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

Page 203

“It is the Tree of Origin.” A clear, cold voice came from the void, and the figure of the Supreme Kai of Time, Anise, slowly emerged. Her silver hair fluttered in the turbulent currents, and the hourglass on her scepter was spinning wildly. “The energy absorbed by Chronos from the spacetime rift was too enormous, and it accidentally activated the Tree of Origin that was sleeping in the origin of the universe.”

"Enough nonsense! If this thing really explodes, the entire Seventh Universe will be doomed!" Vegeta's deep blue aura suddenly surged, and the air around him was torn apart by the energy, creating fine cracks. He condensed a black destructive energy ball in his palm and shot it towards the rune array on the ground like lightning, but it was repelled by an invisible barrier the moment it made contact. The energy ball exploded in the distance, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Lin Ye suddenly raised his hand and pressed down on Vegeta's wrist, stopping him from attacking again: "Wait, don't be impulsive." His pupils glowed with golden light, and the fragment of the Key of Time slowly floated in mid-air. "It has no ill intentions, and it is even conveying a message to us that Chronos is not the final enemy at all."

As soon as he finished speaking, the rune array suddenly burst forth with blinding golden light, and Lin Ye's consciousness was forcibly pulled into a chaotic space by a powerful force. Countless shattered images flashed before his eyes: the Omni-King's palace reduced to ruins, the angels standing in collective silence, and a towering tree that spanned the twelve universes, with countless transparent "cosmic bubbles" hanging from its branches, each bubble containing a complete universe.

"This is..." Lin Ye's heart suddenly clenched. He saw that in each cosmic bubble, there was a phantom of Cronus frantically devouring the energy of the spacetime rift, and at the roots of the giant tree, there was a golden band of light that was of the same origin as the Key of Time in his palm.

"The Tree of Origin is the energy center of all universes, responsible for maintaining the balance of the twelve universes," Anise's voice echoed in her consciousness. "Cronus was merely its chosen 'pruner,' responsible for clearing the unbalanced spacetime rifts. But his mind was consumed by power, which accelerated the imbalance. The true threat lies hidden in the 'Source of Chaos' within the tree's core."

In the real world, the cracks in the ground suddenly widened, accompanied by a deafening roar, and a gigantic, jet-black tree burst forth from the earth. Its trunk was covered in writhing tentacles, each tipped with a miniature planet, exuding a decaying aura. Vegeta's power level sensor on his wrist suddenly exploded with a "bang," and the final reading made his pupils shrink sharply...∞!

"Impossible... This is not the power a God of Destruction could achieve!" Vegeta staggered back a step, his face showing disbelief for the first time.

The giant tree suddenly emitted a deep rumble, and countless tentacles shot towards the group like venomous snakes. Lin Ye pressed the fragment of the Key of Time to his brow, and his body erupted with dazzling golden light. The golden aura was interspersed with silver spacetime patterns, and his hair transformed into a flowing liquid metal. This was a new form he had comprehended in the spacetime turbulence.

"Super Saiyan? Origin Form!"

He raised his hand and conjured an energy sphere, the center of which revealed a star map of the twelve universes. When the energy sphere collided with the tentacles, time seemed to stand still, all the tentacles froze in mid-air, their surfaces covered with dense runes.

"It worked!" Trunks seized the opportunity, his sword flashing as he severed several tentacles. But as soon as he landed, his expression changed drastically. "Damn it! These tentacles are absorbing our energy!"

Lin Ye looked down and, sure enough, dark red liquid seeped from the severed tentacle. When the liquid came into contact with the air, it turned into countless tiny Chronos phantoms that crawled rapidly across the ground, corroding even the rocks in their wake.

"They're replicating! At this rate, we'll be worn down sooner or later!" Number 18's energy cannon shattered a phantom, only to find even more phantoms surging out from underground, densely packed like a tidal wave approaching.

Anise suddenly raised her scepter, and the hourglass at the top of the scepter emitted a soft light, instantly freezing the approaching phantoms in place: "I can freeze these phantoms temporarily, but it won't last long! Someone must infiltrate the core of the tree and destroy the source of chaos!" Her gaze swept over everyone and finally landed on Lin Ye, "Only you can withstand the erosion of the origin energy, and only the Key of Time can open the passage to the core of the tree."

Lin Ye clenched his fist, and the aura of his Origin form surged once more: "Damn it. Vegeta, you guys cover Anise, don't let her get attacked by the phantom."

