The question didn't need an answer—
Just as Esdeath had been tirelessly studying how to counter Susanoo, Uchiha Hikari had been pondering ways to crack Mokobotmo.
She'd come up with two plans.
The first was to have Yuji Itadori from the chat group head to the Jujutsu Kaisen world and absorb the power of Mahoraga.
The essence of Mokobotmo wasn't true time manipulation but rather using the ice and snow power within Demon's Extract to create an extreme low-temperature environment, effectively freezing an area to mimic a time-stop effect.
So, if someone could withstand absolute cold and move freely in such conditions, Mokobotmo would be rendered useless.
In the original story, Takanotsume had used this principle to counter the move.
Mahoraga worked similarly.
It could adapt to Sukuna's Dismantle in mere moments after encountering it, so theoretically, adapting to Mokobotmo was only a matter of time.
But…
Mahoraga wasn't just any cursed spirit—it was the Fushiguro family's shikigami. Hikari and Yuji were just casual friends, so asking the Fushiguro clan to summon their shikigami for her to "consume" felt a bit absurd, even to her.
So, Hikari devised a second method—
A deeper development of Fire-Thunder God.
The Fire-Thunder God, a spiritual weapon born from her Mangekyō Sharingan, first awakened during her initial duel with Esdeath in the Akame ga Kill! world. Back then, she'd instinctively tapped into its Thunder God aspect, embodying extreme speed and ferocity.
Now…
Facing Esdeath again, Hikari tried the Fire God aspect.
With the Fire-Thunder God's versatile nature, she didn't shape it into a weapon like a sword but instead transformed it into a veil-like garment that enveloped her completely. The blazing flames shielded her from Mokobotmo's freezing grasp, allowing her to break free from the time-frozen space.
If she had to name this technique, it'd be—
Flame Form!
In contrast, the Thunder God aspect would be her Light Form.
"Hoo…"
Hikari exhaled softly.
With the motion, her flame-wreathed body flickered, silently melting the ice blade at her chest. The resulting water didn't even have time to drip before it evaporated into the surrounding air.
Esdeath, gripping the ice blade, seemed to feel the wave of heat and instinctively pulled her scalded fingers back. She squinted, scrutinizing Hikari with an unreadable expression.
In Flame Form, Hikari was a living embodiment of fire, her body radiating thousands of degrees.
If she hadn't been deliberately controlling it, her clothes would've been incinerated by the Fire-Thunder God in an instant, let alone the ice blade pressed against her.
"…Sorry, Esdeath," Hikari said, standing still and offering an apologetic smile as the flames illuminated Esdeath's face. "Looks like I win again."
"…"
Esdeath's expression shifted a few times before she sighed and conceded defeat.
She still had some strength left and could've unleashed Ice Demon again, but it was pointless.
Ice Demon could, at best, match Susanoo, and Mokobotmo was completely countered by Flame Form. Until she developed a way to handle Flame Form, challenging Hikari ten more times wouldn't change the outcome.
Having gathered the intel she needed, it was time to start a new "arms race."
But that would have to wait.
As Esdeath's fighting spirit faded, Hikari closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them, her hair and skin returned to their usual pale shade, the fiery red glow fading away.
Afterward, she discreetly glanced at her sleeve, where a fresh scorch mark was clearly visible.
"…Guess I need to spend more time getting used to Flame Form."
Compared to Light Form, her control over Flame Form was less stable.
It was fine when standing still, but in high-intensity combat, there was a risk of burning her clothes. To avoid an embarrassing situation like fighting Esdeath in the nude, she'd need to train her control over Flame Form.
For safety's sake, she should also make some fire-resistant clothing.
The East Sea Cloud Dragon's fur had some flame-retardant properties. She could have it processed into a fitted sweater and pants for decent protection.
…
Meanwhile, the audience below was bewildered.
Including Master Roshi, none of them could resist Mokobotmo's effect, so during the frozen moment, their minds and bodies had genuinely stopped. From their perspective, it was like Hikari and Esdeath were locked in fierce combat one second, and the next, Esdeath suddenly surrendered, ending the match abruptly. It felt bizarre.
But…
It didn't matter much.
The intense battle before Mokobotmo had already been worth the ticket price.
Next came the awards and photo session.
Per the rules, the top three received medals, while the champion got a one-time prize of 500,000 zeni and a gold-plated trophy inscribed with "World's Greatest Fighter."
The money wasn't a big deal. Hikari had recently raided the Red Ribbon Army's headquarters, amassing a hefty haul, so she wasn't short on cash.
But the trophy and medal held some sentimental value.
