Chapter 53: Unmatched

As Zarbon's expression shifted, Xavier's did too. He knew Zarbon was done playing games.

Now, he had to act first, seizing the initiative in the battle before Zarbon could fully engage. Facing a serious Zarbon was something he was not prepared for.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, a deep blue glow sparked in Xavier's dark eyes, signaling his readiness to unleash his space-based psychic powers.

Simultaneously, Zarbon, with his acute senses, detected an impending threat. His heart skipped a beat, but he soon chuckled lightly, amused by his own unnecessary tension.

As one of Frieza's prominent underlings, Zarbon had faced all manner of situations. To him, Xavier was just another young upstart—nothing he couldn't handle in a minute, let alone three.

With a smirk, Zarbon prepared to end the young challenger's path.

However, as he was about to make his move, something unexpected occurred. Zarbon suddenly found the air around him thickening, becoming so dense that even breathing felt like a struggle against an external force.

It was a formidable spatial binding force!

"What's going on?" Zarbon furrowed his brow, his expression turning serious as his body froze in mid-air, every attempt to move feeling excruciatingly difficult. It was as if invisible chains bound his limbs, rendering him immobile.

"What is happening? Why can't I move?" Zarbon's face drastically changed as he realized something was wrong. Gone was his usual poise, replaced by a fierce glare directed at Xavier: "Kid, did you do this?"

"Correct answer. Now, let's have you enjoy the taste of being overpowered. Remember this well," Xavier said emotionlessly, floating before Zarbon with a radiant smile.

As his words fell, his expression turned as cold as winter lake ice, and he launched his attack. His palms thrust forward repeatedly, casting countless afterimages in the air. Nearly a hundred blazing white energy blasts shot forth from his palms like wild serpents, each carrying a terrifying force.

Each energy blast had enough power to obliterate a medium-sized city.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The energy blasts tore through the air, reaching Zarbon in an instant, hitting him squarely. The sky lit up with numerous bright spots, the dark clouds illuminated so brightly it was like daylight.

"Energy Blast!" Xavier called out decisively, his voice calm.

With a single-handed lift, a dazzlingly bright energy sphere materialized in his palm, then shot forth like an arrow, its speed so great that it whistled through the air with a piercing boom.  

Zarbon was suspended in mid-air, helplessly watching as the Ki Blast swelled in size, drawing ever closer to him.  

Swiftly, the Ki Blast struck its target, and in the blink of an eye, a massive mushroom cloud ascended, hissing. The explosion created a tremendous shockwave, and faint, rippling waves spread across the sky in all directions, instantly clearing the dust that had blanketed the sky moments before.  

Ah!!  

A wretched scream echoed.  

As the smoke gradually cleared, Zarbon's injured form finally became visible.  

His condition was pitiful; his dark green hair was disheveled over his shoulders, his armor shattered and hanging in pieces, with not a single part of his body intact. His arms hung limply, twisted in such a way that the bones were surely broken.  

"Ah, damn it, I will never let you go..."  

His mournful roar was filled with boundless hatred. As Frieza's trusted lieutenant, Zarbon had never suffered such humiliation, not even when dealing with the Ginyu Force, with whom he conversed as equals.  

Zarbon deeply regretted his previous actions. Had he known his opponent possessed psychic powers, he wouldn’t have mocked him; he would have killed him before those powers were used, thus avoiding this disgrace.  

"Very well, you've succeeded in angering me!" The more Zarbon thought about it, the angrier he became, until he could no longer contain his fury and bellowed fiercely, his aura growing increasingly intense.  

Zarbon had the ability to transform, but he really didn’t want to resort to it unless absolutely necessary.  

"Hmm?" Xavier’s eyes flickered with a spark of insight as he noticed a slight tremor in the spatial powers binding Zarbon.  

A chill ran down his spine as he sensed Zarbon’s energy rising. Despite the increase in his own strength, which enhanced his spatial psychic powers, he realized that his combat abilities still needed improvement. Against a true powerhouse, his psychic powers wouldn’t be much use.  

Soon, cracks began to appear in the sky, writhing and struggling like tadpoles—an ominous sign.  

Then, with a cascade of crisp sounds, the sky shattered like a smooth mirror, and countless translucent fragments turned into dazzling specks of light, vanishing into the void.

Xavier shuddered, a nauseating feeling surging within him.  

His spatial psychic powers had been breached!  

At the site of the spatial fracture, an alien resembling a grotesque toad stood, blood rolling down from his limbs and head, his body covered in ghastly wounds. Zarbon, after transforming, had finally broken through Xavier’s psychic barriers.  

Now, his appearance was as disheveled as could be, far removed from any semblance of dignity.  

"Damn it, today I will make you wish for death!"  

