"Who? What wizard?" Yamu shook his head, looking utterly lost.
"I've never heard of any wizard," Spopovich added, shaking his head in unison.
"It's not them. Let them go," the Supreme Kai said, his voice low. "I've used my telepathy to read their minds. They truly have never met Babidi."
"You're free to go!" Piccolo said with a cold wave of his hand, signaling for them to get lost.
Yamu and Spopovich scrambled away as if they had just received a royal pardon. These people are terrifying. Why did they kidnap us? And who on earth is this wizard they're talking about?
The two men quickly vanished from sight.
Goku and the others fell into a long, heavy silence. Goku then expanded his senses, carefully scanning the surrounding area, but he found no trace of any evil energy.
"Vegeta, normally Dabura, the King of the Demon Realm, should have appeared by now. His energy is quite powerful, so why can't I sense him?" Goku scratched his head and whispered to Vegeta.
Vegeta had clearly performed his own scan and come up empty-handed. He gave Goku a sharp look before remaining stubbornly silent.
"Dabura? Goku, what did you just say?" The Supreme Kai froze, his eyes widening. "Did you just say 'Dabura'?"
"Yeah, that's right," Goku nodded.
"Has Dabura come to Earth?" the Supreme Kai asked, stunned.
"We're not entirely sure yet," Goku replied, shaking his head.
"Wait a second... weren't we talking about Majin Buu? Who is this Dabura guy?" Krillin asked, sounding thoroughly confused.
"Dabura is the King of the Demon Realm!" the Supreme Kai said, his expression growing even more somber.
"The King of the Demon Realm? Does a place like that actually exist?" Krillin's face went pale, and he began to break out in a cold sweat.
"Yes. The Demon Realm is also known as the Great Demon Realm," the Supreme Kai nodded. "I only know about it because of what the Ancestor told me... It is said that a long, long time ago, the first Great Demon King of the Great Demon Realm wanted to expand his domain. He specifically ordered Lord Laimus to come here and create a universe... and that was how the cosmos was born."
"Is that so?" Vegeta's pupils constricted slightly.
"Later, Lord Laimus entrusted us Glinds with the responsibility of managing the universe—creating life and planets. We became what are now known as the Supreme Kais," the Supreme Kai continued.
Vegeta fell silent. Why have I never heard of this 'Lord Laimus'? I've only ever heard of Grand Zeno! Was this entire universe really created by some guy named Laimus? And what the hell is this 'Great Demon Realm'? I've never heard of it either. And if the first Great Demon King ordered Laimus to create the universe... does that mean this Demon King holds a rank even higher than the Omni-King?
Vegeta's mind raced with a thousand questions, his eyes filled with shock. In his experience, Dabura was just a King of the Demon Realm—a fighter whose strength was, at most, on par with a Super Saiyan 2. Many of the people standing here could wipe him out with ease. But this "First Great Demon King" sounded terrifying. To have the power to order someone to create an entire universe...
"Glinds?" Goku said, looking the Supreme Kai up and down. "So you're a Glind, Lord Supreme Kai?"
"Yes," the Supreme Kai nodded.
"Does that mean you also came from the Demon Realm?" Piccolo asked, his eyes narrowing as he caught the implication.
"That's correct. All Glinds originate from the Demon Realm," the Supreme Kai admitted without hesitation. "However, since I arrived here so long ago... many of my memories have faded. Most of what I know was told to me by the Ancestor."
The group stared at the Supreme Kai as if he were some kind of alien creature. They had always thought of him as a high-and-mighty god, but it turned out he was just a member of a special race from the Demon Realm.
"The Namekians also originally came from the Demon Realm," the Supreme Kai added, glancing at Piccolo.
Piccolo's mouth hung open, a bead of cold sweat rolling down his cheek. We Namekians came from the Demon Realm too? No wonder my father called himself King Piccolo the Great Demon King. So there really was a connection!
"Gohan, did you notice? All three of them have pointed ears!" Videl whispered to Gohan.
Gohan looked closely and realized she was right—Piccolo, the Supreme Kai, and Kibito all had pointed ears.
"Do you think pointed ears mean someone is from the Demon Realm?" Videl speculated.
"Are we really judging people by their ears now?" Gohan scratched his head.
"Actually, Miss Videl is correct. Most people with pointed ears do originate from the Demon Realm. It's not a universal rule, but it's generally the case," the Supreme Kai confirmed.
"Hmph. Let's set the Demon Realm aside for now and get back to Majin Buu," Vegeta snorted, his patience wearing thin. While the lore of the Demon Realm was interesting, he wasn't particularly concerned with it at the moment.
