"Don't you know? Anyone who can make it here is basically dead…" King Kai was speechless. "The real question is… how are you still alive?"
"Was I supposed to die?" Goku scratched his head.
"How did you get here?" King Kai asked in confusion.
"What do you mean, how? I walked along Snake Way for a long time to get here, of course," Goku explained.
"No, I'm asking how you got to the entrance of Snake Way in the first place," King Kai rephrased it.
"Ken sent me over," Goku answered honestly.
"Ken… and who's that?" King Kai froze.
"He's a Saiyan too. Apparently he trained himself into a god later on," Goku replied.
"He trained himself into Earth's god? That would make sense then. Earth's god should at least be able to send you to the entrance of Snake Way," King Kai nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly felt something was off. "No, wait. Wasn't Earth already destroyed? There isn't a single living thing left on Earth. Are you really from Earth?"
"Yeah… how could that be? Don't tell me the Saiyans got to Earth ahead of schedule?" Goku's face changed again and again.
King Kai: "…"
"The Saiyans are still flying around out there in space," King Kai shook his head.
"Then what's going on? What do you mean Earth was destroyed?" Goku asked anxiously.
"Calm down. Let me take a proper look," King Kai widened his eyes and looked toward the direction of Earth again.
After half an hour of careful observation, King Kai found that it looked like all life on that Earth had disappeared hundreds of years ago.
"How weird… what's going on here?" King Kai was completely stumped.
"Ah… I remember now. Ken told me we're from Universe 6… and this is Universe 7, right?" Goku's eyes lit up.
"You… what did you just say? You're from Universe 6?" King Kai felt his whole being go numb. He glared at Goku with a dark expression. "What is a human from Universe 6 doing here in Universe 7?"
"I came to train under you," Goku answered.
King Kai: "…"
King Kai was honestly at a loss for words.
"Forget it, forget it. Do whatever you want…" King Kai muttered, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration and started talking to himself. "Could it be… the two universes' Earths were swapped?"
Goku scratched his head, completely lost.
"But by what method would you swap two Earths?" King Kai was stunned.
He pondered for quite a while and still couldn't figure it out.
Since he couldn't, King Kai simply lost interest in thinking about it.
"If you want to stay and train, then train properly," King Kai said to Goku. "That Ken guy was right. The fact he sent you here proves he's pretty clever. Training on this planet for just over 130 days is the same as training for several thousand years on Earth."
"Really?" Goku was surprised and delighted.
"But even if you train hard, it doesn't mean you'll definitely beat the Saiyans," King Kai shook his head. "The two Saiyans who went to Earth are incredibly strong… and they went to this universe's Earth. What are you getting worked up for?"
"There seems to be some kind of passage between the two Earths… you can travel through it," Goku said, scratching his head.
"A passage?" King Kai blinked, then looked toward Earth again.
Sure enough, King Kai quickly noticed a vortex floating high above Earth.
His gaze pierced through the vortex, his eyes flickering nonstop, and he soon saw the other Earth on the opposite side.
King Kai's jaw practically dropped off his face.
This is my first time seeing something this bizarre.
The two Earths are actually connected like this?
"I'll be honest with you. Those two Saiyans are even stronger than me," King Kai said, slowly pulling his eyes back and staring at Goku with a grave expression.
"Huh? Even stronger than King Kai?" Goku exclaimed.
"So you'll have to surpass me if you want to defeat those two Saiyans," King Kai nodded.
"No problem. Ken also gave me a book," Goku grinned, pulling out an Ultra Instinct manual from his clothes and waving it in front of King Kai.
"What book?" King Kai was taken aback, then quickly saw the title. "What kind of weird book is this? At a time like this, you still have time for dirty magazines?"
"Huh? The cover is blue though," Goku was mystified.
King Kai: "…"
"Ken told me that as long as I can master the technique in this book, I'll be able to beat that Saiyan named Vegeta," Goku said with a smile.
King Kai was at a loss for words.
"Then what are you learning from me for?" King Kai sighed.
"I'm here to learn the basics from King Kai," Goku replied.
"Forget it, forget it. Do whatever you want. But whatever you're planning to learn, the first thing you have to do is overcome the gravity here," King Kai waved his hand. "Go catch Bubbles. If you can't even catch him, then hurry up and go back where you came from."