"Tch, don't show off, you inferior warrior." Vegeta's deep blue aura was mixed with golden patterns, clearly he was also unleashing his full power. "If you can't hold on, just shout for mercy, and this prince might take pity on you and save your life."

Lin Ye smiled, said no more, and turned to rush towards the trunk of the giant tree. Origin energy formed a protective shield around him, and the tentacles that tried to approach instantly turned to ashes upon touching the shield. When he reached the trunk, a huge crack suddenly appeared in the trunk, pitch black inside, from which he could vaguely hear some kind of seductive whisper.

“Once inside, follow the guidance of the Key of Time, and don’t stray from the passage.” Anise’s voice came from afar, tinged with worry. “Remember, the Source of Chaos creates illusions; whatever you see, don’t believe it!”

Lin Ye took a deep breath and leaped into the crevice. In the darkness, the fragments of the Key of Time emitted a dazzling light, illuminating a passage made of transparent crystals. Embedded in the walls on both sides of the passage were countless tormented faces—cosmic consciousnesses devoured by the Source of Chaos. They twisted and howled, as if telling of endless suffering.

"Give up... resistance is futile..." A deep whisper echoed through the passage, carrying an eerie magic. "All universes will eventually become nourishment for the Tree of Origin, and you will be no exception..."

Lin Ye ignored the warnings and accelerated his journey deeper into the passage. The deeper he went, the more realistic the illusions became: he saw Goku enveloped by the source of chaos, gradually losing consciousness; he saw Vegeta kneeling before Chronos, begging for mercy; he saw Android 18 transformed into an emotionless mechanical puppet, firing energy cannons at him…

"None of this is real." Lin Ye gritted his teeth, the aura of his Origin Form scorching the surrounding illusions, tearing those false images to shreds one by one. "I won't let you succeed!"

Finally, a massive spherical space appeared at the end of the passage. Suspended in the center of this space was a dark red crystal the size of a human head, its surface entwined with countless tentacles, each connected to a transparent cosmic bubble—this was the source of chaos!

"Perfect timing." The Source of Chaos suddenly spoke in the voice of Kronos, with an eerie laugh. "Your Origin Energy is of the same origin as mine. Once I devour you, I can completely control the Tree of Origin and become the ruler of the twelve universes!"

Countless tentacles suddenly attacked Lin Ye. Lin Ye's Origin Form aura exploded to its limit, and he condensed a huge energy ball in his hands: "Origin? Annihilation Cannon!"

The golden energy sphere, carrying an aura of annihilation, rushed toward the source of chaos, but was entangled by countless tentacles the moment it made contact, and the runes on the surface of the energy sphere faded at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Useless!" The voice of the Source of Chaos was filled with sarcasm. "Where do you think your Origin Energy came from? It was originally my overflowing power! You have no way of defeating me!"

Lin Ye's expression changed drastically. He suddenly felt the primal energy within his body begin to leak out uncontrollably, flowing towards the source of chaos through the air. Just as he was about to collapse, the fragment of the Key of Time suddenly burst forth with a blinding light, and an ancient memory flooded into his mind:

Long, long ago, the Tree of Origin gave birth to the twelve universes, and the Source of Chaos was its negative offspring, feeding on the unbalanced energy of the universes. To achieve balance, a "Heart of Origin" was born from the core of the tree, the prototype of the Key of Time. Later, Cronus stole a fragment of the Heart of Origin, attempting to control the Tree of Origin, but instead, he was used by the Source of Chaos, accelerating the imbalance.

"So that's how it is... You're not part of the Tree of Origin at all, just a parasitic cancer!" Lin Ye's eyes became incredibly resolute, and he pressed the fragment of the Key of Time against his chest. "Origin energy is a balancing force, not nourishment for you!"

Origin energy and the power of spacetime merged wildly within him, forming a golden pillar of light that pierced through heaven and earth, heading straight for the source of chaos. This time, the pillar of light easily pierced through the tentacles' obstruction and precisely struck the core of the source of chaos.

"No...! I'm not reconciled!" The Source of Chaos let out a shrill scream, its surface crystals began to crack, and dark red liquid seeped out continuously. "I won't just disappear like this! The twelve universes will eventually fall into imbalance, and then I will return!"

Lin Ye gave it no chance, quickly forming hand seals: "Origin? Seal!"

