DB Multiverse

What many could have mistaken for as a cry of despair was slowly and progessively turning into a long, bloodcurdling howl.

The surprise didn't last.

The majority to bear witness to this scene shortly understood that the embodiment of horror was literally taking form before their eyes as they first saw the energy emitted by the defeated tyrant create a dust cloud around him. What took place was nothing more, nothing less than the birth of a nightmare evoked by the horrible crackling of bones under the pressure of the terrifying transformation as the figure of the interplanetary tyrant was twisting into something much different.

As the back of his skull began to unnaturally elongate and as his face began to flatten to be replaced by one of an animal, Cold furiously shed what was left of his armor to make way for the unprecedented growth in size of his chest, organic shoulder guards, and the spikes springing out of his back. Blades just as sharp also began to form on his forearms.

In much less time than his son did on Namek, and with much less effort, King Cold revealed a new facet of his polymorphic alien nature.

A hideous smile formed on the face that had nothing human left in it as the creature threw a satisfied glance at the one who put his face in the ground mere seconds prior. His eyes made a brief move towards the back of his body and he clenched his fists as the grin twisted his face into a grimace. The monstrous creature slightly crouched to emit a guttural howl, his muscles swelling under the tension, and quickly spawned from his spine a new tail. The same awful tail that had been disposed of so easily. A tail that began to wiggle around in the air to express the contentment of its owner. Unless it was to express its eagerness to demonstrate the power it had been deprived of just moments ago.

Floating above him, Goku was no longer smiling.

Things were seriously taking a turn for the worst. In his inferior form, he knew his opponent was weaker than he is. But now, if the increase in his Battle Power was proportional to Freeza's in each of his transformation, this monster might just give him some trouble.

— "And there it is!"

The confirmation of the tall Namekian rung like the announcement of a death sentence upon the little group, dumbfounded by this inconceivable revelation. Son Goku wanted play, play for the fun of it, for the sport, to play with the bigwigs, and now the entire planet was going to pay for this losing hand.

Son Gohan's childish voice dared utter:

— "But, he lost! Even if he wasn't aware of it because of the beating he was taking, my Dad told him what happened. Why doesn't he believe him?"

— "Because he only knows one law: his own."

— "We're doomed – lamented Kulilin – Goku already had enough trouble getting rid of Freeza alone. We have to be realistic and understand that this time, he doesn't stand a chance."

— "I have faith in my father. He's much stronger than he was on Namek!"

Piccolo's tone darkened to speak with a hint of profound grief:

— "Without a doubt, he is, but this bastard's power more than likely surpasses by far that of his son's and also…"

— "He still has one more transformation left in case this one isn't enough." the bald monk said, ending the Namekian's sentence.

Tenshinhan had stood up to walk closer to them.

— "Maybe not... who knows for sure if he has as many forms as his son?"

— "Freeza made it a point to mention that his final transformation, his most powerful one, was actually his original form… So it's safe to assume that it is that of his race, and thus that of his father. Still, he hasn't reached it, yet!" muttered Kulilin, nevertheless speaking with an over-educated tone.

— "Freeza was said to have been living in his weakest form to contain his uncontrollable power. Clearly, Cold had no such such problem when you consider that he could perfectly control himself assuming a form superior to the one his son had chosen. Not to mention, in this form, he's just as powerful as his son was in his final form. Believe when I say this is only a glimpse of his true potential." remarked the green giant.

– "He's a real monster… It makes no sense for such power to reside within a single being!" growled the three-eyed fighter.

Completely discouraged, Kulilin let himself slip to ground to lay on his back, his gaze lost in the boundless blue of a sky careless to the tragedy unfolding below.

— "If only it were possible…"

— "Father said he'd been training this entire time. We have to trust him with this! He will beat him again!" affirmed the young Gohan.

The Namekian flew up a bit to fly towards the direction opposite pf the two belligerents.

— "All of you, follow me!" he ordered the others, taken aback by this unexpected turn of events.

Goku tore off the thick turtleneck of his Yardrat outfit in a gesture that gave off a hint of relief, as if he had freed himself from a restraint far too long supported, then removed the armor that had already been cracked as well as the undershirt that had already been torn to shreds. Now shirtless, he lit up his aura to increase his power, keeping an eye on the monster his opponent had become, who had risen to the same altitude. Concentration and gravity had replaced the playful smile. Cold had proved he was a seasoned fighter, versed in the art of combat and ruthless. His power, now fueled by his thirst for vengeance, was going to make him an adversary stronger and more dangerous than anything he had ever faced in the past.

