"Supreme Kais, you bastards of the Tenth Universe — I'll kill every last one of you!"
The exact reason they had been locked in this death struggle had long since been forgotten. Years upon years of bloody war had pushed the hatred between both sides to its absolute peak. Dabura had built his name over countless battles, but this was his ceiling — there was nowhere left to climb. Faced with the ever-intensifying pressure of Zamasu, he could do nothing but rage inside the hollow emptiness of his palace.
His sister Towa, seeing that the war was turning against them, had vanished somewhere recently — leaving him to stew alone in his fury.
How had he — the great and mighty Demon Realm King — fallen to such a wretched state?
"Because you are in need of power, Lord Demon Realm King." A small, slight figure stepped out from the shadows.
Dabura looked over, a faint trace of recognition flickering across his face. "You're that... son of the Wizard Bibidi?"
The slight figure smiled and nodded. "Indeed, most respected Lord Demon Realm King. I am your loyal servant — son of the Wizard Bibidi, the Wizard Babidi."
Dabura was not only a warrior of immense physical power; he was equally well-versed in the dark arts. As he sized up Babidi, his assessment was swift: the wizard's magical ability was passable enough, but his body was pitifully frail. A creature like this — one good exhale and he could kill him where he stood.
He leaned back in his seat with the casual arrogance of a man who owned the room. "You say you can help me? You mean to use your magic against those fools from the Tenth Universe? How exactly do you plan to do that?"
"Your most humble servant Babidi possesses one spell that is, shall we say, reasonably effective," Babidi replied with a smile. "I can draw out every last drop of your latent potential. Once that is done, you will be more than capable of defeating those insufferable Supreme Kais."
Dabura regarded the small figure with curiosity. "You believe I still have untapped potential? I have fought through countless battles and ordeals. By this point..."
"Yes, most respected Demon Realm King," Babidi said, his tone reverential to the extreme. "In my eyes, your potential dwarfs even the greatest Pillars of Baiwosu — the most magnificent landmarks of the Demon Realm."
The gaunt little wizard adopted the air of a dying candle guttering in the wind. "Your dominion should not be confined to this small and narrow Demon Realm. It should be a far vaster world — a far grander empire... Please, allow me to contribute my most insignificant strength to the glory of your conquest!"
Dabura weighed it carefully. Babidi was genuinely weak — so weak that he posed no perceptible threat whatsoever. Meanwhile, Zamasu's relentless pressure had been leaving him increasingly off-balance, caught between advancing and retreating.
"If I feel no improvement," he said in a low, measured voice, "I will turn you to stone."
Babidi bowed and scraped frantically. "Yes, yes! Please have no worries, please have no worries — there will absolutely be improvement..."
...
Ino was actively preparing for the Supreme Kai of Time competition three years down the line, but she hadn't abandoned her current responsibilities either.
It was the old strategy: ride the donkey while searching for a horse. If the horse never materialized, she could always climb back on the donkey and keep going.
Her true self was training in the Sixth Universe. Back at the West Kai's Planet, she had left behind a Time Clone, which continued carrying out the duties of the Supreme Kai in her place.
As for raising the universe's Civilization Index — she genuinely had no idea how to push it any further. There was no helping it; Grand Zeno's requirements had already exceeded the upper limit of her comprehension. Going from second-to-last all the way up to fifth from the top — she felt she had more than done right by her superiors and by the people at every level.
For now, it was simply a matter of holding the line. Or, as the saying went: ring the bell for as long as you're a monk.
On this particular day, the Time Clone was going about its usual routine, handling administrative affairs at the West Kai's Planet, when Supreme Kai Shin and Kibito suddenly came looking for her.
With a single thought, her true self and the clone swapped places.
"Ino, something's happened." The moment Shin opened his mouth, combined with the look of barely-contained panic on his face, it was immediately clear this was no small matter.
"I've received word from the Tenth Universe. It turns out the Wizard Bibidi had an evil son — a wizard named Babidi! The Tenth Universe established several forward operating bases in the Demon Realm, and now rumors are coming in from that direction. Apparently, Babidi has gathered a large group of wicked followers and is preparing to break the seal and release Majin Buu."
The dark history of the Seventh Universe's Supreme Kai being absorbed by Majin Buu was no secret at the Supreme Kai level. The Tenth Universe had caught wind of certain intelligence and passed it along — clearly hoping to share the burden.
Zamasu was simply intolerant of evil — he wasn't stupid.
Ino frowned. Majin Buu... should she take care of this nuisance while she had the chance?
"What is your thinking on this, Lord Supreme Kai?"
"We must go to the Demon Realm," Shin said, "eliminate Babidi, and absolutely prevent him from awakening Majin Buu."
Ino shot a meaningful glance at Kibito, then spoke. "The Demon Realm is extremely dangerous right now. I'd like to think I have at least some means of protecting myself — why don't the two of you wait for me in the Sacred World of the Kai while I go and take a look? How does that sound?"
Kibito nodded vigorously. Thanks to Zamasu, the Demon Realm currently harbored a bone-deep hatred for anything related to the Supreme Kais. And as divine beings, they couldn't simply disguise themselves and sneak in — their dignity wouldn't allow it. The best option was simply: don't go.
"Yes, yes, exactly — Lord Supreme Kai, let Ino go have a look. She's incredibly strong; even if she runs into danger, she can make it out in one piece..."
He stopped just short of saying outright: the two of us are Mouth Release specialists — let's not go and make things worse!
Shin was torn. He desperately wanted to deal with Babidi himself, yet at the same time he was genuinely afraid of following in the footsteps of the Grand Supreme Kai and the South Supreme Kai. The shadow left by those events weighed on him too heavily.
After going back and forth multiple times, he finally looked at Ino with solemn sincerity. "Then I'll leave it to you."
Ino gave a grave nod. Before the competition for Supreme Kai of Time, she would do one last thing for the Seventh Universe — for Shin. After that, her work here would be done.
"Wait for my news."
She set off for the Demon Realm alone.
Shin and Kibito returned to the Sacred World of the Kai. Shin was so agitated he couldn't sit still — the sight of it was making even Kibito's head spin. All he could do was rack his brain for words of comfort. "Ino is incredibly strong, and she's smart. She isn't going up against Majin Buu directly — just dealing with the Demon Realm King and a wizard. She'll be fine."
Shin was quiet for a moment. "You're right. Let's wait quietly..."
...
Earth.
The 25th World Martial Arts Tournament officially opened.
Son Goku had defeated Piccolo Jr. at the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament roughly twenty years ago, claiming the championship that year. The event's organizing committee had been so thoroughly shaken by those fighters' battle power readings — over two hundred — that the tournament, normally held every three years, had been pushed back for a full twelve years. Only when the terror had faded did they timidly hold the 24th World Martial Arts Tournament, which Mr. Satan had won.
Another seven years had passed since then, bringing them to the present 25th World Martial Arts Tournament.
Goku and his companions had grown restless from the long peace. The war in the Demon Realm felt impossibly distant from where they stood. After Bojack, no powerful enemy had appeared on Earth. So the group had made a pact — they would all enter the tournament together, treating it as a long-overdue team outing.
The early rounds went smoothly enough. Son Goku, Vegeta, Son Gohan, and Piccolo all dispatched their respective opponents without much trouble. But in the round of sixteen, Son Goku found himself facing someone entirely out of the ordinary.
"So you're Son Goku? Truly an exceptional aura you carry." The Apprentice Supreme Kai of the Tenth Universe, Zamasu, stepped forward.
____
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