Chapter 41 — Reunion with Familiar Faces
At this point in time, the God of Destruction Beerus was no longer the same being described in the original tale—the kind of god who had never tasted truly delicious food.
Compared to the exquisite dishes once personally prepared by Tachibana Kyūjō, things like instant noodles could only be classified as junk food at best.
'If not for the fact that the one in front of me belongs to the Saiyan race, just like Kyūjō… I would've already destroyed this tiny planet.'
That thought passed lazily through Beerus's mind as he casually deflected Son Goku's attacks.
But right at that moment—
A soft yet blinding white light suddenly burst forth between the two of them. The surrounding space trembled violently, rippling as if reality itself were being stirred, and in the very next second—
Tachibana Kyūjō appeared within that light, dressed in formal divine attire that clearly marked his godly status.
The white radiance washed over Son Goku, and his body froze in place instantly, completely unable to move.
Even his Super Saiyan God form, boosted by Kaio-Ken multiplied tenfold, vanished without resistance. In the blink of an eye, he reverted to his base form.
On the other side, Beerus felt an overwhelming pressure the moment he laid eyes on Kyūjō. The light enveloping Kyūjō's body carried such immense weight that it nearly made Beerus feel short of breath.
"This kid… We haven't even been apart that many years, and he's already reached this level?" Beerus muttered in shock.
Not long after, Whis sensed Kyūjō's presence as well and immediately flew up from Earth's surface to join them.
"Haha… Lord Beerus, you flatter me too much. And Whis-san, I'm back," Kyūjō said with a friendly smile. He drew the white light back into his body, then turned his gaze toward Son Goku beside them.
"Little Goku, it's been a long time. Do you still remember me?"
Hearing that, Son Goku scratched the back of his head while staring at Kyūjō's face, clearly trying to recall something.
"You… you're that Saiyan who used to hang around Bulma a lot! Your name's Tachibana Kyūjō, right?" After thinking for a moment, Goku's eyes widened as realization finally hit, and he shouted excitedly.
Kyūjō nodded lightly, then looked toward Beerus and asked in an intentionally innocent tone, "Lord Beerus, you two were in the middle of…?"
Beerus merely rolled his eyes, clearly unwilling to answer. Whis, however, responded with a gentle smile.
"According to a prophecy from Lord Beerus's oracle fish, on a planet called Earth, a Super Saiyan God would be born—one whose power could rival Lord Beerus. That's why we came here."
"Oh, I see…" Kyūjō nodded before continuing, "Lord Beerus, I don't know whether someone capable of truly matching you will appear on Earth or not. But if you're just trying to satisfy your curiosity through battle… perhaps I could serve as a decent opponent."
His words drew a faint smile to the corner of Beerus's lips.
"Very well. Let's see how far your power has come after all these years away from Universe 7!"
As he said that, Beerus was already preparing to fight.
But Kyūjō quickly raised a hand and explained, "Lord Beerus, I don't think this is the right place to fight. Besides, I've only just returned. How about we postpone it for a few days?"
Beerus let out a proud snort and stopped himself.
Kyūjō then flew down toward Earth's surface.
From the sky, he looked at the people he once knew, and the surge of nostalgia in his heart became impossible to suppress.
Down below, Bulma—now with short bluish hair and visibly pregnant—was clinging to Vegeta's arm, her face filled with worry as she spoke.
"Vegeta, is this another new enemy? Can Goku really defeat a God of Destruction like Beerus?"
Vegeta shook his head solemnly without answering. But before he could say anything, an unfamiliar voice cut in from the side.
"It's been a long time, Bulma…"
Vegeta instantly turned toward the source of the voice.
"You're… a Saiyan too!"
The moment he saw Kyūjō's tail and the distinct hairstyle of the Saiyan race, Vegeta immediately recognized his origins.
A moment later, Beerus, Whis, and Son Goku appeared beside them as well.
Kyūjō looked at Vegeta and gave a small nod, then turned to Bulma and said, "You're pregnant, Bulma? Don't worry about Earth. I'm fairly close with Lord Beerus. He won't destroy this planet."
Staring at the face she knew so well, Bulma fell silent for a moment. Her eyes locked onto Kyūjō.
After a brief pause, she finally replied, her voice carrying a trace of sadness and longing.
"Yes… this is my second child."
Seeing his wife's expression—and noticing the way Bulma's gaze lingered on Kyūjō—an unreasonable surge of anger rose within Vegeta.
"Bastard! Saiyan or not, get the hell off this planet!!"
With a furious roar, Vegeta exploded with aura and transformed into his strongest form at the time—Super Saiyan 3.
Fueled by blazing rage, this Super Saiyan 3 form was far stronger than ever before.
Unfortunately…
The one standing before him was Tachibana Kyūjō—a true god.
In response to that "overwhelming" attack, Kyūjō merely raised one hand, his expression calm.
In the next instant—
Vegeta shot away like a meteor, blasted straight off Earth and into the void of space, streaking toward a distant sea of stars.
Watching her husband turn into a shooting star across the sky, Bulma froze for a moment. She quickly snapped out of it and looked at Kyūjō anxiously.
"Kyūjō-onii-chan… please don't hurt Vegeta…"
Hearing her words, Kyūjō looked at Bulma gently and replied, "Don't worry, Bulma. With my divine power, Vegeta won't be injured even out in space. But… he's letting his emotions get the better of him. Let him cool his head out there for a bit. I'll bring him back later."
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After temporarily "sending Vegeta away" from Earth, Kyūjō went on to greet his old acquaintances one by one—Master Roshi and several others nearby.
Not long after that, he borrowed Bulma's kitchen and began cooking personally to treat everyone present.
Especially to indulge the two biggest food fanatics of all—
Beerus and Whis.
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