The smoke slowly cleared from the massive crater, revealing the impossible truth that would haunt the survivors forever.
"Did we get him?" Kibito whispered from where he lay sprawled on the ground, his voice barely audible through his exhaustion.
"We have to have," Leila panted, her entire body trembling from the effort of their combined attack. "If that didn't work, then only the Grand Supreme Kai or Karnel can stop this monster."
Kibito slammed his fist into the rocky ground, his voice thick with grief. "At least Todd's sacrifice wasn't in vain. He gave his life to destroy this evil."
"It's what we're sworn to do," Leila replied quietly, though her words carried the weight of unshed tears.
But as the dust settled completely, their hearts sank into despair. In the center of the kilometer-deep crater stood a small pink figure, completely unharmed and radiating smug satisfaction.
"This... this is impossible," Kibito stammered, his voice cracking with terror. "He doesn't have a scratch on him!"
Leila felt her legs give out as she collapsed to her knees, staring at the scene in horrified disbelief. "We hit him with everything we had. Everything. And it did nothing. Todd..." Her voice broke. "Todd died for nothing."
Kid Buu's red eyes blazed with malevolent fury as steam began pouring from the holes in his head, arms, and chest. The creature was beyond angry, he was enraged. His arms suddenly stretched like elastic, extending impossible distances to strike both remaining Supreme Kais.
The unexpected attack sent Leila and Kibito flying backward, their bodies crashing to the ground near where Barro was struggling to recover. Kid Buu's arms snapped back to normal length as he leaped from the crater with supernatural speed, his fist drawn back for a finishing blow.
"It's over!" Kibito gasped, too injured to dodge.
Both Supreme Kais could only watch in helpless terror as Kid Buu's fist descended toward them like a pink meteor of death.
Suddenly, a powerful force grabbed them both and hurled them out of harm's way.
It was Barro! Despite his injuries, the Southern Supreme Kai had mustered enough strength to save his comrades. But his heroic act left him vulnerable as Kid Buu's stretchy arms wrapped around his throat like a noose.
Using his grip on Barro's neck as leverage, Kid Buu swung himself forward and drove his knee into the Supreme Kai's stomach with bone-crushing force. Barro's body doubled over in agony, cold sweat beading on his forehead as he bit down on his lip hard enough to draw blood.
"Ahhhh!" Kid Buu's hideous face twisted into a mask of sadistic glee as he brought his face close to Barro's. The tentacle-like appendage on his head began to glow with ominous energy.
"Barro's in danger! Stop him!" Leila cried out, recognizing the threat even as she struggled to rise from the ground.
Kibito, being the weakest of the four, was still too injured from Kid Buu's vengeful attack to move.
It was too late.
A beam of pink light erupted from Kid Buu's head tentacle, enveloping Barro completely. In the span of a heartbeat, the mighty Southern Supreme Kai transformed into a small piece of candy. Kid Buu caught the confection in his hand and popped it into his mouth with obvious relish.
"He turned Barro into candy and ate him," Kibito whispered in shock, his mind struggling to process what he'd just witnessed. "This monster can transform people into food."
Two Supreme Kais dead in rapid succession. The weight of their failure crashed down on the survivors like a collapsing mountain.
"Damn you! Spit out Barro!" Leila screamed, her anguish transforming into rage as she fired a barrage of energy blasts at the pink demon.
But these attacks were like pebbles thrown at a mountain. Kid Buu had shrugged off their ultimate techniques, these desperate shots were nothing more than an annoyance.
Something far more alarming was happening. After absorbing Barro, Kid Buu's body began to undergo a dramatic transformation. His small, childlike frame rapidly expanded, growing to twice its original height. Muscles bulged beneath his pink skin, and his head tentacle grew longer and more prominent.
The creature that emerged from this metamorphosis was no longer the impish Kid Buu, this was something far more dangerous.
"This... this is Majin Buu," a new voice declared grimly. "The Northern and Southern Supreme Kais have both fallen to his power."
All eyes turned to see a figure materializing through instant transmission. Karnel had arrived, his towering Saiyan frame radiating power that made the very air shimmer. But his expression was one of profound regret as he surveyed the devastation.
"I sensed the Supreme Kais' energy signatures disappearing and came as quickly as I could," he continued, his voice heavy with guilt. "But I was too late. Barro's essence has been completely absorbed into Buu's being."
Karnel's keen eyes swept the battlefield, taking in every detail. In a distant corner, partially hidden behind fallen rocks, he spotted a familiar figure. "That's Bibidi, isn't it? The evil magician who created Majin Buu?"
"Karnel!" Leila's voice was filled with relief and desperate hope. "You're finally here. Todd and Barro are both dead, killed by this monster called Buu."
The transformed Saiyan's expression darkened further. "Tell me everything. How did this creature escape? When did this nightmare begin?"
Kibito, finally managing to sit up despite his injuries, recounted the entire sequence of events. He spoke of their initial confidence, their growing horror as they realized Buu's true power, Todd's heroic sacrifice, and Barro's transformation into candy.
After hearing the full account, Karnel studied the evolved Majin Buu with calculating eyes. The creature's aura was a swirling maelstrom of destruction and malevolence, but now it carried traces of Barro's noble essence as well, a corruption that made it even more dangerous.
"Why didn't you contact me or the Grand Supreme Kai immediately?" Karnel asked, though his tone carried understanding rather than accusation.
"We thought the four of us could handle it," Leila admitted, her voice thick with guilt. "It seemed like such a localized threat at first. And you were in seclusion, unreachable."
"We made a terrible mistake," Kibito added, his words barely above a whisper. "Our pride cost Todd and Barro their lives."
"There's no time for self-recrimination now," Karnel said firmly. "Get to safety. Let me handle this."
The Saiyan warrior stepped forward, his body beginning to glow with golden energy. But unlike his previous transformations, this one was different, controlled, refined. The wild flames of Super Saiyan power that once blazed around him were now internalized, every ounce of energy focused and contained within his being.
Years of training in crushing gravity had taught him perfect control. No power would be wasted, no energy allowed to escape uselessly into the atmosphere.
Majin Buu, now towering and muscular from his absorption of Barro, studied this newcomer with curious red eyes. There was something different about this being, something that made even his corrupted instincts take notice.
"So you're Buu," Karnel said calmly, settling into a fighting stance. "Let's see just how strong you really are."
The transformed Majin Buu's lips curled into what might have been a smile. After so long fighting weaklings, perhaps this new opponent would provide some entertainment.
A sonic boom shattered the air as Karnel vanished from sight, reappearing instantly in front of Buu with his fist already in motion. The pink giant, now possessing tremendous power from his absorption of the Southern Supreme Kai, showed no fear as he met the attack with his own devastating punch.
The collision of their fists created a shockwave that cracked the planet's surface for miles in every direction.
The real battle was about to begin.