CHAPTER 361: CHAPTER 461: TRUE ESSENCE, UNIFIED BREATH

"Ahhhhh! Take this, Frieza!"

In the Virtual Earth Network, on the battlefield of the Earth Defense Battle – Martial Path Mode, specially created by the officials for Goku, a titanic battle was unfolding between him and Frieza. This virtual world, built with the rules of real-world physics, was meticulously simulated by Jarvis after calculating countless parameters, producing a battle so realistic it was nearly indistinguishable from reality.

Earthlings had long grown accustomed to the "realness" of the Virtual Earth Network, so no one doubted that Goku’s earth-shattering fight with Frieza was anything less than authentic. What they saw before their eyes had to be real.

If Frieza truly descended upon Earth, and Goku could genuinely fight him to this extent—

At this moment, Frieza possessed a staggering sixty million power level!

Although there was still a large gap between this and the online game’s final stat of two hundred million, Martial Arts Mode was not the same as Game Mode. Its realism was unparalleled—one could even say it was reality. And the pressure of a sixty million power level... was utterly terrifying.

In spectator mode, the power levels of both fighters were displayed in data format on every viewing and broadcast screen.

Frieza’s numbers were shocking to behold!

Sixty million—what did that even mean?

A mere ten thousand-level power could shatter mountains with bare fists, even without ki blasts.

But sixty million? That could move mountains, drain oceans, split the skies and crack the earth—it was enough to destroy the entire planet!

Even more terrifying was the fact that Goku could go toe-to-toe with such a Frieza!

"Sixty million?! Goku actually has sixty million power level!"

"Subtracting the 23x power boost from his Muken, his current base strength... is already around 2.45 million?!"

"That’s terrifying—unbelievable!"

Goku and Frieza’s battle had reached its climax. Their power continued to rise with each intense clash, and the fight became increasingly explosive.

Sometimes, a punch that missed would send a shockwave tearing through the earth, shattering land and overturning seas.

Boom! A volcano erupted.

The battlefield had become an apocalyptic wasteland. The imagery was desolate—tragically majestic.

The spectators on Earth were deeply moved.

They felt as if they were seeing the future—what Earth would look like 29 days from now... The arrival of the emperor of the universe! Earth’s downfall! Ravaged by a brutal invader from the stars!

Bang!

Frieza took a direct punch from Goku and was sent flying a vast distance. His whole body flared violently with ki as he suddenly halted midair. Wiping a smear of purple blood from the corner of his mouth, the galactic emperor glared at the stain on his hand and growled, "You made me bleed, you filthy Saiyan monkey..."

"Just a little pain? Tch!" Goku grinned even in the face of such a powerful enemy. He seemed regretful—frustrated that he couldn’t fight his opponent at their absolute best. What a shame!

He was battered and bloodied, his clothes torn to shreds—his whole body soaked in blood.

White flames of ki swirled around him. It was the flame of his resolve.

"This is just a game... so why does it feel so tragic?" someone muttered, heart heavy with an indescribable emotion.

"No, this isn’t just a game."

"This is a warning."

"If it really comes to this ending... can we be like Goku, and fight for Earth—even knowing we’re no match?"

Many martial artists watching quietly whispered the same thought, and a shared realization welled up deep within their hearts.

Why train in martial arts? What is it for?

BOOM!

Frieza went berserk, suddenly unleashing his power. His energy skyrocketed from sixty million—surging violently past one hundred million!

"Heh... is this the end...?" Goku murmured, exhausted, as the incoming light engulfed him.

Beep!

Every spectator’s screen changed to display the same thing—

{Countdown: 29 Days}

Beep, beep... beep, beep... The sound of time ticking echoed from smart assistants, laptops, TVs, and phone speakers across the world. Countless people clenched their fists, feeling the immense pressure—yet also a surge of determination.

"This..."

Vegeta suddenly slammed Launch’s laptop shut. His face was pale, as if what he had just watched wasn’t a game stream, but a terrifying horror movie that had truly scared him.