Zarbon's ugly face twisted grotesquely, a curse from the abyss emanating from his lips.  

Despite the severe injuries and his broken arms, the overwhelming aura radiating from Zarbon pressed down on Xavier like a mountain, crushing every cell in his body.  

25,000 battle power!  

This was nearly double Xavier's own power. Indeed, this was the might of Zarbon transformed, no wonder he could shatter the spatial bonds!  

Resisting the oppressive force from above, Xavier burst into manic laughter, his blood boiling within him.  

"Hoo hoo hoo!"  

As his aura surged, Zarbon's muscles tensed, and a series of low rumbles echoed around him. His two golden eyes fixed on Xavier, pressing down with his intimidating presence.  

"Such a powerful aura!"  

Xavier was shocked to his core by the display of might, the fierce winds buffeting him. He had to shield his face with his arms, his body swaying in the gale like a piece of driftwood.  

"Break through!" Xavier shouted, slashing the raging wind in front of him, then bellowing as he ignited all his power in a frenzied blaze.  

In an instant, both figures vanished, then reappeared together in the next moment.  

Zarbon, full of rage, leapt towards Xavier, the impact of his powerful kick and the friction with the air hissing sharply.  

With a thunderous boom,  

Zarbon's foot struck, in a flash of lightning. Xavier crossed his arms in defense, absorbing the heavy blow from Zarbon's leg.  

Boom!  

The ground beneath them collapsed, the massive force transferring up his arms, the recoil pushing him back several meters.  

Puff!  

Xavier felt intense pain all over, spitting a mouthful of blood from his throat; he was clearly outmatched in power. Zarbon's simple strike had already inflicted severe injuries.  

"Ha ha ha, die!"  

Zarbon laughed ferociously, almost without pause, he closed the distance and his other leg kicked out again, and with a bang, Xavier was struck once more, sent flying like a cannonball.

Thunderous roars echoed as the ground cracked under the force of the impact, billowing smoke into the air. Xavier, in an instant, leapt from the ground, slicing through the dense smoke to launch an attack on his foe.

Amidst crackling energy clashes, the two combatants battled ferociously between the heavens and the earth, their violent whirlwinds spreading far and wide. With every exertion of their full power, the entire Planet Phydia trembled slightly.

Distantly, other spacefarers who had narrowly escaped catastrophe watched in awe and disbelief as Xavier and Zarbon tangled in fierce combat, their energy detectors long since overloaded and destroyed.

"My god, their power is despairingly immense!" the onlookers murmured to each other, faces pale and shaking, ready to flee the battleground at any moment.

"Ha ha, is that all you've got? If so, you're profoundly disappointing!" Zarbon taunted mercilessly as he fought.

Throughout the battle, Xavier remained at a disadvantage, constantly on the receiving end of Zarbon’s relentless attacks, rarely landing a successful hit of his own.

Despite Zarbon's loss of both arms, the nearly double energy disparity was irremediable, and soon Xavier was covered in wounds.

"The power difference is too great!"

Following a tremendous crash, Xavier was slammed from the sky straight into the ground, creating a massive crater. Even the slightest movement sent agonizing pain throughout his body. Now, he fully realized the extent of his unleashed power and had a clear understanding of the capabilities of a high-tier cosmic warrior.

So, it was time for a Senzu Bean.

In full view of all, Xavier flashed a cunning smile. Then, in an instant, he vanished, Zarbon's devastating final strike hitting nothing but air.

At a safe distance from the battlefield, Xavier casually pulled out a flat, green bean from his pocket and popped it into his mouth. With a quick chew, the miraculous Senzu Bean instantly restored him to peak condition, his injuries completely healed.

"Senzu Beans really are essential!"

Xavier stretched his limbs, feeling a significant boost in his combat strength compared to before, energized and powerful.

Blood streamed down Zarbon's head, his initial poise and elegance long gone. His eyes bulged slightly in astonishment as he gazed at Xavier, now fully restored, his eyes glowing with disbelief and roared in anguish.

"Why have your injuries healed so suddenly?"

Zarbon felt deeply wounded, his heart filled with sorrow.

Why did this mere human possess so many miraculous abilities? It was enough that he had an extraordinary combat strength, but he also wielded some inexplicable psychic powers, which had severely injured him. After escaping the psychic hold, he thought he could finish Xavier off, but the human proved unexpectedly resilient.

And now, he had fully recovered to his peak condition!

Xavier looked at Zarbon with an innocent expression, his voice cheerful, "That’s something you won’t be able to envy!"

Then, a more intense and purer blue glow emanated from Xavier’s eyes, surpassing the pale blue of his earlier spatial psychic powers. It shone like a bright, crystalline blue gem, dazzling and beautiful.