"Got it," Goku nodded, then turned to look over at the chimpanzee.
Right after that, Goku took off running after Bubbles.
"Let me take a look at that book," King Kai called out.
Goku nodded and handed the book over.
Bubbles waddled along unhurriedly ahead.
Goku ran after him at full speed.
But no matter how hard Goku tried, he just couldn't catch up to Bubbles.
King Kai flipped through the book, and when he saw the tiny writing inside, his eyes suddenly bulged and his face froze in stunned disbelief.
On the inside cover, a line of small characters read:
"Angel divine technique: Ultra Instinct. Until I step forth, who dares challenge me?"
King Kai's hands trembled slightly as he held the book.
"Angel divine technique? Ultra Instinct?" King Kai's jaw clenched, his shock overflowing.
An angel?
Did an angel give this book to that guy?
Could this "Ken" he keeps talking about actually be an angel?
I remember the angel of our universe is called Whis…
He serves Beerus-sama.
Looks like I'd better train this kid properly.
If he's someone a God of Destruction's attendant has his eye on, I really can't afford to offend him.
Especially that Beerus guy!
He was the one who blew my planet down to such a tiny little rock!
Now I'm bored out of my mind living on this thing.
With that thought, King Kai looked up in Goku's direction.
Goku was in the middle of taking off his weighted clothing.
Very soon, Goku stripped off all the heavy gear he was wearing.
"Oh? So the kid was carrying that much weight on him," King Kai muttered, slightly impressed.
Goku instantly felt much lighter and dashed toward Bubbles.
"Heh heh, I'm gonna catch you this time!" Goku grinned.
"Whoosh!"
Bubbles suddenly sped up and shot off like a bolt.
Goku froze on the spot, completely stunned and speechless.
He can run that fast?!
Bubbles bounced around about thirty meters away from Goku, pulling faces nonstop.
"This guy is so fast… I can't catch him," Goku said helplessly, looking over at King Kai.
"Come on! You're the human the angel set his sights on!" King Kai encouraged him.
"Sorry, but could I get something to eat first… I've been starving for days now. I finished all my Senzu Beans," Goku pleaded.
"Sure, no problem," King Kai agreed readily and cooked Goku a meal.
Goku stuffed food into his mouth in huge gulps, eating without a shred of grace.
"Can't you eat a little more civilized?" King Kai wiped at his sweat.
The chimp took a bite of a banana at the side and was just as speechless at Goku's eating habits.
"Hahaha, I'm full, I'm full. Senzu Beans can fill me up too, but they don't have any flavor. I haven't had a real meal in half a year," Goku said happily, patting his belly.
"You really have no respect for me at all," King Kai grumbled.
"King Kai, don't you feel lonely living on such a tiny planet?" Goku asked curiously.
That question stabbed King Kai right in the heart.
Isn't this planet tiny because of Beerus-sama's 'gift'?
"You're still young. There's a lot you don't know," King Kai snorted. "This planet may be small, but there are plenty of fun things to do. Like… forget it, I don't want to talk about it."
"Sounds pretty boring to me," Goku nodded seriously.
"Hmph, what do you know? See that sports car over there? My happiest moments are when I'm cruising around in that," King Kai pointed at a nearby car.
Goku: "…"
"Enough useless chatter. Go catch Bubbles, now!" King Kai urged.
"Okay, I'll give it another shot!" Goku nodded.
"Oh, and put your weighted clothes and boots back on," King Kai added. "That'll work even better."
"Huh? Put them back on? That'll make it even harder to run," Goku stared at King Kai in surprise.
"I'll tell you something. The planet the Saiyans live on has gravity about the same as here. They grew up and trained under that gravity," King Kai said solemnly.
Goku was stunned.
No wonder my brother was so strong.
And the Saiyan prince Vegeta is more than fifteen times stronger than my brother… I can't lose to you!
"You get it now? That's the Saiyans' secret. And it's not just that. They're born with incredible fighting power. That's the truly scary part," King Kai went on.
"It's fine. I'm a Saiyan too!" Goku grinned.
King Kai stared blankly for a moment, unable to react.
…
Universe 9, God of Destruction Realm.
