The news brought by Anato sparked immediate shock and heated discussion throughout the assembly.
For millennia, the Demon Realm had indeed been a persistent headache for the Supreme Kais. Even when sealed away from the mortal realm, it frequently disrupted the natural order of the multiverse. But the Supreme Kais had never realized there were other forces operating behind the Demon Realm. Could there be some greater power controlling everything from the shadows?
"Is that the only prophecy? Any other information?" Raditz asked directly.
He'd expected from the beginning that this meeting wouldn't be simple. It was impossible that all the Supreme Kais would be summoned merely because he'd eliminated Demigra. There had to be something more significant at stake.
Perhaps Anato had already understood what the prophecy referred to—or had deciphered additional clues.
But the composed Supreme Kai of Universe 1 shook his head, a bitter smile crossing his face. "The Prophet only caught a fleeting glimpse of possibility. He couldn't see the complete future. However, the Prophet did suggest that visiting a certain location might yield crucial clues."
"Where?" All the Supreme Kais—including their attendants—leaned forward in unison, necks craning toward Anato with intense curiosity.
"The Ancient Ruins. The place where the gods are buried."
"WHAT?!" Old Kai jumped from his seat. Several others reacted similarly, their expressions transforming into horror.
"That place isn't meant to be visited casually! Even we Supreme Kais cannot simply rush in there! If any accident occurs, no one could bear the responsibility! If the Grand Priest and Lord Zeno blame us... No! It's not worth the risk for an uncertain prophecy!" Someone immediately objected. Ro repeatedly rejected the idea with vehement force, as if Anato had suggested violating a sacred taboo.
Seeing how drastically the Supreme Kais' faces had changed, Raditz frowned and looked toward Shin—who remained as outwardly calm as himself. Wasn't there at least one other person unmoved by this revelation? As expected of someone from Universe 7—unshaken by sudden changes. It seemed Shin's composure had improved considerably after Raditz became Supreme Kai.
"Lord Shin, what exactly are these Ancient Ruins?" Raditz asked.
Shin glanced at Kibito, then at Raditz, and finally shook his head. "I honestly don't know either."
A surge of frustration caught in Raditz's throat—he nearly choked on it. What should have been obvious earlier: Shin wasn't calm from knowledge, but from ignorance. He was simply too young to know about such matters.
At that moment, Old Kai spoke with a hoarse, weighted voice. "Do you know how many universes there truly are?"
"Twelve... no, eighteen." Raditz's mind suddenly blazed with realization. The question startled him, and he felt an ominous premonition rising.
"Precisely. There are eighteen total, but only twelve universes currently exist. The remaining six were completely erased by Lord Zeno. That matter and energy didn't simply vanish into nothing—it was transformed and relocated elsewhere. Isolated from both the mortal realm and the Demon Realm, sealed away by tremendous power—the Ancient Ruins. Where six sleeping Angels, Gods of Destruction, and Supreme Kais rest in stasis. It exists in the gaps between space and time. Also known as... the Forbidden Zone."
"The six universes that disappeared?" Raditz's voice wavered with shock.
He'd long been skeptical about those six missing universes. Angels fell into deep sleep after their God of Destruction died—yet he'd heard no news about those six Angels. Secondly, he remembered that after the death of the Old Kai from Universe 7, the deceased Supreme Kai had appeared before Son Goku as a spirit.
This proved that gods and mortals were fundamentally different. Their death might merely be a formality. Those deities who'd disappeared along with their universes had simply gone to another place—the Ancient Ruins that served as both graveyard and seal, holding back the Demon Realm!
Not only Raditz, but Shin also stared wide-eyed with shock. Several trainee Supreme Kais and attendants stood frozen in stunned surprise.
"Could there be a problem occurring there?" someone asked nervously.
"I don't know—that's why we must investigate," Anato said, shaking his head. But his eyes burned with firm determination.
Raditz immediately stood. "I agree completely. How can we know the outcome without seeing for ourselves? Let's go together—there's nothing to fear. If something truly has gone wrong, we should address it immediately. Otherwise, if events unfold as the prophecy suggests... who among us could bear that responsibility?"
"Hmph! Easy for you to say..." Ro was always irritated by Raditz's presence and immediately moved to object.
But before he could finish, Fuwa, Supreme Kai of Universe 6, also stood. "Universe 6 agrees!"
"Hmm..." Gowasu pondered briefly. "Universe 10 also agrees!"
"Universe 11 agrees!"
After varying periods of consideration—some long, some short—the Supreme Kais decided to follow Anato's lead. Ro, who'd stubbornly insisted on opposing, was finally defeated and forced to agree under collective pressure.
With the decision made, Anato and all the Supreme Kais formed a circle. Their respective Potara earrings began glowing brilliantly, light reflecting between them. This was the phenomenon caused by converging Supreme Kai energies, forming a dimensional tunnel.
A kaleidoscope tunnel materialized, leading to the legendary Ancient Ruins—a realm only gods could enter.
Raditz had never witnessed such a magnificent spatial passage. The vast energy was immense and boundless, like a black hole's vortex drawing them inexorably inward. After a brief journey, everyone emerged into a vast, boundless ancient world—desolate and timeless. Wind blew from the void itself, carrying endless loneliness and the exhaustion of countless ages.
Being present in this place, Raditz could clearly perceive the intersection of two realities. It confirmed his suspicion—this was an unknown zone existing between the mortal realm and the Demon Realm.
Pillars stood scattered across the barren ground. Each was inscribed with divine script and various unknown symbols. The vast, resonant voice of divinity swayed through the ancient land—as if gods from countless eons past sang the cosmic hymn with voices harmonizing across eternity.
"This... this is..." Raditz stood frozen, stunned beyond words.
The voice stirred his memory. He'd heard this ethereal, otherworldly sound before—when he'd first achieved godhood! There were ancient ruins similar to this place in the Sacred World of the Kais in Universe 7. The environment, the atmosphere—they were so remarkably similar to this location. Nearly identical pillars, ruins, and divine songs echoed through both places!
Could this be the connection between the twelve existing universes and the six that had been erased? Or was it something else entirely? Raditz couldn't decipher the meaning.
The more one learned about the cosmos, the more terrifying the hidden truths became.
"Is that where the sleeping Angels rest?" someone asked, pointing toward an enormous ancient tree.
"Yes. When a God of Destruction dies, their Angel enters deep sleep."
"Wait, that's not right! There's a gap there! An Angel is missing!" Ea, Supreme Kai of Universe 3, pushed his glasses up to verify what he was seeing, then couldn't help but shout in alarm.
He clearly saw an empty space on the ancient tree—a gap torn open by explosive force.
The assembled gods flew forward against the ancient wind, approaching the massive tree. Five Angels remained in slumber—but one was definitely missing. The place where they should have rested had been transformed into scorched earth. Judging by the traces of destruction, they'd been gone for quite some time.
"The Angel of Universe 18... Mirto!"