Frieza flew toward the severed tail fragment.

With a soft "plop," he landed on the rocky ledge.

Curling the piece with his tail, Frieza brought it before his eyes and examined it closely.

"Such tenacious vitality… as expected of one bearing the superior genes of our race."

A glint of curiosity flickered in his eyes. "If only Kikono were here…"

Frieza sighed, his expression darkening as he recalled the many subordinates who perished on Earth.

He didn't care for the weak and useless soldiers. But some of his longtime followers, those who had fought alongside him for years, left behind a faint trace of sentiment.

Especially Berryblue, the one who had tended to his daily life for decades.

And Kikono an exceptional and dependable genius in research.

It was thanks to Kikono's improvements to the healing pod that both he and his father had recovered from fatal injuries in the past.

And then there was Captain Ginyu, forever loyal…

Frieza fell silent, lost in thought until he remembered Cooler.

Bursting up from the ground, Frieza's eyes turned toward the floating structure in the sky. He began scanning the horizon for his brother.

The wastelands stretched endlessly, but Cooler's golden form stood out like a beacon amidst the desolation.

Cooler sensed his gaze and turned to face him.

"Frieza, what are you planning?" Cooler asked coldly.

Frieza smirked. "Let's pay that palace a visit."

Without waiting, he shot off toward the hovering building.

Tap, tap.

The two of them landed on the edge of the plaza.

Frieza glanced around, his eyes pausing as familiar figures came into view.

"Oh ho ho ho… What a delightful surprise this place is."

"Your Majesty! You're alive!"

"Lord Frieza!"

"Lord Cooler!"

Cooler's mechanized squad, along with Berryblue and Kikono, quickly stepped forward to greet them.

Frieza gave them a faint nod, his gaze eventually falling on Majin Buu.

Buu didn't even glance his way, continuing to devour food at a frantic pace.

Suddenly, golden light flared.

"Frieza!" Future Trunks flared into Super Saiyan form, a defensive posture rising instantly.

The atmosphere grew tense in an instant.

Earth's defenders, androids included, rallied to Trunks' side.

"Mr. Trunks, please, don't be rash!" Supreme Kai Shin rushed between the two sides.

Frieza narrowed his eyes. "And who might you be?"

"This is the most esteemed deity in the universe the Supreme Kai!" Kibito answered solemnly.

"Supreme Kai…" Frieza rolled the name on his tongue.

Cooler, appearing familiar with the term, briefly explained the Supreme Kai's divine role.

"A god of creation?" Frieza muttered to himself.

"Mr. Trunks, now is not the time for infighting!" Shin gave Trunks a meaningful look.

Trunks understood and powered down, returning to base form.

"Lord Frieza, do you know what happened to those Dark Warriors?" Shin asked cautiously.

Frieza's face darkened. "I'm unsure of the full situation. But I do have bad news…"

"What kind of bad news?" Shin asked, unease creeping into his voice.

"You've lost a vital asset." Frieza's voice turned cold.

"What?! Don't tell me… Levos… something happened to him?!"

Frieza nodded. "Indeed."

"No… how could this happen?!"

The Earth's warriors turned pale, grief washing over their faces.

"Damn those Dark Warriors!" Kibito clenched his fists, rage flaring.

Hyde's heart sank with guilt. "It's my fault. When I designed Cell Max, I should never have left such a weakness behind…"

Those who had fought alongside Levos or had been saved by him looked visibly shaken.

Yajirobe, Pilaf's gang, Videl… all had survived thanks to Levo's intervention.

"Wait a second!" Supreme Kai Shin furrowed his brow, a spark of hope dawning.

He muttered, "In theory, those who die on the Supreme Kai's planet and have good hearts… their souls can linger here. If we find his body, we might still see him again."

"His body has been completely obliterated by Rose Broly," Frieza said bluntly.

"That's…"

Despair spread across the Earthlings' faces.

Levos was their strongest. Without him, no one among them stood a chance against Frieza or the Dark Warriors.

"But…" Frieza changed his tone, "I happened to pick this up on the battlefield."

He unfurled his tail and tossed a small silver fragment onto the plaza.

The severed tail twitched slightly on the ground its movements eerily alive, as if refusing to surrender to death.

Everyone froze.

"Is… is that part of Levos's body?" Supreme Kai Shin gasped.

He immediately turned. "Quick! Kibito, try healing it!"

Kibito knelt down and placed his hand on the silver tail.

Moments passed.

Kibito's face fell. "No good. Without the rest of his body, even my healing can't restore something this damaged."

"Let me try," Dende stepped forward.

He summoned Namekian healing light, bathing the tail in a soft glow.

Though it didn't regenerate, its vitality seemed to strengthen the twitching became more frequent.

"As long as there's even a sliver of hope, we won't give up," Trunks declared, stepping forward to contribute more healing energy.

After a tense wait, everyone wore a look of disappointment.

"Maybe your healing just isn't strong enough?" Yajirobe frowned. "If only we had a Senzu Bean left…"

"Even if we had one, Levos couldn't swallow it like this," Trunks reminded him bitterly.

"Actually… someone else here can heal," Frieza said with a dark chuckle.

Several people turned their heads simultaneously toward the still-gorging Majin Buu.

No one really knew how to approach him.

So Supreme Kai Shin had to bite the bullet.

"Um… Mr. Buu… we'd like to ask you to heal Levos's injuries."

Buu paused mid-bite and narrowed his eyes.

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