Chapter 112 – Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

Vegeta staggered to his feet, his legs shaking as he fought to regain his balance. Defiance burned fiercely in his eyes.

"BANG ATTACK!"

His voice sliced through the air, and his energy blast followed suit, racing the short distance before crashing into Frieza's back with tremendous force. The explosion consumed both Frieza and Goku in a brilliant flash of destruction.

'Vegeta! Goku was still there!' Ajax's mental roar reverberated through their connection. He himself had held back from activating his Gates in fear of causing collateral damage from friendly fire, but Vegeta clearly did not share that concern. 

'We're allies out of necessity,' Vegeta's voice slid into Ajax's mind, icy and detached. 'It's completely logical to sacrifice one of you if it allows me to wound Frieza in exchange.'

The cold calculation in Vegeta's voice ignited a wave of fury within Ajax. 'Was this how I sounded back during the Saiyan invasion?' he couldn't help but think. The thought flickered in his mind like a fleeting spark in the shadows, but it was swiftly overshadowed by the battle at hand.

With a scowl, Ajax only glared as Vegeta smirked. However, the tension between them shattered when both warriors' attention snapped to the front as the dust stirred. A blur erupted from the cloud of dust, moving with terrifying speed.

Frieza.

He was on Vegeta in an instant, stopping mere inches from the Saiyan Prince's face. Vegeta recoiled, stumbling back in shock as his bravado suddenly crumbled around him.

Frieza's hand shot out like the scythe of the Grim Reaper, crashing into Vegeta's gut. The Saiyan's eyes bulged, his mouth agape as a morbid spray of blood and saliva spewed from his lips. His body spasmed, instinctively curling around Frieza's arm in agony.

"Now, now," Frieza tutted, as if scolding a naughty child. "How filthy. Do try to keep your blood off me." With a look of utter revulsion, Frieza brushed his fingers against his cheek, contemptuously wiping away a drop of Vegeta's blood.

Ajax narrowed his eyes and channeled the energy around Frieza. In mere moments, an azure orb of energy flickered into existence beside the tyrant, but Frieza barely spared it a dispassionate glance.

However, Ajax couldn't care less about Frieza's approval.

He released the pressure within the orb, and a beam of pure energy—a brilliant Kamehameha—raced toward Frieza in a dazzling wave of blue. The explosion of power illuminated the battlefield and simultaneously provided cover for Vegeta to stagger away as he clutched his bruised stomach.

Ajax kept the beam steady, pouring every bit of his focus into the attack. For three long seconds, the energy raged, tearing at Frieza with violent fury.

Then, the attack ended, but not because it ran out of power.

Ajax watched in disbelief as Frieza's hand—and only his hand—emerged from the torrent of energy that enveloped him, reaching out to the very core of the Kamehameha. Frieza's fingers sank into the orb and crushed it with a brutal twist, shattering it into motes of light that dissolved in his grasp.

The energy attack dissipated, revealing unscathed Frieza's form, with only faint wisps of smoke curling off his body from the Kamehameha's heat. His cruel smirk remained, seemingly unaffected by the Kamehameha.

Ajax's muscles tensed instinctively, every fiber of his being on high alert as Frieza surveyed the battlefield coolly. The tyrant's gaze was calculated, scanning for the cause of the recent attack. Frieza's eyes first settled on Nappa and Vegeta, who were both shakily struggling to their feet, still dazed and struggling to recover. Without a moment's pause, Frieza moved on, disinterested.

Next, his gaze flicked to Goku, but once again, Frieza's interest quickly waned. He glanced over at Krillin just as swiftly, barely acknowledging him before dismissing him entirely.

Then Frieza's eyes landed on Gohan.

Ajax tensed even more, watching with growing unease as the tyrant's gaze lingered on the boy, considering. But after a brief moment, Frieza shifted his attention once again, moving on. And then, just as Ajax had suspected, Frieza's search came to a halt on him.

For the second time on Namek, their eyes met.

A shiver ran down Ajax's spine as he saw it: Frieza's eyes glimmering with recognition—the tyrant remembering the exact moment they first crossed paths. It had been in Dende's village, where Ajax had narrowly escaped with his life, and Frieza clearly hadn't forgotten.

A polite smile spread across Frieza's face, one that might have seemed pleasant, but Ajax was incapable of seeing it as anything other than sinister.

Frieza's gaze dropped, trailing down to Ajax's chest, and his eyebrow arched ever so slightly.

