With the departure of Gran, Beerus, and Supreme Kai Shin, the planet's erratic magnetic field finally began to settle. The thunder ceased, and the earth stopped its violent quaking. Only Raditz, Nappa, and the broken Vegeta remained.
Raditz stared at the quarter-fragment of the Senzu Bean in a daze before a twisted, dark smirk played across his lips. "Give me two choices?" He laughed, his eyes glinting with malice. "After how Vegeta has treated me all these years, he expects me to save him? There is no choice to be made! I'll keep this bean to save my own skin. Why would I waste it on that damn Vegeta? Hahaha!"
Raditz's face contorted with a frantic, selfish joy. It was exactly as Gran had predicted: given Vegeta's history of treating Raditz like garbage and contemplating his abandonment, Raditz had no intention of being the saviour. Like any cold-blooded Saiyan, he wasn't about to waste a miraculous healing treasure on anyone else.
"Let him rot here. Nappa, let's move! If we don't leave now, the Ginyu Force will be on top of us!" Raditz took to the air, heading toward their hidden pods.
"Hold it," Nappa's voice rang out, cold and thick with greed. "You're right not to save Vegeta. But since you aren't using that bean on him, it's useless to you. Hand it over. A piece of trash like you doesn't deserve something that valuable."
Raditz's pupils shrank as he gripped the bean fragment tightly. This was the quintessence of the Saiyan race: without a dominant force to suppress them, conflict over resources would turn even brothers into enemies. To Nappa, a bean that could bring someone back from the brink of death was too precious to leave with a low-class warrior whose power level was a mere 600.
"What do you mean, Nappa?! This was the choice Gran gave me! I chose to keep it, so it's mine!" Raditz shouted, his voice trembling with a mix of fury and fear.
"Hahaha! Look at your power level, brat. Do you really think you're worthy of that bean?" Nappa cracked his neck and stretched his limbs, a predatory grin on his face. "If I were you, I'd hand it over quietly. Unless you want to stay here and keep Vegeta company in the dirt."
Raditz's chest heaved with rage as he ground his teeth. "Didn't you hear them?! Gran is a god now! He gave me this choice—do you really dare to defy the word of a god?"
Nappa hesitated, the memory of those divine beings momentarily chilling his greed. But at that moment, the roar of an engine split the sky as the Ginyu Force's medium-sized scout ship pierced the atmosphere.
"Dammit! The Ginyu Force is landing! If we don't leave now, we're all dead!" Raditz's expression shifted to one of agonising reluctance. He split his quarter-fragment into two tiny slivers, tossed one to Nappa, and roared, "I'm giving this to you freely! It's not defying the gods! Now move!!!"
"Hahaha! Smart kid!" Nappa caught the sliver, his greed satisfied for the moment. Fearing Gran's lingering influence, he didn't push for the rest. The two of them turned their backs on the dying Vegeta and sped toward their ships.
However, the roar of the descending ship grew deafening.
"Curse it, we're too late!" Nappa shouted, skidding to a halt. Their pods were hidden on the far side of the planet; at their speed, the Ginyu Force would be on the ground long before they reached them.
"We're dead!" Nappa panicked. "That's the Ginyu Force! Once they land, it's over!"
"It's over because of you!" Raditz screamed, his fear replaced by hysterical rage. "If you hadn't wasted time fighting me for the bean, we'd be in orbit by now!"
"You dare talk to me like that? You want to die?!"
"Go ahead and kill me! We're both going to die when they land anyway! I'm not afraid of you anymore!"
Nappa balled his fists, but he knew Raditz was right. They were trapped.
"Think of something, Raditz! Fast!"
"There's only one way," Raditz said, his breathing hitching as a desperate calm took over. "I know this won't guarantee a win against the Ginyu Force, but compared to two weaklings like us, it raises our chances from zero to... slightly above zero."
"What is it?!" Nappa barked.
Raditz closed his eyes and sighed. "We have to go back and save Vegeta."
"What?!" Nappa was incredulous. "After everything that scumbag did to us? You want to—"
"What other choice is there?!" Raditz shrieked. "I only have a power level of 600, and you're at 2,500! If we wake Vegeta, we at least have his 6,000 power level on our side!"
Nappa's ears rang from the shouting. Though often called a "big oaf," he could see the grim logic. Even the weakest member of the Ginyu Force had a power level over 10,000. Combined, they were still underdogs, but with Vegeta, they might last a few seconds longer.
"Dammit... to think we actually have to save that bastard!" Nappa spat, but he followed Raditz as they flew back toward the crater.
One kilometre away, young Vegeta lay suspended in a twilight of pain. Gran's words echoed in his mind like a recurring nightmare: I'm back for my revenge... You're the same arrogant, cold-blooded brat... Does it feel good to be abandoned?
Am I really meant to die here? Vegeta thought, his inner fire flickering out. Maybe I deserve it...
Suddenly, a surge of warmth rushed through his system. His shattered spine mended, his lungs cleared, and his strength came roaring back. He snapped his eyes open and saw Raditz and Nappa standing over him, looking shaken.
"I'm... restored?!" Vegeta stood up slowly, but instead of gratitude, a murderous aura began to radiate from him. "You don't realise it, do you? I heard everything you said while I was down!" He turned toward them, his veins bulging with fury. "How dare you... How dare you contemplate betraying me!"