"Fssshhhh…"
Bardock's whole body erupted in crimson light, his hair standing on end. He had entered Super Saiyan God Two.
Mojito beckoned toward Bardock, raising his hand and taking a sparring stance.
"Whoosh!"
Bardock shot toward Mojito and launched a fierce barrage of attacks.
Mojito blocked and dodged with ease.
After several exchanges in midair—
"Swish!"
Mojito suddenly vanished and appeared behind Bardock.
Bardock's reaction was just as fast. He whipped his leg back in a savage kick.
Mojito merely tilted his body to the side, effortlessly dodging Bardock's strike.
"Bang!"
Mojito slapped out with his palm, swatting Bardock straight out of the sky.
Bardock hit the ground, then kicked off hard with both feet and charged at Mojito again.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The two of them clashed fiercely in the air.
Of course, Mojito was only training Bardock—he wasn't using anywhere near his full power.
After about ten minutes of fighting,
Mojito raised his hand and caught Bardock's incoming fist, smiling. "That's enough for today."
Bardock gave a slight nod, pulled his fist back, and let the crimson aura around him dissipate, returning to his normal state.
"Not bad at all, Bardock-sama," Mojito said with genuine satisfaction. "In just half a year, you can already maintain Super Saiyan God Two for this long. You've completely gotten rid of that old problem where your body couldn't keep up with your godly power output."
"It's all thanks to your guidance," Bardock replied.
"It's nothing. As an angel, training a God of Destruction is my duty," Mojito said with a warm smile.
"Mojito, with my current strength, how big is the gap between me and the weakest God of Destruction?" Bardock asked.
"How should I put it…" Mojito mused. "About twenty-four years ago, Ken proposed a concept he called 'purity of angelic power.' Later, the Grand Priest used that idea to divide divine power into levels. In other words, you can quantify a god's strength using the purity of angelic power."
"Then tell me—what level am I at now?" Bardock raised an eyebrow.
"Level 31," Mojito replied. "And that's when you've transformed into Super Saiyan God Two."
"Then… what level is the weakest God of Destruction, Champa?" Bardock pressed.
"Level 51," Mojito said.
Bardock: "…"
A brief silence.
"So I'm only a bit over twenty levels behind," Bardock took a deep breath, not discouraged in the slightest.
"I'm afraid Bardock-sama doesn't quite understand. Even a single level of difference, by your old 'battle power' standards, would mean a gap of several hundred million," Mojito gently shook his head and explained.
"You… you're saying that a difference of one level is worth several hundred million in battle power?" Bardock was stunned.
"Do you know what level Broly is?" Mojito asked.
"How much?" Bardock froze for a moment, then quickly came to his senses. "Back then, Broly could easily defeat Champa, so he has to be at least above level 50!"
"Broly should be level 54, already very close to level 55," Mojito said thoughtfully.
"So by your logic, Broly could instantly wipe out Champa," Bardock said, his face changing.
"Do you know how the previous Gods of Destruction from Universe 9 and Universe 3 died?" Mojito asked.
"Don't tell me Broly killed them?" Bardock's expression shifted. Realization dawned on him.
"That's right," Mojito nodded.
Bardock fell silent, lifting his head to look at the sky, feeling a wave of helplessness.
I'm only level 31 right now. Who knows when I'll ever reach level 50.
"No. I have to get stronger," Bardock gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tight.
"Do your best, Bardock-sama," Mojito smiled softly, encouraging him.
Bardock immediately moved off to continue his training.
Mojito watched from not far away.
Just then, Mojito suddenly felt his staff tremble. He paused, and his expression instantly grew respectful.
"Greetings, Grand Priest," Mojito said, bowing as he accepted the video call.
"Mojito, are you satisfied with your new God of Destruction?" the Grand Priest asked with a smile.
"He's doing quite well, Grand Priest," Mojito nodded.
"When you chose a new God of Destruction, I didn't pay much attention. Now that some time has passed, I imagine he should be basically capable of handling his duties by now?" the Grand Priest asked with a chuckle.
"Yes… he's ready to work," Mojito replied. "He hasn't reached a true God of Destruction's level yet, but if it's just destroying a few planets, that won't be a problem at all."