Golden runes surged from his palm, coiling around the Source of Chaos like chains, enveloping it layer by layer. As the runes tightened, the Source of Chaos shrank, eventually transforming into a dark red bead, which was absorbed into the fragment of the Key of Time and completely sealed away.

When Lin Ye emerged from the giant tree, the Tree of Origin had already begun to wither, and the writhing tentacles and the phantom of Chronos vanished. Vegeta and the others immediately surrounded him, their faces full of concern.

"All done?" Vegeta asked, raising an eyebrow. His tone remained arrogant, but he couldn't hide the worry in his eyes.

Lin Ye nodded, raising the fragment of the Key of Time in his hand. The dark red bead on the fragment was shimmering with a faint light: "The source of chaos has been sealed, but I have a feeling that this is not the end."

Anise stepped forward, lightly tapping the fragment with her scepter, her brow furrowing slightly: "The energy of the Tree of Origin is restoring balance, but Kronos's consciousness may not have completely dissipated. His remnant soul may still be hiding in the spacetime rift, waiting for a chance to revive."

As soon as he finished speaking, a crack suddenly appeared in the sky, and a transparent black figure flew out from it—it was the remnant soul of Kronos! His body had become extremely thin, yet it still exuded a powerful aura.

"I will not fail like this!" The remnant soul of Kronos roared as it charged toward Lin Ye. "I will perish together with you!"

Lin Ye's eyes narrowed, and he activated his Origin Form once more, unleashing a golden energy fist directly at the remnant soul: "Then let it vanish completely!"

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only the remnant soul of Cronus gradually dissipating in the energy. Before completely disappearing, he left behind a curse filled with resentment: "The source of chaos will return... When the balance of the twelve universes is broken once more, that will be the day of my vengeance!"

As Kronos vanished, the rift in the sky slowly closed. Lin Ye looked at the fragment of the Key of Time in his hand, his heart heavy. He knew that although the crisis had been temporarily averted, a new threat might be brewing.

"Alright, stop looking so gloomy." Vegeta patted him on the shoulder, turned and walked towards the spaceship. "Let's get back to Earth first. Gohan and the others are still waiting for our news."

Lin Ye nodded and embarked on the journey back to Earth with the others. As the spaceship passed through the atmosphere and saw the familiar blue planet below, he looked back into the depths of space and silently vowed: no matter what dangers he might encounter in the future, he would do everything in his power to protect this universe and his companions.

Deep within a distant rift in spacetime, a faint, dark red light is quietly writhing, as if confirming Kronos's words... Darkness has never truly vanished.

Chapter 453: The Remnants' Conspiracy

The night breeze of Xidu dispelled the daytime heat, and moonlight, like a thin veil, gently covered the rows of buildings. Inside the Capsule Company's top-floor laboratory, however, the lights were blazing, the hum of the instruments rising and falling, a stark contrast to the tranquility outside.

Lin Ye placed the fragment of the Key of Time on the lab table. Bulma was manipulating the scanner, scanning the fragment back and forth, the screen displaying dense energy data. The dark red bead floated silently, its surface occasionally flashing with a faint light, as if responding to something.

“Strange, the energy fluctuations of this fragment are becoming increasingly unstable.” Bulma frowned, her fingers rapidly tapping on the keyboard. “Look here… the energy characteristics of the enemy ship that attacked us three days ago perfectly match the remnants of the source of chaos on the fragment.” She pulled up another set of data, where the two fluctuation curves almost overlapped. “Moreover, I discovered that recently there have been many unusual alien energy signals wandering around West Capital, as if they are conducting a carpet search for something.”

Lin Ye's expression instantly turned serious: "They definitely haven't given up. Alice, immediately activate a full-area scan of Xidu, focusing on hidden areas such as abandoned factories and underground bunkers, and make sure to find the source of the signal."

"Full-area scan initiated, estimated scan time three minutes." Alice's holographic projection lit up in the corner of the laboratory, and a blue data stream refreshed rapidly.

Three minutes later, a 3D map of Xidu popped up on the screen, with dozens of red dots densely distributed in the abandoned industrial area in the west of the city. Bulma zoomed in on the map and pointed to one of the largest red dots: "This is the car factory that went bankrupt thirty years ago. The signal is the strongest here, so it should be their stronghold."

“Vegeta and I will go there.” Lin Ye grabbed the Time Key fragment from the lab table and stuffed it into the energy container at his waist. “Trunks and Android 18 will stay behind to reinforce Capsule Corporation’s defenses and prevent them from using a diversionary tactic.”