Blonde-haired Launch looked at him, puzzled. "What’s wrong with you?"

Previously, when Launch had tossed that book to Vegeta, he’d asked a bunch of dumb questions like "Is this a storybook?", "This is all made up, right?", "Who the hell is Don Riyue (the protagonist)?"... After that, she just casually started browsing the web.

But the moment Vegeta caught sight of the word "Frieza" in the link she clicked on, his entire body jolted as if struck by lightning. Incredulous, he barked at Launch.

"Why the hell is Frieza on this site?!"

"Who doesn’t know Frieza?" Launch replied nonchalantly. His hand was gripping her neck tightly—it hurt a little, but somehow, weirdly, it also felt kind of good.

The internet was buzzing with trending tags like #Son Goku joins Earth Defense Battle and #Son Goku vs Frieza. Launch tapped on a spectator livestream and clicked into it. Vegeta immediately seized the laptop for himself, eyes wide, staring at the screen where Son Goku and Frieza were locked in a cataclysmic battle.

That Son Goku!

He had become that powerful?!

"What does this number mean?" Vegeta suddenly noticed a number in the top right corner of the battle broadcast.

{60,000,000}

Launch rubbed her reddened neck, glanced at it, and casually said, "That’s probably Frieza’s current power level? Let me see—whoa, how many zeroes is that?! Sixty million? Damn..."

She wasn’t the type to get hung up on these kinds of things. After a moment of amazement, she lost interest.

But Vegeta cared.

Sixty million?!

Vegeta could hardly believe his ears.

He said nothing, face grim as iron, watching the battle to its bitter end. When Frieza unleashed his full power and annihilated Goku in a single attack—right before the screen flashed {Countdown: 29 Days}—only then did he finally close the laptop.

Just before the screen went dark, he had seen it: that number in the top right had changed to

{100,000,000}

One hundred million.

That number nearly crushed all of Vegeta’s confidence.

He sat silently on the couch, breathing deeply. Blonde-haired Launch sat beside him, quietly keeping him company.

After some unknown amount of time passed, Vegeta reopened the Muten Notes that Launch had given him. He started from the beginning, reading every word, every line carefully.

Time passed...

The lights in Launch’s rental apartment stayed on through the night. By the time the sky began to brighten and morning dew wet the leaves in the flowerbed outside, the room was still silent.

"Mmm... if you’ve got the guts, squeeze a little harder..." Launch muttered in her sleep, dozing next to the sofa.

Vegeta had just read the last word on the final page and shut the book with a snap. He closed his eyes. Countless words flashed before him, forming into images, coalescing into a tiny shadowy figure. The figure grew, suffered, endured—and then, from within it, a white flame burst forth and blazed with life.

His injuries felt as if they’d begun to heal.

Still with eyes closed, a sudden flame erupted from within Vegeta’s body. It wasn’t mere battle power—it was ki. The energy ignited inside him, spreading and flooding through every part of his body, saturating his limbs, filling every bone and muscle—constructing a new body within his body, one made entirely of ki.

Crack, crack, crack...

He lifted his hand, clenched it tight, then relaxed it. Clenched, then relaxed.

His arms, chest, abdomen, shoulders, neck, calves... every muscle tensed and released. Each movement stirred the ki inside him like forging iron, like tempering steel—sharpening him bit by bit.

"So this is how it works..."

Vegeta let a smile slip, but quickly wiped it away. He opened his eyes, then suddenly felt something was off. He glanced to the side—and there she was. That Earth woman with the split personality who looked way too much like Kakarot, Goku... She had dozed off beside him on the couch.

Her blonde personality was fierce when awake, but asleep, she was no different from the blue-haired one—dumb as a rock, with a goofy expression.

Frieza...

Vegeta turned to gaze out the window at the misty morning sky. That name lingered in his thoughts. Then another image flashed into his mind: that man he had met on Muten Island—Burely. A god, a Muten Roshi... Whatever the name, one thing had become clear to him.

There were 29 days left.

Frieza’s death was coming.