"I'll give it another try," said Ken. He turned to Broly and spoke again, "Broly, change back already. It's time to eat."
A flicker of light danced in Broly's pupils once more.
"Eat…" he murmured.
"That's right—time to eat," Ken nodded gently. "I even made your favorite fried chicken."
Broly's eyes lit up instantly, and drool began to stream down his chin.
SPLAT!
The golden light surrounding Broly vanished in an instant, and he returned to his base form.
"Food! Food! Food!" Broly exclaimed excitedly as he stared at Ken.
But the moment he finished, he noticed the net still wrapped around his body.
Broly: "???"
"Heh!"
Broly gave it a forceful yank—but the net didn't budge an inch.
He looked at Ken, puzzled.
"You really don't remember anything that just happened?" Ken asked.
Broly shook his head, clearly lost.
"Never mind. You'll remember eventually," Ken said with a wave of his hand. A murky aura of Divine ki flowed from his palm and immediately dissolved the net that had bound Broly.
Broly was now free again.
Off to the side, Merus stood frozen in complete shock.
Just now… was that…?
That was Divine ki, wasn't it?!
Isn't that the unique power that only we angels are supposed to possess?
How does he have it?!
What's going on here?!
Merus stared up and down at Ken again, trying to make sense of him.
No matter how he looked at it, this guy was clearly human.
Probably a Saiyan…
But… was that really Divine ki I saw just now?
Merus said nothing for now, deciding to find a better opportunity to ask in private.
Ken, meanwhile, was carefully observing Merus.
He knew full well—Merus was an apprentice angel undergoing training in the mortal realm.
Right now, Merus's skin had a light purple hue instead of the typical angelic blue—probably part of his disguise.
He also had the distinctive silver-white hair of an angel, neatly styled with straight bangs.
He wore a Galactic Patrol uniform and had an energy blaster holstered at his side.
Whoosh!
Jaco had also noticed Merus's arrival earlier. Fortunately, he'd finished repairing the hatch and now came flying in from a distance at full speed.
"It's Merus! You got here at the perfect time! Thank goodness—you really saved us," Jaco let out a sigh of relief.
"Officer Jaco, are you alright?" Merus greeted him with a smile.
"All good, all good," Jaco replied with a sheepish grin.
"Where's Ize? Has he already left?" Merus asked.
Though Merus was an apprentice angel, during his training on Earth he rarely used his Divine ki.
Most of what he used now was ordinary skill—things he'd learned during his time living in the mortal realm.
If he resumed his Divine status, it would be easy for him to investigate Ize thoroughly.
But for now, he could only act as a powerful—yet ultimately mortal—individual.
"Ize? He's over there, drifting," Jaco said, pointing off into space.
Ize's spaceship had been reduced to a thousand pieces, floating across the void.
As for Ize himself, his body had also drifted farther and farther due to the earlier battle.
Merus followed Jaco's finger and quickly spotted what was left of Ize's body—ripped in half.
"He was torn in two?" Sweat slid down Merus's face.
"Y-Yeah…" Jaco nodded. Then, curiously, he glanced at Merus again. "Hey, you're impressive. You can see that far? My eyes have a pretty complex structure—kind of like a dragonfly's compound eyes. They give me long-range, wide-angle vision. Didn't think you could match me!"
"I—I just have decent eyesight," Merus replied with a casual smile.
"Aren't your eyes like a fly's?" Ken asked from the side.
"It's dragonfly! Dragonfly!" Jaco emphasized with indignation.
"Is there a difference?" Ken asked.
"Of course! Dragonflies have way more ommatidia than flies!" Jaco replied proudly.
Ken fell silent.
Well, he's not wrong.
"Ize… is dead," Merus muttered with a sigh. "Was he defeated by that guy?"
"Yeah, Broly took care of him," Jaco nodded.
Broly looked confused and pointed at himself.
"You don't remember?" Jaco wiped his forehead awkwardly.
"I remember… chasing you around," Broly answered.
Jaco: "…"
That's all you remember?!
"And I remember… you told me… to call you… Dad..." Broly added, glaring coldly at Jaco.
Jaco nearly jumped out of his skin. His face turned pale as he dove behind Merus for cover.
Broly bared his teeth at him.
"Broly, calm down," Ken called out.
Broly heard Ken's voice and decided—for now—not to pulverize Jaco. His clenched fists slowly relaxed.
Jaco, relieved, finally exhaled.
"Oh right! I forgot to introduce you two. Ken, this is Merus—the person you wanted to meet," Jaco said quickly. "Merus, this is Ken. And that's Broly. They're both Saiyans."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Ken," Ken nodded to Merus in greeting.
"Nice to meet you… Let's head back first," Merus replied with a wry smile. He glanced again at the distant remains of Ize. "This could be a big problem. If Frieza finds out his son was… well, he might attack the Galactic Patrol HQ."
"Exactly what I was thinking! We'd better get back and start working on our defenses!" Jaco added, clearly stressed.
Merus nodded gravely.
The group boarded their ships.
Merus returned to his own spacecraft, while Ken, Broly, and Jaco entered theirs.
"Is the hatch fixed?" Ken asked.
"All done," Jaco confirmed and pressed a button.
Clunk!
The spaceship's door sealed shut.
Next, Jaco hit the ignition, and they rocketed off toward the Galactic Patrol Headquarters.
Just after takeoff, a door in the back of the ship burst open—
"WAAAH—A GHOST!"
Jaco jumped with a scream when he saw Tights emerge in her disheveled state.
Ken: "…"
Broly scratched his head in confusion, cracking his knuckles like he was seriously considering decking her.
"What's your problem?! You androgynous weirdo, what do you even understand?!" Tights scolded Jaco with arms akimbo, glaring daggers at him.
Jaco wisely chose not to respond.
Ken could only sigh silently.
Hearing Tights' voice, Broly seemed to recognize her identity. The fists he'd been clenching slowly loosened.
(End of Chapter)
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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