Kale had to admit it herself—she'd grown up. As she got older, her nerves steadied, and the timid girl she used to be was long gone.
Jiren slowly opened his eyes. The moment he got a clear look at who was standing there, his brow creased.
"Where did this little girl come from?" he said, voice flat and cold.
Kale flashed a grin. "Hmph. I'm here to challenge you."
Jiren let out a long, tired sigh.
Being branded the strongest in the universe was a nuisance. People showed up to test him all the time—half of them weren't even worth looking at.
"You're not my opponent," he said. "Go home."
"Then I won't hold back!" Kale's aura surged as power erupted from her body.
Jiren's eyes narrowed slightly. He hadn't expected that.
Not bad. For a kid, her energy was unusually strong—almost brushing up against Dyspo's normal level.
"Impressive," Jiren said, giving her an honest assessment. "That's a lot of power for your age."
Kale didn't waste another word. With a shout, she launched herself straight at him and drove a heavy punch toward his face.
Jiren lifted a single finger.
Her fist slammed into his index finger with a sharp crack—and that was it. No follow-up. No movement. Nothing.
"Your energy is high," Jiren said with a faint, amused smile, "but compared to me, you're still nowhere close. Go back. Go find your mom. I don't bully children."
Kale's eyes widened. She froze, stunned.
So this is the Supreme Kai Merus-nii-san talked about?
He's absurdly strong. Even in my normal state, I can't hurt him at all.
She sprang backward in one quick hop, putting distance between them.
"I'm not even using my real strength yet," Kale said, staring him down. "Next, I'm getting serious. Don't blame me if you get hurt."
Jiren's brow twitched. "You're still going?"
Kale's hesitation vanished. Yellow-green light burst from her, swelling in an instant.
Legendary Super Saiyan—activate!
The moment Jiren saw that color, his expression hardened.
"You…" He stared at her warily. "What's your connection to Broly?"
His eyes flicked around the area, searching for someone else.
Ken never plays fair. Who knows what he dragged here this time to mess with me?
He forced himself to stay alert.
"I don't know him," Kale said, deliberately casual.
She knew what she was doing. If she admitted it, Jiren might start holding back. She wanted a real fight first.
Jiren studied her more closely. "No… your transformation isn't the same as his."
Kale kept quiet.
Of course it's different. I'm a girl. If the color's a little lighter, it looks better… right?
"Your presence is similar," Jiren said, eyes fixed on her aura, "but his is a deep green. Yours is yellow-green."
"Enough talk—take this!" Kale shot forward again.
As she moved, she pushed her power higher and higher until it hit its limit. Then she drove a brutal punch into Jiren's guard.
Once again, Jiren raised a single finger and caught it.
The instant her knuckles met his finger, Kale's face tightened.
So strong.
How is he this strong? He stopped it with one finger again?
"That's all?" Jiren said with a light chuckle. "You have a shadow of Broly's old self, but you're still far behind him."
He snapped his leg out.
The kick landed squarely.
Kale's eyes bulged as she let out a pained cry, her body rocketing backward. She tore straight through a mountain behind her, bursting out the other side in a spray of stone.
Bier couldn't watch any longer. She dove from the sky, appeared in Kale's path, and caught her gently mid-flight.
Merus had been about to intervene too, but once he saw Bier go in, he stayed where he was.
He stared at Jiren, speechless for a moment.
You almost killed her.
With a helpless sigh, Merus descended and landed beside Jiren.
Bier lifted her staff and healed Kale on the spot. In an instant, Kale's injuries vanished as if they'd never existed.
"All better," Bier said with a warm smile.
Kale flexed her hands, feeling her body return to normal, then bowed her head quickly. "Thank you, Bier-nee."
"Next time you face someone that strong," Bier said gently, "don't charge in blindly."
"I didn't think he'd be that ridiculous…" Kale scratched the side of her head. "Merus-nii said Gods of Destruction are stronger than Supreme Kais… so why is the Supreme Kai he found this strong?"
Bier didn't answer.
Have you considered that you're just weak right now?
She kept that to herself. There was no point crushing the girl any further.
