Chapter 52: Battle with Zarbon

"Lord Zarbon, this is the energy response detected at the time of Sithaxi's disappearance. However, it's unclear why the detected energy level was only 540 combat power," one of the aliens reported, pressing on the energy detector to relay the data.

"You're not from Planet Phydia, are you? Can you tell me how you managed to kill that... Sithaxi?" Zarbon's movements were graceful, and his voice calm and dignified, like a well-educated noble gentleman. If one didn't know his true nature, it would be easy to be deceived by his performance.

"You mean that lizard man? If you're curious, why don't you try and find out for yourself?" Xavier replied, a faint smile on his face, though internally he was on high alert. He knew there was a significant gap between himself and Zarbon.

Choosing to confront Zarbon head-on despite knowing he was at a disadvantage, Xavier had his reasons. First, he wanted to gauge the gap between his power and that of a mainstream cosmic powerhouse; second, he aimed to disrupt Zarbon's plans, buying more time for the Planet Phydia people.

After all, the Planet Phydia people were the first group Xavier had subjugated; it would be a pity if they were annihilated here. More crucially, Xavier possessed the ability of Instant Transmission—a lifesaving trump card at critical moments.

If possible, Xavier was quite eager to have a real battle with Zarbon. Saiyans grow through genuine combat experiences.

"Hahaha, ignorance is indeed bliss! You should know, young man... not everyone is as easy to talk to as I am!" Zarbon chuckled lightly, his tone remaining calm as if he wasn't upset at all, but the malevolent gleam under his golden pupils was already stirring.

"Heh," Xavier scoffed coldly, his body tensed in readiness, his energy subtly circulating within.

With a sharp whoosh that tore through the air, Xavier chose to strike first. His figure suddenly vanished from sight, followed by a series of crackling sounds as Zarbon's alien subordinates around him began to scream in pain, then plummeted from the sky.

The energy detector emitted a rapid beeping noise, "Beep beep beep," as the data on its screen flickered wildly before quickly stabilizing.

Due to Xavier's swift movements, it was nearly impossible for the average observer to clearly see his actions, making the scene somewhat bewildering. However, Zarbon saw everything clearly.

Clap!  Applause broke out.

Zarbon, with a light chuckle, clapped his hands softly and cheered aloud. He was the only one among the onlookers who had seen all of Xavier's movements clearly, so Zarbon knew that his underlings stood no chance against him. It seemed he would have to take matters into his own hands.

"Ha ha ha, well done! You're far better than my soldiers, young man. I wonder if you might be interested in joining Frieza's forces? I could personally recommend you to Lord Frieza," Zarbon said calmly, his demeanor still that of a refined noble.

"If you think I'm interested in becoming one of Frieza's lackeys, you're mistaken," Xavier retorted with a slight smirk.

"That's truly a pity then," Zarbon responded, seemingly regretful as he shook his head. He casually walked up to Xavier, "Since you're not willing to serve Lord Frieza, I'm afraid I must kill you."

Xavier's gaze hardened as he could feel the immense pressure just from Zarbon's stance.

Boom!

Xavier no longer held back. His power surged wildly, forming a dense aura around him that caused the air to hiss and the atmosphere to distort slightly.

Zarbon's ear-mounted energy detector beeped rapidly, the readings climbing until they stabilized at—14500!

"Wow, 14500!" Zarbon acted surprised. "What race are you? Surely not a Saiyan? No, a Saiyan wouldn't have this level of power!"

While guessing Xavier's race, although Xavier resembled a Saiyan, it was impossible for a Saiyan child to possess such formidable strength. Moreover, Xavier lacked the Saiyans' distinctive feature—a tail.

With a swoosh, Zarbon suddenly disappeared from view.

Xavier remained alert, his eyes tracking Zarbon's movements swiftly determining his location. He threw a punch in that direction, but sensed something off—the punch missed.

"Afterimage!" Xavier's expression turned stern. He spun around, retreated, and then cautiously scanned the area.

Suddenly, he sensed a disturbance to one side and swiftly moved away.

"Bang!" Zarbon's fist passed by where Xavier had just been, the force of his punch smashing into the ground and creating a massive crater. The earth within a kilometer radius upheaved, completely disfigured.