"Vegeta is right," the Supreme Kai said, his expression turning grim once more. He clenched his fists and looked up at the sky, his voice low. "In any case, Majin Buu has definitely mutated!"
Vegeta: "..."
Vegeta's teeth itched with irritation. He really wanted to give the Supreme Kai a good thrashing. Is this really the time for a summary? After all that talk, you still don't have a single useful lead?
"Rather than Majin Buu, we should be focusing on Dabura, the King of the Demon Realm," the Supreme Kai said, his face pale with worry.
Goku and Vegeta both looked at him strangely. In their previous lives, the Supreme Kai had been panicked by the mention of Dabura, but in this life, he seemed even more terrified of Dabura than he was of Majin Buu. It's just Dabura. He's not that big of a deal.
"Dabura's strength is still far below Majin Buu's, isn't it?" Goku asked with a smile.
"No. After all, he is the King of the Demon Realm," the Supreme Kai replied, shaking his head solemnly.
"Are you saying Dabura is stronger than Majin Buu?" Vegeta asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes... well, it's hard to say. It's possible he isn't as strong as Buu," the Supreme Kai admitted.
"Why the uncertainty?" Goku asked, puzzled.
"Whether Dabura is stronger than Majin Buu depends entirely on whether he has found the Third Eye of the Demon Realm," the Supreme Kai said, his fists tightening.
"The Third Eye?" Goku blinked. He had never heard of such a thing.
And he wasn't the only one—Vegeta had never heard of a "Third Eye" either. In his previous life, there was no mention of it.
"If Dabura manages to find the Third Eye of the Demon Realm, his power will far surpass that of Majin Buu!" the Supreme Kai declared.
"If he's stronger than Buu... then he really is a threat," Goku said thoughtfully, nodding.
"Talking about it won't solve anything. The most important thing right now is to find Majin Buu's seal!" Vegeta said, cutting to the chase.
"And that is exactly why I came to the World Martial Arts Tournament," the Supreme Kai nodded. "I've heard that we might find some clues here... Babidi is bound to send someone."
"And how exactly did you come by this information?" Vegeta asked.
"Old Kai heard it from Mr. Whis," the Supreme Kai answered.
"What? Whis?" Vegeta was stunned.
Even Whis is involved in this? This meant the situation was far more complex than they had imagined. In the past, Whis wouldn't have cared about something like this. Even during the Zamasu incident, he had only done a brief investigation. He had never actually intervened.
"Yes, it was Mr. Whis," the Supreme Kai confirmed.
"You mean the Mr. Whis who's always with Lord Beerus?" Goku asked, a hint of excitement in his voice.
Vegeta: "..."
What are you so excited about, you idiot?
"Did Whis say anything else?" Vegeta asked.
"He only said that the wizard Babidi would send people to the World Martial Arts Tournament and that we should keep a close eye out. He didn't say anything else," the Supreme Kai replied.
"If Whis says there's a problem at the tournament, then we'd better be careful," Vegeta said, nodding solemnly.
The others stood there in stunned silence, looking at Vegeta. Vegeta is actually being... obedient? He's actually listening to what this 'Whis' person said? That doesn't sound like Vegeta at all. It was clear that this "Whis" must be someone truly extraordinary.
"Then let's do as Vegeta says. We'll sign up for the tournament and take it one step at a time," Goku suggested. "We're bound to find something eventually."
"Goku is right. Let's go," the Supreme Kai agreed.
With the plan settled, the group headed toward the tournament arena. As they arrived, the referee immediately waved them over.
"Everyone! All contestants are here. We're about to draw lots to determine the matchups!" the referee said with a smile. "When your name is called, please come forward to draw your number!"
"Oh, gods! Please let me get through the first round without having to fight one of my friends!" Krillin prayed, his hands clasped together and his eyes shut tight.
"Isn't your 'god' just Dende?" Piccolo said, looking at Krillin with a look of utter disbelief. "Besides, the greatest Supreme Kai in the universe is standing right here."
Krillin: "..."
Great, now I can't even pray in peace. You're a real piece of work, Piccolo.
Goku looked around the arena, spotting many familiar faces. He also saw "Mighty Mask"—Trunks and Goten in their clumsy disguise. They're still doing that, huh? Dressing up as a masked man to enter the tournament.
Aside from them, Yamu and Spopovich were there, but they weren't under anyone's control. This is definitely different from my previous life.
"Vegeta, in your previous life, were those two under control?" Goku asked, turning to Vegeta once more.