"Come on," Bier said, waving her over. "Let's go."
Merus was already standing with Jiren. Jiren took one look at him, recognized him, and immediately stepped forward to bow.
"Merus-sama," Jiren said.
"It's been a while," Merus replied with a smile. "I came to check on you."
Jiren's gaze sharpened. "That girl just now… was she brought by you, Merus-sama?"
"Yes," Merus said plainly. "Her name is Kale. I brought her here. And you hit way too hard—you nearly killed her."
"I knew exactly what I was doing," Jiren said, voice turning icy. "That hit wouldn't kill her. It would cripple her."
Merus blinked, genuinely thrown off. He studied Jiren, not understanding why he'd choose to go that far.
Jiren exhaled, frustrated. "Lately, too many people in our universe have learned I'm considered the strongest. They keep challenging me. If they're strong, fine—I welcome it. But most of them are pathetic. They waste my time."
Merus didn't even know what to say.
He shifted the topic. "I came for two reasons. First, I wanted you to meet the new God of Destruction I've taken in. Second, I want to bring you to other universes so you can broaden your horizons."
"Other universes?" Jiren paused.
"Right," Merus said, nodding.
Jiren's eyes narrowed. "Wait. You said 'new God of Destruction'… Don't tell me you mean that girl was the one you recruited."
"That's exactly what I mean," Merus said. "Kale."
Jiren went silent.
She's… far too weak.
"I know she's nowhere near ready," Merus continued, "but she's a Legendary Super Saiyan—one of the rare prodigies of Broly's generation."
In Merus's eyes, the proof was already there. Broly had grown into the Great God of Destruction. That kind of growth potential was hard to imagine.
Even if Kale didn't match Broly's talent, if she followed his path—step by step—then even if she never reached his height, she could still become a powerful God of Destruction in her own right. Most Gods of Destruction took thousands, even tens of thousands, of years to reach their current level.
Raising one in under a hundred years was brutally difficult.
Then again… Broly did it in under thirty.
Merus already understood the pattern behind Broly's rise. If he applied the same approach to Kale, it should work.
All he needed was the right trigger—something that would push her into true fury.
And Merus had already found it.
He would "disappear."
Ken's disappearance had pushed Broly into Legendary Super Saiyan Two.
If I vanish too, Kale should be able to reach Legendary Super Saiyan Two as well.
The thought made Merus almost giddy.
Just then, Bier arrived with Kale.
"You really went overboard," Bier said, still annoyed as she looked at Jiren.
Jiren's eyes flicked to her, tense.
Another angel.
Merus stepped in before it turned into anything. "Let me introduce her properly. This is my younger sister, Bier."
Jiren immediately bowed again. "Bier-sama."
"Yeah, yeah," Bier said, waving it off. "Whatever."
Kale's confidence had been hard-earned, and Jiren had crushed it with one punch. Now she hid behind Bier, avoiding Jiren's eyes entirely.
Jiren glanced at her, said nothing, and looked away.
Is that really a God of Destruction's successor?
How long would it take her to reach Broly's level?
Jiren didn't think much of her prospects.
"Merus-sama," he asked, "which universe are we going to next?"
"Let's visit Universe 6," Merus said with a smile. "We can also exchange notes with the God of Destruction and Supreme Kai on Ken's side. In ten years, your evaluation begins—so it's good to start interacting now."
"Understood," Jiren said, nodding. He didn't object—in fact, he looked forward to it. He was especially curious about the man named Goku.
Merus had said Goku was originally meant to train to become an angel, but something went wrong along the way and he ended up on a different path.
If that's true, I shouldn't lose to him in martial arts.
It was worth seeing how far Goku had come.
"Then let's move out," Merus said, preparing to leave immediately.
But right as they were about to depart, a purple-red streak of light tore across the sky from the distance.
"Jiren!"
A heartbeat later, Toppo arrived in that same purple-red blaze and stopped beside him. When he noticed Merus and the others, he hesitated, surprised.
"Toppo," Jiren said calmly, "what is it?"
"Jiren… Guro Star is in trouble," Toppo said, voice low. "The ruler there is extremely powerful. The Pride Troopers are struggling to contain it—Dyspo almost got killed."
