Raditz looked at Ro with unwavering confidence, his eyes sharp and defiant. He showed no signs of backing down. They were both Supreme Kais—equals. Mutual respect was given when face was given. But if respect wasn't offered, then neither had reason to fear the other.
Ro, Supreme Kai of Universe 9, climbed back to his feet from the floor. He gritted his teeth secretly, his face darkening with humiliation. Unable to directly confront Raditz, he turned his glare toward Shin instead, his eyes burning with resentment.
Shin noticed the friction immediately and stepped forward to mediate. He knew Ro's temperament well—for the sake of maintaining peace at the assembly, he quietly called Raditz back to his side.
Only then did Ro return to his seat, turning his head away with a cold snort.
Anato, Supreme Kai of Universe 1, deliberately raised several neutral topics to defuse the tension. Everyone chatted intermittently, the awkwardness gradually fading. Before long, Supreme Kais from the other universes began arriving at the venue.
Many universes brought not only their attendants but also their heirs. Trainee Supreme Kais stood respectfully behind their masters, not participating directly in the meeting. Because this assembly had been called on short notice rather than following the regular schedule, some Supreme Kais had brought substitutes or representatives to observe.
Fuwa and Doren of Universe 6 spotted Raditz and walked over on their own initiative.
"Lord Raditz!" Both Fuwa and Doren greeted him simultaneously.
"Ah, Lord Fuwa! And you must be... Doren, correct?" Raditz recalled the name and smiled warmly.
Doren scratched his head with embarrassment. "It's rare that Lord Raditz still remembers me. I was truly rude during our last encounter." After speaking, he bowed deeply to Raditz in apology.
After their previous battle, Doren's arrogance had been thoroughly humbled. He'd learned he wasn't the strongest among Supreme Kais—that there were always others beyond him. As a result, Doren had experienced an awakening. He'd gradually become more humble, which pleased Fuwa immensely. The change in mindset had also allowed him to raise his strength to a higher level. He was considerably more powerful now than before.
Therefore, Doren felt genuine gratitude and respect toward Raditz.
Seeing the trainee Supreme Kai of Universe 6 bow to Raditz, Ro felt his balance of pride tipping again. His face remained sullen, the corners of his eyebrows twitching with irritation. But what could he do? This wasn't the place to vent his frustrations, and he certainly wasn't Raditz's match in a confrontation.
He could only watch as Raditz exchanged pleasant greetings with the other Supreme Kais—everyone nodding respectfully, some even returning formal bows.
Among the assembled Supreme Kais, there were one or two who were the same age as Old Kai. It truly wasn't easy for them to meet again after so long. Who would have thought the Old Kai—sealed away by Beerus for so many years—would see daylight again? The elderly deities gathered together, speaking in animated tones and sharing old memories. The atmosphere of the venue became increasingly lively.
"Everyone, please quiet down," Anato announced, standing from his seat to address the assembly.
Immediately, all voices ceased. Everyone's attention focused on Anato, waiting for him to continue. As the universe with the highest mortal level ranking year after year, Universe 1 had always been studied by Supreme Kais of other universes as an example of excellence. During meetings, Anato often played the role of organizer—a position everyone accepted without objection.
Hearing Anato's call to order, the Supreme Kais became serious, entering their formal roles.
"Please, everyone take your seats. We've finished our greetings—the assembly is about to begin." Anato spread his hands in invitation. With a casual gesture of divine power, he also prepared an additional seat for Raditz.
Raditz smiled in thanks, thinking to himself: A Supreme Kai's quality can be judged by how they treat people and handle situations. It's not unreasonable that Universe 9's mortal level is ranked last.
All the Supreme Kais took their seats one by one. Anato spoke again: "This emergency assembly has two primary purposes. The first is to formally introduce the newest Supreme Kai—Raditz, Supreme Kai of Universe 7!"
When Raditz's name was mentioned, he stood slowly and greeted everyone with a respectful nod.
Anato smiled slightly, gesturing for Raditz to sit, then continued: "I believe everyone has heard of Raditz by now, so I won't belabor introductions. The second matter is the focus of this meeting—the Demon Realm Prophecy."
"A prophecy from the Demon Realm?"
"Yes, the Demon Realm Prophecy," Anato nodded solemnly. "The Demon Realm has always existed as the opposite of the mortal realm. Where there is positive, there is negative. Where there is light, there is darkness. As long as the mortal realm exists, it's impossible to completely eradicate the Demon Realm. All we can do is seal it or block communication between the two sides."
"However, the recent surge of Demon Realm invasions in Universe 7 has been... unprecedented." Anato's gaze shifted to Shin.
All the Supreme Kais reacted with shock. "Truly?"
Shin nodded with visible embarrassment. Wasn't that exactly the case? In recent years, Towa had been operating extensively in their universe. While she'd also manipulated timelines in other universes, her invasions of the present world had focused specifically on Raditz and his allies.
"An unfortunate series of... accidents," Old Kai offered weakly in explanation.
"Dabura, King of the Demon Realm, and his sister, the sorceress Towa, have both been defeated. Even Demon God Demigra has been annihilated in the Time Nest. These victories are all thanks to Raditz, but..." Anato's praise was not yet finished when his tone shifted dramatically, his face becoming gravely serious. "After their defeat, the Demon Realm Prophecy emerged."
"What prophecy? Why haven't we received word of this?"
"I only obtained this information by visiting the Prophet by chance. It's... terrible news." Anato's eyes sharpened, and his trembling voice carried far through the empty white environment.
Raditz felt a chill. Even the Demon God had been defeated—what could possibly be more terrifying than Demigra?
"What does the prophecy say?"
"It prophesies that the Demon Realm will rise again. Behind all the demons, there exists the shadow of 'Emperor.' They are so overwhelmingly powerful that they have no true opponents. The prophecy ends with them wiping out all who resist... including the gods."
Those final three words made everyone's blood run cold. Involuntary shivers ran down spines throughout the assembly.
Including the gods? Wasn't that absurdly arrogant? The strongest fighters in the Demon Realm were already dead—how could they claim to destroy everything?
Don't forget—this multiverse had Gods of Destruction!
But Raditz was particularly concerned with the identity of "Emperor." Who would appear to lead the Demon Realm at this critical juncture? Who possessed such confidence in their ability to overturn the natural order?
Frieza? No, it couldn't be Frieza! Could it?
"I apologize—I know everyone wants to discover this person's identity, but the Prophet doesn't know either," Anato said, shaking his head with obvious frustration. "I'm afraid this is the only question the Prophet couldn't answer."
Anato saw the longing for truth in everyone's eyes, but there was nothing more he could offer.
"Hmph! It's merely a prophecy—nothing to worry about," Ro declared in his characteristically dismissive manner.
Gowasu, Supreme Kai of Universe 10, disagreed firmly. "If this proves true, not only your universe but all our universes will suffer the consequences. We should proceed with caution."