wreckage in the distance.
"That was them?" she asked quietly.
"The Ginyu Force," Kai replied, not bothering to hide his smirk. "Loud, obnoxious, and all dead."
She blinked. "That easy?"
"They didn't know who they were messing with."
She was quiet a moment. Then:
"You're still not going to fight Frieza?"
Kai exhaled slowly. "No."
"Why?"
He looked away. "Because this is Goku's moment. Not mine."
She frowned. "That's still a dumb reason."
He didn't argue.
The wind rustled again, carrying the scent of distant fire and ozone. The battle wasn't over. Not yet. But for now, there was still a lull — a breath before the real storm.
Bulma stepped closer.
"You know… I was thinking. Once this is over, and we're back on Earth—maybe you should stay. At Capsule Corp, I mean."
He turned, brow raised slightly.
"With me," she clarified, voice softer now. "If you want."
Kai didn't answer right away.
But then he smiled. Just a little.
"If that's what you want."
"It is."
They sat together in the quiet, just listening to the wind.
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Hey hope u like sorry if it seems rushed.