Without a sound, without a word, without the slightest hint of aggression, the two men suddenly charged one another, if we can even qualify the tyrant as anything close to human at this point! If the titans of the dawn of time had truly existed, the battle taking place was on a level completely different level as those of the legends that have stood the test of thousands of years. A human ear could keep up with the sounds of all the blows and explosions that rung. Even the most trained eyes couldn't follow what was unfolding in real time given the speed of the two fighters' barrage. All who witnessed the scene were staring at the sky shine with powerful fireworks. In spite of this, the hyperdevelopped senses of the Namekian couldn't follow the battle, nor could Tenshinhan's three eyes.

Faster, stronger, and better! Son Goku internally motivated himself with each by thrown at the other, each blocked. However, despite all his efforts keep high spirits, rare were the hits he could actually avoid, and all those that hit him left their painful mark however much he tried to keep his defense at his maximum level… the maximum level of a Super Saiyan. He would need to find a breach in the tyrants defenses if he could hope to live before all his energy is depleted. A stark contrast to the monster who he could hardly lay a hand on. Even when he did, the hits hardly seemed to affect him, steel practically being butter next to this solid body of white, pink, and purple.

The Saiyan was giving it his all… being just about as effective as a fly twirling around a buffalo, who would simply be annoyed by the stinging of the insect without any real consequences. With only despair fueling his energy, Goku raged on, knowing full well that the fate of those he held dear to his heart depended solely on the outcome of this battle. Will this new fire burning within him be enough to return from this battle victorious?

Find out next time on Dragon Ball Zeeeee…! (cue ending theme… Naaaah, we're just kidding… lol)*

The monster now began to falter under the barrage of blows crashing upon him without a second to spare. Standing afar, silently, another Saiyan had already figured out the how this battle will conclude.

Kakarotto will lose in this hand-to-hand assault one way or another. He will never be able to harness enough power being so close to his opponent. If he can't find a way to stun him in order to create some distance and completely annihilate him with a powerful ki blast, he'll never win this battle.

Such was the reason of the experience warrior, who quietly burned with rage and envy before the extraordinary release of power from the two fighters. That bastard Kakarotto had realized his lifelong dream: killing Freeza… now to lose against Cold! Who could have guessed the father would be much stronger than the terrifying tyrant? Vegeta shivered in spite of his efforts to contain his fear. Indeed, he'd lost the opportunity to avenge his people, but without a doubt, it would have led to his own demise. What does it matter now? The fate of the remaining Saiyans now seemed sealed; condemned to suffer defeat and death by the hands of that damned family. The Saiyan Prince hatred only grew stronger. There had to be a way to change this!

Once again, Son Goku used one of the spikes on his opponent's new body to artfully dodge a punishing blow. His torso and arms wore bloody hints of attempts to ram the King at full strength. This time, he landed a right precisely in through the defenses of the sovereign fighter. Two iron hands gripped his forearms as the ground seemingly rose in front of him at vertiginous speed. The impact shattered the rock that dug into an impressive crater, one more in this landscape now practically bearing the look of a moon. The Saiyan hardly had the time to shift his head up to not suffocate before thirty-six lights began to dance before his emerald eyes. The back of Cold's head brutally crashed against him with impressive precision and strength. The monster knew how to make remarkable use of his strange anatomic properties.

As he stood back up, wearing a grin reflecting both joy and cruelty, he stuck both the blades from his forearms into the Saiyan's arms.

The look in his eyes was more animalistic than ever as he waited for the object of his vengeance to get back on its feet to face him again with restored arrogance. When the Super Saiyan's aura took light again, complimented by the raging howl of a warrior whose wounds would not stop him, Cold pondered his options. This insect had more than deserved a slow and painful death, but the fact remained that he could be an asset as a recruit. Sending him to slavery could easily fulfill that. Why not?

But for the time being, a harsh beating was due!

The monstrous giant began by letting the wounded warrior strike first. Just as he'd expected, the punishment from his wounds stunted the number of blows he could muster, and he delightfully waited for this imbecile to realize this so he could have a good look at his face when that happens. The moment their eyes crossed, the confusion of one came to the satisfaction of the other. As if on cue, it was now Cold's turn to start hammering upon his opponent. Only this time, his hits were effective as opposed to the Saiyan's, who's strength had largely been depleted.

Much like his son did with Vegeta on Namek, the king wrapped his tail around Goku's neck to keep him vertical and for the onslaught to keep going to his heart's content.

A gigantic shadow having seemingly appeared out of nowhere all of a sudden had interrupted the torturous barrage.

Standing before the eyes bewildered eyes of a nightmarish tyrant was the unreal sight of a giant Namekian. Cold, who was a giant among his kind was now but a fly before the gigantic figure.

*Translator's note: The original joke just had the ending cue. I saw it fit to appeal to dub fans for once.