Jiren's brow tightened. He immediately looked to Merus.
"Then handle Guro Star first," Merus said without hesitation. "There's no harm in leaving afterward. And Kale can go with you to help."
"Yes," Jiren said, and signaled Toppo to move.
Universe 6, Earth.
Cell flew fast through the sky, cutting over the ocean in a straight line. After a while, he stopped midair, hovering.
"Based on Android 21 and Android 16's speed, I should've caught them by now," he muttered, eyes dropping to the small islands below. "They must be hiding on one of these."
He inhaled deeply.
His chest swelled—then he shouted, voice booming across the sea. "Android 21! Listen up! Get out here right now! If you don't, I'll wipe these islands off the map one by one! I'm not bluffing! You think destroying you means I can't complete my body? Don't forget there's still Android 18—"
He didn't finish.
The moment he said "Android 18," he doubled over and vomited again—loudly, violently.
It was the kind of sound that made your skin crawl, like someone retching on a curb in the dead of night and echoing it down the whole street.
On an island below, Android 21's face twisted as she looked up at him, mind racing—and coming up empty.
"People really do bring disaster on themselves," she said grimly. "How ridiculous… I created him. And now I'm about to be absorbed into him—turned into part of his body. Can you believe that?"
"Don't blame yourself, Android 21," Android 16 said quietly. "You gave me life. Without you, I wouldn't exist."
"I'll fix you," Android 21 said, staring at the chunk missing from his head with clear pain in her eyes. "I won't let anything happen to you. Not this time. I'm not leaving you behind again."
Android 16 went still, confused.
A short silence.
"Was there… some special reason you made me?" he asked at last.
Android 21 froze.
"Tell me," Android 16 said, his expression strange. "I noticed it a while ago. You keep watching me when you think I'm not looking."
"It's nothing like that," Android 21 said quickly. "I made you to kill Son Goku. To get revenge for the Red Ribbon Army."
Android 16 didn't argue, but he could tell she was hiding something.
Above them, Cell wiped his mouth and shouted again, furious. "Get out here! Now! Android 21!"
He scanned, but still couldn't find her.
What a pain. That worthless woman.
"Fine," Cell snarled. "I'll start with that island."
He aimed at one of the islands and extended his green hand. An energy blast formed and fired.
To the people on that island, it felt like a sun had fallen from the sky.
A moment later, the island vanished.
"Not there," Cell sneered. "On to the next. Are you still not coming out? You'll die with whatever island you're hiding on."
"That bastard…" Android 21's brows drew tight.
"Does he really have no weakness?" Android 16 asked.
"Even if he did," Android 21 said, shaking her head, "the computer would've repaired it by now."
Android 16 frowned. "What you said earlier—about the Legendary Super Saiyan—was that true?"
"It's true," Android 21 said, lowering her eyes.
Android 16's shock was immediate.
Cell was already terrifyingly strong. If he absorbed cells from someone like a Legendary Super Saiyan… what would he become?
"If he really absorbs those cells," Android 21 said in a hard voice, "then in this universe, no one will be able to stop him."
"Then why tell him?" Android 16 asked, unable to understand.
"If I didn't," Android 21 said, "he might not have spared us at all."
"You told him," Android 16 said, "and he still didn't spare us."
Android 21 clenched her jaw. "If there's even a sliver of a chance you can live, I'll take it."
Android 16 watched her for a moment, then asked quietly, "Am I… based on someone close to you?"
Android 21 stiffened. She shook her head far too fast and forced a laugh. "No. No, don't be ridiculous."
Android 16 fell silent.
Android 21 hurried to drag the conversation back. "Besides, even telling him about Legendary Super Saiyan cells won't change anything. Dr. Gero and I researched for years—we never found where those cells were."
"I've never heard of them either," Android 16 said with a small nod.
Their voices were drowned out by explosions. Cell destroyed two more islands in rapid succession, the blasts rolling like thunder.
"He's close," Android 21 said, her face paling. "We're not getting out of this."
Android 16's expression tightened. "Don't worry about me. Leave. Hide under the sea."