"In that case, it's about time we brought the Supreme Kai back," the Grand Priest said, then suddenly felt something was off. "Wait a moment… did you just say your chosen God of Destruction hasn't reached God of Destruction level?"
"That's correct, Grand Priest," Mojito nodded. "According to the level system you set, Bardock-sama is around level 31 at the moment."
"Bardock?" The Grand Priest blinked.
"Grand Priest doesn't know?" Mojito was taken aback.
"Isn't it Broly or Majin Buu?" the Grand Priest shot back.
"Aiya, I really did want to pick Broly…" Mojito laughed. "But Ken wouldn't let me."
Grand Priest: "…"
Right after that, the Grand Priest immediately used his staff to observe the new God of Destruction in Universe 9's God of Destruction Realm—Bardock.
His face darkened on the spot.
So it really isn't Broly or Majin Buu.
This guy must be a new God of Destruction candidate Ken discovered.
Could it be that he teamed up with someone else and already defeated Jiren?
"For now, just find time to bring the Supreme Kai back," the Grand Priest instructed.
"Yes, Grand Priest," Mojito bowed.
The Grand Priest quickly ended the call, then lifted his staff again, peering through the crystal toward Universe 3's God of Destruction Realm.
With one glance, he saw Ai staring blankly up at the starry sky, doing absolutely nothing in Universe 3's God of Destruction Realm.
Ai practically didn't need to train at all. She was born with God of Destruction-level power.
All Campari had to do was teach her some combat techniques.
And for an android like Ai, she would practically master such techniques the moment they were taught.
Grand Priest: "…"
The Grand Priest could tell at a glance. This new God of Destruction in Universe 3 had originally been Mosco, completely remodeled.
No wonder Jiren lost to her and Bardock together.
He didn't lose unfairly at all.
Ken really plays dirty.
The Grand Priest took a deep breath and contacted Universe 3's angel, Campari, telling him to hurry up and bring back the Supreme Kai so Universe 3 could return to normal.
Then the Grand Priest contacted Merus.
"Grand Priest!" Merus bowed respectfully.
"Merus, about those two new Gods of Destruction taking office—did you and Ken go spar with Jiren?" the Grand Priest asked.
"We did…" Merus answered with a wry smile.
"Before you went, you didn't know Ai had been remodeled from Mosco?" the Grand Priest asked darkly.
"S-she's a girl… I felt it would be inappropriate to scan her body…" Merus replied, face flushed.
"So Ai knocked Jiren out with one punch, didn't she?" the Grand Priest asked.
"Y-yes…" Merus admitted with a nod. "Nothing gets past you, Grand Priest."
The Grand Priest was instantly speechless, almost choking on his own anger.
After a moment of silence—
"Do you know what the consequences of this are?" the Grand Priest asked.
"Consequences?" Merus was confused.
What consequences?
"Jiren is the Supreme Kai you chose. If he keeps taking hit after hit like that, how is he ever supposed to grow stronger?" The Grand Priest wanted nothing more than to march over and smack his son around.
I was busy during that period and didn't have time to look into it.
And instead of doing his job as an angel and understanding the situation, he let a God of Destruction-level challenge Jiren?
That's an instant kill!
Merus: "…"
You didn't investigate anything either, and now you're blaming me?
I'm the tragic one here.
We took a trip to Universe 11, and Jiren got one-shotted.
Merus quickly calmed himself down and changed the subject.
"Please don't worry, Grand Priest. The Supreme Kai Ken chose is a Saiyan named Goku. His current level is… how should I put it… about 0.0001," Merus said, quite confident. "No matter how hard he trains, if it's a pure comparison of Supreme Kai-level power, the gap between him and Jiren isn't just a tiny difference."
"Oh? Ken chose someone like that as a Supreme Kai?" The Grand Priest was a little surprised.
"He probably wants to train his own people," Merus smiled. "Even for his God of Destruction, he picked one of his own as well—their Saiyan prince, Vegeta. Going by the level system, he's at most 0.0002."
Grand Priest: "…"
"He actually picked two such weak mortals to become gods…" the Grand Priest murmured.
"That's why you don't need to worry, Grand Priest. I'll definitely win in the next round of evaluation," Merus said, full of confidence.