"Kakarot, I've told you already—my previous life and yours were identical when it came to the Majin Buu incident. You don't need to keep asking me," Vegeta snapped, his face darkening.
"I just wanted to double-check," Goku laughed.
"Hmph," Vegeta snorted, turning away.
"Majin Buu has mutated, and now there's a version of Dabura who might have a 'Third Eye'..." Goku rubbed his head. "It looks like things are going to be a lot more complicated than we thought."
Vegeta remained silent.
"Maybe our reincarnation caused this world to change in major ways," Goku mused.
"What about that Broly fellow? Is he still on the Supreme Kai's world?" Vegeta asked, changing the subject.
"Yeah," Goku nodded.
"We should find a way to bring him to Earth. If we run into a problem we can't handle, he might be able to help," Vegeta said, his brow furrowing as his tone grew serious.
In truth, while Vegeta appeared outwardly composed, he had a bad feeling about all of this. If even a weakling like Cell could become so powerful, and Majin Buu's seal had mutated... it was only natural that Buu would be even stronger than Cell. Cell had achieved his power by absorbing Broly's cells, but Majin Buu shouldn't have had access to Broly's energy. Broly hadn't spent much time on Earth, only visiting briefly in the early days. Babidi probably wasn't on Earth back then, and even if he was, the energy he could have absorbed wouldn't have been that significant. Still, Vegeta was certain that Majin Buu would be stronger than Cell.
As for Dabura, the King of the Demon Realm, Vegeta wasn't too worried. Even with a "Third Eye," how much stronger could he really get? At most, he'd be around the level of the Majin Buu from his previous life—roughly on par with Kakarot's Super Saiyan 3.
Vegeta's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts when he suddenly heard the referee call his name.
"Vegeta, it's your turn. Go draw your number," Goku said, patting him on the shoulder.
Vegeta snapped out of his reverie and stepped forward to draw a number. He looked at the card and gave a smug grin, showing it to Goku.
Number 12!
It was exactly the same as in his previous life!
"Vegeta!" Son Goku said with a wide grin.
At the very least, the number on his card was identical to the one he had drawn before. In the end, it would still be him versus Vegeta in the first round.
"Goten! Our dads are actually facing each other in the first round! Who do you think is going to win?" Trunks asked, his face full of curiosity.
"My dad, obviously," Son Goten replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"You dummy, Goten! My dad is definitely going to win!" Trunks said, starting to get worked up. "He's been training like crazy all these years. He's definitely surpassed your dad by now!"
"Surpassed him? Let's see him surpass Uncle Broly first," Goten replied nonchalantly, a playful smile on his face.
"Uncle Broly? Who's that?" Trunks blinked, looking completely lost.
"Huh? Uncle Vegeta didn't tell you?" Goten asked, surprised.
"No... tell me what?" Trunks looked more confused than ever.
Goten was just about to explain when he heard someone calling for him.
"Mighty Mask! I've called your name several times now!" the referee shouted, waving toward them.
"Trunks, he's calling us. Let's go draw our number," Goten said hurriedly.
Trunks nodded, and the two of them went up to draw their card.
Before long, the drawing was complete for everyone. Goku quickly scanned the tournament bracket. Memories of a lifetime ago came flooding back. As he looked over the list, he realized it was almost identical to the one from his previous life.
He looked over at Krillin, who was excitedly rubbing his hands together. Just like before, Krillin was scheduled to be the first fighter in the ring, and his opponent was a massive, hulking man. A regular human, through and through. For Krillin, defeating him would be child's play.
"The matches are about to begin. I'll lead everyone to the waiting room," the referee said with a smile. "I'm sure you're all familiar with the rules: surrender, a ten-second count on the ground, falling out of the ring, or killing your opponent all result in a loss. Due to the number of matches, there is a thirty-minute time limit. If a winner hasn't been decided within thirty minutes, the referee will make the final call."
"Hmm, a time limit, huh?" Krillin muttered to himself.
"Hahaha! I only need ten seconds to finish you off!" Punta shouted, pointing a finger at Krillin's head with a boisterous laugh.
"Right... sure..." Krillin sighed, looking resigned.
Goku glanced around the room one last time, his eyes scanning the crowd for anyone who might be under Babidi's control. But even after a thorough search, he found nothing out of the ordinary. Where could Babidi be hiding his men? And Majin Buu's seal... its energy is completely hidden too. If I'd known it would be this much trouble, I should have just taken the seal myself from the start.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for waiting!" the referee announced into the microphone as he stepped onto the arena floor. "The World Martial Arts Tournament is about to begin!"
