Gohan's fist trembled. "My father left us years ago. He's not in this world anymore."

  Metal Cooler froze. Pupils contracted.

  "Son Goku... is dead?"

  All those years. All that planning. Revenge scenarios played out a thousand times in my head. And now—now you tell me that damn Saiyan monkey is DEAD?

  Rage boiled over.

  "Hmph. Typical low-class Saiyan. Died just like that. But since you're still alive, you'll take his place. Don't worry—I won't let you die quickly. You'll suffer the same pain I endured drifting through space."

  "Drifting through space?"

  "You want to know how I survived?" Metal Cooler's expression turned smug. "Your father threw me into the sun. But I broke free at the last second. Unlike your short-lived father."

  Gohan's fists clenched. He wanted to punch that smug face. But he held back.

  "Even if you escaped, your body couldn't have been in good shape."

  "Correct. Everything except my brain was destroyed. I drifted for years... until I merged with a Big Gete Star chip. Its repair systems rebuilt me. Enhanced me. I became one with the planet. Devoured worlds. And now—I'm far beyond what I once was. You can't win, Son Gohan. Hahaha!"

  "We'll see. My father may be gone, but I'll carry his will. I'll protect what I cherish. No matter how strong you've become—I'll defeat you!"

  Perilla stepped forward. Placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder. "He's right. Don't think you're the only one who got stronger. We've surpassed our old selves too."

  Metal Cooler noticed her tail. "Another Saiyan monkey? How many did my idiot brother miss? No matter. I'll exterminate you all today!"

  No one held back.

  Gohan exploded into Super Saiyan. Full Power.

  Perilla matched his aura.

  Metal Cooler's stronger than 17 and 18. Roughly Perfect Cell's first stage.

  But Gohan and Perilla together? They were beyond that.

  CRACK.

  One strike. Both hit his abdomen simultaneously.

  Metal Cooler's body split in half.

  Didn't even touch their clothes.

  Gohan exhaled. "Is it over—"

  Wires shot out. Connected the halves. Liquid metal flowed. Repaired.

  Metal Cooler rolled his neck. "Disappointed? My regeneration is absolute. And every repair makes me stronger. Hahaha!"

  He vanished. Reappeared behind Gohan. Swung a blade-hand.

  It passed through air.

  "What?!"

  "You got stronger. But not strong enough. The gap between us is too wide."

  Gohan appeared behind him. Swept his legs. Metal Cooler ate dirt.

  "Impossible—you monkeys—"

  "We told you. We've been getting stronger too. Now die. If you can regenerate, I'll vaporize you completely!"

  Gohan and Perilla fired energy blasts. Metal Cooler exploded into scrap.

  "That's it?"

  Perilla shook her head. "No. Look—the Big Gete Star is still latched onto New Namek. Cooler said he's the core. If he died, the planet would react. We probably just destroyed a mass-produced clone."

  Metal Cooler's voice echoed. "Hahaha! Correct! That was just one of me!"

  Rows of Metal Coolers emerged. An entire army.

  "So many..."

  Each one stronger than 17 or 18. And he can mass-produce them.

  Perilla sighed. In Dragon Ball, once a villain's past their arc, they become fodder.

  "You destroyed one of me. Can you destroy all of us?"

  "Numbers don't scare me. Don't think quantity equals victory!"

  Trunks flew back. Saw the army. Grinned. "This many enemies? Perfect!"

  He transformed. Super Saiyan Full Power.

  "Another monkey? Tch."

  "Scared? Makes sense. Your whole family lost to Saiyans. 'Universal Emperor'? More like 'Universal Trash Mob.'"

  Attack the heart, not the castle.

  Cooler snapped. "Don't get cocky, monkeys! ALL UNITS—ATTACK!"

  The army charged.

  "Trunks, careful. Unless you reduce them to dust, they'll regenerate infinitely."

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  "Got it."