"Received!" Trunks replied through the communicator, with the sound of Number 18 adjusting the energy cannon in the background.

Lin Ye turned to leave, but Vegeta pushed the door open and came in, still smelling of sweat from the gravity training room: "Don't bother looking for me, I heard the whole conversation. Where are those bastards? I'm just stretching my muscles."

"The abandoned car factory in the west of the city." Lin Ye nodded, and the two of them leaped up at the same time, breaking through the glass wall of the laboratory and turning into two streaks of light that flew towards the west of the city.

Meanwhile, inside the abandoned car factory, a strong smell of engine oil mixed with the stench of blood filled the air. A dozen or so aliens in black combat suits stood in a circle, their necks hunched over. Several cold corpses lay on the ground, clearly the unlucky ones who had been punished for their poor performance.

Karen stood with his back to them in the center of the factory, his tall figure casting a long shadow in the dim light. The scars on his face were contorted, and his right hand was tightly clenched into a fist-sized black crystal, the black mist swirling around its surface constantly swallowing the surrounding light.

"Useless! All of you are useless!" Karen whirled around and kicked the alien in the front squarely in the chest, sending him flying backward, coughing up blood. "You've botched the plan to activate the spacetime rift! Over a hundred warships are destroyed! And you still have the nerve to come back and see me?!"

The aliens were so frightened that they all knelt down, burying their heads even lower: "My lord, spare us! Lin Ye and Vegeta are too strong, we are no match for them..."

"Too strong?" Karen sneered, raising the black crystal in his hand. The eerie light emanating from the crystal illuminated his ferocious face. "The chaotic power left behind by Lord Kronos is something they can't contend with. It's just that you bunch of useless trash are incompetent!" He paused, his tone turning sinister. "But it doesn't matter, I've already prepared a backup plan."

A tall, thin alien cautiously raised his head: "Sir, you mean..."

“This is a Chaos Crystal extracted from the remnant soul of Lord Kronos.” Karen stroked the patterns on the crystal’s surface, his eyes burning with fervor. “If we implant it into the Earth’s core, it will trigger a global spacetime disorder. At that time, the entire Earth will become a chaotic land, and all life will become our nourishment!”

The aliens' eyes lit up immediately, and they all showed excited expressions: "Your Excellency is wise! With this, we can definitely avenge Lord Kronos!"

“Brilliant?” Karen glanced at them, her tone icy. “What’s the point of saying all this now? We only have less than twenty men left. Lin Ye and his men must have strengthened their defenses. How are we going to infiltrate the Earth’s core?”

Just then, a dragging sound came from the factory entrance, and two aliens dragged in a middle-aged man wearing glasses. The man's hands were tied behind his back, and he was trembling with fear, his glasses slipping down to the tip of his nose.

"Sir, the person you requested has been brought," the alien escorting the person said respectfully.

Karen stepped forward, grabbed the middle-aged man's hair, and forced him to look up: "Tell me, Dr. Lee, where is the entrance to the Earth's core? How did you break through Capsule Corporation's defense system?"

The man called Dr. Lee was terrified, stammering, "I...I'm an energy researcher at Capsule Corporation. The entrance to the Earth's core is...in the energy hub three thousand meters underground in West Capital. The password for the defense system is...Ms. Bulma's birthday..."

“Very good, a wise person knows when to yield.” Karen released his hand and patted Dr. Lee’s face. “As long as you cooperate obediently, I can make you the administrator of the new Earth after it’s done.”

Dr. Li nodded repeatedly, tears welling up in his eyes from fear: "I'll cooperate! I'll definitely cooperate!"

Just then, the factory roof suddenly exploded with a loud "boom," and rubble rained down. Lin Ye and Vegeta descended from the sky, landing steadily on the ground, their golden and deep blue flames instantly engulfing the entire factory.

"Karen, we meet again." Lin Ye's voice was icy, his eyes sweeping over the corpse on the ground and the kidnapped Dr. Lee, his killing intent intensifying. "It seems the lesson I taught you last time wasn't enough."

Karen's expression changed drastically. She instinctively hid the black crystal behind her back and shouted angrily, "How did you find this place?!"

"With your clumsy concealment methods, you think you can fool Capsule Corporation's scanning system?" Vegeta sneered, his aura surging. "Hand over the crystal obediently, then surrender, and I might let you die a quick death."

"Hand them over? Dream on!" Karen waved his hand violently. "Brothers, charge! Kill them and avenge Lord Kronos!"

