Dragon Ball: The Strongest Training

Krillin's mind once again conjured the image of Ciel. He smiled faintly, thinking, "She must have been so adorable as a child."

"And then? What happened after that?" Krillin asked, pressing further.

"At that time, although we were barely scraping by on Zisan Star, those were still some happy days," Skar said with a hint of nostalgia.

"But later, the King of Perseus died in battle. From that moment, it was like Ciel became a different person. She stopped talking, devoted herself entirely to training with relentless determination, and never smiled again." Skar's voice grew heavy with sorrow as he recounted.

"We all understood that after the King's death, Ciel took the entire burden of her people upon herself. She wanted to grow stronger to better protect her tribe, but the pressure was immense." Skar couldn't help but sigh as he finished speaking.

"Ciel is trying to change the destiny of her entire tribe with her own strength. That responsibility is simply too heavy."

Skar always felt pained whenever he spoke about Princess Ciel. At her age, she should have been carefree and happy, not burdened with such responsibility. But the fact that she was a princess could not be changed.

"It won't be too hard! Now that I'm here!" Krillin clenched his fists tightly, silently vowing to himself.

Looking at the frail Ciel, Krillin couldn't help but feel a deep compassion for her. In his heart, he instinctively wanted to help this resilient girl.

"How did Ciel get injured?" Krillin asked with concern.

"It was because of Shaviza spreading false rumors about the reappearance of the Twilight Star. Although we weren't sure if the news was true, we had no choice but to investigate. It turned out to be a trap set by Shaviza," Skar explained grimly.

"What is the Twilight Star?" Krillin asked, puzzled.

"I don't know either. No one has ever seen it. It's an ancient legend. According to the tale, the Twilight Star's light neither grows brighter nor fades. It is eternal, unchanging. With it, the civilization of the Perseus System would never be extinguished. That's why the remnants of our people refuse to leave the system. They believe the Twilight Star protects the Perseus people," Skar explained slowly to Krillin.

Krillin nodded thoughtfully. "The Perseus tribe is truly a mysterious group. First, there's the Perseus Stone, then the strange patterns, and now a legend about the Twilight Star... Maybe that's also part of the reason the Perseus System fell."

"Although the princess is incredibly strong, she still couldn't defeat Shaviza. Luckily, she's mastered some spatial abilities and managed to escape, but she was gravely injured," Skar said, a lingering fear in his voice.

"Damn it! That Shaviza is so annoying! Looks like I'll need to take care of him myself," Krillin said, his frustration mounting.

Skar's face turned pale with fear at Krillin's words. "Don't provoke him yet! You have no idea how terrifyingly strong he is. Even someone as powerful as the princess couldn't come close to defeating him."

Skar had personally witnessed the battle between Princess Ciel and Shaviza. The destruction was apocalyptic, obliterating entire star systems. The sheer force of their clash left Skar paralyzed with fear, unable to move under the oppressive aura alone.

It wasn't that Skar doubted Krillin's strength. He simply couldn't believe Krillin was stronger than Princess Ciel. Provoking Shaviza would only lead to certain death and might even expose Zisan Star's location.

Seeing Skar's terrified expression, Krillin chuckled softly. Skar didn't know his true power, so it was natural for him to worry.

Krillin didn't bother to explain. When the time came, everything would become clear. For now, his top priority was helping Ciel recover.

While they were chatting, a voice called out from a distance. "Captain Skar, are you here?"

"I'm here!" Skar responded and walked toward the voice. Seeing this, Krillin followed him.

"Oh, it's you! Why aren't you resting at home? What are you doing here?" Skar scolded upon seeing his team members, concern evident in his tone.

"It's nothing serious, just some minor injuries. We'll be fine in a few days," the team members quickly reassured him, touched by their captain's concern.

"We came to bring this for Krillin. We felt we had to show our gratitude, but we don't have much. We hope Krillin will accept this," one of the team members said, pulling out several small black stones from their pockets and reluctantly handing them to Krillin.

