Chapter 43: The Truth Behind Interdimensional Travel
Inside one of the ancient, classically styled buildings on the Planet of the Gods of Destruction…
At this moment, Tachibana Kyūjō was sitting cross-legged atop a meditation cushion. He remained silent within the stillness, carefully contemplating the path toward true Ultra Instinct—a profound concept that could only be grasped through complete inner enlightenment.
Up to now, Kyūjō had come to understand three types of advanced Instinct. In his view, these were the three highest forms of a being's spiritual state.
This was the main reason why so few beings were capable of mastering more than one Ultra State—because each form demanded absolute sincerity and total devotion of the heart and mind.
Each of these extreme inner states would awaken a unique form of energy from within an individual.
More precisely, every one of these conditions was capable of guiding a person's soul toward enlightenment and evolution at a higher level.
Take, for example, the Ultra Instinct of the Angels. This type did not focus on physical power alone. Rather, it was a state of mind that was completely liberated—a form of pure spiritual freedom, where nothing in the mortal world could bind their hearts or thoughts.
To Tachibana Kyūjō, it felt strikingly similar to an ancient concept once known as the "Supreme Erasure of Emotion."
What was the "Supreme Erasure of Emotion"?
It was a condition in which one had transcended worldly emotions—able to love, and yet able to let go of that love at the same time.
No longer affected by emotional turbulence, unmoved by joy or sorrow, and no longer bound by objects or relationships. In this state, the soul attained absolute freedom—untouched by feeling or material existence.
But… if such a condition were to develop without limits, could the final result be a complete transformation into something resembling "the cosmic order itself"?
Just like the Angels in the world of Dragon Ball—sacred beings who could only exist by obeying cosmic laws. The moment they violated those laws, the price they paid was… absolute destruction.
Why would they be destroyed?
Could it be… because Angels were, in truth, the final result of Ultra Instinct's evolution itself?
If that were the case, then everything made sense. After all, they were the direct embodiments of the universe's principles and order.
So if an Angel were to violate the cosmic order, wouldn't that mean they were rejecting their own existence?
As he pondered this, Tachibana Kyūjō slowly shook his head.
To be honest, he didn't truly know what Angels really were. All of this was merely his own speculation. Perhaps only the Grand Priest and Lord Zeno knew the true answer.
— — —
Meanwhile, the Ultra Ego of the Gods of Destruction was its complete opposite—an extreme mental state centered solely on the "self," where the entire universe was viewed as nothing more than an extension of one's own will.
Everything was done according to one's desires, without fear or regret.
As for the Natural Instinct of the Supreme Kai, although Kyūjō had an initial hypothesis about it, he still could not reach that state of mind.
There was something undefined within that sense of peace—something he had yet to fully comprehend.
Frankly speaking, for even a single being to master just one of these three extreme conditions was already an extraordinarily difficult feat.
Yet he himself… had mastered two.
Tachibana Kyūjō suspected that this might be related to his experiences as someone who had traversed multiple worlds.
After living life after life, crossing countless dimensions and passing through what felt like endless time, his spiritual growth and inner development had already surpassed the limits of what ordinary beings could comprehend.
Who else could possibly possess experiences like his?
Even the gods of this universe might not be able to match the depth of his mind or the sharpness of his awareness.
However, just as Kyūjō was deeply immersed in contemplation over the principles of Instinct, suddenly, the Supreme Kai's planet—peaceful for tens of thousands of years—began to tremble violently, as though reality itself were shaking!
Kyūjō immediately furrowed his brows. In an instant, he activated his Infinity Perception.
And at that very moment, a shocking vision formed within his mind…
Near the Planet of the Gods of Destruction, which had originally floated amid the empty starry void, a planet suddenly appeared, radiating a blinding yellow light.
At the center of its surface, five blazing red stars were clearly engraved in magnificent fashion.
"This is… a Super Dragon Ball?!"
Without wasting a second, Tachibana Kyūjō instantly appeared near the massive sphere, standing beside Whis the Angel and Beerus the God of Destruction.
"Whis-san, what is this?" Kyūjō asked, even though he already had a good idea of the answer.