  Trunks punched one apart. Fired a blast. Vaporized a row.

  "Human wave tactics won't work. SSJ Full Power is the most efficient form. They can't drain us."

  Inside the Big Gete Star's core—

  Cooler watched his clones get destroyed. Smiled.

  "Hahaha. Saiyans really are brainless apes. The more you destroy, the happier I am. I haven't eaten this well in ages."

  Perilla's eyes snapped open mid-battle. She stomped the ground. Sensed something.

  An electric grid. Underground. Connected to the Big Gete Star.

  Every energy blast we fire—it's being absorbed.

  "Everyone, STOP!"

  Gohan and Trunks froze. "What's wrong?"

  Perilla fired a precise blast at the ground. Thin layer. Just enough to expose—

  A web of wires beneath their feet.

  "What is that?"

  "Tendrils from the Big Gete Star. Absorbing energy. The clones are bait. We've been charging him."

  "Ohohoho. So one of you monkeys can think after all. Yes—I've been absorbing your energy. Thanks for giving me centuries' worth of power in one fight! Hahaha!"

  Gohan and Trunks paled.

  Perilla remained calm. "Proud of your dirty trick? You know absolute power crushes any scheme, right?"

  Cooler's voice oozed confidence. "Oh, I know you're hiding more power. But so what? To destroy the Big Gete Star, you need massive energy attacks. Physical strikes? I regenerate instantly. Energy attacks? I absorb them. My planet can expand infinitely. No amount of energy will overload it."

  Trunks's face darkened. He's right.

  Perilla frowned. In the original, the Big Gete Star overloaded from Super Saiyan energy. But that was plot armor. A Metal Cooler stronger than a single Super Saiyan shouldn't lose that way. And here—there's no plot armor.

  "And even if you destroy me, you'll take New Namek with me! Hahaha!"

  "Damn it!" Trunks clenched his fists.

  Gohan looked at Perilla. She was calm. Like Goku used to be.

  "Why are you smiling?"

  "You think I'm helpless?"

  Cooler's confidence wavered.

  "Perilla, what's your plan?"

  "Gohan, remember what I said? Reading is training too. Knowledge is power."

  "Yeah, but how does that help?"

  "Ever heard of electromagnetic pulses?"

  "Of course."

  "Certain frequencies can fry electronic chips without harming organic life. New Namek is a primitive civilization. No tech to damage. Perfect target."

  If I used this on Earth, civilization would collapse. But here? No problem.

  Cooler panicked. My core is a chip. If she destroys it—

  He forced calm. "So what? Can you even generate that frequency?"

  "I'm Earth's Kami. I can construct anything. Including an EMP bomb. Begin construction."

  Cooler's mask cracked. She's serious.

  Better to run and live. Can't win if I'm dead.

  The Big Gete Star shuddered. Detached from New Namek. Fled into space.

  "Perilla, hurry! He's escaping!"

  "Let him run. He won't get far."

  Cooler accelerated. Good. She needs time to finish that bomb.

  The planet broke orbit. Vanished into the void.

  "Perilla, he's gone!"

  "Perfect." She dispersed the energy. "I was bluffing. I don't actually know how to make that bomb."

  "..."

  Gohan and Trunks stared.

  Cooler would cough blood if he heard that.

  "My brain has a combat chip. If I made an EMP bomb, I'd fry myself."

  "Oh. Right."

  "But we're not letting him escape. Saiyans can't breathe in space. But I'm a Kami. Gods can."

  She shot into the sky.

  Space.

  Cooler relaxed. Safe. Those monkeys can't breathe here. And ranged attacks? I'll absorb them.

  "Damn Saiyans. Soon I'll surpass you. Then your species ends!"

  BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

  Radar alarm.

  That female monkey is chasing me. In space. Not suffocating.

  Since when can Saiyans survive in space?!

  He accelerated.

  She was faster.

  "The Saiyan's still chasing me, dammit!"