A dozen or so aliens roared as they charged toward Lin Ye and Vegeta, their energy guns firing dark red energy bullets. Lin Ye dodged the energy bullets, his golden figure flashing through the enemy ranks like lightning. Each punch he landed was accompanied by the screams of the aliens and the sound of bones shattering.

Vegeta went even further, crossing his arms in front of his chest and conjuring dozens of deep blue energy balls: "Die!" The energy balls shot out like a rainstorm, instantly blasting the first few aliens into pieces.

Karen's eyes turned crazed as he watched his men fall one by one. He grabbed Dr. Lee beside him, pressed the black crystal against his temple, and threatened, "Don't come any closer! If you do, I'll activate the crystal and make this Earthling pay with his life!"

Lin Ye and Vegeta immediately stopped, their eyes fixed warily on Karen. Dr. Lee, terrified, went limp, crying out, "Don't kill me! Please, don't kill me!"

"Karen, if you have the guts, come at us. What kind of skill is it to take an ordinary person hostage?" Lin Ye said in a deep voice, slowly taking a step forward.

“Skill? Winning is skill!” Karen pressed her finger on the groove on the crystal’s surface. “Back off! Otherwise, I’ll activate the crystal right now and turn this place into ruins!”

Vegeta gritted his teeth, but had no choice but to stop. He looked at Lin Ye, his eyes seeking a solution. Lin Ye shook his head slightly, signaling him not to act rashly. He could sense the terrifying energy contained within the crystal; once activated, the entire western part of the city would be razed to the ground.

In that tense moment, Dr. Lee suddenly struggled and bit Karen's wrist. Karen cried out in pain and instinctively released his grip. Lin Ye seized the opportunity, flashing forward and instantly appearing in front of Karen, punching him in the face.

"You're asking for death!" Karen, his nose bleeding profusely, went completely mad. Ignoring Lin Ye's attacks, he grabbed the black crystal with both hands, frantically pouring his energy into it: "Since you won't let me live, then let's all perish together! Chaos Crystal, activate!"

The black crystal suddenly burst forth with blinding light, and a destructive energy surged from it, causing the entire factory to shake violently and huge cracks to appear in the walls. Lin Ye and Vegeta's expressions changed drastically, and they simultaneously unleashed their strongest auras.

"Vegeta, use the Ultimate Flash!" Lin Ye shouted, conjuring the Origin Annihilation Cannon in his hands.

"Understood!" Vegeta raised his hands above his head, and deep blue energy gathered in his palms into a giant sphere of light. "Final Flash!"

Two energy beams shot towards the black crystal simultaneously. Just as they were about to strike, Karen suddenly lunged in front of the crystal, shielding it with his body. "For Lord Kronos!" he roared desperately, his body instantly vaporizing within the energy beams. The black crystal, however, remained unharmed, and its energy fluctuations only intensified.

"Damn it! He reinforced the crystal's defense with his own body!" Cold sweat beaded on Lin Ye's forehead. "This won't do, our energy is about to run out!"

Vegeta's expression was also grim; he could feel his energy rapidly depleting: "What do we do? Are we just going to watch the crystal explode?"

Just then, Bulma's voice suddenly came through the communicator, tinged with urgency: "Lin Ye! Vegeta! I just analyzed the energy structure of the crystal. Its core is very fragile, but it can only be destroyed with energy of a specific frequency, which is exactly the same as the Origin Energy frequency in the Time Key fragment!"

"Origin Energy?" Lin Ye's eyes lit up, and he immediately took out a fragment of the Key of Time from his waist. "Alice, help me locate the crystal core!"

“Core location locked, coordinates (37.24, 112.58).” Alice’s voice came immediately.

Lin Ye continuously poured Origin Energy into the fragment, causing the dark red bead to emit a dazzling light. He took a deep breath and hurled the fragment at the black crystal: "Smash!"

The fragments of the Key of Time struck the core of the black crystal with pinpoint accuracy, like a missile. A sharp crack echoed as countless cracks appeared on the crystal's surface, and the energy fluctuations instantly became chaotic. Lin Ye and Vegeta seized the opportunity, increasing their energy output once more, and two energy beams slammed into the crystal.

"No...!" Karen's remaining consciousness let out a shrill scream as the black crystal exploded completely within the energy beam. The massive shockwave leveled the entire factory. Lin Ye and Vegeta immediately activated their protective shields, shielding the terrified Dr. Lee behind them.