In Vegeta's mind, only he had the right to discard others. To have his subordinates consider leaving him behind—even if they eventually saved him—was an unforgivable insult to his royal pride.
"Wait, Vegeta!" Raditz pointed frantically at the ship that had just touched down in the distance. "The Ginyu Force is here!"
The God of Destruction's Realm
BOOM! BOOM!
The purple-tinted world shook with the force of repeated collisions.
"Mr Whis... why are they fighting?" Supreme Kai Shin asked, his eyes wide. He had just arrived at this legendary realm, and Beerus had immediately engaged Gran in a fierce spar. The shockwaves from their battle made Shin and Kibito tremble.
"Ohoho~" Whis waved his staff, manifesting a set of elegant tables and chairs by the lake. "This is just their daily routine. Don't worry, Lord Supreme Kai. Please, have a seat."
Is the daily routine of a God of Destruction this terrifying? Shin sat down tentatively, sipping the tea Whis poured. The atmosphere here was saturated with the energy of Destruction—the polar opposite of the sacred air in the Supreme Kai Realm.
"Lord Supreme Kai," Whis said smoothly, "I assume Gran has already taught you much about the hierarchy of the gods?"
"Yes, he explained, there are twelve universes, each with its own God of Destruction and Supreme Kai..." Shin began to relax, sharing what he had learned.
"Good. It seems Gran is a responsible tutor," Whis nodded. "The God of Destruction and the Supreme Kai are two sides of the same coin. Both are necessary. Lord Beerus has been asleep for a long time, so it's fortunate you've been managing Universe 7. Otherwise, we might have fallen to the very bottom of the rankings."
"I... I'm so sorry!" Shin's face flushed with shame. "I didn't understand the concept of 'mortal levels' or 'failed planets.' If I hadn't created so many..."
"It's not your fault," Whis interrupted gently. "Lord Beerus shares the blame for his laziness." He took a sip of tea. "But now that Lord Beerus is awake and has taken Gran as a disciple—and since Gran has strayed into this 'Super Saiyan' distraction—there is much to be done. Lord Beerus won't have time for naps anymore."
Whis glanced up at the fight, then added casually, "I suspect Lord Beerus will be releasing the Old Kai soon."
Shin's eyes lit up. He had heard of this ancestor from Gran, the 15th Generation Supreme Kai, who had been sealed away after offending Beerus. "Mr Whis, can you tell me more about him?"
"Since you want to know, I'll tell you," Whis smiled. "The Old Kai is incredibly knowledgeable—he knows things even I find surprising. He has a 'wicked' eye for talent; he can spot someone's weaknesses and hidden potential instantly. In that regard, his vision is comparable to an Angel's."
Shin straightened his back, feeling a surge of pride in his lineage.
"And," Whis chuckled, "he has... eccentric hobbies. He enjoys studying magic, divine techniques, and the bloodlines of various aliens. Oh, and he has a particular fondness for... 'naughty' magazines."
"Naughty magazines? What are those?" Shin blinked.
"He likes looking at lewd pictures, dear," Whis said, finally breaking into a fit of laughter. Shin stood there, speechless. His pride in his ancestor evaporated instantly.
BOOM! BOOM!
Above them, the battle reached a crescendo. A purple streak and a golden streak wove through the air, their clashes threatening to tear the sky apart. Beerus moved with a speed that defied logic, easily shattering the space around him. Every time he was about to strike the golden-haired boy, he adjusted his power with perfect control.
"Do you see now? This Super Saiyan state is incompatible with Ultra Instinct!" Beerus roared. "Your emotions, your power, your aura—everything is too turbulent! You can't find your centre! Your own rage is actively suppressing your second-stage physical instinct!"
"Don't think a 50-fold power boost makes you special! To my eyes, this form is weaker than your base state because you've lost your balance! I'm sick of looking at this golden hair—get down there!"
Beerus vanished and reappeared behind Gran, delivering a sharp kick to the boy's backside.
CRASH!
Gran hit the ground like a missile, creating a massive crater. He crawled out, coughing, his golden hair fading back to black as the transformation broke.
"Ugh... Whis... Lord Beerus hit me so hard... please heal me," Gran groaned, lying limp on the edge of the pit.
"Don't you have Senzu Beans? Why bother me?" Whis asked from the table.
"Senzu Beans are precious! Every one I use is one I don't have later. Your healing magic is 'free'!
Whis's mouth twitched. Is this kid for real?
"Please? Whis is the best Angel in the world! I'll only make delicious food for you from now on—I won't even let Lord Beerus look at it!"
"If you keep annoying me, I'll spank you again!" Beerus said, landing nearby. Gran flinched instinctively.
"Whis, heal him," Beerus sighed. "I want to hear his explanation for that Super Saiyan form."
Whis manifested beside Gran, waving his staff. A silver light washed over the boy, instantly mending his bruises.
"Explain yourself," Beerus said coldly. "Why are you so insistent on using that Super Saiyan state?"
"I'll explain in a second," Gran said, scrambling up and looking at Whis with a mischievous grin. "Whis, can you show me the projection of Vegeta again? I want to see if he's dead yet."
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