Still, he asked anyway, feigning ignorance as his gaze fell upon the Angel's staff—the very tool that had just been used to move the enormous sphere to this location.
Hearing his question, Whis simply smiled faintly and explained in a calm tone:
"That is a Super Dragon Ball. It was created by the Dragon God Zalama in the forty-first year of the divine calendar. Each ball has a diameter of 37,196.2204 kilometers. In total, there are seven of them."
"If all seven balls are gathered, and one calls upon them in the language of the gods, saying, 'Come forth, Dragon God! Please grant my wish!'—then Zalama himself will appear and grant a single wish, no matter what it may be."
"However, what makes them unique is that from the past until now, all seven Super Dragon Balls have only ever been scattered between Universe 6 and Universe 7. And this five-star ball was just discovered by chance by Lord Beerus within our territory—Universe 7."
Kyūjō nodded lightly, then slowly descended toward the surface of the massive sphere, his curiosity steadily rising.
But the very moment both of his feet touched the surface of the ball—
His expression changed drastically!
"There's… a reaction?!"
Deep within his soul, the mysterious sword that had long been sealed in golden light—the sword that had guided him through reincarnation after reincarnation, from world to world—began to tremble violently!
In the blink of an eye, Kyūjō's consciousness was violently pulled into a world completely filled with golden radiance.
And there, directly above him, appeared a colossal golden dragon, its massive body stretching across the stars themselves.
This was the Dragon God—Zalama.
— — —
"My child… my successor… it has been such a long and exhausting journey…"
"At last, I have been waiting for your arrival!"
Tachibana Kyūjō looked up, staring at the gigantic golden dragon speaking to him. For a brief moment, his mind fell into utter chaos.
What… did he just hear?
This dragon… was the Dragon God Zalama from the world of Dragon Ball?
And it had called him… its child?
It had been waiting for him?
What did any of this mean?
Perhaps sensing Kyūjō's confusion, Dragon God Zalama opened his mouth and slowly began to recount a story buried for tens of thousands of years—a story of himself and Zeno in the distant past…
At the dawn of the great Dragon Ball world, there existed two entities with power on the level of creator gods. They were Zeno and the Dragon God Zalama.
In the early days, their relationship was harmonious. However, as life continued to grow and spread throughout the world, differences in their views gradually emerged.
Grand Zeno believed that if the population of life were left unchecked, it would eventually become a burden on the world itself.
Thus, he proposed creating smaller universes, each governed and managed by specific gods, in order to maintain stability across existence.
Zalama, however, did not agree. To him, the great Dragon Ball world had its own destiny, and the gods should not interfere with the growth and evolution of other living beings.
This difference in principles slowly ignited conflict between them…
From Kyūjō's perspective, there was no true "villain" between the two.
This clash was merely the result of two grand ideologies standing in opposition—and when both were born into the same world with equal power, such conflict was inevitable.
Dragon God Zalama and Grand Zeno stood at the same level of strength. Both were beings who, from the very beginning, had comprehended the three highest forms of Instinct and fused them into divine power within their bodies.
Grand Zeno mastered:
Natural Instinct – Creation
Ultra Ego – Destruction
Ultra Instinct – Order
Meanwhile, Dragon God Zalama also mastered two of them—Ultra Ego and Ultra Instinct—but the third form he possessed was not Natural Instinct.
Instead, it was—
Freedom Instinct—the Power of Hope.
It was this utterly unreasonable power that made the creation of miraculous objects like the Dragon Balls possible.
Unfortunately, the battle between Dragon God Zalama and Grand Zeno ended in Zalama's defeat.
Although Grand Zeno paid a heavy price in that battle, he ultimately succeeded in killing Dragon God Zalama.
But… before Zalama drew his final breath, he activated a power so unique that even Grand Zeno had never known of its existence: Freedom Instinct—the Power of Hope.
With that power, he created the seven Super Dragon Balls.
After that, the remaining power of Hope within Zalama's body was sent to a world completely unknown to Grand Zeno.
That world was… Earth—the place where Tachibana Kyūjō was born!
To guide his successor—Tachibana Kyūjō—so that one day he could return to the great Dragon Ball world and inherit his power, Zalama used the Power of Hope to spread stories of the future of the Dragon Ball world, as well as many other worlds, to Earth.