'Yes, Frieza, that wound is gone,' Ajax thought bitterly to himself. The memory still stung—both physically and mentally. While the injury had given him the leverage needed to defeat Dodoria in that brutal confrontation, he would still much rather avoid a repeat of the experience.

But Ajax was done allowing Frieza to size him up like prey.

His muscles tightened as he flexed his ki. Soon, silver ripples of energy shimmered around him, and in the sky above, countless silver gates emerged.

However, Frieza barely reacted. His eyes flicked to the gates with what could only be described as recognition, as if he had seen them before—or at the very least, he wasn't surprised by their sudden appearance.

Ajax clenched his jaw at Frieza's reaction, his mind racing. He understood that at his current power level—Kaioken or not—his usual beams and blasts would only fizzle harmlessly against the tyrant's Ki forcefield. If he wanted to make a real impact, then he needed to change his approach and go for something far more... lethal.

From within the shimmering silver gates, tiny discs began to materialize, each no larger than a hand. Kienzans—thousands of them. Together, they were a storm of death, just waiting to be unleashed.

Then, they burst out of their gates all at once, spinning and slicing through the air as a deadly swarm, encircling Frieza like locusts intent on stripping him to the bone. Their sheer numbers transformed the sky into a cascade of yellow, the discs catching the light and flickering like a storm of cherry blossom petals—beautiful but deadly.

As they closed in, Frieza's tail lazily flicked out, swatting one of the Kienzans aside. Ajax's expression darkened as he witnessed the disappointing outcome—a small, nearly imperceptible cut on Frieza's tail, no more than a paper cut. It wasn't even bleeding.

Ajax's scowl deepened. He did sacrifice some raw power to create so many Kienzans, but the force behind them shouldn't have dropped off by that much.

Apparently, Kienzans that were more than fifty times weaker than Frieza weren't enough to breach the tyrant's defenses as effectively as he had hoped.

But then again, Ajax wasn't aiming for a single strike. He wasn't depending on one disc to accomplish the task either. A single cut might not draw blood, but a thousand of them? Even Frieza couldn't just ignore that.

'Let's see you shrug this off,' Ajax thought grimly.

As the swarm of Kienzans descended on Frieza, Ajax kept his eyes locked on the tyrant. But then something changed. Frieza's eyes gleamed with dangerous intelligence, and Ajax felt a terrible premonition. He could see it—the gears turning in Frieza's mind as he calculated, strategized, and prepared a counter.

Frieza crossed his arms over his chest in a smooth, almost lethargic manner, but the energy surging around him was anything but. A violent red wall of energy erupted into existence, encasing the tyrant.

A glow reminiscent of the sun's surface... the searing heat... Ajax's breath hitched as recognition dawned.

Frieza had summoned the Supernova—but around himself, as a shield.

Ajax's eyes opened wide in horror as he deduced Frieza's intentions.

'EVERYONE, RETREAT RIGHT NOW!!' Ajax's urgent mental scream resonated in the minds of every nearby fighter, his normally composed voice laced with panic. Ajax understood that what was coming was something none of them could face directly.

For the first time since the battle began, Frieza made a sound of exertion. His lips curled back, and with a fierce yell, the Supernova detonated outward. The semisphere of pure destructive energy spread like a shockwave—a tidal wave of annihilation that expanded concentrically, ionizing the very air around it.

Luckily, Ajax's warning had given everyone enough time to react. All around Ajax, the other Z fighters immediately scattered, each one desperately trying to escape with their lives.

Ajax's body instinctively propelled him backward as fast as his Ki-enhanced speed would allow. He felt the heat from the encroaching barrier sear his face and watched as the very ground beneath his feet melted as the Supernova advanced.

Even the Kienzans were powerless. As the edge of the Supernova brushed against them, they fizzled out, consumed by the overwhelming intensity of the energy. Ajax's conjured gates shattered instantly as they came in contact with the Supernova, reduced to nothing before Frieza's immense might.

The barrier continued to expand, incinerating everything it touched. The landscape below became unrecognizable—rocks melted into pools of molten slag, and the very air shimmered with heat. Then, as abruptly as it had started, the Supernova ceased its expansion a mile out, leaving behind a ruined wasteland glowing with heat.

At the center of the destruction, Frieza remained untouched. The area where he had stood was pristine, unmarred by the destruction he had unleashed. A genuine smile of delight spread across the tyrant's face as he stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"What an unexpected gain. A truly innovative use of the Supernova, even if I did say so myself." He chuckled softly, clearly amused by his own ingenuity.