Hikari hugged them, grinning as she took photos with Bulma, Eri, and the others, then passed the awards around for them to admire. Stretching lazily, she glanced at Esdeath. "The tournament's finally over. Wanna grab some good food later? My treat."
"…"
Esdeath, staring at her silver medal, didn't respond.
Instead, Goku scratched his head and asked tentatively, "Big Sis Hikari, can Krillin and I come too?"
"Hm?" Hikari smiled. "Of course. I meant everyone. After this, we'll all be heading our separate ways, and who knows when we'll meet again? Gotta make the most of this chance to hang out."
"Yay!" Goku cheered.
As they chatted, Hikari felt someone approach and lightly poke her arm. "Miss Hikari, look over there…"
"Hm? What's up?"
Turning, she saw Tanjiro pointing in a direction. "I just saw someone over there… a cat. I think it's Master Korin."
"Huh?"
Hikari blinked, following Tanjiro's gesture but finding her view blocked by the crowd.
Using Sky Dance to lift herself slightly, she scanned the area and soon spotted a white figure in the corner of the stands—Korin, leaning on his staff with his usual squinting eyes.
Next to him sat an unremarkable middle-aged man in a T-shirt, shorts, and glasses.
Sensing Hikari's gaze, Korin licked his whiskers, still squinting.
The man nodded at her briefly before standing and walking away slowly.
"That guy…" Hikari narrowed her eyes, a thought forming.
Korin's appearance caught her off guard.
The old cat rarely left Korin Tower. In the original story, he sent Yajirobe to deliver senzu beans to the Z Fighters. Coming to the World Martial Arts Tournament in person? This was a first for Hikari.
As for the middle-aged man beside him, he was even more unfamiliar.
Even after mentally flipping through the entire Dragon Ball manga, Hikari couldn't place him.
Still, she had a guess about his identity—
(Could that guy be Kami in disguise?)
Kami had the ability to manipulate minds. In the original story, he'd possessed "Mr. Shen" to enter the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, attempting to seal Piccolo Jr. with the Evil Containment Wave. It failed, and he ended up sealed instead, only escaping thanks to young Goku.
So…
Had Korin already visited Kami and told him about their group?
The answer wasn't clear.
But there was no rush.
If that man was indeed Kami, here to observe them, he'd likely approach after the tournament. All Hikari had to do was wait.
…
That evening, the group dined at another upscale restaurant in the city.
With Goku's bottomless appetite, Hikari's 500,000 zeni prize money was quickly devoured, and she had to dip into her own pocket for another million to cover the bill.
Bulma offered to chip in, but Hikari waved her off.
"Nah, it's fine. I'm pretty flush right now. That Red Ribbon Army haul was massive, and I haven't spent much of it."
"Huh?" Bulma blinked, leaning in to whisper, "I've been meaning to ask… Did you and Esdeath really take down the Red Ribbon Army in just a week? They're a notorious global organization. I heard even the Earth's king sent troops to wipe them out and failed…"
"Actually, it was four days," Hikari corrected.
The fall of the Red Ribbon Army hadn't caused much of a stir.
Aside from a few places directly oppressed by them, most regions and people were unaware the organization was gone. Over time, though, it'd likely come to light. Whether a new group would replace them was up to the Dragon Ball world.
Hikari had already meddled once. The rest could be left to Goku and his friends.
That night, the group returned to the hotel.
Bulma eagerly rounded up people for a poker game.
Yamato jumped in first, while Kikyo and Eri were reluctantly dragged along.
After her intense fight with Esdeath, Hikari was a bit tired. She took a shower, soaked in the bath to ease her fatigue, and changed into fresh clothes before heading to the living room for a cola. Just then, a knock came at the door.
"Hm?"
Who'd come this late?
After a moment's hesitation, Hikari peeked through the peephole, then opened the door to find Korin standing there, licking his paw. "Hey, Hikari. Got a minute to talk?"
"That matter you and Tanjiro asked me to look into? There's an answer. The big guy wants to meet you."
"Oh?" Hikari raised her head, her gaze passing Korin to the hallway's corner, where a green-skinned, weathered old man in a white robe stood, staring at her with a serious expression.
"Come on in," Hikari said, stepping aside and heading back inside. She opened the fridge, pulling out some juice and water and setting them on the table. "Want a drink?"
"…No, thank you," Kami said, sitting on the sofa. He glanced at Korin before speaking slowly. "Korin's told me a bit about you… I never imagined there were other worlds beyond ours, or that you could travel freely between them. It's incredible."
"Yeah," Hikari nodded.
In a way, she found the chat group's existence pretty incredible too.
After some small talk, Kami got to the point. "Korin mentioned you and that boy, Tanjiro, want to use the Dragon Balls?"
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