"As expected, more Perseus Stones!" Krillin thought joyfully. He had guessed as much when they mentioned they wanted to give him something.

Overcome with excitement, Krillin thanked them sincerely. "Thank you! I really need these. I'll gladly accept them!"

Seeing Krillin's genuine appreciation, the group felt relieved. They had worried that he might dismiss their offering.

The amount of Perseus Stones Krillin received this time was several times greater than what Skar had given him earlier. It was likely the team's entire reserve.

"Ding! High-energy material detected. Accumulated energy: 80,000," the system chimed in.

"Although the quantity is higher than before, the energy seems to diminish marginally. It looks like these Perseus Stones weren't well-preserved, causing a lot of energy to escape," Krillin analyzed internally.

Since Zisan Star was in a secondary layer of the system, the surrounding stars had no effect. Night quickly fell.

The night here was unique. Zisan Star's high-density blue material caused a faint blue glow to illuminate the dark, creating a breathtakingly beautiful scene.

The group gathered in a circle, casually eating as a bright flame in the center illuminated their faces.

Krillin was explaining his understanding of martial arts to the Perseus people. They listened intently, their faces showing fascination, and occasionally nodded as if they'd had an epiphany.

Suddenly, Skar approached Krillin and whispered, "The princess's treatment is complete."

"Really? Let's go see her right now!" Krillin eagerly grabbed Skar's arm and headed in the direction where Ciel had disappeared earlier.

Skar quickly stopped him. "Let her rest for now. We'll go tomorrow!"

Krillin's face fell with disappointment. He longed to see her exquisite face and hear her voice. "Then why did you tell me the treatment was done?" he asked angrily.

Skar scratched his head awkwardly. "Well, I was just excited…"

That night, Krillin lay on a massive plant, tossing and turning. Ciel's smile and graceful figure filled his mind. "Damn it, this is going to be tough."

Skar had offered Krillin a place to stay at his house, but Krillin refused, saying, "Get lost. I don't want to talk to you." Left with no choice, Skar watched as Krillin settled on the plant instead.

As time passed, Krillin gradually drifted into a dream…

In the dream, he seemed to be back on Earth, standing in the middle of a vast canyon. At the center of the canyon was a cave, its interior appearing to hold a hidden wonder.

"This feels familiar, but I can't remember why."

Suddenly, a massive surge of energy flashed across the canyon, flattening it completely. The intense light forced Krillin to close his eyes. As he wiped the tears caused by the brightness, he strained to open them again.

Smoke slowly rose from the devastated ground, where only three stasis pods remained.

Krillin stared at the pods in shock. "Could it be…? Is it… 18?" His face was filled with disbelief.

One of the pods slowly opened, and a stunning figure emerged, standing gracefully.

She had golden short hair, piercing blue eyes, a slender figure, and wore denim that highlighted her perfect curves. Her fair, delicate face was both alluring and stern, her clear eyes coldly scanning Krillin as if he wasn't even there.

Krillin's eyes welled with tears as he stared at the cool and beautiful Android 18. "Forget '18'—she's such a natural beauty. Lazuli suits her so much better!"

"Lazuli! I've missed you so much!" Krillin shouted, rushing toward her with excitement.

Lazuli raised her hand, her expression icy, and coldly said, "Get lost. Go find your Ciel."

With that, Lazuli formed a powerful energy wave and launched it at Krillin.

Krillin froze in place, murmuring, "Ciel?"

Before he could react, the energy blast struck him head-on. His battle power wasn't enough to withstand it, and he was instantly obliterated.

"Thunk!"

Krillin fell from the plant with a loud crash.

"AHHH!" He let out a terrified scream, panting heavily, his forehead drenched in sweat. The dream had been too horrifying.

"I actually dreamed of Lazuli. With my strength, I shouldn't even be dreaming. And it was so vivid…" He shuddered at the thought of having upset Lazuli.

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