No one else shared Frieza's amusement. Although they had all successfully retreated thanks to Ajax's warning, the atmosphere was heavy with dread and horror. Gohan, wide-eyed and trembling, had collapsed onto the ground in terror.

Ajax couldn't fault him. At that moment, surrounded by molten rock and shattered glass, Frieza truly embodied fear—a living nightmare. Even Ajax found himself staring in disbelief.

What could he possibly say? Frieza had taken one of his most destructive techniques and instantly transformed it into an impenetrable shield—one that could also annihilate everything in its vicinity without him having to lift a finger. The sheer might and elegance of that improvisation sent chills racing down Ajax's spine.

It was astounding to realize that, up to now, Frieza hadn't trained a single day in his life. All of this was purely the result of his natural power and innate talent.

What a fucking monster.

'Ajax, your plan isn't working. How are we supposed to defeat him when he's this strong? We haven't even managed to lay a finger on him yet!'

Ajax glanced at Krillin, meeting his fearful gaze. It wasn't just Krillin; the others too were watching him with varying degrees of unease and defeat, except for Vegeta. They didn't voice their thoughts, but their eyes spoke volumes: they felt utterly outclassed, overwhelmed, and dangerously close to losing all hope of victory.

But, despite the declining morale, Ajax maintained his composure—or as much of it as the situation allowed.

The harsh truth was that they couldn't win—not like this. Frieza's power towered over theirs by such a magnitude that they couldn't even hope to inflict damage. Ajax was aware of it. Everyone was.

But winning wasn't the point.

Yes, they couldn't win. But they could buy time. That was the key. Frieza, in all his cruelty, wasn't eager to end the battle quickly. He relished the idea of toying with them, dragging out their suffering—and that, Ajax realized, was a gift. Yes, they were going to suffer like never before, but the tragic loss of their personal well-being under Frieza's sadistic whims would buy them precious time.

Besides, they weren't completely out of options yet.

With a mental snap, Ajax connected to another mind that had approached, integrating them into their telepathic link. A brief plan was swiftly communicated over the connection.

Meanwhile, Frieza began to move, his steps leisurely. With his hands clasped behind his back, he maintained a relaxed posture as the ground beneath him squelched, molten glass and slag yielding to his weight. He walked like a predator stalking his prey.

"Is this all you have to offer? I'll admit, this is enough to defeat the Ginyu Force, but I expected more. How disappointing that you thought this little bit of power would be enough to faze me. As you can clearly see, I'm very different from them."

Vegeta was the only one to react, shouting out his fury. "Well, Frieza, take this!"

In perfect unison, everyone sprang into action. Hands moved and gestured in various ways as energies flared to life, each fighter channeling their strength into their respective signature Ki attacks. Three Kaioken auras erupted, and five energy orbs charged up, creating an electric moment where the battlefield hummed with power.

Ajax wasn't idle, either. Several silver gates appeared around him, funneling energy into a small blue orb that floated between his palms. His hands hovered mere inches from either side of the sphere, as if he were trying to crush it—or perhaps force something into it. Sweat trickled down his brow as he compressed as much raw energy as possible into the orb.

Unlike the others, Ajax refrained from activating the Kaioken. The instincts he had developed from his complete mastery of the technique provided him with a subtle premonition. Although he didn't yet understand why, he didn't exactly find himself trusting his own judgment more than the one provided by the Dragon Balls. So, Ajax chose to heed his budding instincts.

As the others charged their attacks, Ajax noted with satisfaction that Frieza hadn't moved. The tyrant stood there, completely unperturbed by the spectacle before him. In the final moment before their combined blasts were unleashed, Frieza raised a single hand.

That was the last thing any of them saw before their attacks erupted, flooding their vision with blinding light.

"КАМЕНАМЕНА!"

"MASENKO!"

"BOMBER DX!"

"GALICK GUN!"

"KAMEHAMEE–HAAA!

Five powerful, vibrant Ki blasts crashed into Frieza's raised hand, but the tyrant managed to catch the combined assault with relatively little effort. His mocking smile remained intact as he held back their attack with just one hand.

Ajax could see disbelief wash over his allies as their strongest combined attacks were halted by nothing more than a single outstretched palm.

But Ajax hadn't unleashed his attack yet.

The orb hovering before him had reached its maximum capacity. Ajax could sense it quivering with compressed energy, unable to condense any further. With one final surge, he released it, channeling every ounce of vindication into the attack, and a razor-thin Kamehameha laser shot forth from the sphere.