"Don't get careless," the Grand Priest nodded. He also felt Ken had very little chance of winning.
The gap was just too big.
How could anyone climb from that to level 30 in just a handful of years?
"How's your selection for your new God of Destruction going?" the Grand Priest asked.
"This time, the God of Destruction I've chosen is absolutely one in ten thousand," Merus said with an even brighter smile.
"Oh?" The Grand Priest raised an eyebrow.
"She's just like Broly—a Legendary Super Saiyan that only appears once every thousand years," Merus said confidently. "Since Ken can train Broly to that level, I'm sure I can train her into an outstanding God of Destruction."
"Another Legendary Super Saiyan?" the Grand Priest thought silently.
"Yes. She's a Saiyan from Universe 6, named Kale," Merus nodded, speaking frankly. "She's only four years old. I started training her when she was two. I'm sure she'll surpass Broly."
"You've done well. You didn't disappoint me this time," the Grand Priest said, clearly satisfied with Merus's choice.
"There are still six years left until the agreed match," Merus smiled. "But I plan to give Ken a bit more time. After all, he disappeared for twenty-four years. I want a fair and square match with him."
"How long are you thinking of extending it?" the Grand Priest asked.
"How about another six years?" Merus suggested.
"Then we'll set it for fifteen years from now," the Grand Priest said after a pause.
Merus: "…"
That's clearly twelve. Did your math teacher also teach gym class?
Merus really wanted to complain.
"Don't get careless. Never underestimate your opponent," the Grand Priest warned sternly.
"Yes, Grand Priest," Merus nodded solemnly.
I'm really not underestimating him.
Even if you gave Ken fifteen years to train Goku and Vegeta, there's no way they'd surpass my Kale and Jiren.
You snatched people from our Universe 7 and ran off to Universe 6, so why can't I steal people from your Universe 6 and bring them back to Universe 7?
After ending the call, Merus chuckled smugly.
He was very confident about the match fifteen years from now.
This time, there was no way he'd lose to Ken.
…
Universe 6, Earth.
On a certain plateau.
It was late at night.
Gohan's face was black and blue, swollen from the beating. He leaned against a rock, grinning through the pain.
But he didn't cry, and not a single tear fell.
"Hmph, at least I cured that crybaby habit of yours over these six months," Piccolo snorted.
"Hehehe…" Gohan grinned, then suddenly asked, "did you fight my dad before?"
"Our fight isn't over yet. Once we beat the Saiyans, I'll destroy your dad," Piccolo said coldly, his face calm.
"But my dad said the new Piccolo isn't as vicious as before anymore," Gohan said seriously.
"Hmph!" Piccolo snorted.
"That's what I think too, even if Mom and Grandpa are still scared of you," Gohan smiled innocently.
Piccolo had no response to that.
In that moment, he felt as though a door inside his heart had slowly swung open.
"Enough nonsense! Go to sleep. Tomorrow's training won't be this easy!" Piccolo barked.
"Y-yes! Right away!" Gohan jumped, then flopped onto the ground and instantly started snoring.
"This little idiot," Piccolo bared his fangs in mock annoyance, but inside, he was quietly warmed by Gohan's purity.
…
Another forty days passed.
Universe 7, King Kai's Planet.
"Raaaah!"
Goku lunged forward at full speed and finally wrapped his arms around the chimp Bubbles.
"I finally caught you! I finally did it!" Goku whooped, practically dancing with excitement.
"Well done," King Kai thought with deep emotion.
As expected of someone a God of Destruction's attendant had his eye on.
He'd already adapted to ten times Earth's gravity this quickly.
"Are you ready? My next training is going to be extremely harsh!" King Kai shouted. "Can you handle it?"
"Yeah. I'll give it my best!" Goku nodded seriously.
"You're going to become number one in the universe, both physically and mentally. You can manage that, right?" King Kai barked.
"Got it! I'll do my best!" Goku clenched his fists.
"Before that, practice what's in this book first," King Kai said, handing Goku the Ultra Instinct Training Guide. "I'm going to have a cup of tea."
With that, King Kai turned and walked away.
Goku stood there with the Ultra Instinct Training Guide in his hands, completely baffled.
Weren't you going to teach me your techniques?
How did this turn into self-study?
…
(End of chapter)
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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