"Let me go! I'm not done fighting yet!"
"Your Majesty, please return to the ship at once. We need to run a medical scan!"
Although she was clearly unwilling, Hannah was forcibly escorted back to the spaceship by several Saiyans.
In truth, halfway through the flight, she found herself completely unable to transform into a Super Saiyan. Her battle power had plummeted to just 500,000!
At the same time, other Saiyans aboard the ship were urgently relaying the situation back to Planet Vegeta.
Now that Hannah couldn't transform, the only one who could stand against Cooler… was Lynx.
As soon as they returned to the ship, Hannah was rushed into the medbay. The ship was equipped with Galactic Patrol-grade medical scanners, capable of running a full diagnostic immediately.
And the results?
Hannah wasn't pregnant. She had food poisoning.
"What?! Food poisoning?" Hannah nearly tore the machine apart in rage, but a fresh wave of pain knocked her right back onto the medbed.
"A Super Saiyan like me… poisoned? That's ridiculous…" she muttered weakly.
"Your Majesty, did you happen to sneak anything to eat today?" asked the alien medic.
"I…"Hannah thought back—and suddenly remembered.
"I think I had some of Joka's fruit earlier…"
Clunk. A collective face-fall swept across the room.
Hannah glanced at them in confusion. "What's wrong with you all?"
One female Saiyan leapt up and cried, "Your Highness! Joka's a Bal Star native! Their planet's heavily polluted—everything that grows there is laced with toxic heavy metals! Balans have adapted to it, so they're fine—but any other species would be poisoned instantly!"
"Your Highness, it's honestly a miracle you only have a stomachache. That's probably because you're a Super Saiyan!"
"Ah… no wonder that fruit tasted so awful…"
Once the truth came out—that Hannah wasn't pregnant, just food poisoned—everyone aboard the ship let out a sigh of relief… mixed with a tinge of disappointment.
After all, ever since Lynx had led the Saiyans through a rebirth of glory, the topic of his potential heirs had become one of great interest among the people.
If the Queen had truly been pregnant, it would've been a cause for galactic celebration.
Right then, an alarm suddenly blared throughout the ship.
"Damn! It's Cooler!"
"This is bad. Her Majesty can't fight right now—we must protect her!"
"We're sorry, Ifririan people… but we have to retreat!"
Weighing their options, the Saiyans decided to withdraw. Only a few warriors with power levels above 500,000 stayed behind to buy time for the ship's escape.
Outside, Cooler hovered in front of the vessel. Seeing that the female Saiyan hadn't reappeared, a sinister grin curled his lips.
He had suspected something had happened to her—and now, it seemed he was right. Otherwise, why wouldn't she show herself?
Taking a deep breath, Cooler roared: "You there! Woman! Come out! Our battle isn't over!"
His voice thundered across the atmosphere.
Moments later, the spaceship's hatch opened. Cooler thought his opponent had emerged.
But instead of the woman, a handful of ordinary Saiyans stepped forward—nothing more than insects in Cooler's eyes.
"Heh… so she really is out of commission, huh?"
"Cooler! You'll have to go through us!"
To protect their queen and buy time, the Saiyans launched a flurry of energy blasts at Cooler.
But against him, it was like trying to scratch a dragon.
Cooler watched the pitiful display with disdain. When he saw the Saiyan ship turning to flee, he was even more certain: something had gone wrong with that woman.
And if the Saiyans were showing weakness…
Now was the time to strike.
Cooler didn't care what their issue was. As long as it hurt the Saiyans, he would never let the chance slip by.
"Supernova."
Cooler sneered. With a flick of his finger, a massive, blazing fireball formed above him, humming with terrifying power.
Then, it surged forward—aimed at the Saiyan warriors and their fleeing ship.
Seeing the burning sphere creep closer, the Saiyans trying to stall for time fell into despair.
Their attacks had zero effect—completely devoured by the fiery mass.
Inside the ship, they hadn't even managed to engage the acceleration drive yet. They could only watch as doom slowly approached.
Cooler burst into maniacal laughter.
Today's slaughter would merely be the opening act for the destruction of Planet Vegeta.
But then…
Just as the fireball was about to reach them, a figure suddenly appeared in front of it.
Sensing the searing ki behind him, the figure turned his head—his eyes narrowing coldly.
In the next instant, a massive yellow-green aura erupted from his body like a volcanic blast.
Far away, Cooler saw the figure—and froze in place.
Then without hesitation, he turned tail and fled at full speed—never even checking to see what happened to the fireball behind him.
To his credit, it was the smartest thing he could've done.
Because the moment he ran, that figure opened his hands wide—then slammed them together, catching the giant fiery ball mid-air.
"Hah!"
With a powerful yell, the figure lifted his leg and kicked the Supernova skyward—like a child booting a rubber ball.
BOOOOM!!!
Moments later, the fiery ball exploded in the upper atmosphere, its energy so great it made the entire sky of Planet Ifrir turn pale.
When the smoke cleared, the figure finally turned around and looked at the stunned Saiyans.
"Where's Hannah?" he asked.
"Your Majesty, Lynx!"
The Saiyans were so overwhelmed, they nearly dropped to their knees in tears right then and there.
"That's enough. No time to waste—where is she?"
"She's aboard the ship! Safe and sound!" one of them quickly replied.
Lynx exhaled in relief. Then, narrowing his eyes:
"Is she really pregnant?"
"No, Your Majesty…"
The Saiyans all gave bitter smiles.
"She just… ate something bad."
"…Food poisoning?" Lynx was momentarily speechless. He wasn't sure if he should feel relieved—or disappointed.
"Alright, go take care of the Queen. I'll finish the job here."
Turning, Lynx locked eyes on the direction Cooler had fled.
He had originally planned to attend the World Martial Arts Tournament—but instead got dragged here.
He wasn't about to vent his frustration on Hannah. So Cooler… would just have to take one for the team.
After all, Frost Demons… were better off extinct anyway.
And with that, Lynx took off after Cooler.
Meanwhile, Cooler was flying at top speed, burning every last drop of his ki as he raced back toward his ship.
"It can't be wrong! That guy… it was HIM! The one who killed Frieza!"
The moment Lynx appeared, Cooler had recognized him.
After all these years, the Super Saiyan had only become more terrifying.
Even with just a brief glimpse, Cooler could feel the sheer, overwhelming power radiating from him.
"I-I'm the Emperor of the Universe—Cooler! So why?! Why am I so scared? Unforgivable… absolutely unforgivable!"
Just then—He heard a sound behind him. The roar of something cutting through the air.
He turned to look—And nearly pissed himself.
There, just behind him, Lynx was closing the distance—A golden demon in pursuit.