Android 21 didn't answer.
Cell extended his arm, aiming at their island from a distance.
Both androids went rigid.
Then—at the last second—a figure tore in from afar and stopped beside Cell.
Vegeta.
Cell blinked, startled. "You're… Vegeta?"
"You're Cell," Vegeta said with a snort, the corner of his mouth lifting. "Let's go down."
They descended and landed on the island right in front of Android 21 and Android 16.
Android 21 could only stare, completely thrown.
Android 16 fell silent too.
What is Vegeta doing?
Cell's grin sharpened. "Vegeta, what are you doing here? Did you come to say something stupid like you're going to defeat me?"
"I'm not just going to beat you," Vegeta said, lifting his fist. "I'm going to crush you until there's nothing left."
Cell laughed—genuinely entertained. "You?"
"My cells being used by an ugly freak like you makes me sick," Vegeta said coldly. "I'm going to enjoy tearing you apart."
Android 21 shook her head in disbelief. "He couldn't even beat me, and now he's challenging Cell? Has he completely lost it? He's still the same arrogant idiot… but he's distracting Cell. That's our chance. Once they start fighting, we run."
"Wait," Android 16 said, calm but focused. "We leave after the fight begins. But… something's off. Vegeta's energy has risen a lot."
"It's only been two or three days," Android 21 said, still unconvinced. "There's no way he climbed that much so fast. When he fought me, he wasn't holding back."
Vegeta's aura surged as he smiled faintly. "Watch closely, Cell. That smug laugh is about to disappear."
The Lookout.
Piccolo guided Gohan into the strange chamber.
"It's all white… my body feels heavy… and it's hot in a suffocating way," Gohan said, looking around in awe.
"Once the door closes," Piccolo explained, "the outside world is cut off. You can't sense Vegeta or Cell anymore, can you?"
"No," Gohan said, nodding.
Piccolo pointed. "Bathroom and toilet over there. Food storage over there. I only need water—eat whatever you want."
Gohan nodded again.
Then they stepped outside.
Gohan stopped dead, eyes wide. "Wait… what is this? How is it this huge outside? It's endless—white ground, white sky. Nothing but white."
"Your father stayed here for a little over a month once," Piccolo said with a small laugh. "He nearly went insane. This place is as vast as Earth. Be careful—if you go too far, you'll only find your way back by sensing my energy."
"Got it," Gohan said seriously.
"The temperature swings from 50 degrees down to minus 40," Piccolo continued. "The air is only a quarter as dense as on Earth, and gravity is ten times heavier."
Gohan swallowed hard, sweat already forming. "We're training in here for a year…?"
"Gohan," Piccolo said, his tone turning firm, "your first goal is to become a Super Saiyan."
"Me?" Gohan blinked. "Can I even do that?"
"You can," Piccolo said, his voice gentler. "You have Saiyan blood. You'll get there."
"Trunks said I became a Super Saiyan in his future," Gohan murmured, "but then the androids killed me."
"Our future isn't his future anymore," Piccolo said. "Goku still hasn't come back, and no one knows what's coming next. But with Goku's ability, I doubt things will end the same way. The time machine might've malfunctioned—maybe he'll return later than expected."
Gohan nodded. "Yeah… maybe."
"Let's begin," Piccolo said. "Try it. Become a Super Saiyan."
"I'll try!" Gohan said.
He braced himself and screamed, his whole body trembling with strain.
And then… nothing happened.
"To become a Super Saiyan, you need a trigger," Piccolo said, correcting him. "Anger. You have to learn how to get angry."
"But I can't," Gohan said, shaking his head.
Piccolo's eyes narrowed in thought. "Then imagine it. Picture Cell killing me… or your father."
The images hit Gohan instantly—Cell murdering his dad, and Piccolo… pierced clean through the chest by an energy blast from Cell's hand.
Gohan's face twisted as rage surged up from somewhere deep.
He screamed again—hair lifting, power flaring—so close he was almost there.
"That's it!" Piccolo shouted, excited. "That's real progress! Keep going! You can do it, Gohan! Become a Super Saiyan—become the strongest warrior!"
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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