Saiyan stowaways on the Ark

Several ice crystals that had pierced straight into the square collapsed and lay against a nearby building.

"It's freezing cold."

A familiar figure appeared in Froststar's blurred vision, slowly rising from the crater he had created.

"Is it time to warm up?"

A faint light flowed across Tomat's body; he, who should have been frozen and shattered into ice shards, showed no signs of frostbite.

"You were right before, using fingers to attack is for precision and compression, but you overlooked another important reason."

Tomat crushed the ice shards beneath his feet, getting closer to Frostnova's location.

"Is it necessary to use your palm when you can solve a problem with your fingers?"

This time, he stretched out his palm, condensing a shimmering ball of light, and stopped just a step away, aiming it at Froststar.

Putting aside the storyline and strength, the only characters in the game who could withstand more than a dozen ice spikes (referring to being killed and quickly resurrected) are probably Miss Shi Le and her group.

[Main Text] Saiyans, reporting for duty!: Chapter Seventeen - Choose One of Two

The energy ball in Tomat's hand moved closer to Frostnova's face, as bright as the sun, but it did not scorch Frostnova's skin, which feared the heat. Instead, it even felt warm, a kind of nostalgic warmth.

"You bought your men enough time to escape, and they should have also notified other soldiers who were not under your command. As a superior, you were very competent and minimized the losses of your forces as much as possible."

“But as a warrior, I was utterly defeated.” Frostnova freed one of her hands, which had been resting on her short staff for support, and reached into her robes to pull out a small object—a simple and crude trinket. “As expected, the old man is too superstitious. This thing is completely useless.”

"Oh right, I've already wrapped myself in aura, so there's no point in you trying to use self-destruct techniques now."

Seeing the other party take out a small, ambiguous item, and recalling Frostnova's previous act of leading him into a trap, he subconsciously felt that what she took out might be a self-destruct controller, so he warned her.

"Qi? What is that? Is it the light in your hands and on your body?"

The unfamiliar words piqued Frostnova's interest, but she herself didn't know why she would have questions about these things at such a critical juncture.

Can I assume you're stalling for time, just like before?

Thomas rolled his eyes.

"What's the use of stalling for time? I don't even have the strength to lift my hand anymore. Every time I use magic, Oripathy will further erode my life force."

Froststar's lips curled into a bitter smile.

"Probably not. Let's just assume you're genuinely interested in what I'm saying," Tomat said, then changed the subject, pressing his palm, along with the energy in his hand, onto Frostnova's head. "What is Qi? Feel it for yourself."

[Will I still be killed after all?]

—That's what Froststar was thinking.

But her consciousness did not dissipate, and her body did not collapse like the building that was hit by Tomat's attack before... In fact, one could say she felt quite comfortable?

How long has it been since I felt this warmth?

From the moment she became infected and began to unleash a chilling aura that could easily take the lives of others, she was abandoned by the sunlight.

The sun's heat caused her excruciating pain, as if she were on fire, and she could only continuously maintain a low body temperature to resist the external environment.

Touching her would cause her limbs to freeze, and she would hurt everyone who wanted to be kind to her, so she could only keep her distance as much as possible.

She became a ghost in the frigid storms of the Ursus frozen land, only the lifeless winter would open its arms to her.

Now, this warm current, like sunshine and something to be missed, flows through her body, filling her with strength.

She knew very well that this was not a scene from the romance novel her team members had lent her, where a character feels warmth and affection when someone strokes their head. After all, she was much older than the man in front of her, and she wasn't so easily swayed by a "enemy" she had just met.

And she was certain that this warmth belonged to her.

The life force that was draining from her body—the life force that she had always been able to take away—was now slowly flowing through her body.

"Can you feel it? This is Qi. By the way, you're warmer than I thought, even though your moves could freeze someone to death," Tomat said, removing his hand from Frostnova's head.

During his decade or so on Planet Vegeta and with Frieza's army, Tomat didn't waste his time. At least he learned how to use ki better through his own exploration—from sensing to concealing, from focusing to spreading, and from infiltration to resistance. These special techniques enabled him to master more unique skills than his peers.

It must be said that Saiyans are all geniuses in battle. On Planet Vegeta, where culture and bloodline inheritance are limited to the royal family, there are no professions like teachers or coaches. However, almost everyone knows how to use their power to fly freely or launch energy, as if it were an instinct engraved in their DNA, something they can learn without a teacher.

Conversely, their understanding of Qi was almost zero, and therefore they had no other derivative applications. Thomas's discovery of those things was a major breakthrough.

Unfortunately, he failed to promote it successfully. After all, Saiyans disdain these tricks. Sensing ki can be replaced by detectors, and injuries can be healed with healing pods. Concentrating energy into a blade to cause greater damage? Sorry, most Saiyans have much stronger basic power than Tomat. They don't care about that little bit of output. If all else fails, they can find a fellow Saiyan who can create an artificial full moon to act with, then they will have no worries.

Even if you don't know how to use the most basic energy attacks, Frieza's army will distribute god-killing beam guns to those who have powerful energy but don't know how to use it, so that you can fire energy just by pulling the trigger.

Various difficulties hindered his promotion of ki application, but he still diligently improved his skills, although this diligence was relative to Saiyan standards.

In the end, he mastered various basic uses, including "using qi for healing".