The combined Ki blasts created the perfect cover. As the thin thread of light sped ahead, it became completely obscured by the radiance of the other attacks.

Even better, since Frieza was incapable of sensing Ki, there was no way the tyrant would detect the impending danger. Ajax smirked as the laser pierced through the center of the combined Ki blast like a hot knife through butter.

The laser struck Frieza's hand.

A moment passed. Then another.

But before Ajax could see the outcome, Frieza vanished.

No...

Frieza had simply disappeared from his position, evading the entire attack with such speed that it was as if he had never been there at all. Ajax's heart sank as he watched the combined energy beam, now unimpeded, soar into the distance. It slammed into the ground some distance away, exploding with enough force to shake the earth beneath their feet. The shockwave sent up clouds of dust and fire, but none of them cared.

Frieza was gone—but certainly not for good.

For several long, agonizing moments, no one spoke. Ajax's eyes darted around the battlefield, searching for any sign of Frieza's return. He knew better than to hope the attack had achieved anything. Frieza's absence wasn't a victory—it was a threat.

The others were also on the lookout, their eyes wide with the kind of alertness that teetered on the edge of panic. But none of them said it—the cursed words that always tempted fate and signaled impending doom. No one uttered the foolish question, "Did we get him?" because they all knew the answer.

They hadn't.

After all, Frieza's cruel energy still permeated their surroundings, oppressive and all-consuming, blanketing the battlefield like a smothering fog. His presence was everywhere, omnipresent, despite his body being out of sight.

A few moments later, Frieza reemerged just a few meters to the left of his previous location; his expression darkened with irritation. His eyes were fixated on his palm, where a thin wisp of smoke curled from the point where Ajax's laser had struck. For the first time since the battle commenced, there was something other than disdain in Frieza's eyes—a trace of shock.

From a short distance away, Ajax and Goku exchanged a knowing glance. There was no need for words. In that brief moment, Goku gave a subtle nod, his expression resolute. It was time, and they both understood what had to be done.

Goku gritted his teeth as his borrowed body surged with power. The red aura of the Kaio-ken ignited around him, its intensity amplifying as Goku's strength spiked. Then, in a sudden burst of speed, Ginyu's massive frame vanished in a blur of crimson, shooting toward Frieza like a missile.

Frieza, sensing the movement, immediately glanced up, his sharp eyes locking onto Ginyu's rapidly approaching figure. However, he quickly dismissed the charging Goku-Ginyu as a threat, instead redirecting his gaze back to Ajax, their eyes locking once more.

The flash of malevolent intent in Frieza's eyes was as cold and lethal as ever, and in that split second, Ajax knew Frieza had identified him as the one behind the earlier attack.

But Ajax had anticipated this moment.

With a quick, sharp motion, Ajax unleashed a sudden Solar Flare. The brilliant light exploded from his position, transforming the battlefield into a sea of white. Frieza, to his credit, reacted almost instantly, shutting his eyes to shield himself from the glare.

But even as Frieza protected himself from the Solar Flare, his reflexes remained as extraordinary as ever. His tail lashed out in front of him, aiming to intercept Ginyu's body mid-charge. Frieza fully expected to feel the satisfying impact of his tail crashing into flesh.

But instead, his tail found only empty air.

From behind, Ginyu's massive purple arms looped under Frieza's arms, locking the tyrant in a powerful full Nelson chokehold.

Frieza immediately bucked, his muscles rippling as he fought against Goku's full nelson. The Frost Demon nearly broke free, but Goku clenched his teeth, pushing Ginyu's body to its absolute limits to maintain his grip. The Kaio-ken X5 had managed to restrain Frieza for just a fleeting moment—just enough time for Ajax to level the playing field.

Suddenly, the air around them thickened, becoming far denser than it had any right to be. In that brief opening, Goku managed to synchronize their efforts for one more crucial cycle.

"KAIOKEN TIMES TEN!"

Goku's aura flared violently, his power surging to new heights. However, the strain was also visible—his body trembling, veins bulging, and muscles quaking under the immense pressure.

But the tactic paid off.

The explosive burst of raw power momentarily suppressed even Frieza's immense strength, allowing Goku to hold Frieza in place for one more precious moment.

Then, their telepathic connection sparked to life with Piccolo's mental shout.

'SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!!'

A piercing spiral beam of light tore across the battlefield, heading straight for Frieza's and Goku's exposed chests.