Those stories were delivered in the form of animation, novels, and various other media…
In other words, every world Kyūjō had experienced… truly existed!
(Author's note: Friends, anime is real. To be honest, I come from Nebula M78, and my true identity is an Ultraman warrior who failed the final exam…)
Yet after hearing Zalama's explanation, Kyūjō felt even more confused.
After thinking for a moment, he voiced his doubts.
"So… according to you, it's this Power of Hope that carried me across different worlds? But then why does that power take the form of… an ancient sword from Chi—uh, I mean, from a foreign culture? It doesn't really match the style of the Dragon Ball world…"
Dragon God Zalama let out a soft laugh upon hearing Kyūjō's question.
"Fool… what do you think 'hope' should look like?"
"Hope will always take a form that matches the desire of its owner's heart."
"So if you wish for it to be a sword… then it will appear as a sword."
Kyūjō fell silent.
Zalama continued, "My child, my time is limited. If you truly wish to master Freedom Instinct—the Power of Hope—then what you must do is gather all seven Super Dragon Balls and pass the trials within each one."
"I believe… you will find your answer."
But even before Zalama could finish speaking, Kyūjō raised his head and said:
"Dragon God Zalama… so your goal in making me your successor was simply so I could… take revenge on Grand Zeno?"
"If that's what you want… then I'm sorry. I refuse."
Upon hearing those words, the colossal golden dragon stretching across the stars merely chuckled softly.
"Haha… there's no need."
"There is no hatred between Grand Zeno and me. Only a difference in principles. I lost."
"But I must give you one warning—if you continue to exist in this world, sooner or later, the two of you will inevitably meet in battle."
"Grand Zeno has yet to notice your existence… because after killing me back then, he was gravely injured and nearly erased himself."
"To preserve his existence, he used the power of creation to give birth to a new body. When that body reaches its final stage… the true Grand Zeno will return."
"The time you have is not much."
"If, before he returns, you have not mastered Freedom Instinct, then when that day comes… you will not be able to resist him in the slightest."
"And remember, the remaining Power of Hope within you right now… is not enough to let you escape to another world."
"So now… will you gamble on the mercy of Grand Zeno? Or will you choose to face my trial… and rise completely?"
The moment those words were spoken, a massive golden gate—over ten meters tall, with dragon carvings running along both sides—appeared before Kyūjō's eyes.
Zalama continued, "My trial lies beyond this door. The choice is yours."
"If you wish to leave this Super Dragon Ball, simply activate either the power of the God of Destruction or the power of Order within your body. The ball will automatically reject you."
After that, the body of Dragon God Zalama slowly began to fade, and in an instant, his figure vanished completely.
All that remained… was the gate.
Tachibana Kyūjō stared at the door for a long time.
But after a moment of thought, he did not open it right away. Instead, he slowly focused the power of the God of Destruction within his body.
In the next instant, his body reappeared on the surface of the Super Dragon Ball.
— — —
"Kyūjō, where did you go just now? Why did your aura suddenly disappear from my perception radar?" Whis, Beerus's attendant Angel, asked with a puzzled expression.
Seeing Whis and Beerus standing before him, Kyūjō simply gave a small smile and lied casually.
"I was… testing a new technique to conceal my energy. Even you couldn't detect it, Whis-san? Wow, looks like the technique worked pretty well, hahaha…"
Whis's interest was immediately piqued. "Oh my, that technique sounds fascinating! Could you teach it to me?"
"Uh…" Kyūjō scratched his head awkwardly. "It's still not perfected yet. Once it's fully refined, I'll definitely teach it to you, Whis-san…"
Meanwhile, Beerus merely crossed his arms and looked at them coldly.
"A technique like that is useless."
"Whis, what do you think… if I make a wish using the Super Dragon Balls… is it possible for me to master a Second Instinct?"
Whis pondered for a moment before answering, "It might be possible… After all, the creator of the Super Dragon Balls is no ordinary being—it's the legendary Dragon God Zalama!"
On the other hand, Tachibana Kyūjō could only sigh inwardly.
'Lord Beerus… if that's your wish, I'm afraid not even Dragon God Zalama would be able to grant it…'
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