"warmth...?"

"Although I may not be able to cure that Oripathy, your weak body can still recover to a near-complete state."

Froststar pondered Tomat's words, realizing that when her body temperature returned to normal, it would be the moment she passed away.

But I am still here perfectly fine, and the discomfort and weakness I felt earlier have been completely gone.

She suddenly realized something and raised her voice, which was already difficult for anyone to hear.

Why did you save me?!

If an enemy or similar entity threatens you, fight them to the death. If you accidentally kill them, then so be it.

This is the unwritten consensus that Tommat learned among the militant operators during his three days on Rhodes Island. Incidentally, this consensus was first proposed by a doctor who was carrying a hammer.

However, there is a second half to this statement.

[If you didn't kill them, but the opponent is also unable to fight back...]

In the past, the fate of such people depended on Thomas's mood; sometimes he would deliver the final blow, sometimes he would ignore them, and only in special circumstances would he offer assistance, such as when the other party was someone he specifically wanted to capture alive.

But today, despite not being assigned by anyone to capture the other party alive, Tomat still provided assistance.

The reason is simple: the full text of the second half of the sentence is:

If you didn't kill him, and he's too weak to fight back, pull him back to heal him. Once he's healed, ask him if he wants to continue fighting.

This is an unwritten rule of Rhodes Island.

Thomas is an operator from Rhodes Island.

During the previous battle, Tomat attacked with the attitude of "if I kill him, I'll just let him go," but when Frostnova was no longer able to fight, he did fulfill his duty as an operator.

"Because I'm now a Rhodes Island citizen, I'm asking you, do you want to continue fighting?"

Frostnova couldn't understand how this answer actually connected to her question, but Tomat continued:

“If I were to fight again, I cannot guarantee that I could control the situation to the point of ‘being able to be saved,’ ‘going to the island,’ or ‘repeatedly dancing the swing dance on the Bridge of Helplessness.’”

Thomas crossed his arms, bent over, and stared intently into Frostnova's silver eyes, which showed a hint of fear for the first time. He spoke slowly and deliberately:

"Choose one."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The author's comment: The result of the early offensive and consolidation was that Frostnova arrived on the island ahead of schedule.

[Main Text] Saiyans, reporting for duty!: Chapter Eighteen, "The Big Order"

"So you really are from Rhodes Island?"

There was no longer any surprise in her eyes. Frostnova was quite calm now, because the way things were unfolding was so unexpected that something she had already suspected was no longer a priority in the current situation.

The original idea was to freeze this person in the ruins forever, even if it cost him his life, so that he could not hinder the Reunion Movement.

But now, on the contrary, they are being invited to Rhodes Island.

Wait, is this really an invitation?

This is like having a Lateran person point a gun at your head and say, "Will my Originium bullet explode first, or will I blow your head off first?"

This is a direct threat from members of the pharmaceutical company.

“Yes, I admit I hid something from you, but if I had said I was from Rhodes Island back then, your men would have attacked me without a second thought,” Thomas said. “And even without that, you still see me as someone connected to Rhodes Island, a spy, and a streaking pervert.”

"And now you've revealed your identity and are threatening me to join Rhodes Island."

Froststar regained the strength to stand, a familiar warmth flowed through her body, and the pain from Oripathy had almost completely subsided.

If it weren't for the crystals still remaining on her skin, she would have thought that the other party had completely cured her Oripathy.

“Who said you joined? It just said you were treated as a patient and stopped your personal hostile behavior.” Thomas rarely uses such formal language.

“But the people here need to be commanded. My role is first and foremost that of an integration commander, then a soldier, and only lastly a ‘patient’.”

"Command? Apart from those who seem to be your men secretly observing from a distance, most of the people have already left this ruin and are heading in some direction. Are you planning to command the soldiers you just protected to fight against me?"

Frostnova paused for a moment, because he had only instructed the Yetis to warn the people around them to stay away from the plaza temporarily, not to retreat. It was not surprising that Mephisto's soldiers had left after receiving reinforcement orders to attack Lungmen, but weren't those Sarkaz mercenaries ordered by W to guard the ruins?

Mephistopheles does things her own way and doesn't inform her when she transfers soldiers.

But W... no, she seems to be more independent, but at least she reports the facts in military orders.

“Warrior? If you still want to fight me on equal footing after this, I can only say that your pride is nothing but stubborn arrogance. At least wait a while, tell me ‘my strength is not what it used to be’ and then fight me again. I would be happy to accept that.”

Froststar clenched her fists, speechless.

"All you're left with is the identity of 'patient.' Keep that identity, and you can slowly take back the rest. But if you give up even this last identity, what will you be? A commander who has been abandoned, a soldier who remains arrogant even after defeat."

Frost Star bowed its head, silent.

Tomat continued his "talking".

"...and a stubborn girl who refused treatment."

The above content is not intended to be malicious; of course, this is only Tomat's own opinion that it is not malicious.

Froststar lowered her head and took deep breaths, remaining silent for over several tens of seconds.

It was only then that Thomas realized he might have gone too far.

"Ah, I..."

Just as she was about to defend herself, Froststar's long-awaited shout resounded throughout the entire square.

That word, repeated again and again, was pressing on Frostnova's nerves.

"I don't want to!! I'd rather give up my last identity than be called a patient again!"