The aliens Zarbon had brought with him were already scattered by the strong currents of the battle, tossed to unknown locations.

"That was close!"

Xavier flew up into the air, looking down at the cratered ground, feeling a chill in his heart.

"Heh, to dodge my attack at such a young age, impressive indeed. Seems I can't let you live," Zarbon's voice came from above, as he had already positioned himself over Xavier.

"Heh, you actually dodged my attack. Impressive for someone so young, but I can't let you live," Zarbon said, having suddenly appeared above Xavier.

"When did he...?" Xavier was startled, his body instantly tensing into a defensive posture. Zarbon, with an elegant smile, suddenly clenched his fists and aimed a ferocious blow at Xavier's head, sending him spinning dizzily downwards.

Just before hitting the ground, Xavier managed to stabilize himself by striking the ground with a burst of energy, using the recoil to steady his descent. Zarbon quickly followed, launching a relentless barrage of attacks. Xavier found himself on the defensive, quickly accumulating wounds.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Xavier and Zarbon exchanged blows, their high-speed movements appearing as mere blurs to any onlooker. The battlefield expanded rapidly, mountains, lakes, forests, and grasslands were devastated, large swathes of land laid to waste.

After a brief intense combat, Xavier paused, gasping for air, his energy significantly depleted. In contrast, Zarbon only showed minor damage to his battle suit and seemed virtually unharmed, breathing as calmly as ever.

One was disheveled, the other still poised— the difference in their capabilities was stark. The gap was indeed large!

With a powerful smack, Xavier was sent plummeting downwards again.

Boom!

The already cracked ground erupted into a gigantic mushroom cloud of dust and debris, obscuring the sun and plunging the area into darkness.

A deep crater formed, and Xavier, supporting himself with one hand, knelt in the center of the pit.

"Ha ha, not bad at taking hits!" Zarbon chuckled as he twisted his neck, causing a series of cracks.

With a whoosh, his figure vanished again, this time delivering a swift kick towards Xavier's abdomen. Xavier's expression turned grave as he caught the kick with both hands, but the force sent him flying back. If not for his exceptional physical strength, that kick might have broken both his arms.

"The gap is too large!" Feeling his hands still tingling from the impact, a thought flashed through Xavier's mind, and he let out a wry smile.

Whoosh!

Xavier wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and, using Instant Transmission, escaped the battlefield to observe Zarbon from a great distance.

The initial clash had made the vast gap in their strengths painfully clear—without utilizing psychic powers, he was no match for Zarbon.

"Zarbon's combat power is nearing 20,000 now, a full 5,000 above mine. It's an immense gap that's difficult to bridge, and so far, Zarbon has only been toying with me, not yet fighting seriously."

If he still had his tail, perhaps he could transform into a Great Ape for the battle, but such thoughts were merely hypothetical. While the transformation could boost his power, it introduced too many uncertainties. More critically, it would reveal his identity as a Saiyan.

He knew that the Great Ape transformation had a severe drawback: the massive increase in size made it difficult to move quickly. Much like the Ultra Super Saiyan transformation, while it provided a significant increase in raw power and attack strength, it drastically reduced speed.

This might not be an issue in lower-level combat, but in high-speed battles, it could be fatal. If the opponent was fast enough, there were countless ways to kill a transformed Saiyan, with cutting off the tail being the simplest and most direct method.

In the world of martial arts, no defense is impregnable; only speed is unbeatable.

Rather than an offensive tactic, the Great Ape transformation is more a defense based on brute strength—but against a true expert, such defenses are riddled with flaws.

Shaking his head to clear these unhelpful thoughts, Xavier refocused, preparing for the fight ahead.

Zarbon appeared before him rapidly, his expression one of confusion: "Strange, how did you get here? I couldn't detect your movements at all!"

"Heh, you guess!" Xavier chuckled heartily, flashing a bright row of teeth.

Zarbon smirked disdainfully, licking his lips. His handsome face finally showed signs of impatience. He had had enough of this cat-and-mouse game and was ready to unleash his full strength, curious to see how much Xavier could withstand.