Inside a VIP lounge, Mr. Satan was lounging on a sofa, sipping milk tea. He turned to a staff member and asked nonchalantly, "The fifth match? Who's my opponent?"
"All we know is that it's a beautiful young woman," the staff member replied.
"A beautiful young woman!" Mr. Satan's face lit up with joy. My luck is absolutely incredible!
"The sixteen contestants who emerged from the preliminaries will compete in the following order!" the referee announced.
As he spoke, two staff members held up a large board displaying the matchups for the audience to see.
"For those of you in the back who might not be able to see, I'll read them aloud!" the referee said with a smile. "The first match will be Krillin versus Punta! The second match will be Shin versus..."
Bulma, Chi-Chi, and the others were in the stands, watching with excitement. Fortunately, the two women hadn't gotten into any arguments over their children's matches this time.
"That concludes the roster! Which of these fighters will claim the top spot?" the referee asked. "Time is short, so let's get right into the first match! Krillin versus Punta, please come to the ring!"
Krillin and Punta made their way from the backstage area toward the arena.
"Hehehe! You're in for it now, kid! You're unlucky enough to be facing me!" Punta shouted, swinging his massive fists near Krillin's head. The wind from his punches ruffled Krillin's hair. "Don't worry, as long as they get you to a hospital fast enough, you might actually live through this!"
Krillin ignored him completely.
"In his youth, Krillin was a standout performer in the World Martial Arts Tournament," the referee continued. "His opponent, Punta, is known for his brutality. In the last tournament, he reached the semifinals but was unfortunately defeated after falling out of the ring. Today, he returns with a vengeance, determined to take the championship!"
"Is Daddy really going to be okay against that big guy?" Krillin's daughter, Marron, asked with a hint of worry.
"Don't worry, he'll be fine," Master Roshi said with a smile. "Your father is arguably the strongest human on Earth right now."
By now, Krillin and Punta had stepped onto the ring. Punta was busy warming up, while Krillin stood there calmly.
"Wow! Punta has a massive physical advantage over his opponent, and he doesn't look like he plans on holding back. He's going all out from the start!" the referee commentated.
"You'd better believe it!" Punta chuckled, pointing at Krillin. "I'm going to show you that the World Martial Arts Tournament isn't a game. This isn't a place for runts like you!"
Krillin: "..."
Who are you calling a runt?
"Contestants, ready! Let the match begin!" the referee announced.
"Hehehehe!"
Punta let out a series of strange cries, performing several backflips in a row before leaping into the air and landing directly in front of Krillin.
Krillin blinked, looking confused. Are you a martial artist or a circus act?
"Did you see that? I might be big, but I'm as light as a feather!" Punta said, panting slightly. "Don't think for a second that you can run away from me."
"I got it. I won't run," Krillin sighed, looking thoroughly unimpressed.
"Hehehe! Why don't I show you just how much punishment I can take?" Punta said, puffing out his chest and stomach as he looked down at Krillin with a smug grin. "Go ahead, give me your best shot! Don't hold back!"
"Well, that's a first. If you insist, I won't hold back," Krillin said. He delivered a single punch that sank deep into Punta's stomach.
Punta's expression froze instantly, his face contorting in a spasm of pain. Krillin wasn't finished yet; he delivered several sharp slaps to Punta's face for good measure.
THWACK!
Krillin finished it with a flying kick that sent Punta sailing out of the ring. The big man was out cold before he even hit the ground.
"Ring out! The winner is Krillin!" the referee announced.
The arena fell into a stunned silence. The spectators stared with wide eyes, their faces filled with shock. How is this guy so strong?
Krillin raised his fist, feeling a bit embarrassed. Did I overdo it? I feel like I was just bullying the guy.
The referee, however, was thrilled. That's the Krillin I remember! This is the kind of World Martial Arts Tournament I've been waiting for!
"And now, let's move on to the second match!" the referee said with a smile. "Shin versus Ma Junior!"
"Lord Supreme Kai, shall we?" Piccolo said with a smirk.
The Supreme Kai: "..."
The two of them stepped onto the ring together.
"Shin is a first-time contestant in the World Martial Arts Tournament," the referee introduced. "His opponent, Ma Junior, is a former runner-up who put on an incredible performance in a previous tournament. His strength is truly remarkable—I still remember it vividly to this day."
As he spoke, Piccolo walked past the referee.
"Please try not to destroy the arena this time," the referee whispered.
When the crowd saw Piccolo, their eyes widened as they recognized him.
"Isn't that the guy from the Cell Games?"
"Yeah, I saw him on TV too!"
The spectators began whispering among themselves as they watched the two fighters take their positions.
To be continued…
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